Fic: Defying Mortality (5/5), Crossover Leverage/A:tS, NC-17
Title: Defying Mortality
Author: elebridith
Fandom: Leverage/Angel the Series crossover
Pairing: Lindsey/Eliot, mentions of Nate/Sophie and Parker/Hardison
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Slash, crossover
Be aware of: mentions of child abuse and murder (non-descriptive)
Words: About 19800
Disclaimer: Not mine, no one, nothing. Just playing.
A/N: Set in my Face Value!Verse, Eliot and Lindsey live together now for over a year.
Inspired by the X-Men Logan/Remy fic "Aftermath" (here) by the awesome enemyfrigate, who generously allowed me to play with that plot. If you like Logan/Remy, check her stuff out, it's great!
CCAC = http://www.chicagocac.org/
Beta'd by havenward, awesome as ever!. Thanks strangecreature and wendyr for additional help!
Summary: The team escapes death - and it's been too close for their liking. And thinking Eliot is dead for five very long minutes? Lindsey takes that very personal.
Part Four is here.
Lindsey sighed with relief and pushed himself out of the chair. "Thanks. Hardison, Nate, I'll see you tomorrow." Hardison didn't take his eyes off the programs he was running and absently waved him goodbye. Lindsey drove over to his own place, trying to slow down his reeling thoughts but not quite succeeding. He opened the door, and his mood lifted a bit at the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. He sighed with relief as the lawyer voice in his head faded down a bit.
"Linds?" The kitchen door opened and Eliot took a few steps towards him, reaching out to touch.
Lindsey abruptly raised his hand. "Don't." Eliot stopped in his tracks, looking confused. Lindsey gave him a weak smile. "I... need a shower first. Just being in the same room with him..." His voice trailed off and Eliot's expression softened.
"Bathroom's warm. Take your time, dinner needs another half an hour."
Lindsey nodded gratefully. A few minutes later he stood under the hot shower, just letting the water pour down on him. Slowly he felt himself relaxing. Finally he was able to shut off that nagging voice in his head and his mood lifted. He scrubbed his whole body with generous amounts of soap, ignoring the slight burning on his back where the deepest scratches were still sensitive. He washed his hair and then felt more like himself again. Except for a small hollow feeling in his stomach.
Eliot has now seen it. Me. What I am. Was. Whatever. No, he won't... but... Stop it, Lindsey. You're not going there again. He pushed the thought away for the moment, quickly dried himself up, toweled his hair and slipped into fresh clothes.
He took a deep breath and went over to the living room where he could hear soft music. Eliot looked up as he entered the room, put down his tea mug and stood up. Without a word he went over to Lindsey and pulled him close. Lindsey wrapped his arms around Eliot's waist, leaned their foreheads together and closed his eyes. They just stood like this for a while and Lindsey let the comfort of the hold just seep into him. Then he felt Eliot's lips brush over his ear.
"I threw your clothes in the laundry."
Lindsey exhaled slowly. A rush of gratitude went through him, erasing that hollow feeling. He buried his face on Eliot's neck, inhaling his scent, reminding him again that they had really made it out alive. Eyes still closed, he finally said quietly "It's crazy, but I felt... dirty. Like it could rub off on you if you touched me." He felt Eliot nod.
"Tainted. I know that one. 'S okay." Lindsey made a small relieved sigh and opened his eyes as Eliot's hand gently nudged his chin upwards. He met Eliot's gaze, full of understanding. "An' what else is eating at ya?"
Lindsey huffed out an amazed laugh. "You... y'know me all too well, it seems."
Eliot chuckled. "Easy. You're far too tense and your voice still's got a touch too much L.A. in it."
Lindsey's grin died. He looked away and searched for words. "I... this was the first time here that I really... well, I used everything I'd learned at Wolfram and Hart to scare the guy shitless. And..." He looked back into Eliot's eyes. "Eliot, it was so fucking easy to get back there. To be that asshole lawyer again. I'm... not sure how I feel about that." And how you feel about it, he thought anxiously, but didn't say it out loud.
Eliot nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. Then he took a step back, sat down on the couch and patted on the spot next to him. Lindsey dropped next to him and closed his eyes. Immediately he felt Eliot's arm around his shoulders, pulling him in until he was back to Eliot's chest. Lindsey felt Eliot's hands slipping under his shirt and softly rubbing in slow circles over his belly. He relaxed into the touch, and then Eliot pressed a quick kiss to his ear. "Y'know, while we watched, Nate was almost bouncing. Called you a stone-cold bastard, and meant it in a good way. An' Hardison said he's freakin' glad that you're on our side. I think he'd have preferred option two."
Lindsey twisted around a bit so he could look up and see Eliot's face. He managed to keep every trace of insecurity out of his voice. "And you?" The amused glitter in Eliot's eyes told him that the voice may have worked, but that Eliot as usual could read him like an open book. Eliot lowered his head and kissed the tip of Lindsey's nose, and then every hint of teasing disappeared from his face.
"You were amazing. You used your words like I use my fists, y'know? Beat up the bad guy with it. Predicting what he thinks and hitting where it hurts." He looked and sounded completely serious now, and Lindsey wondered briefly if Eliot had been expecting this talk from the beginning. Eliot shifted his hold a bit and continued. "Linds - this ability you got, 's your kind of weapon. Not 'good' or 'bad' by definition. All depends on how ya use it." His face hardened. "An' if anyone deserves it, it's that guy."
Lindsey felt the last bit of tension leave his body. He released a shuddering breath and nodded. "Yeah. I guess we saved a big bunch of lives with that. Fuckin' bastard." Another thought hit him and he started to laugh helplessly. Eliot raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"What's so funny, Linds?"
Lindsey turned around so that he could finally face Eliot. He shook his head in amazement. "Y'know - I just realized that this may be the most honorable thing I've done in my life - an' it was done by a bunch of thieves."
Eliot grinned amusedly. "An' not by a company who should work for justice," he added.
Lindsey chuckled and nodded. "Yeah." He reached out and cradled Eliot's neck. "I'll take the thieves any time." He pulled Eliot's face closer and brushed his lips over Eliot's mouth. Eliot responded immediately, tightening his hold. They slowly traded kisses, softly, lazy, just enjoying the closeness.
It took them both a while until they noticed a faint buzzing sound coming from the kitchen. Eliot broke the kiss and laughed softly. "Pasta is ready." He cupped Lindsey's chin and searched his face. "Feelin' better?"
Lindsey's smile was genuine now. "Yeah. A lot."
Eliot nodded, looking satisfied. "An' I hope you're hungry."
"Like a wolf." Lindsey snorted. "I ain't had anything to eat since I looked at those pictures."
They untangled and went over to the kitchen. Suddenly Lindsey remembered something and grinned. With a teasing smirk he asked "Did ya light the candles?"
Eliot did a double take and stared at Lindsey, unbelieving. "Candles? You're kiddin', right?"
Lindsey smiled very sweetly. "You said candles and love songs would sound good. An' we didn't get to that yesterday. Ya want me to get out the guitar after dinner or not?"
Eliot made an indignant sound. "Candles. Really. I got myself a romantic ex-lawyer. Fuckin' great."
Despite those words Lindsey could easily detect a glint of amusement in Eliot's eyes. Lindsey tilted his head and made an innocent face. "Ya want me to leave?"
A low threatening sound came from Eliot's throat, and his hand darted forward to grab Lindsey's shirt. A quick pull, and then Lindsey felt Eliot's mouth crush on his for a short but heated kiss. Eliot let go again and growled. "Fine. Ya get your candles. But I get to pick the songs, that clear?" His face softened again and he huffed out a small hesitant laugh. "An' if you tell that to the others..."
Lindsey laughed out and shoved Eliot's shoulder playfully. "And ruin your badass reputation? Aw no, don't worry. Come on now. I'm starving."
Eliot shook his head in resignation, but his lips twitched. Lindsey couldn't help but press another small kiss on the corner of Eliot's mouth. Eliot sighed in mock despair. "I give up. Make yourself useful an' get the wine, will ya?" And then he grinned suddenly, wide and delighted. "By the way, candles are already on the table. I knew you'd ask." He smirked at Lindsey's stumped expression. "But I still get to pick the songs, ya hear me?"
***
The team had followed the arrest and the following trial very closely. Hardison had made it his personal crusade to collect every small bit of footage and newspaper clips he could get hold of, and over the months the file had grown impressively big. Finally the last day of the trial had arrived. Nate hadn't even bothered to order everyone to the headquarters - it was like an unspoken agreement that everyone kept track of the trial's development and that they all would watch the verdict being announced.
Lindsey and Eliot were the first to enter the conference room. Eliot took a look around and huffed. "We're out of beer. Great. Coffee it is then." He went over to the kitchen and Lindsey heard him rummage through the cupboards. He grinned a bit and then grabbed the folder with Hardison's collection of newspaper clippings. He turned pages, reading one or the other just to kill the time. He stopped at an article that everyone else but them would have found completely unrelated to the case. An amused grin broke over his face as he read the headline "CCAC receives mysterious donation". He remembered clearly how everyone had been rendered speechless when Parker of all people had made the serious suggestion to donate the money they'd acquired from Mr. Atherton's accounts completely, without taking a cut. She had scrunched her nose in disgust and had stated "I don't want this. I like money, but this one stinks." The CCAC had come up as a natural donee and Parker had even volunteered to deliver the goods.
In true Parker style she had swept into the building, walked up to the manager's office and leaned over the table. "You have kids that need money, right?" The manager, completely taken by surprise, had nodded warily and Parker had slapped the envelope with the check on the table. "Then you're gonna get this. Don't ask questions, use it." Then she had just turned on her heels and walked out, complaining later that the office had been on a first floor and that there was no use for the zip line.
Lindsey smiled contently at the memory. Even if there had been investigations, the money would have come out clean. Hardison was still very proud about that particular piece of work. And the news footage about the things that had been achieved thanks to that money had caused Lindsey to completely come to peace with the way he had dealt with Robert Atherton. Eliot had pointed out the happy faces and had quietly said "There's your 'Fuck you, Wolfram and Hart'. Right?" and Lindsey had agreed wholeheartedly.
Eliot returned with a big coffeepot, and while they sipped their first mug, the others arrived and took their seats. It was a weird atmosphere in the room. Nate had a grim look on his face, and the usual playful banter just didn't happen. It felt like everyone re-lived that fateful day and was glad that this case would be wrapped up today. Hardison activated the video screen and tuned to a news channel. It didn't take long until the broadcast from outside the court building started.
"In only a few minutes the verdict will be announced on one of the ugliest cases Chicago has seen since John Wayne Gacy. The case 'City of Chicago versus Atherton' deals with the dark secrets of a well-known and respected business man whose downfall we witnessed over the last months. Robert Atherton has been charged with multiple counts of child abuse and murder. Although a plea for getting out on bail would have been useless, experts are still amazed that Atherton never even tried, although he never pleaded guilty. Atherton has claimed not having the money to do so - not very likely if you look at the company he's been managing over the last ten years. While it is true that his accounts have been emptied, one can safely assume that the money now peaceful slumbers on some account in Switzerland or the Caymans and waits for its owner. But right now, it looks like it will have to wait for a very long time."
The team exchanged looks and Hardison smirked. "Aw, poor guy. For once he tells the truth and no one believes him..." Parker giggled and the others just grinned, but brought their attention back to screen quickly. The reporter was still describing the details of the trial.
"...divorce from his wife came through last month, and she and her children are not available for a comment. But it seems that the wait is over - District Attorney Christian Stevenson is approaching us for a statement now."
The mass of reporters and camera teams surged towards the door where the DA just had appeared. Lindsey found himself holding his breath and took a quick look around at his team members. Hardison's eyes were fixed on the screen with an anxious look, and he had grabbed Parker's hand. Parker returned the squeeze and had drawn her lips back in disgust as the screen now showed photos of Robert Atherton during the trial. Nate's face was expressionless, but he held Sophie's hand very gently. Sophie looked like she was clinically observing the whole ruckus, and Lindsey had to grin. I bet that's exactly what she does - absorbing details she can use for the next con. He looked at Eliot whose face was cold and hard, eyes darkened with anger. His eyes never left the screen, but he must have noticed the quick glance Lindsey had given him because he reached out and gave Lindsey's shoulder a quick squeeze.
The tumult in front of the courtroom had calmed down a bit and DA Stevenson now spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, the court has reached a verdict. We expect the judge to announce at least six consecutive life sentences for Mr. Robert Atherton in the next few days, on the grounds of first degree murder in eight proven cases."
A cacophony of questions broke loose, but the team wasn't paying attention anymore. A collective sigh of relief went through the room, and they all just looked at each other and smiled, tension slowly subsiding. Hardison muted the sound from the screen and leaned over to kiss Parker. Nate leaned back in his chair with a satisfied wolfish grin on his face. Lindsey felt drained all of a sudden. Over. We got him. We did it. He felt Eliot's hand cradle his neck, and he turned his head and gave him a grateful look. Eliot's lips curled into a quick smile and he just nodded. Sophie stood up and wordlessly refilled everyone's glasses, then raised her own. Everyone clinked their glasses together in a silent gesture of victory. No toast was given - no one felt like honoring the man who had tried to kill them with more words. They drank, and then Nate relaxed and leaned forward, placing his hands on the table.
"Right, guys. Our next client is Mr. David Robinson from Chile. He has a good friend who disappeared about two weeks ago and..."
The End. For now.:-)