Sophie
"Eliot and Hardison, do you think you could go to the store for me." I said trying to get the two older 'kids' out of the room.
"Sure what you need?"Eliot said who was wiling to do any simple chore for me.
"Sophie I am in the middle of a full riot. I can't leave now my allies will be pissed, hell I would be pissed." Hardison said as he was quickly pressing keys on the keyboard and looking at the computer with complete concentration.
"Please?" She asked while giving him the eye that said get out. Unfortunately he was so concentrated on the game he didn't see it.
"Oh can I go maybe I could steal.." Parker started excitedly
"NO!" The other 'children' yelled.
"But I.."
Nate finally stepped in as he heard the youngest 'child' try to argue why she should go. " Eliot, Hardison, go to the store and see if you can find all of this." He said while giving them a list that him and I had earlier wrote to keep them busy.
"Alright then let's go" Hardison started. " It don't matter what Alec wants. Nobody cares about about Alec Hardison. I'm just the pawn on the chess board." He said while exiting out the door with Eliot.
I waited a minute before I tried to rearrange my internal conversation into something understandable for the thief. See, Parker was different. When it came to discipline for Hardison all you had to do was threaten to take his computer away. As for Eliot a good couple of days without finding his specially created knives and he would have learned his lesson but, Parker well, she had a different approach to things. You couldn't actually take anything from Parker because any thing we took she could take back. She could hide anything valuable to her, and of course spanking her would not be an option. Even if it was an option they couldn't because 1:Parker was too old to be receiving spankings and 2: Parker has already had her fair share of beating even if they were well deserved or, not. We first had to rest are case and then give her an acceptable punishment so she could understand she was in the wrong. The problem was that when you have a child as fragile as her you have to be very careful with your words.
"Parker" I said slowly letting her know that we were having a conversation which required her to listen and not just hear me speak. "You scared us today and we want to know why didn't you just come to us?" I said playing good cop for the moment seeing I was sure Nate would wimp out when it came to playing his part.
"I..I" She looked down not being able to explain or might I say, too afraid to say anything.
"Parker, tell me. Why didn't you come to us?" He said sternly starting the interrogation. While walking to where her position was on the couch and looking her straight in her eyes.
" I don't know." she said sheepishly, looking away.
"I don't know is not the answer I want to hear." Nate said while raising his voice little. I nudged him a little telling him that he should bring it down a notch but, he persisted. " What was going through that little head of yours today."
"I owe him." she answered and I immediately stood up from the chair I was sitting on and came to her side. "He needed my help, he needed me. For the first time in my life Archie needed me, someone needed me."
Nate's face paused at that and changed from stern to gentle.
"Honey, we need you we couldn't" I started but she interrupted me.
"Do Cons without me right, well unless I died and then you would just find a replacement for me."
"Parker, that is not true we need you, we love you! How could you not think that and how could you think that we don't need you?" I said as I became enraged.
"Because you don't!" she stomped.
"We love you enough to tell you when your wrong." I said as the war started.
"Liar, Liar pants on fire." She taunted.
I was actually wondering why Nate hadn't jumped in yet.
"Ooh Parker, you...you get no supper."
"What?" Parker asked confused and frozen place. She looked more confused then hurt actually a little amused.
I could here Nate let out a couple short laughs and I turned around to see just what he was laughing about.
"What the hell are you laughing at?"
"Soph you want to punish her not make her burst into laughs. Parker sit in that corner now and every time you get away you will get a minute added on to your original time." He said while basically dragging me into the kitchen were he could still see Parker but not be heard. ( which I say is really rude dragging me like that.)
"You know you just put Parker in time out right?"
"Yes, do you know you just threatened Parker with food, I'm fairly sure the girl can go a couple of days without food from experience."
"I just couldn't find anything to say."
"Parker don't move" he said while looking directly at me." Look Sophie Parker is always moving, she survives on moving so if I take that away from her even for just a couple of minutes she outta learn her lesson."
"Oh, Uh."
"What is it Soph?"
"Nothing" I said while walking upstairs.
"You know I'm right." Nate said cockily.
Yeah I know but sure as hell won't say it.