Author´s note:

My muses are meaning well with me these days, I should make use of it while it lasts… here´s the next chapter for you, guys.

Guest: Hehe, well, good thing I could comply there, then. :)

LoreneMichelle41: Hehe, good. Great to read you enjoy :D

Apollonialust: Thanks for the long comment / feedback and thanks for your kind words. :) Jake isn´t my favourite either, not at all actually, which is why I am trying to bring this antagonist to life a bit here, because I believe exposing his thoughts will make him even more calculating and less likeable, yet humanize him in a way which is an interesting thing to explore as a writer.

Guest: well that would kind of ruin a cliffhanger a bit, would it not? ;)

Jennkyle: Heh, thanks. :) And in this chapter you´ll find out, promise. ;)

Umusarah: Thank you. :) Why revenge…I figured there would be two reasons: one, the thing he puts forwards in his thoguts and that is similar to the monologue Eli gave Fitz once, that he is allegedly a spoiled brat who never had to really work had for anything. The second though is Liv, because he knows deep inside it´s Fitz she loves and that makes him jealous.

Chapter 10 - Favours

There was no clear strategy on what to do first, where to go first. She had left the States in a rush weeks ago, but she was certain that her belongings had been tended to. Part of it had already been shipped to Vienna, the apartment had mostly been furnished already when she had rented it – yes, rented, not bought as some might have thought, because even though she could have afforded it, it had always seemed too limiting to her. Buy property…maybe later. And when later came, there had been another thing possible. Why buy an apartment in the District when there was a daydream involving real estate in Vermont? A naïve thought and in a way she had always known that, but keeping herself from investing into an apartment or house of her own had been a strange kind of luxury she had been intent on keeping. And probably that had made it easier for the place to be rented out again. Olivia was certain her father had taken care of it. As a consequence there literally was no home to come back to. For now. It would have to be hotels for starters. But then again that was a small worry for did she really know yet how to proceed? Where to stay? If to stay and how long? No. It would all have to depend on little things.

And therefore hotels it was again. She allowed herself a more posh one, now that she was hoping an ocean between her and Jake, one that was not too far away from Pennsylvania Avenue, because strangely and irrationally enough that felt safe. She had no idea how things would work out, how Fitz would react or if she would even be able to see him. After all, he was not exactly the type of person where you could simply ring the front door or stroll through a garden gate. She would have to work her old channels. Pull a few old strings that she didn´t really know whether or not to trust too much but that were unavoidable.

A heavy, somewhat fatalist sigh and she looked up, seeing into the face she had known for years now before he sat down next to her on the park bench. In front of them, the reflecting pool was peaceful, touched by the light of the late morning, tourists taking pictures. For a moment, Cyrus just looked straight ahead, hands buried in the pockets of his trench coat and neither of them spoke. At least he had acted on her call.

"I don´t know what to think about this now to be honest."

"It´s complicated, Cy."

"Oh, isn´t it always with you?"

"Cy…"

"You really can´t blame me for pointing this out."

"How is he doing?"

He gave a joyless chortle. "Much of the answer to that is classified you know."

"Cyrus."

"How do you think he´s doing?" His voice sounded sharper than he had probably intended. "He just lost his child and there are moments when I think he´s giving things up altogether."

"Like not making a call that was already scheduled."

"Look, Liv, I have no idea…"

"I´m just piecing things together here. Classified I know. I just watched the news."

Another sigh, then he turned towards her just a bit more, edged just a little closer, waited for a group of tourists to stroll by before continuing. "He is holding on to things. Barely. But he´ll get a grip of himself. Now if you´re asking me to arrange a date for the two of you, I am not willing to watch him lose his senses again altogether because you come here after disappearing and mess him up again."

"I am actually here to fix a few things."

"Well, you sure have a funny way to do that then, Liv. Because I, too, know how to piece things together and I have the strong suspicion that his mood yesterday evening was heavily influenced by maybe another phone call he had that better shouldn´t have happened."

Now it was her turn to sigh. "I really need to see him, Cy. I owe him." Where had the times gone, she wondered, how badly had things turned for this scene to feel strangely like some upside down déjà vu, where were the times when he had come to her and she had strut away with a wry smirk, knowing Cy would arrange things how she wanted it, because the President of the United States would come to her if he wanted something. But she stopped herself, reminding herself that this had been just the kind of thing she had run away from. Being the centre of things. Being the problem that needed fixing. She guessed that even now she wasn´t doing that too well.

"I trust it you two have something worked out, why not use that? Phones, I am sure you got his number." There had been times that she truly longed for sometimes, even though even those memories were tainted with betrayal and crime, with lies and guilt. Times when her and Cy had been able to laugh together like friends, even times when they had just admitted together, in unison, that something had gone wrong with the world, something had happened to them that had turned them into twisted, manipulative creatures, fallen too far from grace maybe to be saved. But right now, Cy just sounded strained, wary. Just like he always was these days around her, knowing what she did to him, what effect, what influence she meant on his friend and boss.

"I tried that. He won´t answer."

"Well, you do know what I think of all this, Liv..what I´ve always thought of it since I walked in on you all these years back."

Silence fell again.

"I just…need to talk to him. Not to mess things up Cy, but to fix them."

He got to his feet, turned, regarded her. "I am not sure there's much that I can do, Liv. Or should."

"Please try."

He gave her another long look, never giving an answer, and then walked away leaving her back at square one. Of course, she thought. Of course it would not be that easy. But the humiliation that came with begging for an appointment, it stung. There had been times when…but those, those were just the times that had led to trouble. And the times she missed more than anything else. Times when things would work out.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

There were times when things just worked out so smoothly, pieces falling into place with soft clicks, one by one, creating a picture that showed just what brilliant architect had created it, with patience and skill. Eli loved these moments. There had been one, recently, when Olivia had asked about the plane and another, when the president had given him his old job back. And now there was another of those wonderful glorious moments when everything, to the tiniest detail, worked his way just ever so perfectly.

The room was bare apart from a single wooden chair set up towards the back, another near where he was standing and a stereotypical lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Several floors underground the square grey concrete room was made to swallow screams and had before, had proven helpful. Maybe it would again. No windows, one steel door.

Eli pulled his chair closer and sat down on it, resting his elbows on his knees he leant forward slightly, regarding the man before him for a few seconds. He wondered if the other had already figured out who his kidnappers were working for. He had been out for about an hour, would have been, but the sedative had lengthened that time period a bit, had woken up with a rather nasty cut on his temple and a black hood over his head, the kind they used in countries that openly, not covertly used torture and these kinds of hoods to veil the faces of the ones that were executed to their slaughterers. But this was America after all. Work like that was hidden. Nobody on the surface to get their hands dirty. The hands that signed contracts and treaties against torture, for spreading democracy, for widening liberties, those hands did not like doing the dirty work. That was for his kind to do, but this would be one of the time, Elis told himself, he would enjoy it. And if nothing else, right now he could always justify he was merely executing favours. Of course, it was and always had been up to his own interpretation and goodwill how to execute these. His thoughts went back to a phone call he had had the other night.

The voice on the other end he knew too well and when he had replied, he had put on the neutrality he had learned to enact around the man who had never deserved his daughter.

"What an honour, Mr President."

"I need a favour." Fitzgerald Grant had said.

"I´m all ears." He had been indeed, leaning back in his chair.

"I want someone on the no fly list. Effective right now. I know you can arrange that." He had said the name of the man who was now sitting before Eli. "I don´t want him on American soil."

Eli had smiled. Interesting developments. He had known that Jake was with his daughter and while he had not particularly approved, it felt good to listen between the lines of what the President was saying. Maybe he knew Olivia had not left the US alone and this was the other man´s boyish kind of revenge. The alleged most powerful man in the world and he´d have to delegate such things. To people, Eli knew, that he thought he could trust. That was just another pleasant side effect of the unpleasant but necessary thing that had happened a few weeks earlier. It was a pity for the young life, but it had felt good to watch the boy-man suffer. It had felt right. The lord giveth and the lord taketh he had told the president after he had buried his son, and the other man had had no idea that he was implying at his own hands in the game. Grant had, since he had put him back on his old job, blindly, childishly trusted him. Much to Eli´s own advantage.

He had had half a mind though to actually follow the president´s order. Put Ballard on the no-fly list, just keep him out of the way. After all, he had been Command and nobody ever stopped being Command. Ballard might believe B316 dissolved but if he came back and noticed it was not…well, Eli had little interest in some unnecessary power struggle he knew he would win. But this wasn´t just about his personal agenda. This was about treason. As long as he was outside of the country, safely tucked away in the EU there was no getting at Ballard, but the man´s decision to fly home for whatever reason had put him back into Eli´s grasp. Yes, indeed, things were working out well.

Eli gave a nod to the man standing behind Jake´s chair. Wordlessly, the man took the hood off Ballard´s head, making him blink against the glare of the bleak light bulb. The cut didn´t look good and the cuffs added to an image of misery, but Eli felt no pity. He just felt anger.

"That´s unexpected," Jake groaned, clearly he probably had one hell of a headache.

"Oh is it?" Eli asked, leaning back in his chair. "What do you make of this situation, Jake?"

"Why don´t you tell me?"

There was no smile on Eli´s face. "Nobody ever stops being Command." he said, his voice a dangerously low rumble. "And that includes that treason is out of the question." A pause. "There is a whole lot of material missing, Jake. Folders. Information about operations. Things, you know, I would not like to see in hands where they don´t belong which is any but yours or mine. We both know that, I trust. You´re a clever guy after all."

There was the trace of a joyless smirk on the younger man´s face.

"Is this a vendetta?" he asked.

"No. This is justice. This is punishment for treason which you still have the possibility to weaken. I might not hurt you quite as much. Where are the folders, Jake?"

The younger man gave a cough that sounded a bit painful.

"What." he then said. "you want to put me back in the hole?"

"I fear it´s otherwise occupied." Eli replied coldly. "But believe me I am quite resourceful. It would not be very wise of you to test me, Jake. So…" he edged a little closer. "I am sure you can give me a name. A place. A locker key. Anything, Jake."

He felt stared at, that was all he got now. Then: "My flying here has been registered. People will notice my absence."

"Oh will they? Like last time? We both know that´s nonsense. And officially you´re now on the no-fly list, my friend. Orders from the very top. I wonder why. Just the same as I am wondering. About. Those. Folders." He took his time, enunciating every single one of those last words carefully.

"We have been through this." he said. "You know I don´t break easily."

A cruel chuckle. Yes, Eli thought, he clearly had this situation under control. "But break you will I am sure."

Jake tucked on his cuff briefly, chortled. "is this some kind of personal revenge? Because I was with her? Olivia? Because of the things I could tell you about her?"

Eli laughed a joyless laugh. "Oh, I have had a discussion just like this one before, with another man, with me being on the worse side of the game and that argument I won, don´t doubt for a second I´ll win this one, too. I know perfectly well where my daughter is. Where she ought to be, on the other side of the Atlantic and the same goes to you because you, my friend, made a grave mistake by giving this information away and now it´s time to pay for it."

He had hoped his words to be threatening but to his mild irritation the other man almost seemed to smile. "You know perfectly well where she is?" Jake´s voice was dangerously low. Probably there was some fear mixed into it because he knew Eli was serious about his threats, but a good amount of it, was satisfaction and what Jake said next, sent his mind reeling. "When was the last time you checked, old man?"