Day 1

Knocks on the door after eleven pm are very rarely a good thing. People don't drop by for coffee and conversation after eleven- no, emergencies stand on the welcome mat that late.

For Eliot Spencer, it usually means enemies.

He thinks he is prepared when he opens the door, right foot slightly in front of the left, an arm in front of precious internal organs- it's been seven months out of the business for him, seven months since he found he couldn't hit for just himself anymore, but he had accumulated his fair share of enemies during his lengthy career- he thinks he is ready for whatever is outside of his front door.

He is wrong.

He is not ready for Parker to be standing there. Parker, who he hasn't seen in over a year (one year, three months, and seventeen days, he knows). Parker with a bruised face, with a bleeding lip, with a defeated slouch and tired blue eyes. He is not ready for Parker with tears, with that look that makes him want to fix all the bad things in the world.

"Oh, my God. Parker. Come in."

He leads her to the sofa he has just vacated, sitting next to her and running his fingers gently over her wounds to assess the damage.

"What happened, Darlin'?"

She takes in a shaky breath. "I'm pregnant," she whispers, so quietly that he almost doesn't catch it.

He hates himself for asking the first question that comes to his mind- the first question that would come to anyone's mind- though she doesn't let him get it all out.

"Who's the fath-"

He hates himself for asking because of the way that she just shakes her head, trying to look away. He hates himself because that should not be the first thing he needs to tend to. He hates himself because someone has hurt, really hurt Parker, and all he can do is ask a question that hurts her even more.

Combating the rising anger, he reaches out and wipes away a small drop of blood from her lip with his thumb, lowering his voice. "Did he do this to you?"

She doesn't answer, just lays her head down on his shoulder. He takes that as a yes.

"Darlin'-" His voice is edged, deep. He's furious. He's failed. Parker has gotten hurt and he hadn't been there to stop it. It doesn't matter if it's his job anymore. She's hurt, and no matter how far away he had been, he allowed that. He has let someone hurt her, and now that person is going to pay.

She says nothing, and he doesn't push her – he knows she hasn't come to him to talk about what's happened, but because she knows that with him, she will always be safe and protected, and damn straight, she will be, as long as his heart beats. She doesn't have to talk. They can talk later.

As for tonight- as much as he wants to hunt down the guy who has done this to her, who hurt her, and probably kill him- he just holds the thief in his arms and lets her cry all of her tears until she runs out and finally falls asleep.