Author's Note: I'm gonna try and get out at least two or three chapters this month. My work schedule is really getting chaotic and the only perk is that I'm paying my bills. I have all my chapters written on notebooks that litter my car, so I just have to type them up and fix them before posting. Hopefully I have some free days coming up again. Once again I'm sorry about the waiting! Hope you enjoy the story and please drop a review, I love hearing from you.
Chapter Six
Parker scowled at the fortune cookie in her hand. 'Unclear situations will soon come into focus… Lucky Numbers: 7, 20, 24'
Sophie's eyes danced between the paper the younger woman was holding and her glaring face. Moving closer to the thief, she reached out to tap her knee. "Dear?"
The thief lifted her gaze and blanked her expression.
"Parker, are you and Hardison-." Before she could finish her whispered question, Eliot and Hardison were making their way back into the living room.
Parker looked at both men, before letting her eyes settle on Hardison. Catching the hurt and something else that made her suddenly very uncomfortable. "I need…" She didn't finish her sentence, but got up and left quickly out the apartment.
Sophie gaped at the sudden departure of the blonde and threw a glance at Nate.
Hardison frowned at the door, his face contorting to show his hurt and sadness at Parker's departure. "I'm gonna go… just look at things…" His voice was tight as he spoke and there was a strangled sound that came from his throat as he tried to finish his sentence.
Eliot's jaw tightened with annoyance at Parker. "Damnit." He muttered as he moved to the kitchen and cook one of Hardison's favorite dishes. 'Might as well try and cheer the kid up.'
Sophie moved away from Nate to follow the hitter, Nate's eyes followed her briefly, in an attempt to admire the view, but that was abruptly stopped with Hardison's sad sighing and depressing disposition pulled his attention.
.
Parker shuffled around her warehouse, her feet dragging on the concrete floor. "What am I going to do?"
"You could just talk to me?" Her mentor's voice sounded from the darkness to her left.
"Archie?" She breathed, a smile pulling on her lips as she turned to see the older man standing before her, cane in hand.
"What's wrong Parker?" He asked gently, as if talking to a skittish child.
She closed the distance between them and sighed deeply into coat. Letting the familiar smell of peppermint and cigars wash over and calm her nerves. "I need help." She muttered against his coat.
Archie kept his arms around the young blonde, but frowned at the far wall in his line of sight. "You?"
"It's…" She trailed off uncomfortably. "I don't think I'm…" She pulled back to look up at him. "I'm confused." She finally said.
Seconds ticked by before he said something. "Does this have to do with your team?"
"Family." She corrected without missing a beat. "My relationship with Hardison is getting a little…" She trailed off once more with a shrug as if he could interpret it.
He moved away to pace the floor. "Is that the surly looking one? I noticed beforehand that he always seemed to be making sure you were always alright and the like. Is he trying to-"
Parker scowled. "I'm not talking about Eliot. I'm talking about Hardison, the one that likes all the technology and gadgets."
Archie frowned. "Ahh, the man child."
"Yes, him." Parker nodded.
"Does he not understand you?"
"He understands me." She defended quickly. "He just wants me to have the same interests as he does and change myself."
"Parker…" Archie began in that tone of voice that always made her want to spill everything; good, bad, and great.
"I don't know what I'm doing. I asked Eliot for help, but he says I'm in denial about something and he can't help me until I can help myself first. Nate doesn't like to get himself tangled up in our personal messes unless it intervenes with a job. Sophie just want me to work things out with Hardison and not really listen to my feelings, but in her defense she's sick and I don't really wanna bug her. And Hardison," She sighed sadly. "I just don't think our relationship is working out. I don't like how he's trying to change me, but he won't listen."
Archie smiled softly at the young thief. "What do you want Parker?"
"I want everyone happy." She whispered. "I want my family happy and together."
He nodded. "Everything will work out Parker, just trust your instincts and don't second guess yourself."
"When you second guess, you make more mistakes." She quoted a statement he always fed her while teaching her the trade of thieving when she was younger.
"Exactly." Archie agreed.
.
Hardison shifted in his seat, he grinned at the hitter. "Ya' know, I'm glad that you didn't flip out on me."
Eliot looked at him. "Yeah." He mutter clearly annoyed.
"So…" Alec began slowly.
The hitter clearly ignored him and continued stirring the warming pasta sauce.
Alec ignored the fact that he was being ignored and played with the cap on the bottle of orange soda in front of him. "Do you think she'll be back tonight or should I go to her place?"
Eliot continued stirring and moved back to the counter to grab some pasta.
"She'll come back right, E?" Alec looked at the hitters back. "I really care about her. She's important to me-"
"Damnit Hardison." Eliot muttered when he finally turned around. "She's important to all of us, just like everyone is to each other. Now if you want to talk to her right now, go to her and clear up this shit. Don't wallow around me, I'm cooking."
"I'm-"
"Hardison." He warned gruffly.
Alec smiled. "Alight man, I get it." Standing up, he finished the last of the orange soda and left the empty bottle on the counter. "I'm gonna try and set this right."
"Mhmm." Eliot muttered with his back to the hacker.
.
Parker frowned at Archie when she heard a knocking on the warehouse door. "Who would come here?"
"Maybe one of your friends?" The mentor said gently as he moved to sit in the one chair Parker had.
Parker walked over to the door and pulled it open, her face botched in surprise. "Hardison."
"Parker-"
"What are you doing here?" Parker blurted out.
Hardison shifted slightly on his feet, suddenly nervous. "Can I come in and talk?"
Parker stood in the doorway, hesitant to move. "I have someone over."
"You-"
"Parker let the boy in." Archie's voice came from behind.
Hardison's face took on a look of relief. "Archie." He said with a nod at the man before glancing back at Parker who seemed to be fighting with herself. "Please Parker."
She moved back just enough to let him in before she closed the door behind him. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Us." He stated simply.
Parker frowned at him. "That's funny, you didn't seem to want to talk about us when I was trying to these last few weeks."
The hacker winced at the jab. "Look I know that I've been a little… hard to talk to…"
"A little? You completely reject anything I say and then try to tell me what you want is what I want." She interrupted.
Hardison glanced at the older man, clearly listening to their conversation. "Can we have some privacy?"
Archie moved to open his mouth, but Parker spoke for him. "Archie stays. If you wanted to have this conversation in private you should've listened the last dozen of times I tried to have it."
He frowned. "Parker I'm sorry!" His voiced raised slightly at the end.
"Just say what you want." She said calmly, hurt tinging her voice.
"I know I've been a pain lately, but I care so much for you and I just don't want anything to happen to you. So I try to make sure that you're always safe. And yes it interferes with your ethics, but wouldn't you do the same?"
She shook her head. "No, because that's who you are. I wouldn't try to change you into something you're not just for your safety."
"Parker, I'm not trying to change you, I'm just trying to make it so you don't have to do such dangerous things on the job."
"That's changing Hardison."
Archie coughed slightly trying to remind them they had a small one person audience.
Hardison sighed. "Alright I get what you're saying mama, but you have to look at it from where I'm coming from. There's no one to protect you if-"
What sounded like a muffled scream was pulled from her throat before she spun on her heel and started to pace around her bed. "You've got to be kidding me with this! There's always someone to protect me if I can't protect myself! Why is that always you're first thing to run to. Don't you get why Eliot and I are always training? Don't you see when Sophie is always on the sidelines when we do certain cons. Or when Nate makes sure I have you or Eliot close by?" She turned to look at him. "Why do you think Eliot's always there for all of us?" Her voice softened.
Eliot. Hardison's gut clenched. "He is, I know that but-"
"There's no but's Hardison. You're always talking about me and my protection on the job. What about you and me? What about our relationship?"
He swallowed slowly. "What about us?"
"I don't think this relationship is really working out for us." She said looking at him sadly.
Archie watched the conversation between the two. Watching the hurt and anger play on Parker's face as well as the love she had when she talked about her team. Hardison, with eyes glazed over with sadness and hurt. He moved softly to the darkened corner of the warehouse, more than willing to just disappear out of his prodigy's life once more, but stopped briefly at the nightstand and left a small diamond. A little parting gift for the young thief, before completely disappearing.
They didn't seem to notice the older man's leaving. Hardison stared at her with what could only be read as a desperate fear to run. "Ok, let's talk."
Parker's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. "Talk?"
"Yes, let's talk. Why do you feel like this isn't working?" He seemed to struggle with the words as he said them.
"Now you want to talk?" Her tone was incredulous.
He nodded, remembering what Eliot told him about listening. "Yes."
"Alright, talk." She snapped out, walking over to sit on the lone chair.
Hardison bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm what to know why you think this isn't working?"
She blanked her face, no emotion showed for him to interrupt. "How about you tell me how you think this is working." She retorted.
"Babe, I'm-"
"Stop the excuses! Tell how this is working and I'll tell you the truth about why this isn't."
He moved around to sit on the bed. "We work good together Parker. We're good for each other. We balance-"
"We all work 'good together', that's why we still work together." Her words were tired. "You seriously can't think of anything better than that."
He flinched. "I love you Parker."
She lowered her eyes. "I care about you too Hardison, that's why I've been trying to talk to you about our relationship because I don't want anything bad or weird to happen between us."
Hardison's jaw clinched. "I love you Parker." He stressed the love part.
She didn't raise her eyes. "I know."
"Don't you love me?" His voice broke slightly as he asked her.
Parker felt him move closer to her, felt his eyes drilling into the top of her head. "I care about you."
"I'm asking if you love me Parker." He crouched down in front of her, almost desperate for the eye contact. "Tell me the truth."
Parker tried her hardest to look away. "I care about you Hardison, you're one of my best friends."
He sensed the 'but', and kept silent, trying not to shake the words out of her.
"I honestly don't think I'm capable of loving someone, Hardison, but if I could I would want it to be you." She added when she saw him rock back to stand as fast as he could.
He couldn't stop the words that came rushing past his lips. "And Eliot?"
She started slightly, looking very confused. "Eliot?"
"Could you love him?"
Her confusion stayed in place. "What does our relationship have to do with him?"
His disappointment turned into sudden anger, his face getting darker. "You guys are always together. He's always there for you. You always go to him for advice. You guys share secret looks. There's-"
Parker frowned and stood up, her arms crossing over her middle. "Me and Eliot have always had an understanding! He understands me even when I don't understand myself. He's my friend! Eliot would never go behind your back, just like I never would!"
He instantly felt awful. "I'm sorry, I know he wouldn't. I'm just upset mama-"
She opened her mouth to correct him on his term of endearment, but shut it quickly when she saw his face. "Can we still be friends?"
Hardison's breath shuttered in his chest. "I don't want to end this Parker."
"Hardison…"
"Just give me until after the Comic Con." He pleaded reaching for her hands.
Parker felt herself being backed into a corner. "I don't…" She paused as she looked into his eyes. "Yeah, for you I will." She grinned at the happiness that spread across his face.
He picked her up and spun her. "Thank you babe."
She felt her smile become forced at his endearment, but patted his back. "Yeah." She whispered.
.
..
…
..
.
To Be Continued…