"This is actually a pretty good forgery Hardison?" Sophie said as she carefully eying the painting as she waited for their experts to arrive. "Is this one of yours?"

"Nah, friend of mine in New York," the hacker replied. "Guy's a legendary conman and forger. Or was, or is. It's complicated." In the van Parker raised a suspecting brow; this man sounded familiar. She was about to open her mouth and question before Hardison began talking. "And tell me again why Eliot couldn't be the security guy? It's damn boring standing out here!"

"Because Eliot is still on a plane from cleaning up from our last job," Nate stated.

"Please, don't even call that last event a job; it was awful," Sophie pleaded.

"We need to come up with a new system!" Hardison complained, and then quietened down as he saw two men approaching.

"Excuse me Mr... Gale," the brown haired man stated and it took Hardison a second to come to attention at the use of his alias. "My name is Shawn Spencer and this is my partner Lance Lionel Lexignton, one 'x', one 'o'. We are the art authenticators."

"They're here already?" Sophie asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Art authenticators?" Hardison confirmed.

"Yes indeed. We came here from New Orleans to authenticate art in an authoritative, expert and artistic manner," the man replied smugly.

Hardison paused, waiting for an okay from, well, anyone.

"It's alright Hardison," Sophie stated, straightening out her jacket on the other side of the comms. "We're ready."

The hacker reached for a pair of visitors badges from behind his stand and handed them to the men, who received it with a satisfied smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How's it going on your end Parker?" Sophie asked, making her way to the museum floor.

"Paper work's all in place," the thief replied.

"Good," Nate stated. " It's all on you now, Sophie."

"No pressure," she muttered under her breath than breezed up to the two men who, at first glance, did not look like art experts; one was dressed in jeans and plaid shirt, the other a sweater and nicely fitting jacket but still, not experts.

"Are you sure these are the art experts?" she asked her team.

"That's what they said," the hacker replied.

"They don't look it," she replied quietly as she approached the men.

"See what you can find out about them Sophie," Nate added; better safe than sorry

"You must be our art authenticators," Sophie declared as she drew closer to the men, though still several feet away.

"Uh, yes!" the one in plaid replied, then whispered something to his partner which Sophie couldn't quite make out. "Yup, that's us. Shawn Spencer," he introduced, pointing to himself. "And Lance Lionel Lexington," he said pointing to his partner. "And you?"

"Georgia Myers, Interim Curator. And what an interesting name mister Lexignton," she commented, trying to develop some insight into the men.

"Interim?" Lexington enquired..

"Yes, the permanent curator is," she paused trying to find the right word to describe the current situation of their mark. " Indisposed," she settled upon "But no matter. I'll take you to the piece I'd like you to authenticate."

As she led them to the restoration room, Lance mumbled under his breath. What he was saying, Sophie couldn't quite make out but she was beginning to think that they weren't actually art experts.

She shook the thought from her head, hoping it wouldn't matter as she directed their attention to their painting.

"That's a Van Gogh self-portrait," Lance declared, somewhat in awe and Sophie, for a moment, began to think that they just might be legitimate.

"We hope so," she replied. "This particular painting was stolen several years ago and has just recently resurfaced. We want to make sure it's legitimate before we announce anything."

"My first big painting score," Parker said dreamily as she recalled her theft of the painting from the Louvre.

Shawn drew closer to the piece, eying it off intensely.

"Well," he began. "I can say that I'm one hundred percent sure that that's probably the original painting."

Sophie opened her mouth slightly out of surprise.

"Okay," Nate said, also surprised. "That was not how that was meant to go."

"But he said he was a hundred percent sure," Parker stated, confused.

"A hundred percent sure that that's probably the original," Nate repeated.

"So that's like, eighty percent?" the hacker asked, still waiting at the entrance.

"Are you quite sure Mr Spencer, Mr Lexington," Sophie began, trying to get him to reevaluate the painting. "We wouldn't want the museum to look like a ridiculous sham would we?"

She saw the slightest hint of amusement in their eyes. "No," Shawn stated. "We certainly don't want anything ridiculous, do we Lance?"

"You know," Hardison began. "I'm beginning to doubt these guys' credibility."

"No we do not," Lance replied.

"Unfortunately, Miss Myers, I am not an expert in Van Goff," Spencer began and, on the other end of the comms, Nate sighed as both Sophie and Lance corrected his pronunciation.

"I've heard it both ways," he said smugly.

"This is turning out to be a bigger train wreck than the last con!" Parker exclaimed.

"But, as I was saying, I am clearly not an expert as evident by my mispronunciation of the artists' name. So, in my expert opinion, I suggest that you find a Van Gough expert to evaluate the legitimacy of your painting."

"I'm confused. Aren't you the experts we called in?" Sophie asked and the two men exchanged glances as they began to, slowly, make their way to the exit.

"Hardison can you…" Nate began.

"Run a background check?" Hardison finished for him. "Already on it."

"No, we are here by pure happenstance," Shawn stated.

"These guys are quick," Parker declared.

"A coincidence," Lance added. "We were just here to enjoy some art."

"Okay, something is definitely up," Parker continued.

"But you said to security that you were here to authenticate some art?" Sophie questioned as she rubbed her ear, the noise in her head frustrating her.

"A misunderstanding," Lance said with a forced laugh.

"We should have called Maggie," Parker and Hardison said simultaneously

"No one is calling Maggie," Nate, almost, shouted.

"Exactly!" Shawn said enthusiastically, flailing his arms in the air. "When said we were here to authenticate some art we meant for FUN! By coming and looking at the art you had on display!"

"Keep our skills sharp," Lance continued.

"These guys finish each other's sentences more than a teenage couple 'in love'," Hardison stated playfully.

"All we need is to get them to…"

"Forget it!" Sophie yelled, exacerbated and interrupting the mastermind. "I'm calling Maggie!"

"No one's calling Maggie," Nate instructed as the two 'art experts' mumbled something and walked off at an uncannily fast pace.

"Maggie, it's Sophie," the grifter said already on the phone to Nate's ex. "Are you busy?"

So there's the Leverage side of what happened for you!

More up in a few days.

Thanks for reading and double thanks for everyone who followed, reviewed or favourited.

Bonus points to anyone who figures out the 2 extra references in this chapter =)

Ta