Takes place just after the Lonely Hearts Job which, in my universe, takes place after the last chapter but before the Queen's Gambit Job. Mostly because when I wrote this I forgot to check the order of the episodes.

I hope you'll all forgive me? :)

In the bar the team sat at a table, celebrating their latest win against Meredith and her hoard of grifters.

"I still can't believe you got me a plant," Parker exclaimed to Hardison. "That eats things."

"I can't believe I didn't get to go to the Hamptons," Abby complained.

"You had school," her uncle stated. "Speaking of which I should get going," he said as he sipped back the last of his beer.

"Promise me you won't embarrass me."

"How am I going to embarrass you? When have I ever embarrassed you?" he asked in response.

"Dropping me off at school in a Ferrari when I was 10, dating my 3rd grade teacher, breaking up with my 3rd grade teacher, making me wear elbow pads to ride my bike to Mrs Grey's..."

"You made her wear elbow pads?" Hardison asked as he made a face of disgust.

"She was five and really, really accident prone," Eliot defended.

"It was on the other side of the street," Abby stated.

"So you were one of those really overprotective parents?" Sophie asked, not unsurprised.

"Is," Abby corrected.

"I was not overprotective," Eliot protested. "The knee pads were your mother's idea anyway."

"Why is Eliot going to embarrass you?" Parker asked.

"I'm not..." Eliot began but then realised it was trivial.

"Parent teacher conference," Abby informed.

"I should be heading off and I want you to finish your coke and then get home okay? And don't take like an hour to finish it like you did last time."

"Okay," she said, kissing him on the cheek as he left.

"Why is he embarrassing you?" Parker questioned again, still confused.

"My lit teacher," Abby stated simply.

"I'm still confused."

"Is she young and attractive?" Sophie enquired and the teenager nodded.

"Apparently," Abby replied. "And Eliot is Eliot."

"Oh," Parker exclaimed. "And you think they're going to..." she made an odd, Parker like gesture with her hands, finishing her sentence.

"And then they're going to never speak again and things will forever be awkward between me and my teacher."

"They might not," Sophie suggested and both Nate and Hardison scoffed slightly, well aware of Eliot's reputation with women. Sophie raised an eyebrow in disapproval.

"I think Nate and Alec said it well," Abby stated, finishing off the last of her drink. "Anyway, I should go. I'll see you tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

After Abby left the bar Sophie called up the hitter, driving in his car to Abby's school.

"Yeah Soph,"

"How do you feel about Abigail having sex?" She stated bluntly, through the phone, she could hear the screeching of breaks.

"Why?" he said in his angry voice.

"Because you need to set an example. You know Abby's interested in Bonnano's kid…."

"Wait, you lost me," he interjected.

"I know you're a man and you have... needs but Abby is well aware of your reputation with women and is that the sort of example you want to be setting for her? That women are objects to be used and discard..."

"You know I don't think that!"

"Does Abby?"

"She's smarter than..."

"Than what Eliot? Teenagers learn from the examples that are set from the people around them, especially their role models. And don't forget that Abby's mother was the same age she is when she got pregnant."

Eliot wanted to be angry but he knew she was right, but he couldn't just let a comment like that slide.

"And you and Nate huh? What sorta example is that setting?"

This statement caught Sophie by surprise; she hadn't really thought about it from this perspective.

"You know Nate's not ready for a relationship Eliot, but you know as well as I do that we are in a relationship; just an unconventional one."

"So," he said, looking for some sort of definite answer.

"So," Sophie stated. "Be a role model. I'm not saying don't have sex just be wary of the example you're setting for your little girl."

"Yeah, okay," he said. "And thanks Sophie and if you could..."

"Give you my input into raising a teenage girl?" she offered and Eliot silently thanked her for not making him finish that sentence.

"Thank you Sophie."

"We've all grown to love that girl Eliot and we'll always be here to help."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Pulling up at the school Eliot still wasn't sure what exactly had brought on the rather unusual call from Sophie that was until he walked into the classroom and saw a beautiful, fair skinned woman with strawberry blonde (how he loved red hair) hair sitting at a desk; utterly stunning.

"Miss Brennan?" He asked.

"Call me Kara," she said with a southern accent; how he loved a southern woman.

"Eliot Spencer."

"Of course, you must be AJ's..." she trailed off, not too sure of the relationship.

"Uncle," he offered, tensing slightly at the use of Abigail's nickname.

"Right," she said smiling. "Well AJ is wonderful; bright, joyful and she's doing excellently in class, even despite her starting here mid semester."

"So she's doing well?"

"Excellently, she's picked up a few odd spellings from her time overseas, but it's nothing in the grand scheme of thing."

"Yeah, she picked up a few odd habits over there," he smiled. "You ever been?" he said, his flirtatious nature taking over.

"No, I'd love to go sometime though," she said, ever so slightly flirting back.

"Well I should go see her other teachers," Eliot said, Sophie's words ringing in his ear.

"Oh well it was nice to meet you Eliot," Kara said, extending her hand for him to shake, a slight look of disappointment on her face.

"You as well," he replied, returning the gesture.

XXXXXXXXX

Eliot enjoyed driving, even if it was just to the school and home, as it gave him time to think; let him get away from the outside world and just think and that evening was no different.

The call from Sophie had made him realise that he wasn't just raising a person but a girl; a woman. Sure had had practically raised his sister after his mother's death but that had turned out with Hayley being pregnant and the pair of them exiled from their own home; not exactly what he wanted for Abby. And more than that, he was a thief. How on earth did he expect to raise an honest, truthful person when he lied and stole for a living? How could he expect Abby to be any different than him?

The thoughts had been swirling about in the back of his mind ever since Abby had come back into his life but only now were they starting to articulate themselves.

These thought scared him, and not a lot scared Eliot.

So, Eliot did the only thing he could think of, as much as it pained him to do so.

What is it that Eliot will do?

So, updating will probably slow due to (good) changes in real life. Slow, not stop, I have big plans for this story (provided you all keep on enjoying it and reviewing *hint hint* :P).

Until then, have an excellent day!