This was my very first fic, so its not as good as the others. I hadn't seen too much of the Pretender. Also, this is a bit AU because I was under the impression Kyle and Jarod were older when Anne died. (I hadn't seen the episode yet, just read about it.)
Extra Help
Jarod walked to the bus stop, reading a newspaper article. He was on his way to New Jersey, but right now he was stuck in Maryland.
Sitting down on a bench, he shot back up when it moved. A girl with tousled brown hair sat up, wrapped in a blanket.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there," Jarod apologized. "My name is Jarod. May I share this bench?"
"Sure. I'm AnaLeece." The girl swung her legs off, giving him room. She looked no more than 12. He wondered where her family was.
"Why are you out here all by yourself?"
" I can't go home, and this is the best place to sleep. Do you have a last name, Jarod?"
"None that I can tell you."
"Well I'm afraid I must leave. Bye!" AnaLeece ran down the street. Jarod followed her as she slowed to a stop in front of a hotel. He listened to her register in as Anne Russell. He walked up to the counter.
"I was wondering if my daughter has been here," he asked the clerk.
"She often runs off when we have a disagreement, and she often talks about this hotel."
"What was her name, sir?"
"Anne Russell. I'm Bill Russell."
"I just checked in an Anne Russell. She said her father would be here shortly. Your room number is 27, and she forgot the key. Here you are Mr. Russell." Jarod thanked the clerk and went looking for her room. He found the girl standing outside her door, smiling sheepishly. Without a word, Jarod put the key into the lock and opened the door. They both entered, sitting on a couch.
"You shouldn't have come here, you know. You'll get in trouble," AnaLeece scolded.
"Tell me, AnaLeece, why can't you go home?"
"Rainy might hurt me. He has searchers out."
"And who is Rainy?" Jarod asked, fearing the answer.
"My grandfather, silly. You might not want to stay here. If they catch me, they will definitely catch you."
"You know who I am?"
"You're Jarod. I've only read about you, never seen an actual photo or DSA." She took out some tightly folded papers. "I was looking for a for some physical description I might have missed. When you followed me, I was sure you were the Jarod. You are, aren't you?"
"Yes. And I'm not leaving you. How did you manage to get these?" He gestured to her papers.
" I was looking around his study. I'm not supposed to go in there. I found all this data on the Pretender project. I took as much as I could."
"Why were you with Raines?" That was what Jarod still did not get.
"My mother, Anne, died as soon as I was born. Rainy won't go into how. I think she was the only person he actually cared for. After Edna disappeared, he was the only person left."
"I had no idea Raines had a granddaughter. Where is your father?"
"See, I didn't know who he was until I went through the red files. There is a guy named Kyle. I haven't finished his file yet, but Raines used Anne and Kyle to create a lab baby…me. What's the matter Jarod? Jarod?" AnaLeece was worried when he did not answer her.
"Ana, you realize what this means?"
"What?"
"You are my niece! Kyle was my brother. I just found out three years ago, but your father and I are related. But I don't understand. Why create you? I mean, I'm happy you're here, but Raines isn't known for his love of kids."
"That's what I was wondering. So one time Rainy was trying to teach me math and he got frustrated. He mumbled something about me being too dumb. When he left I snuck into his study and found out about why I was made. He wanted another pretender. And if it were Anne's child, he would have full say in what happened to me. I didn't know what a pretender was, so I looked further. That's when I found all these files and papers. Rainy wasn't too happy with me, though, because I didn't end up having the Pretender gene. He tried for a long time, trying to get me to overcome it.
"Jarod, may I call you Uncle? I've never had anyone but my grandparents." Jarod reached for her and drew them into a hug.
"I was hoping you'd ask." That night Jarod told AnaLeece all about Kyle and Edna. By morning Jarod had a plan for her.
********
They were in Delaware once again, and AnaLeece was nervous. What if he didn't want her?
"Now remember what I told you," Jarod reminded, breaking through her thoughts. "Broots has a soft spot for kids and he's incredibly intimidated by strong women. Just play the part." AnaLeece nodded, and set off to the neighborhood.
"Yes?" Broots asked into the phone.
"Mr. Broots," the all too familiar voice said. "I have sent a present for you. She'll be at your door at about, oh, now." Jarod hung up as Broots heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door, surprised to see a young girl standing on his doorstep swinging a DSA around her finger.
"Hello, Mr. Broots. I heard you're having some child-care problems," she greeted. Broots stammered and she invited herself in.
********
Four months later
"Hello, Broots residence," a feminine voice answered. Miss Parker didn't recognize it, but went on anyway.
"Hello Debbie. I need to speak to your father."
"Oh, I'm not Debbie, but I'll get him." Miss Parker heard a softly yelled, 'Broots!' on the other end.
"Y-yes, Miss Parker?"
"Broots, who was that?" she snapped.
"My daughter. Are you calling because of the memo I sent you?"
"Yes Broots, but what do you mean your daughter?"
"Just that. Now come over, I have some DSA's to show you."
"Yes, but I-" Miss Parker was stopped when he hung up. "Sydney!" she screeched. "Broots just hung up on me! And did you know he has another daughter?" Sydney just shook his head. This certainly was going to be interesting.
"Anne, would you get that?" Broots yelled when he heard the knock on the door.
"Sure thing, Daddy," she replied sarcastically. Opening the door, she greeted the visitors, "Hello, I'm assuming you're Sydney and Miss Parker. Won't you come in?" Sydney walked through the entryway while Miss Parker was left standing outside..
"Hello, and you are…?"
"Anne. I'm Broots' daughter. Miss Parker, are you going to come in? It's a bit drafty and Debbie has a small cold already." Miss Parker glared at the pre-teen and walked in as Broots entered the living room.
"Ah, Sydney, Miss Parker, I see you've met my daughter, Anne Russell. Well, she needed a home. And yes, Anne, we are going to get to the DSA." He inserted the disc and they were shown an image of Raines as 'Dr. Billy'. He explained about breeding Kyle and his daughter. At the end of the DSA, the screen went fuzzy and Broots snapped it off.
"What happened to the egg?" Sydney guessed it was now Anne Broots.
"The baby died with Anne. Her body was too damaged to save it."
Sydney nodded, accepting Broots' lie. He must have had his reasons. Miss Parker didn't see what the big deal was.
"Why did you contact us?"
"I didn't want to keep anything from you," Broots said sheepishly.
"You call this not hiding something from us?" Miss Parker asked angrily.
"I'm sure Broots had more important things on his mind," Sydney told her. He had some calls to make, and lead her out the door. "I'm sure you'll contact us if you find anything?" Broots nodded, hoping they would leave soon. Just then Debbie ran out in her pajamas.
"Anne, will you read to me?"
"Sure, sweets." Anne lead her to the girls' room, while Sydney and Miss Parker left, not wanting to intrude on their bedtime.
"Did I do good, Leecy?" Debbie asked.
"You did great. Right on cue! Now, do you want that story or not?"
Debbie jumped up and down, picking out her favorite story, 'Gemma and the Chicks'.
Broots smiled as he watched AnaLeece and Debbie read together. He knew she had already been made a part of the family. He went to his computer, writing to Jarod to tell him how his niece was doing.
Meanwhile Sydney was going through his files. He finally found the entry he wanted. 'Jarod is now believing his last name is Russell. I do not have the authority to find out if this is true or not.' He counted on his fingers, discovering Anne's baby would have been born before the car accident. He was startled out of his thoughts when the phone rang.
"This is Sydney," he answered.
"I hope you've met the gift," Jarod's unmistakable voice answered.
"Yes, Jarod, wherever did you find her? Raines, perhaps?"
"No, actually, Maryland. Do you like her?"
"Of course. I must ask, is she really your niece?"
"Yes, at least from what I know."
"May I know her name?"
"AnaLeece. Sydney, you sound so excited. It's just a little girl."
"I know, but I worry about Broots. We have a new project coming up and I don't want him to be stressed."
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. That new project has already been taken care of." Sydney waited for him to hang up and went back to reading. The new project involved a behavior expert. She would help them use Angelo. He hoped things would settle down soon.
End. The Sequel is in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossovers, if anyone is interested.
Extra Help
Jarod walked to the bus stop, reading a newspaper article. He was on his way to New Jersey, but right now he was stuck in Maryland.
Sitting down on a bench, he shot back up when it moved. A girl with tousled brown hair sat up, wrapped in a blanket.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there," Jarod apologized. "My name is Jarod. May I share this bench?"
"Sure. I'm AnaLeece." The girl swung her legs off, giving him room. She looked no more than 12. He wondered where her family was.
"Why are you out here all by yourself?"
" I can't go home, and this is the best place to sleep. Do you have a last name, Jarod?"
"None that I can tell you."
"Well I'm afraid I must leave. Bye!" AnaLeece ran down the street. Jarod followed her as she slowed to a stop in front of a hotel. He listened to her register in as Anne Russell. He walked up to the counter.
"I was wondering if my daughter has been here," he asked the clerk.
"She often runs off when we have a disagreement, and she often talks about this hotel."
"What was her name, sir?"
"Anne Russell. I'm Bill Russell."
"I just checked in an Anne Russell. She said her father would be here shortly. Your room number is 27, and she forgot the key. Here you are Mr. Russell." Jarod thanked the clerk and went looking for her room. He found the girl standing outside her door, smiling sheepishly. Without a word, Jarod put the key into the lock and opened the door. They both entered, sitting on a couch.
"You shouldn't have come here, you know. You'll get in trouble," AnaLeece scolded.
"Tell me, AnaLeece, why can't you go home?"
"Rainy might hurt me. He has searchers out."
"And who is Rainy?" Jarod asked, fearing the answer.
"My grandfather, silly. You might not want to stay here. If they catch me, they will definitely catch you."
"You know who I am?"
"You're Jarod. I've only read about you, never seen an actual photo or DSA." She took out some tightly folded papers. "I was looking for a for some physical description I might have missed. When you followed me, I was sure you were the Jarod. You are, aren't you?"
"Yes. And I'm not leaving you. How did you manage to get these?" He gestured to her papers.
" I was looking around his study. I'm not supposed to go in there. I found all this data on the Pretender project. I took as much as I could."
"Why were you with Raines?" That was what Jarod still did not get.
"My mother, Anne, died as soon as I was born. Rainy won't go into how. I think she was the only person he actually cared for. After Edna disappeared, he was the only person left."
"I had no idea Raines had a granddaughter. Where is your father?"
"See, I didn't know who he was until I went through the red files. There is a guy named Kyle. I haven't finished his file yet, but Raines used Anne and Kyle to create a lab baby…me. What's the matter Jarod? Jarod?" AnaLeece was worried when he did not answer her.
"Ana, you realize what this means?"
"What?"
"You are my niece! Kyle was my brother. I just found out three years ago, but your father and I are related. But I don't understand. Why create you? I mean, I'm happy you're here, but Raines isn't known for his love of kids."
"That's what I was wondering. So one time Rainy was trying to teach me math and he got frustrated. He mumbled something about me being too dumb. When he left I snuck into his study and found out about why I was made. He wanted another pretender. And if it were Anne's child, he would have full say in what happened to me. I didn't know what a pretender was, so I looked further. That's when I found all these files and papers. Rainy wasn't too happy with me, though, because I didn't end up having the Pretender gene. He tried for a long time, trying to get me to overcome it.
"Jarod, may I call you Uncle? I've never had anyone but my grandparents." Jarod reached for her and drew them into a hug.
"I was hoping you'd ask." That night Jarod told AnaLeece all about Kyle and Edna. By morning Jarod had a plan for her.
********
They were in Delaware once again, and AnaLeece was nervous. What if he didn't want her?
"Now remember what I told you," Jarod reminded, breaking through her thoughts. "Broots has a soft spot for kids and he's incredibly intimidated by strong women. Just play the part." AnaLeece nodded, and set off to the neighborhood.
"Yes?" Broots asked into the phone.
"Mr. Broots," the all too familiar voice said. "I have sent a present for you. She'll be at your door at about, oh, now." Jarod hung up as Broots heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door, surprised to see a young girl standing on his doorstep swinging a DSA around her finger.
"Hello, Mr. Broots. I heard you're having some child-care problems," she greeted. Broots stammered and she invited herself in.
********
Four months later
"Hello, Broots residence," a feminine voice answered. Miss Parker didn't recognize it, but went on anyway.
"Hello Debbie. I need to speak to your father."
"Oh, I'm not Debbie, but I'll get him." Miss Parker heard a softly yelled, 'Broots!' on the other end.
"Y-yes, Miss Parker?"
"Broots, who was that?" she snapped.
"My daughter. Are you calling because of the memo I sent you?"
"Yes Broots, but what do you mean your daughter?"
"Just that. Now come over, I have some DSA's to show you."
"Yes, but I-" Miss Parker was stopped when he hung up. "Sydney!" she screeched. "Broots just hung up on me! And did you know he has another daughter?" Sydney just shook his head. This certainly was going to be interesting.
"Anne, would you get that?" Broots yelled when he heard the knock on the door.
"Sure thing, Daddy," she replied sarcastically. Opening the door, she greeted the visitors, "Hello, I'm assuming you're Sydney and Miss Parker. Won't you come in?" Sydney walked through the entryway while Miss Parker was left standing outside..
"Hello, and you are…?"
"Anne. I'm Broots' daughter. Miss Parker, are you going to come in? It's a bit drafty and Debbie has a small cold already." Miss Parker glared at the pre-teen and walked in as Broots entered the living room.
"Ah, Sydney, Miss Parker, I see you've met my daughter, Anne Russell. Well, she needed a home. And yes, Anne, we are going to get to the DSA." He inserted the disc and they were shown an image of Raines as 'Dr. Billy'. He explained about breeding Kyle and his daughter. At the end of the DSA, the screen went fuzzy and Broots snapped it off.
"What happened to the egg?" Sydney guessed it was now Anne Broots.
"The baby died with Anne. Her body was too damaged to save it."
Sydney nodded, accepting Broots' lie. He must have had his reasons. Miss Parker didn't see what the big deal was.
"Why did you contact us?"
"I didn't want to keep anything from you," Broots said sheepishly.
"You call this not hiding something from us?" Miss Parker asked angrily.
"I'm sure Broots had more important things on his mind," Sydney told her. He had some calls to make, and lead her out the door. "I'm sure you'll contact us if you find anything?" Broots nodded, hoping they would leave soon. Just then Debbie ran out in her pajamas.
"Anne, will you read to me?"
"Sure, sweets." Anne lead her to the girls' room, while Sydney and Miss Parker left, not wanting to intrude on their bedtime.
"Did I do good, Leecy?" Debbie asked.
"You did great. Right on cue! Now, do you want that story or not?"
Debbie jumped up and down, picking out her favorite story, 'Gemma and the Chicks'.
Broots smiled as he watched AnaLeece and Debbie read together. He knew she had already been made a part of the family. He went to his computer, writing to Jarod to tell him how his niece was doing.
Meanwhile Sydney was going through his files. He finally found the entry he wanted. 'Jarod is now believing his last name is Russell. I do not have the authority to find out if this is true or not.' He counted on his fingers, discovering Anne's baby would have been born before the car accident. He was startled out of his thoughts when the phone rang.
"This is Sydney," he answered.
"I hope you've met the gift," Jarod's unmistakable voice answered.
"Yes, Jarod, wherever did you find her? Raines, perhaps?"
"No, actually, Maryland. Do you like her?"
"Of course. I must ask, is she really your niece?"
"Yes, at least from what I know."
"May I know her name?"
"AnaLeece. Sydney, you sound so excited. It's just a little girl."
"I know, but I worry about Broots. We have a new project coming up and I don't want him to be stressed."
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. That new project has already been taken care of." Sydney waited for him to hang up and went back to reading. The new project involved a behavior expert. She would help them use Angelo. He hoped things would settle down soon.
End. The Sequel is in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossovers, if anyone is interested.