Leverage 1. Chapter 1

_**All the Leverage characters that you may recognize belong to Dean Devlin, Chris Downey and John Rogers!**_

_**Any characters you don't recognize belong to me.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 1**

The clock on the back wall chimed at ten pm signaling the end of Claudia Taylor's late night workout. She climbed off of the treadmill and took a long gulp of water. It was times like this when Claudia hated the fact that she had agreed to enter one more beauty pageant, but a promise was a promise.

"As soon as this pageant is over, I am going home, eating a huge piece of cheesecake and sleeping for a week" she thought as she stifled a yawn.

"You ready to head back to the hotel Claudia?" her makeup artist Josh asked as he poked his head into the gym.

"Yea, all I want is a hot shower and a nice comfy bed" Claudia replied as she grabbed her stuff and the two of them walked to the rental car.

Claudia had begun entering pageants when she was fifteen, and in the last few years had racked up several wins. She was now scheduled to compete in the Miss Pioneer Valley pageant, which was the next step on the way to becoming Miss. Massachusetts. As much as Claudia liked the attention, she also liked the idea of winning the scholarship that came along with it. If she won Miss. Pioneer Valley, more doors would be open to her, but first she would have to beat the reigning Miss. Pioneer Valley, Annabelle James.

After Josh and Claudia loaded all of their things into the back of the rental car, Claudia handed Josh the keys and they started to drive back to the hotel. They were about five miles away from the hotel when Josh stopped at a red light, and then things took a turn for the worst.

The two were sitting at the red light and talking, when out of nowhere a car came around the corner and slammed into the passenger side. Both Josh and Claudia were very lucky that they had only escaped with the minor injuries, but they still had to take a trip to the hospital.

As the ambulance drove away, the driver of the car that caused the accident pulled over to the side of the road and pulled out a cell phone and hit 1 on the speed dial.

"Is it done?" a voice asked on the other end.

"Hello to you too dear" the driver replied drily.

"Sorry Daddy, is it done?" the voice asked again.

"Yes Annabelle, it's done, if you lose this weekend, it won't be to that Claudia" the driver chuckled.

"Good, thank you Daddy" Annabelle James smiled as she finished brushing her hair.

"Anything for you Princess" Marshall James replied as he hung up the phone.

Then he tossed the phone out the window and drove back to the hotel. His daughter was going to win that beauty pageant, and she was going to be the next Miss America if he had anything to say about it!

* * *

_**McRory's Bar: Boston**_

"So Miss. Taylor, if I understand you correctly you want us to go after the pageant director and the people that you think caused your accident, even though you have no idea who was driving the car?" Nate Ford asked as he sat across the young woman with her hand in a cast.

"Yes Mr. Ford, I want enough money to pay for my hospital and therapy bills. The pageant director refuses to pay the debts because he said that I have no case, but I know that my accident was connected to the pageant in some way" Claudia insisted.

"I understand that, but why do you think that we can help, I mean why not go to the cops?" Nate asked.

"I've tried, but they can't do anything without proof, and I did some digging after the accident, to pass the time. I found out that the director, Brian Trent, was fired from his last job because he was under suspicion of money laundering and fraud because all of the money from the pageant was to go to charity and never made it" Claudia explained.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that he had anything to do with your accident" Nate said.

"No, but he could have something to do with it, or he may know who did, I mean I want to make sure that he can't hurt anyone else. In the last year, four other girls have been hurt in pageants that Trent was connected with, and he has to know who is doing it and covering for them. Please Mr. Ford, you're the only one that can help me" Claudia begged.

"She's right Nate, I think we should look into this" Sophie Devereaux said from her place beside Nate.

"Okay, we will look into it, but I can't promise anything" Nate said finally as he took a long swig of his drink.

"Thank you both" Claudia smiled as she got up and left the bar.

"Yeah, don't thank us yet" Nate said as he watched the young woman leave and then went upstairs to brief the rest of the team.

"So the client wants us to find out who was behind her accident, and take down this Trent guy, but has no idea if he is even involved?" Eliot Spencer asked as he glared at Nate from across the table in the office at Leverage Inc.

"Yep, I mean she honestly believes that Brian Trent was behind her accident or knows who was driving the car, and I think it's worth taking a look at" Sophie said softly.

"Well, let's hope it's not a huge waste of time" Nate said sullenly as he took a sip of his drink.

"Hardison, what do we know?" Sophie asked as the young hacker looked up from his computer.

"Absolutely nothing more than what Claudia Taylor told us, that four girls have been injured in the past year, and that Brian Trent was connected to all of the pageants. Other than that, Nate man, we got nothing" Hardison said as he glanced around the room.

"So it looks like we need to find someone who knows a lot about beauty pageants" Sophie said.

"Yep" Nate said as he looked around the room and noticed that a certain blonde thief was missing.

"Where's Parker?" Nate asked.

Just then the thief walked into the room holding Hardison's phone that she'd lifted when he wasn't looking.

"I know someone who can help us, she used to compete in these things" Parker smiled.

"Parker, you want to bring in a total stranger to help with a job, do you know how crazy that is?" Eliot asked.

"It's not crazy Eliot, she's not a stranger, well not to me anyways, Megan happens to be my best friend" Parker replied as she looked down at her nails.

When the blonde looked up she noticed that everyone was staring at her in surprise and disbelief.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"You have a best friend? Is she as crazy as you?" Eliot asked.

"No, Megan is actually normal and a little boring I guess" Parker said confused.

"Is she a thief too?" Hardison asked.

"She used to be, we met when we were working with Archie, and she likes to jump off buildings with me too" Parker smiled as she walked out of the room leaving the rest of the team staring after her.

"Parker has a friend, I mean someone other than us, that's interesting" Sophie said.

"Hmm maybe that girl is normal after all" Hardison smiled.

"I still think that it is a bad idea to bring in a total stranger to help" Eliot said doubtfully as he stalked out of the room in time to see Parker disappear out the bar and heading down the street.

* * *

_**Oak Hills Apartments: Downtown Boston**_

Megan Mancini glanced down at her stopwatch as she reached the front of her apartment building. She'd just run four miles in under two hours and she was happy with the results. She smiled when she removed her ear buds and walked to the elevator and greeted her neighbors.

"Hello Megan dear, going up?" Mrs. Stanly asked with a smile.

"Yes I am" Megan replied with a smile.

"Good, next time you go running, you should take Bobby with you, he needs to get back into shape" Edna Stanly said as her husband rolled her eyes.

Everyone in the apartment building had learned to deal with the older woman's persistence, especially her husband. Edna had been trying to get her husband in shape for years, but nothing had worked yet. However, Megan liked the older couple and often asked them to keep an eye on her German Shepard, Atticus, when she needed to go out of town.

After Megan walked into the apartment and took a shower, she noticed that the window in her bedroom was open and that Atticus wasn't barking. She smirked because she knew that it could only mean one thing.

"Hey Parker" she said as she poked her head into the room and found her best friend sitting on the couch with a box of cereal and scratching Atticus behind his ears.

"How did you know it was me? I mean I could have been a thief or something" Parker smirked at the joke.

"Well Atticus wasn't barking, and the window in my room was open. Besides in the last five years that I've lived here, only one person never uses the door and that person would be you Parks" Megan replied as she sat down on the couch.

"Oh, well I have a favor to ask you" Parker started.

"What is it?" Megan asked as she leaned her head back.

"Well the team and I got a new client today, you've heard about the pageant contestants that have been getting hurt lately right?" Parker asked.

"Yeah, is one of them your client?"

"Yep, and we need someone who knows about Pageants and the way that they work" Parker explained.

"So you want me to help you pull a job?" Megan asked.

"Yep" came the reply as Parker chewed on her cereal.

"Parks you know I don't do that anymore and I haven't been in a pageant in like ten years or so" Megan argued.

"Come on Megs, I know you miss that kind of work, and you would be doing something that you're great at, I mean do you actually like working as a safe cracker for the cops?" Parker retorted.

"Well no, but at least it's safer than what I used to do" Megan reasoned.

"Look Megs, I wouldn't ask if I knew that you never wanted to work together again, and I mean you are the only one I trust, well besides the team that is. Please just think about it" Parker said.

"Okay, I'll think about it" Megan said finally as she got up to get a drink.

"You know you're crazy right Parks" Megan said as she turned back around and realized that the Blonde was gone.

"Well I guess I must like crazy" she giggled as she pulled out her cell and dialed a number.

"Hey Reilly, is Bonanno there?" she asked when someone answered.

"I guess I must be just as crazy as she is" Megan thought as she glanced out her bedroom window as the curtains fluttered in the light breeze.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews! Hope you like this chapter as well!_

**Chapter 2**

"So are you going to do it?" Detective Patrick Bonanno asked as he watched Megan drill through a wall safe in a home that had been broken into a few days ago.

"I haven't decided yet, you sure that these guys are the best? I mean I know Parker is the best at what she does, but what about the others?" Megan asked with a smirk, and then she opened the door to the safe and surveyed its contents

"Well Sophie is one of the best grifters I've ever met; I mean she can sell just about anything! Hardison is a good guy; I mean a little crazy and a tad on the geeky side, but okay. I've known Nate for a while, and Eliot is a guy that even I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley" the detective answered even though he know that he wasn't telling the young woman anything that she didn't already know.

"Yes, but will I be able to work with them?" Megan asked as she turned to look at the older man.

"Well I think you already know what you are going to do, but if my opinion matters at all I think that you should do it. I think that this is what you need Megan, even I can tell that you are getting bored with this kinda work and don't try to deny it" he said as Megan tried to interrupt.

"I guess you have a point, it would be fun to work with Parker again, I just hope that I can still do that kind of thing" Megan said as she walked with Bonanno out to her car.

"What help people? I thought you did that everyday" the detective smiled as he shut the car door for Megan to drive away.

After Megan drove away from the crime scene, she decided that she was going to go for a drive to clear her head and think about Parker's offer. She knew that she would have to give her best friend an answer sometime, but she was still a little conflicted.

Megan drove around the outskirts of Boston for about an hour just thinking about everything that she'd learned about the Leverage team from Bonanno and all of the other things that the two had talked about since Parker's last visit. When she entered her apartment that afternoon, she had made her decision.

Megan sat down on the couch and picked up the phone. After dialing the familiar number and listening to it ring, she smiled when the owner of the number answered.

"Hey Parks, I'm in" she said with a smile.

Megan listened to Parker's reply and smirked when she told her to meet the blonde at McRory's bar the next night and she would introduce Megan to the team. When she hung up the phone, Megan actually felt good about what she was about to do.

* * *

McRory's Bar: 8PM

"I still think that this is a bad idea Hardison, I mean we know nothing about this girl, except that she's friends with Parker, which makes me question her sanity" Eliot complained as he watched the hacker, who was trying to find any information on this mysterious friend of Parker's.

"I know man, but Parker seems to trust her, so she can't be all bad" the Hacker said as he put in the name that Parker had given him.

"Whatever man, I'm gonna get a drink" Eliot grumbled and walked downstairs to the bar.

Hardison shook his head at the hitter's stubbornness, and then turned back to the computer screen. A few minutes later the software showed that there was a hit, and Hardison clicked on a picture. As he starred back at the picture of the pretty young woman, he noticed the man that was in the picture with her, and realized that he'd seen him somewhere before. After doing a little digging, the hacker realized that the man was Jonathan Mancini, one of the most powerful men in Vegas.

Eliot walked into the bar with a sour look on his face, but smiled when he saw a beautiful woman walk up to the bar.

"I'll take a Godfather" she said to the bartender before taking a seat.

"I like a woman who can drink Whiskey" Eliot said with a smirk.

"Lucky for you, I happen to be one that does" the woman said as the bartender handed her her drink.

"So what's a beautiful woman like you doing in a place like this?" Eliot asked as he sat down next to her.

"I'm meeting a friend, and she's late as usual" the woman smiled and Eliot noticed that she had mesmerizing hazel eyes, but that her smile didn't quite reach them.

The two talked for a few more minutes before Eliot got a call from Hardison to come back upstairs and that the team needed to talk.

"Well Darlin, it was nice to meet you, but apparently I'm needed upstairs" Eliot said softly.

"That's okay, duty calls" the brunette replied with a smirk.

* * *

When Eliot walked into Nate's apartment he groaned when he heard Hardison asking Parker a bunch of questions.

"I didn't think it was that big a deal, and you guys didn't ask" Parker said with an innocent smile.

"Parker, are you sure that this girl can be trusted?" Sophie asked.

"Yes, I mean we worked for Archie together, and Bonanno already told you guys that she is as good as me, so please trust me" the blonde replied as the others looked at her in surprise.

"We trust you Parker, we just can't be sure that having someone else do the grift is a good idea" Nate said as he took a sip of his drink.

"Nate, we need someone who can do beauty pageants right? I mean Sophie is a little too old and I can't be around that many people without blowing the con for us" Parker reasoned.

"Thanks for pointing out my age Parker" Sophie groaned.

"But its true Sophie, can you pull off being 26?" the thief asked.

"Not even on my best day" the grafter nodded, and even Eliot had to admit that Parker had a point.

"Then face it, we need Megan, she can do what we do, and fit right in to any situation. Believe me this will work" Parker pleaded.

"Okay, the job's hers if she wants it" Nate said as Sophie and Hardison nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us that this Megan was the same Megan that is the daughter of Jonathan Mancini, the casino owner?" Hardison asked.

"Actually I'm his step-daughter" a voice said.

Eliot looked up and was shocked to see the woman that he'd just met at the bar.

"Guys meet Megan Mancini, my best friend" Parker said with a laugh as she got up to wrap her arm around the woman's shoulders.

"I knew she was too good to be true" Eliot thought as he looked the beautiful brunette in the eye with an icy glare.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again for the comments! I hope everyone likes this chapter as well!

Sorry if this chapter is a little shorter.

**Chapter 3**

"Actually I'm his step-daughter" a voice said from the door.

Eliot looked up and was shocked to see the woman that he'd just met at the bar.

"Guys meet Megan Mancini, my best friend" Parker said with a laugh as she got up to wrap her arm around the woman's shoulders.

"I knew she was too good to be true" Eliot thought as he looked the beautiful brunette in the eye with an icy glare.

Megan walked into the room and smiled as Parker introduced her to the others.

After she met everyone, they all went back downstairs and sat down at a table while Nate ordered their drinks.

"So you're really Jon Mancini's step-daughter?" Hardison asked.

"Yep, he married my mother when I was ten, he practically raised me" Megan replied as she took a sip of her beer.

"Wow! I went to his casino once, tried to read cards, got caught though" Hardison said.

"Let me guess, he bought you a drink and said that if you ever wanted to come back and cheat him out of his money, to let him know first?" she returned with a giggle.

"How did you know that?" Sophie asked.

"Because he said the same thing to Parker when she tried to rob the main vault, he knew that she was my best friend and wrote it off as stupid kid stuff" Megan explained with a smile.

"Yep, I remember that, we were what eighteen at the time?" Parker asked.

"Uh huh" Megan smirked.

"Honestly I'm just surprised that Parker has known someone that long" Sophie said with a smile.

"Yea, we go way back. We were what fifteen when we met Parks? We worked with Archie together. Archie was friends with my father, and they taught me everything I know about cracking safes" Megan replied.

Well it is nice to have another woman around, I was getting tired of being outnumbered" Sophie said with a laugh.

Megan looked up and noticed that Eliot was glaring and her, and when their eyes met, the hitter stomped out the door in a huff.

"What's the matter with him?" Parker asked to no one in particular.

"We met downstairs earlier and we flirted" Megan explained softly.

"Don't mind Eliot, he is just over protective, he will loosen up eventually" Sophie smiled.

After the four of them finished their drinks, Nate told them to be at the office in the morning, and that they would figure out a plan. Then Parker and Megan left together, but the former thief didn't sleep much that night.

* * *

_**Eliot's POV**_

I walked into the office the next morning feeling just as sour as I was when I left the night before. I hated the fact that the gorgeous girl from the bar was Parker's best friend, and that we would have to work together. I mean sure the girl was attractive, but that doesn't mean that I had to like her.

I walked into the office and glared when I saw that Megan was standing by the table and talking to Hardison. She was standing there in a pair of jeans with a green top that made her tan skin stand out. With her hair pulled up in a ponytail, she shouldn't have looked so good, but God, she did look good in that pair of jeans. Don't even go there Eliot, she is Parker's best friend, and you think of Parker as a sister. A really crazy sister.

Just because I thought that Megan was attractive, didn't mean that I had to get along with her, but I could deal with her long enough for us to pull the job.

I decided to watch them talk for a few more minutes before making myself known, just in case she said anything interesting.

"So you have a dog?" Hardison asked her with a smile, I swear that guy gets excited anytime he has someone to talk dogs or computers with. Oh well at least its better than his geek speak.

"Yep Atticus, the only man in my life at the moment" Megan giggled.

"I'm guessing he's one of those sissy dogs, right? Like a Chihuahua or something" I said as I sat my coffee down.

"Yeah, I mean if you consider a German Shepard to be a sissy dog. Atticus happens to be exceptionally well trained and can disarm an intruder on command" Megan retorted.

"Well that's a surprise, considering girls like you go for the dogs that you can dress up and fit in your purse" I smirked as she glared at me.

"Eliot!" Hardison warned knowing that Parker would be mad if I said anything that pissed off her best friend.

"Oh yes and you know me so well after what ten minutes last night when you were flirting with me with your obvious pick-up lines?" Megan asked before she continued.

"All you know is what you heard from Parker and Bonanno, which I'm sure was very little other than I'm good at what I do, and maybe some other information that Hardison found on his little computer" she said.

"Hey!" Hardison interrupted.

"No offense Hardison" Megan smiled at him.

"None taken" Hardison said looking oddly happy that Megan was not backing down.

"What I meant was you know nothing about me, but I have my sources too" Megan finished.

"Meaning what?" I asked curious.

"Meaning that I did some digging about you guys too. Let me just say that Eliot your reputation certainly precedes you, but um I'm not a girl that's so easily impressed. I'm doing this as a favor to a friend, and the sooner we get this done, the sooner I get to go back to my life" Megan replied.

"Okay kids, let's get to work" Nate said from his place at the stairs.

_Crap, I wonder how much he heard_, I thought as Megan sat down next to Sophie, but I noticed that she winced when she leaned back in the chair.

"Everything okay Megs?" Parker asked as she sat down next to me.

"Yea Parks, just sore, new yoga move" Megan answered quickly.

I noticed that Parker wasn't sure if she should believe her or not, but she dropped the subject anyways.

"What do we know Hardison?" Nate asked as the meeting began.

The entire time Hardison was talking I couldn't stop thinking about what Megan had said and all I thought was_ Honey I'm not so easily impressed either!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for the wonderful comments! **

**Hope everyone likes this chapter too!**

**Chapter 4**

"What do we know Hardison?" Nate asked as the rest of the team and Megan sat down at the table.

"Just that the beauty pageants where all three of the girls were all ran by the same guy, other than that there is no real connection between all of the accident victims" Hardison said shaking his head.

"Let me guess, the guy who runs the pageant is a guy named Brian Trent?" Megan asked.

"Yea, how did you know that?" Hardison asked.

"Trent has worked for several different pageants in the last few years, and he was investigated for money laundering a couple of years back in Texas. Hardison, can you get a list of all of the contestants competing in the pageants where the accidents took place?"

"Yeah, but I don't see how that helps us" Hardison said.

"If there is a contestant that competed in all three pageants, that same contestant might be working with Trent, and could be the one causing the accidents" Megan explained.

"Yeah and Hardison, find a list of contestants for all of the pageants that Trent was in charge of in Texas too, chances are they know each other" Nate.

"Yea and the girl won't be working alone, Claudia said that she thought the driver of the car that hit them was male" Sophie said.

"Okay, I'm on it" Hardison said as he looked at the computer.

"Hardison, what is the next pageant that Trent is in charge of?" Megan asked.

"That would be the Miss Massachusetts pageant" Hardison said as he glanced up at Megan.

"Is there a current list of all of the contestants for the pageant?" Sophie asked.

"Yea, the only spot that's available is Miss. Boston, who coincidently runs in the park every morning" Parker said.

"Yeah at seven every morning, I know I've seen her there, Carly Lawrence" Megan smirked.

"Well this morning, Carly won an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii, the week of the pageant, leaving the spot wide open because the runner up moved out of the state and is no longer eligible. That's where you come in" Nate said.

"That's right; guys meet Megan Prescott, the new Miss. Boston. You are a pre-law student at Boston College, have lived here your whole life and are competing to pay back some student loans. Also you are engaged to a part-time security guard" Hardison said with a smile.

"I hope you like having your picture taken" Sophie smiled.

"Let me guess, I'm the runner-up, which means that I have to provide a current picture" Megan smiled.

"Yep, and in a bikini too, today is my lucky day" Hardison laughed but stopped when he was greeted by glares from both Parker and Eliot.

"Sophie is taking the pictures" Parker said forcefully.

"Who is supposed to be my fiancé?" Megan asked.

"Eliot" Nate said.

"What! No Nate, why can't you do it?" Eliot complained.

"Because Sophie and I are posing as judges at the pageant, and Hardison is going to be busy with the tech stuff so that leaves you" Nate explained.

"Don't worry Eliot, I don't bite…much" Megan smirked.

* * *

A short time later Eliot, Hardison, and Sophie were standing by the pool at Megan's apartment complex waiting for Megan to get ready to take some pictures.

After Eliot and Hardison had set up everything, Sophie pulled out a camera and took some practice shots.

"Smile Eliot" she said knowing that he wouldn't because he never smiled.

"Sophie" he said in a warning tone.

He hated having his picture taken. He looked up as the gate to the pool opened and Megan walked over in a black bikini, with a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top over it. He felt a familiar tightness in his jeans and tried to think about anything besides Megan in a bikini.

Eliot kept trying to tell himself if she wasn't so gorgeous, she wouldn't make him so nervous, and he hated being nervous, all it did was frustrate him. But he wasn't a stranger to beautiful women, and there was something about Megan that he couldn't put his finger on. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

He watched as she stripped off her tank top and shorts. As much as he hated it to admit it, Megan looked better in a bikini than she did in a pair of jeans, and she looked hot in jeans too. He was trying to think about anything other than all of the things he'd like to do to Megan when he caught her looking at him as she pulled her long hair out of her face.

"Like what you see Eliot" Megan replied with a smirk.

Eliot glanced at her and shrugged his shoulders as he sat down on one of the nearby pool chairs.

"Where do you want me Sophie?" Megan asked suddenly.

"How about we get a couple of shots with you in the pool, and then one with your fiancé, then we can see which ones look the best" Sophie replied.

Eliot watched as Megan walked over to the pool and sat down. When he saw her back he noticed a scar on the small of her back. It looked like it was old, but when he recognized what it was, his stomach dropped because it was something that he was familiar with. The scar on Megan's back was from a bullet wound.

After Sophie finished taking the single pictures of Megan, she took some shots of her and Eliot together, despite Eliot trying to talk her out of it, but he didn't mind the part where Megan had to climb on his back. And the part where he threw her into the pool was fun too.

* * *

When they returned to the bar, Megan looked at the pictures and picked out the one that would be sent to the pageant director before everyone sat down to regroup.

"Okay guys, I looked at all of the lists from the pageants that Brian Trent ran both here in Massachutes and in Texas. One name overlaps with the ones here and there. Annabelle James was in all three of the pageants here where the accidents happened, and in Texas she competed under the name Anna Reynolds" Hardison explained.

"Her mother's maiden name" Megan said softly.

When she realized that the others were looking at her she explained.

"When I competed in pageants I used my mother's maiden name, it's easier than creating a whole new alias."

"Okay, well she is most likely our mark along with Trent, so Eliot, you and Megan handle the beauty queen, while Sophie and I handle Trent" Nate said.

"What do you want me to do Nate?" Hardison asked.

"You and Parker stay here and try to find some more stuff that we can use on Trent and the beauty queen, like how the two of them know each other" Sophie interjected.

"Okay everyone, let's go steal a beauty pageant" Nate said as he turned and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait! I hope everyone enjoys this double update!**

**Chapter 5**

A few days before the Miss. Massachutes pageant the judges, directors and owners of the pageant organize a special breakfast so that all of the contestants and their guests could get to know each other.

On this particular morning, Eliot drove to Megan's apartment because he was supposed to pick her up so that they could arrive at the hotel together to keep up the illusion that they were a happily engaged couple. He was still mad at Nate for making him have to play the part of Megan's fiancé. He thought that he had enough to worry about with keeping the others safe without having to add a total stranger to the mix.

He pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and walked into the building. He walked into the elevator and smiled at the older couple.

"Which floor son?" the older man asked gruffly, clearly sizing Eliot up.

"Um second floor."

"Ah, you must be looking for Megan's place" the elderly woman smiled.

"What makes you say that dear, he could be looking for Amy" the man smirked.

"Because he's Megan's type and Amy is seeing someone Bobby" the woman smiled.

"My wife has an endless supply of information" the man laughed and shook his head at Eliot.

When Eliot stepped off of the elevator, he saw Megan talking to another woman, who was dressed in a pair of scrubs and had her hair thrown up in a messy bun. He looked at Megan and was surprised that she was wearing something other than jeans.

The dark green dress hugged her curves in all of the right places and she was wearing some white lacy thing over it that made her look the part of the sophisticated beauty queen. As much as Eliot hated to admit it, he knew that Megan looked the part; he just hoped that she could do the job. As he moved closer to the two women he caught a little of their conversation.

"So Megan, I talked to Dr. Bennett the other day" the brunette smiled.

"Ah yes the elusive Dr. Bennett, what did he have to say?" Megan asked curiously.

"He mentioned that he still wants to take you out, and that he's sorry that he's been so busy with work that he has not been able to call you" the other woman replied.

"Okay, well I figure the least I can do is give him a shot since he paid fifteen hundred dollars for the privilege of taking me out on a date at that benefit, so tell him to give me a call" Megan smirked when she thought about the good looking Pediatrician that won a date with her at a benefit for the hospital where her neighbor worked.

"Okay Megs, I'll tell him that the next time I see him" the other woman smiled.

Eliot decided that he'd had enough of listening to the women's conversation, and something about Megan going on a date with another guy just pissed him off. Even though he wasn't sure why that was exactly.

"Hey Megan, you ready to go?" he asked when he noticed that Megan was staring at him.

"Um yeah" she replied and glanced at Amy who was clearly waiting for an explanation on who the guy was.

"Amy this is Eliot, we work together, and Eliot this is my friend Amy" Megan said as she introduced the two.

"Well Eliot, it's nice to meet you, Megan I gotta get to work, but I will have Dr. Bennett call you okay?" Amy smiled.

"Okay Lauren, I'll talk to you later" Megan said as Lauren smiled at the two of them and left.

* * *

_**A short time later: Boston Hyatt Hotel**_

When Eliot and Megan arrived at the hotel where the breakfast was being held, they put in their ear buds and got ready to size up the competition.

"Now Eliot you work private security for a few special clients, but you might not get any questions about that, so let Megan take the lead" Sophie said from her place next to Nate as they sat in the bar.

"Why? I know what I'm doing" Eliot grumbled.

"Because the other ladies in the room will be looking at her, sizing up their rival, you are just there as her fiancé, so be the fly on the wall" Nate explained.

"Yeah, and what about the two of you? I thought you two were supposed to be judging this stupid thing?" Eliot asked as Megan smirked.

"We will be, two of the three judges are going to be dealt with later, just stay focused on the beauty queen for right now" Sophie said without really answering his question.

"Don't worry Eliot, I've done this before. If I'm do my job right, you will be envy of every man here, and all they will ask about once they see my ring is the wedding anyways so you might be bored" Megan said as she took a small ring out of her purse and slid it on her finger.

"Whatever, I just hope you know what you're doing" Eliot groaned.

"Okay, I have the two of you sitting at the table with Annabelle and her father, so make them think that you are a happy couple, and Megan make sure she sizes you up" Hardison interrupted.

"Got it" Megan replied.

After the two of them signed in under the names Megan Prescott and Riley Davis, they went and sat down in the two available spots at the table with Annabelle and her father.

They spent the next couple of hours answering the same questions from all of the other contestants and Megan noticed that Annabelle kept staring at her.

"The beauty queen keeps staring at me, so I think we can safely say that she sees me as a threat, and she doesn't like it" Megan said softly as Eliot and Annabelle's father were deep in conversation about security alarm systems.

"Just ease back, see if she is sizing up any of the other contestants in the same way, and maybe we can figure out who she is targeting" Sophie advised.

"I don't think that it's going to be today, she has only met some of these people for the first time today, but the practice sessions start on Monday, so maybe once she sees the competition in full effect, she will find a target."

"You have a point, just keep Eliot out of trouble, he sounds about ready to hit someone" Sophie replied.

"Yep and the beauty queen is picking up on it too" Megan replied.

"Oh Daddy, no more shop talk, Riley is here to support his fiancée, not to talk business, so when's the wedding you two?" Annabelle asked making her voice sound as sweet as honey.

"May 6 of next year, we wanted a long engagement, isn't that right sweetie?" Megan said.

"That's right babe, and with both of us being so busy it was just easy to take a year to plan the wedding" Eliot said.

When Megan looked up for a minute she noticed that a red haired woman was looking at their table rather intently, and she realized that she looked vaguely familiar.

"Well I think I'm going to wash my hands, excuse me for a minute honey" Megan said to Eliot with a smile.

When Megan walked over to the bathrooms she passed by the redhead and carefully knocked into her.

"Sorry, these heels are a little unsteady" she explained before walking into the bathroom.

Once inside, she made sure that it was empty and looked at the woman's id that she'd just lifted.

"Hardison, can you run the name Selle Jefferies for me?" Megan asked.

"Sure, but why?" Hardison asked.

"Just a hunch."

When Megan returned to the table she found Annabelle looking at Eliot like a lion sizing up its next meal, with her hand on his knee, and Eliot was trying to pretend that he did not notice it.

"Hey sweetie, hope you didn't miss me too much" Megan said as she gently sat down in Eliot's lap and kissed him hard on the lips.

"_Game on Blondie_" Megan thought as she smirked at Annabelle, who clearly had no idea who she was dealing with!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I swear Shelby, kissing this guy was a very bad idea, even if it was just for show" Megan said into the phone as she flopped down on her bed remembering the rest of the day's events.

After Megan and Eliot had finished at the breakfast, they had gone back to the bar and talked to the others, since no one really had an idea about who Annabelle was going to be targeting they decided to take the rest of the night off, and would regroup the next morning. When Megan got ready to leave, Eliot offered to drive her back to her apartment, and she decided to take him up on the offer.

Once they were in front of her apartment building, Eliot turned to her with a scowl on his face.

"What was all that back there at the hotel?" he asked.

"I was playing a part; I knew that if I put on a good show of being the jealous fiancée that she would start looking at me as a threat" Megan said.

"Really, and what was the kiss for, dramatic effect?" Eliot pressed.

"I was selling the part, and if I hadn't done something, the blonde bimbo would have eaten you for lunch, or she would have tried to at least" Megan smirked.

"You think she would have made a move on someone else's fiancé?" Eliot raised his eyebrows.

"Yep, trust me Eliot, women who are beautiful and think that they are smart don't let a little thing like an engagement ring stop them" Megan groaned as she grabbed her purse and turned to get out of the car.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"Maybe I am, but I have to go now, I'll see you tomorrow" Megan said before shutting the door to Eliot's truck and walking into her building.

Once inside she picked up the phone and called one of the very few people that could give her some really good advice. Her friend Shelby Miller, a thief turned kindergarten teacher, had known Megan for about ten years and in Megan's opinion, knew her way too well.

"Come on Megs, I'm sure it wasn't that bad. Was he at least a good kisser?" the sweet blonde asked.

"Shelby, that is so not the point, but he scored pretty damn high. Like crossing into Adam territory high" Megan groaned.

"Do you think that the reason you are so freaked out is that Jake's wedding is in a couple of months and the bride is Adam's little sister?" Shelby wondered.

"No! I mean I am thrilled that Jake is getting married, but Adam has absolutely nothing to do with it, the reason I'm so freaked out is that it is a job and I kissed a guy that I have to work with" Megan said.

"Meg, you said yourself that you have to act like you are engaged to this guy for the con to work, if you happen to enjoy it too, then what's the harm? As a matter of fact I don't remember someone scoring that high on your list since Adam, so it's about time" Shelby smiled.

"Yeah, and look how well that turned out for me" Megan said as she rolled her eyes and absentmindedly rubbed the scar on her back.

"You still having problems with that issue?" Shelby asked concerned knowing that her friend often rubbed the scar on her back when she thought about her ex.

"Not really, it's just a bad reminder now" Megan replied.

"Well let me know how everything turns out, and Meg, don't worry about the kiss. I gotta go, I have a date tonight" Shelby smirked.

"Okay, thanks Shelby, tell Matt I said hi, and I'll see ya soon" Megan smiled as she got ready to hang up the phone.

"Okay will do, bye girl" Shelby said as she hung up the phone.

* * *

The next morning when Megan walked into the bar and upstairs to the apartment, she took out her phone and called Bonanno.

"Hey Megan, what do you need?" he asked when he picked up the phone.

"Can you run the name Selle Jefferies for me?" Megan asked.

"Yeah, give me a few minutes, and I'll call you back" the detective said.

"What was that all about?" Nate asked when the others walked into the room.

"I'm playing out a hunch, and if I'm right we may have a problem" Megan said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Are you going to let the rest of us in on that hunch?" Hardison asked.

"I will as soon as Bonanno calls me back; did you have any luck with that name I asked about yesterday?" Megan asked.

"Nothing that stands out" Hardison said just as Megan's phone rang.

"That would be Bonanno" Megan said.

"Put him on speaker" Nate said.

"Okay Bonanno, you're on speaker, what did you find?" Megan asked.

"Just that Selle Jefferies is an alias for Officer Selle Felix, out of the 2 6, she works for the task force" the detective said.

"She working UC?" Megan asked.

"Yep, how did you know?" Bonanno asked in return.

"I noticed her yesterday, and I knew that I knew her but couldn't place where" Megan explained.

"You should have, she was the officer that handled your case a few years ago Meg" Bonanno said.

"That's right, thanks Bonanno" Megan said as she hung up.

"What case of yours was she looking into?" Sophie asked.

"Another story for another time, all y'all need to know is that it involved my stupid ex and me getting shot" Megan replied.

"Well that explains why I couldn't find anything on her alias" Hardison said.

"Why are the cops looking into this?" Sophie asked.

"Chances are it has something to do with Brian Trent, and why the money from his last job never made it to the charities" Nate said.

"Right, but how do the accidents and Annabelle James fit in?" Parker asked.

"I'm not sure, but when Sophie and I meet with Brian Trent, I'm sure we'll figure it out" Nate said.

"Well Eliot and Megan, you two go back to the hotel, Megan has to practice her talent, and they can keep an eye on things" Sophie smiled.

"What are you going to do for your talent?" Hardison asked.

"She's going to sing" Parker said.

"Parks!" Megan groaned.

"What? You know you have a great voice, and your other talents can't be performed on stage, well not legally anyways" Parker shrugged her shoulders.

"Gee thanks Parks, let's go Eliot" Megan said as she left the room as fast as she could.

* * *

When Megan and Eliot arrived at the hotel, they went straight to the practice rooms, and after a few hours, were getting ready to leave when Megan saw Selle again heading into the bathrooms.

"I have a plan, Eliot block the door" Megan said softly before heading into the restrooms.

"Well Megan Mancini, we meet again" Selle said when she came face to face with the pretty brunette she remembered from five years before, although both women were a little older, both still looked the same.

"It seems we do, Officer Felix, now tell me why you're working undercover at a beauty pageant" Megan said as she hopped up onto the sink with a smirk.

"Okay, but same goes for you Mancini" the red head said while matching Megan's smirk with one of her own.

"_Oh goody_" Megan thought, _"This should be fun!"_


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks again for the wonderful comments! I hope everyone likes this chapter too!

**Chapter 7**

"Now Nate remember to let me do the talking" Sophie said as the two of them walked into the building that Brian Trent had been using as his office for the past few months.

"I know Sophie, this guy likes to think that he is charming, so it makes sense that he will focus his attention on you" Nate said.

"Megan what did you learn from the cop last night?" Sophie asked as she glanced at Nate in mild irritation.

"All Selle told me is that the cops are looking at Trent for the money laundering, but the accidents are new. They are looking into that too, but have no idea how that two of them are connected" Megan replied.

"Okay, well hopefully after this meeting we will know more" Nate groaned as Brian Trent's secretary came over to greet them.

"Mr. Dawson and Ms. Calloway, Mr. Trent will see you now" she smiled.

The two of them walked into the small office and sat down in the chairs that were facing the tacky oak desk. Sophie could tell that Brian Trent was a man who wanted to make people believe that he was important, that he was a charming ladies' man, and that was exactly how she was going to treat him.

"Mr. Trent, I'm Rebecca Calloway and this is my friend Josh Dawson, we heard you were looking for two replacement judges for the Miss. Massachusetts pageant" Sophie said in a fake Georgia accent.

"Well Ms. Calloway, you heard right, it seems two of the judges decided that they were going to run away together and didn't bother to tell anyone" Trent said with a smirk.

_Flashback:_

"_Now Hardison we have to make sure we get rid of two of the judges so that Nate and I can work at the pageant" Sophie glanced at the hacker._

"_I know Sophie, but there are three judges, how do I know who to send this to?" Hardison asked when he looked at the computer screen._

"_Who are the judges this year?" Megan asked as she walked over and stood next the hacker._

"_Um a Grant Taylor, Melissa Galliard, and Joe Harris" Hardison answered._

"_Send it to Melissa and Grant, those two have been sleeping together for years, and Joe practices an alternative lifestyle" Megan said as Eliot walked in._

"_How do you know that?" Parker asked._

"_Trust me, they judged the last pageant I was in" Megan smirked._

"_Okay, the two of them have just won an all-expenses paid trip to Vegas" Hardison laughed._

_End of Flashback._

"Well we would both just love the chance to make a difference in a young woman's life, being a former Miss. Georgia, I know how important it is for these women to be encouraged" Sophie said with a smile.

"I would love to have a former Miss. Georgia as a judge, but why should I hire the both of you?" Trent asked.

"Because we come as a package deal" Nate spoke up with a forced smile "if you want her, you get me" he finished as Sophie looked on stunned.

"Okay, we have a deal, you both get the job, but make no mistake Mr. Dawson, I'm only doing this for Ms. Calloway" Trent said as he matched Nate's forced smile with one of his own.

"Okay guys we're in" Nate said a short time later when they emerged from the office with triumphant smiles on their faces.

* * *

"So will I actually get to hear you sing again at some point or do I have to wait like everyone else?" Parker asked while she watched as Megan looked over some song lyrics at the bar before she went with Eliot to practice.

"Um you can hear me sing at Jake and Kourtni's wedding, if you actually decide to come that is" Megan replied.

"No, I mean at the pageant, you take your ear bud out whenever you practice just so we won't hear you, I mean I know what a great singer you are Megs."

"Parks you know how I feel about singing in public, I mean the occasional wedding for people I consider family is one thing, but for a room filled with strangers, not my thing. Besides, I want to focus on the song when I practice, not whose listening" Megan reasoned with a small smile.

"Does Eliot get to hear you practice?" Parker asked as the hitter walked into the room.

"Nope, I wait outside and keep an eye on things, that's the way Megan feels comfortable so I just go with it" Eliot said.

"There, you have your answer Parks, if you are very good, I'll leave my ear bud in during the dress rehearsal so you can hear the song" Megan promised as she walked out of the bar with a smirk on her face.

"Eliot how did you know that Megan was more comfortable singing without an audience, she never mentioned it did she?" Parker asked softly.

"No, she uh has a tell Parker, and I guess I know how she feels about the whole public thing, she does it for the music" Eliot said as he walked away.

"Performers" Parker said under her breath as she shook her head with a giggle.

* * *

When Megan and Eliot walked into the small practice room a short time later, she smiled at the girl who was playing the piano for the contestants, and got ready to sing while Eliot got ready to take his usual stance outside the door.

"Eliot you can leave the door open if you want" Megan said before he left.

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure, oh here is my ear bud" Megan said as she handed it to him with a smile.

After Eliot walked out of the room, the piano began to play and Megan opened her mouth to sing.

After Megan finished practicing her song, she went to meet Eliot so that they could head back to the bar, and found him looking through something in a small closet.

"Finding anything interesting in there?" Megan asked suddenly.

"Not really, I just thought that there might be something in here because all of the contestants pass through here at some point" Eliot explained.

"Good point, maybe there is" Megan started but was interrupted when she was shoved hard from behind and the closet door slammed shut.

The sound of the door slamming made Eliot turn around just in time to catch Megan before she hit the ground.

After several minutes of trying to get the door open they both realized that they needed to come up with another way to get out of there. That was when Megan took her ear bud and got into contact with the only person that she knew would help.

"Hardison is Parker still there?" she asked.

"Yep I'm here Megs, we're all here, what's up?" Parker asked.

"Um do you have the floor plans for the practice area of the hotel?" Megan asked in return.

"Yep, I have them up now" Hardison said.

"Does the heating and cooling system run through the closets and stuff, Eliot and I are trapped in one, something is blocking the door" Megan explained.

"How did that happen?" Hardison asked with a laugh.

"DAMN IT HARDISON! That's not the point, just get us out of here" Eliot demanded.

"Megs there should be an air duct above you and if you crawl through the system you should come out at the end of the hall, you can still pick locks right?" Parker asked.

"Yes Parks, this isn't my first go around you know" Megan smirked.

"Can you get us out of here?" Eliot asked.

"Yep, just give me a boost" Megan said as Eliot hoisted her up.

She almost had the vent opened when she lost her balance and sent her and Eliot falling backwards as they held onto each other as tightly as they could. They hit the ground with a thud and looked at each other.

* * *

As Megan crawled through the venation system a short time later, she paused when she heard voices. She recognized one of them to be Annabelle.

"Look Trent I don't care what you have to do, but I am going to win this pageant! I want her out of the competition, if not I will go to the police and tell them all about the missing money" she said.

"Listen sweetie, if you tell the cops anything they will know that you were the one that hurt those girls in exchange for keeping your pretty mouth shut! So if I go down, you go down!" Trent retorted.

Megan stayed there for another minute before she heard the others talking to her. When she got the door to the closet open she looked up at Eliot and said in a small voice.

"Guys I know who the target is and what the connection between Trent and the James' is, stay there, Eliot and I will be back in about twenty minutes, and we need a plan!" Megan said as she and Eliot raced to the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks again for the comments! Hope you like this chapter too!**

**Chapter 8**

After Eliot and Megan returned to the bar, they went upstairs and Megan told the others what she had heard.

"Annabelle is targeting Selle, I think she moved on from another girl, but she said that she wanted Selle out of the pageant because she looks like she knows something.

Flashback:

"_I swear Trent that Selle girl knows something, and she is pretty enough to win the pageant" Annabelle said as she stormed into the office._

"_I thought you were going after the little blonde, what's changed?" Trent asked._

"_She's singing Ave Maria for her talent, and she is terrible. So she doesn't have a ghost's chance in hell of winning the pageant, but Selle and that Megan Prescott are actual contenders" Annabelle said._

"_Then why aren't you going after Megan?" Trent asked._

"_Her stupid fiancé is always with her, at least I can get Selle alone" Annabelle replied._

"_Well that's fine Annabelle, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that" Trent said._

"_Look Trent I don't care what you have to do, but I am going to win this pageant! I want her out of the competition, if not I will go to the police and tell them all about the missing money" she said._

"_Listen sweetie, if you tell the cops anything they will know that you were the one that hurt those girls in exchange for keeping your pretty mouth shut! So if I go down, you go down!" Trent retorted._

End of Flashback.

"So Trent is letting Annabelle and her father hurt those girls so that they will keep their mouths shut about his money laundering" Nate said.

"Yep, and they are both smart enough to know that if one goes down, they all go down, so what are we going to do?" Megan asked.

"You leave Trent to us, we will figure out a way to expose him, do you think that you could get Selle on our side or at least let her know that she is the target?" Sophie asked.

"I can, but I also have to let her know that if the police bust in now, Trent will get off again. I just have to appeal to her sense of compassion for those girls that Annabelle hurt" Megan said.

"What if you can't get her to listen to you?" Parker asked.

"Well I could bring Bonanno in on this to help convince her, but hopefully it won't come to that" Megan said.

"Okay, and Eliot, if Megan is able to convince Selle to lay low until the job goes down keep an eye on her. A cop being injured is bad news and like Megan said, nothing will work if he gets heat from the cops and runs" Nate said.

"Okay, but you guys should know if I start hanging around Selle, rumors could start" Eliot said with a nod.

"Just make sure the two of you are never in the same room alone for a long period of time, and be friendly but not too friendly that it makes anybody suspect something" Megan said.

"How is that going to work Megan, I mean we can't be sure that she will go along with what you are telling her or that Annabelle will stop once the pageant is over" Eliot said.

"Yeah we can, all Annabelle wants is to win the pageant, it doesn't matter if she wins by one vote or three, winning's winning" Megan replied.

For a second something registered on the hitter's face when he heard that statement, and that was when he knew that he had to play a hunch of his own.

* * *

"Okay Mancini, what did you want to talk about?" Selle asked as she met Megan in the practice room early the next morning.

"I found out who Annabelle James is targeting, and that she is working with Trent" Megan said solemnly.

"How did you find out?" Selle asked.

"Long story, but the point is you need to stand down, if you go and try to take Trent down, all three of them could run, and the case stalls" Megan reasoned.

"Who is the target?"

"You are Selle, Annabelle suspects that something is off with you, and she is going to try to hurt you."

"So you want me to stall bringing Trent in on money laundering, and Annabelle James and her father" Selle said.

"Yep, or at least give me a chance to find some proof" Megan replied.

"Okay, I'll try to stall, but you have until the pageant to prove your theory, or I call for backup" Selle said.

"Okay Selle, but I'm going to need to have someone keep an eye on you too. The guy that has been acting as my fiancé is going to make sure that Annabelle does not get the chance to hurt you."

"Okay, what's our story in case people ask questions?"

"That we are friends that used to compete together and we met up again after not seeing each other for a few years" Megan said shrug.

"Okay, works for me, I just hope this works Mancini" Selle smirked knowing that the brunette standing next to her knew what she was doing.

* * *

"Okay girls, we are going to run through everything like it is the actual pageant, so treat it like it is the real thing" Brian Trent said as he glanced at the women that were standing in front of him.

"You ready to do this Megan?" Eliot asked as he sat in the audience watching the rehearsal while Megan was backstage.

"As ready as I'm gonna be, just keep an eye on Selle and the bimbo. I know it might be tough for you since at this time tomorrow, you'll be seeing a lot of women in bikini's" Megan smirked.

"Yeah Eliot, how come you get the fun job?" Hardison asked over the com as he sat at his computer with a smile.

"Because you aren't playing Megan's fiancé, and Parker would kill you if she even thought you were looking at another woman, I mean since she is into you now" Eliot smirked.

"Can we focus please? While you guys are at the rehearsal, Sophie and I are going to try and put the bug in Trent's office" Nate said as he and Sophie waited in the hallway outside of the office.

"Megs are you going to leave your ear-bud in while you perform this time right? I mean you did promise" Parker asked hopefully.

"Yes Parks, a promise is a promise" Megan said softly as she changed into her swimsuit for that part of the competition.

After the swimsuit competition the contestants began to perform their talents, and Megan left her ear-bud in so that the others could hear the song she had chosen to sing.

"The next contestant is Miss. Boston, Megan Prescott" the MC said with a smile.

The entire time Megan was singing her song, as much as she tried to block out the voices from the rest of the team, with Nate distracting Trent's secretary, Sophie's mumbling about Hardison's instructions on planting the bug, Parker's telling all of them to shut up so that she could hear Megan singing, Megan was worried that she would mess up the lyrics, but she was so relieved when she finished her song and joined the other contestants backstage.

"Okay guys, Sophie planted the bug, all we have to do is wait for the marks to give themselves away" Nate said as he and Sophie walked into the rehearsal room with a smile on their faces.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hope everyone likes this chapter too! **

**The song that Megan sings in this chapter is "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perry!**

**Chapter 9**

After half a day of waiting, the team finally had the information to nail the James's and Trent. By keeping the bug in Trent's office, they were able to hear everything when the marks finally slipped up.

Now all Hardison had to do was play the tape of the confession during the coronation of the winner, and then the cops would take it from there.

Megan was standing in line in the area behind the stage waiting for the pageant to start while Eliot was in the hallway outside the auditorium, and Parker was hiding somewhere so that she could break into Trent's office during the pageant to break into the safe that housed the money being raised.

"Okay everyone, stay focused and let them come to us" Nate said as he and Sophie took their seats at the judges table.

As the pageant began and the girls did the first presentation Megan noticed that Annabelle was unusually calm, like she was planning something.

"Eliot you might want to keep your eyes open, Blondie is entirely too calm over here" Megan said through gritted teeth.

"I got ya, let me know if you see daddy get up from his seat in the audience, you know she likes for him to do the dirty work" Eliot said in return.

"Speaking of a seat in the audience, Eliot, you might want to get to yours, Mr. James might notice if a competitor's fiancé is noticeably absent" Sophie replied softly.

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way" Eliot grumbled.

"Don't worry man, first up is the swim suit competition, so you won't suffer all that much" Hardison laughed.

Everything was calm and going according to plan during the swim suit portion of the pageant and the naming of the top fifteen girls, but then when Megan went back stage to get ready for the evening gown portion, everything changed.

She glanced over at Selle and they both watched Annabelle as she appeared to be talking to herself.

"Do it now Daddy, that meddling fiancé is not around" Annabelle said and then paused.

"Dammit Daddy, I don't care! Do it now!" she said a little more forcefully.

"Eliot, is daddy getting up?" Megan asked as the girls got ready to line up for the evening down procession.

"Yep, and I'm going after him" Eliot said.

"Just watch out, Annabelle just told him to do something, so who knows what she has up her sleeve" Megan warned.

"I can handle it" Eliot grumbled as he waited a few minutes before following Marshall James out of the auditorium.

When he caught up to him, Eliot saw that Marshal was about to cut the electrical wiring to the auditorium. That was when he figured out that once the lights were out, Annabelle would have the opportunity to hurt Selle or Megan. Eliot instantly went into attack mode.

"Hey!" he said as a means to get Marshall's attention.

When Marshall turned around Eliot punched him in the stomach and sent him flying to the ground. When the older man got up he tried to land a punch to Eliot's face, but didn't make it. Eliot sent the older man flying into a wall where he slumped to the floor in a heap. That was when the ear-bud Marshall had been wearing fell out of his ear and landed at Eliot's feet, and he crushed it.

"Megan, Annabelle had the old man wired for sound, she was planning on doing something to one of you after he cut the power" he explained.

"Don't worry Eliot, we'll take care of it" Megan replied.

As the girls got ready to line up for the talent portion of the competition Selle stuck her foot out as Annabelle walked past them and the two smiled at each other as the blonde went flying. When Annabelle stood up she tried to play it off like her heel broke as she took her place in line, but everyone that saw knew the truth.

* * *

"The next contestant is Miss. Boston, Megan Prescott" the announcer said as Megan walked out on stage a short time later. She smiled at the audience and then tuned the noise in her ears out as she began to sing.

_No, I can't take one more step towards you_

_'Cause all that's waiting is regret_

_Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore_

_You lost the love I loved the most_

_I learned to live half alive_

_And now you want me one more time_

_And who do you think you are?_

_Runnin' 'round leaving scars_

_Collecting your jar of hearts_

_And tearing love apart_

_You're gonna catch a cold_

_From the ice inside your soul_

_So don't come back for me_

_Who do you think you are?_

While Megan was on stage Nate noticed that Brian Trent was looking quite pleased with himself, possibly because he thought that he was going to deposit millions of dollars into his bank account.

Nate smiled as Sophie took out the phone that Hardison had set up to be untraceable and sent a text to Trent.

_I know about the missing money. Don't make any plans, a surprise is coming_, the message said.

Nate and Sophie watched as Trent read the message and tried to act like a man who wasn't scared to death that he had been found out.

"Parker, did you get the money?" Nate asked as he tried to hide a smirk.

"Yep, we're good on my end, Hardison are you ready?" the thief asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm good to go, the confession will be played as soon as the winner is announced" he smirked.

_Flashback:_

"_Hey guys I think we got something on Trent and Annabelle James" Hardison said as the team met in the apartment the morning of the pageant"_

"_Brian, Daddy is going to cut the lights during the pageant while I take care of Megan Prescott and Selle Jefferies" Annabelle said._

"_Going for two now are we Annabelle" Trent teased._

"_Oh, shut up! Daddy is willing to do his job. Now if you do your job we will all be twenty million dollars richer tonight" Annabelle said._

"_And what if I decide to keep all of the cash for myself?" Trent asked._

"_Then you would be a dead man" Mr. James said._

"_Daddy happens to be serious Brian, I have gotten away with hurting people and making it look like an accident before, so murder wouldn't be a stretch" Annabelle cackled._

"_Hardison, play this after Annabelle is crowned. We got all of the evidence we need" Nate smiled._

_End of Flashback_

* * *

After the girls finished the talent and evening gown portion of the pageant, the final five girls were named and it was time to declare a winner.

"The second runner up is Miss. Cambridge, Selle Jefferies" the MC said as Selle walked over and joined the third runner up with a smile as she accepted her flowers and sash.

"May the best woman win" Megan whispered in Annabelle's direction as the final two contestants looked at each other and plastered fake smiles on their faces.

"The first runner up is… Miss. Boston, Megan Prescott" the MC said as Megan stood next to Selle.

"The winner of the Miss. Massachutes pageant is….Miss. Easthampton, Annabelle James" the MC said with a smile as the national anthem began to play and the queen put on a huge show while accepting her crown.

Then the crowd went silent as the newly crowned queen's voice came over the PA system.

"_**Brian, Daddy is going to cut the lights during the pageant while I take care of Megan Prescott and Selle Jefferies" Annabelle said.**_

"_**Going for two now are we Annabelle" Trent teased.**_

"_**Oh, shut up! Daddy is willing to do his job. Now if you do your job we will all be twenty million dollars richer tonight" Annabelle said.**_

"_**And what if I decide to keep all of the cash for myself?" Trent asked.**_

"_**Then you would be a dead man" Mr. James said.**_

"_**Daddy happens to be serious Brian, I have gotten away with hurting people and making it look like an accident before, so murder wouldn't be a stretch" Annabelle cackled.**_

The whole crowd watched in shock and Annabelle tried to run but was stopped when Megan stuck her foot out and tripped her, sending the woman flying into the wall while Selle pulled out a pair of cuffs from the lining of her dress and read the blonde her rights.

As Brian Trent, Annabelle James, and Marshall James were led away in handcuffs, the members of the leverage team looked on with a smile at another job well done.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_**McRory's Bar: Boston**_

"So Annabelle James and her father are going to prison?" Claudia asked Nate as they sat down at a table in the bar.

"Yep, they have been booked on multiple counts of assault and battery, along with being a part of a major money laundering scheme, so they along with Brian Trent will be in jail for a while" Sophie replied with a smile.

"And all of the money that was stolen from all of Trent's fraudulent pageants will go toward taking care of all of the hospital visits and medical bills for you and all of the others that were hurt as a result of Annabelle's greed" Nate said.

"Thank you so much" Claudia said as she smiled and finished her drink before she left the bar.

Then Sophie and Nate went back upstairs to talk to the others, mainly Megan.

"So how did it go with the client?" Parker asked when they walked in.

"She sends her thanks" Nate said as he poured himself a drink.

"Where's Megan?" Sophie asked as she looked around the room for the younger woman.

"She's changing, some friends of ours are meeting at the bar, so she's getting ready" Parker explained.

"Yeah, still getting used to the idea of you having friends Parker" Eliot smirked.

"Well she does, you know you can come too Parks" Megan said as she walked into the room wearing a short, strapless, teal dress, with black heels and her hair up in a ponytail.

"Where are you off to dressed like that?" Hardison asked.

"My friend Kourtni's bachelorette party, which Parker is also invited to" Megan smiled as she pulled her friend aside.

"I would, but its too many people. Still haven't gotten totally used to being normal in big crowds yet" Parker replied.

"Okay, if you're sure, but why don't you come down and have a drink with us before we leave" Megan smiled.

"I don't know" Parker said hesitantly.

"I promise that it's just us."

"Okay, if it's just you guys" Parker smiled softly back.

"Well we have an offer for you Megan" Nate said when the two women rejoined the group.

"An offer?" Megan asked confused.

"How would you like to be a part of the team? You were really great with your part of the grift and you fit in perfectly with the rest of us" Sophie said with a smile.

"Um wow, I um I really don't know what to say. Can I have some time to think about it?" Megan asked.

"Sure, take all the time you need" Nate said with a smirk.

While the others were talking to Megan, Eliot decided he was going to make a phone call to a friend of his that was also a hacker.

"Hey Charlie, did you get that information I asked for?" he asked when she answered.

"Um hi Eliot, I'm good, how are you" she replied.

"Sorry Charlie, so did you get it?" Eliot asked again.

"Yes, Megan's real name is Megan Esposito; her mother had her name changed to Mancini when she was a kid. Now come say hi to me, I'm at the bar" Charlie smirked as she hung up the phone.

When Eliot entered the bar he looked over at the table where Parker, Megan and a few other girls were sitting and noticed that one of the girls was wearing a green and white dress. He smiled at Charlie and tried to look confused when she waved him over.

"Hey Eliot, it's about time you came over to say hi" Charlie smirked.

"How do you two know each other?" Megan asked as she sipped her drink.

"Eliot and I have worked together before" Charlie smiled.

"Eliot these are my friends, Callie, Shelby, Annie, and Kourtni" Megan said with a smile when she noticed the look that Charlie was giving Eliot.

"Well I heard that one of you lovely ladies is getting married" Eliot said.

"You heard right" the woman that had been introduced as Callie said with a devilish smirk, "Our little Kourtni is getting married in a few weeks" she giggled while throwing her arm around the blond in the white dress that was sitting next to her.

"Well can I at least buy you ladies a drink?" Eliot asked with a smile.

"Um thanks Eliot but um we have to get to the restaurant, we have reservations, so we need to go now" Megan replied with a smile.

"And that is why you are the best maid of honor ever" Callie giggled.

"Yep, that attention to detail" Charlie smirked.

"Ha ha you ladies are so cute" Megan smirked.

"As you can see the fun has started already" Kourtni smiled.

"Yes it has, now let's go have some more!" Callie exclaimed as she stood up and grabbed her purse.

"You sure you don't wanna come with Parks?" Megan asked.

"Nope I am going to go watch a movie with Hardison" Parker smiled.

After Megan and the other girls left the bar, they went to a nice restaurant and had a great dinner before going to a private performance at a night club.

"So Parker's been spending a lot of time with this Hardison guy right?" Callie asked Megan as the two of them went to get another drink.

"Yep, apparently they like each other and are dancing around it, but she is the happiest I've ever seen her" Megan replied with a smile.

"That's good, she deserves to be happy, now why were you in such a hurry to get away from that gorgeous Eliot?" Callie asked as she sipped her drink.

"He took me by surprise, and I didn't know that he knew Charlie" Megan returned softly.

"Do you think Charlie said something to him about your secret" Callie wondered.

"I guess, let's ask her and see" Megan smiled.

"Hey Char; did you happen to mention anything to Eliot about who I am?" Megan asked her as she sat down.

"Will you be mad if I say yes?" Charlie asked in return.

"No, I mean I figured he was going to start digging around as soon as he met me, I just didn't know that you two knew each other" Megan smirked.

"I worked with him a couple of years ago, but other than that we don't really talk that much, so you're sure you're not mad at me for telling" Charlie asked.

"I'm sure, I mean he would have found out anyways and I would rather it come from you, one of my best friends, than a total stranger that knows nothing about what actually happened" Megan replied.

"Okay, but if he confronts you about it, what are you going to do?" Kourtni asked as she joined the conversation.

"I'll tell him the truth, and hope that he understands" Megan said softly.

The next morning Megan was woken up by a knock on the door. She groaned and answered the door in her pajamas, not caring who was on the other side. She was surprised though when she saw that Eliot was on the other side.

"Eliot? What are you doing here?" Megan asked.

"I came to talk to you Megan" he said.

"Well since I have an idea about what it is about, so why don't you come in, I don't really feel like discussing this in the hall" Megan said as she moved out of the way and let Eliot in to the small apartment.

Eliot wasn't really surprised by the way Megan's apartment looked. It was simple, with an elegant feel to it, just like the grifter herself. He glanced at all of the pictures and his eyes landed on one in particular.

"So I guess you know, so just ask me" Megan said as she handed Eliot a cup of coffee, and then took a sip of her own.

"I didn't figure it out until you said that line about it didn't matter if Annabelle won by one vote or three, winning's winning. I've only know one other person that said it like that, except it was about racing. His name is Anthony Esposito, he has a sister about your age so, and I figured that was you" Eliot said finally.

"Yep, Tony is my big brother; we have two sisters, Katie and Jenna. Katie is finishing her degree in journalism and Jenna is getting ready to start college in the fall. I know you want to know more than that."

Eliot nodded his head and waited for her to continue.

"Our dad died when I was seven, he just went out one day for milk and was shot in a robbery. Tony was the one who helped mom take care of Katie and I until she married our step-dad and had Jenna. He always loved cars, I guess he got that from our dad, but he lived for racing" Megan explained.

"What happened six years ago Megan?" Eliot asked finally.

"He opened his own shop and had just gotten engaged, but the guy that ran with the Mexican gang in the area, Carlos Rodriguez, wanted a cut of his profits and some of his winnings from his races. Tony refused, and um Carlos killed Tony's fiancé and made it look like Tony had killed her. Since he wasn't going to do time for something he didn't do, and he had no proof that Carlos set him up."

"So he ran, and has been in hiding ever since" Eliot said.

"Yeah, if he even enters into the US he will be arrested and do major time, unless there is proof that Carlos set him up" Megan said softly.

"I met Tony about five years ago; he is a cool guy, and definitely not a killer. He talked about you and the rest of your family all the time" Eliot said finally.

Eliot stayed for a few more minutes and then Megan walked him to the door.

"Eliot can we keep this between us? I mean Parker knows but I'm not ready to tell the others yet" Megan said.

"They won't hear it from me. You can tell them when you are ready, and then we will help you nail Rodriguez" Eliot said softly.

"Thanks" Megan replied with a soft smile.

A couple of days later, Megan got a call from Parker telling her that the team had a job and that the job was still hers if she wanted it. Megan thought about her conversation with Eliot and decided that joining the team was the right move.

She walked into Nate's apartment an hour later with a smile on her face. Parker hugged her and Sophie smiled at the two women.

"I guess this means you're taking the job?" she asked.

"Yes I am, if it's still on the table" Megan said as she looked between Nate and Sophie.

"Of course it is" Sophie said with a smile.

"Okay everyone, now that we are all here, we can get started" Nate said with a grin.

After Nate and Hardison told them about their newest client, Nate looked at the team and said:

"Okay everyone let's go steal a…"

* * *

**The End.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this story! Don't worry, there will be more coming soon!**


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Leverage