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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: can be found in part 1.
The Baby Series
The Chairman's Daughter and the Lab Rat
Melanie-Anne
Parker sat on a bench outside the motel. Tommy lay on her lap, kicking his legs in the air and squealing with delight as she tickled him. She was happy. She was free and she had her child back. Smiling, she thought that this was how Jarod must have felt when he had first tasted freedom.
She looked up at the window of their room and cheerfully waved at Jarod. He stepped away from the window, wondering how she had known he was watching her.
"Why don't you join her?" Sydney asked.
"I don't know. I'm…confused," Jarod confessed, looking at his mentor with a wry smile.
"Daughter confused also," Angelo commented, engrossed in a puzzle that he and Debbie were building.
"Everything is different now. I found out I had a son and now I'm going to have a daughter too. It's a bit overwhelming. Since I escaped I've been searching for my family and then suddenly I have one thrown in my lap, courtesy of the Centre."
"Maybe it's time you decide to live for what you have instead of hungering after things you might never get."
"What if she doesn't want us to be a family?" Jarod looked back at Parker who was now gently rocking Tommy.
"She desires a family as much as you do, you know that."
"What I meant was, what if she doesn't want me in her family?"
"I know what you meant."
"You're not going to answer me, are you?"
"You're asking the right questions, Jarod, but you're asking the wrong person."
"So you think I should talk to her?"
Sydney smiled. "The boy can be taught!"
"Funny."
Jarod took a deep breath and put his jacket on. He bought two cups of coffee from the vending machine in the hallway and only then joined Parker.
"Umm, I thought you might like some coffee," he began lamely, holding out the polystyrene cup.
"Thanks. Sit down."
He sat next to her and looked at Tommy. "Hey, kiddo."
"I'm glad-"
"We need-" They spoke at the same time, then burst out laughing.
"Sorry, speak," Jarod said, thinking that she looked so beautiful when she smiled. He found himself wishing that she would smile more often.
"I was going to say that I'm glad you decided to come down."
"Yeah, well, we need to talk."
"Mm-hmm."
"Umm…what happens now?"
She laughed again and his heart melted. She had been away from the Centre for only a day and already she had become the girl he remembered.
"You mean you haven't planned that? Are we stuck at this rat-trap motel for another night?"
"What? No, no. Those plans are made. Broots and Debbie are going to California. I've set up new identities for them and he's got a job-"
"You're talking about us," Parker said, growing serious. She looked away from him, at Tommy's smiling face. His father's face. He's going to tell me that he doesn't want us to be a family. He's going to say that he's going back to whatever-her-name-is and that he wants to take his son with him.
"You know, I'd never imagined that the two of us would ever have kids. The chairman's daughter and the lab rat. Who would have thought?"
Here we go, Parker. Brace yourself.
"What do you want to do?"
"What?" She asked in surprise.
"I want to be a father to these children. I mean, I know I've only known Tommy for a few weeks and Sara isn't even born yet, but I love them already. I'd really like for them to have a proper family, if it's what you want. I mean, if you don't want me in your life, I-" He shrugged.
Parker had been preparing herself for the worst so Jarod's declaration caught her completely by surprise. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring down at his hands which lay clasped together in his lap.
He expects me to tell him that I don't want him with me!
Feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she reached across and took one of his hands in her own. His heart pounding, he looked up at her and saw her smiling. He smiled back.
They sat in silence like that for a long while, just holding hands and thinking about their family.
*
Lyle and Raines sat in the boardroom while the three members of the Triumvirate discussed Miss Parker's disappearance. Inwardly Lyle was nervous but to the world he appeared as arrogant as usual.
"Mr. Lyle, you visited your sister in her cell on two occasions, did you not?" a faceless person asked from the dark.
"Yes."
"Why?"
He smirked. "It was a rare opportunity to intimidate her. It's no secret that there's no love lost between the two of us."
"You gave her something."
"A book on baby care. She knew she'd never see the child and I knew it would hurt her."
"Why do you wish to hurt her?"
That caught Lyle off-guard. Since when did the Centre care about people's reasons for hurting each other? "Why not?"
"Dr. Raines, you have a video monitor in your office."
"Yes."
Lyle was relieved that the attention had shifted onto someone else. He knew better than to think that no one was observing him and forced himself to maintain his act.
"How, then, could you not notice Miss Parker's escape?"
"The monitor showed her asleep. It still shows her asleep!" Raines protested.
Lyle hoped the questions wouldn't go on for much longer. He was expecting a phone call.
*
Debbie threw her arms around Parker's neck and hugged her tight. "Goodbye, Miss P. I'll miss you."
"Hey, we'll see each other soon. I promise," Parker said. "And we can write to each other."
"Okay. Bye, Tommy. Bye, Uncle Jarod."
"Bye, Debbie."
Parker gently touched Broots' arm. "Thank you, for everything."
"I'll miss you, too, Miss Parker," he said, smiling.
Impulsively she kissed his cheek and he blushed crimson.
"Uh, I'd- we'd better get going." He shook Jarod's hand and hugged Sydney before climbing into his car.
Jarod slipped his arm around Parker's waist. Together with Sydney and Angelo they stood waving until the car had disappeared in the distance.
*
Lyle's phone rang as he reached his office. Breathing a sigh of relief, he answered. "Lyle."
"Hey, big brother. Anything exciting happening at the Centre?"
He smiled. "Everyone's running around chasing their own tails and pointing fingers at anybody who walks past."
"Are you okay?"
"Is that concern I hear in your voice?" he teased.
"Lyle, I'm serious. You risked your neck for me. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I can take care of myself."
"Why don't you leave?"
"And do what, Parker?"
"I don't know. You can-"
"Raines." Lyle looked up just in time to see Raines at his door. "How much have you heard?"
"I must congratulate you, Lyle. You certainly fooled everyone."
At the motel, Parker looked at Jarod in horror. "Raines knows," she mouthed, still listening in.
She jumped, letting the phone fall to the floor. She turned white and Jarod reached her just as her knees gave in. He sat on the bed, pulling her onto his lap.
"What is it? What happened?" he asked, brushing her hair away from her face.
"There was…there was a gun shot," she said and her bottom lip trembled. "There was a gun shot."
~*~
The Baby Series
The Chairman's Daughter and the Lab Rat
Melanie-Anne
Parker sat on a bench outside the motel. Tommy lay on her lap, kicking his legs in the air and squealing with delight as she tickled him. She was happy. She was free and she had her child back. Smiling, she thought that this was how Jarod must have felt when he had first tasted freedom.
She looked up at the window of their room and cheerfully waved at Jarod. He stepped away from the window, wondering how she had known he was watching her.
"Why don't you join her?" Sydney asked.
"I don't know. I'm…confused," Jarod confessed, looking at his mentor with a wry smile.
"Daughter confused also," Angelo commented, engrossed in a puzzle that he and Debbie were building.
"Everything is different now. I found out I had a son and now I'm going to have a daughter too. It's a bit overwhelming. Since I escaped I've been searching for my family and then suddenly I have one thrown in my lap, courtesy of the Centre."
"Maybe it's time you decide to live for what you have instead of hungering after things you might never get."
"What if she doesn't want us to be a family?" Jarod looked back at Parker who was now gently rocking Tommy.
"She desires a family as much as you do, you know that."
"What I meant was, what if she doesn't want me in her family?"
"I know what you meant."
"You're not going to answer me, are you?"
"You're asking the right questions, Jarod, but you're asking the wrong person."
"So you think I should talk to her?"
Sydney smiled. "The boy can be taught!"
"Funny."
Jarod took a deep breath and put his jacket on. He bought two cups of coffee from the vending machine in the hallway and only then joined Parker.
"Umm, I thought you might like some coffee," he began lamely, holding out the polystyrene cup.
"Thanks. Sit down."
He sat next to her and looked at Tommy. "Hey, kiddo."
"I'm glad-"
"We need-" They spoke at the same time, then burst out laughing.
"Sorry, speak," Jarod said, thinking that she looked so beautiful when she smiled. He found himself wishing that she would smile more often.
"I was going to say that I'm glad you decided to come down."
"Yeah, well, we need to talk."
"Mm-hmm."
"Umm…what happens now?"
She laughed again and his heart melted. She had been away from the Centre for only a day and already she had become the girl he remembered.
"You mean you haven't planned that? Are we stuck at this rat-trap motel for another night?"
"What? No, no. Those plans are made. Broots and Debbie are going to California. I've set up new identities for them and he's got a job-"
"You're talking about us," Parker said, growing serious. She looked away from him, at Tommy's smiling face. His father's face. He's going to tell me that he doesn't want us to be a family. He's going to say that he's going back to whatever-her-name-is and that he wants to take his son with him.
"You know, I'd never imagined that the two of us would ever have kids. The chairman's daughter and the lab rat. Who would have thought?"
Here we go, Parker. Brace yourself.
"What do you want to do?"
"What?" She asked in surprise.
"I want to be a father to these children. I mean, I know I've only known Tommy for a few weeks and Sara isn't even born yet, but I love them already. I'd really like for them to have a proper family, if it's what you want. I mean, if you don't want me in your life, I-" He shrugged.
Parker had been preparing herself for the worst so Jarod's declaration caught her completely by surprise. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring down at his hands which lay clasped together in his lap.
He expects me to tell him that I don't want him with me!
Feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she reached across and took one of his hands in her own. His heart pounding, he looked up at her and saw her smiling. He smiled back.
They sat in silence like that for a long while, just holding hands and thinking about their family.
*
Lyle and Raines sat in the boardroom while the three members of the Triumvirate discussed Miss Parker's disappearance. Inwardly Lyle was nervous but to the world he appeared as arrogant as usual.
"Mr. Lyle, you visited your sister in her cell on two occasions, did you not?" a faceless person asked from the dark.
"Yes."
"Why?"
He smirked. "It was a rare opportunity to intimidate her. It's no secret that there's no love lost between the two of us."
"You gave her something."
"A book on baby care. She knew she'd never see the child and I knew it would hurt her."
"Why do you wish to hurt her?"
That caught Lyle off-guard. Since when did the Centre care about people's reasons for hurting each other? "Why not?"
"Dr. Raines, you have a video monitor in your office."
"Yes."
Lyle was relieved that the attention had shifted onto someone else. He knew better than to think that no one was observing him and forced himself to maintain his act.
"How, then, could you not notice Miss Parker's escape?"
"The monitor showed her asleep. It still shows her asleep!" Raines protested.
Lyle hoped the questions wouldn't go on for much longer. He was expecting a phone call.
*
Debbie threw her arms around Parker's neck and hugged her tight. "Goodbye, Miss P. I'll miss you."
"Hey, we'll see each other soon. I promise," Parker said. "And we can write to each other."
"Okay. Bye, Tommy. Bye, Uncle Jarod."
"Bye, Debbie."
Parker gently touched Broots' arm. "Thank you, for everything."
"I'll miss you, too, Miss Parker," he said, smiling.
Impulsively she kissed his cheek and he blushed crimson.
"Uh, I'd- we'd better get going." He shook Jarod's hand and hugged Sydney before climbing into his car.
Jarod slipped his arm around Parker's waist. Together with Sydney and Angelo they stood waving until the car had disappeared in the distance.
*
Lyle's phone rang as he reached his office. Breathing a sigh of relief, he answered. "Lyle."
"Hey, big brother. Anything exciting happening at the Centre?"
He smiled. "Everyone's running around chasing their own tails and pointing fingers at anybody who walks past."
"Are you okay?"
"Is that concern I hear in your voice?" he teased.
"Lyle, I'm serious. You risked your neck for me. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I can take care of myself."
"Why don't you leave?"
"And do what, Parker?"
"I don't know. You can-"
"Raines." Lyle looked up just in time to see Raines at his door. "How much have you heard?"
"I must congratulate you, Lyle. You certainly fooled everyone."
At the motel, Parker looked at Jarod in horror. "Raines knows," she mouthed, still listening in.
She jumped, letting the phone fall to the floor. She turned white and Jarod reached her just as her knees gave in. He sat on the bed, pulling her onto his lap.
"What is it? What happened?" he asked, brushing her hair away from her face.
"There was…there was a gun shot," she said and her bottom lip trembled. "There was a gun shot."
~*~
