The Spencer's Rest Job

He'd always taken care of them, it was just 'what he did' that was his job; he'd been the teams hitter, its protector, but now it fell to them to take care of him.

Eliot had always went out of his way to never let any of them to see when he'd been injured and hurting over the years, feeling that it would impact his ability on the job, they wouldn't intentionally go into a plan knowing he would get hurt if they realised how bad it could get sometimes and that would've put the others at risk and Eliot couldn't have that.

Recently he'd been hurting more frequently and hiding it very well, even when not on a job, so that's why it had come as a complete shock when he told them all about the cancer. The doctors said it was one of those things, the causes and reasons were still being researched, so no definite answers, but Eliot had his own ideas; too many years of damage, too much scar tissue and now he was beyond repair. (Eliot still thought it all stemmed back to North Korea and that damn monkey!)

They'd offered him all they could, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a few experimental treatments (the doc was an old friend who owed him) but it was only going to prolong his life by a few months, not cure him so Eliot had refused.

"At least when I go I'll still have ma hair" he'd joked.

By the time he told the rest of his team he'd been given an estimate of 2 months, that could have been extended by 6 if he took the therapy, but what was the point if he was going to feel like crap for the extra time, might as well enjoy what he had left instead of feeling sick right?

They'd been shocked and yelled.

Sophie telling him he was a stubborn ass that should have told them before.

Nate despondently saying that he should have noticed something was off.

Hardison choked back a sob and maintained there had to be something as his fingers flew across his keyboard searching for anything to help his friend, his brother.

Parker, in typical Parker fashion, told him he wasn't allowed to take her brother to a bar in heaven, cause he was too young. That one gave Eliot a smile and a small chuckle, he loved that there was something wrong with her. Telling Parker had worried him, she hated people to leave, everyone had done it all through her life and he didn't want to be another one, but he had no choice; but with that one comment, he knew she'd be okay.

The team stopped taking jobs when they found out and instead visited some of his favourite places.

They'd all went with him when he finally made up with his Dad after 20 years, and if they'd thought Eliot was pig-headed and stubborn, well now they knew where he got it from.

It had been interesting to say the least, Spencer Snr was just as bad and uncommunicative as his son, lots of glaring and arm crossing. It really was scary what Eliot could with his just his eyes, another thing he seemed to have inherited from his dad, but they managed to get past it and come to a 'gentleman's' agreement about the past and move on from there.

When he'd gone to check on Aimee, he didn't talk to her, just checked in, making sure her new husband was on the up and up, they'd gone there too.

He'd steadily worked his way round most of the people from his past that he cared about (Willie, Toby, Shelley, Vance and Quinn-which surprised the team a little given their past), also a few ex-clients and people he'd met on the jobs that had gotten under his skin, like Randy, Kaye Lynn, Molly, Martin and even Hurley, just to make sure everything would be alright without him.

Sophie and Parker finally found out what he did with most of his share of the Dubenich money.

Nate and Sophie had gotten married; he'd given Sophie away and had been so proud to do it.

Parker and Hadison were settled, well as settled as Parker ever would be, they'd continued Leverage Inc. after Nate and Sophie retired, and had a few more teams running in different countries, with the two younger members overseeing operations.

Somewhere along the line they'd even managed to coax Quinn into joining one of the teams, and after Shelley left the service he would be Eliot's replacement on the team alongside Parker and Hardison.

Everything had been put in place, every t crossed, every i dotted, but somehow as they sat in this room on his ranch (Eliot didn't like hospitals, bringing him home was a simple thing they could for him) looking out the picture windows at the horses running free, they couldn't help but feel he was holding out, waiting for something, but they had no idea what.

As the four of them sat around his bed, no-one quite knowing what to say, they sat listening to him breathe, the gaps getting longer between each one, sometimes he seemed to stop then start again; the doctor had told them to expect this, it was normal, it didn't make it any easier to listen too though. As they sat listening to the halting breaths coming from their friend, each time waiting for the one that would falter and end, they knew that he knew they were there, even if he couldn't recognise them or was even conscious long enough to focus on any one person, they knew he felt them there and that gave them as much solace as they hoped it gave him but they still didn't know what he was waiting for.

Then Parker stood up and went and laid down carefully next to him on the bed and whispered in his ear as she held him, "It's okay Sparky, we'll be okay, we'll take care of each other. You taught me so many things, but mainly that it was okay to be me, no matter how weird; and I love you for it. You are my family and you are a good man Eliot Spencer and if anyone disagrees with that, well you just send them on down here to me and I'll set them straight. You have a good, kind soul and deserve to rest."

She looked up at the rest of her team her eyes filling with tears as they realised what she was doing, she was giving him the permission to leave them.

They all got up and came closer to the bed each one giving their permission for him to go.

"You are my brother Eliot, and you are always with me in here" Hardison told him lifting the other man's hand and placing it over his heart, giving him a traditional fist-bump when he laid his hand back down.

"You helped me discover who I really was, found me in the darkness, I love you Eliot" Sophie told him, her voice breaking at the end, as she kissed his cheek.

"You gave me strength to go on when I didn't think I could, you built me a family, you made me whole again when I didn't think it possible, you are my brother, my son, my friend and I am a better man for knowing you." Nate told him as he leaned over and kissed his friend on the forehead.

"You can rest now Eliot, we will all be fine with you as our guardian angel, in death as in life, watching from the heavens. Sleep my friend and suffer no more" Nate said as he smoothed his hand over the younger man's hair as Eliot seemed to relax a little and took a few more rattling breaths and then everything was still.

Parker walked over to the windows and opening them said "The soul takes flight to the world that is invisible but there arriving she is sure of bliss and forever dwells in paradise" turning back towards her friends she wiped away the tears that stained her face, and feeling a peace wash over her said "he's free".

They held a memorial service for him in Father Paul's church, and Nate hoped to God that Eliot was somewhere watching because he'd always thought he was a bad man who didn't deserve the love people gave him. And this….this proved otherwise.

The church was filled with old clients, neighbours he'd helped over the years, people he'd served with, friends and family. Eliot thought he'd had a debt to make up for, things he'd never atone for, but looking round the church at the people who had travelled across states, hell across oceans, to be here to show respect and love for a man who thought he had been alone until he met the team; Nate smiled to realise how wrong Eliot had really been about himself

They buried him on his ranch, forever to stand as protector for the wild mustang that populated the valley, his grave marked simply with hand carved wooden marker, Eliot had made it when he'd gotten sick, Parker painted a beautiful picture on it for him and they'd tied one of his bandanas around it. The plaque simply said

'Here lies Eliot, Brother, Son, Protector, Friend. You are loved. Always.'

They'd buried his guitar with him and Parker had insisted that they bury one of his knives with him, just in case.

They used the ranch as a center for children, a place away from whatever was troubling their young lives, each of the team giving a large portion of their time to running the place.

Spencer's Rest was a sanctuary for all, it became a well-known safe haven for anyone who needed it, everyone protected from the bad, just as it should be, with Eliot watching over all from his place high on the hill.

Always.

Quote – Plato – The soul takes flight to the world that is invisible but there arriving she is sure of bliss and forever dwells in paradise