Sydney was seated in Miss Parker's office drinking his coffee and listening to her morning bitch session about Jarod. She was right in the middle of explaining - graphically - how she was going to remove a few of his more vital body parts the next time she got her hands on him when someone knocked on the door.

"What?!" she demanded and glared when one of the mailroom clerks timidly poked his head into the room.

"This came for you, Miss Parker." He choked out, blushing from embarrassment and a little fear. "It was marked urgent so I brought it up right away instead of waiting for the regular delivery guy."

"So what do you want? A medal?" she snapped, "Bring it to me already."

Sydney stood and walked over to where the clerk was hovering in the doorway. He smiled at the guy and took the package from him. "Thank you for bringing it. We appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Dr. Greene." The clerk said quickly and literally ran from Parker's office.

"So what is it, Syd?" Parker asked, angry over the interruption.

"It's from Jarod." He answered after he had looked at the writing on the small package. He swiftly unwrapped it. "It's a video tape."

Parker threw up her hands in exasperation. "Great! Pulling a freaking Houdini act on Sunday wasn't enough. Now he has to 'urgently' taunt me about it on Friday. Whatever is on that tape can wait until Monday. In fact, it can wait forever for all I care. I'm sick to DEATH of Ratboy's crap!"

"I think we better watch it Parker." Syd told her gravely, "I have a really bad feeling about this. He's never sent anything marked urgent before. This is obviously something he feels strongly about and wants you to see."

Parker saw that Syd was really very worried about this so she threw herself into her chair and motioned for him to put the tape into the VCR.

"Fine Syd." She told him, "We'll watch it. But the first time Wonder Boy starts playing with his little PEZ crap the tape gets chucked out the window."

Sydney started the tape then pulled his chair around the desk to sit next to Parker. They waited for a moment, then a room slowly came into focus. It was small and bare. The walls and floor were concrete and there was a wooden table and chair directly in the camera view. As they watched, someone focused the camera so that the image was sharper. Parker was getting impatient when Jarod spoke.

"Hey Parker. I'm sure you're royally pissed at me right now but, what else is new? Bear with me for a while okay? I won't take much of your time. Just a few minutes or so, really." He walked from behind the camera and sat down on the chair. "How long does it really take to say good-bye? I'm not sure because I've never had the chance before but I would assume that it wouldn't take very long."

Parker had no idea how this was effecting Syd because she couldn't take her eyes off the screen. His words were strange enough but his appearance was enough to give her nightmares. He looked terrible. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt but that's where normal ended. He had the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow and his normally neat hair was standing on end and pointing in every direction. His T-shirt was splattered with blood and was ripped in spots. The worst thing was his eyes. His eyes looked so haunted that Parker could almost feel his pain through the camera lens. She had never seen that kind of look on him in all the years that she had known him - not even from the 'experiments' that Raines had done to him.

"Who hurt him before he escaped, Syd?" Parker asked angrily, "Did the sweepers beat him?"

"No, Parker. No one touched him. He disappeared too quickly."

"I'm sure you're probably wondering about the blood." Jarod continued, glancing down at his shirt then back at the camera. "Unfortunately, it's not my blood. I'd probably be better off if it WAS mine."

Jarod stared down at his hands folded tightly in his lap and took a deep breath. "I did something bad, Parker. Really bad. I couldn't help it. I tried to calm down but I was just so hurt." He paused for a few moments "When Raines told me that Carly had turned me in, something snapped."

"Oh God!" Parker moaned even though she knew her childhood friend couldn't hear her, "No, Jarod."

"I killed her, Parker." Jarod admitted softly and when he raised his head to look at the camera again she could see the deep despair that marred his beautiful brown eyes. "I found her and I confronted her with what Raines had told me. I really wanted her to deny it, Parker. I prayed that she would and I would've gladly believed her but she DIDN'T. She just laughed at me and told me to get over it. I couldn't help it. I hit her. I hit her again and again and after a while she stopped laughing. I didn't mean to. I didn't. I swear, Parker. I swear I didn't mean to kill her." Jarod was babbling like a child and he had tears streaming down his face.

Parker leaned towards Syd and held onto his arm. He could feel her shaking and wanted to comfort her but he was in shock also. He had never seen Jarod like this before and he had never, EVER expected to hear those words coming from his mouth.

"Why am I so unlovable, Parker?" he changed the subject suddenly and got the little-boy-lost look that he was so good at on his face. "What's wrong with me? Am I REALLY such a freak?"

"No, baby. You're not a freak." Parker whispered under her breath. "You're not a freak at all."

"Did you see her when she came in to talk to Raines?" the distraught man continued, "She was so beautiful. She reminded me a lot of you, Parker. I think that's what attracted me to her in the first place. She told me that she loved me. Did you know that? We had made plans to run away forever. Just disappear one day and never come back. We were going to start a family. Then she tried to sell me back to Raines. That wasn't very nice. That's why I had to kill her.

I know I'm starting to sound a little crazy. I took a sedative to keep me calm enough to do this but it's still so hard. I want to get up and smash things. I have to fight with myself just to stay in this chair right now. I almost called you, Parker. But I knew that if I heard your voice I would lose it. So I decided on using the video camera. I didn't want you to waste your life searching for me anymore. I'm giving up. Raines wins." The utter defeat in Jarod's voice almost broke Parker's heart.

Jarod leaned forward and cradles his head in his hands. He was sobbing in earnest now and rocking back and forth. Parker wiped away the beginnings of a tear and willed herself not to cry. She'd be damned before she let anyone at the Centre see her cry over Jarod. She watched as he slowly got himself under control and stared **at** her again. When he spoke, his voice was totally devoid of emotion.

"I'm in Denton, Maryland. Not too far from you really. But don't waste your time calling for a sweeper team. I'm not here anymore. I'm taping this on Monday. By my calculations, you should be watching this Friday morning. I have a friend in the police department here and by then he would have already scattered my ashes in the Atlantic like I requested."

Syd's breath caught in his throat as Jarod's words became clear. Beside him, Parker was totally silent. She just stared at Jarod's image and tightened her grip on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Parker - for everything. Look on the bright side. Now you can be free. No more hunting the lab rat. Please tell Syd that I'll miss him. Tell him he would've been a wonderful father."

Jarod pulled a revolver from a drawer in the table and stood up - turning his back to the camera.

"I love you, Melissa." He said sadly, "I always have. I hope you have a good life."

"Jarod don't." she cried, tears again threatening to spill over. "Please don't do this."

They both jumped at the sound of the shot. They watched Jarod's body jerk then fall to the floor. There were splatters of blood on the camera lens and a pool of blood quickly formed on the stark concrete under the still figure.

Parker kept staring at the scene, waiting for Jarod to jump up with that sexy grin of his and laugh at her for even entertaining the thought of him killing himself.

"Come on, Jarod." She urged brokenly, "the joke's over. Get up."

Syd reached over and tried to pull Parker into an embrace. She just pushed him away and yelled at the video screen.

"Get up, damn you. Get up! This isn't funny you jerk. The. Joke. Is. Over."

Syd tried to calm her down but she continued to yell at Jarod's image until the tape went blank and began to rewind. As soon as the tape ejected Parker stalked over and yanked it out of the machine and shoved it into Syd's hands.

"Get out." She ordered, her voice hard and bitter. She walked around and sat behind her desk again. "Get out and take that godforsaken tape with you." She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands.

"Parker - " Syd began but she cut him off.

"Please, Syd." She asked wearily, "Just give me a few minutes alone. Take the tape to my father and make him and Raines watch it. I'll be there in a little while."

Syd did as she requested, stopping at his office first to try to regain some of his composure. Thirty minutes later, Mr. Parker and Raines had finished watching the tape and were just starting to discuss it when Parker walked in.

She walked straight to her father's desk and threw two faxes down in front of him.

"What's this, Angel?" he asked, picking them up.

"The first one is Jarod's death certificate. I found his 'friend' from the police force. Jarod had arranged for him to find his body. He left a will asking him to process his suicide and have him cremated as soon as possible. On Wednesday, he went out in his boat and fed Jarod to the fish. He told me that Jarod had also asked him to do this. The second sheet is a letter from the funeral director swearing that it was Jarod's body that he cremated."

Parker glared at her father and Raines and pulled another sheet of paper out of her pocket.

"I'm sure the both of you enjoyed the tape. Your science experiment is finally neutralized and the Centre is safe and sound. I wouldn't be surprised if you threw a party to celebrate. Don't bother to send me an invitation though. I won't be here." She threw the third paper at her father and turned to leave the room. "I quit!"

The door slammed behind her and Syd almost laughed aloud at the shocked expression on Daddy Parker's face.

"Good riddance." Raines wheezed. "With Jarod gone, we don't need her anymore." He turned his gaze on Sydney. "In fact, you have become pretty expendable yourself, Dr. Greene."

"Music to my ears, William." Syd said with a mocking bow. "Excuse me if I don't wish you a long and healthy life."

Sydney walked out of the room and went straight to Parker's office where she was packing a few personal items.

"Don't even think of trying to get me to stay Syd." She warned, "I'm outta here."

"It would seem that we are both unemployed at the moment."

"You quit too?"

"Actually, I was informed that I am expendable now that Jarod is - " he paused. "-no longer expected to return to the Centre."

Parker walked over to the older man and put her arms around him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He hugged her tight and forced himself not to break down. He felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out. He had cared for Jarod so much and he knew that Parker had also loved him in her own way.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Parker's voice in his ear. "Go to your boat in an hour Syd. Make sure nobody follows you."





Three days later, after a long boat ride and numerous plane trips to throw off anyone that might have followed him, Syd pulled up to a cabin nestled in some woods in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

He sat in the 4x4 and stared at the inviting looking cabin in front of him. When he had found Parker's instructions waiting for him on his boat, he had followed them without question. Now that he had finally seemed to arrive at his destination, he wondered what was in store for him. He still had a hard time believing Jarod was dead. He had always thought he would have time to show Jarod that he really did care about him. You always believe you have all the time in the world.

The soft tap on the driver's side window pulled him back to reality. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed Parker walk up to the truck. It was a good thing he hadn't been the one on the run for the last three years. He would've been caught the first day! He got out of the vehicle and was pleasantly surprised when she gave him a warm hug.

"Hey Syd." She smiled, "I wasn't sure if you would come. Come on, I have a surprise for you." She took his arm and pulled him towards the cabin.

"I'm not really in the mood for surprises right now, Parker." He sighed.

"You'll like this one, Syd." Her smile got even wider, "Trust me."

She pulled him in the door and it slowly swung closed behind them. Syd glanced back and dropped the case he was carrying.

"Jarod." He breathed looking at the younger man that stood beside the now closed door. He was dressed pretty much the same as he had been in the tape - minus the blood - and remarkably whole.

"Hello, Syd." He greeted and almost cried when his friend and mentor pulled him into a tight embrace.

A little while later everyone was sitting in the living room and, to Syd's surprise, Parker was curled up in Jarod's lap with his arms wrapped lovingly around her.

"It was all a setup, Syd." Parker told him, "Carly was hired by Jarod to 'pretend' to turn him in so that Parker and Raines would buy the murder/suicide thing. The police captain and the funeral director were people that Jarod had helped and were willing to return the favor. The actual 'suicide' was a special effect planned and carried out by another grateful recipient of Jarod's genius."

"Melissa knew that I was going to send the tape." Jarod continued, "She just didn't know how the whole suicide thing was set up. I needed her to give a good performance for the Centre cameras so I wanted it to be a shock to her - and to you. I'm sorry. Melissa told me how much the tape had hurt you."

"I think that under the circumstances I'll let the end justify the means." Syd said softly, "I'm just glad that you're allright."

"Look at it this way, Syd." Parker teased, giving Jarod a quick hug. "Not only do you regain your 'son', you'll be getting a brand new daughter."

Syd looked at the two of them entwined in each other's arms, so very happy for the first time in such a long time, he felt as if a huge burden was being lifted from his heart. Also for the first time, he actually looked forward to the future. As long as it included the two people in front of him, he knew it definitely wouldn't be boring.

"I like the way you think, Parker." Syd laughed, and gazed at his 'children' lovingly.

"Please, Syd." She said softly as Jarod kissed her cheek, "Call me Melissa."