Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy the story. I love angsty Eliot, so there will be lots of that in here. Not sure where the story is going yet, but I guess I'll find out when I get there.

Chapter 2 will be Adult oriented, you'll see why when you get to the end. You don't need to read chapter 2 to follow the story to chapter 3, I just like it. I won't post it here to keep the rating at T, but it will be posted in my forum .com/LeverageFans/.

Hope you'll come join in there.

Thanks again for reading.

Enjoy.

"I'm not leaving you, I can take these guys!"

"Just go Eliot, please."

"NO!" the hitter replied and went to work.

Eliot Spencer, retrieval expert extraordinaire didn't leave people behind. He took on the guards, guns and all, twenty men and the rest that came after. He kicked ass and saved the day, cause that was what he did.

Eliot jerked in his sleep, fighting an evil that wasn't there, that only existed in his mind.

Aimee watched her husband, the man she loved as he struggled with the unseen foe. The nightmares came almost every time he slept, which wasn't that often. She still remembered the day he returned to her and for once, didn't leave again. But she knew he was hurting and she didn't know how to make it better without losing him again.

3 Years Earlier.

"So," he started, a smile playing on his lips, "what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Aimee stopped at the familiar sounding voice behind her. She'd know that drawl anywhere, the one and only person she'd ever really loved, back to make her life a misery again, but just as she knew she'd get hurt, she knew she couldn't resist him. The cool, crystal like blue eyes; the raggedy brown hair; the strong muscled arms, perfect for holding her and protecting her against the worries of the world, at least for a night or two. She breathed deeply, smelling the scent that was uniquely his and her smile widened. He'd come back to her and she was going to take full advantage of whatever time they had.

Her smile dropped as she turned and saw him. Her Eliot, the cowboy, the fighter she knew and loved, was wearing a suit! And he'd cut his hair!

"Eliot," she said in surprise, "What have you done to yourself?"

"You don't like the respectable new me?"

"I don't know the respectable new you, what the hell happened?"

"Time for a change." He replied, the smile remaining fixed on his lips, but a shadow passing through his eyes told her there was much more to this story.

"Well alright then," she replied with a smile, "does the new corporate boy remember how to ride?"

"Of course, you can take the boy outta the country but not the country outta the boy." His smiled widened as he repeated the phrase she'd so often said about him.

"Well go get some jeans on and let's get outta here."

"Gimme five minutes," he shouted as he sprinted outta the stable.

***

Alone in Aimee's room he stripped off his corporate mask.

'It's nice to be home,' he told himself, 'this will make everything okay.' But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. So he put on his jeans, fixed his smile and headed out to find Aimee, she would help, she had to, and she was the only one who ever could.

***

"Wow," Aimee remarked, "You look so different, I almost can't believe that it's actually you!"

Dressed now in jeans and a loose fitting blue checked shirt, he looked more like a lawyer out of place on a farm retreat than a man who'd grown up in this very stable. Aimee could do little but imagine what he'd been through to turn him into the man in front of her now, but she knew better than to push. He only came home when he was troubled, spent long enough and shared just enough information to help him find some peace and then he'd be gone again. It's the life she was used to and having him for a little while was better than not at all.

"Let's get outta here," was his only reply, his lips curved into that sexy little smile that made her heart melt, but it didn't touch his eyes, he couldn't hide the pain she saw there.

They saddled up and rode out in silence. She could hear him breathing deeply, taking in his surroundings. His tight, tense shoulders relaxed and fell as each minute passed. This was home and regardless of the horrors she knew he lived through, being here would make it better; she hoped.

***

For a minute, just one single solitary minute, when Eliot got on that horse and started to trot out, he could almost forget the past; forget who he was and all the horrible things he'd done. He was here, with Aimee, just living their lives, together, as they'd always intended to do, before reality got in his way.

The further they went on their ride, the more memories filled him, wishes, regrets, everything he'd change if he could go back in time, everything he'd never get the chance to put right, starting with his daddy and ending with Nate. He'd fought so long and so hard to escape his past, to be a better man, someone who helped people, whether it was for profit or just the right thing to do, he'd tried to make up for his mistakes, but today, riding out on that horse, they all came right back to bite him in the ass and he finally gave up. He couldn't win the fight; he could never be the man his father expected him to be, so he might as well not even try. As the fight went out of him, he felt his shoulders drop, the tension he'd been carrying around in his body for too long just drained out of him, not from relaxation or release, but from giving in and accepting he couldn't change or fix anything.

"You remember this place?"

Aimee's sweet southern accent invaded his thoughts, took him out of the past and the things he couldn't fix and brought him back to the present. They'd just arrived at the lake. Their secluded little spot, so many firsts had happened here.

"Of course," he replied, turning to grin cheekily at her, "how could I ever forget?" he finished with a quick lick of his lips.

"Well you never know," she answered, her grin matching his, "who knows if you remember your first after all the women you've had!" She laughed.

His features turned serious for a second, his voice lowered, almost whispering his reply.

"I could never forget you." His eyes meeting and holding hers, a world of hurt and pain and love passed between them in those precious moments.

"So," he turned away, "you been down here with anyone lately?" He joked.

"Yeah, old Barny from McDougals, he's great, would give you a run for your money!" she laughed out loud at the thought of the old, balding, three hundred pound, unwashed barman she was talking about.

"Is that so?" He replied, swiftly jumping from his horse and was at her side in seconds, pulling her from her perch, carrying her to their spot. "I think it's just been too long, you don't remember how good I am."

"Is that so cowboy?"

"Yeah, that's so."

"I think you'd better remind me." She said as her lips captured his in a sweet kiss.

For the first time in months all thought went out of his head. There was only him and her and her gorgeous mouth.

His hands encircled her waist, pulling her towards him, deepening the kiss, determined to never let her go, to never lose the pleasant numbness that currently overtook him.