Has anyone else noticed the distinct lack of birthdays celebrated on Leverage?
I thought I'd rectify that with something little.

Abby was driving home from school when the phone rang, just like it had been doing all day. It was driving her crazy and she had considered several times tossing out the window. Then she remembered she was on thin ice as it was and really didn't want to piss Eliot off any more than she already had, so, rather than incurring the wrath of her uncle, she pressed the decline button.

Then, like clockwork, it rang again, almost immediately. This time, she'd had enough and she answered it furiously.

"Just leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you!" she yelled after pressing a button on the dash, answering the phone on the car's speaker.

"What did I do?" came Parker's innocent, and confused, voice over the speakers.

Abby sighed. "No, not you Parker, I thought you were… someone else," she explained. "What's up?"

"What do I get Sophie?" she asked.

"What are you… why are you getting Sophie something?" Abby questioned in response.

"Hardison and I found a birthday card addressed to Charlotte Prentice; her birthday's today."

"Who's Charlotte Prentice?" Abby was still mildly confused; sometimes Parker's thoughts could be so flighty.

"Sophie's princess name," Parker declared, as though it was obvious. "So what do I get her?"

"Umm," Abby thought for a moment. "Get her something personal. Think of something you've done together that meant something to both of you and get her something to do with that.

Parker's silence was a clear indication that Abby's suggestion had just gone way over her head.

"Try, try, thinking of something that she loves and getting something related to that," she tried again, thinking something more simple would be more effective.

"Right," the thief said decidedly and then hung up the phone.

Abby only had a chance to sigh briefly before the phone rang again.

"Which restaurant is fancier?" Hardison's voice asked before Abby could greet him. "Abe and Louie's or Bricco?"

"I've lived in this city a grand total of five months Alec," she replied. "Why don't you ask Eliot?"

"I did, then he got all aggressive when I interrupted his cake baking." Abby chuckled slightly at the notion. "Care to make an educated guess?"

"For Sophie's sake, go for the one with the more expensive wine," she suggested.

"I like your thinking Ace!" the hacker grinned, already acquiring some reservations. "Talk later."

"Wait, Alec," she said quickly, just in time before he hung up.

"Yeah?"

"Is Eliot going to let me go?" she asked. "Because, you know, still very, very grounded."

"Yo Eliot!" Hardison shouted out to the hitter baking in the kitchen.

"What Hardison?" Abby heard Eliot's voice, angry and frustrated, through the phone.

"Abby off the hook tonight for Sophie's b'day?"

Abby heard Eliot sigh. "Just for tonight," he conceded.

"You catch that?" the hacker asked.

"Yes I did!"

"I'll catch you later then."

He hung up the phone quickly and, as she turned the corner, her phone buzzed again. She checked the caller ID and, pulling up to the bar, she furiously turned it off, tossed it onto the seat next to her and made her way up to Nate's apartment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was rare that the team got to actually go out for dinner. It was rare that there was an occasion good enough for them to dress up and deal with actual people, without there being an ulterior motive.

It was an especially difficult feat for Parker, but not so much for Sophie, who thrived on social interaction.

In fact, Sophie would have loved to soak in the town and the rich culture of Boston more often, but she rarely got a chance to. Hence why the decision had been made to go out for her birthday, rather than have Eliot create a delicious meal.

"This is amazing Nate," Sophie praised as she eyed off the restaurant, its people and its food.

"You're welcome," he replied simply.

Abby giggled silently and Hardison looked up from his menu and gave Nate a quick glare. He let slide, however, the fact that it had been him, and not Nate, to choose the restaurant and organise the evening. Instead, he went for something a little more subtle.

"We would have organised something more…extravagant, but we weren't given much notice," Hardison noted.

The dig was subtle but in good fun.

"Tell me Hardison, how long have you had your web crawlers searching for info on Charlotte," Sophie replied, a similar amount of playful criticism in her voice.

"So this isn't your real birthday?" Abby questioned and Parker looked extremely disappointed at the notion.

"Not even close," Sophie smiled. "But this is still spectacular," she added as a consolation.

"buongiorno" a salt and pepper haired waiter appeared, hand's folded neatly behind her back.

"buongiorno" Abby, Sophie, Nate and Eliot greeted in response. Parker and Hardison looked a little bewildered.

"You speak Italian! How marvelous," he praised enthusiastically then continued to take their orders.

"So what trick did you use to get the reservation?" Sophie questioned.

"I know the chef," Eliot informed. "Strange guy, but he owed me a favour."

"Ah yes, the favour," Nate said, taking an indulgent sip of wine. "The hitter's best friend."

"Anyone in our line of work's best friend," Sophie corrected, tipping her glass towards Nate.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So Abby, Hardison and I got you a present!" Parker exclaimed excitedly as the dinner was drawing to a close.

"We did?" Abby questioned confusedly.

"Uh, yeah," Parker replied handing over a medium sized blue matte box, wrapped in a black ribbon, to the grifter. Sophie smiled gratefully, although she did not expect anything spectacular.

Her expectations were wrong.

Sophie removed the ribbon and slowly lifted the lid to reveal a mess of dark coloured tissue paper. She peeled it away, slowly and curiously to reveal a delicately painted, ancient looking tea pot.

"Where did you get this Parker?" she asked in awe.

"You know, around," she smiled vaguely, shrugging her shoulders and winking mischievously at the hacker.

"Ah-ha," Sophie said as she admired the piece more, more than willing to let its questionable acquisition slide. "It's beautiful Parker, Hardison. And Abby," she added as an afterthought and smiling at each in turn.

Abby shook her head at the grifter, informing her, and her uncle, that she had not been part of it in any way. Both nodded, though they were already mostly aware of the fact.

"I remembered you liked drinking tea and what better way than with a Ming Dynasty teapot," the thief said proudly.

After the mention of the words 'ming' and 'dynasty', Sophie's eyes widened slightly and she carefully placed the pot back in the box.

Nate paid the bill and all stood up to leave.

"My gift is the cake back at Nate's," Eliot said in passing, not wanting Sophie to think he was cheap, as he opened the door and let the others through.

"My gift," Nate whispered into the grifter's ear, his hand on her waist as they walked in front of the others. "You will get later tonight."

"I can't wait," Sophie flirted back.

Behind them, Eliot walked with his arm wrapped around Abby, freezing in just her jeans and strappy top.

"I told you to bring a jacket," Eliot stated.

"I know!" Abby replied, she hadn't expected the temperature to drop so much and, even though she'd been warned, like any teenager, she didn't exactly like being told what to do. "You know I didn't actually help Parker and Hardison steal that teapot don't you?"

"I know," he replied. "Hardison'd give it away in a second if you were up to anything suspicious."

"Yee of little faith," Hardison interrupted from behind.

"You've got a tell Hardison, I've said it before," the hitter declared.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You okay?" Nate asked Abby, handing her his cake plate as she washed up the others. He'd noticed something implicitly off with the girl at dinner

"Yeah," she nodded. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Nate shrugged and walked back to join the festivities.

That was a complete lie though and Nate knew it. She wasn't fine. After confronting her father she had felt fine, good even, and empowered. She felt like she had out the whole father thing behind her and she felt like she was ready to move on.

But then they had gone to Dubai and she had seen how much Sterling had risked to get his daughter back, despite the fact they were slightly estranged.

She had seen how much a father should care for his daughter, and then she had realised how little her father had tried.

Not a single phone call after she had been to see him, not any attempt at contact until now where suddenly, he was calling, and calling insistently.

And, for the life of her, Abby couldn't figure out why.

"Abby!" Parker said excitedly, standing behind the teenager. Abby, who was unaware that the thief was there, jumped and was ripped from her thoughts.

"Parker!" she scalded.

"Oh, did I scare you?" the thief asked, furrowing her brow.

"Yes Parker," she replied.

"But I was talking to you."

"I didn't hear you, that's all," she explained.

"Why didn't you hear me?" she asked innocently. Abby sighed and dried her hands on the nearest dish towel.

"I was thinking."

"What about?" The question was innocent and inherently Parker.

"He didn't want me Parker," she confessed. "He wants nothing to do with me. I don't know why, I know he's never wanted anything to do with me," she paused and lowered her voice. "So why does he keep calling?"

"Your dad's calling you?" she questioned confusedly and concernedly; in the thief's experience, blood relatives who've never cared suddenly acting like they did care was bad, bad news.

Abby nodded in response to Parker's question.

"Abby, I know what it's like to have your family not want you. I've had family, after family not want me and you know what I've learnt?" She jumped up with cat-like grace onto the bench and Abby, following suit, leant comfortably against the opposite bench, her arms and legs crossed and facing the thief.

"What have you learnt Parker?"

"It's nothing to do with you, all to do with them, and when you find a place you finally fit, they don't even matter, because you have something better. He's never wanted you because of his own stupid, selfish reasons; we do because we know you." She stated confidently, cocking her head. Abby laughed slightly, though mostly in awkwardness. "Don't laugh," Parker declared, with slight seriousness in her voice.

The thief's wisdom and rare sincerity made Abby smile.

"So you think I should just ignore him and let him go?"

Parker nodded adamantly. "People change, they do… but not in the course of a week. Let him go."

"Okay," Abby agreed, nodding her head slowly, then more firmly as she concreted the idea in her mind.

"Good," Parker replied seriously then her tone and demeanour changed and an evil, playful look came to her eyes. She jumped down enthusiastically from the bench. "And come play Twister with me."

I didn't feel like this arc was quite concluded, but it should be come the next chapter.

Ta