Leverage doesn't belong to me, based on episode 4x07…

Just a Dream

Parker woke up with a start. She realized that she was drenched in sweat; surely it hadn't been her screams that had woken her up from a very restless sleep.

A few hours earlier

Parker dodged the bullets and hid behind a tree. She could hear Hardison's labored breathing. They were losing him. They – she – couldn't afford to lose Hardison.

Not now.

Not ever.

"Hold on," she told him desperately. "You're my friend and I can't lose you. I need you, Alec, I need you." She was very close to tears; she couldn't believe this was happening.

She told in front of the grave and looked on as Elliot and Nate helped Hardison get out of the coffin. It was too much, she couldn't believe how close they'd come to losing him.

When had she let herself get so attached to these people? When had even the mere thought of losing one of them become her worst nightmare?

She watched as Hardison hugged the rest of the team – family – but she couldn't let herself get any closer. Hugging him would only make having nearly lost him more real and it couldn't be real.

000

They hadn't nearly lost Hardison today, Parker told herself as she opened the cupboard and pulled out a bowl and a cereal box. It hadn't happened; it was all just a bad dream.

It was a dream and nothing else.

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