"I don’t know how to buy normal clothes."

Miss Parker shoved a line of clothes down its rack.

Emily quickly straightened the shirts back to their regular separation, "Calm down. This isn't supposed to be a stressful situation, Miss Parker."

"Clearly you don't know me at all," she groaned.

It had been Debbie's idea to take Miss Parker out shopping to calm her nerves. She had seemed stressed all morning, slamming the refrigerator shut and raking her hand through her long hair repeatedly. Her extent of conversation with Jarod seemed to be 'move' and 'bye.'

"Try this on," Debbie appeared with a powder blue sundress in her hand.

Miss Parker laughed, but the girls just stared back at her, Emily arching one eyebrow just like her brother always did, "Oh you're serious."

Debbie forced the garment into her hand and went about searching again. Miss Parker set off for the dressing room, closing the wooden stall with a slam. Emily soon returned with several more items, which she flung over the edge of the stall for her.

"Specially picked by Miss Broots," she notified.

"Fabulous. May I ask what the deal is with all the dresses and light colors?"

Emily shrugged even though she knew Miss Parker couldn't see her, "Could be a nice change. Besides, there are some T-shirts and jeans in there, too."

"Oh goodie," Miss Parker murmured, slipping a soft white dress over her head. She had pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail this morning and barely applied any make-up at all. Her reflection wasn't her anymore. She looked like somebody else. She really looked like her mother.

"Why am I the only one trying clothes on?"

"Debbie, Molly, Broots and I went yesterday," the younger woman replied.

"Broots knows how to purchase clothes?" she teased.

"Oh stop!" Emily laughed and they were silent for a moment as she sat on the bench outside the stalls, biting her lip as she contemplated her next question, "So what happened with you and my brother?"

"What do you mean?" was Miss Parker's reply, though she knew full well what she meant.

Emily sighed, "I mean you two have been at each other's throats or ignoring one another ever since you got here."

"I won't lie to you, Emily. We have problems, Jarod and I," she attempted to joke the matter away.

"Right, we all do. Just seems a little intense lately is all."

Miss Parker closed her eyes and put her regular clothes back on, "Don't you worry about your big brother. He always bounces back."

"Yeah, but he's got a distinct soft spot for you, Miss Parker. Everyone can see that."

The stall door opened and Miss Parker put a light pink dress on the rack by the door, turning to Emily, "Sorry I don't do pink. And I don't do soft spots either."

Emily nodded, "I just think you should look at your life closely, and your wardrobe of course."

Miss Parker scoffed, "Come on let's go find Debbie before she buys out the whole store."

"Wait, we didn't get you anything to sleep in."

"It's fine. I've got something."

"You had an extra stash of jammies in your bottom desk drawer at The Centre?" Emily challenged skeptically.

"Look, if I say I have something, then I have something. What is with the third degree?" Miss Parker waved a hand in the air for emphasis.

"Just a little strange," Emily replied in a sing-song voice, "Debbie, come on."

*****

"Do you know where Jarod is?"

Molly turned around from cutting some onions to face Broots, "He went down to the beach with Sydney. Why?"

"Oh it's nothing important. What uh, what are you doing there?" Broots nodded at her.

"Just chopping some onions. I found a cookbook in one of the cabinets. I really like cooking," Molly said definitively.

"I suck at cooking, well I mean I even burn Pop-Tarts," he sat down at the table.

Molly giggled, "Well, Broots, I'm not sure what Pop-Tarts are, but your talents obviously lie elsewhere."

"Oh yeah, me and talent. They go hand in hand," he uttered sarcastically.

"Like peanut butter and jelly!" Miss Parker stepped through the door with a smile on her face, "You two are getting along awfully well aren't you."

"Ah! I- Miss Parker, you're back early," Broots jumped out of his seat.

The smile hadn't left her face, "Just couldn't stay away from you, sugar."

With that, she turned and headed up the stairs with her bags of clothes and Broots sat down at the table red-faced.

"Is she drunk?" he said.

Molly laughed, "I don't know. I kind of like it on her though."

She looked to Broots and his blushing face and smiled again before commencing with her cooking.

*****

"I've got all the answers, Sydney, everything I've ever wanted. And yet, I can't bring myself to open those files."

Jarod was standing in the water barely up to his ankles, facing the sea, with Sydney a few feet behind him. The older man's arms were folded across his chest.

"It's natural to fear something that's been anticipated for so long. Perhaps your anxieties will subside if you take the information one piece at a time," Sydney offered.

"It's not just that," Jarod paused, furrowing his brow and releasing a great breath of air, "It's her."

"Miss Parker?"

Sydney's protégée nodded, "What is she going to do when she knows everything. She won't-"

"You think she won't need you anymore?"

"Something like that. Hell, she doesn't need me now," Jarod slid his hands into the pockets of his khakis, the wind blowing his open white shirt wildly to reveal the white tank top beneath it, "Never has."

"You know Miss Parker, and you know she'd do anything to hide her emotions," Sydney assured Jarod as he turned around to face him, "I see the look in your eyes when you talk about her, Jarod. If you truly believe she will simply leave once you have your answers, then you must tell her how you feel now, before it's too late. I have a lot of regrets in my life, and I'd hate for you to experience the same thing."

"That's the problem, Sydney. She knows how I feel. I know she does," he groaned, "and I know she feels it too."

The two men stood in silence, Jarod closing his eyes and leaning his face into the sun, a habit he'd picked up years ago.

"This is it isn't it?" Jarod continued to speak, "Where do we all go from here? What are we without The Centre?"

"Only time will tell. We all have to take our own paths."

Sydney seemed to always have the answers and Jarod nodded because as usual he was right.

Jarod smiled, "You know we never did go fishing, Sydney."

*****

The inspection of Jarod's former hotel room turned out to be more helpful than expected. Clearly he had left in a hurry, or rather he should say 'they left in a hurry.'

Lyle grinned behind the wheel of his car remembering the revealing long strand of dark hair just barely stuck in the shower drain. He didn't need any DNA tests. He knew exactly whose hair that was. That also meant that Cade was with them. It made him sick thinking of the three of them on their merry way. They were probably gloating in their brilliant victory.

Brilliant people always took the trash out before they left though.

*****

"I don't think so, mister!" Miss Parker tickled Cade and he cackled away as she changed his clothes quickly as he panted for breath.

There was a knock at Miss Parker's door, but she continued tickling the little boy as he laughed loudly. Jarod stepped into the room and smiled. She was beaming, even laughing, and so was Cade.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" he asked.

The laughter stopped as she looked up at him with a huge smile on her face, which immediately fell, "Would it matter if you were?"

"Parker, we need to talk."

"Not now, Jarod. Can't you see I'm busy?" she went to her closet and pulled a white towel out and put it in a bag.

"We're going to see the water," Cade informed him.

"That sounds like fun," said Jarod.

"Yeah it will be. See you later," Miss Parker answered absent-mindedly.

Cade sat up and tugged at the bottom of Jarod's white shirt, "Come with us."

Jarod attempted to smile at the child, "I don't"

"Please," he prodded.

Jarod's eyes glimmered then, "Actually I'd love to join you, Cade."

Miss Parker's movements froze and he could almost imagine the frustration that would be etched across her face right now. Without a word she grabbed Cade by the hand and led him down the hallway, Jarod following like a loyal puppy behind them.

After careful help down the creaky steps to the beach, Cade let go of his big sister's hand and ran toward the water with a holler.

Parker couldn't help but smile a little at that, and neither could Jarod.

After a great breath of air, she spoke, "So what do you want to talk about, wonderboy?"

Jarod spread the towel onto the sand and sat down on one half, clearly implying the other was hers and she reluctantly sat next to him.

"You look nice in that," he gestured toward the white dress she'd put on upon returning from the store.

"I'm not much for small talk, especially with you. I know you want something. What the hell is it?"

Jarod shook his head, turning it away from her, "We need to examine that disk."

"Why, you booking out of here as soon as you know where mommy and daddy are?" she remarked.

"If The Centre knew where my parents were, they would have taken them years ago. That won't be in there. But a lot of other things will be, things that will help me. Things that you should know, too," he paused, "I can't do it alone, Parker."

Parker nodded because she did understand. She would hate to search through them herself, too.

"Well let's open this Pandora's box then," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, waving back to Cade as he held up a seashell proudly.

*****

"Where's Molly?" Miss Parker asked later that evening after she had bathed Cade. Those maternal instincts were beginning to bug her.

"She went with Broots and Debbie to do whatever Jarod asked of them," Sydney answered from a soft chair where he sat reading a thick paperback.

"Of course," she waved a hand in the air, "Whatever Jarod asked."

Jarod rolled his eyes, "They wanted something to do. They're going to one of my safe deposit boxes to get the DSA case."

The sun was setting and Jarod held up a black disk, raising his eyebrows knowingly at her.

"Not now," she answered quickly, "I told Cade I'd read him something before bed."

"I'll do it," Sydney assured her, "It would be a pleasure."

She sighed, "Fine."

Miss Parker followed Jarod to the coffee table where his laptop sat assembled. Sydney stood and headed down the hallway to find Cade and Emily, but not before sharing a glance with Jarod.

The two of them sat there quietly, she on the left, he on the right, glancing at one another nervously. Finally he inserted the disk. After a few clicks a window opened with file folders labeled cryptically, some not so cryptically.

"I don't even know where to begin," Jarod muttered in a deep voice that sent chills up her spine.

"Entrance papers from when you were first brought to The Centre," she whispered. He gave her a suspicious glance, "What? I had Broots do a few searches on you. Sue me. We could never access those."

She watched him nod and start clicking away at the keyboard, but she couldn't stop staring at his eyes. They were little boy's eyes again, completely desperate. This was really his last hope, she surmised. Slowly, she reached for his left shoulder and offered a reassuring squeeze. He hesitated momentarily, but commenced clicking until a breath caught in his chest. She felt it, almost as if his heart had literally stopped for a second. She could literally feel it.

Jarod's lips parted slightly as his eyes scanned frantically the document on the screen. Parker leaned in to read as well. These were the infamous documents about that little boy The Centre had brought into The Centre in 1963.

He smiled a little, his eyes barely moist as he turned to her, "I'm from South Carolina. That's where I'm from."

She nodded back at him with a painful smile. This shouldn't be so exciting, but it was to him. Words seemed inadequate so she let him continue to read, turning back to her every time he learned something of interest. Eventually she gave up on trying to read it because he was clearly reading much faster than her and felt he should share everything he learned with her anyway.

"Callahan, that's, that's my name," he informed her, "I used that in a pretend once as a disc jockey. Do you think that means anything?"

"I" she shook her head back at him, unsure of what to say to the unusually uncertain pretender, "I don't know, Jarod."

"Ugh they were planning to take Kyle as soon as they got me. It says 'retrieval in process.' Sick bastards."

He scrolled down the page.

"My mom was a hair stylist before. I can see that about her. Sweet air you know?" he turned to her and she nodded quickly.

"When's your birthday, Jarod?" Parker asked softly.

He looked at her with wide eyes, "Oh yeah. Uh, I. Let me see."

It was sad to watch him scan the page frantically as if it would all disappear if he didn't read it as fast as he could, "October 19, 1959."

"Oh you're old," she smirked.

He glanced at her and grinned a fierce grin, "A year and two months hardly makes a difference in the grand scheme of things. You're nearly as old."

"Women live longer, especially this one," she added.

Jarod conceded and continued reading, "Most of the rest is just tests and results. Most of them aren't even chartable."

"Aren't you special," she raised her shoulders with emphasis.

"Psh let's find something on you," he countered.

"You're the one with all the mysteries, Jarod. I've already had my bombshells. I know who my real father was. I know who killed my mother. I'm pretty sure Angelo was my brother. Lyle seemed to think it wasn't him anymore last time I checked."

"Well let's see. I'm sure that's here somewhere."

He tapped away at the keys while she sat with a few fingers delicately pressed against her lips. She could feel the heat between them as they had gotten very close to see the screen together. It was comforting.

"Sorry, Parker, Lyle really is your twin."

"Fantastic," she replied, "But why did he suddenly think I wasn't?"

"I don't know. Maybe he made it up," Jarod shrugged.

"Doesn't fit," she shook her head.

"Hey he's not a part of your life anymore," he grabbed her hand subconsciously, "it doesn't matter."

"Yeah my twin psychopath, forget him," she murmured.

"At least it's obvious who the better half is," Jarod uttered under his breath.

Parker laughed and swatted his arm playfully, "Why Jarod that may be the A) the closest thing to a compliment you've ever given me and B) the rudest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Hey I told you your dress looked nice this afternoon. And it still does if I may say so."

He looked her up and down and she eyed him challengingly. More typing, "Crystal, Molly's project, there's a ton of information for her on here."

Miss Parker nodded and let him continue for a few moments. "Jarod, I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to my room for a while."

Jarod stopped and turned his attention to her, "Okay. Thank you for being here. I, well I couldn't have, with anyone else. I just-"

"I know, Jarod." She stood and gripped his shoulder for an instant and walked to her room.

Jarod hesitated and then returned to the computer, aimlessly and not so aimlessly opening folder after folder.

*****

Broots was struggling to climb the iron outdoor steps to the second floor of the hotel whilst carrying not only his things, but Debbie and Molly's as well. He fumbled along the hallway, careful not to drop anything over the railing into the glowing pool below.

"Dad, come on," Debbie appeared in the doorway of room 203.

"I'm here, so uh we have two rooms. I guess Molly will-"

"I'm going to stay with her if that's okay, Dad," Debbie wrung her hands together much like her father.

Broots nodded with wide eyes, "Yeah oh yeah of course. It's fine. I'll just-"

"Great," she replied before grabbing hers and Molly's bags, tossing them in the room, and shutting the door.

"Great yeah," Broots unlocked the door to his adjacent room slowly and entered, letting the door creep shut behind him.

*****

She didn't know what he was thinking or what he was doing on the balcony outside her room at 2am, but he looked stunning doing it. Jarod was perched on the railing in his white tank and rolled up khakis, leaning against the back of the house, and barely visible to Miss Parker who stood behind the glass door watching him.

He was watching the clouds. Something about the winds from the changing tides made them rush by the sky a lot quicker than normal, skimming over the moon and then on by. He could contemplate the atmospheric circulations and ocean cycles, but those types of things weren't on his mind recently. There wasn't enough room to think about them.

"It's late," interrupted a feminine voice.

"Miss Parker, I thought you went to bed," he answered, surprised to see her walking closer to him, still in that sweet dress.

"Too much on my mind. I tried to occupy myself in the kitchen but then remembered I've never cooked before, so I came back upstairs and noticed your room was empty," was her casual answer.

"So you were checking my room eh?" Jarod grinned as she leaned herself against the railing he was sitting on.

She looked up at him, about a foot higher than her in this position, "I glanced in. What's it to you?"

He shrugged, "Oh nothing. I could help you in the kitchen you know. I once worked as a-"

"Save it. I'm sure you were a gourmet chef at the most spectacular French restaurant in New York, but I don't really care, wonderboy."

Jarod countered, "It was Italian I'll have you know, and in Chicago."

She raised both her hands and wiggled her fingers in mock amazement with a small laugh, "Ooh la la, forgive me."

He laughed and so did she. Upon making eye contact, the amusement stopped and Jarod cleared his throat while she turned her vision toward the ocean, away from where he was.

"So what are you doing out here?" she finally asked.

"Just thinking," he murmured, "I kept looking through those files and I just didn’t like what I was reading. More of my simulations were corrupted than I thought and, well I guess it's too late to worry about it now. I just hate to know it."

"Sometimes," Miss Parker turned her attention back to him, "ignorance really is bliss."

"Yeah, well, mostly not," he answered bitterly. She nodded in agreement. After more silence he spoke, "I don't know what to do with all this new information. I've never had a last name so going by one just feels.. strange. I mean I guess I should try and fit into the person I really am. I've just been pretending to be other people for so long, it's going to be difficult."

"Jarod, you already know who you are. You didn't need a name to figure that out."

"I guess. Or maybe I still don't know," he stretched his arms above his head and let his shoulders then slump down as he exhaled.

Miss Parker cocked her head and raised a brow, "Well I certainly know who you are."

He met her eyes, curiously imploring her to go on.

"You're the eternal optimist. No matter what sort of horrible ordeals you're forced to suffer through, somehow you always believe the end will be better. And you spread that same hope to every soul you touch, and that's a lot of souls. You're the most unselfish person I've ever met, which I guess doesn't say much considering the company I've kept all my life, but it is astonishing that you've managed to become this relentless, caring person that you are despite everything," she paused and let her eyes gaze away while he stared at her astonished, "I couldn't do it. I let the evil around me seep into my heart. It would have destroyed me if it hadn't been for you."

Jarod swallowed, not knowing what to say. He could only watch her, completely enthralled with every word that came out of this woman's mouth. All he could manage to whisper was "Parker" before she cut him off.

"I know I've been a complete bitch these past couple days, and well, most of our lives honestly. You haven't deserved it. Okay you kind of deserved it sometimes," she added quickly to which he smiled gently, "But you need to know that I'm not an idiot. I realize how much you've done for me. How you've always been the only person I could truly depend on. All my life." She took a deep breath, "Seriously all my life. How sad is that?"

He looked to reply, to console her but she stopped him with a finger to his lips, "Wait. I'm trying to do something I've never done before here. I'm sorry. For everything. I could never list all the regrets I have, but know that I'm sorry and that I'm thankful. Just tell me you know that."

It was finally his turn to speak and all he could do was nod like an idiot. Sad happiness etched all over his face, because he knew this was her breakthrough. It was serious this time. Even though it took this long, finally it had come.

"You're pathetic. I pour my heart out and you can't even answer me like a proper human being?" she smirked, crossing her arms.

Although higher than her, Jarod still bent his neck down in an attempt to hide his embarrassment and then looked back at her, smiling again, "I do know. It's just surprising to hear all this. Now."

"Well I'm full of surprises," Parker concurred.

Jarod's smile grew, "Oh I know. I've always liked that about you."

"Even when surprise, I show up before your pretend is over?" she bragged.

Through a laugh he answered, "Yes even then. Kept things interesting."

"I'd certainly hate to bore you," she inched closer to him.

Never missing a detail, he nodded at her close proximity, "This part of your plan to keep me on my toes?"

Parker scrunched up her face and jutted her bottom lip out in pretend contemplation, "I guess I'm just seeing if you can keep up."

She pressed herself between the leg he had hanging down along the railing and the wooden rails themselves, so that he had to back his face down and away from her to keep his eyes in focus. His breath grew deeper, "I think I'm running out of witty things to say."

Parker looked up at him with her doe-like, blue eyes and ran a fingertip along his jaw line, "I'm actually okay with you not speaking right now. In fact, I've been trying to shut you up for years now."

Jarod couldn't even laugh, but his eyes did as he felt her carefully skimming the growth of stubble on his chin. Everything was surreal. Her hair was blowing in the ocean's wind and he could feel her warmth against his leg and chest. All he could do was lean down and look her in the eyes, ecstatic to find the softness and the warmth he had always known was there. She returned his intensity and eased her hand behind his neck pulling him down and lifting her heels as she stretched to meet him.

Their lips touched hesitantly. Somehow every time they kissed, it felt like it was the first time. Tonight the kiss was especially genuine and the electricity was something neither of them had ever felt. It had seemed like one of them was always holding back until now, afraid of something they had never explored before. But now, all that was left to explore was each other, and they finally had all the time to do it.

Parker reached her other hand up to his cheek, grasping his face delicately between her palm and thumb. Jarod shifted so that he was facing her instead of the coast and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. He ran his other hand up and down her bare arm as their kiss deepened.

She broke away and for an instant he was afraid she would tell him to forget it all and simply walk away, but that wasn't going to happen this time. Parker grabbed his hand and tugged it. He set his feet on the deck and slid off the railing then, ready to follow her wherever she wanted to take him. She walked backwards, still clasping his hand, running her thumb back and forth over his knuckles. Jarod swallowed again, matching her step for step, refusing to break eye contact.

Her eyes were screaming 'follow me follow me' and her lips were teasing him with their hint of a smile and once they reached the sliding glass door Parker had come through, he couldn't help but devour those taunting lips again, pressing her against the glass door as she grinned through the kiss in surprise.

Without breaking contact, Parker reached behind her and managed to find the door handle and click it loose. She leaned away from the door and into her pretender, opening it behind her and carefully stepping through the threshold, never letting his hand break away from hers.