Hey everyone! So I recently finished Leverage, and I immediately jumped into The Librarians, both the show and crossovers between the two. I was amazed to find only one fic where Eliot is Jake, so I wrote my own. This happens five years after Leverage ends, and will span the entire series of The Librarians. I have four chapters written already, including this one. I'll post those as soon as my beta, Bookdancer, is done with them. There'll be one chapter per season, as well as one for post-season three. I'll start writing again once season four starts.

This fic is Parker/Eliot/Hardison.

The title is also the title of one of Christian Kane's songs.

I do not own Leverage or The Librarians, and I hope you all enjoy!

"And the Crown of King Arthur" and "And the Sword in the Stone":

Hardison finishes covering the tracks of Leverage International in their last case. Hitting 'enter' and humming the Star Wars theme song to himself, he fist pumps the air. "Done! That's what I'm talkin' - about?" Frowning, Hardison leans closer to his computer screen to read the alert that popped up. His eyes widen and, wasting no time, he spins out of his chair and vaults for the stairs that lead to the bedroom. "Eliot! Eliot, get your butt down here!"

"So what you're saying is you did too good a job on an ID again?" Parker asks, leaning in to peer at the alert.

Hardison cuts neatly in front of her, warily watching her sticky, chocolate covered fingers. They better not get anywhere near his screen. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Someone looked up Eliot's 'Jacob Stone' ID from that job in Oklahoma back when Leverage was still a teeny tiny baby in Nate's brain, and -"

"Dammit, Hardison," Eliot groans, starting to pace like a caged animal. "I should just be thankful I'm not being kidnapped by Russians, shouldn't I?"

"Hey!" the hacker complains, waving his index finger back and forth in an 'nuh-uh' motion. "No one complained when Alice White got called in for jury duty! What's so bad now?"

"What's so - Hardison! That was jury duty! This is someone actively searching for Jacob Stone, for reasons unknown. It was bad enough I got invited for a different job the first time, this is ten years later! And unless you want to scrub that ID, get me a plane ticket for Oklahoma." Turning on his heel, Eliot storms out of the room, tossing over his shoulder, "I'm goin' to pack."

Eliot grew up in a small town like this, so fitting in at the bar as just another country boy is easy. Languages, like the one on the strange woman's arm, are also an easy part of playing the genius. Between the army, his early jobs as a retrieval specialist and bodyguard, and then his time with Leverage, he's picked up quite a few. Pretending to be the person who only ever fought in bar fights, that's the hard part. Well, that and "Ninjas, Hardison! Ninjas. In Oklahoma looking for Jacob Stone. What the hell?"

Parker, of course, starts verbal vomiting about how fantastic that is, how jealous it makes her that Eliot gets to fight "ninjas, Eliot, ninjas! You're so lucky!"

They both ignore Hardison's protests about "how was I supposed to expect ninjas? No one ever expects ninjas, that's kind of the point Eliot!"

The magical library doesn't help matters one bit.

Ezekiel Jones doesn't recognise Jacob Stone as world-renowned hitter Eliot Spencer, even though Parker only needs a few seconds on the button cam's video to ID him. "I've run into him once or twice," she says vaguely, spinning around in a roller chair out of Hardison's reach. "Possibly literally. I maybe stole his mark before he reached it."

Hardison crows that no recognition came from the other thief because of his terrific hacking job. Eliot rolls his eyes, but doesn't argue. For once, he gives the hacker his righteous win.

Eliot can take care of himself, even against any not-ninjas that Stone might have after him. Magic, though… that could be helpful to know about, which will only happen if Stone sticks around.

"Are you sure, Eliot?" Hardison asks doubtfully, making grabby hands at Parker, who stole his orange soda. "You won't be able to come home, and I don't trust them to watch your back."

Parker swallows some of the orange soda, makes a face, and tosses it back at Hardison for him to fumble with, cursing as he tries to prevent it from spilling. "Especially when you're not Eliot, Eliot," she informs him.

"I appreciate that, darlings," Eliot drawls, keeping an eye out for the other Librarians so their whispered comm conversation stays secret. "But I promise you, if I'm ever in real danger, the con ends. Besides, while the others may not have any combat experience, the Colonel certainly does - NATO Counter-Terrorism. She'll watch my back."

"NATO Counter- and how do you know that?" Hardison says exasperatedly. "A distinctive haircut? Gun? Stance?"

"She told me," Eliot rolls his eyes, but can't help a small grin as Parker bursts into cackling laughter.

As simple as that, and Eliot ends up acting as the grifter in a long con. No one says anything about how much they'll miss the others. It doesn't need to be said.

Thankfully for Eliot, Stone is an art historian genius. Any other kind would have been impossible to handle on his own. After five years spent non-stop around world-renowned art thief Sophie Devereaux, though, it's remarkably easy - especially with Hardison's voice in his ear, whispering small details to fill in the blanks.

Cassandra Cillian betrays them, and Eliot Spencer really should have seen it coming. Everyone has a weak spot, something they want, and she has one more prominent and easier to find than most. He hadn't seen it coming, though. As a thief himself, he watched the other thief the most. Even when Cillian is back with them, he can't find it in himself to forgive her. It took him a long time to forgive Sophie after an entire year working together, and for Cillian it will take even longer. *You don't con your own crew.*

Eliot pointedly ignores the fact that he's doing the same thing.

Out of all the places the Annex could be physically anchored to, Eliot never expected Portland. He just doesn't have that kind of luck. And yet, as he walks into the Bridgeport BrewPub to greet his partners, as Parker jumps him like a clingy monkey and Hardison leans in to kiss him gently, as he kisses back, Eliot dares to wonder if maybe, just maybe, they do.

"And Santa's Midnight Run":

Santa Claus, of all people - Eliot's ear still rings from Parker's screech at the news, and she hasn't stopped begging for an autograph since - tells Jacob Stone he knows "both incarnations of him." Eliot fights to keep his face still, but knows he failed. "Both incarnations of him" can only mean one thing - that Santa knows Jacob Stone is actually Eliot Spencer.

After those words, Parker goes utterly silent, and Hardison begs him to "get out, Eliot, abort mission! Abort!"

Eliot says nothing, knowing that is answer enough for them, as he locks eyes with Santa. If you tell them, they say, I will beat you into such a pulp your sleigh turns blood red.

Santa only winks back and doesn't say a word throughout the entire day.

Jacob Stone gets his Christmas bar fight, but Eliot Spencer keeps his secret.

"And the Apple of Discord":

Stone picks up the apple of discord, but it's Eliot who's affected by it. The moment he picks it up, he's drawn to one place and one place only - San Lorenzo, to kill Damien Moreau once and for all. He didn't before, because he's not that man anymore. He refuses to be that man again, and with every ounce of fight within him he gasps out a cry for help. It's silent enough that no one around him hears, but Hardison's comms pick up every vibration, and that proves enough.

"Eliot?" Parker asks, her fear for him clear in her voice. It isn't every day the hitter asks for help, so he completely understands. "Eliot, are you ok?"

"I can't," he manages to whisper. "I can't… I have no control. I have no control, Parker, I can't…" He can hear fear in his own voice now, and he hears the quiver of Hardison's ragged breathing worsen over the comms, which makes it unforgivable. "Tell me what to do. Give me an order, now, and I'll do it. I'll do it for you. Anything."

"Eliot," Hardison whispers like his heart is breaking, but Parker understands. She tells him to steal a small, inconsequential painting from a nearby museum. She gives him a reason that fits with his grift, and it works. Parker's order, the fear in their voices… no version of Eliot could ever refuse those.

"And the Fables of Doom":

The fear he heard then is nothing compared to the fear he hears when his comm finally comes back online. He's thankful for Jones turning him into a robot to beat the wolves - it meant he didn't have to reveal how good he actually is at fighting in order to survive the fairy tale - but it created a new frequency that messed with the comms. They were on the blitz for 273 seconds while Hardison got them back up and running. Eliot knows that because when they start working again the first thing he hears is Parker's voice counting up: "-3, 274, 275-"

"I'm here," he rasps, and Parker's voice stutters to a halt.

Hardison whispers "thank God," and Eliot can't help but agree. This con… this separation… it hurts them all. They get most nights together, thanks to the Annex being in Portland, but during jobs only the comms and button cam connect them. If something happens to either side, it will take too long for the other to reach them to be of any help. That may have worked once upon a time when they were lone wolves, but now they are more than pack. They survive together or not at all, and taking the risks they do, Eliot knows that something breaking is inevitable. The questions remain, though: what will be the final spark, and what fire will it light?

"And the Rule of Three":

Every word Stone gives to someone else about his past matches one Eliot holds inside himself, matches who Eliot might have become if he had stayed in his small town instead of joining the army. The best actor, Sophie taught him, tells the truth.

"And the Heart of Darkness":

The words are out before Eliot can stop them. *"Cause I'm thinking fire, huh? We burn the joint down."* Hardison's frantic rambling, nonstop ever since Baird revealed they were in the original haunted house, comes to a sudden halt in his ear. Parker, who usually picks up the slack whenever both her boys go silent, doesn't start talking. Baird and Cillian can't hide their horror at the idea, which probably also stems from his idea not corresponding in any way with Stone's character. Katie starts screaming at him about how her friends are still in the house, and so is his.

Except that's the problem, isn't it, Eliot thinks to himself as he closes off from the rest of them. The Librarians and their Guardian aren't friends, not yet. Not quite. They're like Leverage in the early stages. Jones still runs from danger half the time, even Cillian doesn't completely trust herself, Baird views protecting them as a duty, and Stone conceals the fact that he's actually Spencer.

Despite all of that, Eliot does want to become friends with them. This isn't a regular con, and they're not marks, so he sees no problem with it. He even thinks it'll happen eventually, just not for awhile yet. And until that happens, Eliot's number one goal, above anything else, is returning home safely and in one piece to his family. If that means abandoning people likely already dead, then that's what he'll do. He won't like it, and it may not be doing the right thing, but it also doesn't make him the bad guy. Like he reassured Parker all those years ago on that mountain, it just makes Eliot… Eliot.

A short while later, Cillian has saved them all, Jones can only be described as acting like their little brother, and the Colonel sleeps on Stone's shoulder. Eliot thinks friendship… well. It may just have come sooner than he thought.

When he mumbles this into the giant hug Hardison and Parker have him wrapped up in upon his return, they both laugh. "Dude," the hacker says, "the exact same thing happened at the beginning of Leverage, I don't know why you're so surprised."

"Little Eliot is making friends," the thief mocks, patting him on the head even as Eliot tries to swat her hand away.

"Parker, I have friends," the hitter growls. "You've met them, hell, you've had dinner with 'em. And if I'm short, you, darling, are even shorter. Boots with heels can't change that."

Parker just grins cheekily and runs off with his latest bracelet. Eliot gives chase, leaving Hardison to collapse to the floor laughing.

"And the City of Light":

Stone flirts on occasion because it's part of his character, though nothing ever comes from it.* In Eliot's ear, Hardison gives him grief about it, and Parker kisses him extra hard when he gets home. They all might be used to their partners flirting for cases, but that doesn't mean they have to like it.

"And the Loom of Fate":

Eliot held back tears as Baird died in his arms. Then, Flynn, Jenkins, and the Colonel graduated the Librarians in Training in a way that seemed awfully reminiscent of Sophie and Nate passing on Leverage to his trio. He shares a single glance with Ezekiel, no words, and then they both ran off to join Cassie on a mission.

Eliot thinks there's a chance that they aren't just friends; they're well on their way to becoming his second family. The only thing standing in their way, now, is the fact that they only know him as Jacob Stone.

On their way out of the Annex, Baird pulls each of them aside and tells them about their other worlds. She means well, Eliot knows: means to tell them that they can survive on their own, to erase any self-doubt about their capability as full-fledged Librarians.

Except, if the other him was the Librarian for ten years, then what happened to Leverage? He would have gotten the offer right at the beginning, before they became a family. Eliot tries not to, but he can't help but picture it: Nate sending Stone to the interview to keep up the ID, getting the job, accepting the job, leaving Leverage, leaving -

Baird doesn't mention anyone else being there, doesn't mention any comms. She doesn't mention Parker or Hardison, and that's enough for Eliot to know in the other timeline, they aren't his partners. It's enough for him to know he never wants to be in that timeline. Not ever. The hitter can't imagine a world without his thief or his hacker, can't imagine the type of man he would be. That isn't a life worth living, not even for a little while.

**Lines taken from The Librarians "And the Heart of Darkness".

*Yes, this means that Stone and Collins never kissed in the UFO/Tesla episode.

**Any other lines starred like this are direct / almost direct quotes from Leverage.

I hope you all enjoyed, and please review! I would love to know what you all think.