Disclaimer: Sigh…Sadly, I do not own the characters of The Pretender. I in no way wish to defame any of its affiliates nor NBC or TNT. My apologie sto the Pez corporation. That's it. Read it now!

Summary: Clues to the past bring Ms. Parker and Jarod back together again. Very involved in IOTH, but you can understand it without having seen it. Ties up most story lines. Mostly from Ms. Parker's point of view. Chapters are short.

The Truth Is Waiting

By Bec-Bec

Chapter 23

Soon, Truth Soon

Sydney's Office, The Centre

Sydney and Broots had searched all of the Centre's records tirelessly. Everything that they found just raised more questions than they already had. On the third day of their search, they were ready to give up when a phone call to Sydney's cell interrupted their investigation of the old records.

"Hello?" Sydney answered, wondering who on earth would call him on his cell.

"Well, Dr. Freud, how are you?"

Sydney's mouth formed a soft smile as he responded, "Hello, Parker, how are you?"

"I asked first."

Sydney chuckled at her usual superiority drive, he'd missed hearing her voice for the past few days, "I'm just fine."

"Good. How's the Computer Nerd?"

"Broots is well. A little more worried than usual; Debbie caught the flu."

"Oh," she sounded sincerely concerned, "tell him to tell her I promise we're gonna go shopping when I get back."

Sydney heard a voice in the background. Jarod was talking to Ms. Parker. "Parker, let me talk to him."

"Hold on, Wonder Boy," she yelled at him.

Sydney's face broke into a huge smile and Broots stared at him, wondering what Ms. Parker could have possibly said that would make him smile so much. "So…you're with our local hero?"

"Pez Head? Yeah. Hold on, I think I have to reintroduce him to my gun."

Sydney's smile faded, "Oh, you've caught him."

"Don't sound so glum, Syd. Wonder Boy is just fine. We're in France. The chase is at a temporary cease-fire."

"Oh…you're in France…together." Sydney's delight was apparent in his voice.

"Don't get too excited, Syd, if he doesn't back away from the phone, I might think about ending the truce." Then she laughed because Jarod had swatted her with a pillow. "Here, I'm gonna let Wonder Boy have the phone so I can have my hands free to get him back for that pillow swatting. Jarod, I swear to god, you are going to regret whacking me with that pillow."

Sydney laughed to himself. He was thinking that this must be what they would have sounded like if they had grown up together. Always arguing but never maliciously, only lovingly. Jarod picked up the phone.

"Hey, Syd, did you figure out my clue?"

"Anna Parker. Very clever, as usual."

"I thought you'd remember. What have you found?"

"Medical records for an Anna Oceana Parker and her daughter Nina Parker, as well as orders to kill them both. But, I suppose you already knew that."

"Actually, Syd, this is more of Ms. Parker's clue than it is mine. She'd like to know about Anna Parker."

"Why?" then he answered himself, "…her Inner Sense. Jarod, I'm worried, her senses are getting stronger, she's going to learn too much for her own good. That's why her mother was murdered."

Broots' head snapped up quickly at Sydney's addressing Jarod. Ms. Parker was with Jarod? How odd? Didn't she hate him? Why would she be with someone they'd been chasing for the last six years?

"Syd…there have been developments on that front. Catherine Parker knew what was going to happen…so did Mr. Parker."

Sydney's anger flared up, "Are you telling me he ordered her death!"

"No, Syd, he knew it was going to happen and told her. She chose to remain at the Centre. I don't think he knew that she had staged her death until we all found out about Ethan."

"What?" Sydney said, utterly dumbfounded, "H…how do you know?"

"Mr. Parker hid a disc full of information for Ms. Parker to receive upon his death."

"Mr. Parker is dead?"

"Yes."

"I guess his nine lives finally expired. Can I speak with Ms. Parker again?"

Jarod immediately handed the phone over to Ms. Parker who took it. "We're not through Wonder Boy."

"Parker, did you say that on the Island of Carthis you met a woman named Ocee?"

"Yes. Why?"

"There's a posibility that she was Anna Parker."

"What!?"

"Anna Oceana Parker was ordered dead by the Centre in the 60s. She escaped but her daughter Nina did not."

"Syd, Ocee couldn't have been Anna, it doesn't make any sense," Ms. Parker's voice had lost its surprise. She sounded melancholy. The thought of a dead daughter made her sad, very sad.

"Parker, I know that your Inner Sense is stronger, and I hate to encourage you to use it but perhaps it can tell you the truth about Anna Parker. We're not coming up with much over here."

"Okay, but not right now, I'm tired." She sighed.

"Parker…are you okay?"

"God, people are going to have to stop asking me that before I ram something large down their throats."

Sydney half smiled, "Isn't it nice to know someone cares?"

"No, it's annoying," Ms. Parker said brusquely, though she was just joking.

"Seriously Parker, your father died, its not uncommon for a certain amount of grieving to occur."

"Ah, but I don't even know if he was my father," Ms. Parker sounded slightly haunted.

"That doesn't matter, he still filled the role for most of your life."

"Syd, it's getting late, we'll have our shrink session some other time okay."

"Okay. Say goodbye to Jarod for me. Enjoy the rest of your…vacation…be careful and call again soon." Sydney spoke with fatherly concern.

"Of course, Sydney." The phone call ended at that.

Broots spoke to Sydney, "What was that huge smile for? And why is she with Jarod?"

"It's not safe to say in here, and you probably wouldn't find it funny…you don't understand the situation well enough."

Broots just shrugged and dropped the subject. Sydney was right, it wasn't safe. He'd ask again later. Just then, Angelo dropped out of the air ducts.

"Parker, Jarod, scrolls, truth is soon, not safe here." Angelo told them, agitatedly

"Angelo, what's the matter?" Sydney asked.

"Truth soon, Centre not safe, must leave now." Angelo said firmly.

"Angelo, are you sure? What's going to happen?"

"You go, I stay, help you inside. You go. Truth soon, Centre not safe, must leave now." He crawled back into the air ducts.

Broots turned to Sydney, "What was all of that about?"

Sydney looked contemplative, "I'm not sure, but Angelo's always right about these things. I suppose we should do as he says and leave."

"But, Sydney…" Broots gulped, "isn't it even less safe to leave the Centre just like that?"

"Perhaps not…I've got an idea…we'll leave tonight. Just go about the rest of the day as usual, Broots. Everything's going to be fine."

"I-If y-you say so, Syd," Broots looked extremely worried but left the office to conduct business as usual. Since he was always shaky and nervous, nobody seemed to notice anything wrong.

****

Angelo crawled through the air ducts of Sub-level 27, the place that Jacob had sent them so very many years ago. "Soon, truth soon, Ms. Parker truth about past, Jarod truth about future. Mother's truth."

Author's Note: As Angelo says, the truth is soon. Hope that Ms. Parker's banter with Jarod isn't too smarmy. Tell me if you think it needs work. Seriously, I'm my biggest critic and I know when my writing's sub par…which it usually is. As always, please review.