She's not going to ask him. Why he didn't look. No, Parker won't be asking Alec Hardison a thing. Especially why he didn't look for her. She won't be asking that. She wont. She won't, she won't, she- "Why the fuck didn't you look for me?"

"What?"

"You didn't look for me. I wanted you to."

"Parker," he says in that gentle way of his. It makes her stomach feel all flip-floppy. Parker likes that.

"I did look for you. Every single day for six months, I looked for you, babe. I just... I wasn't good enough."

The last bit comes out so softly she can barely hear it. Parker may not be good with people or emotions, but Hardison's is one she's all too familiar with: defeat.

"I looked for you too."

Hardison's head snaps up quickly, surprise etched in the small smile adorning his face.

"You did?"

Parker nods. "I gotta tell you, it's not easy to find a hacker."

"It's not so easy to find a theif either."

Hardison moves to hug her, and Parker lets him, even reciprocating after a moment. She puts her arms around his neck and pulls him to her as close as she can.

"I missed you. Girl, I missed you so much."

Longing. That's what it had been! She'd missed someone. That unidentifiable emotion, the one that made her put the Hope Diamond back, that was longing, she now realizes. For the first time in her life, Parker really, truly, deeply missed someone.

"I missed you too, Hardison."