Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Microsoft Word

- Text Size +

Okay, here we go again. The Pretender and its characters don't belong to me. I'm not making any money off this. Please don't sue. But do leave feedback. I'm trying to decide whether or not to continue this story. What do you think?

Sanctuary

Melanie-Anne

Jarod darted across the street, narrowly missing being hit by one of the cars in the endless stream of traffic. He heard Miss Parker calling his name, telling him to stop running, and hoped she wouldn't follow him into the road. But he knew she probably would. Parker wasn't one to give up easily. For that matter she wasn't one to give up, period.

Parker heard a voice calling her. She looked back over her shoulder to see who it was and didn't see the car heading straight for her.

Jarod was almost at the other side of the road when he heard the sickening sound of metal against flesh. He turned around and when he saw no sign of Parker he panicked and ran towards where she had fallen.

She was sprawled at an unnatural angle and Jarod's first thought was that she was dead. He knelt beside her and felt for a pulse.

Parker opened her eyes and saw Jarod's worried expression. She smiled, grateful for his presence and he whispered so quietly that she had to strain to hear him.

"I'm so sorry, Parker."

All of a sudden she realized what had happened and reached up to touch Jarod's cheek.

"Run, Jarod. Get away from here. There's still time to get away."

He shook his head, biting his lip to keep from crying.

"I'm not leaving you, Parker."

"I would…never…have taken…you…back."

He saw how much effort it took for her to speak and gently moved a strand of hair out of her face, noticing how fragile she looked.

"Where do you hurt?" he asked. Maybe he could help her. He didn't want to think of the consequences of not being able to help her. In the split-second he had seen her lying there he realized exactly why he had never been able to break ties with the Centre.

"Can't feel…legs…head hurts," Parker murmured.

"Okay, I'm going to check for broken bones. Okay? This might hurt a bit. Just try to be still."

She half-nodded, blinking back tears. She'd be damned if she let him see her cry. She was a Parker and Parkers did not cry. Ever.

She gasped as he touched her ribs and he jerked his hand away.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"My legs?"

"You'll be okay, Parker. Do you hear me?" He didn't want to admit the possibility that she could be paralyzed. He wasn't sure she was ready to hear that.

She stopped breathing.

He panicked. Should he move her? It could make things worse. She's not breathing!

Her ribs are broken; you could puncture a lung!

She's going to die if you don't get her breathing! Do something!


Jarod carefully rolled onto her back and began CPR.

Don't die on me, Parker! Don't you dare die on me!

Lyle watched all this with a feeling of satisfaction. With any luck his sister would soon be out of the picture and he would have Jarod back at the Centre under lock and key.

Sydney and Broots watched in horror as Jarod tried to save Miss Parker. She was breathing but still unconscious when the ambulance finally arrived. Jarod refused to leave her but Willie knocked him to the ground and handcuffed him. Sydney and Broots accompanied the ambulance to the hospital.

Lyle and the sweepers took Jarod back to the Centre where the Triumvirate was waiting for their prize.

*

Mr. Parker waited anxiously for news of his daughter. He, Sydney and Broots were in the hospital waiting room and he was pacing. Lyle had told him it was Jarod's fault and Mr. Parker was devising ways of punishing the Pretender.

A doctor in green scrubs came towards them, obviously just out of the operating room.

"Mr. Parker?" he asked, looking grim.

*

"She died, Jarod."

Jarod looked at Lyle with disbelief written all over his face.

"No," Jarod whispered.

"Yes. There was nothing they could do to save her. It's such a pity."

"So why are you smiling?" Jarod hissed.

Lyle didn't reply but left, leaving Jarod alone with his thoughts.

No, she can't be dead. It's not fair! She's not allowed to be dead!

He curled up on the bed, his back to the camera and sobbed.

*

A ray of sunshine woke Miss Parker. She opened her eyes and saw her father sitting in a chair next to the bed. It took a moment for her to register that she was in hospital.

Not again, she thought.

"Daddy?"

Her father opened his eyes to see Parker trying to sit up.

"No, Angel. Just relax."

"Daddy, what happened?"

"You were hit by a car, Angel. But you're okay now."

"Jarod?"

He winced inwardly at the hated name but the lie rolled easily off his tongue.

"He escaped. He just ran away and left you there to die."

Oh, Parker thought. She remembered him holding her hand and telling her everything would be okay. Remembered him saying he wasn't going to leave her. Yet her father was telling her the opposite. Maybe she had only been dreaming him. After all, why would he stay to help her? She had been chasing him, waving a gun. No, he had no reason to want to help her.

*

It's not fair. To lose her just when I realize that I don't want to be without her…It's not right! She died never knowing the truth about anything….

"Jarod."

There was no response from the man on the bed.

"Jarod!"

"He hasn't moved since I told him. He hasn't even eaten. He just lies there and cries."

Mr. Parker and Lyle left Jarod's cell. Mr. Parker turned to Lyle.

"Don't tell him the truth. Don't let Sydney near him either. You were right, son. This will kill him."

Lyle watched his father walk away before re-entering Jarod's cell. He proceeded to describe, in detail, how painful Parker's death was.

*

"I don't care what you think! I'm ready to go back to work!" Miss Parker seemed to have recovered fully. Physically she was fine. The numbness in her legs had been the result of a pinched nerve in her spine. Her ribs were all but healed. Mentally, however, she was shaky. She wanted to believe her father but she couldn't rid her mind of Jarod telling her he wouldn't leave her. She recalled telling him to run away but he hadn't. He'd stayed. So where was he now?

"Angel, you need to rest. Why don't you take a vacation before coming back?"

"Daddy, please. What am I going to do on vacation?"

"Relax. Get a tan. Read a book."

"But-"

"Angel, you are not coming back to work for at least two weeks."

"Fine." Parker gave in reluctantly. "Two weeks."

In an unexpected display of affection Mr. Parker leaned forward and kissed Parker's cheek, wrapping his arms around her slim frame in a hug.

"I almost lost you again, Angel. I could kill Jarod for just leaving you there to die."

There it was again. Parker's mind was whirling. Her father repeatedly told her that Jarod had left her but she couldn't shake the image of his face bending over her. He'd looked so worried. She could've sworn-

"Angel, I have to go back. Let me know where you want to go and I'll arrange everything."

Parker looked at her father. He seemed concerned and he was acting…fatherly, for a change. She was touched. She smiled.

"Thank you, Daddy."

*

Lyle watched Jarod. He'd stopped crying but he still hadn't changed position on the bed. The food brought to him was left untouched on the trays and even Angelo hadn't been able to break through the fog surrounding Jarod's mind. Lyle smiled. He had known that Parker's death would affect Jarod badly but he had not anticipated a response like this. He heard Jarod mumbling something.

"What?" he asked.

"Sydney."

"Sydney doesn't want to see you. He knows it's your fault that Parker died. In fact, you're lucky you're still alive. Sydney was ready to kill you himself but I told him we still needed you. Come on, Jarod. How about doing a SIM for us?"

Jarod remained silent, having retreated to another place in his mind. A place where Miss Parker was still alive.

"Don't listen to him, Jarod. He's lying. I'm right here, aren't I?"

Parker slipped an arm around Jarod's waist and kissed him. He could smell the scent of her perfume. She felt so soft and warm.

"You'll stay here with me always, won't you?" she asked.

"Yes," he whispered. "I'll never leave you, I promise."


"I tried," Lyle said to Raines. "Maybe he won't recover."

"He has to," the doctor wheezed.

"I don't think he wants to."

*

Miss Parker lay on the deck chair and lazily soaked up the sun. A waiter sauntered over to her and she casually looked him up and down before deciding she wasn't interested. For some reason she couldn't stop thinking of Jarod. She sighed and reached for her bag, digging out her phone.

"Sydney," an accented voice answered.

"Any news on Jarod?" Parker asked.

"Miss Parker! How is your vacation?" Sydney was pleased to hear from her. Things weren't the same without her around. Lyle was still breathing down their necks about Jarod's whereabouts but was strangely unsurprised when they came up empty.

"Have you heard from Jarod?"

"No. It's strange. It's like he just disappeared off the face of the earth."

"I thought he wouldn't disappear completely until he found his family."

"So did I. When last did you hear from him, Parker?"

"Uh…the day of the accident. You?"

"The same. Can I ask you something?"

"Maybe."

"When did you stop wanting to bring him in?"

Parker was stunned. Was that true?

"I would never have taken you back?"

Where had those words come from? She was sure she had said them. To Jarod? She remembered something about running away.

"Run, Jarod!"

Was that why she didn't mind him leaving?

"I'm not leaving you, Parker."

But he'd stayed. He'd risked capture to stay with her? Why?

"Parker?" Sydney prompted after a considerable length of silence.

"Uh, I don't know, Syd. I don't know what to think anymore."

She hung up, not wanting a reply. Not wanting Sydney to say something that would no doubt be true and at the same time exactly what she wanted to hear.

She beckoned a waiter and ordered a drink. He smiled, eyeing her long legs appreciatively but went on his way after meeting her icy glare.

Parker drifted into thought. If Jarod had stayed with her, and she was sure that he had, then where was he now? Maybe she could pretend to be him, she mused, then mentally kicked herself. Her drink arrived and she took a sip, closing her eyes.

So much pain. But it's not her; it's the man helping her.

'Don't die on me, Parker! Don't you dare die on me!' With relief he notices she's breathing again. The ambulance arrives and the man wants to go with her but another man pulls him away and hits him. Two more men climb into the ambulance with the woman. The first man watches it drive away and receives another blow from the man who hit him before.

"Back to the Centre with you," a man with no left thumb says.

He doesn't reply. He's in too much pain.


Parker gasped and opened her eyes as everything became clear to her. Lyle had Jarod back at the Centre. She was furious. Lyle had lied. Her father had lied. She dialed Sydney's number again.

"Sydney."

"Jarod's at the Centre."

"What? How-"

"Don't ask me how I know. I just do. Look, don't do anything. Don't tell anybody. I'm leaving tonight."

"Okay, Parker. If-"

She hung up and headed straight for her room. Heads were definitely going to roll.

On her way to the airport another memory assailed her.

"Parker!" Lyle called.

She'd just run into the road when she heard her name and turned around to see who was calling her. Maybe this would give Jarod the time he needed to get away.

"What?" she yelled.

"Nothing!"

She never saw the car. It hit her before she even had time to cry out.


Parker blinked back tears. She didn't want to believe it but it was true. It was Lyle's fault she'd been hit. He had distracted her. She wondered if her father knew that and what he would do if he found out.

*

Jarod had no strength to move. He didn't care. He didn't even notice.

Parker lay on the blanket next to him, one arm across his chest.

"I love the stars," she murmured, looking up at the night sky.

"I love you," he said.

She smiled, moving closer to him. "And I love you."

"They can't hurt us anymore. We're safe here."

"We can't stay here. You have to go back one day."

"Why?" he asked, rolling so he was on top of her.

She reached up to touch his face. He was struck by how soft the palms of her hands were. He kissed her, savoring the smell and taste of her. He pulled back to see her smiling up at him.

"This isn't real," she whispered. Her skin began to crack and crumbled into tiny bits beneath him. All that remained was the blue dress she'd been wearing.

"No!" Jarod cried, holding the dress to his chest. "You can't take her again! Give her back to me!"

"It's only a dream, Jarod."

"Parker!"


The nurse injected him with a sedative. "He should be alright now, Dr. Raines."

"What happened?"

"He seemed to be having a nightmare. It's the first time he's been this active since they brought him back."

Raines nodded and wondered, not for the first time how much longer Jarod would last.

*

Sydney and Broots stared incredulously at Miss Parker.

"He is here," she insisted.

"You don't know that for sure," Sydney said.

"I do. I-" She hesitated. Would they believe her? "I know this sounds crazy but…I pretended to be Jarod."

"What?" Broots exclaimed. "I didn't know you…you know."

Parker smiled. "Jarod showed me how to do it once, when we were kids. He's here and Lyle knows where."

"Maybe we shouldn't let Lyle know we're onto him," Sydney suggested. "Does anyone know you're back?"

"Just you two."

"Good. Let's keep it that way. We'll get Angelo to help and then you and Jarod can take a nice vacation together."

"But-" Parker protested.

"No buts. It's safer if the Centre thinks you're not involved."

Parker nodded slowly. "Alright. What did you have in mind?"

*

She can't be gone…she can't be gone…It was a litany that refused to stop playing in his head. He couldn't even cry anymore. There were no tears left. All he had now was an emptiness that ached so badly he wanted to die. If there were anything he could use he would kill himself in a heartbeat. But they had anticipated that and his cell was bare.

I just want to be with you, Parker. Is that so much to ask?

Jarod lay still and waited for death.

*

"You could have warned me to dress more appropriately," Parker moaned as she, Sydney and Broots followed Angelo through the ventilation shafts.

Broots stifled a laugh, masking it as a cough.

"Friend sad. Sick," Angelo said.

"What do you mean 'sick'?" Parker asked.

Angelo stopped and turned to face her. "Sick here." He placed his hand on his heart. "Sad for you."

"Sad for me? I don't understand."

"You do," he replied cryptically.

If Parker was confused by this exchange then Broots and Sydney were more so.

Eventually the rescuers arrived at their destination. Sydney and Broots waited in the vent while Angelo and Parker went to wake Jarod. Parker gasped in horror when she saw the condition he was in.

"Sick," Angelo repeated.

"I can see that. Isn't he eating?'

Angelo shook his head.

Parker sat in the bed next to Jarod. She touched his cheek and he moaned softly.

"I like it when it's just the two of us," Parker said. "I wish it could always be like this."

"It can be," Jarod replied. "You could stay if you wanted to."

"Of course I want to. But you're the one who always leaves."

"I never-"

"When you first ran away. And when you let the ambulance leave."

"I'm so sorry. Please stay."

"I'm right here, Jarod. I'm not going anywhere." She stroked his cheek. "I'm right here."


"I'm right here," Parker whispered.

Jarod wouldn't wake up. She didn't know what to do. He needed to get out of the Centre. Broots slipped out of the vent and together they carried him. The trip to the outside took longer than the trip to find Jarod, with Parker pulling him all the way. She refused to let go of him and so was exhausted by the time they reached her car. Broots wouldn't leave until Parker threatened to shoot him.

Parker crawled into the bed next to Jarod. He still hadn't woken so she curled up next to him and molded her body against his, hoping to give him some comfort.

*

Jarod felt warm and comfortable. He didn't have to open his eyes to know that he was with Parker - he could smell her. He held her tight and inhaled her scent. Why was fate so cruel, to take her away just when he realized how much she meant to him? He opened his eyes and looked at her. She looked so peaceful and so…untouched. He found himself wishing that there had never been a Centre and that she could have had a normal life.

Parker moaned and shifted so that her face was closer to him. He couldn't resist. He kissed her. She woke from a wonderful dream about Jarod to find herself wrapped in his arms. Tenderly, she slid her hands up his back and pressed herself closer to him, kissing him back.

Breathless, they broke apart and Parker smiled, resting her fingertips lightly on Jarod's lips.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered.

He smiled sadly. "But you're not."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You're dead, Parker. And it's all my fault-"

"No, Jarod. I'm-"

"I just wish I'd told you before that I love you."

"What?" This time it was a whisper.

"I love you. And I'm so sorry."

She kissed his tears away, trying to contain her own.

"Jarod, I'm not dead. I'm right here."

"No, this is a dream. You died after the car…."

"Jarod?"

"I have to let you go."

"No!" Parker sat up. "Don't you dare leave me now!"

"But this isn't real."

"Jarod, look at me! I'm alive! I'm right here! I don't know who told you what but I risked everything to get you out of the Centre and you are not just going to disappear on me! Not now!"

"I'm out of the Centre?"

She saw how confused he was and nodded. "Yes. Daddy lied to me. He said that you'd escaped but I knew you wouldn't just disappear without a trace. So I pretended to be you and…well, here we are."

He reached for her in wonder. Then he smiled and it was the smile of a man who had just discovered a reason for living.

"They told me you were dead. I wanted to die too."

"Oh, Jarod." Parker held him.

*

Mr. Parker was in a terrible mood. Lyle had just broken the news of Jarod's escape and he had not taken it well. They both knew that there was no way that Jarod could have escaped on his own and this was confirmed by the malfunctioning of the security cameras. Raines was of the opinion that Jarod had had no inside help, saying, "He is a Pretender. Clearly he was just pretending to be weak and waiting for the right opportunity to escape."

The one thing the men agreed upon was that they had to keep it quiet, especially since no one was supposed to know that Jarod had been in Centre custody in the first place.

Jarod's escape had not endeared him to Mr. Parker. Out of Raines' earshot, he told Lyle to get rid of Jarod using any necessary means.

*

"You're going back." It wasn't a question.

"Jarod, I have to." Parker refused to look him in the eye, knowing that if she did then he would convince her to stay.

"No, you don't." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"Jarod…." Her voice was less firm. "Please?"

He released her and raised her chin so that she met his gaze. She bit her lip, wanting more than anything to stay with him. She opened her mouth to speak but he silenced her with a kiss.

Oh well, she thought. One more day won't make a difference.

She allowed him to lead her back to the bedroom.

*

Miss Parker's return put Lyle in a foul mood although he was the first to greet her.

"Welcome back, Sis."

"Angel!" Parker was thrilled that her father seemed pleased to see her. She hugged him.

"Miss Parker, it's so good to see you looking so well." Sydney gave her a look that told her he knew exactly why she was looking so well. She winked at him, confirming his suspicions.

"Where's Broots?" Parker asked, noticing that the third member of her team was absent. Sydney shrugged and seconds later Broots burst into the room.

"S-sorry," he stammered. "But, uh, Debbie wanted to be here too."

Debbie stuck her head around the door. Spying Parker she ran inside.

"Miss Parker! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Parker hugged the girl, giving those present a rare look at her soft side. Then she straightened and switched back to her normal self.

"I suppose it's too much to hope you caught Jarod while I was away?"

Sydney and Broots looked down, appearing ashamed while Lyle and Mr. Parker looked uncomfortable. Nobody spoke.

"I thought not," Parker smirked. "What are you waiting for? Get to work!"

Parker waited for everyone to leave her office before she allowed herself to relax. She collapsed into her chair and lit a cigarette to calm her nerves. The phone rang.

"What?" she snapped.

"Miss me?"

She smiled. "Hello, Jarod."

"So what's it like back in the lion's den?"

"I'm going to have sharpen my claws."

"Play nicely."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For reminding me of who I am."

Jarod was smiling by the time he hung up. He looked up at the building across the street. Agape Adoption Agency. He took a deep breath before heading into the building, taking a moment to immerse himself in the role of Jarod Travers.

*

Angelo peered at the man huddled in the corner of the cell. The man was hurting and Angelo felt his numbness. The man didn't sense Angelo's presence; he was so wrapped up in his pain. Angelo had no idea who the man was and he decided to help him. He knew just the person for the job.

*

Parker looked up and smiled when she saw Broots and Sydney enter her office.

"Hi boys. What's new?"

Both were taken aback at the difference in Parker's attitude. Sydney recovered his wits first.

"How was your vacation?"

"I had a good time. It was nice to be away from the Centre for a while."

"You don't have much of a suntan for someone who spent two weeks in Florida," Broots remarked.

"Yeah, it, uh, rained a lot," Parker said defensively.

"We're just glad you're happy, Parker," Sydney said. "What made you come back?"

"I don't have all the answers I'm looking for yet. And it's safer for both of us if I stay here for now."

Sydney looked doubtful. "Be careful," he warned.

She nodded and smiled again. "Hey, let's go for lunch. Broots, you can bring Debbie too."

*

Jarod let himself into Parker's house. He was tired. His last Pretend had exposed a baby-theft scam and he'd headed straight for Blue Cove as soon as the ringleaders had been arrested. Parker wasn't home yet and he was too tired to wait up for her so he fell asleep on her bed.

She woke him when she got home.

"Hey stranger," she murmured in his ear. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

He rolled onto his back and groaned.

"Hey, wake up," she prodded.

Jarod opened his eyes and pulled her closer for a kiss.

"What? No small talk?" she teased.

"Not tonight."

They were woken later by a phone ringing. Parker was cursing as she reached for it.

"What?"

"Uh, Parker?"

"Who else?"

"Dad had a heart attack," Lyle said.

"What?" she asked in shock.

"Yeah, he's in the infirmary. Could you come?"

"I'm on my way," she whispered.

"Do you want me to come too?" Jarod asked when she told him what had happened.

She shook her head, pulling on clothes and running a brush through her hair. "Could you wait here for me? I- I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"I'll wait."

She hesitated at the front door before turning back to Jarod and throwing her arms around him.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I know. I love you, too."

She nodded, looking scared.

"He'll be okay."

"I know. I- Thank you, Jarod."

*

Angelo watched over Mr. Parker from a ventilation shaft. He rubbed his left arm, still feeling a tingling sensation. When Miss Parker entered the room he smiled and headed back to the man whose name he still did not know. According to Centre records he did not exist.

"Daddy?" Parker slipped her hand in her father's.

His eyes fluttered open and he gave a weak smile. "Angel."

"Shh, Daddy. Just rest. I'm here, okay?"

Lyle entered with the doctor. Parker cried with relief when they told her that he was going to be fine.

*

Jarod was sleeping when Parker finally arrived home. She crawled into bed and pressed herself against him. He woke and put his arms around her. She started crying again and Jarod thought her father had died. He hurt for Parker but felt nothing for her father. As far as he was concerned Parker deserved far better than life had dealt her.

"He's okay," she finally whispered.

He sighed and kissed her forehead, murmuring soothing words until she fell asleep.

*

Jarod opened his laptop and checked his email. He had a message from someone inside the Centre and opened it with a frown.

Mystery man. SL-25. Needs help.

The last thing Jarod wanted to do was to go back to the Centre but he was intrigued by the message. He had a fleeting thought that the mystery man could be his brother or even his father. He sighed, beginning to think of a plan.

That evening he sneaked into the Centre through a ventilation shaft. He wasn't surprised to see Angelo waiting for him.

"Follow," Angelo said, leading Jarod to the man's cell.

Jarod stared in shock at the mystery man.

"Friend know?" Angelo asked.

Jarod nodded. "Angelo, meet Thomas Gates."

At the mention of his name, the man's head jerked up. There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes as he looked at Jarod. Jarod was torn. He knew that Parker loved him but she still loved Tommy. He swallowed hard.

"Hey buddy. What do you say? Let's blow this joint."

Jarod helped Tommy up and Angelo led them out. Angelo knew exactly what Jarod was feeling and offered him a few words of comfort before disappearing.

"No worry."

"Thank you, Jarod. I don't know what to say. I-"

"Don't thank me yet," Jarod said.

They were on their way to Parker's house and Jarod was bracing himself for what would follow. By the time he knocked on her door he had steeled himself for her rejection.

"Hey!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him roughly before she noticed that Jarod wasn't alone.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Uh, maybe we should talk inside," Jarod suggested.

As soon as Tommy stepped into the light Parker recognized him and gasped.

"Parker," he said, moving towards her.

She embraced him, still in shock and neither noticed Jarod quietly disappearing.

"Where've you been?" Parker asked, not taking her eyes off Tommy.

"At the Centre."

She grimaced. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I- I thought you were dead."

"I missed you, Parker."

She looked at him with a haunted expression in her eyes.

"Tommy, I buried you. I mourned you for ages. I don't know what to say…."

*

Jarod drove. He didn't care where he was going. He just wanted to get as far away from Blue Cove as possible. He had not expected Angelo's mystery man to be Thomas Gates and leaving him with Parker was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. He wiped away a tear and pulled out his cell phone, needing to talk.

"Sydney."

"How do you get over somebody?"

"Jarod? What happened? Is everything okay? Did you two fight?" Sydney was genuinely concerned. He had hoped that Parker and Jarod would somehow triumph over the Centre.

"No, Syd. I- I found Thomas on SL-25 and got him out. He's with Parker now. So it's over for us."

"Jarod, don't give up on her. She needs you."

"What if I was just a substitute for Tommy?"

"What if he was just a substitute for you?" Sydney countered.

"Yeah, right!" Jarod gave a weak laugh. "Thanks for trying."

*

Mr. Parker had recovered fully from his heart attack but Lyle didn't want to upset him so he refrained from mentioning Thomas Gates' escape. He wondered if his sister knew. Probably. No doubt Thomas had gone straight to her.

"We have a problem," Raines said.

"Yes."

"Take care of it." It was an order.

Lyle nodded and left the Centre, heading for Parker's house. He checked his clip was loaded before knocking on the door.

A sleepy Parker opened it and glared at him. Too late, Lyle remembered that she was not a morning person.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Uh, we need to talk."

"Tommy was here. And then he left," she said before he could ask.

"What?"

"He's gone, Lyle. Let him go."

"Where?"

"He didn't say."

"How do I know you aren't hiding him here?"

"Lyle, use your brain for once in your life. It's because of me that he got locked away. Why would he stay?"

"Why did he come here?"

"To say goodbye."

Lyle looked doubtful.

"Look, Lyle. He's gone. Please, for once, just let him be. He didn't deserve any of this. Let him have a life?"

For what was probably the first time in his entire adult life Lyle did the honorable thing. He let Thomas Gates get away.

*

For the third time Parker got Jarod's voicemail. She left another message, shorter and less polite than the first two. Sydney watched her before offering advice.

"Be patient, Parker."

She glared at him. "When am I ever patient?"

He shrugged. "Jarod will call you-"

"How did you know-"

"He called me after he brought Thomas to you. He was upset and confused because he believed that you would take Thomas back. But he loves you so he'll call."

Parker stared at him open-mouthed. She couldn't find words to speak. The ringing of her cell phone broke the silence.

"Yeah?" she asked, distracted.

"Parker?" a familiar voice asked.

"Jarod! I've been calling all morning-"

"Yeah, look, we have to meet. Tonight okay?"

"I'll be at home."

"Okay, see you later."

She looked at Sydney, suddenly feeling like a girl going on her first date.

"He's coming over tonight!"

Sydney smiled and gave her an 'I told you so' look.

*

Parker was pacing up and down, desperately craving a cigarette. She looked at her reflection in the mirror yet again and let out a deep breath, trying to relax. She got a fright when Jarod knocked.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

"Uh, come in."

"You look…beautiful," Jarod said. She was wearing the blue dress she'd worn in the dream he'd had where she vanished. How ironic, he thought.

"Thank you. Um, some wine?" She really felt like a nervous teenager. Get a grip!

"Look, I won't stay long. I just wanted to say a proper goodbye."

"What?" Parker whispered. Goodbye?

"Yeah, I know you and Tommy have a lot of catching up to do and it'll be better if I'm not in the way."

"Jarod, do you see Tommy here now?"

He shook his head, wondering why he hadn't noticed it before.

"He's not here because I told him he deserved another chance and staying here would get him killed for real."

"He left?"

"Jarod, I mourned him for a long time. Too long. In fact, if you weren't around I'd probably still be mourning him."

"I don't understand."

"I've loved you since I was ten years old. We lost each other once, let's not do it again."

He cupped her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes.

"Syd was right," he said.

She smiled. "Why did you bring him here if you thought I'd want him to stay?"

"I wanted you to be happy. If that meant you were with Tommy then there was nothing else for me to do."

"You make me happy. Okay?"

He grinned. "Well, I think that's enough talk for one night."

Parker opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind when Jarod started kissing her neck. They could continue this conversation in the morning.

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









You must login (register) to review.