DISCLAIMER: in the first chapter...

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing and all opinions on MP's name. I've decided to continue calling her Parker, unless someone from the story talks to her.

Originally, this was supposed to be a short, romantic piece. But it grew beyond my control and I've decided that after MP and J reunite, I will streer this one into a sequel. And explain what Lyle was talking about before...

Sirus183, desy: I know I've been saying it for sometime now, but... SOON!

castironcanine: thank you for the compliment and I prosime a big reunion SOON.

Crazyrussiangal: thank you for remaining faithful. I will make your patience worth it!

Silea: I am sorry you found it boring. But I never promised any type of adventure. Maybe on the sequel. What do you say?

multilingua: Gald your liking it. Sorry but Broots will only show up on the sequel. I agree that Jarod was always the best doctor. Also MPJR soon. Lyle and Raines will be dealt with in the sequel. I think I postponed MP and J's encounter enough, son't you?

leochick: thank you for advice on MP's name. I had actually not noticed it in your story and that's a good sign: I wasn't confused. Also, MP rocks!

NYT, rev2004: duly noted...

Gemini-M: MP changing her persona and life have always been necessary, in my opinion, for Jarod and MP to get together. Break free from status quo. So I am gald you liked it.

Marie55: I totally agree. And I will get there soon. When... Read and find out!

NO I do not take pleasure in seeing you all begging for the romance. But it is worth it to keep trying!

Chapter 12: New Purpose

Life without meaning...

Is not to live...

It is to survive...

But surviving only...

Sometimes...

Just isn't enough...

Jarod has lived, for as long as his mind could recall, with purpose. At the Center, his days had been filled with simulations, accurately performed to help those who could not help themselves. Predictions carefully thought out, a work he could take pride in. Nothing had ever been more earth shattering than discovering the misuse of his sims. With no purpose and a will to leave, that may have been great before, but had grown to enormous proportions with such blatant betrayal, the pretender ran away.

In a frantic journey of self discovery, he yearned to find himself. Pez, Pop Tarts, sodas, ice-cream... Foods he liked and disliked. Experiences he had never been allowed before. But old habits die hard, and he found himself falling back to the only thing he had ever know, pretending. Again he found purpose in helping others. The smiles of gratitude and faces finally behind bars filled his soul with closure, while the mysteries surrounding his own life broke his heart.

Days, weeks, months, years... Half a decade of searching for his family, five years running from the huntress, which had once been his friend, 1826 days uncovering lie after lie... His purpose faltered, like a candle flame on a windy day. But it only went out completely on Carthis, where he discovered the ultimate lie and experienced the ultimate loss.

That is when he had decided...

No more pretending...

Now, surrounded by patients and armed with a cup of extremely bad coffee, Dr. Jarod Wilks believed himself to be on the right track to regain his wanted, but lost, purpose. Leaning against a wall in the emergency room, which was experiencing a lull, Jarod was drifting inside his own thoughts, when Andy materialized right in front of a now startled man.

" Andy, you have got to stop showing up out of nowhere like that! You'll end up giving me a heart attack." With his left hand resting on his chest, willing his heart to settle down, Jarod breathed in deeply, closing his eyes momentarily.

" What?" the once pretender found himself puzzled, when he glanced in Andy's direction once more and saw her with a dazzling smile on her lips, while her face, slightly tilted to the right, shone with a content look. The woman, who he had not given much attention to before, captured his fascination.

" Dr. Wilks..." she was rapidly interrupted by the physician's shaking head.

" Please, no need for formalities. You can call me Jarod." No matter what name he had been using at the time, he always thought that being called anything other than Jarod, sounded wrong in so many levels. At the hospital, most of the staff already knew to call him by his first name, though few seemed comfortable enough to drop the doctor title.

" Well... Dr, Jarod, I know you're headed home anytime now and I just wanted to let you know how much I admire what you did with Angela. What I mean is, doctors rarely take the time to help a patient beyond their physical injured. They don't care, because it is not on their job description, por do they say. But you stayed there, heard her story without judgement... Well, you went above and beyond. So, no matter what your supervisor says tomorrow... You made all the difference in the world."

Andy wasn't a tall person, standing only 5'2 above ground. So now, being so close to Dr. Wilks' tall and strong stature, her neck straining to look into his eyes, she felt small and overwhelmed by a sudden and uncommon shyness. Preparing to turn away, a bit embarrassed, Andy felt a pair of strong hands touch her lightly on her shoulders, holding her in place.

Still a bit uncertain, she slowly raise her gaze to Jarod, not knowing what to expect, only to be met by compassionate brown eyes, smiling down at her.

"Thank you, Andy, but I don't deserve that much credit. The fact the Angela even wanted my presence, me being from the male species, is a miracle." Andy was taken by surprise by this man, who was both smart, gentle and humble. But the sadness still shone in his eyes. A weight still clung to his shoulders.

He was a mystery she yearned to uncover as much she wanted to make the pain go away. She vowed to herself to help him, no matter what happened.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jarod got home, kicked off his shoes, not caring where they landed, turned the TV on and reached for the phone. Dialing the number by heart, he ordered a large, cheesy pizza with mushrooms and a medium sized pizza with chocolate and strawberries on it. While he waited for the twenty minutes it would take for the delivery boy to get to his apartment, Jarod took his pants and shirt off and headed for the shower.

As the water pounded on his back, unknotting the tension filled muscles, Jarod allowed himself to relax. As much as it was fulfilling, working on a ER was also tiring. So, these moments when he could spare to himself were greatly appreciated.

Half an hour later, wearing nothing but pair of flannel pajama pants, Jarod sat back on his comfortable, black recliner, pulled a slice of his oil dripping pizza and watched the mourning news. There had been a malfunction on the subway the afternoon before, leaving thousands stranded. The mayor had been campaigning on the west side. A fire during the night before had left two dead and five injured...

However there was no mention of a rapist apprehend in the wee hours of the mourning, nor his victim or his captor. The police must have been keeping it quiet and away from the press. On one hand Jarod was glad that Angie would not have to face vultures with cameras and question. But on the other hand, he wished there had been something about the woman who had helped Angela without any fear of becoming a victim herself.

His patient had not known the woman's name and couldn't really recall what she looked like, except a pair of kind blue eyes. Jarod had been a bit disappointed by that. He had hoped to meet this mysterious angel, who had been wandering the downtown streets of a dangerous city like NY, in the middle of the night.

Slowly the pizza boxes were emptied and the sun rose among the skyline of the skyscrapers in the distance. Half asleep, Jarod dragged his tired, but satiated, body across his apartment and finally crashed, face first, in bed. Before sleep claimed him completely, his thoughts drifted to another angel he use to know.

I wonder where she is right now...

I hope she is okay...

That mourning he dreamt of her, in a beautiful yellow dress, standing on a hill, overlooking the ocean, her hair dancing in the wind. He wanted to go to her, but his feet wouldn't move. He opened his mouth to call out her name, but no words came. Then, in a cloud of white fog, he saw a little girl pass him and go to her. The child reached for her hand and Parker accepted it without ever glancing anywhere but the sea.

Finally, the girl, with a sailor's dress, light brown hair and face like a cherub, turned to him and smiled. Immediately, Jarod recognized her from the drawing on Ocee's fireplace. The crypt keeper's daughter. His puzzlement grew...

And then, they both jumped, right off the cliff, into the blue waters. It had seemed like they had tried to fly, but both fallen angels had sunk in the heavy air. He tried looking down the steep walls, to see them, but again he remained frozen on the spot, unable to move...

They were long out of reach...

REVIEW and continue reading... Andy plays matchmaker!