Eliot in jail. Faith didn't like the sound of that, and added one more mark to her mental tally of how much pain she was going to dish out to Lindsey MacDonald, Attorney at Law when she finally caught up with him.

After greetings had been exchanged, Sophie had declared her intention to continue on to the police station and see what she could do for the hitter. "We're supposed to be receiving further instructions," Nate said by way of explanation. Faith could tell how little her father thought of the situation.

"Who called you?" he asked, as soon as Sophie had left and the two of them were alone again.

Faith flopped down on the sofa and put her boots up on the coffee table. "You should have," she said reproachfully. "The second you knew old W & H was setting up shop in your backyard." She'd always enjoyed how protective Nate got about her safety, but Faith knew now she'd have to put a stop to it if it meant Nate was going to keep putting her safety above his. "I'm the superhero, Nate – not you."

Her father bristled predictably at that. "I didn't think we needed a superhero," he said. "There was nothing to indicate that Wolfram & Hart opening up a branch office had anything to do with us."

"Yeah," Faith drawled, "how's that working out for you?" Point made, she sobered. "Nobody called me. Okay, Xander called me – but it didn't involve Eliot getting his ass tossed in jail as part of some big conspiracy."

"And Parker and Hardison getting taken out of the press conference by vampires," Nate admitted.

Faith blinked. "After we're through kicking Eliot's twin back to hell, you and I are so having a talk about job responsibilities. You call me the second someone even starts saying the word 'vampire' in your hearing." She was grateful that her father was finally starting to look embarrassed, but that did nothing to bank off the frustration now washing through her. "Dammit, Nate!"

He sighed. "You're here now. And if you can help me figure a way out of this mess, I will promise to do whatever you tell me I need to do in the future."

Lindsey's first concession to vulnerability came once he'd reached the safety of his car. He dry-swallowed three ibuprofen tablets, and said a silent prayer of thanks to whatever force was watching that Eliot's punch hadn't broken his jaw. It had gone against every instinct Lindsey had to stand still and wait for the blow to connect, but he'd had to make it look good for the reporters and the police.

He made a mental note to get a copy of whatever footage made it to the evening news that night.

This shouldn't have been necessary, he thought, shoving back a small surge of guilt. The old Eliot wouldn't have needed to be played like this. The old Eliot would have needed a phone call and some knowledge of what payment he could expect.

And to be kept informed, he remembered. I always made sure he knew everything he needed to know. The deals he'd pulled Eliot in on had never been lily white, but it was a point of pride for Lindsey that he'd never once double-crossed his twin when it came to a job. Cost me big too.

Eliot was family, though, and Lindsey's responsibility. Even if he'd sometimes made calls on Eliot's behalf that his twin hadn't agreed with, he'd always made them with Eliot's best interests in mind.

He didn't like what his brother's association with Nathan Ford had twisted him into.

He didn't like it at all.

His executive assistant was waiting for him when he arrived back at the offices twenty minutes later. "They're here, sir," he said, falling immediately into step with Lindsey as they crossed the lobby. "We took them straight to the barracks level, and the team you assigned is helping them get settled."

And that would be the other pain in my ass, Lindsey thought. Out loud he said, "Get hold of Peters. I want to know where Faith Lehane is right this second." He stopped so suddenly that his assistant drew back a step. "Tell him that if she's not already in Boston or on her way, I will expect his resignation on my desk by close of business tonight."

"Your lawyer's here," the guard called.

Eliot was only marginally surprised to see Sophie walk in behind the guard on duty. He rolled to his feet and met her at the bars. "Figured it was gonna be Nate," he said.

"Your brother gave specific orders that we return to the loft and 'wait for further instructions'" Sophie said – clearly annoyed. "With Parker and Hardison out of the way…"

Eliot sighed. "He's playing you guys, Sophie. Lindsey's rules are set up so that he's the only winner – you play by them, and he'll take you every time."

Smiling ruefully, Sophie gestured at the bars separating them. "Like when you punched him in the face?"

"Yeah, well, I'm outta practice," Eliot admitted. "Hard enough dealing with him being alive, let alone being as much of an asshole as he used to be." He paused. "If you guys have a plan for getting to Parker and Hardison, you need to let me know what it is. Lindsey's offered a deal, but I don't want to take it if I don't have to."

Sophie's concern was immediate and obvious. "What is it?"

Eliot shrugged. "Just a meeting about a job they want me to do. It's not a big deal, Soph – he's playing softball right now. This is our chance to get on top of this thing – before he tightens up his game."

"Well, the game may have changed somewhat," Sophie said thoughtfully. "Faith showed up just before I left, and she did not appear happy that we tried to exclude her."

Eliot exhaled sharply. He could tell Sophie was relieved to have the extra firepower, but he would have felt better if they'd managed to keep the Slayer out of things for a while longer. Girl's crazy, he reminded himself. You can't trust crazy.

"Get me out of here," he said finally, making his decision. "Whatever we can pull off. Lindsey's expecting to let me stew for at least a couple hours, possibly all night. Having Faith in the fight definitely improves our chances of getting Parker and Hardison back, and then we've stolen back his so-called 'leverage'."

"Assuming we can figure out where he's holding them," Sophie said.

Eliot grinned at her. "I know exactly where he's holding them."

"How?"

Eliot remembered his twin's smirk. "The arrogant sonofabitch told me."

He'd insisted on cooking, once they'd heard from Sophie and knew that she was working on getting Eliot out. Faith sat at the counter and watched Nate putting together the ingredients for an omelet like he'd been doing it all his life. "The things you learn about people," she said, smiling at him. "I figured you for the take out type."

Nate poured the mixture he'd prepared into a skillet, and added ingredients from different bowels he'd set beside the stove. "Prison kitchen and a good imagination," he admitted. "Once you know the basics, the rest is easy."

He glanced up at her. "What'd they have you do? You were in what…four years?"

Faith did the math in her head. "'Bout that, yeah." It wasn't exactly the sort of bonding experience she'd expected to ever share with Nate, but as long as he was comfortable talking about it, Faith figured she could indulge him. "Mostly, they had me keep out of everybody's way." She sighed. "Lots of psych evaluations, lots of behavioral rehab…mostly they just wanted to make sure I didn't provoke the other inmates."

Nate exhaled softly. "I'm sorry. I forgot your experience was so much different than mine." He winced. "I didn't think."

She waved him off. "Not so different. I'm betting where they had you they didn't let the murderers in the kitchen either."

That got a smile, as she'd intended. Peace restored, Nate divided the omelet between two plates, and passed one to her. "You never told me why you're here," he said. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I get the sense this isn't just a normal visit."

Faith chewed the first bite of her food and swallowed. "Got a call from Slayer HQ," she said. "We've had a little over a hundred girls drop out of sight in the past two weeks. Most of them were borderline cases to begin with, which technically makes them my responsibility."

"All by yourself?" Nate asked.

She smiled at him. "It's okay, Pops. Part of the job description." She took another bite, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "I was hoping Hardison could give me some idea where to start. Now that I know W & H is setting up shop here in town, however…"

"You think they've recruited these Slayers?" Nate asked.

Faith shrugged. "Not impossible. Most of these girls didn't ask for this gig, and the power makes them a little crazy. Somebody like Wolfram & Hart comes along, offers them money…direction…" She smiled bitterly. "It can look really sweet." Memories of her own experiences with the evil law firm crowded close.

Nate reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. Faith blinked back tears, grateful that he didn't do any more than that. Every time she allowed some of the truth of who she was to slip out and Nate didn't dismiss or reject it was a gift that she'd never expected to have for herself.

The moment was shattered when the door to the apartment opened, and Eliot and Sophie came in. "We're back!" Sophie called.

Faith pivoted on her stool and saw Eliot standing just behind Sophie. "You're late," she said, trying to mask the fact that her stomach had tightened quite pleasantly at the sight of him.

"Family obligation," Eliot shot back. He and Sophie joined them at the breakfast counter. "You know what a bitch those can be." He bumped lightly against her shoulder. "Glad to see you."

"Glad to be seen," Faith returned, hastily taking another bite of her omelet, and deliberately avoiding her father's glare. Her…thing…with Eliot had been the first set of boundaries Faith and Nate had set in their relationship. Nate didn't approve of Faith and Eliot's interest in each other, and since Faith couldn't be in the same room with Eliot without wanting to be near him, she'd eventually told Nate point blank that he had no say in the matter.

The concession to family harmony had been that she and Eliot agreed to do what they could not to push their involvement in Nate's presence.

"Hardison and Parker are at the Seaport," Sophie said, providing a timely and welcome distraction. "Lindsey's apparently moved into the corporate suite."

"I don't know if it's the same place Angel was using," Eliot said, glancing at Faith. "He made a point of saying that it was well lit."

Faith remembered the luxury suite of rooms that she'd shared with the vampire a lifetime ago. "It is," she said. "Angel said they spent a fortune on curtains – those windows are ridiculously large." She ran the layout of the place through her mind. "Wanna go for a ride?" she asked Eliot finally. It wasn't an impossible snatch and grab on her own, but it would be nice to have the backup for a change.

"I'm driving," Eliot said. "That baby toy you call a bike isn't big enough for both of us."

"We're all going," Nate said, cutting off any reply Faith might have made. "Nobody goes anywhere without backup until we put all the pieces together."

"You're not taking on vampires," Faith said, locking eyes with her father.

Nate didn't flinch from her gaze. "Sophie and I can keep a lookout for Lindsey." He softened slightly, reaching out and touching Faith lightly on the cheek. "You don't get to manage me either, understand? This is my job, and the safety of this crew is my responsibility."

After a moment, Faith nodded. "Yeah, Pops. I get it."