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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. If I owed them we'd still be watching new episodes.
One Good Turn Part 11
Walk by the Lake
By Phenyx
-
Sydney strolled down the narrow path that led away from the house. Passed the garden and around the barn, the path was little more than a worn trail in the grass. Behind the old barn, the path turned into a walkway through waist high weeds. Crossing the field of grasses and thistles, Sydney stuck his hands in his pockets and admired the grandeur of Mother Nature that surrounded him.
The late-afternoon air buzzed with the sounds of cicadas. Birds sang as they flitted among the nearby trees. More than once, Sydney was aware of the sounds of small wildlife scurrying away from him in the grass.
Just before the sunshine beating down on him became uncomfortably hot, Sydney stepped from the field and into the peaceful gloom of the trees. The wooded area didn't cause Sydney any concern for the path he followed was still easily visible through the undergrowth.
Sydney took his time. As he walked he deeply inhaled the distinct aroma of the forest. The vaguely damp, crisp smell of plants and detritus was soothing and invigorating at the same time.
The trail slowly curved down a steep slope and back out of the trees. Sydney suddenly found himself on the rocky shore of a small lake. An old wooden dock jutted into the water not far from where Sydney stood. Standing alone at the end of the small pier was the reason for Sydney's foray into the woods.
Jarod was pitching stones into the lake. With skillful flicks of his wrist, Jarod was sending the flat stones skipping across the surface of the water several times before they sank beneath the surface.
Sydney ambled down the wooden planks to stand at Jarod's side. For several minutes, he silently watched his protégé whittle away at the small pile of stones at his feet. When one of the stones skipped seven times, Sydney finally spoke. "Impressive."
Jarod shrugged. "Seven is my personal best. I haven't been able to manage eight yet."
"But you keep trying." Sydney smiled.
"It relaxes me." Jarod admitted. Rolling a smooth round rock in the palm of his hand he mused, "The stones themselves must be chosen carefully. They need to be the proper shape and size. If it is too round, it won't skip, but if it's too flat it won't have any distance to it."
Sydney chuckled softly.
"Skipping stones is actually an excellent exercise in aerodynamics." Jarod said, flipping the rock into the water.
The two men stood side by side in a companionable silence. The plinking of pebbles into the water was the only sound between them. When the last of Jarod's stones disappeared into the dark water, the younger man sighed heavily.
"Feeling any better?" Sydney asked in a softly accented voice.
"No." Jarod responded.
"She was a little ." Sydney paused searching for the correct word. "Harsh."
"Sydney." Jarod groaned. "It was a verbal castration without anesthesia."
"How long have the two of you been sexually intimate?" Sydney asked abruptly.
Jarod's head whipped around to stare at his mentor in stunned horror. Sydney schooled his face into a stern mask of normality, serenely gazing out across the water. Laughing at the comical look on Jarod's face would not help matters at all.
"We thought we were being discrete." Jarod moaned dejectedly.
"Oh very much so." Sydney replied. "I'm the only one who suspects the truth. And I wasn't sure until just now."
"How did you know?" Jarod sighed.
Sydney studied Jarod's face intently as he tried to decide how much he should involve himself in this complicated relationship. Jarod and Miss Parker were both very important people in Sydney's life. He dreaded the prospect of being forced to choose sides between them. Each was a strong, willful individual with equally troubled emotional backgrounds. The psychological trauma and fear of abandonment inherent in both of Sydney's young friends made it difficult for either of them to depend heavily on anyone.
But Sydney had seen the trust they had in each other. He knew that Jarod would gladly lay down his life for Parker. And Sydney had personally witnessed Miss Parker's devotion to the pretender when she had painstakingly tended Jarod's wounds just after they had fled The Centre. The trust that existed between them was as strong as it was miraculous.
Perhaps fate had thrown Jarod and Miss Parker together again and again for a reason. Maybe they were meant to share their lives. Sydney truly hoped so. No one deserved happiness more then these two did. No one had earned it the way they had.
Sydney admitted to himself that he had already decided to get involved. He had made the decision before he'd followed Jarod down the path that had led him to this lake. Sydney vowed not to take sides. But he would do his best to keep them together.
"How did you know, Sydney?" Jarod asked again.
"She has been exceptionally vicious since you returned with Sam last week." Sydney said.
Jarod frowned. "So you automatically assumed we were sleeping together? That doesn't make sense."
Sydney smiled indulgently. "No. The fact that you stopped snarling back at her is what gave it away."
"I don't know what to do, Sydney." Jarod sighed. "When we are alone at night and it's just me and her in the dark, everything is so perfect." He closed his eyes as if savoring a fine wine. "I hold her in my arms and bury my face in her hair and nothing can touch us. When we make love, " Jarod gasped, his eyes bright with conviction. "She says she loves me, Sydney. And in the dark, I believe her. I'm sure of it."
"But?" Sydney asked.
"But then the sun comes up." Jarod shook his head slowly. "In the light of day the status quo returns. We're back to Lab-rat and Centre Ice Queen. At the first possible chance, she'll verbally rip me a new asshole."
"It hurts." Sydney said simply.
"God, yes." Jarod admitted. "The worst part of it is that she knows exactly what to say to hurt me the most."
"That comes from knowing you so well." Sydney nodded.
"Yeah, well." Jarod grumbled. "It sucks."
Sydney tilted his head at the younger man thoughtfully. "Why do you suppose she acts that way, Jarod?"
Jarod shrugged. "Because she's psychotic?" He asked with a smirk.
Sydney chuckled. "I'm being serious."
With a sigh, Jarod kicked ruefully at the planks beneath his feet. "She's scared." Jarod mumbled.
"She's terrified." Sydney agreed. "Jarod, in her life Parker has lost everyone she's ever held dear."
Jarod frowned. "She isn't going to lose me, Sydney."
"Are you sure?" Sydney asked, arching his brows questioningly. "Can you guarantee her that you won't get struck by lightning or hit by a bus? Can you swear that you won't get sick or have a coronary someday?"
"I'm not going to die anytime soon." Jarod vowed.
"You nearly died just a couple of months ago, Jarod." Sydney said softly. "There were times when I believe that Parker kept you alive through the sheer force of her will."
The pretender buried his hands in the pockets of his jeans and glared in frustration at the smooth surface of the lake. "What am I supposed to do, Sydney?" He asked plaintively.
"Do you care about her?" The psychiatrist asked in return.
Jarod nodded seriously. "I love her more than anything."
Sydney tilted his head inquisitively. "Is she worth fighting for?" He asked.
"Of course." Jarod answered.
"Then you need to fight for her." Sydney stated simply. "Your rival will be her fears and self-doubt."
Jarod's brow creased with a frown. He nodded thoughtfully, turned and began to walk across the dock toward the shore.
"Jarod." Sydney called to the pretender's retreating form. "There is something else that you need to keep in mind."
Jarod cocked his head at his old mentor with interest.
Sydney quickly crossed the distance between them and rested an affectionate hand on Jarod's shoulder. "Parker's vulnerability is mirrored in you. You are just as frightened, just as doubtful about this as she is. You mustn't lose sight of that. Recognize your own uncertainty for what it is."
Jarod swallowed and nodded his head. With a troubled look on his face he headed back up the incline toward the path that would take him back to the farmhouse.
Sydney watched him go, knowing that the pretender needed time to consider everything they had discussed. He hoped it would be enough.
One Good Turn Part 11
Walk by the Lake
By Phenyx
-
Sydney strolled down the narrow path that led away from the house. Passed the garden and around the barn, the path was little more than a worn trail in the grass. Behind the old barn, the path turned into a walkway through waist high weeds. Crossing the field of grasses and thistles, Sydney stuck his hands in his pockets and admired the grandeur of Mother Nature that surrounded him.
The late-afternoon air buzzed with the sounds of cicadas. Birds sang as they flitted among the nearby trees. More than once, Sydney was aware of the sounds of small wildlife scurrying away from him in the grass.
Just before the sunshine beating down on him became uncomfortably hot, Sydney stepped from the field and into the peaceful gloom of the trees. The wooded area didn't cause Sydney any concern for the path he followed was still easily visible through the undergrowth.
Sydney took his time. As he walked he deeply inhaled the distinct aroma of the forest. The vaguely damp, crisp smell of plants and detritus was soothing and invigorating at the same time.
The trail slowly curved down a steep slope and back out of the trees. Sydney suddenly found himself on the rocky shore of a small lake. An old wooden dock jutted into the water not far from where Sydney stood. Standing alone at the end of the small pier was the reason for Sydney's foray into the woods.
Jarod was pitching stones into the lake. With skillful flicks of his wrist, Jarod was sending the flat stones skipping across the surface of the water several times before they sank beneath the surface.
Sydney ambled down the wooden planks to stand at Jarod's side. For several minutes, he silently watched his protégé whittle away at the small pile of stones at his feet. When one of the stones skipped seven times, Sydney finally spoke. "Impressive."
Jarod shrugged. "Seven is my personal best. I haven't been able to manage eight yet."
"But you keep trying." Sydney smiled.
"It relaxes me." Jarod admitted. Rolling a smooth round rock in the palm of his hand he mused, "The stones themselves must be chosen carefully. They need to be the proper shape and size. If it is too round, it won't skip, but if it's too flat it won't have any distance to it."
Sydney chuckled softly.
"Skipping stones is actually an excellent exercise in aerodynamics." Jarod said, flipping the rock into the water.
The two men stood side by side in a companionable silence. The plinking of pebbles into the water was the only sound between them. When the last of Jarod's stones disappeared into the dark water, the younger man sighed heavily.
"Feeling any better?" Sydney asked in a softly accented voice.
"No." Jarod responded.
"She was a little ." Sydney paused searching for the correct word. "Harsh."
"Sydney." Jarod groaned. "It was a verbal castration without anesthesia."
"How long have the two of you been sexually intimate?" Sydney asked abruptly.
Jarod's head whipped around to stare at his mentor in stunned horror. Sydney schooled his face into a stern mask of normality, serenely gazing out across the water. Laughing at the comical look on Jarod's face would not help matters at all.
"We thought we were being discrete." Jarod moaned dejectedly.
"Oh very much so." Sydney replied. "I'm the only one who suspects the truth. And I wasn't sure until just now."
"How did you know?" Jarod sighed.
Sydney studied Jarod's face intently as he tried to decide how much he should involve himself in this complicated relationship. Jarod and Miss Parker were both very important people in Sydney's life. He dreaded the prospect of being forced to choose sides between them. Each was a strong, willful individual with equally troubled emotional backgrounds. The psychological trauma and fear of abandonment inherent in both of Sydney's young friends made it difficult for either of them to depend heavily on anyone.
But Sydney had seen the trust they had in each other. He knew that Jarod would gladly lay down his life for Parker. And Sydney had personally witnessed Miss Parker's devotion to the pretender when she had painstakingly tended Jarod's wounds just after they had fled The Centre. The trust that existed between them was as strong as it was miraculous.
Perhaps fate had thrown Jarod and Miss Parker together again and again for a reason. Maybe they were meant to share their lives. Sydney truly hoped so. No one deserved happiness more then these two did. No one had earned it the way they had.
Sydney admitted to himself that he had already decided to get involved. He had made the decision before he'd followed Jarod down the path that had led him to this lake. Sydney vowed not to take sides. But he would do his best to keep them together.
"How did you know, Sydney?" Jarod asked again.
"She has been exceptionally vicious since you returned with Sam last week." Sydney said.
Jarod frowned. "So you automatically assumed we were sleeping together? That doesn't make sense."
Sydney smiled indulgently. "No. The fact that you stopped snarling back at her is what gave it away."
"I don't know what to do, Sydney." Jarod sighed. "When we are alone at night and it's just me and her in the dark, everything is so perfect." He closed his eyes as if savoring a fine wine. "I hold her in my arms and bury my face in her hair and nothing can touch us. When we make love, " Jarod gasped, his eyes bright with conviction. "She says she loves me, Sydney. And in the dark, I believe her. I'm sure of it."
"But?" Sydney asked.
"But then the sun comes up." Jarod shook his head slowly. "In the light of day the status quo returns. We're back to Lab-rat and Centre Ice Queen. At the first possible chance, she'll verbally rip me a new asshole."
"It hurts." Sydney said simply.
"God, yes." Jarod admitted. "The worst part of it is that she knows exactly what to say to hurt me the most."
"That comes from knowing you so well." Sydney nodded.
"Yeah, well." Jarod grumbled. "It sucks."
Sydney tilted his head at the younger man thoughtfully. "Why do you suppose she acts that way, Jarod?"
Jarod shrugged. "Because she's psychotic?" He asked with a smirk.
Sydney chuckled. "I'm being serious."
With a sigh, Jarod kicked ruefully at the planks beneath his feet. "She's scared." Jarod mumbled.
"She's terrified." Sydney agreed. "Jarod, in her life Parker has lost everyone she's ever held dear."
Jarod frowned. "She isn't going to lose me, Sydney."
"Are you sure?" Sydney asked, arching his brows questioningly. "Can you guarantee her that you won't get struck by lightning or hit by a bus? Can you swear that you won't get sick or have a coronary someday?"
"I'm not going to die anytime soon." Jarod vowed.
"You nearly died just a couple of months ago, Jarod." Sydney said softly. "There were times when I believe that Parker kept you alive through the sheer force of her will."
The pretender buried his hands in the pockets of his jeans and glared in frustration at the smooth surface of the lake. "What am I supposed to do, Sydney?" He asked plaintively.
"Do you care about her?" The psychiatrist asked in return.
Jarod nodded seriously. "I love her more than anything."
Sydney tilted his head inquisitively. "Is she worth fighting for?" He asked.
"Of course." Jarod answered.
"Then you need to fight for her." Sydney stated simply. "Your rival will be her fears and self-doubt."
Jarod's brow creased with a frown. He nodded thoughtfully, turned and began to walk across the dock toward the shore.
"Jarod." Sydney called to the pretender's retreating form. "There is something else that you need to keep in mind."
Jarod cocked his head at his old mentor with interest.
Sydney quickly crossed the distance between them and rested an affectionate hand on Jarod's shoulder. "Parker's vulnerability is mirrored in you. You are just as frightened, just as doubtful about this as she is. You mustn't lose sight of that. Recognize your own uncertainty for what it is."
Jarod swallowed and nodded his head. With a troubled look on his face he headed back up the incline toward the path that would take him back to the farmhouse.
Sydney watched him go, knowing that the pretender needed time to consider everything they had discussed. He hoped it would be enough.
