"Nate, do I have to?" Eliot complained.
"Eliot you remember the last time Parker tried to cook something?" Nate questioned.
Eliot winced remembering the scorched kitchen and half melted microwave from Parker's failed attempt at making a can of soup.
"And Parker is really sick." Nate added.
As if on cue Parker sneezed looking at Eliot pathetically.
"What about Hardison? Can't he do it?" Eliot bargained.
Parker looked at Nate in alarm.
"No Eliot, because we need Hardison to do his thing. Plus your part of the con is done." Nate explained.
"Fine. I still don't see what's so hard about Hardison's job." Eliot grumbled.
"Man, do you have any idea what I do?"
"Yeah, you type a few damn keys on that frikin' laptop!"
"I'd like to see you do my job!" The hacker argued.
"I'd like to see you do mine!" Eliot threw back.
"Come on boys. We have work to do. Let's not dawdle." Sophie reasoned. And with that, she, Hardison, and Nate left.
Eliot threw a wadded up napkin at the door the three had just exited through.
He looked at Parker.
"So, you want to tell me what that was all about?" He questioned.
"What?" She asked innocently.
"Why you looked so freaked out at the suggestion of Hardison staying with you instead of me? Did somethin' happen between the two of you?" He asked realizing that he was secretly hoping there wasn't.
"He thinks there is ever since the David job we did. He keeps wanting to talk about it. It was just a kiss."
"Sounded like more than a kiss over the com." He smirked.
"He wants it to be more but then he keeps jerking me around! I don't deserve that. Right?"
"No you don't darlin'"
She smiled gratefully.
"So is that all?" He asked.
"And you cook." She grinned.
He chuckled at that.
"Yeah a frozen hot pocket doesn't qualify as a meal."
"Blech!" She said scrunching up her stuffy nose and sticking at her tongue.
"How 'bout I make you some chicken soup?"
He asked.
Her eyes lit up but then her brow furrowed.
"Canned?"
"Yeah right!" Eliot scoffed winking at her and disappearing into the kitchen.
When he came back into the living room she was curled up on the sofa waiting for him.
"Lunch is served" he said grinning as he set down a tray with two bowls of chicken soup, two spoons, a cup of hot tea, a soda, and to Parker's delight, two fortune cookies.
"Thanks," she replied meekly.
"Sure thing darlin'" he smiled sitting down next to her on the couch.
"Eliot! You're gonna get sick!" She exclaimed.
"Simmer down; I haven't had a cold in years. Colds are afraid of me."
He smirked winking at her surprised to see her blush ever so slightly.
"M'kay" she said simply.
She grabbed a bowl of soup shoveling a spoonful in her mouth.
"Slow down darlin' it's pipin' hot" he warned her.
"Ow! It's good." She smiled.
"You burned your lip." He points out frowning.
He disappeared into the kitchen returning with a bowl of ice.
She looked at the bowl skeptically. "What am I supposed to do with that?"
"Like this," he said picking up an ice cube and running it slowly over her lips.
She hissed but leaned into it.
"Sorry," he said apologetically.
"It feels good. Thanks." She said gratefully.
She sneezed just barely covering her mouth in time to spare Eliot the spray. 'Way to ruin the moment Parker.' She mentally kicked herself. 'Whoa wait a minute! Moment- where did that come from?' She wondered to herself.
"Bless you." He said sympathetically.
"Sorry," she said embarrassed.
"It happens," he shrugged handing her a tissue.
"Thanks," she said gratefully.
He smiled. "Wanna watch a movie?"
"Can we?" she asked excitedly.
"Sure, let's see what's on," he said turning on the TV browsing the guide.
"Oo what's that?" She asked.
"Snow White?" he asked.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"It's a Disney movie. Looks like it just started. Wanna watch it?" he smiled.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
"Sure," he smiled. He wasn't a fan of the movie but it was worth watching to see her eyes light up like that.
Well, tell me what you think. I have more if you're interested. Let me know.
Thanks, Kayte