Disclaimer: Leverage is not mine. I am making no profit from this. I'm just playing with their world for a little while. Hopefully you get some enjoyment out of this. If so, please review and let me know you like it so I know it's worth continuing. Thank you.

Another day, another job.

That's what it started out as anyway. They were taking down a corrupt CEO for a safety equipment company that was cutting corners and making things more dangerous not safer. The woman who had called them had lost her son because of the inferior equipment. The CEO was trying to write it off as a one time fluke, one faulty device… But the deeper the team dug, the dirtier it got. He was into a few illegal things… typical scumbag sort of stuff. They needed proof though to nail him to the wall and it wasn't in his office. So here they were at the man's private Fort Knox. Sophie had the man distracted on some outing or another. It didn't matter, the grifter was grifting and it was gold… so far at least.

Hardison was now patched in to the man's security system and was disabling things to get them in. Nate was keeping close to where Sophie was in case there was trouble… He could at least provide her a momentary distraction if nothing else should the shit hit the fan… Which meant that Eliot and Parker were the ones actually going in. Once the security was bypassed and Parker got them quietly in the building, Eliot began doing systematic sweeps room by room… Parker keeping a look out for where something juicy might be hidden and Eliot keeping an eye out for trouble. When they found a promising hidden safe, Eliot left Parker to it to continue the sweep of the house.

It was a big house. He'd just heard Parker say she found something when he rounded a corner into a room and found a disturbing sight. There was a girl tied to a bed. Her hair was in her face but her body was laying in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. She had bruises all over her legs and her arms… and there was blood on the bed. From what, he didn't know.

"Shit." He cursed half under his breath.

"What's wrong Eliot?" Came Nathan's concerned tone.

"There's a girl, unconscious… beaten up pretty badly." He whispers. He knew the com didn't need much sound for them to hear him.

"How serious?"

"Don't know… can't tell from here."

"Check if it's bad enough we'll get her out…"

"Is that wise Nate?" Came Hardison's voice.

"If she's beaten up that badly I highly doubt she's there willingly."

"Point."

Eliot edged his way closer to the bed… He could see blood along her chin… So the blood was from a broken nose or a split lip. Her wrists looked raw and there was dried blood on the nylon rope that had been used… she'd been struggling to get free… Were this sexual her wrists wouldn't look like that. With a surprisingly gentle touch, he eased the hair from her face. His eyes went wide.

"Fuck." He cursed, still keeping his voice quiet, but the ear buds were more than sensitive enough to pick it up regardless.

"Eliot?"

"We're getting her out of here. Parker you done?"

"Almost."

"Get done."

"What's the matter Eliot?"

"Work now talk later." Came the gruff reply. He set about getting the girl untied. The team could hear the words he whispered to himself as if speaking to the unconscious girl.

"How the hell did you end up here?"

A pained moan escaped her lips as he had to move her to undo one of the knots.

He froze, looking at her… The girl's lashes fluttered against her cheeks but she didn't wake up. Sighing, he went back to task. When he finally had her freed, he gently scooped her up into his arms and began making his way downstairs…

"You done yet Parker?"

"Yeah done. Come on."

"You're going to have company in about three minutes get out now." Hardison hissed over the comm.

"Which direction?"

"Front Door… Get out now, and I'll reset everything."

He looked down to the woman in his arms and sighed. "Dammit they're gonna know someone was here…" Eliot muttered as he hastened his step. He just hoped that they could get far enough away before they realized their little prize wasn't there anymore. He and Parker were out of the building and the security reset with about 23 seconds to spare. They get to the van and Parker opens the back as Eliot kinda had his hands full.

Hardison looks at them. "So what's the deal Eliot?"

"I'll tell you when we're out of here…" Is all he says as he gently sets the girl down and tries to make sure she's comfortable.

"Parker, you stay back here with her and make sure the ride don't jostle her too much. Can't tell how much damage has been done just yet and I likely as shouldn't have carried her out of there… But I wasn't about to leave her for that monster to play with some more." He growls. Parker just kind of nodded and sat herself down.

They peeled out of there like bats out of hell… No one spoke until they were back to base. They watched as Eliot carefully picked the girl up and carried her upstairs. They were curious as to when their hitter had gained the ability to be so gentle. They wondered what was going on behind his blue eyes… They stayed quiet as he laid her on the couch and started tending to what wounds he could see… Parker edging closer only out of curiosity.

"Why did you save her?" Parker asks.

"Because she saved me once."

The crew suddenly came to life with questions…

"You know her." Sophie says in that tone of hers.

"Sort of. Her name's Nica and that's about all I know other than the fact that she could likely give Hardison a run for his money in intelligence. Don't know her full story but I do know that if it hadn't been for her I'd have been caught and likely killed… But that's a story for after… Right now… I'm gonna make sure she wakes back up." He says as he goes back to assessing her injuries.

She had several bruised ribs and multiple bruises all over her body. There were also the abrasions from the nylon cording on her wrists and ankles. She'd put up one hell of a struggle that was certain. She had a black eye, a split lip and likely a concussion if only because she was currently out cold. He cleaned her up and bandaged the few cuts and scrapes she had. IT looked like she'd gone a few rounds with a heavy hitter… Her wounds were somewhat defensive at least if you looked at their locations… She'd tried to shield herself. They hadn't wanted to kill her they'd wanted to make her suffer.

After that, he had to move away from the couch. He'd done what he could… the rest was up to her. "Well it's on her now."

"What are you intending to do when she does wake up, Eliot?" Nathan inquired.

"We'll talk to her, see what got her put there.. Who knows maybe she can help us take him down. Those wounds aren't because of rough sex, Nathan. Whoever did this to her, did it to punish her. They wanted her to hurt, to suffer…" He half growls. He knew they had to hit her pretty hard too... She'd been a heck of a fighter from what he could remember from when he'd ran into her the first time around.

Nathan just nodded. Eliot knew wounds because he caused them and received them so often… So he was going to trust his judgment until he had a reason not to.

"So do you want to tell us how you met Nica or?"

"I was in the field. We were in Nepal that time. There was a bunch of trouble stirring up. You get that from time to time. Peaceful a place as Nepal can be there are some pretty seedy areas. Where there's seedy areas there's bad people. Para military assholes lookin' to harass the locals and build themselves a power base." He pauses.

"We're heading through the pretty heavily wooded area and a bunch of my men were knocked out… Don't know what by… They never saw what hit them. The rest of us scattered. We all knew our way back to base and if we'd been ambushed like that, we had to think about getting back to base to regroup and complete the mission. We were near some temples… Probably why the lowlifes were hiding there… figured no one would think they'd get that close to a temple." He mutters shaking his head.

"I end up in something' of a clearing. I was out numbered there were seven of them and likely to be more if they made enough of a ruckus. Though we were close to the temple I didn't much hold out hope that some monk was going to come to my rescue. I wasn't green but neither was I quite what I've become now either… so seven to one, I figured I was going to get beat up pretty bad even if I took most of them with me." He remembers.

"The fight breaks out… and it's bad… They don't come one at a time… they're fairly smart. I got it a lot of good hits, took two down pretty fast… but they caught on too quick. I got hit hard enough to rattle my head pretty bad… and then, I hear this sharp clear whistle… Everyone freezes… There, on a big rock was this seeming wisp of a girl. The distraction gave me time enough to get my head cleared and I started fighting again… It was still pretty brutal. These vultures started circling that girl. Three of them… Last thing I saw before I got my head nearly put through a tree was her giving this coy little smirk." He sighs, shaking his head.

"I woke up later, in a fairly comfortable cot… I'd been cleaned up, bandaged up… My head was throbbin' like hell… but I made myself get up. I was in the temple that was nearest the clearing… I saw monks moving around… and one of them seemed to notice that I was looming in the doorway of the room I'd been put in. He bows in my direction and makes a motion to follow him… Color me curious so I follow. He leads me to a dining room sort of place and there, at the table is that girl from the clearing."

As he continues to tell the story of how he met Nica, the memory unfolds in his mind like a movie reel playing…

"Anchal does not speak English." Comes the soft voice of the young woman.

"But you do." Eliot comments.

"Please, sit. You are sure to be hungry… And yes, I do. My father was a missionary… he brought me with him to this place…" She says simply.

A bowl of rice and some vegetables is brought out for him.

"Where is your father now, darlin'?" He asks.

"Men like those you faced today took him from this world. He was the only family I had left. The monks were kind enough to take me in." She answered the questions but she was still vague enough at the same time.

"What's your name, if I may ask." Eliot inquired.

"I am called Nica. What is your name?"

"Eliot. So why ain't I unconscious back in that clearing still or worse?" He asks. He couldn't help it, he had to know.

"Those men trespass and are unwelcome here. They bring death and destruction and despair to these people… I could not simply leave you there, even if the physical danger to you had been dealt with. I asked the monks to help me bring you inside. Charan cleaned you up, I bandaged your wounds… You fight like this often, don't you?" Nica asked.

Eliot nodded. "Its part of what I do."

"What is it then that you do which requires you to fight like this?"

"I'm one of the men that goes out into the dark places of the world to make sure bad men can't hurt good people anymore." He explains.

Nica smiled at that. "As much as the monks try to teach a path of peace… humanity has not yet evolved to the point where peace can be achieved without the help of someone willing to dirty their hands… I have seen it happen around here a lot. I have been fortunate. Not only to be taught their ways and taught as a school student in normal senses… But I have been allowed to learn self defense. One of the monks has been teaching me Tai Chi since I was very little and in the town not too far from here is the birthplace of Budokai-do." She explains.

Eliot was shocked by that, and understandably so. Monks such as these were peace keepers… Harm no living thing kind of guys… She noticed his shock.

"After what happened to my father, I think that they wanted to ensure that I would be able to protect myself if the need arose. I am not just a girl, I am an outsider. Though I have lived here in Nepal longer than I ever lived in America. So long as I adhere to their practices while within the bounds of the temple, I am allowed to pursue things that are not their practices."

"Makes sense I guess."

"What are you and your men doing all the way out here?"

"Got some intel about some weapons dealers and some other nasty stuff… Thought we'd come in and try to stop them before they could do bigger damage than what they've been doin'."

"I can show you their camps."

"It's too risky darlin' thanks, but no."

She chuckled then, her voice echoing slightly in the nearly empty hall.

"You say this to the girl who took down the men left standing after you had fallen? I can handle my own and I know these trees like the back of my hand… They could not catch me. If you can be quiet, I can lead you… you can then remember the camps and lead your team back."

"I still don't like it."

She smiles. "I thank you for your concern… it has been a very long time since someone that was not a monk expressed any for me… But you wish to bring down the bad guys…and I can be of service to that… I would like them away from my home and if helping you is a way to make that happen… Then I am willing. They've taken the money and advantage of these people for far too long as it is." Nica said with deep conviction.

Eliot sighed… "Alright but if all hell breaks loose you get to safety."

She chuckles.. "If all hell breaks loose, I will." Of course this was dependant on what they considered to be hell breaking loose… but that was neither here nor there… The flash back ended.

"Not too long after that, we finally bring the smugglers, arms dealers and other assorted assholes down.… And she helped. She showed me every single camp in the area. She was quieter than a cat moving through those trees. It gave me the information I needed to help lead a much better attack against those monsters… In the end, the good guys won." Eliot explains.

"So how does a girl like that end up tied to a bed and beaten half to death?" Sophie asks.

"That's what I'd like to know." Eliot says with a sigh.