I do not own Leverage.

2. Chapter

Eliot, Nate and Parker left the building and gathered up Sophie who had distracted the receptionist so the other three had been able to sneak in. Then they headed to the van standing a few streets away and greeted a waiting Hardison.

"Everything went smooth, perfect!", Hardison rejoiced.

"Hey, guys!", Eliot suddenly exclaimed. "Someone pursues us!"

"Who?", Sophie wanted to know.

"I don't know … I can't see anybody… but I can feel it! There's someone after us, I'm sure!", Eliot tried to explain, scanning the area around them with his eyes without noticing anything unusual.

"You're paranoid!", Parker shook her head. "You can 'feel' it! Ha!" She laughed and made the cool air quotes Hardison taught her. "And you say there's something wrong with me!"

Eliot glared at her annoyed. "Stop complaining, Parker! It's my attentiveness that keeps you safe, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah!", Parker said absent-mindly, her attention already drawn by something completely else. Eliot shook his head.

"Maybe you have a attentiveness disorder!", Parker remarked, giggling.

"Parker! That's something completely else!", Eliot answered incredulously.

"Oh! What's that?", Parker wanted to know.

"I'm not your daddy, okay? Ask Sophie!", Eliot demanded.

"Maybe… you have a paranoid disorder!", Parker mused, ignoring what Eliot said.

"Such a thing doesn't exist! Stop talking rubbish!", Eliot scolded her. "And at least I'm not kleptomaniac!"

Parker stared at him indignantly. "I'm not kleptomaniac! I just like stealing, what's wrong with that?"

Eliot laughed at her seriousness. "What is wrong with that? You are cute! A lot, most people would say."

"We are not most people, you know!", Parker stated with total seriousness.

"Well, yeah, there you made a point, I guess.", Eliot admitted pensively. Parker smiled.

"But one thing is for sure.", Eliot continued, grinning. "If you take away the klepto- the word you'll get describes you perfectly!"

Parker scrunched her face thoughtfully for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant. Then her eyes lit up and she giggled. "Maniac! Haha, you're funny!" Eliot laughed, too.

"And if you take away the para-…", Parker giggled again. "Noid is a cool word, don't you think, Eliot?"

Eliot could only shake his head. This crazy girl! "Parker! You're talking rubbish again!"

"Noid… Noid…", Parker repeated fascinated.

"Stop singing this stupid word, Parker!", Eliot demanded, slapping playfully the back of her head.

"Ow!", she squealed. "Sophie! Eliot slapped me!" But Sophie didn't hear her, she was too immersed in a conversation with Nate.

"Noid, noid, noid…", Parker continued to sing to tease Eliot. He looked like he would explode if she said it just once more. Suddenly she added excitedly: "The word reminds me of Stannoidite! Do you know what a Stannoidite is, Eliot?"

"No, and I don't want to know it!", Eliot answered irritated.

"It's a mineral. I once stole one. It's very precious and can earn you a lot of money! I like money!", she explained with shining eyes.

"That figures. Everything that is worth money is known by you!", Eliot taunted.

"Hey, you blabbermouths!", Nate finally interrupted them. "Focus, please!"

Parker giggled while Eliot shot her a dark glare before the two turned back to the other three.

She listened to the conversations floating out of the van. Then she turned around and ran back to the building, making her way into the backyard. In the first story she discovered an open window. Swiftly she swarmed up the uneven and squiggly wall of the old building, sneaked in through the open window and went to get her shoulder back. Hasty she stuffed her few belongings in it: a flashlight, pocketknife, tools for lock picking, her spoon (she had stolen this spoon a long time ago and since then she had never used another spoon for eating. If she would get hungry she could steal her favorite meal, yoghurt), and Timmy. Timmy was a small sheepdog figure made of plastic or rubber. He was her lucky charm and best friend since she could remember. Carefully she made sure he was safely stowed so she would by no means loose him. Then she slipped her old worn leather jacket on and grabbed her shoulder back before again leaving the building.

Five minutes later she was back at the van of the five strange thieves, observing them curiously. She really had no idea what she was doing. It was absolutely crazy to run away from her foster parents just to follow a few foreign people she never saw before. But somehow she couldn't help it. There was something about them that just draw her attention… Oh, now you go crazy!, she told herself. Oh, sorry, she answered herself. I forgot, you already are crazy.

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