Disclaimer: see part one

Thanks to:

hoi456: Well Leo, you are right. Your guessing was more along the lines of "To End The Evil". Anyway, thank you for the review and now enjoy the next chapter.

Parker's Pretender: No, please don't kill him; I will still need him in some stories #grins#. Thanks for the review and have fun.

Brandy: Her phone tapped… well it is an idea that didn't come to me. Would have been something #shrugs# too late now. But now have fun with chapter 18 and get better soon.

Nancy: Thanks for the compliments! Oh and by the way, no, he isn't outside of her house during the phone call. Thank you for reviewing and now enjoy.

mychakk: No, he wasn't watching. Thank you for your review and now go on reading and enjoy.

ANDREA76: Glad that you like the story and that you took the time to review it. I hope that you will like this chapter as well. So go on now and enjoy!

Mfkngst: Also to you, no, he is not at her house. Anyway, thank you for reviewing and now enjoy the next chapter.

QueenTrione: Yes, you are the only one. I'm glad though because I was already starting to think that I was the only one thinking that it would have been too easy. Thank you for the review and now enjoy the new chapter.

gemini006007: Thank you for the compliments. I'm glad that you like it. Oh, and please don't die on me #smiles#. Thanks for reviewing and now have fun with part 18.

pretender fan: Worth a try… yes, it is. Go on reading and find out what I have planned. Thank you for the review and now have fun.

Earthdrago: Ok, even though the reviews came for long since forgotten (oh God, I hope not) chapters you get your words here… my I am generous, am I not ;-) Ok, well anyway, I hope that you have your computer problems back under control and I'm glad that you are still with me. Thank you for reviewing and now read on and enjoy the new chapter.

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The Call Part 18

Conversation

Another three days. Parker huffed. Three days since Jarod had called her. Three days in which she had tried to come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't call again, that she had lost her friend.

Parker sat in the small restaurant in the farthest corner from the door and her back to the entrance. A scotch stood in front of her, still untouched.

She had left the Centre around noon or better Sydney had sent her home. She nearly hadn't slept at all the last few nights and she was worn out.

Sydney was worried and so he had talked her into leaving early for the day.

She had accepted after a while not because she wanted to but because she wanted to get rid of Sydney. In a way, she was glad that he cared and that he was worried but she just couldn't cope with that kind of attention at the moment.

For that, the void Jarod had left was still too painful and unbelievable. Coping with the loss of her only friend was hard, unbelievably hard.

Parker sat there and just stared ahead against the wall. She then looked down at her hands, still not touching her drink.

It wasn't as if she was lost in thought, it was more like her mind was blank.

She didn't turn when she heard footsteps advancing from the front of the restaurant. The restroom was just a few more steps from her place so she unconsciously assumed that the person was on its way to it.

So she also didn't look up when someone slipped onto the chair opposite from hers.

"Listen, I'm not in the mood for a flit so just go to hell or to wherever it was that you came from", she snarled, without turning towards the intruder.

" 'You' wanted to talk to me, not the other way round", his voice came from across.

Parker's head snapped up towards the voice and she gasped. A hand flew to her mouth. "Jarod."

He just looked at her, waiting for something to happen.

Parker swallowed. "What… I mean…"

Jarod tilted his head, waiting for her to find the words.

Parker gasped once more. "What made you change your mind?"

Jarod shrugged his shoulders.

He was making this hard for her. Parker quietly observed him. He looked slightly pale and his features were guarded. Parker realized that he didn't know what to make out of this situation and was careful with his moves.

"I'm glad you came", she reached out her hand to place it over his.

The quick movement startled the pretender. He winced and drew back his hand that had been lying on the table in front of him.

Parker grimaced and let her hand fall on the table's surface. Only now she really saw the tension and nervousness in Jarod's face.

"Sorry, I didn't want to frighten you", she mumbled, looking down on her hands. She swallowed and tried to put the hurt away that she had felt upon Jarod's reaction. She realized that his mistrust went deep and that she would have a hard time trying to win back the trust that had once been there.

She didn't blame him though. After his call she had spent many hours of thinking and she had come to realize that he had every reason to mistrust her. He didn't know half of the story, only what had been presented to him. She could be grateful that he had ventured out far enough to give her the possibility to explain.

Everything else lay in her hands.

Parker breathed and looked up again. "Thank you for giving me a second chance, Jarod", she said looking directly into the pretenders eyes.

Jarod still didn't react. He observed her but didn't open up or talk.

"God, you are making this so hard", she murmured more to herself, looking down again.

"You couldn't have expected anything else", he said evenly.

Parker shook her head, still looking down and then straightened to meet his gaze. "No", she huffed. "Not after what you've been told."

"What I've seen", Jarod corrected and crocked his head.

Parker closed her eyes and shook her head again. "No. What you've seen was not real."

Jarod quirked his eyebrow. "You have a helluvalot to explain, Miss Parker, though I still can't see how you should be able to justify your actions", he said, his voice cold.

Parker breathed. "Jarod, I know that you ran into a trap but it wasn't me who set that trap up. Please believe me."

Jarod observed her for a long moment. "Go on", he said simply.

Parker nodded, grateful that he was willing to listen. "Raines, Lyle and Cox found out about our conversations. They knew that I had your number."

Jarod kept his mouth shut, just listening to Parker's tale.

When she realized that he would not interrupt her, Parker went on. "They decided to set up a trap for you. Raines was certain that you would come to rescue my brother if you thought him in danger. They constructed the trap by faking the contract. After that, they placed the data in the mainframe. They knew that I let Broots run searches for various things and tell him to keep an eye open for the things going on around us", she sighed and looked down.

"And then?" The pretender prompted, startling Parker when he spoke.

"Then they waited. They just had to kill time until Broots stumbled over the information", she tailed off.

"And after you took the bait?" Jarod asked.

"I called you, just as they had anticipated and you promised to help, again just as they had anticipated", she shook her head again. "I tried to get in contact with you several times after I found out that it was a trap. I tried to call you and I sent messages to you email-server. You can check that", she said.

Jarod smiled slightly. "I already did. Maybe that was what changed my mind and made me come back to let you talk."

Parker smiled back in return. "Thank you. So, you trust me and believe me that I didn't set up the trap?"

"I didn't say that, Miss Parker. I said that I saw your messages and that I am willing to let you tell you tale but if I can believe it, I'm not sure about right now", Jarod replied, shaking his head slowly.

Parker's smile vanished and she swallowed.

"Sorry Miss Parker but that's all I can tell you right now. I don't want to place a false hope in you. I'm only honest to you. What happened made me doubt everything I was certain of before and I can't wipe that feeling away that fast", he mumbled and searched her gaze.

Parker nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. There was still much reservation in his features but he had melted slightly. He still addressed to her with 'Miss' what he hadn't done in weeks or months before that fatal day. It showed how uncertain he was and that he tried to keep some distance between them.

"How about you go on and tell the rest?" He asked, his features softening a little further at her forlorn expression.

"Ok", she breathed. "Well, they obviously blocked my first calls when I tried to contact you after finding out about the trap. I tried to talk to Raines and company but, to be honest, it was quite an idiotic idea", she shook her head when she remembered her moves.

Jarod grinned.

"Well, they were not pleased but they were not shocked at my appearance either. At first when they wanted to negotiate, I refused but… let's just say that they had convincible arguments", she went on.

Jarod frowned. "Them being?"

"My betrayal", she shrugged.

"What did they do?" Jarod grumbled through clenched teeth.

"Threaten my life and that of my brother – not Lyle of course", she explained neutrally.

"They would have killed your brother for real? Because of your betrayal?" Jarod asked doubtfully.

"Don't know. I don't think so but I didn't have much of a choice anyway", she told him. "I calculated that I couldn't get a message to you once I was dead but I hoped to get one to you when they didn't look."

Jarod continued to observe her features closely. He often searched her eyes, trying to look into her soul.

"They put a sweeper on my toes to stay with me. I got several messages to your server or called you, anyway", she grinned sheepishly. "I asked Angelo to contact you and he also tried. My last hope was that he would be able to catch you before you got onto SL-22. I thought he might join you and keep you away from there."

"He normally does. I had been wondering why he didn't turn up sometime during my travel", Jarod said and looked at Parker questioningly.

"Raines had him locked up into a cell somewhere and Angelo had no way of getting out of there", she explained.

Jarod clenched his teeth. "Is he ok?"

"He is now", Parker replied.

"Now?"

"He was pretty upset while you were in the Centre", Parker stated and shuddered slightly at the memory of the DSA video with the empath, huddled into a corner, rocking back and forth and mumbling nonsense; occasionally getting up and banging his hands against the wall or door.

Jarod nodded.

"Lyle and Cox wanted me to be there when they caught you. They said that they wanted me near them so that they could determine that I wouldn't try anything. Back then I thought that they wanted me there so they could rub my constant failure under my nose for all eternity", Parker grumbled and balled a fist.

"And now? What do you think of it now?" Jarod wanted to know.

"Now I say that they wanted me there to rub it under your nose that I was part of it. They wanted you to think I had orchestrated it. Don't worry about payback. I will do that in time", she practically snarled, her eyes narrowing.

"But you went with them", Jarod said in a slightly accusing tone.

"I didn't really have a choice and I hoped that perhaps I would be able to spring you somehow. It didn't work", she sighed.

"No, but their plan worked", Jarod replied.

"Yeah, it did. I'm sorry Jarod. I should have known better", she looked at him and then looked away.

"Why did you come down into my cage once more?" He asked without acknowledging her statement.

"I had the hope that I would be able to communicate with you despite the cameras", she shrugged her shoulders.

Jarod contemplated her words and paused. "Why should I trust you, Miss Parker?" He then enquired.

"Because I don't want to loose your friendship,… I don't want to lose you", Parker said, turning her eyes up to his and holding his gaze.

"How can I be sure that you won't betray me?" Jarod asked, further holding her stare.

Parker briefly contemplated his question ad then sighed. "You can't be sure. I can only give you my word for it", she replied silently.

Jarod nodded and then got up from his seat.

"Where do you go?" She asked, keeping her eyes at the pretender.

"I have a lot to think about, Parker", he responded. He straightened and started walking. When he passed her, he put his hand on her shoulder for a second, not pausing in his movements and then he proceeded to the door.

Parker turned around and watched him go. "Jarod", she called once more.

Jarod stopped and turned back, looking at her.

"Thank you for listening", she said.

Jarod nodded and then went on.

Parker sat back and stared ahead just as she had done before Jarod had turned up. Suddenly she smiled. He had called her Parker and left away the 'Miss' at the end of their conversation and he had made contact by touching her shoulder, if only for a brief moment.

Maybe there was hope after all, maybe not everything was lost.

To be continued…