A/N: It's been too long you guys :(
School junk has been giving me the biggest headache lately and work has got me barely dealing… but no excuses just a very long chapter to apologize for the wait and to thank you for your patience! So Enjoy!

Chapter Sixty

"Anyone here!" Nate called out as he closed the door on a sinking sun.
"Hardison!" He passed the living room completely as he went to inspect the kitchen. "Parker!" The place was nearly dead silent and having
checked the two most visited rooms in the house that probably meant it was because no one was there. Still he moved over to the stairway where both Franc and Steve were spread out on their respective stairs. "Anyone home!" He got no reply, just two annoyed feline glares which peeved him extremely.

With a tightened grip on his carry-on he turned to the bedroom, reaching it in no time.
Still he hesitated slightly for some reason before turning the handle and stepping inside.

The first thing he noticed was the opened dresser drawer; it wasn't all that shocking seeing as he already knew they'd be looking for him.
The second was the pristine condition of the room. He dropped the bag to the left as he took a few steps in the same direction.
He didn't know how he felt about this. He was positive he had left clothes on the bed, that he had tossed a half read newspaper on top of the TV, that a wet towel had been dropped in front of the closet, but they were all gone from those spots. Even the undershirts in which he had placed his phone under were still folded within the drawer. Everything seemed perfect. Only it wasn't he learned when he turned his gaze back toward the bed.

The cup on the side table was missing.

Anger quickly flared through him as he let what they did sink in.
He didn't care that someone had been in his room, he didn't care that they had moved and rearranged his things, and he didn't even care that they had probably searched the whole place top to bottom, but they had touched that cup and it had his blood ready to boil.

That was Eliot's cup, he had placed it on the nightstand, that's where Eliot had wanted it and for that sole reason he hadn't touched it.
It didn't matter that it still had water within or that it had been sitting for far too many days because it was Eliot's to do as he so wished when he got back home, only now he couldn't. It was Eliot's cup, yet they had probably put it in the dishwasher, scrubbing away a comfort he would never admit it had brought to him.

It had him wanting to scream.

Suddenly this place felt more foreign than familiar, as if anything private or personal had been swept up with the mess.
It certainly didn't feel like home, not like it had when he shut Eliot and himself away from the rest of the world.
When he'd close himself into what was left of his world when Eliot had once again shaken it.
It had all been disrupted and he felt like so had he.

Those emotions took him to the bathroom where he tried, along with the days' travel, to wash them away.
The water was cool as it quickly met his face, dripping down his neck as it slid from his cheeks. The shower would be his final destination but for now his attention was on the sink, or at least on the water swirling down its drain. That was until he glanced up and into a broken mirror.

For a while he watched some water drip from his nose before his gaze lost focus and he began seeing more than what was there.
A greenish purple hue that had long ago covered his neck was now as clear as his reflection only it wasn't exactly his that he was seeing. It was a frightened man's; one that inspected his throat diligently as he blew too long hair from his eyes with a pain filled breath. He didn't stay in view for long though as a happier more annoyed man claimed his spot. He too was inspecting a bruise but it held a redder tone and it sat proudly on his collarbone where it had been pleasurably put.
Still another appeared who tiredly attempted to brush his teeth without much success, yet eyes that had all but been drooping suddenly seemed bright and alert as he was pulled backward slightly.

A warm southern smile was propped on his shoulder and he couldn't help but return it.
Unintentionally his eyes slid closed as tried to remember the grip in which he had been held, the warmth that had been pressed
against his back, but the memory was just beyond reach. Affectively it killed the haze he had inadvertently fallen into and any illusion that was
trying to come with it. With a sigh he shut off the faucet moving to unbutton his shirt; just as soon as he cleaned up he was going to go find the real thing.

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"I knew he was lying when he said he only slept 90 minutes a day." Sophie smirked at Hardison's comment as she continued to watch Parker who had squeezed herself onto the very bottom of the bed. "Personally I think this is his form of calling strike; what better way to stick it to the man."

'I'd assume quitting would be a better alternative Alec." Their visit had been full of his joking which she continued to go along with although Parker had been strangely quiet so far.

"Naw because just think about it: Here he gets waited on hand and foot. All his meals are personally delivered and no matter what time of the day somebody's eagerly waiting for him to wake up. Plus it's all going on the boss man's tab!" He smiled cockily as he raised an eyebrow at her. Humor desperately needed to be added to what was too serious of a situation for anyone to handle properly.

"Perhaps that would be desirable if he found himself in a position to actually enjoy it but seeing as he works for Nate I somehow doubt he would." Once more she looked over to Parker who was intently staring at Eliot.

"And that's what I want to know!" Hardison spoke with a tad bit of agitation. "When did we start working for instead of with Nate? Who made him boss?"

"We did." Parker offered without switching her attention or gaze.

Sophie simply shrugged, "Every team has a leader."

"I ain't got a problem with him being leader, what I don't like is when he gets cocky and starts playing big boss."
The man was nearly intolerable when his ego came to visit.

"Well at least you only have one," Parker argued as she tucked her legs further to her side. "Sophie's got two now."

"That's right ain't it?" Hardison recollected. "What do you do here anyway?"

Sophie simply shrugged as she offered up a soft smile. "A little of this and some of that."

"What does that even mean?" Hardison questioned though she simply offered another sly smile. "Come on Soph, give me some kind of hint."

"Alright" She relented as she absently wondered if Parker knew what it was that she did indeed do. "I am in no way, shape, size, or form a nurse."

"Really" He would have said RN for sure.

"In fact my medical knowledge is very limited." A brain surgeon she was not.

"How did you get a job in the hospital if you didn't study medicine?"
No sooner than the question left his mouth an idea dawned on him. "You're a runner aren't you?"

That had her ready to laugh. "Gaining access to the ICU requires a little more skill than wheelchair pushing Hardison."

"You've got an access pass?" His eyes went wide.

"Before you bother to ask the answer is no," The gleam in his eye had her positive he'd want to use or copy it for reasons that were very questionable. "and don't even think about looking for my alias either."

"Those are unfounded accusations Sophie cuz I didn't say a word to suggest any of it. It's not my fault if you're feeling guilty about a career you won't let nobody know about!" And he was just dying to know!

"Well I'll do my best to keep the guilt to a minimum on my part if you keep the suspicion the same on yours." She offered sheepishly. It felt good to have a little something just for herself.

"Are you hearing this Parker?"

"There is nothing to tell Hardison," He was definitely one for dramatics. "I've only been at it for a little while now and I plan on leaving well before the shine wears off."

Parker rolled her eyes at that.
How Sophie could be a world class grafter and still miss the fact that Hardison had played her with such an easy line was beyond her.
Surely she knew that he only put such a flare on things when he was digging for answers and reactions.

"You ever think about picking up an honest life Soph?" If he understood correctly she had already taken the first step by finding an honest way to support herself.

"Never," She spoke without hesitation. "I'd probably die of the boredom. Imagine spending each day in the same exact way, of falling into a routine none the less."

His nose wrinkled in something close to disgust. "I don't know about all that."

"What do you think Parker?" Sophie's attention was once more on her.
She was just too opinionated to be this silent.

"What's he up to that's got you so mesmerized mama?" She looked to be near studying him, her concentration so thick he knew Eliot himself would be annoyed.

"He's moving." Even as she said it his finger twitched as if to prove point.

"It's probably involuntary." Hardison rationalized.

"No, it's him." She swore. "When I moved his feet to sit he moved one back some and his left hand has been going this whole time, it's barely under the sheet now." She'd also say his head was turned further to the side, almost as if he was trying to put distance between himself and Hardison's ramblings, but she couldn't be sure.

"Do you know what that means?" Sophie questioned knowingly.

"He preffers to sleep on his side." Hardison teased.

"He's emerging." Sophie offered seriously.

"The last time I was here he was making sounds." Parker turned her attention to Sophie.
It was ironic that not two full weeks ago she had been disappointed in him for not eating a whole meal yet now she was proud of him for verbalizing half a syllable.

"I'm telling you it won't be long now before he's up and with us." This experience really had her realizing how important it was to count your blessings because even when you're thinking not things can obviously get worse.

"You hear that Eliot?" Hardison turned his gaze over to what he tried not to categorize as a sad sight. "You better get your mind moving before your feet get tired of waiting and leave it behind." And there was that careless hope that disappointed him so often.

"Is that possible?" The strange looks she was getting didn't faze her.
Too many monster mystery movie marathons with Franc had her imagining a cross between Frankenstein and The Zombie.

"By now I'd say anything's possible Parker." His answer was optimism and skepticism all in one.

"Did Aaron say if he'd be returning tonight?" Sophie changed topic as she realized what hour they were approaching.

"He took off to Edmond, said he didn't have a choice." Those were about the only words he had said to him other than he'd be back just as soon as possible. "Kind of leaves you wondering what the options were."

"He's been out here for how long now?" Parker reminded. It was weird that she had caught on to such a conclusion when
they were supposedly the normal ones. "He's probably close to losing his job."

"Well I certainly hope not." Sophie spoke sympathetically. "Imagine having to constantly choose between keeping close to your fiancé and visiting your sick brother. The sheer distance has got to be stressful enough without adding the fear and uncertainty of unemployment."

"Tell me about it," Hardison spoke softly as his gaze wandered back over to Parker. "The sooner this is over the better we'll all be."

"Don't rush him!" Parker's voice was stern as she glared at him before turning to Eliot; offering an awkward pat to his calf as she said, "Take your time Bubba."

"So," Hardison breathed out as he shared a long (assessing Parker) look with Sophie. "Who's staying with El?" There was a box of security tapes at the post office that had his night already claimed.

"It's going to rain." Parker stated in a way he could only assume was supposed to be explanatory as she dismissed herself as an option.

"I can't quite stay with him but," Sophie didn't try to find Parker's meaning knowing more confusion than understanding would come unless she questioned things further. "I'll be here most of the night so I'll keep my ears open."

"Good" His declaration was accompanied by a boom of thunder that had Parker leaping off the bed with a shout of, "Billy!"

Soon enough she was out of the room and they were sharing another look, Sophie standing as it dawned on her. "The cats"

Hardison shook his head as he announced, "We better go."
They were all pretty much outdoor animals and he didn't even want to think about what she planned on doing with six cats once it was time to move on.
With an ease that wasn't completely sincere he waved goodbye to his brother. "See you later man."

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"I hope you two know there are rules in this house." Nate spoke strictly from where he stood at the bottom of the bed with his arms crossed.
"For starters that is my side of the bed Steve, and I don't care how many times you try puppy pouting because you know you're not supposed to be there. It might work on Eliot but it certainly won't with me and Franc…" His voice rose slightly with distaste. "There are some things you just don't clean in the presence of others. And especially not on my pillow!" They didn't seem to mind his reprimanding though and it left him sighing out in frustration as he moved to the side of the bed.

"Down" He didn't waste any time in lifting Franc and carrying him to the door where
he placed; resisting the evil little urge to toss (He wasn't sadistic after all) him in the hall. "You too"
He turned to Steve who was looking insulted. "Now don't give me that; you just wait until I find Parker and we'll see who's getting that look. Now move it missy."

Surprisingly enough she did if only to go rub against his calf. "Hey, now none of that" Nate ordered even as he kneeled down next to her.
"You and I are not friends. You are a cat and I dislike cats." Which was why he was, not, scratching behind her ear.
"I'm sorry but that's just the way it goes." A thunderous boom echoed those words and it had him realizing, "I better get going."
He'd been trying to wait for someone's return but it was starting to become clear that they'd obviously made other plans and he wanted to get to Eliot's side before the rain really started. A storm within telling him that maybe the others were already with Eliot because something bad had happened.

He shook away the fear as he stood; walking right out of the room with Steve on his heels.
"You two better not trash the place," Nate turned with a hard glare as he reached the front door.
Steve simply sitting a few feet away in what reminded him of a dog's loyalty. "And stay off the bed!"

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"Where are you man?" Hardison grumbled as he paused one of the bars' surveillance videos on his laptop.
Admittedly he had been dragging his feet in his search for their threat but it was only because he had doubled his search for Nate.

Who knew the man could disappear so efficiently?

At least he was hoping he had disappeared.
They were in for a whole other can of worms if someone had made him vanish.

"I found him!" Parker's shout had him abandoning his seat as he moved to the back door.
"Girl," The puddle under her bare feet was spreading quickly. "you're soaked."

'It's pouring" She smiled gleefully as she bent over to let Billy down.

"You should go get dried off." Her hair was plastered to her face and he could only assume her clothes were clinging uncomfortably.

"I've got a better idea." She spoke with near childlike enthusiasm as she grabbed one of his hands and pulled him toward her.

"Parker" He half warned half worried as she took a step back, still pulling him forward as she pushed the screen open. "No… no,no,no… I am not-" Only he was on the porch and getting wet before he could even finish the protest.

"I love the rain." She declared as she closed her eyes and angled her face toward the sky.
Hardison couldn't help but smile as she all but reveled in it. In the very least it wasn't cold which he was thankful for.
"It feels like kisses on my skin." Her gaze was blissful as she suddenly bounded down the stairs and it left him with goose bumps.

He couldn't help but lose himself in her laughter as she spread her arms and spun around.
Suddenly he felt as if there was indeed something special about the rain.

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"Hey you," Nate all but chastised as he closed the door to their newest room. "I don't remember anyone saying anything about moving you?"
When he had found out Eliot was no longer in the ICU fear crept in until they explained that it was because he no longer needed it.
Knowing that Eliot was still alive and doing relatively well loosened an all too tight grip on his heart and he found himself relaxing, if only slightly.

"You're lucky I like you," Two light switches were flipped off as he turned a dial to dim the remaining light into what was barely more than a soft glow.
"I've already been on four floors just looking for you." He didn't pay much mind to anything as he moved a decently cushioned chair over to the side of the bed.
"So," Ever careful of tubing he leaned down to kiss Eliot's temple, taking a moment to breath in the familiarity, before sitting back down.
"Turns out we abandoned Boston for no reason. It was just my dad checking up on me. Apparently he's grown a conscious in his old age."

With an ease that only time and devotion could bring he slid his hand under Eliot's, moving his other up and down the hitter's forearm in what he could only hope was a coaxing pattern. "He also mentioned wanting a one on one with you." His words were laced with humor. "I told him I'd get right on that so… just as soon as you can." Right now he'd give just about anything to hear what he knew would be a priceless reply from Eliot. "While you're at it I'm going to start searching for homes because I need more than fifty square feet to call my own. Sharing the house with Hardison and Parker is hard enough, but six cats Eliot?"

Somehow he just knew at least one was currently on his bed. "I can't go there; we've got to find a place of our own." His knuckles ran along the outline of Eliot's chin, his feelings mixed about the facial hair that scratched them. "So where to Mr. Spencer? Which city? We can look in any state. Take your pick of all the countries. Whether it be hot, cold, wet, or dry, busy or secluded I'll go anywhere… and I mean it, mansion or mobile home. Just give me the word and I'll go anywhere with you." His words were more open than he'd intended and it had him wondering if Eliot could actually hear what he was saying. If he'd remember it.

"Can you imagine the days then?" He'd like to think he would. "We can sit on the couch without Parker wedging herself in between. Be in a room without Hardison and one of his many comments appearing from nowhere." If he heard one more, 'Ya'll Nasty" he just might kill their hacker. The sass and accusation in which he spoke had yet to be merited. "We can have lazy mornings, we can keep the day short, maybe even make the night long." He could all but imagine the raised brow that would've gotten him, the look that questioned how he was so sure of himself, which he wasn't when it came to Eliot, but he couldn't help himself from suggesting it. It had been a very long summer.

"Do you remember the night your truck wouldn't start?" The echoes of thunder only seemed to aid his memory. "We couldn't have
been together more than three or four months when you called me for that ride. It took me almost three hours to find the hole you had lost yourself in."
Despite the anger he remembered feeling a smile formed on his face. "I got stuck in the mud twice, but finally I found your stupid self sitting on that tailgate.
It was pouring and there you were just as happy as a clam to be sitting in the middle of it." He hadn't understood at the time but he was starting to.

"Remember me telling you that you weren't getting in my car like that? You just shrugged and said you'd rather walk anyway.
I was so mad that you'd blown me off so smugly after you all but dragged me out there yet I didn't leave. I ended up sitting right beside you,
you grinning like the devil himself after a two for one soul sale." For some reason days like those didn't seem fond until you found them in your memories.

"I was sneezing for days afterward and everyone was thinking you'd finally snapped because you just kept laughing.
It didn't make sense to them so I just told 'em that you had hit your head too hard and they actually believed it." A smirk grew with that admission.
"No one questioned it, or my cold for that matter. I think right then they would've preferred the lie though, it was easier to accept you scrambling your brains than us rocking the boat." The rhythm of rain drops and the assurance that Eliot was close had an ease washing over him.

"Even if we were in a position to tell them I doubt they would've believed us, especially not Sophie and Hardison. Heck they barely believe us now!
Imagine if we would have told them I caught a cold because we were out half the night kissing in the rain. They would've died laughing." He was pretty sure he would have been laughing right along with them, Eliot glaring the entire while which would've only cemented the comment in their minds as a simple joke.

"I think you would have killed me," More like knew. "But the point is we should make more time for nights like that. Just you and me without reason or care, with no explanation or cause other than because…" Lord knew they needed it. "But at least we get one tonight." It wasn't ideal but it was almost true if you squinted slightly. "All you've got to do is stop being a bed hog and we'll be set." The best thing about Eliot moving from ICU was the fact that there was no time limit; he could stay just as long as his heart desired. "It'll be just you and me like always."

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It was dead quite in the house except for the soft snores of a sleeping blonde flowing through his ears.

She had long since fallen asleep but he had yet to move, partly because he was content with where her head was on his shoulder and partly
because he didn't think he could pull free without waking her and that just wasn't an option. He needed time to be alone with his thoughts and the only
way he could be certain of that was if the object of them was within his sights, or under his chin as the case may be.

To say he didn't understand her would be a definite understatement.

He had thought she was mad at him yet he hadn't seen any anger, not even when he had joined her in the yard and she playfully
threatened to push him in the pool. It had simply made him laugh, promising to pull her with if she did; they were already soaked from head to toe.

If it wasn't anger though he wasn't sure what it could be. She clearly got upset when they argued but surely she knew it wasn't personal.
That they could disagree without it meaning that someone was in the wrong. Only he didn't know if she did know that and that alone bothered him.
What if she thought he judged her on a few mixed opinions? If she thought he thought less of her because of them?

He hoped not.

As much as they had been bumping heads though he had yet to find a way to tell her that.
It was something he realized he should be making a priority but it was hard to do.

Family came first and he and Parker's troubles seemed trivial compared to the game Eliot was playing with life and death.
It seemed selfish to worry about such things at a time like this yet he couldn't help but worry if by the time
the appropriate chance came it wouldn't already be too late. Absently he watched the weatherman point out
different storm locations on a muted TV as he decided maybe it was time to be selfish.

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Chaos seemed to be tonight's theme for the hospital as a whole, storm driven lunatics
literally testing the water, and only now had she managed to find a minute to sneak away.

Soon enough early morning would be approaching but she doubted if it would do anything to brighten the dreary mood the rain continued to bring.
Yet it couldn't seem to dampen hers, not with the sight before her. There on the bed was an image that was foreign, yet familiar all at once.
She'd recognize those curls anywhere and right now they were messily resting against a sheet covered leg. One of his arms curled around his head with his elbow resting on a knee, the other hanging almost off the side as he barely kept his grip on five stealthy fingers.

It was the most intimate yet innocent thing she had ever seen between them and it had her rooted to the spot as she shamelessly stared.

Many a time she had questioned their reasons behind being together, had wondered
how genuine it was, and had even thought there might be ulterior motives but she could no longer do that. This was real.
There were no actions to judge, no words to disbelieve in, and no conscious to con. This was the plain and simple unintentionally displayed truth.

She had stumbled upon it and knowing that made her as happy as it did sad.
This unlikely pair was authentic; it was one of a kind and unfortunately she wouldn't be able to take the place of or copy the original.
They were a set and it had her realizing that perhaps it was time to think about her matching half.

So caught up in her thoughts of the journey from her spot at the bottom of the bed, she didn't notice the subtle change in the room.
It was nothing more than the blinking of tired eyes as a bleary gaze stared out at an angry storm. The slight wiggling of stealthy fingers trying
to get a feel of what they were entwined in. Actions so insignificant that icy eyes closed and wandering digits stilled long before her attention returned to them.
No changes to be noted as she slipped from the room as easily as she had entered; Nate ignorant to any and all presence as he blissfully partook in what was surprisingly a peaceful slumber.