Chapter 1
"Jasmine"
Sophie fumbled with her glass and nearly knocked it to the ground of the office.
"You ok?" Hardison asked, and she looked up to find the remaining members of her team also staring at her. Well, aside from Eliot - who she could have sworn was smirking at the pen he flicked between his fingers.
"Yes, I must be more tired than I thought"
"So anyway, Eliotttt - tell us more about her!" Parker pressed.
"Eliot has a girlfriend! Eliot has a girlfriend!" Hardison taunted.
"For the last time, she's not my girlfriend. I just have a little crush, is all."
"Well I'm happy for you Eliot," Nate chimed in as he gathered the briefing notes, "if she's smart, she'll be your girlfriend in no time."
"Well she is smart. And that's what I'm hopin',"
There was that damn smirk again. Sophie had to be imagining this...right?
It had been a couple weeks since a particularly rough end to a con drove Sophie and Eliot to one too many drinks, and subsequently to bed with one another. That was...a new complication. And no matter how hard they had tried, and looking back she's not quite sure if they did try at all, they found themselves back there last Tuesday, and again on Sunday; each time slightly more sober, which made each time exponentially more dangerous.
But evidently Eliot had a new love interest, which was the perfect addition to break whatever black hole of a cycle they had fallen into. And whatever this hot, flushed feeling that so rudely emanated from her cheeks while he shared the news was, it was definitely not envy.
"Jasmine's a hell of a gal, I'll be sure to let you know if there's a development." Eliot spoke to Nate - CLANG! Parker's water bottle clamored to the ground, bumped too far by Sophie's elbow.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I really need some sleep, apparently." Though Sophie felt beyond wide awake now.
"I think we could all use a break. Let's make it an early night, and we'll meet at 2 tomorrow for recon. G'nite gang." Nate tapped the table before heading upstairs. The four of them made their way outside, and Sophie said goodnight to Parker and Hardison as they took off.
By whatever haze her brain was butted, she realized she'd lost Eliot in their exit. Why did she give a damn where Eliot was? She made the decision to walk some before hailing a cab - clearly she needed some fresh air. Maybe she had carbon monoxide poisoning, she thought hopefully, and the air would whisk away all these confounding thoughts. 'When being poisoned is the best case scenario, you know you're in trouble,' she thought to herself.
"Hey!" Eliot's voice pierced the cold.
"Shit," Sophie muttered under her breath.
Eliot approached her, and she took a step back towards the brick building behind her.
"You didn't seem to like hearing about Jasmine," Eliot's smirk lay in wait.
"I'm...sure she's lovely."
"Oh yeah?" He nudged half a step closer, his brow riddled with doubt.
"Yes..." Sophie tried to gather herself. "I just had a friend with, with that name years ago, and she was awful. The name...made me think of her."
"Is that right?" Dammit why did he smell of firewood?
"Yes! As a matter of fact. So, is there a nickname we can call her by so she doesn't...remind me of that terrible friend?"
By now Eliot had Sophie pressed against the wall, and the smirk finally came out to play. Sophie remembered briefly to inhale.
"Sure, darlin'," Eliot's face moved dangerously close to her ear. This, Sophie knew, she was not imagining. What in the hell was he doing? "She goes by lots of names..." His voice melted to a whisper as his fingers came to rest on her hip. And without realizing, she wrapped her hand around his arm, "...I believe the first name she went by was Jasmine, now she goes by Sophie."
Sophie's breath left her body somewhere between her mouth and her lungs. Her head swam. He was - he did know - how did he know...but if...that means all of it - everything he said in the office...it was about her. And instead of screaming at him (her second instinct) or kicking him (her third,) she followed her initial impulse, and kissed him of all things.
Eventually he'd tell her how he found out. Eventually she'd stop threatening to slap him for bringing it up. Eventually she'd believe him when he swore he'd never tell a soul. Eventually he'd apologize for bringing up all those awful memories. And eventually what he said that night to the team would come true - eventually she'd be his girlfriend.
Several months later…
Eliot took a breath before opening the bedroom door. Exhaling, he shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet, the way he would psych himself up before a fight. Though this was a decidedly different type of ring he was stepping into. Finally he opened the door and softly stepped into the room, illuminated only by her bedside table lamp.
"Hey", he whispered warmly.
No response.
"You're angry."
Again no response from the figure wrapped in blankets, but he knew she was awake. He sat on the edge of the bed.
"Sophie, I'm sorry."
After a moment's hesitation, the duvet shifted as she rolled over to meet his eyes, her glare propped up by an arm on her pillow.
"What part of 'waiting to tell them' was confusing for you?"
"I know, I -" a smile cracked through Eliot's second apology, "I'm apologizing!"
"Why on earth are you smiling? Do you find this funny?"
"No! I just..." A chuckle bubbled up, compounding his smile. This was not going to plan. Her eyes got wider and rapidly more furious. "I'm excited! I know I broke your trust, and I am truly, truly sorry." He grabbed her hand with both of his own. "But Soph, I'm so damn excited, I couldn't wait any longer to tell my best friend! Do not tell Hardison I called him that."
Watching his smile grow as he spoke, plus the gleam in his eyes that sparkled even in the dimly lit room, Sophie found herself melting against her will.
"You're a jackass. A very adorable jackass."
Sensing her bayonets being lowered, he scooched to sit by her in the middle of the bed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't plan it, it just...came out. And hey, in my defense, I didn't say it was you AND I told Hardison it was a secret."
"Oh yeah, you and 'Jasmine,'" her voice dripped with disdain, "that's so much better! And some secret - it took him a whole six minutes to 'confide in me' that you have a mysterious girlfriend who you may or may not have knocked up."
Hearing her repeat Hardison's undignified retelling of their secret made Eliot's head drop in shame.
"...at least Nate wasn't in the room?" He offered sheepishly.
Sophie groaned, fed up, and rolled back over toward the wall. That was just about the last thing she had wanted him to say.
"Goodnight, Eliot."
Eliot leaned over and pressed a warm kiss into her shoulder blade.
"I am sorry. And I love you." He murmured into her skin.
"I know. And I'll love you again in the morning." She conceded. He kissed her arm again,
"Sleep tight."
Eliot sat, feet over the edge of his bed and thought for a moment. He took a breath; he felt awful. But if he was being honest, it had also felt so good to finally tell someone.
He looked around the bedroom of his condo. Since they moved to Boston it had been largely simple and the same: dark wood and leather, elaborate at-home gym, restaurant quality stainless steel kitchen. Comfortable enough, and practical.
The very stolen Monet on the opposite wall caught his eye. With its gentle brushstrokes and pastel palette, it was the first thing she had added to his space, and he found himself grinning like an idiot every time he looked its way.
They had been dating in secret for just over six months. What began as an ill-advised night of drunken debauchery grew into a vigorous sexual affair neither could seem to end, and eventually, improbably, they both gave in and let whatever-this-was blossom into the closest thing to a relationship either of them had had in the last decade. The plan was to keep their tryst a secret indefinitely. And while that was very nearly an impossible task to begin with, the discovery that Sophie was, in fact, pregnant had expedited the futility of their goal.
They were both still working to wrap their heads around this massive, terrifying change, (that was now only 6 months away from becoming exponentially more terrifying.) However, Eliot was beginning to find himself beaming at the possibility of what -
BANG BANG BANG
What sounded like a hammer at the front door shook Eliot out of his own head. Startled, Sophie sat up in the same instant it took Eliot to get to his feet.
BANG BANG BANG
"What the hell is that!?" She whispered, incredulous at the thought of who might want to 'speak' with Eliot in the middle of the night.
"I don't know, but nothing good starts with that sound." Eliot whispered back roughly as his body poised for a fight.
They sat in tense silence as they waited to see if the banging would resume.
Nothing.
Sophie looked up at Eliot. Their eyes met - maybe whoever was banging had gone away?
Nothing.
Silence.
BANG
They both jumped.
BANG BANG, which was then accompanied by...
"SPENCER I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
Eliot let out a sigh of relief, followed by an annoyed proclamation: "Parker, for fuck sake." He ran a hand through his hair; he could only imagine what Parker was doing banging on his door at 12:30am on a Tuesday, but at least it wasn't something far worse. He looked over to Sophie, but saw no relief in her eyes. She actually appeared more frightened than before.
"It's just Parker," he offered. "I'll tell her to come back when it's light out." He moved toward the living room.
"DON'T!"
Surprised by Sophie's yelp, he hesitated just long enough for her to wedge herself between him and the door.
"What are you doing?"
"You can't let her in."
"I'm not gonna invite her in here, I'm gonna make her leave!"
"You can't talk to her."
"What? Sophie, she won't even know you're here, I-" A different set of bangs made them both jump again.
"ELLIOT, YOU OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I'M WAKING UP ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS!"
"Dammit, Hardison!" Eliot groaned. He had probably woken up the whole building already.
"Son of a bitch..." Sophie muttered under her breath, a hand over her eyes.
"What's the problem? Clearly they need something - I'll handle it and get 'em outta here!"
"Um...well..." She began chewing on a fingernail.
"Sophie, what?!"
"I think I know why they're here."
"Would ya care to clue me in?"
"Well, you know how you had said you told Hardison because you were excited? Well, I...may have also been feeling pretty...excited..." She dropped her gaze to her feet. Elliot instantly let out a growl of frustration.
"You told Parker!?"
"Maybe!"
"What exactly did you tell her?"
"Just that...I had a new, secret boyfriend and that I may or may not be...a teensy bit pregnant."
"You just made me feel like shit for telling Hardison the exact same thing!"
"That's why I was upset that you told Hardison; because I had already told Parker!"
"Sophie!"
"I know, I know! I'm sorry!"
"That was grossly manipulative, even for you!"
At that, Sophie's cheeks flushed red with fury.
"I'm going to ignore that remark, seeing as we have a much larger problem on our hands!"
"What does any of this have to do with why those two are breaking down my door?"
Sophie rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Maybe because they went home, and talked...to each other!" She spelled it out as plainly as she could.
As he looked into her eyes, his anger began to wane. The realization finally crept up on him. His jaw dropped.
"They talked to each other...and figured out it was us..."
"Yeah!" They both softened as they began to feel like a pair of teenagers caught fooling around by their parents. Sophie's fury had also died down, leaving her with only nerves and regret. "I'm sorry, Eliot."
He paced the length of the bedroom for half a moment before turning back to her.
"Me too." He pulled her into a tight hug.
For the first time Eliot became aware of the new swell of Sophie's belly pressing into him - he smirked at the warmth that brought him. "It'll all be okay."
"Okay," she murmured without letting go. She realized how safe she had come to feel in Eliot's arms. She squeezed him tighter before stepping back just enough to see his face. "Okay."
BANG BANG BANG
They both jumped again and were immediately annoyed that they had. This was shortly followed by:
"YOU HAVE THIRTY MORE SECONDS BEFORE I PICK YOUR LOCK! I'M BEING GENEROUS!"
And,
"ELIOT SPENCER GET YO ASS OUT HERE! Yes ma'am I do realize what time it is, my apologies, we'll quiet down."
"I'm gonna go deal with the idiots before they get me evicted. And then we'll..." Eliot trailed off,
"And then we'll..." Sophie concurred with an abstract head bounce.
With a kiss, Eliot stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door. Sophie's gaze followed him as she resumed chewing on her nail. This was happening, ready or not.
Eliot stomped toward the front door, choosing to focus on the infuriating banging rather than his pounding heart, though both were equally deafening. Of all the things he was feeling, anger was by far the easiest to lean into. He flung the door open and roared,
"GET IN!"
Parker and Hardison bounded inside, scared silent by Eliot's outburst. They froze, facing him. Eliot slammed the door - now it was the hacker and thief's turn to jump. Eliot stared them down menacingly as he stepped closer -
Back in the bedroom, the door slam stopped a pacing Sophie in her tracks as well. As she looked toward the sound she brought her hand back up to her mouth, again gnawing mercilessly at her fingernail. God she'd always hated this habit.
Before she could reprimand herself further, she paused and thought for a moment about where her hand had been before she resumed the nail-biting. When the door slam had made her jump, her hand had found its way to her stomach, apparently. Protectively. She looked down and gently replaced her hand over her more rounded midsection. She smiled.
Her fingers danced across the taught skin under her T-shirt. She had initially assumed each of the many times she found herself waking up next to Eliot would be the last, even after that night she kissed him in the street. But it was so easy to find herself back there night after night. Not easy in a convenient sort of way, quite the opposite. But she felt at ease around Eliot. She always had. All the moments day to day, large and small: how to spend time off, how to problem solve on a con, what to have for dinner, what movie to watch, the 'I love yous', the lust, the choice to keep the baby and become parents. It wasn't without argument, nor frustration, but the decision to press on, the choice to continue moving through it all felt, truly, full of ease.
So full of ease, in fact, that she somehow found herself in her previously very-platonic best friend's bedroom, nearly three months pregnant with a child she adored, when she would have sworn three months ago would have been the very last thing she'd want. It was easy to do scary things with Eliot on her team.
Back in the living room Eliot stood, arms crossed, facing their friends.
"What?!" He barked. Parker and Hardison's boldness vanished as they remembered this was Eliot Spencer's home. "You busted in here yellin' in the middle of the night, so what the hell do you want?!" Hardison elbowed Parker, who elbowed him back. "SPIT IT OUT!" Eliot roared again.
"We were just wondering..." Hardison began, "if...if, ya know..." Eliot stared daggers into his sheepish gaze. They went through all this trouble to be a pain in the ass, he was damn well gonna make them say it. Parker found her footing first,
"Are you and Sophie boyfriend and girlfriend!?" She blurted out.
Eliot sighed. What absolute children.
"What are we, in primary school?"
All three heads snapped toward the hall where Sophie had appeared. If he wasn't entirely shocked at what she was doing, Eliot would have been completely enamored with how she looked in his black and burgundy flannel robe, which she had apparently stolen off the back of the bathroom door.
"I KNEW IT!" Hardison declared triumphantly, while making sure to stay behind Parker, just in case Eliot went ape shit. Parker squealed with excitement.
Sophie sauntered towards the trio, raveling an arm around Eliot's shoulder as she did. On instinct, his arm wound its way around her waist.
"I suppose boyfriend and girlfriend isn't inaccurate, though I'd prefer a slightly more dignified title, wouldn't you agree?" She tossed the sentence toward Eliot, distractingly pleased with herself. Eliot grinned; he was head over head over heels.
"I seem to agree with you on most things, darlin'."
"Well now that's complete horseshit," she dropped any remaining facade and gently smacked his chest.
"Oh my gosh, YOU'RE IN LOVE!' Parker shrieked. Eliot and Sophie both blushed like they were, in fact, in primary school.
"Uh, yeah," was all Eliot could say as he beamed back at Sophie.
Hardison stopped hiding behind Parker, "So does that mean y'all..." He made some convoluted hand gestures that were somehow both irritatingly vague and uncomfortably explicit at the same time.
"Hardison!"
"Dammit, Hardison!"
"What?! I'm trying to be discreet!"
"How is that - " Eliot began, but Parker felt this had gone on long enough;
"IS ELIOT YOUR BABY DADDY?"
A moment of stunned silence.
"Parker!" Sophie giggled at the very last way she expected Parker to ask that question, "But, yes. Eliot..."
"You had better not repeat that back," Eliot admonished through a laugh, which only made Sophie laugh harder.
"Eliot and I are having a baby together, yes." She gave in to the building laughter at the utter ridiculousness of the whole situation.
"Y'all are weird!" Hardison shook his head. Eliot burst out laughing again, and just as the cackling hit a crescendo, Sophie went to catch her breath and snorted instead. She laughed harder and buried her face in Eliot's shoulder in embarrassment.
At that point all four of them broke into hysterics. Eliot struggled to keep both himself and Sophie upright, Parker collapsed backwards onto the couch, and Hardison fell over atop the ottoman.
Eliot caught his breath first and turned toward the two intruders.
"Don't ever show up banging on my door at 1am again unless you're being chased."
"Don't get Sophie secret pregnant again and we won't have to!" Parker retorted immediately. Eliot paused.
"Deal." Parker jumped up and shook his hand vigorously, jumpstarting the laughter again. He conceded. "Alright jerks, if we're stayin' up all night we need snacks."
"Kettle corn!" He and Sophie exclaimed at the same time; her first and most consistent food craving thus far. Sophie leaned in and kissed him before he made his way to the kitchen.
The four of them did indeed stay up all night, laughing, poking at each other's buttons, and making plans for the future.
Sophie smiled til her face hurt; she was exhausted but didn't want the night to end. She reclined into the crook of Eliot's arm and he squeezed her close. Ease; apparently this is what it felt like to be at ease.
