Miss Parker stood inches from Jarod. "This is utterly painful as if we have switched bodies. I don't know what it is going to make to "make the world right" again for us, but, we are at a desperate crossroads. I hope that there is a definite and positive turning point coming. But, by the look on your face, maybe not."

Jarod thought of the what if's in store for them. He quickly weighed the good and the bad. The latter outweighed the good, which he pretty much knew it would. He hadn't moved at first. Lost in her gaze, the feeling of rejection and emptiness captured her face. A sudden sadness hit him. Anger ran though his body of the many times she had a role of the cruelty which was set upon him. He stepped aside.

"The world is not a happy ever after much of the time, Parker. Even if it is, someone always dies in the end, eventually."

Miss Parker stayed in her place. "Do you hate me that much that you can't forgive me? You want me to walk out the door?"

"Please leave."

"Tell me you hate me, then, I'll leave. Look me straight into my eyes and tell me that you hate me." She inched closer to him.

The veins on the side of his neck protruded out. "Get out!" Jarod yelled.

"Does it make you feel any better pretending you don't care?" She stroked his face.

"Get out!" Again, he yelled.

"I've loved you always, Jar, always will." Her voice cracked.

"Goodbye, Miss Parker."

It was raining lightly as she walked passed him. She stopped, turned for a brief moment, then continued walking. No matter how hard she tried to imagine his face, he was now faceless in her mind. Her heart ached of loneliness.

Jarod watched her until her svelte figure faded into the distance. He mouthed "I love you". Closing the door, he leaned against it. Slowly, he slid down onto the floor and cried.

JMPJMPJMPJMPJMP

The next few weeks past. It was harder each day for Miss Parker. She brought his sweatshirt to her nose, and closed her eyes, trying to remember his scent against her skin. Folding it carefully, she laid it on her bed, next to her, wishing it was him instead of a piece of material to keep her warm.

Jarod's eyes filled with laughter and joy. He finally found happiness, belonging in her heart. There were promises of the future for him and his love, a future he thought would never happen. He held her tenderly, interlocking his fingers with hers. Kissing her neck, she giggled. His mouth moved down to hers which muffled her soft laugh. Miss Parker hung on to him tightly, for fear of letting him go, he'd be gone. They were happy, finally.

She was awakened by the sound of her alarm clock. Pushing her dark shoulder length hair away from her face, confused and dazed, she laid sprawled on her bed. Realizing it was only a dream, she grabbed her pillow, crying painfully into it. After several minutes, she dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

Wrapping a towel around herself, she opened her dresser, and pulled out a pair of jeans and black tee-shirt. There was no color in her life, only darkness, which suited her attire perfectly. A facade on her face hid her true feelings, she pasted a smile and walked out of the house.

JMPJMPJMPJMPJMP

Jarod parked his car in front of his house. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed the steering wheel tightly before exiting out of the car. His dark eyes coldly burned into her baby blues. "Thought I got rid of you."

"Thought maybe you somehow changed your mind," Miss Parker had hoped. "Have you?" She watched the seriousness of his eyes.

"If I had, Parker, I would have been the one at your place. Nothing's changed." His eyes moved slowly outlining her face, stopping at her eyes, then her mouth. "I said nothing's changed."

The sound of his car door shutting loudly caused Miss Parker to jump.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"How are you, Jarod?"

"What do you want, Parker? You shouldn't have come back. You're making it harder...look, go away."

Miss Parker followed Jarod's footsteps as he headed to his house. "You're not invited in," he told her as he stuck his key in the keyhole.

"I didn't ask to come in. We can talk out here."

Reluctantly, Jarod agreed, sitting himself on the step. Looking at nothing in particular, he stared into the open space. Miss Parker joined him, but, stayed a short distance away from him.

"I know I've failed you in many ways."

"If I had known when I first met you how our fate would be like, I wouldn't have kept up the friendship we formed at "The Centre". You went away, then came back and joined forces with them. What did I ever do to you?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that daddy..."

"Everything you've done was for daddy. You never questioned him about anything. Never doubted him. You were daddy's little girl."

"He was my father. Or, at least I thought he was."

"Yes, right, Angel."

"Don't ever call me that," she snarled.

Jarod turned to Miss Parker. "Even when they killed Thomas, you went on believing...you could have walked away then. Was daddy that important to you still? You knew what they were capable of doing, yet, you still went on your hunting spree chasing me. I'm guessing you never cared if they killed me, too. And on the island, well, let's not go there. I was lucky, I escaped. The poor guy, Thomas didn't know what hit him. I'll always be looking behind my back, making sure no one's around to plug a bullet into me. Because of you, Parker, I don't think I'll ever be able to find true happiness. I wouldn't know it if it looked at me straight in the eyes."

"For someone who didn't want to talk, you sure have a lot to say."

"That day I let you walk out the door, I almost called out to you not to leave, maybe there might be hope for us, but, I couldn't take the chance of being hurt and betrayed again. I can only take so much. My head ruled over my heart. And it still does."

"I'm so very sorry for everything. All those years, grief and sorrow I bestowed upon you, I'm sorry. But, I promise you, I won't ever hurt you again or betray you," she said sincerely.

"Somehow you do seem sincere, so believable."

"It is. I am. I don't know what else to say except I love you."

"Don't say that! There's nothing more, Parker. Just take care of yourself. I had imagined us several times of being together, but, seeing what the cards had laid out for us, our fate, not in this lifetime. Or any other lifetime."

"Jarod, please don't say that. There's still hope, isn't there?"

He shook his head. "Hope for what? Us? No. I can never promise you anything."

"You've made me cry, you've made me worried and I missed you. I never meant for you to have been my enemy." She moved in closer to him, and laid her hand atop of his.

Jarod reacted to her touch, and quickly pulled away. "But, you are my enemy." He corrected himself. "You were. And I can never forgive you for that." Standing up, he dusted his jeans.

"Jarod!" Miss Parker cried out, pulling herself up. "You can't end our relationship like this!"

"If my love could hold you. If only it could. Damned it, Parker! You want me to say I love you, too? There was nothing between us other than "The Centre"! Leave me alone!"

"You're cutting me out of your life?" Her voice trembled.

"All these months, I relived that scene of ours at Ocee's, the scene that almost happened, continuously in my head. But, then, my thoughts are darkened by another scene, the one of me being handcuffed in the limousine. You were the "ice queen" all over again. You didn't care how much you hurt me. You made me out like some sort of inanimate object constantly kicking me around, having no feelings, being of no use to you." He felt his temperature slowly rise to a boiling point.

"I'm sorry."

"It's easy to walk away. Watch me! I'll do it first! Now leave me alone! You're nothing but a traitor! I can never trust you! Ever!" Jarod hollered, and walked into the house, slamming the door shut, leaving Miss Parker alone on his doorstep.

TBC - Chapter 5