Reminiscing

Nate and the team reminisce about old times and the life they'd had together. Set the morning before the start of the second season. Originally started as the beginning to a different series, then somehow took on a life of its own and became its own oneshot. Enjoy.

Nate bolts up, covered in sweat and breathing hard. What had that dream been about? The team, his old team, had been at the office, watching it explode. He shook his head, clearing the memory. That life was gone, like the old office. He flopped back and groaned rubbing his eyes, not wanting to wake up yet knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. With a sigh of defeat, he stared at the ceiling for several minutes before finally working up the courage to look at his alarm clock. Four thirty, dammit! Another restless night, struggling to get to sleep only to wake up a couple hours later. He couldn't even blame it on the drinking anymore, not since he'd quit, which wasn't helping the situation at all.

Nate groaned again. He missed that old life too much; the high he got from completing a mission, the thrill of knowing he was helping people, even if the methods were a little unorthodox. He missed the afternoon lunches with Sophie, the technical talks with Hardison, the not-so-cheap thrills with Parker, and especially the late night talks with Eliot. He missed being a part of a team, fighting crime with crime, and living in the moment for once in his life.

He rolled out of bed, knowing that reminiscing would do him no good. He groaned again, this time because he could feel his age catching up with him. He was in his forties, his mid-forties, 46 going on 60; at least it felt like this morning. He was stiff, his back ached, his neck was sore, and no doubt his eyes were sunken and bloodshot from lack of sleep. No more reminiscing, no more wishing for that life. He was done. He was back to being regular, boring Nathan Ford, ex-insurance agent. He couldn't keep wishing for that lifestyle, it wasn't healthy. He had promised that he would move on, that he would forget about everything that had happened between them. He had to keep his promise.

***

At the same time, Eliot Spencer was rolling out of bed, his fitful night not much better than his former team leader's. He gave a soft groan, trying not to wake the sleeping beauty beside him. His feet hit the floor and he quietly made his way to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he made his way to the sink, only to pause and stare at the face in the mirror. There was no outward changes in his face, save for his eyes looking a little more sunken in. There was nothing notably different about him, not physically. Why, then, did he feel so dissatisfied with his current lifestyle. He had lived this way for more years than he cared to remember and it had never bothered him before. Was he going soft? No, his skills were the same. Better, even, especially after… He shook his head, clearing those thoughts.

He had been a strictly one-man kind of guy before. He could go back to living that life again any time he chose. He didn't need to be part of a team. He didn't need anyone. Certainly not Hardison or Parker, or even Sophie. And definitely, definitely not Nate. No, he didn't need a man like Nathan Ford in his life. That would only complicate things. He jerked the water on, washing his hands before throwing water on his face. No, he didn't need a team; but it wouldn't hurt to go see Sophie tonight at this musical thing of hers. They could reminisce and stuff. Maybe talk about Nate and the others, how they were doing. No, it wouldn't hurt going there, not at all.

***

Hardison stared at the computer screen, his thumbs flying as he tapped out combos on the controller. He would beat this boss, beat this boss and maybe… Maybe he would forget about all the fun times he'd been having until now. All those missions; man, he's felt so alive! Eliot might have been a bit harsh at times, but he was 'ight. Sophie, Sophie kept things fun and interesting. Nate, man, Nate knew the plan and the cons, he knew it all. He was the perfect man to head everything up. And Parker, well Parker was a whole different story. There was chemistry there; at least, he thought there was chemistry there. It was hard to tell with Parker. He felt chemistry with her that was for sure. She must have felt chemistry with him too, or else why had she kissed him like that?

Speaking of which, what had that kiss been all about? They had never gotten a chance to talk about it and he hadn't been able to find her. Knowing her, she was probably doing something dangerous and exotic and… Damn! He just died! He had to concentrate on the game, the game and not the old team. They'd gone their separate ways. There was no going back now; even he had his pride. Well, maybe he could go to this thing Sophie had invited him to tonight. Nate was sure to be there; maybe he could swallow his pride long enough to beg Nate to get them all back together again. Yeah, that was a plan. Reboot, finish this game, then head to Sophie's musical to throw his pride away and beg the only man he ever truly respected to give a second shot at the best thing that had ever happened to him.

***

Parker's plane landed without delays, taxing into the airport a bit early, even. She would have time to explore Boston a bit, get a feel for it again, before heading out to meet up with Sophie. They'd plan to get lunch; after all, they had stayed in touch. She'd heard the big news; Sophie was so excited about it, although Parker couldn't see why. What was so great about having a guy? They didn't do much, not really. Most of them were useless, actually. There were a few, like Hardison and Eliot who were worth something. Even Nate had his uses. Speaking of which, Sophie had probably invited the others. Maybe she would get lucky and see Nate tonight. She would even settle seeing Hardison and Eliot. It would be good to see the others again. Well, there was no guarantee that Sophie would invite the others. She could only go and hope for the best.

Sophie smiled as she woke up, her eyes fluttering open slowly before she moved ever so slightly. Mmm, today felt great; well, as good as it was going to feel. She had a performance later on tonight, she had a nice man keeping her warm, and she was looking forward to seeing who showed up. Okay, so maybe it was pointless to keep telling herself not to get her hopes up, but she really wanted everyone to show up. It would great to have the old team back together, if only figuratively speaking. She'd heard from Hardison that he would show up and she was having lunch with Parker. Honestly, how that girl still had so much energy was amazing but she was packed full of it. Maybe she would mellow by catching a red-eye here from Madrid. She'd said something about going to Spain after a trip down to southern Africa?

***

Sophie shook her head and stretched, moving away from the sleeping man beside her. Well, Parker always was a strange one. She hadn't heard anything from Eliot, so it was anybody's guess whether he would be there or not. She sincerely hoped so; the boy needed to let up and relax a bit. She hadn't heard back from Nathan either. She paused, half way to the bathroom. She examined the sleeping man before sadly shaking her head. Well, Nathan would probably try to be there, so that was no problem. She shrugged and continued toward the bathroom. Really, today would be a great day. If she was lucky, she would do a great job singing, better than those terrible rehearsals. She shuddered at the memory. If she was really lucky, before the end of tonight, she would be back with the old team. Figuratively speaking, of course.

And, of course, we all know how that turns out. Well, Sophie may not have gotten the luck she wanted, but the team did end up getting back together, so it wasn't all bad. I'm not quite sure how this came to be, it just kind of happened, but I enjoyed writing it. Below are a few notes I made after writing it.

I fell in love with the idea of a Nate and Eliot pairing, even more so when I heard that Christian Kane loves working with Timothy Hutton, so there's some hinted partiality there. (I watched an interview of him. He said he was a fan of Timothy's, that they became friends quickly and that he loved working with him. I thought it was sweet, though I don't think the actual actors should get involved. Christian Kane should stay hot and completely straight.)

I liked the idea of Hardison going there in hopes of finding Nate and begging him to get the team back together. Only after I'd written it did I realize that it kind of seem true. After all, Hardison is the one who says that he took them and "broke" them. I imagine him thinking of himself as he says that, thinking of how much he misses it all and projecting that on the others. (Who, of course, completely agree with him.)

Parker just seemed so happy to see Nate, so I wanted to play on that idea. There's nothing going on between them. She also talked with Sophie as if they'd kept in touch, so I played on that angle as well.

Sophie seemed really happy that they were all there, as if she hadn't expected them all to make it. I also wanted to do a small scene with the boyfriend, since the only time you really see him is when they break up. In case anyone is wondering, he didn't know about the musical. He knows she enjoys theater, but that's it. She tried to keep him separate from that persona of herself.

Last note, on why I think Nate originally turns down the idea of getting back together. Nate is afraid that they all are just in a slump; that they don't actually need to get back together and just haven't found what really makes them happy. He's afraid of being tossed aside by them if something better comes along. Pfft. Like that's going to happen. Later, he continues to rebel against it out of fear, but mostly out of anger. They hadn't really contacted him those past six months, acting as if they didn't need him. He's upset that he spent six months thinking he was the only one upset over breaking up the team, and his pride tells him that they should beg him to come back. Instead, they play on his obvious weakness, which he finally acknowledges before conceding defeat.

***

Note. Everything voiced here are of the author's opinions and are in no way tied to the original series. Leverage is in no way tied to the author and the author, although mighty in her own way, cannot change or influence any part of the show. It would be awesome if she could, though. All rights reserved. ©