CHAPTER 8
Valued
(Biltmore hotel)
Quinn and Hardison had already shifted to their wolves, but Eliot was still staring at his phone. He wanted to call Gemma and he knew that she'd asked to have him call her, but it was late. In Louisiana it was very late.
"Just call her." Parker smiled at him.
"It's late though. She's probably sleeping."
"She's probably worrying. Just call her then come to bed." She gave his arm a squeeze as she went to join the boys in the other room.
Eliot dialed but had already decided that if she didn't pick up by the third ring he'd hang up and call her tomorrow.
"Eliot!" Gemma sounded relieved. "I was worried that you were still hurt and couldn't call."
"Who told you I was hurt?"
"I figured it out." She sounded a little grumpy.
"Well, I'm fine now." He wished they had a bond so that she could feel that he really was okay. "I miss you."
"I miss you too."
He could hear the smile in her voice. "I know it's late and I won't keep you up. I just wanted to hear your voice before I went to bed."
"I'm glad you called. Are the others okay?" She didn't want to hang up with him just yet.
"This job has been pretty rough but we're werewolves, so everyone is doing fine now." Eliot imagined her sitting up in her bed with the blankets pooled around her, the dim glow of the night light highlighting the plains of her face and little strands of her hair. "What are you wearing?"
"Eliot!" Gemma giggled. "What if the others can hear you, or worse what if they can hear me?"
"Then they'll probably be jealous." He smirked. "Although much as I would like to picture you in sexy lingerie, I was actually picturing you in the white and blue pajama set I remember you wearing..." She didn't answer right away, and he thought maybe he'd made a miss step. "Should I have not asked?"
"You can ask anything. I just… There's somethings we need to talk about, but I don't want to talk about important things over the phone." Gemma paused. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." He smiled and hoped she could hear it. "I like hearing that lingerie is an important thing. Okay, I'm kidding, kind of. We'll talk in person. I just don't know when yet."
"A t-shirt."
"What?"
"I'm wearing your t-shirt." She bit her lip. "The one you left on my pillow."
"Darlin', that's about the only thing better'n lingerie." He would have to check his go bag later to find out what shirt Parker had left Gemma with.
She giggled.
"I hope you have the very best dreams. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He wished he could kiss her and pull her down to sleep beside him.
"Goodnight, Eliot. I'll look forward to tomorrow."
~~o0o~~
Eliot had been planning on shifting to his wolf as well, but he found himself sitting on the edge of the bed in his human form. He stared at the phone in his hand and tried not to miss Gemma.
Parker patted Eliot's shoulder.
Eliot looked over his shoulder at Parker. "Thanks, for leaving that t-shirt with Gemma, and telling me to call her. You've been really great about all of this."
Parker shrugged and wiggled her way between Hardison and Quinn. She leaned against Hardison and tucked her toes under Quinn. "I like Gemma. She makes you happy."
"Don't take this wrong but I'm kind of surprised with how well you been taking everything."
Parker spread Hardison's quilt out while she thought. "What do you mean?"
"I mean it was the five of us for a long time and then Nate and Sophie decided to retire, and it was just the three of us." Eliot shrugged. "And in the last month and a half I changed everything, and you and Hardison didn't get much say in it." He lay back on the bed and ran a hand into the scruff of Hardison's neck. "I been kinda waitin' for you to tell me off or somethin'." He yawned.
Parker wiggled around so that she could see him better. "I wasn't sure if it would ever be more than just the three of us." She frowned. "I worried that you would get lonely. I never minded being alone before, but after Hardison and I got together…" She shrugged. "I wanted you to have that too." She gave Quinn a jab in the ribs with her toes.
He grunted and showed her a little fang.
"I'm glad you brought Quinn into the pack. It makes things different, but it's been really good."
Eliot sat up with a little twist and kissed Parker on the forehead. "Good night sweetheart."
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Eliot got up early and went to the hotel gym to work through a few katas and see if he couldn't get himself centered and ready to face the day. In the past the katas helped him put aside anger and settle the bad memories, but today he was already in a good head space so today he'd focus on the physical a little more.
At this hour there was only one other person in the gym. A woman running a hard pace on a treadmill with her earphones in.
Eliot went to an open space in the back corner and settled into a low horse stance. As he moved slowly flowing from one stance to another he focused on the pull and stretch of muscles and tendons. He felt his balance flow through the balls of his feet. He felt the tightness of his chest as he inhaled and the warm rush of his breath as he exhaled. There was no pain, no indication of yesterday's injury. He was used to healing supernaturally fast and took it for granted to an extent. He knew he walked into dangerous situations more readily because there would be fewer consequences for him than there would be for most. But sometimes it felt strange to be okay. It was like his mind wasn't prepared for his body to be healed yet.
As he moved into a pose called 'snake creeps through grass' he could feel the pull of muscles in his belly. He held the pose a moment longer appreciating the feel of his body and the way it moved.
He thought about his conversation with Gemma the night before. He'd teased about lingerie, and it had made her uncomfortable. He remembered her concern about them seeing her scars and he imagined the two things might go hand in hand. His wolf's intuition seemed to think that it might be more than just the scars that were the problem. Eliot trusted the wolf and decided to approach this topic with caution and see if Gemma could explain things to him.
He finished the last of his kata with the image and scent of Gemma on his mind. He draped a towel around his neck and unscrewed the cap on his water bottle as he headed back to his room.
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"So we got a few things left to mop up on this job." Hardison flipped his tablet around so that the others could see what he had going. "Caldwell is going down for the hack so that part is wrapped up but…" He expanded an image. "Tinsley still needs to be taken care of. I'm sure you recognized that wanted poster from the job we did in Louisiana a few years ago?" He waited for a nod from Eliot. "I thought Tinsley was dead but after some calling around, I found out that he'd talked his way out of things with Reese at the end of that job. Eventually Tinsley made his way out here and has been running all kinds of scams and that's what put him in touch with Caldwell."
"Every crook needs a lawyer." Quinn observed.
"Birds of a feather." Eliot muttered.
"Looks like Tinsley was the one that got the code for Caldwell. Seems he couldn't keep up with his payments, so they worked this out in trade." Hardison growled a little.
"Do I need to take care of him?" Quinn rolled his shoulders and a cold expression settled over his face.
"We wouldn't ask you to kill someone." Parker awkwardly patted Quinn's hand.
Quinn looked a little confused but didn't say anything.
Eliot knew how Quinn felt. It was hard getting used to people valuing him for something other than his ability to kill. Even when he had tried to establish a reputation as a retrieval specialist instead of as a hitman it had been hard. Sometimes killing seemed like the most obvious answer to some of his clients and even to him, so it had taken a while to really get used to the idea of not killing.
"I contacted the local pack, and they are already handling things." Parker smiled. "They'll check in when things are done."
"We still need to do some kind of debrief with Scorpion and then I think we're in the clear on this one." Hardison smiled.
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(Scorpion's Garage)
Hardison parked the van across the street from Scorpion's garage. Eliot and Quinn carried the bags of groceries that Eliot had picked up from the neighborhood market and Parker hurried to the door. Just as Parker was about to pick the lock on the front door Quinn put a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait." Quinn tilted his head. "Could we knock on the door this time?"
Parker frowned.
"I don't want to scare Paige by breaking in."
"But we'd be using the door and I'm not breaking anything." Parker crossed her arms.
"Please?" Quinn readjusted the bag he was carrying.
Eliot reached between them and knocked hard on the door.
Parker flinched at the sudden sound. "That's way scarier than picking the lock."
Quinn huffed a laugh and nudged her shoulder.
A moment later Ralph opened the door a crack. "Just a minute." He shut the door and the wolves could all hear as he made his way to the loft above.
After a few minutes Paige opened the door looking a little annoyed at the early morning visit. "Is something wrong?"
"Just thought we'd fix yall breakfast before we debrief on the job." Eliot nodded at her as he walked past and headed for the kitchen area.
The rest of them trailed in after and Paige closed the door behind them. Eliot and Quinn set the bags of groceries on and around the kitchen table and Eliot tied on his bandana and set to work. Hardison and Parker pulled a couple of the kitchen chairs together where they could be near Eliot but out of his way while he worked and Quinn stood around, a little out of place for a moment.
"You could fix the coffee." Eliot commented without looking up from the pastry crust he was making. "Throw out whatever they got left in there and use the coffee I bought."
Quinn hung his suit jacket on the back of one of the chairs and cuffed his shirtsleeves back so they wouldn't get dirty. He followed his nose to the coffee in the bag under the table and by the time the pot was starting to fill Paige was coming back down the stairs dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Quinn fixed her coffee with two sugars and poured himself a cup.
Paige wasn't quite ready to manage a bunch of people at that early hour, especially people she hardly knew, so she decided to take a seat on the couch and give herself a minute. She'd just barely registered that someone had brought the paper in and dropped it on the couch, when she noticed Quinn standing in front of her with two cups of coffee.
He offered her the mug with the pink flowers and Paige was unsurprised to taste the sugar in it when she took a sip. It surprised her a little when he sat on the couch right next to her.
Paige decided to be blunt with Quinn. "I'm sure you noticed that I'm dating Walter. And you should know it's a serious thing. I'm not looking around."
"Yes, I noticed. Truthfully, I wasn't sure you two were a good match but now I can see it. You two really suit each other. It seems like a good balance." Quinn opened the newspaper and slid out the comics. With a little snap of the paper to fold it around he handed it to Paige. He remembered that she liked to start with the funnies.
Paige stared a Quinn for a moment, but he just sipped his coffee. There was something about him that seemed familiar, but she couldn't put a finger on it. She decided that it was probably just the early hour and the fact that he'd remembered how she liked her coffee.
Paige had just about finished the comics section when the front door opened and Toby and Happy came in. She noticed the way they held hands and leaned into each other just a little. It made her happy to see them feeling so relaxed and looking so pleased after yesterday's upset.
Thinking of yesterday reminded her that Eliot probably shouldn't be standing around and doing all the cooking, and someone really needed to have a word with Parker before she upset Toby and Happy again. She set her paper to the side and prepared to stand up.
Quinn set a hand on Paige's knee. "Everything is fine. You don't need to jump into the middle of things just yet."
She arched an eyebrow at him and looked at his hand on her knee.
He pulled his hand back like he'd been burned. "Sorry. I just wanted you to take a second and listen to how things are going in there before you jumped in." He stood and held a hand out to Paige.
She took his hand up and then let him go as they walked toward the kitchen.
"Eliot!" Toby held a hand out to shake.
Eliot raised an eyebrow and looked at his hands that were covered in flour.
Toby put his hand in his pocket. "Are you sure you should be up and doing all of this?"
" 'm fine. Thanks for asking." Eliot finished pressing the last of the crust into place in the dish he was preparing.
"How did you know?" Happy had been wanting to ask him since they'd gotten her test results last night. "About the baby I mean. How did you know?"
"My grandmamma was a Cherokee and she taught me a few things. There's just something very distinctive about a woman who's expecting." Eliot smiled without looked up from what he was doing. He wasn't about to tell them that he could smell it. The mix of hormones that flavored the scent of a pregnant woman was very distinctive, but he would never mention that to a bunch of norms no matter what their IQs were. He'd rather them think him a little strange or a bit of a kook than risk giving them his secret.
Paige and Quinn had been standing off to the side but couldn't help hearing the exchange. Paige hurried forward and pulled Happy into a hug. "Oh Happy, congratulations!"
"Thanks." Happy patted Paige's back for a second before she wriggled free of the embrace.
"What's going on?" Walter asked as he rounded the bottom of the stairs.
"Happy is pregnant!" Paige smiled hugely and went to Walter.
Walter put an arm around Paige but frowned. "That is mathematically impossible."
"What's mathematically impossible?" Sly asked as he and Cabe stepped through the front door.
"Happy is pregnant!" Paige beamed.
"You're right, Walter. That doesn't make sense." Sly set his computer bag down at his desk before joining them.
"Who cares if the odds were against us!" Toby smiled. "My money is on Happy for the win every time."
"I thought you gave up gambling?" Happy teased as she leaned into Toby's side.
"You were my biggest gamble." He kissed her temple.
"That's great news!" Cabe pulled Happy into a hug and slapped Toby on the back. "Congratulations you two!"
Quinn gave Paige's shoulder a quick squeeze as he stepped past her to join his pack and give the Scorpion team a little space. The Scorpion team moved closer to their desks as they chatted and quietly celebrated with Happy and Toby.
Walter frowned at Quinn's too familiar gesture but was quickly swept up in Happy's news.
~~o0o~~
Eliot continued to put together breakfast and was pleased to see his pack giving a little space to the Scorpion team. Good news like that should definitely be celebrated and that would be easier without a bunch of strangers in the middle of things.
"Was it her scent that tipped you off?" Hardison asked quietly.
"Yep. There's an odd mix of hormones that's common to all pregnant women. It differs a little woman to woman but overall, it's pretty distinctive."
"I just thought it was the way she smelled." Hardison shrugged.
"It's like cinnamon. In some dishes you can't miss the scent because there's so much of it but in other dishes there's just a hint, but you recognize it for what it is." Quinn's stomach growled and the whole pack laughed.
"Don't worry I'll feed you soon." Eliot smiled as he slid his quiche into the oven. He turned to the stove and started heating a skillet.
~~o0o~~
Before long everyone settled into the breakfast that Eliot had made and while conversation still turned to Happy's good news for the most part, it eventually came around to the point of Leverage's visit to the garage.
"About yesterday, Caldwell has been charged, and with the evidence that you guys provided, the district attorney thinks it will be a slam dunk." Cabe smiled and gave Walter a pat on the back.
"Good to hear." Hardison smiled. "I don't know what you had planned today but I could use a little help patching the backdoors into the banks that were hacked." Hardison looked at Walter, Ralph, and Sly.
"I'm sure with all of us working together we can cut down the time it would take exponentially." Walter smiled as he rose from the table.
That seemed to be the cue for everyone to disburse and before long it was only Eliot and Cabe left at the table.
"That was quite the meal you put on." Cabe commented as he got up to refill his coffee. He held the carafe up in invitation and Eliot nodded. Cabe refilled Eliot's cup returned the carafe and took up a seat closer to Eliot. "I wouldn't have guessed a guy like you would be interested in cooking. No offense."
"None taken." Eliot blew across his coffee. "It's a way to remember that my hands can be used to do good things."
They sat for a moment seemingly enjoying the quiet. Cabe sipped his coffee. "I can't thank you enough for what you did for Happy. If you hadn't stepped in, she would have lost the baby and possibly a lot more."
"That's my job." Eliot shrugged. "I'm glad she's okay."
"Speaking of… How are you doing this morning? From what Toby said you oughtta be in the hospital not walking around cooking breakfast for everyone."
"Told you, how we handle things is our business, but I'm fine, really."
"That picture of you on the wanted poster; Homeland ran it before I could stop them."
Eliot nodded. He'd expected that.
"It identified the man in the picture as Eliot Spencer, Special Forces, killed in action."
Eliot couldn't help the smirk. "Yep."
"You look pretty good for a guy that's been dead for over twenty years."
"Thanks."
~~o0o~~
Paige had settled on the couch while all the computer nerds huddled around Walter's desk. It made her happy to see Walter and Ralph so happy. And knowing that Happy and Toby were expecting just added an extra glow to what was shaping up to be a really good day.
Quinn couldn't help himself as he followed Paige and sat on the couch next to her. He and his Pack would be leaving LA soon and he wasn't sure he'd ever see Paige again. So he told himself that it couldn't hurt anything if he spent just a little more time with her.
Toby had boosted himself up to sit on one of Happy's workbenches where he could observe everyone else in the room and still be close to Happy.
"What are you seeing Doc?" Happy asked when she saw Toby frowning at Paige and Quinn.
"Have you noticed anything about those two?"
"Sure, Quinn follows the waitress around like a lost puppy and for whatever reason she and Walter haven't set him straight yet."
"Yah, but it's more than that. Look at their facial structure, and their mannerisms, there's more going on here than we're being told."
"Like what?"
Toby slid off of the bench. "I think I'm going to follow a hunch."
"That's exactly the kind of thing that got you in trouble with the mob." Happy frowned.
