Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage…if I did, we wouldn't have to wait until freaking summer for new episodes…they would be airing right now! Oh, yeah, and for all the people in my roleplay, if I owned Leverage, you can bet half that stuff would be actual episodes! Of course, the actor's might freak out a bit…

A/N: Alright, everyone, you need to listen to me very carefully. The prologue could probably stand alone as a one-shot, but it's not. This is a multiple chapter fic, so don't think it's over. This is going to be good. There is going to be action, romance, tearing up if you are an emotional person, something for everyone. Pairings are Nate/Sophie and Hardison/Parker. Sorry, I'm still getting into the Parker/Eliot category…give me time! Please, read, review and enjoy!

Let Me Be Your Hero

Prologue

Sophie stood in the doorway to Nate's office, watching him sleep. He had passed out in the armchair, a glass of scotch still sitting in his hand.

She had tears in her eyes as she walked forward and set a note down on top of the glass. Then, bending down, she kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Please understand Nate, I'm doing this for us," she whispered before straightening up and leaving the room, heading for the door.

"So you're just going to leave?"

Sophie turned around and saw Parker standing there, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. She was glaring at Sophie which caused the grifter to look away in shame. They could hear Eliot and Hardison cheering for the hockey game in the screening room.

"I have to Parker. He needs time, and he won't get that if I'm here," Sophie whispered, praying that the girl would understand.

"Fine, whatever," the thief said, turning her back on Sophie who ran forward and pulled Parker into a hug.

"I will come back, I promise. But please, watch after him for me," she asked quietly, pulling back and looking Parker in the eyes.

"Sure Sophie," the thief said, giving her an awkward hug back and pulling away, walking towards the screening room. "I'll explain it to the guys; go, before you change your mind," Parker called softly.

Sophie nodded and turned, hurrying out of the office. She made it down to her car and got in, clutching the steering wheel and resting her forehead against it. "I'm sorry Nate," she whispered through her tears before turning the key in the ignition and driving off down the road, heading for the airport.

Nate woke up slowly with a huge headache. He would have kicked himself for drinking so much if he hadn't cared about making his hangover worse. He opened his eyes and looked around, his gaze shifting around the room until he realized the glass was still in his hand.

Looking down, Nate saw a piece of paper covering the glass. On it, in Sophie's neat handwriting, was his name. Frowning, he picked up the note and unfolded it. His eyes read over the words and a mixture of grief and anger cut through him.

Nate,

I know that you will never be able to forgive me for leaving you like this, but this is the only way that I see our relationship having any hope of surviving. You're still hurting, and no matter how much urging I give you, you still won't help yourself. So until you do, I'm going away for a while. Please, don't try to find me. I will come back to you Nate, we just need some time…

Forever yours in heart, body and soul,

Sophie

Nate crumpled up the note in his hand, picked up the glass and, screaming, threw it across the room, letting it smash into the wall and shatter into pieces. The rest of his scotch dripped down the paint covered plaster and he watched as it slowly made its way to the floor.

Quickly, Nate walked out of his office and down the hall, going into Sophie's. It was exactly the same, she hadn't taken anything with her. I will come back to you Nate, she had wrote, maybe she meant it. Time passed and Nate realized that this was all his fault, his own doing. He sank to his knees on the floor, Sophie's note still clenched in his hand.

Silent tears fell from his eyes and after a while he felt someone watching him. His head jerked around and he saw Parker, Eliot and Hardison standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" he barked, standing up and glaring at them.

"We're here to help you Nate," Eliot said, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Are you finally ready to accept it?"

Their leader stood there, glaring at them for what seemed like forever and it was so silent, they could have heard a pin drop. Then he sighed and his shoulders hunched in defeat. He nodded his head and Parker walked forward, taking a place at his side and throwing her arm across his shoulders.

"Well then, we should get started, shouldn't we?" she asked, leading him out of the office and down the hall to the screening room. There was a long road ahead of them, and it wouldn't be easy, but it was for the best…

A/N: Alright, just one quick thing before you press that beautiful button down there and send me your comments…I would like to dedicate this story to my peeps, Selene Antilles, Morralls, leverage fan, irishgirl72221, Technical Joe, and our newest friend, the first Leverage fan I have yet to meet from the UK, playercazmac24. Guys, this one is for all of you!