Home Fires
Chapter Four
Kenna sat in the corner booth of the bar playing with her fries. She was tired. If she had been smart she would have stayed in bed but staying in bed alone wasn't the best way to spend your day off. Eliot had left early to run some errands and hadn't come home yet. She saw Nate come into the bar about five minutes ago but apparently he was avoiding her. Pushing her fries away she stood and headed to the back room. Nate was sitting with his paper and a cup of coffee.
"Why are you avoiding me?" She stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest.
"Who said I'm avoiding you." He said, not looking up from his paper.
"The fact that you walked right past me five minutes ago and didn't say a word." She walked to the table and slid into the chair across from him. "What's going on Nate?"
"We've been busy I guess." Kenna shook her head.
"Spill it Nate. Have I done something?" He looked up at her. His eyes clouded with something she hadn't seen focused toward her before.
"No Kenna, you haven't done anything. I know it was me who pushed the whole normalcy thing so I have no one to blame but myself."
"Blame for what?"
"Eliot's distractions." Nate answered angrily. He flipped over the paper and started reading again.
"I'm sorry." She sat back in her chair. "What do you want me to do about it?" Nate looked up from the paper. There was fear in her brown eyes. He folded the paper and put it on the table.
"You can't do anything Kenna. You're here for him when we get home and that's all good but he doesn't always have his head in the game when he's not here."
"I know that. I'm sorry. Short of walking away Nate, what can I do?"
"Quit your job and come with us." Kenna looked at him.
"You're kidding, right?" She looked at him. "You know Eliot wouldn't go for that."
"If it meant you sticking close I don't think he'll have a problem."
"If I can promise to make sure he keeps his head in the game, even when you're gone, would that work?"
"You think you can do that?"
"I know that if I'm with you it will only make things worse. He'll always be wondering if a mark will come looking for him and find me. I really don't think being held up in a hotel room for days at time is the most appealing of solutions."
"I need my hitter back full force. We have a big job coming up."
"I'll take care of it." She stood up. "If you have a problem with me Nate, don't be afraid to talk it out. You're the one who said you would have our backs when we decided to try to make a go of this."
"I know. I still believe in the two of you. I just don't want to see Eliot hurting like he had been." Kenna nodded.
"I checked him over last night. His ribs are tender on the left side but he should be good to go in a couple of days." Kenna stood. "Dinner tonight?"
"Yeah, I'll check with Sophie." He looked at her. "How are you doing?"
"Better now."
"You really do make him a better person, you know that?"
"So he keeps telling me. Call me when you and Sophie decide on dinner."
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"Damn it Hardison." Eliot looked at the Hacker. He was installing a nanny came in the bedroom and the lights went out. Down the block.
"It wasn't me." He said as he adjusted another set of wires and the lights came on.
"It wasn't you? Try again Hardison." Eliot looked around the empty room. In six months a baby was going to sleep in here. His baby. It seemed strange to be thinking about nanny cams and cribs after years of fighting just to survive.
"You okay man?" Hardison was standing in front of him.
'Yeah, just thinking." Eliot handed Hardison the other camera.
"A little paranoid?" Hardison asked. Eliot looked at him
"Do you really want to go there again with me Hardison?"
"Not really. Should I get some lasers and motion detectors?"
"Now you're just messen' with me and its pissin' me off." Eliot stomped away. Kenna was sitting on the counter in the empty kitchen with Parker.
"Do you two ever use chairs?" He asked.
"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Parker said as she rolled her eyes. Kenna grabbed him and pulled him against the counter.
"Maybe he would be in a better mood if he would have stayed in bed a little longer." She kissed his cheek.
"Over sharing people." Parker said with her hands over her ears.
"I think we're embarrassing our little friend." Eliot smiled. Kenna wrapped his arms around him.
"I thought she was over the PDA thing." She looked at Parker. She had her eyes closed and her hands still covering her ears.
"She'll neck with Hardison in the middle of a party but she closes her eyes in the privacy of our apartment. Something's wrong there." Eliot slapped Parker's knee. She opened her eyes.
"Are you two done?" She glared at them.
"Not by a long shot but if it makes you squirm we can take it downstairs."
"The hell you will." Hardison came out of the bedroom. Y'all need to help me with the alarm system or we'll be here till Christmas."
"I thought you were the master of all things electronic." Eliot teased.
"I'm doing this for her, not you." Hardison pointed to Kenna. "She's always been nice to me. You are just mean Eliot Spencer." The hacker went to work on the new alarm system. Eliot chuckled and went to work helping Hardison.
o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o
Dinner with Nate and Sophie was a quiet affair but when Nate started talking about leaving for the next job tomorrow Kenna wasn't sure she was prepared.
"It's two weeks Kenna." Eliot sat on the couch and watched her pace back and forth.
"I know. I know." She was wound tight.
"The new security systems up and running and we'll move everything before we leave."
"I want to come with you." Kenna turned and looked at him.
"Kenna, I thought you and Nate had this discussion."
"He wanted me to quit my job. This is one job."
"I won't put you in the line of fire this way." Eliot stood up and went to the window. They had had gotten wind of a doctor who was picking and choosing who got organ transplants and it wasn't sitting well with any of them.
"This guy has let children die Eliot." She watched him. His back was stiff and his hands were balled into fists.
"You don't think I know that." He turned and looked at her. "What makes you think he won't think twice about killing someone who got in his way?"
"Because you wouldn't let that happen. Nate has some medical background because of Sam but I'm better. I can do this Eliot. I need to do this." Eliot looked into her eyes. "What if it were our child." She whispered. "I think we all need to be there for Nate." He knew she was right.
"You don't leave my side." He ground out. Kenna stood up and went to him. He wasn't in the mood to play any games and she knew it.
"It's the only place I ever wanted to be." She whispered as she kissed his cheek, down his jaw and than his lips. Eliot didn't make a move to touch her. Her lips moved over his and he felt her move closer to him.
"I already said yes to you coming along Kenna, you don't need to convince me." He looked into her eyes. They were dark with desire. She just smiled and turned and headed to bed. Eliot watched her walk away. "You know your won't be satisfied with just that." He called to her. Turning around she smiled.
"You know where to find me." She laughed and turned around going into the bedroom. Eliot took his phone and dialed Nate.
"It's late Eliot." He said as a greeting.
"Kenna's in." Eliot told him.
"Are you sure?"
"Nate we need someone with her medical knowledge for this job and even four months pregnant she's a force to be reckoned with."
"You should know that better than anybody."
"Yeah, we'll see you in the morning."
"Tell Kenna thank you."
"I will. Goodnight Nate."
"Night." Eliot hung up and went to find Kenna.
