A/N: Dedicated to Mooney, for some reason I thought you said your birthday was NEXT monday not LAST monday. Happy belated anyway!
He knew Sophie would say it was male posturing, Nate would believe himself above it, and he was pretty sure Hardison had wet dreams about it. There was just something about jealousy in a woman that made a man feel that much more powerful, or sure of himself. Especially when he was in a relationship with a difficult woman; or in Eliot's particular situation trying desperately to be in a relationship with a difficult woman.
Their arrival for dinner at Jimmy's house exactly on time and had spent a few minutes in the kitchen where Rachel complimented Eliot on the home-made pies he had put together for desert. That was when disaster stuck, apparently they had missed the memo about the dinner being a formal one because Danielle came sauntering into the room in a short red dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. From the look on her face Eliot could see that Rachel did not approve of her sister's attire but chose not to comment.
Since the kitchen the other woman had not left his side for a second and Parker had become increasingly more angry as time went on. "I can pull her out if you want to talk to Parker." Rachel whispered so her sister who was bending over directly in front of him to turn on the radio would not hear. Eliot took the opportunity to look at Parker who was red faced and seething from her seat on the couch where Danielle had forced her after taking the seat next to Eliot.
"I think that would be a good idea." He whispered back smiling gratefully. If he wanted to he could have listened in on the whispered conversation between the sisters but instead he focused on holding back the smug smile on his face. He had a pretty good idea that Parker felt the same way but for a man to admit what he had and receive no response was a bit jarring for the ego. She had even gone out of her way to avoid him all morning.
He had begun working on the supports for the floor that he would be putting in to the library and he didn't see hide or hair of her until he heard the piano music from the living room. He had only seen her actually play once in his life and the look of rapture on her face was breathtaking in its simplicity. The Parker he had known before he came across her playing in a hotel bar could not focus her entire energy on anything. Even when she was stealing there were countless things she had to keep track of that kept her brain busy as she worked. To see anyone so absorbed in anything to the exclusion of all else was an incredible thing, but for Parker it felt like a miracle.
He had learned that day that Parker saw and heard nothing when she played other than the notes before her so he had not worried about being silent when he approached. He took the opportunity presented to study the woman before him. Unlike Sophie and even Aimee she took little pride in her appearance. She almost always wore black and her favorite shoes came from Target not Saks, a good hair day was one she remembered to put a brush through it, only after Sophie had come along had she learned the finer points of a curling iron. He still remembered the odd leather hat she used to wear on jobs, he was glad they only saw it once and a while. Despite what the more cultured women would consider her lack of appreciation for clothing he thought Parker dressed just fine. Unlike Sophie though her clothing fit her well she could also move in it, the black he thought brought out her bright eyes and just made her smile, an incredibly rare thing all that more radiant.
He shook his head as the sisters left the room he needed to get himself back on track, he was getting caught up in his thoughts and Parker needed to be his priority.
"What's wrong?" he asked slowly getting up and approaching her. She was known to run when confronted with both an emotional and physical presence and the thought of her jumping out the window and taking off in the home of someone who was not familiar with their extra-curricular activities did not strike him as appealing. He was surprised yet again however when instead of running away she jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around him like a koala bear. She buried her face in his neck her warm breath cascading over his collarbone toward his neck. "Easy Parker what's wrong."
"I don't like her." Was the answer, slightly muffled by her face pressed up against the crook of his neck. "Stab her with a fork."
"No stabbing." He told her the old comment slipping off his tongue almost as a habit. "Why don't you like her?" he asked as he took her back to the love seat he had been sharing with Danielle and settling her across his lap instead of wrapped around him.
"You'll like her better." Parker replied not looking him in the eyes.
"Like her better then you?" Eliot asked incredulously. "Parker I don't like anyone better then you, except my mom but that's different." He answered honestly. She tilted her head up her eyes meeting his clearly looking for something as she stared into his eyes. For anyone else it would have been invisible, the way her body canted lightly toward him and she moved her head moving close enough that they were breathing the same air. After that tiny movement she paused clearly waiting for him to react, he found he didn't have it in him to pull back when she was making the choice and he began to lean forward as slowly as his self-control would allow. He was unwilling to force her into anything especially a kiss that would without fail complete his decent into Parker oblivion. He knew once he kissed her it would be the end, there would be no hope for another love, she was it.
"Hey guys!" Eliot jumped his near infallible senses unable to sense the arrival of Jimmy who had been at the store with his father when they had arrived. Eliot couldn't hold back the groan of frustration as Parker pulled back and greeted the small boy with a fist bump and a smile.
"Jimmy." Eliot put away his frustration and held out a hand for the young boy to shake which he did proudly. "And you must be his father." Eliot stood and faced the man lurking in the shadow of the kitchen entryway.
"David." He responded holding out a hand which Eliot took smiling as the man tried to test his strength. "I'm in real estate you?"
"I'm a recovery specialist." He answered. He liked that his job description unlike the others could be shared in conversation, recovery could mean anything and as long as he was vague if people asked he could get away with one less lie on his conscience.
"Sounds interesting." David replied releasing Eliot's hand with a friendly smile.
"Bit of travel but other than that it can be pretty boring." Eliot answered as Jimmy lead Parker up to his room. "You have a beautiful family." Eliot complimented the older man and instantly his respect grew at the smile that bloomed on David's face.
"I really do." he answered picking up two bouquets of flowers and his briefcase from a small side table on the way. "I bought these for Parker I hope that's alright." He told Eliot holding up one small bundle of flowers.
"It's a nice gesture." He was liking this guy more by the minute, he watched as he lifted a toddler out of the playpen in the corner of the room the small girl giggling as he tossed her up in the air. "This is Jane she's fourteen months." David handed him the small child who he instinctively cradled as he had his niece and nephew when they were born. The baby cooed happily and resumed attempting to eat her hand.
"Oh hi honey!" Rachel entered the room and greeted her husband with a light kiss before she turned to Eliot. "I see you met Jane, she seems to have taken to you quite well."
"I have nieces and nephews." He answered, "Babies are pretty easy once you get the hang of it it's when they get older you got to watch out."
"Too true Eliot, just too true." Danielle came up next to him under the pretense of stroking the baby's hair ignoring the infant's scrunched up face at the sound of her voice.
"And I have a GI Joe but I'm only allowed to play with him after I'm done my homework." Eliot heard Jimmy's voice echoing down the stairs. It was funny how the lack of footsteps other than the child's betrayed Parker's presence as well.
"I just have bunny he doesn't like guns." Parker responded as they appeared in the kitchen. She spared a glare for Danielle but didn't acknowledge the woman otherwise which Eliot considered a step in the right direction. It was then that their eyes locked and Eliot couldn't stop his breath from catching. Despite the fact that they hadn't kissed his body still reacted as though he had held her in his arms and kissed the stuffing out of her as he wanted. He held onto the baby a little tighter only the squirming infant stopping him from pulling her up into his arms and showing her with his body just how much she did affect him enough that Danielle's juvenile attempts at seduction were nothing more than a joke.
There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment before Rachel began guiding everyone to the dining room taking Jane from his arms and placing her in her high-chair with a handful of cheerios on the tray to keep her occupied. As the meal of pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn was revealed both Eliot and Parker dove in as though they had never eaten before. "I'll have to get your recipe." Eliot mentioned halfway through his roast beef, "I can't quite pick out what seasoning this is."
"It's a secret, I'll tell you but you have to guard it with your life." Rachel responded with a giggle.
"So you'll tell a complete stranger but not your devoted husband!" David's fake outrage prompted full out laughter from Rachel and a happy grin from Eliot. This was what he always imagined a happy childhood would have been like, minus the slutty aunt of course.
"So tell me Eliot where are you from I hear a bit of the country in your tone?" David asked as they all moved past the silence and settled in.
"I was raised in Kentucky but I joined the Army just out of school." He replied taking another bite of his food in an attempt to discourage further questions. It worked and they moved on to more cordial topics, Parker revealing that she had grown up around Boston but from her knowledge of the city he suspected that. It was when the moved on to desert that Danielle, silently fuming from her spot beside Jimmy began to attack.
"So where is your family Parker if you don't mind my asking. It's just I never see anyone but you, and now your friend Eliot at that house." She inquired her voice slightly slurred due to the four glasses of wine she had consumed along with not even half her dinner.
"Eliot is my family." Parker responded instantly and Eliot felt his heart soar. She hadn't even thought about it, like it was instinctual for her to claim him as a part of her life.
"What about your parents?" Danielle prodded.
"I don't know." Parker replied shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"How do you not know about your parents?" the angry woman questioned further.
"Danielle." Rachel placed a hand on her sister's arm the warning clear in her tone.
"What Rach it's a simple question, what the hell happened to your parents?" she asked again.
"They were barred from seeing me four year after my brother died; I never bothered to look them up." Parker replied her head bowed and her hands clasped together.
"We're leaving now Parker." Eliot stood placing a hand between Parker's squeezing tightly so she would know he was there. "I'm sorry to go so abruptly dinner was delicious."
"Bye." Jimmy waved from his seat and Eliot spared the child a smile so he would understand that they weren't mad at him. Before the front door even closed he heard Rachel starting in on her sister clearly furious with her behavior.
"I don't like her." Parker muttered as they walked across the street to their home.
"I'm not a fan myself." Eliot responded though clearly she wasn't looking for an answer she was simply saying what she felt. "Parker." Eliot stopped and turned her to face him as they stood on their front porch. "I can forget what just happened in there if you want, we can pretend I never found out anything about your past and we can just continue as we have been. I'm going to give you as long as you want to think about it and let me know. I want you to know that if you decide to tell me about it, about anything that you've done or had done to you I won't judge you and I won't love you any less then I do right in this moment." With that he pressed his lips gently to hers holding on long enough for her to realize what was happening before he pulled away. She walked almost in a daze into the House and started up the stairs.
"Eliot." He heard her call his name softly and turned to face her where she stood at the top of the stairs looking down at him. "You were right something bad did happen at dinner." With that she made her way up the stairs silent as usual. Once she was gone from his sight he slammed his hands down on the kitchen table his white knuckled grip the only thing stopping him from heading back the way he came and giving that horrible woman a piece of his mind. A knock on the door startled him out of his rage and he allowed himself two deep breaths before walking slowly to it and opening it.
"Eliot." David stood before him with Parker's flowers clutched in his hand. "I wanted to apologize; Danielle is as I'm sure you saw a bit troubled. I'm truly sorry about what she did, clearly it's something that Parker didn't want to talk about and she just pushed." The rambling of the other man if nothing else showed Eliot that he was fed up with his sister in law's behavior as well and likely also tired of cleaning up her messes.
"It's not your fault." Eliot took the outstretched flowers as a peace offering and accepted them patting the older man on the shoulder. "How about a nightcap." Eliot pulled the door open further allowing the man into their home with a sympathetic smile.