A/N: This is set at the beginning of season two, so there are a few spoilers. I do not own Leverage! Review, please!
Sophie Deveraux remembered when she was a little girl, no older than seven, and being asked the question: What is your favorite thing in the world? She'd be damned if she could remember who had asked her that question, but she did remember what her seven-year old self had answered.
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, wild geese that fly with a moon on their wing. These are a few of my favorite things!" Sophie smiled. She had loved that movie, and that song had been such a favorite of hers. She'd sing it round and round to her toys and dolls, pretending she was Maria and singing her heart out. That's when she had known she was destined to be an actress.
Even if her type of acting wasn't the kind to get rave reviews by critics. Sophie glared again at the bitter words Parker showed her on the theatre's website. After twenty years, she had been so excited to perform as Maria at last! And they had all come: Eliot, and Parker, and Hardison and even Nate! And the whole show had been-
"Awful. Horrible. Miserable. Humiliating. " Sophie moaned as she dropped her head over and over, and once more for good measure, on the hardwood counter in Nate's kitchen. "It can't really have been that bad, could it?" She turned to the rest of her team-well, ex team. All of who exchanged awkward grimaces and wisely remained silent.
"I liked that funny song in the middle." Parker gave a shy smile at the grifter, and Sophie had to give a soft smile back. The thief really was quite endearing when she wanted to be.
"What funny song?" the thief's words caught up to her after a moment and Sophie's face turned to one of confusion. She got off the kitchen stool and went to stand behind the couch.
"You know..." Parker shrugged as the others turned to look at her as well. "Whiskers and cactus and raindrops and posies and brown packages and string and all the other silly stuff. I mean, come on, who likes sashes anymore. That song was ridiculous, and the way you sang it-" Parker cut of here, coughing a little as she realized what she was saying. "It was very good. It was very, very good. It made me laugh."
"That's not even-" Sophie started, then groaned and fell forward on the couch, her face buried slightly in the cushions. "Those aren't the words, Parker. And the song was supposed to be about love and beauty and the simple things and what we think about when we think about all those things. It's…well, it's her favorite things!"
"What person thinks that woolen mittens are their favorite thing?" Parker's nose crinkled a little as she tried to puzzle it out. "That's just stupid."
"It's a song, Parker." Eliot snapped, rolling his eyes. "It's a freaking musical. Make-believe. The character liked those things. Let it go."
"If it was me,-" Parker continued as if she hadn't even heard Eliot. "I would have said money, like lots of cash with unsequential serial numbers, and stuffed animals, mainly rabbits, and explosives and high buildings and that feeling you get when you jump off and you're flying and completely weightless. Also, high-techy security vaults with fun lasers. And sharing secrets with people. Watching people is pretty fun, too. I like the early morning air, when it's cold and bright and new. And the thrill of pulling off a new heist, or revamping an old one. And the smell of-" Parker once again cut herself off, a small blush creeping up on her pale cheekbones.
Sophie stared at the blonde thief for a moment. She was the only one. The others were staring off into their minds, thinking of what she had said but not how she had ended. Only Sophie saw the blush. Only Sophie saw the furtive look she gave towards the oblivious hitter, who was staring fixedly on the silent television in front of him. Only Sophie thought she knew what it was Parker's favorite smell might be.
"Anyway." Parker cleared her throat, her skin no longer flaming. "Those are my favorite things. Some of them, anyway."
"Yeah." Hardison spoke up thoughtfully. "I get you, girl. For me, I'd have to say the tech is pretty sweet. Gaming online, and busting down firewalls like a badass cyber cop, and smarting y'all with my geeky wonder. And don't forget my orange soda supply, man, that's my saving grace. And the sweet sound of a bad guy's bank account going broke. And then there's my Nana's cooking, and bells-" Hardison coughed.
Only Sophie saw the quick glance he shot at the thief. Only Sophie saw the flash of sadness in his eyes as he saw where hers were looking. Only Sophie thought she knew why Hardison liked bells.
"A good whiskey." Nate's husky voice broke the brief reverie their small group had retreated into. Sophie gave him a stern look, but the mastermind either wasn't paying attention or he skillfully ignored her. "A nice, strong brandy. Peace and quiet. A good book." He paused when he saw their bored, and skeptical, faces. "Conning the pants of a cheating corporation that's bleeding innocent people dry. Helping people who can't help themselves. Family. L'Essence De Magnifique."
Only Sophie saw the small smirk as he listed off the most boring things in the world. Only Sophie saw the glimmer of pain when he mentioned the word family. And only Sophie thought she knew why his favorite thing was her favorite perfume.
There was a longer silence after Nate. They were all trying not to stare at the volatile hitter, but Sophie would be damned if she went before the brooding cowboy. The silence stretched on longer and longer, and Eliot's gaze did not waver from the silent game that was now playing on the TV. Sophie had almost given up and opened her mouth to speak when a soft voice shattered the silence.
"Sweat." Eliot's voice was low and firm, a sign that he did not want to be interrupted. Hardison closed his mouth and nodded to let Eliot continue. Parker's eyes were wide and curious. "Boxing and sparring, training and just letting loose. Loosing control in my own element, in my own time." He paused, and Sophie could see him leaving it there and moving on. "Cooking. Doesn't matter what, so long as I'm in the kitchen and using my knives. Organic foods, homegrown. A good beer and a lot of rough games. Good music. Ice. Doing my job. Horses. Sunrise. " Eliot finished his short list and took a long sip of his drink.
Only Sophie heard the small hitch in his voice when he mentioned doing his job. Only Sophie noticed how his crystal blue eyes glazed over only for a moment, before he cast a side glance to the girl beside him. Only Sophie thought she knew why he liked sunrise the best.
And suddenly, their eyes were on her.
"Well. What are your favorite things?" Parker asked quietly.
Sophie paused and thought back on her life over the last two years. She loved the stage, the spotlight on her. She loved becoming a new role everytime she spotted a mark. She loved the feel of something new and stolen and hers, and the feeling she got when she added it to her warehouse collection. And then there was the ever comforting sound of her team in her ear, of Hardison with the directions and intel she needed to sell her part. The sound Parker made as she was rappelling off a new, ever higher building, or Nate's voice when he knew exactly what it was they were going to steal. Or the smell of Eliot's cooking when they got back from a rough job, or the sound of him taking out the bad guys, taking the beating so they could run. Sophie realized sharply that she had come to think of these things as…her favorite things.
Only she knows those little details about each of her team members. Only she knows that every little thing that she loved was only the very beginning of her ever growing fondness for this little, quirky family.
Only she knew she could never say any of these things out loud.
"Oh," Sophie said with a smile. "You know, just the usual things."
