I realize that it has been a very long time since I last updated this story, almost a year, and that really sucks. Unfortunately, the same excuses still apply. So, for anyone still interested here is an update.
"No doubt there are other important things in life besides conflict, but there are not many other things so inevitably interesting. The very saints interest us most when we think of them as engaged in a conflict with the Devil."
-Robert Lynd: The Blue Lion-
Part 14
After ordering nothing but junk from the hotel menu and eating all of it, Jarod and Daniel were sitting on the couch watching television while Parker sat on the bed using her laptop. Jarod had been considerate enough to order her some grilled salmon and a salad as opposed to the cheeseburgers, pizza, jello and ice cream he and Daniel ate. After watching them stuff their faces, she warned Jarod that if Daniel got sick he would be the one cleaning up after him. Jarod had only smiled and ushered Daniel off to the television.
Parker looked up from the screen when she felt a dip in the bed next to her. Jarod moved in close to her and looked onto the laptop with her.
"I thought your days of bounty hunting were behind you?" he asked.
"They are," she said as she typed in a few names. Jarod recognized them as some of the bounties she had been after. "Just checking on a few things."
Her eyes drifted shut when she felt the warmth of his lips caressing her neck. "What's Daniel doing?" she asked softly.
"He's sleeping," Jarod answered against her smooth skin. Turning her head to face him, he moved his kisses to her mouth, his tongue parting her lips.
"You know," Parker said, pulling back for air, "as nice as this is, Daniel could wake up any minute."
"I know," Jarod said, delving in for one last taste of her. He stood from the bed and Parker's eyes tracked him as he moved into the bathroom, no doubt frustrated, she thought with a slight smile.
Focusing her attention back on the mug shots on the laptop, she sighed as she thought about seeing Jarod's family. The crazy part of her would almost rather go back to the Centre. She closed the laptop in frustration and moved to where Daniel was sleeping on the couch. Lifting him gently, she carried him over to the extra bed and snuggled around him as she watched him sleep. If going to see Jarod's family meant just a little more normalcy and safety for him then she would do it.
Parker had insisted on driving and she listened quietly as Jarod told Daniel about his perfect little family. It was annoying. It wasn't that she had anything against them, but she didn't want Jarod to plant any seeds of false hope into Daniel's head considering they were all so completely unsure of what the future held. They were smart, her and Jarod, smart enough to dodge the Centre, but it didn't mean that they weren't still a threat.
They had been driving for hours and Parker looked into the rearview mirror to see Daniel fast asleep. They left at nearly one that morning and it was now closing in on two in the afternoon. They would be at the family's home in Alabama shortly.
"It's been a long time since I've seen them face to face," Jarod said from the passenger seat.
Parker softened at the tone of his voice. Although, it wasn't much, she had been lucky to be able to spend what little time she did have with her mother. Jarod had even less time with his family and it was hard to deal with the fact that it was all because of her family. Not for the first time, she wondered how anything good had ever survived that place, how Jarod maintained such a happy outlook. Reaching over, she picked up his hand and kissed it.
They followed the driveway along slowly to a cozy two story house. It was a fairly rural area, but there were plenty of neighbors nearby and a drive into town would take no more than fifteen minutes. Parker stopped the car in front of the garage and took a deep breath. She was tense, but she didn't want Jarod to know, so she made sure to school her features. Stepping from the car, she moved to gather a sleeping Daniel. Jarod came around to meet her and together they walked to the home.
It was just the type of corny reunion she was expecting and she watched silently in the background as Jarod happily greeted his father, his sister and his clone with hugs and kisses. She definitely noticed the wary looks she was receiving, but she kept her features neutral. Jarod's clone was the only one who smiled at her with any sort of sincerity. He had chosen the name Adam for himself. Daniel was beginning to stir and Jarod happily introduced the little boy to his family.
"This is Daniel," he said, taking the boy from her arms. "He's Parker's brother." Daniel greeted everyone shyly and then sought the warmth of Parker's embrace once again. She kissed his head and followed along as Jarod's father showed them where they would be staying.
"The house has five bedrooms and two baths. They're pretty small, but we make do," he said as they climbed the stairs. They approached an open door and Parker looked inside to see a cozy, full-sized bed. There was no way she Jarod and Daniel could share the tiny room.
"Jarod, your room is right next door," his dad said, smiling as he clapped him on the shoulder.
Parker glanced at Jarod, who returned his father's smile, and wondered if he had mentioned to his family that they were a little more than just friends.
"I'll leave you to get settled," the Major said.
Parker waited until the door closed before speaking. "Jarod, what exactly have you told them about us?" she asked as she sat Daniel on the floor. He immediately moved to the bed and began bouncing on it.
"Nothing really," he said, rifling through their bags.
"They're not exactly welcoming me with open arms. Don't you think it might come as a shock to them, you fraternizing with the enemy?" She glanced over to Daniel who was now playing with an Uncle Sam Pez dispenser Jarod had tossed onto the bed.
"Parker, they know you don't work for the Centre anymore. They know that you aren't like the rest of your family," he explained.
Like the rest of her family. She could have slapped him. If Parker was honest with herself, she was still a little raw from their argument. Something about the way Jarod said it just bugged her. "No, they don't. They don't know anything about me and they have no reason to trust me."
"I trust you, Parker," Daniel said as he crunched on a piece of candy.
Parker could only smile at him.
"Don't worry," Jarod said. "Once they get to know you, they'll see who you really are." He kissed her cheek and Parker stayed quiet, not wanting to continue the conversation in front of Daniel. It was going to be a long visit.
Adam and Emily sat on the back porch talking quietly. It was certainly a joy to have Jarod home, but Emily wasn't so sure about Miss Parker.
"She tried to save me when I was at the Centre," Adam said. "I don't think she would have done that if she was like the rest of them."
"Still," Emily said as she looked out into sunny yard, "she chased Jarod relentlessly for years. I just don't think it would be smart to let our guard down. That place will go to any means necessary to get what they want." They had been living in the house for nearly a year and a part of Emily had begun to feel safe, but now that Miss Parker was among them, she was beginning to feel restless again. It was like having a fox in the henhouse.
Adam stayed quiet, letting his sister have a right to her feelings on the situation. He couldn't expect the rest of his family to simply trust Parker the way he instinctively did, but then again, no one had ever told him much about her so he wasn't sure of her past actions.
Just then, Jarod came outside to join them, smiling brightly. "I've missed you both," he said, taking a hold of Emily's hand. There was still so much he had to learn about his sister, Adam, too.
"We've missed you, too, Jarod," Emily said. But as happy as they were, they knew things would only feel complete once they reunited with their mother. "Have you come any closer to finding mom?" she asked quietly.
"No," he said sadly. A part of him felt guilty. Ever since Parker and her brother had come into his life, his search for Margaret hadn't been as focused.
"We had a lead a few weeks ago," Adam said. "There was a woman matching her description in New York. Emily went to check it out."
"By the time I got there she was gone," she explained. "She did leave something behind though." Emily went into the house and came out a moment later with a small, silver butterfly pin. "They were always her favorite. I remember she used to where it everyday."
Jarod held the shiny butterfly and watched as it glinted in the sunlight. Butterflies symbolized lots of different things. Some believed they were the personification of one's soul and others believed them to be a bad omen. He tried not to think about the latter.
It wasn't long before Daniel's shyness was a thing of the past. Parker sat at the kitchen table with a glass of water, watching quietly as he helped Jarod's father prepare dinner. He had warmed up to the entire family. Parker, on the other hand, had barely spoken two words to any of them. What was there to say really? She had nothing in common with them other than Jarod and the Centre and she doubted they wanted to talk about that.
"Daniel, stay here with the Major. I'll be back in a minute," she informed the boy.
"Okay, Parker," he smiled.
She made her way upstairs to their room and shut the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief. She was glad Jarod was getting to spend time with his family and that Daniel was having fun, but she wanted nothing more than to get into her car and leave. It all reminded her of how desperately she still missed her own mother.
The weather was much warmer in Alabama, even though it was still technically winter, and Parker decided to put on something lighter. After she finished changing, she sat down on the edge of the bed and simply stared at the closed bedroom door. Her inner voice hadn't spoken to her since the day of the explosion and she suddenly yearned for it, yearned for her mother to guide her. She, Daniel and Jarod couldn't run forever. The only possible thing left to do was to go under deeper than ever before. She knew they could do it, had thought about it plenty before Jarod found her. The only reason he hadn't done it before was because he chose not to, the Centre still having some twisted hold on his psyche. As much as she wanted answers from the Centre, she would leave it all behind to protect Daniel from the kind of life they provided.
The muffled sound of a woman's voice quickly brought her out of her thoughts and she opened the door to see what was going on. As she descended the stairs, the voice became clearer and she made her way into the living room just in time to see a red headed woman planting a kiss on Jarod with the rest of his family standing around watching, smiling.
Folding her arms across her chest, she watched the scene with perfectly schooled features, the rest of the family having no idea that she was even in the room. The strange woman was dressed in a pair of tight, faded jeans and a black, leather jacket. Her hair was a mess of long curls. Parker had to admit that it was quite a lengthy kiss the woman was laying on Jarod, who had yet to pull away. It was Daniel who finally made her presence known.
"Hi, Parker," he said loudly as he ran over to her. It was comical really, the way Jarod's head snapped around to look at her, lipstick smudged across his face, but she didn't dare crack a smile, deciding to let him stew a minute. Instead she simply raised an eyebrow and ushered Daniel from the room, not sparing a second glance for the new visitor.
"Who was that woman?" Daniel asked as they entered the kitchen.
"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," she told him. "Hey, how about we go outside for a walk." Daniel happily agreed and they made their way through the back door.
"Who was that woman?" Zoë asked, unknowingly echoing Daniel's words.
Jarod was stuck on deciding to go after Parker or stay and find out what Zoë was doing there.
"That was Miss Parker," Adam said, answering Zoë's question.
"Surprise, Jarod," his father said, smiling. "Zoë has been keeping in touch with the family and I invited her for a stay. It was just a coincidence you deciding to visit, too. I know she means a lot to you." He was the one to rescue her from her kidnappers and he had come to see how much they meant to one another.
Jarod stared at Zoë who was smiling brightly. She pulled him into a hug and he hugged her back. He cared a great deal for her, had even told her he loved her. But he had loved Miss Parker for nearly his entire life and he hoped Zoë would be okay with just being friends now. He looked around at his smiling family and swallowed hard. Things were going to be awkward to say the least.
The yard was nearly an acre in size with a vegetable garden and a small gazebo. Parker watched her brother, now dressed in a t-shirt, as he ran ahead of her. It was nice to see him simply being a child. No worries about not finishing a simulation and no punishment for asking questions. He picked up a grasshopper and showed it to her, oblivious to her disgust. "Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Anthropoda; Subphylum: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Order: Orthoptera; Suborder: Caelifera." He grinned at her and ran along, naming orders and classes and kingdoms for every bug or animal he saw. Saying that he was special was an understatement and she decided that it was about time she rose from the dead and spoke to Sydney and Broots. She wanted every piece of information they could dig up about her brother…and his origins. Broots had already discovered that it was unlikely that the man she called Daddy was even her real father. He couldn't possibly be Daniel's either.
The screen of the back door slammed shut and Parker looked back to the house to see Jarod making his way toward her. She wanted to smirk, but held it back. He stopped in front of her and gave her a guilty smile.
"Parker, about Zoë," he began.
The name immediately rang a bell and she knew that it was one of Jarod's old flames, the one Dr. Cox had kidnapped. She kept the information to herself and watched quietly as he struggled to explain himself.
"Well, we used to…"
"Date?" Parker offered sarcastically.
Jarod rubbed the back of his head. "Something like that," he muttered. He felt guilty for thinking about the things he and Zoë shared.
Parker quirked an eyebrow, knowing exactly what Jarod wasn't saying. She had no real insecurities when it came to the woman, but she found it amusing, watching Jarod squirm.
"Well, she's kind of a free spirit. She doesn't know about us and…"
Deciding that he'd had enough, Parker interrupted. "Jarod, it's alright. Just don't let it happen again." He smiled and she smirked. He leaned in to kiss her and she moved her head away, instead bringing a hand up to wipe the lipstick from his mouth.
"Sorry." He brought his hand up to roughly smear it away. He wished he had told his family about them from the beginning and now things were going to be tense. As soon as he got a chance, he was going to tell his father everything.
"Jarod!" Daniel called from the garden where he had been playing. "Look at this." With one last grateful smile at Parker, he joined the little boy where he was picking tomatoes.
Parker watched as Daniel took a juicy bite of the newly discovered fruit and once again began naming the order and kingdom. She rolled her eyes when Jarod joined him, certain that she was in an episode of the Twilight Zone.
Turning back to the house, Parker saw Zoë watching them from the back porch and she had a feeling that she wasn't the type of woman who could handle being told no. The last thing she felt like dealing with was a jealous ex-girlfriend. Blatantly turning her back to the other woman, she joined Jarod and Daniel in the garden.
To be continued...
Now, I know that I used the whole Zoe aspect in my last story, but even though I didn't care for her character on the show, I think she makes for good conflict between Parker and Jarod. Thanks for reading.