Scene Twelve

Alex is beginning to talk. Jarod and Miss Parker (to be called Rachel from now on, since she isn't a Parker anyway) are sitting side by side, his hand on her shoulder and her hand on his knee. No more hate between them.

"Start talking," he says.

"Catherine and you mother met in ninth grade at the private school they both attended. They became quick and best friends."

"Okay, that explains how they knew each other," she says looking at Jarod.

"Yeah, but how does that involve the Centre?" Alex remains silent. Jarod jumps up and grabs Alex's jacket. "Answer me damn it!" Alex just glares back at Jarod, who is about to loose it, when Rachel puts her hand on Jarod's arm and lightly pulls him back.

"He is no good to us dead," she whispers and Alex smiles. She looks at him and says "At least not right now." She smiles as his fades. "Now talk because I'm not going to be able to hold him back forever."

"Fine. The reason why you are wanted back by the Centre so bad is that your mother is a Parker."

"What?" Jarod yells.

"Mr. Parker is her brother. Their grandfather was the founder of the Centre." Both sit down, stunned.

"Does...does...that mean that we're related?" Rachel stutters out.

"No."

"Because my uncle is not your real father," Jarod says staring blankly.

"Oh, right," she says still in somewhat shock. She looks at Jarod with sad eyes but he doesn't notice her because he turns and looks at more photos. He soon sees a picture of their mothers happy and smiling and Mr. Parker in the shadows, cold. The whole time he looks at the photos it is silent because Rachel is searching for the right words to say. She looks back at Alex after some time and practically whispers "then who is my father?"

"Well, actually I never completely figured that out but I think it is a dead man."

"A dead man? What the hell does that mean?" she yells as she now grabs his jacket. Jarod rises and walks toward and grabs her hand.

"He means Tommy Thompson." She looks at Jarod and then back to Alex who is starring at Jarod.

"You are a genius," Alex says to Jarod, sarcastically.

"And apparently you're not if you aren't sure," he snaps back.

"Ooh, good one! But I know more than you do so I must be smarter then you."

"Enough!" Rachel yells. She looks at Alex and glares. "What do you mean you're not sure?"

"Well, your mother was a very complicated woman and I could never prove my theory."

"Great." She sits down and puts her head in her hands, beginning to cry, actually showing another emotion other than anger. Jarod kneels down beside her and starts to comfort her by hugging and holding her in his arms. She at first twitches at being touched but then lets him hold her. She doesn't show her tears and quickly regains her composer. Jarod looks in her eyes and watches them go from sad, pleading eyes to the angry, determined eyes he is so use to seeing and almost smiles. "Well, next on the agenda." She walks to the table and picks up the envelope labeled "mirage." She slides in in front of Alex, "What is Mirage?"

"Mirage was your mother's own idea. Once she realized that she was pregnant she decided that it was time to put it into action. That was when she staged her death and went with Raines. Her plan was to give birth and then rescue you two. Unfortunately for her, Mr. Parker and the others found out and let her carry it out to get the child. You know the rest."

"What?" asks Jarod, confused on the last remark. "No we don't." Rachel touches his arm.

"You don't, I do. After she gave birth to Ethan Mr. Raines shot her, killing her and then took Ethan and did...well you know that part."

"Are you sure?" she gulps at his question, wishing she could say no, that her mother was alive. She looks down.

"Positive." She now looks in his eyes. "It was on the other DSA Broots found when we showed you the one with you and her talking. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Oh." She is near tears again with that vision of her mother in her head. He grabs her hand and squeezes it. They look at each other. He tries to muster a smile, holding back tears. She half laughs at his attempt as she holds back her own. After a bit they open the envelope to confirm what Alex said. They find plane tickets to Europe and notes from Major Charles on where to meet when she was going to reunite him and Jarod. The tears begin to build again.

"I can't believe you are seeing me like this," she laughs out, now letting the tears fall.

"Me neither," he says, smiling, with his tears becoming less and less. They both laugh and hold hands. He looks back at Alex. "Who ordered it?"

"Guess," he hisses. They both stop crying and get looks of hate in their eyes.

"Mr. Parker," they say synonymously. She looks at Alex.

"Who ordered Tommy's?"

"You already know." She sighs.

"That bastard! I can't believe he's my own blood," says Jarod.

"Yes, yes," says Alex sarcastically. "Are we through here now?" Jarod ignores him and walks to his car.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"You'll see." He comes back with this computer along with a portable printer and scanner. He goes through the picture and finds the best picture of their mothers. He scans it and then prints out two copies. He puts the original back with the rest and hands Rachel one of the copies. "This is for you, incase the rest ever get destroyed by the Centre," he says with a smile and looks into her eyes. She smiles back.

"Thank you Jarod." she takes the photo and squeezes his hand. He squeezes back and takes his copy and puts it back in his car. At the same time she puts the photo in her pocket and puts everything back in her briefcase. He walks to her side and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"You have to put that all back exactly how they were before."

"But---"

"No, Rachel, I know you don't like taking orders, especially from me, but you have to before they find out you have them, if we're lucky. They may already know."

"I know, but can't I try to find out more information from him; maybe I'll find out where your mother is or who my father is." He hesitates before he responds.

"No, I'll find out who your father is and find my mother. Trust me, you can't risk your life over something I can find out." He slightly smiles and she smiles back.

"You're right and wrong."

"What?" he says in a puzzled look. She smiles.

"You're of course right about putting them back but you are wrong about me taking orders. I don't hate...at least anymore, taking them from you." They laugh. She looks at Alex who is getting really annoyed. "So what are we going to do with him?"

"I'm glad you asked," Jarod says playfully. He walks into the shadows and wheels out a large wooden box. "I figured you'll need time to put those back without Lyle on your tail so I'm going to deliver Alex in this box to the Centre at 9 tomorrow morning which should stall them long enough for you to do it." He smiles at her and she laughs.

"I love it!"

"I don't!" yells Alex.

"Nobody cares about your opinion," Jarod snaps at him.

"9?" she says looking at her watch.

"Yeah."

"Good that gives me plenty of time to try to get some sleep."

"Good idea."

"But first we should work out some plan for later."

"Right." They sit down at the table. "Okay, I'll set up some fake 'pretends' for you and Syd to follow while I learn more about my family and yours. When I know everything I'll tell you and we can set up my final plan for the Centre."

"What would that be?"

"Oh, you'll know soon enough."

"Fine. That all sounds good." They pause for a second.

"Oh, first to help in your father issue I need a blood sample."

"What? Why? You already know my blood type."

"Yes but I want to do the DNA analyze so that it is 100%."

"Oh, okay." She pulls up her sleeve while he goes to his car and gets the needle. He sets her up and quickly and painlessly takes her blood. He bandages her up and puts her blood in his car. "Well," she says after looking in his eyes for a while when he returned "I guess I should get going." She stands and grabs the briefcase.

"Yeah." He stands and walks her to her car. He is walking behind her and sighs lightly as he looks at her.

"What?" she asks, but not in her usual way, this time is sounded like she really cared. He avoids eye contact. "What is it Jarod?" she asks gently and turns his head so he will look at her. He walks away to lean against the car.

"I just feel so guilty."

"For what?"

"You." She walks close to him and lifts his head up to see into his eyes.

"Why?"

"My family. If our mothers had never met you would have lived a happy, normal life with your mother and real father."

"Maybe, but then I would have never met you." She smiles at him, which makes his smile. They look at each other for a little while and then he puts his hand on her cheek, pushing her hair back. They lean into each other and close their eyes. They are an inch apart from something they both have wanted for a long time when her cell phone rings. Both are startled and know they can't finish what they had started. She grabs her phone and answers it.

"What?" she says in her normal, harsh tone.

"It's me, Sydney, I was just checking to see if you and Jarod are okay after what you have found out." She smiles and Jarod smiles too, knowing from her reaction that it was Sydney.

"We're fine Syd."

"Good. Well, what did you learn?" She rubs her forehead.

"Oh, Syd, I'll tell you tomorrow. Meet me in my office at 9:20."

"Okay. Bye Parker." (Click) She puts the phone away and opens her car door.

"Well I guess I should go."

"Yeah. Hey, don't tell Syd everything--at least about my new family. The less he knows right now the safer he is."

"Right." She gets inside and shuts the door. She rolls down the window and starts the car. He is now standing by her door. "Bye Jarod."

"Bye Rachel." She smiles at that response.

"Hey remember to call me Miss Parker at the Centre, okay?"

"Of course, Miss Parker." he says playfully. They laugh and she rolls up her window and drives away. He watches her leave and then goes back to his car and pulls out another needle, this one full with a clear solution. "Oh, Alex?" he says as he walks toward him.

"What are you doing?" Jarod pulls on part of Alex's jacket to see his skin and injects it in Alex.

"What? Can't have you telling Lyle that you talked to us now can we? Besides it will make your ride in the box a lot more peaceful."

"Jarod!" Jarod laughs and ties the blindfold back on him. "Nighty, night." He opens the box and wheels out a metal cage. He puts Alex in the cage, locks it, and tapes a Pez dispenser and a note to the front. Jarod wheels Alex, who is almost asleep from the meds, into the box and shuts it. He then brings out of the shadow a ladder and a full garbage bag. He climbs the ladder to open the top. He then dumps a bunch of Styrofoam peanuts from the bag inside. "Wouldn't want you to break in there." he yells at Alex and shuts the lid and nails it down. He gets off the ladder and soon hears his phone ring. He runs to it and pushes 'OK'.

"Hello?"

"Jarod?" asks a voice Jarod has not heard in a while.

"Ethan?"