Disclaimer: Rights to The Pretender world and all its characters belong to creators Craig Van Sickle and Steven Mitchell. NBC owns a share, as do Twentieth Century Fox and MGM.
Due South was created by Paul Haggis and produced by Alliance Atlantis, BBC, CTV television and Pro Sieben Media. It's a wonderful show, mixing action and humor together into a delightfully quirky detective drama. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend the DVDs.
The point is I'm borrowing someone else's creations. No profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
Defining Connection 3
By Phenyx
05/14/2006
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"This is a bad idea." Miss Parker sat on a stool at the breakfast nook in a small but cheery kitchen.
"Come on, Miss Parker," Jarod smiled. "Things aren't hopeless."
Her sharp, angry eyes glared at Jarod with such defiance that it would have been almost funny. Yet the sad weariness that colored her gaze made the situation all too serious. She was slouched in her seat, as though the weight on her shoulders was becoming too heavy to bear any longer. Jarod watched her from the corner of his eye as he sliced a strawberry into delicate chunks.
"This is madness," she whispered.
"It is not." Jarod said. He turned to the sink and removed a strainer full of pasta. "I'm making you dinner, not plotting the destruction of the Parker legacy."
"Jarod…" Miss Parker voice was filled with an alluring mixture of exasperation and alarm.
"Look," Jarod slammed a slotted spoon onto the counter with more force than was necessary. "Why are you arguing with me about this?"
True to her character, Miss Parker's anger rose to meet the challenge in Jarod's tone. "I don't know what you're up to Wonder-boy. But I promise you it won't work!"
Making a conscious effort to back off, Jarod took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "I'm not up to anything, Miss Parker." He ignored her scoff. "Is it so difficult to believe that someone gives a damn? When is the last time you just relaxed and let someone else take care of you?"
Miss Parker swallowed. "The day before my mother died," she whispered. The flash of pain in Miss Parker's eyes nearly made Jarod flinch.
"Let me do this for you."
Miss Parker looked up into Jarod's face. The hell of it was, she wanted to allow this. She wanted to curl up in a soft warm quilt and let Jarod take care of everything. She was so tired.
"Put it this way," Jarod added with a taunting grin. "Imagine how annoyed Lyle would be if he could see us now."
The mischievousness dancing in Jarod's eyes was contagious. Miss Parker felt herself smile. "If my brother knew what was going on here," she said. "We'd both be dead."
Jarod began to expertly tip the brownish pasta into a bowl. The colorful assortment of food he tossed about was mesmerizing. "They don't want us dead," Jarod told her as he worked. "You and I have caused them plenty of grief over the years. They would have killed us long ago if they could afford to do so."
Miss Parker watched as Jarod poured some pale liquid into a small bowl and began to whip it with a fork. He added seasonings, salt, pepper, sugar and such. He didn't measure anything but instead added the ingredients by grabbing small amounts between his fingertips.
Miss Parker frowned. "As intriguing as that aroma is Jarod, I won't be able to eat it. Two bites and I'll be yacking it up again."
In response, Jarod grunted. He turned, quickly licking a drop of sauce from his thumb as he moved. A moment later a mug of steaming liquid was placed on the counter in front of Miss Parker.
She sniffed it cautiously.
"Drink it steadily, but don't gulp," Jarod instructed. At Miss Parker's questioning look he added, "It's herbal tea made with a grapefruit seed extract. It will settle your stomach long enough for your food to begin digesting."
Miss Parker frowned. "I can't believe you got all this from that dingy little shop on the corner." She lifted the cup and took an experimental sip. It tasted like lemons.
Jarod was tossing the thin sauce over the pasta. "Eller's is a health food store. They carry a nice selection of herbal remedies."
A few minutes later, Miss Parker drained her cup just as Jarod set a plate down in front of her. She looked at it skeptically. The dish consisted of a wheat-colored, bowtie shaped pasta. Among the pasta was a jumble of colors. There were red strawberries, green slices of kiwi, deep blue berries and rich orange balls of cantaloupe. The entire thing glistened with fruit juice and the dressing Jarod had prepared.
Jarod watched expectantly as Miss Parker examined the plate. She glanced up at him with a doubtful shake of her head. Jarod sighed with irritation, grabbed a fork and made a jab at her plate. With exaggerated care, Jarod took the fork to his mouth and chewed.
"It's good," he assured her. "Trust me."
Miss Parker picked up her own fork and sampled the meal. It was an odd dish, like nothing she'd ever had before. The pasta was perfectly al dente, not at all mushy. The fruit gave it a sweet taste while the dressing had just a hint of tanginess.
With a grudging nod to Jarod, Miss Parker indicated her approval. In response, Jarod's face lit up with joy. Still grinning, he loaded up a second plate and for a time the two ate in silence.
Miss Parker was startled when she realized that she had nearly emptied her plate. Jarod was still smiling at her with those dark piercing eyes. With a sigh, Miss Parker pushed the last few bits of pasta around with her fork.
"I do, you know," she whispered.
Jarod raised his eyebrows.
"I do trust you."
"I know," he answered.
Tossing her silverware aside, Miss Parker ran one hand nervously through her hair. "Do you realize how crazy that is?" she snapped at him. "Of all the people in the world… why you?"
"Because," Jarod replied, "Of all the people in the world, I'm the only one who really trusts you."
Heaving a deep sigh Miss Parker asked, "So what do we do now?"
Jarod smiled. He began to place their dishes in the sink as he spoke. "Well," he started. "You've got a few choices. Your first option is to haul me back to the Centre. But then I'd be forced to escape, humiliating you in the process whether I meant to or not. Then you'd be mad, I'd feel bad and your vacation would be completely shot to hell.
Your second option is to walk out of here, take a taxi uptown and resume the shopping trip you had originally intended." Jarod folded his arms across his chest and leaned nonchalantly against the counter. "But that's the dullest of your choices and you'd be bored within a day."
"So what's option number three?" Miss Parker asked.
Jarod's grin grew. "Let me show you a real vacation. Snub your nose at the overbearing intimidation Raines has been throwing at you. Do something completely contrary to everything he and The Centre want from you."
"And what would that be, specifically?"
"Come on a pretend with me," Jarod said.
Miss Parker nearly fell off the chair. "Are you insane?"
"Maybe," Jarod chuckled. "Aren't we all just a little? Think of it Miss Parker, Raines would bust a gut if he knew."
"He'll kill me."
"No he won't," Jarod assured her. "Because he won't find out. I'll set up a perfect alibi. As far as The Centre is concerned, you'll be in New York spending money. They will never know that you were with me. But you will know. You and I alone will know what you've done."
A wicked gleam sparkled in Miss Parker's eyes. "Like when we were children," she whispered.
"Yes," Jarod agreed. "Like when we went looking for the dead body. Like when we hid in the air shafts."
"This is nuts," Miss Parker said even as a smile spread across her face.
Jarod nodded. "That is what makes it fun," he said.
"So," Miss Parker folded her hands and leaned her elbows on the counter in front of her. "What have you got in mind?"
"Chicago," Jarod replied instantly. "We need to find a police detective name Vecchio."
Miss Parker raised her eyebrows at him. "Are we going to do something terrible to this poor Vecchio?"
"Don't know yet," Jarod admitted. "We'll either make him pay for what he's done, or save him from a dishonest seductress."
"That's not much of a plan, Einstein."
Jarod shrugged. "I'll firm up the details by the time we get there."
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End part 3