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yanzadracanArtists:
deannawessonCharacters/Pairings: Eliot/Parker/Hardison; Nate; Sophie; The Norns; The Moirae; Mention of various Norse deities
Rating: R; Mostly for language
Genre: Slash, AU, het, fusion/crossover
Warnings/spoilers: descriptions of violence; Season 2 forward; dialogue from The Big Bang Job; small spoilers for Season 4, Long Way Down Job.
Word Count: 7,702/16,763
Summary: The Wyrd Sisters rebuild the Loom of Fate from the movie, Wanted. The Norse Fates pick the Leverage team to be the Avatars for their 'White Collar' division. Finding Eliot Spencer working with the team was an unforeseen bonus as the Fates try to reclaim what they'd lost so long ago.
Link(s) to fic: Masterpost
Link to art: Masterpost
The dust motes dance in the sunbeam-stirred as three classic beauties appeared inside the devastated textile mill. As they stood taking in the wreckage of looms and threads, the elder tsked at the carnage as she gently ran the abandoned threads through her fingers.
Anyone seeing the three women together would swear they were looking at three generations of the same family, and the Elder had given birth to the two younger women-after a fashion. They were the Norns, the Wyrd Sisters of Norse legend. Urd the past had brought forth Verthandia, the present and Skuld the future.
A few words and the room had a flurry of elementals gathering threads and shattered wood. Once the room was clear Verthandia raised her arms and in a short sentence they stood in a renovated warehouse in Boston, Massachusetts.
Leaving Urd with the pieces of wood and threads, the younger women moved from the glass encased top floor to tend to other duties while the Elder stayed with the loom and threads, carefully sorting the splintered pieces, healing them until the loom was once again whole. Loving hands ran over the frame before turning to the tangled threads. The quiet call from the doorway pulled her attention to the young woman at the door.
"Come, Elder. We will finish after we have fortified ourselves with sustenance."
With a hug and affectionate kiss to the temple she moved to the door.
"You are right. I got lost in my work. Let us collect Thandi. She's far worse than I." She chuckled as they headed to the elevator arm in arm.
Verthandia Wyrd stared at the files on her computer screen. With a sigh she laid the instrument down and turned to look out over the city of man.
%%%%%
When all the holders of Fate from each of the different Pantheons had all come together on Midgard at a place called New York City, she never imagined the results. The Fates had gone corporate.
The Norns had become the 'White Collar' division of Fate, their bailiwick the people who had wealth and power, behind which they could hide their dark deeds.
The Greeks cut the threads of their human lives after The Norns cut their worldly threads. The Romans and scattered individual deities took care of the rest of the souls.
Their Roman sisters had told them of an organization called The Fraternity, an age old guild of highly trained assassins that could be of service in their work.
%%%%%
As time passed differently in Asgard, by the time the Wryd Sisters had sought out The Fraternity, they found the guild had been destroyed. In a quandary over who would be their paladins on Midgard, Urd began resetting the warp of their newly repaired loom. The abandoned threads soon came to life under her attention, the colors of life soon replaced the dull dingy shade they'd been when the Sisters had recovered them. A subtle shape began to form in the warp as she neared the completion of her portion of the repair.
The next morning, Verthandia settled in front of the loom, shuttle in hand. She would set the weave to the present before calling Skuld to take over to weave the future.
Allowing her mind to drift as the repetitive motion of passing the shuttle and setting the pedals lulled her into a meditative state, memories of her last visit to Midgard passed across her mind's eye.
A spot of pale color pulled her attention back. Her breathing stuttered as a face that had been a mere shadow when Urd stepped away from the tapestry had formed. Long dark hair, eyes the color of Asgard's skies and a face of rugged beauty mocked her from the loom.
"Thandi?" Urd's quiet voice drew her from her shock.
She moved to see what caught her younger self's attention. Bent fingers moved to touch the young man's face.
%%%%%
Eliot Spencer looked at the three other people in the hotel room. Two he knew strictly by reputation, but with Nathan Ford he had a more personal relationship.
He'd watched on different occasions as Nathan tried to cipher through a few of Eliot's retrievals. He'd even gone as far as hiding his long dark hair under a blond wig, posed as a junior IYS agent and picked Ford's brain about the cases he hadn't solved. Eliot had walked away with a twinkle in his eye for the fact he'd stumped someone of Nathan Ford's reputation.
Now the man was riding ramrod on a retrieval where Eliot was there only as the muscle. *My how the mighty had fallen* he'd thought, and when it turned out they'd been conned by Dubenich, Eliot was ready to call it a day. He watched as a light came into Ford's eyes that looked a lot like Parker right before she'd jumped off the building.
Then Ford started to weave his spell. Hardison and Parker had tumbled like dominos, but Eliot merely cocked an eyebrow. He knew the death of Ford's boy had warped the ex-IYS cop and he wasn't about to jump into the fray because a bug crawled up Ford's ass and died.
"What's in it for me?"
"Payback."
Eliot rolled his eyes.
"Money."
He looked at Hardison and Parker vibrating like Thoroughbreds in the gate, and knew they were already on Ford's crazy train.
"Let's go get Sophie." Ford rubbed his hands together as he headed for the door, youngsters in tow.
"What the hell's a Sophie?" He asked to the empty air.
When he saw Sophie, he frowned. He remembered the beautiful brunette from a job at the Boston Museum.
The blessing of an eidetic memory-the curse-you remember the bad stuff just as clearly as the good.
"No. I vote No." He argued.
He hates grifters. One of his first missions with the Seals they'd almost screwed the pooch because his Captain thought he was using a local as an asset, when she'd been using him. The part of his brain that was always assessing and planning knew they needed a fresh face, but he didn't have to like it.
Just as suddenly as it began-it was over and he was holding an eight figure check that was his ticket to freedom.
He need never take another job, but a retrieval specialist of his caliber didn't just disappear. He'd have to withdraw gradually because if others found out about his windfall they'd come looking.
Eliot was halfway through his planned withdrawal when his phone ringing caused enough of distraction for him to make his getaway and complete the job. He collected his fee and got on a plane for Los Angeles.
%%%%%
A year. Eliot couldn't believe he'd spent a year of his life with the same four people. He hadn't done that since…well it had been a while and he still shuddered when he thought about the particular four year period that was like a black hole in his life.
Now he's standing in a hangar pissed off because they're scattering. He refused to turn around. If he turned around…he wasn't sure what he would do so with a growl he straddled the blue Ducati and was headed east before his tangled emotions led him to doing something foolish like telling them he wanted to stay together.
%%%%%
Looking at the program in his hand, he shook his head, the long dark mane rippling past his shoulders. He'd only been back in the States a few days yet here he was standing in a theater lobby-in Boston-voluntarily offering himself up to the a torture that was worse than any he'd ever endured. Listening to Sophie Devereaux not only act, but sing. He was either crazy as Parker or had spent too much time in the Pakistani sun.
He knew they were here before he heard Parker's voice. Irish whiskey and the scent of that god awful orange soda overpowered the expensive perfume of the two beautiful women standing in front of him. He thought about leaving before they saw him, but Sophie had gone to a lot of trouble to get them back together. His steps were slow and measured as he walked across the lobby.
Later sitting at McRory's bar, he poked at Nate for living over a bar, but never said what he'd been doing while they were apart until Hardison talked about hacking the White House email and the weird things that were happening in Pakistan.
Eliot looked into his glass of beer like it was a scrying pool.
"Where were you, Eliot?"
Four pair of eyes turned on him expectantly.
He never looked up from his beer.
"Pakistan." He took a breath and looked up. "This do-gooder stuff gets under your skin, man. It's like an itch." He growled.
Just like that they were back in the business of providing…Leverage.
%%%%%
The Wyrd Sisters sat around the table in their living quarters looking at the pictures of the five faces that had appeared in their tapestry. Verthandia ran her fingers over the photo.
"I think these five will work very well for what we are trying to accomplish. They are intelligent, talented, and only use violence when appropriate." Urd turned to her sisters.
"I agree. Perhaps it is better that these Fraternity people no longer exist. Even we could not explain away an inordinate amount of bodies." Skuld agreed as she sat three cups of coffee on the table.
"Thandi, what troubles you?" Urd asked quietly.
"What, nothing. This face reminds me of someone I have not thought of for many years." Her tone was distracted.
"Someone you met when you traveled here to Midgard at Thor's behest?" Urd pressed the younger.
"Yes."
Skuld pulled the picture from under Verthandia's fingers.
"Though he was a child, I seemed to remember one who looked such as he living amongst the animals of Odin's castle. He seemed to be most favored by Sleipnir and Hel's Hounds. Odin was quite taken with the boy." She looked more closely at the picture. "Yes. I remember clearly for Odin spoke of taking the boy into his household as he was thought to be orphaned. The child had but three summers when Odin sat the child before him on the saddle and took him on the 'Hunt'."
"I too recall the incident." Urd added. "It was the talk of Asgard for the child appeared to be mortal. It was not long after the child disappeared."
The elder and the younger turned their attention to Verthandia, but she kept her peace. She had tasked Thor to occasionally check on the child, to make sure he remained hidden from those who would use him because of his heritage. She had lost contact when the God of Thunder had been banished by Odin to Midgard, and had had no news of the boy since.
%%%%%
The boy's father was a man of wealth and power among his people. They thought they were in love, but his mother had other plans for her son. When Verthandia found she was with child, she returned home to Asgard. Only Frigg had known she carried a son, and together they had kept it hidden for no one would nay say the wife of Odin and the Mother of All should she take in an orphan child.
When Odin had taken an interest in the boy, Verthandia knew fear. She would not have her son's life jeopardized by the jealousy of those such as Loki. Though Frigg was loath to let the boy go, she understood Verthandia's concern.
The child himself wanted no parts of going anywhere with the red-headed woman. There were no tantrums or tears, but even with only having four winters he stood firmly at Frigg's knee, arms crossed over his chest in defiance.
The women didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the adult in the child's body.
"Himmelen." Frigg knelt down so she was face to face with the child. "We talked about this. We want you safe from those who would harm you."
The boy glared at the women. "Don't care."
It was a quiet trip to Midgard as the sullen child refused to speak.
Verthandia sailed through the office door with Himmelen on one hip, rucksack of belongings swinging along the other. The secretary tried slowing her down, but she brushed her off like an annoying gnat and pushed opened the door to the office of Spencer Travers II, senior partner in Travers and Hafer.
She left the bag by the door and deposited Himmelen in a chair, ignoring the older woman standing by the cadenza with a coffee service.
"I can no longer care for him so I leave him in your care." She stated bluntly.
Verthandia turned and left the room trying to hold on to her dignity for she was leaving her one and only child in the care of his mortal father. She had even gone so far as to have Frigg 'read' for her, but the destinies remained murky as to why this particular child was born at this particular time.
Now here was her son under her fingertips. She wondered what happened that he no longer carried the name his father had given him, why was he making a family with these thieves, why….
"Thandi!" Urd demanded her attention.
Verthandia snapped out of her memories and with a deep sigh explained how she knew Eliot Spencer.
%%%%%
Eliot was getting annoyed, and when Eliot got annoyed people usually bled-copiously. He knew someone was following him. They were either very good or he had lost his edge. After six months in a war zone, his senses and skills were sharp as ever so that only left a couple choices.
He slipped silently into Hardison's workroom, and began accessing cameras between one of the gyms where he worked out and McRory's. Finding his back trail clear, he backed out of the system and wiped any traces that he'd been using the computer. He was wise enough to use one of the older laptops that the hacker seldom used since he considered it 'outdated'.
He ran the stairs to his apartment, and once inside he began making himself comfortable. His mind at ease, on the physical plain, he turned to the unseen.
He'd first learned to do this when he was too young to remember. That time was a blur, but the lessons the beautiful woman had taught him were as clear as if she were standing at his shoulder instructing him. He closed his eyes and when his mind was calm and clear he opened his eyes and saw…everything. He hated leaving the safety of the wards and shielding he'd placed around the apartment, but if he wanted to know who or what was watching, he had to go down to the bar. Stepping into the taproom, Eliot saw the guardians and fae that lived at the Irish Pub at the windows brandishing their tiny weapons and raining curses on the tiny beings hovering outside the windows. It was then he knew why he felt like he was being followed. Someone had sent air elementals to watch him.
Getting a bowl from under the bar he poured in it a generous portion of Jameson's and left it in the center of the bar with words of thanks in Gaelic then slipped out the door and with a word had the startled elementals running back to their master. He made note of the building and headed back to his apartment.
%%%%%
They were in between jobs so no one would be looking for him at the office. Eliot sipped his coffee and watched the building across the street.
The old factory had been beautifully restored. The number of people he'd seen come and go were minimal, and seemed more support staff than corporate grunts. His breath caught in his throat when a young blonde and a red-head who appeared to be in her forties or early fifties appeared at the front door dressed for a run. An elder woman appeared in the windows on the top floor. His breath caught in his throat as the memory he normally cursed for its clarity pulled forward images blurred in time and the mind of a toddler. He didn't stop to consider his actions for they were the Wyrd Sisters and probably already knew he was coming.
He was a whisper as he moved through the building. No one heard or saw a thing. He stepped into the top floor that contained the huge loom he had not seen since his time under the 'tender' auspices of General Elias Atherton.
Eliot held a unique perspective on time and fate, and when Atherton had sent him to Chicago to train with The Fraternity, he'd taken one look at Sloan then at the loom and knew the man was spouting bullshit. He listened, he trained, he learned everything they could teach him, and when Sloan tried to recruit him as one of his pet assassins, he'd snorted contemptuously and told him he knew Sloan was carrying out his own agenda that had absolutely nothing to do with The Fates.
When Sloan had pulled his pistol, he'd barely cleared the holster before Eliot was there. In the time it took to draw a breath, the gun lay in pieces and Sloan sat on the floor nursing a cracked cheekbone as Eliot walked away, never looking back.
As though sensing his presence, the silver haired woman turned on her stool, and placing a hand on her chest gave a quiet gasp when she saw him.
"Hello, Bestemor." Eliot said.
"Himmelen." His name escaped with her breath.
"Eliot."
"What?"
"Himmelen was a four year old who was given away to strangers who didn't want him. I'da rather lived with Hel's Hounds than where Mother," he sneered on the word, "left me."
"We thought we were doing what was best for you." The Elder flinched from the force of Eliot's anger.
"Guess that's why they say Fate's a bitch. But that's ancient history. What I wanna know is why I've got elementals tailing me?"
Urd stood with a sigh. "Come have a cup of tea with your Grandmother, and I will tell why we are here."
%%%%%
When the elder Fate finished her story, Eliot set his mug down.
"You want my team to work as your avatars?" Eyes the color of the winter sky bore into hers. "Because of me?"
"Partially. You are one of only a few people still alive trained by the one that held the loom that now rests upstairs." Her face flushed a deep red. "Sloan was as are you, a child of the Fates. He had a touch of the ability to manipulate the threads in a limited fashion."
"How many of these children of the Fates are there?" Eliot scowled.
Before she could answer, Eliot was on his feet and poised for a fight before he registered the sounds he heard was the two younger women returning from their run.
"In this time and this place, you are the last." Urd answered as Eliot turned his attention back to her.
"I'll talk to the others on the condition they not know about my unique bloodline."
The expression on Eliot's face reminded Urd of Odin at his most dangerous-the icy fury that could freeze you to your soul. She forced herself to hold her position and to meet his eyes, which said he knew she was afraid and that was fine with him.
He slipped away just as Verthandia and Skuld came around the corner.
%%%%%
Nathan Ford's eyes sprang open though the rest of him lay very still. He knew what it felt like to be hunted so he waited for the predator to show. His hand started to move toward the nightstand.
"I moved it." He nearly jumped out of bed at the sound of the voice, but a part of him recognized it as Eliot's and was so relieved he flopped bonelessly back on the mattress.
When his heart returned to its normal pace, he reached out and flipped on the light.
"Eliot! What the…" But Eliot didn't give him time to finish.
"Get dressed we need to talk…away from here." He did an abrupt right face and left the bedroom.
Nate just gaped after the enforcer before he suddenly moved. He didn't put it above Eliot to drag him out of the apartment naked if he wasn't downstairs in whatever amount of time Eliot allotted.
Quick shower, warm clothes and he was in the kitchen, Eliot slapped a travel mug of coffee in his hand while heading out the door.
They'd been driving for twenty minutes, and silence still filled the truck. Nate had opened his mouth, but Eliot beat him to the punch.
"Got a message last night." Eliot's tone was flat.
"From who?" Knowing some of Eliot's past, Nate was more than a little concerned about who had contacted him and why Eliot felt the need to get away from the apartment.
Nate must have said the last out loud because Eliot answered.
"Hardison has a habit of leaving his 'toys' lay around and I'm not ready to face the 'Inquisition' just yet." He pulled into the parking lot of an all night diner. "Come on. I'll buy ya breakfast." He drawled.
Meal finished, cups refilled, Eliot explained the offer from the Wyrd Sisters to Nate.
"The Wyrd Sisters!? Like the Nordic Fates, Urd, Verthandia and Skuld, Wyrd Sisters,!? Want us?"
"Yeah."
"Why'd they contact you?" Nate's tone was suspicious.
"Old contact."
Blue eyes narrowed at the younger man. "You're that good?"
Pale eyes looked haunted as Eliot stood, rubbing his hands down his thighs as though straightening his jeans.
"You don't wanna know how good I am." He threw a fifty on the table and stalked out the door.
The truck cab was once again filled with silence. As Eliot drove back to McRory's that silence was broken only when he pulled up to the front door.
"I want to meet 'em." Nate said.
"I'll set it up."
"You coming up?"
"No."
"What'll I tell the others?"
Eliot finally turned and looked at the mastermind.
"I doubt they ask."
"If they do?"
"Make something up. It's what yer best at." Eliot snarked as he pulled the gearshift into drive barely giving Nate time to step on the curb before he pulled away.
%%%%%
Thankfully his apartment was still blissfully quiet. He turned the TV on to catch the early morning news then chewed over Eliot's story while waiting for coffee to brew.
He heard Hardison rattling around next door. The hacker and Eliot had turned the space from an apartment into a work space. It was where they kept their costumes, tools, some of Parker's gear, and Hardison's servers. Eliot had made one corner of the room a training space. He and Parker made the most use of it, but Eliot would drag Hardison and sometime Sophie into the corner and school them on one thing or another.
His phone beeping a text message and Hardison along with Parker tumbling through the connecting door in search of food pulled Nate from his thoughts. Looking at his phone all it said was 7:30. He chuckled at Eliot's paranoia about Hardison monitoring their electronics. After all, that was part of his hacker's job.
%%%%%
After an afternoon of sorting through files on potential clients Nate decided dinner at McRory's before meeting with Eliot was a good way to kill the time until 7:30. The file lying on top of the stack when he locked the door behind him was labeled 'Howorth'.
Nate had considered a lot of places they could meet the Fates, but as they drove toward the section of Boston full of warehouses and dilapidated factories he became confused. When they pulled up to a factory so far out you could throw a rock and hit the harbor he began to think it was a joke.
A woman of indeterminate years, fit and muscular with a thick blonde braid hanging to her waist answered the door and immediately pulled Eliot into a bone crushing hug while sounding like she was scolding him in something remotely like a Scandinavian language.
Nate half expected Eliot to wrench out of her grip and come up swinging, but he was surprised again when Eliot returned the hug and the greeting in the same language.
"Nate, this is Syn. Syn, Nathan Ford. We have an appointment with 'Themself'." Eliot informed the woman as she engaged Nate in a firm handshake while she seemed to 'see' everything he'd done since he was a toddler.
If Syn seemed underwhelmed by Nate, Nate was certainly overwhelmed with her. He trailed behind her and Eliot as the two continued their conversation. They rode the elevator to the top of the refurbished factory where Syn stopped in front of a set of ornate double doors.
"They're waiting." She stated plainly before grabbing Eliot again.
"I have missed you, Little Brother, but I have a feeling I will be seeing more of you." She released him with a shove toward the door.
Eliot gave her his lady killer smile before pushing open the double doors. All Nate could do was gape at the silken cords like cobwebs filling the room, feeding into the loom with three women waiting patiently.
Tired of watching Nate gawk like a school boy, Eliot grabbed his arm and growled through gritted teeth.
"Come on." Tugging the older man into the room.
They were ten minutes into the meeting when Nate finally got his head in the game. It was the icy disdain with which Eliot treated Verthandia and Urd that got the mastermind on the ball.
"We're already doing what you're proposing." Nate said.
He watched Eliot out of the corner of this eye as the retrieval specialist stood to his right arms crossed over his chest. There were no tells that let Nate know Eliot was near the end of his patience, but something was telling him that he needed to get the women to the point. The middle Fate seemed intent on keeping them as long as possible, only pulling her attention away from Eliot when she was speaking directly to him.
"There would be considerable bounty for the people on our list." Urd offered.
"Should the need arise, this place could be considered a sanctuary-a place without fear of discovery." Skuld added.
"You want the team to live here?" Nate's eyebrows rose toward his hairline.
"We have the room..."Verthandia almost sounded like she was pleading.
"No." Pinched out from between Eliot's gritted teeth.
"Eliot…" Nate started.
"Only should you be injured. It would not be as in Asgard." Urd soothed.
"What!?" Nate was getting lost in the conversation.
"Vassals, underlings, and avatars always reside in the household of whom they serve." Verthandia explained …overing Urd's slip.
"Well…yes..." Nate started as he turned toward Eliot.
"We'll talk it over with the other members of our team when we get back from Nebraska."
The Sisters weren't ready to throw in the towel just yet.
"That wouldn't be Mr. Jack Howorth?" Urd asked. "Up against a crooked fight promoter-almost got his son, Mark killed?"
"Nate stopped. "That's the one."
"It shall serve as our first case together. See if we can make a fit." Verthandia's voice brightened considerably.
"Seriously, Nate? Let's go." Eliot reached for the older man's arm only to be brushed off.
"No. I see her point."
"Nate." Eliot's voice was firm.
"Give me a reason, Eliot." Nate practically held his breath waiting to see if Eliot would trust him with any of his secrets.
He watched the faces of the three generations of women as hope lit their eyes as they too watched Eliot, but all their hopes were dashed when what they got was a cold eyed retrieval specialist.
"Yer the boss." Eliot's voice was toneless.
Four faces fell.
"I'll be with the rest of the help when you're ready to leave." He snapped as he stalked out the door.
"That could have gone better." Nate sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face.
The man did that every time Nate brushed off his advice. If Nate was honest with himself, every time he disregarded what the younger man said the job usually ended up going pear shaped.
Eliot, Parker and Sophie were all as capable as Nate at planning a job. Give Hardison a few more years experience, he might. Hardison and Sophie didn't have the brutal streak sometimes required leaving Eliot and Parker to do the heavy lifting in Nate's plans.
"He has always been stubborn." Verthandia sighed.
"He gets it honest." Urd rolled her eyes at the younger.
Nate sighed again. Eliot must truly be a legend if he'd caught the attention of the Fates.
He exchanged contact information with Skuld before going in search of Eliot.
He heard him before he saw him. Over the years he'd heard Eliot give an occasional chuckle, but never had he heard the man laugh. The two sets of laughter coming from the kitchen made Nate smile. The throaty laugh was so full of mischief he couldn't stop his mouth from turning upward. He must have made himself known in some way because the laughter died and there was only silence.
Eliot met him at the kitchen door and without a word headed toward the entrance.
"I will call you about that workout." Syn called after the men.
"I have just the place." Eliot assured her.
As they pulled away from the factory Nate turned a skeptical eye toward Eliot.
"Did you mean 'workout' workout or another type of 'workout'?" His tone held a leer.
The scowl on Eliot's face had Nate looking to see if he was out of arm's reach.
"What, you think I fuck every woman I meet?"
"Uh…yes…no…you imply…" Nate closed his mouth with a snap. He really needed to quit before he got in any deeper.
"Glad to know you have such a high opinion of my moral character." Jaw clenched he focused on the road.
Once again Nate was unceremoniously dumped on the curb in front of McRory's.
%%%%%
On the flight to Nebraska, Eliot took the seat farthest from the team.
When Nate had explained about the possibility of joining their operations with that of the Wyrd Sisters, Sophie scoffed; Hardison bounced around the condo like a demented kangaroo while Parker sat on the counter next to a scowling Eliot, an equally dark look on her face.
"Parker?" Nate asked.
"You know they say 'Fate's a bitch.' for a good reason?"
"Why's that?"
"Eliot and I are usually their bitch." Parker snarked before jumping off the counter.
"Where ya goin'?" Hardison finally quit dancing around the room.
"To pack."
Eliot followed her out.
"I guess that speaks to what they think about our new partnership." Sophie chirped up.
"But…it's the Fates…" Hardison seemed at a loss.
"They have a point though I think Eliot knows more than he's saying." Sophie started gathering her wrap and bag.
"Yeah well, Eliot's not saying much these days." Nate stared into his coffee mug.
"Nothin' unusual 'bout that." Hardison tossed in while he collected his bits and pieces.
"We've reached a whole new level." Nate said more to himself than anyone.
%%%%%
Skuld shooed Verthandia from the loom room.
"You didn't worry about the boy after you left him here on Midgard. Why are worrying so now?"
"I thought he would grow up to be a normal human man…not this…" she waved her hands-at a loss for words.
"Warrior? Mercenary? What? You abandoned him with strangers. You cannot expect him to thank you for that." Skuld scolded.
The Fate of the Present stared at her sister.
"He was only four!"
"He was the darling of the All-Father!"
"It was for his own safety!"
Their voices climbed another notch.
"Himmelen…Eliot doesn't seem to think so. Did you never look at his life on the loom?"
"No. I wished him to remain hidden."
"Ladies." Urd interrupted. "That tapestry cannot be unwoven. We must live with the consequences and push on as best we can."
%%%%%
In all the confusion Eliot had slipped into a set of sweats, but before he could slip out of the gym, Parker had tracked him down for their meeting with Howorth. He washed the blood off his face and grabbed an ice pack on the way out. He didn't want to be here. He needed someplace quiet to put his beast back in its cage.
He had let his beast slip its leash enough to finish the con, but he needed away from these people and their emotions to get his control back. The smell of sweat, fear and blood was making it harder than usual as he sat holding the ice pack against his strained shoulder.
%%%%%
The flat reptilian stare from the pale eyes gave the doctor pause, but this man had allowed himself to be beaten to get justice for his family so he swallowed his fear and set his bag on the empty chair beside the battered man they called Kid Jones.
"I can take care of it, Doc." The rough voice drawled softly.
Jon blushed. From the looks of him The Kid shouldn't even be sitting upright let alone trying to sooth his fears.
"Least I can do." He quipped as he cleaned and butterflied the gashes on Eliot's face. "Guess I don't need to tell you how to take care of all these?" He asked as he pulled off his latex gloves.
"Yeah. Thanks."Eliot eased up out of the chair tossing the ice pack to the seat as he headed for the door.
The doctor watched in awe as the slim blonde sidled up to the fighter, ignoring his growling as she bounced around like one of those small terriers as they climbed into a dark van.
%%%%%
While they still used Nate's condo as an office, the team began spending part of their leisure time at The Factory. Hardison was a river of questions while Parker stared fascinated by the tapestry on the loom, while Sophie spent time away with her new boyfriend, Nate took advantage of the team's distraction to read client files and brood, and Eliot-Eliot was a shadow.
Urd had plans, and one was about to bear fruit.
After Verthandia told them her story, she remembered the beautiful boy with night dark hair and sky bright eyes, that Frigg called Himmelen-Sky-for those eyes that saw too much. She touched the silken cord that had hung around her neck for so long she'd forgotten why it was there.
As the boy grew he caught Odin's eye. The little warrior protected his friends and showed no fear, and when Odin lifted him into the air, the child had grabbed two fistfuls of the white beard and glared at the Father of All. Frigg had rushed forward to rescue the child, but with a booming laugh, Odin had tucked the boy under his arm and called for Sleipnir and carried the child wherever he traveled.
Soon jealous eyes fell on the sky-eyed child, and when he'd barely cleared four winters he disappeared. Odin had been furious and no one escaped his wrath.
Opening the case that contained a tapestry looked upon by her eyes only the eldest of the Fates looked back at the lives of her brethren.
There she saw the birth of her grandson, his life in Asgard, and his mother abandoning him with a father he did not know on Midgard. It was time to get her plans back on track.
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As Eliot twisted his body into shapes that would have done Parker proud, he ignored the sting of sweat in the thin cuts left by their training blades. His workouts with Syn had him in the best shape he'd been since his days at BUDS.
The abilities he'd inherited from his mother had caused Sloan to drool over him in a very creepy way while he'd been with them. It got to the point where even the combined charms of Fox and The Gunsmith couldn't keep him from leaving when his training was finished. Sloan had tried to persuade him to stay, but when Eliot looked into Sloan's eyes he saw the man's demise at the hands of Cross' cub so returned to his SEAL team and began his career as Atherton's pet assassin.
TDA with the CIA, they'd betrayed him, given him to a Russian mob leader as a 'gift'. Eliot endured until he was passed to The Butcher of Kiev for services rendered. That was when his plan to escape went into effect. It was in the fire that destroyed almost a city block and deeply scarred the face of the Russian mob's number one enforcer that Spencer Travers III died and Eliot Spencer was born.
After an hour of bone jarring sparring with a Norse goddess, Eliot felt no shame in calling for a halt. With a blinding smile, Syn wrapped a well muscled arm around his neck and pulled him toward the back entrance of the The Factory.
"You improve rapidly, Little Brother."
"Self preservation will do that for a person." Eliot snarked as he pulled out of her hold and picked up his t-shirt from the picnic table.
After a quick shower, Eliot fixed a light lunch. Setting a plate in front of Syn, pale green eyes caught his.
"Why did you not seek out Thor to return you to Asgard when you grew into a man?"
"I was four when I was dumped here with a perfect memory of my mother's words and expression when she left me in my father's office, and it was a look of relief not remorse. In Asgard they may not care about the lineage of bastard children, but that ain't the way it works in rich southern families. I make if a policy to try not to return to places I'm not wanted unless it's in a professional capacity." Eliot answered truthfully.
"But…" Eliot stopped her words with a raised hand.
"Verthandia's words to my father were all I had to go by."
"Odin nearly tore apart Asgard searching for you." Syn tried to impress on him how much he was missed. "No one admitted to knowing where you came from or where you had been taken."
"I've got enough drama in my life thank you very much. I don't need to add more." Eliot tossed his napkin on the table and left without touching a bite.
Syn watched mournfully as he stalked out the front door. She had not meant to dredge up hurtful memories. She would give him time to calm himself before calling to set up their next sparring session.
Urd stepped around the corner and into the kitchen, nodding to Syn. She had heard the youngsters' conversation, but had not made her presence known for she wanted to know Eliot's mind. The flicker of his eyes in her direction told her he knew she had heard, and the low growl of anger she had heard as he continued to walk away told her his opinion of her behavior.
This was going to be harder than she thought.
%%%%%
Parker was confused, and when Parker was confused she usually went to Sophie. Sophie's answer didn't make any sense so she had gone to Hardison, but the man was clueless. She thought about asking Nate, but Nate sober was creepy and she didn't want to give him any ideas.
Mind made up she went looking for Eliot. She was kind of put out that it took her longer than usual to find him. When she stopped to think about it, he'd been really hard to find since they got back from Nebraska. She wondered if it was because Nate made him let that Tank guy beat him up, but she didn't think that was it. Eliot didn't get beat up often, and he never seemed to care when he did.
He'd been grumpier than usual since those Fates showed up, and Nate deciding the team would work with them, but they didn't seem to interfere much with their usual way of doing things so she didn't think that was the problem. Eliot still cooked and put things in the freezer for her, but he didn't hang out with them. She wanted to know why because she didn't like the way her chest felt tight when she thought that Eliot might not like them anymore.
She checked all his usual places with no luck. As a last resort she headed to the place Hardison called The Factory. Maybe the old woman would tell her why Eliot was so mad all the time.
%%%%%
"Did you piss off Eliot?"
Urd nearly came undone at the voice coming from over her head.
"By Odin's eye, Child! You mustn't sneak about so."
Parker looked at the old woman like she was crazy.
"I'm a thief. I'm supposed to sneak."
The elder shook her head. Could not argue with logic like that.
"Come down here, Child. You are giving me a crick in my neck."
Parker gave a snort of disbelief, but did as she was asked.
"You look old, but you don't move old." She state baldly.
Urd's eyebrows rose toward her hairline. She really must remind the others to be vigilant of their words and actions. These humans were too perceptive by far.
"Eliot uses his anger as a buffer. It keeps people away so he does not become attached. He is very much alone and a loner."
"I know all that, but he's REALLY mad at you. Even the way he says your names-when he says them is mad."
"There was a great disservice done to him as a child, and because of that his life took on tasks that were not meant to be his."
"You mean Eliot wasn't supposed to be where he is now?" Parker cocked her head.
"I can't say how things would have been different. In this place at this time there is only what is and what has been."
"I like him here."
Before Urd could answer, the young blonde had pushed a button and disappeared through the skylight. The elder rose from her seat and headed to the kitchen.
Far too perceptive.
Forming a new plan, Parker headed back to the office to find Hardison. She needed to know how to tame a wolf.
%%%%%
Their jobs seemed to be going off with their usual mixture of Nate's planning and sheer luck when the mastermind kicked over the traces and started improving. It seemed other than suggesting certain jobs over others the Wyrd Sisters were taking a 'hands off' approach to their partnership.
Now if he could just figure out what's going on with Parker and Hardison so what little sleep he does get might not be so unsettled.
Eliot's been watching them all. He can't decide if Nate's crowding Sophie because he actually has feelings for her or if he's just jealous. Hardison is starting to get that moon eyed look when he's around Parker, and that tells him the boy's got it bad for the crazy blonde. This could get ugly. Especially since Parker seems to be making a point to try and keep him engaged, though Hardison doesn't seem to mind since Parker's usually dragging him along behind her.
He decides to treat them like obnoxious siblings, and hope Parker insanity doesn't drag them all into something that makes him have to leave.
%%%%%
They're in a groove the jobs are turning like clockwork, until one of Sophie's old partners comes to town with his own crew. They lose one of the grifter's aliases when Chaos, the opposition's hacker and a nemesis of Hardison's, tries to kill her, and Sophie decides she needs a sabbatical to find her 'real' self.
Taking his frustrations out in several nights of rough and tumble sex with the other team's hitter leaves his apartment a wreck. When he finds out Raquel Dayan probably tried to kill him in Myanmar several years prior, he goes to ground after she leaves until he get back in his solitary headspace. The team is making him soft mentally, and a man with his reputation and enemies can't afford to be caught off guard.
Which lasted until he woke with Parker curled on his bed, Hardison thinking he's all that and a bag of fries, and the distinct odor of Irish whiskey coming from Nate's coffee cup.
Suddenly he feels like the only adult in the group, and when he comes around the corner after taking out the rogue cops trying to keep Nate from getting Parker to the courthouse, his blood starts to boil.
All the abilities he hides, all he endured with every training session from The Fraternity, the torture, and all the missions, all zero in on the sniper taking aim at Parker. The rock flies from his hand right on target. He snatches the rifle and leaves the sniper withering in the dirt as he runs for the thief.
They make it to the court room where he notices the sting in his knuckles. He hates putting down cops-guys like himself he'll whale on all day, but cops are just doing their job and he tries not to hurt them unless they're dirty. Then it's open season.
On the way back to the condo, Eliot's started to relax until he opened the door and saw Tara sitting in the middle of the room. Hardison and Parker stood behind him, giving him room to maneuver if the need arose. Nate charged forward, never considering he might be putting himself and the team in danger.
He'd disliked and mistrusted her when she'd insinuated herself into the con and his opinion didn't change as she sashayed out the door after presenting Sophie's letter.
%%%%%
Part 2
