Author's Note: I'd originally planned for this chapter to be M-rated, but it seemed more appropriate to leave it where it was. If inspiration hits, I might add another chapter – and there's no way that one wouldn't be M – but for now… it's still T, I'm afraid.

Chapter Two: Smile

It was a week, a lot of awkward tension, and even more awkward stares from the team later before Sophie decided that something had to be done.

Optimally, she would like to have sex with Parker, and convince her that she had nothing to be ashamed of, or to be embarrassed about, or whatever it was that the thief was feeling. But if sex didn't happen, she at least needed to talk to Parker and resolve this; she didn't know Parker's thoughts on the matter, but she knew that the entire situation was distracting her immensely.

So, wrapped in her coat and scarf, Sophie turned to the door of her house and made to leave.

"Wait," Parker's soft, hesitant voice called out to her.

Sophie turned around, and only very briefly wondered how the blonde had infiltrated her home, but rolled her eyes at herself and decided that Parker's stealthy habits were the least of her worries.

"Parker," she breathed lightly, unbuttoning her coat, "I was just about to visit you."

But the thief didn't respond. She shifted anxiously from foot to foot, wringing her hands nervously, and Sophie knew she had to tread carefully.

"Would you like to sit down?" She offered, hanging her coat up and giving Parker a moment to collect herself.

"No," Parker replied. "I – I mean, no, thank you," she amended uncomfortably.

But Sophie sat down on the loveseat and patted the space next to her gently anyways, asking Parker once more to sit down. The thief stiffly obliged.

Sophie sighed, and said softly, "Parker, relax. It's alright."

Parker's lack of reply told Sophie that her words had little to no effect on the other woman.

"I was flattered, Parker," she said gently. "With what you said that day, I mean. Nobody's ever – Well, nobody's ever said anything like that to me before. It's nice to be noticed," she continued, reaching out her hand to cover Parker's two tangled, fidgeting ones.

"People always notice you, Sophie," Parker said, distractedly.

Sophie chuckled. "No, they don't really. People always notice how I can manipulate their feelings, yes. That's my job, as a grifter. But people don't usually notice me. Not like you do," she added, nearly at a whisper.

"I had something to say," Parker announced.

"Alright," Sophie encouraged her gently. "Go on."

Parker stood up and started pacing the floorboards. "I've never liked girls before," she began quickly, "and I never thought about liking girls or about how I'd never liked girls before until after I liked you. Because you're nice, and you're pretty, and I like to make you smile. And also because your voice makes my insides do something weird and spinny and… weird. And your eyes are nice and pretty, too – not mean or scary or ugly like Nate's sometimes are. They're nice to me. And I like it. And I also like it that you don't tell me I'm insane like Eliot does, or try to make green robots to replace me like Hardison," Parker inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it, her demeanor changing from nervousness to anger very quickly.

"And I don't like how you look at Nate sometimes, and I even more don't like how Nate's mean to you. Because he doesn't make you smile, and I like it when you smile, because smiles mean you're happy. And I want you to be happy. And he doesn't care if you're not happy, and I think that's stupid," the thief finished, crossing her arms stubbornly, before she sighed and relaxed her arms once more. Then, she weakly, hopelessly added, eyes shifting to the floor, "And I don't want him to make you happy, either, because I want to make you happy. And I don't know how to make you happy, Sophie."

Sophie, stunned and floored as she was, knew she had to say something quickly (and something good), lest Parker put her stealth to use and disappear a second time.

"Parker," Sophie said, trying to get the thief to look at her, but she didn't, "that made me happy."

Parker's eyes shot upward doubtfully. "But I didn't do anything. I rambled and said crazy things that don't make sense to normal people."

"It made perfect sense to me, Parker," Sophie said quietly, reaching for the blonde's hand again, holding it gently, her soft smile greeting Parker's wide, skeptical eyes.

"It did?" Parker asked quietly.

Sophie stood up slowly, still holding Parker's hand, and murmured to her, "Yeah. Yeah, it did."

The grifter watched Parker swallow, no doubt hearing the change in Sophie's voice – the slight shift from quiet acceptance to muted seduction.

"Your voice is doing that… spinny thing again, Sophie."

Sophie laughed hotly, pushing Parker lightly until she ungracefully collapsed into the loveseat again.

"Is it?" Sophie asked, knowing exactly what she was doing to the blonde, and patting herself on the back as she watched Parker's eyes dilate. The grifter straddled her lean legs, leaned in toward Parker's ear, and whispered very lowly, "I like that I can make you feel… spinny."

When Sophie pulled away, just as little as she needed to so that she could see Parker's face, she watched as the thief bit down hard on her lip to keep from making a sound.

"I'm going to kiss you now, Parker," Sophie told her.

"No! You can't. I've never done it before and I'll be bad and that won't make you smile. And I already told you, Sophie, I want to make you smile, because smiles mean you're happy and – "

Sophie leaned forward, despite Parker's adorable (and simultaneously annoying) rant, and pressed her lips to Parker's soft, pink ones. She gave the thief a couple of seconds – and no more than that – to adjust to her lips before she licked lightly at the corner of Parker's mouth.

The kiss lasted only a minute, but when Sophie pulled apart from Parker, she watched the thief bite her lip again, and watched Sophie back.

Sophie smiled softly at the younger woman, and leaned in for one more, chaste kiss.

When they pulled away from one another a second time, Sophie noticed the hesitantly smug look in Parker's eyes.

"What?" She asked with a light laugh.

"You're happy. I made you smile," Parker replied innocently, shrugging like it didn't matter to her, but Sophie knew otherwise.

Sophie sat straight up, her thighs still spread across Parker's, and moved her hands to the top button of her blouse. As she undid it, the grifter seductively whispered, "Watch closely, Parker, and I'll see if I can't make you smile, as well."