Written for ziplockeddaze
Prompt: Leverage, Eliot & Sophie or Team, (yearning for) unconditional trust.

Disclaimer: No harm intended, just showing my love for the show.

Guilty Heart

The storm raged on outside, lightening splitting the night sky and thunder filling the air with its angry rumble. The power had already been out when the team arrived. Sophie pulled the bowl of grapes from the darkened refrigerator before moving back to the living room. Nate was tying up a few loose ends and had asked everyone to wait for him at his apartment so that they could go over the plans for the morning. Sophie paused for just a moment to toss Alec a bag of gummy frogs and pass Parker, who is perched on the arm of Hardison's chair, a bowl of dry cereal. They each flash her a quick smile before returning to the movie that is playing on Hardison's Net Book.

Eliot is stretched out on Nate's couch, a small flashlight propped on his shoulder casting light on the thick hardback mystery he's reading. Although she would never admit it there is something about the sight of Eliot in those little wireframe glasses that makes her want to pinch his cheeks and ruffle his hair. Especially now when his face is still smooth from shaving for the con. Eliot shifts his gaze to her questioningly….suspiciously. When Sophie only shrugs and moves onto her own chair he focuses his attention back on the book.

Once settled onto her chair Sophie picks up her book, a script for an upcoming production at the community playhouse. Flipping on the book light she pops a grape in her mouth and tries to focus on learning her lines. She can't seem to concentrate, her gaze wondering to the other occupants of the room.

It's been almost a year since the whole 2nd David fiasco. The team has been back together for the last five months, helping clients…stealing things. Everything is going well for the most part, but Sophie can't help but want more. The grifter is not foolish enough to believe that she ever had Nate's complete trust, the man chased her after all so he knows all her tricks. Yet, she had been reasonably sure that she had once had the trust of the younger members of the team.

Sophie remembers that anxious fluttery feeling in her stomach as she stood in the mansion and waited to see if Eliot would accept her unspoken but honest apology. It had startled her when she noticed the looks both Parker and Alec were giving the hitter. There was no denying what those looks meant. Their trust relied on Eliot's reaction in that moment. As if they didn't trust their own hearts and minds. Sophie was startled to realize just how much her actions had shattered the team.

Sometime later she looks up to find Hardison and Parker have moved to the kitchen table and Parker is trying to teach Alec to pick a lock in the dark. Sophie looks toward the couch and bites her lower lip to keep from giggling. The mystery novel is face down on Eliot's chest and his head is tilted toward the coffee table. His glasses are askew and as he watches him shift his head slightly they threaten to fall to the floor. Standing Sophie moves to the retrieve the glasses before they can hit the ground. Placing them on the coffee table he pulls the green throw off the back of the couch and covers the sleeping man.

Smoothing the blanket across Eliot's shoulders she looks up into sleepy eyes. "Everything is alright Eliot, go back to sleep." She says in a quiet voice, and she's surprised when he does just that. To anyone else that simple act would seem a small thing, it's only thru knowing the man that Sophie could see it for what it was. Eliot Spencer sleeping in her presence, their presence was an act of complete and unconditional trust.

Touching his cheek softly Sophie stood and moved into the kitchen, her heart lighter than it had been in ages.