Chapter 29

It was well after nine before Nate surfaced again. He found himself in an empty bed and sighed as lay back. He still felt tired and he was in a fair amount of pain as well. He pushed himself into a sitting position swinging his legs off the edge of the bed running his hand over his face. Wearily he pushed himself to his feet and made his way into the bathroom. He closed the door and turned the taps of the shower on, perhaps he would feel better after cleaning up. He climbed into the shower and leaning against the wall he let the hot water wash over him. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes thinking about everything that had happened since Greg had called him on that fateful day. All of this because he had decided working with the CIA was a good idea. He had known that Brenner was an ass and that he was not on the up and up, but he had not cared. He had no idea though that Brenner had done what he had with Dresser and the man's family, even in his drunken state he would never have gone along with that.

"Nate…" He heard Sophie call from outside the door.

"In the shower, be out now." He answered.

"Ok…are…"

"I'm fine Sophie, I'll be out in a short while." He interrupted her hearing the concern in her voice and not wanting her to come in.

"Ok well breakfast is ready when you are." She said.

"Thanks."

Sophie put her hand on the door and shook her head sadly. She wanted to go in and see if he was alright, he was her husband dammit, but she could hear in his tone that he did not want her to. She sighed and turned leaving the room to join the rest as they waited for him to make his appearance.

"I'm worried about him." Sophie said softly, she knew they all where, but she felt she had to say it.

"Yeah we all are." Hardison said. "But we ain't gonna stop him you know."

"Yeah…" Eliot sighed. Nate was not somebody you stopped from doing anything he wanted to, they had learned that over the years.

"Morning…" Nate said as he walked into the kitchen and straight to the coffee machine. He could feel their eyes on him as he poured himself a cup adding a dash of whiskey to it.

"How you feeling?"

"Fine Sterling." Nate said smiling at the man.

"Good well breakfast is ready so let's eat and then we can discuss the plan." Eliot said as he stood and Parker and Hardison stood helping him serve the meal.

"Not hungry Nate?" Sophie said as she watched the man move the food around on his plate not taking a bite.

"No…" Nate said looking at her then pushed his plate. "It looks great though Eliot and don't let me stop the rest of you."

Eliot shook his head and Sophie looked at Nate with concern but said nothing. They all ate in silence and then when the plates were cleared, and coffee served they started discussing what they were going to do.

"Nate that is insane." Sterling said softly as Nate laid out his plan.

"Is it?" Nate said taking another sip of his Irish.

"Yes it is and it is going to get you killed…and I thought we were going to be involved in this?" Eliot said thinking over the plan Nate had laid out. They would take a small part and he the main roll and it involved him confronting a man that wanted him dead. "We talked about this last night and you…well we talked about it last night."

Sophie looked at Eliot curiously, when last night had they spoken she wondered. Then looked at Nate who met her eyes without flinching. The plan was good, and it would work, and it was what they were going to do.

"Eliot's right Nate, you are not ready to take this man on, and you are not working on a plan that keeps you out of the firing line but puts you in it and us on the outside. Now I know it is a good plan and I know it will work and if you weren't…"

"In the condition I am in." He helped her out.

"Yes Nate in the condition that you are in I might even consider running with it, but it is NOT going to happen Nate so best you start thinking about another plan understand?"

"Sophie we don't have time for a long con. We simply don't have the time to set him up and reel him in, we don't have time to play games, we need to end this now and this plan does that. Now Sterling a lot depends on you and your Interpol buddies…"

"I can take care of that Nate, but they are right, you are going to get yourself killed."

Nate did not answer him just looked at him with a 'don't start with me Sterling' look and then continued to explain the rest of the plan. It was simple. Nate turned up at the man's house, got him to admit to the things he had asked him to do, and to admit to some other things as well, all on tape, Sterling then moves in and takes him down.

"Now we need that recon of the house Eliot. Hardison we need to know what surveillance there is and Sophie we need to get the Russian police involved. I don't think it will be too difficult they have been after his father for a while and him as well, as young as he is." Nate said not leaving them any space to interrupt him.

He had been doing some research of his own and this Nicoli, Alex's son was well known to the police, although they had never been able to get anything definitive on him. He was exceptionally good with computers and it seemed as if that was how he conducted his business it was also how he had helped his father out.

"You are not listening are you Nate?" Sophie said noting that he was not changing the plan at all.

"No Sophie I am not because this is my mess, my mess and I have to make it right. Now I am going do this with or without your help."

"Nate…"

"Stop all of you. I did this. Because of me a family died, a family, his family. Because of what I did a lot of people died and now my family is in danger and I am doing this…" He said his voice rising as he spoke reminding Eliot of the time he had spoken to them about taking on the case involving Bonano, the case that had changed everything. "I have to do this…" He finished his voice dropping to almost a whisper. Then he sat back and closed his eyes shutting out the concerned looks he was getting from them. "Please understand guys…" He said keeping his eyes closed. "I know…I know you…you took care of me and…and I…I am grateful and I…"

"Nate we wanted to take care of you, and you were not a burden, and this is not your fault." Sophie said putting her hand on his arm. "Yes you did a stupid thing and…and I know why, but that was then and this is now and you have a family to rely on, you are not alone and we want to help, we need to help you. You keep forgetting you have a family Nate you have a wife who loves you more than you will ever know. You keep cutting us out and that is not what you said on that tape you left us, you said to be together, to help each other, support each other in everything so let us help you damn you."

Nate looked at her and his eyebrows knotted as he listened. They had watched the tape, the one he made for if he died. He bent his head averting his eyes embarrassed, he did not mean to be around when they saw that. Sterling watched him and found it hard to suppress a smile, he knew what Nate was feeling, he did not want to say all those things if he was going to be around after Nathan Ford did not do emotions well.

Nate shook his head as he thought about it and looked up at his family and realised exactly what they had all gone through because of him and what he had done, what he had opened them up to. He had to do this, and the plan was a good one and it would work, yes he was not in the best of conditions, but he could pull it off and get them all out alive.

"I am letting you help Sophie, please help me by doing what I asked, please, I am asking you all to please let me do this." He said his voice breaking slightly.

He was asking them to let him go into a life threatening encounter again after all they had gone through, but he had to do it and they had to let him even if it did cost him his life. He had caused this boy to have the life he had, he had caused his dad to suffer what he had and to die the way he had seeking revenge. His grandfather had been a traitor to his country yes, but he did not deserve the death he got and that was his fault too.

Sophie watched him and knew what he was thinking that he was to blame for everything that happened to the Dressers, that he was complicit in everything that had been done to them by Brenner. He had suffered so much for all of this, for something he did years ago when he did not even really know what was going on. He felt guilty and he felt he had to fix it so that his family was not a victim of what he had done and that may cost them more than she was willing to pay more than any of them were.

"Fine." Eliot said breaking the silence and getting him a withering look from Sophie. "I'll help you Nate."

"Eliot…"

"No Parker, I will help him because…because he asked."

Parker looked at him and then at Sophie and nodded. Hardison did not like it but also nodded indicating he would also help. Sophie shook her head and stood up from the table and disappeared down the passage to their room and closed the door behind her.

"Seems your plan is a go Nate." Sterling said. "I just hope you know what you are doing."