Chopping wood. That was the giant task Nolan wanted him to do, fine. Eliot was good at chopping wood. He wasn't exactly happy about it though. It was a waste of his talents really. He could do so much more than chop wood. Like shooting arrows. He was amazing at shooting arrows. He could do it backwards and blindfolded. He could even ride horseback. Nate had been thoroughly impressed with that.
But he was chopping wood, dammit. He was above this. But Stupid Prince Charming didn't trust him. He was stuck doing to stupid grunt work until the man did. Not that he had a reason to trust him. Eliot's plan was to catch Jefferson and take him straight to Nate. He had no intention of handing him over to the sheriff and the man knew it.
Of course, the sheriff had his own agenda. It was kind of obvious too. He'd made a deal with Rumpelstilskin, again nothing unusual, and seemed invested for himself as well. Whatever reason he had for chasing the Mad Hatter, Eliot would get there first. He had his own questions to ask.
"You're a fast worker," a voice laughed.
Eliot ignored him. Instead he favored chopping the wood and pretending the world didn't exist. He had enough to worry about. He didn't need to deal with Rumpelstilskin again.
"Are we just going to pretend we've never met before?" Rumpelstilskin asked.
"We have met before, Mr. Gold," Eliot called, "I'm Eliot Spencer, remember?"
"We both know that's not true, my boy," the Dark One replied, "I'm very good with names."
"Legally my name is Eliot Spencer," Eliot replied. He then swung his axe down on a log and broke it in half.
"But your heart is whispering another," the older man sighed. "Are we going to turn this into a game or are you going to tell me the truth?"
Eliot ignored him. He just kept hammering away at the wood, chopping it for the fire they were planning. Nolan would return soon enough, once his hunch proved wrong. He would act as though nothing was amiss. Maybe he would even include the kid in his excuse. It didn't really matter. He could feel the Dark One's temper rising. He could feel it in the surrounding air.
"Very well, Mr. Spencer," the Dark One growled, "Let us do it the hard way."
Eliot braced himself for the attack. He even buried his axe into the ground to give him something to hold onto. He braced his knees for a brutal assault. But nothing came. The energy around him was attacking, but no harm belonged to him. There were trees toppling over. The wind even howled in agony. But he was absolutely scratch free.
"Hmm," Rumpelstilskin sighed, "Apparently you aren't the only one lying."
Eliot's eyes grew wide with fear. He turned towards the older man, fear racing through his heart. He knew his eyes conveyed everything. How could they not?
"I'd recognize her magic anywhere," Rumpelstilskin grinned.
No, the hitter thought.
"You've obviously made an impression upon her," the Dark One said. He stepped forward, invading the hitter's personal space easily. His dark eyes were cold with bloodlust. But he refused to raise a finger against him. "The question is: why would she protect you?"
Eliot thought about answering. He knew it was exactly what the older man wanted. He even knew what consequences he would suffer for it. But the train of thought going through that man's mind, it meant danger. He had that same look Nate would get sometimes, when the plan was particularly dangerous. Only the mastermind's eyes didn't spark red with magic. They only contained an extra glint of mischief that showed Robin Hood still existed within somewhere. Rumpelstilskin emanated power.
"Who are you?" Rumpelstilskin hissed.
"The only thing keeping you alive," Eliot replied.
He knew it was a mistake. He was seconds from giving himself away. But he could sense trouble brewing. He needed to convince the man he was something he wasn't. He had to appeal to his sense of honor. A deal never went unpaid with him.
"You want to make a deal," Gold supplied.
Eliot nodded.
Gold considered this. He even raised his hand to his chin and thought of what could be gained. Eliot could tell he was about to make a decision. The hitter would be willing to bet it was dangerous and would ensure his death. But Parker and Hardison were his to protect just as Nate and Sophie were. He needed to make certain the two youngest members would survive the battle about to begin.
"Tell me your name," Rumpelstilskin replied.
"On one condition," Eliot said, "You let us leave without further incident. You won't bother us. You won't follow us. You won't even raise a finger against us. You will let me and my team go and you will do nothing but happily wave us good-bye."
Rumpelstilskin considered his words. A twinkle appeared in his eye. It wasn't a very friendly twinkle but after several seconds the fire was gone. He bowed his head softly and formed a contract in midair. He signed on the dotted line and bid Eliot do the same.
"Tell me your name," he said.
And the hitter did.
%%%%%%%%%%
Parker was confused. It wasn't something she was unfamiliar with. Ever since she met the team, confusion seemed to be her default state. Nate and Sophie strove to make her less confused with life. Hardison even helped her learn how to be normal. Eliot helped her decide between what conspiracies were real and what weren't, though sometimes his smile only confused her more. This though, this was different.
"What are we doing here?" She asked.
Henry just stared at her. There was a giant smile on his face, one that looked similar to Nate's. Then he shook his head and chuckled. He was holding his books close to his chest. One, tiny finger poked out to touch the doorbell again. The noise sounded off but nobody was inclined to answer the door.
"But this is your house," Parker said, "Don't you know how to get in?"
Henry rolled his eyes. He shifted the heavy books over and tried the door. It was then that the tiny thief became aware it was locked. He then started patting his sides and shaking his head. Parker wasn't too sure but she thought that meant he didn't know where the keys were. Or he just wanted to pet his sides to confuse her further. Kids were weird.
"Oh!" She had the door unlocked in seconds. It was kind of eerie, entering a house with one of the people living in it. It was even creepier when he smiled at her and his eyes got really big. He looked on the verge of shouting in joy.
"What?" She demanded when the staring became way too much.
"You have to be Robin Hood's daughter!" Henry exclaimed, "How else would you be able to do that so quickly?"
"I've always been able to do that," she shrugged.
"Exactly," Henry said, "Proof you're the daughter of the greatest thief in the world."
Parker frowned at that. She wasn't exactly Hardison or Eliot, but she was pretty sure that wasn't how you determined your parents. Besides, Hardison's computer couldn't even find her parents. How could this kid do something she's spent her whole life trying to accomplish? Okay, so she only really started searching for her parents recently. Hardison just kept talking about how he became an orphan and she sort of thought it would be interesting to find out herself. If they came up empty, how could this boy succeed so easily?
"They're brunettes," she said.
She walked inside because she didn't like the disappointment on the boy's face. It confused her. Much like everything else in this place did. Her eyes were automatically programmed to look for any valuables. Lucky for them there was nothing particularly shiny that appealed to her.
Your parents would be proud.
Parker grimaced at the locket's voice. It wasn't supposed to be talking to her so far away. She understood enough about magic to know that. Why did it keep bothering her? She wasn't exactly special or anything. She was a thief. She stole things. That wasn't exactly worthy of any destiny or anything.
You're far more powerful than you think, the locket replied.
She rolled her eyes and continued looking through the house. It was kind of small. Sophie's place was twice as big. Even their hotel room appeared a bit bigger than this place. They were in dire need of renovating. The table was in the living room. The bed was only a few feet away from the kitchen. The stairs didn't lead to much. There was a bathroom and another room upstairs. There was a closet but it was really small. Only a few coats could fit into it. Even Sophie's shoes wouldn't be able to fit into it. She had a lot of shoes. Nate said it was a serious addiction, like his drinking.
"What are you looking for?" Henry asked.
Parker turned towards him and shrugged. She wasn't really looking for anything in particular. She just felt this weird vibe. It was as though the air had an extra warm feeling to it. It wasn't a hot feeling. It was very comfortable actually. She could almost wrap herself up in it, like a blanket. It made her chest soar and she had the odd sense of feeling as though she could almost belong. That wasn't possible though. She already found where she belonged, but it gave her a similar feeling to the team.
It's the feeling of a family, Parker. The locket said. You can feel home. It's one of your many gifts.
Parker liked the feeling of home. It was something new she had become accustomed to. She didn't begrudge Henry for wanting to keep it. It felt nice. It wasn't quite the same feeling she got with the team but it was enough. She could tell everybody was very happy when they were together.
"What are you doing here?"
Parker turned towards the angry male voice. She didn't like angry male voices. That usually led to unpleasant bruises. Luckily Bunny was busy at the moment. He was helping Sophie get better.
David Nolan stepped further into the tiny apartment Henry called home. His big eyes were glaring daggers into her. His hands were on his hips and he looked as though he was thinking about shooting her. Maybe she should have told Hardison where she was going before she did anything.
"Parker's a fairytale character," Henry replied.
The sheriff turned towards his grandson with wide eyes. For a brief second, a smile appeared across his features. Then that stern look came again. Parker much preferred the smile but she understood. Henry did wrong. Now he was going to be punished for it.
"Henry," he warned.
"She knows Emma," the boy replied.
%%%%%%%%%%%
Magic had returned. Sophie knew that was a bad sign. She was practically having a panic attack from the very knowledge of it. She destroyed a bloody vase because of it. If she had been aware of her powers earlier, bad things could have happened. She was lucky to get Nate out while she could. The ruse worked. She implanted the idea in Archie's head and the psychiatrist picked it up immediately. He actually thought getting Nate to accept Sam's death would help everything. No, leaving was the only way. She had to leave. She was a ticking time bomb.
"Sophie, we need to talk."
Uh-oh, he was using that voice. She hated that voice. That voice had the uncanny ability to get her to do anything he wanted. It also made her feel guilty. She didn't need another reason to feel guilty. She felt enough guilt when it came to Nathan Ford.
"You conned him into asking me about Sam," he growled.
Sophie chose to ignore him. Ignoring the problem seemed to be the perfect idea. If she ignored him, eventually he would get fed up and leave. Then he would go nurse his wounds with alcohol and she would have a million reasons to avoid him. She actually had Eliot and Hardison convinced that her ailments were somehow involved with a drunk. They were very useful for avoiding the mastermind.
"I know what you're doing, Soph," he said.
She shrugged and continued as if nothing was going on. She had already finished packing one bag. Her shoes were being saved for last. They needed to be organized a specific way and she could never really do that unless all of her clothes were tucked away. Plus, it gave her somewhere to look instead of him. Those blue eyes were starting to tear her apart now that she knew the truth.
She felt his hands tugging on her own. She wanted to smack him but that never ended well. They always ended up in bed when she did that. It used to be one of the best things in the world. But she couldn't do that now. Too much was at stake for that.
"Talk to me," he begged.
She shook her head. He already ruined her plan. She was looking deeply into his eyes now. Those eyes made her want to steal the Earth for him. She could do anything he asked as long as she got to stare into those eyes. It wasn't fair that he held such power over her.
His hand found her cheek and he pulled her towards him gently. Their noses were touching and heat was rising up her cheeks. His moppy hair flipped back and forth. His thumb rubbed her cheek. Her lips parted and she bit down on them to stop the moan.
"Why would you do that?" He asked, "Why would you sabotage your own health like that?"
"I want to go home," she replied.
"We… we can't," he sighed, "I… I can't… I don't want… They say that you're showing signs of Schizophrenia, Soph."
His eyes closed to escape the truth. He was afraid. She could see that. It was written all over his features. Even the way he breathed wasn't quite right. His shoulders always sagged. New wrinkles made a permanent marking on his face. Sometimes she had to stop herself from kissing those wrinkles away. Even soothing them was slowly becoming too much of a burden.
"I can't lose you," he huffed.
"What do you want me to say, Nate?"
She knew it was wrong. Making him angry was so easy. It was easier to yell at him and make him angry than to tell him the truth. She couldn't exactly do that anyway. The truth would be the one burden he couldn't carry. Too much weight, the two lives in her mind were proof enough of that. She was barely able to stand in the mornings. How could she possibly expect him to accept the fact that their children were gone forever?
"I want you to let me help you!" He yelled, "I want you to tell me what's wrong! I want you to at least tell him. That's what he's here for, Soph. We're here for you. Can't you understand that?"
"I want to go home," she whined.
"I want you healed!" He hissed back.
She stared at him in shock for a while. She wasn't used to this. She had only just adjusted to happy Nate. She was used to the smart bastard who chased her all across Europe. She learned how to tolerate drunk Nate. She even took a special interest in sadistic Nate, a bit too much interest in her opinion. But this was the one Nate she never expected. Caring Nate was too much like Robin. If she wasn't looking at the man, she could picture being home again. It only made the ache in her heart grow heavier. Icarus used to have that same look in his eyes.
"I'm not an easy fix, Nate," she said.
He pushed her away and glared. His hands never left her cheeks though. He just kept her steady gaze and glared. There were several emotions shining in his eyes. She could decipher the love and the worry and the anger but everything else was a confusing blur. Sometimes it made her relieved to be in love with such a man. He could almost make her forget everything that happened. And then the guilt would return.
"If this were easy neither one of us would want it," he replied.
She laughed, grateful for the change in tension. It felt so nice to laugh. She could almost feel the tension in her bones breaking free. The sadness at least started to dissipate. She could breathe easier. She even didn't mind being in his arms. She still felt guilty but that wasn't important. She was in his arms. She could feel his arms wrapping around her waist. She could close her eyes and remember Paris, when they had to pretend to be a couple in order to escape the Italian Mob. She'd been such a bad girl when she was younger.
"I guess I could try to take it more seriously," she shrugged.
He spun her around and started dancing. There was no music in the air but it had the effect he wanted. She couldn't help smiling. It brought to mind the first time they ever danced together. They were teaching Snow how to dance. The young princess still had a crush on him. Sophie had yet to realize she was in love with him. Robin, on the other hand, had probably known from day one. He easily convinced her to be his partner. The world had disappeared as they danced to the simple beat Snow was in charge of keeping. It took them forever to part. They danced around the entire dining hall before they realized Snow had left to learn how to cook from Regina.
"Come on and kiss me," Nate said, pulling the grifter towards him with a dirty smile on his face.
Sophie turned away from his calculating lips though. She wriggled her way out of his clutches and set to work on pouring herself a glass of water. She wrapped her robe around her and ignored the slight shiver moving through her spine. She even tried to hide the slight shake to her hands.
"I'm not feeling well," she replied, "Maybe you should think about sleeping on the couch? I think it might be contagious."
She turned around with an innocent little wink but the mastermind was having none of it. He was suddenly right there in front of her with angry eyes of dark blue. His lips were pushed together in a firm frown and she could practically feel his teeth grinding. He was in her personal space but he laid no finger on her.
"You're lying," he growled.
"Not tonight, Nate," Sophie purred playing the game like she always did.
She felt hollow and selfish now. It used to be her favorite sport to diminish him into nothing and then watch him change the conversation. She used to love punishing him for absolutely no reason. She used to enjoy teasing him senseless. Now she was tired, tired and afraid. She had never felt so alone in her life. Nate used to chase away the loneliness. Now he was causing it. She was breaking because of it.
"You don't look at me the same way," Nate stammered softly, "You barely eat. Your whole body shakes every time we're alone in a room. Your eyes are darting for exits whenever I try to get you to open up or even when I open up. You're not acting like yourself even when you're acting."
"Nate…" she tried.
"What's wrong?" He demanded angrily.
Sophie bit her lip and closed her eyes at that. He had every right to be angry with her. She knew that. She understood that but she still couldn't help the anger clawing its way up her stomach. Such a cruel world they lived in that she would be forced into this. He wanted to help, was trying with all of his might and she wanted to let him in. But letting him in would destroy him and she couldn't do that. Neither version of herself could watch the man before her, or the man he was before, suffer like that; not again. No, she would gladly sacrifice her sanity just to give him this one fantasy.
"Sophie, look at me," Nate begged, his hands warm and rough on her cheeks.
She obeyed his order without meaning to. It was instinct driving her really. Her dark eyes were staring up into his cerulean blues before she even had a chance to stop it. The soft smile to his lips made her want to swoon and scream simultaneously. She was trapped in her own personal hell and there was nothing he could do to save her. Her salvation led to his demise.
"What are you so afraid of?" He asked.
"I'm fine," she lied.
"You're not fine," he growled, anger and hurt dripping from his voice in quick succession. "Is it me? Am I the problem? Do you need me to leave? Are you afraid of me?"
"No!" Sophie practically screamed at him.
She felt his pain hammering in her chest. How could he even think that? Her thoughts shouted at her. He was the only thing keeping her together and he thought he was the problem. She made him think that and she hadn't meant to. She only wanted to protect him. Instead she was hurting him.
"Then what is it?" Nate demanded.
He was touching her now. His rough, gentle hands were on her shoulders begging her for the truth. He looked on the verge of going mad he was so desperate to help her. She could see his worry for her, his love. She could see everything he was trying to do for her, everything he couldn't achieve. It was heartbreaking to see such fear in his eyes.
"I can't tell you," she admitted softly.
Her eyes were filling with tears and panic was set in her bones. She couldn't tell him her problem but she could tell him why. She could tell him that she was his wife once, that they were happy. She could break right there in front of him and still keep him from the truth. He would have her committed. He would save himself. Instead he had the guts to ask her something else entirely.
"Is it because of Sam?"
No! Her thoughts screamed at her. Don't tell him the truth. Don't even answer the question. Run, just run away and never look back! But she nodded her head anyway. She ignored the logical part of her brain and gave into him just a little. She had to if she wanted to remain even a little bit sane. Plus she couldn't lie to him. She had spent the last fifteen years of their life together lying to him. She couldn't do it anymore.
"Yes," she croaked.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he cried pulling her towards his safe chest again. He was trying so hard to be what she needed without the information. He was trying so hard to save the unsalvageable. She kind of loved him even more for that. Then she saw their reflection in the mirror. He was going to place his lips on the top of her head.
"Don't do that!" Sophie screamed, pushing him away and trying not to break into a thousand pieces while she was at it.
She hated the look of hurt on his face. The anger was something she could deal with but not the hurt. He looked so beaten down that she wouldn't allow his comfort. She was just too afraid of True Love's Kiss. She couldn't take the chance of his love for her being their undoing. She couldn't… she just couldn't.
"Alright," he said. Then he turned towards the door and started walking. He was going to leave her alone. He was going to follow her wish even if it was destroying him. He was still trying to save her.
Sophie rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her face in the back of his shoulders and breathed in his scent. She felt the tears dripping down but she ignored that. She just held on tight and tried to breathe through the pain and the fear.
"Please don't go."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Nate paused at the grifter's statement. He instinctively grabbed her hands and pinned them to his stomach. He felt the cold tears falling into his shirt and tensed. He didn't know what to do. The pushing and pulling wasn't what they did now. They were too far past that. Why would she refuse his comfort one moment and then beg for it the next? It just didn't make sense.
He quickly turned around and held her to his chest properly. He gently squeezed her shoulders and fought against his own tears. The pain of her suffering was too much of a burden for her to bear. He knew that, but she wasn't going to let him save her. Why wasn't she going to let him in?
"I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to," he promised. What else could he do? Her pain was the only thing he wanted to destroy and he wasn't able to do that. He was going to do whatever she asked. He didn't care what happened just as long as he was there to bring her back.
"Just don't kiss me," she begged and that was the iron in his stomach.
His worst fear was coming to light. She was suffering from memories of abuse. But that made no sense. She had said it was because of Sam. She was telling the truth when she said it, he looked. What did him kissing her have to do with Sam? Was she almost raped and that was how she lost the baby? Maybe she was assaulted and forced to have an abortion. What would be so bad that she couldn't tell him? What was going on?
"Let's get you to bed," he suggested out of pure boldness.
"No!" Sophie moaned, pulling away slightly. His grip was still firm on her arms and she seemed to need that.
"I promise I won't try anything."
He hated the fear in her eyes. He hated that he had to play it safe with her. He hated all of the sudden secrets between them. He hated this. She looked so small and weak. She was shaking again!
"You need rest, Sophie!" He yelled at her, "And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you get it even if that means knocking you out."
"You won't leave will you?" She demanded.
Her eyes were wild and she looked more like a trapped animal. She was looking towards the door with worry but her grip on him tightened. What could have happened to make her so fearful? It definitely was not a forced abortion after a rape. No this, this was darker.
"I will never leave you," Nate promised, staring her directly in the eyes to make certain she understood him.
That seemed to be exactly what she needed. She nodded her head and dared to smile in relief. Then she was back in his arms and squeezing him like her life depended on it. Fresh tears were falling on his chest. His arms pulled her closer and he rested his head on top of hers.
It took a while before she felt safe enough to climb into bed. Her death grip around him made getting there a trip too. But they got there and she was finally sleeping. Every once in a while she would whimper and pout. Fresh tears would fall from her eyes and she would call out, "Snow Pea" in a heavy sigh. Nate watched her with worry deepening the crease in his forehead.
"We're going to get through this," he whispered towards her, "I promise you that I won't rest until you are free. Please let me help you."
Then he broke the rule. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and immediately curled around her. He pulled her closer and let his weary mind wander. He closed his eyes and drifted into a restless sleep with dreams of a man in green tights and the woman he loved.