A/N: Hello there... Here's the next chapter for y'all... Thanks a lot for all the awesome reviews... And the response for my new prompts based series of ficlets is just fantastic... You can expect more E/P goodness soon... I am going to try and write fics for all the prompts I get... so wrack your brains and get them out there for me... The first prompt was from SharkGurl... It'll be online for you to read in just a coupla days I guess... meanwhile... here we are with some tense moments...

Chapter 04

"Parker talk to me... are you out yet?"

"Just a second... I almost have it. I just need ten seconds more to crack the safe. We've already gone through the trouble of getting here, I am just gonna get the stuff we came here to get and then scramble..."

Parker flinched when she heard Eliot yell his frustration at her thickheaded-ness and lack of concern for her own safety as she heard the locks open with a slight hiss and she quickly took everything that was in the small safe, storing it in strategic padded pockets sewn into her suit.

"Got it... leaving the offices... now."

This was followed a second later by

"Uh... guys... The lock has reengaged... I have to crack the electronic lock and the roof panels are too small to get to the ducts... even a kid wouldn't fit in them... This will take just a coupla seconds more I guess..."

Now Eliot could hear the fear and uncertainty leach into the blonde's voice. The hitter was almost jumping out of his skin in nervousness when he heard Nate and Sophie make it back to Lucille 2.0. Eliot was in the process of climbing out of the van as the mastermind and the grifter came into view.

"Parker stay where you are baby... I am coming for you. Do not... I repeat... Do not unlock the door. I want you to stay inside the office for as long as you can..."

"But... El-"

"He's right Parker... Stay inside the office. We have video on them, we'll keep you appraised of their progress, Eliot's coming to get you out of there... Just sit tight okay?"

Eliot had never been more thankful for the mastermind's quick understanding of the situation and the way the hitter was thinking right now. Had Eliot had more time, he would've noticed Sophie and Hardison giving him slightly pointed looks at his last comment calling her 'baby'... but as it was, he was too busy concentrating on listening to his thief's voice to take any notice of anything else.

"O...Okay Nate... I'll be here... Eliot..."

"I'm on my way sweetheart..."

The hitter's voice softened in such a way at the last word that it made the grifter turn sharply in his direction and give him an assessing look that might've made his hackles rise under normal circumstances.

"I know... come soon..."

There was a definite catch in her voice now. Eliot couldn't figure out why before he heard the background voices through the comms. The cams inside Lucille were showing that there was a group of security guys right outside the office where Parker was holed up and that they were discussing options right that moment.

Sophie knew for sure now that something was going on with their hitter and their thief and she was dying to know the details. But even she knew that now wasn't the time for going into those things. She was sincerely hoping that Eliot could get Parker out safely and they could all go back home so that she could find out more about what was going on between the two of them.

Eliot couldn't help but feel guilty. His brain knew that it wasn't his fault... but try telling that to his heart that was literally drowning in its own emotions right now. Parker should've never been in this situation. He should've been there right next to her... only, this time, he'd been too complacent, listening to the team's objections and agreeing to let their thief go alone into the building. Had he been there with her, maybe this situation wouldn't have happened at all. He knew he shouldn't be thinking all this right now, but the thought wouldn't escape his mind when he heard Parker's breath hitch as the number of voices outside the office increased in number.

Parker was supposed to be a shadow... She was supposed to get in, get what they wanted and get out without anyone even noticing. She'd almost never had to be in a situation where she'd gotten caught and had to fight her way out of it. Eliot could almost feel her apprehension at the thought of having to fight for her freedom and it was tearing him apart that they might've avoided this situation if only he'd paid a little more attention to the con.

Eliot was already on his way up the building opposite, planning to take the same route Parker had, it being the fastest way to get to her, and was updated by the hacker on the situation... it made him want to pound on the elevator buttons to make the godforsaken thing run faster. He'd just reached the roof of the building opposite... Preparing the harness that he always had under his shirt nowadays and thanking god that Parker had compelled him to learn base jumping and rappelling from her in the past months they'd been together, Eliot attached the zipline to his vest.

"Hardison, I know we didn't hack into their security system fully while Parker did her run because we didn't wanna raise any red flags... Can you bypass the motion detectors, vibration sensors and laser fields now?... I don't wanna have to deal with them now...I need to get to Parker as soon as I can and I don't want anything slowing me down."

"On it already my man... They'll all be out of your way by the time you step foot onto that building... Just do your thing Eliot and get our thief back... BTW... How are you gonna get to the other building man?... You got no gear and I know you... You haven't done this before..."

The only answer Hardison got was a grunt of effort as Eliot tightened the loop of rope around his hand and securely held the extra length in his other. The rest of the team heard the hitter take a deep breath before he put his whole weight onto the rope and slid himself from one rooftop to the other, crossing a yawning gap of about a hundred meters at a jaw dropping height of 40 floors off the ground.

"Dang... This guy is like Double O somethin'... He can do everythin man..."

"Hardison... Focus... How's things with Parker...?"

Even though Eliot had done stuff like this before, it had always been with Parker by his side... now that he was alone, he knew that he needed all his concentration to get it right. He'd have to time it just right so that he could land on the roof properly instead of crashing into it. But as fate would have it, just seconds before his feet landed on the rooftop of Carter Security's office building, Eliot and the rest of the team heard Parker scurry around the office, trying to find a good hiding place. That made him lose concentration for a split second only, but that was enough. Eliot almost crashed headlong into the gravel coated rooftop, the small stones impacting on his body like miniature projectiles.

The rest of them winced as they heard his crash inside the van, but they made no comment as they could also see that the team of security guys outside the office had gotten bored of just standing there and were getting ready to break into the office.

"Eliot... Man... you okay?..."

A second later, the mastermind, the grifter and the hacker heaved a silent sigh of relief as they heard the hitter check in

"Yeah... fine... Are all the systems bypassed Hardison?"

"Yeah man... Everythin's ready for you..."

Even though Eliot knew that Hardison was the best in his job, he was extra cautious and made sure to have multiple exit strategies worked out by the time he'd reached the stairwell. Both he and Parker always liked to memorize the blue prints and floor plans of the target buildings that they'd have to hit, just so that they'd have multiple exit strategies planned and prepped. Lately, they'd started discussing different plans and strategies and by now, Eliot knew of every plan that they could utilize and every exit that would be prepped and ready for their use.

But sadly, he also knew that that piece of knowledge wouldn't be of much use to him today, because he now knew, as he was sure Nate did too, that their client had conned them from the beginning, luring them into this trap. For what reasons he still wasn't sure, but Eliot knew that getting himself and Parker out of this building in one piece would be one heck of a job in itself.

A/N: Hope everyone liked this chapter... review and tell me what you guys thought... Next chapter is gonna be even more tense and action packed... Eliot is gonna come face to face with an old enemy... and that's not even the biggest problem!... So stay tuned for more action... :)

lotsa luv

MacyBear