Hiatus Challenge - Fic #5
20/9/11 14:52![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
telarynTitle: In the End
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
telaryn
Word Count: 956
Fandom: Leverage
Characters: Nate & Eliot
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None really.
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: A devastating hurricane and the imposition of martial law create the opening for the government to take Eliot into custody for one of his crimes.
Author's Note: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
angst_bingo's Hiatus Challenge, for the prompts "natural disaster" and "execution".
There had been lots of finger pointing and shouting going on since the day God’s wrath had fallen on Boston, but the plain truth of it was that Massachusetts wasn’t equipped to handle any sort of natural disaster – least of all a hurricane. Hurricanes and tsunamis and the like were things that happened to other people, while Bostonians watched on television and tried to calculate how much money they could afford to donate without impacting their own lifestyles.
When it happened to them, most of Boston had immediately gone through the five stages of disaster preparedness: denial, confusion, panic, “you can’t tell me what to do”, and “I’ll give you a thousand dollars for that generator”. If he were being honest with himself, Nate had to admit that in his life before he probably would have been one of the millions that fell into that category.
Now, well – when you had somebody like Eliot Spencer charged with keeping you safe in spite of your best efforts to the contrary – denial wasn’t really an option. At the first confirmation the hurricane was going to make landfall, Eliot had pulled them back to a safe position north of the city. It was fortified, stocked against the need to implement at least plans A – Q, and far enough outside the city proper that they could hunker down in relative safety.
What it wasn’t, was secluded enough to escape the next step forward any government takes following a natural disaster of significant scope. The phrases “State of Emergency” and “Disaster Area” are spoken these days while the heavens are still opening up; the wheels of government grind too slowly for it to be otherwise.
If the situation is bad enough, the next words the public hears are usually some variation on the phrase “martial law”. They might dress it up by calling it a “curfew”, or saying that “the National Guard has been called in”. The words don’t ultimately matter – what matters is the government controlling your movements, interfering in how you go about putting your life back together.
And if they take the opportunity to remove some…undesirables…from the general population in the process, so much the better.
In the end, the irony was that if the military had come for anyone else on the team Eliot probably would have fought them. But this time he was the one they were looking for, armed with paperwork detailing a charge he refused to confirm or deny to anyone.
“It’ll be all right.” The words were a promise to the others. To Nate they were a farewell – an exhortation to step up and protect his family like he should have been doing all along.
The planning had started immediately once they were alone again. None of the others were prepared to give up their big brother without a fight. Nate let them brainstorm as much as they wanted – the distraction was good for keeping their spirits up, and none of the plans would be implemented without his blessing.
Which he fully intended to withhold as long as possible. No inspired bit of insanity was going to reverse the course of events that were barreling towards a cataclysmic conclusion. Eventually the others would realize it, and they would probably hate him and Eliot for getting there first.
But no matter how they got there or how they felt when they got there – the outcome was fixed. Eliot wouldn’t fight the military when he knew he was guilty of what they accused him of. And without his cooperation, all an escape attempt would do was drag everyone else down with him.
Still, once they uncovered news of his ultimate fate, Nate knew he’d never be able to face the rest of his life without seeing his fallen teammate one last time. So despite his warnings to the others the mastermind plucked the strings he had available to him and spun a visit to his hitter – off the books, without knowledge or approval from anyone.
It took months, but Nate kept at it. Some things were just worth the commitment.
“You shouldn’t have come.” His hair, his clothes – everything about Eliot was regulation now, and it looked strange. Nate had already opened his mouth to argue, when Eliot stepped into the light and he saw the younger man’s eyes.
He saw gratitude there, and love so deep and absolute that it quieted the words in his throat. Eliot was saying what needed to be said - that’s what I do - but the part of himself he’d always held back from the rest of the team was grateful Nate had believed him worth the effort and the risk.
They talked about inconsequentials for a while. Eliot wanted to know about the others, and what was going on in the world outside. Nate even played up Sophie’s talk of redecorating Eliot’s hideout because it made them both feel better when he indulged in a bout of righteous indignation over having his things “messed with”.
“I don’t want you to be there,” Eliot said abruptly. “I know what you’re thinking – what you’re all thinking.”
Nate shook his head. “I’m not letting you go like that. Not surrounded by strangers.” A part of him wanted to know the details – the how, when and why of the thing – but it wasn’t the time. Now it was his job to be strong.
For Eliot.
Silence filled the room as Eliot considered what he was saying and why. Finally he nodded. “Just you, then.”
Nate started to argue, started to protest that it wasn’t fair to leave the others out. They were family, and Eliot deserved to know that they all stood by him and loved him, and…
He sighed. “Okay.”
Author:
telarynWord Count: 956
Fandom: Leverage
Characters: Nate & Eliot
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None really.
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: A devastating hurricane and the imposition of martial law create the opening for the government to take Eliot into custody for one of his crimes.
Author's Note: Written for
angst_bingo's Hiatus Challenge, for the prompts "natural disaster" and "execution".There had been lots of finger pointing and shouting going on since the day God’s wrath had fallen on Boston, but the plain truth of it was that Massachusetts wasn’t equipped to handle any sort of natural disaster – least of all a hurricane. Hurricanes and tsunamis and the like were things that happened to other people, while Bostonians watched on television and tried to calculate how much money they could afford to donate without impacting their own lifestyles.
When it happened to them, most of Boston had immediately gone through the five stages of disaster preparedness: denial, confusion, panic, “you can’t tell me what to do”, and “I’ll give you a thousand dollars for that generator”. If he were being honest with himself, Nate had to admit that in his life before he probably would have been one of the millions that fell into that category.
Now, well – when you had somebody like Eliot Spencer charged with keeping you safe in spite of your best efforts to the contrary – denial wasn’t really an option. At the first confirmation the hurricane was going to make landfall, Eliot had pulled them back to a safe position north of the city. It was fortified, stocked against the need to implement at least plans A – Q, and far enough outside the city proper that they could hunker down in relative safety.
What it wasn’t, was secluded enough to escape the next step forward any government takes following a natural disaster of significant scope. The phrases “State of Emergency” and “Disaster Area” are spoken these days while the heavens are still opening up; the wheels of government grind too slowly for it to be otherwise.
If the situation is bad enough, the next words the public hears are usually some variation on the phrase “martial law”. They might dress it up by calling it a “curfew”, or saying that “the National Guard has been called in”. The words don’t ultimately matter – what matters is the government controlling your movements, interfering in how you go about putting your life back together.
And if they take the opportunity to remove some…undesirables…from the general population in the process, so much the better.
In the end, the irony was that if the military had come for anyone else on the team Eliot probably would have fought them. But this time he was the one they were looking for, armed with paperwork detailing a charge he refused to confirm or deny to anyone.
“It’ll be all right.” The words were a promise to the others. To Nate they were a farewell – an exhortation to step up and protect his family like he should have been doing all along.
The planning had started immediately once they were alone again. None of the others were prepared to give up their big brother without a fight. Nate let them brainstorm as much as they wanted – the distraction was good for keeping their spirits up, and none of the plans would be implemented without his blessing.
Which he fully intended to withhold as long as possible. No inspired bit of insanity was going to reverse the course of events that were barreling towards a cataclysmic conclusion. Eventually the others would realize it, and they would probably hate him and Eliot for getting there first.
But no matter how they got there or how they felt when they got there – the outcome was fixed. Eliot wouldn’t fight the military when he knew he was guilty of what they accused him of. And without his cooperation, all an escape attempt would do was drag everyone else down with him.
Still, once they uncovered news of his ultimate fate, Nate knew he’d never be able to face the rest of his life without seeing his fallen teammate one last time. So despite his warnings to the others the mastermind plucked the strings he had available to him and spun a visit to his hitter – off the books, without knowledge or approval from anyone.
It took months, but Nate kept at it. Some things were just worth the commitment.
“You shouldn’t have come.” His hair, his clothes – everything about Eliot was regulation now, and it looked strange. Nate had already opened his mouth to argue, when Eliot stepped into the light and he saw the younger man’s eyes.
He saw gratitude there, and love so deep and absolute that it quieted the words in his throat. Eliot was saying what needed to be said - that’s what I do - but the part of himself he’d always held back from the rest of the team was grateful Nate had believed him worth the effort and the risk.
They talked about inconsequentials for a while. Eliot wanted to know about the others, and what was going on in the world outside. Nate even played up Sophie’s talk of redecorating Eliot’s hideout because it made them both feel better when he indulged in a bout of righteous indignation over having his things “messed with”.
“I don’t want you to be there,” Eliot said abruptly. “I know what you’re thinking – what you’re all thinking.”
Nate shook his head. “I’m not letting you go like that. Not surrounded by strangers.” A part of him wanted to know the details – the how, when and why of the thing – but it wasn’t the time. Now it was his job to be strong.
For Eliot.
Silence filled the room as Eliot considered what he was saying and why. Finally he nodded. “Just you, then.”
Nate started to argue, started to protest that it wasn’t fair to leave the others out. They were family, and Eliot deserved to know that they all stood by him and loved him, and…
He sighed. “Okay.”
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
20/9/11 19:29 (UTC)(no subject)
21/9/11 08:05 (UTC)(no subject)
22/9/11 00:59 (UTC)*sob*
It's lovely and heartbreaking and so Eliot …
I think I hate you.
(no subject)
23/9/11 21:31 (UTC)If you need something a whole lot happier, I'm doing Kink Bingo on my fic journal. Just posted a *really* kinky Eliot/Maggie story, in fact. *g*
(no subject)
22/9/11 13:17 (UTC)Just... wonderful.
(I need some Nate & Eliot icons...)
(no subject)
23/9/11 21:32 (UTC)...then they made TBBJ.