Author's Note: This is set in the first season, just because I like the offices. I started writing and let the story go where it wanted. This didn't turn out exactly as I expected, but I like how it turned out. Tiny spoiler for The Bank Job. Hope you like!
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Sophie smiled in relief as she finally stood up from her chair. It was nearly midnight, and she'd spent the last several hours cleaning up loose ends from the team's most recent job. The grifter was looking forward to a relaxing evening with a hot bath and a few glasses of very expensive wine.
Sophie walked through the Leverage office and pulled on her coat. She peered at the individual offices of her team as she walked by. Nate's door was closed and locked. Sophie sighed; she knew he wasn't there. The team leader was at the bar a few blocks over, just like he always was after the adrenaline from a job wore off and the pain of memories and years of habit crept back. Hardison's door was open. Sophie knew he was far too trustworthy: he believed that three thieves and a man suspicious by nature and occupation wouldn't sneak in.
Sophie paused for a moment outside Eliot's closed door, listening. When she heard a groan of frustration instead of the crashing sound of machinery being pulverized that she had expected, the British woman smiled and continued down the hall. Eliot was trying to use a search program Hardison had installed on his computer, and was having more success than she'd predicted.
Sophie walked past Parker's closed door, already knowing thief's location. Hardison had, after weeks of wheedling, convinced Parker to go with him to what the hacker had called 'the hippest club in LA'. So it was that much more of a surprise when Sophie heard sniffling coming from behind the teak door.
Sophie froze. She'd heard wrong. She must have. There was simply no way that she'd heard a sob coming from Parker's office.
After a few moments of silence, Sophie relaxed minutely. She had heard wrong. Must be the late night, or the last few hours of silence that had made her think she'd heard something as ridiculous as Parker crying. Not a chance.
Sophie cautiously wrapped her hand around Parker's door handle. It made a slight clicking noise, but didn't move. It was locked, Sophie realized with surprise. Parker hadn't locked her door since the before the team had gone to Juan and gotten caught in the middle of a bank robbery.
"Go away."
Sophie sighed when she recognizing the hitch in Parker's voice that told her the younger woman had been crying.
The grifter rapped lightly on her colleague's door. "Parker?" She said softly. "Could I come in?"
"No."
Sophie bit her lip. She could hear the pain in the younger woman's voice. It surprised the grifter, who was used to faking emotions, that the hint of anger and rejection in that voice made her stomach pang in both pity and pain of her own. "I just want to help," Sophie said, even more quietly than before.
"I don't need your help, or anything else from any of you!" This sentence was laced clear through with anger and pain and fear… Sophie cursed her ability to read emotions as her heart squeezed.
"Parker, if you don't let me in, I'm going to use those lock picks you gave me!"
There was more silence, and for a moment, Sophie thought that the thief might call her bluff. The set of lock picks had been a gift from Parker for Sophie's birthday, but the grifter kept it in a drawer of her desk, not her coat. Sophie was considering going back to her office to get it when the door clicked softly.
Sophie opened the door slowly, expecting the blonde to be on the other side. Instead, the young woman had already crossed the room and was seated in the huge beanbag chair situated behind her desk. The room was dark, the blinds closed to the moonlight that shone brightly. Sophie turned on the office light, and blinked for a few seconds, unused to even the calm glow of Parker's desk lamp. The thief's face was turned towards the wall, but Sophie could see the tear-tracks down Parker's cheek.
Sophie crossed the room carefully, not wanting to spook the younger woman. When she was a few feet away she knelt on her knees in front of Parker. "What's the matter, sweetheart?" She asked, using the tone of voice she usually reserved for the children she sometime had to talk to on a job.
Parker swallowed and sniffed. She turned her head, and Sophie gasped.
The warm yellow light threw a sharp contrast to the dark shape on Parker's left cheek. Even though Sophie had seen the young blonde only a few hours before, the bruise was already a deep shade of blue on the thief's pale face. Sophie could see red around the mark as well as swelling on Parker's cheekbone around the bruise. Sophie recognized the shape from experience. It was the mark from a hand.
New tears came to Parker's eyes at Sophie's expression. It wasn't until they started falling down the swollen cheek she'd been staring at that Sophie realized she was gaping, and readjusted her horrified visage to something more comforting. She went to hug the younger woman, only to be shoved back as the thief crossed her arms over her chest.
"Don't try to be nice to me!" Parker insisted. It sounded more like a sob than a demand, and Sophie felt her own eyes tear up as the thief stuck her chin out defiantly. "This is your fault anyway!"
Sophie felt like she'd been punched. "My fault!" She gasped, trying to pull some understanding into her body along with air. She didn't succeed. "What do you mean?"
"You, and Eliot, and Nate and Hardison! Definitely Hardison," Parker muttered the last to the wall.
Sophie pulled her confusion under control. "What are you talking about, Parker?" She asked softly, trying to be understanding.
Parker sniffed. "What happened would never have happened if I hadn't met you guys." She said, gazing at Sophie through her bangs, which had fallen into her face.
Sophie's heart squeezed again at Parker's expression and tone. She sounded like a little girl, lost and scared, but with the bitter tone of someone utterly more mature than a child.
"What happened, Parker?" Sophie whispered, trying not to let her sadness for the little woman in front of her work its way into her voice.
Parker squirmed in the beanbag chair, bracing herself. "Hardison took me to a club," she began. "He stayed with me for a while because I was confused. I tried to steal the money from the register at the bar," she explained to Sophie. The brunette nodded; it would have surprised her months before, but now she was more used to the thief's logic.
"There was a girl who wanted to dance with him. I made him go with her." Parker looked into Sophie's eyes intensely for a moment. "He wasn't going to, because of me. He was going to wait until I felt more comfortable, but I told him to go dance with her. He would've stayed." She nodded at Sophie, still looking directly at the older woman, who felt she was expected to respond.
"I'm sure he would have," Sophie said reassuringly, although she didn't know why this was so important.
Parker turned away again for a moment, her hand brushing carefully over the bruising on her face. "So it wasn't really his fault." Parker seemed to be trying to convince herself, so Sophie didn't say anything.
She sat back against the wall, where she could see Parker's office. There were signs that Sophie had missed when she'd come in, focused as she had been on the blonde's wet face. The long coat that Parker had bought a few months back was thrown in a pile on the floor. It had knocked over one of the plants Hardison had convinced the thief to bring to her office, that Parker usually treated with the utmost care. The sleek black purse that Sophie had given her was spilled out on the desk, and a tube of lipstick and a hand-crafted rappel link had fallen onto the floor. Sophie stared at them for a while, considering the irony of the two very different objects
A few minutes later, Parker continued. "This guy was hitting on me," she said. The blonde sounded confused, and Sophie assumed it was her always-apparent lack of social experience that was causing her distress. "I let him. He bought me a drink, and I drank it. Then he asked me if I wanted to go into one of the back rooms of the club. I didn't know why, but I was curious." She gulped, and Sophie's heart sank; she could guess what she was going to hear.
"He started kissing me, but I didn't want him to, so I pushed him away. It didn't feel good, it wasn't nice." Parker's voice had taken on a more panicked edge, but she continued, talking faster. "I told him to stop, but he didn't, so I tried to run away. But he caught me and he started hitting me!"
Parker's eyes were wide, and Sophie held her hand securely until the thief looked at her and calmed down. "I got away," the thief said quietly. "I always get away." She pulled away from Sophie and curled up in the beanbag chair.
Sophie saw a motion out of the corner of her eye, but the doorway she'd forgotten to close was empty. She turned back to the thief, putting one hand over the younger woman's which had curled into a fist. "Do you want me to get you some ice?" She asked kindly.
"No!" Parker said loudly, pulling her hand away from Sophie's. "I don't want you to be nice to me! I don't want to try to be my friend. That's why this happened!"
"What are you talking about?" Sophie asked, surprised again.
"Before I met all of you this never would've happened!" Parker shouted. She stood up from the beanbag chair. "I never would've gone to a club if it weren't for Hardison! And before I met you, if somebody tried to flirt with me I would've run! I never would've let my guard down, and talked to him! I wouldn't have flirted, and I wouldn't have gone anywhere with him, but I did because I-" She cut off, gulping and sniffing back tears.
Sophie stood too, holding Parker's arms and looking into her eyes. "You what?" She asked softly, trying to calm down the distraught woman.
"I thought I would be okay. You taught me how to act like normal people, and you're the best. I thought if I acted normal like you taught me then he'd like me." She looked so young, Sophie thought. She seemed like a little kid who had tried something, then was confused and devastated when it didn't work. "But he didn't like me. I thought he did, but he hit me instead. I guess I did it wrong."
Sophie hugged Parker tightly, ignoring the thief's weak attempts to shrug her off. "This is not your fault, Parker," Sophie said roughly. "This is his fault." She pulled away and staring into the blonde's eyes. "He was wrong to kiss you when you tried to stop him, and he was wrong to hit you."
Parker wouldn't meet her gaze. "I should've expected it," she whispered.
"What do you mean?" Sophie asked, shocked.
Parker looked up at her and blinked, not understanding the question. "All men hit," she said simply, and Sophie could see that she believed it. "I know that. I should've expected it and been ready, but I let my guard down."
"That's not true!" Sophie protested. Parker gave her an almost pitying look, like Sophie was being naïve.
"That's not true!" Sophie repeated, more forcefully. "Do you think Nate would hit someone?" She asked, and the blonde looked away. "Do you think Eliot would hit someone?"
"Yes." Parker responded.
Sophie sighed. "Do you thing he would hit you?" She elaborated.
Parker thought for a moment. "No," she admitted.
Sophie smiled. "And you know Hardison wouldn't hit anyone."
Parker gave a little smile of her own.
"So not all men are like that, are they?" Sophie asked kindly.
To her relief, Parker shook her head. "I guess not."
Sophie bit her lip before continuing. "And going out to clubs and flirting is a good thing," she said carefully. "You let your guard down with us, and if you didn't do that, you wouldn't have all of us as friends. You have to try to let your guard down with other people to, to make friends," she tried to talk to the thief, but Parker was shaking her head.
"No. If I didn't listen to you and Hardison this wouldn't have happened. I don't want something like this to happen again!" The blonde protested.
"The next time you go to a club, I'll come too," Sophie promised. "Then you can tell me if a man's doing something you don't like."
Parker considered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Thanks, Sophie."
"That's what friends are for, Parker, we're here to help you. You told me this wasn't Hardison's fault. Do you think he would have let that man hurt you if he was there?" Sophie asked. She tilted her head and looked into Parker's eyes until the younger woman looked away. "And imagine how he must feel now? I'm sure he feels terrible that you were hurt."
"I didn't tell him," Parker admitted. "I just left."
"Why don't you give him a call to let him know you're alright?" Sophie suggested. "He must be worried about you."
When Parker nodded, the grifter led her to her office chair and helped her sit down. "I'm going to get you some ice," Sophie told her as the thief pulled her cell phone out of her purse.
"Okay," Parker nodded as she dialed. Sophie walked toward the door, but stopped and looked back when Parker said her name.
Parker looked away. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I'm glad you're my friend."
Sophie smiled at the young woman. "Me too." She said, and smiled more when she remembered that she meant it.
Sophie watched the blonde as she pulled the door closed. She waited a moment, then spoke quietly, making sure Parker couldn't hear her through the door. "Will you wait for me?"
She looked to her left, the direction she'd seen a flicker of movement in the doorway. The murderous look on Eliot's face and his hands, balled into fists at his sides, told her she'd been correct in assuming that he'd heard the conversation.
Eliot radiated fury and when he tried to speak Sophie guessed what he was going to say. She put up her hand to stop him and walked toward the office's kitchen. "I want to hurt this ruddy bastard as much as you do," Sophie said quietly as they walked. "I'm coming too."
Eliot glared at her angrily as Sophie pulled an ice pack out of the first aid kit Hardison had insisted on having installed in the kitchen. When she turned to leave the kitchen he didn't move. She stared back. "I'm coming." She said firmly. Eliot held her gaze for a moment, then sighed and moved out of the doorway. "Fine. But you're explaining this to Nate," the hitter threatened.
Sophie walked back to Parker's office. "What is there to explain?" She asked quietly, a tight smile crossing her lips. "We went out to a club Hardison suggested, and there was a little altercation with one of the patrons. Nothing to worry about." She composed her face and entered Parker's office, leaving the door open a crack behind her.
Parker looked up. "I talked to Hardison." She said softly. "He's coming back."
"Did you tell him what happened?" Sophie asked, handing her the ice. Parker cracked it against her desk and carefully put it on her cheek, wincing.
"No," Parker admitted, turning worried eyes to Sophie. "What should I say?"
"Whatever you want," Sophie said. "I'd suggest telling him the truth, but if you really don't want to…"
Parker stared at her for a moment, thinking, then shook her head. "I'll tell him the truth, even though he'll probably freak out." She smiled a bit through her anxiety. "Are you going to stay?" She asked.
For a moment Sophie wanted to promise her that she wouldn't go anywhere, but the thought of what she'd do to the man who hurt her friend quickly changed her mind. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but Eliot and I really have to go talk to someone for a job." Parker frowned, and Sophie quickly assured her. "But I'll be back as soon as possible, alright?"
Parker nodded, noticing for the first time that Sophie was dressed to leave. "I'm sorry, I got in the way," she said sadly.
"Anytime, Parker," Sophie made sure she was looking into Parker's eyes. "Any time you need me, I'm here to help you, okay? It's never getting in the way. That's what family's for."
Parker smiled, and Sophie patted her hand. She closed the door behind her as she exited, and smiled at Eliot, who was holding a set of car keys.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his face serious, and Sophie could tell he wasn't just asking if she was ready to leave.
She met his gaze. "Definitely," she said firmly, and they left.
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It wasn't until around noon the next day that Nate walked into the office. He'd had a late night, with more than a few scotches, but he was sober as he walked into the layout room and looked at his team.
Nate's trained investigator eyes picked out the details. Eliot was deep in thought, staring at the wall and frowning, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Neither were the fresh scrapes on his knuckles, although they hadn't been there the day before. Nate shook his head slightly, but decided he didn't want to know where they came from.
Sophie was looking at the six large televisions that Hardison had installed, pretending to watch the Three Stooges as they tried to avoid a bear in the woods. She looked very interested in the show, but Nate could tell that her eyes, riveted on the screen, were glazed over, and he noticed the dark circles that shadowed them. She looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep at all the night before. Nate frowned. She hadn't had that much work to do last night, had she?
Hardison was at his computer, sitting next to Parker. The ex-insurance investigator was surprised to see that he was holding the thief's hand, squeezing it every few seconds. He kept peeking up from his laptop to look at her face, then grimacing and looking back at the screen. Nate rolled his eyes internally; he'd long since given up trying to figure out the strange relationship between those two members of his team.
Parker seemed to be the only one in the room who wasn't in a bad mood. She looked so child-like, grinning as she watched the men on screen get hurt. She bounced in her seat every time one of the men yelped, and didn't seem to notice the glances Hardison kept sending her. Nate smiled as he watched the grow woman giggling over cartoons. Then Parker sensed his presence and turned to look at him, and that happy feeling went out the window when he saw the dark bruise on her face.
"What the hell happened?" He asked loudly.
Parker stopped grinning and looked at Hardison, who gave her a tight, worried smile. Sophie, who hadn't realized he was there, flinched in her seat and looked up wildly, relaxing when she recognized him.
"It's not a problem, Nathan. It's been taken care of," the grifter assured him. Nate caught the small smile she flashed to Eliot, who sported a tiny smirk of his own. Nate quickly changed his mind about the fresh bruises on the hitter's knuckles, but Sophie was now sending him unmistakable signs with her eyes and he relented. He could figure this out later.
"Fine." Nate said. He stood still for a few moments, then slowly took the seat next to Parker. "What's going on?" he asked, motioning to the TVs. Parker immediately adopted her happy expression and smiled at him.
"I think the bear's going to win," she told him seriously, then turned back to watch.
Nate watched her for a moment, inspecting her smile. Hardison had gone back to typing one-handed and stealing looks every few seconds.
The team leader turned inconspicuously to look at Sophie and Eliot, who were watching him cautiously. Nate jerked his head slightly toward Parker, then at Eliot's hands, questioning with his expression. The hitter looked at Sophie, then they grinned twin smiles at Nate.
Nate smiled back, and settled in to watch a bear steal a car with his family.
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Somebody on this site once said (I can't remember who, and I'm sorry for stealing your line) that reviews are love. Please tell me what you think!
P.S. The Three Stooges just seemed like something Parker would like, and I used to watch them all the time. The episode where the bear steals that car is real, one of my favs. :)