A/N: Surprise! I've been meaning to write another Pretender Fanfic for a while now, but I never got the inspiration or chance. But I've been craving anything that has to do with Pretender, and I've had so many fanfic ideas. So I wrote this on while totally bored in one of my classes. Rated for a violent scene and angst stuff. Nothing terrible. Hope you like it. Read and review.
Diclaimer: I do not own Pretender or Jarod or Miss Parker. I wish I did, but I don't. Also the lyrics at the end are from the song, "Will you be there" by Skillet. I found them after I wrote this and I thought they went well with the story.
Will you be there?
Miss Parker sighed heavily as she plopped down on the couch in her living room. Her head pounded against her temples, giving her a massive headache. She had had a very long day, full of disappointments. Early in the morning around 3:30, Lyle had called, telling her he had a lead on Jarod. She quickly rose and followed her brother, only to find that, as always, Jarod was gone. There was no trace of his whereabouts.
Miss Parker had intended to go back to bed after that, but one thing led to another, and before long, it was almost midnight. She had rushed home from the centre and was now ready to sleep for a long time.
Suddenly her cell phone rang, making her groan. She ignored it. If the call were important, they would leave a message. Two minutes later, however, her phone rang again. Miss Parker wanted to curse.
"What?" She snapped into the phone.
A familiar voice greeted her from the other side, yet instead of the chipper happy voice normally associated with the voice, it held fear.
"Miss Parker you have to get out of your house and go somewhere… anywhere, just somewhere you will be safe."
"Jarod, I'm not in the mood for your games, so shut it now before I…"
"Miss Parker this is not a joke." Jarod interrupted. "This is serious. I have reason to believe that someone is stalking you. You have to get out of you house now and go somewhere safe. I would suggest Sam's house. He lives close to you and he will protect you if need be."
Had it not been for the fear in Jarod's voice, Miss Parker might have laughed. "What are you talking about Jarod? I'd know if someone was stalking me."
"I don't have time to explain it all now, but I believe a criminal has been watching you. He is very dangerous, Parker. He's hurt many women before you. He's a professional at what he does."
"Jarod, I think I can take care of myself. Besides, Sam is only my sweeper. He wouldn't take kindly to me coming to his house at this time of night."
"Miss Parker please listen to me. You have to get out." Jarod pleaded.
"Thanks for the warning, but I'll be fine. I don't need you to pretend you care." With that, Miss Parker hung up the phone, not knowing that Jarod cringed at those words. In truth, he did care. He cared very much and he was concerned for her safety. If anything ever happened to Miss Parker, Jarod would never forgive himself.
Miss Parker sat on her couch for a moment, contemplating what Jarod had said. Instead of rising and blowing the whole deal off like she had tried to do on the phone, she stared silently at her wall. What if Jarod was telling the truth? Come to think of it, she had heard about a known murderer and rapist escaping from jail about four weeks ago. As far as she knew, he still had not been found. She shuddered and quickly pushed those thoughts aside, quickly reminding herself that she could take care of herself. Jarod was probably just up to one of his twisted games anyway.
She sighed and headed towards her bedroom, deciding not to think about Jarod's warning anymore. She walked into her bathroom and turned on the water for a hot shower. She stepped in, letting the hot water run down her back. It was a blissful relief from the stressful day.
After finishing her shower, she began to dry her hair with a towel. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash in the other room. She jumped and quickly grabbed for her gun. She seized her bathrobe and hurriedly tied it around her. Silently, she opened the door and crept out. Her heart began to race and her mind filled with fear. What if Jarod was right? She shuddered and pushed that thought aside. She couldn't dwell on that. She couldn't let herself be afraid at a time like this.
With her gun ready, she crept towards the living room where she had heard the sound. She hid herself against the wall, drawing in a deep breath. Then with one quick motion, she stepped into the doorway, holding her gun ready. Quickly scanning the room with her eyes, she found the room seemingly empty. However, she noticed a broken vase in the middle of her living room. It could not have gotten from her shelf all the way to the middle of the floor, on its own. Someone had to have dropped it there, and by the looks of it, it was not accidental.
She drew in a deep breath and began to creep around the room. She kept the wall behind her, like she had been taught, and slowly walked around the room. Suddenly she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned quickly, only to see a small laser light dance on the wall behind her. She tried to turn around again to look where it came from, but her movement was too slow. Within in instant, someone was behind her. She felt a knife pressed up against her neck. Her blood froze and her breath caught in her throat.
"Drop the gun." A voice hissed in her ear.
Miss Parker hesitated a moment and as a result, she felt cold steel press closer to her skin.
"I won't say it again, Miss Parker."
Miss Parker froze as panic spread through her veins. Slowly, she dropped the gun to her side, trying to remind herself to breathe.
The man behind her grabbed one of her arms and pinned it behind her. Then he kicked the gun away. Miss Parker was expecting him to do that, however. As soon as he was distracted, thinking about disposing of her gun, for that split second, she fought back. She turned around quickly, moving out of the way of the knife. She grabbed his hand and kicked at him. She aimed for his groin, but he reacted in enough time to block her attack with his leg. He fought against her, but Miss Parker was not one to go down with out a fight. She kicked again at him, while trying to free his grasp from the knife.
The man however, was highly skilled. He slammed Miss Parker into the wall. Then, he swung her around, throwing her to the floor. Miss Parker landed with a grunt, but she was still not about to give up. She still held tightly to his arm that held the knife, pushing it nearer to his face. Somehow, she managed to roll out from under him. She scrambled on the floor to reach her gun, but the man grabbed her by the hair and pressed his weight on her. He rolled her over, holding the knife back against her neck. He grabbed her flailing wrists and held them tightly above her head.
"Now calm down Miss Parker, or should I say Angela Renée"
Miss Parker's blood froze and her breathing stopped. Very few people knew her first name, and no one called her by it. No one alive, save for her father, knew her middle name. Her full name was not even on any records or papers, except for her birth certificate, which was hidden deep in a file in her house. Her full name was one of her secrets and she kept it that way. How had this man found out?
"Surprised I know your name?" The man chuckled. "I know a lot about you. I know about how you sleep with a gun under you pillow, and that you drool out the left side of our mouth. I know that you keep a spare key to your house under the small bush in the front, I even know that you prefer to sleep in an extra seven minutes after your alarm clock goes off."
Miss Parker trembled, loosing the ability to move or breath. Never before had she been this frightened, even when she saw her dead mother in the elevator years ago. She was terrified beyond words.
"Do you want me to continue, Parker or shall I get down to business?" The murderer continued. He began tracing her bottom lip with the back of his blade. Then he set the blade off to his side and laid his hand against her face. His cold fingers traced her face with gentleness, yet with lustful longing.
Miss Parker began to tremble as his hand continued to roam downward. Her body stiffened and she cursed herself for only having time to throw on her robe. She could feel the robe sagging down her shoulders exposing her pale skin. She closed her tightly, cringing and balling her fists. Tears welled her in her closed eyes and threatened to spill down her face. She knew what he was going to do and she could do nothing to stop him. She was helpless.
Suddenly, she heard a faint noise that sounded like the cock of a gun. She gasped slightly, not knowing what the man had planned next, but thinking he was going to kill her. A moment later, she heard a voice.
"Don't move." The voice was firm, commanding, dripping with barely controlled anger, yet at the same time angelic to Miss Parker's ears.
She slowly opened her eyes to find that her ears did not deceive her. Jarod stood behind the man, holding a gun to his head. His face showed the rage that his voice held, but also showed him in total control of his actions. Miss Parker blinked at seeing him and tried to take in a few breaths of air. She had never been so happy to see the pretender in all her life.
"Put your hands were I can see them and move off her slowly." Jarod commanded. He hated commanding the man to move slowly, wishing he could free Miss Parker from this nightmare immediately.
The murderer slowly moved, but suddenly, with one last attempt, grabbed for his knife. Jarod saw his movement however, and stomped on the man's hand.
"Don't even try it." Jarod seethed, kicking the knife further away. He grabbed the man, pulling him off Miss Parker. Slamming him hard on the ground, he quickly handcuffed his hands painfully behind him.
A few seconds later, police officers rushed in the door. Their guns were drawn as they rushed to Jarod's side. One man smiled and nodded his approval at Jarod.
"Well done, Lieutenant Jarod. I'm glad you were transferred to our headquarters when you were. We couldn't have caught this man without you." The officer said as he watched the murderer being led outside.
Jarod nodded, finally able to breathe. "Glad to be of help."
Miss Parker, however, had heard none of this. As soon as the man was no longer on top of her, she had recoiled into a corner. She curled into a ball, holding her knees close to her chest. She swayed slightly, with barely controlled sobs. She felt like she was a little child again, frightened and alone.
Suddenly someone was near her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She recoiled away, hating herself for showing herself as weak, but at the moment, not able to do anything else.
"Ma'am we are here to help you. You are safe now." A kind voice of a woman said.
Miss Parker drew in a deep breath. She bit her lip and pushed all her emotions down deep in her heart. "I'm fine, just leave me." She said.
"We just want to see if you're okay." The woman replied.
All Miss Parker wanted was to be left alone. She didn't want to talk to these people or anyone else.
"Let me talk with her." Jarod suddenly said. "She's an old friend of mine."
The woman nodded and stood, allowing Jarod the space he needed. Jarod knelt down by Miss Parker, sadness in his eyes. Seeing the strong, confident Miss Parker so sad and broken, tore his heart.
"Are you all right?" Jarod asked concerned, only realizing the stupidity of the question after he asked.
"I'm fine!" Miss Parker snapped, but not meaning it at all.
"Did he hurt you?"
Miss Parker shook her head. "I expect that you want a 'Thank you' and a 'I should have listened to you'." Miss Parker spat out bitterly, her voice trembling.
Jarod shook his head as tears came to his eyes. "No, Parker. I'm just happy you're okay. I have been tracking this man since he escaped. When I found out that he was after you, I panicked. When you wouldn't listen, I immediately came here to find you. I feared I would be too late. I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner." Jarod said, lowering his eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop him earlier from what he did to you."
Miss Parker almost sobbed at his words. "I was so afraid, Jarod." She admitted. Somehow admitting her fears to Jarod didn't make her feel weak. She was only human after all, and she knew Jarod wouldn't condemn her for that.
"I know! I'm sorry." Jarod said. He reached to embrace her, unsure if she would accept him or not. He wanted to hold her, wrap his arms tightly around her, protecting her from her fears. He wished he could just take all her pain away from her.
To his surprise, instead of recoiling from him, Miss Parker curled into his arms. She buried her head in his chest, sobbing against him. Jarod held her, rubbing her back, and stroking her hair.
"Ssh. It's okay, Miss Parker. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you." He cooed in her ear.
Miss Parker sat there for a while, allowing herself to be held and letting Jarod's soft voice calm her. She felt vulnerable and exposed, yet for once, she didn't mind. She trusted Jarod. Somehow she trusted him more than any one else at the moment. She couldn't imagine anyone she would rather be with. She felt safe in his protective arms and she wished he would hold her forever. Eventually however, despite her own wishes, she pulled away. She wiped her eyes that were red and puffy from her tears. She looked around the room, noticing that most of the people were already gone.
"Jarod?" Her voice still trembled slightly. "I don't want to be alone."
Jarod nodded, understanding her fear and sympathizing with her. "Why don't you try to get some rest. I will stay here tonight and watch over you."
Miss Parker nodded, grateful for Jarod's compassion, knowing she didn't deserve it. She allowed Jarod to help her to her feet, but stopped him from leading her towards her bed.
"I have to tell the police what happened first." She told him.
"You can tell them tomorrow if you would be more comfortable. Or you could tell me in private if you would like." Jarod told her.
Miss Parker shook her head. "I can't let my fear control me. I have to be strong."
Jarod smiled slightly. She still had to appear strong; still had to look like she was in control. He nodded his head in understanding.
After only a few minutes, she had recounted her story for the police. She tried her best to keep the emotion from her words and only focus on what needed to be told. The officer thanked her and told her if she needed anything, that she could ask. She shook her head and told them she would be fine.
Jarod then informed the officer that he would watch her tonight and that he would call if there were any problems. The officer nodded and left. Miss Parker's house was soon quiet and empty save for her and Jarod.
Silently, Miss Parker retreated to her bedroom. She slipped into the bathroom to change her clothes and wash her face. Then she put her robe back around her and drank a glass of cool water, before heading back into her bedroom.
She headed into the living room, looking for Jarod. She soon found him in the kitchen stirring a liquid in one of her coffee cups. Jarod looked up as he heard her.
"I was going to make coffee, but I didn't want you up all night. So, I made you a cup of hot cocoa." Jarod said as he handed her the mug.
Miss Parker smiled warmly. She walked towards the couch and sat down quietly. Jarod followed, holding his own cup of cocoa. For sometime, they sat in silence together.
"What made you come, Jarod?" Miss Parker finally asked.
Jarod looked up at her. "You were in trouble Miss Parker. My job is to help people in trouble." He replied, keeping his answer vague.
"What makes you think I won't keep you here and take you back to the centre in the morning?"
Jarod shrugged. "I don't know if you will, but I was willing to take that risk to save you."
Miss Parker lowered her eyes. Lyle or Raines would kill her if they knew that she had the chance to bring in 'the Pretender' but didn't because he had had compassion for her. Yet, how could she repay his selfless kindness with betrayal? He had saved her life; the least she could do was spare his. As she thought of him saving her life, a morbid thought entered her mind. What if he hadn't have been there to save her? What if she had been alone? She shuddered.
"I'm glad you did come, Jarod." She told him.
Jarod smiled. Coming from Miss Parker, he knew that was the closest thing he was going to get to a thank you. Of course, he didn't expect one, but he did appreciate it.
"I thought though that you didn't like guns." Miss Parker said lightly with a teasing grin.
"I don't" Jarod said simply. When she raised an eyebrow in question, he continued. "I was acting as a police officer. I had no other choice."
Miss Parker nodded, though deep in her heart she knew it was more than that. She had seen the anger and the fear in his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder if he might have used the gun had the man given him the opportunity.
She did notice, however that Jarod was avoiding her questions and only giving her vague answers. Of course, Jarod always played a game of riddles, but she was hoping for some conversation. She was tired, but she couldn't fall asleep, at least not yet. She wanted to become a little bit calmer before she attempted to rest.
"How is Broots and Sydney?" Jarod asked.
"They are well. Broots is still doing his same things and he still gets jittery around Lyle."
"So how is Mr. Lyle?" Jarod asked, putting emphasis on the Mr.
Miss Parker laughed. "As snobby and mean as ever."
Jarod smiled. "I don't think he'll ever change."
"You are probably right." Miss Parker said, smiling.
Their small talk continued for over an hour until Miss Parker could barely keep her eyes open. She finally excused herself and went to bead, leaving Jarod to sleep on the couch. He promised her he would stay the night and if she needed him, he would be there. She just smiled and closed her bedroom door.
With a deep sigh, she climbed into bed, pulling the covers over her. Her thoughts drifted to Jarod. She never imagined that he would be in her house, much less sleeping in her house. The thought amused her. Her exhaustion finally overcame her however, and she drifted to sleep.
Her slumber did not last long, however. Her dreams were haunted with pictures of the murderer and thoughts of what he could have done to her. She tossed and turned in her sleep. She whimpered slightly, sweat pouring from her face. Suddenly she screamed out in panic and sat up in bed.
A split-second later Jarod was in her room.
"Miss Parker, are you all right?" He asked as he ran to her bedside.
Miss Parker tried to calm her breathing, swallowing hard to keep from crying. "He's in my dreams, Jarod." She admitted in a mere whisper.
Jarod's face fell and his eyes were filled with compassion. He sat down on the bed and took Miss Parker's hand in his own. "You are safe now, Miss Parker. There's no need to fear. You were very brave tonight and the man can no longer hurt you."
Miss Parker looked at Jarod. She closed her eyes for a minute, and took in a deep breath. She was beginning to hate herself for how she was acting, for acting… human. She pulled her hand away from Jarod and looked towards the wall.
"I'm sorry I woke you." She told him half-heartedly. "Goodnight."
Jarod stared at her a moment, unsure of what to say to her. "Would you like me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"
Miss Parker bit her lip. She was trying hard to be strong, but she felt anything but strong at the moment. Before she hadn't been afraid to let Jarod see inside at the human part of her, but now she felt like she had been human too long. She needed to go on with her life, forget what almost happened to her, and bury all her emotions behind a cold façade. Yet somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to do that, at least not yet.
"It's up to you." She finally said.
Jarod smiled at her. "I don't mind."
With a small sigh of relief, Miss Parker laid back down, covering herself with her sheets. She closed her eyes, but immediately opened them again as she saw her tormentor's face. Her breathing quickened once again, despite her efforts to suppress her reaction. She tried to erase the images that flooded her mind. Suddenly she felt a hand on her own.
"Rest, Miss Parker. You're going to be okay." Jarod said, gently squeezing her hand.
Miss Parker looked at him and smiled slightly. Instead of recoiling her hand away again, she let her hand linger beneath his. The compassion and kindness he was showing her almost brought her to tears. Despite all the times, she had tried to kill him and capture him; here he was with her when she needed him most. "Thank you." She whispered.
Jarod smiled. "It's what friends do."
Miss Parker smiled and closed her eyes. Content in knowing that Jarod was there to protect her, she soon fell into a deep, calming sleep.
"Will you be there As I fall to sleep"
As I grow cold
Will you be there when I'm falling down
Will you be there
My heart grows cold
Will you be there when I'm falling down
Are you saying yes
I gotta believe it
Are you saying yeah
When your love comes down I can rest my eyes
Feel your grace and power flood into my life
As my brokenness and your strength collide
When your love comes down
Falling Down