The Centre
Sub-Level 27
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Jarod! Get out! There's a bomb!" Sydney yelled, his voice reverberating off the steel walls of Sub-Level 27.

Jarod, Miss Parker, Raines, Mr. Parker, and Willie all stared at them from the other end of the corridor, stunned. A silent
moment passed between them, when suddenly, they heard the unmistakable sounds of doors being blown off their hinges from
the force of the bomb's blast, the fire rushing toward them. Jarod stared at Sydney, believing he would never again see the man
who played such a major role in his life; the man who played the part of his father after he was stolen from his family. Jarod's
eyes communicated everything to Sydney that he wanted him to know: How much he loved him, and that he had Jarod's
forgiveness.

Jarod turned swiftly to Miss Parker and looked into her eyes. For the first time since their childhood, he saw feeling in her eyes; not the familiar anger and remoteness that usually dominated her icy blue eyes. In that fleeting instant, he understood her. He understood why she had become so hard, so bitter, so driven. For the first time in his life, he prayed to God, the God widely accepted on faith, and prayed that they survived this. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, so many regrets he had for stringing her along all those months and for all of the dirty tricks he played on her. He drank in her exquisite existence one last time and looked into her eyes once more, now ready to die, if that was meant to be. The feeling was fleeting when he noticed the look of sheer panic in her eyes; eyes that begged him to get them all out of this.

"Jarod." she whispered, her voice panicked.

He felt a rush of wind behind him. Acting on survival instinct alone, he grabbed Parker's hand and ran. As they passed Raines,
her father, and Willie, she quickly reached out and grabbed her father's arm, pulling him along behind them. He did little more
than slow them down, however, Jarod managed to find a small, unlocked room for shelter at the end of another corridor in
Sub-Level 27. He dragged Parker and her father into the room, and slammed the steel door behind them.

"Is everyone O.K.?" he shouted, hoping they could hear him over the rushing wind and flames.

"Jarod?" Miss Parker whimpered, once all had fallen silent.

"It's all right." Jarod murmured gently, pulling her shaking form into his arms.

"Get your hands off of her!" Mr. Parker growled weakly.

"Shut up, daddy." she mumbled, inwardly resisting Jarod's comfort, but unable to tear herself away from him, because she
needed his comfort.

"Get away from him, angel." Mr. Parker ordered.

"Shut up!" she shrieked irrationally, becoming increasingly confused by her conflicting feelings. "He saved our lives!"

"It's all right." Jarod said soothingly, rubbing her arm.

"No, Jarod, it's not all right." she replied, shaking with rage. "You don't understand anything, daddy."

"I understand that you're about to make a huge mistake." he argued.

"And what mistake would that be? He saved our lives!" she cried, shaking off Jarod's comforting arms, turning to face her
father.

"Yes, he did. He was probably trying to make up for killing your mother! Or should I say, for his father killing your mother?" he sneered.

"That's a lie!" Jarod shouted angrily. "My father had no reason to kill Katherine Parker!"

"Didn't he?"

"No, he didn't! Katherine was trying to rescue us from the Centre, from this prison!"

"She didn't know what she was doing." Mr. Parker said simply.

"How can you say that, daddy?" Miss Parker asked, stunned. "Mom was trying to right a wrong!"

"How dare you!" her father roared, livid. "How can you trust the son of the man who killed your mother?"

"How can you put your daughter in this position while we're in a crisis?" Jarod growled. "We could die and your only concern is whether she believes you or not!"

"Shut up, Jarod!" she cried angrily, looking at Jarod witheringly. "And how can you talk about trust, daddy? You never even
told me I had a brother!"

"I told you that your mother and I wanted to spare you unnecessary pain, princess." he said, adopting a kinder, gentler tone of
voice, and attempted to stroke her cheek.

"Please, daddy." she said uncomfortably, brushing his hand away.

"This is just fine." he replied, attempting to seem dignified for his moment of weakness.

"I suggest we save this for another time and look for survivors." Jarod suggested, breaking the strained silence.

"How do we even know it's safe?" Mr. Parker asked coolly.

"There's only one way to find out." she replied, tightening her grip in her 9 mm.

"Do you want to stay behind, Mr. Parker?" Jarod asked condescendingly.

"Of course not! I don't trust you alone with my daughter, Jarod."

"Why don't you stay here, daddy? It's safer here." she pleaded.

"Yes, sir, you're in no condition for this." Jarod replied, smirking.

"Are you sure you'll be all right, angel?" he asked, relenting, thinking more for his comfort than her safety.

"Yes, daddy, I'll be fine." she said tenderly, delighted by this rare -- and seemingly sincere-show of concern. She gestured with
her gun for Jarod to lead the way, and replied, "Let's go, Jarod."

He smirked at her, well aware of how furious it made her, and quietly enjoyed her chameleon-like emotions. He knew she was
playing the tough-talking, Ice Queen for her father's benefit, and he could not wait to rib her about it later. He strolled
confidently to the door and touched it. Satisfied, he pulled the door open wide and stepped into the corridor. He was not
prepared for the sight that met his eyes. The once sterile environment was blackened and filthy. Doors lay on the floor, ripped
off their hinges by the force of the bomb's blast, leaving them blackened and charred. He stared at the sight before him, and felt oddly sad.

"Oh, what's wrong, Jarod?" Miss Parker purred sarcastically. "Do you feel sad because your home is trashed?"

"Actually, Miss Parker, I do feel a little sad. I have lived here most of my life." he said honestly, without any of the usual malice.

Miss Parker turned to him, surprised, but tried to hide it. She watched him carefully as he bent and touched a charred door, a
look of anguish touching his handsome face. She felt a wave of tenderness flood her and she touched his arm gently. He looked up at her bewildered. He could not believe that the only home he had ever known was partially destroyed and although he hated the Centre and thought of it as a prison, it was his home, he was surprised in turn by Miss Parker's compassion, the compassion he was secretly afraid she had long forgotten. Her lips turned up slightly, her eyes thawed slightly, and Jarod stood slowly.

"I do understand, Jarod." she said, her tone softer. "I remember how I felt every time I went home after mom died. The house
felt cold and dead. Just the way this feels now."

"But there is a difference between us, Miss Parker. You didn't have a choice to go. I do."

"But that doesn't make the pain any different." she said softly, her expression hardening.

"I don't even understand why this hurts me!" he exclaimed, now angry.

"Syd says that emotions aren't always rational." she said, shifting from one foot to the other. "What I can't believe is that we're
actually having this conversation."

"Why is our having this conversation so difficult to fathom?" he asked curiously.

"It just is." she said irritably.

"Why don't you ever open up, Miss Parker?" he challenged gently.

"Being soft is not an option for me, Jarod." she said icily.

"That isn't how you felt when we were children." he said softly.

"That was a lifetime ago, Jarod. It's dead and gone."

"The past never dies." he said, walking slowly down the corridor, glancing into the rooms.

"Like I said, Jarod, that was a long time ago."

"Is it?"

"Yes." she said harshly, growing tired of the conversation. "I remember the compassionate girl you were. The girl who used to
come visit us when she could sneak away, the girl who always brought Angelo Cracker Jacks, who used to sneak into the lab at night and free the animals. Do you remember that little girl?" he asked softly, turning to face her. "You were so much like her, Miss Parker. Somewhere, you still are."

"I'm not like mom, Jarod. I've too much of daddy in me." she said sharply.

"I don't believe that." he said passionately. "I've seen glimpses of her! I heard you talking to Angelo yesterday. The tenderness
was there! When he played Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for you, it was off-key and you told him that it was beautiful. That was not the famed Ice Queen."

"Don't call me that!" she shouted, pain flickering across her face for an instant. "Do you think I like being known as...by that
name?"

"No, I don't. But I don't understand why you continue the charade. I don't understand why you continue to believe everything
daddy tells you."

"Can't you leave him out of this? Just for once?" she cried. "I know he lies to me, all right?"

"They why do you keep trying to win his approval? Why live your life in his image? Why can't you accept yourself and move
on?" he challenged.

"I just do, O.K.?"

"Why? Why does his stamp of approval mean so much?" he pressed.

"Don't try an analyze me, Jarod. It won't be pleasant for you." she warned.

"No, that's not it, Miss Parker. It won't be pleasant for you and you don't want to face it because it will be painful. That would
mean opening up and God forbid that Miss Parker should lose control like the rest of us weaklings." he replied cruelly.

"Stop it, Jarod." she said coolly, though her shaking voice betrayed her.

"Stop what? Reminding you of who you were? Are still, somewhere under..."

"Shut up, Jarod!" she shouted angrily, her angry words reverberating through the corridor.

"Sure thing, Miss Parker." he said, turning away from her to inspect the corridor.

Neither said anything for a long time as they searched the rooms for any sign of survivors. They found nothing in each room
except more charred, blackened rubble. After their angry words, they broke up, each inspecting a room by themselves. They
never spoke to each other, but there was an unspoken understanding implying this, and they did not resist the impulse. As each
searched the last rooms in the Sub-Level, they reluctantly returned to the corridor.

"Find anything?" Parker asked coolly, lighting up a cigarette.

"No. You?" he asked hopefully.

"Not a damn thing." she complained.

"Must you do that?" he asked, exaggeratedly fanning cigarette smoke out of his face.

"Do what?" she asked innocently, knowing damn well what he was talking about.

"One of your many disgusting habits."

"Get over it." she snapped.

"You're endangering the lives of everyone around you with that thing," he said irritably.

"Well, no one is forcing you to stand here."

"Sure, and if I walk away now, I'll end up with a bullet in my butt," he retorted.

"Well, that's the price you pay." she said airily.

"Do you always have to be this way?" he complained.

"What way is that?"

"Do you always have to start something?" he demanded.

"Excuse me?" she asked coldly.

"You're trying to start an argument right now."

"What are you whining about? Raines and Willie are probably dead," She snapped. "Broots and Sydney too. You're free now."

"I'm not worried about my freedom now. But I do need you to help me."

"Yeah, sure." she retorted and resumed her search in the corridor. "Let's just see who we can find, O.K.?"

He took her arm and turned her around to face him and replied, "After we find everyone..."

"There's nothing to say, Jarod."

"There's a lot to be said, Miss Parker."

"Let's go, Jarod." she said coolly, and walked away.

Jarod nodded, stung. He followed through the long, dark corridor, resenting her long silence. He forced himself to concentrate
and listen for a sound, Sydney could still be alive and need his help. Miss Parker kicked a piece of twisted metal out of her path and continued to walk cautiously ahead. Behind her, Jarod began to check the doorless rooms once again. He rechecked
behind metal shelves that had fallen to the concrete floor, under overturned desks, and any other possible objects that might be
harboring victims of the blast. He was beginning to give up hope.

Miss Parker crouched down and picked up a small piece of metal. She turned it over repeatedly, running the pads of her fingers over it. Her brow wrinkled in frustration and she stood, tossing the metal fragment across the room irritably. She noticed a door leaning against the wall and it looked almost like a makeshift shelter. She cocked her head curiously and walked toward it carefully. She smiled contemptuously as the image of Raines and his sidekick Willie cowering behind the door crossed her mind. She walked up to the door and pulled it away from the wall. She looked down and saw Broots and Sydney both lying on the floor. Her eyes widened in alarm and she laid the door onto the floor. She crouched and felt for a pulse in each of them. Broots' pulse was strong and rhythmic, however Sydney's was weak but steady. She closed her eyes and silently thanked God.

"Jarod! Get your ass over here now!" she cried frantically.

Jarod stood quickly and rushed out of the room and down the corridor to Miss Parker's side. He saw her crouching beside
Broots and Sydney, and automatically the image of her beating both men senseless flashed into his mind. He scolded himself for this thought, for he knew that Miss Parker did care about them both. He forced himself to concentrate on the crisis at hand, and fell to his knees beside her. He realized for the first time that neither were moving nor were they making a sound. Realization dawned on him, and he felt as if the the building had collapsed on him.

"They're dead, aren't they." he said tonelessly.

"No! Jarod! They're alive!" she exclaimed excitedly, gently brushing dirt and ash from Sydney's face.

"We need to get them to the clinic. I can assess the damage there." he said calmly, touching Sydney's shoulder affectionately.

"How are we gonna do that, Jarod? Beam up there?" Parker snapped.

"We can use the stairs. We'll have to carry them." he replied, ignoring her sarcastic remark.

"Are you crazy!" she shouted, pushing her face into Jarod's determined one. "There is no way in hell we can carry these two up that many flights of stairs!"

"We can carry them one at a time."

"Fine, Jarod, whatever." she hissed, and grabbed Sydney's feet.

"What are you doing?" Jarod asked, confused.

"What the hell do you think?" she shouted. "We have to get Syd upstairs first. I can drag Broots up while you stabilize Syd."

"I'm sure that Broots will appreciate that." Jarod quipped.

"Jarod." she said warningly. "Just shut up and help me carry him to the clinic."

"Yes ma'am." he muttered, suppressing a grin.

"Don't even go there, Jarod. I need Broots and Syd, O.K.?"

"I didn't say anything." Jarod said innocently.

"You don't have to. I can see that look on your face." she continued, gaining momentum. "You see, Jarod, I know that as soon
as you make sure we're all right, you're gonna take off again. And I need Broots and Syd to help me catch you."

"I see. And it's nothing more than professional interest?" he asked, his eyebrow quirked.

"Of course it is, stupid." she retorted.

"Uh huh."

"What the hell does that mean?" she demanded angrily.

"Nothing." he answered innocently.

"Don't even try to bullshit me, Jarod. There's something else behind that remark and I want to know what it is." she said icily.

"Well, I just thought that since you, Broots, and Sydney have spent so much time together, that naturally you would begin to
thaw a little."

Parker scowled at him, too angry to speak. She was even more incensed that Jarod had seen right through her explanation
concerning Broots and Sydney. This meant that he knew a lot more than he was letting on and that really pissed her off. She had one thought in her head at that moment, and it required her gun and Jarod's body. The thought brought a half smile to her face; however she banished it and quickly glanced up at Jarod.

"Let's just get them upstairs." she said through clenched teeth, enunciating each word.

                                             *******

Centre Clinic
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Sydney, can you hear me?" Jarod murmured, leaning close to the older man.

"Jarod." he muttered faintly.

"Yeah Sydney, it's Jarod." he said quickly. "What happened Sydney? Why did you do this?"

"For you, Jarod." he whispered, taking a breath. "For all of the children."

"For the children?" Parker puffed, hauling Broots into the room, dragging him by the arms.

"Ssh." Jarod replied, a trace of irritation in his voice. "Sydney, what do you mean 'you did it for the children?'"

"To prevent..." he started and coughed.

"To prevent what?" Parker said sharply, walking over to the two and hovering over Sydney.

"Miss Parker, please! Let him finish." Jarod said impatiently.

"To prevent this...from ever happening again."

"What do you mean?" Jarod asked gently.

"You. What happened to you, Jarod." he wheezed. "It could not...happen any more...no more children...for the Centre."

"You were trying to prevent more testing of children?" Miss Parker asked, surprised.

"Yes, Miss Parker." he answered, a smile in his voice.

"Sydney, stay with me." Jarod pleaded, checking his pulse.

"Jarod, what's wrong with him?" Parker asked, concern marring her features.

"I don't know. I need to get his BP and run some tests." Jarod explained.

"Can I...can I help?" Parker stammered, confused by the overwhelming urge to either cry or throw up at this news.

"Yeah, you can." Jarod replied, smiling up at her.

                                            *********

"He's got a broken rib and a concussion." Jarod said, the relief in his voice evident.

"Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough?" Jarod retorted.

"What about Broots?" Parker asked, trying to keep her temper in check.

"He's fine. Mild concussion, some abrasions and burns. He'll survive."

"Good, I need him to hack in to the Centre's mainframe." Parker said, absently lighting a cigarette.

"Couldn't you do that outside? This is a sterile environment." Jarod asked irritably.

"Jarod, cut the crap. We don't have time for yet another of your little lectures about my failing health and destructive habits." she snapped sarcastically.

"I'm not harassing you about it, Miss Parker. I'm trying to keep Sydney and Broots in a sterile environment."

"Whatever." she said furiously and stalked out of the room.

Jarod smiled and shook his head. He glanced down at Sydney again and walked over to the cot where Broots lay. He sat
down in a chair sitting beside his cot and checked Broots' pulse. The sleeping man jumped and sat up quickly. His eyes darted
around the unfamiliar room, looking for anything familiar to him. His eyes came to rest on Jarod's face, and he eyes widened in
alarm. Jarod smiled and patted his arm reassuringly.

"Hello, Broots."

"H-hi Jarod." Broots stammered, shrinking away from him.

"It's O.K., Broots. Do you remember the explosion?"

"Uh, yeah. I followed Syd to SL-27. You, Miss Parker, and everyone else were already down there too. She had her gun
pointed at you."

"Yeah, I think you remember everything." Jarod said dryly. "But you need to lie still for now. You have a mild concussion and a few burns and abrasions."

"How's Syd?" he asked, concerned. "I know the door hit him and knocked him into me."

"Sydney's condition is fair. He's got a concussion and a broken rib." Jarod replied calmly, praying that his voice did not betray
his true feelings.

"Is he gonna be O.K.?"

"Yeah, he's going to be fine."

"Well, well, Sleeping Beauty has awakened." Miss Parker replied sarcastically.

"Please Parker." Jarod replied, his tone pleading with her to behave.

"What the hell is going on, Broots?" Parker demanded, completely ignoring Jarod.

"Miss Parker, can I talk to you outside?" Jarod asked, taking her firmly by the arm and dragging her out of the room.

Once the door was firmly shut behind them, she jerked her arm from his grasp and hissed, "What the hell do you think you're
doing? Don't ever manhandle me like that again, got it?"

"Miss Parker, I'm going to introduce you to two new words: Patience and tact. Start practicing them or you're on your own."
Jarod growled, glaring at her.

"Don't threaten me, Jarod." she said icily.

"I'm not threatening you, I'm just making a friendly suggestion."

"Why don't you keep your 'friendly suggestions' to yourself," she said mockingly.

"Why don't you act like a human being for a change?" he retorted, his temper rising rapidly.

"Kiss my ass!" she shouted, for lack of anything better to say.

"That was a good one." he said mockingly.

"God damnit, I'm so sick of you!" she screeched, her hands balling into fists.

"The feeling is mutual." he murmured.

"You bastard!" she shouted, slapping his face as hard as she could.

His eyes narrowed and he smirked that annoying smirk at her. He touched his face briefly and replied sarcastically. "Nice. You
always have to pick fights with and slap the white knights who rescue you?"

"No one rescues me,. Jarod." she growled, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Oh really? I thought that's what I did back there." he retorted angrily.

"Oh yeah, Jarod, you're a real big hero." she snapped.

"I certainly thought so. I risked myself for you and daddy dearest."

"Well, I guess it the least you could do since your darling daddy murdered my mother!" she cried, willing her voice not to betray her.

"My father is not a murderer!" he roared, grabbing her shoulders roughly.

"Get your hands off me!" she shrieked, wincing unconsciously.

He noticed this and pushed her away in disgust. He had forgotten himself for a moment, and though she was slim and delicate in appearance, it was deceptive. She was strong and lithe and capable of beating the hell out of any man. He took a deep breath to calm himself and looked away from her. He clenched and unclenched his hands, noticing a thick substance on his hand. He glanced down at the red smear on his hand and back up at her swiftly. This did not go unnoticed by Parker and she glanced down at her left arm quickly. She nearly fainted when she saw the deep gash in her arm and grudgingly thanked God that Jarod was there to catch her sagging form.

"God Parker, why didn't you say anything?" he demanded, inspecting the wound carefully.

"I-I didn't notice it." she said weakly, berating herself for the lack of strength in her words.

"Come on, I've got to clean this." Jarod replied briskly, half dragging her back into the clinic.

He lifted her onto an exam table and gently asked, "Miss Parker, could you take off your jacket?"

She looked up at him dazedly and muttered, "I can't."

Jarod smiled tenderly at her and gently eased the jacket off her shoulders. He pulled first her right arm then her left from the
sleeves, taking care not to touch the wound. He looked into her dazed eyes and smiled uncomfortably. He had a choice: Either
remove her shirt or rip the sleeve off. He quickly ran the scenarios; remove her shirt and face her wrath, rip the sleeve off her
designer shirt and face her fury. He chose the lesser of the two evils and ripped the sleeve off, easing it over the wound. She
winced and he felt compassion for her stir within him. He wanted to touch her cheek and whisper that everything would be all
right; however he knew he would be rejected and probably shot on the spot. He knew Parker was stubborn and bullheaded; he personally believed that she could remain conscious and kicking with half of her body caught in a bear trap. He was astonished to find her head slumped to one side, passed out cold.

"Parker?" he murmured incredulously, touching her good shoulder softly.

She stirred slightly and he grinned broadly. This would be perfect blackmail material, he thought wickedly. This would drive her wild for months! However, his compassion for human suffering, and Miss Parker, was to great to allow petty retribution to
stand in the way. The gash itself was not fatal, but should he put off treatment any longer, infection could set in. Should that
happen, she would most certainly die and he was not prepared to have that on his conscience.

"Parker, wake up." he said, shaking her roughly. "Come on, wakey wakey."

"Wha'?" she asked irritably.

"Wake up. I need you to help me."

"Can't." she murmured.

"Parker, this cut is really deep. You've lost a lot of blood and I need you to talk to me."

"Wha' for?" she demanded weakly, opening one eye tiredly.

"Stay with me! Do you want to die?" he demanded irritably.

"D'ya want me to shoot ya?" she shot back weakly, her eyes gleaming defiantly.

"There you go. There's the Miss Parker we love to hate." he joked, truly happy she was returning to her usual demeanor.

"Just sew it up Jarod and get on with it." she snapped tiredly.

"You know, you really should be nicer to me."

"Oh, ya think?" she snapped mockingly.

"Yeah, I do. What have I ever done to you, Miss Parker?" he asked honestly.

"What have you ever done to me? she cried, incredulously. "Try ruining my life, for starters."

"What do you mean?" he asked, astonished.

"You're the reason my mother was murdered!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "It always comes back to you!"

"Yes, it seems that it does." Jarod replied, looking away.

Miss Parker looked at Jarod's shaken expression and instantly felt guilty. She knew, deep in her heart, that Jarod was not totally to blame; however she was not ready to embrace that truth with open arms. She acknowledged-in rare cases of weakness such as this-her feelings for Jarod, but quickly pushed them aside. It was too dangerous for her to admit that she could feel, much less embrace the fact that there were warm, fuzzy feelings where Jarod was concerned. So to be safe, she chalked the feelings up to nostalgia, willed herself to feel nothing, and returned to the pursuit of Jarod. It had not been easy for her to do so after he had asked her to be his Valentine, and she had allowed those feelings to get in the way of her pursuit. Now, it would be easier since she could use the fact that his father had killed her mother as a crutch. In her heart, she agreed with Jarod that his father did not kill her mother, but she could never admit that consciously to herself and never aloud to Jarod. Life had dealt her a rotten hand and she was trying to make the best of things.

"Look Jarod, just stitch the damn cut up and get back to Syd and Broots." she said, with only the slightest trace of irritability in
her tone.

"Whatever you say, Miss Parker." he mumbled and proceeded.

                                            ********

Broots listened carefully to everything Jarod and Miss Parker had said to each other, while pretending to be asleep. He
triumphantly congratulated himself, proudly telling himself that Jarod was not the only gifted person in the room. He listened hard hoping that Jarod would reveal her first name. To his disappointment, he never once uttered her name. This disappointed him, and he decided that if he continued to fein sleeping, Jarod might yet reveal her name. He was not quite sure why this information was so important to him. The burning desire to know her name could be good information in the future, and it could be put to good use. If he was not supposed to be incapacitated, he would have grinned wickedly. He did not notice that the room had become silent, as he was so lost in thought.

"Quit faking, Broots." Parker hissed in his ear.

"Shit!" he yelped, nearly falling out of his cot. He looked up fearfully into her maliciously grinning face and asked, "How did..."

"Jesus, Broots, you stunk of panic." she retorted. "What are you sneaking around for?"

"I'm not sneaking around about anything." he protested.

"That's not what it looked like to us." Jarod replied looking at Broots calmly.

"I swear, Jarod, I wasn't sneaking around. I-I just didn't want to interrupt your argument." he lied.

"Sure, and I'm Mary Poppins." Parker retorted.

"Miss Parker, we forgot about your father." Jarod interjected.

"Son of a bitch!" she shouted, jumping to her feet. She swayed and her knees buckled. "Ohhh..."

"Good one." Jarod teased, and helped her to her feet. "I told you to take it easy, Parker."

"Shut up and let's go, Jarod." she snapped, her voice weak.

"Yes, yes your majesty." he muttered, and followed her out of the clinic, back to SL-27.

                                            ********

The Centre
Sub-Level 27

Miss Parker walked as quickly as she could, which was actually pretty quickly considering, toward the room where they had
left her father. She tossed the door open, her eyes darting around the room quickly, searching for her father. She found the
room empty and she rushed into the room, searching for him. He was nowhere to be found.

"Daddy?" she called worriedly.

"Miss Parker, he's gone." Jarod said softly, touching her shoulder.

"No, he can't be." she said, ignoring Jarod.

"Parker, he's gone." he murmured gently.

"No!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Ssh, it's O.K." he said, pulling her into his arms.

"Let me go!" she shouted, fighting him.

"We'll find him, Parker." he said soothingly, patting her stiff back.

"Where could he have gone?" she wailed, resting her forehead on his shoulder.

"I don't know, but we'll find him. I promise." he said firmly.

"God Jarod, I can't lose him again." she half-sobbed.

"I know." he soothed, stroking her hair.

"Jarod, promise me we'll find him." she said, looking into his brown eyes, eyes she longed to lose herself in.

"I promise." he vowed.

"Do you remember..." she said, trailing off.

"Yes, I do." he answered. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like again?"

"Jarod!" she gasped.

"I have." he murmured, leaning close to her.

"It's too dangerous." she said evasively.

"I don't care." he whispered, capturing her lips with his own.

***

Love and a 9mm
Part 2

Some Fools Never Learn

Parker Residence
Blue Cove, Delaware

As she had predicted, Jarod ran shortly after he stabilized his three pursuers. He had given them medication for pain, and fled
shortly after they fell asleep. There had been no further conversation between Miss Parker and himself after the kiss, she had
simply turned and rushed back to the Clinic. Jarod slowly followed her, and to her knowledge, not looking the least bit sorry for the things that had transpired between them. This left her feeling insecure and unbalanced, two feelings she did not take kindly to. She had taken a short holiday from work, as did Broots and Sydney, allowing herself to heal, and unbeknownst to the Centre, sort through her feelings.

"What the hell am I gonna do?" she murmured for the thousandth time that day.

"About what?" a childish voice inquired, shattering her reverie.

"What the..." she barked, turning swiftly.

"Hi, Miss Parker." Debbie said softly, smiling up at her.

"Debbie? How did you get here?" she asked, softening.

"Daddy brought me."

"Is he still here?" she asked, surprised that she actually would like to see his face.

"Yeah, he waited outside just in case you didn't want any company today." she said, taking Parker's hand, leading her to Broots' waiting car.

"Hello, Broots." Parker said cheerfully, immediately throwing him off balance.

"H-hi Miss P-Parker." he stammered, smiling slightly.

"How have you been?"

"Good, good." he said, relaxing. "You?"

"Better. Are you back to work yet?"

"No, I uh, decided to spend some more time with Debbie. And besides, they haven't finished with the renovations yet." he
explained.

"But you are planning to return?"

"Yeah, I sure am. Are-are you?"

"Yeah, I have to catch Jarod if I ever want to go." she said absently.

"How's the cut doing?"

"Better. I had the stitches taken out yesterday, they told me to keep the area clean, whatever that means." she replied, rolling
her eyes. "How's the concussion?"

"Gone. After they found us, the doc checked me out and said that Jarod did a great job."

"Yeah, Jarod." she muttered, silently cursing his name.

"Hey uh, Debbie wanted to come by and visit, say hi and stuff. But we'll go now and let you rest." he said, smiling slightly.

"Couldn't she stay for awhile? I'll bring her home later."

"Are you sure that's all right?" he asked, incredulous.

"I asked, didn't I?" she snapped, putting her arm around Debbie. "What time should I bring her home?"

"Uh, I dunno. I have a date..." he said, trailing off quickly, wanting to kick himself for telling her (of all people).

"Hey, why doesn't she just spend the night here? That will give you both a little break." she suggested, noting with happiness the joy that shone on Debbie's face.

"Oh no, that's not necessary." Broots said quickly, remembering what had happened last time Debbie was in her care.

"Broots, it's no problem. Don't worry about her." she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I swear, no shooting up in front of the kid."

Broots eyes widened in alarm, and he looked up at her, frightened, until he saw the laughter shining in her blue eyes. He smiled
back at her and replied, "Sure, Miss Parker, that's fine with me."

"Great!" Parker said happily. "Is that O.K. with you, Debbie?"

"Yeah!" she cried, throwing her arms around Parker, giving her a big hug. "'Bye daddy!"

Broots smiled at her affectionately and asked, "Do you want me to bring you some clothes?"

"Daddy, you never pick out the right ones." Debbie protested.

"We can swing by later and get them, Broots. Before your date, that is." she teased, though her expression remained neutral.

"S-sure." he stammered, not quite sure if she was teasing or being her usual, hateful self.

"We'll be by at five, that O.K. with you?"

"Yeah, I'm not supposed to pick Kate up until seven."

"Kate?" she queried, eyebrows arched.

"Yeah, you know Kate." he said uncomfortably.

"As in Kate, my father's secretary, Kate?" she demanded.

"Uh, yeah." he said, fidgeting.

"As in the incompetent, lazy, attitude Kate?" she said hatefully.

"Yes, Miss Parker." he whispered, praying that she did not beat him to death in front of his daughter.

"Oh, how nice. Have a good time." she said pleasantly and waved. "Debbie, wave to your father."

"'Bye daddy!" she called, waving.

Broots took his cue and started his car. He smiled nervously at Miss Parker and threw the car into gear. She looked back at
him impassively, the most frightening of all of her expressions, and he drove down the driveway, longing to peel out, leaving her
behind. He reminded himself that she had his daughter, and even though he knew she would never hurt Debbie, he was not
about to take the chance of really pissing Parker off.

Once he had disappeared down the drive, Parker turned to Debbie and smiled, taking her hand. She led her into the house and shut the front door behind them. Debbie released her hand and began looking around, making sure that Parker had changed nothing since her last stay. To her satisfaction, she found everything unchanged, however she had added a few things here and there. She made a beeline for an amoire, instantly spotting something different inside the heavy, cherry wood antique. This did not escape Parker's attention, and she slowly followed the child across the room. She stopped a few feet behind Debbie, and marveled at her attention for detail. Debbie had noticed that she had acquired her mother's china, by way of her father.

"Where did that come from?" she asked, turning to Parker.

"The china belonged to my mother. Daddy let me have it, finally. I have been begging him for years." she said softly.

"No, not the china. It is pretty, though." Debbie replied honestly.

"What are you talking about then?" Parker asked patiently.

"That." Debbie said simply, pointing to a small gift-wrapped box on the center shelf.

"I-I don't know." Parker stammered, opening the large door.

"Can I open it?" Debbie asked excitedly.

"Sure, why not?" Parker remarked, smiling slightly, though there were butterflies in her stomach.

She handed the small package to Debbie, who promptly ripped the lovely gift wrap to shreds. She dropped the paper on the
floor absently, and turned the cassette case over in her hands curiously. Parker closed her eyes wearily, wondering just what
Jarod was up to this time. She reopened her eyes slowly and found Debbie staring up at her curiously. She half-smiled at her
and cleared her voice to speak.

"What does it say?" Parker asked, hoping her voice was not shaking.

"It just says, 'Miss Parker, don't say I never gave you anything. Jarod.' That's all." Debbie replied boredly, relinquishing the
tape.

"Well, let's put this away for now. We're going to have a lot of fun tonight, O.K.?"

"Yes!" Debbie cried excitedly.

"I'm not exactly dressed to go out. Let me go upstairs and change, O.K.?" Parker said, referring to her silk pajamas.

"Can I help you pick out your clothes?" Debbie asked excitedly.

"Sure. Last one there is a rotten egg!" she cried, turning exaggeratedly and taking a step toward her bedroom.

                                            *********

The Apartments at Lake St. Louis
Lake St. Louis, Missouri

"Hey man, what's up?" Jordan Mitchell called cheerfully.

"Hi Jordon. How was work today?" Jarod called back, smiling at the figure walking toward him.

Jordan Mitchell, a lawyer with the esteemed partnership Mitchell, Brown, and Webster was a strange ranger. He was
handsome; six-three, black hair, green eyes, dimples, and a muscular build. However, he was a quiet man, given to reading and writing fiction. He had few friends and rarely had company in his large condo. Of late, his only friend appeared to be his new neighbor, Jarod. He had a dog, a golden retriever named Willie, which he treats as if it is a human being. Jarod found his quirky nature fascinating, and found himself clock-watching for his return. For the first time since he had escaped from the Centre, he had a real friend.

"O.K., if you like listening to whining, overdressed, bored, rich bitches who are divorcing husbands because they feel
'neglected.' Then they expect everything for nothing."

"Sounds fun." Jarod replied with mock fascination.

"Yeah, tell me about it. You eat yet?"

"Nah, I've been eating all day."

"I'm starved. I think I'm gonna order pizza. Want some?"

"Uh, sure, but there's something I have to do first. Give me a call when the pizza arrives, O.K.?"

"Sure man, no problem." he replied with a grin, and strolled to his door.

Jarod waited until he had unlocked the door and closed it behind him before rushing into his condo. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Sydney's number excitedly. He had big news for Sydney and he could not wait to share it. He just hoped that Sydney was as happy for him as he was for himself.

"Yes?" a strange, male voice asked.

Jarod jerked the phone from his ear and stared at he LCD display. He had dialed Sydney's office, why the hell was a stranger
answering Sydney's phone? Unless something had happened to his after he left them. He blinked and turned the phone off. He
had to find Sydney, to make sure he was all right. He could not forgive himself if something had happened to him. He only had
two options if he wanted answers to his questions. He would have to call Broots or Miss Parker. After their last encounter, he
was reluctant to do so. He took a deep breath and dialed Broots' telephone number. It rang several times before the answering machine picked up. Jarod abruptly severed the call and tossed the phone onto the couch angrily. He paced the length of the room several times, running alternate scenarios through his mind. He switched to debating whether he should call her or not, and stopped in the middle of the floor, his decision made. He took a deep breath and retrieved the phone from the couch. He dialed her number, tension forming a knot in his stomach. He was alternately relieved and disappointed when her machine picked up too. He listened to the message, enjoying the sultry sound of her voice.

"Hi, this is Parker. Leave a message after the tone. You know the drill. 'Bye."

He turned the phone off and stared at it. He wondered where she was right now. It was almost eight there, making it nearly nine o' clock in Blue Cove. Was she out with her friends? Another man? he wondered jealously. He could always find out. He knew that she had taken to carrying a beeper, and he also made very sure that he obtained the number. If he were to page her, it would bring her right to him. There could be pleasant or unpleasant consequences with that scenario. He knew Parker well
enough to know that the consequences would be unpleasant for each of them. She would hunt him down, refuse their mutual
feelings, and he would escape. Then the game would begin again.

He shook his head wearily and flopped back onto the couch. He stared at the ceiling for awhile, trying to get her off of his mind. That had become increasingly difficult since Valentine's Day, however. His original plan had been to break her, and make her admit that she had feelings for him too. Now, he simply wanted to be with her. She made it increasingly difficult by pushing him away. He would never give up on her, but there was only so much a man could take. He might have to find comfort from someone else. After Nia, he realized how wonderful comfort could be. He just needed her comfort, her love, and he knew she needed it too. In time, he knew he could make her see that too. Until then, he would enjoy the company of his new-found friend.

                                            *********

Parker Residence
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Did you have fun today?" Parker asked softly, brushing Debbie's hair.

"Yeah! Thanks for letting me come over." Debbie said, meeting Miss Parker's eyes in the mirror.

"You're welcome, Debbie. I had fun today too."

"Miss Parker?" she murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you have any kids?"

Parker paused, the brush in mid-air. She was caught off-balance by this question and was not sure how to answer. There were
plenty of reasons why she did not have any children, but she was not sure that they were apropriate for children's ears. She
looked at Debbie in the mirror, smiling at her. She thought of the most innocent of her reasons and took a deep breath.

"Well, Debbie, because I'm not married."

"So? People have babies and they aren't married." she said honestly.

"Debbie, I can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because, my religion forbids it. It's called a sacrilege." she explained patiently, though she left out that everything that her life
consisted of was a sacrilege. "In my church, if we do something bad, we have to go to confession. We confess out sins to a
priest, and he forgives us. It's not so easy if you commit a sacrilege."

"What religion are you?" she asked, her nose wrinkled disapprovingly.

"I'm Catholic. What religion are you?"

"I don't know. I don't have one, I guess."

"You've never been to church?" Parker asked, surprised.

"Nope. Mom was always...busy, and daddy was working."

"How would you like to go to church with me one day?"

"O.K." she said slowly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Parker said gently.

"Well, I guess I need to since I'm a sacrilege."

"What do you mean?" Parker asked sharply. "Your mom and dad were married when they had you."

"Yeah, I know." she said, fidgeting.

"I don't understand why you think you're a sacrilege."

"Because I need to confess to the priest." she said nervously, and stood.

"Why?" Parker pressed gently.

"I'm tired, can I go to sleep?" Debbie asked, looking at the floor.

"Sure Debbie." Parker said softly, taking her hand.

"That's O.K., Miss Parker." she said, pulling her hand away. "I can tuck myself in."

"O.K., Debbie. If you need anything, just call." Parker said stiffly.

"Night."

"Goodnight, Debbie."

Impulsively, Debbie rushed over and kissed Parker's cheek, smiled at her, and darted out of her bedroom. Parker stared after
her, touching her cheek softly. She was not sure how she felt, her feelings were churning and she was not sure what she wanted. She had the same feeling now that she had when Sydney was injured; she was not sure whether she wanted to cry or throw up. She glanced up at herself in the mirror and froze. There was a smile playing on her lips and her eyes were soft. Never before had she looked so much like Katherine. She blinked rapidly, breaking the spell. She tossed the hairbrush onto the vanity and stood. She stalked into the living room, to the bar, and poured herself a tumbler of vodka, straight up, with ice. She grabbed the bottle of vodka and walked outside to the deck which overlooked the ocean. She breathed in the salty air, hoping that it would console her frazzled nerves. It did no good tonight.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she murmured angrily, staring out at the ocean.

She reached for her pocket, forgetting that she was wearing a silk negligee under a thick cardigan sweater. She cursed softly
and padded barefoot into the house. She walked over to an endtable where she had left her cigarettes earlier that evening. She
smiled triumphantly when she spotted the sterling cigarette case. She opened it deftly, her face falling when she realized it was
empty. She took a deep breath and tried to remember if she had a spare pack in the house or in her car. She remembered the
carton she had bought earlier in the week, and rushed to the kitchen. She slung open the pantry door and tossed the shelves.
She finally found it, thanking God silently that there were two packs left. She turned and left the kitchen, grabbing the cordless
phone on her way back outside.

She sat down on the wooden chaise, glad that she had allowed the decorator talk her into padding the chair. It would have been uncomfortable as hell without it, as this was now one of her favorite places to relax after work. She packed the cigarettes, peeled open the cellophane wrapper, and pulled out a cigarette. She put it in her mouth and realized she had forgotten her lighter in the house. Damnit to hell! she wanted to scream. She swung her legs to the floor once again and started to rise when she heard a metallic thump. She searched the area around the chair and saw her lighter gleaming a few feet away. She smiled wickedly and grabbed it, lighting up. She inhaled deeply, savoring the taste and the feel of the smoke in her lungs. She exhaled slowly and reached for her drink. She tossed it back quickly, enjoying the feel of its familiar burn as it made its way down her throat and to her stomach.

Restless, she stood again, and walked to the railing of the deck, and looked out at the ocean. She had always loved the ocean.
It was so dark and powerful and dangerous. Ironically, she was terrified of the water. She never went any further than ankle
deep; any deeper would cause her to hyperventilate. She had always had a fear of the ocean, since her father had tossed her
into the water at three and ordered her to sink or swim. She had learned to swim quickly that day, and since hated to go into the ocean. But she loved to stare out at it; at the tumbling waves that broke down all barriers that stood in its way, like the
sandcastles she made when she was a child. Each morning she would run to the beach to see her castles, only to find the sand
smooth, as if her castles had never been there. She understood now that the tide had washed them away, that nothing could
stop the tide. Just as nothing could stop the flood of emotions that connected her to Jarod, feelings that could snuff out their lives just as the tide had flattened her castles. She closed her eyes tightly, and took a drag off her cigarette. She needed to clear her head, to formulate a plan. The first item on that list being to get her mind off of Jarod.

She grabbed her cigarettes and lighter and ran down the stairs toward the beach. She decided that a long walk on the shore
would clear her mind and bring her life and her goals back into focus. She needed to ditch these childish, schoolgirlish feelings
for Jarod, and admit that he was a science experiment, not the love of her life. She walked up and down the beach for an hour,
working on her plans for the next few months. She definitely needed to make bringing Jarod back a priority. She had seriously
slacked off of him since V-Day, and it was now time to suck it up and do what she was being paid to do. She shook herself
mentally, and straightened her shoulders. She decided to go back to the Centre tomorrow after she dropped Debbie off with
Broots. It was time to resume the game.

She walked slowly back up the beach toward her house, not ready to return to her life. She was rather enjoying the walk on the beach, it was rather therapeutic for her. She smiled to herself and thought of Sydney. He certainly would be pleased. She
grabbed her glass and the now half-empty bottle of vodka and turned to go inside. The phone rang, startling her, and she nearly dropped the vodka. She sat cigarettes and the vodka on a nearby table and grabbed the cordless phone.

"What."

"Enjoy the evening out?"

"Jarod, what a pleasure." she retorted.

"Glad to know you still have those warm, fuzzy feelings for me," he replied, a smirk evident in his voice.

"What do you want, Jarod? It's twelve-thirty in the morning." she demanded.

"I hope you don't have any houseguests." he said, not sounding the least bit sorry.

"Actually I do." she said primly.

"Guess I've just got great timing."

"Yeah, the timing of a hurricane." she snapped.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to Mr. Wonderful." he said neutrally.

"Actually, Mr. Wonderful is a Ms."

"Pardon me?" he choked.

"You heard me."

"Sorry, guess I had you pegged wrong." he said, hoping his shock was not evident to her.

"Actually, you are pretty accurate, Jarod. I'm watching Broots' kid, Debbie." she replied, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Oh." he said, his relief evident. "Why are you watching her again? He go out of town or something?"

"Nope, he brought her by because she wanted to say hi, and I...What the hell am I telling you for?"

"Maybe you just need someone to talk to that doesn't cower when they hear you approaching." he suggested.

"Or maybe I need a lobotomy." she said falsetto-voiced.

"Couldn't we have a normal conversation? Just once?" Jarod asked seriously.

"Yeah, if we discuss me bringing you back to the Centre."

"Never gonna happen." he said firmly.

"Then I guess we'll never have a normal conversation."

"You were such a sweet child. What the hell happened?"

"Funny, Jarod." she said irritably. "Do you have a point under all the bullshit?"

"Yes, I do. I want to talk to you about what happened at the Centre. I want to talk about what happened between us."

"Us? Jarod, there is no us." she said harshly.

"Yes there is." he argued stubbornly.

"Jarod, listen to me. There never was, never will be, an 'us.' Do you understand that?"

"Yes, but I don't believe it."

"What the hell is it going to take? A lightning strike?" she retorted.

"Give me a break, Parker. You and I both know that they have been pairing us up from the start."

"Pardon?" she asked, startled by this revelation.

"You heard me. Why are you resisting the one thing in life that will make you happy?"

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." she snapped, livid.

"Don't I? Don't you think I know you better than anyone?"

"Just what is it that you think you know?" she challenged.

"Other than what happened to your mother, what a jerk your father is, and your first name?" he asked, smiling to himself. "How about the guy that was in love with you? The poor kid that you met at the mall? Surely you remember him. You were in high school, had just gotten your license, if I remember correctly. The one you said you would go to prom with, that you agreed to pick up. When you never showed, he went by himself, Parker. He saw you leaving with the big, handsome jock. He followed the two of you to that cheesy motel you spent the night in.

"And the time that you dumped that bowl of ice cream on the "nerd girl" when you were in junior high? What was it she did to
you? Oh, I remember! She asked you to take a walk with her." Jarod said triumphantly.

Miss Parker stared blankly into space, stunned by his knowledge.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She swallowed and croaked, "How the hell did you know about all
that?"

"I told you, Parker, I know you."

"But there is no way you could have know all of that."

"Oh, but there is." he said, smirking.

"Get out of my head, Jarod." she warned menacingly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked innocently. "Why am I in trouble because you're so predictable?"

She opened her mouth to reply, and closed it quickly. How could she reply to that? The question that plagues her mind was his
obvious knowledge of her. How could he know about that punk Robbie and that geek Robin? She sighed irritably, realizing she would never know the truth unless Jarod chose to reveal that knowledge to her. It irritated her that Jarod could get to her so easily. It really irritated her that she like it.

"Goodbye, Jarod." she said forcefully.

"Wait, Parker! Don't hang up!" he called, hoping he was not too late.

"What?" she snapped finally, letting him dangle for a change.

"Did you enjoy my present?" he asked, hiding his hope.

"Aw damn, I forgot about that!" she shouted, mentally kicking herself in the ass.

"I'll call you back in ten minutes." he replied quickly and hung up.

"Jarod?" she asked, looking at the receiver. She scowled and hung up, stalking into the house.

She stopped abruptly and wondered frantically where she left the cassette. She padded quickly over to the amoire and jerked
open the heavy door. She scanned the contents quickly and muttered a curse: It was not there. She was sorely tempted to slam the door, but remembered that it had belonged to her mother, that in itself stopping her. She ran her fingers lovingly over the wood and closed the door soundlessly. She turned away from the amoire and looked around the spacious room, her mind
working quickly. She glanced blankly at the dining room table and her eyes lit up. There sat the cassette, the dim light reflecting
off the plastic. She grinned wickedly and rushed to the table. She grabbed the cassette and took off across the room, skidding
to a stop before the entertainment center. She opened the tape deck and jammed the cassette in, hit the power button, then
play. She turned the volume up and held her breath, wondering what would be on the tape. She heard the first strains of the
piano and closed her eyes, listening.

     If there were no words,
     No way to speak,
     I would still hear you.
     If there were no tears,
     No way to feel inside,
     I'd still feel for you.
     And even if the sun refused to shine,
     Even if romance ran out of rhyme,
     You would still have my heart,
     Until the end of time.
     You're all I need,
     My love, my Valentine..."

How had he known that she was a Jim Brickman fan? How had he known that she loved this song? She wondered all of this in
vain; for Jarod knew every step Parker took. She was unaware of the tears on her cheeks or that she was trembling violently.
She wrapped her arms around herself and began rocking back and forth, trying to calm herself. She could not feel this way for
Jarod, she would not; it was too dangerous for both of them. She was still in the process of pulling herself together when the
telephone shrilled. She reached for it slowly.

"What." she demanded dully.

"What do you think?" he asked, unable to contain his excitement.

"Jarod, I've told you this before. There is no us!" she shouted, forgetting that Debbie was sleeping in the next room.

"Ssh! You'll wake the kid!" Jarod admonished.

"Listen Wonder Boy." she hissed, stalking back outside, slamming the sliding glass door behind her. "These little, romantic
notions of your have got to stop or you're single-handedly going to get us both killed!"

"No one is going to hurt either of us." he said calmly.

"Jesus Christ, Jarod!" she cried, exasperated.

"Don't worry, Parker. If I hear that you're in trouble with the Centre, I'll let you know." he promised sincerely.

"Gee, thanks." she spat sarcastically. "Oh God."

"What?"

"The phone." she moaned, her ulcer beginning to ache.

"Debugged." he remarked smugly. "I took the liberty last week while you were asleep."

"You were here? In my house?" she cried, incensed.

"Yup." he said simply, smugly.

"You son of a bitch..." she began, imagining his little smirk, wishing he was there so she could slap it off his face.

"Now, now, there's no need for that sort of language." he admonished teasingly.

"God damn you!" she seethed.

"Parker, calm down." he said soothingly. "Had I known you'd be this mad, I wouldn't have said anything."

"Quit calling me, Jarod! I'm sick of your childish, little pranks and I'm sick of you!" she shouted, hanging up the phone quickly.

She angrily threw the phone onto the chaise and lit up a cigarette. She stared out at the ocean, wondering why Jarod insisted on tormenting her. She was surprised that he had continued to contact her, especially after Fenigor's words, words that she forced herself to forget every waking moment of every day. She had come to believe that Fenigor was lying; lying to protect someone, to prevent her from finding out the truth. But what was the truth? She was not even sure anymore, she was not even sure she cared. She took a deep drag of her cigarette and pushed all thoughts of the Centre from her mind.

Except for Jarod. He was the one thing her mind never pushed away these days. She was obsessed with capturing him, much
like his obsession with getting her back in touch with the girl she used to be, with her mother's daughter. She knew, deep in her
heart, what he was up to, but could not allow him to succeed in his little mission. She could not make him understand that there
never was, never could be any kind of relationship between them. She knew, consciously, that she had feelings for Jarod, but
she kept them to herself, for she knew she could never act on them. Never. She believed that once she returned him to the
Centre, she would go on with her life, leaving him behind and out of it. She would forget him and her feelings for him in time, and then she would be open to find another lover. Maybe even someone who made her feel the way he did.

She tossed the cigarette onto the beach, wrapped the sweater tightly around her, and returned inside. She wandered around the living room for a moment, stopping before a photograph of her mother. She smiled at the picture, remembering how her
mother's love made her feel; she could still feel that warmth and love as if Katherine was still here. It was the only remaining
feeling that she nurtured. The smile died on her lips and she turned away from the photo. She closed her eyes briefly and
popped in a Jim Brickman CD in. She flopped back onto the couch and stared of into space, thinking about how her mother
had played the piano for her. Within five minutes, she fell into a light, fitful sleep; sleep full of dreams of a man in the shadows,
who remained only a few steps ahead of her, yet still out of her grasp. She wanted to scream in frustration, but found she could
not make a sound. Small, cool hands touching her face wrenched her from her nightmare, and she sat up sweating and out of
sorts. She focused on Debbie's worried, young face, and felt like bursting into tears. She choked back the tears and tried to
play it off.

"Are you all right, Debbie?" she asked.

"Yeah, Miss Parker, I'm fine. But I could hear you crying in your sleep, and it scared me." she murmured, her eyes wide with
fear.

"I'm fine, Debbie. Go back to sleep, O.K.?" Parker said, trying to smile.

"Are you sure? I can stay with you until you fall asleep." she offered hopefully.

"I'm fine, Debbie. Go back to bed." she said firmly.

"O.K." she said, disappointment shining in her blue eyes. She turned and walked away, turning occasionally to glance at Parker, woundedness shining in her eyes.

"Debbie? Come here." Parker said softly, motioning for her to come sit beside her.

"What?" she asked dejectedly, her eyes glued to the carpet.

"I...It's not that I don't want you to stay with me." Parker explained, running her fingers through the child's hair. "I just want to be alone right now, do you understand?"

"Yeah." she said, nodding her head slowly. "That's how I feel when mom drops me off on daddy. I just want to be alone."

"Debbie, you know your mommy loves you very much, don't you?" she queried, watching the child carefully.

Debbie shrugged her shoulders and replied softly, "I guess."

"She does, Debbie. She just has...she has a problem."

"I know. That's what daddy always says to the lady on the phone."

"The lady on the phone?" Parker asked sharply.

"Yeah. She works socially."

"She what?"

"She works socially."

"Do you mean a social worker?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Well, that's O.K. that he says that to her. She is looking out for your best interests." Parker explained, putting an arm around
the child.

"I guess. I don't like her. She's fat and she smells funny." Debbie said petulantly.

"Well, some people are just like that, Debbie. But that doesn't mean that they are kind hearted." Parker said, stunned that the
words were coming from her lips.

"Whatever."

"Well, I think it's time I get you back in bed. Your dad will kill me if he finds out that I got you up this late."

"O.K., g'night Miss Parker." she said, stood, and walked back to the guest room.

Once the door closed behind Debbie, Parker sighed heavily and laid back on the couch. She dimly remembered her dream, the dream that shook her to her core. She knew who the man was, the man who stayed just far enough ahead of her to be out of her reach. Jarod. She was dreaming about her daily life, something she hoped to escape in dreams. She decided firmly to put all thoughts of Jarod out of her mind, and concentrate with her whole being on capturing him and returning him to the Centre. She knew that she could never have Jarod and forced herself to banish all thoughts and romantic notions of making a life with him. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done, but she knew it had to be done. Her next task, was to make Jarod see it too. She felt as if she had stabbed herself in the heart when she realized what she had to do. She gasped involuntarily, knowing what it was going to do to her. But it had to be done. She had to make Jarod hate her.

                                             The End
 

Love and a 9mm
Part 3

Strangers in the Night

The Apartments at Lake St. Louis
Lake St. Louis, Missouri

 "Jarod?" Jordan called, pushing open the slightly ajar door.
 "Get lost, pretty boy." he heard a husky, female voice hiss angrily.
 "What the hell is going on?" Jordan demanded, walking into the small living room.
 He was unprepared for the sight that met his eyes.  Jarod was sitting on the couch in hand cuffs and shackles, his head hanging dejectedly.  He stared at the motley crew who stood around him, most of them pointing guns in his general direction.  He stared open-mouthed at the beautiful brunette who stood before him, a cruel smirk on her face, her hand raised, prepared to slap his face.  Jarod's left eye was puffy and already starting to turn black, his lip was slip and bleeding, and his gasp for air was heard throughout the room. Jordan gasped in horror and caught the attention of Miss Parker, Sydney, Broots, Sam, and Willie.  They all turned to him, their guns still trained on Jarod.  He stared first at them, then at Jarod.  He was not sure what the hell was going on, but his first instinct was to protect his friend.  He lunged for Jarod, and was stopped by Sam.
 "What the hell have you done to him?" Jordan shouted angrily.
 "Stay out of this, buddy." Parker warned icily.  "Trust me, I don't want to put a hunk like you six feet under."
 "Oh, you plan to reserve that honor for him?" he challenged, pointing to Jarod.
 "I don't want to kill you." she hissed, turning to him.
 "Go ahead, lady.  Prove what a big, strong woman you are." he shot back at her.
 Her eyebrow raised slightly in surprise, and she replied, "Can I speak with you outside, sir?"
 "Leave the gun on the table." he ordered, pointing at the coffee table.
 "Sure thing, massa." she snapped, tossing Glock on the table.
 "Let's go." he said, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Once outside, she turned swiftly her fist clenched, prepared to coldcock him.  He reached up casually and grabbed her fist, effortlessly twisting it behind her, grabbing her waist with his other hand, and pulled her to him.  He laughed softly in her ear, letting her struggle against him.  He twisted her arm tighter behind her back, smiling at her gasp aloud half in surprise, half in pain.  She had never dreamed that he would take her, and she could not stop the bubble of admiration that welled up inside her.  This guy might be worth my time, she thought quickly.  She quit resisting him, reasoning that if he believed that she was through fighting, that was when she would make her move.  She had no idea that he was a black belt in Tai Kwan Do.  He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, and she brought her leg up, bent at the knee, prepared to kick him in the testicles.  He had already anticipated this, and quickly put his legs together.  He moved his right leg forward, and kicked her left out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground on her rear.  She screamed aloud in rage, never having been overpowered in combat by a civilian.
"Do you give?" he whispered huskily in her ear.
"Never." she growled, bringing her fist up, hitting him in the face.
He laughed aloud, grabbed her arm and twisted once more, this time hard enough to break it.  She screamed grabbed his hair with her free hand. She used this as leverage to get to her feet and spun to face him, removing the pressure from her right arm.  She saw his grinning face and this made her angrier. She brought her left hand up, clenched in a fist, and attempted to punch him in the temple.  He ducked, dropped her right arm, and boxed her ears.  It was obvious to him that she had some training in martial arts, so he pulled out all the stops with her.  She brought her hands up to her ears, leaving her midsection wide open.  He charged at her, grabbing her waist, tackling her.  As they hit the ground, she felt all the air whoosh out of her lungs.  He rolled off of her watching her with a mixture of curiosity and caution.  As she lay there gasping for breath, he briefly wondered if he was interfering with officers in the course of their duty.

"Stop." she croaked, still gasping for air.
 "What the hell is going on in there?" he demanded.  "Are you cops or something?"
 She lay there, struggling for air, and he realized that she was unable to answer him.
 "Nod your head if your a cop." he ordered.
 She lay still, gasping.
 "Are you FBI?"
 She nodded slowly, figuring that was the only way they would get around this guy.
 "What's he done?" he demanded, slipping into the lawyer mode.  "Killed someone?"
 She shook her head no.
 "Worse?"
 She nodded her head yes.
 "Think you can tell me now?"
 "Yes." she gasped, trying to sit.
 "Lie down, lady.  Just tell me what he's done."
 "He escaped-from prison." she lied, taking a deep breath.
 "That the truth?" he demanded, eyebrow cocked.
 "Yes." she hissed, glaring up at him.
"O.K." he said congenially, taking her hand and hauling her into a sitting position.  "Sorry I interfered, ma'am.  But you have to see it from my perspective. I walk in and find my friend handcuffed and beaten up."
 "Yeah, I guess." she said grudgingly.  "What's your name?"
 "Jordan Mitchell.  Yours?"
 "Miss Parker." she said primly.
 "No first name?" he asked, smiling slightly.
 "None of your business." she snapped, standing.  She brushed at her skirt and stared in dismay at the grass stain.  "Shit!  This is a two hundred dollar skirt you asshole!"
 "Sorry." he replied, not sounding sorry in the least.  "Can I make it up to you?"
 "I doubt it." she replied icily.
 "C'mon, let me take you to dinner tonight." he cajoled.
 "Fuck off."
 "Please?" he asked softly, staring at her seriously.
 She turned to him in disbelief, surprised by his sincerity.  He really did want to make it up to her.  She weighed the pros and cons and decided.  "What the hell.  Sure.  What time?"
 "How's eight?  I'll pick you up."
 "Fine.  I'm staying at the Renaissance."
 "Great.  I'll pick you up there.  The bar O.K.?" he asked, smiling.
 "Sure.  Where are we going?" she asked, somewhat suspiciously.
She sure as hell was not eating at Shoney's.
 "Do you like Mexican?"
 "Yes.  And you sure as hell had better not be talking Taco Bell." she growled, glaring at him suspiciously.
 "Have you ever been to Mi Dona Catarina?" he asked seriously, ignoring her cutting remark.
 "No." she admitted, letting her defenses down a little.
 "Great, you'll love it." he said enthusiastically.
 "We'll see." she snorted, turning on her heel, and stalked back into Jarod's latest lair.

She expected to find everyone sitting around waiting for her, instead, she found chaos.  Jarod was slumped over to one side on the couch, Sydney standing over Willie who was sitting on his ass on the floor, and strangely Broots holding Sam's own gun on him  She stared at the scene unfolding for a moment before charging into the room.
 "What the fuck is going on?" she roared, staring pointedly at Sydney.
"You'd better talk fast Syd."
 "M-Miss P-Parker..." Broots began.
 "Shut up, Technoweenie!" she shouted, drawing her gun and pointing it at Broots.  "Start talking, Syd."
 "They tried to beat the hell out of Jarod!" he shouted back at her, taking her totally by surprise.
 "What the hell is wrong with you people?  I can't leave you alone for five seconds before all fucking hell breaks loose!" she shouted, livid.  "Get up, Sam.  Now."
"Give me the gun, Broots.  Willie, get off your ass and get Jarod to the car.  Damn idiots!  You're like a bunch of kindergartners!  Sydney, go with them, if they touch Jarod again, shoot them." she commanded, handing Sydney Sam's gun.
Sydney uncharacteristically jerked the gun out of her hand as he passed, glaring first at Sam then Willie, watching both of them carefully as they carried Jarod's unconscious form out of the condo.  Broots looked around nervously, not sure what Parker wanted him to do now.  He took a chance and looked at her, and found her looking around the condo carefully.  He cleared his throat, and fixed his gaze on her stilettos.  She turned to him, glaring.
"What." she snapped irritably.
"Wh-what do you want me to do?" he stammered.
"Look for the DSA's, dipshit." she said icily.
"S-sure, Miss Parker." he said, scurrying off to another room.

One alone, she really began to look around the small living room.  She stared curiously at his large collection of CD's, concluding that this must be his latest obsession.  No shit, Sherlock.  Remember the cassette? she thought hatefully.  She stepped closer to the CD rack, and began to examine the contents.  Jim Brickman, Spin Doctors, Duran Duran, Led Zeplin, Triple Six Mafia, Patty Loveless, Garth Brooks, the names were practically endless. He had quite an eclectic taste in music.  Much like my own, she thought sud- denly, quickly quashed the thought.  He was obviously using music to express feelings that he could not put into words.  She was stunned by this revelation, for The Great Pretender Jarod was supposedly capable of anything.  This was interesting...

"I found the DSA case!" Broots cried excitedly, shattering her reverie.
She turned sharply, glaring at his cowering form.  "Get it outside, Broots.  We're done here."
"Thank God." Broots muttered, and hot-footed it out the door.

Parker took one last, sad look around the room, and vowed to ask Jordan to save Jarod's things for him.  She would see to it that he was able to have his music.  She had been denied her passion, and he would not be denied one of his.  She took another quick glance around and stalked out of the condo, slamming the door behind her.  She walked over to the spacious Lincoln and slid into the driver's seat.  She did not mention that she had pinched his Spin Doctor's CD.  She had heard about their music one
night in a club in New York, and was curious.  She glanced in the rearview mirror, just to reassure herself that he was really there, and smiled contentedly. Daddy was going to be so proud of her.

*  * * * * * * * *

The Renaissance Hotel
St. Louis, Missouri

 Parker sat in the bar nursing her second scotch, straight up, of course, becoming more and more angry as the seconds ticked by.  She made her standard ten minutes late for a date, and he still had not shown, at twenty after.  This was unthinkable.  She glared at the bartender, who stared back at her impassively, and that irritated her more.  Why does everyone have to have
an attitude these days? she wondered angrily.  What had happened to the good old days, when the little people knew their place?  Then she remembered that most people were the little people these days.  She dropped a few bills on the counter, preparing to return to her room.  She did not need this shit.  She had never been stood up in her life, and he was not going to be the first.  She could find amusement somewhere else.  She grabbed her coat and started to stand when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"God!  I'm so sorry that I'm late.  There was a wreck and traffic was backed up for miles." he said, breathlessly.
"It's about damn time." she snapped.  "I was beginning to think you stood me up, and then I was going to have to kill you."
"One thing my mama taught me:  Never, ever stand up a beautiful lady. Not if you want to live." he joked, glorying in the smile that brought to her face.
"Are we gonna stand here and chat all night or go out?" she asked sternly.
"After you, Miss Parker." he said, putting his hand securely on her waist.

* * *

"I had a really great time tonight." Jordan said quietly, standing close to Parker in the elevator.
"I did to." she replied, sounding surprised by this truth.
"How much longer will you be in St. Louis?" he queried.
"I'm leaving in the morning.  We've got to get Jarod back to the...to prison." she said, hating herself for admitting the truth.
"That's too bad." he whispered in her ear, kissing her ear softly.
"Isn't it?"
"Do you think we can see each other again?" he asked softly.
"Maybe." she said, thinking just the opposite, praying that the elevator would stop soon.  For the first time in her life, she cursed herself for insisting on one of the largest suites.
"Do you really want to go up?  I mean, we could go dancing or some- thing.  It's still early."
"I'm sure." she said, trying to conceal her relief as the elevator reached her floor.
"Well then, another time perhaps." he said coolly, stepping away from her.
"Yes, I'd like that." she said, once again, astonished by this truth.
"Let me at least see that you get into your room O.K." he insisted.
"Sure." she said distractedly.
 He smiled warmly at her, and took her elbow.  She smiled back, weakly, and led him to her suite.  She fished the card out of her purse, and slid it into the door.  She turned the handle and pushed the door open cautiously.  She stopped dead in the doorway when she heard a distinct voice mutter her name sarcastically.  She backed out of the room quickly and shut it firmly.  She turned to him swiftly and smiled weakly.  She opened her mouth to speak and shut it.  Swallowing, she opened her mouth again to speak.
"Why don't we go out?  I can't face lying in bed unable to sleep." she said, half truthfully, leaving out that Jarod would badger her all night about going back.
"O.K." he said agreeably.

* * *

The Apartments At Lake St. Louis
Lake St. Louis, Missouri

"You live alone, huh?" she asked softly, entering his apartment, looking around the room curiously.
"Yup.  Me, myself, and I." he replied, taking a seat on the couch.
"How do you know Jarod?" she asked innocently, stepping closer to him.
"I didn't bring you here to talk about Jarod, and I sure as hell hope that's not the reason you came." he growled teasingly and pulled her to him.
She tumbled into his lap and kissed him hungrily.  She pulled away and looked into his green eyes and replied, "You're right, it isn't."
"Good." he murmured and captured her lips with his own.
Parker grabbed his shirt and began pulling it upwards from the waist- band of his jeans, over his head.  Jordan broke off the kiss and began to unzip the bodice of her designer suit.  She inhaled sharply when she felt his lips softly kiss her bare shoulder, and moved closer to him.  She wound her hands in his hair, and pulled his head up to kiss him again. Her hands found their way to his waist, and she slowly began to unbutton his black jeans. Jarod wears black jeans, she thought suddenly, astonished at the similarities between these two men, and banished the thought from her mind quickly.  She could not think of him now, not here with another man, not a man she was about to make love with.
"Not here." he whispered, brushing her cheek with his fingers.
"What?" she murmured distractedly.
"Not here.  Come on." she said, urging her to stand.
She did, albeit shakily, unable to stand much more.  He took her hand softly and led her to his room.  The temptation to check out his room was the furthest thing from her mind, and she pulled him to her quickly and kissed him. He grabbed her waist and pulled her tightly to him, deepening the kiss. They each quickly shed their clothing, and he pulled her close to him.  They
stumbled backward to his bed, kissing wildly.  He kissed her lips, downward to her throat, her flat stomach, each pelvic bone, and her navel, slowly traveling upward.  She moaned in pleasure, willing him to finish this.
"What are you waiting for?" she snapped.
 He looked at her momentarily astonished, then grinned devilishly.  He made an executive decision.  She needed a lesson in patience, and slowly be- gan teaching her this virtue.
 Neither realized until much later, that she had called out another man's name.

* * *

Parker woke up suddenly, not quite sure what had roused her from her deep sleep.  The first peaceful sleep she had had in some time.  She tried to sit up, but found she was pinned to the bed by a heavy object.  She was temporarily disoriented, and looked over at the man lying next to her.  He was sleeping soundly, and she felt horrified.  How could she have done this?  Did
she remember that Jarod was at the hotel, waiting for her to come baby-sit him?
She gently pushed Jordan's arm off of her, and slipped from the bed silently, pulling the blanket with her.  She searched for her clothing, still sitting in the pile on the floor where she had left them hours before. She hurried into the bathroom and threw her clothes on, taking a quick look at herself in the mirror.  She looked like hell, but it could not be helped now.  She soundlessly switched off the light and stumbled blindly into the living room where she collected the rest of her belongings.  She whispered
a goodbye to Jordan, and slipped into the night, unaware of the sweeper team sitting across the street.

* * * * * * * * *

The Renaissance Hotel
St. Louis, Missouri

She slipped quietly into her suite, hoping Jarod had long since fallen asleep.  God knows after her wild taxi ride back to the hotel, she had had enough for one night.  She slowly unzipped the bodice of her suit, hoping that Jarod was a sound sleeper.  She walked into the bathroom and removed what little was left of her makeup and brushed her teeth.  She returned to the room and slipped the bodice over her shoulders, and unzipped the skirt, letting it slide down her slim hips to the floor.  She stepped out of the skirt and tossed it and the bodice onto her suitcase.  She pulled open a drawer and pulled her negligee out, glancing at Jarod quickly.  He appeared to be asleep, but you never could tell with him.  She went into the bathroom and finished changing.  She stepped out of the bathroom, shutting off the light behind her.  She made her way to the bed and collapsed on it, more tired than she had ever been.  She turned over on her side, curled into a fetal position and sighed contentedly.  She was drifting into sleep when she heard his distinct voice cheerfully reply, "Thanks for the show, Parker."

* * * * * * * * *

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Daddy!" she shouted, rushing into his office.
"Princess, are you all right?" he asked, concerned, taking in her rumpled appearance and obvious agitation.
"I did it!  I caught him!" she cried, grinning broadly.
"I knew it!  I knew my angel could do it." he praised, grinning at her.
"Where did you find him?"
"In Lake St. Louis.  Missouri." she said proudly, flushing with pride.
"Where is he now?" he asked insistently.
"He's in his quarters." she said, her smile fading.
"I'm going down to see this for myself.  Did you tell Mr. Raines?" he asked, not seeing her crestfallen look.
"Yeah, daddy, he knows.  He's down there now, giving him a physical. Sydney's with him, trying to bring Jarod out of his pout."
"He's pouting?" Mr. Parker asked, incredulous.
"Well, Syd says it's a 'catatonic state,' but I say he's pouting."
"Damn, why didn't you say so sooner?" he asked angrily, rushing out of his office.
"Daddy?" she asked in confusion.  She followed him out of the office, and watched the elevator doors close in her face, her father staring angrily at her.  She shook her head, shocked, and turned toward the nearest stairwell. She gave the door a ferocious kick and ran down the stairs, two at a time.

* * * * * * * * *

Intergroup Concourse Level
Miss Parker's office

"M-Miss Parker?" Broots stammered, standing as she pushed blindly into her office.
"What is it, Broots?" she said dully, too numb to be hateful to him.
"Wh-what is going on around here?  It's like everybody took off at once.  Sydney, Mr. Parker, and Raines are gone!" he whispered confidentially.
"That's because we brought Jarod back, imbecile." she snapped, at the mention of her father's name.
"Yeah, well what does that mean for us?" he asked, frightened.
"What are you talking about?" she said irritably.
"Are we still going to be breathing at this time tomorrow?" he retorted, in a rare display of courage.  "I mean, after all the shit we found out about this place, are they going to let us live?"
"Yes, Broots, they're going to let us live." she said tiredly, hoping she sounded more convincing that she felt.
"Good.  Well, I'm outta here.  I want to pick Debbie up from her god-mother's." he explained and stood.
"Broots, just in case, is there anyone you could leave her with for a few days?" Parker asked suddenly, her eyes widening slightly.
"Well, yeah, at her godmother's."
"Leave her there for a few days, Broots, just to be on the safe side."
"Sure, Miss Parker." he replied, smiling nervously at her.  "Well, I'll see you tomorrow.  I hope."
"Bye Broots.  See you tomorrow." she said wearily, and flashed him a tired smile.

* * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker's Residence
Blue Cove, Delaware

Parker sat outside on the chaise, nursing a drink, staring out at the ocean. She had turned off all of the phones in her house, turned off her cellular, thrown her beeper into the ocean, and turned the radio up loud, letting Duran Duran soothe her frayed nerves.  So far, it was not working.  Everything she listened to reminded her of Jarod in one way or another, until she could no longer stand to listen to music.  She promptly turned the stereo off and returned outside, listening to the waves lapping at the shore.  She closed her eyes, tilting her face to the cool breeze that rippled across her.  She felt herself finally relax.  It felt good to have nothing to think about, but then a mental picture of Jarod beaten and handcuffed flashed into her mind and she felt like crying all over again.  God knows she had cried on the flight home from St. Louis.  She had locked herself into the tiny bathroom of the corporate jet and cried her eyes out.  She did not want to do this to Jarod, but it was the only way she could make him see that they could never be together.
So lost in thought was she, that she almost did not hear the unmistakable sound of movement from within the house.  She held her breath, praying that Jarod had not escaped again and come to wreak his vengeance on her.  She stood slowly, and quietly made her way to the glass door.  She opened it soundlessly and cautiously slipped inside.  She went into he kitchen and grabbed a knife and made her way into the dark living room.  She made it halfway across the room when she heard a click and felt the soft glow of a lamp.  She stopped dead in her tracks and turned swiftly, knife ready.
"Nice to see you again, Miss Parker." Raines weezed.  "You'll forgive me if I don't stand."
"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, lower the knife slightly.  "Why didn't you give me some warning?  I would have dressed a little more appropriately."
"You certainly didn't give us any." he retorted, his eyes greedily sliding up and down her scantily dressed form.  "That's O.K., Miss Parker.  You're fine as you are."
"What the hell are you talking about?" she snapped, fear creeping into her stomach.  Surely Jarod had not ratted her out about their many latenight conversations.  She would rip his tongue out if he had.
"You have betrayed they Centre." he growled.
"What are you talking?" she asked, utterly confused.
"You were contracted to bring Jarod to the Centre, not sleep with him."
"What are you talking about?  I wouldn't touch Jarod, not even if that was part of my job!" she said haughtily.
"Really.  That's not what we heard." he said, looking into her eyes.
Into her mind flashed her night with Jordan, and how she had called out Jarod's name.  She was still cringing from that one.  Jordan had not asked, he had simply pulled her into his arms and held her close.  She had wanted to cry, wish- ing she was there with Jarod, not this man.  She shook herself back into the
present and blinked replying, "You followed me?"
"Yes, we did, Miss Parker.  Your loyalty had been rather questionable lately, surely you must be aware of that.  We needed to make sure that we had your complete and total loyalty, and now fortunately, we know now that we don't." he said, with a note of finality.
"But I wasn't-"
"Don't try to lie, Miss Parker.  We saw you leave."
"But that wasn't-"
"Don't you think we know about your history with Jarod?"
"That doesn't mean a damn thing-"
"You cannot lie, Miss Parker.  Bauchan and Stone went into the house while you and Jarod were-sleeping.  They saw you together." Raines wheezed.
"But that wasn't-"
"Stop.  There is no excuse for or solution to this problem." Raines said, glancing up at Bauchan. Stone took Parker by surprise, grabbing her and pinning her to the wall. Bauchan pulled his gun from his shoulder holster and pulled a silencer from his jacket pocket.  Stone stuffed one of her good black wash rags into her mouth to keep her from screaming and looked at her impassively.  Her eyes widened as Bauchan removed the safety and aimed the Glock at her.  He trained the the gun on the center of her forehead, and his finger tightened on the trigger.  He looked into her terrified eyes, momentarily thinking of his lingering attraction to her.  He could not mar her beautiful face.  He swiftly aimed at her right shoulder and pulled the trigger.  She tried to scream and it came out as a muffled croak as she slid down the wall to the floor.  Stone and Bauchan looked at Raines, who nodded satisfactorily, and they followed him out of the house.  Parker sat in the floor trying to remain conscious as blood poured from her shoulder.  She began to feel light-headed and the room seemed to be going dark.  I don't want to die alone, she thought, whimpering, but she was too weak to move.  She glanced over at her shoulder and tears streamed down her cheeks as she realized it was a arterial wound.  If she was not found soon, she was going to bleed to death, help only a foot away, sitting on the table, where the phone sat. She slid to her left, now lying on her side, as she felt herself losing consciousness. She thought about her mother and her death, how she must have felt the same as her life ebbed away.  She triedto sob, but did not have the strength.  This is all Jarod's fault, she thought with all of the bitterness she could muster.  She felt the rag gently pulled out of her mouth and she looked up, expecting to see The Light. Instead, she saw a vision she alternately cared for and cursed.
 "Jarod?" she mumbled and lost consciousness.

 The End

Love and a 9mm
Part 4

Everybody's Looking for Something

Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland

Jarod rushed Parker into the hospital in a wheelchair, shouting for help. He wheeled her into the ER calling instructions to nurses and technicians, and  ripped back a curtain, wheeling her into an exam room.  He lifted her limp form out of the wheelchair and laid her body onto a stretcher, concentrating on getting help from the hospital personnel.  They crowded around him, shouting questions and medical jargon.  A redheaded nurse tried to usher him out of the exam room and he fought her, claiming to be a doctor.  He pulled one of his many 'official' badges out of his jacket pocket, and took charge of the scene.   Parker drifted in and out of consciousness, aware of the people rushing  around above her, calling out things she did not understand.  She opened her eyes once, and saw Jarod standing over her, inserting an IV into her hand.  She wanted to smile at him, to beg him to help her, to not let her die the way her  mother had, at the hands of the Centre.  She tried to speak, but could not find
her voice.  Jarod shushed her and told her repeatedly to hang on, to stay with  him.  He promised her that he would not let her die, almost as if he were able to read her thoughts.  This brought her comfort, and she resigned to fight just for him.  If only she could open her eyes....

* * *

"Parker?" a voice whispered, so close she could feel the warmth of breath  on her face.
"Hmm?"
"Can you hear me Parker?" the voice whispered again, insistently.
"Yes." she croaked, forcing her eyes open.
"It's me, Jarod." he whispered, smiling with relief.  "How do you feel?"
"Like shit." she murmured, trying to focus on her surroundings.  "Where am I?"
"We're at Johns Hopkins, Parker.  I wanted to wake you up before we leave." he said, sitting her up carefully.
She cried out in pain, and he cursed softly.  He knew her shoulder was  sore as hell, but there was nothing he could do for her at the moment.  He  needed her lucid to get her out of here, before the hospital personnel started  asking questions, wanting to fill out a huge stack of forms and paperwork.  He murmured comforting words as he dressed her.  He had grabbed a pair of  shorts and a camisole on the way out of her house, after finding her mortally wounded.  He nearly panicked, but allowed his training to take over until the ordeal was over.  He was still angry at her for capturing him, but he was not  going to let her die for it.  He wrapped his black leather jacket around her  shoulders, and helped her off the bed.  He forced her pace the small, but  private, room to shake off the residual effects of the pain killers.  After sobering up a little, he led her out of the hospital into the cool September night.

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

"He's what?" Mr. Parker growled, glaring at Sydney.
"Jarod has escaped again." Sydney replied evenly, secretly rejoicing at the news.
"How long has he been gone?" Raines wheezed dangerously.
"He was here last night when I left, around nine-thirty.  The cameras in his quarters were disabled around ten, and we believe that is when he escaped."
"Where is my daughter?  Has she been informed of this?" Parker demanded.
"We don't know, Mr. Parker.  We haven't heard from her since yesterday afternoon.  She left early; she said she was going home to take a long bath and relax." Broots supplied quickly.  "When I called her house this morning all I got was her machine."
"Did you send anyone by her house?" Parker demanded, concern tight- ening his stomach.
"No sir, we were waiting to see if she was with you." Broots said  nervously.
"Have you tried her cellular?" Raines wheezed.
"She said she was turning it off for the night, sir." Broots said, burying himself in his computer.
"It's not like her to not show up for work, much less without phoning." Sydney remarked cautiously.
"Sydney, you and Broots go to her house and see if she is there.  If she isn't, report back to me." Parker commanded, turning on his heel, and leaving the room swiftly, Raines close behind him.
"Great." Broots muttered.
"Let's go." Sydney said, a hint of urgency tingeing his voice.

* * * * * * * * *

Mc Donald's
Wentzville, Missouri

Parker awoke with a start, disoriented.  She sluggishly opened her eyes, and found herself staring at two blond twin boys staring back at her from inside a minivan.  She glared at the children and sat up in her seat.  She carefully checked out the car, wondering where she was and who she was with.  She had no memory of the night before.  She moved her arms to stretch and clutched her  arm as it began to throb agonizingly.  She cried aloud and felt her eyes tearing up.  She grunted aloud and took a better look at her surroundings.  She did not recognize anything about the place, and decided that it was simply a bad  dream.  She settled back into seat and closed her eyes.  She was starting to drift off into sleep when the door beside her opened and someone sat down heavily. The aroma of burgers and fries caught hernose and her mouth began to water. She was starving, thirsty, and dying of curiosity.  She opened her eyes and  turned to look at her companion.  Her mouth dropped open in dismay and  she felt the urge to cry.  Jarod.
"Oh good, you're awake." he said cheerfully, sitting the bag on the seatbetween them.
"Where the hell are we, and why are we together?" she demanded  weakly.
"Well, Raines and company tried to kill you and I happened to escape  from the Centre and find you." he said simply.
"Why didn't you just let me bleed to death?" she demanded, cradling  her injured arm.
"Are you kidding?" he exclaimed, incredulous.
"No, I'm not." she said softly.  "Did it ever occur to you that I'm not real thrilled with living?"
"Nothing is that bad."
"Wanna bet?" she muttered darkly.  "Where the hell are we?"
"We are in Wentzville, Missouri." he replied, reaching into the brown Mc Donald's bag, pulling out a Big Mac.  "These things are the greatest.  Ever had one?"
"Yes." she said, disgusted.
"I got you one too, just in case you woke up." he said, offering her the burger.
"No thanks." she said dryly.  "Got anything else in there?"
"Fries?" he offered.
"That'll work." she muttered, reaching into the bag.  She pulled out a  monstrous box of fries and groaned.  Jarod and his huge appetite.  "Planning to eat all of this yourself?"
"Yeah, if you weren't hungry." he said, grinning sheepishly.
"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.
"We're going to a little town called Clinton."
"Why?"
"Because, there's someone there I want you to meet." he said cryptically.
"Stop jerking me around, Jarod." she warned.
"I'm not.  It's just a surprise, that's all." he said innocently.
"Jarod..." she said warningly.
"Chill out, O.K.?" he said savagely.  "I saved your life.  They left you there to die.  I'm trying to save your butt from Raines until you can get your father to pay attention."
"Why is Raines trying to kill me?"
"He didn't count on me escaping again.  He figured that since I was back, you were no longer needed."
"Why just me?  Why not Broots and Syd too?" she demanded.
"Because you're the one that stepped on all the toes."
"They think I slept with you." she muttered, looking out the window.
"They what?" he asked incredulously.
"You heard me." she hissed.
"Why the hell do they think that?" he asked curiously.
"They just do, O.K.?" she said angrily.
"Does this have something to do with your date with Jordan?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"How the fuck is it that you know every move I make?" she hissed  icily.
"I talked to Jordan this morning.  I wondered why he asked what had  happened to you." he said, grinning broadly.  "You and he...you know, huh?"
"Shut up." she snapped, turning away so he could not see her blush.
"He really likes you, Parker." he said softly, forcing himself not to  betray his true feelings on the subject.
"So?" she asked coldly.  "It was a one night stand, no more, no less."
"Not to him." he said neutrally, starting the car.
"Well that's his problem then, isn't it?" she said harshly, closing her  eyes, praying she would fall asleep.
"Still can't find the happiness you crave?" he asked softly, pulling out the parking lot.
"Don't say another word for the rest of the trip." she hissed, turning  away from him as much as the seat would allow.
"It's really difficult for you to get personal, isn't it?" he queried.
"I told you to shut up." she snapped.  "And who asked you to play my white knight anyway?"
"No one, Parker.  I'm just glad I did." he said, staring at the road, forcing himself to keep his expression impassive.  "You don't deserve her fate, you know."
"Just leave me alone." she said irritably.

* * * * * * * * *

Parker Residence
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Her car isn't in the driveway." Broots observed needlessly.
"Maybe she went out last night and took a cab home.  She probably thinks that Jarod is still in the Centre.  She might have taken all of the phones off the hook."
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Broots said, turning off the ignition.
"Let's go." Sydney said, opening the car door.
They walked cautiously up the front walk, toward the house.  They saw the glow of a lamp through the curtains, each feeling reassured by this.  They  walked onto the porch and Broots leaned forward and rang the doorbell.  The house was silent, and they both quickly scanned the surrounding neighborhood.  There were no sounds of life inside the house, and Sydney leaned forward, testing  the door to see if it was locked.  The knob turned and clicked softly, and he pushed the door open cautiously.  He did not want to walk in on an embarrassing scene and piss Parker off.  There was no sound inside the house.  He looked
at Broots who shrugged helplessly, and stepped inside.  He flipped the light switch and stared horrified at the room.  There was blood on the wall, and the house hadobviously been tossed.  He rushed to the phone and mashed the receiver to his ear, dialing Mr. Parker's direct line quickly.
"Parker." he growled cautiously.
"Get over to her house now.  Something has happened." Sydney shouted.
"Sydney?  What's wrong?" Parker asked, his previous concern turning to fear.
"I don't know, Mr. Parker, but there's something horribly wrong here."
Sydney said breathlessly, looking around the room again.
"I'll be there in five minutes." he vowed, slamming the phone in Sydney's ear.
"Syd, what's wro-..." Broots began and stared open-mouthed at the room.  "Holy shit, is she..."
"Broots, help me search the house.  I don't know what the hell is going on." Sydney said, forcing himself not to panic.
"S-sure." Broots said, his voice small and frightened.

* * * * * * * * *

Safari Motel
Clinton, Missouri

"What the fuck is this shit?" Parker demanded furiously.
"It's called our room for the night." Jarod replied coolly.  "If you don't like it, sleep outside."
"Forget it." she snapped, pushing past him into the room. She stared at the room dismayed.  It was not a dump by any means, but it was not the luxury she was used to.  The room was clean and tidy, but it was obvious that the motel was old.  She noted further upsetting her, that there was only one bed, and she would be damned if she was sleeping there with Jarod. She noted with relief that there was a television, so she would at least be occupied while Jarod did his Pretender thing.  She walked into the room and flopped onto the bed, forgetting about her injured shoulder.  She moaned  aloud and clutched her arm to her, wishing she could scratch Jarod's eyes out for bringing her here instead of leaving her in the hospital.  From Maryland to Missouri in two days was hard on anyone, much less a wounded passenger.
"Don't flop around like that, Miss Parker.  You're going to hurt yourself." Jarod warned, smiling wickedly.
"Shut up." she hissed, through clenched teeth.
"It really hurts my feelings when you treat me like this." Jarod said earnestly.  "I mean, here I am, trying to be nice, trying to take care of you, and you are mean to me."
"Oh whah, why don't you just cry about it?" she mocked, glaring at him from the bed.
"See?  That's exactly what I'm talking about." he said, looking away from her.
"Don't try that wounded little boy crap with me, Jarod.  It doesn't work." she said hatefully, hating herself for the words that were leaving her mouth.
"I'm gonna go shopping.  Don't leave the room." Jarod warned.
"You're joking, right?"
"No Parker, I'm not.  Bauchan and Stone tried to kill you.  I saw them and Raines leaving your house right before I found you.  They are going to starting looking for you once they discover your body isn't dead on the living room floor where they left you."
"Why should I believe anything you say?" she snapped.  "I don't even  remember what happened that night."
"If I have tried to kill you, why would I save your life?"
She opened her mouth to speak and thought better of it.  He had a point. She narrowed her eyes and sighed heavily.  "At least take me with you so I can get some clothes." she said gesturing with her good arm to her skimpy attire.  He looked her up and down slowly, deciding that she did need some clothing.  He nodded his head and replied, "Look, there isn't any place fancy here. You're not going to dress like you just stepped off a runway, O.K.?  People here are pretty simple and you're going to fit it, got it?"
"All right." she conceded, pouting.
"I'm going to loan you a some jeans.  The top is O.K. as long as you wear the jacket." he said, rummaging through his bag for a pair of jeans.
"You're kidding, right?" she asked in disbelief.
"The baggy look is in, in case you hadn't noticed." he commented wryly.
"Yeah, I have noticed, unfortunately.  But I'm not gonna be caught dead like that." she said firmly.
"You will if you want new clothes." he said simply.
"Give me the damn jeans." she snapped, holding her hand out.
"I knew you'd see it my way." he said triumphantly, tossing her the worn jeans.  "I've only got one belt, sorry."
 "Yeah, I bet you are." she muttered darkly, and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
She looked at herself in the mirror and gasped aloud.  She looked like death warmed over.  Her hair was stringy and in need of a good scrubbing, the dark circled under her eyes now looked like black eyes, and her skin was as pail and skim milk.  Her shoulder and ulcer began to ache, and she felt like drowning herself in the toilet.  She grabbed a complimentary comb and ran it
through her hair, wincing as she forced the plastic comb through each tangle.  She dropped the disgustedly into the sink, and looked at her reflection in the mirror once more.  She pinched her cheeks, hoping it would put some color into her pale face.  She glared at her reflection and moved to put on Jarod's jeans.  The jumped at the knock on the door and steeled herself for a carefully constructed barb.
"Your time is running out." Jarod sang through the door, smirking.
"Shut up!" she shrieked.  "I'll be out in a minute!"
She jerked the flannel boxers off, wondering what had ever possessed her to purchase them.  With a smile, she remembered the tall, dark, and handsome who had left them in her care after she had been called away on another wild  goose chase after Jarod.  I wonder whatever happened to him... she wondered, a wicked smile claiming her mouth.  She shook herself out of her dreamy reverie and pulled Jarod's jeans on.  She modeled them in the mirror, liking the way the low-slung jeans gently hugged her hips.  She turned, looking at them from each angle, and smiled satisfactorily.  She carefully examined her 'outfit' and decided
that it did not look half bad.  The satin camisole and jeans lent her a combination  of  femininity and style.  Even braless, the camisole did not look too bad.  She  smiled hatefully, and unlocked the door, parading into the room.  She saw Jarod sitting on the bed, typing on his laptop.  She stopped before him, hands on her hips, and stared sternly at him.  He looked up and his mouth dropped open, to her satisfaction.
"I thought time was running out." she said, looking at him pointedly.
"Well, I had to occupy myself somehow." he shot back, trying to disguise his obvious interest.
"Well, lets go." she said impatiently, walking toward the door.
"Hang on." he said, sitting the computer onto the bed quickly  He stood and walked toward her slowly, snapping off the lights.
She stiffened, hoping he did not think her could try anything and remain intact. Instead, he grabbed his black leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders, waiting patiently for her to get out of the doorway.  She could not deny the  stab of disappointment that she felt, but she carefully concealed it by walking quickly to their car.
 She noticed for the first time that their means of transportation was  a nice, brand new Cavalier Z24.  She turned to him in surprise, expecting a  real junker, much like the towns he chose to piddle around in.  He stood grining at her, enjoying her surprise.  He knew she would enjoy the sports car, that was his reasoning for renting it.  She touched the sleek, black car, amazedthat he had some taste in something other than clothing.  She still had not reconciled herself to the idea that she had a fashion competitor.  She heard him call her name softly and she turned swiftly to glare at him.  He tossed her the keys and she caught them, grinning wickedly.  She turned back to the car and unlocked the door, sliding behind the wheel.  She gave the car a quick once over, delighted that he had had the good sense to get a stick.  She unlocked the doors and he slid into the seat beside her.  She started the ignition and the car roared to life.
"Which way?" she asked, coming to a stop at the intersection.
"Take a right at the stoplight and go straight." he replied, putting on his seatbelt.  He had heard stories of her driving and was not about to take a chance.
"Hold on to your ass." she murmured and peeled out onto the empty road, running a red light.
"God Parker, this isn't the Indy 500." he muttered, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"What's the point if you can't have a little fun?" she queried, smiling at him brightly.  "Face it, Jarod, this car was made for speed."
"Yeah, but not in the Speed Trap Capital." he retorted, grabbing the Oh Shit handle as she took a curve at seventy-five miles an hour.
"Oh, who cares?  I've got speeding tickets than you've got sims." she  replied carelessly.
"Well that's certainly something to be proud of."
"I can always get then fixed, Jarod."
"Fixed?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah, your know, torn up."
"How do you do that?  If you just tear the ticket up it doesn't go away.  You can go to jail for that."
"Jarod, if you know a cop or two, they will help you out."
"How?"
"The cop will tear the ticket up for you." she said impatiently.
"Just tear it in half?" he remarked in wonder.
"No, Jarod, the ticket will be removed.  Like you never got the ticket  at all." she said exasperated.
"But..."
"Forget it!" she snapped irritably.
"Sorry." he drawled, staring out the window.
She slammed on the breaks, seeing the stoplight rapidly approaching. She her head toward him, and saw the look of sheer panic on his face.  She derived a feeling of joy from this and smiled broadly.  He sensed her watching him and turned to her.  The smile dropped from her face and she raised her eyebrows.
"Now which way?"
"Turn left.  Once you pass the Hardee's there's a turn lane on your right.  Turn, and Wal-Mart is straight ahead."
"Gotcha." she said, and peeled out as the light turned green
"Must you do that?" he asked irritably.
"Yes, I must." she snapped.
"You're paying the ticket." he said, relaxing into the seat. She wheeled into the parking lot, and raced through the parking lot.
She parked in a handicapped out in front and shut off the ignition.  She opened the car door and stepped out, slamming it behind her.  Jarod got out slowly, shaken.  The rumors had jsut been confirmed.  Parker drove like a bat out of  hell.
"Let's get in there before they close." she ordered and stalked inside.

* * * * * * * * *

Parker Residence
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Where the hell is she?" Mr. Parker growled, glaring at Broots and Sydney.
"I don't know, Mr. Parker." Sydney commented worriedly.  "We've  searched the entire house and came up empty."
"Did you find anything at all?" he snapped angrily, actually concerned about his daughter.
"No sir." Broots answered softly.
"We need to get SIS in here, see what they can turn up.  There has to be something to explain this." he muttered, half to himself.  "Did she take anything with her?  Clothes?  Cellular?  Purse?"
"No sir, not a thing."
"Sydney, call Raines.  Tell him to send an SIS team over her pronto. We're going to find out what happened here, and what happened to my  daughter." Parker ordered gruffly.
"Mr. Parker, do you know anything about her private life?  Was she  seeing anyone?  Did she seem to be behaving strangely?"
"No.  I...I haven't seen much of her lately.  Besides, I was not very concerned with her private life." he replied stoically.
"Big surprise." Broots muttered, glancing up quickly to make sure no one but Sydney had heard that comment.
"Did you speak with her last night?" Sydney asked Parker.
"No, she's been on vacation." Parker replied, as if talking with her about anything other that Jarod was a pointless, waste of his time.
"I'll call Raines." Broots replied quickly, scurrying into the kitchen.
"Is he really any kind of help to you and my daughter?" Parker asked, looking in Broots' general direction.
"Yes he is, Mr. Parker.  He's skittish, but he knows what he's doing. He's the best tracker I've ever met." Sydney praised. "Well, we need to put him through some training.  When my daughter gets back, she's training that wimp." Parker said, and turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Sydney queried.
"I've got to get back to the office.  I have several meetings today." he replied, never making it more clear that Miss Parker meant little to him unless she had progress on the Jarod Situation.
"We'll call you." Sydney called after him.  "When hell freezes over."
"Syd?  I called Raines.  God, he freaks me out." Broots said, his eyes darting around the room worriedly.
"What did he say?" Sydney asked calmly, watching Broots carefully.
"He said he's send a team right over."
"I think we'd better get back to the Centre.  Now we have two people to track.  Jarod and Miss Parker."

* * * * * * * * *

The Centre
Sub-Level 27

"What did you do with the body?" Raines wheezed, staring harshly at his two cohorts.
"Nothing, Mr. Raines." Bauchan answered.  "We left her there like you instructed."
"Something is wrong.  You're sure you left her there?" Raines asked  again.
"Yes sir." Stone replied seriously.
"You'd better hope to God that she's dead somewhere." he warned, walking away soundlessly, his oxygen tank squeaking along behind him.

* * *

Angelo watched the scene, taking in the conversation.  They were talking about her.  They were worried that she had not died like they had planned. He grabbed a handful of Cracker Jacks and popped them into his mouth. Have to contact Friend, he thought, making his way through the air shaft. He scurried along soundlessly, remembering his short time of freedom and normalcy.  She was there for awhile, he thought, smiling.  Friend had told them that they were siblings.  This made him happy.  He remembered her  from childhood, but had spent little time around her.  He watched them  together.  He felt their feelings for each other.  Their feelings made him feel good too.  But then suddenly everything had changed.  She was sad all of the
time.  Friend could rarely bring her out of it, the few times he saw her.  He walked unnoticed into his quarters and sat before his computer. He typed for a moment, and waited as the program loaded.  He could not say much, for if the mail was intercepted, it would have to make little sense, and appear to be a personal mail from a Centre employee.  He chose his  words carefully and hit a final button.  The mail was sent, now he had to wait for a response.  He just hoped that he could help her and Friend.

* * * * * * * * *

Wal-Mart
Clinton, Missouri.

"You've got to be kidding me." she cried, attracting attention as she stared in disgust at the clothing selection.
"I told you once, Parker, you're going to dress like a normal person for a change." he murmured warningly.
"None of this shit is gonna fit." she announced, lower her voice slightly. "None of this is tailored!"
"So?  Can't you act like a normal person and just pick out some  clothes?" he growled in her ear.
"If you could call these clothes." she retorted.
"Can I help you?" a young, employee named Leah asked curiously.
"Yes, I think so." Jarod replied, wrapping his arm around Parker's waist tightly.  "You see, my wife is used to wearing, should I say, unusual clothing.  We're new here, and we are trying to find some clothing for her."
Leah glanced at Parker's attire and understood completely:  The woman had to have been from New York.  She smiled at both of them and replied brightly, "I'll sure do my best."
"Do you have any suits or dresses here?" Parker asked, forcing herself to smile.
"Yes, we sure do.  Our most popular line is the Kathy Lee collection." she replied cheerfully, leading them over to the display.  She and Jarod chatted, while Parker wondered off looking at the hideous clothing displays.
She wondered back over to her 'husband' and his doe-eyed friend.
"The Kathy Lee line?" she hissed, glaring up at Jarod.
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of jeans and sweatshirts, hon." Jarod replied, smiling kindly at the salesgirl.
"O.K., we have a good selection.  We carry Jordache, Faded Glory, and Chic." she replied, pointing at the mountains of blue jeans.
"At least I've heard of Jordache." she muttered to Jarod.  "Do you have the Jordache in a size nine?"
"Yeah, we do.  Slim, regular, relaxed, or boy-cut?"
"Slim." Jarod replied quickly, smirking at Parker.
"What color?"
"Faded." Parker supplied, recalling how she looked in Jarod's fade jeans.  "I'd like a pair of the boy-cut as well."
"Here you go." Leah replied with a smile, handing Parker several pairs of jeans, the styles and color she had chosen.  "Would you like to try them on?"
"Yes, where are the dressing rooms?"
"I'll show you." she said, heading off, Parker close at her heels.
"Thank God." Jarod muttered, and began looking at tops he would like to see her in.
"Hey buddy, ain't you in the wrong section?" a nasal voice sneered.
"No, my wife is trying on clothes.  I'm just looking for clothes I'd like to see her in." Jarod replied, smiling at the two pimple-faced youths.
"Shouldn't you be over in the fat people section?"
"Pardon me?" he asked, surprised.
"I saw you yackin' with that girl, Leah.  Sorry for ya.  You musta been drunk when you said 'I do" to her." the first kid replied, and both kids burst into laughter.
"She isn't my wife." Jarod replied coolly, and turned toward a rapidly  approaching figure.  "This is."
Parker looked at the two kids and Jarod, and wondered what was  going on.  Jarod's expression spoke volumes, and the smart-ass smirks of the two boys had turned to open-mouthed shock.  She smiled up at Jarod and  replied sweetly, "Honey, I want you to tell me what you think!"
"Looks great, baby.  Go and find some shirts, I want to finish my conversation here." he said and smiled warmly, his eyes begging her to leave and he would explain later.
"When you're finished, come over." she replied, and walked away.
"Now, what were we talking about?" Jarod inquired, smirking at the boys.  "Oh, yes, I remember now.  You were making fun of that nice girl, Leah.  Well let me tell you something.  Clear up that acne and Leah might  look your way."
The two boys stared open-mouthed after him as he headed for the dressing room.
"Parker?" he called softly.
"Down here, pincushion." she murmured back.
"I picked out a few shirts for you." he stated, holding them out in front of him.
"Great." she replied, opening the door and sticking her head out.  She jerked them out of his hands and shut the door.
"Is there, um, anything else you need?" he asked nervously.
"Yeah, but I'll get them in a minute." she called.
He stood there for ten minutes while she tried on the shirts.  He willed himself not to look at the lingerie around him, and tried to focus on what to do next.  He was not quite sure what was going on at the Centre, and decided to check his e-mail when they got back to the motel and to place a call to  Sydney.  He was lost in thought when the dressing room door suddenly swung
open and Parker strolled out.  She was carrying four pairs of jeans and two shirts.  She glanced up at him and smiled slightly.
"I decided I liked all of it." she replied, somewhat sheepishly.  "I need  to get about seven more shirts, socks, shoes, lingerie, and all the basic stuff."
"Well, let's get going." Jarod replied, steeling himself for the rest of the shopping spree.
Now he understood why men hated to shop.

* * *

"God, I feel a lot better." Parker sighed, and sat down on the bed.
"I'll bet." Jarod muttered, hauling in all of the bags filled with their pur- chases.  "This place doesn't have room service, so it's a good thing we got some food."
"I'm starved." Parker announced, digging into one of the bags.
"Glad to see that you can still eat." he said, sprawling onto the bed  beside her.  "Why don't you put your clothes away first?"
"Yes, daddy." she retorted and threw a pre-packaged cupcake at him. She dropped the box and began pulling out her clothing.  She pulled  the tags off them and began folding them into neat piles.  After folding each piece of clothing, she carried them one stack at a time to the dresser, and  began putting them away.  Jarod watched this with morbid fascination; he had never been with an individual long enough to learn that people had  certain rituals and habits.  He was surprised time and time again by people and their quirks, and this time was no different.  He watched as she began pulling toothpaste, toothbrushes, a hairbrush, deodorant, makeup, a hair dryer, shampoo and conditioner, tampons and other assorted goodies out of their bags and hauled them to the bathroom, where she neatly put each thing away.
"What?" she asked, a trace of irritation in her voice.
"I'm just curious, Parker, don't freak out." he replied, putting to use the new term he had heard in Wal-Mart.
"Well, don't get any ideas, Jarod.  This is a life-or-death issue, not a romantic story of two love birds fighting to stay together." she retorted.
"Did I say that?  I don't recall those works coming out of my mouth." he said coolly.
"I just want to make sure that this is crystal clear."
"It is."
"Good." she said, turning away.  "Shit!"
"What?" he asked, alarmed.
"I forgot cigarettes!  God damnit!" she shouted, pulling the keys out of her jacket pocket.
"Parker, those things are bad for you."
"Look Wonder Boy, I've been good so far, and by God I'm going to be rewarded for it." she snapped, ignoring the ambiguous slant to her words.
"Fine, kill yourself." he said, disgustedly.
"Thank you." she said sweetly, heading for the door.
"No way.  There's a gas station next door.  You can walk."
"Are you kidding?" she cried.
"Nope.  I'll go with you, if you like." he offered.
"Forget it." she snapped, and opened the door, and stood there, not  moving.
"What is it?" Jarod asked.
"I uh, I need some money." she muttered.
"Oh, seems to me that your in a bind." he said, grinning.
"Just give me some money, Jarod."
"What's the magic word?" he sing-songed.
"Now, damnit." she hissed, not budging.
"Good enough." he conceded, and handed her a few bills.  "Don't spend it all at once!"
She glowered at him and slammed the door.  "Don't spend it all at once." mimicked sarcastically.
She walked quickly over to the gas station and pushed the door open. She caught sight of the beer cooler, and made a beeline for it.  She grabbed a six pack of Heineken and walked to the counter.  She sat the beer on the counter and looked up at the young attendant.
"This and a carton on Marlboro Lights, box." she replied, being as nice as possible.  "Oh!  And a lighter."
"Can I see your ID?" he asked politely.
"I don't have it on me." she said, dismayed.
"I'm sorry, can't do it."
"Please, I'm dying here." she pleaded.
"I'm sorry, state law."
"I'm thirty-six for Christ's sake.  Are you actually saying that I look under twenty-one?" she cried, her temper rising.
"Ma'am..."
"I don't think you understand.  I haven't had a cigarette for three days. I've been traveling and I've been very sick." she began, hoping the sympathy route worked.  It didn't.
"Ma'am, I wish I could help you out."
"How 'bout a blow job?" she offered, slipping on her invitation/intimidation expression.
"That sounds really tempting..." he said, the eagerness on his face  apparent.
"Do you want me to drag my husband out of bed to vouch for me?" she demanded finally, having tried everything she could think of.
"All right, lady, if you're not of age, God help the next clerk." he said, exasperated.
"Thanks!  You're a lifesaver!" she crowed, pulling the kid to her by the collar and planting a huge kiss on his lips.
"Kenny!" a female voice behind Parker hissed, furiously.
"Ronna!  It's not what it looks like!" he cried nervously.
"What do you think you're doin' bitch?" the girl shouted.
"I think I'm paying for my beer and cigarettes and going back to my hotel room to fuck my husband." Parker said coolly, and sailed past the girl, her purchases in hand.
"Get back here!" Ronna called after her, half-heartedly.
"Get over yourself." Parker muttered and let herself into the room.
"Beer and cigarettes?" Jarod said, dismayed.
"Yeah.  You want one?" Parker said, offering him a bottle.
"I guess." he replied, accepting the bottle.
Parker ripped the carton open in her haste to end her nicotine fit. She packed the cigarettes deftly and tore off the cellophane wrapper, greedily grabbing a cigarette.  She put it in her mouth and fished around for her purple Bic.  She inhaled deeply, savoring the familiar burn in the back of her throat, feeling as if she had died and gone to heaven.  She exhaled and took another drag, reaching for a beer.  She twisted the cap off and took a long swallow of the ice cold brew.  Even though she was in hell, she had a pieceof heaven; there in that cheesy motel, with Jarod, in a Nowhereville town, with Jarod....and she was content.

* * * * * * * * *

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Has he sent you any messages?" Sydney murmured.
"I haven't heard anything!" Broots whispered frantically.
"This is not like him." Sydney growled in frustration."
"Tell me about it.  Usually he can't wait to dangle another carrot in our faces."
"In Miss Parker's face." Sydney corrected, thinking.  "That's it!  In Miss Parker's face!"
"What?" Broots asked, frowning.
"He loves to dangle the carrot in Miss Parker's face, Broots.  She isn't here, and the messages have ceased.  He has Miss Parker."
"God help him." Broots muttered darkly.
"The question is, Broots, where and why." Sydney replied, with a touch of irritation in his voice.
"Would he have gone back to his lair in St. Louis?"
"I don't know.  He said he made a friend there, Jordan something-or-other.
Check it out and get back to me, Broots." Sydeny replied and turned to leave  Broot's cubby.
"Where are you going, Syd?" Broots asked, turning toward Sydney.
"I'm going to my office.  Maybe Jarod will try to contact me." he replied, stopping at the door, his back turned to Broots.  "I think I'll talk to Angelo too. Maybe he had some idea of where Jarod could be."
"What if I find something and you aren't in your office?" Broots whined.
"Call my cell phone, you've got the number." Sydney snapped uncharacteristically, turning and stepping closer to Broots.
"Sorry." Broots mumbled and returned to his computer.
"Broots, I'm sorry.  I'm just concerned about Miss Parker.  Her house... I'm just really worried." Sydney explained, scrambling to replace his mask of  professional concern.
"Hey, it's O.K., Syd.  It really freaked me out too.  I mean, Miss Parker is really mean sometimes, but I don't want anything to happen to her."
"I'm sure she'd be touched." Mr. Parker snapped, standing in the open doorway.
"Mr. Parker." Sydney greeted coolly.  "Broots and I were just discussing a few scenarios."
"Wonderful.  Do you have any leads yet?"
"No sir, we don't.  But we are working on it." Broots offered.
"Get on it.  And while you're at it, keep searching for Jarod too.  It's  possible that he has her."
"Why would you think that?" Sydney asked, fear tightening his stomach.
"Jarod seems unnaturally interested in her.  It's possible that he set this whole thing up." Parker replied.
"If I may, Mr. Parker, they were childhood friends.  Jarod has not a  another friend since her, and had never had one before her.  Of course he has in interest in her." Sydney explained.
"I don't care about all that.  I just want my little girl found and returned, understand?" Parker growled and left the room.
"What the hell was that?" Broots wondered aloud.
"I don't know, Broots.  But I don't trust him.  If you find anything, call my cellular." Sydney instructed and left the room.
"God, what is it about this place?" Broots whined.

The End
 

Love and a 9mm
Part 5

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Safari Motel
Clinton, Missouri

Not again.  Not the same dream.  She watched helplessly as the scene unfolded before her, and she stood frozen, unable to move.  She tried to scream, but no sound escaped her lips.  She was forced to watch the events, horrified.  A faceless person stepped in her path, holding her back.  She fought him brutally, finally able to scream.  She screamed, 'No!' repeatedly, watching as he was brutally beaten and injected with experimental drugs.  She fought her captor once again and escaped,
rushing to his side.  She took his face in her hands and called his name.  His eyes opened, cold and full of hatred for her.  She said his name again, lowering her face to his for a kiss.  Their lips inched from each other, she opened her eyes to look at him and screamed.  His face was no longer there.  She was holding and staring at an evilly grinning skull.  The arms reached up for her, grabbing her roughly.  She screamed aloud for a final time, and sat up swiftly in bed, covered with sweat.
"Parker!  Wake up!" Jarod murmured gently, shaking her.
"God!  Jarod!" she gasped, her eyes wide with terror.
"It's O.K., Parker, calm down." he said softly, pulling her shaking form into his arms.  "Do you want to talk about it?"
"T-the n-nightmare.  Again." she sobbed, clutching at his shirt.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" he crooned, gently rocking her.
"It was grabbing me!" she cried, terrified.
"It's O.K., it was just a dream.  You're all right." he murmured, stroking her back comfortingly.
"Jarod, what happened to me the other night?  Why can't I remember?" she whispered, feeling more alone that she had ever felt in her life.
"It was traumatic for you, Parker.  It's probably going to take awhile to remember it fully." Jarod explained.
"I know you told me, but I can't remember it!" she cried, frustrated.
"Give it time." he soothed.  "Try to go back to sleep, all right?"
"O.K." she mumbled, carefully wrapping herself back up into her cool, aloofness.  She could not deal with being vulnerable.
"Goodnight." Jarod replied with a smile and pulled the covers back over her.
"Goodnight." she said, turning her back to him.
Jarod blinked, wondering how she did that.  One minute, she was a sobbing, vulnerable child, the next, a cool, aloof bitch.  He shrugged helplessly and returned to his laptop.  He had too much work to do to worry about her chameleon-like emotions at the moment.  He had t find out who had tried to kill her and why.  Every fiber of his being longed to go to her and hold her until
she cried herself to sleep, but his good sense told him firmly that she would push him, and his compassion, as far away as she could.
Little did Jarod know, Parker was silently crying for him.  She wanted him to hold her, to tell her that it was just  a dream, that he was here and he would protect her.  But her pride and her own fear kept her from voicing this need.  She could, under no circumstances, allow herself to need him.  She already loved him, and that would have to get her through the rest of her life.
She sighed heavily and willed herself to relax.  She listened to the sounds in the room, wondering what Jarod was doing.  She could hear the soft tapping of a keyboard, realizing that he was working.  It was then that she noticed that there was music playing.  She focused on the sound of the music and tried to decipher the words.  She found the beat and began singing to herself.  Never before had the song made so much sense to her, and she felt a lump in her throat.  She had  always believed that the Goo Goo Dolls wrote meaningless, but catchy lyrics.

And even though the moment's passed me by
I still can't turn away
I saw the dreams you never thought you'd lose
Tossed along the way
Letters that you never meant to send
Lost or blown away
Now I call upon things I never knew their names
Don't belong to no one that's a shame
You could hide beside me
Maybe for awhile
And I won't tell no one your name
I won't tell 'em your name
Scars are souvenirs you never lose
The past is never far
Don't you lose yourself out
there somewhere
Did you get to be a star
Don't it make you sad to know that life,  is more than who we are
Grow up way too fast
And now there's nothing to believe
Re-runs all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name...
I won't tell 'em your name...
I think about you all the time
But I don't need the scene
It's lonely where you ar
Come back down
And I won't tell 'em your name.

Jarod heard a small, sniffling sound from behind him, and stood quickly, reaching the bed on two strides.  Against his better judgment, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly to him.  He no longer cared if she fought his or fired  off her barrage of scathing remarks.  She needed someone to comfort her, and he was not going to let her suffer silently, alone, the way her father had.  He was not surprised that she pushed him away, punching at him wildly.  She howled and cried like a wounded wild animal.  He released her, throwing his hands into the air in surrender.
"Don't ever!" she shouted, livid.  "Get your hands off me!"
"Sorry.  I thought I heard you crying." he said, looking knowingly into her red, puffy face, into her eyes swollen from crying.
"Nobody asked you!" she screamed.
"I took it upon myself." he said coolly.
"I don't need your pity!"
"I wasn't pitying you.  I was trying to help you feel better.  Obviously that isn't possible." he said, touching her face softly.  It did not escape his notice that  she closed her eyes briefly, allowing herself to enjoy his touch, even if only briefly.
"Don't." she whispered. "This can't happen."
"Why?  Give me one good reason." he demanded gently.
"How about death?  That a good enough reason?  If anyone ever, and I mean ever, finds out that we were together, we'll both be snarfing through dirt, got it?" she said icily.
"You paint such a lovely picture, Parker.  Ever thought about writing?" he retorted.
"Yeah, once I get you back to the Centre and I get my freedom, I  promise I'll write my memoirs." she snapped.
"My freedom for yours?  What a God damn good Samaritan you are." he said angrily.  "How can you do it?  You know what the Centre does to  people, to their lives.  How can you perpetuate that pattern?"
"Get off the soapbox, Wonder Boy.  I don't need to listen to this while I'm incapacitated too."
"You've never been incapacitated a day in your life."
"I've been incapacitated since..." she trailed off, realizing she had said too much.  She was getting dangerously close to vulnerability, and God forbid that.
"Since your mother died." Jarod answered finally.
"Get away from me, freak." she hissed, laying down, turning her back to him.
"Warning, warning, approaching real intimacy." Jarod said, mimicking  a public service announcer.
"Shut up!" she roared, rolling off of the other side of the bed, away from him.
"This is good, Parker.  Get out all of this anger!  Go ahead!  I can take it!" Jarod, encouraged, standing.
"Shut up!  Don't you understand anything?" she shouted.
"Yeah, I do.  I understand that you are terrified of being vulnerable.  I understand that you work real hard to hide it with anger, sometimes blinding rage!" he shouted back.
"What the fuck do you know!"
"What the fuck do you know?" he challenged.  "You've been so out of touch that you can't even see when someone cares about you!  You think that everyone had an underlying agenda or motive for each gesture.  What is it going to take for you to see that I love you?  That I want you to be happy?"
"She stared at him, her mouth open in shock.  She took a breath and  replied, "Well, that's your tough luck, Jarod.  You should know better than anyone that love is an emotion that I'm incapable of."
"You're full of shit too." he growled, stunning her into silence.
"Oh, ya think?" she challenged.  "I'm too much like daddy."
"Yeah?  And I'm Elvis Presley.  You're so much like your mother it  scares you.  That is why your gravitate toward following your father's example. You don't want to meet her fate." he said quietly.
"You're wrong." she said weakly.
"Parker, I've never been more right in my life.  Why can't you let that black ice melt just a little?  You clutch it to you like a life preserver, and it's causing you to drown!" he cried passionately.
"Black ice?" she snapped.
"Yeah, the most dangerous ice.  You can't see it until you hit a patch of it."
"That's enough of the dramatics." she commented dryly.
"You are so fucking bullheaded!" he shouted, frustrated.
"Wait a minute.  What the hell is going on?" she queried, sensing that this conversation had taken a not quite kosher turn.
"What are you talking about?" he snapped.
"Jarod, you don't cuss like that, and you aren't even close to this on the  sarcasm scale." she said, her blue eyes troubled.
"Well, Parker, you just got a quick look in the mirror.  You just saw yourself as everyone else sees you." he said seriously.
"You son of a bitch." she whispered, grabbing a cigarette, lighting up.
"Oh, get off it, Parker.  You are horrified by it, why don't you just admit it?" he demanded, circling the bed to face her.  "Your eyes have already betrayed you."
"There's nothing to admit." she hissed, glaring at him.
"There is plenty to admit, Parker!" Admit that you're a compulsive smoker, and an alcoholic?  Why don't you admit that you equate sex with love?  Why don't you admit that you want to be daddy's little girl so bad you can taste it, but you know that you never will because he's a blackhearted bastard who doesn't give a damn about you!" he shouted mercilessly at her, more angry than he had ever been in his life.
"Stop it!" she shouted back, pushing his away from her.
"No, you stop it!  Why can't you just admit that you need someone?
What is so difficult about that?" he demanded, grabbing her shoulders, shaking her roughly.
"Stop, Jarod!  You're hurting me!" she cried, wincing.
"Answer me!" he growled, not letting go of her, but loosening his grip.
"Do you know why I drink?  To forget!  I smoke for the same reason! I sleep with tons of men to forget how he felt!  Do you think I liked, that I enjoyed the way he sweated all over me, holding me down, nearly crushing me?" she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"What are you talking about?" Jarod asked quietly, carefully concealing his shock.
"What do you think?" she shouted, turning away from him, unable to  bear the shame.
"Who." he demanded furiously.
"Raines." she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself in an ineffective means of comforting herself.
"Oh my God." he whispered, staring dumbly at her.  "Parker, I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, everybody's sorry." she snapped sarcastically.  "He sure was sorry each time I had to go back to school."
"When did it start?" he asked quietly.
"When I was thirteen." she said, her voice monotone.
"Didn't your father notice..." he started, realizing how stupid a question it  was.  Of course he did not, he noticed nothing where she was concerned.
"No, Jarod, as far as he was concerned, I was still his innocent, baby girl. He thought Raines' leers were just innocent looks of concern for my well-being, and I didn't have the heart-or the courage-to tell him that his crony was having
sex with me every time he turned his back." she snapped bitterly.
"Did he-did he rape you?" Jarod asked nervously.
"No, he never raped me.  At first, I didn't know what he was doing.  It hurt so bad the first time, and I stayed in bed the next day.  I told daddy I had a bad  headache, and he never asked twice.  After that..." she said, a blush of shame  heating her face.
"It felt good?" Jarod answered.
"Yeah." she muttered, looking away.
"And it felt good to have someone give their undivided attention?  Without anger or resentment?"
"Yeah." she replied numbly, her face paling.
"Would you like to go out to the country?" he asked gently.
"What the fuck is fresh air going to do for me?" she shouted.
"It might help you clear your head." he said simply.
"Fine, whatever." she mumbled, walking toward the door.
"You might want to get dressed first." he suggested sheepishly.
"This is fine." she muttered, grabbing his jacket off of the chair.
"O.K., Parker." he said, grabbing the keys off of the table and followed her outside to the car.
"Mind if I drive?" he asked.
"No." she said, immediately lighting up another cigarette.
"Well, let's go." he said, his heart aching for her.
"Seems I've heard those words before." she replied softly, bitterness  eating her alive inside.
"Parker, there is nothing you could have done.  You were a child, and he  knew better.  But you were a perfect target because your father took little or no interest in you."
"Why don't you rub a little more salt into the wound?" she snapped.
"Come on, this is pointless." he said, getting out of the car.
"Where the hell are you going?" she demanded, following his lead.
"We're going back inside."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"Why?  Because for all my attempts to help you, you push me away for insult me.  I'm sick of it.  Deal with your pain by yourself.  Medicate!  Go ahead! Drink until you drop dead!  Smoke until you OD on nicotine!  I don't give a shit anymore!" he shouted stalking back into the room.
"Jarod..." she said, trying to apologize, following him back into the motel room.
"Forget it!  Just deal with your own problems!"
 "I'm sorry." she whispered.
"What?" he asked, turning swiftly to face her.
"You should know better than anyone why I am the way that I am.  You are also the only one who ever truly cared enough to try to get past my bitchiness." she began.
"Doesn't that tell you something?"
"Yes, it does." she murmured, too afraid to look at him.
"Parker." he said, gently pulling her to him.  "I've already told you how I feel about you."
"I know." she whispered, snuggling closer to him.
He tilted her face up and kissed her softly on the lips.  He wrapped his arms around her waist, and deepened the kiss.  He felt her relax and return the kiss. He broke off the kiss, both breathing heavy.  They looked at each other, both now hungry for this, not caring what would or could happen tomorrow.  They had this night, alone together, both lonely and searching for comfort.  Not comfort from just anyone, but from each other.  Both knew that this would change everything between them forever, both hoping the change to be for the better.  Never before had she been so hungry for a man, nor he so hungry for a woman.  Even though his experience was limited, he had been dreaming of this moment for years. Nothing had ever felt so right to her before.  Nothing had prepared her for the feelings she felt when Jarod touched her.  When he pulled her near and kissed her, she felt as if time had stopped, all of the complications of her life slipped away, and she felt more alive than she had ever felt.  No man had ever made her feel as alive or as uninhibited as Jarod.  She was free to let her guard down, to accept his love without having it thrown back in her face later, to feel love for him.  At that moment, she realized that she truly loved Jarod, always had.  It made her smile, and she kissed Jarod with all of the desire she was feeling.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Jarod murmured breathlessly, looking into her eyes.
"Yes." she whispered, unbuttoning his shirt.
He smiled gently at her, hoping to assure her that everything was going to be all right.  After her painful, heartbreaking confession of Raines' violation, he was not sure that this was the best thing for them to be doing.  He did not want her to resent him and later classify him as another one of her conquests.  He grabbed  her hands, stilling them, and looked into her eyes.
"Parker, I want this to be about love, not about lust, or trying to forget who you are for a few hours." he replied softly, smiling gently.  "If this isn't about love, it ends right now."
"She looked up at him, surprised.  He really did love her.  Any other man would have hot-footed her onto bed already and not given her or her feelings a second thought.  She smiled seductively up at him, a smile he knew so well, and took his face in her hands, kissing him passionately.
"Does that answer your question?" she asked, her voice sultry.
He grinned at her and touched her cheek softly.  She resumed unbuttoning  his shirt, and slid it off of his shoulders slowly, letting it drop to the floor.  She reached for the waistband of his snug, black jeans, and he stopped her.  He shook his
head slightly and pulled her to him, molding her body against his.  He kissed her softly, twining his tongue with hers slowly, lazily.  It was the most intimate kiss she had ever experienced, and she moaned aloud.  He slipped one of the straps of her
tank top off of her shoulder, kissing first her shoulder, slowly making his was across  her collarbone, to the hollow of her throat.  He felt her breath quicken, goosebumps breaking out on her skin.  He smiled wickedly and kissed the valley between her breasts, drunk with the power he had over her.  She wanted him, and he wanted her to say it aloud.
She began rubbing against him, exciting him as much as he had excited her. He raised her arms above her head, slowly pulling the tank top upward and off of her, carelessly letting it drop to the floor.  He slowly slid the plaid, cotton boxers over
her hips, down her legs, and she stepped out of them.  He picked her up and gently laid her on the bed, lying next to her.  She whimpered aloud, her eyes begging him to continue.  He kicked off his shoes, nuzzling her breasts.  She twined her hands in his hair,moaning with pleasure.  He took a nipple into his mouth, sucking gently.  She gasped aloud, pulling his hair.  He smiled up at her and slowly explored her body; running his hands over her stomach, to her navel, and slowly touched her hip, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her pelvic bone in a circular motion.  She whimpered again, her hands clutching at him wildly.  She found the buttons of his jeans, and clumsily began unbuttoning them.  He slid out of them and removed his briefs, glorying in the sensation of her bare flesh touching his.
"Please." she moaned, pulling him to her.
He gently climbed on top of her, parting her legs slowly with his knee.  She closed her eyes tightly, rubbing her head in the pillow.  He touched her face, startling her, and her eyes flew open.  He smiled down at her and kissed her as he
slipped inside her.  They both gasped aloud, neither have felt this way for another human being, never having felt this much pleasure.  He paced himself, slowly thrusting inside her, reveling in the sensation of her flesh  against his, the gentle-
ness of their lovemaking, the feeling of his flesh inside her.  He felt her body tighten around him, feeling the pressure build within him.  He groaned when he felt her spasm, and dimly heard her moan and gasp him name.  He was teetering on the edge, the pleasure becoming almost too much for him to bear.  He felt her grab his buttocks and push him faster and deeper inside her than he ever imagined.He was oblivious to the slapping sounds of their flesh as she met him thrust for thrust.
"More!" she groaned, scratching her nails down his back.
He thrust into her faster, hearing both of them moan with pleasure.  He felt himself lose control and they orgasmed together.  He collapsed onto her and felt her run her fingers through his sweat-slicked hair.  He kissed her lips softly, this kiss sweet and innocent as the first kiss they shared in their childhood.
The gentleness of it made her want to cry.  She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her, terrified of the feeling she felt.  She gasped as his flesh  slipped from hers and bravely looked into his eyes.  She saw him smiling down at her, his eyes shining with more love that she had ever seen in male eyes when they looked at her.  She returned the gently smile, her eyes shining with the same love, and laid her head on his chest.
"I love you, Maggie.  Now and forever." Jarod whispered, as they drifted off  to sleep.

* * * * * * * * *

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Syd, what are we gonna do?" Broots asked nervously, his eyes darting around the older man's office.
"What do you mean, Broots?" Sydney asked tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Well, God Syd, we haven't heard anything out of Jarod.  Not a peep. Miss Parker disappears, and we're on the Board's shit list." he whispered.
"Broots, calm down.  What are we supposed to do?  We are doing all we can in our pursuit of Jarod, how can we be blamed if none of our leads are panning out?"
"God Syd!  You know this place!  Just give them a reason to slice your head off!" he cried.
"Broots, it's O.K., just calm down.  And as for Miss Parker, there is  news." he said quietly.
"Did they find her?  Is she O.K.?" Broots asked excitedly.  Though he resented her insults, her presence at the Centre gave him a sense of balance and control.  Her sudden absence threw him completely off balance and he was becoming paranoid.
"Broots...she's dead." Sydney replied softly, his eyes filling with tears. He was unable to contain his sorrow for his friend any longer, and he knew that Broots would share in his grief.  "They believe that she crawled out to the beach and drowned.  The tide probably swept her body out to sea."
"Oh my God..." Broots muttered in shock.  "How am I gonna tell Debbie? She's going to be devastated."
"Raines ordered SIS off the case.  He believes their hypothesis to be  true, and there is a memorial service the day after tomorrow." he continued, his voice monotone.
"But I thought..."
Sydney silenced him with a look and replied, "Let's go get drunk, Broots."
"Sure, Syd." he replied sadly, catching on quickly.

* * *

Bennigan's Pub
Dayton, Delaware

"Why did we come here?" Broots asked, staring at the wild atmosphere.
"Would you believe that this is one of Miss Parker's favorite places to 'hang out?'  No kidding." Sydney replied, turning to smile at Broots.
"You're shitting me." Broots exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"I swear.  I caught her here one evening after working late.  She was drinking pretty heavily, and chatting with several gentleman." he said, clearing his throat.
"Miss Parker?  She flirts?" Broots squeaked.
"You two seen her?" a burly, middle-aged man boomed good-naturedly.
"Pardon me?" Sydney asked politely.
"Either of you seen Parker?" he repeated.
"No, we haven't.  We were hoping she was here." Sydney replied.
"Nope, sure haven't.  I heard you two talkin' and I thought maybe she was here."
"What has she done?" Broots asked warily.
"Nothin', I just ain't seen her here for awhile.  She was tellin' me about this big, secretive thing she's investigation' about her mama." he said, shifting his bulk.
"Either of ya want a drink?"
"Sure." Broots said, interested in what the man had to say.
"I'm Brian Bennigan, owner of the pub.  It's been in the family for generations, now it's my turn.  Nice to meet ya." he said, taking Sydney's hand into his huge, paw-like hand and shaking it, then Broots'.  "Yeah, she's been coming here since
her college days.  Quite a charmer, that one."
"Miss Parker?" Broots squeaked.
"Oh yeah.  Beautiful too." he said, grinning paternally.  "She sure is somethin', wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, we would." Sydney replied, grinning broadly.  "How well do you know her?"
"If you're insinuating that I slept with her before, you're dead wrong, old man.  She's a sweetheart when she wanted to be, and I love her like she was one of my own kids.  She has a temper though...get a few drinks into her, and you piss her off, God help ya." he said, grinning broadly, exposing crooked front teeth. "I'm gettin' a little worried 'bout her though, she usually stops by every other night or so for a drink and some dinner."
"Mr. Bennigan..." Sydney began.
"Call me Brian.  Any friend of Parker's is a friend of mine."
"Brian, we think it's possible that she might be dead." Sydney said, gently breaking the news.
"Oh no, man!" he cried, his eyes tearing up.
"Brian, that's just a theory though." Sydney said reassuringly.  "We don't have any concrete proof, yet.  The reason we stopped in tonight is to ask a few questions.  We had no idea that she had friends here, though."
"If you need my help to find Parker, you just tell me what you need." he replied, his blue eyes serious.
"We need to know if she had any other close friends here."
"Oh yeah.  See that woman over there?  The one with the black dress?" he asked, pointing to a tall, red-headed woman wearing a short, spagetti-strapped, slip dress stood, holding a bottle of beer in one hand and a handful of darts in the other.  "Anything else?"
"What's her name?" Broots asked. "Velvet Johnson.  She's a head shrinker.  A partner in some big firm in the city." he called, mixing a drink.
"We'll be back in a minute." Sydney said absently, walking away from the bar, toward her.
"Oh my God!" Broots shouted to be heard over he blaring music, trailing  after Sydney.  "I can't believe this!  Miss Parker is so not like this at work."
"She does have a life outside the Centre, Broots." Sydney commented dryly.  "We need to talk to her, Broots."
"Well, go ahead.  I'll go back to the bar and talk to Brian.  See what he has to say."
"O.K., I'll go talk to Velvet.  I'll meet you back at the bar." Sydney said, and walked toward the gaming area.
"Hello." Sydney replied, smiling at the red-head.
"Hey pops, what's happening?" she asked, flashing him a bright, white  smile.  "Want to play?"
"No, thanks." he said, studying her carefully.  "I'd like to talk to you."
"Whoa Daddy-O, I don't date men old enough to be my father."
"No...that isn't what I meant at all." he said, embarrassed.  "I would like to talk to you about Parker."
"Parker?  Where is she, anyway?  I've been leaving messages for her for two days now." she demanded.
"That's why I wanted to talk with you, Ms. Johnson."
"How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously.  "Are you a cop orsomething?"
"No, I'm one of Miss Parker's co-workers."
"Oh my God!  You must be Syd!" she cried, smiling broadly.  "Why didn't you just say so?"
"Well, I didn't want to alarm you.  I don't know what Parker has told you."
"She's told me everything about that place.  But she swore me to secrecy, and in my business, if you can't keep your mouth shut, you might as well hang it up." she said, laughing.
"Could you help me then?  When was the last time you saw her?"
"Well....I believe it was three nights ago.  She was in here, all depressed and brooding."
"Did she say why?" Sydney pressed.
"I don't really think it's my place to tell the secrets of her heart." she replied primly.
"Ms. Johnson...."
"Call me Velvet." she interrupted.
"Velvet, it's very important that you talk to me.  Broots, I imagine she has  told you about him too?"
"Oh yeah, she likes me, even though he's a sniveling little coward."
"Well, Broots and I are investigating her disappearance.  We don't know what happened to her.  It's like she vanished without a trace." Sydney replied, frowning.
"Oh God." she breathed, her eyes wide.  "Is she all right?"
"We don't know, Velvet.  That's what we're trying to find out.  SIS was brought in to investigate, and they have hypothesized that she was shot, and  disoriented, and crawled outside to the beach.  She drowned and her body was pulled out to sea by the tide."
"She was shot?" she cried, alarmed.
"We believe so.  There was blood on the walls, and the house had been tossed."
"Oh my God!  My poor..." she cried, breaking off the sentence before speaking Parker's name aloud.
"It's O.K., Velvet, I know her first name.  Though she doesn't know that I know it." Sydney replied gently.
She sniffed, refusing to cry in front of Sydney.  Though she knew practically everything about him, courtesy of Parker, he was still virtually a stranger to her.  She looked up at him and replied, "Do you need my help?  I'll do everything I can to help you find her."
"Who would be at her house at that time of night?"
"I don't know." she lied.
"Velvet, was she seeing someone?" he pressed.
"No, she wasn't seeing anyone." she snapped.
"Who would do this to her then?"
"Did you ever consider that it's someone within the Centre?"
"Yes Velvet, we have.  In fact, we know it's someone from the Centre." Sydney replied grimly.

* * * * * * * * *

Safari Motel
Clinton, Missouri

Parker awoke a few hours later, recalling that Jarod had called her by her first name.  Usually it irked her; she had begun to hate her name shortly after her mother's death and could no loner bear her hear it spoken aloud.  She was thankful to her father for one thing:  The teachers at the strict, private school he had sent her to were fanatical about propriety and never used first names.  Secretly, she had doubted that any faculty member at the school had a clue as to the first names of their students.  That is where the transformation of gentle, compassionate Maggie to anal, Miss "Ice Queen" Parker began.
"What are you smiling about?" Jarod whispered softly, startling her.
"I was just remembering the school my father sent me to." she said, a grin breaking out across her lovely face.
"I thought you hated that school." he replied, his expression that of confusion.
"I did.  But I'm seeing it in a whole new light." she replied, propping herself up on her elbow, looking down at him.  "You know, when I was in the tenth grade, there was this teacher."
"What did he teach?"
"He taught Spanish, but that really doesn't matter." she said, shaking her head.  "Anyway, he was the youngest teacher there, I'd say he was probably about thirty-five or forty.  God, he looked so good."
"What did he do?" Jarod asked, drinking in every word.
"Well, he knew he was gorgeous.  And did he ever use it."
"What do you mean?"
"Jarod, he forced a lot of girls to sleep with him for a grade." she said, her expression darkening.  "A bunch of us got together and decided that it was time to make dear old Mr. Rhoades learn a lesson."
A wicked grin spread across her face and she laughed aloud.  Jarod smiled at her and asked,  "So, what did you do to dear old, Mr. Rhoades?"
"We had always heard rumors that Rhoades had a "darker" side, so we decided to check it out." she replied matter-of-factly.  "We broke into his house and tossed it.  The only damning evidence we found was his penchant for being a lady."
"What do you mean?"
"He was a flaming queen!" she cried, bursting into laughter.
"He was on fire?" Jarod cried, alarmed.
Parker stopped laughing abruptly and looked at Jarod.  She shook her  head gently and replied, "Jarod, that's an expression.  He was a cross dresser. You know, a transvestite?"
Jarod blinked, patiently waiting for her to explain in detail.  She sighed  and said, "Jarod, a cross dresser or whatever is a man who dresses like a woman. I mean, all out.  Pantyhose, heels, bra, etc."
"Oh my God." he muttered, his eyes wide with shock.  "And they choose to do that?"
She nodded in confirmation and continued, "So anyway, we were about to leave and he came home.  I was the only person trained in martial arts, so I did the only thing I could think of."
"What was that?"
"I kicked his ass, Jarod." Parker replied, impatience seeping into her voice.
"We drug him upstairs and left him on his bed dressed like a twenty-five cent hooker. After we took a roll of pictures, of course."
"Did he ever find out?" he asked, in awe.
"Oh yeah.  He threatened to report us and have us kicked out of school.
In retaliation, we sent him copies of himself 'incognito.'  He shut up real quick and we never had another problem out of him." she announced triumphantly.
"Did a little pretending of your own, huh?" he asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
 Her sly smile faded and her eyes were troubled.  "Jarod?  Do you think I had the ability to...to do what you do?"
"I know you can, Maggie.  What I didn't tell you was, you have the gift.
It isn't as prominent as mine or Angelo's, but you do have it.  Why do you think I have a hard time shaking you?" he queried, smiling slightly.
"Jarod, you've always been ten steps ahead of us." she said, bristling.
"Wrong, Maggie.  Every move I make, you've already anticipated it.  As you have said many times, you know me, how I think."
"How did you..." she queried, her mouth open in shock.
"He grinned and replied, "I would hope by now that you've given up trying to guess how I know you so well."
 She paused briefly and sheepishly replied, "Force of habit."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Uh, what?" he asked, startled.
"Go ahead." she said, sighing patiently.
"What do you think about, what is going through your mind when you're  chasing me?" he asked softly, touching her cheek.
She closed her eyes, savoring his touch, trying to put her thoughts into words. Unable to, she the Duran Duran hit:

High blood drumming on your skin its so tight
You feel my heat I'm just a moment behind...
Burning the ground
I break from the crowd
I'm on the hunt I'm after you
I smell like I sound
I'm lost and I'm found
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Straddle the line, it's discord and rhyme
I'm on the hunt I' m after you
Mouth is alive with juices like wine
And I'm hungry like the wolf
.
She shrugged and looked at him.  He was smiling broadly, and broke into laughter.  "At least you know your music."
"Yeah, well, that's what I wanted out of life.  Daddy denied me that." she said bitterly.
"Because of your mother's love for music." he said softly, taking her hand and squeezing it.
"How perceptive of you." she retorted, hating herself for the words.
"Tell me about your school days." he said, quickly diverting her attention away from the subject of her father.
"I loved school." she said softly, her body relaxing and she clasped his hand.  "College was my favorite time, though.  I lived on campus and made tons of friends.  I joined a sorority, Chi Omega, and moved into their house.  The real fun  began after that."
 Jarod made a mental note to check out sororities.  All sororities, but namely hers.
"The real fun?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah.  Parties, road trips, vacations, formals...those were the best days of my life." she said with a sigh.  She froze suddenly and looked up at Jarod's face, noting his cool expression.  "Jarod, I'm sorry."
"It's O.K., glad to know that you were having fun." he replied quietly.
"You asked me, Jarod.  I'm sorry that your life sucked, but mine did too." she replied honestly, squeezing his hand.
"I know, I just can't help being jealous.  You got to go to parties, have friends, to fall in love.  All I ever had was Sydney and my sims."
"Tell you what.  After you show me my surprise, we'll blow this pop stand.   I'll show you everything you've missed." she said, excitement shining in her eyes.
"What about the Centre?" he asked somberly.
"Oh, I forgot." she replied dejectedly, her gaze dropping to the comforter.
"Come with me, Parker.  Daddy and the rest of the Centre think you're dead. You're free to come with me now!" he pleaded urgently.
"Even without me, Jarod, they are still going to search for you.  What would happen to us if we were caught?  We'd both be dead." she said flatly.
"Maggie, don't you trust me?  You would be kept hidden better than the  DSA's."
"I'm supposed to be dead, remember?"
"Amnesia." he promptly answered.
"How did I get out with a mortal wound to the shoulder?"
"You passed out.  When you woke up, you wandered outside and ended up on the strip.  A guy found you and took you John's Hopkins because it was the nearest hospital."
"And what happened to me then?  Why didn't anyone put out a missing  persons?" she queried skeptically.
"Because you wandered out of the hospital two days later.  You still couldn't remember anything and another guy found you wandering around JHU in a hospital gown and robe.  Coincidentally, he was a professor of psychology on the campus.
He took you home with him and gave you a place to stay."
"What did I do for that?" she asked sarcastically.  "How did I live?  I didn't have any money, clothes, ID...."
"He loaned you the money for clothes, sure that you would reimburse him.  He took you in out of the kindness of his heart, because he was worried about you.  You were like a lost and helpless little girl."
"Another white knight." she said wryly, and smiled.  "Then what?"
"Then, he spent as much time with you as he could.  He tried to help you  remember your life, but sadly, the memory never returned.  You still have no memory of the Centre or the people questioning you." he said, pulling her into his arms.  "The
professor fell madly in love with you, and he asked you to marry him.  And you said... yes."
"Oh I did, did I?" she teased.  "And why did I do a thing like that?"
"Because you fell madly in love with him too." he murmured, capturing her lips with his own.
"Mmm." she said, breaking off the kiss.
"What?" he asked, surprised.
"How can you be so sure that I'll fall madly in love with this professor friend of mine?" she asked coyly.
"Well, the professor knows how he feels about you.  He will just have to woo you until you realize that there is no one else in the world for you but him."
"Well, I guess time will tell." she said, smiling slyly.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Parker Residence
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Did you hear me, sir?" Robert Brown, SIS officer in charge of the Parker investigation queried, staring at the team combing the beach.
"Yeah, I heard you." Raines wheezed, his hand clenched tightly.  "There has to be an explanation.  People don't just disappear."
"Mr. Raines, it had been raining for hours.  Sir, there is no way for us to determine what happened her outside of the house." he replied, mentally kissing his wife and four children goodbye.
"I think it would be best for you to find something." Raines snapped.  "Report directly to me.  Talk to no one else."
"Yes sir."
"Tell me what you know at this point."
"Well sir, after covering the house, we found the back door open.  At this point, our hypothesis is this:  She was shot and probably passed out for awhile.  When she woke, she was disoriented, possibly delirious, and we believe that she wandered down to the beach.  The tide obliterated most of her footprints, but her prints are there in the  sand and they lead to the beach."
"Sounds like a reasonable hypothesis, Brown.  Talk with her neighbors.  See if they say anything late last night, or if they saw anything suspicious.  Make sure that they know nothing, and call me back with any new details." he replied, hanging up the phone  abruptly.  He smiled evilly.
Brown pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it.  He shrugged and shut the phone off.  He dropped it into the pocket of his blazer and walked quickly over to the team leader, Calvin Trask.
"Raines phoned." Brown said, his voice low.
"And?" Trask responded, squinting up at him.
"He wants us to sit on this.  Question the neighbors.  Said he wants us to encourage the drowning hypothesis."
"That hypothesis?  That was a joke, Rob." Trask choked, biting back a bark of laughter, standing quickly, staring at Brown. "I can't believe that you even told him that!"
"I had to give him something!" Brown growled.  "We sure as hell don't have anything else!"
"That was a huge long shot!  There's nothing to support that claim and it probably isn't even true!"
"You think I don't know that?" Brown exclaimed.  "But what else have we got? Zilch."
"True, but we still have..."
"Trask, we have footprints going toward the sand.  Her prints.  She was mortally wounded and had lost a lot of blood.  She was probably in shock, probably nearly dead. It makes sense that she would wander outside.  The tide was in.  I doubt she knew what happened to her." Brown insisted.
"O.K., let's pretend all of this is true.  How do we explain the blood?" Trask asked, privately wondering Trask knew she was mortally wounded, when the top forensic experts-naturally Centre employees-could not even piece the events of last night together.
"From the blood splatters on the wall, it's obvious she was shot.  Probably at  close range." he explained, using his skills as a former homicide detective.
"I understand forensics, Brown." Trask snapped.  "This whole situation is just bizarre, and I really don't like the fact that the experts can't even be sure, and they always  have an answer!"
"Keep searching, Trask.  For now, the shooting/drowning hypothesis stands." Brown ordered, blatantly dismissing Trask's objections.  He walked away stiffly, never once looking back.
Trask watched Brown walk away, his eyes narrowed with distrust.  It did not  take a rocket scientist to figure out that Brown was lying about his conversation with Raines.  Raines never encouraged theories or hypothesis'.  He wanted answers and facts;
concrete and detailed answers, not someone's opinion or educated guess.  It rubbed Trask the wrong way that Brown was so determined to make the drowning the cause of Parker's death.  He could not imagine the "Ice Queen" dying suck a sissyfied death. And the gunshot wound.  She would not just stand against a wall and allow herself to  be shot.  There was something odd about the whole situation; something just a little too convenient about the shooting and her sudden disappearance.  The Ice Queen  would not just disappear. She would have to be drug  away, kicking and screaming. He wandered over to the operations van and climbed into the back.  He sat down next to Amanda and smiled at her.  She swiveled away from the computer screen, facing him.  She removed her large reading glasses and tossed them onto the counter.  She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly and looked at him.
"What's up, Calvin?" she asked tiredly.
"Sorry to bother you, Mandy, but I need your help."
"O.K., shoot." she said, glancing at him interestedly.
"Brown's pushing the drowning shit."
"You've got to be kidding." she said, her eyes widening.
"Nope.  There something weird going on, Mandy.  He's not telling us everything."
"What do you mean?" she queried, watching him carefully.
"I need you to help me investigate this a little closer."
"I don't know, Cal.  I mean, you don't screw around with Raines." she said doubtfully.
"I never said that we would.  I just said we would investigate this a little deeper." he said, grinning at her slyly.  "You and I both know Parker.  She would never stand there and let herself get shot.  And she sure as hell wouldn't just go off with someone."
"Yeah, that's true." she agreed.
"Her gun was still in its holster, in her bedroom.  Do you really think that she doesn't have her gun within reach at all times?"
"If she couldn't get to her gun, she would have fought like hell.  We only  found her blood at the scene."
"See what I mean?" he asked excitedly.  "Too much here just doesn't add up."
"This is definitely a Centre job.  All questions and no answers." she replied glumly.
"Don't give up on me yet!" he cried, dismayed.
"I'm not giving up.  I'm just telling you, getting answers isn't going to be easy."
"No kidding." he replied, and a long silence fell between them.
"Uh, do you have any idea who's involved?" Amanda asked, breaking the silence, her doe-like eyes full of curiosity.
"I don't know, Mandy.  Brown is, somehow."
"Raines too, I imagine.  He's always involved in the weird, answerless shit." she said, looking past Trask at the figure rapidly approaching.  "Uh oh, Mr. Big Stuff himself at twelve o' clock."
"Joy." Trask replied sarcastically, braced himself, and swiveled to face Mr. Parker.
"Trask, what the hell are you doing sitting in the van?  Why aren't you out  there investigating?" Parker demanded.
"Hello Mr. Parker." Trask replied respectfully.  "I was just consulting with  Amanda."
"What have you found out, then?"
"Well sir, we found several things, though I don't' think..."
"I don't care what you think, Trask.  I want facts." he snapped, cutting Trask off.
"Sir, Mr. Trask is not authorized to give you that information."
"If I ask you for information you will oblige me, do you understand?" he  queried, his voice deadly quiet.
"Yes sir." Trask and Amanda replied in unison.
"Good, I'm glad we understand each other." he boomed.  "I'm going to ask you again.  What have you learned?"
"We know Miss Parker was shot, sir, at close range.  We found a shell casing, and a pool of her blood on the floor, which means she probably lost consciousness and bled for some time lying on the floor."
"And?" Parker demanded.
"We found a trail of blood leaning to the sliding glass door, and her prints in the sand."
"So?"
"Ordinarily, we would conclude that she could have been on the beach any time last night." Trask began.
"Why is this case different?"
"Well sir, we found a trail of her blood.  From the actual scene to the sliding glass door.  However, because of the rain, the trail stops there."
"So it's true.  She had disappeared." he said, his gruffness dissipating.
"Yes sir." Trask replied, his tone softer.  "We found her gun.  It was in her  bedroom, still in its holster."
"Were there any signs of a struggle?"
"No sir, and that is the strange part." he said quickly.  "No disrespect intended, sir."
"None taken, Trask, I understand what you are saying." he replied, sighing. "Was the house broken into?"
"No sir.  In fact, all of the doors were locked.  Even the back door."
"I see." he said, his aloof, emotionless mask firmly back in its rightful place.
"Mr. Trask, please keep me informed.  I want to know the minute you know something, understand?"
"Yes sir." Trask replied, feeling as if he was in boot camp.
"That goes for you too, Miss." he replied, turning his gaze onto Amanda.
"Yes sir." she replied softly, refusing to meet his gaze.
"Glad we understand each other." he growled and stalked off.
"What was that all about?" Amanda asked finally.
"I don't know." Trask muttered.  "I'm going back to the Centre.  Here's my pager number if you need me."
 "O.K., I'll give you a call if I find anything." she said, accepting his card.
"I'll be praying that you do." he quipped and left her to her work.

* * * * *

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

"This is Sydney." a pleasant, accented voice replied.
"Sydney?  Calvin Trask here."
"Hello, Cal.  What can I do for you?"
"I need to talk to you.  It's a personal matter." he said cautiously, aware that both phones were probably bugged.
"Cal, there are personal...."
"I need to talk to you." he insisted.
"All right.  I'm meeting Broots, you can walk with me if you like.  Unless you want to schedule a time."
"That will be fine.  I'll be at your office in five minutes." he said, replacing the eceiver, rushing out of his office.

* * *

"What can I do for you?" Sydney asked, pulling the door shut behind him.
"I need to talk to you about Miss Parker." he said confidentially.
"Come on." Sydney said, pulling him down the hall.  Broots needs to hear this too."

* * *

"What?" Sydney exclaimed, staring at Trask.
"I'm serious, Sydney."
"Who do you think is involved?" Broots asked cautiously.
"I don't know.  But Brown know what is going on, I'm sure of it."
"He is pushing you to submit the hypothesis that she drowned?" Sydney asked incredulously.
"Yup.  But I think it's convenient."
"Why should be believe you?" Sydney challenged.
"Because Miss Parker would never just stand against the wall and let someone shoot her.  They would definitely be sporting bruises, whoever they are."
"Her gun was in her bedroom, still in its holster.  The house was locked up tight except for the back door, no signs of forced entry.  In fact, unless she let the shooter in, its damn impossible to determine how they got in at all."
"Unless they had a key." Broots muttered.
"Surely he wouldn't." Trask replied, his eyes widening.
"You did hear about their little falling out just after the explosion in SL-27, correct?"
"Who didn't?" he cried.
"I was standing outside her office." Broots replied miserably, remembering the  horrible, cruel things Mr. Parker had shouted at her.  He would never forget the sound of her cries when he slapped her.
"Holy shit." Trask gasped.  "What did-did he see you?"
"Yeah, I was talking with Miss Parker.  He ordered me to get outside and wait." Broots muttered.  "I'll never forget that as long as I live."
"He was really angry, Cal.  He told her if he ever heard the slightest whisper that she was in any way associating with Jarod in anything other than a professional capacity, that was it for her." Sydney replied softly.
"It?  What's it?" Broots asked, cowering.
"I didn't know for sure, Broots.  Now, I think we do." Sydney muttered.
"Oh God!" Broots squeaked, glancing around the office.
"Look Sydney, I want to help.  There's something wrong here." Trask insisted.
"All right, Cal." Sydney said simply.
"Wonderful, I've got Amanda helping me out.  Between the four of us, we're gonna find out what really happened to Parker." he promised.

*  * * * * * * *

986 Monterey Dr.
Clinton, Missouri

"Jarod, where the hell are we?" Parker demanded, a trace of irritability in her voice.
"This is your surprise." he replied, a grin breaking out across his handsome  face.
"A house?"
"No, Maggie." he said and sighed.  "Come on, let's go."
"Where?" she asked suspiciously.
"Into the house?" he said, taking her hand and pulling her out of the car.
"I don't want to, Jarod." she said uncomfortably, trying to pull her hand out of  his grip.
"Maggie, you're going to like my surprise." he replied seriously, smiling encour agingly at her.
 She blinked and nodded her head, allowing him to clasp her hand and  pull her toward the house and up the front porch steps.  He rang the doorbell and she looked around, curious about the people living there.  She was admiring the wicker lawn furniture and plants when the door swung open and the sounds of a roomful of people poured out.  Parker jumped and Jarod grinned broadly, squeezing her hand tightly.
"Surprise, Maggie." he murmured in her ear.
"Wh-what is this?" she stammered, her eyes wide.
"I would like to introduce you to your mother's family." he replied, his eyes shining brightly.
"Hi Maggie!" a child's voice called gleefully, and she found herself at a beautiful little blond-haired child.
"Hello." Parker replied faintly, trying to regain her composure.
Jarod led her into the crowded room, clasping her hand tightly for support. All eyes were on them, and she smiled faintly, utterly bewildered by this strange turn of events.  She carefully eyed each person in the room, searching for something familiar  about them.  Her eyes came to rest on an elderly woman and her eyes grew wide with shock.  Jarod noted with some amusement that all eyes in the room were wide with shock.
"Wh-who are you?" Parker stammered, still staring at the older woman.
"I'm Caroline." she murmured, her voice soft and comforting, very similar to a voice she knew well.  "It's amazing."
"I told you the resemblance was uncanny." Jarod said softly, his eyes shining.
"Maggie, darling, I'm Catherine's twin sister, Caroline." she replied, her voice stronger.
"Twin sister?" she echoed in disbelief.  "Mom never said she had a twin."
"Did she ever mention that she had an entire family?" a male voice boomed  from across the room.
Parker stiffened and whirled around to face the speaker.  She glared at him and replied, "No, she never mentioned anyone.  In fact, my father told me that her family was all dead.  That she was an only child."
"Calm down, Maggie." Caroline replied gently.  "This is Gregory, my older brother."
"You're mom's brother?" she queried, looking at the large, gray-haired man curiously.  "You don't look like her."
"I looked like my mother.  Caro and Cathy looked like dad." he said, smiling kindly at her.  "You are as beautiful as she was."
Parker blushed and looked away, really looking around for the first time at the people around her.  She noted with surprise that she was excited about having a family. She smiled slightly, glancing around the room at the assorted groups of people; children,
women, man, and teenagers sitting in the small, crowded room.  All wanting to meet her, to know her.  All genuinely interested in her, not simply speaking to her out of  obligation.  The urge to flee the house was almost uncontrollable.  As if Jarod sensed
her hesitation, he secured his arm around her waist and held her tight.
"Well, I think it's time we made some introductions. " Gregory announced, standing.  "Maggie, you've already met the two oldest members of the family, so let me introduce you to your cousins."
"I think I'm gonna need 'Hello, my name is...' stickers." she replied, trying to alleviate the tension she was feeling. There was a collective twitter of laughter throughout the room, and this helped to relax Parker.  Jarod felt her body relax against him somewhat and he smiled slightly to himself.  Parker had not glared, sneered, or emotionally shattered anyone yet, so things were going well as far as he was concerned.  He hoped that this new found  family could give her the familial love and support that she had been denied for so long.  He watched with fascination and listened closely as she was introduced to her cousins and second cousins, smiling as she struggled to remember and grasp the factthat this was not a dream-or a nightmare.  For the first time in his life, he found himself not thinking about finding his family, not questioning who he was, or wondering where his family was at the moment.  He was caught up in the moment, truly happy for Parker.
"So, how long are you staying with us, Maggie?" her cousin Darby-Gregory's oldest daughter-asked, smiling up at Parker.
"I'm not sure." she replied uncertainly, glancing at Jarod.
"I have business in Wichita in two days." he said, smiling tentatively at her.
"Well, at least we have a few days to get to know you guys." Caroline said with a warm smile.
"You can count on that." Jarod replied, grinning.

* * * * *

Parker and Jarod spent every waking moment with her long-lost family. They had immediately clicked, and Jarod decided that it would be all right if he could never find his family-he had a place with her family.  Aunt Caroline had become a mother figure for both; showering them with maternal love, the love neither had felt for quite  some time.
Parker blossomed under Caroline's constant love and patience, slowly allowing the icy wall that she had constructed around her heart, that carefully protected and concealed, to melt.  Jarod was amazed every day by the change in her and was delighted by it.  For the first time since her mother's death, Parker was truly happy.  Jarod  sensed this and was hesitant to pull her away from them.  However, they were not safe with Jarod and Parker around, and the Centre would still continue their search for Jarod. Nothing would stand in the way of that.  Nothing.

The End
 

Love and a 9mm
Part 6

Playing with Fire

Broots Residence
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Hello?" Broots replied groggily into the telephone receiver.
"Broots?  It's Sydney." he replied urgently.
"Syd?  What is it?" Broots squeaked, bolting upright in bed.
"I got a message from Our Boy." Sydney murmured.
"Oh God." Broots breathed.  "What's the plan?"
"Meet me at the Centre.  My office, forty-five minutes."
"O.K., that gives me time to leave Debbie with the neighbor."
"Get here ASAP, Broots.  This is really important." Sydney urged, and ended the call.
"That is never good." Broots muttered and threw off the covers.

* * * * *

Crown Plaza Hotel
Nashville, Tennessee

"Jarod, we need to talk." Parker murmured, looking over at Jarod.
"What's up, Mag?" he asked, crossing his arms behind his head, drinking in the warmth of the sun.
"Jarod, I'm serious." she replied, sitting upright in the lounge chair, turning  toward him.
"What is it?" he asked, concerned, removing his sunglasses.
"Jarod, I can't..." she started, trying to find the gentlest words to tell him.
"What is it?" he asked gently, smiling encouragingly.  "Whatever it is, you can tell me."
"Jarod, I can't do this any more." she whispered, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Can't do what?" he asked softly, a knot of fear forming in his stomach.
"I can't...I don't know." she mumbled, willing the familiar ice to form around her heart.  "I-I don't love you Jarod."
The cruelness of her soft words were like a slap across his face.  He recoiled from her, his eyes wide.  She finally worked up the courage to meet his eyes, and  was stunned by the amusement she saw dancing in their velvety depths.  She longed  to reach out and touch his cheek and confess everything to him, but the remaining traces of the Ice Queen refused to allow her to cave.  She had to end things with Jarod and return to Blue Cove.  She never should have allowed things to progress to this level as it was.
"What are you saying?" he asked, seeing the cool look in her eyes.
"I'm saying it's over, Jarod.  I'm going back to Blue Cove tomorrow." she stated icily, stood, and left him staring after her as she left the pool area.

* * * * *

The Tower
Blue Cove, Delaware

"Mr. Parker, your cooperation would be appreciated." Sydney replied quietly, carefully concealing his growing anger.
"It's too late, Sydney.  The arrangements have been made and will proceed this afternoon." he replied firmly.
"There's no memorial service?  No wake?" Sydney cried in disbelief.
"We have to move on." Parker replied coolly.  "She would not want people crying over her, remembering the good times."
"How do you know?" Sydney mumbled, almost inaudibly.
"Do you have any leads on Jarod?" Parker barked, abruptly changing the  subject.
"Broots is assessing the results of our search as we speak."
"Good.  Why don't you join him?" Parker suggested, implying his dismissal.
"Please, have the jet on standby." Sydney suggested.
"Already done." Parker said absently, never looking up from the stack of  papers on his desk.
Sydney shook his head sadly and left the room.  Parker's appearance  gave one the impression that he felt no sense of loss or sadness by the death of his only child.  In some respects, Sydney was inclined to believe that his appearance was not a facade, but his true feelings on the subject.  But past experience led him to believe otherwise.  The eyes are the window to the soul, Sydney thought somberly, and there is no denying what his eyes were saying, should anyone take the time to really look.  Sydney sighed sadly and made his way to Broots' cubby.

* * * * *

Crown Plaza Hotel
Nashville, Tennessee

"Maggie, stop!" Jarod shouted.
Parker paused momentarily, then resumed shoving her meager belongings into her suitcase.  "Jarod, this was a stupid idea from the start."
"Will you listen to me?" he cried, grabbing her roughly by her arms, forcing her to turn around and face him.
"There's nothing left to say, Jarod." she replied quietly, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Maybe you can lie to everyone else, even yourself, but you can't lie to me."
"I'm not lying to anyone." she snapped, looking defiantly into his eyes.
"I know I wanted too much too fast." he admitted softly.  "But give me a  chance..."
"Jarod..."
"Please, Maggie." he pleaded, gorgeous puppy dog eyes staring into her icy blue eyes, pleading more desperately than his words were.
"It was never meant to be." she replied weakly.
"Maggie, stop saying that!  We both know it's a lie.  Stop trying to deny what you feel."
"I can't do this, Jarod." she cried, half-sobbing.
"It's scary to let yourself feel, Maggie.  Not just for you, but for everyone."
"Jarod, you're such a child!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking.
"Maybe so, Maggie.  But it takes a lot more courage to be vulnerable." he replied softly, his gaze fixed on her unwaveringly.
"I don't know how, Jarod.  I don't think I have the strength." she admitted, her lovely eyes filling with tears.
"Yes you do, Maggie.  You've always had the strength, Maggie, now you need to find the courage." he replied gently.
"After mom..." she began, a single tear rolling down her cheek.  "I couldn't... I made myself quit feeling."
"And your father didn't help matters any." he whispered, his eyes full of  tenderness and compassion.
"Daddy encouraged hardness and disdain.  Feeling things made you weak. He expected perfection in everything." she said softly, staring over Jarod's shoulder, allowing the memories to touch her consciousness, like the ebb and flow of the tide. "I was a straight-A student, but he thought I wasn't smart enough.  I should have  been in the gifted program. "He thought I should be as gifted as a pretender, but refused the training I would have had."
"He always expected too much from you, Maggie.  He expected you to  exceed your own limitations."
"Jarod, he taught me to be strong." she replied, abruptly changing the direction
of the conversation.  "He forced me to eradicate all the traces of mom I had in me."
"I know." he murmured, watching her intently.  He knew she was slowly breaking down, and knew that he had to tread lightly or she would shut down all together.  "But you have her strength too, Maggie."
"She was weak, Jarod." she said absently, her eyes blank.
"Maggie, she had more strength that your father will ever have.  She had the strength to risk her life for what was right." he said gently.
"Oh God, Jarod!  I don't know what to think, to believe anymore!" she sobbed, covering her face with her hands.
"Ssh, Maggie." he whispered, pulling her sobbing form to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly.  "It's going to be O.K."
"Is it?" she whispered emotionlessly.
"Yes, Maggie.  The truth is in your heart.  Look there and you'll know everything you need to know." he said softly.

* * * * *

"Syd, do you really think Jarod and Miss Parker are together?" Broots asked curiously, pulling odds and ends out of his carry-on bag.
"Yes, Broots, I do.  It's been a month now, and we haven't heard anything  from Jarod.  It's as if he disappeared."
"Maybe he has." Broots muttered, hoping that he was right for a change.
"If he had, we will probably never find him." Sydney replied, staring morosely out the window at downtown Nashville.
"God Syd, what do you think they'll do to us?" he asked, gulping fearfully.
"If we're lucky, they'll kill us quickly." Sydney remarked dryly.
"Oh God!" Broots squeaked.
"Calm down, Broots." Sydney remarked, amused.
"God, what do you think they'll do to Miss Parker if she's with Jarod?" he queried, horrified.
"I'm sure that Miss Parker is an unwilling hostage." Sydney reassured him, mentally imagining Jarod and Parker squabbling like two kids.
"God, I can't take this!" Broots exclaimed, pacing the length of the room.
"Broots, we're still alive, aren't we?"

* * * * *

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Raines?" Brown queried deferentially.
"Yes, I did.  What news do you have for me on the Parker thing?" he  wheezed, fixing an icy glare on him.
"Uh, none sir.  We can't find anything." he said, standing straighter.
"Excellent." Raines crowed, grinning evilly.  "You do remember our deal, correct?"
"Of course, sir.  My crew will never know for sure what happened to the  Parker bitch."
"Good." Raines growled.  "One more thing."
"Yes, sir?"
"Keep your eye on Trask.  I don't trust him."
"Yes sir, Mr. Raines." Brown said, letting himself out of Raines' sanctuary.

* * * * *

Nashville Arena Parking Garage-Level 12
Nashville, Tennessee

"Jarod, what are we doing?" Parker queried, fixing Jarod with a suspicious look.
"We're going to a football game." he answered innocently.
"What?" she cried, surprised.
"Tennessee vs. ..."
"Jarod!"
"What?  Don't you like football?" he asked, his face falling.
"Yeah, that's my point!"
"Uh, I'm lost."
"How did you know I love football?" she demanded, fixing him with a look of surprise-and suspicion.
"Why must you insist on doing that?" he asked, with mock exasperation.
"Because you're unnerving!" she exclaimed, grinning.
"Hey." Jarod replied, lightly rubbing the nape of her neck with the soft pads of his thumb and forefinger.
"What?" she asked softly, half-moaning.
"I'm safe, Maggie.  And I'm gonna prove it to you." he said gently, smiling warmly at her.  "Do you know why?"
"No, why?" she asked flippantly.
"Because I love you, Maggie." he said, his voice low, sensual.
"Jarod..." she said, her voice slightly higher than usual, her body tensing.
"It's O.K., Maggie.  I didn't mean to scare you." he whispered, his lips lightly grazing her ear.  "I just wanted you to know."
Parker smiled seductively.  She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him toward her.  Their lips met in a passionate kiss, igniting a hunger in both of them.  Jarod tore his lips from hers and began to nibble on her neck.  She smiled and laughed, a low, sensuous laugh emitted from the back of her throat.  She wrapped  her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her.  She felt his tongue caress the hollow of her throat and she moaned aloud.
"S'cuse me." a voice bellowed, rapping sharply on the roof of the car.
"Shit!" Parker shouted, pushing Jarod away.
"Can I help you folks?" the officer growled, glaring at he couple.
"No sir.  We're just parking." Jarod replied innocently.
"No shit, Sherlock." Parker muttered darkly, resting her forehead on the heel of  her hand, grateful that her hair covered her blushing face.
"What?" Jarod queried, looking at her curiously.
"I'll explain later, Wonderboy.  Let me handle this." she whispered and leaned across his lap to peer out the window at the officer.
"Officer..." she peered at his nametag and continued sweetly, "Logan, I'm  sorry about this.  We both are.  We were looking for a place to park..."
"Ya'll're blockin' traffic.  This's a busy night, even here on level twelve." he replied, losing a bit of the gruffness.
"Well sir, we're on our way to the football game ourselves." Jarod offered.
"Well, ya'll seem like good people.  I'll let ya go this time, but ya'll get your asses inside and enjoy the game and don't let me catch ya in here 'gin." he barked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Yes sir." Parker and Jarod chorused, both hiding smiles.
Jarod threw the car into drive and slowly pulled away, aware that he was being watched by the nice police man.  Once they were out of his line of sight, they burst into laughter, quickly parking the car.  Jarod turned to look at Parker; the sight of her
laughing with such joy and innocence made her even more beautiful in his eyes.  She saw him watching her and stopped laughing, but continued to smile.  She glanced away shyly and looked back up at him.
"What?" she queried self-consciously.
"Nothing, Mag.  I was just thinking about how beautiful you are when you smile like that." he replied softly, smiling warmly at her.
"Jarod!" she cried suddenly, dismayed.  "I look awful!  Why didn't you tell me to dress up or something?" she scolded playfully.
"You look beautiful, Mag." he said, glancing quickly at her tight, faded blue jeans and waist-length, royal blue T-shirt.
"God, Jarod!  My hair is all tangled and I didn't bring anything with me!" she  cried, sounding less distressed and she ran her fingers through her hair.
"Maggie, you look beautiful." Jarod said seriously, putting a hand on her arm.
"I'm sorry.  I guess you can't stop being a control freak in three weeks." she  replied, attempting humor.
"Hey, remember what I told you before." Jarod scolded gently.
"Hey, let's get our asses inside and enjoy the game." Parker joked and got  out of the car.
"Let's hit it." Jarod said, grinning.

* * * * *

Crowne Plaza Hotel
Nashville, Tennessee

"Anything yet, Broots?" Sydney asked tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Nope, Syd.  Nothing yet." Broots replied, scanning the screen carefully.
"Could they have just disappeared?" Sydney wondered aloud.
"Well yeah, Syd, that's possible.  Why don't we just tell Mr. Parker that  Jarod has vanished?  There's nothing we can do if he doesn't want to be found." Broots pointed out.
"Broots, the Centre won't ever just let Jarod go."
"Well Syd, no one is responding to our search.  There is no one out there matching Jarod's or Miss Parker's description." Broots said, frustrated.
"Just keep trying, Broots.  It's all we can do."
"I just don't understand why someone would respond to our search and then just disappear." Broots said, shaking his head.
"Could it have been Jarod?" Sydney asked suddenly.
"Sydney, I would have known exactly where the source was from, and it was not from Jarod's laptop.  It was from a computer here in Nashville, and now I can't even track the person.  It's like them and their computer vanished."
"That sounds like Jarod." Sydney commented dryly.
"Yeah, it does.  But Jarod would not have stopped there.  He would have  gone one step too far, Syd, that's his MO."
"Maybe something has happened to him.  What if he has gotten hurt or killed?" Sydney suggested, fear knotting in his stomach.
"I guess I could check out the obits and the hospital records." Broots agreed.
"Get on it, Broots, and let me know if you find anything."
"Sure thing, Syd." Broots replied, and buried himself in computer work.
 

* * *

"Jarod!  That was the most fun I've had in years! "Parker cried, smiling happily at Jarod.
"I thought you would like that, Mag." he said, smiling back at her.
"Thanks so much for never giving up on me, Jarod." Parker replied softly, smiling lovingly at him.
"I won't ever give up on you, Mag." he said, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Jarod, what would you be doing now if I wasn't with you?"
"I don't know, Mag.  I don't want to think about being without you."
"Jarod, the time may come when I have to go.  What if the Centre should  find us?"
"I think I fixed that, Mag, don't worry."
"What did you do, Jarod?" she asked, worriedly.
"Well, I responded to one of Broots' searches, but never responded or met them.  Hopefully by now, they have realized that it was me, and they think something has happened."
"How do you know that they'll think that?"
"Well, think about it, Mag.  Don't I always egg you on?  When have I ever left well enough alone?  When have I not lured you to someplace or another?"
"God Jarod!  You are a genius!" she squealed, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you, thank you." he replied with mock modesty.
The elevator bell dinged, and slowly came to a stop.  They waited impatiently for the doors to open, and they rushed into the hallway, giggling like two children. They walked slowly down the hall, their hands clasped tightly together, whispering to each other.  At one point, they stopped in the middle of the hall, and began to kiss softly.  Parker leaned back against the wall, and Jarod deepened the kiss, lazily moving his tongue against hers.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, moaning softly in his mouth.  He smiled against her lips, kissing her with more urgency and hunger.  They broke apart, both breathing hard, desire mirrored  in both of their eyes.  Jarod pulled her close, and they began walking down the hall to their room.  They did not hear a door open, and a grey-haired man stepped out of the room.  They stopped quickly, the three of them face-to-face.  Three pairs of eyes widened in shock.
"Sydney?" Parker and Jarod said in disbelief.
"Jarod?  Parker?" Sydney said, reciprocating the feeling.
"What are you doing here?" the three asked in unison.
Jarod held Parker closer to him, and tried to convey his idea to run.  She  looked up at him, fear welling in the depths of her eyes.  He tried to reassure her, and looked past Sydney, hoping she understood his signal.  She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath.  He released her and they took off running down the hall. They rushed into their room and began throwing their things together, both trying to formulate a plan.  They grabbed their belongings and rushed out of the room, and ran to the stairwell.

* * *  * *

Delta Airlines--Flight 198
Somewhere over Mississippi

"We got out of there just in time." Jarod murmured, looking at Parker.
"Thank God we got out." Parker replied.  "Where are we going, Jarod?"
"We're going to a small town in Mississippi.  Near the Gulf.  There aren't many people there, but it's a big tourist trap at this time of the year."
"Good idea, Jarod.  Most people won't think much of us being there.  To them we're just two more tourists."
"Yeah, that was the plan." Jarod said with a grin.
"Wake me when we get there." Parker replied, yawning.
"I will.  Sweet dreams, Mag." he murmured, kissing her softly.
"They will be now." Parker teased, her eyes fluttering closed.
"I love you." he whispered in her ear, aware that she had already fallen asleep.

The End