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Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Angelo watched Miss Parker placing the few papers and files she would need at Donoterase into her leather briefcase with a heavy heart. He had no special ability to foretell the future, but he knew this was probably the last time he’d see her at the Centre. Too much had happened to her in too short a time. She couldn’t cope with the lies, the unethical acts, the outright inhumanity of the Centre any longer. As he watched she picked up the picture of her mother, the one where she was holding her as a baby. With a smile that was infinitely sad and loving at the same time she placed the picture on top of her files and closed the briefcase.
His childhood friend was sad, almost heartbroken, but fighting it with all of her not inconsiderable strength. She finally felt like she knew exactly how her mother had felt, and she wished her mother were here to share those feelings with her. Angelo stretched his empathic senses, reaching for Broots and Sydney. Did they know?
No. Not only did they not realize her pain, they didn’t realize that their lack of understanding was part of the reason Parker felt she had to leave. Why she felt so alone and like she carried the weight of the world on her slender shoulders. As he watched her, and touched the feelings of Sydney and Broots, he realized that he had to tell Jarod, his other childhood friend. Parker needed Jarod, more than either of them would admit. And Jarod needed Parker just as much. Somehow, in a way that not even Angelo with his extraordinary ability to empathize understood, Parker and Jarod were connected and always would be.
Jarod might be devastated and furious at Parker, Parker might be bereft and furious at Jarod, but they still longed for the other. They each suffered more from the estrangement than they did from the cause of their rift. As Parker strode out of the room, no hint of her pain revealed in her steady, confident walk, Angelo wiggled out of the vent and went to her computer. Once it was booted and connected to the Internet Angelo’s fingers flew, rivaling Broots in their speed, and he smiled a secret smile of glee as he hit the "send" key. There! Now the two would have to make up and join forces. Now things would get better at last.
***********************
In the living room of the remote cabin JJ read the message Angelo had sent only moments after he’d composed it. As he read it a grin grew on his face. This would show them! He thought. This would teach them not to be so judgmental! He all but skipped as he headed for his brother’s room.
"No, Dad! She can rot in hell before I ever try to help her again." JJ stopped dead in his tracks as he heard Jarod’s angry shout.
"Son, you obviously care for her very much." Charles tried again, exasperation showing in his voice. "You need to hear her side, for your own sake if nothing else."
"No." Jarod’s voice was no longer a shout, but it was still filled with fury, hurt, and determination. "Never again. I won’t play their games anymore----I’m finished with the lot of them."
JJ could barely hear their father trying to reason with Jarod over the roaring in his ears. He had never been this angry in his life. How could he give up on her so easily? How could he when anyone could see she needed their love and support, not anger? He spun on his heel and returned to the living room and scribbled out a quick note which he propped on the open laptop. Then, prompted by an impulse that he didn’t understand, he grabbed his brother’s cell phone from the open briefcase and was out of the cabin and long gone before Jarod and Major Charles ended their debate.
*******************
A cold shower had done nothing to soothe Lyle’s anger and bruised ego. In fact, the longer he thought about the atrocities that he *knew* his sister had inflicted on him, the angrier he got. When he finally got out and dressed he didn’t choose an expensive suit, but instead grabbed jeans and a simple turtleneck sweater. The Lyle who stalked to his expensive sports car and squealed out of the garage looked nothing like the smoothly sophisticated man he usually portrayed.
Parker had gone too far, and she was going to pay! That was the only thought Lyle could complete. She’d humiliated him and he was going to make her beg him to kill her before he was through. He didn’t even consider that Parker was the Triumvirate’s fair haired child this week, or that they would undoubtedly order his termination once they discovered what he planned to do. No, all he could think about was inflicting enough pain on his sister to restore his confidence and pride.
Even in the insanity of his anger Lyle knew better than to attempt to carry out his plans for Parker at the Centre. No, he was going to wait for her to come home tonight. And then------
*********************
Emily looked at the tall woman with tears in her eyes.
"You’re sure?" She asked, one tear spilling over to track down her cheek. "Kyle is dead? This isn’t some sick game to make me do what you want, is it?"
Parker sighed, wondering why it was that everyone she seemed to speak to lately thought she was such a bitch.
"No, it’s true." She assured Emily sympathetically. "He was murdered and Jarod had his organs donated. His heart went to a thirteen year old boy who would be dead by now if it hadn’t." She told her, sure that Emily would be touched by Jarod’s kindness.
"J-Jarod? He’s still okay?" Emily asked, her tough stance of the night before vanished in her grief for the brother she didn’t even remember.
"Jarod’s fine." Parker said brusquely. "He’s out there somewhere, giving candy to babies, helping little old ladies cross the street, and making a nuisance of himself in general."
Emily smiled just a little.
"Why do you pretend to hate my brother so much?" She asked curiously. "Do you really fool people with that act?"
Parker looked at her sharply.
"Look, maybe other people think you eat kittens for breakfast, but I can tell you aren’t anywhere near as nasty as you try to look."
Parker grinned mirthlessly. "Don’t bet on it." She told the girl sardonically. "I’m as nasty as I have to be."
Emily studied her carefully before nodding her head. "Yes, I can see that you believe that and I know that you are quite capable of doing whatever you might feel is necessary. You aren’t cold, though, no matter how much you might try to tell yourself you are. And you’re hurting right now."
"Don’t be a moron!" Parker snapped, but a guilty flush rose to her cheeks, telling Emily that she’d struck home. "I’m fine. You’re the one who needs help." Emily looked assessingly around the room.
"Yes, I’ll agree to that. You got any ideas?"
She nearly jumped off the bed when Parker sat down next to her.
"Well, you could always cooperate with us, like a good little lab rat, and we might just start granting you a few luxuries." She suggested. She looked for all the world like she was sitting casually, but Emily’s sharp eyes picked up her subtle movements as she hid something under Emily’s thin pillow.
"I might." Emily went along with Parker’s diversionary conversation guardedly. "I don’t suppose I could get a book or two?"
Parker raised a considering brow. "Perhaps." She allowed cautiously. "What kind of books?"
"Well, I wouldn’t mind the books that taught MacGyver how to make a bomb out of spit and chewing gum." Emily said wistfully, surprising a laugh out of Parker. "But I’d settle for almost anything. Romance, Mystery, Romantic Mystery…." Parker laughed again and shook her head.
"You really are a brat, aren’t you?" She marveled.
"Hey! I’ve never been a lab rat before." Emily protested. "How am I supposed to know how they act? I didn’t even pass biology in school."
Parker was about to make a remark concerning Emily’s inability to dissect the frogs, but her phone rang before she’d done more that open her mouth. A puzzled frown creased her brow as she pulled it out and flipped it open.
"What?" She demanded, causing Emily to raise her brows. "You have my *what* at the station?" Parker demanded, her voice taking on a slightly shrill tone. Emily strained her ears and heard a few words from the other end.
"….son….lost…..runaway…." The expression on Parker’s face was priceless, although Jarod would have enjoyed it more than Emily did. Finally Parker nodded.
"Fine---okay, fine!" She snapped, finally shutting the voluble sergeant up. "I’ll be right there to pick my-----son---up. Just keep your pants on, okay?" She snapped the phone shut, cutting the officer up in mid-comment, and stood abruptly.
"Your son needs you?" Emily asked innocently, knowing from the glare on Parker’s face that something was skewed in this situation.
"Apparently." Parker affirmed dryly. "Which is nothing short of a miracle, when you consider that I’ve never had a child."
Emily laughed appreciatively as Parker headed for the door. Parker, her hand on the knob, turned towards Emily one last time.
"Remember what I said about cooperating, okay, Emily? It could do wonders for your situation here." Emily’s face became serious.
"I’ll remember." She assured Parker, determined to examine the package she had left under her pillow as soon as possible. "Take care, you know how children can be."
"Actually, I don’t." Parker quipped. "But I suspect I’m about to find out.
Alone again, Emily went over the events of this visit, trying to glean every nuance of information from it before she examined her "gift" from her jailer.
****************
Outside Parker’s house Lyle lay concealed by a convenient bush and watched her place with the intensity of a mountain lion waiting for prey. He’d left her a few of his own "practical jokes" any one of which would leave her incapacitated for him to capture. After that? Well, after that he was going to let his fertile, twisted, and sadistic imagination take over. He gloated, kept warm on the cool fall day by his sick plans.
His childhood friend was sad, almost heartbroken, but fighting it with all of her not inconsiderable strength. She finally felt like she knew exactly how her mother had felt, and she wished her mother were here to share those feelings with her. Angelo stretched his empathic senses, reaching for Broots and Sydney. Did they know?
No. Not only did they not realize her pain, they didn’t realize that their lack of understanding was part of the reason Parker felt she had to leave. Why she felt so alone and like she carried the weight of the world on her slender shoulders. As he watched her, and touched the feelings of Sydney and Broots, he realized that he had to tell Jarod, his other childhood friend. Parker needed Jarod, more than either of them would admit. And Jarod needed Parker just as much. Somehow, in a way that not even Angelo with his extraordinary ability to empathize understood, Parker and Jarod were connected and always would be.
Jarod might be devastated and furious at Parker, Parker might be bereft and furious at Jarod, but they still longed for the other. They each suffered more from the estrangement than they did from the cause of their rift. As Parker strode out of the room, no hint of her pain revealed in her steady, confident walk, Angelo wiggled out of the vent and went to her computer. Once it was booted and connected to the Internet Angelo’s fingers flew, rivaling Broots in their speed, and he smiled a secret smile of glee as he hit the "send" key. There! Now the two would have to make up and join forces. Now things would get better at last.
***********************
In the living room of the remote cabin JJ read the message Angelo had sent only moments after he’d composed it. As he read it a grin grew on his face. This would show them! He thought. This would teach them not to be so judgmental! He all but skipped as he headed for his brother’s room.
"No, Dad! She can rot in hell before I ever try to help her again." JJ stopped dead in his tracks as he heard Jarod’s angry shout.
"Son, you obviously care for her very much." Charles tried again, exasperation showing in his voice. "You need to hear her side, for your own sake if nothing else."
"No." Jarod’s voice was no longer a shout, but it was still filled with fury, hurt, and determination. "Never again. I won’t play their games anymore----I’m finished with the lot of them."
JJ could barely hear their father trying to reason with Jarod over the roaring in his ears. He had never been this angry in his life. How could he give up on her so easily? How could he when anyone could see she needed their love and support, not anger? He spun on his heel and returned to the living room and scribbled out a quick note which he propped on the open laptop. Then, prompted by an impulse that he didn’t understand, he grabbed his brother’s cell phone from the open briefcase and was out of the cabin and long gone before Jarod and Major Charles ended their debate.
*******************
A cold shower had done nothing to soothe Lyle’s anger and bruised ego. In fact, the longer he thought about the atrocities that he *knew* his sister had inflicted on him, the angrier he got. When he finally got out and dressed he didn’t choose an expensive suit, but instead grabbed jeans and a simple turtleneck sweater. The Lyle who stalked to his expensive sports car and squealed out of the garage looked nothing like the smoothly sophisticated man he usually portrayed.
Parker had gone too far, and she was going to pay! That was the only thought Lyle could complete. She’d humiliated him and he was going to make her beg him to kill her before he was through. He didn’t even consider that Parker was the Triumvirate’s fair haired child this week, or that they would undoubtedly order his termination once they discovered what he planned to do. No, all he could think about was inflicting enough pain on his sister to restore his confidence and pride.
Even in the insanity of his anger Lyle knew better than to attempt to carry out his plans for Parker at the Centre. No, he was going to wait for her to come home tonight. And then------
*********************
Emily looked at the tall woman with tears in her eyes.
"You’re sure?" She asked, one tear spilling over to track down her cheek. "Kyle is dead? This isn’t some sick game to make me do what you want, is it?"
Parker sighed, wondering why it was that everyone she seemed to speak to lately thought she was such a bitch.
"No, it’s true." She assured Emily sympathetically. "He was murdered and Jarod had his organs donated. His heart went to a thirteen year old boy who would be dead by now if it hadn’t." She told her, sure that Emily would be touched by Jarod’s kindness.
"J-Jarod? He’s still okay?" Emily asked, her tough stance of the night before vanished in her grief for the brother she didn’t even remember.
"Jarod’s fine." Parker said brusquely. "He’s out there somewhere, giving candy to babies, helping little old ladies cross the street, and making a nuisance of himself in general."
Emily smiled just a little.
"Why do you pretend to hate my brother so much?" She asked curiously. "Do you really fool people with that act?"
Parker looked at her sharply.
"Look, maybe other people think you eat kittens for breakfast, but I can tell you aren’t anywhere near as nasty as you try to look."
Parker grinned mirthlessly. "Don’t bet on it." She told the girl sardonically. "I’m as nasty as I have to be."
Emily studied her carefully before nodding her head. "Yes, I can see that you believe that and I know that you are quite capable of doing whatever you might feel is necessary. You aren’t cold, though, no matter how much you might try to tell yourself you are. And you’re hurting right now."
"Don’t be a moron!" Parker snapped, but a guilty flush rose to her cheeks, telling Emily that she’d struck home. "I’m fine. You’re the one who needs help." Emily looked assessingly around the room.
"Yes, I’ll agree to that. You got any ideas?"
She nearly jumped off the bed when Parker sat down next to her.
"Well, you could always cooperate with us, like a good little lab rat, and we might just start granting you a few luxuries." She suggested. She looked for all the world like she was sitting casually, but Emily’s sharp eyes picked up her subtle movements as she hid something under Emily’s thin pillow.
"I might." Emily went along with Parker’s diversionary conversation guardedly. "I don’t suppose I could get a book or two?"
Parker raised a considering brow. "Perhaps." She allowed cautiously. "What kind of books?"
"Well, I wouldn’t mind the books that taught MacGyver how to make a bomb out of spit and chewing gum." Emily said wistfully, surprising a laugh out of Parker. "But I’d settle for almost anything. Romance, Mystery, Romantic Mystery…." Parker laughed again and shook her head.
"You really are a brat, aren’t you?" She marveled.
"Hey! I’ve never been a lab rat before." Emily protested. "How am I supposed to know how they act? I didn’t even pass biology in school."
Parker was about to make a remark concerning Emily’s inability to dissect the frogs, but her phone rang before she’d done more that open her mouth. A puzzled frown creased her brow as she pulled it out and flipped it open.
"What?" She demanded, causing Emily to raise her brows. "You have my *what* at the station?" Parker demanded, her voice taking on a slightly shrill tone. Emily strained her ears and heard a few words from the other end.
"….son….lost…..runaway…." The expression on Parker’s face was priceless, although Jarod would have enjoyed it more than Emily did. Finally Parker nodded.
"Fine---okay, fine!" She snapped, finally shutting the voluble sergeant up. "I’ll be right there to pick my-----son---up. Just keep your pants on, okay?" She snapped the phone shut, cutting the officer up in mid-comment, and stood abruptly.
"Your son needs you?" Emily asked innocently, knowing from the glare on Parker’s face that something was skewed in this situation.
"Apparently." Parker affirmed dryly. "Which is nothing short of a miracle, when you consider that I’ve never had a child."
Emily laughed appreciatively as Parker headed for the door. Parker, her hand on the knob, turned towards Emily one last time.
"Remember what I said about cooperating, okay, Emily? It could do wonders for your situation here." Emily’s face became serious.
"I’ll remember." She assured Parker, determined to examine the package she had left under her pillow as soon as possible. "Take care, you know how children can be."
"Actually, I don’t." Parker quipped. "But I suspect I’m about to find out.
Alone again, Emily went over the events of this visit, trying to glean every nuance of information from it before she examined her "gift" from her jailer.
****************
Outside Parker’s house Lyle lay concealed by a convenient bush and watched her place with the intensity of a mountain lion waiting for prey. He’d left her a few of his own "practical jokes" any one of which would leave her incapacitated for him to capture. After that? Well, after that he was going to let his fertile, twisted, and sadistic imagination take over. He gloated, kept warm on the cool fall day by his sick plans.
