The Ghost Job

The sun forced its way through the curtains and ended any doubt of the time; its rays reached in bright tendrils up the bed, crawling over his legs and chest. He turned to check the clock on the nightstand - late enough to get up, yet early enough to enjoy the day off. His eyes diverted back to the bed before him. Sometime during the night, the sheets had managed to slide down to his mid ribs and wedged tightly underneath him. The red marks down his right arm, indicating that it had been wrapped in the tangle until recently, caught his attention as he gently tugged the sheets free.

He realized his careful tugging was moot when he felt the pair of fingers walk up his left arm. His contented snort caused the fingers to retract. As he rolled his gaze to his left, the owner of the fingers propped herself up on her elbow and stared down at him with a grin. Her red curled locks caught the lights as she smiled.

"Good morning."

"Yes, it is," Eliot replied with a smile.

"What do you have on the calendar today?"

"Absolutely nothing… what'd you have in mind?"

"Mmm… over breakfast?" she answered.

"Sounds good," he smiled. A familiar sound pierced his ear. His smile collapsed as he stared at the cellphone flashing on the nightstand. He quickly reached up and glanced at the screen – Nate – "No," he growled.

"Who is it?" she asked. He stared at her with a pout. "Ah." She bit her lip in sympathy.

She slid out from under the covers once the phone stopped ringing. Her cami fell loose over her lounge pants as she scooped up one of his button down shirts and slid it on over her shoulders. The phone started ringing again when she leaned over his face.

"I'll start breakfast, you answer the phone."

"Don't want to…" he muttered.

"He's just gonna keep calling. Better to deal with him now rather than let him ruin the whole day." She gave him a kiss and disappeared through the doorway.

Eliot took a deep frustrated breath and slowly released before answering.

"No. No. No. I don't care if you're in jail, Sophie's holding a bomb, Parker's trapped in a Steranko and Hardison's buried alive… the answer is NO. We got the day off – I am NOT helping anyone today."

After a pause, Nate answered, "Sophie would like everyone to come to brunch. Parker and Hardison are already coming."

Eliot frowned, "She's not cooking it, is she?" He heard the beep of the grocery store scanner in the background. Sophie placed the last item on the conveyor belt.

"Humor her," Nate replied.

"We had food poisoning for a WEEK last time…" Eliot griped.

"That could happen to anyone – even you."

"Not with strawberry shortcake…"

"I'll be supervising her, or you can to make sure she doesn't make anything, you know, lethal," Nate added aside. Sophie overheard and punched him in the ribs.

Eliot muttered under his breath.

"You had plans, didn't you?" A radio suddenly came to life, filling the apartment with music. 'Ah, the mystery girl, is it?" Nate teased.

"Tell him to bring her. I'm curious to meet this girl that has Eliot all a flutter. We're not going to talk business…" Sophie insisted.

Eliot rubbed his face in frustration.

"Are you coming or not?" Nate finished.

"Let me ask her," Eliot sighed. He climbed out of the sheets. His feet hit the hard, cold floor and he felt like cursing Sophie and her brunch. A moment later, his feet began to warm being covered by his burgundy lounge pants. He sighed and followed the path to the kitchen.

The music was still humming loudly from the kitchen. Eliot could hear some clanging of dishes.

"Hey, Lace?" he called, the cell in his hand. "I hope you didn't get too far… Sophie wants…" He entered the kitchen as he spoke.

The moment he crossed the door threshold, a sharp impact sent the cell phone clattering to the floor. Eliot jumped back into the dining area, clutching his wrist. His heart rate sped up as he looked back through the doorway.

His attacker stood just inside the kitchen, his grin spread wide – taunting Eliot. The sensation running down Eliot's spine told him there were more people in the room. He was trapped in a blind corner. There was no way to see how many people were hidden or where. Eliot didn't want to go in blind, his throbbing wrist and broken cellphone were bitter reminders of how dangerous that was – he needed more intel. If he couldn't see where the others were, he needed someone who could to tell him.
He let his arms fall down at his sides and sent a taunting smile back. The man froze and glanced to either side, pausing momentarily in both directions.

Eliot smiled. "Two friends flanking the door," he thought. He quickly drew a mental map. The space to the left was narrow, no real area to hide – that attacker meant to surprise him. The one to the right had to be between the island and the counter - the first attacker would be blocking his approach. All three had gotten in without alerting him – they weren't regular thugs. One was bound to be armed. Close quartered and silent – it wouldn't be a gun – but a knife or club of some sort were possibilities. Eliot ran through the list again. "The left," he decided, the one on the left was armed. Eliot took a deep breath and let it out.

It wasn't going to get any easier waiting, so he stepped forward again. He moved in a lunge toward the first attacker. The man balked and stepped back – blocking his friend. Eliot abruptly turned his attention to his left as the first man backed away. His instincts were right; the man to his left was striking with a six inch blade. Eliot twisted to the side, grabbing the man's forearm with both hands to guide the knife away. Once the blade was clear, his right hand released the forearm and he drove his elbow into the man's face. Meanwhile his left hand pulled the knife wielding arm to its full extension. With the arm fully extended and the man doubling over from the blow to his face, Eliot was easily able to crack the elbow across his knee. One scream sounded before the knife and the sobbing man hit the floor.

Eliot turned his attention back to the other two attackers. The first was regaining his composure and took a swing at him. Eliot's left hand caught the fist in the air. His right drove straight into the man's nose. The attacker's knees went shaky. As the final attacker charged in, Eliot pulled the wobbly attacker in between them. The charging attacker tried to stop but still punched his partner in the cheek. Eliot shoved the wobbler into his partner and kicked the final attacker's feet out from under him. Both men grabbed the island for support while Eliot took a step back to prepare for their next attempt.

A shrill whistle shot through the room followed by a familiar snicker. "Now, I know I told you that a little patience was required here. Eliot isn't going to want to see the girl get hurt more than necessary," Chaos chided.

Eliot finally took a moment to glance across the room. On the far side of the island, Chaos stood with a wide grin. A fourth man stood beside him, Lacey's right arm clutched tightly in his hands. Eliot couldn't see the means but could tell her hands were bound behind her. Blood ran down her left temple and cheek to the gag wrapped tightly around her face. A companion to the blade on the floor hovered against her throat. She stood tall but Eliot could see the fear and confusion in her eyes.

He glared at Chaos. The heat building in his face nearly made him shake.

"The 'LOOK'… even when I have all the cards – you still think you've got a chance to intimidate me. I love that," Chaos laughed.

"What do you want?" Eliot growled.

Chaos smiled.

Nate heard a crash before the line went dead. He stared at the phone a moment.

Sophie paid the bill and glanced back at him. "What did he say?"

"Nothing, the line went dead," Nate answered. He redialed Eliot's number, but the call went straight to voice mail.

"Think he's trying to avoid us?" Sophie asked. It was meant to ease their minds, but Sophie wasn't sure what bothered her more – the idea that Eliot really had trouble or that he would try to avoid them, or more accurately her.

"I have a bad feeling," Nate added. "We better check it out."

Sophie nodded as they grabbed the bags. "Better call Parker and Hardison."

It took Nate ten minutes to get to Eliot's place. The street was fairly quiet and normal. Nothing seemed out of place until they reached Eliot's door: it stood open. Nate slid up next to the frame. He pinned Sophie along the wall behind him before reaching out and pushing the door completely open. The kitchen was a mess; a trickle of blood ran down the freezer door and dishes lay shattered on the floor.

Nate crept into the room and looked closely at the freezer door. Sophie followed, continuing around the island toward the dining room. The shape sprawled in the doorway gave her a start.

"ELIOT!?" she shouted and ran to his side. He was face down but she could hear him breathing as she knelt down. "Nate!" she called.

Nate approached and looked at them. Eliot was covered in bruises and cuts. A large bruise ran straight across his lower back about the height of the counter.

"He took a blow to the head," Sophie sighed. She could feel the lump at the back of his skull.

"You stay with him," Nate ordered as he stepped over Eliot to check the rest of the apartment.

Eliot started groaning and moving his arms.

"Easy…" Sophie cooed as she helped him over onto his back. He bit back several yelps as they went. Once he was over, Sophie could see why: his nose bled and his arms and chest were covered with more cuts and bruises. Two spots on his ribcage had turned a very dark shade of purple.

"The place is empty," Nate blurted as he returned to the kitchen.

"Eliot, what happened?" Sophie cried as she looked him up and down again.

"Get... me… up," he choked.

"I don't think that's such a good idea in your condition. You need to take it easy," Sophie answered.

"Please," he pleaded through clenched teeth.

"We'll get him up on that stool." Nate pointed at a row of stools under the near side of the island.

"Why?" Sophie argued.

"Cause my ass is the only thing that doesn't hurt right now," Eliot explained, his teeth still clenched and his voice shaky.

Sophie bit her lip and nodded, "Alright." She and Nate pulled him up off the floor as gently as possible. Nate walked him to the stool slowly while Sophie opened drawers one by one until she found a towel. She grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, carefully wrapped it and brought it to Eliot. He took it graciously, placing it gingerly on his swollen head.

"So what happened?" Sophie repeated.

"Besides getting my ass kicked…" Eliot muttered, his voice still a bit shaky.

"Yes…AND that."

"We're here. Why I don't…" Hardison strolled in with Parker. The sight of everyone in the kitchen gave him pause. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?! And PLEASE tell me they're not still here."

"They're gone, Hardison," Nate replied as he stuck his hands in his pockets and circled over to Hardison's position.

"That's good news," Hardison choked.

"Oooo, does that hurt?" Parker grinned. All four of them glared at her.

"Eliot was just telling us what happened," Sophie explained.

"It was five guys," Eliot began through the wince-inducing pain, "they set up an ambush in here."

"So five guys just happen to sneak in, without alerting you, and setup an ambush in your kitchen, right when your new girlfriend is over. Sounds convenient," Nate argued.

"She didn't…" Eliot began until he had to bite back a cry of pain.

"And you know this how?"

"Cause one of them was…" Eliot paused, looked at all of them and sighed, "Because one of them was Chaos."

"Chaos? Scrawny little gets his ass kicked every time we see him Chaos? THAT Chaos?" Hardison gaped.

"Yeah," Eliot muttered.

"How the hell did Chaos manage to do that?" Hardison pointed at the bruises.

"Because Eliot LET him," Nate answered knowingly.

"Why the hell would Eliot LET anyone do that?"

"You were trying to protect her…" Sophie looked Eliot in the eyes.

"Her?" Hardison frowned.

"His new girlfriend," Parker blurted as she playfully slapped Hardison's arm. "Pay attention."

"Does everyone know but me?" Hardison whined.

"Apparently," Nate shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hardison glowered at Eliot.

"Because he didn't tell anyone," Sophie answered.

"Then how…" Hardison continued.

"You haven't noticed his behavior lately?" Sophie laughed.

Hardison scowled and thought back.

~Eliot entered the briefing carrying two bottles of soda, one an orange that he placed in front of Hardison as Nate began his speech.

There were multiple instances that Hardison recalled of seeing Eliot smile.

Hardison made a Star Trek reference… and Eliot didn't say a word.~

Hardison hung his head. "WOW, um. Ye-yeah, I see it."

"That obvious, huh?" Eliot asked.

"Yeah, sweetie," Sophie pat his shoulder. "But it's adorable."

Eliot pulled the ice pack down, flipped it and laid it over the shoulder she had pat.

Sophie winced when she realized what she had done. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Did they happen to say what they wanted?" Nate asked.

Eliot shook his head.

"That's helpful," Nate sighed.

Hardison began to poke around. When he found a new tablet computer on the counter, he picked it up.

"You holding out on me?" he asked as he presented the tablet to the team.

"Yeah, Hardison. I work part time in IT now…" Eliot sniped as he rolled his eyes.

"Your girl's a geek?" Hardison grinned.

"That's not Lacey's either."

Hardison's smile vanished and he dropped the tablet. He took several steps back.

"If it was a bomb, it would've gone off already, Hardison." Nate shook his head.

"Yeah, I knew that." Hardison crept back.

"Guess that's our clue to what he wants." Sophie twisted her lips.

"Hardison?" Nate ordered.

After a deep breath, Hardison pushed the power button and flinched, waiting for the explosion. Instead, he was greeted by a familiar laugh and a tsk tsk.

"Getting slow, Hardison," Chaos teased. Hardison set the tablet down in the middle of the island so everyone could see the screen.

"Get to the point. What do you want?" Nate barked.

"Ooo, so impatient, Nate. That's not like you. I think I wanna gloat a little here."

"Better say all you're gonna say, cause you're a dead man," Eliot growled.

"Probably, but not today," Chaos grinned.

Eliot opened his mouth to snap back at Chaos but Sophie spoke up first. "Obviously there's something you want from us… What is it?"

Chaos smiled. "All the information you need is stored on the tablet. It's fairly simple. You get what I want and we straight trade the goods for the girl. I know it's clichéd but there's a reason it's still used – it works."

"Why us? Hundreds of thousands of thieves in the world and you pick the 5 who would rather turn you in AGAIN than work with you," Hardison pointed out.

"This particular item requires a high level of skill, intense team effort, cooperation and numbers to retrieve," Chaos explained.

"No one would work with you," Nate blurted.

Chaos' face was indignant. "No one of high enough caliber, no. You've made it impossible to form any sort of reliable, highly skilled team. Everyone thinks a job worthy of their time will end up putting them on your radar. I figure since YOU are the reason I can't get the item myself, it's only fair that you get the item for me."

"And you figured the best way to twist our arm was to involve an innocent victim…" Nate began.

"That's about it. Your hero complexes won't allow you to say no."

"Gutsy or stupid to take on Eliot…" Hardison whispered.

"No, that was planned. He wanted a hostage who wasn't a part of the team, so we could get the item, but a hostage that'd get our full attention," Nate tried to explain.

"You stake out the only loner in the group and it's a pretty good bet a weekend will deliver a decent hostage," Chaos interjected.

Eliot's head dropped as he sighed and closed his eyes. He slowly shook his head.

"It's not your fault," Sophie assured him.

"Come on! It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out," Chaos sneered.

"Obviously we wanna see the girl first," Nate redirected. "And talk to her."

"I thought we could skip that part, but then, I don't trust you either," Chaos answered. He nodded to someone off screen. The camera moved off of Chaos and showed Lacey.

Eliot looked at the screen. She looked exactly the same as she had in the kitchen earlier. The trail of red was still running down the side of her face. One thing was different – her eyes. He could still see the fear, but the confusion had dissipated and been replaced with anger. She was scared and she was angry – the most deadly combination in nature. What he couldn't tell was if the anger was directed completely at Chaos or if a portion was reserved for him as well. He glanced at the team quickly. All of them seemed focused on concern for her – except Nate. Nate recognized the look in her eyes too. Eliot knew the wheels were turning in that mind of his. One benefit to Nate knowing that look, he wouldn't question her innocence anymore.

Sophie elbowed Eliot just enough to get his attention but gently enough to not add to his bruises. When he looked at her, she rolled her eyes in the direction of the screen. He returned his gaze to the screen.

"Lace?" he asked cautiously.

"Eliot?" She was still breathing rapidly.

"How are you holding up?" It sounded awkward as he said it, but somehow it seemed better than How are you doing? which seemed so obvious.

"I'm okay considering. Are you okay?" she managed to respond without her voice shaking.

He looked down at one of the deep purple bruises on his ribcage. "I've been worse. I'll be fine. I'm gonna get you out of this, I swear."

"I know," she swallowed, "but could you make it sooner rather than later? I'm not sure how much more I can handle of the incessant talking. I may throw myself out a window." She tried to laugh.

"Oh, I love her," Sophie whispered to Eliot.

Eliot couldn't stop the small smile that crept on his face. "Do my best to speed things up."

The camera whipped back around to Chaos. "I'll contact you when the job is done." The screen went dark.

"Eliot…" Nate stated as he directed his attention that way.

"Looks like they haven't touched her since they cleared out," Eliot replied.

"Is she going to handle this?"

"I think she's got a good shot at it."

"Good. Okay, Hardison, let's see what Chaos is after."

Hardison pulled the tablet close and started going through the screens.

"Hey, Eliot… about what he said…" Sophie began.

"He was right. This is my fault. We're in this mess because of me – you, Lacey…" Eliot shook his head as he dropped the warming ice pack on the countertop.

"Eliot, you can't blame yourself for it. You can't hide from the world completely because something bad might happen. Bad things happen, and they will. You didn't put Lacey in this mess, Chaos did. What YOU do is what you should take the blame for. Is she going to be thankful that you were there to undo this mess, or disappointed that you decided to dwell in self-bashing pity?" Sophie glared at him.

He shot an irate glare at her.

"She's right," Nate agreed. Eliot turned his glare toward Nate.

"You are kind of moping," Parker added. Eliot turned to her for a moment before his face softened into a mix of shock and confusion.

"Don't worry, Eliot. We all knew it was hiding in there somewhere. We won't tell," Sophie smiled.

He turned back toward her, his mouth agape but no words would come.

"OH, HELL NO! He's kidding, right?!" Hardison shouted. He was wide-eyed, staring at the screen.

"What is it?" Parker asked.

Hardison dumped the tablet on the island for them all to see again as he spoke. "The PETERMEN VASE - THAT is what he wants us to steal!" The screen showed a large glass vase.

"What's so special about a glass vase?" Sophie frowned.

"Isn't that the one that's haunted?" Parker asked. They all rolled their eyes.

"Parker, it isn't haunted. It has a ghost image," Hardison explained.

"So it has a picture of a ghost?" she asked.

"Something like that…" Hardison sighed. "Glass in and of itself isn't all that valuable as it isn't rare. Its value comes from the unique properties in each piece – mostly from imperfections in the glass. The Petermen Vase is one of those. The vase has a blister pattern down one side, which with the dye in it, created an almost eerily perfect silhouette of a woman – the ghost trapped in the glass. This vase is one of the most sought after treasures for the Black Market. It has NEVER been stolen in the four hundred years it's existed."

"What's it worth?" Eliot blurted.

"Black Market? Nine figures probably low balls it. No one has even attempted to steal it in about 80 years. The security measures for displaying it come in a 300 page BOOK," Hardison explained.

"Guess we know why Chaos picked us," Sophie sighed.

"He didn't have a choice," Nate added.

"So how are WE going to steal it?" Parker smiled devilishly.

"It's going on display at the Art Museum in two days," Hardison began.

"So much for planting anyone…" Sophie sighed.

"No, it's not," Hardison smiled. "One of the security measures is rotating guards. They hire private security firms and change the guards every couple days."

"To prevent scouting and planning," Nate interrupted. "Perfect for us."

"Yeah, but also gives us no time to plot and plan," Hardison frowned.

"That's why we have our plans ahead of time," Nate smiled.

"What are you thinking?" Eliot asked.

"A little bit of everything…" Nate grinned. "Hardison, how are your glass making skills?"

"You're not serious?! Did I mention that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make a perfect replica? If you can control the blistering, it's impossible to control the dye at the same time," Hardison cried.

"So tomorrow?" Nate responded dryly.

Hardison's mouth stood agape for a minute as Parker and Eliot snickered. He started to shake his head.

"Oh, and you'll need to get Eliot on that security rotation and Parker will need blueprints of the Art Museum."

The team smiled as Hardison hung his head, "Anything else?"

"Just your usual magic will do. Let's go steal an unstealable vase."

Much to Eliot's chagrin, the team was unable to make a move until Monday. Hardison had disappeared to attempt the impossible, Parker went to retrieve her gear and locate a security uniform in Eliot's size. Nate continued planning in the kitchen, leaving Sophie in the living room fussing over Eliot's bruises. He accepted the ice packs she continued to supply, and once a glass of water, but her constant attempts to give more aid only made him feel worse. The doting was the last thing he wanted. All the aid Sophie could offer wouldn't fix anything, especially what he felt needed fixing. Lacey was out there somewhere and he hadn't done a thing to stop it. If he had gone into the kitchen with her, if he hadn't been distracted by the conversation with Nate and Sophie, if he hadn't insisted on her staying, on her being around - there were a hundred ifs Eliot let weigh on him, yet one continued to take the forefront of his mind . HE had MADE her a target, if he had let her be, she would be free right now. He tried to focus on that thought, but it continued to slip away into the sea of ifs. Suddenly a small voice in his head quieted the riot and gave him a moment's peace. You can't hide from the world completely because something bad might happen. Eliot took a deep breath and looked at the streak of sunlight across the living room floor. Sophie's comment replayed in his head. She had hit the nail squarely. He had been hiding, but did it mean he was protecting those he kept shut out?

He considered his life for a moment… the team, the game, and everything else. Every time he tried to hide – Amie, Moreau, the Butcher – he failed. Hiding was not a successful venture for him. He was a fighter by nature, always had been, so why was it so hard to fight for someone else? Not to save them, he was good at that, but to keep them. Why did the idea of sharing bring up all of his defenses and make him run? Eliot wasn't sure, but he knew Sophie was right and he needed to stop it. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated?

Sophie was quietly approaching again. Eliot watched her out of the corner of his eye and sighed quietly. While it felt weird having the team working out of his place, it seemed strangely right. They had respected boundaries for the most part. He had seen Parker twitching – fighting the urge to poke around – before Nate had sent her on her way. Sophie was the most domineering, but she had kept her intrusions strictly to first aid supplies. Eliot decided it was time to do something different. Sophie had thankfully allowed him to get dressed on his own; he supposed it was only fair that he let her tend to the larger cuts and bruises. He had to admit to himself that they were painful to reach on his own. She quietly sat next to him on the couch. The damp rag, fresh ice pack and bandages in her fingers were glaringly obvious.

"Fine," Eliot sighed, not taking his eyes off the sunlight streak on the floor.

Sophie's eyes grew wide as she glanced his way. "You mean…"

"You're going to insist anyway. Go ahead and get it over with," he continued as he carefully lifted his arm out of her way.

She shook her head a moment in disbelief before smiling and gingerly lifting his shirt to inspect the bruises. A few more had turned black and purple, but none to the extent that worried anyone. Eliot was content with the fact that none of them affected his breathing and left the conversation at that.

Parker was gone just over an hour. She entered Eliot's place, observing Nate still at the island staring at the tablet. She dropped her gear on the island as she proceeded to the living room.

Sophie smiled at her as she entered, Eliot glanced up at her.

"This should work," Parker dropped the uniform in his lap, "and you owe me for this one." She pouted, squinting evilly at him.

"Wha.." Eliot began to ask.

"I think she means the end of this job," Sophie clarified.

Eliot thought for a minute. Both girls saw the understanding light up his eyes. "Sorry." He wasn't sure what else to say.

Parker sighed, glaring at him once more as she pointed her finger at him before returning to the kitchen.

"She's gonna hold this over my head for a long time," he winced.

"Probably at least until Hardison pisses her off again," Sophie replied.

Eliot forced out a laugh, "One can hope."

Monday followed Nate's plan like clockwork. Hardison had cracked the security system and files. Eliot was paged and given one of the guard jobs. He was able to provide the team with all four security sectors and routes. Nate made short work of completing the plans and filling in the team. The clock was short and they would only have one shot.

The plan was set for Eliot's second day – Tuesday - at closing time. Eliot had one of the overnight shifts, beginning at museum close. Nate decided twenty minutes after closing was the prime strike window. Visitors and most of the staff were clear and security wasn't expecting trouble with daylight still outside. The team sat in Lucille in a parking garage across the street from the museum.

Hardison patched the computer into the museum security feed. Sophie was muttering to herself, trying to get in character. Parker double checked her bag of gear. Eliot had already gone inside. Nate ran through the plans A to Z in his head to be sure he had covered everything.

Parker quickly shoved something in her bag.

"Give it," Nate ordered as he held his hand out.

"What?" Parker asked.

"You're taking the fake one." Nate picked up a taser from the corner of the desk in the back of Lucille and handed it to Parker.

She pulled the taser out of her bag and traded with Nate. "Fine."

Eliot waited in the lobby with the other three guards, waiting for the security chief to dismiss them. He ran the sequence of events through his mind. He'd report to the north sector. Parker would join him after sneaking through the east entry sector. Once he was sure Parker had secured the vase and was clear in her exit, he'd take one for the team – or was it himself? Eliot couldn't decide anymore.

His pensive look caught the attention of one of the other guards. The young man, Roland, stepped up next to him.

"Women troubles?" Roland ventured.

"What?" Eliot asked as he came back to his senses.

"I've seen that look too many times. Just remember an apology goes a LONG way, whether it was intentional or not."

Eliot hemmed for a second.

"Oh, screwed up that bad, huh?"

"Not exactly, it's complicated."

"Well, good luck to you," Roland smiled and slapped Eliot on the back. The heel of his palm landed squarely in the middle of one of the more prominent bruises. Eliot clenched his jaw and held his breath to keep from crying out.

After a moment, Eliot risked a breath to mutter, "Thanks." He kept his teeth clenched a bit longer to be safe.

The chief of security entered to brief them, giving Eliot an escape from the concerned look he saw creep onto Roland's face.

"We had a good first day, no large issues. All of you are expected to be on the alert with the vase opening tomorrow." The chief opened the folder he carried. "Roland – you have north sector. Matt," Eliot looked up when his alias was called, "you have west sector. Jim has east and Don – south. If there are no questions, you are dismissed."

Eliot watched the others file out. He followed them out and headed toward the west sector. His security ear bud lay in his hand as he reached up and turned on his team one.

"Nate, we have a problem."

"What is it, Eliot?"

"I'm in WEST sector. WEST."

"You were north sector. Why the hell are you in WEST?" Hardison griped.

"They don't just change the guards; they change the rotation as well." Nate was impressed.

"I thought you knew all the security measures for this thing," Eliot whined.

"I TOLD you it's a 300 page BOOK! Excuse me for not taking the time between making fake vases, getting you an interview and hacking the security system quietly in the last 56 hours to read all 300 pages of security protocol in legal jargon!" Hardison snapped.

"Dammit, Hardison, what do you expect us to do now? Huh?"

"Parker," Nate disrupted the boys' argument.

"Yeah, Nate," she responded. They heard the echo of her voice in the duct.

"You have a live guard in north. I repeat a LIVE guard. Eliot was repositioned to west."

Parker frowned. "I'll think of something."

"I'll be at the overlap point in five minutes," Eliot added.

"I got it," Parker smirked.

"Well, if not…" Eliot offered.

"If not, we'll have bigger problems," she replied. Parker knew the guards had ear buds as well. If she didn't handle the guard quick and quiet, he would call for back up before she could.

"Should have let her keep the real taser," Hardison glanced at Nate.

"Yeah, probably," Nate agreed.

It was two minutes before anyone made another sound. A rapid clicking hiss echoed through the coms.

"Parker?" Nate asked calmly.

"Yeah?" her voice was excited.

"Nevermind."

Eliot entered the southeast section of the corner gallery. Each sector overlapped at the corner galleries. He should have been two minutes out yet but couldn't help himself. Parker wasn't prepared for a real guard and he rushed his route to help her.

She stood over Roland with a sly smile when he approached, her hands clasped behind her. Eliot stared at Roland's slightly contorted and unconscious form. His eyes slowly lifted to look her in the eyes. A small twinge of horror crossed his face and he swallowed. Parker drew her hands in front of her, a taser clutched in one hand. She shrugged and giggled.

"I thought you said it was a FAKE taser!" Eliot yelled into his com.

"I gave her the fake one AND I took her real one. It's Parker," Nate responded.

"You had no intention of using the fake one, did you?" Eliot growled.

Parker shrugged again. "Vase is that way." She picked up her duffel and continued into the far end of the gallery.

"Dammit, Parker! How many times do I have to apologize? It's Nate's idea! I don't see you trying to taser him!"

Sophie giggled. She stood in the lot outside the southeast corner of the building.

"Parker is approaching the target… Sophie, you're up," Nate reasserted control.

"Here goes," Sophie replied. She took a breath to put herself in character. The landscaped lot gave her exactly what she needed. She grabbed a handful of rocks from one of the islands and began hurling them one by one at the building. The first few bounced off the wall harmlessly.

Hardison checked the monitors. Jim and Don were still following their routes.

"You have to step it up," Nate said.

Sophie started shouting and cursing in the best drunk she could muster. She aimed her throws more sporadic. Don's attention peaked and he approached the window.

Parker approached the display case. Eliot joined her alongside it.

"Hardison?" she queried.

"Just one more second…" Hardison typed away. "I spoofed the security log – the motion laser is off but the weight plate is gonna take a second…"

"But I can open the door, right?"

"Yeah, just don't touch the vase yet."

Parker handed her duffel bag to Eliot as she picked at the lock. It clicked open. She smiled and slid her lock picks back in her pocket. A second electronic lock stared at her on the left side of the base. She closed her eyes and replayed the security footage Hardison had uncovered of the vase being added to the display. The actual lock was blocked by the curator but she didn't need to see the actual buttons. The curator pushed six buttons - three in the upper row, one on the bottom and two mid-range. Parker dug in the bag still lying across Eliot's arms.

"Hurry up," he growled.

"I am." She pulled out a small spray bottle and spritzed the keypad. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 9 all lit up when she activated her black light. The video played in her head again. She focused her attention on the elbow. It curled to the right twice in the first three pushes. Number 1 was pushed twice. The elbow also jutted to the right on the last button – 4. The combination was 1, 3, 1, 9, 5, 4. Parker entered the combination and the lights in the case dimmed. The bolt holding the door retracted. She easily flipped the door open.

"We're in," Eliot updated Nate and Hardison.

"Sophie… Eliot and Parker are ready. Need you to wrap it up," Nate explained.

"Right," she breathed. She scooped up one last rock and she let it fly. The wayward rock sailed over the lot, the walkway and right through the alarmed window in the southeast corridor. Glass showered down as the screeching alarm sounded.

Don fired up his radio. "Got someone outside throwing rocks. Broke the window. Secure areas." He looked out the broken window, trying to catch a glimpse of Sophie. A second rock entered the window striking him square in the nose. His eyes immediately began to water.

"Nice shot," Hardison laughed as he watched on the security monitor.

"Jim!" Don cried. "You'll have to go deal with her. Roland, Matt. Need you two to go to three man coverage."

Eliot covered one ear against the alarm and shouted, "Got it! We'll get that!"

"What is going on out there?" the security chief's voice came over the coms.

Eliot's eyes grew wide.

"What' wrong?" Parker asked.

"Chief is still here."

"What?" Hardison cried. "Eliot, if he looks at the monitors…"

"Yeah, I know," Eliot muttered.

"People, we are out of time," Nate added.

Hardison's computer started to screech. "Parker! Parker! The weight plate alarm is going off!"

"I know," she smiled. Eliot turned to see her with the vase in her hands.

The security chief looked at the various monitors. Something was wrong with them. He stared at the screen for north sector. Roland was making his rounds, nothing unusual. Suddenly it hit him. He stared at the screen closely as Roland walked past a Monet – a Monet housed in the SOUTH sector. The west sector screen was wrong as well. Once the alarm in the Petermen Vase case sounded, he knew it was bad.

"Roland! Matt! Report!"

Silence.

"Don, Jim – forget the drunk, the vase is threatened."

"SIR! I need you to step away from the case. Hands where I can see them," Eliot's voice came over the com.

"Matt? What do you have?"

"One individual, male, trying to open the Petermen Case. I'm taking him into…" Eliot's voice cut off.

"Matt? Matt!" Silence. "Don! Jim! We lost Matt. Be careful!"

It took Jimmy two minutes to reach Roland in the north sector. "Roland is unconscious," he reported.

"Dammit," the chief muttered.

"Matt too," came Don's reply. He found Eliot next to the Petermen display - a new bruise around his throat. Don looked in the display. It was sealed and the vase stood on the weight plate. "The vase is still secure. Must have been shaking the display to set off the plate."

"Wait there for me," the chief ordered.

"How are we doing?" Sophie asked as she climbed into the van.

"Fine, we're doing fine," Nate answered with a touch of insincerity.

"Parker's winging it, huh?"

"OOOOOOOOh, yeah," Hardison nodded slowly.

"Eliot at least keeping up with it?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah," Nate laughed at the circus that had ensued. "Where are you at, Parker?"

"Um, here," Parker replied. All three of them jumped at the sound of her voice coming from the passenger seat.

"PARKER! WOMAN! I told you to stop that!" Hardison scolded her as he pat his chest lightly.

"Hardison, shut it down. Let's get out of here," Nate ordered as he brushed past Sophie and Hardison to climb into the driver's seat.

It was several hours before Eliot entered the apartment. An ice pack pressed to his throat and fire in his eyes. The team silently watched him enter and walk straight to Parker.

"Are you done NOW?" he growled.

Parker bit her lip and shrugged.

Sophie winced at the new bruise. "Another one?"

"Thanks to HER!" Eliot pointed at Parker.

"Well, it'll help sell your story and work to our advantage," Nate offered.

"Oh, yeah. Being poked and prodded by the paramedic for TWO HOURS while they asked me what happened over and over again…" Eliot griped.

"Did you at least get her number? Oh, wait probably not with the new girl, huh?" Hardison teased.

"It was a 250 pound GUY with the bedside manner of a cactus."

Parker snorted. Eliot glared at her.

"Okay, I'm good now," she laughed.

"Glad YOU'RE enjoying this."

"So what exactly happened in there?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, Parker. What the hell happened back there?" Eliot frowned.

"I switched the vases…" Parker began.

Parker held the vase in her hands. She reached in her duffel and pulled out a carefully wrapped package. She unwrapped it and took the contents out – one of Hardison's replicas.

~~~~ "I couldn't make an exact replica as I said it's impossible to control both the blister and the dye. Only way to fake it is to control the blister and paint the dye on. The problem with that is the paint sticks out being ON the glass. I made a sort of passable copy. I used a laser to control the blister pattern, then painted the coloring on it. BUT I used a vase that was a hair smaller because I then put a sort of shell layer of glass on top of the paint to conceal it. It will stand up to a casual observer, but the curator will pick it out with some simple tests," Hardison explained. ~~~~

Parker placed the replica on the weight plate and wrapped the real vase to put in her duffel. Eliot zipped up the duffel and handed it to her.

"SIR! I need you to step away from the case. Hands where I can see them," Eliot ordered.

Parker smiled as she set down the duffel and scampered behind him.

Eliot took a deep breath and waited for the taser attack they had practiced for and planned. He knew Parker had a real taser and the chief's presence required her to use it instead of the fake taser Hardison had rigged to fool the security cameras without causing any injury.

"One individual, male, trying to open the Petermen case. I'm taking him into…" his voice cut out as Parker's arm came around his throat. She pulled him towards her and applied pressure to his artery. His instincts kicked in momentarily and he grasped her arm tightly, ready to move it by any means necessary. The little voice in his head reminded him that the arm belonged to Parker and he loosened his grip. He kicked a scuff into the floor and halfheartedly flailed to wrinkle his sleeves. If they wanted to sell this, he had to make it look like he had given a fight. At least she knew enough to pressure the artery and drop him quickly, for that he was grateful. It took moments for him to black out. When she felt him sink into her chest, Parker released the pressure and gently dropped him to the ground.

"Sorry, Eliot," she whispered. She snatched his ear bud, scooped up her duffel and ran back to her climbing rig in the north corridor. Roland was still twisted beneath. She disappeared into the duct a second before Jim appeared.

"You strangled him? Wha…" Hardison was confused.

"Exactly!" Eliot shouted.

"Would you rather I had tasered you?" Parker smirked.

Eliot thought about it for a minute. He hated to admit she was right. The taser would have hurt like hell considering the condition his torso was in already. Her choice had earned him some sympathy from the security chief and only caused him some mild discomfort for a few moments.

"No," he sighed.

"Did you just…" Hardison stood and stared Eliot in the face. "Boy, you must have lost too much blood or oxygen or something…. You just agreed with Parker, about choking you."

"Shut up," Eliot snapped and looked at Nate. "So what are we doing now?"

"We wait for…" Nate began but the television suddenly drowned him with an alert.

"We have breaking news from the Art Museum as Museum Curator Harold Lansing confirms to reporters that the Petermen Vase – long tagged as the Unstealable Vase – has, in fact, been stolen. Authorities are searching for at least three people believed to be responsible for the theft which also resulted in the assault of three security guards. No word yet if anyone inside the museum is suspected of aiding the thieves. We will continue to update…" the reporter cut off as Nate turned the TV off.

"That didn't take long." Parker pursed her lips and sighed.

"Actually right on time," Nate replied.

"Why did I have to make a fake if we wanted them to discover it WAS fake? Why not just take the vase? Other than the fact that you enjoy depriving me of sleep and sanity," Hardison whined.

"What do we have that we wouldn't have if we had just taken the vase?" Nate asked in his usual cryptic voice.

"Time," Eliot muttered.

"Exactly."

"And that time gave us what?" Hardison wasn't following.

"Not us…" Nate pointed at Eliot.

"Let Eliot get away?" Parker chimed.

"Sort of," Nate replied. "First suspects in any crime are the ones present – no matter which side they're on. All four guards are on the top of the list until ruled out. The fake vase bought enough time for all of them to clear the premises. Now WE know Eliot was the only one actually involved but they will be looking for any sign of guilt. Had this been a typical theft, what would be the first move after getting clear of the building?"

"Fence the merchandise and disappear until things cooled down," Eliot answered.

"We've provided the window for sale and disappearance," Nate continued.

"But none of the guards were in on it, so they won't run." Sophie was catching on.

"And none of them have any new large deposits either. Nothing to suspect them of being involved," Nate finished.

"Great. So none of the boys will go down for this. Now how do we make sure Chaos DOES?" Eliot demanded.

"Hardison?" Nate chimed. Hardison looked at him. Nate half nodded. After a half frown crossed his face, Hardison realized what Nate meant and turned on Chaos' tablet. A message immediately pinged in the bottom corner. They all gathered around as Hardison opened the message service.

Chaos appeared on the screen again. "Was beginning to wonder if you had actually managed to get it or got caught. I'm sending you an address. Bring the vase there in one hour and we'll switch." He grinned evilly and shut off the camera.

A text message appeared. Hardison opened it and read the address. "The old Mendel Meat Plant, shutdown about 4 months ago."

"You know we can't trust him," Sophie insisted.

"No, we can't. That's why you and I are going to the exchange," Nate answered.

"And the rest of us?" Parker asked.

"You're going to search for Lacey."

"It'd take a couple days to search every inch of that property. Five warehouses, the shipping platform, the production plant, the slaughterhouse, not to mention the offices, any delivery vehicles…" Eliot groaned.

"That's assuming she's even there," Parker sighed.

"She'll be there. We just have to narrow down the search area somehow," Nate replied as he made his dramatic exit.

Nate and Sophie entered the shipping department to meet Chaos. Sophie clutched a carefully wrapped package in her hands. The whole place seemed eerily quiet. Empty boxes and shipping crates littered the room.

"Hello, Sophie. Nate," Chaos' voice echoed in the empty space. Sophie spotted him first, about twenty feet ahead of them.

"We brought the vase. Let's see the girl," Nate demanded.

"And what would the rest of the team have to do then?" Chaos laughed.

"We're not giving him the vase, are we?" Sophie whispered.

"Oh, don't worry about the girl. She should be quite comfortable given her line of work," Chaos grinned.

Eliot froze in his tracks when he heard Chaos over the coms.

"Something wrong?" Parker whispered. She and Hardison stood a half step behind Eliot in the offices.

"Hardison – where's the freezer… the refrigeration room?" Eliot stared at Hardison as he rambled.

"Production plant, on the west side. Why?"

Eliot turned and took off toward the production plant. "Nate, we know where to find Lacey."

Parker and Hardison frowned and ran to catch up.

"WE know? How do WE know?" Hardison huffed when they caught Eliot.

"Chaos just told us," Eliot answered.

"He told us she was comfortable. A freezer isn't exactly comfortable."

"Not literally," Eliot shook his head in frustration, "The other part."

"You mean her line of work?" Parker chimed in.

"What IS her line of work?" Hardison asked.

Eliot took a deep breath. "She's a herpetologist."

"Herpe… a herpetologist? As in works with snakes and crawling lizard things?" Hardison twisted his face.

"Yeah, that kind," Eliot snapped.

"So how does that lead us to the freezer?"

"Cold blooded…" Nate sighed over the com.

"Oh…" Hardison swallowed. "Right there." He pointed at the freezer door to change the now awkward conversation.

A padlock dangled from the door.

"Parker…" Eliot stepped aside as Parker pulled out her picks and got to work.

"While we have a minute… how did you get involved with a herpetologist? You ain't exactly the zoo type," Hardison pried.

"Met her at the bar," Eliot replied shortly.

"And you charmed her with…"

"Hardison!"

"Hey, man you have to admit you made that one easy. I gotta take them when I can."

"Actually I didn't hit on her."

"Whoa, what? Now I have to hear this."

"She was hustling people."

"What, you stop some angry marks or something?"

Eliot swallowed, "No."

"No way! She hustled YOU?! She did, didn't she?" Hardison laughed. "What was she doing?"

Eliot shook his head. "Houdini."

"Seriously? Man, kindergartners do Houdini. You fell for the fake cuffs?"

"They weren't fake."

Parker popped the lock. She pulled the lock off and opened the door. Eliot nodded for her to stay put while he and Hardison entered.

"Not fakes?" Hardison continued as they both began to search the freezer.

"Real cuffs. I called her bluff, she won," Eliot explained as he glanced into a cart, the wheels iced over. Several carts, boxes and counters filled the space.

Hardison pursed his face as he imagined that conversation.

"None of your partners are going to join us?" Nate chided Chaos. "You probably need all of them handling Eliot, right?"

Chaos laughed. "Partners? Those guys? Please. They practically volunteered. Do you realize that there are an amazingly high number of people willing to work for pocket change just to be able to take a shot at you? Any of you. They obviously aren't the greatest quality help, but in volume that can be overlooked."

"Are you saying you asked for volunteers on this?" Sophie wrinkled her nose in disbelief.

"I wouldn't say cheap labor, but it was the most inexpensive hour's worth of work I've ever had. I think the hardest part was finding guys willing to not 'finish the job' as they say."

"Is he trying to say those guys beat Eliot just for bragging rights?" Hardison asked.

"I think so," Parker added over the com.

"Should make them easy enough to find," Eliot remarked. A smug little smile crept onto his face momentarily before he refocused his attention to searching the freezer.

"Anyone else concerned by the fact that those guys AREN'T here?" Hardison noted.

"All he needs is to distract us long enough to get the vase. I think he's got that covered," Eliot responded.

"True," Hardison admitted as he peeked behind a counter.

Eliot made his way to a doorway in the far corner. The cold was starting to bite both of them.

Nate saw Chaos shift and grin. Chaos held up an open hand and began to countdown. Once his hand reached one finger, Nate heard Eliot over the coms.

"Hardison! In here!"

Hardison dashed through the doorway. Eliot was checking Lacey over. She was unconscious on the floor leaning against one wall. Her left arm was across her abdomen, her right lay at her side.

"She's breathing," Eliot sighed. Hardison could see the relief emanate off Eliot.

"Vase?" Chaos was impatient. Sophie frowned and approached. She grudgingly started to hand the package over.

Eliot slid his arms under Lacey's knees and shoulders to lift her. She was still in her sleepwear and his shirt. The cold of the freezer was beginning to wreak havoc on her; her cheeks and fingers were red and she shivered uncontrollably. Hardison watched Eliot start to lift before he noticed the strange black box on her right wrist.

"Whoa! Eliot, wait!" He held up his hands in front of Eliot.

"What?" Eliot paused mid lift.

"What's that?" Hardison pointed at the box.

Eliot set Lacey back down and leaned over to look at the box closely. He closed his eyes slowly and bowed his head when he realized what it was. "Damn. I think it's a bomb."

"BOMB?! A bomb? Why is it always a bomb?"

"Now we know why there were no guards."

Sophie tightened her grip on the package when she heard the word bomb over the com. Chaos tugged on it but she refused to let go.

"I don't see a display on it," Eliot noted. He rubbed his left arm to warm it up as he spoke.

"This looks like a temperature sensor," Hardison pointed out a tile on the corner of the box. "How much you wanna bet the minute we get her outside – this thing goes off?"

Eliot twisted Lacey's wrist to get a better look at the bottom. "There are wires running through the strap. So much for cutting it off."

"Gotta disarm it." Hardison breathed into his cupped hands.

"Hardison, get out of here."

"Excuse you? I'm not leaving, man."

"I'm already responsible for her… if this thing goes off, I don't want to be responsible for you too. I'll disarm it."

"I'm here because I want to be, not because you made me. And I'll disarm it. Last time you and I disarmed a bomb – you wanted to kick it."

Eliot sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to hold the bomb up where I can see it AND keep it perfectly still. It moves and we're dead," Hardison swallowed.

"Right." Eliot held up Lacey's wrist but he was unable to get a decent grip that allowed Hardison room to work. Lacey herself was in his way. He sighed and sat down on the floor next to her. He slid her up in his lap, swung her legs off to his left and grabbed her wrist. Hardison stared at him blankly for a moment before regaining his composure and sliding over to look at the casing.

Chaos pulled the package again. Sophie refused to let go.

"How do they disarm it?" she demanded.

"Give me the vase," he spat.

"Sophie, give it to him," Nate ordered.

"But…" she frowned and released her grip.

Chaos smiled. He carefully unwrapped and examined the side of the vase. "Look at her. You are about to make me rich, sweetheart."

"I'm about to crack open the case," Hardison informed Eliot.

"I don't need the play by play. Just get it done!" Eliot snapped. He looked down at Lacey's face nestled in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Even with his added body heat, her lips were turning a disturbing shade of blue.

The case snapped as Hardison pried the top cover off. Wiring from the temperature sensor prevented him from discarding it. He took a moment to examine the scope of wiring, sensors, triggers, detonator, explosive and casing. A cold chill ran down his spine and caused a ripple of shivers to course through his limbs. After a second, he took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"Double trigger. This is a timer. If I try to tamper with the triggers or the detonator – the timer kicks in." Hardison pointed at a small clock in the corner of the box.

"What about the wires through the strap?" Eliot suggested, his teeth half clenched to limit chattering.

Hardison poked in the casing to locate the wires in question. They ran straight to the detonator.

"Wired to the detonator. I don't know what to do here," Hardison admitted.

"Well?!" Sophie demanded.

"They can't. Thanks for the vase by the way," Chaos laughed as he walked away.

Sophie glanced back at Nate in a panic. He shook his head at her.

"Nate?" she gasped. He held his hand up to his face and made a silent prayer that the boys could figure something out.

Hardison and Eliot stared at each other for a minute. Neither one knew what to say.

"Anything I touch is gonna set this thing off." Hardison shook his head.

A light turned on in Eliot's mind. "What about the explosive?"

"What about it?"

"Can you remove the explosive? Without that, it doesn't matter if the detonator goes off…"

Hardison thought for a moment. He slowly cocked his head to one side and pursed his lips.

"Actually, I think that could work. Still a good chance it will go off, but that could work."

"Be careful, boys," Sophie swallowed over the com.

Hardison checked the wires to the explosive. "I'm gonna count to three and pull these wires. I need you to make sure that box doesn't move."

Eliot took a deep breath and nodded. He resettled his grip to refresh his fingers. The cold was making it hard to hold still. He bit his tongue to focus his mind and keep his hands steady.

"Ready," he stated. Hardison blew on his fingers once more and rubbed them together.

"One…" Hardison grabbed the wires. "Two…" He took a deep breath. Eliot gave him a small nod.

Nate, Sophie and Parker all closed their eyes.

"Three!" Hardison yanked the wires.

There was silence for a moment.

"Hardison?" Parker breathed as she opened her eyes.

The com filled with laughter. "Yeah! Oh, hell yeah!" Hardison whooped.

Sophie sighed and smiled at Nate in relief.

"Good work, let's finish up," Nate said as stoically as he could.

Hardison finished removing the explosive from the case. He set it on the floor as far away as he could reach. When he turned back, he grabbed a hold of Lacey's forearm. With Hardison holding her arm, Eliot was able to let go of her and pull the strap out of the box. He threw both pieces across the room.

"Go," Eliot ordered. As Hardison stood and led the way out, Eliot picked up Lacey and followed him.

Parker was waiting just outside the door with a blanket when the shivering boys emerged.

"Where'd you get that?" Hardison asked.

Parker threw the blanket over Lacey and tucked it down over Eliot's shoulders. "Back of the van. Talk later. This way…" She began to head out a side entrance.

"Ah, Lucille is THAT way," Hardison pointed, his hand still shaking slightly.

"Not anymore," she responded.

Hardison patted his pockets only to find them empty. "Seriously?!"

Nate and Sophie stood next to Lucille now safely parked outside the fence surrounding the plant. A side gate stood open nearby.

"She moved my van," Hardison whined.

"It's fine, Hardison." Nate shook his head.

"How is she?" Sophie brushed Lacey's hair back to check her head as Eliot approached.

"Freezing," Eliot replied. He looked down at her now clear face. Some color had returned but the blue tinge was still on her lips.

"I turned the heat up…" Nate opened the side door. Eliot carried Lacey inside. The other four climbed in as well. Nate drove, Parker rode shotgun while Sophie played nurse to the three half frozen bodies in the back.

"Why did you move Lucille?" Hardison insisted again.

Nate pulled to a stop overlooking the main entry to the plant. Local police, State police, FBI and Interpol cars covered the entire area with a flood of blinking lights.

"Damn," Hardison choked as he stared between the front seats at the sea of law enforcement.

"When you guys figured out there were no guards, I guessed Chaos had a distraction waiting. So I had Parker move Lucille while she planted the vase," Nate explained.

"Whoa. Planted the vase?" Hardison was more confused.

"Colin Mason… you have the right to remain silent," one of the officers began as two more led Chaos to a waiting squad.

"Chaos!" Chaos hollered.

"Thank you. So I can assume that software in your van will check out as a match to the software used to hack the Art Museum, Chaos?"

"Wait, no. I didn't hack the museum. You can't take my computers!"

"We received an anonymous tip that this van was seen fleeing the museum after the robbery, and that it was spotted here."

"That can't be admissible in court! You don't have any witnesses. You can't search my van!"

"True, but you ARE trespassing on private restricted property and you have a prior record, which DOES allow me to search your van. So anything found in that search – such as your software – is…"

"Lieutenant…" a rookie officer called. The lieutenant turned toward the van. The rookie stood by the open rear doors holding the Petermen Vase.

"Or the stolen vase…" the lieutenant smiled.

"Got this too…" another officer called from the front passenger seat. She held up another vase. "It's another fake."

"I'm willing to bet that fake will match the fake you left behind. Am I right?" the lieutenant grinned.

"Fake?" Chaos stared at the ground. "Hardison! You have to listen… I was set up! Nate Ford! HIS team stole the vase."

"So a team of thieves stole the vase using YOUR software and then planted the vase and a fake vase in your van and conveniently called in an anonymous tip to allow you to get caught?"

"Exactly!"

"So why were you here? And why insist on keeping us out of your van rather than offer the vase in the first place?"

"I…" Chaos stammered.

"I thought so. Save it for your lawyer. Get him out of here!"

"So Parker planted the real vase in his van while you gave him our other fake?" Hardison tried to get it all straight.

"And I called in the anonymous tip, moved the van and grabbed a blanket," Parker added with a grin.

"Between those and your spoof of his software during the hack, should be enough to get him for the theft," Nate continued.

"How'd you spoof his software anyway?" Sophie asked.

"I may have copied it when he hooked up to my network for the dam job," Hardison smiled.

"How is Lacey doing?" Nate redirected.

Hardison turned his back to look at her. Eliot still held her tightly in the blanket.

"Color's coming back and the shivering slowed," Eliot answered.

"All right, let's get out of here," Nate sighed.

"You'll be happy to know all four guards were cleared of any involvement in the theft," Nate announced. The team sat crowded around a table in a local bar.

"That's good to hear," Eliot replied.

"Yeah, cause CHAOS got all the credit. I stole the Unstealable Petermen Vase!" Parker pouted.

"Parker, I'm sorry you won't get credited for stealing the vase," Eliot apologized.

She sighed and shrugged. "It's okay. I know I did it."

"Hey, man, been meaning to say sorry," Hardison pat Eliot's shoulder.

"About what?" Eliot asked.

"Lacey, man. She seemed like a pretty good match for ya."

"We're taking some space. Kind of a lot to take in," Eliot admitted.

"Space? You mean she didn't break up with you? Damn. I would have thought being froze like a popsicle and spending three days with Chaos would have chased off ANYBODY!"

Eliot shrugged his shoulders and twitched his face in an awkward agreement.

"I'm sure it'll work out," Sophie smiled.

Eliot's phone rang. He glanced at the number and swallowed. "Hey, Lacey," he answered.

"Oh, let him down easy, girl," Hardison teased.

"Yeah… I understand… I know that… You too… I agree… Bye," Eliot nodded as he spoke.

"Didn't sound too ugly," Hardison stated as Eliot hung up the phone.

"She wants to discuss what exactly happened. We're gonna get coffee on Saturday."

"See! I told you!" Sophie's grin ran clear across her face.

"Yeah, we'll see," Eliot sighed.

"Well, in the meantime… I never got to make my brunch. So you are ALL coming tomorrow, yes?" Sophie insisted.

They all hung their heads and replied in unison, "Yeah."