Title: Keys From the Past
Author: Nicky (NickyM96@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG
Category/Keywords: JMPR
Summary: Voices from the past speak in a way to open the doors to Jarod and Miss Parker's future while at the same time bringing up more questions from their past.
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Book III: Keys From the Past
Chapter 1
Jarod sits, diligently typing away at the computer when Miss Parker and Imani get home. He doesn't even hear them come in. The only thing alerting him to their presence is a little pair of hands suddenly covering his eyes.
"Guess who," a little voice whispers into his ear. "It's me!" Imani giggles before he can even answer, not quite understanding the meaning of the guess who game.
"Hey Imani," Jarod says. "Why don't you give Daddy a big hug. I haven't seen you in so long."
The little girl wraps her arms around his neck and squeezes tightly. She missed Jarod so much when he was away. Almost as much as Miss Parker did.
"When did you get home," Miss Parker asks, anxiously awaiting her turn to be in Jarod's arms.
"Just a little while ago," he tells her, finally freeing himself from Imani's hold. He stands up and crosses the room in three long strides, gathering up his waiting wife into his arms and giving her a kiss. "I missed you," he whispers.
"You better had," Miss Parker says with a smile. "Did you find anything out from the storage place?"
Jarod nods his head. But he also makes another motion with his head as if to say that they could discuss it later when Imani wasn't there.
"Hey Baby Girl," Miss Parker says to the Imani, understanding what Jarod was trying to say about getting her out of the room. "It's nap time. You had an extra long ballet practice today."
"But I'm not sleepy," the little girl says with a yawn, rubbing her eyes.
"Okay, Miss I'm not sleepy. Why don't you go and rest your eyes, then. They look pretty tired," Miss Parker suggests.
"Okay," Imani agrees, letting another yawn slip out. "I'll go rest them for just a minute. Are you coming, Mommy?"
"You go ahead, Baby Girl. I'm going to stay here and talk to Daddy for a few minutes," Miss Parker tells her. She smiles at the little girl as she walks sleepily up the stairs, all the time denying that she's tired.
"What are you grinning at?" Jarod is curious.
"Nothing," Miss Parker says, still smiling. "It's just that I never get tired of hearing her call me 'Mommy'. She makes me feel so special. And I know that she really loves me."
"She does love you. She's adored you ever since that day she met you. And she's called you 'Mommy' ever since you adopted her six months ago after we got married," he reminds her.
"You think I'm being silly and sentimental, don't you?" she asks with a little pout.
"No, I think you're being sweet." He wraps his arms around her again and kisses the tip of her nose. "It's good that you love Imani. And I know you're going to love our own children when we have them someday."
"Yeah. Someday," she sighs before changing the subject. "So tell me about what you found out. And maybe you could also tell me why you were gone for so long," she punches him playfully on the chest.
"It took awhile to establish my credibility with the storage company's security division," he starts. "That's why I had to be away so much the past month. Only seeing you and Imani on weekends was tough. I missed you guys so much."
"We missed you, too," she kisses him. "So, this little trip had better been worth it."
"Oh, it was," he assures her. "I was able to download the video files from your parents' summer cottage. I was working on unlocking the last of the files when you and Imani came in."
"This is just so strange. I still can't believe it all," she says, sinking wearily down onto the sofa next to him. She never thought she'd ever be surprised again at the kinds of things that went on at the Centre. But she never imagined it all extended so deeply into her own family's history. Until that day her and Jarod stumbled upon the video storage facility where her father archived his own personal video files. Video files she never knew existed. Video files that tell the story of life outside the Centre.
"You look tired," he notices with some concern. "We could always look at this stuff tomorrow."
"I've been tired awhile," she admits. "But I'd rather get this over with. It's time for us to be able to get on with our lives."
"Okay. If you insist," he relents. "I watched the first few hours of tape already. Not much is on them except for your parents in the really early days of their marriage. Their summer cottage was where they went every year to vacation. They'd entertain friends and throw parties and stuff. Nothing too much out of the ordinary occurred. Until this one day with this one party with this one unusual guest."
He clicks a couple of buttons and keys on the computer before an image comes up on the screen. It was Catherine Parker talking to a friend. A friend with long red hair.
"Jarod," Miss Parker gasps. "Is that your mother?"
"Shhh! Just listen," he says, hitting a few more buttons to turn up the sound.
'Ahh, come on Maggie. It'll be fun,' Catherine pleads.
'Catie, I'm a married woman. You can't set me up on blind dates anymore.
'This isn't a blind date," Catherine insists. "We have an extra place setting for dinner and I'd love for you to join us. Besides, Charles is away for another few weeks. And just because you're married now, doesn't mean that you just have to sit around the house all by yourself . . .'
'What are the chances of you letting up on me unless I agree to this,' Margaret says with a smile, knowing how relentless her friend is.
'Slim to none,' Catherine smiles. She stands up and pulls Jarod's mother by the hand and takes her up stairs. 'Come with me. You won't even have to go home to change. I'm sure I have something here that you can wear.'
'Are you sure anyone's even coming? The weather is awful out there. Listen to that thunder,' Margaret says.
The two women look out the window and cringe as a bolt of lightning illuminates the sky. They make their way up the stairs to get dressed. An hour later, they reappear, just as the party is about to begin.
'How do we look, Sweetheart,' Catherine asks her husband who's been checking with the servants to make sure everything was in order.
'Fabulous, Darling,' he compliments, kissing her lightly on the cheek. 'You're looking lovely as well, Margaret. I'm sure your dinner companion will be surprised at his brilliant and beautiful date.'
'Date? Catie Parker! You said this wasn't a date. You know that I'm married!'
Seeing that he started something, Mr. Parker excuses himself to go check on something else. He didn't have time for the dramatic outbursts of his wife's friends.
'It really isn't like that, Maggie. At least, that wasn't my understanding of it,' Catherine swears. 'My husband has a business associate coming to dinner. And he thought it would be nice if someone could keep him company. That's all. It's just for a couple of hours.'
'I'm married, Catie'
'I know.
'And I'm happy. I love Charles with my whole heart.
'I know that too, Mags. But please do this for me,' Catherine begs.
'Just this once. And that's all,' Margaret agrees. 'Just for a few hours. But if I get uncomfortable, I'm leaving.'
'I understand,' Catherine says with a huge smile before hugging Margaret. 'Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me. I owe you one,' she promises. Just then, the doorbell rings as the guest arrives. 'We should get over there. I think your date is here.
Jarod hits a button and the screen goes blank.
"What happened?" Miss Parker asks, stunned at the abrupt ending of the video.
"That's it. The video goes dead after that. I can only assume the power went out because of the storm my mother mentioned," Jarod hypothesizes.
"What about the next tape? What happens at the party?"
"I don't know," Jarod admits. "The records at the storage place say that this tape was partially ruined due to a power surge during a storm. In fact, the video system at the cottage was pretty much destroyed and stayed that way for a few years from the looks of things. The next tape starts a couple of years later."
"Okay, then let's watch that," she says with a yawn.
"How about later. One more yawn from you and I'll start to take it personally," he kids.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "I'm tired. I think I should have been the one to go take a nap. Not Imani," she laughs.
"Here," he offers, placing a pillow on his lap. "Lay down and rest for a little while. I'm not going anywhere."
"You promise?" she asks sleepily, her eyes already closing as her head hits the pillow.
"I promise," he whispers, gently tucking the hair behind her ears. "I'm never going anywhere again," he promises silently.
Chapter 2
'Do you really think this was a good idea, Stephen? You know, after what happened the last time,' Catherine Parker says to her husband.
'That was so long ago, Darling. Besides, she agreed to come, didn't she?'
'I guess,' Catherine sighs. 'Oh, there she is now. Honey, go get the baby, please. And I'll go welcome our guests.'
Mr. Parker turns and goes upstairs. Catherine watches him until he's out of sight before she opens the door and runs to the car that just pulled up. She sees her friend walking towards her, holding onto the hand of a small child.
'Maggie! It's been too long,' Catherine says, grabbing her friend into a warm hug. 'How have you been?'
'I survived, Catie. It was hard, but I survived. My husband was wonderful through the whole thing.' A tear struggles and breaks free despite Margaret's attempts to hold it back. She quickly wipes it away. 'Let's not talk about that. Alright?'
'Sure. Whatever you want,' Catherine says quickly. 'So, who's this little handsome fellow?'
'This is my little man, Jarod,' Margaret beams. 'Jarod, say hello to Mommy's best friend in the whole world, Mrs. Parker.'
'Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Parker,' the little boy enunciates perfectly.
'What a polite little gentleman you are, Jarod,' Catherine remarks. 'How old is he, Maggie? He seems so mature for his age. I can't believe he's talking already.'
'He turned two about a month and a half ago. But he's been talking for almost a year now. He seems to be able to pick up on things so quickly,' Margaret says, beaming a little with pride.
'Margaret. It's good to see you again,' Mr. Parker calls from the porch. He's holding a baby in his arms.
'Catie, is that your baby? She's so big. It seems like just yesterday you called me to tell me you had her.' Margaret scoops Jarod up into her arms and they all walk quickly across the yard towards the door. When they get inside, she sets Jarod down and holds our her arms to get the baby from her father.
'This is our little Angel,' he says proudly, handing the baby Miss Parker to Jarod's mother.
'She's beautiful. She looks so much like you, Catie,' Margaret comments.
The baby starts to struggle against Margaret a little and begins to make a fuss, reaching her arms out and whining.
'Let me take her. She gets a little cranky sometimes,' Catherine explains.
But the baby's not soothed by her mother's touch. Mr. Parker tries to calm her too, but is unsuccessful as well. She continued to cry and reach for someone. It took the adults a few minutes to realize that that someone was Jarod. He starts to smile at the young Miss Parker and grabs her little pudgy hands. Immediately she stops crying and smiles back at him. Catherine sets her on the floor and Jarod crawls over to sit next to her, where they remained inseparable for the rest of the day.
"What's so funny?" Miss Parker asks her obviously amused husband. She watches as the giggling Jarod hits a button and the screen goes blank again.
"Nothing," he says, still laughing. "It's just that you seemed to be quite taken with me when we first met. I think you had a little crush on me. Didn't you see the way you were drooling?"
"I was like eight months old, Jarod. I was probably teething. All babies drool at that age. Besides, you should have been ashamed of yourself. Hitting on my mother and then seducing me, a woman more than half your age," she laughs.
"I guess I just knew a good thing when I saw it." He leans over and kisses her sweetly. "Even if I was just two years old."
"Do you remember any of this happening?" she's curious. "Do you remember us meeting any time besides that day at the Centre? I was just a baby, but you were a little older."
"No. I don't remember any of this. And I hate to say this, but this kind of implicates your father in something deeper than we ever even imagined. He knew about me. Because my mother was a friend of your mother's. He could have had something to do with my kidnapping."
"I think you're right," she agrees. "And you don't have to sugar coat anything. I've long given up on voting that man as 'Father of the year'. Something strange happened between the night of that party and this video we just saw. Your mother was obviously upset about something."
"Yeah. And now we just have to figure out what it is," he adds. "Because something tells me that's the key to this whole mystery."
"Well, put on the next video clip and let's find out," she says, snuggling into his arms.
He clicks a button and the screen comes alive again with the sights and sounds of the past.
'It's so peaceful up here,' Margaret sighs. 'Despite what happened.'
The two women sit on the swing on the front screened in porch, sipping on some lemonade. The children are laying a few feet away in the playpen, not letting each other out of their grasps, even in sleep.
'Mags, I'm so sorry about that,' Catherine apologizes. 'I know that sound shallow compared to the enormity of the . . .'
'I don't blame you, Catie. What happened wasn't your fault. It was just one of those things. I had to deal with it the best way I knew how. Charles was so understanding. About everything. All the nightmares and other after effects. But especially about the byproduct of that night.'
'So he knows . . .'
'That Jarod isn't his son? Of course. As much as I loved my husband, I couldn't let him touch me after . . .,' She pauses to take a deep breath, trying to fight back the tearful memories about to surface.
'You don't have to say it, Mags,' Catherine offers.
'But I do. The more I say it, the more power I have over it. I couldn't let him touch me after that night. After the rape. He wondered why, but didn't push me to tell him anything. He just knew that something was wrong. But, I couldn't hide a pregnancy. Surprisingly, Jarod's birth was such a gift for us. We had tried so long for a baby. It's funny how all it took was a chance meeting with a stranger one night.'
The baby starts to stir in her sleep and the women look over to their napping children. Catherine starts to go get her little girl before she woke up and started crying, but it wasn't necessary. Jarod pulls his thumb from his mouth and throws his arm around the baby. She snuggles deep into his embrace and allows herself to be lulled back to sleep.
'Look at those two, I've never seen such a connection between two people. It almost makes you wonder how they ever lived without each other,' Margaret smiles.
'Hopefully, they'll never have to find out,' Catherine says. 'Stay right here. I have something for you.' She goes into the house and comes back a minute later with a box in hand. She opens the box and pulls out two medallions on matching silver chains.
'Something for me?' Margaret wonders.
'For Jarod, actually,' Catherine corrects her while slipping the chain onto the sleeping boy's neck. 'This is to ensure their future. Because something tells me no matter where he goes, my daughter won't be far behind. Just look at it as a wedding gift from me. And a gift for any future grandchildren they give us,' Catherine smiles.
'Grandchildren,' Margaret laughs. 'We're too young to think about that right now. It's strange that you have the two medallions already. You couldn't have known about this meeting and how they would react to each other.'
'Heavens no,' Catherine laughs. 'I may be a lot of things, but psychic I'm not. I got them when I was pregnant. For my babies. I was supposed to have twins, but my son died at birth.'
'Oh Catie, I'm sorry,' Margaret sympathizes. 'Are you sure about this? I can't accept this gift. That medallion belongs to your son.'
'No, it belongs to Jarod now,' Catherine insists. 'That's what something deep inside of me is telling me right now. When I get this feeling, I can't ignore it. I set up a trust for the kids. Only able to be accessed by both of them. In the event of one of their deaths, then the surviving sibling could only get to the trust with their spouse. Don't ask me how I know this, but I know that person is going to be Jarod. So that's why I'm giving this to him. Together, with the one my daughter will have, they will make a key. And only then can they unlock my gift to them.'
The screen goes black again, but neither Jarod nor Miss Parker makes a move to put on a new video clip.
"Rapist," Jarod whispers, almost on the verge of tears. "My father is a rapist." He buries his head in his hands and lets out a gut wrenching yell.
Miss Parker tries to grab him in her arms to hold him, but it doesn't work. He pulls from her embrace and gets up from the seat, running across the room.
"Jarod, where are you going?" she calls after him.
"I'm no good," he mumbles. "I'm no good for you or Imani. I have to go." He fumbles with the doorknob before he can finally open the door.
"Jarod," she cries. But it's too late. He's already gone. "Don't leave. You said you wouldn't leave." She sinks to her knees and gives into to the sobs.
To be continued in Sins of the Father
Author: Nicky (NickyM96@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG
Category/Keywords: JMPR
Summary: Voices from the past speak in a way to open the doors to Jarod and Miss Parker's future while at the same time bringing up more questions from their past.
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
Book III: Keys From the Past
Chapter 1
Jarod sits, diligently typing away at the computer when Miss Parker and Imani get home. He doesn't even hear them come in. The only thing alerting him to their presence is a little pair of hands suddenly covering his eyes.
"Guess who," a little voice whispers into his ear. "It's me!" Imani giggles before he can even answer, not quite understanding the meaning of the guess who game.
"Hey Imani," Jarod says. "Why don't you give Daddy a big hug. I haven't seen you in so long."
The little girl wraps her arms around his neck and squeezes tightly. She missed Jarod so much when he was away. Almost as much as Miss Parker did.
"When did you get home," Miss Parker asks, anxiously awaiting her turn to be in Jarod's arms.
"Just a little while ago," he tells her, finally freeing himself from Imani's hold. He stands up and crosses the room in three long strides, gathering up his waiting wife into his arms and giving her a kiss. "I missed you," he whispers.
"You better had," Miss Parker says with a smile. "Did you find anything out from the storage place?"
Jarod nods his head. But he also makes another motion with his head as if to say that they could discuss it later when Imani wasn't there.
"Hey Baby Girl," Miss Parker says to the Imani, understanding what Jarod was trying to say about getting her out of the room. "It's nap time. You had an extra long ballet practice today."
"But I'm not sleepy," the little girl says with a yawn, rubbing her eyes.
"Okay, Miss I'm not sleepy. Why don't you go and rest your eyes, then. They look pretty tired," Miss Parker suggests.
"Okay," Imani agrees, letting another yawn slip out. "I'll go rest them for just a minute. Are you coming, Mommy?"
"You go ahead, Baby Girl. I'm going to stay here and talk to Daddy for a few minutes," Miss Parker tells her. She smiles at the little girl as she walks sleepily up the stairs, all the time denying that she's tired.
"What are you grinning at?" Jarod is curious.
"Nothing," Miss Parker says, still smiling. "It's just that I never get tired of hearing her call me 'Mommy'. She makes me feel so special. And I know that she really loves me."
"She does love you. She's adored you ever since that day she met you. And she's called you 'Mommy' ever since you adopted her six months ago after we got married," he reminds her.
"You think I'm being silly and sentimental, don't you?" she asks with a little pout.
"No, I think you're being sweet." He wraps his arms around her again and kisses the tip of her nose. "It's good that you love Imani. And I know you're going to love our own children when we have them someday."
"Yeah. Someday," she sighs before changing the subject. "So tell me about what you found out. And maybe you could also tell me why you were gone for so long," she punches him playfully on the chest.
"It took awhile to establish my credibility with the storage company's security division," he starts. "That's why I had to be away so much the past month. Only seeing you and Imani on weekends was tough. I missed you guys so much."
"We missed you, too," she kisses him. "So, this little trip had better been worth it."
"Oh, it was," he assures her. "I was able to download the video files from your parents' summer cottage. I was working on unlocking the last of the files when you and Imani came in."
"This is just so strange. I still can't believe it all," she says, sinking wearily down onto the sofa next to him. She never thought she'd ever be surprised again at the kinds of things that went on at the Centre. But she never imagined it all extended so deeply into her own family's history. Until that day her and Jarod stumbled upon the video storage facility where her father archived his own personal video files. Video files she never knew existed. Video files that tell the story of life outside the Centre.
"You look tired," he notices with some concern. "We could always look at this stuff tomorrow."
"I've been tired awhile," she admits. "But I'd rather get this over with. It's time for us to be able to get on with our lives."
"Okay. If you insist," he relents. "I watched the first few hours of tape already. Not much is on them except for your parents in the really early days of their marriage. Their summer cottage was where they went every year to vacation. They'd entertain friends and throw parties and stuff. Nothing too much out of the ordinary occurred. Until this one day with this one party with this one unusual guest."
He clicks a couple of buttons and keys on the computer before an image comes up on the screen. It was Catherine Parker talking to a friend. A friend with long red hair.
"Jarod," Miss Parker gasps. "Is that your mother?"
"Shhh! Just listen," he says, hitting a few more buttons to turn up the sound.
'Ahh, come on Maggie. It'll be fun,' Catherine pleads.
'Catie, I'm a married woman. You can't set me up on blind dates anymore.
'This isn't a blind date," Catherine insists. "We have an extra place setting for dinner and I'd love for you to join us. Besides, Charles is away for another few weeks. And just because you're married now, doesn't mean that you just have to sit around the house all by yourself . . .'
'What are the chances of you letting up on me unless I agree to this,' Margaret says with a smile, knowing how relentless her friend is.
'Slim to none,' Catherine smiles. She stands up and pulls Jarod's mother by the hand and takes her up stairs. 'Come with me. You won't even have to go home to change. I'm sure I have something here that you can wear.'
'Are you sure anyone's even coming? The weather is awful out there. Listen to that thunder,' Margaret says.
The two women look out the window and cringe as a bolt of lightning illuminates the sky. They make their way up the stairs to get dressed. An hour later, they reappear, just as the party is about to begin.
'How do we look, Sweetheart,' Catherine asks her husband who's been checking with the servants to make sure everything was in order.
'Fabulous, Darling,' he compliments, kissing her lightly on the cheek. 'You're looking lovely as well, Margaret. I'm sure your dinner companion will be surprised at his brilliant and beautiful date.'
'Date? Catie Parker! You said this wasn't a date. You know that I'm married!'
Seeing that he started something, Mr. Parker excuses himself to go check on something else. He didn't have time for the dramatic outbursts of his wife's friends.
'It really isn't like that, Maggie. At least, that wasn't my understanding of it,' Catherine swears. 'My husband has a business associate coming to dinner. And he thought it would be nice if someone could keep him company. That's all. It's just for a couple of hours.'
'I'm married, Catie'
'I know.
'And I'm happy. I love Charles with my whole heart.
'I know that too, Mags. But please do this for me,' Catherine begs.
'Just this once. And that's all,' Margaret agrees. 'Just for a few hours. But if I get uncomfortable, I'm leaving.'
'I understand,' Catherine says with a huge smile before hugging Margaret. 'Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me. I owe you one,' she promises. Just then, the doorbell rings as the guest arrives. 'We should get over there. I think your date is here.
Jarod hits a button and the screen goes blank.
"What happened?" Miss Parker asks, stunned at the abrupt ending of the video.
"That's it. The video goes dead after that. I can only assume the power went out because of the storm my mother mentioned," Jarod hypothesizes.
"What about the next tape? What happens at the party?"
"I don't know," Jarod admits. "The records at the storage place say that this tape was partially ruined due to a power surge during a storm. In fact, the video system at the cottage was pretty much destroyed and stayed that way for a few years from the looks of things. The next tape starts a couple of years later."
"Okay, then let's watch that," she says with a yawn.
"How about later. One more yawn from you and I'll start to take it personally," he kids.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "I'm tired. I think I should have been the one to go take a nap. Not Imani," she laughs.
"Here," he offers, placing a pillow on his lap. "Lay down and rest for a little while. I'm not going anywhere."
"You promise?" she asks sleepily, her eyes already closing as her head hits the pillow.
"I promise," he whispers, gently tucking the hair behind her ears. "I'm never going anywhere again," he promises silently.
Chapter 2
'Do you really think this was a good idea, Stephen? You know, after what happened the last time,' Catherine Parker says to her husband.
'That was so long ago, Darling. Besides, she agreed to come, didn't she?'
'I guess,' Catherine sighs. 'Oh, there she is now. Honey, go get the baby, please. And I'll go welcome our guests.'
Mr. Parker turns and goes upstairs. Catherine watches him until he's out of sight before she opens the door and runs to the car that just pulled up. She sees her friend walking towards her, holding onto the hand of a small child.
'Maggie! It's been too long,' Catherine says, grabbing her friend into a warm hug. 'How have you been?'
'I survived, Catie. It was hard, but I survived. My husband was wonderful through the whole thing.' A tear struggles and breaks free despite Margaret's attempts to hold it back. She quickly wipes it away. 'Let's not talk about that. Alright?'
'Sure. Whatever you want,' Catherine says quickly. 'So, who's this little handsome fellow?'
'This is my little man, Jarod,' Margaret beams. 'Jarod, say hello to Mommy's best friend in the whole world, Mrs. Parker.'
'Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Parker,' the little boy enunciates perfectly.
'What a polite little gentleman you are, Jarod,' Catherine remarks. 'How old is he, Maggie? He seems so mature for his age. I can't believe he's talking already.'
'He turned two about a month and a half ago. But he's been talking for almost a year now. He seems to be able to pick up on things so quickly,' Margaret says, beaming a little with pride.
'Margaret. It's good to see you again,' Mr. Parker calls from the porch. He's holding a baby in his arms.
'Catie, is that your baby? She's so big. It seems like just yesterday you called me to tell me you had her.' Margaret scoops Jarod up into her arms and they all walk quickly across the yard towards the door. When they get inside, she sets Jarod down and holds our her arms to get the baby from her father.
'This is our little Angel,' he says proudly, handing the baby Miss Parker to Jarod's mother.
'She's beautiful. She looks so much like you, Catie,' Margaret comments.
The baby starts to struggle against Margaret a little and begins to make a fuss, reaching her arms out and whining.
'Let me take her. She gets a little cranky sometimes,' Catherine explains.
But the baby's not soothed by her mother's touch. Mr. Parker tries to calm her too, but is unsuccessful as well. She continued to cry and reach for someone. It took the adults a few minutes to realize that that someone was Jarod. He starts to smile at the young Miss Parker and grabs her little pudgy hands. Immediately she stops crying and smiles back at him. Catherine sets her on the floor and Jarod crawls over to sit next to her, where they remained inseparable for the rest of the day.
"What's so funny?" Miss Parker asks her obviously amused husband. She watches as the giggling Jarod hits a button and the screen goes blank again.
"Nothing," he says, still laughing. "It's just that you seemed to be quite taken with me when we first met. I think you had a little crush on me. Didn't you see the way you were drooling?"
"I was like eight months old, Jarod. I was probably teething. All babies drool at that age. Besides, you should have been ashamed of yourself. Hitting on my mother and then seducing me, a woman more than half your age," she laughs.
"I guess I just knew a good thing when I saw it." He leans over and kisses her sweetly. "Even if I was just two years old."
"Do you remember any of this happening?" she's curious. "Do you remember us meeting any time besides that day at the Centre? I was just a baby, but you were a little older."
"No. I don't remember any of this. And I hate to say this, but this kind of implicates your father in something deeper than we ever even imagined. He knew about me. Because my mother was a friend of your mother's. He could have had something to do with my kidnapping."
"I think you're right," she agrees. "And you don't have to sugar coat anything. I've long given up on voting that man as 'Father of the year'. Something strange happened between the night of that party and this video we just saw. Your mother was obviously upset about something."
"Yeah. And now we just have to figure out what it is," he adds. "Because something tells me that's the key to this whole mystery."
"Well, put on the next video clip and let's find out," she says, snuggling into his arms.
He clicks a button and the screen comes alive again with the sights and sounds of the past.
'It's so peaceful up here,' Margaret sighs. 'Despite what happened.'
The two women sit on the swing on the front screened in porch, sipping on some lemonade. The children are laying a few feet away in the playpen, not letting each other out of their grasps, even in sleep.
'Mags, I'm so sorry about that,' Catherine apologizes. 'I know that sound shallow compared to the enormity of the . . .'
'I don't blame you, Catie. What happened wasn't your fault. It was just one of those things. I had to deal with it the best way I knew how. Charles was so understanding. About everything. All the nightmares and other after effects. But especially about the byproduct of that night.'
'So he knows . . .'
'That Jarod isn't his son? Of course. As much as I loved my husband, I couldn't let him touch me after . . .,' She pauses to take a deep breath, trying to fight back the tearful memories about to surface.
'You don't have to say it, Mags,' Catherine offers.
'But I do. The more I say it, the more power I have over it. I couldn't let him touch me after that night. After the rape. He wondered why, but didn't push me to tell him anything. He just knew that something was wrong. But, I couldn't hide a pregnancy. Surprisingly, Jarod's birth was such a gift for us. We had tried so long for a baby. It's funny how all it took was a chance meeting with a stranger one night.'
The baby starts to stir in her sleep and the women look over to their napping children. Catherine starts to go get her little girl before she woke up and started crying, but it wasn't necessary. Jarod pulls his thumb from his mouth and throws his arm around the baby. She snuggles deep into his embrace and allows herself to be lulled back to sleep.
'Look at those two, I've never seen such a connection between two people. It almost makes you wonder how they ever lived without each other,' Margaret smiles.
'Hopefully, they'll never have to find out,' Catherine says. 'Stay right here. I have something for you.' She goes into the house and comes back a minute later with a box in hand. She opens the box and pulls out two medallions on matching silver chains.
'Something for me?' Margaret wonders.
'For Jarod, actually,' Catherine corrects her while slipping the chain onto the sleeping boy's neck. 'This is to ensure their future. Because something tells me no matter where he goes, my daughter won't be far behind. Just look at it as a wedding gift from me. And a gift for any future grandchildren they give us,' Catherine smiles.
'Grandchildren,' Margaret laughs. 'We're too young to think about that right now. It's strange that you have the two medallions already. You couldn't have known about this meeting and how they would react to each other.'
'Heavens no,' Catherine laughs. 'I may be a lot of things, but psychic I'm not. I got them when I was pregnant. For my babies. I was supposed to have twins, but my son died at birth.'
'Oh Catie, I'm sorry,' Margaret sympathizes. 'Are you sure about this? I can't accept this gift. That medallion belongs to your son.'
'No, it belongs to Jarod now,' Catherine insists. 'That's what something deep inside of me is telling me right now. When I get this feeling, I can't ignore it. I set up a trust for the kids. Only able to be accessed by both of them. In the event of one of their deaths, then the surviving sibling could only get to the trust with their spouse. Don't ask me how I know this, but I know that person is going to be Jarod. So that's why I'm giving this to him. Together, with the one my daughter will have, they will make a key. And only then can they unlock my gift to them.'
The screen goes black again, but neither Jarod nor Miss Parker makes a move to put on a new video clip.
"Rapist," Jarod whispers, almost on the verge of tears. "My father is a rapist." He buries his head in his hands and lets out a gut wrenching yell.
Miss Parker tries to grab him in her arms to hold him, but it doesn't work. He pulls from her embrace and gets up from the seat, running across the room.
"Jarod, where are you going?" she calls after him.
"I'm no good," he mumbles. "I'm no good for you or Imani. I have to go." He fumbles with the doorknob before he can finally open the door.
"Jarod," she cries. But it's too late. He's already gone. "Don't leave. You said you wouldn't leave." She sinks to her knees and gives into to the sobs.
To be continued in Sins of the Father