Paradise....almost

PART 2

Jarod got up first and began to check on everyone. He started with the elderly couple who sat breathless, but okay.

Broots and Tom (the other guy with the Hawaiian shirt) hovered over Linda to see if she was fine. When Linda didn't move or open her eyes, the two got nervous and ran to Jarod.

"Jarod! Linda won't wake up!" The rest of the gang started towards Linda to see.

"Did you check for a pulse?" Jarod asked.

"No. Maybe she needs mouth to mouth or something. You better go over there right away, Jarod." Tom said panicly.

"Mouth to mouth, my ass." Miss Parker sneered. Then she pushed past Jarod and grabbed Tom and Broots by the shirt.

"Geek number one and geek number two, YOU will give her mouth to mouth if she needs it," Miss Parker ordered and shoved them towards the woman lying on the sand.

Just before Broots and Tom could kneel beside her, Linda sat up quickly and combed her hair back with her fingers. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Then she walked over the Jarod and took his arm. "But I am feeling a little faint," Linda said in her most distressed voice, leaning her head on his arm.

Being the gentleman that he is, Jarod took her by the waist and sat her back down on the sand and summoned everyone else to join them.

"I know that we're all wet and tired." Jarod began.

"And hungry!" Broots piped up.

"And hungry. So let's divide up and get some things."

"There's got to be something to eat around here. I'll go find something." Miss Parker offered. "Might find better scenery," she muttered, eyeing Linda try to snuggle close to Jarod.

"Then Sarah and what is your name again? (pointing to the married guy)."

"Bill, this is my wife Tara, and this is Jennie."

"Bill, will go with Parker."

"Broots, You, Tom and I will go into the woods to see if we can find some dry wood."

"Mr and Mrs Maddux (pointing to the elderly couple), Sydney, and Captain—see what you can do for shelter—if we have to spend the night, we should be prepared for bad weather. Tara and Linda, take care of Jennie and scout along the beach for dry wood or anything else useful."

Then one of the two men with the captain spoke up. "Stan and I will search for a possible way to get off this island. We'll try and find some help. Maybe this island is connected to the mainland."

"That would take a long time, are you sure you're not too tired to explore the island? I mean, if we're not rescued by morning, I wouldn't mind going with you. I came to the islands to discover its beauty." Tom suggested.

"No, no," Stan said hastily. "Drake and I should go NOW. The sooner we go, the sooner we might find help."

Jarod eyed them suspiciously but said nothing.

"I'm just glad Jarod is here with us." Linda commented, touching his arm. "He's so strong, and smart, and everything. I would be so scared if he wasn't here to protect us, in case, you know, some savage natives came, or something."

Miss Parker looked away, along with Sarah and Sydney, and tried to suppress a laugh. She turned back around and gave a fearful look. "You know what would even be scarier?" Miss Parker asked in mock fear. "It would be totally horrible if we ran into Gilligan!"

Everyone burst out laughing, except for Jarod and Linda, and when the laughter died down, Jarod asked, "What's a Gilligan?" which received another burst of laughter. Linda just sat there and glared at Miss Parker who smirked at her in return. Jarod noticed the exchange of looks between the two women and just shook his head.

The group split up and went on to their given task.

It wasn't too far in when Miss Parker, Bill, and Sarah heard the rumbling of water and followed it to discover clean, fresh water.

"Look, Miss Parker!" Sarah exclaimed. "I see water!" The three ran as fast as they could, with Miss Parker wincing at every step.

"Hey, look," noticed Bill "there's a bunch of fruits around here. But how do we know which are edible?"

"Our resident Boy Scout will know." Miss Parker informed them. "Let's just get some out. Question is, how do we do that?"

"Miss Parker, your jacket."

"What? No, no, not my favorite silk jacket." Bill and Sarah just looked at her pleadingly without saying a word.

"Damn! Fine!" And Miss Parker removed her jacket and threw it at them.

"Hey, Miss P., if you still had your leather thigh-high boots, we could have used them to bring water back to the others." Sarah said jokingly.

"Yeah, if I still had them on, I'd be swimming with the fishes." Miss Parker grumbled. "I wish I had some on right now. My feet are killing me."

While Sarah and Bill gathered the fruits, Miss Parker took her gun out, sat by the stream, and began to clean the salt water out of it. Sarah and Bill noticed it and froze in fear.

"M-Miss Parker," Sarah said nervously, "w-what are you doing with that?"

"I'm cleaning it." Miss Parker answered without looking up.

"I mean, why do you have a gun?"

"To protect us from the savages, of course." Miss Parker said sarcastically. After rinsing it, she put it together, cocked it, aimed it at something, and fired.

"Still works like a charm." She smiled victoriously and placed the gun back in the holster behind her back.

Nearby, everyone else who heard it looked up toward the sound of the gunfire and gave each other confused looks. Jarod's heart skipped a beat and a thousand thoughts flooded his mind. He dropped his pile of wood and told Broots and Tom to go back to the beach. Then he headed toward the sound. "Who would have a gun?" he thought. "Parker." "What the hell is she doing? What if she's hurt?

What did she shoot? WHO did she shoot? Why did she shoot? What if that wasn't her? "

Jarod ran through the woods as fast as he could and when he came to where Miss Parker, Sarah, and Bill were, he just found them picking fruits.

"Hey, Jarod!" Bill called out. "Come here and see which of these fruits we should eat."

Jarod approached them and looked around nervously.

"What's up, genius? You look spooked." Miss Parker noticed.

"Didn't you hear the gunshot?"

"That was me. I was making sure it still worked."

"What are you doing firing a gun?" Jarod asked angrily.

"It's my gun and I can do whatever I want," Miss Parker bit back.

Then Jarod noticed Bill and Sarah staring at him and Miss Parker and went over to check on the fruits that lay inside Miss Parker's jacket.

"Don't pick these star-shaped ones, they're very bitter. But the rest are good."

"Great!" Sarah exclaimed. "Bill and I will just go back to the others with these." And they scurried off without looking back at the two.

Jarod turned around and found Miss Parker leaning on a tree, with her arms crossed in front of her, and glaring at him. So he just glared right back.

"Why didn't you tell me you still had your gun?" Jarod asked trying to keep calm.

"Why would I need to tell you?"

"Because, you just needed to."

"Oh, so you can be prepared to escape me again?"

"Parker, you infuriate me!"

"You're not exactly my source of kicks and giggles."

"Don't be such a child."
"Don't be so bossy."

"Parker, don't move." Jarod said lowly.

"There you are, bossing people around again. If I want to move, I will!"

"I said, don't move! Unless, you want that snake to wrap itself around your neck and bite." Jarod very slowly bent down, without taking his eyes off the snake, and picked up a stick.

"Hurry up and do something, Jarod!" Miss Parker said through gritted teeth.

Jarod lured the snake on to the stick and hurled it across the stream.

"Was it poisonous?" Miss Parker asked.

"No--just a green, ordinary snake." Jarod said lightly.

"Then why did you have to be so melodramatic about it? What? You wanted me to bat my eyes, flaunt my breasts, throw myself at you in gratitude?!"

Jarod gave her a confused look. Somehow he couldn't picture Miss Parker acting that way. Then it dawned on him she was referring to Linda, and couldn't help but grin at her jealous outburst. He didn't realize he was grinning until he saw Miss Parker's shocked and furious expression.

"You arrogant, son of a b....."

"Oh come on, Parker, can't you just say Thank You?"

After a moment of silence, after debating whether to just give in and say thank you or smack him in the face, Miss Parker finally decided on the first choice.

"Thank you." Miss Parker said flatly.

"No, I mean this kind of thank you." Jarod grabbed both her arms and pinned them to her side and he kissed her hard on the mouth. For a moment she resisted, but finally gave in to him when he softened the kiss. They kissed passionately, Miss Parker freeing her hands from Jarod's grasp, unbuttoning his shirt, and probing his masculine chest and shoulders with her hands.

BACK ON THE BEACH

"Where's Miss Parker?" Sydney asked Sarah and Bill as they approached.

"She's back in there with Jarod."

"Is she alright? We heard a gun shot."

"She's alright. It's Jarod I'm worried about."

"What about Jarod? Is he in danger?" Linda asked concerned.

"He'll be fine. If anyone can handle Parker, it's Jarod," Sydney said with a smile.

When Jarod and Miss Parker finally broke off the kiss, they were both breathing hard and their hearts were racing. They looked into each other's eyes and Jarod saw confusion and anger in Miss Parker's gaze.

"This never happened, Jarod. You understand me? This never happened."

Miss Parker pushed away from him and turned from him before he saw the tears that threatened to fall. She took a deep breath and composed herself before walking away, caressing her lips that still burned with the passion of the kiss. Jarod didn't make an attempt to stop her. His sadness turned to concern when he saw her limp off. He took his socks and shirt off and rinsed them in the stream, not squeezing the water off his shirt as he carried them back to the beach.

Miss Parker walked as fast as she could, ignoring her hurting bare feet, talking to herself. "I will not fall apart. I will not fall apart. I will NOT let him get to me. But, damn! That kiss was good! I am in control. I am in control. Damn! "

Broots stood up when he saw Miss Parker coming. "Miss Parker, are you alright?"

"Just dandy."

Then Linda got up and blocked Miss Parker's way. "What did you do to Jarod?" She asked demandingly, her eyes narrowed.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Miss Parker said mischievously.

Miss Parker studied Linda up and down and wondered if this woman was for real. Calling her a slut would be too kind. All of a sudden Miss Parker had the urge to puke, and she made a face at Linda that indicates how she was feeling. Miss Parker turned to the side to try and get past her, but Linda blocked her way again.

"You're just jealous." Linda sneered.

Miss Parker let out a hearty laugh. "Jealous of what?!"

"You're jealous of my body and the fact that Jarod is attracted to me."

Miss Parker laughed again and pushed Linda out of her way with so much force, Linda stumbled backwards and fell on her rear.

Before Linda could react, they saw Jarod walking out of the woods. He looked at the fire and then at Broots and Tom approvingly. "Nice fire, gentlemen."

"Jarod!" Linda said excitedly, getting up quickly and she hurriedly ran to Jarod, her arms wildly waving in the air. Miss Parker mimicked her mockingly behind her back and sat down between Sydney and Sarah.

Linda took Jarod by the arm and joyfully showed him the sticks they rigged up to dry the clothes on. Jarod put his socks near the fire but kept his soaked shirt away from it on some rocks. The men, except for Sydney and Mr. Maddux, had their shirts off and had them drying near the fire. The women, except for Linda, decided to keep their shirts on and just stand close to the warmth. Linda just wore her bra and had ripped her pants to a very short pair of shorts.

Jarod walked over to sit across from Miss Parker and looked at her apologetically. Miss Parker dared not to look at him in fear of losing all control. Jarod was relieved to see that she wasn't angry anymore. In fact, he saw a hint of playfulness in her eyes. As expected, Linda sat next to him closely, which received some disapproving looks from Sarah and Miss Parker. The group sat in silence around the fire for a little while, sadness and distress filling the air as the night approached. Then the silence was broken by Jennie, the 5-year old girl. "When are we going home, Daddy?"

"I don't know, sweetheart."

Everyone looked over at them with sympathy. No one noticed how fidgety the captain has become.

"Hey, has anyone seen Drake and Stan?" Broots questioned.

Everyone shook their heads. Jarod became angry at the thought of letting those men go.

Finally, not being able to keep quiet anymore, the Captain made an important confession.

"Those two men won't be back."

"How do you know that?"

All eyes turned to the Captain and anxiously waited for an explanation.

"It was a plan even before the storm hit. They forced me to veer off course and land on this island. I don't know what they had planned here. They must have a way of getting off this island. Maybe they had some business dealings here, or something. I don't know. I didn't ask many questions. You people were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. They would have killed us all, but they figured no one knows anything and we'd probably die here anyway, so they left us. But I sent out a distress call before they destroyed the radio without them knowing it. Help should be on the way soon. If they find out that I got rescued and told about them, I'm a dead man."

"Don't worry, Captain, your secret is safe with us." Sydney reassured the man.

Then Sydney and Miss Parker noticed the look on Jarod's face. He had that determined look that said those two men will be getting their just rewards.

"So are you saying that we're going to be rescued soon?" Tom said hopefully.

"Yes."

"That's wonderful!"

"Oh that's terrific! I'm so happy!" Linda exclaimed and catching Jarod by surprise, she grabbed his neck for a hug, causing both of them to fall back on the sand.

Miss Parker looked over to them and got up quickly. She stood in front of Linda and Jarod and pointed her gun at their head. "Don't move," she said dangerously low.

"Parker! What the hell are you doing?" Jarod said wide-eyed with scorn.

She fired the gun and sand exploded on Linda and Jarod's head. Linda screamed hysterically and everyone else gasped.

"I'm just returning a favor." Miss Parker remarked calmly. Then she picked up a stick and scooped up a snake from above their heads, it's head blown off, and "accidentally" dropped it on Linda's lap. Linda shrieked again and frantically brushed it off of her.

"I believe that one's poisonous." Miss Parker said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her lips.

"Did, did you see that?! She tried to kill me!" Linda said hysterically.

"I think she just saved your life." Sarah pointed out.

"No! She pointed a gun at my head and tried to kill me! That witch tried to kill me! She probably planted that snake there! She just wanted to look good to impress Jarod!"

"Bimbo, I already look good. And if I wanted to kill you, you'd be breathing sand."

Miss Parker walked away from them and away from the fire. "I need some space." She walked into the darkness and sat behind a big log that has been washed ashore, concealed from everyone's view. She breathed in the cool air and stared at the images that were only illuminated by the moonlight.

Jarod summoned Broots to calm Linda down. Then he picked up his wet shirt, his dry socks, a flashlight from the survival kit, and the first-aid kit and walked to where Miss Parker sat.

He stood behind the log trying to figure out how to approach her.

Knowing he was there, Miss Parker took another deep breath and leaned her head on the log. "What do you want, Jarod?"

"I need to check your feet. You look like you're in pain."

She stretched out her legs and he took that as a sign it was okay for him to.

BACK AT THE FIRESIDE

Linda brushed the sand off of her hair and dismissed Broots. "I'm calm! Where's Jarod?"

"He went off to talk to Parker." Someone responded.

"Good," Linda said confidently. "He's probably telling her off. She is such a bitch! Who does she think she is anyway? I'm sure Jarod is giving her what she deserves."

"I'm sure he is." Sarah whispered to Sydney who smiled with her.

Jarod kneeled in front of Miss Parker, stuck the flashlight in his mouth, and took her feet in his hands to examine them.

"Here, give me that." Miss Parker took the flashlight from him and held it.

Jarod cleaned her feet with his shirt, pulled out the splinters, applied medicine to the cuts, and bandaged them. He did this without saying a word to her.

Miss Parker sat there and stared at his face, stared at his lips, stared at his chest, stared at his arms, stared at his hands. She was impressed with his speed and gentleness in tending to her feet and she was also touched that he used his shirt to clean them.

"Damn!" she thought. "How can I be angry at this man?"

"I know this isn't exactly your fashion choice, but..." Jarod held out his socks and hesitated to put them on her feet.

"Fine."

"They'll keep your feet from getting more irritated." And he slipped them on her feet slowly and carefully, his hands lingering on the sides of her calves. He absentmindedly caressed her leg, sending a shiver up her spine.

"Thank you." Miss Parker said with sincerity.

Jarod looked up at her and grinned. "You're welcome. And thank YOU for saving us from that viper." After a moment of silence, Jarod took a chance and brought up what happened earlier.

"Parker.....about what happened earlier today," Jarod began.

"What about it? I told you it never happened." Miss Parker cut off.

"But it did. I only have one question."

"What?"

"Did you enjoy it?" Jarod asked honestly.

Miss Parker looked away, closed her eyes briefly, the corner of her mouth curving up, and said nothing.

Jarod crawled up beside her, smiling.

"You did didn't you? You enjoyed it!"

"I felt nothing. It meant nothing to me." Miss Parker lied, still trying not to smile. "I was just caught up in the moment—the tropic air, the scenery, the IDEA of being on a romantic, deserted island. That's all past now."

Jarod got close to her face and whispered near her lips." So if I kissed you again, you wouldn't feel a thing? It still wouldn't mean anything to you?"

"That's right." Miss Parker lied again. At this moment, she was having a hard time breathing and she could hear her heartbeat ringing in her ears.

"What if I did this?" Jarod ran his hand feather-light up her thigh. "Does that have any effect on you in any way?"

"None, whatsoever." Miss Parker said breathlessly, clenching her hands into fists.

Then Jarod lightly brushed her lips with his. "Still nothing?"

Miss Parker shook her head no, her eyes now closed, awaiting the impact.

Jarod kissed her, pulling her close by the waist. Miss Parker kissed back and ran her hands up his arms and locked her arms around his neck.

Miss Parker let out a small groan and tightened her grip on Jarod.

"Was that a moan, Parker?"

"No."

Jarod kissed her again and she let out another groan.

"That's two. This doesn't change anything, you know." Jarod said between kisses.

"What do you mean?" Parker kissed him on the neck and worked her way down to his chest.

"I don't expect you to stop trailing me across the country." Jarod said huskily.

"Oh?" Miss Parker worked her way back up to Jarod's mouth and kissed him deeply.

"But maybe next time, I'll let you catch me." Now it was Jarod's turn to kiss Miss Parker's neck. She closed her eyes and savored the burning sensation on her skin.

"How do you know I won't take you back to the Centre?"

"Will you?" Jarod asked, still kissing her neck, parting her shirt lightly and kissing her just above her bra-line.

"Not until I get what I want." Miss Parker pulled Jarod's head up and kissed him lightly, her tongue licking his lips.

"And what is it that you want, Miss Parker?" Jarod licked back.

"Not what, who." This time, they kissed hungrily, their tongues battling for control.

After they got done making out, Jarod and Miss Parker sat there in each other's arms, their foreheads touching, smiling at each other.

Jarod turned serious and kissed Miss Parker again lightly on the lips.

"I care about you so much, Parker."

"I......" Miss Parker looked up suddenly and strained to listen at something. "Do you hear that?"

Jarod listened intently and he heard the roaring of a boat in the distance.

"Help has arrived." Jarod said disappointedly. Miss Parker just looked at him and smirked.

Jarod got up and helped Miss Parker to her feet. Miss Parker gave Jarod a slight push to go ahead of her. "You'd better go first. I'll wait a minute before I join the others. We wouldn't want them to think we were getting along now, do we?" Jarod gave her a quick kiss and headed back to the group.