All standard disclaimers apply. The Pretender is the property of Steven Long Mitchell and Craig van Sickle. Non-canon characters belong to author.

Summary: In a Centre where lies and deception are the mainstay, hope is a mirage and happiness is a delusion…

Ashes of Eden is the second story in The World Is Not Enough series. It will be beneficial to read the back-story in Tourniquet.

This story is dedicated to all my faithful readers of Tourniquet- it is because of your support and encouragement that this story was born. I hope you enjoy this!

Set prior to the episode "'Til Death Do Us Part".


Prologue: The Invitation

It was gracefully reclined against the spines of several dark tomes that sat in the center of the desk. It had been there since its owner had put it there in the wee hours of the morning and now it awaited the arrival of its recipient.

Nearly an hour later, the office entrance opened allowing a sliver of light to skitter into the shrouded room. The silhouette of a tall, slimman was outlined against the glass of the door for a long instance as he stood in the dark deep in thought. Finally, with a quick movement, he flipped on a light and swung around to the opposite side of the desk.

It was then that he saw it sitting there sheathed in a posh pearlized paper. Haughtily gazing up at him was his name, elegantly embossed on the facade of the item. He froze and stared at the envelope, all his senses alert to a possible entrapment. With slow deliberation, he finally opened the correspondence. Inside was an ornate invitation- a wedding invitation. The delicately imprinted Japanese characters down the right side caught his attention: peace, love, and happiness. He frowned and his eyes fell back to the verse inscribed on the pristine whiteness of the center of the card. Color fled his face, leaving it pallid and sickly.

Sudden, intense emotion invaded him- emotions he had walled off long ago. He dropped the invitation before the compulsion to destroy the paper overwhelmed him. Once he was able to reign in his sentiments enough to see, he picked up the invite in a huff and stormed out of the office.

Blindly, he swept though the halls of the Centre in a rage, until he reached his destination. But he had forgotten that Mr. Parker was still MIA. He burst into the office to find himself fastened to the spot by the trenchant glare of Mr. Cox. The black chair behind the expansive swiveled around revealing the depreciatory smirk of Mr. Raines, who had made himself at home in the chairman's office.

The first words out of his mouth were expletives and he hurled the card at them. It landed directly in front Raines, who's slimy smile only widened.

The corners of Cox's mouth turned upward. "I see you've received the invitation, Mr. Lyle. Congratulations."