Title: a celebration of lights
Fandom: Leverage
Rating: PG
Length: ~350 words
Contents: pure fluff, references to darker days in Eliot's past

Summary: Parker, Hardison, and Eliot go the tree lighting ceremony in Pioneer Square.

Eliot had stopped celebrating Christmas years ago. There's not much point in a holiday about hope and joy and the best parts of the human spirit when you were busy hurting people and mucking about with the worst parts all year.

He did once beat up four Swiss smugglers with nothing more than his bare hands, some glass tree ornaments, and a roll of tinsel, but he wasn't exactly "feeling the Christmas spirit" at the time. It was just a job.

Being part of the team changed that for him. One con at a time, they fought the darkness in the world and brought back the light. A little bit of justice, a little bit of goodness. They got to bring hope back to people, and Eliot might not be willing to say it out loud, but that brought hope back to him.

It took a little longer to get back to wanting to celebrate Christmas, but it managed to sneak back in and set up somewhere in the back of his head. Eliot isn't willing to say that out loud, either, but it's there.

So he grumbles when Parker drags them all down to Pioneer Square for the city's tree lighting ceremony, but he goes. He even wears the stupid Santa hat Parker gave him. Hardison buys them roasted chestnuts and gingerbread lattes from a food cart, and they find a good spot to watch.

After the speeches, there's a moment of silence while everyone's waiting, their eyes on the dark shadow of the tree. But Eliot's watching the crowd -- their excitement, the expectant glee. There's a kid on his dad's shoulders practically bouncing with it, but no more than Parker is. Everybody takes a deep breath in and holds it.

Only to let it out in whoops and sighs as the tree lights up, gold and green and sparkling like stars against the sky.

"Best tree ever?" Parker asks him, just before throwing herself into Eliot's arms for a hug.

"Yeah." Eliot lets himself smile just the way he wants to and hugs her back, not worrying about how sappy it probably looks. "Best ever."