A/N: Here's the next chap with the episode title I had to copy and paste so as not to misspell. Seriously. I can't even say the effin thing, how am I supposed to spell it? lol. I'm still more than ecstatic at the reviews I'm receiving and how many people like the OC. Thanks so much! Also, in other news, *turns off punchy tired author voice, puts on droning bored robot voice* I 'edited' this (ran it through grammar speller check) at one in the morning. There will be typos. There will be missing words. I'm sorry. Please don't point them out in the reviews like you think I'll go back and change it. I do my best, but I'm not getting paid for this, so it's not gonna happen. *turns back on punchy tired author voice* Thanks again comrades! And enjoy! -pj

A/N2: Sorry to anyone that was just alerted that this had been posted! I hatched a thought just as I responded to the last review (vickyloka my muse's bfff!) and had to hurry and add in one more scene...I'm not tellin' which one!...okay, you beat it out of me. The first one, I just realized the chap needed some team action.. And, for the record, it is now 1:38am.

Disclaimer: I own my collection of converse tennis shoes. I own more papermate pens than should be legally allowed in the US. I even own Tali and her wild hair. One thing I do NOT own, however, is Leverage, and anything mentioned therin.

oooOOOooo

Chapter Four – The Scheherazade Job

Eliot frowned as he walked out of the 'Leverage' building on the way to his car. A very familiar figure sat hunched over on the stoop of the next building.

And it was way past the Hacker's bedtime.

"Hardison?"

The man looked up upon hearing his name and made an effort to smile.

"Sup man?"

Eliot stood a few feet away from Hardison but could smell the alcohol on the air.

"You drunk?"

Hardison let out a quiet laugh that set Eliot's hair on end. Hardison was never quiet.

"Naw man," he produced a glass bottle Eliot hadn't noticed and lifted it to his lips, "workin' on it though."

Eliot tilted his head and his eyes flicked around cautiously before he approached the hacker, squeezing himself into the small space on the step beside him. He leaned his elbows on his knees and stared at the ground between his boots.

"That was a pretty shitty thing Nate did."

Hardison nodded, pressing the bottle to his lips once more, unseeing eyes staring at that space out spot located about a foot and a half in front of his face.

"I hate mind games," he muttered.

Eliot nodded, pushing his hair back so that it didn't block his peripheral vision.

"I hate when someone cons their own team."

Hardison picked at the label on his now empty bottle of beer.

"Nate seems to like both of those things."

Eliot bobbed his head again and then got a mischievous look in his eye. "Want me to beat some sense into him?"

Hardison snorted in what passed for drunk laughter, but it made Eliot feel a little better because it was loud.

"You really would, wouldn't you?"

Eliot shrugged one shoulder and nodded, "I mean, it's not like we need him to walk in order to plan the cons."

That made Hardison laugh outright, so hard he almost dropped the glass bottle, so Eliot took it from him, a smile kicking up the corners of the hitter's mouth.

Hardison took a deep breath as he calmed back down and swatted Eliot on the arm playfully, earning himself a quick glare.

"You alright man, you know that Eliot?"

"Of course he knows that."

They both looked over to see Parker leaning against the street lamp a few feet away. She pushed off it and approached, "it's not like he's half left."

Eliot blinked, and his confusion morphed into a frown. Hardison just laughed and climbed to his feet, slinging one long arm over Parker's shoulders and she started to lead him back toward their building.

Eliot got up to finish his trek toward his truck, but ended up stopping to watch them for a few seconds. He noted how Hardison's tall, well built frame dwarfed Parker in comparison. And how she was more than strong enough to handle his unsteady weight anyway. How they were complete opposites, but somehow still seemed to fit together all too well.

It reminded him of someone.

"Hey."

Eliot looked up to see the pair had stopped and were looking back at him.

"You gonna be okay tonight?" Parker asked, shifting her arm to be a little lower on Hardison's waist, "you took quite a beating."

"Yeah man, maybe you shouldn't be alone."

"Don't worry, guys," Eliot shook his head and smiled slightly, "I'm not alone."

oooOOOooo

Tali puffed out her cheeks and blew a breath, shaking her head irritably. Hands on her hips, she scowled at the mirror.

"Why? Why must you fight me on this?" she sighed, tugging helplessly at her hair, "Estoy volviendo loca."

Rolling her eyes at herself, she flipping off the bathroom light, she jogged out into the main space, hopping from foot to foot as she pulled on her tennis shoes.

She grabbed her biggest pair of hoop earrings off the dresser and the red platform patent pumps from the kitchen table, stuffing them both in her bag.

"Keys, keys…" she muttered, patting her pockets and turning in a circle, "where did I…"

A knock on her front door made her stop and frown. It was almost midnight, she was due at the club any minute and she was definitely not expecting any visitors.

Cautiously, Tali stepped over to the door, grabbing the steel bat she kept in the corner and looking through the peephole. She smiled when she saw him on the other side.

"Eliot," she said, whipping the door open. "I didn't…um," she shook her head, not wanting to finish.

Eliot smiled tiredly at her, leaning heavily against the doorframe. He looked her up and down, taking in the casual, baggy jeans and green spaghetti strap tank; he assumed she had the night off.

"Goin' to play a little ball?"

Tali frowned and then seemed to suddenly remember the bat in her hands.

"Oh," she shrugged, "you can't be too careful." She stood back to set the weapon aside and pulled the door open. "Did you wanna…"

Eliot nodded and stepped inside.

"Wasn't sure if you'd be up."

If Tali hadn't been so well acquainted with the aftermath of bar fights she might have missed the careful way he held himself and how he was trying not to limp.

She shut the door and turned to face him, pulling her unsatisfactory hair back into a ponytail and sliding her hands into her back pockets.

"I work at a bar and a strip club, Eliot. I'm practically nocturnal."

He shifted on his feet, hiding a slight wince and Tali studied him openly. The silence grew thick between them, neither had expected it to be awkward.

"So what are you doing here?" she smiled finally. She pretended to look for something out the window to avoid his stare. "Didn't really…expect to see you again."

Eliot's brow furrowed and he forgot momentarily the ache in his shoulders and back. Tali seemed to sense his confusion and turned to put distance between them, approaching the window and leaning her suddenly too-warm face against it.

After their second chance meeting, it had become something of a ritual for Eliot to meet Tali for dancing on the nights she didn't have to work. They always hit a different club, sometimes more than one. Always arrived in separate cars, always left alone.

It was amicable. Nice. Unexpected.

Why would she have expected it to suddenly stop?

"Why not?" He shook his head slightly in confusion, "I like you. I like…being with you."

Tali's eyes fell shut and her back grew rigid. She knew if she turned around she would find him giving her that intense look that gave her no option but to spill her soul.

She kept her back to him.

"Yeah. I like you too," she took a deep breath, gripping the thick dark drapes, meant for blocking out the sun, in both fists, "I just don't usually see men again after I sleep with them."

Eliot's eyes flicked over to the bed and he was hit the memory of the night they'd spent there almost a week before. It had been hot and passionate and needy and desperate. And amazing. But not romantic. Not slow.

And seeing the way Tali was skirting around him now, he was starting to regret that.

Eliot closed his eyes and blew out a breath, "I'm sorry."

He didn't want her to think he was like that. He didn't want to be one of her Johns.

"Don't be," she turned around suddenly, her smile sharp and jagged. Nothing like the soft, brilliant smile she flashed when she spotted him across a club's crowded dance floor. He liked that smile.

"It was good. Real good." Tali assured him.

"No, I mean…it wasn't…like that," he sputtered helplessly; the headache he'd been fighting all night was starting to push against his skull.

Tali stared at him, eyes narrowed minutely and lips pressed in concentration, until he was forced to look away.

He found himself wondering what it was she kept looking for when she did that.

"So why are you here? You never said."

Eliot looked up and saw she'd shed the cautious, thoughtful expression and was back to that confident sex-smirk she wore so well.

"Couldn't sleep," he shrugged.

Tali raised an eyebrow and pushed off the wall to approach him, an exaggerated swagger in her step.

"Sleep, huh? Didn't think you did that."

She stopped just inside his personal space and the scent of lilacs he'd come to associate with her surrounded him.

He just grunted in response.

"And this insomnia, it wouldn't have anything to do the bruises you're trying so hard to hide, would it?"

She took a small step back and gave him a head-to-to sweep of her brown eyes.

"Left shoulder, left ribs. Lower back and," she tapped her chin, "right elbow."

Eliot raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking down at himself. He wore his 'not sure I won that one' ensemble, which consisted of his baggiest pair of jeans, easy to slip on and off over sore muscles and a black tank top and hoodie, also baggy and for the same reason.

"Don't tell me," he gave her a crooked grin, "you work nights at a hospital too."

Tali tipped her head back and laughed. "No Cowboy, just been around for the aftermath of a few too many drunken brawls, that's all."

Eliot nodded, "well, you're right. Although the ribs might be cracked. That African Security guy was a behemoth."

Tali frowned in amusement, "African Security guy?"

Eliot smiled, shaking his head, "never mind." He pulled one hand out of the pocket of his hoodie and rubbed his face, "Just couldn't get comfortable at home. Can't relax."

She gave him a soft look and he was surprised at the genuine concern on her face, but it was gone too quickly to comment on.

"I know how to relax you."

"Don't think I'm quite up to that tonight, Darlin'." He smirked.

She rolled her eyes and reached out to grab his hand, pulling him toward the couch, "get your mind out of my pants."

"Hey." He pulled her back to his chest when she started to pull away and the serious look on his face wiped the smile off hers.

"You know um…" he said, his voice rough and quiet, "you know I'm different, right? I'm not…one of those guys."

Tali blinked at him for a few seconds, searching his face, her hand pressed against his chest while one of his arms kept her close to him at the waist.

"Yeah. I know that, Eliot." She nodded to assure him and gave him the soft smile he yearned to see. It made a knot of tension loosen in his stomach.

"Good."

Tali allowed him to keep her close a moment longer, dragging her hand up from his chest to touch his face and pulled him down to her. She kissed him, just once, and didn't allow him to get too involved in the possibilities the night often brought.

She pulled away and dropped onto the couch, "now sit."

Eliot chuckled, "bossy."

Tali patted the space next to her, professing the magical properties and 'unparalleled comfort ' of the blue piece of furniture. Eliot sat down beside her, groaning in pleasure when the cushions immediately molded around him, instantly taking pressure off all his sore joints.

"It's nice, right?"

Eliot groaned again. Tali shook her head, smiling as she reached over to coax him down until his head was lying in her lap.

"There," she whispered, allowing her natural accent to come through thick, knowing he liked it, "that better?"

Eliot's only response was to sigh, his eyes slowly falling closed.

She carded her hands through his hair, repetitive and slow, brushing long delicate fingers across his ear and massaging his scalp. She smiled when he almost whimpered in pleasure and pressed back into her fingertips, but she danced them away before he could get too used to the feeling in any one spot.

She waited until his breathing had evened out and she was almost certain he was asleep.

Then she took great care to lift her hips to reach into her pocket without bothering him and fished out her phone.

"Hey, Victor? It's Tali," she said quietly when the line was answered, soothing her hands through his hair to his shoulders when Eliot started to stir. "Listen, I'm not gonna make it in tonight."

She smiled when his nose twitched in sleep and resisted the urge to touch it.

"No, everything's fine, I just…something came up," she listened with half an ear to her boss on the phone and scrunched up her face in concentration, trying not to move at all while she carefully toed off her shoes. "Yeah. Thanks Vic."

Tali switched her phone to silent and set it on the coffee table, shifting her hips to one side to be more comfortable and let her hands dance through Eliot's hair absently.

"Ya didn' hafta do tha'," he mumbled, eyes not even open.

Tali smiled. Of course he'd woken. Why did she bother?

"I know that, Cowboy. I wanted to."

"Why?" His left eye blinked open and he shifted his feet to be more comfortable.

Tali sighed, enjoying the way his long brown locks slid smoothly through her fingers. She licked her lips and traced the folds of his ear lightly, fascinated by the way the light shone off his earring.

"Because, Eliot…in my world of faceless, nameless Johns…men that don't care who I am…you have a name. And you talk to me and," she looked down and smiled when he seemed to sense her gaze and turned his head to look at her, "you keep coming back. I think I like that."

oooOOOooo

"You ever been to Africa?"

Tali glanced down at the top of Eliot's head. She thought he'd gone back to sleep, he'd been quiet so long.

Sprawled out between her legs, Eliot allowed himself a moment of rare relaxation while Tali gave him a back rub and missed the 'where are you going with this' look she wore behind him.

"Not Africa, no."

"Want to?" he paused and her hands grew still, "I got a couple weeks off, thinkin' of going to help with a construction project there."

Tali bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment and Eliot silently anticipated what her next question would be.

Sophie would ask, 'now, by Africa, you don't mean like, hot, sweaty, dusty not-a-shopping-mall-in-sight Africa, right?'. Parker would want to know 'why would you want to go there? It's really hard to rob a diamond mine'. Hell, Aimee would just ask if he was crazy.

But Tali wasn't like any of the other women in his life, past or present.

And her question made him despite injured ribs.

"Will you be dressed like the construction worker from The Village People?"

"More than likely," Eliot smiled, clutching his sore side.

Tali nodded, resuming the massage.

"Just one problem. I don't have a thing to wear."

TBC - Next up, the Hiatus week chapter.