Disclaimer - I do not own Leverage, any of its characters or plot line. I only own my original characters and anything that isn't familiar with the show's storyline.

I started writing this after watching the series. I absolutely adore Christian Kane and truly believe that Eliot deserves to find love just as his teammates have.

The title is based on Daughtry's "I'll Fight" which I consider Eliot Spencer's theme song.

Reviews and comments are appreciated.

So without further adieu, here we go. Enjoy!

WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE

1 hour earlier

"Yo, Eliot! I think I may have found her!" Hardison yelled from the hallway as he quick walked out into the living room.

Eliot was in the middle of wearing a groove into the hardwood floor with his incessant pacing; he froze in his tracks when he heard the hacker yell. "Where?" He immediately asked joining Hardison at the kitchen counter, looking over his shoulder at the computer screen.

"Okay, so Gavin's slaughterhouse was only built about 6 years ago, but Katie said that it's been his family business for generations. So I started going through old town records looking for any other building that could have been a previous slaughterhouse and I found one." The hacker pulled up a map and pointed to a spot south of their current position. "It's about an hour to the south. Remote location and the building was condemned 2 years ago, but Gavin's grandfather was listed as the owner."

"That's it. That's where they are. Okay, you and Sophie stay here with Katie, Parker and Nate come with me." Eliot started heading for the door but paused looking back at the hacker. "Hey, Hardison. Thanks, man."

Hardison gave him a grin, "Go get your girl, bro."

"Be careful all of you." Katie shouted to them as they crowded at the front door.

Eliot gave her a smile, "We will. I'm bringing 'em back Katie, both of 'em."

"I know." Katie stated giving him a confident smile in return.

Within the hour Eliot idled the car to a stop just down the road from the abandoned building. The area was covered in a thick blanketing of trees, which coupled with the pitch black of the night allowed the trio to approach without being detected.

Eliot spotted two guards stationed at the front doors, amateurs from the way they carried themselves, they'd be easy to take out. He turned to his teammates to relay his plans. "Okay, I'm gonna take out those two guards at the front, that's your entrance. I'm gonna try and draw the ones inside, out of the building; when I do, Nate you get the horse, Parker you get Alexa."

"What about Gavin?" Parker questioned.

The two could practically see flames burning in Eliot's eyes as he answered. "He's mine."

Inside the building Alexa was fading, the massive trauma to her face and body was taking its toll on her. The substantial blood loss she had sustained was forcing her heart to work harder to keep her alive. Her vision was nothing but blurs as she slipped in and out of consciousness. She could hear Kohana's panicked whinnies every time her eyes slipped closed; it was as if he knew that once they closed they may never open again.

Forcing her eyes open she turned her blurry stare to her companion, her breathing ragged coming in gasps as she tried to calm his fears. "I'm sorry boy— I don't— think he's gonna make it— in time." She pinched her eyes closed sending a fresh wave of tears down her cheeks. "I— tried."

Gavin and his men were crowded on the opposite side of the table from her, presumably deciding what to do with their dead bodies; when Kohana suddenly started neighing loudly, his large hoofs stomping and pawing at the floor beneath him. The Mustang lurched in place, the muscles in his thick neck straining as he jerked on his restraints.

"What the hell is wrong with him!?" Gavin shouted.

"He can feel something." All eyes shot to Alexa as she opened her eyes, slowly tilting her head to the right as she looked in their direction. "Did you hear the clock stop, Gavin? Your time is up." Her eyes burned straight into his sending a flash of fear up his spine. "He's here."

"Spread out! Find whoever's here and kill them!" Gavin ordered as his men split up and took off in multiple directions.

Alexa allowed her eyes to slip closed once more, only this time it was in relief. She could hear multiple gunshots echoing through the dilapidated building around her, each one moving closer to her location. She knew it was Eliot, moving through the shadows, inflicting his rage on anyone in his path. She knew he wouldn't kill them if he didn't have to, he wasn't that man anymore; but she'd be lying to herself if she said that thought didn't appeal to her. But her heart would never ask that of Eliot; never force him to slip back into the darkness that she had fought hard to pull him out of.

With the numbers of his men dwindling with every passing second, it seemed that Gavin had realized his best chance of living was to run. A mere beat after he'd left her line of sight, a blonde woman popped up in front of Alexa. The woman dressed all in black gave her a calming smile, even as her worried eyes noticed the open wound on Alexa's face.

"Hi, I'm Parker. I'm a friend of Eliot's. Let's get you out of here."

Alexa sighed in relief as Parker unshackled the cuffs around her ankles, before she stood up and went to work on the ones restraining her wrists. "Kohana." She whispered through her pain as she heard him whinny.

"He's okay. We got him." Parker assured her.

Sure enough as Alexa glanced over Parker's shoulder she saw a black-haired older man releasing the Mustang from his bonds. The man gave her a nod and a smile before he led Kohana towards a door at the back of the building.

With one arm released Alexa rested it around Parker's shoulders as the thief worked on the other one. Released from the bindings Alexa collapsed into Parker's arms, the blonde woman wrapping her arms around Alexa's waist to steady her.

"Let's go." Parker said wrapping one arm around Alexa's waist and holding the wrist of the arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Before they had taken a step Alexa heard the click of a gun hammer behind them. "Parker look out!" With a rush of adrenaline Alexa shoved the woman to the right where she landed behind the safety of the metal table.

With a rush of adrenaline flooding her body Alexa whipped around and latched onto Gavin's wrist, the gun firing blindly into the air as she forced her back up against his chest. The two struggled for control, slamming into the table before Alexa managed to knock the gun from his hand. Gavin retaliated by grabbing a handful of her hair and slamming her face down onto the table. With a free hand Alexa reached back and grabbed the only leverage she had at that moment; his testicle's.

Gavin howled in pain as he jerked them both backwards, Alexa using the momentary release on her hair to slam her elbow back into his nose. Once more he let out a pain-filled scream as the bones in his nose snapped. Using her momentum and the grip she still had on his arm, Alexa whirled around and nailed a fist to his solar plexus, the air immediately being driven from his lungs and doubling Gavin over.

Then in a move impressing the hell out of Parker who couldn't believe Alexa was standing let alone fighting; Alexa jumped up and wrapped her legs around Gavin's neck in a triangle, just like Eliot had taught Parker to do on Hardison. Alexa slammed to the ground on her back which sent a rush of pain through her body, but also gave her a second wind as she tightened her muscular legs around his neck.

Even though snapping Gavin's neck would have been enough, Alexa wanted him to feel true pain just before he died. Parker followed Alexa's eye line as it darted around the room before finally stopping on something on the floor. The thief knew just what she was looking at, picking it up she called out to the woman before tossing the object.

"Alexa!"

Through half-blurred vision Alexa looked up and caught the syringe, looking down with a malevolent gaze at Gavin's wide-eyed petrified stare. "You will never— hurt another living thing."

With that Alexa gouged the needle into Gavin's eye, the man screaming at the top of his lungs as she depressed the entire dose of Ketamine into his body. Releasing him from the vise grip of her legs Alexa collapsed to the floor, watching as his body convulsed, his screams bellowing throughout the building. Seconds later Jacob Gavin was dead.

Eliot ran into the room in time to see Gavin take his last breath, a part of him furious over the fact that he hadn't been the one to kill him. But his anger dissipated instantly as he saw Alexa lying on the floor beside Parker. Moving over he fell to his knees at her side, his eyes taking in the severe damage that had been done to her body. Ripping off his black t-shirt leaving him a black tank top, he tugged Alexa into his arms as he placed the shirt over the wound on her face.

Her eyes were shut and there appeared to be no movement from her chest; and for a split second Eliot feared that he was too late. But a light touch on his hand that was resting on her stomach chased his fears away.

He looked down at her face and was met by her gaze, blue meeting aqua for the first time in ten years. A small smile graced her lips as she whispered, "Eli. I knew you'd come for me."

The smile that he only reserved for her crossed his face. "Always, Lex. Always and Forever."