Fic: The Life That Was (1/4), Crossover Leverage/A:tS, PG-13
Title: The Life That Was
Author: elebridith
Rating: NC-17 overall, this part is PG-13
Genre: slash, crossover
Pairings: Lindsey/Eliot
Other characters: Nathan Ford, Angel, Spike. Brief appearances by the rest of Team Leverage.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no one, nothing of it. Just playing.
Summary: Lindsey has to face his past - Los Angeles, old enemies, contract issues.
Beta'd and southernified by the incomparable havenward . *tacklehugs* Also thanks to cyphersushi for giving it another pair of eyes and honeyjojames for the steady muse feeding!
Set in the Face Value!verse (Masterpost here), eight months after Angel's NFA/Face Value part 3. They are together for six months now, and have their own place for a little more than two months.
A/N: Since this is AU anyway, I don't take "Angel: After The Fall" into consideration. In fact, I've never read the comics, so anything about the state of L.A., Angel or Spike after NFA is made up by me. Any similarities are coincidence. And since it was never covered how the perpetuity clause would work on someone who a) leaves the firm and b) is not in L.A. anymore when he dies, I did my own interpretation.
Chicago, Headquarters Leverage Consulting and Associates
Nate Ford stared at the papers in front of him. New jobs were always good, and the fact that this one was a follow-up to an earlier one should have made it both even better and much easier to do. He sighed. If that would only be true for this one. He looked up as he heard laughter from outside. He smiled despite his worry. Genuine laughter from Eliot Spencer was such a rare thing, but it seemed that Lindsey's efforts to to hear it more often were successful.
Both men entered the room, still laughing and Lindsey swatting Eliot affectionately on the shoulder. Eliot opened his mouth for a proper response, but broke off as soon as he saw Nate's face. "What's up?"
His inquiring tone stopped Lindsey's laughter as well. They both looked questioningly at Nate, who took a deep breath and pointed to the chairs. "Sit down. We've got a new job."
Eliot narrowed his eyes at Nate's careful tone of voice. He huffed impatiently. "But you don't seem very happy about it. What's going on, Nate?"
Nate looked up, the careful tone now replaced by his usual confidence. "We have the chance to follow up an unfinished job. From about three and a half years ago."
"Unfinished… oh." Eliot slowly dropped on the chair, looking taken aback.
Lindsey looked from one man to the other and back, clearly confused, and shook his head slowly. "You lost me here. Care to fill me in?"
Nate nodded. "Remember when you met Eliot for the first time? In Los Angeles?"
Lindsey gave a little amused laugh. "How can I forget? Lilah was mad at me for a week because of the bug joke."
Nate grinned involuntarily, but it faded quickly. "And that witness Eliot retrieved back then - he tried to help us recover some stolen data. Point is, we were too late that time. But now…" He straightened. "He's contacted us again. It seems the data has reappeared and it's still as hot as ever. As in blackmail hot."
Lindsey shook his head, confusion still apparent. "So, what's the problem?"
Nate looked at him warily. "Eliot can... retrieve it. But - it's in Los Angeles."
Lindsey paled. "What?" He shook his head, almost desperate. "No. Nate, you can't do that." His voice rose, anger mixed with panic. "You - you can't send him to Los Angeles!"
Nate sighed again, a little impatient. "Lindsey - "
"No." Lindsey jumped up and slammed his hands on the table, eyes blazing. "No way, Nate. You know very well that I'm still in contract - and L.A. probably ain't back to normal yet, even if the news says differently. If my face shows up there now - "
***
Eight months earlier
Lindsey sat at the table, exhausted, voice rough from too much talking. He stared down at his mug of now lukewarm tea. The team sat around the table, stunned and a little disbelieving at the stories they'd just heard. Sophie actually looked a little green and even Parker seemed shaken - she didn't say anything and just chewed at her lower lip. Hardison shook his head a little. He bounced his left knee and drummed his fingers on it until Eliot grabbed his leg with an impatient growl and pressed it down. Hardison gave him an apologizing look and pointedly pressed his ankles and knees together which earned him an eye roll in return. Nathan rubbed his temples and also looked a little pale. Only Eliot showed no visible reaction to Lindsey's story, his face was almost expressionless except for a hint of concern in his eyes.
Lindsey cleared his throat and looked up again, trying to sound at least a bit confident, but not entirely succeeding. "Yeah. That's about it. My life as lawyer at Evil, Inc. in a nutshell. And if you don't believe a damn bit of it, well, I won't blame you..." He looked down again and fidgeted with the mug, waiting for someone to say something, anything.
"Man, this all sounds like a bad horror flick, but - hey, I saw some of those guys. Those… things you made shish kebab out of." Hardison shuddered at the memory. "And yeah, that green guy with red horns. And if those are real…" He shrugged. "Then I think I can believe the rest too."
Sophie stared at him and now clearly had a nice shade of green about her. "You… you saw… why didn't you…"
Hardison snorted. "I told you about weird guys. As if someone would've believed me when I said I saw the man kill demons."
That made Parker giggle, but it sounded more awkward than amused. "Point," she gasped.
Nathan looked up. "Are you safe from them? Or will they follow you here?"
Lindsey shook his head, nervously biting his lower lip before he answered. "I think Angel and his people believe I'm dead. And the Senior Partners will be too busy with the apocalypse now to be looking for me. I ain't important enough for them to follow me now, and…" His voice trailed off and his hands hadn't stopped the nervous fidgeting with the mug.
Eliot's gaze had never left his face. He leaned forward. "There's more, right?" His voice was surprisingly soft.
Lindsey looked up, not really surprised that Eliot had caught up on that. Here it comes. He straightened, bracing himself for every possible reaction. "Yes."
"What is it?" Eliot mirrored the movement, looking alert but Lindsey couldn't detect any kind of rejection - it actually looked kind of protective. He sighed inwardly. Protective. Yeah. Wishful thinking, Lindsey. You can't expect him to go that far. He took a deep breath, face determined now. Get it out, Lindsey. All of it. No starting with secrets here. And if they throw you out, you have to deal with it. "I'm still in contract."
Nathan blinked and then made a surprised sound. "So that... perpetuity clause I've heard about is true?" Lindsey nodded, and Nate shook his head, looking amazed. "I... had some trouble believing it."
Lindsey snorted. "I don't blame you, really." He looked around at the others. Eliot had just narrowed his eyes a tiny bit as if trying to figure out the meaning but already knowing that it would be worse than expected. Hardison, Parker and Sophie just stared blankly back at him. Finally Sophie cleared her throat.
"What's a perpetuity clause? I mean, if they think you're dead, why would any clauses still be valid?"
Lindsey searched for the right words to explain. He rubbed his chin and then looked at Sophie."It extends the terms of the contract in life beyond death. Once you're in, you're in forever. Literally."
Sophie's eyes were now wide as saucers. "Do you mean to say you sold your soul?" she whispered.
Lindsey slowly exhaled and nodded. His nervousness hitched up another grade as he saw Sophie and Hardison flinch. Even Eliot made a small grunt of surprise.
"What..." Hardison had to clear his throat before he could continue. "What happens if you die?"
Lindsey felt a kind of resignated calmness now. He looked straight into Hardison's eyes. "Simple. If you die... let's say unnaturally, then they bring you back."
Hardison lost color. "Man, are you... are you talking zombies here?"
Lindsey grinned a little, just a humorless curl of his lips. "Yeah. They raise you from the dead, patch you up a little if you're... damaged, and then they call you home to decide if you deserve some punishment."
Nathan looked up sharply, suspicion showing on his face. Lindsey could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "So - if you're killed, let's say during a job, you become a, a... zombie, and then what? You turn on us? Try to kill us?"
Lindsey shook his head. "No, I won't. I'll still be able to make decisions of my own - the only thing I'll be forced to do is to return to Los Angeles and face the Senior Partners."
Nathan frowned thoughtfully. "When I offered to let you join the team, I didn't believe that this perpetuity clause would be so serious. Lindsey, if you're going to be a threat to the team - I can't risk that."
Lindsey had fixed his eyes on Nathan anxiously. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Eliot's head whipping around at Nathan's words. He answered hastily before Eliot could say anything. "I understand, believe me. I won't be, but..." He hesitated. "I dunno how to convince you 'bout that." He released his breath and held Nathan's gaze, steadily and not blinking. Please. Please believe me.
Nathan looked down a moment, thinking it over. Lindsey could see different emotions run over his face. He remembered that Eliot had half-jokingly called the man a mastermind, and Lindsey fully believed that. He could almost hear some of Nathan's inner monologue - He is a threat to our safety, no matter what he says. On the other hand - inside knowledge to a big law firm who pulls more strings than anyone knows. And he was a brilliant lawyer. Useful. What are the odds of him dying here? No one knows - before Nathan looked up again and searched Lindsey's face. Lindsey assumed that he was looking for a trace of dishonesty but couldn't find any, since his hard expression softened a bit. "I need to know a few more things. What will happen if you die? To you specifically?"
Lindsey kept his calm expression despite his inner turmoil. "As I said - they'll resurrect me and then I'm brought back to the L.A. branch offices." He huffed out a small resigned laugh. "I'm a traitor. I abandoned the firm, and no way I'm gonna go back to them, so they're gonna lock me away." He saw Nathan raising an eyebrow questioningly and continued to explain. "They have special hell dimensions for that. Some brave souls try to resist the firm's offers, but most people who get there, they just..." He broke off and balled his fists in an effort to forcefully suppress the upcoming memory of a torture table. He needed a few moments before he could continue. "Well, they... break after a while, to put it mildly." He chuckled weakly. "The firm prefers willing employees. An' good intentions die fast if you get tortured, believe me. So they get offered a job after a while, hinted they can escape pain for a bit - and there ya go. But me? I doubt that they even try to offer me somethin'. I walked out. Twice. I'm not someone to be forgiven. So - most likely I spend eternity in hell." He looked down on the table in front of him, trying to keep his composure. "In a far worse one than before," he added, more to himself than to the others. He fell silent, not wanting to look up just right now.
Nathan didn't say anything. Eliot cleared his throat to get Lindsey's attention. His voice was calm, but there was a little bit of tension in his posture that Lindsey couldn't quite interpret yet. "Is there anything you can do to get out of the contract?"
Lindsey shook his head, keeping his expression still neutral. "No. Simple as that."
Eliot narrowed his eyes and leaned forward a bit. "Anything... we can do?"
Lindsey could now clearly detect a protectiveness in Eliot's tone, no way he'd imagined it now. A tiny flare of hope rose and he sat himself even more upright. "Yes. One thing."
Eliot tilted his head and flexed his fingers as if he wanted to act on it right now. "An' what's that?"
Lindsey locked his gaze with him, his hands clenching under the table. "You can kill me again."
Hardison gasped. His expression was a mixture of shock and pity. He began his nervous knee-bouncing again, and didn't seem to realize that Eliot threw him a sharp glance again for doing it. Sophie began shifting on her seat, clearly uncomfortable, and avoided Lindsey's eyes altogether. Nathan looked like he had expected it. Parker nibbled on her lower lip and then looked up, making a disgusted face. "But... zombies eat brains! That's why you gotta shoot them, right? I like my brain, I wanna keep it!"
Sophie laughed out nervously, Hardison just stared at her for a moment and then dropped his head into his hands. Nathan's lips twitched. Only Eliot didn't seem to have heard the comment. His focus on Lindsey was so intense that he didn't even blink now. "Kill you again. How?"
Lindsey smiled a little, hard, bitter. "My sword. It has magic in it - specifically designed for killing all things supernatural. If you do it properly, they can't patch me up again."
Eliot's face was hard, but somehow Lindsey knew that this suppressed anger was not directed at him. Eliot took a breath and then his expression changed to inquiring. "Properly?"
Lindsey hesitated a moment and glanced at Parker who eyed him curiously but looked a little pale. He looked back at Eliot, deciding to just bluntly say it. "Cut my head off. And if you wanna do it thoroughly, cut all limbs off and burn the pieces separately."
Parker made a choking sound and pressed her hands on her lips, mumbled sorry and fled the room. Sophie looked after her, surprised, then concerned. She stood up quickly. "I'll see if she needs help", she muttered, threw Lindsey a pointed glance and followed her. The other men just stared, trying to process the thought.
Eliot nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. "I see."
Lindsey leaned forward. His calm facade cracked slowly. His voice sounded strained, desperate. "I don't wanna end up like that. I've already been to one of their hells. Eliot - I hate to ask, but you already saved my life once. Can you promise me that you'll finish it?"
Time seemed to stretch out. Neither Nathan nor Hardison said a word as the two men looked at each other. Lindsey held his breath, searching Eliot's face for a hint to the answer he would be given. A small furrow appeared on Eliot's brow as the hitter seemed to play the scenario in his mind. Then his expression shifted to a hard glance. Lindsey felt almost dissected by the stare - and then Eliot's face softened abruptly. Eliot nodded. "I will. Promise."
A wave of relief rushed over Lindsey, so heavily that he couldn't even voice his thanks. He took another look at Eliot's face, saw the now unguarded concern and pity in it, and he knew without doubt that the other man was serious. He'll do it. I don't know why, but he will do it. He will go all the way if he needs to, no matter what.
There was moment of silence, broken off by the return of the two women. Parker still looked pale, but more collected, and Sophie was her usual calm self again. Nathan exhaled forcefully and cleared his throat, looking in control of the situation again. "So - I think we know everything we need to. Opinions?"
It was Sophie who reluctantly spoke first. "This is ... frightening. All of this. Contracts and zombies and... I really don't know. But... you'll be alone if you leave here, right?"
Lindsey sighed. "Yeah. My family... what's left of them... I can't go back there." He shrugged, looking resigned. "I'm dead after all."
Sophie looked at Nathan. "I abstain from voting. If all of you are okay with him staying, I am too." She turned to Lindsey. "Sorry. I can't vote yes, but I can't say no either."
"No hard feelings, Miss Devereaux." Lindsey gave her an understanding nod, but his gut clenched and the relief he had felt at Eliot's words slowly faded. He looked down at his hands, afraid of the next vote.
Nathan nodded. "I see. Hardison?"
Hardison scratched his head. "I ... think he can stay. I mean, this is the worst case scenario, right? It doesn't have to..." He looked sharply at Lindsey. "Just try not to die, okay?"
Lindsey looked up again and huffed out a laugh, despite his nervousness. "I'll do my best, man."
Hardison grinned back and even Nate smiled a little. "I don't think I have to ask Eliot, do I?" He glanced at Eliot who just raised an eyebrow and gave him an exasperated look. Nathan smirked. "Thought so. Parker?"
Parker had obviously gotten her bravado back. She shrugged nonchalantly. "If Eliot does the chopping and I don't have to clean up the mess..."
That broke the tension. Nathan began to laugh, and Sophie and Hardison joined in, albeit a little awkwardly. Even Eliot's lips twitched. "I always clean up my own mess, Parker, don't worry."
Lindsey looked from one to the other, stopping at Nathan. "Does that mean...I can stay?" He didn't dare to believe it yet.
Nathan nodded reassuringly, obviously not unhappy about it. "Yes, it does. 'Try not to die' is a good advice, though. Actually, it's an order."
***
Present time
Lindsey shook off the memory and tried to calm down. "Nate, I really can't say what will happen - could be everyone's still so busy that Eliot gets in and out of the city before anyone notices, but chances are that Wolfram and Hart still keep an eye out for me. And the demon spies working for them - they kill first and ask questions later." His attempt on keeping his voice down started to fail again. "And they won't care that they got the wrong guy, they'll just shrug and try again. Can you risk that? Is this fucking data really worth risking Eliot's life?"
He had almost yelled the last part. Eliot looked up, placing his hand on Lindsey's arm. His voice was calm. "But just how risky is it? As you said - they think you're dead."
Lindsey balled his fists and shook off Eliot's hand. "Yeah. An' if we underestimate them, then we both are." He turned around again, voice low again, pleading now. "Nate?"
Nate looked even more worried for a moment, obviously having expected this reaction from both men. But then he straightened, putting on a determined face. "Lindsey - I know. But I can't deny that it is very valuable data for us. It would help us immensely in wrapping up a case from last year, and Sophie just brought in a case where it's also going to be very useful."
Lindsey stubbornly shook his head. "Then why Eliot? Can't Parker just... steal it?"
Nate shrugged. "Simple. We happen to know that the current owner wants to sell it, and we have the exact time and place when the deal will take place. And - we know that the owner has never seen the buyer in person. Means the easiest way to get the stuff is to send Eliot in to get it before the real buyer comes in. Sophie and Hardison are already busy with the new case and Parker..." He hesitated, searching for words. "Honestly, the guy's reputation is... violent. I'd send Parker if we could steal it from his house, but not to a meeting where a bunch of bodyguards are involved."
Lindsey clenched his jaw, but slowly nodded. Finally he released his breath. "Yeah. Point taken."
Nate gave him a quick encouraging smile and turned to Eliot. "I know this is a tricky situation. It's your decision, Eliot. Think it over and let me know tonight."
He stood up and left the room. Lindsey sat down and raked his hands through his hair, then buried his face in his hands, thoughts racing. A soft touch on his shoulder made him glance up.
Eliot gave him a concerned look. "I hate unfinished jobs. You know that." He brushed his fingers over Lindsey's shoulder in a soothing gesture.
For a moment Lindsey didn't believe his ears. His anger bubbled up again. He lifted his head with a sharp movement, eyes glaring. "I can't believe it. Are ya serious? Better an unfinished one than one that gets you killed!"
Eliot snorted and pulled his hand away, looking a little affronted. "I'm not that easy to kill, Lindsey!"
Lindsey gave a frustrated huff. "Wouldn't give it a second thought if we were talking humans here, but even you can't take out a demon. A vampire, maybe, if you're lucky, but - a Vocah? Fiercest warriors you'll ever meet? You won't even know what hit you!" He inhaled slowly, anger changing to despair. He really thinks he has to do it. Shit. He managed to keep his voice calmer now. "Eliot - please. Don't. I... I couldn't..."
Eliot stared at Lindsey's face, at the pleading eyes and the almost-panic in them. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then his expression softened and he reached out to cup Lindsey's face. "I'll be careful. And if it's like Nate says, I'm back in three days. Maybe earlier."
Lindsey closed his eyes, leaning into the touch despite his concern. "You've already made your mind up, haven't you?" He sounded resigned. Then he abruptly made a decision. He opened his eyes again, determined look now. "I'll go with you."
Eliot's eyes widened and he almost jerked his hand back. "What? No. No way. If it ain't safe for me, then that goes double for you!"
Lindsey groaned and threw his hands up in angry frustration. He stood up so fast that his chair toppled over. "If you think I'm gonna sit here just worrying myself to death, think again! I'm not gonna do this! Three days, waiting for you to call that you're okay? No. No!"
Eliot sighed. "Lindsey... if you go with me, I'm gonna get distracted because I'll worry about your safety. If you're concerned about mine, then stay here!"
Lindsey shook his head fiercely. "I... I can't. And maybe it is time that I face this - one day I have to, anyway. And at least I won't be alone with it."
Eliot avoided Lindsey's eyes now. "You're gonna call me in on that fucking promise I gave you, right?" he said quietly.
"If I have to, yeah." Lindsey's voice was soft. He searched Eliot's face, saw the turmoil there he was unable to hide for a moment; and then there was a flash of something hard, something determined that Lindsey understood at once. He shook his head again. "Oh no, Eliot. No no no. Don't tell me you're planning what I think you're planning right now." A flash of guilt spread across Eliot's face, and a hint of anger at himself that Lindsey had been able to read him so quickly. It had been fast, but not fast enough. Lindsey stepped forward and gave Eliot a hard shove. "Don't tell me you're thinking of goin' on some foolish crusade to get me out of my contract! Are you fuckin' crazy? If nothing else, that would be a surefire way to get yourself killed! I'm not worth that!"
"Yes you are!"
Eliot looked probably as stunned as Lindsey as he realized what exactly he had just let slip. They both stared at each other for a few seconds, speechless for different reasons, until Lindsey tried to find his voice again, albeit only a small, hoarse and desperate sound. "Eliot..."
He didn't get any further. Eliot made a small sound deep in his throat, stepped forward and slid his hand around Lindsey's neck, burying his fingers in the short curls and pulling him in for a short desperate kiss. "Linds, I... would it help if I beg you not to go with me?" His voice was rough, full of emotions that he was barely able to control.
Lindsey tried to find his breath again. He didn't answer at first, just closed his eyes instead and willed his racing thoughts to slow down. His voice was calm again when he finally spoke. "Would it help if I beg you to stay here?" It was not so much a plea as a rhetorical question. Eliot seemed to sense that as well - the small smile he gave Lindsey was both knowing and apologetic. Lindsey returned it, giving in. "Guess not. Then it's set. We're both going. And - " Lindsey squared his shoulders and stepped back, eyeing Eliot sharply. "No crusade on your own, y'hear me? I'm gonna help you as much as I can so that we get out as fast as possible, but you -" He pointed a finger at Eliot, stepped closer again and jabbed him in the chest at every word. "- Are. Not. Doing. Something. Stupid. Deal?"
He gave Eliot a glaring look and Eliot had to laugh a little. "Deal. Let's tell Nate."
Part Two