Eliot had been tortured. He made no secret of that fact with anyone on the team. But never before had he been involved in this kind of self-torture. He currently had the most flexible woman he had ever met in his bed attached to him completely; and on top of her attractiveness he was in love with her. It had been unintentional, he wanted to change his shirt into something more work-friendly and Parker had followed him without his knowledge. As soon as he was shirtless she had jumped onto him wrapping her arms and legs around his body and fused her mouth to his. As they kissed her hands roamed his back tracing each muscle with a precision and dexterity that if he were more focused he would almost admire. Her body strained against his in an instinctual need to get closer and he knew if he didn't pull away then it would be the end of what he was trying to accomplish with her.

He pulled his mouth from hers and buried his forehead against her neck with a growl of frustration. "What?" Parker asked the sound of her breathless voice almost snapping his tentative control over himself.

"Go out with me." He hissed trying desperately to force his mind to focus. It was a testament to how she made him feel that he had lost enough control to allow himself that close to her. He felt her tense under him as she processed his question and immediately lifted his head. Regret for that decision came almost instantly as he took her in, lips swollen and red, hair spread out over the bed, and her flushed face spoke to her enjoyment of their previous activity. Her eyes however told him a different story, the panic he felt through her body was reflected in the blue irises.

He immediately shifted himself off her so he was lying next to her, though it fought against every protective instinct in his body he did not reach for her. There was no end to his surprise when she curled up against him, his heart nearly exploded with love for the woman who had fit herself into his arms perfectly. "What's wrong?"

"Go out like on a date?" she asked keeping her face turned away as she asked. Had she not been snuggled into his arms he would have been terrified by her lack of eye contact. As it was he knew she was uncomfortable about the question but not uncomfortable or afraid of him.

"Yeah Parker, that's part of the wooing process." He told her squeezing her a bit tighter to him as her head rested on his shoulder.

"I've never been on a real date before. Sophie made me go out on dates with marks but that's different right?" she replied.

"Damn straight it's different!" he exclaimed rolling his eyes. A date with him better be different than one with some guy Sophie had set her on. "A date with me will mean something Parker. It's all part of the wooing process."

She shifted herself so she was lying with her upper body spread across his chest and she could make eye contact with him. "Why cant we just have sex?" she asked, "Seems like it would be way more fun than a date."

Eliot couldn't help the growl that was released from deep in the chest she was lying on. She let out a soft groan enjoying the vibration that almost sent him over the edge. He caught his hands reaching for her and forcibly stilled his body. "Eliot?" she asked after a moment of his complete lack of movement. "Did I break you?" she asked her hands roaming his body looking for whatever she had done to cause his odd reaction.

"Stop!" he hissed grabbing her wrists and pulling her away from his body. She moved to the side clearly delighted by his reaction to her. He was up and away from the bed in a second; the woman couldn't be trusted lying down. "I'm going to give you an honest to God relationship if it kills me Parker!" he announced a bit louder than he intended. "If you keep pushing it by the way, it just might!"

The sound of the doorbell saved him though he noted her face fall out of the corner of his eye. He knew Parker well enough that a statement like that would only spur her on. He liked to believe it had slipped out intentionally but part of him almost hoped she would break down his defenses. If their various kisses and touches had been anything to go by, they would be explosive. He didn't bother checking just opened the door shocked to see Nate standing before him. "That explains a lot." The mastermind nodded to Eliot's shirtless state.

"Come in." he stepped aside and smiled gratefully at Parker who was descending the stairs with a shirt of his in her hand.

"Only I get to see your manly bits." She informed him seriously, he couldn't help the chuckle as he pulled on his shirt. The thief was incredibly territorial with things she considered hers and it was clear that she considered him her property.

"This is a lovely home Parker." Nate told her, she beamed at him from the stairs not the least bit curious as to why he had darkened their doorstep.

"What are you doing here Nate?" Eliot had never been that forgiving. They had not talked anything out and he still had a bone to pick with their fearless leader.

"Can we sit somewhere?" Nate asked his eyes straying to the couches. Parker immediately hopped over plopping down on the love seat eyeing Eliot with an evil smirk. He glared and took a seat in the arm chair next to her, no need to give her any ammunition.

Nate took the chair across from them and looked around the room taking in the tasteful décor, his eyes taking in the entire room. "Whenever you're ready." Eliot leaned back unwilling to give the other man a moment of time to rest himself.

"I've spoken to Sophie." Nate told them finally meeting his eyes, the remorse Eliot saw there softened a bit of his resolve to despise the older man. "She made me see that asking you two… Sophie talks, I think, and Hardison sits behind a computer. You both do everything physically asking you to jump from one job to another was wrong because you both have taken beatings and…" Nate stopped his head dropping into his hands. "I think sometimes my desire to right every wrong makes me blind to the ones I cause." He looked up at Eliot and then to Parker who was still and oddly silent. "I know I've lost your trust, what little of it I had but I want to ask that you give me the chance to earn it back."

Parker leaned forward and touched her hand to his forearm. Nate looked stunned at the uncharacteristic gesture but he sat and waited for her. "It's ok." She said after a moment, she let go of him and sat in her chair again.

Nate turned to him sure that the condemnation he would receive from the hitter would make up for Parker's easy acceptance. "You heard her." Eliot nodded to Parker, "I'm good if she's good."

"See it's all good!" Parker stood and grabbed Nate's arm again. "Come on you can meet Harris, he's our dog he's outside, and then you can see the rest of the house." She turned to him a pout in her eyes, "Nate can stay for dinner right?"

"Depends Parker." He leaned closer, "You gonna go on a date with me?" She rolled her eyes and nodded leaning up to give him a gentle kiss as she towed Nate out the door Harris immediately jumping up to get the attention of the mastermind.

Eliot headed to the kitchen knowing full well that they had purchased a pot roast that would be just big enough for the three of them. He supposed he should feel bad about blackmailing Parker into going on a date with him but he knew full well that if Nate had not come in she would have put all her effort into seducing him. As clumsy as she could be in that department she had somehow gained control over his libido, she could breathe at him and he was aroused, it would not take much for her to get her way and God help him if she figured that out.

As he prepared their dinner he watched her and Nate interact. She was explaining how they were going to turn her above ground pool into an in ground one and showing him the vegetable garden. Nate and Parker had always had a closer relationship then the rest of them. He thought it was hard for the mastermind to think of him and Hardison as sons having lost one of his own. It would have been a constant reminder of the man his own child would never grow to be. Parker however was not only a bit child like herself but was eager to learn from Nate and quick to stand by him. Her relationship with the older man was one they both needed, Nate got his child to teach and mold, and Parker got the loving and protective father she never had.

He would never get tired of watching Parker move. Her grace and agility was stunning to him, he could admit to himself that he was not the most graceful man in the world. She went around the bad guys, he went through them. He followed her along the side of the building; her hand on his chest stopped him just outside of the view of the security cameras. She paused for a moment then continued on her way coming up to the secure door. She pried open the keypad with a screwdriver and connected two wires then with a flick of her wrist the door opened and she pulled him inside.

She was amazing with her use of everyday tools. From the beginning that had been something that impressed him she didn't automatically need the fancy tricks that Hardison employed. She was more like him, she could handle her responsibilities bare bones if necessary. She slunk along the wall staying to the shadows, her brilliant blonde hair hidden under a skull cap of his that she had taken from his closet when he was unpacking. She grabbed him again, this time to point out a security guard; she looked at him and mimed choking. He nodded and stepped up to the guard his steps silent. He grabbed the man around the neck his large bicep flexing to cut off the man's airway, he pulled him back into the shadows as he fell unconscious. Parker lifted the side of his suit jacket and handed Eliot the handcuffs while she took the security pass. He took care of trussing up the man murmuring an apology to the still man.

He followed Parker through the door she held open for him that led up to the security office. Eliot quickly dispatched the first of the two guards as he did the man from earlier while Parker tased the other. "I'm in the security room Hardison, patching you in." she muttered into her comm as she got busy on the computer inserting her flash drive to allow Hardison a Wi-Fi port to short the cameras.

"You good girl, go on do ya thing!" the hacker responded after a moment. Hardison had developed a program that would link his computer to the other, it would allow him limited access to the security system that already beamed its information to other computers in the building. Again the pair of them were on the move. They were able to get around with more freedom now as they had Hardison to keep them posted on guards. The portrait they had been sent to steal hung at the halfway point up the wall under a balcony. Parker was prepared for that and hooked her gear to the balcony. She rappelled down and nodded up to Eliot. Her location was about six feet away from the wall itself and she was unable to reach the painting from where she was. Eliot leaned over the side as far as he could and began swinging the rope back and forth. He cursed lightly as he pushed and pulled on the rope, though Parker didn't weigh much his position made the process difficult.

She finally got enough momentum to swing up to the wall where she jabbed a long metal stake she had into it. She held on and leaned across the painting jamming another stake into the wall. She stretched a rope between them and clipped herself to it so she was held close enough to work. Nate wanted the job to be confusing, making it difficult for the police to accidentally accuse a local thief that was why they chose the painting in the most difficult location. Parker made quick work of it from there, the frame was bolted to the wall but as she had explained to him earlier the canvas was attached to the back of the frame. She loosened the bolts enough to get behind the portrait and removed the attachments. She rolled the canvas as she went and finally got it tight enough to fit into the carrying case she had on her back. She looked up at Eliot her face aglow as she winked at him, she was always at her happiest when she was suspended in the air.

She gripped the frame and loosened her stakes. She filled the holes in with putty and tightened the frame. The canvas being gone made it easier for her to grip. "Go." She whispered letting go in the same instant. Eliot immediately began hauling her back up the muscles in his arms barely straining at her weight. "We gotta fatten you up." He muttered smirking at Sophie's disapproving huff.

"That is not how you talk to a lady Eliot." The woman informed him. They had all learned the hard way that unless it was completely necessary they didn't need to talk during a Parker heist. She worked alone partly because of preference but mostly because her job required the most concentration out of all of them. Even Eliot could move on muscle memory, and Hardison was an expert at multi-tasking, as was Sophie; though he personally thought her various characters were easier for her to maintain than she let on. Parker made quick work of dismantling her rope and harness fitting it all back into Eliot's backpack with ease. In a move that surprised him she grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He couldn't help his natural reaction to haul her up against him and kiss her back fiercely.

"Any time you guys want to get out of there would be fine." Nate's voice in their heads pulled the pair of them back into reality and he let her go with one last gentle kiss on her lips. Their exit was the same as their entrance with a quick stop by the security office to remove the thumb drive then out the same way they came.

"Eliot?" Parker asked as they made their way to her car that was parked a few blocks away outside a night club.

"Yes darlin?" he asked pulling her to him with a hand wrapped around her waist. Even with his backpack and the tube attached to her back they looked like an average couple. Eliot rolled his eyes and pulled the hat from her head letting her blonde locks tumble around her face, now they looked like an average couple.

"How many dates do we have to go on before we can have sex?" Eliot rolled his eyes at the question then laughed as he could hear Hardison coughing up orange soda and Sophie's strangled yelp. He reached up to her ear and pulled out the comm. He took his own out and stuck them both into his pocket.

"Not many Parker believe me." He answered kissing the side of her forehead as they approached the car ready to head home.