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I don’t own these characters, they belong to NBC and MTM and I don’t make money of this...and so on!
Note: MANY MANY thanks to Dianne for beta-reading it for me! You are such a big help! Thanks really a lot!
NOTE: This chapter has not been checked by a beta-reader. If anything bothers you, I’m sorry but you’ll have to put up with it… there’s more to this story than 100 precise grammar. This, of course, doesn’t mean I didn’t proof-read them. The chapter will be replaced by the beta versions once I get them. :) Enjoy!
Parker turned her head too look at him. She gave him a smile. “I hope your survival was worth it!” She said before he turned back to his twin. Both Sydney and Lyle watched as her smile grew, she chuckled.
Miss Parker uncocked the gun. At the exact same moment realization hit Sydney and Lyle and they both jumped forward. But they were too slow.
Parker raised the gun to her own temple, gazed into Lyle’s eyes, grinned and pulled the trigger. And she won, taking away what the Centre wanted for so long, what they claimed their own. Her life.
Sydney fell on his knees, right next to her. Both Lyle and Sydney caught her as she was falling but it was late. Even though her face wasn’t damaged at all, the deep red blood on her temple represented the truth. In that moment, kneeling next to her, Sydney realized he indeed sacrificed her. And it was all his fault.
He should have talked to Jarod and he should have talked to Parker. The shock was so big that Sydney thought he was dreaming. It was only Lyle’s swearing that brought him back to total reality.
”Dammit!” He cursed. “FUCK IT!” He shouted and punched the wall. Hard. Sydney just stared at him and the old man died. He wasn’t feeling anymore. No pain. No anger. No regret. Just emptiness.
Lyle spun around and angrily stepped up to him.
”It’s your fault!” He hissed.
”Lyle!” Sydney shouted but the younger man cut him off.
”It’s YOUR fault! Like everything else! If you don’t keep whispering into her ear for so many years, she would still be alive! It’s your fault, Sydney! How does it feel to be the murderer of your own daughter?” He shouted.
No. If he had not kept whispering her for so many years, or Jarod as a matter of fact, she would still be their prisoner and slave, working for and serving them. The rage coming out from Lyle was not grief for his sister. Maybe somewhere deep he had that sickening obsession for her but in that moment Sydney knew Lyle was upset because his future suddenly became unclear. Parker made a decision that could not be controlled by the Centre. She decided on her own, independently and managed to hit Lyle and the Centre at their weakest. They lost her. And Lyle most probably was going to pay for it. Just like himself.
But the truth was undeniable. It indeed was Sydney’s fault. Looking down at her, he whispered.
”Yes. It’s my fault!” Lyle’s anger grew and with a sudden movement, he grabbed his gun. He aimed it at Sydney. The old man looked up at him. He killed his daughter… and now his son would kill HIM. And it was right. He deserved nothing else than death.
”Give her my greetings!” He said and uncocked the gun. Sydney grasped Parker’s hand tighter, closed his eyes and lowered his head, waiting for him to shoot.
He heard the shot first. The sound was very loud, almost making him deaf for a second. He expected a few minutes of incredible pain before his conscious would get lost in nothingness. What he felt was different though. Just right after the loud noise, his face felt cold. He thought he finally experienced what does it feel the exact moment before dying but the coldness didn’t go away. Instead he felt it at his neck too and it was flooding. And he opened his eyes.
The room was dark but his pupils were already adjusted to it. He could see her standing next to the bed, staring down at him. Sydney was soaked with water. With cold water. He raised himself to his elbows and stared at her. Confused.
”You were screaming Lyle in sleep so loud that I could hear it in the other room.” She stated, obviously annoyed. “I felt it my OBLIGATION to wake you up!” His gaze shifted to her hands before he glanced back at her to reply.
”Parker, that’s a vase!” He said, his voice harsh from sleep. She shrugged.
”That was the nearest object with water.” She replied simply. Sydney stared at her in disbelief and Parker rolled her eyes. “And now I’ll just have to go and save the flowers… because I wasted the water on you!” She said. “God bless my generous soul!” She said sarcastically.
”You uhm… shouldn’t have gone through so much hassle.” Sydney said, starting to feel the great deal of relief.
”Oh I know!” She said. “I was tempted to use the easier method. My gun. You shouldn’t dream this… loud, Sydney. It’s bad for the nerves.” She said, not sounding too interested in the conversation anymore. She stepped back to leave but suddenly she spun around. “One more thing! Jarod called! An hour ago! They found the others, safe. He also said he checked on the Centre and they were trying to track Michelle and Nicholas but he took care of it!” She said, her voice a bit lighter but not softer enough to be considered friendly.
He stared at her before he chuckled. Then he did it again before he started laughing. Just an amusement first but then it turned into a laughter. And he laughed. Parker raised her eyebrows and slowly shook her head.
”Gee and I thought Alex was the top.” She whispered to herself. “See you tomorrow, Freud. Call me when your sanity returned…” She said, then added. “… might take a while.” With that she walked out, letting the door shut behind her.
Sydney’s laughter got lower for a short while. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. 11. 56 pm. Just when he glanced there, a loud thunder and lightning startled him and it all made sense. He had dreamt it all. The gunshot was the thunder, the coldness was the water. He just went to take that long-needed nap a few hours ago and the exhaustion played a horrible game with him. Mixing up his own feelings and emotions with terrifying thoughts, making him having one of his most vivid dreams ever. It was all a dream! Nicholas was never kidnapped, he didn’t have to make the choice and Parker didn’t have to die.
Finally the relief broke free and Sydney laid back in his bed, covering his face with his hands. Laughing. For long moments he was laughing, sometimes he thought Parker was going to appear again but with the gun this time. But this made him laugh even more. Seconds passed, seconds that changed into a minute and he didn’t know when but at some point his laughter became sobbing. He just cried, letting it all out. At one moment it came hard at the other light, and then he was sobbing again but eventually it got better.
Finally, taking a breath, as deep as he could, he relaxed. The storm outside was at it’s worse state but for the first time, in the inside he felt better. He closed his eyes. It was time to get some real sleep. The dream frightened him though. He got… some sort of a view of one POSSIBILITY that he COULD chose and how events COULD turn out if he decided so and he didn’t like it. But he learned from it. From this vivid and terrible dream he had to face important facts about himself. Fact that he loved Nicholas but he was a stranger to him. Fact that Jarod was more of a son to him than the other man ever could be –not Nicholas’ fault though. It wasn’t even a fault. It was just life and circumstances. Fact that he and Lyle would never have anything to do with each other. And fact that Parker was his daughter and he couldn’t feel for her anything more than he already did. She was with him for years, he wanted to protect her –often with the wrong methods- and he couldn’t deny the fact that they had a relationship. And that relationship was what gave them the field to explore. It gave them the road that they both had to take.
And knowing Parker, just the fact that she agreed to listen to him… for three days, he was confident they had a chance for that. Because it was about their relationship, about their life and about their survival.
Sydney heard the storm outside. The lightning illuminated the room for a second before the thunder came. But it didn’t bother Sydney. He closed his eyes, ready to go to sleep. Parker needed him clear-minded the next morning. She was annoyed enough for his behavior that night, Sydney knew that girl would strangle him if he remained… “unfocused”.
Another thunder came but Sydney didn’t mind it. Let the nature go wild and angry to release the tension through it’s forceful storm. He couldn’t care less. He couldn’t care less because he, from the inside, finally felt some kind of peace because he had a positive outlook for the future. For the very first time in his life. Simply because that positive outlook and that chance has been with him, to be precise, been with THEM for quite a while now. It was there, resting in silence, waiting for the perfect chance to have its turn. It has always been there. Under The Surface.
The End
Miss Parker uncocked the gun. At the exact same moment realization hit Sydney and Lyle and they both jumped forward. But they were too slow.
Parker raised the gun to her own temple, gazed into Lyle’s eyes, grinned and pulled the trigger. And she won, taking away what the Centre wanted for so long, what they claimed their own. Her life.
Sydney fell on his knees, right next to her. Both Lyle and Sydney caught her as she was falling but it was late. Even though her face wasn’t damaged at all, the deep red blood on her temple represented the truth. In that moment, kneeling next to her, Sydney realized he indeed sacrificed her. And it was all his fault.
He should have talked to Jarod and he should have talked to Parker. The shock was so big that Sydney thought he was dreaming. It was only Lyle’s swearing that brought him back to total reality.
”Dammit!” He cursed. “FUCK IT!” He shouted and punched the wall. Hard. Sydney just stared at him and the old man died. He wasn’t feeling anymore. No pain. No anger. No regret. Just emptiness.
Lyle spun around and angrily stepped up to him.
”It’s your fault!” He hissed.
”Lyle!” Sydney shouted but the younger man cut him off.
”It’s YOUR fault! Like everything else! If you don’t keep whispering into her ear for so many years, she would still be alive! It’s your fault, Sydney! How does it feel to be the murderer of your own daughter?” He shouted.
No. If he had not kept whispering her for so many years, or Jarod as a matter of fact, she would still be their prisoner and slave, working for and serving them. The rage coming out from Lyle was not grief for his sister. Maybe somewhere deep he had that sickening obsession for her but in that moment Sydney knew Lyle was upset because his future suddenly became unclear. Parker made a decision that could not be controlled by the Centre. She decided on her own, independently and managed to hit Lyle and the Centre at their weakest. They lost her. And Lyle most probably was going to pay for it. Just like himself.
But the truth was undeniable. It indeed was Sydney’s fault. Looking down at her, he whispered.
”Yes. It’s my fault!” Lyle’s anger grew and with a sudden movement, he grabbed his gun. He aimed it at Sydney. The old man looked up at him. He killed his daughter… and now his son would kill HIM. And it was right. He deserved nothing else than death.
”Give her my greetings!” He said and uncocked the gun. Sydney grasped Parker’s hand tighter, closed his eyes and lowered his head, waiting for him to shoot.
He heard the shot first. The sound was very loud, almost making him deaf for a second. He expected a few minutes of incredible pain before his conscious would get lost in nothingness. What he felt was different though. Just right after the loud noise, his face felt cold. He thought he finally experienced what does it feel the exact moment before dying but the coldness didn’t go away. Instead he felt it at his neck too and it was flooding. And he opened his eyes.
The room was dark but his pupils were already adjusted to it. He could see her standing next to the bed, staring down at him. Sydney was soaked with water. With cold water. He raised himself to his elbows and stared at her. Confused.
”You were screaming Lyle in sleep so loud that I could hear it in the other room.” She stated, obviously annoyed. “I felt it my OBLIGATION to wake you up!” His gaze shifted to her hands before he glanced back at her to reply.
”Parker, that’s a vase!” He said, his voice harsh from sleep. She shrugged.
”That was the nearest object with water.” She replied simply. Sydney stared at her in disbelief and Parker rolled her eyes. “And now I’ll just have to go and save the flowers… because I wasted the water on you!” She said. “God bless my generous soul!” She said sarcastically.
”You uhm… shouldn’t have gone through so much hassle.” Sydney said, starting to feel the great deal of relief.
”Oh I know!” She said. “I was tempted to use the easier method. My gun. You shouldn’t dream this… loud, Sydney. It’s bad for the nerves.” She said, not sounding too interested in the conversation anymore. She stepped back to leave but suddenly she spun around. “One more thing! Jarod called! An hour ago! They found the others, safe. He also said he checked on the Centre and they were trying to track Michelle and Nicholas but he took care of it!” She said, her voice a bit lighter but not softer enough to be considered friendly.
He stared at her before he chuckled. Then he did it again before he started laughing. Just an amusement first but then it turned into a laughter. And he laughed. Parker raised her eyebrows and slowly shook her head.
”Gee and I thought Alex was the top.” She whispered to herself. “See you tomorrow, Freud. Call me when your sanity returned…” She said, then added. “… might take a while.” With that she walked out, letting the door shut behind her.
Sydney’s laughter got lower for a short while. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. 11. 56 pm. Just when he glanced there, a loud thunder and lightning startled him and it all made sense. He had dreamt it all. The gunshot was the thunder, the coldness was the water. He just went to take that long-needed nap a few hours ago and the exhaustion played a horrible game with him. Mixing up his own feelings and emotions with terrifying thoughts, making him having one of his most vivid dreams ever. It was all a dream! Nicholas was never kidnapped, he didn’t have to make the choice and Parker didn’t have to die.
Finally the relief broke free and Sydney laid back in his bed, covering his face with his hands. Laughing. For long moments he was laughing, sometimes he thought Parker was going to appear again but with the gun this time. But this made him laugh even more. Seconds passed, seconds that changed into a minute and he didn’t know when but at some point his laughter became sobbing. He just cried, letting it all out. At one moment it came hard at the other light, and then he was sobbing again but eventually it got better.
Finally, taking a breath, as deep as he could, he relaxed. The storm outside was at it’s worse state but for the first time, in the inside he felt better. He closed his eyes. It was time to get some real sleep. The dream frightened him though. He got… some sort of a view of one POSSIBILITY that he COULD chose and how events COULD turn out if he decided so and he didn’t like it. But he learned from it. From this vivid and terrible dream he had to face important facts about himself. Fact that he loved Nicholas but he was a stranger to him. Fact that Jarod was more of a son to him than the other man ever could be –not Nicholas’ fault though. It wasn’t even a fault. It was just life and circumstances. Fact that he and Lyle would never have anything to do with each other. And fact that Parker was his daughter and he couldn’t feel for her anything more than he already did. She was with him for years, he wanted to protect her –often with the wrong methods- and he couldn’t deny the fact that they had a relationship. And that relationship was what gave them the field to explore. It gave them the road that they both had to take.
And knowing Parker, just the fact that she agreed to listen to him… for three days, he was confident they had a chance for that. Because it was about their relationship, about their life and about their survival.
Sydney heard the storm outside. The lightning illuminated the room for a second before the thunder came. But it didn’t bother Sydney. He closed his eyes, ready to go to sleep. Parker needed him clear-minded the next morning. She was annoyed enough for his behavior that night, Sydney knew that girl would strangle him if he remained… “unfocused”.
Another thunder came but Sydney didn’t mind it. Let the nature go wild and angry to release the tension through it’s forceful storm. He couldn’t care less. He couldn’t care less because he, from the inside, finally felt some kind of peace because he had a positive outlook for the future. For the very first time in his life. Simply because that positive outlook and that chance has been with him, to be precise, been with THEM for quite a while now. It was there, resting in silence, waiting for the perfect chance to have its turn. It has always been there. Under The Surface.
The End
