"So the plan is we convince Fox that he isn't nearly as wily as he thinks he is and that with our help we can expand his client base." Nate just smiled like that was the easiest thing in the world and no one else seemed inclined to argue.

"Look I know I'm new guy but I'm going to need more details."

"Right sorry. I need to you to get into his accounts. "

"Yeah I already did that along with tracing everything back through about a dozen layers of shell companies."

"Oliver said you were good."

She smiled brightly. She wasn't good. She was the best. Okay maybe not the best but at the very least she was in the top ten. Maybe top five.

"when did you have time to do that?" Sophie asked with her with a slight hint of suspicion.

"I set up an algorithm to run after we started the run through. It's something I've used before to track far more devious people. I will need him to live access the account though to confirm I haven't missed anything."

"Okay, well then Sophie and I need to get busy. I'm thinking something simple. Something classic."

Chloe saw the glint in Sophie's eyes and guessed these two had some sort of history together.

"Elliot, I'm going to need you and our newbie to pose as Boston PD. Not patrolmen this time but I'm thinking detectives. You need to have something to invest. "

Chloe tried to hide her annoyance. She wasn't a fan of undercover work and she especially didn't like working with a stranger but if that was what needed to happen to bring Fox down them she would muddle through.

"Parker you do what you do best." Nate handed the blonde and slip of paper and she bounced up and down in place and giggled. Before heading out of the apartment.

"You two play nice now." Sophie winked at Eliot and followed Nate out the door again.

"Why is everyone always doing that?"

Elliot just shook his head and followed the rest of the team. Chloe stood alone in the apartment staring after the door.

"You coming or what?" when his head appeared in the doorway she jumped slightly before heading out the door after him.

"So this is what you guys do?" Chloe was comfortably settled behind the wheel of a police issue unmarked sedan. After a quick stop back at her hotel she looked every bit the Boston Detective. Complete with police issued handgun and badge.

"impersonate police?"

"very funny. No I mean helping David's beat their Goliath."

He nodded slightly and shifted behind the wheel. There were currently sitting outside a coffee shop in the North end of Boston. A location Mark had told them Cops frequented and Fox recruited.

"It's very admirable." Again all she got was uncomfortable silence from him. "No one is going to believe we are partners if you refuse to talk to me."

"fine lets talk." His voice was a low grumble that reminded Chloe of a Doberman. It made Chloe's pulse quicken. There was just something about him. Maybe it was the danger. She had always had a thing for the wrong men. Men with dark pasts and less than clear intentions. She was her own worst enemy when it came to relationships. Not that she wanted a relationship with Eliot. Nothing quite so complicated. She couldn't seem to get past the idea of touching him and being touched by him. The idea of those deadly hands ghosting across her skin sent warm spasms low in her core. "What did you want to talk about?"

Chloe had to pull herself out of her own head and get back in the game. Dam him and his sexual magnetism. Although perhaps if she had been on more than 2 dates on the last year she wouldn't be so needy. "I don't know. What do you and Hardison talk about?"

"He talks about computers and I ignore him."

"Well I can talk about computers but that doesn't seem necessary since you're already doing a fantastic job of ignoring me." He turned at her words and she smiled brightly at him. She could guess at his type and she understood his lack of trust. She couldn't really blame him.

Elliot glanced up just as they saw Peter Fox get out of his car and make his way towards the shop. "time to go chatty Cathy."

Chloe sighed and followed him out of the car. She stuck her shoulders back and put on her best pissed off expression. It wasn't that hard having spent the last hour in the car with a man who barely muttered half a dozen words. She wasn't sure what she was more frustrated about. His lack of participation in the conversation or that fact that although she really wanted him to use that mouth for things other than talking.

She couldn't help but admire her view as he walked ahead of her. Holding the door for her she hid her surprise. A true southern gentleman. How interesting.

As they entered the shop she pulled her glasses off and scanned the room. There were at least a half dozen cops ranging from the 3 patrolmen at the counter to the undercovers in the back corner. She tried not to laugh. Long hair and scruffy she could still spot them. It was a wonder criminals were ever fooled.

It was the same with Eliot. He could be in full uniform and she would never believe he was law. There was just something about the way he cared himself. The way he looked at things. She had no doubt he had a code that he lived by but there was no way those rules were as black and white as the law.

"Grab us a table while I get the coffee Sully." Chloe offered him a nod and made her way to the open table next to Fox. Eliot was using a fake name but she saw no point. She wouldn't be around long enough to worry about it and it wasn't that much of a stretch to have a Sullivan on the force in Boston.

She was seated and looking at her notebook when he came back carrying two coffees. She hadn't said anything about her preference. Partners would know. To tell him would be to put their cover in question so she was pleasantly surprised when he placed her favorite, tall caramel macchiato, in front of her, before sitting in the seat across from her.

"Tell me where we stand on the diamond broker case." Elliot sipped his coffee slowly.

"Same as when you asked me this morning Sam. We got nothing new and are still waiting on the warrant. " Chloe was pleasantly surprised to realize Eliot could actually play a good cop.

"This case is killing me. All that money. I can't believe people live like that." he shook his head for emphasis.

"Yeah it's crazy. Lets talk about something else. I think my brain is fried." She made a big show of closing her notebook, sitting back in her chair she crossed her legs and couldn't help but notice that Eliot's eyes strayed. "Lets talk about the boat. How does Liza feel?"

"Oh she isn't happy. Thinks I should invest it. Nest egg. You know women."

She laughed good naturedly. "Yeah, all the same, crazy."

"I'm thinking Grandpa Ian would have rather I enjoy it."

"You only think that because he was spent the last year of his life touring all the bars in Boston with various ladies whose intention were of the gold digger persuasion."

Elliot offered her a deep chuckle at her words and Chloe pushed down the surge of heat that washed over her skin at the sound. If it was fake he was better than she thought.

"Sorry but I couldn't help over hear your conversation."

Elliot immediately went on alert. Yes they wanted to reel Fox in but if they seemed to eager he would know it was a trap. "Hey buddy, you might want to head back to your table." In an overt warning Eliot pulled back his jacket and flashed his gun and badge.

"whoa. No need to get defensive. I just happen to be in a position to be able to help you." He pulled out a card and handed it to a wary Eliot. "I do financial planning."

"It wasn't that much money buddy."

"10 dollars or ten million. Doesn't really matter but it should be working for you."

He was smooth and Chloe could understand how he had gotten so many of Boston's finest to hand over their money.

"Look here's my card. Check me out, then come and see me." He handed the small piece of paper to Eliot and got up from the table and walked away.

As soon as he was out of the door Chloe turned to Eliot and smile. "He took the bait."

"Nate you get that?"

"Every word." Chloe gasped. She wasn't used to working in the field. She had completely forgotten everyone was on coms.

Eliot got up and made to leave and Chloe followed. "How did you know what coffee to get me?"

She waited until they were buckled into the car to talk again.

"Just a guess."

"It's my favorite." Eliot watched as she took another sip and the warm drink and tried not to fixate on the tiny bit of whip cream that clung to her top lip. He watched as she brought her finger up to wipe it away and then sucked it into her mouth to clean off the bit of sweetness.

He hadn't been able to get her out of his mind since she had called him on his threat in Nate's apartment. There was just something about a girl who could handle herself.

"So what are we doing next?"

"We aren't doing anything. Nate and Sophie are waiting at Fox's office, Parker is just finishing up in there and you are going back to your hotel to make sure there is no activity on his accounts."

"I already set up a remote warning program to let me know the moment he does anything. It will be sent to my phone and we should be able to trace everything. I even have our own dummy account set up with your inheritance and background stories about your windfall, tax documents, obit, everything he will be searching for. You saw him palm the receipt right? The one you paid for the drinks with the fancy new debit card I gave you? He's going to look into you and when he does he's going to find exactly what I want him too."

"Have you ever thought about a life of crime?"

"What? No. I'm the good guys like you."

He scoffed at that like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world to say.

"Whatever. My point is I have nothing to do until we make our next move and call him about all the wonderful investment ideas he has to offer you."

"Not my problem." Eliot pulled up in front of her hotel and waited for her to get out.

"Thanks for making me feel right at home." She mumbled the words under her breath as she got out of the car and made her way up to her room.

"I'm free you know. We could hang out." Chloe jumped at the voice in the com. She had to do a better job remembering that everyone was listening.

"Sounds good Parker you want to pick me up?"

"Look up" Chloe did as instructed and laughed at the sight of Parker on her roof top terrace 10 stories above the sidewalk. "You afraid of heights?"

"Not at all. Be right up." With that she walked into the hotel and over to the elevator. Stepping inside she extracted her key and punched in the penthouse floor. Parker was waiting for her on her balcony. Normally the invasion of her privacy would have bothered her but Oliver had warmed her about bringing anything compromising with her. The only thing of value in her room was her laptop and there was just no way anyone could hack it. Well okay maybe 1 person could do it but he was on her team so she didn't need to worry about it.

"So what is there to do for fun in this town?" Chloe asked Parker and immediately feared the answer. The gleam in the other blondes eyes spoke of trouble.

"I'm so glad you asked. How do you feel about breaking into a bank?"

"seriously?"

"Well we aren't going to steal anything I just want to test something out."

"So we are going to break in and not steal anything?"

"Yes, why is that not fun? What did you want to do while we wait?"

"Nope your right, that sounds fun. Lets go." This girl was so obviously Chloe's complete opposite. Impulsive, unguarded, just a tiny bit crazy. She wasn't in Metropolis she should kick back and enjoy herself just a bit. Not that her idea of fun was breaking into banks but the excitement in Parkers voice did make it sound interesting.

Sounds like fun? Had she been insane? That foolish line of thinking was the reason she was now sitting in the bank vault of the main branch of Colonial First Bank while Parker left tiny origami swans in random safety deposit boxes.

It had taken less than 3 minutes for Parker to break into the vault. Chloe could only imagine how someone learned a skill like that. She hadn't used any tools other that a stethoscope. It was impressive to watch. She could only imagine that Parkers usual targets of offices and file cabinets were like child's play to her.

After breaking in they broke out. And other than the swans there would be no evidence either of them had been there. It was oddly amusing to think about the people going into their boxes searching to be sure everything was still there, finding no evidence of any wrongdoing except for the paper birds.

"So is this what you do on your time off?"

"Isn't this what you do?" Parker asked it with such sincerity that Chloe wanted to agree. To tell her what she wanted to hear. Let her know she was normal. Let her know there was someone else like her. But at the end of the day she couldn't lie.

"The truth is I haven't had time for fun in a long time."

"I have fun everyday." Chloe had no doubt that she enjoyed life to the fullest. There was something about her. Chloe suspected a haunted past but somehow the girl had managed to find acceptance. For not the first time Chloe wondered if this rag tag group had become a family like her own.

"Thanks Parker." Chloe yawned widely and tried to cover it. "Sorry."

Parker just stood there and stared at her. "Oh wait. You're tired. I'd better be going." She moved forward like she was going hug Chloe before settling on an arm slap and then bounding out the door. Chloe just shook her head. There was something endearingly innocent about her.

AN

More to follow. Glad to see at least a few people are enjoying it so far.