I never expected to finish this story but I ended up coming back around. This chapter was done before but I rewrote a lot of it so this is the new one. I have also added one more chapter and I have at least 2 chapters written. I'm debating whether to continue this story or start a third one with Eliot and Katie.

A/N – Funny thing. I started this pic in 2011, and Blackpoole said they had to steal The Concert, a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. It was stolen on March 18, 1990, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Leverage Redemption uses a fake Rembrandt that was stolen during the same art heist. They were 13 paintings stolen that night by Whitey Bulger. I just thought it was funny that Leverage Redemption used the same heist that I used here. (The Concert is worth $250 million and the Rembrandit was only worth $140 million so I went for the higher value lol)

They made it onto the jet before the news of the explosion hit the airwaves. By the time the police realized there were other parties involved, they were well on their way to Boston. Hardison and Tara talked to the pilot as Eliot reassured himself that Parker was okay. He was worried about a concussion.

Katie worked to make a makeshift split for Quinn while the others prepared for takeoff. He seemed exhausted and dazed; watching her work like his mind was elsewhere. "Did you know I was an FBI agent?" he finally said.

Katie studied him for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I didn't know." She wondered why he brought that up out of the blue. He'd be drinking heavily since they got on the plane, probably to mask his pain, and it appeared to have loosened him up at least.

"I was young, new to the job, and we were guarding this man, this sick twisted fuck who had kidnapped a 10-year-old girl and taken her across state lines. But I'm protecting him because he's going to testify against a kiddie porn ring before he goes into witness protection. I'm here to make sure that no one kills him, right? It made me sick. And I catch him with child pornography…I mean, I literally catch him watching it and you know, something snapped. I mean, I lost it. I beat him so badly, another agent had to pull me off him." Quinn rubbed his face then tilted the small airplane bottle of whiskey up, downing it. He opened another as he said, "They were going to suspend me, but I quit. I just packed my shit and went because I couldn't do it anymore. The FBI teaches you how to handle every situation, but no one teaches you how to face yourself in the mirror after protecting scum like that."

"That'd be kind of hard," Katie admitted, still wondering what this was about. "So, how'd you end up doing this?"

"I killed him," Quinn said bluntly. "I tracked him down after he testified and shot him in cold blood. I knew enough to not get caught, to cover my tracks, you know? I had to because he'd do it again. 'Course they questioned me, but I made sure I had an alibi. Afterward, I reinvented myself. Hired a crack of a hacker to make sure that all my records were off the books, created a new identity, and started doing jobs for whoever was willing to pay me." He looked at her, his eyes intense. "But I never went after an innocent man, and I never hurt a woman or kid."

Silently, she propped his leg on the seat beside him before sitting on the armrest. "Why are you telling me this Quinn? And it's not exactly true, is it? You came after me, you came after Sophie…"

"I came after Eliot," he insisted, in a loud whisper. "I didn't hurt you. Do you know why I threatened you so much?" Katie shook her head. "With a man, I don't threaten, I act. If I threaten, it's because I don't want to act. I never would have done anything to hurt you or Sophie, no matter how much Blackpoole paid me. I came after Eliot because of his past. Katie, you have no idea what he's done."

"Don't start this again," she warned and started to rise. "Every time I start thinking you might not be a total ass…"

"Listen to me Katie," Quinn said, taking her arm gently, tugging until she sat back down. "I'm telling you that I came after Eliot because of his past. Because of the man he was, when he worked for…" His voice trailed off, unwilling to say who Eliot had worked for before. Maybe he assumed Katie knew. Or, most likely, he didn't want to be the one to tell her. She could sense that he had a healthy amount of fear for whoever it was. "I went into that warehouse to get the painting, and I could have left him there, but I didn't. And when he had a chance to leave me, he didn't." He glanced away for a minute, taking a deep breath. "I don't like admitting I'm wrong…"

Finally, Katie realized what he was trying to explain. He came after Eliot thinking he was one person and realized along the way he wasn't. She put her hand on his broken leg lightly and he raised his eyes to meet hers. "Thank you for going in after him," she said sincerely. "And for being there during the…you know, with the nurse." She lowered her voice, just in case.

"That's what I'm talking about, Katie." He leaned forward and said quietly, "You and Eliot need to be smart because the men he used to work for would do things I'm not willing to do. To you…to Eliot's child… just please just don't think that I'm the worst one. And they won't be swayed into changing their mind about him. They won't care. They won't care if you or your child is innocent in all this. It'll be money or revenge. I know neither of you trust me completely but if he ever needed to protect you, because he couldn't or something, I will be there."

Katie nodded and Quinn leaned back into his seat. After a moment, she smiled at him and rose. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the window. She tried to push his warning out of her mind for now, but Eliot watched her closely when she sat down beside him.

"What's wrong? Did Quinn say something…"

"Yeah, he admitted he was wrong about you. Well, he didn't actually say it, but he implied it. I don't think he wanted to admit it completely, but the alcohol was doing some of the talking for him," she grinned, putting her hand on his leg after she fastened her seatbelt. He pulled her as close as the seat belt would allow. The pilot announced they were taking off, saving her further explanation.

"I'm so glad you're safe," she whispered. "I was terrified."

xOxOx

"Take this," Katie said, pushing some Tylenol into Eliot's hand after an hour of him trying to pretend he wasn't in pain. Reluctantly, he did as she asked. She had been playing nursemaid to him so far and he knew as soon as they landed, he'd be taken to the hospital whether he wanted to or not, especially since Parker and Quinn were injured as well. Hardison had already worked up aliases for them.

"Stop worrying. It's not like it's the first time I've broken my arm," he replied, without opening his eyes. He was tired, due to lack of sleep, in addition to the exertion of the last few hours.

"Well…it could have been so much worse. You could have died," she reminded him. "Seriously what were you guys thinking with those explosions? It's bad enough to think that the bad guys did that, but when I remember you set them, I want to smack you all. How did you even find explosives?"

"They were inside the warehouse already. We were supposed to be long gone when they went off, obviously," Eliot murmured, dismissively. She had already yelled at Hardison most of the way to the airport for the whole thing going badly and he wasn't in the mood to argue with her. With his good arm, he pulled her close. "Shh. Just take a nap with me." Katie sighed and rested her head on his chest.

"I was just scared. I can't lose you. I know you barely think about the risks you take for yourself, but that makes me just worry for you twice at much." Tears welled up in her eyes, but he couldn't see her face.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her with a kiss on her forehead. He felt the tension in her body begin to relax and she wrapped her arm around his waist. It had been close, he had to admit, but not to her, of course. The whole job had gone to hell quickly but then again, when didn't it lately? Their plans always seemed to fall apart, and they were short a couple of members of the team, including the one who usually made the plans. Luckily their skills allowed them to think on their feet, but this time, as much as he was loath to admit it, if Quinn hadn't come in after him, he would have died of smoke inhalation or burned alive. He still had to worry about how Katie, Tara, and Quinn ended up getting found out.

The other hitter sat across the aisle from them, his injured leg propped up in the other seat as he slept. Hardison kept Parker awake until they could have her checked for a concussion and Tara flipped through a magazine. Eliot wondered when they'd get the call about Sophie. They needed to get her back soon. He hoped that she was safe and Blackpoole treated her well. As it was, Eliot wanted to break every bone in the man's body.

"When are you and I going to talk about yesterday? When you and Quinn left?" Eliot asked casually. He wasn't mad but he didn't like not knowing.

Katie tensed again and was quiet for a few moments. "I have to tell you something," she finally whispered, raising her head to look at him. "I'm not sure when I should. I want to tell you when this is all over because it's something important. I just don't want the shadow of all this bullshit hanging over it. But I feel guilty not telling you now."

Eliot studied her face before asking, "Does it affect the immediate situation?" She shook her head. "And am I going to be mad knowing you didn't tell me sooner?" She hesitated then shrugged.

"I really want to wait for the right moment, but I need to know that you'll be understanding as to why I waited. It's nothing bad…at least I don't think so and it has nothing to do with this job or the situation with Quinn, Blackpoole, or Sophie. Quinn happened to be around, but it has nothing to do with him. It's…it's about us," she replied, and he saw how important it was to her that he let her wait, so he nodded. He worried though, despite her reassurance it wasn't anything bad. He wondered if she was going to leave him. She must have noticed the concern in his eyes and smiled gently. "Don't worry. I think you'll be happy."

Eliot nodded and she put her head back down. Of course, he started running through the scenarios in his head. He couldn't stop himself, that's what he did. And he could only come up with one possible reason she wanted to wait and tell him. Well, two reasons, one is that she was leaving him. But she said it was good news. "Are you pregnant?" he asked, holding his breath just a little bit.

Katie didn't answer, but he knew she had heard him. Finally, she raised her head again, tears glistening in her eyes, and nodded. "I think so. The nurse at the hotel said I was…I wanted to tell you, but you were so stressed and everything and I didn't want to add to that. I don't even know if you want a baby. I just thought I needed to tell you when this was over, and we could be alone with it."

Eliot stared at her for a long time before he finally remembered to breathe. "But I thought it was impossible. And you're also on the pill, right?"

"Improbable. They misjudged that, apparently. And I was on the pill. I just wasn't that careful about it since I supposedly couldn't get pregnant." Worry furrowed her brow as she sat up a little bit more. They were both silent for a long time before Eliot finally cupped her chin in his hand, his eyes gentle.

"You're having my baby," he whispered, unable to keep the awe out of his voice. Katie nodded, biting her lip. Eliot pulled her to him and kissed her until she was breathless. To be honest, he felt he could barely breathe himself. Saying he was stunned would be a complete understatement. But it was more than that. He felt so much joy, his chest swelled painfully. He'd never really thought much about having his own child. The timing was never right, the right situation, the right woman. Hell, now wasn't the right time. But he didn't care about that now. Katie was the right woman. He loved her so much that he had stopped fighting it. Kissing her eyes, her cheeks, then her lips again, he couldn't stop touching her. Finally, caressing her face, he smiled in response to her grin. "I'm not sure the world is ready for a child that's the combination of the two of us. That's going to be one stubborn and hot-headed kid."

Wiping away the tears she laughed and nodded. "But you're happy? You're really happy about it? I mean, I know it's horrible timing and obviously we didn't expect or plan this. But we only seem to have bad timing anyway. I still don't know how the hell it happened…but it did. So, I guess that means it was meant to."

"I think I might know how it happened. I'll remind you when we get home," he replied with an evil grin.

Eliot forgot about everything else going on for a few moments and just held her. The thought of a child stirred something in him that he often forgot remained: the desire to have something solid and stable, a family, and to have someone who always came first to him. Being with Katie had awoken those feelings but she was so strong-willed that he often fought his desire to take care of her normally because he knew she hated being coddled, which is why she reacted so badly to this mission with him being overprotective, even though it was needed. With the team, he frequently took care of them in ways they never seemed to notice, and there was a limit to that as well. But knowing that soon there would be that one person in the world who would need, and depend on him, overwhelmed him with both happiness and fear. Would his past come back to haunt him again and would his child suffer because of it the next time? Some of the men in his past wouldn't think twice about killing a child.

"Please don't do that," Katie whispered, studying him hard. As if she sensed his line of thinking, she pleaded with her eyes for him not to think about the worst. "I'm scared enough on my own about just having a child. I cannot handle you regretting this because of your career. This baby is practically a miracle. I don't want to second guess this."

Eliot nodded, his fingers intertwined in hers, he brought her hand to his mouth to kiss. "I don't regret anything. I never have with you. I don't know how this is going to work but we will make it work. You and I aren't supposed to work either but somehow, we do. So, we'll find some way to make this happen. And the thought of a baby, our baby, makes me…" His chest tight, his voice trailed off. Eliot wasn't one to spin his words poetically and know all the right things to say. Katie knew he was happy and, pulling her fingers from his, put her arms around his neck.

"I love you," she whispered, and he heard the happy tears in her voice. "I never thought I cared about kids but the thought of having your baby makes me feel all those silly things that women always talk about with babies." She laughed and squeezed him tighter. Eliot rested his hand on her stomach with a smile. "And I know you'll be a great father."

"Let's not start planning trips to Disney World yet," he grinned but had to admit he felt better than he had in a while, especially since he had just escaped an explosion and had a broken arm.

She rose and took his hand. "Come with me." The jet had a bathroom and a kitchenette at the back. She ignored the bathroom and went into the kitchen. Drawing him close, she whispered, "I just wanted to have a few minutes without four other people watching us."

Cautious of his injured arm, he put his good arm around her waist and lowered his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair. He forgot everything else for a few minutes. He just needed it to be the two of them right now, without worrying about the team. The three of them, he realized.

When he released her lips, he said, "While I'm being forced to go to the hospital, you should get examined. I mean…just to make sure you're pregnant. Maybe it's not too soon for a sonogram."

"Maybe." She smiled and asked, "You already worried about it being a girl or boy?"

"It could be both." He laughed at the look of horror in her face. "But I don't care if it's a boy or a girl. I'm not too concerned about having a boy carry on the family name since I even got rid of my family name. You know this means we need to get married."

Katie laughed and said, "Nope. We get married when and if we both want to, not because of a baby. The days of shotgun weddings are over. As long as we're together, I don't need a priest to say we're married by law. And you must propose for real not just tell me we have to do it."

"Fine. I'll wait and spring it on you later. But we are getting married. I'm an old-fashioned guy. And I can't help thinking John and your father will haunt me forever if I don't make an honest woman of you."

Katie just chuckled then rolled her eyes. "An old-fashioned guy? Ha. You're a reformed slut. An honest woman? Really? I am probably a lot more honest than the huge hoard of women you slept with before me."

"I guess I need to stop sleeping around, huh?" he teased, and she slapped his chest. "It's not a surprise you're pregnant considering what a sex addict you are." He pushed her against the wall, as he ran his hand down her back and to her ass. "I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. If you remember, when I gave you your first orgasm you promised you wouldn't fall in love with me..."

"I remember. And later that day I thanked you for letting me slum it and use you as my personal fuck toy," she replied with a smile. "You have been a handy toy."

"A toy? Wow. You're going to speak to the father of your child that way?" Eliot grinned. "I'll stay your fuck toy as long as you want. And as soon as we get home…to the condo not the brownstone that we now have to sell … we can properly celebrate this miracle. I'm taking a break from the team for a few weeks, and we can go wherever you want and do what you want."

"I just want to stay home and practice being a normal couple." She ran her hands down his chest. "And I'm making a mental list of naughty things I want to do to you. Many, many, many times…"

"Your wish is my command," he whispered with a wink, kissing her again.

xOxOx

Sophie's voice over the phone made Eliot breathe a sigh of relief. "You okay?" he asked quickly, cradling the phone to hear her over the jet's engines.

"I've been better. But I'm not hurt. Everyone alright?"

"Few broken bones and a little banged up but we'll live. We're in the air now. I assume if you're calling me that Blackpoole wants to set up the exchange."

"Yes…" Her voice warned him that something was off, but he had already expected a trap. "So, you're headed back to Boston now?"

Eliot paused and thought, clearly aware that she was trying to warn him. "He has people waiting at the airport?"

"Yes, that should be fine," Sophie confirmed.

"We'll figure something out, don't worry," Eliot assured her, rubbing his temple. Of course, Blackpoole would make this more complicated.

Blackpoole had taken the phone from Sophie and asked, "Meet us at your brownstone with the painting at noon tomorrow and we can settle this matter."

Eliot didn't get a chance to answer before the man hung up on him. "Hardison, we need to tell the pilot to land in Worcester Airport instead of Logan.

"You can't exactly change the flight plan while in the air unless there is an emergency." Hardison stood up and came to stand beside Eliot's seat. Tara followed him and Quinn sat up.

"Make up an emergency," Eliot said with an exasperated look. "Otherwise, we're going to be ambushed. Say someone needs to be taken to the hospital immediately upon landing. Then find a way to rent a van when we get there."

"You're the boss, I guess."

"What are you going to do?" Katie asked, sitting up.

"Quinn, Tara," Eliot called as the gears in his mind were clicking. "After we land, you need to book another private jet to take you to Boston. Or get this one to continue its flight. We'll need enough time to get there by car before you land. They're expecting us at the airport, but I don't know if Blackpoole knows about Tara, and he might think Quinn is dead or bailed on us since he had to know that eventually, Quinn would catch on to the fact that he hired a hit man to eliminate him. If we get to the airport before them, I can come up with a strategy to get Sophie away safely."

"It would make more sense if I went with you," Quinn argued. "Two-pronged attack."

"Your leg is broken." Eliot pointed out because he had thought of the same thing originally.

"Yeah, and your arm is broken. We're both less effective but we'd have a better chance of working together than you solo. Keep Katie and Tara here with Hardison. Parker can 'negotiate' for the painting if we need her to, while Katie stays on the plane.

Eliot thought about the plan and as much as he hated admitting it, Quinn might have a point. And Katie would be safer on the jet with Tara than with them anyway.

"I could take the painting to Boston separately," Tara added. "That way if you need a way to delay Blackpoole or just keep him from taking the painting after you get Sophie, I'll keep it safe. But if there is no way to avoid trading the painting for Sophie, then I'll be close by to bring it."

"No offense gorgeous but I don't trust a grifter with a painting worth $250 million," Quinn replied, with a charming smile. "Keep it with Katie. At least she's honest."

"Thanks?" Katie said, shaking her head.

"Look Quinn, I would never do anything to endanger Sophie or anyone on this plane. Well…except maybe you," Tara said then hit his foot on the broken leg and he flinched.

Turning to Eliot, Katie asked, "I know you want to do things all yourself but let's face it. You and Quinn can't take on more than one guy at a time between your working limbs. Tara, Parker, and I could do better than you two now. What about your friends who are into the military or security, whatever it is they do? Or what about Detective Bonanno? If you guys were helping him in the past, surely, he has someone in his office who knew that and would help you. You might have to give up the painting to a museum, but you'd get Sophie back unharmed, and no one would end up dying hopefully.

"The minute they saw us, we'd be arrested," Hardison said.

"Hey, I'm not a criminal. Did you forget that? Even the mob guys said I was nobody," Katie pointed out. "Maybe I can finally be useful."

Eliot remained silent for a few minutes. "I'm not letting you get off the plane and meet Blackpoole, if that's what you're thinking. You're not getting shot again. Knowing him, he'd grab you when he let Sophie go, use you as a shield. But maybe Shelly can meet us in Worcester and bring some mutual acquaintances or at least some people he trusts. I have a feeling as soon as we land in Boston, Blackpoole will meet us at the bottom of the stairs. If a couple of guys come out with me…"

"No, with me," Tara interjected. "I'm not currently wanted, I'm not injured, and I can claim, I hired security to explain two guys with me."

"I can be dead." Quinn held up his hand with a smile. "That way he won't see me coming when my leg is healed.

"Are we going to give him that painting? That's a pretty expensive and irreplaceable thing to have in the mix. If it's visible, we've all lost safety. If your friends can get close enough to Blackpoole, surely, they can grab him. He wouldn't let his men shoot any of us if he had a gun on him." Tara pointed out.

"One problem with that. Those goons aren't making enough to pass on that painting. They might be willing to shoot Blackpoole themselves if they know the value. They'd shoot Sophie if she is there." Quinn groaned as he sat up. "If your friends meet us at Worcester, I can rent a van and drive to Logan with one or two of them. Then, if we see Sophie, we'll let you know, that Ian is going to be so focused on the painting, that he will not suspect someone driving up to grab Sophie. I'm assuming your friends could handle any deviation that happens out there."

"Yes. Especially when you consider the alternative is you and I attempting to fight with only three limbs each," Elior smirked. "Let me call Shelly before you talk to the pilot, Hardison. I trust him about the painting, but let's keep it to ourselves around the other men."

Katie looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "I don't understand why you're getting another jet. We know they are going to be there and you're renting a van anyway. Why not have everyone in cars? Even if Tara's plan makes sense, she has to walk down the stairs and to Blackpoole and she'll be perfectly open to being shot."

"She has a point. Flying in on the jet is going to be playing into Blackpoole's hands. He'll have the advantage even if we have backup in vehicles. We'll just pay this guy to fly to Boston but not open the doors until we get Sophie," Tara suggested. Katie couldn't help but feel a little bit proud that the grifter seemed to think she was more useful than she did a few days ago.

Eliot thought about it for a few minutes before saying, "That is the best option assuming we have backup. Hardison, ask the pilot to go to Worcester and I'll call my friends."

As soon as everyone left and he started dialing, Katie put her hand on his arm. "I want to believe he's not a bad guy; I really do. But if Quinn goes with someone to get a van, make sure it's not someone he could split the money with if he betrays you."

"I know," he said quietly. "I had already intended on it being Shelly or our friend Michael. Those are the two I know can't be bought. Oh, and try not to get shot this time." He winked at her.

"Please make sure you and everyone else on this plane is willing to give away the painting if it keeps everyone from dying. I don't care about how much it's worth. I'm not willing to sacrifice you for that painting," She looked around at the others. "I'm not willing to put a dollar value on anyone's head but mostly you, Hardison, and Parker. Well, and Tara too, I guess."

"I know." He nodded then quickly kissed her. "It's going to be fine. I'm going to get some help, I promise. Don't worry. Finally, we'll have an upper hand on Blackpoole."

"If nothing goes wrong…" Katie smirked, then rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you really going to sell the painting if we end up with it? I know it's a lot of money, but it belongs to a museum."

"How else do you recommend we pay Quinn and Tara their cut? Besides, it's a lot of money for any of us to walk away from. If we get Sophie back safe, I'm fine with selling it. The museum has done fine without it for twelve years. Besides, it loses some of its mystery if it's recovered. Not to mention, it's an ugly painting."

"I guess you're right. It just seems wrong."

Eliot chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I think you've forgotten, we're all professional criminals except you. We help people but we're still criminals. And the museum already was reimbursed by their insurance. No one loses anything except the criminals we stole it from."

"So, they'll come looking for it and us?"

"No, they'll come looking for Blackpoole. I 'accidentally' left behind some paperwork in our hotel room that led them to think that Ian hired us to acquire the painting. If they didn't end up in jail or didn't die in the fire."

"How could I ever think you would leave any loose ends?" Her chuckle made him smile. Tipping her head back, she pulled him down to kiss her. Once again, Eliot was reminded that he now had a home with her, with the team, and now with their child. He had to make sure that Blackpoole didn't destroy his family like he had Nate's. Unlike Nate, Eliot wouldn't drink himself into an early grave. He'd put Blackpoole into the ground after he killed everyone Ian had ever loved. That would be the undoing of him; he'd revert back to a killer and make everyone suffer his wrath. Holding Katie tightly he mentally swore nothing would happen to her or their child as he called Shelly.