A/N:

The people in front of whom I bow my head:

GQlover2003: Heh, thanks. Somehow I think I know who you're cheering for… wonder why :wink wink: Thing is, I like Zoey and well, we cannot forget her. We need to stir it up a bit, don't we?

HuntingPeace: Thank you! I was worried people might not like that particular scene… but I'm glad if you did:relieved:

Thank you!

Don't worry darlings, it's still MissParker/Jarod fic, heh. (And yes there is a reason why I'm slowly dropping the title 'Miss' away… mwuahahah) Sorry it took me forever to update - longer chapter due the lack of updating, though.

As I've said, the timeline has been changed and so the evenings of the Inner Sense episodes have been melted into the fic, at least some parts of it. Which means when something isn't like it was in the show, yes, I'm aware of that (I mostly mean the part Ethan is playing in the fic) and it's part of the plot and I do not need to be told - unless I make some horrible mistake and mix their eye colors or something as important as that. Cause that would suck.

When the Triumvirate says 'jump', you say 'on who'

by Syrai

Chapter 8 - the inner dilemmas

"I'm not hungry," Miss Parker stated with frustrated tone for the third time in a row already and quickly escaped Jarod's chiding look by turning her eyes to observe the busy street through the big window next to their table. The sweltering leather seat on which she was sitting felt uncomfortable underneath her tights, the smell of grease that floated around the cafe like a plague was giving her a killer headache and the constant sound of a child crying somewhere behind her back was truly making her ready to burst into flames. If people didn't know how to shut up their own children, why did they bother taking them into public places such as this one when there was a chance someone was trying to enjoy a quiet lunch there? Keyword being 'quiet'. Or like in their case, quiet breakfast with her moping and Jarod being as perky as ever. How the hell did he do it?

And how the hell was she still there? Why hadn't she smacked him in the face and told him that the last thing she wanted was to sit in some stupid cafe eating some stupid waffles with the stupid pretender when they really should've been out there, figuring things out… plus, having wild sex and babies. Although, that was the part she figured it would be best to leave unsaid. God she hated her job sometimes. Especially when it made her do things even she found morally questionable. Not that this one would've been any different from the ones she had accomplished before… but… well, only it was. Time after time Miss Parker told herself she wanted to get the mission done so that she could go home and show Lyle how it really was done… but also, time after time, she told herself she needed to find out what happened to her mother and the only way to do that, was to trust Jarod. To get him to trust her - completely.

Could she execute both her own and the Centre's task at the same time? How?

Talking about a moral dilemma. She snorted in her mind returning back to her surroundings. The smell of grease flooded back the minute she remembered where she was.

Honestly, if she had had anything to say on it, they wouldn't have been there right now. They would've have even looked at the place twice. Hell no. But not that surprisingly, Jarod hadn't really asked her opinion on the matter after telling they'd go out. Out as in 'to eat', he had said. In fact, he hadn't even noted it when she had so politely given her thought out into the public. Arrogant bastard. She had said the last part also aloud, which had only made his smirk grew wider.

"You have to eat, Parker," Jarod said sensing her pensive moment was over and speared a piece of waffle with his fork before stuffing it into his mouth.

She could only glare. God, had he not seen in what kind of place they were? Everything was so… She looked around disgusted and wrinkled her nose unintentionally… dirty, somehow. Ordinary, even. Despite all the tings her job required, eating - or being for that matter, in a place like this was not part of the deal. "No, I don't," she snorted back folding her arms in mere protest, "I'm eating nothing that's made in a place like this." Yes, the rebellious teenager was yet again kicking in. But she couldn't help it. She had never been good with frustration and she had had her ulcer to speak for her on many occasions. If it happened again, at least she'd have him to blame.

He didn't even bother glancing around like she had, but only titled his head smiling from ear to ear. He knew the smirk on his lips would annoy her, but given her current mood, it was only fair. There was nothing wrong with the place by his books and the spoiled lady would simply have to deal with it. It wasn't as though she had never been in a place such as that one before - it was just about her getting her mind heard. Everything had to be done her way or not at all and well, the pretender loved being the one to break the pretty picture she had of herself. She couldn't control everything and she was slowly, although unwillingly, ready to admit that. Such a pleasant scenario, wasn't it? Strangely, Jarod couldn't have been happier even though there were at least dozens of reasons to feel something opposite from happiness.

"Come on, Parker, lighten up a little," he replied half-laughing and lifted his fork in front of her face bringing it closer and closer. "You have to taste these waffles, they're so-"

"Get that fork away from my face or I'll-" she interrupted glaring, but didn't get too far with her biting remark, for Jarod in turn interrupted her; "-Shove it up into my…" He paused making a face, "yeah I know," he continued chuckling, "I've heard that one before. Countless of times, really."

Yes, well, and he had deserved it every time too "And you'll hear it again many, many, many times," she stated through gritted teeth trying not to go ballistic on him. How was it that this man knew exactly how to push her buttons and irritate her even without really doing anything? She didn't know, maybe it was his face? The forever-glued smirk on his lips or the way his eyes sparkled when he knew she had been beaten… or was she feeling that way only because what had happened between them in that stupid little motel room? His fault. The cold stare got colder and he could almost hear her thoughts.

There she goes again… You didn't have to be a genius to realize where her thoughts had returned, but it did take a genius to be able to hide the fact she wasn't the only one whose mind wandered. He knew he'd have to make her talk about it, but somehow this didn't feel the right place. Or the time. But then, he was pretty damned sure that knowing her, the right time would never appear on their doorstep.

"Charmed," he spoke with a roll of his eyes, "But so you know, I'm serious about you eating." She observed his face for a short moment, annoyed. Fine, he looked serious, too, but it didn't mean she had to act on his every word and wish if the poor pretender decided to be serious about something for a change. Why couldn't he just deal with his own business and leave her out of it?

"You have to eat, you can't keep the diet up forever."

"I'm not on a diet, you idiot," Parker retorted immediately. The grip she had of her arms got tighter as she desperately tried to calm down instead of screaming at his face. The Centre hadn't stolen all of her dignity, after all. Truthfully, she wasn't even so sure from where these hostile remarks came from. Yeah, they always bickered with Jarod from the minute they saw to the minute they fought and he ran, so it was nothing new, but she had made a decision to complete the job and in order for that to work, she'd have to quit it at some point. Hadn't she already agreed on the fact the point was already passed? Then what was this about?

Stop being so complicated, Parker. Do what you have to do and stop with the fucking analysis..

"Good, cause you really don't have to."

She blinked, stunned, but only in few seconds she regained her old self. Although, when she spoke again, her voice was actually a lot softer than it had been a moment ago and even though she didn't notice it, he surely did. "Look, Jarod," she started as Jarod prepared himself to hear another long lecture with billions of biting remarks, "I don't care what you think I need or don't need , or have to do or don't have to do."

What, was that all? One simple - or less simple - sentence? Hmm. "Yeah, right, I forgot that bit." No, Jarod, you don't want to say it… but the words left his mouth before he could really reconsider it further. "What happened to the Parker I met this morning?" Hadn't he just thought to himself that this was nor the time or place to go on with this discussion?

Unlike he had expected her to, she didn't seem to mind the comment. Actually, he could've sworn there was a genuine smirk nearing the corner of her mouth, but it disappeared too quickly for him to be sure. "She was thrown into Renewal Wing. You know, where she belongs."

Ah, the infamous Renewal Wing. No wonder the comment hadn't bothered Parker - she had been too thrilled to throw in the only place she knew still made him shiver. The one place that had haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember for so many reasons. Yep, it was the only place where no one inside the walls of Centre truly wanted to end up in. He knew this only from experience.

"Just eat, ok?" The smirk was gone now. He only looked at her before picking up another piece of waffle and swallowed it down. "We're not leaving before you eat so in case you don't plan on staying here for the rest of the day, I'd advice you to order something."

She growled quietly and glared for a moment before raising her hand. "Waitress?"

Thought so too. "Good girl."

Oh no, you didn't say that, did you? The man kept pushing her towards the edge and he was doing it on purpose, goddamnit. She knew he was.

"Bite me, lab-rat."

0000

Emily had regained consciousness again, but only for a passing moment during which she been saying the weirdest things. For a second there, it had seemed she was a child again, telling someone how she had learnt to ride her bike on her own. The other person had answered too, to which the girl had only responded by saying "I know" but what it was to which she had replied, was unknown to Major Charles. Of course he knew it was best for the girl to rest and sleep it off without further disturbance, but it also worried her father to the point he felt he would soon break in tears. Major Charles had been searching for his family for so long after their departure that it had been almost too painful to find her like this. Hurt and nearing death. He wasn't one to cry though - the man had learnt to be tough since the day the Centre had stolen his peaceful life, but sometimes it was simply too hard. Sometimes he could do nothing but let the desperation eat him. If Emily didn't get better, someone would pay and that was a fact.

Where the hell was Jarod anyway? He had so much to tell the boy - things he rather not shared on the phone, but yet he was still out there somewhere playing games with that.. that… huntress. It truly was the only word his mind could come up whenever it was about Miss Parker. He should've ordered Jarod to break it off - he should've told him to break out from whatever deal it was that she had offered him. You simply could not trust a Parker. Catherine was an exception to the rule, of course, but then, it was what had got her killed, wasn't it?

If only Jarod was smart enough to dig whatever it was that Miss Parker wanted, out of her and then, leave. But he knew his son by heart - he had heard it in his voice the last time they spoke. There was something about that cold-blooded woman that got to him and there was no way he'd let the opportunity pass, although he was pretty sure not even Jarod knew what exactly the opportunity was. Still, Jarod might have been a pretender, but he was also a man. And well, Major Charles knew how that would turn out. He just wished it wouldn't. Glancing his watch, he sighed. It would take at least 24 hours before Zoey would arrive and hopefully, by that time Jarod would have already returned. Jarod would no doubt be nothing but mad at him for what he had done, but maybe he'd understand in the end. The whatever bond the traitorous woman was trying to build between herself and his son, had to be broken off right now.

Emily made a muffled voice drawing her father's attention to herself and the man moved closer. Sitting down on the chair next to her bed, he laid his arms on her bed.

Come on darling. "You need to wake up, Emily," he whispered stroking her cheek softly. God, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen - after her mother, of course. "I need you to wake up and tell me what's going on. What do you know? You know something, I'm sure of it. That's why they did this to you. That's why you need to wake up and fight. Fight for me, for your brother… for you."

But the girl stayed asleep.

Not that he had really expected anything else. But it didn't keep him from wishing - Emily knew something and he wanted to know what. He had gone to the address Emily had given him earlier and what he had found, was beyond his understanding. It was why he needed Jarod to return - he might have been able to understand what was going on there. This Ethan person… he needed help, that much he knew. A lot of it, too. Naturally Major Charles hadn't met the young man in person and so that wasn't how he knew, but he had found something else which proved to be a excellent source of information. Videos. Many, many videotapes that Ethan had taped himself for some unknown reason. The videos went back for years and years and from what he had gathered, the boy had always been as insane as he was today. He talked to some sort of voices and quite apparently, the voices did not only listen, but answered him too. The fear Major Charles had seen in his eyes was heartbreaking, but the sense of insanity seemed strong too - it was hard to tell the difference at times.

He wasn't sure what the boy was planning, but the plans for a bomb that he had retrieved from the man's lair did speak for themselves. Whatever it originally was, it was nothing good. Also, there was one video in particular that had peeked his interest. It was a footage of Ethan talking on the phone with an unnamed person. Ethan, he demanded to see his parents saying he was not going to follow the given orders unless he would be let to do so. The person on the other end of the line had apparently disagreed for Ethan had, with a rather harsh voice stated that he would not finish up the job otherwise. All he wanted was the pain to go away, that's what he had said. He wanted to see his parents and he wanted the pain to go away. He would do whatever they wanted him to, if he only got to see his parents. Now, what Major Charles wanted to know was what it was that he was ordered to do, then? Besides the whole bomb-scenario, of course. Had Ethan wired up some place? Could it be that while he waited his son to return to him, the man haunted by the voices, was out there killing people?

Somehow he doubted it. Major Charles didn't know why, but he did. Something in the young man's voice had convinced him that he was not going to go with the commands he had been given - the fact Ethan had suddenly crashed the bomb he had obviously been building, had helped too. Maybe it was how he had yelled to the phone that his parents did love him and that there was nothing they could do or say to make him believe otherwise. No, he did not believe they loved him and he also didn't believe they'd take care of him. Not anymore. "You said you'd take the pain away. But you can't. You were never going to." What had changed his mind?

The voices… was it the voices that had changed his mind?

The old man glanced at the box nearby the door. He had brought some of the stuff he had found back with him to show them to Jarod, although he did suspect Jarod would eventually go visit Ethan's little cave himself, just to get some kind of idea. A feeling. Still, at least it gave him something to do - going through Ethan's stuff, trying to figure out where the boy was.

They would have to find Ethan. They would have to find him and protect him - help him get rid of his pain… no doubt it was the Centre behind his agony. But first, they'd have to find some kind of lead and for that, he really needed Jarod to come back.

"Come on, Jarod. You can't stay away forever."

0000

"I wasn't going to."

Jarod watched his father jump up to his feet making the chair rattle against the floor as if it had been thrown aside. The loud sound seemed to move Emily, as the girl suddenly shifted and opened her eyes with a suffocated whimper. To Jarod it felt almost like a miracle even though it wasn't the first time the sleeping girl had decided to wake up from her slumber.

"Dad?" The moment Major Charles heard his daughter's faint voice, he spun around to look at her - to make sure she really was awake and indeed, she was. Unlike before, this time Emily seemed to really be awake instead of drifting in and out between her dreams. This time she really seemed to be there and it made both of the men hopeful.

"You've been sleeping quite some time," Major Charles said smiling and took the girl's cold hand into his own. Right after, he reminded himself to turn up the heating. The girl was freezing cold for God's sake. "Your brother decided to drop in just now, but I guess we should be glad for that. It's his fault I knocked the chair over." The man had tried to sound chiding, but they all knew the truth. At that Emily smiled letting her gaze wander around the room till it met Jarod's eyes.

"Hey. Why the look of surprise?"

There was a warm smile on his lips. Not the usual smirk of his, but a beautiful smile that only the ones he cared the most were allowed to see. And occasionally Parker… but who said he didn't care about her to begin with?

"Hey right back at you. Good to see you awake, Emily. We've been pretty worried on and off." With that said, he carefully moved closer and stopped only when he reached his father. Stuffing his hands into his pockets in a rather nervous manner, he tilted his head to observe the girl closer. To think of it, she looked a lot like their mother…

"I can imagine. How long have I been out?"

"Longer than we wanted you to," Major Charles replied rolling his eyes. "But you always were a stubborn one. A trait you share with your brother, no doubt." There was a hint there that Jarod caught rather easily but didn't comment on it. "Let's pretend I didn't hear that one, ok?" Major Charles only nodded in agreement. Jarod was probably right - they would not start arguing over Miss Parker now that his daughter had finally woken up… although, it did make him wonder. Where was Miss Parker?

Jarod paid no attention to his father's questioning glances, as his attention was pointed only towards his sister. It felt so… surreal. To stand there in the same room with not only his father, but with his sister too. To be able to talk to them and pretend that everything was ok, everything was normal. Only, he didn't have to pretend anymore, now did he? While everything might not have been ok, or normal for that matter, but things were getting better.

His moment of happiness was suddenly relished with a hint of sadness, though. If only Kyle had been there… it had been so important to his brother to find their family. Reuniting them had, in fact, been even so important to him that he had given his own life in order to safe Jarod's, which was something he would never forget. Things were going to be different now, for sure. He would not lose his family ever again - Kyle's death would not be for nothing and also, he wasn't ready to feel that kind of pain again. He had lost his brother twice - whenever he thought of the moment he saw the van explode, he felt what he had felt then. He had watched the van burn believing it was his brother inside there, only to learn later on that Kyle had actually managed to fake his death the genius he was. And just when he had gotten his brother back into his life, the Centre took him away again. Killed him in front of Jarod's very own eyes, on top of all. There was just no limit to the Centre's doings.

It was Emily's cough that woke him up from his memories. Immediately Jarod stepped past his father and grabbed the glass of water on the night stand next to her bed. "Here, you should drink something." Knowing that Emily would probably still be too weak to hold the glass herself -not that she'd admit that- , he carefully lifted it to her lips. She took a sip before resting her head back down. "Thanks." There had been no need for the quiet thank you, but it felt nice to hear it anyway.

Major Charles had said nothing. He didn't have any words to say and so he just watched the interaction between his children wondering… wondering how things would have been if the Centre had never done all those things… what would their life had been alike? If Jarod hadn't been… his mind paused on that one as the feeling of guilt took a hold of him. Jarod was what he was and it was no good picturing the boy without his pretender genes. It didn't work like that. It shouldn't have, anyway.

Although Jarod would have liked to enjoy the normal moment for a bit longer -like forever, for example-, watching his sister's bruised face, he realized it simply wasn't possible. Not if he wanted to get their stolen lives back. Besides the fact they didn't have time to spend some much needed quality time together, there was also a very impatient woman in the church waiting for him to go get her and he was somewhat sure that if it didn't happen rather sooner or later, violence would ensue. He had always managed to find a way out of those sorts of situations by leaving a very annoyed woman behind him -mostly locked up into some weird place or handcuffed to some pipe-, but that wasn't how it would go forward this time, although it did sound tempting. Jarod sighed out of pure exhaustion. Things were getting too complicated, even to him. But then, when it was Parker, complications were nothing new.

"Tell me, you remember anything?" He asked deciding it was finally time to get it over and done.

Emily looked away at first, almost as if she wasn't sure what to say. Maybe she wasn't. "I don't know." She frowned biting her lip - funny, just like Parker did when she thought no one was looking.

"I think so. I mean I'm not sure. The pretty boy got rough with me, you know, threw me out of the window and all… " Yes, they all knew that already. She was rewinding the events in her mind rather than telling them what had happened and knowing this, Jarod stayed silent instead of saying what he really wanted to say. That would've included some pretty harsh curse words and threads and at the moment, he wanted Emily to hear neither. Was this what it felt like to be a big brother? He wasn't sure. Maybe. But he had to give it to her - she still had her sense of humor.

"He wanted me to stop looking."

That broke their father's silence. "Stop looking?"

"For you… for Jarod… for Ethan." The words came out with pauses and a wave of affection washed over Jarod. She was in pain - even after all that sleep, the physical pain was still there, but she was trying her best to hide it. It seemed he had one brave little sister to deal with.

But there more important matters on their hands that had to be solved before they could get anything done. Ethan, for example. "Who is this Ethan?" Jarod asked suddenly. There had been so much talk of this Ethan, but no one had really been able to define his part in the play and that was something he needed to be done. Who was he? The enemy or just another victim of the Centre's ruthless games?

"I'm… I'm not entirely sure," Emily choked out, unsure. There was something she was holding back, wasn't there? No matter how good he was with pretending, it was impossible for Jarod to put himself into her position. Maybe Sidney had been right - personal connections screwed up his gift, at times… or a curse, depending on how you looked at it.

"At first I thought it was you… I don't know…" she fidgeted and continued, "he seemed to fit the profile… Then I realized that… he's not. But he is."

The doctor in him kicked instantly. The girl obviously wasn't well yet - that had been quite a fall she had taken and it wasn't fair for them to question her upon the very moment she woke up. They should've given her some time… Jarod mentally kicked himself. Don't rush with it. "Emily, you're not making sense here. You should sleep some more."

"I'm done with sleeping," she replied with much stronger tone. There w as no way she'd go back to sleep after missing out on everything that had been going on and he knew that. Yep, if they ever fought, it would be one hell of a show. Closing her eyes, she breathed out before finally speaking aloud her thoughts. "I'm fine. What I mean is, I think Ethan - I think he's our brother. But that's all I know so far."

There was a moment of freezing silence. Major Charles could hardly breathe and the situation wasn't much better for Jarod either. There had been so many different possibilities… so many different theories he had come up with, but that was definitely not one of them. There was no record for a fourth child and obviously, his father didn't seem to know about one either. "How can… how could we have a brother?"

Emily only sighed, frustrated. "I'm not sure. The Centre… there's nothing they can't do and you know it. You should try hacking into NuGenesis. I tried but God forbid, I just don't have your genes so I can't prove my theory."

He managed to laugh at that. She had tried to hack into NuGenesis? What a silly girl she was. No wonder they were pissed off, then - whenever someone fingered their little precious files and databases or anything alike, the Centre went insane. That didn't explain everything though. Was that how they had found out her location or had they been tagging her all along? There were still some unanswered questions he intended to get sorted out, but not right now - like what exactly was her theory? "Good for you. Wouldn't want Parker to try and lock you up, too. I can tell it's tiring every once in a while."

The girl didn't seem to follow, but before she could speak, Major Charles cut in clearing his throat. "Which reminds me… Jarod? Where's Miss Parker?"

Ah, right, of course. Jarod couldn't hide the amused smirk. He had actually thought they'd come to this a little bit sooner, but obviously Major Charles' attention had been undivided a moment ago.

"Miss Parker?" Emily repeated the name as though tasting it. "Who exactly is Miss Parker?"

He could've lied. He could've said she was no one important and that she shouldn't worry about that now, but somehow Jarod got the feeling that lying to your newly found family wasn't the best way to start building a relationship with them. Or with her, that was. And so, instead of all the things he could've said, he told the truth. "She's my… well, hunter, as dad would put it." The horror on Emily's face was easy to see, but so was the interest that peeked through. "The Centre's top agent waiting to lock me up in a cage, naturally. Only, for some reason the Centre decided to kick her out - although I'm not so sure I believe that explanation… but the point is, she offered me her help."

"Why?" Emily questioned immediately and Major Charles couldn't help but chuckle. At least he wasn't the only one with some sense of reason in the room.

"She helps me, I help her. You should know, we're not the only ones whose lives the Centre has ruined." No, they definitely weren't. Of course, if you asked Parker, she probably would have never admitted it, but Jarod knew better. She said she had been kicked out, but he didn't buy that one so easily. It was obvious Parker had her own agenda in the game, but he wasn't so sure if that was the only reason she was there. She was still tied up to the Centre one way or another, but he intended to find out just how… and change that.

"Yeah, but she's the only one whose father is the head of the Centre, might I point out," Major Charles stated and as he thought, Jarod received a stunned look from his sister. The part with him being the head of the Centre didn't please her, then… not that surprising.

"You know, Charles, you really shouldn't blame me for that one. It's not like a child could choose her parents."

Looking over his shoulder Jarod saw Miss Parker standing in the doorway with her usual folded arms posture. As usual, she was wearing tight black skirt and a jacket with blue shirt underneath, which only added to the coldness radiating from her. She didn't wait for the invitation she knew she wouldn't get, but simply stepped inside and closed the door behind her. They hadn't even heard the door open… wait, damn, had he left it open? Jarod wasn't sure, but it annoyed him anyway. It was once again one little detail he shouldn't have forgotten. That happened way too often nowadays - him forgetting things that could in the end be lethal. Leaving doors open was definitely one of those.

"Ah Miss Parker, I was wondering where you are." Giving a cold glance towards Major Charles, Miss Parker walked closer. Yeah, of course he had. He had probably been wondering where she was so that he could bust in and shoot her with a rifle and kick her in the ribs just for the fun of it. Alright, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was fairly easy to see the man wanted her no where near his daughter - or Jarod. If he only knew… "I'm sure you did."

"So this is Miss Parker then?" Emily caught up with the situation eyeing the woman suspiciously. Why did she get the feeling this cold-looking woman was going to cause a lot of trouble in the days to come? But just what kind of trouble that would be, she didn't know.

Parker turned to look at her and without meaning to, she let her face soften. "Yeah, I'm sorry about my brother," Parker spoke, although she didn't sound that apologizing - never did. Truth was, she did feel sorry for the girl for what Lyle had done, but the only reason she brought it up was to let her know of her association with that son of a bitch. It wasn't her job to apologize for that idiot, but from experience she could tell it was better to get these kind of things out of the way right away instead of waiting for them to come and bite her in the ass. Plus, she felt strange satisfaction whenever the old man threw an angry glance at her way. The asshole deserved it for all the reasons in the world.

"He has the habit of eating Asian girls and throwing others out of the windows, I'm the only one sane left in our family. It's no wonder he lost his thumb for all the shit he's done, to think of it."

She didn't quite react as Parker had thought she would - Emily's lips twisted into a weak smirk - weak or not, it was definitely a smirk she recognized. Hopefully it was the only thing she had her brother had in common… "Now I know why you looked so familiar. In case you're going to follow your brother's foot steps, please don't. I'll let you know that I'll be better prepared this time and I'll fucking bite."

Major Charles looked absolutely stunned to hear the angelic girl speak such words, and it did make Jarod rose an eyebrow too, but Parker just couldn't help it - the wide smile appeared on its own. The girl sure had an attitude to match with hers and she liked that. It wasn't every day someone actually dared to speak back to her with a tone such as she had just used and weirdly, it was refreshing for a change… Jarod and his stupid remarks didn't count, of course. He had the obvious advantage over her since they'd known each other since they were kids and knew what to say and what not. It wasn't a challenge to him - it was a challenge for her to not get annoyed.

"I'll keep that in mind." Having said that, she glanced over at the Major. "You don't have to worry about me anymore, Charles. I believe it wasn't you who killed my mother or stole her body so I'm not going to try and shoot you. I just hope you pay me the same courtesy." Yes, there had been time she had been convinced that Major Charles had killed her mother, but with everything that happened, plus finding an empty grave, she had started to wonder if things truly were as she had thought them to be. That, and she couldn't go killing Jarod's father for any time soon, now could she? Maybe after, if the occasion presented itself.

"Parker…" Jarod paused not knowing to say what was on his mind. He had been giving it lots of thoughts lately and no matter how he looked at it, he ended up with the same conclusion every time. He just hadn't said it to her yet…"No one ever said your mother's body was stolen."

She frowned not understanding his point. Ok, let's see. The grave in which her mother was supposedly buried had been empty… which meant there was nothing there. Which meant it was stolen - obviously, since it wasn't where it was supposed to be. It was pretty logical to her, really. "Well it's not in her grave. I doubt she walked it out of there."

Do you, now? Couldn't let the day go without some sarcasm biting in, no, no. "Yes, but aren't you forgetting something?"

As much as she usually enjoyed these idiotic word games of theirs, this time she was too impatient. He was talking about her mother, after all, and she wasn't going to let him walk out on this conversation - this time he wasn't allowed to just play around. It was so typical of him to dance around the subject and just drop a hint or two without really telling her anything, but only assuming she'd figure it out. Really, she should've kicked him for that one. For that and all the other things he had put her through. Of course she usually did figure out his clues, but it wasn't funny anymore. "Like what?"

Jarod suffocated the urge to chuckle. Being the Centre's most cunning operative, sometimes she was strangely naive. Or then, she was just protecting herself from the information that could end up hurting her. She couldn't let her hopes get the better of her, after all, and so day after day there was that same old cold shell greeting him and everyone else. There was no room for hope in her life, not anymore. The loss of Thomas had made sure of that. "Just because the stone has her name doesn't mean the body ever was there."

She swallowed - she had done it very carefully not wanting to let her nervousness show, but he saw it anyway. That bastard. "You're making it sound as… as.." If the swallowing didn't give it away, then her stuttering definitely would and so, she snapped her mouth shut staring at him with a threading glare. How dare he suggest something like that? Maybe he expected her to be happy to hear it, but she wasn't. There was no way she could've been alive… she wouldn't have let her daughter in the hands of her father. She couldn't have.

"As your mother would still be alive?" He offered not so helpfully. There was nothing amusing in particular about the situation, but the looks she was flaring at him did seem a bit overreacted. Had she never really considered the possibility that her mother might have, in fact, survived from the assumed accident? Well, granted, self-suicide could hardly be counted as an accident, but a long time ago, they had both started to suspect whether it truly had been a suicide or not. And from what they had gathered - she too, he was sure of it-, they knew that was something it hadn't been.

"Yes, I thought that's what you're saying. I just can't believe what I'm hearing."

Well someone had to do it - tell her the truth. It wasn't something neither her father nor her brother often did and quite frankly, Sidney wasn't that honest either and Jarod knew it. The only one that actually didn't dare to lie to her was probably Broots, but that was mainly because he feared her - and liked her, but mainly feared. "Now, about that call you received. Tell me, what exactly did Sidney say?"

At first she didn't say anything, but simply stood there with all the thoughts flying in circles inside her head. "Parker?"

I need to tell him. I don't want to, but I need to… There was no reason left for her to keep the information for herself anymore and so she started talking. Leaving only the bits about her real mission out, she told exactly what Sidney had said… and with some not so polite power names added in the middle…