A/N: These are a few drabbles (well, not traditional drabbles, since all of them are more than 100 words) I wrote for Leverageland Challenge.

Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

1. Suicide

He didn't end his life by his own hand. Couldn't, that's not the man he was, and not the man she would want him to be.

God knew he wanted to. In those endless nights when he was haunted by the dreams of her body going cold in his arms. In those endless bottles that never burnt away his pains and regrets. But the sunlight still greeted him, the empty bed was still mocking him, he still dragged himself through days after days after days.

He was still running the cons with the rest of teams, organizing the heists, taking down bad guys. But his plan went wilder each time, the risk they took grew higher, and he made sure he throw himself in the front line every time. If someone wanted to intervene, they would be silenced by his cold glares and more drinks.

He had seen it coming (prayed for it actually), the day he finally couldn't walk away from his own cons. He welcomed it, after praying his plan Z would work, the one he had planned ever since her funeral, the one in which the mastermind died during the con.

The dull pain he felt when the bullet hit him was not something unfamiliar, only this time, the pain came later was so much stronger, searing all the way through his stomach. His legs gave up seconds later and his version started to blur. He smiled at the man who shot him, and thought, took you long enough.

He thought he saw her then, smiling and alive. He clung to the image and fell willingly into the darkness. Nathan Ford had died a happy man.

2. Alive

Sophie loves feelings. The happiness, the excitement, love, hate, even the heart-break, they make her feel alive, feel she is a living human, not a breathing and walking shell.

As a child, Sophie always thought her life was dull. The wealthy life, posh guests, parties held by her family, in her young mind, were merely one boring things after another. Even her passion for art and acting didn't make life any better, the drawing class with kids from upper-class families like hers and performing from her father's friends only became another two things she loathed.

She ran away from home, seeking thrill in some unconventional ways. She kept stealing, grifting; the rush of adrenalin, the pounding of heart, the fear and excitement were once again the proofs of her living.

But when she got better and better at what she was doing, things became less exciting again. She took more difficult jobs, chose different marks, but life seemed to stay the same. Until she met him.

Sophie found another way of being alive. Like she told the young thief many years later, the thrill of vulnerability, the danger of opening your heart, it made people feel alive. Love made her feel alive.

3. Wake

When looking back, the a little more than two years after Sam's death for him were merely a haze. He had tried to drown his sorrow in alcohol and sleep his pain away (well, if you call pass out asleep). There was no distinction between his days and nights, his life was simply dragging on and on. Every waking moment used to be a torture for him, even now when those days seemed like a blurry dream, the pain he felt then was still sharp as new.

Later, when he was with the team, things got a little better. He was still drunk, the sober moments were still rare in his days, but the jobs were like some exciting dreams, which he used to keep his nightmares away. Besides, although the kids' bickering didn't help his hangover at all, waking up to a house full of people was better than waking up to house full of bitter memories. And Sophie, despite of her disproving looks, she would always offer him a cup of fresh made coffee.

Then one day, he woke up to a body pressing against him, warm and soft, their limbs tangled, her breath even beside his ear. He brushed the dark locks from her face and smiled under the bright sunlight. He realized, for the first time in a long time, he didn't mind being awake at all.

4. Guide

She is his compass, he realizes now, sitting alone in his living room and watching the whisky disappearing from the bottle inch by inch. The realization is three months late though, since she is far away now, half way across the world. She is out there looking for herself; while he isn't sure if she has found what she's looking for, himself here certainly seems to be lost.

She has guided him, even back then, during their cat-mouse days. She had given him a purpose, to catch her. Even if it might have made his life a bit more complicated at the time, he still followed her traces and went wherever she went.

When they became a team, she was constantly pushing him, challenging him, taking away his alcohol and pouring them in the drain. He was grateful for her presence, he really was, it reminded him that there was still something good in his life, but he was also frustrated at her. Angry at her, because why on earth she couldn't just let him go, let him live his pain and regret and guilty and let him go down the road he deserved.

It has been a complicated year, and now she is gone and he is sitting here alone with his drink. He noticed the kids' worried looks and careful behavior these days, but no one came forward and confronted him like she did. Maybe he won't really mind if she shows up now, snatches his glass away and gives him her stern looks, no, he would prefer that than the drink in his hand.

He needs her to guide him, to keep him on the right track, to show him who he really is. He tells her that, another two month later, when he is slightly drunk and the words "I need you, you're my compass" ring loudly in his own ears. He isn't sure if she has heard him, but it doesn't matter, he knows that now, and knowing Sophie, she might have known it before him.

5. Dance

The first time Nate danced with Sophie, was in the middle of a con. Her con, but at the time, he didn't know. The gorgeous Duchess Alexia of Barrington Highsworth wanted a dance with him, how could he say no. He couldn't take his eyes away from her, and she had used to opportunity to take his wallet. He believed it was the little information she learnt from his wallet made him lose the Degas that night.

The second time was after they pulled off a con, together. She dragged him to the dance floor, to celebrate. It was the first time he asked her for help, and the first time they played on the same side. Maybe because he was slightly drunk that night, he thought she was even more breath-taking that night, her smile was flirtier, it had taken him a whole lot strength to resist.

The third time was when Sam first got sick. It was his last job before he took some time from work and to be with Sam in his treatment, and the dancing, as she said, was meant to cheer him up a little (or it could mean goodbye, when he thinks about it now). He still remembers her soft smile, her deep eyes shining in the night. He wished he could just let go, bury himself in that moment and forget the darkness ahead. He didn't, nor would she let him.

The fourth time is now. King and Queen of high school reunion, Nathan Ford and the woman he has known for so long and still doesn't know her name. It feels the same, like many years ago, she is warm and real in his arms, her breath inches away. The memories about their dances never fade away, but the reality right now, is so much better than the memories.