A/N: Look at all those lovely reviews! You peops are just awesome - I love that you love my fic so much... to think I never really believed it was going to work or be at all popular. Thanx to you all! :-)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 8
"Sophie, could you please stop wandering up and down like that?" asked Nate as he looked up and found her still pacing in front of the vid-screen, "You're making me dizzy"
"I'm sorry" she sighed as she stopped, taking a seat at the table, "I just think maybe we shouldn't have agreed to let Eliot and Parker go solo this afternoon" she considered, "I mean you know how she panics when she's on the grift..."
"That only happens when she's alone" the mastermind reminded her, "Anytime she has someone to lean on, she does okay"
"That is true" Hardison agreed with a nod, "She has one of us close by, the girl got mad skillz, and Eliot is right there for her" he told his friend and colleague, as he continued tapping away at his laptop keys.
There was still work to be done on the staff files he'd managed to download from the Twin Souls computer systems. First of all, Hardison had checked for any more couples that might be employed to make the place look good or whatever it was this fake Bethan and Roger were up to. That had been a bust and so the next job was digging round for any real kind of qualifications on the so-called doctors at the place, or maybe some other dirt they might use against Twin Souls.
"I think tomorrow we need to start looking at our undercover couple doing a little more nosing around" said Nate thoughtfully, "According to this schedule they were given, they have a little free time today between their 'therapy' with Dr Matthius and dinner, but tomorrow morning looks like a better bet..." he said, sliding the paperwork across the table to Sophie.
She read what he gave her and then nodded that she agreed with his assessment of the situation, but was far for smiling yet.
"Sounds great... but it doesn't help my nerves right now, Nate" she told him, looking up at the vid screen one more time.
There were no cameras in the therapy rooms, presumably deliberately since a) such things were supposed to be extremely private and b) there would be no need for security in internal rooms that held nothing of value. This meant that the rest of the team had to wait impatiently until Eliot and Parker excited the room into the adjacent hallway to even know where they were.
"The doctor is a woman" Nate reminded Sophie, "That counts out Parker feeling the need to attack, since it's usually only men that bring that out in her" he pointed out, "Plus Eliot is hardly likely to lash out at a woman, which is a good thing since he's going to have to talk about his feelings. We all know how much us men just love that" he added with sarcasm evident.
"Amen to that, bro" Hardison shuddered, even as he continued to hammer away at the keys on his computer keyboard.
"How are we doing with the digging on qualifications?" asked Sophie then, coming to peer over the hacker's shoulder for something else to do other than pace and annoy Nate.
"So far? Nothing and less than nothing" he admitted with a shake of his head, "Could be they've both had name changes but I doubt it, that's what I'm lookin' for right now" he explained, "but that ain't easy with you all... there" he said with a wave of his hand at her face which was stuck right over his shoulder in the most distracting way.
Straight away, Sophie sighed and returned to her most annoying pacing, and Nate got up from the table himself then, to go and get a drink. He was going to need one if today was going to continue in this vein!
"Okay, so let's take these positive things we've found and focus on them for a moment" said Dr Laura Matthius as she encouraged Eliot and Parker to continue facing each other, "Alice, you said Paul is your safety net. Does it worry you that he might not be there to catch you one day?" she asked her.
"No" came Parker's immediate answer, surprising herself as much as Eliot apparently, though an encouraging nod from Laura made her keep talking, "I mean... I just trust that he's going to be there. Like Miami" she said with a smile as her eyes met her 'husband's own.
The fact he returned the look gave Laura even more hope for the pair's future, and she honestly wondered how they'd ever ended up in a retreat for troubled couples when they seemed to be so in love. Of course, this place was away from the daily trials and tribulations of real life that so often caused arguments and problems in relationships. She would have asked the significance of Miami in all this but did not feel the need, as 'Paul' spoke up next.
"She needs me, I'm there" he shrugged, like it was no big deal, glancing at the doctor then, "It's what I do"
"That's excellent" Laura smiled just the same as she made further notes on her paperwork, "And what is it that Alice does for you, Paul?" she asked curiously.
Parker seemed as interested as the doctor to know what Eliot might say in response to such a question, and honestly he was wondering himself until suddenly the words came tumbling out of his mouth.
"She drives me crazy" he chuckled, "but y'know that's cool, 'cause it means life is never boring with her around"
It would have been so easy, they both realised, to forget why they were here right now. Both Eliot and Parker had committed to their characters, or so they told themselves, and that was the only reason they were sat here now smiling like idiots as they threw compliments and niceties at each other. There was no other reason for them to act this way. It wasn't as if they actually liked each other beyond some kind of friend/work colleague vibe they had going on. Denial was not just a river in Egypt apparently.
"Okay" said the doctor at length as she completed another section of notes on her paper, "Well, I think we've made some excellent progress here today" she smiled widely as she got to her feet and encouraged the couple to do the same.
"That's it, we're done?" asked Parker, looking hopeful as she glanced towards the door through which she might escape.
"Yes, Alice, we're done, for now" Laura assured he with a light laugh, "You both did excellently, and now you have some free time to spend as you wish until dinner" she explained, reaching out to shake hands with Parker and then Eliot.
"Thanks, doc" he said politely before following his 'wife' out of the door.
It had been such a surreal experience for a while there, having to come up with things he liked about Parker, having to pretend to be in love with her enough to fool a semi-qualified therapist. He always thought Sophie was the greatest grifter, and yet right now Eliot wasn't so sure that Parker or even himself hadn't come close to the greatest lie of all time sat in that room together.
"So, what now?" the blonde thief asked him as they cleared the doors, making a point of waving into the nearest security cameras through which she was sure the rest of the team would be watching them.
"Cut it out" Eliot advised, pulling her arms down by her side, "You want people to notice us? We're supposed to be blending" he reminded her.
"See, mean and crotchety!" she repeated the words she had used to describe him in front of Dr Matthius eatlier, and immediately proceeded in winding Eliot up again, making him wonder how he had ever maintained a loved-up persona with her just moments before.
"Whatever!" he declared, "I'm hittin' the gym" he said, storming off before she could say another word.
"Fine!" Parker yelled behind him, before turning to go the other way... and finding a wall in her way.
Quickly changing direction, she walked along, not following signs or having a clue where she was going until she opened the next door that led outside and realised she was right by the pool. In the absence of diving off buildings (her favourite pass-time, especially when she wasn't feeling particularly happy) she could settle for jumping from the highest diving board and taking a swim.
Her mind made up, Parker hurried back through the corridors to her room, to grab her bathing suit and towel. She briefly considered putting her earbud back in and checking in with the team, but soon thought better of it. Eliot hadn't taken his to the gym ether, it seemed, and besides she was pretty sure she shouldn't get it wet in the pool.
Heading back the way she came, it wasn't long before Parker was striding out of the door in a black one-piece, tying her hair up in a ponytail as she surveyed the pool area. There weren't many people around, three couples actually swimming and another four or five people in loungers at the side. Nobody seemed willing to take a dive, but then Parker was always a little different to everybody else. She was at the base of the ladder in no time, taking the rungs two at a time just to get to the top faster. The higher she got, the wider Parker's smile grew, passing by a lower board on her way up. Suddenly, she was there, not a fraction of the height she was used to leaping from, but still high enough that the air felt fresher and the world felt that much more right.
When she stood on the top of the world, there was a freedom that Parker knew nowhere else. Looking down at tiny people in the distance never gave her cause to worry she might fall, because falling was half the fun. She trusted herself, her skills, her instincts to save her from getting hurt.
Parker stopped short of jumping off the board the first time, perhaps because of the thoughts that filled her head, thoughts of an hour before sat in a psychologists room, telling both her and Elliot that he was her safety net, he caught her when she fell. Of course, he caught her from the bad falls, the ones that might end in disaster otherwise. This kind of falling, this was familiar and good, this she wanted.
With no further thinking, Parker backed up on the board, and executed a perfect flip before she made her dive off the end. She tumbled end over end like a true professional, before eventually landing with a large but perfect splash into the water.
It was an exhilarating rush as she went down and then came up, breaking the surface into the fresh air again. This was what she loved, falling, spinning, floating, applauding... Okay, that last one didn't sit right in Parker's head and her wide smile soon faded to a frown as she moved around in the pool, treading water as she tried to figure out where the clapping was coming from. She half wondered if Eliot had come to find her and seen her dive, then found she was oddly disappointed when she ran a hand over her face to clear her vision of water and spotted Roger or Thomas or Brewster or whatever his name was.
"Oh, great" she said to herself as he beckoned her over and she swam the short distance to the side of the pool where he was sat grinning at her, "Hey, Roger" she greeted him.
"Alice, that was amazing" he enthused as she pulled herself up to sit on the side beside him, though very deliberately with a couple of clear feet between them - after all, he was kinda hairy and fat, "I guess dancing isn't your only talent"
"We all have our own skills" she shrugged, wondering how long she had to be friendly and stay here before she could get away, without seeming really rude.
"Does Paul not have the same swimming skills as you?" asked Roger conversationally, "I only ask because, well, I couldn't ever convince Bethan to get in a pool. She prefers a workout without the water so she hit the gym"
Parker wasn't sure if it was just coincidence that Roger was here and his wife was where Eliot had gone, but somehow she doubted it. A suspicious mind was a useful thing in a con, but it could also be wrong.
"That's where he is" she said, trying not to frown or show any emotion that would give her away, "Paul, I mean, at the gym" she clarified, "I think he was a little stressed out after our therapy session" she rolled her eyes.
Immediately she took her eyes of Roger, she wished she hadn't. She felt him move closer and resisted the urge to react, at least at first. When he spoke too close to her, she shuddered at the feel of his breath in her ear.
"Y'know, if you ever need someone else to talk to, when hubby hasn't got time to spare for you, I'm here" he told her, "I know what it's like, to feel abandoned..." he continued, his hand suddenly very much on Parker's bare thigh.
Like lightening, she reacted, using all her might and pushing Roger into the pool with an almighty splash. On her feet in a second, she bolted back into the building and headed straight for her room, still dressed in just her bathing suit and without showering or even stopping to pick up her towel or anything.
The door to hers and Eliot's room slammed behind her, as she leaned against it breathing hard. Parker honestly wasn't sure what just happened here, but she wasn't happy about it, and she was pretty sure she hadn't helped to make it better.
To Be Continued...