AN: My apologies for the delay in getting this chapter up. I had all four wisdom teeth out on the 6th and it's taken awhile to get back into the writing groove. And school has started again with a heavy course load so that may delay updates as well and is why this chapter is so short- my sincere apologies for that! I've also done some fooling around this previous chapters and combined chapters that were broken down into parts. Content hasn't changed; I just wanted to cut down on bulk.

Many thanks to all who are reviewing. Please keep those reviews comin'.

NYT: I'm afraid I can't maintain that precedent. Lol Lyle's confusion is about to worsen as Cox returns.

Imag1ne: Ah, yes, Jarod... still nursing that hand Lyle damaged earlier I would assume. Whatever he's doing, he's about to upset Miss Parker's world again. ;)

LJP: While there certainly will be a few deaths by story's end I guess we'll just have to wait and see whose corpses actuallyturn up. ;)

Gemini: And even if he could control it, the Centre isn't exactly in the business of making happy endings. Just think of Thomas... ;)

Chapter 15: Union of the Snake Part I

"Miss Parker?"

Parker looked up from her work sharply to see the Centre's resident computer whiz letting himself in.

"What?" the word hissed lazily through her teeth.

Broots kept his back against the door with a nervous look on his face.

"Lyle's back."

It's about time he slithered out of the woodwork.

"And?"

Broots shrugged. "And that's about it. He got back to the Centre about an hour ago and went straight to his office. No one's seen him since."

Parker said nothing as she went back to her work. After a moment, she heard a light cough as Broots cleared his throat- obviously he wasn't finished.

She growled and returned her attention to him. "What."

"Lyle isn't the only one back." His pallor whitened further as he forced himself to deliver the bad news his boss.

"Out without, Broots," she snapped impatiently.

"Cox is back."

"Cox is back?"

"Yes, and he wants to see you." The man looked thoroughly apologetic. "Right now... in your father's office."

Parker stood abruptly. "Why?"

"I don't know, Miss Parker. I was just told to get you."

She closed her eyes briefly, then cleared the papers from her desk. "All right. Fine. Broots, get Sydney and the two of you keep looking for Jarod while I deal with... this."

Broots cringed. "I can't, Miss Parker."

She arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I can't work with Sydney, I mean," the technician clarified. "He's been called to your father's office, too."

Without a word Parker left the room, leaving Broots to search for Jarod alone.

The short, crisp click of high heels on tile echoed down the hall, but did not register with him. He had more important matters on his mind- like why Cox was back so soon.

He arrived at his father's office and stood before the closed door for a second as he collected himself. At the same instant that his hand grasped the door handle so did a another.

Lyle glanced up aggressively and found himself glaring into eyes that weremirror images of his own.

Simultaneously, the twins hissed at each other.

"You," they spat contemptuously at one another in hushed tones.

"Well," Lyle was the first to speak independently. "I guess I know now why we got called to Dad's office- you failure to bring Jarod in."

Parker's eyes narrowed to deadly slits. "I highly doubt that's the reason," she riposted. "This is probably about your little extracurricular diversion to the Cabins O' Love."

His countenance darkened considerably, yet was unreadable. "Get out of my way. I have a meeting to attend."

"So do I. You move."

The bickering continued under breath for a minute or more until Lyle managed to shoulder Parker out of the way and open the door.

All squabbling was laid aside when they saw the grim visage of their father sitting behind his desk. Equally vitriolic was Raines on his left. Sydney stood to the right of Mr. Parker with a hand over his mouth and an amused twinkle in his eyes. Next to Raines, Gogo watched Lyle assiduously. And then in the center of everything stood the leering Mr. Cox.

At that moment, the twins would have liked nothing better than to wipe that obnoxious grin off the face of the opprobrious man.

"Miss Parker, Mr. Lyle," he stretched out his arms to them with faux cheeriness. "How good of you to join us." He paused long enough for the siblings to glance uncertainly at each other, then his gaze blackened and the smile disappeared. "Instead of remaining outside of the door squabbling like children!"

Mr. Parker glared reproachfully at his embarrassed offsprings.

"This meeting," Cox went on gravely, "is not about either of you or your shortcomings, though a future meeting just might be." He turned his focus to the rest of the room. "This is about a rather serious event that occurred while I was in Africa investigating Mutumbo's murder." He shot the word accusingly at Mr. Parker. The Centre Chairman did not so much as blink.

Parker dared to look over at her brother who looked as curious as she felt. She snapped her attention back to Cox when she heard the man speak again.

"Someone," his eyes were still riveted to Mr. Parker, but as he spoke then moved to Raines and settled on the twins, "or someones assassinated Mutumbo's family. And I don't mean just his wife and children. I mean his wife, children, his children's spouses, grandchildren, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Everyone. Dead. The entire known lineage." He surveyed his shocked audience with delight.

Raines glanced worriedly at Mr. Parker, clearly upset by the announcement. Mr. Parker's frown deepened, but he did not appear surprised.

Lyle tipped his head ever so slightly in Parker's direction and caught her eye. They looked at each for a long moment, then Lyle raised an eyebrow. Parker faintly shook her head. A connection was established between the two for the fleetest of moments, gone quicker than it came.

They glared at each other.

It wasn't until they broke eye contact and saw their father's disapproving glare that they realized Cox was speaking again. Parker sighed aloud and Lyle groaned. The noises were barely audible, but they drew the speaker's attention anyway.

"I'm sorry," Cox's voice oozed with sarcasm and malice, "am I boring the two of you?" He began to circle the twins predatorily. "Because if I am, then perhaps I can change that. A T-board might interest you more?"

Parker, who had always found the man nauseating, unconsciously took a step toward her brother to put more distance between herself and Cox. She was about to retort nastily, but Lyle beat her to it.

"No, sir. I-" he glanced at Parker in warning, "We apologize; we're simply weary from," he paused briefly as he fumbled for a plausible excuse. "Searching for Jarod. It's been more maddening than usual."

Cox eyed him suspiciously, then Parker, and nodded, seemingly buying the lie.

"I'm not going to repeat myself," he said, turning brusquely on the twins. "I would be very scrupulous in what I do until this investigation is over if I were you. All of you. At this point everyone is suspect."

With a final glance of disgust at those around him, he spun on his heel to exit. When he was gone, Parker rolled her eyes dramatically and sneered, "What a-"

"Angel," Mr. Parker growled. He stood and walked around to the front of the desk. "Despite this little investigation of Cox's, nothing is to change. Nothing."

They nodded in comprehension, though Raines looked to be in an argumentative mood.

"All right," the chairman said in dismissal, "That's all."

Parker and Lyle were the first to the door.

"Except for you two."

Sydney flashed Parker an entertained grin. She turned her back on him in response.

"I'm not sure what's gotten into the two of you lately," Mr. Parker began unhappily. "But it had better end. I can't leave with the two of you like this."

"Leaving?" Parker cut in, upset. "Where?"

"Don't you worry about that, Angel," he replied dismissively. "The important thing is that you and your brother stick together. It's imperative that you do. Especially with Cox taking over."

"What?" It was Lyle's turn to gawk at their father. "Cox taking over? What does that mean?"

Mr. Parker frowned at his son. "It's only temporary- while the investigation is going on. He'll take my place while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" both progenies demanded vehemently.

"Not important." Mr. Parker drew his children close to him in side embraces. "What's important is that the two of work together. Trust no one but each other. Protect the Parker legacy, hm?"

"So that's it?" Parker snapped angrily. "You're not going tell us what's going on at all, are you?"

Mr. Parker blinked as though he didn't understand why she was so disconcerted. "I'll be back soon, don't you worry, Angel."

And with that he was gone.

The swearing began as soon as the elder Parker left the room.

"What you do you know about this?" Parker demanded of her brother as shegrabbed him by the jacket lapels.

"I could ask you the same thing," he retorted, slapping her hands away.

"You're a liar."

Lyle glared at her resentfully. "Oh, yeah, and you're such a saint."

Parker advanced on him, forcing him to back up. "Whenever Daddy starts talking about family and about us sticking together, it's usually because something big is about to blow up."

"And so you automatically assume that if it does I'm involved." Lyle's back was up against a wall... literally. His expression was unreadable, but below the calm exterior churned a rage that was ready to boil over.

Parker ground her teeth together in fury. "I know you're involved in this, Lyle," she spat. "I just don't know how yet."

Lyle clenched his teeth, barely able to restrain himself from pushing back at her the way she continued to push him. If she didn't stop jabbing him...

"Fine, fine, you caught me," he admitted sarcastically with over-exaggerated gestures. "I was involved all right. Yes, itwas my deviuosplotting to put Cox in charge of the Centre." His dramatics turned angry as he shouted, "To put Cox in the position that is rightfully mine!" He added a few choice expletives before lapsing into stony silence.

Parker growled at him. "I don't believe you."

Lyle rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I care?"

It could have and should have ended there, but Parker was in a pugnacious mood- partly out ofuncertainty ofherposition with her father's departure, partly out fear, and mostly out of loathing for her twin.Taking a step back, she folded her arms over her chest with a snarky gleam in her eyes."So," she drawled with a misanthropic smirk, "how'd the honeymoon go?"

Her brother's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

The smirk widened. "I'll admit that I was shocked to hear about the wedding. And even more shocked to learn that you're bride isn't a corpse," she paused to gauge his reaction- hewas turning red with fury. "Or wasn't. That may have changed since honeymooning at the Cabins O' Love. 'Til death do you part', isn't it?"

"Shut up, Parker." His tone was cool, clear, and dangerous.

"What did you do to convince this one to marry you, huh?"

"Shut. Up. Parker."

"Will Daddy and I be getting a wedding announcement or an obituary?"

Lyle suddenly jumped toward, ready to strike, when he abruptly stopped and collected himself. With a sneer as nasty as her own, Lyle stared her down. "My wife is very much alive," he said pointedly and politely. "And your cynicism toward courtship and marriage I can forgive." He flashed her a grin of benevolence and stepped around her. "Thomas was a smart man after all- he would have come to his senses before taking on the ball and chain that marriage to you would have been. No man would subject himself to that." He turned to face her again with a disdainful arrogance. "I don't expect that you'll ever understand marriage."

A deep agony and anger flared in his sister's eyes and too late did Lyle realize he had taken things too far. A sharp, blistering thwack stung his cheek where she slapped him, leaving him stupefied. By the time he regained his senses, she was gone.

Sullen, he left their father's office, stomping blindly through the exit. He was barely out of the office when he ran into Gogo who seemed to have been lying in wait for him.

Gazing up at him coyly through thick black lashes, she reached out for the hand covering his injured face.

"Your sister is a violent type, isn't she?" the girl remarked, sweetly.

Lyle grunted something less than flattering about Parker, not particularly in a sociable mood.

"She left quite a mark." Gogo pressed up against him, much to his annoyance.

"Nothing that won't heal," he muttered, attempting to move around her.

"I can take care of you, she murmured suggestively, running a sharp nail down his jaw and neck.

He paused, ostensibly considering the suggestion, before storming away, angrier that before.

Gogo watched him go, not at all offended by the rejection: he may have refused, but he did hesitate before doing so.

She smiled satisfactorily- it was a beginning that would lead to his end.