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Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Extra Help
The Red Strawberry
Jarod walked to the bus stop, reading a newspaper article. He was on his way to New Jersey, but right now he was stuck in Maryland. Without looking down, he sat on the bench. He shot back up when it moved. A girl with tousled brown hair sat up, wrapped in a blanket.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Jarod apologized. “My names Jarod. May I share this bench?”
“Sure. I’m AnnaLeece.” The girl swung her legs off, giving him room. She looked no more than 16. Jarod wondered what she was doing out alone.
“Excuse me, but why are you out here all by yourself?”
“ I can’t go home, and this is the best place to sleep. Do you have a last name, Jarod?”
“None that I can tell you.”
“When I’m afraid I must leave. Bye!” AnnaLeece ran off towards a hotel. Jarod decided to follow her. She checked in as Anne Russell. Jarod walked up to the counter.
“I was wondering if my daughter has been here,” he asked the clerk. “She often runs off when we have a disagreement, and I just gave her a large wad of cash.”
“ What was her name, sir?”
“ Anne. Anne Russell. I’m Bill Russell.”
“ I just checked in an Anne Russell. Her room number is 27, and oh, she forgot her key. Here you are Mr. Russell.” Jarod thanked the clerk and went down to her room. Knocking, he opened the door. In the room was a large mess of papers, all strewn about. He realized he tome of the folders that were also lying around were red. As he leaned down to pick one up, he heard a gasp.
“You shouldn’t be here! You’ll get in trouble,” AnnaLeece scolded.
“ Tell me, AnnaLeece, why can’t you go home?”
“Rainy might hurt me. He has searchers out.”
“ Who’s Rainy?” Jarod asked, fearing the answer.
“My Grandfather, Bill Raines. You might not want to stay here. If they catch me, they will definitely catch you.”
“ You know who I am?”
“ You’re Jarod. I’ve only read about you, never seen an actual photo or DSA.” She gestured to the papers around the room. “I was looking for a picture I might have missed. When you followed me, I was sure you were the Jarod. You are, aren’t you?”
“ Yes, that’s me. And I’m not leaving you. How did you manage to get these?”
“ I was looking around his study. I’m not supposed to go in there. I found all these files.”
“ Why were you with Raines?” That was the thing Jarod still did not get.
“My mother, Anne, died as soon as I was born. Rainy won’t go into how. I think she was the only person he actually cared for. After Edna disappeared, he was the only person left.”
“ I had no idea Raines had a granddaughter. Who is your father?”
“ See, I didn’t know until I went through the red files. There is a guy named Kyle. I haven’t finished his file yet, but Raines used Anne and Kyle to create a lab baby-me. What’s the matter Jarod? Jarod?” AnnaLeece was worried when he did not answer her. He was looking down on the ground, struggling for breath.
“Anna, you realize what this means?”
“ What?”
“ You are my niece! Kyle was my brother. I just found out three years ago, but your father and I are related. But I don’t understand. Why create you? I mean, I’m happy you’re here, but Raines isn’t known for his love of kids.”
“ That’s what I was wondering. So one time Rainy was trying to teach me Advanced Cal and he got frustrated. He mumbled something about me being too
dumb. When he left I snuck into his study and found out about why I was made. He wanted another pretender. And if it were Anne’s child, he would have full say in what happened to me. I didn’t know what a pretender was, so I looked further. That’s when I found all these files.”
“ Red files,” Jarod corrected her.
“ Jarod, may I call you Uncle? I’ve never had anyone but my grandparents.” Jarod reached for her and drew them into a hug.
“ I was hoping you’d ask, sweets.” That night Jarod told AnnaLeece all about Kyle and Edna. By morning Jarod had a plan for her.
They were in Delaware once again, and AnnaLeece was nervous. What if he didn’t want her?
“ Now remember what I told you,” Jarod reminded, breaking through her thoughts. “Broots has a soft spot for kids and he’s incredibly intimidated by strong women. Just play the part.” AnnaLeece nodded, and set off to the neighborhood.
“ Yes?” Broots asked into the phone.
“ Mr. Broots,” the all too familiar voice said. “I have a present for you. She’ll be at your door at about, oh, now.” Jarod hung up as Broots heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door, surprised to see a young girl standing on his doorstep swinging a DSA around her finger.
“Hello, Mr. Broots. I heard you’re having some work and child-care problems,” She greeted. Broots stammered and she invited herself in.
Four months later
“ Hello, Broots residence,” a feminine voice answered. Miss Parker didn’t recognize it, but went on anyway.
“Hello, Debbie. I need to speak to your father.”
“ Oh, I’m not Debbie, but I’ll get him.” Miss Parker heard a softly yelled,
‘Broots!’ on the other end.
“ Y-yes, Miss Parker?”
“ Broots, who was that?” She snapped.
“ My daughter. Are you calling because of the memo I sent you?”
“ Yes, Broots, what do you mean your daughter?”
“ Just that. Now come over, I have some DSA’s to show you.”
“ Yes, but I-” Miss Parker was stopped when he hung up. “Sydney!” She screeched. “Broots just hung up on me! And did you know he has another daughter?” Sydney just shook his head. This was certainly going to be interesting.
“Anne, would you get that?” Broots yelled when he heard the knock on the door.
“Sure thing, Daddy,” she replied sarcastically. Opening the door, she greeted the visitors, “Hello, I’m assuming you’re Sydney and Miss Parker. Won’t you come in?” Miss Parker’s mouth hung open, while Sydney walked through the entryway.
“Hello, and you are…?”
“ Anne. I’m Broots’ daughter. Miss Parker, are you going to come in? It’s a bit drafty and Debbie has a small cold already.” Miss Parker glared at the teen and walked in as Broots entered the living room.
“Ah, Sydney, Miss Parker, I see you’ve met my daughter, Anne Russell. Well, I guess now it’s Anne Broots. We need to get to work.”
“ Broots,” Sydney began, “When did you acquire a daughter?”
“ I was a gift,” Anne answered for him. “This month I was officially adopted.”
“ May I ask why?” Miss Parker asked rudely.
“Because my parents are dead. Now may we get to the DSA’s?” Broots hid a grin, and answered Miss Parker’s question.
“I needed a babysitter and she needed a home. And yes, Anne, we are going to get to the DSA.” He inserted the disc and they were shown an image of Raines as ‘Dr. Billy’. He explained about breeding Kyle and his daughter. At the end of the DSA, the screen went fuzzy and Broots snapped it off.
“What happened to the egg?” Sydney asked.
“The baby died with Anne. Her body was too damaged to save it.” Sydney nodded, accepting that answer for now. Miss Parker didn’t see what the big deal was.
“ Why did you contact us?”
“I didn’t want to keep anything from you,” Broots said sheepishly.
“You call this not hiding something from us?” Miss Parker asked angrily.
“I’m sure Broots had his reasons,” Sydney told her. He has some calls to make, and lead her out the door. “I’m sure you’ll call us if you find anything?” Broots nodded, hoping they would leave soon. Just then Debbie ran out in her pajamas.
“Anne, will you read to me?”
“Sure, sweets.” Anne lead her to the girls’ room, while Sydney and Miss
Parker left, not wanting to intrude on their bedtime.
“Did I do good, Leecy?” Debbie asked.
“ You did great. Right on cue! Now, do you want that story or not?” Debbie jumped up and down, picking out her favorite story, ‘Jenny and the Cat Club.
Broots smiled as he watched AnnaLeece and Debbie pick out which cat would be Miss Parker. He knew she had already been made a part of the family. He went to his computer, writing to Jarod to tell him how his niece was doing.
Meanwhile Sydney was going through his files. He finally found the entry he wanted. ‘Jarod is now believing his last name is Russell. I do not have the authority to find out if this is true or not.’ He counted on his fingers, discovering Anne’s baby would have been born before the car accident. He was startled out of his thoughts when the phone rang.
“This is Sydney,” he answered.
“I hope you’ve met the gift,” Jarod’s unmistakable voice answered.
“Yes, Jarod, wherever did you find her? Raines, perhaps?”
“ No, actually, Maryland. Do you like her?”
“ Of course. I must ask, is she really your niece?”
“Yes, at least from what I know.”
“ May I know her name?”
“AnnaLeece. Sydney, you sound so excited. It’s just a little girl.”
“ I know, but I worry about Broots. We have a new project coming up and I don’t want him to be stressed.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. That new project has already been taken care of.” Sydney waited for him to hang up and went back to reading. The new project involved a behavior expert. She was going to help them use Angelo. He hoped things would settle down soon.
THE END
Extra Help
The Red Strawberry
Jarod walked to the bus stop, reading a newspaper article. He was on his way to New Jersey, but right now he was stuck in Maryland. Without looking down, he sat on the bench. He shot back up when it moved. A girl with tousled brown hair sat up, wrapped in a blanket.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Jarod apologized. “My names Jarod. May I share this bench?”
“Sure. I’m AnnaLeece.” The girl swung her legs off, giving him room. She looked no more than 16. Jarod wondered what she was doing out alone.
“Excuse me, but why are you out here all by yourself?”
“ I can’t go home, and this is the best place to sleep. Do you have a last name, Jarod?”
“None that I can tell you.”
“When I’m afraid I must leave. Bye!” AnnaLeece ran off towards a hotel. Jarod decided to follow her. She checked in as Anne Russell. Jarod walked up to the counter.
“I was wondering if my daughter has been here,” he asked the clerk. “She often runs off when we have a disagreement, and I just gave her a large wad of cash.”
“ What was her name, sir?”
“ Anne. Anne Russell. I’m Bill Russell.”
“ I just checked in an Anne Russell. Her room number is 27, and oh, she forgot her key. Here you are Mr. Russell.” Jarod thanked the clerk and went down to her room. Knocking, he opened the door. In the room was a large mess of papers, all strewn about. He realized he tome of the folders that were also lying around were red. As he leaned down to pick one up, he heard a gasp.
“You shouldn’t be here! You’ll get in trouble,” AnnaLeece scolded.
“ Tell me, AnnaLeece, why can’t you go home?”
“Rainy might hurt me. He has searchers out.”
“ Who’s Rainy?” Jarod asked, fearing the answer.
“My Grandfather, Bill Raines. You might not want to stay here. If they catch me, they will definitely catch you.”
“ You know who I am?”
“ You’re Jarod. I’ve only read about you, never seen an actual photo or DSA.” She gestured to the papers around the room. “I was looking for a picture I might have missed. When you followed me, I was sure you were the Jarod. You are, aren’t you?”
“ Yes, that’s me. And I’m not leaving you. How did you manage to get these?”
“ I was looking around his study. I’m not supposed to go in there. I found all these files.”
“ Why were you with Raines?” That was the thing Jarod still did not get.
“My mother, Anne, died as soon as I was born. Rainy won’t go into how. I think she was the only person he actually cared for. After Edna disappeared, he was the only person left.”
“ I had no idea Raines had a granddaughter. Who is your father?”
“ See, I didn’t know until I went through the red files. There is a guy named Kyle. I haven’t finished his file yet, but Raines used Anne and Kyle to create a lab baby-me. What’s the matter Jarod? Jarod?” AnnaLeece was worried when he did not answer her. He was looking down on the ground, struggling for breath.
“Anna, you realize what this means?”
“ What?”
“ You are my niece! Kyle was my brother. I just found out three years ago, but your father and I are related. But I don’t understand. Why create you? I mean, I’m happy you’re here, but Raines isn’t known for his love of kids.”
“ That’s what I was wondering. So one time Rainy was trying to teach me Advanced Cal and he got frustrated. He mumbled something about me being too
dumb. When he left I snuck into his study and found out about why I was made. He wanted another pretender. And if it were Anne’s child, he would have full say in what happened to me. I didn’t know what a pretender was, so I looked further. That’s when I found all these files.”
“ Red files,” Jarod corrected her.
“ Jarod, may I call you Uncle? I’ve never had anyone but my grandparents.” Jarod reached for her and drew them into a hug.
“ I was hoping you’d ask, sweets.” That night Jarod told AnnaLeece all about Kyle and Edna. By morning Jarod had a plan for her.
They were in Delaware once again, and AnnaLeece was nervous. What if he didn’t want her?
“ Now remember what I told you,” Jarod reminded, breaking through her thoughts. “Broots has a soft spot for kids and he’s incredibly intimidated by strong women. Just play the part.” AnnaLeece nodded, and set off to the neighborhood.
“ Yes?” Broots asked into the phone.
“ Mr. Broots,” the all too familiar voice said. “I have a present for you. She’ll be at your door at about, oh, now.” Jarod hung up as Broots heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door, surprised to see a young girl standing on his doorstep swinging a DSA around her finger.
“Hello, Mr. Broots. I heard you’re having some work and child-care problems,” She greeted. Broots stammered and she invited herself in.
Four months later
“ Hello, Broots residence,” a feminine voice answered. Miss Parker didn’t recognize it, but went on anyway.
“Hello, Debbie. I need to speak to your father.”
“ Oh, I’m not Debbie, but I’ll get him.” Miss Parker heard a softly yelled,
‘Broots!’ on the other end.
“ Y-yes, Miss Parker?”
“ Broots, who was that?” She snapped.
“ My daughter. Are you calling because of the memo I sent you?”
“ Yes, Broots, what do you mean your daughter?”
“ Just that. Now come over, I have some DSA’s to show you.”
“ Yes, but I-” Miss Parker was stopped when he hung up. “Sydney!” She screeched. “Broots just hung up on me! And did you know he has another daughter?” Sydney just shook his head. This was certainly going to be interesting.
“Anne, would you get that?” Broots yelled when he heard the knock on the door.
“Sure thing, Daddy,” she replied sarcastically. Opening the door, she greeted the visitors, “Hello, I’m assuming you’re Sydney and Miss Parker. Won’t you come in?” Miss Parker’s mouth hung open, while Sydney walked through the entryway.
“Hello, and you are…?”
“ Anne. I’m Broots’ daughter. Miss Parker, are you going to come in? It’s a bit drafty and Debbie has a small cold already.” Miss Parker glared at the teen and walked in as Broots entered the living room.
“Ah, Sydney, Miss Parker, I see you’ve met my daughter, Anne Russell. Well, I guess now it’s Anne Broots. We need to get to work.”
“ Broots,” Sydney began, “When did you acquire a daughter?”
“ I was a gift,” Anne answered for him. “This month I was officially adopted.”
“ May I ask why?” Miss Parker asked rudely.
“Because my parents are dead. Now may we get to the DSA’s?” Broots hid a grin, and answered Miss Parker’s question.
“I needed a babysitter and she needed a home. And yes, Anne, we are going to get to the DSA.” He inserted the disc and they were shown an image of Raines as ‘Dr. Billy’. He explained about breeding Kyle and his daughter. At the end of the DSA, the screen went fuzzy and Broots snapped it off.
“What happened to the egg?” Sydney asked.
“The baby died with Anne. Her body was too damaged to save it.” Sydney nodded, accepting that answer for now. Miss Parker didn’t see what the big deal was.
“ Why did you contact us?”
“I didn’t want to keep anything from you,” Broots said sheepishly.
“You call this not hiding something from us?” Miss Parker asked angrily.
“I’m sure Broots had his reasons,” Sydney told her. He has some calls to make, and lead her out the door. “I’m sure you’ll call us if you find anything?” Broots nodded, hoping they would leave soon. Just then Debbie ran out in her pajamas.
“Anne, will you read to me?”
“Sure, sweets.” Anne lead her to the girls’ room, while Sydney and Miss
Parker left, not wanting to intrude on their bedtime.
“Did I do good, Leecy?” Debbie asked.
“ You did great. Right on cue! Now, do you want that story or not?” Debbie jumped up and down, picking out her favorite story, ‘Jenny and the Cat Club.
Broots smiled as he watched AnnaLeece and Debbie pick out which cat would be Miss Parker. He knew she had already been made a part of the family. He went to his computer, writing to Jarod to tell him how his niece was doing.
Meanwhile Sydney was going through his files. He finally found the entry he wanted. ‘Jarod is now believing his last name is Russell. I do not have the authority to find out if this is true or not.’ He counted on his fingers, discovering Anne’s baby would have been born before the car accident. He was startled out of his thoughts when the phone rang.
“This is Sydney,” he answered.
“I hope you’ve met the gift,” Jarod’s unmistakable voice answered.
“Yes, Jarod, wherever did you find her? Raines, perhaps?”
“ No, actually, Maryland. Do you like her?”
“ Of course. I must ask, is she really your niece?”
“Yes, at least from what I know.”
“ May I know her name?”
“AnnaLeece. Sydney, you sound so excited. It’s just a little girl.”
“ I know, but I worry about Broots. We have a new project coming up and I don’t want him to be stressed.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. That new project has already been taken care of.” Sydney waited for him to hang up and went back to reading. The new project involved a behavior expert. She was going to help them use Angelo. He hoped things would settle down soon.
THE END
