Disclaimer: I don't own the Pretender. I didn't own it in the first story I wrote and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to own it in the next story I write.
CHAPTER 1
SAMUEL JAMES GRAY
July 19,1960
2:21am
Blue Cove, Delaware
Blue Cove Memorial Hospital
She was tired. She was beyond tired. She had just undergone twenty hours of a difficult labor. And though she was exhausted it was one of the happiest moments of her life.
"So what are we going to name him?" A woman said cradling her newborn son. The baby had a mop of black hair and was beginning to fall asleep. Standing along side the woman was her husband who looked on in awe at the beautiful sight that beheld him, his wife and his first born child.
"Allen did you hear me." Elizabeth said smirking at her husband.
"I heard you." Allen whispered as he gently ran a finger down his son's cheek afraid that he might hurt the newborn if he wasn't too careful. The baby yawned in response and Allen smiled.
"So?" Elizabeth said prompting her husband.
"Samuel, Samuel James Gray." Allen whispered as he looked down at his son.
"It's a beautiful name." Elizabeth spoke.
"Welcome to the family Sammy." Allen said kissing his son.
Samuel James Gray then drifted off to sleep in his mother's arms. He slept not knowing the life in store that waited him. In a few years it would be a life filled with heartache and pain for quite some time. But at that moment that life was still a few years off. At that moment everything seemed to have wonderful possibilities.
January 5, 1962
7:25am
Blue Cove, Delaware
Gray Family Home
"Good morning dear." Allen said entering the kitchen. His wife sat at the table feeding their toddler Sammy.
"Daddy." Sammy squealed banging his fist on his high chair as his mother tried to get him to eat his oatmeal.
"Sit still Sammy and eat your oatmeal." Elizabeth gently chided her son.
"Oh he's just excited Lizzie." Allen replied. "You get to see what your Pop does all day long today champ." Allen said tickling his son under the chin. Sammy kicked out his legs and giggled.
"Allen is it really safe to be taking Sammy to the Centre."
"Lizzie the Centre is a perfectly safe place, you know that."
"But that Dr. Raines Al, I don't like the way he looks at Sammy. He stares at Sammy as though Sammy is some lost treasure or something." Elizabeth said.
"You worry too much Lizzie. Raines wouldn't harm a living soul. He's a good man who loves his wife and daughter."
"Sometimes I wonder just how much he loves his wife and daughter." Elizabeth said quietly.
"So Sammy you almost ready to go? Catharine can't wait to see you again. She's going to bring in her little girl today so you can have a playmate." Allen told his son picking him up out of his high chair.
"Go see Cat?" Sammy said scrunching his brow.
"That's right. Let's go get you changed huh?" Allen said and took Sammy to the nursery to change him into a green pair of overalls and a black shirt.
Half and hour later Allen parked in the Centre lot and headed to his office adjacent to the chairman's. Allen was associate director of Centre security and worked closely along side the Chairman's wife Catharine Parker.
"Good morning Allen."
"Jacob how are you?" Allen said turning around holding Sammy.
"I'm doing well Allen and you?" Jacob asked
"I can't complain."
"And how are you young sir?" Jacob asked Sam
"Sammy good." The toddler replied, and Jacob and Allen chuckled.
"How old is Sammy now?" Jacob asked Allen.
"Eighteen months." Allen said proudly, Jacob suppressed a grimace.
"Well I must be off Sydney and I are conducting research on the bond between a set of twins."
"Are you two the test subjects?" Allen jested.
"Very funny." Jacob replied. "Have a good day Allen." The Belgium said as he walked off to his office next to his brother's.
"Come on Sammy, let's get you settled in Catherine will be here any moment with her little girl." Allen then entered his office setting Sammy on the floor.
"Susan?" Allen said pressing the button on the intercom.
"Yes Mr. Grey?" Came the voice of a woman.
"Can you bring me in this morning's files?"
"Right away Mr. Grey." Susan replied. Three minutes later a petit blonde entered Allen's office. She was carrying an arm full of files and a small bag
"Hello Sammy." Susan greeted the toddler.
"Hi Su-in." Sammy replied cheerfully
"I have a surprise for you Sammy." Susan said crouching down in front of the baby. "Close your eye's and no peeking." Sammy quickly flung his hands over his eyes. Susan then pulled out a set of blocks. "Okay Sammy you can open your eyes." Susan told the baby. Sammy did and squealed in delight at the sight of the brightly colored blocks.
"What do you say Sammy?" Allen prompted his son
"Tank oo Su-in."
"Your welcome Sammy." Susan replied. "Mr. Gray will there be any thing else I can do for you?"
"No Susan that's all for right now." Allen told her.
"Have a good day then sir." Susan said and left the room.
Sammy happily played with the colorful blocks talking to him self as he did. Allen meanwhile busied himself with his paper work. Half an hour latter Susan buzzed Allen to alert him that Catherine Parker had just waked in to her office.
"Tell Catherine that I'll be over in a moment with Sammy."
"Yes sir." Susan replied.
"So champ you ready to see Catherine and her little girl?'
"Cat, Cat." Sammy chanted.
"Alright lets go," Allen said stepping over the blocks Sammy had strewn over the floor. He accidently stumbled knocking over a tower of blocks Sammy had built.
"Boom," Sammy giggled clapping his hands as his father went to pick him up. Allen then carried Sammy off to Catherine Parker's office.
Had Allen looked at Sammy's tower he would have seen that there were five blocks stacked on top of each other spelling out the word 'Sammy'.
Allen knocked on the door to Catherine's office.
"Come in Allen." Catherine called. Allen pushed open the door and entered her office.
"How did you know it was me?" Allen joked.
"I guess I have a sixth sense about these things." Catherine said. "Hello Sammy."
"Hi Cat." Sammy said sheepishly hiding his face in his father's chest.
"Sammy I have someone I'd like you'd to meet. Hold on one second." Catherine said to the boy as she crouched down under her desk. "Come from under there baby." She whispered.
"No want Momma." Came the voice of a little girl.
"But baby there's someone here to meet you."
"Jar?" the little girl asked hopefully.
"No baby Jarod's in Washington with his Momma and Daddy."
"Want my Jar." the toddler pouted sticking out her lower lip.
"I'll tell you what we'll call Jarod later tonight." Catherine bargained with her daughter. "Now will you come out?"Slowly two-year-old Miss Parker crawled out from under her mother's desk. She then stood up and smoothed out her blue dress that matched her eyes.
"Up," little Miss Parker commanded her mother. Catherine stared at her daughter. Miss Parker tied again. "Up please?"
"That's better." Catherine said picking up her daughter. "Now baby I want you to meet Sammy. Sammy this is my daughter."
"Momma and my Jar call's me Mor. You not call me Mor call me Park." Miss Parker told Sammy firmly.
"Kay." the little boy whispered. Sammy found himself intimidated by the forwardness little girl.
"Now Sammy can you and Little Miss Parker play nicely in Catherine's office while I go get some work done?" Allen asked his son.
"Sammy be good." Sammy told his father.
"Ata boy." Allen said sitting Sammy down on the floor as Catherine sat her daughter next to Sammy.
"I'll be back around lunch time for Sammy, Catherine." Allen spoke.
"Okay Allen I'll see you then. Say goodbye to your Daddy, Sammy."
"Bye Daddy." Sammy waved at his father.
"Bye Sammy." Allen said and exited Catherine's office.
"Okay you two play nicely and I'll be right here at my desk if you need me okay?"
"Kay." The two toddlers chorused. Catherine went to her desk and set down occasionally glancing at the two children.
Miss Parker and Sammy looked each other up and down.
"You wan play?" Sammy asked her.
"Wit what?" Parker asked him.
"Where toys?"
Parker began to grin mischievously. "Come, me know where dey are." Parker glanced towards her mother. Catherine had become engrossed in a file and was no longer paying attention to the children. Parker signaled for Sammy to follow her as she crawled over to the air vent and pushed it open. Sammy paused and looked back at Catherine.
Parker looked back at the younger boy, and nodded her head towards the vent. Sammy grimaced and reluctantly followed Parker.
The two toddlers crawled through the air vent. "My Jar nev'er want to come wit me. He sucha baby." Parker told Sammy.
Sammy could see why Parker's Jar wouldn't want to come with her. Clearly this little girl was a trouble maker.
"We bet go back, Park." Sammy said not wanting to get in trouble.
Parker gave a theatrical sigh. "You and just like my Jar, a baby."
"No I not."
"Den come, sides we almost dare." Parker told Sammy.
"I comin'." Sammy said. Parker inwardly smiled, boys are so easy to fool. She thought to herself.
Parker had already become a master at manipulation when it came to her Jar. All it took was a batting of her eyes and a false tear and her would bend over backwards for her.
Arriving at her destination Parker pushed the air cover off the vent. She then leapt down landing nimbly on her feet. Sammy followed her.
"Where we at?" Sammy asked his new acquaintance.
"Syd and Jake office, dey got all da bestest toys. Come on." Parker said pulling Sammy along by his arm. They reached a table on which a set of wooden blocks, legos, a bowl of plastic sticks, and crayons all sat.
"Wow." Sammy gasped.
"See told you. Let's play." Parker told him. For the next thirty minutes the two children played undisturbed until Dr. Raines entered to office searching for Jacob and Sydney. Sammy not knowing who this new person was, and worried for his new friend's safety placed himself between the doctor and Parker.
"Well, well what do we have here." Raines said looking at the children's creations. Both children had made a tower of blocks spelling out their names. Morgan had made a pyramid of blocks on which the numbers that decorated them were in numerical order.
The two toddler's looked up at the doctor in fear. "Hello children." Raines seared.
"Don't hurt Park." Sammy said bravely all the while trying not to trembled out of fright. Luckily Sydney chose that moment to return to his office.
"Raines I heard that you were looking for Jacob and me." Sydney said. Raines turned from the children, and for the first time Sydney caught sight of them and their frightened expressions.
"I had a question concerning the experiment the two of you were running."
"Jacob is in the lab why don't you ask him while I return Miss Parker and her friend to Catherine." Sydney told Raines.
"Yes of course." Raines said and left the room.
"Hi Syd." Miss Parker said her courage returning once Raines had left the room.
"Hello Miss Parker," Sydney said sternly.
"I in trouble?" She asked.
"What do you think?" Sydney asked her.
"Yes." She said scrunching her brow.
"You would be correct." Sydney told her "It appears Miss Parker that you have a knack for getting into trouble, and dragging others into it." Sydney said as he glanced at Sammy.
"Dat a good thing?" Parker asked the psychiatrist.
"Not really." Sydney told the little girl picking her up. "So who is your little friend here? Is this the Jarod you've told me so much about."
"No he not my Jar. Dis Sammy." Parker said resting her head on Sydney's shoulder.
"Ah you're Allen's little boy." Sydney said to the boy. Sammy nodded his head in response. "Well why don't I return you to back to your parents. Come along Sammy." Sydney instructed offering his hand to the toddler.
"Sammy stayin' wit me till lunch, Syd." Parker told the man.
"Really, well try not to get Sammy into any trouble until then." Sydney said.
"I'll try." Parker told him and Sydney laughed. Sydney truly loved the little girl in his arms. He often wished that she was is. A few years ago he had wondered of Miss Parker's true paternity, if he was her father. But Catherine had quickly squashed his hopes that he was.
A few months after Miss Parker had been born Sydney finally gathered enough courage to approach Catherine.
May 21, 1960
She had just returned to work. Sydney caught sight of her walking into her office. He followed her closing the door behind him. Catherine looked up in shock.
"Hello Sydney." She said quietly.
"Catherine." He said in reply.
"It's been a while. I have seen you since I left to have Morgan."
"Catherine I must know is she mine?" Sydney asked placing both hands on her shoulders.
"No Sydney she isn't. I'm sorry." Catherine said and quickly walked away. Sydney left the room heartbroken.
"Syd." Miss Parker said tugging on his shirt. "Syd."
"Yes Miss Parker?" Sydney replied.
"You gotta press da button dat's what Momma do." Parker said pointing to the elevator door.
"Oh yes how silly of me." Sydney said pressing the up button. The elevator dinged and the three got on.
"Is Momma gonna be mad?" Parker asked innocently as the elevators opened and Sydney and the three children walked towards Catherine's office.
"By now she has become use to your expeditions, she will be more concerned for your and Sammy's safety than any thing else." Sydney said
"I in trouble?" Sammy asked worried that he had made his father and Catherine angry.
"It's very doubtful Sammy. Both Catharine and your father know how much Miss Parker enjoys wandering." Sydney spoke as he knocked on the door.
"Come in." came Catherine's semi-frantic voice. Sydney entered the office with the two children in tow. Catherine was sitting at her desk talking on the phone.
"If you see them Edna please let me know." Catherine said and hung up the phone.
"I believe that you are searching for these?" Sydney said indicating the two children.
"Oh Sydney thank God. Where did you find them?" She asked taking Miss Parker from Sydney's arms.
"They were in my office playing." He told her.
"Sorry Momma." Parker said quietly.
"Sorry doesn't cut it this time little miss. I have warned you repeatedly about running off. And then you drag poor Sammy into it."
"But Momma we want toys, and der were none." Parker told her mother.
"Then you should have asked. You know that I brought toys for you and Sammy to play with." Miss Parker looked down guiltily.
"I in trouble." She asked.
"Defiantly." Catherine told her daughter. Miss Parker then glanced at her new friend, who was obviously scared.
"Sammy in trouble?" Parker asked her mother. Sammy looked up his hand still in Sydney's "Cause he was a good boy. I made im go. He no wanna come." Miss Parker continued.
"No Sammy isn't in trouble. I figured that like Jarod you dragged Sammy off on some wacky adventure."
"Can we take Sammy to see my Jar?"
"We'll see. Maybe we can convince Margaret and Charles to visit and bring Jarod with them. But for now little miss you are in trouble. That means no phone call to Jarod tonight." Catherine told her daughter.
Miss Parker began to scrunch up her face to cry, hoping that a few tears would change her Mother's mind. Catherine quickly placed a finger over her daughter's lips. "Don't even try it." Catherine warned her daughter. Catherine then sat Parker down on the floor where the little girl stomped off to the corner.
"Thank you again Sydney." Catherine said taking Sammy from Sydney.
"You're quite welcome." He said and then left.
"Are you okay Sammy you look pale?" Catherine said to the boy. Sammy just looked at her and Catherine laughed. "Lets me guess she made you crawl through the air vents?"
Sammy nodded his head. "Well consider yourself lucky last month she made Jarod follow her in to the woods and he got poison ivy." Catherine told him. Miss Parker scowled at the mention of her Jar knowing that her mother was always true to her word. If Catherine said that there would be no talking to Jar then there would be no talking to Jar.
Sammy on the other hand was relived to be back in Catherine's office. That Doctor Raines had scared him. He did not like the way Raines had looked at him or his new friend. Exhausted from his ordeals Sammy fell asleep next to a sulking Parker, as Catherine continued to work. A short while latter Little Miss Parker also fell asleep.
This story will more or less be focused on Sam. So what do you guys think so far click on the little purple botton and tell me. In the next chapter Jarod makes his appearance and the three kids find themselves in serious trouble.