A/N: You know what I'm going to say, don't you? Wondering why I bother repeating myself? Yeah, me too.
Disclaimer: I still haven't sold (I actually did type 'selled' before I realized it's irregular or whatever verb. Feel bad for me) this fic. Therefore I'm sill not getting any money (darn) and it'd be rather useless for you to sue me. I'm a poor student with nothing but rat poop (Don't get me wrong, I love my pets but.. well, yeah, they poop.)
When the Triumvirate says 'jump', you say 'on who'
by Syrai
Chapter 2 – the nightly interruption
Sometimes there were days Miss Parker couldn't prevent herself from daydreaming. Most of the time those dreams were about her mother. She pictured the way she'd look now that she'd be years older, how her hair would look like and just how wrinkled her skin would be, if at all. Would she have wrinkles caused by laughter in the corners of her mouth? Would she still be as loving and caring as she was when her daughter had been young?
Sometimes the dreams were about Thomas. It had taken a lot of time before she could think of him without bursting into tears and drowning into self-pity. Now that the grief wasn't leading her life anymore, she could let herself get lost into a dream world where she still had the man she had loved. In that place she had that beautiful white brick walled house with its own beautiful garden. There was that wooden swing hanging from the tree in their front yard, and there was… a child too. Usually two; a boy and a girl. Twins. Probably because she had never really decided if it was a baby boy she wanted or a sweet little girl. With how the things had turned out… she didn't really want to have kids at all anymore. Had she never wanted?
…It didn't matter anymore. Thomas wasn't coming back no matter how she hoped.
The anger came from nowhere. It was all Jarod's fault, really. If it wasn't for him, she would have never met Thomas. She would've had never lost him, either. Jarod had once asked him if she believed the saying "it's better to love and lose than have never loved at all" and it had taken her this long to realize what the correct answer was… better not have loved at all. Maybe it was bitterness in her that spoke, cynicism of some sort, but she honestly did feel like that. If she had never met Thomas, she would have never felt the kind of pain and grief she still sometimes felt.
Suddenly she was angrier with herself than with Jarod. If she had done her job in the first place, Jarod would've been brought back into the Centre ages ago. If that had actually happened, he wouldn't have had been able to mess around with her life to begin with. But then, if she really had to blame some one, she could've just as easily blame the Centre for being stupid enough to let their pretender run away. If they had done their job right, they would've had never needed her services.
The conclusion. The blame was to be carried by the Centre.
Miss Parker dropped the piece of clothing from her hands into the big black suitcase lying on her bed and walked back to her wardrobe as slowly as she possibly could. What? If she had to go to Seattle, she'd at least take something else than the clothes she was wearing with her... If it had been any other mission, she naturally wouldn't have cared what she had on, but this wasn't any other mission, right? She would've chased Jarod even with her pajamas if necessary, but it wasn't about chasing this time, now was it? No, not by far. Admittedly, a part of her was only defying her orders. If Jarod had already left Seattle, assuming he really was there at all, it would take a lot longer for her to be able to follow her commands. They'd have to find him first, wouldn't they?
She smirked maliciously. Maybe her father had been right after all; she was rebelling, but only because of the disgust this new commission of hers brought. Were they really that pathetic? Or was Jarod just really that important; that smart? She carried another piece of clothing into the suitcase. Really, didn't they have other young pretenders in some secret safe place she didn't know of that they could exploite and take advantage of? Damn, she hated the Centre.
Half an hour later Miss Parker was done. She had no other ways to delay her leaving although she was pretty damn sure the helicopter wasn't going to leave without her. It would've watered down the whole thing, after all. The car was already waiting for her outside her house, she realized this the moment she walked through the front door.
How typical, she thought half-annoyed, half-amused, they just have to make sure I don't miss my ride, huh? Like I need a goddamn babysitter.
"Good afternoon, Miss Parker."
"There's nothing good about this afternoon", she snapped tossing her suitcase to the driver that had stood out of the car and now held a door open for her. Without waiting for his reply, she got into the car and slammed the door shut herself. Letting the Centre boss her around was humiliating, but at the same time it was something she had grown accustomed to. It was the Centre that had nurtured her since she was a little girl, so, what else could you expect?
Miss Parker rested her head against the headrest bringing her fingers to meet her temples. A migraine was drumming somewhere in the back of her head getting stronger and stronger by every drum, she could feel it. Trying to find a better position to sit in, she placed her other knee on top of the other and gazed out of the window. An exhausted sigh slid through her lips. She had practically grown behind that thick glass, watching all the things that happened, but always invisible to the people on the other side. It was this black glass and the fences of the Centre that had always separated her from the real world.
Still, no matter how much Miss Parker hated the Centre and its dirty secrets, the family she knew was all there. Besides, she had her pride. And because of that pride she had decided to give her best shot and accomplish the given mission no matter what it demanded. Was it because of her desire to show her father she was as good in this as her brother was, or was it just because she wanted to find out the big secret they refused to tell her… Who in the end was behind her mother's death and just what the hell was mirage?
I bet Lyle knows it. It wasn't fair. She had been there first, she had been Parker longer than he had but still it was Lyle, the maniac psychopath that seemed to know everything that happened in the Centre. Or then he knows because he really IS maniac psychopath… Either way, it irritated her. It wasn't her fault she hadn't born as a boy so why did she have to suffer because of it? But it also made her wonder… if her father hadn't shut her out like that, would she have grown to be like Lyle? Would she have been in charge and if yes, what kind of place had the Centre been then? She didn't know and it worried her. If it came down to that, she was as cruel and manipulative as Lyle was… and she wasn't too fond of that fact.
With the last name, there came the inner wild-beast that was prepared to do anything to get the power into its owners hands.
She snorted. Fate, or whatever it was that was guiding her miserable life towards the crappy ending, really knew how to throw dirt on her eyes.
0000
Miss Parker wasn't answering. It was the third time during that afternoon that Jarod had tried to reach her, but still nothing. He could've tried calling her cell-phone, but if she did answer, she probably would've had company and Jarod didn't feel like talking to her with a bunch of people listening to her every single word. It wasn't the real Miss Parker then. He had no reason to call, really, but every now and then it felt comforting to hear her grumpy voice at the other end of the line. Stupid or not, it actually did cheer him up most of the time.
The clue he had followed down to Seattle seemed to withdraw farther away the closer he got. It felt absolutely pointless to stay in that hotel room trying to figure out when the next step should be taken and what that step even was? The fact he had been in a hurry when he left from his previous hide-out, didn't really help. Jarod had this weird feeling he had forgotten something, but couldn't recall what it was. He hated when that happened. He was a pretender for crying out loud, a genius, he wasn't supposed to forget important little details that could lead the Centre to him. Considering everything that was going on around him, maybe it was only human. Things had been a little crazy lately so it wasn't that big of a wonder when you though of it. He was a human being, after all.
Jarod took a sip of his hot chocolate before placing the mug onto the table right beside his laptop. He was staring the screen intensely, hitting the keyboard with his fingers as the words floated out, surfing from one site to another, searching through every single database he could locate trying to find something that would help him, but there was nothing new. Nothing that would answer the questions he had already asked dozens of times before. It was somewhat obvious that the Centre really had no information about his mother whatsoever and if they did, it wasn't on their software. There was just no place left where they could've hidden it! Either they didn't know anything or all the information was on paper but neither one of those options pleased him. Going back to the Centre on his own was actually easier than one believed, but now that he had someone else besides himself to look after, he couldn't take the risk of getting caught. Not now and not ever again.
Beaten, Jarod closed the laptop and emptied the mug with one final gulp. The hot fluid burnt his tongue and throat while going down, but he didn't let it bother himself. He was too damn tired to even feel the pain, to pretend feeling it. Maybe things would sort themselves out while he got some sleep, yes? If not, which he rather cynically assumed to be the outcome of his hopeless wish, he would still have better chances of finding out the missing links after few hours of sleep. Not to mention connecting them back together.
0000
Unlike usually, this time Miss Parker didn't violently kick the door open yelling her prey to stay still. She figured that a more considerate way of approaching was needed by the current occasion. Careful not to make a single sound; not even a one lousy creak that could wake up her target, she slowly pushed the door open and slid into the room. It was so dark that she actually had to stay still for a few minutes and hold her breath while waiting her eyes to adjust into the sudden switch of lighting. She could hear his breathing even though she couldn't quite locate him yet.
There. Lying in the big bed there was a figure under the covers. He didn't snore, but his breathing was fast and heavy, almost as if he was seeing a nightmare. Once she was sure there were no obstacles on her way, she aimed her gun and crept closer and closer to see if the person really was who she thought it was.
Jarod.Damn I'm good, she thought suffocating the satisfied laugh trying to escape from her lips. She saw the familiar brown hair, the strong line of his chin… the pained expression on his face. Weird. She sure as hell didn't seem to be the only one with haunting dreams, but then again, knowing Jarod's past it was no wonder. Better get this over with.
The man was still deep asleep. She had actually thought he would wake up, but for her fortunate, he obviously hadn't. Yeah, a real genius indeed. She kept walking closer and stopped only when her legs touched the edge of the bed. For a moment she just observed him, trying to decide how to go on from there. What the hell would she say to him if he did wake up now? What the hell would she say to him at all? Miss Parker had no clue, she hadn't really thought of it yet. She felt like shrugging casually, but was afraid it might miraculously wake him up… Well, improvising was her thing… hopefully.
Silently she leaned closer to him only to place her gun on the nightstand. Jesus, I can't believe I'm actually doing this. The bed jolted softly as she lowered herself on it. When he suddenly fidgeted in his sleep, she froze holding her breath. When she was sure everything was ok, she was ready to go on. The final move; she placed her hands on his both sides trapping the man between his arms, careful not to touch him.
"Boo!"
It was hardly more than a whisper, but his eyes blinked open in shock as he rolled over to his back. She couldn't help but smirk at his confused state of mind. She had forgotten how good it felt to be the one in charge rather than let Jarod make a complete fool out of her.
"…Miss Parker?"
He didn't even try to move or push her away, which truth be told, surprised her. Was he in some kind of shock or did he think it was a dream? Hell, just what kind of dreams did he have if the latter option was the right one? She hoped the darkness prevented him from reading the look in her eyes.
"Still remember me, I see."
Jarod swallowed and exhaled the breath he had been holding since he second he opened his eyes. "Well, Parker, You're not that easy to forget", he replied. He swallowed again. Aha, he was nervous! He really was! The great pretender had just given away his own feelings.
"Good to know." He was so close that she could smell his shower-fresh skin… and sense the warmth his body was radiating. Maybe this kind of approach wasn't the smartest one, after all. But it was too late to regret it now.
"You gonna share any time soon why you're in my bed, on top of me? Not that I didn't like it, I'm just not knowing what to think of it." Now he moved, but against Miss Parker's automatic assumption, he only reached his hand to turn on the lamp on the nightstand. At first his hand made a contact with the gun of course, but it quickly found it's way over the gun to the switch. Again, Miss Parker was surprised. Why hadn't he taken the gun when he obviously had felt it was there?
The switch clicked. The light made her turn her gaze into the opposite direction letting her hair brush over his face. He could feel his heart beat increasing, but the main reason for that was fear. She was going to take him back to the Centre, wasn't she? Why wasn't he in handcuffs already?
Deciding enough is enough, Miss Parker rolled over to her back so that she was lying next to the confused pretender. At some level she was as confused as he was. It was ok for one to like her job, it was just that she usually didn't. In fact, she never did. And now somewhere in the pit of her stomach she could feel something else than disgust; something else what she had thought she'd feel.
"Jarod…" She punctuated, knowing that a pause would emphasize her words just the way she wanted it to, "The Centre told me to take a hike, so to speak", she said without really meaning to. She managed to let out a frustrated, almost sarcastic laugh to express her aggravation. "I think I was getting too close to the truth about my mother." It wasn't a 100 lie, not after adding that one. He hadn't moved; Jarod was still lying on his back but his stare turned from the roof to the woman next to him.
"I don't believe you", he stated. How the hell had she got in? And how the hell had she even found out where he was! More importantly, how long was she going to play her games before the sweepers bolted in.
"I don't care whether or not you believe me. It's not going to change a damn thing." She sounded sincere, but Jarod knew better than to trust her. He could see her eyes even though she was staring the roof, obviously avoiding his inquiring gaze. Miss Parker wasn't sure why it had suddenly become so difficult to look at him. Surely her conscience hadn't woken up after all these years?
"And what would that thing be?" Miss Parker was obviously not continuing without being asked to.
"You're good with solving puzzles", she replied with the kind of tone that made Jarod frown. She sounded angry, but also desperate. "My mother, she's a puzzle I want you to solve." The words came so fluently that it amazed even herself. This wasn't what she had had in her mind, well, in fact she had had nothing in her mind, but this… using her mother to get Jarod's trust… "In exchange for the truth Jarod, I'm offering you my help."
Ineed to know what happened to her, she reminded herself searching for some sense of self-control within her.
Now it was Jarod who let out a sarcastic laugh. Sarcasm… Jarod had definitely changed during his years in the real world. The little boy she had known and cared about had been unaware of such things. He had known what it meant, but he had never really felt it. Pretended to feel maybe, but it wasn't the same thing.
"And you honestly think I'm going to fall for that?"
Slowly Miss Parker turned to look him in the eye. The message was clear. "Just give me few days", she started, "and I'll make you fall."
The question in his mind as he watched her wipe away the lonely tears from the corners of her eyes was if it really was a trap more than anything else that he was supposed to fall in? At that moment, for the first time, he really couldn't tell.
