Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own the Pretender. I guess I'm just not smart enough. Lol Pleas R&R! Hope you enjoy!
THE ULTIMATE REVENGECHAPTER 1: BETRAYAL
By InsaneGenius
He couldn't believe it. He was a few mere minutes away from finally placing the last piece of the puzzle that was his family together. After five and a half years of searching for ghosts, and truths that didn't seem to exist he was finally going to get them. As soon as his mother arrived he would ask her the questions he had been wondering about his entire life. Answers that were only five minutes away.
He had gotten an anonymous tip a week ago about her current location in Clarksville, TN. She was working at a Holiday Inn Express not too far from the highway. He had pre booked a room as soon as he opened his e-mail account, so he finished up his latest pretend as an orchestra teacher in Louisville, KY, and headed down to TN.
The anticipation was killing him. According to her work schedule she should be arriving at his room any minute now. The feelings he had as a child were starting to resurface. The feeling that even though he was her first son, and he hadn't seen her in over thirty years she would hate him for breaking up the family. For causing their family to have to go through a torture that no person should ever have to endure.
He stole a glance at his watch, impatience starting to outweigh his nervousness. He was beginning to get a really bad feeling.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he thought out loud.
The moment he had first laid eyes upon the message he felt as though it were a Centre trap, but he also felt as if it really could be his mother. And he had to find out.
A barely audible knock interrupted his momentary reverie, and he realized his butterflies were back in full force. He jumped up off the bed, appearing as if he just sat upon something rather unpleasant, and walked up to the door. He paused before looking through the peep whole, trying to calm his unsettled nerves. After a few long moments he finally decided it was time. She was standing there with a cart full of cleaning materials and extra sheets waiting impatiently. She was just as beautiful as he remembered from Carthis. He pulled at the chain and the dead bolt furiously, and ripped open the door.
"Mom!" He shouted.
A look of shock registered upon her face before she ran towards him and embraced him in a tight hug. All he could do was smile. He had wondered what it would feel like to be held by her his entire life. Now he knew. He breathed in the smell of her perfume. He would remember that smell for an eternity.
"I can't believe it's you, Jarod," she whispered faintly in his ear.
He pulled back from her so he could study her face fully. She had a few more wrinkles than he remembered, and her red hair was a little grayer.
"Why don't we step into my room?" he asked.
"Sure Jarod. My goodness, this feels so…surreal," she stated in a dream like state, "Are you sure this isn't a dream?"
"I'm positive," he whispered reassuringly as he stepped behind her into his room.
"Mom, before we start any catching up. I need to ask you a few things."
"Anything Jarod"
"Who am I? How old am I? When's my birthday?" he asked with a clear desperation in his voice, "I've waited far too long for these answers. I have to know."
"I Never realized how much you wouldn't know," she said, her voice heavy with emotion.
"The Centre fed me nothing but lies my entire life," he stated. His face was blank with no emotions playing out, but his eyes gave away his pain and anger.
"Your name is Jarod Allen Malone. You were born on October 18, 1966. You're thirty-six years old, but Jarod this isn't the time to be discussing this. I wanted to see you so bad, but I'm afraid I've done something terrible. I hope you can someday find it in your heart to forgive me. The Centre is in the building right now. They've been scoping the place out for weeks now. I made a deal with them. A deal I'm greatly regretting right now. I hope you'll understand. I know that you can pretend, so pretend to be me one day. I'm so sorry Jarod!" she exclaimed as tears coursed down her cheeks.
He was aghast. He had spent his life wondering about their first meeting would be like. Afraid that she would scorn him. Never had he dreamed she would turn him over to the people who had hurt him in every way possible. He suddenly felt nervous for the second time that day.
" I gotta get out of here," he whispered, gathering his meager possessions. By the time he had a ready escape plan, and his belongings together it was already too late. Lyle and half a dozen sweepers were standing in the now open doorway smiling at him.
"Well, look what the cat drug in. Nice work Margaret. Thanks for your cooperation. So, Jarod are you going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" he asked.
Jarod was petrified by the malicious glint he saw in his eye. But he would never let him know that. Panic was starting to set in.
"I'm never going back there," he said as he masked his terror with his usual calm, cocky grin. He didn't have time to avoid the syringe that suddenly appeared in his mother's hand. He tried to fight the sedative, but he couldn't. He stumbled back into the dresser, and watched as his mother walked over to stand beside Lyle. Lyle's smirk was the last thing he saw as he fell to the ground. His world suddenly black.
"I'm sorry you felt that way Jarod. Thank you for your help Margaret, but you know we don't really need you anymore. I'm sure you understand," he stated almost boredly.
She looked at her unconscious son one last time before she felt a searing pain in her chest, and collapsed beside him. Lyle walked casually over to her body and checked her pulse.
"She's gone. Have the cleaners take care of this. Willy, cuff Jarod and bring him to the car."
He could finally have the ultimate revenge