Chapter 3

Eliot spent the next hour or so talking to the police and going over their cover story. He was sure the police were not buying it but right then he did not care. He just wanted them out. He needed to get to the back to Sophie and Parker. Eventually the police left after the CSI team had done their thing as well. They told him that they would be back later with further questions. Eliot saw them out and then closed the doors and made his way to the back. It had now been a couple of hours since the incident and he had heard nothing from Hardison. He could only hope that the reason for that was that Nate was still holding on and Hardison had nothing to report.

He found Parker watching over Sophie who was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He could see that the Thief was both scared and confused. Sophie looked just as scared and confused. Parker had no doubt told her what she had done. Looking at Parker again he could see the conflict on her face as she looked at the woman who had shot Nate, a woman she loved and admired.

"Nate…" Parker immediately asked as Eliot walked in.

"I don't know Parker. Hardison went with him to the hospital and as soon as he knows something he will let us know." Eliot said walking in and standing over Sophie.

"She tried to kill Nate…" Parker said softly as if she was trying to understand something that was wholly inexplicable to her.

"I know Parker, I was there…" Eliot said then immediately regretted his tone. "Sorry Parker…I don't understand it either." He said looking directly at Sophie whose face was lined with tears as she wept both for the man she had shot and the deed she had done.

Sophie looked back at Eliot her face a picture of turmoil and fear and desperation. She did not understand what had happened. Parker had told her she had tried to kill Nate but she could not believe it. She closed her eyes and tried to collect herself as the Hitter stood over her.

"Eliot…what…what happened?" She asked as she opened her eyes and stared into the eyes of the teams Hitter.

"What do you mean what happened…you tried to kill Nate." Parker said her fear turning to anger.

"No Parker…I couldn't I…?" Sophie gasped. What was Parker saying? She tried to remember what had happened, her brows knotting as she wracked her brain. Then she looked up at Eliot pleading with him to tell her it was not true.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Eliot asked her softly.

"We were having dinner…I went to get some wine…then…then nothing." Sophie said. "I tried to kill Nate…?" She whispered looking at Eliot her eyes full of fear.

"Yes you did Sophie…you shot him three times." Eliot said watching as shock registered on Sophie's face.

"Oh God…" She said as she dropped her head into her hands. "I didn't…Nate is not…"

"Dead…no he wasn't when they took him out here. Hardison is with him and will let us know." Eliot told her.

"We need to go to the hospital then…" Sophie said standing up.

Eliot grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into the seat. "I don't think so Sophie. You are not going anywhere near Nate."

"Eliot…"

"Sophie, I don't know what happened. I don't know why you did what you did. But I am not prepared to let you anywhere near him until we do figure this out." Eliot said. Just then his phone rang and he saw the ID indicated that it was Hardison.

"Hardison…" He answered trying to keep his voice calm. Parker moved closer to him as she heard him say the Hackers name.

"Eliot…" Hardison said heavily. "He's still alive…they've taken him into surgery." Hardison said but Eliot could hear in his voice that he was distraught.

"Hardison…Alec…" Eliot said using the Hackers first name, something he never did. "What did the doctors say?"

"They…it doesn't look good Eliot…he…they lost him in the ambulance…They spent a long time trying to stabilize him in the ER before they took him to surgery, there was so much blood…the doctor…Eliot he may not…he may not make it." Hardison stuttered out. Fear gripped him as he told the Hitter they may lose Nate.

"Ok Hardison. You stay there. Parker will be over to stay with you." Eliot said. He did not want Parker around Sophie right now. He could see the anger and the fear and the confusion on the woman's face. If, God forbid, Nate did not make it, he did not want Parker in the vicinity of Sophie.

"Go Parker…I'll stay here with Sophie." Eliot said. "Parker you stay with Nate no matter what Ok…" Eliot said. He was not sure what was happening but what he was sure of is someone had tried to kill Nate using Sophie. They might try again. "Parker, be alert…somebody tried to kill Nate and they may try again…stay with him, make sure he is safe ok." Eliot said softly. "And Parker…"

"Don't worry Eliot…you'll be the first to hear." Parker said knowing what he was going to say. She picked up her keys and looked at the woman who was still sitting with her head in her hands. Eliot obviously thought Sophie was not alone in this, or she was being used or something. All she knew is that Sophie had pulled the trigger and Nate may die. She wanted to say something to Sophie but did not know what. She loved Sophie, but her ultimate loyalty was with Nate and she had tried to kill him. No matter what Sophie meant to her, she was not sure what she would do if Nate did die as a result of Sophie's actions.

"Eliot…I love him…I would never, never hurt him…let alone kill him." Sophie said to the Hitter in a small voice after Parker had left. She could not understand what had happened. "God Eliot...if he dies because…If I killed him…" Sophie said tears slipping from her eyes.

"Sophie, I don't know what is going on either, but you did shoot Nate. You did try to kill him. Now we have to figure out why." Eliot told her as he sat down next to her on the couch. He knew she would never do anything willingly to hurt Nate. He knew she loved the man and would not hesitate to give her life for his. So why had she taken a gun and put three bullets into him?

Eliot stood and made his way to the kitchen and poured them each a whiskey. Then he returned carrying both glasses and the bottle with him. He gave Sophie a glass and sat down beside her again. "We'll figure this out Sophie…" He said slowly.

Sophie did not respond. She drank down the glass and then poured herself another one. If Nate died…if she had managed to kill him...The thought was almost too much for her. She drank down the amber liquid feeling it burn her throat and then reached for the bottle again.

"Enough Sophie…you need to keep a clear head. We need to go over everything you have done over the last four weeks and we can't do that if you are drunk." Eliot said taking the bottle away from her.

"Nate could be dying…he could be dead…I could have killed him…" Sophie said her eyes blazing. This was not happening she told herself, please let this be a dream, a terrible nightmare. But looking at the Hitter she knew it was not. She had tried to kill the only man she had ever and would ever love.

"I know. But I also know you would not have done that for any reason. Sophie…you are the weapon somebody used to get to Nate…we need to figure out how they did that." Eliot told her.

"What if we can't figure it out?" Sophie asked fearfully.

"We will, we have to. Not only for you but for Nate because when they figure out you did not succeed they will probably go after Nate again." Eliot told her. "Sophie…you were programed to do this, I don't know how or by who but that is the only logical explanation."

He was not prepared to entertain any other scenario. There was no way in hell Sophie would do any harm to Nate. No way in hell. Somehow she had been programmed to do this. Eliot was no fool. He understood that there were ways that people were made to do things they would never do if they were in control of themselves. The question was simply how somebody had done that to Sophie? When had they done that to Sophie? His mind drifted to the picture of Nate's bloody body lying on the floor of their bar and he closed his eyes fighting the emotions warring within him. The injuries were bad, he had not seen much worse. It was likely that Nate would not survive. He did not know how Parker or Hardison would react to that, or how they would deal with the fact that Sophie had taken Nate's life. They must know that she would never do this if she was in her right mind. The fact though was that in the heat of the moment, anything could happen. He knew that both the Thief and the Hacker viewed Nate as a father figure. Hardison probably had the closest relationship to Nate baring Sophie. This was going to tear the team apart. And if Nate did live…He shook his head as he drank down the rest of the liquor in his glass and turned to the woman who sat silently beside him. He was not sure how Sophie would react to Nate dying by her own hand either, even if she had been programed into doing it, even if she was not responsible for her own actions. She was shaking her head slowly and tears fell from her eyes as the reality of the situation started to really dawn on her.

"Oh God Eliot, I tried to kill Nate…I…what if he dies…what if I… Oh God!" Sophie said a flood of emotions overtook her as she truly realized what was happening, and her mind was starting to overwhelm her with that fact, incapacitating her and breaking her down.

"I know Sophie…we'll figure this out…we will." Eliot said pulling the woman into his arms and allowing her to let go of her emotions as her tears grew into deep heart-wrenching sobs.

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