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Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me, and I’m not making any money out of this. I’m just bored with waiting for the second movie to come out, so I’m doing this to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone who sent me the wonderful feedback. I hope you enjoy this next part J
Soulwashing
Part 8
By Feline
Jarod sat and stared into the flames that burned brightly in the open fireplace, as if maybe they held all the answers to the questions that had kept him awake, until, at 2am, he had given up trying to sleep and come to this tiny room to brood.
He sighed and rubbed a weary hand over his face. This issue - he was still reluctant to call it marriage – couldn’t be resolved until he had spoken to his huntress.
Which was akin to speaking to a timebomb with a few seconds left on the clock.
The one thing he kept coming back to was I wish things could be like they were.
He knew they would never be again as they had the day he had happily contemplated his now uncertain marriage to Zoe, and the prospect of completing his family.
He heard soft footsteps tread on the darkness of the room, and he turned to face the woman he could not think of as his wife.
Miss Parker sat down, not looking at him, contemplating the flames as he had earlier.
“ If only they contained the answers.” He voiced his thoughts aloud.
She looked at him then.
“ Depends on what your questions are, ” she said, putting the ball back in his court, her careful tone betraying nothing of what she was feeling.
“ I know my side of the story. But not yours.”
She nodded.
“ I heard what you told Sydney.”
He looked surprised.
“ You were eavesdropping?”
She looked directly at him.
“ It was something I needed to hear from you.”
He digested this. Questions forming faster than he could speak them.
She looked at him and sighed, breaking the pregnant silence.
“ What does all this really mean to you, Jarod? The bottom line.”
He looked away, unable to face her as he repeated his thought from earlier.
Silence. It seemed to go on forever, and eventually he forced himself to look at her.
She was carefully masked, no trace of whatever may have crossed her face at what he said, and he cursed himself.
Softly, laboriously, he asked her the same question.
It was her turn to look away.
“ I was angry with you. To me it seemed like you just left without looking back, and I felt so stupid, I had let myself be tricked. Then, when you never mentioned it, never gave me any answers, just taunted me even further…”
She trailed off.
He was struck again by what effect he had unknowingly had on her. All these years he had thought he knew exactly what was going on with her. Idiot.
“ I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Her mouth curved grimly. This really was the end, she realised, all the anger that had driven her had dissipated, and she felt only numbness, like something in her had just died.
“ And so it is.” She told herself, speaking not to Jarod, but out into emptiness somewhere.
There was only one question left, one last thing before all they had shared together came to an end.
“ What happens now?”
*********************************************
Sydney looked up from his coffee as Jarod and Miss Parker entered the room. They’d obviously spoken to each other, but he was unsure of the outcome.
Jarod looked better. Most of the pressure on him from yesterday seemed to have dropped away, and he seemed as much back to his usual self as he could be.
He saw Zoe sitting across the room by herself, and carefully approached her, unsure of what reaction he would get. He needn’t have worried. She seemed glad to see him, and they began talking earnestly.
Miss Parker on the other hand, sat down opposite Sydney himself, and Sydney did not like what he saw. Something had changed. The anger was gone, he noted, but in its place was something he could not identify, even after all his years of being a shrink.
She made her coffee with a slow fragility that unnerved him like nothing he’d ever seen her do before.
“ Miss Parker?” he questioned tentatively.
She didn’t respond, refusing to look at him.
After what seemed like hours she spoke, in a tone that Sydney didn’t recognise.
“ I’ll be leaving for Blue Cove later today.”
Sydney stared at her.
“ But…..what about the Centre? Aren’t you concerned that they know about your marriage? And what about you finding closure, finding peace?”
Miss Parker did look at him then, and his horror at what he saw in her eyes was enough to leave him frozen while she spoke.
“ The Centre kidnapped and brain- no soulwashed Jarod to destroy our marriage. I don’t think they see any need for further action. They shouldn’t anyway. We’re getting a divorce and Jarod is marrying Zoe.”
She stood and left the room, and Sydney just stared in shock.
The only thing he could describe her as right now was a dead woman walking.
The Centre had claimed two souls for the price of one.
Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone who sent me the wonderful feedback. I hope you enjoy this next part J
Soulwashing
Part 8
By Feline
Jarod sat and stared into the flames that burned brightly in the open fireplace, as if maybe they held all the answers to the questions that had kept him awake, until, at 2am, he had given up trying to sleep and come to this tiny room to brood.
He sighed and rubbed a weary hand over his face. This issue - he was still reluctant to call it marriage – couldn’t be resolved until he had spoken to his huntress.
Which was akin to speaking to a timebomb with a few seconds left on the clock.
The one thing he kept coming back to was I wish things could be like they were.
He knew they would never be again as they had the day he had happily contemplated his now uncertain marriage to Zoe, and the prospect of completing his family.
He heard soft footsteps tread on the darkness of the room, and he turned to face the woman he could not think of as his wife.
Miss Parker sat down, not looking at him, contemplating the flames as he had earlier.
“ If only they contained the answers.” He voiced his thoughts aloud.
She looked at him then.
“ Depends on what your questions are, ” she said, putting the ball back in his court, her careful tone betraying nothing of what she was feeling.
“ I know my side of the story. But not yours.”
She nodded.
“ I heard what you told Sydney.”
He looked surprised.
“ You were eavesdropping?”
She looked directly at him.
“ It was something I needed to hear from you.”
He digested this. Questions forming faster than he could speak them.
She looked at him and sighed, breaking the pregnant silence.
“ What does all this really mean to you, Jarod? The bottom line.”
He looked away, unable to face her as he repeated his thought from earlier.
Silence. It seemed to go on forever, and eventually he forced himself to look at her.
She was carefully masked, no trace of whatever may have crossed her face at what he said, and he cursed himself.
Softly, laboriously, he asked her the same question.
It was her turn to look away.
“ I was angry with you. To me it seemed like you just left without looking back, and I felt so stupid, I had let myself be tricked. Then, when you never mentioned it, never gave me any answers, just taunted me even further…”
She trailed off.
He was struck again by what effect he had unknowingly had on her. All these years he had thought he knew exactly what was going on with her. Idiot.
“ I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Her mouth curved grimly. This really was the end, she realised, all the anger that had driven her had dissipated, and she felt only numbness, like something in her had just died.
“ And so it is.” She told herself, speaking not to Jarod, but out into emptiness somewhere.
There was only one question left, one last thing before all they had shared together came to an end.
“ What happens now?”
*********************************************
Sydney looked up from his coffee as Jarod and Miss Parker entered the room. They’d obviously spoken to each other, but he was unsure of the outcome.
Jarod looked better. Most of the pressure on him from yesterday seemed to have dropped away, and he seemed as much back to his usual self as he could be.
He saw Zoe sitting across the room by herself, and carefully approached her, unsure of what reaction he would get. He needn’t have worried. She seemed glad to see him, and they began talking earnestly.
Miss Parker on the other hand, sat down opposite Sydney himself, and Sydney did not like what he saw. Something had changed. The anger was gone, he noted, but in its place was something he could not identify, even after all his years of being a shrink.
She made her coffee with a slow fragility that unnerved him like nothing he’d ever seen her do before.
“ Miss Parker?” he questioned tentatively.
She didn’t respond, refusing to look at him.
After what seemed like hours she spoke, in a tone that Sydney didn’t recognise.
“ I’ll be leaving for Blue Cove later today.”
Sydney stared at her.
“ But…..what about the Centre? Aren’t you concerned that they know about your marriage? And what about you finding closure, finding peace?”
Miss Parker did look at him then, and his horror at what he saw in her eyes was enough to leave him frozen while she spoke.
“ The Centre kidnapped and brain- no soulwashed Jarod to destroy our marriage. I don’t think they see any need for further action. They shouldn’t anyway. We’re getting a divorce and Jarod is marrying Zoe.”
She stood and left the room, and Sydney just stared in shock.
The only thing he could describe her as right now was a dead woman walking.
The Centre had claimed two souls for the price of one.
