This is the Way the World Ends
By Bethe
~*~
Part Nine
~*~
Savoring the feel of the lush carpet of grass underneath her feet and between her toes, Melanie sticks her hands in her back pockets and closes her eyes. The warmth of the sun on her face causes her to smile. She can feel the soft breeze play with her hair. Opening her eyes, she smiles again at the sight of her daughter, who is giggling wildly with joy while running through the sprinkler.
"It is time, my love," comes a soft voice inside Mel's mind. "You must tell him."
She closes her eyes again and lets her arms fall to her sides. "I can't, Mamma. It would break his heart." Her daughter's wild shriek causes her to open her eyes once more, and she sees that Jarod, of whom they had been speaking, is taking his daughter in his arms and twirling her around in the air. A tear falls from her eye. "I just can't."
A loud crash of thunder caused Parker to sit upright, panting and placing a hand to her chest. She tried to calm her racing mind and heart, and was succeeding, but jumped again when she felt a hand to her bare shoulder.
"Melanie, what's wrong?" Jarod asked in a voice thick from sleep. "Another nightmare?"
"No," she replied, closing her eyes. "You know, I've never liked storms," she commented, lying back down beside her husband. "Too many bad memories associated with them."
"And, of course," Jarod murmured, taking her into his arms, "there had to be one such storm on the night of our wedding."
"Well," she said after a few moments of silence, "at least we're not in that rickety hotel. There'd probably be more water inside, than out."
Jarod chuckled. "True." He surveyed his surroundings. Out of all the times he had covertly visited Miss Parker's bedroom, he had never even imagined sleeping there, much less with her. But ever since Mel had found her house exactly the way she left it, the plan had been changed. She and Jarod would have their first night together alone, then the rest of the group would move in to continue operations. It would become their base, their headquarters.
"Although, it does make me feel for those who didn't have the good fortune to get married today," Melanie mused.
"They'll get here soon enough," he replied. "Let's just enjoy our one night alone."
Mel chuckled, then turned serious. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked into Jarod's eyes. "I just can't get out of my head," she whispered, "that Mom never told us what exactly her plan was. It makes me wonder if there isn't some other DSA or document detailing it."
Jarod reached over and pressed his palm to her cheek, rubbing her soft skin with his thumb. "We'll find out," he whispered back, equally serious. "We'll find out."
~*~
Lyle leaned against the wall of his sister's den and looked at the floor. A wave of melancholy washed over him. It had been two weeks since his sister's wedding, but he couldn't rid himself of the thoughts that he had on that day.
Two weeks ago, he'd seen his sister glow for the first time, and that made him feel more horrible. For so many years, he'd helped to deny both Parker and Jarod the happiness they had now. When they said their vows to each other, Lyle couldn't help but long for that happiness for himself. Melanie probably wouldn't believe it, but all he wanted was to settle down with a family. A real family, not the dysfunctional one he was a part of at the moment. He wanted a wife and children, but karma was not in his favor. He'd committed too many evils in his lifetime to deserve anything good like that. And what made it all the worse was Jarod's sister.
Emily. The name flowed like crystal clear water in his mind. Despite popular belief, he hadn't tried to kill her years ago. He sent someone else to do the dirty work, but took the credit for it. And now that he'd met her, he regretted yet another action performed in the hopes of bringing down the Centre. She was something pure, something that only honorable men could strive for. But not Lyle. No, Lyle didn't even deserve the time of day from her. Living in the same house made it almost unbearable.
Lyle, the typical man that he was, wouldn't allow himself to tell anyone of his feelings. Instead he preferred to wallow alone. But Jarod, who was a very intuitive person, could sense something wasn't quite right. He'd made many attempts to subtly get his brother-in-law to talk, but it never worked. So when he saw Lyle leaning against the wall, alone, Jarod knew that he had to be forward.
"What's her name?" he rumbled as he walked towards his wife's twin, taking a stab at what the problem could be. Lyle swallowed and slowly looked up at Jarod.
"What do you mean?" he asked in a cool voice.
"You've been in a funk for a long time, Lyle. Who is she?" he asked, a small smile flitting across his face. Lyle worked his jaw and looked back to the floor, as if mentally wrestling with something. Then he looked back up.
"If I tell you, you have to promise not to be angry," he whispered, sounding as vulnerable as a child. Jarod's expression immediately turned serious and he glanced around momentarily.
"Let's go outside," he murmured, nodding his head towards the door. He led his brother-in-law out to the back porch and sat down in a chair. Lyle tentatively sat down in the swing across from Jarod. After a long period of silence, he clasped his hands in front of him and looked at his feet.
"At first, I wasn't down because of any one specific woman. I was more depressed at what I had become. If any date were to hear of the atrocities I've committed, she'd probably drop what she was holding and get the hell outta Dodge," he murmured, keeping his eyes down. "But now. . .I've met someone. I don't deserve her, Jarod," he whispered.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Jarod replied, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. "What's her name?"
Lyle looked up into his eyes with a guarded expression. "Emily," he said, his body tensing up in preparation for the beating that was sure to come. Instead, Jarod slowly sat back. He rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb. "You don't have to worry, though," Lyle stated quickly. "I won't pursue anything."
"Lyle, Lyle, Lyle," Jarod murmured while holding up his hand, "First of all, I'm not her father, so I can't tell you that you aren't allowed to see her. And also, you're selling yourself short. The Lyle I know," he said, taking a breath, "definitely deserves someone like Emily." He smiled. "Give it a shot. Try to further your friendship. Take it slowly." He smiled again. "Just keep in mind that if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you," he said seriously before standing up and patting the bewildered man on the shoulder.
Lyle simply sat back, a dazed expression playing upon his countenance. He had a lot of thinking to do.
~*~
"Did you get ahold of Sydney?" Mel asked huskily later that night when Jarod's entrance into the room had roused her from an uneasy slumber. She kept her eyes closed and remained facing away from the door.
"No," came his soft reply. "He wasn't in today. I think his secretary said he was attending some symposium on studies of the effects of separation on identical twins."
"That's right up Freud's alley," she said, her voice still thick from sleep. She grunted in surprise when she felt Jarod's strong arms pull her to him, molding her back to his front. When he buried his face in her hair and took a few deep breaths, she asked, "What's wrong?" He only did this when he was upset over something. "I know you wanted to talk to Syd today, but he should be back soon," she offered, thinking that was the problem.
"That's not it," he whispered, his breath tickling the delicate skin of her neck. "I think your brother's in love."
"Lyle? With who?" she asked softly, bringing her hands to his forearms.
Jarod sighed deeply into the back of her head. "My sister."
Immediately, Mel wished she could turn around and hold him in her arms, but knew that he found comfort holding her. "What makes you think that?" she asked, her hands covering his over her stomach.
"He practically told me," he murmured distantly. "He never used the word 'love', but I could see it in his eyes." He sighed again. "Lyle's convinced that he doesn't deserve her. Part of me debates that, but a small part agrees with that view. What if he hurts her, Mel? He's done it before, and he could do it again just as easily."
Parker's mind frantically raced for an easy answer, but could find none. She bit her lip. Then she closed her eyes and whispered, "You can't base a life on What Ifs, Jarod. Emily's a big girl now. She can make her own decisions." She took a breath. "Besides, she likes him, too."
Jarod said nothing. So that was how it was going to be. Mel opened her eyes.
"I got another email from Angelo about my mother," she said softly. She waited until she could feel him paying attention. "It hints at another DSA, but not a clue about where it is." She paused. "I might have to go back."
Melanie could feel Jarod's arms tighten around her, half in anger and half in concern. He whispered, "You can't. They'll crucify you."
"Not if I do it the right way," she whispered back. "Jarod, I can get the upper hand if I beat Raines to the punch. And now, with Lyle on our side, we can work together to get him out of the picture completely. Then the Centre will be ours to do with what we wish," she said, trying to convince herself. "It can work."
He sighed. "Do what you feel you have to, Parker. I'll help you, but I don't agree with you on it. You're just asking for trouble." He held her closer. "I don't want to lose you again," he murmured in her ear. "Not to mention," his voice got even softer, "the baby."
A tear slid down the side of her nose. "Just trust me, Jarod."