PEOPLE DONT CHANGE

Chapter One

"Oh, hey, Nate!" Sophie, Eliot and Parker are in his kitchen. Hardison was sitting at the couch playing Wizard Of Warcraft on the monitors.

Nate wasn't the least bit surprised that they had once again broken into his house.

"What's all this?!" Nate forced his tone calm, he hated it when his team decided to do whatever they wanted in his house.

Eliot was making lasagna and all the ingredients were spread out over the counter.

Parker was eating her Cinnamon Toast Crunch at the  table.

Sophie was helping cut the vegetables for the salad.

"Its dinner." Sophie responds as she doesn't look up and continues to cut.

"She's paying me to do this, Nate. So don't get mad at me. It's all Sophie's idea."

Nate sighs as he tried to control his temper.

"Really? She paying you to cook in my kitchen?!!"

Eliot nods innocently as he finishes putting the layer of pasta on. "That's right!"

She finishes cutting the ingredients and rinses her hands.

"60 bucks not including the brownies!"

Sophie knew that brownies were Nate's favorite, she was a Grifter for gods sake!

"Wait, I thought you said you wasted all you money on shoes!" Nate runs a hand through his hair.

"I did..." Nate cut her off.

"let me guess, you asked Hardison to take money out of my account."

Sophie smiles.

"I would ask you how you knew that but..." Nate rolls his eyes and Sophie laughs at his bitterness.

Nate realizes that he won't be able to stop them so he grabs a Jameson bottle, pours some in a glass, and begins to walk away towards his bedroom.

"Oh, my god! I almost forgot, Nate." Nate stopped, he was almost to the stairs.

"I invited your dad."

Nate's glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. He turned back around to face Sophie.

"Why- Why! Why would you do such a thing!"

Eliot, Parker, and Hardison sensed the tension in the room. "I thought it would be good for you two to bond."

Bond? He thought. "He's an alcoholic, Soph..." Everyone looked at him. He sighs at the irony in this.

"Nate, you guys are so much the same..."
Nate cuts her off again.

"I'm not an alcoholic, Sophie!"

Everyone gives him the you're such a hypocrite look.

"Ok, look. I like to drink, but that doesn't make me an alcoholic, okay?" Nate was getting increasingly edgy.

"You're not an alcoholic but you like to drink? What's the difference?" Parker asks.

"He can't be all that bad, man." Hardison shouts from his spot at the monitors.

"Yeah, I mean. People change." Eliot looks Nate in the eye and could tell that he was serious.

"People don't change, Eliot." Nate mutters. Sophie crosses her arms. "Just give it a try, Nate." She begged.

"Fine! But once you guys see that he hasn't changed at all don't come to me!"

And with that Nate marches up he stairs and slams the door shut. Eliot, Parker, Hardison, and Sophie all exchange looks.