Chapter 2
Sophie sat in the dining room of what had been Eliot's home, and was now the home they shared. Having moved all of her art and wardrobe into Eliot's place a couple months prior, she found she really did enjoy the warmth of the space.
Shortly after the night Parker and Hardison had barged in, due in part to their inability to keep a secret, and in part to Sophie's rapidly expanding midsection, they had come clean to Nate. As expected, the mastermind did not handle the news well.
Though it had been over a year since Nate and Sophie had done...whatever it was Nate and Sophie used to do, Nate felt very secure in the knowledge that he had been betrayed by them both. Upon loudly sharing his feelings, Sophie shouted back that he did not, in fact, own her. This caused Nate to further lose his temper and hurl a crystal rocks glass across the room, which was only the start of his destruction trail through the office. While the projectiles weren't aimed at them, per say, the first shattering of glass in a room with pregnant Sophie set Eliot off immediately, and before she could even decide whether or not she wanted to stop him, Eliot had broken Nate's nose and whisked her out of the space.
That was about three months ago. After a tense couple weeks of silence, they had spoken to Nate only of work, and only when absolutely necessary. Having entered the third trimester of her pregnancy, Sophie had started taking it easy on cons, which made it a little easier for Eliot to work with Nate. He could do the job, but he didn't trust him around her. Had either of them expected Nate to react differently? Not really. Was it worth no longer having to hide? Absolutely. And, as Sophie had correctly assessed, in actuality Nate was far more angry with himself for not seeing what was going on in front of him, than he was at them for being a couple; further proof of the self-indulgent bullshit he used to perpetually push everyone away. What was to happen next, though, neither Sophie nor Eliot was sure. Could the team really continue to help people under this dynamic?
But Sophie was presently tackling a different problem; one she felt was far more pressing, and it wasn't going well. She was currently sitting in one of their dining room chairs, face down on the table in surrender. Her two-months-from-her-due-date belly pressed against the mahogany table, which was covered by what appeared to be every baby name book on the planet.
Eliot walked in from the gym (now combo gym and office to make space for the nursery) out of breath, a sweaty towel around his neck. He stopped on his way to the kitchen and smiled at his despairing partner, her ponytail sadly flopped over top of her head.
"It's not funny." Came the muffled reply from her book obstructed mouth. Sophie had the hearing of a hawk.
"Didn't say it was, darlin'" Eliot laughed. "So..." he began knowingly, "how's it goin?"
"Shut up."
Eliot finished his pilgrimage to the kitchen for a post-cardio coconut water. He called back to her,
"Have you officially ruled out every name in human history?" Sophie finally pushed herself upright.
"We're going to have to call her 'Hey You!'," she announced in defeat. "I give up."
"'Hey You' has a nice ring to it!" He agreed. As she glared at him, he came back to the table and leaned down to kiss her, one hand on her belly.
"Sweaty and sarcastic! Lucky me!" She jabbed back, smiling, and kissed him again. Eliot chuckled into her lips. He grabbed the back of her neck with his free hand and pulled her into him. As he deepened the kiss, his tongue grazed her bottom lip, drawing a small mew of pleasure.
"You are very, very gorgeous, darlin'," he drawled. "Have I mentioned that recently?"
"Oh, once or twice," she ran her hands along his shoulders and down his arms, pulling him back into the smoldering kiss.
The doorbell rang.
"Son of a bitch," Eliot chuckled, stopping just out of reach of Sophie's lips. "What timing, huh?"
"What timing indeed." She gazed into his eyes for a beautiful moment, which she promptly then broke: "I have to pee anyway. Help me up?"
"Aw man, I already did arms today!" He got her to her feet with a grin. Sophie scowled before waddling down the hall toward the bathroom. She called over her shoulder,
"That joke will never be funny!"
Elliot laughed to himself. The joke may not be, but the cute scowl she gave in return always was.
The doorbell rang again.
"I'm comin'!" Eliot hollered.
Wiping his face with the edge of the towel still draped around his neck, Eliot made his way to the door and opened it. He wasn't sure who he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't -
"Nate."
Eliot named the man standing in front of him and froze.
"Hi, Eliot." Nate replied quietly. In an effort to appear non-threatening, Nate's embarrassment read all over his face.
Perhaps it was his lust addled brain from the moment before, or his pure shock at the situation, but confusion won out over anger for a moment and all Eliot could respond with was,
"Why?"
"I'd like to talk. If that's okay." Nate started slowly. By then the blood had returned to Eliot's brain,
"Run outta things to break at your place?" Eliot's furrowed brow stayed trained on Nate.
"No," Nate began with a sigh, acknowledging his behavior the last time they were together outside of work. "I came to apologize."
"Oh."
The two men turned toward Sophie as she returned from the bathroom, surprised to say the least.
"Hi." Nate offered with a half smile. He looked to Eliot, "Is it alright if I come in?"
Instead of responding, Eliot turned to Sophie. She dictated the boundaries with Nate, always had. Sophie nodded slightly,
"Sure."
So Eliot stepped back, allowing Nate entry into their home.
The tension was palpable as Nate crossed the threshold, and he knew that was his fault. He set the large paper bag he brought with him on the floor by the couch.
"Mind if I sit?"
"Go ahead." Eliot then crossed to the loveseat opposite the couch where Nate sat, his eyes still locked on him. Sophie made her way toward Eliot and without moving his gaze, he helped her down to a seated position. Nate couldn't help but smile to himself at the sweet gesture.
They sat in silence for what felt like forever.
"Oh my god, say SOMETHING!" Sophie broke the blaring silence.
"I'm sorry." Nate spat as he jumped from the unexpected outburst. "I'm sorry." He repeated, more earnestly.
"Good." Eliot retorted, unflinching.
"I fucked up," Nate exhaled as he continued. "As a colleague, as a friend, hell, even as a stranger, my response that night was...unacceptable. Unforgivable, really. And my coming here is not to ask for forgiveness because I know I haven't earned that, but rather to...let you know how sorry I am. I do care about you, both of you." He paused. "All three of you."
Sophie shifted in her seat. Partly to relieve the pressure on that damn sciatic nerve, and partly because she found herself terribly uncomfortable with this version of Nate's vulnerability. It was new, and unprecedented. That sad and broken man she had always suspected lived beneath his angry facade now sat, bare-hearted, in their living room. Poised on the front edge of the loveseat, Eliot placed a hand on her knee. Nate continued,
"And I want you to know that, at the very least, you are safe with me. I don't want to lose you in my life. I will prove that I have your backs. And I'm ashamed that I didn't before."
They sat in his apology for a moment. Eliot again looked to Sophie for how to proceed. She was studying Nate's face, searching for any sign of insincerity. Finally, finding none, she was satisfied.
"Thank you." She said, "But you have to swear you will stop throwing things. Near me, or-" A hand glided over her stomach, "god forbid -"
"I will. I swear."
"Cuz I'll kill ya," Eliot promised with an evil smile. And all three knew it was a promise.
"I swear." Both Sophie and Eliot were momentarily taken aback as Nate's voice broke. Trying with all his might not to cry, Nate offered one more: "Swear to god."
"Okay then." Eliot replied.
"Okay," Sophie concurred.
The relief Nate felt caused his tears to finally fall. He wiped at his eyes. Now it was Eliot's turn to be uncomfortable.
"You want some water?" He offered.
"Sure, thanks." Nate replied as he caught his breath.
With an intentional squeeze of Sophie's knee, Eliot stood up and went into the kitchen. She and Nate were momentarily alone.
"It's good to see you." Nate said after a long while.
"You too." Though she wasn't sure if she meant it. "What's in the bag?"
"Oh!" With a final wipe at his eyes, he brightened at the mention of it. "I brought you guys a few things." He reached down and picked up the bag, removing a box and handing it to Sophie. She smiled as she took the box of chocolate hazelnut Pirouette Cookies. "I didn't know if maybe you'd been craving something else," he gestured to her stomach, "but they used to be your favorite, so."
At that moment Eliot returned with a glass of water for Nate.
"They still are." He set down the glass and returned to his seat. "I prefer the French Vanilla, myself."
"So do I!" Nate agreed.
"You're both incredibly wrong. How does it feel to be so incredibly wrong?" Sophie admonished as she opened the box and happily stuck a wafer in her mouth. The mood lightened just a little bit, leaving room for a hint of friendships past.
"What, ah, what's all that about?" Nate waved in the direction of the book-drowned dining table.
"In a shocking turn of events," Eliot began as Sophie rolled her eyes, "the grifter is finding it difficult to choose a name for the baby."
"Ah," Nate smiled knowingly. "Well she hasn't picked one for herself that's lasted more than a decade, so that makes sense."
"Don't I know it..." Eliot smirked at what he wasn't going to say. Sophie swallowed the bite of cookie as fast as she could to jump to her own defense.
"Hey, I have been far too many people and known far too many people who are complete and utter shit. Forgive me for not wanting to name her after a piece of shit!"
Nate let his shoulders fall slightly. He silently thanked the stars that they were having a girl.
"And there's not a single name in all of those books you haven't heard?" Nate nudged.
"That's what I said," Eliot now smirked right at Sophie.
"Okay, this - this," she gestured to the boys, "is not good. I think I preferred when you two hated each other." All three chuckled, and as they eased forward together, Eliot began to sweetly play with the shoulder seam of Sophie's shirt.
"What about you, Eliot?" Nate posed, now feeling more grounded. "Are there any names you like?"
"Yeah, I got a couple." Eliot's smile showed his excitement through his casual tone.
"You do?" Sophie turned to him, honestly caught off guard.
"You haven't asked." Eliot said with a shrug, and smiled at the horror that overtook her face, compounded by the chuckle Nate was unable to suppress.
"But I didn't - I mean I," she pointed to Nate without moving her head, "you stop it!" Nate kept laughing as he flung his hands up in defense.
"It's alright darlin'," Eliot began, "I didn't offer it up either."
"I'm an asshole." Eliot could tell she actually felt bad, and he knew he had one shot to fix this before her hormones made her cry. And if he made her cry in front of Nate, well, she might never forgive him for that.
"No no no," Eliot turned to face her and took her face in his hands, "I didn't tell ya because a) I didn't want you to feel pressure to come up with your own list, and b) I wanted to wait and see if it was a name you already hated so I didn't bring it up at all!"
"Okay," she pouted. "Because of course I want to know,"
"I know." He interrupted her, ending the conversation with a small kiss.
"You know I've always been partial to the name Natalie." Nate joked from across the coffee table, trying to ignore how comfortably happy they clearly were as a couple.
"That's definitely not on the list," Eliot retorted, as he was satisfied he had successfully redirected Sophie's feelings.
"Oh, and before I forget," Nate passed the bag over the coffee table. "Maggie and I had kept some stuff in case we ever...she was getting rid of it anyway, and I thought you guys might be able to use them."
Sophie and Eliot were speechless as they peered into the bag filled with baby toys and a few pairs of tiny shoes.
"No pressure, of course. Might not be your style, or ah, match the nursery, but I thought -"
"They're perfect." Sophie looked up at Nate, again close to crying. "Thank you."
Nate nodded in return.
"Well," Nate began before finishing off his water, "I really appreciate this." He stood up to go. Eliot jumped up as well.
"Thanks, man." He stuck out his hand, and Nate shook it.
Sophie, meanwhile, was struggling to get out of the loveseat.
"Don't get up," Nate pleaded, as he stepped toward her. He leaned down and they shared an awkward moment of a half hug, but it was progress. "Thanks guys. Ah, have a good night, take care, and I'll see you on Monday?"
"See you Monday." Eliot walked him toward the door,
"See you Monday." Sophie chimed in.
And with a smile and a nod, Nate was gone.
Eliot collapsed back next to Sophie and they both exhaled the tension of that interaction.
"Wow." Was all Eliot could say.
"Yeah." Sophie idly ran her hand over her belly as she tried to process what just happened.
"That was..."
"Unexpected."
"Yup."
"And, rather nice.
"Yeah." Eliot leaned over and kissed her. "So...when are we gonna tell him that we're married?"
"Just throw gasoline on the fire, why don't you!" Sophie pushed him gently. Elliot laughed.
"He's gonna find out eventually!"
"Not until that beautiful diamond fits on my finger again," Sophie whined, inspecting her swollen hands. "But as long as Hardison and Parker don't know, there isn't any real danger of him finding out. Unless of course, you call me your wife in public, or..." She stopped as she saw his ghostly white face. "What? Eliot?" And then it dawned on her, "Bloody Hell, you told Hardison, didn't you!?"
"How did you think we had a marriage license with our aliases on it?"
"Eliot!"
"You really didn't tell Parker?" Eliot shrunk into the couch.
"No! We agreed not to!"
"Huh, I really thought you'd tell her."
"ELIOT SPENCER!"
"I'm gonna get started on dinner." He kissed her almost as quickly as he launched himself over the back of the loveseat and disappeared into the kitchen. "Love you!"
"Eliot Spencer, when I get my ass up, you're a dead man!"
"I love you SO much!" He shouted from the kitchen as she groaned and conceded to gravity.
"You had better be making something with cheese! A LOT of cheese!" She chuckled as she popped another cookie into her mouth, a hand happily atop her belly. Suddenly she frowned. With mouth full, she called to the kitchen: "Wait, what names are on your list? Eliot!"
