Fic: Preacher's Daughter
Title: Preacher's Daughter
Rating: PG
Pairings: Nate/Sophie, Eliot/Parker, Hardison/books
Summary: The Wild Wild West
They had been in the territory for three weeks and Parker was bored. None of the buildings were big enough to give her a thrill and Father Nathan explicitly told her that she wasn't allowed to break into the bank in Bristlecone, even if she immediately put all of the money back. It was well and good for him; he was playing the part of the traveling preacher and he and Miss Sophie were busy all the time with that. And Alec never went anywhere without his books, not even out West. At some point, Nate set him up in the blacksmith's shop, building them all sorts of goodies they could use in California.
Parker wasn't allowed to help him with the soldering or the research. Sophie told her she was supposed to be playing the preacher's daughter - their pretty daughter who didn't say a lot. Parker knew it was because she punched the riverboat captain back in Louisiana, but he was trying to stare down her dress. Even Hardison wanted to punch the riverboat captain.
So, since she wasn't supposed to talk or help or go to dinner parties, Parker spent most of her days watching the people in town. They were mostly boring. The ladies liked to gossip and the farmhands liked to gamble and the sheriff liked to puff up his chest and look important, just like the detectives back in New York. The only person who wasn't boring, besides Nate and Sophie and Alec, was the long haired cowboy who wore an endless array of blue shirts and never talked to anyone in town.
Father Nate told her to stay away from the cowboy with the long hair and impossibly blue eyes. But Parker wasn't about to listen to Father Nate; Mr Hardison had told Nate the same thing about Miss Sophie back in Georgia and they all knew how well that went. Mr Hardison told her to stay away, too, saying men like that were dangerous and it'd be a risk for them all, but Mr Hardison didn't see the way the man dealt with the sheriff when he was drunk. He'd been with Nate, out in Boulder, picking up more books and gadgets and wire.
So Parker took advantage of the fact that Hardison was busy showing Nate something out of one of his machinist's books and found Sophie in her room. Parker knew that Sophie was a real lady; she had a whole room just for her clothes and dressing and slept in Nate's room instead of her own. She assumed Sophie would have an idea about how to catch the cowboy's eye.
"Spencer?" Sophie asked, but she never gave Parker a chance to answer. Instead, she put her in one of her big bustled dresses and started pinning up her hair. "Really, of all of the men we've come across, you want a dusty cowboy?"
Parker didn't have a chance to say that she liked the way he moved and imagined he'd be able to jump off the buildings of New York and Boston just as well as she could. She didn't think Sophie would understand that she liked that he wasn't one of her society men. Society men didn't understand Parker and her quick hands and feet and her need to keep her money and wear dark camp dresses, even in the city. She thought the cowboy might.
By the time Sophie was done dousing her with Florida Water and tying navy ribbons in her hair, Parker knew it was time for the cowboy to be back at the town stable, rubbing down his mare for the night. She took off the back way, so Nate and Hardison wouldn't see her, knowing Sophie would make excuses. She had to remember to pick up the long trailing skirts and tried to step daintily, but she was a bit too eager and probably didn't look anything like a fine lady.
"Does your mama know you stole her dress?"
Parker looked up from where she was trying to brush the mud off her skirts and saw the cowboy staring right at her. "My mama?"
"I've seen Missus Ford wearing that dress to Sunday dinner at the Heinrich's just last week," the cowboy told her. "I don't think she's gonna be happy you wore her dress out to the stable."
Parker tried to process that. "You pay attention to what she wears?" Maybe Sophie was right and the costume was part of the con. But that didn't mean she was going to dress like this every day. Her camp dresses were just fine!
"Preacher man comes into town with a slave and a pretty wife and a prettier daughter, a man sits up and pays attention." Spencer turned back to his horse. "Do they even know you came down here?"
"I don't do what they tell me," Parker told him. "Well, maybe Hardison, because he's smart and makes my harnesses. But it's not like there are rules."
Spencer didn't seem to know what to say to that. "You listen to your daddy's - girl, there's something wrong with you."
Parker rolled her eyes. The cowboy might be pretty, but maybe Hardison had a point. Dumb was dangerous. "Father Nate's not my daddy. And Sophie's not my mama. And Hardison's been a freeman since forever. He'll mess up your horse if he thinks you said otherwise."
The cowboy, at least, seemed to take that seriously. "I'll take that under consideration."
This wasn't going at all like she planned. "You said I'm prettier than Sophie."
"I might be damned," Spencer said, carrying the saddle back to the tack room, "but I'm still not gonna lust after a preacher's wife."
"But a preacher's daughter?" Parker pressed.
"You trying to bring the law down on my head?" Spencer asked.
"I know your real name's Eliot and you've got six guns back in your room above the saloon," Parker told him. "I know 'cause I looked. And you haven't used them in at least four years, 'cause I took them to Hardison and asked. And Nate says you're the headman on the last cattledrive and Sophie says you're handsome."
"This leading up to something, sweetheart?" Eliot Spencer asked, although Parker had noticed him twitch at the mention of the guns and her team.
Parker leveled him with her best glare. "I want you to teach me how to ride a horse. And then I'm going to teach you how to rob a bank. And then you and me and Father Nate and Miss Sophie and Alec and his books are going to go to San Francisco and make the biggest bank heist in history."
Eliot smiled. "Those are pretty big plans, Miss Parker. I think we'd best get started."
Rating: PG
Pairings: Nate/Sophie, Eliot/Parker, Hardison/books
Summary: The Wild Wild West
They had been in the territory for three weeks and Parker was bored. None of the buildings were big enough to give her a thrill and Father Nathan explicitly told her that she wasn't allowed to break into the bank in Bristlecone, even if she immediately put all of the money back. It was well and good for him; he was playing the part of the traveling preacher and he and Miss Sophie were busy all the time with that. And Alec never went anywhere without his books, not even out West. At some point, Nate set him up in the blacksmith's shop, building them all sorts of goodies they could use in California.
Parker wasn't allowed to help him with the soldering or the research. Sophie told her she was supposed to be playing the preacher's daughter - their pretty daughter who didn't say a lot. Parker knew it was because she punched the riverboat captain back in Louisiana, but he was trying to stare down her dress. Even Hardison wanted to punch the riverboat captain.
So, since she wasn't supposed to talk or help or go to dinner parties, Parker spent most of her days watching the people in town. They were mostly boring. The ladies liked to gossip and the farmhands liked to gamble and the sheriff liked to puff up his chest and look important, just like the detectives back in New York. The only person who wasn't boring, besides Nate and Sophie and Alec, was the long haired cowboy who wore an endless array of blue shirts and never talked to anyone in town.
Father Nate told her to stay away from the cowboy with the long hair and impossibly blue eyes. But Parker wasn't about to listen to Father Nate; Mr Hardison had told Nate the same thing about Miss Sophie back in Georgia and they all knew how well that went. Mr Hardison told her to stay away, too, saying men like that were dangerous and it'd be a risk for them all, but Mr Hardison didn't see the way the man dealt with the sheriff when he was drunk. He'd been with Nate, out in Boulder, picking up more books and gadgets and wire.
So Parker took advantage of the fact that Hardison was busy showing Nate something out of one of his machinist's books and found Sophie in her room. Parker knew that Sophie was a real lady; she had a whole room just for her clothes and dressing and slept in Nate's room instead of her own. She assumed Sophie would have an idea about how to catch the cowboy's eye.
"Spencer?" Sophie asked, but she never gave Parker a chance to answer. Instead, she put her in one of her big bustled dresses and started pinning up her hair. "Really, of all of the men we've come across, you want a dusty cowboy?"
Parker didn't have a chance to say that she liked the way he moved and imagined he'd be able to jump off the buildings of New York and Boston just as well as she could. She didn't think Sophie would understand that she liked that he wasn't one of her society men. Society men didn't understand Parker and her quick hands and feet and her need to keep her money and wear dark camp dresses, even in the city. She thought the cowboy might.
By the time Sophie was done dousing her with Florida Water and tying navy ribbons in her hair, Parker knew it was time for the cowboy to be back at the town stable, rubbing down his mare for the night. She took off the back way, so Nate and Hardison wouldn't see her, knowing Sophie would make excuses. She had to remember to pick up the long trailing skirts and tried to step daintily, but she was a bit too eager and probably didn't look anything like a fine lady.
"Does your mama know you stole her dress?"
Parker looked up from where she was trying to brush the mud off her skirts and saw the cowboy staring right at her. "My mama?"
"I've seen Missus Ford wearing that dress to Sunday dinner at the Heinrich's just last week," the cowboy told her. "I don't think she's gonna be happy you wore her dress out to the stable."
Parker tried to process that. "You pay attention to what she wears?" Maybe Sophie was right and the costume was part of the con. But that didn't mean she was going to dress like this every day. Her camp dresses were just fine!
"Preacher man comes into town with a slave and a pretty wife and a prettier daughter, a man sits up and pays attention." Spencer turned back to his horse. "Do they even know you came down here?"
"I don't do what they tell me," Parker told him. "Well, maybe Hardison, because he's smart and makes my harnesses. But it's not like there are rules."
Spencer didn't seem to know what to say to that. "You listen to your daddy's - girl, there's something wrong with you."
Parker rolled her eyes. The cowboy might be pretty, but maybe Hardison had a point. Dumb was dangerous. "Father Nate's not my daddy. And Sophie's not my mama. And Hardison's been a freeman since forever. He'll mess up your horse if he thinks you said otherwise."
The cowboy, at least, seemed to take that seriously. "I'll take that under consideration."
This wasn't going at all like she planned. "You said I'm prettier than Sophie."
"I might be damned," Spencer said, carrying the saddle back to the tack room, "but I'm still not gonna lust after a preacher's wife."
"But a preacher's daughter?" Parker pressed.
"You trying to bring the law down on my head?" Spencer asked.
"I know your real name's Eliot and you've got six guns back in your room above the saloon," Parker told him. "I know 'cause I looked. And you haven't used them in at least four years, 'cause I took them to Hardison and asked. And Nate says you're the headman on the last cattledrive and Sophie says you're handsome."
"This leading up to something, sweetheart?" Eliot Spencer asked, although Parker had noticed him twitch at the mention of the guns and her team.
Parker leveled him with her best glare. "I want you to teach me how to ride a horse. And then I'm going to teach you how to rob a bank. And then you and me and Father Nate and Miss Sophie and Alec and his books are going to go to San Francisco and make the biggest bank heist in history."
Eliot smiled. "Those are pretty big plans, Miss Parker. I think we'd best get started."