Antwerp, Belgium 2008

Eliot woke in his hotel room to the sound of his phone ringing loudly. With a low growl, he answered, "What?" he hissed into the phone. Whoever was calling better have a damn good reason, he thought to himself.

"Eliot Spencer? I'm told you're the man to talk to for a hitter job," a timid voice said on the other end. Definitely an older man.

He groaned. This was suppose to be his vacation. At least, as close to vacation as Eliot Spencer got. "Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, I have an offer for you. It's a four person job, with a hacker, a thief, a hitman and a coordinator. And before you turn it down because I know your reputation and I know you work alone, let me first tell you that this isn't by any means a small job. This comes with a lot of risk, therefore a huge payout. Three-hundred thousand, to be specific. So tell me, Mr. Spencer, you in or out?" The man went from sounding clearly timid, to hopeful and deperate.

Eliot didn't need long to find his answer. Three hundred thousand? That was more than he made in three jobs. "Sir, with a pay like that, just tell me the who, where and when. Text me the address and date at this number," with nothing more to say, he hung up and flipped his legs over the side of the bed. And upon receiving the information for the job, he booked the earliest flight out.

After hopping a quick shower, he gathered what few things he had into his duffel bag and left a note for the girl in the bed before heading out.

Boston, Massachusetts

He got off of the elevator on the 20th floor and turned right, looking for a door labelled room 402. Finding it with relative ease, he slipped in quickly and quietly. He was unsure if the other three people were already there and set up, and if they were he didn't want to risk anyone outside the room seeing what they had going on.

"Eliot Spencer!"

He cringed. He knew that voice. He turned and glared at the man in front of him. "Nathan Ford. How'd you find me?" The details weren't really important to him. But, being that he had been chased more than a few times by the ex-insurance agent, he at least wanted to know why he had bothered to try and find him again.

Nathan chuckled, "Well, for once, Eliot, you and I are on the same side. I took on the job as coordinator."

Eliot couldn't believe what he was hearing. An ex-insurance agent joining a group of criminals to steal plans from a mega-corporation? There was no way. He was about to comment such before he saw a familiar figure in the background behind Nathan. He double checked, needing to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

His jaw dropped. His eyes did not deceive him. His ex-wife was indeed standing right there. Well, he said ex. They had never actually signed any divorce papers.

Eliot groaned as he stepped out from the drop-off carrier. He held his left hand to his right shoulder, still in pain from the lead-shot wound he had taken just a few days prior. Limping to his ranch-style house, he opened the door with a great deal amount of effort. He wondered where in God's name his wife was. Usually she'd be at the door to great him, opening it wide for him. They may have both been busy people, but they always made it a point to be home at the same time.

"Babe?" He called, pain sounding in his voice as his ribs rattled from him shouting. He headed for the kitchen, in need of an ice pack. That's where he saw the note sticking to the fridge.

Eliot,

I'm sorry it had to be this way. Please know that I love you. I'm not good with people, I know, but you were always the one person I felt I could be myself around. But, I can't live like this anymore. I tried to come to terms with what happened, and I can't. You're not a monster. I'm just weak minded. I'm sorry.

His hands shook as he read the note. She couldn't have left. Forgetting the pain in his leg, he rushed to their bedroom and looked through all of her drawers. Her stuff was gone. Every last thing. He looked around frantically, as if searching for any kind of clue as to where she might have gone. But he knew that once she was gone, he would never find her unless she wanted him to find her.

His eyes landed on the mirrors as he brought his hands up to run through his hair. Something in the corner of the mirror caught his eye. With a tear slipping down his cheek, he took the picture and thumbed it softly. Their wedding picture. The happiest day of his life. Now marred by her leaving. And as he he fell to his knees, he knew he deserved it too.

"Parker?"

The beautiful blonde slipped past Nate to face Eliot. He looked her up and down and felt his breath leave his lungs. She was as beautiful as ever. Her hair slightly curled at the ends, body thin, lithe and flexible. In the three years since she'd left him, he had tried so hard to forget about her by sleeping with other women. Now it was like that had never even happened. He was reminded of all the days and nights filled with the best sex of his life. The memories flooded over him and nearly knocked him off his feat.

The small thief smiled ruefully. "Hey..." she greeted softly, clearly struggling with what to say. He couldn't help the small smile he felt making it's way. That was so Parker. She was never really good with social cues, or knowing what to say in a particular moment.

"Parker..." for once in his life he found himself speechless too. Something he didn't find happening to him often. He made to reach for her, but quickly backed off. She didn't like being touched. For all he knew, that now applied to him. After what happened the last time they'd seen each other, he wouldn't blame her if she didn't want him touching her.

"And I'm Alec Hardison. But I just go by Hardison," a black man approached Eliot, coming between him and Parker, with his hand outstretched.

Eliot took a brief second to glance at the outstretched hand. He growled at noticing the way this new, clearly young, man was taking an almost defensive stance between him and his ex. With a glare aimed at the young man, he gave a sturdy shake of the hand. "Eliot Spencer."

Hardison stepped back with an awkward smile and motioned between Parker and Eliot. "So...ya'll know each other or somethin'?" he asked nervously, something Eliot took notice of. As well as the fact that Hardison, obviously the hacker in this job, was eyeing his wife a little too closely.

His wife? What the fuck. He shook his head. Yeah. She's my wife. That's what he wanted to say. They shared a look and their eyes were in agreement to the answer. "We're old acquaintances," he answered simply, one that any criminal would accept as them having a past that they didn't care to share. Hardison seemed to relax at the answer and chanced a look at the small blonde before returning to set up the tech gear.

Eliot nudged Parker with his elbow and glared down at her. "After this, we need to talk," his voice was gruff and assertive. He couldn't have her running off once they were finished without even offering him an explanation. When he saw a small amount of fear in her eyes, he lightened up a little and backed off. Not saying anything more, he went to join Nate to get details on the plan, leaving Parker in the corner with her thoughts.

The plan hadn't gone as they expected it to. When they found out it was Dubenich who was the thief, they all immediately wanted in on the payback. He had made fools of them. A rookie mistake, Eliot thought to himself. Knowing Parker, she was thinking the same thing as well. They were two peas in a pod. They didn't ever want anyone to make a fool out of them.

So they hatched a new plan. They were going to bring down Dubenich and his company, return the stolen files, and at the end of it would be an even bigger payout than the original offer. It was seamless, and went better than they expected, for it having been the first time they actually worked together to make it work. Sure the original plan had worked, but they were sloppy.

Eliot would be lying if he said he hadn't been watching his gorgeous ex throughout the whole ordeal. She was as graceful as he remembered. So beautiful and stealthy. But, it also didn't escape him that he wasn't the only one with eyes on her. Hardison was watching a little too closely for his liking. No he wasn't with Parker anymore, but after just a few days of being in her presence he found himself being quickly drawn back to her. He had thought that if he were to ever see her again that he would be angry at her for leaving without much explanation. He was shocked to find it was the complete opposite. He longed to be in her presence. In her bed. In her arms. No one had ever made him feel so comforted as when he was laying within her lithe arms.

No sooner had the job finished they they received their payouts for the job they had just accomplished. Needless to say, none of them were expecting it to be as much as it was. "One show only," he said, but deep down he didn't want it to be. And clearly, neither did anyone else.

He wasn't sure how to feel about joining a team with his...wife? Ex-wife? He wasn't sure what to call her at this point. But he secretly had to hope that joining this team would bring them back together and he would no longer have to wonder whether or not she was his ex or his wife. Maybe, just maybe, he could call her his wife again someday.