After All This Time—Chapter Five
Jarod studied Zoe. What was she sorry for? Before he could ask he was cut off my Emily's gasp, "Oh my god!"
Jarod turned to Emily to find her stark white, "Emily what is it?"
She was staring at Parker and Parker back at her. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Parker asked wearily.
"Em?" Jarod asked.
Emily shook her head, "She looks just like Catherine."
Parker and Jarod exchanged stunned glances, "You knew my mother?" Parker asked. Parker swayed on her feet and Jarod hurried over to grip her elbow to steady her. "You knew my mother?" Parker repeated.
Emily gave a small, barely there, nod, "Not personally but she was very important and special to my mother… Our mother." She corrected looking at Jarod.
Jarod and Parker exchanged a glance. "Do you have a copy of it?" Jarod asked Parker.
Parker nodded and dug into her purse for the picture of Margaret and Catherine and handed it to Emily, "Did she have a picture like this?"
Emily took the picture and looked at it and then shook her head, "No. No. But she had other ones."
"Other ones?" Parker whispered.
Emily nodded, "Yes. A whole box full."
Parker's eyebrows shot up and her and Jarod exchanged another look. "So it wasn't just the scrolls."
"Scrolls?" Zoe quietly asked.
Jarod had totally forgotten she was there. "I'll explain it to you sometime."
"Jarod I have to tell you something." Zoe said, "Before anything else happens."
"Yes?"
Zoe took a deep breath. "I've fallen in love with someone else."
Jarod simply stared at her and then his face exploded into a grin. "That's great!"
Zoe was stunned, "What? Your not upset?"
Jarod nearly started laughing, "No. I've fallen in love with someone else too."
Zoe looked over his shoulder at Parker and smiled, "I see now."
Emily touched Jarod's arm, "Jarod you might want to know that it's Ethan."
Jarod and Parker and turned to Emily, "Ethan?" Parker asked, "Ethan's here?"
Emily nodded, "He, Dad, and Jay went into town this afternoon for supplies."
"Jay?" Parker asked.
"That's what the boy asked to be called." Jarod explained.
"The boy…" Parker's voice trailed off. It was so unreal still. Unreal that the Centre had created a clone. A clone of Jarod.
Jarod embraced Parker. "My family. All together."
Parker touched his face. The tears streaming down her own, "Oh Jarod. I'm so happy for you. All that's left now is to find out mother." Jarod smiled at her. He's own eyes welled with tears. Parker knew what he was thinking. Parker hugged him tightly to her. "Jarod… Kyle wouldn't want you to mourn for him. He'd want you to move on. Finish the journey you two started together."
Jarod nodded and buried his face in her hair. "I know." He whispered. He knew it, he just didn't want to believe it.
Parker nodded remembering Kyle. She had barely known Jarod's brother but she had been there when he had died. Granted, she had not been the greatest person about it but she had down what she knew best. She had shut it out. "He's watching you from above you know."
Jarod pulled back and brushed Parker's tears away with his thumb. "Us." He corrected. "He's watching us from up above."
Parker grunted. "If he could ever forgive me."
Jarod gave her a small smile, "Near the end he forgave. He let his anger go."
Parker embraced him again, "I hope so."
Zoe smiled at the two of them and then decided it was best to interrupt, "They're back." She said.
The three of them turned to the vehicle heading down the gravel road. Four people jumped out of the car. "Jarod!" Major Charles cried hurrying over and embracing his son.
"Miss Parker!" Ethan cried hurrying over to embrace his half sister. "I've missed you!"
"Oh Ethan!" She cried hugging him.
Jay made his way over to Miss Parker, "Miss Parker?"
Parker knelt down next to the boy, "I've missed you too."
Jay wrapped his arms around Parker's neck his voice muffled in her hair, "Me too."
When Parker got up she found herself staring into Major Charles' face. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
Jarod wrapped his arm around Parker's waist in an answer. Parker raised her chin, "Lets just say I've met a turning point."
Charles gave her a single nod, "I'm glad to see it." He held out his hand, "Truce?"
Parker shook it, "Truce."
Jarod studied Zoe. What was she sorry for? Before he could ask he was cut off my Emily's gasp, "Oh my god!"
Jarod turned to Emily to find her stark white, "Emily what is it?"
She was staring at Parker and Parker back at her. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Parker asked wearily.
"Em?" Jarod asked.
Emily shook her head, "She looks just like Catherine."
Parker and Jarod exchanged stunned glances, "You knew my mother?" Parker asked. Parker swayed on her feet and Jarod hurried over to grip her elbow to steady her. "You knew my mother?" Parker repeated.
Emily gave a small, barely there, nod, "Not personally but she was very important and special to my mother… Our mother." She corrected looking at Jarod.
Jarod and Parker exchanged a glance. "Do you have a copy of it?" Jarod asked Parker.
Parker nodded and dug into her purse for the picture of Margaret and Catherine and handed it to Emily, "Did she have a picture like this?"
Emily took the picture and looked at it and then shook her head, "No. No. But she had other ones."
"Other ones?" Parker whispered.
Emily nodded, "Yes. A whole box full."
Parker's eyebrows shot up and her and Jarod exchanged another look. "So it wasn't just the scrolls."
"Scrolls?" Zoe quietly asked.
Jarod had totally forgotten she was there. "I'll explain it to you sometime."
"Jarod I have to tell you something." Zoe said, "Before anything else happens."
"Yes?"
Zoe took a deep breath. "I've fallen in love with someone else."
Jarod simply stared at her and then his face exploded into a grin. "That's great!"
Zoe was stunned, "What? Your not upset?"
Jarod nearly started laughing, "No. I've fallen in love with someone else too."
Zoe looked over his shoulder at Parker and smiled, "I see now."
Emily touched Jarod's arm, "Jarod you might want to know that it's Ethan."
Jarod and Parker and turned to Emily, "Ethan?" Parker asked, "Ethan's here?"
Emily nodded, "He, Dad, and Jay went into town this afternoon for supplies."
"Jay?" Parker asked.
"That's what the boy asked to be called." Jarod explained.
"The boy…" Parker's voice trailed off. It was so unreal still. Unreal that the Centre had created a clone. A clone of Jarod.
Jarod embraced Parker. "My family. All together."
Parker touched his face. The tears streaming down her own, "Oh Jarod. I'm so happy for you. All that's left now is to find out mother." Jarod smiled at her. He's own eyes welled with tears. Parker knew what he was thinking. Parker hugged him tightly to her. "Jarod… Kyle wouldn't want you to mourn for him. He'd want you to move on. Finish the journey you two started together."
Jarod nodded and buried his face in her hair. "I know." He whispered. He knew it, he just didn't want to believe it.
Parker nodded remembering Kyle. She had barely known Jarod's brother but she had been there when he had died. Granted, she had not been the greatest person about it but she had down what she knew best. She had shut it out. "He's watching you from above you know."
Jarod pulled back and brushed Parker's tears away with his thumb. "Us." He corrected. "He's watching us from up above."
Parker grunted. "If he could ever forgive me."
Jarod gave her a small smile, "Near the end he forgave. He let his anger go."
Parker embraced him again, "I hope so."
Zoe smiled at the two of them and then decided it was best to interrupt, "They're back." She said.
The three of them turned to the vehicle heading down the gravel road. Four people jumped out of the car. "Jarod!" Major Charles cried hurrying over and embracing his son.
"Miss Parker!" Ethan cried hurrying over to embrace his half sister. "I've missed you!"
"Oh Ethan!" She cried hugging him.
Jay made his way over to Miss Parker, "Miss Parker?"
Parker knelt down next to the boy, "I've missed you too."
Jay wrapped his arms around Parker's neck his voice muffled in her hair, "Me too."
When Parker got up she found herself staring into Major Charles' face. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
Jarod wrapped his arm around Parker's waist in an answer. Parker raised her chin, "Lets just say I've met a turning point."
Charles gave her a single nod, "I'm glad to see it." He held out his hand, "Truce?"
Parker shook it, "Truce."