Chapter Text
Eliot stood in the shadows, watching the burning wreck of his father's vehicle.
Nightmare had become reality. Paranoia proven truth.
Every moment of every day since he had reunited with Billy and started to work on their relationship, Eliot had feared his past would endanger the older man. Not one to dwell on emotion, he swallowed his sorrow, dipped his head in shame as he remembered the relief he had felt, knowing his mother was gone and safe from all harm her son could have brought to her doorstep. Then Eliot let his anger swell, covering his grief and fear.
Spencer was a common enough name. And given that an adoption of a white baby by a black family was so uncommon - even frowned upon - back in those days, Eliot had always thought his family would be safe. No one should have suspected that a small town nurse and high school coach/hardware store owner were the parents of an elite killer...A man whose very name made one look over their shoulder in fear. Even so, paranoia had kept them safe. Eliot had always been very careful to avoid any hint of a connection, even in front of his team.
It should have taken a lot of digging to connect Eliot Spencer to his parents. Should have been impossible.
But.... Someone had done it.
Eliot didn't blame the team. He knew that this last year, Hardison and Breanna had worked hard to hide their connection to Oklahoma and that Spencer, but Billy had ignored a lot of their warnings. He didn't know, didn't understand, and Eliot struggled with how to explain to the father he'd just found exactly who - what - he had been.
Stubborn old man. Said he was proud of his son. How could Eliot give that up? He thought they had time. If the man had just stayed low. But that wasn't his way. Billy refused to stay quiet, to stay away. Refused to stay safe.
And now this.
The flames were just dying down enough to reveal an old once-red pickup truck, burnt to a black hull, still parked in front of a dark bungalow. No question of who it had belonged to.
Everything destroyed.
Gone. A life in ruins.
Eliot smiled and turned away.