Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Hey, you want to be helpful, Sullivan?

 …

Go keep an eye on her.”

The nerve of this guy. After everything they had been through, the years, the mileage; this is what it came down too… Fine.

 There were no words left to say, in acquiescence Sullivan raised his hands to Nate and left the motel room without another word. 

Sullivan and Nate had made the mistake of underestimating Elena in the past, multiple times actually, but unlike Nate that was a mistake Sully wasn’t going to make again. Not tonight.  

Tracking down Elena’s motel room took him 30 minutes. He knocked on her door praying to a very long list of deities that she wasn’t already on her way to the airport as she had proclaimed. He rasped on the door. . . once . . . twice . . . thrice . . . no response . . .

“Elena, it’s Sullivan. Are you in there?”  

He waited several seconds. . . still no response. Sullivan wasn’t beneath begging, a trait he would openly deny, but he sure laid it on thick as he damn near pleaded for her to open the door. 

He definitely got a few brazen glances from strangers that passed by. No words were exchanged but the spry pilot shot them a warning look to keep on walking.

Right as he was about to turn tail and head for his plane, the door opened and without a word Elena let him inside. 

“What do you want, Sully?”

The venom in her words, ladedend beneath justifiable anger. Sully had seen this look before, but this time felt different. Beneath the betrayal was overflowing with sadness. Dried tears still stained her cheeks and a sniffle from her nose.

“I came to make sure you were alright.”

“I can’t believe I was so stupid. Too think that he could change, that he could leave this behind–” Her words trailed off as she clenched a T-shirt in her hands. A t-shirt far too big for her. One of Nate’s shirts that she slept in. She held it another second before it crumpled to the stack of folded clothes on the bed. Something about how they smelled like him. 

Love was weird like that.

“Look I think Nate should have told you what was going down, but I don’t think–”

“Did my number magically disappear from your phone? You could've given me a heads up— told me what was happening!”

It wasn’t his place to make that call. Involving Elena after so many close calls. The thought of losing both her and Nate in one foul swoop? Unfathomable. Though given the circumstances she would have probably ended up here anyway. It was almost like “Forget it, I don’t even know why I came here.” Elena added, shaking her head.

“I know and I’m sorry I didn’t. This time is different. Alcazare is as bad as they come, you know that, you’ve read the papers. Seen the news– he won’t stop at just Sam. He’ll come after all of us. . .”

Elena shook her head rolling her fingers over and over again across her silver wedding band. 

Sully was just as guilty about hiding the truth as Nate was. 

Granted, Sullivan didn’t have to worry about coming home to an empty house and a stack of divorce papers. A level of responsibility fell onto his shoulders and that weight ached in an uncomfortable way.

 Elena was once again on the verge of tears, but not a single drop fell. “Am I just supposed to sit back and watch Nate get  himself killed? Or thrown in another rat hole prison? For god knows how long. Is that what I’m supposed to do?”

Sully took a seat at the edge of the double bed and patted the comforter encouraging Elena to sit beside him. Without protest she leaned her elbows against her knees with her head in her hands. 

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, offering a somber smile through his salt and pepper mustache.

“You want some advice? First ones free. . .” Sullivan asked  and after a moment Elena turned her head towards him and gave a shrug then a nod. Waiting to hear what Sully had to say.

“ Look . . . I’m not about to claim to have any expertise on marriage counseling, and I know this path hasn’t been easy for you. Especially for you. But I've known you both for a long, long time,”

Sullivan paused, making sure she was listening before he added,

“ and through it all, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. You two have always pulled through. I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it, and I speak for the egg-head in saying he couldn’t either. You two are stronger together; you always have been.” Elena sighed but didn’t move from her spot beside her friend.

For the first time that night Elena cracked the tiniest of smiles. A raspy chuckle followed. Sully almost missed it, but it was visible. A brief silence overcame the room before Elena asked: 

 “This whole Sam debacle, is it really that bad?” 

No more lies. No more half truths. Elena deserved nothing less than that.

“Yeah. It’s real bad. And you know Nate, he's going to go out there and do what he feels is right.”

It was the only words that felt right to say. The puddle that had been hovering in her eyes now dripped from her cheeks.

“He needs you, yeah know. Now more than ever. And to be honest, having an extra hand in this might not be the worst thing...”

“He’s got a funny way of showing it sometimes.” Elena broke first laughing through her tears. 

“Come here you.”

Sullivan’s arm wrapped around her shoulders completely now and he hugged her tight. By some stroke of luck he broke through to her. Maybe that was why Nate sent him.

“I can give you a ride to the airport if you still need it.”

“Oh no, you lot aren't getting rid of me that easily. I’m staying. I’ve made this far, right?”

“That’s the spirit.”

Sullivan stood up stretching his back as he filled Elena in on last known locations and the highest probability of where Nate would be.

Elena listened, making suggestions on drop points and where the least amount of trouble would be. She loaded up an extra magazine and grabbed her set of radios, tossing one to Sullivan as they left the motel.

“I’ll get you as close as I can. You let me know when you find him, alright?”

Elena acknowledged his instructions as they made their short track to the waiting plane.

“Sully?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

“Don't mention it . . . But if you two ever settle down and have kids. Do me a favor, don’t name it after me.”

The door on the plane closed and the engine sputtered to life as the sun began to rise.

“We are definitely not having kids.” Elena quipped through a laugh.