Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage
Summary: Hardison looks back on Lucile
Lucile
A small shimmery tear slowly traced its way down the hacker's cheek when the explosion went off. Hardison had such fond memories in that van. No one else on the team even acknowledged her as something other than a stinky way of transportation and the place where Hardison works. No, she was more than that. She was Lucile.
"Ah, welcome to Harvey's Auto paradise." A short, greasy man called to him as he moved through the cars. "What are you looking for today?"
"I need a van." Hardison replied to him while peering into a white one's window. He looked up at the salesman and caught a glimpse of her over the over-weight man's shoulder. He could have sworn he saw Heaven's light surrounding her, in all her black paneled glory. "I want that one." He said in a distracted tone without taking his eyes off the shiny vehicle in the corner of the parking lot. He handed the man a stack of bills with a quiet "we'll take her." and he walked off towards 'Lucile.'
That was the beginning of Alec Hardison's relationship with the van he called Lucile. He thought back to the first con they worked with the new team member.
"Alright, Sophie, you distract the mark and see if you can get any info on his operations. Parker, I need you to lift the pass card and slip it off to Eliot. Hardison, you make sure Eliot gets up to the room without any problems with the elevator codes and that no one gets spooked. We need this to go quietly. Let's go steal us a hotel." Nate rattled off the plan and all but Hardison left Lucile to sit in the parking lot. He had already decked her out with computer docking stations and cords and everything else he would need to run this op and never let hotel security know they were there. He grabbed his soda and gummy bears and took a long swig before he typed away disabling the camera feed in all the hallways and elevators and replaced it with a loop of them empty. "Lucile, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." He smirked.
Now, that friendship had come to an end. She had been sacrificed for the good of the team and Hardison would never forget her.
-Leverage-
"Lucile was a wonderful team member. She died with bravery and honor. She died so we may live. Lucile, you will live on in our hearts forever." Hardison said aloud with his head bowed. He bent and put some flowers below the plaque he had made and put up in an alcove of Leverage Inc.
Eliot walked past and grumbled "I can't believe you held a funeral. It was a car, man. Move on."