Notes: This is set in my Black King White Knight! Universe and will make more sense if you have read the story collection posted here by that title (or, if you havn't/don't feel like reading the whole thing, have at least read Not Going Anywhere, Stay, and Blessed Be the Cracked which are chapters in said story). It also may make more sense if you've read my story Cell Number Eight. This is a Nate/Eliot story. Be warned.

Note the Second: Cannon-wise this story takes place after the Tap-Out Job but before The Order 23 Job.

Fathers
Chapter One: Found You

Josephine Phillips opened her eyes, holding up a hand to shade them when the bright rays of morning sunshine through the windows nearly blinded her. It took her a moment to process what was wrong before she sighed. Her children always got her up to make them breakfast before they went off to school and with Scott away on business until Tuesday there was no way they'd just woken him up.

Which meant they'd probably overslept. Again.

You'd think they were in high school the way Marie and El carried on, not in fourth and sixth grade and getting up at the brutal hour of eight in the morning.

She sat up and stretched, shaking her head but smiling indulgently. She really would have to put her foot down one of these days. Or call their uncle and have him put his foot down for her. She and Scott were just too good natured sometimes.

"Hunny, time to get up." She called as she opened the door to her son's room.

His bed was empty, a note left on the pillow in a agitated script she knew more from nightmare than memory. Two words that had haunted her dreams since childhood of cat and mouse games her big brother always lost.

"Found You."

oOo

Parker loved Wednesdays, especially now that she was working with the team. Before the days of the week hadn't really mattered that much to Parker except for the closing hours of places so it had taken awhile to get used to the nine to five five days a week at the office (well, eleven to whenever after fiveish they felt like going home) when they weren't doing a special job elsewhere. Supposedly, back when they had offices, it was to keep up appearances, though Parker guessed Nate was trying to keep them out of trouble. It had taken awhile but she, and everyone else had gotten used to it. Now Parker had a feeling Nate wished they weren't so used to it that they ended up in his place about as often as they'd been in the offices. Parker hoped he got used to it eventually because she'd learned to love every unique weekday's little treat and didn't want to give it up.

Mondays were for catching up and gardening and working on her harness stuff. After all it normally had been more than a day since she'd seen the others and Hardison or Eliot normally had some cool stories from over the weekend. Then she had to see to her plant Simon and tell him his weekly story and play some music to help him grow (Hardison had helped her pick out a living plant so Simon actually did grow unlike Melvin) which meant she had to put him on Nate's upstairs windowsill for awhile to give him privacy since he was shy. She'd work on the designs for her most recent harness project and just relax and wait until nightfall so she could test it out without scaring the neighbors (which Nate had pointedly ordered her not to do).

Tuesdays were also good. Parker wasn't sure why. They were a lot like Mondays only without anything special or new. But she had a strange fondness for Tuesdays.

Thursdays were the days Eliot took it upon himself to try to teach the rest of them some basic self defense in his studio so when Parker wasn't "Dancing" with Eliot she got to watch him and Hardison go at it and she cheered on her boys with encouragements and the occasional order to kiss which went ignored.

She might have to stop that now that she knew Eliot and Nate were a thing. Sophie had told her awhile ago that it wasn't good to encourage people to be faithful to a lover. Or was it unfaithful?

Did normal people really pray to their lovers?

She'd have to ask Sophie.

Fridays were nearly the best. Nate had used to let them leave early and then they'd meet up later at Hardison's place or a bar or somewhere fun for team bonding that might boil over into the next day. Now they normally went downstairs to the bar to do much the same.

But Wednesday…

Wednesday was the day of the weekly Staff Meeting.

She loved the staff meeting.

Between Eliot grumbling and purposefully getting to Nate's late, Sophie puttering about, Nate needing a refill on his drink, Hardison needing a refill by the time Nate and Eliot were sitting down, and everybody pointedly ignoring Parker bringing Simon to the meeting it was nearly eleven thirty before the eleven o'clock meeting started. Back at the office Nate had started building in an extra forty-five minute "Welcome" period into the meetings so they would still be sort of on schedule by the time everything was said and done. Nowdays Parker was pretty sure he was just happy if they were all in the general vicinity by noon.

Which was around when they were actually getting their act together on this particular Wednesday.

"These are your new passwords and security codes to our network, security systems, and company safe houses." Hardison started, passing file folders around the table with the usual security briefing he insisted holding every other week. "I'll be collectin' the end."

"Oh, Eliot. I have the book you lent me." She reached for her purse, bringing the meeting swiftly out of the business part into what tended to make up the staff meeting.

Members of the "staff" meeting.

"You know I just met someone who had a first edition Sherlock Holmes he needs to get off his hands. I've been meaning to ask if you'd be interested in it?"

"Hey Parker, you wanna come over later?" Hardison asked across the table. "I gotta sweet new sound system."

"Is it sugary?"

"Is it A Study in Scarlet? I heard a copy of that was stolen."

"Why am I not surprised?" Nate asked, humor in his voice.

Hardison had recovered from his shock at Parker's reply to give one of his own. "No. It's not sugary. It's cool. Awesome. Girl there is somthin' wrong with you."

"That's what I say." Eliot agreed, like all of them easily following every train of the interlocking conversation. Okay, so maybe

"I'm seriously starting to agree with ya man."

"I don't know." Sophie interjected. "You're American slang can be quite difficult to follow at times."

"All I said was that it was sweet! I- NATE!"

Nate took another sip of his coffee, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Parker didn't think he enjoyed these as much as she did.

"It's sort of like you and you'r-"

Eliot and Hardison both turned to Sophie with a matching glare that almost dared her to complete that insult toward football.

There was dead silence, well discounting Parker whispering to Simon that she should bring popcorn to the next staff meeting, when a cell phone went off.

The tension broke and Eliot answered, his face transforming from mildly annoyed to concerned and he left the apartment without a second glance. "woah, slow down there. Tell me whats up…" His voice trailed after him as he made his way to his office.

There was a moment of silence and they all waited for Eliot to return for a second before slowly the staff meeting minus one continued. Though with Nate watching the door and nodding at the appropriate occasions it might have been the meeting minus two.

oOo

It was a little before one and they'd finally managed to get through the rest of the topics they needed to cover at the staff meeting when Nate called an end to the meeting. Eliot hadn't reappeared and Nate was starting to get a little worried.

They were just beginning to break apart to go to their normal activities when Eliot returned to the apartment, his travel bag slung over one shoulder and posture tense. "I got business to take care of. May be a little while. Call my cell if you need me." Was all the explanation gave before he turned and headed back for the door.

Nate sidestepped, putting himself between Eliot and the door. "Whats going on?" They wouldn't break rule number eight but every instinct in Nate was screaming at him not to let Eliot go out that door. Something was going down and when Eliot turned wild blue eyes on Nate he felt his heart almost stop.

He had seen Eliot worried, concerned, anxious, even scared. Hell he'd seen more of scared Eliot than probably any other person alive.

But right now Eliot looked haunted.

No. Not haunted.

Hunted.

Like something that was trying to decide weather to flee from a predator or stand and fight. There was old terror there.

Nate waited a breath, then another one. He waited, silently praying that Eliot would say something. Eliot didn't say goodbye when he left for jobs. He said when he'd be back.

When he didn't say when he'd be back, or where and when they would meet up, it was because he didn't plan on that happening.

Eliot closed the gap between them, placing a hand against Nate's chest but never once breaking eye contact. The silence stretched a moment longer, breath loud in Nate's ears though weather it was his own or Eliot's he didn't know.

Eliot's lips moved a moment and stilled before his hand moved to the back of Nate's neck, pulling him close and whispering in his ear. "Knight to H-7. Queen's gambit declined." Then he turned and was out the door.

In the shock of the empty silence that followed his departure Nate closed his eyes, seeing the chess game they kept going in their heads for when they couldn't sit down to play a game. He moved Eliot's knight, already knowing what he'd find.

The move left the knight open and waiting, trapped between Nate's rook and black knight. Either piece Nate moved Eliot's white Knight was going to be taken.