Disclaimer: Don't own, but you knew that already.

A/N: Just for everyone's peace of mind and information, Catherine, Jarod, and "Andrea" don't live anywhere near the Centre. When they returned from France, they moved to a place far away from there (i.e. Florida- not the West Coast because they knew that's the first place the Centre would look for them). And a "few months" was actually about a year. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks again for all the nice reviews. I love hearing from you all. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 4: Dangerous Resolutions

Miss Parker collapsed onto the rumpled bed and rubbed her temples. Taking a swig of Pepto-Bismol, she proceeded to think about her circumstances. This just couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. Her mother was dead. She and Jarod hated each other; were even sworn enemies, despite all the things he had done to help her find her past. What was this place she was in?

She needed to figure all this out. Her mind was positively spinning with all the new information. Apparently, from all she could see, she was stuck in a world where her mother had never died. That much was obvious. An alternate universe, she thought, remembering a term Broots had used from some sci-fi show. It was kind of like a "what if" story. What if her mother had never died? What if she never had chased Jarod and they had remained friends? This place she was in was answering all those questions. Now her question was why was she here and how did she get home? As nice and cozy as this place was, she needed her own home. She needed her world. This place was just a little too creepy for her.

Yet, her mother was alive. Her mother was alive! Miss Parker's one wish since that fateful day years ago had come true. Her mother had never died in that elevator. She had lived and now was free. Miss Parker was free. Why not stay here and get on with her life? Why not live and enjoy these remaining years with her mother? Why not learn everything her mother was going to teach her but had never had the opportunity? This was an amazing chance. She should take it.

But, despite all the joy those thoughts brought, it also brought a sense of fore-brooding. Her mother may be alive, but that didn't change her. Miss Parker was still Miss Parker. A lifetime of choices and prejudices could not just be erased in a moment. There was still Jarod to deal with. Miss Parker was married to him. That scared her. That was what made this world creepy. Not matter what else happened, Miss Parker knew she could never be married to him. So what was to be done? She wanted to stay with her mother, but she couldn't abide being with Jarod. In that instance, everything was settled. She would get to know her mother for the day. Then, leave it all. Miss Parker desperately wished Sydney was there to guide her.

Where was Sydney? Had he been punished when her mother got Jarod out? Did he still have any contact with them? Or was he dead? Knowing the Centre's punishment for failure, a graveyard seemed like a pretty good place to find Sydney now. But Miss Parker just couldn't believe Sydney was dead. He had to be alive. Because right now, she desperately needed his advice. Whenever she had needed advice, and even when she didn't, Sydney had always been there. He knew what to do in every situation. Which was probably why he was a shrink. He had to help her now.

Miss Parker glanced over at a phone sitting on the bed stand. Would her mom and Jarod be really mad if she called? Would they even know? She knew Sydney's phone number by heart. Dare she try and see if she could reach him? Based on all she could think of, Sydney probably wasn't connected to Jarod or her mother anymore. Wouldn't they have mentioned it if otherwise? Or, perhaps, Sydney was the one who had made sure they escaped. It sounded like something Sydney would do.

Throwing caution to the wind, Miss Parker picked up the phone and dialed the number. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. Miss Parker's nerves became tighter. What if he wasn't there? What if he was dead? A strong accented voice saying "hello" almost made Miss Parker shout for joy.

"Hello. This is Sydney." Miss Parker nearly exploded with relief, but she kept those emotions in check. Who knew how Sydney would react to hearing from her, probably after so many years.

"Sydney?" She questioned, for lack of anything better to say. A plan was forming in the back of her mind. She so desperately needed to see and speak to him.

"Yes, this is Sydney. May I ask who this is?" His voice radiated warmth, like the Sydney from Miss Parker's world. She almost blurted out the whole story, but decided it would be better not to. The Centre always tapped the phone lines.

"You don't know me. At least, I don't think you know me. But I know you. And I need your help. Please! Can we meet at the Blue Crab Diner outside of Blue Cove tomorrow? Sometime around 3:00?" If she believed it would help, Miss Parker would have crossed her fingers. There was silence on the other end of the line. "Hello? Syd, are you still there?"

"I'm still here." He replied. "May I have a name, please? I'm not in the habit of meeting up with people I don't know."

"I can't tell you. Not over the phone. But, I really need to speak to you. You're the only one who can help me." Miss Parker pleaded. She needed answers and Sydney was the only one who could provide them because he was the only one she knew she could trust.

"All right. I will see you tomorrow." Miss Parker calmly thanked him, despite the excitement welling up inside, and hung up.

She hoped she was doing the right thing and she hoped neither Jarod nor her mother would hate her for doing this. She had no real reason as to why she would do this to her mother, especially when they had just been reunited. But Jarod… well, she had never completely trusted him. They both had always played too many games with each other for trust to build.

Miss Parker contemplated what she should do next. She needed to leave, but without her mom or Jarod becoming suspicious or knowing. They didn't need to know where she was going. The rest of her plan fell into place. She would act like her "normal" self here. She would go downstairs, tell them that they were right- it was all a bad dream, and live the rest of the day like a different person. She would enjoy this day with her mother. Then, once they were both asleep, she'd take the car and drive to Blue Cove. Once there, though, the plan was sketchy. She was going to see Sydney and maybe he would have some answers for her. And then, well, she was going to the Centre. That place was the most familiar to her and she hoped it would help her figure out what was going on here. Miss Parker knew it would be risky, but it was worth the risk. Also, despite all Jarod had said to her, Miss Parker wanted to see her father. Even though he wasn't the best example of what a father should be, he was the only one she had. She needed to see him. To talk to him. To see if he knew anything about what was going on.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. She came downstairs, put the bottle of Pepto-Bismol away, and proceeded to act as "normal" as possible. Catherine and Jarod were both delighted to have Miss Parker back to her original self. They laughed together and painted the walls of the living room. Miss Parker realized throughout the day how much she had missed her mother. And she was glad to have known her again, even for this short of time.

As night fell and Catherine and Jarod went to sleep, Miss Parker lay awake in bed. Jarod's breathing soon became deep and regular and Miss Parker snuck out of bed. Throwing on some clothes and stuffing some more into an old backpack she had found, she made her way out of the room. A quick glance at Jarod showed that he was sound a sleep. A guilty string pulled at her heart. She should at least leave a message. They wouldn't understand why she had left. She promised herself she would write the letter as soon as she made it downstairs.

There was one more stop on her list before she left the house, though. Looking into her mother's room, Miss Parker wished with all her heart that her life had been like this: her mother being alive and her not having to go to the Centre. But, it hadn't happened like that. And now she needed to fix this timeline or whatever was wrong and get back to her own home. Her real home. Blowing her mother a kiss, Miss Parker left the house and prayed she could fine her way to Blue Cove.

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Catherine and Jarod woke up to find a note lying on the kitchen table. It was from Miss Parker and read:

My Dearest Mother and Jarod,

I apologize for all that I put you through yesterday. I don't know about you, but it is difficult to wake up in a place that is so far from what you are used to. I hope you are not angry with me for leaving. But know that I left for the best. I left to find out what is going on here and how I can get back to my home. I love you, Mom, so very much. I enjoyed the time we got to spend together yesterday. Jarod, I don't know what to say. Where I come from, we are mortal enemies. So I will only bid you fare-well.

Miss Parker

The letter slowly fell out of Jarod's hand as he stood there in shock. Why would she do such a thing? Why would she leave? It was now his turn to wonder what was going on. Hadn't she just said last night that everything was fine? That it had only been a bad dream? Something definitely wasn't right. And he was going to find out what.

"I'm going after her." He declared, picking up the letter and handing it to Catherine. She looked at him in surprise.

"But you don't know where she is going? How can you expect to find her? And you can't leave. We are so close to a break through."

"I know. But I trust you know how to administer the antidote. I'll be back as soon as I can." Jarod said, grabbing his jacket and his keys. "She's my wife and I love her. I don't want her hurting herself out there."

"But, you don't know where she is going." Catherine repeated, looking at her son-in-law with worry-filled eyes. What had gotten into her daughter? There had been no indication that she was suddenly going to fall apart. What could have possibly gotten into her? Could it have been the sudden revelation about her twin? No, that couldn't possibly be it. But, then, why had she been so persistent that he was alive?

"No, but I have a good bet as to where she is heading." Catherine's eyes filled with fear and she made a move to protest but stopped. Jarod knew the danger of going there. He knew what would happen if the Centre caught him. But she also knew he would never rest until he was sure Andrea was safe. He loved her and would bring her back. Catherine swallowed her fear, despite the nagging thought that this would not turn out well.

"Good luck, Jarod." She whispered. Jarod nodded and walked out the door.