The Temp Job
Title: The Temp Job (Drvin' Me Crazy It Seems)
Words: --
Fandom: Leverage
Characters/ Pairings: Eliot, Nate, Sophie, Parker, Hardison, Tiffany. Eliot/Tiffany
Warnings: perhaps an OOC Eliot? OFC
A/N: Title and lyrics from Remembering Sunday, All Time Low feat. Juliet Simms of Automatic Loveletter
Eliot read through the black book left on his couch so long ago. Actually, it had only been a week. But it felt like forever. He couldn't believe he'd let it happen again, couldn't believe she was gone.
Couldn't believe he'd been stupid enough to let her.
Parker watched suspiciously as he flipped through the pages, looking. Searching. He just needed an adress. He needed to know if she might still be there. He stopped on a page, and sure enough; there was his life line.
He left the office, the game forgotten as he mounted his bike. He followed the directions on the paper. How could he have forgotten that she lost her way?
He stopped in front of the two story house, admiring it's simplicity.It reminded him of the gingerbread house Parker had made with Tiffany shortly before her leaving.
He stepped into the house- man, her security sucked. If he got her back, he was definately updating it.- and looked around. Pictures fromt heir younger years were pinned up beneath posters from Adam lambert.
He spotted a box in the corner, marked 'Eliot Spencer' and couldn't help but feel intrigued. He grabbed the box, and strode with purpose. For the first time since that day, he had something to do.
~*~*~*~*~*
Tiffany stared out of the plane window, humming to her iPod. She had bought the seat next to her, keeping others away as she started her healing process.
I'm not coming back, I've done something so terrible. I'm terrified to speak but you'd expect that from me. I'm mixed up, I'll be blunt. Now the rain is washing you outta my hair. And outta my mind, keeping an eye on the world. From so many thousands of feet off the ground...
She had lied, to the retrevial specialist... She had told him that she might be back. She had already told Nate, she couldn't do it. He had seemed... Sad, but then again, he always did. She had said goodbye to everyone, though let Hardison and Parker hold her longer than she wanted. Then Nate, she had cuddled into the man she had come to view as a father.
And now, she was here. In a plane halfway to Texas. To join up with the Railroad she'd been with before Nathan Ford had contacted her. She'd be back to helping the abused women, life partners and children. Away from the one that amde her feel as hurt as some of the people she used to help.
~*~*~*~*~
Eliot had been forced to return to Leverage Consulting Inc. The box had a large quantity of DVDs, and he had no tv. He asked Hardison to turn off all the bugs in the debriefing room, and after a few minutes, Nate convinced everyone else they were going out.
Sitting down with a beer, he pushed play on the first DVD. He smiled slightly when a six year old Tiffany chased after the thirteen year old Eliot. He leaned back, watching the home movie her mother had taped so long ago. She was tiny, and still had an obsession with an Eeyore jacket. He was taller by a bit, and already had longish hair.
His brother Lindsey was complaining loudly in the background, about 'big brother stole my friend.'
Though if Eliot brought it up the next time they spoke, he'd deny it. After all, lawyers do not complain about girls.
He went through the DVDs, and every one was like this. Up until the one labeled 'Eliot Spencer, 2009.' He frowned, getting up to put it in. He sat on the table, watching. Tiffany filled the screen, and it was obvious she'd been crying. She forced a smile as she said his name, and let her arms fall to the desk.
"Eliot. If I'm right, you found the directions to my house. And that means you found the box. If not, I suppose it doesn't matter." he leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees. "I'm so sorry," she began, fiddling with the rosary around her neck. He recognized as the one that he'd given her for her birthday last year.
"I lied to you, and I know that I promised when we were little I'd never do that." she laughed slightly. "Lindsey made us sign a contract, remember?" she held up a paper with neat crayon scrawled on it. "I kept it, silly isn't it?" she sighed. "I'm... I already explained to Nate and the others, but I couldn't do it in person." She took her office and house keys out of her pocket, dropping them on the desk.
"I love you, El. For as long as I've been old enough to know the words, I've loved you. Which is why it hurt seeing you with Aimee and Nate's ex wife. Which is why... I'm not coming home. Goodbye, Eliot." she slowly reached up, touching the cross on the black and red rosary. She took a deep breath, removing the necklace. "To prove I won't come back again... I'm leaving this." she set it on the desk and stood up.
"Maybe we'll run into each other, whoknows?" she whispered, touching her lips and blowing a kiss at the webcam before shutting it off.
He sat in silence, before slowly standing up. He made his way to the office marked Tiffany, and stopped at th desk. He picked up the rosary, letting it dangle in front of him.
"Eliot! We're back!" he turned away from the desk, leaving the office and slamming the door. Nate watched him from the hallway, eyes sad.
"She's gone." Eliot said simply, pocketing the necklace. "She said she isn't coming home."
"I know." he nodded, returning to the book. He gathered the DVDs, dropping them into the box.
"I'm gonna find her."
"Are you sure you can?" Sophie asked gently.
"It's what I did. I'm not just a hitter, I retrieved things. I can retrieve her."
"We know you will."
"If you need any help, man." Hardison offered, but Eliot held up a hand.
"I don't need help. I know how her mind works. It'll take longer, but she needs time to think." Nate clapped a hand on the younger man's shoulder, squeezing it.
"Good luck." Parker quipped, hugging him tightly.