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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Title - The First of Many
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Keywords - JMPR
Summary - Jarod takes on the task of showing Miss Parker that not all memories of the past are bad ones. First in the "The First of Many Series".
Disclaimer - Not my characters. Just borrowing them for a little bit of fun. No harm intended.
* * * * * * * * * *
The First of Many
by Nicky
Jarod is just putting the finishing touches on dinner when he hears her key in the door. He takes one last look around the freshly decorated living room and decides it's as good as it's going to get. This evening was going to be interesting, to say the least. He just hopes she doesn't shoot first and ask questions later. He takes a deep breath and prepares for the inevitable.
As soon as the door opens, he can see that she knows something is different. She flips the light switch and is annoyed that nothing happens. He soon sees her gun flashing in the candlelight and decides to put her out of her misery.
"It's just me," he announces, startling her a bit.
"Jarod? What are you doing here?" she asks, now pointing the gun in his direction. "You have three seconds to explain yourself before I start shooting." Her annoyance deepens at the laugh that comment seemed to have elicited.
"Good," he laughs. "I was sure you were going to shoot first. At least now I get to explain." He smiles that smug grin of his and holds out a chair for her. "Have a seat. Dinner's getting cold."
She eyes him suspiciously before deciding to take him up on his offer. She sits at the table, setting the gun next to her within reach. Her mouth waters when he starts uncovering the food and she realizes how hungry she really is. However, she refuses to show any kind of emotion whatsoever. She didn't know what Jarod was up to, but she didn't want to give him any kind of advantage in this situation.
"So, what's this all about?" she asks finally. "The dinner. The candles. You know, you could have just come into the Centre on your own. This celebration wasn't necessary," she says sarcastically.
"Very funny, Miss Parker. But the day I end up back in that place definitely won't be a day I'll be celebrating." His tone turns cold and it sends a shiver down her spine. But he quickly covers the darkness that clouded his eyes with a mischievous glint. "Not only is there dinner and candles, but there are some gifts as well."
"Gifts? For me?" she can't help the lilt in her voice, obviously intrigued by the game he seems to be playing.
"More like clues. You see, this is a special day. But you're going to have to figure out what we're celebrating," he challenges. He fills both their wine glasses and takes a sip, looking at her over the rim. He watches nervously as she picks up the gun and points it at him again.
"Or, I could just shoot you and drag your sorry butt back to the Centre. That would be present enough for me," she says, noticing his panicked reaction. He gets a look in his eyes that reminds her of the fragile little boy that he still is and it breaks her heart. She decides to play along a little more. "But, what fun would that be? Where's the first gift?" She sets the gun down and looks at him expectantly.
"There's one that you can open now. The other one comes later," he tells her, the smile appearing on his face again. For a minute, he was sure she was about to take him back to the Centre. But she seems to be curious about his little party. He slides a flat, rectangular shaped box across the table.
"This is a gift as well as a clue?" she asks, picking up the box and shaking it. "Where are the other clues?"
"Look around you, Miss Parker. What do you see?"
"You made me a nice candlelight dinner. There's wine. Decorations, balloons," she rattles off everything she sees.
"But what about the balloons?" he hints.
"They're silver. In fact, all of the decorations are silver. Even those roses," she says amazed. An easy smile spreads across her face as she fingers the delicate petals. "They're beautiful, Jarod."
"Why don't you open the box," he suggests.
She eagerly takes that suggestion and tears into the box, ripping the silver paper away from the package. She opens her gift and gasps at what's inside.
"Jarod! This is gorgeous!" She pulls out the silver bracelet and runs her fingers across the diamonds. She gives it to him and holds out her wrist for him to put it on. "It's silver as well. I'm starting to sense a theme here. You say that we're celebrating something. And with all these silver gifts, I'd guess that it was an anniversary of sorts. 25 year anniversary if I'm not mistaken."
"You're absolutely correct," he grins. "The lady wins."
"Jarod, you're insane. What on earth would I have to celebrate with you?" she says, not realizing the harshness in her tone until she sees that she's hurt his feelings. But she didn't care anymore. Jarod has some nerve coming into her house like this and start assuming things about them.
"I'm insane? Is that what you really think?" he says angrily, standing up and storming across the room. "I'm insane for wanting to celebrate a special day? What about you? What about the days you choose to celebrate?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she yells back.
"What were you doing three months ago? You were at your mother's grave. Mother's day? You were there again. What about last month? Thomas' grave. Because it was his birthday. Every year, it's the same thing. You mark off your life as time in between your visits to the dead."
"Most people do that to remember their loved ones that they have lost, Jarod. It's not my fault that I have to do it more than other people."
"That's just the point I was trying to make," he sighs, his anger dissipating. He had to remember the real reason he was there. She needed this. They both did. "You have lost so much in your life. Thomas. Your mother. You have all these days that you celebrate death. I just thought it was time for you to celebrate life, Miss Parker. I thought that there should be at least one day when you can think back on a moment you were loved and not have ghosts haunt it."
"And this is that day?" she asks incredulously. "Jarod, what is it about today that makes it so special?"
"Twenty five years ago today, you gave me a gift that changed my life. I just wanted to return the favor." Jarod smiles at her before taking one last step to bridge the distance between them. Gently cupping her face in his hands, he tilts her head up and bends his head down until their lips meet with the sweetest touch either of them could have imagined. He maintains the gentle pressure and is pleasantly surprised that she doesn't resist. Finally after a few moments, he pulls away. His eyes are misty and he has to blink them a few times to prevent his tears from falling.
"Happy Anniversary, Miss Parker," he whispers, looking tenderly into her eyes while he strokes her cheeks with his thumb. "Thanks for being my first love. Thanks for giving me my first kiss." With a sad smile, he reluctantly releases her and steps away, still unable to break eye contact. Getting one last look at her, he finally turns to make his way to the door when the words he's been waiting all his life to hear stops him in his tracks.
"I love you too, Jarod," her teary voice sings.
"What?" he gasps, not sure he heard her. He turns quickly and his heart is soon assaulted with the intense gaze from the woman standing not two feet from him.
"Thank you for reminding me of that day," she continues, stepping closer to him. "Thank you for reminding me of that love." She pulls him into her arms and holds onto him, never wanting to let him go. She pulls away only enough to meet him for another kiss.
He eagerly responds, clasping his hand to the back of her neck and pulling her head closer to deepen the kiss. She runs her hands impatiently up and down his chest, aching to touch what was beneath the silky fabric of his shirt. Slipping her hands beneath the material, she moans into his mouth when her fingers meet his hot skin.
"Whoa," he gasps, breaking their contact. "Just so you know, I didn't come here tonight to seduce you. I want you to realize that," he insists.
"You're so cute," she smiles sweetly, pulling his lower lip between her teeth and running her tongue across it. She laughs at the moan he tries to stifle. "But you're not seducing me. I'm seducing you." She pulls him into another kiss and start to unbutton his shirt.
"Not right now," he pushes her away gently. His resolve was getting weaker and he had to stop this while he still could. "Not tonight. We'll have plenty of time for that later. Let's just take this slow. So that in another 25 years, we can have cause for another celebration. I don't want today to be the beginning of the end because we rushed things. I want us to last forever."
With one last kiss, he takes her hand and leads her to the sofa. They sit down, snuggled together comfortably.
"I have one last gift," he tells her, kissing her forehead as he pulls one more box from his pocket.
"Jarod, I don't need any other gifts. You've made me so happy . . ." she's stopped midsentence by the contents of the small, square box. With a shaky hand, she reaches out and frees the ring from it's velvet home. "Jarod. This is ..."
"It's not what you think," he says quickly. "Not yet anyway." He takes the ring from her and places it on the ring finger of her right hand. "Today is a celebration of our first kiss. Someday in the future, we'll celebrate this," he says as he kisses her right hand, "when we move the ring over here," he says, kissing her left hand.
They celebrate for a while with sweet kisses and caresses, but nothing more, finally nodding off still holding onto each other. Jarod pulls her closer before he finally closes his eyes, smiling at the turn of events. He knew the night was going to be interesting. But it turned out even better than he could have ever hoped.
"Jarod," she calls with a sleepy voice when his stirring wakes her. "You're not leaving, are you?"
"No, I'm not leaving. I'm never leaving you," he smiles.
"What time is it?" she asks.
"Almost 3 a.m. Go back to sleep."
"3 a.m? So technically, it's tomorrow," she says, turning in his arms to face him, a mischievous smile on her face. "It's a new day."
"Technically, yes," he agrees, not sure where she's going with this.
"A new day," she repeats, kissing him softly. "A new day to make new memories. Yesterday was the anniversary of our first kiss. And the day we first admitted we loved each other. Today could be a real anniversary," she proposes. "We could move this ring . . . and then get on with the honeymoon."
"No rushing," he says shaking his head. "No regrets."
"Jarod, I don't consider 25 years rushing things," she giggles. "I suggest you marry me now, genius, or we're not getting off of this couch with my virtue intact." She smiles seductively before planting a series of kisses around his face, purposely avoiding his mouth.
"Now?" he asks breathlessly, the kisses starting to cloud his mind. "It's the middle of the night."
"We can be in Atlantic City by sunrise," she purrs, moving up and licking the spot just below his ear, causing him to shiver.
"Alright, alright. You win," he admits to sweet defeat. "Let's go get married." He stops her oral assault on his neck with a passionate kiss of his own. This time, taking her breath away. "Then we'll see what we can do about that virtue of yours."
They laugh and run together to the car. An interesting night indeed, Jarod thinks to himself. Just the first of many.
The End.
Feedback please!
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Keywords - JMPR
Summary - Jarod takes on the task of showing Miss Parker that not all memories of the past are bad ones. First in the "The First of Many Series".
Disclaimer - Not my characters. Just borrowing them for a little bit of fun. No harm intended.
* * * * * * * * * *
by Nicky
Jarod is just putting the finishing touches on dinner when he hears her key in the door. He takes one last look around the freshly decorated living room and decides it's as good as it's going to get. This evening was going to be interesting, to say the least. He just hopes she doesn't shoot first and ask questions later. He takes a deep breath and prepares for the inevitable.
As soon as the door opens, he can see that she knows something is different. She flips the light switch and is annoyed that nothing happens. He soon sees her gun flashing in the candlelight and decides to put her out of her misery.
"It's just me," he announces, startling her a bit.
"Jarod? What are you doing here?" she asks, now pointing the gun in his direction. "You have three seconds to explain yourself before I start shooting." Her annoyance deepens at the laugh that comment seemed to have elicited.
"Good," he laughs. "I was sure you were going to shoot first. At least now I get to explain." He smiles that smug grin of his and holds out a chair for her. "Have a seat. Dinner's getting cold."
She eyes him suspiciously before deciding to take him up on his offer. She sits at the table, setting the gun next to her within reach. Her mouth waters when he starts uncovering the food and she realizes how hungry she really is. However, she refuses to show any kind of emotion whatsoever. She didn't know what Jarod was up to, but she didn't want to give him any kind of advantage in this situation.
"So, what's this all about?" she asks finally. "The dinner. The candles. You know, you could have just come into the Centre on your own. This celebration wasn't necessary," she says sarcastically.
"Very funny, Miss Parker. But the day I end up back in that place definitely won't be a day I'll be celebrating." His tone turns cold and it sends a shiver down her spine. But he quickly covers the darkness that clouded his eyes with a mischievous glint. "Not only is there dinner and candles, but there are some gifts as well."
"Gifts? For me?" she can't help the lilt in her voice, obviously intrigued by the game he seems to be playing.
"More like clues. You see, this is a special day. But you're going to have to figure out what we're celebrating," he challenges. He fills both their wine glasses and takes a sip, looking at her over the rim. He watches nervously as she picks up the gun and points it at him again.
"Or, I could just shoot you and drag your sorry butt back to the Centre. That would be present enough for me," she says, noticing his panicked reaction. He gets a look in his eyes that reminds her of the fragile little boy that he still is and it breaks her heart. She decides to play along a little more. "But, what fun would that be? Where's the first gift?" She sets the gun down and looks at him expectantly.
"There's one that you can open now. The other one comes later," he tells her, the smile appearing on his face again. For a minute, he was sure she was about to take him back to the Centre. But she seems to be curious about his little party. He slides a flat, rectangular shaped box across the table.
"This is a gift as well as a clue?" she asks, picking up the box and shaking it. "Where are the other clues?"
"Look around you, Miss Parker. What do you see?"
"You made me a nice candlelight dinner. There's wine. Decorations, balloons," she rattles off everything she sees.
"But what about the balloons?" he hints.
"They're silver. In fact, all of the decorations are silver. Even those roses," she says amazed. An easy smile spreads across her face as she fingers the delicate petals. "They're beautiful, Jarod."
"Why don't you open the box," he suggests.
She eagerly takes that suggestion and tears into the box, ripping the silver paper away from the package. She opens her gift and gasps at what's inside.
"Jarod! This is gorgeous!" She pulls out the silver bracelet and runs her fingers across the diamonds. She gives it to him and holds out her wrist for him to put it on. "It's silver as well. I'm starting to sense a theme here. You say that we're celebrating something. And with all these silver gifts, I'd guess that it was an anniversary of sorts. 25 year anniversary if I'm not mistaken."
"You're absolutely correct," he grins. "The lady wins."
"Jarod, you're insane. What on earth would I have to celebrate with you?" she says, not realizing the harshness in her tone until she sees that she's hurt his feelings. But she didn't care anymore. Jarod has some nerve coming into her house like this and start assuming things about them.
"I'm insane? Is that what you really think?" he says angrily, standing up and storming across the room. "I'm insane for wanting to celebrate a special day? What about you? What about the days you choose to celebrate?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she yells back.
"What were you doing three months ago? You were at your mother's grave. Mother's day? You were there again. What about last month? Thomas' grave. Because it was his birthday. Every year, it's the same thing. You mark off your life as time in between your visits to the dead."
"Most people do that to remember their loved ones that they have lost, Jarod. It's not my fault that I have to do it more than other people."
"That's just the point I was trying to make," he sighs, his anger dissipating. He had to remember the real reason he was there. She needed this. They both did. "You have lost so much in your life. Thomas. Your mother. You have all these days that you celebrate death. I just thought it was time for you to celebrate life, Miss Parker. I thought that there should be at least one day when you can think back on a moment you were loved and not have ghosts haunt it."
"And this is that day?" she asks incredulously. "Jarod, what is it about today that makes it so special?"
"Twenty five years ago today, you gave me a gift that changed my life. I just wanted to return the favor." Jarod smiles at her before taking one last step to bridge the distance between them. Gently cupping her face in his hands, he tilts her head up and bends his head down until their lips meet with the sweetest touch either of them could have imagined. He maintains the gentle pressure and is pleasantly surprised that she doesn't resist. Finally after a few moments, he pulls away. His eyes are misty and he has to blink them a few times to prevent his tears from falling.
"Happy Anniversary, Miss Parker," he whispers, looking tenderly into her eyes while he strokes her cheeks with his thumb. "Thanks for being my first love. Thanks for giving me my first kiss." With a sad smile, he reluctantly releases her and steps away, still unable to break eye contact. Getting one last look at her, he finally turns to make his way to the door when the words he's been waiting all his life to hear stops him in his tracks.
"I love you too, Jarod," her teary voice sings.
"What?" he gasps, not sure he heard her. He turns quickly and his heart is soon assaulted with the intense gaze from the woman standing not two feet from him.
"Thank you for reminding me of that day," she continues, stepping closer to him. "Thank you for reminding me of that love." She pulls him into her arms and holds onto him, never wanting to let him go. She pulls away only enough to meet him for another kiss.
He eagerly responds, clasping his hand to the back of her neck and pulling her head closer to deepen the kiss. She runs her hands impatiently up and down his chest, aching to touch what was beneath the silky fabric of his shirt. Slipping her hands beneath the material, she moans into his mouth when her fingers meet his hot skin.
"Whoa," he gasps, breaking their contact. "Just so you know, I didn't come here tonight to seduce you. I want you to realize that," he insists.
"You're so cute," she smiles sweetly, pulling his lower lip between her teeth and running her tongue across it. She laughs at the moan he tries to stifle. "But you're not seducing me. I'm seducing you." She pulls him into another kiss and start to unbutton his shirt.
"Not right now," he pushes her away gently. His resolve was getting weaker and he had to stop this while he still could. "Not tonight. We'll have plenty of time for that later. Let's just take this slow. So that in another 25 years, we can have cause for another celebration. I don't want today to be the beginning of the end because we rushed things. I want us to last forever."
With one last kiss, he takes her hand and leads her to the sofa. They sit down, snuggled together comfortably.
"I have one last gift," he tells her, kissing her forehead as he pulls one more box from his pocket.
"Jarod, I don't need any other gifts. You've made me so happy . . ." she's stopped midsentence by the contents of the small, square box. With a shaky hand, she reaches out and frees the ring from it's velvet home. "Jarod. This is ..."
"It's not what you think," he says quickly. "Not yet anyway." He takes the ring from her and places it on the ring finger of her right hand. "Today is a celebration of our first kiss. Someday in the future, we'll celebrate this," he says as he kisses her right hand, "when we move the ring over here," he says, kissing her left hand.
They celebrate for a while with sweet kisses and caresses, but nothing more, finally nodding off still holding onto each other. Jarod pulls her closer before he finally closes his eyes, smiling at the turn of events. He knew the night was going to be interesting. But it turned out even better than he could have ever hoped.
"Jarod," she calls with a sleepy voice when his stirring wakes her. "You're not leaving, are you?"
"No, I'm not leaving. I'm never leaving you," he smiles.
"What time is it?" she asks.
"Almost 3 a.m. Go back to sleep."
"3 a.m? So technically, it's tomorrow," she says, turning in his arms to face him, a mischievous smile on her face. "It's a new day."
"Technically, yes," he agrees, not sure where she's going with this.
"A new day," she repeats, kissing him softly. "A new day to make new memories. Yesterday was the anniversary of our first kiss. And the day we first admitted we loved each other. Today could be a real anniversary," she proposes. "We could move this ring . . . and then get on with the honeymoon."
"No rushing," he says shaking his head. "No regrets."
"Jarod, I don't consider 25 years rushing things," she giggles. "I suggest you marry me now, genius, or we're not getting off of this couch with my virtue intact." She smiles seductively before planting a series of kisses around his face, purposely avoiding his mouth.
"Now?" he asks breathlessly, the kisses starting to cloud his mind. "It's the middle of the night."
"We can be in Atlantic City by sunrise," she purrs, moving up and licking the spot just below his ear, causing him to shiver.
"Alright, alright. You win," he admits to sweet defeat. "Let's go get married." He stops her oral assault on his neck with a passionate kiss of his own. This time, taking her breath away. "Then we'll see what we can do about that virtue of yours."
They laugh and run together to the car. An interesting night indeed, Jarod thinks to himself. Just the first of many.
The End.
Feedback please!
