Two months later

Nate ran down the stairs two at a time, trying not to stumble over the unconscious bodies that a few minutes ago had been trying to stop Eliot from clearing an escape route. With Sophie and Hardison behind him the kept his eyes focused on the unmoving form at the base of the stairwell. "Hang on Eliot, we're almost there." After hurdling over one last security guard Nate knelt beside his friend. "Tell me you feel better than you look."

"Not by much. Help me up."

"Are you kidding me. You look like death warmed over and you plan to walk outta here."

"Well I doubt these guys" he pointed to the security goons "plan to help. Besides, I gotta get home to change. Supposed to take Tori out tonight. Important. DAMN!" He had been struggling to his feet as he spoke, and the last word came as the result of putting weight on a badly twisted knee. "Looks like dancing is out for the night." He joked as he began to topple over. Nate grabbed him to offer support, resulting in another gasp as Eliot came to the realization he had probably dislocate his shoulder – again. Some day he was going to have to figure out if there was an upper limit on how often one could do that before it wouldn't pop back in place.

"Parker, have you landed?" Getting an affirmative answer, he continued. "Then get the van as close to the back exit as you can. Eliot is in no shape for a stroll – or for dancing."

Eliot raised his tired eyes to meet Nate. "Do me a favour. You explain that to Tori. I think I'm going to be in enough trouble as it is."

Thirty minutes later Eliot was sure he looked every bit as bad as he felt, as he stumbled into the back office, shrugging of Hardison's offer of support. "I can walk dammit – just give me some room." Turning his head quickly to glare at the man was a mistake though, as he felt the room start to spin. Falling over after his declaration would have been embarrassing to say the least, so he forced himself to remain upright, if wobbly, as he worked his way to the back room. He really wanted to go to his old studio apartment just down the hall, but he had been herded to the office instead. He made it only as far as the couch before his energy gave out. He sat down hard, jarring his aching ribs and arm. He could see the red stain spreading on his sleeve as the knife wound began to bleed again. He started to stand to go is search of medical supplies, but was pushed back down by Nate's hand on his shoulder. "Stay." Parker appeared in front of him with the black bag, and started laying out the provisions she would need to patch him up.

"Give me the stuff Parker – I can do this myself."

"Sit back Eliot" Nate commanded. "She has done this enough to know how to take care of you. Now aside from the obvious slash, what else is wrong?"

"Nothing – I'm fine."

"Fine! You call this fine!" They all jumped at Victoria's voice.

Eliot tried to stand, but was again pushed back.

"Darlin', what are you doing here. They shouldn't have called you." He made an effort to scowl at the team, but as he was having trouble focusing his eyes on where they were, the effect was lost. "I'm fine."

"No one called me, which will be a discussion for another time" as she did manage to quite successfully scowl at the team. "I am here because you are supposed to be taking me out to dinner tonight. 6 month anniversary ring any bells with you?. No? Probably not because someone– or something – already rang your bell. You're bruised, bleeding and dazed, and you sit there and say you are fine. Honestly Spencer, if you weren't about to pass out I'd slap you silly. Now shut up and lie down."

The team waited for his explosion. Without a word, he swung his feet onto the couch and stretched out.

"Talk to me – where do you hurt."

"Ribs are sore, but I don't think they are busted. Shoulder went out, but I already set that. Dislocated right thumb, and may have busted the index finger. Pretty sure I've got a solid concussion, but no fracture. Lots of bruising, nothing feels too deep though. Mostly it's the spinning room and the arm causin' me grief. Oh, and I twisted my knee pretty good, so dancing is probably out of the question for tonight."

"OK – Parker will stitch up the arm and then we'll check out the other stuff." She reached over to the medical bag and looking at the pill containers checked out a couple before finding what she wanted.

"These will help you relax, and dampen some of the pain" as she handed him a couple of pills from different bottles.

Parker started to laugh –"Yeah, that won't…" She stopped, stunned into silence as she watched Eliot swallow the pills with no discussion. She looked over at Victoria in much the same was someone would stare at a magician who had just made a unicorn appear in the room.

Victoria stood up and stepped away to let Parker work. Nate pulled her off to the side of the room.

"In four years we have never gotten anything except –"I'm fine" out of him, and you get a full medical run down?"

"What the hell happened Nate? He told me this was a simple job, nothing to worry about."

"I'm guessing he tells you that about most jobs."

"Yes, and I'm not stupid. I've seen the bruises and watched him try to move without letting on he's hurt, but this – this time is worse. He's in a lot of pain. He's dismissing it, even to me, but it's pretty obvious. What went wrong?"

Nate shrugged. "Nothing more than usual. It's just this time security guys were a bit bigger than usual, and a few more of them than we expected. They objected to seeing Parker repelling of the roof, and Eliot objected to their objections. "

Victoria looked back over her man, and sighed with concern. "How much longer do you think he can keep doing this? Sooner or later someone is going to get the upper hand in a way he can't counter. What happens then?"

"I try not to think about that too much. I've asked him the same question, and he just waves it off."

"He scares me. He won't accept that he has limits."

Sophie looked at her. "He will if you ask him to. He loves you. He'd stop if you asked him to."

"I know, but it would destroy him. That's why I can't ask him. If he stopped, and something happened to one of you… well that would kill him. In a lot of ways he's not as tough as he thinks he is." She walked back over and sat down beside Eliot as Parker finished the stitching. She reached out for the gauze and tape, and with a gentle touch covered the wound.

"Sorry about dinner darlin'. I'll take you out tomorrow. 6 month plus a day anniversary."

"That's a date."

"Can't seem to keep my eyes open. Guess 'm tired"

"Don't worry – you sleep. I'll wake you in a bit."

"Wake me for some cuddling?"

"Don't think you have the strength for that babe. Maybe just a little snuggle."

"You shouldn't be here" he said, voice getting thick and his filters dropping as the effect of the medications kicked in.

"Really – where should I be?"

"With someone you deserve. Someone better."

"And just where would I find this mythical being? Someone better indeed."

"Mean it Tori – I ain't what you need. Not worth it. You don't know."

"Knock it off Spencer. We've had this discussion before. I get to choose who's good enough and I choose you."

"If you knew who I was – what I did. I've done things, had things done to me, that no one else should ever want to share in…"

Eliot drifted off to a restless sleep, while Victoria stayed by his side. There wasn't room for her on the couch without causing him pain, so she sat on the floor beside, never letting go of his hand. When Nate came over with a couple of pillows to try to make her a little more comfortable she looked up at him anxiously. "This is going to be a nightmare sleep, isn't it? He's way too agitated."

"You've seen the nightmares?"

"Just once. Mostly it's just tossing and turning, but there was one night when he was bad. He'd gone to bed early, after being banged up on a job. I stuck around in case he needed anything. When I heard the shouts I thought someone was killing him. Nate – I've never been so scared in my life. I couldn't get close to him, he was flailing about. I was afraid one of us would be hurt. He woke up panting, sweating and looking like – like death was chasing him. I know how that sounds, but it is the only way I can describe it. When he saw me there the look on his face. He was terrified, mortified and – well, broken. I think he thought I was going to run. Truth of the matter is, I almost did."

"What stopped you?"

"He needed me. He'd never say it, probably never admit it, but he did. He'd never ask me to stay. Should have been the end of everything, but it was the moment I knew I loved him more than anything. And he thinks Parker is crazy?"

"I don't know what to say to you Victoria. Eliot is a man with a lot of baggage. I've known him 4 years, and consider him to be the best friend I've ever had, and I think he feels pretty much the same way toward me. But there are things he has never shared, parts of his past that he keeps so deeply locked away they appear only in the nightmares. I think that is why he doesn't take the medications most of the time. Pills lower his defences, make it easier for the demons to escape."

"And I handed them the keys tonight" she said, thinking of the drugs she had compelled him to take.

"So we stay with him. You keep holding on to him, and we'll be close by. If it's bad, at least he won't be alone."

An hour later, it started. He was moaning softly, then louder, as Victoria tried to hold on and calm him. Hardison and Nate did their best to keep him still, hoping to prevent him from hurting himself, or any of them, if he started thrashing. With a burst of movement he bolted upright, throwing Nate of balance and grabbing at Victoria. Sophie pulled her back before Eliot made contact. He sat on the couch, breathing heavily, looking around the room trying to bring his surroundings into focus. Slowly he recognized where he was, and the faces looking at him. When he saw Victoria on the floor his eyes grew wide in a blend of terror and self-loathing.

"Oh God, no. What did I do? Tori, darlin' – did I hit you? Please – I didn't mean…" he pulled back as she reached up to him.

"Eliot no – you didn't touch me. I'm fine. I'm fine – really. Please baby, calm down."

"No – you can't stay. Nate, get her outta here. I knew this would happen. Please – get her home, take her away from this – away from me."

She reached out and held his face in her hands, turning him to look at her and not letting him flinch away.

"Nobody is taking me anywhere. I will tell you one more time – I love you Eliot Spencer. And whatever demons you have, whatever history you fear, we will deal with it together. I have waited far too long to find a man who makes me feel like you do, and I will not let a couple of bad dreams and scary memories get in the way. I don't give a damn about ancient history. I know who you are now, and that is the man I love. So shut up, slide over here and kiss me."

He stared into her eyes for several seconds before she felt his body relax, ever so slightly. Taking that as a sign, she pulled him close and kissed him till she thought they would pass out from oxygen deprivation. She reluctantly released him, pushing him back on the couch and covering him with the blanket. She sat on the floor again, and quietly rested her head on his stomach, holding onto his hand. In a few minutes, both were asleep, as the rest of the team tried to silently disappear.

Sophie leaned over to Nate. "That may well be the strongest love I have ever seen. They so deserve to be happy."

Nate had a sad smile on his face. "We've got no right to get between them, and that's exactly what we are doing. She was right earlier. He won't stop as long as he thinks we need him."

"Problem there is we do need him, and if we tried to convince him otherwise, he'd never believe it."

"Maybe we should just close shop. We all deserve to try to have a normal life. You and I could, well, we could do what passes for normal. Parker and Hardison could try the same. Then maybe Eliot would have a shot."

"Parker and Hardison would keep doing what we are doing now, and Eliot would stick by them. And with just the three of them, there is a better chance for trouble. No Nate, right now the best we can to do is try to convince Eliot to slow down, just a little."

"We've never been able to do it before."

"He's never been in love before."