"Quinn?" Hardison answered, looking at his phone as he answered.
"Hey. How is Ale?" Quinn said, sounding like he was running.
"She's tired. Why are you asking me, not her? Not that I mind," Hardison laughed, looking at the monitors. Ale was sitting at the bottom of the staircase at the studio her head resting in her lap.
"She left me a voicemail and was pretty upset. I have tried to call her back but she hasn't been able to be reached. And now I'm in LAX and I have no clue where I'm supposed to go."
"You came to California?" Hardison asked, looking at Parker across the van.
"Yes. I did," Quinn sighed. "But I don't want to be in the way of the con. I just wanted to be here…in case she needed me."
"I can get you a hotel room and a ticket for tomorrow night's performance that Ale is in, if you would like. It's going to mean a lot that you are here. She has been having a really hard time this week," Hardison sighed.
"That would be great. Thank you, Hardison. I know you have been helping her a lot this week."
Hardison cleared his throat, surprised that Ale had told Quinn about him. His job was usually invisible.
"It's been my pleasure. She deserves it."
"Yes," Quinn smiled, "She does."
"Jane, sweetie, are you going to come upstairs?" Sophie called as she headed down from the viewing room. Ale was sitting on the bottom step, her head in her lap.
"Mom, can we please go home?" Ale sighed, Sophie sitting down next to her.
"No. I'm sorry, dear," Sophie said, putting a hand on Ale's back.
"Don't touch me, please," Ale whispered. "Everything hurts."
"Well, we have dinner upstairs. And ice. And IB Profen. If you get up there, all of it is yours," Sophie said softly.
"Fine," Ale scoffed. Sophie practically dragged Ale upstairs, the guys that were up there all talking to her. The one who kept trying to help, Daniel, sat down next to her on the ground.
"I'm sorry that you got sucked into this studio," he said, looking at Ale as Eliot handed her bags of ice.
"It's okay. It will be worth it. They are amazing dances, and there will be scouts here tomorrow."
"Very true," Daniel nodded. "Well, I'll let you eat and ice in peace. Enjoy."
"He's nice," Nate observed, handing Ale a smoothie.
"He is very nice. And he is very good at catching people," Ale said absent-mindedly. "I'm going to go outside," Ale said, standing from her spot on the floor. Her ice packs had been taped on with athletic tape.
"Do you want company?" Sophie asked, although she knew the answer. Ale shook her head, making her way, slowly, down the stairs. When she finally made it outside she sat down on one of the benches near the entrance. Not five minutes later was Eliot sitting on the other side of the bench.
"I know you don't want to hear what I have to say, especially after what I said to you the night of the accident, but this isn't about me. It's about the team," Eliot said, Ale looking at him.
She wasn't sure she wanted to listen to Eliot yell at her for whatever reason he was going to yell, but she didn't have the energy to go back into the studio. Instead she just nodded her head, motioning for him to go on.
"I know what Nate and Sophie talked to you about this morning. And I know how much that probably scared you. It's hard to let people in when you have already lost so much. You worry that, for some reason, people are going to get hurt simply because they know you. And you are worried that you will miss them if they get taken from you and you won't be able to handle more loss. But you have to understand that the team…it will be the best thing that ever happened to you. Helping others alongside of these people who understand you…it is something else. Don't back away from the team just because you are afraid. Running from things will end up biting you in the ass," Eliot drawled.
Ale took a deep breath, looking at Eliot, really, for the first time since the night of their fight. He looked tired, but he also had the same comfortable energy that she had always taken from him.
"And I am truly sorry for what I said that night. I was out of line and I should have never said that. It's true that I want you to be safe, but I needed to handle myself much better than I did, and I should not have said that about your family. And I know you might not forgive me now, or ever, but I do want you to know how sorry I am that I said that," Eliot said, a little quieter than before.
"I am sorry, too. But I think I can eventually get over it," Ale sighed, looking at Eliot. "Thank you."
Before Eliot could say anything back Tonnie was yelling for Jane from inside of the studio, Eliot handing Ale her comm, her immediately rolling her eyes as she heard Tonnie's voice.
"See ya in there," Ale sighed, standing and going back to work.
Eliot watched Ale go, hoping that she would forgive him sooner rather than later. He missed her, and he wanted her to be a part of the team.
She had to be, or they wouldn't be complete.
He wouldn't be complete.
"I have a favor to ask," Nate said, leaning against Ale's doorway. After rehearsal they had gone back to the hotel, Ale immediately crashing in her room.
"What's up?" Ale asked, sitting up and putting down her phone.
"I completely bombed at CPS. I don't know enough about dance and physical development and the CPS system to actually make a point to them. I did, however, manage to get another appointment in front of a few of the agents. I was wondering if you would do the presentation to them. You know everything we need to pin down Tonnie. You were the one who could tell right away that the teachers were unsafe. So, tomorrow during your break before the show I was wondering if you would come with me to CPS and completely knock it out of the park."
Nate hated that he couldn't finish this part of the con. Everyone else had done their job superbly. Parker got in and out of the office in record time, Hardison has been collecting footage and watching the financials while record keeping, Eliot has been watching over the team and playing his part perfectly, while Sophie and Ale had been the face of the project, Ale dancing better than he could have imagined and being a better grifter than he could have wished for.
"Sure. Just let Sophie know so she can pick out an outfit. And let me know what name I am supposed to be using and if I have a background story. I will have to fill out a lot of paperwork if I am submitting a complaint," Ale said, smiling weakly at Nate.
"Excellent. Thank you, Ale."
"No problem," she nodded, looking back at her phone.
Nate went back into the living room of the suite, Sophie and Hardison being the only two still awake.
"Well, is our girl going to save us again?" Sophie asked, sipping on some wine.
"She is," Nate nodded. "I'm not so sure how much longer she is going to be saving us, though. After this morning I'm convinced she doesn't want anything to do with us," he sighed.
"Don't underestimate her," Hardison said as he started getting Ale's cover ready for the next day. "She may surprise you. She has up to this point."
"Very true, Hardison," Nate nodded. They heard Ale call for Hardison from her room, him immediately standing.
A few minutes later he came back out, a smile on his face.
"What?" Sophie asked, smiling as well.
"She just asked for a bunch of visuals for her presentation. And didn't apologize for needing them and knew I would pull through. If that isn't a part of being on this team, I don't know what is," he laughed, continuing to work on his computer, taking a swig of orange soda.
Sophie and Nate laughed as well, Hardison somehow making them not as nervous about Ale leaving than they had been all day.
"It's the big day!" Parker sang, walking into Ale's room. She was surprised to see the bed already empty and made, a note on the bed.
'Don't panic, I didn't run away. I had to get a few things for the presentation today so Eliot and I went out to get it. He's not running or working out like he usually is. We have our comms. I will back in plenty of time to get to the studio with Sophie for the last rehearsal, then go to CPS with Nate, and be back for the show tonight'.
Parker breathed a sigh of relief. She knew how worried Ale was about being a part of the team, and a part of the family. She didn't want her backing out, even though she would have understood if she had. And if Ale had ditched, Parker knew Nate had a plan to cover for her.
But Ale was staying, at least for this job, which was a good sign.
A very, very good sign.
It was a little weird for Ale to be with Eliot without the team, but it was mostly because they both wouldn't speak to each other and an awkward silence surrounded them.
"I have an idea," Ale said suddenly as she walked down Main Street.
"What's that?" Eliot said, smiling a little at Ale's abruptness.
"Let's just pretend the fight never happened. I will be mad about it on my own time and you can stop being awkward around me and we can go back to being friends and it will be better for the team and our own peace of mind. Sound good?" Ale rambled.
"Are you sure? Because I don't blame you if you want to be mad at me longer."
"I did want to be mad at you, but then you took the time to talk to me yesterday even though you knew I was mad at you all so I didn't screw something up. And that meant a lot. So I can overlook the anger."
"Well I will accept that deal. I would be crazy not to."
"Perfect," Ale smiled, nodding.
"So, what have I missed? Anything interesting happen in your life while I was gone?"
"Oh come on, Ale. I know that Sophie and Parker and Nate and Hardison had been talking to you about everything, including me, since we got in the fight," Eliot said, Ale shrugging a bit.
"True. But they only told me about the cons. I am wondering if you watched any good chick flicks lately, or you perfected my mom's lasagna recipe yet and figured out the secret ingredient, or your sister had her baby."
"You remembered that Emily was pregnant? I told you that in passing once," Eliot said, a little surprised.
"No matter how hard I try, Eliot, I don't forget what you tell me. It's like my ear has a special place for your voice to enter and trap your words. It's infuriating."
"Well Emily did have the baby. A little girl, Zoe. She is adorable. I've gotten a lot of pictures."
"Well I would love to see them, sometime," Ale nodded, smiling at the doorman as they reached the hotel once again.
Ale headed up to the suite, getting dressed quickly for the last round of rehearsals.
"Sophie, are you ready? Eliot is already downstairs," Ale called as she tied her hair into a French braid.
"I am. Are you?" Sophie asked, watching as Ale ran around the living room.
"I can't find my—"
"Dance bag?" Hardison asked, holding up Ale's bag.
"Yes!" Ale squealed.
"You seem a lot more chipper today," Sophie laughed.
"I am always like this on show days. Ever since I was little. I get so excited. Even though these have been two weeks of hell, today it all pays off, in more ways than one. My mama used to have to take two hours to do my hair and makeup because I was so fidgety. Lio's job was to pack the car with the list I made the week before because I always forgot something. And my dad always calmed me down right before I went on. It was a full family event trying to keep me from bouncing off of the walls," Ale laughed, grabbing a banana from the counter. "Okay, let's go," she smiled, taking her bag from Hardison.
"Knock em' dead, squirt. I'll see you after rehearsal."
"Thanks Hardison," Ale said, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Sophie, let's go," she sighed, pulling Sophie up from the couch. "It's show day!"
Sophie couldn't help but laugh at Ale, the light that usually accompanied her finally returning. She was happy that Ale had talked about her family today without getting upset, and she was even happier that she didn't seem so tired and done with everything.
Once they made it down to the lobby Ale practically ran to the car, Nate looking at Sophie with raised eyebrows.
"It's show day!" Sophie sang, as if that answered everything. Eliot laughed in his seat, Nate chuckling as well.
Ale already had her headphones plugged in, rocking to the music that filled her ears.
"She forgave me today," Eliot said quietly to Sophie, Sophie nodding.
"And how does that feel?" she asked, smiling.
"I feel brighter," Eliot smiled back, sitting back in his seat, not being able to help but watch Ale as she let the music consume her.
It was beautiful, just like her.
I know I might have changed Eliot's back story a little bit, and I will continue to. I want him to have a family to ground him, and I want him to have something to share with the team and with Ale. I hope no one is too upset about it. If you are, I'm truly sorry, but I feel that it will help strengthen Eliot as a character, as well as advance Ale and Eliot's relationship later on.
Thank you for reading and reviewing; it means so much!