This is my first Pretender Fanfic and for that matter, the first one ever! All things related to The Pretender are property of FOX and whoever else owns rights. This is just a little something for the fans, I OWN NOTHING. I do not gain anything from this except the pleasure of writing it.
This story just kind of came to me and I hope to be able to continue it in an interesting manner. I've read many stories where Parker and Jarod have a little girl and thought it might be nice to see if Jarod was the one to raise a kid…hard to explain. It's a little different…Jarod adopts….please read it. Constructive criticism is welcome and pointers are greatly appreciated. Just wanted to see if I could write a fanfic.
Welcome To Family Life
Introduction
Jarod met Cale on his last pretend in South Africa where he stopped a group of men from taking and abusing orphaned children for work in the fields. Cale was a quiet, but sweet well mannered boy with bright blue eyes and short dark brown hair. He was a six year old British boy with a charming personality. Villagers refused to accept him due to his crippled leg, making Cale an outsider with no hope for adoption. That is until he met Jarod…
The local orphanage was already housing too many children in the limited space it had; but thanks to Jarod, they would be adding more facilities to the orphanage. "How can we ever repay you Jarod," asked Kendra, the woman in charge. Jarod smiled and said, "No repayment will be necessary…I'm just glad to have been able to help." "Please come back and visit," Kendra said before turning to leave. "Actually, there is one thing I would like to do before I go," relied Jarod. As Kendra looked at him, Jarod replied, "I'd like to adopt Cale." "Wonderful, I'm sure Cale would be delighted seeing as how well you two get along," she said happily. "I'll go get the papers all set if you'd like to tell Cale the good news," she said turning to go to her office.
As Jarod walked the grounds, he smiled knowing that these kids would no longer have to worry about being taken, used, and abused. As a group of boys were playing with an old soccer ball outside, Jarod spotted Cale sitting on a low broken wall watching the game at a distance. Not long after, Cale saw Jarod and broke out into a grin as he waved to Jarod. "Hi Jarod," Cale said as Jarod came to sit beside him. "Hi buddy, I have something to tell you," Jarod said. "Are you leaving already," Cale asked sadly. "Yes, I'll be leaving tomorrow, but I'd like you to come with me," Jarod said carefully. Cale looked up and saw Jarod's expression. "You really mean it," asked Cale. Jarod smiled, "Yes, I want to be your father." Cale couldn't stop grinning and gave Jarod a big bear hug.
Kendra was very pleased watching the scene unfold. She knew of all people, Jarod would be able to give Cale a loving and understanding father.
Jarod scooped up Cale and walked back over the Kendra. "There are a few papers you'll need to sign before Cale can legally be your son." "Sure thing," Jarod replied. After about two hours, Jarod helped Cale pack up his few belongings before saying goodbye to Kendra. They then headed to Jarod's hotel.
The next day, they flew back to the states officially as father and son. Of course it helped that Jarod was able to make Cale a passport the night before. Jarod thought a cabin in the Rocky Mountains would be a nice place to lie low and let Cale adjust to a whole different environment.
Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots hadn't heard from Jarod for a few weeks until a Centre employee claimed they saw Jarod in the Rockies when they were on vacation. Since it was the only information they had to go on, Miss Parker decided to go alone and see if she could find him. Sydney and Broots were not happy, but Mr. Raines and Lyle were very eager to jump in and take Jarod as their claim. So Sydney and Broots agreed to hide the details they received and told them Miss Parker had to leave unexpectedly for a while.
Jarod took Cale shopping for new clothes and shoes and then spent the day sightseeing after lunch. Later, Jarod introduced Cale to soft serve ice cream. Cale watched him take a bite of his ice cream before doing the same thing. "Wow, this is good!" Cale said between bites with a big grin. Jarod couldn't hold back his laugh, "See, I told you it was good." It had been three weeks since Jarod adopted Cale and although he didn't plan on becoming a father, he couldn't be happier. But, Jarod knew he would have to take The Centre once and for all if he was going to raise Cale.
It was such a beautiful day out, so Jarod decided to take Cale on a short hike to show him some mountain views. Although Cale had a limp, he didn't hesitate to walk on his own. As they began their adventure as father and son, Miss Parker stepped out of her rental car, a black Nissan, and spotted Jarod walking past a sign saying Big Bear Lake 3 miles. "Alright lab rat, I've got you now," she said quickly walking over to the entrance. She silently thanked herself for wearing tennis shoes with jeans and a t-shirt. She figured if she blended in, she'd have a better shot of catching Jarod off guard.
Cale had finally started getting used to the high altitude, but Jarod noticed him having difficulty breathing. They stopped and took a breather after having gone about one mile. "How are you feeling Cale?" "I'm tired," replied Cale out of breath. "Why don't I carry you for a bit, until you feel like walking again," Jarod said. "Okay."
Jarod was walking with Cale in his arms, teaching him about some forest when he felt something hard poke into his back. "Nice to see you again Jarod," Miss Parker said sarcastically. Jarod froze, "Hello Miss Parker, would you mind putting that away. I have some company." Miss Parker was slightly taken aback until she noticed Jarod was carrying a little boy. Miss Parker put away her gun as Jarod was turning around to face her. "Whose kid is that Jarod," asked Parker seriously. "This is Cale, my son."
Miss Parker just looked at Jarod shocked, "Is my hearing bad or did you just say that he is your son?" Parker asked. "I legally adopted him a month ago," Jarod replied very seriously. "Are you insane Jarod!" Cale was started to get scared, "Jarod," Cale said nervously while gripping Jarod tighter. "It's okay Cale, why don't we walk down by the lake so you can explore while I talk to Miss Parker," Jarod said setting Cale down. He nodded and took Jarod's hand as they began walking down the trail to the clearing by the lake.
Miss Parker had no choice but to follow them. Once they reached the lake, Miss Parker noticed that Cale not only had an accent, but also a prominent limp. She looked over and saw Jarod sitting on a nearby log watching Cale examine everything. So she decided to join him.
"You're not taking me from him Parker." "Jarod, what did you expect to happen when we found you? What were you thinking?" replied Parker. "I was thinking about a little boy who was deemed unadoptable and unacceptable to his society because he was born with a birth defect. He's six years old Parker, he deserves the chance to feel loved and accepted," Jarod said softly. "So what's your plan then," asked Miss Parker curiously? "I don't know yet; it's all so new to me, but it feels right," Jarod said before turning back to watch Cale play by the water. "Parker, can't you just pretend you never found me," asked a hopeful Jarod? "You know I can't do that, besides it's only a matter of time before Raines or Lyle figure out where I went."
Jarod noticed and sky had started getting dark clouds rolling in. "It's going to storm soon, I need to get Cale back home before it hits. You can come or go, your choice," he said getting up to get Cale. "Well I'm certainly not leaving you alone until I figure out what to do," replied Parker hastily. "Cale it's time to go home," Jarod said as he went up to Cale. "Is she coming with us," he asked pointing to Parker. "Yes, she is. Her name is Miss Parker," replied Jarod as he picked up Cale and headed back down the trail the way they'd come to get to his jeep.
Cale had fallen asleep in Jarod's arms as they we're walking back. Miss Parker had kept a short distance back observing them. After they had gotten into Jarod's jeep, they headed out of town to Jarod's cabin. Once they reached the cabin, Jarod gave Parker the keys while he carried in a sleeping Cale. The storm had started up and it had started raining heavily with hail beginning to fall, so they hurried in.
Parker was surprised how cozy the cabin was. It had two bedrooms, one bath, and large combined kitchen and living room. "Jeez Jarod, how much stuff did you buy for him," she asked looking around at all the clothes and toys on the couch. Jarod let out a small chuckle, "When you fly from Nairobi, Kenya, you can't really bring much with you. Besides, I wanted him to have some new things that he picked out for once," replied Jarod. Jarod quietly went to Cale's room and laid him down on his bed and left the door slightly ajar so he wouldn't wake him.
When he came out of Cale's room, Jarod looked at Parker and said, "You can take my room if you'd like; I can sleep on the couch. But first I need to put this stuff away and start a fire before this storm gets worse and knocks out the power." Parker didn't object and helped Jarod clean up the clothes and toys. "Somehow I get the feeling both of you will be playing with these toys," replied Parker smiling while holding up a new Dark Knight Bat mobile. "Hey, some of these are really neat; and look at all the things it can do," Jarod said innocently with a boyish grin.
It was now thundering and lightning outside with heavy rain and occasional hail. Parker was putting her bag with a few extra pairs of clothes in Jarod's room while Jarod went to start a fire. She was pleased that she had remembered to grab her bag as soon as they reached Jarod's jeep which was coincidentally parked two cars away from her rental.
As Jarod was getting the fire going, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning around he found Cale standing close to him holding his teddy bear with a scared expression. "What's wrong Cale?" Jarod asked looking at Cale. "I'm scared," whispered the boy. "Hey, it's okay, you're safe in here and you've got me and Miss Parker here to protect you," Jarod said calmly. "Come here," he said as Cale hugged him tight and held him, rubbing his back for a few minutes until he relaxed. Jarod didn't notice Parker watching from the bedroom. She was surprised how good Jarod was with Cale.
Parker looked down at her watch and realized it was almost seven o'clock and none of them had eaten dinner. "Jarod, I can watch Cale if you want to fix a meal, he must be hungry," she said going over to take Cale from Jarod. Jarod nodded, "Cale, why don't you see if Miss Parker wants to play a game with you." They settled on Go Fish and Jarod was happy to see Miss Parker let her guard down and relaxed. As he was making spaghetti and garlic bread, he was thrilled when he heard them laughing as Cale beat Miss Parker.
After a few games went by, dinner was ready. Cale had never had spaghetti before and was looking at Jarod to see how to eat it. Jarod showed Cale twirl the fork in the noodles and Parker laughed as Cale and Jarod slurped up their last noodles while laughing at each other.
Eight-thirty pm rolled around quickly and Cale still needed a bath before bed. "Jarod, you get him cleaned up and I'll take care of the dishes," Parker said kindly. "Thanks," Jarod said wondering why Miss Parker was being so friendly.
Cale loved bubble baths, so Jarod had no trouble getting Cale to bathe. After he was cleaned up, Jarod put him in some pajamas and tucked him in bed. Cale fell asleep quickly while Jarod was reading him a bedtime story. Luckily the storm had died down. "Goodnight Cale," Jarod whispered as he turned out the light and shut the door most the way.
Jarod saw Miss Parker sitting by the fire and joined her. "He loves you," she said quietly while staring at the fire. "What are you going to do?" Jarod asked. "I'll let you know when I decide; but know this Jarod, The Centre will never stop pursuing you." "I know, but they only reason they've been able to track me for so long is because I let them," he replied. Parker looked at him for a moment before getting up. "Goodnight Jarod," she said as she walked to her room and shut the door. "Goodnight Parker," Jarod replied after she was gone.
The night wore on and it was about four in the morning when Jarod felt the couch move. He wasn't surprised to see that it was Cale. Cale hadn't been able to sleep well since they had arrived. He was still not used to sleeping alone. "I can't sleep," Cale said groggily. "Come here," Jarod said patting the sofa seat beside him. Cale happily jumped up and snuggled up with Jarod and he began telling Cale a story. Soon he was asleep and Jarod smiled before dozing off into a dreamless sleep shortly after.
Parker woke up around six in the morning and was going to get a shower when she saw Jarod and Cale asleep on the couch. "Jarod's going to have some back pain when he wakes up," she thought to herself. Parker managed to get a shower without waking them and decided to make some breakfast for them. She had just gathered up some eggs, bacon, and hash when Cale came over. "Can I help," he asked shyly. Miss Parker couldn't help herself, she was beginning to really like Cale, "Sure you can." "How about you put butter on the bread," she said nicely, leaning down to his eye level. "Okay," Cale replied excitedly. "Do you like living with Jarod?" Parker asked Cale. "Uh, huh…Jarod my daddy now and he's soo much fun," Cale said while trying to butter up the bread. Parker smiled to herself. "Jarod always seems to know how to touch the lives of everyone he meets," she thought.
Jarod awoke to the smell of bacon cooking and looked around curiously. "Am I dreaming," he said watching Miss Parker cook. "No, but this is a onetime deal; so don't get used to it," she said lightly. "Jarod, I got to help too!" Cale replied smiling proudly. "That's great," he said. As Jarod got up to stretch, Cale came over and hugged him. Jarod smiled and scooped Cale up to spin him in circles. "Faster, faster!" Cale said while giggling. "Alright boys, it's time to eat." Miss Parker had to work hard to hold back her grin at the sight of them playing. Jarod looked so comfortable with Cale.
Miss Parker settled on coffee since there was no way her ulcer would allow her to have any of the food. So she simply observed Jarod and Cale enjoying their breakfast together before remember to check her phone for any missed calls.
*I hope it's not too bad…chapter 2 is already in progress. Any suggestions, constructive criticism and comments are welcome*