Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I'm just borrowing them. I don't get paid for these stories; this is purely for entertainment purposes.
Author: Kimmi
Feedback: Yes please.
Rating: PG13
Authors note: I know it has been ages since my last post and I am really very sorry. I have had a serious case of writers block for ages now (so be warned this part be not be good) and I can't seem to get my inspiration back for this fic. Also right now I'm doing my HSC (final exams for year 12 students in Australia in case you wanted to know) and have had to concentrate on that. Please forgive me if this is utter fluff. I'd love feedback, who knows it might inspire me better. ;-)
Summary: The Centre has fallen but all is not as envisioned for some.
Strange Things Happen
Part 16
Raines walked through the Centre. He had just gone to visit Mr. Parker. Mr. Parker had been brought in because of a car accident. He smiled because that meant he was in charge until Mr. Parker was alright again. He walked through the main corridor and was about to enter the elevator when he heard a loud noise behind him. Turning around he saw people rushing into the Centre with guns and other weapons.
"Everybody freeze where they are." Mr. Raines watched in shock as many other people came into the Centre to help. One of the men walked over to him.
"William Raines?" Raines was about to shake his head no when someone spoke up.
"Yes, that's William Raines." Raines looked around to see who had spoken. He couldn't see who it was. The man who had asked him put him in handcuffs.
"You have the right to remain silent, anything you do say can and will be used you in a court of law…"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jarod knocked on the door of Chrissie's cabin. It had been a few days since the raid on the Centre and there had been no word from them. Both Miss Parker and Jarod were starting to get worried. Broots opened the door. He smiled at them and pulled Miss Parker into a hug.
"Come in." Jarod and Miss Parker looked at each other and entered the house. They were confused as to why there was no mention from Broots as to why they hadn't contacted them. They were also confused why Broots was at Chrissie's cabin in the first place.
"Miranda, Jarod. How are you?" Debbie pulled them into a hug. They looked at Debbie. Debbie smiled. "You're looking for Chrissie aren't you?" They both nodded.
"Where is she?" Debbie smiled again.
"She's feeding Chloe, come on." Miss Parker and Jarod looked at each other. They didn't even know Chrissie had given birth. They followed Debbie into Chrissie's bedroom.
"Chrissie, you had the twins." As soon as Miss Parker said it, Debbie and Chrissie quieted her.
"Miranda, Jarod, I'm glad you're here. Please be quite though. Braden's been having trouble sleeping and I just managed to put him down. Come on, we'll talk out here." She put Chloe in a crib and walked out of the room, closing the doors behind her. As soon as they were closed she hugged both of them.
"Why didn't you tell us the twins were born?" Chrissie sighed.
"It's been kind of crazy around here. I was going to call to tell you earlier but then I needed some rest. Then with the raid on the Centre… did you know they came and got Lyle?" Miss Parker gasped. Jarod sighed.
"They still weren't sure what they would do with him." Chrissie nodded.
"He hasn't been home since. So you see why I haven't had time to call and tell you." Miss Parker stepped forward and hugged her.
"It's alright, we'll figure something out." Chrissie nodded.
"I don't know what we can do though, but I know we'll try everything. I'm not going to let anything happen to him, not now that we can finally be a proper family." Chrissie looked at Miss Parker. She smiled slightly.
"It's alright. How about we talk about something else then?" Chrissie smiled.
"That's what we do around here. We smile way too much and change the subject about a thousand times a day. But how about we talk about what you've been doing since we last saw each other?" Miss Parker noticed the way Chrissie seemed happy and upbeat but could see the despair behind the front.
"Well nothing much really, was bringing down the Centre and stuff." Chrissie smiled and sat down on her couch. Miss Parker and Jarod sat across from her.
"Well, uh, we've really missed you here. You've missed out on a lot." Chrissie's smile turned into a frown for a split second then it went back to the overly bright smile. Jarod sighed. He reached out and took her hand.
"Chrissie, I think you really need to talk about what happened." Chrissie pursed her lips. She shook her head.
"I can't. If I do I don't know how I'll be able to cope." A few tears welled in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away.
"Keeping it all bottled in isn't very good either. Chrissie, you need to talk about this." A few tears started pouring out of her eyes. She brushed them away. She looked back into her bedroom.
"I know you're right, I'm just scared to, you know?" Miss Parker moved to sit next to her. She took her hand in hers and squeezed gently.
"Chrissie, we're here for you. You can talk to us. We'll help you get through it." Chrissie looked up at both of them and smiled. She stood up and walked towards the window looking out at the woods around her home.
"I miss him so much. At least before I could see him, when he was first taken they'd let me see him for a while. Now I can't get past the front door." She sat back down and started crying.
"Why won't they let you see him? It makes no sense." Chrissie looked at Jarod and started laughing humourlessly.
"They think I'm going to bring him something to help him escape. Well at least that was the first excuse I heard. I'm Mrs. Parker; I'd help him escape. Then they realised I wasn't visiting my so called husband or anyone else. They found the papers saying why I married him and why I supposedly had his children. Then I wasn't allowed to see Lyle for my own safety. For some reason they think he'd hurt me. I told them he could never and would never hurt me. They don't believe me." Jarod stood up. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
"Jarod, where are you going?" He turned back around to Miss Parker. He looked furious.
"I'm going to try and sort this out. It's killing Chrissie and it's probably killing Lyle. There's no reason for them to not let her see him." He walked out the door and got in his car, driving as fast as he could to get to where they were holding Lyle to sort it out.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lyle sat in the dark room watching the sunlight dance through the slit in the door. He put his head back and thought about Chrissie. He really missed her and wished that he could just see her. He had no idea why she had stopped coming, no one would tell him. He turned on his side and looked at the dirty wall. It was like they were keeping him in a dungeon. He put his hand over his face as light filled the room as the door opened.
"Lyle, are you alright?" Lyle looked over towards the door squinting. He sat up straight and looked at his visitor.
"I guess I'm alright. I'd be better if I could see Chrissie and the twins and Lockie. Where are they Jarod?" Jarod sighed. He moved to sit next Lyle on the bed.
"They're still at Chrissie's cabin. They won't let them come and see you." Lyle slumped. He was happy that Chrissie hadn't just stopped coming but angry that she wasn't allowed to.
"Why aren't they allowed to see me?" Jarod stood up and walked away from his friend. He turned back and spoke quietly.
"They think you'd hurt her." Lyle laughed and stood up. He walked shakily over to Jarod.
"Jarod, you know I would never hurt her. I don't care what they do to me; I just want to see Chrissie." Jarod nodded. He put his hand on Lyle's shoulder.
"I'll try and talk to them. I just wanted you to know that Chrissie loves and misses you. It's killing her not seeing you. I keep on thinking about what if they did this with Miranda and me. I'll make sure you can see her." Lyle nodded. He walked shakily back to the bed and sat down.
"Thank you Jarod. I just need to see her." Jarod nodded once again and walked out the door. An officer was waiting for him outside.
"Why is it that you wanted to see him so badly? Didn't he kill your brother?" Jarod winced slightly as he remembered when Lyle had killed Kyle. He shook the feeling off. He knew that Lyle was a different man. Chrissie had turned him into a better man.
"I've told you before, he's reformed." The officer laughed.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Jarod stopped and spun the man around to face him.
"When have you ever seen him act anything other than reformed." The officer looked at him. He didn't know what to say. It was true; he had never seen Lyle do anything that would seem threatening in the least bit. He looked at the ground. "That's what I thought."
"Listen Jarod, I'm just doing what I was told." Jarod sighed. He nodded.
"I know you are. I just want to know why you've been told not to let Chrissie see Lyle." The officer sighed. He had wondered that himself. When Chrissie had been allowed to see him they seemed so happy and loving. It made no sense to him. But then again he didn't know Lyle or Chrissie so he didn't really know what to think.
"All I was told was that he may hurt her and the two babies she brought with her from time to time." Jarod shook his head. That was ridiculous.
"Lyle would never hurt Chrissie. And those two babies are his. He would never hurt them." The officer looked at Jarod shocked. He didn't know that the twins were Lyle's.
"How is… I mean is Chrissie alright with the babies. I mean I know they were just born." Jarod sighed.
"From what I could see she's doing alright with them. But because of the birth of the twins she's got a little bit of post-partum depression and that combined with everything to do with Lyle she could crack at anytime. She seems to be walking a thin line." The officer sighed. He hated that he was at least partly responsible for that.
"Look, I'll give you the number of the person who the order came from. Maybe you can work this out." He walked over to his desk and started writing down the phone number. He handed it to Jarod. Jarod smiled and looked over the number.
"Thank you." He walked out of the room. He needed to get back to Chrissie's cabin to tell them the news.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker sat rocking Braden. She couldn't believe how small he was. She put her hand on her stomach and wondered how long it would be until she, herself, gave birth. She knew she was due any day now she just didn't know when. She heard a car outside and saw Jarod coming towards the house. She put Braden in his crib and walked out to meet him.
"Where's Chrissie?" Miss Parker quieted him.
"She's sleeping. Apparently she hasn't been sleeping very well and she just finally managed to fall asleep. What happened with Lyle?" Jarod sighed. He reached in his pocket and took out the phone number he had been given.
"I've got to call this number to speak with the person who ordered that Chrissie wouldn't be allowed to see Lyle. I just hope I can talk some sense into this person." Miss Parker took the number and looked at it for a few moments. She knew this number, she just didn't know where from. She stared at it for a few moments more until it hit her.
"Jarod this is the number of a Centre assassin. I can't remember his name but I remember finding something in Daddy's office one day with this number. Jarod, I think Lyle's in trouble." Jarod immediately was concerned. Neither one of them were aware that someone was listening to them until they spoke up behind them.
"Lyle's in trouble?" They both turned around sharply and looked at Chrissie standing in the doorway. Miss Parker immediately felt bad. Chrissie looked like she would burst into tears at any moment.
"No, I mean we can't be sure of it, I mean…" Miss Parker looked down. Jarod put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he smiled at her. Jarod looked at Chrissie and sighed.
"We really can't be sure if she's right. The number she's thinking of is probably just similar to this one." Chrissie shook her head. She wasn't going to believe him. She walked quickly over to him and held out her hand.
"Give me the number. I might recognise it." Jarod didn't make a move towards her. He shook his head. He didn't want to cause her any more stress.
"No Chrissie. I'm not letting you see it. We'll work it out, don't worry." Chrissie laughed humourlessly. She shook her head.
"That's easy for you to say. You've still got Andi. If it could help Lyle then let me see it." Jarod still didn't move. Chrissie lunged at him and wrestled it out of his hands. She looked at the number, the colour immediately draining from her face. Jarod immediately was at her side.
"You recognise it?" Chrissie nodded. A tear spilled out of her eye.
"Jarod, can you see if Mr. Parker has contacted this number." Jarod nodded but didn't move. She looked up at him impatiently. "Now Jarod; if my suspicions are correct we don't have much time to stand around." Jarod nodded and started walking over to his laptop. He stopped when he was next to Miss Parker.
"Make sure she gets some rest." Miss Parker nodded and started walking towards Chrissie. She went to speak to her but Chrissie put up her hand.
"I'm not going anywhere until I know Lyle is safe. There's no way you're going to get me anywhere but here." She sat down on the couch and looked over at where Jarod was sitting at his laptop. Miss Parker sighed and sat down next to her.
"If you stay here, please can you at least have a nap?" Chrissie shook her head.
"Nope, I want to be awake when I see if Mr. Parker has had contact with this guy." She looked at Miss Parker concerned. "But you should get some rest. Your baby will be coming soon and believe me, you'll need all the strength you can get." Miss Parker laughed. Chrissie was being stubborn about getting some rest for herself but then she told Miss Parker to get some rest. She never ceased to amaze her. Miss Parker leant back slightly on the couch and put her head on Chrissie's shoulder.
"I'm here if you need me." Chrissie nodded and fixed her gaze on where Jarod was sitting. Miss Parker sighed. She was hoping that maybe Chrissie would fall asleep waiting, but she was sure that she wouldn't. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lyle was sitting on the very uncomfortable bed. He was leaning against the wall rocking slightly. His gaze was fixed on a spot on the wall. He closed his eyes as the room filled with light. He let his eyes adjust to the light then looked for who had come into the room. The person looked slightly familiar he just couldn't work out where from.
"Mr. Lyle, it is so nice to finally meet you." Lyle sat back on the bed and looked at his intruder. He couldn't figure out who this person was.
"Who are you and what do you want?" The man walked closer to him and reached into his pocket.
"I'm here to talk to you about some of the things you have done." The man leant against the wall and looked at Lyle arrogantly. Lyle sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest hugging them to his body.
"I've changed since I did those things. Ask Chrissie and she'll tell you." The man snorted and brought something out of his pocket. Lyle squinted to see what it was but couldn't see it clearly. The man started walking closer to him, hiding the object from Lyle's view.
"I don't think we are talking about the same thing. The fact that you want me to ask Chrissie is obvious that we're not. You see I'm talking about Chrissie." Lyle was confused. He looked at the man wearily. The man came and sat next to Lyle on the bed, facing him.
"What about Chrissie? I don't understand." The man leant over to him conspiratorially.
"It's not nice to sleep with your father's wife, let alone to get her pregnant." Lyle looked at the man shocked. This wasn't good. The man got a predatory glint in his eye. The man leant over to Lyle, with his hand coming up behind him. Suddenly Lyle remembered where he had seen the man before.
"You're that guy at the party who was dancing with Chrissie. You're William Graham." William smiled and put his finger to his lips. He stuck a needle into Lyle's neck. Lyle instantly slumped forward and was unconscious.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker woke with a start. She looked up and saw that Chrissie was still in the same position that she was in when she had fallen asleep. Chrissie looked down at her concerned.
"Are you alright?" Miss Parker sat up and looked at where Jarod was still sitting at the computer. She looked back at Chrissie concerned.
"Remember when you had those dreams about what would happen in the future?" Chrissie nodded and looked down. There were a few things that were hard to find out that she discovered through those dreams.
"Yeah, they're because I'm a seer. What about them?" Miss Parker sighed.
"Did I ever tell you that I had something like that? I dreamt my mother came and saved me, but when it really happened it was Ethan." Chrissie nodded. She'd heard about that. She was curious as to why Miss Parker brought that up.
"What put that in your head?" Miss Parker took a deep breath.
"I think I had another dream although I think it may be more like the ones you have." Chrissie was shocked. She turned to face Miss Parker wanting to know more about it.
"What was it about?" Miss Parker took another deep breath. She was frightened about what Chrissie's reaction would be.
"It was about Lyle." Chrissie gasped, she could sense that it wasn't something good. Miss Parker went on. "I think it probably has something to do with us being twins." Chrissie nodded.
"What happened in it?" Miss Parker was about to tell her when Jarod stood up from the computer and came back over to them.
"I just found out that Mr. Parker has been in contact with this person. Chrissie I want you to come with me. We need to make sure he's alright. I would get you to come as well, Miranda, but I don't think you should in your condition." Miss Parker nodded. Chrissie got up and walked out the door, she wanted to get to Lyle as soon as she could. Jarod was about to follow her but Miss Parker grabbed him first.
"I think Lyle's in trouble. Remember the name William Graham." Jarod nodded and leant forward and kissed her cheek, caressing her stomach at the same time. Miss Parker smiled and pushed him toward the door. Just before Jarod left the room he turned back to her sincerely.
"I'll make sure he's okay." Miss Parker nodded and watched as he walked out towards the car.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chrissie walked confidently into the police station they were holding Lyle in. She ignored the panicked look she got from the police officer standing guard.
"Mrs. Parker, I'm sorry, you can't be in here." Chrissie gave him her best scowl and pushed past him.
"Don't call me that." The officer again tried to restrain her. She was about to punch him when Jarod came running through the front doors, grabbing her from behind and restraining her.
"What good could we do Lyle if you get arrested?" Chrissie nodded and calmed down. Jarod waited until her body lost its tension and let her go. He turned to the officer, still holding onto Chrissie's arm. "Sorry about that. We're here because we believe Lyle is in danger." The guard looked at him like he was crazy.
"He's not in any danger here." Jarod shook his head.
"Has he had any visitors since I left?" The guard nodded.
"An agent just left him. He said that he's resting right now." Jarod and Chrissie exchanged a look.
"We've got to see him." Chrissie again tried to push her way through. The officer stood in her way, shaking his head. He turned to Jarod and sighed.
"I still can't let her in to see him. I would but I don't want to lose my job." Jarod nodded. He pulled Chrissie back and stepped forward. Just because Chrissie couldn't go in there didn't mean that he couldn't.
"Alright then, let me in to see him. I'd like to speak to my brother in-law." The officer nodded and moved aside to let Jarod pass but still making sure Chrissie couldn't pass him. Jarod turned to Chrissie before he walked past. "If I need help I'll call you." Chrissie nodded and glared at the officer. She stood in her spot. Something told her she'd be needed.
The officer opened Lyle's cell and let him in. Lyle was laying face down on the bed. It looked like he was sleeping. Jarod had a bad feeling and walked over to the bed. He sat on the end and shook him.
"Lyle, wake up. It's Jarod." He didn't move. Jarod looked up at the officer with an uneasy look. "Lyle, come on." He rolled him over. Lyle looked like he was dead but he was breathing slowly and obviously with difficulty. Jarod took his pulse and was even more worried to find it was weak.
"Is he ok?" Jarod turned his face to the officer and shook his head.
"No, he's not. He needs serious medical attention." The officer looked panicked. He didn't know what to do. "Chrissie, I need you in here." Chrissie was in there as fast as she could.
"What's wrong?" Chrissie looked at Lyle and gasped. She was instantly at his side, holding his hand. "What's wrong with him?" Jarod pushed Lyle so he was sitting up.
"I'm not sure. What was the agent who came to see him named?" The officer thought back.
"On his badge it said Agent Graham." Jarod couldn't believe it. William Graham was the name Miss Parker had told him to remember, the last name Graham couldn't be a coincidence.
"Jarod, what are we going to do?" Chrissie was staring at Lyle concerned.
"We need to get him to a hospital." Chrissie nodded and helped Jarod to get Lyle into a standing position so he was leaning on Jarod and Chrissie. They started moving for the door but the officer stopped them.
"I can't let you take him out of here." His hand was hovering over his gun. Chrissie sighed; if she wanted to, she could get to that gun before he could and use it against him but knew it wouldn't be a good idea.
"Listen, there is something terribly wrong with him, we have to get him to the hospital. He might die if he doesn't get any help. I couldn't stand it if I lost him." Tears started welling up in her eyes. The officer sighed, he couldn't let that happen.
"Alright, I'll take you to the hospital myself and I'll stand guard." Chrissie smiled and started walking forward.
"Thank you."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chrissie was pacing in the waiting room. She was scared about what would happen if she lost Lyle. It wouldn't be fair. He couldn't leave her, not now when they could finally be together.
Jarod watched Chrissie worried. He knew that if Lyle wasn't alright, she would snap. Too much had happened. He started thinking that maybe they should have waited until after Chrissie and Miss Parker had had the babies before completing the plans to bring down the Centre. He hadn't taken into account the stress it would have on Chrissie. Unfortunately he didn't know about everything that happened before Chrissie had the twins so he didn't know the stress she was already under.
"Chrissie, maybe you should go home." Chrissie turned to Jarod sharply. She had a look in her eye that could only be described as deadly.
"I'm not going anywhere until I know he's ok." Jarod nodded. He knew that she would be stubborn in not wanting to leave but staying there was too much for her.
"What about the twins? What about Lockie? They need their mother." Chrissie's look softened. "Go home. I can stay here and as soon as I get any news I'll call." Chrissie nodded. She turned to Jarod looking totally drained.
"Don't let anything happen to him Jarod. I can't loose him." Tears welled in her eyes and instead of wiping them away like she had been recently, she let them fall. She turned and walked out of the waiting room. Jarod sighed. He had a feeling that if Lyle didn't pull through this Chrissie would blame him. He got comfortable in the seat knowing he'd be staying there for a while.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lyle was acutely aware of the medical staff hovering over him and trying to figure out what was wrong with him. His eyes were slightly open and he could see and hear everything that was going on around him except everything seemed to be in a fog. He could hear his breathing louder than anything else and knew that, by the rhythm of his breathing, things were not good.
He saw a figure he couldn't make out clearly walk into the room. She was wearing a white flowing dress that seemed to be blowing, although there was no wind or anything to make it blow. She walked closer to the bed and he was able to make out her face. She looked exactly like Miss Parker, only she seemed softer somehow.
"Lyle, give me your hand baby." He reached out his hand and placed it in what he realized was his mother's hand. She pulled him to stand up and once he was standing he felt lighter. He turned around and saw that his body was still lying in the hospital bed, being worked on by the doctors.
"What's… what's going on?" Catherine Parker smiled and put her hand around him.
"Come with me." She started leading him away from the room. Lyle looked back occasionally, wondering what was going on.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jarod had fallen asleep in his seat in the waiting room. He was awoken by sounds of rushing. He noticed a lot of the medical staff were heading towards one room; Lyle's. He started to get panicked. He looked at where the officer who had been guarding Lyle was sitting. He looked panicked as well. Jarod got up and went to one of the doctors who were rushing towards Lyle's room.
"What's going on?" The doctor stopped and looked at Jarod.
"Patient is flat lining. I think you brought him in." He gave him a sympathetic smile and started making his way towards Lyle's room again. Jarod looked towards Lyle's room and felt alarmed. Lyle couldn't die, he just couldn't. He quickly picked up his phone and dialled the number for Chrissie's cabin. The phone was answered on the second ring.
"Is he alright?" Jarod sighed. He took a deep breath and started walking towards Lyle's room.
"So far it's not good…"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
To Be Continued...