Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage or "Let Me Go" by Kane. I was just…inspired.
A/N: Alright, so, I got home from school, watching the snow outside my bedroom window and I got a bit inspired when I started listening to "Let Me Go" on youtube because the CD hasn't been released yet of course. Basically, what if Eliot thought he had to go?...As always, please review! And come find me on twitter at /lizzieford329. My penname wouldn't fit!
Let Me Go
He looked around at the empty loft and sighed as he shrugged the heavy duffle bag further up onto his shoulder. Yeah, things had been different this time, and yes, he had gotten to like the feel of being a part of something bigger than just him off on his own. But he had enemies, and Eliot Spencer was not going to let them get the chance to come after his family. No way in Hell.
"Are you running a job on the side?" a quiet voice asked and he spun around to see her sitting on the counter, her legs swinging over the side as she stared at the floor. Somehow he knew it wasn't a question.
"How did you," he started before noticing that the one window by the kitchen was open, the chilly night air quickly cooling down the space. "Never mind," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Parker, what are you doing here?"
"I've just been worried about Nate lately since he started drinking again. I sometimes keep an eye on the place when he's asleep…making sure he doesn't get caught by surprise…Like he will in the morning when he wakes up, Hardison starts the meeting and you're gone."
"Parker, don't," Eliot said, turning for the door.
"What changed? What's making you run?" she asked, hopping down from the counter and strolling over to him. "Eliot doesn't run."
"I'm not runnin' darlin'," Eliot said simply as he turned to look her in the eye. "I just need to take some time off."
"Are they coming after you?" the blonde thief pressed on and Eliot tensed. "What, you didn't think I knew? Someone like you…someone who has the Butcher of Kiev after him must have other enemies who are just waiting to come out of the woodwork."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Eliot said, his voice almost harsh, very close to a growl, as he stared her down, but she didn't look away.
"You're worried that we're going to get caught in the crossfire, it's what you do. You're supposed to protect us," Parker said, shrugging as if it made all the sense in the world.
"Exactly, I'm supposed to protect you, that's my job, so I need to get out of here," he said firmly, turning away again when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm. He spun around and growled at her, but she held tight.
"If you're not here, who's going to protect us?" she asked softly. "If you're not here…we're targets…"
Eliot sighed. "Parker, if I'm gone, they'll think you don't matter to me. That's the best thing at this point. Besides, I'll be back soon."
"Then why are you leaving when no one's around?" she asked and when he didn't say anything she continued. "If you were just going to be coming back, it wouldn't be a big deal if you told us where you were going first. This is different. You're sneaking out in the middle of the night, not taking a break."
"Parker, stop," Eliot said.
"No. I'm not letting you walk away when you're acting like an idiot," she said, her tone low.
"I am not actin' like an idiot darlin'," Eliot said, wrenching his arm from her grasp and striding over to the door, his hand on the knob. "You need to let me go, it's best for all ya'll."
"No it's not!" she exclaimed and before Eliot knew what was happening a pair of small but strong arms were wrapping themselves around his waist and holding him in place. "It's not best when part of the family just walks away!" she protested.
"Parker, stop it, you're blowing this out of proportion," Eliot said, but the thief shook her head and Eliot felt it against his back.
"Besides Eliot, you're going to need help. You can't just do this on your own," Parker said, still holding tight to him.
"Darlin', I was doin' this by myself for years before I met you lot," he said, and a small grin came to his face at the thought of her being worried for him. Him, Eliot Spencer. He could kill a man with an appetizer and this tiny thing was worried about him.
"That was the old you though! The old you could do anything, but you've changed. You have us to worry about and to worry about you. Even Aimee said so!"
"Parker, let me go," Eliot said, having had enough.
"No, you're not walking out of here tonight," the thief protested and her grip tightened.
"Parker, get off me!" Eliot hissed, not wanting to wake up Nate upstairs.
"No, not unless you take me with you," Parker said and Eliot froze at that. She relaxed her grip for just a second and he took the opportunity to wrench her arms from around him and spin her around, pressing her back up against the wall, hands pinned above her head. She gasped in surprise and looked up at him, shocked.
"You wanna come with me Parker? You wanna be on the run every second of every day, and then, when it's time to stop, you're only stopping so that you can either fight, or get those few moments of rest, interrupted by nightmares of them findin' you? Is that what you want?!" he almost shouted at her.
"Maybe if you have someone there with you, you can rest without worrying so much," she said, her voice shaking a little and Eliot looked at her like she was something he had never seen before. "Maybe if there's someone there with you, you won't have to fight quite so hard to stay safe."
"There's somethin' wrong with you," he said quietly.
"I know there is, but I don't want you to leave, so," and with that she leaned up and kissed him. Eliot jerked in surprise at first and then released her hands as he snaked his arms down to lay on her hips. She kissed back fiercely and drove him backwards, pushing against him until his legs hit the arm of the couch and he was driven backwards onto, plopping down with an "Oomph."
"You planned that didn't ya?" he asked, smirking up at the thief with the proud look on her face.
"No better way of keeping you here than pinning you down," she said simply.
"That's true," he said, scooting backwards with his elbows until his legs were no longer hanging over the edge. As soon as he was comfortable, Parker laid down right on top of him. "Umm…Parker, what are ya doin'?" he asked.
"Keeping you from going anywhere," she said, resting her head against his chest and he sighed.
"I'm gonna have to go eventually, maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday soon I'm gonna have to disappear for a little bit," he said, letting his one arm come up to wrap around her.
"And when that happens, I'll either let you invite me along, or stow away in the back of your truck. It's not like I take up a ton of room. I could fit inside your duffle bag if I tried really hard and…"
"Parker, relax. Just calm down, I'll give ya warnin' next time, okay?"
The small thief nodded and then they just laid there in silence. After a little bit, Eliot started to think that maybe he should head back to his place and she to hers. "Parker, come on, get off me," he whispered, nudging her, but she made no move. When he looked down he saw that her eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly. The hitter grinned and then gave a quiet chuckle.
"Well, Nate's in for a surprise in the mornin'…"
* * * * *
It was about six thirty the next morning when Nathan Ford walked down the stairs from his bedroom to the main area of his loft and found a sleeping hitter pinned to his couch by a sleeping blonde thief. He was about to wake them up when his eyes scanned over to the door and he saw the duffle bag, abandoned there, and the window in the kitchen wide open. He knew that Parker must have come in through the window and he knew for a fact that the duffle bag belonged to Eliot.
Walking over to the couch, he pulled the blanket from the back of it and draped it over the pair. He noted how Parker lay on top of Eliot, keeping the hitter from moving in much of any direction without risk of jolting her awake. She was keeping him there.
He must have tried to leave…Nate thought to himself as he went to the kitchen to put the coffee on, and for him, the night before fell perfectly into place, but he didn't know about one kiss, and that was exactly what Eliot and Parker were hoping for…
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed!! Please review. Hope to hear from ya'll!