Author's Note: For clarification, underlined parts in flashback section are what Eliot overheard from the kitchen. Not that Hardison knows that.
Author's NOTE 2: Okay. I owe you all a SERIOUS apology. I totally meant to post this like a week after the last chapter (and this was supposed to be WAY longer) But life kinda happened; and by life I mean graduate finals (I passed! Hooray!), moving across the state, job hunting, no internet, and a WHOLE boatload of other stuff that I am totally not going to get into. Anyway… I just want you to know that though it may take a while; this story still has an ending that will appear eventually. I am probably going to be moving (again) soon and starting another job (cross your fingers for me!) and so do not expect regular updates or frequent ones at that. But I will do my best to put more out there. Thanks for keeping with me on this and again- sorry for the delay. Also- I've changed my pen name. Hope there's not too much confusion.
ALL RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE AND BELONG TO THEIR CREATORS. Thanks.
Nate's heart froze when his brain processed what the Commander had just told him. Dead…no… his body reminded himself to keep breathing as he drew a ragged breath after having forgotten how to for a moment, grasping onto the presumed part of that last sentence.
"Commander… what… What?" Nate finally managed. "Explain. Now."
"Mr. Ford. Perhaps we should take this somewhere more private." Joe looked at him with pity clear on his face.
"Follow me." Nate demanded as he rose and headed for the stairs.
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Hardison felt guilty. He knew this was his fault. He had freaked. And then he had failed. I mean, Eliot was freakin' Batman and he, Hardison couldn't hack him. He had tried. He had called in favors, hacked the Pentagon (twice, as well as every other governmental agency with a name and a few without), sent bugs around the world, and used all the tricks at his disposal. Well. The ones Nate would permit that would be "under the radar". He was handicapped! And it hadn't worked. He couldn't find him. His mind flashed back to the last time they had spoken, if you could call it that. Hardison had been in shock, he knew that now. But he still couldn't forget the look on Eliot's pale face flushing with anger as he shouted, "I SAVED YOU!" And what Hardison had meant to say, "You killed them, Eliot," The for us hadn't made it out before Eliot had spoken again. "I did what I had to." And then he had been gone. And it had been too late. In so many ways.
His mind still in the past, Hardison again too late realized, what Eliot had probably overheard and seriously misunderstood. His head rested on his forearm as he leaned against his knees, back against the wall, toilet within reach should his stomach start rolling again. He heard Sophie enter. He knew it was Sophie. He was pretty sure neither Parker (unless she had to change out of her Converse for a con) and definitely not Eliot would wear heels. "Oh Hardison!" She whispered softly as she placed a hand on his head. "Soph. I'm seriously freaked right now. Oh man, but there was so much blood! And Eliot was like freakin' Batman!.. And... I don't know how he could do that. Sophie, those people had us, there were like a million of them. And one of him. They were gonna kill us. All the blood. I can't get it out of my head. He doesn't do that anymore, but he did it for us. How do you deal with all of it!? … What do you do? With everything? Help me Soph…" She had leaned down and lifted his head to look him in the eyes. "You remember what's important. Now, we're all freaked Hardison. This was big. And scary. But pull it together. We'll figure this out. We'll get answers. Now, I know Parker is worried about you. Be strong, for her. She needs you, even if she doesn't say it aloud. Be strong for her." Hardison had nodded and pulled it together enough to leave the bathroom.
Forcibly pulling his mind back to the present the hacker looked at the laptops set up in front of him, spread out on the briefing table of "Nate's apartment". Three days ago he had broken the rules. Forget what Nate says, he thought, the "under the radar" approach is crap. And seriously not working. He had started some of his more hardcore programs running a search for Eliot. He was going to find his friend. He had to make it right. He started when he heard the door opening. Nate must be back. Damn, he had hoped the client meeting would last a bit longer so he could run through some more of his programs. He hit a few keys, quickly hiding what he had been working on. He turned to the door just as Nate entered. With the client? What?
Hardison took in the expression on his Boss's face. "Nate," he began to feel a tingling sense of worry. "What's going on man?"
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