iluvroadrunner6: ([spn] bela)
Emily ([personal profile] iluvroadrunner6) wrote2010-04-17 05:28 pm

Bela/Parker - Because I Knew You

Fandom: Supernatural/Leverage
Title: Because I Knew You
Author: [livejournal.com profile] iluvroadrunner6
Rating: PG-13 // FRT
Characters: Bela Talbot/Parker
[livejournal.com profile] tamingthemuse Prompt: Myth
Content Warning: Femmeslash, Canon character death
Summary: Five fun facts about Parker and one about Bela.
Author’s Note: … I don’t even know. Really, I don’t. Set pre-series for Leverage (mostly) and during Season 3 for Supernatural.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from Supernatural or Leverage. I’m just borrowing and will put everything back where I found it.



i.

Parker really lacked finesse.

It wasn’t anything personal Bela had against her. Her social skills were mediocre at best, and Bela was surprised that she had even made it past the front door. But she had gotten through, and had gotten inside and had been about to get herself killed if Bela hadn’t stopped her. Handling a cursed diamond barehanded was a quick way to earn yourself a trip to the morgue, not that Parker knew it was cursed—most likely she was rather ignorant of the subject, but there was still that instinctive need to stop her before she got herself killed.

She didn’t have it for many people, yet she had it for this thief she didn’t even know. She didn’t understand it anymore than Parker did, but that was how she wound up in jail.

Now the woman was staring at her, arms crossed in front of her chest, clearly put out that she had gotten caught. Bela matched her posture, crossing a leg in front of her as well. “You know, usually people are a bit more grateful when I save their lives.”

Parker glared at her. “You got me caught.” Then the glare melted into more of a sulk. “I hate getting caught.”

“I don’t think anyone likes getting caught, sweetie,” Bela replied with a sigh, and the glare was back again, but Parker didn’t say anything, just pulled one leg up to her chest to rest her chin on it. “Besides, getting caught with you wasn’t exactly a picnic for me either. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Her eyes narrowed even more before her back slumped back against the wall of the cell, almost as though she was trying to figure something out. “How did you know that thing was going to kill me? It was just a diamond.”

“I knew because I know my merchandise,” Bela replied. “That diamond was in the hands of a very powerful voodoo witch about a century ago, and for some reason every own who’s had it since has found themselves on the wrong end of a very grisly death.”

“So? That’s just a ghost story. Doesn’t mean it’s real.” There was a small pause. “Doesn’t it?”

She paused for a moment, before glancing over at the guard in the corner who was watching him. “After you knocked the stone over, he handled it with his bare hands, yeah?”

Parker got up, moving to sit next to her and following her line of sight, before nodding. “Yeah.”

“And that was what? Three hours ago?” She glanced down at her watch, and just as she did, the guard started to choke on his sandwich. Parker’s eyes widened before she got up and went to the bars shouting out into the mostly empty police station.

“Hey! Hey police people! I think he might be dying!” By the time the cops got there, though, it was already too late. The guard was turning blue against the table and Parker was looking back at Bela with wide eyes. “You knew. Why didn’t you warn him?”

She shrugged. “He wouldn’t have believed me anyway. They never do.” She looked up again, raising an eyebrow. “Question is—do you?”

Parker shifted slightly, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “We get out of here, you explain everything. Then we’ll see how much I believe.” Then she slumped. “Provided we actually make bail.”

“Who says we even have to get that far?” Bela replied with a smirk, before getting up and starting to move towards where Parker was standing.

“I take it you have an idea.”

“Finesse, love,” she smirked, before turning back to the guards. “Just takes a little finesse.”

ii.

Parker was a bit like a cat.

She liked shiny things. And money. Money sometimes counted as a shiny thing, but not always, plus it was a category all its own. Bela liked money too, which Parker attributed to part of the reason why they got along so well. That, and Bela never treated her like there was something wrong with her. Like she was an idiot, yeah, but that was only when she was frustrated, and that wasn’t often.

She knew Parker was still learning about all this ghost stuff. She knew that while Parker could be a quick study about some things, others were a little harder for her to pick up, and she adjusted things accordingly. They were making a good team. Parker didn’t usually work on teams—partially because she thought it was a waste of money, and partially because most people thought she was too insane to actually handle it. The latter was probably true, but she and Bela worked well together.

And they were making lots of money. That part was important.

“So what’s the myth behind this rabbit’s foot thing?”

Bela’s hand reached out to wrap around Parker’s before she could reach up and touch something on one of her shelves, pulling it back gently. “Please don’t touch anything.” She reluctantly let her hands fall to her sides, before Bela continued. “The lore is that while you have the foot, you have a run of excellent luck, but when you lose the foot—and you always lose the foot—it kills you in the span of week.”

“Why does your client want it?”

“I’ve learned it’s better off not to ask that question,” Bela replied, lighting the last of the candles that were sitting on the table. “It’s better not to know.”

Parker shrugged it off, before turning to face her, following her back to the couch where the other woman had set up what she needed for the séance.

“What’re all the candles for?”

“Mood.”

“What do we need that for?”

Bela was quiet for a moment, before shrugging. “It helps me focus. Now sit.”

Parker did, crossing her legs under her on the floor next to Bela’s coffee table. She let Bela move her, placing her hand on the small plastic piece in the center of the talking board, but she made a bit of a face in protest. “I still think you should do this.”

“You can handle it. Trust me. Just focus.”

She did as she was told, closing her eyes, but it was really hard to focus with Bela pressing against her like she was. Parker had never really been one for contact with anyone, even friends. But when Bela did it, it felt … nice. In a weird, tingly sort of way. Bela also tended to smell really good. Parker’s head tilted towards the curtain of hair behind her, inhaling slightly, and just taking in the feeling of someone being that close.

“ … Parker.”

“Sorry.” A small sulk crossed her face and she pulled her hands away. “I’m not good at this part. I don’t know why you just won’t do this yourself, and then have me go steal it.”

“Because if you want to work in my end of things, it’s something you’ll have to learn. Now relax.” She shifted so that she was sitting a little closer, so that she could wrap one arm around hers and placed her hands back on the plastic thing. “Close your eyes, and focus on who you want to talk to.”

“And who’s that again?”

“You’re looking for a victim of the foot.”

“Right.” Parker kept her eyes closed, doing as she was told. Focusing on what she wanted. It got quiet, and all she could really feel was the body pressed against hers, and her hands on the plastic piece in front of her. Then there was a feeling, like a slow chill running down her spine, and the piece started to move.

Okay. Maybe she could get the hang of this.

iii.

Parker learned the kiss and distract technique from Bela.

Parker wasn’t one for subtlety, at least not socially. She watched people like a hawk and tried to pick up the pieces in between, but there was a lot that was lost, and Bela knew it. She did her best to try and fill in the pieces but there was only so much she could do that was going to register. Some things stuck better than others.

They were in Belize. The guards were chasing Parker, who was covered head to toe in black in the midday heat. Bela had tried to tell her that it was impractical, but she had a tendency not to listen. Parker was coming up on the rendezvous point, and Bela couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she started to undo the buttons on her jacket. Once she was close enough, Bela yanked her into the shade of the nearby wall, giving her a look.

“I told you, you were going to stand out if you wore black.” She reached for the cap on her head, yanking it off and letting long blond hair drop down around her fingers.

“I didn’t have anything else that was—” Parker gave Bela a look when her back connected with the wall, unsure of what exactly was going on.

“Shut up,” Bela whispered before leaning in and kissing her fully, letting the folds of her jacket open and cover the black of Parker’s clothes, and focusing on keeping the blond in front of her occupied. She continued the kiss until there was a dull chuckle from behind them. Bela pulled back from the kiss with a heavy sigh. “Can we help you?”

“No, no,” one of the guards said, crossing his arms in front of her chest. “Carry on. Please. Don’t let us bother you.”

Bela’s eyes narrowed and the other guard came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder to yank him away. “C’mon. We gotta track down that intruder.” The two women watched as they both disappeared, and Bela started to pull her away from the wall.

“Wait. How did you do that?” Parker frowned as she went, following behind Bela as they continued to move towards the car she had rented them. “They must have been idiots.”

“Something you need to know about most men, Parker? They spend a good amount of the time thinking with their downstairs brain, rather than their upstairs one.”

“What do you mean their downstairs—” There was a pause and then there was a look, almost like a light bulb was going off. “—oh, you mean their penis.” The way she said the word was such a soft whisper that Bela couldn’t help but find adorable.

“Yes, love. That’s what I mean.”

“So—two girls making out is supposed to be hot?”

Bela glanced back at Parker over the hood of her car, watching her for a moment. “I’ll explain when we get back to the hotel.” The blond woman shrugged, and didn’t ask about it again for the rest of the trip.

When they got back to the motel, Bela kissed her again. This time, it was different, something warm and insistent that Parker melted into without even thinking. Soon, layers of clothing were being tossed away, and they became tangled in the sheets, Bela trying to prove just how hot two women could be.

Surprisingly, for all her missed cues, Parker was really good at sex.

iv.

Parker wasn’t a baby sitter.

She wasn’t good at it. She was too easily distracted—Bela’s words, not hers. Yet, Bela asked her to do this and she wasn’t sure why, but at least Bela wasn’t moving. She was asleep, out cold on the bed from whatever root stuff she had taken. Parker didn’t understand why this part of the job was necessary—she would just wait until the brothers passed out on the root and steal whatever she wanted to steal, but for some reason, Bela felt the need to screw around with Sam. Who really was more like a yeti, when you thought about it.

If Parker was a normal person, she might have been jealous. Especially when Bela started making sounds.

Parker knew those sounds. Parker had made her make those sounds. Those weren’t sounds she should be making when she wandered into Yeti Man’s dream, and yet there she was, making noises and her body twisting around on the bed, and Parker had half a mind to wake her up. But that would blow the job, and right now, the job was more important than whatever Bela was doing in the Yeti’s dreams.

It was only a minute later before she shot awake, fingers gripping the sheets with a bit of a cry, before pushing to her feet and running a hand through her hair to make sure she looked presentable. Parker watched her as she did, pulling one leg to her chest uncertainly. “Were you two—”

The “it’s not what you think” came out in a rush, and Bela turned to face her, before grabbing the jar of dream root and pulling it off the dresser. “We’ll figure it out when I get back. Just give me two minutes.”

Parker huffed and let her go, but when Bela did get back she was kissing Parker and pushing her onto the bed before the blond could utter a word of protest, but as far as Parker was concerned, she couldn’t really say she cared.

v.

Parker wasn’t very good at goodbye.

Bela understood that from the get go. It was part of the reason why she never lied to her—at least, not about anything real. Parker asked a question and Bela answered it—about her father, her life, her deal—whatever Parker wanted to know, Bela told her, which was probably why Parker trusted her so much. Considering each question most people would probably answer with a “that’s none of your business,” Bela would actually confide in her. And that was something that no one else had really done before. However, even with advanced notice, it still didn’t make things any easier.

“There has to be something … ” she began, shifting over so that she was lying on her stomach next to her, a sheet wrapped tightly around her body. Bela was stretched out next to her, one arm back behind her head, and she sighed heavily, before turning to look at the person next to her.

“I’ve tried, love. I promise. I’ve exhausted almost every option left.” She moved her hand under Parker’s chin, turning her to face her again. “This is all I have left.”

“I don’t trust her.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“Which is why there has to be another way.” The frustration in her voice was evident, and she flopped back onto her back. “Nothing’s that simple. There’s always another answer. You shouldn’t have to—”

“Parker … ”

“Shut up,” she whispered, rolling over onto her side, away from Bela. Bela sighed heavily, reaching one hand out for her side to pull the other woman closer. She waited, patiently, for Parker to relax into her, before speaking again.

“I know it’s not perfect. But I at least have to try.” She tightened the arm around her and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Just—if it doesn’t work.”

“No.”

“Sweetie … ”

“No,” she stated more firmly, one and coming up to grip Bela’s firmly. “I’m not saying goodbye.”

“Not even for me?” Bela whispered softly, and that only made Parker grip tighter.

“It’ll work. It has to.”

vi.

Bela died seven months before Parker went to work for Nate.

Parker doesn’t like to talk about it.

[identity profile] authoressnebula.livejournal.com 2010-04-17 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh.

Oh.

That was absolutely beautiful.

Thank you for weaving together two of my favorite shows, and even better, doing so on my favorite community. *waves from [livejournal.com profile] tamingthemuse*

Fantastically done, and very believable too. I miss Bela.

And now I'm going to believe that Parker talks with her through the board when they're off jobs. ♥

~Nebula

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-04-18 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I miss Bela too. She was definitely one of my favorites. And heee -- she totally would.

I'm glad you liked it.

[identity profile] kaddywhak.livejournal.com 2010-04-18 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
Holy crap! This story was absolutely fantastic, especially because NO other member of the crew would roll with Bella like Parker does, they'd all have some form of moral outrage. And Bella/Parker? Good god, you made my day.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-04-18 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay! Thanks for reading! I'm glad you liked it.

[identity profile] lilacsigil.livejournal.com 2010-04-18 11:57 am (UTC)(link)
Wow! This was ferociously good! I love that you could write Bela and Parker melting into each other without either of them losing their toughness and independence. Bela's sharpness and Parker's weird, angry naivety come through so strongly here. I hope Parker got Bela's board (and her cat). I miss Bela.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-04-18 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I miss her too. So very much.

I'm glad you liked it!

[identity profile] labseraph.livejournal.com 2010-04-19 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Totally canon-worthy.

Yup.

*nods*

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-04-19 12:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww, thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

[identity profile] fresleyforever.livejournal.com 2010-04-22 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
This was wonderful. I love both of these shows and the characters. They work really well together. It also made me really miss Bela. Great job :)

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-04-22 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I miss her too.

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

[identity profile] salientdreams.livejournal.com 2010-04-23 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
Parker and Bela were awesome together in this. I can easily see Bela caring about her and poor Parker, at the end. Great crossover!

This has been recced here (http://community.livejournal.com/crack_impala/273714.html) at [livejournal.com profile] crack_impala.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-04-23 11:50 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you, and thank you for the rec! I'm glad you liked it.

[identity profile] nights-fang.livejournal.com 2010-06-15 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Late but this is beautiful! I love the way how you've handled them, and the bit at the end made me tear up.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-15 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
...pretty much, yeah.

Awesome as always. Parker might choke a bitch who asks about Bela.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 08:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Poor Parker. I really gotta stop killing off Bela.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
...I'm tempted to mess around with Parker post-Bela.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Oooooh. Interesting. I've got something kind of bouncing around that could be related to this, but if you want to play with it, go for it.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Not sure yet. At this point it's just a Parker-Dean confrontation.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 09:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Oooooh. I like the sound of that.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not going to be pretty.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well I would think not. Parker probably wants to kick his ass.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Yup. And rage some. And demand some answers.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
That hurts Parker in my head.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, mine isn't fond of it either.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I really don't need to talk you into an angst verse. Really don't.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
No. Please don't. We have enough of those.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, we do. But me playing a Parker and implying she had a Bela would be angsty...unless Bela was given back to her.

[identity profile] defy-n-gravity.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
She wants to play around with meeting Bela first. And chasing her. She claps her hands at that part.

[identity profile] iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com 2010-06-22 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, we can definitely do that.