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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The Characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots and The Center are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and are used without permission. No money has been involved here and no infringement is intended. 11/27/2002
A Voice Heard in Ramah (Part 10 - Reunion) By Phenyx
Sydney delicately made his way across the grassy expanse. Walking with a cane, he limbed his way toward Broots and Angelo.
"Is this spot okay, Sydney?" Broots asked.
Sydney looked down the hill toward The Centre and nodded. "The view is good from here." He said.
As Sydney caught up to the two men, Angelo spread a blanket on the grass and happily sat down. Broots opened a folding lawn chair he'd been carrying and placed it next to the blanket.
"Thank you, Broots." Sydney sighed as he settled into the chair.
"Your knee has been acting up pretty badly these past few days, Syd." Broots observed as he sat beside Angelo on the ground.
"The arthritis in the joint is bothersome. My physician is talking about knee replacement surgery." The two men chatted amiably.
Angelo was plucking fluff from a dandelion when Broots said, "There are a lot of people here already."
A crowd of about two hundred people had gathered along the hillside. Many of the people had chairs and blankets. Others had set up picnic tables with entire meals laid out. Some folks had just pulled pick-up trucks onto the meadow and had settled into the truck beds.
The scene reminded Sydney of the park when he had taken Angelo to see fireworks on Independence Day.
"A lot of people get excited to see such a large structure toppled." Sydney supposed.
Looking down the incline, The Centre could be easily seen from this distance. The entire facility was surrounded by a tall chain link fence and large warning signs. Men in hard hats could be seen hurrying about and a large crane, a wrecking ball swaying slightly from its peak, stood nearby.
After having been abandoned and empty for the past four years, The Centre was finally being demolished. The stone monolith was being razed to make room for a luxury condominium community. In just over an hour, there would be a controlled explosion and the Tower, the old core of power at The Centre, would crumble into dust.
"Do you think she'll come?" Broots asked seriously.
Sydney knew exactly whom Broots was talking about. Miss Parker had vanished ten years ago. She had disappeared without a trace. At first her colleagues had been concerned that she may have met with foul play. But Mr. Raines and Mr. Lyle, the only two suspects for such a scenario, had been equally frantic to locate her.
When Sydney had been ready to confront Raines concerning Miss Parker's whereabouts, he had found himself subjected to interrogation on a T-board. Raines had wanted Sydney to tell THEM where Parker had gone.
Evidently, when Parker had vanished, she had stolen a project called Progeny from The Centre. Raines had been livid. The project had been in development for years and the sizable revenue lost for The Centre had been an embarrassment for Raines' leadership.
Sydney and Broots had searched the mainframe for information on Progeny for weeks. Unfortunately, every electronic trace of the project had been erased. He'd never learned the real purpose of Progeny. Sydney only knew that one day the project was gone and Miss Parker had disappeared along with it.
It had quickly become apparent to the powers that be, that Sydney and Broots had no idea what Progeny was or what had happened to it. Neither had heard from Miss Parker nor did they have any clue as to how to locate her. She had simply vanished.
After a time, the commotion caused by the loss of the project had died down. Sydney and Broots had continued their work and their pursuit of Jarod without Miss Parker's help. Sydney knew that Raines had placed a tap on his phone in the hopes that Parker would contact him. She never did.
Months passed before Sydney realized that Jarod had stopped contacting him by phone. It was as though the pretender knew that Sydney's phone calls were now monitored closely. When Sydney had received the first postcard from Jarod, a niggling suspicion began to form in Sydney's mind.
The postcard had arrived, addressed to Sydney at The Centre, about eight weeks after Parker's disappearance. It had a picture of Niagara Falls on the front and a New York postmark. Written neatly in Jarod's definitive bold print were two sentences. "MISS YOU SYD. WISH YOU WERE HERE."
Jarod had never bothered to show any concern about Parker's vanishing act. And Jarod had never, ever called his mentor anything but Sydney. Miss Parker however, did occasionally call him Syd. These simple facts had caused the aging psychologist to wonder if the two of them, Jarod and Miss Parker, might be traveling together.
Sydney had not voiced this opinion at the time. He and Broots had gone to The Falls, obligingly following the postcard as Centre procedure required. They had found nothing at Niagara Falls. No trace of Jarod or of Miss Parker.
The postcards had arrived with infrequent regularity for the next several years. Always picturing a popular tourist spot, the message written on the back was always the same. Sydney had received postcards from Disney World and the Grand Canyon. One summer, he'd even gotten one from The Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The little cards had become his only connection to Jarod. There had been no more red notebooks to find. Broots had been unable to discover even one of Jarod's lairs. They had nothing to go on except the postcards. This change in Jarod's routine had further solidified Sydney's suspicion. Miss Parker was safe and traveling the world with Jarod.
Then, four years ago, the postcards stopped coming. Sydney didn't think that Jarod had stopped sending them. Circumstances at the time had forced Sydney and Broots to each relocate rather abruptly, leaving no forwarding address. A pretender of Jarod's ability could have found Sydney's new location if pressed, but it would not have been an easy task.
It had been four years ago that Mr. Lyle had chosen some 'recreation' that had been too much for him to handle. As serial killers go, Lyle was successful because he acted on his impulse only rarely. Several years would pass between the deaths of his victims. As a result, authorities had trouble connecting the murders.
Four years ago, Lyle had begun stalking a lovely young college girl by the name of Xuan Mae Tran. The police had no clue that there was a serial killer in the area. Lyle had easily snatched the girl from a street corner late one night as she walked to her dorm.
Xuan Mae was a petite slip of a girl with an indomitable spirit. She had fought Lyle tooth and nail. When he'd headed to his cabin in the woods several days after the kidnapping, Lyle had assumed that her torn and broken body was too weak to strike back. He'd been wrong.
Locked in the truck of Lyle's car, the young woman had managed to pick the lock on the handcuffs binding her and she had freed one wrist. When Lyle had reached the burial sight he'd prepared in the woods, he opened the trunk. Xuan Mae had promptly buried the pointed end of the open handcuff in Lyle's throat.
The wound had not killed him but, bleeding profusely, Lyle had been unable to stop the girl from escaping.
Xuan Mae's rescue and Lyle's following arrest had caused a media sensation. Finding the open and empty grave in the woods, the authorities had naturally searched the entire area. The four bodies they found buried around Lyle's cabin were very incriminating evidence.
To further enrage the public, the media had aired pictures of the beautiful Xuan Mae before Lyle's attack. The scarred, torn flesh of the girl's face after Lyle's torture had been heart wrenching.
The Centre had been unable to prevent the storm of scandal that resulted. News media had literally camped at The Centre's entrance. Sydney and Broots, coworkers of the accused monster, had been hounded unmercifully. During Lyle's trial, they had both been forced to change their phone numbers and move.
Sydney had known that doing this would sever the last weak ties he had with Jarod, but there had been little other choice. Especially after one enterprising young investigative reporter found his way into The Centre.
The reporter had been trying to find the scoop on Lyle. He had instead blown The Centre's cover and brought the institution's hidden agenda into the public view. There had been much finger pointing and accusation. Raines fled the country rather than face the legal charges that were brought against him.
Lyle had again been targeted by the media as the criminal master mind of the entire facility. The Triumvirate had done nothing to change that impression. Lyle had taken the wrap, receiving several life long prison sentences. The Centre, cut loose by the Triumvirate in an act of self- preservation, had fallen prey to the press.
Shortly after that, The Centre had simply closed its doors. Employees had been locked out and inmates had been hastily relocated to nearby hospitals and mental institutions. Sydney and Broots had searched frantically for days before they had found Angelo, weeping uncontrollably in a padded cell of the state mental hospital in Dover.
Dazed and a little lost, the three men had taken Debbie and they had all hidden out at Sydney's cabin at White Cloud for the rest of the summer.
In the years since then, they had managed to build a semblance of a life. Debbie had finished high school and was now attending a university in California. Broots had a new job and a place of his own in Dover. Sydney had retired and now spent his days with Angelo.
Angelo had never completely adjusted to the world. He needed supervised care that Sydney was usually able to provide. For the past year, the empathic man had been spending time, twice a week, at an assisted living facility nearby. The facility specialized in caring for autistic and mildly retarded adults. Sydney hoped that one day Angelo would, with the help of such specialized care, be able to live on his own.
"Sydney," Broots repeated. "Do you think she will come?"
Sydney shrugged. "I don't know. She may not know anything about the demolition."
"Jarod would know." Broots said. "He would always be keeping tabs on The Centre, don't you think?"
"Possibly." Sydney nodded.
"Do you really think Jarod knows where she is?" Broots asked.
Sydney smiled affectionately at the younger man. "This is an old debate, Broots. If I can't convince you after ten years why are we still arguing about it?"
Broots chuckled. "You are probably right. But She and Jarod were always at each other's throats. I can't remember how many times Miss Parker said she was going to shoot him." He shook his head slightly.
Laughing Sydney said, "You know as well as I do that Parker was never as vicious as she wanted everyone to believe. I imagine she became a very different person once she got away from The Centre's influence."
"It will feel good knowing that the place is just a pile of rubble." Broots frowned as he glared down at the stone structure.
"I was thinking about buying one of the condo's once they go up." Sydney said. "In a small way, I could be close to the life I've always known. I'd feel closer to the people I lost there, somehow."
Broots shook his head violently. "No way. With the stuff that went on in that place, anything built over that spot is sure to be haunted. Didn't you ever see Poltergeist?"
The two men fell into a gloomy silence as they contemplated the lives that had been altered by The Centre. Today's destruction of the building would bring closure to a difficult time in many lives.
Angelo blissfully continued playing with the nearby grass. Broots lay back on the blanket and stared up at the clouds. It was a beautiful day. A warm breeze blew from the water so that it wasn't too hot.
Sydney casually watched the people around him, hoping to glimpse a face he recognized. A small group of adolescents walking nearby caught the older man's attention.
A teenaged girl with dark eyes was stomping across the grass in Sydney's direction. She was dressed casually, in a pink t-shirt and jeans. Her copper colored hair was plaited into a single waist-long French braid that hung down her back.
Sydney guessed that the youngster must be in her early teens. She had the slim figure of a pretty girl just beginning to change into a beautiful woman.
The girl's arms were folded across her chest and her face was full of anger. Something about the girl struck Sydney as familiar. It wasn't that he recognized the girl's features. He knew that he had never seen her before. But somehow, the way she carried herself, the arrogant, regal strides she made and the fire flashing in her eyes, were very familiar indeed.
The girl was being followed. At her heels was a much younger girl, about five years old. The child wore a similar pink t-shirt and matching pink shorts. She had dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with a pink ribbon. The little girl was nearly running in her attempts to keep up with what was obviously her big sister.
"Kitty!" the little girl whined. "Wait."
"Yeah Kitty. Wait." Purred another youngster in the girls' wake. This boy looked to be a little older than the first girl. A tall lanky teenager with dark hair and eyes, he was easily keeping stride with the fleeing girls. With a grin of pure mischief, he hounded the pretty girl by systematically reaching out and yanking on her braid.
"Leave me alone." The she growled.
Sydney frowned at the tableau. He was concerned for the girls' safety when he realized that two more teenaged boys were also following the group. One boy had dark curly hair poking out from under a baseball cap. He had his thumbs hooked through the belt loops on his jeans and a crooked grin on his face as he casually followed the troop.
The last youngster in the train was a lighter haired boy with a handful of freckles across his nose. About the same age as the other two boys, this youngster wore a small frown on his face.
"Come on, Kitty." This last boy groused. "He was only teasing."
"It is not funny." The older girl snarled with a stomp of her foot.
The boy with the hat drawled, "Actually, it is kind of amusing."
The girl suddenly turned on the youngster in the hat and started spouting off at him in Spanish. The words rolled fluently from her mouth as she hissed at him with menace.
"Hey," the first boy interrupted. "There's no need to swear at Charlie. It's me that your angry at."
"Brilliant deduction, Wonder-boy." She snarled. "Just leave me alone!"
"We can't wander off alone." The freckled boy said. "Dad would throw a fit. You know Delaware gives him the creeps."
Sydney's interest was peaked. He glanced meaningfully at Broots who had also become engrossed in the show. "Does she remind you of someone, Mr. Broots?" Sydney whispered.
Broots nodded in surprise.
The girl's face suddenly fell. The anger vanished to be replaced by concern. "It gives me the creeps too."
"I'm sorry." The first boy apologized, suddenly subdued. "I know that you're a little freaked out. I shouldn't be picking on you right now." He yanked gently on her braid once more then said affectionately. "Tell you what Kitty. I promise not to tease you anymore today. Alright?"
"All day?" the girl fretted.
The boy crossed his heart with his finger. "All day. I swear." Then with a crooked grin he pulled the girl into his arms and hugged her.
"I doubt that you can manage to lay off for a whole day." She grumbled. "But it's nice of you to try, JR."
"That's what brothers are for isn't it?" He replied.
She pushed away from the boy's embrace. "I have three brothers. But you are the only one who torments me like this." She observed laughingly.
"Only because they can't handle your wrath." He grinned. "I'm the only one who can keep you in line, Kitty."
"You are a moron." The girl declared as she crossed her arms over her chest again and glared at him.
The boy made a grand display of placing his hand over his heart and stumbling about as if he'd been mortally wounded. His brothers chuckled while the long-suffering girl just shook her head and sighed.
While the older children had been preoccupied with their argument, the younger girl had wandered closer to where Sydney and his companions sat. Crouched in the grass beside Angelo, she was showing him how to blow the white seeds from a dandelion rather than plucking them off as he had been doing.
"Like this." She said seriously. With a deep breath she propelled the little fluffs into the air.
Angelo clapped his hands delightedly. He had plucked a flower of his own from nearby and was just about to attempt the miracle himself when the older children noticed that the little one had strayed.
"SYDNEY!" The older girl screeched.
Broots and Sydney both jumped. It was startling to be yelled at this way by a strange girl.
The teenager ran up to the little girl, grabbed her hand and started to pull her away. "You don't know that man." The older girl scolded.
The first of three boys also berated the little girl with concern. "Sydney, you know better than to talk to strangers."
Blinking in surprise at Broots, Sydney realized that the youngsters were talking to the pink clad little girl. Evidently, the girl's name was also Sydney.
"He's not a stranger." The child pouted. "He's the angel I saw in my dream."
"Oh, shit." One of the boys swore. For a heartbeat, the four children were frozen in place by this revelation.
The psychologist stared at the children in wonder as he watched the teenagers' react. The girl scooped her little sister into her arms and started backing away cautiously. With a military like precision, the three boys fanned out in a defensive maneuver to cover the girls' escape. Within moments, the children were all running back the way they had come, the girls in front, while the boys followed protectively.
Angelo scrambled up from his position on the blanket and took off after them.
"Broots," Sydney cried. "Stop him. Don't let him frighten those children away."
Broots dashed across the grass in an attempt to catch Angelo. Sydney grabbed his cane and started to follow as well. His knee just wasn't cooperating. He was too slow. Sydney quickly lost sight of Broots and Angelo as the children led them on a weaving chase through the crowd.
Sydney diligently continued in the direction he had last seen Broots heading. He prayed silently that Angelo would be able to keep the children in sight without scaring them senseless. Sydney felt a terrible need to speak to those youngsters.
Some minutes later, his knee aching painfully, Sydney rounded a stand of trees and saw Angelo. He was standing beside a picnic table, surrounded by the teens. The little girl in pink sat on Angelo's hip as he held the child in his arms. Angelo was talking animatedly to a tall cowboy.
Clad in jeans, T-shirt and a cowboy hat, the man had his back to Sydney. But as the older man limped toward the group, Sydney quickly recognized the figure, even from the back.
"Jarod!" he called to the man.
The cowboy turned and grinned. Sydney couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that rose in his throat. Aside from the hat, Jarod hadn't changed much in the last ten years. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes were deeper as were the creases in his cheeks where he smiled. Visible under the brim of his hat, Jarod's hair was sprinkled with gray at the sides. But, for the most part, he looked very much like the Jarod that Sydney remembered.
Jarod quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped Sydney in a huge, welcoming hug. Sydney realized abruptly how desperately he had been hoping to see the younger man here today.
"Jarod," Sydney laughed. "It is so good to see you."
Jarod squeezed tightly, patting Sydney on the back. "It is good to see you too." Jarod stepped back and gazed at Sydney happily. "What's with the cane, Sydney? You aren't that old." He teased.
Sydney laughed. "Yes I am that old." He replied. "The knee is badly arthritic I'm afraid."
"Please tell me it's not the knee where you were shot." A soft voice said.
Sydney turned and saw a grinning Broots standing beside a beautiful woman. "Parker?" Sydney gasped. "Is that you?"
"Yes." She laughed merrily as she threw he arms around the old psychologist.
"I'm afraid it is that very same knee." Sydney laughed as he returned her hug.
Sydney was astounded at the change in Miss Parker. Her hair was long and pulled into a simple braid down her back like the girl. She wore very little makeup yet her face glowed with a healthy radiance. Parker's clothes were simple, jeans and a cotton blouse. On her feet she wore plain white canvas sneakers.
Gone was the fashion model ice queen that Sydney had known. In her place was a lovely woman whose eyes and smile glowed with warmth. She wore no jewelry except for a simple gold band around her left ring finger. With a surreptitious glance, Sydney found a matching ring on Jarod's hand.
"You seem so different." Sydney whispered into her ear as Parker hugged him.
"I'm happy." She explained.
"Dad," one of the boys interrupted. "Its nearly time."
Jarod led Sydney to the picnic table and helped him settle onto a bench. "Okay, We don't want to miss this. Once the tower comes down, we'll break out the picnic baskets and have a nice long talk. Agreed?"
Sydney nodded and patted Jarod's cheek affectionately. The tall man then hurried over to where the three boys had gathered around a digital recorder perched on a tripod. Sydney was grinning uncontrollably when Parker sat down beside him with the little girl on her lap.
"Hello, Sydney." The old man said kindly to the child.
"Hello, Sydney." She chirped back and crumbled into giggles.
"It is nice to meet you, Miss." The older Sydney said seriously shaking the little girl's hand.
The girl giggled again and shyly slid from her mother's lap and ran to where Jarod was checking on the camera.
"She's adorable." Sydney said. "How old is she?"
Parker smiled. "She'll be five at the end of the month. We think she's pretty cute too. But being the youngest of five children, she's spoiled rotten."
As Parker talked, Sydney could see the little girl tug on Jarod's shirt and hold her arms out. Jarod obligingly picked the child up and settled her comfortably on one hip. With his other arm, Jarod put his hand on the taller girl's shoulders and hugged her close.
"The two of you are raising all five children?" Sydney asked curiously.
"We are their parents, Syd." Parker said softly.
Sydney exchanged a quick look with Broots who was sitting across from him at the table. "The four older children look like they are in their teens." Sydney said cautiously.
Parker smirked. "They all turned fourteen last spring." She explained. "Jarod and I found out that Raines had been running a rather nasty little project."
"Progeny." Broots interrupted.
Parker nodded. "Then you know about the children."
Sydney shook his head and frowned. "No. Raines was very upset when you left. He said that you had stolen Progeny from him and he wanted it back. Broots and I could never find out exactly what the project was."
"That bastard. How dare he say that I stole them from him." Parker seethed. "Raines and Lyle took cells from my ovaries when I was having surgery for my ulcer. Then they used Jarod's sperm to fertilize them. With a group of surrogates, Raines was able to breed a half dozen infants with pretender potential."
"He was playing God." Sydney groaned in disgust.
Parker nodded sadly. "Two of the children died." She whispered. "One succumbed to a crib death, the other died from anaphylactic shock caused by a bee sting."
Sydney gasped and stared at Parker in astonishment. Baby Parker, Miss Parker's little brother, had died because he was allergic to a bee sting. Parker had disappeared less than two weeks after the boy's death. Sydney realized now that the boy had been one of the children bred from Parker and Jarod.
Stunned, Sydney gazed at Jarod, wondering how his protégé had dealt with such a personal invasion. He would have been bereft at the loss of a second family. Jarod would have moved heaven and earth to help Parker free their children with little regard for his own safety.
While Sydney struggled to come to terms with this new information, there was a sudden rise in excitement from the crowd around them. As everyone watched, there was a muffled whump of sound. A plume of smoke rose from the stone tower and with a crunch the front portion of The Center crumbled into dust.
A moment later, the exterior walls teetered and fell inward, collapsing through several levels. When the dust settled, only skeletal remains rose into the air like some long dead creature left out in the sun.
The lighter haired boy came galloping up to the group sitting at the table. "That was cool!" he exclaimed. "I want to study the recording to see if they placed the explosives like I thought they would. Can we eat now?"
"Mind your manners, young man." Parker scolded softly. "Let me introduce you to some people." As the boy approached his mother's side, Parker said, "Gentlemen, this is my son, Timothy. Tim this is Sydney and Broots and Angelo."
"It is nice to meet you, Sirs." The boy said politely. Then looking to his mother he said, "Should I go get the cooler?"
Parker nodded and the young man took off in the direction of a green SUV parked nearby.
Jarod strolled up with the other children. Parker continued with the introductions. The boy in the hat was called Charlie. The taller boy, the one who had teased his sister earlier, was named JR. Sydney smiled when introduced to the girl whose name was Catherine.
"It is an honor to meet you, Catherine." Sydney said happily.
The girl returned his handshake gravely. "Momma is the only one who calls me Catherine. Every one else calls me Kitty." She grumbled.
"Go help your brothers unload the food, Kitten." Jarod said gently. "You'll have to excuse my daughter's attitude. She's a little out of sorts today." He told them.
Sydney looked up at Jarod inquisitively.
Jarod shrugged. "The Centre makes her nervous." He glanced at Parker with raised eyebrows.
Parker responded. "I haven't told them that much yet. Just that the children were the Progeny Project."
Jarod threw one leg over the wooden bench and straddled the seat beside Parker. "Kitty remembers The Centre and Mr. Lyle. Just being here frightens her a bit. The boys don't recollect much. They weren't treated as badly." He paused for a moment.
"When we pulled them out of there," Parker explained. "Catherine had been badly abused. She was non-verbal and had zero social skills."
Jarod reached an arm around Parker's side and casually grasped her hand, weaving his fingers with hers in a familiar way. The gesture was so automatic that Sydney knew it must be commonplace.
Jarod sighed and said, "The first several months were hard. There were a lot of nightmares and temper tantrums."
"The children had trouble adjusting too." Parker teased Jarod with a squeeze of his hand.
"They seem to have adapted well." Sydney observed.
"They have." Jarod beamed with pride. "We have a ranch in New Mexico now and they all attend the public high school there. Out of necessity, Parker and I home schooled them for a long time but once The Centre closed, we were able to settle down in one place and send them to a normal school."
"They have been placed in higher grade levels than is normal for children their age." Jarod went on. "Most fourteen year olds are freshmen. But Charlie and Tim are sophomores and JR and Kitty will be juniors."
"JR could be in college now," Parker added. "But to advance that drastically the district requires an IQ test and Jarod won't permit it."
"He needs to be allowed time to be a kid." Jarod grumbled at Parker.
"I know, dear." Parker soothed. "But Charlie is not about to let his brother take himself too seriously."
Jarod laughed then explained to the others, "Charlie is a very carefree kid. So much so that he started having some trouble in school last year. His grades dropped to barely average and he started causing minor disruptions." Jarod sighed. "He has decided that he's going to join the Air Force just as soon as he can so there's no point in finishing school before his eighteenth birthday."
"Now he's lost all interest in school. Unless you can apply the information to piloting an airplane, Charlie is not the least bit interested." Parker said. "I blame your father." She added, nudging Jarod in the ribs.
"I talked to Dad." Jarod told her as he wrapped his arms around her midsection. "He's going to tell Charlie that the flying lessons stop if his grades fall below a B average."
"You found your father." Sydney interrupted.
"They found us about eighteen months ago." Jarod replied. As the children returned, carting an ice cooler and several brown bags, Jarod stood and began helping them set the table. "Ethan showed up on our doorstep on Christmas eve with my mother and father in tow. Emily arrived two days later with her husband and their little boy, Kyle."
"My folks live on the ranch with us. Em and her family live in Southern California. And Jack," Jarod paused as he shrugged. "Well, Jack is off licking his wounds somewhere in Montana. Lumberjacking last I heard."
Sydney accepted a plate of fried chicken and fruit salad. "Jack?" Sydney asked.
"Oh you met Jack." Parker chided as she spooned items onto a plate for her little girl. "You met him a long time ago, when he was just a boy. He looks very much like Jarod did at his age. Remarkably so." She said pointedly.
"Oh yes I do remember Jack." Sydney admitted as he realized that Jack was the boy he'd once know as Gemini. "How is Jack?"
Jarod shrugged sadly as he took a biscuit from a basket on the table. "He just went through a nasty divorce. From what my folks tell me, Lisa was his first love. After about two years of marriage, she decided that she was in love with someone else and left him. Jack was caught totally off guard and he's taking it pretty badly."
"I'm surprised that he would choose to go through this alone." Sydney said thoughtfully as he munched at his food. "He has an extended family to support him."
"That's what I said." Jarod grumbled. "But he and I ended up getting into an argument about it. Jack says that I have no idea what he's going through. Maybe he's right." Jarod shrugged. "I'm still with my first love." He smiled adoringly at Parker as she sat beside him.
"But it took you thirty years to marry me," she said pointedly.
Jarod shrugged. "Don't you think it was worth the wait?" He asked playfully.
"I suppose so." She agreed.
Parker leaned toward him so that Jarod could kiss her lovingly. Sydney smiled to himself. The children around him were talking amongst themselves, ignoring the display of affection between their parents as though it were a common occurrence.
"And Broots thought that Parker would have shot you for sure." Sydney chuckled.
"I nearly did once or twice." Parker confided. She laughed at the stunned look on the computer technician's face. "Once, I had bought this sexy green dress for New Year's Eve and he didn't even notice it."
"Oh I noticed it." Jarod moaned. "But at the time, I just couldn't work up the nerve to do anything about it."
Sydney looked at Jarod in surprise, his brows riding high on his forehead.
"Come on," Jarod exclaimed defensively. "After so many years of being trod on with those stiletto heels, can you blame me for being a little leery? I was afraid she would come after me in a leather cat suit, carrying a whip."
Broots started choking on his soda as he gasped. Sydney simply chuckled.
"I had to throw myself at him for nearly two years before genius-boy finally got the right idea." Parker giggled.
"So I'm a little slow." Jarod said, rolling his eyes.
Sydney laughed along with the others. Looking around the table, the psychologist could see that this little family was a happy, tightly knit group. Jarod had finally found the life he had been searching for. Parker had found the freedom to be the loving, compassionate woman she had kept hidden while she was at The Centre.
As the friendly conversation and the playful banter continued, Sydney felt a warm feeling of security overwhelm him. Jarod was happy. Sydney's protégé had overcome the tragedy of his childhood and had built a good life for himself and his family.
Sydney gazed into Jarod's eyes and saw warmth and forgiveness shining there. Sydney felt accepted. The Centre was gone. Jarod and Parker had returned. Sydney had a whole new family to care about. They had survived and now they could be together at last.
A Voice Heard in Ramah (Part 10 - Reunion) By Phenyx
Sydney delicately made his way across the grassy expanse. Walking with a cane, he limbed his way toward Broots and Angelo.
"Is this spot okay, Sydney?" Broots asked.
Sydney looked down the hill toward The Centre and nodded. "The view is good from here." He said.
As Sydney caught up to the two men, Angelo spread a blanket on the grass and happily sat down. Broots opened a folding lawn chair he'd been carrying and placed it next to the blanket.
"Thank you, Broots." Sydney sighed as he settled into the chair.
"Your knee has been acting up pretty badly these past few days, Syd." Broots observed as he sat beside Angelo on the ground.
"The arthritis in the joint is bothersome. My physician is talking about knee replacement surgery." The two men chatted amiably.
Angelo was plucking fluff from a dandelion when Broots said, "There are a lot of people here already."
A crowd of about two hundred people had gathered along the hillside. Many of the people had chairs and blankets. Others had set up picnic tables with entire meals laid out. Some folks had just pulled pick-up trucks onto the meadow and had settled into the truck beds.
The scene reminded Sydney of the park when he had taken Angelo to see fireworks on Independence Day.
"A lot of people get excited to see such a large structure toppled." Sydney supposed.
Looking down the incline, The Centre could be easily seen from this distance. The entire facility was surrounded by a tall chain link fence and large warning signs. Men in hard hats could be seen hurrying about and a large crane, a wrecking ball swaying slightly from its peak, stood nearby.
After having been abandoned and empty for the past four years, The Centre was finally being demolished. The stone monolith was being razed to make room for a luxury condominium community. In just over an hour, there would be a controlled explosion and the Tower, the old core of power at The Centre, would crumble into dust.
"Do you think she'll come?" Broots asked seriously.
Sydney knew exactly whom Broots was talking about. Miss Parker had vanished ten years ago. She had disappeared without a trace. At first her colleagues had been concerned that she may have met with foul play. But Mr. Raines and Mr. Lyle, the only two suspects for such a scenario, had been equally frantic to locate her.
When Sydney had been ready to confront Raines concerning Miss Parker's whereabouts, he had found himself subjected to interrogation on a T-board. Raines had wanted Sydney to tell THEM where Parker had gone.
Evidently, when Parker had vanished, she had stolen a project called Progeny from The Centre. Raines had been livid. The project had been in development for years and the sizable revenue lost for The Centre had been an embarrassment for Raines' leadership.
Sydney and Broots had searched the mainframe for information on Progeny for weeks. Unfortunately, every electronic trace of the project had been erased. He'd never learned the real purpose of Progeny. Sydney only knew that one day the project was gone and Miss Parker had disappeared along with it.
It had quickly become apparent to the powers that be, that Sydney and Broots had no idea what Progeny was or what had happened to it. Neither had heard from Miss Parker nor did they have any clue as to how to locate her. She had simply vanished.
After a time, the commotion caused by the loss of the project had died down. Sydney and Broots had continued their work and their pursuit of Jarod without Miss Parker's help. Sydney knew that Raines had placed a tap on his phone in the hopes that Parker would contact him. She never did.
Months passed before Sydney realized that Jarod had stopped contacting him by phone. It was as though the pretender knew that Sydney's phone calls were now monitored closely. When Sydney had received the first postcard from Jarod, a niggling suspicion began to form in Sydney's mind.
The postcard had arrived, addressed to Sydney at The Centre, about eight weeks after Parker's disappearance. It had a picture of Niagara Falls on the front and a New York postmark. Written neatly in Jarod's definitive bold print were two sentences. "MISS YOU SYD. WISH YOU WERE HERE."
Jarod had never bothered to show any concern about Parker's vanishing act. And Jarod had never, ever called his mentor anything but Sydney. Miss Parker however, did occasionally call him Syd. These simple facts had caused the aging psychologist to wonder if the two of them, Jarod and Miss Parker, might be traveling together.
Sydney had not voiced this opinion at the time. He and Broots had gone to The Falls, obligingly following the postcard as Centre procedure required. They had found nothing at Niagara Falls. No trace of Jarod or of Miss Parker.
The postcards had arrived with infrequent regularity for the next several years. Always picturing a popular tourist spot, the message written on the back was always the same. Sydney had received postcards from Disney World and the Grand Canyon. One summer, he'd even gotten one from The Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The little cards had become his only connection to Jarod. There had been no more red notebooks to find. Broots had been unable to discover even one of Jarod's lairs. They had nothing to go on except the postcards. This change in Jarod's routine had further solidified Sydney's suspicion. Miss Parker was safe and traveling the world with Jarod.
Then, four years ago, the postcards stopped coming. Sydney didn't think that Jarod had stopped sending them. Circumstances at the time had forced Sydney and Broots to each relocate rather abruptly, leaving no forwarding address. A pretender of Jarod's ability could have found Sydney's new location if pressed, but it would not have been an easy task.
It had been four years ago that Mr. Lyle had chosen some 'recreation' that had been too much for him to handle. As serial killers go, Lyle was successful because he acted on his impulse only rarely. Several years would pass between the deaths of his victims. As a result, authorities had trouble connecting the murders.
Four years ago, Lyle had begun stalking a lovely young college girl by the name of Xuan Mae Tran. The police had no clue that there was a serial killer in the area. Lyle had easily snatched the girl from a street corner late one night as she walked to her dorm.
Xuan Mae was a petite slip of a girl with an indomitable spirit. She had fought Lyle tooth and nail. When he'd headed to his cabin in the woods several days after the kidnapping, Lyle had assumed that her torn and broken body was too weak to strike back. He'd been wrong.
Locked in the truck of Lyle's car, the young woman had managed to pick the lock on the handcuffs binding her and she had freed one wrist. When Lyle had reached the burial sight he'd prepared in the woods, he opened the trunk. Xuan Mae had promptly buried the pointed end of the open handcuff in Lyle's throat.
The wound had not killed him but, bleeding profusely, Lyle had been unable to stop the girl from escaping.
Xuan Mae's rescue and Lyle's following arrest had caused a media sensation. Finding the open and empty grave in the woods, the authorities had naturally searched the entire area. The four bodies they found buried around Lyle's cabin were very incriminating evidence.
To further enrage the public, the media had aired pictures of the beautiful Xuan Mae before Lyle's attack. The scarred, torn flesh of the girl's face after Lyle's torture had been heart wrenching.
The Centre had been unable to prevent the storm of scandal that resulted. News media had literally camped at The Centre's entrance. Sydney and Broots, coworkers of the accused monster, had been hounded unmercifully. During Lyle's trial, they had both been forced to change their phone numbers and move.
Sydney had known that doing this would sever the last weak ties he had with Jarod, but there had been little other choice. Especially after one enterprising young investigative reporter found his way into The Centre.
The reporter had been trying to find the scoop on Lyle. He had instead blown The Centre's cover and brought the institution's hidden agenda into the public view. There had been much finger pointing and accusation. Raines fled the country rather than face the legal charges that were brought against him.
Lyle had again been targeted by the media as the criminal master mind of the entire facility. The Triumvirate had done nothing to change that impression. Lyle had taken the wrap, receiving several life long prison sentences. The Centre, cut loose by the Triumvirate in an act of self- preservation, had fallen prey to the press.
Shortly after that, The Centre had simply closed its doors. Employees had been locked out and inmates had been hastily relocated to nearby hospitals and mental institutions. Sydney and Broots had searched frantically for days before they had found Angelo, weeping uncontrollably in a padded cell of the state mental hospital in Dover.
Dazed and a little lost, the three men had taken Debbie and they had all hidden out at Sydney's cabin at White Cloud for the rest of the summer.
In the years since then, they had managed to build a semblance of a life. Debbie had finished high school and was now attending a university in California. Broots had a new job and a place of his own in Dover. Sydney had retired and now spent his days with Angelo.
Angelo had never completely adjusted to the world. He needed supervised care that Sydney was usually able to provide. For the past year, the empathic man had been spending time, twice a week, at an assisted living facility nearby. The facility specialized in caring for autistic and mildly retarded adults. Sydney hoped that one day Angelo would, with the help of such specialized care, be able to live on his own.
"Sydney," Broots repeated. "Do you think she will come?"
Sydney shrugged. "I don't know. She may not know anything about the demolition."
"Jarod would know." Broots said. "He would always be keeping tabs on The Centre, don't you think?"
"Possibly." Sydney nodded.
"Do you really think Jarod knows where she is?" Broots asked.
Sydney smiled affectionately at the younger man. "This is an old debate, Broots. If I can't convince you after ten years why are we still arguing about it?"
Broots chuckled. "You are probably right. But She and Jarod were always at each other's throats. I can't remember how many times Miss Parker said she was going to shoot him." He shook his head slightly.
Laughing Sydney said, "You know as well as I do that Parker was never as vicious as she wanted everyone to believe. I imagine she became a very different person once she got away from The Centre's influence."
"It will feel good knowing that the place is just a pile of rubble." Broots frowned as he glared down at the stone structure.
"I was thinking about buying one of the condo's once they go up." Sydney said. "In a small way, I could be close to the life I've always known. I'd feel closer to the people I lost there, somehow."
Broots shook his head violently. "No way. With the stuff that went on in that place, anything built over that spot is sure to be haunted. Didn't you ever see Poltergeist?"
The two men fell into a gloomy silence as they contemplated the lives that had been altered by The Centre. Today's destruction of the building would bring closure to a difficult time in many lives.
Angelo blissfully continued playing with the nearby grass. Broots lay back on the blanket and stared up at the clouds. It was a beautiful day. A warm breeze blew from the water so that it wasn't too hot.
Sydney casually watched the people around him, hoping to glimpse a face he recognized. A small group of adolescents walking nearby caught the older man's attention.
A teenaged girl with dark eyes was stomping across the grass in Sydney's direction. She was dressed casually, in a pink t-shirt and jeans. Her copper colored hair was plaited into a single waist-long French braid that hung down her back.
Sydney guessed that the youngster must be in her early teens. She had the slim figure of a pretty girl just beginning to change into a beautiful woman.
The girl's arms were folded across her chest and her face was full of anger. Something about the girl struck Sydney as familiar. It wasn't that he recognized the girl's features. He knew that he had never seen her before. But somehow, the way she carried herself, the arrogant, regal strides she made and the fire flashing in her eyes, were very familiar indeed.
The girl was being followed. At her heels was a much younger girl, about five years old. The child wore a similar pink t-shirt and matching pink shorts. She had dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with a pink ribbon. The little girl was nearly running in her attempts to keep up with what was obviously her big sister.
"Kitty!" the little girl whined. "Wait."
"Yeah Kitty. Wait." Purred another youngster in the girls' wake. This boy looked to be a little older than the first girl. A tall lanky teenager with dark hair and eyes, he was easily keeping stride with the fleeing girls. With a grin of pure mischief, he hounded the pretty girl by systematically reaching out and yanking on her braid.
"Leave me alone." The she growled.
Sydney frowned at the tableau. He was concerned for the girls' safety when he realized that two more teenaged boys were also following the group. One boy had dark curly hair poking out from under a baseball cap. He had his thumbs hooked through the belt loops on his jeans and a crooked grin on his face as he casually followed the troop.
The last youngster in the train was a lighter haired boy with a handful of freckles across his nose. About the same age as the other two boys, this youngster wore a small frown on his face.
"Come on, Kitty." This last boy groused. "He was only teasing."
"It is not funny." The older girl snarled with a stomp of her foot.
The boy with the hat drawled, "Actually, it is kind of amusing."
The girl suddenly turned on the youngster in the hat and started spouting off at him in Spanish. The words rolled fluently from her mouth as she hissed at him with menace.
"Hey," the first boy interrupted. "There's no need to swear at Charlie. It's me that your angry at."
"Brilliant deduction, Wonder-boy." She snarled. "Just leave me alone!"
"We can't wander off alone." The freckled boy said. "Dad would throw a fit. You know Delaware gives him the creeps."
Sydney's interest was peaked. He glanced meaningfully at Broots who had also become engrossed in the show. "Does she remind you of someone, Mr. Broots?" Sydney whispered.
Broots nodded in surprise.
The girl's face suddenly fell. The anger vanished to be replaced by concern. "It gives me the creeps too."
"I'm sorry." The first boy apologized, suddenly subdued. "I know that you're a little freaked out. I shouldn't be picking on you right now." He yanked gently on her braid once more then said affectionately. "Tell you what Kitty. I promise not to tease you anymore today. Alright?"
"All day?" the girl fretted.
The boy crossed his heart with his finger. "All day. I swear." Then with a crooked grin he pulled the girl into his arms and hugged her.
"I doubt that you can manage to lay off for a whole day." She grumbled. "But it's nice of you to try, JR."
"That's what brothers are for isn't it?" He replied.
She pushed away from the boy's embrace. "I have three brothers. But you are the only one who torments me like this." She observed laughingly.
"Only because they can't handle your wrath." He grinned. "I'm the only one who can keep you in line, Kitty."
"You are a moron." The girl declared as she crossed her arms over her chest again and glared at him.
The boy made a grand display of placing his hand over his heart and stumbling about as if he'd been mortally wounded. His brothers chuckled while the long-suffering girl just shook her head and sighed.
While the older children had been preoccupied with their argument, the younger girl had wandered closer to where Sydney and his companions sat. Crouched in the grass beside Angelo, she was showing him how to blow the white seeds from a dandelion rather than plucking them off as he had been doing.
"Like this." She said seriously. With a deep breath she propelled the little fluffs into the air.
Angelo clapped his hands delightedly. He had plucked a flower of his own from nearby and was just about to attempt the miracle himself when the older children noticed that the little one had strayed.
"SYDNEY!" The older girl screeched.
Broots and Sydney both jumped. It was startling to be yelled at this way by a strange girl.
The teenager ran up to the little girl, grabbed her hand and started to pull her away. "You don't know that man." The older girl scolded.
The first of three boys also berated the little girl with concern. "Sydney, you know better than to talk to strangers."
Blinking in surprise at Broots, Sydney realized that the youngsters were talking to the pink clad little girl. Evidently, the girl's name was also Sydney.
"He's not a stranger." The child pouted. "He's the angel I saw in my dream."
"Oh, shit." One of the boys swore. For a heartbeat, the four children were frozen in place by this revelation.
The psychologist stared at the children in wonder as he watched the teenagers' react. The girl scooped her little sister into her arms and started backing away cautiously. With a military like precision, the three boys fanned out in a defensive maneuver to cover the girls' escape. Within moments, the children were all running back the way they had come, the girls in front, while the boys followed protectively.
Angelo scrambled up from his position on the blanket and took off after them.
"Broots," Sydney cried. "Stop him. Don't let him frighten those children away."
Broots dashed across the grass in an attempt to catch Angelo. Sydney grabbed his cane and started to follow as well. His knee just wasn't cooperating. He was too slow. Sydney quickly lost sight of Broots and Angelo as the children led them on a weaving chase through the crowd.
Sydney diligently continued in the direction he had last seen Broots heading. He prayed silently that Angelo would be able to keep the children in sight without scaring them senseless. Sydney felt a terrible need to speak to those youngsters.
Some minutes later, his knee aching painfully, Sydney rounded a stand of trees and saw Angelo. He was standing beside a picnic table, surrounded by the teens. The little girl in pink sat on Angelo's hip as he held the child in his arms. Angelo was talking animatedly to a tall cowboy.
Clad in jeans, T-shirt and a cowboy hat, the man had his back to Sydney. But as the older man limped toward the group, Sydney quickly recognized the figure, even from the back.
"Jarod!" he called to the man.
The cowboy turned and grinned. Sydney couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that rose in his throat. Aside from the hat, Jarod hadn't changed much in the last ten years. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes were deeper as were the creases in his cheeks where he smiled. Visible under the brim of his hat, Jarod's hair was sprinkled with gray at the sides. But, for the most part, he looked very much like the Jarod that Sydney remembered.
Jarod quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped Sydney in a huge, welcoming hug. Sydney realized abruptly how desperately he had been hoping to see the younger man here today.
"Jarod," Sydney laughed. "It is so good to see you."
Jarod squeezed tightly, patting Sydney on the back. "It is good to see you too." Jarod stepped back and gazed at Sydney happily. "What's with the cane, Sydney? You aren't that old." He teased.
Sydney laughed. "Yes I am that old." He replied. "The knee is badly arthritic I'm afraid."
"Please tell me it's not the knee where you were shot." A soft voice said.
Sydney turned and saw a grinning Broots standing beside a beautiful woman. "Parker?" Sydney gasped. "Is that you?"
"Yes." She laughed merrily as she threw he arms around the old psychologist.
"I'm afraid it is that very same knee." Sydney laughed as he returned her hug.
Sydney was astounded at the change in Miss Parker. Her hair was long and pulled into a simple braid down her back like the girl. She wore very little makeup yet her face glowed with a healthy radiance. Parker's clothes were simple, jeans and a cotton blouse. On her feet she wore plain white canvas sneakers.
Gone was the fashion model ice queen that Sydney had known. In her place was a lovely woman whose eyes and smile glowed with warmth. She wore no jewelry except for a simple gold band around her left ring finger. With a surreptitious glance, Sydney found a matching ring on Jarod's hand.
"You seem so different." Sydney whispered into her ear as Parker hugged him.
"I'm happy." She explained.
"Dad," one of the boys interrupted. "Its nearly time."
Jarod led Sydney to the picnic table and helped him settle onto a bench. "Okay, We don't want to miss this. Once the tower comes down, we'll break out the picnic baskets and have a nice long talk. Agreed?"
Sydney nodded and patted Jarod's cheek affectionately. The tall man then hurried over to where the three boys had gathered around a digital recorder perched on a tripod. Sydney was grinning uncontrollably when Parker sat down beside him with the little girl on her lap.
"Hello, Sydney." The old man said kindly to the child.
"Hello, Sydney." She chirped back and crumbled into giggles.
"It is nice to meet you, Miss." The older Sydney said seriously shaking the little girl's hand.
The girl giggled again and shyly slid from her mother's lap and ran to where Jarod was checking on the camera.
"She's adorable." Sydney said. "How old is she?"
Parker smiled. "She'll be five at the end of the month. We think she's pretty cute too. But being the youngest of five children, she's spoiled rotten."
As Parker talked, Sydney could see the little girl tug on Jarod's shirt and hold her arms out. Jarod obligingly picked the child up and settled her comfortably on one hip. With his other arm, Jarod put his hand on the taller girl's shoulders and hugged her close.
"The two of you are raising all five children?" Sydney asked curiously.
"We are their parents, Syd." Parker said softly.
Sydney exchanged a quick look with Broots who was sitting across from him at the table. "The four older children look like they are in their teens." Sydney said cautiously.
Parker smirked. "They all turned fourteen last spring." She explained. "Jarod and I found out that Raines had been running a rather nasty little project."
"Progeny." Broots interrupted.
Parker nodded. "Then you know about the children."
Sydney shook his head and frowned. "No. Raines was very upset when you left. He said that you had stolen Progeny from him and he wanted it back. Broots and I could never find out exactly what the project was."
"That bastard. How dare he say that I stole them from him." Parker seethed. "Raines and Lyle took cells from my ovaries when I was having surgery for my ulcer. Then they used Jarod's sperm to fertilize them. With a group of surrogates, Raines was able to breed a half dozen infants with pretender potential."
"He was playing God." Sydney groaned in disgust.
Parker nodded sadly. "Two of the children died." She whispered. "One succumbed to a crib death, the other died from anaphylactic shock caused by a bee sting."
Sydney gasped and stared at Parker in astonishment. Baby Parker, Miss Parker's little brother, had died because he was allergic to a bee sting. Parker had disappeared less than two weeks after the boy's death. Sydney realized now that the boy had been one of the children bred from Parker and Jarod.
Stunned, Sydney gazed at Jarod, wondering how his protégé had dealt with such a personal invasion. He would have been bereft at the loss of a second family. Jarod would have moved heaven and earth to help Parker free their children with little regard for his own safety.
While Sydney struggled to come to terms with this new information, there was a sudden rise in excitement from the crowd around them. As everyone watched, there was a muffled whump of sound. A plume of smoke rose from the stone tower and with a crunch the front portion of The Center crumbled into dust.
A moment later, the exterior walls teetered and fell inward, collapsing through several levels. When the dust settled, only skeletal remains rose into the air like some long dead creature left out in the sun.
The lighter haired boy came galloping up to the group sitting at the table. "That was cool!" he exclaimed. "I want to study the recording to see if they placed the explosives like I thought they would. Can we eat now?"
"Mind your manners, young man." Parker scolded softly. "Let me introduce you to some people." As the boy approached his mother's side, Parker said, "Gentlemen, this is my son, Timothy. Tim this is Sydney and Broots and Angelo."
"It is nice to meet you, Sirs." The boy said politely. Then looking to his mother he said, "Should I go get the cooler?"
Parker nodded and the young man took off in the direction of a green SUV parked nearby.
Jarod strolled up with the other children. Parker continued with the introductions. The boy in the hat was called Charlie. The taller boy, the one who had teased his sister earlier, was named JR. Sydney smiled when introduced to the girl whose name was Catherine.
"It is an honor to meet you, Catherine." Sydney said happily.
The girl returned his handshake gravely. "Momma is the only one who calls me Catherine. Every one else calls me Kitty." She grumbled.
"Go help your brothers unload the food, Kitten." Jarod said gently. "You'll have to excuse my daughter's attitude. She's a little out of sorts today." He told them.
Sydney looked up at Jarod inquisitively.
Jarod shrugged. "The Centre makes her nervous." He glanced at Parker with raised eyebrows.
Parker responded. "I haven't told them that much yet. Just that the children were the Progeny Project."
Jarod threw one leg over the wooden bench and straddled the seat beside Parker. "Kitty remembers The Centre and Mr. Lyle. Just being here frightens her a bit. The boys don't recollect much. They weren't treated as badly." He paused for a moment.
"When we pulled them out of there," Parker explained. "Catherine had been badly abused. She was non-verbal and had zero social skills."
Jarod reached an arm around Parker's side and casually grasped her hand, weaving his fingers with hers in a familiar way. The gesture was so automatic that Sydney knew it must be commonplace.
Jarod sighed and said, "The first several months were hard. There were a lot of nightmares and temper tantrums."
"The children had trouble adjusting too." Parker teased Jarod with a squeeze of his hand.
"They seem to have adapted well." Sydney observed.
"They have." Jarod beamed with pride. "We have a ranch in New Mexico now and they all attend the public high school there. Out of necessity, Parker and I home schooled them for a long time but once The Centre closed, we were able to settle down in one place and send them to a normal school."
"They have been placed in higher grade levels than is normal for children their age." Jarod went on. "Most fourteen year olds are freshmen. But Charlie and Tim are sophomores and JR and Kitty will be juniors."
"JR could be in college now," Parker added. "But to advance that drastically the district requires an IQ test and Jarod won't permit it."
"He needs to be allowed time to be a kid." Jarod grumbled at Parker.
"I know, dear." Parker soothed. "But Charlie is not about to let his brother take himself too seriously."
Jarod laughed then explained to the others, "Charlie is a very carefree kid. So much so that he started having some trouble in school last year. His grades dropped to barely average and he started causing minor disruptions." Jarod sighed. "He has decided that he's going to join the Air Force just as soon as he can so there's no point in finishing school before his eighteenth birthday."
"Now he's lost all interest in school. Unless you can apply the information to piloting an airplane, Charlie is not the least bit interested." Parker said. "I blame your father." She added, nudging Jarod in the ribs.
"I talked to Dad." Jarod told her as he wrapped his arms around her midsection. "He's going to tell Charlie that the flying lessons stop if his grades fall below a B average."
"You found your father." Sydney interrupted.
"They found us about eighteen months ago." Jarod replied. As the children returned, carting an ice cooler and several brown bags, Jarod stood and began helping them set the table. "Ethan showed up on our doorstep on Christmas eve with my mother and father in tow. Emily arrived two days later with her husband and their little boy, Kyle."
"My folks live on the ranch with us. Em and her family live in Southern California. And Jack," Jarod paused as he shrugged. "Well, Jack is off licking his wounds somewhere in Montana. Lumberjacking last I heard."
Sydney accepted a plate of fried chicken and fruit salad. "Jack?" Sydney asked.
"Oh you met Jack." Parker chided as she spooned items onto a plate for her little girl. "You met him a long time ago, when he was just a boy. He looks very much like Jarod did at his age. Remarkably so." She said pointedly.
"Oh yes I do remember Jack." Sydney admitted as he realized that Jack was the boy he'd once know as Gemini. "How is Jack?"
Jarod shrugged sadly as he took a biscuit from a basket on the table. "He just went through a nasty divorce. From what my folks tell me, Lisa was his first love. After about two years of marriage, she decided that she was in love with someone else and left him. Jack was caught totally off guard and he's taking it pretty badly."
"I'm surprised that he would choose to go through this alone." Sydney said thoughtfully as he munched at his food. "He has an extended family to support him."
"That's what I said." Jarod grumbled. "But he and I ended up getting into an argument about it. Jack says that I have no idea what he's going through. Maybe he's right." Jarod shrugged. "I'm still with my first love." He smiled adoringly at Parker as she sat beside him.
"But it took you thirty years to marry me," she said pointedly.
Jarod shrugged. "Don't you think it was worth the wait?" He asked playfully.
"I suppose so." She agreed.
Parker leaned toward him so that Jarod could kiss her lovingly. Sydney smiled to himself. The children around him were talking amongst themselves, ignoring the display of affection between their parents as though it were a common occurrence.
"And Broots thought that Parker would have shot you for sure." Sydney chuckled.
"I nearly did once or twice." Parker confided. She laughed at the stunned look on the computer technician's face. "Once, I had bought this sexy green dress for New Year's Eve and he didn't even notice it."
"Oh I noticed it." Jarod moaned. "But at the time, I just couldn't work up the nerve to do anything about it."
Sydney looked at Jarod in surprise, his brows riding high on his forehead.
"Come on," Jarod exclaimed defensively. "After so many years of being trod on with those stiletto heels, can you blame me for being a little leery? I was afraid she would come after me in a leather cat suit, carrying a whip."
Broots started choking on his soda as he gasped. Sydney simply chuckled.
"I had to throw myself at him for nearly two years before genius-boy finally got the right idea." Parker giggled.
"So I'm a little slow." Jarod said, rolling his eyes.
Sydney laughed along with the others. Looking around the table, the psychologist could see that this little family was a happy, tightly knit group. Jarod had finally found the life he had been searching for. Parker had found the freedom to be the loving, compassionate woman she had kept hidden while she was at The Centre.
As the friendly conversation and the playful banter continued, Sydney felt a warm feeling of security overwhelm him. Jarod was happy. Sydney's protégé had overcome the tragedy of his childhood and had built a good life for himself and his family.
Sydney gazed into Jarod's eyes and saw warmth and forgiveness shining there. Sydney felt accepted. The Centre was gone. Jarod and Parker had returned. Sydney had a whole new family to care about. They had survived and now they could be together at last.
