Ever since he and Parker walked out of the hospital with their hands linked between them this afternoon, Hardison waited.

Parker was uncharacteristically quiet the entire flight back home, sitting in her seat with a thoughtful expression on her face, instead of bouncing around like the over-energized bunny she usually was. Her packet of pretzels even lay unopened in her lap as she stared out the window.

Occasionally, she would turn around to look at Hardison who was seated next to her, seeming to want to tell him something, but then suddenly decide against it and spin back to face the window.

Everyone else noticed her unusual behavior too.

Nate just watched her curiously, not saying anything as he swirled the amber liquid inside his glass. Sophie gave Hardison a small, mysterious smile when she caught his eye, as though she knew what was bothering Parker. Eliot almost asked her what was wrong before Hardison silenced him with a look.

You couldn't push Parker. She was a thief; if she was pushed too far, her instincts would take over and she would run. You had to wait for her to come to you voluntarily, or else you may never know what was going on in that pretty blonde head of hers.

So Hardison waited patiently. He knew her well enough to know that she would talk to him when the time was right; he just had to be patient and give her the space she needed to sort her thoughts out.

And indeed she came to him when they were back at Nate's place.

"Hardison?" She asked as she plopped down on the couch beside him, pulling her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them.

"What's up, girl?" Hardison asked as he reached forward to place his tablet on the table.

"Can I ask you something? I asked Sophie first, but she told me to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Why do you think it took Charlie so long to go back?" She asked him, hazel eyes meeting his brown ones.

"Well…" Hardison thought about his answer carefully. Having had a different and difficult childhood, there were still some things Parker didn't quite get. Things like certain emotions and feelings, for example. "Maybe he was scared."

"But why?" The thief questioned, brow furrowing slightly. "I thought he loved her."

"He did, mama, he did. But maybe he was afraid Dorothy had fallen in love with another man and forgotten all about him."

"She did, didn't she? That's why she married the other man."

"We don't know about that, Parker. She could've married the man to convince her father she wasn't going to run away to find Charlie," Hardison replied.

Parker fell silent, staring at a spot on the coffee table as she gently rocked back and forth, while Hardison picked up his tablet and settled back comfortably on the couch to search for potential clients. He had gone through a few names before Parker spoke again, eyes not looking at the hacker.

"Would it take you this long to come back for me?"

Hardison smiled softly.

"I would never leave."

FIN

A/N:

Idiot9: Well...that's my first shot at a Leverage story, and I have to say, trying to write a story that makes sense in the middle of the night is hard. But anyways, I've been wanting to write this story ever since I watched The Van Gogh Job, cause these two are just waaaaay too cute! Bear in mind that this is my first Leverage fic, so I think the characters are a little bit off. Read and review :)