So.. I started this a while back.. and it morphed into a different story. And then I realized it was just sitting there.. unfinished. And that wasn't cool. So, I finished it. Hope you like!

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The day before Halloween

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"Hey!"

Parker looks up from the bowl she was reaching into, an expression not unlike a deer caught in headlights on her face.

"What?" she asks Nate, "It's just candy."

"That's for the trick or treaters, Parker," Nate replies, rolling his eyes slightly.

Parker backs away with a peculiar look on her face.

"Oh. I didn't know."

She walks towards the kitchen, unaware of Hardison's gaze, watching her carefully.

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Two Weeks Later

"Whoa."

Hardison looks up from his at Eliot's exclamation, and immediately agrees.

"Damn, Parker, what are you wearing?"

Parker shrugs, "Sophie said I needed a costume for the new job. This was the first one I saw at the store."

"Oh, good, you're he...oh, my..." Sophie trails off as she takes in Parker's costume.

Nate comes to stand besides Sophie and see what all the fuss is about.

"Oh," he says, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the sight before him, "What are you supposed to...be?"

Parker looks down at her outfit; which consists of spiked red heels, white thigh high stockings, a short, very short, checkered dress with a black corset belt, and little else.

"Oh!" she says, "I forgot." She pauses to reach into her honest to god wicker basket and pull out a long red cloak.

"I'm little red riding hood."

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The team just stares. Eliot whispers something about a big bad wolf that Hardison barely catches, but smacks him for anyway.

Hardison hops up, taking the cloak from Parker and trying to secure it over her.

"Here, mama, it's not red riding hood without the hood."

Parker shrugs away.

"It's too hot, and itchy," she says, pushing the cloak back into Hardison's hands.

Hardison finally gives up, allowing Parker to put the cloak back into the basket.

"Stop that," he says to Eliot, who seems to be staring off into space from the couch. But Hardison knows better.

Eliot sneers, "I'm not doing anything, jerkoff."

"Oh, I'll jerkoff you..." Hardison begins before going stock still, realizing what he's said.

Eliot is laughing so hard he's nearly crying, and it only serves to make Hardison's skin burn hotter in embarrassment. Even Sophie's usually composed form is shaking slightly with laughter.

Nate looks annoyed, but then, that's not unusual for him .

Parker looks between all of them with confusion.

"What's so funny?"

Hardison sighs, wondering why he thought this was such a good idea to begin with.

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One Week Ago

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"All I'm saying is I don't think the girl's ever even gone trick or treating, man. That ain't right."

Eliot considers Hardison's words for a moment before nodding curtly.

"Alright. But Halloween's over. How are we gonna pull this off?"

"That's where I come in," Sophie grins as she slinks her way into the space between them. "You two work out everything else, and leave Parker to me."

"What about Nate?" Hardison asks, eying their wayward mastermind from across the room.

"Nate doesn't care either way," Nate calls out, waving his hand at them without looking up from his files.

Sophie shrugs.

The plan is set.

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Now(Two weeks after the night before Halloween.)

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"Hey wait," Parker says, seemingly noticing her surroundings for the first time, "Why are you all dressed up too? And what's with the decorations?"

Hardison smiles, cautiously.

"Happy Halloween?"

Parker tilts her head, looking at him quizzically.

"Halloween was two weeks ago, Hardison."

His smile fades slightly, but he tries to remember that Parker isn't being mean, just observational.

"I know. But we were talking, and thought that maybe you hadn't gotten to have a fun Halloween before, and wanted to give you one."

Parker looks to him, sharply, "You guys were talking about me?"

"Maybe?" Hardison cringes slightly as he answers, hoping she isn't too mad.

"Dammit, Parker," Eliot interrupts, "Yes, we were talking about you. That's what people do when they're planning surprises. Get over it."

Parker glares at him sternly for a moment, before shrugging and addressing the group as a whole.

"Oh. OK then. So what are we doing?"

Hardison grins widely.

"You're going trick or treating," he shrugs slightly, "Kinda."

"Oh," Parker says again, smiling for the first time since she got there, "That means I get free candy, right?"

"Mmhm," Hardison nods, handing Parker a plastic pumpkin bucket to replace the basket she's set down.

"Yay!" Parker outright grins this time, slightly bouncing in place.

Hardison studiously avoids the resulting jiggling the motion causes.

"What are you guys, anyway?" she asks, looking at the group with curiosity.

She starts with Hardison. "Are you... a vampire?" she asks, noting the black cape and fake blood smeared around his mouth.

Hardison swooshes his cape dramatically and laughs, "Mwahahaha, indeed I am, little girl! I am Blacula! Prince of Darkness, but with more soul."

Parker can't help it, she bursts out laughing, clutching her stomach and leaning over as her knees go weak.

"Told you it was dumb," Eliot says, only somewhat smugly, "'Blacula' does not exist. And your Transylvanian accent is horrible. Also, you don't even have the fake teeth."

"They were uncomfortable," Hardison retorts, "And who cares if Blacula doesn't actually exist. Vampires aren't real anyway, it's all in fun."

"Oh, vampires are real," Parker argues, "I knew one, back when I was a circus performer. Well, circus performer/thief."

"You knew Reynaldo?" Eliot asks, looking surprised.

Parker shrugs, "We called him Ray. He was nice."

"Guys," Nate interrupts, with a 'can we get on with this' motion.

"You guys are just messing with me, right?" Hardison asks, fidgeting slightly.

"Of course they are, dear," Sophie soothes, "come on, let's move on."

"Fine," Hardison nods, glaring at Eliot once more, "And it's not like your costume is so creative," he pausing to 'tsk' at his western shirt and cowboy hat, "I bet you just had that in your closet. It's not even a costume."

Eliot is unfazed, "It's still better than 'Blacula: Prince of Darkness,'" The mocking tone is apparent.

"Who are you, Sophie?" Parker asks, ignoring the boys' bickering in favor of taking in Sophie's costume. The pretty woman is wearing a long red trench coat with a matching fedora type hat, over what looks like black knee high boots. Her hair is pinned to one side, leaving it tumbling in waves down her shoulder.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sophie asks, gesturing to her costume dramatically.

Parker stares thoughtfully, before guessing.

"Hooker?"

Sophie's stunned silence has be backpedaling quickly.

"I mean like.. a high class hooker! A call girl. An escort!"

Sophie still stares, apparently baffled into silence.

"Come on," Parker says, looking to Eliot for support, "Escorts dress like that... right?"

Eliot growls, "Why are you asking me, Parker?"

Parker just raises an eyebrow and stares, hands cocked on her hips.

"Oh, shut up," Eliot says, slouching back down into his seat on the couch.

"Parker," Sophie sighs, "I'm Carmen Sandiego."

"Ohh," Parker says, nodding along, "Right!"

"You have no idea who that is, do you?" Sophie asks, looking somehow both surprised and not surprised at all.

"Nope!" Parker says, cheerfully, "Can we do candy now?"

"Please," Nate interjects, walking over to join the group, gesturing for Eliot to follow.

"Oh!" Parker says, grinning as she takes in Nate's costume, "You're Jimmy Papadakoulos!"

Nate gives her an oily grin and pulls at his lime green suit jacket, "At your service."

Parker wrinkles her nose, "That was creepy."

Nate gives a quick bow, "Thank you."

"Still creepy."

"OK!" Hardison says, "Parker you go outside the door and knock. When I answer, you say 'trick or treat,' and then I'll give you candy."

Parker rolls her eyes, "I know how it works. I've seen it on TV."

Hardison's struck by just how sad that sounds, but keeps his face in a neutral expression.

"Shoo," he says instead, opening the door for her, before turning to the other team members, "Places, people, places!"

"Pla..." Parker begins, but she's already being given a little shove, the door clicking shut behind her.

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Hardison opens the front door with a flourish, at Parker's knock. It's silly, because he's already seen her, and knows exactly what to expect, but his breath catches just a little bit anyway.

Parker's looking at him expectantly, holding out her little pumpkin bucket for the candy.

"What do you say?" Hardison says, laughing a little bit at himself and how much he sounds like his nana in the moment.

Parker pouts, but pastes on a cheery grin anyway.

"Trick or Treat!"

Hardison shakes his head, but dumps a scoopful of candy in her bucket anyway.

"Thank you," Parker says, quietly, and Hardison can't help but notice the look on her face.

She's staring into the bucket like he's given her gold, a soft smile on her face. He tries no to think about how such a small gesture could cause so much emotion, it makes his throat clench in a way he doesn't care for. Clearing his throat, he pulls Parker inside and closes the door behind him.

"Come on, girl, we got three more doors to hit."

Parker freezes, "But there aren't that many bedrooms..."

"Never said rooms," Hardison laughs, "I said doors. Now come on."

Parker just grins again and follows Hardison to the stairs, skipping along the away.

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Nate gives Parker a whole bag of Hershey kisses, along with several rolls of quarters. He defends himself from Hardison's 'seriously' look by pointing out that they were wrapped in orange paper, and Parker loves them. Parker agrees, as she drops the rolls into the bucket one by one, relishing in the sound of money.

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Sophie's door is actually the hallway linen closet, which is luckily quite spacious. She answers the door with a camera in her hands, laughing when Parker and Hardison are startled by the flash. But she nearly fills Parker's bucket with assorted, and no doubt imported, treats, so they forgive her.

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"Where's Eliot?" Parker asks, as she and Hardison make their way back downstairs, Nate and Sophie presumably a few moments behind them.

"Three guesses, and the first two don't count," Hardison replies, trying not to watch the way the white stockings gleam against her long legs too closely. He doesn't want to fall down the stairs, after all.

"Ooh!" Parker leaps down the last few steps, landing with cat-like reflexes in her crazy thin heels.

Hardison absolutely does not think about the incredible muscle and body control the little stunt takes, or how the costume hugs every inch of her body that isn't already displayed.

Except that he totally does.

Parker, luckily, doesn't notice, and is already skipping to the door that Eliot made, swinging her bucket as she goes.

She knocks and Eliot answers, holding his hat in front of him and smiling.

"Ma'am," he greets, and Hardison has to give him credit, he doesn't leer at the girl. This time.

"Trick or Treat," Parker says, laughing as Eliot tips his hat into her bucket, transferring the candy.

He gives her just a little bit of a smirk before settling that hat back on his head and shrugging almost bashfully.

"Happy Halloween, Parker."

Parker just grins and holds her bucket close.

"Come on, I'm making food for everyone," Eliot says as he walks out and closes the door behind him.

"Will there be cookies?" Parker asks, hope written clearly in her eyes.

"Don't you think you have enough sugar?" Eliot asks, trading amused glances with Hardison as he makes his way to the kitchen.

Parker just pouts, but nods, "I guess so."

"He's just teasing, mama," Hardison assures her, "I'll make sure there are cookies, even if I have to make them myself."

"Don't let Hardison bake in my home," Nate says, as he steps down from the stairs with Sophie behind him.

"I won't," Eliot says, with a solemn look, "I remember the cake incident, too."

"One time!" Hardison says, exasperated, "It was one time! Can't a man burn a cake one time in his life and not have to hear about it forever?"

Nate and Eliot exchange a look before answering in unison, "Nope."

Hardison sighs. "All y'all... are getting so much porn sent to your houses. So. Much."

Sophie clears her throat.

"You two," Hardison amends, pointing at Eliot and Nate, "Not you, ladies," he grins at Sophie and Parker, who just shake their heads.

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Sophie takes a step back, pulling Parker along with her. They watch the guys bicker in a silence for a moment, and Sophie is surprised when Parker's the one to break the silence.

"This was nice," she says, laughing as Hardison manages to drop a bag of flour before Eliot can even open it.

The hitters growl is not so much intimidating as it is amusing, and she tells Sophie so.

Sophie just nods in agreement, rolling her eyes as Hardison grabs a soda from the fridge and makes a beeline for the couch.

"I'm going to go bother Nate for a bit," Sophie says to Parker, "Why don't you go watch some TV with Hardison. So Eliot doesn't kill us all before dinner."

Parker shrugs, "OK."

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She drops beside him wordlessly, and Hardison says nothing. But he changes the channel from something with aliens to a comedy that he knows she watches late at night.

She smiles, inching slightly closer, pulling up the pumpkin bucket to rest between them.

"Candy?"

Hardison shrugs and reaches in blindly, pulling out a crinkly bag.

"What'd you get?" Parker asks, though she's still mostly engrossed in the TV.

Hardison laughs as he looks down at his hand, and he wonders who slipped the treat in with all the chocolate.

"What is it?" Parker asks again, giving him a look that he's seen more often of Eliot's face.

Hardison stops laughing after another moment and turns the package to show Parker.

"It's pretzels."

Parker grins, and leans back into the couch.

"Cool," she says, grabbing the bag from his hands and opening it, "we can share."

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It's not much, but it makes Hardison smile so wide that it actually hurts.

When he notices Parker's shivering, he offers her his cape to keep warm, and is somewhat surprised when she agrees and wraps herself up in it like a blanket, before moving closer, just a little bit.

They're not quite touching, and Hardison knows that they aren't quite there, wherever there is.

But they're close.

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THE END