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Chapter or Story
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The Baby Series
A Rose By Any Other Name
Melanie-Anne
Charles' gaze faltered momentarily in the face of Miranda's cold stare.
"I owe you an apology," he said.
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
He held out a folded newspaper for her to take. She stared open-mouthed at the article.
"It's over," she whispered, then laughed softly. "And all this time they thought Jarod would be the one to end it."
"I should have trusted him," Charles said. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one who needs to hear that."
"Where is he?"
"In the living room."
"Well, shall we go share the good news?"
"You go ahead." Miranda handed the newspaper back. "I'll join you in a minute."
Instead of following Charles into the living room, Miranda went outside and sat on the porch swing, trying to absorb what she'd just read. One sentence in particular had imprinted itself on her brain.
Following the death of the chairman….
The death of the chairman.
Even after everything her father had done, despite his betrayal and the pain he had caused her, he was still her father and she had still loved him.
Did still love him, if she were truly honest with herself.
And now he was dead. A tiny part of her had hoped for a reconciliation later on, when everyone was less bitter. That would never happen now.
From inside, she could hear exclamations of surprise and joy. At least the running was over, that was one thing to be grateful for. She and her family could finally be free.
But it wasn't enough.
A tear escaped her closed lids and more followed. Miranda grieved for the father she had never truly known.
"How are you doing?"
Lyle sat next to his sister and put his arm around her shoulders. He was surprised when she leaned into him.
"He's dead."
"Yeah, I thought that might be why you're sitting out here."
"He was still my father-" Miranda felt that she had to justify her tears over the man who had destroyed her life.
Dozens of responses came to Lyle's mind, none of them favorable to the deceased. He didn't want to upset Miranda further and settled on an "I know."
"Shouldn't you be inside celebrating with the rest of them?"
"Nah, I'm not big on celebrations."
She gave him a grateful smile. "What about James?"
"Maybe you should lay off the sugar, Sis. I think it's affected your brain. Who's James?"
"You could be. Now's as good a time as any to pick a new name."
"Why James?"
"Why not? You kind of look like a James."
"Do I? I don't know. I'll have to think about it."
"Don't think too hard. You'll pull a muscle."
They both laughed.
"So are you ready to face the masses?" Lyle asked.
"Yeah, I think so."
"-never would have guessed. An insider working for the FBI. I wonder who- Andi! There you are!" Jarod paused midway in his sentence when Lyle and Miranda re-entered the living room. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just needed some air."
"You sure?"
She nodded.
"Come here." He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her midriff.
"Who do you think the mole was?" Ethan asked.
"Willie?" Lyle suggested.
"Never, he was too much Raines' lap dog," Miranda said.
"What about Sam?" JJ asked. "He seemed like a good guy."
"Maybe. But I doubt it."
"Cox?"
"That freak? No, he'd have been too busy stuffing dead things."
"Maybe it was some lowly security guard," Emily suggested. "Someone you wouldn't pay too much attention to."
"There's poetic justice in there somewhere," Miranda agreed.
"You look tired, love," Jarod whispered in her ear.
"I am. It's been an…eventful day."
"I've ignored you today." His voice was filled with regret.
"You had good reason to. You finally found what you've spent your entire life looking for."
"And you lost the one thing you spent your life wanting."
She shook her head. "I lost him a long time ago, Jarod. And you're wrong, he's not the one thing I've wanted."
Charles, watching this intimate scene between his son and his fiancée, wondered how he could have ever doubted them. They were so obviously in love, only a fool would be unable to see it. He remembered his early years with Margaret. There had been times when the rest of the world had just seemed to fade away. He could see it was the same with Jarod and Miranda.
He stood, clearing his throat. "Uh, I think we'll leave you for now."
"No, please. You're welcome to stay here," Miranda said.
"Andi, all the rooms are taken," Jarod said in a low voice.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, really," Margaret said.
"But where will you go?" Emily asked.
"To a motel, Em. It's not like we're going to be left on the street," Ethan laughed.
Eventually they all agreed that they would meet again the following day. Charles, Margaret, Ethan and JJ left. Lyle ordered pizzas and after they'd eaten, Miranda and Jarod went to bed. Seated on the couch, Lyle pulled Emily into his arms and sighed contentedly.
"I've been waiting all day to do that," he whispered. "But I was afraid Jarod would punch me again."
"Baby!" Emily laughed.
"I'm glad everything worked out."
"Yeah, me too. I can't believe there's no more Centre."
"But the trouble is far from over," Lyle said grimly. "They've got all the files and records and that means they're going to come looking for me. And Miranda and Sydney and Broots."
"Do you think they'll prosecute you guys too?"
"I'd rather not find out."
Emily leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It'll all be okay."
"Em, do you think I should change my name?"
Emily was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why?"
"Miranda seems to think I should. I guess she thinks 'Mr. Lyle' is still too much a part of the Centre. Do you think she's right?"
"It's up to you. Do you want to change your name?"
"I don't know. I used to be Bobby Bowman. Then I was Mr. Lyle. Maybe. I guess."
"What would you change it to?"
"Miranda suggested James."
Emily sat up straight and studied Lyle. "Yeah, you do look like a James," she said thoughtfully. "Would you be James Parker, then? That has a nice ring to it."
He didn't know if he wanted to use his father's surname. How was that leaving the Centre behind him? "James Jamison?"
"James Jamison!" Emily started giggling.
"I just think that Parker-"
"You're not your father. Your name doesn't define you. It's what's inside that matters. Miranda has been a Parker her whole life. Soon she's going to marry Jarod and that surname won't matter to her anymore. But you've never called yourself a Parker, even though you've had every right to."
Lyle thought carefully about what Emily had just said. "You'd make on hell of a lawyer, you know that?"
She smiled.
"James Parker. James Parker. James Parker. It'll take some getting used to, but it's not too bad."
Upstairs, Miranda snuggled closer to Jarod. "I'm glad you got your family back."
"Yeah, me too." He paused. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Okay."
"Do you think Syd and Broots know about the Centre?"
"We can call them tomorrow."
"All…all the secrets are going to be out in the open now, aren't they?"
"Yeah, probably."
"I'd like to go to the trial."
"What?! Why? They'll probably charge you with something."
"With what, Jarod? I ended up nothing more than an experiment myself. And I'm engaged to the man I was hunting so unless you're going to press charges then I think-"
"I would never do that!" He was horrified that she would even suggest it.
"I know. But I still want some answers."
How could he deny her that? "Okay, we'll go."
"We?"
"You don't think I'd let you go through that by yourself, do you?"
"You know I love you, right?"
"And you know I love hearing you say it, right?"
"Jerk!" She knew he was teasing.
"I love you, Miranda Catherine Parker."
"So when were you planning on marrying me? Before or after Sara arrives?"
"The sooner the better. When did the paper say the trial starts?"
"Six weeks from now."
"Preferably before then."
Miranda laughed. "If you wait any longer I won't be able to fit into a dress!"
"You'd still be beautiful."
She didn't comment on the compliment. "Goodnight, Jarod."
"Night."
*
At breakfast the following morning Lyle announced his decision to change his name. Miranda nodded, unsmiling. Jarod realized how much her morning coffee contributed to her good mood yet insisted, for Sara's sake, that she stick to tea. She got back at him by stealing his Pop Tart when he wasn't looking.
"Miranda," Jarod whined. "Come on…."
"If I can't have coffee, you can't have this." She took a bite of it, exaggerating her satisfaction just to annoy him.
"Give up, Jarod. You'll never win with her," Lyle said, smiling sympathetically at the other man.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Miranda asked.
"Uh…."
"So what are the plans for today?" Emily interjected, sensing the need for a change of direction in the conversation.
Miranda's expression changed from a scowl to a smile. "I have an appointment for an ultrasound."
"That's today?" Jarod wanted to be there with her. "What time?"
"Eleven."
"Okay. So I'll tell everyone to come over at one?"
"It's not going to take two hours!"
"Yeah, but aren't you, uh, we're going to need time to get lunch together."
Miranda looked at Jarod, her arms folded in front of her chest. "I am not cooking lunch for eight people!"
"Uh, Em and I can handle lunch, can't we?" Lyle, now James, said, silently begging Emily to back him up.
"Sure, it'll be fun," Emily said. "We might as well make ourselves useful."
Miranda was more than willing to hand over the cooking duties to someone else. With a grateful smile towards Emily, she went upstairs to shower. Emily and James had volunteered for babysitting duty as well so just before eleven, Jarod and Miranda left for the clinic to what would be Miranda's first official examination.
Sitting in the waiting room, Jarod flipped through a couple of magazines and looked up nervously every time he heard a noise.
"Relax, will you?" Miranda said, amused that he was more nervous than she was.
"But what if something's wrong?"
"Everything's fine. Trust me on this one."
Just then they were called. Miranda took his hand and smiled. Their gynecologist, a balding man who vaguely reminded them of Broots, was open and friendly. He chatted to them about non-baby topics like sport and politics before beginning.
Miranda gasped when he smeared the cold jelly on her stomach. A minute later an image of Sara appeared on the fetal monitor.
"That's my girl," Jarod said, awestruck.
"There's no way to tell just yet," Dr. Fielding said, "not from the way it's lying."
Miranda winked knowingly at Jarod. If the voices said it was a girl, then it was a girl.
"Listen to her heartbeat," Miranda said, "It's so strong."
"You've got a healthy baby there," Dr. Fielding said. "Everything looks fine." When he'd finished with the rest of the checkup, he handed Miranda a printout of the image. "Here's a first for your baby album."
"My mother's going to love this," Jarod said.
Miranda could only smile. Nothing could have prepared her for the experience of seeing the life that grew inside her.
*
While Jarod and Miranda were at the clinic, James and Emily went shopping. She pushed Tommy in his pram and he carried the basket.
"So Mr. 'Em and I can handle lunch', what did you plan on feeding my family? And can you even cook? I don't think I've ever seen you do more than make toast."
"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm a pretty decent cook!" he protested. "Umm…is there anything you'd really like?"
She pretended to think about the question. "No, not really."
"Ohh…hey, Tommy, what do you want for lunch?"
"Ice cream!"
"Don't even think about it. Miranda will kill you," Emily warned.
"No one in your family's a vegetarian, are they?"
"No, why?"
He pointed to the rotisserie chickens. "We could get two of those, some stuff for salad, some rolls, some-"
"Ice cream," Tommy repeated, looking up at his aunt and uncle with puppy dog eyes. It was impossible to refuse him.
"Some ice cream," James continued.
Tommy grinned, his three teeth making him all the more endearing. He had the adults wrapped around his finger and he knew it.
*
Lunch was eaten picnic-style in the back garden. Tommy crawled around, only sitting still when the ice cream was finally served. Miranda passed around Sara's picture for everyone to see. The tension of the day before was all but gone; they were on their way to being a happy family.
And they deserved every moment of happiness that came their way.
~*~
The Baby Series
A Rose By Any Other Name
Melanie-Anne
Charles' gaze faltered momentarily in the face of Miranda's cold stare.
"I owe you an apology," he said.
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
He held out a folded newspaper for her to take. She stared open-mouthed at the article.
"It's over," she whispered, then laughed softly. "And all this time they thought Jarod would be the one to end it."
"I should have trusted him," Charles said. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one who needs to hear that."
"Where is he?"
"In the living room."
"Well, shall we go share the good news?"
"You go ahead." Miranda handed the newspaper back. "I'll join you in a minute."
Instead of following Charles into the living room, Miranda went outside and sat on the porch swing, trying to absorb what she'd just read. One sentence in particular had imprinted itself on her brain.
Following the death of the chairman….
The death of the chairman.
Even after everything her father had done, despite his betrayal and the pain he had caused her, he was still her father and she had still loved him.
Did still love him, if she were truly honest with herself.
And now he was dead. A tiny part of her had hoped for a reconciliation later on, when everyone was less bitter. That would never happen now.
From inside, she could hear exclamations of surprise and joy. At least the running was over, that was one thing to be grateful for. She and her family could finally be free.
But it wasn't enough.
A tear escaped her closed lids and more followed. Miranda grieved for the father she had never truly known.
"How are you doing?"
Lyle sat next to his sister and put his arm around her shoulders. He was surprised when she leaned into him.
"He's dead."
"Yeah, I thought that might be why you're sitting out here."
"He was still my father-" Miranda felt that she had to justify her tears over the man who had destroyed her life.
Dozens of responses came to Lyle's mind, none of them favorable to the deceased. He didn't want to upset Miranda further and settled on an "I know."
"Shouldn't you be inside celebrating with the rest of them?"
"Nah, I'm not big on celebrations."
She gave him a grateful smile. "What about James?"
"Maybe you should lay off the sugar, Sis. I think it's affected your brain. Who's James?"
"You could be. Now's as good a time as any to pick a new name."
"Why James?"
"Why not? You kind of look like a James."
"Do I? I don't know. I'll have to think about it."
"Don't think too hard. You'll pull a muscle."
They both laughed.
"So are you ready to face the masses?" Lyle asked.
"Yeah, I think so."
"-never would have guessed. An insider working for the FBI. I wonder who- Andi! There you are!" Jarod paused midway in his sentence when Lyle and Miranda re-entered the living room. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just needed some air."
"You sure?"
She nodded.
"Come here." He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her midriff.
"Who do you think the mole was?" Ethan asked.
"Willie?" Lyle suggested.
"Never, he was too much Raines' lap dog," Miranda said.
"What about Sam?" JJ asked. "He seemed like a good guy."
"Maybe. But I doubt it."
"Cox?"
"That freak? No, he'd have been too busy stuffing dead things."
"Maybe it was some lowly security guard," Emily suggested. "Someone you wouldn't pay too much attention to."
"There's poetic justice in there somewhere," Miranda agreed.
"You look tired, love," Jarod whispered in her ear.
"I am. It's been an…eventful day."
"I've ignored you today." His voice was filled with regret.
"You had good reason to. You finally found what you've spent your entire life looking for."
"And you lost the one thing you spent your life wanting."
She shook her head. "I lost him a long time ago, Jarod. And you're wrong, he's not the one thing I've wanted."
Charles, watching this intimate scene between his son and his fiancée, wondered how he could have ever doubted them. They were so obviously in love, only a fool would be unable to see it. He remembered his early years with Margaret. There had been times when the rest of the world had just seemed to fade away. He could see it was the same with Jarod and Miranda.
He stood, clearing his throat. "Uh, I think we'll leave you for now."
"No, please. You're welcome to stay here," Miranda said.
"Andi, all the rooms are taken," Jarod said in a low voice.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, really," Margaret said.
"But where will you go?" Emily asked.
"To a motel, Em. It's not like we're going to be left on the street," Ethan laughed.
Eventually they all agreed that they would meet again the following day. Charles, Margaret, Ethan and JJ left. Lyle ordered pizzas and after they'd eaten, Miranda and Jarod went to bed. Seated on the couch, Lyle pulled Emily into his arms and sighed contentedly.
"I've been waiting all day to do that," he whispered. "But I was afraid Jarod would punch me again."
"Baby!" Emily laughed.
"I'm glad everything worked out."
"Yeah, me too. I can't believe there's no more Centre."
"But the trouble is far from over," Lyle said grimly. "They've got all the files and records and that means they're going to come looking for me. And Miranda and Sydney and Broots."
"Do you think they'll prosecute you guys too?"
"I'd rather not find out."
Emily leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It'll all be okay."
"Em, do you think I should change my name?"
Emily was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why?"
"Miranda seems to think I should. I guess she thinks 'Mr. Lyle' is still too much a part of the Centre. Do you think she's right?"
"It's up to you. Do you want to change your name?"
"I don't know. I used to be Bobby Bowman. Then I was Mr. Lyle. Maybe. I guess."
"What would you change it to?"
"Miranda suggested James."
Emily sat up straight and studied Lyle. "Yeah, you do look like a James," she said thoughtfully. "Would you be James Parker, then? That has a nice ring to it."
He didn't know if he wanted to use his father's surname. How was that leaving the Centre behind him? "James Jamison?"
"James Jamison!" Emily started giggling.
"I just think that Parker-"
"You're not your father. Your name doesn't define you. It's what's inside that matters. Miranda has been a Parker her whole life. Soon she's going to marry Jarod and that surname won't matter to her anymore. But you've never called yourself a Parker, even though you've had every right to."
Lyle thought carefully about what Emily had just said. "You'd make on hell of a lawyer, you know that?"
She smiled.
"James Parker. James Parker. James Parker. It'll take some getting used to, but it's not too bad."
Upstairs, Miranda snuggled closer to Jarod. "I'm glad you got your family back."
"Yeah, me too." He paused. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Okay."
"Do you think Syd and Broots know about the Centre?"
"We can call them tomorrow."
"All…all the secrets are going to be out in the open now, aren't they?"
"Yeah, probably."
"I'd like to go to the trial."
"What?! Why? They'll probably charge you with something."
"With what, Jarod? I ended up nothing more than an experiment myself. And I'm engaged to the man I was hunting so unless you're going to press charges then I think-"
"I would never do that!" He was horrified that she would even suggest it.
"I know. But I still want some answers."
How could he deny her that? "Okay, we'll go."
"We?"
"You don't think I'd let you go through that by yourself, do you?"
"You know I love you, right?"
"And you know I love hearing you say it, right?"
"Jerk!" She knew he was teasing.
"I love you, Miranda Catherine Parker."
"So when were you planning on marrying me? Before or after Sara arrives?"
"The sooner the better. When did the paper say the trial starts?"
"Six weeks from now."
"Preferably before then."
Miranda laughed. "If you wait any longer I won't be able to fit into a dress!"
"You'd still be beautiful."
She didn't comment on the compliment. "Goodnight, Jarod."
"Night."
*
At breakfast the following morning Lyle announced his decision to change his name. Miranda nodded, unsmiling. Jarod realized how much her morning coffee contributed to her good mood yet insisted, for Sara's sake, that she stick to tea. She got back at him by stealing his Pop Tart when he wasn't looking.
"Miranda," Jarod whined. "Come on…."
"If I can't have coffee, you can't have this." She took a bite of it, exaggerating her satisfaction just to annoy him.
"Give up, Jarod. You'll never win with her," Lyle said, smiling sympathetically at the other man.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Miranda asked.
"Uh…."
"So what are the plans for today?" Emily interjected, sensing the need for a change of direction in the conversation.
Miranda's expression changed from a scowl to a smile. "I have an appointment for an ultrasound."
"That's today?" Jarod wanted to be there with her. "What time?"
"Eleven."
"Okay. So I'll tell everyone to come over at one?"
"It's not going to take two hours!"
"Yeah, but aren't you, uh, we're going to need time to get lunch together."
Miranda looked at Jarod, her arms folded in front of her chest. "I am not cooking lunch for eight people!"
"Uh, Em and I can handle lunch, can't we?" Lyle, now James, said, silently begging Emily to back him up.
"Sure, it'll be fun," Emily said. "We might as well make ourselves useful."
Miranda was more than willing to hand over the cooking duties to someone else. With a grateful smile towards Emily, she went upstairs to shower. Emily and James had volunteered for babysitting duty as well so just before eleven, Jarod and Miranda left for the clinic to what would be Miranda's first official examination.
Sitting in the waiting room, Jarod flipped through a couple of magazines and looked up nervously every time he heard a noise.
"Relax, will you?" Miranda said, amused that he was more nervous than she was.
"But what if something's wrong?"
"Everything's fine. Trust me on this one."
Just then they were called. Miranda took his hand and smiled. Their gynecologist, a balding man who vaguely reminded them of Broots, was open and friendly. He chatted to them about non-baby topics like sport and politics before beginning.
Miranda gasped when he smeared the cold jelly on her stomach. A minute later an image of Sara appeared on the fetal monitor.
"That's my girl," Jarod said, awestruck.
"There's no way to tell just yet," Dr. Fielding said, "not from the way it's lying."
Miranda winked knowingly at Jarod. If the voices said it was a girl, then it was a girl.
"Listen to her heartbeat," Miranda said, "It's so strong."
"You've got a healthy baby there," Dr. Fielding said. "Everything looks fine." When he'd finished with the rest of the checkup, he handed Miranda a printout of the image. "Here's a first for your baby album."
"My mother's going to love this," Jarod said.
Miranda could only smile. Nothing could have prepared her for the experience of seeing the life that grew inside her.
*
While Jarod and Miranda were at the clinic, James and Emily went shopping. She pushed Tommy in his pram and he carried the basket.
"So Mr. 'Em and I can handle lunch', what did you plan on feeding my family? And can you even cook? I don't think I've ever seen you do more than make toast."
"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm a pretty decent cook!" he protested. "Umm…is there anything you'd really like?"
She pretended to think about the question. "No, not really."
"Ohh…hey, Tommy, what do you want for lunch?"
"Ice cream!"
"Don't even think about it. Miranda will kill you," Emily warned.
"No one in your family's a vegetarian, are they?"
"No, why?"
He pointed to the rotisserie chickens. "We could get two of those, some stuff for salad, some rolls, some-"
"Ice cream," Tommy repeated, looking up at his aunt and uncle with puppy dog eyes. It was impossible to refuse him.
"Some ice cream," James continued.
Tommy grinned, his three teeth making him all the more endearing. He had the adults wrapped around his finger and he knew it.
*
Lunch was eaten picnic-style in the back garden. Tommy crawled around, only sitting still when the ice cream was finally served. Miranda passed around Sara's picture for everyone to see. The tension of the day before was all but gone; they were on their way to being a happy family.
And they deserved every moment of happiness that came their way.
~*~
