A/N - Whoo-Ray!

Hi Gang! I have RETURNED! Time to rejoice!

I got my baby back and I'm ready to ROCK! I hope you are!

Today on this FABULOUS FUNDS FRIDAY I have a NEW CHAPTER! (And the crowd goes WILD!)

A/N - I hope you all have a great weekend and be ready to have your socks blown off next week where an all new set of updates will be coming to a computer near you!

And remember I said good things come to those who wait... You've all earned it... Even those lurkers out there...

Thanks for your reviews from the last update, and being so PATIENT!

Ps. Don't forget to REVIEW! Parker needs reviews so she gets a pack of M&M's from Costco.


Parker took a little longer than she should have getting back to Eliot. She took longer routes to get back to the hallway that lead to their room. She walked with her hands folded together behind her back. Then she was at their door… Doubts that the thief should enter the room still plagued her a bit. What if Eliot wasn't ready to see her? What if he was still upset? What if he was upset at her for running away? She wondered if it was too late to take up Sophie's offer to sleep over at the couple's room… Or maybe she could sleep in the ducts above her room? No, no, she, in so many words told Sophie she needed to make up with the hitter. While she stood there contemplating her options, Sean from the front desk had arrived to deliver the stone back to Eliot. Of course, there was someone holding down the fort until Sean returned.

"What do you want?" Parker asked before the man could knock on the door.

"I came to return an item to its owner."

"I'll take it."

Then Sean from the front desk handed her something small and once it fell into her palm, she knew exactly what it was. She held on tightly to it in her hand.

"I'll see that he gets it."

'If I ever trust him with it again…' Parker thought.

She tucked it into her pocket and fished out her card key out of her purse. She opened the door and right away she saw the sliding glass door open; Eliot in his wheelchair with his back to her as he stared out into the night; the inner room so still. She could see that he had been drinking. Parker heard Sophie's voice as she recalled that people grieve differently than her way. She locked the door and went to the sofa that became her bed later. She sat down and pulled Bunny into her lap; Eliot would come inside when he was ready to talk, so she would quietly wait. Idly, her hand stroked Bunny's aged plush fur…


Eliot heard voices in the hall but he ignored them. He was in the midst of his pity party. He'd been thinking about Parker since before Hardison had called to say she was on the roof with Sophie. He let out the breath he wasn't aware he'd held while he was on the phone. Eliot realized that he wouldn't ever forgive himself if something had happened to Parker, especially because of the way she'd left. She was safe and with Sophie. Yeah, the grifter would help her sort things out and see reason. He needed to see some reason himself. He almost halfway expected Nate to call and offer some, 'fatherly advice.' But it didn't come so he decided to pretend he could hear Nate in his head… Interestingly enough, it wasn't really Nate's voice he heard; it was a warped version of his own. His own inner voice reminded him that, sure, Parker wasn't normal, but there were reasons why she wasn't alright.

The voice reminded him that she had abandonment issues. And what had he done? He'd yelled at her because he wanted to be left alone for a while so he could think some things through. He didn't want to hear her whining; he just wanted to acquiesce to his request out of friendship. What she probably heard was, 'I want you to leave me alone and go away. I didn't want any of this mess; I wanted to go home. You brought this on me, I hate you, and I don't need you.' Fuck! And the worst thing about it all was that he was very likely right after the way she left. Dammit! She'd backed him into a corner he hadn't been ready to deal his way out of. He had been stressed, didn't she see that? Why didn't she see that he was stressed and wasn't prepared to handle more stress of her games? Why did she have to turn into a little kid and whine to get her way?

And then it hit him… Because she didn't get to have a normal childhood… She never really got to grow up… Sure, Parker got older, but the little girl deep down inside her got buried. He was sure Parker had to bury the little girl inside her to be able to go into survival mode. Wasn't that what he had done when he'd left his mama and gone into the service? And they broke him down and he'd had to bury that innocent young boy running away from his troubles to turn into a survivor and a killer. Kill or be killed, there was no let it be… Only live or let himself die. Parker didn't have the option of whining to get what she wanted back then, because the foster homes she'd been placed in would have still ignored her anyway. She was the outsider.

'The unwanted outsider,' Eliot thought grimly.

She was the shadow that was present but no one chose to acknowledge. And he'd just made her feel that way all over again. But the more he thought about it, was it really his fault? She'd read too much into what he'd said and then reacted badly… No, it seemed like they were both at fault. Parker because she might not really have known better with how to respond, and him for knowing better but not being more patient in explaining things to her so that she could understand. But dammit he'd been tired… His patience had been worn thin because of Sophie's little stunt about him being her sex slave and it had been a more emotional day than he'd thought. And handling Parker was a full time job. Making sure she was safe and protected was a full time job. Eliot guessed that now he was going to have to protect her from himself when he was so emotionally unstable. No, he hadn't thought a bit about what his father had put in that letter since Parker's escape.


Now, he'd heard the door open and close softly. Funny, he'd have expected it to slam shut, knowing her propensity to do things to piss him off and all. He heard her move into the room and flop down on the sofa. One of the springs on the left was loose because it hit the metal frame when she sat down, his trained hearing picked up. He wouldn't call his hearing super human but it was highly trained hearing. Hardison, in his Ass Geek Mode, had once accused him of being a mutant because his hearing could pick up when he dropped $0.35 cents on the floor without looking. That he was right up there with the hairy one with metal claws. Oh sure, up there with the Wolverine? If he were real maybe he could aspire to that goal… But that kind of mutant was just a comic book character. He'd told him, 'Whatever floats your boat, Hardison… On second thought, I don't wanna be something that floats 'your' boat.'

Eliot didn't dare tell him he had every X-Men and Wolverine comic book among others locked up in storage or Hardison would have Parker steal them all. That would be one of those unforgivable sins, he decided as he sat in his wheelchair. It didn't really matter that he'd had a crush on Rogue as a young boy because she was from the south, but the hacker didn't need to know that either. The more he'd thought about it; maybe he had aspired to become more like the Wolverine than he thought, you know, with all that stuff rolling around in his subconscious… Something was bound to happen. Both of them had a gift with women and had endurance beyond compare in the sheets as well. Both were fighters, intense warriors, and fierce protectors. Both had terrible things done to them, they both were a part of a team, and both were survivors. Heh, heh, heh, maybe he was a mutant…

Parker didn't even turn on the television set… Then Eliot realized that she must be waiting for him. Waiting for him to come in and make up as friends might. He wasn't ready yet. His last small bottle of whiskey was almost gone and he hadn't formed a plan as how to handle her now. In one hand he held the small bottle of whiskey open; the arm she could see, and in the other he held the box of rings his father wanted him to have. His thumb rubbed from side to side over the fake black velvet covered box; this, she couldn't see. The thought popped into his mind that he'd have to somehow hide the valuable items from Parkers nimble sticky fingers. If she stole them, it would be another one of those unpardonable sins because they held so much sentimental value to him. If he discovered them missing, it would break his heart and he'd have to go after the culprit who stole them with a vengeance like they'd never seen before.

Then he noted that the wind had picked up and low clouds were starting to fill the sky. He could see they were low because they began to reflect the streetlights and brighten the night sky until the stars were no longer visible. There was a storm brewing… He didn't know if it was just a reflection of how his emotions hung in the air as they prepared to fall all over the ground. Eliot wasn't prepared to turn and look at her yet. He worried that the look on her face might break him as well; he didn't want to see sad tears coming from her eyes. She was patiently waiting… So he finished the rest of the small bottle and put the box under his thigh where she couldn't see it. Then he tossed the small bottle into the small trashcan next to the wheelchair. Eliot maneuvered himself to come back inside…


"So, what was that all about?" Nate asked Sophie as she came back into their suite.

"Best I can guess darling, is that Eliot told her he needed some space to grieve and it came out all wrong. Parker heard things through her filter that he was telling her to get lost. I think I helped her see his point of view a little more clearly now. I really hope they see one another's points of view a bit clearer tonight."

"Who knows with those two?"

"Now, what's for dinner, I'm starving…" Sophie spoke as she toed off her high heels and relaxed against the expensive furniture.


Parker watched as Eliot wheeled back into the room. He looked tired and he was starting to maybe look more haggard than maybe he knew of. His five o'clock shadow was already growing into a fuller goatee and beard. He hadn't shaved in a while… Out of the blue, his stomach growled. He seemed to ignore it.

"Sounds like it's time to feed the beast…" Parker tried to make him smile.

She got a smirk she'd accept, "Be right back, gotta take a leak."

"Want me to order something? I haven't eaten either…"

"You pick, I'll eat it."

"'Kay…"

He sounded so defeated. This, this was her fault she decided. She didn't take into account his father's loss or whatever he'd retrieved on their road trip. She found the folder with all the hotel information and called down to order dinner. She paid for it by the $100 dollar bill she stole from a business man's wallet. They'd ridden on the elevator together and she'd seduced him to get his wallet. The cameras in the elevators never saw a thing. She hid the wallet in her purse. Maybe she'd mail it back to him with a note that he'd dropped it in the elevator when they got back to Portland, Oregon… Maybe…


Eliot had rolled into the bedroom and closed the door. He put the rings box into the paper bag and stuffed it under the mattress toward the head. It lay out so flat; she wouldn't notice that there was anything wrong with the mattress. Then he wheeled in and very carefully took care of business, all on his own. When he came back, Parker was inhaling the biggest cheeseburger he'd ever seen. It was big enough for 6 people to eat. Then there was a Styrofoam box of thick cut fries.

"What the hell is that?"

"Dinner… Ain't it awesome? It's called a Mega Burger. Here's a knife if you wanna cut off a section."

She handed him the butt of the steak knife as she held onto the tip. Poor him, there was so much food, he didn't know where to start cutting.

"I got you a large decaf coffee since you were drinking'. I didn't think alcohol and a milkshake would go down too easy. And the coffee won't keep you awake."

It was interesting to him the way they were getting along so companionably, like nothing had happened earlier that day. Were they both trying to avoid the inevitable conversation they needed to have? He supposed they were eating to gain strength to say the things they needed to say. Who wants to talk on an empty stomach anyway?

"Thanks."

She helped him out by cutting him a big hunk of the Mega Burger and put it on a plate with some thick cut fries. He helped himself to some of the ketchup packets from the bag dinner came in. He took his plate and dove in. He didn't know where she put it… Parker had eaten slightly more than half of that monster of a burger. He decided he might copy the burger and change the recipe slightly to add it to the menu at the Bridgeport. It would be a great addition for parties that came in for game nights, bachelor or bachelorette parties, and any kind of party really. When they finished she took care of cleaning up and she took up her seat on the sofa. She tucked her feet under her as she waited for him to take the first step…