A/N: I'm just stretching my wings here people, so just bear with me. It can be read as Parker/Hardison but I was only going for friendship, it really doesn't matter though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage, TNT does.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Yeah, yeah, it was a freakin' clishé, he knew that. Sophie probably found it fitting though, all dramatic and exciting, y'know, right until the point it became soul crushingly depressing, but anyway, that was just Sophie for you. Him? He wasn't amused at all.

Especially now that said storm was raging around at a speed of 40 mph almost throwing him off the rooftop. The heavy rain certainly didn't help, making the already small ledge he was balancing on way too slippery for his liking.

He was totally awesome though, king of the ledges really, the stuff of legend even.

He only had to step around some kind of ornament to get to his desired destination but his left foot slipped and in the sudden movement to gain back his balance a bag of gummy frogs accidentally slipped out of his jacket's pocket to most likely land on some unsuspecting fellow on the ground.

"Who the hell puts freakin' stone gargoyles on a hospital roof? Seriously." he cursed under his breath.

There was no time to ponder the loss of the prized sweets though because he finally reached the soaking wet blonde wedged between the statues at the corner. Her legs were mindlessly hanging beside the building as she was quietly sitting there. She seemed distrought and shaken but not because of the 14 stories between her and certain death. No, she was truly in her element here hence the reason she picked this spot in the first place. Sitting on the edge, being seperated from the world below, it made her feel calm, let her think more clearly.

So that's why he didn't speak a word as he sat down next to her. He just waited. A couple of minutes passed like this without either of them breaking the silence.

"We shouldn't be here." Parker finally spoke up, her voice shaking.

He knew what she meant but he couldn't help it. "Oh, I absolutely agree, cause I ain't jumpin' after you or some crazy shit like that if the wind knocks you over, nuh-uh, I'm holding onto dear life, right here." he said practicly hugging the statue near him.

She ignored his fake dramatics along with the obvious attemp at lightening the mood and went on.

"He doesn't like hospitals."

"Well, this ain't gonna improve his opinion." he replied more out of reflex than conscious thinking. "Sorry." he added almost immediately. It was his way of dealing, she understood that.

"Look, Parker..." he was searching for the right words to let her know that he undertood her as well.

"I know what you're thinking but it wasn't your fault." It was true, shit happened, and she wasn't the only one blaming herself for it. He could just imagine Sophie having the same conversation with Eliot in the waiting area.

"I know, I just don't want to lose him." she paused for a second. "We just stole him back." she added.

He had to smile at the phrase but then she asked the question he was most dreading to hear.

"What if he dies?"

"Nah, he's gonna be fine, don't worry." he replied dismissingly.

"How can you know that for certain?" she challanged him with wide eyes staring into his own, searching his very soul for an answer he couldn't possibly give.

He wanted to reassure her more than anything, it shook his very being just to look at her like this, frightened, small, so unlike the Parker he came to know. The crazy girl who would hang off of buildings only by her fingertips with a wide smile on her face, who would sleep in elevator shafts without the smallest care in the world and who would keep poking Eliot's bruises to annoy him to no end. He wanted that Parker back, but he couldn't lie, not now, not ever, and especially not to her.

Then he thought about the man causing his current dilemma. He was the reason they first started to work together, the reason they became a team, no, they were more than a team now, that was clear and they owned that to him. And even though he had his issues with the man lately, he could still count on him, they all could. Eliot definitely respected him like he did nobody else, Sophie felt - well - lets just say she felt more than a friendly affection towards him, and for Parker, he was the second father she never had after Archie. So yes, there was really not much he could say to convince her or even himself that everything would turn out okay.

None the less, he had to try, so he reached out and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, then he gazed deep into her eyes and answered her the only way he could and should.

"I can't, but he's Nate."

She contemplated his words as the storm raged on perfectly capturing her internal struggle. On one hand, he was right because Nate did had his own kind of superpowers, so just that, all on it's own should have been enough. However, she still couldn't shake the terrible feeling in her stomach, the feeling of despair and uncertainty, because in reality, it dind't matter how good he was or how much she cared, it was all out of their hands.

She let out a desperate sigh.

Then all of a sudden, the storm died down giving way to a fully blown moon shining through all of the clouds directly beaming at them as they were buried in each other's arms. She looked straigth at him, realizing in that fraction of a second that maybe, just maybe, there was still reason to hope.

At that exact moment, he caught the small flicker in her eyes, the sign of an upcoming change, the proof of some newfound faith.

"Besides, he gets shot all the time, it's his thing now." he added half-jokingly with reaffirmed conviction in his voice.

She smiled at him, truly smiled for the first time in a long time. His job was done, now it was all up to Nate.

"Come on, we should get back to the others, maybe they'll have an update." he was slowly easing himself up while he urged the thief to do the same. He was really itching to get back to more enclosed spaces but he caught a delayed hesitation in her features.

"Parker?"

"Right, you should go ahead, I'm just going to stay up here for a little longer." she replied still a bit unsure.

She was feeling better but clearly not ready to face any news yet so he lowered himself back down without saying another word. He would stay until she was ready to leave, and if Nate wouldn't pull through? Well, he wasn't sure what he would do then, but he would always be there for her.

Of that, he was certain.

A/N: Okay, so a oneshot for now, but I'm may be game for two more chapters with the rest of the team.