The ride was awkward. Of course it was—David had just betrayed an adversary they still knew next to nothing about, one who was cunning enough to lure the Librarians into a trap, and who apparently kept dangerous shadow monsters as pets. Stone tried to broach the silence a few times, but Eliot's responses were monosyllabic and David didn't want to talk about anything that had led to his employment with the Curator, so he eventually gave up.
And Eve needed to talk—to all of them—but she couldn't find the words.
Twenty-two minutes and thirty-four seconds after they left the rideshare parking lot, they pulled into a gas station with an exterior door to the bathroom. Customers would have had to ask the clerk inside for the key, but locks weren't a problem for them. One call to Jenkins had opened the door, and then they were safe within the warmth and light of the Library.
As Stone had predicted, the others had beaten them back. They'd left Cindi to drive back to the nearby town of Little City, where she'd rented a hotel room the day before. Cassie had gotten her number, and apparently the two had agreed to get together in a few days to discuss the situation further.
"I think this is bigger than either of us," Cassie told Eve in an uncharacteristically sober voice. "It'd be a good idea to share what we know."
That had been half an hour ago. Now Cassie was busy introducing Alex and Eliot to Excalibur while Stone, David, Flynn, and Jones filled Jenkins in on their newest adventure. Eve wanted to enjoy the relief of a job well done, but the pressure of her stalled conversation bubbled beneath her skin.
She had to do it now, before she lost her chance.
"Eliot," she said, forcing a pathetically fake casual note into her voice. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
He hesitated, but she felt something like approval when he didn't look to Stone for help.
But then, she'd already learned that he could fight his own battles.
"Yeah," he said at last, following her away from the others so they could talk in relative privacy. She could feel Stone's wary stare drilling into the space between her shoulder blades, but she ignored it and ran through the words she'd been rehearsing since she'd found Eliot miraculously and inexplicably still alive.
"Look." She took a bracing breath and closed her eyes. "I think—"
"I'm not going to stop talking to Jake."
Eve blinked her eyes open. "What?"
"I know you run this team," Eliot said, his arms folded over his chest, his feet shoulder width apart. "I know you have every reason not to trust me. Hell, you know more about my past than Jake does. I won't come here anymore, and I won't say anything about this place, but Jake and I just started rebuilding our relationship. I'm not going to give that up."
"Wait," Eve said. "You thought—Do you seriously think I could keep Stone away from you? Have you ever tried telling him he couldn't do something?"
Eliot's brows drew together, mirroring the confusion on Eve's face. "You don't want me to stay away from him?"
She let out a sigh—the same one his brother had forced from her on multiple occasions. "I won't say I love the idea of you hanging around, but no. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Then what?"
"I wanted to apologize," she said. It was horrible, awkward, uncomfortable, uncharacteristic—but there it was. She'd been wrong, and she needed to own up to it. Eliot stared at her as if he was waiting for the punchline, and it took everything she had not to look away.
"I was wrong," she went on. "Judging you by your past, holding it against you... you said I should understand how a team could change a person. I do. I shouldn't have let my pride get in the way of that."
"I don't know that I'd call it pride," Eliot said mildly.
She gave him a small, grateful smile. "I would. I left you behind to face that monster alone—"
"I told you to."
"—and not only did you save my life, you probably saved everyone in the building. It would have come after us all one by one if you hadn't stopped it."
This time, he was the one who looked away. She hid a smile—apparently neither Stone could take a compliment. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry, and that I'm glad you were there. I'm glad you're here, that you're getting to know Jake again. I can see the difference in him since you and Alex showed up. He's more settled, more... comfortable. Confident. Happy."
A crooked smile flashed over Eliot's face. "Can't say I was expecting that, Colonel, but I'm glad to hear it. I wasn't looking forward to squaring off against you."
"No thank you," she laughed. "I've lost enough arguments against Stone to know that I'd rather have you as an ally than an opponent."
Eliot held out his hand. "Ally it is. If you ever need anything..."
"Back at you."
His handshake was firm—of course it was—but warm, with a gentleness that spoke of quiet security. He wasn't trying to prove anything, or hide anything, or convince her of anything.
This, at last, was an Eliot she knew she could trust.
"Well isn't that touching."
Eve turned to face Jones, who stood near the Clippings Book with something sparkly swinging from one hand. "Were you eavesdropping?" she asked, scowling.
"Shamelessly." He caught the sparkling thing—a necklace—and held it up to the light for inspection.
"Is that—" Eliot took a step toward Jones, his eyebrows raised. "Is that the Hope Diamond?"
Jones shrugged, his most irritating smirk on his face. "Oh this? Yeah, the one you know is a fake. We've had the real one here in the Library since 1958. It's cursed, you know. We made the switch when it was donated to the Smithsonian, since nearly every owner died or went insane."
"The Library negates curses?" Eliot asked.
"If you pair it with the right artifacts."
Eliot hummed, following the movement of the necklace with his eyes. "1958, huh? Wait until I tell Parker she stole a fake."
"Wait." Jones's eyes narrowed, then widened, and the spinning necklace nearly dropped from his fingers. "Did you say Parker?"
"Yeah."
"Like the Parker? The thief?"
"Yeah," Eliot said. "She's my—"
Jones launched himself across the room. "No, seriously. Parker Parker? The one who stole the Polar Star Diamond? The Lion of Gilgamesh? Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller?"
"Yes."
"That's—that's amazing!" Jones looked from Eve to Eliot, practically vibrating with excitement. "Parker's a legend! She's the greatest thief who ever lived—besides me, I mean. You have to introduce me!"
Eliot snorted. "Yeah, that's not happening."
"Aw, come on. It's Parker! Can you imagine the heists we could pull together?" He glanced at Eve and cleared his throat. "Not that I steal anymore, except on jobs. For good. Of course."
Stone chose that moment to interrupt, which was probably best for everyone. "You ready to get going, Eliot?"
"Going?" Eve said, surprised to find she felt genuinely sorry that he and Alex wouldn't be staying longer. "So soon?"
"We have a Christmas party to get to," Alex said.
"And we need to drop David off," Stone added.
David had leaned against a bookshelf, his arms folded, one foot crossed over the other, and Eve couldn't keep a frown from her face. "Are we sure that's a good idea?"
"Cassie gave him a protection charm," Stone said. "Something to keep the Curator from finding him by magical means. We're going to keep in touch to figure out a more permanent solution."
Eliot tilted his chin up. "Actually... I might have an idea about that."
Eve shot him a questioning look, and he met her gaze without turning his head. "My team is always recruiting for our international jobs. If anyone can hide David from the Curator, it's Hardison."
"Are you sure?" Eve asked quietly. "It'll be dangerous, and we're not completely certain we can trust him."
He winked at her. "We have a pretty good rehabilitation program."
David narrowed his eyes, not moving from his spot against the shelf. "And what exactly do you do?"
"He can explain on the way," Stone said, patting David's arm to move him toward the door. "Alex, don't forget your bag. We're gonna be late."
Cassie intercepted Alex on his way across the room, giving him another hug and saying something about wanting to hear more stories about Jake the next time he visited. Flynn just waved, still engrossed in his discussion with Jenkins, who acknowledged Alex and Eliot with a single nod as Jones moped over to join them.
"Hey," Eve said quietly, taking Stone's arm as he and David went past. "I want to apologize to you, too."
Stone's eyebrows shot up. "Too? You apologized to Eliot?"
"You don't think he deserves an apology?"
Stone shrugged. "I'm sure he gets it. It wasn't personal—you were just looking out for us."
A wave of pride swept over her, reminding her of just how much she liked Stone. He'd grown so much since she'd met him, becoming more open with them, more serene—and that wasn't a word she ever thought she'd associate with him. She wished she could take credit for it, but the reconnection with his brothers had really seemed to soothe something in him. "You know," she said, dropping her voice conspiratorially. "It was pretty lucky, the way things worked out."
"What do you mean?"
"Three of you," she said. "Three French hens. Faith, hope, and love defeating the Nalusa Falaya."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you calling me a chicken?"
"It just seems like a pretty big coincidence."
"The rule of three is a staple of literature," Stone said. "A Christmas Carol has the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Christmas Yet to Come; Macbeth has the three witches; you've got your Three Musketeers; your—"
"You're missing my point," Eve broke in.
A grin quirked up the corner of Stone's mouth, identical to the expression Eliot had worn a few moments prior. "You're saying it was a good idea to bring my brothers in on this?"
"I'm saying," Eve said. "Maybe it wasn't completely terrible."
The smile crinkled his eyes, and he held out his arm to tap against her elbow. "Have a good Christmas, Eve."
She gave him a matching grin. "Merry Christmas, Stone."
