True Reflection of Love

by NickyM96

[JOR implied, JMPF/R] Jarod tells Miss Parker a story that changes her views of herself, her world, and her perception of love.

5. Final Countdown

Title: Final Countdown
Author: Nicky (NickyM96@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG
Category/Keywords: JMPR
Summary: With freedom within their reach, Jarod, Miss Parker, Lyle, and Willie face the Centre in one last showdown. Will they all make it out alive?
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 V: Final Countdown

Chapter 1

Light. That's all I see. Brightness all around. Almost blinding. But not quite. I can still see little things. Shadows. Blurry images. And I can hear faint sounds. It sounds like laughter. I look over and see my daughter and I now understand where the happy giggles were coming from. I smile the proud father's smile and start towards her. Only, I can't reach her. I'm being pulled and pulled and pulled until my daughter is no longer in view. Instead, I see two lakes of crystal blue quickly approaching. I soon see that the lakes are attached to the face of an angel. Her sparkling blue eyes smiling down on me. Ever so slowly, she leans over and presses two soft lips against my own and I can taste her sweet breath. It makes me feel alive.

I close my eyes and accept the air she offers. It fills my chest and I feel my heart quicken. The breath shoots through my entire body like a bolt of lightening, forcing my eyes open with a start. I look up and still see the blue lakes staring at me. The angel is still there smiling down on me. Her lips touch mine one more time and she gently strokes my face. I must be dead. And this must be Heaven.

"Welcome back," the angel says in a familiar voice. I blink a couple of times and the face becomes clearer. Slowly, I lift my head from her lap and look around at my surroundings. The events leading up to this moment suddenly come crashing back to my mind, bringing with them an excruciating headache. I realize that I'm not dead. And this is definitely not Heaven. My eyes close again and I begin to remember exactly how I ended up in this nightmare.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
7 hours earlier
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The halls are kind of active and frenzied. Odd, seeing as how it's not even seven yet. Usually things don't get busy around here until about eight. I like to come in early while things are nice and quiet, but it seems like something big is going on. I walk by Miss Parker's office to see if she could tell me what's happening. But strangely enough, she isn't there. Her brother is.

"Mr. Lyle," I stutter in shock. I always seem to do that around them both. What was he doing here so early? And why was he rattling around Miss Parker's desk like that?

"Broots," he says with a little jump. I think I surprised him.

"Mr. Broots," another voice growls. The voice belonged to the chairman. I see him standing on the other side of the office. "It's good that you're here. I have some changes to tell you about. Due to circumstances beyond her control, my daughter will no longer be in charge of the search for Jarod. You and Sydney will be working with Lyle. Effective immediately."

I look over to Lyle and shudder. Miss Parker was scary. But I knew she was harmless. She'd never dream of leaving my poor Debbie a fatherless orphan. But Lyle. Well, I don't know what to say about him. I've heard the rumors about some of the horrible things he's done. And I've been with Miss Parker when she's discovered some of his extra curricular activities. But lately, she's been spending a lot of time with Lyle. So maybe he's not so bad.

"I'll leave you two so you can get down to business. Maybe now with my daughter out of the way, we'll see some real results in this search," Mr. Parker says heartlessly. He gives them both a stern glance before turning to leave the office.

Lyle stares after his father, and for a second, I see a look of pure hate and repulsion dance in his eyes. But he quickly covers it and turns to me with a blank, emotionless stare.

"Lets walk, Broots," he says simply. And I have no choice but to follow.

We walk for several minutes saying nothing. He looks up a lot, almost as if he were expecting to see something in the vents. Finally we make it to our destination. The computer room that's like a second home for me. Or, more like a first home since this is where I spend most of my waking hours.

"After you," he says. And I nervously enter the room. I don't know what to expect from Mr. Lyle. And I find myself glancing furtively about, hoping to thwart any unexpected surprises. Instead, I only see a red-eyed Sydney sitting quietly in morbid silence. Just by looking at him I could see that something was wrong. And I was terrified to find out what it was.

"What's going on, Sydney?" I ask. I can hear my voice crack in fear. And I can feel my knees begin to wobble.

"There was an accident," he whispers hoarsely. "Early this morning. Miss Parker. She's . . . . she's gone." He glares at Lyle with a look I've never seen in Sydney's eyes. It takes me a minute to realize he's about to attack Lyle. Well, maybe not a whole minute, but it seemed that long. Everything was moving in slow motion. Kind of like we were all underwater.

My ears pick up a sound that stops both men in their tracks. It's only after they stare at me that I realize I'm making the sound. An awful, gut wrenching cry coming from the pain of my heart breaking. Miss Parker? Gone? How could that be? How could something like that happen?

"Why don't you ask our new boss how something like that could happen," Sydney says angrily. Wait. Did I say something out loud? I must have for him to be answering me.

"I left him at the hospital with her. He was supposed to be taking her home. I didn't realize he planned on wrapping her car around a telephone pole!" Sydney casts another hate filled glare in Lyle's direction, and we both wait for his explanation.

Lyle takes a breath, like he's going to say something, but changes his mind. He blinks once and when his eyes open, they appear to be two cold stones.

"We have work to do," he says calmly. "Broots, pull yourself together."

I stare at him with my mouth wide open, ready to protest his order. What did he expect me to do? Just forget about her? Just ignore the pain I was feeling? He may be cold and unfeeling, bu I don't work that way.

"This has nothing to do with being cold and unfeeling, Broots," I hear Lyle say. Did I do it again? Say out loud what I was thinking to myself? I must really be losing it.

"This has to do with a job getting done," Lyle continues. "And little time to do it."

Like a zombie, I move mechanically to the seat in front of the computer. I type in a couple of commands and my screen comes to life with the familiar scripts I see each day.

"No substantial leads on Jarod today," I hear myself say, although I don't know how I'm saying it. Miss Parker. Gone. That's the only thought rattling around my mind. What am I going to tell Debbie?

"That's fine, Broots. We're not looking for Jarod today," Lyle says in a low voice. He scans the room wildly with his eyes, much like he was doing in the hallway earlier. What exactly was he looking for?

And what did he mean that we wouldn't be looking for Jarod? I get a strange feeling in my stomach. I'm a little worried about what else Mr. Lyle might be having us do. What other little sick, twisted projects he wants us to work on.

"What will we be doing?" Sydney asks him, voicing the concern I felt on the inside.

"Let's just call it a scavenger hunt." Lyle looks at us both and I think he's amused slightly at our confusion. "Sydney, is there a radio in here? I think we'd work better with a little music."

Sydney gives him a strange look before switching on the stereo. He adjusts the volume to a suitable level, but has to turn it up louder when Lyle gives him a signal. Lyle takes one last look around the room before he leans down by my ear.

"What do you know about the security in this place? I need to be in control of the cameras for the next few hours," Lyle says softly.

And suddenly it occurs to me. Lyle really is up to something. The loud music. The constant checking over his shoulder. Something was going on. And if Lyle was involved, it couldn't be good. The little voice in my head is telling me that I don't want to be a part of this.

"Mr. Lyle, I don't know what you're up to, but . . . " I start to say. But he cuts me off.

"Broots. I don't have time to explain right now. Not with these cameras," he says through clenched teeth. "At least do something about the ones in here. Then I can tell you a little about what's going on."

I still don't like it, but I don't think I really had a choice. I guess I could choose not to do it. But then, he'd kill me. Crossing Mr. Lyle is not at the top of my 'to do' list today. It's way down there along with 'getting myself killed' and 'orphaning my child'. And I don't really want to die today. So I start typing, manipulating the cameras in the same way I've done before for Miss Parker.

"I can give us an hour. Maybe two," I say before turning back to the computer. A few more keystrokes and the job is done. "What now?" I ask, although I'm not really sure I want to know the answer.


Chapter 2

I held up my end of the bargain. The security cameras have been taken care of temporarily. Now it was time for Lyle to start explaining.

"What now?" I ask, not really expecting an answer. Although I thought I deserved to know something about what was going on.

"We wait," he sighs, still nervously looking around the room even though I've taken care of the cameras. But obviously, all of his paranoia wasn't in vain because a second later we hear a rattling in the air vents.

"Syd, go watch the door," Lyle orders. "Broots, you come over here and help me." We grab one of the spare desks and move it to under the vent. He climbs up on it and starts loosening the screws of the vent. In a quick minute, he has the screen off.

Two feet emerge from the opening and I'm shocked to see who they belong to. Jarod? What's he doing here? Jarod jumps out of the vent and lands on the table. He tests it's sturdiness momentarily before reaching back inside the vent for something. Or someone, rather. Two more feet emerge and both Jarod and Lyle reach up to help whoever else was in there.

"Parker?" Sydney gasps. "We thought . . . they said . . . you were gone," he stutters.

"You better watch out, Syd. You're starting to sound like Broots there," she jokes, trying to take the edge off the situation.

I try to speak, but I can't manage to find any words to say. To say that I was shocked is an understatement. And probably the only reason I haven't passed out yet is because I can't seem to take my eyes off of her. She looked good for a dead woman.

"I'm fine, you guys," she smiles. "News of my death had been greatly exaggerated."

"Why?" I finally manage to say.

"That's a long story. One we don't have time for right now," Jarod says.

I guess I have to leave it at that. Be content with the fact that Miss Parker was alive and well and standing right in front of me. And realize that she didn't appear to have been in an accident. That nothing was wrong with her. That Jarod was standing very close to her. Very, very close in fact. So close he could . . . What was that? Did he just tuck her hair behind her ear? Why is he touching her so much?

"We're running out of time," Lyle says, tearing my focus from Jarod and the way he was pawing MY Miss Parker. "Broots was only able to fix the cameras for an hour or two. We need to work fast."

"What do you need us to do?" I ask. They still haven't said anything to us about what's going on. But, seeing that Miss Parker's involved in this, I no longer have any reservations about helping Mr. Lyle.

What I do have reservations about is Jarod. I mean, what do we know about this guy really? Most of the people Sydney works with are kind of . . . crazy. At least by the time the Centre's done with them. How do we know Jarod's not like that? He must have some kind of nerve. Look at the way he has his hands all over Miss Parker. Only someone with a death wish would do that. Even though . . . well, she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she seems to be leaning into his touch.

" . . . . down in one of the sublevels," Sydney says. But I have no clue what he was saying. I was too busy watching the little 'love fest' or whatever between Jarod and Miss Parker.

"Then let's get down there," Lyle says. "Broots, can you pull up the blueprints to this place? We need to know exactly how to get there."

"How to get where?"

"Earth to Broots," Miss Parker teases. "Where have you been? We were just talking about it. The medallions? A big secret? A private office my mother kept that Sydney remembers? Is any of this ringing a bell?"

"What?" I'm still confused. I still have no clue what they were talking about. And once again I wonder, for the second time that day, about my sanity.

"I think he's just a little shocked to see you alive, Honey," Jarod laughs. "I'll look up the information. That is, if you don't mind. Broots?"

"No. Go ahead," I think I mutter. I'm not sure anymore what's going on. Honey? Did he just call her Honey? I'm pretty sure that's what I heard.

"Listen, you guys. I'm really sorry you thought I was dead," she apologizes. A smile dancing in her beautiful eyes. A real smile. I don't think I've ever seen that on her. She looks like she's in love. With Jarod. Suddenly I feel like an idiot being so jealous. He makes her happy. That's all I should care about.

"I'm just glad you're alright," I say. "You seem very happy. You and Jarod."

"Yeah, about that. Broots, we didn't want to get you too involved in what's been going on. You would have been in too much danger unnecessarily. I mean, Sydney and Lyle only just found out that we were married . . . "

"Married?" I shout before I can get a grasp on my emotions. "That's . . . um . . . that's great. I'm really happy for you guys. Really." I think I was convincing. At least I hope I was. Because I wasn't able to convince myself.

"Found it. Sublevel 12," Jarod shouts from across the room. And before I can even blink, she's gone and is standing next to him, her hand resting easily on his shoulder. He says something to her that was obviously pleasing to her, because she rewards him with a quick kiss.

"Then let's go. Sydney and Broots, come with me," Lyle says. "Sis, you and Jarod will have to go back through the tunnels.

* * * * * * * * * *

And so, that is where we are now. Some little office that apparently only Catherine Parker and Sydney knew about. It was a refuge of sorts for her, I guess. Just a place for her to get away from everything that was going on in this place back then. That's about all I remember. How we got here I don't know. Why we were here I'm not sure either. My head hurts and things are kind of hazy. The others have gone. I don't remember where. So it's just the two of us. Miss Parker and I. Making out. A goofy grin crosses my face and she looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Are you sure you're alright, Broots?" she asks. "You took a nasty fall and hit your head pretty hard."

"I hit my head?" Oh, so that's what happened, I realize. It would explain the pounding ache shooting from my skull and down my back.

"Yeah. You had me pretty scared. You were unconscious and even stopped breathing for a little while."

Okay, so I guess we weren't exactly making out. It was more along the lines of her giving me CPR. I feel a blush creep to my cheeks. I can't believe I thought she was kissing me. I'm such an idiot.

But, her lips touched mine. And I don't think I'm ever washing them again.


Chapter 3

"Broots? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" I gently poke him in the chest, but he doesn't respond. Why isn't he waking up? This is bad. Very, very bad. The last thing Jarod said before he left was for me not to kill anyone. And I can't even manage that task for an hour. But this isn't my fault, so don't blame me. I really wasn't in the best of moods to begin with. I was tired and aching. My back was killing me from wearing that stupid bulletproof vest. Plus, I was getting pretty hungry. Jarod knows what I'm like when I'm hungry. My hormones mixed with hunger make a dangerous combination. I get downright homicidal almost. But I never thought something like this would happen. Wait. What am I worried for? Nothing's wrong with Broots. He's fine. Just fine. But, I wonder if pregnant women get can plea not guilty by reason of temporary hormone induced insanity?

I check on Broots again and panic grips me. Is he breathing? I don't think so. I watch his chest for a few seconds, but I don't see a rise and fall. What do I do? Think, Parker. CPR. It wasn't that long ago. I had a refresher course last year when I adopted Imani. Pretty soon, instinct takes over and I start rescue breathing. Two breaths was all it took. His eyes shoot open and he looks around wildly, gasping desperately for air. A huge smile of relief spreads across my face.

"Welcome back," I say. His head is laying in my lap and I gently stroke the sides of his face, watching him slowly come back to consciousness. He blinks a couple of times before I'm sure he recognizes me. He sits up and looks around again. And although he seems to know who I am, he seems confused about where he is. Or how he got there. Okay, now he's really starting to scare me. He just sitting there. Staring at me with this really goofy expression. Not that he usually doesn't look pretty goofy. But this is just weird.

"Are you sure you're alright, Broots?" I ask him. "You took a nasty fall and hit your head pretty hard."

"I hit my head?" He looks kind of confused, like he doesn't remember it happening.

"Yeah. You had me pretty scared. You were unconscious and even stopped breathing for a little while."

He thinks over this last bit of information before I see him blush. He was touching his lips and still had that goofy grin. What's wrong with him? But then it hits me. Broots has always had a little bit of a crush on me. What if he thought . . . he couldn't have thought that. Could he? He thought I was kissing him? I almost laugh out loud, but I'm able to hold it in. Surprisingly, I'm not in much of a mood to shatter his poor little ego today.

"Do you remember anything that happened?" I ask instead.

"Most of it," he says slowly, still holding his head.

It has to hurt after the way he fell. And I guess I feel a little guilty, since he was only trying to help me. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. I didn't want Broots involved in anyway. The little guy's been so loyal over the years. I didn't want him hurt in anyway by any of this. It wouldn't have been fair to him. And it wouldn't have been fair to Debbie. Granted, it was a crazed pregnant woman and not anything Centre related that almost lead to his untimely demise. So I'm feeling doubly guilty right now.

"Well, let me see if I can fill in some of the blanks for you," I say with a timid smile. I got him into this mess. The least I could do was tell him what this mess was all about.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
8 hours earlier
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is just perfect. Crawling through the bowels of the Centre. Just the way I like to start my day. And this stupid vest Jarod's making me wear isn't exactly making things easier for me. I understand he's just trying to protect me and the baby. But is this really necessary?

"Jarod, wait a minute," I pant. I lean wearily against a wall, trying to catch my breath. The extra weight of the vest combined with the extra weight from the baby was really starting to take it's toll on me.

"Why don't we take a break," he suggests. He looks at his watch and then looks around to see where we are.

"Do we have the time?" I ask him. We don't have much time to get to where we're going. But I'm so tired. I don't think I can move another step.

"Don't worry about that," he says, taking my hand and helping me sit on the ground. "You need to take it easy right now. You just got out of the hospital. I just wish that . . ."

"I'll be fine," I insist. "This has to be done now, Jarod." It's sad, but it's true. My father has sent at least two people to kill me this past week. I might not be so lucky the next time he tried anything. Sure he thinks I'm dead now. But it'll only be a matter of time before he figures out I wasn't in that car that crashed. Things have to be settled now.

"I know," he says quietly. "I just wish you didn't have to go through this at all."

"You're so sweet," I smile. He really was. He loved me with his whole heart. I know it's killing him that he can't do this himself. I know that he wants to make everything better for me. But he can't. This is something that both of us are going to have to handle. I stroke his cheek reassuringly and smile once more before gently kissing him. But then he starts laughing. "What's so funny?" Good job, Mr. Mood Killer. What's he laughing like that for?

"This," he says, still laughing. "Do you know how many times I wanted to do this when we were growing up? Take you into some dark, deserted corner where no one could see us. And then hold you and kiss you and touch you all over." He smiles suggestively before capturing my mouth with his own hungry lips. Hungry. Mmmm.

"Jarod," I murmur through his passionate kisses. Now I'm about to be the mood killer. "Do you have anything to eat?"

Well, I'm sorry. What else was I going to do? Any thoughts of hunger, food, or eating and I'm instantly consumed with a passion that only a plate of hot wings can satiate. Don't blame me. Blame the baby.

"I don't have any hot wings, if that's what you want," he laughs. "But I did bring a couple of sandwiches." He reluctantly pulls his arms from around me to find his bag. "Ham, turkey, or peanut butter and jelly?"

After much thought, I end up taking all three and mashing them together. Poor Jarod looks like he's about to be sick. Once again. Not my fault. Don't blame me. Blame the baby. He (or she) loves all this mixed up food.

After the little snack, I'm feeling amazingly refreshed. It was time to get moving again. Luckily, we were almost there. Because I don't know if I could have taken another two hour trip through the air vents.

Lyle was right where he was supposed to be. I don't know how he pulled it off. Because by now, I'm sure Broots and Sydney suspect he's done something to me. It doesn't take long for news to get around the Centre. But, the three of them are there. Just like Lyle promised. Of course, poor Broots and Syd looked as if they were seeing a ghost when I stepped out of that air vent. I really didn't want them have to go through all of that. But we didn't have time to clue them into our plans.

"Parker?" Sydney gasps. "We thought . . . they said . . . you were gone," he stutters.

"You better watch out, Syd. You're starting to sound like Broots there," I try to joke. They were so tense. I want to take the edge off of things. Besides, I figured they'd be jumping for joy over not having to deal with me anymore. But, they still look so serious.

"I'm fine, you guys," I smile reassuringly. "News of my death had been greatly exaggerated."

We don't have much time to chat, though. Lyle tells us that Broots was only able to manipulate the cameras for a few hours. That means we have to work quickly before the cameras come back on and records my return from the dead for posterity's sake.

We didn't have much time. And we had even less to go on. Just the medallions and my mother's promise that together they'd make a key to unlock the mystery.

"Maybe the key fits something here," Jarod suggests. "A safe. A door. Some hidden office . . ."

"Wait. What did you say?" Sydney asks. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Parker, your mother had an office. In the beginning when your parents first came here, it was the office she worked from. But soon, she started to see so much horrible stuff going on down there. So she had it locked up and pretty soon it was forgotten. Whenever we needed to discuss things privately, that's where we'd go. It's like a little corner of the Centre that no one knows about."

"This sounds like a good place to start," I say. "It just may be what we're looking for. Where's this office, Syd?"

"Things down there have changed so much. I'm sure I'd be able to point it out on the blueprints. All I know is that it's near some stairs towards the north side of the building. Down in one of the sublevels," Sydney says.

We all look to Broots to get the blueprints from the computer, but for some reason he's spaced out. Jarod looks instead. And finds them in a couple of minutes. Sublevel 12. That's where we're off to.

"Then let's go. Sydney and Broots, come with me," Lyle says. "Sis, you and Jarod will have to go back through the tunnels.

"Not the tunnels," I whine and stick out my lower lip. Maybe someone will have sympathy on me.

"Come on, Honey. You can't exactly waltz down the halls of the Centre. Everyone around here thinks that you're dead. And as long as you're dead to them, you'll be safe," Jarod explains.

I really hate it when he's right. I mean, he's generally right - 95 percent of the time, anyway (although I'd never admit that). But I really hate it when he's right and there's not even anyway for me to argue. I realize that I can't go wandering down the halls. That I have to stay out of sight. But it doesn't make me like the idea of the tunnels anymore than I do now.


Chapter 4

Ugh. The tunnels. Again. If I never see the inside of one of the air vents, it'll be too soon. I really hope all this is worth it. That we find what we need in this office.

"This is it," Jarod assures me. "We'll have to get out of this vent and then walk to the room at the end of the hall."

"What about the cameras?" I ask.

"Broots took care of them down here. It wasn't too hard because hardly anyone is ever on this floor. He was able to loop the tape. The guys monitoring the videos shouldn't even notice a difference as long as we're out by the time the guards come to do their hourly patrol."

He carefully takes the screen off the air vent and jumps down. I jump down after him and we look around just to be sure no guards are coming. We start to walk towards the room when we see Lyle waiting for us with the door open already. Sydney and Broots were already inside.

"Let's go in and see what we can find," I tell them.

The room was tiny. Just barely big enough for a desk and a filing cabinet. Very easy to forget about. I can see now how no one knows about it. It's pretty much just a closet.

But the tiny room was so full to me. Full of emotions that almost overwhelmed me. I could practically see my mother at her desk, writing letters, doing research or whatever else her daily duties entailed. I saw a pot in the corner with a plant that had long ago died. Probably before I was born. I saw books with tattered pages that she must have read over and over. I pick up one of the books and try to leaf through the pages. Only to find out that it wasn't a book at all. It was a box of some kind, designed to look like a book.

"I think I found something," I say excitedly. My hands were shaking so much I gave the box to Jarod so that I wouldn't drop it.

He tries to pry it open, but it's no use. It's locked up tight. He turns the book over a couple of times, inspecting the intricate designs on the cover.

"Where's your medallion?" he asks me, not taking his eyes off the cover of the book. I wordlessly take it off of my neck and place it in his hands.

"What do you think?" Lyle whispers. He seems to be suddenly overcome by the whole situation. He's never really been a part of the whole 'search for the truth'. I think he can see now the importance in this all.

"There's something on the cover that looks like an insignia or emblem. And I think these medallions slide right into these slots. Kind of like the missing pieces of the puzzle."

The medallions slide in with a click and I hear a gasp escape my lips. This is it. This is really it. Jarod places the box down on the desk and we all just stare at it for what seems like an hour. But really it wasn't more than a couple of seconds.

"Who'd like the honor of opening it?" Jarod asks.

"I'll do it," I whisper. My whole body is shaking. My voice. My knees. My hands. I have to sit down before my rubbery legs fail to support me any longer. My trembling hand makes it's slow voyage across the desk and finally reaches the box. Absently, I run my fingers across it a couple of times, trying to give myself time to gather my courage.

I take a deep breath. Slide my finger under the ridge and lift up. The box opens with a small squeak that echoed around the room. I reach my shaking hand inside and pull out a stack of papers, just beginning to brown around the edges. I spread the papers across the desk for everyone to see.

"What does it say?" Broots manages to ask without stuttering. "Does it tell you how to take down the Centre? Is it something for you to take to the triumvirate?"

"No," Jarod simply says. Speed reading must be another one of his special skills because he breezed through all the documents. I was still trying to figure out the first few. And Lyle didn't look like he was that much ahead of me. "It doesn't tell us what to do because we won't have to do anything," he says slowly as everything starts to sink into his brain.

"I'm not following you," I say. Because honestly, by that point, nothing was making any sense to me.

"We won't have to do anything," Jarod repeats. "Because there's nothing to do. According to these papers, we ARE the triumvirate."

I didn't imagine it this time. A long, complete and utter silence. Time literally stood still. No one moved. No one made a sound. I don't even think anyone breathed. But tons of questions swirled around my mind. I didn't ask them, though. Because I knew no one would have the answers. So I just stood there like everyone else, trying to absorb the shock. Trying to make sense of a completely senseless day. Broots is the first to be brave enough to speak. But he doesn't tell us anything we want to hear.

"We have company," he whispers frantically.

Sure enough, the silence is disrupted by the distant clicking of shoes on the floor coming this way. It's too late to do anything. Not that there was any place to hide or anything. Jarod stands in front of me and draws his gun. Lyle does the same. I think this whole 'protect the woman at all costs' act was getting to be a bit much. A little irritating too. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself. But, it's also nice to know that I don't have to. Not right then, anyway. I was too drained to do anything.

"You scared us," Lyle says when he realizes who's at the door. He puts his gun down with a sigh of relief.

"They know someone's down here," Willie tells them. "I told them I'd come down to check it out. But I know more sweepers will be behind me any minute now."

"This isn't good," Jarod says. "I think we're done in here, but we're not going to have time to get out of here safely." His eyes kind of glaze over and I can tell that he's simming all the different escape possibilities. "There's only one way out of this," he says after a few minutes. I can look at his face and tell immediately that I'm not going to like this idea.

"Jarod, what are you suggesting? I'm not going to like it, am I? Listen, the air vents really aren't that bad. Let's just go back there," I start rambling, offering any other alternatives. The look in his eyes is scaring me.

"Don't worry," he says hoarsely and I can tell he's trying to keep the fear out of his voice. He comes over and wraps his arms around me and holds me close. I hear his heart racing under my ears. "I want you to stay here with Broots. Stay quiet and you should be safe."

"And where are you going?" I'm starting to get frantic now. I know now that I'm definitely not going to like his idea. He grabs a hold of both sides of my face, wiping away tears I didn't even know I was crying.

"I love you," he whispers before his lips cover mine. "Stay here until someone comes back for you."

"Jarod, is that going to be you? Where are you going?" I ask, but he doesn't answer me. He doesn't even look into my eyes because he knows I'll figure out what's going on in his mind. "Jarod! Answer me," I demand.

He stops in his tracks when he reaches the door. He turns and gives me that infamous Jarod smile.

"I just need to create a little diversion. Try not to kill anyone while I'm gone," he says, flashing that cocky grin one last time before the door closes between us.

I stare at the door for several minutes before I realize he's not coming back. My ears pick up the sound of papers shuffling behind me, but I don't even bother turning around to see what Broots was doing. An hour later, I'm still just sitting there, doing the same thing. Willing the door to open. Willing Jarod to come back. But to no avail.

"I can't believe he just left," I whisper finally. "He's going to do something stupid. I have to stop him, Broots."

"Settle down, Miss Parker," he says with a lot of concern in his voice. "Maybe we should just stay here like Jarod said. He's only been gone an hour. I'm sure he'll be back soon. Besides, you might want to look at these papers."

"I have to get out of here," I continue, still not paying much attention to Broots. I don't care what Jarod said. He had a reckless look in his eyes when he left. And it terrified me to think about him going up against sweepers in that frame of mind. I look around and notice the ever present air vents. My gateway to freedom. "And I think I found the way out. Broots, help me get up there."

"Miss Parker, I don't think this is . . . "

"Then don't think," I snap at him. A slight twinge of guilt nags me when I see how rude I was to him. But that doesn't stop me. "Broots, I have to get out of here. If you won't help me, then I'll do it myself, even if I die trying." He looks at me and can see that I'm serious.

"Help me move the desk over there," he says finally. He knows that arguing with me is useless. But, I am surprised at his trying. Maybe he does have a backbone after all. "I'll climb up first and check it out."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"And?" Broots asks me. "What happened next?"

"That's when you fell," I tell him. "The cover to the vent was sealed tight. It wasn't coming off. But, I made you pull harder anyway. You lost your balance and fell off the desk. But not before grabbing onto the bookcase for support. Unfortunately, the bookcase wasn't attached tightly to the wall as the air vents were. And it kind of fell on top of you."

"That explains why I feel like I just got run over with a truck," he jokes, letting out a painful laugh. It looks like he's thinking about all I've told him because I see the light bulb go over his head when he starts to remember everything clearly. Including the reason why we were down in that room to begin with. "The papers!" he blurts out suddenly. "I remember I was trying to tell you about them before you insisted on me trying to play Tarzan."

"What about them?" I ask curiously. I didn't have time to go over them. But obviously they contained the secret we were looking for. Jarod knew that before he left. And now Broots knows too.

"Jarod was right. You guys won't have to do anything to get the Centre. Because it's already yours," he spits out quickly.

"Come again?" I was really confused now. How could the Centre belong to us when we essentially have been prisoners here our entire lives?

"You heard me right. It's all yours. Yours for the taking. You see, your grandfather started this whole place. And when your father married your mother, he was under the assumption he'd inherit it."

"My grandfather bribed my father into marrying my mother? You know, I'm not even surprised, Broots. Go on."

"After your grandfather died, there was no mention of it in his will. So your father got a little upset. With no one to run the place, the triumvirate had the power that your father thought he deserved. But, he eventually found out who inherited the Centre."

"My mother," I whisper quietly. It was all starting to make sense. "And he killed her because of that."

"Well, these papers don't say that exactly," Broots stammers.

"But that's what happened," I conclude. I look at him and he looks away, trying to avoid eye contact. "Broots, I have no illusions about my father anymore. I've seen and heard too many things. And he's tried to kill me too many times. I know what kind of man he is."

"I just can't believe . . . "

"Believe it. I heard him with my own ears. He wants me dead."

"So that he can get the Centre? Do you think he knows about you and Jarod inheriting it? If so, then why did he wait twenty years?" Broots had about as many questions as I did. And I couldn't for the life of me figure out the answers.

A light tapping noise distracts me from my current train of thought and I strain my ears to try to figure out what it is. The noise is constant and I realize that it's getting closer. It sounds a lot like . . .

"Footsteps," Broots says. "I think someone's coming."

"Jarod?" I stand up and run over to the door, waiting with open arms for it to open. But, when our visitor finally arrives, I see that it's not who I expected.

"Where is he," I ask. Not frantically or panicked, because I can already feel that something is wrong. And all I can manage is a numb sensation. "What happened, Willie."

"He told me to get you out of here," Willie says, trying not to make eye contact with me. That's how I definitely knew something was wrong.

"Why isn't he here himself?" I ask, still calm. Still numb. But a few tears manage to make their way to the surface.

"Let's go, Miss Parker. We don't have much time," Willie pleads.

"Just tell me," I whisper, the tears flowing freely now.

"Raines has him."

And then there was only darkness.


Chapter 5

It's a good 20 minutes after we get to Miss Parker's office before she starts to come to. That was a good thing, too. I couldn't imagine dragging her up here, kicking and screaming. Which is what it looked like I was going to have to do initially.

"Jarod," she mumbles, her eyes still closed. But slowly they begin flutter and she tentatively looks around, trying to figure out where she is.

"We're in your office, Miss Parker," I say to her. Broots was at her side, lovingly holding her hand and helping her sit up. Poor little geek. I think he has a crush on her.

"Where's Jarod?" she asks me. "Willie, where is he?"

She's persistent, I'll give her that much. She's not letting this go. I don't even know what to tell her. So I tell her the truth.

"I don't know," I confess. And then I have to close my eyes because the look on her face is truly heartbreaking.

"But you said that Raines . . . " she whispers, the tears already starting to stream down her face. She was holding onto her stomach, gently rubbing it as if it were giving her strength.

"That's where Lyle said he was taking him," I tell her. "It was part of Jarod's plan.

"Jarod's plan?" she asks, lifting one eyebrow and staring at me intently.

"Maybe I should just start at the beginning," I say as I realize the explanation wasn't going as I had planned. "It all started this morning . . ."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
6 Hours earlier . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I take my normal walk down the long, gloomy hallways at the Centre. And for the first time, I noticed what kind of terrible prison that place really is. It's never really bothered me before. I guess I had just blocked out all the weird stuff going on. Like the freaky looking twins that Sydney experiments on. Or the horrible screams of the other people they test on. And the children. All the children. Taken from their families with no choice given to them. I assume that's how they got me. And because of that, I originally came to work here to investigate my past. But I got caught up in trying to be . . . . I don't even know anymore. Because all I see are monsters. Am I one too?

"Did you hear the news, Willie?" It was Lewis. One of the newer sweepers. He always talked to me like I was his mentor or something. I think he sees how Raines trusts me. And he wants the kind of power I have. Not like that's saying much. But then again, how many people can get away with shooting the chairman's daughter? I still don't understand why I'm still alive to this day.

"What news?" I ask him. But I know what he's talking about. I figured it wouldn't take long for word about the accident to spread.

"The Ice Queen. She's dead," Lewis says with glee. "Rumor has it, her own brother did her. Ran her car off the road early this morning. There wasn't anything left. Not even teeth and bones."

Lewis stands there rambling on about I don't even know what. I tune him out after a few minutes. Especially when I see Raines and Mr. Parker together at the end of the hallway. And I have to wonder to myself what's going on with that.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing something?" I ask him to get him out of the way. "You don't want Raines to see you standing in the hall gossiping, do you?" I nod my head towards the end of the hall to show him where Raines was.

"Good lookin' out, Willie. I'll see you later, man," Lewis whispers before going down the hall in the other direction.

I wait until he out of view before going down the hall towards Mr. Raines and Mr. Parker. I try to look nonchalant, like I don't even notice them.

"Willie," Mr. Parker calls to me. "I see you made sure that 'special' matter was taken care of for me. I see now how loyal and trustworthy you are."

"No need to thank me, Sir. Lyle took care of it."

"I know. I just came from seeing him. But he only did it because he knew that if he didn't, then you would take care of them both," Mr. Parker continues. "Now that my daughter is out of the way, I'll need for you to keep an eye on Lyle. Make sure he stays loyal as well."

"I think you're forgetting that Willie belongs to me," Raines rasps.

Belong to him? I don't belong to anybody. Is that all they see me as? Their property? I guess this is how Jarod feels. Fighting for freedom that he deserves just by being a human. Who did they think they were? I guess technically, I'm one of these people. But all that is changing now.

"Come along, Willie. We have work to do," he gasps again. What is keeping this old sack of bones alive, anyway? He always sounds like he's on his last leg. Don't get me wrong, I guess my life here at the Centre has been pretty good. But when I think about all the horrific things I've done, I can no longer respect this man. Because this is the person I allowed him to make me.

"Don't forget about this afternoon. Four o'clock. Conference Room C," Mr. Parker reminds Raines. "By now, I'm sure the director has heard about the Triumvirate and the . . . accidents," he says with a laugh and Raines joins in.

I look at them both and try not to act surprised by their coldness. They did something to the Triumvirate. Arranged for their deaths. And now . . . what? I know that whatever Jarod and the others are up to, this little development is sure to throw a wrench in those plans.

For the next few hours, I have to follow Raines around, dragging along that oxygen tank for him. I can't believe I've done this for all these years. Too many years. And I can't believe I ever respected this man. Looked up to him. Like a father figure. Maybe it was the fact that I was searching for myself. For my family. And he promised me answers. But now, I see those answers aren't worth it. I'm shaken out of my thoughts that moment by one of the other new sweepers running madly down the hall.

"What is it?" Mr. Raines asked the out of breath young man.

"Sir. Sublevel 12. The silent alarm has been set off," the young sweeper informs us.

I have no idea where the others are. At least I didn't until that moment there. They should have told me they'd be snooping around down there. I could have been prepared. Nevertheless, they were counting on me not to get them caught. I had to do something.

"I'll go check it out," I offer. "It's probably nothing."

"Go ahead. But I'll get a team together and send them after you for backup," Raines says.

A team? I didn't have much time to warn the others. I get down to SL-12 as quickly as I can and find the room they're in. I guess they weren't expecting me because I meet the ends of two guns, pointing my way.

"You scared us," Lyle says when he realizes that it's me at the door. He puts his gun down with a sigh of relief.

"They know someone's down here," I tell them. "I told them I'd come down to check it out. But I know more sweepers will be behind me any minute now."

"This isn't good," Jarod says. "I think we're done in here, but we're not going to have time to get out of here safely." His eyes kind of glaze over and I can tell that he's simming all the different escape possibilities. "There's only one way out of this," he says after a few minutes.

Miss Parker goes kind of nuts. She didn't like the idea at all. It was too dangerous for Jarod to give himself over to the Centre. I could tell she was terrified for him. He tries to reassure her, but I can also tell that he's terrified for himself. With one last kiss, they say their good byes, and we all leave. Miss Parker and Broots stay behind.

"Please make sure she's alright," Jarod whispers when we're down the hall. "No matter what happens, make sure she's alright." He stares at me intently. And it's shocking that he would trust me with his family. Somehow he reaches my soul. And I can feel the heartache he's going through right now. It almost brings tears to my eyes.

"I'm going to make sure that YOU are alright, Jarod," I promise him. "That way, you can take care of her yourself." I give him a weak smile to reassure him. But I can't be sure of it. In my heart, though, I feel that I'm going to do whatever's in my power to keep him safe. I feel as if I have to.





Chapter 6


I don't know what's gotten into me. Why I feel so compelled to help Jarod. Maybe it's the way he just begged me to take care of Miss Parker. A woman who's hunted and chased him for years now. Yet, he's still able to love her enough to put her safety before his own. Maybe it was the way she looked at him when she realized he was sacrificing himself for her and their children. Maybe it's the way I've seen him take care of Miss Dee, a woman who's been the only mother I've ever know. When even I turned my back on her, he was there for her. Maybe it's none of those things. It's actually a feeling. Somewhere in myself. I don't really know where it's coming from. But it's there. And it makes me desperate to help him.

"So, what's the plan, Jarod?" I ask him once we've gotten down the hall a little. He just looks at me kind of sheepishly. And at that moment I realize he has no idea what to do. "You don't have a plan, do you?"

"I was only concerned with keeping her safe," he confesses. "I couldn't think of anything else. And now that she's out of immediate danger, I can worry about myself."

"Well, you better think fast," Lyle warns. "I don't think we have much time."

"Maybe I can buy us some time," I tell them, suddenly coming up with an idea. "Lyle, do you have your phone?" I reach my hand out and take the phone from him. Dialing the numbers, I wait patiently for someone to puck the other end up.

"Raines," the voice wheezes.

"It's Willie," I say. "I found our problem. It was actually a false alarm. There's no security breach. When I got down here, I found Sydney wandering around one of the labs."

"Very well. Tell him the area is off limits and escort him back to his office," Raines orders before hanging the phone up. He wasn't one to carry on long conversations.

"Done," I say, feeling pretty proud of myself.

"Good thinking," Jarod comments. "But we need to get out of here before the guards come down for their hourly patrol." He turns and starts back down the hall in the direction we just came from.

"Where are you going?" Lyle asks him. "You can't go back there. Not now. Like you said, security will be down there any minute. My sister will be fine for a little longer. After the next patrol, we'll send someone back here for her and Broots."

"That makes sense," Jarod relents. But I could tell that he wasn't happy about it. Until a little smile breaks across his face. "Poor Broots. I know he's used to her . . . temperament, for lack of a better word. But her mood swings have been kind of extreme this past month. I hope he can handle her," he laughs.

" 'Poor Broots' is right," Sydney laughs with him. "Miss Parker is a bit temperamental. I can only imagine how the pregnancy exasperates that."

We all share a good laugh for a few moments before the gravity of the situation began to sink in again.

"We need to get going," I remind them.

"Let's go back to Broots' computer lab. It should be pretty safe there for awhile. Until we can come back for my sister," Lyle suggests.

I go first, keeping an eye out on the hallway while Jarod comes behind me. We all split up at the entrance to the air vents. Jarod climbs up and heads through the tunnels. Lyle takes the stairs up. And I escort Sydney up the elevator, just in case Raines had someone meet us to check out our story.

We make it to the computer lab in a matter of minutes. It takes a little longer for Lyle. And even longer for Jarod, having to come through the tunnels. But after about a half an hour, we're all back there.

"Is it safe?" Jarod whispers from the vents.

"Yeah, it's all clear," Lyle tells him. Jarod jumps down and we all gather together to plan the next step.

"Your father is up to something, Lyle," I start. "This morning I ran into him and Raines with their heads together. They're plotting something."

"You have any idea what?" Sydney asks.

"They didn't go into details. I think they did something to the triumvirate. They're meeting with the Director later this afternoon at four," I tell them.

"It's almost two now. That doesn't leave us much time to find out what's going on," Jarod surmises. "We're going to have to go straight to the source."

"Meaning?" Lyle asks.

"Meaning, you take me to Raines and your father. Say that you caught up with me and that you're bringing me in. But before you hand me over, demand to find out what they're up to."

"Jarod, that sounds like a big risk you're taking," Sydney says. "Using yourself as a bargaining chip."

"It won't really matter after awhile," Jarod says cryptically. "They'll be taking me right where I need to go . . . to the Director."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"So Lyle took him to see Raines and your father before the meeting. And I came to come get you, Miss Parker," I say, concluding my little tale. "I wouldn't be too worried about him, though. He seemed like he knew what he was doing. He was trying to get to the Director for some reason. It's like he isn't afraid anymore."

"He knows what he's doing. I trust that," she sighs. "But I still worry." Her hand goes to her stomach again, but this time she just rests it on the slight swell.

"You should be worried. Something big is going on. Too many things are happening today."

"Like?" she asks, that eyebrow shooting up again.

"Like your 'death' for one. Your father wasn't even the least bit concerned about it. He wasn't even pretending like it phased him."

"Willie, I'd long ago given up on my father. He never cared for me," she says sadly.

"It's not that," I start explaining. "I know he didn't care. I mean, what kind of father would order his own son to kill his twin sister? But, this seemed to be the first step in some plan. Him and Raines are up to something. And I think this recent development with Jarod is the icing on the cake. Your father was extremely pleased that we'd found him."

"My father? Extremely pleased? I don't think I've ever seem him 'extremely pleased' about anything."

"He was practically giddy, Miss Parker. And kept on saying how perfect it all was. Whatever they're planning, it's all going to be happening in Conference Room C at four o'clock today. An emergency meeting with the Director. It seems like some . . . misfortune has come to the triumvirate."

"Mi - mi - misfortune?" Broots stutters. That guy really was spineless. I just hope he won't be a problem later.

"They're dead," I tell them, pausing momentarily to let them sound their shocked gasps.

"They're trying to take over," Miss Parker mumbles after a few silent minutes. "It all makes sense now." She runs over to the stack of papers we brought up from her mother's office and starts to shuffle through them. Her eyes open wide in shock when she finds what she's looking for. "With me out of the way, and the triumvirate gone, the Director will have to appoint someone else to run the place. I'm sure they're thinking that whoever has Jarod is guaranteed to be chosen."

"But Lyle's bringing him in technically," I remind her.

"Yes, technically. And technically, he killed me. So technically, my father has a legitimate reason to get rid of him as well," she explains. She reorganizes the papers and places them in an envelope before running over to her closet. She throws open the door and quickly peruses the many outfits hanging in there.

"What are you doing, Miss Parker?" Broots asks her.

"I'm looking for something that won't make me look like a cow," she mutters, but paying very little attention to either of us. She settles on a pantsuit with long jacket that had one high button to close it over her growing stomach. A pair of flat heeled boots finished off the ensemble. She takes it into the bathroom and emerges 15 minutes later, fully dressed. She looked like Miss Parker again.

"How do I look?" she asks us. "My belly doesn't poke out too much does it?"

"You look great," Broots stammers. "As usual. Why would you stomach poke out?"

"Broots! I'm pregnant, you moron," she says with a laugh. Especially when his eyes open so wide they look like they're about to pop out of the socket.

"Let's get going," she says, still laughing. She grabs the envelope of papers from her desk and walks to the door.

"Where? Jarod wanted me to keep you here. To keep you safe and out of danger," I remind her.

"I'm going to go get my husband. And then we're going to take back what belongs to us. You can stay here. Or you can come along. But you won't stop me," she glares, daring me to even try.


Chapter 7


Two seconds. That's all it took. Three shots. Bam. Bam. Bam. And I watch as the future I had just been handed gets taken right back from me.

I don't know exactly when things started to take a turn for the worst. And to be perfectly honest, I should have seen this coming. I'm Jarod, after all. Natural genius. Master Pretender. But I guess that doesn't mean I'm also invincible.

There were too many things to distract me. Too many factors to use against me. And when you added them all up, I was bound for disaster. Destined to be here, fighting for my life.

And where is here, you may ask? A better question would probably be how did I get here? Wherever here is. Not that the answer to that question makes any more sense than the previous, but it's easier for me to explain it right now.

Although, I'm not quite sure where to even begin. Does this all go back to the day my mother got raped? Or the day she realized I was her rapist's baby? How about that first day I held Tori in my arms? When we were just babies, not even out of diapers. How about the day I watched my daughter come into the world? Or even the one when I had to watch her mother die. It could be the day Tori made my life complete by becoming my wife. Possibly the day she told me I was going to be a father again.

Or maybe it's all of those days. All rolled into one. I didn't really expect this. The random memories popping into my head. Some good. Some bad. But nevertheless they're all parts of this thing known as my life. And it's flashing right before my eyes. Not a good sign.

Then one moment is singled out of the hazy blur of memories. It's the sight of her. Her eyes, really. Trying to show no fear, but I know how to look deeper and see what's really there. I look past the cool exterior and see that's she's frightened for me. But that she has to trust me, no matter how hard that may be for her. But mostly, I see the same love that I know is reflected in my own eyes. If I have to die, then I'm glad that's the last thing I remember.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2 Hours earlier . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I guess this is as good as place as any to begin. Because that's when I guess it all really started. I was starting to feel kind of nervous. Having my life in Lyle's hand. I can tell that his relationship with his sister has changed. And for some reason, my daughter adores him. But I still can't completely trust him. He's always been so ambitious. Trying to triumph at all costs. Will I become just another casualty of his personal crusade to make it to the top? And now, I'm letting him take me to his father. And Raines. But I know something that none of them know I know. They don't know I know Raines is my father. And I hope that will help me.

We reach the conference room a few minutes after four o'clock. Apparently the meeting has already started because the door is closed when we get there.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Lyle asks me one last time. I guess giving me the chance to back out of this thing.

"It's time for some answers, Lyle," I tell him. "And this is the only way we're going to get them. Once and for all." I tried to sound sure of myself. But the truth is, I was terrified. I had a feeling I was doing the right thing, but what if I was wrong? About the documents we found in Catherine Parker's office? About Lyle's intentions? About Willie's? Can I really trust them?

"Turn around," Lyle orders. "I'm going to have to cuff you."

I panic for a second. But quickly gather my nerves. I turn around and place my hands out in front of me, allowing Lyle access to snap the handcuffs on my wrist. He cuffs me in front and slips the key into my hand. I guess so that I can have more control over getting free later if necessary.

The restraining process is quick, and seconds later, he's turned back towards the door again. After knocking lightly on it twice, he pushes the door open, just enough to stick his head inside.

"Son, you're here," I hear Mr. Parker's voice boom across the room. He turns his attention back to address the other attendees. "That new development I was telling you about is here now. And I hope this can persuade you in your decision making process. Come on in, Son," he says again. For some reason, he seemed really proud of acknowledging Lyle as his child. Probably to impress the Director.

And I can tell that the Director is definitely impressed. When I walk into the room, all I hear are gasps and sighs. It's like they couldn't believe they were finally able to catch up with me.

"Mr. Parker," the Director starts slowly, deliberately enunciating each syllable. "I see you've recaptured the missing pretender. And for this, I'm assuming you expect me to hand the Centre over to you."

"Yes. I admit that the thought did cross my mind," Mr. Parker says carefully.

"We have been looking for you for a very long time, young man," the Director addresses me.

"I've been running from you for a very long time, Director," I say pointedly. I figure now's the time to show no fear. "But I'm back now. And I want what belongs to me."

A silence falls across the room and I get a funny look from Mr. Parker and Raines.

"And that would be?" the Director asks me.

"This place. The Centre. It's mine and I want it." I really had no clue what I was saying. But it sounded good. Threatening almost. I knew that the papers said that Tori and I would inherit the Centre. But other than that, I had no idea what real rights either of us had. Or what rights Mr. Parker has for that matter.

"What makes you think . . . " Mr. Parker starts before the Director silences him.

"I assume you can prove this," the Director says, now completely enthralled with my presence, trying to decide whether or not I'm telling the truth. "The rightful heirs would come to me with a sign."

Perfect. This couldn't be going any better than if I had planned it myself. The proof being the medallions. Of course I have proof. Or HAD proof would be a better thing to say. I had proof two hours ago when we opened the box in Catherine Parker's office. I must have left the medallions there. But, I couldn't let anyone here know that.

"The medallions," I say with confidence. "One given to myself and the other to Miss Parker when we were just infants."

I hear collective gasps from Raines and Mr. Parker. And I don't have to turn my head and look at them to see they're about to have a stroke.

"Impossible," Mr. Parker finally squeaks out. "Even if you managed to find the other one, I still have one. And with my daughter's untimely death, I will stand in her behalf."

"You sure about that?" I say with that smug grin that I know almost got me shot on more than one occasion. "When was the last time you saw the medallion? A couple weeks ago? In that safe you try to keep hidden behind that hideous portrait of yourself?" I add a dramatic laugh to further taunt him. I really should have seen the warning signs. And I should have quit while I was ahead. But I further pushed him.

"And are you sure about your daughter? Is she really dead?" I stare fearlessly into the cold hollows of Mr. Parker's eyes. He was so sure this was going to work. That he'd be able to kill his daughter. Kill the Triumvirate. And get away with stealing the Centre. He didn't count on me.

"Miss Parker might be alive?" the Director asks Mr. Parker with some surprise. "If all this is true, then . . . "

"I assure you it's very true." The doors burst open and standing there in all her glory is my wife. But she's in Miss Parker mode, so I better stay out of her way and let her do what she came to do. She shoots everyone in the room and icy glare to show them that she was not to be messed with. "Not to sound repetitive, but news of my death had been greatly exaggerated. Isn't that right, Daddy?"

"Angel," he gasps, in total shock that she's alive. But then he glares angrily at Lyle, wondering what went wrong.

"Don't start, Daddy," she yells, almost letting that hard shell break. But she quickly recovers and returns back to ice queen mode. She reaches in her pocket, pulls out the two medallions, and holds them up for the Director to see. "I believe this is what you're looking for. Proof that Jarod and I are the rightful heirs of the Centre."

"Where did you . . ." Mr. Parker starts to ask. But one icy look from his daughter shuts him right up.

"I didn't think I'd ever see the day," the Director muses. "I thought Catherine was nuts when she placed the stipulations on her will. But I don't see where I have any reason not to grant her last request."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After that, things got crazy. I should have known something like this was going to happen. I should have realized that they weren't going to let it go without a fight. But I didn't want to think about that. Because at the Director's last words, I felt as if we were finally free. And Tori felt that way too. I could tell. Because she just looked at me for an endless moment. Those blue eyes smiling at me full of love.

And then came the gun shots.


Chapter 8

I could hardly believe it when I heard the gun shot ring out. It seemed like it came out of nowhere. But in one split second, the Director was dead. A bullet right between the eyes. And my father was holding the smoking gun. Before anyone could even blink, he had turned the gun on Jarod and fired a second shot. The look in his eyes told me that he wasn't finished. He still had someone else he wanted dead. The gun starts to turn her way and before I know it, I hear another gun shot. And then a blood curdling scream from her.

"Parker!" I scream back. Although I don't know why I'm screaming. The room was deathly quiet after the gunshots. I'm sure she could hear me. "Are you alright?"

She was covered in blood. And it took me a minute to realize that it wasn't her blood. It was Jarod's. She wasn't hit by my father's third bullet. Because he never had the chance to fire it. I stopped him. Looking down into my hands, I finally realize what the hot, heavy weight was that I had grasped in my shaking fingers. I drop the gun and run over to my father. He's dead.

I look around and she was at Jarod's side, pressing her hand into the new hole in his leg. He was barely conscious, but alive nonetheless.

"Parker, are you okay?" I ask again. I can see that she's fine, but I needed to be sure.

"I'm okay, Lyle. I wasn't hit," she cries. "But Jarod was. He's bleeding so much."

"You stay there and keep pressure on the wound. I'm going to call for an ambulance." That's all I could think to do. I hoped it was enough. But I didn't expect resistance. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that there was one other person in the room who escaped the rain of bullets.

"I don't think that's a good idea," a raspy voice says from behind me. I feel the tip of a gun pointing in my back, so I have no choice but to put the phone down and turn around. Very slowly.

"What's this about, Raines?" I ask. I'm very curious to know just what's on his mind. And just how exactly did he get my gun? But then I remember that I dropped it before. He must have gotten it then.

"I'm tired of you Parkers," he gasps slowly. "You two get out. Leave me with Jarod."

"No way," my sister yells from her spot next to Jarod. "I'm not leaving him."

"Very well then," Raines says chillingly. "If you won't leave on your own, then I'll have your brother here drag your cold, dead body out." He gives her an evil smile before turning the gun on her.

"No," I say as I step in front of the gun. I don't know what's come over me. Call it a moment of bravery. Or sheer stupidity. But in any case, I'm now between this madman with a gun and my sister. "Parker, let's get out of here," I plead with her.

"Go," Jarod whispers, obviously in pain.

"I can't," she sobs, pulling him up into her arms. "I don't want to leave you."

"I know," he says with a resolved smile. He knows his fate. But he won't let it be hers. "But you have to."

For a moment there, they're both quiet. Not saying a word. Only staring at each other. But for some reason, I got the impression that more was said in that one second than anyone really knew. And for the first time, I really was able to see the depths of their love for each other.

"Let's go, Parker," I say again, this time while gently pulling her from off the floor.

"I love you," she whispers to him, almost with a smile. I just hope that her love will be enough for him to fight for.

We get out into the hallway outside the conference room and find Willie there waiting for us, his gun drawn.

"What happened in there?" he asks frantically. "I heard gunshots from down the hall."

"My father. He had a gun and shot the Director and Jarod. He was about to kill Parker until I stopped him," I explain quickly.

"You killed him?" Willie asks in amazement. And all I could do was nod. I still could hardly believe what I had to do myself. It's not that I couldn't handle making the kill shot. But I never expected to have to kill my own father. Even if he was a lousy one.

"Is she going to be alright?" Willie motions with his head towards my sister. And I must admit, she doesn't look good. Kind of pale. And really quiet. I think she wants to cry, but is trying hard to hold it in.

"I'm fine," she finally manages. "Or I will be when I get my husband from that psychopath."

"Raines got a hold of my gun and forced us from the room. He wanted to be in there with Jarod . . . alone," I tell him.

"That's not good," Willie frowns. "I found something in the lab. The one Raines always works from. Just some loose wires and stuff. But they look like the kind you'd put in a bomb."

"A bomb?" Miss Parker cries as a sob finally escapes her lips. "He doesn't want to just kill Jarod. He wants to kill us all!"

"Sis! You have got to calm down," I say, grabbing her shoulders firmly, but not so that I'd hurt her. "I don't want to see you back in the hospital. The three of us should be able to come up with some sort of plan."

"He's right," Willie agrees. "It's okay. We'll come up with something. But first, you need to get out of here," he tries to persuade her. But I could see that she didn't plan on moving.

"There's no way I'm leaving Jarod," she insists adamantly. "I'm not going anywhere without him."

"At least go someplace else, away from the conference room. I don't know how much explosives Raines has in there," Willie pleads with her.

"Probably enough to level Blue Cove," she says quietly. A tear starts its trek down her face, but she wipes it away quickly before her Ice Queen shell starts to melt.

"How about you and I go and warn Sydney and Broots," I suggest to her. "We'll have Broots start a backup of the computers . . . in case something happens."

"What about Jarod?" she whimpers.

"Raines will kill him if you go in there," Willie surmises. "But he doesn't suspect me. I'll go in and try to talk him out of there. You guys make sure this whole building is cleared to be on the safe side."

"Are you sure about this?" I ask him. He's putting his life on the line for a man that he's never seemed to care about before. What was so different now?

"I've actually never been more sure of anything," Willie says, sounding surprisingly confident of this fact, even to his own self. "It's just a feeling I have. And it's making me do this. I can't really explain why. Jarod said earlier that circumstances beyond our control have tied us together forever. I have to find out what he meant by that. Maybe he knows something about my past that I've been searching so long for. I don't intend on letting him die before he tells me."

"Whatever," I say to him. If Willie wanted to bust in there and play Russian Roulette with his psychopathic mentor, then who was I to stop him. The only thing I was concerned with was getting my sister to safety. I'll let those two bozos try to handle Raines.

"Come on, Sis. As you can see, Willie's got things covered here. We should go." She's still reluctant, but I pull her down the hall anyway. But deep down, I have to convince myself that his is the best thing for her. What if everything didn't work out in there with the bomb? What if Jarod was in there dying as we speak? Would she ever forgive me for taking these final moments she could be sharing with him?

Chapter 9

Willie takes a deep breath and wraps his hand around his gun before knocking on the conference room door.

"Raines," he calls out. "It's me. Willie."

He doesn't wait for a reply before slowly opening the door. He's greeted with the gruesome sight of blood all over the place. Blood from a dead Chairman. Blood from a very dead Director. And blood from a wounded Jarod.

"What's going on in here?" Willie asks, being sure to use calm, quiet tones and trying to prevent making any sudden movements. The words 'Establish trust' echoes clearly through his mind, almost as if someone has whispered them to him. And although he didn't know where the thought came from, it made sense to him.

"Do you need some help, Sir?" Willie offers Raines, never once giving him the impression that he was now on the opposite side.

"Get out of here, Willie," Raines orders gently. "Unless you plan on being scraped from the ceiling fan with a toothbrush tomorrow." He lays down his oxygen canister and pulls the tubes from his nose. Amazingly, he had no trouble breathing at all. The oxygen tank was a fake. Something else was in it.

"Is that the bomb?" Willie asks quietly. He notices Jarod out of the corner of his eye and sees the other man's eyes widen in shock at the realization that Raines planned to blow the place up.

"How did you know about the . . . " Raines begins to ask, but stops abruptly with a small grin spreading across his face. "I forgot about you Willie. You're a smart man. I'm sure it wasn't hard for you to figure out."

Willie was slightly taken aback by the almost proud tone Raines' voice took. But before he can think about it too much, he's distracted by Jarod stirring a little around his little spot on the ground. He notices a shiny glint coming from his hands. It only takes a second to recognize it as the handcuff keys. Willie realized he needed to somehow keep Raines distracted so that Jarod could free himself. A lot of good that'll do him, though. The wound to his leg looked pretty bad. And Jarod was looking pretty pale. He didn't have much longer. Willie had to get that bomb from Raines.

"I saw the wires and stuff in your lab. It's brilliant, using the oxygen tank. I never would have guessed," Willie says, trying to sound admiring. Trying to keep the trembling from his voice. He takes a couple of steps closer to the old man, but not too close to alarm him. "Can I see it?"

Raines gives him a slightly suspicious look, but shakes it off immediately. He bends down and opens the tank to reveal the bomb neatly tucked inside. Willie moved a little to his left so that Jarod could get a look at the bomb, too. They needed to know what they were dealing with. And Willie was sure that sometime during one of his pretends, Jarod had been a demolitions expert.

"Sir, what's all this about?" Willie tries to keep Raines talking. Trying to keep him focused on something else so that Jarod could work on setting himself free. And coming up with a plan to stop whatever Raines was up to.

"Power," Raines gasps. It sounded like he was starting to need that oxygen. "I have to take away the power."

"From who? Everyone is dead. Mr. Parker. The Triumvirate. The Director. There isn't anyone left to stop you," Willie says to him. Maybe it wasn't too late to try to stop Raines from taking such a drastic measure.

"There will always . . . gasp . . be someone . . gasp . . to stop me. Always some Parker . . gasp . . Always Jarod," Raines wheezes. "If there's no Centre . . . no Jarod . . . then no one gets the power."

"And that's worth killing yourself over?" Willie glances again at Jarod and sees that he's managed to get out of one side of the handcuffs.

"Willie, you're asking a lot of questions," Raines realizes.

"I just want to know why you're doing this," Willie explains quickly. "Why you're going to kill all of us."

"I never said I was going to kill you," Raines says softly. "You. You're the only successful part of this whole thing."

"What whole thing?" Willie asks, starting to get a little curious. Raines had a dazed look in his eye that Willie's never seen before.

"Life," Jarod says, speaking for the first time since the whole thing started. "Yours. Mine. You became what he wanted. I didn't. And that's why he's going to kill me."

Raines and Jarod engage in a visual war, staring each other down and dare each other to make the first move.

"You've always been too smart for your own good, Jarod," Raines growls.

"Not smart enough this time, I'm afraid," Jarod realizes. "This is my fate. But don't make it his." He nods towards Willie before looking up at him. "Get out of here, Willie. Before it's too late."

"How touching," Raines says sarcastically. "Trying to make sure little brother makes it out alive this time. Although you couldn't do much about Kyle. I guess you feel this is your second chance to prove your worth as a brother since you failed so miserably the last time."

At that provocation, Jarod leaps to his feet by force of shear adrenaline. In a matter of seconds, he has his hands around Raines' neck, squeezing out what little life was left in the old man.

"Maybe you were more of a success than I realized . . . Son," Raines manages to say through the tight grip Jarod had around his throat. His words cause something to click inside Jarod's head and he instantly lets the man go, falling to his knees without anything to support him.

"Don't call me that," Jarod sobs. "I'm nothing like you."

"Brother? Son?" Willie gasps. "One of you better start talking now." He holds the gun up with a shaky hand and points it in their direction.

"Those answers I promised you," Jarod says through clenched teeth. "Are right here in this room." He squeezes his eyes shut tight to brace himself for the wave of pain shooting through his body. Attacking Raines seemed to have done more damage to himself.

"What are you saying?" Willie's voice was starting to wave a little. He looks back and forth between Jarod and Raines, praying that they weren't about to tell him what he was starting to suspect.

"Your mother was raped by Raines. She got pregnant and had you. He had her killed and until about the time you were four, you were here at the Centre," Jarod says quickly. He knew there was more to tell. He had to finish the story before he lost his nerve. "But that wasn't the first time something like that happened. He did the same thing to someone else . . . my mother."

"That means we're . . . "

"Brothers," Jarod whispers to finish Willie's statement.

"No," Willie whispers, too much in shock to speak. Brothers. Jarod was his brother. And Raines was his father. "It can't be."

"It's true," Raines swears. "Didn't you feel it all those years? Working by my side. Becoming just like me. I molded and shaped you into just what I wanted you to be. I'm so proud of you."

"Don't say that," Willie yells. "You shouldn't be proud because I hate myself. I hate all those things I've done. And I hate you for making me this way. You may want to call yourself my father, but I never will."

"Willie," Raines gasps.

"No! Don't even say my name," Willie snarls. "Didn't you hear me? I hate you, old man. And I wish you'd just go ahead and die."

Raines lowers his body to the floor as if unable to support his own body weight any longer. The heaviness of his broken heart adding to his mass.

"If that's the way you want it, Son," Raines says, looking up into Willie's eyes one last time. "Then that's the way it's going to be." He reaches over for the bomb and before either of the younger men could stop him, flips the detonator switch.

"What did you just do?" Willie asks, not sure of what happened.

"He just armed the bomb," Jarod tells him. He tries to slide over to the bomb, but Raines pulls a gun and stops him.

"Not any further," he warns, aiming the gun right at Jarod. "I can't let you stop this."

"Put the gun away, Raines," Willie says, aiming his own gun at the older man. "And disarm the bomb. It doesn't have to end this way."

"Yes it does," Raines says sadly. "This is the only way it can end." He takes the safety off the gun and Jarod squeezes his eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable.

He hears the gun go off, but doesn't feel the hot metal enter his body. Slowly, he exhales and then dares to open his eyes

"He's dead," Willie says in a cold and clinical way. Not feeling anything for the man he just recently learned was his father. "He shot himself in the head."

"You get out of here," Jarod orders, sliding his body across the floor to the bomb. He looks inside and winces slightly at its configuration. "Try to empty the building before this thing goes off."

"Already taken care of. Lyle and Miss Parker left earlier to make sure everyone left. Then they went to have Broots back up the computers. But I can't leave without you. Miss Parker would kill me if I left you. And then she'd come back in here for you herself."

"I can't get out of here without any help," Jarod explains. "And if you have to drag me with you, you won't have time to alert Lyle, Tori and Broots. The best thing would be for me to stay here and try to disarm the bomb while you get them to safety." He can see that Willie still isn't convinced. "Please. You have to get her out of here. I don't want Imani to lose another mother. And I don't want to cause another brother to die," he says quietly, pleading with his eyes for Willie to comply.

"Fine," Willie relents. He starts towards the door, but turns back and flashes one of those 'Jarod-patented' grins. Apparently it was a hereditary smile. "But don't think that just because you're older you'll be able to boss me around like this."

"Just a warning," Jarod says with a slightly pain filled version of 'the grin'. "Smile like that at my wife, and she's liable to shoot you."

The minute Willie's out the door, Jarod's forced smile falls. Looking at the seconds on the bomb quickly tick away, he realizes that there isn't much time left. And that there wasn't anything he could do. He just prays Willie can get everyone out before it's too late.


Chapter 10

Willie races down the hallways of the Centre. All those years of playing high school football finally paying off. He doesn't stop until he reaches the computer room where Broots, Miss Parker and Lyle were all hunched around computers trying to complete the system download.

"Drop everything. We've got to get out of here now," he yells to them.

"Where's Jarod," Miss Parker asks frantically. "You didn't leave him, did you?"

"I had to," Willie confesses. "He wouldn't come with me. He's hurt pretty bad and there wouldn't have been enough time to bring him and come warn you guys."

"Not enough time?" Lyle asks. "What do you mean by there's not enough time?"

"The bomb's been armed. We're in the final countdown as we speak. Let's go. We don't have the time to be standing around chatting like this." Willie runs over to grab Miss Parker's hand and pulls her towards the door.

"Go get Jarod, Willie," she orders, refusing to move from her spot.

"Not until you're safely out of here. Don't make me do this the hard way," he warns. When it doesn't look like she's going to move, he takes another step closer and scoops her up in his arms. A few seconds later, they're out the door, on the way to the nearest exit.

"Put me down," she struggles against him the entire way. He finally obliges her once they reach the outside gates of the complex.

"Make sure she stays here," Willie tells Lyle. "And call the cops."

"Where are you going?" Miss Parker cries.

"He didn't want me to die in there," Willie whispers. "And I'm not about to let him do the same." He tentatively flashes the grin Jarod warned him about and is surprised to see a small smile of recognition dance on the edge of her lips.

"Just be careful," she begs as he turns back towards the building.

He only gets halfway back to the building before an eerie calm settles over, causing him to stop in his tracks. It was a cold, silent sensation that made all the hairs on his body stand on end. Time seemed to stand still. And that one half of a second seemed to last for a full minute. It was literally the calm before the storm. That one split second in time before the world was torn apart.

Before Willie could even blink, the view before him burst into flaming reds, yellows and oranges. Bricks that previously comprised the building that used to be standing in front of him were propelled like tiny rockets. The earth shook beneath him and all he could hear was a thundering rumble that still echoed in his ears long after the explosion.

"No!" a scream comes from behind him. It was Miss Parker. And she was twisting in Lyle's arms, trying to get free. Broots had to assist the man in keeping her restrained, being careful not to injure her or her unborn child.

Willie quickly gets to his feet, determination pumping madly through his veins. He had to get in there. He had to find Jarod. The bomb appears to have only affected the west wing of the building. The entire east side of the building was still standing. That's where Willie went in, hoping to be able to make his way to the conference room where he left Jarod. The only sound was the crackling of the fire making it's way through the portion of the building still standing. In the distance he could hear the faint wailing of a siren, but he didn't have that long to wait on the fire or policemen. The smoke was thick and burned his throat and eyes. He knew that Jarod couldn't withstand much more of it.

He takes one last deep breath of partially fresh air and covers his mouth and nose with a cloth. The thick cloud of smoke clung to everything, so it was hard to tell where he was. Pretty soon, his view was entirely obscured and he was going by instinct alone. By his estimation, he was about 20 feet away a stairway at the end of the hall. Then the conference room would be just up those stairs and across the hall.

He drops to his knees to crawl under the smoke the rest of the way. He could feel his lungs tightening from the exertion of processing the polluted air. The air near the floor was a little better, but still completely smoke filled. He knew that his body couldn't take much more. With one last burst of determination, he crawls furiously the last few feet to the door of the stairwell. Or at least, where the door used to be. The missing door was one less obstacle to surmount. He said a quick prayer of thanks for small favors.

He had given up on trying to see through the smoke and closed his eyes. His breathing was becoming more and more strained. But his goal was in reach. Just up the stairs and across the hallway to get to Jarod. He feels for the first stair and quickly begins his ascent, continuing that way for a few more steps. In reaching for the fifth step, his hand lands in a warm puddle. Quickly his eyes fly open to see what the hot sticky substance was, hoping it was not what he was thinking. The thick, red liquid clinging to his hands confirmed what he suspected. It was blood. The body next to the puddle confirmed whose blood it was. A mixture of relief and fear filled Willie's mind. He had found Jarod. But what kind of condition was he in? Willie finds his neck and presses two fingers to check for a pulse. There was a weak one, but strong enough to give Willie hope. With strength he didn't realize he had left, Willie wraps his arms around Jarod's chest and pulls the man the rest of the way down the stairs.


* * * * *

"Sir, can you tell me what happened here?" a voice says to Lyle. He looks around and sees crews of rescue workers, firefighters, paramedics and cops flocking the scene. The man talking to him was the chief fireman. But Lyle barely heard the man's words. He barely noticed the noise of the sirens and rescue crews moving in to do their jobs. He just noticed the silence from his distraught sister.

"Sir," the fireman speaks again, this time gently touching Lyle's shoulder to get his attention. "I said, can you tell me what happened here?"

"A bomb," Lyle whispers. He focuses back on Miss Parker, now very quiet and very still in his arms. A few minutes ago, it had taken both he and Broots to restrain her. And now, she'd gone limp. It begins to worry him. "Please. Get someone to help my sister. She's pregnant and her husband was in the building when it exploded. And now, she's not responding to me."

The fireman gives Miss Parker a sympathetic glance before motioning for the paramedics. "Get this woman to the hospital. She's pregnant and possibly in shock," he orders before turning back to Lyle. "You said her husband was in the building. Anyone else?"

"Yeah, another man went in after him a few minutes ago," Lyle informs him. The man thanks Lyle and tells him he's free to go. Lyle gets into the ambulance along with Miss Parker when a voice booms over the fireman's walkie talkie.

"Chief," a young fireman calls. "We found some bodies. We're bringing them out now."

"How many? What are their conditions?" the chief winces, knowing the kind of heat and smoke from a fire of this sort. It was very unlikely that anyone would still be alive.

"There's five," the young man says somberly. "And I think they're dead."

The ambulance closes its door and speeds away. Lyle can hardly believe what he heard. All dead? Even Jarod and Willie? He looks down at his barely conscious sister, wondering if she heard the fireman. One tear makes its way down her cheek and he has his answer.

"It's alright, Sis," he whispers in her ear, getting no response. No sob. No gasp. Nothing. He barely even felt a breath. There was no reaching her. She was buried deep inside herself now. Her body shutting down in response to the tragedy as the only way to protect her unborn child. There was nothing he could do now to help her. All he could do was hold her hand.


Chapter 11

Miss Parker slowly opens her eyes, blinking them a few times when the sun streams through the window and momentarily blinds her. She looks around her surroundings, unsure of where she is until she hears a quick, but steady beeping sound coming from the right of her. It was a monitor of some sort. A familiar sight from her many stays at places just like this. She was back in the hospital.

"Good morning, Parker," Sydney says cheerfully to her. "Two visits to the hospital in two days. That's got to be a record even for you," he laughs. She seems to be okay, he notices. Maybe a little disoriented, but the doctors gave her a clean bill of health. And that was all he cared about at the moment.

"The baby?" she asks frantically when she's a little more aware of her situation. A panic suddenly washes over her as she clutches her stomach, feeling for the small bulge that had been growing there.

"Fine," he smiles reassuringly. "The baby is fine. Look for yourself. The monitor is showing a strong and steady heartbeat."

She looks again at the monitor next to her bed. The beeping she heard earlier was her baby's heartbeat. And Sydney was right. It was strong and steady. She finally allows a smile to grace her lips as her hand gently comes to rest again upon her womb.

"What happened?" she asks, trying to maneuver herself into a sitting position. "Why am I here?" The look in her eyes turn wild as her own mind begins to answer the questions. "Where's Jarod?" She starts to panic again as the memories of the explosion come flooding back. "Tell me he isn't . . . The firemen said that all the bodies were . . ." Her sobs take over where the words leave off, shaking her body almost violently from the force of the tears.

"Parker, calm down," Sydney orders gently. He leans over and pulls her the best he could into his arms. "Listen to me. He's fine. Do you hear me, Parker? I said that Jarod is fine."

Her tears begin to slow as comprehension of what Sydney just said begins to penetrate her panicked mind. "Where is he?" she asks in a small voice, still shaking a little from the tears she can't seem to stop.

"If you calm down, I'll go get your doctor and ask her about taking you to see him. Can you do that?"

She nods and wipes her face dry. And after a few minutes when he's satisfied that she's stable enough, Sydney pats her hand one last time before leaving the room to go get the doctor.

Miss Parker sits and anxiously waits for him to return when she starts to get restless. She slowly swings her legs over the side of the bed, being careful not to pull too much on the wires attached to her stomach. The floor's a little cold, but she doesn't mind it too much. It was driving her crazy being in that bed when she had places to go and people to see - namely Jarod. A smile that she can't help comes to her face at the mere thought of him. Earlier, she thought that he was dead. But she knows now he's okay. That was a relief, but she still needed to see him for herself.

The door suddenly flies open, startling Miss Parker momentarily. But not as much as the blur of a tiny body being carried by a pair of small legs rushing towards her. "Mommy!" Imani screeches, flinging herself into Miss Parker's waiting arms. "We were worried about you." Imani wraps her arms around her mother's neck and begins planting small kisses on her cheek.

"I'm fine, Baby Girl," Miss Parker smiles, pulling Imani closer to her. "But I missed you so much. I'm glad you're here." Miss Parker looks to the door and sees Miss Dee's oldest daughter standing there, smiling at the small reunion.

"I'm glad you're okay, Tori," the woman speaks as she crosses the room to hug Miss Parker.

"Thanks, Tracee. Thanks for caring. And for bringing Imani to see me. I really did miss her."

The little girl starts to get a little antsy, squirming around on Miss Parker's lap. She grins at Imani, immediately recognizing the girl's dance - and what was prompting it.

"Go to the bathroom, Imani," Miss Parker says, still with the amused smile on her face.

"But I don't have to," Imani swears, wiggling around even more.

"Oh yeah? Then what's with the dance? Bathroom. Now, young lady," Miss Parker says sternly, pointing to a door on the other side of the room. "It's right over there."

The two women watch and smile as Imani scampers off to the bathroom.

"She missed you too, you know," Tracee says. "She'd rather wet herself than let you out of her sight." The women laugh lightly for a minute, but Tracee sees that Miss Parker's laughter soon turns into tears.

"I almost let her down, Tracee," she sighs and looks down, placing her hands on her stomach. "And this baby too. I'm usually so much in control. But I couldn't keep it together back there. I completely lost it."

"Tori, what did you expect? You watched a building explode with your husband trapped inside," Tracee reminds her. She sits on the bed next to Miss Parker. "Jarod is your life. And you're his life. I know that he loved my little sister, but I can see that he couldn't live without you. So, it's perfectly understandable that you'd feel the same way. The thing is, Tori. You didn't die. You are a fighter and you didn't give up. You came back. Even when you thought Jarod was gone, you came back. Not for him, but for your children. So you see, you didn't let anyone down. You're a great mother. Imani knows that, and this baby will too."

They sit in silence for awhile before it's interrupted by the door opening again. This time it's Sydney with the doctor close behind.

"How are you feeling this morning, Parker?" Dr. Phillips asks. "You gave us all a scare yesterday. Especially that handsome brother of yours," she adds with a little blush.

"I just need to see my husband," Miss Parker pleads. "I need to see that he's alright."

"I don't think that will be a problem," the doctor says with a smile. "Your vitals are back to normal. And the baby's vital signs are fine as well."

"What happened to me? Why was I brought in?" Miss Parker asks, confused that she didn't remember coming to the hospital.

"According to your brother, after the explosion, you kind of spaced out. He couldn't get you to respond to anything. We think you might have gone into shock. Or some sort of state to protect your baby from the trauma you had witnessed. You blood pressure dropped and your body just kind of shut down."

"But the baby's okay?" she asks to make sure.

"Your baby is fine. Perfect and healthy." The doctor smiles at the relief on Miss Parker's face. She goes to the door and pulls a wheel chair inside. "Now, I believe you were wanting to take a little trip?"

"In that? You said I was fine. Why do I need a wheelchair?" Miss Parker whines.

"Parker," Sydney scolds. "Be lucky you're going at all. Dr. Phillips here wanted to keep you on bed rest for another day." He walks over to Miss Parker and guides her into the wheelchair. "Now be a good girl and sit."

She stubbornly complies, and after Imani gets out of the bathroom, they head down to Jarod's room.

The room was quiet when they arrived. Tracee stayed in the waiting room with Imani while Sydney wheeled Miss Parker in. He leaves her by the bed and goes into the hallway to give them some privacy. The sound of the opening door alerts Jarod and his eyes flutter a bit before focusing on Miss Parker. A huge smile spreads across his face.

"What a great way to start the day," he whispers. She leans over and gives him a long kiss, conveying just how much she's missed him, leaving him panting and breathless. "And that was even better," he gasps. He finally gets a good look at her and concern instantly covers his face. "Honey, what happened?" He had just noticed that she was in a wheelchair wearing a hospital gown and a hospital ID bracelet.

"I'm fine," she assures him. "We both are." She grabs his hand in her own and places it over the baby "I was there when the building exploded," she says quietly. "And Willie was in there for so long looking for you. When I didn't see either of you come out, I thought it was hopeless. I didn't handle it very well. I kind of shut down for awhile."

"Well obviously Willie got me out because I'm fine," he repeats her earlier assurance. "What about you? Are you sure you're okay?"

"That's what the doctors say."

"What about everyone else?" he's curious.

"I actually don't know," she confesses. Syd is fine. He was just with me. My doctor mentioned Lyle being worried about me, so I assume he's okay too. Tracee's out there with Imani, and . . . "

"Tracee? Where's Miss Dee?" Jarod asks, starting to get suspicious.

"I didn't see her, Jarod. I don't know. I'm sorry I can't answer your questions. But I just don't know anything."

"Something's not right, Tori." A worried look haunts his face and Miss Parker sees that he's starting to get agitated.

"Is everything alright in here?" Miss Parker turns around and sees Sydney standing at the door. "I could hear Jarod from out here. He sounds upset."

"He's worried about everyone else. And I couldn't answer his questions," Miss Parker tells him. She looks sympathetically at Jarod and puts her hand in his for comfort.

"Well, Lyle's been here all night with you, Parker. I came this morning and sent him home for some rest. Broots is home with Debbie. He escaped with only some minor cuts and bruises from the flying debris. Miss Dee and Imani came last night. Miss Dee's older daughter, Tracee I believe is her name, is outside with your daughter."

"And where's Miss Dee, Syd? Why isn't she with Imani? Or with me? Or with Tori? Is it because she had to be with someone else? Why haven't you told me where Willie is?" Jarod's always active mind was starting to figure out what was going on. But he was terrified that Sydney would confirm his fears. "He was hurt, wasn't he?"

"Jarod, Willie's injuries were very extensive," Sydney says softly, almost hoping that Jarod didn't hear him. But he sees Jarod tighten his grip on Miss Parker's hand and knows the young man heard the news loud and clear.

"What happened?" Jarod whispers, turning his head to look out the window. "Tori said he came in looking for me. So how is it that I managed to get out okay, but he
didn't?"

"We don't know what really happened, Jarod," Sydney admits. "Your gunshot wound was bad. You had lost a lot of blood. Willie went back in for you, but . . . "

"But what, Syd? What happened to Willie?" Jarod is getting impatient with the lack of answers.

"He found you. But it was the firemen who ultimately brought you out." Sydney pauses to take a deep breath before telling him the rest. "Willie had inhaled a lot of smoke. He was unconscious by the time the firemen arrived. And now, he won't wake up."

"Baby, it's not your fault," Miss Parker says, trying to comfort Jarod when she sees him crying.

"He wasn't supposed to come back. He wasn't supposed to be in there," Jarod sobs uncontrollably. "I didn't want it to happen again. Not again."

"Jarod, you can't blame yourself for this," Sydney says calmly.
"It is my fault. All my fault. All I wanted was to make sure you were safe, Tori. I made him go get you. I knew he wouldn't have had time to carry me and get you to safety. And he wasn't going to leave me in there. So I lied and told him I was going to disarm the bomb. But I knew that bomb was going to blow, no matter what. Raines made sure of that," Jarod explains. "There was no stopping it. I knew that. After Willie left, I used whatever strength I had left to pile the bodies of the Director, Raines, and your father on the bomb, to kind of absorb some of the impact of the explosion. Then I started to make my way out of the building. I managed to drag myself halfway down the stairs before the explosion. Something hit me in the head and that's all I remember."

"Willie found you and tried to pull you to safety, but was overcome by the smoke," Sydney whispers. "But Jarod, this isn't your fault. Willie didn't go back until after the bomb went off. You didn't put him in any danger. You did the best you could trying to get him out of harm's way."

"He shouldn't have been in there," Jarod repeats. "He wasn't supposed to come back." He rolls on his side, turning his back to both Sydney and Miss Parker. He didn't want to talk anymore and they could tell. There wasn't anything they could do for him at the moment. All they could do was give him some time and space to work through his feelings. Miss Parker kisses his hand and gently places it down before Sydney wheels her back to her room.

"He's going to alright, isn't he, Syd?" Miss Parker asks once she's back in her own bed.

"I hope so, Parker," Sydney sighs. "It took him awhile to get over Kyle's death. He blamed himself for it."

"If anything, he should blame me for that," Miss Parker argues. "He was trying to protect me from Lyle when Kyle was shot."

"He would never blame you, Parker. You know that. When things don't go like he expects them to, he feels as if he's at fault. And If Willie dies, then . . . Well, I honestly don't know how he'll handle it." He leans over and kisses her forehead. "Get some rest. The doctor says if all goes well the rest of the day, you can go home tomorrow." He smiles sadly at her before walking out of the door.


Chapter 12

"You didn't have to come back. I didn't want you to," Jarod starts. He maneuvers around the room on his crutches until he's at the chair by Willie's bed. It's been a week since he's been in that place. A week and the hole in his leg was healing quite nicely. He just didn't realize he'd be leaving the hospital with a hole in his heart instead.

"I've got to make this fast. Tori's coming to pick me up in a little while. But I just had to come. There are things I have to say to you." He shifts his still sore leg until it's in more of a comfortable position before he begins his speech.

"This shouldn't be so hard. It shouldn't hurt so much. I hated you for so long. You were part of them. The people who stole my everything from me. My identity. My family. My life. You even almost took Tori from me forever. You certainly managed to take Sharisse," he sighs lightly. "But I don't hate you now. I can't.

"I remember the day I first found out about or connection. Not what we just learned, but years ago. When I saw you in those family pictures with Sharisse. I was jealous that you had so much time with her. And I hated that she loved you, even after all you'd done to her. But we were happy. Without you in her life. Without Tori in mine. We made our own family. And even though I hated you, I felt a sort of bond with you because of her. Like we were the only two people in the world to know of the wonderful secret of her love. Thinking back, I realize that she probably only loved me because I reminded her of you. Miss Dee used to say that all the time. How much alike the two of us were."

Jarod pauses for a minute and lets a smile come to his face.

"Now that I know the true reason I felt that bond with you, I sometimes wonder what it would have been like for her to have raised the both of us?" He laughs a little at this thought. "I think we would have driven her crazy."

Jarod pauses again as the implications of his statement seep through his mind. Saddened by what life could have been like if he had been able to live it with his brother.

"Would we have gotten along? Would we have even loved each other? Would it be possible to love each other now? Because the fact is, you're my brother. And that means something to me. It means that I have to look after you, and take care of you and keep you safe. It wasn't supposed to be the other way around. My first official act as your big brother, and I almost get you killed."

A few tears manage to escape the barrier Jarod tried to erect, but he realizes it's useless to try to fight them. He doesn't try to hold them back any longer. He lets them fall, grabbing Willie's hand and burying his face in it. The thought of someone walking in and wondering about the two grown men in an embrace didn't faze him any. He just allowed himself to grieve. For the past years they missed. And for the future years just stolen from them.

"I'm not going to go through this," Jarod swears, wiping away the last of his tears. "I'm not going to lose another brother. Do you hear me, Willie? That's an order. For all the times I haven't been able to boss you around and tell you what to do, I'm making up for it now. You live. It's as simple as that. Live. And give us a chance at a life they tried to take away. Give us a chance to get to know each other. Give us a chance to grow to love each other."

His words hang in the silent heavy air and are soon swallowed up by the steady beep of the machine delivering Willie's life sustaining fluids intravenously. Jarod gives Willie's hand one last squeeze before focusing on the daunting task of making his way to the door. He looks up and sees her standing there, a few tears misting her clear blue eyes.

"Do you think he heard me?" he asks her.

"I have the strangest feeling that he did," Miss Parker tells him, flashing a smile that filled his heart. "And I'm sure he'll listen to you. You can be pretty persuasive, you know." She smiles again at him and pretty soon he can't help but do the same.

"I love you," he whispers to her, gently capturing her lips in a delicate kiss.

"I love you too, Jarod," she whispers back. "Let's get out of here. Let's go home."

She moves to the door and holds it open for him while he hobbles out the room. Taking one last look at the man still lying unconscious in the bed, he smiles somberly.

' . . . don't think that just because you're older you'll be able to boss me around like this . . ., Jarod sadly remembers Willie saying. His last words to him.

"Just wait, little brother. This is only the beginning for us." Jarod lets out one last sigh before turning to walk down the hall, the clicking of the door closing marking the shutting of one book of his life . . . or maybe the opening of another.


Epilogue


Jarod and Miss Parker's residence
6 months after the explosion

Miss Parker cringes at the sound of the knocks on the door. Getting around wasn't very easy for her these days. Especially since she looked like what resembled a beached whale. And felt like one too.

"Come in," she yells breathlessly from the sofa, after trying unsuccessfully to get up. She gets downright annoyed when whoever's at the door continues to knock anyway. She tries to get up one last time, but fails, just as the door bursts open.

"Honey, we were out there knocking for like 5 minutes. Our hands were full and we couldn't get in. Why didn't you open the door for us?" Jarod asks innocently. Then he looks at her angry face with a little bit of amusement. When he realizes why she couldn't get the door, he begins to chuckle. "Did you get stuck in the couch again?"

His companions also start to laugh a little at the thought, but quickly stop when she flashes them a glare. They try to make themselves look busy putting down the packages they were carrying.

"Oh, is this funny to you?" she asks, obvious to everyone that she's getting angry. Everyone but Jarod, that is, who continues to enjoy the humor in her little predicament.

"I'm sorry, Tori," he says, trying to wipe the grin off his face. "Let me help you up." He reaches a hand to grab on to her, but she just swats it out of the way.

"Don't touch me," she growls, her eyes narrowing into tiny slits. "That's how I got into this mess anyway. I should never have let you touch me. Lyle, Willie. Could one of you please help me up?" They quickly oblige, not wanting to risk angering the woman any further. She glares at Jarod one more time before waddling as best she could to the bathroom.

"Whoa. Is she always like that?" Lyle wonders, suddenly feeling very sorry for the man married to his sister.

"Not always," Jarod says. "Only when she's awake." He laughs when he sees the horror stricken expression on the men's faces. "Welcome to my world, fellas. Hormones and mood swings."

"Yeah, remind me to make my appointment for that vasectomy I'd been putting off," Willie jokes.

"I'll come with you," Lyle laughs with him.

"Glad to see I'm still amusing you," Miss Parker snaps when she reenters the room.

"I'm sorry, Honey," Jarod says sweetly, trying to sooth her a little. He carefully puts his arm around her shoulder and gives her a gentle kiss. "I love you. Every last inch of your nine month pregnant body." He tries to kiss her again, but she shoves him away.

"Nine AND A HALF months, Jarod," she yells. "I've been pregnant for so long. I swear this child is beginning to think she's an elephant and has a year long gestational period."

"You're a little overdue . . . "

"Two weeks overdue. That's more than a little," she interrupts him. "This little girl is about as stubborn as you are."

"Girl? What makes you think HE's a girl?" Jarod teases. "And if anyone's the stubborn one, it's you."

"Because SHE is a girl," she says positively. "I just know it."

"Well, whoever's in there, it won't be much longer before we meet him - or her. The doctor said she'd induce labor in two days if you hadn't had HIM by then," Jarod reminds her. He attempts to approach her once more, but again gets the cold shoulder.

"It doesn't look like you're quite out of the dog house, Jarod," Willie whispers to him.

"I know. I'd probably be better off if you had just left me in that fire," Jarod smiles.

"Don't say that," Miss Parker gasps, her mood suddenly going from angry to solemn. Her lips begin to tremble and tears start to pour down her face. "I do love you. I just get a little cranky sometimes. I can't believe we almost lost each other back then." She leans into Jarod's arms and sobs quietly into his shoulder.

"We're here. And we're fine, Tori," he reminds her while gently stroking her back. He stares at Lyle and Willie, trying to prompt them to also reassure her.

"Yeah, we're fine," Willie chimes in. "I even had my last appointment with the doctor last week. He said that I was in great health for someone who'd been in a coma for 3 months." He flashes her 'the smile' with about as much skill as Jarod's and she can't help but smile back.

Jarod smiles at his brother standing before him. It truly was a miracle he came out of the coma. The happiness at that thought warms him all over and he can hardly contain himself. He pulls Miss Parker closer to him - as close as he can, anyway, with that stomach in the way - and wraps his arms tightly around her, sharing with her the happiness he's feeling. But when she gives a muffled groan, he quickly drops his arms.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he anxiously questions.

"No, it's not that. It's just my back. It's been killing me all day." She takes a step away from him, gently rubbing the ache as best she could. Her eyes suddenly open in shock when she notices a wet puddle around her feet that wasn't there a second before.

"Um, Sis. I think you sprung a leak," Lyle stutters.

"My water just broke," she says, almost in shock that it happened.

"That means it's time to go have this baby," Jarod tells her excitedly. "Those back aches you've been having all day could have been a sign you were in labor."

"My water just broke," she mumbles again, still in shock.

"Honey, it's time," he smiles.

"No, it can't be. I changed my mind. I'm not ready," she says, sitting down on the couch, refusing to get up. "And I'm not going. This baby's just going to have to wait." She crosses her arms to show her defiance. All that lasts for about 20 seconds, though, until a searing pain shoots through her abdomen. "Ouch," she groans.

"Contraction?" he asks. She can only nod, the sharpness of the pain momentarily taking away her breath. "Okay, I want you to just look at me and focus on your breathing. Just like they taught us in the class." He breathes with her until he sees her face relax. "Now do you believe me? We have to get going."

She just nods again, wiping away a few tears from her eyes. She sits patiently while Jarod, Lyle and Willie rush around the house getting the things she needed. One contraction later, everything that needed to be done was finished and they're finally able to make their way to the hospital.

* * * * * * * * * *

Blue Cove Women's Health Clinic
4 hours later

"Okay, Victoria. I can see the head," the doctor says enthusiastically. "A couple more pushes and you'll meet your baby."

"That's what you said . . . ahhhh . . . a couple of pushes ago," she screams. "Jarod, just shoot me. Go get my gun and shoot me now. Make this pain go away."

"Come on, Honey. We're almost there. Just breath," he coaches her, having to duck when her fist flies towards his head.

"What do you mean we? AHHHH! I'm the one doing all the work." She closes her eyes in agony and leans her head back against Jarod's chest. She allows herself to be comforted by the gentleness of his hand stroking her hair. However, the reprieve only lasts a minute as another pain rips through her.

"Victoria," the doctor calls her. "I want you to bear down as hard and as long as you can with this contraction. Keep pushing until I tell you to stop."

Miss Parker nods her head, and begins pushing with all her might. I can do this. I can do this, she chants to herself, all the while pushing. She pushes back for all the times in the past she's been pushed down. She pushes back for all the things in her life that almost took her completely out of the game. She pushes for her mother. She pushes for Tommy. And she pushes for her new family. How they almost took them away, too. But they prevailed. She keeps pushing and pushing until soon, her own cries are covered by louder, shriller ones.

"Congratulations. It's a girl," the doctor says. After quickly wiping her down and wrapping her up, the doctor hands her over to her mother's anxiously awaiting arms.

"She's beautiful," Jarod whispers, unable to hold back his own tears. "Just like you."

"She's so perfect," Miss Parker cries, taking a moment to count her fingers. Jarod lifts a foot and counts the toes. Together they sit with their tears and enjoy the first moments of their daughter's life.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jarod and Miss Parker's residence
2 days later

"Are they here yet?" Imani asks her grandmother for what must be the twelfth time. Luckily for them, this would be the last time. A car pulls up seconds later with the long overdue visitors.

"They're here!" she screams, throwing the door wide open for Jarod, Miss Parker, and Lyle. Miss Parker enters first, walking gingerly with some help from Lyle. Jarod follows them, carrying little pink bundle.

"Congratulations, you guys," comes from several of the guests in the house.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Tracee asks Miss Parker quietly. "You just had her a couple of days ago."

"Positive," Miss Parker smiles. "I think it's fitting for you all to be here to welcome her home." She hugs Tracee warmly before taking a seat on the couch. Jarod sets the baby in her arms and looks around at all the guests.

"I want to thank you all for being here," he starts, deciding to make an impromptu speech. "But I know you all didn't come to see me. Two days ago, a new member to this family was born. A family that spans generations, backgrounds, and color lines. A family that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

"I've spent the better part of my life searching for a family that I may never find. Not realizing that I had family here in front of me the whole time. And I know and trust that you'll not only be there for Tori and I, but also for our daughters. Imani, you all know. But now it's time to introduce you to our newest addition." He smiles and looks down at Miss Parker. She unwraps the baby and holds her up for them all to see.

"Weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds 11 ounces and 22 inches long. May I present Miss Halle Jordyn Parker." Jarod finishes his introduction with a big smile on a proud father's face. He steps back and lets his new baby girl take Centre stage. She's passed from person to person and handles the attention like a professional until her hunger gets the better of her. A shrill wail escapes the baby's lips.

"She's hungry," Miss Parker announces.

All the visitors smile and realize it's time to go. But not before one last congratulations to the family. Five minutes later, the house is empty and Miss Parker settles down to begin nursing Halle. Jarod sits next to her with Imani on his lap and just stares at them all.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he whispers after a long silence, trying not to wake up both the girls who have managed to fall asleep.

"Thanks," she smiles. "You're not so bad yourself. Look at her," she says, motioning to the sleeping baby. "We did good, didn't we?"

"No. You did good." He looks at her again and can't manage to hold in his emotions any longer. Tears of happiness spill down his face. "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiles at him and wipes away the tears. "No more tears. Not ever again. From now on, it's only going to be joy."

She holds the baby close to her chest and snuggles deeper into Jarod's arms. The place where she's always where found safety, strength, and love. The place she knows will always be her joy - no matter what is thrown their way.

The End.