Once again, didn't check the running order before I published…. Ah well, I'm sure we'll all survive.

"I don't like this!" Eliot complained as they quickly gathered false ID's, technology and whatever else might be needed for the job. After Sterling had made his impromptu visit that evening, the team had been called out and were planning to take the next possible flight to the UAE.

"None of us like it Eliot," Sophie replied. "But it's our job."

"Yeah but Sterling is Sterling. When has he not screwed us over?" Parker noted.

"There's a first time for everything," Nate said as he walked down the staircase, chucking his suitcase down on the already gathered pile of suitcases.

"I still don't like it. I don't trust Sterling," the hitter reiterated then paused and clenched his jaw. "Abby's coming," he stated.

"Why? She's stayed home before?" Parker enquired, without looking up as she flicked through some of the ID's on the table.

"This is Sterling. I don't trust him," he said again. "I need Abby close by so I can keep her safe." Safe from Sterling, safe from her father; safe from everything and where he could protect her. "She's coming." It wasn't a question or a request.

"Hardison put together a couple of false ID's..." Nate began and Eliot nodded at him in thanks.

"Already done man. Abby's got a whole countries worth of false ID's just waiting to be tested," the hacker informed them and Eliot looked at his watch. "Gotta be at the airport in two hours," Hardison said, reading Eliot's mind.

"I'll swing home, wake her up, get her to pack and meet you back here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Darlin' I need you to look at that folder and memorise it," Eliot said as the team drove to the airport. He handed her a folder with a passport and various other documents explaining the back story of 'Mary Clive'. Although she wasn't actually taking part in the con, and as far as Eliot was concerned she never would again, but any travel for them involved fake ID's and backstories to match, in order to account for anything going wrong.

"No, Eliot..." she protested, worry on her face.

"It's not," he began. "It's not like last time I promise."

"What happened last time?" Parker enquired innocently.

"Last time he left and didn't come back," Abby replied, only slightly bitterly. The team was silent. "So why am I coming?"

"You sound disappointed," Parker noted.

Abby shook her head. "Just curious."

"You're coming because this job got offered to us by an Interpol agent," Eliot explained. "By the name of James Sterling," both Parker and Hardison made an involuntary face of disgust, "who none of us trust. So it's probably best if you stay close."

"Is he dangerous?"

"Not so much dangerous as," Nate said. "How did he put it? 'Complete, self-serving utter bastard'."

"And not to mention there hasn't been a single job where we haven't gotten screwed over by him," Hardison added.

"So you don't like this guy?"

"No," they said in chorus.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what am I meant to do?" She asked as they set up the hotel room into their base.

"Watch the tournament?" Eliot offered.

"Chess? No thank you. Shopping, now shopping I could do. If only I had some mon..." Eliot handed her a credit card. "Thank you Mr Marcus Fields," she said, reading the name of the plastic. "And thank you Eliot," she said as she hugged him in thanks. "So you don't care where I go?"

"Yes, I do," he commented as he brought up a map on the computer screen, pointing to an area surrounding the hotel. "Stay in this area and keep your comms on you. Remember, outside of this hotel room I am not your uncle. We've never met."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't blow the con. And what about Sterling guy?"

Eliot looked up at Nate.

"I think its best we don't tell him," Nate decided. "Unless it's absolutely necessary," he added as an afterthought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dance Dance Revolution?" Abby questioned as Hardison laid out the mats in the hotel room. She'd just returned back from her mini-shopping trip several hours ago and, exhausted from the travel and terrible with jetlag, she had napped for another few. Now she was bored and this looked exciting.

"Mhm," Hardison smiled gleefully, "the treadmill of the geek world!"

"I haven't played this in ages," Abby declared, tossing her jacket on the bed, tying her hair up and kicking her shoes off. Hardison raised a hopeful eyebrow.

"You wanna-"

"Alec Hardison, I challenge you to a game of Dance Dance Revolution!" she interrupted excitedly as she jumped to her feet.

"I accept your challenge," the hacker smiled. "Choose your weapon." He directed Abby to look at the screen and pick a song. She squinted for a moment before finally selecting one.

"That one!"

"Ok Go, a fine weapon of choice m'lady," Hardison said as he cued up the song. He then turned to face the mat and hitched up the hems of his pants in serious preparation.

Abby squared up directly in front of him, stretching out her legs and arms.

"It's on," Abby smiled.

"Let the battle commence!"

Exactly three minutes later, the pair were emptying water bottles down their throats and puffing excessively.

"I am victorious!" Hardison panted exhaustedly, pointing one finger and arm into the air.

"Only because you've played that level before," Abby defended. "Mark my words, I will beat you!"

"Dream on Ace, I am the best at Dance Dance Revolution!"

"Hey Hardison," Nate's voice came in over comms, "How's the planning going?"

'It's like he knew' Abby mouthed as she grinned.

"Yeah good, uh, good man," Hardison replied. "Just uh, testing out some of the hardware."

"Keep me in the loop okay," the mastermind instructed.

"Sure, will do," Hardison replied and then turned to the teenager. "Care to help out?"

"Because I have such a high level of knowledge on how to break into secure vaults," she stated sarcastically.

"Only one way to learn," Hardison offered. The teenager considered it for a minute, and then shook her head; she still wasn't sure where she wanted her life to leave, so, she decided, she would remain out of any questionable activities. For now at least.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna go for a walk," she informed him. "I've never been to Dubai before so I'm gonna try and soak it in."

"All cool."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" the blonde apologised after she bumped into Abby, spilling her smoothie down the front of her shirt.

"It's, um, it's fine," she replied as she stood, as still as a statue, trying to figure out what to do exactly, as the purple liquid dripped down her top and onto the floor.

"Here," the girl offered as she handed Abby a towel from a nearby bench.

"Thanks," Abby replied as she wiped herself down.

"Are you here for the tournament?"

"No," Abby snickered. "No, chess is not my game. Are you?"

"I'm competing," she replied. "Olivia."

"Mary," Abby offered as she wiped up the last of the drink. "So you'd be one of those child geniuses then?"

"Apparently," she smirked. "So what's your game?"

"Well, I don't like to brag, but I excel at Go Fish," she joked and was met with a blank stare of confusion from the other teenager. "Poker," she tried again, "you have to be in my family."

"Same for me, I suppose; chess is a family pass time."

"Right," Abby said, drawing the connection with the teenager and the team's mark. "Your dad's the hotel guy."

"Hmm," she snorted. "My step dad; and he can't play chess for dirt, though he thinks he can," she declared as her body guard shifty uncomfortably beside her. "My real dad on the other hand, he's much better, though his reputation is less than sterling." There was a sly grin on her face.

"Cool," Abby replied, though she wasn't entirely sure what to make of her last comment.

"I've gotta go, I have a tournament," Olivia stated apologetically as he guards began to usher her along. "It was nice meeting you," she said, already several feet away and turning her head back to face Abby.

"You too," Abby smiled politely. She watched momentarily as the girl was marched away, then turned in the opposite direction and pulled her com out of her pocket.

This chapter (and the next two) were impossible to write. I promise you I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that I rewrote them 12 times, but, I'm really happy with the results.

So please, honest opinions are welcome