step by step

An NCIS fic collection

by mew-tsubaki

- ^-^3

imagine: miscellany 20—well-versed (this post on the sideblog: 711636903848460288/ parknight-imagines-miscellany-20-well-versed)

tags: established!Parknight, s20e13

- ^-^3

Parker's not used to receiving BOLOs via text, but he gets one from Knight this morning:

-BOLO: V agreed to let actress Chloe Marlene shadow me, so today might be complicated.

Oh, jeez. Vance is letting Hollywood into the building…? Parker wonders what the rest of the story is, but no sooner does he think this then he encounters a hubbub in the lobby at NCIS.

A woman dressed in all white tries to disperse her entourage as she signs in. "I'll be happy to wait for Agent Knight, then," Parker overhears her saying.

Parker sighs and steps forward, nodding to their distraught receptionist. "I'll take it from here, Sherry," he says, and she nods her thanks. To the assumed actress, he continues, "I'm Special Agent Parker. Special Agent Knight is part of my team, and I can take you to her. Miss Chloe Marlene, I presume?"

Chloe flashes a movie star's smile at him. She's slighter than Knight but has similar coloring, as if an artist had been given Jess Knight's vague description and filled in the blanks with their personal preference. But Chloe politely holds out her hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you. I guess word gets around about me. But your director signed off on me studying Agent Knight."

He shows her to the elevator and lets her in first. "Not exactly. I heard from Knight herself. And that's 'Special Agent' Knight, by the way."

Impressively, Chloe whips out a little notepad and jots it down. "Got it. So Director Vance is the big boss and you're team boss…"

"Of the MCRT. Major Case Response Team," he supplies.

Chloe's eyes go big and wide at their official title. "Wow. That sounds impressive. I was looking up stats on Special Agent Knight to help prepare for my character based on her, but." Chloe taps her notepad to her chin and tucks it away. "Anything you want to tell me about what it's like to work as a team?"

Parker opens and closes his mouth. What to say? He's been on this team not much longer than Knight, but Knight's been part of NCIS a lot longer…and she's much better acquainted with being a team player than he is. At that, he chuckles to himself. "Knight is…the first person who comes to mind when you think of the term 'team player.'"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She's good at building bridges between people, making them see eye to eye. She's a quick thinker, on her feet. A helluva fighter, too, out in the field. Although, given the right topic, a helluva fighter if you get into an argument with her." Parker muses on the times they've had spats, both serious and more often than not ridiculous and when he's clearly been in the wrong. "She's…a stubborn one, but that's a good quality of hers, trust me. Pursuing a lead or having faith in her loved ones. Tying up loose ends or being supportive. There's nothing she does halfheartedly."

The elevator's quiet for a beat, and Parker realizes Chloe's eyes are on him for a wholly different reason now.

Because she asked for his professional opinion of Knight only for him to gush personally about her. Without filters.

Finally, Chloe smiles. "Wow. This Jess Knight lady is really loved, isn't she?"

And this, this is what Parker didn't mean to occur, but he knows he's dug a hole, letting his and Knight's secret spill.

But Chloe's smile is small, actually, and kind—one that hints she'll keep their privacy.

So Parker rubs the back of his neck nervously and concedes the truth with a nod.

Then the elevator doors open and Parker pretends he didn't just wear his heart on his sleeve as he introduces the actress to the team.

(But Chloe glances at him once more that very morning when she first spies Knight and gives her own nod, of approval.)

- ^-^3

Sorry, but while "Evil Eye" was a really whacky storyline, I thought the Parknight in it (and the potential for Parknight) was awesome! When Parker brought Chloe upstairs, my brain automatically went here with this headcanon.

-mew! XD