The morning after.

Miss Parker awoke to the feel of someone blowing softly on her inner right thigh.

"Stop. It tickles." She chuckles, pulling her legs up.

"Thought I'd never find it?" Jarod grabs her foot and she rests it on his bare chest.

"Find what?"

"Your rose. Your heart shaped rose. I would have loved to be the tattoo artist who had done this masterpiece." He kisses her leg and works his way up. He leans forward gently licking it.

"Well, I hid it quite well, sweetheart. Only a genius like you could find it."

Parker moaned loudly each time she felt his lips on it.

"Shall I stop?"

"I'll shoot you if you do. Encore! " She yells out, as he proceeded to do a repeat performance of last night.

His hands held her tight, her head laid on his chest, her hand on his stubbled face, right leg swung across his lower front.

"Hey." Jarod gently shook Parker's shoulder.

"Hmmm," she mumbled.

"Your phone's ringing. Are you going to get that? Could be important."

Reaching over to answer it off of her night stand, she growls. "What? Someone had better be dead."

"Am I interrupting you, Miss Parker?"

She sat up immediately. "Sydney." Parker pulled the covers up as if he could see her naked body through the telephone lines.

Jarod laughed out loud as Parker pushed him away.

She sat in bed speechless, trying to sink in the news.

"Honey?" Jarod pulled her close. "What is it?"

"He's dead. They're both dead. Dead." She spoke in a monotone manner.

"Who?"

"Daddy and Lyle. Their plane went down somewhere in South America. They've already been identified."

"Oh. I-I'm sorry."

"May they rot in hell. All they've ever done was use me. You know why I'm here?"

Jarod shook his head. He held her hand between his.

"Daddy's little angel was running away. I left The Centre. Sydney and Broots knew about it. My family never even noticed I was gone. Some family, huh?" But, yet she cried for the man who had deceived her all of her life. All she had ever wanted was for him to love her. Jarod snuggled her into his arms.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay to cry," he leaned his chin on her head.

She lifts her head up and saw the compassion in his eyes. "Daddy, would always say, "Parker's don't cry. Crying gets into the way of emotions." He would never allow it. Damned you, daddy. Why couldn't you have just loved me?"

It's been three months since their deaths. Miss Parker hadn't been feeling well. She had been working days and nights at The Centre trying to undo Mr. Parker's and Lyle's dirty little secrets. She considered Sydney, Broots and Debbie as her new family. Nothing was discreet about her relationship to Jarod. Their "you run, I chase" games were over.

Parking his truck into the garage, Jarod slowly walks to the front door, sticks his keys into the doorknob, feels for the light switch, turns it on and enters the living room and into the bedroom. He sees Parker sprawled asleep on her bed, wearing his old tee-shirt, the same one she had on when he left for the morning, her shiny dark hair fanned on her silk leopard print sheets. He lightly kisses her on the lips.

She stirs a little, then blinks her eyes open.

"Hey," he tells her as she stretches and sits up leaning her back against the headboard.

"What time is it?" She rubs her eyes and runs her fingers through her uncombed hair.

"Eight o'clock. You alright, honey?"

Parker spoke softly. "Jarod, we need to talk." He hated that dead-pan look of hers as if she was in deep thought.

"Okay," he answers, a dance of worry flickered in his eyes.

She grabbed her pillow and hung on to it tightly rocking slowly back and forth.

"Parker?"

She doesn't look up and continues rocking herself.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me here tonight, I almost went straight home. What's wrong?" He presses his lips together waiting for an answer. "You've been upset with me. Did I do anything to offend you?"

She felt a queasiness in her stomach and she began to take slow deep breaths.

"Parker?" He began to feel uneasy. "Lately, you've been lashing out at me for no reason at all.

"Sorry," was her only reply.

"You want me to leave? Is that it? You want out? Things not working out for us?" His voice cracked as he waited for an answer.

Laying her hand on his face, she kissed him softly on the forehead. His lips had barely touched hers when she pushed him aside and jumped out of bed.

"What the hell...is wrong with you?" He raised his voice.

Miss Parker felt his hand rubbing her back softly as he held her hair away from her. She sat on the floor for several seconds before she got up and threw cold water on her face.

"Are you alright, hon?"

"Are you alright, hon?" She echoed.

"What! I"m just concerned. Sorry for asking!"

"Do I look alright? You men are oblivious to everything! You find my head in the toilet bowl and you ask if I'm alright? Is that something I would normally do? Isn't it obvious to you that..."

"Honey." He spoke calmly and touched her arm. Jerking back, she yelled, "don't touch me!"

Jarod raised both hands up into the air. "I give up. I just don't know about anything anymore. I'm going home."

"Fine with me! Smartest thing you've said today, Einstein!"

Jarod slammed the front door. "Damned Ice Queen! What the hell did I get myself into?"