"What are you going to do with it? Shoot me?" She hoped he wouldn't.
"Something I've wanted to do for a long time" Jarod said with a slight smile.
'Maybe he *is* going to shoot me!' Miss Parker thought frantically as he stepped nearer. She closed her eyes, ready to feel the bullet in her body. This is the end she thought as the gun fired. There was no impact but in a moment, Jarod held her in his arms.
She opened her eyes and mouth in shock ready to yell blue murder. But feeling him so close to her, that all she need do was tilt her head and they would be kissing, silenced her, and bought forward her repressed feelings for him.
Slowly, she bought her lips towards his and her arms around his neck, closing her eyes to focus more intently on him. Moaning softly Parker leaned into the kiss, Jarod's mouth gently urging hers open. As their tongues met, Jarod supported her weight when her knees threatened to buckle, pulling her closer to himself.
Breaking away, Parker put her head to Jarods shoulder, not wanting to meet his eyes. "Why did I do that? It could never work for us."
"But it can" he whispered softly into her ear. "It can, I found away to get around The Centre... If that is what's stopping you."
A tear dropped to his shoulder, "Offcourse that's what is stopping me! How can it possibly work? The Centre has people *everywhere*. They probably even know we just kissed"
Placing his mouth over hers once more to silence her, he kissed her softly, reassuringly.
"Dead people can't be found Miss Parker." he answered as they broke apart.
She lifted her head confusion in her eyes, was he really going to shoot her?
Jarod smiled at the look she gave him, adding to her confusion. "No, I wouldn't really shoot you, but we can *fake* our deaths, I've worked it all out."

The end...
Unless you write and convince me to write some more. ;)

Disclaimer: You know the drill, the characters belong to the owners of The Pretender as do all the other little bits and pieces related to it. The rabbit's name and idea for it are mine, but go ahead and use it if you wanna.



A Way II

By Ambrosia





Miss Parker's Cottage
Blue Cove, Delaware
June 15th 1998

'Fake our deaths,' Parker mused. It seemed such an obvious idea. Lyle had done it successfully, twice, why couldn't she?
Jarod had promised he could get all the answers to their pasts. He promised he could get her anything she wanted. He promised to keep her safe, just like he always said he would.

(Flash back)
Sim Lab 20, The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
July 1971

"Jas, it's so scary there," she complained softly. "It's even creepier than corridor fifteen, and the teachers are meaner and scarier than Doctor Raines! I wish we could always stay here with no one watching, taking notes."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. He liked it here in the dark, when the Simulation Labs weren't being used the security cameras we turned off. While Sydney thought he was in his space reading up on NASA's latest Apollo, Mr Parker thought Miss Parker was in the staff lounge. They had a rare opportunity to talk alone. "One day we will be. I promise one day I'll take us where no one will ever find us."


Miss Parker's Cottage
Blue Cove, Delaware
June 15th 1998

She was shaken out of her reverie by Lil-Jas nibbling her fingers. After a long deliberation since deciding to keep the bunny, Parker had decided that naming the rabbit Jarod had sent her last Christmas Lil-Jas, after him, wasn't too embarrassing. Rather, a token of their childhood together.

Making her decision to go along with the Fake Our Deaths to Escape from The Centre Plan, she reached for the cell phone Jarod had given her. He said that Raines was tapping her home phone and her office phone, and they needed a secure line to talk on.

Hitting the speed dial on the number marked 'This One', she listened to the ringing of the phone and then the smooth sound of his voice on the other end. Foregoing pleasantries she smiled.

"Deal me in and tell me how to play the game. I want to know all the details, from start to finish."

"Miss Parker," he spoke, ignoring her request. "Nice to hear from you, I assume that this means you're coming with me?"

"Well, yes, I thought that much was obvious. When can I know the details?"

"Hang on a minute, can you open your backdoor. You've got, like, about seven locks on this thing!"

She pressed the End button on the phone and made her way to the back of the house. And after unlocking the remaining five bolts, saw his happy face and looked back in shock. He was happy to see her? But then, he did offer to save her life. They were partners now, no longer Hunter and Prey, she just had to keep remembering that.

When she didn't invite him in, Jarod moved closer and stepped inside the house, closing the door behind him. Heading towards the living room which she had so recently vacated, Jarod looked about her house. He had only ever seen it from the outside, and it was as comfortable as it looked.
At first Jarod had found it hard to imagine someone as hard as Miss Parker living in a home painted in soft pinks and reds. But as he got to know the real her and when he remembered the Miss Parker from his childhood, he could understand it better.
Finally moving from her position near the back door, Parker followed Jarod into the living room. She found him seated on the couch with Lil-Jas on his lap.

"What did you name him?" he asked innocently.

She blushed, not a frequent occurrence.

"What? It can't be that bad," he pressed, smiling.

Taking a deep breath and controlling the flush of her cheeks, Parker decided to just tell him. He'd understand, he'd remember the significance. "I ? I named him?Lil-Jas."

Jarod grinned, "you named him after me?"

"Yeah, well, I just thought with the rabbit twins and all? I just thought it was kind of fitting, you know? I mean, when we were little and I called you Jas we used to save the rabbits. It fit."

"I get it," he replied softly. "So, do you want to know what you've gotta do so I can kidnap you?"

She tilted her head to the side, "kidnap? I thought we just were faking deaths." Quickly becoming defensive, "you weren't lying about that were you? Because I promise, if you were, and you think that screwing with my head, getting me to open up and say that I'll leave everything to run away with you was fun. I'll rip each and every appendage from your body starting with your thumbs. Maybe you and Lyle, will be able to make a club, 'Thumbs aren't us'."

"Hey," Jarod responded to her outburst. "Settle, do you want The Centre and everyone to think that you came along willingly?" With a shake of her head he continued. "I didn't think so, so if I kidnap you, then somewhere in our escape, we die, that eliminates us both and keeps you 'loyal til the end'."

"Oh, well then, you should have said all that in the first place."

Abandoned Warehouse
Brewster, Nebraska
June 19th 1998

"Jarod," Parker called into the darkness. "Jarod, we know you're in here, if you come out now, then I promise to aim away from all your major organs."

Her heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. She didn't know the entire plan, he'd refused to tell her more then what she needed to know. And all that she knew was that she needed to be in that spot near a small exit door, and that everyone that she'd bought had to be inside the dusty building.

Miss Parker's three sweepers were searching the cluttered back end of the warehouse where Jarod had seemed to have made a home for himself. Sydney and Broots were standing in the centre of the building looking lost, chatting together about her strange mood today.

Suddenly she felt a strong arm encircle her waist, and her gun pulled from her hand. Parker cursed loudly in shock, bringing attention to the rest of the search party.

Holding Parker's gun to her head, Jarod waited for the inevitable threat from the head sweeper Sam, and the attempted insight from Sydney. 'Must have shocked them more than I thought it would' he thought faintly, when for once, neither came.

So, Jarod simply took aim over Parker's shoulder and shot out the rope holding the heavy roller door open. Effectively cutting off one exit, he proceeded to half drag, half carry Parker through the only other. Once outside, he locked and bolted the small door firmly, giving them at least an hour before they would be free.

Turning to her he grinned. "Come on, the car's this way."

"Where to now?" She asked nervously, hoping this could all be over soon.

"The Centre Air Strip, out plane is being prepped right now."

"The Centre's WHAT?"

"Air Strip," he wondered if she'd heard him, or was saying it for dramatic effect.

"And you thing they're just gonna let you walk right in and take a plane!"

"We'll be driving, and yes, they will. Look," he decided to tell her now rather than later. "Well, I've been working there this past week, as a pilot. And I told them that I have a special delivery for the Centre's head office in Georgia. So they said, they'd get right on to prepping the plane. They're actually making Mr Raines wait, so they can help me escape!" He laughed at this last bit, it was his favourite part of the story and he couldn't wait to tell Sydney.

Reaching the rusting utility she smiled sweetly, "well then, that makes it all better then."

Centre Airstrip
Brewster, Nebraska
July 17th 1998

By the time Jarod had stopped the car in the car park, Miss Parker looked like a true kidnapping victim. Her wrists were taped together, behind her with thick electrical tape and her ankles were shackled together and they were both wearing bulletproof vests for protection. She'd even added some fake blood for a pretend head wound. She was glad Jarod'd done the sting as a SWAT cop.

For once in a long time, Parker did exactly what Jarod had told her to do. When they were only a few feet from the plane, and Mr Raines and his personal sweeper Willie were about to enter into the airport terminal. Parker let out a loud string of curses, ending in her telling him what he could do with his kidnapping plan.

Though they were far apart, her voice had carried on the wind and it was all Willie needed to notice the duo. Willie turned and aimed his gun, clicking off the safety, Mr Raines turned to look at what Willie was aiming at, Jarod turned and waved to the pair before pushing Parker into the small plane and hopping in lightly after her.


Jarod's plane
Somewhere over Wyoming
July 17th 1998

"Jarod, please tell me you don't want me to jump from this plane," she said nervously when he handed her a parachute.

"Well," he relied patiently. "Firstly, this plane is programmed to fly into some mountains in about fifteen minutes, and yes, we have to jump out of here, or we're going into the mountains with the plane."

"You have got to be joking."

"Nope," he grinned like a little boy with a new toy. "This plane has so much fuel stored in it, then only thing that won't burn to ash will be The Centre's logo on the tail. Like I said to begin with, dead people can't be found."

Parker nodded, it made sense. Holding the harness up to get a better look at it, she asked him, "so how does this thing go on?"


The Drop Zone
Three miles from Worland, Wyoming

They were standing at the door, Jarod looking excited and Parker looking sick. "You ready?" he called to her. She nodded and he jumped, pulling her with him into the air.

After a terrifying few moments of free falling, Parker pushed away from Jarod and searched her side for the string which would release the chute. Calling to him frantically, "Jarod, help! I can't find the string!"

Well, what do you think? I got an 'A' for it in English.
I thrive on feedback, so please send any comments, be they good or bad!!

Disclaimer: Miss Parker, Jarod, The Centre and all the things that I didn't borrow from 'The Pretender' belong to NBC and all the other lucky people who own it. I didn't get anything from this, except the pleasure of annoying my Pretender illiterate friends about the story development, and like always, I'll put my toys back where they came from... really I will. Ohh, also, I don't own any of the song lyrics mentioned here, someone else does, not sure who though.

Author's note: The third part in my 'A Way' series... is it a series yet? more of a trilogy so far. But I suppose, there will be another part, so it could be called a series... ANYWAY, if you haven't read at least the second one, you may be a little confused, but if you don't, you'll pick it up pretty easily. Due to my short term memory - or lack there of - I just remembered that it's 1998, not 1997, and so all the dates in the last two stories should be considered accordingly, I'll change them anyway, but or those who've read it and are going 'where did a whole year go?' well, now you know. ;o)
Thanks heaps to all my friends who listened to me go on about this, especially to Bronny, Em and Vikki, 'Just nod and smile girls, nod and smile' ;o)
Oh, and especially all you guys who are *READING* it!! Well, enjoy...



A Way III - From This Moment

By Ambrosia



Three miles from Worland, Wyoming
Ground level
July 17th 1998
1650 hours

Rising to his feet and striping his jumpsuit and parachuting gear off, Jarod looked around for Parker, wondering how she'd handled the impact of landing. Jarod had been forced to stop watching Miss Parker's mid air manoe uvring when he had gotten close to landing and needed to concentrate on not falling on his face. He hoped that she had eventually done the same when he saw her laying on her back about fifty feet to his left, near where he'd left his motorbike.

Miss Parker looked into the sky, and thanked God for not killing her on the way down. She felt exhausted, bruised and battered and she could taste blood from a cut on her lip. 'Basically', she summed up, 'I feel like I was pushed out of a plane at a few thousand feet'. Groaning a little as she turned her head, she saw Jarod approaching her with a worried look.

Helping her to sit and unhook the harness, Jarod gave Parker a quick check to make sure nothing was sprained or broken. Though there were several cuts on her hands and a few on her face surrounded by what would soon be bruises, Parker seemed to have made it down in one piece. Satisfied that she would live, Jarod helped her to her feet and began to unzip and unbuckle Parker's chute-suit and harness while she leaned against him.

When Jarod finished helping her out of the suit and stood up to talk to her, Parker cut his words short with a violent slap across the face. "That's for pushing me out of a plane!" she yelled feeling more like herself now that she was back to wearing her Armani. Then taking advantage of Jarod's shock, she smiled "Thanks."

"I didn't think you were going to jump, and if we'd waited much longer we'd be really offcourse. Besides, I didn't push you, I pulled you."

"Push, pull, same difference. But, Jarod, if it's a choice between jumping out of a plane and crashing into the side of a mountain, I'll jump anyday," she explained smiling slightly. Parker looked around, seeing civilisation in the not so far off distance and a highway only a few yards away, wondering what they were still doing standing there. "So," she began teasingly. "Were we going to move, or hide from The Centre here?"

"Can you walk?" he questioned her.

"Am I standing?"

"Ok, you can walk," he said leading the way to the bushes concealing his motor cycle. Wheeling the bike out of the scrub and grabbing a large travel bag, he asked, "have you ever ridden before?" With her nod he continued, handing her a black leather jacket and a helmet, "Good, you might want to put this on, it'll be cold and windy. And of course, your helmet."

"Ok. What about the parachutes and jumpsuits? If The Centre finds them, then they'll know we're alive, won't they?"

"Ah, well, we pack them in this bag," he began, indicating the bag he had just pulled the helmets and jackets from. "Then when we get to where we're going, we can either, store them under the house, in the attic, in the spare room, or we could burn them and remove all hope of The Centre ever finding them. What do you think?"

"I say we have a bonfire."

They laughed for a moment before Jarod looked at his watch. "Oh, we'd better move, Centre planes are due here in about ten minutes, our plane's gonna crash in eleven, and our flight leaves in an hour."

"Next plane?" she questioned as they quickly shovelled the parachuting gear into the bag.

"Yeah, well we can't stay on here." On her questioning look Jarod continued. "Well, I mean, how would it look? We move in and we'd be 'That Couple Who Parachuted Into Town'. It's not good for staying inconspicuous, besides you'll like where we're going."

"I guess so, where are we going anyway?" she said. "And how are we going for time?"

"Pretty good, actually. We've still got six minutes before The Centre gets here. And where we're going is for me to know and you to find out."

"Great," she answered as he pulled the now heavy bag's zip closed. When it was strapped to the back of the bike, Parker slipped her jacket over her shoulders and the helmet on her head, before mounting the Harley behind Jarod. Lifting the helmet enough to speak, Miss Parker said, "Jarod, do you know the song, 'From This Moment' by Shania Twain?"

"Nope, why?"

"It just sort of describes this moment. Don't worry," she said, hastily pulling the helmet back down and giving Jarod the 'ok' to go. Leaning against his back while they sped down the highway Miss Parker listened to the song in her mind.

*From this moment
 Life has begun
 From this moment
 You are the one
 Right beside you
 Is where I belong
 From this moment on
 From this moment
 I have been blessed
 I live only for your happiness...*

'Perhaps it's not that accurate,' Miss Parker thought. 'Oh, who am I kidding. I'd do almost anything to make him happy.' She smiled at that, this love and trust thing was new to her, 'and,' she decided, 'I think I like it.'

*And for your love
 I'd give my last breath
 From this moment on
 I give my hand to you with all my heart
 I can't wait to live my life with you
 I can't wait to start...*

Miss Parker opened her eyes when she heard the plane in the distance, Jarod had slowed the bike down to a reasonable speed so as to blend in with the sparse traffic. Wrapping her arms tighter around Jarod's waist, Parker turned her head to look at the Centre plane. Much more corporate than the one she and Jarod had flown in, which meant someone important was inside it. Turning her head towards the front again, she caught a glimpse of an explosion in the distance. An explosion that no on in the Centre's plane could have missed.

The Centre craft turned slowly in the direction of the explosion, paying no attention to the motorbike that pulled to the side of the road. The two riders pulled off their helmets and looked back at the dark jet and the fire it was following.

"So that was our death."

"Yep, glad I pushed you now?" Jarod asked cheekily.

"Pulled. A little," she said leaning against him again. "But I'm not bloody happy about it. I mean, Jarod, you pulled me out of a plane. You gave me a ten minute talk on how to work a parachute, then you pulled me out of a plane!"

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry, I apologise," he surrendered, turning to look at her. "Are you going to hurt me, or is it ok to turn my back to drive?" Jarod joked lightly.

Parker poked him in the side, remembering how ticklish he used to be, and was rewarded with a yelp from Jarod. "Now we're even," she said laughing. Pulling his helmet back on, Jarod started the bike again, revving the engine loudly, "ready to put The Centre behind you?"

"Yep, life has begun. Come one, let's go."


Plane
July 17th 1998
1930 hours

Jarod had the window seat, which was fine with Miss Parker, for the first time in her experience of commercial flights, there was a decent inflight movie. She had Jarod to thank for this rarity, for about half an hour he pretended to be a part of the flight crew, and swapped the intended movie, Dumb and Dumber, with the movie she'd told him about. Pulp Fiction. Sure it had all the swearing blanked out, but it was still Pulp Fiction.

Jarod sat watching the screen intently, Miss Parker said he'd like this movie. It was a little too violent for him, but the format and story appealed to him. Especially Bruce Willis' character, he reminded him of himself a little; he was told to do something he didn't want to do and was on the run from men in black suits.


Worland Airport
Worland, Wyoming
July 17th 1998
1730 hours

When they got to the airport, Jarod led Parker to the luggage belt and grabed a bright blue travel bag. When he walked away towards some chairs, Miss Parker shruged and followed him. "Jarod," she called.

"Mmnn?"

"What's in the bag?"

"Well, all my stuff from my last pretend, um, some new clothes for you and a change for me, my Mr Potato Head and all my other bits and pieces. Oh, new id's for us both and fake one for the flight we're about to take."

"What's my new name?"

"Marissa Foxx, and your flight name is, Allana DeVent."

"I'm glad you kept Marissa," she said, refering to her real first name.

"I couldn't think of another name good enough for you."

She smiled at that, "why 'Foxx' then?"

"Ah, well. I thought it suited you. You were the fox and I was the prey. Oh, and two x's because it was unique, like you."

Miss Parker grinned at Jarod's blush, "and here I was thinking you thought I was foxy."

"You are," Jarod blushed harder, he hadn't meant to say that. When he was around her, he was, unpredictable, 'and I'm always happy, even if she's got a gun on me' he noted. "I, I mean... well you are," he relented the blush beginning to subside.

Miss Parker smiled harder, she loved that she could make him this way. "So," she began deciding to change the topic seeing as they had only twenty minutes left before their flight. "What clothes do you have for me?"


Plane
July 17th 1998
1940 hours

Looking down on herself, Parker decided Jarod had pretty good taste in clothing. He had chosen a pair of black fitted pants, a white shirt and a great pair of black semi-platform heels.

Sighing she thought about Sydney for a moment, she'd definitely miss him. "Jarod," she asked. "Jarod, were you planning on telling Sydney that we're alive?"

Jarod smiled at her, he knew she'd always seen Sydney as he had; the father figure. He also knew she wouldn't admit to it. "Yeah, I figure
when we're settled, I'll call him. Give he and Broots the opportunity to get away like we have."

"Broots? Why? You don't think they'd hurt him do you?"

'She'd never admit to caring about Broots either,' Jarod thought to himself before answering. "Yes I do think they'd kill him, he knows The Centre better than almost anyone, plus, he worked for you in looking for me. He may as well have a bullseye on him."

"What about Debbie," Parker asked sounding more anxious then she wanted to.

"Of course, of course, if Broots comes, Debbie comes, unless Broots gives custody to his ex-wife. I don't think he would but, either way, I'm going to make sure she's safe."

"Good, that's good." she answered and went back to the movie.


The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

Sydney was sitting at his desk, reading over Jarod's latest pretend and wondering why he had kidnapped Miss Parker that afternoon. Looking up from his work, he saw Broots walk into the office. Sydney watched the unusually quiet man wipe a tear from his eye and make his way a seat. "What is it Broots?" Sydney asked.

Broots sat across from Sydney and looked into the other man's eyes. "He killed her, Syd. Jarod, they were flying in The Centre's plane and he flew it into a mountain. All that the sweepers found was chared metal, the damn plane was swimming in gas, petrol, you name it, if it's flamable, it was in there. All that was left of the plane was the tail and The Centre's logo."

"What?" Sydney couldn't believe his ears. "Jarod? Miss Parker? It isn't possible. Jarod would never do that," he protested.

"Maybe they had a fight and they hit the controls," Broots offered.

Sydney wasn't listening anymore, 'my entire life's work, gone. My 'children' just gone. It can't be true. There has to be some other explanation'

"Sydney, Sydney?" Broots called to the unresponsive man walking towards the door. "Syd?"

Finally hearing his colleague's voice, Sydney turned from the office door. "Yes, Mr Broots?"

"Are you going to be ok?"

Sighing softly, Sydney replied, "yes, I'll be alright. If anyone asks, I'm taking the rest of the day off."

"Ok, Syd," Broots said, at a loss for what to do for the man.


The house
San Francisco, California
2330 hours

Though the flight was fairly short, they had been delayed both before taking off and when attempting to land. Miss Parker was exhausted from the adrenalin rush of the day and was sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat as Jarod drove up the driveway.

Looking down at her as he stoped the car, he decided not to wake her, but carry her inside. Opening the passenger door for her, Jarod went to undo her seat belt when she woke with a jerk.

"Huh?" Her heart pounded in her ears, "oh, it's just you."

"Do you want me to carry you inside, Miss Parker?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Parker replied, "you can call me Marissa now, and I can walk."

"Yeah, keep forgetting that, force of habit I guess. Ok, I'll grab the bags. Oh," he said throwing her the keys. "You might want the house keys. The bedrooms are at the back of the house, pick whichever one you want."

She caught the keys and started to sort through them.

"The blue one," Jarod called to her pulling the two bags from the back seat.

Walking into the house, Parker noticed that Jarod's good taste ran into decorating also. The house was somewhat bare, but what there was, was in pretty good taste for a guy.

Bypassing all other rooms, Miss Parker made her way to where the bedrooms lay. Looking in on one, she saw a single bed, and not much else. 'I wonder if there's a double bed,' Marissa thought to herself. Smiling, she thought 'I wonder if I can make the other bedroom redundant.'

Jarod made himself comfortable on the couch and opened the laptop. Starting the "Find'em" program he had made to track his trackers, Jarod found both Sydney and Broots safe in their houses. He sighed, and logged onto The Centre's system to make sure they were really 'dead'.

The End... for the moment anyway.

Well, what'dya think?