OLD VERSION!! Fic: Face Value (1/3), Crossover Leverage/A:tS, PG-13
PLEASE NOTE: This part was written after only seeing a few episodes. Upon re-reading it, I realized that it has some major voicing issues. I have re-edited the whole thing and it's reposted now here. So if you plan to read this now, it may be a good idea to read the new and improved version. :-) My master post is for the whole verse. Thanks!
ele, 28th of June, 2010
********************************************************************************************************************
Remember that I said I'd probably never write something again? Yeah. *snort*
Remember I said the Sleeper has awakened? Evil Muse had a kickstart again.
"Hey, ele, don't you think that Lindsey and Eliot just *have* to meet?"
Oh hello there. *sigh* Did you sleep well? Good. Let's go to work.
And so here it is. Posted in two parts for length. For those who are not familiar with Leverage - go here.
*cue for the usual stage fright* Concrit welcome, also praise, chocolate, tequila, naked... shut up, ele. *g*
ETA: And maybe I should have checked the page myself - I gave poor Alec an x instead of a c. *hangs head* Sorry, Alec...
Thanks to
charlies_dragon for pointing it out!! *hugs*
ETA II: And again thanks to
charlies_dragon I have a banner for this!
Face Value (Part 1/3)
by elebridith
Fandom: A:tS/Leverage crossover.
Characters: Lindsey McDonald, Eliot Spencer, Alec Hardison; cameos by Nathan Ford and Lilah Morgan.
Summary: "With all five thugs lying on the ground, the black-dressed man turned around and the camera caught his face. Lindsey's jaw dropped. "Holy shit!""
Rating: PG-13? Some swearwords.
Disclaimer: Not mine. No one, nothing. Just playing.
Part One and Two beta'd by
luminous_mortal . Thanks, hun!! *huggles*
ETA II: And now it has a third chapter... my muse is weird. *shakes head*
A/N: Part One happens during A:tS' "Dead End" - Lindsey has his new hand already, but has not discovered its "evilness" yet. Team Leverage is set in Chicago and has already worked together for some time. It goes AU after that.
Prologue
Chicago.
"We're gonna need a retrieval."
The man nodded. He took off his glasses and began polishing them. "What is it?"
"Not what. Who."
"Ah. That witness you talked about earlier, right? Where?"
"Los Angeles."
The man put his glasses back on and smiled. "Consider it done."
Nathan Ford smiled back. He just loved self-confidence in his team.
Part One
Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart
"Lindsey, what the hell did you think you were doing?"
Lindsey McDonald looked up, giving Lilah Morgan his best long-cultivated look of polite disinterest. "Lilah. And what have I done this time to get you so… agitated?"
Lilah stared at him, fuming. "Seriously, Lindsey. Did you really think that wearing a wig would be enough to conceal you from us? And I really didn't know that you were hiding a body that good under those suits!"
As soon as the last sentence had slipped out, she bit her tongue and blushed.
I did NOT say that aloud, right?
But Lindsey's amused expression told her otherwise. She drew a deep breath and slammed a CCTV tape on Lindsey's desk. "Where were you yesterday evening? Around eight?"
Lindsey looked bored. "Lilah - I was here. If you had bothered to check our security camera tapes before your grand entrance here, you would know that I left this building at ten fifteen."
Lilah stared at him. "I…" She really hadn't bothered to check, not with what she had seen on the tape. She searched for the right words, for a defense, but Lindsey cut her off.
"Anything else? I really have to work, Lilah."
She willed herself to cool down. "Lindsey - you have to see this." She tapped on the tape. "You… we… might get in trouble for this if your alibi is not bulletproof."
Lindsey closed the file he'd been working on. "Lilah, I'm really touched by your concern. Really." He sighed. "All right then. What is it?"
Lilah prepared the monitor. "Yesterday Holland decided that one of our… non-official clients really needed a reminder that we're watching him. He deemed it less important and so he didn't send out the usual demon thugs but five of our human squad. Just to… you know, scare the guy a little. And see what happened."
She pressed the button and the screen became alive. Lindsey recognized the "client" - one of those unlucky bastards who had mingled with the firm's business purely by coincidence - and the faces of the human thugs who were approaching the victim like hyenas. Nothing unusual so far.
"Now watch closely, it's very fast." Lilah turned up the volume. A smooth confident voice could be heard now.
"That's my job you're messing with here."
Lindsey frowned. That voice sounded… familiar. He leaned forward, but the action that followed onscreen was kind of blurred. All he could see was a person dressed in black who approached the five thugs and, in a whirl of arms and legs, took them out with the fastest and most precise combat movements Lindsey had ever seen. In a human, anyway.
He shook his head in awe. "That guy is good. But what has this to do with…"
The words became stuck in his throat. With all five thugs lying on the ground, the black-dressed man turned around and the camera caught his face. Lindsey's jaw dropped.
"Holy shit!"
Lilah gave him a smug grin. "You could say that, yes. I take it that it's really not you, is it?"
Lindsey hit the freeze-frame button and stared at his own face on the monitor. The picture was black and white, but there was no mistaking.
The resemblance was stunning. The only differences seemed to be the hair length and the beard stubble, and as far as he could tell, the guy had about three times more muscle on him. He even radiated the same air of confidence that Lindsey had when he was in court.
He pressed "Play" again to watch the rest. It wasn't much - the guy just said "Ready to go?" to the victim who stared unbelieving for some moments and then both men moved out of sight.
Lindsey tried to clear his thoughts. He looked up at Lilah. "Did he kill them?"
Lilah shook her head. "No. But they won't be able to work for a very long time."
Lindsey closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. This was just not good. Bad enough that the client was gone, but having a double of himself out there… He knew his alibi was bulletproof, but you never knew what got you on the radar of the Senior Partners, and a thing like this just might be it. He looked up again.
"As far as I know, I don't have any relatives that look like me. So who is this guy?"
Lilah shrugged. "No idea. But you really should pay him a visit, don't you think?"
*****
It had only taken a few hours of work for some of the company spies to find out the guy's current location - the order "Find someone who looks like Lindsey McDonald" proved to be successful. Lindsey now stood in front of a door and took a few deep breaths, pulling an aura of confidence about him before finally knocking.
The intercom buzzed and a sharp "Yeah?" came out of it. Lindsey answered with his best cocksure lawyer voice. "Mr. Spencer? My name is Lindsey McDonald; I work for Wolfram and Hart. Would you please open the door?
An amused laugh was the answer. "Don't know you, don't have any business with you. Goodbye."
Lindsey knocked again, more forceful. The com buzzed again.
"Still wasting your time?"
Lindsey grinned. "Mr. Spencer, we are a law firm and we have proof that you have abducted one of our clients. Now please open this door, we have to talk."
He waited, and then heard footsteps approaching and the key turning. The door swung open and a very familiar voice said: "Listen, buddy, I really don't have time - " Then the man caught sight of him and broke off abruptly, eyes behind steel-rimmed glasses widening. Lindsey smirked and moved towards him. "Now, have I convinced you?"
The other man regained his self-control very fast. His hand landed on Lindsey's chest and stopped him effectively in his tracks.
"Just a second, lawyer." He turned his head. "Hardison? We need the bug scanner."
"Just a mo." The answer came from the other room, and then a tall black guy showed up on the doorstep. His eyes nearly bugged out as he saw Lindsey's face. "Oh no, Eliot, don't tell me you've got a clone!"
Eliot gave him an impatient glance. "Very funny. Would you scan him already?"
Alec Hardison grinned and quickly did as he was told. With a triumphant grin he grabbed Lindsey's briefcase and, ignoring the protest, opened it and dug out a small device. "Gotcha, baby."
He examined the bug and then spoke directly into it. "Hello and goodbye. Would you like some tea on your way out?"
He took a full mug from the nearest table, dropped the device into it and turned back to Lindsey. "Now we can talk."
Lindsey stared at the mug and started to laugh. The mental image of Lilah's face turning all red and furious now was just too good.
Eliot watched him and his lips twitched a little. He turned to his team mate. "Hardison, this was a perfect cup of Darjeeling tea. You really have no shame, do you?"
Alec giggled. "Sorry man. Couldn't resist."
They grew serious again. Eliot took another good look at Lindsey and shook his head.
"Incredible. We're not related, are we?"
Lindsey took a few moments to study the face before him. Eliot Spencer seemed to be a few years older, had longer hair and beard stubble, but the only really remarkable differences now were the glasses and a small scar on the upper lip.
He could only admire the man's coolness - being confronted out of the blue with a mirror image had so far only produced a moment of surprise and now a raised eyebrow.
Lindsey snapped back into the conversation and shrugged. "Not as far as I know. Can we get to business now?"
He felt the guy Hardison watching every small move of his, and was fairly sure that Eliot Spencer would knock him out in a split second if feeling threatened, so he chose his words very carefully.
"You took out five of our men. In a most impressive manner, I have to say. But sadly, the guy you… got away with was one of our clients. And my bosses are not happy about him being gone."
Eliot tilted his head and gave him a brilliant innocent smile and an almost apologizing look. Almost.
"Really sorry, but I can't help you here. Your so-called client's out of town already and we don't know where he is. Too late, I'm afraid."
Lindsey swore silently to himself. These guys were good - and fast. He looked into Eliot Spencer's eyes and plastered a big courtroom smile on his face - the kind that did not reach his eyes.
"Then let me give you one piece of advice. You have interfered with the firm's business. Not many people do that and live to tell the tale."
He didn't even see Eliot moving, he suddenly just couldn't breathe properly anymore and found himself in a chokehold, Eliot's voice almost purring in his ear.
"You've seen what I can do, lawyer, and you still think it's wise to threaten me?"
Eliot released his grip and stepped back. "Get out."
Lindsey massaged his throat and pulled back his confidence mask. He smiled coldly.
"I think I can. You don't know what you're dealing with here. You're really lucky that those thugs were only human this time."
Alec snorted out a laugh and grinned at Lindsey. "Come on, boy. Telling us ghost stories here? Try something else to scare us." Even Eliot looked amused.
Lindsey didn't answer, just looked at them with a very small, very confident smile.
Eliot's grin faltered and his eyes narrowed. "You're serious."
Lindsey widened his smile just a little to verify that statement.
Alec gave another short laugh. "This is ridiculous, man. What are we talkin' here? Monsters? Godzilla? Oh, I know. Dracula! Uuuh, I'm really scared now!"
"Shut up, Hardison." Eliot's gaze was still fixed on Lindsey's face, and then he nodded.
"Right, lawyer. You don't get your client back, but don't worry, we'll leave town soon. You won't hear from us again."
Lindsey returned the nod. "Very well. Have a nice journey home." He took up his briefcase and reached for the door. When he was almost out of the room, he stopped and turned back, catching Eliot's glance again.
"This is a very wise decision, Eliot. I really would hate to find a body in our morgue that has a face that looks like mine. Goodbye."
He closed the door behind him and made his way to his car.
Part Two is here.
ele, 28th of June, 2010
********************************************************************************************************************
Remember that I said I'd probably never write something again? Yeah. *snort*
Remember I said the Sleeper has awakened? Evil Muse had a kickstart again.
"Hey, ele, don't you think that Lindsey and Eliot just *have* to meet?"
Oh hello there. *sigh* Did you sleep well? Good. Let's go to work.
And so here it is. Posted in two parts for length. For those who are not familiar with Leverage - go here.
*cue for the usual stage fright* Concrit welcome, also praise, chocolate, tequila, naked... shut up, ele. *g*
ETA: And maybe I should have checked the page myself - I gave poor Alec an x instead of a c. *hangs head* Sorry, Alec...
Thanks to
charlies_dragon for pointing it out!! *hugs*
ETA II: And again thanks to
charlies_dragon I have a banner for this!
Face Value (Part 1/3)
by elebridith
Fandom: A:tS/Leverage crossover.
Characters: Lindsey McDonald, Eliot Spencer, Alec Hardison; cameos by Nathan Ford and Lilah Morgan.
Summary: "With all five thugs lying on the ground, the black-dressed man turned around and the camera caught his face. Lindsey's jaw dropped. "Holy shit!""
Rating: PG-13? Some swearwords.
Disclaimer: Not mine. No one, nothing. Just playing.
Part One and Two beta'd by
luminous_mortal . Thanks, hun!! *huggles*
ETA II: And now it has a third chapter... my muse is weird. *shakes head*
A/N: Part One happens during A:tS' "Dead End" - Lindsey has his new hand already, but has not discovered its "evilness" yet. Team Leverage is set in Chicago and has already worked together for some time. It goes AU after that.
Prologue
Chicago.
"We're gonna need a retrieval."
The man nodded. He took off his glasses and began polishing them. "What is it?"
"Not what. Who."
"Ah. That witness you talked about earlier, right? Where?"
"Los Angeles."
The man put his glasses back on and smiled. "Consider it done."
Nathan Ford smiled back. He just loved self-confidence in his team.
Part One
Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart
"Lindsey, what the hell did you think you were doing?"
Lindsey McDonald looked up, giving Lilah Morgan his best long-cultivated look of polite disinterest. "Lilah. And what have I done this time to get you so… agitated?"
Lilah stared at him, fuming. "Seriously, Lindsey. Did you really think that wearing a wig would be enough to conceal you from us? And I really didn't know that you were hiding a body that good under those suits!"
As soon as the last sentence had slipped out, she bit her tongue and blushed.
I did NOT say that aloud, right?
But Lindsey's amused expression told her otherwise. She drew a deep breath and slammed a CCTV tape on Lindsey's desk. "Where were you yesterday evening? Around eight?"
Lindsey looked bored. "Lilah - I was here. If you had bothered to check our security camera tapes before your grand entrance here, you would know that I left this building at ten fifteen."
Lilah stared at him. "I…" She really hadn't bothered to check, not with what she had seen on the tape. She searched for the right words, for a defense, but Lindsey cut her off.
"Anything else? I really have to work, Lilah."
She willed herself to cool down. "Lindsey - you have to see this." She tapped on the tape. "You… we… might get in trouble for this if your alibi is not bulletproof."
Lindsey closed the file he'd been working on. "Lilah, I'm really touched by your concern. Really." He sighed. "All right then. What is it?"
Lilah prepared the monitor. "Yesterday Holland decided that one of our… non-official clients really needed a reminder that we're watching him. He deemed it less important and so he didn't send out the usual demon thugs but five of our human squad. Just to… you know, scare the guy a little. And see what happened."
She pressed the button and the screen became alive. Lindsey recognized the "client" - one of those unlucky bastards who had mingled with the firm's business purely by coincidence - and the faces of the human thugs who were approaching the victim like hyenas. Nothing unusual so far.
"Now watch closely, it's very fast." Lilah turned up the volume. A smooth confident voice could be heard now.
"That's my job you're messing with here."
Lindsey frowned. That voice sounded… familiar. He leaned forward, but the action that followed onscreen was kind of blurred. All he could see was a person dressed in black who approached the five thugs and, in a whirl of arms and legs, took them out with the fastest and most precise combat movements Lindsey had ever seen. In a human, anyway.
He shook his head in awe. "That guy is good. But what has this to do with…"
The words became stuck in his throat. With all five thugs lying on the ground, the black-dressed man turned around and the camera caught his face. Lindsey's jaw dropped.
"Holy shit!"
Lilah gave him a smug grin. "You could say that, yes. I take it that it's really not you, is it?"
Lindsey hit the freeze-frame button and stared at his own face on the monitor. The picture was black and white, but there was no mistaking.
The resemblance was stunning. The only differences seemed to be the hair length and the beard stubble, and as far as he could tell, the guy had about three times more muscle on him. He even radiated the same air of confidence that Lindsey had when he was in court.
He pressed "Play" again to watch the rest. It wasn't much - the guy just said "Ready to go?" to the victim who stared unbelieving for some moments and then both men moved out of sight.
Lindsey tried to clear his thoughts. He looked up at Lilah. "Did he kill them?"
Lilah shook her head. "No. But they won't be able to work for a very long time."
Lindsey closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. This was just not good. Bad enough that the client was gone, but having a double of himself out there… He knew his alibi was bulletproof, but you never knew what got you on the radar of the Senior Partners, and a thing like this just might be it. He looked up again.
"As far as I know, I don't have any relatives that look like me. So who is this guy?"
Lilah shrugged. "No idea. But you really should pay him a visit, don't you think?"
*****
It had only taken a few hours of work for some of the company spies to find out the guy's current location - the order "Find someone who looks like Lindsey McDonald" proved to be successful. Lindsey now stood in front of a door and took a few deep breaths, pulling an aura of confidence about him before finally knocking.
The intercom buzzed and a sharp "Yeah?" came out of it. Lindsey answered with his best cocksure lawyer voice. "Mr. Spencer? My name is Lindsey McDonald; I work for Wolfram and Hart. Would you please open the door?
An amused laugh was the answer. "Don't know you, don't have any business with you. Goodbye."
Lindsey knocked again, more forceful. The com buzzed again.
"Still wasting your time?"
Lindsey grinned. "Mr. Spencer, we are a law firm and we have proof that you have abducted one of our clients. Now please open this door, we have to talk."
He waited, and then heard footsteps approaching and the key turning. The door swung open and a very familiar voice said: "Listen, buddy, I really don't have time - " Then the man caught sight of him and broke off abruptly, eyes behind steel-rimmed glasses widening. Lindsey smirked and moved towards him. "Now, have I convinced you?"
The other man regained his self-control very fast. His hand landed on Lindsey's chest and stopped him effectively in his tracks.
"Just a second, lawyer." He turned his head. "Hardison? We need the bug scanner."
"Just a mo." The answer came from the other room, and then a tall black guy showed up on the doorstep. His eyes nearly bugged out as he saw Lindsey's face. "Oh no, Eliot, don't tell me you've got a clone!"
Eliot gave him an impatient glance. "Very funny. Would you scan him already?"
Alec Hardison grinned and quickly did as he was told. With a triumphant grin he grabbed Lindsey's briefcase and, ignoring the protest, opened it and dug out a small device. "Gotcha, baby."
He examined the bug and then spoke directly into it. "Hello and goodbye. Would you like some tea on your way out?"
He took a full mug from the nearest table, dropped the device into it and turned back to Lindsey. "Now we can talk."
Lindsey stared at the mug and started to laugh. The mental image of Lilah's face turning all red and furious now was just too good.
Eliot watched him and his lips twitched a little. He turned to his team mate. "Hardison, this was a perfect cup of Darjeeling tea. You really have no shame, do you?"
Alec giggled. "Sorry man. Couldn't resist."
They grew serious again. Eliot took another good look at Lindsey and shook his head.
"Incredible. We're not related, are we?"
Lindsey took a few moments to study the face before him. Eliot Spencer seemed to be a few years older, had longer hair and beard stubble, but the only really remarkable differences now were the glasses and a small scar on the upper lip.
He could only admire the man's coolness - being confronted out of the blue with a mirror image had so far only produced a moment of surprise and now a raised eyebrow.
Lindsey snapped back into the conversation and shrugged. "Not as far as I know. Can we get to business now?"
He felt the guy Hardison watching every small move of his, and was fairly sure that Eliot Spencer would knock him out in a split second if feeling threatened, so he chose his words very carefully.
"You took out five of our men. In a most impressive manner, I have to say. But sadly, the guy you… got away with was one of our clients. And my bosses are not happy about him being gone."
Eliot tilted his head and gave him a brilliant innocent smile and an almost apologizing look. Almost.
"Really sorry, but I can't help you here. Your so-called client's out of town already and we don't know where he is. Too late, I'm afraid."
Lindsey swore silently to himself. These guys were good - and fast. He looked into Eliot Spencer's eyes and plastered a big courtroom smile on his face - the kind that did not reach his eyes.
"Then let me give you one piece of advice. You have interfered with the firm's business. Not many people do that and live to tell the tale."
He didn't even see Eliot moving, he suddenly just couldn't breathe properly anymore and found himself in a chokehold, Eliot's voice almost purring in his ear.
"You've seen what I can do, lawyer, and you still think it's wise to threaten me?"
Eliot released his grip and stepped back. "Get out."
Lindsey massaged his throat and pulled back his confidence mask. He smiled coldly.
"I think I can. You don't know what you're dealing with here. You're really lucky that those thugs were only human this time."
Alec snorted out a laugh and grinned at Lindsey. "Come on, boy. Telling us ghost stories here? Try something else to scare us." Even Eliot looked amused.
Lindsey didn't answer, just looked at them with a very small, very confident smile.
Eliot's grin faltered and his eyes narrowed. "You're serious."
Lindsey widened his smile just a little to verify that statement.
Alec gave another short laugh. "This is ridiculous, man. What are we talkin' here? Monsters? Godzilla? Oh, I know. Dracula! Uuuh, I'm really scared now!"
"Shut up, Hardison." Eliot's gaze was still fixed on Lindsey's face, and then he nodded.
"Right, lawyer. You don't get your client back, but don't worry, we'll leave town soon. You won't hear from us again."
Lindsey returned the nod. "Very well. Have a nice journey home." He took up his briefcase and reached for the door. When he was almost out of the room, he stopped and turned back, catching Eliot's glance again.
"This is a very wise decision, Eliot. I really would hate to find a body in our morgue that has a face that looks like mine. Goodbye."
He closed the door behind him and made his way to his car.
Part Two is here.