The Wedding Job
AKA Family?

"She smells like jasmine." One agent had said. Eliot had noticed that too, and he liked jasmine. He always had.

Eliot wanted to stab that woman. FOOD COURT! Seriously! He was about to do it too, when Nate stopped him.

"Eliot," Parker's voice came over the coms, "if I can't stab my mark, neither can you." Nate laughed and walked out. "At least," Parker added in a whisper, "not yet."

That made him laugh. On the inside.

~EP~

"Why do you think I had to let out the waste? To make you look less skinny?"

That time, his laugh wasn't so silent.

"Ever come close?" Hardison had asked. Yes, Eliot had come close. He had come damn close. And then he had a job, and when he came back she was married to the local sheriff's son. So, naturally, he went and liberated Croatia.

Granted it was liberated a little more violently than he had meant to in the first place. But it was too late to change things.

He headed to his office on the other side of the briefing room from Parker, and noticed her staring at a succulent plant on her desk. At that point she had about 10, all of the same kind.

"Eliot, what do plants do?" She called out.

"Just what they're doin' now." He smiled at her.

"Huh." She looked up, smiled at him, and went back to the plant.

"Parker!" Eliot stopped in the door and spun around.

"S'okay." She turned him around then turned herself around. "Zip."

He sighed.

"A bridesmaid's dress is an all access pass at a wedding." She explained.

"Oh," he replied as she turned around. "Hardison wants to see you."

"Okay." She went to leave.

"And Parker." He stopped her. "You look good."

"Really?" She smiled.

"Yeah." He nodded and she left.

"The Butcher is here." She stared at him. He was stupid enough to think it wasn't THE Butcher.

All you have to do is stay away from him. She had snapped at him. Like it was that easy. Then she called him Emeril. EMERIL? Sure he liked to cook. Big woop.

And then The Butcher found him.

And that was... a blast.

Eliot was surprised how good Parker was with kids. And that the team was having a family meal.

Things clicked that night, somehow. He would like to think that the food did that.

But the most important things is that they became a family.