A/N If this is OOC I'm sorry, but it's also AU since it takes place in their fifth year together.

Part 3

So far Eliot had no problems making his way through the halls of the school. He was one of three janitors and did not have to really work hard. He could move through the halls and monitor their mark easily enough. He would keep an eye out for when the principal left his office so he could get the information from his computer, while pretending to dump the office trash after school got out.

Eliot was pushing a cart down the hallway of the lower grade classes when he heard a familiar voice. At first he thought he was hearing things, until the laugh. That was when he knew it was Parker. He made his way towards the open door and he saw her for the first time in six months.

Parker looked thinner than he remembered and there was a haunted look in her eyes, even as she laughed with the children. "Parker." He whispered.

"What did you say man?" Hardison asked in Eliot's ear.

"I found Parker." Eliot said as he moved off down the hall to the nearest janitor's closet.

Nate was talking over Sophie and Hardison's voices. "What's she doing at the school?"

Eliot smiled for the first time in six months. Parker made a cute picture sitting there with the kids and paint all over her. "She's finger painting with a bunch of kindergarten kids."

"Did she see you Eliot?" Nate asked.

"No, I was in the shadows out in the hall. Nate, I'm going to talk to her."

"Are you sure that's wise? She might bolt again." Sophie said.

"Yeah man, I dunno maybe we should talk to her as a group?" Hardison added.

"No." Eliot replied.

"Try not to scare her Eliot. See if you can bring her to us." Nate ordered.

He growled. "I'm not going to fuckin' scare her." He shut off the comm and pocketed it. Shutting out Nate's advice, and Sophie and Hardison's well meaning chatter.

Parker was walking down the hall towards the faculty restroom to wash some of the paint off her face and hands. One of the little girls in the class, Hannah, painted a flower on her cheek. After letting Abby take a picture for the child, Parker informed her that she needed to wash it off. She walked by the janitor's closet and was jerked inside with a hand over her mouth.

Eliot grabbed Parker, putting a hand over her mouth so she would not make any noise. He had to give her credit; she fought back as he held her. But then her foot hit his shin. "Dammit Parker, it's me."

She froze for a second, and then relaxed against him. When he removed his hand from her mouth, she spoke. "Eliot?"

"Yeah darlin', it's me." He replied and turned her around to see tears in her eyes. He did not expect the tears at all.

Parker threw her arms around Eliot's neck and hugged him. "I can't believe you're here. Oh my God, you have to leave, you can't be here." She said and tried to turn and run.

Eliot grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. It's time to stop running Parker."

She wanted to relax in his arms and enjoy the feeling, but she was terrified. "Eliot, if they find out you found me, then they'll kill you, Nate, Sophie, and Hardison. I can't put you in danger." She started crying harder.

Eliot had never seen Parker cry this hard. The flower painted on her cheek was running so he took a cloth and got it wet in the sink, then handed it to her. "You wanna tell me why you left?"

"Yes I do, but I can't. I wasn't even allowed to say goodbye. They threatened to kill you if I didn't leave your place and never look back. I saw the laser beam pointed right at the back of your head and did as I was told." She told him as she used the mirror over the sink to clean the paint off of her face.

"Who are they? Why did they make you leave us, leave me?" He asked her, losing his patience.

"I can't tell you, I can't tell anyone Eliot. I can't let them find me, because I can't go through the pain of walking away again." She softly said, like a lost child.

"Darlin', you're gonna have to tell us if we're gonna help you." He explained.

"The others are here too?" She asked looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Yeah, we're working a job here. Seems Mr. Grayson is stealing money from the booster club and framing Mrs. McCloud." He told her.

"No. Poor Mrs. McCloud. Her daughter Hannah is in my classroom. She painted the flower on my face. Hannah, not her mother. I don't like Mr. Grayson, he's grabby." She replied.

"Grabby? He's tried to touch you Parker?" Eliot asked, getting angry. You never touched a lady without permission, especially his lady.

Parker almost smiled at his reaction, almost. "He tried once and found a pencil sticking out of his arm. He never said anything to anyone because he was afraid I'd tell someone what he did."

"That's my girl." Eliot replied and hugged her.

Parker wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. "I've missed you so much Eliot. I'm so sorry I didn't stay."

He pulled back and looked at her. "I need to know why you left, but it can wait until we are with the others after school lets out. I'm just glad I finally found you."

"I can't go to the others, they might be watching. You are probably being watched too. Wait, you said finally. You've been looking for me?" She asked him really smiling for the first time in six months.

"Of course I've been looking for you Parker. I looked everywhere I could think of when we weren't on a job. I was going to go and see Archie until Nate called us in for this job." He explained as he cupped her cheek.

She nodded in understanding. "Then you would have found me sooner or later. Only Archie knows about Abby."

"Who's Abby?" He asked.

He listened to how Parker was able to go off the grid by using her stash of cash, and getting rid of all of her electronics. That's why Hardison couldn't find her at all. She had become a ghost to keep her family safe. Parker explained who Abby was, how her friend had helped her set up a rental, and why she was volunteering at the school. She told him about how she had been on the move for a couple of months before finally coming here.

Eliot pulled her back into his arms. "Well, thank God for Abby. I've missed you so much darlin'."

"I've missed you too Eliot. I wish I could have been stronger and stayed with you, but I couldn't let them kill any of you." She said.

"We'll talk about them later. Right now you need to get back to the classroom and I need to do my job, before someone comes looking for either of us." He kissed her forehead, knowing if his lips touched hers, they'd never leave the closet.

"Yeah, I've been gone long enough. Abby will start to worry." She said.

"Meet me here after school lets out Parker. Promise me you won't run again." He told her.

She looked him right in the eye so he knew she wasn't lying to him. "I know I'm going to regret this, but I promise I won't run. I'll never forgive myself if one of you die because of me. I'll meet you here as soon as school lets out, but I can't stay. Abby always gives me a ride home."

"Tell her you have a ride home today. I'm taking you home." He said and quickly kissed her forehead, then pushed her towards the door. "I'll see you after three."

Parker checked the hall to make sure no one saw her leave the closet, and then she headed back to the classroom to finish her day. She was both happy and worried that Eliot found her here. She only hoped it would not cost the lives of her friends. She couldn't bare it if one of them died because of her, especially Eliot.

Eliot quickly put his ear bud back in and told Nate what Parker had told him about her leaving. He said he could not get who 'they' were from Parker, but maybe all of them together could. At least it was the new plan.

End part 3