meridian_rose

My first Leverage fics, written for as gifts for the

whedonland birthday celebrations.

The Wallet, Leverage, Eliot, Parker, Sophie, Hardison PG

"Parker!" Eliot bellowed, storming into the room.

Parker looked up from her cereal and the TV show she was watching. "What?" she asked mildly.

"Where is it?"

She looked around for clues. "I don't know. Where is what? Is it a game?" She put down the cereal and jumped to her feet. "I like games."

He wagged his finger at her, fighting to control his anger. "This is not a game!"

"Oh." She turned down the perkiness and tried for contrite. "Okay."

"Not okay!"

"Eliot, what on earth is wrong?" Sophie asked as she came downstairs.

He turned to her than back to Parker. "She stole my wallet!"

"Did not!" Parker reconsidered. "Well, not never, I mean, I have taken your wallet, on occasion." Oblivious to Eliot's strangled expression, she went on, "You know, when I needed cash. But I always put it back and I try to put some money back in it eventually."

"Gah," was all Eliot managed. Sophie came over and patted Eliot on the shoulder.

"Take a breath," she advised.

He did so. "All right. Let's forget – just for a little while, we will be discussing it later – the times you have taken my wallet and given it back a little lighter. I'm talking about now. Today. I just got to the coffee shop, ordered all the ridiculous things you people all wanted, waited for the damn beans to be ground and the milk to be frothed and the cookies to be warmed and whatever else took so damn long, and then –"

"Breathe," Sophie said again.

"And then I had to leave it all behind because I had no way to pay for it because you took my wallet!"

Parker attempted to look hurt. "I didn't."

"I'm supposed to believe that?" Eliot demanded.

"Eliot, we don't accuse people of things without proof," Sophie said. "Even Parker."

Hardison chose that moment to enter the room. "I'm okay, people, don't help me carry all this equipment up the stairs," he said, putting down two silver briefcases.

"I was at the coffee shop," Eliot said through gritted teeth.

"So where's my latte?" Hardison asked.

"At the shop," Eliot said. "Because Parker took my wallet."

"Oh, right," Hardison said. "You dropped this in the car." He reached into his pocket and held out the leather wallet.

Eliot snatched it, stuffed it into his back pocket, swept back his hair. "Right," he said, embarrassed.

"Apologise," Sophie said icily.

"Sorry, Parker," Eliot said, chastened. "I'll go get the order."

"I want extra sprinkles," Parker said.

"Sure. And I'll buy you a doughnut," Eliot said gruffly. He went out, slamming the door behind him.

"How come he never buys me a doughnut?" Hardison complained. Parker shrugged and went back to eating her cereal.

First Time, Leverage, Parker/Sophie, Teen(15)

It's not the first explosion Parker has survived but it scares Sophie more than she can articulate.

"Put her in the shower," Sophie orders and Eliot complies. She's so tiny and fragile in the large man's strong embrace, covered in dust and bits of concrete. If she's hurt, Sophie can't see for the dirt.

Eliot turns on the shower and Hardison hovers at the bathroom door, afraid.

"Out," Sophie snaps, stripping off her own blouse and kicking off her shoes. As Eliot goes, reluctantly, trying to drag Hardison away and shutting the door, Sophie wiggles out of her skirt. In only her underwear she gets into the shower, crouches down beside Parker.

"I'm all right," Parker insists.

"We'll see," Sophie says, lump in her throat. "Come here. Can you get up?"

Parker's clothes are already soaked through and are difficult to remove, but eventually a pile of sodden garments in on the bathroom floor. Sophie grabs a sponge and gently cleans the pale skin. A few bruises, a scrape on one elbow, a cut by an eyebrow, but nothing serious.

"Here," Sophie says, "this is my best shower lotion, from Paris. You don't want to know how much it costs." She pours the liquid into her palm and rubs it over Parker shoulders, working it along her arms, then, hesitantly, the other woman's breasts.

"That's nice," Parker says dreamily.

Emboldened, Sophie works her way down Parker's torso, her buttocks, her legs.

"It smells nice, like you," Parker says.

Sophie swallows hard. "Would you like me to wash your hair?"

Parker nods in agreement and expensive shampoo is applied to her blonde locks. Sophie rubs at Parker's scalp, massaging it gently, then rubs at the lengths of hair, trying to get every last bit of dirt out. It takes two more rinses and applications before Parker's hair is clean, but it's worth the time it takes.

"All clean, sweetheart," Sophie says, relieved and disappointed in equal parts.

"Thank you," Parker says suddenly, and she looks momentarily vulnerable.

Sophie leans forward and embraces her tightly. "My pleasure." She experimentally tips her head and presses her lips to Parker's. Parker hesitates then responds, returning the kiss.

Eliot ruins the moment by banging on the door. "Sophie, what's going on?"

"Bugger," Sophie swears to Parker's amusement. "We're fine," she calls.

Sophie gets out of the shower and finds a fluffy bath sheet, holding it out for Parker to step into. She wraps it around Parker as gently as she might coddle a child, though her thoughts are not as innocent as her actions.

"We could send them out," Parker says mischievously as Sophie takes up a smaller towel and rubs industriously at Parker's hair. "Tell them I want pizza from that place across town."

They'd be gone for at least forty minutes, Sophie thinks.

"Yes," she says. "That's a good idea. They'll do whatever you want right now."

"Will you?"

Sophie pauses. "Yes," she says.

It's only forty minutes but they make the most of it, and Sophie's sure that it's not to be their last time, but the first of many.