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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: In part 1. Song lyrics belong to Fiona Apple and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Discovery
part 2
by Rachel Schaefer
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At the sound of Jarod’s voice, Parker set her glass down on the corner of the table and sat down on the edge of the couch. Static passed through the phone as both Jarod and Miss Parker remained silent, neither sure of what to say next. Finally, a soft intake of breath broke the silence and Jarod spoke. “ So Parker, is your brother still alive after your encounter with him this afternoon?” Parker couldn’t help but smile at his comment, and had to calm the urge to laugh before finally answering.
“Unfortunately, but if I find out he still has my house under surveillance, he’ll wish he was dead after I get through with him.” Jarods laughter echoed in the silence of the room, and for a moment, Parker could almost feel his presence next to her, even though he was undoubtedly miles away.
Jarod cleared his throat, and once again broke the silence that had settled between them, “Goodnight Miss Parker.”
“Goodnight Jarod,” Parker whispered before hanging up her phone. A part of her wanted the conversation to last longer than it had, but the other, more rational part of her mind knew he couldn’t take the chance that his call could be traced. Parker could once again feel the beginning of a headache throbbing at her temples as she thought of the Centre’s intrusion into her personal life. Pushing the thoughts aside, she picked up her glass of scotch from the table and made her way to the window. As Miss Parker looked outside into the darkness, she allowed the feelings of the last few days to wash over her in an alcohol tinged wave before turning her attention back inside the house and heading into her room to catch up on much needed sleep.
************
Cuz’ I’m tired of whys, choking on whys
Just need a little because, because
I let the beast in and then; I even tried forgiving him
But its too soon
************
The shrill beeping of her alarm awakened Miss Parker, and she had to restrain herself from throwing it across her room. A pounding headache accompanied the stiffness present in her joints, and Parker groaned inwardly as she made her way to the medicine cabinet in search of some painkillers. After swallowing a handful of the small pills, Parker made her way back into her bedroom and quickly got dressed. Before leaving the room, Parker slipped her Centre issued gun into the waistband of her suit, flinching slightly as the cool metal came into contact with her skin. Miss Parker cast a quick look around the living room, checking to assure that all the lights were off, before finally locking the front door behind her and heading to her car.
The drive to the Centre passed in a blur as Parker let her thoughts become entangled with the rhythms of the music playing in the background. The Centre soon could be seen looming in the distance, and Parker began to mentally prepare herself for the confrontation with her father she knew would be awaiting her as she walked into her office. The halls were deserted, and Miss Parker’s heels echoed as she walked to her office; however the solitude she had experienced while walking through the halls was short lived.
“Angel, welcome back,” Mr. Parker stated as Parker entered her office. She walked over to him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek, mumbling “Hello Daddy” as she set her briefcase onto her desk.
“Lyle told me of your encounter with him this weekend.”
“Did he also tell you how he had my house under surveillance,” she questioned as she opened her briefcase and removed several documents.
“Yes he did, in fact he told me he about the surveillance before he set it up.”
Parker paused and had to calm herself before replying, “ And you allowed it?” Mr. Parker opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a knock at the door. A young woman stepped hesitantly through the door and handed Mr. Parker a folded piece of paper. After reading the message, Mr. Parker turned and began to walk out of the room, only pausing to make a final statement as the door swung shut. “ We’ll finish this conversation later.” Parker sat down heavily in her chair and rested her forehead on her hands. The headache she had tamed earlier that morning was coming back in a raging wave, throbbing at her temples. Slowly, Parker made her way to the small cabinet on the other side of the room, and poured herself a glass of scotch before grabbing a handful of aspirin. The combination of alcohol and medication burned as it hit Parker’s empty stomach, but the throbbing in her head began to subside. Miss Parker made her way back over to her desk, and started sorting through the files she had brought with her. However, as hard as she tried to concentrate on the information contained in the files, her mind kept drifting to the conversation with her father. She had always know that he had allowed other Centre employees to be put under surveillance, but she never expected him to do the same to her. Parker couldn’t help but feel betrayed, and the feeling remained with her even as she tried unsuccessfully to focus on her work. The loud ringing of the telephone interrupted Parker’s thoughts, and she answered it with a sharp,” What!?”
“M-Miss Parker?”
“What is it Broots?”
“We have some information that you need to take a look at. It’s about a possible location on Jarod.”
“OK I’ll be right down,” she stated before hanging up the phone and heading down the hall.
************
And you can use my skin
To bury secrets in
And I will settle you down
And at my own suggestion,
I will ask no questions
**************
Parker rubbed her temples as she made her way back to her office. Her earlier meeting with Broots had only served to bring back the headache that had been plaguing her all morning. After entering her office, Parker packed up her files and headed down to her car. The ride home was relatively uneventful, but as she pulled into the driveway, Parker noticed a small light on in her living room. She parked her car and slowly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. As she neared the door, the soft sound of music drifted out into the darkness, and Parker withdrew her gun from her waistband. The door opened soundlessly and Parker advanced into the depths of her house. A figure was sitting on the couch, his back turned towards her, and she walked up behind him slowly. The sound of the gun’s hammer being pulled back broke the relative silence of the room, and the figure on the couch slowly raised his hands.
“Get up and turn around slowly,” Parker stated in a harsh whisper. The figure turned around, and she almost dropped the gun in surprise. “Jarod, what the hell are you doing here!?”
“Parker, is that anyway to greet a guest?”
“How did you get in here?”
“It was easy. I’m a pretender remember,” Jarod said sarcastically. Miss Parker couldn’t help but smile at his remark, turning around for a moment to place her gun on the table, before sitting down heavily on the couch. Parker rested her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. When she finally opened them again, Jarod was sitting next to her, drinking a small glass of wine. Feeling her eyes on him, Jarod reached down to the table and lifted a second glass of wine, bringing it to rest in Parker’s hands. She raised the glass to her lips, and while watching him over the rim of the glass, took a long drink and allowed the sweet liquid to travel slowly down her throat.
“Thanks Jarod.” Jarod nodded his head, and the two settled into a cofortable silence. However, the silence was broken as Miss Parker let out a hushed curse.
“Are you alright Miss Parker?” Jarod asked, concern lacing his voice.
“It’s fine, Jarod,” she mumbled, bringing her hand up to her neck as she finished her statement. Jarod remained silent, but as she began to try and work the cramp out of her neck, he gave her a look of disbelief. “What?” Parker asked, as she felt his eyes watching her.
“Come here.”
“What?”
“Come here,” he said again, only this time he reached over and gave her hand a gentle tug to emphasize his point. Parker hesitantly moved from her space on the couch, and took a seat next to Jarod. He slowly ran his fingers into her hair and moved it off of her neck.
“Jarod, what are…?” Parker’s question was cut off by Jarod’s hand over her mouth.
“Shhh… just trust me on this one ok?” Once Parker nodded her head, Jarod removed his hand from her mouth and brought it back to her neck. Parker flinched as his hands applied a gentle pressure to the knots in her neck, but as the pain began to disappear, Parker leaned back into his hands. “Feeling better?” he whispered into her ear.
“Much,” she stated, only pausing slightly to control the effect Jarod’s voice had on her composure. He continued to work the knots out of her neck, stopping only when Parker let out a stifled yawn. Jarod took his hands off of her neck, and slowly stood up.
“Parker, you should go to bed.”
“Probably,” she muttered as she stood up. As she moved towards the bedroom, she turned around and asked, ”So are you coming?”
Jarod turned around to look at her, allowing the question to run through his mind, a look of confusion crossing his face.
“Relax Jarod, I won’t bite.”
Jarod smiled at her comment before walking towards the bedroom. The two quickly changed and slipped under the cotton sheets covering Parker’s bed; Parker turned on her side, draping her arm across Jarod’s chest and burying her face in the hollow of his neck. Jarod wrapped his arm around Parker’s shoulders and placed a gentle kiss on her forhead.
“Goodnight Parker.”
“Goodnight Jarod.”
She could hear the sound of her mothers’ voice as it echoed of the walls of the Centre. As Parker crept closer in the cover of darkness, she could see the outline of her mothers figure lit by the light of the elevator door. She was arguing with a man about the Centre, but Parker couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying. The man raised a small gun and pointed it towards her mother. Parker wanted to scream out, tell her to run, but her voice froze in her throat and she sat here helpless. The sound of the gun going off was deafening; Catherine Parker’s body fell heavily to the ground as the bullet struck her chest. “Mommy,” Parker screamed, running to her side. A pair of strong hands grabbed her from behind, pulling her away from the sight of her mother’s body.
Parker sat up, gasping for breath, as residual images from the dream played across the inside of her eyelids.
“Parker, what’s wrong?” questioned Jarod, awoken by Parker’s rapid breathing. She reached up to wipe the tears off of her face.
“It’s nothing Jarod, I’m fine.”
“Parker…” Jarod began, resting his hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t!” she shouted, knocking his hand away as she stood up. Jarod reached out and grabbed her wrist, her momentum carrying her back to the bed. As she fell onto the bed, she made a vain attempt to knock Jarod’s hand off of her wrist; however, she only succeed in giving Jarod the opportunity to grab her other wrist and pin them both above her head.
“What is so bad that you can’t tell me?”
“Let me go Jarod,” she uttered, anger coating her voice.
“Not until you tell me what’s bothering you.” Parker brought her knee up into Jarod’s side and he let out a strangled gasp. “Dammit Parker,” Jarod muttered under his breath as he straddled Parker and used his weight to pin down her legs. They remained silent, the tension in the air growing perceivably thicker as Parker’s eyes bore deep into Jarod’s. His hands loosened their hold on her wrists, moving to wipe away the tears that had begun to flow down her face.
“Please talk to me,” Jarod whispered. Parker closed her eyes, aware of Jarod’s eyes on her face. Her next statement was uttered so softly that Jarod had to strain in order to hear it.
“I could have saved her.”
“Who?”
Parker opened her eyes, focusing her eyes on the ceiling, “My mother.” Jarod stared blankly at her, his disbelief showing in his eyes. “I could have warned her. I was hiding in the hallway and I saw her arguing with a man. I saw him pull a gun. I should have warned her, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t save her.” Parker’s voice drifted off towards the end of her statement; tears once again began to flow down her face.
“You were young, you couldn’t have done anything.” Jarod moved his hands to her face, forcing her to look at him. “It wasn’t your fault, you have to believe that.” Parker brought her hand up to Jarod’s neck,
“I don’t know if I can.”
To Be Continued…………………..
Feedback: Please, please, please :O) Any constructive criticism or comments are welcomed, however; any flames will be taken care of by my purple dragon, Fred.
Discovery
part 2
by Rachel Schaefer
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At the sound of Jarod’s voice, Parker set her glass down on the corner of the table and sat down on the edge of the couch. Static passed through the phone as both Jarod and Miss Parker remained silent, neither sure of what to say next. Finally, a soft intake of breath broke the silence and Jarod spoke. “ So Parker, is your brother still alive after your encounter with him this afternoon?” Parker couldn’t help but smile at his comment, and had to calm the urge to laugh before finally answering.
“Unfortunately, but if I find out he still has my house under surveillance, he’ll wish he was dead after I get through with him.” Jarods laughter echoed in the silence of the room, and for a moment, Parker could almost feel his presence next to her, even though he was undoubtedly miles away.
Jarod cleared his throat, and once again broke the silence that had settled between them, “Goodnight Miss Parker.”
“Goodnight Jarod,” Parker whispered before hanging up her phone. A part of her wanted the conversation to last longer than it had, but the other, more rational part of her mind knew he couldn’t take the chance that his call could be traced. Parker could once again feel the beginning of a headache throbbing at her temples as she thought of the Centre’s intrusion into her personal life. Pushing the thoughts aside, she picked up her glass of scotch from the table and made her way to the window. As Miss Parker looked outside into the darkness, she allowed the feelings of the last few days to wash over her in an alcohol tinged wave before turning her attention back inside the house and heading into her room to catch up on much needed sleep.
************
Cuz’ I’m tired of whys, choking on whys
Just need a little because, because
I let the beast in and then; I even tried forgiving him
But its too soon
************
The shrill beeping of her alarm awakened Miss Parker, and she had to restrain herself from throwing it across her room. A pounding headache accompanied the stiffness present in her joints, and Parker groaned inwardly as she made her way to the medicine cabinet in search of some painkillers. After swallowing a handful of the small pills, Parker made her way back into her bedroom and quickly got dressed. Before leaving the room, Parker slipped her Centre issued gun into the waistband of her suit, flinching slightly as the cool metal came into contact with her skin. Miss Parker cast a quick look around the living room, checking to assure that all the lights were off, before finally locking the front door behind her and heading to her car.
The drive to the Centre passed in a blur as Parker let her thoughts become entangled with the rhythms of the music playing in the background. The Centre soon could be seen looming in the distance, and Parker began to mentally prepare herself for the confrontation with her father she knew would be awaiting her as she walked into her office. The halls were deserted, and Miss Parker’s heels echoed as she walked to her office; however the solitude she had experienced while walking through the halls was short lived.
“Angel, welcome back,” Mr. Parker stated as Parker entered her office. She walked over to him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek, mumbling “Hello Daddy” as she set her briefcase onto her desk.
“Lyle told me of your encounter with him this weekend.”
“Did he also tell you how he had my house under surveillance,” she questioned as she opened her briefcase and removed several documents.
“Yes he did, in fact he told me he about the surveillance before he set it up.”
Parker paused and had to calm herself before replying, “ And you allowed it?” Mr. Parker opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a knock at the door. A young woman stepped hesitantly through the door and handed Mr. Parker a folded piece of paper. After reading the message, Mr. Parker turned and began to walk out of the room, only pausing to make a final statement as the door swung shut. “ We’ll finish this conversation later.” Parker sat down heavily in her chair and rested her forehead on her hands. The headache she had tamed earlier that morning was coming back in a raging wave, throbbing at her temples. Slowly, Parker made her way to the small cabinet on the other side of the room, and poured herself a glass of scotch before grabbing a handful of aspirin. The combination of alcohol and medication burned as it hit Parker’s empty stomach, but the throbbing in her head began to subside. Miss Parker made her way back over to her desk, and started sorting through the files she had brought with her. However, as hard as she tried to concentrate on the information contained in the files, her mind kept drifting to the conversation with her father. She had always know that he had allowed other Centre employees to be put under surveillance, but she never expected him to do the same to her. Parker couldn’t help but feel betrayed, and the feeling remained with her even as she tried unsuccessfully to focus on her work. The loud ringing of the telephone interrupted Parker’s thoughts, and she answered it with a sharp,” What!?”
“M-Miss Parker?”
“What is it Broots?”
“We have some information that you need to take a look at. It’s about a possible location on Jarod.”
“OK I’ll be right down,” she stated before hanging up the phone and heading down the hall.
************
And you can use my skin
To bury secrets in
And I will settle you down
And at my own suggestion,
I will ask no questions
**************
Parker rubbed her temples as she made her way back to her office. Her earlier meeting with Broots had only served to bring back the headache that had been plaguing her all morning. After entering her office, Parker packed up her files and headed down to her car. The ride home was relatively uneventful, but as she pulled into the driveway, Parker noticed a small light on in her living room. She parked her car and slowly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. As she neared the door, the soft sound of music drifted out into the darkness, and Parker withdrew her gun from her waistband. The door opened soundlessly and Parker advanced into the depths of her house. A figure was sitting on the couch, his back turned towards her, and she walked up behind him slowly. The sound of the gun’s hammer being pulled back broke the relative silence of the room, and the figure on the couch slowly raised his hands.
“Get up and turn around slowly,” Parker stated in a harsh whisper. The figure turned around, and she almost dropped the gun in surprise. “Jarod, what the hell are you doing here!?”
“Parker, is that anyway to greet a guest?”
“How did you get in here?”
“It was easy. I’m a pretender remember,” Jarod said sarcastically. Miss Parker couldn’t help but smile at his remark, turning around for a moment to place her gun on the table, before sitting down heavily on the couch. Parker rested her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. When she finally opened them again, Jarod was sitting next to her, drinking a small glass of wine. Feeling her eyes on him, Jarod reached down to the table and lifted a second glass of wine, bringing it to rest in Parker’s hands. She raised the glass to her lips, and while watching him over the rim of the glass, took a long drink and allowed the sweet liquid to travel slowly down her throat.
“Thanks Jarod.” Jarod nodded his head, and the two settled into a cofortable silence. However, the silence was broken as Miss Parker let out a hushed curse.
“Are you alright Miss Parker?” Jarod asked, concern lacing his voice.
“It’s fine, Jarod,” she mumbled, bringing her hand up to her neck as she finished her statement. Jarod remained silent, but as she began to try and work the cramp out of her neck, he gave her a look of disbelief. “What?” Parker asked, as she felt his eyes watching her.
“Come here.”
“What?”
“Come here,” he said again, only this time he reached over and gave her hand a gentle tug to emphasize his point. Parker hesitantly moved from her space on the couch, and took a seat next to Jarod. He slowly ran his fingers into her hair and moved it off of her neck.
“Jarod, what are…?” Parker’s question was cut off by Jarod’s hand over her mouth.
“Shhh… just trust me on this one ok?” Once Parker nodded her head, Jarod removed his hand from her mouth and brought it back to her neck. Parker flinched as his hands applied a gentle pressure to the knots in her neck, but as the pain began to disappear, Parker leaned back into his hands. “Feeling better?” he whispered into her ear.
“Much,” she stated, only pausing slightly to control the effect Jarod’s voice had on her composure. He continued to work the knots out of her neck, stopping only when Parker let out a stifled yawn. Jarod took his hands off of her neck, and slowly stood up.
“Parker, you should go to bed.”
“Probably,” she muttered as she stood up. As she moved towards the bedroom, she turned around and asked, ”So are you coming?”
Jarod turned around to look at her, allowing the question to run through his mind, a look of confusion crossing his face.
“Relax Jarod, I won’t bite.”
Jarod smiled at her comment before walking towards the bedroom. The two quickly changed and slipped under the cotton sheets covering Parker’s bed; Parker turned on her side, draping her arm across Jarod’s chest and burying her face in the hollow of his neck. Jarod wrapped his arm around Parker’s shoulders and placed a gentle kiss on her forhead.
“Goodnight Parker.”
“Goodnight Jarod.”
She could hear the sound of her mothers’ voice as it echoed of the walls of the Centre. As Parker crept closer in the cover of darkness, she could see the outline of her mothers figure lit by the light of the elevator door. She was arguing with a man about the Centre, but Parker couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying. The man raised a small gun and pointed it towards her mother. Parker wanted to scream out, tell her to run, but her voice froze in her throat and she sat here helpless. The sound of the gun going off was deafening; Catherine Parker’s body fell heavily to the ground as the bullet struck her chest. “Mommy,” Parker screamed, running to her side. A pair of strong hands grabbed her from behind, pulling her away from the sight of her mother’s body.
Parker sat up, gasping for breath, as residual images from the dream played across the inside of her eyelids.
“Parker, what’s wrong?” questioned Jarod, awoken by Parker’s rapid breathing. She reached up to wipe the tears off of her face.
“It’s nothing Jarod, I’m fine.”
“Parker…” Jarod began, resting his hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t!” she shouted, knocking his hand away as she stood up. Jarod reached out and grabbed her wrist, her momentum carrying her back to the bed. As she fell onto the bed, she made a vain attempt to knock Jarod’s hand off of her wrist; however, she only succeed in giving Jarod the opportunity to grab her other wrist and pin them both above her head.
“What is so bad that you can’t tell me?”
“Let me go Jarod,” she uttered, anger coating her voice.
“Not until you tell me what’s bothering you.” Parker brought her knee up into Jarod’s side and he let out a strangled gasp. “Dammit Parker,” Jarod muttered under his breath as he straddled Parker and used his weight to pin down her legs. They remained silent, the tension in the air growing perceivably thicker as Parker’s eyes bore deep into Jarod’s. His hands loosened their hold on her wrists, moving to wipe away the tears that had begun to flow down her face.
“Please talk to me,” Jarod whispered. Parker closed her eyes, aware of Jarod’s eyes on her face. Her next statement was uttered so softly that Jarod had to strain in order to hear it.
“I could have saved her.”
“Who?”
Parker opened her eyes, focusing her eyes on the ceiling, “My mother.” Jarod stared blankly at her, his disbelief showing in his eyes. “I could have warned her. I was hiding in the hallway and I saw her arguing with a man. I saw him pull a gun. I should have warned her, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t save her.” Parker’s voice drifted off towards the end of her statement; tears once again began to flow down her face.
“You were young, you couldn’t have done anything.” Jarod moved his hands to her face, forcing her to look at him. “It wasn’t your fault, you have to believe that.” Parker brought her hand up to Jarod’s neck,
“I don’t know if I can.”
To Be Continued…………………..
Feedback: Please, please, please :O) Any constructive criticism or comments are welcomed, however; any flames will be taken care of by my purple dragon, Fred.
