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Neal Caffrey was a con artist and a pretty good one too. He managed to evade arrest for years before Peter Burke finally caught him, using his girlfriend to draw him out. Neal never regretted going. He had known it was a possibility the FBI would use Kate against him, but it didn't matter to him. Love was important to him and he would never avoid the person he loved to stay safe. He preferred risking it all. And he didn't have it so bad now. Thanks to a deal he made with the agent who caught him, he was now out of jail, helping the FBI catch other criminals like him. The road had been full of ups and downs, but he felt he was in a good place now. He liked his job and he had become good friends with Peter and his wife, Elle. At this particular moment, Neal and Peter were trying to put together a strategy to crack their newest case. It was a hard one, maybe bigger than anything they had ever worked on. It was getting late, the sun had set hours ago. They were alone in the White Collar division offices, still sitting in the conference room, the table barely visible under the mess of FBI files and take out containers. Peter had an idea that could lead to an arrest, but Neal thought there were a few kinks they needed to fix before putting it to execution. "That sounds like a great plan, Peter, but if we're gonna go after this guy, we need to bring our A-game. We can't afford mistakes. And however great your plan may be, we can't make it happen just you, me and Mozzie. We need more people on our team." "We have an entire team of trained FBI agents at our disposal. And Elle helped us in the past, I'm sure she'd be willing to do it again." "No offence, Peter, but FBI agents aren't trained to run cons as long and complicated as this one will be. Neither is Elle. I think the only way we can pull this off would be if we recruited more people like me, professionals." "You mean criminals? You want us to just round up a random group of con artists we probably couldn't trust to do it for us?" "Not do it for us, but with us. And not random, I already have people in mind. I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't know someone we can trust. They do things like that all the time." "Things like what? Jumping into an FBI investigation to lend a hand? I have trouble believing that." Peter took a sip of coffee. "Maybe not exactly like that. They steal from bad people and give it back to those they wronged. They do what the justice system can’t." "Stealing is illegal. No matter what righteous reasons they may have to do it, it's still wrong." "They did stop committing crimes for themselves when they started this. One of them was terrible before, and I don't mean it as in not having skills, I mean he killed people. He has an impressive reputation. But all of that is behind them now, they're good guys now." "Good guys don't break the law." "Let's just say it's a grey area. We need them, they're the best crew there is. No one can beat them. Interpol's been after them for years." "Wanted criminals. This keeps getting better. Even if we could trust them like you say, you think they would trust us enough to work with us?" "They've worked with the FBI before, some of them have credentials, like real agents." "Impersonating a federal agent is a crime, how many times do I have to repeat this?" Peter sighed, he was really getting tired. "Fine. Let's do it. Contact them, see if they agree to work with us. But no more crimes, I don't want to see anyone pretending to be an agent, is that understood?" "Are you sure? It would make everything so much easier. Otherwise, we would have to meet everyone outside the office all the time, it would be a hassle." "This is the FBI, we do not break the law, and neither do our consultants." "Alright, I’ll call Sophie and we’ll all meet at my place tomorrow." Neal stood up. "How many are they exactly?" "Five. I only really know Sophie. I've crossed path with Nate Ford before, but that was years ago, back when he was an insurance investigator. He managed to take back a Monet I had, allegedly, just stolen. Parker got in the way of a few of my crimes in the past, getting what I was after before I got to it, but I've never actually seen her." "Parker, the thief? She's a woman? I've heard about her, but no one seems to know anything about her, not even what she looks like." "Yes, she's the best." "What about the other two?" "I've heard things about Eliot Spencer, most pretty scary, but I've never met him. As for Alec Hardison, all I know is he's a great hacker." "And you said they can be here tomorrow?" "Yes. They've been working out of Boston the past few years. When I called her about this to see if it might be something they could be interested in, Sophie told me they moved out of there and just finished something in upstate New York, they would be happy to come by here to help us. Nate and Sophie will be taking the first flight in the morning, the rest of the team would drive and arrive sometime in the afternoon." "And you say they're good?" "I believe the best is the word I employed. How many wanted criminals do you know who can catch a plane on such short notice?" "As I heard, they didn't all jumped into a plane." "They have stuff they couldn't bring on a plane. I did mention they're in the process of moving, didn't I?" "Alright, I think that's it for tonight. I'll meet you at your place in the morning." Eliot Spencer had quite the past, but he wasn't doing anything like that anymore. He was doing good now, helping people, and he had a family. He wouldn't abandon the Leverage team for any reason, he'd do anything for them. He was currently sitting in the back of Lucille, Hardison and Parker sitting in the front. He was thinking how no matter how annoying they could be sometimes, he loved them like they were his younger siblings. He would go to hell and back with them. Every once in a while, however, he felt a little like a fifth wheel around the team. Hardison and Parker weren't officially together yet, but he could see it was only a matter of time now, they were both ready. Nate and Sophie were practically a couple from the start, it wasn't exactly a surprise when they made it official. Eliot wished he had someone too. He felt lonely sometimes, when the others paired off and he was left on his own. He had many one-nights, but he found himself wanting more. If only finding someone who could fit into their lifestyle wasn't so hard. Sophie Devereaux hadn't seen her friend Neal in a long time, too long. They had met many years ago, they crossed path while they were both running a con, and using aliases. They ran into each other again a few months later and were introduced to each other under different aliases than they exchanged the previous time. That was when they really started talking and became friends. They eventually exchanged their most commonly used name, the one they still used to this day, and kept in touch through the years. Sophie had been sad to hear about Neal getting caught and sent to prison, but she wasn't surprised by the way it happened. Being an art thief is a lonely life for a good reason after all, attachments are a weakness. It's why Sophie enjoyed flirting with Nate so much while he was chasing her. As long as he was married, nothing could ever happen. She never thought he would turn to her side after his divorce and be at the head of the best group of thieves there was. When Neal called her about the case he was working on with the FBI, she was happy to hear from him and learn he was doing well. She was now sitting on the plane, eager to get to New York and see Neal again, eyeing Nate suspiciously. There was something she couldn't quite get out of her mind. "Nate, why did you accept to bring the team in on this?" "Your friend needs help, was I supposed to not want to go lend a hand? Was I supposed to not ask the three very skilled people we've been working with for the past four years when they were right there?" "I thought you'd be more reluctant to work so closely with the FBI." "It wouldn't be the first time we work with them. We always had a good relationship with Lieutenant Bonanno, if we can get along with someone from the State Police, why not an FBI agent? Plus, we left Boston, no one knows where we are anymore. I'd call this good timing." "You heard FBI and jumped on the occasion the same way I did when I had the chance of putting my hand on both Davids, remember how that ended." "That is not how it happened." "The others were hesitating and you pushed just like I did." "We just had a big victory, and I'm excited to keep working with you guys." "We could've gone to New York with the others, or taken a later flight to arrive at the same time they will." "I wanted to be there as soon as possible to learn the facts and help your friend, I don’t have any other motives than that." "I can always tell when you are lying, Nathan Ford." "I should’ve taken Parker with me, let you sit in the van with the boys for five hours." "That would’ve tipped me off too, you know. Why would you take anyone but me to meet early with my friend?" "Well, at least I wouldn't have to hear about it the entire way. I should've known my eagerness would give me away," Nate's expression turned more serious. "There’s a division of the FBI I have a special interest in. I’m hoping working with an agent will allow me to get closer to it. Maybe we can find a way to convince him we need them." "See, if you’re gonna con an FBI agent, you should really talk to me about it first. What is so interesting about this division in particular?" "The CJC have this guy who takes a drug called NZT who allows him access to 100% of his brain capacity. He essentially becomes the smartest man in the world. Can you imagine all the things he can do?" "Are you interested in the guy or the drug?" "Apparently, the drug has bad side effects if you take it more than once or twice. He’s the only one who’s immune." "What do you need him for? Our team is great as it is." "I just want to meet the guy, talk to him, maybe do a con with him. Don’t you want to see me not be the smartest guy in the room for once?" "Someone shutting you up, I definitely want to see that. Let’s make it happen. We deserve some fun after all." Nate smiled. He was happy he had Sophie in his life, especially now, when his father had just died. She understood him and she seemed to always know what to say. It was annoying sometimes that he couldn't lie to her, but it was also comforting to know he could only be himself and nothing else around her, and she would accept him just the way he is, never letting him get away with his bullshit. The next morning, Peter decided to take things slow. He didn't have to go into the office and would meet Neal at his place. He didn't know exactly at what time Sophie Devereaux and Nate Ford would make it there, but he felt he wasn't in much of a rush. Elle also didn't have to head to work until later and they seized the opportunity to have a nice long breakfast together. It felt good to simply enjoy each other's presence, spend time together and relax a bit for once. Especially since Peter was embarking on a hard case that would most certainly take a toll on him. Might as well enter it in a good space of mind. It was almost lunchtime when Peter finally headed to Neal's and he arrived just as a pizza delivery man left. He went up to find Neal setting up for them to eat. A man and a woman Peter had never met were already sitting at the table, with each a glass of wine. "That ankle monitor must feel like being on a leash, you must hate it. I know I would. How accurate is it?" The woman asked, with a British accent. "Very accurate," Peter answered. "About time you showed up," Neal said as he reached into the fridge to get him a beer. "This is my friend, Sophie Devereaux, and her partner and boyfriend, Nate Ford. He'll help you perfect the plan, he's the one who usually runs their cons." "Nice to meet you, Agent Burke." Nate got up and offered him his hand. "Neal told us a lot about you. Didn't think we would meet another incorruptible man of the law, I guess there is still hope in this world. And don't you worry, we are the best at what we do." "That is not what I'm worried about," Peter said as he shook his hand. "You'll learn to trust us. I have an idea to better our chances of success, not that we need help, but seeing as you're a little wary of us, it can't hurt. Do you want to hear it now?" "Why not?" All four of them sat down to eat and Nate shared his plan. Peter wasn't sure bringing even more people in was the best way to go, but he did like the idea of collaborating with another FBI division. He was starting to feel a little outnumbered with all those criminals joining the team and could use some support from other agents. "Hi, Special Agent Hagen. This is my partner, Special Agent Thomas." Parker introduced herself and Hardison to the agent who welcomed them into the FBI offices when they stepped out of the elevator. They had just arrived in New York. After a nearly five-hour drive, they dropped Eliot off and headed straight there to pick up an asset Nate had convinced Agent Burke to borrow. "I'm Special Agent Nasreen Pouran. What brings you to the CJC?" "We are currently working on a case with Special Agent Burke from the White Collar Crimes Unit. He called earlier today about borrowing your consultant. We're here to pick him up." "Of course, follow me." Naz led them into a side corridor. "It must be quite a complicated case you have there to require the help of both Burke's CI and our consultant." "Yes, we are pursuing a very intelligent team of thieves led by a dangerous man." "I hope you know Brian Finch isn't trained for any kind of dangerous field work." "Don't you worry, ma'am," Hardison said, "we won't put your resource in any danger. We already have people very skilled to protect him and handle the situations that require more action. We are set on that front, what we need is your consultant's special abilities." "Don't call me 'ma'am'." Naz led them inside a file room and stopped. "Here we are. I present to you, Brian Finch." The man she pointed to smiled at them as he swallowed a pill. "Next to him is Special Agent Rebecca Harris. She's his handler and will be coming with you, as will Ike. He is one of Brian's bodyguards. Agent Burke told me it wasn't necessary and you would provide all the protection needed, but I feel better sending along an agent who's used to dealing with Finch." "That wasn't-" Parker started. "We completely understand. Hagen tends to worry that it'll get too crowded, but the more the merrier, right?" They hadn't planned on bringing back more than one person, so they'd taken Lucille, Hardison's van. They had thought Brian would sit in the front with Hardison and only Parker would see the mess in the back. However, with the added agents to transport, they needed to clean up a little before they could go. Since Brian had been flirting with Hardison since they left the file room, Parker didn't want to leave them both alone in the front. She said it might be safer if Brian couldn't be seen and insisted Rebecca sit in the front next to Hardison. Parker sat in the back with Brian and Ike, who seemed pleased of this arrangement despite the lack of space and comfort. When Hardison and Parker finally arrived at Neal's apartment with the group from the CJC, the others were sitting on the terrace with drinks, having casual conversation. A friend of Neal's, Mozzie, had joined the group at some point, despite never having been extended an invitation. Neal offered the newcomers beers and glasses of wine, which Brian, Rebecca and Ike took gratefully. "Once again, I'm doing all the work while the rest of you take a break. I'm always saying this team wouldn't function without me and you keep proving me right." Everyone ignored Hardison, the Leverage team knew he didn't mean much by it and the others were too busy looking at the group that just arrived, noticing something wrong with it. Peter was the first one to talk. "Neal, there are four agents with this consultant and no criminal. I thought I had been clear about impersonating FBI agents." "I'm sorry, Peter. I told Sophie, I had no idea they would do this." Neal apologized with a quick glance to Sophie. "I don't know what you think is going on here, but Ike and I are with the CJC, and those two checked out," Rebecca said. "I'm sure their badges are very convincing, but they most certainly are the two remaining members of Mr Ford's crew. I work with a con artist every day, I know how easy it can be to get fooled." Peter assured. "Naz pulled their files from the FBI database. If they aren't real agents, they did a damn impressive job with their fake identities." "What?" Peter turned to give Hardison and Parker a stunned look. "Oh, you think we'd walk into the FBI asking to leave with a sensitive resource, show badges and that's it? You think that'd work? Any competent agent would go farther than that to make sure we're legit. FBI badges are quite easy to forge after all. But I don't half-ass my fake identities. One of Parker's even got jury duty once, it was so good." Hardison bragged. "I see bragging and pride about breaking the law runs into the whole criminal community, not just in Neal." "Well, I do put a lot of effort in what I do, is it really that wrong I'd want credit for it?" "You and I should talk later, when the Suits won't be around," Mozzie said in a low voice. He was very interested to learn more about Hardison's thorough work. "Alright, enough." Peter interrupted. "All criminal activities stop now. No more impersonating federal agents, no more lying to federal agents, no more doing anything without consulting a federal agent. Is that clear?" "Of course." Nate, Sophie, Eliot and Neal answered, with Mozzie and Hardison nodding along unconvincingly. "We can still steal though, right? Otherwise, I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm a thief, stealing is what I do." Parker asked, making Hardison laugh. "Stealing is a criminal activity, so that would be a no," Rebecca said. Parker turned to Nate, seemingly about to protest, when Brian spoke for the first time since he got there. "Can we just stop for a minute and consider the fact no one told me what I was doing here or asked me my opinion about coming here in the first place?" "We're here to help Agent Burke with a case for the White Collar division. I thought Ike told you." Rebecca was starting to feel exasperated. "Mike was supposed to do that." Ike protested. "Your bodyguards are named Mike and Ike, just like the candy? That's lucky." Hardison commented. "I decided to call them that, it's not their real names," Brian said. "Before we start working, or derive onto more random topics, I do have one request for you, Agent Burke. Or more accurately, for your CI and his criminal friends." Rebecca ignored the nonsense. "Let's hear it," Peter said. "No one who isn't an agent carries a gun. If we're gonna be working with thieves and con artists, only you, me and Ike should be armed." "I completely agree with you, Agent Harris." Peter was starting to think they would make a great team. "Neal isn't authorized to have a gun. Not that he would anyway, he doesn't like them. That's covered, what about your team, Mr Ford?" "We don't need guns, we trust Eliot to keep us safe. And please call me Nate." Peter nodded and turned to Eliot. If anyone was carrying a gun, it would be the muscle of the team, how else was he supposed to protect his team from guns without having one himself? "I don't like guns either, Burke, and I certainly don't need one. I'd rather disarm than kill. Besides, most people holding a gun stand too close to pose any kind of real threat." Eliot sounded as though he'd said so several times in the past. "You've got to admit it usually works out for them though," Brian said. "Until they meet me." Up until then, Eliot had seemed like a friendly man you could easily enjoy hanging out with around a BBQ, now he looked a little scary. Brian found himself thinking how glad he was Eliot was on their side. After everyone was up to speed, Hardison and Brian used their skills and resources to gather up more information on the mark and his victims. What they found out helped Peter and Nate make a few adjustments to the plan. Rebecca, Neal and Sophie chimed in when necessary. After all, everyone wanted to make it the best that it could be, no one had any desire for this to fail. Peter and Rebecca hadn't come together and stepped on the line working with world-class criminals to achieve anything less than success.
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They put the con, also known as the plan by the federal agents among them, into execution the next day. They felt ready and there was no time to waste. They could get to know each other better while they worked. When Eliot and the CJC people arrived that morning, Peter already looked exasperated by the others. He was glad to see the other agents. His entire day so far had been offering FBI resources only to be shut down by Hardison who had his own things for them to use. First, Peter wanted to use one of the FBI stake-out vans, but Hardison insisted they use his own van. Peter had to concede that Lucille was better equipped. Then, he had to agree to use the hacker's comms to communicate, because once again there was no comparison with what the FBI had the budget for. Peter had always felt annoyed to see Neal with more expensive things and a better way of living than he had, even though he didn't earn it. He felt people should work for what they have and he didn't think con artists really did. It seemed unfair to him. However, as soon as he mentioned it, Hardison argued that making these comms and setting up all the equipment in the van had been quite a lot of work. For the first day, only Nate, Peter, Hardison, Brian, Eliot and Ike had something to do, at different locations. Everyone else stayed at the apartment, either preparing for the next step, researching a few more things or, in Mozzie and Parker's case, just hanging out. Neal and Sophie would've gone too, but the van was already pretty crowded and they couldn't risk being seen by their target. They would come into play later on. For now, Nate and Peter were meeting with him and setting up the trap. Brian spent the day in the van with Hardison. They took take of surveillance and other hacking related things he could only understand because he was on NZT. "What's that smell?" Brian complained when he first stepped foot inside the van. "Do not insult Lucille. It smells perfectly fine in here," Hardison said. "Don't listen to him, Brian. Hardison's immune to the smell of his dumb van," Eliot replied. "I'm sure you get used to it. Can I get some of this orange soda?" "Sure." Hardison handed him a bottle. Brian and Hardison ended up having a lot of fun hanging out together. It turned out they had a lot in common. They were after all both in their twenties, the two youngest members of the group, and often taken for granted because they never seemed to take anything all that seriously. Ike accompanied an annoyed Eliot to a warehouse where their target was storing documents and who knew what else. Despite how glad he was to be doing more field work and maybe contribute more than he usually did, Ike still didn't feel entirely comfortable with the fact what they were doing wasn't necessarily legal. Most importantly, he felt unwelcomed. He had the impression Eliot may have preferred if someone else had accompanied him, or if he'd gone alone. Not an ideal situation, partnering up with someone who didn't want you there when in a potentially dangerous situation. Truth was, that FBI guy was slowing Eliot down and was one more thing to worry about. When he worked alone, he didn't have to make sure nothing happened to anybody, he could concentrate fully on the task at hand. Even when he broke into places with Parker, at least she was useful, she could open safes that Ike wouldn't even touch on account of not having a warrant or something. And she carried a taser to protect herself, not a gun. Even if she used it without really needing to, just because she enjoyed it too much to wait for Eliot to take care of the situation, there was no risk anyone would die from it. Unlike if Ike decided to shoot someone. It turned out that whatever was kept inside the warehouse was important enough to be guarded. Five armed guys were waiting for them inside. Ike worried. He wasn't a quick enough shot to take them all out before they could kill them, and Eliot promised earlier he wasn't carrying a gun. It seemed they were at an impasse. He was about to raise his hands up when he noticed the smile that appeared on Eliot's face. Did he really think he could take them? All five of them? "Hey guys," Eliot said as he approached them, "what's up?" He proceeded to disarm them, emptying their guns as he went, and rendered them unconscious at an impressive speed, all before any of them could manage even one shot. Then he turned to Ike like it was nothing. "You coming?" "I can see now why you don't need guns," Ike said as he followed him deeper into the warehouse. He was kind of turned on by Eliot's smug smile. After they resumed their work and retrieved copies of the documents they had come for, Eliot had to beat up another group of guys. This place was definitely way too well guarded. Ike almost couldn't resist Eliot anymore after seeing him take out all those menacing men, he was so strong and hot. All he wanted to do was put his hands through that long hair while Eliot was inside him, pushing against his prostate. Maybe it was all the stress and excitement of the situation, maybe it was the fact he knew he couldn't have sex with the man he was in love with, but Ike couldn't get the idea out of his mind. So he just blatantly asked Eliot if he wanted to have sex with him. Ike looked mortified after he said it. Like he was suddenly realizing what he'd done and was terrified he'd made a terrible mistake. Eliot admired the courage. That man didn't even know if he was into guys, but somehow found it in himself to make advances. In this world, where so many men were violently homophobic. Ike had just seen him beat up a whole bunch of armed guys, had no way to know he wasn't straight and yet was brave enough to suggest sex. Amazing, and oh so hot. Eliot currently couldn't stop thinking about stupidly beautiful blue eyes, but maybe a random hook up with a handsome fed could help get it out of his mind. And he did enjoy having sex with good-looking people, he enjoyed it a lot. As an answer to Ike's suggestion, he grabbed either side of his head and kissed him. It was late at night. The con was running smoothly so far. Peter, Mozzie, Rebecca and Ike had gone home hours ago. Eliot was staying at Brian's and they'd left a little before the others, not without some awkwardness from Ike. He had been a little weird about it the night before, but it hadn't been as blatantly obvious as it was now. Everyone was confused by it, except Eliot, who texted him on the way to assure him he wouldn't tell Brian anything about what happened between them. Not it mattered. Nate had just left for the hotel room he shared with Sophie, with a promise from her that she wouldn't join him too late, they both needed sleep. At the moment, she was next to Neal on his couch, Hardison sitting across from them and Parker lying on her back across the bed, her head falling to the side allowing her to see the others. "I think Brian and Ike might be in love with each other," Sophie said, out of nowhere, like she was just thinking out loud. "Brian's been eyeing Eliot all day." Hardison was doubtful. "And Hardison, all night." Parker sounded a little jealous. "For real?" "Yeah. He was doing all these annoying things Sophie told me about too. Laughing at your jokes, touching you. I almost tased him." Hardison seemed pleased to hear how Parker felt about other people flirting with him. He thought she was adorable. "Will you two stop? I noticed all of this." Sophie interrupted. "So did I. Brian's been flirting with almost everyone except Ike, but he keeps throwing glances at him whenever he thinks no one's looking," Neal said. "Exactly, it's all in the way they act around each other. I know what I'm talking about. I'm a grifter, my job depends on spotting all kinds of cues like this. I know what I'm seeing here. And Neal agrees." "Alright, fine," Hardison said. "Let's say we believe you, don't get involved. No one likes a meddler." "What? Everyone likes a little help if it can get them with the person they love." Neal argued. "We'll help them if we want to. And we do." Hardison turned to share a look with Parker. "Grifters, right?" She smiled and sat up on the bed. Sophie and Neal discussed the matter a little more as they said goodbye, then she left to join Nate at the hotel. Parker insisted she was too comfortable in the bed to move, and she had slept on the couch the night before so it was someone else's turn. Hardison agreed to take it and Neal took place next to Parker. The next day, Sophie, Nate and Brian kept the federal agents occupied while the others worked on a secret and less FBI approved part of the plan. They had been vague when explaining it to Peter, Rebecca and Ike, but they knew it would get the job done and assure the capture of the criminal they were targeting. Peter seemed suspicious, like he often was. He knew they were up to something, Neal saw the face, but he preferred staying out of it, grey area, plausible deniability and all. He trusted Neal enough to know they wouldn't take it too far. Their plan involved Neal forging a painting, Hardison forging authentication papers, Mozzie calling on his black market contacts and Parker stealing an ID for Eliot. Hardison decided to work from Lucille, so he could get some time alone with Parker. While Neal was painting on the terrace of the apartment, Eliot and Mozzie sat on the couch and waited for their turn to come. They were talking about all sorts of things and realized they almost crossed paths a few times. Then Eliot had another idea to pass the time. "Hey, Mozzie, have you ever had sex with a man?" "Why are you asking me that?" "Just curious." "That's a weird question to ask, but yes, I have." "Well, I was thinking, I'm a man and we're not doing anything right now. Caffrey looks like he still has a while to go out there." "Do you not like my conversation?" "We can keep talking if you want," Eliot skillfully avoided the question. He did in fact find Mozzie a bit annoying, the same way Hardison got on his nerves sometimes. "I just thought we could pass the time in a more naked way." "Do you think that's also what they're doing out there, in the van?" "Hardison and Parker? Oh no, they're asexual. They're probably watching a tv show or something." Mozzie seemed to think it over for a moment before he made his mind and led Eliot into Neal's closet. They came back a little while later and sat on the couch resuming their previous conversation like nothing had happened. Once the painting was done, Mozzie took a picture and left to talk to his contacts. Neal put the painting in the oven to age it and sat at the table to rest for a minute. "How does it feel working with the FBI, helping them catch some of us?" Eliot rose up the couch and stood halfway between there and Neal. "It felt strange at first, I must admit. I did it as a necessity, it was my only way out of prison, but I like it now. I enjoy the feeling helping people gives me, and sometimes we go after truly bad people. I may do forgeries and steal stuff, but I never physically hurt anyone, even less killed. I have principles." "I see." Those words hurt Eliot, more than he would've expected. He knew his past was bad, he was doing his best to do as much good now as he'd done bad in his life, and he accepted what he did, who he was. However, hearing this from Neal struck a chord in him somehow. Neal saw Eliot brooding and felt bad. "I'm sorry," he said. It seemed he was just as good at detecting emotions and what was going on in other people's mind as Sophie was, "I didn't mean to say you were so terrible, or that you don't have principles. I know you're not that man anymore, all of that is in the past, I'm aware of it. What I said, it didn't include you. You're one of the good guys now." For some reason, Eliot hated to see Neal like this, worried he might've really hurt his feelings and everything. "It's okay, Caffrey. I know what I've done is awful. Not even my team knows everything. I can't tell them, they wouldn't look at me the same way." "You can tell me if you need to talk to someone about it." "No. I really can't, and I'm fine." Neal smiled, reassured. Eliot couldn't tell why, but seeing him smile put him in a better mood. It was a contagious smile and soon, Eliot also had one on his face. It made Neal feel better too. "Special Agent Peter Burke, we need to have a talk." A man entered the FBI office one day and headed straight for Peter. He seemed confident, but there was also this annoying quality about him. And he looked strangely familiar. Neal joined Peter in his office, curious to know what this was about. Parker was already sitting there and didn't move, though she seemed quite unhappy with that turn of events. "Parker, I'd be surprised they let you inside the building, but everyone knows there's no money to be made in the FBI." Already, Neal didn't like that guy. The way he just threw a sting at Peter while addressing Parker didn't sit with him at all. He was about to say something when she answered. "Sterling, how unfortunate Eliot's not here to give you a proper welcome. I like watching him beat you up, it relaxes me." She smiled. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Peter asked. "James Sterling, Interpol. It appears to me you are working with some criminals I've encountered several times before. They're wanted in several countries." "Nothing you haven't done before, though worked with is a stretch, you used us might be closer to the truth. At least that guy was nice enough to ask for our help." "They agreed to come on as consultants to help my C.I. and I with a particularly difficult case, but if you want to charge them with anything and arrest them, I won't stand in your way." "Oh no, Agent Burke, I simply wanted to come here as a courtesy to warn you about them. Surely working with the likes of Neal Caffrey, who I chased and almost caught myself once or twice, you are aware that con artists never stop being criminals. You can never really trust them." "Yes, Agent Sterling, I know that full well. I have also learned that when you can find an arrangement that benefits both us and them, they can be a great resource. After all, who knows con artists better than themselves? Neal has been a great asset in helping to bring in more like him to justice." "Well, as long as you are careful. I will leave you to it, but just so you know," Sterling turned to look Parker in the eyes, "I won't be far." Sterling left and Peter turned to Neal. "He chased you before?" "He's Evil Nate. They both chased us all at some point, back when they were insurance investigators. He just hasn't turned up in your life again." Parker explained. "Like Sara Ellis. She probably went after some of you too." Neal said. "She did. Eliot actually dated her for a while. She got close to him to get intel on an item he retrieved. She got it back too." Peter laughed and Neal threw him a look. He felt awkward about it, knowing Eliot had also dated his ex-girlfriend. Especially since he had been feeling a connection with him, and it always took everything in him not to run his hand into that nice long hair. "Changing the subject," Neal said as he turned to Parker, "what was that about? Why did Sterling come here? Couldn't just be to warn Peter." "He probably heard we moved out of Boston, he might be trying to make sure he doesn't lose us. He almost caught us once, back in LA. Hardison may have had to blow up our offices to get rid of the evidence. I think Sterling's still upset about that one, it was close." "You'll disappear after this though, right?" "Of course, he won't find us again. Neal, you should go now, you and Sophie are up soon." "Peter, got everything you needed?" "Yes. You two got that additional file I'm not supposed to see?" "We made a copy. It was too easy." Parker handed him the sheet of paper. "Maybe try not to look so happy about it," Peter said as he put it in a file with other papers. Neal left to rendezvous with Sophie, leaving Parker awkwardly sitting across from Peter on the 21st floor of the FBI building. He still wanted to check on a few things and talk with Jones and Diana. Parker waited for him because they'd taken his car there and it would make no sense for her to go back now. She was in no danger there, after all, what were the chances that she run into the only two FBI agents who knew her, again. Apparently, the chances were pretty good, because here was Special Agent McSweeten getting off the elevator. What could he possibly be doing here? Last time she ran into him, he was still working in Boston. He saw her as soon as he entered the White Collar offices and waved at her. She walked down to meet him "Special Agent Hagen, how nice to see you again. What are you doing here?" "Turns out some of the information I gathered while undercover can help Agent Burke's team with a case so I came here to share it with him. I had no idea you were in New York too." "Yeah, Taggert and I are on a case. We got intel that a suspect we were pursuing is here now, so I made the trip to try and catch him. I'm checking in with the local White Collar division for reinforcements." "Hi, I'm Agent Burke. I overheard you talking, you're working White Collar too? From which office?" "Boston. I used to work Organized Crime in LA, but Taggert and I got some lucky breaks and managed to move up a little." From the look Parker gave him, Peter was sure those lucky breaks had to do with the Leverage team, and those suspicions didn't take long to confirm. "Talking of which, Hagen, do you remember that boiler room case we closed a few months ago?" McSweeten seemed nervous. "Of course, I do. Your haiku was very nice. Did that agent you were working with ever tell you I said hi?" "He did. I was disappointed he was the one to see you, but it was nice to run into Agent Thomas again, I hadn't seen him in a while." "Undercover work is like that sometimes, you can easily lose track of people." "I know, I keep trying to find you and I can't. Luckily, we seem to accidentally end up in the same places a lot." "Yeah, that is lucky." Parker didn't sound like she thought so. "But wait, if you're in the office, why are you dressed so casually?" "I'm actually off duty today. I really just came to share my intel with Burke." "Well, if you're off duty, does that mean you're free for lunch?" "Unfortunately no. Burke's wife extended an invitation to lunch, as a thank you for helping her husband with his case. Maybe some other time?" "Why not now?" Peter said to Parker's dismay. "I'm sure Elle wouldn't mind having one more person over. I'll text her to tell her we're on our way." "I would love that." McSweeten accepted. Parker shot Peter an angry look and he smiled, proudly. On my way for lunch. You invited me and "Agent Hagen". I'm bringing Agent McSweeten along. Elle replied immediately that she got it and would play along to the story. It turned out to be a pleasant lunch, however a little awkward. Elle noticed McSweeten's unrequited crush on Parker's FBI persona as soon as they walked through the door. It saddened her to know he had fallen for someone that wasn't even real. Sure, Hagen was basically Parker, but there was a big difference between an FBI agent and a world-class thief. Lunch was cut short when Parker received a text from Hardison. "It's Har... Alan. He needs me to meet him right away." "I thought you were off duty today? Can't Agent Thomas wait?" McSweeten sounded disappointed. "He found a lead that can't wait. And it also pertains to your case, Agent Burke, so you might want to come with." Peter apologized to Elle and McSweeten, and left with Parker. At first, he thought all this had only been an excuse she used to get away, but she showed him the message she received from Hardison, it only asked where they were and to get back to the apartment as soon as they could. Nothing was the way they expected when they finally made it back to the apartment. Sophie and Neal had gotten off the comms several minutes earlier, right before Hardison sent that text to Parker. Eliot had gone in looking for them, but hadn't found out what happened yet. They should've been back by now and no one knew what went wrong. All they could do was keep communicating with Hardison for news that weren't coming. They all knew Sophie and Neal were some of the best grifters out there and could get themselves out of most situations, but everyone still worried. Nate was a mess. And how could he not be? He had just lost his father and now his girlfriend might be in trouble. They knew she was still inside that building, but they had no idea where Neal might be. Hardison said he'd heard a noise and then the comm went completely dead, like maybe it got crushed, and Peter had him off anklet for the purpose of the con. They were all just desperately waiting for Eliot to assess the situation.
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Sophie finally made it out and joined Hardison in the van after a few minutes. She explained how she and Neal got separated. Her cover was intact, she managed to turn things around, but she had no idea what happened to Neal, and they would most certainly need to put someone else into play later to corroborate the story she told in order to save herself. They were all hoping no matter what Neal was doing, he would come up with something that wouldn't contradict what Sophie told the mark, because that would ruin the whole con. Of course, they had to find him first. Eliot was still searching the building. He had found Neal's comm crushed on the floor right before Sophie came out. They hadn't gotten any news from him since, he didn't bother replying to their calls on comms. Peter wanted to send a team of agents in, but Nate insisted it would compromise the whole operation. Eliot was a retrieval specialist, they could trust him to get Neal back. Mozzie was pacing like crazy, Parker and Brian stayed near him, trying and failing to calm him down. Ike and Rebecca sat with Peter, reassuring him the best they could as he edged closer to losing it. Nate was pouring himself a glass of wine, with a murmured complaint about the lack of scotch in that apartment. Parker shot him a look and turned back to Mozzie. Several minutes of anguish later, Nate was proved right. Eliot walked out of the building, carrying Neal on his shoulder. Sophie was in the driver's seat before they even made it to Lucille. They were back at the apartment only a few moments after, to everyone's relief. Neal was barely conscious, his hair was falling in his face, partially covering some of his bruises. It looked bad, but he wasn't hurt so severely that he would need a hospital. Everyone was over him in seconds. Sophie, Peter and Mozzie had been the most worried and needed to be close to him, to see that he was going to be alright. Nate didn't leave Sophie's side. It got crowded fast around the couch Neal had been deposited on and Eliot had to intervene. "Everyone out," he said in one of his most serious tones. "He needs space and none of you are helping. I'll clean up his wounds and take care of him, he'll be fine. Just go." There were some protests. Peter wanted to take Neal to the hospital, Mozzie insisted he needed to stay, Brian said he had a ton of medical knowledge thanks to NZT, Sophie thought Neal would like a friend to be there with him, Mozzie repeated he was Neal's best friend and couldn't leave him. Fortunately, Eliot could be pretty scary and most were gone without having to touch them. Ike led Brian outside, Nate took care of Sophie, Peter saw reason, everyone else went without protest. Mozzie was the only one Eliot actually had to physically push out the door. Peter went back home to share the news with Elle, and Mozzie followed him there. Nate and Sophie decided to talk strategy back at their hotel. Rebecca checked in at the CJC. Hardison and Parker found themselves without a place to go, because they had been staying at Neal's, so they accompanied Brian home and invited Ike to come with. They spent the remainder of the afternoon spread out on Brian's couch, watching tv. Brian fell asleep shortly after dinner, it was apparently normal for him to have a bit of a crash after the NZT wore off, and seeing how energetic he was while on it, it wasn't surprising. As they watched Ike carry him to bed and tuck him in, Parker turned to Hardison. "You know what? I want pretzels now." Her face was serious, but she seemed nervous. "For real? Are you sure?" "I am." Hardison smiled, and so did she. He put his arms around her to pull her closer and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Ike, you like Brian, don't you?" He asked when Ike came back. "How do you know that?" He sat on a nearby chair, looking puzzled. "Sophie was right," Parker said. "Sophie said I'm in love with Brian?" "She said you two were in love with each other." "Brian isn't into me." "Neal and Sophie had pretty convincing arguments to the opposite," Hardison assured him. "Really? Both of them?" Ike stared at Brian, sleeping soundly in his bed. "But even if it's true, he hasn't done anything to show it, what am I supposed to do about it? He's probably not ready to act on whatever feelings he might or might not have." "Then wait. Show him you're there, that you care about him, let things happen on their own time. Or, you know, tell him what you feel, maybe he's just as scared as you are." Ike nodded, thoughtful. What Hardison said made sense. He thanked them both and wished them a good evening. It was time for him to go home, maybe think some more about all of this. One thing was sure, he would be paying a lot more attention to Brian from now on and to whatever signs Sophie and Neal might have detected that he had feelings for him as well. Neal winced in pain as soon as Eliot started cleaning his wounds. He regained consciousness quite quickly, thanks to the burning sensation of the alcohol making contact with his open skin. He looked around and noticed everyone had gone. He was alone with Eliot. Neal was still lying down on the couch and Eliot was sitting next to him, in the little space there was left on the edge. Eliot grabbed his head with one hand to stop it from moving so he could keep disinfecting it. He seemed pretty irritated, maybe because Neal wasn't staying still. "Aren't you usually the one who does the beating up? I didn't peg you for the guy who tends to the injuries, more the one who causes them." "Will you stop moving?" Neal gave him a look and Eliot sighed. "To get as good as me, you get beat up a lot. I had to learn to take care of my bruises along the way, comes with the line of work." Eliot kept working with no more interruptions. For several minutes, the only thing breaking the silence were the occasional cries of pain coming from Neal's lips. Every time it happened, Eliot was tempted to look at those lips, but when he did, it took all he had to stop himself from kissing them. Oh, how he wished he could kiss all these bruises away. Neal looked so handsome and sexy with his hair all messed up like that, Eliot kept thinking of better, more pleasurable ways they could replicate it later. Eliot's touch was so soft, so gentle, it was hard to believe he earned a living from beating people up. Though Neal could occasionally feel the calluses on his hands, when he touched his face to stop him from moving or to turn it in a different direction so he could reach another bruise. As he said when Neal asked, fighting people wasn't all he did, he also played parts in their cons, like a grifter, sometimes, but that wasn't the main purpose he ended up on the Leverage team for. The more Neal learned about Eliot, the more he found a man different from what you'd expect at first glance. Eliot's job was to protect the rest of the team. He was strong and looked roughed. He could also be pretty scary, but when you got to know him, he turned out to be a great, nice guy you'd enjoy hanging out with. He was smart, and he knew a lot of things. Neal had never had a better time having injuries tended to than he did now. He was in a lot of pain, but Eliot was making it more bearable. "So, what do you think are the chances I get to keep my face intact? Because I kind of like it like that, you know, without scars." "Some of these bruises will take a while to heal, but you shouldn't get any scars. Your face will still be just as handsome as it was before. Though, I've got to admit, you look hot like this." Eliot put away the alcohol, towels and bandages. "I'm done on your face. Can you lift up your shirt so I can see the damage there?" Neal decided to take off his shirt entirely, he thought it'd be simpler than holding it up. He was wrong. As he tried to get out of the shirt, he realized his upper body was in worse shape than he believed. The movements hurt mostly his ribs, but his arms also felt sore as he lifted them. When he saw Eliot's face, it was clear he'd seen this coming and was why he'd asked him to lift up his shirt and not take it off entirely, but he still helped him go through with the stupid idea, it would've had to be done at some point anyway. Eliot felt Neal's abdomen and ribs with his hands to see if anything seemed wrong or broken. It made Neal wince some more. "Looks like you have one or two bruised ribs." Eliot stood up and walked to the freezer, he looked around it a bit and came back with a bag of frozen peas that he wrapped in Neal's shirt and set down on his ribs. "You'll need to rest for a few days." Neal started to stir up, as if to sit up, but Eliot pushed him back down. "Don't move." "But what about the con? I need to help Peter with the case." "You need to help your body heal. You can help Peter with your words while staying still and getting some rest. You're burned anyway, you can't let the mark see you again." "That con requires four people. Peter, Sophie and Nate can't pull it off on their own." "Don't worry about it. We'll send someone else in. You think our team only does cons that requires no more than Nate and Sophie to play roles?" "No. With the kind of jobs you've pulled, that never would've worked without all of you doing some grifting." "Exactly. We'll figure out tomorrow exactly what role to make Hardison play." "Hardison? Why not you? You said earlier you've done this before, and that you're good at it." "We can't be sure no one saw me when I went in that building to get you. What if one of the men that were there recognizes me?" "I hope Hardison's good." "He is. I told you, don't worry, everything will work out. Nate always has alternate plans all figured out." "You think he already has a plan B?" "He already has a plan M." Eliot sat back down next to Neal, who liked feeling him close like this. His warmth was comforting and his presence made him feel safe. Nothing bad could happen to you when Eliot Spencer was right here by your side. Good things, however, were entirely possible. Like, for example, a few minutes later, when Neal's ribs had been sufficiently iced and Eliot removed the peas, then took him in his arms, carried him to the bed and proceeded to tuck him in. The next morning, Neal woke up to the wonderful smell of freshly baked croissants. He sat up, not without a small moan of pain. Eliot heard him, stopped whatever he was doing in the kitchen and was next to him in seconds, before he even had time to put his feet on the ground. "What do you think you're doing? You're supposed to be resting." "I want to see what you're doing. And I can't just lie in bed all day." "I told everyone to come here later to let you sleep more. I'm making brunch. It'll help everyone feel better after all the stress from yesterday." "Great idea. I'll help." "No, you won't. You will stay right where you are and rest." "I'm a great cook and you can't do everything on your own." "I'm a better cook. And I would have no problem using force to make you stay in bed." "I know, but you won't because you know I'm right. You need some help, from someone who might be a better cook than you." "I doubt it. But fine. If it'll shut you up, you can help. You're not standing though. I will help you to a chair and you will not move from it, understand?" Neal rolled his eyes and nodded. He thought Eliot might be exaggerating a little with all the resting, but he wasn't about to say no to having his arm around him, supporting him as he walked to the table. Somehow, however, unlike with everyone else he was ever attracted to, he didn't want to have sex with Eliot right away. He was hoping to share a bed with him, but he felt something different than usual, different than with anyone else before, even Kate, the love of his life up until now. He wanted to take it slow, to let things happen the way they were meant to, without forcing anything. He only needed to figure out if Eliot felt something too. Neal knew he was bisexual too. He heard Parker tell Mozzie, along with a funny story of how Eliot came on to Hardison a while back. While Neal sat at the table, cutting various ingredients and working on presentation, Eliot was at the stove, cooking pancakes and bacon, among other things. It turned out they were both great in a kitchen. They could easily pass for chefs, and the meal they were preparing was worthy of the best restaurants. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the delicious brunch waiting for them when they arrived at the apartment that morning. They were also happy to see that Neal was fine, though Eliot had to keep reminding him not to do anything, he had become a tad overprotective. Everyone sat down to eat and they started discussing adjustments to the plan. They all agreed they needed to send someone else in. Nate and Brian had thought of every possible solution to their situation and agreed the only way to go was to modify the con to introduce someone else. They couldn't do it any other way. Neal had been discovered and the mark knew he wasn't who he said he was. They would send in someone else as the real deal, who would pretend they had been trying to catch an imposter stealing their opportunities all over the place and thank the mark for taking care of it for them. It would be easy to tie this in with the story Sophie told them too. The Leverage crew already had a good idea which person here could play the part, but not everyone was convinced. "You want to send in your hacker? That's a terrible plan. He's not a grifter, he can't do this. We need someone who knows what they're doing, who's done this before." Peter objected. "Hardison isn't just a hacker. He does that kind of thing all the time. He's great at it too." Nate said. "I can do everyone else's jobs. I can hack, I can steal," Eliot laughed, "I can grift, I can forge stuff. These guys couldn't do what we do without me." Hardison bragged. "I know I'm not one to do so myself, but you should trust them, Suit. They know what they're doing. They're the best out there." Mozzie said. "Yeah, I know you. That's exactly why I thought you could do it." Peter said. "Oh no, that isn't a part for me at all. But I can take Hardison's place in the van though. I can probably figure out my way around his system. I'm nowhere near his level as a hacker, but it'll do." "I'll help you," Parker said, "I spend so much time with Hardison, he's taught me a lot." From everything Sophie had told him about Hardison and Parker, Neal knew they would both get along well with Mozzie, but actually meeting them and seeing the whole interaction was more satisfying than he would've believed. It felt like they were always meant to work with the Leverage crew at some point, doing so while helping Peter and the FBI catch a really bad criminal was an added bonus. They discussed final adjustments to the plan and details about Hardison's character until there was no more food left on the table. Thanks to the little machinations they had done in Peter, Rebecca and Ike's backs, they had acquired access to a private and very exclusive event that would be perfect for them to put the last phase of the operation into execution. Nate and Peter had done their part in setting the trap, tempting the mark and preparing him for Neal and Sophie. Now, it would be up to Sophie to conclude, with the help of Hardison. Some of the others would also infiltrate the event, either as back up for the con or to arrest their criminal and his friends when it would be time. One more day and they would finish what they all started together. They were ready.
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"Why did it stop?" "I don't know, it'll probably start again any second." Brian and Ike were in an elevator. It was the night. The event where they would complete their operation and arrest the mark was underway. The whole team was present at the hotel where it was hosted. Most of them were down in the ballroom, Parker and Mozzie were upstairs in the mark's hotel room, Hardison had played his part earlier and was now in the van with Neal. Brian and Ike were in the elevator and it wasn't moving. "I thought Hardison had control over the elevators," Ike said. "Hardison, the elevator stopped," Brian said. They were wearing comms like everybody else to communicate. "Hardison, do you hear me? We're stuck. Hardison?" There was no answer. It was weird because Hardison specifically said they would all be able to hear each other no matter where they were in the hotel, or even outside. As long as they didn't go underwater, it would work. The only explanation they could think of was that Hardison took his off for some reason, or something went very wrong out there. "Hardison, Mozzie and I found passports, IDs for a dozen identities and cash in his hotel room. I'm sending you all the info." They heard Parker say through the comms. "Make sure he doesn't have an escape," Mozzie added. "Guys, Parker, Mozzie, it's Brian, we're stuck in the elevator." "Hardison, can you get us an elevator down?" Parker asked. "Coming right up, babe," Hardison said. "Hardison, someone, answer us." Brian was getting a little freaked out. "Seems like we can hear them, but they can't hear us. Maybe there's an issue with our comms? Or maybe the elevator is causing interference?" Ike suggested. "I don't think so. The FBI made me read a whole manual about these kinds of communication devices a while back. There is no possible issue where we can hear them perfectly, but they can't hear us. There would at least be feedback on one end or the other. We don't hear any, they didn't say anything about getting feedback, so there isn't. And you heard Hardison, nothing went wrong out there, he still has control over the elevators. They're playing a trick on us. They're keeping us in here and ignoring us on purpose. I just can't figure out why yet." "Are you sure?" "Trust the NZT, I'm sure." "Why would they do that?" "I can't think of any reason yet." Brian sat on the floor, propped his knees up and laid his arms over them. Ike tried a few buttons, called to Hardison again, made his best to convince them to let them out and finally gave up, sitting next to Brian, with his legs stretched out in front of him. They stayed silent, listening to what the others were saying. They couldn't do anything to help, but they could at least follow how the con was going. "How do you constantly work with these comms? You hear everything. There are so many conversations happening in my ear right now, I'm getting a headache trying to focus." Peter complained. "You learn to block out all the nonsense," Nate answered. Ike stared at Brian for a few moments before he found the courage to talk. "So, I noticed you've been flirting with pretty much everyone." "I'm having fun. Most of them think of me as an immature guy that can be useful because of a pill I take. Apart from you and Rebecca, I think only Hardison actually sees me as a person. Maybe because he's a genius, he understands more what it's like. He's around Nate all the time and that guy certainly doesn't take me seriously, only finds me interesting because of the NZT. I'm sure he respects Hardison, he knows what he can do, but me, I'm nothing without this little pill." "That's not true." "It is. Before all of this, I was nobody, I was going nowhere. NZT is the only thing giving purpose to my life. I love it, I'm grateful for it, but it also complicated my life a lot. You must hate it." "Why would I hate it?" "NZT got you shot. My pills got you shot, you probably hate me too. You worked hard to get where you're at and I show up, you have to take care of me and then you get shot getting the pills that make me useful." "I like taking care of you, just spending time with you." "Good thing you do, because it looks like we could be stuck here a while," Brian laughed. They sat for a moment without saying anything, simply listening in on the others. Ike kept looking toward Brian, not sure what to do. "Hey, Ike, can I ask you a personal question?" "Sure." "So, I was talking with Sophie and Neal earlier about relationships and how everyone in the group was doing on that front. So, anyway, I started thinking how I have no idea about you. Peter is married. Neal is single, but was a little awkward about it, I think Sophie noticed it too. Hardison and Parker apparently just got together. Nate and Sophie have been in a relationship for a while. Mozzie and Eliot are single too. I think Rebecca might be seeing someone in secret. Then there's you. I don't know anything about you on that front. I was just wondering, do you have anyone?" "I don't. Do you?" "Not right now, I don't have a shot with the person I like." "Oh." "Would you want to be with someone?" "Maybe." "That's vague. Alright, what are you looking for?" Ike drew a blank at this question. What was he supposed to say? 'You, Brian, I want you, but, clearly, you don't feel the same about me, so good luck with whoever it is you're actually interested in.' No, he couldn't say that. However, sitting there silently, staring into Brian's eyes wasn't exactly better. "Ike," Brian held his gaze, "tell me. I know there's something you want to say, you're showing all the signs." "Right now, I really hate that you're on NZT." Ike stood up and put his back to Brian. He pushed a few buttons absent-mindedly, perfectly aware nothing he did would actually get the elevator to move unless Hardison let it. "Whatever it is, I'm sorry." When Ike didn't respond, Brian reached forward and grabbed his hand to pull him back toward him. "I like you, Ike. Actually, I'm in love with you. I know you don't feel the same, and I don't expect anything from you. But you can tell me anything, I'll do whatever I can to help." "You're such an idiot. I can't believe they keep saying you're the smartest man on Earth while on this pill. How could you possibly think your feelings are unrequited? How exactly do you know I don't feel the same?" "There's no way you can possibly like someone who constantly annoys you like me." Ike shook his head. "Unfortunately, that's not how it works. If I'd had a choice I wouldn't have fallen for a man who enjoys craft so much, constantly makes me go on ridiculous errands and won't even call me by my actual name, but here we are." "Well, I am irresistibly adorable." "Shut up, Finch." Brian pulled on his arm until Ike was low enough to kiss. Ike put his hands around Brian's neck just as the elevator came back to life. They kissed all the way down, only stopping when the doors opened to let them into the hotel's lobby. "I can't believe Sophie's plan actually worked. That was so stupid. Stopping the elevator they were in, why didn't they just get out of it?" "Normal people don't climb up elevator cables or jump down elevator shafts, Parker!" Eliot looked annoyed when he came out of the staircase to the basement. "Ike, you better join the others in the ballroom, be sure you're ready to help with the arrest." Ike nodded and left. "So, how did you guys know this would happen?" Brian asked. "Neal and Sophie are really good with people, they saw all kinds of things that hinted at you two liking each other. Then Hardison, Parker and Ike talked the night they stayed at your place and confirmed at least he liked you. Hardison told Sophie about it and she came up with the plan." "You had to know I'd figure it out, I'm on NZT." "I had nothing to do with it. But, yes, Nate told them. Didn't matter though, it worked anyway, didn't it?" "And you heard everything we told each other in there?" "I didn't, because I was a little busy, but, you know, that's the thing with those earbuds, everyone hears everything. You should've removed them. Guess, you're not used to it." "Well, we heard everything too. Maybe you missed it while you were beating people up, but Sophie and Neal had a conversation over comms about Hardison finding you two cuddled in bed this morning." "Let me repeat, I have recently been beaten up, I'm still in a lot of pain," Neal said. "Eliot's been helping me a lot. It felt ridiculous to me that he'd sleep on the couch, especially with the physical demands of his job. So we shared the bed. I shared with Hardison and Parker in turn too." "I was keeping him safe and sleeping comfortably in a bed that has plenty of space for both of us. There was no reason for either of us to sleep on the couch." "But you cuddled? I didn't peg you for the cuddling guy. You don't exactly stick around that long after sex," Brian said, granting himself an angry look from Eliot. "You two had sex?" Ike and Neal said. "Yes, when he first got here and stayed at my place," Brian explained. "But I had sex with Eliot too," Ike said. "So did I," Mozzie said. "And I. Sounds like he had sex with everyone," Rebecca whispered, she couldn't talk very loud from where she was, surrounded by people. "Everyone single." "Except me." Neal sounded a little hurt. Sophie was saying she wasn't surprised as Brian watched Eliot walk out of the hotel. For a moment, he thought they'd upset him and he left. "Eliot pulled me out of my van. My van. Where I work. I was in the middle of something. We're running a con here." Hardison complained a minute later. "We're almost done, we'll do without you," Nate said in a low voice before going back to his conversation with Sophie and the mark. "I took my laptop, I can work from out here. Was rude is all. And I can hear them talking in there, they took their earbuds off. What if we need Eliot, huh? Think about that?" "Then you'll knock on the door." Peter was used to feeling like he was in charge of a highly intelligent child because of Neal, but being around Hardison, Parker and Eliot made him feel like he had it easy. It could be exhausting spending all this time with people who clearly had no idea what normal life was like. "Oh, I'm sure Eliot would be happy to interrupt whatever they're doing in there to let me in," Hardison said sarcastically. "More likely he'd ignore me." "No, he wouldn't. He'd give you a hard time when he opens the door, but Eliot wouldn't jeopardize the con." Parker said. "Will you stop? We're working here, and it would be a lot easier to concentrate without you two bickering in our ears." Rebecca was starting to look forward to the end of this case. Sometimes she wished Naz would've sent Brian and Ike on their own. Working with Brian, a guy who could be immature and loved craft too much for her taste was sometimes exhausting, but it was nothing compared to this. She had no idea how Peter could do it. No matter what Brian did, he still lived in the same reality she did. He still followed the law, except for the bong. But these people seemed to be elsewhere. They were more than mildly exasperating, they were frustrating. It felt like they lived in a completely different world, with completely different rules. Several of them had never held a real job or graduated high school and, yet, they never worried about money either. Part of her was grateful for this experience though, it made her understand more what it was like to work around criminals all the time. She felt like she could relate more to her girlfriend's work, constantly undercover in that world. She got it better now and maybe it would bring them closer. Rebecca was relieved when they finally made the arrest. They had caught him for one crime and didn't get anything on his affiliates, but he would still have a few years to do in prison, all and all a success. To Rebecca's surprise, however, they found a lot more in his hotel room when they searched it. There was a forgery of a long lost painting with fake authentication papers which he had apparently let carelessly there before he could claim he discovered it and put it into auction. They knew he had pulled that off several times in the past, but they had never been able to find any proof. Suddenly, everything including a list of auction houses and information on his contacts were there for the taking. Rebecca thought it was strange, then she turned to ask Peter about it and he didn't look surprised. It was like he almost expected it. That was when she put it all together. Parker and Mozzie. They were in the room earlier to gather information and find out if he might be armed. They were the ones to put it all there. She didn't exactly know how they got his fingerprints on the frame of the painting, but she knew they put that little plan in place that one day only Nate and Sophie were ever around to work with them. All the other criminals were busy elsewhere. That had to be when they prepared all this. Eliot must've gone back to that warehouse and grabbed those documents for them to find. "I think we need to talk," Eliot said after he closed the van's door behind Hardison. He could hear Hardison still bitching through the door of his van, and through the comms. Maybe that explained why Neal was so silent, he could hear everything too. And everyone else would be able to hear their entire conversation. He took out his earbud and gestured for Neal to do the same. "I'm sorry, Neal. I didn't think you'd be upset about me having sex with everybody. I heard you have a reputation too." "I don't care who you slept with. I just thought I would've been included in the list." "Yeah... I..." "I thought we were getting close." "We were, that's the point. I didn't want to ruin it by having random meaningless sex with you." "People stay friends after having sex all the time. I'm still great friends with Mozzie and Sophie." "I know. I was never worried about our friendship." Eliot looked down. "But it was dumb. You could never fall for a guy like me. You're too good for that." "I'm not though. No one is too good for you, Eliot. You're a great man. You care for others deeply, and you'd do anything to protect your people. You always know what needs to be done and you're brave enough to do it. You have a past, like everyone else, but you work hard to be better. You only use violence when it's necessary, not for the pleasure of it. You deserve love, and it would make me so happy to give it to you." Eliot stared at Neal silently for a moment, processing what he said and trying to decide what to do next. It took too long. Neal inched closer and tentatively passed his hand through Eliot's long and soft hair. When Eliot kept staring at him, eyes occasionally lowering to look at Neal's lips, Neal put his hands on the nape of Eliot's neck and kissed him. Kissing Neal felt like nothing Eliot had experienced before. He had kissed many other people in the past, everyone knew he liked to have sex to help with painful injuries as well as many other things. But kissing had never felt so natural and familiar. Like coming home. He felt more comfortable than ever with Neal holding him. He suddenly couldn't remember why he didn't do this sooner, why he waited until the other guy had to make the first move. He had never been scared to take the lead before, had never frozen in the face of a handsome man's interest in him. It felt good though. To surrender, to put his guard down and let someone else take control. A huge smile took him over and almost broke their kiss. Eliot pulled Neal closer. They kept kissing until there was a knock on the door. The sound reverberated through the entire back of the van, as you'd expect. The harsh sound of a fist on the metal door reminded them they were supposed to be in the middle of a job. It felt as though they were suddenly brought back to reality. They took in their surroundings as if they had forgotten where they were and smiled at each other as Parker's voice came through the door. "I don't know what you're doing in there, but we're done. Peter and Rebecca did the arrest, we're leaving." "They better not be having sex in my van," Hardison said and they heard him walk away toward the front. Neal slid off Eliot's lap and went back to his own chair. Eliot opened the door of the van and smiled at Parker. "I'm usually the one getting annoyed and frustrated with Hardison. I guess now he knows how it feels." "Are they playing chess?" "Yes." It was the next day and everyone was back at Neal's place. They had decided to hang out together one last time before they all went their separate ways. Without the con to worry about, everyone was more relaxed. Except for Nate, who was never quite able to let go of stress, and was currently deep into a game of chess. "And Brian is on NZT?" "How did you know?" "He's doing too well." "I am trying to concentrate here," Nate complained. The whole group, except Eliot, had gathered around the kitchen table to watch whether the best chess player among them could beat Brian on NZT. "Wow, Brian must be good." Sophie turned to Neal and Rebecca. "Not so long ago, he played against a young chess prodigy while we were running a con. He had Parker and Hardison talking and humming a song in his ear the whole time and he still managed to concentrate and buy us enough time." "I have to admit, I admire all of your ability to focus on a con while hearing everything the others on your team are doing. I kept getting distracted by the nonsense." Peter said. "I told you, you learn to filter the relevant stuff out of the nonsense," Nate said. "It's not easy to do. Whenever I was on NZT, I had no trouble, of course, it was automatic. But the few times I had one of those earbuds on after the pill stopped having an effect, it was really confusing. I tried to focus on one conversation at a time, but some voices pull you in more than others. If Ike said anything, that was it, it was all I was listening to." Ike was standing right next to them and he blushed slightly at those words, prompting Brian to take his hand. "I see that's where your ability to prepare ahead and always have alternate plans comes from, Nate. You run cons like you play chess." Rebecca observed. "Exactly. You understand how I think. It might be why I have a shot against Brian right now. Because he really needs the NZT for this, it's not how he naturally thinks." "Also, it's only the second time I play this since I started taking NZT, and you are a lot better than the guys playing in the park." "You know, I was very curious to meet you. You're not at all what I expected, but working alongside you was interesting. I liked it. And check." Nate said. "It's a shame Eliot didn't get to do more though. He is a great grifter. The best in our team besides me and we didn't have an opportunity to use him. Maybe some other time, if you need our help again." Sophie said. Nate looked a little offended. Clearly, he was under the impression he was better at the grift than Sophie thought. Neal froze and turned to stare at Eliot, who was sitting on the couch. "Are you serious? The way he told me about it made it sound like he was good enough to help when needed, certainly not the second best of the crew." "I didn't want you to think I was out of your league," Eliot smirked. Nate and Brian kept playing through the evening. The group got more scattered as hours came and went. Neal and Eliot took place on the terrace. Mozzie, Rebecca and Peter went home. Parker fell asleep leaning over Hardison's shoulders. Sophie and Ike were deep in conversation on the couch. It was almost midnight when Brian's NZT ran out and Nate finally beat him. It had been close though, a few more minutes and Brian would've won. Ike was glad it was over, not that he didn't enjoy talking with Sophie, but he had been eager to leave with Brian. "It was a pleasure working with you two," Neal said. He had come back to exchange goodbyes. "I hope we can spend time together again, we live in the same city after all. And Brian," he added in a lower voice," find Mozzie and me when you're free from the FBI, I think we could have some fun." "I heard that." Ike pretended to be offended. Brian, Hardison and Parker kept talking until Ike took his boyfriend's hand and pulled him through the door. Nate and Sophie followed, they were catching an early flight to Europe the next morning. Hardison and Parker stayed for a few more days before leaving for a trip around the world. Eliot didn't leave. It was temporary at first, but months passed and he still lived with Neal. He went away every once in a while, doing the sorts of things he wouldn't mention to Peter, but always came back. It was nearly a year later when Hardison called. It seemed after all this time spent under the radar, Leverage was going back to business. "They're my family. I'd gladly stay here with you, maybe open my own restaurant, but as long as they keep doing what we do, I need to keep protecting them." "I understand. I wish I could go with you, I love the work you all do." "The FBI won't own you forever." Eliot smiled. "I can't wait to be free." "Until then, I promise I'll keep in touch. And visit regularly." "You better." "I love you." "Love you too." They kissed and Eliot left for Portland.
About a year later
When Peter entered his office that morning, it wasn't empty. Someone was standing there, looking out of the window. He had this second of hope that it could've been Neal, but of course it looked nothing like his silhouette. "Hello, Agent Burke." The man said as he turned around. It was James Sterling, that Interpol agent he had met almost two years ago, back when he and Neal worked that case with the CJC and the Leverage team. "Agent Sterling, to what do I owe the pleasure?" "I heard of your C.I's recent demise and I thought I'd pay you a visit." "Why would you? We're not friends." "Do you know what the Black Book is, Agent Burke?" "It's a file about the people responsible for the last big financial crisis that the government never pressed charges against. What does that have to do with what happened to Neal?" "Are you aware that Nate Ford and his team stole it from Portland a few days before Neal Caffrey's death? They now possess information every crew out there would love to get their hands on." "What are you implying?" "This heist took them nearly a month to prepare. Neal Caffrey was involved with Eliot Spencer. He had plenty of time to learn about it and make arrangements. Are you sure he really is dead?" Peter took a deep breath. He had gone over this so many times with Mozzie over the past week. He was exhausted. "I am." "Really? Because I happen to know Neal Caffrey has faked his death several times in the past." "I know. I've chased him for years. As much as I wished this was just one more of those, it's real this time. Neal Caffrey is gone. Now, get out of my office." Sterling still seemed doubtful, but he heard the pain under the firmness of Peter Burke's tone and decided to leave. He could come back when enough time would have passed for Burke to grieve, maybe after he proved his theory that Neal Caffrey faked his death and joined Leverage. When Mozzie set foot inside the Bridgeport Brew Pub, it had been a year since his best friend's death. At first, Mozzie had tried to move on with his life, he had lived without Neal just fine before, he could do it again. He spent months in denial, convinced his friend knew he was going to die and therefore couldn't really be, but he finally had to accept the reality of Neal's death. He felt sad and lonely for weeks. Everything in New York reminded him of Neal. He couldn't stay there anymore. He wanted to leave every single day. But the Burkes were all he had left, where would he go? He didn't want to really be alone. Then, he figured it out. Maybe what he needed was people like him. People who led the same kind of life he did, the same kind of life Neal did. He had met these people three years earlier. He had kept in contact with them over the years. A little less since Neal died. He had, however, heard rumours about them. There had been word in the community that the Leverage team had stolen the Black Book and were going after all these rich and powerful people who, with the help of the government, got away with causing a major financial crisis. Mozzie wanted to be a part of that, it would be like dismantling a conspiracy theory. He packed everything. He was ready to leave New York for good and move to Portland. He wasn't sure how well he would get along with Nate, but he knew they could figure it out. After all, no one would have ever thought Parker could work with anybody before she met him. The Pink Panthers, the great group of thief Neal got arrested the day he died, tried to get Parker to join them several times, but she preferred to work alone. It seemed like Leverage was the perfect crew for Mozzie too. A few more weeks passed before Mozzie actually left New York. He had intended to move to Portland as soon as he was ready, but just as he was about to say goodbye, he received an invitation to Ike and Brian's wedding. He and Brian had remained good friends over time. They had always found each other interesting to hang out with. And they both enjoyed their long conversations about conspiracy theories, often enhanced by Brian's NZT. So, Mozzie waited. It was fitting to say goodbye to everyone at the wedding reception. He promised Elle he would visit, exchanged a hug with Brian and left with a few last words to Peter, the only person who understood his grief. It was a slow afternoon in the brewery when Mozzie entered. Parker was sitting at the counter with a plate of food, talking with Eliot who stood on the other side. Mozzie was walking toward them when he heard it and stopped dead in his tracks. A voice he knew so well it still felt familiar years after he last heard it, like no time had passed and they had seen each other the day before. "Moz?" Neal had come from a back room. Hardison was in the middle of explaining something to him when they both noticed Mozzie. "Neal? You're alive?" "You didn't tell Mozzie? I thought you faked your death for the feds? I was sure he knew." Hardison said. "Have you been here all this time? And you didn't tell me?" Mozzie's voice grew progressively louder. "It's one thing if you didn't want me to come with you, even after all we've been through, but you could've at least let me know you weren't really dead." His face was flushed now. "Why do you keep pushing me aside? Doesn't our friendship mean anything to you?" Neal was wordless. He completely understood Mozzie's anger. Truth is, he had no idea why he kept Mozzie in the dark about faking his death for so long. He didn't have a good explanation for it. He had missed Mozzie a lot during the past year. He was glad to be reunited finally. "I don't know what to say, Mozzie. I guess it was just easier to cut all ties to New York and start over completely. Including you would've been a reminder of my life there, I was afraid it would make me want to go back and I can't. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you that much. I should've let you know somehow." Mozzie was angry, but he couldn't resist hugging Neal. He was too happy he got him back. Eliot and Parker joined them and they all moved to the room Neal and Hardison had come from. It was clearly where they planned their cons. Everyone took place around the table. Parker sat on it, Hardison took the chair nearest her, Eliot and Neal went to stand on the other side. "Where are Nate and Sophie? Out working on something?" Mozzie asked. "They left almost a year ago," Eliot said. "They decided to retire from the life and get married. They still do small jobs every once in a while though. It's hard to stop completely. Oh, and they adopted a kid." "Yeah, I think they missed parenting us, they had to get themselves a real child," Hardison said. Mozzie seemed happy to hear that. "If Nate's gone, who's your mastermind?" "Parker," Eliot said as she smiled proudly. "Don't look so surprised, she's great," Neal said. Mozzie never left. He joined their crew as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They didn't have to discuss it, it just happened. After all these years, Neal was finally free. He was in a happy relationship with Eliot and they ran the brewery's restaurant together. It was more than a front for their less legal activities, it was something they enjoyed doing together. Parker and Hardison were doing strong too and Mozzie fit in seamlessly. And there it was. Leverage International. With a different team than the original, a different chemistry, but just as bonded a family as always. Together, they used the Black Book to take down the rich and powerful who abused their position and hurt people. It felt good to use their skills from the criminal world to help people. It felt right.