Disclaimer - Not my characters. Just using them for fun.


Summer Joy
By Nicky


Chapter 1
*****************

Miss Parker sighs as a gentle breeze cools her wet skin. She opens her eyes and sees a blanket of stars covering her from above, their light a comforting presence to the silence around her. This time of night is her favorite for running, especially since discovering this little pond not far from the outer edge of her property. After a hard day, she tends to subject her body to an even harder jogging pace. And after her run, this pond has turned out to be the perfect place to take a relaxing swim to drown away the daily stresses that come from working at a place like the Centre.

The bright moonlight is suddenly obscured by a cloud and another breeze causes her to shiver. Looks like a storm. She really needs to get home before the rain starts. With reluctance, Miss Parker swims back to the bank and squeezes the water from her dripping hair. She pulls her t-shirt and leggings back over her wet underwear and slips her shoes on and begins the journey home. The hour is late and she keeps herself alert, realizing how dangerous it is being out this time of night. But it's the only time she can truly relax. It's the only time she can let her guard down and really enjoy the warm pond in privacy.

Sooner than she expects, Miss Parker finds herself climbing the steps of her deck leading to her back porch. The trip home seemed shorter than usual, probably because her mind was wandering more than usual. She's been like that the past few weeks. Distracted. Unsettled. And not really sure what the problem is. Actually, she knows exactly what the problem is. Her dreams are the problem. Or rather, one recurring dream in particular. Haunting is not the word to describe it. That one dream has been plaguing her waking hours as well as the sleeping ones, infusing itself into all aspects of her consciousness. She's found only one way to make any sense of the confusing images.

Miss Parker tips quietly into her mother's old art studio, honoring the silent sacredness of the place. She never really spent much time in here before a few weeks ago, before she started having the dream. But for some reason, this is now the only place she has any peace. It's as if the dream is leading her here. She flips the cover from the painting she's working on. She never realized how much of her mother's talent had been passed onto her until she picked up the brush one night and tried to paint what she saw in her dream. She's been working on it every night since and finally it's taking shape. She stares at the image of the little girl formed on the canvas. It's the girl she sees in her dream. She feels as if she knows her, but she can't for the life of her figure out who she is.

"It's beautiful."

Miss Parker spins around quickly at the voice behind her, not really knowing why she's so surprised. Just like she knew what to paint, she knew he'd find her here one day.

"Jarod. What are you doing here?" she asks out of routine. She knows that he's here for the same reason she is. And she has a feeling that he doesn't understand that reason anymore than she does.

"I need to talk to you. About her," he says, nodding his head toward the painting.

"What about her, Jarod? She's a figment of my imagination. An image from my dream. How would you know anything about her?" Those are the questions she knows she must ask to play the 'game' that's become the essence of their lives. But she knows that he has as much at stake in this as she does. Whatever answers she hopes to find will be answers for Jarod as well.

"Her eyes," he says absently, still staring at the painting. "You've got them wrong. The color is more . . . intense. They're the same color blue as your eyes get when you get your mind set on something." He smiles dreamily, recalling a memory from the past. "I remember that day you kissed me. I could tell the moment you made up your mind to do it. You looked at me and the instant before your lips touched mine, your eyes turned this amazing shade of blue I don't think I've ever seen anywhere else. Until recently. Until I saw it in this girl's eyes."

"Her eyes are the same color as mine?"

"Not just the same color, Miss Parker," he whispers. "The same eyes. She has your eyes. And she . . . "

"She what?" Miss Parker asks, although she's not sure she wants to know the answer. She can tell by his hesitation and by the look on his face that what he has to say is something that even he is having trouble dealing with.

"She has my nose. And my smile, but with that cute little overbite of yours that you spent two years in braces correcting." He pulls out an envelope from his pocket and hands it over to her, watching as she pulls out a stack of pictures to flip through. "She's not your dream, Miss Parker. She's very real."

"Jarod, who is this girl?" she asks, her hands shaking with each picture she sees. "Why does she look so much like . . . "

"Like how you did when you were that age?" he finishes for her. "I don't know the answer to that question. All I know is that for some reason, you've been dreaming of her. And for some reason, I was drawn to her. I think we were meant to find her. And now that I have, I want to keep her. But to do that, I'm going to need your help. That's why I'm here."

She looks up at him in shock, not sure at what to say at that.

"My help?" she gasps out. "What do you mean? You want to me to help you kidnap her or something?"

"No, nothing like that. Although, the thought did cross my mind," he chuckles. "But an aggressive approach like that would cause too much attention. I need to do this as quietly as possible, in case the Centre has anything to do with her existence."

"Which they probably do," she sighs in resignation as she looks at one of the pictures of the girl. "I can see so much of both of us in her."

"That's why I have to get to her and keep her safe. Will you help me?"

Miss Parker can't seem to keep her eyes from the pictures in her hand. At first, the girl was just an abstract image in her dream. But now, she's a real, living breathing person, who quite possibly belongs to her. No, scratch that. This little girl very probably belongs to her. She's almost certain of it. And because of that, despite any doubts she may be having, everything in her is telling her to do this. To help Jarod.

"Okay," she says quietly, nodding her head to show her agreement. "I'll do it. I'll help you."

"Great," he smiles excitedly. "Thank you so much."

"What do I need to do?"

"Not much for now. You'll be getting a call in the morning from your father forcing you on a mandatory vacation," he explains. "If he asks your plans, just tell him you'll be traveling for the next few weeks or so. That should give us enough time to do what we need to do."

"How did you manage that?" she asks incredulously. At the smug look on his face, she quickly decides she doesn't want to know. "Never mind, don't tell me. Although, I'm guessing you just assumed all along I'd be helping you on your little mission."

"Anyway," he smiles again, ignoring her comment. "We can leave as soon as you get that call."

"I guess that means you're staying here tonight," she sighs, rolling her eyes at the twinkle he gets in his own eyes. She walks past him out the studio and to the linen closet where she pulls out a blanket and pillow for him. "Honeymoon's over, Loverboy. You're sleeping on the couch. Goodnight." She heads up the stairs to her own bedroom, leaving him in shock at her unexpected innuendo.

"Wrong Sweetheart. The honeymoon's just beginning," he mumbles to himself.

"Jarod," she calls out, stopping in the middle of her trek up the stairs. She turns back around to face him.

"Yeah?" he squeaks, suddenly afraid that she heard his muttered comment. But the serious look on her face tells him that this has nothing to with that.

"The little girl. What's her name?" She bites on her lip nervously. It's a habit he knows she's had all her life that only manifests itself when she's truly worried about something. It takes all the self-control Jarod has not to run to her and pull her into his arms to comfort. But he also knows her well enough to know that gesture would only upset her more.

"Summer," he smiles, trying to reassure her from afar. "Her name is Summer Joy."


Chapter 2
*****************


The room is not much more than a classroom converted into a playroom by the school. Jarod, pretending to be a child psychologist, convinced them that it was the best setting to conduct his counseling sessions with students. He gives Miss Parker a quick tour of the place while they wait.

"So all that time we wasted looking for you for the past few months and you've been right here playing a shrink the whole time?" she asks, picking up the name plate from the desk and tracing the words 'Dr. Jarod Hamilton' with her finger.

"Well, most of the time," he says with that little smirk of his that she's not sure if she wants to slap or kiss off of him. At the moment, she's too nervous to do either. She returns the nameplate to its proper place and searches for something else to fidget with.

"Relax. She should be here in a few minutes, Miss Parker," he says gently, grabbing her hands to stop her from wringing them. "Or should I say Mrs. Hamilton?" He chuckles at the flush staining her cheeks.

"You would think this was funny, Jarod. Oh, excuse me, Dr. Hamilton," she says sarcastically. "Only you would think to pull me into this little pretend of yours as your wife. Why do we have to be married anyway?"

"I told you. If I just took Summer, it would cause too much attention. She lives in a children's home just outside of town and has been passed over a few times for being adopted. Us pretending to be married and looking to adopt her is the perfect way to get her, legally and for good."

"And this is really going to work?" she asks dubiously. "You think we'll be able to be convincing as a married couple, Jarod? A *happily* married couple?"

"Dr. Hamilton," a voice drawls over the intercom, stopping him from answering that question. "Summer Dawson is here for her one o'clock appointment with you."

"Thank you, Susan. Send her in." He looks up at Miss Parker and can see her nervousness has returned.

"Do you really think is a good idea? I mean, me being here?" she asks him. "She's used to you already. Won't she be afraid of meeting someone new?"

"I've been counseling Summer for awhile now. She's the happiest, most easy going child around. She definitely lives up to her name," Jarod smiles. He takes her hand again and gives it a gentle squeeze before walking to the door. A little ball of energy flies through just as he opens it, grabbing onto to Jarod's leg and squealing with delight.

"Jarod," she screeches, holding her arms up to him. He bends down and lifts her up, giving her a quick hug.

"Hey Summer. It's good to see you today." He shifts her to his hip and walks toward the side of the room where Miss Parker seems to be frozen in place.

"Who's she?" Summer asks shyly when she notices the woman. She immediately puts a thumb in her mouth and buries her head in Jarod's shoulder.

"Just a nice lady I wanted you to meet. Summer, this is my wife, Parker."

"Hi Parker," Summer says sweetly with an easy smile. She reaches her arms out and waits patiently for Miss Parker to take her. Miss Parker can do no more than comply with her wishes and takes her from Jarod.

"Hi Summer," Miss Parker says once the girl is situated in her arms, her discomfort melting away with each passing second. It feels surprisingly natural to be holding the child. "It's very nice to meet you."

"She's pretty, Jarod. I like her a lot," Summer says.

"Well thank you, Summer. I like her, too. I think I'll keep her," Jarod smiles, winking at Miss Parker who once again feels the redness burn her cheeks. "Come on, young lady. It's time for us to get to work. And you know what day it is, don't you?"

"It's play day," Summer shrieks, clapping her hands with delight. She starts to squirm around, giving Miss Parker the hint she's ready to be put down. But before she runs off, she surprises Miss Parker yet again with a little kiss on the cheek. "Are you going to play with us too?"

Still reeling from the unexpected feelings coursing through her, she's again frozen in place, unable to speak. Her wide eyes, full of apprehension, make contact with Jarod and she viciously shakes her head to tell him no.

"Not today, Summer," he tells the girl. "Why don't you pick out a game and set it up. I need to talk to my wife out in the hall for a second, okay?"

He leads Miss Parker outside the little room and sees a few tears on her face. He closes the door behind them so that Summer won't overhear.

"I can't," she whispers. "I'm sorry. I know I told you that I . . . but I can't."

"It's okay, Miss Parker." He reaches up to her cheek to wipe away the tears. "I can understand how today would be a bit . . . overwhelming for you."

"Overwhelming is an understatement, Jarod," she chuckles mirthlessly. "Looking at her is like looking at pictures from my childhood. I know I saw her in the photos you brought me, but seeing her in person . . . I just didn't expect her eyes to be exactly like mine. Or for her smile to match yours perfectly. And those freckles. Jarod, I swear she has one right under her eye that's a bit darker than the others and is destined to become a mole just like the one you have. I knew hypothetically what to expect coming into this. But the reality of it is another story. It's one thing to see a picture, but nothing prepared me for this. She's real, Jarod. And she's ours. I'm positive of that."

"I believe she's ours, too," he nods solemnly. "I didn't want to risk a DNA test, but look at her. What more proof do we need?"

"What did they do? What reason could they possibly have had for making her?" she cries, falling into his outstretched arms as if it's something she does everyday.

"I don't know. I don't know why they made her or why they just threw her away. But I'm not going to let them hurt her ever again," he swears. "I'm getting her out of that children's home and with me where she belongs."

"I said I'd help and I meant it, Jarod. I just need some time to process it all," she explains, pulling herself from his comforting embrace.

"I know. And I understand." He places a kiss on her forehead before letting her go completely. "Are you going to be okay? I still have this session with Summer, but I can . . . "

"I'll be fine," she tells him, giving as much a smile as she can. "Go back to her. I'll see you later." She tries the smile again before turning and walking towards the exit.

"I certainly hope so," he sighs, watching her walk away. He understands her retreat. It's the way she deals with things. He just hopes she doesn't run far enough away where he'll never find her. He needs her. And the little girl inside that room needs her. And though she may not admit it, he knows Miss Parker needs them both. Hopefully she'll realize that before it's too late.

Chapter 3
*****************


Jarod returns home later that evening and is pleasantly surprised to see Miss Parker waiting for him. He wasn't sure she'd be there after that hasty exit she made earlier that day. He's relieved to know she didn't break her promise. He wouldn't have blamed her if she did, but he's glad she didn't. He's glad she's still here.

"Hey," he calls out to Miss Parker gently, trying to not scare her. But when he walks into the room he hopes to one day be Summer's, he sees that she's sitting in the middle of a pile of clothes and looking a bit flustered. The clothes were spread out all over the place. Lots of clothes. Lots of little clothes he doesn't remember buying. "What's going on in here?"

"Hi, Jarod." She looks up from her spot on the floor and gives him an embarrassed smile. "I guess you're wondering where all of this came from."

"The thought did cross my mind," he says, trying to hold back a grin. He sits next to her and lifts up a small t-shirt with the price tag still on it.

"I was a little upset when I left you today. So I drove around awhile and ended up at a department store. Shopping tends to soothe me, so I did some. Did you know they had such cute clothes for little girls? I couldn't resist." She holds up a tiny pair of flare leg jeans and smiles at how cute they are.

"Couldn't resist what? Buying out the whole store?" he laughs. He picks up a little bathing suit and wrinkles his nose. "A bikini, Parker? She's three years old. Why did you get her a bikini?"

"Because it matches the one I bought for myself," she says with a suggestive rise of her eyebrows.

"Ooh. I think I need to see that. Are you going to model it for me?" he replies, in an equally suggestive tone.

"Oh, so a bikini is good enough for me, but you wouldn't want to see one on your dau . . ." she pauses abruptly, the words she's saying finally sinking in. She sits back against the bed and lets out a shaky breath. "Wow, Jarod. We have a child. I still can't wrap my mind around that."

"Me either," he says, grabbing her hand, holding it in his own in what has become a symbol of comfort for them both. "You know, if you're not sure about this, it's not too late to back out. I don't want to force you . . . ."

"I've already been forced, Jarod," she interrupts him. "But that's beside the point. She may have been created without my consent or knowledge, but she's here now and I have to take responsibility for her."

"*We* have to take responsibility. She belongs to both of us. But right now we need to focus on getting her. I think this adoption thing will work."

"When do we get started?" she asks him.

"It's mostly done, actually. The paperwork and everything. I had to forge most of the documents, so it was easier to get all that out the way. And I don't think there's going to be much resistance to us adopting her because she's pretty much in the 'unadoptable' category."

"But why? She's so beautiful and so sweet? Why wouldn't anyone want her?"

"Well, for one thing, she's not a baby. Most people want babies. But she's young enough for most of the prospective parents to give her a chance. But the few parents she's visited with brought her back because of her nightmares. They couldn't deal with them," Jarod explains. "Ironically, that's how I met Summer. Mrs. Pritchard from the children's home heard about the counseling sessions I give at the school. She brought Summer to me to see if I could uncover what's behind the nightmares. After a week or so, she noticed how well Summer and I got along and asked if my wife and I were looking to adopt."

"Your wife? She thought you were married?"

"Yeah," Jarod blushes. "I've pretended to be a teacher before. Let's just say that those single mothers were pretty relentless in their efforts to seduce me."

"Oh, you poor baby," she teases.

"Anyway, I decided to wear a wedding band this time around to head off the unwanted attention."

"So this Mrs. Pritchard. I assume she's going to want to meet me or something. I'm sure she's not just going to hand Summer over to us without some sort of evaluation," Miss Parker says.

"How does tomorrow sound for you? I don't have any sessions scheduled, so I told her to come by then. If all goes well, Summer will stay the week with us as a trial."

"Here?" she squeaks. "In this house with us? Jarod, there are only two bedrooms. Where are you going to sleep if she's going to be here?"

His only response is a wink and a leer. He stands to his feet, leaving her in stunned silence on the floor.

"I'm going to the store to make sure we have enough food and stuff. You need anything?" She just shakes her head. He chuckles at her reaction and then turns to leave.

After he's gone, she manages to shake some sense back into herself. She doesn't know why the sleeping arrangements are so shocking to her. They're both adults. Surely they can handle sleeping in the same bed for a week. There's nothing really to fear. She's sure Jarod will be a perfect gentleman. She wonders briefly to herself why that thought is suddenly so disappointing to her before shoving aside that line of thinking. With Summer coming tomorrow, there's work to be done. No time to hope for slightly less than noble intentions from her pretend husband.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Miss Parker watches as Jarod makes one last lap around the house, making sure everything is in order. His nervousness is starting to drive her crazy.

"Jarod, will you just sit down?" she snaps at him.

"Sorry," he apologizes, giving her a sheepish look. "I just want this to be perfect. Mrs. Pritchard can't be suspicious about us. I don't want any more delays in getting Summer."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she reassures him. But her words are for herself as much as they are for him. She's pretty nervous about the whole thing, too. "How about we go over our story one last time?"

"That's a good idea," he nods. "We're sticking as close to the truth as possible, right? We grew up together. You went away to school and when you came back, we ended up working at the same . . . research facility."

"Oh, is that what we're calling the Centre?" she laughs, picking up the story where he left off. "You saw me again and fell madly in love with me and pursued me relentlessly."

"I pursued you? Come on, Miss Parker. I thought we were sticking to the truth here. I'd say you were the one doing most of the chasing."

"Whatever, Jarod," she says, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you just shove your little story up your . . . "

"Ooh, I'd watch that if I were you, Miss Parker," he grins, amused at her how much he's annoying her. "None of that filthy language around our child. Also, no smoking. No drinking. And while we're at it, I better make sure your gun is well out of reach."

"Anything else about my personality that you find so offensive?" she growls.

"Just one more thing," he smirks. He pulls out a cell phone and hands it to her. "Here, just for practice. When you hear that ringing sound coming out of it, the thing to say is *hello*," he enunciates slowly, dissolving into a fit of giggles. "Not *what*. Hello."

"Funny, Jarod," she says sarcastically, shooting an annoyed grin at him that only makes him laugh harder at her. "You think you're the great pretender, but just watch me. I'm going to charm the pants off Mrs. Pritchard."

"Sounds intriguing. Why haven't you ever tried that with me?" he asks, his eyes flashing mischief.

"Because based on some of the women of yours I met throughout the years of chasing you, I can see that it doesn't take much to get your pants off, Jarod," she groans in exasperation, trying to hide her jealousy. It bothered her more than she cared to admit meeting some of the women left in his wake. Especially that FBI Agent. What was her name? Rachel?

"Someone sounds jealous," he grins smugly.

"Shut up," she snaps, not even bothering to deny it. She knows she wouldn't be able to pull that lie off. "Will you just stop with the lame flirting attempts and focus on what we're doing?"

A knock on the door stops the verbal sparring match going on between the two. They stare at the door in stunned silence for a few endless seconds before Jarod lets out a deep breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

"I guess this is when you start to charm my pants off," he quips. But she can see how nervous he really is and appreciates his attempt at levity.

"Just wait, Jarod. After this performance, you'll be wanting to give me a lot more than your pants," she says with a wicked little smile and wink that shocks the breath right back out of him. He has a feeling he's about to see a side of Miss Parker he never knew existed. He doesn't know whether to be afraid or excited. Maybe even slightly aroused. In any case, he knows it's going to be a performance he doesn't want to miss.


Chapter 4
*****************


"Come in," he hears Miss Parker say as sunlight streams through the open door. "You must be Mrs. Pritchard."

"Hi Parker," Summer chirps cheerfully as she runs into the house and throws her arms briefly around Miss Parker's legs before running past her and jumping into Jarod's outstretched arms.

"And based on Summer's reaction, I'd say you're Jarod's wife and that we're definitely in the right place," Mrs. Pritchard smiles cheerfully, offering her hand to shake. "It's good to finally meet you. Summer couldn't stop talking about the two of you last night. I have a feeling this is going to work out for everyone."

"We hope so," Jarod says, walking up behind Miss Parker with an armful of Summer.

"Silly me. Where are my manners?" Miss Parker says sweetly. "Please come in, Mrs. Pritchard. Would you like something to drink? Jarod, Honey. Go get some iced tea." She has to stifle a laugh when Jarod looks at her as if he's never seen her before. She admits, she may be laying it on a little thick.

"That would be nice. Thank you." Mrs. Pritchard sits in the seat offered to her and glances around the room in awe. "Your home is lovely, Mrs. Hamilton."

"Call me Parker, please," she insists, tossing another sweet and frighteningly sincere looking smile Jarod notices as he makes his way back into the living room with the drinks. "And thank you. But I'm afraid I can't take the credit for it. Jarod did everything here. I was taking care of moving us out of our old house. Jarod handled moving us into here, didn't you Sweetie."

Jarod is glad his back is to Mrs. Pritchard to hide his reaction. So far, he's gotten a 'Honey' and now a 'Sweetie' from Miss Parker. He wonders what else she has up her sleeve.

"A brave woman, you are," Mrs. Pritchard laughs. "I can't trust my husband to keep the garage cleaned, let alone picking out and decorating an entire house."

"Well, I trust him," Miss Parker says, gazing at Jarod. She takes his hand and gives it a little squeeze for effect, giving him a look of love that takes his breath away yet again. If she's not careful, he might just keel over before the day is over, he thinks to himself. She's better than he expected. The looks, the glances, the touches. They all seem so real. He smiles back at her and tosses his free arm over her shoulder.

"I trust him with everything I have," she says, tucking herself easily into his embrace. If she had a moment to think about it, the ease of getting used to Jarod's touch would be a bit disconcerting.

"You two are just so sweet," Mrs. Pritchard comments with a dreamy look in her eyes. "I can see how much love you have to give. I'm surprised you don't have children already, though. Jarod tells me you've been married for about six years."

"We've been trying," Jarod says solemnly, tightening his grip around her. "But it hasn't worked out yet."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Mrs. Pritchard gasps. "I didn't know."

"Don't be. We're fine about it," Miss Parker assures her. "If it's God's will, it'll happen in His time. Who knows, maybe *this* is His Will - for Summer to be our first born. Maybe this is just meant to be."

She almost loses it at the look of wide eyed shock on Jarod's face. They both are trying to hard not to laugh. But a comment comes from their guest that sobers their amusement.

"I think I've heard enough here," Mrs. Pritchard says with a sigh as she puts away her pen and notepad.

Jarod and Miss Parker nervously glance at each other. The amusement is gone and panic has taken its place. He can see her starting to blame herself for possibly taking her act a bit too far.

"S-so you're leaving?" he stutters, trying desperately to hide any other signs of fear in his quivering voice.

"I don't have any other questions," Mrs. Pritchard says, before a big smile spreads across her face. "As far as I'm concerned, the two of you are perfect candidates. If after a week with Summer this is what you still want, then I'll do my best to help the adoption go through as quickly as possible."

"Really?" Miss Parker asks with some surprise. A few tears well up in her eyes and neither she nor Jarod are sure if they're just a part of the act. She's genuinely happy things seem to be working out the way they hoped.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton. It looks like it's a girl."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Pritchard," Jarod says, shaking her hand vigorously.

"No thanks are necessary, Jarod. Just take care of that little girl. Summer, why don't you come out and get your backpack from the car. You're going to stay with Jarod and his wife for a few days. Would you like that?"

Summer nods her head with a big smile and runs out the house behind Mrs. Pritchard. After they're gone, Jarod lets go of the chuckle that's been plaguing him the whole afternoon. Now that the stress of meeting with Mrs. Pritchard is over, he can breathe a sigh of relief.

"God's will? Parker, I never pictured you the meek, God-fearing, house wife. You were incredible," he laughs.

"You couldn't have been that impressed," she says, slowly walking towards him with another one of those *looks* in her eyes. The sultry tone of her voice stops him mid-laugh and makes his knees tremble. "You still have your pants on."

"That's a problem that can be easily remedied," he whispers huskily.

"I swear you are too easy," she laughs, giving him a knowing look. "And here I was thinking all those women took advantage of poor, innocent Jarod. Looks to me like you couldn't whip it out fast enough."

"You really are jealous," he realizes, watching in amazement as her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"What makes you think that?" she asks, trying to sound not guilty.

"Well, this is the second time you've mentioned 'all my women'. Let me get a few things straight. First of all, there weren't that many. Just two or three, one fairly serious."

"Which one was she? The serious one?" she hears herself asking. Her voice is shaky and quiet. Almost a whisper and he has to strain to hear her.

"Her name is Zoë," he tells her.

"The one Lyle and Cox kidnapped?" He just nods. "I heard about what happened, Jarod. I'm sorry they pulled her into all of that."

"She was okay. My dad helped me rescue her. Unfortunately after that, she didn't think my um . . . adventurous lifestyle was compatible with her safety. I haven't seen her since."

"Did you love her?"

"I loved being with her," he answers after a few moments to think. He didn't expect that question from her and takes a second to wonder why she's asking it. "But no. I didn't love her. I guess it's for the best she left when she did. Before she really got hurt."

"Like Thomas."

"Yeah. Like Thomas." They both offer a moment of silence for their friend lost to the Centre war. Eventually, curiosity starts to burns away at him as he blurts out, "Did you love him?"

"Yes," she answers without hesitation. "I loved him as much as I could. Enough to be willing to go away and make a life with him. But I wasn't in love with him," she admits.

They endure an awkward silence while they contemplate the significance of the conversation that just passed. Jarod bites his lip and wonders to himself why he's feeling jealous of a dead man who happened to own Miss Parker's heart for awhile. At the same time, Miss Parker wonders why her heart leapt for joy when Jarod admitted to not loving the woman he considered himself serious with. Summer comes back into the house and surprises them both. No time for those thoughts now. They have a week to get through with Summer. They have to focus on that.


Interlude 1
*****************

Dear Diary. An interesting development. A woman. His wife, to be exact. And a child. The woman is tall. Beautiful. With dark hair and blue eyes. They seem to make a good couple. The child is a girl. She looks like the woman. But I can also see a lot of him in her. Obviously their child. And an extra challenge. But one I won't back down from. They may be a perfectly happy family now. But they won't be for much longer. Not if I have anything to do with it.


Chapter 5
*****************


The nightmares start three days later. Miss Parker hears and sits straight up in the bed, untangling herself from Jarod's long legs. She doesn't understand how, no matter how far apart they start the night off, they end up practically wrapped around each other by morning.

"Jarod," she whispers, nudging his chest with her elbow. "Did you hear that?"

A muffled cry drifts down the hall and both of them sleepily get up to investigate. They come to Summer's room and find the girl huddled in a little ball in the middle of her bed. Jarod sits down and pulls her into his lap.

"What's wrong, Summer?" he asks gently, sweeping her curly hair from out of her eyes.

"I had a bad dream," she sniffles.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Summer shakes her head and starts to shake. He has to try and calm her again. "It's okay, Sweetie. You don't have to say anything. Why don't you lay back down and try to go back to sleep." She shakes her head again and clings even tighter to him.

"Do you want to come sleep with us, Summer?" Miss Parker asks. She can see how scared the little girl is and is reminded of her own nightmares as a child. The only thing that would comfort her was falling asleep in the bed between her parents.

Summer quickly nods and reaches up for Miss Parker. Miss Parker eagerly draws the small girl into her arms, finding herself unable to deny her anything. They all go back to the master bedroom and settle in the big bed. Sleep quickly reclaims Jarod and Summer while Miss Parker breathes a little easier having a physical barrier between Jarod and herself. Just like she's unable to resist Summer, she's finding it harder and harder to resist Jarod. And she can't allow that, not when she has to go back to the Centre eventually. She can't allow herself to fall into the trap of feeling like Summer's mother or Jarod's wife. It will just break her heart when it's all over. And like all good things in her life, she knows this will be over soon. Keeping her distance is the key, she chants to herself like a mantra. But as sleep overtakes her, she feels Summer roll over and snuggle into her chest, and doesn't do anything to stop her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Miss Parker wakes to an empty bed and wonders where Jarod and Summer went. She hears a happy giggle float from the living room and realize that they're probably already up. She slips on a robe and wanders down the stairs to find them.

"Cartoons, Jarod?" she asks him when she sees them huddled on the couch cracking up at the antics of the Rugrats.

"I hear this is what kids like to do on Saturday mornings," he shrugs and blushes slightly. It's kind of cute when he's embarrassed, she thinks to herself before she realizes the thought went through her head. She really needed to stop thinking things like that. Fortunately, the ringing doorbell distracts her from any further thoughts she shouldn't be having.

"I'll get it," she says almost too quickly. She walks to the front door and swings it open and is shocked to find herself face to face with an equally surprised woman. "Can I help you?" she says when she recovers a bit.

"I'm sorry. I was looking for Jarod," the woman says slowly, looking over Miss Parker's shoulder into the house. "Is he here?"

"Parker, who's at the door?" Jarod asks, coming up behind her before he recognizes their guest. "Oh, hey Kristen. I see you've met my wife, Parker. Honey, this is our neighbor, Kristen Briggs."

"Nice to meet you, Parker," the woman says, not even taking her eyes off of Jarod. "Jarod mentioned you, but he's been here all alone for so long, that I forgot you were supposed to be joining him."

"Well, I'm here now," Miss Parker says icily. "He won't have to be alone anymore. Can we help you with something, Krista?"

"It's Kristen," she corrects. "And actually, I just need Jarod. I know this is late notice, but I was wondering if I could bum a ride off of you. My husband stayed out all night again with the car hasn't gotten back yet. Would you mind terribly if I rode with you to the school? Alexa has her ballet class today."

"Alexa?" Miss Parker asks curiously.

"She's my little girl," Kristen explains impatiently before turning her pleading eyes back to Jarod.

"I actually don't have any sessions today, Kristen. But I wouldn't mind dropping you off. Give me a second to get dressed."

"Thank you so much, Jarod," she says with a huge smile. "I really appreciate this. I'll just go get Alexa ready." She smiles again before dashing off across the lawn and into her house.

"Do you want me to take Summer or will you be okay here with her by yourself? I know you haven't spent a lot of time alone with her these past few days."

"No, we'll be fine," she says shortly. "Go take Kristen and Alexa."

"You okay?" he asks when he notices her tone. She seems kind of upset.

"Fine," she says before walking away. She takes his spot on the couch next to Summer and stares at the TV as if it were the most interesting thing in the world to her. She couldn't be jealous, could she? He dismisses that notion with a shrug, running up the stairs two at a time. He has to hurry. The sooner he drops Kristen and Alexa off, the sooner he'll be able to get back to Miss Parker and Summer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Miss Parker flips angrily through a magazine, not even reading the pages as she passes them. She looks at the clock again and notices that another agonizing ten minutes have gone by. That makes a total of two hours and forty nine minutes. How long does a ballet class last anyway?

Twenty minutes later, she finally hears the car pull into the driveway. She tries to focus even harder on reading the magazine, or at least looking as if she's really reading it when Jarod walks in.

"Don't make a fool of me," is what greets him when he steps into the living room.

"What?" he asks, confused at the statement. He sits next to her on the couch, waiting for her to clarify. She turns to face him and the iciness in her eyes cause him to shiver.

"I don't care what you do or who you do it with, just don't make a fool of me while I'm your wife, pretend or otherwise."

"Miss Parker. What's this about? I called and told you that I was going to stay and take care of paperwork at my office while Kristen took Alexa to ballet so that I could bring them home. I thought you were alright with that."

"Paperwork?" She shakes her head incredulously. "Not the most original excuse, Jarod. Trust me on that one."

"Excuse for what?" he asks defensively. "You think I got something going on with the neighbor? You think I brought you here just so that I can sneak off to be with her?"

"You're right. It sounds crazy when you say it that way," she sighs. "I'm sorry. It's just in my experience, when men start to say they're at the office doing 'Paperwork', that's when I know there's some blond twenty year old in the world with that name. Men have left their wives for me. I guess it's only karma that they'd leave me to go to other women as well."

"Miss Parker, we've known each other all our lives. There's been a lot of good and bad between us. But one thing we've always had is trust. I value that trust. I wouldn't betray it," he vows, suddenly understanding what has her so upset. "I'm sorry all those men have hurt you in the past."

"Just forget it," she mumbles, leaning over to tie her sneakers. "It was stupid of me to feel the way I was feeling."

"Don't do that, Miss Parker. Never apologize for the way you're feeling."

"And don't play your head shrinking games with me, Jarod," she snaps. "I get enough of that from Sydney."

"But Parker . . ."

"I said forget it," she yells, before remembering the sleeping child and lowering her voice. "Summer's taking a nap. I'm going out for a run."

"Okay," he nods, watching her tuck her hair into an Old Navy baseball cap. He wants so badly to call her back and reassure her that there could never be anything between him and the neighbor, but thinks otherwise. Maybe getting out for a run is all she needs to calm down a bit. And when she gets back, they can have a nice evening with Summer. That's all he really wants - to spend time with his family, such as it is.

He waits until she's out the door before he stands to go into the kitchen. He looks around and notices how spotless it is. She must be really mad at him, he surmises. He knows that she only cleans like that when she's angry. But what he can't figure out is why she's so upset. Could she really be jealous of Kristen? Or just mad that he left her alone with Summer for most of the day. In any case, he has to make sure he never repeats either of those mistakes. He hates her being upset. Especially at him.

"Where's Parker?"

Jarod spins around and sees a teary Summer standing in the doorway clutching a small stuff panda bear that Miss Parker gave her two days ago. He bends down and lifts the small girl in his arms, giving her a quick hug.

"She went for a run," Jarod explains to her. "I thought you were napping."

"Had a bad dream," Summer says with a sniff, her little lip starting to quiver. "Is she coming back? She yelled when she left."

"You heard that?" Jarod asks, a frown pulling on his lips. Summer just nods and sticks her thumb in her mouth.

"Is she mad at me?" she asks around the digit.

"No, Honey. Of course she isn't," he says quickly to reassure her. "If she's mad at anybody, it's me. I took our next door neighbor, Mrs. Briggs, and her daughter Alexa into town and was gone for a really long time. Parker got upset with me. But she just went out for a run. She'll be back. I promise."

"I don't want her to go away," Summer whispers, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Me neither, Summer," he admits with a great sigh. And at that instant, he realizes it's true. He really doesn't want Parker to leave. The past three days have been like a dream he never thought would come true. To the outside world, they were three people trying to put a family together. But the same thing has been happening in the home, in their hearts. And now, the thought of being without Parker or without Summer breaks his heart. It doesn't feel like one big pretend anymore. It's very real to him. Their family is very real to him. He decides he'll do everything in his power to keep it together.


Interlude 2
****************
It's me again, Diary. I followed her today just to see where she goes on these little excursions. She's very driven. Relentless in her pursuit of something unknown to me. I can hardly keep up with her as she continues, step after step pounding the pavement. She really is beautiful. I can see what he loves so much about her. Everything about her is perfect. Her hair, although she keeps it hidden beneath the cap while she runs, usually hangs loose and free, framing her blemish-free face. She sticks out a perfectly pink tongue to wet two just right lips. Just the right size. Just the right color. I'm sure he loves kissing those lips. But the best is her eyes. A stormy blue that can stare straight into your soul and either chill you or ignite the flame of passion. All together, the package is too good to pass up. But he'll have to. They don't belong together. The sooner they realize that, the better off we'll all be. She senses I'm here. And as much as I'd love to reveal myself and my intentions to her, now is not the time. But soon. Soon, everything will be as it should.


Chapter 6
*****************


Miss Parker runs through a clearing towards a patch of trees. A familiar sound beckons her and her feet can't help but to obey. A few minutes later, she's rewarded when the trees end at the bank of a small lake. She looks around and notices all the wildlife. Too much wildlife to risk swimming in the water. But the she finds the solitude comforting. Almost as comforting as her own pond at home.

She walks around, finding small pebbles to toss into the water. This is just like a scene from her childhood, she thinks with a smile. Going up the lake house with her momma. They would spend their days together walking and reading and exploring. But at night, she'd sneak out and find the lake, throwing in rock after rock until her arm got tired. She wonders if Jarod has ever done the same? She'll have to bring him one day, she thinks to herself with some surprise. Why is she thinking about Jarod at a time like this? Why would she want Jarod to intrude on her private place? Because she wants to share things like this with him, she realizes. She wants to share good moments with him. And with their daughter. Unfortunately that won't be possible, she sighs sadly.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she picks up on the sensation of being watched. She spins around quickly, scanning the trees for anything out of place. Not finding anything, she decides to leave anyway, the tranquility of the moment broken. In fact, she's now got a sudden case of the creeps she can't get rid of. She quickly jogs through the trees, only slowing when she reaches the wide open clearing. She looks around one last time before continuing home, trying to shake off her bad feeling. Whatever just happened in those woods, she now has the sudden urge to get back home. To get back to her family.

She makes it back to the house in record time, pausing again when she feels more eyes on her. She looks at the neighboring houses and finds a man leering at her.

"Can I help you?" she asks cautiously.

"No, Darlin'. But perhaps I can help *you* with something," he says gruffly, a sneer forming on his lips. "You live there?"

"Yes. I'm Jarod's wife," she says quickly, not caring how old fashioned and out dated it sounds, as if she belongs to Jarod. At the moment, she just wanted to get away from this creepy guy.

"Oh, him," the man frowns. "Well, hopefully now my wife can stop flirting with him."

'Another one?' Parker thinks to herself with a scowl, wondering exactly how man women she's going to have to chase away from Jarod. But then she notices who's house the man is standing in front of and realizes who's husband he must be.

"So you're Mr. Briggs, I presume," she says.

"That's right. James Briggs. But all my friends call me Jimmy. But you," he says, looking at her slowly up and down, eyes pausing at her chest level. "You can call me Jimbo."

"That's awfully nice of you, Jimbo," she says, unable to hide the disgust on her face. "But I don't think I'll be calling you at all." She rolls her eyes at him and continues on into the house.

"Honey, I'm home," she yells out, in hopes that her new friend next door will hear how happily married she's pretending to be. Maybe he'll get the picture and leave her alone.

"That's good. Because we missed you, Darling," Jarod says with a smirk as he walks out of the kitchen.

"Don't call me that," she snaps, startling him with her abruptness.

"Sorry," he apologizes, lips instantly sticking out into a pout.

"No, I'm sorry. It's not you," she says in a softer tone. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. I just met our neighbor. Your little girlfriend's husband."

"Kristen is not my . . . "

"Lighten up, Jarod," she says with a laugh. "It was a joke."

"Oh," he sighs. "Well, I knew how earlier you thought . . . and I didn't want you to think that I would . . . "

"I understand," she smiles, interrupting him again. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you earlier."

"I shouldn't have given you a reason," he says.

"Okay, how about no more apologizing from either of us and we can just call it a draw?" she offers.

"Good idea," he says, shaking her proffered hand, not wanting to let it go. He gently strokes her fingers for a few moments before Summer interrupts them, running into the room from the kitchen, wet from head to toe.

"Parker," she screams. "You're back."

"Yes I am, Summer. Did you think I had left you forever?" she asks the child, confused at her enthusiasm.

"I heard you yelling," the girl confesses. "I thought you were mad at me."

"Never, Summer," she says, bending down eye level with the girl and giving her a genuine smile. "But, I do have big questions for Jarod about why you're running around here soaking wet."

"That *is* a good question," Jarod nods. "One that I'm sure you're going to want an answer for."

"Actually, I don't," she laughs, unable to resist the adorable look on his face. "Just get her . . . and whatever she was doing in the kitchen . . . cleaned up by the time I get out the shower."

"Yes Ma'am," he says, giving her a mock salute and a huge grin. He lifts up the wet toddler and carries her back into the kitchen, dripping suds along the way.

Miss Parker just watches them with a smile on her own face, shaking her head in disbelief. What is she going to do with them, she asks herself. Those two are a handful, but she realizes with a smile that they're *her* handful. And she's lucky to have them. Being with them the past few days has made her happier than she's been in a long time. What's so surprising to her is not so much what she's going to do with Jarod and Summer, but the dread she feels thinking what she would do *without* them. However, it's something she's going to have to start thinking about. Although she doesn't want to give them up, she knows that someday, and someday soon, she's going to have to. And then just pray that it doesn't kill her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So," Jarod says, plopping down on the bed later that night. "Tell me about this neighbor of ours."

"You mean your girlfriend's husband?" she teases.

"Yes, my girlfriend's husband," he says, rolling his eyes at her refusal to drop the joke.

"Well, his name is James. But he said that I can have the great honor of calling him Jimbo."

"Lucky you," he says, trying to hold back his grin. "Should I be jealous?"

"Well, that pot belly, gold tooth, and comb over do he was sporting did make him awfully enticing," she giggles. "But the way he undressed me with his eyes kind of gave me the creeps."

He notices her shiver a little and sees the humor leave her face.

"Did he do anything to you?" he asks defensively.

"No, I'm fine," she says with an assuring smile. "I think I'll be able to handle Jimbo."

"Just be careful," Jarod warns. "Contrary to your belief, I haven't spent a great deal of time with Kristen. But from what I have seen of her behavior, I think her husband may be abusive."

"That's sad," Miss Parker nods. "To trust a man with your life. Your heart. Give him a child. And then he does that to you. I think I kind of understand why she's attracted to you. You wouldn't do that to a woman."

"I'd never do anything to hurt you," he says sincerely, his hand itching to cradle her face. He watches as her tongue quickly darts out to wet her lips and is tempted to lean over and kiss her. She would kill him, he thinks to himself. But kissing her would be worth his life, he decides. Just as he makes up his mind to risk it all, a noise from down the hall filters through his clouded mind.

"That's Summer," she whispers.

He feels her hot breath on his lips and only then realizes how close he came to actually kissing her. And based on the look in her eyes, killing him might not have been her first instinct. He files away that little tidbit of info to deal with later and gives her a smile.

"I'll go check on her. It's probably a nightmare." He gets off the bed and jogs down to the girl's room, turning on the lamp next to her bed.

"What's wrong, Summer?" he asks her.

"Is Parker here?" she asks, trying desperately to hold back tears.

"Of course she is, Honey. She's down the hall. We were just about to go to bed," he assures her. "Did you have another bad dream?"

The girl just nods, wiping away a tear that managed to break free.

"Do you want to come sleep with us?" he offers, knowing that's what usually calms her down

"I'm okay now," the girl says, shaking her head. She climbs into his lap and sticks her thumb into her mouth.

"How about I stay with you until you get back to sleep?"

She mumbles something around her thumb and when Jarod looks down at her, he sees that she's already drifting back to sleep. He stands up and walks around the room with her for a few minutes until he knows she's really asleep before tucking her back into bed.

"Good night, Princess," he says, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too, Daddy," she whispers just before a small snore escapes her lips.

Jarod tips out and goes back into the other room, clearly distracted. Miss Parker looks up from the book she's reading and sees his eyes looking suspiciously wet.

"What's wrong, Jarod?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," he smiles. "She called me 'Daddy'. She told me she loves me. I guess it just got to me."

"Do you think . . . " she starts.

"Do I think what?"

"Do you think she knows somehow? You know, that she's ours?"

"No. I don't see how she could know," he tells her.

"So when I'm gone, she won't realize that her mother left her. That I just abandoned her," she whispers, turning over on her side so that Jarod can't see her own eyes tear up.

"I think that's one thing that frightens her so much. She can feel that you're keeping some sort of distance from her. And she has to be constantly reassured that you're here. That you haven't just up and disappeared on her."

"It's the only way," she whispers. "I can't get too close. It will hurt both of us too much when I have to go back."

"Miss Parker . . . maybe you don't have to . . . I mean, what if you just . . . never mind," he says shaking his head. "How about we just take this one day at a time. I'll worry about what to tell Summer when . . . or if . . . the time comes."

"I have to go back," she says after a few moments. 'I wish I didn't have to, but I do,' she wants to add, but doesn't. Saying that aloud won't do either of them any good. "They're going to call for me and I'll have to answer them."

"I know," he whispers, accepting her decision. 'But I wish you wouldn't,' his subconscious says just as sleep comes to him. He doesn't even realize he said it out loud.


Interlude 3
*****************

I've never been back here. The bedroom. It's spotless just like the rest of the house. That doesn't really surprise me. Actually it does. She's different. Not like the other housewives around here. She doesn't strike me as the type to take care of others. I think she's used to having people take care of her. She looks like she comes from money. Looking at all this lingerie, I'm sure of it now. She must have something silky and shiny for every day of the month and then some. Again, not like the other housewives around here. She probably won't even miss anything if I took it. I find a deep burgundy pair of panties and stick them in my pocket and close the drawer. Take a look at all the cosmetics. This perfume is imported, I think. The name is something foreign I can't even begin to pronounce. This one is his. It smells fresh and masculine. Almost addictive. I slip it into my pocket along with the other prize and leave the room. This is enough for now.


Chapter 7
*****************


After attending mass on Sunday, Jarod surprises Miss Parker and Summer with a picnic lunch. Miss Parker surprises him in return with suggesting the perfect spot.

"I found it the other day when I went jogging," she explains to him.

They spread out the blanket and enjoy their meal under the warm sun, feeling much like a real family. After lunch, she takes them to the lake and watches Jarod's eyes light up with glee as she shares with him stories from her own trips to the lake with her mother. She finds herself wanting to promise to take Summer when she's old enough, but realizes that she never will be able to.

"It's okay," he says, seemingly understanding what's going on in her mind. "Let's just enjoy each day as we get them."

"One day at a time, huh?" she smiles.

"Yeah. One day at a time," he nods, taking a hold of her hand and squeezing it gently. He doesn't let go and leads her back through the woods to the clearing to gather their stuff. They reluctantly have to separate when he notices Summer yawn sleepily and has to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way.

They head home, enjoying a comfortable silence. She realizes she's never felt so at peace and knows that she probably never will again. Only with this man. And this child. She smiles as he lays Summer down to finish her nap and laughs at the big spot of drool on his shoulder.

"Looks like she slimed you," she giggles quietly, not wanting to wake the child. "Come get another shirt."

She leads him down the hall to their bedroom and opens his drawer to pull out a shirt. She tosses it to him and turns to her own drawer to find something casual to change into. She opens her own drawer when a strange, cold feeling comes over her. Much like that day she first discovered the lake and she looks around to find the source.

"You okay?" Jarod asks with some concern, noticing her strange behavior.

"I'm not sure," she says slowly, still looking around. "Something feels . . . off. I can't really explain it. It's like something is different. Or missing, maybe."

"Like what?" he wonders.

She takes a deep breath and understanding dawns on her.

"Your cologne. Did you put any on this morning?"

"No. I usually don't wear it," he says. "But it was a gift from my Dad, so I like to keep it with me."

"I smell it now, just faintly. And look, the bottle's missing." She points to his area on the dresser and shows him the spot where his cologne used to be.

"You think Summer took it?" he suggests.

"It was there this morning when I straightened up before church. So I doubt it."

"Which means the idea of one of us simply misplacing it is out of the question as well," he says.

"Jarod, I have a strange feeling. I think someone may have been in here."

"And stole my cologne? Why?"

"I don't know," she shrugs. "Let's just keep our eyes open and hope it isn't anyone . . . dangerous."

"You think it might be someone from the Centre?" he asks with wide eyes. He hadn't considered it before, but now he's seeing the possibilities.

"I don't know," she repeats. "I just don't know."

The rest of the evening is spent in near silence, Jarod and Miss Parker taking turns watching for anything suspicious around the house. They are so close to getting Summer. Just a few more days should suffice. Neither of them want the Centre barging in and messing things up at the last minute.

"Parker," Jarod calls to her as she comes back from putting Summer to bed. "I have a question."

"Okay," she says curiously. "What's up?"

"I don't wear that cologne. How did you know what it smells like, let alone notice that it was missing?"

"Um . . ." she starts to stutter, face instantly flushing to a bright red. "I, um . . . this is so embarrassing . . but I saw it sitting there and got curious. I took a whiff to see what it smelled like. It's really nice. You should wear it more often. I think it would smell amazing on you."

"Thanks," he smiles shyly. "Maybe I will. Just for you of course." His shy smile turns into a leer and he grins at the intended reaction he garners from her.

"Shut up, Jarod," she says, rolling her eyes when she notices the smug grin on his face. But she finds she can't hide her own little grin. "I'm going to bed. You coming?"

Jarod smiles wistfully at how normally domestic they sound. Like a normal wife going to bed and waiting for her normal husband to join her. But as reality bites, he remembers that this pretend marriage doesn't allow those benefits. No need to get his hopes up for nothing.

"Not yet," he says. "I want to check around the house once more. You go ahead."

"Alright," she nods, disappointed that he won't be joining her. As much as she's enjoyed waking up with him, she'd kind of like the pleasure of feeling him wrap himself around her, cocooning her in his warmth as she drifts to sleep. It would be so blissfully . . . normal. But with a sigh of disappointment, she's reminded that this faux union of theirs is anything but. "Good night."

"Good night," he repeats, making himself seem busy until she retreats into the bedroom. When she's gone, he lets out the breath he didn't realize he was holding and falls to the couch. It's going to be a long night. He's finding that he's falling deeper and deeper into this pretend life they've constructed. Pretty soon, he's not going to be able to find his way out. Or want to for that matter.

After about an hour of checking and rechecking doors and locks, checking with his source at the Centre about any possible leads on their location, Jarod decides to head to bed. He's sort of relieved to find Miss Parker already asleep. Although as he slips into bed next to her, he finds himself unable to resist pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. He settles in his own pillow and attempts to sleep, but finds it impossible to shut down his mind enough to rest peacefully.

He awakens hours later and tries to roll over but finds himself trapped by Miss Parker's form. He looks down at her head nestled on his chest with a smile. She completely abandons herself to sleep. It's truly a beautiful sight to see. He's honored that she feels secure enough with him to sleep so deeply and so close to him. Arm slung across his chest. Legs twined with his own.

The first morning they woke like this, she seemed embarrassed. And he felt as if he had to apologize. But they soon got used to it. To waking in each other's arms. And now neither seems to mind very much. In fact, he's never slept as well as he does with her. But tonight for some reason that sleep is elusive to him. Probably mention of the Centre earlier. Causing him to worry about the safety of his family.

She murmurs under her breath and starts to struggle against something, breaking him out of his sleepy ruminations.

"Parker," he whispers, but she doesn't answer. He can see that she's still asleep. She struggles some more and mumbles more incoherent words.

"Parker, wake up. It's just a dream. It's okay," he assures her, running his hand up and down her back.

"Give her back," she gasps, sitting up suddenly in the bed.

"Relax," he says soothingly to her, hand still stroking her back. "It was just a dream."

"Jarod?" she asks, looking around the room as if she doesn't know where she is.

"It's me," he assures her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nods, still appearing to be confused. Her eyes suddenly go wide with some sort of realization and she frantically scrambles out of the bed.

"Parker, what is it?" he asks, afraid she's somehow forgotten about why they'd be sharing a bed.

"Summer. Where is she?" She doesn't wait for an answer and runs down the hall to the little girl's room. Jarod jumps out the bed and follows her as best he can, reaching the room seconds after she has. She's already lifting a teary Summer up into her arms and is attempting to calm the child. "Shh!! I've got you now. You're okay."

"They won't stop, Parker," Summer cries.

"What won't, Honey?" Jarod asks.

"The voices," she sobs. "They get so loud when I try to go to sleep."

"Wh . . what voices are you hearing?" Miss Parker manages to say through her shock.

"Sounds like a lot of people talking at one time," she tries to explain.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Jarod wants to know.

"No," Summer says shaking her head, tears starting to fall again. "It's all mixed up."

"It's okay, Sweetie," Miss Parker whispers to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Just go back to sleep. I've got you."

"Don't let them get me, Parker," the girl cries, laying her head on Miss Parker's shoulder.

"I won't," Miss Parker promises, her own tears starting to fall. She takes Summer back into master bedroom and they all get into the bed. She lays the child between her and Jarod and they take turns stroking her back and her hair until the girl falls asleep.

"What do you think is going on with her?" Jarod whispers, not wanting to risk waking her again.

"Do you think she's inherited my Inner Sense? But maybe she has it more like Ethan does. She talked about hearing all the voices. Mine is just my mother's voice."

"More than likely," he nods. "If your mother passed it on to you and Ethan, then I don't see why Summer couldn't have gotten it from you. It makes sense. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"What do you mean?" she asks curiously.

"I mean you, Parker," he says. "You . . . and then Summer . . . that was just . . . weird. It's like you knew she was in there having that nightmare."

"I know," she sighs. "I woke up with the most incredible urge to get to her. When I get there, she's crying and it looked like she'd been crying for awhile. I dreamt something or someone had taken her. And when I get her, she begs me not to let *them* get her, whoever *they* are. I don't believe in coincidences, Jarod. But even if I did, that would be too much to just ignore."

"I agree. There's something going on here. We have some sort of connection with this child that goes beyond the biological. We found her for a reason, Parker. And we have to keep her safe."

"No. *You* have to keep her safe," she says, her voice breaking a little. "After the adoption and I . . . go back, you have to take her far away and disappear. For good."

"Parker, you deserve to see your child too. You may not be able to be with us all the time, but we'll be here whenever you can come to us. She needs you and although you may not admit it, you need her as well."

"You're wrong on both accounts, Jarod. I'll admit that I need her. I want her to be in my life more than I ever thought possible. But she doesn't need me. She'd be better off without me being anywhere near either of you. I can't be selfish and deny her the right to live safely and securely."

"Don't say that, Parker. We may be able to work something out where you won't . . ." His words are cut off by her finger raised to his lips, stilling their motion.

"Not tonight," she smiles sadly. "One day at a time, right?"

"One day at a time," he nods, not able to refute his own advice as she throws his words back in his face. He watches her eyes drift shut. She's already resigned to the fact that she'll have to leave them. There's no changing her mind. Mentally he knows that. But deep inside his heart, he wants to try to change her mind. He wants to beg her to stay. To forget all about the Centre and stay with him and Summer.

Maybe he can persuade her. Couldn't hurt to try, he decides. Perhaps his advice is sound after all. He'll take it one day at a time. But eventually he'll wear her down, he vows. He refuses to lose his family now that he's finally found them. With that resolution made, he allows sleep to overtake him. He's going to have a tough job ahead of him.


Chapter 8
*****************


Miss Parker runs up the back porch of the little house she's been living in with Jarod and Summer for the past ten days. She normally comes back in the front of the house, but lately she's tried taking different routes to avoid being watched. All of last week she took her normal route and every day felt as if she were being followed. Today is the first day she's felt the solitude she's been searching for. Maybe she was just imagining it all.

She walks into the house, tossing her baseball cap into the corner where Jarod's own running shoes rest.

"Anyone home?" she yells, peeling off her sweatshirt.

"You're back early," Jarod says, sticking his head from the kitchen, but blocking the door so that she can't get in.

"What's going on?" she asks suspiciously. She tries to peek into the kitchen, but he comes out and closes the door completely.

"Nothing," he says quickly. Too quickly and he gets another suspicious look from her. "Okay, I'll admit it. Summer and I have something special planned for you."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you," he says with a mischievous grin. "Why don't you go up and shower. I laid out something nice for you to change into. We should be done by the time you get back down here."

"Jarod, what are you two up to?"

"Just trust me, okay?" He gives her the little puppy dog look he must have learned from Summer and she finds herself unable to resist.

"Okay, I'm going," she sighs. "But Jarod, I swear you'll be sorry if . . . "

"You're going to love it. I promise," he assures her, pushing her gently towards the bedroom. "Shower. Change. And meet us back here."

"Fine," she says with a huff before following his orders. But as annoyed as she tries to make herself seem, she's really intrigued. What could he have planned? She smiles to herself, realizing that whatever it is, she knows she'll love it. She's grown to love any time she gets to spend with Jarod and Summer.

She showers and changes quickly, examining the silky dress Jarod selected for her. It's nothing from her wardrobe and she briefly wonders where he got it from. But she quickly steps into it when she hears a crash from downstairs. She finds a pair of shoes to slip into and makes her way back to Jarod and Summer.

"Is everything okay down here?" she calls out, stepping into the dining room where she hears some more bumping around. She pushes open the door and gasps at the sight before her.

"Surprise!" Summer shrieks, jumping up and down at the look of shock on Miss Parker's face.

"What is all this?" Miss Parker asks, taking Summer's outstretched hand. The little girl leads her to a chair at the table and pushes her down. Jarod comes behind her and helps her scoot her chair in. Then he takes Summer to the next chair and sits her on a stack on phone books so she can reach the table.

"What does it all look like?" Jarod teases her as he takes his own seat.

"It's a sella . . . a sella . . . what is it again, Daddy?" she whispers.

"A celebration," he says slowly, trying to hold in a chuckle.

"Really? So what are we celebrating?" Miss Parker lifts her glass and takes a sip of what she assumes is champagne, but discovers that it's sparkling cider. When she sees a glass in front of Summer, she realizes why the substitution.

"Mrs. Pritchard called today," he starts, looking at her to see if she can guess the rest.

"And?" she asks warily, not wanting to get her hopes up despite the obvious celebration going on.

"And it's official," he smiles, reveling in the joy now shining on her face. "It won't be final for a few more months, but for all intents and purposes, it's official."

"What's 'ficial?" Summer asks, confused by the conversation.

"We have some news for you, Summer," Miss Parker starts. Up until now, they haven't told Summer their plans to adopt her. Now seems like the perfect time.

"We know that Mrs. Pritchard was nice and living at the Children's Home was good, but how would you like to stay here?" Jarod asks.

"With you and Parker, Daddy?" she asks, her tiny voice surprisingly wary for one so young. Jarod and Miss Parker look at each other, trying to decide how to answer that question. They don't want to lie to her and have her heart broken later. But at the same time, they know she needs to feel secure.

"We're going to take care of you, Honey. The both of us. And we're going to do it the best way we can," Miss Parker says. "You may not understand it all the time, but just know that we both love you and we don't want anything to happen to you. Whatever we do, it's going to be for you. Okay?"

"Okay," Summer nods hesitantly. She's not entirely convinced her question has been answered, but she's really too young to understand why.

"Why don't we eat," Jarod suggests, breaking the uneasiness that has settled on the room.

"Good idea," Miss Parker agrees, lifting one of the tray tops. She pauses momentarily and has to hide a smile as she examines the contents in front of her. "Everything looks . . . interesting."

"Cheeseburgers and Macaroni. Summer's favorites," Jarod explains.

"I made the macaroni myself," Summer says proudly.

"Did you now?" Parker asks. "Well, then, I bet it's going to be the most delicious macaroni I've ever tasted."

She scoops a hearty helping onto Summer's plate and then onto her own and watches as the little girl digs into her meal. She looks across the table at Jarod and notices that he's staring back at her.

"What is it?" she wonders aloud.

"Just looking at my two girls," he smiles dreamily. "You're both so beautiful. That dress looks amazing on you, Parker."

"Thank you," she blushes, looking back over at Summer. She has to remind herself that a minor is present. Because Jarod's looking at her as if she's one of the dishes to be devoured tonight. A few more glances from him and she just might let him.

"We forgot the music, Daddy," Summer realizes.

"That's right," he says, standing up and walking over to the stereo. He turns on some soft music and walks back to Summer's chair. "May I have this dance, my dear?"

She giggles and reaches her hands up to him. Once she's secure in his arms, he twirls her around the room a few times until she's out and out laughing.

"That's enough," she gasps, trying to catch her breath. "It's your turn to dance with Parker."

"Oh, Summer. I'm not a good dancer," she lies quickly. She thought it was bad enough sitting across the table from Jarod. One dance with him and she'd be putty in his hands.

"Come on, Parker. You scared? I won't bite," he smirks.

She looks defiantly at him and rises from her seat, taking his proffered hand. He spins her around once and then back into his arms.

"You may not bite, but I can't promise the same," she whispers into his ear, pulling the lobe into her mouth and squeezing it lightly between her teeth. She grins when she feels a noticeable shudder run the length of his body. Good, she thinks to herself. It's good to know she's not the only one affected tonight. She doesn't know exactly what's happening between them tonight, but as long as she can stay in his arms, she doesn't even care.


Chapter 9
*****************


Miss Parker grins as she watches Jarod dash around the living room getting his things together. She wonders how long it will take before he admits to be looking for something. All men are the same, she thinks to herself, rolling her eyes. Never willing to admit when something is lost. Not even geniuses are immune that that trait. No, she takes that back. Jarod *is* different. He's not like other men at all. His actions last night proved that.

With other relationships in her past, she would have made the mistake of moving too fast and rushing into sex. But with Jarod, things are different. They're content to move slowly. They don't want to mess anything up. Last night ended with him giving her a few gentle kisses before tucking her into the warmth of his embrace and falling asleep wrapped around each other. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Have you seen my . . . " He stops and smiles when she holds his keys up in front of her.

"I think I'm going to hold these hostage," she says seductively.

"Really? And what exactly would the ransom be?" he says with a grin. He can't believe she's being this playful and teasing.

"You're a smart boy, Jarod. I think you can figure it - " Her words are cut off by the force of his mouth meeting hers. He ends the kiss too quickly for her liking and she lets him know with a little whimper. Then she frowns when she realizes he's somehow managed to get the keys from her.

"I have to go to work today," he says apologetically. "I was home all last week. Otherwise I'd . . ."

"I understand," she sighs. "That doesn't mean I like it." She stands up and walks him to the door. They stand on the porch for a few seconds and he leans in to kiss her again just as Summer runs up between them.

"Where are you going, Daddy?" Summer asks.

"Daddy has to work, Sweetie," Miss Parker explains, picking the little girl up into her arms.

"But why?"

"Summer, remember how you used to come to the school to play with me? Well, there are other kids who used to play with me, too. But they haven't seen me all week. Don't you think they want to see me too?"

"Are you . . . are you going to be their daddy too?" she asks.

"No, Summer," he says emphatically. "You're the only one. My special Princess, okay?"

"Okay," she smiles. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you later." He leans over and kisses the girl on the cheek. He laughs as she wriggles out of Miss Parker's embrace and runs back into the house.

"Now, where were we?" he asks Miss Parker.

"I think we were saying good-bye," she tells him.

"Never good-bye," he says, cupping her cheek with his hand. "It'll never be good-bye with us, Parker."

They both lean in and meet in the middle for the much anticipated kiss that only lasts for a few seconds, interrupted this time by giggling.

"What's so funny?" he asks her, confused at her amusement.

"This. Us," she says between laughs. "One minute we're just pretending to be married. The next we're here on the porch making out while our daughter sits in the house watching Playhouse Disney. How weird is that, Jarod?"

"Pretty weird," he admits, starting to laugh himself.

"Who would have thought I'd ever be playing the housewife role? Kissing my 'husband' good-bye for the day as he goes to work while I stay home with the younguns," she laughs.

"Younguns? Somehow I don't see you hanging around the house, barefoot and pregnant or cooking dinner and vacuuming the floors in high heels and a perfect string of pearls."

"Vacuum? What's a vacuum?" she giggles. "Besides, if I were *just* wearing high heels and said pearls when you got home, I don't think cooking or cleaning would be on either of our minds."

She laughs even harder when Jarod's face turns a bright red color and he opens and closes his mouth a few times, unable to formulate any words.

"Get to work," she says, pushing him towards the car. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, but the question is how much of *you* will I be seeing later," he whispers to her, causing her knees to tremble a little. She recovers quickly and gives him a kiss that makes his own knees tremble.

"Go. To. Work," she says again, pushing him to the car and opening the door for him. He rolls down the window and she leans inside to give him one more kiss and to whisper, "The sooner you go, the sooner you can come home. And just maybe I'll break out the heels and dust off the pearls."

A goofy grins spreads across his face and he figures he better leave now while he still can. He waves one last time to her and has to stop himself from blowing her a kiss. That really would be a bit over the top he decides. He pulls out of the driveway and starts down the street, feeling very much like going back home. Back to his family. But he continues on his way, despite the bad feeling developing in the pit of his stomach. He pushes it away and goes to work. Besides, what could happen in one day?

Interlude 4
*****************

Hate. That's what I'm feeling. That deep down, in your bones type of hate you feel for someone when you know they're living the life you deserve. The life you want so desperately. The life you'd do anything for. Now is the time for that *do anything* mentality. That little show on the porch where they let everyone know just how much they love each other was the final straw. It should be me! And it will be me. Very soon. It's time now for me to get rid of the thorn that's been in my side. By the end of the day, I will be one step closer to my fairy tale.


Chapter 10
*****************


Miss Parker stands in the driveway until Jarod turns the corner. She sighs and raises a hand to her lips, still feeling his warmth against them. She still can't believe that in the course of one evening, her relationship with Jarod could change so drastically. But then she realizes that things haven't changed that much. They both just gathered the courage to make the step in this direction. The feelings have always been there, from the moment they met.

With another sigh, she decides to go back into the house and check on Summer. Turning around, her eye catches her neighbor standing on the porch, glaring at her. A chill goes through her and she has to literally shake it off. When she looks back at the woman, she's confused to see a completely different countenance on her face.

"Parker," the woman calls cheerfully to her. "It's me, Kristen. Remember? Jarod was kind enough to take me and my little girl Alexa into town the other day."

"Yes, Kristen, I remember you," Miss Parker says, pasting on a wary smile. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Listen, why don't you and Summer come over for lunch today? I think it's time we got to know each other, us being neighbors and all."

"I'm not sure. Summer and I have a lot to do today," Miss Parker lies.

"Well, how about just some coffee, then? And the girls can play together for a little while."

"Okay," Miss Parker says with another forced smile. The last thing she wants to do is hang out with this woman. But she also doesn't want to alienate her. "Let me get Summer dressed and we'll be right over."

"Perfect. We'll be waiting." Kristen gives her another smile, but Miss Parker notices it doesn't quite reach her eyes. In fact, her eyes seem hard and cold. Almost evil. There's definitely something off about this woman. Perhaps it's just the abuse that Jarod suspects. But whatever it is, Miss Parker is suddenly sorry she ever agreed to go anywhere with the woman.

Twenty minutes later, she's at the front door of Kristen's house, having to practically drag Summer up the stairs. She's never had a problem with the girl's behavior. Now all of a sudden, she can't get the girl to set foot inside the house. She stops, takes a deep breath to stave off the frustration, and bends down eye level with the girl to talk to her.

"Summer, you're normally such a well behaved child. Why are you giving me such a hard time today?"

"I don't want to go in there," she pouts.

"There's a little girl around your age in there for you to play with," Miss Parker says enthusiastically, trying to change the girl's mind. "You two can play together and have lots of fun."

"Really? Okay, then," Summer relents.

Miss Parker breathes a sigh of relief, glad that Summer won't be giving her any more trouble. Although, she can hardly blame the girl. She doesn't want to go into the house either. Nevertheless, she promised. And she has a feeling she won't be getting this woman off her back until she does so.

"Parker! Come in," Kristen says when she opens the door. She steps back and allows Miss Parker and Summer into the house, closing the door behind them. "I'm so glad you two could make it."

"Well, thank you for inviting us."

"Not a problem," Kristen says. "I should have done it much sooner. You must think me a terrible neighbor. You've been next door for weeks before I invite you over. Anyway, have a seat. And Summer, why don't you and Alexa go back to her room and play."

Summer looks nervously at Kristen before grabbing onto Miss Parker's hand, not wanting to let go.

"It's okay, Baby," Miss Parker says to the little girl, nudging her gently in the direction of Alexa's room. "I'll be right out here waiting for you. Go and have some fun."

"Okay," she whispers and reluctantly lets go of Miss Parker's hand. She follows Alexa and the two small girls disappear down the hall.

"She's a beautiful little girl," Kristen comments, picking up the coffee pot. She pours two cups of coffee, offering one to her guest. "She looks so much like you. Kind of strange for a child not even related to you."

"Coincidence, I guess," Miss Parker says, feeling kind of uncomfortable with the woman's comment. Why would she even say something like that? There must be more going on with her than Miss Parker initially anticipated. She'll have to be extra careful around this woman. Miss Parker smiles uncomfortably and takes a sip of her coffee before asking, "So, how long have you and Jimbo been living here?"

"You know my husband?" Kristen asks, her pleasant mask slipping for a moment before she puts the happy face back on.

"Not really. I saw him in front one day when I came back from running and he introduced himself," she explains quickly, taking an even bigger gulp of her coffee. The sooner she finishes it, the sooner she can get out of there. This woman is starting to give her the creeps.

"Running. Do you do that a lot?" Kristen asks, obviously trying to change the subject. She traces a finger around the rim of her mug, but doesn't drink any of it.

"I try to," Miss Parker nods. "It's a good way to stay in shape."

Another lull in the conversation as the women run out of things to say again. Miss Parker drinks more of her coffee, cringing at the after taste. Must be instant coffee, she assumes. She doubts this woman would have anything imported like she's used to.

An alarm goes off in the kitchen and Kristen pops up from her seat.

"That must be the cookies I had in the oven," she explains. "Excuse me while I go check on them. You stay here and finish your coffee."

"No problem," Miss Parker says to the woman's retreating form, her smile dropping from her face when the woman disappears into the kitchen. Bad coffee. Bad conversation. She just wants to get out of the there as quickly as possible. She hopes the cookies aren't as bad as the coffee. Her stomach is already beginning to ache. Come to think of it, so is her head.

She stands up to possibly find a restroom and is forced back down by a wave of dizziness. Something is very wrong. She looks around to try to get her focus back and her eyes land on Kristen's coffee cup. Kristen's *untouched* coffee. Suddenly she begins to wonder why the woman didn't drink any and encouraged her to drink all of hers.

Looking down into her own mug, she sees that she's only had a few ounces at the most. Hopefully not enough of whatever's in the coffee to do much damage. She pours the rest into the carafe still on the table to make Kristen think she drank it all. It's time to get out of there. She tries to stand again, shaking off the dizziness that tries to strike and calls to Summer. The little girl gets to the room the same time Kristen returns.

"What's the matter, Parker?" she asks innocently.

"It's nothing. Summer and I should be going now. I'm suddenly not feeling very well," she says.

"Oh, that's too bad," Kristen says, offering fake sympathy. Miss Parker can see a gloating look in the other woman's eyes. "I hope it wasn't anything you had here."

"Probably not. I just had the coffee."

"Oh, and it looks like you drank it all," Kristen observes the empty coffee cup. She tries to hide a victorious grin, but it doesn't escape Miss Parker. "You probably just need some rest. I'm sure you'll be feeling better in no time."

"I'm sure," Miss Parker nods. "Good-bye Kristen. And thanks again for inviting me over."

"It was my pleasure, Parker. You have no idea."

Another shiver runs through Miss Parker and she knows for certain this woman is responsible for how she's feeling. If she had to guess, she'd say it was poison. But she doesn't know which one or what to do to counteract the effects. Thankfully she knows someone who might be able to help. With one last forced smile, she says good-bye and hurries back home with Summer. All she can do is hope and pray that whatever the woman gave her won't kill her.


Chapter 11
*****************


She doubles over as another wave of nausea hits. This time, she barely makes it to the bathroom before she throws up again. Hopefully this is helping to purge whatever poison is in her system. She rinses her mouth and splashes some water on her face to refresh herself. She has a lot of work to do.

After getting Summer settled in her room with a coloring book and a box of crayons, Miss Parker grabs her cell phone and dials a number she hasn't dialed since she got there. She waits patiently for someone to pick up, rubbing her hand on her upset stomach to settle it.

"This is Sydney," a voice answers.

"Syd. It's me."

"Parker! Where are you? We've been searching everywhere for you," another voice says. She recognizes it as Broots.

"Daddy sent me on a sabbatical. You guys know that," she tells them, surprised at how guilty she feels about lying to them. But Jarod and Summer's safety is more important. She can't risk telling Broots and Sydney about them.

"Well, your father has disappeared," Sydney tells her.

"Again," she sighs. "Why does that not surprise me? What is it with his knack for vanishing?"

"And Lyle is trying to take over," Broots says.

"That's not surprising either. But that does put me in a bit of a bind," she says with a groan at the end.

"What's the matter, Parker?" Sydney asks.

"Something I ate," is all she says. "Which is the reason why I called."

"Well, you might want to tell us all about it in person. If you don't get back here as soon as possible, it's very likely Lyle will get his way," Broots says. "I don't know about you, but if that happens . . . "

"Yeah, I get it. It won't be good. For any of us," she sighs before adding quietly, "Especially not Jarod."

"What was that?" Sydney asks.

"Nothing," she says quickly, covering her slip. "How long do I have to get there? Now isn't the best time. I'm kind of in the middle of something." Like having a life, she says to herself. The silence on the other end of the phone scares her.

"Just get here soon," Sydney says quietly, his voice quivering in fear. "And pray that it isn't too late."

She hears the click on the other end of the phone signaling the call has been disconnected. With a shaky hand, she shuts off her cell phone and lets it fall in her lap. This is the moment she knew would come eventually. She has to go back. But she doesn't want to. She never realized until this minute how much she never wants to go back to that place. Before, she could pretend that this fairy tale life with Jarod and Summer could last forever. One day at a time, Jarod said. Don't think about tomorrow. But now, she's facing that tomorrow and is woefully unprepared. How can she leave this man and child, both of whom she's fallen in love with?

She swipes away the hot tears falling down her face. Putting this off will only make it harder for her. She makes it over to her vanity table and applies a heavy layer of her 'Miss Parker' mask, covering the 'wife and mommy' masks she's been wearing the past few weeks. Being that person will only get her killed.

"Summer," she calls when she's done. The girl comes quickly and hops into her lap. She has a hard time holding back the tears threatening to fall again. "Go clean up your crayons and stuff. We're going to go for a ride now, okay?"

"Okay," she says in her sweet, little voice. She runs down the hall and quickly does as she's told, racing back to Miss Parker's room in less than a minute. "Ready."

'Not really', she answers to herself. She'll never be ready to do what she's about to do now. But she knows that she doesn't have a choice. She takes a deep breath and grabs one of Summer's pudgy hands in her own and leads her out the front door. She has to resist taking one last look around the house. Because that would be admitting that she'll never be back. She refuses to believe that. She doesn't know what she's facing at the Centre. But if she has to fight for her life, this is the only life worth living to her. This is the life she'll be fighting for.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jarod walks his last patient to the door and says good-bye. He waits until they disappear down the hall before walking out to his receptionist.

"That is my last patient for today, Susan. I get to go home now. To my family." He gets a shy smile on his face when he realizes how he sounds.

"Well, I have a surprise for you," Susan says, returning his smile. "You won't have to wait so long to see your family. Well, part of your family at least."

"What do you mean?" he asks, before looking over her shoulder into a classroom behind her. Inside, he sees Summer sitting quietly and coloring. "Summer's here?"

"Yes. Your wife dropped her off. She had to go to work."

"What?" he asks in a panic. Her kind of 'work' usually means trouble to him. Her kind of work means she has to go back to the Centre. Would she really just go without a word to him? "Susan, what exactly did Parker say when she dropped off Summer?"

"She just said it was a work emergency," Susan tells him again, suddenly concerned at his reaction. "I don't know anything other than that, Dr. Hamilton. I'm sorry."

"I understand, Susan. Thanks," he says absently.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Summer asks, coming out of the room. She can see his obvious distress.

"Nothing, Princess." He forces a smile on his face for Summer's sake. "Everything is fine. Why don't you get your stuff and we can go home."

"Okay, Daddy," she nods, running back into the classroom. She returns a few seconds later. She stretches out her arms to him and he happily lifts her up, needing to feel closer to her.

"Let's go home, Summer," he manages to say in a fairly strong voice. He doesn't want to let on how scared he is. Not so much for him and Summer. But for Miss Parker. If she had to rush back to the Centre, then something bad is going on. And with Summer, he's not in any position to help her. All he can do is hope that there will be someone there looking out for her.

Interlude 5
*****************

She wasn't looking good when she left here. Arsenic has a way of doing that to a person. She had a good dose. But not enough to kill her. Not yet, anyway. I don't want her dead. Just out of the way. I want her to see me taking her life, taking her husband, taking her child before I kill her. She has the life I deserve. But not for long. Soon, it's going to be my life. Looking into the mirror, I see that the shade of dye I bought is perfect. It matches her hair color exactly. These new contacts turn my eyes into the same shade of blue as hers. But this dress takes the cake. It's just like one I've seen her wear. Very sexy. Very daring. Jarod won't know what hit him.



The door opens and she closes the journal, marking her page with a small bookmark. She can almost fantasize Jarod walking through that door, taking one look at her and sweeping her up into his arms for a deep kiss. He'll whisper words of love to her while carrying her up to the bedroom and proving those very words with his actions. She takes a deep breath, inhaling the crisp scent of his cologne she sprayed throughout the house. It makes her fantasy all the more real.

"What's your problem?"

She looks up and her fantasy image is shattered by the person standing in front of her. Her husband. The real one. She sighs in frustration and rolls her eyes at him. In what seems like the blink of an eye, he's stormed across the room and is up on her, grabbing onto her face roughly with his hand.

"Don't get that attitude with me," he says, nostrils flaring in anger.

"What attitude, Jimmy?" she asks, feigning innocence. She bats her eyes at him, causing him to pull away from her in shock.

"What's with you today, Kristen? There's something different," he gasps. It's been years for him, but he finds himself actually turned on by her.

"You like it?" she purrs, feeling herself become less and less like the person she used to be and more and more like the seductress she imagines Miss Parker to be.

"Oh yeah," he groans, grabbing her thigh savagely. "You look nothing like yourself. You look like that babe from next door." He leans over and tries to kiss her, only to groan again when she pushes a hand into his chest.

"Not yet, Baby," she whispers. "Why don't we have a drink first? You go in the bedroom and wait for me."

He can only nod as she slips out of his embrace and goes to the kitchen for a beer. Nothing fancy for good old Jimbo. He's a regular kind of guy who'll take a beer over something fancier. She pops the top and pours some of the beer down the drain. She replaces the missing liquid with her own little concoction - a lethal dose of the arsenic cocktail she served to Miss Parker earlier today.

"Here you go," she says, holding the beer out to him when she joins in the bedroom. "Drink up."

She smiles as he downs the entire thing in one big gulp. He belches and wipes the back of his mouth with his hand.

"Now, where were we?" he growls, crawling towards her with a feral grin. The growl turns into a long, labored gasp for breath until eventually his breathing stops all together. His lifeless eyes stare at her, as if to ask why.

"Good-bye, Jimmy. Good riddance," she spits out. One obstacle down and one to go. Killing Jimmy was just for practice. She has a bigger fish to fry. Once that woman from next door is out of the way, she'll be able to have what she desires. A good man to love her. One who won't stay out all night. One who won't keep bringing sexually transmitted diseases to her. One who won't beat her senseless. Jarod would never do that. She deserves a man like that. She deserves a life like what Miss Parker has.

Now that Jimmy's gone, she finds herself with a taste for killing. It was just so easy. She can easily become addicted to it. She has to kill Parker. It's an urge too strong to resist. Jarod may be devastated at first, but she'll be there to pick up the pieces. She looks into the mirror one more time, fixing a stray piece of hair. She must admit, she looks good. He won't be able to resist her.

Chapter 12
*****************


Miss Parker arrives in Blue Cove late that afternoon. After making a quick stop at home to outfit herself appropriately, she hurries straight to the Centre.

"Miss Parker," Broots calls to her as she steps off the elevator. He runs down the hall the catch up with her, Sydney walking quickly behind him. "You made it here."

"Well, when I spoke to you earlier, it didn't sound like I had much of a choice. What's going on?"

"Let's just say that you're here in the nick of time, Parker," Sydney says when he catches up with them. "There's a meeting on the fifth floor that you need to get to immediately."

"You're scaring me, Syd. What's up?"

"Just get there, Parker. Our very well-being may depend on it."

She just nods and heads back to the elevator. The one that arrives first is the one she hates getting on. But she's running late and really doesn't have a choice. She climbs into the car, trying to ignore the bullet holes in the wall. A cold feeling runs up her spine as she finds herself praying silently that she doesn't meet the same fate.

The bell dings, signaling her arrival at the floor. She straightens her back and takes a deep breath, getting her ice queen persona back in place. It would do her no good for them to see how terrified she is. She walks down the long hallway, finally reaching the door to the conference room after a seemingly endless trip. Upon reaching the room, she takes another deep breath for courage and pushes her way inside.

"Gentlemen. I can't believe you'd start without me." She would laugh if she weren't so terrified. The look on Lyle's face alone is enough to have her busting a gut. He definitely was not expecting her.

"Miss Parker, what are you doing here?" he asks through gritted teeth, but then changes his tone when he realizes how suspicious he sounds. "I mean, it was my understanding that you were unreachable for this entire month."

"Yes, that was my understanding as well," she nods, glaring at him in the process. "But as soon as I heard about this little gathering, I rushed right in."

"Very well then," one of the board members says. "Since you're here, Miss Parker, maybe you can shed some light on your father's whereabouts."

"My father is attending to a private matter," Miss Parker lies, hoping that she isn't digging her own grave. "It required him leaving town unexpectedly. He should be returning soon."

"Really?" another board member asks. "Your brother gave us the impression that Mr. Parker is missing. That he couldn't be located or contacted."

"Well you know Lyle. Ever so ambitious. But he doesn't have all the facts," she claims.

"Miss Parker, if you know where your father is, we'd suggest you get him back here immediately. Tell him we expect to see him at our next weekly meeting. Otherwise, his further absence will lend credence to Mr. Lyle's claims. Meeting adjourned." The board members rise from their seats and make their way out of the conference room, leaving Lyle and Parker alone.

"What was that about?" she growls. "Trying to take over again? What did you do with Daddy?"

"You were bluffing. You have no idea where he is," he says, staring at her in disbelief. His smug confidence returns when he realizes she doesn't know where their father is. His plan may work after all.

"And neither do you," she realizes suddenly when she sees the relief on his face. He didn't have anything to do with their father's disappearance. And he doesn't know where the man is either. "You were lying to the board as well."

"Not really. Our father is gone. And nobody knows where he's gone to. Someone needed to step up and be the leader around here. You certainly weren't available."

"And you certainly weren't in any hurry to let me know about the problems around here, Lyle."

"In due time, Dear Sister," he chuckles. "I would have told you."

"Yeah, after you managed to get the board the appoint you Chairman."

"You know me too well," he says with another laugh that is cut off abruptly with his air supply when she tightens his tie around his neck.

"Laugh now, Lyle. But I'm going to find Daddy and bring him back here and stop you from whatever it is you're planning," she threatens.

"Maybe so," he says, gasping for air when she finally releases him. "But if you don't, then you won't have a leg to stand on. So you see, all I have to do is bide my time and wait to see what you turn up. *If* you turn anything up at all. If it takes you as long to find our father as it's taken you to find Jarod, then I don't have anything to worry about. You have a week, Sis. Good luck."

He gives her one of those annoying grins before walking out the room, loosening his tie enough to be more comfortable. She watches as he walks away and lets out a breath she didn't realizes she was holding. One week. She managed to stall for time, but in exchange she's put herself out on a limb. Lyle's right about one thing. It's all on her to find her father. Otherwise, Lyle could make things very unpleasant around the Centre for everyone. She stays in the conference for a few more moments to get herself together when a knock at the door startles her.

"Miss Parker?"

She turns around and sees Broots and Sydney standing in the doorway, looking very much like two scared little boys. But she can't really blame them. Lyle possibly taking over is a pretty scary concept.

"How did it go, Parker," Sydney asks.

"About as well as can be expected," she shrugs. "I managed to buy myself some time. A week to be exact. The board members want to see Daddy back here by their next meeting."

"That doesn't give us much time," Broots says.

"Brilliant deduction," she says, rolling her eyes at him. She's about to open her mouth to start yelling at him when a wave of nausea catches her off guard. She managed to grab a wastebasket to avoid a really nasty display.

"Parker! Are you okay?" Sydney asks her when she's finished heaving into the wastebasket. He hands her his handkerchief, which she gratefully accepts and wipes her mouth.

"I'm great, can't you tell?" she answers him sarcastically. "I just love puking my guts out in front of the two of you."

"It's okay," Broots assures her. "Let's get you out of here. Get you to a doctor."

"I don't need a doctor," she insists.

"It could be your ulcer," Sydney suggests.

"It's not. Trust me. But I do need to get out of here. To your place, Broots. You can start research on where Daddy is and Syd, you can treat me."

"Treat you for what, Parker?"

"I think I've been poisoned." She tosses the handkerchief in the trash, silently reminding herself to buy Sydney a new one, before walking out the door.

They watch her walk away, frozen in shock at what she just said.

"Did she say poisoned, Syd? Geez, what kind of vacation was she on?"

"I don't know, Broots," Sydney chuckles lightly, trying to keep his worrying at bay. "I just don't know. But she certainly knows how to get herself in trouble, no matter where she is."

"I guess we better catch up with her before she does anymore damage," Broots says.

"That, Mr. Broots, is an excellent idea."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jarod turns into the driveway of his house and shuts the engine off. He's been driving around for the past few hours for some reason. Looking for her? Maybe. Although he knew he wouldn't find her. He knows exactly where she's gone. And he knows that he can't run after her this time. He'll have to wait for her to return to him.

He looks in the seat behind him at the sleeping child. What is he going to tell her when she asks for Parker? He closes his eyes and sighs, dreading that moment. How could she do this, he asks himself. How could she just leave without saying good-bye? He's grateful that Summer's asleep. Hopefully she'll sleep the rest of the night and won't notice that Parker's gone.

He opens his car door and moves to get Summer when a shadow catches his eye. He gasps when he sees a form through the darkness coming towards him. She's back, he thinks with a smile. He starts to run towards her, but stops abruptly when she steps into the light.

"Jarod, you're home," she says.

"Yes, I am," he says, confused by what's going on. "What are you doing here, Kristen?"

"Parker wasn't feeling well. I came by to check on her."

"You've seen her? When?" he demands to know.

"Not since this morning? Why? What's wrong, Jarod?" Kristen asks suspiciously. She takes a step closer to him and grabs onto his arm. "You're shaking. What's going on?"

"Nothing," he says, pulling his arm way from her cold hands. It's not like he doesn't appreciate the gesture. It's just not the touch he's yearning. "Parker's not here. She had a work emergency to deal with. I just forgot for a minute."

"She's not here? Well I guess I'll have to take care of you until she gets back," Kristen insists.

"Thanks, but we'll be fine," he says with a smile. He reaches into the car and lifts the sleeping child easily to avoid waking her. When he turns back around, he's surprised to see Kristen still standing there. "Really, Kristen. We'll be okay. You can go on home. I'll stand here and wait until you get in safely."

"You're too sweet," she gushes, causing him to blush slightly. "A true gentleman. Good night."

"Good night, Kristen." True to his word, he watches until she's into her house before turning to go inside his own home. He puts Summer to bed and then tries to find himself something to eat. But everything is bland and tasteless, refusing to move past the lump in his throat. He wanders around the house for a few hours, willing himself not to pick up the phone and call her. Any contact from him could put her in more danger. He won't do that.

He eventually walks himself to exhaustion, falling asleep almost immediately when hitting the bed. He pulls a pillow, soaked with her scent, closer to him, holding it tightly in his arms like he's held her on so many nights. Despite his worries, sweet dreams fill his sleep. He hugs the pillow even closer and can almost convince himself that she's really in his arms. He can almost feel her warm softness against his chest. A small smile graces his face in his sleep knowing that he'll always have the dream version of Miss Parker. Her soft, thudding heart beat takes him further and further into dreamland.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Interlude 6
*****************

He paced around the house so much tonight. I guess he's worried about her. But he's going to need to learn how to live without her. And tonight is as good a time as any.

I can understand him missing her. I don't exactly miss Jimmy, but I doubt Parker was as bad a spouse as Jimmy was. Nevertheless, she's not the spouse that Jarod deserves, so she has to die. And I will take her place.

I'm a little annoyed that he didn't even notice the changes I made to please him. I'm trying to look like her. I changed my hair for him. I changed my eyes for him. I wear the clothes she wears. I even got a small bottle of the expensive perfume she likes. He didn't say a word to me about it. Maybe I was appealing to his wrong senses. Maybe he needs other . . . stimulations. When I was lurking in the shadows, he thought I was her. I could see it in his eyes. Maybe the cover of darkness is what I need.

He's finally gone to bed. The house is dark. Perfect. I wait until I know he's asleep and sneak in through the back. I've been in this house a few times since they've moved in, so I know my way around. I silently make it into our bedroom without detection. He's clutching onto a pillow now, snuggling it close to him, probably wishing it was her. Well, he's about to get his wish. I gently pull the pillow away and replace it with my own body. He stiffens momentarily, but relaxes when he takes a deep breath, taking in a big whiff if her perfume. He may think that I'm her, but it won't matter. I'm going to be who he finds in the morning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Disclaimer - Not my characters. Just using them for fun.


Summer Joy
By Nicky


Chapter 13
*****************

The sunlight streams through the curtains, waking Jarod. He pulls the warm body closer to him, burying his nose at the back of her neck.

"Mmm. Morning Sunshine," he teases, knowing that she always responds to this greeting with a playful elbow jab to his ribs.

"Good morning, my love."

Jarod stiffens upon hearing the voice. It's not Miss Parker's voice. He looks down and sees a woman with Miss Parker's hair wearing Miss Parker's nightgown and is confused. He pulls away slowly and gets out of the bed, throwing his rarely used robe on over his boxers. The body in his bed rolls over and he allows a shocking gasp to leave his lungs.

"Kristen? Wh-what are you doing here?" he stutters, tying his robe tighter.

"I heard screaming," she claims. "When it didn't stop, I came over to check on you and Summer. I'm sorry if I startled you."

"How did you get in the bed with me?" he asks, still confused at this strange woman's actions.

"Like I said, I was checking on you. When you felt me hovering over you, you pu-pulled me down into the bed. You wouldn't let me up." She squeezes out a few tears and lowers her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking as if she were crying. "I should have woken you, but I just froze. I was too afraid to move."

"Oh, Kristen," he sighs, closing his eyes in horror. "I'm so sorry. I dreamt about Parker coming to bed and I guess I mistook you for her." He sits on the bed and tries to comfort the sobbing woman. She goes willingly into his arms. He takes a deep breath, about to say something to her, when he notices the perfume.

"That scent. It's the same as Parker's," he says, pulling away from Kristen. He stares at her curiously, trying to figure out how he could have made such a mistake. But looking at her now, it's eas to tell. "Your hair. Your eyes. I didn't really notice the other day. They're like Parker's as well. What's going on here, Kristen?"

"I had one of those makeovers at the mall, Jarod. But when I did, I didn't expect my neighbor to almost rape me because of it," she yells defensively, forcing more fake tears down her face.

"You're right. I was out of line for what I did last night. I didn't realize it was you. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he apologizes. Her appearance is no excuse for how he treated her. He must have scared her to death last night with his actions. It's a wonder she isn't more traumatized, being basically attacked by him. None of this is her fault and he shouldn't treat her like it is. Instead, he offers to help. "Should I walk you home and help you explain to your husband why you were out all night?"

"Um, no. That's not necessary," she says quickly, scrambling from the bed. "Jimmy's out of town. He took Alexa to see his parents." She's glad she was able to make up a story on the spot like that. She never thought he'd ask the questions he's asking. But she knows she'd seem like a monster if he knew she left Alexa home alone all night.

"Really? Summer told me she had a play date with Alexa yesterday."

"They left last night, after Summer came over," she explains. "Listen, I'm kind of uncomfortable here. I'd like to leave now."

"Oh, of course," he nods. "I'll walk you out." He escorts her from the bedroom and barely notices her going to the back door instead of the front door. It makes sense, though. The neighbors would have much to say about seeing her leave his house in just her nightclothes.

"Sorry again about the confusion," he apologizes again. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know."

"Jarod, I told you I was here to help you. I know Parker's out of town. You just let me know if there's anything I can do for *you*. Maybe I can watch Summer for you while you go to work today," she offers.

"I had actually planned on taking her," he starts. "But it might not be a bad idea if she stayed with you. You really don't mind?"

"Of course not. With Alexa gone with her Daddy, it'll be so quiet around the house. I didn't plan on doing much today anyway. I just had a few errands to run. I'm sure she won't mind going with me."

"No. She loves going for rides," he smiles. "Okay, if you really don't mind, I'll get her dressed and drop her off on my way to work."

"That's perfect. See you later, Jarod," she says, surprising him with a kiss on his cheek.

"See you later, Kristen," he says, unable to hide his flinch and trying hard not to wipe his cheek off. She flashes him another smile before running across the yard to her own back door.

The woman is definitely strange. But she's never been anything but nice to him. Especially after this morning. He probably could have been facing criminal charges if she hadn't decided to forgive him for grabbing her the way she said he did. And now she's keeping Summer for him. She's doing him the favor of keeping the little girl occupied until he can deal with Parker's absence. He just can't face the little girl yet. Not until he's heard from Parker. Not until he knows when of if she's coming back.

"Daddy? Where's Parker?" a sleepy voice calls from behind him. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. This is the very question he's been trying to avoid. Guess it's time to face the music after all.

"She's not here, Honey. She had to handle some things with her old job," he explains.

"She'll be back soon?" Summer asks. He bites his lip. This little girl certainly seems to know which questions he doesn't want to answer. He answers it the only way he can without out and out lying to her.

"Parker would never leave you for any longer than she had to, Pumpkin. You know that. But while she's away, I have a surprise for you. You're going to spend some time next door with Alexa's mommy. She's going to babysit you while I go to work."

"Do I have to Daddy?" she asks quietly, her bottom lip starting to quiver. But the girl bravely holds back her tears. "I don't want to leave you."

The look on her face breaks his heart. First she wakes up to find Parker gone. And now she finds out she's being left with a practical stranger all day. No wonder she seems upset. He almosts changes his mind about leaving her next door for the day, but knows he'll never get any work with her around. And he really needs to get some work done. Instead, he comes up with another solution.

"How about we make a deal? You go with her for a little while and I'll try to get done early. Then we can spend the rest of the day together. How does that sound?"

"Okay," she nods. "But don't leave me for a long time."

"I promise," he smiles, lifting her up into his arms for a quick hug. "Now go wash up and get dressed. We got to get a move on. The sooner I leave for work, the sooner I can come back to pick you up."

"Okay, Daddy," she says, squirming out of his arms and taking off for the bathroom. He can only laugh at how she never seems to walk anywhere. Everytime he sees her, she's running around from room to room. He can now imagine how Miss Parker feels having to chase him everywhere. But it's a chase he always suspected she had enjoyed. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe she doesn't want anything to do with him. Only time will tell. She knows where to find him now. If she wants to be with him, she'll have to come to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Miss Parker looks at the clock and notices that it's midmorning. Jarod would most likely be at work now. She needs to let him know that she's okay, but she'd rather avoid speaking to him right now. One word out of his mouth and she knows she'd pack up and go right back to him. But she can't right now. She has to find her father first.

She picks up her cell phone and walks out to the back patio of Broots' house. She gently closes the door behind her and places her call. The phone rings a few times and as she expected, the answering machine picks up. She waits for the tone and then leaves her message.

"Hey. It's me. I, uh, guess you're at work. So am I. But you probably already know that," she says with a nervous laugh. "Listen, I'm really, really sorry I left the way that I did. I had to come, though. It's a long story, but I'll explain it later. I promise. We never say good-bye, remember?"

She lets the phone rest against her ear for a few seconds, trying to push away the tears threatening to fall.

"Jarod, I . . . I miss you. And Summer. I want to come home. Please let me still have a home to come back to. That's the only way I'll be able to get through this. Knowing that you and Summer are safe and waiting for me."

The machine beeps, cutting off any other words she might say. It's probably for the best, though. She can't afford to let herself get back into that frame of mind. Because if she did, she'd realize how her heart is literally breaking from not being able to be with the two people she loves most in the world.

"Miss Parker, we found . . . are you okay?" Broots asks, concern clearing showing on his face when he sees how upset she is. It looks as if she may have been crying. "It's not the poison is it?"

"I fine," she says, with a forced smile. "Syd checked me out and I seem to have gotten it all out of my system." She cringes, remembering vividly the method she had to use to purge the poisonous substance. If she never sees the contents of her stomach again, it'll be too soon.

"Okay," Broots nods acceptingly. He still can see that something is bothering her, but knows she won't tell anyone what it is until she's good and ready. "You should come back inside. I think I found where your father is."

"Are you serious?" She stands and follows him back into the house. They walk over to a computer and she watches as he types in a series of commands to display a building on the screen. "What is that place, Broots?"

"From what I can tell, it's another Centre annex. Kind of like Donoterase, except smaller and older. Not many people know about it. Which is probably why Lyle's search for him came up empty."

"Assuming he searched at all for my father," she says. "I have a feeling Lyle was just happy that both of us were out of the way and was worried more about trying to take over than to actually find either of us."

"Anyway, as you can see, it's not far. We can be there in a few hours," Broots says.

"Let's go then. And see what kinds of freaky experiments my father has his hands into this time," she sighs. She tries to make light of it. But the fact of the matter is that her father is at some secret, long forgotten Centre facility. And that can only mean one thing. That when she gets there, she's not going to like what she finds.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kristen curses to herself as the zipper of the pants refuses to go up any further. She sucks in a breath and tries again, to no avail. This is as good as it gets.

In her many trips next door, she managed to take a few items from Parker's wardrobe. There was so much of it, that she's sure the woman didn't even notice anything missing. These butter soft, lambskin leather pants were too tempting to resist. She knows Jarod will love her in them. If she can get in them, that is. Apparently, she has a few more pounds of hips than Parker. The pants makes her look stout instead of sleek. Stumpy instead of sexy.

"Yet another reason to hate her," she mumbles before reluctantly stepping out of the pants. She goes into the bedroom, ignoring the still form of her dead husband, and finds something else to put on. A pounding at the door startles her before she realizes who it is. She walks to the door and slips outside, not allowing a view into the room.

"What do you two want," she snaps at the two small girls.

"Can you play with us? Summer says her mommy plays with her," Alexa pouts.

"Not today. You and Summer play with each other," Kristen says, cringing at the headache forming behind her eyes. She wonders why she ever told Jarod she'd babysit Summer. The girl is so clingy and dependent. It's always something with her. She wants something to eat. She needs someone to play with her. She has to use the bathroom. Wah wah wah, all day long. She's more trouble than she's worth. Both the kids are. She'll have to reevaluate their place in hers and Jarod's new life.

"But Mommy . . . " Alexa tries again.

"Get away from me!" Kristen yells, startling Summer to the point of tears. Alexa just sighs, used to the cruel outbursts from her mother.

"Let's go back to my room, Summer," she says to the smaller girl.

"No! I want to go home. I want my daddy," Summer screams.

"Well, you can't have him," Kristen growls. "He left you here with me. He doesn't want you. Neither did your mommy. She's gone too."

"No! I don't believe you." Summer stubbornly wipes her face dry and stomps out the house. She runs next door to her house and tries to open the door. It's locked.

"Told you," Kristen says, an evil grin on her face. She reaches for the little girl and is able to grab the sobbing child. She takes her to her car and tosses her in the back seat, motioning to Alexa to get in as well. She slams the door behind them and gets into the driver's seat. She's had it with these two little girls. It's time for them to go. It'll be another loss for Jarod to endure, but again, she'll be there to pick up the pieces. Killing kids is always risky, but it's a risk she has to take. There's no way Jarod would accept her with Summer hating her the way she does. She's an obstacle now. And like all obstacles, has to be removed.

Chapter 14
*****************


Jarod finishes his work at the school and rushes home, not quite early enough for lunch, but good enough to spend the rest of the day with Summer. She'd probably be napping, but when she wakes, he'll make sure to pick fun activities to keep the girl's mind off of Miss Parker's absence.

Jarod gets to the house and goes directly next door to get Summer. He rings the bell several times before realizing that no one is home. Kristen mentioned something about running errands, he reminds himself and goes on home. Hopefully Kristen will see his car in the driveway when she gets back and bring Summer home.

He makes his way into the house, dropping his stuff by the door. He'll put it all away later, he promises himself. The light on the machine is blinking, signalling a message waiting. Without even hearing it, he knows it's from her. He rushes over and presses the button, her voice suddenly filling the silence.
"Hey. It's me. I, uh, guess you're at work. So am I. But you probably already know that.

He laughs along with her at her nervous attempt at a joke, then turning the machine up to easier hear her voice.

"Listen, I'm really, really sorry I left the way that I did. I had to come, though. It's a long story, but I'll explain it later. I promise. We never say good-bye, remember?"

Sorry, he thinks with a smile. A word he never thought he'd hear out of her mouth. She's actually apologizing. And explaining where she is. He can hardly believe it. She seems to be calling just to let him know she's okay. And to let him know that she will do everything in her power to get back to them. His heart soars at this realization.

"Jarod, I . . . I miss you," she says quietly after a few silent moments. "And Summer. I want to come home. Please let me still have a home to come back to. That's the only way I'll be able to get through this. Knowing that you and Summer are safe and waiting for me."

The message stops after that and he realizes there are tears in his eyes. The anger and confusion he felt after finding her gone has dissipated, leaving only a heart full of love.

"We'll be here, Parker," he whispers. "We'll always be waiting for you."

He dries his tears and considers calling her back, but stops himself. As much as he wants to talk to her, he doesn't want to endanger her. Right now she needs to stay focused.

Not knowing what else to do to keep himself occupied, he looks around the room and spots his running shoes in the corner. A quick run might not be a bad idea, he decides. He changes quickly, coming back to into the living room in just his socks. He walks over to his shoes and slips into them, bending down to tie the laces. His eyes land on a hat. Her hat. He smiles at the memory of her tucking her hair into it. It's such a relaxed and carefree look for her. Almost playful. Childish even. She looks, dare he say, cute in the hat. Of course, he'd never say it to her. He places it on his own head, feeling somewhat closer to her in it.

He steps outside the house, stretching thoroughly before starting on his way. He doesn't know where he's going. But after about twenty minutes of mindless jogging, he's not surprised to find himself at her spot. At least, he likes to think of it that way. It's the small lake she discovered one day. He pauses for a moment, allowing himself to enjoy the serenity of the spot. He can see why she loves it so much. it's so calm and peaceful.

Taking a deep breath, he starts on his return trip home. He suddenly has the urge to talk to her. Danger or no danger, he plans on calling her. If only to hear her voice for a few moments. Maybe to let her know that he'll always be waiting for her. It just may be the very thing she needs to hear right now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Miss Parker looks down at her cell phone to make sure it's turned on. She halfway expected a phone call from Jarod by now. Unfortunately the phone hasn't rung once.

"Miss Parker," Broots calls to her from the driver's seat. "We're here." He pulls the car to a stop in front of a large gray building, looming in the distance much like the Centre. Only older and smaller.

"Yes we are," she sighs. "Let's go see what my father is up to this time." She gets out of the car, buttoning her suit jacket and straightening her clothes. The suit felt restricted and binding to her. She hasn't worn anything like it the past two weeks she's been with Jarod and Summer. She feels almost like a stranger in her own clothes. In her own life.

Broots and Sydney get out of the car and follow her up to the front of the building. They easily open the door, surprised that it's unlocked. They expected security to be much tighter.

"Well, that's one less obstacle for us to go through," Broots says nervously. He had downloaded several different security access programs to his laptop, anticipating having to hack into the system at this facility.

"That was easy," she agrees cautiously. "A little too easy."

"Let's hope the rest of our little investigation here is just as easy," Sydney chimes in. He barely gets the words past his lips before five armed men appear from around the corner.

"Miss Parker. Mr. Broots. Dr. Green. Follow us please," one of them says. He presses his hand to the gun on his hip to let them know he expects their complete cooperation.

"We seem to be at a disadvantage here. You know who we are, but we don't know who you are," Miss Parker says.

"You don't need to know," the head man says sharply. "Your father is expecting you."

"My father?" she gasps.

"Right this way, ma'am," the guard says again. He grabs onto Miss Parker's arms and leads her back down the hallway they mysteriously appeared from. She silently goes along with him, paying attention to the route they take in case she needs to make a quick getaway.

After making a series of turns, they reach the end of a hall. The guard punches a code into a panel on the wall and the wall opens up right before their eyes.

"Your father's in there," the guard says, motioning her to go inside. "Your associates will be here waiting for you when you return."

She looks suspiciously between the man and the path he wants her to take alone. Then she takes a breath, knowing she doesn't really have a choice. She needs to get to her father and she can only hope that this man is being straight with her.

"Go on, Parker," Sydney says, sensing her reticence. "We'll be here waiting for you."

She nods her head at him and goes on her way, hearing the wall close up behind her. Her nervousness multiplies with each of her footsteps that echo throughout the silent hallway. She reaches the end of the hallway and looks both ways to see which way to go. She sees her father standing about halfway down the hallway to her left, so she takes that path.

"Angel," he says, looking up at her when she approaches him. "I have to say I was surprised to see you on the security monitor. What are you doing here?"

"What are I doing here? I'm here to find you. But the question is, what are *you* doing here, Daddy?" she asks him in return. He looks nervous for some reason. He must have something to hide, she decides.

"I had something to check on," he says quickly before changing the subject back to her. "I thought you were taking a little break. What are you doing back on Centre business?"

"Lyle has convinced the board that you've gone AWOL, Daddy. They're about to appoint him Chairman in your absence."

"That boy is a spirited one," he says with a chuckle. "He reminds me of myself with all that ambition."

"Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know," she says coldly, realizing she's wasted her time. "You might want to get back to Blue Cove right away. The board wants to see you at the next meeting." She rolls her eyes and starts to walk away, disgusted that she even bothered coming out here. If her father doesn't care about Lyle taking over, then why should she? Because so many other people's lives depend on it, her conscience answers. She's here trying to retrieve her father because of the innocents like Broots and Sydney and Angelo. Not that her father is any better, but he's the lesser of two evils. It's better with him in charge than it would be with Lyle.

She sighs heavily and turns around just in time to see her father going into a room. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she follows him into the room, freezing in shock at the sight before her.

"Angel," he gasps in surprise. "You weren't supposed to come in here."

"Daddy? What . . . what's going on here?" She walks over next to where he is, peers over the ledge of the crib and stares into a pair of bright blue eyes.

"You were never supposed to know about this, Angel."

"Why not, Daddy. Unless this baby is . . . where did she come from?" she asks hesitantly.

"Angel, don't . . ."

"No Daddy," she yells. "Don't 'Angel' me. Tell me the truth. Is she another one? Another one you made from me and Jarod?"

His face turns a ghastly white color and he has a hard time catching his breath.

"Y-you know about the other one?"

"Kind of short? Cute as a button? Looks a lot like me? How could I miss her, Daddy!" Her voice has gotten loud enough to disturb the baby and she starts to whimper. Miss Parker instinctively reaches into the crib and gently rubs the baby's tummy until she's calmed down again. When she looks up at her father again, she has tears in her eyes. "Why, Daddy? Why make these children? What purpose are they serving?"

"I suppose you're not going to leave here without getting the truth out of me," he says quietly.

"Even I know that's too much to ask," she says, shaking her head. "But I can hope. So just tell me."

"I don't know where to start," he says with a nervous chuckle. He runs his hands through his hair before gently reaching into the crib for the baby. He gives her to Miss Parker, knowing that by the end of his story she'll want to kill him. She'll be less likely to accomplish that goal if she were holding the baby. "I guess I could start by introducing you two. Angel, this is Abby. Your daughter."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's started again. She was quiet for a little while, but the crying has started again. And it's driving Kristen closer and closer to the edge. She spins around, taking her eyes off the road for a second, to stare coldly at Summer.

"Shut that crying up. I can't think with all that noise," she screams to the girl.

"Don't cry, Summer," Alexa whispers to the smaller girl, grabbing her hand gently. "Please be quiet. You're only making things worse."

Summer looks at her friend and sees how frightened she is. Frightened of her own mother. That scares Summer even more. Mothers aren't supposed to be scary. Mothers are supposed to be nice and loving and give lots of hugs. She suddenly wanted her own mother, or the only woman she's ever known as a mother. She wanted Parker. And she wanted her more than she's ever wanted anything in her whole life.

"Help me, Mommy," she whimpers quietly as she forces her tears away.

"Your mommy can't help you," Kristen growls, hearing the girls plea. "I told you that. Your mommy's not . . . "

Something in the distance catches Kristen's eye, causing her to lose her train of thought. She blinks her eyes a few times, not believing what she's seeing. It's Parker. Running like she always does, wearing that stupid hat that she always wears. Kristen's face brightens with a chilling smile. How lucky can she be? Here's her chance to get them all out of the way. She can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Without a second thought, her foot mashes the accelerator all the way and soon the scenery outside is rushing past, blurred by the increasing speed of the car. She goes faster and faster, concentrating only on keeping the car on her side of the road. She quickly approaches the unwitting jogger. Just a few more feet until . . .

She feels a body thump against the car and has to swerve to stay on the road. She slows down and looks into the rearview mirror at the unmoving body in the road. A smile grows on her face at how simple it was. She is really getting the hang of this killing thing. That's two down and two to go. Both spouses are now out of the way. She now just has to get rid of the two girls. With all the practice she's had, it should be a piece of cake.

Chapter 15
*****************


Miss Parker stares in awe at the tiny form wiggling in her arms. She looks at the girl and can see the same features on her little face as on Summer's.

"She's beautiful. She looks just like Summer," she lets slip out. She's not sure how much her father knows about Summer, and she doesn't intend on being the one to tell him about her. But when she looks up at him, he seems to know more about the girl than even she does.

"I'm not surprised. They *are* twins. Identical twins."

"Twins? How? Summer's three years old. This baby is barely three months old."

"They were incubated separately," he says by way of explanation, although it doesn't really explain much. She still as confused as when the conversation first started.

"I still don't understand the how," she confesses. "But why don't you tell me the why. Why make these children?"

"Angel, this all goes back to when you were a baby, not much older than Abby," he starts. "After you were born, you had the requisite tests performed by the Centre physicians. They discovered you had rare antibodies in your body that cured a rare genetic blood disorder. You were a medical miracle. Unfortunately, it didn't stop you from getting sick a few years later. It was a variation of the blood disorder and your own antibodies couldn't fight it. You needed some outside help. We luckily found a child with the necessary antibodies."

"Jarod," she guesses. He just nods.

"He was considered another medical miracle. He saved your life, Angel," he tells her. "Anyway, it was decided that this opportunity could not be passed up. The possibility of combining yours and Jarod's antibodies was too tempting to ignore. They weren't sure, but they suspected that the ever elusive cancer cure could be the result."

"So they decided to create our children with the hopes of discovering a cure for cancer," she says, confusion starting to show on her face. "But researchers have been searching for that cure for a while now. I don't understand why the Centre would wait so long to jump on the bandwagon. Summer's only three. Are you telling me they waited until three years ago to do anything?"

"No. They started testing as soon as viable material could be obtained from you and Jarod, right when you both hit puberty. You see, all the researchers needed to run their tests were stem cells," he says quietly. But seeing the confused look on her face, he realizes she doesn't understand the implications of that statement.

"Big deal. Don't they just have to draw a little blood after the baby is born?"

"It's not that simple, Angel," he tells her, his voice beginning to shake as he reluctantly explains. "It used to be a very delicate process. Up until recently, the only method available to obtain human embryonic stem cells had certain, um . . . consequences. Extracting the cells always resulted in the embryos being . . . destroyed." The last word comes out in practically a whisper.

"What?" she gasps, suddenly unable to catch her breath.

"Summer wasn't the first. She was just the first live birth. They were able to collect the necessary stem cell material from her umbilical cord."

"The first live . . . How many others were there? How man were de-destroyed?" she asks as she fights to keep her tears from falling.

"Seven," he admits, unable to face her.

"Seven," she repeats. "Seven of my children they made, used and then just . . . discarded? Thrown out like the trash?" She loses the battle with her tears and they begin to flow steadily down her face as she grieves for the poor, lost, innocent souls. Souls of children that she'll never know. Never get to hold. The very idea is almost too much for her to handle. But she has to. She has to hear the rest of this twisted story, no matter how perverse.

"What happened to Summer?" she asks a few minutes later after she's calmed herself. "How did she end up away from the Centre?"

"After she was born, I made the mistake of going to see her. I instantly fell in love," he smiles. "It was like going back in time to when you were a baby. Despite what you may think, Angel, I do love you and I did everything in my power to protect you as much as possible all throughout the years. I wanted to do the same for Summer. So I arranged for her to be sent away, so she wouldn't have to grow up at the Centre like you did."

Miss Parker looks down at the now sleeping baby in her arms, trying to give herself time to absorb all that her father has said. She doesn't know what to believe and what not to believe. It doesn't seem like he's lying about anything. Maybe everything he's saying is true after all.

"So Summer's safe," she says finally. "No one at the Centre knows about her."

"Except for me. But I don't know where she is or how to find her. Which brings me to why Abby was created."

"Why is that?"

"It again goes back to when you were so sick with that blood disorder. We were so worried about you that we didn't investigate where it came from. Turns out you got it from me. This diseased lied dormant in me until about a year ago when I got sick. The doctors would have been able to get a cure from Summer, but I couldn't find her. There weren't anymore stem cells from her umbilical cord, either. So I did the next best thing."

"You created another Summer."

"Not exactly another Summer. But another child, yes. You see, Summer was a twin. An identical twin. But she was the only one brought to term. The other twin was preserved somehow for later use."

"Lucky for you," she says sarcastically.

"As it turns out, yes. It was lucky for me. Abby was born and I was able to get the life saving cure from her. She's served her purpose well. Her short life will not have been in vain."

"Her short life? What do you mean, Daddy?"

"That's why Abby's here, Angel," he explains. "She's dying. She has aplastic anemia. And without a bone marrow transplant, she can't recover. She got sick a few weeks ago. I came out here so she won't spend her last days alone. I at least owe her that much."

"You didn't bother to try to find a match?" she practically screeches.

"I did have samples of blood from me, you, Lyle, and Jarod tested. No matches. They say they have a greater success rate finding matches with siblings. But even then, there's no guarantee."

"What about Summer. They're identical twins. Summer should be a match."

"She is a match. But we don't know how to find her."

"I know how to find her," Miss Parker says, biting her lip at what she's admitting to her father. "But I'm not bringing her here. I'm taking Abby with me. You can arrange for her to disappear just like how you arranged for Summer to disappear."

It's not a request. She doesn't give her father a chance to refuse. She stands up and walks to the crib, grabbing the thick blanket and wrapping the baby up with it.

"She'll need to get to a hospital as soon as possible. They'll want to confirm the diagnosis before doing the procedure on either of the girls."

She just nods her head and brings the baby closer to her chest.

"Daddy," she starts, pausing to figure out how to say what she wants to say. "This may sound strange, but thank you. I'm pretty much . . . disgusted with everything else you told me today. I'm angry and probably in shock. Right now, I can't deal with half of what you told me. But what I can deal with now is the fact that I have two beautiful girls out of this mess. And I want to thank you for them."

With that, she turns and walks out the door, leaving him standing in the room all by himself. She quickly makes her way back to where she left the others and has to search for a few moments before finding the button to open the wall. She finds Sydney and Broots waiting just where she left them.

"Took you long enough," Broots says, looking behind her and seeing the hallway empty. "Where's your father? Didn't we come here for him?" He looks down and sees a squirming bundle in her arms and looks at her questioningly.

"Don't ask," she says, shaking her head. "My father is still back there. I need you to stick around, Sydney, and make sure he makes it back to Blue Cove. I don't think he'll be a problem, though. He's finished with whatever he came here to do." She pulls the baby closer to her chest, giving her a brief squeeze. She looks at one of the guards, letting him know she's ready to go and he escorts them back to the front of the building.

"And what are we going to do, Miss Parker?" Broots asks when they get back to the car. He watches her carefully get into the back seat, still holding tightly to her bundle.

"Broots, we've got some baby shopping to do," she says, laughing at the look he gets on his face. "Let's get out of here. I'll explain everything to you on the way."

The baby lets out a yawn and settles into Miss Parker's embrace, already seeming to be used to being there. Miss Parker is certainly getting used to having her in her arms. She doesn't ever want to let her go. She leans back into the seat, watching the little girl's face and wondering how she's going to tell Jarod about her.

After about an hour of driving, Miss Parker spots a Wal-Mart off the interstate and has Broots pull in. They buy a few necessities for the baby, including some diapers and a car seat. While Broots installs the seat, she decides to call Jarod. The phone just rings and rings. She's even more surprised when the machine picks up. Jarod and Summer should be home at this hour.

She leaves a brief message telling Jarod that she really needs to talk to him. But leaving the message doesn't ease her worry. She calls back a few minutes later, hoping that maybe Jarod was too busy with something else to answer the phone. But the same thing happens. The phone just rings and rings before the machine picks up. Instead of leaving a message this time, she dials in the secret code to access the other messages on there. There's only one other message besides the one she just left. But this message almost makes her heart stop.

"Mrs. Hamilton," the voice on the machine starts. "This is Nurse Sarah Morton from Lakeview Memorial Hospital. I'm calling to let you know that there's been an accident involving your husband, Jarod. You need to get here as soon as possible. If you have any questions, you can call me at . . ."

She doesn't hear the rest, the phone slipping from her now boneless hand. It's a good thing she's sitting or else she doesn't know how she would have kept a hold on the baby.

"All done, Miss Parker," Broots says, walking up to her. He notices the look on her face and is instantly worried. "Miss Parker, what's the matter?"

She doesn't answer so he reaches down to take the baby from her arms. That snaps her out of her trance and she looks up at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I need to get to take me somewhere, Broots," she says shakily. She allows him to help her rise and walks to the car, placing the baby in the car seat.

"Sure. Anywhere. Where do you have to go?" he asks after starting the car.

"Home," she whispers.

"To Blue Cove?"

"No. Not Blue Cove," she says quietly. She allows a small smile to cross her face when she sees the confused look on his. "Just get back on the interstate, Broots. I'll let you know where to go."

"Okay," he shrugs, still confused. "You're the boss." He puts the car and gear and starts driving. He looks over at her and sees her staring blankly out the window. He still has no idea where he's going, but wherever it is, it must be important to her. With that thought, he adds a bit more pressure to the gas pedal and speeds up the car. Wherever she's going, she seems to need to be there. The least he can do is try to get her there as quickly as possible.

Chapter 16
*****************


Miss Parker stretches and yawns, looking at the clock. It's almost midnight. She and Broots just drove five straight hours to get here, only stopping once for gas and food and once again to change drivers. Whoever wasn't driving at the time handled changing Abby's diaper and feeding her. Luckily for Miss Parker, the diaper changing duties happened during Broots' shift. She's never changed a diaper in her life. But now it appears that she'll have to learn.

She looks into the back seat and smiles at sweet face staring at her in return. Broots starts to stir in the seat next to her.

"We're here?" he asks groggily.

"I just pulled in," she says. "I need to get her inside."

"A hospital?" he asks, looking up at the building they're parked outside of. "Why?"

"She's sick, Broots. My father says she has aplastic anemia and that the only thing that'll make her better is a bone marrow transplant. I came here because I know of a possible donor," she explains, leaving out the big details of the baby being her daughter. And Jarod's.

"The donor's in there? Is that why we had to come to this hospital?" Broots asks.

"Let's just go in," she says quietly, opening her car door and stepping out. She opens the back door and takes the baby from her car seat, rocking her gently to keep her calm.

"You're good at that," Broots says with a gentle smile. "You'll be a good mother to her, Miss Parker."

She freezes, looking up at him suspiciously. But she sees no malice in his eyes. Just understanding. Her look of suspicion changes to one of questioning.

"The way you look at her. It's the look that only a mother can have for her child," he explains, answering her unspoken question. "I can tell even without seeing her big blue eyes that she's yours."

"Broots, I . . . "

"No, Miss Parker. You don't owe me any explanations."

"But I do, Broots," she says. "And I'll explain everything to you. There's more going on here than you could imagine."

"With the Centre involved? I'm sure you're right," he laughs. "But don't worry about that now. Right now, let's get this little lady into the hospital so that she can hurry up and get better. Okay?"

She just nods, and with a smile, allows him to lead her inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kristen pulls into her driveway, checking in her rear view mirror for anyone following her. The streets have been crawling with police. Road blocks have been set up. They must be looking for Parker's killer, she assumes. She didn't anticipate all this police activity so soon. Which is why she still has her two little inconveniences.

She peeks over her shoulder at them and frowns at their sleeping forms. She can't kill them now and risk getting caught. But she can't put up with them for a minute longer. She just needs some place to stash them for a little while, until things calm down. Just like you do with dirty laundry you don't feel like washing, she thinks to herself as a wicked grin spreads across her face. Dirty laundry. She suddenly knows exactly where to put the girls.

She gets out of the car, leaving the sleeping girls inside while she goes inside and prepares for them. She doesn't realize until she comes back out for the kids that a car is parked in the driveway next door. Jarod's car. He's finally home.

"I'll be there soon, my love," she says out loud, another smile growing on her face. She's so excited she can hardly contain herself. But she still has work to do. And she can't go to him until it's done. So she hurries, dragging the girls inside and tossing them into her make shift prison down in the basement laundry room. Nobody should find them down there.

She goes back upstairs and checks out her appearance in the mirror before going next door.

"Jarod," she calls into the house. "Honey, I'm here."

There's no answer. She decides to go inside. She's able to easily push the door open, finding it unlocked.

"Jarod," she calls again. Still no answer. She sits on the sofa in the darkness, confused at the empty house. The car's outside. It's late. But he's not home. Where could he be, she wonders to herself. Where ever he is, he can't be far. She'll just sit and wait for him. He has to come home eventually.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Broots watches Miss Parker pace nervously across the waiting room. She holds a cup of coffee in her hand that he suspects has long ago gone cold.

"Why don't you sit down," he suggests. "I'm sure the doctor will let us know when they're done."

"What if I'm too late?" she asks. "What if she's too sick for even the bone marrow transplant to work? She's so little. Would she even be able to survive the surgery?"

"All good questions," another voice says. She spins around and sees the doctor approaching. "Are you Abby's parents? Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, right?" the doctor asks, verifying the information in the chart in his hands.

"I'm her mother," she nods. "This is my brother," she says, pointing to Broots.

Brother. Broots frowns slightly, wondering why she even corrected the doctor. What would have been so wrong with him thinking they were married, he thinks to himself.

"Oh, sorry about the confusion," the doctor says with a kind smile. "I'm Dr. Cabot. I'll be taking care of Abby."

"How is she, Doctor?" Miss Parker asks.

"Stable. She seems to have been getting good care. I understand you know of a bone marrow donor in the area."

"Yes, I'll bring her in for the test as soon as possible," Miss Parker tells him.

"No hurry. I don't recommend Abby immediately getting surgery. Like you said before, she's so young. I'd like to keep her here for a few days to get her prepped for an operation. We're going to move her to her own room, so you'll be able to stay with her for as long as you like."

"Thank you, Doctor," she sighs. "I'd like that."

"Okay. The orderlies are about to move her now. She'll be in the pediatrics wing, room 405. You two can follow them if you don't know the way. I'll be in first thing in the morning to check on her. See you then." He smiles one last time before turning to leave. The door to the exam room opens and they see a small crib being wheeled out.

"Broots, I need a huge favor," she says quietly. "Could you go with her and help her get settled? I need to go check on something else."

"Are you sure? I'm sure she'd rather see you there than me. Why don't you let me check on this other thing for you?"

"No, it's something I really need to do. Just stay with her, please. I don't want her to be alone. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay, Miss Parker."

"Thank you," she sighs, feeling relieved that Abby will be in good hands. She watches them disappear into the elevator before turning to the Nurse on duty at the admissions desk. "Nurse. My name is Parker Hamilton. I got a message that my husband Jarod was involved in some kind of accident. Can you tell me where I could find him?"

"Just a minute," the nurse says with a sympathetic smile, noting the fatigue on Miss Parker's face. She saw this woman come in with the sick baby and feels sorry that she has to deal with an injured husband as well. She types the name into the computer and has the requested information a few minutes later. "He's in room 718, ma'am. Take those elevators there up to the seventh floor and turn left."

"Thank you, Nurse." Miss Parker follows her directions and easily finds the room. She pushes the door open and gasps at Jarod's still, pale form lying on the bed.

"Jarod," she cries, shakily lifting his hand to her lips. "What happened to you?" More tears fall and she lays her head on his chest, feeling the rise and fall with each breath he takes.

"Mmmm," he groans.

"Jarod?" She sits up and looks at him. He appears to be struggling to wake up. "Come on, Baby. Wake up now. I'm here for you."

"Parker?" he whispers, slowly opening his eyes. He grins a huge, sleepy grin when he realizes he's not dreaming. "You're really here. You came back."

"Yes," she smiles. "I'm here. I came back. Jarod, do you know what happened?"

"I was . . . " he pauses to think for a while, trying to remember what happened. "I was running. I woke up here. Feels like I got hit by a truck."

"It looks like it, too," she teases with a teary laugh. She leaves him for a day and look at what happens. She almost lost him. She can't resist touching him now, assuring herself that he's okay. She strokes his hair out of his face, taking care not to disturb the big, white bandage circling his head. She touches him anywhere she can, just because she can.

"Missed you," he rasps.

"I missed you, too," she tells him as she wipes away the tears that just won't stop falling. "I missed you and Summer. Where is she?"

"Neighbor," he says, coughing a little at all the talking he's been doing. She turns to get him a cup of water from the bedside table, so he misses the look of panic on her face.

"She's with Kristen?" she asks him to clarify. He nods, starting to wonder about her question.

"What's wrong?" he asks when he sees the look on her face.

"Nothing," she lies, trying to paste on a smile. "I just need to see Summer right now. I missed her so much."

"That's not it," he says with another cough. "What's the problem? You're scaring me."

"It's Kristen," she says reluctantly. "I think she's a little . . . unstable. Some of her actions worry me."

"Like what?"

"Like . . . nothing," she sighs, deciding not to tell him about the poison coffee incident. It wouldn't do him any good to worry. There's nothing he can do from a hospital bed. "I'll just be happier once I get Summer. You get some rest." She leans over and kisses him, gently at first, but she soon finds herself moaning as he deepens it.

"Well, looks like at least part of you didn't get broken," a voice says from the door. A young woman with short hair smiles at them and walks into the room. "My exam wasn't *that* thorough, but thanks to this lady here, I can see your tongue is in proper working order."

"Just needed the right person to play doctor with, Doctor," Jarod says, causing a blush to grow on Miss Parker's cheeks.

"I'm Dr. Edwards," the woman says, offering Miss Parker her hand. "You must be Jarod's wife, Parker. He was asking for you earlier."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor," Miss Parker says with an embarrassed smile. It's been a while since she's been caught *making out*. And never with someone incapacitated and confined to a hospital bed. "Sorry about . . . what you just walked in on."

"Oh, don't be," the woman laughs. "I may be a doctor, but I firmly believe in the power of love to heal all wounds. Even his. Jarod was very lucky. The car that hit him was traveling at a great speed. He dislocated his shoulder and sprained an ankle, but we were more concerned about his head injury. There was a subdural hematoma, and we had to go in and drain the blood."

"Is he going to be okay?" Miss Parker asks, suddenly very worried about him again.

"He'll have to stay in the hospital for at least another day to make sure the bleeding in his head doesn't start again. But I'm predicting a full recovery. Just don't get his pressure up too high, if you know what I mean," she says, giving Miss Parker a knowing wink. "Don't get him too worked up."

"I won't, Doctor," she laughs. "I'll make sure he's a very good boy."

"Okay, then I'm leaving him in your hands. Jarod, I'll be back to check on you tomorrow. Let the nurses know immediately if you need anything."

"Good night, Doctor," they both say, watching the woman leave the room.

"So, I've been left in your hands," Jarod says. He reaches his hand out and places it on her leg, gently stroking it up to her thigh.

"But it look like it's *your* hands I need to watch out for," she grins. "I'm supposed to make sure you behave, Jarod. No getting you all worked up." She shivers when his hand travels a little higher. Forget about him getting all worked up. She's the one about to turn to mush.

"Too late for that," he says, wagging his eyebrows at her. He brings his other hand into play, reaching for her with it when he suddenly winces in pain.

"Jarod. Are you okay?" she asks, jumping away from him. She reaches for the nurse's call button, about to press it when he stops her.

"I'm fine," he says through gritted teeth. "Just forgot about the shoulder."

"You're not okay," she says, pressing the call button despite his protests. "Let them give you something for the pain." A nurse comes in immediately and she explains the situation to her. The nurse puts some pain killers in the IV, the results immediate.

"That should help. He'll be asleep soon," she says before leaving.

"I wish you hadn't done that," he says groggily, the medicine already starting to take effect. "I hate being under the influence of anything."

"It's okay," she whispers to him, kissing his forehead. "I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you. Just rest."

He mumbles something incoherent as he falls asleep, his hand tightly grasping hers. She lays her head on the pillow next to his, watching him sleep. Until eventually, she joins him in slumber.

Chapter 17
*****************


Broots steps into the elevator and presses the button for the seventh floor. The nurse at the admissions desk said that she last saw Miss Parker when she asked for directions to a patient's room on this floor. That was over an hour ago. Something must have happened for her to stay gone from the baby for this long.

He easily finds room 718 and steps inside, surprised at the scene that greets him. His mouth falls open in shock at the sight of Miss Parker curled up on a bed, lying quite contently in the missing Pretender's arms.

"Miss Parker," he says quietly, reluctantly waking her. He can see that she's tired and needs some rest. But right now, he's more interested in her explanation for her current position.

"Miss Parker," he says again, this time a bit louder. He steps to the bed and taps her on the shoulder. That wakes her up. She sleepily blinks her eyes a few times before they pop wide open in the realization of where she is and who she's with.

"Broots, this . . . " She gestures her hand between her and Jarod, trying to come up with the words to explain. But her words fail her and she just shrugs.

"Isn't what it seems?" he offers as an explanation.

"No, it's exactly what it seems," she says sheepishly. "But it isn't the way I wanted you to find out."

Jarod picks that moment to pull her tightly against himself, nuzzling into her chest with his cheek. She turns bright red and rolls her eyes at the chuckle Broots lets out. After Jarod settles back down, she gently eases from his arms and tips out the room, motioning for Broots to follow.

"Remember when I said there was a lot more going on? Well, Jarod's part of it," she says.

"I kind of guessed that," he smiles. "I must say, I was surprised to see the two of you . . . like that. Any other surprises I should know about?"

"Yeah. This," she says, pulling a ring from her pocket and placing it on her left hand. She holds her hand up and shows it to him.

"You two are married?" He says, not realizing how loud his voice has gotten.

"Shhh! Keep it down." She pulls on his arm until they reach the elevator. They go inside and travel down to the fourth floor to go check on the baby. Once they get inside the room, she takes a seat next to the baby and reaches into the crib, grabbing the girl's tiny hand.

"Jarod and I are not really married," she explains, smiling at the way the baby's hand grips her finger. "This is all just one big pretend."

"So what I saw earlier, you two wrapped up together in bed, was just a pretend?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean technically, yes. We're only pretending to be married. But things have recently gone beyond the quote unquote technical."

"Oh, so you two are really together?"

"Yes. No. I mean, not entirely in that way, if you know what I mean. We've just kissed a few times and . . . I can't believe I'm telling you this," she groans, covering her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.

"Ah, the making out stage. No touching below the clothes, I assume." He tries to hold in his laughter, but doesn't succeed.

"Shut up, Broots," she says, but the warning lacks her normal bite.

"Okay, okay," he says, gasping for breath through his chuckles. "We don't have to talk about your sex life . . . or lack there of, as it turns out." Her face turns even redder and he can't help but laugh even harder at her. Normally he would be worried about his life at this point. But she seems different somehow. Changed. A kinder and gentler version of his friend. She's sitting there holding a baby's hand, for goodness sake. Definitely not the Miss Parker he's used to.

"I'm glad this is amusing you," she says, rolling her eyes. But she's not really upset. The situation actually is kind of funny once she thinks about it. And she's actually surprised that Broots has a sense of humor. She realizes that she's never really had a friendly conversation with him.

"I'm sorry," he says, trying to hold in his laughter again. "Continue. You were telling me about this so called pretend marriage to Jarod."

"Right. So anyway, Jarod came to me a few weeks ago asking for help with this particular pretend. We did it because we were trying to get custody of what turns out to be our daughter."

"This baby?" he asks.

"Actually, she's our daughter as well. But I was talking about another little girl. Her name is Summer," Miss Parker says with a proud smile. "Summer Joy."

"She's the donor," Broots realizes. "That's why we brought the baby to this hospital. Because this is where Summer is."

"Yes, except unfortunately, she's with the woman who poisoned me. This woman is insane. I don't know what her problem is, but apparently she doesn't like me. I just hope that she doesn't take it out on my daughter. I'm worried about her, Broots. She's just a little girl."

"Then let's go get her," he suggests.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "I can't ask you to do that. It's too dangerous. I don't know what's going to set this woman off. Could you just stay here with Abby and Jarod? Keep an eye on them?"

"This is a hospital, Miss Parker. They'll be fine. I think you're the one who needs back up."

Miss Parker looks at him and sees how serious he is. He would really do this for her. She always thought his loyalty was due to obedience. They worked together and he therefore had to follow her orders. But this is above and beyond duty. This is friendship.

"You're right," she relents. "I'd appreciate the help. You're a good friend, Broots. I don't thank you enough. But the truth is that I honestly don't know where I would have been all these years without you and Sydney. And here you are, helping me with my daughters, when you have one of your own to worry about."

"Debbie's fine. She adores you, Miss Parker. She'd have my head if I let anything happen to you. She understands me having to work a lot."

"But she shouldn't have to. Broots, this has to end. Jarod and I didn't have normal childhoods growing up. I don't want the same kind of life for our daughters or for Debbie. For the first time since my mother died, I feel like I'm part of a family. And I don't want to give that up. I'm not going to give it up," she says quietly, bringing Abby's hand to her lips for a gentle kiss.

"It's going to be a tough fight," he tells her.

"I know. But it's one I'm going to win. I *have* to win it."

"Of course you will," he says. "You're on the right side now. You and Jarod are an unbeatable team. You've been playing *Their* game for too long. Now that you and Jarod are together, there's no way they can stop you."

"I hope you're right," she says quietly.

"I know I am," he assures her. "Now, let's get out of here. I think you have another daughter I need to meet."

She smiles at him and rises from her seat. After pressing a gentle kiss on the baby's cheek, she quietly leaves the room with him. It's so late that she'll probably just take Broots back to the house and wait until morning to go get Summer from Kristen's place. She should be fine until then. Kristen has a child of her own. She wouldn't hurt either of the girls. Miss Parker has to keep telling herself that. She has to believe it. Because the alternative it too horrifying to imagine.

Chapter 18
*****************


Kristen wakes up when she hears a car door slam outside the house. She looks around groggily, wondering where she is when she suddenly remembers. She must have fallen asleep waiting for Jarod. That must be him outside. And here she is looking like a mess. She runs to the bedroom and digs through Miss Parker's drawer until she finds a nightgown to slip on. She looks into the mirror on the wall and smiles at the reflection. Like this in the dark, she looks just like Parker. It was enough to fool him last night into cuddling with her. But tonight she wants action.

She hears the front door open and immediately her heart races. This is it. The moment she's been waiting for. She stretches across the bed and calls out to him.

"Jarod, my love. I'm here. I'm waiting for you. Come to me. Come and love me."

No man can refuse an invitation like that, she thinks with a smile. He's so close she can feel it. Any minute now. She hears the footsteps get closer. She hears the knob turning. She hears the door creak open. She looks up, expecting to see the adoring gaze of the man she loves. But instead finds the barrel of a gun pointed at her, moonlight reflecting from the cool steel surface.

"Get out of my bed," a voice growls. The lights are switched on, temporarily blinding Kristen. She squints until her eyes adjust to the sudden light. When her sight returns, she gasps in surprise.

"Parker? What are you . . . you can't be . . . I killed you," she stutters.

"It takes more than a little poison to get me down," Miss Parker says. She storms across the room and grabs Kristen by the hair, dragging her off the bed. "And I said to get out of my bed!"

"Calm down, Miss Parker," Broots says, trying to calm her down. If this is the woman who has Summer, she wouldn't be any use to them if she were dead. And if looks could kill, this woman would be dead already.

"Stay out of this, Broots," she warns. "She tried to kill me earlier. She spiked my coffee with something."

"No, that was just for practice," Kristen says coldly. "Just for fun. Your real death was a lot more painful. I ran you down myself. I saw your dead body in the street. So you see, you're not really here. You're just a ghost. You can't hurt me."

"Really? Does this hurt?" She takes the hand holding the gun and smacks the woman across the face. She sees the look of surprise in Kristen's eyes when warm blood from her newly split lip drips into her mouth.

"You can't be real. You're dead," Kristen screams, suddenly very angry. "I killed you. I saw you out jogging and ran you over with my car. It was you. I know it was. I saw the stupid hat. So why aren't you dead?"

"What are you talking about?" Miss Parker screams back at her. "I haven't gone jogging in days. Unless . . . "

"Unless what, Miss Parker?" Broots asks nervously, his eyes widening even more when he sees a rage like he's never seen take over his friend.

"You psychotic nutcase," she screams, pressing the gun to Kristen's head. "You're the one who hit Jarod. You almost killed him. That wasn't me you saw jogging. It was him."

"No, I wouldn't kill him," Kristen swears. "I love him. We're supposed to be together. That's why I had to kill you and Jimmy and the girls. I had to get rid of the dirty laundry."

"Girls? What girls?" Miss Parker asks, feeling a sudden coldness run through her. "Kristen, where are Summer and Alexa?"

"You all were in the way of our happiness," Kristen continues to babble. "I had to get you all out of the way."

"Kristen, where is she?" she asks again, frustrated at not getting through to the woman. "Where is Summer?"

"Summer. Summer. What an odd name. What an odd child. She's so needy. So annoying," she says. She suddenly stops, closing her eyes for a few moments. When she opens them again, her entire countenance has changed. She looks almost childish.

"I'm hungry. I gotta go potty. I want to go home. I want my Daddy. Help me Mommy," she whimpers in a babyish voice. Just as sudden as the initial change, she changes back, face becoming cold and angry again. She stares into Miss Parker's teary eyes, a chilling smirk on her face.

"You won't find Summer. She's gone. Just like you're gone. It's just me and Jarod now. No distractions. And we're going to be together forever. And ever. And ever. And ever . . . " she repeats over and over, sounding like a broken record. She draws her knees up to her chest and starts pulling at her hair, yanking out small chunks without even flinching. Now in some sort of stupor, she rocks back and forth, still repeating her words.

"Kristen," Miss Parker yells over the babbling, but the other woman doesn't miss a beat with the rocking and chanting. It's like she's not even in her body anymore. Miss Parker grabs the woman's shoulders and shakes her. "Where's my daughter, Kristen? Answer me!"

"Miss Parker," Broots says, pulling her away from the woman. "I don't think she's going to answer you."

"Broots, she did something to my little girl. I have to find out what that is," she sobs, unable to hold in her tears anymore. "I have to find Summer."

"Look at her, Miss Parker," he says, pointing to the now drooling woman curled up on the floor. "She's snapped. She's not going to help us find Summer. *You* have to find Summer. You're a huntress. Do what you do best and find your daughter."

"You're right. I have to find Summer," she sniffs, wiping away her tears. She takes a breath, trying hard to get into huntress mode. "We first should check out Kristen's house. It's the only place I can think to start."

She walks to her dresser and pulls out a long scarf, tossing it to Broots.

"Use this and tie her to the bed. I doubt she's going anywhere, but we can't take any chances."

While Broots ties her, she searches the woman's discarded clothes for any clues. She doesn't find anything. Just keys. She sticks them in her pocket and waits for Broots to finish.

"Let's go to her house," she says. "Maybe we'll find something there."

We have to find her, she thinks to herself. She can't think about what will happen if they don't.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jarod sleepily blinks his eyes and looks around the room. The hospital. He remembers now. He had some kind of accident and was being kept overnight for a head injury.

"Parker," he calls searching the room for her. But the room is empty. He could have sworn she was there earlier. Maybe it was just a dream.

He sits up in the bed, trying to get used to being vertical again. They've kept him so drugged that he's barely been conscious. He's not even sure what's wrong with him. He finds his chart and starts skimming through it.

"Mr. Hamilton. What are you doing up?" a nurse asks when she pushes the door open. "You're supposed to be resting."

"Actually, my chart says I'm fine," he says, showing her the doctor's notes. "And I'm feeling much better. I just don't like all of the drugs."

"You still don't need to be up and around too much by yourself. Why don't you wait until your wife gets back," she suggests.

"My wife was here?" he asks. His face lights up with a smile and the nurse can't help notice how happy he is.

"She was until a few hours ago. Then she went downstairs to pediatrics to sit with your daughter."

"My daughter? Summer's here too?" His joy now turns to confusion and worry. What's Summer doing at the hospital, he wonders. He doesn't remember her being hurt.

"No, not Summer. It's the baby. I think your wife said her name is Abby." The nurse gets concerned when Jarod's face turns an ashy white. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he says, covering his shock. "But I'll feel better if I can go down and check on my, um . . . daughter."

"I think that can be arranged. I'm sure she'll want to see a familiar face," the nurse smiles. "Let me go get a wheelchair."

Jarod pastes a fake smile on his face until the nurse leaves the room. After she's gone, he lets out the breath he was holding. He needs to find out what's going on. He needs to find out who Abby is and why the staff here think she's his daughter. Miss Parker gave them that impression for some reason.

"You ready to go?" the nurse asks when she steps back inside the room. She holds the door open for an orderly with a wheelchair.

"Yes," he nods, suddenly very nervous about what he's about to encounter. Who is this child? Where did she come from?

The trip down is short. He finds himself being wheeled into a room before he knows it.

"You shouldn't be up for too long, Mr. Hamilton, but I think both you and Abby would benefit from a little time together. I'll come check on you in a little while," the nurse says, smiling gently at him. He thanks her and waits for her to leave before getting up out of the wheelchair, hobbling on his tender ankle. He looks into the crib in the center of the room and peers inside. A small baby looks back at him, with eyes belonging undeniably to Miss Parker and a nose that looks very much like his own.

"She looks just like Summer," he gasps. He just stares at the baby for a few moments, contemplating her existence. Wondering why she's in the hospital. That question is easy enough to answer. He picks up the chart bearing the name 'Abby Hamilton' and flips through the pages.

"Three month old female . . . admitted last night," he mumbles. "Stats are normal . . . previous diagnosis of aplastic anemia confirmed . . . awaiting bone marrow donor."

He replaces the chart and goes to sit in the chair next to the crib. He assumes they brought it in for Miss Parker while she sits with the baby. A baby, he thinks to himself, shaking his head at the very thought. Another baby stolen from them. When will it ever stop?

As if sensing his mood, the baby starts to fuss, kicking her legs and waving her arms madly. She starts to whine and reaching her arms out to him.

"What's the matter?" he asks, surprised at her outburst, seeming to suddenly realize she's a living, breathing person who just might want some attention. "You want me to pick you up? I think I can do that."

He reaches into the crib and lifts the baby out, cuddling her into the crook of his good arm. She snuggles into his chest and sighs contently, pulling a fist to her mouth to chew on.

"That's my girl," he coos, not realizing his words until after he says them. But truer words have never been spoken. By all appearances, he and Miss Parker have another child.

"You're my baby girl," he says, smiling down at the child. She gives him a slobbery grin in return, offering her chubby little hand to him. He takes the small hand in his own, watching in wonder as the tiny fist grasps onto his thumb and holds on tightly. But it may as well be holding his heart. Because in that one instant, he finds himself so in love with the little girl in his arms he can hardly believe it. And he realizes there's nothing he wouldn't do for her.

"You're mine, Abby. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. That's a promise." It makes him sick to think of her having spent even one minute inside Centre walls. He vows to himself right then and there that she won't spend another, not as long as he can help it.

Chapter 19
*****************


Miss Parker takes the set of keys from her pocket and opens the front door of Kristen's house. A ominous, cold feeling assaults her just as something foul reaches her nostrils.

"Ewww," Broots groans, practically gagging. "It smells like . . something died in here."

"Summer," she gasps, running throughout the house trying to find the source of the smell. She prays with each step she takes that she doesn't find . . . she doesn't even want to think of the possibility. Summer has to be all right, she tells herself. She has to be. She stumbles upon Kristen's bedroom and realizes this is where the odor is originating from. She just stands outside, her shaky hand hovering over the doorknob.

"I'll go in and check it out," Broots offers.

"No. I'll do it," she whispers.

She pushes the door open and a knot forms in the pit of her stomach as her eyes fall on a lump on the bed. She walks over and flips the cover back to reveal Jimmy's body

"It's not her," she sighs, feeling a mixed sense of relief. Happy it's not Summer, but she feels bad that someone is dead.

"We have to call the police and report this," Broots says.

"I have to find Summer first," she insists.

"Miss Parker, we ca- "

"No! I'm finding my . . . " She stops in the middle of her ranting, shushing Broots when he tries to say something else to her. She closes her eyes in concentration, trying to focus on something. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? My ears are ringing from you yelling at me," he says sarcastically.

"Shut up, Broots," she says through gritted teeth. She tilts her head, as if trying to hear something in the distance. Her eyes widen in shock when she hears it again. "Summer? Is that you? Baby, I'm here. I'm coming."

She takes off running down the hall, opening door after door until she's exhausted all the rooms in the house. But, she comes up empty. She leans against a wall, out of breath and out of hope.

"Where is it coming from?" she pants. She wipes away one hot tear of desperation that breaks free. "I can hear her so clearly, but I don't know where it's coming from."

"Miss Parker, I don't hear anything," Broots says gently, touching her shoulder to offer some support. "Why don't we call the police now. They can help us search the place. Maybe question Kristen and see what she did with the girls' bodies."

"No!" she yells, jerking away from him. "She's not dead. My daughter is NOT dead. I can feel her, Broots. I feel her little heart beating just like I feel my own. I hear her voice in my head calling out to me. Begging me to help her. She's saying 'Help me, Mommy. Please help me.' She's calling for me to help her and I can't even find her." The tears burst free again and she can't help but start crying.

"Shh," he says, pulling the now sobbing woman into his arms. "I'm sorry I said what I did. I'm so sorry. You'll find her, Miss Parker. You have to believe that."

"I want to believe it, but . . . "

"No buts. You will find her," he says. "Now, take a deep breath and focus on Summer. On her voice. Can you picture anything else? Maybe see her or where she is."

"I can't do this, Broots."

"Yes you can," he insists. "You have to. Try this. Think about Kristen. Think about what she said. Maybe she gave us a clue about where she left the girls."

"Okay," she says, taking a deep breath. "She was talking crazy out of her head. Something about us being obstacles and how she had to get us out of the way. First me and her husband. Then the kids. Called us dirty laundry. No, she said she had to . . . get rid of the dirty laundry." Her eyes light up with realization. "I think I know where they are."

"Where?"

"I'm not exactly sure where. But tell me something. We've been throughout this entire house. Have you seen a laundry room anywhere? There's got to be one in the house, hidden away somewhere. The perfect place to stick things and keep them out of the way until you can get back to them."

"Like dirty laundry," he realizes.

"Exactly," she smiles. "It must be where she stashed the girls."

Her determination renewed, she searches the house again, but still not finding it.

"Where is it?" she yells impatiently, slapping her hand against the wall. "We've checked the whole house."

"Maybe it's not in the house," Broots offers. He points to a door leading from the kitchen. "What's through that door?"

"It goes out to the garage. There's nothing out there. I checked," she says, starting to pace.

"Well in my house, the entrance to my basement is in the garage," he tells her.

"You think there's a basement?" she asks, surprised at the suggestion. "Let's check."

She goes through the kitchen and opens the garage door. She looks around and sees that the room is more a workshop than a place for the car. The room is cluttered with tools and paints, as if Kristen's husband was in the middle of some kind of project. But she sees no other doors.

"Like I said, nothing," she sighs.

"What's over there?"

She follows with her eyes to where Broots is pointing and spots some metal tubing coming from a hole in the ground and going out another hole in the back wall of the garage.

"I think that comes from a dryer vent," Broots tells her. "I just had to replace mine in my house."

"Which means there has to be a dryer down there," she realizes. "Check the floor for some kind of door or opening, Broots."

They both anxiously check around their feet for a way downstairs.

"Check this out," he says, walking over to a mat with a suspicious bump in the middle of it. Broots kicks the mat over to reveal a square wooden panel with a small golden handle.

"Open it, Broots," she says, running over to where he is and peeking over his shoulder as he follows her orders.

"A stairway to the basement?" he asks, not able to see down to the dark sublevel.

"Only one way to find out." She grabs a flashlight off of a nearby workbench and flips it on, stepping down the stairs. She reaches the bottom and feels around the wall until she finds a light switch to turn on. The room is now filled with the artificial light and she's able to see that this is the place they're looking for. Broots submerges seconds later and starts to look around.

"Do you think they're down here?" he asks.

"They have to be here. We've looked every place else in the house."

They continue to look around, opening cabinets and searching under piles of clothes waiting to be washed. Broots had just finished checking the small closet holding the hot water heater when he hears a cry from across the room.

"Dear God. No!" Miss Parker screams.

"Miss Parker, what is it?" he asks, running to her side.

"The dryer," she cries. "They're in there."

He looks down starts to feel faint at what he sees. A small hand hangs limply from the appliance.

"Stay with me, Broots," she yells, snapping him out of his trance. Before he knows what's happening, she's shoving a tiny, lifeless body into his arms.

"That's Kristen's daughter, Alexa. I don't think she's breathing," she says. He lays the girl on the floor and looks up in time to see her pulling another child from the dryer, her face turning white as all blood drains from it. "Summer's not breathing either!"

"I'll call 9-1-1," he says, reaching into his pocket with a shaky hand.

"Come on Summer," he hears her say as she starts CPR. "Wake up. Wake up for Mommy. Please, baby. Wake up for me."

"What's the address here?" he asks her when the dispatcher requests it.

"1411 Cloverdale Drive," she responds, not missing a beat with the resuscitation efforts. Her diligence is rewarded a few breaths later when Summer's eyes fly open and she starts coughing. She pulls the girl into her arms and hugs her tightly. "Calm down, baby. I'm right here. Mommy's here. Just breathe."

She continues to rock Summer, crying grateful tears as she feels the girl's tiny heart pounding in time with her own. She doesn't want to ever let her go again. Not even when she hears Alexa's gasps for air after Broots' successful CPR on her. Or when she hears the sirens in the distance coming to handle the scene. All she knows is that her baby is alive and safe and in her arms. And if she can help it, things will never be any different. Forget the Centre. Her life now is with her family. Her daughters and Jarod. She's never taking them for granted again.

Chapter 20
*****************


Jarod wakes up when he feels a hand stroking his cheek. He opens his eyes to the sight of Miss Parker hovering over him.

"Hi," he smiles, pulling her down for a gentle kiss. "Where were you? You look exhausted."

"I am exhausted," she sighs. She carefully moves his hurt shoulder out of the way and slides into his lap, snuggling into his chest much like the baby did earlier.

"Are you okay?" he asks, confused slightly at her actions. They've become more affectionate over the past few days, but even this seems strange for her.

"I am now," she says after a few moments. "Now that I'm with you. And our girls." She reaches her hand into the crib and caresses the baby's cheek. Not wanting to wake her up. Just wanting to feel her. He feels her smile against his chest before she says, "I see you met Abby."

"Yes. I did," he says with a chuckle. "I was beginning to wonder if I slept through a lot more than one day. I assume she's the reason you had to go back to the Centre."

"Actually, she wasn't at the Centre. And neither was my father. He's the real reason I had to go back. Sydney and Broots were worried about Lyle trying to take over in my father's absence. I had to go track him down. And when I did finally find him, imagine my surprise at also finding another daughter."

She takes a few minutes to explain as best she could the circumstances surrounding Summer and Abby's creation. She tells him about the others and about how they were just used for experimentation. She tells him about Abby's sickness and how Summer should be able to donate life saving bone marrow to her.

"Are there any more? Any more of our children we should know about?" he asks with a shaky voice. She can understand how he's feeling. She felt that way herself when her father told her the story.

"I didn't ask," she says. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking of questions to ask Daddy. I was still reeling from the fact that I was holding my infant daughter in my arms. All I could think about was getting her here so that Summer could help her. And when I get here, I have to worry about rescuing Summer from . . . " she trails off, mentally berating herself from letting that bit of information slip out.

"Rescuing Summer?" he asks, panic in his voice. "What happened to her? Where is she?"

"Calm down, Jarod. You remember what your doctor said."

"Parker," he says, warning creeping into his voice.

"No, Jarod," she says sternly. She jumps out of his lap and stands over him, crossing her arms in defiance. "Not until you calm down. I'm going to need you, Jarod. I need you to get better. I can't have you collapsing on me."

"You're right," he says penitently. "I'm sorry. But I need to know what happened."

"Kristen happened. She became obsessed with you. And she was trying to get rid of all the obstacles between the two of you. That included, me, her husband, and the girls."

"What do you mean by getting rid of you?"

She pauses, thinking carefully about what she's going to tell him. She knows she can't avoid telling him what happened. But she doesn't know how she'll be able to tell him everything that happened. Or even *if* she'll be able to tell him. She doesn't want him to have the nightmares she knows she'll be having just thinking of her child stuffed helplessly into a clothes dryer by a mad woman. It's bad enough for her to be stuck with that memory for the rest of her life. His guilt doesn't need that sort of image.

"Killing us, Jarod," she whispers, trying desperately to hold in her tears. "She killed her husband. Or at least I'm assuming she did. She never quite confessed to it. She tried to kill me. Twice. Once the other morning when she poisoned me. And then yesterday when she tried to run me over with her car . . . and hit you instead."

"Poison? Are you okay?" he asks, concerned about her. He reaches his hand out and pulls her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. "You could be dead right now. I can't believe I came so close to losing you."

"Losing me?" she asks incredulously. "Jarod, you're the one in the hospital. She was trying to kill me and got you instead."

"Yeah, but she was trying to kill you because she wanted to be with me," he counters.

She sighs. Then laughs. He looks at her in confusion.

"What?" he asks.

"We're both so quick to take the blame," she smiles. "But neither of us are to blame for this. A crazy woman fixated on you and tried to kill me and our daughter to get to you. I mean, you can't help it if you're irresistibly adorable." She plants a kiss on his cheek. "And charming." She gives him another kiss on his other cheek. "And so downright sexy you make my toes curl just looking at you."

With a growl, he captures her lips in a hungry kiss, not allowing her to tease him any more. His hand takes a hold of her neck and pulls her face even closer, angling her head to allow him the deepest access. He can't seem to get enough of her. He wants it all and realizes that she's offering it all to him. She's completely open to him, and he can't resist immersing himself in her. Feasting on each moan and sigh she releases.


She whimpers helplessly at his relentless assault. She's amazed to find that he's literally taking her breath away. In her desperate attempt to get closer, she manages to shift around until her knees are on either side of his hips, straddling him in the chair. Their combined weights tips the chair into it's reclined position and she's able to stretch out fully on top of him. She feels his hand slide under her shirt and stroke the soft skin of her back as his lips tug urgently on her own, their tongues dueling frantically.

"Ahem," they hear from the doorway and reluctantly separate. They see a red-faced Broots standing there, trying to avoid looking at them.

"Come in Broots," Jarod says with a grin. "I didn't realize you were here as well."

"Sorry to barge in, but Summer's doctor is looking for you, Miss Parker." He keeps his head turned, still avoiding eye contact.

"Thanks, Broots," she says with a smile, amused at Broots' embarrassment. "I'll go talk to him now." She gets up from the chair, giving Jarod one more kiss before she goes. They watch her leave, almost skipping in her gait.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Broots says. "But she's happy. She's really happy here with you, Jarod."

"Good. Because I honestly don't see how I ever lived without her, Broots. I love her. I haven't told her yet, but I do. And I want her to be as happy as I am."

"Don't hurt her," Broots warns. "That lady means more to me than anyone knows. She's one of the best friends I've ever had. My threats may not scare you much, but if you hurt her, I won't rest until I make you very sorry that you did."

Just then, Miss Parker comes back into the room and sees the serious looks on their faces.

"What's going on in here, boys? You playing nice?" She looks suspiciously back and forth between the two of them, eyebrow lifted in question.

"We're fine," Jarod says. "What did the doctor say about Summer?"

"She's fine physically. They both are. But the doctor ended up sedating both her and Alexa to help them get over the shock from today. And while Summer's sedated, they're going to go ahead and extract the bone marrow to prepare it for Abby. It shouldn't be a painful procedure, but the doctor says she probably won't want to be awake for it," Miss Parker explains.

"It's good they're doing it now so she won't have to be sedated again later," Jarod nods, agreeing with the doctor's decision.

"You said they're physically fine. What about mentally?" Broots asks. "Summer has you and Jarod and now a new baby sister to help her get over the events of today. But what about Alexa? Her father's dead. And her mother is probably going to spend the rest of her life locked away."

"Actually she won't. Kristen's dead too," Miss Parker says, looking down at her feet. "When the police untied her, she attacked one of the officers. They had to shoot her and she died on the way to the hospital."

"So she can't hurt any of us again," Jarod says, not at all sad that the woman is gone. "She tried to tear us apart, but you saved us, Miss Parker. You saved us all. You're a hero. You're *my* hero." He takes her hand in his own and presses a kiss on the back.

"No one will ever accuse you two of being a traditional couple," Broots laughs. "But he's right, Miss Parker. You *are* hero. I had given the girls up for dead. But you found them. You heard Summer calling for you and you found her. It was weird, Jarod. I didn't hear anything, but she swore she heard Summer calling for her."

"It was like that dream I had that time. I felt more than heard her, I guess," she shrugs.

"I guess you two really are linked in some way," Jarod says, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze. "And it worked out for the best. You were able to find our daughter and bring her back to us. Both of them." They look into the crib at the sleeping baby and smile.

"A baby, Jarod," she says shaking her head with a little laugh. "Think we can handle it?"

"We can handle anything, Miss Parker. As long as we're together."

"You don't have to worry about that," she smiles. "I love you. I'm not going anywhere ever again." She leans down and gives him a kiss to seal her promise to him. The real vows could come later along with a real wedding ceremony to legally marry them. But for right now, she's married to him in her heart. And that's all she needs.

Broots stares at them, almost blinded by the love shining from them. He has a feeling his threats to Jarod won't be necessary. It's obvious he loves Miss Parker very much. He won't hurt her. He takes one last glance and slips from the room, giving them the privacy they deserve.

He goes down the hall into Summer and Alexa's room. The two girls sleep the peaceful sleep of the innocent. He quietly takes a seat between them, watching protectively over them. Alexa starts to stir and he moves closer to her bed.

"Who are you?" she asks, staring intently at him when she wakes up.

"My name is Broots," he says gently. "I'm a friend of Summer and her mommy. We helped the two of you today."

"Where's my mommy?"

"She's not here, Sweetheart," he tells her. "Neither is your daddy."

"They were bad people. They hurt me a lot. And mommy hurt Summer. I don't want to see them anymore."

"Then you won't have to," he promises. "You won't have to see them ever again."

She slips her hand into his and drifts back to sleep, seemingly relieved that her nightmare is truly over. The poor little thing has been hurt her whole life. Hurt so badly that she would even trust a total stranger like him.

"I'll take care of you," he whispers to the sleeping girl, a peaceful calm settling over him at his decision. It's the right thing to do. He saved her life. He feels responsible for her. And she has no one else.

"Broots?" Miss Parker calls to him from the doorway. She pushes Jarod in his wheelchair into the room, parking him next to Summer's bed.

"Just checking on the girls," he says sheepishly. "Alexa woke up asking about her parents."

"Poor thing," Jarod says, shaking his head. "She's all alone now."

"No, she's not," Broots says with a cryptic smile. "She won't have to be alone ever again."

Miss Parker looks over at him and returns his smile. She notices a light in his eyes. One that he only gets when he's with Debbie.

"You'll be a good father to her, Broots," she says as realization dawns, repeating his sentiments from earlier. "Because you already look at her the way that only a father can look at his daughter. The way Jarod looks at Summer and Abby."

"Looks like we're all getting our happy ending," Jarod says, pressing a kiss on Summer's cheek.

"Happy ending at the Centre? Didn't think it was possible," Broots frowns.

"We don't have to worry about the Centre," Jarod says. "I've been holding onto some information that will bring an end to the Centre as we know it. Unfortunately once the Centre goes, all of our answers will go along with it. Can you live with that, Parker?"

"What I can't live with is being without you or Summer or Abby. Jarod, we've lived in the past for too long. You and the girls are my present and my future. You're all that matter to me. Like you said, we can handle anything as long as we're together."

"That sounds like a yes to me," he smiles. "I love you, you know."

"You better," she warns, causing them all to laugh. Some things will probably never change. Miss Parker being one of those things. Jarod smiles and sighs. He wouldn't have it any other way.

The end.

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