A/N Sorry about the lack of updates, I've been relly sick and so has my computer. The rating has changed to "M" for a reason that you'' find out verry soon. *cheshire grin*

Parker slept for the better part of an hour while Eliot made dinner. He decided on meatloaf and mashed sweet potatoes. It was one of Parker's absolute favorite meals and it was the easiest for him to hide vegetables in it. Their arguments over vegetables were legendary so Eliot gave up and said he'd never ask her to eat another vegetable. So he didn't ask, he just hid them in the food or made her his special dips for them. Celery was simple to put in the meatloaf as it resembled onions and carrots were in the brown sugar sweet potatoes. He wanted her to be as healthy as possible because all their live depended on it. His life depended on her being ok. That thought made him smile. He peered over the breakfast bar to check on her but she wasn't on the couch. He immediately put up his defenses but then tore them down just as quickly so that he would attack her by accident again. Laying the knife down, he stepped into the living room and saw her examining the bookshelves.

She was running her expert fingers along the spines, reading the titles with her head cocked to the side. Eliot could see the sinewy muscles beneath the skin on her neck. Her long blonde hair fell to the side and she was twirling it unconsciously, thinking about all the titles. When she happened on one the seemed particularly interesting, she pulled it out and flipped through the first couple of pages. It was in a different language. Not surprising, really, she thought. She could feel Eliot's gaze on her back but continued to ignore him, replacing the book. She moved to the next bookshelf and looked at the framed pictures. One was of a seemingly young Eliot and an older woman with grey hair that matched her beautifully grey eyes. She had her arms wrapped around his shoulders and they were both giving the camera an eye crinkling smile. She lifted the frame from its place on the shelf to get a better look. The thought of Eliot being so young did something funny to her stomach. Maybe she was just hungry but still…

"That's my Grandma and I when I was probably 12 or 13. That was one of the best summers of my life. I was here from the end of May until early September. That's a summer I'll never forget." he smiled sadly. That summer was the one where the burglar broke in but that was also the summer he became a man according to his Grandma. He'd protected her. He did everything he could. Eliot buried that night in the back of his mind not willing himself to think anymore on it. Crossing the room, he wrapped his arms around Parker's waist and placed his chin on her shoulder, inhaling her scent. "Almost ready for dinner?"

"Yea, I'm hungry, My tummy feels weird. Right here," she pointed to the middle of her abdomen. Eliot's panic rose thinking of what it could have been but the only thing he could think of was that she was hungry. "It flutters and it doesn't hurt, just feels weird. Never felt that before. I think I'm allergic to you. It only happens when you are around or I think about you. Of course how can I be allergic to you if it happens and I'm only thinking about you?" She turned around in his arms and looked up at him. He was grinning ear to ear. "What?!" she glared at him.

"I want to try something, hold still and close your eyes." He gently touched his lips to hers and she leaned into the kiss. "Now how does your stomach feel?"

"Good," she smiled, "like a thousand fluttering butterflies. Like right before a jump."

"I think you'll be just fine. My stomach feels the same way when I think about you. Like a rush of adrenalin." he smiled. "Let's eat."

They sat at the dining room table eating the delicious dinner. Parker chatted happily about the cabin while Eliot listened intently. They talked about past jobs both with the crew and independently. Their paths had crossed more times than they had previously thought. Nineteen times to be exact. Eliot had suspected about 12 but was floored by the other 7. He did the math backward and figured out that she started younger than he'd originally thought. He is 5 years older than her, which would have made the first time their paths crossed when he was 20 and she was 15. He was retrieving for a client and the item in questioned vanished from a locked room in Budapest; he ended up tracking the item to Wisconsin of all places. Unbelievable.

After dinner they cleaned up and he washed the dishes as always while she dried and put them away. They fell into a companionable silence. "I think I'm going to go take a shower." she stated out of the blue. She hopped off the counter and left Eliot just standing there. Had he said something that made her mad? No, they weren't even talking, maybe that was the problem. God, he felt like a teenager again. He could deal with the one night stands, they were easy but this amazing woman he was in love with was going to drive him nuts. He grinned at what he just admitted to himself following her upstairs.

She already had the water running and her pajamas were missing from the dresser. He went back downstairs to give her some privacy. He was looking through the pantry seeing what needed to be purchased for their stay here when he heard the water shut off. He could hear Parker singing completely out of tune in the bathroom. He chuckled and continued making a list in his head. She padded down the hall into the bedroom and he heard her sit on his bed. After about 10 minutes and she still hadn't come back down, he went up to check on her. A master thief in the house made him a little nervous. He knew she'd never steal anything but she might be trying to figure out the missing room and he didn't want he to know about that yet, if ever.

He found her snuggled into his bed, asleep. He ran his hands through hair trying to figure out what to do next. Should her join her or would that spook her? Screw it, he thought, I'll only be here for about 90 minutes. He walked around the bed, toed off his boots and stripped down, putting a pair of sweatpants and staying bare-chested. He lowered himself into the bed. As soon as he stilled, Parker rolled over, throwing one and one leg over his body and snuggling into his chest. He lifted his arm and in her sleep, Parker scooted even closer and lair her head on his bare chest. She gave him a little squeeze and as back into a deep sleep almost instantly. He rested his hand on her back and finally drifted off hoping the nightmares would stay away for a little while at least.

The next morning he woke up and Parker was still stretched out next to him but something was wrong, the sun was burning his eyes. Looking at the clock it said it was just after 9am. He hadn't slept this late, ever. He followed her to bed around 9 o'clock last night. That was 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. He looked at the sleeping beauty next to him with her golden hair fanned out on the pillow. She had fallen asleep on his chest but in the night rolled over so her back was to him with her leg still draped over him. Not wanting to wake her, he closed his eyes and rested a little while longer before she began to stir. She opened one eye and rolled over to face Eliot and was greeted with a bare-chested hitter smiling down at her. The sight of his broad shoulder and strong arms made her smile so brightly she thought her face was going to split in two.

"Good morning beautiful." he murmured into her hair where he placed a kiss. His chest rumbled with his voice.

"Good morning." she mumbled, stretching out her body listening to her joints popping. She climbed out of bed and lengthened her body revealing how little she was wearing. Eliot did a double take. He thought she was wearing the pajamas that were missing from the dresser but she wasn't. She was wearing a very demure cut of boy shorts and one of his tee shirts. How had he not noticed that? She was half naked and cuddled against him and he did nothing. She padded away to the bathroom and his followed suit elongating his body, getting all the tight spots out. Thinking about the way he had slept last night and how very little she was wearing right now, did *interesting* things to his body.