Beauty and Rage (Leverage Fan Fiction)

22. But That's All In The Past Now

"Eliot is going to kill me when he finds out that I let you go to work, Andy."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm a big girl, Hardison."

Andy picked up the empty bottles of alcohol from a table and moved towards the bar. Hardison followed behind her the entire time, attempting to talk her out of working and in to going home.

"He told me that you two agreed on you staying away from here for a while until you finished getting better."

"It's just a little sore now, Hardison." Andy spoke quietly to him as she began to mix a drink for one of the bar's patrons. "I'm going to be perfectly fine. James and Nat are going to walk me back to Eliot's apartment after my shift."

"You aren't staying with me?"

Andy poured the alcohol into a glass and then lifted her gaze to meet the hacker's.

"Are you that scared of Eliot, sweetie?"

"No!" Hardison crossed his arms firmly over his chest. "I'm just-You see I'm worried about you, baby."

"Mhmm." She lightly chuckled as she moved from behind the bar to take the drink to table eight. "I'll take care of Eliot, Hardison. You don't have to let him bully you—,"

"I'm not! He's just so big and he's got that mean look in his eyes—,"

"Here you go, honey." Andy placed the drink in front of the woman and then turned to Hardison. "You're taller than he is, Alec!"

She led the way back towards the bar, where the two could talk more privately for a few minutes. Hardison leaned against the bar and ran a hand over his face.

"I'm just worried about you, Andy. Parker's laying low after what happened and she didn't get shot twice by her psycho ex-boyfriend."

Andy bit the inside of her cheek, gazing down at her hand on the bar.

"Me and Eliot have talked about it. And he knows I didn't want him going to Morocco but he went anyways. So I'm going to do whatever the hell I want here."

"You're crazy, Andy." Hardison shook his head. "If you need anything, call me. I'm bouncing between the brew-pub and my place."

"Okie dokie." Andy gave him a half smile as he made his way for the door.

"How long are you staying, Andy?" Liza approached the bar with three glasses in her hands. She placed them on the countertop and then leaned against it as she looked to Andy.

"Not too long. Just a few more hours. I'm not staying for karaoke night." Andy frowned.

"Why the hell not?" Erin practically demanded. She joined the two women behind the bar.

"I'm not feeling up to it, guys." Andy sighed softly. "I have a bad headache. There's no way I can handle karaoke night with it."

"That sounds like a load of shit." Erin rolled her eyes at her blonde co-worker and friend. "I've seen you with a migraine looking like death but you put on a full face of makeup and that red lipstick of yours and you push through whatever happens here because you're like that."

"Andy, something's been going on and Natalia said you've been lying to her about where you've been when you disappeared on us—,"

"How the hell does she know where I am?" Andy cut Liza off. "I was in DC with my dad."

"We aren't trying to accuse you of anything, Andy." Erin spoke calmly, her eyes flickering back to the patrons that were sitting around and mingling in the bar.