Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Originally published on March 23, 2002. Removed for an unknown reason. Here's a repost. I wish I could get all those reviews back...
Times Have Changed
Miss Parker was staring at a shelf in a grocery store, deciding to buy what kind of bread. She had recently moved into this small town, on the search for another job. The Centre was gone; Jarod and Major Charles had destroyed it. Her father had killed himself rather than confess the secrets of the Centre. Raines was serving a life sentence in some prison in the South and Lyle had been murdered by someone he had apparently pissed off years ago.
Sydney had married his love and now worked for some institution for children. Nicolas visited Sydney and his wife, Nicolas' mother, often. She had not spoken to Syd in nearly two years and Broots now worked the government. Ironic that the little wimp now worked in security for the FBI and before he worked for an organization that was very much like the mob.
Times had really changed. After Jarod escaped from the Centre times had really changed. Most were taken away to be jailed but he had let Parker, Syd, and Broots go. He had saved a few others, most of them she didn't know.
"Daddy? Why does Grandpa not like it when you spoil us with ice cream?" A little boy, not too far from her asked.
A voice so familiar filled her ears, a voice she thought she would never hear again, "I don't know."
She spun around and saw him. By god there he was. Jarod! She looked at him over the top her of sunglasses. He had a child! Not only one but two! A little boy and girl. Next to him was a woman, obviously his wife, a cute little red-head.
Jarod picked up the boy and laughed and then stopped. There she stood, shocked and surprised. "Parker?"
Parker took off her sunglasses, still shocked. "Jarod. I see you are well."
"Always the political one." He whispered. He was so stunned to see her.
"Are you going to introduce us?" The red head asked.
Jarod sucked in a breath, "Oh yes! Miss Parker this is my wife Zoe, my daughter Katie, and my son Kyle. They're twins. Family this is an old..."
"Friend," Miss Parker whispered.
"...Of mine." Jarod finished.
Miss Parker looked at Kyle, "He looks a lot like his Uncle."
Jarod nodded, "Please come to the house for dinner."
Zoe nodded, "We'd love to have you. We're having the whole family over tonight and then some."
"Oh, family I couldn't."
Jarod looked at her, "You should. My father has something he's wanted to tell you all these years but we could never locate you."
Parker looked down, "There are still pieces of the Centre out there you know."
Jarod nodded, "But everyday the government keeps whittling away at them more and more."
Katie looked up at Parker and then tugged on her shirt, "Can I ask you a question?"
Parker knelt down, "Yes?"
"Why do you hear voices?"
Parker seemed surprised and looked up at Jarod. Jarod explained, "They kids over heard Ethan talking about your developing Inner Sense gift the other night."
Rather than answer Katie's question Parker got up and looked into Jarod's eyes. God they were gorgeous. "Do they have the Pretender gift?"
Jarod nodded, "Yes but they are being raised normally."
Zoe, a little unsure of her husband's relationship with this Parker woman asked, "Will you come to dinner?"
Parker nodded, "Sure."
Miss Parker looked at the house. It was one of those picture perfect ones. It had the little white fence and the dog running around the yard. She stepped out of her sleek car and the kids ran passed her screaming "Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!"
Zoe headed up the house, by Jarod's request, to give Parker and Jarod a chance to talk. "So did you find your family?" Parker asked.
Jarod nodded, "Yes I did. My parents, Emily, and Ethan were here."
"I haven't kept in good contact with Ethan very much."
"Yes but he understands why. I don't suppose you heard the good news then?"
"What good news?" Parker asked. How could there be any good news in this world?
"Angelo has become Timmy," He said simply.
"You mean Syd developed a new way to change him back?"
Jarod grinned, "Actually my mother developed it. It worked."
"That's wonderful." She said and a small tear dripped down her cheek.
Jarod wiped it away with his thumb, "Don't be sad."
"Jarod?" Margaret's voice filled the air.
Jarod took her arm and laced it through his, "Come. Forgiveness starts with the truth."
Parker laughed for the first time in so long and headed up the drive with Jarod. "So Wonder Boy what is your last name?"
"Bennett."
"Bennett? Fits with the house."
Jarod laughed and embraced his mother, "Mom this is-"
"The infamous Miss Parker."
Parker smiled and suddenly someone had barreled into her, "Miss Parker!"
Parker stared at Jarod's clone and hugged him tightly, "I'm glad you're all right." He grinned and Parker pulled away, "Gosh he isn't so little anymore."
"Call my Jay and of course I'm not little anymore. I'm twenty!"
Parker laughed. Had it really been six years since she had discovered him? The house was filled with people. Mostly Zoe's family Parker guessed. Ethan embraced his sister, "Thank god you are all right. I was so worried about you."
Parker rested her cheek on his shoulder, "But you knew I was all right."
Ethan pulled back and nodded, "Yes I did."
Major Charles walked up to Parker and looked her straight in the eye, "You haven't changed much."
Parker huffed, "Neither have you."
Charles laughed and stuck out his hand, "Truce?"
Parker shook it, "Truce."
A new voice filled the air, "My god Parker is that you?"
"Sydney?"
Sydney made his way to her, "Thank god." He embraced her tightly and the tears dripped onto his shirt.
Parker hadn't seen him in so long. How she missed him, "Oh Syd. I'm ruining your shirt."
Syd wiped the tears from his own eyes and gave a little laugh, "That's all right."
"I suppose Broots is here as well?"
"Well-" Syd started
Broots' voice sounded behind them, "I'm a little late."
Parker laughed and took his hand, she took Jarod's and Syd took Jarod's and Broots'. "I can't believe this."
The four stood in a circle and Jarod asked, "What can't you believe?"
"That we're all together and we're not trying to outdo the other."
With those words the four of them laughed, embraced, and broke apart.
Charles raised a glass, "To new beginnings."
Zoe's family was so entirely confused that they just echoed Charles' words without knowing what they really meant to the four standing together at the edge of the room.
THE END
Author's Note: Originally published on March 23, 2002. Removed for an unknown reason. Here's a repost. I wish I could get all those reviews back...
Times Have Changed
Miss Parker was staring at a shelf in a grocery store, deciding to buy what kind of bread. She had recently moved into this small town, on the search for another job. The Centre was gone; Jarod and Major Charles had destroyed it. Her father had killed himself rather than confess the secrets of the Centre. Raines was serving a life sentence in some prison in the South and Lyle had been murdered by someone he had apparently pissed off years ago.
Sydney had married his love and now worked for some institution for children. Nicolas visited Sydney and his wife, Nicolas' mother, often. She had not spoken to Syd in nearly two years and Broots now worked the government. Ironic that the little wimp now worked in security for the FBI and before he worked for an organization that was very much like the mob.
Times had really changed. After Jarod escaped from the Centre times had really changed. Most were taken away to be jailed but he had let Parker, Syd, and Broots go. He had saved a few others, most of them she didn't know.
"Daddy? Why does Grandpa not like it when you spoil us with ice cream?" A little boy, not too far from her asked.
A voice so familiar filled her ears, a voice she thought she would never hear again, "I don't know."
She spun around and saw him. By god there he was. Jarod! She looked at him over the top her of sunglasses. He had a child! Not only one but two! A little boy and girl. Next to him was a woman, obviously his wife, a cute little red-head.
Jarod picked up the boy and laughed and then stopped. There she stood, shocked and surprised. "Parker?"
Parker took off her sunglasses, still shocked. "Jarod. I see you are well."
"Always the political one." He whispered. He was so stunned to see her.
"Are you going to introduce us?" The red head asked.
Jarod sucked in a breath, "Oh yes! Miss Parker this is my wife Zoe, my daughter Katie, and my son Kyle. They're twins. Family this is an old..."
"Friend," Miss Parker whispered.
"...Of mine." Jarod finished.
Miss Parker looked at Kyle, "He looks a lot like his Uncle."
Jarod nodded, "Please come to the house for dinner."
Zoe nodded, "We'd love to have you. We're having the whole family over tonight and then some."
"Oh, family I couldn't."
Jarod looked at her, "You should. My father has something he's wanted to tell you all these years but we could never locate you."
Parker looked down, "There are still pieces of the Centre out there you know."
Jarod nodded, "But everyday the government keeps whittling away at them more and more."
Katie looked up at Parker and then tugged on her shirt, "Can I ask you a question?"
Parker knelt down, "Yes?"
"Why do you hear voices?"
Parker seemed surprised and looked up at Jarod. Jarod explained, "They kids over heard Ethan talking about your developing Inner Sense gift the other night."
Rather than answer Katie's question Parker got up and looked into Jarod's eyes. God they were gorgeous. "Do they have the Pretender gift?"
Jarod nodded, "Yes but they are being raised normally."
Zoe, a little unsure of her husband's relationship with this Parker woman asked, "Will you come to dinner?"
Parker nodded, "Sure."
Miss Parker looked at the house. It was one of those picture perfect ones. It had the little white fence and the dog running around the yard. She stepped out of her sleek car and the kids ran passed her screaming "Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!"
Zoe headed up the house, by Jarod's request, to give Parker and Jarod a chance to talk. "So did you find your family?" Parker asked.
Jarod nodded, "Yes I did. My parents, Emily, and Ethan were here."
"I haven't kept in good contact with Ethan very much."
"Yes but he understands why. I don't suppose you heard the good news then?"
"What good news?" Parker asked. How could there be any good news in this world?
"Angelo has become Timmy," He said simply.
"You mean Syd developed a new way to change him back?"
Jarod grinned, "Actually my mother developed it. It worked."
"That's wonderful." She said and a small tear dripped down her cheek.
Jarod wiped it away with his thumb, "Don't be sad."
"Jarod?" Margaret's voice filled the air.
Jarod took her arm and laced it through his, "Come. Forgiveness starts with the truth."
Parker laughed for the first time in so long and headed up the drive with Jarod. "So Wonder Boy what is your last name?"
"Bennett."
"Bennett? Fits with the house."
Jarod laughed and embraced his mother, "Mom this is-"
"The infamous Miss Parker."
Parker smiled and suddenly someone had barreled into her, "Miss Parker!"
Parker stared at Jarod's clone and hugged him tightly, "I'm glad you're all right." He grinned and Parker pulled away, "Gosh he isn't so little anymore."
"Call my Jay and of course I'm not little anymore. I'm twenty!"
Parker laughed. Had it really been six years since she had discovered him? The house was filled with people. Mostly Zoe's family Parker guessed. Ethan embraced his sister, "Thank god you are all right. I was so worried about you."
Parker rested her cheek on his shoulder, "But you knew I was all right."
Ethan pulled back and nodded, "Yes I did."
Major Charles walked up to Parker and looked her straight in the eye, "You haven't changed much."
Parker huffed, "Neither have you."
Charles laughed and stuck out his hand, "Truce?"
Parker shook it, "Truce."
A new voice filled the air, "My god Parker is that you?"
"Sydney?"
Sydney made his way to her, "Thank god." He embraced her tightly and the tears dripped onto his shirt.
Parker hadn't seen him in so long. How she missed him, "Oh Syd. I'm ruining your shirt."
Syd wiped the tears from his own eyes and gave a little laugh, "That's all right."
"I suppose Broots is here as well?"
"Well-" Syd started
Broots' voice sounded behind them, "I'm a little late."
Parker laughed and took his hand, she took Jarod's and Syd took Jarod's and Broots'. "I can't believe this."
The four stood in a circle and Jarod asked, "What can't you believe?"
"That we're all together and we're not trying to outdo the other."
With those words the four of them laughed, embraced, and broke apart.
Charles raised a glass, "To new beginnings."
Zoe's family was so entirely confused that they just echoed Charles' words without knowing what they really meant to the four standing together at the edge of the room.
THE END