Miss Parker lurked around the corner, behind the wall of Broots' office space. "You bloody jerk! If you weren't Debbie's father, I'd shoot you right now!"

Broots dropped his cell phone onto the floor.

"That was Jarod, wasn't it?" She screamed so loud the echo of her voice filled the room.

"N-no, Miss Parker. I-It wasn't." Water beads began to roll down his forehead.

"Then why the hell are you stuttering? You know where he is! You lying poor excuse of a man!" She screeched, with one hand on her hip, the other waving it into the air.

"Miss Parker, it wasn't him." Broots gained his composure and spoke calmly, all the while his heart beating rapidly.

She walked up to the scared computer genius. Broots froze, expecting to see the barrel of her gun between his eyes. Instead, she gently took hold of his hand. "Please, tell me." Her eyes began to water.

"Uh, he's...," he began, but suddenly stopped when Lyle came strolling in.

"Parker, welcome back. What was wrong with you? You missed my little dinner party to meet the new missus, Shu Ling."

Quickly wiping her tears away, she turned and snapped at him. "You love those asian blends, don't you? For your information, I have no time or interest in meeting your little mail-order bride. She doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

"She's adjusting well here."

"Yea, right. Sipping tea with other "Desperate Housewives" in your neighborhood? Get the hell out of here!"

"Find yourself a lover, Parker, then you wouldn't be so uptight," her brother yelled as he stormed out of the room.

"The hell with you, Mr. Lyle!"

"Broots, you were saying?"

"Uh, nothing, Miss Parker. I have nothing to say."

"You know where Jarod is. Please tell me, please," she pleaded.

"I can't, Miss Parker. I can't."

She backed away from him. "What? A change of heart, does he?"

"No, Miss Parker. He doesn't want to risk your life. Besides, you never said you loved him."

"The hell with you, too, Brootsie!"

She stayed in her office for several hours going through almost a whole box of tissues weeping silently to herself. Images of him of that night entered her mind, the hurt look in his eyes as he was forced to turn away. Why could she have not told him she loved him in return.

"I'm sorry, Jarod, I'm so sorry." There was a soft knock on her office door.

"What?"

"Miss Parker."

"What is it, Sidney?"

"I'm always here for you, Miss Parker. You can always talk to me."

"And tell you what, Sidney? What? Talk to you about what?"

"I've been quite concern about you. It seems you're not yourself since you've been back. Did something happen? Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine, Sidney, I'm just fine. Now leave me alone." Miss Parker looked away from him to hide her reddened eyes.

He looks down at the several amount of crumbled wet tissues in her waste basket.

"I'll be around if you need to talk to me."

She just nodded, wiping her tears away.

Opening her desk drawer, Miss Parker pulls out a bottle of vodka and poured herself a drink. "Bad for your ulcer, Parker." She could hear his voice in her head. She held up her glass. "Cheers, Jarod."

Driving her convertible would be too conspicuous, so Miss Parker rented a truck and followed Broots to an unknown destination on the other side of town. There he was, her pretender, shaking hands with his "best bud."

"I could shoot the both of them right now," she mumbled to herself.

She waited until Broots left, then headed to the front door. She was hesitant at first to ring the doorbell. "What the hell was she doing?"

Jarod opened the door thinking it was Broots.. "Hey, forgot something?" On seeing him, she suddenly remembered why.

He stood face to face with her, his dark browns to her baby blues, she whispered, "Gotcha."

"Parker? What are you doing here? Anyone followed you? How'd you find me?"

"I followed Broots. Rented a truck and he never looked once to see who was tailgating him. You disappeared without a trace."

"Yea, that was the idea. After that night. Miss Parker, why are you here?"

She gently caressed his face, feeling the stubbiness of his unshaven chin. "I got you, don't I?"

Before he could even answer, Miss Parker pushed herself on him, kicked the door shut and walked him against the wall, kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

"How's that? You said I never open up. Have I opened up enough for you?" She questions him as she pulled away.

"Uh, yeah," he replied out of breath, "that will do." Silence stood in the air. His hand lightly touched her face, then down to her neck, to her face again, his thumb gliding over her lips.

Parker closed her eyes and let Jarod run his hand freely over her.

"What are you doing?" She asked enjoying every step of the moment.

"Just making sure you're not just a dream." He wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm real and if you still want me, if you'll have me, I'm here. I love you, Jarod. I never wanted you to leave," she whispered breathlessly.

"Then why did you let me?" He asked as he gently ran his fingers through her dark locks, kissing her neck.

"I didn't want to love you, Jar. Thought letting you go would stop my feelings for you. Only, it didn't. It deepened it." She pulled his face down to hers.

"Wait." Jarod released his hold on her. "The Centre, Parker. How about The Centre? If they found out about us...if something ever happened to you...we can't. I've thought a lot about everything since that night. It's too risky. I can't do this to you."

"Jarod." Miss Parker sighed. "I didn't come all the way here just to be rejected. I'm not leaving without you."

"Parker, listen to me. If you got hurt in any way or worse, I'd never forgive myself. We'll suffer the consequences if we're together."

She pulled him close and twined her arms around his neck. "You think I haven't thought about it? That something might happen to you? We can take it one day at a time, can't we?" Miss Parker kissed Jarod lightly on his lips.

"I...can't...bear...the...thought...of...being...without...you," she sobbed in between her words.

He leaned his forehead on hers and whispered. "Me, too." He held on to her until she calmed down.

Miss Parker laid her ears on his chest. "I can hear your heart beating. It broke my heart when I let you walk out the door. I want to be with you forever."

"I can make your pain go away, if you want me." He slid his hand under her shirt, unhooking her brassiere, he softly whispered, "tonight and every night hereafter."

He outlined her lips with the tip of his tongue, before devouring into her mouth. Each time she held him tighter, he embraced her even more. It was several minutes before they broke apart.

"Come here." Jarod pulled Miss Parker into the bedroom and opened the top drawer of his dresser.

"Here." He handed her a little gift box wrapped in red. "I never got a chance to give this to you."

"What? What is it?"

"It's a gift, Parker. You're suppose to say "thank you" when someone gives you one."

"Thank you." A smile came to her face as she examined the box.

"Uh, now you open it. Haven't you ever received a gift before?"

"I wasn't expecting one from you." She opened it delicately. And smiled again.

"Yes," she whispers, "I will be your Valentine."

Inside was a heart-shaped candy with the inscription, "Be Mine!".

Jarod sat on his bed and pulled Miss Parker on top of him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder, she cuddled him as he cradled her.

"Maybe one day you can write the final chapter of your book."

"A final chapter?" A look of puzzlement crossed his face.

"Yes," she whispered nuzzling his ears. "The one that says about "us" growing old and gray and having built memories together."

The End