Disclaimer: “The Pretender” and its characters don’t belong to me they belong to TNT and NBC and are being used without permission. Please don’t sue because I have no money.

Not my problem

She stormed into the tech room like a black thundercloud. This was her day to finally catch the lab rat she could feel it and nobody and nothing was going to rain on her parade. Broots and Sydney were already there and they both turned to Miss Parker as she made her presence known.

“Have you found anything yet?”

“No, Miss Parker.”

“I can feel today was the day to catch Jarod and drag him back kicking and screaming.”

“Jarod deserves to be free, Miss Parker. To make this world a better place. He brings justice to those who need it.”

“Zip it Freud. He deserves to be brought back here. That is our job to bring him back. Isn’t it Syd? Or what have we been doing all these years.”

“Don’t you see that he deserves freedom?”

“Not my problem, Sydney.”

She turned to the computer as it chimed when it was done completed its daily check of where Jarod might be.

“Did it find him?” She pointed at the computer angrily.

“Let me check, Miss Parker.”

“Well hurry.”

Broots punched in a few keystrokes and read what was on the monitor.

“My program found him. He’s still there.”

“Good, I knew that today was the day. Let’s get going to catch Jarod.”

She stormed out not waiting for them to follow her.

“It looks like she means it.”  Broots looked at Sydney before he hurried after her.

Sydney shook his head and he too hurried after her.

----

Jarod was sitting on the couch when they burst in. He tried to get away, but they surrounded him.

“Please Miss Parker. Don’t do this.”

“Not my problem, Jarod. You know it’s my job. Now shut up and get going.”

She barked at the sweepers to gather his things and stormed out with her prize. She just knew today was the day that she would catch him and she was right. She watched as they led him out of the door and into the car and smiled.

------

Blue Cove, Delaware

She could see Jarod’s nervousness when they got closer to the Centre and looked at him as she glanced at him. Didn’t they understand that it was their job to catch Jarod? What did they think that they were doing twiddling their thumbs instead of trying to find Jarod to catch him? What did they think they would do once they find him? Let him go? She didn’t think so. Once she delivered him to the Centre he wasn’t her problem anymore and for that she was glad. She would finally be free of the Centre and of him.

She turned to the sweepers holding Jarod between them and walked towards the Centre knowing that everyone would be following her. She opened her father’s door and presented Jarod to him.

“Angel, you did it. You finally found him and brought him back. I’m so proud of you.” He said as he hugged his daughter.

“Thank you daddy.”

“Take him to his space.”

She watched as they took him away and turned to her father.

“You are now on the Gemini retrieval project. Bring back our other asset.”

“You promised that I would be free after I bring Jarod home.”

“You can leave after you bring back Gemini.”

She walked out of her father’s office not looking at her father. She couldn’t believe that her father broke his promise. She should of known that he wouldn’t let her go free. She walked to the tech room to tell them that they were looking for Gemini now.

Broots was there at his computer looking at the screen.

“What are you doing Broots.”

He jumped not knowing that she came in.

“Nothing, Miss Parker.”

She looked at him and then turned to the door as Sydney came in. She had called him and told him to meet her in the tech room.

“What is it Miss Parker.”

“We have a new assignment.”

“What.”

“We are on the trail of Gemini now.”

“Your father didn’t let you go did he?”

“Don’t say it, Syd. I don’t want to hear it.”

He nodded and turned to Broots. He knew that even if she brought Jarod back to the Centre that her father wouldn’t let her go and he was right.

----

Four weeks later.

Miss Parker walked down the corridor to Jarod’s cell. She didn’t want to tell him the news, but she didn’t want him to hear it from someone else. With a heavy heart she glanced inside the cell and looked at Jarod who was lying on the mattresless cot with an arm thrown over his eyes. He didn’t even look at her, as she got closer.

“What is it Miss Parker? Here to gloat that you caught me.” He said as he got up and turned to her as he grabbed the bars glaring at her.

“No, Jarod. I have some news.”

“What is it?”

“Sydney was shot and killed, Jarod.”

“What?”

“Sydney was shot and killed. The police think it’s a guy named Henry Weston.”

“Henry Weston?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“That’s the guy I was going to get before you pulled me from my pretend.”

“I’m sorry, Jarod.”

“I could have gotten and made Henry pay for the people he murdered. He would have been in jail and he wouldn’t have killed Sydney.”

“I’m so sorry, Jarod.”

“Just go away.” He yelled as he walked to the back part of the cell and slid down. He buried his head and started sobbing. She watched him as he cried for his father, the only father that he’d ever known. She walked to the door and opened it letting him have some privacy to himself. A tear slid down her face and she wiped it away.

She walked to her office, but stopped in the lobby-watching people go by. She remembered her father saying when her mother died that life goes on. It does go on even if you don’t want it to. Suddenly an alarm went off and she looked around wondering what was going on. Nobody seemed to hear the noise going on. She woke up and glared at the alarm clock that woke her up. She swatted at the off button and turned it off.

---

She walked into the Centre and walked to the tech room and watched as he worked on the computer. The door opened and watched as Sydney made his way to them.

“Sydney, how are you doing?”

“Fine, Miss Parker. How are you doing today?”

“Peachy, just peachy.”

The computer beeped and signaled their attention. They turned to Broots and heard him say. “I found Jarod.”

“Let’s go guys.”

When they got there all they found was a red notebook and a pez dispenser. Miss Parker snatched up the red notebook and flipped through it. It was about Henry Weston who killed 30 people and Jarod put a stop to that.

On the trip home she turned to Sydney and watched as he looked through Jarod’s notebook and turned to the plane’s window and smiled. All is right in the world now. Jarod was out in the world righting all the wrongs. Sydney was still alive and for that she was glad. She was glad that it was her problem once again.

The End.