A/N: Here's another chapter! I had been going crazy trying to further this story along, and I hope you like it. By the way, there's a song reference, by Relient K, ONLY the best artist group in the world. Let me know if you recognize it, and you get a virtual plate of fudge! Yummmm...

A/N 2: Dedicated to my awesome reviewers, who all, with the exception of one, fantastically implied they'd be watching for more! Here's your wish… Enjoy!

To my one flame, you know who you are… really? You're going to say THAT, after reading all 5 chapters? Next time, save the grief for someone who really deserves it, say, a puppy kicker, and if you don't like it, DON'T READ IT. There. /throws flame in the fire w/ all the other burning embers/

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PRETEND

CHAPTER 6: DECISIONS

Jarod was up bright and early the next morning. After a night of talking and "Whose Line is it Anyway?", both had gone to bed fairly late. As Jarod had always been an early riser, he had no trouble getting up. Though the hours he slept were fewer than the recommended amount, his sleep was another night of peace, so he was favorably more rested than usual. Stretching, he looked over at Reyna, still fast asleep. She was still an enigma, but at least she was beginning to trust him. He knew that was no small feat. From what he could gather, she had been burned, and pretty badly, if he was correctly discerning her demeanor. Her evasive answers were enough to convince him that there was significantly more than meets the eye, but to back off for now.

Jarod gathered his thoughts and returned to the present. They needed to make some major decisions, and soon. "Reyna."

Reyna mumbled and turned over. "Huh?"

"It's time to get up. We need to talk about what we are going to do. Are you hungry? We could go to Bob's." Jarod suggested.

"Bob's?" Reyna asked groggily as she sat up and stretched.

"Yeah, it's a really nice diner owned by a really nice man." Jarod tried to describe it.

Reyna laughed. "Sounds really nice." She smiled cheekily.

Jarod just shook his head and grinned.

The proprietor was pleasantly surprised to see his favorite customer coming in. "Ah, and here you are again! Need another arrangement, young lady?"

Reyna nodded. "That'd be great, sir!" She turned to Jarod hesitantly. "I might have forgotten to mention that I came here a couple times and we had an arrangement of payback."

The proprietor led them to a table, gave them menus, and went off to order some coffee for his customers.

Jarod was puzzled. "Arrangement?"

Reyna nodded again. "Yeah, we just wash some dishes in exchange for the most delicious food."

Jarod had to agree, "Yes, it's very good."

They ordered omelets with all kinds of delicious toppings, waffles with whipped cream and strawberries on top, and apple juice. While they ate, they talked about nothing consequential, and a good time was had by both.

When the two travelers finished their breakfasts, they went to the back and washed what dishes Bob needed them to do. They were in the middle of doing them when some water splashed on Reyna. Startled, Reyna froze, unsure what to think. Did Jarod just splash some water on her?

Looking at him, she had her answer. As the moments passed, however, Jarod's big grin got smaller. Was she offended by it? Finally, to break the awkward silence, Reyna splashed some water back, a small smile on her face. Jarod cracked up, and a water fight got underway. That was what Bob got caught in the middle of when he went in to check their progress.

When the two wanderers realized what had happened, they both froze, unsure what was going to happen. Would Bob be mad they messed up his kitchen? The silence was broken by laughing, laughter coming from the pleasant proprietor. They relaxed, knowing they were not in trouble. Besides, in the middle of the splash war, the dishes got done. Bob was about to say something, but Reyna beat him to the punch. Still giggling, she went and got a mop, Jarod went for the towels. Water had gotten absolutely everywhere.

The two drifters were still laughing and talking about it as they walked out of the diner, Bob smiling back as he waved goodbye. It was good to laugh about something, after all the hard times each had had, and over something so silly.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"We have to decide on what to do next."

Jarod and Reyna were back in the hotel room, packing, each in their own thoughts until Jarod spoke up.

"What are you talking about?" Reyna was curious what Jarod meant.

"Well, I was originally planning on leaving yesterday, in fact, that's where I was headed when I saw you duck in that alley. Now, though, I am not sure what I'm going to do next. Were you going anywhere when I first saw you?" Jarod inquired.

Reyna shook her head. "No, I was not planning on anything in particular."

"Well, where would you want to go, given the choice?"

Reyna thought. "I dunno," she shrugged. "Somewhere where no one could find me would be nice." She muttered the last part, unaware Jarod had heard.

Jarod looked at her sadly. "You're on the run, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

She looked at him, startled. The look on his face calmed her down though. "Yes." She said it simply.

"Well, I can't stay here, I've been here far too long already." Jarod was preoccupied with finishing his packing. He had decided beforehand that this was one pretend he wasn't going to leave any tracks for, so he was safe enough, as long as he didn't stay for much longer.

Reyna was puzzled but didn't say anything.

"What?"

"You're on the run too." This also wasn't a question.

"Yes." Jarod said simply. "The question is, are we going to travel together, or is this goodbye?"

Reyna thought on this. On one hand, Jarod was good company, seemed to mind his business for the most part, and she wouldn't mind having someone watch her back, especially after she was jumped twice in as many days. He was quiet, friendly, and had made sure - in the little time they had spent together, that is – she had smiled some of the time. She could remember weeks without smiling, as what was there to smile about on the run from a horrible situation, begging for work for food, or just for food itself?

On the other hand, it was a living person she had to trust, she had to watch her back lest she get doublecrossed, or even worse, turned in. it was someone she had to trust not to let her down, she had someone else to take care of, and who knew what kind of person Jarod was on the inside? Sure, he had managed to get a secret or two unlocked from her safe deposit box of a heart. She had not initially planned on letting anything loosed. Who knew if he was going to call her on some of the things she said, in an effort to "get to know her better"?

"I say," she finally spoke up, "that I need to go my separate way. No offense, but I don't really know you from Adam, and I can't take my chances."

Jarod was momentarily sidetracked by the last thing she said. "Who is Adam?"

"Really?" she was exasperated. "Seriously? Anyway, I'm sorry if it gets you mad, but I really can't take a chance."

"Okay, it's understandable, after all, you don't really know me at all, and I don't really know you either."

Reyna could only shake her head. "Well, see you."

Jarod went over and shook her hand. "I hope to see you again."

"If the Fates allow," Reyna only replied, returning the handshake. "Good luck."

"You too." Jarod replied, and watched her go out the door.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Three weeks later found Jarod on the bus again, this time to Arizona. He was thinking about the girl he met in Texas. What was it about her that he could not stop thinking about her? She seemed lost, just as much a nomad as himself, but he found himself worried about her. What if she got jumped again? He hoped she was okay.

Jarod had been busy for the past three weeks, and he reflected on what he had accomplished. He had almost found his mother, but unfortunately found an empty hotel room and inquiries to the manager resulted in only finding she had left mere hours ago. Crushed, he had went back to researching all the different places his mother might be. He dozed off thinking he might find her in Ohio, the state who had "the flavor of a chestnut", as a song he once heard had referenced. Perhaps she was in a state of no consequence.

Hours later, Jarod jolted awake. Where was he? He looked around, his mind still half-awake despite the jumpy wakeup call. He was still on the bus, although the bus seemed to be slowing down. He had previously decided to get off at this stop, but something was niggling in the back of his mind, like a quiet alarm clock warning him of something, but what was it? He shook his head and got up, gathering his bag and the ever-present case to him.

The night was clear, the stars shining brightly above him. He headed to a nearby hotel, paid for a couple nights in cash, and crashed in bed in his room. The next morning, he found it raining. How can it be raining when there was not a cloud in the sky just the night before?, he thought. He nonchalantly started up conversation with a customer in a coffee shop and found he had arrived in the middle of monsoon season. A monsoon, he learned, was a sudden but brief, only about an hour long, rainstorm, sometimes causing flood warnings about the state. True enough, almost hour later, it had stopped and the clouds dispersed. Jarod was amused. He could get used to weather like this, unlike the gloomy rainy days of the other states he had visited before.

Jarod headed over to the magazine stand where he got that day's paper. Scanning the front page, he did not see anything too alarming so he took the paper to a restaurant nearby. While he ate lunch there, he looked through the articles to find anything "pretend-worthy", aka anything that might be more than what they seemed that he would need to help with. He found one about halfway through his reading. It was about a lost child, and suspicious circumstances were surrounding the disappearance. He popped the last bite of pizza in his mouth, left a generous tip at the table, and exited the restaurant with the paper folded up in his arm.

Jarod headed back to his hotel room to do some research on the recent local tragedy. He researched for the rest of the day and half the night. Finally, around three a.m. he collapsed in bed. The next morning found him looking out the window, again wet with the morning monsoon rain. Wondering how long it had been raining this time, he went back to his computer and researched some more. He had a breakthrough, and was eager to get started on the pretend. Anyone who would kidnap a child, especially a young one, should be drawn, quartered, and shot, he thought. Hmmm, now that's an idea… finding the culprit and have him drawn and almost quarter him, just enough to confess, then the police would take care of the criminal and let justice be done. He smiled grimly in satisfaction. He went about setting up his credentials as an police officer and started simulating on how to find the missing youngster.

Hours later, and a lot of work later, he took a walk to clear his mind.

Then the alarm in his brain started ringing, loudly, and getting louder.

TO BE CONTINUED

DKoP, Chapter 6, Page 4