THE HOMECOMING

By

PHOEBE

Disclaimer: The characters from The Pretender series aren't mine. They belong to MTM and NBC Productions and have been used without their permission. No money is being made out of this; I'm just having fun; please don't sue me!

CHAPTER 1 - Reflections

Jarod Russell turned his back to the ocean and pushed up the collar of his black leather coat. The wind whipped his hair back and he felt the fine dampness of the salt spray drying on his face. He was thankful for the warmth of his thick black wool sweater beneath his coat. He pushed his hands into his coat pockets in an effort to calm himself. Carefully, he shifted his position in the damp shingle of the beach and looked up at the stark building half a mile away.

In the gathering gloom of dusk, the noise of the ocean was the only sound he could hear. The surf surged in and out taking with it the debris from the beach. Staring ahead, he gazed at the ominous and chilling building with its' distinctive tower standing in the midst of the smaller buildings. Most of the lights were blazing out across the grounds, like eyes peering into the gloom, and he followed the reflections across the ocean, lighting up a pathway. He was close enough to see the patrolling guards behind the high wire fence with the guard dogs pulling at their leashes. The occasional bark of the dogs at some imaginary shadow shattered the stillness of the evening as the guards strained to control them. He could hear muttered oaths as the guards hushed them quiet as they slowly patrolled the grounds.

At this time of the evening, there were few cars leaving, just the occasional car finding its way out of the underground car park, headlights blazing in the half-light, making its' way to the security barriers and on into Blue Cove.

Jarod stood alone, shivering slightly in the cold wind and wondered, not for the first time, what on earth he was doing here, standing not half a mile away from this centre of terror. Why did this place still hold such fascination for him when he knew that for more than thirty years he had been a prisoner behind its walls?

‘Why can't I just disappear for good' he thought to himself.

Jarod sighed to himself and then turned his thoughts to Parker. He didn't need to have anyone answer that question. He knew exactly why he didn't JUST disappear. He knew that, if he put his mind to it, they would never find him. He had the ability and the resources to just go and disappear from their horizon. To start a new life, build a home and live a normal life, may be even have a family of his own, ‘That's what I should do' he thought. ‘It's what I want to do. After all, I am a Pretender'.

Jarod started walking back in the direction of the sandbank and then onto the gravel road where he had parked the SUV, still deeply in thought. His hand found the remote to the car and he let himself in and slumped down in the driver's seat, thankful to be out of the chill of the wind. He pushed his hair back again in that restless, familiar way and moved both hands to the top of the wheel and let his head rest there, still thinking about her.

He tried to recall their last telephone conversation three months ago - three months since their return from the Island. He had wanted to forget her words but all he could remember was the sound of her softly crying as he ended the call. He had known then, that he could never completely abandon her. He had known her all his life, she was in his blood and he could never just walk away from her. They both wanted - needed - answers to too many questions for him to do that, and what of their future ? Did they have a future ? Or was that just wishful thinking on his part, part of the fascination that kept him tied by fragile strings to the Centre. Strings he could not let go. Surely, they couldn't remain enemies forever ?

They had spent time together on the Island, worked together as a team and there had been flashes of the old spirit of closeness that had been such an integral part of their childhood in the Centre. She had shared with him that fleeting moment when he had sighted his mother, only to lose her again. There had been that magical moment when they had been alone together, when she had started to let the barriers down and to forget who and what they were......those feelings had been real on both sides, he was sure of it. The memory of those soft blue-grey eyes staring at him in the firelight, her hair softly framing her face as she moved towards him ....no, he couldn't have imagined it. That was real.

He'd tried so hard to get her to leave the Centre, to take a new path in life, to make her see the evil that was the Centre but she wouldn't do it. He recalled her words ..."You run, I chase". He also recalled the times that he had been less than kind to her, waking her in the middle of the night with his late night calls, knowing that she would be angry with him, tormenting her with clues and memories that she found hard to accept but also knowing that he would never lie to her. He felt genuine remorse at some of the tricks he had played on her and the pain he had caused her.

To walk away from her now would be to sign her death warrant with the Centre.

Once they realised that he had disappeared for good, the game would be over and they would have no further use for her. She would be expendable. That living, barely breathing, old wheeze bag, Mr Raines would ensure that Lyle stepped up to his chair and there would be no place for Miss Parker. Failure could not be tolerated, would not be tolerated. Parker knew this and yet she continued the search for him, knowing how high the stakes were and what failure meant. Success for her would mean life imprisonment, possibly, death for him.

He hadn't told her that two weeks after returning from Carthis he had found his mother. Finally, he had known the pure joy of reuniting with his family. It had been relatively simple to cover his movements and return to Glasgow and track her to a small clinic on the outskirts of the city where she was being treated for a bullet wound to her arm. It had taken a further week for her to recuperate enough to travel back to the United States by sea. Jarod reasoned that although the Centre was unaware of their reunion, they would never think to run routine checks on sailings to and from Britain. Now his family were living safely just outside a mountain resort of Colorado.

It had been the happiest three months of his life getting to know his father and mother, Emily his sister and Jay, his clone. They had dealt with the death of Kyle in their own individual ways and had now arrived at a point in their lives when they had to decide the direction their lives were going to take. Jarod knew that they were depending on him to give that direction but he also knew he could not offer them anything while so many things were unresolved. He felt the burden of indecision wearing away at his mind and all his insecurities rose to the fore.

He was sure that his family were unaware of his feelings for Parker, but maybe Major Charles was half-way to guessing how he felt. He'd certainly let drop enough hints to Jarod but, so far, he had been able to laugh them off. His mother hardly remembered Parker as a child although, having seen her more recently on the Island, she had instantly recognised Parker as the daughter of Catherine.

His mother certainly didn't know that Parker had spent the last five years heading up the search team to return Jarod to the Centre.

Jarod lifted his head and shuddered in the chill of the evening, his thoughts laying heavy on his mind. With a sigh, he turned the ignition on and pulled away from the verge and headed towards the main highway that would take him into Dover.

* * * * *

Miss Parker opened her eyes with a start, groaning loudly with the shooting, stabbing pain of the migraine that forced her head back onto the pillow. She closed her eyes again and swallowed hard to force back the overwhelming feelings of nausea. The waves of pain washed over her as she slowly became aware of her cramped arms and legs. She could feel the damp sweat on her neck and face as she tried to turn her head and then slowly she gave into the pain and drifted back into unconsciousness.

* * * * *

Jarod glanced around the motel room and sat down on the bed. For once, the Comfort Inn was living up to its' reputation and the bed felt comfortable. Night had fallen completely now and the lamps cast a warm glow over the room. Jarod leaned back against the headboard and, pulling his long legs up, he rested his head against his knees. He reached across to the bedside table and took a long gulp of the remaining coffee, heavy with sugar, knowing that it was almost cold. Setting the carton down again he reached for his cell phone and automatically dialled Parker's home number.

He felt nervous and his hand shook a little as he took a deep breath, waiting for her customary "What". This would be the first time he had spoken to her in three months and he longed, yet dreaded, hearing her voice. He tried to steel himself to be cool but he didn't feel cool ..... He felt unsure of himself, not in control of his thoughts. What was he going to say to her ? He really didn't know this time. Maybe, when he heard her voice, he would know.

He could hear the ringing tones and then the automatic switch to her Voicemail. He hung up quickly. It was too late for her to be still at the Centre but he tried the number anyway. Nothing.

‘Where the hell was she,' he thought.

Sydney answered on the second ring and Jarod could hear the sounds of a familiar classical symphony in the background.

"This is Sydney," he answered in his soft Belgian accent.

"Where is she Sydney? I've tried her home and her office and she's not answering me. She should be there," his voice showing signs of some of the frustration he was feeling.

"Hello Jarod, how are you? It's been a long time and I was beginning to worry about you," replied Sydney, trying to keep the genuine happiness he felt at speaking to his protégée again out of his voice.

Jarod paused and then continued "I'm worried about Parker, I've felt anxious about her all day long and now I can't reach her. Do you know where she is"?

"I'm sure she is OK Jarod," he reasoned. "You remember Rosa, her house keeper; well she phoned late this afternoon to say that Parker had decided to take a long weekend. Parker's had a difficult time recently, trying to cope with the death of Mr Parker and the new set up at the Centre. It's not been easy for her to make the adjustment to Mr Raines sitting in the chair. I don't need to tell you the kind of stress she's been under, Jarod".

Sydney sighed as his mind wandered back to their last conversation before leaving the office that afternoon. She had allowed him to walk out with her, long legs striding ahead of him in those ridiculous high-heeled boots. He could only marvel at her that she had not broken an ankle before now. He had escorted her to the black Boxter and helped her to stow her bag into the trunk.

She had seemed quiet, none of her usual sharp, smart come-backs and there had been an air of defeat about her. Sydney had assumed that she was just tired and he felt glad that she was leaving earlier than usual. With all that was going on in the Centre these days, all the constant changes, it wasn't hard to believe that she was exhausted. She had wished him a good weekend and had driven away without a backward glance.

"I don't understand, Sydney, why would Rosa phone you and not Parker herself. If she was planning a weekend break, surely she would have told you about it"? asked Jarod, his voice rising slightly with his impatience.

"Stop worrying Jarod, I'm sure she is perfectly fine. Rosa has phoned before for Parker when she's decided at the last minute to just take off. You know what Parker's like and how unpredictable she can be," he soothed.

Jarod got up from the bed and wandered over to the window that looked down over the rear car park of the motel. He pulled aside the thick curtain and stared broodingly at the glow from the security lights covering the parking area. His thoughts raced ahead and he dropped the curtain and turned back to pace the length of the room.

"I'm not sure Sydney; it doesn't feel right, somehow. I've been anxious all day and it's not like Parker to just up and go like this. Something's wrong, I know it. I just don't know what. Are you sure she didn't say anything about taking off this weekend? Perhaps, she said something to Mr Broots"? replied Jarod hopefully. "Will you call him and check"?

Sydney sighed and sat back down in his armchair casually flicking the switch on the remote to stop the music.

"Jarod, it's after eleven o'clock and Broots will probably have gone to bed. Debbie will certainly be asleep by now" he replied in an effort to calm Jarod's obvious agitation. Sydney sighed again and then relented. "If it helps, I will give him a call now then you can call me back in five minutes, will that be OK"?

"Thank you Sydney, please hurry," urged Jarod and then clicked off from the call.

Jarod threw his cell phone onto the bed and went into the bathroom to wash his face. Wiping his face with the towel, he stared into the mirror and paused, noticing for the first time, the fine lines around his eyes and mouth and the haunted look in his brown eyes.

He stared at himself and with a small shrug he told himself, ‘I can't do this anymore'.

He paced the length of the room and back again, picked up the remote for the television and flicked through the late-night news channels, none of which registered with him. Switching off, he glanced at his watch for the tenth time and resumed pacing the room.

Barely within five minutes, Jarod was scrolling through his directory and had redialled Sydney's number.

Sydney answered on the first ring and before he could say anything, Jarod spoke quickly, "What did Mr Broots say, Sydney? Has he heard from her"?

Sydney sighed and spoke calmly to Jarod. "Hold on Jarod, I spoke to Broots and I think I frightened the poor man half out of his wits, calling him at this time of night. You know what a vivid imagination that man has. Anyway, he tells me that Parker didn't say anything to him about leaving for the weekend. Why would she?" he added.

"That's it then, Sydney; I know something has happened to her. I can feel it," said Jarod rushing the words out quickly, his voice rising with emotion.

* * * * *

She opened her eyes slowly again, trying to adjust to the darkness, grateful that the sharp and stabbing pains from the migraine had receded. She lay on her back and slowly eased her cramped muscles, stretching her arms and fingers and working her way down to her legs and feet. She had an overwhelming thirst and her throat felt like she had swallowed a bucket of sand, her lips cracked and dried. She tried to move her back into a different position to ease the stiffness; as she did so, she became aware that something was stopping her from moving her right arm.

As she tried to lift it, she felt the steel band of the handcuff tethered to the chain, the handcuff tight around her wrist.

"What the hell is this?" she hissed out loud, yanking hard on the chain.

* * * * *

Sydney stood up again and moved across to a bonsai plant that he had worked on earlier in the evening and began idly removing imaginary debris from the pot as he continued his conversation with Jarod.

"Jarod, calm down for a minute! You can't just go over to Parker's cottage in the middle of the night. I know you have done this before," he reasoned "but things have changed a lot since Mr Parker's death. For one thing, there is the real possibility of a sweeper team on patrol and secondly there will be surveillance cameras. Everyone is watched or tailed these days. Its' too dangerous! This could easily be a Centre trap. Just stop and think, Jarod!" urged Sydney trying to calm Jarod's anxiety.

Jarod paused and took a deep breath. "I hear what you're saying Sydney, but I can't just leave it. I have to check she's OK." Jarod resumed his pacing of the room and then suddenly he sat down on the bed.

"Look, I wouldn't normally ask this but  ........ Sydney, you could go over there, think of a reason ......... check on some papers or something? Just check that everything is OK. You don't have to tell her that I'm the reason for going. Please, Sydney, it's really important to me," he pleaded.

Sydney turned away and returned to his chair, moving aside the medical journal that he had been reading earlier. He sighed and then said,

"Alright Jarod, if it will ease your mind, I will go and get the car out and drive over but, if it IS a false alarm, YOU get the chewing out, right? Second thoughts, she'll probably hang us both out to dry for this"!

Jarod was silent for a moment and then said "Thanks, Sydney. I owe you," and then swiftly disconnected his call.

* * * * *

Sydney shrugged deeper into his coat, pulling his neck scarf closer around his ears. It was biting cold as only the weather can be in early March in Delaware. He looked up at Miss Parker's cottage and could see no lights from within. He'd left his town car parked at the roadside a few houses further down the road and had walked up.

Not for the first did he ask himself what the heck he was doing, prowling around in the dark, armed with nothing but a flashlight. He just hoped to heaven there weren't any police patrol cars in the area because he would have a difficult job explaining his actions.

He assumed that her car was either gone or in the garage for there was no sign of it outside. Glancing around, he switched on his flashlight and mounted the steps to the porch, the front door slightly ajar. Sydney reasoned that the alarms must have been switched off by Miss Parker.

Very quietly, he pushed the door open and softly called ... ..."Miss Parker, are you there"?

Sydney moved into the hall, not sure whether to risk switching the lights on - not that he could really remember where they were located, anyway. He moved further into the room and let the flashlight rove over the sitting room towards the fireplace. There were signs that Miss Parker had been there recently - her bag was still on the sofa together with a newspaper, obviously dumped there from when she had first arrived home, together with coat and scarf.

"Miss Parker ...... it's me, Sydney," he called again softly.

Sydney could feel the adrenalin surging and noticed that his hand shook slightly holding the flashlight. All he could hear was the smooth, regular tick of the old Grandfather clock in the corner. Despite the cold outside, he could feel the sweat gathering on his brow as he strained to see further into the gloom. He wasn't aware that he was holding his breath until he moved forward and pushed the swing door into the kitchen.

As his flashlight swept over the kitchen, along the white marble kitchen surfaces and cherry wood cupboards, to the glass vase with a display of early yellow tulips in one corner, the half-full coffee pot and tray of several mugs on the other side.

Everything was in its' place - immaculately clean and tidy as would be expected of Miss Parker's kitchen.

He moved into the room, stopped and let go of the breath he had subconsciously been holding - at the far end of the kitchen stood the breakfast table and chairs. As his flashlight moved across the table, he could see Rosa ...... poor, poor Rosa. He took a step closer, his hand now shaking visibly as he tried to hold the flashlight steady.

"Oh no, not this, dear God no," he said softly to himself.

As he looked further, he could see that Rosa had been dead for a number of hours, the bullet hole in her forehead quite clearly visible and the small amount of blood around the wound already dried.

Rosa was slumped in the chair, to one side, as if whoever had pulled the trigger on the gun had caught her by surprise. Her short, dark hair fell back from her face and her mouth sagged a little as if she had met death in mid-sentence. The tiny bullet wound - a completely round circle - had hardly bled and had not destroyed that lovely, kindly face. Sydney automatically leaned forward to press his fingers against her neck seeking a pulse of any kind but knowing it was futile.

Sydney straightened up and felt the nausea rising in his throat. ‘I should be used to death, working for the Centre, but God help me, I don't know what to do now,' he whispered.

He moved to the sink and grabbed hold of the coffee mug placing the flashlight on the surface as he did so. Filling the mug, he took great gulps of the cold water and then leaned into the sink.

‘I can't throw up,' he thought to himself ...... ‘Got to keep calm'.

"Just take deep breaths, Sydney ...... just breathe slowly and you'll be fine," said Jarod quietly from the doorway.

Sydney jumped back, knocking the flashlight to the floor, his heart thumping so loudly that he was sure it would stop. He raised a hand to his brow, feeling the shock ebbing away and the pure relief surging through him at seeing Jarod silhouetted in the darkness.

"Jarod, what are you doing here"? he shouted to Jarod, shock suddenly moving him to find his voice.

"I couldn't wait any longer so I came ahead. I knew something was up and it seems that maybe I was right, after all" he said softly, moving from the doorway towards the body of Rosa.

He bent down in front of her and gently stroked her face with his fingers, his voice stricken with pain;

"They killed her, Sydney ... ... ...the sick bastards killed her! For God's sake, why did they have to do that? Why couldn't they just leave her? Rosa was the kindest, sweetest lady ever; she never hurt a soul. God knows what this will do to Parker," he added softly.

"Whoever did this will pay; you can be certain of that," he whispered to Rosa.

Sydney turned back to the sink and refilled the mug with water. This time, he drank more slowly relishing the calming influence of the water. When he was finished, he rinsed the cup out and left it on the side.

Taking a deep breath, feeling more in control of himself, he said to Jarod,

"Believe it or not, I'm really pleased to see you - but not under these circumstances ...... there's no sign of Miss Parker but I haven't checked upstairs yet ...... perhaps I'd better look now," he finished lamely, bending down to pick up the flashlight.

Jarod stood up and taking one last look at Rosa, he strode over to the window, carefully scanning the darkness, keeping his flashlight low on the floor.

"Don't bother" said Jarod turning around to face Sydney, "I've already checked and she's not up there but her car IS in the garage, so whatever happened, happened after she had driven in and entered the cottage. It looks as though she had time to dump her coat and things in the sitting room. I can't tell if Rosa died before Parker got home or after she disappeared".

Jarod continued without pausing, suddenly straightening himself up;

"We've got to get out of here - there's no telling if we've been seen and I'm pretty sure there are some pressure sensor alarms scattered around - I can't believe the Centre have not included Parker in their routine surveillance. It won't be long before someone checks - they'll be sending a team to ‘deal' with Rosa. This has all the hallmarks of a Centre ‘operation' and, I for one, do not want to be around when those bastards come calling".

Sydney frowned, his face heavy in thought and then looked up at Jarod quickly;

"You're right, it doesn't look like a burglary gone wrong - nothing seems to be disturbed or missing - not that I'm really familiar with Miss Parker's things - it looks to me like an execution, Centre-style!"

Jarod turned back to the window again, quickly scanning the road. As he did so, he asked over his shoulder, "Where did you leave your car"?

Sydney told him it was parked a few houses down the road, away from Parker's cottage.

"Right then, it will have to stay there for now ... ...... What the hell is that"? Jarod shouted suddenly, turning back to the window.

They heard the sound of several cars being raced along the road, tyres screeching to a halt outside, full headlamps blazing through the darkness. There were sounds of doors being opened and loudly slammed, feet scraping against gravel and harsh sounding voices carrying across the quiet of the night.

Jarod leapt away from the window, grabbing Sydney's arm in a tight hold as he passed him.

"Come on, Syd ......... sweepers ... ... ... we are out of here NOW," he yelled, the panic he felt clearly showing through.

Jarod pulled Sydney into the hall and rushed him to the far corner beneath the stairs. He could see a narrow door, which he had first assumed was a cupboard beneath the stairs, but soon discovered that it actually connected to a narrow passageway leading to the back terrace and garden. Taking the key from the lock, Jarod pushed Sydney through the door and into the passageway, quietly locking the door behind them.

As they moved ahead, they could hear the sounds of voices shouting and the loud tramping of feet up the hallway and stairs.

"Did you never wonder how easily I could slip in and out of Parker's cottage, Sydney," he whispered with a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Somehow, Parker always forgot about this door when it came to setting the alarms," then he added wryly, "not that her alarm system was ever a problem for me"!

They hurried through and out into the darkness, running hard towards the cover of a large stand of trees, the cold wind rushing up into their faces.

"I'm parked about a quarter of a mile away, across this field. We need to hurry, Sydney," he whispered. "Come on, keep close to these trees".

He hurried his old mentor through the trees and shrubbery, glad of the fact that the moon had decided to show them a little additional light.

"Keep your flashlight down on the ground - we don't want to make it too easy for them, do we"? said Jarod with a smile, some of his old humour resurfacing.

Jarod urged Sydney along, setting a fast pace through the trees. At one point, they heard the sound of heavy shoes crunching on gravel and then the sound of toppling terracotta pots being overturned, muttered curses carrying across the cold air of the night, as the sweepers carried out their search.

"I'm too old for this, Jarod," gasped Sydney, as he tried to catch his breath, "I've got to stop for a few seconds". Sydney bent over, trying to draw in deep breaths to relieve the exhaustion in his lungs. His heart was pumping fast and the perspiration cooling on his face in the cold wind.

"Come on, Syd, we're almost there now, just a few more yards to go," replied Jarod, grabbing Sydney's arm again in a firm grip.

Suddenly, they were across the field and onto the hard surface of the gravel road. Tall trees lined the road making it even more difficult to see ahead, the trees blocking the small amount of moonlight filtering through.

Almost immediately, the SUV became visible and Jarod flicked the remote to unlock the doors, urging Sydney to get in the passenger door. Sydney fell against the door, his lungs labouring for breath, trying to find the energy from within himself to open it.

"Hold it, that's far enough," said the urgent command, coming from the blackness.

Both men turned quickly, trying to locate the position of the voice from the darkness.

"What the hell ......" muttered Jarod, his back against the door of the car, still trying to catch his breath. He quickly ran his flashlight across the road but could see nothing.

Suddenly, a man appeared to the right hand side of Jarod, tall and stocky, wearing the traditional suit and overcoat of a Centre sweeper, an automatic pistol balanced carefully in his hand.

Jarod shone the flashlight over the man's face and he could see that the man's head was completely shaven, seemingly to add to his pug-like features.

"Well, what have we got here, then," the sweeper mimicked, in a vein attempt at humour, moving to stand directly in front of Jarod, not four feet away from him.

"The Pretender and the good Doctor - together ...... I'm surprised to see YOU, Dr Green," he jeered.

"Yes, well ... ..." muttered Sydney, not sure what to say, or how to act, yet feeling this irrational desire to defend himself, borne out of fear of the moment.

"Just keep still, both of you," he commanded, reaching into his pocket with his free hand. Taking out his cell phone, he flipped the quick dial and started speaking almost immediately.

"Boss ? It's me ... ...Charlie ......my hunch paid off and I've caught the Pretender ...... yeah Boss, he's here too, ... ... ... yeah, rear of the house, across that field ... ... ... whatever you say," he said, closing the cell phone and putting it back in his pocket.

"Just stay put both of you," he ordered, pulling himself up straight.

The sweeper moved the gun to his other hand and nervously shifted his feet on the gravel. He couldn't keep the smile from his face as he thought of the rewards that would come as a result of being THE sweeper who had captured the Pretender. This would mean promotion, maybe even personal protection duty to someone in the Tower. No more crap jobs down on SL27; even Willy would have to show him some respect now. As for that bitch, Miss Parker, well, she wouldn't be so high and mighty now ... ... ...

Suddenly, the lights went out... ... ...

He felt pain exploding in his right knee forcing him to drop the gun on the ground and then he felt pain exploding in his left jaw and then ......then, he felt nothing at all.

Jarod bent down and picked up his flashlight which had rolled near to the front tire, rubbing his hand and arm as he did so. It had been fairly simple to disarm the man; just flick the ‘off' button on the flashlight and drop it, and then follow through with a swift kick from his boot to the knee and an uppercut punch to the jaw. ‘Charlie' would certainly be unconscious for an hour or so and awaken with a broken jaw - Jarod was sure that he had heard the crunching of bone as he put all his weight behind the punch.

"Sydney, you OK ?" asked Jarod, walking round to the passenger side of the SUV and taking Sydney's arm, concerned for his old mentor and what he'd been through tonight.

"Yes, thank you, but after tonight, I think I could do with a cognac to settle my nerves," he added wryly. "Life is never dull around you, is it?"

Jarod turned away and ran the flashlight over the unconscious body of the sweeper.

"Help me move ‘laughing boy' out of the road; I reckon we have maybe two minutes at most before we have company," he said, moving around the SUV.

They took an arm each and hauled the dead weight into the shadow of the trees. Jarod spent precious seconds searching for the sweeper's gun and cell phone that he had heard drop, finding both quickly.

Once settled in the car, Jarod drove off at speed, anxious to put a few miles between them and the sweeper teams he knew would not be far behind them. He bypassed Dover and headed out on Route 13.

* * * * *

Parker lay on the bed and pushed her hair back from her face. Although still dark in the room, by stretching her shackled hand as far as possible in all directions, she had found the plastic bottle of water that had been left on the floor. Tasting it gingerly, she had drunk greedily from it and no longer felt the sickness from whatever drugs she had been given. She was sure that someone had administered ‘something' to her to feel so bad on waking. She placed the bottle next to her, knowing that dehydration would still be a problem.

"This can't be SL27; I'd be freezing my ass off by now - that whole level is a frozen hell," suddenly self-conscious that she had spoken out loud to an empty room.

As she lay there, Parker scanned the room looking for any abnormality or chink of light that might be showing through - there was nothing, only darkness. Slowly, her eyes were becoming accustomed to the darkness and she could see that, apart from the bed and commode, there was nothing in the room.

She scowled into the darkness, and muttered a few curses to herself; she drank more water, and slowly drifted off to sleep desperately trying to remember how she had arrived here in the first place - wherever ‘here' was exactly?

* * * * *

Sydney's head rolled to one side of the headrest; the fatigue of the last few hours catching up with him. Jarod glanced across at him and he couldn't help but smile a little as he watched his old mentor's face relax in sleep.

He felt a strange kind of emotion towards Sydney, comfortable to be with him yet fearful of what might lay ahead of them and how much danger Jarod had already exposed him to, albeit unintentionally.

‘Poor old Syd; he's not as young as he used to be, but then neither am I,' he thought grimly to himself.

Jarod glanced at his watch, checked his rear view mirror for the umpteenth time, slowed and then indicated to pull off the highway into an all night diner. The SUV bumped across the uneven parking area and came to a stop out of view of the road and away from the visibility of the security lighting.

Sydney came awake with a start, and, in a voice heavy with sleep, he asked "Where are we?"

Jarod switched off the engine and looked across at Sydney;

"Just outside Greenwood; I needed to stop for coffee but I also wanted to take a look at that cell phone - I'm worried there may be some sort of tracking device inside and I want to check who that sweeper was calling".

They made their way into the steamy warmth of the diner, to a booth in the corner where they could be sure their conversation would not be overheard. The waitress came to take their order almost immediately, filled their coffee mugs, placed the obligatory carafe of water on their table and went away again.

A few moments later, the waitress returned with a plate piled high and placed it in front of Jarod with a smile and the comment "enjoy"!

"Beats me how you can eat a plateful of pancakes at 3.00 am in the morning - I really fear for your digestion!" Sydney told him teasingly, taking a sip of his own piping hot coffee.

Jarod smoothed the raspberry sauce into the vanilla ice-cream with his spoon and grinned at Sydney;

"After all those years of eating the mush they called ‘food' in the Centre, I can't get enough of this; besides, I need the sugar for energy - and it helps me think!" he replied between large mouthfuls of pancake.

Jarod finished the remainder of the pancakes quickly and threw his napkin on the table. Gulping the rest of his coffee, he said quickly,

"Right, we need to start thinking things through carefully, Sydney." Jarod paused then added softly:

"You realise that you're now officially on the ‘run with me', as far as the Centre is concerned? You can't go back home in the morning, as if nothing has changed."

"You will be a target on their hit list," he said quietly, "the same as me".

Sydney sighed and looked down at his hands on the table, gently rubbing the back of one hand, evidence of his agitation. Looking back up at Jarod, he said,

"I've begun to realise that. I had time to think when we were driving along and I know that I have burnt the boats as it were ......there's no going back, even if I wanted to ... ... ... which I don't," he told Jarod calmly. "It's more than time for me to leave the Centre - I just didn't expect to do it quite like this," he added with wry humour showing on his face.

Sydney cupped his hands around his mug of coffee and gazed thoughtfully into the liquid as though the right words might emerge from the coffee.

"You know, over the years I've managed to save and invest quite a bit of money, oh not here, but in a little bank in Switzerland, well away from Centre prying eyes - call it my pension fund, if you like," he explained.

"I just wasn't sure if the Centre would let me live long enough to collect it"! Sydney added, looking up at Jarod again with a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Well Syd, it looks like you've reached a ‘turning point' in your life too; maybe it's not such a bad thing although I'm sorry that I've dragged you into this - whatever ‘this' is!" replied Jarod sympathetically.

"Talking of which, I need to check that cell phone," continued Jarod, taking the phone from his pocket and laying it on the table.

"Incidentally, where on earth are they recruiting these sweepers from; Charlie sounded as though he had come straight from a B movie set," he added laughingly, as he started to examine the cell phone.

"God knows; I've never seen him around the Centre before," replied Sydney, draining his coffee mug.

"Right, let's try the ‘last number called' button on this phone and see if I can recognise it, then I'll dispose of it quickly. Fortunately, it's still in standby mode," stated Jarod getting down to the real business in hand.

Reading it, he quickly put the phone down again. He was not surprised to recognise the number.

"It's Lyle's number. It had to be either Raines or Lyle. With Mr Cox back in Africa, it couldn't have been him". Jarod stood up with the phone in his hand.

"I'm going to the rest room to dispose of this and then I suggest we get going. You'd better give me your cell phone as well, just in case it has a tracking device planted in it and I'll dispose of it along with this one," he told Sydney. "Then we need to find a motel of some sort to use as a base; I need to set up my laptop and find out exactly what is going on at the Centre and ... ... ... we need to find Parker"!

"I wish I had some fresh clothes to put on" said Sydney to himself, emerging from the shower "but these will have to do," he added, getting dressed again quickly in the same dark brown corded trousers and thick polo-necked jumper he had worn at home yesterday evening - how many hours ago, was it now? Certainly, before Jarod had persuaded him out of the house at midnight to go look for Parker.

They'd been fortunate enough to find this motel - Jarod had caught their waitress outside the diner, leaving at the end of her shift. He had asked simply if there was a motel that she could recommend that was quiet and off the main route. His ‘father' was not well and needed to rest for a day or so before continuing their journey. Her whole attitude had softened immediately on looking at Sydney, much to his amusement, his eyes twinkling at Jarod's description of himself.

They had arrived at The Pines Motel, well off the main highway, which was warm and comfortable. The motel consisted of small, two-bedroom, log cabins with bathroom and sitting room cum kitchen and they had obviously been designed around the summer tourist trade now closed for the winter. A mention of the waitress' name had secured them a cabin.

Sydney glanced across the room at Jarod, his dark head bent over his lap-top, his face set in concentration. He was surfing through all the Centre files on the mainframe but so far, he hadn't found any evidence of new projects directly connected to Lyle or any reference to Miss Parker.

The only footage of CCTV that had caught his eye was that of Sidney escorting Miss Parker through the underground car park, prior to her disappearance yesterday afternoon. Slowly, he flipped the Pez tube and watched the scene before him.

It was the first time he had seen her since his escape from the aircraft on leaving Carthis and he couldn't help but notice the subtle changes in her. Oh, she was dressed to kill as usual; designer pant-suit with at least three inch high-heeled leather boots, topped off with a long, dark grey, wool coat and neck scarf. Looking at her face as she turned to say something to Sydney, he could see how tired she looked.

His heart beat quickened a little at the sight of her and he wanted to hold onto the image of her. As he froze the screen, he felt the irrational desire to say something to her that would bring the smile back to her face. He knew in reality, she had very little to smile about and, at the moment, he was probably the last person on the planet she would accept a kind word from!

Jarod forced himself back to the work in hand and said to Sydney;

"I need to look at last night's dsa's - there might be something on them that will give us a starting point. I want to be certain that she's not being held anywhere in that hell-hole".

Sydney smiled and he couldn't resist saying, "You realise that we knew you had a contact in the Centre, keeping you up to date with everything; the joke is that everyone thought it was me!"

"I would never have involved you to that degree Sydney, nor would I have exposed you to that kind of danger. No, my contact is CJ - Cracker Jacks? Mean anything to you?" asked Jarod.

Sydney's forehead creased into lines as he thought hard about it and then he started to laugh, finally understanding the joke, "Of course ... ... ... Angelo," he said softly.

Jarod laughed with him and then explained to Sydney, "Angelo has always remained my dearest friend and the fact that everyone thinks he is totally ‘gaga' made it easy to maintain the cover - Angelo has communication problems but if you put him in front of a computer there's nothing and no one to match him, except perhaps Mr Broots. I'm still hoping that one day I'll come up with the right formula that will set him free."

Sydney smiled to himself and then suddenly jumped up, his hand on his forehead in fright:

"Oh my God, I forgot about Broots!" he exclaimed loudly, "I should have called and warned him to get himself and Debbie out of sight of the Centre firing line - they'll probably have monitored my call asking about Parker and since they know that we're together now ... ... ... I should call him," said Sydney, quickly picking up Jarod's cell phone and pushing numbers.

"I'm sorry Syd, I should have thought of that earlier," apologised Jarod.

"Tell him to drop out of sight for at least forty-eight hours ... ... and tell him to leave his cell phone behind in case it has a tracking device in it," ordered Jarod speaking quickly.

Broots answered on the third ring and Sydney brushed aside his questions, saying quickly:

"Just listen, Broots, this is really important. I want you to get Debbie up and leave the house within the next five minutes - just trust me on this - leave your cell phone behind in case it has a tracking device - in fact, don't take anything with you; you can always buy new later on," he said thoughtfully, "just get going Broots ... ... ... let me know your new number as soon as you have it," he ordered and then gave Broots the number to reach Jarod.

Broots hesitantly asked Sydney, "I take it you didn't find Miss Parker, then?"

"No Broots, we didn't. We found Rosa dead in the kitchen but no sign of Parker anywhere - what's more, we were disturbed by a sweeper team and, ... ... ... I appear to be ‘on the run' with Jarod now," explained Sydney with a hint of a smile in his voice at the complete irony of the situation.

"No more questions, Broots ... ...just go! I'll talk to you later," said Sydney finishing the call abruptly and closing the connection.

Sydney placed the cell phone back on the desk near the laptop, saying

"I just hope Broots moves quickly and he and Debbie are out of the house in the next five minutes," fretted Sydney, getting up and going over to the coffee pot to pour a mug of coffee. "Want some"? he asked and Jarod shook his head, no.

Sydney sipped his coffee as he sat down at the table, placing the mug on the coaster. Leaning back in the chair, he crossed his legs and started pulling at his ear in a familiar way. Jarod looked across at him and he knew that Sydney was trying to pull his thoughts together, ready to ask something that was clearly bothering him.

"I think it's time we talked about what is really going on here, Jarod; are we really sure that Parker's been taken?" asked Sydney.

Jarod sat back in his chair, slowly closing the lap-top shut, meeting Sydney's gaze. He moved his hands to lace them together behind his head in a relaxed manner and leaned even further back in the chair, thinking about his answer.

"Yes, I'm certain she is being held somewhere," he answered quietly.
"It's a strange thing really," he said slowly, "because I came back this one last time specifically to see Parker. I wanted to have one more ‘go' at convincing her to leave the Centre and I felt sure that I'd have more success now. When I arrived in Blue Cove, I started to get the strangest feeling - call it my ‘inner sense' if you like - I can't really explain it, Sydney, but it was as if I knew she was in trouble and she needed my help and I wasn't particularly surprised that I couldn't find her," he explained carefully.

"After I convinced you to go to Parker's cottage and check it out, it suddenly dawned on me that I might have put you in real danger, just by involving you. The rest you know", he added lightly.

"What I don't understand, is why Rosa was killed"? asked Sydney, his tone suddenly becoming gruff with emotion. "How could ‘they' do that to her? Everyone knows how Parker felt about Rosa; for God's sake, she's been with Parker for years".

"I don't have all the answers yet, Sydney, but I think it was one of two things. Firstly, it could be a way to ‘frame' Parker for the murder - she uses a Glock 9mm with hard-nosed bullets, not soft-nosed like the majority of Centre-issue. Without the proper tests, I can't be sure, but that bullet wound looked very similar to a 9mm wound. Although I wasn't particularly looking for it, I didn't notice Parker's gun lying around, did you?'" he asked Sydney.

Sydney shook his head.

"Secondly, I think the murder of Rosa could be some kind of message to me ... ... us ......" he corrected "to let us know that whoever has taken Parker is playing for very high stakes and that this is the end of the game - winner takes all," he added grimly.

Sydney looked down at his hands as he thought about what Jarod had said, carefully going through the scenarios Jarod had outlined, looking for flaws in the analysis. Finally, he looked up at Jarod and said slowly:

"As I told you this evening ... ...sorry, yesterday evening, there have been some strange things going on at the Centre ever since the death of old man Parker. Since their return from Scotland, Mr Raines has definitely shown a marked preference towards Lyle and it's been obvious that Parker is being edged out - only she doesn't see it that way, or doesn't want to see it ... ... ... it's been pretty obvious to me".

Sydney paused, trying to choose his words carefully:

"In the last couple of weeks, Mr Raines has been very ill ... ... his emphysema has finally caught up with him ... ... in fact, he's dying ... ... I was told it will only be a few days and then it will all be over. Most of the time, he's in a coma. I assume The Triumverate will endorse Lyle's nomination for the position of Chairman, no question of that. The organisation is still sufficiently backward to prefer to see a man in the Chair rather than a woman. I think Lyle will want to be sure of his position and he is ruthless enough to remove all the stumbling blocks from his path without a second thought," he stated dramatically, "including his sister".

* * * * *

Parker opened her eyes and turned from her side to her back. Pushing the hair out of her face, she grimaced at the foul taste in her mouth and reached for the water bottle to ease her thirst, pulling on the chain attached to the handcuff, as she did so. ‘I could kill for some coffee,' she moaned to herself, ‘maybe even a cigarette, if I hadn't already given up'.

A sudden flash of bad temper made her yank hard on the chain several times, just for the hell of it.

"Bastards", she seethed to herself.

It was now light and, looking at her watch, she saw that it was past 7.00 am.

She had been right in her assessment of the room the night before - the room was square, no bigger than eight feet by eight feet with just the single bed and a commode in the corner. The small window was so high up near the ceiling there was little chance of her reaching it without a pair of damn stilts!

Sitting up with her back against the wall, she started to make an inventory of everything that would help her understand where she was, who had taken her and how the hell she was going to get out of there.

The wall coverings were old fashioned, perhaps 1960's design and the same could be said for the linen on the bed - it all looked old, sad and neglected. Maybe she was being kept in an old house somewhere out in the wilds of God knows where? There didn't seem to be any noise coming from outside - no busy street noises, just silence.

"Hello" she bellowed out aloud ........."is anyone out there"?

* * * * *

Mr Lyle strode out from the elevator, entered the office and swiftly closed the door. He walked straight to the window overlooking the cold, grey sea of the Atlantic and smiled to himself broadly as he thought about this corner office he had recently moved into. Hell, but it was impressive, with the oak wood panelled walls and thick Persian rugs over the oak wood flooring. ‘I've waited a long time for this,' he thought to himself.

Despite the fact that it was Saturday morning and most of the administrative staff away on the weekend, he needed to be here to check on Raines ... ... ...

‘God, how much longer was the old bastard going to take to die,' he asked himself.

The doctors in the Infirmary Wing kept telling him that it was only a question of time, maybe hours, but the old bastard was still hanging in there.

‘At least with Raines in a coma, he's stopped spouting all his holy roller crap,' he thought to himself sourly.

He wondered idly if there was something he could do to hurry things along? Maybe, he should take a walk down later.

He sat down at his desk, leaning back in the leather chair and gently let it swing from side to side as he thought about Parker. His sister. His beautiful sister. God, she was sensational but given that their sibling relationship had been undeniably established, she never gave him the time of day. He thought about her blatant sexuality which always overwhelmed him - even though she'd never consider a relationship with him ... ... ... he wouldn't need asking twice, even though she was his sister! Every time he saw her, he wanted her. Hell, she wouldn't consider a relationship with him at any price; he knew very well that she loathed and despised him ... ... ... which only made him want her more.

He thought back on the three months since old man Parker had taken a swan dive ... ... ... she hadn't been the same since. He'd noticed that she seemed to have lost her edge when it came to the search for Jarod, lost some of the fire. He never did get to the bottom of what happened on that damned Island - he was pretty sure that something had changed, but he didn't know what.

Suddenly, he sat up straight and picked up the telephone, punching in the well-remembered extension number for Willy.

"Is the video ready?" he asked him quickly.

"Yes, Mr Lyle," replied Willy, "I can E-mail it now, if you wish?"

"Send it," he ordered and put the phone down.

Mr Lyle smiled to himself as he thought about the perks of the corner office - they now included Willy, whose loyalty had swiftly transferred from Raines to himself.

Each now understood the other very well.

* * * * *

"We should go and grab some breakfast while it's still early, maybe pick up some provisions, more coffee and donuts or something for later", said Jarod suddenly feeling ravenous, "then I think you should grab a few hours of sleep, Sydney, you look pretty exhausted to me," he added, noting Sydney's grey pallor and tired eyes.

It took them ten minutes of driving to get the SUV back out on to the main highway and they quickly found a breakfast diner.

Sydney finished up his early breakfast and carefully folded his napkin, deep in thought, trying to choose his words carefully. Picking up his coffee cup, he looked at Jarod closely, noticing the fine lines around his mouth and the strained look in his brown eyes. Although Jarod looked a little tired himself, Sydney couldn't help noticing that he was looking ... older.

"You know something Jarod ? The last twelve hours we've spent in each other's company have been the longest time we've spent together without being under the scrutiny of Centre cameras ... ... ... It feels good," he said with a tired smile, trying not to sound trite.

"I'm glad, Sydney. It feels good to me, too," said Jarod quietly.

Jarod drank his coffee slowly, thinking on what Sydney had just said to him. They had been catapulted into this situation and he'd barely had the time to reflect on anything, other than their basic needs. He knew the time was coming, when he would have to face some home truths about his relationship with Sydney

Jarod idly wondered whether either of them would be able to cope with the changed circumstances. Was he being too naïve to want two families? He'd already acknowledged to himself how important Sydney was and how much he wanted him to be in his life. He couldn't bear to think of a time when Sydney would not be in his life. ‘Don't go there yet,' he told himself, ‘just concentrate on finding Parker'.

"I need to tell you something, Sydney, and this may surprise you," he said nervously, "Earlier, I told you that I came back specifically to see Parker. Well, that's true in a way but, you may as well know the rest; I want one last shot at trying to convince her that she should walk away from the Centre - to leave with me", he said quietly.

Sydney shook his head, taken by surprise at what Jarod had just said to him and he couldn't quite fathom what to say in reply. In fact, he was not sure what Jarod was implying.

"I'm sure she never told you anything about what happened on the Island"? Jarod continued nervously, his fingers idly folding and refolding the edge of his table napkin.

Sydney shook his head, no.

"No, well that doesn't surprise me, you know Parker, she always reverts to type," said Jarod dryly.

Jarod carefully lowered his voice so that there was little chance of them being overheard by other early morning diners.

"Parker discovered that her recent Parker ancestors were nothing short of mass-murderers - if it can be believed - that the whole family are all tainted with this evil streak of madness and terrible lust for power. There seems to be strong evidence that Parker's grandfather set fire to the family house - with the family still inside. I know that those discoveries left Parker totally devastated. It's no wonder she feels abandoned and lost, particularly after the way old man Parker decided to end it all" he explained softly.

"Oh my God", breathed Sydney quietly.

"For just a short while though, just for a few hours on that Island during the Devil's storm, I found the real Parker again, Sydney. She's still there on the inside; it's just that she's been lied to, hurt and manipulated all her life by her family and she doesn't know who to trust any more. She hides behind this façade of toughness and indifference to keep the pain out but ... ... ... that little girl is still there".

Jarod paused for a moment, remembering those moments they had together in Ocee's cottage when the storm raged around them. Looking at Sydney, he said quietly:

"We discovered that there is something special between us - there always has been - something that can't be defined - she denied it later, of course, but she knows it's there."

Jarod leaned forward and searched Sydney's face as if looking for the answers.

"I have to try, Sydney", he pleaded softly; "I have to make her see that it's OK to walk away from the Centre, to take the chance on being happy; that she deserves to be happy. I want that chance, Sydney; I want to be with her".

Suddenly, Sydney was back in his office with Catherine Parker, thirty years ago, remembering his promise that he would always be there to watch over her daughter, and it had not been an empty promise. He loved Parker as if she was his own daughter and he had done his best to protect her, but how do you protect someone from themselves, he thought? At times, she was her own worst enemy!

Sydney sighed as he thought about all the times he would have given everything in the world to put his arms around Parker, to comfort her and to ease her pain, but she would never have accepted comfort from him. She saw pain as weakness; it was as simple as that. It was what she had been brought up to believe and she believed it still. He thought about those times when she had craved her father's love and attention, only to have it spurned. How emotionally stunted her father, or the man she knew as father, had been! A man totally consumed by the lust for power.

Sydney remembered the bright young girl that Parker had been, full of mischief, who always wanted to disturb Jarod when he was working. The attraction between the two teenagers had been immediate and electrifying and Sydney had done his best to try and discourage the friendship between the two, so afraid that their mutual attraction would be noticed by the Centre and used as a means to control Jarod and himself.

Sydney thought about the young Miss Parker who had fallen in love with Jarod as a teenager - was she still in love with him after all these years? More to the point was Jarod still in love with her, or was it just that he felt guilt at leaving her behind five years ago and now wanted to ease his conscience? Surely it had just been infatuation?

Or, perhaps, it finally explained why Parker had never really managed to catch Jarod and return him to the Centre. Perhaps it also explained why she was so bitter at his escape - because he had left her behind?

Sydney felt the anxiety of his churning emotions - he loved them both but they were so wrong for each other; they carried such a lot of emotional baggage between them that this would be disastrous - the best he had ever hoped for was that they would become friends, somehow learn to put the past behind them, but this? ... ... ... he couldn't accept what Jarod had told him, and for some unexplained reason, he felt angry with Jarod.

"I don't know what to say, Jarod," said Sydney in a flat tone of voice, "I really had no idea that you felt like this toward Parker - I remember you were attracted to each other as teenagers but that was a long time ago and ... ... ... things have changed a lot since then".

Sydney paused, feeling reluctant to continue but knowing he must say what was in his thoughts:

"My God, she's been hunting you for the past five years, man," Sydney continued, suddenly becoming more aggressive. "It was her father who stole you from your parents, her brother killed your brother Kyle and almost killed Emily; how will you reconcile yourself to that?"

Jarod' face hardened with determination. Stubbornly, he said "I don't care Sydney; all I am sure of is that I need her. I've realised at last that I simply can't live my life without her; I don't want to live my life without her and I'm hoping that I can convince her that she needs me just as much!"

Jarod's words struck him momentarily into surprised silence. Finally, he looked up and said:

"I can't help thinking that you have an idealistic view of Parker and that you're not facing the reality of your situation or hers - for God's sake, this is Parker we're talking about!"

The silence lengthened and Sydney felt the tension flaring between them and he didn't know how to diffuse it. Suddenly, he straightened up and looked directly at Jarod saying:

"We have two immediate problems, Jarod. One: Parker is still missing. Two: you and I both know that the Centre would never allow you both - all of us - to just disappear into the wide blue yonder and live happily ever after - that just isn't going to happen," he concluded solemnly.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 4 - Stalemate

Parker closed her eyes in exasperation.

She took several deep breaths and tried to calm the rage that was simmering just below the surface. It was now well past noon and no one had appeared.

Parker had bellowed herself hoarse trying to attract attention but she had finally accepted that the house was empty and no one was coming.

‘Maybe I'm meant to starve to death,' she thought.

She sat up with her back to the wall, her knees pulled up and took another look at the handcuff and chain, trying to determine whether or not she could pull the same trick again as she had done a few years ago.

She and Jarod had been temporarily imprisoned together in the Florida Keys - by dislocating her thumb, she had managed to slip out of the handcuffs. She smiled to herself as she thought about Jarod, how they had been trapped together by the hurricane ...

However, that had been nearly five years ago and she doubted that she still had that kind of flexibility in her fingers. This handcuff was tightly secured around her wrist and there was no way it could be moved.

‘Obviously not Centre issue,' she thought idly.

Parker checked around the room again, looking for anything that could be used to unpick the lock but the room appeared to have been swept clean. She scrambled down to the floor on hands and knees to check under the bed, hoping for a forgotten pin or tack but ... ... ... nothing!

"Damn them to hell", she swore out aloud and then sat back on the bed again.

Parker tried to relax, thinking back to the previous afternoon - putting the finishing touches to a Government contract for a new security system; locking the papers into her safe; deciding to leave early for the weekend; running into Sydney at the elevator.

She remembered driving out through security and smiled to herself when she thought how caustic she had been because her bag was in the trunk and her security pass was in her bag.

‘She'd really pissed those jackasses off at the gate' she smiled to herself.

She remembered the drive home; how cold it had felt when she stopped to buy the newspaper; arriving home and driving straight into the garage and ... ... ... nothing.

Nothing, zilch, nada.

Suddenly, she sat up straight against the wall, pushing her hair back. She heard the sound of a car driving in, the tires making a swishing noise as they crunched across the gravel and then came to a stop. The engine was turned off and she heard the slamming of doors, voices and then the banging of doors inside the house.

"At last," she said out aloud, "it's about bloody time"!!

* * * * *

Jarod awoke instantly, seconds before the alarm on his watch started to sound, and moved his fingers to the stop button. Rubbing his eyes gently, he shook his head trying to recover from the mind-numbing effects of only two hours sleep in the last twenty-four. Moving off the bed, he headed to the bathroom, opening the door gently so as not to disturb Sydney, who was still asleep in the other room. Jarod grinned to himself as he heard the gentle snores coming from Sydney's direction.

Jarod rushed through his shower, and dressed quickly in a clean, black T shirt and black jeans which had almost become his uniform. As he pulled the T shirt over his head, he paused and then smiled as he lifted the fabric up to catch the feint waft of whatever it was that his mother had used in the laundry.

Pulling on a black sweater, he moved to the tiny kitchen and filled the coffee pot.

‘Bring on the caffeine' he told himself.

He opened his lap-top and booted up ready to check his mail. As he did so, he paused as he remembered the silent drive back from the diner, after his conversation with Sydney. They had been quiet, Jarod concentrating on driving the SUV and Sydney staring out at the passing scenery, both not knowing how to break through the tension or to get back to where they were before.

Once back at the Motel they had agreed on a couple of hours of much needed sleep, each taking a bedroom, glad to postpone any further talk about Parker and to put space between them.

Sydney smelled the coffee wafting through the cabin and within minutes of Jarod pouring his own, he appeared in the kitchen looking extremely tired and rumpled, having slept in his clothes.

He reached for a cup from the cupboard, filled it with the freshly brewed coffee and slowly turned around to face Jarod, looking care-worn and a little distressed. He ran a hand over his stubble chin and taking a deep breath, he said quietly:

"Jarod, I'm sorry about this morning in the diner ... ... ... it's not really for me to make judgement on your relationship with Parker. I can't seem to stop telling people how or what they should be feeling - call it an occupational hazard!"

Jarod smiled gently at Sydney, got up from the table, walked over to give him a hug.

"It OK Sydney, really it is," he said, stepping back from him. "I guess we both have something to learn about relationships - it's not going to be easy for either of us, outside the Centre. I should have waited to tell you, not sprung it on you out of nowhere. We'll talk more after we find Parker".

"You're sure we WILL find her?" asked Sydney, smoothing back his sleep ruffled hair.

"I'm sure".

He sat back down at the table and clicked on his messaging system now showing ‘you have mail'.

‘At last,' he whispered to himself.

As he did so, a pre-recorded video began to play, striking terror into his heart. Jarod caught his breath, biting his lip as a wave of fear passed through him stopping the blood in his veins. Hardly daring to breathe, he stared hard at the screen and watched the scene unfolding before him.

"My God, Sydney, come and look at this ... ... ... quickly!" shouted Jarod turning the screen of the lap-top so that Sydney could see it.

Parker.

The images showed a dark grainy picture, the video obviously taken in the half light; Parker was asleep on her side, her hair drawn back from her face and the handcuff and chain clearly visible.

It was impossible to tell if Parker was injured but Jarod reasoned that the mere fact that she was handcuffed to the chain, which in turn was fixed to the wall, meant that she was still alive. She lay completely still and he assumed that maybe she had been drugged.

The video lasted less than thirty seconds and there was no dialogue or message - just the pictures - and then it was gone.

The screen went blank.

"Oh my God," exclaimed Sydney, the anguish coming through in his voice; "I can't believe what I've just seen! Where the hell has it come from?"

"I don't know, Sydney, but I'm sure as hell going to find out. Just give me a few minutes and I'll see if I can track it back to its source - not that whoever sent this would have been careless enough to leave a trail".

Sydney moved slowly back to the kitchen and poured more coffee for both of them, taking a cup over and placing it next to Jarod.

Sipping his cup of coffee, Sydney wandered over to the window and looked out at the pine trees that surrounded the cabin.

"Where are you, ma petite?" he whispered sadly.

* * * * *

Parker sat with her back against the wall, her legs pulled up and her hands clasped around her knees, the chain loose on the bed cover. She could hear people moving around downstairs and the low murmur of voices although it was impossible to tell how many.

She felt her anxiety becoming smothered in the rage that was threatening to erupt as soon as the door opened -

She heard the key turn in the lock and the door slowly opened.

Willy!

He stood still in the open doorway and he couldn't quite keep the smile from his face as he looked at the rumpled and dishevelled Ms Parker. As usual, he was impeccably dressed as befitted his position of senior sweeper.

"What the hell is going on?" she hissed at him through gritted teeth, her face drawn in anger.

"I brought you some coffee and donuts," he told her coldly, deliberately ignoring her question. He placed the packages at the end of the bed and moved back to stand in the doorway.

"Mr Lyle asked me to say that he will be here shortly"

"A donkey's ass he will!" she spat at him. "You tell him to get his God dammed butt in here now!"

Willy pulled the door shut and, still grinning like an idiot, he turned the key.

"Did you hear me, you damn jackass, get back here!" Parker hurled through the door.

Parker slumped back down against the wall and raked her hand through her hair in exasperation.

‘I'll kill the son of a bitch!' she thought to herself.

* * * * *

Jarod flipped the lid of the Pez tube and tried to ignore the waves of fear he felt on seeing the video of Parker. He still couldn't believe what he'd seen with his own eyes and he made an effort not to give in to the panic he felt. My God, if anything had happened to Parker ... ... ... if she was injured and needed him ...... ...

‘Why is this happening now?' he questioned to himself. ‘No one knew I was coming back to see Parker, so why now?'

Suddenly, the message icon flashed on the screen ‘you've got mail'.

‘Thank God, it's Angelo,' he muttered to himself.

Jarod quickly read it and frowned to himself in an effort to understand the cryptic message ......... "two are one".

Sydney leaned over his shoulder and stared at the three words in the middle of the screen.

Three little words.

Two are one.

"What the heck does that mean - "two are one"? ... ... ... it might as well be in Swahili as far as I'm concerned," stated Sydney with a marked lack of patience.

"If it was in Swahili, it wouldn't be a problem for me," said Jarod seriously, "but I need a minute or so to think this through. I have to try and fathom his line of reasoning".

Jarod got up from the table and walked slowly over to the window and stared out at the forest of pines, resting his forehead against the cool of the glass. He noticed that it had started to rain. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the three words in his mind blocking out any other thoughts or distractions. Very slowly ... ... ... now, he felt perfectly calm.

Sydney stood still and watched Jarod as he worked his way through the SIM. In his head, he willed Jarod to come up with the answer, suddenly feeling anxiety overwhelming him and an unexpected urgency to find Parker.

‘Come on, Jarod, you can do it, I know you can,' he urged in his mind, as the minutes dragged past.

Suddenly, Jarod opened his eyes and straightened up. Turning around to face Sydney, he said calmly:

"I know what it means".

* * * * *

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," said Parker, scornfully, leaning back against the wall.

"Hello, Sis," greeted Lyle cheerfully, standing at the foot of the bed. "I see we've made you comfortable," nodding at the handcuff and chain.

Lyle had entered the room silently and was flanked by Willie standing just a little behind him in true bodyguard style. Willie still wore the same half smile he had on his face earlier when he had brought the coffee.

Lyle stood staring at her. As always, she totally amazed him and he couldn't take his eyes from her.

"Goddamn it, I want to know ... what ... the ... hell ... is ... going ... on," Parker spat the words out coldly, barely containing her rage at her twin.

"Naughty, naughty," he teased, coming to stand closer to her, taking in her pale complexion, dark shadowed eyes and the rumpled state of her hair and clothes.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look when you're angry?"

He ran his gloved hand down the side of her face, marvelling at its' smoothness and he gently brushed her hair back, something he would never, ever, have had the nerve to do under normal circumstances ... ... ... "magnificent!" he said softly.

His hand lingered on her face and then gently moved to her neck, his eyes taking in the V where her shirt opened, noting the quick rise and fall of her small breasts as she fought back the anger. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the ivory smoothness and he started to feel the heat rising within him.

Parker closed her eyes in revulsion.

Suddenly, she lashed out with her boot and caught Lyle just above the knee with a paralysing kick. He jumped back quickly in stunned surprise, his gloved hand gripping his knee in agony.

"You bitch," he shouted and before he could move again, Willy stepped forward and quickly, once, twice, slapped Parker across the face with as much speed and force as he could muster and then he stepped back again to his original position just inside the doorway.

Parker's head flew back against the wall with the force of the blows and tears of stinging pain sprang to her eyes. She felt stunned and her vision was blurred, the breath completely knocked from her body. She gasped out aloud as her hand went up to her face and she tasted the blood in her mouth and on her lips. She fought to keep herself upright against the wall to see what else was coming, fearful of more blows.

"Willy, my old friend, you must control yourself," said Lyle putting his leg back down on the ground and testing the knee gingerly to see if it would take his weight without buckling under him.

Willy gave a half smile of contempt as he looked at the battered Ms Parker.

"You're a sick bastard, Lyle," snapped Parker defiantly, trying to recover her voice.

"I can't believe we have the same genes; why is the ghost of Raines here? Someone let him out of the pig pen by mistake?" demanded Parker angrily, glaring at Willy.

Lyle backed away from the bed towards the door, still limping slightly from the blow to his knee. Turning around, he smoothed his hair away from his forehead and said innocently:

"I think you've been a bit naughty these last few weeks, Sis. I think you've been making plans for your future that don't include the Centre - and we can't have that, now can we?"

"Besides which, have you heard the one about the tethered goat?"

* * * * *

Jarod's cell phone rang and he picked it up on the second ring.

"Ethan!" he exclaimed happily. "Hey little brother, you couldn't have called at a better time, where are you?"

"I'm out front of Parker's house but I don't see Parker anywhere ... hey Jarod, I'm real worried about her ... I think she's in big trouble and I need to find her ... do you know where she is?" asked Ethan anxiously.

"It's a long story Ethan ... but I'm looking for her too and I'm working on it ... can we meet up later this evening? I think I'm going to need your help."

They agreed to meet back in Dover in roughly four hours, provided the rain didn't turn to snow which would slow them up.

Jarod sat back down at the lap-top and started to check his tracer program. He thought about the phone call from Ethan and suddenly he started to feel more positive, more energised in the search for Parker, now that he had someone to watch his back.

He glanced up at Sydney and thought how tired he looked as he came to sit at the table with Jarod. Sydney looked agitated and tense.

"For God's sake, Jarod, will you stop doing that and tell me what's happening!" complained Sydney in frustration.

"Come on Syd, take it easy! Believe it or not, we are making progress here," replied Jarod, feeling his spirits lifting at being back in control again.

"Just let me finish this program up and then I'll fill you in on developments ... ... wait one minute ... ... I have it!" he exclaimed, closing the program.

Jarod sat back in the chair and smiled at Sydney.

"OK, here we go. First of all, I've been running a tracer program that I constructed some months ago - basically it allows me to trace anonymous E-mails back to the user's real address via the remailing company; what I'm trying to say is that the video we were sent of Parker definitely came from the Centre, no doubt about it, although I have no idea when it was recorded," he paused looking suddenly uneasy. "What we have to do is narrow the possibilities down as to where they are keeping Parker ... ... and I think I know where she is".

Sydney closed his eyes and sighed to himself in relief ... ... "but what does ‘two are one' mean?" ... ... "you haven't told me what it means!"

Jarod looked uncomfortable and lowered his eyes back down to the computer screen, then nodded:

"It's really very simple; I believe that Lyle has Parker stashed away somewhere and she is the bait - with Mr Raines almost at death's door, he intends for there to be only one Parker left to inherit the Centre, just as you predicted. Not only is he setting up a trap for me but he also intends to kill Parker - hence ‘two are one'! No one left to challenge the chair - no one left to betray all those Centre secrets. He wants total power."

"Lyle intends to cold bloodedly kill his sister without a second thought".

* * * * *

Jarod eased the SUV out onto the highway and accelerated to just five miles below the speed limit and then set the cruise control. He estimated that it would take around two hours to reach Dover to meet up with Ethan, provided the weather didn't get any worse.

The rain made visibility difficult in the darkness of early evening, the windshield wipers making heavy work of clearing the screen. Considering it was Saturday night, there was very little traffic on the road to hold them up and they should make good time, he thought.

Jarod looked across at Sydney in the gloom, catching his worried expression in the passing lights of the cars, and thought back to their conversation before leaving the Motel.

"Are you sure that it's Lyle behind this, Jarod?" he'd asked tentatively.

"Yes, I'm sure," he'd told Sydney.

Sydney had fallen silent, his worry for Parker obvious from his strained expression.

It had only taken a few minutes to put together their belongings and wash up the dishes from their hasty snack. Originally, they had taken a week's rental on the cabin and Jarod had reminded Sydney that they might still need it once they had found Parker. They had no way of knowing if Parker would need time to recuperate or if they would all need a place of refuge to sort themselves out.

"Sydney, I have to ask you this, do you know how to use a gun?"

"Do you think I need one?"

"You might - when was the last time you were on a range?"

"Jarod, I've never fired a gun in my life, I'm a doctor, for God's sake; why would I need to?" Sydney looked down at his hands as if to imagine himself holding a gun.

"It's true, the Centre issued me with one thirty years ago, but I've never even held it, just locked it away in the bottom of the filing cabinet - do you really expect us to shoot somebody?" he asked nervously.

"Not unless we really have to."

"Sydney, we might need to defend ourselves - I'm just looking at the worst case scenario here - you know how I feel about guns but it's Parker's life we're talking about - I'm just thinking about Rosa."

"Do you think, if it came to it, you could point a .38 at someone?"

"I don't know, Jarod, but I guess if it comes to it, there will be no choice!"

They had both fallen silent at the reminder of how dangerous a situation they were going into. In truth, Sydney was terrified of guns but he wasn't about to admit it! God, he hoped it would never come to that.

"Jarod, tell me honestly, do you think Parker is still alive?"

"Yes, I think she's still alive but for how long, I can't answer that."

Jarod felt a shiver down the back of his neck as he thought about Lyle and all the evil that could be laid at his door. There was no way he would ever understand the depths of depravity that man would sink to nor how many people had died as a result - he was a man that had sold his very soul to the devil and he felt afraid for all of them. If ever there was a definition of a psychopath he needed to look no further than Lyle.

"If you want the truth, Sydney, I'm certain that Lyle has ‘gone over the edge' - we know that he's a murderer and I think the time has come when he has to be stopped. Parker may well be finding this out."

They had closed up the cabin without any more talk and within fifteen minutes, they were on their way in the direction of Dover.

Jarod sighed as he strained his eyes to see the road ahead. He thought of Parker - and he felt his neck muscles tense. Was she still alive? God, he had been so close and yet so far away, he couldn't lose her now!

"You OK, Sydney?" Jarod asked, glancing across at him.

"I think so"

"Tell me what's worrying you?"

Sydney turned to face Jarod in the gloom of the SUV. In the feint light from the dash, he could see Jarod's profile, his face set in concentration on the road ahead. The rain fell steadily and with windshield wipers at full speed - it was a reflection of their mood. The hiss of the tires on the wet road and the continuous thump of the wipers created a soporific rhythm that was almost hypnotic.

"I know we intend to meet up with Ethan but, I need to know, Jarod ... do you have a plan of any sort or are we just going in blind?" he asked tentatively, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I'm working on it, Sydney, don't worry, I'm working on it."

Sydney stared ahead and wondered, not for the first time, where and how this night would end.

* * * * *

Ethan closed his cell phone ending his call to Jarod. Putting it back in his coat pocket, he turned up his collar and walked back to his small SUV parked at the end of the road leading to Parker's cottage. He climbed in, brushing the rain from his hair, and started up the engine, glad to feel the warmth of the heater.

His thoughts were chaotic and he was struggling to block out and filter the voice that he now recognised as his mother's voice. He no longer felt afraid to listen to that inner voice. He had learned to respect it.

Since escaping the evil of that madman, Mr Raines, he had finally taken control of the demons that had tormented his mind for most of his life. He had managed to establish an almost normal life far from the madness of the Centre, coming and going as he pleased, sometimes sharing Jarod's family life for a few days, but mostly preferring his solitary existence. He doubted if he would ever live a normal life by the accepted standards ‘normal' but what he had now, he cherished above all else - his freedom.

He had spent a little time, separately, with both Jarod and Parker and they had gradually filled in the blanks of his life. There had been stolen afternoons when Parker had met with him, away from the Centre, and she had talked to him lovingly of their mother and proudly shown him the photographs she had of Catherine, in an effort to give him some sense of identity and belonging. Out of the chaos that was his life had come peace of mind.

They shared a rare gift and he loved her for it.

He remembered that last afternoon when he had asked her why she stayed at the Centre, maintaining this façade of searching for Jarod.

She had looked away from him, not answering straight away, as if trying to reach a decision. In the end, there had been an uncharacteristic flush to her cheeks and she had turned to him, not quite able to meet his eyes and said simply ... "When you reach a turning point in your life, you have to be sure of who you are turning to ... ... besides, when you are working, you don't have too much time to look at your empty life."

Now she was missing and in danger - and he could not bear it.

* * * * *

Parker poured some of the water from the plastic bottle on to the edge of the sheet and gently held it against her mouth, trying to ease the pain of the cuts and bruises. Already, large bruises were beginning to appear along both jaw lines and her mouth had bled profusely where her teeth had cut into her tongue. God, but it hurt like hell! She winced as she gently wiped the blood from her mouth. Her head ached from the blows and she longed for the soothing balm of a glass of Jack Daniels, preferably with a little ice!

Instead, she would make do with some of the coffee left by that laughing hyena, Willy. ‘It's probably cold by now, anyway,' she thought to herself.

As she carefully sipped the tepid brew, feeling the reviving effects of the caffeine, she tried to make sense of what had happened.

‘What the hell did Lyle mean - a tethered goat?' she asked herself.

‘The son of a bitch can go screw himself; I think the moron's finally found the grim reaper'.

Parker tried to think back on the conversation but she kept coming back to that one last statement - a tethered goat? A trap of some kind? She wished her head didn't feel quite so fuzzy.

‘God, I must be in hell,' she muttered, finishing up the coffee.

She pushed the package of donuts onto the floor in disgust and lay back down on the bed. She thought about the last three months since coming back from Carthis and the death of her father ... ... the man who had masqueraded as her father. Did anyone really die at the Centre? Was anyone who they were supposed to be? Was Raines really on his deathbed? It was true that she hadn't seen him for weeks.

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright as she realised the awful truth.

‘Somehow,' she told herself facing up to the reality, ‘Lyle has cottoned on to what I've been doing, I'm sure of it'.

That thought struck terror into her heart.

* * * * *

Lyle sat in the den of old man Raines' forest house. Through the open doorway, he watched the two sweepers' playing cards. Willy stood over them watching the play, arms folded across his chest, ready to move in an instant. They had just finished their meal of Chinese take-out and they were now well into a game. He could hear their low murmurs; no one made much noise around Lyle or Willy. Every ten minutes, one of them would get up, don the wet weather gear and take a turn around the garden, checking and rechecking the garden and outhouses. His orders were followed to the letter.

He had spent the afternoon going through Raines' filing cabinets; searching for anything that might be useful but the old man had beaten him to it.

‘You had to give credit to dear old Dad, he knew how to cover his tracks,' he thought to himself.

The only documents worth looking at were old Government contracts that appeared to be strictly legitimate. There was nothing on the Pretender project or Gemini, nothing relating to the Parkers. He wondered if he had missed something, somewhere, but then, there would be plenty of time to look later.

He felt no remorse or shame at searching - hell, he was going to inherit any day now, so where was the harm?

Lyle sat back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling, his hand going automatically to his knee where she had kicked him. Hell, it had stopped him in his tracks for a moment there - you had to hand it to her, the little bitch! She'd really caught him that time.

As he rubbed and stretched the leg out in front of him, he couldn't help reliving the frisson of pleasure and excitement as he had watched Willy deliver those two stinging blows to Parker's face. She had been totally unprepared for it - the shock and surprise evident from the way she had bounced back against the wall, her head crashing against the plaster, her eyes wide with shock. Hell, she'd deserved it and more. He'd taken enough from her over the years to last a lifetime. It was one of those moments in his life when he'd savoured the feeling of complete control - some days he hated her, most days he just wanted her.

Raines had taught him well.

Soon, he would have it all.

He swung round in the chair and opened the file in front of him. He started to look through the photographs of Parker at various locations with that half-wit Ethan. ‘Now there was a weird kid if ever there was one', he thought to himself. Slowly, he traced his finger over Parker's face on each photograph and he felt the anger slowly rising in him as he looked at them. It was clear that she had no idea she'd been followed to each meeting; the way she looked at Ethan with love in her eyes - she'd never looked at him like that!

Suddenly, he stood up and gathered the photographs together and, picking them up, he walked into the other room. He nodded to Willy, who bent down and whispered something to the sweeper in front of him and then he followed Lyle out and up the stairs.

* * * * *

The bright lights of the gas station shone out like beacons in the night and Jarod eased the SUV alongside the pumps, glad of the respite from the rain. Switching off the engine, he looked across at Sydney and said:

"I need to fill up - do you want anything, coffee maybe or the rest room?"

"Both, I think, Jarod. When you get to my age, you need both at frequent intervals!" replied Sydney with a small laugh, glad of the chance to get out and stretch his legs.

"Just how old are you, Syd?" Jarod asked cheekily.

"When you get to my age, discretion is definitely a virtue!" he replied with mock outrage.

As Sydney headed towards the rest rooms for his much needed comfort break, Jarod filled the tank, staring out at the blackness of the night and the driving rain. Somehow, despite the banter with Sydney, his heart felt heavy and all he could think about was what lay ahead of them.

Soon, they were on their way again, the caffeine lifting their spirits, so much so that even the rain seemed to be easing up. With little over an hour to go until they reached the outskirts of Dover, Jarod said lightly:

"Have you given any thought, Syd, when this is all over, what you will do? I don't think the Centre will be hanging out any welcome signs."

"I don't know, Jarod. I haven't really had a second to think about it - everything seems to have happened in the blink of an eye - I feel as though I have lived a lifetime in these last twenty-four hours and I can't think beyond tonight other than ...will we still be alive tomorrow?"

"It will be OK, you'll see, Syd".

"Easy for you to say, Jarod, but I'm so worried about Parker - I know she always gives everyone the impression she can take care of herself ... and she can, no doubt about it ...but, even so, deep down, I still see that little girl, vulnerable and scared ... and it makes me scared too".

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm scared too ... ...but we have to get Parker back and remember; we're the good guys ... ... the good guys always win!" he said in an effort to lighten the sombre mood.

"There's something else bothering me, Jarod - about Parker; what if she doesn't fall in with your plans, what then? What will you do," asked Sydney gently.

Jarod glanced briefly across at Sydney and smiled and then continued to study the road ahead.

"Well Sydney, all I know is that you raised me ... ... which makes you more of a father to me than you realise or maybe want to realise ... ... I won't let you go now ... ... whatever you say! As for Parker, well, I'll take my chances with her - I think that's going to be one helluva battle!"

Jarod laughed to himself, thinking of all the times they had fought like cat and dog, neither of them ever really winning the round. ‘Maybe the time is coming when we'll stop hurting each other,' he thought silently to himself. ‘It's now or never as far as she's concerned.'

Soon, they were on the outskirts of Dover and looking for the Comfort Inn - the same one that Jarod had stayed in just twenty-four hours previously. Heading into the car park at the rear, Jarod quickly spied Ethan's small dark SUV, parked at the end of the row, facing outwards, in readiness for a quick departure. Just in case.

Parking alongside him, Jarod brought the SUV to a stop, pulling on the handbrake and quickly reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. Using the quick dial, he connected to Ethan in seconds.

"Hi Ethan, we're outside, where are you, little brother,"

"Hi Jarod, you made good time in this god awful weather ... ...I've taken a family room which should do us OK for a while and I've registered you both so you don't need to go to reception. Come straight up - first floor, room 12 at the end, next to the stairwell."

Ethan closed the connection abruptly and went to the door and opened it very slightly in readiness. He felt a flutter of excitement at being reunited with Jarod again, and within a minute they had arrived, and he felt himself enveloped in a huge hug. Ethan barely reached Jarod's shoulder in height and his slight frame always felt crushed every time Jarod greeted him!

"Hey man, you do this every time ... ... I'm only a little guy, remember!" he said, laughing at Jarod, trying to come up for air and pushing him away.

"Yeah, but you're my brother and I haven't seen you for at least three weeks!" replied Jarod looking down at Ethan's face.

Sydney and Ethan shook hands cautiously, eyeing each other warily, and then, as Sydney turned to take his coat off and hang it up in the closet, Ethan turned to Jarod and whispered:

"Hey Jarod, this is really weird - I thought Sydney was part of the search team hunting for you; what's he doing here?"

"It's a long story Ethan and I'll tell you later but for now, trust me, he's on our side!" he whispered, and then more loudly, he asked, "Now tell me, have you got any food in this place? I'm starved!"

Jarod rubbed his hands together in anticipation, having already sniffed the air and was sure he could smell something good, somewhere.

"Same old Jarod, always thinking of his stomach!" laughed Ethan moving into the small kitchenette. "Yeah, I picked up some take-out about half an hour ago, it should be OK still and there's some coffee too."

* * * * *

Parker heard the door open, waking instantly, screwing her eyes up in a frown against the harshness of the light. The room was instantly bathed in bright light from the lamp in the ceiling. She scrabbled up quickly against the wall and gathered up the chain that secured her wrist and glared at Lyle and Willy as they came in and closed the door behind them.

As usual, Willy stood just behind Lyle, to his left, arms folded and with the same half smile on his face as he looked at Parker.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Popeye and Sweetpea ... ... what stone did you two crawl out from?" she jeered, trying to ignore the feelings of anxiety that were creeping down her spine.

"How are you, Sis? said Lyle softly, ignoring the jibe.

"How do you think I am, you cretin, chained up like this. How's the knee?" she asked acidly.

Lyle didn't answer; he just stood staring at her.

Pushing her free hand through her hair, she glared at them and said:

"What the hell do you want now?"

"I want to know what's been going on with you and that half-wit Ethan," snarled Lyle, his smooth tone now gone, his face a mask of fury.

He threw the file of photographs down and they spilled out on to the bed cover. For a brief second, there was a flash of complete astonishment on Parker's face as she glanced down at them, realising that the photographs were of her and Ethan and that she had had no idea that they had been followed or photographed. How could that have happened? They'd been so careful at every meeting place.

Her first thought was for Ethan, praying that he was still safe and out of reach of the Centre radar.

"I take it you're both still chasing the ghost of Mommy dearest?" he said scathingly, now moving to pick up one of the photographs to look at it again, as if to refresh his memory.

"You tell me, brother dearest, you're the one doing the chasing!" she sneered.

Lyle bent and picked up all the photographs and returned them to the file.

He paused and with a slow assessment of her face and body, he smiled at her, taking in the bruises on her face and cut lip. Speaking to her in a voice laced with innocence, he asked slowly:

"What I really want to know, Sis, is what you've done with all the files you've taken from the Centre - spare me the denials," he said holding up his gloved hand, "I know you've been taking them out of the Centre for the past two weeks at least. Where are they?"

Parker felt her shoulders slump and she suppressed a shudder, knowing that he now knew for certain. She'd gambled on the fact that taking out certain files, incriminating the Centre, would be a kind of insurance policy for when she left the Centre - just a few more days would have seen her disappear for good; the files were her ticket to freedom.

Looking up at him standing a few feet away from her, she saw the narrowed glittering eyes and the flushed face, and with total clarity, Parker realised at last that Lyle had finally descended into the abyss of madness. She should have realised this was coming a long time ago instead of ignoring all the signs. Jarod had tried to tell her so many times that Lyle had to be stopped - now it was too late - far too late.

"If you're so clever, you moron, you find them!" she spat at him, pulling herself up again, suddenly finding her fire. She would go down fighting him all the way.

"Wrong answer, Sis!"

Lyle's face hardened as he continued to stare at Parker. He felt the slow burn of anger rising in him again and he could feel his face beginning to flush - here she was, chained up, looking like yesterday's leftover dinner and she was STILL getting under his skin.

Suddenly, he had had enough of the game.

"Try again, otherwise, Willy here will have to persuade you to find the right answer," he told her.

"Go to hell, you son of bitch, and take that asshole with you," she yelled at him, her face suddenly filled with the rage of defeat that threatened to overwhelm her.

She saw Lyle turn slightly and give a brief nod to Willy.

As if in slow motion, Parker watched Willy step forward and move to the bed. He raised his hand and in one smooth movement, he brought the side of his hand down and chopped it across Parker's forearm.

Parker screamed in agony.

* * * * *

Jarod bagged up the empty containers of their take-out food and then carried the coffee to the table, handing a cup to each of them.

"OK let's continue - as I said earlier, I believe that Parker is being held at Raines' old forest house. It makes sense if you think about; it's quiet, well camouflaged by trees, down a lane away from town, no one to see any of the comings and goings at strange times of the day or night. It's perfect for holding someone out of the way. From what I can recall, that house has a lot of poky little rooms and any one of them could be used to hold Parker," explained Jarod, sipping at his coffee thoughtfully.

"What about the approach to the house - is there some sort of driveway, hedge screening, anything like that?" asked Ethan.

"I remember a gravel driveway, with a fair amount of trees scattered around the garden - can't remember if there is any hedging around the property - didn't take much notice the last time I was there - I was pretty busy trying to find you, Ethan!" laughed Jarod at the irony.

"Ethan, do you have a gun of any sort? I'm hoping we won't need it, but I want to be sure we can defend ourselves, if we have to".

"No, but I do have this tucked away, which might prove useful in putting a sweeper to sleep for a while."

Ethan reached into his bag and came out with a small, black, ugly looking cosh that fitted snugly into his hand and, with a small laugh, he whacked his open palm with it as if to demonstrate its' efficiency.

"Right, I have a .38 weapon here, which is fully loaded. I'm going to give it to Sydney to keep. It's a last resort, Sydney, so don't worry about it, OK?"

Sydney nodded, afraid to speak. He cupped his hands around his coffee cup, looking into the depths of the liquid, swirling it gently around. He looked up at the two men, one on either side of him at the table and asked quietly:

"Am I the only one scared out of their wits?"

Ethan's face fell and he looked to Jarod for an answer, feeling the same sense of fear as Sydney at the task in front of them.

"No Sydney, trust me, it's going to be fine - we've a plan of sorts and we all know what we're doing. We'll get Parker out of there and then hightail it out as fast as possible. Just be sure to stick to the plan".

Jarod finished his coffee, got up from the table and went into the kitchenette to rinse out his cup. Turning to the others, he said:

"Right, are we ready to mount up then?"

Ethan laughed saying: "Oh my God, it's the OK Corral!"

Ethan reached for his coat out of the closet ... ... suddenly he dropped it on the floor and moaned to himself, grasping his head in pain. He moved across to slump in the chair, bent forward, holding his head in his hands, eyes shut tight and muttering unintelligible words to himself. His face shone with sweat and he swayed slightly in anguish ... ...

"Ethan, what is it?" yelled Jarod, dropping his own coat on the floor and rushing over to him.

"It's Parker, oh my God I can hear her voice, Jarod! Pain, so much pain, I can't bear it!"

* * * * *

"Now, is everyone clear what they have to do?" asked Jarod.

"Right let's go - good luck everyone"

With that, Jarod and Ethan melted away into the darkness, leaving Sydney to sit alone in the car.

They had all had such a fright back at the motel when Ethan had felt Parker's agony. They had got ready quickly, none of them saying very much to each other. Driving along in the car, they had gone over the plan again, reminding each other of the timings and then fallen silent.

Although no one voiced it, all their thoughts were with Parker, hoping against all the odds, that they weren't too late.

Jarod had parked the SUV, off the road, half a mile away from Mr Raines' forest house, under some trees, making it difficult to be seen. The houses were well spaced apart and most seemed to have high laurel hedges making it impossible to see over the top.

Sydney clenched his hands together and he tried to breathe slowly to quell his rising fear. He knew that the events of tonight were going to change his life forever, one way or another. He didn't know if he was prepared for those changes, but then, who is? he thought. I know I can't go back to the Centre, nor do I want to. I don't care as long as Parker allows me to be part of her life, Jarod too.

In the quietness of the night, he whispered a silent prayer for all of them.

‘Thank God it's stopped raining and there's no moon tonight,' he thought to himself, stifling a tired yawn. ‘At least that's something in our favour'.

Suddenly, the headlights of a large car came out of nowhere and Sydney ducked down quickly out of sight, even though the SUV was well off the road. The headlights loomed large and then the car drove slowly by and disappeared down the lane.

Sydney checked his watch again and saw that only two minutes more had gone by since he'd last checked.

* * * * *

From his crouched position, Jarod moved aside the branches of the thick foliage in order to get a better view of the house. Everything was wet and dripping and underfoot the leaves on the ground were sodden with water. The winter vegetation smelt wet and musty. Whatever position he got into, he still seemed to feel the drips from the branches down his neck, despite pulling his collar up. ‘It's so dammed cold', he thought, rubbing his hands together to keep the circulation going.

The downstairs lights were lit - but none upstairs - the curtains drawn back from the windows, light spilling out on to the terrace. He could see some movement in what was clearly the sitting room but he was still too far away to identify anyone.

Suddenly, the patio door from the sitting room opened and a man appeared with gun in hand, the light and the sounds of the room spilling out. The sweeper stood still, looking out across the blackness of the garden and Jarod slowly moved the branches of the shrub back in place again.

He tried to make out the shape of Ethan, somewhere to his right, but he couldn't see him.

The sweeper looked slowly from left to right and then, taking a flashlight out of his coat pocket, he turned to his right and walked slowly out of sight, playing the light across the garden. Jarod could hear his feet crunching on the gravel as he came off the terrace and he slowly made his way around to the back of the house. The crunching sound suddenly ceased and Jarod heard a feint grunt of pain and then something - or someone - falling onto the gravel.

"Well done, Ethan," he whispered to himself.

Jarod knew that he only had a maximum of five minutes, perhaps less, before the sweeper would be missed and he had to be inside the house before his absence was noticed.

Jarod rose up from his crouched position and with head bent, keeping the cover of the shrubs between himself and the house, he moved towards the back of the house. He was looking for the upstairs veranda that the bedrooms opened out on to, which he knew ran the whole length of the upstairs level.

Breathing hard, he almost fell over the unconscious body of the sweeper that Ethan had hastily pulled into the shrubbery out of sight. Grinning to himself, he sidestepped the man and moved to the back of the house, carefully staying off the gravel.

With a final glance around him, he levered himself onto the top of the water butt and then swung his arms up through the wrought iron railings, pulling himself up and over the top and landing softly with a rush of breath.

‘I really am getting to old for this game,' he thought to himself as he tried to slow his rapid breathing, feeling the sweat on his brow.

With his back to the wall of the house, he gave a quick sweep around the rear garden and then reached into his pocket for the small tool set that would open one of the bedroom doors, together with a small flashlight. He knew the house was fairly old and he was banking on the idea that Mr Raines would not have updated the locking system on the old doors.

With a final glance around, he moved to the centre door and taking out a small, thin tool with a hook on the end, he bent down and carefully inserted it into the lock. Twisting it very slowly and then back again, he heard the lock click backwards, and in a flash, he was inside and had closed the door behind him.

Breathing softly, he played the flashlight over the room and he could see that the bed and the furniture were covered in dust sheets and had obviously not been used for a long time. He headed towards the door which he hoped would take him onto the mezzanine floor.

‘God, this place gives me the creeps!' he thought to himself.

Moving silently to the door, he grasped the handle and very gently opened it an inch or so. Hearing nothing, and holding his breath, he pulled it open a few more inches and listened.

He could hear muted sounds coming from downstairs - someone was watching the TV because he could hear the jingle of some popular show and then the enthusiastic applause. Looking out, he could see other doors facing him and further down the floor, he could see a small staircase going upwards to another, smaller door.

Jarod eased himself out of the bedroom and, keeping his back close to the wall, he moved to the next door, glad to feel the soft wool of the carpet runner under his feet muffling the sounds of his boots. He pushed the handle down and eased the door open.

Nothing.

He gently closed the door and moved towards the small staircase facing him - just three steps up.

Gripping the handrail, he stepped on to the first stair and then the second, praying that the stairs wouldn't creak under his weight. He reached the third step and paused. He eased the handle downwards and pushed forward gently but met resistance - the door was locked.

‘Yes!' he said to himself.

Jarod stood still for a moment and then with his hand cupping the flashlight, he crouched down and shone the light at the lock.

Breathing softly, he took out the tool set again and found the right sized tool. Very gently, he inserted it into the lock, waiting to hear the soft click of the locking mechanism going backwards.

At last he heard it. He gently pushed the door open a few inches straining to see into the darkness. He listened carefully but he couldn't hear a sound. Easing the door open a few inches more, he felt in his pocket for the flashlight again and finding it, he switched it on, keeping the beam low on the floor.

He ran the beam over the small room and in the corner he saw the narrow bed.

Suddenly, he froze.

* * * * *

Sydney looked at his watch for the tenth time and with a sigh of relief he saw that the twenty minutes waiting time was finally up. Very gingerly, he turned the ignition and started up the SUV and reversed out onto the road. Switching on the main lights, he pulled away and drove the half mile he knew was the distance to Mr Raines' house.

Sydney knew his heart was racing and he tried to breathe slowly to keep calm. He knew he was a vital element of the plan and there was no way he would let Jarod or Parker down now. He whispered another silent prayer as he accelerated and drove into the driveway, the tires spewing up the gravel as he came to an abrupt stop at the entry door to the house, leaving the car parked ready, keys in the ignition.

He got out of the car and looked at the blazing lights from the downstairs windows; the rest of the house in darkness.

Suddenly, a man appeared in the doorway, gun in hand, and Sydney recognised him as one of the men from Lyle's sweeper team and he'd seen him many times around the Centre. The man walked quickly across to stand in front of him.

"Dr Green! Didn't expect to see you here. Come with me"

The man pointed towards the entry door with his gun.

Sydney pulled his coat together and putting his hands in his pockets he walked slowly in front of him.

They reached the entry door and the sweeper called out:

"Mr Lyle, we've got company here"

Lyle stood in the doorway of the sitting room and stared at Sydney in astonishment. Willy stood just behind Lyle, arms folded with the same half smile on his face as he too, stared at Sydney.

"Well, well, well, and to what do we owe the pleasure of your company then, Sydney, especially at this time of night?" Lyle asked in a smooth tone.

Lyle looked relaxed as he stood holding a half tumbler of alcohol in his ungloved hand.

Sydney straightened and set his shoulders back. With hands in his pockets and fingers clenched, he looked at Lyle defiantly and said:

"I want to see Parker!"

"What makes you think she's here?"

"Well, I've been looking for her all day and this is the last place on my list and the fact that you're here, means she must be here, too!"

"Well, Sydney, the last time I saw YOU - you were disappearing with Jarod. I'm assuming he's sent you to rescue the damsel in distress?"

"Don't be an idiot, Lyle. If Jarod were with me, he'd be here now. Can you see him? No, he dropped me off in Dover in the early hours and I've been staying in a motel trying to track Parker. I'm afraid Jarod is not really interested in Parker's welfare".

"Come on, Syd, pull the other one! We both know how he feels about Parker! He'll be here soon enough!"

"What makes you think Jarod will come here? I take it that this has all been about setting a trap for Jarod, using Parker as the bait? Am I correct?" asked Sydney.

"You're asking too many questions, Syd. You might not like the answers!" replied Lyle, taking another mouthful of his drink.

Lyle turned to the sweeper and said abruptly:

"Have you searched him yet?"

"Not yet, Mr Lyle"

"Well, just get on and do it!" said Lyle irritably.

The sweeper moved towards him and Sydney stepped back, taking his hands out of his pockets. With his hands raised in front of him, he said to Lyle:

"I hardly think this is necessary, is it Lyle? You know how I feel about guns".

"Yeah, I know," Lyle turned to the sweeper and said, "but search him anyway!"

The sweeper moved in front of Sydney and started to pat him down.

"He's clean, boss".

Lyle took another mouthful of his drink and he continued to stare with a puzzled look on his face.

"You know something, Sydney? I can't make out whether you are just a sentimental old fool, or if you've found your backbone at last ... ... either way, you're NOT seeing Parker!"

"You admit she's here then," asked Sydney tentatively.

"Yes, she is, but you're still not seeing her".

"Is she alright?"

Lyle gave a small laugh and he looked across at Willy and gave him a sly wink of the eye. Willy smiled broadly at Lyle in return.

"Depends on what you mean by ‘alright' doesn't it Syd?"

"My God man, if you've hurt her, I'll ... ... ...

Sydney stepped forward menacingly towards Lyle, only to be pushed roughly backwards against the wall by the sweeper.

"You'll what, Syd? Kill all the bad guys? Defend her honour? Your moral indignation does you credit! They certainly don't make them like YOU anymore," he jeered, taking another mouthful of the drink.

"Tell me one thing Lyle," said Sydney calmly, "why kill Rosa? You know how Parker felt about Rosa! Was it really necessary to kill her?"

"As I said a minute ago, you're asking too many questions, Syd. It's not good for your health!"

Turning to Willy, he said angrily:

"Take the old fool in there, sit him down and shut him up!"

Turning to the sweeper he said sharply:

"You! Get outside and find Pete - he should have been back here five minutes ago. See what's happened to him!"

Willy came forward and grabbed Sydney by the arm and pulled him roughly into the sitting room. Pushing him into the nearest chair, he told Sydney:

"Sit down and shut up!"

"Can I at least take my coat off; it's very warm in here?" asked Sydney very quietly, with his hands on the arms of the chair, leaning forward in readiness to get up.

"Yeah, OK, but not another word from you, or else!" said Willy threateningly.

Sydney stood up and took off his coat, folded it neatly, and then sat down again with it across his lap.

He felt as if he had just walked into hell.

* * * * *

Ethan finished tying the hands and feet of the unconscious sweeper and reached into his pocket for the roll of tape to cover his mouth; just enough to prevent him from calling out in case he awoke sooner that was expected.

Ethan grunted and heaved the man closer to the centre of the shrubbery, feeling the drips from the branches on his face. Once or twice he had felt the branches scratching his cheek as he strained his eyes to see into the darkness of the bush. More than once he thought he heard the scurrying feet of a small animal. He made sure the man could still breathe adequately and then he sat back on his heels. He froze for a second - sure that he had heard something unfamiliar - then he smiled as he heard the second sweeper close the door behind him and start out along the terrace, calling softly for his friend.

* * * * *

Parker lay on her back with her head on the pillow, the pain of her broken arm pulsating in a steady rhythm.

She swallowed hard and tried to block it out of her mind. She knew it was badly broken and the arm was already swollen but she couldn't bring herself to touch it to assess the damage. Gently, she cradled her elbow with the other hand, dragging the chain across her body. Tears of pain had dried on her face; tears she hadn't been able to control at the time Willy had delivered that devastating blow. She could still hear the crack resounding in her ears. The shock had made her feel light-headed and she lay still, trying to control the waves of nausea.

Parker tried to think of other things to take her mind from the agony of her injured arm. In an instant, her thoughts flashed back to the last time she had seen Jarod and she felt the flutter of goodness knows what in her stomach. Excitement? Nerves? Longing? She didn't know what it was; the thought of their time together on the Island made her think of things she had no right to be thinking!

When they had been together in Ocee's cottage, she had remembered that he had badly needed a haircut at the time. That hadn't stopped her from wanting to run her fingers through it! What would have changed, for both of them, had she allowed him to follow through on that kiss? She had wanted him to kiss her so badly - why did she pull back? It wasn't just a case of Ocee interrupting them. For her, it was the defining moment when all the fragmented pieces of her life fell into place like a completed jig-saw puzzle. She was sure that Jarod had known it, too.

Parker knew the answer - she had been afraid.

Scared of feelings she wasn't ready to acknowledge yet.

Scared of so many things; afraid to believe who really was her father?
She could never bring herself to believe it was Raines! The man who had murdered her dear, sweet Mama!

Scared to leave the Centre.

‘At least I know who my father is not,' she thought cynically, thinking of Sydney, her thoughts immediately softening as she visualised his worried face. She believed in her heart that he had always cared for her as if she had been his daughter. She realised with a sense of shame that she had not always been kind to him - that he had deserved better from her.

She knew he had been worried about her since she had returned from the Island, more so than usual. It seemed that every time she had moved from her office, he was there, hovering and constantly in her shadow. He had recognised she was changed - but he would never ask her the reasons; he would wait for her to tell him in her own time.

Idly, she wondered if Raines had died yet? She'd never wished anyone dead before, but for Raines ... ... she would make an exception!

‘I must be feeling sorry for myself! As if it's not bad enough that I'm in this rat hole,' she moaned to herself, trying to snap out of the pensive mood.

Her thoughts turned to Lyle and she knew with absolute certainty that he intended to kill her - he had completely lost all sense of reality. Having worked at the Centre for so long, always having to watch her back, never trusting anyone, she had known that one day, things would go against her. In truth, she had not really expected it to come from her twin but she had now seen the madness within him.

Her blood ran cold at the thought of him.

Suddenly, she paused ... ...

‘What the hell was that?'

She was sure she had heard something scratching at the door and she lay still, expecting the worst.

‘Lyle can't be coming back so soon, the scumbag's only just gone!' she growled to herself.

Parker strained her ears listening, her heart beating rapidly. She stared at the door in the darkness of the room and waited.

She was certain the door was opening but she couldn't be sure - it was so dammed dark! ‘Oh God help me', she prayed to herself.

Suddenly, there was a small beam of light on the floor and the door opened further and Parker could see the outline of a tall man.

"Parker, are you here?" whispered Jarod

"Oh my God, the cavalry has arrived!" she sighed, feeling a huge and overwhelming rush of adrenalin surging through her body which threatened to have her dissolving into tears at any second. Relief coursed through her and she fought back the tears, furiously wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. She would never allow anyone to see her cry, no matter what!

Closing the door softly behind him, Jarod crossed the room to the bed in two long strides. Bending down, he played the flashlight over her face, taking in the cuts and bruises with a small gasp of horror.

‘You're a dead man, Lyle, when I catch up with you,' he thought grimly to himself, feeling the shafts of vengeance coursing through him, as he searched her poor battered face.

"How are you, Parker? Pleased to see me?" whispered Jarod softly. He smiled at her, the relief at having found her evident in his eyes and in his voice.

He picked up the chain wrapped around her wrist and then tracked it back to the wall by the bed.

"What are you doing here, you idiot! Don't you realise this is a trap?" she hissed at him, pulling the chain away from him and then groaning with the pain of her arm.

She felt wildly angry at Jarod for being here - didn't he realise the trap he had fallen into! What the hell was he doing here? He was supposed to be a genius, why couldn't he see it? Why was he risking his freedom ... ... his life?

"Tell me you're pleased to see me!" he whispered, still grinning at her like an idiot.

She ignored him and whispered furiously at him:

"For God's sake, Lyle's downstairs with Willy and a sweeper team! I'm here as the bait to catch you, Jarod! Dammit, just go, otherwise it will be too late!"

"Don't you think I know that, Parker? I'm not leaving without you! Now tell me ... ... how badly hurt are you?" he asked seriously, looking at the arm she was cradling with her hand.

"Forget about me, just get your ass out of here!" she ordered him. "Lyle is going to kill us both! JUST GO!"

"Will you just SHUT UP for a minute!" he whispered sternly. "I need to look at this locking mechanism," he grumbled, picking up her wrist again.

Parker sighed and didn't reply - she just glared at him furiously.

Jarod positioned the flashlight on the bed so that it shone onto Parker's wrist and to the handcuff clasped around it. He reached into his pocket and brought out the small tool kit and extracted the smallest tool he could find.

"This should do it," he whispered to himself, inserting it into the lock and twisting it gently backwards and forwards.

Parker looked at Jarod's face bent over in concentration. She ignored the flutters of relief she felt at seeing him again. Questions kept screaming through her - how did he know where to find me? How did he know I was missing? What was he doing here, knowing it was a trap? Where the hell has he been for the past three months?

Suddenly, she heard the click and the handcuff fell away from her wrist.

Parker felt relief surging through her to be free of the chain but she resisted the temptation to rub the wrist with her injured arm.

"There, that's got it!" said Jarod looking up at her and pushing the chain away from the bed. Sitting back on his heels, he said:

"Nice accommodation your brother provided for you!" he whispered to her, indicating the chain.

"It's just peachy!" she hissed back to him.

"Now, tell me, where do you hurt? Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?" he asked hopefully, standing up again.

"I've still got my legs, you idiot!" she replied sharply. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

She stood up quickly and then sat down abruptly, her head falling forward, her hand still cradling the injured arm. She gave a small moan of pain and she would have fallen from the bed had Jarod not stooped and caught her shoulders, easing her back on the bed.

He knelt down and looked at her, brushing the hair from her face and with a gentle smile, he whispered:

"Steady Parker. Your body is feeling the effects of shock. Just take some deep breaths and then I'll help you stand up - seeing as you won't let me carry you!"

"Over my dead body you will!" she hissed at him and then she whispered more calmly: "Just give me a minute here. Give me that water bottle; I think I'm dehydrating a bit".

Jarod found the plastic bottle which was almost empty and handed it to her. She finished the water in two gulps and then dropped the bottle on the floor.

"Let me look at your arm, I promise I won't hurt you," he said gently, pushing the sleeve of her jacket up her arm above her elbow.

"It's broken, Jarod. Courtesy of that asshole, Willy - I wasn't being very co-operative at the time."

"That's not difficult to believe ... ... when are you ever?"

Jarod ran his fingertips lightly over the length of her forearm and he could feel jagged splinters of the break through her skin. He pulled the sleeve down again, knowing instantly that it would need surgery and pins to set it so that it healed properly.

"Have you got a scarf here or something we can use to support it? We need to get you some medical attention as quickly as possible."

"No, nothing ... ... and there's no way you're having my brassiere, so you can wipe THAT smile off your face!" she whispered crossly at him, seeing the look of disappointment on his face.

"Oh Parker, you're no fun these days!" he laughed at her, pulling the sheet from the bed and tearing it into strips. Carefully, he cradled her arm inside the sling and, lifting her hair, he tied it at the back of her neck.

"There, how does that feel?"

"Better ... thanks" she said grudgingly, looking up at him with the smallest hint of a smile.

Jarod bent down again so that they were eye to eye and he smiled at her, gently pushing the hair from her face. His eyes roamed over her face and came to rest on the bruises along both jaw lines. Gently, he traced his fingers down both sides of her face and then, looking into her eyes, he said:

"Now, tell me Parker, are you pleased to see me?"

She stalled for a few seconds, her head bent downwards and then she sighed quietly, lifting her head:

"Oh alright!" she said irritably. "If I have to say it, then yes, I'm pleased to see you! Just don't let it go to your head!"

She heard him laugh softly to himself and then he stood up, towering over her.

"Right, let's see if you can stand up without falling over!"

Leaning forward, he put his arm around her waist and hauled her up, carefully avoiding touching the injured arm that lay in the sling. He felt sure that if he had been able to see her face clearly in daylight he would have seen furious eyes glaring at him for taking such liberties!

Turning around and with his arm still around her waist, they hobbled over to the door. Positioning Parker with her back against the wall, he opened the door a few inches and listened carefully. Hearing nothing, he pulled it a little wider and checked the floor.

Nothing.

"OK, let's go. We need to get out of here pronto!" he whispered, pulling her close to his side, gripping her around the waist to support her.

* * * * *

Lyle helped himself to another drink from the side table and picked up the tongs for the ice, dropping three ice cubes on top of the bourbon. Taking a large mouthful, he turned to Willy.

"Where the hell is Pete and what-ever-his name-is? They should have been back here ten minutes ago - how long does it take to look around these grounds, for hell's sake?"

"Do you want me to go look for them, Mr Lyle?"

"No, I want you here ... ... and turn that crap off the television. I can't hear myself think!"

Willy complied immediately and the room was suddenly silent.

Lyle stood leaning against the door frame with a brooding look on his face, staring into the glass. He felt on edge but he couldn't say why. The alcohol had done nothing to soothe his temper and he was conscious that he'd already had too much to drink.

"You're sure that Jarod will come?" asked Sydney quietly from his chair.

"Who asked you to speak, old man?"

"I just wondered why you are so certain that Jarod will be here."

Lyle moved away from the doorway and started to pace the length of the room, ignoring Sydney's question.

He wouldn't admit it to himself but he'd had a real shock seeing Sydney arrive out of the blue. He hadn't banked on the old fool having the guts to just bowl in here and demand to see Parker. Who'd thought he would just turn up like this? Now he was faced with the problem of what to do with him. Having Sydney sitting there, looking at him, made him feel as though he'd missed something - forgotten an important detail somewhere but he didn't know what. It made him feel off balance somehow. He didn't like feeling he'd been out-smarted but Sydney was making him feel that way.

‘Hell, I can't think straight' he muttered to himself.

Lyle finished his drink and put the glass back on the side table. He looked across at Wily and said:

"It's time I checked on Parker - you stay here with him!"

Sydney suddenly stood up, holding on to his coat. He turned to face Lyle, his voice shaking with anger and emotion:

"I want to see Parker - I want to know that she's OK - and I want to know if this operation has been sanctioned by the Triumverate or if you're acting alone on this," demanded Sydney.

Lyle turned around slowly and smiled at Sydney, his face flushed from the alcohol, his eyes narrowed.

"You want to know a lot of god dammed things, Syd! As I said before, too many questions are bad for your health. I won't tell you again, SIT DOWN and SHUT THE HELL UP before I make you!"

Lyle nodded to Willy and said:

"Keep a close eye on him. I don't trust him as far as I can see him!"

With that, Lyle withdrew his gun from his pocket and turned around and headed for the stairs. Taking two at a time, he reached the top in seconds and switched the wall lights on, instantly flooding the floor with bright light.

He reached the three steps going up to the small room and the door opened; Jarod and Parker appeared in the doorway.

"Where the hell do you two think you're going, a Sunday picnic?" he asked smoothly, pointing the gun at Jarod.

* * * * *

Ethan finished tying the second sweeper securely and pulled the roll of tape out from his pocket. Tearing off a length with his teeth, he plastered it across the mouth of the unconscious sweeper and hauled him into the bushes.

Grunting with the exertion of manhandling the heavy body, he sat back on his heels and wiped the sweat from his face. He pushed his sleeve back and looked at the time, and realised that Jarod had now been gone for over thirty minutes - more time than they had bargained on.

Standing up, he brushed the wet leaves from his black jeans and moved the branches aside to look for activity in the house. He would follow Jarod's orders to the letter - to immobilise the sweepers and to wait under cover, preferably as near to the SUV that Sydney had left ready on the driveway. Waiting was the hardest thing to do.

He tried not to think about Parker. God, if anything had happened to her ... ... well, he wouldn't let himself think that way. Not now he had come to know her so well, and to care for her so much.

Ethan tried to ignore the feint chatter of voices in his head. He pulled his wool jacket closer to his neck to keep out the chill of the night and reached into his pocket for a peppermint - anything to keep the cold out. He moved a few paces to his right, keeping cover under the trees, looking for the best vantage point but feeling reluctant to move too far from the SUV.

As he leaned into the tree, an idea struck him.

* * * * *

Parker took a deep breath and leaned into Jarod for support. She couldn't believe they had been so close to escaping this hell-hole only to be caught by Lyle at the last second. She felt tears of frustration stinging in her eyes, as she swayed with the pain of her arm, at being so close to escape.

The pain seemed to take on a life of its own, searing her whole body and she knew that she had the beginnings of a fever. Perspiration gathered on her brow and around her neck making her hair feel damp on the collar of her shirt. She could feel strands of hair sticking to her face. She let Jarod take most of her weight and she would have fallen down the stairs had he not been there to help negotiate each step. Given half a chance, she would have launched herself at Lyle out of pure anger, and risked the bullet that would have surely ended her life, but Jarod had kept a firm hold on her. Maybe he knew her better than she knew herself, realising that she would have risked everything against that one slight chance to catch Lyle on the back foot.

‘Can things get any worse?' she asked herself, trying to think about all the options open to them and finding none at all.

Sydney heard the heavy footsteps coming slowly down the stairs into the hallway and he watched as Willy suddenly reached into his shoulder holster and drew his gun. The door opened and his heart sank deeper as he watched Jarod and Parker emerge into the sitting room and he gave an involuntary gasp of shock at the state of Parker's battered face.

"Oh my God, Parker, what the hell have they done to you?" he said, almost shouting.

Sydney leapt to his feet and he would have rushed across to the doorway had Willy not grabbed his arm and thrust him forcibly back in the chair, swiping Sydney's face with the back of his hand.

"SIT DOWN!" he shouted at Sydney.

Sydney's head flew back against the headrest and his lip began to trickle with blood, the blow leaving him stunned. Shaking his head slightly, he took out his handkerchief and dabbed at the corner of his mouth.

Willy moved swiftly across the room and trained his gun on them as they entered the room.

Parker blinked hard as she came into the full light of the room, shoulders hunched, and her free hand still supporting the sling of her injured arm. She looked at Sydney, her eyes suddenly filling with unshed tears again as she moved towards him. She grasped his outstretched hand and gripped it tightly. Sydney raised her hand to his cheek in an intimate gesture of solidarity and from the sheer relief at seeing her alive. She felt the strength and warmth in his hand and then, smiling gently at him, she reluctantly let it go.

"Courage, ma cherie," whispered Sydney as she moved away with Jarod.

"Very touching, Sis!" crowed Lyle, nodding at them.

"Willy, search Jarod and make sure he's clean," he ordered.

Jarod turned slightly and stretched out his arms and Willy patted him down and then shook his head at Lyle.

"Sit down, both of you," he ordered, waving his gun towards the sofa, opposite Sydney's chair.

"Do you know something, Willy boy? Another couple of minutes and I would have been too late to catch them! Such a dammed shame I've spoilt your plans, Jarod!"

"Who says you've spoilt my plans, Lyle?" asked Jarod calmly, taking notice of Lyle's excited state.

Willy and Lyle grinned at each other as if sharing a private joke, and then Willy leaned back against the wall with the same half smile playing across his face, gun in hand, and aimed squarely at Parker and Jarod.

Jarod put his arm around Parker's waist and gently helped her to the sofa. She leaned into him, letting him take her full weight. He knew she was close to passing out with shock, hunger and dehydration, all coming together to make her light-headed and nauseous. Easing her into the cushions he sat down alongside her, keeping his arm around her waist, pulling her as close as he could without further injuring her arm.

Parker felt a huge rush of affection on seeing Sydney and she smiled gently at him to let him know she was still hanging in there. She could feel herself starting to tremble, from reaction, and it suddenly dawned on her that Sydney was here, because of her, and she was the reason he had put himself in danger. For her!

‘I'm in the middle of a nightmare with a raving lunatic!' she thought to herself, looking at her twin.

"Well, whatever plans you had, they are out the goddamned window now, wouldn't you say, Wonder boy?" jeered Lyle, glancing from one to the other.

Jarod sat back and looked at Lyle calmly. He could see that Lyle was becoming unravelled at the edges - his face flushed, eyes bloodshot and he was barely able to contain his excitement as he moved from one foot to another.

"So Lyle, here we are," said Jarod slowly. "I take it that we have time to ask a few questions before you put a bullet in our brains?"

"Sure, there's no rush - I've waited a very long time for this - but you're right, the only people leaving here tonight will be Willy and me and the team. I'm afraid you three are going to meet with an unfortunate accident. Sorry about that, Syd, but if you hadn't poked your nose in, you wouldn't be in this situation" he replied softly.

"My God man, you're talking about your sister here ... ... does she mean nothing to you?" cried Sydney passionately, half rising from the chair and then sitting back down again as Willy glared at him from across the room.

"You mean Parker?" Lyle laughed softly, moving to stand in front of her. "She means absolutely nothing to me, as I am absolutely nothing to her ... ... right, sister dearest?"

"Screw you! You make me sick, you moron!" muttered Parker.

"See what I mean, Sydney!" laughed Lyle.

He bent down and stroked Parker's face gently with his gloved hand, smoothing back her hair and gazing into her narrowed, tired eyes and pale face. His face was so close to hers that she could smell his alcohol-laden breath upon her and she turned her head away in disgust.

"Mind you, it's going to be a real hardship for me to lose this pretty face from around the Centre, although seeing you here Parker, you don't seem to be looking your best at the moment ... ... not the gorgeous gal we're used to seeing"

Parker felt the cold leather of his glove and she pushed it away violently feeling her stomach heave. Lyle gave a small laugh at her reaction. It was her indifference to him that drove him wild.

"You're a sick and perverted bastard! You can rot in hell for all I care, asshole!" hissed Parker through clenched teeth.

Jarod straightened up on the sofa and he looked at Lyle through narrowed eyes.

"So Lyle, tell us your plan - tell us what this has all been about; that's the least you can do before ... ... whatever."

"All in good time, Jarod!"

Lyle turned to Willy, suddenly angry:

"Where the hell is Pete and what's-his-name - they should have been back here by now? Call the sweeper team office and get me four more sweepers out here ten minutes ago!

"I suppose you're responsible for Pete and what's-his-name going missing?" he said turning back to face Jarod.

Jarod shrugged his shoulders and looked blankly at Lyle.

Willy moved to the doorway, gun still trained on them. He patted his pocket and found his cell phone and within a couple of seconds he was connected to the office. Willy identified himself and then just listened for a minute or so. He gave instructions to the controller and then disconnected the call. As he replaced the cell phone in his pocket, he came back into the room and whispered something to Lyle and then he walked away, the familiar half smile back on his face.

Lyle turned back to them and the angry face had been replaced with a wide, beaming smile.

"Well, it appears that daddy dearest has finally done the decent thing and passed away! My God, I can hardly believe it! He's nearly ‘died' so many times before - I think I'll only believe it when I see him on the slab!"

Sydney looked across at Parker and Jarod to gauge their reaction. Parker's face remained passive, giving nothing away. Jarod looked - like he always looked - calm and slightly amused.

"Nothing to say, Jarod?" asked Lyle tauntingly.

"Nothing - except that I hope the old bastard rots in hell!"

"What about you Parker? Nothing to say about daddy dearest?"

"What can I say about the man who murdered Mama? Burning in hell would be too good for him and the same goes for you - you cretin!"

Jarod gave Parker a reassuring squeeze, as if to warn her to cool it, and then he turned his gaze on Lyle.

"So Lyle, you were going to fill us in on your plans. Don't keep us all waiting, now that you have our undivided attention!"

Lyle turned to Willy and said:

"Keep a close eye on them, Willy, I need another drink - call it my celebration drink, if you like!"

He moved across to the side table, put his gun down, and poured a generous measure of bourbon and topped it off with some ice. Turning around to face them, he smiled and then he raised his glass to them in mock salute.

"The winner takes all - cheers!"

Taking a large mouthful, he put the glass down on the side table and picked his gun up again, carefully training it on Jarod.

"So, where to begin?" said Lyle, his words becoming slightly slurred as he started to pace around the room, never losing sight of Jarod for an instant.

"Well, I guess the whole idea came to me when we got back from Carthis - with daddy Parker feeding the little fishes, and all that nonsense about the scrolls dead and buried, I knew it was time for me to take up the challenge. Old man Raines couldn't last much longer, the way his lungs were playing up. Most of the time, he was a dead man walking! God knows how he's lasted this long!"

Lyle paused for a moment as he thought about Raines and then he grinned at them, trying hard to focus on Parker's pale face, looking for her reaction and finding none.

"There was no way I would have let you, Parker, anywhere near the chairmanship of the Centre, despite your ambitions. You just don't have the killer instinct needed for this job! There have been too many times when you've let Wonder boy here, slip through your fingers - when he's outsmarted you."

"I got to wondering just how cosy you two were, and I can see I've missed something along the way, but I can't put my finger on it. I'm thinking that maybe you two got it together on that dammed Island - that's the only time it could have happened. It's pretty romantic, when you think about it, marooned together in that cottage during the storm!"

"Tell me something Parker, what was it like to be had by a genius? A trifle different to your usual bar pick-ups, wouldn't you say?"

Jarod felt all his muscles tightening and he clenched his hand that lay on the arm of the chair, knowing that Lyle was deliberately trying to goad him into taking a try at him. He felt Parker shift slightly next to him and he turned his head to look at her, relaxing a little as she gave him a small smile.

"I knew something had changed between you two - somehow, you'd managed to get closer together. When you came back, I noticed that you, Parker, had lost your edge - your enthusiasm to find Jarod had gone. Just by accident, I found out about the files! That changed everything - and you getting cosy with that half-wit brother of yours, Ethan. It should have been me - not him! By the way, I still want those files, Parker. You'd better tell me where you stashed them; otherwise, good old Jarod will be the first to go!"

Jarod turned to gaze at Parker with astonishment in his eyes and a small smile appeared around his mouth as he realised the implications of what Lyle had just said. His thoughts leapt ahead as he realised that Parker had already made her decision to leave the Centre and those files were her insurance policy.

He squeezed her waist again in a spontaneous reaction to the hope that he felt. Whichever way this evening ended, he would always have that thought in his heart. She'd made the decision of her own free will without any coercion from him!

Lyle walked over to the side table again and, nodding to Willy, he put his gun down and took another mouthful of the bourbon, the ice clinking against the glass as he downed the drink in one go.

"Where was I? ... ... oh yeah! The Triumverate were getting kind of heavy about all my ‘extra activities' but I managed to convince them that I had a foolproof plan. They think I'm returning Jarod to the Centre and then to Africa but hey ... ... what the eye doesn't see and all that ... ... let's call it a coup d'Etat at the Centre. We have to ensure that a Parker remains at the top, mustn't we Sis! Think of it as MY inheritance, if you like."

Parker looked up at him, eyes narrowed, and said nothing - she just stared at him blankly.

"So, this is all about taking the power of the chairmanship, am I right?" asked Jarod smoothly.

"Sure it is ... ... you see, Jarod, we don't need YOU any more. You've been gone for over five years and you've been corrupted by all those outside influences; we've moved on from the Pretender projects and we've got a lot of ...... shall we say ... ... more ‘interesting' projects in the pipeline".

"Having said that, as the new Chairman of the Centre, I can't afford to have YOU running around with all the Centre secrets - to put it bluntly, you would always be cramping my style! As for you, Sis, I'd always be looking over my shoulder, watching my back, so you have to go too!"

Lyle sighed in what he regarded as genuine regret at the difficult decisions he'd had to make.

He moved over to stand in front of Parker and he stroked her head with his gloved hand, cupping the back of her head upwards so that she was forced to look up at him.

"It's a great pity; we could have been good together. Now, we'll never know! Tell me Jarod," he said, not taking his eyes from Parkers' ... ... "Is she as good in bed as I think she is? I bet she's really something!"

Jarod felt the blood drain from his face and the bile rising into his throat as he half rose from the chair only to be roughly pushed back by Lyle.

"For God's sake, Lyle, how far down the food chain, are you?" he hissed at him, anger threatening to boil over.

Sydney moved uncomfortably in his chair, shifting his position to try and distract Lyle's attention from Jarod. Lyle looked across at Sydney and laughed.

"Oh my God, Syd ... ... you're always so boringly old fashioned and so moral ... ... you can't really bring yourself to believe that a brother would lust after his sister, can you!"

Sydney shook his head and stared at Lyle in disbelief.

"Don't worry Syd, it's been going on all through the centuries!"

"I think I'm going to vomit!" said Parker, looking at him in horror.

"So Lyle, why kidnap Parker? I'm assuming it was purely to flush me out?" asked Jarod quietly.

"Of course," replied "I knew you couldn't ignore Parker being in danger and as predicted, you came to her rescue like the knight in shining armour and all that crap! I have to admit, you were on the scene much more quickly than I'd anticipated. I thought it would take you at least one day longer to get here and I hadn't banked on you finding poor old Rosa like that. That wasn't on the agenda but, unfortunately, she proved to be very difficult. A pity, but there you go!"

Jarod and Sydney turned their heads at Parker's sudden intake of breath and her gasp of horror at the mention of Rosa. She struggled with Jarod to let her go - to find the strength to get off the sofa to face up to Lyle. Jarod pulled her gently back and she fell back against the sofa and closed her eyes in agony, the tears spilling down her face. Jarod pulled her close and felt her shaking body against his side.

"No, please don't tell me he's killed Rosa! Please don't ... ... no, please don't say the words. Oh God, you bastard, Lyle," she whimpered, turning her face into Jarod's shoulder.

Jarod moved his arm upwards and his hand cupped the back of her head into his shoulder. He could feel her body shuddering with heart-rending sobs. He tried to murmur some words of comfort to her but the words stuck in his throat.

‘Oh my God, I could have broken this news to her gently, not like this' he thought, closing his eyes and shaking his head with sadness.

"Oh Sis! ... ... I forgot how close you were to Rosa - how many years has she been with you, now? Mind you, she never liked me! Still, housekeepers can always be replaced! I've always got mine off the Internet," he said smiling broadly at his own joke.

"My God, you're a cruel bastard, Lyle!" said Jarod softly.

"Oh I learned about cruelty from the master -there's nothing you can teach me about that!" he replied cynically.

Sydney closed his eyes and he wished with all his heart he could go to Parker and simply put his arms around her and hold her tightly. His eyes glittered with unshed tears at her pain. She had lost so much during her time at the Centre; people taken from her that she'd cared about so much. He felt a shudder going through him when he thought how much more she was hurting now.

Opening them again, he looked at Jarod helplessly.

"What did you do with her body, Lyle?" asked Jarod simply.

"You know we always clean up afterwards ... ... I'm sure she's in the morgue somewhere ... ... what does it matter, anyway? Parker's not going to be around to attend the funeral!"

"Would it be too much to ask to give the lady a decent funeral, Lyle?" asked Jarod hopefully.

Lyle's face suddenly looked irritable, as if he had enough of all the talk and he'd stopped enjoying the game. He was becoming bored with it all and he really needed another drink.

He turned to Jarod and ignored the question, asking in turn:

"Tell me one thing Jarod, why send Sydney in here ... ... you knew that you were putting him in danger!"

Jarod looked across at Sydney before turning to look at Lyle:

"I don't think you would understand the concepts of love and loyalty. I didn't have to ‘send' Sydney anywhere ... ... his over-riding concern was for Parker and he wanted to help her in any way he could. He simply acted as my diversion and ... ... to keep you off balance."

"Well, I admit I was surprised to see him coming here out of the blue like that ... ... didn't know you had it in you, Syd!"

Sydney looked at him squarely knowing that Lyle was very close to the edge of total breakdown. If he had been asked at that moment for a professional opinion he would have said that Lyle was displaying all the long-accepted behaviours of schizophrenia; he knew his opinion was the last thing he would be asked to give this evening!

"Well, that's enough ... ... I think we've finished with all our confessions, don't you? Before we go any further ... ... I WANT THOSE FILES, PARKER!"

Parker raised her head from Jarod's shoulder, wiping her tear stained eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. She blinked and then she stared hard at Lyle, knowing that her anger would be the only way she could cope with him now.

"I don't give a monkey's cuss what you want, you son of a bitch, I'm not telling you where they are!" she shouted at him.

* * * * *

The two black town cars glided slowly to a stop outside of Raines' house and six sweepers got out and silently closed the doors and gathered around the man in the dark suit. They stood huddled together in the beam of the main lights of the lead car and the man whispered last-minute, hasty instructions to them. Once the discussion was finished, they followed him silently up the driveway. They kept close to the bushes, treading carefully on the grassy areas, avoiding the crunch of the gravel, their guns drawn ready. They moved silently behind each other towards the front of the house, keeping to the shadows, trying to avoid the blazing lights from the sitting room patio doors.

The man approached the entry door and silently pushed it open and he passed through into the hall like a ghost, accompanied by three of his team. Here, they stopped and listened.

Ethan watched the procession from his perch in the fir tree, gently pushing aside the branches to get a better view, happy that the moon had decided to break cover and give him some light. His heart started to race and he felt flutters of panic rising within him at this strange new development. Ethan was glad he'd taken the decision to get himself off the ground - at least he could see what was happening in the sitting room from up here.

His hands gripped the branch and he leaned his head against it as he tried to filter out the chattering of the voices in his head - he would follow Jarod's instructions to stay put, no matter what, but he had not expected this. Suddenly, he felt very frightened and he didn't know what to do.

* * * * *

"Aw Sis, you're not being very fair ... ... ... where you're going, you won't need those files, so, I'll ask you one more time, WHERE ARE THEY?"

Parker closed her eyes and she held her hand under the elbow to support it. She tried desperately to concentrate on what was happening in the room but things had started to get a little blurry and she knew that she was close to passing out. ‘It's so dammed hot in here,' she thought. Pain, so much pain. My arm's on fire. She looked at Lyle and he started to fade in and out and she knew that if she didn't get a glass of water soon, she'd be out of it altogether.

She could see the concern on Jarod's face as he turned to her and the way his eyes softened when their eyes met.

"Water, Jarod," she murmured to him.

Jarod turned back to Lyle and said:

"Come on, Lyle, do one decent thing this evening and get Parker a glass of water; you can see the pain she's in, thanks to Willy boy!"

Lyle stood looking at Parker thoughtfully and then turned to Sydney, waving his gun in her direction.

"Sydney, be a good fellow and get my sister dearest a glass of water; over there on the side table. It might loosen her tongue! No tricks now, otherwise she will be the first one to feel a bullet."

Sydney eased his frame out of the chair, glad to be able to stretch his legs again, suddenly conscious of how tense his muscles had become. He walked slowly over to the side table and poured some iced water into a large glass and walked back over to Jarod. Handing it to him, he smiled a silent message of encouragement to them both and then he walked back to his chair. Jarod lifted the glass up to Parker's lips and let her slowly drink.

Picking up his coat again, he felt the reassuring weight of Jarod's gun hidden in the lining - a deep inside pocket that the sweeper's cursory check had failed to spot. He pushed his right hand into the coat and found the pocket, his fingers moving over the barrel, finding the handle.

‘Oh God, please don't let me have to fire this,' he prayed, pulling the coat further up his lap, easing the gun from the pocket so that it rested just under the sleeve. He fitted his forefinger around the trigger gently, testing the weight of the gun carefully in his hand.

Sydney looked across at Jarod and then down at his coat and Jarod acknowledged the look with a slight nod of his head.

Parker drank the glass of water slowly and then Jarod put the glass down on the small side table. She closed her eyes. Her mouth was still dry. Her tongue felt thick inside. She tried to speak but nothing came out. Lyle's voice floated around her, disembodied. She tried to open her eyes but the effort was too much. She leant against Jarod's shoulder and gave in to the feeling of ...nothing.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, you were about to tell me where you stashed those Centre files, weren't you, Sis. You see, I have an inventory of the files you've taken and, to be honest sweetheart, they will be extremely damaging to me, as Chairman of the Centre, if they fall into the wrong hands."

Lyle stepped in front of Jarod, suddenly pushing the barrel of the gun into his face, with his finger on the trigger. Slowly, he pushed the barrel into his cheek so that his head was forced backwards against the headrest.

"So, Parker, can you hear me Parker ... for the last time ... WHERE ARE THE FILES?"

Sydney took a deep breath and moved his hand, ready to fire when ...

Suddenly ...

The door coming from the hall opened sharply, and a man dressed in a black overcoat, accompanied by three black-suited sweepers, guns drawn, burst into the room with a confusion of noise, stamping feet and loud shouting.

Lyle turned around abruptly, and within a split second, there was the sound of a gun shot, the acrid smell of burning powder and then Lyle fell to the floor, his body falling close to Parker's feet, sending the small table flying and the empty glass crashing down into a thousand pieces. Lyle's gun flew out of his hand and across the room. He suddenly grasped his shoulder in a squeal of pain. He fell to the floor moaning, calling desperately for Willy to help him; his shirt and jacket rapidly turning crimson with blood.

Willy turned and with his arm outstretched, he took aim. There was the sound of a second gun shot, and suddenly Willy's gun was flying across the room. He bent down trying to stem the blood pouring from his hand. In seconds, he was spread-eagled on the floor by two sweepers who handcuffed him in one smooth, practised action.

The man in the black overcoat stood still with his back against the door. He spoke quietly to the senior sweeper who walked over to where Lyle lay groaning on the floor. In seconds, Lyle was handcuffed securely, despite the bad shoulder wound.

The whole operation had taken less than thirty seconds.

"Good evening Mr Cox, it's about time you arrived!" said Jarod.

Ethan heard the two shots, almost losing his footing, hands scraping against the branches, he scrambled down, his heart pounding out of his chest. Landing on his feet with a rush of breath, he took long strides to the terrace and bent down on one knee to peer through the glass doors at the scene within.

Ethan shivered in the cold and he could see his breath on the air. He gently rubbed the window clear of the rain drops and what was the beginning of the formation of ice.

He could see the man in the black overcoat - he didn't know who he was - and the three sweepers. There seemed to be people milling around and then, suddenly, he felt two arms lifting him clear of the ground. He was pushed roughly into the doorway and into the light and warmth of the hallway.

* * * * *

Jarod pulled himself up from his position lying across Parker, where he had flung himself at the start of the shooting. Running his hand through his hair he looked first at Parker and then at Sydney.

Parker's eyes were still closed. He eased her into an upright position and gently pushed her hair away, searching her face.

Glancing over at Sydney, he saw that he was now sitting up and still clutching the gun in his hand although his coat had fallen away from his lap. Sydney pushed his hand through his hair and rubbed his face, confused and bewildered, looking around him at all the new people milling around the room.

Mr Cox spoke quietly and called the sweepers together in a group by the doorway and gave them instructions. Their guns were put away and they moved across and set about the task of pulling Lyle to his feet and into a chair opposite Parker, groaning with the effort of lifting a dead weight.

Lyle's face had turned a waxy color and he moaned softly to himself, eyes closed. The sweepers propped him back against the cushions and his head fell forward.

"Jarod, I wonder if you would take a look at Lyle's shoulder for me. I'd like to make sure he doesn't die on us before we get him back to the Centre?" asked Mr Cox, quietly.

Jarod eased himself off the sofa and stretched his shoulders, flexing the stiffened muscles. He turned to Lyle and bent down and grasped Lyle's chin, raising his eyelids. Satisfied, he eased his tie off and then unbuttoned his shirt, moving it away from his shoulders.

"Can someone get me a clean towel?" Jarod asked. "It looks as if the bullet is still in the collar bone and there is some muscle damage but he'll make it."

Lyle's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Jarod with a blank stare.

Someone handed him a small towel and Jarod folded it into a pad and he placed it across Lyle's shoulder carefully. Pulling his jacket back on, he told Lyle, "that should control the bleeding for a bit".

Lyle nodded but said nothing.

Jarod then walked over to Willie, who was now propped against the wall. Easing him forward, Jarod looked at his handcuffed hands and said, "it's just a flesh wound; unfortunately, he'll live".

Jarod moved across to Sydney and bent down to him. Picking up his coat, he gently eased the gun from Sydney's stiffened fingers and slipped it into the pocket.

"Are you OK, Syd?" he asked gently, noting his pale face and dull eyes.

"I think so, Jarod, although I'm not sure what happened ... is happening!"

"I'll get you a small brandy, that should help; the explanations can wait," replied Jarod, standing up again and moving across to the side table. He quickly poured a small measure of Cognac into a glass and brought it over. He placed the glass carefully in Sydney's shaking hand.

"Come on, Syd, take a small mouthful and you'll be fine!" he told him gently.

Sydney raised the glass to his mouth and he took a small sip and then nodded at Jarod.

"See to Parker, Jarod, make sure she's alright," he whispered. "I'm very worried about her condition".

"Don't worry, Syd, I'm taking care of her. We'll be out of here in a few minutes and we'll head straight for the Accident and Emergency Unit".

Jarod moved back to the sofa and bent down to look at Parker. Gently, he eased her legs up so that she was lying fully along the length of the cushions, her head propped against the arm. He felt her forehead and knew that her temperature was raised and that there was a possibility of infection. Added to that, he was worried about her dehydration.

Jarod stood up again and turned to face Mr Cox who had walked across to look down at Parker, his eyes taking in her flushed face and damp hair.

"Will she be alright?" he asked quietly.

"I think so but I have to get her to the hospital fairly quickly"

Mr Cox nodded.

Jarod stood up with a final glance at Parker.

"You took your time getting here, Mr Cox," he said quietly. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to be in time. You had me a little worried, for a minute!"

Mr Cox gave a small smile. He walked over to the side table and poured himself a small measure of whiskey. Raising his glass, he took a small sip and then turned and spoke to Jarod.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that - my flight was slightly delayed and then when I arrived at the Centre, everything seemed to be upside down because Mr Raines had finally decided to leave us. As you can imagine - or not - the place was in uproar!"

The senior sweeper walked across the room and whispered something to Mr Cox and then he nodded.

"I think you are missing one of your ‘operatives'? My team have him outside - they weren't too sure who he was!"

Jarod smiled and said "that would be Ethan, and yes, he's with us."

"Ah yes, I think I remember the young man".

Sydney stood up on shaky legs and moved across to where Parker lay on the sofa. Kneeling down gently, he whispered to her and gently stroked her hair. She briefly opened her eyes and murmured something to him and then closed them again.

"Mr Cox, do you think one of your team could find me a thick quilt or blanket to wrap Parker in? It's freezing outside and I need to get her to the hospital now," asked Jarod.

Mr Cox quickly despatched one of the sweepers upstairs.

"Tell me, what will happen to those two?" he said, indicating a comatose Lyle and a very subdued Willy.

"Well, we will get them patched up and then ship them off to Africa - they won't be coming back," he said blandly.

"I'm afraid the Triumverate have finally lost patience with Lyle. He has brought the Centre a lot of unwelcome attention in the past couple of years with his ‘external affairs' and, quite frankly, they do not want to see another Parker in the Chair. They have had enough".

Mr Cox paused, and then added:

"Incidentally, I'm quite certain that Lyle intended to kill both Parker and Sydney. He'd had both offices cleared out and closed up".

Jarod just nodded, not trusting himself to reply.

"I need to get going with Parker now, but I would like to call you in a day or so about making some arrangements regarding Rosa and maybe one or two other things that we need to iron out between us?"

Mr Cox nodded his agreement.

At that moment, the sweeper returned and handed Jarod a large cream colored blanket which he tucked under his arm.

"You'd better move now - I think Parker needs you!" he added with a smile.

Jarod turned and he handed the blanket to Sydney.

"Get her wrapped up, Syd, I've just got one more little thing to do and then I'll carry her out to the car".

Jarod moved across and nudged Lyle's leg with his foot. Lyle's eyes snapped open instantly and his eyes narrowed when he saw Jarod kneel down beside his chair. Jarod took a minute or so to whisper something into Lyle's ear that nobody else could hear. Lyle paled a little and then turned his head away. Jarod stood up smiling and then he walked back to the sofa, still grinning.

"What was that all about?" asked Sydney.

"Oh, I'll tell you later, Syd," he replied, in an innocent tone of voice.

Jarod bent down and put his arms under Parker's shoulders and knees and lifted her effortlessly up. Sydney pulled the blanket around her so that only the top of her head was visible. Pulling on his own overcoat, he walked behind Jarod on legs that were still unsteady.

Ethan stood up from the bottom stair that he had been sitting on and he gave a gasp as he saw Jarod carrying Parker. He rushed forward and pulled the blanket away from her face, touching her cheek with his fingers.

"It's OK Ethan; she's going to be fine!" said Jarod, trying to calm him.

"Are you sure, Jarod?"

"Just get the car started for me - get the heater going and drive us to the Memorial Hospital, just outside Dover. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm on it,"

Ethan opened the entry door and he made a beeline for the SUV, jumping in the drivers' side and starting the engine straight away. The cold air hit him and he shivered as the car engine took time to warm up.

Suddenly, the rear door opened and Jarod lowered Parker to the seat, still firmly wrapped in the blanket, and buckled up her seat belt, lifting her injured arm carefully over the belt. Sydney jumped in beside Ethan and Jarod turned to give a final acknowledgement to Mr Cox before jumping in beside Parker.

Jarod hesitated for a moment and then he opened the car door again, calling to Mr Cox.

"You will need to search the garden; there are two sweepers somewhere - Lyles' men. I wouldn't want them to freeze to death in this cold!"

Mr Cox put his hand up, smiling, and then turned to despatch two of his team to search for the missing men.

"Let's go Ethan!" cried Jarod, pulling Parker into the safety of his arms.

Ethan drove out of the driveway slowly and turned onto the lane, head lamps blazing in the freezing cold night.

"Thank God, it's all over," breathed Sydney, turning to glance at Ethan.

"Are you alright, Ethan, you must be frozen stiff!"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sydney, just freezing cold and worried about Parker. I still can't believe we got out of there in one piece! I think my big brother has some explaining to do - in the not-too-distant-future!" he added, grinning at Jarod in the rear view mirror.

"I'll second that, Ethan!" said Sydney, turning around in his seat to look at Jarod and Parker together.

Parker's head was tucked firmly under Jarod's chin and she was wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy against the cold. Ethan couldn't help wondering how Parker would react when she found out how she had been carried out of the house. He smiled at the thought.

* * * * *

Dr Roberts hung up the X-rays and switched on the light behind the screen. They showed the compound fracture of Parker's forearm clearly. Jarod and Sydney studied them in detail and Sydney couldn't help the sharp intake of breath when he saw the splinters of bone very close to the surface.

"So, that's the position, Dr Green, Jarod. I'm waiting for Dr Khan to arrive - he should be here anytime now. As you know, he is our Chief of Orthopaedics and we're lucky to have him here. He's one of the best in the business. This is going to be a tricky job and it will require three or four pins near the wrist. I'm afraid the lady is going to need a lot of care after this, apart from several months of physiotherapy. She's not going to have a lot of movement in that arm, once it's healed. However, if she does as she's told then, I am hopeful of a full recovery."

Jarod turned to Sydney and they both grinned at each other in silent understanding. ‘Parker, do as she's told?' thought Jarod ... ... ‘Never in a million years!'

Sydney turned to Dr Roberts and asked:

"What have you got her on now?"

"We've got her on an IV - I'm concerned that she's showing signs of dehydration - and we've given her a shot of morphine for the pain. The nurses are getting her ready for Dr Kahn and the anaesthetist will be with her within the next few minutes".

Dr Roberts paused, looking at his notes, and then he looked from one to another, his face showing puzzlement.

"Tell me, what the hell happened to her?"

"It's a long story Doctor, to put it simply, she was the victim of a kidnapping," replied Jarod softly.

"That explains the dehydration," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Look, if you want to slip in and see her, do it now, otherwise she's going to be out of it for the next six to eight hours. She's in 408."

"Thanks, Dr Roberts," said Sydney and Jarod in unison.

They walked along the corridor and found room 408 and Jarod knocked gently before putting his head around the door.

"Are you decent, Parker?" he asked.

A nurse came bustling towards him, clipboard in hand, wearing a very determined look on her face. She scrutinized Jarod and Sydney closely and then she said:

"Two minutes, only. Ms Parker is very poorly".

Closing the door behind her, Jarod walked around the bed and pulled up a chair close to the bed.

Parker was lying on her back, her damaged right arm in temporary splints, the arm resting on a surgical cushion. The left arm was hooked up to the IV. Her face had been scrubbed clean of make-up and Jarod could see the top of the surgical gown. Her eyes were closed, her face ghostly pale, almost as pale as the white sheets, her hair softly fanning out behind her across the pillow.

He picked up her hand, noticing immediately that her silver ring was missing from her finger. He turned her hand over and gently kissed the palm, letting his lips trail across to her fingers.

"Are you awake, Parker?" he whispered softly.

"I wasn't, but I am now!" she muttered cynically in a low, throaty voice.

"How are you feeling?"

"I think I've been run over by a train!"

"Sydney's here with me and Ethan is down the hallway. Has Dr Roberts filled you in on what they're going to do?"

"Yeah, not that I took it in ...... things are a bit hazy right now."

"They've given you a shot of morphine for the pain."

"Yeah, it feels as if I'm in la la land!"

Jarod smiled and then he turned to look at Sydney, standing at the end of the bed, his arms folded; a smile on his face.

"Hi Parker! You're going to be just fine once they've fixed your arm" said Sydney, trying to put forward his best, hearty, bed-side manner.

"Sure, Syd, I believe you."

Jarod smiled at Parker and squeezed her hand again.

"Do you remember what happened, Parker?"

"No, I was kind of out of it back there. Is Lyle ... ... I heard shooting and that's the last thing I remember."

"Lyle's still alive ... ... he has a shoulder wound ... ... Mr Cox has taken him back to the Centre - I'm afraid you won't be seeing him again, Parker. He's being shipped off to Africa, once they've patched him up, together with Willie."

"Why would I want to see that son of a bitch again, Jarod?"

"Yeah, well, he's still your brother, Parker," said Jarod very quietly.

Parker didn't reply. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, turning her head away from Jarod. Jarod leaned forward and he could see tear drops glistening on the edges of her eyelashes. Very gently, he wiped them away with his finger.

He trailed his fingers down the side of her face, over the bruises that were now turning a purplish yellow color and he let his fingers come to rest on her mouth. Gently, he traced his forefinger across her top lip and then the bottom lip. Suddenly, he leaned closer still and took her head in both hands, gently holding her face. He moved his head closer and placed his lips lightly on hers and kissed her gently, his heart quickening as he felt her instant reaction, her mouth moving slightly under his in surprise.

Sitting back in his chair, picking up her hand again, he said laughingly:

"Sorry Parker, THAT was unfinished business!"

"THAT was taking advantage!" she quipped, opening her eyes again, giving him a furious look.

Suddenly, the door opened and the same nurse came bustling in telling them that their two minutes were up and to please leave now. She stood over Jarod, waiting for him to get up out of the chair.

Picking up his coat, Jarod stood up and smiled at Parker, a lazy smile that reached his eyes, turning them a warm chocolate brown. Brown eyes clashed with stormy grey eyes and then Parker gave him a small, half smile.

"Get going, Wonder Boy ... ... keep him out of trouble, Syd" she said and then she turned her head on the pillow and closed her eyes.

* * * * *

The three of them stood in the hallway of the hospital and Jarod brought Ethan up to date on Parker's treatment. Sydney tried to suppress the yawn that kept threatening to overtake him and then he looked at his watch, seeing that it was now past 7.00 am on Sunday morning. He couldn't remember when he'd last eaten or slept and his body was beginning to feel the effects.

"Let's find breakfast first, then some explanations, then sleep - in that order!" said Jarod, pushing open the door and heading towards the SUV.

"I'm with you, brother," replied Ethan, the thought of eggs and bacon making his stomach rumble with hunger.

* * * * *

"I think that's possibly the best breakfast I've ever had," said Sydney, throwing his napkin on the table and draining his coffee cup.

Leaning back in his chair, Sydney looked at the other two opposite him, sitting side by side, and he thought how much alike they were, not just facially but in mannerisms, too. There was something about the eyes, the same depth, and the same warmth emanating from both men.

"Parker IS going to be OK, isn't she?" asked Ethan quietly, looking down and playing with the edges of his napkin, his face creased with worry.

"Yes, Ethan. She's going to be just fine. She's a strong woman and once she gets past this surgery, she'll be as good as new," said Sydney, trying to reassure Ethan.

"So, where to start?" said Jarod, leaning back in his chair.

"At the beginning!" said Sydney and Ethan in chorus.

Jarod put his hands up and laughed at them.

"OK, OK!"

Jarod paused, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Please don't ask me how I knew that there was something wrong - that Parker was missing. I can't begin to explain it. I just knew. It was the reason I came back when I did - that and some other things I've already talked to Sydney about."

Jarod and Sydney both looked at each other and they smiled a silent message of understanding.

"I've been monitoring E-mail correspondence for some time between the Centre and the Triumverate - generally keeping tabs on stuff. I knew that the Triumverate were becoming more than a little annoyed with Lyle and all his activities; he's been questioned by the authorities on several occasions concerning missing Asian women and it is only a matter of time before they catch up with him."

"When we received that video of Parker, a lot of things started to fall into place concerning Lyle. I knew that if we were to stand any chance of pulling this rescue off, we were going to need additional help. Yes, I could have shot Lyle dead in an instant, as could you, Syd, if you really had to ... ... but neither of us really wanted to live with that on our consciences, bearing in mind our relationship with Parker. I couldn't face her, knowing that I'd killed her twin, however much she says she hates him. He is her twin."

"From the correspondence I'd been monitoring, I knew that Mr Cox was planning to return to the USA this week - the Triumverate were aware the Mr Raines was terminally ill and that it was just a matter of days. I just suggested, amongst other things, that it might be a good idea if he came earlier. Once I knew that it could only be Mr Raines forest house where Parker was being held, I messaged CJ and he relayed the information. The rest you know!"

"I don't understand how Mr Cox could arrive when he did! I mean, how did he know WHEN to make his grand entrance?" asked Sydney. "A few seconds later and it might have been a different story!"

Sydney replayed that terrible moment in his mind, with gun in hand; finger on the trigger, when he'd seriously contemplated shooting Lyle - because there had been no alternative. He knew in his heart that he would not have allowed Lyle to shoot either Jarod or Parker and that knowledge, somehow, had changed him. He felt stronger for having faced that dilemma and not been found wanting.

Jarod looked thoughtful as he signalled to the waitress to refill their coffee cups. The waitress came across and refilled their cups and Jarod slowly heaped sugar into the liquid. Stirring his coffee, he looked at them both and said:

"When Ethan and I disappeared and left you in the car, Syd, do you remember a large car passing you by?"

"Yes, I do, now you mention it" he replied.

"Well, that car was Mr Cox and some of his team - the others were parked further down the lane. Timing was everything. I had to have enough time to actually find Parker. After all, I didn't know what condition she was going to be in - I knew she was hurt from Ethan's experience in the motel, but not how badly. The plan was to get Parker out the same way I'd gone in and then Mr Cox and I would go back in and get Sydney. Unfortunately, my timing was a little bit off and Lyle caught us just as we were leaving the room Parker was being held in. In some ways, it worked out well because Mr Cox was able to overhear some of Lyle's conversation but he cut it very finely ... ... too finely for me!"

"I take it that you and Mr Cox have now come to some sort of agreement?" asked Sydney.

"You could say that, Syd," replied Jarod blandly.

* * * * *

They arrived back at the Comfort Inn motel and Ethan yawned loudly and said to the others:

"That's it, I've had it! I need my bed. Wake me when I'm needed, Jarod!" and with that, he disappeared into the first bedroom.  Flinging himself on the bed, not bothering to undress, he was sound asleep within twenty seconds.

Jarod and Sydney looked at each other and they laughed out aloud, more from the relief of feeling safe, and the knowledge that Parker was in the best place, for the moment, than anything else.

"What it is to be young," said Sydney, glancing in the direction that Ethan had taken.

Jarod paused, standing in the small kitchen, looking at Sydney intently.

"Syd, do you want some tea before you sleep?" asked Jarod quietly.

Sydney looked closely at Jarod, studying his face, and he understood immediately the subtle change in his mood. It was obvious to Sydney that Jarod wanted to talk further and Sydney was not about to let him down now, despite the wave of tiredness that threatened to engulf him.

"If you're willing to make it, yes!" he replied, turning around and sitting down heavily on the sofa, leaning back against the headrest with a deep sigh.

Jarod quickly made the tea and he brought the tray over to the small table, sitting down opposite Sydney in the armchair. Carefully, he handed Sydney the cup and saucer. Stirring in the sugar, Jarod looked up at Sydney and said:

"I need to tell you something else, Sydney. Something, I hope you will be happy about but I don't know what effect it will have on Parker ... ... I really need your help on this!"

"Come on Jarod, if you hope this news will make me happy then I'm sure Parker will feel the same ... ... until you tell me, I can't judge!" he replied, trying not to sound like a parent talking to a small child.

Jarod hesitated, trying to form the words in his mind.

"I found them, Sydney ... ... I've found all my family!" he said simply.

First, there was a second of stunned silence ... ...

Sydney sat up quickly, almost spilling his tea over his clothes. He quickly put the cup and saucer down and grabbed Jarod's arm across the table in a vice-like grip, all thoughts of weariness gone from his mind and body.

"Oh my God, Jarod! How wonderful! I am so pleased for you! When?... ... how? Where? Oh my God, I have so many questions! Just tell me how this happened!" exclaimed Sydney, beaming with heart-felt pleasure at the news.

Jarod explained in detail how he had tracked his mother to the small clinic on the outskirts of Glasgow and how he had brought her back to the USA. He explained their reunion and how much it had meant to him to have his family altogether.

Sydney watched Jarod's face come alive as he spoke lovingly of his family and how they had come together, secure in their love for each other. How they had agreed not to spend the rest of their lives in bitterness over the lost years but just enjoy what they had now.

"I don't understand, Jarod? Why would this affect Parker? I'm sure she will be as pleased as I am to know that you have your family again," said Sydney, feeling anxious at Jarod's train of thought.

"I don't know why you would need my advice ... ... you seemed to be managing fine on your own, from what I observed in the hospital!"

"Oh Syd, that was just spontaneous on my part - some unfinished business between Parker and me."

"Well, the lady wasn't objecting too strongly!"

"No, it's not that ... ... Oh, I don't know how to say it!... ... what I mean is that I think it's going to scare Parker off, knowing that I have a ready-made family waiting for me, given her experiences with her own family ... ... what I'm saying is, I don't want to have to choose between Parker and my family."

Jarod's face clouded over and the radiant happiness he had felt earlier when talking about his mother, in particular, faded into a solemn mask of sadness.

Sydney picked his tea up again and he finished drinking it, taking time to think about Jarod's comments. Putting the cup and saucer down on the table, he sat forward on the sofa.

"Jarod, I think you're running ahead, here. Why don't you just take it one step at a time ... ... after all, she doesn't know how you feel yet, does she?"

"No, that's true; she might tell me to go to hell!"

"I don't think that's likely, Jarod. Not from what I've observed. No, you must give her time. She will need a great deal of time and space. She's just survived a kidnapping and been half murdered by her twin ... ... she's lost Rosa whom she depended upon a great deal. She's recently lost the man whom she regarded all her life as her father. Her life is about to change dramatically, although she doesn't realise it yet."

Sydney paused, looking intently at Jarod, searching his face to see if he understood what he was saying.

"I know I have said this before, Jarod, but you have both spent years fighting and hating each other - you've been arch enemies. You've both hurt each other a great deal. That takes a lot of time and patience to undo. On the positive side, you know that there is something between you that is undeniable. That's something you can build on. Parker will know that she has to change her whole life - she won't be able to continue in the same way, with the same values that she has lived by at the Centre. For her, there is no Centre any more."

Sydney paused again, watching Jarod's reaction.

"I know I was less than enthusiastic when you first told me of your plans but even I can see that you have something special between you."

"I guess you're right, Syd. It's just that I love her so much and it's hard to step back and not want everything all at once!"

Jarod smiled at Sydney and then shook his head and he started to laugh out aloud.

"Oh, Syd, this is such a strange conversation ... ...I feel as though I'm sixteen years old ... ... not a man of over forty who should know the ropes by now!"

"Well, Jarod, unfortunately, you missed out on a lot of learning where women are concerned, believe me!" said Sydney, in a regretful tone.

"Yeah, I guess I did ... ... but then, Parker is no ‘ordinary' woman!" added Jarod wistfully.

"Get some sleep, Jarod. Things will be a lot clearer in your mind after a few hours sleep!"

"Yeah, you're right, as usual, Syd. I'll take the sofa; just throw me a spare pillow from the second bedroom. I'll get a few hours of sleep and then I want to get back to the hospital in time for when Parker wakes up".

Jarod collected the spare pillow and quilt from the bedroom and made him self comfortable on the sofa. He lay back with his hands behind his head, stretched out fully, thinking about the events of the past night. He tried to understand how a twin brother could torture a twin sister the way he had, and yet still feel sexually attracted to her to the point of obsession.

Jarod turned his thoughts to Parker and relived that moment when he had boldly kissed her. Somehow, it had seemed the right thing to do. He still felt the way her lips had responded to his and he smiled, remembering her quick response to his words of "unfinished business". At least, she hadn't told him to go to hell!

Jarod yawned loudly and then he turned his head into the pillow and slept.

* * * * *

Jarod hastily scribbled a note for Sydney and Ethan and left it propped against the coffee machine. Picking up his coat and leather gloves, he opened the door and closed it quietly after him and walked to the main exit. Shrugging on his coat, he stepped outside and felt an icy blast of cold wind whipping around his face as he made a quick dash to the SUV.

He felt completely energised by the four hours of solid sleep he'd managed and the hot shower had invigorated him, so much so, that he felt flutters of excitement at the prospect of seeing Parker again. ‘Or maybe it's nerves!' he thought.

Switching on the ignition, he drove out slowly, searching for the florist shop, tucked away down a side street that he'd noticed on the way back from the hospital.

‘I know its Sunday, but please be open!' he wished silently to himself.

Good luck smiled on him and he emerged with a dozen red roses beautifully wrapped in silver coloured cellophane, complete with a huge red bow.

Jarod arrived at the hospital and looked up at the gathering clouds overhead, a sure sign of more snow to come. Pulling up his collar, he took long strides to the entrance and then to the bank of elevators, his hand gripping hard on the bouquet of roses. He felt completely oblivious to the other visitors and hospital staff as they smiled at him. Irrationally, he felt so anxious to get to the fourth floor and to room 408 - he couldn't wait a second longer!

Knocking gently, he pushed the door open and called softly to her.

"Parker, it's me Jarod, are you awake?"

"Yeah, just about!" she replied softly, opening her eyes to look at him.

Jarod closed the door and walked across to the bed, placing the flowers on the over-bed table. He took off his coat and put it on the back of the chair and then turned to look at her.

He took in the plaster wrap on her right arm with just her fingers showing at the edge. It looked heavy and cumbersome, and he wondered how on earth she was going to manage simple things like getting showered and dressed. Parker would die at the frustration of not being able to do these things without help.

The thought of Parker in the shower ... ...getting dressed ... ...'Oh my God, stop thinking' he told himself!

He bent over the bed and gently kissed her forehead, his face cold against her warm skin. Sitting down again, he looked at her closely, taking in the ever-present bruises and the paleness of her skin. Her eyes were dull and heavy, evidence of the remaining drugs still in her system from the anaesthesia. Her left arm was still hooked up to the IV and he took hold of her hand, careful not to disturb the line.

"How are you feeling, now?"

"Still like I've been hit by a train!"

"You'll feel better tomorrow"

"Says who?" she asked cynically, turning her head slightly so that she could see him more clearly.

"Did Dr Khan explain everything to you regarding the procedure ... ...I haven't seen anyone yet, I just came straight in?"

"Yeah, apparently it went well and I now have three pins in my wrist keeping everything together and I'm supposed to keep this crap thing on my arm for at least six weeks!" she said, looking at her right arm, trying to move it.

"How the hell am I supposed to manage with this damned thing stuck on me?" she cried in frustration, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Hey, come on Parker, enough of that!" replied Jarod sternly, "We'll work something out, don't worry. You won't have to manage on your own."

"Yeah, well, I'm allowed to feel sorry for myself!" she muttered stubbornly.

"I guess you're entitled" he added sympathetically.

"Where's Syd and Ethan; are they OK?" she asked.

"They are both OK, Parker; and sound asleep when I left them. We're staying at The Comfort Inn motel in Dover, but I guess Sydney will try and get back to Blue Cove later on this evening, after he's been in to see you. Ethan will be leaving soon - he has a job to do for me. When he leaves, I'll probably stay with Sydney"

Parker's face creased in frustration as she tried to shift her position; agitation making her cross. Jarod stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hold on a minute, I'll raise the backrest up and then you'll be more comfortable ... ... my God Parker, you're going to have to learn some patience!" he said laughing at her.

"That's not in my dictionary!" she snapped.

Jarod pressed the remote control and the backrest moved up so that Parker was propped in a half sitting position.

Sitting down again, Jarod took hold of her hand and squeezed it.

"Better?" he asked her, his eyes full of laughter.

"Yes ... ... mm thanks and um ... ... thanks for the flowers!" she added quietly.

"My pleasure!" he quipped.

Suddenly, Parker's face fell into sadness and she tried hard not to let tears fill her eyes.

"Is it true about Rosa? Did Lyle kill her," she asked tentatively.

Jarod gripped her hand tightly and he looked down at the bed covers, afraid of hurting her more.

"I'm sorry Parker, I wish I could say it wasn't true, but it is. She was shot either by Lyle or by Willie; it's not clear who actually pulled the trigger ... ... I'm arranging with Mr Cox for a proper burial and we won't have it until you are well enough. I thought perhaps you would like her next to your Mama ... ... would that be OK?"

Parker nodded and then she leaned back against the pillows, tears escaping from the corners of her eyes as she sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to miss her so much, Jarod. I can't remember how many years she was with me ... ... she didn't deserve this ... ... the house will never be the same without her!"

"I know, Parker. You're right, she didn't deserve this. All I can say is that I'm so sorry."

Parker sighed and then she opened her eyes and looked directly at Jarod.

"The big question I have is about the Centre - I take it with Mr Cox in charge now ... ... I'm free?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Parker, you are free to do whatever you want. I'm going to meet with Mr Cox tomorrow and I want to iron a few things out with him - I will be talking to him about some sort of compensation package for you and Sydney ... ... after all, you are now both unemployed. That's unless you want to do it yourself?"

"No, you do it for me Jarod. I don't want to speak to those bastards!" she replied vehemently, then added: "Make sure you screw him down and I want to keep MY car! Make sure you tell him that!"

"I will, I will!" he said, smiling again as the old Parker resurfaced.

Parker sighed again, and then she looked at Jarod's face. She saw the worry lines on his forehead and noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the tight lines around his mouth. Suddenly, she felt herself relax and then, squeezing his hand, she said:

"Jarod, I never said ‘thank you' for coming for me ... ... I'll never understand how you knew that I was missing nor will I ever know how you worked out where to find me, but ... ... I'm glad you did, thank you!"

"All part of the service, Parker!"

"Yeah, as Lyle said ... ... the knight in shining armour!" she said trying not to smile.

They were silent for a minute or so, each lost in their own thoughts. Parker looked up and said quietly in an even tone:

"Raines really IS dead, isn't he?"

"Yes Parker, he really IS dead!"

"Thank God! The old goat has come back from the dead so many times, I wanted to be sure!" she breathed with relief.

Jarod suddenly released her hand and he reached into his coat pocket for pen and paper.

"Parker, can you give me a list of what you want from home? You haven't anything here except hospital issue and I'm sure you'd like your own things? If you tell me what you want, I'll note it down and do my best, OK?"

"Thanks ... ...take Sydney with you ... ... I don't want you ogling through my underwear drawer... ... your imagination is already working overtime!"

"As if I would!" he replied, giving her a cheeky grin, the thought of searching through Parker's underwear drawer making his eyes shine and his heart race with steamy thoughts!

"OK, this is what I'll need for a couple of days".

She rattled off a page and a half of bits and pieces with Jarod scribbling and trying to keep up with her. ‘How can a woman need so much for just a couple of days?' he thought to himself.

"Have you got all that, Jarod?"

"Yeah ... ... I reckon about three large suitcases will do it!"

"You'll manage, Wonder Boy!"

Jarod put the list in his pocket and then he looked back at Parker. Catching her eye, he looked down nervously and picked up her hand again and studied her fingers resting in his palm. Long seconds of silence passed between them and then Jarod looked up. He wondered how much he dared say and he acknowledged that he was terrified of frightening her. She was such a strange mixture of fierce independence and vulnerability.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you Parker ... ... after that last phone call, when we got back from Carthis ... ... I wanted to ... ... I just didn't know what to say".

"I know, Jarod. It wasn't the right time for either of us. I think there's a lot we need to say to each other but not now. Let's leave it, OK?" Parker asked quietly.

He nodded gravely and then the door opened and the nurse came bustling in and she almost clucked when she saw Jarod sitting holding Parker's hand.

Jarod stood up and reached for his coat on the back of the chair. He bent down and kissed Parker's cheek chastely.

"I'll be back in later with these things, Parker. If you think of anything else, just call me. Try and get some rest."

With that, he turned and left.

* * * * *

Parker leaned back against the pillows and thought about Jarod. She smiled to herself when she thought about THAT kiss - she had responded to him, without really thinking, as if it had been the most natural thing in the world. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel his mouth on hers. Even in her hazy state, she had felt his warmth and his love in that kiss. She wished that they'd been on their own, without Sydney standing there, watching them.

‘He caught me by surprise, that's all there was to it!' she argued.

‘So, why does my heart turn somersaults every time I see him?' she asked herself.

So much had changed between them. Yet, hadn't she always known in her heart how much she cared for him? Hadn't she always known it since they were children, playing in the darkened halls of the Centre? So, what was different now?

Parker took a deep breath and tried to turn her thoughts away from him, to the events since Friday afternoon - ‘what the hell day was it now?' she thought. Sunday afternoon or was it evening? ‘Hell, I don't know!'

She couldn't remember what had happened after arriving home Friday afternoon. She couldn't remember seeing Lyle or Willie waiting for her ... ... they must have been there, somewhere.

‘It'll come back,' she thought.

Parker looked at the plaster wrap on her damaged arm and she tried to lift it off the bed, but couldn't. The pain had subsided considerably thanks to the medication she had been given but the damned thing was so heavy!

‘God, I must look a mess, face scrubbed of make-up, bruises all over. I must look as if I've had an argument with a train!'

Suddenly, her thoughts turned to Lyle. She felt a shudder pass through her as she visualised his manic face just before Mr Cox had arrived. She remembered that clearly. And the files! She'd forgotten about them. She wondered if Mr Cox would demand them back. Did she want to return them, now that she was free? They had been her insurance policy. Was Mr Cox in charge now? Hell, she didn't care who was in charge any more! She would have to get them from the safety deposit box in Dover - Jarod would have to do that. Perhaps she'd talk to him about the files when he came back in with her clothes.

‘Oh God, what am I doing?' I'm already putting off making decisions for myself and passing it off to Jarod ... ... as if he would know what's best! I used to be able to make these decisions MYSELF!'

She turned her thoughts back to Lyle again. Would he really have killed her? She knew, in her heart, what the answer was - that he'd completely gone over the edge. If Jarod hadn't found her in time ... ... She knew that she would never see Lyle again - she could never face him - not without fearing for her life. All she felt now was contempt and physical revulsion.

‘So, I'm free ... ... no more searching for Jarod ... ... no more living on my nerves ... ... living in fear of failure ... ... I can live my life the way I want ... ... Hell, what am I supposed to do now?' she thought.

With thoughts racing around her mind, she closed her eyes and finally slept.

* * * * *

Jarod pushed open the door of the bar and he looked for the secluded booth at the back, well away from the late lunchtime crowds. The bar was warm and busy, a popular meeting place for people enjoying a few minutes break from the tedium of everyday work.

Jarod sat down opposite Mr Cox, not bothering to take his coat off, catching the eye of the busy waitress.

Finally, sitting with a small glass of beer in front of him, he looked at Mr Cox.

"I take it we are alone here?" said Jarod, looking around nervously, trying to spot any obvious sweeper teams.

"Yes, it's just you and me, Jarod," he replied with a smile reaching his bright blue eyes, reflecting against the bronze of his African suntan.

Jarod visibly relaxed and he took a gulp of his beer, wiping his mouth with the napkin.

"I'd like to start by saying thanks for your co-operation regarding Lyle and Willie. We both know that I could have killed Lyle but I didn't want that to stand between Parker and myself - Willie, no problem - but not, Lyle. At the moment, she is very bitter towards him but in twenty years time, she may feel differently. I couldn't take that chance."

Mr Cox smiled and acknowledged Jarod's thanks.

"No problem, Jarod ... ... as we speak, Lyle and Willie are on their way to Africa. Lyle seems not to have realised that he has been ... ... shall we say ‘deposed' from the chairmanship. I'm afraid he's over the edge. It's very sad but given his upbringing, well ... ...!" he said blandly, picking up his small glass of whiskey.

"Incidentally, how is Ms Parker?" he asked.

"She's had surgery - three pins inserted into her wrist - that bastard Willie, he made a real mess of the bone but they've put it back together and she'll be fine. Thanks for asking."

Mr Cox nodded and he set his glass down in front of him. Reaching into his inside pocket, he withdrew two cheques, one for Parker and one for Sydney.

"The Triumverate have authorised me to advance these sums to both Ms Parker and Dr Green in lieu of ... ... shall we say, of termination of employment ... ...as you will see, both are for considerable sums of money which I think will more than compensate both parties for projected loss of income!

Jarod took the cheques and he raised his eyebrows at the amounts. He folded both and he put them in his jacket pocket.

"As far as you are concerned, Jarod, as Lyle said, the Pretender project is dead and buried ... ... there is no amount of money I can give you that will mean more to you than your freedom," he said in a serious tone and then added with a hint of humour ... ... "Besides which, whatever money you want or need, you'll probably transfer it from the Centre account to your's, without asking, so it makes no difference! Let's say, I will be turning a blind eye, within reason!"

Jarod smiled at the description of himself and he nodded acceptance.

"Parker says she wants to keep her car, is that OK?"

"Yes, no problem. Admin will take care of the paperwork".

Jarod paused and he looked down into the beer and the small amount of foam left on the surface. Idly, he traced his finger in it and then he looked up at Mr Cox and said:

"Two small requests ... ...one is that you release Angelo into the care of Sydney and secondly, you terminate the employment of Mr Broots, with compensation, of course. You must remember him, the tech guy who was part of Miss Parker's team?"

Mr Cox nodded and said to Jarod:

"Consider it done. In return, I have a small request for you ... ... I would like the files that Ms Parker ... ... shall we say ... ... ‘borrowed' from the Centre to be returned. I know you don't have them, Jarod, but perhaps you could persuade Ms Parker?"

"No problem, I guess she won't need the leverage any more, will she!"

"No"

Mr Cox took another small mouthful of his whiskey, grimacing slightly as it burnt his throat. Setting the glass down carefully, he started to explain to Jarod.

"The Centre is about to undergo a radical change - now that the Parker family is no more and Mr Raines is dead, the Triumverate are anxious to ... ... shall we say ... ... find more respectable avenues of income. I'm not saying it's going to happen overnight but there is a ‘sweep clean' attitude and I'm hopeful that with the new Ethics Committee, some of the more dubious projects will never be allowed to materialise again."

Mr Cox stared directly at Jarod and with a slight smile in his voice, he asked:

"What will you do, Jarod, now that the Centre won't be chasing you across the country? Do your plans include Ms Parker?"

"It's not up to me, Mr Cox, but I hope so! As for the plans, it's early days! I take it that the Triumverate have appointed you as the Chairman?"

"Yes, but for the interim period only. The next Chairman will be appointed through the normal democratic process."

Jarod stood up and held out his hand to Mr Cox. With finality, they shook hands across the table, Jarod nodded to him, and then he headed out of the bar, to the car park, without a backward glance.

* * * * *

Eight days later, on a bitterly cold afternoon, Parker stood alongside Jarod and Sydney as Rosa was laid to rest next to her Mama's grave. She clutched a simple spray of spring flowers in her hand. She whispered a silent prayer for Rosa and then she stepped forward, and awkwardly with her left hand, she placed the flowers on the coffin. Her right arm was firmly secured in a sling outside her long wool coat. Although the purplish-yellow bruises on her face had faded to nothing, she was still pale and tired.

As the short service drew to a close, Parker tried hard to suppress the wave of sadness that threatened to engulf her and Jarod put his arm around her waist and squeezed gently to steady her.

"I can't believe I'll never see her again," she whispered sadly to him, shivering with cold, pulling her collar closer to her face.

"I know, Parker, I know how much she meant to you," he whispered back to her.

Standing in the circle of his arms, she turned into him and wept for Rosa.

* * * * *

"Come on, Parker, don't be so stubborn! You need to rest! I can see how tired you are. For God's sake, woman, you've only been out of hospital for three days!" exclaimed Jarod in frustration.

Jarod took the tea tray off the counter in the kitchen and walked through and he placed it carefully on the side table in the sitting room.

Walking back to the kitchen, he swept Parker up into his arms, ignoring the squeal of protest and the string of curses, and he carried her to the sofa and placed her gently down, slipping her shoes off her feet. He swung her legs up and then pulled the woollen wrap from the back of the sofa across her.

"Now sit still!" commanded Jarod forcefully.

"I'm not an invalid, Jarod!" she snapped at him, suddenly thankful to feel the softness of the headrest and the warmth of the wrap across her legs.

"I know you're not Parker, but I can recognise exhaustion when I see it. It's going to take a few weeks for you to feel right again - and that means you have to rest!"

He sat back on his heels and looked at her pale, tired face. Her eyes were still shadowed and dull from the pain-killing medication. He'd noticed how thin and fragile she'd felt in his arms.

Standing up, he went over to the side table and poured some tea for her, taking it across and placing it carefully in her left hand. She balanced the saucer in her lap and then picked up the cup and drank the tea.

"Are you managing OK with Luisa here?" he asked her quietly.

"Yes, she's not Rosa but she is very nice, and, despite what I said in the hospital, I couldn't have managed on my own. I'm grateful to you for finding her," she reluctantly admitted.

Jarod smiled at Parker, wondering how much it had cost her to make that admission.

He sat at the end of the sofa drinking his tea in thoughtful silence and then he turned to her. Hesitantly, he said:

"Parker, I know you've only been out of hospital for three days but I need to talk to you about something ... ... something important to me. Is this a good time or would you prefer to nap for a while?"

"It sounds serious, Jarod" she said quietly, finishing her tea and handing him the empty cup and saucer. She leaned back and looked at him.

"More?" he asked, indicating the tea. She shook her head.

"So, tell me what this ‘something important' is?" she asked quietly.

Jarod looked down at his tea and then he placed it on the side table, his hand shaking slightly. He felt his heart beating faster than normal, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Well, I want to tell you, that just over three months ago, I found my family, Parker. My Mom and Dad and Emily, too. They are all safe and altogether. I asked Ethan not to tell you - I'm sorry about that - but I wanted to tell you myself. It's one of the reasons I came back when I did".

"Oh Jarod, I'm so happy for you!" she said with genuine warmth and surprise in her voice. "How did you track your mother - the last time we saw her, she was leaving Carthis on that God awful boat and she was injured!"

Slowly, he told her about returning to Glasgow and finding her in the clinic and bringing her back to America and shortly afterwards, reuniting with his Dad and Emily. He told her of the happiness they'd all felt at being together and how they were all looking forward to the future, once they'd made some decisions.

Jarod watched Parker intently. She looked down at her lap and played with the fringe of the wrap, idly twisting the wool between her fingers, backwards and forwards. He couldn't see her expression - the curtain of hair fell against her cheek.

"Did you tell them the reason why you came back to Blue Cove?" she asked softly, not looking at Jarod.

"No, just some unfinished business ... ... but I think my Dad has an idea judging from the hints he was dropping before I left," he said with a smile in his voice.

"So, you must be really anxious to get back to them, Jarod?" she asked quietly.

"Not really; as I said, I had some unfinished business and they are being very patient with me!"

Suddenly, Jarod stood up and walked over to the fireplace and rested his outstretched arms against the chimney breast, his back to Parker. He leaned forward and breathed slowly watching the flames in the fire. He felt the heat on his face as he watched the logs burning in the fire basket. He straightened up as if he had come to a decision and he walked back across the room to kneel in front of Parker.

"Parker, I know we agreed in the hospital to wait to talk about things but I have to tell you now ... ... I came back for you ... ... to try and persuade you to leave the Centre and come with me."

Taking her hand in his, he studied the silver ring, now back in place on her finger, and then he looked at her and he said softly:

"I love you, Parker. I've always loved you ... ... you must know that. I know there is a lot of pain and hurt between us ... ... but I'm hoping that what we have - it's enough to start again with ... ... enough to take a chance on! Tell me you'll come with me, please!" he pleaded, his eyes searching her face for a hint of a reaction.

He lifted her fingers to his mouth and softly kissed them.

Parker sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes. She couldn't speak. Her heart raced and her mouth was dry. She was so aware of him, kneeling in front of her, she suddenly felt suffocated by him, feeling panic rising in her with his words. Words that she'd longed to hear him say, yet now dreaded.

‘Oh God, Jarod, don't say this to me, it's too soon ... ... I'm not ready for this ... ... I can't do this!' she pleaded silently to herself.

Slowly she opened her eyes and leaned forward, gripping his hand tightly in hers.

"I think I've always known; since we were small children ... ... but that was such a long time ago! So much has happened to push us apart. We're different people now, Jarod. You have your family, who need you. Besides, my home is here in Blue Cove."

Parker paused for a moment, and then she added cynically:

"When I'm ready, I'll look for something that interests me. Now that you've made me financially independent, thanks to Mr Cox, I can afford to be choosy ... ... I'll be fine, once this arm has healed".

Jarod started to say something and she put her fingers to his mouth to stop him.

"No Jarod, please don't ... ... please don't try to persuade me. I know what I'm saying and no amount of thinking about things will change it.
Yes, I care for you very much, but you have other commitments ... ... people who are depending upon you, and I have to build a new life here."

She pulled her hand back from his mouth and put it under her damaged arm and supported her elbow. She hunched her shoulders forward and she looked downwards; her hair falling forward to hide her face and the misery that was in her eyes.

Gently, he lifted her chin with his hand and he searched her face with his eyes, looking for the truth.

"I don't understand, Parker! I know you care for me, love me. I felt it thirty years ago and we both know what nearly happened between us on Carthis! I felt it in the hospital when I kissed you ... ... are you saying I was wrong?" he asked miserably, dropping his hand.

"Yes ... ... No! ... ... I don't know!" she shouted at him, leaning back and looking up, eyes swimming in tears. Wiping her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve, she said:

"Look, Jarod, all I know is that when people start to care for me, they die! I can't take on the responsibility of knowing that if we are together, something will happen to you and I'll be alone again. I can't live through losing someone else so I'd rather stay as I am. I'm sorry Jarod, but I won't change my mind! I can't do this again."

Jarod took her hand back again in his and brought it up to his mouth, kissing her fingers, his eyes pleading with her.

"Don't do this, Parker; don't do this to us. We could have such a great life together, please don't do it!" he pleaded softly.

"It's no good, Jarod," she whispered.

He let go of her hand, his eyes still searching hers. Reaching forward he grasped her shoulders and he leaned in and kissed her mouth. He had only meant to kiss her lightly but suddenly he deepened the kiss tasting the softness of her mouth. When he released her, he leaned his head against her forehead and whispered "I'm sorry, Parker".

"Please don't make this any more difficult than it is, Jarod" she said softly.

"This is final then ... ... you're not even going to think about what I've said? You're just going to throw away the chance of happiness - a chance to have a family and live like normal people do?" he asked.

"Yes ... No ... Jarod, I don't need to think ... ... I've ... I've made my decision."

"I see.

Jarod was silent. He stood up and walked over to the fireplace again. He picked up the poker and idly poked the logs watching the sparks rising and falling in the grate. He picked up a large pine log from the basket and he threw it to the back of the fire, watching it catch alight.

He tried to make sense of it, but he couldn't. All he could think was that his dreams had smashed to pieces in the space of a couple of minutes. How could he bear to think of a life without Parker in it?

Turning around, he looked at her sadly, trying to find the right words to shroud his feelings, not sure he could put the words together.

"I'm sorry Parker; I guess I was taking too much for granted ... ... there are no happy endings in life! ... ... I should have learned that by now! Sydney was right to warn me I was expecting too much," he said, trying to keep the bitterness of disappointment from his voice.

She looked at him in astonishment.

"You told Sydney?" she asked in bewilderment.

"I tried to explain to him the reasons why I came back - apart from knowing that something was wrong - I told him that I wanted one last shot at trying to get you to leave the Centre and come with me. As it turns out, I got half my wish!" he said ruefully. "He was angry with me for ... ... well, it doesn't matter any more."

"I see," she added lamely.

The silence lengthened between them. Jarod turned back to the fire and poked the logs again sending showers of sparks rising up through the chimney. He put the poker down again and turned around.

"Well, I'd better get going ... ... what time will Luisa be back?"

"In another hour or so, around 6.00, she said."

"Do you need anything before I go?"

"No, I'm fine, Jarod. You get going; Syd will wonder where you've got to."

"Right, well, I'll see you before I go back to Colorado - I'm not sure when I'm leaving yet." He added thoughtfully.

He picked up his coat and shrugged it on and with one more glance at her, utter desolation in his eyes, he headed out the door.

* * * * *

Parker heard the door close softly and his footsteps along the path. She heard the car door slam shut and the engine rev and finally heard him pull away.

She hadn't realised that she'd been holding her breath and suddenly, she let it go with a rush and a loud sob. She put her good arm up across her eyes and let go of the flood of tears that had threatened to flow the moment he had closed the door.

Her head reasoned that she had done the right thing for him ... ... she destroyed everyone who came near her ... ... people she'd cared about always died or went away ... ... she was bad news for everyone. She'd done the right thing. She'd listened to her head, had been sensible, and not listened to her heart - that way would only lead to more loss, more pain.

‘Oh Jarod, you will always be my love,' she whispered out aloud.

She wondered what he'd say to his parents. Jarod had said that Major Charles had half-guessed his feelings for her. There was a big part of her that felt so happy for Jarod. A family was all that he'd dreamed of, all his life ... ... her too, for that matter. Why, then, had the thought of Jarod's family scared her so much?

Why, too, did she feel as though her heart had shattered into a thousand pieces?

* * * * *

"Jarod, is that you?" shouted Sydney, as he heard the sound of the SUV driving in and then, seconds later, the kitchen door close.

"I'm in here ... ... and we have a visitor!" he added, eyes twinkling at the little man sat opposite him, in the armchair, drawn up close to the fire.

Jarod flung his coat on the chair, brushed a hand across his eyes and took a deep breath; he straightened his shoulders, and then put a smile on his face as he came into the sitting room and nodded to Sydney.

He turned around ... ... he could hardly believe his eyes ... ... sitting in front of the fire was ... ... Angelo!

Jarod came forward and Angelo leapt out of the chair and straight into Jarod's arms for a huge hug. Jarod hugged the little man to him closely and then he stepped back to look at him.

Angelo looked exactly the same as when he'd last seen him, apart from a little more grey hair and clothes that looked old and bedraggled.

"I can't believe it" ... ...he said turning to Sydney ... ..."When, how did he get here so soon?"

Angelo smiled at both of them and then he turned to speak to Jarod.

"Hello, friend!"

"Oh Angelo, it's so good to see you!" cried Jarod, hugging the little man to him again. "I can't believe you're here!"

Sydney still couldn't believe the way that Angelo had simply knocked on his door and there he had stood, arms wrapped around himself in the freezing cold weather.

"Time to leave!" said Angelo quietly.

"What do you mean, Angelo, time to leave? Are you saying we're in danger?" asked Jarod quickly.

"No ... ...altogether now ... ...family!"

Jarod sat in the chair opposite, looking down at his clenched hands. He chewed on his lip nervously and then he looked up, first at Sydney and then at Angelo. Taking a deep breath, he launched into his speech - so much depended on saying it right!

"Yes, we are family - and I have a suggestion to make. It's time for all of us to leave this God awful place and find somewhere else to live ... ...do you remember that I talked about making plans, Syd? ... ... how does California sound? ... ... let me show you what I have in mind!"

Jarod reached into his pocket and he brought out a crumpled, colored picture cut from a magazine that was so dog-eared and creased that it was obvious that it had been poured over many times. He smoothed it out and he passed it to Sydney first.

"Syd, it's in the Nappa Valley - a vineyard to be precise; two large farmhouses, side by side, with a central courtyard joining them. There's around 500 acres of land with a vineyard - it's not been worked for around five years, so there would be a lot of restoration work to be done. New vines to search out. I don't know anything about wine but I do know that the climate is wonderful, the air is soft and there's a hell of a lot of blue sky, sunshine, trees and open spaces. A place to live and grow; away from the horrors of what we've all experienced."

Jarod watched Sydney's face for his initial reaction but Sydney's face remained impassive.

"It is possible for us all to be together - to live as one family. Angelo will need special help to adjust to the outside world, and what better place could he have? I'm sure you could set up in practice in California, if that's what you want to do. Maybe we could work on a new serum for Angelo ... ... I don't know ... ... my head is so full of ideas! Please ... ... say you will at least think about it?"

Sydney studied the picture carefully and then he passed it across to Angelo. The little man took the picture, and lifted it close to his face, holding it against his cheek, breathing deeply, closing his eyes.

Slowly nodding his head, he muttered "family... ... all family"

Sydney watched his response carefully and then he took the picture back again.

"What about your family, Jarod? Will your Mother and Major Charles be willing to share their lives with us - surely, they would want you exclusively to themselves? I could understand that, after all they have been through ... ... all the years apart from you!"

Jarod smiled at Sydney and then he got to his feet and he came across to Sydney's chair and knelt down in front of him, so that they were on the same level. Gripping his arm tightly, he said:

"Syd, they don't hold you responsible for the work of the Centre; they see you just as much a victim, as I was. You already know what Dad thinks ... ...that you didn't do a half bad job in raising me! They are wise and generous enough to realise that you are as much my father as Major Charles is ... ... please, please, say you will come! I need you so much in my life and so does Angelo!"

Sydney put his head back and he laughed out aloud and then he clasped Jarod's shoulders in a hug and said:

"Good God man, I don't need to think about it! When do you want me to start packing!?"

Angelo leapt to his feet and he came across and joined in the hug, laughing and crying with the emotion of the moment.

"I'm so glad" ... ...breathed Jarod in relief ... ... "I sent Ethan out to look at the property three days ago, to talk to the agent and to assess what sort of renovations needed to be done ... ...and to take lots of photographs! Hopefully, he will be E-mailing us some tonight. I gave him very specific instructions and he should be getting back soon, although I guess he will stop off in Colorado before coming back to Blue Cove".

Sydney sat down again in his chair and he looked up at Jarod with a worried frown on his face.

"What about Parker?" he asked quietly.

* * * * *

Sydney stood up and faced Jarod, his face showing his emotions as he tried to keep his anger under control.

"I don't believe it! You mean to tell me that, after all your years of training with me, you just accepted what she said? I thought I taught you better than that, Jarod!"

"It's no good, Sydney, she's made her decision. She doesn't want me in her life ... ... she made it very clear!"

Jarod sat slumped in the chair, his face set in a stubborn mask of pain and misery. He couldn't bring himself to look at Sydney, nor could he relive the heart-breaking conversation that he'd had with Parker a couple of hours ago.

"I really don't understand, Jarod ... ... are you sure you didn't miss something? Tell me again, what she said!"

"No, I'm sure - and I'm sure I don't want to go through it all again! I was a fool to think that she would even consider a life with me, after everything that has happened between us in the past five years. You were right the first time, Syd. I should have listened to you!"

Jarod stared moodily into the fire, trying hard to block out Parker's voice in his head. All he could think about were her words of rejection. How could he have been such a fool as to hope she would feel something for him? He should have known!

Suddenly, he stood up.

"I'm going to fix dinner; I'm sure our good friend Angelo is hungry!"

Angelo stared into the blazing fire and he seemed mesmerised by the flames and the way the sparks shot up the chimney. His face was alight with child-like wonder. At the mention of his name, he looked up and he smiled at Jarod.

"Angelo ... ...hungry!"

Sydney put a hand on Jarod's arm, forcing him to turn around and face him.

"You can't just leave it like this, Jarod! Look, I've watched you both over these last ten days and I've had to admit to myself that I was wrong - you and Parker have something special between you; something so rare that most people never, ever, find it in a whole lifetime. You cannot let her go, not without trying again".

"Look, Syd, I know you mean well, but ... ... let's just leave it for now, OK?"

Angelo stood up and came to stand next to Jarod. He put his head on Jarod's arm, his face set in a mask of sadness.

"Daughter ... ... afraid!" he said quietly.

Jarod put his arm around the little man and hugged him tightly, closing his eyes to mask his own unhappiness.

"I know, Angelo, but she's made her mind up and there's nothing I can do to change it. We all know what Parker's like, once she's made her mind up, that's it! ... ... Come on, let's have a look in Sydney's kitchen and see what we can find for dinner!"

Sydney watched the two of them disappear into his kitchen. He sighed and sat back down in the chair, a pall of depression hanging over him, as he thought about the sadness of the two people he most cared about in the whole world.

* * * * *

Ethan rubbed his eyes with tiredness. It had been a long four days. He had left Blue Cove for the West Coast to see the land agent and had then returned to Blue Cove, stopping off for twenty-fours in Colorado to see Margaret and Major Charles before returning. He was cold, tired and hungry.

For the past twelve hours, he had been consumed with sadness, the voices in his head heavy with despair. He couldn't make any sense of it - this weight of unhappiness that had suddenly descended upon him, like a grey blanket, blocking the sunlight.

Ethan pulled into Parker's driveway and he wearily got out of the car. He looked at his watch and he saw that it was past ten o'clock; time enough for Parker to be up and about. He was looking for a solid breakfast before going to find Jarod with the portfolio of information on the properties. ‘Maybe this was a bad idea,' he thought to himself, as he rang Parker's doorbell.

He waited and then rang the bell again. Suddenly, the door opened and Parker appeared before him, snapping her customary "What" at him.

Ethan blinked and then stared at her.

Parker was still in her white bathrobe and slippers, her hair ruffled and sticking out in all directions and her face - puffed and blotchy. Her right arm was secured in the sling and she held the lapels of her robe in her left hand, as if keeping it together. He'd never seen her looking such ... ... a mess!

"Ethan!" she exclaimed, her voice husky. "For God's sake, get in out of the cold! This draught is freezing my butt off!"

Stepping backwards, she ushered him in quickly and slammed the door.

She walked straight through to the kitchen ahead of him, then turned around and looked at him, standing in the doorway.

"Good morning to you, too!" said Ethan, smiling happily. "I know you're my sister but you look like you've been on a bender! Are you OK? How's the arm?"

Parker glared at him, eyes narrowed, and then she turned around and ran her hand through her hair, trying to straighten it out. Pulling her robe together at the top, she asked over her shoulder:

"Do you want coffee? ... ... there's some made"

"Sure thing ... ... and some breakfast, if it's possible! I'm starved!"

"I'm not sure what's here, Louisa is out grocery shopping".

She poured some coffee into a mug and she handed it to Ethan, saying:

"Help yourself to sugar - I know you like it heaped the same as ..."

She didn't finish, just stopped in mid-sentence, turning her back on him.

"The same as Jarod does," he finished for her, looking at her back.

"I can make toast for you, if you want?" she asked, ignoring what he'd said.

"Look, Parker, come and sit down and I'll make it. You look fit to drop".

"Don't fuss, Ethan, I'm fine, I just had a bad night, that's all!" she snapped.

Parker moved away from the counter and sat down at the kitchen table, running her hand through her hair again. She picked up her coffee mug and drained it. Ethan took it from her and refilled it, placing it in front of her without a word.

He set about making toast - starting with four slices - in the toaster.

Silence hung heavily between them as he searched in the ‘fridge for butter and jam, pulling out drawers looking for a knife and plates. Finally, he put a single slice of buttered toast in front of Parker, which she hastily pushed away. He sat down opposite her and munched away, his hunger taking precedence over talking.

Finishing his toast in record speed and with his coffee mug in front of him, he studied her sad face.

"OK Parker, enough of the gloom and doom - tell me what's happened!"

"Nothing, everything's fine. I just had a bad night," she snarled at him.

"Parker, it's me you're talking too, we're on the same wave-length remember? I know something's wrong ... ... so just tell me what it is!" he argued.

She sat staring moodily into the coffee mug, not saying anything.

Ethan sighed in frustration and then he reached across the table and picked up her hand, holding it gently.

"Jarod's asked you, hasn't he?" he said quietly.

She didn't answer him ... ... she just continued to stare at her coffee mug with a stubborn look on her face.

"Parker, will you look at me, for hell's sake!" he said irritably, letting go of her hand.

She looked up quickly and Ethan saw that her eyes had filled with tears and were rolling down her face in a steady stream. Using the heel of her palm to smooth them away, she said brokenly:

"Yes he has ... ... but I said no!"

"For God's sake Parker, why did you say that? He loves you more than anything else in the world ... ... and I know you love him ... ... what's the problem?"

"Nothing ... ... everything. I can't! Everyone I get close to either goes away or dies. I can't take the risk ... ... not again. I told you what happened to Tommy ... ... it would kill me if anything happened to Jarod!"

Parker sat still with her head bent down, her hair falling forward, tears dropping onto the table. She sniffed quietly and then she searched in her pocket for a handkerchief, past caring what Ethan thought of the state she was in.

Ethan sat still, trying to understand her reasoning. He leaned across the table again and picked up her hand.

"There's more to it than that, Parker, come on ... ...tell me!"

"No, I can't!" she whispered, wiping her eyes again.

"Yes, you can, Parker ......I'm your brother, remember!"

Parker looked up at Ethan and she said quietly:

"Well ... ... he's told me about finding his Mom and Dad and Emily ... ... and I'm so happy for him ... ...you should have told me! He's spent the last five years searching for them ... ... they need him! Hell, what are they going to think when they realise who I am ... ... they're hardly going to welcome me with open arms and ... ... I can't do that to him. I can't put myself between Jarod and his family. I can't force him to choose between them and me!"

She was crying openly now, not caring that Ethan could see how distressed she was. ‘Who was it that said, she'd never allow anyone to see her cry?' she asked herself blindly.

"Oh Parker," sighed Ethan ... ... "Parker, for an extremely intelligent woman, you are an idiot! Don't you realise that you have condemned Jarod - and yourself - to a lifetime of misery ... ... for what? You don't even know his parents or Emily!"

Ethan squeezed her hand tightly and then released it.

"I know you had a run in with Major Charles at Donoterase ... ... but he doesn't hold that against you! Anyway, they know about you ... ... I told them yesterday! Jay is so excited about seeing you again ... ... Margaret is curious ... ... she wants to know if you are really like Mama. Emily is ... ... well, she's a carbon copy of Jarod; she's the sweetest girl I've ever come across!"

"Parker, you are throwing away a whole lifetime of happiness ... ... for what? Because you're scared? Tell me I'm wrong!" he said softly.

"Damn you, yes, I'm scared," she cried, wiping her eyes.

Ethan got up and helped himself to more coffee, heaping the sugar in and stirring it carefully. Sitting down again, he said to her gently:

"You have to trust in yourself, Parker ...... and you have to trust Jarod, too."

Ethan paused and sipped his coffee, looking at Parker's face as she wiped her eyes again.

"I don't know how to," she whispered.

"Oh Parker, Parker!" he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief, his face frowning in sympathy at her distressed state.

"Did Jarod tell you about the Plan?"

"What Plan?"

"Here, let me show you. I've spent the last four days on the West Coast, talking to the agent and having building and land surveys done and generally poking about. I don't think Jarod will mind me showing you these now."

Pushing his coffee aside, he opened up his briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers and photographs. Searching through them, Ethan selected the best photographs and he passed them to her.

"What do you think, Parker?"

Parker took them and slowly looked at each one carefully.

"It looks beautiful ... ... stunning! The houses are beautiful and that courtyard is something else!" she said wistfully.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to tell you too much ... ... it's for Jarod to tell you".

Ethan gathered all the photographs and papers together and put them back in his briefcase. Looking at her, he said quietly:

"Tell me something, Parker, what are you instincts telling you? What is your heart saying to you?"

Parker got up from the table and walked over to the counter. Slowly, awkwardly, she refilled her coffee mug and then she walked back to the table again. Taking a sip, she sat back in the chair, cradling her elbow.

"I don't know, Ethan. I'm so confused! I know that I'm bad news ......No, don't deny it! People die around me, it's the truth! I think I was always meant to be alone!" she said sadly.

"Parker, now you're talking crap! People have died that you cared for ......that's true enough - but you were not responsible! They died by other people's hands - not yours! You were not responsible. As for being alone ......that's up to you ......you decide if you want to be alone or not!"

Ethan studied her across the table and he watched her as she looked down at the table, tracing patterns with her fingers on the tiles of the table top.

"Parker ......do you love him?" he asked.

Parker's head flew up and she shouted defensively:

"Of course, I do......more than anything in the world!"

"Right, here's what we're going to do. I think you'd better get yourself upstairs, run a tub and put on something nice ... ...I'll wait for you. Then I'm going to drive you over to Sydney's house ......I know Jarod is waiting for me to go through everything. I'll give him a call and I'll tell him I've been delayed. Can you manage without Louisa?"

"Ethan, you're rushing me ......I need time to think!" cried Parker, tears filling her eyes again.

"Hell, Parker ......what's to think about? Don't you want to live happy ever after?" he asked her.

* * * * *

Sydney folded his newspaper and he looked at Jarod across the breakfast table, the debris of breakfast now congealing and cold.

They had talked long into the night, making plans for the move to California, trying to decide how best to manage it. Ideas were tossed backwards and forwards and Angelo had glowed with happiness at the prospect of being with Jarod and Sydney.

Finally, Angelo, tired and exhausted, had slept on the floor, next to Jarod's bed, refusing the offer of Sydney's second guest room bed. He had wrapped himself in a thick quilt and he had slept soundly, ignoring Jarod's constant tossing and turning.

"What time did Ethan say he would be here?" asked Sydney, tentatively.

"Around noon. He mentioned something about being held up and that he would explain when he got here."

"Right, well, the first thing I'm going to do today is take Angelo to the shopping mall. It appears that he only has the clothes he stands up in and they are only good for the rubbish bin," said Sydney with a smile, as he carried his plate across to the dishwasher.

"What about you, Jarod? You're not going to sit here and brood, are you?" Sydney asked him in a firm tone.

"No, Syd, I'll be fine ......I'll clear up here and then I'll wait for Ethan. Do you think Angelo will be OK in the shopping mall? I don't think he's ever been in one before."

"Well, Tuesday is a fairly quiet day ......he should be OK. There's only one way to find out!" he said smiling at the prospect of Angelo's excitement.

"While I'm there ......I might just take a look for some clothes appropriate to California weather for myself!"

Wearing an old quilted jacket of Sydney's, at least three times too big, a woolly hat and gloves, Angelo was as excited as a child on Christmas morning. Together, they went out to the car and headed toward the shopping mall.

Jarod slumped back in the chair with a mug of coffee in front of him. His mind kept replaying the last conversation with Parker ... ...he thought he had timed it so well ......he went over the way he had pitched the facts regarding his family and he couldn't fault the presentation.

‘No ......just face it, there's too much pain between us ......too many lies ......five years is a long time ......and there were so many times I was unkind to her; down right cruel in fact ......she's every right to tell me to go to hell! Just face it; it's over before it's even begun!'

Suddenly, he made a decision. Whenever he felt depressed, he would work it off with a five mile run, despite the cold weather.

He quickly changed into sweatshirt and jogging pants and he donned his running shoes and locked the door behind him, feeling the icy blast from the wind hitting his face as he gently jogged towards the park, glad to be in the open space.

* * * * *

Parker looked stunning in a dove grey pant suit matched with a pale blue sweater that brought out the blue-grey color of her eyes. Her hair newly washed and styled by Louisa and her face was beautifully made-up courtesy of Louisa, too. Her Mama's tiny pearl earrings completed her outfit.

Parker had disguised her red eyes and nose beautifully and she seemed to have pulled herself together - at least she had stopped crying, thought Ethan as he stood admiring her.

He thought she looked beautiful in a fragile way and he was proud of her. It had been worth the two hour wait, and to compensate, Louisa had cooked him breakfast.

He helped her into the car, her arm still in the now familiar sling outside her charcoal grey coat. Setting the heater running, Ethan pulled away and then he looked across, reassuringly at Parker, as she sat holding her arm and biting her lip.

"Jarod doesn't bite, you know!" he teased, feeling her nervousness and anxiety.

"I know that," she snapped at him ......and then she smiled at Ethan.

"It's just that, I don't know what to say to him ......I don't know how to be with him ......I don't know anything, really ......except that I miss him so much".

Suddenly, she leaned across and gripped his arm, panic seizing every fibre of her being.

"Ethan, this is a bad idea ......will you turn around and take me back home, please? I can't do this... ...I can't face him again after yesterday! Take me back home, please, Ethan," she begged.

Taking his hand off the wheel momentarily, he gripped her hand and then released it gently.

"Too late, Parker, it would be a shame to waste all this effort ......you look gorgeous and ......don't worry, the words will come to you".

Parker continued to sit next to Ethan in silence. Occasionally, he could see her biting her lip and pulling at the threads of the plaster wrap on her arm.

All too soon, they had arrived at Sydney's house and Ethan pulled up into the drive and he switched off the engine. He leapt out and around to the passenger door and he helped Parker release her safety belt and out of the SUV into the cold wind. Hurrying to the entry door, he rang the bell and thumped on the door at the same time. Parker hung back behind him, wondering if she still had time to make an exit without being noticed, her stomach knotted with nerves at breaking point.

"Hey Jarod, it's me ......hurry up, I'm freezing my ass off out here!" Ethan yelled through the closed door.

Suddenly, the door was yanked open and Jarod stood there, freshly showered and dressed in his clean black sweater and jeans with a towel still around his neck as he tried to finish drying his hair.

"Hey, little brother, you're in a hell of a hurry ......Parker!" he exclaimed, overwhelmed by surprise to see Parker standing a little way behind Ethan.

Ethan turned around and grabbed Parker's hand and he pulled her inside the entry hall, as Jarod stepped back, holding the door open.

Jarod couldn't take his eyes from her. He felt his throat close up and he swallowed hard as he looked at her - still too surprised to say anything.

"I should go; this is not a good idea ......Ethan, take me back, please!" she whispered to him, still standing behind him.

"Jarod, I think Parker has something really important to talk to you about ......don't you Parker?" said Ethan, taking hold of her arm and pulling her in front of him.

Parker stared up at Jarod and she tried to say something but the words stuck in her throat. She looked down quickly at the floor and murmured to Jarod.

"Jarod, I think......um......I think we need to talk some more!"

Parker continued to stare down at the floor, hardly daring to breathe.

"Hey Jarod, where's Sydney and Angelo?" asked Ethan quickly, looking around him.

"They've gone to the mall to fit Angelo out with some new clothes - they left about an hour ago," replied Jarod, not taking his eyes off Parker for a second.

"Great, I'll go see if I can track them down - and maybe grab some lunch ......I'm starving again! See you guys later!"

With a wave of his hand, and a smile on his face, Ethan pulled the door closed and was gone.

* * * * *

They stood staring at each other, hardly daring to move in case the spell was broken.

All too soon, Jarod moved and opened the door to the sitting room and murmured to Parker to come in and get warmed by the fire. He helped her out of the heavy coat and hung it in the closet and then he ushered her to the end of the sofa nearest the fire.

Parker sat down on the edge, holding her injured arm, staring at the flames in the fire, wishing with all her heart that she could say something to break the fraught tension that hung between them.

"Do you want some tea, Parker? You look frozen!" said Jarod gently.

"Yes, thank you, that would be nice, Jarod," she replied simply, anything to give her time and space to get her thoughts together.

‘Oh God, I don't know what to say; what the hell am I doing here?' she whispered to herself.

Jarod went out into the kitchen and set about making tea, conscious that he needed to quickly comb his hair and put away the towel! As he poured the boiling water, he noticed that his hand wasn't quite steady and as he lifted the tray, the cups rattled slightly as he carried it.

Setting the tray down on the small table in front of Parker, he poured her a half cup and handed it to her carefully. Taking his own cup and saucer, he walked over to the fireplace and he leaned against the mantelpiece.

Parker sipped at the tea and then she put the cup down. Suddenly, she stood up, her nerves at breaking point.

"God dammit, I don't know what to say to you ......Ethan made me come ......this is a mistake ......I should go!" she told him quickly.

Jarod straightened up, placing his tea on the ledge, and then he turned to face her.

"For God's sake, sit down! Tell me why you're here, Parker?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know ......Ethan made me come here!"

"There isn't a person alive who could make you do something you didn't want to do, Parker!" he replied with a small smile. "So try again ......why did you come here? ......I thought we'd said everything there was to say, yesterday."

Parker sat down again on the edge of the sofa.

"You're not making this easy for me, are you?" she said ruefully.

"No, Parker, I'm not going to make it easy for you. If you have something to say, then spit it out."

Parker looked up at him, leaning back against the mantelpiece, arms folded in front of him. God, he looked so handsome just standing there in the firelight, she thought.

Parker took a deep breath and with her eyes lowered to the floor, she whispered:

"I made a mistake yesterday, Jarod. I want to be with you ......if the offer is still open? I can't live my life without you" ......Parker trailed off, not knowing what else to say, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Jarod closed his eyes and he took a deep breath, hardly daring to believe the words that he had just heard ......words he had dreamt about hearing from Parker. Was it really true?

"What about my family, Parker? You gave me the impression that was going to be a stumbling block for you," he said carefully.

"I know ......I guess the thought of them blaming me for being one of the reasons why you couldn't be together these last five years ......well, it scared the hell out of me. I didn't want you to have to choose between us ......but Ethan made me realise that it wouldn't be like that ......that they already know about me ......who I am," she whispered.

"Yes, they do know about you, Parker. They know everything about you!"

"I see. Does that ......does that make a difference to them? I mean, there will be times when ......you know ......God dammit ......will they hold it against me?" she snapped, finding her voice at last.

"No, Parker, they do not and they will never hold anything against you. They realise that you were manipulated by all those bastards around you at the Centre; that you had as many questions that needed answers as I did, that there was no escape for you. They were just happy that I had someone in my life who was going to make me happy ... ...at least they were," he said quietly to her.

Jarod turned and picked up the poker. Pushing at the half-burnt logs, he picked up another pine log and threw it to the back. Idly, he tried to rearrange the embers and the burning wood, hoping to give himself the time to organise his thoughts. Turning back to her, he asked carefully:

"What about us, Parker? Can we put the last five years behind us? There's a lifetime of pain, lies and deceit to forgive and forget?"

"I don't know, Jarod but I'm willing to take that chance, if you are!" she replied hesitantly.

He nodded briefly and then he looked at Parker, his face set.

"Come here," he commanded.

She got up slowly and took the few steps to stand in front of him, keeping eye contact with him. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he looked into her lovely eyes and he said softly:

"Do you love me, Parker? Do you love me enough to marry me?"

"Oh Jarod ... ... yes please!" she whispered to him. He drew her close to him and then he covered her mouth with his in a passionate kiss that left her in no doubt as to his feelings.

Pulling away breathlessly, he moved her away from the fireplace to sit next to him on the sofa. Putting his arm around her, he pulled her close and he said carefully:

"I know we've a lot of history, Parker. A lot of bad things have happened to both of us. We've been lied to and manipulated all our lives but I promise you now, that there's no going back. It's all behind us now. You and I will be together always, through good times and bad times. I'll always love you, you know that, don't you?" he whispered picking up her hand and kissing her fingers.

She sighed happily and then she pulled his head down to hers again.

* * * * *

Sydney sat back in his chair looking into the fire. Jarod had come to sit opposite him, having taken Parker back home to rest for a few hours prior to their dinner date that evening.

Jarod picked up a log and he threw it to the back, watching the flames devour it quickly.

"Do you know something, Syd ......our house in California better have a fireplace - I seem to do my best thinking looking into these flames!"

"Is everything really OK between you two," asked Sydney, looking anxiously at Jarod's face.

"Yeah Syd ......it seems I have my little brother to thank for saving my life ......he spent a couple of hours with Parker this morning ‘straightening her out' as he put it!" he replied, his face alight with happiness.

"Have you had a chance to talk to her about California ......is she happy about it?"

"She's mad about the idea ......it seems all that sunshine is the main attraction although she made it very clear that she wouldn't be going anywhere without you, Syd. I think she's hoping that you will agree to give her away at the wedding ... ...but I haven't said anything to you!"

Sydney sat back and he swallowed hard, trying not to let the tears of happiness well up in his eyes. As much as he tried, he couldn't take in the change in Parker - he could see glimpses of Catherine's personality, the way he remembered her from so many years ago, and the emotions of those precious memories threatened to overwhelm him.

God, he had so much to look forward to!

Turning to Jarod, he said quietly:

"If anyone had told me two weeks ago, how much my life was going to change ......I would never have believed them. You were right, Jarod - it is possible to live together as one family - I just didn't have your faith."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, each remembering the events of the past two weeks when suddenly, Sydney looked up and said to Jarod:

"What was it that you said to Lyle before we left Mr Raines' house ......you whispered something in his ear and you said that you would tell me later? I could see from his face that it affected him badly".

Jarod frowned, trying to remember and then suddenly, memory dawned on him and he sat forward, grinning at Sydney.

"I told him that if I ever set eyes on him again, that I would kill him but that the Centre would probably do it for me. I then went on to describe what Parker was like in bed ......what a tigress she was and how she was every man's dream conquest! I went into quite a lot of detail which I won't embarrass you with but I wanted to torment him with those thoughts ......in some small way to make up for the torment he put Parker through, plus ... ... I wanted a bit of revenge for myself. I'm hoping the sick bastard won't forget in a hurry!"

"Mmm ......remind me never to get on the wrong side of you, Jarod!" he said laughing.

They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts, both staring into the flames of the fire.

"Did Parker agree to return the files, Jarod?" asked Sydney, rousing himself from the warmth, trying not to imagine how good a nap would feel.

"Yes, she wanted to hold on to them ......just in case, but I persuaded her to return them. I believe that Mr Cox is being truthful when he says he's going to sweep clean the Centre. So far, he's not gone back on anything."

Sydney sat and thought about Jarod's words, his thoughts returning to Parker and the way she had been over the last three months.

"You know, Parker was never the same after Carthis ......I mean, I understand the reasons why she started to change ......you told me about her ancestors ......but it was as if she had started to really listen to her heart, as if she remembered more of what Catherine had taught her. I guess, without the influence of Mr Parker, she could hear Catherine's voice more clearly. She certainly lost the will to search for you! I'm sure that's what tipped Lyle over the edge - he knew that he'd lost her even though the thought of her taking the top job was unthinkable to him. ......Catherine would be proud of her today!"

"I hope so, Syd. We've all come a long way ......we've all changed to some degree, including you! Do you feel different, Syd?" asked Jarod, looking at Sydney with affection.

"Yes, I do feel different ......for one thing, I'm not in fear of my life ......but the most important change is that I feel free, in my heart to acknowledge to myself and others, the love I have for you and Parker - I'm not afraid of those feelings any more, Jarod.

"I'm glad, Sydney," said Jarod softly, looking at him earnestly.

"Since losing Jacob, I've not really had anyone to share these feelings - I used to spend time unloading a lot of grief on him - the fact that he couldn't answer back was probably the reason I talked to him in the first place! I felt he understood what I was saying, even so. I still miss him but I know he would be so happy with this outcome, Jarod. It's what he would have wanted for me, more than anything."

"I think so, too ... ... Welcome home, Sydney!" said Jarod with a gentle smile.

* * * * *