Disclaimer:  The characters are not my own, I'm only borrowing them to put them into situations of my own imagining.

Finding Family

Part Eighteen:  Cheers with Cherries on Top

Rating: PG

Category: S

Timeline: Sometime in the middle of the series

Spoilers: None

Keywords: MPJF, JOF

Summary:  Miss Parker accidentally shoots Jarod, which forces her to confront her feelings towards him.  Meanwhile, a seriously injured Jarod has to learn to trust someone to help him and finds out a little about his family history.

Houston, Texas, Saturday Afternoon, 3:30 PM

"Mom, we're home," called Emily as she opened the door to her small house.

"Thank god, the baby has been crying for a half hour now.  He drank both those bottles you left for me to use, but I think he's still hungry," her relieved mother said as she hurried to meet them.  "Here," she thrust the wailing child at her daughter, "I'm afraid there are times when Grandma just won't do."

Emily cuddled the child and murmured soothingly, "It's alright, little buddy, come on, Mama will change you and nurse you and you'll be fine."  She stepped into the house toward the backroom and added over her shoulder to her mother, "I'll let Cousin Jarod fill you in with all the details."

Mary looked over at the tall, handsome young man that had followed her daughter in through the door expectantly.  He looked totally different from the man she had met yesterday.  Previously, Emily had cut his hair and beard to make him resemble her great uncle.  Now with a clean shaven face and his hair slightly spiked in front, he looked thoroughly modern.  She nodded toward a file folder in his hands, "Are those the results?"

Jarod smiled a little shyly at her, "Yes.  We concluded over a 95% confidence level."

Mary walked up closer to him and touched his cheek softly, "I can see your father's eyes and your mother's chin already."  She saw his eyes well with tears as his face reflected the deep emotions he was feeling, and she gathered him in a big hug.

Jarod felt stiff at first as he accepted her arms around her, but as he returned the hug, entwining his arms around her waist, he lowered his head to her shoulder and closed his eyes as he buried his head in her hair.  'This is how my mother would feel,' he thought to himself.  'This is how her sister feels.  This is how MY aunt feels,' and at the word 'aunt' a fierce joy filled him so that he hugged her tightly, picking her up off her feet and swinging her once around the room.

Mary laughed out loud at his exuberance and as he set her back down on her feet lightly he grinned like a boy at Christmas.  "Not that I need any proof, mind you, but why don't you show me the results of all those blood tests you made us go through."  She nodded toward the couch and they sat down comfortably right next to each other.

Jarod opened the file folder and spread out a set of x-ray films across both their laps.  "We destroyed all the remaining samples and the original hybridization filters.  All that remains are these films and I'm going to have Emily destroy these too, so there can be no chance of any of this getting in the wrong hands," he said solemnly.

Mary picked one of the films up.  It was mostly a clear gray with black lines stacked neatly in columns that sometimes lined up with each other.  "I've seen these kind of things on TV and such, and I know it has to do with mapping our DNA, but what exactly am I looking at?" she asked curiously.

Jarod blinked in surprise.  Some things he had learned so long ago, it was hard to remember that most people didn't know them.  Emily had been so well trained, he hadn't really stopped to consider that her mother didn't know molecular biology.  He struggled to explain the data in a way that she could understand.  Unconsciously, he took on a light version of Sydney's accent as he took on the role of teacher.  "You're right.  You are looking at a form of DNA mapping.  You see these sharp lines on this side?"

Mary nodded and traced a finger on the left side at a set of lines that were pretty evenly spaced but didn't particularly line up with any of the other lines on the film, "You mean these?"

"Those are size markers that are composed of pieces of DNA with exactly known lengths.  You see the process that separates DNA makes the smaller pieces move more quickly and so go farther down.  This bottom marker represents 0.35 kilobases, this one 0.6, this one 1.2 and so on," he traced his finger up the set of lines.  "These other columns contain DNA from each of us," he pointed to each in turn from left to right across the film, "Me, you, Emily, her daughter, and the baby, and these last two are standards 1 and 2."

"What are standards?" she asked.

"Well, DNA is really a long molecule, so in order to separate it, we have to break it into smaller pieces.  We can't do it physically.  We use enzymes that recognize specific sequences in the DNA and cause it to separate at those specific places.  Although we are all unique in our complete genetic makeup, we share a lot of similarities, especially with family members.  It turns out that there are only a few sets of different genes for any one protein that our bodies make.  These different genes break into different sizes.  The most common of these gene versions is well known, as well as the percentage of occurrence in the general population.  If you share the same version of the gene your chances of being related go up.  Typically, you look at a battery of standards to compare against.  One match is not very conclusive, but the more matches you have, the more your odds of being closely related go up," Jarod explained.

Mary studied the film carefully, "So you, me and Emily all match standard 2, right?"  Jarod nodded, pleased at how quickly she picked up the concept.  "But why do my grandchildren have two faint bands?  They look like they match standard 1 too."

"Well, remember that you inherit DNA from both your mother and your father?  You could have two copies of the same gene like we do, or one copy of each like the kids.  We didn't have their father's blood sample, but I'm sure he would match standard 1 too.  They got one version of the gene from their mother and the other from their father."

Mary picked up another of the films and held it up to the light next to the first.  The second set had bands that were higher up on the film, "These are longer pieces than the first ones, right?"

"Yes," Jarod acknowledged.

"But I see the same kind of pattern.  Emily, you and I all match!"

"Congratulations, you're a geneticist," chuckled Jarod.  He leaned back on the couch happily as his aunt picked up the various films and studied each one in turn.  He had been pleased that she had accepted him so readily as part of the family before, but it was important to him that she knew for certain.  He was going to ask her to do something very important, and he hoped that her love for her family and desire to protect them would make her follow through.

"Why is this one so messy?" she asked holding up the last film.  Indeed, it was speckled all over and the columns had a general haze up and down with the bands barely standing out against the background.  She scooted over to the table lamp to hold it up to the shade to get more light to shine through it.  In Jarod's column there were five bands.  She and Emily matched the lower three.  Her granddaughter Kimie matched the two lower bands, and the baby Will only matched one middle sized band.

"That's what I need to talk to you about," Jarod began.  "How much did Emily tell you about where I was raised?"

"Not much actually, I'm afraid the kids wore me out and I went to bed early last night.  I thought you said it would be best if I didn't know."

"Well, now it's best if you do.  The Centre is an evil place.  They kidnapped me, they kept me prisoner, they even tortured me at times.  True I was taught almost every subject there is, but it was to use me like a human computer.  I am a Pretender.  I can think like, act like, feel like anyone.  They used me to solve crimes, and they used me to think up scenarios that they corrupted into crimes," he confessed.

Mary stared at him in horror.  "And you escaped a couple years ago?  Just before your Dad contacted me, I'd guess."

"They're still after me.  I was shot just last week," he gestured to his shoulder.  "If Emily hadn't helped me, I would be very sick from an infection by now."  Jarod pointed to the temporarily forgotten film in her hands.  "That shows the pretender genes.  It's messier because I had to make the probe from my own blood and it wasn't completely purified."

"There's a gene to make you a, what, a pretender?" asked Mary.

"Well, not really.  I suspect it is a gene that allows the brain cells to make many more connections than normally.  I think it gives me the ability to about the same problem in many different ways but all at the same time.  I guess you could think about it like the difference between having ten computers working on the same problem compared to just one.  They obviously get to the answer sooner.  You share some of those genes with me, see?" and he pointed to the three bands that lined up together.

"But why are mine so faint compared to yours?"

"Because I have two copies and you have only one, just like the kids shared one gene from their mom and one from their dad before," he explained.

"And you got two copies from your parents, because," she faltered a moment, "because they were cousins."

"Exactly," he confirmed and they locked eyes with each other with understanding.

"You're afraid for Emily and her children because they have some of these genes too," she said quietly.

"You are very perceptive," he complimented her, "I think your latent pretender abilities are showing."

Mary shook her head lightly, "No, my sister was always brighter and quicker than me.  But when Dad got so mad at her, I made a point of being average.  I may have had potential, but it was never developed," she admitted.  "But the kids only have a few of the bands, doesn't that mean they have less ability?"

"Not necessarily, as you just pointed out, training has a lot to do with it.  Besides, it's not like a lot of researchers have studied these genes.  We really don't know which part of the gene is important for the pretender ability.  It could be only one part that is important or it could be the cluster.  This is a big secret for the Centre.  The point is that if they knew about the children's potential, they would take them to use as pretenders or use them just as breeding stock."

"What?!" demanded Mary.  "They're human beings, not animals."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you:  To the Centre they would be just like animals to train and to control," replied Jarod earnestly.  "You need to understand that this is a real threat, so you'll agree to what I'm asking you to do."

Mary stared at him, "Which is?"

"Well, first of all you have to agree to help protect Emily and her kids.  That means helping Emily to keep their abilities hidden.  Never let them be put into gifted and talented programs.  The Centre keeps an eye on those looking for people with potential pretender talents."

"That's easy, of course I'll do that.  What else?" she asked slowly with dawning realization.

"You have to finish what your father had already begun.  Completely disown your sister," he looked at her sadly, "and me."

"No, Jarod," she replied softly taking his hand in hers, "but we just found you."

At that moment, Emily walked back into the room carrying baby Will and leading little Kimie by the hand, "Everyone's ready for the celebra-…" she stopped mid-word at their somber faces.  "What's wrong?" she demanded.

"Dey need I-cream, Mama," announced little Kimie.

Jarod looked over at the little girl and a slow grin spread across his face, "Yes, yes we do, Kimie.  What flavor is the best?" he asked and he scooped her up and starting walking to the kitchen.

Emily slowly asked, "Mom?"

Mary looked up at her daughter and the sweet, innocent baby in her arms.  She would never let what happened to her sister, happen to her daughter.  Nor what happened to Jarod, happen to her grandson.  "We have to let Jarod go," she said, "completely.  We have to pretend that we never met him.  That we don't even know he exists.  The last few days never happened," she said sternly.

Emily started to get angry.  She had enjoyed talking to Jarod.  She had imagined him coming back to visit from time to time, like ordinary relatives do.  She suddenly realized all the occasions when she would miss him the most—the baby's first birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, graduations, weddings—a whole host of visions swept through her mind.  "That's not fair!" she exclaimed.

"To you or Jarod?" her mother asked perceptively.

Emily immediately deflated into sorrow, "It was his idea wasn't it?"

"He wants to protect you and the children," explained her mother, "You know all the reasons too, don't you?"

Emily nodded glumly and looked down at the baby in her arms who gave her a contented, trusting smile.  She did know the reasons.  They had talked some on the drive home, but now she remembered the reserved feeling he had given off.  He had been making his decision on that drive home.  She had just bubbled on about her delight at knowing for sure that he belonged to their family, and how much fun they could have visiting.  If anything she must have made him feel worse and not welcome like she had intended to.  She had to apologize.

Moving back toward the kitchen she paused in the doorway at the sight of her daughter sitting on the counter.  This was something she would never have done, and had to bite her tongue to keep from scolding him just when she wanted to apologize.  Little Kimie was watching with rapt attention as Jarod added yet another scoop of ice cream to an already heaping bowlful as he recited Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors from memory in an exuberant voice, "   Brownie, Cherry Garcia, Chubby Hubby, Chunky Monkey, Mint Chocolate Cookie, Phisch Food, Everything But the, Fudge Central, Half Baked, Karmael Sutra, Makin' Whoopee…"

"Jarod!" Emily interrupted.

Jarod stopped guiltily and looked over at her with a sheepish grin, "I've tried 573 flavors of ice cream, so far.  I was telling her some of my favorites.  You know an ice cream cone is just about the perfect food," he added seriously.

"Oh, Jarod," she said with a crack in her voice as she realized how much she would miss him.  Quickly, she crossed over to his side and gave him a hug pressing the baby between them.

"It's for the best," he whispered.

"Willy Sandwich.  Willy Sandwich.  I want a sandwich hug too!" piped up Kimie.

The two pulled apart chuckling through the tears.  "I thought you wanted ice cream," rumbled Jarod as he easily grabbed the little girl with his good left arm and added her to the huddle.

"Um-hum," the little girl nodded in agreement, "wid' cherries on top!"

"Well, let Mommy finish making that huge sundae.  You hop down so Cousin Jarod can hold Will okay?" said Emily as Jarod let the little girl slip down out of his arms and accepted the baby instead.  Opening the refrigerator, she pulled out chocolate syrup and a jar of maraschino cherries, festooned the mound of ice cream and pulled out four spoons from the drawer.  "When are you leaving?" she asked Jarod as she carried it out to the living room with Kimie skipping along.

"I thought I'd catch a ride with your mother, and then move on from there," he replied trailing behind.  "I'm still hoping my father will contact her over the personal ad in the newspaper."

"Oh, my, I'd almost forgotten about that," said Mary as reached out for her grandson and sank down on the couch with him.  Jarod deftly grabbed a spoon and huge scoop of ice cream as he sat down next to her.  Emily knelt by her daughter and Kimie unabashedly sat on the coffee table right next to the bowl of ice cream digging in to the treat.

Mary grabbed a spoonful as well and held it out like you would a glass to toast, "To finding family, if even for a short visit."

Emily took a spoonful as well and touched to her mother's, as Jarod refilled his own spoon and completed the triangle.  "Maybe in a few years, the Centre will no longer be interested in you," she said hopefully.

"Maybe," Jarod agreed slowly and a crafty glint came into his eyes that slightly frightened Emily, but was quickly washed away by his laugh as Kimie tried to join the musketeer pose and her cherry slid down her arm.

As they enjoyed the ice cream, even feeding the baby some, Jarod tried to memorize every sight, sound and smell so he could relive this simple family moment again and again.  He had always been so focused on just finding his family, he had never considered what would happen afterward.  He was still determined to find his father, and his mother and sister, but he didn't plan to live as fugitive all his life, and he didn't want them to either.  Neither did he want his new found extended family to live in fear of being discovered and hurt by the Centre.  No, he wouldn't let that happen.  In addition, to helping others he was going to start helping himself and that would take a lot of planning.  It would take years to bring down the Centre, but it was now his ultimate goal even beyond finding his family.

THE END

Okay, just a little Epilog to wrap up those loose ends.  Hope this wasn't too technical…I used to do that kind of research BC (before children).  Thanks ever so much for the kind reviews!