Title - High Price of Freedom
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR, Pretender/Profiler Crossover
Summary - The ramifications of a past mistake come back to haunt Jarod and could be the key to the freedom Miss Parker's searching for. But is the high price worth it in the end?
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. Just using them for a bit. No harm intended.
* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 2
* * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker awakens to the sensation of being watched. Slowly,
she turns in bed, reaching under her pillow for her gun. In a
flash, she's sitting up, facing her intruder with the gun pointed
in his direction.
"Don't shoot. It's just me," he says.
"Jarod? You have to stop surprising me like that. One of these
days, I'm going to shoot first," she warns. "What time is it?
What are you doing here?"
"I needed to talk to you. I need your help."
"You need my help?" she laughs incredulously. "You're kidding,
right? Jarod, what could you possibly be so desperate for that
you would need my help?"
"A rescue. A woman had her infant twins stolen by the Centre.
It's my job to get them back," Jarod explains, puposely leaving
out the fact that he's their father.
"Oh, those twins," she says, instantly sobering when he mentions
the babies. It's been so sad to see them cry, day in and day
out. She felt so sorry for them. They were obviously missing
their family.
"You've seen them?" Jarod asks excitedly.
"A few times. I met them a few days ago when I was visiting my
little brother Tyler," she tells him. "They're adorable. But so
sad. I felt bad that they had to be there."
"So, will you help me get them out?" he asks hopefully.
"I don't know about that, Jarod. Stunts like that get you killed
around the Centre. Look at what happened to my mother when she
was trying to help you. I don't plan on ending up that way."
She gets up from her bed and quickly pulls on a robe. She makes
her way to the door to move this little meeting out of her
bedroom and into the living room.
"What if you wouldn't have to be there anymore?" he asks quietly.
She stops in her tracks at this proposal.
"What are you saying, Jarod? You know there's only one way for
me to be free of that place. That's if I take you in. And
you've been pretty adamant about not going back to that . . . "
"What if that's exactly what I'm saying?" he interrupts. "You
help me rescue the twins, and after I return them to their
mother, you can bring me back. No hassles. No tricks. No
escaping."
She sits rather ungracefully on the bed next to her, her legs no
longer able to support her. This was a proposition she never
expected to receive from Jarod. And by the look on his face, he
was completely serious.
"How do I know I can trust you?" she asks, knowing the question
was pointless. She trusted Jarod. In a sick, twisted kind of
way, that was the one truth in her life, her trust of Jarod.
"Oh ye of little faith," he says with a small smile. "You know
you can trust me. But I didn't expect you to take my word for
it. So I'll leave this with you." He reaches down next to him
picks up a silver case that was on the floor next to his
chair. She must have missed seeing it in the darkness of the
room.
"The DSA's?" she asks.
"Just the player. After we make sure the children are safe with
their mother, I'll give you the key to a safety deposit box that
contains the DSA's." He pauses to let it all soak in. "I've
thought through this, Miss Parker. If you agree to help me, then
I won't back down on this deal. You have my word that I'll let
you take me back to the Centre. You'll be free. And you'll have
the DSA's in case there's more bargaining you need to do with the
Centre."
"Why, Jarod? Why are you doing this? Giving up your freedom for
these children? For me?"
"Is it a deal or not?" he asks impatiently, purposely avoiding
her question. He looks into her eyes to convey how serious this
whole situation is. He can see that she's thinking about the
matter, trying to figure out why it's so important to him. But
also trying to decide if her freedom was worth risking her life
over.
"Okay. I agree. When do we do this?" She asks, trying not to
smile at the adorable and grateful grin that's now spreading
across Jarod's face.
"As soon as you can get dressed," he tells her.
"Alright, then. Get out of here and let me get changed," she
orders, shooing him out of her room.
"You sure you won't need any help zipping or buttoning
something?" he says with a suggestive wink and leer.
"Out!" she says a bit louder, but unable to hide her amusement.
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving," he laughs a little, walking to the
door. Just as his hand reaches the doorknob, he turns around
once more. "Miss Parker?"
"Yes, Jarod," she sighs impatiently.
"Thanks," he says with a shy smile. "Thanks for doing this."
"You're welcome," she smiles back.
For a moment they stand there, not remembering anything that's
happened between them the past few years. Instead, it was almost
as if they were looking at each other when they were children,
when they used to mean everything to each other.
"You should get dressed," Jarod whispers, breaking the moment.
"I'll leave now." He steps into the hallway outside her room,
shutting the door behind him.
* * * * * * * * * *
An hour later finds Jarod and Miss Parker in Jarod's Nissan X-
Terra on the way to the Centre. The trip is a quiet one, each
thinking about how this one night will inevitably change their
lives.
"Jarod?" she asks, breaking the silence.
"Yes?" He looks over at her, waiting on her question. When she
doesn't say anything he turns his sight back to the road ahead of
them.
"Nothing," she says quietly, changing her mind about asking him
again why this is so important to him. He'll tell her when he's
ready, she assumes. "We're just about there," she says instead,
even though she wants to know so badly what's making him do this.
Why after all this time would he give up his freedom.
He shuts off the lights and rolls to a stop next to a wooded area
about a mile from the Centre. Instead of taking the main road to
the Centre, they figure it would be better to cut through the
woods and enter through the storm tunnel on the west end of the
building. The tunnel goes on for about a mile before leading to
the airvents that will eventually take them to the nursery.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks her one more time to
be sure. "It could be dangerous."
"Jarod, it'll be faster for me to show you where the babies are.
Plus, you won't be able to carry them both out at one time," she
rationalizes.
"Alright then. Let's go," he says, opening his door. She does
the same and meets him on the other side of the car.
They move quickly and quietly through the forest, keeping a
watchful eye out for alarm triggers and cameras. They manage
make it to the entrance undetected and sneak inside. The trip
through the tunnel was uneventful as well and soon they find
themselves at an opening with several airvents going off in
different directions.
"Which way do we go?" she asks him.
"This one," he says, pointing to the vent to the left. "It'll
lead us to your office. I'll wait there while you go get the
babies and bring them back to me."
"Why can't we just take the vents to the nursery?" she wonders.
"Because they have a special ventilation system in there. The
air vents don't share the same passage ways as the other air
vents in the building. It's supposed to deliver purer air to the
children," he explains. He reaches up to pull off the vent cover
and lifts himself into the vent. He reaches to give her a hand
and pulls her up as well.
"Make sure to take off their clothes before you leave the
nursery," he says once they reach her office. He pulls off his
backpack and pulls out a bundle of clothes and a couple of Snugli
carriers. "We'll redress them in here. I don't want to take the
risk of tracking devices being in the clothing."
She nods her head in understanding and eases out of her door. It
was the middle of the night, so she didn't expect to see anyone.
But still, the quiet, empty halls were eerie and a bit unnerving.
It doesn't take long to get to the nursery. And just as Jarod
suspected, they babies were sound asleep. Taking them this time
of night offered less risk of them crying. She quickly works and
removes their sleepers, leaving them in just their diapers. She
grabs them both securely in her arms and makes her way back to
the office.
"What are you doing?" she whispers to Jarod when she returns. He
was sitting behind her desk messing with her computer.
"You need to leave a voice mail message for Broots and Sydney.
Tell them you found a lead on me and you're on your way to pick
me up. I was using the computer to change the system time in the
database. That way, they'll think the call came in earlier than
it really did. I've already arranged for you to have been 'seen'
on a commercial flight to Tulsa. You'll have an alibi for the
time the babies went missing. By the time they figure it all
out, you'll be back here with me." He stops his explanation to
take one of the babies from her, quickly pulling the new pajamas
on her. Miss Parker does the same with the other baby.
"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" she asks.
"Lives are at stake, Miss Parker. I have to think of everything
or somebody dies," he says seriously.
"This is more than just another pretend for you, isn't it Jarod?
This is personal." She watches him gently place the baby in the
carrier and fasten it close to his body.
"Let's go," he whispers through a raspy voice, ignoring her
question. "We need to get out of here."
He climbs up into the air vent and helps Miss Parker do the same.
An hour later, they find themselves back at the car where they
first started. Jarod takes the babies and gets them strapped
into the car seats while Miss Parker drives.
"Where are we going, Jarod?"
"Just stay on the interstate for a few hours," he says with a
yawn. "I'll let you know when we get closer." He closes his
eyes and leans his head to the window, allowing sleep to take
over for the first time in days.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"This is it. Home sweet home. At least for the next few days."
Jarod takes the keys from the ignition and opens his door,
eagerly stretching his legs from the long trip. They had to stop
for gas and then again once more along the way to change the
really stinky diapers, but for the most part, they had everything
they needed. The babies slept for the majority of the trip. But
now, they were starting to get cranky having spent the past 7
hours in a car.
"Let's get them inside," Miss Parker suggests. "If they feel
anything like I do, then they're not going to be in a good mood."
"I'm sorry about all this," Jarod apologizes. "I shouldn't have
put you in the middle of it. I just . . . had to get them out."
Miss Parker waits on him to continue, but it soon becomes obvious
that he's done talking. She eases Ryan from his car seat and
takes the baby in the house.
Once inside, she sees that Jarod was really prepared for this.
Several packages of disposable diapers lined half the wall
opposite the door. Other items necessary for the babies were
scattered about the room.
"You really did think of everything," she says as she sets Ryan
down inside one of the playpens, dropping in a toy for him to
play with. "How long did you plan all of this?" She reaches to
take Madison from Jarod to place her in the play pen as well, but
Jarod is reluctant to give her up.
"I'll just hold onto her for a little while longer," he says,
trying hard to hold back tears. This was the first chance he had
to actually just sit and look at them - his children. He was
struck by Madison's beauty. She looked like Rachel, he decided,
with her red hair and porcelain skin. Her big green eyes scanned
his face and instantly decided he was friendly. She rewards him
with a wide, toothless grin.
"She's perfect, don't you think?" he asks Miss Parker with
complete awe. "I mean, she's got all ten fingers and toes and
everything." He can't help but smile at the little angel
squirming around his arms. His smile fades as the baby lets out
a loud cry.
"Let me take her," Miss Parker offers. "She doesn't like being
held as much as Ryan does." She takes Madison and places her in
the crib, picking up Ryan in exchange. She takes the boy to
Jarod's waiting arms and watches as he gets the same awe struck
look on his face as he did when he held Madison. It was almost
as if her were a proud father holding his children for the first
time. Miss Parker shakes that thought from her head, dismissing
it as absurd.
"You seem to get along with them well," Jarod comments.
"Like I said before, I spent the past few days getting to know
them. I noticed that Ryan likes to be held a lot while Madison
prefers to stay to herself." Miss Parker coos at the baby and
kisses his small baby feet. She makes silly faces and noises at
the baby for a few minutes before turning her attention back to
Jarod who's now staring at her with utter fascination. "What are
you looking at me like that for?"
"Look at you. I never would have imagined you going all soft
over a baby," Jarod laughs. "But here you are. This mothering
thing is natural for you."
"Spending an hour a day with them during my lunch break is one
thing, Jarod. It's hardly what I'd call 'mothering'. I don't
know what I'm going to do over the next few days if I'm going to
be around them full time," she admits. "What is the plan
anyway?"
"Their mother should be here soon. I left instructions for her
to meet us here. After that, we all stay here to make sure we
weren't followed. Then, I'm all yours," he says, waggling his
eyebrows suggestively to make light of the situation. But they
both knew what she really had in store for him.
"Well as fascinating as that plan is, Jarod, it put the baby to
sleep. Why don't you take them to whichever room the nursery is
going to be and I'll try to put away some of this stuff." She
watches Jarod get up with ease and take the baby up the stairs.
He was the true natural with the kids, she noticed. When he
disappears from her view, she turns her attention to Madison in
the playpen.
"Okay, little lady. How about we get this place cleaned up?"
She smiles at the slobbery grin Madison flashes her, getting lost
momentarily in the sweet innocence in the little girl's eyes.
She's shocked out of her daze by the sounds coming from outside.
A car door slams and she instantly goes on alert, reaching for
her gun.
To be continued . . .
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR, Pretender/Profiler Crossover
Summary - The ramifications of a past mistake come back to haunt Jarod and could be the key to the freedom Miss Parker's searching for. But is the high price worth it in the end?
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. Just using them for a bit. No harm intended.
* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 2
* * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker awakens to the sensation of being watched. Slowly,
she turns in bed, reaching under her pillow for her gun. In a
flash, she's sitting up, facing her intruder with the gun pointed
in his direction.
"Don't shoot. It's just me," he says.
"Jarod? You have to stop surprising me like that. One of these
days, I'm going to shoot first," she warns. "What time is it?
What are you doing here?"
"I needed to talk to you. I need your help."
"You need my help?" she laughs incredulously. "You're kidding,
right? Jarod, what could you possibly be so desperate for that
you would need my help?"
"A rescue. A woman had her infant twins stolen by the Centre.
It's my job to get them back," Jarod explains, puposely leaving
out the fact that he's their father.
"Oh, those twins," she says, instantly sobering when he mentions
the babies. It's been so sad to see them cry, day in and day
out. She felt so sorry for them. They were obviously missing
their family.
"You've seen them?" Jarod asks excitedly.
"A few times. I met them a few days ago when I was visiting my
little brother Tyler," she tells him. "They're adorable. But so
sad. I felt bad that they had to be there."
"So, will you help me get them out?" he asks hopefully.
"I don't know about that, Jarod. Stunts like that get you killed
around the Centre. Look at what happened to my mother when she
was trying to help you. I don't plan on ending up that way."
She gets up from her bed and quickly pulls on a robe. She makes
her way to the door to move this little meeting out of her
bedroom and into the living room.
"What if you wouldn't have to be there anymore?" he asks quietly.
She stops in her tracks at this proposal.
"What are you saying, Jarod? You know there's only one way for
me to be free of that place. That's if I take you in. And
you've been pretty adamant about not going back to that . . . "
"What if that's exactly what I'm saying?" he interrupts. "You
help me rescue the twins, and after I return them to their
mother, you can bring me back. No hassles. No tricks. No
escaping."
She sits rather ungracefully on the bed next to her, her legs no
longer able to support her. This was a proposition she never
expected to receive from Jarod. And by the look on his face, he
was completely serious.
"How do I know I can trust you?" she asks, knowing the question
was pointless. She trusted Jarod. In a sick, twisted kind of
way, that was the one truth in her life, her trust of Jarod.
"Oh ye of little faith," he says with a small smile. "You know
you can trust me. But I didn't expect you to take my word for
it. So I'll leave this with you." He reaches down next to him
picks up a silver case that was on the floor next to his
chair. She must have missed seeing it in the darkness of the
room.
"The DSA's?" she asks.
"Just the player. After we make sure the children are safe with
their mother, I'll give you the key to a safety deposit box that
contains the DSA's." He pauses to let it all soak in. "I've
thought through this, Miss Parker. If you agree to help me, then
I won't back down on this deal. You have my word that I'll let
you take me back to the Centre. You'll be free. And you'll have
the DSA's in case there's more bargaining you need to do with the
Centre."
"Why, Jarod? Why are you doing this? Giving up your freedom for
these children? For me?"
"Is it a deal or not?" he asks impatiently, purposely avoiding
her question. He looks into her eyes to convey how serious this
whole situation is. He can see that she's thinking about the
matter, trying to figure out why it's so important to him. But
also trying to decide if her freedom was worth risking her life
over.
"Okay. I agree. When do we do this?" She asks, trying not to
smile at the adorable and grateful grin that's now spreading
across Jarod's face.
"As soon as you can get dressed," he tells her.
"Alright, then. Get out of here and let me get changed," she
orders, shooing him out of her room.
"You sure you won't need any help zipping or buttoning
something?" he says with a suggestive wink and leer.
"Out!" she says a bit louder, but unable to hide her amusement.
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving," he laughs a little, walking to the
door. Just as his hand reaches the doorknob, he turns around
once more. "Miss Parker?"
"Yes, Jarod," she sighs impatiently.
"Thanks," he says with a shy smile. "Thanks for doing this."
"You're welcome," she smiles back.
For a moment they stand there, not remembering anything that's
happened between them the past few years. Instead, it was almost
as if they were looking at each other when they were children,
when they used to mean everything to each other.
"You should get dressed," Jarod whispers, breaking the moment.
"I'll leave now." He steps into the hallway outside her room,
shutting the door behind him.
* * * * * * * * * *
An hour later finds Jarod and Miss Parker in Jarod's Nissan X-
Terra on the way to the Centre. The trip is a quiet one, each
thinking about how this one night will inevitably change their
lives.
"Jarod?" she asks, breaking the silence.
"Yes?" He looks over at her, waiting on her question. When she
doesn't say anything he turns his sight back to the road ahead of
them.
"Nothing," she says quietly, changing her mind about asking him
again why this is so important to him. He'll tell her when he's
ready, she assumes. "We're just about there," she says instead,
even though she wants to know so badly what's making him do this.
Why after all this time would he give up his freedom.
He shuts off the lights and rolls to a stop next to a wooded area
about a mile from the Centre. Instead of taking the main road to
the Centre, they figure it would be better to cut through the
woods and enter through the storm tunnel on the west end of the
building. The tunnel goes on for about a mile before leading to
the airvents that will eventually take them to the nursery.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks her one more time to
be sure. "It could be dangerous."
"Jarod, it'll be faster for me to show you where the babies are.
Plus, you won't be able to carry them both out at one time," she
rationalizes.
"Alright then. Let's go," he says, opening his door. She does
the same and meets him on the other side of the car.
They move quickly and quietly through the forest, keeping a
watchful eye out for alarm triggers and cameras. They manage
make it to the entrance undetected and sneak inside. The trip
through the tunnel was uneventful as well and soon they find
themselves at an opening with several airvents going off in
different directions.
"Which way do we go?" she asks him.
"This one," he says, pointing to the vent to the left. "It'll
lead us to your office. I'll wait there while you go get the
babies and bring them back to me."
"Why can't we just take the vents to the nursery?" she wonders.
"Because they have a special ventilation system in there. The
air vents don't share the same passage ways as the other air
vents in the building. It's supposed to deliver purer air to the
children," he explains. He reaches up to pull off the vent cover
and lifts himself into the vent. He reaches to give her a hand
and pulls her up as well.
"Make sure to take off their clothes before you leave the
nursery," he says once they reach her office. He pulls off his
backpack and pulls out a bundle of clothes and a couple of Snugli
carriers. "We'll redress them in here. I don't want to take the
risk of tracking devices being in the clothing."
She nods her head in understanding and eases out of her door. It
was the middle of the night, so she didn't expect to see anyone.
But still, the quiet, empty halls were eerie and a bit unnerving.
It doesn't take long to get to the nursery. And just as Jarod
suspected, they babies were sound asleep. Taking them this time
of night offered less risk of them crying. She quickly works and
removes their sleepers, leaving them in just their diapers. She
grabs them both securely in her arms and makes her way back to
the office.
"What are you doing?" she whispers to Jarod when she returns. He
was sitting behind her desk messing with her computer.
"You need to leave a voice mail message for Broots and Sydney.
Tell them you found a lead on me and you're on your way to pick
me up. I was using the computer to change the system time in the
database. That way, they'll think the call came in earlier than
it really did. I've already arranged for you to have been 'seen'
on a commercial flight to Tulsa. You'll have an alibi for the
time the babies went missing. By the time they figure it all
out, you'll be back here with me." He stops his explanation to
take one of the babies from her, quickly pulling the new pajamas
on her. Miss Parker does the same with the other baby.
"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" she asks.
"Lives are at stake, Miss Parker. I have to think of everything
or somebody dies," he says seriously.
"This is more than just another pretend for you, isn't it Jarod?
This is personal." She watches him gently place the baby in the
carrier and fasten it close to his body.
"Let's go," he whispers through a raspy voice, ignoring her
question. "We need to get out of here."
He climbs up into the air vent and helps Miss Parker do the same.
An hour later, they find themselves back at the car where they
first started. Jarod takes the babies and gets them strapped
into the car seats while Miss Parker drives.
"Where are we going, Jarod?"
"Just stay on the interstate for a few hours," he says with a
yawn. "I'll let you know when we get closer." He closes his
eyes and leans his head to the window, allowing sleep to take
over for the first time in days.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"This is it. Home sweet home. At least for the next few days."
Jarod takes the keys from the ignition and opens his door,
eagerly stretching his legs from the long trip. They had to stop
for gas and then again once more along the way to change the
really stinky diapers, but for the most part, they had everything
they needed. The babies slept for the majority of the trip. But
now, they were starting to get cranky having spent the past 7
hours in a car.
"Let's get them inside," Miss Parker suggests. "If they feel
anything like I do, then they're not going to be in a good mood."
"I'm sorry about all this," Jarod apologizes. "I shouldn't have
put you in the middle of it. I just . . . had to get them out."
Miss Parker waits on him to continue, but it soon becomes obvious
that he's done talking. She eases Ryan from his car seat and
takes the baby in the house.
Once inside, she sees that Jarod was really prepared for this.
Several packages of disposable diapers lined half the wall
opposite the door. Other items necessary for the babies were
scattered about the room.
"You really did think of everything," she says as she sets Ryan
down inside one of the playpens, dropping in a toy for him to
play with. "How long did you plan all of this?" She reaches to
take Madison from Jarod to place her in the play pen as well, but
Jarod is reluctant to give her up.
"I'll just hold onto her for a little while longer," he says,
trying hard to hold back tears. This was the first chance he had
to actually just sit and look at them - his children. He was
struck by Madison's beauty. She looked like Rachel, he decided,
with her red hair and porcelain skin. Her big green eyes scanned
his face and instantly decided he was friendly. She rewards him
with a wide, toothless grin.
"She's perfect, don't you think?" he asks Miss Parker with
complete awe. "I mean, she's got all ten fingers and toes and
everything." He can't help but smile at the little angel
squirming around his arms. His smile fades as the baby lets out
a loud cry.
"Let me take her," Miss Parker offers. "She doesn't like being
held as much as Ryan does." She takes Madison and places her in
the crib, picking up Ryan in exchange. She takes the boy to
Jarod's waiting arms and watches as he gets the same awe struck
look on his face as he did when he held Madison. It was almost
as if her were a proud father holding his children for the first
time. Miss Parker shakes that thought from her head, dismissing
it as absurd.
"You seem to get along with them well," Jarod comments.
"Like I said before, I spent the past few days getting to know
them. I noticed that Ryan likes to be held a lot while Madison
prefers to stay to herself." Miss Parker coos at the baby and
kisses his small baby feet. She makes silly faces and noises at
the baby for a few minutes before turning her attention back to
Jarod who's now staring at her with utter fascination. "What are
you looking at me like that for?"
"Look at you. I never would have imagined you going all soft
over a baby," Jarod laughs. "But here you are. This mothering
thing is natural for you."
"Spending an hour a day with them during my lunch break is one
thing, Jarod. It's hardly what I'd call 'mothering'. I don't
know what I'm going to do over the next few days if I'm going to
be around them full time," she admits. "What is the plan
anyway?"
"Their mother should be here soon. I left instructions for her
to meet us here. After that, we all stay here to make sure we
weren't followed. Then, I'm all yours," he says, waggling his
eyebrows suggestively to make light of the situation. But they
both knew what she really had in store for him.
"Well as fascinating as that plan is, Jarod, it put the baby to
sleep. Why don't you take them to whichever room the nursery is
going to be and I'll try to put away some of this stuff." She
watches Jarod get up with ease and take the baby up the stairs.
He was the true natural with the kids, she noticed. When he
disappears from her view, she turns her attention to Madison in
the playpen.
"Okay, little lady. How about we get this place cleaned up?"
She smiles at the slobbery grin Madison flashes her, getting lost
momentarily in the sweet innocence in the little girl's eyes.
She's shocked out of her daze by the sounds coming from outside.
A car door slams and she instantly goes on alert, reaching for
her gun.
To be continued . . .
