Salmagundi Style

So, everyone knows that Joseph Gordon-Levitt played the main kid, Roger, in movie Angels in the Outfield, and I’ve seen some stuff about how Roger grows up to be Arthur in Inception. Which is fantastic, it’s one of my favorite headcanons. What this is about, though, is J.P., Roger’s foster-brother, the adorable kid who’s motto is, “It could happen!”. 

What if, in this universe, where Roger, sweet, slightly cynical Roger who can see angels, grows up to be the badass point-man known only as Arthur, J.P. grows up to be someone extraordinary as well? What if J.P. grows up to be Alec Hardison from Leverage?

The way I imagine it is this: 

George Knox (the coach of the Los Angeles Angels) doesn’t adopt the two boys (which is how I think the movie ends). Why? I don’t know. Maybe he could’t get approved as an adoptive parent due to past anger issues he has shown or his age; it doesn’t matter, what does matter is that he does not adopt Roger and J.P. And as it often happens with foster children, they have to leave Maggie (their foster-mom) and get split up.

Roger goes on whatever journey it takes (and I have a feeling it isn’t a pleasant one) to turn him into Arthur. It probably involves bad foster homes, or his dad coming back and continuously disappointing him or both. I’m also convinced it involves the military as a way out and a new start (and then the CIA, but that’s just a personal preference of mine).

J.P., on the other hand, gets lucky. He might go through a few homes (like the Jehovah’s Witness family mentioned in Leverage 1x11) but he ends up with his Nana (who we know is not his actual grandmother thanks to episode 1x06) and grows up in a loving home. He develops an interest in computers and from there hacking (maybe hoping to find Roger?) and once he hits 18 (or maybe even before) he creates Alec Hardison, an identity that won’t be traced back to his Nana. Or conversely, Alec Hardison is his real name and he got the nickname J.P. when he was a kid somehow, it doesn’t really matter. The point is, J.P. grows up to become Alec Hardison, the greatest hacker in the world.

Can you imagine this? Once they find each other (because, let’s face it, Hardison would search for Roger, if only to know what happened to him (and become more and more determined as he kept coming up empty, because be realistic, Arthur is a man who covers his tracks)) they would be nigh unstoppable. Arthur would truly become a ghost with the world’s greatest hacker helping him cover his tracks (almost certainly without Arthur’s permission and to his slight annoyance), and Arthur would almost definitely be sure Hardison could defend himself (both from physical and mental attacks) as well as giving him extra insight and intel into certain criminal/government/military groups. Not that either of them are lacking in these areas, it would just give them that extra edge that would make them even more untouchable.

Honestly, I would just really love to see the two teams interacting with this being the factor that brings them together. I mean come on, it could happen!