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DISCLAIMER: The characters and other borrowed Pretender things aren't mine, they belong to the owners of The Pretender, NBC and all the other lucky guys and girls.


AUTHOR's NOTE: This one is totally unrelated to any other fic I or anyone else have written... to the best of my knowledge anyhow. Set after Miss Parker got home from her 'T' board interrogation in Amnesia (Unforgotten), if you haven't seen it there's a tiny little spoiler, but not much of one.


Hello?


By Ambrosia






To say the least, it hadn't been a good day for Miss Parker. Watching both Broots and Sydney go through though a 'T' board, then having to endure it herself, had wounded her badly enough. But, discovering that her own father had, not only approved the interrogation, but allied with Bridget in the process had taken all the fight out of her.


So she sat now, curled up on the couch, re-reading the novel Jarod wrote, *trying* to relax and forget about the day. Her favourite CD played softly filling the room with music.


She cringed again as she thought about how she had believed her father could get her out. 'Surely he would have,' she supposed. "If he hadn't set the damn thing up!" Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down, reminded herself not to talk to aloud when alone and went back to the book.


The ringing of the telephone woke Parker from the light sleep she'd fallen into. "Hello?" she said holding the receiver to her ear, she was too tired for her usual aggressiveness.


"Oh, I'm sorry," spoke an unmistakable voice. "I must have the wrong number." Accosted with the dial tone, Parker placed the receiver on the cradle. 'Wonder if he'll call back,' she thought moments before a soft knocking on her back door.


After unlocking the many bolts on her back entrance, Parker pulled open the door and yanked Jarod inside. "Did anyone see you come?" she asked him, re-locking the door and setting her perimeter alarms.


"Uh, no. Why? Isn't that a good thing for you?"


"Jarod, I don't want to fight tonight. Ok?"


"Ok. Hey, have you changed your phone number or something?"


"No, I answered. Sue me for not saying 'What?'" aggressiveness creeping back into her voice.


"Oh, did I wake you?"


"A little. I was just trying to relax a little after a truly crappy day," Parker explained sitting back on the couch, hiding the book under a pillow. "Please sit, you're making me nervous. Did you know anything about today's 'T' board?"


"Ok," he said sitting on the opposite end of the couch. "Yes, I knew about the 'T' board, I was going to warn you, but was... sort of, handcuffed to a bed with a bad fever and a blond lolly-pop-sucking sweeper after me. I'm sure you heard about it." He laughed softly, watching her smile grow.


"Can you believe that Daddy allied with Bridget only a few weeks after she tried to kill him? And turned against me after I saved his life!"


"I can't believe someone would do it, but I can believe that your father would. I'm sorry, I know it hurts."


"Yeah, it does. Let's talk about something else, ok?" she asked, hating her vulnerability. "What have you been doing these last few days, apart from the usual disappearing act?"


"My last pretend was as a truck driver. This other driver was trafficking drugs and I found out that he..."


Miss Parker smiled, as Jarod told her about the driver's eventual punishment, listening more to his voice than his words. Two minutes of phone call weren't enough, she missed listening to her childhood friend talk about pretending.


"Miss Parker? Are you alright?"


"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Um, do you want a drink?" she offered moving toward the kitchen.


Following her, Jarod declined "No thanks, I have to go soon anyway."


"Do you really?" she asked. Stopping suddenly and turning around causing Jarod to almost run into her.


"I don't know, do I?" at her almost hurt look he went on. "I suppose here is the last place The Centre would look for me and I didn't really leave any clues with Bridget, is she back yet?"


"I don't know, last I heard you were free and she was cuffed to a bed, I didn't hang around long after the holding room door was opened. So can you stay a while longer?"


"Yeah I can stay. Come on." He led her back to the couch and sat down. Reaching under a pillow to remove the object sticking him in the back. When he pulled out his book, he gave Parker a questioning look.


"It grew on me, ok?" she said grabbing the book out of his hand, placing it on the table behind her. "Do you really think I'm sad?"


"I think *you* are sad, not your life, if that's what you're asking. Was I right?"


"For the most part, definitely about the 'light', he really did make me happy."


"Only did?" he asked hopefully.


"Still, when I'm at home anyway," she relented laughing softly.



The Next Morning


Jarod woke early the next morning with a weight on his chest, wondering where he was. Looking down, he saw Miss Parker's head resting on him and his arms surrounding her. Remembering instantly where he was and why Miss Parker was wrapped in his arms sleeping peacefully.


He had stayed talking to her for hours the night before, talking about nothing in particular. Music, movies, what they'd been doing lately, what Clinton had been doing lately, or rather, who. Eventually she'd fallen asleep against him and Jarod had quickly followed.


Gently untangling himself, Jarod lifted Parker into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Laying her on the bed he saw her sleepily open her eyes. "Shh," he told her. "It's ok, go back to sleep. I have to go now ok?"


"Mmmn, Jarod," she mumbled.


He lent forward to hear her better, "what Miss Parker?"


"I've missed you, be safe, ok?"


"Ok, Miss Parker, only if you promise to do the same."


A smile played on her lips, "ok. Jarod..." she called when he turned to leave.


"Yes, Miss Parker?"


"Thanks, for staying with me. Bye."


Jarod watched while she rolled onto her side and fell asleep again. Walking back to her side, Jarod lent over and lightly kissed her forehead, "Anytime Mel."


****The End****


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