Coming Into Focus

Part 2

Rebecca opened the door, gently taking the gun out of Miss Parker's hand, and then closed and locked it behind her.

“Parker?”

In time, Sydney remembered to keep his voice low enough that it wouldn’t disturb Jarod, who remained asleep.

“Sydney, what…?” She turned to him and saw the Pretender. At the sight of him, her eyes lit up. “Well, that certainly makes things easier.”

“I don’t think so, Miss Parker.”

Miss Parker turned and, for the first time, saw the woman who was standing and holding her gun. She was about to speak when her eyes met the gaze of the other woman and her normally ready tongue failed.

“You won’t take him back, Miss Parker, because I won’t allow it. Not after what he’s been through today.”

“And who are you?”

“You already know me.” Her eyes met Sydney's and he saw the amusement that she was holding inside. “And the secret of who I am will all come back to you over the next few hours.” 

~*~*~

She sat curled up in the corner of the dark area, her face in her hands, as the sobs shook her body. She was frightened, not only of the darkness but of the fact that her father might leave without her and she would have to spend the night in this cold, lonely place. Still trembling slightly, she looked up when she felt a hand on her arm.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m lost.”

“Not any more.” The other figure moved forward slightly and was able to be seen in the dim light cast by a room away to the right. “I just found you.”

“But I don’t know…”

“Come with me.”

Obediently she followed this new person down a series of winding passages until they reached the end of one. In the stronger light, she could see the girl’s brown eyes and the gleam reflecting off her pale hair that hung over one shoulder.

“Your father’s office is the second door to the right. He’s still there. He hasn’t left yet, and nor has your mother.”

“Th…thank-you.”

“You’re welcome.” The girl held the bars slightly open so that she could slip through the gap. When she looked up, however, the face was gone.

Miss Parker jumped, straightening herself in her chair. Looking up, she found that the other woman was watching her, a hint of a smile on her face.

“So you remember me now?”

“Sort of…”

“I admit that we did only meet on a few occasions. Three, to be precise. That was the first.”

“How did you…?”

“Know?” The woman laughed softly. “I just did.”

She looked over her shoulder in time to see Jarod open his eyes and stood up so that she blocked his view of Miss Parker. Sydney leaned forward with the same aim in mind. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” the Pretender admitted.

“Jarod?”

He smiled at up Rebecca as she spoke. “What is it?”

“There’s somebody else here.”

“Who?”

Rebecca stepped closer to the bed and prevented him from getting up as he saw Miss Parker sitting in the chair.

“I’d say it was a pleasure,” he commented drily as he gave up struggling against the pressure that Rebecca was using to keep him on the bed. “But it isn’t.”

“Jarod, I…”

“Please, no raging arguments.” Rebecca’s voice quelled the discussion. “We’re all here for a reason and it would be good if, for the time being, we could all give the impression that we get on. So if you two could just ignore the fact that you haven’t been friends for a few years until it’s over, that would be handy.” She paused. “Deal?”

She eyed Miss Parker, who returned to the seat she’d stood up from when Jarod began struggling. Turning, she looked at Jarod, who nodded slowly.

“Until what’s over?” Sydney looked over at her sharply. “What are you talking about?”

She sighed. “Just give it time. You’ll remember.”

She lay huddled in the small corner of the room, her hands pressed to her stomach and her eyes closed. A nearby vent opened, allowed cool air to brush past her and she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation. When it was gone, however, the pain returned. It was only when she felt the hand on the side of her face that she struggled to open her eyes.

“It won’t last much longer.”

“It…hurts…”

“I know.” The girl sat down beside her, brushing the long, blond hair away from her face. “But it’ll be gone soon.”

“Are you…sure?”

“Very.”

The stranger reached forward and smoothed the brown hair.

“It’s not going to be much longer, Miss Parker.”

“No, I’m…”

“From now on, no. You’ll only use that name once more.”

“And who…?”

“I’m a friend.”

“You!”

Rebecca lifted an eyebrow as Miss Parker glared at her and spat her name.

“Not ‘me’ at all. I was just getting in ahead of ‘Daddy’.” She leant forward. “His plan was that, so that you would forget what I want you to remember, you would use only that name, and never the one that your mother gave you.” Her lips twitched in amusement. “Your father didn’t like me. The feeling was mutual. So I got a lot of enjoyment out of doing that before he did.”

“I’ll bet,” the brunette snarled. 

Miss Parker got up from the chair in which she had been sitting and walked over to the far side of the room, staring out of the window.

“If you want some privacy, that door,” she nodded at one that neither Sydney nor Jarod had opened, “will take you into another bedroom. The outer door of it is also locked,” she added, “so you needn’t bother trying to leave.” Miss Parker opened the door and disappeared through it, slamming it behind her and Rebecca got to her feet. “It’s lucky we’ve got no neighbours.”

“We don’t?”

She looked over to where Jarod was watching her and shook her head. “This floor and those above and below it are all empty and will stay that way. And, being on the tenth floor, even Miss Parker won’t try to escape.”

Coming over, she sat beside him and took her hands in his, glancing over to where Sydney was lying on the other bed.

“What else is there?”

She smiled a little sadly. “Quite a lot.”

“For…” She could see the fear in his eyes. “For me?”

“Not yet.” She reached forward and touched the side of his face. “But I need your help. They need you. That’s why we’re all here.” She paused. “Call it fate.”

He smiled faintly. “I’d rather call it Rebecca.”

“I don’t influence what happens, Jarod.” She spoke softly. “I just know it will.”

“Your curse.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “I curse my abilities, just like you curse yours, but they can help sometimes too.”

“They will.”

“I think they already have.”

He nodded, admitting the truth of her statement and then sat up straighter.

“Who comes next?”

Rather than responding, Rebecca stood up and walked over to the door, opening it to show Miss Parker thrashing violently but silently in the throes of a nightmare.

She curled herself up again, fighting to get away from the pain that was screwing inside her and looked up to where the other girl sat, watching her.

“Just a few seconds longer.”

“No…” Even as she spoke, though, a warm flush passed through her and she felt the pain replaced by a feeling of calm peace, seeing the girl beside seem to waver. “What…?”

“I said it would soon be over.” The hand on her face moved to the side of her head, gently stroking the brown hair. “For now, it is.”

“It will…come back…?” She could feel herself being carried away by the warmth that flowed through her and struggled to stay focused. The girl bent down, her long hair falling over her shoulder and almost touching her face.

“It’s all right, Miss Parker. Just relax. Sleep now. You can face it when you wake up again.”

Her eyelids fluttered and then lifted to find the other woman shutting the door between the two rooms and coming to sit on the bed. She could still feel the echo of that pain and it seemed to leave her weak and helpless.

“Why…?”

“Not quite. The questions you should be asking are what and who. The answers will come to you.”

Her touch this time was not as confident as it had been when she had stroked Jarod's cheek but provided the same sense of comfort and the woman reached up and covered the hand with her own.

“Take it…away…”

“Not yet. Soon, but not yet. And I won’t take it away. You will.”

“I can’t…” The eyes began to fill. “I can’t…deal with it. The pain…was so…”

“It was very bad. I know. But you have to face it.” She leaned it closer.

“We’ll help you, Miss Parker. All of us.”

The woman’s eyelids closed briefly before lifting again and trying to focus once more. The blond woman could feel that the hand she held was trembling.

“Don’t…let me…sleep…”

“The dream won’t come back yet. Relax now. You still have time now before it comes back again.”

“Really…?”

The dark-haired woman didn’t wait for a response, but, trusting as she had trusted years earlier, gave up and slipped back against the pillow, asleep immediately.

Rebecca walked out of the room to find Sydney and Jarod in deep conversation on the far bed. With a faint smile, she walked back out onto the balcony. When the door opened, she looked around.

“How did you sleep?”

“Probably better if Miss Parker hadn’t slammed the door.”

“Can you deal with going through it again?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“No,” she smiled. “Not really.”

“So there’s only one answer I can give.” He paused. “Are the others…safe?”

“Yes.” She looked out over the skyline. “Michelle and Nicholas are being looked after and Broots and Debbie are a long way from the Centre.”

“Good.” He watched her silently for a moment. “Tell me, Rebecca. Is he really alright now?”

“Yes, Sydney.” She turned back to him. “When Jarod gets back his strength, he will be better than ever.”

“Who are you?”

“My name’s Rebecca.”

“And why are you here?”

“To help you.”

She shrank away from the figure, who responded by leaning in closer. “You know that I won’t hurt you.”

“It hurts me.”

“I know it does…”

“Rebecca…”

“Hello, Miss Parker.” From the chair opposite, the blond woman smiled. “I told you that we knew each other.”

“And why…?”

“Am I here now? I could ask you the same question. But we’re both here to get rid of that.”

“Will you…help…?”

Her voice was hesitant, weak, but somehow the memory of that earlier time when they had met was haunting her and she couldn’t escape it. She dreamily watched as Rebecca got up and walked over to the bed, sitting once more beside her.

“Yes, Miss Parker.” Her voice was soft and soothing. “Of course I’ll help.”

“Promise?”

Rebecca nodded. “And Jarod and Sydney will help too.”

“No.” Suddenly it was an effort to move. “Not them. Just you.”

“You need their help, Miss Parker, just as much as you need mine.” She leaned forward. “They wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“I don’t…”

“You don’t want them to see you like this, I know. But it will help later.” Placing one hand in the familiar gesture, she used to other to collect both of Miss Parker's hands and held them. “It will help everybody.”

~*~*~

Jarod stood in the doorway and watched her as she curled up on the bed, moans coming from her mouth. In concern, he looked over at Rebecca.

“What is it? What’s causing that?”

“I can’t explain it to you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You could at least try.”

“I have to explain it to her first. But you’ll know at the same time.”

“Why can’t you just give me a straightforward answer?”

She stood up and walked past him into the other room. “I’m a psychic, Jarod. We don’t give straightforward answers. We only receive vague feelings that need clarification…”

“Not you.” He grabbed her arm as she passed. “You told me that yourself.”

“That was a mistake.”

“You don’t make mistakes.”

“I made one.” Her eyes became sad. “And I’ve paid for it for the whole of my life.”

“So you aren’t going to make another one. You wouldn’t do it.” He took her arm and pulled her out onto the balcony with him. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“You aren’t ready to deal with it yet.”

“When will I be?”

“When she is.”

“How do you…?”

“Please, Jarod. Don’t ask a question that you’ll feel stupid for asking later. You already know how I know.”

“It hurts me.”

“I know it does. And it hurts him, too.”

“Him?”

Rebecca smiled. “A boy that you don’t know yet. He felt the same pain. But they made him better and that will make you better.”

“I don’t…understand.”

“I know you don’t, Miss Parker.” She placed one hand on the clenched fist and used the other to brush the hair out of the girl’s eyes. “But one day, you will. One day, you’ll remember all this and finally understand.”

She lay, curled up on the bed, gasping for air that somehow seemed denied to her and with both hands clasping her stomach.

“Help me.” Looking up, she saw a blurred shape in front of her that gradually revealed itself to be Jarod. “Please.”

He sat next to her, taking both hands in his but otherwise helpless.

“Miss Parker.” Rebecca knelt in front of him, her face just on the edge of what Miss Parker could properly focus on. “You have to work with me. If you relax, it will go away.”

“No…”

“Parker, try to concentrate.” Jarod's voice broke through the silence that followed the plea and Rebecca looked up at him, amusement obvious in her eyes but not on the rest of her face, before she turned back to the suffering woman.

“Miss Parker, push against the pain. Push it away from you. It’s not yours. It’s only a reflection of somebody else’s.”

“The…boy…”

“Yes. The boy. The one you didn’t know. He felt it, too. He suffered, like you did.”

“Who…helped him…?”

She smiled. “I did. And then, when he was quiet, I came and helped you. Do you remember?”

“Yes…”

“Good.”

There was a pause, during which time Sydney came and stood in the doorway watching silently, with a syringe in one hand, ready, as Rebecca had warned him to be.

“Focus on that boy, Miss Parker.”

“I don’t know…who he was…”

“His name doesn’t matter. That will come later. But you know his face. Can you remember it?”

“Yes…”

“And you saw it again, later.”

Miss Parker's vision became increasingly blurry and Rebecca leaned further in so that she could still be seen. “But, by the time you saw it again, you’d forgotten that day, hadn’t you?”

“Yes…”

“And you never remembered, until this moment, that you’d seen him before.”

Miss Parker's head felt as though it weighed several tons and it was an enormous effort to move it on the pillow.

“Good, Miss Parker.” She glanced up and past Jarod to where Sydney was waiting. “And do you remember the prick on your hand, just before you fell asleep in my arms?”

“Yes…”

“That’s going to happen again now. But we’ll still be here. You’re still very safe, I promise you.”

“No…”

“Parker.” Sydney moved in closer. “This will help. Trust me. You do trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes.” The word was almost inaudible but Sydney heard it and bent over her for a moment, stepping back and allowing the sedative to do its work.

~*~*~

“How much longer?”

There was a hint of a smile on Rebecca’s face as she closed the dividing doors. “Can she keep going or will it last?”

“Both.”

“She can keep going until it ends.” Rebecca seated herself on the end of one of the beds and looked across at Jarod. “She has a lot of inner strength and that was what kept her going last time.”

“How old was she?”

“Five. A year younger than we were.”

“So it was at the same time…”

“There was only about an hour’s difference, yes.”

Jarod nodded silently. “And how did she cope?”

“In the same way you did. She tried to ignore it, hoping that it would go away, and when it didn’t, I found her.”

“Momma?”

“Hi, baby.”

The little girl found herself lying in bed with her mother sitting beside her, one hand lovingly touching her cheek. She struggled up but the pain stabbed through her and she sank down again with a cry.

“It hurts.”

“I know, baby. But it won’t hurt for long, I promise.”

“And…where did…the girl go?”

The daughter saw the confused expression on her mother’s face and felt a hint of frustration that the woman couldn’t understand what she meant.

“Which girl, baby?”

“The one who found me…”

“You found me,” the dark-eyed woman gasped.

“Yes.”

“And how…?”

“When you were finally asleep, I crept into your mother’s office and left a note, telling her what had happened and where you were.”

“You…told her.”

“She knew already.” Rebecca smiled. “She had a connection like that once too.”

“With…who…?”

“Somebody you never met. He died. Your friend didn’t.”

“No…”

“You know who that is. That friend.”

“I…can’t…”

“You’re blocking the knowledge, Miss Parker, but you do know.”

“No…” She weakly shook her head on the pillow.

“Until you face it, they won’t go away.”

“No, I…can’t…”

“You mean you won’t. You won’t because he forced the knowledge out of you and made you forget it. He forced you to forget everything about that very early time, even the fact that you suffered so much.”

Rebecca got up and began to pace the room, knowing that Miss Parker could still see her. “

He didn’t want you remember this and he was frightened of what a connection like that with somebody else could do. He’d seen what it did to your mother.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Miss Parker.” She turned and watched her. “That’s why I never liked him, you see. I saw what he was trying to do to you, out of fear for himself, and when I tried to protect it – that link – he was furious.”

“Does he…?”

“He knows I’m still alive. Not consciously, of course, but the feelings he has for me are still there and they won’t die until I do.”

“Or he might…die…”

She shook her head sadly. “No, that’s one race he will win. And I can’t do a thing to prevent it.”

“And…Momma…?”

Rebecca smiled. “She tried to protect it, too. She did everything she could to protect that link.”

The pain was gone. When she opened her eyes and saw the blue sky outside her window, she could feel that it was gone. She was happier, more comfortable, but wondered how he was. Was he still in pain?

“No, baby. He’s feeling much better.”

“And…her…?”

She watched the expression cross her mother’s face, a combination of anger and sadness.

“She’s…she will be happier now.”

“You know who she is.”

“She saved your life, baby.” She watched her mother come closer and sit beside her. “Of course I know now.”

“And will I ever see her again?”

“We met once more, after that day, Miss Parker. Do you remember that, too?”

“No…”

“We can remember that day or remember who your friend was. Which one?”

“The…second meeting…”

“We have to come back to it.”

“I know.”

“I’m glad you do.” Rebecca stood up. “So tell me. When was it?”

“After…” Miss Parker's voice broke and she stared up numbly.

“Go on. Force it out.”

“After Momma’s funeral.”

“Good, Miss Parker. And why?”

“Because…I was unhappy.”

Rebecca returned to her seat beside the bed, knowing that both Jarod and Sydney were listening through the partly opened door.

“And where were we?”

“In the Centre.”

She felt as though her heart was going to break and, as soon as Sydney left the room, she ran out of it. Without looking where she was going, she ran blindly, pushing through doors and running down staircases until finally there was nowhere left to run. She sank down on the floor and then looked up to find herself staring at an air vent cover. Memory provided a glimpse of the last time she had seen it and, standing, she looked up to find the same face staring back at her. The grate was slowly eased open and she crept inside.

“Hello, Miss Parker.”

The tears started again as that half-forgotten voice came out of the darkness.

“Rebecca, I’ve missed you.”

“You don’t even remember me properly, Miss Parker. How could you miss me?”

“What…?”

“You have other friends now and your memory of me is so faint that it hardly exists anymore. In a few years, it will vanish entirely.”

“No! No, it won’t! I will remember! I promise, I’ll never forget you…”

The tears ran in streams down her face and she held in the sobs that threatened to break free.

“Miss Parker, can you remember what I said to you?”

Unable to speak, she only nodded.

“And I was right. You did forget.”

“Yes.”

“And you forgot him.”

“It always comes back…”

“To him.” A look of amusement appeared on Rebecca’s face. “Because the two of you are connected in ways that not even your father understood, much as he tried to.”

“But…you came back…”

“I did. You needed me. I felt it and came back. I came back to help you.”

“Why? I’d forgotten you…you knew that.”

“Ah!” Rebecca placed her hand on Miss Parker's cheek and brushed away the tears. “But I could never forget you.”

~*~*~

“You’re still afraid of me, Sydney. You always were.”

She looked over at him as he sat staring out through the window.

“Rebecca, that’s…”

“The truth. We both know it, but you always denied the truth if you could.”

“Only if I thought it was going to be painful.”

She laughed; a short, sharp sound that died almost as soon as it began. “And that’s such a wonderful basis of avoiding things, Sydney. If I felt the same way, I would have killed myself long ago.”

“We’re very different people.”

“The only difference is that I know what’s going to happen and you don’t.”

”I could never have dealt with that knowledge.”

“Jacob could.”

“Perhaps,” Sydney admitted slowly.

“He had to. If he hadn’t been able to deal with it, he wouldn’t have been able to deal with me.”

“And…what now?” the psychiatrist asked hesitantly.

“Now?” She sighed heavily. “Now we wait. We wait until Miss Parker can face what happened to her that day, and the earlier one.”

“And if she can’t?”

“She will.” Rebecca looked at him. “We both know she will.”

She could feel his terror as he felt the hands coming closer, forcing the clear plastic tube into his throat. She could feel every muscle tense as he tried to fight against it and she could feel him choke as he tried to scream. It was as though she was lying right next to him, watching and feeling what he felt, but not having to actually go through it herself. And she felt the prick of the needle as he did, looking over as his head slumped to one side, his brown eyes staring blindly into her blue ones. She shuddered at the sight of the blankness that she saw there, feeling sick at the sight of them, until mercifully a hand came down and closed the lids, blocking them from sight. She closed her own eyes, only to open them with a sob and find herself safely in the arms of the girl sitting above her…

She looked up to find his brown eyes staring into hers. She could see a look of concern, of compassion there as he brushed her hair away from her face. With a tentative hand, she reached up and covered his cheek with her hand. He covered it with his own and smiled down at her.

“Jarod.”

“Yes, Miss Parker.”

The other female voice interrupted before the Pretender could speak. The two people looked up to find her sitting in a chair at the end of the bed.

“It was Jarod. That was the boy. And that was the thing that you felt – his injury and fear of the surgery. You took those feelings then and they’re coming back to haunt you now.”

“I don’t…”

“Understand? You did once. Your mother explained it all to you, about the connections that people make with one another. It was the only time you ever saw your mother cry, Miss Parker. But you pushed that away, too. You pushed it so far away that, when you were introduced to Jarod during the simulation on the 7th of October, 1969, you couldn’t remember ever having seen him before.”

“No, I…”

“Are you going to deny everything you’ve just been through? That was more real than any dream you can ever remember having in your life. And then there’s me.”

She got up and walked to the other side of the bed, sitting down.

“If you would deny it all, then you have to deny me as well. Can you do that?”

The blond hair reflected the light from the window and the brown eyes flashed in a way that she couldn’t forget. Slowly, very slowly, Miss Parker shook her head.

“When you can remember what your mother said about that connection, then you’ll understand. And, once you understand, then it will be gone.”

“Promise?”

She leaned forward, her hair almost touching the woman’s face. “I promise.”

The tears ran down her face and she shook as the arms wrapped themselves around her, holding her tightly as she cried and rocking her gently.

“It’s all right, Miss Parker. He’s okay now. I promise.”

“Really?”

“You know I wouldn’t lie to you.”

She lay there for a long time, staring into the darkness, before she finally looked up again.

“But why?”

“There’s no good reason for that, Miss Parker. None. And I won’t try to make one up for you. It’s just what they do.”

“And…will he die?”

“No, he won’t. Right now, he’s getting fixed up.”

“An…operation?”

“Yes, Miss Parker. He’s having an operation. But he’ll be a lot better when it’s over and the pain will be gone.”

“And…for me?”

“When you wake up, the pain will be gone, too. The pain will be gone and you’ll be safe.”

“You were scared, Jarod,” the brunette murmured.

“And you felt it, Miss Parker,” Rebecca stated quietly. “You felt his fear in the same way that you could feel his pain. But you couldn’t understand it and didn’t know what to do.”

“The pain…was so…”

“Intense. And consuming.” Jarod rested his head on one hand, the other covering Miss Parker's, and his eyes darkened at the memory of the agony.

“But you both pushed it away and forgot about it.”

“How?”

The question came simultaneously from them both and they looked at her as she shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Jarod got up from his chair and began to pace the room, watching her out of the corner of his eye. “You know…” 

“I don’t know everything, Jarod. And some things don’t have a reason. Why is Raines the way he is? Why does the Centre put money before lives? Why did Catherine and Jacob have to die so early in life? There are no answers to these questions. They just exist.”

“This is why it all comes back to him,” Rebecca turned to Miss Parker and then glanced at Jarod. “And why it all comes back to her. There’s a connection between you – a strong connection. Even before you knew each other, it came into existence. But various things got in the way and pushed it aside, the way they wanted.”

“The Centre.”

“They don’t like what they can’t control – and they couldn’t control that.”

“Momma?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Who is he?”

“He’s a very special boy.”

“And why do I feel what he feels?”

“You have a bond, a special connection that you share and that’s why you know what he’s feeling.”

“Does that make me…special too?”

Her mother hugged her and she felt a tear drop from her mother’s face onto her own. “It makes you very special, baby.”

“And will I always know…what he’s feeling?”

“If you stay friends, baby, yes. And it’s very important that you do. The next time you feel that, it might save your life, or his.”

“But if it happens again, she’ll come back to us.”

Her mother’s face became sad and a stream of tears followed the first. “Next time, she might not be able to.”

“Your mother thought I was dead.” Rebecca walked over to the window and stood, staring out of it, her back to the other occupants. “Jacob’s set-up was very convincing and everybody who saw me and it thought the same. Catherine was devastated that she hadn’t been able to rescue me.” She smiled faintly. “Even Sydney believed I was dead for a while.”

“Why only for a while?”

Jarod looked up as the man entered the room and sat in a chair at the end of the bed. “I was shown the situation, along with the members of the Tower, from behind the glass. It looked like she was…”

“Dead, Sydney.” Rebecca looked around with a half-smile. “The word is dead.”

“I left the Centre early that day.” Sydney ignored the interruption. “I found it hard to accept that the child who told us you were dying,” he looked over at Jarod, his face wearing an expression of pain, “could be dead herself. But that night, Jacob came home late. He wasn’t alone.”

“It took us more than half an hour to persuade Sydney that the scene had been set up.” Rebecca smiled and walked over to sit beside the psychiatrist.

“But, when we did, he helped us to find a family where I would be safe.”

“Safe from what? They thought you were dead.”

“Your father didn’t.” Rebecca gave a half-smile. “Your father was persuaded that it had somehow all been fake. He tried to make Jacob tell him where I was – but then the accident happened, and he had to stop asking.”

“And then?”

“Then…” Rebecca paused and swallowed painfully. “Then I had to deal with the guilt of more than thirty-five years. If I’d just been a little sooner…”

“But you said yourself,” Jarod interrupted. “You don’t influence what happens, you just know it will.”

“But I used another word before, too.” She met his gaze. “Hope, remember? I hoped that perhaps, if I appeared, I could change things somehow. And hope can be strong, especially if you don’t want to confront what’s going to happen.”

She sat silently for several moments while the others watched her, staring down at her hands. Jarod could have believed he saw a tear in her eye but there was no trace when she finally looked up.

“Your father, Miss Parker, didn’t want you to have a bond of any sort with anybody at the Centre other than him. He fought against it with everything he could think of and finally found something that worked. He placed you in a part of the Centre where you would have no knowledge of Jarod at all. He thought that distance and time would do what nothing else had managed to. We’ve seen how right he was.”

“I didn’t want to forget.”

Jarod looked down to find her watching him and smiled at her. “Nobody wants to forget. It just happens.”

“Do you blame me?”

“No, Parker.” He shook his head and smiled. “I don’t blame you at all. How could I? I always knew it wasn’t your fault.”

As the two old friends as they rediscovered their friendship, forgetful of the others in the room, Rebecca stood up and held out one hand to Sydney. Silently the two left the room, the psychiatrist taking one last glance over his shoulder before he shut the door.

“Are you all right, Sydney?”

“I remember what you said.”

“The next time I see you will be the last time, Sydney.”

“For you or for me?”

“For both of us.”

“The last time.” She paused. “And are you scared?”

“No,” he admitted. “I’m too tired to be scared.”

She led him to the bed. “It won’t be long…or difficult.”

“And…what’s waiting…afterwards?”

There was a tender smile on her face as she helped him to sit down. “I only know about this world, Sydney. Not the next.”

“And…you?”

“I’ve fulfilled my purpose in life. There’s nothing left for me here now.”

“And will they…?”

“They won’t know anything until tomorrow.”

He nodded slowly, sighing deeply before raising his head to look at her.

“And are you sure?”

“Very sure.” Her touch was gentle as she helped him to lie down, taking a seat next to him on the bed and placing one hand on his. He sighed once and then looked up at her.

“Is there anything I need to know?”

“That they both loved you, Sydney. That’s the most important thing.”

He blinked slowly several times, his gaze always coming to rest on her, but his vision blurred until, finally unable to see anymore, he left his eyes closed. She waited a moment and then leaned in close to his ear.

“I know you can still hear me, Sydney. The other thing you need to know is that what we’ve done over the last hours won’t be undone ever again. They value what they’ve regained too much to let it go. We did what your brother wanted us to do, all those years ago. And I know that he’s waiting for you.” She paused. “Go on, Sydney.” Bending down, she kissed him gently on one cheek. “You can rest now. You’ve earned it.”

There was a brief moment of tension in the hand that she still held in hers and then an expression of peace came into his face. She swallowed once to hide the emotion that was building up inside her and then rose and moved over to the table. Opening a small bag that lay out of sight on one chair, she extracted an envelope and placed it on the table, one finger stroking it gently before she left it there.

Crossing to the door, she eased it open and peeped into the room. The two people lay together on the bed, arms closely around each other and peacefully asleep. With a decisive nod, she silently closed the door and then walked over to the window, opening the curtain to look out over the moonlit city that stretched out far below her. For the first time in her life, a tear escaped her eye and began to trickle down her cheek. A second would have followed but she blinked it away and walked over to the vacant bed, easing off her shoes and lying down on it. Her figure was illuminated by the moonlight from the uncovered window and she looked up to the shining disc in the sky. She blinked once and then all was still.

~*~*~

They stood together in the doorway the next morning, looking silently at the scene before them. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders and hers around his waist. Neither cried, although they would both wonder at that later. He relaxed his hold and walked over to the beds, proving to himself that his eyes weren’t deceiving him. It was by the first bed that he paused longest, looking down at Sydney lying there, his expression peaceful. Jarod placed one gentle hand on the dead man’s forehead for a moment, smoothing a stray hair, before drawing back.

A glance at Rebecca’s face showed that she, too, had not suffered. Her eyes, like Sydney's, were closed and her arms lay on either side of her slender frame. Looking back towards his living companion, his eye was caught by the sight of the envelope on the table and he crossed the room to pick it up. There was no introduction and no date. He brought it to her and together they read it.

I believe that I was born to bring the two of you back together again. I’ve lived for more than forty years in this world and never felt whole unless I was helping one or other of you. But that isn’t a reason for you to feel guilty. The only guilt you should feel is that you ever allowed that connection to be broken in the first place. If it should ever be broken again, it will be decimating the memories of the two of us who lie here in front of you.

Sydney's last wish – unspoken – was that he be buried alongside his brother. I know that you will fulfill this and comfort those, including each other, whose lives will be most disturbed by his passing. Rest assured that it was an easy and painless one. If he could believe that you would not mourn too deeply, I believe he would even have been happy.

My last wish is that neither of you forget me. I know that Angelo never will, but other than that, those who would remember me are gone and that leaves only the three of you. He knows that I have died. He knew it a long time ago. My own passing was also easy. I have fulfilled the purpose for which I was born. Not everybody can be said to be so fortunate.

The next step is up to you. The Centre has no knowledge of our location and, should you choose, the two of you could vanish together and never be heard from again. But I don’t think you will do that. Working together, you could destroy the Centre completely, reveal all of the secrets and recover the past that they have stolen from you. But whether you do it or not is up to you – and fate.

I hope that one day we will be together again. My knowledge stops at all things earthly, but I believe that love transcends death and both of you are very dear to me. Thus I will wait for you both and we will finally get the chance, perhaps, to know each other in a situation without pain. That hope sustains me. Let it sustain you also.

My eternal love,

Rebecca.