TEN YEARS AGO

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Jarod and Miss Parker arrived in Philadelphia the same evening, 24 hours before the appointment with Lyle. Jarod parked the car in front of the house, turning off the engine.

Miss Parker looked at the building and shrugged.

“2429 Sylvan Lane. Are you sure this is the place?”

The house was silent and looked abandoned. No lights, no sounds. The atmosphere was almost creepy and Parker felt her inner sense starting to sting immediately.

“The estate agents weren’t able to find new tenants after the death of Ethan’s foster parents, I checked on their web site.”

“Not many people would live in a house where a murder took place.”

Jarod noticed that she wasn’t looking at him, and he knew why. Miss Parker had lived for years in the same house where she’d found Tommy’s dead body.

“You think she’s really here?” she asked him to end that embarassed silence.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Jarod got out from the car and closed the cardoor behind him. Parker followed him after grabbing the weapon from her holster and checking that it was loaded.

Jarod waited for her to join his side, then the couple walked towards the house. Jarod stopped in front of the door and knocked; his anxious slight touch was enough to open it.

“It’s unlocked.” He commented, glancing at Parker. She nodded in return and moved past him, aiming her gun in front of her.

As Jarod remembered, the stairs leading to the upper floor were right in front of the entry and he suddenly had a flashback of Ethan and himself rolling over the ladders and tumbling to the entrance floor.

Jarod inspired slowly and gathered all his strenght, looking for Margaret in hopes of finding her in the house.

“Mom?” he called out.

Parker visited the living room only to find it empty, and so was the kitchen. When she heard her inner voices getting louder, she decided to follow their indication to move upstairs. Jarod followed her blindly.

When they reached the upper floor, they were startled by a noise coming from their right. Parker turned around so fast that she almost lost the grip on her gun. She stood in front of Jarod, protecting his form with her weapon as they moved towards the bedroom.

Parker stopped in front of the door and stared at Jarod, then she mouthed, “1...2...3.”

 

Jarod slammed the door and Parker aimed her Smith & Wesson against the guest. The pretender and his former huntress found themselves facing a very scared Margaret who was doing the same with a Beretta. Her arm wasn’t as steady as Miss Parker’s, in fact she was trembling from head to toe. She opened her eyes wide as soon as she recognized her son, then she lowered automatically her weapon. The gun fell to the floor and she gasped.

“Jarod…”

“Mom!”

Jarod moved automatically and did what he’d wished the most for his entire life: Holding his mother.

Margaret was still too stunned to realize that the son she’d been looking for all those years was finally back where he belonged, her arms. She cried in agony as she felt her weak knees surrender to her son’s weight. They both fell to the floor, holding each other for dear life and crying. Miss Parker, on her hand, couldn’t help but doing the same. Even if she would never hold her mother again, Jarod had finally found his. And that scene was enough to affect even a woman like her. Jarod had been given a second chance by Ethan. This reunion had been the last gift from his brother.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life...” Jarod managed to whisper to his mother.

“I know, son.” she replied, trying to smile at him. “It’s a miracle.”

“Daddy is coming too, Mom...We’re going to be all together, soon.”

“Emily, is she fine?”

“Yes, she is.” He reassured her. “You know about Kyle, don’t you?”

Margaret nodded ruefully, “Where’s your other brother?”

“Jeremy is at home with Em – ”

“I was talking about Ethan. Your brother.” She was talking to Jarod, but after a couple of seconds she looked at Miss Parker, who was still standing on the doorway.

“Ethan is dead.” She abruptly confessed to Margaret, who squeezed her eyes as tears streamed down her face again.

“Mom, I’ve got at least a thousand questions I need to ask you...”

“I will answer. To both of you.” She addressed Miss Parker.

Jarod suddenly realized that he’d behaved like a caveman in the last few minutes, so he stood up and took his mother hand, approaching Miss Parker who was finally entering the bedroom.

“Mom...” he looked intently in his lover’s eyes while saying, “This is Miss Parker, Catherine’s daughter.”

He’d always hoped to be able to introduce Parker to his mother, one day. And now that the day had eventually come, he felt the luckiest man on Earth.

“I’m so honoured to finally meet you. And without a gun between the two of us.”

Miss Parker laughed along with mother and son, all the three people in the room felt the tension diminish right away.

“Now I see where Jarod took that piercing sarcasm of his from.”

“I would not underestimate his father, though.”

Even if she hadn’t been listening to her husband’s voice for years, Margaret recognized it at once when she heard it coming from the corridor.

“Dad!” Jarod grinned when he saw his father’s figure approaching them.

“Dave!”

“Maggie...”

The pretender watched in amazement as his parents got reunited and held each other. He’d never thought he would actually live enough to see his childhood dream come true. Parker was at least as much astonished as Jarod. They shared a look that was more eloquent than a thousand words, then they moved closer to the married couple, hand in hand.

The Major kept holding Margaret at his chest, glaring at the younger woman. “Miss Parker. The last time we were in the same place you almost died in a desperate attempt to save your father’s life. I almost lost my son that day because of his silly intent to try and save you!”

Miss Parker held the Major’s gaze without a flinch. Jarod glanced at her, scared that his father would say something to irritate Parker’s previous self. But the woman seemed calm, almost delighted.

“Are you here to threaten my family...or have you eventually realized what kind of people are worth of your trust?”

“Dad, I need to tell you –”

“I think Miss Parker can speak for herself, son.” The Major cut him off. He didn’t know why Jarod was in that room with his former huntress, even if he could imagine the reason. The last time he’d spoken to his son, he’d been blathering something about splitting up with Zoe because he still had unfinished business in Blue Cove. The Major knew that his son and Miss Parker had always maintained a very complex relationship, only a blind man or a hopeless denier wouldn’t recognize the tension between the couple while staying at their presence.

If things between Jarod and Miss Parker had really changed, he wanted to hear it from her voice.

“You know, Major” Parker stated, stepping forward, “Things won’t get easier from now on, so let me put something straight. Your family is finally back together because my brother Ethan gave his life to grant Jarod’s wish of ever meeting his mother.”

The Major’s eyes moved from the woman to his son, seeking for the truth on his face. When he noticed Jarod’s expression, he knew there was no doubt, Ethan was really dead. Another son he’d lost before having the chance of actually know him.

“I’m not going to annoy you with tales from the past, we all know what my duty was when I worked for the Centre. I hunted your son high and low, I shot him, I tried to capture him, I almost got us killed more than once.”

Jarod smiled to himself, his thoughts running immediately to the Keys.

“I know that Jarod is your son and you want to make up for all the time you’ve lost. I’m pretty sure you probably think that I’m stealing him from your attention.”

The Major didn’t answer, but that was exactly what he was thinking. If Miss Parker was in love with Jarod – and the Major didn’t need to ask his son if the feeling was mutual – then they were in real trouble.

“To answer you question, today I’m not here as a threat, Major.” Miss Parker kept talking, “I’m here as a woman who’s pregnant with your grandchild and in need of your help to rescue your other already-born-grandson.”

Margaret and the Major looked in astonishment at Miss Parker’s after this final revelation. When they saw Jarod squeezing his eyes as if he was trying to excuse himself, they understood that the woman wasn’t lying. They were going to be grandparents. They already were.

“Now, if this disappoints you in any way, I don’t give a rats ass.” Jarod closed his eyes at Parker’s coarse remark, “I happen to be in love with Jarod, oddly enough he loves me in spite of all the things I did to him. And even if he’s just a romantic fool and doesn’t have the slightest idea what he got himself into, he’s stuck with me, because I’m not going anyway. Comprende?”

The Major was shocked and amused at the same time, Margaret couldn’t hold her laugh longer. When Miss Parker saw the woman laughing, she knew that Margaret would never be a monster in-law to her, she’d just won her heart. She grinned at Jarod, who was probably realizing the same thing.

“In spite of Parker’s sweet words, everything she said is true, dad. And I love her too, even if I should probably change my mind after this speech.”

“Poor baby.” Parker mocked him.

The Major sighed and stared at Parker, “You look so much like your mother.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told a coulpe of times.” She replied, sternly.

“I’m sure Catherine would be very proud of you.” Margaret commented.

Parker nodded, “This is everything my mother ever wanted for me...for us, actually. And by the way, you still owe us some explanation, Margaret.”

“We don’t have time for that now, Parker. We must think about Lyle. He’s going to be here tomorrow.”

“Why?” the Major asked him, disappointed by the news.

“Delivering your grandson, Major.” Miss Parker explained.