Hello my lovely readers! I'm sorry for the wait, but my schedule is a little chaotic, so I never know when I have time to write for this story, but I will do my best.
This chapter is a little emotional, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway.
Thanks to all who have reviewed, alerted, and favorite this story! You guys are the best!
Please remember to review at the end! :)
Eliot walked into the house after a long day, and frowned when he looked around the house. Nothing was touched, but he still smelled her. He listened as he put his hat on the hook, and followed the noise to the bathroom.
Paper shredding, and liquid sloshing.
He approached the door, found it opened, and Parker sitting on the edge of the tub with her shirt off, but she was wearing a bra and jeans.
He frowned as he noticed her stitches in her side. They were torn, and bleeding. He groaned inwardly at his stupidity for not remembering her injuries. God, he was an idiot.
Parker looked up, and gave a small smile. "Hey, Eliot." She replied, turning back to her work.
Eliot nodded, and felt his insides battle on whether or not to help her. He stepped further inside, and knelt in front of her, and gently took the rag she was using, and wiped the blood off her side.
Parker was about to protest, but she saw the pain in his eyes, and she kept her mouth shut.
Eliot gently cleaned her wound, and looked down at her pack. She had brought extra stitches. He shook his head at her thinking.
Parker watched as he cleaned her wound, and then began to repair the damage in her side. She winced as the pain shot through her as he fixed her wound. Eliot glanced up at her sucking in her breath, and sent her an apologetic look as he continued.
Once the wound was finished, he slowly stood up. "You should leave it open for now. We'll wrap it before you go to bed." He stated, turning to leave.
Parker nodded, and reached out and grasped his hand. He stopped, and looked down at her. Slowly she stood, and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you." She whispered.
Eliot gave a curt nod, and stepped away from her.
She sighed, as she followed him out into the kitchen. She climbed the stool, and watched as he opened the fridge. He took out a beer, and twisted the top off. After he took a sip, she clasped her hands together on the counter.
"I met Sheryl." She stated, simply.
Eliot swallowed, and gave a nod. "I know. She told me." He replied, setting the beer on the counter, and grasped the counter tightly. "I think you should leave, Parker." He said his voice low, as well as his eyes.
Parker shook her head. "I already told you. I'm not leaving, Eliot." She retorted, shaking her head again.
Eliot sighed, and pushed away from the counter. "Damn it, Parker!" He nearly shouted. "You could have hurt yourself worse today because of my stupidity." He stated, pointing to her side.
Parker glanced at her side, and then back up at him. "It wasn't your fault, Eliot." She stated, standing up.
Eliot shook his head. "I could have hurt you today, Parker." He stated, turning away from her.
Parker smiled. "I'm fine. Look" She replied, causing him to glance back at her, against his will. He narrowed his eyes, as he saw her moved her body from side to side, careful not to tear his handy work.
"See, I'm just fine." She stated, with a small smile.
Eliot rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "That is not the point, Parker." He replied, running his fingers through his sweat matted hair.
Parker nodded. "Yes, it is." She stated, stepping closer to him. "I knew my limits today. I was the one who pushed myself, and tore my stitches. It wasn't your fault." She stated, putting her finger to his chest, and pushing him.
He narrowed his eyes again. "I'm the one who told you to clean the stalls, Parker. I shouldn't have done that. You needed to rest." He stated, walking past her to grab his forgotten beer.
Parker shook her head. "What I need is for people to quit babying me!" She replied, her voice rising higher at the last word.
Eliot turned to face her, and took in her raging face. "Parker, you were stabbed." He stated, looking at her bruised eye, and the long cut on her cheek.
Parker nodded. "Yes, I was, but I survived." She replied, stepping closer. "Because of you." She added, looking at him innocently.
Eliot closed his eyes, and an image came rushing through his mind's eye. An image of a tortured Parker, and what might have happened if he hadn't gotten there in time.
"You should still leave, Parker." He whispered, brushing past her.
Parker sighed. "How many times are you going to say that?" She asked, rolling her eyes.
"Until you get some sense, Parker!" He shouted at her, his eyes flashing with anger.
Parker read between the lines, and shook her head. "Am I that much of a bother to you?" She asked, in a tiny voice.
Eliot watched as her face filled with pain, and he kicked himself, mentally. "No, Parker, you are not a bother. It's just…" He trailed off, and then shook his head.
"What?" She asked her voice weak.
Eliot sighed and finished off his beer. He shook his head once more, and turned away from her. He needed the right words. The right words to tell her that it scared him. She scared him. When he saw her sitting in that chair, it terrified him. It scared him, knowing that he could have lost her that day. He cared for her too much to lose her, and that scared him.
It scared him more than what Monroe ever made him do. Parker was the one bright spot in his life, whether he would admit it or not. She was the one thing that always brightened his day, and he almost lost her. She was his light, though he would never tell her. He couldn't.
"Is it because of your past?" She asked, softly, curiously.
He clamped his eyes shut. Yes, it was because of his past. She reminded him of what he had done in his past and what he could be.
Parker waited. She may not know everything about Eliot's past, but she knew enough. Eliot was the one man in her life, who was kind and who got her, who didn't criticize her with every little thing she got wrong. He was her best friend. Someone she loved.
She stepped closer to him. Did she love him? Is that why she came all the way out here? Is that why she tried so hard today? Maybe she did. Maybe that was why she pushed so hard today. Maybe that was why she came after him. She loved him.
Eliot lifted his head, and slowly turned around to find only a foot away from her. "Geez, Parker." He replied, taken aback by how close she was.
"You didn't answer my question." She stated, simply.
Eliot sighed, and gave a nod. A simple nod that spoke volumes.
Parker bit her lip, and nodded in return. "I remind you of your past." She stated, though he read the question.
Eliot took in a small breathe, but didn't answer.
Parker nodded once more and turned on her heel. As much as she wanted to stay, she didn't want to hurt him. She couldn't. She cared for him too much.
Eliot watched as her shoulders began to slump. Her body spoke volumes, and he knew she was hurt, not physically, but emotionally, and it hurt him.
"Parker," He replied, setting the empty bottle on the small table, before grasping her lightly on the upper arms, turning her around to face him. "You remind me of what I lost." He clarified, looking into her eyes. "Of what I could be, but might never be." He replied, softly.
Parker sniffed, and gave a nod. She understood. "I don't do it on purpose, Eliot." She stated, looking into his eyes.
He smiled, for the first time that afternoon. "I know you don't, Parker." He replied, softly.
"Then why do you treat me like I do?" She asked, backing away from him.
He sighed, running his right hand through his hair once more. "Because I'm scared, Parker." He answered, calmly with a hint of frustration.
"Of what?" She asked, tilting her head curiously.
He huffed, and looked away. "I'm scared of what I will do to you and of what I could be." He answered, glancing at her, and then snatched the bottle off the table.
Parker shook her head, and followed him into the utility where he put the glass bottle in the glass compartment.
She leaned against the door frame, as he took off his buttoned down shirt and tossed it in the hamper. Her eyes roamed over his build, but she quickly snapped out of it when he turned around to face her.
"What will you do to me?" She asked, her eyes looking down at the ground.
"I could hurt you, Parker." He said after a moment, causing her to look up at him.
"You could never hurt me." She stated, simply.
"Yes, I could, Parker." He returned, walking away from her.
She rolled her eyes as she followed him once more. "You might be able too, but you never would. Not intentionally." She replied, moving her arms around.
He stopped, and turned to face her. "Parker," He began, but she continued.
"No, Eliot, I know you have a horrible past. I understand that, but that past doesn't define you. It's what you do now that does." She stated, with knowledge he never knew she possessed. "You saved my life two weeks ago, and I know that brought up bad memories for you." She continued, her eyes filling with sadness and determination. "It brought some bad memories up for me too, but what got me through was you." She paused, with a smile. "I knew you were coming for me, and you know why?" She asked, stepping closer to him
Eliot just stared at her. He didn't move, didn't speak.
"Because you care, Eliot." She answered with another smile. "You care about us, about me, and no matter how hard you fight against it. You are family. My family." She added, walking past him towards her room.
He stood there, letting her words sink in. The crazy girl he knew for years was the one person who understood, and she was staying.
"Parker," He called out as he turned to look at her.
Parker stopped as she reached her door, and found him coming towards her.
"Tomorrow, I'll find you something to do that won't interfere with your recovery." He stated with a small smile.
Parker opened her mouth, but he stopped her.
"You need to rest for the few weeks until your wound has healed. That'll give you time to get used to the way things work around here." He replied, calmly.
Parker smiled, and wrapped her arms around his bare waist. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, but her stitches would never allow her to do that.
Eliot slowly wrapped his arms around her and returned her hug. He felt a feeling rush through his body as he felt her bare skin, because she was still in her bra. He closed his eyes at the way she felt in his arms. It wasn't just desire that he felt. It was something else.
Just as he was getting used to her in his arms, she stepped back, and sent him a smile. "Good night, Eliot." She replied, turning to her room. She paused, and looked back at him. "Are you sure that horse won't come through the window?" She asked, fear in her voice.
Eliot smirked, and nodded. "Brownie is in her stall. She won't bother you tonight." He replied, with another smile.
Parker nodded, and walked into her room, turning on the light inside. "Thanks, Eliot." She replied, looking at him.
"For what?" He asked, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"For allowing me to stay." She answered with a smile.
"You would have stayed anyway, Parker." He returned.
She nodded. "But it's different when you want me to." She remarked, closing the door.
Eliot let out a sigh, and nodded. "Yeah, Parker, it is." He whispered, going into the bathroom to shower before he headed to bed.
It definitely was.
~Young House~
"Derek, you should have seen the way she lit up when I mentioned Eliot." Sheryl stated as her husband walked to the bed.
Derek nodded. "She's just a friend of his, Sheryl, nothing for you to get worked up on." He replied, calmly, crawling into the covers.
"Derek, this is different. She came all the way out here to be with him, and from the bruises on her face…" She replied, but was cut off with her husband's look.
"Eliot said that it was job that went bad. Parker was hurt, and she needed to recuperate. That's why she's here, Sheri." He replied, with a stern look.
Sheryl shook her head. "It's more than that, Derek. She cares for him. I know, because she has the same look I have whenever I look at you." She stated, with a smirk.
Derek smiled, and stroked his wife's soft face. "You're not going to let up are you?" He asked, looking into her brown eyes.
Sheryl smiled and shook her head. "Nope." She replied, her eyes searching his green eyes.
He sighed, and rolled to his back. "Fine, just don't get me involved in this." He remarked, pointing at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Awe, honey, now would I do that?" She replied, rubbing her fingers over his muscled chest.
"Yes, you would." He stated, glaring at her playfully.
She giggled, and leaned over to brush her lips over his. "Fine, I'll do it myself." She whispered, kissing him again.
He chuckled, and weaved his hand through her brown hair. "You're impossible." He murmured against her lips.
She laughed, and bit his bottom lips. "You love me anyway." She replied, kissing his nose.
He nodded, and captured her lips with his. "Yes, I do." He returned, kissing her continuously. "I sure do." He added, moving his hand away from her to turn off the lamp on his side of the bed, his lips never leaving hers.
He sure did love her. His wife, the matchmaker.
What did you think?
I will do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but my schedule is a little iffy, so I ask that you all be patient.
If there is a scene you wish to see, let me know, and I will do my best to accommodate. Or another story you wish me to write, just PM me and I will put it on my list, and get right on it! :D
Until Next Time...