Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage, probably never will…I'm so sad now…

A/N: I know guys, it's been forever since I updated, and I'm sorry. However, that is what happens when I get horrible writer's block. And believe me, I have had horrible writer's block on this chapter. I'm dedicating this chapter to a very special friend, irishgirl63005. I told her I would try to post two chapters today. Instead, I just combined two chapter's into one. This one's to you kid! So, read and review and maybe Nate will come to your house for a Leverage Party!

Chapter 5: When in Kiev…Save Your Team

"Sophie, come on, we're here."

Sophie jerked awake, her head on Eliot's shoulder as she sat up. "What time is it??" she asked, stretching.

"4:00. We should grab a bit to eat and then start surveillance," Eliot whispered. "There are a few places that I know the Butcher used to frequent, maybe the Cleaver uses them too."

"The Cleaver?" Sophie whispered and Hardison echoed over the phone.

"His father was the Butcher…what else are you gonna call the guy?" Eliot asked, shrugging.

Sophie shook her head and grabbed her overhead bag, following Eliot off the plane. They met Hardison at the gate and headed for the exit.

"I also called in a rental car for us," Sophie said as they stepped outside into the cool Ukrainian air. "And I think that just might be it," she said as she walked over to a man leaning against a red sports car.

"Oh, that's not conspicuous," Eliot muttered as he and Hardison followed.

"Oh shut it," Sophie whispered back. "We'll need to make a fast get away, hence the flashy yet fast car. Hello, is this for a Sarah Jane Barker?" she asked the man. He nodded and handed her the keys. He then turned and got into a black car behind them and drove off with his partner. Sophie smirked and tossed her bag to Alec. "Load up then get in."

"Shotgun!" Hardison called but Eliot was already climbing into the passenger seat. "Oh you have got to be kiddin' me…no respect, none for the geek."

"Shut up and get in the car Hardison," Eliot called and in a couple minutes the hacker was climbing into the backseat.

"So, where do you have us staying Sophie?" he asked.

"A little place I've stayed at before. You two should like it. And it has free wi-fi Hardison," she added, pulling onto the main highway and glancing back at him in the rearview mirror.

"You are breaking all the rules Sophie," Eliot said, shaking his head.

"Of course I am, think about it Eliot. They're going to be guessing that we're coming for Nate and Parker, and they'll know that we won't be stupid to stay in some fancy ritzy place, so they'll be checking for the low level, run down motels, while we comfortably will be staying in a ritzy place," she said, grinning as she sped up and passed two cars.

We're gonna die, Eliot thought to himself as Sophie sped on.

*****

At the hotel, they ordered room service and then Hardison started checking the Internet for anything he could.

"Okay, Hadeon Volynskji, also known as the Cleaver of Kiev…honestly, where do these guys come up with their names?" he asked, but when he received two glares, he cleared his throat and continued.

"So, when our dear Eliot here killed his daddy, Hadeon inherited all his father's possessions, including his position in the Ukrainian mob. He is very powerful and has his own mini army that is ready to do his bidding like a good army of mind controlled slaves. And, from pictures taken by several paparazzi members who have been horribly murdered in the past few months, his army is full of Terminators, so we might have a problem."

"No we won't, not if we can get in without being noticed. The trouble only appears if we get found out," Sophie said, taking a bite of her dinner.

"Which is a very strong possibility darlin'," Eliot said, taking a swig from his bottle of beer.

"Even if we get discovered, they have to survive our encounter. Are you ready to kill Eliot?" Sophie asked. "Because, there is a very strong possibility that it will come down to that."

"I am trained for that Sophie, the question is, are you ready?"

"Of course I am Eliot, I'm not some damsel in distress. I mean, I have shot Nate before, I can take down a human being I have no feelings for," she said casually, but Eliot could see the feeling of unease in her eyes.

"Any idea where he likes to hang his hat Hardison?" Eliot asked, turning his gaze back to the hacker after a minute.

"Some restaurants, but all of the sources I have say he likes to do his dirty business from this one abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the perfect place to hold a couple of American prisoners," he said and Sophie nodded.

"That's probably where they're being held. Okay, we have to get them out as soon as possible, but we have to do this smartly at the same time. Any ideas?" she asked, glancing between hitter and hacker.

"First, let me go do some recon," Eliot said. "I'll scope the place out and try to figure out whether they're really there or not. Then we can come up with a plan and move in."

Sophie nodded even though Hardison seemed to want to protest the move. "Here," she said, tossing Eliot the keys for the car. "Just be careful."

"I will be darlin'."

*****

"Can you two hear me?" Eliot hissed as he ran up to the warehouse. He had left the car parked in an alley a few blocks away. Didn't need anyone knowing that he was there.

"We can hear you fine," Sophie said over the comm. and Eliot nodded, pulling out his binoculars.

"It's weird. You'd think there'd be security abounds," Hardison said.

"No you wouldn't," Eliot said. "He's in the mob Hardison. A full blown security detail would be screaming, 'This is where I am, come arrest me'."

"Oh sure, just cause I don't normally deal with the mob," the hacker muttered in Eliot's ear.

"Do you see anything Eliot?" Sophie asked, cutting in on Alec's rant.

"I see some lights towards the back of the warehouse, I'm betting the cell would be towards the back too, just so they would be watched constantly. Give me a second to get closer," he whispered.

Eliot moved silently to the building and edged along the side. The windows were too high up for him too look in easily, but he would jump and try to look in. He continued to see nothing the further down the building he moved. Then, he started seeing guards here and there. "Okay, he's got men here," Eliot muttered quietly after one of the windows revealed a group playing poker. "Here's a dumpster, let me get a good look in this room."

He jumped up quietly onto the dumpster and peered in the window. "Nate?!" he hissed in surprise. "Parker?!"

"Did you find them?!" Sophie exclaimed over the comm.

"Yeah, give me a sec," he said. He pressed on one of the panes and it came loose easily. "Nate! Get up off your freaking butt!"

Parker was the first one to stir. She looked around and Eliot noted her stiffness and when she finally spotted him, even at this distance, he could see the glazed look in her eyes. "Eliot?" she asked, barely daring to believe he was real.

"Hey Parker. Get Nate up," he said, but she shook her head sadly.

"I've been trying Eliot, but he lost consciousness this afternoon and I haven't been able to wake him up."

Eliot cursed under his breath. "How bad is he?"

"How bad is who? Nate?" Sophie asked frantically over the comm.

"Sophie, shut up!" Eliot hissed. "Parker?"

"He's been beat pretty bad Eliot. I think they hurt him worse than me, but I can't be sure. They…they hurt us separately, so the other wouldn't know what to do."

"Alright Parker. We're gonna get you out. You just hold on and keep him breathing, you got me?" he said.

"We didn't tell him anything Eliot," she said quickly and the hitter nodded.

"I know you didn't darlin'. Now just rest, we'll have you out in no time."

Parker nodded and curled up against Nate again, making sure that he was still breathing, which he was. She was still facing Eliot at the window, not wanting to lose sight of him.

"Here Parker," he said, tossing something down to her. She caught the extra comm. in her hand. Her eyes lit up and she immediately put it in.

"Guys?" she asked, testing it out.

"Parker!" Sophie and Hardison both exclaimed in relief. Then they both started talking at once.

"Are you okay?"

"How's Nate?"

"How badly did they hurt you?"

"Is he still alive?"

"Guys!" Eliot all but shouted and the line went silent. "Let her breathe, alright. Parker, put it in Nate's ear for a minute."

The blonde nodded and as she took out the comm. and put it in Nate's ear, Eliot heard the grifter sigh in his ear. "Go Sophie, talk to him."

"Nate? Can you hear me?" she asked, but all she could hear was his shallow breathing. "Nate, please, give me something. I swear, if you die on my, I'll shoot you in the afterlife."

There was silence and she felt near tears when she heard a breathy sigh. "Soph…" It was weak, but it was there, and it was him.

"That's right Nate, it's me. We're going to get you and Parker out of there, you just need to hold on a little longer. Don't you dare let go," she ordered.

"Yes…ma'am…" he said before Eliot saw his head loll to the side.

"That's it Sophie, he's out," the hitter said and heard Sophie let out a sob on the other end. "Parker, take the comm. back. And make sure that you keep it in no matter what. We need to know what's going on."

The thief nodded and did as she was told. Eliot saw her eyelids drooping. "Sleep Parker, that's an order." She nodded again and her eyes slid closed. It wasn't long before he heard slow and steady breathing. "Hardison, Sophie, start talkin'. We need to get them out yesterday, but we need a plan," he said, jumping down from the dumpster and heading back for the car.

*****

Eliot loaded a fresh clip into one of the guns he had purchased and tossed it to Sophie. "What about me?" Hardison asked.

"Dude, the last time I gave you a gun, you aimed for a car tire and you hit a guy in the leg. You don't get ammo!" Eliot said.

"I've been working on my aim!" the hacker protested.

"Yeah, well I don't want to get shot in the leg!"

"Eliot! Give him a gun!" Sophie exclaimed. She had pulled out her own and was checking to make sure her clip was full. "We all need to be armed for this one. But Alec, don't fire unless absolutely necessary, understood?" she asked, and he nodded. Eliot handed him a gun unwillingly.

"Eliot? Did you just give him a gun?" Parker asked over the comm.

"Yeah, don't worry darlin', he won't fire it unless I tell him to," he said, reassuring her.

"Any change Parker?" Sophie asked.

"No Sophie, sorry," the thief said apologetically. Sophie had been asking every ten minutes since Parker woke up how Nate was doing, and the fact that she hadn't gotten annoyed answering every time was amazing Eliot.

"Okay, Parker, they're going to know we're there before we get to you. You need to try and hide in there. I know it's hard, but try to go over to behind the door, so when it opens, it'll look like you're gone," Eliot said.

"Alright," she said and they could hear her movement, even her grunting as she moved Nate. He let out a shout and she hissed. "Sorry Nate, sorry," she said. "No Sophie, it was just instinct," Parker said, answering Sophie's unasked question.

"Time to move out," Eliot said and they left the car in the same alley from last night. They walked straight for the warehouse, losing all pretension of going in on surprise.

Sophie had wanted to go back to the dumpster with some rope and simply lift them out. However, both Hardison and Eliot had made the argument that that wouldn't solve anything. The Cleaver would just get ticked and come after them again. So, Eliot had thought that the best idea would be a head on attack. They could wipe out as many men as possible and kill Hadeon. Then there would be no more problem. He was an only child and had no children, therefore, no one left with a reason for revenge.

Eliot took the lead, flanked by Sophie on his right and Hardison on his left. They strode right up to the warehouse door and the hitter kicked the door in. Guards were running down the hall in an instant and Eliot quickly took aim and fired, hitting both in the chest and killing them. Four more guards came out of one of the rooms. Two started running for the cell while the other two charged the trio. This time, Eliot took one down and Sophie took the other.

"Come on," Eliot said and he ran down the hallway.

"Eliot!" Parker screamed and they heard it not only over the comm. but also echoing down the hall. The hitter put on a burst of speed trying to get to them. He heard a groan of pain over the comm. and watched as one guard ran out of the cell ahead with Nate slung over his shoulder. He ran into the cell, knowing that Sophie and Hardison would go after the other one.

The remaining guard was beating Parker and tazered her in the side. She screamed in pain and Eliot raised his gun, aiming at the man's head and firing. The guard fell to the ground, dead instantly and Parker was left panting on the ground. Eliot hurried to her side and lifted her gently into his arms. "It's okay, Parker, I've got you," he whispered. Her eyes opened and she looked up at him through a haze of pain.

"I didn't know if you would make it," she whispered.

"Of course I made it. Now come on, we still have to save Nate," he said, heading out the door and towards the end of the hall where the others had run. They were almost at the door when they heard the gunshot and a scream.

*****

Sophie saw the guard with Nate over his shoulder and took off with a new speed, shooting at the man's legs, trying to hit him, to get him to stop, but then he was through the door. She put on another burst and was through the door mere seconds later. The guard no longer had Nate, but she shot him dead anyway. She looked around desperately and that's when she saw Nate, being held by Hadeon, the only remaining man alive, a gun to her lover's head. His blue eyes were staring at her through half open lids.

"I suggest you stop Ms. Devereaux," Hadeon said.

"Now, why would I do that?" she asked, aiming at the Cleaver's head.

"Because if you don't, I will shoot him dead right now."

Sophie didn't drop the gun, and a second later she heard a shot. She screamed as she saw Nate's body jerk and saw the blossom of red spreading over his chest. A second later, a Hadeon's gun was pointed at his head again. Nate's eyes were clenched shut in pain and Sophie felt herself trembling, in fear and fury.

"Drop the gun Ms. Devereaux," he said again quietly.

She started to run at him and the gun swung around to aim at her, a second later a shot ringing out. She stopped in her tracks, waiting for the pain to start, but she felt nothing. Then she saw the hole in the Clearver's head. She turned around and saw Parker in Hardison's arms, and Eliot, with his gun raised. Sophie turned back around and saw the Cleaver going down. She ran forward, pulling Nate into her arms before he fell to the ground.

"Nate, come on Nate, it's me, open your eyes," she begged and was rewarded with a fluttering of eyelids. Those perfect pools of blue were looking up at her, clear with pain, as she cradled him in her arms.

"I didn't think…you'd ever show…" he said, joking, gasping for breath.

"Don't mess with me Nathan Ford. We need to get you help," she said as Eliot came up to her side and crouched down next to them. He ripped open Nate's shirt and growled.

"This isn't good Sophie, I can't fix this myself," the hitter said.

"Well…that doesn't bode well," Nate gasped and as Eliot pressed gently against his chest he shouted in pain. "Sophie…" he breathed, his eyes glazing over.

"No Nate, don't say a word," she said, pressing a finger to his lips. "We're going to get help. You're going to be fine."

"Sophie…I'm sorry…I hurt you…" he breathed. "I'm so sorry…"

His eyes closed and his head fell backwards, as if the strings had been cut on a puppet. "Nate?" she asked desperately, shaking him. "Nate!" she shouted. "No! Don't do this!" she screamed. Eliot took the man from her arms and was running for the door, shouting at Nate, but she couldn't make out what was being said. Parker was crying in Hardison's arms and all Sophie could do was kneel there in that warehouse in Kiev, covered in the blood of the only man she had ever loved.

TBC