<p>Disclaimer: see part one

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Starting Anew

Part 5

New developments 


"Do you think she's ok?" Broots asked Sydney in a hushed tone.

Sydney smiled gently. "Broots, we've been through this so many times already."

"Yes, but it's been months without a word from her. I mean it's just... I keep wondering if its a good sign," Broots huffed and sat down in the chair next to Sydney.

"I know but look at it this way. No contact also means she's still on the run. We haven't heard from her just like the others and that's good. As long as we don't hear a thing, she seems to be safe," Sydney reasoned.

"What about Jarod?" Broots asked. "Did you hear anything from him?"

Sydney shook his head.

"Maybe they are on the run together," Broots suggested and looked at Sydney.

Sydney smiled. He had his own suspicions about that. Maybe the two of them were really together... in more than one sense of the word.

Maybe they were together.

~~~~~~~

And together they were... in more than one sense of the word.

It had taken them both the better part of three weeks just to get along without fighting every few seconds. Things had been unstable between them; one minute everything was friendly and then suddenly an icy curtain descended over the room. They had been fighting and wondering about the other one's motives all the time.

Only after a considerable time had the motives come to surface all at once.

Jay and Jarod had used their extended stay in Canada to go climbing several times. They both enjoyed each other's company and the challenge of a difficult tour as much as Jarod enjoyed getting out of the house. He was often found outside as he tried to stay out of Miss Parker's way, much to her irritation and annoyance.

There was a palpable tension between the two of them that was barely bearable for Jay but he still did his best to keep the situation under control and on neutral ground for most part.

They had come back rather late from one of their tours and once they walked into the cabin Miss Parker came rushing up to them. Her eyes were red rimmed and overly bright and she looked furious. She gave Jarod a hard shove and a poke, tried to say something but the words failed her. Instead she grabbed him, not letting him stumble away. Resistance leaving her body, she then leant forward and her forehead came to rest against his shoulder.

Despite his shock, Jarod instantly encircled her and held her to him. Jay gave him a questioning look but Jarod just raised his eyebrows and then concentrated back on the shaking woman in his arms.

"Thank God you're ok."

"Hey, hey, what is it?" Jarod asked, concern written all over his face.

"I met two guys in town," she said. "They were climbers and they... they told me that there had been an accident. That two climbers had," she broke off. "I thought you... you."

"Hush, we are ok," Jarod reassured her.

"I thought you left me," she said so quietly Jarod wasn't sure he heard it. In the background Jay edged away a bit.

"I would never leave you, my love," Jarod hushed her and kissed the top of her head.

She leaned into him and then suddenly tensed. "What did you just say?"

Jarod shrank back, realizing his mistake. "Nothing," he said quickly and let go of her. "I need to get something out of the car."

And with that he was gone, leaving a now stunned Miss Parker. She turned to Jay who sat on the couch with Andrew in his lap.

"It didn't sound like nothing, did it? I mean he said," she broke off and looked at the young man with expectant eyes, wanting him to support her suspicion.

Jay rolled his eyes. "You two are unbelievable. You'd think between the two of you at least one of you could figure it out."

Miss Parker blinked and then turned around. She straightened and walked out of the door in search of Jarod. She found him easily. He was leaning against the car, his back to her, his hands clenched into tight fists on top of the roof. Miss Parker walked up to him silently and then she put a hand on his shoulder, making him jump and swivel round.

He had a haunted expression on his face. "Look I didn't mean to, I mean I meant it but I didn't mean that," he rambled.

Miss Parker frowned and looked closely at him. "Hold on, slowly," she suddenly spoke up, startling him again.

Jarod swallowed with difficulty but it did little for his pained expression. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For saying what I did. It... I mean, it just slipped out somehow and..."

Parker interrupted him again before he could start rambling again. She held up a hand to silence him and then she tilted her head slightly.

"My love," she repeated his words, asking him with her eyes if she had heard it correctly. He swallowed, proving it correct. "Did you mean it?" she asked.

"Yes, no, I mean," he huffed. He looked down and then only raised his eyes slightly to look at her. "Would it be bad if I said yes?" he asked in a small voice.

"Jarod, did you mean it?" she asked again, this time in a tone that showed that she wanted an answer. She just had to know before she said anything wrong; anything that she might regret later.

Jarod breathed deeply and the nodded. "Yes, I meant it," he dropped his head, awaiting the harsh words - or physical blows - that were sure to come.

Or so he thought.

Instead of harsh words or blows there was a soft sigh, and then Miss Parker took a step towards him and took his hands in hers.

"Jarod look at me," she pleaded.

Hesitantly, his head came up and even more hesitatingly, his eyes travelled up to meet hers.

"Say it again," Miss Parker asked. She needed to hear the words out of his mouth before she said anything she couldn't take back.

He closed his eyes in agony. "Parker, please don't torture me with this," he pleaded, working against his feelings. This one revelation left him bare and he just didn't want her to use it against him.

"Please Jarod, say it again. I need to hear it from you."

"I love you, Parker. I love you," Jarod said, his eyes still closed and his voice tight. His shoulders sagged, the tilt of his head and his clenched-shut eyes reminded her of someone fearing to be punched.

She let out a shuddering breath and leaned into him, her forehead coming to rest on his chest, relaxing into him.

Jarod slowly blinked his eyes open in confusion and he looked down. "You're not mad at me?"

Parker looked up at him again with amusement in her eyes, but also something else: something he'd never seen there before. "Should I be?"

"You're not?" he asked quietly.

"No. Took you long enough, genius," she smiled and hesitantly stretched up to give him a soft kiss. She felt him trembling slightly and she rubbed her hands up and down his arms in an effort to reassure him.

Jarod's hands came up behind her back and he encircled her lightly as if afraid of doing something wrong or hurting her.

She leaned her head against his chest once more, smiling slightly when she felt his chin coming to rest upon her head as an immediate answer.

The both relaxed slowly and let the tension between them fade away.

They knew that they had some ways to go before they found a balanced and harmonic relationship and they knew there would be setbacks and fights but they had survived everything else. This was just another obstacle to overcome.

And they had something else tying them together, something above even their feelings.

The small boy on Jay's hip as Jay watched the two people he had come to love and regard as his family embrace each other tenderly.

That small boy was one more reason for them to make it work out between them.


The End!



Uagh, you sticking to the floor now, not able to lift your feet because you're glued on by sugar? Sorry. I guess that was the shipper in me and I make a bold assumption and say that the shippers among you loved that chapter, am I right?


And again the end isn't really an end. There will be a sequel that will come up in a short while. I promised that this was just the beginning to another new story, didn't I?I?

Move on to the sequel: The Past Always Catches Up