So here is the final version of my latest chapter, as promised. And again very special thanks to katiemac1992 for working her amazing magic on it. Enjoy!
Eliot felt his heart beating at the speed of light. Sure, there were women before Parker who confessed their love for him. Truth was he never had any true feelings for them. Ever since what happened between Aimee and him all those years ago, love made him skittish; not a word usually attributed to the hitter. But Parker managed to sneak past his defenses providing the spark that awoke the deepest corners of his soul; unleashing feelings that lied dormant for so many years. The way she said those three words he was unable to form for all this time– with her childish honesty– made his insides come to life again. More importantly, he actually had the same genuine feelings for her.
With Parker still resting her head on his chest he found it almost impossible to breathe– much less say something. Still, he was curious as to what exactly Sophie had to say about the two of them.
"So what have you and Sophie been talking about this past week?" he started. Parker lifted her head and looked questioningly at the hitter. "I just told you, didn't I?" she asked. Eliot just chuckled; that was exactly why he loved her. And with that he was in; he may not have said it verbally, but every action originates from a thought, so right then he completely realized and accepted that he was in love with her.
"Mhm, I got that sweetheart. But what I meant was what you talked about specifically?" he asked smiling like a fool. Parker's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, you mean the girl's talk we had?"
Eliot nodded and Parker nestled her head into his chest again.
"Well, I told her about what happened on the roof and how my stomach stirred and that rush of excitement that flows through me whenever I think of you. At first I thought you poisoned me with that food of yours." She stopped, crinkling her nose for a moment before continuing. "But Sophie said we both looked more at ease and smiled more often when we were around each other. She observed us for this last week and just yesterday she told me her conclusion. She said that I was in love with you" she recalled the facts with her eyes pointing to her forehead. She focused her sight again on Eliot and smiled "I like that" she added.
Eliot was completely stunned. Not by the fact that they were more at ease while in the company of each other but by the fact that she liked being so open about her feelings. He remembered how broken and lost she had been when that scumbag Dalton Rand unearthed some of her deeply buried memories. The only reason that creature was still alive was that he wasn't worth getting your hands dirty. So her revelation took him totally off-guard. He didn't know much of her past but he knew enough to know that she had suffered gravely. And the mere thought of her being hurt by all the families that failed her drove him insane. Maybe he could track one of her former foster families down and have a 'word' with them.
"You know what darlin'?" he whispered softly into her ears which made her hug him a little more tightly. "Hmm?" she purred. "I love you, too" the hitter said as he lifted her head and kissed her tenderly.
Sean slowly woke after hearing something down the hall of his house. He blinked a couple of times and as he listened closer he realized that someone was screaming. That voice sounded familiar, could it..? A panicked scream cut him out of his thinking "Daddy!" the tiny voice yelled through the house. Instantly he was awake and darted towards his daughter's room. As he entered he found Lisa totally curled up in her blanket crying and screaming. "Daddy!" she yelled again. He rushed over to her, scooping her up. "I'm here butterfly. What's wrong?" he asked softly. The little girl in his arms just pointed towards the window but kept her head buried into his shoulder, crying her little heart out. After several heavy sobs she looked up. Her eyes were crimson from all the crying "There was a bad man at the window. He scared me" she sobbed. Sean felt his blood begin to boil as he placed Lisa back onto the bed and slowly walked over to the window she had pointed at. Whomever that sick bastard was that scared his little girl would not live long enough to regret the mistake he had just made.
As he got closer to the window he noticed the storm outside. It was raining heavily and the wind was howling like a pack of wolves. The constant exchange of lightning and thunder made Lisa sob frequently. As Sean reached the window a sudden burst of lightning revealed the shape of a head behind the window. Sean couldn't shake the odd feeling that he knew this guy. He opened the window and was ready to beat the very life out of this man when another flash of light illuminated the man's face. Sean could only gasp when he recognized who that man was. "You!" he hissed as anger coursed through his entire being. Suddenly the man was no longer at the window. Before Sean could even think of where he'd gone off to his daughter screamed. "Daddy! The bad man's here! Make him go away, please!" A painful stab went through his heart upon hearing his little girl sound so frightened. He turned around to find the other man leaning over her bed and Sean detected some sort of wicked grin on the man's face. With a growl Sean stomped over to the bed, eyes fierce and dead-locked, ready to snap that bastard's neck. Then suddenly the man picked Lisa up and held an inhaler to her mouth. Sean froze immediately, his hands now shaking with anger. "Go away!" his daughter managed to cry out as she tried to push the man's hand away. Still grinning the man opened his mouth and a dark and wicked voice spoke to him "You can't save her."
"Lisa!" Sean shouted as he almost jolted from the bed he lay in. Panting heavily it took a few moments before he recognized where he was. He fell back with a sigh. Not that dream again; it plagued him ever since he discovered that his daughter had to die because one man couldn't get enough. Unwilling to fight the tears that made their way to the pillow he turned on his side and cried. Why? He asked himself. Why had life taken away everything he cherished? Why did his innocent, sweet, little girl have to die so young? He didn't know and he certainly didn't want to know if there was some greater plot behind all of this. He sobbed; the only thing that kept him going right now was his need for revenge and his friendship with Eliot. That man managed to shine some light on his miserable existence. He gave him hope. Hope that the man who killed Lisa would pay. But this hope faded with every failed attempt at bringing him down. It was like Fuller knew who they were and what they were up to.
He looked at the clock that stood on a table next to the bed. It read 8:00 AM. With a sigh he rose making his way to the bathroom downstairs as he wiped the remaining tears from his face. When he entered the living room of Nate's apartment a small smile spread across his face. On the couch lied Eliot and Parker, sleeping, cuddled into each other with Parker's head nestled into his chest. At least there was something good that came of this mess.
After cleaning himself up he made his way to the roof. He needed to clear his head and looking at Boston's skyline always provided a little comfort. He stepped into the cold morning and watched as Boston slowly awoke from its slumber. More and more people emerged on the streets and went about their daily routine. Cars drove from homes to working places and stores. The rising sun cast the whole scene into a warm light of red and orange. The cold wind blew across the roofs and again a small smile forced its way across his face. The world itself was a wonderful place. Some people however, managed to destruct it. People, who only thought of themselves, people who couldn't care less about others. Sean hated them, all of them. What kind of world do we actually live in, if everyone has to sacrifice their humanity to make a living? He asked himself not for the first time. Shaking his head in disbelief he walked back into the building.
Eliot woke from the most peaceful sleep he'd had in ages. In fact, it was the first time in he couldn't remember how long, he'd slept for more than 90 minutes; there were no nightmares, no voices, and no horrendous images that usually plagued his sleep. He smiled, for he knew the reason for this phenomenon. He looked down to see Parker's head nestled into his chest and he believed he could see a small smile on her beautiful features. He wondered how someone so gorgeous could contain such a scarred and abused soul like she did. He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb while his thoughts started to wander.
The sound of a closing door caused Parker to stir and moan and eventually she woke. She wearily looked around, in search of the source of the disturbance. She made out Sean making coffee and just when she was about to get up she realized where she was. She looked up and found a smirking Eliot looking at her. She blushed and turned away, somehow feeling guilty for falling asleep on him. Noticing her troubled look Eliot moved her head so she was facing him again. "It's alright, ok? I'm not mad at you, sweetheart. Relax" he whispered to her while stroking her cheek. Before she knew it she found herself leaning into his tender action and moving one hand through his hair.
Sean watched the two lovebirds with a smirk. He pondered whether to show himself or to let them go on a bit more. He decided the let them know they were not exactly alone. "Mornin' to you too. From the looks of it I presume you slept well?" he said still smirking as he took a sip of his coffee. "You sure know how to ruin the moment!" Eliot growled back but Sean could just make out the smile on his face. "Well if you wanted to be alone you shouldn't have stayed here. Want some coffee?" he asked. Parker had already jumped off the couch and rushed to the kitchen, serving herself a bowl of cereal. She sat down and ate while humming a melody which Sean didn't recognize. Eliot however scuffled over to the kitchen and nodded towards Sean. He understood and poured another cup of coffee.
As the grogginess slowly lifted Eliot noticed that Sean's eyes were reddened and he looked more distracted than usual- somehow sadder. "Didn't sleep well, serge?" he asked. "I told you stop calling me that didn't I?" Sean barked back "so quit it." He gritted sternly. Eliot and Parker both stared at him. "Sorry, didn't mean to snap at you," he murmured. "Bad dreams?" Eliot asked, his voice filled with concern. In his book, that man went through enough pain already. It was about time to get to Fuller. Sean just nodded. "What about?" Parker asked in her usual childlike innocence and oblivious curiosity. Sean looked directed his focus to her, his eyes beginning to water, he buried his head into his hands- quiet sobs escaping his mouth. Eliot took her hand in his, reassuring her that she didn't cause any harm. After a few silent moments Sean lifted his head again. "S-Sorry, it's just… you sounded just like her- the way you asked." he whispered. "Acted like whom?" Parker asked becoming slightly irritated from impatience. "Like my daughter. She had the same curious spark in her eyes when she asked me a question, the same innocence in her voice," his voice cracking again, clearly at the edge of tears.
Parker understood, and let go of Eliot's hand, putting an arm around Sean's shoulder. "We'll get him, I promise" she said, rubbing her hand up and down his arm. "It'd better be soon, I don't know how much more I can take." he said. Eliot however admired Parker for comforting him. He knew she hated physical contact but this time she actually made the first move. He felt proud of her for slowly overcoming her initial mistrust and making an effort.
As Nate, Sophie, and Hardison joined them in the apartment they all gathered around the coffee table in the living room; Hardison had some updates for them. "So I worked all my 'magic' but as I'm sure by now, you know, these tax investigations are not top priority for those bean counters and theft is even below that. This will take at least a month or two before they even start investigating." The hacker explained. Sean moved his hands through his hair, he didn't like how this all was not working out. "So what, we're gonna sit around for two months waitin' for some pen artist to perhaps look at the file? Seriously?" Eliot barked at Hardison. "You got any better ideas apart from beatin' him up? I don't see any other options!" the hacker shot back.
"Come to think of it, I doubt even that will work; someone with as much pull with the legal system as Fuller, surely has an inside man in every law enforcement unit. Cancel it, Hardison it's no use." Nate said while Sean's face lost all its color. "And before you ask, yes, I have a plan that would actually do the trick" the mastermind explained upon seeing Sean's reaction. "I'm surprised that it didn't cross my mind earlier. We're going to need one of those inhalers they sell" he went on. "What for," Sean growled, the mere thought of one of those gadgets made him sick. "Well, we get one and give it to some doctors to examine. They will surely find some substances that cause extreme damage to the human body." Nate explained further.
"Ah, I get it! They find the stuff, we publish it, and he's done!" Parker all but shouted in excitement. Sean's face lit up as a sudden relief went through him. "Figures, The most complicated problems are solved through triviality." Eliot mumbled.
"Sophie, Hardison we're going to get those inhalers. You other's do whatever you want just don't do anything stupid, alright?" Nate said smirking as he left his apartment with Sophie and Alec in tow. Noticing the relieved look on Sean's face Parker couldn't help but to smile. "See? I told you we'd get him!" she exclaimed joyfully. "Yes," he sighed as he leaned back against the couch. He closed his eyes and pictured his late family before him.
Sean could finally see what had caused such an extreme change in Eliot's need to work alone; He had acquired a family somewhere along the way.
As the rest of the team met back up and gathered in the living room they went over ironing out the rest of the plan and decided to order Chinese takeout.
As they made to join the rest of the team, Sean stopped Eliot. "Thanks again Spencer." Sean said to Eliot gratefully. Eliot nodded, "That's what friends do- It's what we do."
"Hey guys, we're ordering Chinese. Sound good?" Hardison yelled over to them. Sean and Eliot both nodded and they could hear Sophie scolding Hardison for yelling across the apartment.
They remained standing for just a moment longer and watched Nate on the phone, placing the order while waving a dismissive hand at Parker who was insisting Nate order extra fortune cookies. Hardison decided to question Parker, who then began to explain that it was her favorite breakfast. Hardison dared to try Eliot's favorite catch line to Parker. (Operative word being try) "Girl, there must be somethin' wrong with you. Fortune cookies for brea- Oww!" He never got to finish because Parker slugged him in the arm. "You never hit Eliot for saying that," the hacker complained rubbing his arm. "Because he's Eliot," Parker stated matter-of-factly, as if that were all the explanation it required.
Sean saw a glint of pride in Eliot's eyes and knew Eliot must have taught Parker that move.
"Some family you've made yourself, Eliot," Sean said slapping Eliot on the shoulder (like only he and Parker dared to.) Eliot grinned in a way Sean couldn't recall ever seeing Eliot do before he found him joined with this peculiar yet tight knit team. "I know," Eliot said proudly. Sean leaned in closer whispering meaningfully, "Don't lose them." And with that they headed to the living room to join Eliot's family.