Parker's lungs were burning from inhaling the oxygen-thin air, the cold irritating her throat. Her nose was running and her eyes were teary. Her body was thrumming with frustration and a sadness that she had barely masked as anger. However, her jaw was set and her eyes were narrowed and determined.

Eliot, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. His eyes were hard but his breathing was even and his body controlled. She could sense his confusion at her out of character behaviour but Parker had no sense of what he was thinking on a deeper level, which infuriated her.

Parker was having a rare moment of emotional transparency. The cold body in the corner had unnerved her and she couldn't stop picturing the end. Imagining on a loop what it would be like to die in an ice cave, alone and helpless. The futility of his situation was fuelling a muted hysteria and she was fighting the panic that was unfurling in her stomach.

Parker thrived and flourished on independence and control. She always had a plan and an exit. Her greatest fear was being at the mercy of the situation. She wanted to get Alan back to his wife. Take control of the situation for her sake and for Alan's.

Parker tensed her arms and prepared to pull herself up the rope. Any other day and this would have been cake but Parker could feel a fine trembling in her muscles. She ignored Eliot's scrutinising stare. Despite the fact he had yielded instantly when Parker had told him they were returning with Alan, she knew he thought it was a bad idea. His eyes were sharp with anger. She took a deep breath to centre herself and started to climb.

Parker barely made it a few feet when the rope snapped. As she hit the ground hard the impact drove the air from her body, jarring her shoulder. Worse, she felt something inside her break.

Eliot started forward. "Parker! Are you alright?" He tried to help her up but Parker shook off his help.

"I got it. I got it," she mumbled.

"The rope snapped," Eliot said, examining the end. "We're going to be short." He flicked his eyes back up to meet Parkers.

There was a pause and he let those words sink in. Parker determinedly avoided his gaze.

"I gotta take the rigging off him, we need rope," he said and took a step towards the body. Towards Alan.

Parker lunged after him. "No!" Her voice was forceful but wavered a little. Her palm caught him in the shoulder.

"Parker!" Eliot growled.

"No!" Parker jabbed a finger at him.

"It's done," Eliot snapped.

"NO!" Parker shouted. Parker felt anger flood her system.

"This is what we're supposed to do! We're supposed to get him back to his wife! Nate would do it, Sophie would do it, Hardison would do it!" At Hardison's name, Parkers voice caught. "They would do the right thing. I want to do the right thing." Parker was crying now, hot tears of desperation.

Eliot endured her rage with a serious face and sympathetic eyes. Parker angrily snatched the rope up from the ground and began to wind it around her arm. She didn't want to have to look at either of the other faces in the cave with her.

She glared hotly at the ice walls and felt the disappointment boil inside her until she couldn't maintain it any more. Her shoulders slumped and the rope fell limply out of her hand.

Eliot was still watching her patiently. He hadn't made anymore attempts to unravel the ropes from Alan's body.

Parker turned to him and met his gaze duly. Wordlessly she nodded.

Eliot moved into action with a swiftness that indicated how aware of the passing time he was. That he had let Parker's anger run its course awoke a little gratitude in Parker. The first positive emotion since they had entered the cave.

Eliot gently removed the ropes and settled Alan back against the wall in his initial position. Parker crouched nearby, acting like an honour guard.

Parker couldn't take her eyes off Alan. She was being overwhelmed by the sense of defeat.

"Hey," Eliot said softly.

Parker swung her torch so it spotlighted Eliot's face. He didn't even flinch from the direct light. His stare was even.

"It was a good thing it was us," Eliot said.

Parker looked down with a small sad smile. "Because we'd leave him." It sounded hollow.

Eliot scratched his chin while he thought of the right words. "Because they would have kept trying and they would have frozen to death right next time him. Especially Hardison. So it was a good thing it was us."

Eliot continued, "The two of us, we do things they can't. Won't."

Parker met his steady stare. "Does that make us bad?" There was a vulnerability to her voice as she asked.

"It makes us... us. Now you can take it as a gift or a curse. And that's up to you." Eliot flashed the torch across her face to illustrate his point.

Parker smiled gently. His words resonated and his empathy touched her. She didn't have much understanding of normal and hadn't been raised with a moral code. It made her able to do what was necessary to survive. And she could do it this time, even if it did feel like a knife wound to the heart. In that moment she was truly grateful it had been the pair of them. Eliot wouldn't judge her for putting her own life first.

Eliot stood and reached a hand down to help Parker up. She rubbed her eyes fiercely before accepting his hand. Eliot pulled Parker up with one swift motion that propelled her upward and into his personal space.

His other hand came to Parkers shoulder, steadying her. Her hand fisted in his jacket.

Parker let out an embarrassed laugh and looked up to meet Eliot's eyes. The laughter died on her lips. Parker was only a tiny bit shorter than Eliot and in this position they were toe to toe, almost nose to nose. His sharp blue eyes were intense.

In a completely uncharacteristic moment, Parker craved some human contact, something to remind her she was not alone. The emotion of the situation overwhelmed her better judgement and she leaned forward and brushed her lips over Eliot's.

Parker pulled back, watching his reaction. Eliot's eyes widened but he didn't move away. Parker pressed her lips more completely against Eliot's. She still held Eliot's hand from before and felt it tighten around her fingers.

Eliot made a noise low in his throat, dropped her hand and brought his free one up behind her head. Parker could feel Eliot take control of the kiss at that point. He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her hard against his body.

Parker's cheeks were flushed and she could feel Eliot's heat even through all their layers of clothes. Eliot was still holding back in an obvious attempt to not spook her. Parker deepened the kiss with eagerness.

Parker eyes snapped open, her heart hammering. Parker was lying in her bed and she had kicked off all the covers while she had slept but her face was red and dewy with sweat. She tried to steady her breathing, still experiencing the emotions from her dream. Parker's body was tense and tingling.

With a groan she flung herself back on the bed. This wasn't the first time she had dreams about past jobs but never like this. Parker covered her face with her hands and tried to erase the images from her brain.

It did no good. Every time she shut her eyes she could see the piercing blue of Eliot's. She could practically feel the ghost of Eliot's hands on her body, at the back of her neck. She only felt rushes like that when she jumped of buildings.

What was her subconscious doing to her? Eliot was her friend! She blushed anew when she thought about tomorrow. How was she going to look him in the eye at the meeting?

"Oh crap!"

AN: Don't worry all, this isn't an 'and it was all a dream' story – it is going to be a chaptered story. I'm sure most people have experienced that kind of dream about someone unexpected before.

I thought I should explain the reasons I ship Eliot and Parker as a couple and decided to write about them as we shippers don't always explain ourselves beyond *squee – CK hotness* which is a completely valid stance.

First off, I don't buy the whole Eliot and Parker sibling thing. I know that the Leverage show has a family dynamic but even the creators have said that Eliot breaks the mould of child/sibling. Besides Parker and Eliot are way too touchy feely for siblings. Especially since neither of them are extroverted, touchy types. In the episode I used as my beginning Eliot slaps her on the butt to get her moving. I find that a little weird for a 'sibling.' PS: Christian K, if you're gonna express an abhorrence at this pairing, keep your mitts to yourself. You're teasing us!

Secondly, I like Hardison and Parker but I don't love it. It's just too nice. Don't get me wrong, the characters are great, there are some genuine moments of Hardison hotness too (age of the geek indeed) and it's the kind of understanding relationship that's great in reality - I just don't wanna watch it. I want to see two characters that antagonise each other, that are dragged kicking and screaming into a passion that they just can't fight any more. Parker and Eliot have that fantastic chemistry where in one sense they are polar opposites but on the other hand they have shared experiences and attitudes that no one else on the team has.

Now that this AN has threatened to become as long as the story I will cease. Most of the story has been written and will be tweaked as I upload it. Please review.

MD666