As a grifter, Sophie prided herself on being able to not only adapt to, but take control of most any situation. But now, sitting in a little blue plastic chair in the corner of a classroom she couldn't help but feel out of her element. Maybe if Nate hadn't led her there with the words, "it's a surprise" and actually given her some time to prepare. Maybe then she wouldn't be sitting alone in a red cocktail dress and ridiculously high heels.
When former client, Sheila Emmers, had invited Nate and his crew to see her new school he hadn't told anyone. Rather he decided to send them off with no knowledge of their destination. Sophie couldn't help but to take this personally- to assume it was revenge for her conning the team. Or something like that; who knew what went on in Nate's head. Yet despite her annoyance, Sophie couldn't help but smile at him.
Nate was sitting at the other end of the room at a similar tacky fake wood table; only unlike her he wasn't alone. On the other side of the table sat a little boy- probably not much older than Sam when he passed- and between them was a deck of cards. Sophie couldn't tell if Nate was teaching him card tricks or if they were playing a game. Whatever it was seemed to be making both of them happy.
Everyone seemed to be happy. Everyone seemed to be surrounded by children. Hardison and Parker were the main attraction with what appeared to be a puppet show. Parker was animated as always and seemed quite into the story. Hardison seemed more into Parker, but was doing his best with some sort of green puppet on his hand. Eliot had taken it upon himself to make snack for the class and was just finishing cleaning up. Being the culinary perfectionist he was, he had managed to turn snack time for less than a dozen children into a whole big production.
Still, Eliot seemed to be enjoying himself. Sophie watched as he placed the last of the dishes into the classroom sink and headed over to her.
"Kid said his cookie was too sweet. How is a cookie too sweet?" Eliot complained as he took the seat next to her.
"Hello to you too Eliot," Sophie greeted, her tone amused. "Discovering that children aren't always a joy?"
Eliot shrugged. "Nah, they're alright," he admitted. "What's your excuse for not… mingling… or whatever you people call it?"
"Would you like the long answer?" Sophie asked.
"Something tells me I'm going to get it anyway."
Sophie smiled. "Nate, Parker, Hardison, and yourself all connect with children because of something in your past," she explained. "I don't have that."
Eliot seemed slightly interested. "What you mean?"
"Hardison has experience with his foster siblings. Parker looks at children and sees the childhood she never had. You see the life you could have had with Aimee-" She paused. There was another reason that Eliot connected with children. Children were innocent- something Eliot hadn't been in a long time and something Sophie knew that he wished he was.
"And Nate," she continued, "Nate just misses his son."
"Makes sense," Eliot acknowledged. He stood up suddenly, something having caught his eye. "But that doesn't." He could see Nate, who was also standing, but the boy was nowhere in sight. He saw Sheila run over and soon some of the children.
Eliot quickly followed; knowing whatever was going on wasn't good. Sophie rushed to follow him and immediately joined Nate's side.
"What's the matter?" Sophie asked, not immediately seeing anything wrong. She grabbed Nate's elbow and he spun around. The fear in his eyes startled her. "Nate, what is it?" Sophie demanded, but Nate could only stare at her numbly.
Only when she pushed him aside could she see why. There, on the floor, a foot from where they had been playing cards, the boy lay- his body seizing violently.
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I just felt like writing a team fic. Not sure how many chapters this fic will have, but it will follow the team on a job. This is just the teaser/introduction which is why it's so short. I would appreciate reviews so I know whether this plot is worth pursuing.