"Sophie?" Eliot asked, back at the bar an hour later. Abby, freshly showered and changed into a set of Sophie's clothes stolen from Nate's wardrobe, sat with a soda in one of the booths with Parker, while Eliot sat next to Hardison and Shelley, awaiting on word from Sophie or Nate.

"Nate just got Dubenich released?" she almost couldn't believe what she was saying.

Eliot rubbed his face in concern. It didn't surprise him and he'd honestly expected it, but it annoyed him. Annoyed him that he was putting his own selfish motives ahead of the team. Annoyed that he wasn't thinking about the consequences for the team; for the family.

"We'll be back some time in the middle of the night," the grifter continued morbidly.

"You know Nate's gonna go off the rails on this one?" he asked then pause to correct himself. "You know Nate is going off the rails on this one" the hitter continued, not caring that Nate could hear him.

"I know." Her teeth were gritted as she spoke. "We'll deal with it though, we always do."

"Yeah, he better," he cursed then left Sophie to deal with Nate.

"Why the hell would he-"

"Revenge Hardison," Eliot replied, interrupting the hacker. "Care to stick around for a few days? I may need you," he asked, turning to Shelley on the other side of him.

"Always sir," Shelley replied, sculling back a shot ouzo; a drink he only drunk upon the conclusion of a successful job.

"You're sure?"

"You kidding me?" he laughed rhetorically. "This is one of the breeziest jobs I've ever worked on."

"Thanks," Eliot tipped his drink towards the man. "Just until we sort this stuff out."

Shelley nodded and turned back to his drink as Eliot spun out of his chair and walked towards his teenager. Hardison followed, sticking to Eliot's shoulder.

"You still think we need a sitter?" the hacker asked and Eliot raised his brow, surprised Hardison didn't see the problem.

"Nate's off his rails on this one. He just let a dangerous man, voluntarily out of prison, I'm just doin' what I have to Hardison," he explained, the tone of his voice almost passive aggressive.

Hardison halted in his place and shrugged, realising the hitter was right.

"So with a Glen-Reider 227 model, you have to drill in directly next to the tumblers but not with the 228, otherwise you'll crack the glass and the whole thing," Parker's eyes lit up creepily, she made a whooshing sound flared her hands up like fire.

Abby nodded, trying to look enthused. But really she was exhausted, not too shaken or emotionally distraught but exhausted.

"Parker, can I have a second?" Eliot asked. The thief nodded but remained where she was, just scooting over slightly so Eliot could fit in beside her. "Alone?" he clarified.

"Oh, uh, sure," Parker murmured and slid swiftly out of the seat. Eliot sat down back down in her seat.

"How are you doing?" he asked Abby softly. She took a moment to think but then nodded slowly.

"I think I'm okay," she informed him.

"You don't have to be okay Abs, no one's expecting you to be okay." His words were soft and reassuring.

"I know," she agreed, looking directly at him. "But I think I am okay, not perfect, but I always knew I'd be okay, you know? It wasn't traumatizing El because I knew you'd come for me and they never hurt me. I am okay, in every sense of the word," she reassured him and he sighed, wondering if this that denial stage everyone talked about and if she was going to break down in a couple of days. Something he didn't want because normally, the delayed reaction ended up being worse than any sort of immediate fall out.

But the truth was, she was okay. Not great, but not bad either. Sure, she'd been a little scared, but not enough to affect her. She had faith in the team, faith in her uncle, to always be there for her, just like he'd promised. And he had come through, just like he promised.

But still, Eliot looked unconvinced.

"Eliot, trust me on this okay?" she pleaded and he nodded slowly, if only to appease her. "So what happens now?"

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to tell her everything or not. Then he remembered their deal. "You know how you were taken so we'd get that guy Dubenich outta prison?" Abby nodded. "Well, we got to you before the deadline on that was up, but Nate went ahead with the deal anyway. Now Dubenich is outta prison and we have to, well, do what we do."

"Why would Nate do that?"

"He had Nate's father killed," he explained softly and for the first time, Abby's stomach lurched. She'd been held by the same people that had killed Nate's father. That thought really terrified her.

"Right," she replied blankly.

"So you're gonna go home with Shelley tonight and, um, make sure you pack up everything you need; everything important."

Her mouth opened slightly in surprise at the inference; the inference that they were not coming back. But she closed it quickly and let a genuine smile slip onto her face. "As long as we're all together right?" she confirmed as the bell on the front door gave a jingle.

"Sure," he smiled back and nodded towards the door, pushing Abby's attention over to the most recent occupant.

She flicked her head over her shoulder and saw Kyle standing awkwardly in the middle of the room and his father, already sitting at the bar and engaged in an animated conversation with Shelley, Parker and Hardison.

"Gimme a sec," she smiled at Eliot then slid out of her seat and went to stand in front of the uncomfortable teenager. "Hey," she greeted plainly.

"Hey," he stammered back.

"How are you doing?"

Kyle shrugged. "Okay, I guess. How about you?" There was true concern in his voice.

"I think I'm doing well," she replied, then stood silent; the situation was uncomfortable.

"Um, Abby, I wanted to say a couple of things," Kyle said quickly, as though he'd been gathering up the courage to speak.

Abby let out a deep breath, not sure if she wanted to hear these things or not.

"I wanted to say thanks, for being so cool and keeping me calm and getting us out. I wouldn't have been able to do that without you," he said then paused. The second one seemed harder for him to start. "And I wanted to say sorry for being such an ass to you. You're right, I am a coward and I don't treat people, I didn't treat you like I should have. I am sorry."

Now it was Abby's turn to shrug, the whole thing seemed trivial now but she flicked her eyes down to the floor, unsure of what to say. "Yeah, well, I suppose a sorry's okay but um, that doesn't change anything between us." Kyle nodded knowingly. "Friends?" she asked, adding the last bit as an afterthought.

"Friends," Kyle agreed, smiling in thanks.

"Sweetheart, you and Shelley gotta get going," Eliot prompted having walked over from the booth.

"Right," Abby remembered. "Thanks Kyle," she smiled.

"No, thankyou, I coulda never gotten out of there, or done any of this without you."

She nodded in thanks at his heartfelt appreciation and left him to make his exit. Then she turned to Shelley.

"Everything okay?" Eliot asked, nodding at Kyle as the door shut behind him.

"Yeah, I think we're okay," she nodded, still looking towards the door. "Shall we?" she asked, perking up and turning towards Shelley.

Shelley nodded and pushed himself out of the bar stool. "Where are we going?"

"Our place, Abby knows," Eliot informed him, then lent over and gave Abby another long hug; he was still reluctant to let go and Abby was certain that this whole ordeal had gotten to him more than it had her.

"I'll see you soon?" she asked, one of his arms still wrapped around her.

"You bet," he replied.

"Is, umm, Nate and everything gonna be okay?" she asked quietly and Shelley, sensing a family moment, snuck away to wait by the door.

"We'll fix it," he assured, appreciating the fact that she was more concerned about Nate and the job, than the fact that she'd been kidnapped, and repeating Sophie's (hopefully) wise words. "We always do."

"Okay," she replied, trusting his judgement then giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.