This is the Way the World Ends
By Bethe
~*~
Part Seven
~*~
Parker lowered her sunglasses and looked at the form beside her. Jarod was reclining on a beach chair, eyes closed and soaking in some sun. Then she looked around until she found Margaret and Argyle. The two had formed an odd pair, developing a rapport that almost rivaled hers and Jarod's.
Mel's thoughts drifted, yet again, to her own mother. While she felt happy that Jarod was finally reunited with the final piece of his family, she ached for her own. She had no one else, save Lyle. But then again, who would claim him?
Ethan, her mother's voice whispered somewhere in the back of her mind. Ethan's your brother.
Half-brother, she snapped mentally, then cringed.
But he's still family, darling, whispered the voice again. Yours and Jarod's. Cling to him. Don't let him go. . .
Mamma! her mind cried out, but received no answer. She clenched her fist in frustration. What good was this so-called inner sense if she couldn't make heads or tails of it?
"Miss P?" Argyle asked, standing over her and dripping. She snapped back to reality and looked up.
"Yes?" she replied, putting on a smile for show.
"It's time for lunch. We're gonna go inside and have sandwiches, then talk about our plan of attack, so to speak," he informed her. He reached out a hand to help her up. Before accepting it, she looked around to find Jarod gone.
"Where's Jarod?" she asked, scrunching her brow.
"Oh, J-Man went inside a long time ago. Said something about needing to make a phone call."
~*~
The Centre
"You knew," Jarod said as soon as Sydney answered the phone. Syd took a moment to sit down and clear his throat before replying.
"It's been a long time between calls, Jarod. I was starting to get worried."
"Don't play shrink with me," Jarod whispered dangerously. "You knew who my parents were. You knew who I was, and you didn't even tell me!"
"Jarod, just how am I supposed to know what you are speaking of?"
"Two words: Catherine Parker," he murmured deeply. Sydney looked up to the ceiling, then got up from his chair. He went to his file cabinet and opened up a drawer, then lifted the false bottom. There it was. A file of their session transcripts. He opened the folder and thumbed through it briefly.
"What about her, Jarod?" he asked nonchalantly, wanting Jarod to say it himself.
"C'mon, doc!" he drawled out, "You know what I'm talking about. She was your patient, wasn't she? I'm sure she told you all about her little red-headed friend. And the strange coincidence that her child and her friend's child were born at the same time, in the same room. A child that was stolen from the nursery the night of his birth!"
Sydney dropped the file on his desk. He rubbed his face. "You said it yourself, Jarod," he replied, shaking his head, "she was my patient. You know very well that I keep patient confidentiality in high regard."
"Don't you think she would have wanted me to know?" Jarod asked, a hurt tone appearing in his voice. "She was planning to take me from the Centre and return me to my family. I think she would have forgiven one little slip of the tongue, Sydney."
"How did you find out?" he asked, moving to sit back down in his chair.
"I found my mother," Jarod replied softly. Sydney was about to offer congratulations when he heard a click, and then another voice come on the line; one decidedly female voice.
"You mean, I found your mother. Right, Boy Genius?"
"Parker," gasped Sydney. "Thank God you're alright!"
"Mel, what are you doing on this line?" Syd could hear Jarod cry out.
"Jarod, Syd already knows that I'm not dead." Her tone softened. "Right, Freud?"
Sydney couldn't help but chuckle. Shaking his head, he whispered, "Yes, cherie. I've been so worried about you. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Syd. Just dandy. You?"
"I'm getting older, Parker. I think my--"
"Whoa!" Jarod interrupted loudly. "Beep beep, back up the truck! What is going on here?" he asked.
"Jarod," Parker murmured soothingly, "Sydney knew about my wonderful little plan. You could say I confided in him just like Mommy Dearest did a long, long time ago." Sydney smiled at her tone. She had changed over the past two years. She wasn't all hard edges anymore. In fact, her voice sounded more and more like her mother's.
"You mean," Jarod came back, "that you weren't really mourning when we went to her grave?" he directed at Sydney.
"I am sorry, Jarod, for the deception. But it was necessary to keep the ruse up," Sydney replied softly. "I had to make Raines believe that I thought she was dead. I only had your interests in mind."
"Don't you always?" Jarod sneered. "Did you have my best interests in mind when you neglected to fill me in on my family?" he asked grindingly.
"Yes, Jarod," he replied after a long pause. "If you had known, you would have attempted to escape before you were ready."
"You're right," he said on a sob. "I'm sorry, Sydney."
Before the older man could say something, he heard the phone on the other end drop. Then he heard a distant, "Shh." He knew it would be futile to try to get Jarod's attention, so he sat and listened in. Soon, he could faintly hear Parker murmur in a low voice, "It's okay, Jarod. He understands. Don't beat yourself up. It's only natural for you to question his motives. God knows I have." Then, all speaking ceased. The only sounds to be heard were sounds of comfort, from Parker to Jarod.
"Parker," Sydney murmured, biting his lip.
"Yeah?" she answered after a few moments.
"Will he be alright?"
"Give him time, Syd. It's a lot for him to take in over the course of a week. Hell, it's almost too much for me, too. I'll call later."
"So, I guess this signals the end of our communication silence?" Sydney asked hopefully.
"Yeah, it does," she whispered before hanging up the phone.
Sydney did the same. He ran a hand through his thinning silver and sighed before thinking, Maybe Catherine's predictions are coming true. They've found each other.
~*~
Mel stood up and smoothed the front of her jean shorts before helping Jarod to his feet. He teetered slightly before balancing. She knowingly raised an eyebrow and asked, "You've been drinking, haven't you?" He refused to meet her eyes, and she gave an exasperated sigh. "Jarod. . ."
"It was only a little bit," he protested.
"Yeah, just a little bit," she repeated sarcastically. "You're not completely sloshed, but you were well on your way," she commented, examining his eyes. "C'mon. I'll make you some coffee, and we'll have lunch."
She grabbed onto his arm, and he wordlessly followed her down the hall into the main kitchen. He sat down at the table and cradled his head in his hands while she started the coffee. She took one look over at him, and chuckled softly.
"What?" he asked groggily, lifting his head as far as he could without pain.
"Many things, really," she mused in a low voice. "I feel like a mother of a teenage child." She snuck a glance at Jarod. "The Golden Boy can't hold his liquor. And it strikes me as very ironic that I'm taking care of you while you're drunk. Usually, I'm the one with the shot glass permanently affixed to my hand."
"Hey, J-Man, want a sandwich?" Argyle asked around a mouthful of food as he entered the room. Parker chuckled richly.
"He won't be wanting anything to eat for awhile," she commented, shaking her head.
"Oh," Argyle drew out after taking a look at the pitiful sight before him. Trying to be as silent as possible, the two left the kitchen, letting Jarod sleep it off.
~*~
"Margaret, there's something I need to ask you," Mel said later that night at the kitchen table after they'd finished dinner.
"Go right ahead, dear."
"About two years ago, Raines said something about a DSA that my mother made, explaining her 'plan' in detail, but no one's ever been able to find it. Did she ever mention anything like that to you?"
Margaret creased her brow in concentration, then asked, "What's a 'DSA'?"
"Well," Mel replied, "the DSA itself is a small disc, like a mini-CD. On it would be stored surveillance footage, kind of like a videotape from a security camera."
A look crossed Margaret's face before she got up from the table. Melanie followed closely behind. Once in Margaret's room, Jarod's mother rummaged around in one of her bags until she pulled out a wax-sealed manila envelope. She held it forward and said, "Catherine gave me this, along with the scrolls. Now, while she asked me to return the scrolls to Carthis, she begged me to keep this with me always. She never said why, or what it was, or who it was meant for. But she told me to make sure it never left my side."
Wide-eyed, Parker reached forward and gently accepted the envelope from Margaret's hands. She looked up into the older woman's eyes and uttered a silent thanks.
She ran from Margaret's room into her own and pulled out Jarod's DSA player. Running a finger through the flap, she broke past the seal of the envelope and opened it. She turned it over and sure enough, a small, silver disc slid out of the envelope and into her hand. Excitement surging through her, she slipped the disc in the machine and waited for it to load.
It was almost finished when she heard her mother's voice inside her head, stronger and clearer than ever before. This is my legacy to you, my child. . .
A black and white image froze on the screen before the footage began to roll. Parker gasped as she realized that it was a picture of the scrolls. She put her hands over her mouth and proceeded to watch.
~*~
Catherine Parker moved back from the camera and sat down in a chair, smoothing down the front of her dress and tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear before looking up. She smiled shakily.
"Darling Melanie," she began, "if you're watching this DSA, that means that I have died. Before I go any further I just want to tell you how sorry I am that I had to make you go through all that pain associated with my 'suicide'. I had to do it, Darling, for Ethan's sake." She lovingly placed a hand on her very swollen abdomen.
"He's due any day now, or so he tells me. But you will hear about Ethan later, from Jarod. What I have to tell you about concerns the plan that I want you to continue after I'm gone." She reached beside her and pulled the scrolls out of a bag.
"These, Precious, are the Vespasian Scrolls. I'm sure they look old and dingy to you, but their words contain the future of the Centre. I've been studying them for weeks, and have come to realize that they have been read before, by your Great-grandfather Parker." She unrolled one of them. She cleared her throat and adjusted the scroll until it was just the right distance.
"The Centre shall rise," she recited. "The Chosen will be found: a boy named Jarod." She set the document in her lap and looked back up at the camera. "Your father knows nothing of what's written. The only thing he knows for certain is that Jarod is a vital key to the Centre's future. If only he knew the rest of the story," she chuckled. Then she lifted the scroll back up.
"The Chosen will merge with an Angel," she read, then looked up. "I can only interpret that to signify you. What it means exactly, I don't know." She looked back at the scroll. "When this holy merger is complete, the Centre shall fall. The Three will vanish."
Catherine reached down and picked up a glass of water. She took a sip before saying, "What I can make out of this is that if you and Jarod work together, you can bring the Centre to its knees. With the downfall of the Centre, the Triumvirate will tuck tail and run, leaving you alone. I can't be extremely certain of this, but my inner sense causes me to believe it." She brought up the other scroll.
"There's more on the first scroll, but I want to go over this one. It talks more of the Angel than the Chosen. I have made another DSA about the first scroll for Jarod. I wasn't able to get it out of the Centre before my hand was forced. You'll have to go and get it yourself. Sydney knows all the secrets," she commented mysteriously, fingering the St. Christopher's medal around her neck.
"The Angel is one of two," Catherine read, now looking at the scroll. "One is fire, the other is ice. They will be separated after they come into the world. But he shall return, seeming to be Satan himself. The Ice Angel and the Fire Devil will fight to the death, yet both live. When the Angel merges with the Chosen, the Devil gives up his fire. The Chosen and the Angel will rule, but even Angels fall." She set both scrolls back on the floor and looked up at the camera.
"If you don't know already, you have a twin brother. I had been told that he'd died at birth, but I recently found out otherwise. I know this refers to him. I don't know what it means by 'even Angels fall.' But I urge you to be careful."
She stood up and walked towards the camera, stopping when her face was directly in front of the lens. "My darling daughter, again, I am sorry that I had to leave you alone in this world. I love you so very much. Trust in Jarod. He's your destiny. I knew it since the day you two were born. Before he was taken that night, I had managed to see the two of you in the nursery, side by side. You both were reaching for each other. He's your destiny, and you are his. Trust him."
With tears falling down her face, her arm moved out of frame. "Goodbye, Melanie Ann," she whispered. Static.
~*~
"My God," came Jarod's voice behind her. She started at the sound but didn't turn. Almost immediately after she'd gasped, he placed his hands on her shoulders. Jarod knelt behind her and rested his forehead at the base of her neck.
She stretched her arm out and pointed at the screen, but still said nothing. Finally, she took a breath and croaked out, "Mamma. . ."
Jarod moved into a sit and started rubbing her arms. He placed a kiss to the back of her head and whispered, "Will you be alright?"
"I don't know, Jarod. Am I ever alright?" she asked. She turned to face him, her cheeks surprisingly tear-free. "I'm not going to go off and kill myself, if that's what you want to know. I'm just a little overwhelmed. That's all," she remarked matter-of-factly.
Jarod gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I'm overwhelmed, and that DSA wasn't even meant for me," he joked, causing Parker to crack a slight smile. "I still don't understand what the plan is," he murmured, leaning forward until their foreheads touched.
"Take down the Centre. Duh," she said, smiling. "So, how does it feel to be Neo?"
"Neo?" Jarod asked, moving back to look her in the eyes.
"Yeah, Neo. You know. You're the Chosen One; the One? Matrix ring a bell?"
"Oh, you're referring to the role played by Keanu Reeves in a science-fiction film?"
"The Matrix."
Jarod smiled almost wickedly, and she knew he was having one on her. She slapped his arm playfully, but then grew serious. "What's our next step?" she asked.
"She said the other DSA was at the Centre; that Sydney knows all of the secrets." The two looked at each other. "I guess it's time to depart from sunny North Carolina," he remarked sadly.
~*~
"Mom, it's just not safe!" Jarod exclaimed an hour later. "You can't go to Blue Cove with us. Do you recall being shot at Carthis?"
"Yes, son. But I feel like I must go. Something inside is telling me to go with you."
The two had a stare-down. Neither would release their position on this. Melanie, watching from aside, allowed herself a small smile. They obviously could be stubborn when they wanted to be. Like mother, like son.
"Now, children," Parker broke the thick silence in a mock-motherly tone, "let's try to compromise. Jarod," she addressed him, "your mother is old enough to make her own decisions. Margaret," she turned to face the woman, "your son only has your best interests in mind. Now, that being taken into consideration, I think she should go."
Jarod looked her in the eyes, and sighed. He nodded and said, "You're right. I was just being too stubborn for my own good."
"Besides," Margaret murmured, "I haven't seen my husband in thirty years." That statement caused Jarod to look at his mother with new eyes. He had totally forgotten that they had been separated just as long as he had.
"We leave in two days," he whispered before leaving the room.
~*~
Mel drummed her fingers on the table the next day while holding the phone to her ear. When Sydney answered on the other end, she said, "Hey, Dr. Spock."
"Parker!" he whispered frantically, "You really shouldn't be calling here at this time."
"I needed to talk with you," she murmured, playing with a scrap of paper on the table top.
"Parker," he replied, "I would love nothing more than to have a conversation with you right now, but something terrible just happened."
"What? What happened?" she asked, sitting up straight. Something began to whisper inside her head, but she shook it away so she could hear what Sydney had to say.
"Miss Parker, your brother, he's. . .he's dead."
"Lyle's dead?" she asked incredulously. How could he be dead? He'd never allow it to happen.
"No, not Lyle," Sydney whispered harshly. "Your other brother."
"What? Syd, how could he be dead? He was a healthy, happy child. I made sure of that."
"Well," the psychiatrist answered uneasily, "Raines made sure that he was found. The problem is that he wasn't really your brother. It's all too confusing, Parker. We should discuss this at a later time."
"The hell we will, Sydney," she gritted, "Talk. Now."
"Parker. . .he was your father's clone. Brigitte was merely the surrogate mother. Mr. Parker wanted to ensure that someone of the Parker name would run the Centre. Since he was sterile, he used his DNA instead. But Raines found out about it and had him killed."
Melanie didn't reply. Instead, she sank down in her chair and held her head with her hand. Her brother. . .no, he wasn't her brother. To tell the truth, she didn't know what he was. But she did know that she'd delivered him into this world. She had been the first, and probably the only one, to hold him and look on him in love. And now he was gone. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she let out a desperate sob.
"Parker, I'm truly sorry," Sydney murmured, but she didn't reply. Instead, she hung up and ran for her room. She closed the door loudly behind her and sank to her knees on the floor. Guttural sobs were wrenched from her throat as she tore at her hair. The odd thing was that it wasn't really his death that affected her this much; it was the fact that she'd completely forgotten him over the past two years. Well, she hadn't really forgotten him, but she'd ignored him.
Her mind called back to memory the way his blue eyes had pleaded with hers the night before she'd left. They hadn't exchanged words at all, just looks. He had practically begged her to take him with her. It would have been so easy to take him along, and pass him off as her son. But deep down, she had been afraid; afraid of being "mommy." So, she left him, crying on the doorstep of his new foster family. And now, she truly regretted her selfish decision.
She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped for breath repeatedly. She jerked when she felt the hands on her shoulders, but immediately turned and went into the warm and welcoming embrace. Jarod stroked her hair and just held her, rocking back and forth ever so slightly.
"Mel," he murmured after a long silence, "What is it? What's wrong?"
She moved her head back and looked into his eyes, searching them. Then she brought her lips to his in a deep kiss, full of longing. When they parted, she whispered, "Jarod, do you love me?"
"Of course I do," he breathed. She captured his lips again in a searing kiss.
"Then prove it," she half-demanded in a rusty voice. She kissed him yet again and pressed her body flush against his.
"Melanie, I--" He was silenced by another kiss that ignited a passion deep within him. "I can't take advantage of you that way," he continued. "Especially when you're emotional like this," he murmured.
Her tear-filled eyes burned into his as she whispered, "Please?" Again, she kissed him, and he felt himself giving in. When he circled his arms tightly around her waist, he knew the deal was as good as done. He picked her up, his lips still on hers, and moved her to the bed.
~*~
"Baby Parker is dead," she murmured. They were lying on the bed, arms and legs entwined. She lazily toyed with the coarse, curling hair on his chest with a finger.
Jarod looked down at the top of her head, then placed a firm kiss to it. "I'm sorry, Mel," he whispered.
"I had called Sydney to talk to him about us. . .you and me. But when he dropped that bomb on me, all my intentions were forgotten. Today, I've learned not only that my youngest brother is dead, but that he's not my brother at all." She said nothing more after this, continuing to lightly draw circles on his chest.
"What do you mean?" he asked after a few moments.
"He. . ." her voice somewhat faltered, "he was my father's clone. Brigitte had merely been a warm womb to him," she whispered. "Raines found him and got rid of him. So now, Ethan and Lyle are all I have left." Then she lifted her head so she could see those deep brown eyes. "And I have you," she murmured. Then her expression turned very serious as she whispered, "Jarod, I love you. I don't know when, or where, or even how it happened, but I love you."
Jarod lightly touched her face. He didn't say a word, but his eyes spoke volumes. He moved he head down and kissed her gently. Then Mel rested her head against his shoulder, her hand still entangled in his chest hair. They remained that way in silence for a long time. Words weren't needed.
~*~
It was a very ragged, and very exhausted bunch that pulled into Blue Cove the next night. They had been on the road all day, stopping only for gas, and their stomachs now complained for not being fed. Jarod had chosen lodging at a rather scummy-looking hotel, but no one complained. It provided the perfect cover.
After separating into their rooms; Jarod and Argyle, Margaret and Melanie; each set ordered room service and then fell asleep. However, Mel awoke to a big surprise the next morning.
She slowly faded into consciousness, faintly aware of another presence in the room. Her senses sharpened, and she instinctively reached for her gun while sitting up straight and aiming it at the intruding presence. Then she opened her eyes.
"Lyle!" she exclaimed softly, half in fear and half in anger. He wasn't supposed to show up and ruin their plan. She quickly got up from bed and strode over to him, jabbing the gun at his chest. "What the hell are you doing here, you sick son of a bitch?" she asked icily. She then looked around and noticed the absence of Margaret. "Where is she?" she barked. "If you've hurt one little red hair on her head, so help me," she ground out from the back of her throat, "I'll put a nice little bullet in that place where your heart should be."
"Relax, Sis," he said in that annoyingly friendly tone of voice. He put his hands up in the air and said, "I'm on your side, here. Trust me."
"Trust you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Then she muttered, "I think I'm gonna puke."
"Do you detest me that much?" he asked in jest.
"You haven't answered my question," she replied forcefully. "Why. Are. You. Here?" she asked, jabbing the gun into his chest with each word for emphasis.
Lyle cringed slightly, then slowly moved his finger to the barrel of the gun and pushed it away from his chest. "That won't solve anything. Besides, if you kill me, that's a federal offense."
Parker raised her eyebrows incredulously. "And how would that be?"
Lyle reached into his jacked and pulled out a badge. "Agent Lyle Parker, FBI," he said, his tone very formal and business-like. To Mel's amazement, his slimy demeanor melted away and he assumed the persona of a law-enforcement worker.
"You expect me to believe this?" she asked coldly, aiming the gun back at him. "If I can be a pretender, so can you."
"The only thing I've pretended to be was Mr. Lyle, Centre demon. I'm part of an ongoing sting inside the Centre by the Feds."
"If you really are undercover, then why hasn't the Centre been shut down yet?" she asked, still not believing him.
"The FBI wants me to find out who top dog is. I'm tellin ya, it ain't Raines," he drawled, a southern accent coming to the fore. "There's another player here, one that we haven't figured out yet. But when we do, it's curtains for the Centre."
Parker's nostrils flared slightly before she stormed out of the hotel room. She stalked over to Jarod's room and crisply knocked on the door. When he opened the door, he took in her appearance and quickly asked what was wrong. Then he noticed Lyle following behind her, and he pulled her into the room. But before he could close the door, Lyle stopped it and pulled it back open.
"Hear me out, Parker," he pleaded, blocking the doorway. "I'm telling the truth." The room was silent for a time. Then Mel stepped in front of Jarod, her eyes questioning. "Ever since you left, I've been keeping a close tab on you. I knew where you worked, where you lived, and who you went out with. When I learned that Jarod had found you, I knew it was time to reveal myself."
You can trust him, Darling. . .
"The Devil gives up his fire," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
"What?" Jarod finally managed, looking at the woman he loved. She looked back at him and took a deep breath.
"My mother. . .in the DSA," she whispered breathlessly. "When the Angel merges with the Chosen. . ." She trailed off.
"The Devil gives up his fire," Jarod finished, turning his gaze on the man in the doorway. "I'm still not sure I understand," he commented.
"I do," Mel whispered harshly. "More lies." With that, she silently walked out of the room. Jarod would have followed, but his mother's hand to his arm stopped him.
"Let her be, son," she whispered. "She needs to be alone."
~*~
A week went by, and no word from Melanie. Margaret was beginning to regret her decision to stop Jarod from chasing after her, but she knew ultimately that she was right. If Mel didn't want to be found, then she wouldn't.
Jarod, on the other hand, was beside himself. Strangely enough, the only comfort he received was from Lyle. Jarod learned a lot about him during that dark time.
Lyle probably now held the record for longest time undercover in FBI history. He had been part of the Centre for almost ten years, and he hated it. It all started when Lyle had been approached in college by an FBI recruiter. At that point in time, the Centre was beginning to step on a few very important toes in government, and the FBI had recently learned of Lyle's connection. He'd had no idea, of course. But they told him. And after he'd learned of what the Centre was capable, he quickly signed on.
In a whirlwind period, they developed the cover of Bobby Bowman. With the right equipment, yearbooks with Bobby had been manufactured, fake ID's, newspaper clippings, and the house and shed where "Bobby" lived. Oddly enough, the Centre was gullible enough to believe it. Lyle had even gone to the point of inventing his cannibal/serial murderer profile. That little touch clinched it for him. He was in, and Daddy Dearest had never been prouder.
Now, looking back, Lyle regretted even becoming involved. He had seen too many things, had been made to do things he didn't want to do: like murder Jarod's brother. Kyle was still a touchy subject with Lyle. Not a day had gone by that he didn't feel remorse for what he had done. But what was important was that he had Jarod's forgiveness.
~*~
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if it isn't Jarod, the Great Pretender!" Melanie exclaimed as she staggered into the room two weeks after her disappearing act. Back in Miss Parker garb, she walked over to him and jabbed a finger in his face. "Did you pretend to love me? Eh? Lies, Jarod. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Life is just one big hokey-pokey of lies." She smiled wickedly before stumbling and falling to her knees. Jarod did nothing to help her up. Instead, he crossed his arms.
"You're drunk," he commented.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" she exclaimed before laughing. Then her expression turned serious. "What are you going to do about it? Eh, Rat Boy?" she asked menacingly.
"Sis, you really shouldn't be drinking," Lyle remarked pleasantly from the other side of the room. She turned her head sharply and gave him the glare of death.
"What?"
"I said that you shouldn't be drinking: it's not good for the baby," he said, looking her in the eyes. She turned ashen.
"What baby?" she asked quietly.
"Don't tell me you don't know already?" he asked incredulously. Then a look crossed his face. "Or did your two week romp with Jack drown out the voice of reason?"
"What baby?" she repeated.
"I know you're smarter than that, Parker," he whispered.
"How did you know?"
"The same way you know," he replied, his features turning soft. Mel rubbed her forehead, her buzz already wearing off.
"You mean to tell me that you've had the inner sense all along, and you never bothered to inform me?" she asked, sounding hurt.
"I couldn't, Sis," he explained, "it would have blown my cover. And besides, it was all I had left of Mom."
Jarod had been watching the entire situation unfold, but his mind was still stuck on one word: baby. Baby? Did that mean. . .Of course, that's what it means! Genius? I think not, his mind scolded him. Dazed, he sunk down into a chair. The noise caused the conversing twins to stop and look at him.
"Oh, Jarod," Mel whispered, instantly sober. Then they both looked to Lyle, who merely shrugged.
"Hey, I'm just the messenger. But, since this has to be big news, I'll leave you two to discuss it. I think I'm going to find Margaret, see how she's doing." Lyle quietly left the room. After the door was shut, Parker placed a hand over her mouth.
"I didn't know," she whispered. "I swear. If I'd known, I wouldn't have drank anything." Tears welled up in her eyes. "You don't think it hurt the baby, do you?" she asked breathlessly, her face paling by the second.
Jarod ran a hand through his hair multiple times as his brain raced to come up with an answer. He looked up at her and asked, "Have you been drinking for two weeks?"
"No," she replied, bringing her hand down. "Just yesterday. That's it."
Jarod sighed in relief. "No, I don't think it would cause lasting harm," he said. After a long silence between them, Jarod whispered, "We're going to have a baby?"
Mel did an odd thing then. She glanced at the floor and cocked her head slightly to one side, as if she were listening intently. Then she looked up as a tear rolled down her cheeks. "Yeah," she whispered in wonderment. A look of horror crossed her face. "Oh, Jarod," she gasped, "I'm sorry for what I said about you."
"Don't apologize," he murmured, getting up and walking over to her. "It's in the past. We have to focus on the future for our child." He took her face in his hands and rested his forehead on hers. "It's hard to believe I'm going to be a father," he whispered.
Mel looked down and drew back slightly. Refusing to look at him, she whispered, "Do you regret it?"
His eyes softened immediately, as did his voice. "I don't regret loving you," he told her softly, "I don't regret what we did." He gently pushed her face up so he could see her eyes. "And I don't regret that you're going to be the mother of my child," he whispered huskily, his own eyes becoming dark as he lightly placed a hand on her still-flat stomach.
Melanie felt a flood of emotion wash over her at his tender touch. When she composed herself, she asked, "Is it just me, or have these past two weeks seemed abrupt?"
"Very abrupt," he murmured, pulling her closer. "Jerky, even. But that's over now, and it's smoothing out again."
"What's the next move?" Mel asked before placing a tentative kiss on his lips.
"Find that second DSA," he replied after returning the kiss. "Then, make the future safe for our baby."