"We have a job. It shouldn't be that difficult, but it does involve travel. We are heading to Maine. It's an in and out, and it should only take about five days. It will be great," Nate said as soon as the last team member sat down in his living room.
Whenever they had work meetings like this Nate noticed how Ale moved to the dining room, usually reading a book or writing in a notebook, ear buds plugged into her ears. The rest of the team had noticed, too, but it didn't worry them as much as it did Nate.
He eventually wanted Ale to be a part of the team. They could use her intelligence as well as her acting abilities. She had been able to pull an entire con on her own, and he couldn't even imagine what she could do for, and with, a team.
She also seemed bored…like she was itching to do something. Sophie had noticed that easily. She was glad that Ale was staying with Eliot, but she also knew how tunnel-visioned he could get when it came to someone he loved.
He was that way with Aimee, and now he was doing it with Ale. He was sure that he hadn't quite told Ale about his feelings, though, which would make it difficult for Ale to know why she was kept on such a short leash.
"Ale's coming with us, right?" Eliot asked after Nate had explained the job.
"Why would she come?" Hardison asked. Yes, he wanted Ale to be safe, but he also knew Eliot had a million security features on the apartment, they knew plenty of people who could check up on Ale (Detective Bonanno being one of them) and kind of figured that Ale had her own things to do). Besides, all she would have been able to do if she went with them was sit in Lucille, which would not be the ideal job if she didn't have anything to do like he did.
"Because someone needs to be watching her. If the people watching her knew that she is alone for some reason, they will take that opportunity to get her," Eliot growled.
"Eliot, she can't be with us all of the time. That's not fair to her," Parker said, knowing how she would feel if she had to be caged.
"And the people watching her still think she's at her house," Hardison interjected.
Eliot looked around the room, realizing that no one was on his side.
Except Nate. Nate knew how he felt about her and he wasn't arguing with Eliot about him wanting to take Ale. Eliot also figured that Nate had his own reasons he wanted Ale to come.
Still, Eliot was angry that no one was seeing how important it was to keep Ale with them. It was Eliot's fault, after all, that Ale's brother was dead. He didn't need another Mosetti's blood on his hands.
And he would miss her.
Eliot growled, standing and going out of the apartment, done with the team. He needed to cool down and try to get Ale out of his mind.
Ale heard the door slam, so she took out her ear buds, guessing who had stormed out. Ale was right, noticing immediately that Eliot wasn't there.
"Is everything alright?" Ale asked, looking around at the team. They seemed disinterested with Eliot leaving. In fact, it seemed like he did that a lot.
"Eliot just threw a hissy fit," Sophie shrugged, sitting down.
"I'll go get him, if you want. He probably didn't go far," Ale offered, Sophie smiling.
"That would be the perfect idea, Alessandra, if he hadn't stormed out because of you. The job we are pulling is out of town and we will be gone for about five days. He is insisting you come, but we all figured you wanted to, I don't know, have a second of breathing room. Lord knows he has enough security in that house to protect the President."
Ale thought about this.
She didn't know if she was ready to be alone for a whole week, but she was also going stir crazy. She knew Eliot was just doing his job, but she wanted just a bit more freedom. After all, Hardison had things handled on the people watching front, and they hadn't figured out she was gone.
And, if she was alone, she could find a dance studio to work at or a new place to volunteer. Volunteering wouldn't be the problem, but she wasn't quite ready for the team to know she was a dancer. Or a singer. In school, she was very artistic, and so many people were sure she was going to move to New York or California and become someone.
And then her Mama got sick.
And Papa died.
And Lio was killed.
And she was exhausted. Ale didn't know why she didn't want the team to know, but she just wasn't ready. It was something she and her Mama always did, and her Papa loved listening to her sing. Plus, she didn't know how to bring it up. And she wasn't even sure she wanted to do that stuff anymore. It reminded her too much of the person she was.
After all, what would Eliot have said if, when he asked what she was doing, said 'dancing'. He would have thought she was crazy. If someone asked specifically, she would definitely tell the truth…now she was just, you know, not telling them.
She knew there was plenty of stuff they didn't tell her.
"Ale? What do you think about being alone? For a week?" Sophie asked, looking at her as though she was zoning out. Which, she guessed, she was.
"I think it would be very different, but I could definitely handle it," Ale said carefully. She didn't want to say she would be fine, because she didn't know if she would be, but she knew she could survive on her own for five days.
"Well I'm sure Eliot would like to hear that, in a way," Nate said, nodding.
Ale thought about Eliot. She was so grateful for him. He had helped her immensely with her nightmares, and he made her feel so, so safe.
She was even sure that she liked him…but she also couldn't help but wonder if her like for him was based solely on the fact that he was the one who was always there to fix her. They had a knight in shining armor relationship, and she was pretty sure she had glommed onto him because he seemed like such an easy fix to all of her problems.
But she was just his job…she was nothing more than a security detail, and a friend, of course, but nothing more in his eyes. She was sure of it. He was, after all, the kind of guy who could have any woman he wanted, and who would want someone as broken as her?
Eliot eventually calmed down, going back to the apartment.
When he got there, only Sophie, Hardison, and Nate were left, Hardiosn playing video games, Sophie highlighting some script, and Nate reading a book.
He immediately noticed that Ale's stuff was still on the table, meaning she couldn't have gone far. Her phone was still there too, which made me a little upset. She was supposed to have it with her at all times in case there was an emergency.
"Where's Ale?" Eliot asked, everyone looking at him with wide eyes.
Before anyone could answer he saw a body fly past the window…a body that looked very much like Ale.
Panic immediately filled his chest, Eliot flying over to the window, sure that Ale would be flat on the pavement, the people who were chasing her having grabbed her when she went to get something from the bar and disposing of her body from the roof. Just as he was about to go get her killers, he saw another body fly down from the roof, looking a hell of a lot like Parker.
"She's repelling with Parker," Hardison answered, walking up behind Eliot. "They've been at it for an hour. They finally made it back to this building after terrorizing so many others."
Eliot looked back out the window, watching as Ale and Parker were making their way up the building, suction cup type equipment on their hands and feet. As they got closer Eliot could see the smiles on their faces, laughs stuck in their eyes. When they got to Eliot's window they both smiled, continuing up the building.
Eliot was a bit stricken, not sure how he felt about Parker taking Ale, his Ale, jumping off buildings. She did seem happy, though, and looked adorable in her little harness and climbing gear.
Eliot needed to cool it. He liked Ale so much, but he had to remember that Ale was struggling with a lot and she probably wasn't ready for a relationship.
It still didn't stop him from thinking about her.
Ale had never had so much fun. She loved the rush of jumping off of the building, only to feel the slight tug of the system as it caught her from completely falling. It was so exhilarating.
That's why she and Lio had always loved jumping off of that cliff in Italy…they felt so free. Ale couldn't count the number of times that they had jumped off when her parents died. They needed the weight of the world off of their shoulders for just a second.
Ale and Parker came bounding into the apartment, laughing and immediately going into the kitchen.
"Do you want a fortune cookie?" Parker asked, looking at Ale. She nodded, sitting down at the island.
Parker hadn't had that much fun in such a long time. She loved hanging out with Ale. They texted a lot after work, talking about Italy and other art works and jewelry. Ale didn't steal stuff, like Parker did, but she didn't mind talking about stealing it, or listening to Parker's stories. Parker loved that about her. She made her feel like she wasn't crazy.
Sophie was glad the girls were getting along. She had worried that Parker wouldn't accept Ale into their lives when they had first helped her, but their relationship only grew, and now they were really good friends. Ale helped to keep Parker in check, and Parker helped Ale let loose.
"So, is she coming or not?" Parker asked the team, everyone looking at her.
"She's coming," Eliot huffed, looking at Ale. Her cheeks were a bit flushed and she had been smiling ever since she came in the room. Now, however, her smile looked hesitant, her eyes bouncing from Sophie, who now had her arms crossed over her chest, and him, who had his crossed as well.
"I thought we decided she didn't have to so long as she checked in constantly," Sophie huffed.
"Well I changed my mind. There are too many variables," Eliot shrugged.
"She can't stay with you forever. We told her she could volunteer and get a job off the books. What are you going to do, follow her there, too?" Sophie snapped, fighting for Ale's independence. She loved how Eliot was when Ale was around—he wasn't so easily angered and he was focused. She didn't want Ale to have to be trapped, though, and wanted her to have some freedom.
Because eventually, once they found out who was after Ale, Eliot wouldn't need to protect her. If they didn't start building a relationship outside of bodyguard and target, they would never last after the threats were gone—Sophie wasn't so sure she could handle that. She wanted them to stay together. She needed them too…the team was her family, the three younger members like her children. She knew what was good for them. Parker was good with Hardison, even though they weren't dating quite yet, and Ale had been good for all of them. And she was especially good for Eliot.
Sophie could see Ale's hesitance in liking Eliot, though. She could tell that the girl figured he was only doing a job, when Sophie knew the truth—he liked her. And until Ale knows that he likes her back, she was going to keep her heart guarded.
"She needs to be protected, Sophie," Eliot said, Lio's dead body flashing before his eyes. "It's my job to see that she is safe."
Ale hated when people argued. Especially when she was the topic of discussion. And she wished that they weren't arguing about her like she wasn't in the room.
"And you can see that she's safe while you are gone," Sophie sighed, Eliot closing his eyes. He wanted to explain his feelings to Sophie, and to Ale, but he couldn't. Instead, he pulled out his phone.
"Let me make some calls," he sighed, going into the hallway.
Sophie nodded, satisfied with the result of the argument. Now Ale could have chance to miss Eliot, and could have a chance to actually have a decorum that didn't exist solely on his worry for her getting killed, and her looking to him for protection.
"Now, Ale, I am sorry if Eliot is short with you or if he makes you check in every ten minutes. At least this way you can have a bit of freedom. We do want to know where you are, though, and we have a detective friend who will be checking in quite a bit. We care about you, but we also want you to have a semi-normal life," Sophie explained, going over to her.
"Have fun. And be safe. I'm going to pack. Parker, you need one of your dresses that I got you. And the heels. And the diamonds. Nate and Hardison, you take what you need. I'm not in charge of you."
"Why are you in charge of me?" Parker asked, her mouth full of fortune cookie. She was on her fifth one already.
"Because the last time you said you had packing handled you didn't bring anything, saying you wanted to try minimal living for a few days, with no regard for the con," Sophie said, Parker shrugging.
"I did want to try it," Parker mumbled, Ale laughing.
Eliot came back in the room, telling Ale to grab her stuff.
"Where are we going?" Ale asked, Eliot sighing.
"Back to the house. We have some things to discuss."
Ale said her goodbyes, telling the team to be careful and to have as much fun as possible. She quietly thanked Sophie, Sophie simply smiling and winking.
When they got back to the apartment Eliot sat down at the dining room table, Ale following and sitting across from him.
"I'm sure you know that I don't want you to stay here alone for five days. But I also know it's probably very difficult to have me hovering over you every minute of every day," Eliot said, looking uncomfortable with the conversation.
"It's an adjustment. But I do appreciate it. I understand this is your job, and I am so grateful that you take it seriously," Ale said, meaning every word. Every time she reminded herself that it was it was his job, she found it to be so much easier to not like him.
All of her feelings were almost gone.
Almost.
Eliot had thought about telling Ale how much she meant to him, but he was too chicken. She wasn't ready, and he was pretty sure she didn't feel the same way. He needed to do his job, and he couldn't let his feelings get in the way.
"Right. So, I have decided to give you a small break from me, even though I will be going crazy while we are up in Maine without you."
"If you're that uncomfortable with it, and you think I'm in that much danger, maybe I should go with you guys. I can't be picky…I just need to get used to this life for a while," Ale shrugged, looking a little defeated.
"No. I figured it all out. I called one of my friends. He used to be in the same…business as I did. He is basically out of it now and does some different jobs around the world. I trust him with my life, so I trust him with yours. I will expect him to go with you everywhere, but I figured, since he's not me, and you don't have to spend all of your time with him and you don't know him, you can pretend he's not there. And he won't even have to tell me what you guys do. He just has to keep you safe. We are going to pay him, so it's his job, and he said he would even be willing to do some other protection for us when I go away or you have stuff you want to do and you don't want me around. I thought it would be a good trade off, even though I would prefer to be your protection instead," Eliot said, letting out a deep breath.
Ale could tell that this was difficult for Eliot, giving up control of a situation. He got tunnel vision, which was reassuring, but it also meant he took everything to heart.
"I think that it will be good to try. If it doesn't work out, I am with you on the next trip. I'll miss you though. I like knowing you have my back," Ale smiled, Eliot smiling back. He didn't seem as uncomfortable after that, and Ale was glad she could ease his mind.
"I'm probably going to still call you, even though I'll be in contact with your new security."
"I won't mind," Ale laughed. "Now, tell me more about this guy."
"Well," Eliot started, folding his hands in front of him. "His name is Quinn."
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are enjoying it so far.
I know that it's frustrating watching this song and dance between Ale and Eliot, but I promise, it will be worth it in the end. I have many, many plans for that will span for a while.
I just wanted to remind everyone that I don't own Leverage, just Ale and the storylines in this fic. If I do ever use a specific con (other than in passing) I will let you know.
Thanks again for your support, follows, reviews, and simply taking the time to read. It means a lot.