Disclaimer: I don't own the Pretender…despite any delusions my current Pez high has given me. Would you like a Pez? The characters are not mine and I'm not making any money out of spending hours of my day obsessing over them. In the event that you feel like suing me for using the characters, I will merely plead insanity due to overconsumption of Pez. So again, I ask, would you like a Pez?
Second Disclaimer: I liked my first one so much, I though I'd write another…not really. Anyway, I've borrowed lines from the following episodes /movies of the Pretender: "The Pretender 2001," "The Island of the Haunted," "Unforgotten," "Gigolo Jarod," and "Someone to Trust." It should be noted that these episodes/movies are not mine. I never wrote them nor did I have anything to do with their development or creation. My apologies for using someone else's work.
Summary: Lyle frames Ms. Parker for murder, and guess who comes along as the local sheriff, that's right, Jarod. Will Parker finally allow him to free her from her prison, both literally and figuratively? Post IOTH.
Note: I'm writing another fiction at the moment…or starting to write one…that deals heavily with dates throughout the series. I'm trying to prove just how old Ms. Parker and Jarod are, when Catherine Parker was really murdered, etc. Those of you who watch the series closely will notice how the DSAs and other things don't always match up. Any dates that you have to offer will help immensely!
Behind Bars
By Bec-Bec
A Chapter On Its Own (Merely because I'm not sure if I'm continuing this or not.)
A Lovely Turn of Events
"Sis, help me." That's what Lyle had said over the phone, or rather, rasped over the phone at two o'clock in the morning, and she had been stupid enough to believe him.
"Excuse me, when do I get to make my phone call?" Ms. Parker said bitterly from behind the confines of prison bars at the Blue Cove police department.
A stout officer answered, "Well missy, as soon as we finish filling out this paperwork here and hand it over to the sheriff, we'll see about letting you have that phone call."
Ms. Parker gave the man a menacing glare. However, the man was unfazed. "Until that time, would you mind telling me why we found you at the site of a murder?"
"I'm not speaking without my lawyer," Ms. Parker practically spat at him.
The officer shrugged and walked back out of the holding cell room.
Ms. Parker closed her eyes and leaned her head against the bars a bit too quickly, causing them to make a slight bonging noise and send a shooting pain through her head. She stood back up and rubbed the spot on her head before clasping two of the bars between her hands and shaking them wildly. She knew that it wasn't going to help her get out any quicker, she was just using it as a way to let out her pent up aggression.
"I really need your help…please…" Lyle's voice had seemed so full of pain, so honestly hurt. Perhaps she was just a sucker for a person in need, just like Jarod.
Jarod. The thought caused her to shake the bars even more viciously.
She hadn't heard from Jarod for almost two months. No clues, no phone calls, nothing. She had half expected the phone call earlier to be from Jarod; no one else would call at such an ungodly hour. But no, instead of Wonder boy it had been her bastard of a brother, Lyle.
"I know you don't have a reason to trust me, but I really need your help." He had been near tears…if he ever really cried.
Help, hah, that was a laugh. The sad thing was, she'd gone. She'd left her home in the middle of the night to help her brother and where had it gotten her? Prison. But then, she'd always misplaced her trust in the people who least deserved it…hadn't Jarod tried to tell her that before?
Her movements paused for a moment. Jarod trusted her and yet she wouldn't allow herself to trust him. Trust was such a rare thing to come by, and really, it was all either of them were looking for…trust, and the truth.
"Trust your Inner Sense, Ms. Parker, I know I do." He'd said that to her. He'd stood in front of her, pulled the gun pointed at him from her hand, and then given it right back. Why had he done that?
His trust of her was so implicit. He'd known that she wouldn't stop him from searching for his mother on the island. But how could he know something about her that she didn't even know? How did he always know?
"Maybe it's supposed to be that way." That's what he'd said. Maybe…maybe…NO.
She resumed shaking the bars and this time added in a swift kick at them, not allowing her thoughts to travel in that direction.
There was absolutely nothing special about her bond with Jarod, nothing at all. It was all a game, just a game. She was the hunter and he was the prey, that's all it was…was. Where on earth was he now? She couldn't hunt him down if he wasn't around to be hunted.
The knob on the door into the room turned and the door started to open.
She halted her bar shaking, gave one more swift kick to them, and crossed her arms over her chest, defensively, waiting to see what the lame-brained cops would say this time.
The door opened enough for her to see the backside of an officer standing in the doorframe talking to someone in the other room…it wasn't a bad view either.
Her eyebrows arched at the idea that one of the police officers at this crummy station actually had a body worth looking at.
Then the man turned all the way around, and Ms. Parker's mouth dropped open.
The officer entered the room followed by the stout officer from before.
The new officer turned to the other man, after staring at Ms. Parker for a moment. "I thought you said she was aggressively upset, she looks rather tame to me."
The stout officer shrugged, "She was thrashing around in here a few minutes ago, sheriff, I could hear her all the way in the other room."
Two months, she had been looking for him without one clue, and there he was, standing in front of her at the Blue Cove police department, while she was behind bars. It was almost ironic that instead of her catching him, he had caught her…in a way.
Jarod winked at her and she was about to snap back a retort about his Lab Rat-ness, when she realized that while the other officer was in the room, it was probably a better idea to play the part of the prisoner meeting the police chief for the first time. But, that didn't mean she had to be civil.
"I suppose you're the famed sheriff I have to meet with before I get my phone call," Ms. Parker did not hide her disdain at the situation.
"That would be correct. Hello, I'm Sheriff Wilson. The deputy here informed me that you were found at the site of a murder, minutes after a phone call was made to 911. Would you mind telling me what you were doing there?"
"Responding to a phone call."
"And why did you have a gun with you?"
"I'll answer that once I've spoken with my lawyer."
"Very well." Jarod turned to the stout deputy. "Andy, would you mind making sure the paperwork is finished?"
"Right away, chief," Andy answered as he left the room.
The minute the door closed behind him, Ms Parker turned a hateful expression at Jarod. "It's so nice to know that all this time I haven't heard from you, you've been playing Andy Griffith of the Mayberry P.D."
"Andy Taylor," Jarod corrected with a broad smile. "I've got cable TV."
"I'm so glad you've found TV Land," Ms. Parker said sarcastically. "Where the hell have you been, Jarod?"
"It's so nice to know you care, Ms. Parker. However, I don't believe you're in the position to be asking any questions." Jarod gave her his usual cocky smirk.
Ms. Parker narrowed her eyes angrily. "We'll see about that after I put in a call to the Centre."
"That's if you get to make your call. It would be a pity if all of your paperwork got lost and we had to fill it out all over again."
"You wouldn't." Ms. Parker's eyes widened.
"Oh, yes I would…but not if you decide to be cooperative and answer a few questions for me."
Ms. Parker studied his face for a moment and found a dead serious expression there. She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides, losing her defensive stance. She stared at him until she couldn't face looking into his eyes anymore and then ducked her head, ran her fingers through her hair and sat on the little cot in the holding cell. "What do you want, Jarod?" she asked as she stared at the floor.
"To help you, of course."
"And why would you want to do that? I'm in jail, isn't that what you've wanted all along? To see the people at the Centre brought to justice?"
"Did you know that justice is blind, Ms. Parker?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ms. Parker asked as she turned her head to look at him.
Jarod shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing, I just like reminding you of all of the wonderful things I find out when I'm outside of the Centre. Now, tell me exactly what happened."
Ms. Parker gave an exasperated sigh, but answered Jarod's question anyway. "I got a phone call at two o'clock this morning from Lyle. He said he needed help. So, I went."
"To help Lyle?" Jarod said skeptically.
"Yes, Jarod, unfortunately I was naïve enough to believe he actually needed help. When I got there, I found the body. Lyle wasn't anywhere to be found so I was on my way out, when the cops showed up."
"Why would Lyle want to set you up for a murder?"
"Sydney once said that we took sibling rivalry to another level." Ms. Parker gave a mock half-smile. "I should assume that he set it up to get me out of the way."
"Out of the way so that he could do what?"
"Find you, of course. What else do we spend our time doing?"
"You really should find a hobby, Ms. Parker, it's rather satisfying. Have you ever gone fishing?"
"No, and I have no desire to." Ms. Parker became annoyed again.
"Your loss," Jarod continued. "Why would Lyle want you out of the way to find me? I haven't sent you a clue in two months; you have no leads on where I am, nothing at all."
"Why do you think, Jarod? The longer you're uncommunicative, the more likely it seems that you've either vanished, or that one of us is helping you evade capture," Ms. Parker hissed angrily.
"Temper, temper, Ms. Parker. There's no reason to be so upset."
"Upset! I am locked in a jail cell for something I didn't do, while I'm being interrogated by you, the Wonder Rat," Ms. Parker bit out at him. "I think I have every right to be less than civil."
"You underrate how much a kind and giving nature will get you."
"Well, why don't you enlighten me, Lab Rat, what exactly does a 'kind and giving nature' get you? Useless followers who think you're a hero?"
"No, it gets you friends," Jarod remarked knowingly.
"I don't need any friends, Jarod."
"That's right, Parker, you don't need anybody. Am I right?" Jarod said sternly, knowing he was upsetting her, but that seemed to be the only way he ever got through to her, by making her boiling mad.
Ms. Parker stood up and stalked menacingly over to him, not that it would do any good, she didn't have a gun and she was still behind bars while he was free as a bird. What a lovely turn of events. "Shove it, Jarod. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you go on and on about my lonely sad life. I live my life my way, and the minute I'm out of this hell hole, I'm gonna track you down and-"
Jarod cut her off. "Ms. Parker, you're forgetting who's got all of the power in this little situation you're in. Right now, we play the game my way, and if you don't sit back down and gather yourself together, I'll have you charged for verbally assaulting the police sheriff. It won't look good to the court." Jarod winked at her again.
Ms. Parker's cheeks flushed as she gritted her teeth to keep herself from lashing out at him for his mocking gesture.
Jarod could see the fire in her eyes and almost laughed in his folly, but felt it best not to push her any further.
"I'll give you a few minutes to cool off, then I'm coming back and we'll finish our little discussion."
"Can't wait," Ms. Parker replied coldly as Jarod left the room.
****
"Maybe, if the scrolls were real, we could have found out what our future would hold." Parker had seemed so close to a turning point when he had last spoken with her, but here she was throwing her usual verbal barbs at him. How come every time he came close to luring her out of her defensive shell, she ended up crawling right back in and making her armor even stronger? What had happened to the little girl that had given him his first kiss?
"She grew up," he answered his own thought aloud.
But, why did that mean she had to change? How had her father corrupted the sweet little girl he had once known?
"How can you still trust him?" he had once asked her. Perhaps trust was also blind, though, he couldn't recall seeing a statue of trust with a blindfold anywhere. Yet, he already knew trust was blind, in a way, because he trusted Parker. It was risky to trust your huntress, he knew that, but somehow, he trusted her anyway. He could tell that if push came to shove, she would help him…eventually.
"Trust your Inner Sense, Ms. Parker, I know I do." He'd meant that when he'd said it. Some part of his mind rationalized that for all of the times he had showed his trust in her, eventually, even if it were only subconsciously, she would begin to trust him for once. At least, that's what he hoped.
Now, here she was in prison, framed by her own brother, and it still seemed as though she was siding with the Centre. When would she learn that the Centre couldn't be trusted? When would she learn to trust him?
Jarod swiveled in his chair, rubbed his temples in frustration and stood up, leaving his office to try once more to help his huntress out of the latest Centre mess.
****
Ms. Parker's things had been taken from her when she was brought in. Right now, she desperately wished she had her cigarettes. She hadn't smoked them in over a year, but she always carried a pack just in case something shocked her nerves enough to push her into the need for an artificial comfort. Being framed for murder by her brother and locked into a jail run by Jarod was definitely cause for a cigarette. She would have asked Jarod to give them to her, but knowing him, he probably would have just gone off on a speech about how they were giving her lung cancer and she really wasn't in the mood to be lectured on the dangers of nicotine addictions. They could have at least offered her some coffee though. It was four o'clock in the morning, and the lack of caffeine in her system was beginning to have its consequences.
She rubbed her eyes wearily as her thoughts again turned to things Jarod had said to her in the past.
"How did we end up like this, Parker."
"Like what?"
"Alone, searching. It's ironic because we both want the same things: Someone to care about, someone to care about us. Do you think we'll ever find that kind of love in our lives?"
She'd had that love once, with Thomas, and they'd killed him because of it. After that she'd vowed that she would never love another man…so why couldn't she stop thinking about Jarod?
She began pacing the length of her cell.
Why did she let him get to her that way? He loved getting a rise out of her, and she still let him rile her up every time they talked. It was almost as if she couldn't deny him the pleasure of seeing her pissed off. His pleasure even upset her more, which only made him all the happier. She kicked the bars again as she came up to them, before turning around and walking back in the other direction.
No, she didn't care about Jarod, not at all. She wanted to see him suffer, she wanted to see him in pain…but then how come she could never bring herself to shoot him?
She had reached the bars again, and gave them another wild kick. This time, however, she hurt her toe. She cursed Jarod, as though it were his fault, as she limped over to the little cot and sat down.
She hung her head as another memory came to mind, a time when Jarod had asked her to trust him rather than her father and Lyle.
"And you think you can trust what they say?"
"As opposed to trusting you? That's kind of like jumping out of the fire into the fire, isn't it?"
"You think you know the truth about your father and Mr. Lyle and who killed your mother, but the fact is, you only know what the Centre wants you to know."
"What do you want from me?"
"The same thing you want from me, a little trust."
"I have to go."
"Be careful, Ms. Parker, remember what your mother used to say, trust can kill you or set you free."
He was right. Damn, Jarod, he was always right.
Over the years, the Centre had lied to her just as much as they had to Jarod, if not more. The only reason she knew any of the truth behind their lies was because Jarod had helped her find it.
She muttered another curse under her breath just as the door to the room opened again and Jarod stepped through.
"So, Ms. Parker, have you calmed down yet?"
"I don't remember the last time I was calm, if I ever was, but I'm not going to 'verbally assault you'…to your face, anyway," Ms. Parker still sounded annoyed, but managed to contain her anger as she faced him from her position on the cot.
"It's so nice to know we can be honest with one another…or rather, it's nice to know you're being honest with me for once."
Ms. Parker closed her eyes and shook her head. "I think that's what makes me the least calm, Jarod, knowing that you've always been honest with me." She opened her eyes to find him staring intently at her. She looked away quickly. "What do you want from me, Jarod?" she asked as she focused on the wall opposite her.
"The same thing you want from me, a little trust."
She spun around quickly, to look at him, as he repeated what he'd said to her in the past. He always did that, tormented her with the past. "And what would you do if you did have my trust, Jarod? It wouldn't change anything."
"If you trusted me, I'd throw a parade," he laughed to himself.
"Be serious, Jarod. Tell me, what would you do if you did have my trust?"
Jarod frowned. "I'm the one asking the questions here, remember?"
Ms. Parker stood up and walked toward him, hiding her slight limp, the pain in her toe had subsided. "Bullshit, Jarod, answer me."
The problem was, she had caught him by surprise. He didn't know how to answer that question.
Ms. Parker stopped walking when she reached the bars. She was standing right in front of Jarod, arms crossed over her chest, looking at him hard in the face. This time, he turned away from her gaze.
"That's right, Wonder Boy, you have no idea. I trust you and you have no idea what to do with my trust."
Jarod's eyes widened as he turned back to look at her.
Ms. Parker realized what she'd said and kicked at the bars again, forgetting she had hurt her toe before. She grimaced at the pain but said nothing, refusing to look Jarod in the face.
"You do trust me," Jarod said in surprise.
Ms. Parker kept her gaze focused on the floor, as she spoke harshly. "So what? Like I said, you have no idea what to do with my trust because it doesn't change a damn thing."
"But, Parker-"
She cut him off as her head snapped back up angrily. "Forget I said it, Jarod, it doesn't mean anything. The word 'trust' lost all meaning for me years ago."
Jarod didn't respond.
Ms. Parker shook her head and turned away to walk back to the cot.
His voice just above a whisper, Jarod spoke as he left the room, "Everything means something."
By the time his words had registered and Ms. Parker had turned to face him again, he was gone.
****
Jarod sat in his office staring intently at the report on Ms. Parker, without even absorbing what it said. Parker trusted him. Actually trusted him. Him, the human Lab Rat. He never expected that, what was he supposed to do now? He was completely unprepared for something like this. Half of him wanted to sweep her in his arms and kiss her, and the other half wanted to yell at her for taking so many years to figure out who she should trust. What was he supposed to do now?
"…I've always felt-I've always known that there was something more to our lives than I run and you chase." There was so much more to their lives than that. But she had crushed his attempts to forge a new relationship in the past, what was different now? Like she said, it didn't change a damn thing…unless she had finally reached her turning point.
Anxious to talk with her again, he finished his once-over of the documents in his hands, signed them, and left his office quickly.
****
"Everything means something." What had he meant? What did her trusting him mean?
He'd left. He always did that, pulled a vanishing act or hung up the phone, and then he would just disappear…again.
Ms. Parker dug the heel of her shoe into the floor. Where had he run off to this time? Was he going to come back? She began kicking the heel of her shoe into the floor angrily. She actually wanted him to come back. She despised him so much, and yet…
She kicked her heel into the floor harder.
"We've been through a lot, you and me, from when we were kids at the Centre to the last couple of days. I know that rarely our allegiances have been the same, but I've always felt-I've always known that there was something more to our lives than I run and you chase."
"Maybe we do what we have to just to get by in this life, Jarod."
"Maybe we both deserve something more."
What was it that they deserved?…Trust? They already had that. They had it before, even if they hadn't verbally stated it…She had always trusted him, and she knew he had trusted her.
What was it they deserved?…Love? No, love was weakness. She couldn't love anyone.
"Just-Just forget what happened on that island. Forget that moment of weakness. Turning points only come when you've got something to turn to."
He had offered her something when they had been in that limousine. He had offered her a different life. He had offered her his heart, hadn't he?
Her grip on the edge of the cot tightened.
"Sorry this isn't the different ending you were looking for, but it's just the way the damn story goes."
"It's a wonderful thing about life, Ms. Parker, if you change the story, the ending is up to you."
Damn him.
She released the edge of the cot as she felt the metal beginning to dig into her hands and stood up abruptly, beginning to pace the length of the cell again.
She wanted to smack him in the face…and then she wanted to kiss him.
She wanted to hit him over the head…and then she wanted to hug him.
She wanted to shoot him…and then-
The door opened and Jarod stepped into the room again, looking slightly bewildered.
"Your paperwork is finished; you can make your phone call now."
"Jarod, what does trust mean?" Ms. Parker hissed. Jarod said nothing. "Answer my question."
"Why? It doesn't change anything. Trust doesn't mean anything, remember?" Jarod said sternly.
Ms. Parker slid her hand through her hair. "Maybe it does," she said harshly.
"Like what?" Jarod said, his voice tight, yet with an undertone of pleading.
"I don't know, Jarod. I have no idea what the hell it means, just that it means something."
"What does it mean, Parker?" Jarod growled, "Only you can tell me what it means. Does it mean that you're going to call the Centre? Does it mean that we continue this stupid game of 'I run and you chase?' What does it mean?"
Her head spun as she tried to decide what exactly she was supposed to say, what she should do. "God damn it, Jarod, why do you make everything so hard."
"What are you talking about? I'm not the one who's made all of your choices for the past five years. You've only got yourself to blame for everything that's gone wrong for you. So, you tell me, Parker, how does your trusting me change things?" Jarod continued in his menacing voice.
"I don't know! I-Have-No-I-dea!" she kicked the bars with each syllable, and collapsed to the floor when she had finished talking, completely out of energy from their verbal tirade.
A glimmer of concern crossed Jarod's eyes at the sight of her crumpled on the ground, obviously in pain, but he stopped it from going any further. Only Parker could make the choice to change her life. Only she could define what her trust for him meant.
"Get some sleep, Parker," Jarod said, his voice absent of all emotion.
"No. I want to make my phone call," Ms. Parker said absently.
"Hold on, I'll let you out so you can use the phone."
"No, let me use your cell phone." She looked up at him.
He looked confused.
"I don't think you want the other officers to overhear what I'm going to tell them."
"Fine." Jarod pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to her through the bars. Ms. Parker's fingers brushed his hand as she took the phone, and they exchanged an awkward look.
Jarod turned to walk away, but she called him back.
"Stay here, I think you should hear what I tell them."
He was going to reply, but she already had the phone to her ear. Not in the mood to fight anymore, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his back against the wall, watching her. If she was calling the Centre, he might as well hear what she was telling them so he knew what he was up against when it was time for him to run again.
The other end of the phone call must have rung for quite a while because no words had left Ms. Parker's lips yet. Finally, the silence was broken.
"Lyle, you bastard, I'm going to make you pay for this big time. Love Ya." She ended the call.
"Parker, you just wasted your phone call on the man who framed you for murder, what are you doing?"
"Getting payback." She stood up and handed Jarod his phone. "You want to know what it means when I trust you, it means we do each other a favor. Here's the deal, you get me out of here, and I'll make sure the Centre has no idea you've been playing Andy Griffith right outside their front door."
"Andy Taylor," Jarod corrected. "And what kind of favor is that for me? I was going to be out of here in a couple of days anyway."
"Jarod, please, just get me the hell out of here."
"No." Jarod's anger returned ten-fold. "Parker, why should I do you anymore favors? I've already done so much for you. I've given you information about your past, things that belonged to your mother. I've given you things you never would have found if it hadn't been for me and I have gotten absolutely nothing in return."
"So? You're the hero around here, the hero never gets anything." Ms. Parker's anger also returned.
"You're wrong, the hero gets a thank you."
"Is that what you want, Jarod? A thank you for all of your good deeds? A thank you doesn't change a thing."
"Ah, like your trust doesn't change a thing. It seems you were right, Ms. Parker, trust means absolutely nothing. Nothing at all," Jarod turned to leave.
"Don't you dare walk out that door, Jarod."
Jarod stopped but didn't turn to face her. "Why shouldn't I? I've got no reason to stay."
"The hell you don't. Why do you think I called Lyle instead of the Centre?"
Jarod didn't answer and the room fell silent.
Ms. Parker laughed bitterly after a long silence. "Genius Boy finally has nothing to say. Damn you, Jarod. Do you have any idea what you've put me through over the years? Do you even realize what you've done to me?"
"It wasn't anything you didn't deserve. Besides, it was all just part of the game. It's all just a game, Parker. That's all it ever was, right? You shoot at me; I give you the flu. You keep me from my mother; I compare you to the Wicked Witch of the West. It's just a game." He was still facing the door, his back to Parker.
"You're right, Jarod, it was just a game, but it's time to raise the stakes." Her voice was serious but not angry.
"What do you mean?"
"Jarod, the Centre's rules changed after Carthis. If I don't bring you back and Lyle does, I'm gone and I don't mean that in a temporary way. You said it before, Jarod, 'the first one to the answers wins' and I sure as hell am not going to let Lyle win. So, we have to win."
"We?" He was afraid to turn around and look at her because he had no idea what he'd find. If she was mocking him, he couldn't handle looking her in the face. If she wasn't…
"We," she stated firmly. "It's time to change the ending to our story, but I need you to help me do it."
"What do you mean?"
"You want me to trust you, I do. So, I'm ready to prove it to you. I'm not going back to the Centre. These games with Lyle are getting too serious. When I'm out of here, I can either go with you or go out on my own, it's up to you. But either way, I'm gonna take them down. They've stolen too much from you and me over the years; I can't let them keep doing that. I only have one question for you, and then, if you want, you can leave."
"What is it?" He wasn't sure if he should even hope that she meant half of what she said.
"Two months ago, you said we'd been through a lot together, and we have. You said that you had always known there was something more to our lives than you run and I chase. There is something more to our relationship than you run and I chase, Jarod, but I need to know what it is. So, what is it, Jarod?"
Jarod was glued to the spot he was standing in. His mouth couldn't even form a response to that kind of question. Was she serious? Did she honestly mean every word that was falling from her lips?
At his lack of response, the rage inside of Ms. Parker boiled up again. She spoke with increasing anger. "You know, it figures you would do this. I pour my heart out to you in the middle of this goddam prison and you've got absolutely nothing to say to me. Fine, Jarod. Go to hell."
She turned away and walked back to the ugly little cot. In the midst of all of her anger, a single tear drop managed to find it's way from the corner of her eye and trickle down her cheek, she wiped it away quickly only to have it followed by another one. He had made her cry. "Bastard," she muttered as a steady stream of silent tears streaked down her face.
Jarod shook his head to himself, sadly, as he heard Ms. Parker mutter under her breath. She did mean everything she had said, and he, like an idiot, was as unresponsive as a comatose patient. In his head, he agreed with her comment, but out loud, he tried to remedy the situation. He turned to watch her silent form curled up on the little cot.
"We're friends, Parker, very close friends who rely on each other more than either of us could ever have realized or understood."
There was silence for a moment, before Ms. Parker spoke.
"Is that all?" she asked quietly as she sat up slowly, wiped the tears from her face and turned to face him.
"I don't know, Parker, there are times in the past when I've wondered that myself. I suppose, in some small way, we're family…the only family I've ever really had anyway." His voice was low and serious.
Ms. Parker hung her head slightly. "So, you think of me as a sister." Her voice was soft with a hint of sadness that did not go undetected by Jarod.
"Do you think of me as a brother?" He asked the question slowly. He wasn't about to offer more than she was willing to give in return.
She shook her head softly before replying. "No."
Jarod waited silently for Ms. Parker to work out their relationship in her head. He knew what he wanted…wanted so very much, but he wouldn't even allow himself to hope for such a thing without knowing for sure that she wasn't going to reject him or turn away coldly, as she always did.
The silence became almost deadly.
"Parker…" Jarod broke the silence, but didn't say anything more than her name, letting it linger in the quiet room.
Ms. Parker glanced at Jarod and then dropped her eyes back to the floor. Her voice was just barely above a whisper. "Why is it that the one person that I've been trained to distrust, to hate, to capture, is always with me during the most difficult moments of my life?"
"Maybe it's supposed to be that way," Jarod answered back softly, just like he had when they had sat in front of Ocee's fireplace on that fateful trip to Carthis.
"Would it have been different if I had kissed you then?" Her eyes were still focused on the floor as though it could provide all of the answers she had ever looked for. "Would it all have changed if I had given in right then?"
"Given in to what?" He said sadly, afraid that she might never come to terms with anything she felt for him.
Again, she shook her head softly. "I'm so tired, Jarod."
She'd never answer him, so why should he even bother. "It's Sheriff Wilson. Get some sleep, Parker. It's not worth the hassle, just get some sleep." He backed away from the cell dejectedly, his voice, again, without one note of emotion.
Ms. Parker despised the emptiness of his voice, and it was apparent in the way she suddenly burst out at him, turning to face him in full fury. "Don't talk to me that way, Jarod. I have gone through some pretty terrible things in my life, things that could have smashed me into a million pieces, but I can stand anything as long as I never have to hear you speak like you don't even know me."
"Why the hell does it matter how I speak to you, Parker? I don't mean a thing to you," Jarod raged.
Ms. Parker practically spat every word at him, over-extending every monosyllable, as she stood and walked toward him. "Yes-You-Do." For a moment emotion kept her from speaking, then she continued in a low hiss. "You know you do. You smug sonuvabitch. Why else would you torment me? Why else would you never go away? You knew deep down that no matter what happened I cared about you."
Jarod turned away from her harsh voice. He still spoke in a diction that lacked all emotion. "Cared or Care?"
Ms. Parker's fury continued. "Care. You know, Jarod. You know that. I know you do." Her voice finally calmed down as she clasped the bars between her hands. "You know." She was standing right in front of him now. "Jarod, look at me."
He turned to look at Ms. Parker and found a sad expression on her face.
She bit her lip and then spoke again. "You know."
The empty look in Jarod's eyes brought on a new set of tears, which she tried to blink away. She stood her ground firmly, not allowing the tears to stop her from facing him.
Tentatively, Jarod reached up a hand through the bars, placing it on the side of Ms. Parker's face. He cupped her cheek in his palm. Wiping away a tear with his thumb, he asked, "Parker, do you know?"
She gave a small nod, "Yes."
Jarod's countenance softened, and his eyes became warm. "That's what I needed to know Parker. My knowing that you care and your knowing that you care are two very different things."
"So, what do we do now?" Ms. Parker asked softly.
"We blow this popsicle stand."
Ms. Parker laughed gently at his terminology.
"What, did I not say it right?" Jarod asked.
"What am I gonna do with you, Jarod?" Ms. Parker said softly.
"I've got plenty of ideas, Parker, plenty indeed," Jarod smiled widely.
Ms. Parker raised her eyebrows, "Then you better get a move on."
Author's Note: This is not anything like what it started as. Originally, this story was meant to broach the topic of Ms. Parker and Jarod's ages. Apparently, that will now become a different story. What can I say, this wrote itself. My other story, which I have to write soon or I'm gonna miss my January 3rd posting date (Ms. Parker's birthday), will have to start out some other way. Anyway, I hope it was an enjoyable read. I kept rewriting certain sections because they kept digressing into what I refer to as "smarm hell," where the characters become mooshy gooshy caricatures of themselves. It's been a struggle to maintain any semblance of how Ms. Parker and Jarod would actually act, but overall, I'm pleased with the general effect of this story. Please send me a review and tell me what you think. Reviews make my day! Love Ya All! Buh Bye!