Margaret walks ahead of them while Parker secures the blanket around Adam as she carries him quickly to her front door. Behind her, she hears the clicking of cameras in between the barrage of questions being thrown at her from the journalists surrounding the gate. None of them try to breach the gate; none of them are brave enough.

Jarod is close behind her, so close she can feel him as she presses on through her opening entrance. She's barely through the door when Broots shoves it closed behind her and Jarod. She's glad Broots had the forethought to close the curtains for the ground floor. Parker's eyes adjust quickly to her dark living room as she notices Debbie hovering between the living room and kitchen at the bottom of the stairs.

Parker holds out her free arm to her. Debbie is at her side instantly, seeking reassurance and security from the turmoil of the last week. Adam wriggles under the blanket now that they've stopped moving, tugging it over his head to see where they are. He hadn't been happy about putting it on but he'd heeded his mother's insistence. To drive his point home, Adam frowns at Parker as he drops it to the floor, where Jarod retrieves it.

"I'm so happy you're home," Debbie says, looking up at her father's boss.

"We all are, it's been nuts this last week," Broots exclaims. "How are you all doing with…?" He nods awkwardly in the direction of Adam, hoping the kid himself won't notice.

Parker glances at Jarod, checking his soft gaze before answering. "We're getting there, Broots," she tells her assistant. "Broots, Debbie, this is Jarod's mother Margaret."

The older woman turns her head from staring fretfully at the door to the man and teenager in Parker's house. Broots' eyes widen comically as he recognises the woman from a photo, he's looked at so many times over the years. He stammers before holding out a hand to Jarod's mother.

"Hi Missus…" he trails off. "I'm sorry. I don't actually know your real surname," he apologises.

"Margaret is fine," the older woman reassures him. "I've used so many surnames over the years, it would feel strange to hear it after so long."

Broots sputters around a smile as their hands lower. "I thought McGonnell was coming back with you."

"He's gone on ahead to speak with the authorities to answer their questions they have on the dossier he gave them before we left," Parker answers, bringing Broots's attention to her. "How is Sydney?"

"His place is basically the same as yours," he gestures towards the front door and the army of journalists beyond. "He's worried about Angelo under this scrutiny."

Parker meets Jarod's eyes and nods once. They'll move Angelo overnight when there are fewer journalists at both properties. Thankfully, Sydney has an integrated garage at his place so Angelo won't get overwhelmed when they move him.

"Has my father made contact?"

Broots raises his eyebrows at Jarod. Jarod had told his father to stay away while they established themselves in Blue Cove and understood exactly what angle the federal investigators were taking on their involvement. The Major heard his son's reasoning but, ultimately, he wanted to reunite his whole family and face this new threat together rather than separated. Broots had the misfortune of being on the video call with them as they were organising Jarod and Parker's return to the States. Parker had stayed out of it even though she saw the strain Jarod caused for himself.

"Sydney told him to stay at White Cloud while you are giving your statements," Broots informs Jarod.

Parker swallows her sigh. Just a couple more days and this will, hopefully, be a moot point.

McGonnell was due to bring the agents to them for questioning tomorrow rather than going to their field offices in Delaware. They'd wanted to stay somewhere one of them could stay with Adam while the other was answering questions.

"Where are we?"

Parker's attention turns to her son's question. "This is my house, little man," she sets him on the floor. "You remember Mister Broots, don't you Adam?"

Adam looks at him and blinks in recognition. "He got me milk."

Broots points at the kitchen. "I got you milk, again."

"We got more than milk, Dad," Debbie points out, squeezing Parker in a hug before releasing her.

Parker covers her smile by touching her nose with the back of her index finger. "And this is Mister Broots's daughter, Debbie."

The girl crouches before Adam, who studies her. "Have you been here before?" He asks quietly.

"Yeah, Miss Parker babysat me sometimes for my dad," Debbie tells Adam. "Do you want me to show you around the house?"

Adam looks to Parker, who nods, before taking hold of Debbie's proffered hand. "We'll get you something to drink first."

Parker watches the children go into the kitchen. "Thank you, Broots."

"Now, I know you're rattled," Broots jokes uncomfortably. "But Debbie's right, you guys have groceries and stuff. I also got a couple of outfits and things you might need for Adam. Toothbrush, toothpaste, kid shampoo, to tide you over for now."

Parker flashes him a genuine smile, grateful at least one thing hasn't changed. "I'm grateful, Broots. In all of this, I didn't really consider whether I was set up for a child at home."

"You just wanted to bring your child home, I understand that," Broots replies kindly. "I'm still processing you two have a kid."

"Join the club," Jarod deadpans. "Thank you for your help, Broots, and for bringing Debbie. I know her safety is more important than anything."

"Which is part of the reason I'm here," the other man responds. "I feel a lot safer with you two than on our own. Call it selfish or self-preservation, I know you will make sure Debbie is protected if anything happens to me."

Parker thinks back to a few days ago when she and Jarod talked about making the same plans for Adam. She has a new level of empathy for the man she considers a brother. Maybe she was wrong when she said she wouldn't nominate anyone from her family to take care of Adam if anything happened to her and Jarod.

"So, what happens next?"

Broots and Margaret look between Jarod and Parker. They've been through this a dozen times since they planned their return to Blue Cove.

"We give our statements and answer questions. Be honest and hope for leniency," Jarod answers. "We have a fair idea of most of the files the NSA has accessed but it depends on the personal files of Mister Raines and Parker."

"McGonnell will bring agents here, as we discussed," Parker continues. "Then, once we know if the authorities have plans to charge us with anything, we'll be able to figure out how we're going to deal with the rest. I can't wait to get rid of the media circus out there, for starters."

"Well, I'm glad it's not going to be Jarod interrogating me this time," Broots says shooting a look at the pretender. He doesn't miss Parker cocking an eyebrow at the other man, either.

"What?" She archly questions. "When was this?"

Jarod sighs, the beginnings of a smile edging into his expression. "I posed as an NSA agent when Alex was hijacking my pretends. We found Broots at Tommy Thompson's home after Alex killed him." He looks at Broots. "To be honest, it was harder to interrogate you at the same time as giving you an alibi."

"All while giving me a hard time," her assistant says pointing to himself.

On cue, Parker reacts. Pointing between the men, she regally warns Jarod, "I'm the only one who terrorises Broots."

Jarod's smile grows into a full-blown laugh as he shakes his head at Broots. Neither of them will admit how Jarod gave him a hard time; that would give Jarod away just as much. Broots finds more reassurance in the fact that Jarod hasn't lost his sense of humour in all of this.

"Speaking of, Agent Zane is part of the task force. She recognised me after interviewing Sydney."

"Friend of yours?" Parker aims at Jarod. "Is she likely to hold a grudge?"

"She was Eddie's partner and a good agent," Jarod surmises. "At least she'll understand the secrets Eddie kept from her."

"That's if he hasn't been erased from the records," Parker interjects. "Remember, we knew nothing about Eddie or Alex until they surfaced."

"Who are these people?"

The three of them turn to Margaret, who, until now, remained a quiet observer.

"They were pretenders, Mom. We escaped together," Jarod answers. "Alex killed Eddie, then jumped into a lake a few days later. His body was never found."

Parker watches Margaret tilt her head to the side as she contemplates her son. She had remained focused on how her sons were taken; she hadn't considered other families lost their children. Jarod knew these people and he could have easily swapped roles with any one of them. She can barely fathom the effect that might have on her son.

There's a lot about Jarod Margaret doesn't know. Parker is acutely aware and knows the coming days will test them in the eyes of the world. They need to get a grip and hold fast as the Centre's darkest secrets are revealed to the world.

"Will you knock it off, Jarod?"

"I'm not doing anything wrong," he pouts.

"No, but you're making everyone around you uncomfortable. That's my job, not yours." Parker sits on her sofa and pulls a cushion into her lap. "It's been a surreal day and you're not helping."

Jarod sighs and slumps beside her, his head resting along the back of the sofa as he stares at the ceiling. "I've never argued with my dad before."

"No shit," Parker smiles. "It's fine, you'll apologise, you'll move on," she shrugs when he looks at her incredulous. "You haven't blown it, believe me. I would know."

He turns his head to the side to look at her. "Are you sure?"

She hits him square in the face with the pillow. "There is no way either of us lie to the other about our families."

Jarod sends her an approximation of a smile. They sit quietly as the house settles around them. Luckily, Parker has two guest rooms. Margaret is in one bedroom; Broots and Debbie are in the other. Adam is in her bed, fast asleep.

McGonnell sorted his own accommodation as he knew the summer house only held so many. He was understanding, he'd found somewhere big enough to house them all if need be. Parker, though grateful for his hospitality, wanted familiar surroundings to test the impact of their exposure.

"We aren't going to make a move without that lot out there watching," Parker grumbles.

"Gives us an alibi," Jarod counters.

"For what?"

Jarod shrugs.

"Do you think your father will be okay collecting Angelo to take him to Whitecloud? Will Angelo be okay?"

"Angelo knows more than we give him credit for. He probably knows what's going to happen before we do most of the time."

Parker bobs her head as she considers it. The empath does appear where he needs to be and when. She can't help thinking how this would be different if Angelo turned out to be her twin instead of Lyle.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Lyle."

"He's in prison, Parker."

"Doesn't mean he can't hurt us." She shrugs, that wasn't exactly her train of thought. "I was thinking about something he said to me at the funeral." Parker sighs. "'Get your god-damned head in the game, Parker, instead of losing it.'"

Jarod's brow furrows. "Why was he warning you?"

"I was provoking Raines." She waits a moment. "I don't know why it came back to me tonight."

"You're worried," Jarod states. "We need to take charge of our interaction with investigators."

Parker nods. "McGonnell has helped us, protected us when he could but he said he can't guarantee our safety forever."

She puts the cushion back in its place as she rises. "Come on, I'll set the alarm if you check the rear of the house."

Jarod lingers. "I was going to sleep down here, Parker."

Parker pauses. "I thought you would share with me and Adam."

He looks down at his hands. "I need to rest and your bedroom floor is less comfortable than your sofa."

"I wasn't expecting you to sleep on the floor, Jarod."

Jarod raises his eyes to look at her. They'd held this boundary when they were in England. She and Adam shared the bed while Jarod slept on the sofa in the room. That luxury wasn't available in her house. She has an armchair in her bedroom or the floor, yet he needs sleep before they face their interrogators.

He opens his mouth, to argue the point again, only she stops him.

"Adam has a tendency to starfish in his sleep, but there's more than enough space for you." Parker takes a deep breath. "You'll get more rest in the bed than down here and I would like you upstairs with us."

"This isn't a line we can uncross, Parker, be sure this is what you want," Jarod worries. "You wanted to wait."

"I did, I do," she explains. "Who knows if waiting will make this situation easier, we may never be ready to have that conversation." She breathes in. "I didn't offer at McGonnell's because he's a stranger, there was no way I was asking you in a house neither of us knew."

Parker's fears about their evolving relationship aside, safety had been paramount. Now she's home, she can breathe easier. It doesn't mean either one of them is ready to move forward physically. Besides sharing a bed with a toddler, it's not ideal with houseguests but she doubts their living arrangements will ever be normal going forward. They'll have to find time to be a family in between being sociable.

Jarod looks down at his hands for a long moment. When Parker decides that he's given her his answer, she turns towards the stairs. In a flash, Jarod vaults up from the sofa and is standing in front of her, blocking her path. "Parker," he whispers.

"Don't," she counters, shaking her head.

He brings his hands up to cup her cheeks to stop her motion. She doesn't fight him. Their eyes meet.

"I'm not asking for everything Parker, I know you can't give that to anyone," Jarod pleads. "I accept and respect that but I don't want you to make a decision you're not ready for."

"You told me you know I feel this, too. Here I am, admitting I do, and this is the one time you're not-."

"I am not rejecting you, I can't lose you if you change your mind."

Parker closes her eyes and sways forward into his arms, her cheek pressing against his. It's been so long since she let someone hold her. She relaxes slightly and they comfort each other, knowing she won't change her mind. Jarod shifts his head, turning into her neck as he lightly kisses her neck. It's a press of his lips, nothing more. He's testing the boundary; cautious and measured, he doesn't do it again until she tilts her head, granting him access.

Jarod is deliberate in his movements, his hands on her waist, his lips on her neck. Once, twice, he pulls back to meet her eyes before their lips meet. It's a soft brush before their mouths meet. Parker wraps her arms around his neck, her fingers carding through his hair as they finish what they started on Carthis. They lose themselves for several minutes before they disentangle from their embrace. Nothing more will happen tonight.

After they secure the ground floor, they meet again at the bottom of the stairs. Parker holds her hand out to Jarod to lead him to her room.

A/N

Thank you all for sticking with me. Your acceptance, patience and words mean more than I can express.

Real life has hit a stalemate. I'm trying to accept what is happening while waiting for the next steps which won't happen right away. It's something I will live with and will have to figure out how to do that.

Enough of that, I'm wrung out with real life. Fanfiction is an escape we all divulge in.

Confession time.

In terms of the movies, I preferred 2001 to Island of the Haunted for the simple reason that it kept the theme and tone of the series. While I liked the moments between Parker and Jarod, in my opinion, scrolls and prophecies didn't fit. I really wish they'd introduced Alex during the series, he could've been fleshed out a bit more. I also loved how he taunted and tried to bait Jarod with Parker – I always wondered what would happen if she ever found out about it or if Broots realised Jarod had feelings for Parker like he did. Not saying that's something I'll explore here, just my reasoning for deciding not to feature the scrolls in this story.

Anyone have any thoughts on this or is it just me?