AN: Oh how I wish I had even a small part in the creation of this wonderful show, but alas it's nothing to do with me and I can only daydream and write stories for my own amusement – borrowing the characters very carefully! This story is completely AU (aside from the little bits you recognise from any season 2 Episode up to Psychic week.
Thank you all, once again for your very kind reviews, I didn't think I'd get into double figures regarding reviews on my first story, but you've all really spurned me on to write some more. I loved the season finale, can't wait for season 3 now. Hope you enjoy the next instalment. Take care Laura
When Hardison got home he hooked up his laptops and went straight on-line, he grabbed soda from his well stocked fridge and hit the sofa aiming to spend his evening typing away on both laptops while simultaneously downing soda by the gallon. He ordered a late night pizza, only moving from his work to greet the delivery boy at the door to his flat. He was in a funk, unsure exactly why, he wasn't Parker's guy but he had hoped maybe they had enough in common to change that. He had been quite taken with the little blond thief and it was becoming more obvious that she didn't think of him the same way; deciding he'd try to cope with it sooner than lose a good friend. He wanted her to be happy and have all the things she'd missed out on as a youth, love of a good family. He was part of that family whatever way you looked and it and Eliot was a good man who would definitely look after Parker. He'd be happy for them – assuming Nate hadn't gotten it all wrong when he rang earlier to tell him about Sophie returning. Sophie would help Parker through the awkwardness of this case and maybe help her to get over some of the guilt she had clearly been bottling up for many years. It was also a plus for the team that Sophie was returning, he just hoped that Nate would get his head out of his arse and see what he'd been missing. Once again he thought back to the excruciating display that Rand had subjected them to that afternoon in the studio, the manner in which he had revealed Parker's secret was making his blood boil all over again. Hardison was going to make sure he was on top of the financial details of one Dalton Rand, along with any other information he could get on the weasel while he was at it, and he didn't care if he was awake all night to do it!
Sophie was sitting staring out the window on board the British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Logan, looking at her watch it would be just after midnight in Boston and she couldn't wait to see the team. She had missed them all very much and it had been so very hard for her to stay away this long. She loved Nate and she had known this for a long time now; the main problem was that everyone else seemed to be able to see it except Nate himself. Now here she was heading back toward Leverage Associates, the team, her default family, her friends, Parker needed her and there was nothing she wouldn't do for the crazy little thief. She was surprised when Eliot had called, he may have been the muscle of the family, but he also paid the most attention to how they all felt, for him to call it had taken her moments to make her decision once she got off the phone. She had to go back now or say goodbye once and for all. She had really enjoyed working alongside the wacky hacker, the menacing hitter, the insane thief, the bitter mastermind and it didn't hurt that she fitted in nicely with the team dynamics as both grifter and default matriarch. She was preparing for the role of her life deciding that if Nathan Ford wasn't prepared to accept his true feelings, she would bury hers for good and move on emotionally. Surprisingly she also found herself missing the team's Robin Hood approach, which seemed more rewarding in some ways than all the gains she kept in that storage locker, tucked away safely for her retirement. Smiling at a memory of Paris several years before brought Sophie from her reverie. First things first, she needed to help Parker. The rest would hopefully fall into place soon thereafter, her nerves reaching her stomach she decided that she was beginning to understand why Nate needed to drink quite so much!
Nerves seemed to be the theme of things this evening amongst the team of Leverage Associates. Nathan Ford was pacing, not only had he cleared out all the alcohol, taken the bottles to the recycling in the basement, taken a bizarre number of showers, some colder than others, he had also spent a short time working out and then taken out fresh linen to prepare the guest room. It had been used by most of the team at one point or another and he wanted to offer it to Sophie, or at least make it available. He really wanted her to share his bed. Having finally come to his senses and he was hoping he wasn't too late; never mind that, would he be able to find the right words when he stood faced with Sophie. He didn't know where to start, but guessed lots of grovelling was likely to be involved! Firstly he knew she was coming back for Parker, Eliot had called her in order to help with their friend, Nate had not been sure he'd have made the call and would almost certainly have needed a few more Jack Daniels before he'd tried, which would have probably sent Sophie running in the opposite direction again.
It was becoming apparent to Nate after today that Eliot was beginning to take a keen interest in the insane thief. They might make a good partnership, he would never have encouraged a working relationship before now, however after spending so much time mourning the loss of his son, his marriage and then Sophie, if anything, he was going to ensure they got more time together at work and do whatever he could to positively encourage the two loners in the right direction, it might just be what Parker needs, a strong man like Eliot to take care of her and show her what a real family has to offer. He was also sure that Eliot could do with the love of a good woman too. He hoped that he could salvage the rag tag team and turn them into the family that they all craved and needed. All this thinking, plotting and lack of alcohol there was no way in hell he was ever getting to sleep tonight. He had so many misdeeds to make up for and not very much time in which to do so. He needed more coffee, and perhaps a walk. Yes, a walk to get some coffee that should kill another hour. Perhaps he could get some flowers for Sophie's room while he was out….
Across town Eliot settled next to Parker on her bed. It had felt strange to practically tuck her in under the quilt, and before moving back to a safe distance he had even reached to brush a stray wisp of hair back off her face. While she settled herself his mind went into overdrive, considering his thoughts about Parker were relatively new, working with the team had long since showed Eliot what he had missed out on when he'd left Aimee for that simple job in Myanmar. He had already lost so much and wasted time, this team was doing some good for the 'little people' the ones without the cash to fight in court for their rights (Okay, okay, they were wanted men and women after all but now they were helping the good guys, that had to count, right!) Eliot was also enjoying the almost alien feeling of living in one city, returning to the same place each night after a satisfying days work. After years of working alone in a brutal and vicious business it amused him to finally understand what he really needed was a new direction; something the relative comfort and companionship this team of miscreants had brought to bear.
He decided that today was not the day to confuse matters by displaying his feelings for Parker, he would wait until another time in which to find some subtle way to tell her that he cared for her. He did not wish to frighten her, his priority was to ensure she understood the importance of friendship and family, that she was not alone anymore; she had friends, a new family and more importantly he vowed to never let anybody hurt her again. He would talk with Sophie, grateful for her return for Parker's sake, it didn't hurt that he could pick her brain about the best course of action with Parker. Priority was for nothing to jeopardise the friendship they were working upon tonight. Yet here he was lying next to a petrified Parker who had been found sleeping in her closet when he arrived. The very same woman he cared more deeply for with every breath he took. Still unsure in his mind as to when on earth this had happened, he was normally guarded so much he would have surely noticed any signs of infiltration, especially to his heart. Rather gratefully his thoughts were interrupted by a whisper from Parker.
"Eliot"
"Hey darlin' I thought you were sleepin' "
"Nope, just lying here thinking" she replied. "Thanks for staying Eliot, are you comfortable?"
"Yes thanks Parker" Eliot turned to look at her and found himself face to face with the most ingenuous and breathtakingly beautiful face. He had never looked at her this way before, her long blonde hair combined with her peaches and cream complexion and those deep oceans of blue eyes that belied such horrifying memories of a life barely lived, yet held so much pain. His heart ached for her, for the hand she'd been dealt, the life that had finally and now thankfully led her to him.
"Are you alright sweetheart?" Eliot asked "Are you ready to tell me about the closet yet?"
"There are some things I should tell you …. actually I want to tell you, it's been so long since I spoke these things out loud that I just don't know where to start" Parker said timidly.
"I'm here Parker, I ain't goin' nowhere." Eliot said with a smile. "You can trust me with your secrets, I promise"
"It may sound like a strange request, but can you turn out the light, I just don't want you to be able to see me." said Parker thinking 'I can't watch the disappointment in your eyes when you hear the things that I've done'.
"Darlin' you got nothin' to worry 'bout, try not to be scared and just talk to yourself and if it helps pretend I'm not here," Eliot replied gently "But I promise not to go anywhere". He was desperate not to frighten Parker, she decided finally to open up about her past yet the usually fearless thief was clearly unsure of speaking in front of him. Why? She was stealing his heart slowly but surely, piece by piece and truth be told he was a little scared himself. He was falling for her, much harder than he had ever fallen before. First things first, Parker had things to tell him, to build trust between them and the he needed to make sure Parker was completely comfortable to hear what he had found himself wanting so desperately to tell her. He was a patient man and would wait until the time was right.
Eliot reached over and turned off the light, then turned to face Parker with his head on the pillow, he would recognise that scent anywhere it was a light Gardenia and it smelled exactly like Parker. With the lights turned off as Parker had wished, she turned away from Eliot. That's when Parker started to talk.
"I don't remember it all clearly anymore. I know it all started when my brother died, my parents cried and cried for days, they didn't want to see me they kept saying I reminded them too much of him. After the funeral things went from bad to worse, came back from school another day and found the police with my dad. Mom had taken some pills and wasn't coming back either. She left me when I needed her most." Parker began to sob. Eliot reached across her shoulder and took her tiny hand in his, gently puller her closer to him so he could whisper in her ear.
"Darlin', don't do this to yourself, you don't have to explain anything to me. I know you're upset and I understand better than you might believe," Eliot kept Parker's hand in his, instinctively his thumb began to smoothly caress the back of it.
Parker could feel minute strokes of electric shocks being sent through her hand, she was still surprised by the feelings she found herself having towards this enigma, one of the hardest yet remarkably gentle men she had ever met. The hand that held hers so tenderly was capable of such violence yet felt soft, almost calming, against her skin, grateful for having her back to Eliot when a small smile escaped across her lips.
"I need you to trust me Eliot, I need you to know that I trust you." Parker knew trust was important between friends and family, Sophie had recommended once that sometimes you had to give in order to get.
"I'm beginnin' to understand that Parker, it takes one helluva lot for people like us to start workin' with others and especially to make the decision to let others into your life after you've been on your own for so long. I want you to know that I get just how hard this must be for you and that I'll be here for you whenever you need me," Eliot said while he continued stroking the young thief's hand.
"Thank you Eliot, of all the team I hoped that you'd understand" Parker added pointedly.
"I'm glad it's important and you know that I trust you Parker." Eliot whispered in her ear "do you feel like tellin' me what happened?"
"I hated being in the system, I went from house to house, no one ever really wanted me, I know that some of the people were just trying to help, others were mean, they didn't really care. No matter, as I never stayed around long enough anyhow. I normally ran from most houses at one point or another, then spent the rest of the time hiding in a tree or out on the roof. Most people also had children of their own and any extra money the government paid for people to take in foster children was used on their real children. I understand that now, I didn't back then." Parker's breathing was starting to calm down and Eliot was glad he had been able to provide some comfort for her.
"How many families were you put with?" Eliot asked tenderly
"I didn't bother to count after nine, nor keep track of where. Then, when I was twelve I was sent to a family in Delaware, there were two older boys and the family were the type that needed to supplement their income with the foster care payments. After the social service guy helped me settle in, the dad moved me from the room with the pretty curtains and nice bed to where I was given a room in the basement to sleep in. It had a crappy mattress on the floor and a closet in the corner. "Parker felt Eliot's hand grasp hers a little firmer, just reminding her he was there. "This was when I learned to sleep in the closet, they had been told I was sneaky and liked to climb out onto the roof and run away, so after dinner each night I was sent to my room and locked in. Then one night when the house above had fallen quiet, the father visited. He said there were things I needed to do to help around the house, I assumed I was going to help clean, this was fairly normal as the foster child, but he said he needed something a little more personal, something just for him" Parker stopped when she heard Eliot gentle voice change to a low growl and his breathing became must faster and forced, she knew she shouldn't have told anyone, she had managed all this time with the secrets, she let go of Eliot's hand and lifted herself from the bed.
"Where are you goin' Parker?" asked Eliot, shaken from his frustration by the blonde's quick movement.
"I shouldn't have told you, I knew you'd be angry at me. I need to get some air."
"Parker, wait, I ain't angry at you darlin', I didn't mean to make you think that I was, I'm sorry. I'm angry for you Parker, angry at all those families who couldn't see what a sweet little girl they had in their home. None of this was your fault those greedy families that didn't look after you." Eliot switched on the light and got up from the bed. He now stood face to face with Parker, her eyes were red from crying and she was looking around practically checking her escape routes, settling her eyes finally upon her feet. With a tender hand Eliot lifted Parker's chin so he could see right into her eyes, he needed to make sure she understood him clearly this time.
"You ain't getting' it, there is nothin' in this world you could say to chase me away from you. We're friends Parker, hell the team is more like any family I ever had." Parker tried to look away again, when Eliot brought her attention back to his face. "I want to know everythin' about you, I want to try take away the pain if I can by makin' your future happy, givin' you new memories. I want to keep you safe and protect you from the whole world. I could never be angry at you for tellin' me 'bout what happened to you, and especially not what an evil man made you do when you were a young child." Eliot was trying to calm down for Parker's sake, "I'm so sorry you had to live like that Parker, you deserve so much more.
Parker wasn't at all sure what to say to this man that stood in front of her, she noticed when he smiled that his face was even more handsome than she remembered and he had the most astonishing blue eyes. She found her stomach commenting on this also. He clearly hadn't poisoned her she'd never felt like this before and was glad Sophie was coming back so she could ask her all about it. Yep, Sophie would know what the problem was! She was happy that Eliot was her friend and he had told her the team was like a family for him. She knew that first there were other things to tell him. How ever grateful she was to hear she had his support, she wanted to tell him everything, he seemed to understand and the worry had not left her just yet.
"You're my friend Eliot, but you always say 'there's something wrong with you' and now you've been so kind to me, coming over and listening to me while I talk about all my mistakes." Parker moved back towards her bed, pulling back the quilt she climbed in. Eliot knelt down to pull the quilt around her, he placed his hand on her cheek and rubbed his thumb under her red eye, no face this pretty should have red cheeks from so much crying. He's make it his life's work to make this woman the happiest woman alive, he'd give her the fairytale story if she'd let him.
"I know Parker and I was wrong 'bout that too, there ain't nothin' wrong with you, it was always me, I just ain't used to working with others. You can be a little crazy too sweetheart, leaping on the roof the first night we met." Eliot assured the young lady in front of him.
"There's more Eliot" Parker admitted.
"No problem darlin' I'll stay while you tell me or if you'd prefer you can talk to Sophie tomorrow. It's what friends do." He said climbing back onto the bed behind Parker, "now why don't you finish tellin' me 'bout this house in Delaware, I'll try not to growl anymore alright" Eliot checked Parker was settled before turning the light back off and once she was turned away from him he reached over once more and took her hand in his. He did not relish hearing about the many house of horrors from Parker's childhood, but he knew she had wanted to tell him and if it was important to her then Eliot would listen all night if necessary!
Some time after two am Parker started to drop off to sleep, Eliot had kept holding her hand and quietly reassured her while she told him more about her time in the house in Delaware; he would be checking up on that house as soon as Rand was dealt with. He was disgusted by the cruelty and obscenities she had suffered at the hands of the people who had supposed to being caring for her. When she told of the sexual abuse he was glad she couldn't see his face as tears slipped down his face silently while she explained what the man had expected her to do in return for her locked room in the basement. He began to understand the rationale behind her stubbornness in Serbia now, those children had to be saved. She fully believed that the death of her brother during a bicycle race had brought about all the bad things that had happened to her. Eliot just held her closer and vowed to help her anyway he could.
Some time later Eliot was awakened by a shaking feeling on his chest, Parker had clearly turned over in the night and cuddled into him, laying her head on his chest. He might have taken more time to watch her sleep had she not been in the midst of a nightmare. Gently shaking her with the arm he had wrapped around her shoulders,
"Parker, it's alright darlin', time to wake up," when suddenly Parker bolted upright, she started to back away from Eliot whimpering for him to get back "stay away from me," she murmured. Eliot jumped up and away from the bed, he did not want to scare her any further.
"Parker, it's me Eliot, it's alright" Eliot backed away with both hands raised in front of him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Parker said over and over, she looked petrified. "I… I'm sorry, why…. I forgot you were here, I'm sorry"
"Parker, it's alright, stop apologisin' you ain't done a thing wrong." Eliot said stepping closer to the bed, sitting down gingerly he dropped his hands and offered one towards Parker "see, it's me. I stayed to keep an eye on you. Do you remember now"
"Yeah, I do. I told you…oh shiney tomato....we talked, work, we've got to get to work" Parker leapt from the bed and ran into the bathroom leaving Eliot sat shaking his head. She was crazy and he loved it.