Miss Parker awoke alone. The moment she realized this, she immediately tensed up. She was afraid. Pale sunlight streamed in through the blinds. Another miserable day.

She reveled in the memory of Jarod's arms wrapped tightly around her and the feeling of his velvet lips brushing her forehead when he thought she was asleep. She smelled him on her pillow. She replayed their conversation in her head.

Miss Parker forced herself to leave the comforts of her warm bed and trod downstairs, calling Jarod's name all the while. No answer. He was gone. She went back upstairs, her feet sinking into the plush carpeting as she headed towards the bathroom.

She stripped of her night gown and turned on the shower, waiting for the water to get hot. 'What are you doing here?' 'I came to watch you sleep. I've been worried about you.' was his reply. She wondered how many nights he had snuck into her house, climbed the stairs and went into her bedroom, hovering over her sleeping form.

Parker stepped into the tub. The hot water pounded her shoulders, massaging and kneading the knots in her back and shoulders. She imagined Jarod's hands on her body. She inhaled the aroma of the shampoo as she worked it through her hair.

Then she thought of the note and pictured some faceless stranger watching her as she slept, watching her as she showered. Her skin crawled and she did not feel safe in her own skin.

She got ready for work and cautiously headed outside. She kept alert, but saw or heard nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the ominous feeling that she was being watched swept over her.

********

Miss Parker returned home shortly after 8pm. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She flipped the switch and started unbuttoning her blouse when a box sitting on her bed caught her eye. She figured it was from Jarod because of what transpired the previous night.

She walked over, picked up the box and lifted it's lid. A note sat on top of tissue paper. Her smile quickly faded as she realized it was not from Jarod. 'I'm watching you. I'm waiting.' it read. She froze, dropping the box onto the carpeting, sending the contents rolling out of the box.

She screamed shrilly as she saw the two dead lovebirds at her feet. She knew they were love birds. Parker and her mother used to study books on ornithology when she was a child. She instantly felt sick. It wasn't the fact that the birds were dead that bothered her, it was the fact that they were there and what they represented. Some psychopath was watching her and now he had been inside of her home.

Parker took her gun from its holster and removed the safety. Her heart pounded in her chest so loudly that it resonated in her head. She felt a sudden chill and saw that the window was open a crack letting the cold night air in. The curtains billowed in the breeze. This is how he must have gotten in. She examined the window. The lock had been broken from force.

Who the hell would break into a second story window when they could just as easily break in on the first floor? Someone cold and calculated, someone who didn't play by the rules. Someone who wanted to show her that he could get inside her head by violating her most inner sanctum. Someone who wanted to steel her trust and peace of mind in a place she felt safe. A voyeur who liked to stalk his prey and invoke fear. A monster that lurked in the shadows.

Miss Parker wished Jarod was there. She needed him more than ever and it wasn't easy for her to make such an admission to herself. She turned on every light she could find as she checked and rechecked possible hiding places. Parker made sure every shade, blind and curtain was drawn and that every window and door was locked. Although, the perpetrator had proven that he could easily bypass that obstacle. If only she hadn't had her alarm system disconnected. When she first got it, it had proved to be more of an annoyance than an advantage as it was set off by anything. As a result, she opted to have it removed, thinking it was more trouble than it was worth.

In the living room, she poured a small amount of Brandy into a snifter. She took a sip and closed her eyes as the alcohol warmed and calmed her. It soothed her jangled nerves. It didn't matter that she wasn't supposed to drink. It aggravated her ulcer, an ulcer that had almost killed her. None of that mattered. Besides, it wasn't like she was drinking a whole bottle, or whole glass for that matter. She needed to be numb right now.

Her peace was shattered when she heard a crash in the kitchen. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, her gun ready and deadly. She breathed a ragged sigh of relief as she spotted her cat circling a broken vase on the counter.

The cat looked up at Miss Parker with her piercing amber eyes, pleading for mercy. Miss Parker approached, ready to take the feline into her arms. The cat knew she had done wrong and thought she was about to be admonished. "Bad girl, Vixen. You scared me." Hearing the tension in her keeper's voice as she spoke her name, the cat's ears perked up. Craving attention, Miss Parker reached out to pet her, only to be greeted by a jet black torpedo flying off the counter into the next room.

Miss Parker was definitely a lot like her cat. She was independent by nature and no one owned her. No one ever would. She did what she wanted when she wanted, and didn't care about what people said and relied on instinct. She got bored easily and walked away to express this. She could have any tom she wanted, and could just as readily swat him away with a strike of a claw when she was tired of him. She wandered aimlessly, on a crusade for lost truths, never quite finding what she was seeking. She was lonely and craved love and attention. Both she and the cat were huntresses, their prey always just out of reach.

She went back into her bedroom and leaned against the wall. Closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath, she sank to the floor. She covered her tear streaked face with her hands, touching her mother's ring. She lifted her head. The dead birds in her peripheral vision, she immediately got nauseous and ran into the bathroom.

Moments later, her cell phone rang. She prayed it was Jarod. She rinsed her mouth and splashed cold water on her face. She grabbed a towel and patted her face dry and picked up the phone.

"H-Hello." she said.

"What happened to your signature 'what?!' ?" he said. "Are you alright?"

"Thank god you called. No..." she said, wiping away the hot tears that flowed down her cheeks. "No, I'm not."

"What happened?"

"They left another note.....and a present."

"Present? What kind of present?"

"Present isn't the right word for it. Two dead love birds."

"Why are you alone?"

"According to your analysis of me one time, you said I was unable to commit to any form of relationship because I couldn't trust, Dr. Freud."

"I mean why didn't you get someone to stay with you like I told you? Your father could give you a couple of sweepers to keep an eye on you."

"I didn't tell my father. Don't I have enough people watching me?"

"I'm sorry." he said, realizing what he said alluded to the note.

"Please don't hang up." she said softly.

Jarod was not used to seeing this emotionally vulnerable, fragile side of Parker, a side that she rarely, if ever exhibited. She had too much pride than to ask him for help and to ask him to come. "I'll do you one better, Parker. I'm coming over. It'll be one big slumber party."

"Thank you." she said. Oh yeah, one big slumber party. Like she'd really be able to sleep while some obsessed maniac watched her and toyed with her head. Actually, with Jarod there she should feel safe.

********

An hour later, Parker's cell phone rang again. "Open your back door. It's me." She went to the door with her gun and instinctively peeked behind the curtain to make sure it was in fact Jarod.

She unlocked the door and he came in, locking the door behind them. Jarod took her into his arms and held her. He led her upstairs. She sat down on the bed and fumbled with the remaining buttons on her blouse. Damn, why did there have to be so many.

Watching her struggle, Jarod touched her hand, stopping her. "Let me."he said. She acquiesced. He sat down beside her and finished unbuttoning her shirt. Just as he was about the stand, her hand clutched his forearm.

"Don't leave me." she said, her voice wavering.

"I was going to give you privacy."

"Since when have you known me to be modest?"Her protective shield of sarcasm was set back firmly in place. "It's nothing you haven't seen before." she said faltering, lowering her voice. He put his hand on her shoulder and she came closer to him, tucking her head in the crook of his neck. His fingers lightly brushed her forehead as she leaned against him. He kissed the top of her head, her temple, then her cheek. Still gripping his shoulder, she lifted her head and met his eyes as his lips softly crushed her mouth. His tongue fought entry into her mouth and she gladly let him in for a deep, searing, tantalizing kiss.

Things escalated and heated up fast. Jarod caressed her skin and peeled her shirt off, while she did him the same favor. Soon they were wearing next to nothing."Are you sure?" he asked her, as he lowered her onto the bed.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

********

Afterwards, they collapsed next to each other panting. I love you, Parker." Jarod said.

"I love you, Jarod." she said, encompassed in his warm, loving embrace. Their union promised to be explosive and that promise was fulfilled. They drifted off to sleep.

********

Parker awoke alone once again. She sighed. She looked at the other side of the bed. Empty. She remembered last night and wondered if it were a dream. No. It wasn't. She hesitated before getting out of bed. She smelled him on her pillows and on her skin. She saw a note and red rose where his head should have rested and panicked for a moment. Parker, stop it! It's from Jarod. She picked up the rose and brushed its lush petals with the tips of her fingers. Finally, she set it down and picked up the note.

I'm sorry I had to leave. Last night was incredible.
I'll see you tonight. Tell your father. I love you.
Love, Jarod


She ran her fingers through her hair as she padded barefoot to the bathroom. She heard a crash downstairs. Probably the damn cat again. Another crash, this time louder. A human wouldn't be so stupid as to cause noise and create attention to themselves. Then again......

She wrapped her robe around herself, emerged from the bathroom, and retrieved her slim pistol from her night stand. Slowly, she descended the steps. The noise was coming from the kitchen. It's just the cat, Parker, she told herself.

"Freeze!" she yelled at the sight before her. The small kitchen window was open. The rear end of a man in blaze orange neon pants kicked his legs in the kitchen.

She laughed inwardly. "Inconspicuous aren't we? I suggest you get your ass out of there before I shoot you."

"I'm stuck Miss Parker!" cried a meek little voice.

"BROOTS!?!" she exclaimed, slowly processing everything. Broots was stalking her!