Sydney had just finished replacing the loose tile in the floor when he heard footsteps approaching his office. He quickly moved over to his desk, sat down and picked up a book, opening it to no particular page. The footsteps stopped in the doorway as the angry voice spoke.

"Where is it?"

Sydney's timbre was nonchalant, and he didn't bother to look up from his reading. "Where is what, Mr. Parker?"

"The file."

Sydney calmly closed the book, and gently set it down on the desk, then he turned to look at the angry man in the doorway, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Parker took an aggressive step into the office. "The files and the DSA, Sydney, they're missing, and you have them."

The doctor's eyebrows shot up in mock-surprise as he stood, taking the book and moving toward his bookshelves. "Oh, that..."

Parker glared. "Yes, that."

Sydney placed the book on the shelf and turned to Parker. "I believe we can all rest assured knowing that the items in question are in safekeeping."

Mr. Parker moved closer, sneering. "Don't play games with me, Sydney, I'm in no mood."

Sydney's head tilted slightly to one side. "Ah, yes, the explosion. Messy to cleanup and a bitch to explain." He moved past Parker toward his desk again. "But then you are a master of survival tactics when dealing with the Triumvirate, so, it shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Parker pulled a gun from a holster under his jacket and pointed it at Sydney's midsection. "If you want to continue breathing, Sydney, you'll hand over the files and the DSA."

Sydney's dark eyes turned to steel. "Go ahead, pull the trigger. You'll never find them."

Parker stared hard into the sea of velvet brown. "You'd rather die than lose control of this."

"It's more accurate to say that I am willing to make any sacrifice necessary to keep you from destroying Miss Parker's life." Sydney smiled. "But, since the items are out of your hands, we are once again in a stalemate, Mr. Parker; so it looks like business as usual."

Parker returned the smile. "Not quite, Sydney. Even with the file and DSA lost to me, I can still rid myself of you once and for all..."

Sydney's face turned thoughtful. "Yes, you could, but then you'll have to explain my sudden misfortune to Miss Parker."

"My daughter will simply be told that you went postal when I confronted you about your relationship with Catherine."

"She'll know that's a lie."

"But a doubt is a seed well-planted, doctor. You of all people know that..."

"Yes, I suppose that I do."

The two men stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, a silent challenge passing between them. Parker's hand tightened around the handle of the gun, as he thought about blowing a hole in the doctor's chest. Sydney finally spoke, his voice soft and devoid of blame.

"You don't want her knowing the real truth anymore than I do; it was quite an act you put on in Raines' office." Parker glared at the psychiatrist, and Sydney continued, "You were the one who took the files, but you weren't the one who doctored them. You took them to destroy them, and the evidence of what you've done, but Mr. Raines had a different plan."

"You've always been clever, Sydney."

"And now we're back to square one, and a precariously balanced power."

"Not quite, doctor." Parker paused, glaring. "I know the truth about you and Catherine-"

"-What truth?" The feminine voice in the doorway startled the two men.

Parker answered her without turning around, as he quickly re-holstered his gun. "Don't you know that eavesdropping is a bad habit, Angel?" He turned then to face her, an insincere smile on his face.

She gritted her teeth, "What truth?"

Parker placed his hands on her arms. "I'm sorry Angel, I never wanted you to know this, but your mother was seeing Sydney...as a patient." Sydney looked over at Parker with thinly-veiled surprise, and Miss Parker's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "It isn't anything for you to feel badly about, Angel, your mother needed help, and she was just trying to get it."

"And you think this is news, Daddy?"

The older man's lips pursed as he considered the comment. "Well, it was news to me." Mr. Parker leaned in, kissed her on the cheek, and headed toward the door. "Are you coming, Angel?"

"In a minute, Daddy, I have a little unfinished business with Dr. Strangelove..."

Parker snorted derisively and looked hard at the psychiatrist. "Don't we all..."

Mr. Parker turned quickly and disappeared down the hall, leaving Miss Parker and Sydney alone. And the air in the room was suddenly quite stale. Finally she looked up into the soft brown eyes that carefully observed her, as they had for as long as she could remember.

"I wasn't sure what I would find when I got here..."

He smiled slightly, "Business as usual, Parker, that's all." His smile disappeared and his eyes turned serious, "But I thought I advised you to leave the Centre, Miss Parker..."

She looked down. "I couldn't." Her eyes darted up to his, the intensity in them holding him in their fire. "I had this overwhelming-" She couldn't finish the thought, and he smiled.

"An overwhelming sense of incompletion."

"Yes."

He moved a few paces away. "The inner sense. It's guiding you more and more, just as it did-"

"-My mother." He nodded and Parker continued, "Sydney, please tell me what you know." He looked deeply into her eyes, and she pleaded with him, "You can't protect me forever; I have to know the truth."

He frowned at her for a moment, then looked at the floor. "The truth isn't always a liberator, you know, sometimes it can imprison..."

Her eyes shone with disappointment and bitter regret, and he realized he had to at least share part of it with her. With a heavy sigh, Sydney pulled a DSA from his pocket and put it in the machine on his desk. He held his chair out for her, and slowly she sat in it. He pressed a button, and the images came to life...

Catherine Parker, her face bruised and swollen, wept openly in Sydney's office. "Each time it's worse, Sydney. I don't know what to do, I'm afraid...I'm afraid that he'll-"

He gently took her hands in his. "You're afraid he might take it out on the child." She nodded and he continued, his voice growing soft. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get her out of here, Sydney. I'm going to take her far away so that none of the evil of this place can touch her." She looked at him, hard. "B ut I need your help."

"Anything, Catherine, you know that."

"I have a plan, and I think it will work, but it's dangerous...especially your part in it."

He kissed her hands, "If it helps you, and the child, I'm willing."

She reached up and softly stroked his cheek. "It's not going to be easy. You'll have to do things, Sydney; things that go against everything you believe in. And you'll have to be convincing..."

Catherine pulled his face toward hers and kissed him gently on the lips. He stared at her in momentary confusion, but then understanding dawned in his chestnut brown eyes, and he looked away.

His timbre was soft, ashamed, "I don't think I'll have any problems being convincing..."

The DSA faded out, and Parker brushed away the tears in her eyes. She looked up and realized that Sydney had moved away, and was leaning against his file cabinet, deep in thought. Parker stood and walked over to him, placing a gently hand on his arm.

"What you said back at the house about your relationship...it was the truth."

His voice was barely a whisper, and he didn't look at her as he answered, "Yes."

"Does my father know?"

"Yes and no." She frowned at him, and he explained, "It's complicated, Parker. He knows there was something between us, he just isn't sure exactly what."

The nickel dropped for her. "And you perpetuate the doubt." He nodded and her voice turned cold, "Isn't that a little cruel, Pavlov?"

His timbre suddenly matched hers in temperature, "I told you, it's complicated."

He moved away from her and she followed him. "But how can you-" She stopped in mid-sentence as the voice from within became clear. "A balance of power... This is your way of somehow keeping the scales from tipping." She looked at him, but he gave no indication of confirmation. "But I don't understand how-"

He turned toward her, grasping her arms. "Parker, let it go." Her eyes remained determined and he continued, "Even your mother knew when to let a trusted friend protect her...it's something you still need to learn."

She stared at him for a long moment her eyes filling with tears, but none daring to fall. Then in answer, she shrugged out of his grip, quietly walked over to his desk and opened the top right-hand drawer. She pulled out a small piece of Belgian chocolate, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth.

Her voice was light, as if describing the chocolate, but her dark grey eyes carried the underlying meaning of her words. "I had forgotten what a comfort it could be."

Without further comment, Miss Parker softly left the room, leaving Sydney to his silent tears.