Sophie was the one to bring in a new client and although Hardison thought it was odd, he went along with it. The lady was very moving but Alec only half listened. He could not help but wonder where Parker had taken the daughter. He was not concern for the girl's safety although Parker could have her building a bomb. The thief smiled at the joke but it quickly subsided when realized it could be the truth. He wanted to go and check but Nate strolled in and he followed him to the conference room. The girl might be good for Parker, especially after the last job.
At first, Parker had no idea what to do with the child but she was happy to be around the happy girl. Her mood was infectious:
Girl: What do you do?
Parker: I am a thief.
Girl: A thief? I thought stealing was bad?
Parker: Sometimes. But think about when your parents take away your favorite toy and you want it back.
Girl: My mom locks away my Nintendo DS when I am bad.
Parker: What type of lock?
Parker went behind her desk and produced different types of locks. The daughter picked the one that required a key:
Parker: Good, I will teach you how to listen to tumblers later. In case you can't find the key, a hair pin or safety pin will do the trick. They are pretty easy. Just put it all the way in, wiggle it and viola.
The thief attempted a couple of more tries before handing over. The girl failed her first two attempts but on the third, she got it in 20 seconds. Parker was impressed but told her to do it again and this time she did it in six. A crowd had gathered but Parker could not hide her enthusiasm.
Hardison did not know whether to be impressed or scared. Parker had done well with the child but teaching her how about how to pick a lock. He could only shake his head, walk away, and prep for the briefing.
The recon of the mansion did not make Hardison feel good. He was going to have to admit the security system was out of his league. He did have an out though. Alec spotted a van which was clearly the Feds on a stakeout. He surmised he could piggy back off their surveillance until he placed his own bugs in the house. The hacker suggested he and Parker dust off the FBI disguises from a prior job. He liked working with Parker, not just because she was very attractive but they clicked and hardly needed any prep time. Also, Parker could prove to be quite the distraction. He banged on the door and bluffed himself and Parker inside. Alec barely hid his disgust but not from the heat and smell but from the lack of tech. He had better gear in his garage. Hardison did not hide his shock that they only had one bug on the premises. As Parker moved the other agent to the back of the van, he stated he might be able to improve the signal. Hardison added a wi-fi extender which would not only boost the signal but cut out the interference and give him access to whatever the Feds heard. He was proud of the improvements he made to the doohickey. While he was down there, Alec slid the card Parker handed to him on the sly through a portable scanner so Elliot could do his thing. It had taken hours for Elliot to do a simple cut and paste job but he could not be 2 places at once. He also could help but notice Parker was getting very friendly with her mark.
Parker could not wait to put Sophie lessons to use. She could not believe Devereaux would be a good teacher considering her own acting left a lot to be desired but Sophie was patient and told her to use her natural, God-given attributes. Parker appeared confused so Sophie made her face the mirror. "Cute face, perky bosom, and tight bum. You can't tell me no man has complimented you", Sophie commented. Parker shook her head and replied most guys could not get past her personality:
Parker: Hardison did say he liked the way I turned out.
Sophie: I bet he did.
Parker: What are you talking about?
Sophie felt she should say no more but could believe the thief had no idea the hacker had a crush on her:
Parker: Hardison doesn't like me like that. He says we are a family.
Sophie: (whisper) Yea, like the Brady Bunch.
Parker: What was that?!
Sophie: Nothing. Just compliment him often and keep physical contact with the mark. Men love that.
Parker saw the techniques were working but could not help to think about Hardison and if he had feelings for her. She decided to kill 2 birds with one stone and test the theory. She could see Hardison out of the corner of her eye but he was pre-occupied. Soon they were on their way out and Parker did a little extra flirting as she placed the ID tag back on the agent. She still got nothing from her partner, even after the wink.
Alec could not tell if Parker was getting better at the con or was she really interested in the agent. He thought the better getting jealous, especially after Belgrade. He just buttered up the agent some more because he knew in their line of work, their paths would cross again. After getting back to HQ, Hardison checked Elliot's work on the card. Alec shuddered as he recalled going through the steps of helping Elliot with Photoshop.. The retrieval specialist was the most impatient infuriating individual Hardison had dealt with. Elliot was smart but wanted it done quick fast and in a hurry. Alec just broke it down to cut and paste after he set up the most difficult aspects of the program. Now he had to deal with Elliot going into the local FBI office. Hardison would rather work with Parker again but there was a chance of explosion with the volatile thief. Yet, there was a chance of violence with Elliot as well. Plus, Parker ran off to talk with Sophie or someone. When he passed her office, he could hear her chatting up a storm. Alec focused on getting Elliot through the assignment. There was an unforeseen complication though. The Bureau was was so behind the times that it still used cassettes. Elliot started to panic and they fell back into their usual patterns. Hardison became sarcastic and Elliot threatened violence. Alec had the last laugh though by setting off the alarms. He wished he could have seen Elliot's face but then Sophie entered the office with Nate and they were still fighting. Now he was wondering who Parker was talking to.
The thief rushed into her office and began talking to Alec about how good she handled the agent. She also wanted to take more lessons from Sophie but she had her own issues:
Parker: Sophie doesn't know everything though. She actually though Hardison liked me in a boyfriend/girlfriend way. Hah. He is so smart and sensible, what would he see in this wack-job.
Parker stared in the full-length mirror and still had no idea what Sophie was talking about. Yet, as she watered Alec, she did remember he was there throughout the brutal last mission, even managing to bring out a laugh. She just summed it up to him being a caring soul and nothing more.
Both Parker and Hardison went through their prospective tasks at the mansion. Alec had to set up bugs while Parker did the bridesmaids outfits. She did not know how she got into so trouble by just speaking the truth. The maid of honor was a big though and should not have asked the question if she did not want an answer. Sophie explained tact but Parker thought it was a waste of time. The thief was frustrated by the hard thing and the fact she could not zip up the dress. Then her savior happened by.
Hardison needed to see Parker to apply a bug to her dress. He was not prepared for the sight of the partially dressed thief. This was the second time he saw her like this and never did a bare back look so good. Alec could tell Parker was tense even before she explained why. Hardison said the first thing that came into his head. Parker was stunned and stuttered out a question asking if he really thought she was attractive. She averted her gaze before he could say he was just playing. Hardison went completely the other way and said she looked perfect. His strong hands held Parker and she liked his touch. She wanted to look into his eyes and see if he was telling the truth but could not.
Alec had no idea what to do next. All he knew was that he wanted to do more than hold the thief by the shoulders. Alec wondered why she could not look at him. After thinking about for a moment, he came to the conclusion he was making her very uncomfortable. Yet, the touch was magnetic and as much as he wanted to separate his hands from her silky skin, he could not bring himself to do so. Finally, the mood was broken by the ravings of Heather. They quickly parted.
Parker was thoroughly disgusted with Elliot. The assignment was to find the money not live out some culinary fantasy. Now she had to search the rest of the mansion. She picked the lock but not as fast as her new protégé. The thief knew she had to practice more as she did a search. Not too long after, Elliot was in her ear screaming for her to leave. If "Emril" had helped instead of worrying about peaches, she might not be is this predicament but all she could do now was hide. The thief relayed that the money was not there. After hearing some critical information, Parker revealed herself by pretending to be drunk and hooking up with the Dee-jay. Her drunkenness should have sufficed as a cover and she did not know why she added the Dee-jay hook-up. Especially considering Hardison was in charge of the music. She did like the images it conjured up though.
Hardison saw the Maid of Honor and although she was thick, she was all right. She was no Parker though. He managed to take a break after getting Musscone away from the Russian. Parker slid into him and told him the ride was there. Alec took a deep breath and was thankful the con was nearly done. He asked how she got away from the 2 dangerous men and could not believe her tale. Hardison stared at her for any sign the thief was joking but she gave away nothing.
Parker smiled throughout her re-telling of her escapades in the screening room. That was until Hardison stared at her with his mouth wide open. She fought very hard to keep the straight face but Hardison's expression made it difficult.
After the conclusion of the short long con, the gang gathered the restaurant to give the good news. Parker liked it when the girl jumped in her lap and hugged her. The thief had not given thought to marriage or children, especially with the drama Nate and Sophie were going through, but she liked the feeling of being loved.
Hardison could not take his eyes off Parker and the little girl. It was a nice picture yet he had no idea if Parker even felt the same way and he was not big on marriage. Parker had her issues with foster care but he had familial concerns. It was a nice thought and he raised his wine glass to salute them both. Parker returned the favor with a broad smile. She whispered in the girl's ear and they both laughed at Hardison. Parker walked behind him and explained she had finally found someone to beat him at Mario. Hardison laughed out loud and said she was on.
The dinner ended with and Parker asked if she could spend some time with the little girl. Theresa had her doubts but Sophie said Hardison would be there to watch over both of them. The little girl was shocked by all the gaming systems in one spot. They settled on the Wii and Dance-Dance Revolution. It was now Parker's turn to fantasize. She knew Hardison would make a great dad but she had doubts about her own maternal instincts. Now, she just to wanted to sit back and enjoy the show as Hardison jokingly protested the girl was cheating. She just wished the night would never end.