Jarod was still waiting for Parker’s outburst. He knew that he was acting like crazy, but he’d reasoned this out. Putting her in danger was not an issue.

“You may fool Sydney and Broots, but you can’t fool me, Jarod. I’m not going!”

“Yes, you are”, he urged her, firmly.

“Give me a good reason.”

“I’ll give you two.”

Jarod turned the laptop so that Parker could see the videos of the surveillance cameras at the school. Ethan was in his classroom, Katie was talking with some schoolmates in the playground.

Parker sighed, a tear forming at the corner of her eyes.

“I’ll feel better if I know that you’re somewhere safe with the kids. I won’t need to worry about you. Like when you were still at the Centre pursuing me. I never had to wonder if you were fine, because I knew there were Sydney and Broots to cover your back.”

“And who will cover your ass, Jarod, mmm?” Parker voluntarily ignored Jarod rolling his eyes, “Whenever you had to deal with something like that, you had someone helping you. Kyle saved you from Lyle in Dry River, Sydney was the one who warned you from the explosion in SL-27, and it was the Major who helped you with Jeremy. Oh, and you had me on Carthis!”

Jarod shook his head, “That was different. The Centre isn’t as powerful as it used to be.”

Parker rolled her eyes, “So you are basically excluding me as if I was a spare wheel!”

“Yes, I am” he commented, sardonically, “Under other circumstances I would have wanted you with me. You have no idea how much I need you by my side.”

“Then why sending me away?!” she grumped.

Jarod took her face in his hands, “Because you are the only person I trust enough with taking care of our children.” 

Miss Parker murmured, but Jarod hushed her, “Please.”

She huffed, “Ok. I’ll go.”

Jarod hugged her and sighed in her hair.

“This is the first time you let me win an argument.”

Parker scolded him, “And also the last.”

When Miss Parker picked up Katie and Ethan from school, she noticed that Gabriel wasn’t there. She didn’t like this sudden change of approach. It was like Gabriel knew that they knew. ‘Maybe he intercepted our conversation with Sydney and Broots?’, Parker wondered.

The return trip was driven in silence. Ethan kept glancing at his mother, wondering why she wasn’t as chatty as usual. On the contrary, Katie seemed in alarm. She wasn’t speaking, and her brother knew this wasn’t a good sign. Ethan thought he would investigate later about her behavior. His sister’s silences always meant something, especially to him.

When Parker stepped inside the house, the kids followed her quietly, only to find their dad waiting for them in the entrance with two suitcases already packed.

“What’s going on here?” Ethan asked his parents.

Jarod tried to smile and put his arm behind Parker’s back, “Uncle Ben thought it was time to pay him a visit.”

Katie grinned, “So we’re all going there? Like a holiday?”

Parker’s fake smile disappeared as she bent to talk to her daughter, “No, Pumpkin. Daddy has to work, he won’t come with us.”

“Oh, I’ve had enough of this crap!” Ethan shouted, throwing his backpack to the floor.

“Hey! Young man, that’s not the language I want to hear in this house!” Jarod scolded his son.

“I’m sorry dad, but I’m really pissed off!” Parker and Jarod glanced at each other in astonishment, “You’ve been in a bad mood all week, you’ve been acting weird for days and now you’re sending us away with Mom! What’s going on, are you going to divorce?”

Jarod held a laugh, “No, we are not, Ethan.”

“You know how much we love each other, and you.” Parker confirmed.

“Then why are we leaving, daddy?” Katie inquired tenderly, “I don’t want to go without you.”

“Yeah, me neither. Katie and I are sick of all your secrets! We know this has something to do with them!”

“You know?” Jarod asked him, surprised by the sharp tone in his son’s voice.

“You’ve been fighting. You’ve never done that before.” Katie agreed with her brother.

“So, tell us the truth, this is about one of your hundreds secrets?”

Parker and Jarod’s eyes were jumping from Katie to Ethan.

“Yeah, like Mommy’s name, why do you always call her Parker if that is neither her first name nor her last name?” Ethan shouted.

“Is this about our dead uncles and aunts? Why did you name us after your siblings if we aren’t even allowed to know what really happened to them?” Katie continued.

“Is this about ‘Grandpa’ Sydney? Why can’t we call him whenever we want, like other kids do? Is he…a criminal, or is he in hiding from someone?”

“Ethan –” Jarod tried to interrupt his children, but he couldn’t.

“Yeah, and why do we have an uncle who looks exactly like a younger version of daddy?!” Katie asked her mother.

“Katie!” Parker exclaimed.

“And while we are at it, why aren’t there any pictures of daddy when he was younger…is it because – ”

“That’s enough!” Jarod shouted.

His tone was all the kids need to stop questioning. They’d never seen their father so mad at them before. Jarod rubbed a hand on his forehead and inspired deeply, trying to calm down.

Then he stared at Parker, almost praying for her to help him. But she couldn’t. The pretender looked back at Ethan and Katie, who looked mortified and sorry.

He smiled tenderly, “Kids, I swear you grow too fast. Ethan, you are so smart. And Katie, you are even more sensible than your mother was at your age.” 

“Then why not telling us the truth?” Ethan begged his father.

“There is a time for everything, Ethan. This isn’t the time for the answers. This is the time to do what is necessary, even if you don’t understand.” Jarod explained. “That’s why you’re going with Mom.”

Katie started to cry, “Daddy, I’m scared. I’ve been dreaming of this…”

Parker looked at Jarod in alarm, “What kind of dreams, Sweetie?”

The little girl struggled to remind her dreams, while her mother held her in her arms,“You, Ethan and I…we were caged…in a dark place…and you were suffering, Mom…they were hurting you.”

“Who was hurting me?”

Seeing that Katie was sobbing, Ethan concluded his sister’s dream, “The bad guys. The ones I still dream about at times, too.”

Jarod took his daughter up from the ground to his arms, “Pumpkin, I promise you, nobody is gonna hurt Mommy. Never. I won’t allow anyone to do her harm.” He looked at Parker while saying this. Katie nodded, but didn’t stop crying, snuggling around her father’s protective arms.

“Daddy, promise that we’ll get together soon.”

Jarod nodded at his son.

“Promise that nothing is gonna happen to you or Mom.” Ethan stated again.

“I swear.”

“And you will tell us the truth, once this is over?”

Parker and Jarod shared a knowing look, then she nodded again, “Deal.”