Eliot prided himself on being an excellent tracker; he tracked a mark from Cairo to St Petersburg and was still able to find him once the bastard slipped into China. Eliot Spencer found a man amongst billions.
When Alec disappeared Nate and Sophie tore up the whole continental United States looking for him; it was only Park that looked at him knowing what had happen. So it was logical to ask her for help.
"You hurt him, you find him." She'd been less than eager.
So that was what he did, he told Nate that he'd start looking outside the US even though Eliot had little faith that would be where Alec would go. Weeks turned to months, months into a year. Parker joined him outside of Liverpool one night; it was cold and raining, the weather hadn't been friendly to Eliot in days. Every time he thought his trail was getting hot the weather would change; it would throw him off, like Alec was telling him that Eliot needed to back off.
Eliot thought Alec's skill took a bit of magic but he knew the hacker couldn't control the weather.
"Nate wants to know what's taking so long." Parker appeared at his shoulder and even after a year he didn't blink. "He also wants to know what you did, because even he can see that you're trying to repent for something."
"Alec doesn't want to be found and it's none of his business," Eliot had a sore throat. One too many nights running down leads in the crap for weather all of Central England was having.
Parker rolled her eyes, "you're not even taking care of yourself."
"Just want to bring him home," he mumbled.
"How about you come home for a little bit. I promise Nate wont give you hard time. Get a good meal in you and get healthy again." Parker slipped her arm around his waist and started for the nearest bus stop. He looked at her profile, studying her. She'd changed in a year. Her hair was a bit shorter, the lines around her eyes a little tighter; she leaned into him and for the first time that year he felt a little at peace.
Eliot stayed in Boston long enough to get better, gain the weight he'd lost and get in an argument with Nate.
"What the hell did you do to him Spencer?" Nate blocked his path out the door.
He tried shooting Parker a glance but the thief was no where to be found. "Nothing Nate," he shouldered his duffel and went to push past his friend.
Nate's hand resounded with a smack when it landed on his chest. "That's bullshit," there was a hard look in his eyes that had Eliot looking away. Nate lost a brother, practically a son and Eliot didn't know what to say to him. "I'll make it easy on you. I tell you what I know happened; Alec came to you and told you he had feelings for you and you tore him down." Eliot winced, it was half way to the truth and he wasn't goin- "You fucked with him," the betrayal and disbelief cut Eliot to the core. "If you don't find him don't come home."
So Eliot didn't and him and Nate didn't speak for two and a half years.
He didn't spend all his time searching for Alec. He couldn't, bleeding heart that Eliot was now, whenever he saw someone in need he helped them.
Parker met up with him when she could; told him about what the family was doing at home, about how Sophie was learning a little more and more about computers and Nate still hadn't hit the bottle. They were extremely careful about the jobs they took; without a hitter or proper hacker they flew blind enough.
"Nate didn't mean it you know," she said from the window. She was getting ready to go home for a while, they needed her. "He wants you to come home, we all miss you."
"It wont be home until Alec is there too." Eliot was taking inventory he was meeting a guy in the morning for new supplies.
Parker sighed, "you know I've never really understood it." He looked at her, she was hanging half her body out the window half still inside.
"What?" he sharpened a knife on his whet stone.
"You two had sex," she looked at him, "shouldn't that have been a good thing?"
"I left," he growled. Parker wasn't suppose to be the one who brought it up. Sophie did from time to time, always trying to analyze it and he knew if Nate would talk to him it would most likely involve throwing it in his face.
Parker looked confused, "I don-"
"As soon as Alec was asleep I got up and left." There was still confusion, "trust me Parker, it was.." he trailed off and when he looked up again she was gone.
Eliot would have sworn on his Mama's hand-bounded bible that he was so close to Alec once that he could have touched him. He was also so certain that it was his imagination that he went home. Eliot had never been a crying sort of man, or even child, but the night he showed up on Nate's doorstep begging for forgiveness and the man stepped aside and let him in Eliot cried. The older man had listened for two hours while he told of his time gone, even listened when the only thing that could be made out was the hitching sobs Eliot couldn't control.
It had been three and half years and Eliot unpacked his bag and put away his weapons. When Parker and Sophie came in the next morning and found Eliot there the thief jumped into his lap and hugged him so tightly he thought a rib creaked. Their grifter of course got a little misty eyed and hugged him gently.
"How long you home for?" Parker asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Don't know..a while." Eliot hid his fresh set of tears in her blond hair. It wasn't home but it was the closest he could get.
When he left again it was a year later and Nate came with him. "You don't fair well alone anymore," was all he had offered. Eliot wasn't going to complain about the company. Nate stuck around for six months but he grew frustrated over time; constantly feeling like their hacker was playing with them. Eliot didn't say it but he felt the same way, he wouldn't admit under torture the amount of times he had spoken to an empty room. How many times he stood there calling Alec's name over again, telling him he was sorry, telling him that Eliot loved him.
Before Nate left he told Eliot some sound advice, cliche as all hell but sound, "if you love something set it free and if it comes back it was meant to be." So it was exactly what Eliot did because five years was a long time to run after someone like Alec who could hide in a haystack and not be found.
It had been six years since the hacker fell off the radar and Eliot didn't find a footprint in the sand. He never gave up but it had to come after Eliot's work to help people. He didn't go back to the states much; seeing Boston, LA, even Chicago hurt him. Kentucky hurt, Miami hurt. There wasn't a place that didn't feel like it hadn't been stamped with a little of Alec Hardison.
They rang the new year in Beijing, the job had payed out well and their bad guy was where he belonged. It was the last job Leverage Associates and Consulting was going to pull. They teased him but even Nate could acknowledge that this was his last year before turning fifty-five and he really shouldn't spend it trying to run down bad guys.
Instead Sophie and him got married in Paris, finally, and Eliot had stood for Best Man and Parker for Maid of Honor. And when he caught a glimpse of a tall frame and dark skin he kept it to himself. It hurt but he told himself that he understood. Parker showed up on her thirty-sixth birthday and made Eliot get so drunk he talked to a tree-Alec for a half hour. He excused his actions after finding out she'd went bungee jumping naked.
In August right before Parker showed up Eliot heard a rumor that 'some kid hacker' had stolen Russian money. He laughed all day, Alec was going to be thirty in a month and a half; he wasn't a kid anymore.
Nate and Sophie had wasted just a little too much time and kids of their own wasn't in option. Eliot loved when they brought Heather, David, Paul and Jen for a visit. They were awesome kids and the couple was lucky to have them in their lives. Just like the kids were lucky to have Nate and Sophie.
Eliot was having everyone over for Thanksgiving dinner and it was the first time in years he did feel thankful.
"Uncle Eliot!" Jen, their youngest, launched herself at the ex-hitter. She was a ball of energy much like a certain thief. "I can't believe we get to stay a whole week!" she bounced off before Eliot could even hug her back.
"Someone is a spitfire today." He grinned when Nate dropped heavily onto a bar stool.
"She's the only one, everyone else went to their rooms to get a little rest. How she can be like that after fifteen hours on a plane.." Nate shuddered.
"Then you get up there too," Nate nodded grateful, "and don't worry I've got my eye on her." The older man laughed, "as best as I can. Jen where did you get off to?" he hollered walking out of the kitchen. The food could wait; Thanksgiving wasn't til tomorrow even if it was already Thursday in Russia.
Eliot found her in one of his living rooms looking at the pictures on the mantel. "Who is that?" she pointed to a much younger Alec, the only photo Eliot had that wasn't something he'd filched.
"That's Alec," he ran a finger down the dusty glass. He didn't look at these pictures often. "Was a good friend."
"Did he die?" Jen looked up at him with innocent brown eyes.
Eliot turned away quickly, "no." He wiped at his eyes, "no he just went away one day. Didn't come back."
"I'm sorry," she hugged his waist and Eliot ran a hand through her frizzy hair.
Eliot cleared his throat, "you should try and get some rest too. Off now," he guided her to the nearest staircase and sent her on her way.
"Aw," he turned to find Parker sprawled out on the couch, "I'll never stop loving the way you talk to kids. It's so cute. You should have some of your own."
Eliot laughed, "I'm forty-one and live alone what can I give a kid?"
Parker eyed his huge house, something he'd bought with the money from the first con, the one Alec had pulled off to let them, if they wanted to, retire. He hadn't spent it for almost eight years and then bought a ten million dollar home and gave the rest away. "I think you have more than enough to offer."
"Just some recluse, ex-muscle, still pinning away for a guy that isn't ever coming back. Well and adjusted are not part of my name." Eliot heaved the woman to her feet, "c'mon make yourself useful. To the kitchen with you." Parker smirked but allowed herself to be guided back through the halls.
They talked about good times, bad times, even Alec times because he could now without feeling empty and hollow.
"You know I get it now, why Alec left and didn't come back." Eliot raised an eyebrow, "I got it back when you told me but I mean get it now. Why he never returned. Look around, it's every where."
Parker getting profound didn't even sound like it existed in the same realm. "What the hell do you mean?" he finally asked when she didn't say anything more.
"He couldn't or things might not have turned out the way they did and no Eliot I'm not saying Alec knew," she rolled her eyes. "We would have kept taking jobs, you could have quite possibly died on one of them. You never would have saved the village from being wiped out, because you wouldn't have been down in South America chasing a lead on Alec's whereabouts. Nate and Sophie may never have realized what idiots they were being because of how you had lived; the kids wouldn't have them. I'd never turned out this way, not if things had stayed the same and definitely not if something had happen to Alec or you." Parker stopped talking, carefully chopping the vegetables in front of her.
"I've never.." he trailed off, "I guess you're right."
Parker looked up at him eyes sparkling with mischief, "wanna con the kids into thinking we pulled the biggest heist known to man-kind?"
Eliot grinned, "it wouldn't be much of a con; we have pulled some of the biggest heist known to man-kind."
That devious grin grew, "they don't know that."
Eliot loved his house because it was in the middle of no where, ten mile drive and a security system that would have had Alec drooling. Though he was sure that Alec had designed it so maybe not so much drool but giddy glee that Eliot used one of his tech-toys. When the door bell rang Friday morning without a peep from the damned thing Eliot was pissed, he stalked towards the door but a head of black afro skirted by him.
"Do not open that door Jennifer Ford-!" Eliot's mouth stopped working when Jen yanked it open.
"Alec!" Jen squealed, "you've come back?" The boiling anger was diminished for just a moment as Alec looked confused from Eliot to Jen. "Hi, I'm Jen Ford." She held out her hand and he shook it belatedly.
"Hi Alec Hardison."
"Jen go find your parents. Now," he snapped and she looked scared, Eliot had never spoken to her or anyone like that in a long time.
Alec stood there toeing the welcome mat, in add-in from Sophie no doubt Eliot did not own anything like that, eyes downcast. "Didn't have to yell at her like that."
Eliot was in front of him in three long strides, "you show up.. You- After all these," Eliot didn't know whether to laugh, cry or punch his lights out.
"Got this in the mail," he pulled a letter out of his pocket. "Figured I'd better listen considering y'all are the best thieves in the world."
Alec Hardison if you do not show up to Eliot's for Thanksgiving this year we will steal everything in your house, the house, your cars, your business and we will even attempt take your underwear. Love, the Family
"I think Parker added the little touch about taking my underwear," Alec mumbled.
"They sent this to you?" he asked in disbelief, they'd known where Alec was?
Alec laughed, "not really. They sent a copy and a letter to Nana and then Nana chewed me out for about ten hours, no seriously, you should have seen the bill she sent me. Damn lady needs international calling."
Eliot wanted to be angry, he was angry some where inside but right then he wanted to be furious and he couldn't. Not even a little, "you left without a word. I looked for you for five years. And you knew." Eliot clenched his hands into fists and saw Alec wince.
Alec opened and closed his mouth several times, "I was a kid back when I first left. And the longer I was gone the harder it was to come back and then I saw you at the wedding and you looked happy. Who was I to fuck with that after five years of making you feel pain?" Alec looked away but Eliot could see how much his next words hurt to say, "I wont stay. If you don't want me here."
"If you walk back out the door I'll punch you so hard you'll always see stars." Eliot grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "I hope yer ready to never be let go."
Alec might have hitched with a tear choked voice but Eliot couldn't care, "if you do I might have to punch you."
"This is so," Alec lifted his head from Eliot's shoulder, "just so priceless." Sophie was sniffing wiping at her eyes.
Parker was grinning ear-to-ear, "new that bit would get you here," she winked, "still might steal them though." Alec laughed.
"Well get him in here," Nate pulled him in for his own hug and then Alec was passed around to the girls. "C'mon, there are some new additions to the family you need to meet," Nate was beaming. It was like a son had come home. A brother, a friend and, Eliot smiled, a lover.
Disclaimer: Do not own Leverage, if I did we'd have OT3, end of story!
This was written for jendavis over at comment_fic, her prompt was "It's been six years since the hacker fell off the radar..."
This got a little out of hand but awesomeness of prompts sometimes do that. Which is why it gets it own thing-y seperate of my Drabbles post.
Sorry for the profound cheesiness at times and yeah that quote-y saying isn't exact but mah.