(A/N) Yo, Rat here. I would like to say YOU ARE AWESOME AND EXTREMELY FANTASTIC to Mournful-Optimist, my first reviewer. Here is chapter 2 for you guys, I spent a whole lot of time avoiding doing real work to put this up so quick so I hope you guys enjoy it. Onward to the disclaimer...
Disclaimer: I do not own Leverage or any part of it. All I own is Con, and she doesn't seem to be all that thrilled with that idea.
I hope you all enjoy and I would love to hear your feedback. Buh-Bye! : )
A New Game to Play
"I'm Con, and I must say I am looking forward to making your lives a living hell."
The reactions to my rather forward introduction to the room's occupants were varied. The man known as Hardison looked at me like I was possessed or the spawn of Satan, something along those lines. The blonde, Parker, blinked and then grinned as if I had said I was going to buy her a pony. Strange girl, I'll need to keep an eye on her. The woman sitting across from me let out a slight gasp, her body freezing as she stared at me, the newest anomaly in their lives. Eliot sighed, his brow furrowing as his normal angry expression took its place on his face. His eyes were starring at me hard, but I couldn't deal with that now. The last person in the room, a man with curly brown hair and presence about him that made it clear he was in charge, he didn't move an inch. Not a single reaction was gained from him; he just stared back into my hazel eyes no doubt trying to unnerve me.
We stayed like that for what seemed like forever, just staring at each other waiting to see who would break first. Being Eliot's sister meant I was used to these games; we used to do the same thing over who got the last Popsicle. Unfortunately for me the man before me had much more experience. His chocolate eyes were boring into mine, drilling straight past my hardened exterior, trying with all their might to pull back the layers of gritty, stubborn personality, sarcasm, and arrogance. If he keeps this up I'm going to lose. I was only inches from my breaking point, the intensity finally getting to me, when he stopped. The man blinked slowly and sat back in his chair. A fist came to rest at his chin thoughtfully as his eyes glazed over, most likely lost in thought.
I waited for someone else to break the silence, for some else to speak up and ask questions or demand answers. Not that I was shy or bashful in the slightest, I just found it more fun to play the defensive side. It was much easier to appear experienced, intelligent, older, if you were able to have the last words. You could think about you're response and form the argument to lead in the direction you wanted it to go. That is, as long as you didn't let your own guard down of course.
The first to break the silence was not who I had thought it would be. From past jobs I have worked, I was almost always forced to go through the right hand man. With the rare exception, any direct confrontation between the Boss and me was discouraged greatly.
"So, Con was it? You are Eliot's younger sister." The way he said it was almost like he was speaking to some third grader. He either didn't believe me or he was trying to see who he was dealing with. I like to flatter myself and believe that it was the latter but who am I kidding?
"Now, now… You should know better than to start asking questions before you even introduce yourself." Yes, I was mocking him, speaking as if I was some elderly grade school teacher scolding a child for poor manners. It was bad habit of mine I should probably work on.
"Hmm, yes, I suppose that was deserved. I'm Nathan Ford, the head of Leverage operations." Ah yes, Nathan Ford, I had heard his name from my research, but I had never been graced with a picture. He was the mastermind, the man with the plan. Of all the people to have decided to have a battle of the wits with, only I would manage to get Nathan Ford. Sucks to be me I guess. Oh well, lets see where this goes.
"I've heard of you, it's a pleasure to meet such a successful member of our society." This time I wasn't mocking him. The stories I have heard about his man, he is a whole new level of thief, not someone to be trifled with for sure. His eyebrows rose questionably. "Our society you say? What society would that be?"
Crap, I screwed up, the first rule of thieving is never admitting to someone who is wealthy enough to OWN a police force of his own that you are a thief. Being sure that my eyes didn't betray a hint of concern I resolved to tread lightly from now on.
"Nathan dear, playing coy won't solve anyone's problems. You know as well as I do that that we both are well known for our... retrieval skills, our abilities at gaining funding for our personal endeavors, you know, the talents that put food on the table," Pausing, I looked to see if he was understanding, he was. I smiled in his direction, my grin like that of a cat playing with its favorite toy.
"Or, I suppose in your case the altar of some ancient temple. How much did you actually pay for this table?" I jested, my hands now running appreciatively over its top.
"Hmm, yes that society. Well actually Con, we aren't what you think. See what you do is steal from people, making them helpless victims of crime. We on the other hand, help people. We pick up where the law leaves off, helping those who can't help themselves because the big guys upstairs are being unjust." He stood and began walking around the table, his shiny shoes making barely a noise on the soft carpet. My eyes followed his movements as he came to a rest sitting on the table next to my feet. His eyes began boring into mine again, the way he made me feel so nervous, so inexperienced, was getting old real quick.
"How old are you Con? You look a little young to be in this business, to be a member of this 'society' as you put it." He spoke quietly, like he was disappointed in me or something else lame like that. Ch, I don't need this crap. I'm not some little girl who's rebelling, trying her best to bad. I was me, Con, rising master thief, and independent woman who didn't need any of this 'poor troubled little girl' bull.
Stretching my neck up, tilting my head back to look him square in the eyes. "I'm 22; I just look short for my age. What's it matter to you?" I made no attempt to mask the sarcasm. It was clear I was lying, there was no need to willingly admit to being 16, or was it 17? I'll have to check that latter, age isn't one of my top priorities nowadays.
A scuffle was heard from behind me. In the doorway Eliot had apparently lost his patience, he had knocked over a vase in his little fit. Honestly I was surprised he had lasted as long as he did, when we were growing up he was normally the one who would make sure I minded my manners. No doubt he had been spending the last few minutes restraining the urge to knock me upside the head for being as ruse as I was.
"Nate, I'll deal with this, just give me a few minutes and I'll get things sorted out alright." I refused to look at him, looking at him now would make me lose my cool.
"No, Eliot, I think you would actually make this worse. Why don't you go outside with Sophie with a few minutes?" If I interpreted the growl I heard correctly, Eliot wasn't all that thrilled with that idea. Nonetheless, I heard the door open and heavy booted footsteps accompanied by the soft clicking of heels as the exited the room. When the door was shut tight, the majority of the tension that had been drowning everyone in the room dissipated, note that I said the majority.
"Now that he's taken care of, why don't you share just who it is that you are Con." Nathan had moved from his perch on the table to stand in front of the wall of screens. I was silent, trying to decide how much I wanted to tell them, and how much they already know, how much I should let them learn on their own. As it turns out, that particular decision was wrenched from my grasp.
"Con- new to the game of burglary, already on the list of thieves most watched for by the police. Her real name- Unknown. Age- estimated between fifteen and seventeen. She is known for being the brute force in many organized crime teams, because of her young age no one ever suspects her of being the hired mercenary. As far as skills she is known for being an adept fighter, specializing in weaponry, and quick paralyzing blows. As well being a skilled mercenary she is well known for her role as being a wanted thief for hire, stealing for street crews and important people." Mr. Ford finished his little profile, looking ever so smug at the sight of my wide eyed expression.
"Hold up, how do you know so much about this chick man? We didn't even know Eliot had a sister until like half an hour ago. And there is no way you had all that Googled before I got back." Hardison was clearly perturbed, Parker on the other hand was simply staring at him with an expression not the far from my own. I heard mumble under breath and was only just able to make out the words.
"He's got to be Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, it would explain everything, and how he knows everything."
As unlikely as Parker's theory was, I would have to agree. This man was getting scarier by the minute. Thankfully, he decided to throw us a bone.
"When I worked at IYS insurance, received her name on one of my watch lists. She had stolen a number of valuable pieces of jewelry from a moving shipping van; actually she emptied most of the van. The jewelry was the only thing my company wanted me to be concerned with however."
That explains it, I felt much better now. I tried very hard, not always hard enough though, to stay out of the public spotlight. I was still fairly new at this whole stealing game, having only been at it seriously for two or three years now. Not that anyone would ever guess. Although, knowing that I was on a wanted list created by a company as large as IYS does make my day just a little bit brighter.
"So you've heard of me eh? Nice to know I have a reputation." I couldn't keep the stupid grin from my face. Hardison paused in mid mutter, most likely involving something along the lines of Nate holding out on the rest of the team and how not cool that was. The two of them were going to be needing to have a talk real soon.
"Yes, and by the way you waltzed right on up to our office, right up to our specific floor, you've heard a little about us as well."
"Touché."
"Thank you. So, now that we understand at least a little more about what each other are capable of, why don't you fill in the holes for us?"
He leaned against the table conversationally, waiting for my response. My two options were to either: Fess up and tell them my whole life story. Or, I could do what I normally do. Yes, I like that option a lot, a whole lot.
Slowly I removed my feet from the table, stretching as I stood. I turned to look at the others around me. Hardison looked on expectantly; he obviously thought I was going to break under the magical force that is Nathan Ford. If he had been just a little bit scarier and if I was a little bit less stubborn then it might have happened too. Parker was watching with the intensity of a little kid at a movie theatre. Finally Nathan, Mr. Ford, he was waiting patiently for me to explain everything about me. To bad I didn't feel like complying just yet.
"No, I don't think I will, at least not just yet. You all are so good at what you do, that is, so I've heard. Why don't you figure it out?" I walked towards the door, no one moved to stop me. The door swung open easily as I opened it. I strode from the room accidentally knocking shoulders with a figure that had happened to be standing outside the doors. I heard someone call my name but my own patience had been worn much to thin. It wasn't every day I met my match, true I was throwing the equivalent to a hissy fit, but I was entitled every now and then. I am only sixteen after all, or was it seventeen? They're just lucky I didn't knock him through the ceiling. I haven't been this good natured in ages, normally the minute things don't go my way someone's nose gets broken.
I exited into the hallway and glanced towards the elevator. I heard my name again and decided that the stairs were a better idea. I through open the door and took them two at a time until I found the door that led out onto the roof. It was dark out by now, the sky was cloudy still. Only thin slivers of silver gave even the slightest hint that the moon was out. I walked out to the edge and sat down, dangling my legs over the side of the building. I tried the breathing exercises I had learned when I was little. Back when Eliot was around for more than a month at a time, back before he would disappear for years without a call or a letter. He taught me how to fight, how to meditate, how to control my temper. Well actually he tried to teach me to control my temper, never could get the hang of it though.
The door swung open behind me and I heard that voice calling my name again. I heard my pursuer stop, and slowly call me again. I turned my head towards the sound, just enough to let them know I heard them. The night air was cold, kind of damp. I always enjoyed nights like this. The person was closer now, I hadn't realized how close until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Startled I opened my eyes and turned, unconsciously calculating whether or not I could flip who ever it was off the top of the building without taking a tumble myself. I shot up, readying myself for an attack when I was roughly grabbed around the shoulders.
I was yanked away from the ledge and pulled into a hard chest. I tried to struggle but they were too strong for me. I looked up into their face, a scathing insult ready to be thrown in the face of who ever was messing with me. I was met with blue eyes, very familiar, rather angry looking blue eyes.
"Eliot…" My previous spunky attitude thrown to the wind the second I actually had to look him in the eyes. I was nothing but a little girl, scared and alone.
"You were supposed to stay with Aimee's family. You were supposed to grow up going to a high-school and dating guys. You were supposed to be happy there, why did you throw that all away to become a wanted criminal." He spoke quietly, sharply. He was mad; of course he was going to be mad. But he also sounded confused and hurt. It didn't make sense.
"You were supposed to come back." Yes, it was weak compared to his list but it was all I had. Apparently it was enough though. His eyes lost their angry gleam and the grip on my fore arms loosened.
"You said you come back, but you never called once. I stayed with Aimee and her folks for ages, but going back between their place and Dad's was getting to be too much. He was getting worse…and I couldn't take it anymore. I… looked everywhere until I tried everything, hobbies, friends, boys," He growled low in his throat at that but I couldn't laugh right now. "Nothing took, I was becoming a mess inside, and even Aimee was starting to figure it out. So I left, and took the first job I could find. It wasn't exactly legal but it was work, and I liked it." I looked up at him, waiting for the reprimand. Was waiting to be told that I was an idiot at that I should just go home. Part of me wanted him to yell at me, just so that I could argue and have a reason to fight, the other part wanted to hug the life out of him so that he never left me again.
"Tessa, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If I had known..." He cut himself off; he couldn't finish it, most likely because it would have been a lie. He couldn't have done anything. I was till fuzzy on the detail of what he had been up to, but even I could guess that he couldn't just drop everything a run to take care of his baby sister.
"You've grown up so fast." Then I was crushed into his burly frame. He held me close to him, mumbling sorry. I had always tried to keep a stiff upper lip, made sure I didn't cry over anything. Eliot wouldn't have been bothered by anything, Eliot wouldn't have ever cried no matter how bad things got. I had lived by these standards for years. I looked up to my big brother even though he wasn't there half of the time. Now, I forgot it all and broke down, hugging him as close as I could.
We didn't stand there long. Neither of us was all that comfortable with openly showing our weaknesses like we were now. We broke apart and walked to the edge of the roof. I crossed my arms, the slits in the sleeves of my jacket making them fall open on my arms.
"You better not ell any of your friends what happened up here. I have a reputation of being a stubborn little monster to uphold. If word gets out I have a soft side I'll never hear the end of it." Eliot nodded in the darkness. He wouldn't tell. This was my business, not theirs; if they wanted to find out they could figure it out on their own.
"They'll find out eventually though, you know that right." His eyes were distant, he wasn't here with me on the roof any more, more than likely he was thinking about Aimee, or about past adventures.
I turned on my heel, heading back inside, my arms swinging cheerfully at my sides. There was no longer any reason to cry. I didn't need to be upset right now anyway, I had a game to play. "I know they will. But I need a new game, and I think that your new team mates make excellent toys. I wonder who will figure it out first."
He caught up with me and opened the door heading to the stairs. "My money's on Hardison." I grinned as I slipped past him and began descending down the flight stairs. "I don't know Eli; I say Parker is smarter than she looks." He glared at my form as I descended to the floors below.
"I hate it when she calls me Eli."
