A/N: I reference The Boost Job chap in this one, so hopefully you remember that, but I tried to make it clear even if you don't. Seems there's a lot of shrugging in this chapter, sorry about that, I think I'm projecting. ::shrug:: lol. Thanks so much for the tremendous support of the last chapter, I tried to respond to everyone that signed their reviews, and I can't wait to hear from any and everyone this time around as well. It's a long one: Enjoy! -pj
Disclaimer: Gonna toss this in: I don't own anything or anyone but Tali. Lots of dialogue from the show used in this and twisted and turned to fit my needs, while some of it is merely implied to be the same as the show. Either way, please don't sue me!
oooOOOooo
The King George Job
Tali dropped onto the bed beside Eliot's black duffel watching him throw jeans and knives inside.
"Another job?" she asked, her accent playing slightly with the long 'o's.
Eliot grunted a response and tossed a hairbrush to the bag from the bathroom door before disappearing inside again.
She nodded, observing him quietly. His hair was loose and wavy against his shoulders, she'd discovered he liked it that way best, and there was a concentrated pinch on his brow that meant he was thinking hard about something.
This job must be important.
Eliot pulled a leather jacket from his closet and Tali raised an eyebrow. It was still very much summertime in Boston. No need for leather outerwear.
"Where to this time?"
"London," he responded pulling the headboard away from the wall slightly, he reached back for a particular knife he kept strapped to the back.
Again, Tali only nodded, folding her legs beneath her and watched Eliot finish what passed for 'packing' for him, which was just 'tossing random essentials into a bag' for anyone else. When he'd gotten everything he needed he zipped up the bag with a decisive sigh.
"All set?" Tali questioned and tilted her head up automatically when he approached her.
"All set." He nodded, a few brown locks of hair falling from behind his ears. He reached out, tugging playfully on one of Tali's curls, watching it spring back into place and he smiled, bending over to kiss her.
Tali let her eyes fall shut, relishing in his touch. Shivers ran across her spine when he pushed his tongue inside her mouth possessively, a big, calloused hand at the back of her head. She was smiling as he pulled away and her eyes darkened at the sex smirk he wore. Tali hadn't thought she liked the possessive streak some men seemed to have, Eliot more than most. But over time she'd learned that possessiveness was tempered by a tender heart and gentle hands that rivaled the damage they could inflict.
"I'll call you." He said huskily and started to pull away. He wasn't sure who was holding onto who when he neither immediately let go.
"You better."
He laughed lightly and slung his bag up onto his shoulder, turning to leave with little more than a kiss and a smile 'goodbye'.
Tali slumped back on the bed. This was her least favorite part of the jobs. The first few moments after he'd gone. When she was still so full of him and he was so very very gone, taking his aura of strength and danger and protectwhatsmine with him. In those moments when the threat of 'what if' and 'could happen' were so strong that she sometimes found it hard to breathe.
"Calmate mujer," she whispered to herself, dropping one arm over her eyes. She pushed away the memory of a dozen or more times Eliot had come to her apartment after a job, and a dozen more after that at his own place, when she had iced his wounds and kissed away the pain.
Because this was Eliot. And if anyone could handle themselves it was him. He may have come back bruised and bloody but he always came back.
"No tendrias que calmarse si venias conmigo."
Tali froze and she shot up on the bed to find Eliot leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom, his arms crossed over his chest with a knowing grin spread across his face. Her eyes dropped to something sitting a few feet behind him. Her purple polka dot suitcase on the floor beside his black duffel at the end of the hall.
"Bastard." She muttered, realizing he'd been playing her that whole time.
He shrugged. "Givin' you an out, which apparently you don't want." Tali remained stubbornly silent, scowling at him.
"Well?" Eliot raised his eyebrows, ignoring her look completely, "You comin' or not?"
"To London? With you?" She shrugged, "why would I want to do that?"
She paused just long enough for Eliot's smug grin to falter and then launched herself off the bed, jumping into his arms.
Her legs wrapped around his waist, she laced her fingers behind his neck.
"So, do we get to take the jet?"
oooOOOooo
Tali sat looking around the small, luxurious space as if it was a novelty. This jet had more seats and cup holders than Eliot's, and everything was detailed in a light wood and crème colored leather rather than dark cherry and black. Still, what this jet lacked in imagination, it made up for with the fact that it was…well, a private jet.
Tali sipped a glass of champagne slowly and grinned across a small table at Eliot, her eyes bouncing between him and the window at the expanse of blue ocean stretching out below.
"I still can't believe you own one of these."
Eliot sighed, reclining his chair just slightly. "I try not to think about it."
Across the way Hardison sat at another two-seater table like theirs sharing his laptop and a set of headphones with Parker while they watched a movie. Further down the aisle, which was covered in a plush white carpet, at the back of the plane Nate was again standing in front of the well-stocked bar refilling his drink. Sophie sat curled up on the couch a few feet away with a book of some kind forgotten in her lap. The grifter had been uncharacteristically silent for most of the trip, often staring off into space, lost in thought. Tali knew better than to ask what was bothering her.
Sitting back in her chair Tali pulled her feet up onto the seat, watching the clouds float by at a deceptively slow pace for a few moments.
"Hey, you know what I just realized?"
Eliot cracked open an eye from his light doze to find her looking over at him. "What?"
"You're gonna be working the job when we get to London, I probably won't even see you. What am I supposed to do the entire time?"
Eliot smiled and pulled something from his pocket. "Way ahead of ya', babe." He put something small and flat on the table and pushed it across to her with his index finger.
"Your American Express?" Tali flipped it over a few times, examining the small piece of plastic, "I've never seen a black one before."
Eliot exchanged a quick glance with Hardison who just shook his head, smiling smugly to himself.
He looked back over at Tali.
"I thought you might want to do some shopping."
oooOOOooo
"What's wrong with the jaccuzzi?"
"Huh?" Hardison glanced up from the small table where his abundant supplies for forging the journal were spread out before him. Tali had just walked in from the main living area of the suite with her hair swept up in a tousled ponytail and wearing what was undoubtedly a new dress. The woman hadn't stopped bringing bags and boxes of clothes into the hotel since they landed.
"Oh, yeah," he nodded as her words registered, "uh, don't go in there."
"Don't have to tell me twice. Smells like road kill and ammonia in there. I think I burned my brain just inhaling as I walked by," she glanced at herself in the mirror, admiring the short blue halter dress and strappy brown sandals she wore.
"Those new?"
Tali turned around grinning, pleased he'd noticed.
"Yeah from that place that guy recommended."
"The concierge?"
"Yeah. Whats that all about anyway?"
"Comes with the card."
She nodded slowly, understanding. After seeing the way people's faces lit up and they snapped to attention when she pulled the thing out, she was beginning to wonder if that little black card had some sort of magical powers.
"Hardison, are you sure Eliot can afford all this?" Her brow furrowed lightly in concern. "I mean I'm really enjoying myself but…I think I've spent more money in the past two days than I have…in my entire life."
The hacker snorted but didn't look up from what he was doing beneath a magnifying glass.
"Believe me, Tal, he can afford it." His computer beeped and he shifted position to look work on it. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her posture relax slightly at his assurance.
"Okay, good. I was worried-"
"Don't be."
She nodded, throwing him a small smile and turned back to the mirror, grinning when her skirt fluttered out to the sides if she swished from side to side.
Hardison frowned, sensing movement in his peripheral vision. Looking to one side, he found Tali spinning in a circle in front of the mirror, giggling like mad.
"Uh…Tali?"
"Hm?"
Hardison was giving her the 'you're more than a little crazy' look usually reserved for Parker and she smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry. I think I'm delirious. I've got jet lag like you wouldn't believe."
He tipped his head toward the cluttered table and raised his eyebrows.
"Oh," She nodded, "well maybe you would."
Shrugging she motioned around the room. "I just needed a break from walking around the city and our hotel room is too damn big for one person to be hanging around. Is it okay if I stay in here for a while?" She asked, already walking toward one of the gold colored wing chairs sitting in front of the fireplace.
Hardison shrugged, turning to his computer.
"Fine with me."
A half hour later when Eliot arrived with the shopping list of things he'd requested Hardison had practically forgotten she was there.
"Got your turpentine," Eliot announced, dropping the box of supplies onto the table. "And a bucket of soot," he grimaced at the dirt left on his hands, "it's everywhere."
"Haha, nice E. Way to get yo' hands dirty." Hardison took the small container, his eyes shining with glee as if he'd just been handed a new computer processer. "Did you get the walnut oil?"
Eliot nodded, rummaging around in the box with one hand, holding the other up in an attempt not to touch anything.
"Yeah, here you go. Which, by the way, I purchased from a very stunning vegan chick so, thank you for that."
Hardison's eyes widened and he shook his head, trying to subtly make the 'kill' gesture across his neck.
"What are you-" With a frown he turned to look behind to where the hacker's eyes kept skipping over his shoulder and realization dawned.
"Uh…"
"'Uh' is right, Cowboy." Tali shook her head as she stood from the chair and sauntered over to them, her face stern and eyebrow raised, a spark of mischief in her eyes. "Very stunning vegan, huh?"
Eliot smiled nervously. "Hey, Tal."
She tilted her head at him, and smiled so wide it made Eliot wince. He turned back to Hardison.
"Little warning?" He hissed.
"Hey, don't come at me crazy. How was I to know you'd come up in here runnin yo' mouth?"
"It's okay, Hardison," Tali interrupted, coming to stand beside Eliot, still giving him a look far too bright and cheery to be sincere, "Eliot and I have an understanding. You can look, but you can't touch. Isn't that right, Cowboy?"
He didn't answer. Suspicious of her behavior, he narrowed his eyes.
Tali's smile dissolved into a smirk and she shrugged, poking at a spray bottle on the table.
"Anyway, the very hot cabana boy and I had a very nice conversation earlier by the pool so," she shrugged again, turning to look at Eliot with a devious smile. He rolled his eyes, glaring lightly at her and Tali laughed.
"Very funny." Eliot said, picking up a yellow rag from the table to wipe his hands.
She smiled, nodding. "I thought so."
"Hey, put that down man," Hardison frowned up at Eliot, "that's my paper."
"It's a rag."
"That's what printers used to make paper back in the 1700s. Use a moist toweltte please and thank you."
Eliot sighed, but did as he was asked. He moved to grab a sheet from the proffered container and wrinkled his nose.
"What's that smel?"
oooOOOooo
"So how did you like London?" Hardison turned to face Tali, sitting beside him on the blue couch outside the US Customs office.
"It was nice," she smiled, "most of the stuff I bought is getting shipped to where it's going within the next couple of days."
"To where it's going?"
Tali pushed a few dark curls behind her ears. "Um, yeah. Most of it… I didn't buy it for me." Seeing his look of confusion she clarified.
"Well, most of the girls I used to work with at the club…they have to spend all their money on bills and day care and school…I just thought they'd like having some nice stuff to wear every now and then." Her smile became a bit forced, "hard to dress for a job interview when all you've got are sequined tops and miniskrits, you know? And we're all the same size so…" She trailed off, looking at the floor.
Hardison stared at her for a long moment but not able to think of anything to say, he just nodded. Tali smiled and shrugged again and looked up when Eliot came in from outside wearing one of those skullcaps he favored.
She noticed his attention being drawn from down the hall and turned to see a little girl in a striped sweater and purple backpack running toward him.
Later, when they were walking across the parking lot toward the cars, Sophie fell back in the group to walk beside Tali. The grifter studied her for a moment, taking in the soft smile playing on her dark lips and the thoughtful tilt of her head.
Since she spent most of her time with con-artists. corrupt CEOs, and suspicious crime lords, trying to read someone as easy as Tali was a welcome reprieve.
"You should have seen him before," she said, keeping her voice low enough that it would only carry to the other woman.
Tali glanced at her, "hm?"
"Before we left on this job, we tried it at Logan Airport. The little girl came up to Eliot and asked for help," Sophie smiled fondly at the memory, "he spoke to her fluently in her own language, then took her hand and led her to Airport Security."
"That's why she was so happy to see him."
Sophie nodded, "that moment with him was probably the first time the poor child had felt safe in…quite a while."
"Eliot has that effect on people," Tali shook her head, smiling. "He's such a teddy bear."
Sophie scoffed. "A teddy bear that knows six ways to kill you with his hair."
"Granted."
They walked a bit further in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Up ahead Eliot and Parker were laughing at things unknown and Hardison and Nate's heads were bent together in deep conversation about the next con.
"Do you want children?" Sophie asked suddenly.
Tali's head snapped over to her, but Sophie's expression held only curiosity. She shook her head.
"I can't have kids."
Sophie tensed and made a small noise of sympathy to which Tali responded with a slight nod of acknowledgment. Shrugging, she kept her eyes locked on Eliot, steering herself toward him steadily.
" I wouldn't anyway," she continued. "How could you justify bringing a child into the world we live in?" she shook her head, "and Eliot's certainly not the father type. He's more like a protective uncle I think, so maybe you and Nate should…"
"Ah ah, I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you," Sophie cut her off and they both laughed a moment.
"And I don't know," she turned and waited until Tali met her gaze. "You saw him with that little girl. Don't underestimate him, Tali."
With that Sophie picked up her pace, catching up to where the rest of the team was piling into Lucille 2.0.
Tali climbed in beside Eliot and grasped his hand. Lacing his fingers with hers absently, he continued his conversation with Parker, which had turned into an argument with Hardison. Tali promptly tuned them all out.
Gazing out the back window, the memory of the soft, almost affectionate look on Eliot's face when he saw the girl replayed over and over in her mind.
oooOOOooo
Love was slow and sweet that night. Romantic in a way that it normally wasn't. They both preferred hot and sweaty to slow and soulful. But all it took was a whispered 'go slow' to fall from Tali's lips and they were diverging from the norm. Lights off, rain pelting softly against the window they savored each touch and breathy moan that tumbled over the silence.
Somehow the slowness of it had left Eliot more exhausted than usual, while Tali couldn't even bring herself to close her eyes. Laying on her side with her head on her pillow she stared across the expanse of soft blue sheets between them at Eliot. His eyes were closed but, unable to sleep with her gaze so insistent on his skin, he opened his eyes and stared back.
For a moment neither spoke. Finally, Tali moved her knuckles away from resting against her lips.
"Who is Damien Meraux?"
Eliot grew tense for a moment, that wasn't a question he'd been prepared to answer. Tali didn't miss the change and it made her tense too.
"Bad guy." He answered simply.
"How bad?"
Eliot hesitated. Blinking slowly, he sighed before answering.
"The worst."
Tali took a deep breath and closed her eyes, keeping them closed for several seconds. When she opened them again he was still looking at her and for a moment he thought she might say something. Instead she slid across the mattress toward him.
Bracing one hand against his chest she leaned down, brushing her lips across his slowly, giving him only a taste of that which he had devoured less than an hour before. But the way her lips trembled against his made him frown and when he pulled back to look at her he was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes.
"Stay safe," she licked her bottom lip uncertainly and tried to smile. "You said you wouldn't hurt me, remember?"
He fought down a wave of resentment, at first thinking it was some kind of ultimatum, that she didn't want him to go and knowing he had no right to refuse her if it was. He was the one that asked her to quit her job, how could he be willing to give her any less?
But then he realized, as she hovered over him, her skin still warm and sticky against his, what she really meant. The same thing she'd meant that night after the Job with the dirty car dealer when her eyes had shone with tears and her voice was so small and uncertain it broke his heart, even now.
A tear dropped to his chest when she blinked, waiting for an answer.
He'd never thought about the fact that his getting hurt might hurt her too.
"I'll do my best," he said finally, letting the promise he wanted to give her die on his lips. Because he couldn't promise not to get hurt at all. It was practically in his job description.
Tali seemed to understand and she nodded, pressing another kiss to his lips before pulling away entirely too soon for them both.
"Just know," she whispered, resting her forehead against his, "you die…I die." She gave him a watery smile. "That's what 'love' is."
Eliot slowly pushed his hands up into her hair, his palms brushing against her cheeks and she closed her eyes at the touch.
"Being so wrapped up in another person…"
"…that it swallows you whole." She finished.
He nodded and smiled crookedly, "you love me?"
Tali shook her head, something like a smile slipping past the fear and fire in her eyes. "You shouldn't even have to ask, Cowboy."
Eliot sighed deeply and brought his hand up from her arm to wrap around Tali's back, encouraging her down until she was laying on his chest, one ear pressed to the place over his heart. She sighed listening to it beat, strong and steady.
"I love you too." Eliot's voice quietly broke the silence a few minutes later. They were the last words spoken for the rest of the night.
TBC
Just in case you don't understand the significance of an American Express Black Card (withoutspaces) http: /www. hottnez. com/exclusive-credit -cards-with-sky- high-limits/ basically, you gotta have some SERIOUS cash to get one of those. You have to be invited to get an Amex Black...unless you're good friends with an above average hacker...but I digress...
And Eliot said 'you wouldn't have to calm down if you came with me' in Spanish because Tali said (to herself) 'calm down, woman'.