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Chapter or Story
Part Eight Conclusion: Walking
Sam was yet again surprised. "Yes, Samuel," her words were teasing, laughing, "this is to be your and your mother's home. I thought it fit your personality perfectly when I first saw it. Simple, away from the rest of the world, but complex and lovely as well."
Monica Parker was her mother's daughter at last.
"Thomas found this house, didn't he?" Jarod whispered into her ear, startling her with the warmth of his breath and his closeness.
She nodded, and smiled, finally without the fear and sadness the years without her Thomas had added upon her already troubled countenance. Jarod's eyes danced as he watched her, managing to lose himself in her presence, something he'd not been able to do in the nearly thirteen years they'd been apart.
Without thought, he leaned in closer, only to hear the rest of the room chuckle when, just centimeters away from each other, they both jumped at the ringing of the telephone. Miss Parker's cellular phone.
A puzzled look crossed her face and she panicked for a second, whispering to Jarod, "But I'm dead!"
"No, you're not..." He grinned back. "The rest of us are. You were rescued, only four bodies were found at the scene."
The phone rang again. "What? You planned this and you didn't tell me?!" Parker sputtered, quite annoyed.
Jarod handed her the cell phone, finished with the tinkering he'd carried through, "You were too busy planning surprises and catching up on lost time. Now it's my turn. You'll do fine."
"WHAT the HELL do you WANT?" Parker nearly screamed into the phone.
"Angel! You're alright!" Mr. Parker sighed, obviously relieved, into the phone. "How do you feel? Where are you?"
Another act, thought his daughter. "Daddy," she almost choked on the word, "yes, I'm fine. I can't ... remember... what happened though. The doctors say that I must have amnesia, they think it's permanent," again, she was the Miss Parker the Centre had molded, her voice strong but monotone. Sounding obviously disappointed.
"The last thing I remember..." she glanced at Jarod, Ben, and her children. Ben nodded, urging her onward. "I... I remember being in the cemetery, Tommy... I..." she paused, her voice cracking slightly for good measure. "I want to come home, Daddy. I'll be there tomorrow."
"Good, we've missed you here, Angel. Your brother and I. We were absolutely distraught..."
Parker rolled her eyes at Ben and muttered, "Yeah, right," under her breath.
"What was that?" Mr. Parker asked.
"What? Nothing. I... I uhm, I'll see you soon Daddy. I'm tired... I must... go," she hit the end button.
Jarod was standing before her before she could hang up the phone. "Monica Parker!" his voice was angry. "This was not part of the plan! You're not going back!"
"Yes, I am." her voice left no room for argument.
"While we were waiting for you, Sam, Adella," Ben informed the sweeper and his mother, they discussed the plan for infiltrating the Centre. Parker was to accept the call, whether it be from her father or her brother, explain she had amnesia and tell him that she needed time to find the memories she'd lost. Then, she, Jarod, the children, and I were to board a plane for Europe to a house Catherine Parker left for her daughter after her death."
Sam grimaced, hearing Parker and Jarod argue quietly about her decision to act on her own.
"Jarod, get this through your god damn thick skull, NOW. They are MY children, too. I have known them since they were conceived, I gave birth to them, I raised them for the first years of their lives, fought for them, bled for them, and nearly died for them, before you even knew they existed. It's MY perogative to do whatever I please when it concerns them as long as it's for their wellbeing. And I WILL do this!" the tone of her voice increased throughout her tirade.
"Then I'm coming with you," Jarod nearly yelled. Behind him, Nikolas and Katya looked at each other, knowing something would have to be done.
"No, you're not." Parker said simply, her voice decisive and still. "You and Ben have to go with the children, I'll return to Blue Cove. There are things that must be done. And I'm the only one that can do them, don't you see? You'll only slow me down and if you were caught, my credibility would be gone and they'd take all of us to the Renewal Wing. That's not what we want, is it?"
He sighed, for once not Pretending, for once, giving in to her wishes.
His Miss Parker was right.
"Let me do this, let me save them, let me save us." She was almost pleading, "I have to go back, Jarod," her voice lowered to a whisper as the children inched closer to them.
"The Centre is where I belong."
Jarod shook his head and the children each reached forward and took one of her hands, none speaking because the words weren't enough.
"It's where I need to be."
She clenched her children's hands tighter for just a second, smiled at Ben, and leaned forward to place a tender kiss on Jarod's cheek. "I love you, never forget that, my heart. And never ever let them break you, you hear me? I've told you that many times, and if anything, that's the legacy I leave you. If I don't see you again..."
"No, Mama!" Katya whispered, and her brother ordered, "Don't say that!"
She shook her head, "Oh, my heart... I love you all." She smiled, "Sydney and Broots... they're waiting. There's so much left for me to do. I have to go home now... I'll try to see you soon."
She laughed to herself, smiling again, and letting go of her children's hands and Jarod's gaze. She looped her arms around her father's neck, hugging him tightly.
"Good-bye," she whispered, and she was gone.
If anything, Katya decided then, her mother was a dancer, an angel dancer. She didn't walk from the room, she danced, she faded.
Just like the mother before her, and the daughter after.
Sam was yet again surprised. "Yes, Samuel," her words were teasing, laughing, "this is to be your and your mother's home. I thought it fit your personality perfectly when I first saw it. Simple, away from the rest of the world, but complex and lovely as well."
Monica Parker was her mother's daughter at last.
"Thomas found this house, didn't he?" Jarod whispered into her ear, startling her with the warmth of his breath and his closeness.
She nodded, and smiled, finally without the fear and sadness the years without her Thomas had added upon her already troubled countenance. Jarod's eyes danced as he watched her, managing to lose himself in her presence, something he'd not been able to do in the nearly thirteen years they'd been apart.
Without thought, he leaned in closer, only to hear the rest of the room chuckle when, just centimeters away from each other, they both jumped at the ringing of the telephone. Miss Parker's cellular phone.
A puzzled look crossed her face and she panicked for a second, whispering to Jarod, "But I'm dead!"
"No, you're not..." He grinned back. "The rest of us are. You were rescued, only four bodies were found at the scene."
The phone rang again. "What? You planned this and you didn't tell me?!" Parker sputtered, quite annoyed.
Jarod handed her the cell phone, finished with the tinkering he'd carried through, "You were too busy planning surprises and catching up on lost time. Now it's my turn. You'll do fine."
"WHAT the HELL do you WANT?" Parker nearly screamed into the phone.
"Angel! You're alright!" Mr. Parker sighed, obviously relieved, into the phone. "How do you feel? Where are you?"
Another act, thought his daughter. "Daddy," she almost choked on the word, "yes, I'm fine. I can't ... remember... what happened though. The doctors say that I must have amnesia, they think it's permanent," again, she was the Miss Parker the Centre had molded, her voice strong but monotone. Sounding obviously disappointed.
"The last thing I remember..." she glanced at Jarod, Ben, and her children. Ben nodded, urging her onward. "I... I remember being in the cemetery, Tommy... I..." she paused, her voice cracking slightly for good measure. "I want to come home, Daddy. I'll be there tomorrow."
"Good, we've missed you here, Angel. Your brother and I. We were absolutely distraught..."
Parker rolled her eyes at Ben and muttered, "Yeah, right," under her breath.
"What was that?" Mr. Parker asked.
"What? Nothing. I... I uhm, I'll see you soon Daddy. I'm tired... I must... go," she hit the end button.
Jarod was standing before her before she could hang up the phone. "Monica Parker!" his voice was angry. "This was not part of the plan! You're not going back!"
"Yes, I am." her voice left no room for argument.
"While we were waiting for you, Sam, Adella," Ben informed the sweeper and his mother, they discussed the plan for infiltrating the Centre. Parker was to accept the call, whether it be from her father or her brother, explain she had amnesia and tell him that she needed time to find the memories she'd lost. Then, she, Jarod, the children, and I were to board a plane for Europe to a house Catherine Parker left for her daughter after her death."
Sam grimaced, hearing Parker and Jarod argue quietly about her decision to act on her own.
"Jarod, get this through your god damn thick skull, NOW. They are MY children, too. I have known them since they were conceived, I gave birth to them, I raised them for the first years of their lives, fought for them, bled for them, and nearly died for them, before you even knew they existed. It's MY perogative to do whatever I please when it concerns them as long as it's for their wellbeing. And I WILL do this!" the tone of her voice increased throughout her tirade.
"Then I'm coming with you," Jarod nearly yelled. Behind him, Nikolas and Katya looked at each other, knowing something would have to be done.
"No, you're not." Parker said simply, her voice decisive and still. "You and Ben have to go with the children, I'll return to Blue Cove. There are things that must be done. And I'm the only one that can do them, don't you see? You'll only slow me down and if you were caught, my credibility would be gone and they'd take all of us to the Renewal Wing. That's not what we want, is it?"
He sighed, for once not Pretending, for once, giving in to her wishes.
His Miss Parker was right.
"Let me do this, let me save them, let me save us." She was almost pleading, "I have to go back, Jarod," her voice lowered to a whisper as the children inched closer to them.
"The Centre is where I belong."
Jarod shook his head and the children each reached forward and took one of her hands, none speaking because the words weren't enough.
"It's where I need to be."
She clenched her children's hands tighter for just a second, smiled at Ben, and leaned forward to place a tender kiss on Jarod's cheek. "I love you, never forget that, my heart. And never ever let them break you, you hear me? I've told you that many times, and if anything, that's the legacy I leave you. If I don't see you again..."
"No, Mama!" Katya whispered, and her brother ordered, "Don't say that!"
She shook her head, "Oh, my heart... I love you all." She smiled, "Sydney and Broots... they're waiting. There's so much left for me to do. I have to go home now... I'll try to see you soon."
She laughed to herself, smiling again, and letting go of her children's hands and Jarod's gaze. She looped her arms around her father's neck, hugging him tightly.
"Good-bye," she whispered, and she was gone.
If anything, Katya decided then, her mother was a dancer, an angel dancer. She didn't walk from the room, she danced, she faded.
Just like the mother before her, and the daughter after.
