A/N: I don't know how I missed it but the last update was on our one year anniversary!
I guess that's how you can tell I'm over worked and under rested.. and though I should be putting
an end to this (eighteen) hour day I've decided to write for ya'll instead! :)
Chapter Forty-Five
"Now I want ya'll to play out here," Sarah spoke quietly as she passed Becca a bottle of bubbles.
"and to stay quiet or I'm tellin' daddy not to take you to see Pop-pop and Nana."
"Why?" Brian did his best not to whine.
Normally he was fine with being outside but her not coming with meant he was watching Becca.
"Because I said so mister, now go." She shook her head as Rebecca mimicked her pointing out the door but with a stern look the little girl too was moving.
Moving back toward the toaster she removed the now done toast, grabbed the extra glass of juice she had poured that morning, and headed to the guest room. "Eliot?"
Her natural instinct having kicked in she hadn't slept well that night.
Every creak had her alert and she couldn't help but check on him a few different times. "Eliot are you up?"
His moving to sit up answered the question. "What time is it?"
"About 8:30." She told him as she passed him the glass.
"Can I borrow your phone?" In the very least he could say he was doing a bit better.
Instead of feeling like hell he felt like crap.
"After you eat something." She had seen the displeased way he was looking at the plate in her hands.
Glaring at the toast he grabbed a piece from her and bit it roughly. "Happy"
"I'll go get it." A rabid dog ate with more manners than he just used.
Usually Nate arrived at the hospital by 7 and it had him wondering how worried he'd be.
"Here." She passed him the house phone which had him thinking of the other people he surrounded himself with. Never would they be able to do something as simple as get a home phone in their name, everything always had to be disposable.
"So you're going to leave me already?"
"In the very least I've gotta let him know I'm alright." Eliot eased her disappointed.
"Clingy much." Sarah huffed.
"More like crazy." Eliot offered as he waited to be answered.
Knowing Nate he had already interrogated half the hospital.
"Well that sounds just-" but Eliot put up a finger to silence her as he cut in with a, "Hey Nate."
"Eliot?"
"Yeah, I-"
"Where the hell are you?"
The outright anger he heard had him in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
"We've been looking for you for nearly fourteen damn hours Eliot!"
"That's not my fault! I tried-"
"Not your fault! You should've said something!"
"Did I not call you? You blew me off!"
No way was he getting yelled at.
"No one blew you off! You're Just too self centered to care about anyone else!"
"So what? I should have asked for permission?" He wasn't stupid.
Neither was Nate.
No way had he spent fourteen hours searching for him.
No, he knew Nate knew exactly where he was.
This was just Nate bitching to bitch.
"Yeah! If you're going to act like a child than yeah! You need to ask for permission!"
"You know what Nate…" He didn't bother listening to anything else Nate was spewing as he tried to keep his own anger from seeping out in front of his sister. "Go fuck yourself."
Sarah put a hand over her mouth partly in shock as she tried not to laugh. "Oh my… I can't believe you just said that."
"He pisses me off!" If it was his phone he would've thrown it.
Instead he'd chosen to hang it up roughly.
"Then why do you put up with it?" She hadn't gotten to hear the whole conversation but his parts pretty much cued her in to what had been said.
"Because I love the idiot." Others knew it but it was the first time he had admitted it in those exact words to anyone other than Nate.
"Well than you probably shouldn't have told him off like that." Hearing Eliot say something like that was strangely enough not strange.
"He'll get over it." That defiant little voice said Nate would possibly get over him.
"How 'bout you get up and go take a shower.
Then we'll go out with the kids, the sun will do you good."
He was way to pale, especially for a Southern boy who had Indian blood runnin' through his veins.
"Sarah" She knew how he felt.
"Oh come on!" There was a challenge sitting in his eyes but she wasn't afraid to match it.
"Unless you're tryin' to tell me that a little bitty bug has got my big brother licked."
"Don't you wish." He stood with more strength than he had yesterday and it made her smile.
He was so easy.
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"Yeah! If you're going to act like a child than yeah!
You need to ask for permission!" The group listened with a mix of emotions as Nate bludgeoned Eliot's ears.
"No Eliot I don't know because," his words died off as an insulted anger crossed his face and they could only imagine what had been said as he hung up the phone.
"Do you really think 'Where the hell are you' was the best conversation starter?" Sophie dared to ask.
"Run it Hardison." He ignored Sophie as he referred to their newest client.
"Naw man.. I think she's right. It only took about an hour to find him and that was only because I had to run the cameras frame by frame so why'd you lie?
Unless you're trying to make him feel guilty or something."
The car Eliot had gotten into was registered to a Peter Williams.
Nate had recognized the girl, though he hadn't identified her, so facial recognition wasn't necessary.
Even now he had traced the phone Eliot was using to a P. Williams.
He was obviously at the dudes house.
"Have we not been at it for fourteen hours?" Nate asked the group as a whole.
"If you mean waiting to hear from him than yes but you could say the same for Parker." Sophie compared.
Parker had just barely walked through the door a bit before dawn.
"For once in your God forsaken lives can you just keep your opinions to yourselves?" He was tired of everyone but him "knowing" everything.
"And you wonder why he didn't want to come back here." Parker snarked as she put Steve down and picked up Hardison's remote.
If he wouldn't run it she would. "Our marks name is," A short snort came out at the irony. "Marc Belwinn."
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"I can't believe this." Eliot grumbled as he walked from the bathroom.
"I told you they'd fit." He was standing in the doorway wearing clothes that had been borrowed from Pete.
"But he's a runt. A scrawny runt." Compared to him and Aaron Pete had the build of a pre-teen.
"And that scrawny runts clothes are actually looking a it big on you." His face was appalled which in itself was amusing.
"Now you're just being mean." Her bathroom had a full length mirror and he was disgusted by what he saw in it.
A broken man.
His body had lost near all of its fat, most of its muscle, and a good bit of tone.
Bones were sticking out in places they hadn't been visible before, many scars were freshly painted, and just as easy to see as the taunting tales he'd revealed.
All of these things were disturbing but what disgusted him was the defeat hiding behind the surface.
Never had he given up and he'd sooner die than do it now.
"Well if you wouldn't have started obsessing over your figure."
He smiled at her exaggerated words. "Where are the kids?"
"In the kitchen with animal crackers because apparently breakfast was hours and hours ago." In all actuality it was barely an hour ago.
"Well geeze Sarah why don't you feed them." Eliot teased as he followed her down the stairs.
"Who says I like them like that?" Sarah joked back which earned her a whap she supposed she deserved from the last time she did it to him.
"You be good to them kids."
"Yeah, yeah… yeah." She sighed as she entered the kitchen.
"Hey guys! Look who stopped by to get his hair cut."
"Are you still going on about that?" Eliot asked as he was immediately tackled by a dress and piggy tails.
Like always he lifted her but this time it took more effort than he'd care to admit.
"Yes because I'm getting the scissors to do so right now." They had an agreement and no way was he backing out of it.
"Whan one?" He had sat with Becca and she was quick to offer her snack.
"Thank you." He took it to be kind but her eyes were as demanding as her mothers and soon he was placing it in his mouth.
Hopefully it stayed down, the toast hadn't.
"Brian don't you have anything to say to your Uncle?" Sarah prodded.
"Hi" Clearly he was still upset.
"Hey bud." His prodding hadn't even earned him eye contact.
"Listen I'm sorry about missing out on your birthday but I… Well I was.."
What was the best way to explain barfing your brains out in a temperature induced haze to an eight year old?
"Uncle Eliot was sick." Sarah saved. "He wanted to come see you but he had to go see doctors instead."
"You have ouchies!" Becca's mouth dropped into a perfect 'o' as she stared at Eliot with complete seriousness.
"Not anymore princess. They're going to make them all go away."
She made it so hard not to try but he didn't think it possible to love the girl anymore than he already did.
"I found the scissors!" Sarah sing songed. "Lets go!"
"Follow Momma." Eliot told Becca as he placed her on the floor.
Apparently Sarah was doing things outside. "Brian," He stood but still Brian sat. "I promise I'll make it up to you."
"That's alright." He offered a slight smile as Eliot ruffled his hair.
The understanding clearly came from his father.
"Come on." He nudged until Brian stood. "You can help me talk momma out of this."
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"So what did he say?" Sophie asked as she and Nate walked past security.
"That Vex associates is merely an employee fundamen-" Sophie cut him off by correcting herself. "I meant Eliot."
"We're trying to save a womans business here and you're asking about Eliot." He couldn't believe her. "But by all means lets stop and have this discussion.
Who cares if Diana loses her house and the only way she has to support her children. God knows we surely shouldn't!"
She had to stop and applaud him.
"A performer yet you will be!
Drop the act Nate.
The only reason you don't want to talk about things is because then you just might have to admit your faults!"
"Yeah, because we all know it's always my fault right!
Everything that's gone wrong to date has been because of me!"
With the way they made things seem he might as well have been driving the car that started this whole mess.
"Listen to yourself!
It's me, me, me, me, me… and you had the nerve to call him self centered.
Have you ever tried just sitting down and talking things through with him?"
Knowing Nate it was a negative, he never had with her.
"Now why didn't I think of that?"
He shot sarcastically as he took off but that didn't stop her from following.
"Listen.. I don't need advice from you."
"And why is that? Because our shared past is surely a pitiful excuse." If anything her knowing him on that level would give him a great insight.
"Because I'm not in a relationship Sophie!
We're done!
It's through!" Eliot's earlier words had made that clear.
"Is that what he said?" She stopped them in their walk with a concerned hand.
"He doesn't need to.
For two years we've been struggling with nearly everything.
It's fights, and females, and I'm tired of it.
We tried but it didn't work and honestly we probably never should have been.
It was a mistake." They really were stupid for thinking a loner and a lurker would fit together.
"So you're just done?
You've decided not to love him anymore?
Easy as that?" He was infuriating.
Always running away from his emotions.
"Love has nothing to do with it."
"Love has everything to do with it!
For once Nate use your heart instead of your head."
She had suffered heartache so they could have happiness
and she'd hate to see Eliot suffer the same way because Nate couldn't commit.
"We don't work Sophie!
I can love him all I want but what good does that do me when he says I'm the worst thing that has happened to him since getting shot in the gut.
What good is it doing when he's losing his stomach for the dozenth time that day and I'm sitting there stupidly with nothing more to say than, 'I'm sorry you don't feel well'.
It doesn't do a damn thing when he's showin' more love to the cat than me!" She'd lost her mind if she thought anything about this situation had been easy.
"Have you tried telling him this?" She would still say they'd find the key in communication.
"I don't know if you know this but sharing your feelings doesn't fix them.
Just like a kiss doesn't make it all better and an 'I'm sorry' doesn't magically make people not mad at you anymore.
It's not how things work." If only things could indeed be that simple.
"But aren't you the man who changes those things?" Hopefully he'd get the point. "You of all people should know of sacrifice, of strategy and challenges."
"I'm pinned, my back's against the wall." Chess immediately came to mind but the game they were playing had too little control to be considered such.
"So do you admit defeat or risk it all?" He actually seemed to be reconsidering things which was a plus.
"I.." He knew what he wanted to do but then again he knew what he needed to do.
"Personally I've always had a thing for the gambling man." Sophie offered with a raised brow before walking away.
After all they did have a con to get back to.
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"I can not believe you let me cut that much!" Sarah spoke as she stared at his severely shortened hair.
Not only had she taken off her demanded four but nearly another four.
"Well don't think it's happenin' again." Eliot griped though he really wasn't all too displeased.
It had been a lot longer than he'd originally guessed but now it was about mid ear and for the first time in some time he could run his hand through it with ease.
"Oh you know you like it." She had even straightened it for him which had been a very funny twenty minutes.
"It's alright." If he admitted anything to her she would be all too smug.
"Really! Before you were looking homeless, now you're looking hot."
He rose an eyebrow at that as he stared at her reflection behind him in the mirror.
His sister was a weirdo.
"Tell him Becca."
The little girl looked up from her doll to offer a simple, "It's pretty" before looking back down.
"Pretty?" Eliot was appalled by Sarah's laughter. "I am not pretty."
"Of course not." Sarah agreed. "You're gorgeous love."
"I am going to kick your.." A gurgle finished that sentence as he caught eyes with a curious Becca.
"Well come on cause I've got to make dinner and Pete's going to be home soon."
Most of the day had disappeared on her but that was okay because it looked to have done Eliot good.
"Daddy?"
"Yep." Eliot answered as he lifted her from the bed putting her down in the hall.
He didn't think any of their eyes had lit with the mention of their father the way Becca's just had.
It was good to see.
"Is Nay-Nay comin' too?"
Rebecca's words stopped him cold. "She remembers Nate?"
"She's little not stupid." Sarah answered as she urged him to finish his descent down the stairs.
"I know that I just meant… I mean he only visited the once." He waited for them to catch up before following to the kitchen.
"I guess he made an impression." Sarah shrugged. "Now are you gonna answer her."
He looked down to expectant eyes. "Well Becca I don't know where Nay-Nay is right now,"
The nick name made him smile. "but I'm sure he'll come and visit just as soon as he can."
"Just as soon as he stops being a," She let out a cheesy whistle to finish that thought.
"Really Sarah?" She mumbled a 'sorry' but they both knew she wasn't.
"He's like me and Daddy.
Sometimes he's got to work a lot but he'll come back cause he promised.
Remember?" The answer was good enough for her and she left to presumably join Brian in the livingroom.
"Hopefully I didn't just lie to her."
"Are you really that sure he's ready to call it quits?" She'd swear she heard a little bit of worry there.
"Even at his angriest he's never talked to me the way he did today."
It wasn't the words that got to him, it was the tone. "Never."
"Well maybe you should talk to him about that." Sarah suggested as she started pulling pots.
She'd keep the comment about real sentences and no phones to herself.
"I'm gonna just," He pointed through the doorway behind him.
He was beyond exhausted from the days events and this new subject merely drained him all the more.
"I'm gonna go lay down."
"Alright, I'll wake you for dinner." She chose to ignore his wrinkled nose.
Upset stomach or not he couldn't just stop eating.
That was probably part of the reason he had gotten as sick as he had.
Now all she had to do was decide what to make.
E/N: Happy Anniversary?
I know not exactly smooth but… ahh who am I kidding… I have no excuse.
But hey look on the plus side… Eliot got a haircut? (Hehe don't hit me)