AN: my lovely readers, a million thank yous for your patience! busy time for me, but doing my best to keep writing! I'm incorporating a little time jump in this paragraph, delineated with the dashes, to add a little extra suspense/drama. hooray! more will be revealed in Chapter 7, but no idea when I'll be able to get that to you. my apologies for that. luckily, tonight's episode provided some lovely inspiration. yes, I totally stole a line and used it in a different context. beautiful work by the show writers on that one. also, anyone else catch the look between Parker and Eliot when Sophie asks her if she's ok? just me? ok then... anyway, without further delay, here is Chapter 6 of "I'll Hold You Tight." I hope you enjoy.

Eliot spent half the morning pounding the stuffing out of an unsuspecting punching bag when the person he really wanted to hit was himself. Maybe that would snap him out of whatever weird sentimental funk he'd somehow gotten himself into. He'd certainly been lining himself up for some emotional beatings recently. Earlier, when he'd seen Hardison's name on Parker's phone screen, it had all hit him at once and he felt his control slipping away. He couldn't let that happen, so he'd pushed Parker as far away as he could. This was why he avoided serious romantic entanglements: they were messy and people got hurt. That was unacceptable, especially when those people were himself, Hardison, and Parker. He was responsible for hurting Parker and that was the worst of it all. He was supposed to protect her; above everything else, that was his job. Now, one moment of weakness and he'd failed. This couldn't happen again. Moments of weakness were not an option.

"Which answer gets you down here with me?"

Sitting on the roof of the bar with his legs hanging over the side, Eliot turned to see Parker looking up at him. He turned back to look out across the rooftops of Portland.

"It's not that simple, Parker."

Of course, she'd known he'd be up here thinking (more like brooding, she thought). She'd been doing a lot of thinking too.

"But it is that simple, Eliot. It's your life; it's your choice."

"Hardison is our teammate and my best friend. I can't."

Parker sighed. She was starting to get frustrated. Why did the man have to be so stubborn?

"Yes, you can, Eliot. You can; you just won't."

At this, he turned around, swung his legs back onto the roof, stood, came toward her, and started to speak. She held up her hand to stop him.

"Just let me talk for a minute, ok? Eliot, I know you. I know that you're stubborn and self-sacrificing. I know that you can say more with your eyes than most people can with their words. know that you're strong, the strongest man I've ever known, but I also know that your heart is gentle. I know that you can be hurt. I know that you tell me that I'm crazy, but you always try to help me, even when I bug you while you're busy. I know that you challenge me. I know that you know me better than Nate or Sophie or Hardison ever will, because I know how alike you and I are. And I know that you love me, even if you never say it out loud. So I'll say it. I love you, Eliot."

He couldn't say anything, but at least he was looking at her. Staring at her, really. There were so many things he wanted to say, and even more than that, he wanted to kiss her again. But this time, he only clenched his fists at his sides and looked her in the eyes, hard.

"You know I'll always be here, Eliot, just like I know you'll always be there when I need you. You catch me when I fall and when I jump. You hold me when I'm sad. Let me do that for you."

She looked into his eyes and she felt herself falling into his gaze. Be strong, she reminded herself. She turned and headed back to the door that led to the stairs.

"I choose you, Eliot."

And he just kept staring as the last glimpse of her, her jaunty ponytail, disappeared down the steps.