Chapter 29
Story Alerts says I have 24 people reading this story. How come I'm only hearin' from 7 or 8 or you? =(
If you're still w/me & haven't reviewed, please do, it encourages me to do better! =) You guys have no idea how excited I get from hearin' from you. =)
I still don't own Leverage…damn it.
The group was fortunate enough to not have to worry about baggage claim, since the only luggage they had was their carry-ons. Even though it was only 8:45a.m., they were severely jet lagged from the few time zones they had traveled through and all they wanted to do was go home and relax.
The exit doors were in sight, when it came to their attention that one of their group was missing. "Where's Lil?" Cam asked as he began looking around.
Everyone's head jerked around looking for the little girl that was now nowhere to be found.
"Damn it, not again," Sarah muttered as she began to pull her cell phone out. "Shit! I can't even call her, I took their phones from them."
"I'll check the stewardess lounge," Sophie offered as she walked off quickly.
"I got the pizza place," Hardison called as he jogged off.
Parker's face lit up. "I bet she's at the baggage claim," she stated before turning and running off.
"I'll go back towards our gate and see if I can find her," Sarah said with a worried look.
Nate was already talking to a security guard that had been nearby. "Go on," he told her. "I'll stay here with the luggage, just in case she comes looking for us at the exit."
"I'll go with you," Eliot offered softly.
"You shouldn't push yourself El. You're not up to full strength yet."
"She's our daughter" he stated firmly, ending the discussion. She nodded and headed back toward their gate, Eliot following. "So I take it this happens a lot?"
"We go on a vacation every year. And every year since she was four, this has happened," she replied as she walked at a fast pace down the terminal.
"Odd selection of places she goes," he commented.
A nervous smile appeared on her face. "When she was four, we found her struggling with one of security as she tried to follow the bags on the conveyor belt through the chute. She wanted to prove that gnomes were goin' through everyone's luggage," she chuckled weakly. "At five, we found her in the stewardess lounge, makin' best friends with them, wanting to know if they got to go to Disneyworld and if so, where could she sign up."
As she paused to check the women's restroom, Eliot asked a passing woman if she had seen the little girl, but the woman nodded in the negative and went on her way. He looked up as Sarah came back out and was worried by the increasingly scared expression on her face as they continued to the gate.
"What about last year?" he asked, trying to distract her.
Sarah smiled. "Last year was relatively mild. Her absolute favorite food is the pineapple pizza at Villa Pizza. We found her at the one in this terminal and she had convinced the chef to show her how he made it. Got a free slice as well," she concluded.
The gate proved fruitless, even after asking the attendant if they had seen her. She called Nate and was disheartened to find out that neither Hardison nor Sophie had found her. Parker had returned briefly to report that she wasn't at the baggage claim and ran off again to continue the search. Nate said that airport security was on the lookout for her and that he had given them a picture of her to help.
"Could this be Tarasov?" Nate asked.
"I don't know…she's never…we usually find her by now," Sarah answered, a touch of panic entering her voice.
"We'll find her Sarah. Sophie's going now to check the woman's restroom around the corner," he offered. She nodded numbly and hung up the phone with a terrified look on her face.
"Oh god…what if…what if it is Tarasov? She could be…we wouldn't know…he could have…" she broke off with a choked sob.
Eliot stood there, unsure of what to do. He knew he needed to do something, because she was beginning to have what looked like a panic attack.
"Sarah…Sarah!" When that didn't get her attention, he went with his instincts and brought one of his hands up to brush her hair back and cup the side of her face. "Sweetheart, calm down," he all but begged in a low drawl.
His nickname for her combined with the intimate and familiar gesture of brushing her hair back brought her back immediately. She raised her head to look at him and her eyes widened at the determined expression on his face that she knew so well.
"What made you call me sweetheart?"
"It just seemed like the thing to do," he replied with a smirk that she was all too familiar with.
Her phone rang, shocking them out of the intimate moment.
"Mrs. Spencer?" a voice asked.
"Who's this?" she asked immediately.
"My name is Jason Morris. I'm head of security at Logan International Airport. I have a young girl here by the name of Lily Spencer…"
He didn't get any further as Sarah interrupted him. "Is she alright? Is she hurt?"
Sarah could swear she heard the man chuckle. "Yes ma'am, she's fine. She's actually turned out to be a big help," he assured her. "She says that you're still in the airport. We have her here in the offices waiting for you. Just ask the nearest security officer to direct you here."
"Thank you so much Mr. Morris. I'm on my way now," she told him before hanging up. "She's safe!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into Eliot's arms.
He hugged her back easily, happy that Lily had been found. She pulled away to look at him with a soft smile on her face and leaned up, gently pressing a kiss to his cheek. It was soft, warm, and sent a tingling sense of remembrance down his spine. He had thought a kiss from her would be like kissing a stranger, but he was wrong…it felt like home. All too soon she was pulling back with a warm smile on her face. "Thanks for keepin' me sane. Now come on," she said, grabbing his hand. "Let's go get our daughter so I can hug her and then ground her for life."
A deep throated chuckled escaped him as he let her pull him along.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Half an hour later, Eliot and Sarah walked out of the security offices, Lily in tow, only to be met by Parker.
"Everything okay?" she asked only to be met with looks of mild surprise. "Good, let's go," she concluded before turning and walking off.
"How does she…" Eliot began to ask, but Sarah cut him off.
"We've never figured it out." Lily giggled and was rewarded with a glare from her mother. "Nothin' about this situation is funny."
Once they made it back to the group and gathered their luggage, they headed outside to find a taxi.
"Where was she?" Sophie asked softly.
"Security office. She apparently found a lost three year old and took him there," she explained.
No one asked any further questions as they loaded up the taxi van and headed out. They knew Lily was in trouble because of how she had made them worry.
When they pulled up to the bar twenty minutes later, Nate paid the fair as the others got out and retrieved their luggage. As Sarah handed Eliot his bag, she noticed him looking at the building in mild confusion. "What's wrong?"
"We all live above a bar?"
"It's Nate's fault," Parker commented as she walked past them.
Sarah chuckled at Eliot's raised eyebrow. "Remember how I told you that you all split after that first year?" At his nod, she continued. "Well when you all found each other again, Nate had moved into an apartment above this bar. Alec bought the building shortly thereafter and you all have a place here," she explained.
"You bought the building?" he asked, looking at the hacker.
"Yeah man…it's a good investment," he defended, following Parker inside.
"So we have two places?" Eliot asked Sarah.
"No, we have another across town, plus the cottage you recently bought me in Ireland," she added softly.
"I bought you a house?" he replied incredulously.
"You're rich remember? And yeah…it was my grandmother's," she added as she started herding the kids inside.
Once upstairs in the hallway, the group made plans to meet at Eliot and Sarah's for dinner that evening before heading inside to their separate apartments.
"Okay guys, go unpack and relax," she said, turning to the kids. "No PC," she told Cam. "And I'll be in to talk to you shortly," she finished, looking at Lily. They nodded in agreement and headed up the stairs.
When she turned back to Eliot, she found him exploring. "I suppose I should give you the tour?" she inquired with a smile. "Or would you rather rest first?"
"Tour first," he replied. "Otherwise the curiosity will just keep me awake," he admitted.
She smiled in understanding. "So this is the living room…obviously," she began, gesturing around the room, earning a chuckle from her husband.
Sarah spent the next ten minutes showing him the large, open kitchen that opened to the dining area. Their office with the two desks, that anyone who knew them could tell who's was who's, as Sarah's had a high end PC and Eliot's held papers and books. His eyes brightened in the game room at the billiard table that took up the center. "That looks like fun," he commented. "Will you teach me?"
"Of course," she replied, inwardly smiling at the thought, seeing as he was the one to teach her years ago.
The next room was the gym. "This is a nice setup," he said, looking over the weight machines, treadmill, punching bag, free-weights, elliptical and mats. "Do I get a day off before I start again?" he asked hopefully.
"You've already had a day off…so no," she answered with a smile. "You can't put it off. The more consistent you are, the faster you'll be back to your usual self. Physically speakin' of course," she added. "Of course, we're goin' to the ranch tomorrow, so we'll be doin' your therapy there."
"Okay," he sighed dramatically. "I'm guessin' the bedrooms are upstairs?" he inquired curiously.
"That would be correct. Are you tired? Do ya wanna rest?"
"That sounds really good," he admitted. She nodded and he followed as she went back into the living room and picked up her bags and headed for the stairs. He grabbed his duffel and followed. At the top of the stairs, he found himself in an L shaped hallway. To his right he saw what was obviously Cam and Lily's room, if the decorations on their doors were any indication, and a small bathroom at the end of the hall. The door on his left was open and he could clearly see Sarah unpacking her suitcase.
He stood in the door for a moment, talking in the setup and décor of the room her and he had shared for years, hoping that something would jog his memory. The warm earthy tones and wood furniture gave the room a calm and soothing atmosphere, which he decided he liked immensely.
"Ya comin' in or are you comfortable where ya are?" she asked with a chuckle, looking up from her task.
His eyes went from the king size bed to her face. "Will I be…am I…uhm…"
Sarah looked on in amusement as her husband stumbled over whatever question he was trying to ask.
"Yes?" she urged.
"Well there's only one bed. Will I be sleepin' in here?" he finally asked in an unsure voice.
She raised her eyebrows at him as the corner of her lips lifted. "Where else would you be sleepin'?"
"I could sleep on the couch," he suggested.
"And why would you do that?"
"I just thought that maybe…well since I…"
"That what? Since you can't remember anythin' that I wouldn't want ya sleepin' in here?"
"Somethin' like that," he admitted sheepishly.
"This is your room as much as it's mine El. Of course you can sleep in here. Do you feel uncomfortable with the idea cause of the circumstances?" she asked a little worriedly. "If ya do, then I can…"
"No, it's fine. I don't mind really. I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable."
She walked over to him and placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Ya wanted me to treat you normally…remember? I'm tryin' to respect that. But if you are unsure about anythin', you tell me okay? And I'll do the same," she added. He nodded as she pulled away.
Sarah left the bedroom twenty minutes later after all the clothes had been put away and Eliot was comfortable in bed for his nap. She ran into Cam in the hallway.
"Everything okay?" he asked in concern.
"Yeah sweetie, everything's fine. You wanna help me with dinner later?"
Cam smiled. "Sure. What are we makin'?" he asked excitedly.
"I was thinkin' we'd make it simple. Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and tiramisu."
"Awesome! I love your tiramisu," he exclaimed with a grin. "When are we eatin'?"
"Eager are ya? Well you're gonna have to be patient. Dinner's not till seven."
"Okay, fine. I'm gonna go read," he told her as he went back to his bedroom.
She headed to her daughter's bedroom and knocked before entering. Lily was sitting on the floor, putting together a 1000 piece photomosaic puzzle of what looked like Mickey Mouse. It still amazed her how smart their daughter was. When her teacher last year had suggested that she take an IQ test because she was doing sixth grade level work, her and Eliot were pleasantly surprised. When she scored a 152 however, everyone was amazed. And after discussing it with Lily and her teachers, it had been decided that they would only skip her three grades for now, to see how she handled it.
"Hi mama," her little genius greeted as she looked up from her puzzle. "We gonna talk now?"
"Yep," Sarah replied as she sat on the floor crossed legged across from her daughter.
Lily immediately focused all her attention on the conversation at hand.
"First and most important, I'm very proud of what you did for that little boy. You made his parents extremely happy and you helped him when he was scared. I'm in no way upset at you for that…okay?" Lily nodded in understanding with a small smile. "What you're in trouble for, is for dissapearin' on us and not tellin' us where you were."
"I just wanted to help him mama. He was cryin'," she defended.
Sarah smiled. "I understand. But you coulda helped him just as well by tellin' us. You have no idea how scared I was Lily. You know your daddy has enemies…right?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Cause he did bad things before he met us."
"Exactly. And while your Uncle Alec has made it hard for anyone to connect us, the possibility is still there. Not to mention there are any number of random people who wouldn't hesitate in kidnappin' you."
"I'm sorry mama," Lily muttered in a small voice. "I promise it won't happen again," she stated looking at her mom with sad eyes.
Sarah opened her arms and Lily climbed into them without hesitation, quickly curling into her mother's lap. "I love you very much baby. I know you had the best of intentions," she assured her daughter. "Your punishment is extra chores for two weeks," she stated. "Now how about you help Cam and I cook dinner later?" she asked in an attempt to cheer her up.
"Really?" Lily asked with a grin that lit up her face. "Can I make the meatballs for the spaghetti?"
Sarah's eyes widened slightly. "And how did you know what we're makin'?"
"I knew you'd want to make somethin' simple," she replied simply with a wide grin.
Once she left Lily to her puzzle, she headed downstairs to call Anne.
"Sarah? Is everything okay?" the older woman asked immediately upon hearing her weary voice.
"Yeah, I'm just jet lagged I guess."
"Jet…you're in Boston?"
"Yep, we got in an hour and a half ago."
"And why are you guys not here at the kitchen table eating breakfast?" she asked in a stern voice.
Sarah chuckled. "We were worn out Anne. The apartment was closer. We'll be there tomorrow afternoon though," she promised.
"Good. Now what happened? Why'd you come home early?"
Sarah spent the next twenty minutes explaining what had happened up until the point they got on their flight home.
"Are you sure you're all okay?" she asked, worry lacing her voice.
"I promise we're fine Anne. I'd tell you if we weren't. We'll be there for the rest of the summer, so it should give you enough time to assure yourself that we're okay," she joked.
"Ha ha, go ahead, pick on an old woman. I'm hanging up now. I've got groceries to buy and a house to clean. I'll see you all tomorrow," she said by way of a farewell. Sarah said her own goodbye and hung up.
She sat back on the couch and looked up at the clock to find it was only ten thirty. A list of what she needed to get for dinner began to build in her head, but before she could complete it, she had dozed off.
The next chapter will let us all see into Eliot's head.
I hope I get some new reviewers to talk to…hint hint. =D
Jen
