A/N: This was originally written for the Leverage Big Bang over at LJ (thebigbangjob). In October 2010, it was posted all in one run (11 chapters total) and in journal format, so it didn't get a lot of readership. Thought I'd post it over here for anyone who might want to read it. One chapter a day for eleven days, thats the plan!

Disclaimer: Leverage and all recognisable characters belongs to Devlin, Rogers, Downey, TNT... pretty much not me. New characters are mine.

Chapter 1

Eliot had to think that Nate was just a little dumb wanting to live in a place which four known thieves each had a key to, even if they were the good guys these days and had kind of learnt to trust each other in a strange way. Of course, free entry to the place the team called an office most of the time came in handy when a person realised they had left something behind and wanted to get it back, such was the case today with the hitter and his jacket.

Letting himself into the apartment, he called out for Nate just in case the guy was home. When there was no reply, he just closed the door behind himself and set about hunting for his left behind clothing. It wasn't anywhere obvious, but then Eliot wasn't entirely sure where he might've left the jacket anyway, or where Nate or anyone else might've put it after the event when they were straightening up or whatever. The idea occurred that it might be upstairs, that maybe Sophie had filed it away in Nate's closet by mistake. He looked towards the stairs and got quite the shock when he suddenly realised he was not alone.

A pair of long shapely and decidedly female legs were descending the spiral staircase, bare from the toes all the way up to a very short robe... that wasn't a robe at all.

"That's my jacket," he said without thinking, his brain lagging a little behind his eyes that travelled up then to the face of a woman he didn't know, but would certainly like to. "Hi."

"Hey," replied the stranger, a smile playing at her lips as she realised whoever this guy was he was totally checking her out. "Your jacket, huh? I figured it was a little young for Nate," she commented as she looked over the one item of clothing she was wearing over her underwear.

"You know Nate?" asked Eliot, his curiosity the only thing strong enough to over-ride his alpha-male instincts.

"From way back," she said, with a vague gesture over her shoulder. "God, it's gotta be... four years since I saw him last," she realised as she thought on it.

Eliot opened his mouth to speak but never got the chance as the mystery woman pushed her dark curls over her shoulder and walked on by to the kitchen. The hitter turned himself around and watched as she searched through the cupboards, going up on her tip-toes to see better and revealing the black lace she wore beneath his jacket.

"Who are you?" he asked then, his eyes closed a moment just so he could concentrate on what was important here, like the fact someone may or may not have broken into the Leverage team's base of operations.

"You really thinking about my name right now?" she chuckled in response, peering over her shoulder at him. "I'm Marissa," she told him. "and you are...?"

"Eliot," he admitted, watching her lips curve into a smile.

"Really?" she checked, closing the cupboard door and turning round to face him, a bottle of Hardison's orange soda in her hand now. "Y'know, you don't look much like an Eliot," she told him, leaning on the counter as she observed him and giving him yet another view he wasn't about to complain about.

"It's the name my Momma gave me," the hitter shrugged as he wandered over, echoing her position on the opposite side of the counter.

"Hmm," Marissa looked at him a little too intently, smile wavering some before she finally spoke again. "Wait a second... Eliot?" she echoed the name he had given her. "You're not Eliot Spencer, are you?" she checked, causing an immediate look of worry on his face.

His mouth open and closed like a landed fish as his mind spun in six directions all at once. Eliot couldn't help but wonder if he was being an idiot here. This woman could be anybody, he knew that. She could be an undercover cop, an assassin maybe, either way a whole lot more dangerous than she appeared. He didn't want her to know he was panicking but it was a little late for that apparently.

"Hey, don't look so worried," she told him with a shake of her head, rounding the counter and coming at him, even as he warily backed up a step. "I'm not out to get you or anything," she assured him. "Actually..." she went on, sliding in closer, reaching out a hand to his shoulder, "I might just be your biggest fan," she told him.

"Is that right?" he asked as she gazed up at him through dark lashes. "I have a hard time believing a nice girl like you knows anything about what I do," he said seriously, a little on his guard just because he still wasn't entirely clear on who he was dealing with, but slowly getting more than a little distracted by the view he had down inside what was in fact his own jacket.

"Well, first of all, who said I was a nice girl?" said Marissa, leaning in impossibly close, forcing Eliot to back up a couple of steps before he even realised what was happening. "And second of all, I know all kinds of interesting things," she whispered near his ear.

"Oh yeah?" he checked, his arms going around her body just because they had nowhere else to go, and it was probably a good thing since the very next moment, her weight pushed him back, his legs hitting the arm of the couch and tripping him onto it.

Marissa landed on top of him, her lips on his as was her intention. Eliot ought to have stopped her, but at the end of the day he was just a red-blooded male, and there was very little for him to argue about if a gorgeous young woman wanted to get him into a compromising position. Besides it wasn't as if she was carrying weapons, there was absolutely nowhere for her to hide anything, but then hiding didn't seem to be her intention, so much as revealing everything!

"All I'm saying is that maybe you should try to be a little more social," Sophie suggested as she and Nate walked back up to his apartment, having just handed over good news and cash to their latest clients.

"And here was me thinking you'd rather I wasn't drunk," pointed out Nate as he exited the elevator a step behind her.

Sophie let out an exasperated sigh as she turned and leaned her back against the wall by his door.

"Nate, you can be social without drinking, you know," she said, as he located the key to let them into the apartment. "I just think, well, you're a bit short on family and friends, and you haven't been on a date in how long?" she asked, apparently a rhetorical question as Nate ushered the grifter inside ahead of him, still talking away. "I mean... Oh blimey!" she suddenly exclaimed, turning her back on the sight before her.

Nate was similarly taken aback to find a shirtless Eliot, now on top of a near-naked young woman right there on his couch, making out like it was going out of style, and apparently eager to clear all four bases, up until the moment he and Sophie had walked in.

Eliot swore colourfully under his breath as he rolled off the girl, realising just in time that she'd gotten his pants unfastened when he wasn't paying attention.

"Nate, Sophie," he greeted them awkwardly, prompting the grifter to peer carefully over her shoulder just as Eliot finished buckling up his belt.

Behind him, his would-be sexual partner quickly refastened her bra, pulling the throw from the back of the couch around her body now they had company.

It was only as Eliot stepped aside to reach for his boots that Nate and Sophie got a proper view of their young lady visitor.

"Marissa?" Nate's eyes were comically wide and there was a horrible moment when Eliot actually thought he'd almost slept with another of the masterminds exes.

That was proven to be false in the extreme the very next moment, though Marissa's response didn't make him feel in any way better.

"Hey, Uncle Nate," she waved one hand awkwardly as she got to her feet.

Eliot looked between the two of them, and honestly kind of wished the ground would swallow him whole right now.

To Be Continued...