3am

Chapter One

Disclaimer: Ahahahahahahahah! Yes, believe it. I'm actually crazy enough to write out a maniacal laugh. With five exclamation marks. Thus proving that I'm not guilty, by means of slightly more than temporary insanity, so you can't sue me for infringement.

'What?'

'Good evening Miss Parker-' Jarod was about to continue, but got cut off.

'-let me see. Since it's three am, and you didn't start with an abstract statement, I believe it may just be possible to guess the general gist of what you're about to say.'

'Go on' he conceded in amusement.

'Hang on, it's coming to me- I should leave the Centre. Give it up PEZ-head. For starters, it's the middle of the night, and any advice you give me I will contradict as a matter of principle. And secondly, you know there's only one way that it's going to happen.'

'If you still believe that then your father has you more brainwashed than I'd thought. It would be so easy if you wanted to. You can do anything you put your mind to Miss Parker. You know that.'

'Except for putting you back in your cage.'

'Maybe you haven't put your mind to it then.'

'Jarod, it's the middle of the night and I'm really not in the mood for this. Goodnight.'

'Goodnight' he whispered to the dial tone, the fact that she had hung up on him attesting to the fact that the call had been solely for his comfort. He fell asleep with the phone cradled to his chest.

oo00OO00oo

Jarod lounged against the alley wall, waiting for her. Not long now… and there it was, right on time. The distinct sound of someone running in high heels. There was only one set of footsteps; he had made sure of that.

'Hello Miss Parker' he greeted her as she skidded into the alley and came to a halt with her gun trained rigidly on him. 'Jarod' she inclined her head slightly, a faint smile on her lips. Jarod's instincts gave a warning stab and he became more wary.

'And to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?' she asked him.

'Can't you just assume that you caught me here of your own brilliance?'

'No. But since you are here… I have a proposition.'

Jarod's eyes narrowed. 'Go on'

'As you told me to, I put my mind to methods of leaving the Centre-'

'I'm shocked Miss Parker. I believe this may actually be the first time you have ever taken my advice.'

'Do you want to hear this or not?' Jarod nodded. 'There is one way,' she continued, 'but it will cost you.'

Jarod raised an eyebrow, indicating for her to continue, but then they both heard the sounds of pursuit, rapidly coming closer. 'We will continue this later Miss Parker' he told her. He reached inside his jacket, more serious now. Parker tightened her finger on the trigger, then relaxed when he withdrew an ancient yellowed envelope. He held it out to her.

Parker eyed him warily for a few moments then edged forward, keeping the gun trained on him. She snatched it out of his grip then backed away again, not glancing down at the envelope until she was out of range of any manoeuvres he might make. The words 'to my darling daughter' were etched in faded ink on the front. Her stomach curled into a little ball and her breathing tightened as she looked at those words. It was a moment before she remembered that she was meant to be capturing Jarod, but by the time she looked up it was too late. He was gone.

She glared at the sky in frustration then turned to exit the alley.

oo00OO00oo

'What?'

'What did it say?'

'Like you don't know'

'I would not read a letter that your mother wrote to you.'

There was a moment of silence down the phone line. 'It was nothing significant' Parker said finally. 'I hope it brought her closer to you' said Jarod sincerely.

Parker took a deep breath and sighed. 'About our conversation earlier-'

'Your plan for leaving the Centre.'

'How do you know this phone's not bugged?' she warned him sharply.

'I know' Jarod reassured her. Parker felt a flare of annoyance. He was practically telling her that he had been in her house. 'Now now Miss Parker.' He smiled. He knew exactly how to push her buttons and still enjoyed doing it. She practically growled down the phone.

'How far would you go to get me out of the Centre Jarod?' she asked suddenly, her tone changed completely. The question took Jarod off stride.

'I would do anything.'

'Well that's good. All I need you to do is go back to the Centre for me'

'What!'

'You said anything'

'Allow me to refine that term-'

'If you went in with a pre set up plan to get out again… I would have met my father's agreement and once I was gone-'

'It would only be Lyle, Sydney and Broots chasing me, which makes all the difference.'

'Oh come one Jarod. You pop in and out of the Centre on practically a weekly basis. All you have to do is sim where they'll keep you and put a chock in the door so you can pop out once I'm free.'

'How do you know that I 'pop' in and out of there at all?'

'Oh, don't be coy. A number of of those security cameras are closed loop and there's no other way you could know some of the things you do.'

Despite himself, Jarod smiled. He had a tendency to underestimate his beautiful huntress and now, after his initial shock reaction, he could see that her plan was actually quite feasible, if not somewhat life threatening.

'I'll call you' he told her, then hung up. He needed to think about it. Parker glared at the phone in her hand. She hated it when he hung up on her.

oo00OO00oo

Jarod did think about it. He simmed it and he struggled with it and realised that it would be easy to do. There was one variable though. One thing that he couldn't control, didn't know, as always. It all came down to whether or not he trusted Parker enough to be really telling the truth. He stewed over it for days. If she changed her mind for so much as an instant, mentioned one word to her father, they were both toast.

'God help me' he mumbled one night as he sat staring at the screen of his lap top. He had known from the instant she had said it that he would do it. He had just been putting off the inevitable time when he would run to her call.

oo00OO00oo

'What?'

'Give me three days.'

'Jarod, wait!' she said in an attempt to stop the inevitable click, but she was too slow. The dial tone beeped quietly in her ear. Sighing in frustration Parker put the phone down. She had wanted to talk to him, be reassured by his complete lack of concern about the future. Jarod always had that effect on her. It was one of the most alluring things about him. His bright and innocent smile declared to the world that everything was fine, that it would all be OK. And she wanted that, because Miss Parker hated to admit it, but she was scared out of her mind about what was to come. She had been, in one way or another, controlled by the Centre all her life. And now…

Sighing she laid back against the pillows, closing her eyes to the dark bedroom. Her mind abruptly gifted her with an image of Jarod standing tall and dignified in a dark cell in the bowels of the Centre. Parker's stomach twisted into a tight little knot. It would not be an easy three days.

TBC...