Notes: Alright, y'all. I wrote this for a kink fic challenge over at LJ geteven_getfic. My prompt was Eliot with amnesia. I had intended this to be like a sex romp, or a just a funny thing, but it somehow turned into this sort of dramatic thing, but with funny and happy as well. I hate leaving people miserable. It was so much harder to imagine being inside Eliot's head, especially when he doesn't know who he is, than I thought. So, I really hope you like this, because I worked hard on it. I may write a different, shorter version, that's not so much a team fic… but I don't know yet. And if you're disappointed in how Eliot gets amnesia, I'm sorry. I just felt like it would be more interesting this way. Please review, And for those who have been reading and reviewing my stories, thank you so much! It means the world to me.
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The crash surprised them all. The team had been riding home in the van together, on the way back from completing another successful job. The bad guys had been punished and the client had been helped. But they never saw the little Corvette coming. It hit them head on, cutting clear across the yellow lines. Later they would learn the driver was high as a kite.
The impact sent them spinning, hitting several other cars, creating a mess of metal and injuries. Somehow, nobody had died. Nate, Sophie and Hardison were bumped up, while Parker was less lucky with a broken arm. Eliot, however, was knocked out cold. The team scrambled to get their story straight as they knew a hospital visit was inevitable. Realizing Eliot and Parker were the only ones who really needed medical attention, they were pronounced married and given the appropriate identification. Sophie and Nate hopped in the ambulance with Eliot, needing each others presence to remain calm. Hardison climbed in the next bus behind Parker, who vehemently insisted she didn't need a chaperone. But she clutched his hand all the same.
Eliot woke up to blinding light. Slowly he realized the room around him was a hospital room, and the various beeps and hums were machines. A few of which were attached to him. He shot up to a sitting position, not sure why he was there but knowing he needed to be gone, now. A bolt of pain around his wrists made him look down, and his brow furrowed in confusion as he noted the handcuffs holding him to the bed rails. What the hell is going on here? Why am I cuffed? What did I do? Wait, who the hell am I? Why don't I know my name? What the hell?
"Eliot! You're awake, thank goodness!" Eliot tilted his head curiously at the pretty brunette that had walked into his room. Too many thoughts swam through his head at once. Do I know her? Am I married? Is she British? Somebody better tell me what in the hell is happening. Apparently my name is Eliot. Stupid name.
"Do I know you, darlin'?" his voice was less raspy than he expected, but his own southern accent surprised him. Alright, I'm southern, but from where? What am I doing with a British woman? Am I in England? And why am I still cuffed? His head began throbbing under all the questions. The woman was giving him a curious look, as if trying to figure out if he was serious.
"Now's not really the time for jokes, is it Eliot?" she shook her head disapprovingly. Eliot found himself feeling ashamed at the thought of her being disappointed in him, though he didn't know why. He also found himself feeling irrationally angry at the woman, and was glad the cuffs reminded him he was restrained. Ok, that's why I'm cuffed. Why am I so angry? Breathing deeply, he glared at the woman in the nicest way he could manage.
"Listen, sweetheart. I figure you must know me, and maybe I know you, but right now, I don't know who I am, and I don't know what's going on here and I sure as hell Am. Not. Joking." His growled speech wore him out and he found himself resting back on the pillows as the woman processed what he had said. A look of panic swept across her face before she settled it back into what he assumed was supposed to be a reassuring expression. And then, to his utter confusion, she titled her slightly and spoke,
"Nate, Parker, Hardison. We have a problem." Who is she talking to! Good god, I hope I'm not married to a crazy woman. The woman drifted to his side and fluttered her hands above him before deciding his hair was the safest place to pat. Eliot sighed as her cool hands brushed his fevered forehead, wondering why he felt so relieved and still so anxious to break free. He got the feeling that if he wanted to break those cuffs, he could. The thought frightened him more than he cared to admit, and he pushed the urge of violence down deep.
Just then a trio of people walked in; a tall black man who was probably in his mid to late twenties, followed by a blonde girl about the same age, one arm in a cast and sling against her chest. She looked… off. Cute, but… off. The last to enter was a man somewhere in his forties, with a mop of dark hair and a tired expression on his face. Eliot felt a strong surge of recognition at his face, but couldn't come up with details to match. The man chatted quickly with the British woman in a hushed whisper, but Eliot couldn't help but see the way they leaned into each other, how the seemed to revolve around each other, yet weren't touching at all. Maybe she's not my wife after all. Maybe I'm with the blonde. She seems more my age. Maybe. Wait, how old am I? More importantly, who the hell are these people! The blonde had taken up residence in the lone chair near his bed, and was studying him with cool hazel eyes. The black man stood beside her, one hand resting on the back of her chair, just barely touching her hair. He looked at Eliot with fearful eyes. Eliot wasn't sure what to make of that. Hell, guess I'm not with the blonde either. He wouldn't be so close to her if he knew she was my girl. Eliot surprised himself with the thought. He didn't know why he felt so sure of it, but he knew the others in the room were wary of him, even as they seemed concerned. Finally the silence was broken as the older man spoke,
"Eliot, I know you don't recognize us, but we're… friends. I'm Nate. We were all in a car accident together. This here is Sophie, Parker, and Hardison." He gestured to the brunette, blond and other man respectively. Sophie smiled at him in a way that made him feel calm, somewhat against his will. Hardison settled for a head nod and weak wave. But it was the girl called Parker that did the strangest thing of all; she stood swiftly and sat in the bed next to him, looping her arms around him in a brief hug, before jumping back up and fleeing the room. Oooook. Eliot looked around and noticed the others looked as confused as he felt. So, she's definitely not with me. Unless we haven't told them yet. She does feel familiar, and warm. Smells nice too. Sophie glanced between Nate and Hardison, as if asking who would be the one to go after Parker.
"I'll go," Hardison offered, "I'll find her as long as she keeps those shoes on." He paused briefly at the door to regard Eliot, "Hey man, just try and remember us, ok? We kind of need ya around here." The other two nodded absently as Eliot wondered what in the hell shoes had to do with finding the peculiar blonde and why these people needed him. He nodded his acknowledgement to the retreating Hardison, giving him a weak smile, which seemed to startle the other man. What? Am I some kind of evil bastard? He sat up straighter as the older maybe couple turned back toward him in perfect sync. It's gonna be a long day.
The doctor refused to let anybody stay for longer than a few minutes at a time, so Eliot was left to his thoughts in between the drug induced naps. He was mostly just bruised, but the doctor was determined to keep him in recovery and observation for as long as possible. Eliot wondered if the doctor could see the need he felt to run. He also wondered why he hated the hospital so much, but the lingering feeling that he was all too familiar with hospitals didn't help.
Hardison had dropped off some dvds and a laptop, but Eliot had no interest in flashing images quite yet. Nate had disappeared as quickly as he appeared, leaving Eliot to wonder why the older man seemed to hate hospitals even more than he did. Parker reappeared briefly, clutching a small cactus, which she placed on his bedside table. Before Eliot could even say hello or question why she would bring a cactus, instead of the common flowers, she was gone, leaving him to wonder if she wasn't a ghost after all.
Sophie somehow found a way to visit him after hours that night, slipping into his room at half past eight. She smiled brightly at Eliot and he found himself smiling right back at her. She too, looked surprised at his reaction, but she hid it better than Hardison had. Why are these people my friends if they're so surprised by a smile? What have I done?
"Hello, Eliot. How are you feeling?" her voice was lulling and Eliot fought to focus on the words as she seated herself in the bedside chair.
"I'm alright, I guess. Little confused." Sophie nodded sympathetically before Eliot continued. "It's just; you all seem like nice people. That Parker is a little strange. You say that you're friends of mine, so why am I getting the feeling that you all think I'm gonna snap or something? Have I ever hurt any of you? Hell, I can feel the anger in me, but I don't understand it. Why are y'all afraid of me?"
Sophie was struck by how young Eliot looked in that moment, and how innocent he appeared. She felt a surge of protectiveness for the hitter, but found adequate words were hard to form. She wasn't used to Eliot needing information that he couldn't beat out of somebody. And she definitely wasn't used to him looking at her with such trusting eyes. Sighing, she tried her best to explain.
"We aren't afraid of you, dear. We're worried about you, of course. And concerned about you, about what could happen if you don't regain your memory. I think we're all just a little put off with your communication. You've never been one for prolonged conversation." She stopped herself when Eliot looked at her with a crestfallen expression, one which she knew she would never have seen if he knew who he was.
"It's not like it sounds," she continued, rambling but unable to stop, "It's not like you don't talk to us, or that you are some freak or something. I actually find your conversation very pleasant. And you're quite funny when you want to be. And very knowledgeable too, though I suppose you don't remember that do you? You know, you can identify weapons by their sounds, of all things! It's really quite fascinating. Oh, and you love to mess with Hardison! He pretends to hate it, but I think he secretly loves having a big brother type around. And Parker, well Parker is a bit difficult, isn't she? But she..." Sophie stopped as she realized the medication had knocked Eliot out once again. She wondered how much he'd heard. Brushing his hair back, she whispered the rest of her message before departing.
"She cares about you, in her way. And so do I. Sleep well, sweet boy." The sleeping man heard nothing, but smiled slightly at her touch, a sight that Sophie didn't know how to feel about.
Two long days later the doctors let him be released into the custody if his wife, Sandra. Sandra turned out to be Parker, who didn't bother explaining as she wheeled him out in the mandatory wheelchair. There is something wrong with her.
He was in Hardison's apartment, he knew that. He wondered why they had chosen this place. Maybe Nate and Sophie lived together and didn't want him underfoot. Whatever the reason, he was glad he wasn't staying with Parker. She made him uneasy. She hadn't been anything but kind so far, but there was just something about her that kept him off balance. Hardison seemed like a good guy and had a spare bedroom, several spare in fact, so Eliot accepted the arrangement. It wasn't like he knew what he would do on his own anyway.
The first day at Hardison's apartment went smoothly enough. The doctor told them all to give it time and to treat Eliot the same as they had before. To Hardison, this meant pizza and cheesy sci-fi movies. And beer. Thankfully. Eliot remembered beer, or at least his tongue did. It was a good feeling. Around eleven, Hardison went off to bed, saying something about getting up early to fight a troll in Australia. Eliot didn't know what he was talking about, but had the lingering feeling that he should. Shrugging, he decided he should head to bed as well.
Hardison's baggy sweats felt far too long on Eliot, and his t-shirt felt far too tight. He wondered idly why none of his friends would have access to his home, and his clothes. Shrugging, he decided to get some sleep and walked to the window to close the curtain. He nearly fell to the ground in surprise at what he saw. Parker was on the other side of the window, seemingly floating above the two floors below her. Knowing he might regret it, Eliot opened the window, letting the girl in. Huh. Ropes. Where in the hell did she come from?
"The roof." Parker answered, as if it were obvious. Wait. I didn't ask that out loud. And how did she do anything like that with a broken arm? She must be… talented. Parker just rolled her eyes at his obvious internal thinking.
"I get that look a lot. It's always the roof. Or the air vent. Basically, from above. Here, I brought you your clothes." With that, she tossed him a plastic bag full of clothing with her good arm. Instinctively, Eliot's arm shot out to grab it, and he marveled at his reflexes. Parker looked at him curiously,
"You really don't remember anything do you?" she asked, "I mean, you don't know how fast you are, or how strong. Still can't catch me of course, but maybe Hardison…" she trailed off as she noticed Eliot staring.
"You're a little bit crazy, aren't you?" he asked her, still not used to his own voice. To his surprise, she laughed out loud and nodded.
"You've always said so," she responded. Damn. That doesn't seem like a nice thing to tell a woman, repeatedly. She settled herself into the open window's edge, causing Eliot to worry she would fall. But Parker seemed unconcerned, so he let it be. Strange girl.
Eliot rummaged through the clothing, feeling calm wash over him as he felt the familiar fabrics. His mind might not know what was going on, but his body remembered these things. He picked out his own sweats and t-shirt and froze, unsure of what to do next. Should I change in the bathroom? Can I just leave her here? Wonder if Hardison knows he has a repelling blonde in his spare bedroom. Making up his mind, Eliot turned to head to the bathroom. Parker snorted behind him, and he looked back in exasperation.
"What?" he demanded. She giggled,
"You can change in front of me. We've seen each other naked before. Lots." She explained, in a voice as if she were speaking to a small child. A none too bright small child. Eliot was only confused further. Wait, what? If we aren't together, and I'm pretty sure we aren't, why have we been naked together?
"I can get naked too, if that will make you feel better" she hopped off the window and moved to pull her black shirt above her head. He couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face. Please do. Wait, no! Hell. Cursing himself and his apparent sense of propriety, Eliot rushed to push her hand back down, all the while marveling at her one armed agility.
"That, that's ok. Thanks, Parker." The name was still foreign to him, but it felt more familiar than it had before. He found himself wondering if she got naked in front of him often. Parker just shrugged and went back to sitting on the window sill, feet thumping rhythmically against the wall. Eliot turned his back to her before pulling off the god awful shirt and pulling on his own. He quickly did the same with the pants. He turned back to Parker, who merely smiled silently at him. He decided to ask the question that had been on his mind the past few days, when he had finally gotten a look at himself in a full length mirror.
"Parker," he began, the name nearly familiar now, "Do you know how I got all these scars?"
She shook her head, "Nope. You don't share much. You mostly just hit people." At Eliot's alarmed look, she amended, "Don't worry, you only hit the bad guys! That's what you do." What I do. Huh. That sounds, hell, that sounds right. Parker looked at him kindly and patted his arm gently, "It will make more sense when you start remembering, don't worry. The doctor said this amnesia shouldn't last very long." How did she just move across the room without me seeing? Eliot nodded, letting himself be comforted by the girl, even if she seemed uncomfortable showing emotion. Deciding he had kept his rambling in his head long enough, Eliot sat on one end of the bed, beckoning Parker to sit across from him. She unbuckled her harness and complied.
"Parker," the name did sound familiar now, "Are you and me, are we… together?" he asked, just to be 100% sure.
"Of course we are, there's nobody else here!" she replied, again in the speaking to a dumb child voice.
Eliot quelled the urge to smack the girl, knowing she meant well. Seriously. I have an anger issue. What is my problem? Sighing, he reached over to grab her unplastered hand.
"No, Parker, what I mean is, are you and I…together? As in, relationship wise? Are you my girlfriend?" He actually jumped back as she laughed at the notion.
"No! Oh God no!" Parker spouted out between giggles. "Nothing against you of course," she added, seeing Eliot's wounded expression. "You are very attractive. But we're just friends. Kind of." She swayed slightly from side to side, as if demonstrating the balance of their relationship. Eliot nodded, no longer feeling hurt, but still a little confused.
"So, are you with Hardison then?" he asked, genuinely curious, "And am I with anybody?" though he doubted it, seeing as nobody else had been to visit him. His eyebrows shot up as he noticed the blush on Parker's face when he mentioned Hardison's name.
"I'm not with anybody. And neither are you." She replied succinctly. Worn out, Eliot just nodded. He yawned widely as fatigue swept over him. Parker seemed to understand and moved off the bed, buckling back into her harness. Eliot peered at her from his half open eyes,
"You know Parker, there's a door here." Parker nodded but rolled her eyes,
"What fun would that be? Anybody can walk through a door!" Eliot should have been surprised, but found he wasn't. He was, however, a little bit surprised when the blonde let out a yelp of joy and leapt out the window in a flash. Shaking his head, he collapsed onto the bed. Sleep came quick and dreamless.
The next morning was pleasant. He awoke to Hardison making eggs. To Eliot's surprise, he realized he knew how to cook, and that he loved it! Shoving Hardison away only slightly roughly, Eliot took his place and began chopping vegetables to put in the omelets. When all was said and done, he and Hardison enjoyed a delicious breakfast.
"Now that's what I'm talking about man! Go on with your bad self, Emeril!" Hardison said around a mouthful of egg." Eliot wasn't sure who Emeril was, but figured it was a compliment and took it as such.
After breakfast, a knock sounded on the door. Hardison opened it to see Nate and Sophie, each with reserved expressions. Eliot looked up from the dishes he insisted on washing to say hello. Nate asked how he was, but turned to Hardison's cabinets before hearing the response. Sophie looked at him in annoyance.
"Really, Nate. Isn't it a bit early for that?" she glanced meaningfully at the scotch Nate had pulled from somewhere in the overhead cupboard. Nate just gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Sophie rolled hers before turning back to Eliot.
"How are you doing?" she inquired, in that soothing voice Eliot was beginning to realize was entirely deliberate, and entirely effective.
"I'm alright. Everything is still kind of weird, but I think I'm alright. Mostly. I'm not sure. I just wish I could remember something, anything! Nothing makes a lick of sense! And did you all know that Parker appears out of freaking nowhere? Scared me half to death last night." All three were shocked at his outburst. They had never heard the man say so much all at once, apart from Sophie's encounter a few nights ago. Then Hardison seemed to catch up on the last bit of information.
"Wait. Parker was here? Last night? In my house? How did she… you know what man, I don't even want to know. Just… I need some soda right now." He pulled an orange soda from the fridge, finishing half of it in one gulp.
Nate laughed, "Yeah, she does that. You get used to it. Mostly." Sophie nodded in agreement. She walked over and placed an arm around Eliot's shoulders reassuringly. He found himself thinking thoughts he knew he had no place to think, especially noting the brief flash of something in Nate's eyes. It was more sadness than jealously, but it was there. What is going on with these two! Sophie held on to him for another moment before releasing him and rejoining Nate on the other side of the room. Eliot noticed that Nate visibly stopped his hand from reaching out to the pretty woman. He locked eyes with the other man for a moment, and knew his noticing had been noticed. For just a second, another look of sadness passed over Nate's face, before he swept it into a more neutral expression. Weird. Very weird.
"Well, let's get going then," Nate declared, placing his glass in the sink and heading for the door. Hardison looked up from his soda,
"Go where? We can't leave Eliot alone."
"He's coming with us," Nate supplied, "We're going to work." He strolled out the door, Sophie following behind. Hardison shrugged his shoulders and pulled on his shoes, telling Eliot to do the same.
"C'mon man. Maybe work'll help you remember." Eliot nodded and followed the lanky man out.
It turned out the office wasn't necessary after all. Everything came rushing back to Eliot as they travelled in Nate's car. Parker had been waiting in the backseat when they got downstairs, and now Eliot was crowded between her and Hardison in the car. He had been resting his eyes, head against the seat. Parker and Hardison were arguing about the pros and cons of GPS. Parker declared that his damn GPS wouldn't do any good if it got blown up. Hardison responded that nothing would do any good if it exploded! Except explosives, Parker countered. Eliot found himself laughing at that. "See, Eliot agrees with me!" Parker claimed, triumphantly. Hardison rolled his eyes and muttered something long and rambling Eliot could barely hear; only catching phrases like, "pretty-boy" and "can't agree if he don't even know his own damn self!" Eliot chose not to be offended. But it was Nate's voice that opened the gate of memories as he parked outside the office.
"Come on kids, let's go break the law."
"Just one more time," Eliot finished for him. They all looked at him with identical expressions.
"Yeah, I'm back. Now quit your staring." He grunted the words. They all just smiled at him. Lord, it's nice to see you guys. But he'd never say the words aloud. Parker rested her head on his shoulder for the briefest second, and this time he knew it was just her way of saying she was glad he was back. Hardison slapped him on the other shoulder,
"About time man! I was beginning to think those Men In Black really had gotten to you." Everybody but Parker laughed at the reference. She looked at him quizzically. Hardison rolled his eyes. "Girl, don't tell me you've never seen Men in Black! Will Smith? Aliens? Ah hell, no. You and me, we're going to watch that. Today." Parker grinned at him, and Eliot suddenly felt like he was entirely too close to both of them and their moment. Sighing, he decided to get his thoughts off his chest before he retreated completely back into himself; he could already feel it happening.
"Guys." He began. "Listen. I really appreciate you all taking care of me, even if I don't like saying it. Now that I'm back to normal and all." He glared at Parker as she snorted at the thought of him being normal, but he continued. "It was… weird being in the middle of all this, without understanding it. And I need to tell you, all of you… you're all idiots!" The group couldn't hide their shock. "Just hear me out," he continued, "Hardison, Parker, you two like each other. You know it, I know it, and the good Lord knows it! Just get together already. The worst that can happen is you break up and are awkward around each other. Y'all are awkward now. Can't be any worse." The duo stared at him with dumbfounded expressions, and Eliot relished the experience of making Hardison speechless. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"As for you Nate, and Sophie," he paused to smile at the woman, unable to keep an angry edge to his voice when he looked at her. "Nate, you drink too much. You aren't a functioning alcoholic, you're just an alcoholic. I'm sorry life has been shit to you, but you got people here who care about you, and you need to see that. If you can't get better with us, you will end up destroying us." Nate dropped his gaze to his own lap, knowing Eliot wasn't done yet.
"Sophie. We all know you love Nate. And he loves you. But you can't wait around forever for him. You deserve better than pining."
Nate's head shot up with an accusing look, and Eliot raised his hands in a gesture of defense, "Not with me! I just mean, if you ignore her too long, she'll need to move on. And I don't think any of us want to lose her." He took a deep breath.
"This here, all of us, this works." I need you guys. More than you know.
He paused, knowing they would realize it was as close to him calling them family they would get. "Now can we please get out of this car?"
Hardison slid out of the car to let Eliot by. He strode to his office, shutting the door behind him, easing himself into the familiarity of his chair. The remaining four stood awkwardly outside, trying to process what had just happened. Parker surprised them by being the first to regroup. She grabbed Hardison's hand and pulled him away.
"Let's go watch that movie. Or, you know, have sex." Hardison nearly choked on air. But he grinned and let her lead him away.
Eliot watched from the window above as only Nate and Sophie remained below. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but by the looks on their faces, it was a serious talk. He smiled to himself as he saw Nate crush Sophie to himself, her arms wrapping around him tightly. Attaboy Nate! About damn time. They stood together in the simple embrace far longer than Eliot stood at the window. Resting once again in his chair, Eliot knew things were going to be different now. But he wasn't worried. As long as they stuck together, they could handle anything. He would protect his team. My family. The thought came as a surprise to Eliot, as he realized he really did consider them family, dysfunctional though it may be. Well, damn. Life was good.