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Sep. 12th, 2010 05:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theroadhouseTitle: Family Drama
Characters: Nate, Eliot, Parker
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1649
Summary: Nate and Eliot finally have their sit-down to discuss Faith and Eliot's relationship.
Author's Notes: Part of "The Ties That Bind Job" 'verse, set shortly after the events of "Six Months Is A Long Time". Both of these are set just after "The Jailhouse Job" in canon (minor spoiler for the ep). Having been stonewalled by Faith in his attempts to get her to break off her budding relationship with Eliot, Nate asks his hitter to meet him at McCrory's so they can talk things out.
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“Is Nate gonna kick you off the team?”
She sounds almost excited, Eliot thought, taking a long pull off his beer and trying – without much success – to ignore Parker.
“Sophie says he’s really mad that you and Faith are having sex,” the thief continued. “He told her it ‘crosses a line’ or something.”
Great. Eliot scowled, draining the rest of his bottle and setting it on the table with a thump. He’s playing it like that, then. “It’s a weird situation,” he said finally, knowing Parker would keep talking until he said something. “Best we talk it through.”
“So he doesn’t kick you off the team?”
Eliot rolled his eyes, throwing up his hands. “Jesus, Parker – give it a rest, will ya? This is hard enough without the running commentary!”
“What happened with you three the other night?”
Headache, Eliot thought, pressing fingertips to his temples and rubbing in small circles. Here it comes. “Can you go ask Cora for some aspirin and another beer?” He glanced over at her. “Please?”
“You shouldn’t have any more beer if you and Nate are going to fight,” she said, staring at him reprovingly.
Eliot remembered his little brothers – the two that had lived after that horrible winter just before his seventh birthday. Jeremiah had been just like Parker, full of questions and painful truths, poking at Eliot and Lindsey in turns until one or both of them lost their temper.
He hadn’t seen Jeremiah or Patrick in nearly twenty years.
“We’re not going to fight,” he said, forcing himself back under control. “Can you just go get me the aspirin please?”
“And the beer?” she asked.
Eliot sighed. “Something to wash it down with. I really don’t care at this point.”
The thief slipped off through the crowd. Eliot stared at the empty bottle in front of him, twirling it slowly under his fingers. This really wasn’t going to go well at all. Despite his assurances to Parker, Eliot knew there was a very good chance Nate would insist he choose between the team and his involvement with Faith.
And if he was pressed for the decision, Eliot honestly had no idea which way he’d go. It was all well and good for Faith to put her foot down and establish that Nate had no say in who she shared her bed with. She hadn’t made the same commitments Eliot had.
He sensed Nate entering the bar, and straightened up in his seat. Here we go.
Prison had changed Nate. He didn’t know how much the others had picked up on, but Eliot saw the difference in every line of the man’s body; how he held himself, how he moved – his awareness of the crowd that filled McCrory’s, and the threats they might be hiding.
Even the position of the chairs at the table Eliot had claimed for their meeting. Nate looked pointedly at the configuration, then at Eliot – who shook his head. “I’m not switching with you, man. You’re gonna have to start trusting me to watch your back again.”
Nate blew out a quiet breath, and then took the seat directly opposite Eliot. It put his back squarely to the door, and Eliot could see immediately how hard that was for him. Hard lessons, he thought – feeling a rush of sympathy for the older man.
“Thank you for coming,” Nate said, signaling to a passing waitress. “Coffee, please,” he told her. “Black.”
The woman nodded and moved on. Eliot didn’t know whether it was Nate’s own guilty conscience, or if he had actually picked up something in Eliot’s expression, but he said quickly, “I’m trying.”
Eliot smiled sadly. “Not for yourself, though.”
Nate looked as though he wanted to say something else entirely. Instead he repeated, “I’m trying.”
Parker chose that moment to bounce back up to the table – an uncapped beer in one hand. She held a closed fist in front of Eliot’s face.
Wincing at her extreme violation of his personal space, Eliot held up his own hand, so that she could drop two white tablets onto his palm. Once he had them, she passed him the beer and took back her seat at his side. “Did you kick him off the team yet?” she asked Nate. “I don’t want you to kick him off the team. Neither does Hardison or Sophie.”
Eliot popped the aspirin into his mouth, and took a quick swallow of beer.
“Parker,” Nate said, “Eliot and I need to talk. Alone.”
Parker’s expression fell. She looked at Eliot, and he nodded his agreement with Nate. “Alone.”
“Fine,” the thief grumbled, getting to her feet. “You just better not kick him off the team,” she said, pointing a warning finger at Nate. “Sophie’ll be mad at you.”
“I’ll add it to the list,” Nate said – the strain on his patience finally creeping into his voice. “No eavesdropping.”
The two men watched as the thief slipped through the crowd, and towards the stairs. Eliot laughed shakily. “I don’t think my sex life has been discussed this much since I was in grade school.”
He winced inwardly as Nate turned back towards him, realizing immediately that it had been the wrong thing to say. “I’m just going to say it straight out,” Nate said. “I want you to stop sleeping with Faith.”
Okay, then. Eliot dropped his gaze to the bottles in front of him again. He exhaled softly, trying to make sure when he spoke he was going to be absolutely calm. Emotional outbursts weren’t going to solve anything at this point.
“I think Faith already told you that you had no say in this,” he said finally, meeting Nate’s eyes.
Calm was met with calm; Eliot was grateful for that, at least. “You don’t agree with her,” Nate countered. “Not entirely, or you wouldn’t have agreed to talk to me.”
Eliot sighed. “I think our relationship has different considerations.” It was the most diplomatic answer he could come up with on the spot. “We work together. You’re my friend – despite your best attempts to keep all of us at arm’s length.”
Memory of a ship’s deck some six months earlier; Nate handcuffed to the rail, Eliot’s world spiraling out of control… “You’re family,” he continued. “And that means something to me. It means that even though we may not agree on something, I’ll listen.” He paused. “And I’ll expect you to do the same.”
A different girl set Nate’s coffee down in front of him. He took a sip, seeming to consider everything Eliot had said.
“I don’t want this for her,” he said, finally. “I don’t want you for her. You keep your relationships very casual, Eliot. That’s fine, that’s your choice. I get that.” His eyes ticked down briefly, and then back up again. “She’s my daughter. If things go bad between the two of you, it changes everything.”
Eliot smiled ruefully. “That’s honest.” And not entirely wrong, he was forced to acknowledge to himself – even though he dared not say it out loud. Faith was wild, violent, and overly emotional. It was entirely possible that between the two of them they were going to fuck whatever this was up so badly that Eliot would be forced to leave. “I won’t come between you and Faith,” he said, finally. “I know how much having her in your life means to you, Nate, and I give you my word I won’t be the one to mess that up.”
“You need to bend a little here too, however,” he went on. “Your daughter is a grown woman.” Eliot gestured between himself and Nate. “There’s ten years’ age difference between you and me. That means there’s only six between me and her. That’s not an unreasonable gap for two people in a relationship.” He chuckled. “Hell – she’s older than Hardison by at least that much.”
Nate took another sip of his coffee, his expression careful. “Do you have feelings for her, Eliot?” He held up a warning hand. “I don’t need you to get graphic – I just need to know.”
Eliot turned a number of possible responses over in his head, before settling on one that had the least chance of offending Nate and derailing the whole conversation. “I have feelings for her, yes,” he said. “If you want me to tell you anything more than that – I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Because you don’t know, or because you don’t think I should know?”
“Believe it or not I’m not blind to how much of a bad idea this is,” Eliot said, once again toying with his beer. “The list of reasons to call this thing off right now, are much longer than the reasons to stay in it.” He shook his head, cutting Nate off. “But I do have feelings for your daughter, and I’m pretty sure she has feelings for me. I don’t know how extensive they are yet, or how they weigh against all the potential badness…”
He sighed, forcing himself to say the words – to draw that final line in the sand. “But I also know that as important as you are to me and to her, Faith is right. This isn’t your call to make.”
Nate studied him for a long moment. Eliot tried to get a read on his mood, and quickly gave it up. Nate in control was one of the most inscrutable men he’d ever known.
“If this is between the two of you,” he said finally, “then I’m going to ask you to make sure it stays between the two of you. No drama with the others, and if I have no say in things – I don’t really want to know.” He paused. “Can you do that for me?”
Eliot picked up his beer and tapped it lightly against the rim of Nate’s coffee cup. “It’s a devil’s bargain man, but I’ll do my best.”
Characters: Nate, Eliot, Parker
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1649
Summary: Nate and Eliot finally have their sit-down to discuss Faith and Eliot's relationship.
Author's Notes: Part of "The Ties That Bind Job" 'verse, set shortly after the events of "Six Months Is A Long Time". Both of these are set just after "The Jailhouse Job" in canon (minor spoiler for the ep). Having been stonewalled by Faith in his attempts to get her to break off her budding relationship with Eliot, Nate asks his hitter to meet him at McCrory's so they can talk things out.
==========================================================================================
“Is Nate gonna kick you off the team?”
She sounds almost excited, Eliot thought, taking a long pull off his beer and trying – without much success – to ignore Parker.
“Sophie says he’s really mad that you and Faith are having sex,” the thief continued. “He told her it ‘crosses a line’ or something.”
Great. Eliot scowled, draining the rest of his bottle and setting it on the table with a thump. He’s playing it like that, then. “It’s a weird situation,” he said finally, knowing Parker would keep talking until he said something. “Best we talk it through.”
“So he doesn’t kick you off the team?”
Eliot rolled his eyes, throwing up his hands. “Jesus, Parker – give it a rest, will ya? This is hard enough without the running commentary!”
“What happened with you three the other night?”
Headache, Eliot thought, pressing fingertips to his temples and rubbing in small circles. Here it comes. “Can you go ask Cora for some aspirin and another beer?” He glanced over at her. “Please?”
“You shouldn’t have any more beer if you and Nate are going to fight,” she said, staring at him reprovingly.
Eliot remembered his little brothers – the two that had lived after that horrible winter just before his seventh birthday. Jeremiah had been just like Parker, full of questions and painful truths, poking at Eliot and Lindsey in turns until one or both of them lost their temper.
He hadn’t seen Jeremiah or Patrick in nearly twenty years.
“We’re not going to fight,” he said, forcing himself back under control. “Can you just go get me the aspirin please?”
“And the beer?” she asked.
Eliot sighed. “Something to wash it down with. I really don’t care at this point.”
The thief slipped off through the crowd. Eliot stared at the empty bottle in front of him, twirling it slowly under his fingers. This really wasn’t going to go well at all. Despite his assurances to Parker, Eliot knew there was a very good chance Nate would insist he choose between the team and his involvement with Faith.
And if he was pressed for the decision, Eliot honestly had no idea which way he’d go. It was all well and good for Faith to put her foot down and establish that Nate had no say in who she shared her bed with. She hadn’t made the same commitments Eliot had.
He sensed Nate entering the bar, and straightened up in his seat. Here we go.
Prison had changed Nate. He didn’t know how much the others had picked up on, but Eliot saw the difference in every line of the man’s body; how he held himself, how he moved – his awareness of the crowd that filled McCrory’s, and the threats they might be hiding.
Even the position of the chairs at the table Eliot had claimed for their meeting. Nate looked pointedly at the configuration, then at Eliot – who shook his head. “I’m not switching with you, man. You’re gonna have to start trusting me to watch your back again.”
Nate blew out a quiet breath, and then took the seat directly opposite Eliot. It put his back squarely to the door, and Eliot could see immediately how hard that was for him. Hard lessons, he thought – feeling a rush of sympathy for the older man.
“Thank you for coming,” Nate said, signaling to a passing waitress. “Coffee, please,” he told her. “Black.”
The woman nodded and moved on. Eliot didn’t know whether it was Nate’s own guilty conscience, or if he had actually picked up something in Eliot’s expression, but he said quickly, “I’m trying.”
Eliot smiled sadly. “Not for yourself, though.”
Nate looked as though he wanted to say something else entirely. Instead he repeated, “I’m trying.”
Parker chose that moment to bounce back up to the table – an uncapped beer in one hand. She held a closed fist in front of Eliot’s face.
Wincing at her extreme violation of his personal space, Eliot held up his own hand, so that she could drop two white tablets onto his palm. Once he had them, she passed him the beer and took back her seat at his side. “Did you kick him off the team yet?” she asked Nate. “I don’t want you to kick him off the team. Neither does Hardison or Sophie.”
Eliot popped the aspirin into his mouth, and took a quick swallow of beer.
“Parker,” Nate said, “Eliot and I need to talk. Alone.”
Parker’s expression fell. She looked at Eliot, and he nodded his agreement with Nate. “Alone.”
“Fine,” the thief grumbled, getting to her feet. “You just better not kick him off the team,” she said, pointing a warning finger at Nate. “Sophie’ll be mad at you.”
“I’ll add it to the list,” Nate said – the strain on his patience finally creeping into his voice. “No eavesdropping.”
The two men watched as the thief slipped through the crowd, and towards the stairs. Eliot laughed shakily. “I don’t think my sex life has been discussed this much since I was in grade school.”
He winced inwardly as Nate turned back towards him, realizing immediately that it had been the wrong thing to say. “I’m just going to say it straight out,” Nate said. “I want you to stop sleeping with Faith.”
Okay, then. Eliot dropped his gaze to the bottles in front of him again. He exhaled softly, trying to make sure when he spoke he was going to be absolutely calm. Emotional outbursts weren’t going to solve anything at this point.
“I think Faith already told you that you had no say in this,” he said finally, meeting Nate’s eyes.
Calm was met with calm; Eliot was grateful for that, at least. “You don’t agree with her,” Nate countered. “Not entirely, or you wouldn’t have agreed to talk to me.”
Eliot sighed. “I think our relationship has different considerations.” It was the most diplomatic answer he could come up with on the spot. “We work together. You’re my friend – despite your best attempts to keep all of us at arm’s length.”
Memory of a ship’s deck some six months earlier; Nate handcuffed to the rail, Eliot’s world spiraling out of control… “You’re family,” he continued. “And that means something to me. It means that even though we may not agree on something, I’ll listen.” He paused. “And I’ll expect you to do the same.”
A different girl set Nate’s coffee down in front of him. He took a sip, seeming to consider everything Eliot had said.
“I don’t want this for her,” he said, finally. “I don’t want you for her. You keep your relationships very casual, Eliot. That’s fine, that’s your choice. I get that.” His eyes ticked down briefly, and then back up again. “She’s my daughter. If things go bad between the two of you, it changes everything.”
Eliot smiled ruefully. “That’s honest.” And not entirely wrong, he was forced to acknowledge to himself – even though he dared not say it out loud. Faith was wild, violent, and overly emotional. It was entirely possible that between the two of them they were going to fuck whatever this was up so badly that Eliot would be forced to leave. “I won’t come between you and Faith,” he said, finally. “I know how much having her in your life means to you, Nate, and I give you my word I won’t be the one to mess that up.”
“You need to bend a little here too, however,” he went on. “Your daughter is a grown woman.” Eliot gestured between himself and Nate. “There’s ten years’ age difference between you and me. That means there’s only six between me and her. That’s not an unreasonable gap for two people in a relationship.” He chuckled. “Hell – she’s older than Hardison by at least that much.”
Nate took another sip of his coffee, his expression careful. “Do you have feelings for her, Eliot?” He held up a warning hand. “I don’t need you to get graphic – I just need to know.”
Eliot turned a number of possible responses over in his head, before settling on one that had the least chance of offending Nate and derailing the whole conversation. “I have feelings for her, yes,” he said. “If you want me to tell you anything more than that – I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Because you don’t know, or because you don’t think I should know?”
“Believe it or not I’m not blind to how much of a bad idea this is,” Eliot said, once again toying with his beer. “The list of reasons to call this thing off right now, are much longer than the reasons to stay in it.” He shook his head, cutting Nate off. “But I do have feelings for your daughter, and I’m pretty sure she has feelings for me. I don’t know how extensive they are yet, or how they weigh against all the potential badness…”
He sighed, forcing himself to say the words – to draw that final line in the sand. “But I also know that as important as you are to me and to her, Faith is right. This isn’t your call to make.”
Nate studied him for a long moment. Eliot tried to get a read on his mood, and quickly gave it up. Nate in control was one of the most inscrutable men he’d ever known.
“If this is between the two of you,” he said finally, “then I’m going to ask you to make sure it stays between the two of you. No drama with the others, and if I have no say in things – I don’t really want to know.” He paused. “Can you do that for me?”
Eliot picked up his beer and tapped it lightly against the rim of Nate’s coffee cup. “It’s a devil’s bargain man, but I’ll do my best.”
