Title - Gray Areas (1/4)
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)

* * * * * * * * * *

Lyle walks down the sidewalk, staying closer to the shadows than he does to the light. His usual proud strut he reserves for the halls of the Centre is replaced by a stealthy skulk. Tonight, he wasn't trying to be recognized. Tonight, he wanted to be any person other than himself. He wanted to find someone to help him forget about who he really is.

Lyle eyes each of the women he passes. He's too tired to work too hard. That leaves out the seduction scenarios. He was hunting for a sure thing. Walking further into the heart of downtown Blue Cove, Lyle finally reaches 12th Street, an alley well known for it's seemingly never-ending supply of women for hire. If he thought long enough and hard enough, it might sadden him to see so many woman reduced to this level. But thinking was another thing he didn't want to do tonight.

Rounding the corner, Lyle is almost run over by a flock of women fleeing the alley. When the dust settles, he considers turning back. Something weird was going on to spook these girls. Trouble that he wasn't looking for. But his inner curiosity gets the better of him and he takes a few more steps towards the alley. He peeks down the alley and finds himself staring into a pair of huge blue eyes down at the other end. The eyes belong to a little girl, barely knee high. The girl's mother, or who Lyle assumed was her mother, was standing next to her desperately searching the alley for something. She finally finds a tipped over box and shoves the little girl behind it, making sure it completely covered her. She made a gesture to the little girl to stay quiet and turned back in the direction she came from.

"That was strange," Lyle mutters to himself before turning around and heading back to his car. Maybe tonight wasn't the best night to find companionship after all. At least not on this side of town. Something tells him he was about to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Confirmation of that feeling comes in the next second. A loud popping noise echoes through the air. It sounded like a gunshot and it came from the alley he just passed. Lyle turns back once again, quietly tipping back to the corner. He peeks his head around, trying not to be seen by whoever's down the alley.

The woman he saw earlier was lying on the ground in a pool of her blood. She wasn't moving, so Lyle assumed she wasn't alive. Not that that made a difference, because the men were making sure she was dead. With one swift chop, the woman's head was cut off and stuffed into a bag. Her body went into another bag and both bags were placed in the trunk. Lyle ducks when the men take a quick look around the alley, making sure there were no witnesses. Satisfied that their deeds went unnoticed, the men get into their car and speed off.

Lyle stands in shock for a few moments. No matter how much he's seen or done at the Centre, this cold-blooded murder disturbed him. For some reason, he could always find a way to justify his crimes. In his mind, his victims got what they deserved. This was just a horrific act of senseless violence. Lyle shakes himself, wondering why he's so upset and decides it's time to leave. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to cleanse the image from his mind. When his eyes open, he finds himself looking at the same little girl from before. This time, she stood right before him. Her eyes were watery, but no tears fell. She silently stared at Lyle, pleading with him to help her. Lyle took a step back, preparing to walk away, but the little girl had a grip on his pants leg. He didn't seem to be going anywhere without her. He looks back down at her and makes his decision. He couldn't very well just leave her out here alone. Besides, he could just take her to the Centre and let them deal with her. They were always looking for new subjects for their little tests. And if she turned out to be worthy, he might even get the praise for finding her. A grin spreads across his face at that possibility. Taking the little girl's hand in his own, he leads her out of the alley.

* * * * * * * * * *

The incessant ringing of the phone finally penetrates Miss Parker's sleep muddled brain. She reaches for the phone with several unsuccessful attempts before finally making contact.

"What," she growls sleepily into the phone. Looking at the clock, she sees that it's too early to be Jarod. His calls usually come later.

"Did I wake you, Miss Parker? It's barely midnight on a Friday. I figured your social life was a bit more active than that," Lyle teases.

"What do you want Lyle? This better be good," she snaps.

"Actually, I need your help with something."

"This time of night? Lyle, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No," he answers quickly. "I found something. And I don't really know what to do with it now. I was wondering if you could help me with it."

She sits silently for a few moments, contemplating her options. She could get up, get dressed, drive all the way out to Lyle's for some unknown reason. Or, she could hang up and go back to sleep. Putting it that way, she made the obvious decision.

"Good night, Lyle. I'm going back to sleep." She starts to hang up the phone when she hears him on the other end.

"Wait! Please. I'm begging you. I swear I'm not in any trouble. But I could really use your help. I don't know who else to call," he pleads.

The pleading was effective and almost convinced her. But mostly she was curious as to what he could have over there.

"Okay. I'll be right over," she says, hanging up the phone.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lyle's sitting on the couch when Miss Parker arrives. The little girl has spent the past hour just staring curiously at him. She hasn't spoken, moved, or even asked for anything since he brought her home. It was starting to get a little freaky. Luckily, Miss Parker finally got there. Maybe she could take the girl off his hands until they could take her to the Centre.

"Come in," he offers as he opens the door.

"So what's the mystery, Lyle?" she asks, walking towards his living room. "What is it that you got me out of my bed to . . . " She stops talking and walking at the same time when she noticed the little girl on the couch.

"Lyle, your dates are getting younger and younger," she jokes. "You do realize they'd bury you under the prison for this one, right? This is a little girl, Lyle."

"Very funny, Parker. I know it's a little girl. That I can see. I just don't know what to do with it," he admits.

"And that's why you called me?" she laughs. "Lyle, what do I know about kids?"

"More than me, I'm sure. It's starting to freak me out, just sitting there staring at me like that."

"Like I said before, Lyle. She's a little girl. She's not an it. Did you ask her what her name was?"

"Yeah," he nods. "She hasn't said anything. She just stares."

"Well where did you get her? What's she doing here?" Miss Parker takes off her jacket and goes to sit next to the little girl. The little girl's eyes pop wide open and she jumps up, running to stand behind Lyle.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Lyle asks in a surprisingly gentle tone. He turns around and bends eye level with the girl. "That lady is my sister. I called her to help me take care of you. Is that alright?"

They're both shocked when the girl nods her head in agreement. It was the first time she ever attempted to communicate with Lyle.

"Hi," Miss Parker says softly to the girl. "My name is Miss Parker. You've met my brother, Lyle. But we don't know who you are. You think you could tell us your name?"

"Jessie," she whispers.

"Jessie," Miss Parker smiles. "That's a nice name. Is it short for Jessica?" The girl nods again. "Good. You know what Jessie? I'm pretty hungry. How about you? Why don't I help you get out of these clothes and get washed up while Lyle finds us something to eat?"

"Okay," Jessie says, a little louder than her earlier whisper. She looks up to Lyle, still clinging to his leg before finally taking a few tentative steps towards Miss Parker.

Miss Parker smiles and takes her hand, leading her to the bathroom.

* * * * * * * * * * *

An hour later, after Jessie has been bathed and fed, Miss Parker sits on the couch, waiting on the story from Lyle.

"Well? What's going on here? Where did you get her?" she asks impatiently, nodding her head towards the little girl. She notices Jessie sitting closer to Lyle than she was to Miss Parker. The girl seemed to have a strange attachment to him.

"I was downtown earlier this evening. Looking for a little . . . company," he tries to put it delicately. I passed an alley and saw Jessie with a woman. I kept on walking and heard a gunshot a few minutes later." He stops his story when he realizes that Jessie has started shaking next to him. She was crying.

"Those men chopped up my mommy," she sobs. "Are they going to get me too?"

"No, Jessie. They're not going to get you," Lyle tries to comfort her. He looks at Miss Parker, asking her silently what to do. She just shrugs and looks at the little girl.

"You're going to take care of me?" her tiny voice asks. She turns to him and the look in her eyes literally melts his hearts.

"Yes, Jessie. I'll make sure they don't get you. I'll take care of you," he promises.

She climbs up in his lap and puts her head on his chest. With a sigh of relief, she lets out a hiccup and soon her breathing becomes deep and regular.

"I think she's asleep," Miss Parker whispers, not wanting to wake her up. "It's late. I think you two are set for the night. I should go."

"You're right. It's late. Why don't you just stay here? You and Jessie can take my room," he offers. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"Are you sure?" she asks him. He just nods. "Okay, then. Just bring her up and grab me a t-shirt or something to sleep in."

Lyle lifts the little girl up awkwardly and has to hold her close to keep her from falling. He can feel her little heart beating against his chest. He can smell her freshly washed hair in his nose. Her little hands wrap around the back of his neck and hold him tight. In that one moment, Lyle got his first taste of what it was truly like to have someone's life depend on him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker rolls over as the rays of light from the morning sun streak through the blinds of Lyle's room. She closes her eyes tighter to try to shut out the brightness, but a sound to her left further wakens her. She rolls back over and sees Jessie next to her, huddled in a little ball in the corner of the bed. She's sobbing silently, only her sniffs every few minutes are audible.

"Jessie?" Miss Parker asks groggily. "What's the matter?"

"He's gone," she sniffs.

"Who? Lyle?"

"I can't find him," the little girl cries. "I looked all over and I can't find him."

"How about we check again?" Miss Parker offers. Jessie nods and wipes her eyes with the back of one hand.

They go to the living room to check for Lyle again. Sure enough, the couch is empty. The place is spotless, as if he never was there. Out of the corner of her eye, Miss Parker spots a piece of paper. A note. She walks over to read it just as the lock turns on the front door.

"You guys are up," Lyle remarks, walking in the door with his arms full of bags of groceries. He has to set them down on the floor next to him to close the door. Before he can even turn back around, Jessie has run over and has a death grip on his legs.

"She was scared when she couldn't find you," Miss Parker informs him, explaining the girl's odd behavior. "I woke up and she was crying. She said she looked or you, but you were gone. This girl has serious abandonment issues."

"Well, what do I do?" Lyle asks in a panic. He was still frozen in the same position with Jessie's arms locked tightly around his legs.

"Reassure her. I'm going to put up the groceries," she says with a smile at Lyle's panic. She watches in amusement as he looks down at the girl and lightly taps her on the head. Her smile turns into a full blown laugh. "I said reassure her, not pet her. She's not a puppy, Lyle. Just pick her up and hug her. That's usually all kids need."

"Okay," he says, not sounding sure of himself. "A hug. I can do that." He reaches down and pries her arms from around his legs. Once he's free, he bends down and pulls her into his arms. "Don't cry, Jessie. I didn't leave you. I just had to go get you a few things. But I'm back now. It's okay."

Once again, Miss Parker is amazed at the attachment the girl has with Lyle. Only he seems to be able to calm her down. And he does it surprisingly well. Perhaps there was a heart lurking under all that evil after all. She files that thought away for later consideration as she heads put away the groceries. Once in the kitchen, her cell phone rings. Sighing heavily, she knows that it can only be work related. She was actually looking forward to spending the day with Lyle and Jessica. But it doesn't look like that's going to happen now.

* * * * * * * * * *

Jarod's Lair
4 hours later . . .

Miss Parker raised her gun and headed off to another part of the apartment. From what she could tell, the place was abandoned. Jarod was long gone. Broots had called her earlier that day telling her about the lead. Lyle decided to stay with Jessie while she followed up on it. She was only slightly surprised at that. He seemed to be falling in love with the little girl. But he'll never admit that.

"You know what? I think he's gone," she says through the walkie talkie. "You guys can head on out. I'm going to stay here and sift through the clues one more time."

"Alright, Miss Parker," Broots says. "We'll meet you at the hotel later."

She turns off the radio and puts the safety on her gun. She had just reholstered it when a voice sounds from the darkness.

"I thought they'd never leave us alone."

Miss Parker spins around and tries to focus on the face, even though she knows just who it is.

"Jarod. Nice of you to join us. Was this planned or did we just surprise you this time?" she asks him.

"I shouldn't tell you and risk you getting a big head. But I'll admit. You guys surprised me. I didn't have time to leave this time. You're getting better, Parker. But not good enough. You still won't catch me," he taunts.

"Really? And what makes you think that?"

"Put these on," he orders, throwing a pair of handcuffs in her direction. "Don't make me use the gun," he warns.

"Yeah right . . " she starts. But she closes her mouth quickly and complies with his wishes when she hears the gun cock. "Fine. Cuffs are on."

He finally comes out of the darkness and checks to see that she's cuffed securely. He quickly takes a rope and ties her feet together, preventing her from running, kicking, or any other thing she had planned.

"So, what are you up to Jarod? What kind of games do you have in mind with these cuffs?" she asks him seductively. She laughs when his eyes widen in shock and he has to nervously lick his dry lips.

"All kinds of games," he says, recovering quickly from his shock. "I've been waiting a long time to play with you, Miss Parker." His face is the picture of smugness and she feels her breath hitch in her chest. They've taunted and teased each other in the past, but this was different. More intense. More exciting.

"Wouldn't we have more fun without me all tied up?" she purrs. Her eyes become playfully seductive and Jarod's starting to find it hard to concentrate. The way she keeps on pursing her lips and the warmth from her breath is starting to intoxicate him.

"Probably," he whispers close to her ear. He takes a moment to lightly trace the outline of her neck with his lips without actually touching her skin. The proximity, though, is enough to make her shiver. He notices her reaction and feels like he's won the first round. "But we'll have to thoroughly test that theory another time. I'll have to take a rain check." He sits back and winks at her, her face reddened with anger and anticipation. Standing up, he takes her walkie talkie and places it where she could eventually get to it if she worked hard enough.

"Next time we meet, we'll see how much fun we can have," he promises and flashes one more cocky grin before running out of the building.

"Can't wait," she whispers as a big smile spreads across her flushed face.

* * * * * * * * * *

One week later . . .

Broots nervously knocks on Miss Parker's office door. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her. She was always grumpy after a failed attempt at catching Jarod. But they just spent a whole week chasing false leads on Jarod. After they found her all tied up in that apartment the first day, she surprisingly wasn't too upset. But her irritation mounted as the week progressed. Now, she was just down right cranky.

"Miss Parker?" he says, sticking his head in the door. She doesn't even look up to acknowledge his presence. "Your father called. He's waiting on the report from our last trip. And he wants to know if you've seen Lyle."

"Lyle's not here?" she asks, suddenly very interested in what Broots was saying.

"He hasn't been here all week. You father assumed he was with us, but I told him he wasn't."

"Thanks Broots," she says distractedly. "Here's the report. Take that to my father and tell him that Lyle had some personal things to take care of. He'll be in next week."

"Is that true?" Broots asks, fearing the possibility of having to lie to Mr. Parker.

"I don't know," she say. "But I'm going to go find out." She hands him the report and shuts off her computer. Grabbing her bag, she leaves him standing in her office.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker arrives at Lyle's and finds the door slightly ajar. She just pushes it open and goes in, almost getting run over by workmen in the process. Scanning the room, she finds Lyle on the other side standing just outside of what used to be his home office. Surprisingly, he's holding Jessie in his arms comfortably. The previous awkwardness is gone. She's amazed at what changes a week could make.

"What's going on here?" she asks Lyle.

"Hi Miss Parker," Jessie says cheerfully. She jumps down from Lyle's arms and runs across the room to give Miss Parker a hug.

"Hi Jessie," Miss Parker responds, shocked. As far as she can remember, the little girl has never initiated any contact with her. She looks over to Lyle, but he just has a smug grin on his face. "How are you?"

"I get my own room," Jessie shouts excitedly. "With yellow walls and daisy curtains and a big bed all to myself."

"Calm down, Jessie," Lyle says with a chuckle. "Why don't you go in and see the finished product. The men just finished putting the mattress on the frame." The girl smiles and runs to her new room.

"A room?" Miss Parker questions. "I thought she was only staying here until you can take her to the Centre."

"You know how she is when she can't see me, Parker. Besides, she needed a place to sleep, right? I couldn't take another night on that couch. This way, the Centre and Jessie will be happy. I'll take her to the Centre with me during the day and bring her back here during the night," he tries to rationalize.

"Lyle . . . " Miss Parker says suspiciously. "What's really going on here? A week ago, you didn't know what to do with this little girl. Now, you've had your home renovated to make her a room?"

"I made a promise," he says quietly. "I told her I'd take care of her. I didn't want to let her down. When I mentioned her going to the Centre, I told her how she'd be going to this place like school. And that there would be people there to play special games with her and stuff. Do you know what she asked me? She asked me if they were nice people. She asked me if I was going to be there to make sure they didn't hurt her. How could I answer that? We both know the kinds of things that go on at that place."

"And you couldn't see how you could keep your promise to her if she ended up in the hands of someone like Raines," Miss Parker realizes.

"Exactly," he replies, but is confused at the big smile on her face. "What? What's so funny?"

"You are," she laughs. "I hate to tell you this, Lyle, but you're starting to sound like a responsible parent."

"No way," he disagrees. "I just promised her that . . ."

"You promised you'd take care of her," she finishes for him. "And you intend on keeping that promise. Lyle, promises used to be just words to you. You used to make and break them all the time. Now all of a sudden you want to be honorable?"

"You say it like that's a bad thing."

"No, I'm saying it because it's something I never expected from you." She smiles warmly at him as she grabs his hand. "And I think I like it. You had the courage to allow this little girl in your heart. You have the courage to show her that you care by taking care of her like this. Her little world was torn apart last week. You're helping her build herself a new one. I admire that. I envy that. But mostly, I'm proud of you, Lyle."

"Proud?" he asks incredulously. "No one's ever been proud of me before." He smiles uncomfortably at her before going to check on Jessie. Just before walking into the room, he stops and turns to Miss Parker. "Thanks. For supporting me on this. And letting me know it's okay to do the right thing." His smile this time is genuine.

* * * * * * * * * *
Centre Nursery
Three weeks later . . .

Miss Parker loved this time of day at the Centre. Most everyone went to lunch at this time. But she took this time each day to visit Baby Parker. She wondered if anyone ever took the time to visit him. She knew that her father didn't. She couldn't understand why her father didn't pay any attention to the boy at all. But she took her job as big sister seriously. She would make sure Joshua knew he was loved.

"Hey Miss Parker," Jessie chimes. She was just four years old, so she didn't have classes like the other children there. Many times, Miss Parker would see her in the nursery as well.

"Hey Jessie. How are you?" Miss Parker responds.

"I'm great. Me and Zach were just coming to sit for the story you read to Joshie every day," Jessie says. She pokes her finger gently into the baby's stomach, causing him to laugh hysterically. The little boy off to Jessie's side smiles at the baby's laughter. But he doesn't laugh out loud like Jessie and Miss Parker.

"This is your friend Zach? He's pretty quiet," Miss Parker notices.

"He doesn't like to talk," Jessie explains. "He talks to me, though. He's really sad most of the times. He doesn't have parents. He said I'm lucky to have you and Lyle to take care of me."

Miss Parker looks at the sad little boy next to her psuedo niece. He really did look sad. His deep chocolate eyes seemed to hold such pain. So much like another little boy she once knew to roam these halls. She ruffles his dark spiky hair and smiles at him, bending down to his level to look directly into his eyes.

"Zach, I just want you to know that any friend of Jessie and Josh, is a friend of mine," she winks at him and watches a little bit of the sadness melt away when he returns her smile. He grabs her hand and they walk over to the nap time mats to get settled for the story.

Jessie has picked out a story and is getting comfortable on one side of Miss Parker. Zach sits on the other side and the baby sits on her lap. She's about to start reading when they're interrupted by the door opening.

"There you two are," a flustered lab assistant says as he runs through the door. "You two are not supposed to be in the nursery. You know that. Let's go," he scolds sternly. With a defeated sigh, Zach stands up and obediently moves towards the door. Jessie, on the other hand, defiantly crosses her arms and remains where she is.

"Jessica," the lab assistant says with a warning edge to his voice. "I said let's go."

"No," she yells, staring daggers at the lab assistant. "I don't want to do anymore of those tests."

The lab assistant has had enough of the tantrum and storms over to where Jessie is sitting. He grabs her arm and yanks her up, causing a scream to come from the girl's mouth.

"Let her go," Miss Parker insists. She stares the same dagger-filled stare that Jessie gave him just moments earlier. But this time, the man is visibly shaken. However he doesn't release the girl.

"I said to let her go," she snarls, finding her gun and raising it to the man.

"What's going on in here?" Lyle asks, bursting through the doors and a bit out of breath. "I was coming to check on Jessie and I thought I heard her scream." He immediately takes in the scene before him. His angry sister standing with baby Joshua in one hand and her gun in the other. An equally angry Jessie is at her side. The little girl bursts into tears and runs into Lyle's arms when she spots him.

"This goon here refuses to leave the kids alone," Miss Parker snaps.

"I have orders, Miss Parker," the man stutters.

"I don't care who these orders are from," Lyle growls. "If my sister said to leave the children alone, then you need to leave the children alone." He stares the lab assistant down until finally he relents and leaves the room. Jessie's still sobbing in his arms and Josh is starting to get agitated at the tension in the room.

"Why don't we you out of here, Jessie," he says softly to the girl, trying to calm her down.

"What about Zach?" She sniffs. "And Joshie? I don't want the men to come back for them."

Lyle looks over to Miss Parker, silently begging her for help explaining to Jessie that the boys have to stay. But she surprises him with her suggestion.

"They can come too," Miss Parker says. "It's Friday, so I can take them home with me for the weekend. We'll go somewhere fun tomorrow and then Sunday, we'll all go to Mass."

"Mass?" Lyle asks with a slight scowl. "I guess I can do Mass." The look on Miss Parker's face is incredulous and he has to inquire about her shock. "What? Contrary to popular believe, Sis, I'm not a complete heathen. I have been to church before. While not what I'd call devout, my adoptive mother insisted on dragging me to Mass every Sunday. And on Christmas and Easter."

"Whatever," she giggles, trying hard to keep them image of young Bobby Bowman genuflecting and taking communion. "So this weekend works for you?"

"Sounds like a plan," Lyle says, barely able to hold back his smile. He was starting to feel like he actually had a family for the first time in his life. Things were perfect. But a little voice on the inside of him kept on reminding him that when things seem to be their greatest, that's when the worst seems to happen.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunday night . . .

Miss Parker stands out on her back porch, enjoying the silence of the evening. She never realized kids could make so much noise. Even Zach. The little boy was quiet and reserved when she met him in the Centre. But being out and being free really broke him from his shell. Pretty soon, he was acting like a normal, healthy, and very active 5 year old. Add Joshua's terrible two's tantrums and the noise level increased exponentially. But now that the weekend was over and they were both asleep, she actually missed them. And she was sad that she had to take them back to the Centre the next day.

She yawns wearily and decides to head back inside, the long weekend starting to catch up with her. A voice from the darkness stops her.

"Going so soon? I thought we were going to have some fun this time," Jarod teases. He sees her face light up with a smile and decides it's safe to come out of his hiding place. "I even brought the handcuffs."

"Very tempting, Jarod. But I have company." She nods inside the house and Jarod peeks inside to see the two little boys sprawled out on the living room floor.

"Should I be jealous?" Jarod asks. "I don't think I stand a chance going up against them. Especially that one who drools. He looks like he's won your heart."

"That's my Joshie. I love him to pieces," she says with a wistful sigh. "The other one's Zach. He's just a sad, lonely little boy. He actually reminded me a lot of you when we were kids. It's really ashame for someone to have to grow up like that." She looks at him sympathetically and silence blankets the room. Another yawn escapes her and she tiredly rubs the back of her neck.

"Looks like you guys had an exciting weekend. You're dead on your feet," he notices, trying to change the touchy subject.

"I'm exhausted. Kids are very tiring," she laughs. "I was on my way to take them up. Then I was going to bed myself."

"I'll help," he smiles before walking into the house. He stoops to pick up the baby and gently places him in Miss Parker's arms. Then he picks up Zach, the heavier of the two, but still surprisingly light. He follows Miss Parker up the stairs.

"Zach's going in the guest room and Josh is going to sleep with me," she whispers, not wanting to wake the kids.

Jarod nods and takes Zach down the hall, getting him settled in the bed. He goes back to Miss Parker's room and watches her finish putting the baby in the bed, placing pillows behind his back to keep him from rolling off the bed.

"Your turn," Jarod whispers.

"My turn for what?" she asks confused.

"For bed. Let me tuck you in," he grins.

She looks strangely at him but takes him up on his offer anyway. She slips off her robe, laying the silky item neatly across the chair and then climbs in the bed.

"So, do I get a story?" she asks mockingly.

"If you're good," he teases back. "And if that's *all* what you want me to do. I can just sit here and talk to you until my lips fall off."

"And what a waste of lips that would be," she says, reaching up to trace his mouth with the tip of her finger. "Now that I think of it, I know of something much better to do with them." She reaches up with her other hand and grabs the back of his neck. She pulls his head down close to hers until their lips meet. His hands fall to the bed to keep him from crushing her. For a moment, they just enjoy the feel of their mouths pressing together and the sensation of their warm breath mingling. Then she runs her tongue along his bottom lip before pulling it gently into her mouth. She does the same with his top lip and feels him start to tremble.

Over the initial shock of the kiss, Jarod starts to actively participate. He gently probes at her lips with his tongue until they open to him, allowing him to thoroughly explore her mouth. A deep moan from the back of her throat elicits one of his own and he has to force himself to break the kiss.

"I think you've been tucked in, Miss Parker," he says, gasping desperately for air. "I should probably be going."

"Yeah, I guess you should be going," she agrees reluctantly. "Good night."

"Good night," he whispers, leaning over to give her one more gentle peck on her swollen lips before walking to the door.

"Jarod," she calls out, stopping him in his tracks. "See you next time. We'll get to those handcuffs yet," she teases, laughing to herself when she hears a strange little gargling noise come from him. He leaves the door open so she can hear if Zach wakes up later. She waits until she hears the front door close and lock before she finally allows sleep to come.

* * * * * * * * * *
The Centre Early Education Wing
Monday morning

Lyle paces back and forth in front of the large glass wall separating him and the person who's become the most important thing in his life, although he'd never admit that. Jessie sat in the room off in the corner playing with some blocks. Lyle carefully watched anyone who approached her, afraid for what they'd do to her. He knew that every child at the Centre goes through a variety of tests to determine any special skills or gifts they possess, but for some reason, he felt Jessie should be exempt from these tests. She has expressed her displeasure to him several times, but the events of the other day were the final straw for him.

"You won't be able to watch her every second of the day," a voice says, breaking him from him concentration. Lyle turns around and sees Miss Parker standing next to him.

"But what if they're doing something to her that she hates? You saw what happened the other day. She wouldn't go back with them because she didn't like their little games. The guy just grabbed her and was going to take her by force. She was scared and crying and I felt so guilty not being able to prevent that," Lyle says.

"That wasn't your fault, Lyle," Miss Parker tells him.

"I shouldn't have brought her here," he whispers, leaning his head against the glass.

"You can change that. It's not too late," she suggests. "But you have to do something. You can't stay here everyday watching her while we're supposed to be working. Daddy's going to get wind of it and wonder what you're so fascinated with. After that, I don't think there will be any hope for her."

"What can I do?" he asks hopelessly.

"Just find another place for her to go during the day. School. Get her a nanny. Just a couple of suggestions."

"She won't leave without Zach," Lyle says.

"I know. That's going to be a problem," Miss Parker sighs. "Those two are so attached. I guess I could keep on bringing him home with me on the weekends like we did this weekend. I don't think we got into too much trouble for the stunt," she smiles mischievously.

"That might work," he ponders. "It's going to have to work. I can't let her stay here another day, Parker."

"I think you made the right decision," she smiles. "Little kids don't need to be at this place," she says with a darker tone. "I grew up here. But I eventually got to leave. Jarod wasn't so lucky. It broke my heart to see what this place did to him. I don't want that to happen to Jessie, Joshua or Zach."

"Speaking of Jarod. Any new leads?" Lyle asks.

"Actually, that's what I was coming to get you for. Daddy wants us to start having an official weekly meeting with him," she frowns. "Broots and Sydney already headed up there. I came to get you. But, you should get Jessie out of here and start looking for a nanny for her. I'll cover for you with Daddy."

"Thanks," he smiles. "I owe you one, Sis," he adds before barging into the room to gather Jessie.

Miss Parker watches the little girl's face light up when she sees him. Those two never ceased to amaze her. For the few weeks they've known each other, they were closer than Miss Parker's ever been with her father. She envied that. But she was also glad that the little girl had Lyle. He cared about her more than he's ever cared about anything. She smiles to herself once more before walking up to her father's office for the meeting. At that moment, her sincerest prayer was for the continued happiness of Lyle and Jessie. But something told her it wouldn't be that easy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker turns her key in the lock to her front door and swings it wide open. Her arms are full of groceries and she fails to notice a visitor sitting on her couch.

"I guess I should be a gentleman and offer my assistance," he says.

"Jarod," she smiles. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," he smiles back before rising from the couch to grab her bags. She thanks him and closes the door behind her. "And I had something that I wanted to tell you in person."

"What is it?" she asks, suddenly worried.

"Oh, it's nothing bad," he says when he notices the panicked look on her face. "I just may be out of sight for a few days. Something came up that I need to devote all my attention to." He watches her start to unpack the groceries and puts them away, mostly staying out of the way, but also being there to put items on the higher shelf. It feels so normal and domestic that it makes his heart ache for a life like this.

"A new pretend?" she asks.

"Yeah. A little girl was kidnapped a few weeks ago. But it just caught my attention because the police just recently uncovered evidence that her mother may have been killed. And since there hasn't been any ransom and no sign that the girl was harmed, the FBI is assuming that whoever killed her mother was after the girl. Since it happened in the area, immediately my mind jumped to the Centre. I have a feeling they have something to do with her disappearance."

"That's a big leap to take, Jarod," Miss Parker says nervously. "Just because a child is kidnapped doesn't always automatically mean that the Centre's involved." She tries to remain calm inwardly, but something tells her that this was the prelude to the other proverbial shoe falling. Somehow, Lyle has gotten himself hooked into a murder/kidnapping. Maybe he knew about it, maybe he didn't. But that's besides the point. Jarod was on the case. And he was bound to uncover to truth sooner or later.

"That's true. Usually it doesn't mean that," Jarod agrees. "But this time, I have proof. My sources inside the Centre say that Lyle just recently brought a little girl to the Centre for tests. This all happened around the time she went missing. Her mother was a prostitute and we both know that Lyle isn't above murdering an innocent woman. Quite possibly, the child is even Lyle's, a product of a night he may have spent with the woman. But that's all just speculation."

"Yeah, speculation based on assuming the worst about Lyle," she says defensively. Over the past few weeks, Lyle has changed. And it's not an act. She at least owed him the benefit of the doubt before she jumped to Jarod's conclusions.

"Is there something you know about this?" he asks suspiciously.

"Look, Jarod. You know that generally, I tend to stay out of Lyle's affairs. Things usually get kind of sticky when dealing with him. And he's capable of a lot of things. But I've spent a little time with him recently. And as far as I know, he hasn't killed anyone and kidnapped their child," she explains to him. "You know, I don't really want to talk about how much of a psychopath my brother may or may not be, okay?"

"Alright," Jarod relents, taking the hint that she wanted the subject changed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"How about dinner? What would you like?"

"Are you going to cook for me, Parker?" he asks with a smile.

"Actually, I think you should do the cooking. I tried to make oatmeal for the kids last weekend and burned the water," she laughs.

"How did you manage that?" he asks, joining in on her laughter. "It's actually kind of funny you mentioned that. Because at the end of a long day, I like to kind of imagine little scenarios of a normal life. A little scene like this." He walks over and stands next to her, taking her hand in his own.

"I'll imagine myself coming home from work and wondering where my wife is with dinner. But then I'll realize that she works, too. And that she's a lot better in the boardroom than she is in the kitchen," he laughs. "Like you, she too will burn water if she tries to boil it."

"What does this dream wife of yours look like, Jarod?" Miss Parker asks in a whisper, getting into his fantasy.

"She's beautiful. Inside and out. She looks a lot like you, now that I think about it," he smiles. She looks away, not wanting him to see her blush. "Her eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue, the exact same as yours. And her smile lights up the room. But what I really love about her are her lips. They're so soft. Inviting. Kissable," he whispers before covering her mouth with his own.

"That's some fantasy woman, Jarod," she gasps, desperately trying to get air into her lungs after that breathless kiss.

"Yeah, but she doesn't compare to the real thing," he says before pulling her into another kiss. This one is even deeper and more passionate than the first. They pull apart only when they both the need for air overrides any other feelings. He looks at her curiously when he sees the huge smile on her face.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing," she giggles. "I was just thinking that this dream wife of yours did a good job teaching you how to kiss."

"Actually, that was a lesson learned long ago, my dear," he says, kissing her on the nose before letting her out of his embrace. "Taught to me by the cutest little girl I've ever seen."

"Yeah, she thought you were pretty cute, too," Miss Parker smiles. "That's why she kissed you then. And that's why she's about to kiss you now." Miss Parker pulls Jarod back into her arms, covering his mouth once again with her own eager lips.

"Now, now, Miss Parker. I thought I was here for dinner," he teases between her kisses. "To *eat* it. Not to *be* it."

"I've never done things the way I'm supposed to, Jarod. I thought you knew that. I like my dessert first," she smiles seductively. "Now shut up and kiss me."

"Yes ma'am," he says as he enthusiastically follows her order.

Title - Gray Areas (2/4)
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)

* * * * * * * * * *

Lyle pulls into the parking space and shuts off the car. He takes a deep breath and looks to the seat next to him.

"You know, you really don't have to do this if you don't want to, Jessie," he tells the girl, hoping she'll take him up on his offer. He looks at the door and sees a woman approaching the car. "It's not too late for me to take you back home."

"Mr. Parker," the woman says through the open window.

"Lyle," he corrects her.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just Lyle," he repeats. For some reason, he had a hard time taking the last name Parker. He just went by Lyle when at all possible.

"Okay, Lyle," the woman smiles. "You can come in with Jessica if you'd like. Most parents do that on the first day."

Lyle looks at Jessie again to see if he can see what she wants him to do.

"I'll be fine. I promise," she smiles before leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek. She grabs her backpack and gets out the car.

"You heard her yourself. She'll be fine," the teacher says. She grabs Jessie's hand and leads her into the school, letting her stop once to wave good-bye to Lyle.

Lyle stays until they both disappear into the school, tempted to just sit there until the end of the day. But, his ringing phone reminds him of the many things at the Centre he's been neglecting to do since he got Jessie.

"Yes," he answers.

"Lyle, it's me," Miss Parker says. "Are you coming in today? I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, I should be there soon. I was just dropping Jessie off at school." He shifts the phone to his ear and starts the car, pulling out carefully into traffic.

"First day at school, huh?" Miss Parker smiles. "Was she nervous?"

"No. She was fine," he sighs, somewhat disappointed. "I was the nervous one. It just felt kind of strange leaving her all alone like that in the hands of a stranger."

"Lyle, it's preschool," Miss Parker laughs. "It's not like she's joining the Army."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lyle agrees.

"I'm sure she's going to have fun. It'll be 4:00 before you know it and time to pick her up again."

"Alright, alright. I get your point, Parker. Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'd rather talk about it in person," she insists. "Just get here soon."

* * * * * * * * * *

True to his word, Lyle arrived at the Centre just a few minutes after hanging up with Miss Parker. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to meet with her. They both had endless meetings and a never ending stack of work to get through. Before Lyle knew it, it was time to go pick up Jessie from school. He calls Miss Parker and leaves a message for her to meet him at his apartment when she left work.

A few hours later, Miss Parker arrives, just in time for dinner.

"Perfect timing, Sis. Jessie and I were just about to eat," Lyle says, showing her in.

"I can't stay long," she tells him, hating to disappoint him. "I have another meeting later, but I wanted to talk to you. Where is Jessie, anyway?"

"In her room doing homework. Can you believe that? They give out homework in preschool now," he says with a little laugh. "Okay, so talk." He offers her a seat before sitting down next to her.

"Word has it that Jarod is working on a pretend in the area," she starts, hoping he doesn't want to know where she got this 'word' from. Then she realizes that won't be a problem since he's not even paying attention to what she's saying. "Lyle, what are you staring at?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. It's just there's something on your . . . Parker is that a hickey?" he asks, barely able to hide the amused smirk.

"No," she says quickly, a little too quickly, as her hand flies up to the exact spot on her neck he was staring at. She thought she had hidden all the evidence of last night's make out session with Jarod, but she apparently missed one.

"Really?" Lyle grins. "A mouth shaped bruise right under your ear and it's not a hickey?"

"A mosquito bite," she lies. "They come out in full force this time of year. Can we get back to what I actually came her for?" she asks in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Alright," he chuckles. "Just remind me to wear the military strength insect repellant the next time I come over to your place."

"Shut up, Lyle," she says with a glare. "You're not going to be laughing when I tell you my news."

"Okay," he says, calming down finally. "You were saying?"

"Jarod. He has a pretend in the area. It possibly involves you . . . and Jessie." She sees that gets his attention. "He heard about a missing girl in the area. She disappeared about a month ago along with her mother, whom they assume is dead. It could be a coincidence, but the similarities were too great to ignore."

"It probably is a coincidence," he says nervously. "What makes you think this pretend has anything to do with me and Jessie?"

"Jarod told me," she admits.

"Jarod! When have you heard from Jarod? Is he who you've been carrying on with? Is he the one putting hickeys all over your neck? Really, Sis. I thought you were smarter than that. Getting involved with the missing labrat."

"Shut up, Lyle," she orders again. "I defended you to him. At least you can hear me out about him." She stares at him until he calms down.

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing. That's why I don't know how much he knows about this. I didn't want to ask too many questions and raise his suspicions. But you know how Jarod is. He thinks you had something to do with her mother's death. He's going to come after you, Lyle. You shouldn't have anything to worry about if you did nothing wrong."

"*If* I did nothing wrong?" he shouts. "What, you're starting to doubt me now? A few rolls in the hay with him and you're turning your back on your family . . . "

The crack of her hand against his face stops him midsentence.

"I think you've said more than enough," she says coldly and calmly, her eyes turning a cool, steely gray color. "I'm trying to warn you about this and you accuse me of sleeping with the enemy. To answer your question, no. Jarod and I have never shared a bed. But yes, I am carrying on with him if you must know. I've known and trusted him my entire life, yet I still risk giving you the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to hear your side of the story. For the first time when someone said something bad about you, my first instinct wasn't to believe them, but it was to defend you. I wanted to give you a chance to explain. But instead of explanations, all you have are insults. Well, consider yourself warned. Good luck." She gives him one last glare before turning to leave.

"Wait," he calls after her. "Look, I shouldn't have said all of that. I'm . . . "

"I think 'sorry' is the word you're looking for, Lyle. It's called an apology."

"I am. Sorry, that is. I apologize for insulting you and assuming the worst."

"Okay," she says quietly, but still a little upset at him.

"That's it? You forgive me?"

"Contrary to what you said, Lyle, I haven't forsaken you for Jarod. I believe you've changed. And I care about what happens to you," she tells him. Her ringing phone puts a halt to their conversation. She excuses herself to take the call, returning a few minutes later with red cheeks and a grin that spread across her face.

"Listen, I have to go," she says.

"Jarod?"

"Yeah. How did you guess?" she asks.

"You don't blush often, Parker," he smiles. "He must have big plans."

"Let's just say he's bringing handcuffs," she grins wickedly.

"Eww, too much information. I did NOT want to hear that," he groans. "But seriously. Be careful with this whole thing."

"Lyle, I think it's too late for the Birds and the Bees talk," she laughs.

"I mean it, Parker. Be careful with him. Discrete, I mean. I don't plan on saying anything to Dad, but the Centre has eyes and ears all over. And if they were to find out . . . "

"I understand," she says, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for caring." She reaches up after a moments hesitation and places a kiss on his cheek. She's surprised by his arms encircling her and pulling her into an awkward hug. After a few moments, they both relax into the embrace and hold on tightly.

"I should go," she says when he finally releases her. She gives him a loving smile before walking out the door.

He smiles back, watching her until she disappeared down the hall, wondering how they made it to this point in their lives. A month ago, he would have laughed in someone's face if they told him he'd be in a semi-healthy relationship with his sister. But now look at him. They were on hugging terms. It was only a matter of time before one of them utters the L-word.

"Jessie," he calls after he's sure Miss Parker's gone. "It's time for dinner."

"Coming, Daddy," she yells back, her words causing him to freeze.

"Wh . . what did you call me," he gasps. "Did you just call me Daddy?"

"We talked about families today at school," she says nonchalantly, skipping out into the living room with a stack of papers to share with him. "We learned that there are all different types of families. Some families have a mommy and a daddy. But some families only have one parent. And that's you. You're the daddy in our family," she says with a proud smile.

"I'm the daddy," he repeats, starting to like the sound of it. "Yeah, that's me. I'm the daddy."

"You're silly," she giggles.

"I may be silly, but I'm the daddy," he says, reaching across the couch to tickle her. Their laughter can be heard all the way down the hall as father and daughter finally begin to accept who they are to each other.

"Guess what, Jessie?" Lyle asks the girl once they calm down. "I've never been anybody's daddy before. But I think I like it. And I think I like you . . . a whole lot. You're my little girl now. And I want to take care of you forever. Because I . . . I love you, Jessica."

"I love you too, Daddy," she smiles.

"Okay, then. Let's eat," Lyle says. "What else did you guys do in school today? You were a mess when you got home - dirt from your head all the way to your toes."

"It wasn't all dirt," she giggles. "The black stuff on my hands was ink. We did finger things with the police?"

"What?" he asks panicked. "What about the police?"

"Susie Austin's daddy is a policeman. So he came to the school to help us all do the dent a kid program," she tries to explain. But when she sees that he's confused, she gets her stack of papers and shows him the one she's talking about.

"The 'Ident-a-kid' program," he reads, starting to understand more what she was trying to say. "It says here that they took your fingerprints and a picture to keep on file with the local police."

"So if we get lost or stolen, we'll be found easier," she finishes.

An uneasy feeling starts to develop in the pit of his stomach. Jessie's records to start school with were all fabricated so that her true identity wouldn't be discovered. And normally, fingerprints wouldn't be a problem. A child like Jessie more than likely wasn't in the system if her mother lived on the streets with her. But with Jarod poking his nose into things, no doubt the police now knew all about Jessie. And with these fingerprints and picture now on file, it was only a matter of time before they came looking for her.

"Jessie, honey. Why don't you go get your favorite doll and some clothes for a few days. We're going to go on a little trip," he says as calmly as possible to avoid scaring the girl.

"Why, Daddy?" she asks anyway, confused at the sudden need to leave.

"Just think of it as an adventure," he smiles uneasily. "Go get your things. We have to leave now." He goes to his room and gets a few things for himself before going into Jessie's room to help her pack. They couldn't take a lot, but he at least needed enough stuff to keep her routine as much as possible.

"Ready, Daddy." she says, reaching her arms up. He slings his bag over one shoulder and lifts her up with the other arm. he doesn't even bother to turn off the lights before racing for the front door. And immediately running into the very person he was trying to avoid.

"Mr. Lyle, I presume," the man says. "I'm Detective Lowry with Blue Cove Metro police. Could you step back inside, please Sir? We have a couple of questions for you."

"We?" Lyle asks weakly.

"Allow me to introduce my friends. Special Agents Rogers and Wilson with the FBI," the detective says. "We're here to talk to you about a missing little girl."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Jarod?" Miss Parker says as she opens the front door. "Are you here?"

"What took you so long?" he asks out of the darkness. She feels his arm circle her waist and pull her close to him. She moans out loud when his lips find the nape of her neck and start nibbling there.

"Had to talk to Lyle," she admits, pulling out of his embrace. "Jarod sit down. We need to talk too." She grabs his hand and pulls him to the sofa.

"What about?" he asks curiously.

"You. Me. And this Lyle situation." She pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. "Jarod, I'm starting to feel things for you I never thought I'd be able to feel again. Especially after what happened to Thomas. We got back that special relationship we used to have when we were kids, but it's gone beyond that. I don't know, I guess this has been brewing all this time and I'm finally acknowledging it. But I just wanted to say that I love you, Jarod."

"That's what you had to tell me?" he laughs with relief. He takes her hand in his own and brings it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her palm. "I love you too, you know."

"I know," she smiles sadly. "That's what makes this so hard. But just let me finish. I wasn't completely honest with you the other day when you were telling me about that little girl who was kidnapped. Lyle did have something to do with it. He has her. But he didn't kidnap her. And he didn't kill her mother."

"How do you know all of this?"

"He told me," she answers.

"He told you?" Jarod asks with a cynical little laugh. "And you actually believed him?"

"Actually, I did, Jarod," she snaps. "You should see Lyle with Jessie. She's changed his life."

"Well, you should see Jessie's father. He was distraught over her disappearance," he snaps back. "I can't believe you fell for his lies. How many times have I warned you about trusting your family. They'll stab you in the back everytime."

"Not this time," she insists. She stands up to put some distance between herself and Jarod. "He's telling the truth this time. He found Jessie. Or more like, she found him. And you're right about her mother. She is dead. But Lyle didn't do it. He saw the men who did it."

"I just find this so hard to believe," he sighs.

"Normally, I would too, Jarod. But you haven't seen Lyle with this girl. They have this special bond. And he's made it his personal goal to take care of her because he promised her he would. Jarod, Lyle loves this little girl. And she loves him." She pauses to give him a chance to process all that she's said. "Jessie's never mentioned a father. How do you know this guy is for real?"

"I don't," Jarod says, her words starting to make some sense. "I was so set on getting her out of the Centre that I didn't even do any research to make sure what the man said was true."

"Well, that's where you and Lyle are walking the same path," she grins. "Neither of you wanted to see her in that place. She hated it there, so he made her a room in his apartment so she wouldn't have to stay there. And he enrolled her in school so she'd have a place to go during the day."

"He did?" Jarod worriedly runs his hands through his hair. "He did all of that for her?"

"Yes. I told you. He loves her, Jarod. He's not keeping her as some kind of hostage. She's with him because she wants to be with him."

"Maybe now. But not for much longer," he mumbles almost under his breath.

"What? What do you mean by that?" she eyes his suspiciously. She starts to get angry when he doesn't answer. "Jarod, what did you do?"

"I quite possibly made the biggest mistake in my life," he says cryptically, jumping up off the sofa. He rushes over to her and grabs her hand on the way to the door. "Come on. We don't have much time."

"Time for what?" she asks, snatching her hand from his. "Jarod just tell me what you did!"

"Tonight's the night the FBI decided to move in on Lyle," he says quietly, trying hard to avoid her gaze. "They're going to arrest him and take Jessie back to her father. You were going to be arrested as well, but I was able to get to you in time."

"You knew about this? Of course you did. You planned it all," she realizes and glares at him with disgust. "You called me to meet early to get me out of the way so that the police could swoop down on my brother. Jarod, how could you?"

"It wasn't like that," he tries to explain, reaching out to grab her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" she yells. "You used me to get to my own brother. And here I am pouring my heart out to you. Here I am feeling guilty for keeping something from you. Jarod, I told you I loved you. You told me you loved me. How could you do this to me?"

"Parker . . ."

"Let's just go," she says icily, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. "We have to get Lyle out of this mess that *you* got him in."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I demand to see him now," Miss Parker yells, scaring the poor desk clerk almost to tears.

"Ma'am, I was instructed not to allow that prisoner any visitors," the clerk explains again.

"Were you also instructed to violate his civil rights? Did you even allow him to make a phone call?" she sneers. "Now I suggest you let me see him."

"I'm sorry, but I . . . "

"That's alright, Officer. I'll escort her back," Jarod says as he walks through the police station front doors. He holds up his badge for the officer to see.

"Alright, Agent Daniels. He's in the holding cell until his transfer tomorrow," the officer tells him.

"Thank you very much," Jarod says with a smile before leading Miss Parker to where Lyle's being held.

"FBI? Should have figured," she snorts. "Where did you get the fake badge from, Wonderboy? Wal-Mart?"

"It's a real badge. And that's Special Agent Jarod Daniels to you, ma'am. At your service," he smiles. She glares.

"Don't try to be cute, Jarod. Now shut up and take me to Lyle. If I wanted to chat with you I would have ridden here with you," she says.

"Yeah, I got that. You almost ran over my toes when you pulled away from the house, you know."

"Too bad I was aiming for something much higher," she growls. They walk down a hall and make a turn to reach the holding cell.

"Parker," Lyle says with surprise when they approach. "What are you doing here? They wouldn't let me make any phone calls. How did you know where to find me?"

"That's a long story. I'll get into it later," she says, glaring in Jarod's direction. "Where's Jessie?"

"Gone. They took her," he sighs. "It was the men who killed her mother. They just walked right in here and took her from me." He lowers his head, but Jarod and Miss Parker can both see that he's crying by the shaking of his shoulders. Never in his life had he loved anyone like he loved that little girl. And now, she was gone.

* * * * * * * * * *

"How could you allow something like this to happen?" Lyle angrily asks. He slams his front door shut and goes to sit on his couch. After pulling some strings, Jarod was able to get Lyle released immediately. And with his statement regarding the events the night Jessie's mother was killed, they were able to get an APB out for the real killers.

"I thought I was doing the right thing," Jarod tries to explain weakly. "I thought you had killed her mother and stolen her. I thought she was going to be used and exploited at the Centre the way I was."

"That's how everything is with you, isn't it?" Lyle asks. His anger has dissipated to frustration and exhaustion. He was mentally and physically worn out. And his heart literally ached knowing his little girl was gone. "You think in terms of right and wrong, black and white. But life isn't like that, Jarod. There are a lot of gray areas in between."

"I don't know what else to say, Lyle. I'm sorry. I made a mistake," Jarod confesses.

"That's right, Jarod. You made a mistake. And it ruined my life. You let those people take my little girl away. And now she's probably dead. A life for a life. I hope you think we're even now," Lyle says before turning to go to his bedroom.

Miss Parker follows him with her eyes as he drags his tired body down the hall. In the span of one month, she has watched her brother grow to love that little girl. She was even starting to think he had feelings for her. But with what happened tonight, she was afraid he would give up on love, afraid of getting hurt again.

"It wasn't about revenge," he whispers, more to himself than to Miss Parker. But she heard him anyway.

"Too bad," she says. "Revenge, I could understand. I could understand you doing something like this to get back at Lyle for all he's done to you. Your motives were true. If there's one thing I know about you, it's that. Your primary concern was for Jessie."

"I was so sure that Lyle had her locked away some place in the Centre, testing her and experimenting on her. I never realized he would just simply be loving her."

"And you wanted to save her," she adds. "But you see, Jarod. That's what makes what you did so bad. You're on this quest to save the helpless. But only your definition of helpless. I don't doubt that you thought you were doing the right thing. That's just who you are. You always do what's right. But this time, it's turned out badly for everybody. You used me. You lied to me. You ruined our trust. A trust that we spent a lifetime building. My brother's spirit has been broken. His child is now in the hands of a killer. And that's all because of you and your never ending quest for justice, not taking a moment to take stock of the damage you cause in the process."

"I never meant to hurt you," he insists. Reaching out to her, he takes her hand in his and is relieved to feel her squeeze it in response.

"I know," she smiles sadly, lifting his hand to her lips and kissing it gently. "And I know you didn't mean to hurt Jessie, either. But you did. You hurt us both, possibly beyond repair. Listen Jarod, I'm not saying this to hurt you. I love you. But you have to learn to face the consequences of your actions. You need to hear this. This is what happens when you alone try to be judge and juror. You take people's lives in your hands in the name of justice. But you're not God, Jarod. You don't have that power. You don't get that right."

She allows him to pull her into his arms and they sit for awhile just holding each other. But as close as she is to him, Jarod can still feel the chasm between them. The broken trust a hurdle their love just can't jump right now.

"I should go," he whispers hoarsely, not even trying to hold back his tears. She just nods her head in agreement. "But I swear to you, I'll make this up to you. I'll fix us, Parker."

"This isn't about us, Jarod," she sighs. "Right now, my brother is the one broken. He's the one who needs to be fixed. Good night." She pulls herself from him and walks away, leaving him sitting alone in silence. A few minutes later, she hears the front door close. A part of her wants to run after him, but a bigger part knows this is for the best. She has to let him go.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lyle tries to focus on the computer screen in front of him, but all the words just end up blurring together. Yesterday was quite probably the worst day in his life. Worse than any of those days his adoptive father left locked him in the tool shed. And even worse than the day the Tanaka's took his thumb. Losing Jessie was like no pain he's ever known.

He gives up trying to work and decides to take a walk down to the nursery. Miss Parker always seems to find peace with their little brother. Maybe Joshua could ease the pain left by Jessie's absence.

"Parker." Lyle is surprised that she's down there as well. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Zachary. I think he can sense that something's wrong. I came down here to spend some time with Josh and found him curled up in the corner. What about you? What are you doing down here?"

"I guess the same thing you are," he sighs, reaching into the crib to pick up Joshua. "I just wanted to spend a little time with them."

"Where's Jessie?" Zach asks with a little quiver to his bottom lip. "I want to see Jessie."

"I know you do, Buddy." Lyle runs his hand through Zach's hair and looks up to Miss Parker for a clue as to what to say to the boy. But she doesn't know what to say herself. All she can do is gather him closer to her body and hold him tightly. The little boy trembles and cries in her arms.

"It's okay, Sweetie," she whispers in his ear, rocking him back and forth until he settles down. Eventually his sobs die down and he falls asleep, feeling safe in her arms.

"You're so good at that," Lyle marvels. "It took me awhile to get that comfortable with Jessie. But she was just a little girl. And she needed so much love."

"And you were good at giving it to her, Lyle," Miss Parker assures him. "Never doubt that."

"Thanks, Sis," he says with a sad smile, standing to put the now sleeping Joshua back in his crib. "I should get going."

"Wait," she stops him. "Can you bring Joshie down to my car? I'm going to take the boys home with me. They're both too upset to be left here."

"You really care about them, don't you?" He lifts the baby up to his shoulder again and heads towards the door. He holds it open while she grabs the boys' bag with one hand and Zach with the other. They walk down the hall to the elevator and take it all the way to the parking garage.

"Yeah," she says with a dreamy smile. They reach her car and she unlocks it, making sure the boys get strapped in securely. "I love them, plain and simple. I tried to rationalize it and say that I spend time with Joshie because he doesn't really have anyone else since our father doesn't seem to have any interest in him. But it's more than that. Every day I come down here to see them, I find myself staying longer and longer because I can't stand leaving them. And everyday I wonder if Zach is going to be like Jarod - spending most of his life locked away inside this place, then running away only to be hunted like some animal. Turning into some avenging angel with a misguided sense of justice. I don't want that to happen to him. It's tragic enough that it happened once to someone I cared about."

She looks in the back seat at her two angels. The Centre has never done anything but ruin lives. She wasn't going to let it ruin theirs as well. She'd do anything to prevent that. They were too young and too innocent to get caught up in all the ugliness. Poor Jessie was an unfortunate tragedy. But she wasn't going to let her boys become victims as well.

"I'm going to get them home," she says quietly so she wouldn't wake them up. "Come over later if you feel like it. You shouldn't be alone."

"Thanks for the offer. I'll think about it," he promises. Giving his best effort at a smile, he steps back and allows her to back away. He gets into his own car and drives away, going to a home that was once again empty and void.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker arrives home and looks in the back seat. Both boys were sound asleep. She didn't know how she was going to get them both into the house. She decides to start with the baby. That way, if Zach woke up, he was older and was less likely to be as afraid.

She unstraps Joshua from his car seat and lifts him up on her shoulder. Digging in her pocket for her keys, she finally comes up with them and manages to open the door, kicking it open with her foot. She takes Joshua over to the couch and gently lays him down, preparing to go out and get Zach. When she turns around, she sees that will no longer be necessary.

"Should have figured you'd show your face around here one of these days." Jarod's standing in the doorway carrying Zach into the house. She walks over to get him, but he stops her.

"I got him," he whispers. "You get the baby."

"What are you doing here?" she asks, not moving from her spot. Afraid that if she took a step towards him, she'd end up running to him with open arms.

"I needed to see you," he tells her. He walks to the couch and lays Zach on the other end. "Parker, please." He places a tentative hand on her shoulder, expecting her to jerk away, but glad when she doesn't.

"Jarod, don't," she protests verbally while unconsciously leaning into his touch.

"I missed you," he says, pulling her into his arms.

"I missed you, too," she confesses. After enjoying his touch for a moment, she pushes him away. "Help me get the rest of the stuff out of the car. You can spend the rest of the night showing me how sorry you are."

"Really?" he asks, with a surprised grin, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"Down, Boy," she smiles. "It's not what you think." She leads him out to the car where she proceeds in watching him unload the contents and carry it all into the house. She then directs him to the big box leaning against the corner containing a brand new crib for Joshua.

"Handyman is not on my resume," he teases.

"Well, you're a genius. I think you can figure it out," she says with a yawn. "I'm going up to take a shower. The crib is going in the guest bedroom. Try not to wake the boys."

"Yes, Ma'am," he salutes. "Anything for you, my love."

"What did I say before about trying to be cute?" she says with feigned anger, her resolve already weakening. The reason why she didn't want him being cute was because she knew she wouldn't be able to resist that charm.

"What? I can't help it if you love me like that," he smiles that smug smile. She can't help but smile back before continuing her way up to her shower.

* * * * * * * * * *

"A few more screws and I'll be all done." Jarod flashes a grin at the freshly showered Miss Parker standing in the doorway.

The sweat dripping down his shirtless torso glistens in the light drawing attention to the defined muscles there. Miss Parker takes a long, appreciative look at his physique, admiring each and every square inch. Her cheeks flush and she begins to feel as if she should have taken a cold shower.

"Finished," he calls out, startling her from her daze.

"Looks good," she says as she clears her throat, trying to regain her composure. "How about you bring the boys up and I'll put on the crib sheet." It all felt so normal. Like they were a family. For the first time since the whole thing with Jessie started, she was starting to feel as if things with Jarod would be alright.

After both boys are snug in their respective beds, Jarod walks Miss Parker to her room, halting just outside the doorway.

"Thanks," she whispered. "It would have been harder taking care of them by myself."

"Glad to help out," he whispers back, lightly sweeping his lips across hers. Their mouths barely touch, yet they feel the shock all the way down to their toes.

"I should get some sleep," she gasps. "The boys will be up early."

"It is late," he points out, running his fingers up and down her arm. "Maybe I should go?"

"Or, you could stay," she suggests, fully capturing his lips for a quick, but passionate kiss.

"I'd like that," he smiles.

"On the couch of course." She grins wickedly as his own smile falls at her words, the disappointment written clearly across his face.

"I thought I was going to spend the night showing you how sorry I was," he pouts, leaning in to try to kiss her, but being rebuffed.

"And you made a good start," she says, pushing him out the door. "I couldn't have put that crib together as quickly as you did. But for right now, it's Couch City for you, Sweetheart." She quickly closed the door in his face before he gave her one more of those pouts, tempting her to kiss those little gorgeous lips of his. Her resolve was practically nonexistent now. It was only a matter of time before he had broken her down completely.

* * * * * * * * *

The next morning, Miss Parker rolls over in bed and is shocked to see the time on the clock. It was practically midmorning and she was still in the bed. She was surprised the boys hadn't woken her up. She jumps out of the bed, pulling on a robe over her gown and sliding her feet into her slippers. On her way down the hall to check on the children, she hears giggling and laughing coming from the room. Peeking inside, she sees Jarod entertaining the boys. They were laughing in ways Miss Parker had never heard them laugh before. Jarod was sitting on the floor with them making stupid faces and tickling them. And as goofy as he looked, she thought it was the sexiest she's ever seen him. Even more so than last night when he was half naked and sweaty. The sight of him playing with the kids made her insides melt and her knees quiver like jelly.

"So, who's the babysitter here?" she asks, startling all three of her 'boys'. "It's hard to tell, Jarod. You're acting just like one of them." She smiles and walks into the room, kneeling on the floor to give the boys good morning kisses.

"Do I get one of those, too?" Jarod grins, closing his eyes and puckering up his lips.

"I think that can be arranged," she says. She pushes him on his back and starts to crawl up his body. Just as she's about to kiss him, the doorbell rings, causing both of them to groan their disappointment. "Be right back." She gives him a quick peck on the cheek before going downstairs to get the door.

"Morning, Sis," Lyle says from the threshold.

"Lyle," she gasps with surprise. "You're here."

"You invited me, remember? I thought I'd take you and the boys to breakfast lest we risk a trip to the emergency room for food poisoning from your cooking," he teases.

"Very funny," she says sarcastically. "They're upstairs. We still need to get dressed, but that shouldn't take long."

"You need some help?" he offers.

"No," she says quickly. "I mean, I can handle it myself. But thanks." She runs up the stairs, grateful she dodged that bullet. The last thing Lyle needed was a confrontation with Jarod this morning. "Jarod," she whispers into the room. "Lyle's here!"

"What?"

"Just help me get the boys dressed. And stay quiet. I don't want him seeing you," she orders. "Zach, go into the bathroom and get washed up. Lyle's here to take us to breakfast."

"Lyle's here? Did he bring Jessie?" he asks with enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry, Zach. You know that Jessie's gone. We don't know where she is," she explains to the boy, glaring at Jarod from the corner of her eye. Seeing the sadness on the boy's face, all the anger and contempt she felt for Jarod the day before begins to rise back up. She gives Zach a hug and kiss and sends him off to the bathroom.

"They were close?" Jarod asks. He notice her change in attitude and realizes that all the progress they made finding their way back to each other has been lost.

"About as close as we were when we were kids," she sighs. She goes to Zach's bag and pulls out some clothes for him, laying them out on the bed. Then she takes the bag and picks up Joshua, heading for her own bedroom. "I'm taking Joshie and we're going to get dressed. Help Zach when he gets out of the bathroom." She places a hand on the doorknob, about to open it. With her back to Jarod, she pauses briefly to speak. "We probably won't be at breakfast very long. Please don't be here when we get back."

He lowers his head and nods in understanding, even though he knows she can't see him. She doesn't even bother to face him. She just keeps on to her bedroom. He fears things with Miss Parker may be beyond repair. He had to do something to fix this. Even if *they*t couldn't be fixed, the situation could. He just had to find Jessie.

Title - Gray Areas (3/4)
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)

Note: The story crosses over here a bit with General Hospital. Fans of the show may recognize familiar elements. I'm basically just using the characters, not the storyline. So bear with me if things in GH-land seem a little off. I guess the only GH spoilers would be basic familiarity with Sonny Corinthos and Joseph Sorel.

* * * * * * * * * *

Upstate New York
2 days later

Jarod walks into a diner and finds himself a table. It was mid-morning, but the place was pretty busy. A young waitress stops by his table with some coffee and tells him she'll be back soon for his order. He looks around the table and notices that there weren't any menus. Yet, everyone seemed to know exactly what to order.

"Excuse me, Miss," he asks an older blond woman at the counter. "I was wondering . . . "

"New in town?" she asks with a smile.

"How did you guess?" he says with a blush.

"For one thing, I don't think I've ever seen you around here. And to most people, I'm not 'Miss'. I'm Tammy." She reaches her hand out to shake his. "Pleased to meet you."

"Jarod," he informs her. "It's nice to meet you too, Tammy. So, what's good here? I see there aren't any menus."

"Oh, sorry about that," she chuckles, pulling out a menu from under the counter. "Sometimes we forget about them. Most people already know what they want. Kelly's Diner has been here awhile. The specials haven't really changed. I'll give you a few minutes to decide."

"Actually, the coffee is fine for right now. I kind of wanted to sit for a while and get my bearings back," he tells her.

"That's fine. This is about as busy as we're going to be until lunch time. Take all the time you need," she smiles. "Are you just visiting or planning on making this your home?"

"Just passing through. Looking for a friend," he says cryptically.

"Where are you staying?" She stops wiping the counter when she sees a strange look cross his face. "I'm sorry for being so nosey. Just tell me to butt out if it isn't my business."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just used to keeping to myself, that's all," he explains before answering her previous question. "But I haven't checked into a hotel yet. The Port Charles Hotel just seemed a bit too . . . uptight for me. I like simple."

"Well, I got a couple rooms upstairs if you're interested," she offers. "They're not much, but you'll have a roof over your head. Not to mention the best food in town. And you'll have basically the whole place to yourself. This one guy came in yesterday with his little girl, but they're the only ones up there right now. Shall I show you up?"

Jarod just nods, trying to paste a smile on his face. He had other things on his mind. A man and his little girl. Could be the person he was looking for. This could be the guy who has Jessie. He picks up his bag and follows Tammy up the stairs.

"Here you are. Room 3 is yours. The bathroom is down the hall. Like I said, that guy and his little girl are the only other ones here. And they've been gone most of the day so far. So it should be pretty quiet. Not a big line for the shower," she chuckles.

"Thanks again, Tammy," he says, faking a yawn. "I'm kind of tired, though. I may just get settled and rest a bit."

She smiles and nods before turning to leave. He stands at the door until she's sure he's gone before sneaking down the hall. Tammy said that the man and the girl had been gone most of the day. So chances are, they would be back soon. He had to work fast.

He quickly picked the old lock and was soon in the room. Closing the door behind him, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small flashlight. This room had a window. He didn't want to risk anyone seeing a light from the street, so the flashlight would have to do. Jarod looks around the room, being careful not to displace anything. There wasn't much there besides the furniture the room came with. No luggage. No clothes. Nothing to indicate who the occupants were. His search through the desk drawer also comes up empty. He looks next to the desk and sees that the trash can appears to have been on fire. Inside were charred pieces of paper. Jarod sifts through the paper until he finds something that wasn't completely burned. It looked as if it used to be a driver's license. The picture was still partially visible and Jarod sees that the license belonged to the man claiming to be Jessie's father. The license was more than likely a fake, making it impossible to track the man down. Jarod was pretty sure this is where Jessie had been. But all he could do now was wait and pray that they would be back.

* * * * * * * * * *

Jessie looks around the smoky room. She likes this place even less than the last place this guy took her. At least at the last place, that nice lady was there to give her chocolate milk. But this place was dark and scary. And this new man was even scarier. He was so mean that even the guy who took her from her daddy was afraid of him.

"I see you didn't screw things up this time," the man hisses. "We wouldn't have to go through this if you had just brought the mother the first time."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sorel," Jessie's kidnapper apologizes. "We went a little far while trying to get information from the mother. But, we have the little girl. Maybe she knows where her mother stashed the tapes."

"You better hope she does," Sorel warns. "Now get her out of here and find me those tapes. Oh and Ray? You better find them, or else you and the little girl will both suffer the same fate her mother did."

Ray and Jessie are escorted to the door by one of Sorel's men. By this time, Jessie has heard the threats and have taken them very seriously. She's crying hysterically and won't stop. She cries all the way back to the diner, earning Ray several strange looks by people passing by them on the street.

"Quit that, Kid," he orders. But that only makes her cry harder. The crowd in the diner was slim. So Ray was able to drag her up the stairs fairly unnoticed. He opened the door and threw her inside, slamming the door behind him.

"I said to stop making all that noise," he yells. "You're giving me a headache."

The door slamming alerted Jarod to their presence. He opens his door slightly and peeks down the hall. Seeing no one out there, he tips down to the other door and presses his ear against it. He hears Jessie crying inside and her kidnapper yelling at her.

"I gotta get out of here. I need a drink," Ray screams. He grabs Jessie and shoves a sock inside her mouth, tying a handkerchief securely around her head to keep it in place. Instantly, the cries stop, her eyes now wide open in shock and fear. He pushes her into the closet and closes the door. He can hear her kicking against the door, trying to get out, so he pushes a chair against it to stop her. Satisfied that she's contained, he grabs his jacket from the bed and leaves the room.

Jarod steps from out of the hiding place he was barely able to find before Ray opened the door. He waits until he hears the man's footsteps all the way down the stairs before entering the room.

"Jessie?" he whispers. He looks around the room and notices the chair up against the door. He runs over and pulls the chair back. Opening the closet, he sees the scared little girl huddled inside shaking with fear. "It's okay. I won't hurt you."

He reaches inside and pulls her out, wincing as she jerks away from him.

"My name is Jarod. I won't hurt you," he says again. He reaches for her again, but this time, just to take out her gag. He steps back out of the closet and goes to sit on he bed. "He's gone. You can come out now. I promise I'm not here to hurt you."

"I want my daddy," she cries. "Where's my daddy?"

"He's not here," Jarod says to her. "But I can take you to him. Just as soon as I know it's safe."

"What about that man? He wants me to find some tapes for him for that other man." Jessie sniffs and wipes her face with the back of her hand. She's starting to trust Jarod. She wasn't afraid of him.

"What tapes?"

"I don't know," she shrugs. "They think my mommy had some tapes. And they want them back."

"Do you know who this other man is?" Jarod is curious. He wonders what's on these tapes they're so desperate to find. So desperate that they'll kidnap a 4 year old child to find them.

"Some scary guy. But that guy who took me thinks he's scary too."

"Well, I think you're mighty brave, Jessie," Jarod says. "I think that deserves a reward. How about some ice cream?"

"Really? I don't have to get back into the closet?"

"No, Sweetheart," he says trying to hold the tears. It's sad the way this man was treating this little child. "Let's get you out of here." He stands up and grabs her hand. They walk out of room together and downstairs to the diner.

"Jarod," Tammy calls. "What are you doing with Mr. Benson's daughter?"

"He had to leave," Jarod quickly lies. "He asked me to watch her for him until he got back. Jessie and I were just heading out to get some ice cream."

"Okay," Tammy says slowly, eying Jarod suspiciously before looking down at Jessie. "You okay with this, Sweetie? You don't have to go with him if you don't want to. You can stay here and wait until your daddy gets back."

"He's not my daddy," Jessie screams, her eyes starting to fill with tears. She looks up at Jarod and stretches out her arms to him. Quickly he picks her up and pats her back to calm her down. "You said I wouldn't have to stay with him," she cries.

"Shhh. It's okay, Jessie. Calm down," Jarod says soothingly. He notices the look of alarm on Tammy's face.

"Listen, Mister. I don't know what's going on here. But I'm calling the police." Tammy reaches for the phone, her hand shaking with fear. "Why don't you just put the little girl down until we can settle this."

"That won't be necessary," Jarod says, reaching into his pocket. "Special Agent Jarod Daniels, FBI. This little girl has been kidnapped. Once she identifies her kidnappers, I'm taking her home."

"You're FBI?" Tammy says, sounding somewhat relieved. "Okay, so what am I supposed to do if Mr. Benson returns looking for the little girl?"

"I don't think he'll be in any condition to even notice she's gone. I heard him say he was going to get a drink," Jarod tells her. "Can you excuse me? I need to make a phone call." He sets Jessie on a chair and goes to the corner to make a phone call to the police department back in Blue Cove.

"Detective Lowry," the voice on the other end answers.

"Ben. It's Jarod. I found her. The little kidnapped girl."

"The Parker case? Jarod, what's going on? Where are you?"

"A town in upstate New York called Port Charles. But there's something deeper going on here. The guy who kidnapped her, the one pretended to be her father in into something shady. I think possibly mob related. He took Jessie to meet with his boss. They want her to find some missing tapes."

"Missing tapes? What kind of tapes?" Detective Lowry asks.

"I'm not sure. But check out that alley again where Lyle found Jessie. Ask around and see if there was anyplace she could have stashed them. Those men were desperate enough to kill an innocent woman over those tapes. I have a feeling if we find those tapes, we'll be stumbling on something big."

"Alright, Jarod. Lay low and keep that kid out of sight," Lowry says. "I'll send someone to check it out and get back to you."

Jarod hangs up the phone and walks back over to the table where Jessie was sitting. But she wasn't there anymore? He looks frantically around the place and sees her standing next to a man with a baby stroller. She was shaking hands with a little red haired boy.

"Jessie! I thought I told you to stay put. You scared me," Jarod tells her.

"This is Michael, Jarod. Isn't he cute?" she looks at the little boy and giggles when he smiles.

"I'm sorry about that," the man with the little boy says. "I get the same way when Michael runs off. Sonny Corinthos," he says holding out his hand to Jarod.

"Sonny Corinthos?" Jarod asks, his eyebrows raising in shock.

"I see my reputation precedes me," Sonny remarks.

"It does in the FBI." Jarod holds out his badge for the man to see. "Most big time mobsters are pretty well known in my circles." He steps in front of Jessie and notices that Sonny does the same to Micheal.

"There are children here, Agent. What are you planning?" Sonny asks.

"Just one question. And I hope you keep the children in consideration when you answer it. Did you have anything to do with her kidnapping or the murder of her mother?" Both men look at the little girl behind Jarod.

"Agent Daniels. I don't know what you've heard about me. But my business is making money, not murder. I'm also a family man. Despite popular opinion, I'm not a monster. I don't go around killing innocent women. That's more Sorel's style," Sonny growls. "That man has attacked my wife and my family more times that I should tolerate." He pauses when he notices Jessie practically in tears. "What's wrong with the kid?"

Jarod looks behind him and sees a panicked look on Jessie's face. She's about to start crying again when Jarod bends down to her level.

"Jessie? What is it? What's wrong?"

"That was his name," she whispers. "That mean man who said he was going to chop me up like my mommy."

"Sorel?" Sonny asks. Jessie nods her head and falls into Jarod's arms. He picks the little girl up and hugs her. "Sorel kidnapped you and had your mother killed?"

"He thinks her mother was in possession of some tapes," Jarod explains. They all jump with surprise when his phone rings again. "Excuse me."

"Jarod," the caller greets. "It's Lowry. We found the tapes. They're videos."

"Videos? What's on them?" Jarod asks excitedly.

"We're not sure yet. We just got them. But so far, we've only seen what appears to be a meeting of some kind."

"Check out a guy named Sorel," Jarod says, holding his hand over the mouth piece to ask Sonny a question. "What's his first name?"

"Joseph. Joseph Sorel," Sonny tells him.

"Joseph Sorel," Jarod repeats into the phone. "Let me know as soon as possible if you can get a warrant on this guy."

Jarod hangs up the phone and looks down at Jessie.

"Well, Kid. I hate to say this, but no ice cream. I can't risk taking you anywhere until those bad men are put in prison. We have to stay here."

"But that other guy will come back to get me," Jessie whines. "He'll find me if we're just down the hall."

"Then we'll find someplace else to say. Someplace safe," he promises her.

"You can come to my penthouse," Sonny offers. "Michael doesn't have many children around his age to play with. Plus, my place is guarded by my men. You two will be safe."

"I'm not so sure, Sonny," Jarod says with some hesitation. "But, we have to go somewhere. Jessie's right. We can't stay here."

"Then you can come while you make other arrangements," Sonny suggests.

"Alright. Let me go get my things." Jarod takes Jessie's hand and leads her up the stairs to the room. Packing up his stuff is quick. He didn't even bring the DSA case with him this time. It's stored at Miss Parker's house, although she doesn't know it. He almost laughs at the irony. The very thing she searches day in and day out for, and it's hidden in her attic. On the way back downstairs, he runs into Tammy.

"Oh, Tammy. I'm afraid I won't be needing the place to stay after all. How much do I owe you?" he asks her.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Well, it's not really safe here anymore. And we've been offered a place to hide by Sonny Corinthos," he says tentatively. "How much do you know about him?"

"Well, you're FBI, so I assume you've heard about him," Tammy starts. "I'd suggest you forget anything they've said. Things aren't always black and white. Yes, Sonny operates outside of the law, but he's no thug. He has a territory to protect and does whatever is necessary, but he also has a conscience. He's a loving and caring family man. He's loyal to a fault. And the protection of women and children is his utmost priority. He's a great guy. He just happens to be a criminal."

"Gray areas," Jarod mumbles absent-mindedly.

"What?" Tammy's confused.

"Nothing," he smiles, remembering what Lyle told him a few days ago. "Just finally starting to see the shades of gray in life."

* * * * * * * * * *

Apartment of Joseph Sorel

"Boss, I got some bad news for you," Ray starts. He was shaking like a leaf. He hated to deliver this message but it would be worse for him to find out some other way.

"What is it Ray? Did the girl not know where the tapes were?" Sorel asks in an exasperating tone.

"I wouldn't know. She was gone when I got back to the room tonight," Ray confesses.

"Gone? She's 4 years old," Sorel growls. "Where could she have gone?"

"The boarding rooms above that diner ain't exactly the Ritz, Boss. I needed a drink. So I went to the liquor store to pick something up. When I got back, I saw her leaving with two men. One of them was Corinthos."

"Sonny Corinthos?" Sorel stammers. "What does Sonny know about this? Why is he even involved? How could you let this happens?" Ray flinches as each question get louder and angrier.

"I don't know, Boss. I swear, I was only gone for a minute. Sonny must have had his guys watching the place or something." It was a lie. A small lie that Ray hoped Sorel wouldn't find out. He was gone for almost an hour. And was more than a little tipsy by the time he got back.

"Here's the new plan," Sorel says, somewhat calmer. His steely exterior chilled Ray to his bones. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like the new plan. "We forget about finding the tapes. Chances are, the girl doesn't know where they are anyway. And no one else knows about them. We need to get rid of her before anyone finds out about them."

"How are we going to get to the girl? She's at Sonny's. That place is tighter than Fort Knox," Ray quips.

"That's for you to worry about," Sorel says with a wicked grin. "You take care of the girl. No more slip ups. She dies, plain and simple. Follow those orders and you'll be alright."

"Boss, she's with Sonny. If I go in there with my gun blazing, Sonny's men will kill me."

"You kill her or you die," Sorel warns him. "Those are your two choices." Sorel turns his back, an indication that the meeting was over and Ray was dismissed.

Ray walks dejectedly to the door. He knew he wasn't going to like this plan. Either he killed the girl and risked getting killed by Sonny's men. Or he didn't kill the girl and would definitely be killed by Sorel. There really was no choice to be made. He had to kill the girl.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sonny Corinthos' Penthouse

"Leticia," Sonny calls up to his nanny. "Jarod and I will be in a business meeting. Keep the children upstairs please."

"No problem, Mr. Corinthos," she says before going back up the stairs.

"Jarod, I'm going to go put on some coffee. Make yourself at home." Sonny shows him to the guest room down the hall from the kitchen where he can put his stuff. Then he goes into the kitchen to start the coffee. Jarod uses this time to make a phone call.

"What," the sharp voice on the other end snaps.

"Good to know *you* haven't changed much, Miss Parker," he smiles.

"Jarod. Should have known. What do you want?" Miss Parker asks, trying to sound harsh. But Jarod could hear the ice around her heart cracking a little.

"Would you believe that I just missed the sound of your voice?" he smiles when she lets a little chuckle slip.

"Actually, I do. Because I missed the sound of your voice, too," she says sweetly. "But I know you. And you always have a reason. No matter how lame and demented it may be," she teases.

"You're not still mad at me?"

"Jarod, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad with this situation," she sighs. "I'm mad that the Centre kept you prisoner all your life. And I'm mad you came out feeling as if you had to be some avenging angel. I'm mad that you allowed a killer to kidnap my brother's child. But mostly I'm mad that you left me . . . "

"Parker, you told me to be gone . . ."

"I know, Jarod," she sighs again. "There's no other way right now."

"Even if I found a way to see some gray in life?" he asks cryptically.

"What are you talking about, Jarod?"

"Would you believe that right now I'm hiding out in a mobster's penthouse?"

"Yes I would. You've pretended to be a mobster before to put the guy away. You left him locked in a meat locker if memory serves me," she laughs. "I hope you this guy doesn't have a deep freezer in his kitchen. He could be in some big trouble."

"Funny, Parker. But no. It's not a pretend. Well, not one aimed to take him down, at least. Parker, I found the guy who took Jessie. She's here with me," he explains.

"What?" She jumps up off the couch. The sudden movement disrupts the boys from their cartoon watching momentarily. "You have her? Jarod, where are you? Lyle and I will . . ."

"Not yet. It's not safe. The guy who took her was also a mobster. Sort of in a territory war with my new buddy here. He thinks Jessie may know where some tapes are. But, I had my friends in the Blue Cove Police Department search the alley again and they found the tapes. They viewing them now, seeing if they can get an arrest warrant for this guy. So right now, it's important to keep Jessie out of the way and safe. That means you and Lyle can't know where she is yet."

"But Jarod . . "

"Trust me, Parker. I'll take care of her," he promises.

"I know you will. I trust you, Jarod. I trust you with my life."

"And with your heart?" he asks tentatively.

"Jarod, I'm afraid," she admits with a whisper. "You had my heart. And then you broke it. I can't go through that again."

"I'm trying to fix it Parker. To fix us."

"How, Jarod?" she asks, her voice raising a notch. "By running off the first chance you could find to put one of your little plans into action? By once again, trying to solve things the 'Jarod' way, not even considering the consequences? Jarod, your plans always end in some kind of heartbreak. I just don't want it to be mine this time. You're dealing with mobsters here, Jarod. I don't want anything to happen to you."

A long silence comes between them, though Jarod swears he can hear her tears falling.

"Parker, I'm sorry," he finally says, breaking the empty silence. "I just wanted to get Jessie back. I owed it to Lyle. It was my plan that got her taken away from him in the first place."

"Don't let this plan take you away from me," she sniffs.

"That won't happen, Parker. I love you. And that binds us together forever."

"I love you, too," she whispers. "Don't get yourself killed. Come home to me."

"I will," he promises. "I'll be back before you know it." He closes his eyes to try to blink away his own tears before hanging up the phone.

"Wife? Girlfriend?" Sonny asks from the doorway.

"A little of both. A little of neither," Jarod replies, drawing a strange look from Sonny. "It's a long, complicated story."

"Okay. Whatever, man."

"Listen, I just wanted to thank you again for doing this for us. I'm not used to . . ."

"Hanging out with mobsters?" Sonny laughs. "Most people aren't. But at least you didn't judge me like the rest of this town does. My business may operate outside of the law, but I consider myself an honorable man. I keep my promises. I'm loyal to those loyal to me."

"That's all I can ask for right now," Jarod says, holding out his hand to seal the deal.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker bangs on the door one more time. She knows Lyle is in there. She heard him moving around when she first started knocking.

"Open the door, Lyle. Before I shoot my way in," she threatens. She waits a few more seconds, but hears nothing. Raising her gun, she aims for the lock just as the door cracks open.

"Go away, Parker," Lyle says, standing in the doorway. "I'm not in the mood for company."

"Let us in, Lyle. You're scaring the boys." She pushes her way into the apartment, holding the door open for Zach. She shifts Joshua to her other hip to replace her gun.

"What do you want?" Lyle sighs, clearly not in the mood for this.

"Just a second," she says, putting the baby down on the floor. "Zach, honey. Do me a favor and take Joshie into Jessie's room to play for a little while, okay?" She watches the smaller boy toddle behind the Zach into the room.

"Again, Parker. I'm not in the mood for company. What do you want?"

"Jessie. Jarod. He found her. He has her," she manages to say as it all comes tumbling out of her mouth.

"What? Where? How?" is all Lyle's able to say.

"I don't know the details. I got a phone call from him earlier today. He said that he found her and was going to keep her safe until he can get her to you," she explains.

"What do you mean *until* he can get her to me? Where is he, Parker? Why isn't he bringing my daughter home?" Lyle screams.

"Calm down, Lyle," she says quietly. "I haven't told Zach yet that Jessie's okay. But I know that she is okay. If Jarod says so . . "

"Then it must be gospel," Lyle adds sarcastically. "Listen Sis. I know you have this thing for the labrat. But he almost destroyed my life. I'm not going to trust him as far as I can throw him."

Lyle grabs his phone off the table and starts to dial.

"Where did you get the call?" he asks just as the person on the other line picks up. "Yes, this is Mr. Lyle. I'm need to speak with someone in communications." He looks up at Miss Parker, and motions with his hand that he's waiting for her answer.

"He called my house," she tells him. "But I tried to *69 him. He was on a cell phone. . . ."

"I need a call traced," he says into the phone, cutting off the rest of her sentence. "Miss Parker's home phone . . . yes, she already tried that . . . New York? That's as close as you can get? . . . I don't care what you can or can't do. Find that number and get it to me immediately." He slams down the phone, probably leaving the other person's ears ringing. Without even looking up, he dials another number. A few minutes later, he's got the Centre jet fueled and ready to go on his order.

"Lyle, just slow down," she tries to calm him. "Jarod said that it could be dangerous right now for him to bring Jessie to us. Maybe we should listen to him."

"And I told you. I'm not trusting Jarod with anything. The telecommunications office said that the phone call came from somewhere in New York, possibly someplace in upstate New York. As soon as they get a lock on it, I'm going. Now, you can stay here, or you can come with me. The choice is yours."

"I'm coming," she says with a huff. "Just take me home first so I can pick up a few things for the boys."

Lyle just nods and heads to his room to pack. When he returns, Miss Parker already has the boys downstairs and strapped in their car seats. Silently, they drive to her house and she runs in to get a small bag prepared. She prays to herself that everything would turn out alright. But she was getting that feeling again that something bad was about to happen.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sonny Corinthos' penthouse

"So, you're really not in the FBI?" Sonny asks him, his head reeling from the concept of what a Pretender could actually do. His new friend had completely convinced him that he was a federal agent. "Unbelievable. No wonder I liked you. I should have figured you weren't a cop," he laughs.

The two men had spent the entire afternoon talking easily with one another. Jarod did most of the talking, reliving his many adventures. They got along well, having so much in common. Both had unhappy childhood's, they soon learned. But where Jarod had been kept a prisoner of the Centre, Sonny was a prisoner of an abusive stepfather.

"So tell me again about this Miss Parker," Sonny begs, sitting down in the chair across from Jarod.

"I told you before. That's a long and complicated story. We grew up together. Her father is one of the people in charge at the Centre," Jarod explains.

"I still can't believe a place like that actually exists," Sonny says, shaking his head. "And I can't believe they'd experiment on you like that. Must have been miserable."

"Not so much with Miss Parker there," Jarod smiles, remembering the days when he and Miss Parker would spend every possible moment together. He lived each day for those moments with her. "I still remember the first day I ever saw her. I was standing in this room when she walks in. We were separated by a glass wall, but I couldn't even tell. This may sound strange, but it was like I could actually feel her in the same room with me. I raised my hand up to the glass and she did the same. It was like a shock when our hands met. I think she was the first girl I ever saw, because I was so surprised when I saw her. No doubt she was the most beautiful. I fell in love with her instantly."

"So why is it you've been running from her for the past few years?" Sonny asks curiously.

"I don't know," Jarod sighs. "She went away for awhile. And when she came back she was . . . different. Harder. Colder. Dead inside. It was like . . ."

The ringing of a phone cuts off Jarod's sentence. He excuses himself and answers the phone.

"Jarod, it's Lowry. I got good news for you," the detective excitedly announces. "We got the warrant for Sorel."

"The tapes were useful?"

"Very damaging for Sorel. The tapes gave us an inside look at the workings within his organization. There's no way he'd get off with this kind of evidence. The only problem is that this guy is nowhere to be found. We can't seem to track him down," the detective laments.

"I'll work on that from this end," Jarod says after some thought. "I have a lead on where we might find him. I'll get back to you."

Jarod hangs up the phone and starts pacing, trying to work through various scenarios in his head.

"What's going on, Jarod?" Sonny asks gently, not wanting to disrupt Jarod's thought process too much. He was actually kind of excited that he might see Jarod 'pretend' right before his eyes.

"That was the detective working on Jessie's kidnapping case back in Blue Cove. Those videos they found earlier turned out to be evidence enough to get an arrest warrant for Sorel and, more than likely, convicted of several crimes, including kidnapping, racketeering, and murder. The only problem is that they haven't been able to track him down."

"He is a slippery little weasel," Sonny confirms. "What are you planning? You going to search for him yourself?"

"I'm hoping I won't have to," Jarod says cryptically. He walks over to the stairs and calls for Jessie, gathering up their things while he waits for her.

"You're leaving?" Sonny notices.

"The guy who took Jessie is staying at the diner. He took Jessie to a meeting with Sorel earlier. Maybe if I tail him long enough, he'll eventually meet up with Sorel again and I can follow him there."

"Sounds dangerous. Why don't you let Jessie stay here. Leticia will be more than happy to . . ."

"Thanks for the offer, Sonny. But I don't want to put you in the middle of it any more than I already have. You have your wife and stepson to think about."

"And I heard you make a promise to that girlfriend of yours that you're going to make it back safely to her. I'd hate for the lovely lady to be disappointed," Sonny says with his own patented grin that rivaled Jarod's. "I'm going with you. Someone needs to watch your back. Someone who knows how Sorel operates."

Jarod sees the determined look on the other man's face. He wasn't backing down from this. And to be perfectly honest, Jarod was grateful for the help. Two sets of eyes were better than one when it came to being on the lookout.

"Okay," Jarod relents. "I think it's a good idea for you to come. I'm going to need the help. Thanks."

Sonny gives him another victorious grin and after getting Jessie, they all head out the door and back to Kelly's diner. Paying attention only to the road ahead, they don't see other car parked halfway down the street pull out behind them.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker distractedly watches the ice melt in her glass. The flight attendant on the Centre jet had brought her this glass of ginger ale over an hour ago, but she hasn't even touched it.

"You know, that'll work better if you'd actually drink it," Lyle whispers to her.

"What?" she asks, shaking herself from her daze. "I'm sorry. I was just . . . I don't know. I'm a little out of it I guess."

"What's the problem? I for one feel much better now that I know where Jarod and Jessie are."

"We don't know *exactly* where they are," she corrects him. "All that person from communications said was that the call came from Port Charles, New York."

"True, but how big a town can it be? I never heard of it."

"Neither have I. But it doesn't matter how big or how small it is. Searching for Jarod and Jessie will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Where would we even start?" she asks.

"I don't know," Lyle shrugs. "The same place as always, I guess. We'll show his picture around town and see if anyone recognized him. We'll try the hotels first. He's got to be staying somewhere."

Lyle watches his sister let out a shaky sigh as she turns her head to stare out of the window. Something was bothering her. He didn't know what, but the look on her face gave him a sick feeling on the inside. The same sick feeling she was complaining about earlier.

"You're not just worried about whether or not we'll find them, are you?" he asks her gently.

"No," she whispers. "I know we'll find them. If Jarod's in this town, then we're going to find them. What I'm worried about is not finding him in time. Something horrible's going to happen, Lyle. I can feel it. And it scares me to death that I might not be there to save him from it."

The look in her eyes sends chills down his spine. It was a look he's never seen on her before. A look of pure fear. Suddenly, his own lunch was having a hard time staying in his stomach.

"He'll be fine," he manages to mutter over the lump now blocking his throat. "He always is." He tries to reassure her with his words, but realizes he's barely convincing himself. Instead, he reaches between the seats and grabs her hand, holding it tightly for the remainder of the flight.

Title - Gray Areas (4/4)
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)

* * * * * * * * * *

After checking downstairs with Tammy to see if Ray had returned, Jarod heads up with Sonny and Jessie to search the man's room. They didn't find much of anything and decided to wait around until he showed back up. They decide to go back down to the diner to watch out for him.

"This guy's been gone all day," Jarod says. "According to Tammy, she hasn't seen him any more today since he left earlier."

"Which means he's got to come back soon," Sonny guesses. He looks towards the door when he hears it open. He sees a little boy holding it open for a woman pushing a stroller. The woman had legs for days and Sonny gave her an appreciating once over.

"Check her out," he whistles. "I bet she's the most popular mommy in the PTA."

Jarod turns around to see what he's talking about and can't hide the smile on his face when he sees her. He stands from the booth and practically runs over to her.

"Parker," he says a little louder than he intended. She jumps in surprise before recognizing his voice.

"Jarod?" she asks, spinning around and wasting no time falling into his arms.

The door opens again, this time revealing an annoyed looking Lyle.

"None of the neighboring store owners recognize him . . ." Lyle starts. His eyes immediately falls on Jessie, sitting at the table still with Sonny while she finishes up her sandwich. The little girl looks up when she hears his voice and immediately runs to him.

"Daddy," she screams.

"Are you alright, Pumpkin? Nobody hurt you, did they?" he asks her, pulling away long enough to check her out for himself. Satisfied that she's unharmed, he pulls her back into his arms.

"I'm fine," she tells him. "I was so scared. And I wanted to go home. But they wouldn't let me." She clutches him tightly around his neck and cries into his shoulder.

"It's okay. Daddy's here now," he whispers in her ear. He walks over to where Jarod and Miss Parker are standing. "I guess I should thank you for finding her and keeping her safe. But we wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place if it weren't for you." He holds Jessie tighter and walks over to where she was sitting before so that she could finish her dinner.

"I guess I deserved that," Jarod sighs. He allows Miss Parker to pull him into her arms.

"I'm sure deep, deep, *deep* down, he's really grateful, Jarod," she says hopefully. "He just has a hard way of showing it."

"That doesn't matter. I don't think your brother and I will ever get along. But he's not the Parker I'm worried about getting along with," he smiles just before covering her lips briefly with his own.

"Hey, don't think you're off the hook, Mister. I'm still upset with you about this whole thing," she scolds him playfully.

"What whole thing?" His voice has taken on a deeper tone that started to seduce her senses. And what the voice didn't lure, his light kisses on her neck did.

"Umm . . . the whole thing with, uhm. . . Lyle going to jail," she manages to say, even though she was getting more and more distracted by the second.

"I paid my penance for that, remember? I put up that crib the other night." His lips find hers again and he quickly kisses her before moving on to the other side of her neck. "Then I got up the next morning and kept the kids quiet so that you could sleep in." More kisses heat her oversensitized skin.

"Yeah . . . right . . But, uhm, what about . . . stop that," she says suddenly, pushing him away from her. She holds her hand against his chest to form a physical barrier. "I'm serious, Jarod. This last little trip of yours had me scared to death. I was so worried something would happen to you."

"I'm fine," he says, pulling her into his arms. But this time he just holds her, reassuring her that he really is okay. He feels her arms tighten around his chest, pulling him even closer to her.

"I know," she finally says. "No matter what happens, you're always fine, aren't you? You're my little cat with nine lives." She smiles and leans up to kiss him, immediately pushing through his lips with her tongue to convey how much she missed him.

"Alright, you two. This is a family restaurant," Sonny laughs. "You're going to have to take that upstairs."

"Sorry about that," Jarod laughs back, pulling away from Miss Parker, but not letting her out of his embrace. "She just can't get enough of me, I guess."

"Jarod!" she exclaims, her cheeks instantly staining. She playfully jabs him in his ribs with her elbow before bending over to pick up the baby from the stroller.

"Come here, buddy," Jarod says softly, reaching his arms out. She places the child in his arms.

"Joshie missed you," she tells him, giving the baby a kiss on his cheek. "So did Zach. He kept on asking for you."

"These your boys, Jarod?" Sonny asks, bending down until he's eye level with Zach. "This one looks just like you." Zach gives him a shy smile before going over to the jukebox where Jessie now is.

"No," Jarod replies. Miss Parker is surprised to hear a bit of disappointment in his voice. And a bit surprised that she never really noticed the resemblance herself.

"They're with me, actually," she chimes in, offering her to Sonny to shake. "I assume you're Sonny Corinthos. I should thank you for keeping this big jerk of mine out of trouble."

"And you must be the infamous Miss Parker," Sonny smiles. "Jarod's told me so much about you."

"Infamous?" she asks with a laugh. "He must have told you the *really* good stories, then."

They all laugh, not noticing the door to the diner opening again. They don't notice anyone sneak over to the jukebox where Jessie and Zach are. They only notice the deafening snick of the gun cocking just as Jessie lets out a scream.

"Daddy," she yells, instantly alerting Lyle all the way across the restaurant. He leaps to his feet, ready to run to her rescue. He instantly recognizes him as the man who took Jessie from the police station in Blue Cove. The man who pretended to be her father. The man who's had his baby girl for days now, probably scaring her and possibly hurting her. That thought causes him to take another step towards the man, intent on doing nothing but killing him with his bare hands if necessary.

"Not so fast, Pops," Ray says, abruptly halting Lyle's motion. He grabs around Zach's neck with one hand and holds the gun on Jessie with the other. "I can kill them both in a split second. I suggest you stay where you are."

Miss Parker narrows her eyes in anger. She somehow manages to keep her cool exterior while inside she was dying seeing the children in danger. The situation was quickly getting out of hand and she looks to Jarod for a clue on what to do. He catches her eyes and sees the fear in them. He had to do something fast. He couldn't reach his weapon with the baby in his arms. Looking to the stroller, he sees that he can possibly distract Ray long enough for Miss Parker and Lyle to draw their weapons. Jarod goes to put the baby back in the stroller, hoping to draw Rays attention.

"I said, nobody move!" Ray yells, tightening his grip on Zach. Miss Parker lets out a small cry as the little boy's eyes pop open wide in pain.

"I was just putting the baby down," Jarod says calmly, switching to hostage negotiator mode. "Nobody needs to get hurt." Jarod tries again to put the baby down, but this time Ray allows it. He stands up, hands straight up in the air, and starts to walk slowly towards Ray.

"That's enough," Ray tells him. "Not another step."

"Let the children go," Jarod pleads. "If you want a hostage, go ahead and take me."

"No can do. The boss wants the girl dead. That's what I came to do."

"You mean Sorel?" Sonny asks angrily. "He's still hiding behind his hitmen I see."

"You can still walk away from this," Jarod tells Ray. "Just put the gun down and go. The police are searching for Sorel as we speak. He's going to jail for a long, long time. If you kill the girl, you'll be there with him."

Jarod's words catch Ray off guard for a second. He takes a moment to think about what the other man was saying, wondering if it could possibly be true. Wondering if Sorel could really be headed for prison.

Lyle takes advantage of that moment and uses it to sneak up on Ray. In an instant, he's at the man side and has a grip on Jessie. He pulls her away and ducks quickly between the jukebox and the wall. Miss Parker follows suit and reaches for Zach. Before she can get to him, Ray has recovered from the initial shock and moves to stop her. He brings the butt of the gun down on her head, sending her into dark oblivion. He then turns the gun on Zach, aiming and getting ready to pull the trigger.

"No!" Jarod yells as he throws his body in front of the young boy. He feels the burning hot metal enter his body before his mind actually registers the sound of the gun shot. His body falls over Zach's, forming a shield for the little boy. Blood covers the child and Jarod finds himself using his last moments of consciousness to whisper a prayer that it doesn't belong to Zach, not once thinking he should be praying for himself.

* * * * * * * * * *

General Hospital
Port Charles, NY

"Daddy," Jessie says from across the room. She had been sitting over there, quietly coloring to stay out of the way. The nurses offered to take her to the play room with the other kids, but Lyle wouldn't hear of it.

"Yes, Baby," he answers her, unable to take his eyes off of her. The few days she was gone felt like a lifetime to him and he needed to constantly have her near.

"Is she going to be alright?" she points to the bed holding an unconscious Miss Parker.

"The doctor said she's going to be fine. She's just sleeping right now," Lyle explains, moving over to the side of the room where she was. He lifts her up and sits her on his lap.

"What about Zachie? When can we go see him?"

"He's going to be okay, too. Just a broken arm, Kiddo. He's going to be just fine," Lyle promises her. "We'll see him tomorrow. He's in the children's wing. The doctor's gave him something to help him sleep tonight."

"Mmmm..." Miss Parker groans. Lyle quickly sets Jessie down and runs over to Miss Parker's bedside.

"Parker? Can you hear me?" He grabs her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"What happened?" she slowly blinks the sleep away from her eyes, squinting them shut when the lights make her head pound.

"Just a concussion. You were out cold for a few hours, though," Lyle says with a smile. "Glad to have you back with us."

"You got Jessie back," she whispers as she looks around the room. "Where are the boys? Where's Jarod?" Her voice is now strained with panic and she tries to sit up.

"Not so fast, Sis," Lyle warns her. "You'll be a little dizzy. Take it easy."

"Lyle, where are my boys? And where's Jarod?" she demands to know.

"Joshua is fine. That mob guy your boyfriend was so buddy buddy with offered to bring his nanny to watch him. Zach is fine, too. Just a broken arm. He's resting now."

"Broken arm? My poor baby," she cries. "Where is he." She tries to sit up again. This time she has a glare in her eye that warns Lyle not to try to stop her.

"And I told you that you're not going anywhere," Lyle says firmly, but from a few steps away just in case.

"I have to go to him, Lyle. He'll be scared." She manages to sit up and swing her legs over the side of the bed. After taking a few moments to get used to being vertical again, she starts to slowly push herself up off the bed. "Is Jarod with him? Is that why he isn't in here with me?"

"Get back in the bed. Please," Lyle says gently, unable to hide the sadness in his tone.

"Lyle, you're scaring me." She falls back onto the bed. Not so much because he told her to. But more because her legs would no longer support her. The fear she felt at the start of the trip was starting back up full force.

"Parker, Jarod was hurt," Lyle starts. He moves over to the bed and sits next to her, taking her hand in his again.

"Hurt? Is he . . . is he dead?"

"No. He's here at the hospital, too. Gunshot wound to the back. I'm not going to lie to you, though. Dr. Jones, his surgeon, said that it doesn't look good."

"What happened?" she gasps, trying desperately to hold back her tears, but failing miserably. A numbness starts to settle throughout her body, starting down with her toes and working it's way up.

"That guy knocked you out," he tells her. "Then he turned the gun on Zach and pulled the trigger. Jarod jumped in front of Zach and took the bullet."

"I have to go to him," she says, her mind made up. The look in her eyes tells him that there was no changing her mind.

"I'll go get your doctor," he relents. He stands up and heads out the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lyle's stopped at the door when it suddenly opens. A tall, black man dressed in a nice suit enters, pulling out a badge. He introduces himself to Lyle as Lieutenant Taggert of the Port Charles police department.

"Mrs. Daniels?" he asks, addressing Miss Parker. He looks down at his notepad to double check his information when he sees the strange look she gives him. "Mrs. Jarod Daniels? Is your husband the FBI agent who was shot?"

"Yes," she answers quickly, realizing now the pseudonym Lyle must have given them. "That's me. Sorry. I'm still a little confused. Head injury." She gingerly fingers the bandage on the back of her head.

"I understand," he smiles easily before looking over at Lyle and Jessie. "Can you two excuse us? I need to ask Mrs. Daniels a few questions about the shooting."

"I'd rather my brother stay, if you don't mind," Miss Parker interrupts.

"That would be no problem, ma'am." He smiles again and Miss Parker finally realizes how good looking his is. Good looking, but not Jarod. No one can take the place of Jarod. Although this man was a close second.

"I don't know how much she can tell you. She was hit in the head and was unconscious for the shooting," Lyle explains.

"I didn't actually see anything," she agrees. "But, can I ask you a question, Lieutenant? Is my family still in any danger from this guy?"

"We don't know where the shooter is. But from what other witnesses have told me, he has something to do with Joseph Sorel. And if Joseph Sorel is involved, I'd have to say that your family is indeed still in danger. I don't know who's more dangerous, Sorel or Corinthos. But you all appear to be in between the two. That's not a good place to be," Taggert tells them.

"Sonny Corinthos is a good friend of my husband," Miss Parker says coolly, not liking what the lieutenant was implying. "We aren't afraid of him."

"You should be, ma'am," Taggert says. "When Sonny's around, people tend to end up like your husband. Including Corinthos himself. He was shot at Christmas. Quite possibly by the same people responsible for Agent Daniels' injuries. You people are in the middle of a turf war. You should watch out. You do know the kind of man Corinthos is, don't you?"

"A good one. The kind my family can count on," Miss Parker says defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think I've answered your questions, Lieutenant. I'd appreciate it if you left now."

"Yes, I think that's all I need from you," Taggert says. He smiles one last time before making his way out of the door.

"The nerve of that man," she fumes, still upset about the mud he was slinging about Sonny. "But at least he gave us a good idea about who we're dealing with."

"Listen, I know you trust this Corinthos guy, but I can't risk Jessie again," Lyle sighs. "We need to go. You think you're up for traveling?"

"I'm not leaving, Lyle. Not without knowing Jarod's going to be alright."

"Parker . . ."

"Don't 'Parker' me, Lyle. Jarod and I have grown closer these past few months than we've ever been since we were kids. I can't leave him. And I won't," she professes.

"What about this Sorel guy? To hear Lieutenant Taggert tell it, there's something major going on with him and your friend Corinthos. I can't let Jessie be in the middle of that."

"I understand," she says. "But understand that I can't leave. You go ahead and go back. Take the jet. After I make sure Jarod's okay and safe from the Centre, I'll head back with the boys."

"You sure?"

"Go," she insists. "Take care of that little girl. *Your* little girl."

"My little girl," he smiles, looking down at the sweet angel holding onto his hand. He picks her up and leans her over Miss Parker. "Jessie, kiss your old Auntie good-bye."

"Bye-bye," Jessie giggles as Miss Parker kisses her nose.

"Good-bye, Sweetie. You take care of that brother of mine, okay? Make sure he stays out of trouble."

"I will," Jessie promises. "And you take care of Zach and Joshie."

"We'll be home before you know it," Miss Parker says, choking back a sob. The kids had been separated long enough. Now, just when they were finally together again, this happens.

"Alright. None of that crying. You two don't go getting all girlie on me," Lyle teases, though holding back his own emotions. He sets Jessie back down and takes his turn at the bedside. "Sis, you take care of yourself. Watch your back."

"I'll be fine, Lyle," she smiles. "Thanks for caring, though."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what brothers are for, right?" He stands awkwardly at her side, battling internally with his feelings. The realization that he's tired of hiding his emotions helps him come to a final decision about something. He leans over her to whisper something in her ear.

"See you soon," comes out in a gentle breath, followed by an equally gentle brush against her cheek with his lips.

She looks up at him, shocked at the outward display of affection towards her. His actions prompt her to make her own gestures.

"Lyle, I . . . I mean I just wanted to say that . . . uhm, I lo.. I'm . . . really glad you're my brother," she finally manages to say.

"Good," he says with a genuine smile that lit up his whole face. "Because you're stuck with me." With one last wink, he scoops Jessie into his arms and walks out the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

Dr. Tony Jones wanders down the hall towards the children's ward and is less than surprised to see his missing patient.

"Mrs. Daniels," he calls to her. "I thought you were supposed to stay in bed."

Miss Parker smiles, more to herself than to the doctor when she hears him call her by her fake name. She was getting used to being 'Jarod's wife'. It was nice. It felt like she truly belonged to him. And better yet, that he truly belonged to her.

"I wanted to check on Zachary. And then Jarod," she says a bit somberly.

"Let's check on Zach first," Dr. Jones offers. "Then we can find your husband and see how he is." Tony reaches for the chart at the end of the bed and starts flipping through the pages for a summary on Zach's diagnosis.

"I don't understand why he has to stay overnight," Miss Parker says. She picks up his other hand and kisses it gently. "It's just a broken arm."

"Normally, that wouldn't be necessary. But Zach had some blood taken. We wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he gets his strength back."

"Blood?" she asks, confused at what the doctor was saying.

"Oh, I see here. Your brother signed the authorization as next of kin since both you and your husband were being worked on," Tony mumbles, realizing her source of confusion.

"Dr. Jones, why did Zachary need blood taken? Did he have tests done? Is something wrong with him?" She starts to panic a little.

"No, he's fine," Tony says quickly. "The blood was for your husband. Jarod lost a lot of blood when he was shot. But we still needed to go in and repair the damage to his kidney that the bullet did. Unfortunately, Jarod has a very rare blood type. Nothing we have on stock. Nothing that was in stock in the entire New York area, in fact. Your brother didn't know of any Jarod's siblings we could contact. So, we tried the next best thing - Jarod's son."

"Jarod and Zach have the same blood type," she gasps suddenly.

"You didn't know that?" Tony eyes her suspiciously.

"Of course I did," she covers. "What kind of mother and wife would I be if I didn't?" As usual, she displays a cool exterior while her insides were shaking like jello. What did this all mean, she wonders to herself. It was one thing for Jarod and Kyle to share the same blood type as a random stranger who just so happened to need a heart transplant. But Jarod and Zach, both Centre labrats, sharing the same blood type was more than a coincidence. She was sure of it.

"Anyway, we didn't take a lot of blood from Zach. He should be fine in the morning. Your husband is another story," Tony sighs. "He needs a lot more blood than we were able to give him. But fortunately we have more coming. A private clinic just happened to have that blood he needs."

"Private clinic?" she asks, not really wanting to know the answer. She was starting to get that sick feeling again. "Where are they located?"

"Maryland, I think," Tony says, bringing instant relief to Miss Parker. "No, actually. I was wrong. It was Delaware. Blue Cove, Delaware."

The room starts to swim and Miss Parker has a hard time keeping focus on what Tony was saying. They knew. They always seem to know. They must have instructions with hospitals to be notified if anyone needs that rare blood type. All they had to do was sit back and wait for Jarod to fall into their laps.

"Jarod," she gasps, leaping to her feet, trying her hardest to keep her balance. She stumbles out the door before she realizes she has no idea where to find him. "Where is he? Where's my husband."

"Calm down, Mrs. Daniels," Tony admonishes. "You're just coming off of a head injury yourself. You need to slow down."

"You don't understand," she yells. "I have to get to him. We have to get out of here."

"How about I get you back to your room?" Tony offers. "Then I'll go find out what I can about Jarod."

"No," she screams, before realizing she's in a hospital. She sees the way Tony was looking at her and forces herself to appear sane before he had her sedated. "Just take me to him. Please. I have to get to him."

"Alright," he relents. He flags down an orderly and gets a wheelchair for her. Once she's settled, they head for the elevators. "He's on the 9th floor in ICU."

They arrive upstairs to Jarod's room and Miss Parker is suddenly very glad she was sitting. She wasn't prepared to see Jarod like that. So quiet and still. Lifeless.

"Oh Jarod," she whispers, as a tear slips down her face. She allows herself a moment to sweep her fingers across his forehead before she remembers the urgency of their situation. Wiping away her tears, she steels herself to face the doctor.

"Dr. Jones, is it safe to move him?" she asks.

"I wouldn't recommend it. You husband needs rest to recover from his surgery. He needs to be here to help ward off infection. He hasn't even regained consciousness yet. I believe this is the best place for him."

"But can he be moved?" she asks again.

"He can be moved relatively safely if done by professional medical staff," Tony admits reluctantly. "But I really can't allow you to . . "

"And I can't allow him to stay here," she insists, showing Tony that there was no changing her mind.

"Very well then. If I can't persuade you to let him stay. Then I guess there's nothing I can do. But realize you're doing this against medical advice," he says, giving her one last chance to back down.

"I understand that, doctor. Could you ask Sonny to step back in here?"

"Sure." He goes to the door and calls Sonny from the waiting area. "I'll get a list of medical supplies you'll be needing."

"What's he talking about?" Sonny asks her after Tony leaves.

"Sonny, I know you've already done so much for us. But I need one more huge favor."

"Tell me what it is. I'll tell you if it's huge or not," Sonny says, flashing her an adorable grin.

"We need to disappear for awhile. Me, Jarod and the boys."

"That's not so huge," he sighs in relief. "When Jarod gets better, then I'll . . ."

"No," she stops him. "I meant now. Right away. As soon as possible. We can't afford to wait. They'll be here for him soon."

"Who will?"

"The Centre."

* * * * * * * * * *

Nurse Amy Vining is sitting at the information desk watching the parade of men in suits walk by. She wondered briefly to herself if there was some kind of hospital board meeting going on. She doesn't have to wait long for the answer to that question when one of the men, a handsome dark skinned man wearing a trenchcoat, stops at the desk to ask her a question.

"Hello. My name is Amy. What can I do for you?" She flashes him her most dazzling smile and hopes to at least get a date out of him.

"I'm looking for this man," he croons in his smooth, deep voice. He pulls out a picture from his pocket and holds it out for her to see. "His name is Jarod."

Amy takes the picture and stares closely at it. It was a picture of an equally handsome man with dark hair. So many men wandering around and Amy wonders to herself why she's so lonely. With a sigh, she returns the photo to him.

"Sorry," she apologizes. "But I just got on shift. Is he a patient here?"

"We think so. We got a call about this man needing some blood from our blood bank," the man tells her. "We were told he was in serious condition from a gunshot wound."

"Let me check the records for you," she smiles easily at him before turning to the computer. She types in a few commands and pulls up the surgery schedule for the previous few hours.

"Okay, we have a male patient listed. Gunshot wound. Type matched blood being flown in from The Centre Medical Clinic in Blue Cove, Delaware," she reads.

"That's our guy . . ."

"I'm not sure," Amy interrupts him. "Says his name is Ray Benson. Not Jarod."

"Well how about you point me in that direction and I'll go see for myself," he suggests, trying to keep his patience with this woman.

"I wish I could. Mr. Benson died an hour ago. His body's probably down in the morgue. And that's reserved for medical staff only. Sorry," she apologizes once more before turning to log off the workstation.

"Listen, I get off in . . ." she starts, intent on inviting him out for a drink. But she sees her words are in vain. The man is gone. And there's no sign of the other gentlemen either. She lets out a disappointed sigh.

"Don't worry, Amy. Someday your prince will come," she says to herself. Looking around one last time, she realizes he's really gone and gets back to work.

* * * * * * * * * *

General Hospital
Morgue

"This is him. Toe tag has him listed as Ray Benson," the sweeper says, trying hard to keep his stomach from rebelling. Working for the Centre had it's difficult times, but he never thought he'd ever find himself knee deep in bodies. "Now, can we get out of here?"

"Go ahead. Your work here is done. I just have to make a phone call."

The other sweeper doesn't hesitate a minute before practically running out the door, leaving Willie alone in the morgue. Willie takes out his cell phone and dials the Centre.

"Mr. Parker, it's me," he says. "We're at the hospital now, but there's no sign of him. Any record of him ever being here has been erased. And now they're claiming that the blood was for some thug, who's now conveniently dead."

"What about the boy, Willie? Any sign of him? How about my daughter?"

"No trace of them, Sir," Willie reluctantly tells him.

"We have to find, Zachary. Neither Jarod nor my daughter can find out the truth. Is that clear? Find the boy. Find my daughter. Find Jarod. Or else we're all going to be sorry."

* * * * * * * * * *

Isla de Sol
Coast of Puerto Rico

The tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico was to home to very little. It was a short boat ride to an off shore casino run by Sonny Corinthos. It was across the beach from a private chapel for use by Sonny Corinthos. And it was surrounded by arguably the most beautiful stretch of beach Puerto Rico had to offer with a home right on the edge of the water built especially for Mr. Sonny Corinthos. And now, it was a safe haven for Miss Parker and Jarod as well.

Miss Parker closes her eyes and lets out a loud yawn, stretching her aching back in the process. She takes a deep breath, smelling the fresh, salty scent of the ocean water in her nose. The sounds of the children playing on the beach brings a smile to her face. It was a sound she never would have imagined loving before, but now, she doesn't know what she would do without it. Looking back over at Jarod, she's surprised to see him staring at her with a confused look in his eyes.

"Jarod," she gasps, falling to her knees at his side. "You're awake. You're finally awake." She drops a tiny kiss on his forehead and sweeps the hair from his eyes.

"Wa . . ." his scratchy throat groans. He reaches his weakened arm out and points to the pitcher of water.

"Just a little," she warns, holding a glass to his lips. He drinks greedily anyway, and she has to stop him before he choked.

"Where . . . " he grunts again.

"Someplace safe," she smiles. "Someplace where they're not going to find us."

"Who?"

"Jarod, do you remember what happened?" she asks him, not sure if she was going to have to break the news of his injury to him. She watches as he searches his memory of recent events.

"Zach," he moans, trying to sit up. The panicked look on his face lets her know that he remembers the shooting. "Where's Zach?"

"Don't try to move," she orders, gently holding him down. "Zach is fine. He's out on the beach with Josh and Ayanna." A look of total bewilderment crosses his face and she has to keep herself from laughing. "Ayanna's the nanny. And this beach belongs to your mob friend Sonny Corinthos. He's letting us hide out here."

"Hide from what?" A fit of coughs rattle him for a few moments. Miss Parker gives him some more water and waits for him to settle down.

"Jarod, you were shot trying to protect Zach. During your surgery, you needed blood. But your blood type is so rare, that they didn't have any at General Hospital or the surrounding hospitals. They had to make a nationwide plea. Unfortunately, they got a call back from a so-called 'private clinic' in Blue Cove."

"The Centre," he whispers. She just nods the confirmation.

"I had to get you out of there before they showed up for you. But I couldn't do it alone. Lyle had already left to take Jessie back. Zach was in a cast. I still had a concussion. There was no way I'd be able to move you and the boys by myself. All I knew was that we had to leave. Sonny helped. This is his own private island. No one's going to bother us here."

"Sounds like you've got everything under control," he chuckles lightly, wincing at the pain it causes.

"Nothing for you to worry about but getting better," she smiles, grabbing his hand from the bed and placing a kiss in his palm. Closing her eyes, she suddenly feels the prick of tears trying to break free.

"You scared me, you know. I was so afraid I was going to lose you," she whispers.

"You're never going to lose me," he vows. "I'm going to be with you now and for always. For richer. For poorer. In sickness. And in health. But even death won't be able to part us. I'll be with you even then."

"Jarod, that was beautiful," she says through her tears of joy. "And it sounded suspiciously like a proposal."

"What if that's exactly what it was? What would you say?" His eyes get a big, and he stares at her wondering how she would accept his spur of the moment proposal. All he knew is that he felt right about it. Being there with her and the kids. Being a family.

"You said it all perfectly. So now, I guess there's really only one thing I can say." She tries to look serious, but gives him a small, secretive smile anyway.

"And that is?" He whispers, suddenly hypnotized by the expressive colors her eyes are deepening to. He watches as she climbs into the bed next to him.

"I say . . ." she pauses, pasting on a bigger smile and moves closer to him, laying her head on the pillow right next to him. ". . . that you may now kiss your bride."

His own smile grows to match hers. And with as much care as he can patiently take, he lifts up gently on his elbow and reaches out to touch her face with his other hand. His fingers trace her face slowly before making a path to the back of her neck. Not able to wait another second, he hastily pulls her head towards his own, their mouths instinctively finding each other. Joining their bodies as well as their souls.

The kiss grows in intensity and all of Miss Parker's worries melt away. They could deal with everything else later. Making sure they stay ahead of the Centre. Getting the Father to come and officially bless their 'marriage'. Telling Jarod her suspicions about his connection to Zach. All that could wait. Right now she was finally where she was always meant to be. And that's where she intended on staying.


The end.