Work Text:
Eliot shifted on the sofa where he was reading. Cassie glanced up from her work just in time to see a flash of pain pass over his features. She set aside her pen, “Come here.” she said holding out a hand.
Eliot looked up from his book, his brows furrowed, but he walked over unquestioningly. Cassie led him into the bedroom. “Uh Cassie,”
“Lie down. On your front. Shirt off.” she said pointing to the bed. Eliot did as she said, stripping off his shirt and making himself comfortable. Cassie leant over her, legs on either side of his hips and pressed her fingers into the muscles of his shoulders. Eliot let out a moan. She laughed softly and set to work unknotting muscles and smoothing away tension.
Eliot sighed feeling himself loosen and relax under her hands, the tips of her hair brushing against his skin as she bent over him. “So good.” he mumbled into the pillow.
Cassie hummed gently to herself until eventually Eliot was basically a puddle. She smiled and pressed a kiss onto the firm skin of his shoulder. And then, so quickly she didn't actually know how, Eliot had managed to flip her onto her back and settle himself over her, all warm muscle and smiling eyes. “Hey.” she whispered.
“Hey yourself.” he nudged her nose with his.
Cassie snapped awake. Her apartment was silent. There was no one padding about tending to herbs in pots or reading Russian masters or plucking at guitar strings. The space she had fallen in love with when she first moved in, all light and air, now felt very, very big and very, very empty. She swung her legs out of bed and made her way into the kitchen flicking on the light as she went. She set the kettle to boil and took out her favourite teacup. She pulled open a drawer looking for a teaspoon when the sleek black handle caught her eye. She picked the knife up. A tear dropped down her cheek and splashed off the black ceramic blade. She set the knife down carefully and swiped roughly at her cheek. This was what it had come to. Weeping in the early hours of the morning over high end kitchen knives. God she missed him.
–
Sweat dripped down Eliot's face as he put himself through the next set of punishing reps. His phone buzzed on the bench. “Yeah?”
“Hey Eliot we got a job. Can you come in?”
“I'm on my way.” he started unwrapping the material around his hands and cracking his knuckles. His muscles are aching, to be honest they have been for days. He hasn't worked like this for years. Since working with Moreau. But he needed it. The repetition. The pain. He needed to keep moving because if he stopped he wasn't not sure he'd have it in him to start again.
He got a large black coffee on his way to HQ. He only needed 90 minutes of sleep but his body had gotten used to sleeping beside Cassie, to her heartbeat and warmth. His sleep was patchy at best and he found himself jolting awake in a panic when he couldn't feel her beside him his subconscious forgetting what his conscious knew.
“Hey,” Parker met him at the door. “So... um... you... you know... good?”
Eliot glared at her.
“Thought so.” Parker said backing off.
Cassie glanced up as they entered, Eliot took in the purple shadows under her eyes she'd tried to cover with make up, then quickly averted her gaze.
Hardison and Parker exchanged looks. “Are you guys gonna be OK working together?” he asked apprehensively.
Cassie sighed, “Look. Eliot and I still care about each other. We still care about the job. And we're both grown ups. We can act professionally. Right?”
“Right.” Eliot nodded.
Nate stood “OK Hardison. Run it.”
“OK, meet Jack Mikelson. General sleazeball. His family come from old money.”
“That's the mark?” Cassie asked.
“Yeah.”
“Huh.”
“Problem?”
“I'm going to have to take a back seat on this one guys. I may have sold Mikelson a fake Rembrandt a few years ago.”
“And he found out?” Parker asked.
“Not until I was in Venice eight hundred thousand dollars better off.” she grinned.
–
Cassie was scribbling in her sketchbook. She huffed in frustration and tore a page out, crumpling it up and tossing it away. “Hey.” Sophie sat down next to her. “You O.K?”
“I'm fine.” Cassie said.
Sophie raised a brow. “I've got the afternoon off whilst the guys do some prep work. I think we need to go shopping.”
As they existed the fifth high end boutique Sophie turned to Cassie, “Feel better?”
Cassie shifted her hold on her purchases. “Not really.” she sighed.
Sophie squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, “You and Eliot will work it out.”
Cassie shrugged, “I hope so it's just neither of us really planned on...”
“Falling in love?” Sophie filled in.
“Yeah.” Cassie smiled, “Yeah. You know I mean when we started... us... it was running cons and laughter and really great sex. We never really did the whole talking about ourselves bit. Not the important stuff. Not really. And I worry that... maybe we missed our shot.”
Sophie shook her head, “Look none of us are what you could call exactly normal. But this team has a way of figuring things out albeit unorthodoxly. You two are going to be just fine. Now,” she set off briskly, “you need a new pair of shoes to go with that gorgeous skirt.”
Cassie followed in her wake.
–
“Hey.” Sophie sidled up next to Eliot. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” Eliot looked around the office. “Cassie's not here.” Sophie said, “I shopped until she dropped.”
“Say your piece then,” Eliot said, “I know you've been dying to.”
“I'm not trying to get involved.” Sophie began, Eliot couldn't keep in his low sound of scepticism. “It's something you two have to work out.” Sophie ploughed on, “I'm just saying; Cassie told you stuff right? Stuff about her past. Stuff she's not told anyone else. She loves you. Anyone can see that. And I know you love her.”
“So I don't see what the problem is.” Eliot confessed a little desperately. “I don't know how to fix this.”
Sophie shook her head slightly. “You really don't do you? Look does Cassie seem like the kind of woman who would accept anything less than your all? I'm not saying open the flood gates. But... secrets wear away at a relationship. You don't have to share everything but Cassie doesn't deserve someone who's unwilling to give what she's already given. You understand?”
Eliot was silent for a long while. “I don't want her to see me as that guy.” he said under his breath.
“You're not that guy any more.” Sophie said. “Cassie knows that. We all know that. But I don't think you do.” Over on the other side of the room Hardison swore loudly. Eliot and Sophie hurried over.
“Guys, we have a problem” Hardison pulled up images on the screens. “I intercepted an email sent to Mikelson from his head of security. He doesn't buy the con.”
Shots of Sophie walking down a street came up. “This was sent before Sophie met with him today.” Parker said, “Why didn't he call the bluff?”
Eliot's hands tightened into fists, “Because we led him to something he wants even more than money.”
The picture on the screen, taken long range, showed Sophie leaving a coffee shop laden down with bags accompanied by Cassie.
“Dammit. She's not picking up.” Eliot said throwing his phone down.
Hardison began typing frenziedly. “She turned on her ear bud.” he said looking at the screen. “I've got a GPS location. It's out near the docks.”
–
Cassie's head was pounding. She kept her eyes shut and tried to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was heading home and... someone yanking her down an alley... a pricking pain... she opened her eyes and twisted her head. A small bruise was forming around a needle mark on her upper arm.
“You're awake.”
Cassie glared up at Jack Mikelson and knew she was in trouble.
“Did you really think you could run a second con on me?” Mikelson hissed. Cassie stayed silent. “I've been looking for you for almost three years.”
“Well congrats. You found me.”
“Do you know what your little stunt cost me? Never mind the eight hundred thousand you stole. I had to pay off the authorities who wanted to prosecute me for buying stolen art. My wife left me.”
“Now don't you think that might have been more about your repeated infidelities than me?”
“You don't get to walk away from this.”
“I did.” Cassie mocked.
“Oh yes, you got your happy ever after did you?”
“Pretty much. Had a great holiday around Italy, thank for the funds by the by, met up with some new friends, hey even started seeing someone.”
“A crook like you?”
“Actually he's a chef.”
Mikelson laughed coldly. “Sounds dreamy. Now,” he pulled out a hammer from one of the warehouse's crates, “are you still painting?” Cassie eyes followed the hammer coming closer and closer. “How easy do you think that will be when you can no longer bend your fingers?”
“No.” she yanked on the tape around her wrists but there was no give. Two of his men stood behind her holding her down. “No, no,” he came closer and closer. “Don't. No!”
The doors to the warehouse burst open, splinters of wood flying out in front of the jeep that had just ploughed through them. Eliot jumped down from the back.
Mikelson's men strode towards him. Eliot grabbed the first one's fist and squeezed. Cassie could hear bones grate against each other over the man's pained howl. Eliot yanked him closer and floored him with a swift blow to the neck. The second goon hung back a little, looking hesitant. Eliot gestured him forwards with two fingers. He charged, yelling wordlessly. “Oh I wouldn't,” the henchman landed hard on the floor with a sickening crunch and didn't get up, “do that.” Cassie finished lamely. “Mr Mikelson, did I forget to mention he's a chef and one of the most feared hitters in the world?”
Mikelson paled and backed away. Eliot's face was completely cold. Mikelson couldn't even say 'please' before Eliot had him on the floor and his arm around his neck cutting into his carotid. Mikelson's face went red and then began to turn blue.
“Eliot.” Cassie pulled against her restraints again. “Eliot. Stop. Stop! Please. He's not worth it. Please.”
Eliot looked up and Cassie held his gaze for a long moment. He nodded and released his grip. Mikelson slumped over, unconscious but alive.
He was at her side in a breath pulling a knife out of his belt and slicing neatly through the tape. “Are you hurt? Cassie! Are you hurt?”
She shook her head and wiggled her fingers, “All ten still in working order.”
“Don't do that to me again.” he said pulling her out of the chair and into his arms, tangling his fingers through her hair.
“What's this?” she half laughed, half cried into his shoulder, “Eliot Spencer doesn't get scared.”
“I was scared then.” he mumbled. “I was so, so scared.”
“I'm OK.” she said gripping him tighter, “I'm ok.”
–
In the end they went with dirty and efficient. Hardison cleaned out every account Mikelson had and stuck him of seven different countries' no fly lists.
Cassie dabbed at Eliot's knuckles with an antiseptic soaked cotton wool pad. “I haven't seen you angry like that in a while.” she whispered keeping her head bowed over his hand.
“Haven't had a reason to be in a while.” he said roughly back. Cassie set aside the antiseptic and wrapped his bruised and bloodied knuckles up neatly in gauze but when it came to tying the end off her normally steady hand was shaking so badly she couldn't.
“I got it.” Parker said gently taking over.
Cassie nodded drawing her traitorous hands in tight to her body. “I... I'm going to go home.” she said to the room at larger.
“I'll drive you.” Nate said.
Cassie offered no resistance. “Thanks.” she said quietly.
Eliot watched her go.
–
After a long hot shower Cassie felt more herself. She pulled on her comfiest yoga pants and dug out one of Eliot's worn henleys the sleeves falling well past her fingertips. She'd not been allowing herself to wear them but she needed the familiarity, the comfort tonight.
Cassie was making herself a cup of tea when she heard the sound of the door unlocking. She turned around. He stood slumped in the door frame. “Eliot.”
He shook his head, “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”
“No.” She placed her hands on his chest.
“You were right.” he whispered, “I want to tell you everything.” he grasped both her hands in his, twisting their fingers together, holding her so tight it almost hurt.
She brought their joined hands to her lips and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of his hand. “Tell me tomorrow.” she said tugging him over to the bed.
They lay down pressed together, her back against his chest not a breath of space between them. She lay her hand over his one resting on her stomach. “We have time.” she said. Eliot breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of her hair, her warm skin. They had time.