A/N I'm down to the wire with this one, but I wrote a little story based on Toby Keith's Christmas song, "Blame it on the Mistletoe"...it kinda snowballed at the end so I don't know exactly how I feel about it.
I own nothing.
Eliot was about ten seconds away from causing a scene. He had been in line for the better part of a half hour. Patience was not something Eliot Spencer has an abundance of, especially at the grocery store. He just wanted to make himself some dinner and hide away until this stupid holiday was over. Christmas was a weird time for him. He had a lot to memories of Christmas growing up. His family was close. However, the path his life had led him down wasn't conducive to him going home for the holidays anymore. He loved his family and had his own method of keeping in touch, but he would never put them at risk by returning. The team had tried to pull together some kind of holiday celebration, but it just wasn't the same. Nate and Sophie were very into each other, and Hardison was obsessed with Parker. It just left him feeling like a fifth wheel and in the way.
He took a deep breath and unclenched his fists. The line was moving, albeit slowly. The woman in front of him dropped her box of tissues. Eliot deftly scooped the box off the ground and handed it back to her. The small brunette smiled back at him and cocked her head to the side.
"It's Eliot, isn't it?" she checked. For a brief moment, the hairs on the back of Eliot's neck stood on end, trying to figure out how she knew him. "Lorelei, Sophie's friend," she added. He nodded. Sophie had brought her to the bar a couple times. Sophie was really the only one that had friends in the Boston area. The rest of the team were pretty much loners. They didn't see a need to communicate with outsiders. "I hate this time of the year; it makes every store a nightmare. I overspend on stupid things. I still haven't found most of the things I need," she sighed. Eliot chuckled.
"I have it easy. I just don't participate," he shrugged. She sent him an odd look. "My family is not real close and I don't have many friends," he explained.
Their light conversation continued until they finally made it through the seemingly endless line. They started out towards the parking lot.
"Where are you parked?" Eliot wondered, scanning for anything suspicious. Force of habit.
"Oh, I walked. I only live a few block from here," she mentioned.
"I'd be more than happy to give you a ride home," he offered.
"Are you sure?" she checked.
"Yeah, I have nothing frozen and nowhere else to be. I can run you home real quick," he smiled. He led her to his truck and helped her in the passenger's side. He pulled his coat tighter around him as he walked back to the driver's side. The wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping. There was no way he could've let Lorelei walk home in this weather. At least that's what he reasoned. It had nothing to do with the fact that she made waiting in line suck less and he actually enjoyed their conversation. Or that he was looking for an excuse to spend more time with her.
The drive was short, less than a mile and Eliot was sad to see it end. He was desperately trying to come up with something to say. He was never nervous around women when he was on a job.
"You wanna come in for coffee or something?" she offered, saving him.
"Sure," he smiled. He slowly followed after her, up the stairs and down the hall, all the while surveying the unfamiliar building. Lorelei shifted her bags as she unlocked the door. Her eyes flicked up as the door opened, revealing a small sprig of mistletoe. Eliot looked up as well. He couldn't fight the grin the crawled across his face. He threaded a hand through her hair and gently kissed her. She let her bags fall to the floor and fisted his jacket. He backed her against the doorjamb and deepened the kiss.
"Stay for dinner?" Lorelei breathed when they finally broke apart.
"Only if you let me cook," he grinned.
"Who am I to refuse that kind of an offer?" she laughed. "Let me run back to my truck and I'll whip us something up," he decided giving her another quick kiss before taking off down the hall.
"So, just make yourself at home, I'm going to work on my Christmas tree. Let me know if you need anything," Lorelei instructed. Eliot smiled and hooked an arm around her waist. He gave her another kiss.
"Dinner will be ready in a half hour," he informed.
Eliot approached the tree with a glass of wine in each hand. The food was finishing up in the oven and all he had to do was wait.
"Here you go, darlin'" he drawled offering her the glass.
"You scared me," she laughed.
"Sorry, I figured you could use something to drink," he shrugged.
"Who couldn't this time of year?" she joked. Eliot gave her a look of agreement.
"It smells wonderful in here, what are you making?" she wondered.
"That's a surprise," he smiled.
They sat down to dinner and shared more conversation. Eliot only shared vague details about his life and work while Lorelei told him everything about herself. He didn't mind though, he enjoyed hearing her talk. After dinner, they both shared the dish duty. Lorelei disappeared into the living room as Eliot put the final dishes away.
"Lore?" he called when he heard the Christmas music come on. "Darlin?" he tried again when she didn't answer. Finally, Lorelei came around the corner and dropped a Santa hat on his head.
"Hey!" he protested, pulling the hat off. The last time he'd worn a Santa hat was for that job. He made a face at the memory.
"Something wrong?" she wondered.
"No, I...just don't wear hats," he lied.
"Too bad, you're going to wear this one," she stated, taking it from his hand and putting it back on his head. He gave her look. "There, Eliot, the Christmas Edition," she laughed. He just shook his head. "Here, hang this," she added, handing him an ornament. Eliot carefully took the snowman and studied him for a moment. "You...don't mind...do you?" Lorelei asked, more tentative than she'd been since she asked if he would stay for dinner. She suddenly realized he might have other plans. She had already monopolized his evening.
"Not at all," Eliot grinned. The continued that way until the tree was heavy with ornaments. "So are you going to have a Christmas party or something?" he asked, looking around at all the decorations.
"No, a few friends may stop by between now and the holidays, but that's a about it," she answered.
"Then why do it?" he wondered.
"For Me," she shrugged.
"It's my own little piece of holiday cheer. I can look around at the tree and the decorations and remember Christmas as a kid and the innocence of it. This way I stay tucked away from the over commercialism in the outside world," she explained. Eliot nodded slowly, that made sense. He hadn't decorated for Christmas since he could remember. He always told himself it would be pointless since he was always on the run and never stayed in the same place for long. He didn't know what his excuse was for the last few years, though. He had lived in the same apartment since the Leverage team decided to make a go of it. He realized he didn't decorate for the same reasons she did decorate. He didn't want to remember Christmas as a kid. It was one of the few things he missed about normal living, but like he told Parker once, he wasn't like everyone else, he wasn't better or worse because of that, but it meant a normal life wasn't for him. "Will you help me with the star?" she changed the subject when she noticed he had slipped into his inner musings. He smiled and grabbed her by the waist to lift her towards the top of the tree. He brought her down slowly and turned her to face him. Everything else seemed to evaporate as their eyes met. She locked her legs around his waist and pulled the silly hat off his head. Her fingers gripped the back of his head as they met for a kiss. Eliot carried her to the couch. He set her down and climbed on top of her. Lorelei reached down towards his belt and fisted his thermal shirt. She tugged on it until it came out of his jeans. She wrapped her arms around him and slid her hands up the back of his shirt. He gasped as her cold hands touched his skin. He broke their kiss.
"You ok?" she breathed,
"Yeah, your hands are cold," he chuckled, pulling his shirt over his head.
"Sorry," she murmured, leaning up to kiss him again. Eliot sat up on his knees; he blew his hair out of his face. A few strands had fallen out of his ponytail.
"Take it down," Lorelei requested. He sent her a crooked grin and removed his ponytail and shaking his hair out. Lorelei studied him for a moment. He was beautiful in that rough, scruffy, sexy way. Her eyes danced across his pronounced biceps, pecks, and abs. He obviously devoted a lot to time to keeping his body trim and in shape. She noticed his skin was marred with scars and faded bruises. For a brief second, she wondered just what Eliot Spencer did. She was about to ask, but Eliot gently gripped her shoulders and pulled her towards him. He moved so she was now straddling his hips. She pulled her soft sweater off, leaving her in only a cami. Eliot's calloused hands found their way up her back. She arched into his touch. He looked up at her with heavy lidded eyes and a lazy grin.
"Come here darlin'." he urged. She smiled and carded her fingers through his hair as she leaned forward. He slid his hands across her back to wrap his arms tightly around her. Lorelei bit down on his bottom lip before pulling away from yet another kiss.
Eventually, Lorelei settled between Eliot's side and the back of the couch. She stroked her hand over his chest. He controlled his breathing as her hand set every one of his nerve endings on fire. He wasn't used to cutting himself off after a heavy make out session. Nothing like leaving the motor running. He was far too much of a gentleman to take this girl to bed after only one night. He wanted to, badly, but she wasn't like the other girls he normally kept company with. There is a very real chance he could run into her again. Most of the other girls were women he'd met on jobs and they were either grifters who weren't using their real names or whatever girl he'd picked up at the bar after his celebratory drink. He shifted so her body slid even further to the side so her thigh was no longer draped across his crotch applying unnecessary pressure to parts that needed no more pressure. As her leg slid across his body, he had to bite back a groan.
"You ok?" she asked as she felt him tense and watched the goose bumps erupt on his chest. The goose bumps were replaced by a blush coloring his skin up into his neck.
"Yeah, just getting more comfortable," he responded dismissively.
"We can move off the couch," she suggested, drawing a circle over his sternum with her finger. He chuckled. That sounded like such a good idea. There was just something about this girl that was stopping him. He was taken with her in a way that wasn't normal for him. He didn't know if it was the honesty or the innocence of it. Or maybe it was just their chance encounter during the holiday season with the added mistletoe cliché that made this seem almost magical.
"This is good…cozy," he commented, kissing her hair.
"Who are you, Eliot Spencer?" she wondered. Eliot looked down and met her eyes.
"Well darlin', I think you answered that question, Eliot Spencer," he answered matter of factly. She swatted his chest.
"That's not what I meant. I feel like I've talked all about myself and you have said very little," she pointed out.
"You know I work with Sophie," he replied.
"Yes, and I know from you accent, you're not from around here," she added. "What exactly do you and Sophie do? She never really says," she continued.
"I'm from Kentucky," he started. "We work for a consulting firm, kinda a last chance for people in trouble," he explained vaguely. "We help people," he smiled with an odd sense of pride that was still new to him after years on the team.
"That's not a real informative answer," she laughed.
"There is a lot of confidentiality involved," he explained.
"I see, well tell me something else about you, what do you like to do?" Lorelei pressed on.
"I like to cook and…fight…" he trailed off. That wasn't really the best answer.
"Fight?" she was intrigued.
"For exercise, stress relief, ya know?" Eliot played it off. He was not about to admit that's what he did for a living.
"So like martial arts, or boxing, or…?" she wondered.
"A little bit of everything. I was in a service for awhile so I've had a bit of formal training," he let on just a little. Lorelei nodded and kissed his neck. He let out a husky laugh. Her hand snaked up to toy with his hair. She curled herself further into his side.
"Are you cold?" he wondered. He was comfortable, but he was typically warm natured.
"A little bit," she admitted. Eliot reached out and grabbed the edge of his thermal shirt, strewn across the coffee table. "Here," he offered. She sat up and pulled the shirt over her head. Eliot immediately noticed the loss of contact. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. She laughed and captured his lips in a kiss. She tucked her head under his chin and intertwined her legs with his. Eliot gently stroked her hair. It wasn't long before he noticed she had fallen asleep.
When Eliot woke, he was alone. Just liked when he woke up in the middle of the night, an immediate feeling of panic overcame him. As soon as he realized where he was, it subsided. He was still at Lorelei's. He blinked until the Christmas lights came into focus. He noticed Lorelei wrapping presents next to the tree. She was still in his shirt, but had changed out of her jeans and into a pair of flannel pajama pants.
"Hey you," she smiled.
"What time is it?" he croaked, his voice still plagued with sleep. He scrubbed a hand over his face.
"Early, I was going to let you sleep," she replied.
"Don't worry about it, I usually only sleep for about ninety minutes. I think I got four times that much last night," Eliot mentioned, standing up from the couch, and stretching his arms over his head.
"Only because I held you hostage," she chuckled. Eliot knelt next to her and kissed her cheek.
"Not necessarily a bad thing," he pointed out. She was right; he was figuring he would spend a quiet night at home. But this really wasn't a bad alternative. Lorelei blushed and focused on the present she was wrapping.
"You should look outside, we got quite a bit of snow last night," she noted. Eliot stood and went to the window. There had to be at least a foot out there.
"Well, I'm glad I didn't let you walk home," he replied when he felt her walk up next to him. He pulled her into his side and kissed her hair
"El…" she whispered. He looked down at her and noticed she was pointing at the ceiling. The mistletoe that was above the front door was now hanging from the window sill. He leaned in an kissed her slowly.
"Lore, you don't have to use mistletoe to get me to kiss you," he chuckled.
"Don't I?" she challenged. Eliot cocked an eyebrow at her. "I don't think you would have ever considered kissing me it that hadn't been hanging there," she pointed out,
"Oh, I thought about it," he admitted, accepting the challenge.
"Yeah, but that's it, you would have kissed me goodbye. You never would have stayed. There is something about who you are and what you do that you can't share with me, and that's fine," she added dismissively. Eliot tensed. He knew she was one hundred percent correct, but he wasn't used to people catching onto his play.
"Lorelei…" he started.
"Eliot, it's ok. You're sweet and…sexy and one hell of a cook, but I want something permanent and I don't think I can get that from you. This was great, really great. In fact you probably made this one of the best Christmas seasons I've had in a long time, but this was nothing more than the magic of mistletoe and the holidays or whatever," she continued. Eliot nodded. Blame it on the mistletoe, he thought to himself. He liked Lorelei, but he knew he wasn't in a position to give her what she wanted, nor did he really want that himself. He liked his life and his playboy tendencies, but at the same time he didn't want to hurt her. To be honest, he was somewhat relieved she said something. This way he wouldn't have to be the bad guy down the road. He wouldn't feel so guilty when she asked him to call sometime and him never having any intention to call.
"So…what does that mean?" he wondered, starting to piece together where all of his things were if she asked him to leave. She fisted the waistband of his jeans and tugged him back towards her. His eyes widened.
"We enjoy it while it lasts," she grinned. Eliot shrugged and made a face that said 'sure, why not'. She slid her free hand into his hair and pulled his mouth down to hers for a kiss. She pressed her body against his and took his earlobe between her teeth. "You're not that hard to figure out. Someone like you wouldn't be single if he didn't want to be," she noted. A laugh rolled through his body. She had a point. Lorelei's hand slipped between them and undid his fly. Her hand grabbed for his underwear and he pulled away.
"Hey, wait…" he stammered.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"We…I…we can't…" he objected.
"Why not, don't you know how?" she teased.
"Darlin', trust me, I know how," he mentioned with a wolfish grin.
"Then why not?" she wondered, batting her eyelashes for effect.
"Because I…you…" he couldn't get out exactly what he wanted to say.
"Because you think I am a sweet girl you don't want to hurt?" she assumed.
"Uh yeah, wait, how do you know Sophie?" he was stilled for a moment. She seemed to know everything before he said it. He was beginning to wonder if she was a grifter as well.
"We go to the same nail salon," she provided. "I'm not sure what that has to do with anything," she added impatiently.
"Just curious," he shrugged, but was now convinced Lorelei was not a grifter. Her facial expression gave it away. A grifter wouldn't be that easy to read.
"Now, back to me wanting these pants off of you," Lorelei reminded. He gave her a look that said they shouldn't. She really thought it was sweet that he was trying to be a gentleman, but right now the only thing she wanted him to do was anything but gentlemanly. She decided to take matters into her own hands. She let go of him and pulled his shirt over her head. With it came the cami she had been wearing the night before. Eliot swallowed thickly at the sight of her in only a bra and her low slung pajama pants. She reached for him again, sliding her arms around his waist and shoving her hands down the back of his jeans, sending them to the floor. "Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl," she smiled sweetly. Eliot shook his head, he couldn't believe this was the stressed out girl he picked up at the grocery store the previous afternoon. Then again, she was Sophie's friend and he knew all about how people are rarely what they seem. "Plus, I already know you're going to leave, so I might as well get as much use out of you while I can," she laughed. He rolled his eyes.
"First you hold me hostage, then you take advantage of me," he mused, scoping her up bridal style and starting towards the bedroom. He figured if you can't beat them join them. She squealed in surprise and broke into laughter.
Eliot didn't leave until the following afternoon. He was sure he would have been there longer had she not had to work the following day. They passed the time tangled in the sheets and talking over meals in bed when they were too hungry to continue their activities. As Eliot departed he kissed her once more under the mistletoe. They had fun in their time together, but they both knew it was nothing more than two lonely people swayed by the holiday mystique.
On Christmas a few days later, Lorelei found a small package on her doorstep. Inside was a necklace with a small silver mistletoe pendant and a note:
Thanks for the best Christmas I've had in awhile. Blame it on the mistletoe. –El
She smiled to herself and clipped the necklace on. She looked up at the mistletoe above the window and laughed. She would never see it the same again.