Oh yeah, I'm BACK. Finally! So sorry guys! I think the next chapter might be the ending, though. Maybe then I shall start something new. I apologize for such a delay. This one probably half sucked anyways, and I apologize again. Writers block is awful.
Parker's hands trembled, a wave of pain crippled her breathing as her eyes grew stormy. Tears began rolling freely down her cheeks. Her jaw wobbled, as she rested her head in her hands, slowly moving them up running her fingers through her hair. "Why do all the bad things happen to the good people?" She questioned, a trace of anger tainted her voice. Eliot reached the petite blonde, but she pushed him away. He knew when the storm clouds rolled in, the real Parker retreated. Parker's self control became a lost cause in situations like this. Eliot didn't even have time to process it all, the reality of the situation hadn't even begun to sink in yet. Silently Eliot said a little prayer, pleading with God, begging for his own sanity. He prayed it was all just some cruel prank, something to Parker back to Portland. But he knew that wouldn't be the case. He couldn't even begin to imagine the mastermind down, the thought of that left him utterly speechless. Suddenly a small voice broke the silence.
"Sometimes when I build walls, I build them so high because I'm afraid of the hurt." She stared blankly at her lap. Others wouldn't understand, there was a time when he didn't understand her. The idea of knowing he couldn't help her when she needed him most, he wasn't strong enough, utterly pissed him off. But he listened, not just with his mind, but his heart. "So I build them up so I can climb them and jump, before it gets too bad, I let go of it all." She hid her face behind her blonde locks, but he could've sworn he saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. "Most would consider this to perhaps be the perfect metaphor for my life," She flashed him a small, yet sad smile. "But when I jump, I let go, and for a moment I'm free. For a moment I'm not so crazy." Her eyes shifted away from his face again, she was visibly breaking. "Sometimes I just wish there weren't a harness there to hold me back." Parker laughed this time, but it was a cold, calculated laugh, not her normal, playful, out of left field laugh. "I wasn't born this way, I was made this way. Shaped until I couldn't be shaped any further, until I crumpled." Parker moved closer until their noses were almost touching, "They made me not feel anything, Eliot." She sighed burying her face in his neck. "But now I'm trying, I'm fighting, and it hurts so bad."
Parker latched onto Eliot, not a word was left unspoken. Every time Parker had a setback, she did her best to come back stronger. Sometimes it only left her with scars she was sure wouldn't heal. But each and every time, she grew as a person. Eliot pressed a small kiss upon Parker's temple. Being there for her, and listening to her was the best comfort he could offer her. Parker pulled away and inhaled slowly before walking off to take a quick shower and change. As her feet pattered against the floorboards, Eliot noticed her limp still lingered ever so slightly. He knew they had to get to back Portland, for Nate, and for the team. He packed a bag with a warn wool blanket, and some other things for the trip. He pressed his hands to his temple, sitting back on the couch. He took a moment to collect himself, and his thoughts before finishing packing.
Alone Parker glanced at her reflection in the mirror, sometimes she swore she saw a monster staring back at her. Her thoughts raced around, crashing like waves against a dock. A man made of stone seemed to hopelessly crumble. How could the mastermind be cut down, his heart shattering? Parker thought about it, but she couldn't begin to fathom the hurt she was feeling. Was the truth she knew a damn good facade? Was the stone actually glass caked in dirt, a grand illusion? What seemed so simple to most, complicated Parker's mind, and threatened her existence. She had always been the type that couldn't understand the fact that unsinkable ships, do indeed sink. Parker's eyes latched shut tightly, as the hurt she felt threatened to overwhelm her senses. Fumbling around, Eliot managed to brew a pot of coffee, and fill his thermos with the black liquid. Bags were packed and on the couch, waiting for the journey ahead of the pair. Eighteen-hundred some odd miles, and a restless night. He closed his eyes, letting the hurt sink in. Eliot felt so damn guilty. His fingers drummed on the counter, as Parker peered into the kitchen before slowly slipping into Eliot's side. Her eyes searched his face, sadly. It was as if she felt the thoughts that burdened him. Parker eased her arms around him, and without speaking, his heart didn't feel so heavy.
Eliot looked over at the petite blonde curled up beside him, blueish purple hues rested gently under her closed eyes. Her body was jostled with each bump in the road. Her usual hyperactive jitters were gone, replaced by silence, as an occasional tear rolled down her porcelain skin. Her arms wrapped around her torso, as if she were holding herself together. The site broke Eliot's heart. Deep down, he was kicking himself for taking off in the first place. Separating the team, leaving them all with a sense of vulnerability. In Eliot's mind he played back everything. He felt as if he pushed Nate's mind into overdrive, causing his heart to break slowly. But all the rain in Portland couldn't wash away the pain that resided in the team. The hours crawled by, as daylight faded into dusk, and dusk drew into an inky black evening. Each minute of worry and sorrow, felt like an eternity in hell. But once they reached Portland, Parker's eyes widened. It was as if Eliot were seeing a scared child.
Eliot hadn't even put the truck in park, before Parker swung the door open and took of running. Eliot chased after, as she swayed due to the stress on her ankle. She sighed, and pouted as he took her hand, leading her the rest of the way. The fluorescent lights buzzed, filling the silence in the air, as they reached the room. Parker lunged forward at the sight of a familiar face, reaching out she wrapped her arms around the female, and held on tight to Sophie. She didn't know exactly what to say, her heart hurt. She knew how much the brunette cared for the man lying in the hospital bed. Despite his faults, she fell for him, piece by broken piece. Just as Parker found herself falling for Eliot, She looked over Sophie's shoulder into his deep blue eyes. She didn't know exactly how or why it happened, but it did. Sophie squeezed her. "He will be alright, Parker." Her accent was thick, but it comforted her in many ways. As much as she loved being alone with Eliot, she missed her family. In the beginning, she could never imagined how close she would grow with all of them, and how much they would make her feel. She had never sensed love, and remorse, hope, and healing, until she met the members of her team. She wasn't quite sure she knew what any of that had meant.
Sunlight cast over Parker's face, seeping in through the cracks in the blinds. She yawned and stretched realizing she had dozed off, keeping watch over Nate. "Nate?" Parker's voice echoed in the stark, white room. She reached out, gently wrapping her hand around his. She shivered, at how icy his fingers were. He was hooked to all sorts of tubes and wires, and that scared Parker. It was like some biomechanical organism was swallowing him. "Nate?" Parker whispered once more to the man, she eyed the machine monitoring his heart, and his breathing. Her eyes watered, but she held back the tears. "You might not know it, but you are the greatest influence in my life." Her heart stung with the words. "You saved me, and you made me feel loved, maybe even needed." She squeezed his cold hand. "For that, I will always be grateful." She sniffled, tears damn near close to spilling over. "I lov..." Parker choked on the words. Her chest burning, she turned on a dime, ready to leave again, but Eliot was there waiting to catch her.