The Hacker & The Thief: a Parker/Hardison Ship Manifesto
Title: The Hacker & The Thief
Author: renisanz
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing: Alec Hardison/Parker
Notes: This post is graphic heavy, using animated gifs (made by me) to illustrate various points. I've attempted to cover all of the significant points from Season 1. The Season 2 comes on DVD in a few days, and when it does I'll continue the manifesto with Part 2. Thanks to evening_shadow for reading over this and offering her insights. :) All typos are mine.
I distinctly remember seeing the advertisements for this new Summer show, Leverage. I had no interest in tuning in, until one weekend, I caught part of an episode, and my interest was piqued because D.B. Sweeney was guest-starring as a priest. I later found out that that was episode 6, "The Miracle Job." The premise of the show involved a Robin Hood like gang of criminals who come together to provide leverage for people who have been taken advantage of by the wealthy. I loved what I saw, and I viewed a few more random episodes before the finale.
The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. -Nate Ford
I really liked the chemistry present among all of the characters. It was so natural and the banter was hilarious. I was immediately taken Alec Hardison, in large part because he totally broke the stereotype of what one expects a computer geek to be.
I don't usually like to get into shows near the end, preferring to view the whole season from the beginning, if possible. However, I decided to watch the finale, since I didn't know if this show had been renewed for a second season:
Hardison: Where're you going?Parker: Let's see how hard you look.
-01.13 The Second David Job-
I wanted to know what I had missed and what had occurred between these characters to lead them to poignant farewell.
Wrap Sheets
Eliot: What are you gonna do when she finds out you live with your mom?
Alec Hardison: Internet and Computer Fraud.
He can hack into pretty much anything electronic. Fun-loving, self-proclaimed geek with a very colorful wardrobe as well as personality. Alec grew up in the foster care system and was raised by a woman he quite often and fondly refers to as "Nana." He has a big mouth and a bigger ego, but his amazing computer skills work to ground his claims of greatness.
Nate: Parker? You got Parker? She's insane.
Eliot: That's twenty pounds of crazy in a five pound bag.
Eliot & Sophie: There's something wrong with you.
Parker: Security Circum Infiltration and Alter Thief.
She likes to steal things, plain and simple. Though Parker loves the security provided by the monetary value of the things she takes, it also seems, that above all else, she is driven by the challenge involved in circumventing security protocols and infiltrating places in which access is severely restricted. Quirky and socially inept, she was also raised in the foster system, but, unlike Hardison, she had a very negative experience. It has been implied that she suffered some type of abuse as well. Whether it was physical, sexual, or some form of both is unclear. This is expounded up on in "The Stork Job." Parker seems to have a difficult time expressing or even identifying her emotions, but one thing that she does not confuse is her love of money.
Parker & Hardison:
Parker and Hardison have a very interesting dynamic. There is real element of innocence to their relationship. They seem to be naturally drawn to each other, whether or not this is caused by their shared backgrounds in the foster system or that they both have playful aspects to their personalities or just simply enjoy each other's company. I think it's a combination of all these.
The main thing I appreciate about this pairing is that the creators are taking their time with this. We know from the beginning that Hardison is attracted to Parker. That attraction eventually evolves to admiration of her skill as a thief and genuine affection. She's pretty, but Parker hardly uses that attribute to get what she wants. Even with heavy coaching from Sophie, it's not her forte. She's gifted and capable and knows when to defer to Hardison's hacking expertise when necessary. She doesn't really respond to his feeble attempts at flirtation, nor does she exactly rebuff him. She sometimes feeds the fire in her own quirky way, and I particularly enjoy seeing Hardison take the time to try to figure her out.
There is an amazing level of continuity as the relationship progresses. Listening to the DVD commentary, you become aware that the show's writers, producers, and creators are aware that there is something special about the interaction between these characters and they are willing to continue putting them together in situations to explore what happens.
Little Thief Crush:
I think it was right after watching "The Miracle Job" that I went and sought out some Leverage fanfic. So, I ended up reading a fic with Parker and Hardison as a pairing before I actively shipped them. I do however, distinctly remember reading " The Underwire Job" by brown_betty . It was when I went back looking for Parker/Hardison fic, after I started catching up on Season 1, that I ended up rereading the fic and getting way more enjoyment out of it than I had the first time around. Not that I didn't like the story before, but I could put the events in context, and since I had seen the interactions of the characters on the show, I could actually see Parker/Hardison as a viable pairing.
Aesthetically? I don't want to be shallow and say, "Just look at these two." However, something in me gets a kick out of how different they are not just in personality, but also in appearance. It's quite a contrast yet weirdly complementary, and I love it.
While Parker and Hardison do share similar backgrounds in being orphans and growing up in the foster care system, they are almost polar opposites as far as the results, having had vastly different experiences (Parker's negatives, Alec's positive). As I watched the show, after knowing that Hardison liked Parker, I remember wanting to be convinced of why he liked her. I wanted to be shown rather than told that these two were good together, and I was happy to be provided that once I saw all of the first season. It was really great to see the trust build between them from that first episode, with Parker literally saying that she trusted neither Eliot nor Hardison. Despite this, Parker seems to be drawn to Hardison, and it's not something that you really see her resist. It's really great to see characters that are just comfortable with each other, who have great chemistry that isn't forced.
I think the first season is a great testament to this in that these characters get a wonderful arc, and though you don't know for certain if they'll see each other again (i.e. have another season), you see that the relationship has made an impression (more than just a one-sided crush), on Parker most noticeably. This fact, more than anything, in my opinion, makes it a pairing worth following.
01.01 The Nigerian Job
Parker: Can I have one?
Hardison: You can have the whole box.
In the pilot episode, Nathan Ford, former insurance fraud investigator, is hired by Victor Dubenich, head of a aviation design firm, to steal back some airplane designs that he claims were stolen by his competitor. Dubenich has put contracted the skills of three criminals-Eliot Spencer (hitter), Alec Hardison (hacker), and Parker (thief), all of whom notoriously work alone-and he wants Nate to lead the team, keep them honest and on the job, and make sure that the thieves don't double cross the "honest" civilian. Later, Nate enlists the help of the grifter Sophie Devereaux, which completes the team.
Partners in Crime:
Eliot, Nate, Hardison and Parker are double-crossed by their client, barely escaping an explosion set up in the abandoned warehouse where each of them was instructed to meet after not getting paid for their services. They're knocked unconscious, waking up just in time to be arrested by the local authorities. Nate wakes up in the hospital to find that they're handcuffed them to hospital beds.
Parker has already picked her cuffs and is pacing the room. Nate tells them that to escape they will have to work together one last time, and he ordered Parker to get him a cell phone. There is a cute exchange between Parker and Hardison during this scene, in which Hardison is visibly peeved that Parker is reluctant to release him from his cuffs (he has to go to the bathroom). Parker created an appropriate diversion to acquire a cell phone, and the merry band of thieves and the "one honest man" escape shortly afterward.
The Score:
This is the first display of how well Parker and Hardison work together, not only within the team as a whole, but also with each other when paired. The looks they exchange as they lift the cell phones are so telling, as well as the matching body language as they swap phones. I like how Parker teases him a bit with the key to the handcuffs.
I saw this episode a lot later than the others, after buying the Season 1 DVD to catch up on what I had missed. This is the first glimpse I got into how in sync these two can be when they need to pull off a job. They have great chemistry, and seeing them paired together in this manner gives a foreshadowing of their interactions throughout the rest of the series.
01.02 The Homecoming Job
Partners in Crime:
Parker and Hardison are tasked with breaking into Castleman Headquarters, a powerful and deadly arms dealer. The have to rapel down from the roof, and Parker fits Hardison with a harness that she has specially designed for the job...but not yet tested.
The Score:
I would say that there is definitely a lot of trust involved here, but Parker really doesn't give Hardison much time to make a choice before she shoves him off the roof. Parker seemed amused more than anything about his reaction, and it was a nice bonding moment for them. Sort of.
Hardison: Cool, so it's been tested.
Parker: Not yet.
Hardison: Not yet-? When the hell was you gon' test it?
Parker: [shoves him off the roof] Big baby.
Hardison: Seriously? Seriously?!
There's a scene where the they have to "steal a law" and Hardison between ogling Parker in a way that Nate feels borders on inappropriate Hardison seems rather impressed with Parker's infiltration skills.
At the end of the episode, the team stands aside, observing the fruits of their good deed, and we see them all commit to being a team. There's a nice exchange where Parker informs Hardison that she bought a plant for her office in their headquarters, something that he suggested in the beginning of the episode (he's a fan of dandelions).
Parker: I bought a plant.
Hardison: Nice. Team spirit.
Parker: What does it do?
Notice Parker's slightly hopeful look when Hardison commends her efforts at team spirit.
01.03 The Wedding Job
An Easy Mark:
Parker is playing the fashion designer/seamstress of the wedding. She insults the weight of one the maid-of-honor, and to make amends, she dawns the god-awful bridesmaid dress. Hardison come upon her getting dressed, and is about to leave Parker to her privacy, but she beckons him to come in and help her close up her dress in the back.
Hardison tells her that she looks a lot better in the dress than the maid-of-honor, and Parker displays a nice moment of vulnerability.
Partners in Crime:
This one is rather indirect. Parker is searching the screening room for "the money," and the guy their conning is about to be killed by a Russian Mafia rival. So, to break up the scene, Parker comes out of her hiding place, pretends to be intoxicated, and asks says that the (cute) DJ told her to meet him in there.
Who is this elusive DJ? Hardison, of course.
Hardison: How did you get away from Sergei in the screening room?
Parker: I pretended that I was drunk and we were meeting down there to have sex.
The Score:
Notice the way she let him touch her, without shrugging a way. She's obviously very comfortable with Alec and knows that he won't try anything untoward. And, as we see in later episodes, Parker has a decidedly violent reaction to any unwelcome sexual advances.
Parker: You really think I look good?
Hardison: And now you're perfect.
Honestly, when I first saw this scene I thought it was a little cheesy. Now, however, I find it very sweet. Parker is completely oblivious to how pretty she actually is, and here we get a moment where she looks to Hardison for some validation in that regard. Of course, he crush for her was really showing through, because that dress was pretty hideous. But, looking at if from another perspective, it could just be that Hardison is showing that he accepts Parker for who she is no matter what.
01.04 The Snow Job
Parker: A man with one watch knows the time. A man with two is never sure.
Sophie: Wha?
Parker: I had fortune cookies for breakfast.
[Nate turns his attention to explaining the con, while in the background Hardison and Parker continue the conversation.]
Hardison: So what, you had leftover Chinese for dinner?
Parker: No, just the cookies.
Hardison: Do you put milk on the fortune cookies? 'Cause I don't...
Parker: It's not cereal; it's a fortune cookie.
01.05 The Mile High Job
Hardison: If you were a geek, you'd be really turned on right now. I'm just sayin'.
Nate, Sophie, Eliot and Parker board a plane en route to the Cayman's in order to find a sensitive "package" containing the evidence they need to bring down the corrupt Genegro Industries. Hardison, having overslept after staying up late on campaigning on the new World of Warcraft expansion package, is alone at the office. Being the only one on the ground, he has to go inside Genegro to hack into the CEO's computer, getting the information the team needs to complete the job.
Partners in Crime:
The plane is going down. Hardison guides Parker over how to reboot the plane's electrical system in order to circumvent the virus that infected it.
The Score:
Hardison waters Parker's plant as he wanders around the office.
Parker isn't at all computer illiterate. She has to have some skills to be able to disable alarms, but most of the time she takes a more hands-on approach. Hardison's expertise is needed for the more involved hacks, like piggybacking their transmitter signal on the planes WiFi connection or some jargon...
Still, it's cute that Hardison not-so-secretly wishes that Parker would appreciate his computer prowess.
01.07 The Two-Horse Job
Parker: Don't be silly. Horses are much less murderous than I originally thought.
The team is in it to con a greedy and ruthless race horse investor. Parker's fear of horses is revealed from a childhood trauma in which she witnesses a horse kill a clown.
Partners in Crime:
Parker and Hardison have a bit of interaction when they must stake out Jim Sterling, an insurance investigator who happens to be Nate's rival (Evil Nate, as Parker refers to him).
The Score:
This episode has a few interesting moments of banter between Parker and Hardison. There's a moment where Parker seems impressed by what Hardison can do with his computer, namely hack into the electrical system of Sterling's car in order to keep him distracted while the team sets up their con.
Hardison: Incoming.
Parker: ...and Sterling.
Hardison: Electronic locks, electronic throttle, power steering, keyless entry. You know what runs all that?
Parker: Computers.
Hardison: Oh yeah.
Later...
Parker: Can you hack it?
Hardison: Hack a lock? Nice. You still really don't understand what I do, do you?
It's nice, I suppose, that Parker has such confidence in Hardison's abilities. This idea is carried over into the next season.
01.09 The Stork Job
Hardison: I like how you turned out.
The team is in Ukraine to steal back an orphan.
After the dinner fiasco, in which Parker stabs one of the marks, Nate demotes Parker to assistant duty-running errands, fetching scripts-and she's not happy about it. Hardison tells her that Nate is just doing it to make sure she's on board with the plan. She tells him yeah, she gets it, they're a team, blah blah...
Parker: This is ridiculous.
Hardison: Tell me about it. We're supposed to believe these are real.
Parker: This is what he expects me to do? Fetch scripts and water?
Hardison: Nah, it's a trust thing. He just wants to know that you're gonna go along with the game plan.
Parker: Yeah, yeah. I get it; we're a team.
Hardison: A little more than a team. [Parker looks at him] I'm just sayin'.
Partners in Crime:
Hardison goes with Parker to stakeout the warehouse where they believe the orphan they seek, Luca, is stashed. Parker tells Hardison that she doesn't need a babysitter, thinking that Nate sent him along to keep an eye on her after the stunt at the dinner, but Hardison insists Nate didn't make him come; he volunteered.
Parker infiltrates the orphanage and makes a shocking discovery, and she is visibly shaken by what she sees. On the way back to meet the team, Parker and Hardison stop off and talk about what to do.
The Score:
First, we have Hardison's thinly veiled jealousy of creepy Czech guy hitting on Parker at the party. Next, he accompanies her to stake out the orphanage because somehow he knows she needs the support. They're both orphans, and he was listening in on the comm when she assaulted the guy at the party, so maybe he realized that she was particularly sensitive to this job and just be there.
Later, we see that his concern was well-placed. This is the first time we see real emotion from Parker. We've seen her amused or angry or even frustrated, but this is the first time she's really been upset by something, moved to tears.
Parker: Chances are they'll...they're gonna turn out like me.
Hardison: I like how you turned out.
Parker tries to distance herself by what's going on, which is most likely her often used emotional defense mechanism. She feels overwhelmed by the situation, and, reasoning that they can't save all the orphans, she states that it's better just to leave them behind. If they do save them, they will only end up in the foster care system. And probably end up like her.
Most interesting to note is that Parker thinks that is it not good for a child to turn out the way she did. She's a criminal, a thief. She's introverted and a little crazy at times, and doesn't know the "normal" response to social situations. She probably doesn't think of herself a bad or evil person ("I never heart anybody"), but she recognizes that her lot in life is not the ideal one.
More than anything, Parker needs encouragement and reassurance. Hardison realizes this and just says what she needs to hear, and then backs away, giving her time to collect herself.
DVD Commentary on the scene:
Mark Roskin (producer/director): It was such a delicate dynamic between the two of them. The two of them together were just amazing. Look at how she unravels, and you never see that from Parker.
John Rogers (executive producer): That kind of dead smile that she does. For her it's the performance of the show.
[Hardison: I like how you turned out.]
Rogers: ...look at her dissolve when he says that. Oh my God, that's a lovely bit of work. And then she shuts down again. Sorry, I know we have a rule that we're not supposed to just watch the show, but, damn, this is just great. And he's great; he really grounds it there. You really find that there's a depth to him there, and it's not just a guy with a crush, you know. He's really trying to help her there.
Albert Kim (writer): We kind of ride the line between them being, you know, flirtatious and brother/sister. There's always a protection.
Rogers: Well, it's a distinct contrast in that Nate and Sophie came into this with a sexual component in play [sounds of agreement] but then had not developed the emotional component and so it goes wrong on them during the course of the season. Where, the entire point was Hardison and Parker come into it from a totally business worker/coworker, and because they have to build up trust during the course of the season, that's how their relationship evolves.
Roskin: They're like step-siblings. It could go either way.
Rogers: With a little bit of heat. They're like Princess Leia and Luke...
Kim: Step-siblings with potential.
(I hope I got all their voices right. John Rogers' voice is most distinctive, but Roskin and Kim were hard to differentiate at times.)
. . . . .
Parker goes AWOL and tries to free the orphans on their own, and the team has to come to her rescue to help her escape, since she "didn't really think that far ahead." Hardison is pretty upset about her behavior, and tells her quite sternly that she could have gotten killed, that she doesn't work alone anymore, that they're a team...
Hardison: We're a team.
Parker: We're a little more than a team.
Parker's doe eyes seem to make Hardison forget that he was supposed to be mad at her in the first place.
01.10 The Juror #6 Job
Parker: I guess Alice wasn't so bad. ...She likes rainy days.
Hardison does too good a job creating Parker's aliases when one of them, Alice White, ends up with jury duty. Having just come off a mission where Parker's free-wheeling attitude put the rest of the team in danger, Nate orders Parker to go through with the civic duty so that she can learn to cooperate with and consider other people.
While there, Parker finds out that the defendant's lawyer has an earpiece similar to the ones the Leverage team wear and the he has a hidden camera in his briefcase. Something screwy is going on and Parker asks Nate and the team to help find out what that is. Long story short, the plaintiff, a widow of a man who took a deadly herbal supplement, becomes their client.
Partners in Crime:
Parker is already inside and through some clever stealing maneuvering, gets promoted to jury foreman. When the competition buys off the widow's lawyer, Hardison is forced to take his place, and eventually, try to win the trial.
The Score:
In the beginning of the episode, There's a bit of banter between Parker and Hardison.
Parker: This isn't for me. This is addressed to somebody named Alice White. [throws the envelope on the table, at Hardison]
Hardison: You are Alice White. [throw is back toward her] It's one of the aliases I made up for you. Vegetarian, bookkeeper...she had a pretty wild time as her sister's wedding in Phoenix. You should check out the Facebook page.
Parker: Alice White has jury duty.
Hardison: Damn. I am good.
Parker: Yeah, congratulations. Alice thanks you for getting her out of it.
First, Parker shows growth in that she asks the team to help out with the trial. Sophie points out that she's never done that before. It also shows that Parker does feel compassion for people. She saw that something was wrong with the trial and she was moved to do something, rather than just suffering through the experience.
After Parker asks for their help and Nate initially blows her off. Alec pauses the football game (one that he and Nate had been very intent on watching before Parker's interruption) and goes on to explain that he learned to talk to people from an experience with one of his foster mothers (interesting that there was more than just Nana). He realizes that Parker never had that level of social integration, and so it's hard for her to relate to people in the normal way.
Hardison: Jumping from a skyscraper, she's cool. But making small talk? It's like pure terror. Just cut her some slack.
The point is, Parker does try.
Parker: Hey, uh, is this something Alice would wear?
Hardison: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Relax. You know what? Quint is gonna call us and settle before we even get to court.
Parker: Oh. I guess Alice wasn't so bad, her shoes are more comfortable than mine.
Eliot: That's because they're your shoes.
Parker: She likes rainy days.
I like how Hardison reassures Parker (more touching). Then how they walk next to each other and where they choose to sit. Alec first approaches the chair at the end of the table, but he pauses and lets Eliot take that one, and continues to follow parker around the table to the two free seats next to each other.
Parker is noticeably proud after Hardison mercilessly humiliates and discredits a witness for the defense.
Hardison: ...a week passes. You watch the witnesses parade through, you listen to the lawyer's argument, and suddenly, you're not strangers anymore. Some of you have even made friends. It's not as bad as you thought, right?
Hardison used a part of his closing argument to give to give Parker yet another nod of reassurance before she has to go and deliberate with the rest of the jury.
01.11 The 12 Step Job
Parker: I don't do drugs.
The team go undercover in a rehab facility in order to find out where their mark has hidden the money he's stolen from a charity. Parker is Rose, a rehab patient, where she is consequently diagnosed with kleptomania and prescribed antidepressants to help her cope with her addiction. When Nate and the mark escape from the rehab facility (members of a Korean gang are trying to kill him), Parker decides to stay because she feels that she's is making progress in learning to cope with her addiction.
Hardison is paired with Eliot to track down the money stolen by the mark.
The Score:
Parker and Hardison are apart for most of the episode. At the end, the team is reunited when Parker is released from the facility. She runs up the hill, gleeful (a direct result of her medication), and literally glomps Eliot, wrapping herself around him in a hug. Then she goes to Hardison and does this:
Hardison: I kinda like this Parker.
This moment has been pointed to by Eliot/Parker shippers as a evidence that they're something going on between them. However, I think that Parker simply jumped Eliot because 1) he was closer and 2) she knew that he would be able to withstand her jumping on him like that, whereas Hardison probably would have toppled over. There also seems to be a lot more affection in the way she hugs Hardison, and she definitely lingers, which 3) hugging Hardison second would allow her to do just that.
Hardison's bemused reaction to her hug is nice. I like that he's enjoying the moment, yet is reserved in the way he hugs her back.
Then there's her big happy sigh at the end.
01.12 The First David Job
Hardison: Can we talk about the pretending? That was nice.
The team is tasked with breaking into an art gallery in order to steal a maquette of the Michaelangelo's David and replace it with a fake.
They are only meant to be setting up the con, but things do not quite go as planned, so Nate asks Parker to steal the David right then, with practically no prep time and.
Parker: You want me to break into a secure storage facility with whatever I can scrounge up at the buffet table?
Nate: Yeah. Pretty much.
Parker: Cool.
Partners in Crime:
Hardison decides not to let Parker go alone. He says he has a white shirt and can go wait staff. He gets the aluminum foil, which is one of the things Parker needs to pull off the job, and then he meets her and Sophie in the gallery at the stairwell that will lead to the vault.
Having already tripped the silent alarm on the emergency exit, Parker tells Sophie to hide. She then turns to Parker and tell him they should "pretend" to make out in order to distract the guards, grabs and starts kissing him.
Parker: [to Sophie] You should hide.
[to Hardison] We should pretend to makeout.
Hardison: Wait, what-?
The Score:
Yeah. This scene is pretty much a shipper's dream. There isn't exactly a whole will-they-won't-they feeling going on between these two as much as between Nate and Sophie.
It's pretty hilarious that Hardison cannot manage to turn off his brain while this is going on and so he tries (between kisses, mind you) to talk about how they're going to break into the vault. Parker has to shush him before he finally just goes with her distraction.
I have a hard time not squeeing and breaking into capslock when talking about all the implications of this scene. On the one hand, they did need a distraction. A tool of the grifter trade is to make other people uncomfortable so they will be less likely to suspect you're stealing from them. Having to interrupt a couple making out is one of those things.
On the other hand, this is Parker who comes up with the idea to make out with Hardison. Parker, who's emotionally stunted and socially awkward and doesn't like to be touched, except, it seems, by Hardison (Nate and Eliot aren't exactly warm or cuddly).
And then there's the body language, the way she readily wraps her arms around him. Hardison braces his hand against the door at first and eventually wraps it around Parker's back. It comes off almost chivalrous in that 1) he instinctively puts his hand behind so he doesn't smash her into the door, and 2) he's not going to take liberties and touch her more than is absolutely necessary or that she allows, despite the fact that, hello, they're making out. After they slip the guards and go down to the vault, Hardison persists in trying to talk about what just happened and Parker seems is totally on another plane, focusing on the job at hand.
01.13 The Second David Job
It's been months since the first David job went bust, but every member of the team has been drawn back to the scene of the first attempted crime in order to finish what they started. So they all decide to work together one last time to pull off the impossible.
The Score:
It's been established that Parker is on a different wavelength than most people, and it's really possible that she had no idea that Hardison wanted to talk about the kiss. There's also the fond smirk she gives when Eliot mentions their last trip to the vault. Logically, one could reason that she was recalling the joy in stealing the statue with so few tools and less time for preparation.
Is Parker truly oblivious to the meaning behind Alec's question? It's still early to tell. Honestly, it's hard to tell what Parker is thinking, period. However, in the DVD commentary, John Rogers does say that he thinks Parker is slightly in denial.
Parker: That was fun.
Hardison: Yeah. Can we talk about that?
Parker: Talk about what?
What is of particular note, however, is the fact that Hardison is the one that feels-possibly months after the fact-that the kiss is still something that they need to talk about. There's no question that there is something on his end, and he just wants to know where Parker stands on the issue. The way he looks at her when she doesn't get what he's trying to bring up? The dubious look that he gives her is quite amusing, but in all seriousness, there is a trace of disappointment at the end of it. He doesn't attempt to talk about the kiss any more after this.
After the second David job is done, the team is about to split up for at least six months, as agreed in the beginning. The five of them are standing in a circle, seeing each other for what may be the last time. They are thieves above all else, a very high-risk line of work, and no one knows for certain what the future may bring.
Hardison: Where are you going?
Parker: Let's see how hard you look.
Does Alec take her up on the challenge? That's a story for another season.
Further Study
I've tried to keep the fanworks to things that will give a newbie proper context of the pairing and have content from Season 1.
Community:
parker_hardison
provideleverage
leverage_on_tnt
Fanfiction:
" The Apple Orchard" (PG) by cuzimastripper
"Breathing Slowly" (PG) by amtrak12
" Courtship" (PG-13) by longsufferingly
" The Game" (PG-13) by lanna_kitty
" still wearing my slippers (and eat all the candies at home)" (G) by longsufferingly
" The Underwire Job" (PG-13) by brown_betty
" y/n" (PG) by longsufferingly
" You, Me & The Weather" (PG) by piecesofalice
Fan Art:
" Yours Tastes Better" (G) by renisanz
Fan Vids:
"That Thing You Do" by elena_hepburn
"This Is a Test" by cuzimastripper
Other Media:
Little Thief Crush (awesome P/H picspams) by elena_hepburn on tumblr
Parker/Hardison gifs by renisanz
Parker & Hardison: a picspam by falsebeginnings @ watercolor_days (spoilers for Season 2, you must join the comm to view)
Author: renisanz
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing: Alec Hardison/Parker
Notes: This post is graphic heavy, using animated gifs (made by me) to illustrate various points. I've attempted to cover all of the significant points from Season 1. The Season 2 comes on DVD in a few days, and when it does I'll continue the manifesto with Part 2. Thanks to evening_shadow for reading over this and offering her insights. :) All typos are mine.
I distinctly remember seeing the advertisements for this new Summer show, Leverage. I had no interest in tuning in, until one weekend, I caught part of an episode, and my interest was piqued because D.B. Sweeney was guest-starring as a priest. I later found out that that was episode 6, "The Miracle Job." The premise of the show involved a Robin Hood like gang of criminals who come together to provide leverage for people who have been taken advantage of by the wealthy. I loved what I saw, and I viewed a few more random episodes before the finale.
The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. -Nate Ford
I really liked the chemistry present among all of the characters. It was so natural and the banter was hilarious. I was immediately taken Alec Hardison, in large part because he totally broke the stereotype of what one expects a computer geek to be.
I don't usually like to get into shows near the end, preferring to view the whole season from the beginning, if possible. However, I decided to watch the finale, since I didn't know if this show had been renewed for a second season:
Hardison: Where're you going?Parker: Let's see how hard you look.
-01.13 The Second David Job-
I wanted to know what I had missed and what had occurred between these characters to lead them to poignant farewell.
Wrap Sheets
Eliot: What are you gonna do when she finds out you live with your mom?
Alec Hardison: Internet and Computer Fraud.
He can hack into pretty much anything electronic. Fun-loving, self-proclaimed geek with a very colorful wardrobe as well as personality. Alec grew up in the foster care system and was raised by a woman he quite often and fondly refers to as "Nana." He has a big mouth and a bigger ego, but his amazing computer skills work to ground his claims of greatness.
Nate: Parker? You got Parker? She's insane.
Eliot: That's twenty pounds of crazy in a five pound bag.
Eliot & Sophie: There's something wrong with you.
Parker: Security Circum Infiltration and Alter Thief.
She likes to steal things, plain and simple. Though Parker loves the security provided by the monetary value of the things she takes, it also seems, that above all else, she is driven by the challenge involved in circumventing security protocols and infiltrating places in which access is severely restricted. Quirky and socially inept, she was also raised in the foster system, but, unlike Hardison, she had a very negative experience. It has been implied that she suffered some type of abuse as well. Whether it was physical, sexual, or some form of both is unclear. This is expounded up on in "The Stork Job." Parker seems to have a difficult time expressing or even identifying her emotions, but one thing that she does not confuse is her love of money.
Parker & Hardison:
Parker and Hardison have a very interesting dynamic. There is real element of innocence to their relationship. They seem to be naturally drawn to each other, whether or not this is caused by their shared backgrounds in the foster system or that they both have playful aspects to their personalities or just simply enjoy each other's company. I think it's a combination of all these.
The main thing I appreciate about this pairing is that the creators are taking their time with this. We know from the beginning that Hardison is attracted to Parker. That attraction eventually evolves to admiration of her skill as a thief and genuine affection. She's pretty, but Parker hardly uses that attribute to get what she wants. Even with heavy coaching from Sophie, it's not her forte. She's gifted and capable and knows when to defer to Hardison's hacking expertise when necessary. She doesn't really respond to his feeble attempts at flirtation, nor does she exactly rebuff him. She sometimes feeds the fire in her own quirky way, and I particularly enjoy seeing Hardison take the time to try to figure her out.
There is an amazing level of continuity as the relationship progresses. Listening to the DVD commentary, you become aware that the show's writers, producers, and creators are aware that there is something special about the interaction between these characters and they are willing to continue putting them together in situations to explore what happens.
Little Thief Crush:
I think it was right after watching "The Miracle Job" that I went and sought out some Leverage fanfic. So, I ended up reading a fic with Parker and Hardison as a pairing before I actively shipped them. I do however, distinctly remember reading " The Underwire Job" by brown_betty . It was when I went back looking for Parker/Hardison fic, after I started catching up on Season 1, that I ended up rereading the fic and getting way more enjoyment out of it than I had the first time around. Not that I didn't like the story before, but I could put the events in context, and since I had seen the interactions of the characters on the show, I could actually see Parker/Hardison as a viable pairing.
Aesthetically? I don't want to be shallow and say, "Just look at these two." However, something in me gets a kick out of how different they are not just in personality, but also in appearance. It's quite a contrast yet weirdly complementary, and I love it.
While Parker and Hardison do share similar backgrounds in being orphans and growing up in the foster care system, they are almost polar opposites as far as the results, having had vastly different experiences (Parker's negatives, Alec's positive). As I watched the show, after knowing that Hardison liked Parker, I remember wanting to be convinced of why he liked her. I wanted to be shown rather than told that these two were good together, and I was happy to be provided that once I saw all of the first season. It was really great to see the trust build between them from that first episode, with Parker literally saying that she trusted neither Eliot nor Hardison. Despite this, Parker seems to be drawn to Hardison, and it's not something that you really see her resist. It's really great to see characters that are just comfortable with each other, who have great chemistry that isn't forced.
I think the first season is a great testament to this in that these characters get a wonderful arc, and though you don't know for certain if they'll see each other again (i.e. have another season), you see that the relationship has made an impression (more than just a one-sided crush), on Parker most noticeably. This fact, more than anything, in my opinion, makes it a pairing worth following.
01.01 The Nigerian Job
Parker: Can I have one?
Hardison: You can have the whole box.
In the pilot episode, Nathan Ford, former insurance fraud investigator, is hired by Victor Dubenich, head of a aviation design firm, to steal back some airplane designs that he claims were stolen by his competitor. Dubenich has put contracted the skills of three criminals-Eliot Spencer (hitter), Alec Hardison (hacker), and Parker (thief), all of whom notoriously work alone-and he wants Nate to lead the team, keep them honest and on the job, and make sure that the thieves don't double cross the "honest" civilian. Later, Nate enlists the help of the grifter Sophie Devereaux, which completes the team.
Partners in Crime:
Eliot, Nate, Hardison and Parker are double-crossed by their client, barely escaping an explosion set up in the abandoned warehouse where each of them was instructed to meet after not getting paid for their services. They're knocked unconscious, waking up just in time to be arrested by the local authorities. Nate wakes up in the hospital to find that they're handcuffed them to hospital beds.
Parker has already picked her cuffs and is pacing the room. Nate tells them that to escape they will have to work together one last time, and he ordered Parker to get him a cell phone. There is a cute exchange between Parker and Hardison during this scene, in which Hardison is visibly peeved that Parker is reluctant to release him from his cuffs (he has to go to the bathroom). Parker created an appropriate diversion to acquire a cell phone, and the merry band of thieves and the "one honest man" escape shortly afterward.
The Score:
This is the first display of how well Parker and Hardison work together, not only within the team as a whole, but also with each other when paired. The looks they exchange as they lift the cell phones are so telling, as well as the matching body language as they swap phones. I like how Parker teases him a bit with the key to the handcuffs.
I saw this episode a lot later than the others, after buying the Season 1 DVD to catch up on what I had missed. This is the first glimpse I got into how in sync these two can be when they need to pull off a job. They have great chemistry, and seeing them paired together in this manner gives a foreshadowing of their interactions throughout the rest of the series.
01.02 The Homecoming Job
Partners in Crime:
Parker and Hardison are tasked with breaking into Castleman Headquarters, a powerful and deadly arms dealer. The have to rapel down from the roof, and Parker fits Hardison with a harness that she has specially designed for the job...but not yet tested.
The Score:
I would say that there is definitely a lot of trust involved here, but Parker really doesn't give Hardison much time to make a choice before she shoves him off the roof. Parker seemed amused more than anything about his reaction, and it was a nice bonding moment for them. Sort of.
Hardison: Cool, so it's been tested.
Parker: Not yet.
Hardison: Not yet-? When the hell was you gon' test it?
Parker: [shoves him off the roof] Big baby.
Hardison: Seriously? Seriously?!
There's a scene where the they have to "steal a law" and Hardison between ogling Parker in a way that Nate feels borders on inappropriate Hardison seems rather impressed with Parker's infiltration skills.
At the end of the episode, the team stands aside, observing the fruits of their good deed, and we see them all commit to being a team. There's a nice exchange where Parker informs Hardison that she bought a plant for her office in their headquarters, something that he suggested in the beginning of the episode (he's a fan of dandelions).
Parker: I bought a plant.
Hardison: Nice. Team spirit.
Parker: What does it do?
Notice Parker's slightly hopeful look when Hardison commends her efforts at team spirit.
01.03 The Wedding Job
An Easy Mark:
Parker is playing the fashion designer/seamstress of the wedding. She insults the weight of one the maid-of-honor, and to make amends, she dawns the god-awful bridesmaid dress. Hardison come upon her getting dressed, and is about to leave Parker to her privacy, but she beckons him to come in and help her close up her dress in the back.
Hardison tells her that she looks a lot better in the dress than the maid-of-honor, and Parker displays a nice moment of vulnerability.
Partners in Crime:
This one is rather indirect. Parker is searching the screening room for "the money," and the guy their conning is about to be killed by a Russian Mafia rival. So, to break up the scene, Parker comes out of her hiding place, pretends to be intoxicated, and asks says that the (cute) DJ told her to meet him in there.
Who is this elusive DJ? Hardison, of course.
Hardison: How did you get away from Sergei in the screening room?
Parker: I pretended that I was drunk and we were meeting down there to have sex.
The Score:
Notice the way she let him touch her, without shrugging a way. She's obviously very comfortable with Alec and knows that he won't try anything untoward. And, as we see in later episodes, Parker has a decidedly violent reaction to any unwelcome sexual advances.
Parker: You really think I look good?
Hardison: And now you're perfect.
Honestly, when I first saw this scene I thought it was a little cheesy. Now, however, I find it very sweet. Parker is completely oblivious to how pretty she actually is, and here we get a moment where she looks to Hardison for some validation in that regard. Of course, he crush for her was really showing through, because that dress was pretty hideous. But, looking at if from another perspective, it could just be that Hardison is showing that he accepts Parker for who she is no matter what.
01.04 The Snow Job
Parker: A man with one watch knows the time. A man with two is never sure.
Sophie: Wha?
Parker: I had fortune cookies for breakfast.
[Nate turns his attention to explaining the con, while in the background Hardison and Parker continue the conversation.]
Hardison: So what, you had leftover Chinese for dinner?
Parker: No, just the cookies.
Hardison: Do you put milk on the fortune cookies? 'Cause I don't...
Parker: It's not cereal; it's a fortune cookie.
01.05 The Mile High Job
Hardison: If you were a geek, you'd be really turned on right now. I'm just sayin'.
Nate, Sophie, Eliot and Parker board a plane en route to the Cayman's in order to find a sensitive "package" containing the evidence they need to bring down the corrupt Genegro Industries. Hardison, having overslept after staying up late on campaigning on the new World of Warcraft expansion package, is alone at the office. Being the only one on the ground, he has to go inside Genegro to hack into the CEO's computer, getting the information the team needs to complete the job.
Partners in Crime:
The plane is going down. Hardison guides Parker over how to reboot the plane's electrical system in order to circumvent the virus that infected it.
The Score:
Hardison waters Parker's plant as he wanders around the office.
Parker isn't at all computer illiterate. She has to have some skills to be able to disable alarms, but most of the time she takes a more hands-on approach. Hardison's expertise is needed for the more involved hacks, like piggybacking their transmitter signal on the planes WiFi connection or some jargon...
Still, it's cute that Hardison not-so-secretly wishes that Parker would appreciate his computer prowess.
01.07 The Two-Horse Job
Parker: Don't be silly. Horses are much less murderous than I originally thought.
The team is in it to con a greedy and ruthless race horse investor. Parker's fear of horses is revealed from a childhood trauma in which she witnesses a horse kill a clown.
Partners in Crime:
Parker and Hardison have a bit of interaction when they must stake out Jim Sterling, an insurance investigator who happens to be Nate's rival (Evil Nate, as Parker refers to him).
The Score:
This episode has a few interesting moments of banter between Parker and Hardison. There's a moment where Parker seems impressed by what Hardison can do with his computer, namely hack into the electrical system of Sterling's car in order to keep him distracted while the team sets up their con.
Hardison: Incoming.
Parker: ...and Sterling.
Hardison: Electronic locks, electronic throttle, power steering, keyless entry. You know what runs all that?
Parker: Computers.
Hardison: Oh yeah.
Later...
Parker: Can you hack it?
Hardison: Hack a lock? Nice. You still really don't understand what I do, do you?
It's nice, I suppose, that Parker has such confidence in Hardison's abilities. This idea is carried over into the next season.
01.09 The Stork Job
Hardison: I like how you turned out.
The team is in Ukraine to steal back an orphan.
After the dinner fiasco, in which Parker stabs one of the marks, Nate demotes Parker to assistant duty-running errands, fetching scripts-and she's not happy about it. Hardison tells her that Nate is just doing it to make sure she's on board with the plan. She tells him yeah, she gets it, they're a team, blah blah...
Parker: This is ridiculous.
Hardison: Tell me about it. We're supposed to believe these are real.
Parker: This is what he expects me to do? Fetch scripts and water?
Hardison: Nah, it's a trust thing. He just wants to know that you're gonna go along with the game plan.
Parker: Yeah, yeah. I get it; we're a team.
Hardison: A little more than a team. [Parker looks at him] I'm just sayin'.
Partners in Crime:
Hardison goes with Parker to stakeout the warehouse where they believe the orphan they seek, Luca, is stashed. Parker tells Hardison that she doesn't need a babysitter, thinking that Nate sent him along to keep an eye on her after the stunt at the dinner, but Hardison insists Nate didn't make him come; he volunteered.
Parker infiltrates the orphanage and makes a shocking discovery, and she is visibly shaken by what she sees. On the way back to meet the team, Parker and Hardison stop off and talk about what to do.
The Score:
First, we have Hardison's thinly veiled jealousy of creepy Czech guy hitting on Parker at the party. Next, he accompanies her to stake out the orphanage because somehow he knows she needs the support. They're both orphans, and he was listening in on the comm when she assaulted the guy at the party, so maybe he realized that she was particularly sensitive to this job and just be there.
Later, we see that his concern was well-placed. This is the first time we see real emotion from Parker. We've seen her amused or angry or even frustrated, but this is the first time she's really been upset by something, moved to tears.
Parker: Chances are they'll...they're gonna turn out like me.
Hardison: I like how you turned out.
Parker tries to distance herself by what's going on, which is most likely her often used emotional defense mechanism. She feels overwhelmed by the situation, and, reasoning that they can't save all the orphans, she states that it's better just to leave them behind. If they do save them, they will only end up in the foster care system. And probably end up like her.
Most interesting to note is that Parker thinks that is it not good for a child to turn out the way she did. She's a criminal, a thief. She's introverted and a little crazy at times, and doesn't know the "normal" response to social situations. She probably doesn't think of herself a bad or evil person ("I never heart anybody"), but she recognizes that her lot in life is not the ideal one.
More than anything, Parker needs encouragement and reassurance. Hardison realizes this and just says what she needs to hear, and then backs away, giving her time to collect herself.
DVD Commentary on the scene:
Mark Roskin (producer/director): It was such a delicate dynamic between the two of them. The two of them together were just amazing. Look at how she unravels, and you never see that from Parker.
John Rogers (executive producer): That kind of dead smile that she does. For her it's the performance of the show.
[Hardison: I like how you turned out.]
Rogers: ...look at her dissolve when he says that. Oh my God, that's a lovely bit of work. And then she shuts down again. Sorry, I know we have a rule that we're not supposed to just watch the show, but, damn, this is just great. And he's great; he really grounds it there. You really find that there's a depth to him there, and it's not just a guy with a crush, you know. He's really trying to help her there.
Albert Kim (writer): We kind of ride the line between them being, you know, flirtatious and brother/sister. There's always a protection.
Rogers: Well, it's a distinct contrast in that Nate and Sophie came into this with a sexual component in play [sounds of agreement] but then had not developed the emotional component and so it goes wrong on them during the course of the season. Where, the entire point was Hardison and Parker come into it from a totally business worker/coworker, and because they have to build up trust during the course of the season, that's how their relationship evolves.
Roskin: They're like step-siblings. It could go either way.
Rogers: With a little bit of heat. They're like Princess Leia and Luke...
Kim: Step-siblings with potential.
(I hope I got all their voices right. John Rogers' voice is most distinctive, but Roskin and Kim were hard to differentiate at times.)
. . . . .
Parker goes AWOL and tries to free the orphans on their own, and the team has to come to her rescue to help her escape, since she "didn't really think that far ahead." Hardison is pretty upset about her behavior, and tells her quite sternly that she could have gotten killed, that she doesn't work alone anymore, that they're a team...
Hardison: We're a team.
Parker: We're a little more than a team.
Parker's doe eyes seem to make Hardison forget that he was supposed to be mad at her in the first place.
01.10 The Juror #6 Job
Parker: I guess Alice wasn't so bad. ...She likes rainy days.
Hardison does too good a job creating Parker's aliases when one of them, Alice White, ends up with jury duty. Having just come off a mission where Parker's free-wheeling attitude put the rest of the team in danger, Nate orders Parker to go through with the civic duty so that she can learn to cooperate with and consider other people.
While there, Parker finds out that the defendant's lawyer has an earpiece similar to the ones the Leverage team wear and the he has a hidden camera in his briefcase. Something screwy is going on and Parker asks Nate and the team to help find out what that is. Long story short, the plaintiff, a widow of a man who took a deadly herbal supplement, becomes their client.
Partners in Crime:
Parker is already inside and through some clever stealing maneuvering, gets promoted to jury foreman. When the competition buys off the widow's lawyer, Hardison is forced to take his place, and eventually, try to win the trial.
The Score:
In the beginning of the episode, There's a bit of banter between Parker and Hardison.
Parker: This isn't for me. This is addressed to somebody named Alice White. [throws the envelope on the table, at Hardison]
Hardison: You are Alice White. [throw is back toward her] It's one of the aliases I made up for you. Vegetarian, bookkeeper...she had a pretty wild time as her sister's wedding in Phoenix. You should check out the Facebook page.
Parker: Alice White has jury duty.
Hardison: Damn. I am good.
Parker: Yeah, congratulations. Alice thanks you for getting her out of it.
First, Parker shows growth in that she asks the team to help out with the trial. Sophie points out that she's never done that before. It also shows that Parker does feel compassion for people. She saw that something was wrong with the trial and she was moved to do something, rather than just suffering through the experience.
After Parker asks for their help and Nate initially blows her off. Alec pauses the football game (one that he and Nate had been very intent on watching before Parker's interruption) and goes on to explain that he learned to talk to people from an experience with one of his foster mothers (interesting that there was more than just Nana). He realizes that Parker never had that level of social integration, and so it's hard for her to relate to people in the normal way.
Hardison: Jumping from a skyscraper, she's cool. But making small talk? It's like pure terror. Just cut her some slack.
The point is, Parker does try.
Parker: Hey, uh, is this something Alice would wear?
Hardison: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Relax. You know what? Quint is gonna call us and settle before we even get to court.
Parker: Oh. I guess Alice wasn't so bad, her shoes are more comfortable than mine.
Eliot: That's because they're your shoes.
Parker: She likes rainy days.
I like how Hardison reassures Parker (more touching). Then how they walk next to each other and where they choose to sit. Alec first approaches the chair at the end of the table, but he pauses and lets Eliot take that one, and continues to follow parker around the table to the two free seats next to each other.
Parker is noticeably proud after Hardison mercilessly humiliates and discredits a witness for the defense.
Hardison: ...a week passes. You watch the witnesses parade through, you listen to the lawyer's argument, and suddenly, you're not strangers anymore. Some of you have even made friends. It's not as bad as you thought, right?
Hardison used a part of his closing argument to give to give Parker yet another nod of reassurance before she has to go and deliberate with the rest of the jury.
01.11 The 12 Step Job
Parker: I don't do drugs.
The team go undercover in a rehab facility in order to find out where their mark has hidden the money he's stolen from a charity. Parker is Rose, a rehab patient, where she is consequently diagnosed with kleptomania and prescribed antidepressants to help her cope with her addiction. When Nate and the mark escape from the rehab facility (members of a Korean gang are trying to kill him), Parker decides to stay because she feels that she's is making progress in learning to cope with her addiction.
Hardison is paired with Eliot to track down the money stolen by the mark.
The Score:
Parker and Hardison are apart for most of the episode. At the end, the team is reunited when Parker is released from the facility. She runs up the hill, gleeful (a direct result of her medication), and literally glomps Eliot, wrapping herself around him in a hug. Then she goes to Hardison and does this:
Hardison: I kinda like this Parker.
This moment has been pointed to by Eliot/Parker shippers as a evidence that they're something going on between them. However, I think that Parker simply jumped Eliot because 1) he was closer and 2) she knew that he would be able to withstand her jumping on him like that, whereas Hardison probably would have toppled over. There also seems to be a lot more affection in the way she hugs Hardison, and she definitely lingers, which 3) hugging Hardison second would allow her to do just that.
Hardison's bemused reaction to her hug is nice. I like that he's enjoying the moment, yet is reserved in the way he hugs her back.
Then there's her big happy sigh at the end.
01.12 The First David Job
Hardison: Can we talk about the pretending? That was nice.
The team is tasked with breaking into an art gallery in order to steal a maquette of the Michaelangelo's David and replace it with a fake.
They are only meant to be setting up the con, but things do not quite go as planned, so Nate asks Parker to steal the David right then, with practically no prep time and.
Parker: You want me to break into a secure storage facility with whatever I can scrounge up at the buffet table?
Nate: Yeah. Pretty much.
Parker: Cool.
Partners in Crime:
Hardison decides not to let Parker go alone. He says he has a white shirt and can go wait staff. He gets the aluminum foil, which is one of the things Parker needs to pull off the job, and then he meets her and Sophie in the gallery at the stairwell that will lead to the vault.
Having already tripped the silent alarm on the emergency exit, Parker tells Sophie to hide. She then turns to Parker and tell him they should "pretend" to make out in order to distract the guards, grabs and starts kissing him.
Parker: [to Sophie] You should hide.
[to Hardison] We should pretend to makeout.
Hardison: Wait, what-?
The Score:
Yeah. This scene is pretty much a shipper's dream. There isn't exactly a whole will-they-won't-they feeling going on between these two as much as between Nate and Sophie.
It's pretty hilarious that Hardison cannot manage to turn off his brain while this is going on and so he tries (between kisses, mind you) to talk about how they're going to break into the vault. Parker has to shush him before he finally just goes with her distraction.
I have a hard time not squeeing and breaking into capslock when talking about all the implications of this scene. On the one hand, they did need a distraction. A tool of the grifter trade is to make other people uncomfortable so they will be less likely to suspect you're stealing from them. Having to interrupt a couple making out is one of those things.
On the other hand, this is Parker who comes up with the idea to make out with Hardison. Parker, who's emotionally stunted and socially awkward and doesn't like to be touched, except, it seems, by Hardison (Nate and Eliot aren't exactly warm or cuddly).
And then there's the body language, the way she readily wraps her arms around him. Hardison braces his hand against the door at first and eventually wraps it around Parker's back. It comes off almost chivalrous in that 1) he instinctively puts his hand behind so he doesn't smash her into the door, and 2) he's not going to take liberties and touch her more than is absolutely necessary or that she allows, despite the fact that, hello, they're making out. After they slip the guards and go down to the vault, Hardison persists in trying to talk about what just happened and Parker seems is totally on another plane, focusing on the job at hand.
01.13 The Second David Job
It's been months since the first David job went bust, but every member of the team has been drawn back to the scene of the first attempted crime in order to finish what they started. So they all decide to work together one last time to pull off the impossible.
The Score:
It's been established that Parker is on a different wavelength than most people, and it's really possible that she had no idea that Hardison wanted to talk about the kiss. There's also the fond smirk she gives when Eliot mentions their last trip to the vault. Logically, one could reason that she was recalling the joy in stealing the statue with so few tools and less time for preparation.
Is Parker truly oblivious to the meaning behind Alec's question? It's still early to tell. Honestly, it's hard to tell what Parker is thinking, period. However, in the DVD commentary, John Rogers does say that he thinks Parker is slightly in denial.
Parker: That was fun.
Hardison: Yeah. Can we talk about that?
Parker: Talk about what?
What is of particular note, however, is the fact that Hardison is the one that feels-possibly months after the fact-that the kiss is still something that they need to talk about. There's no question that there is something on his end, and he just wants to know where Parker stands on the issue. The way he looks at her when she doesn't get what he's trying to bring up? The dubious look that he gives her is quite amusing, but in all seriousness, there is a trace of disappointment at the end of it. He doesn't attempt to talk about the kiss any more after this.
After the second David job is done, the team is about to split up for at least six months, as agreed in the beginning. The five of them are standing in a circle, seeing each other for what may be the last time. They are thieves above all else, a very high-risk line of work, and no one knows for certain what the future may bring.
Hardison: Where are you going?
Parker: Let's see how hard you look.
Does Alec take her up on the challenge? That's a story for another season.
Further Study
I've tried to keep the fanworks to things that will give a newbie proper context of the pairing and have content from Season 1.
Community:
parker_hardison
provideleverage
leverage_on_tnt
Fanfiction:
" The Apple Orchard" (PG) by cuzimastripper
"Breathing Slowly" (PG) by amtrak12
" Courtship" (PG-13) by longsufferingly
" The Game" (PG-13) by lanna_kitty
" still wearing my slippers (and eat all the candies at home)" (G) by longsufferingly
" The Underwire Job" (PG-13) by brown_betty
" y/n" (PG) by longsufferingly
" You, Me & The Weather" (PG) by piecesofalice
Fan Art:
" Yours Tastes Better" (G) by renisanz
Fan Vids:
"That Thing You Do" by elena_hepburn
"This Is a Test" by cuzimastripper
Other Media:
Little Thief Crush (awesome P/H picspams) by elena_hepburn on tumblr
Parker/Hardison gifs by renisanz
Parker & Hardison: a picspam by falsebeginnings @ watercolor_days (spoilers for Season 2, you must join the comm to view)