The Eighth by missparker87
Story Notes:

Ok, I do not *own* any of The Pretender characters. But I feel like they became mine, too.

Last year with Rebirth, and the authors starting to write again, well it was like having a huge amount of information and new concepts that flew in my mind like a flux of thoughts. And I had to write them down. To write fanfictions about them.

This is going to be another long story, maybe not as long as Mind Rain, but it usually takes me some time to develop things just the way I like them.

The idea came to me when I started to think about the Red Files. We never actually knew who they were. All we knew about them was that Angelo, Jarod, Parker and Lyle were 4 of the 8 red files. So, what if we actually discovered who the others were during the show?

I won’t have a beta reader for this, so please, be careful with my English and don’t be too surprised if you find huge mistakes.  

Last update: 2.15.2018 - Chapter 29

Chapter 1: Ten Years by missparker87

TODAY

She entered her kitchen with the awareness that this would be a different day. 

She had been thinking about it the day before and all night long, while her husband was sleeping right next to her, as he had done for the last ten years.

She was conscious of the fact that he was probably living a very similar inner turmoil, because when she had put his favorite food right under his nose the evening before, he hadn’t performed his usual act of eating his portion of meatloaf in two seconds and a half just to have a second one – and she had to admit, she loved to see the children’s face whenever their father sat with them for dinner and ate everything faster than a starving hyena.

The night before had been different, for both of them.

Well, that’s the effect that anniversaries have on both of us’, she thought, trying to change her mind on a different subject.

But all her efforts were vain. She couldn’t think of anything else.

Ten years before, her life had changed. Drastically.

She sighed and tightened the node that was keeping her robe closed. She inhaled slowly and took a look around. She loved the kitchen, that was the part of the house she preferred.

She remembered that the first time they had made love in that house, it was right there.

A wonderful, perfect, moment of bliss, that she still remembered as the best time they had been together. Ever. She slightly touched the kitchen counter where she was sitting that night, just before he dragged her on the floor, while their first son was sleeping in his bedroom.

A soft smile formed on her lips, just as her husband appeared behind her and put his strong and muscular arms around hers. She couldn’t help but feeling aroused by the slight touch on her bare skin, while he lowered her robe to have better access on her neck and put a trail of kisses down her collarbone.

“Ethan will wake up in thirty minutes...” she managed to tell him, her words sounding more like hums.

“So will Katie”, he answered her.

“I have to make breakfast…”

He smiled, noticing that her answer was definitely in conflict with the way she was now holding his back to make him come closer to her.

“I don’t think our children will get starved if they don’t have breakfast just for…one…day…” he told her, moaning the last words to her ear.

She turned around, brushing his lips with hers. She really needed his closeness, but she also wanted to talk about what was going on in her mind.

He felt her hesitation as soon as her lips left his mouth.

“Another sleepless night?” he asked her.

She nodded and sighed, while he made a few steps across the room to lean casually on the wall.

She wondered once again if he had ever realized how many times a day he could assume that position and how bewitching he could be when he looked at her in those moments.

He probably wasn’t that oblivious, because he smiled when he saw her eyes dancing and scanning him from head to toe. Ten years had not scratched his well-formed body and he was still the handsome man she had fallen in love with many years ago. Actually, a lifetime ago.

“Stop grinning like an idiot, I can’t focus when you look at me like that!”

He smiled again, then decided to get serious.

“What’s bothering you?” he asked her.

“Don’t you know?” 

His arm left the support of the wall and he stood, coming closer. He sighed and put his hands on her face, caressing her cheeks and kissing her forehead.

“Of course I know. But I need you to tell me.”

She looked at him, straight into his chocolate-brown-eyes, while his ones couldn’t help but drowning inside hers.

“It’s about today”, she murmured, “It’s about what happened ten years ago today.”    

He nodded in answer, never stopping to caress her cheeks.

“I know. And I knew you wouldn’t sleep because of it. I tried so hard to got you enough exhausted so that you would fall asleep after our night of passion. We hadn’t made love four times since…Wait a minute…We never had sex four times in the same night!”

She burst out laughing and then she kissed him with gratitude. She loved when he made her laugh. And he’d always made her laugh in the last ten years. Everyday.

He responded and deepened the kiss until they both started to need for air. He solely released her as the softest smile spread over his face.

“I know it’s hard to think about the lives we had ten years ago. Do you remember how we used to be against each other?”

“I remember you, running all over the damned States…”

“Mmm…” he moaned, kissing her cheek.

“And I also remember me, chasing you and never being able of taking your sorry ass back to where you belonged…”

“The Centre?”

Another kiss, this time dangerously close to her earlobe. She stopped him and grabbed his hands in hers, then she put them on her chest, clearly over her heart.

He made that gorgeous and seductive grin of his.

“And what do you remember?” she asked him.

“I remember your face blushing, claiming your almost kissing me on a moment of weakness...”

“I didn’t blush!” she replied, but he ignored her.

“And I remember you saying that thing about turning points, what was that?” he asked her, pretending not to remember well.

“Oh yeah, that they only come…when you’ve got someone to turn to.”

“All those pretending skills finally got to your head, Boy Wonder. I never said anything like that…”

“Oh, didn’t you?” he smiled.

“Nope. I said something to turn to.”

“Oh, well…” he whispered, then kissed her again.

“You’re getting older if your mind plays tricks on you.”

“Did I mention that I hate you?!” he told her, releasing her immediately and gazing at her pretending to be offended by those words.

“Well, that was a long time ago”, she answered, “There’s a second time for everything.”

He looked at her with uncertainty. What did she mean by that?

“I’ve never said something so terrible to you…”

“Didn’t you?” she asked him, folding her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow.

“No, I didn’t!” he replied, sure that he might as well be dead before saying that he hated her.

She sighed in exasperation, “You don’t remember ‘cause you were in a state of trance and later you took back the words, but you did. And before you say anything, yes, I forgave you because you were not your usual self at that moment.”

He tried to focus on his memories, trying to remember what the hell she was talking about. 

She made a sweet smile and moved her fingers, asking him to come closer. When he did so, she hugged him and kiss his cheek.

“I don’t remember ever saying that –”

A look of recognition appeared on his face.

“You’re still talking about that night…”

She nodded, a tear streaming down her face. He used his thumb to dry it away. After all those years, he couldn’t  stand watching her crying, yet.

“I told you it’s about ten years ago…I can’t help it…”

He wanted to kiss her sorrow away, and he did.

“I know it’s hard. I’ve been thinking about it, too. I just have to be stronger than you, because I figured out you would need me to pretend to be man of the house, just for one day…”

She laughed between tears, “The other man in this house is still a kid, you genius!”

“Actually I was talking about you.”

He did it again, he made her laugh out loud. That was the sound he loved more in the whole world. Along with the voice of his children calling him ‘daddy’.

“I’m the man of the house”, she replied, satisfied by his choice of words.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re incredibly sexy for being a man?”

She smiled and kissed him back when he put his lips on hers.

“I love you…” she sighed against his chest.

Then he remembered another important thing.

“Hey…Am I right to assume that was the night I also told you that I loved you for the first time?”

She smiled, so glad that he still remembered.

“Yes, you did…”

She was going to hold him tighter, but he took her hands and looked at her, in silence.

“What?” she asked, long forgotten her Ice Queen tone whenever she said that word years before.

You told me first, Parker…”

Once again, she smiled, happiness enlightening her face.

“Yes, I did, Jarod.”

He nodded, now he remembered everything very clearly.

“One night. But it changed everything…”

And while she held him again, they both started to live it again in their memories.



This story archived at http://www.pretendercentre.com/missingpieces/viewstory.php?sid=5650