A/N: Thank you so much for all the fantastic support on this fic! :-)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 4
"And that's when he slugged the other guy and kicked his ass right out of McRory's" Parker told Sophie all about her pseudo-date with Eliot the night before.
They were sat across a little table outside a cafe downtown, enjoying coffee and pastries. It was strange for them to be spending time together anywhere but at Nate's apartment, but Sophie had pointed out that girl talk was always done this way, with delicious treats and all. Besides, they couldn't have this kind of conversation where they might be overheard by the man they were discussing, or by the others. Nate didn't approve of what Sophie was doing in the first place and given Hardison's possible feelings for Parker, he really didn't need to hear either.
"Ooh, that's good" the grifter smiled, popping another piece of apple Danish into her mouth, "That's jealousy" she grinned, giddy as a school girl about the whole thing.
"Jealousy?" her friend echoed, as she contemplated the odd frothy coffee Sophie had treated her to, "How does that work?" she checked, putting the cup to her lips and daring to take a sip of what turned out to be a delicious beverage.
Honestly, Sophie wasn't sure what it was that Parker wasn't understanding but she did her best to explain in such a way as to cover all bases.
"Well, when the drunk man in the bar showed an interest in you, Eliot felt the need to beat him up" she told her, "He didn't want the other guy to like you, which makes it seem as if he likes you himself" she explained, "You did say he called you his girlfriend?"
"Yeah, he did" Parker couldn't help but grin at that, her expression shifting almost immediately to sad and confused as she went on, "but he didn't look much like he meant it after, and then he drove me home and he was like... Eliot. Y'know, normal and kinda grouchy" she shrugged.
"Hmm, tough nut to crack" said Sophie thoughtfully, not even listening as Parker began describing all the ways she knew to crack open a nut, everything from sledgehammers to monkey wrenches being useful for such a thing apparently!
Eliot Spencer was very good at what he did, being tough on the outside, but Sophie knew that he had to be equally as strong on the inside in order to keep himself in check. He didn't let people in easily, in fact it had taken this long to have him accept that the five of them together cared enough to be some kind of family.
He said nothing about any romantic life or sexual encounters, though Sophie knew he had to be using that Southern boy drawl and charming manner for something other than helping out on cons. Women loved a tough guy with smooth moves, which meant Parker could have competition, though Sophie couldn't imagine for a moment that Eliot had anything serious going on with any other girl...
"Parker!" she stopped the incessant rambling of her thief friend with a sharp call of her name, "Sweetie, please, that's not helping" she advised, putting her hand on hers on the table and patting it, "We need to focus here, and the focus has to be getting Eliot to realise just how much you mean to him"
"So, you do think he likes me?" asked Parker, a strangely warm and fuzzy feeling tickling her insides at the very thought.
She didn't really do girly and she certainly didn't do shy, but lately where Eliot was concerned, she was feeling she might just be both, deep down inside. Somewhere inside her was a want to be a girlfriend, to be wanted and loved and all. Getting by on her own was fine, and she could do it, but she didn't really want to anymore. She cared for this little family that surrounded her, and yet she never could assign Hardison and Eliot to brother status quite as easily as she could make Nate and Sophie her newest foster parents. Now she was understanding why. Guys were complicated, and so were the feelings they could give you sometimes.
"Parker, I can't promise that Eliot likes you, at least not that way" said Sophie, mindful of giving the poor girl false hope on this, her first foray into any kind of serious romantic relationship, "What I do know is the signs are good, and if we play this right, it could end well" she smiled, clapping her hands like an over-excited kid then, "Oh, I feel like Emma Woodhouse!" she enthused, a confused frown settling on Parker's features at those words.
"Is she one of your aliases?" she asked curiously, "Or someone we're gonna steal from?" she added, eyes bright with excitement.
Sophie opened her mouth to explain and then realised there really wasn't much point. She ended up just shaking her head no in answer to both questions before turning the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Okay, what we need to do is make that green-eyed monster rear its head again" she said, immediately regretting the use of any kind of metaphor with Parker, "We need to make Eliot jealous again" she clarified, though the puzzled look on her friends face was still ever present even then.
"How do we do that?" she wanted to know, as oblivious as ever she had been, but then this was much more Sophie's world than Parker's own.
"We don't. You do" she told her, reaching out to let down the blonde's hair and arrange it around her shoulders, "Just... when you're around other men, be friendly, be flirtatious" she smiled, "Pretend you like them a little more than you do" she prompted, waiting for the confusion to fade from her friend's face.
"Other men?" she checked with a quirk of her head, "So, not Eliot?"
"Everyone but Eliot" Sophie confirmed with a nod, "With him you act aloof, indifferent, a little cold even. I promise you, it'll drive him crazy!" she giggled girlishly, enjoying herself altogether too much apparently, "The good kind of crazy" she was forced to stop and clarify herself then, as Parker looked a little alarmed, "the kind where he realises how much he likes you"
"Oh, right" Parker nodded her understanding at last, contemplating her coffee again, "Wouldn't it be faster if I just kissed him again? 'Cause that was really good" she smiled almost dreamily at the memory, "I'll bet he's great at sex..."
"One step at a time, Parker" Sophie cut in fast, patting the younger woman on the shoulder, "Just, one step at a time"
It was late in the day when the team were called over to Nate's apartment for the de-briefing that had gone awry the night before. There were loose ends to be tied up on the last job and such, and so here they all were again sat around the vid screen being talked at by their leader.
Parker was headed back into the discussion from the kitchen with a bowl of dry cereal to munch on. She checked out the seating arrangement and wasn't sure what to do, noting that Hardison and Sophie had taken up the armchairs leaving the only available space beside Eliot on the couch. She looked to the grifter for help, the two women communicating through strained expressions, until finally Nate noticed.
"Do I even want to know what you ladies are doing?" he asked, looking from Sophie to Parker and back.
"I can't think what you're talking about, Nate" the brunette shrugged her shoulders and shook her head simultaneously, as she looked from him to the thief, "Parker, sweetie, why don't you just sit down there on the couch and we can get on with this riveting meeting?" she said, with a glance of sarcasm towards Nate.
He overdid an almost-bow of graciousness to her for being so 'kind' and then continued with what he was saying. Parker sat herself down at the far end of the couch, putting her bowl on the arm and leaning in a distinctly opposite direction from Eliot. The hitter noticed, though he didn't react to it, after all this was Parker and she did some pretty wacky things so he just didn't worry about it. Sure, she was giving him all the attention before and now it looked as if she'd switched allegiance to Hardison. It didn't make much sense, but it was fine by him, he didn't want her to want him in any way at all, of course not.
Hardison noticed Parker's odd behaviour too, it was hard not to, and he certainly planned on asking what was up with her. He wondered if maybe she and Eliot had a fight, it certainly could've happened, after all, he was always calling her crazy or saying there was something wrong with her. Chances were good he didn't really mean anything by it, but right now Hardison was pretty sure there was some feelings developing between those two and if that was the case, there was something there to get hurt by harsh words these days.
"So, moving into the new job" Nate was saying when the hacker suddenly re-tuned in to the little speech they were getting, "Right now, it's not exactly clear if this client is legitimate. Sophie and I will go feel her out, and we'll call the rest of you when we know more" he explained, "For now, you're free to go" he said with a gesture of his hand, before walking out of the room as he so often did at the end of a speech like this.
"I came all the way over here for that?" Eliot grumbled, "Coulda done this on the phone" he complained as he got up from the couch sharply.
"Man, I got places I could be too" said Hardison getting to his feet in the next moment, "Before we get another job, I gotta get some me some supplies, get my baby here fixed up" he said, tapping on the outer case of the laptop that he loved so much.
"You're going now?" said Parker, scrambling to her feet with much less of her usual cat-like grace, "Where?" she wanted to know as she practically chased Hardison across the apartment.
"To the electronics store" he said slowly, as if she were a small child with learning difficulties, "Why?" he checked as he pushed his computer into the carry bag, glancing at Eliot and Sophie who looked as bemused as he was right now.
"Can I come?" asked Parker with a kind of urgency that made so sense, "I'm very interested in what you do" she added with an over the top nod that had Sophie physically wincing.
"You serious?" asked Hardison, clearly confused by the blonde's sudden interest in his hacking, after all, she'd made it clear she neither got nor cared for his work or for his romantic advances, so this just made no sense whatsoever.
"Parker, honey" said Sophie, as she came up behind the younger woman and laid a careful hand on her shoulder, "Maybe you should let Hardison go do what he needs to do... alone"
"But he's a guy" Parker over-stressed as she turned to looked at her friend, tipping her head not so subtly towards a baffled Eliot as he gathered his things, "and I wanna go!"
"I ain't got no problem with it, Sophie" Hardison assured the grifter, waving away her concern, "It's cool" he shrugged as he swung his bag up over his shoulder and encouraged Parker to follow him out - she did so with an over-sized grin on her face.
"It might not be so cool when you realise..." said Sophie more to herself than anyone else, almost forgetting she wasn't alone.
"When he realises what?" asked Eliot, just a little curious about what the hell was going on here, though he tried not to show too much interest.
Sophie looked from the door to the hitter as he pulled on his jacket ready to leave. A thought occurred to her and she carefully chose her next words.
"He likes Parker, you know?" she said, folding her arms across her chest as she stared his way, "But I'm not so sure she feels the same"
"Hardison's not dumb" Eliot shook his head definitely, before smirking a little, "even if I do like to tell him he is. He knows what he's doin'" he shrugged, sparing Sophie a kind of a wave as he added 'See ya later' and headed out of the door.
"What have I done?" Sophie asked herself as she put both hands to her forehead, practically pulling her own hair out as her fingers ran back through her brunette locks.
"Well, I don't think you're helping" said Nate from his place leant in the doorway to the next room, making the grifter feel all the worse as she removed her hands and looked across at him.
"Thanks a lot" she huffed, reaching for her coat that was flung in the armchair, they had places to be and people to meet after all; the con still mattered.
"They're not kids, Soph" said Nate, apparently taking pity on her, if only just a little, "They'll be fine" he promised, as he put an arm loosely around her shoulders and walked her to the front door.
"I hope so" sighed Sophie, not entirely convinced, truth be told, "I really do"
To Be Continued...