DISCLAIMER in the first chapter...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all for reviewing my story.

R. PARKER

Don't worry, I hate character death and as far as I know, no one you LIKE will die. I just needed something big to happen, so that the routine of " I run, you chase" could be really broken.

NYT

I already have changed the settings and all anonymous reviews are now allowed... I'm new to this and didn't know!

suspensewriter

I have to admit that I have a flare for drama, but please consider the ramifications of Jarod's loss in MP's life. He is another constant that is taken away. Bare with me, this will not be one of those mushy stories ( though I love those!!!!!)

Crazyrussiangirl and claire

Here it is!!!

SMILE BEFORE THIS IS OVER

By BloodyMary

Chapter 2: DENIAL

Pile up at the...

List of causalities still growing...

Barely no survivors...

Interstate closed...

Still many charred remains unidentified...

When the news of the horrible accident first reached the Center's ear, no one there thought twice about it. After all, stranger things than that were common occurrence at the Center. Someone was always dying or disappearing. There one moment, gone the next. Life at the 'think tank' was just like that: unpredictable.

However, when a silver case, full of destroyed mini CD's unidentified by the police, was found among the still warm concrete and the carcasses of more than twenty vehicles charred beyond recognition, the higher ups at this maquiavelic organization started taking notice. Then, a body of a tall dark-haired strong built male was recovered near said case. The odds were against it and DNA tests were required, but there was a positive id: it was Jarod. A day later, his body mysteriously disappeared from the county morgue. Authorities could not spare manpower amidst all the madness of the accident, and this man was soon pushed to the back of their minds. No one had come to claim him, no one seemed to have any idea who he was. Unknown, forgotten...

Sydney Green, Jarod's mentor and Center longtime employee, did not take said news well. Not believing at all that it could actually be true, the psychiatrist asked Broots, the loyal technician and supporting friend, to deny his protégé's demise. Broots, however, only found more proof that it was all over... The body, though burned, was to be kept for further research, no cover ups seemed to be needed.

Seeking solace and support from Jarod's huntress, who always knew the pretender best, Sydney barged in on Miss Parker's office. She of all people would know that Jarod could not be dead. She would surely tell him it was all a prank from the pretender himself, and they would later find it funny enough to laugh. However, the sight of her, with silent tears on her cheeks and down on her knees, was, in the end, all the confirmation this now old man needed.

Jarod was dead.

Shedding tears of his own, Sydney bend down on his knees, placing his arms around the crying woman, finally allowing himself to morn the loss of someone who should not have lost his life. Whispering quietly her name, he shared her grief.

Parker, Parker, Parker...

Hidden behind the shadows, inside the building's ventilation system, a pair of blue eyes watched...

And in a childlike way, grinned...

Keep up all your great reviews... Be it good or be it bad, I want them all! ( yes, I'm greedy like that)... 

I'm not always going to post two chapters at a time, since I write as inspiration comes, so be patient!! But the reviewers seemed to think, despite the title that this is a sad story! So here it is. No worries, everything turns out well... No character death!!