Disclaimer: I own nothing here and am just doing this for fun and to ease my new-found Leverage addiction.

Written For: Prompt #8 (a cliff) in story_lottery on LJ.

Hardison had finally talked Parker into a vacation, although she still didn't understand the point of a trip that didn't involve stealing anything. She supposed that Kauai was pretty enough, if you liked lush tropical plants and didn't mind a bit of rain.

She'd enjoyed snorkeling (like living in an aquarium for a few hours), loved the helicopter ride (although it would've been way better if the pilot had let her stick her head out the window), hated kayaking (too slow), and tolerated the movie tour (but only because it was cute to watch Hardison geek out every time the tour guide mentioned Raiders of the Lost Arc or Jurassic Park).

By the fifth day, she was bored and her fingers were getting twitchy. She couldn't help noticing that all the other tourists, with their ridiculous fanny packs and shallow-pocketed shorts, were practically begging to have their wallets stolen.

Not that lifting a few wallets from the unsuspecting would be a challenge, but it would take the edge off. Plus, she'd noticed that the painting behind the hotel's reception desk looked like an authentic Maxfield Owens watercolor.

She couldn't be certain until she'd examined it more closely, but she thought she'd seen the faint brush stroked that would indicate that it was an original painting, not just a giclee print. A one-of-a-kind painting hanging in a 24-7 reception area with cameras and a security system would be a worthy challenge.

Parker was sitting at the edge of the dining room, close enough to see the reception desk, with the guide book open in front of her. She was waiting for Hardison to finish getting ready and join her for breakfast. (Eliot was right, he was worse than a damn girl sometimes.) The day's plan was a spin on the plantation railway, which Parker had already decided would be boring.

She barely noticed the page on the guidebook as she looked up through her bangs, watching the receptionist and noting the positions of the cameras. Casing the place was as natural as breathing, and within twenty minutes, Parker was starting to see possibilities, exit strategies, contingency plans.

"Are you interested in cliff jumping?" asked the waiter. He was tall and tan, with almond-shaped eyes and a ponytail of thin blonde dreadlocks.

"What? How do you know that?" asked Parker, startled. How could he know she liked to jump off tall things? Maybe he could read minds. And if he could read minds, then why wasn't he asking why she was planning on going home with a Maxfield Owens original tucked in her suitcase?

He smiled and gestured to the table. "You're reading about it."

"Oh, right," she said, relieved, before realizing that she should play it cooler. "I mean, yes, I suppose I am."

"Well, you don't want to go to any of the places listed there."

"I don't?"

"No, they're too crowded and half the people there don't know what they're doing." He looked around and then set the coffee pot on the table. He took out his order pad and pen, made a few notes in slow, precise handwriting, and then tore off the sheet with a flourish.

"That's where you want to go," he said. "Trust me. It's a sixty foot drop into twenty feet of the bluest, calmest water you've ever seen. Best place on earth and I've seen quite a few."

Parker's first instinct was suspicion, but she studied his face and all she could see was an easy joy and laid-back contentment. He didn't want anything from her. Weird. She tucked the paper in the guide book. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he said, smiling as he picked up the coffee pot and headed off to the next table.

Parker gathered her things and pausing on the way out to grab an apple and a granola bar from the buffet table. She raced up three flights of stairs and down the impossibly long corridor to Hardison's room. She was about to pick the lock when she remembered that he'd already talked to her twice about respecting the boundary of the lock. Rolling her eyes, she pounded on the door until he finally answered.

"Parker, thank you for knocking, but the custom is to knock once, maybe twice, then wait for an answer," said Hardison as he answered the door, wearing boxer shorts and a Dr. Who t-shirt.

"You're not even close to ready!"

"Well, you know, can't rush me. I'm on vacation. I'll chafe if you rush me, so don't even try," he replied, pointing a warning finger at her.

"Change of plans. Forget the railway. I found something better." She tossed the apple and granola bar at his chest, laughing as he awkwardly flailed and just managed to catch them.

"Change of? What? Slow down and tell me what's going on."

"No time. I have to get ready. You'll need a bathing suit and a towel," she said as she turned to leave, ignoring his grumbling about how he'd worked hard to plan a perfect trip and now she'd gone and upset the applecart, whatever that was.

(That apple had been on a table, she'd only taken one and no one had been upset because it wasn't even stealing when people left things out with the intention that you take them. But she wasn't going to go back and ask him about the apple cart because she was a girl on a mission.)

Hardison drove the car and Parker gave him directions, hiding the slip of paper behind a map.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" asked Hardison.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of like a beach."

"Like that narrows it down. We're on an island, Parker." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "You know I'm not a big fan of the ocean."

"What? You did find with the snorkeling."

"That was different. We were all up in those life jackets," he said, gesturing expansively to his chest.

"Oh yeah. And I guess they did have to give you that pool noodle thing, when you first got off the boat."

"Wasn't like a swimming pool, you know. Nothing to hold onto. The ocean's scary. It just takes what it wants."

Parker thought that sounded like a good thing, but the look on Hardison's face made her swallow the words. She spotted their turn-off and pointed to the narrow road. "Turn here."

"I don't think that's a road, Parker."

"Trust me. It is."

He shrugged and turned the wheel, guiding the car up the narrow, ruttted path lined with tropical plants that made Hardison mutter about how a crazy woman was making him drive through a damn jungle. Parker could feel her excitement uncurling inside of her. This was going to be so much fun.

Ten minutes later, the road leveled off and they came to a clearing. Parker unsnapped her seatbelt and had the door open before Hardison had even stopped the car.

"Whoa there. You could just tell me to stop the car, you know, at least wait until the damn thing's stopped before you get out," said Hardison.

"I haven't gotten out yet. Hurry up and park already," she said, fidgeting with impatience. The second he dropped the gear lever into park, she jumped out and rushed over to the cliff. She kicked off her shoes and crept right up to the line, letting her toes curl around the rocky edge. The wind was blowing softly in her face and she leaned into it a little, enough to see straight down to the water, a deep sapphire with glinting diamonds.

"Hell no," said Hardison as he slammed the car door. He took a few tentative steps in her direction but then stopped, shook his head and folded his arms.

Parker skipped back to him. "Isn't it just perfect?"

"Gorgeous to look at? Yeah, sure, Parker, it's paradise. But I am not doing what you're thinking about doing. You're crazy."

She stuck her tongue out at him and pulled off her loose skirt and peasant top to reveal a sleek red one-piece bathing suit. Sophie had pushed for a bikini, even going so far as to tuck three options into her suitcase, but Parker preferred the practicality of a one-piece.

"Hold on a second, you're going to need sunscreen," said Hardison, popping open the trunk and rummaging around inside until he came up with a bottle.

"I'm fine," she insisted and tried to get away, but he grabbed her arm.

"Nuh-huh, you're so pale, you'd burn in the candlelight. You're not getting skin cancer on my watch, no way."

Parker sighed in frustration but grabbed the sunscreen from Hardison and hurriedly applied it. "Happy?"

"You forgot your back. Here, let me," he said, taking the bottle from her. She closed her eyes as his hands ran over her back, all gentle and soft. It was soothing, actually, which surprised her. It also seemed like it was taking a long time.

"Hurry up."

"Hold your horses. I think I missed a spot," he said.

Her patience lasted another thirty seconds until she decided he was using the sunscreen as a stalling tactic.

"I'm good. Thank you," she said as she rushed back over to the edge. She looked down and did a few calculations in her head. Sixty feet, should be just under two seconds of free-fall. She bet she could turn enough somersaults in that time to get completely dizzy. Looking around, she spotted a footpath, which she guessed beat climbing back up the black rocks, although that might be fun too.

"You ready, Hardison?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

He shook his head, eyes wide, and put up his hands to reinforce his point.

"It'll be fun. C'mon. Just come over here," she said, turning her attention back to the drop.

"There is no way I'm jumping off a perfectly good cliff. Now, if a rabid lion comes out of the jungle there, maybe I'd think about it, but right now? N-huh, no way, Jose."

"There are no lions here. And Hawaii doesn't have any rabies either," she said, crinkling her nose as she tried to understand him. She shook her head. No, he just plain wasn't making any sense.

"Parker, this is my way of telling you that there is no way in hell I'm jumping off a cliff, so just get that idea out of your head."

"But it's fun. You just step out into nothing and enjoy the ride. The way the wind sounds in your ears, the way it touches your face, all soft and fast and cool. And then, just when you think you're going to die, you sink into the warm water and it's absolutely silent and dark, like falling into another world," she spoke quickly, her words transporting her into a memory.

"So let me get this straight, you want me to jump off a cliff, something that could kill me, and then land in the ocean, something that definitely wants to kill me?"

"Hardison, the ocean doesn't want to kill you," she said. "Look, I'll do the first one, so you can see that it's safe."

"You can do it, but that doesn't prove it's safe. You do unsafe things all the time."

Parker gave a little wave and stepped up to the edge. She blocked out Hardison complaining behind her and focused on the wind, the gentle way it was whistling through the palm trees. She took a deep breath, stretched her arms over her head, leaned forward, and used her legs to drive herself out and away from the cliff face.

In easy fluid movements, she pulled her limbs close to her body and turned fast somersaults in the air, her view switching from sky to sea to cliff, flashing like fragments from a dream. She counted five rotations before she straightened out and watched the sparkling sea coming at her hard and fast.

The blue water swallowed her and she let herself sink into the dark, silent world, smiling as she scared away a school of yellow and orange fish. When her lungs felt like they were going to burst, she kicked her way up to the surface, laughing when she broke through and finally drew a deep breath.

Parker lazily made her way over to the edge and scrambled up the black rocks, remnants of the volcanos that had formed the island millions of lifetimes of go. She trotted up the footpath and back to the clearing where she found Hardison waiting for her with a towel. She ignored his outstretched hand, opting instead to shake off the worst of the water.

"See, I'm still alive. Nothing to it," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the edge.

"Parker, look, I don't know about this. I have asthmatic tendencies that kick in when I'm nervous, and believe me, I'm nervous. This is a bad idea."

"Take off your shoes. And your shirt."

He slipped off his sandals and then pulled off his shirt, dropping it behind him. "I'm just getting more comfortable. Don't you think for a second that this means I'm going to jump."

"Hardison, there's nothing to it. You don't even have to go head-first. Just, here," she said, stepping behind him so she could position his body. His skin was hot and soft under her hands. "Keep your arms close to your body and your legs together. And when you jump, get out away from the cliff, as far as you can."

He turned and looked at her, his eyes wide and crazy. "Aww, hell, no. I was nearly ready, but now you've reminded me of the cliff and the rocks and how fragile my bones are, naw, I am not doing this."

She bobbed around next to him and gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs. "Stop being such a girl. I'll go first, you go as soon as I hit the water, okay? I'll go to the right, so as long as you jump to the left, you probably won't land on top of me."

"Probably won't?" he echoed incredulously.

"Yeah, probably....maybe...whatever," she said with a grin as she raised her arms and jumped again. This time, she maintained her position and just watched the ocean sparkling beneath her. She hit the water and immediately turned and kicked for the surface, hoping to see Hardison as he jumped.

She broke the surface and was confused because she couldn't see him at all. Not at the top of the cliff and not in the air. She went back under the water, but couldn't see him there either. She shouted a few times, but her words just echoed dimly off the black cliff face.

She felt panicky, wondering for a minute if the ocean really had taken him. If it had the power to just automatically make a grown man disappear. She dove back under the water, searching for him, her arms blindly grabbing. After several minutes of coming up empty, Parker clambered up the rocks, worry making her clumsy, and raced up the path.

When she arrived at the top, she was breathless and scared. At first glance, the clearing was empty. Then she spotted Hardison sitting in the car, his laptop balanced on the steering wheel. Anger and annoyance overtook her feelings of relief, and she yanked the car door open.

"What are you doing?"

"Me?" he asked innocently, his face blank. "I'm piggybacking on the cellular phone network so I can-"

"Hardison," she growled, sounding eerily like Eliot. Maybe they were spending too much time together. Like how people start to look like their dogs after awhile.

"Wow. I didn't realize Eliot was joining us on this vacation."

Parker flipped the laptop shut, smiling to herself with satisfaction when he yelped as his finger got caught under the lid. "C'mon, Hardison, you have a cliff to jump off of."

He put the laptop on the passenger seat and rested his head on the steering wheel. "Why is this so important to you, Parker?"

The question stopped her and she had to think about it. Slowly, she tried to put her thoughts into words. "I guess... because... it's something that makes me feel alive, and it's a good feeling, and I want to share that feeling... with you."

Something sparked in his eye and he lifted his head in a way that reminded Parker of a turtle emerging from its shell. "Okay, that puts things in a whole new light."

Hardison unfolded his lanky frame from the car and allowed Parker to take his hand and lead him over to the edge.

"We'll jump together," she said, still holding his hand. "We'll count to three and then jump. Deal?"

He nodded, his eyes clenched shut, but he still managed to count with her. "One...two...three."

And they were off, dropping through the air, Hardison shrieking all the way down. Parker focused on the sun in her eyes and the warmth of his hand in hers. They hit the water with a splash and sunk down steadily. It felt different, falling into the ocean with him.

Parker bobbed up easily, dragging Hardison with her. When they broke the surface, she let go of his hand. Hardison was laughing. She watched him, wipe the water out of his eyes, a look of wonder on his face, and she was suddenly so proud of him. Without thinking she launched herself across the short distance and threw her arms around his neck.

Treading water, he wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her close. He rested his head on her shoulder and she could feel him breathing against her neck. A strange sort of nervousness started to percolate in her stomach, bubbling out into her limbs, making her feel light-headed and jittery. She wiggled away from him, using her arms to drift back and put a few feet of distance between them.

"Parker, what's wrong?"

"It's just...you never..I mean... That just felt weird," she said, watching as his gaze went from surprised to hurt and then blank.

"Hey man, I'm sorry. I was just so glad to be alive. I'd even be hugging Eliot if he were here."

Under ordinary circumstances, Parker would have appreciated his attempt to turn it into a joke. She shook her head, frustrated that she wasn't able to express herself better. "No, it felt good. But it also felt weird. And a little scary."

"Oh, kind of like jumping off a cliff,"

"No jumping off a cliff is... pure freedom and adrenalin and all of the best things in the world, wrapped up in a whistling wind and fast-changing scenery."

"Really? That's not jumping off a cliff is for me," replied Hardison. "I had hepped up butterflies on speed racing around in my stomach like they were in some demented version of the Indy 500 and my mouth was dry and all I could think was that I was going to die."

Jumping, falling, diving...it was all so easy for her. She hadn't quite understood before that it wouldn't be as easy for Hardison. The way he glided through life with calm self-assurance made it easy to forget that he wasn't good at everything, that he had fears, that there were things she could do that he couldn't do.

Jumping was hard for him, and she finally appreciated what it had taken for him to do something that terrified him so much. And he'd done it for her, to share something that she loved to do. He trusted her and was willing to overcome his fears to give her what she wanted.

She smiled at him and allowed herself to truly see him for the first time, to accept and acknowledge the feelings he had for her, which were so clear in his deep brown eyes.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

She gave him half a shrug. "I think maybe I understand. Finally." She treaded water casually, drifting over toward him.

"Understand what?" he asked.

"Sometimes, you just have to jump," said Parker, coming up close to him. "Even if you're afraid, because you know the trip is going to be worth it."

"Yeah, I think I'm learning that too." He smiled, beautiful and nearly as blinding as the water glinting off the water.

"I am, too...and I think I'm ready to jump," she said, wrapping her arms around her neck, hoping that no matter what happened, they'd come out on the other side, unharmed and laughing.