Title: A little of the past....and some more of the now Disclaimer: I don't own any pretender characters and anyother that I may use.
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Pretenders are among us....

Genuises with the ability to become anyone they want to be.
In 1988, the Centre isolated young Pretenders named Jarod and Chloe,
in order to harness their genius for our research.

Until, one day, our Pretenders ran away.... -
My name is Chloe Jamison and I'm 26 years old. I have shoulder-length chesnut brown hair and hazel eyes. I'm five ft 9 in and I weight somewhere around 115 pounds. I'm what some people call a 'pretender'. The definition I've heard is pretender-Genuises with the ablility to become anyone they want to be. This is can be good or bad, depending on the situation. I was taken to the Centre when I was only 7 years old. The Centre is a place where people keep a bunch of smart 'pretenders' so that they can do tests on them. Shortly after arriving, I was forced to watch my parents be brutally murdered. I met someone though. Someone who was probably the only thing that kept my sanity, Jarod. He was another 'Pretender'. Jarod is 4 years older than me, and had been in The Centre since 1981, the year I was born. We've been refered to as the smartest kids the Centre has ever seen. Jarod and I have been told that we have more advanced thinking than the other kids do. Therefore, we always had the worst tests and experiments done to us. In 1995, Jarod escaped. This made me really sad in a way, because Jarod was the only real friend that I had, but in a way, his escape made me happy, because Jarod finally got out. He would finally be able to see snow for the first time, finally be able to go to all the places we talked about. Beknownst to me, Jarod was formulating a plan to help get me out. In the fall of 1995, Jarod came back, and helped me get away from the Centre. I was thankful and not quite sure of how I was going to repay him. Jarod took me to a 'safe house' somewhere out in the country, where I could finish my schooling and be safe. I was only 14, he said, and I needed the chance to be able to enjoy the rest of my childhood. The house was in the Virginia country-side, and very nice. I was living with a few friends of his, who worked in the government, who could and would protect me.
Now I'm 26, and I still live in that little country-side house, with a man who is now my fiance'. His name is Noah Wyle and he works for a hospital in a near by city which means he has quite a few doctor friends. I haven't seen Jarod since 1995, and that makes me kind of depressed. I really wish that he would've been here to see how I've grown up, and all of it was because of him. Jarod is the only reason why I've even been able to come this far in my life. I know that Jarod is out there helping someone, though, and the thought of him helping little kids and being happy makes me smile every time I think about it. I've tried explaining some of this to Noah but he doesn't quite understand sometimes, and I don't blame him. I barely understand it myself. It's been 16 years since I was took to the Centre and I still don't quite understand why I'm so different from everyone else. I wonder if my parents were like me and if that's why they were killed. I really miss them, and I really miss the fact that they won't get to be there when I get married. That was my parents biggest dream: to be there when their little girl got married to her 'prince charming'
"Chloe, babe?"
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"These just came for you in the mail."
Noah handed me two packages and left. I sat one on the computer desk while I opened the other. There was a letter on top of a beautiful porcelain doll. The letter read:

Chloe,
I could and probably will get in a lot of trouble for sending you this, but it's not like I haven't been in trouble before. Besides, I couldn't let your wedding go un-noticed. I remember you saying that you had a doll like this before you came here. I wanted to give you a little piece of that happiness. Congratulations on your engagement. Many wishes for a happy future.

Sydney

Sydney was a man who works at the Centre and he was always a kind man to Jarod and I. If I was about to go through a very painful experiment, Sydney would offer to take it to save me from feeling the pain or side effects or whatever kind of experiment that it was. I was a little confused to how Sydney found out about my engagment, but glad that he took the time to notice. I knew I didn't have to worry about Sydney telling anyone where I was because that was always the kind of man Sydney was. He never wanted Jarod or I to be trapped there but he could never act on those feelings. I picked up the doll and ran my thumb over the face. This was exactly like a doll I had before going to the Centre. The doll had silky brunette hair and hazel eyes, just like me. She even wore a dress modeled after one that I owned. I sat the doll in the box and layed it on the table. I picked up the second package and opened it. Again, there was a letter on top of what appeared to be a jewlery case. The letter was written in all-too familiar handwritting. It read:

Chloe,
Congratulations. Many wishes coming from my direction(where ever that may be)

Jarod

I felt a cry coming and saw a fear tears spill onto the note. I wiped them off carefully so that I didn't rip the note. I lifted the paper up to my nose and smelled it. It even smelled like Jarod: a mix of cologne, and shaving cream, and something that I just couldn't put my finger on. I sat the letter down and picked up the case. I opened it and my eyes widened. It was a gorgeous diamond necklace with earings to match. I knew instantly that Jarod must've seen me recently and I haven't seen him, because these just fit my wedding dress perfectly. I knew that I had to wear them on my wedding day. "Woah. Who are those from, baby?"
"An old friend."
Noah came around and kneeled down in front of me.
"Was it Jarod?"
"Yeah."
"You still miss him, don't you?"
"Yeah. I mean, Jarod did so much for me, and I never got the chance to pay him back or anything."
"You have payed him back."
"What are you talking about, Jack?"
"You've payed him back by being happy. I think Jarod just wanted you to be happy, sweetie."
"How did I get such a sweetheart, like you?"
"Pure luck. Maybe it was fate, but who cares? All that matters is that we're here together, now."
"Amen."
"Hug me before I have to shoot you."
I let out a little laugh then leaned forward and hugged Noah.
"I love you, Chloe."
"I love you, too, baby."