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Disclaimer: I don't own any of these names, I believe that NBC has the official right to manipulate these characters, but like others, I like to wonder what they would do in *my* world.
Note: There are a number of references to //The Bank// and to //The Deal//. I would suggest reading them first. I just have to say, that now this story is out of my system, I will finish the other one I left hanging. Thanks for waiting!
The Phone Call
By Gables
~~~~~
I got a phone call from Lyle yesterday. Sydney died. He died in his own bed with his family next to him. He died naturally, without any fault of the Center.
Although Sydney's death struck me hard, I was happy to hear that Sydney was with his rediscovered family.
On the plane back to Blue Cove, I thought about the last 13 years. I had done it. In those 13 year I had not gone back to the Center, even when my father died (by a gunshot wound from Brigitte a little less than a year after I left.) I had spoken to no one, save Lyle.
Lyle and I had become family. I dropped him a postcard after a couple of months. He hand-wrote me a response. That surprised me at first, but as I got to know my brother, I learned that he liked to do the most important things in person, and in a way that could not be traced by the Center.
He continued to write me, writing two or three letters to my one. We wrote about the weather, current affairs and art. He never wrote about the Center, or any mutual acquaintances, except Jarod once. Just after Daddy died he mentioned Jarod in passing. He said that if I were to ever come back, I would find Jarod as I left him. I was reassured by that.
I finally matched his writing pace after a year or so.
I settled down in San Francisco. It was a big city with the culture I liked, plus it was far away from Delaware.
After about four years I gave Lyle my phone number. We talk regularly. We send presents. I send him pictures of me every once in a while; pictures from my trips with my friends. I don't have many friends, but the three I do have are fantastic.
He sends me pictures too. I have no idea who took them, but the person probably wasn't associated with the Center because he was smiling and happy.
I have only seen him twice since I left. I met him in Chicago after Daddy died and once he came to San Francisco.
I never told my new friends about my past, and they never asked. When Lyle came, they loved him, and the fact that I was a twin. But that trip was over eight years ago.
And now Sydney was dead. I was flying back to Blue Cove, and I had no idea what to expect.
Before leaving I had to buy a new black dress suit. I stopped wearing them a long time ago. But as far as anybody back there was concerned, I was the same Miss Parker who left. Except the heels. I couldn't handle the pressure on my toes in the 4 inchers after so many years, so I settled with a 2 inch heel.
Lyle met me at the airport. I was going to stay at his house. Actually it was our mother's cabin. He guarded our mother's sanctuary as closely as I had.
"Hello" He greeted me with a hug.
"Hi Lyle" I smiled.
"Do you want to get something to eat? Or do you just want to go to the house first?"
"Actually I want to visit Mom's grave"
He nodded and led the way to the car. He first drove to a florist so that I could pick up some flowers.
Mommy's grave was well kept. There were flowers already rested to it. I looked at Lyle but he shrugged his shoulders.
"A lot of her admires have come out recently."
I gave him an odd look, but then returned back to my purpose.
He stayed next to me as I told my mother about my life and apologized for not visiting her in person. When I finished, I stood up and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. We looked at her grave for a bit.
"Thank you Lyle."
"For what?"
"For letting me leave."
"Ahh, truthfully, back then it was to grab the power, just like you thought. But now I know that leaving was the best thing for you. You couldn't fight your demons when they were all surrounding you at once."
"That makes me wonder all the more how you survived there"
"You'd be surprised. You will be surprised."
I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"There's a Parker look I haven't seen in a long time."
I jabbed him gently with my elbow.
"That's //Miss// Parker to you. When is the funeral?"
"At 3:30." He looked at his watch. "It's about 12:20 right now. Plenty of time to get some food."
"Okay, sounds good."
He took me to the spot where we had lunch the day I left the Center. The small Italian place I knew had been replaced. It was now an elegant seafood restaurant.
"It's about as Memory Lane-ish as I can get."
I laughed. "It's perfect."
We still didn't talk about the Center over lunch. That would come at the funeral. Instead we talked about other the changes in Blue Cove.
Lunch strung out. We talked so long that there was no use in driving back to the house.
A little after 3:00 we left the restaurant and headed to the cemetery. I was nervous as hell. I had no idea who would be there... and who would not.
Lyle sensed my apprehension.
"Don't worry. This will be a welcomed homecoming."
"What happened to Raines?"
"The reeducated Raines took his life. He began to search into his own past, and when he discovered that his old actions didn't live up to his new spiritualistic ideals, he became depressed and shot himself. The suicide note said that he didn't want his old self to return and hurt more people. Apparently the reeducation worked too well, it gave him morals!"
I laughed. "Good for that wheezing corpse."
My laughed subsided when we pulled into the cemetery. At my request, we sat in the back.
Michelle gave the main eulogy, telling how dedicated to her Sydney had become once he retired and married her. He spent all of his efforts making up for lost time with her and their son.
Next Nicholas said a few words. He was married and had two daughters. Sydney had loved them. I was so happy to hear that Sydney gained Nicholas' respect and admiration.
After Nicholas, Jarod stood up. I had not seen him sitting there. Like always, he had appeared out of nowhere. I look at Lyle.
"What's he doing here?"
"Paying his respects."
I was going to press further when Jarod began to speak.
"Sydney raised me, but never acknowledged his role as my father figure until late in life. He pushed me hard to learn and to work, but also taught me to sit back and evaluated my actions. What I am today is directly because of Sydney.
"He had a tough childhood, and made some bad decisions. I won't lie about that and neither would he, but he also made some good ones. Marrying Michelle, finally, for instance. Retiring and moving on from his work is another. And the best decision he made, was to spend the last few years getting to know all of us better and letting us get to know him better. Sydney raised me, but it was only in these past few years did I really feel close to him. I'm sure many of you feel the same."
Jarod's eyes wondered over the crowd watching the heads nod. He stopped when he saw me.
"I uh umm" He glanced down to somebody in the front pew then looked back at me.
I looked directly at him. He was still the tall muscular man I remembered, but he had a more weathered face, and some graying hair. For the first time he reminded me of Major Charles.
"Sydney loved many people, some he told daily, some occasionally, and there is an instance or two where he never openly expressed his feelings. But I know that everybody here knows how much he cared for you, no matter what happened the last time you saw him."
The crowd looked a little puzzled by his last remark, and they should be, because Jarod was talking only to me.
I closed my eyes and tried to blink away the tears that were coming. Jarod like always, had given me peace.
Lyle put his arm around me and hugged me. I let the tears flow. Jarod paused again. I know he was watching me.
"Sydney, go and move on, but don't forget us. Some need you still." Jarod sat down.
The preacher asked if there was anybody else. Lyle looked at me. I shook my head.
"The man I knew is not the same one they did. I can't go up and try to explain my relationship with him, especially since I continually pushed him away."
My brother nodded. He understood me.
~~~~~
We stood once again in the background as the casket was lowered into the ground.
After most of the people left, the ones who stayed behind were those I knew. Brootes and a woman walked toward me with a now grown up Debbie.
"M..m..Miss Parker!"
Good old Brootes was still intimidated by me. I laughed to myself thinking how wrong he was to fear me now. I had become much more mellow since I saw him last.
"Brootes, I'm sorry I never said goodbye to you in person, but I see you got my message."
I turned and looked at Debbie. She was a beautiful woman. She was tall and thin, and carried herself with authority.
"Hello Debbie."
"Miss Parker! I can't believe you're here! I have so much to tell you!!"
I held up a hand.
"First of all, it's actually Misses." I shower her my wedding band. "Mrs. Steve O'Brien."
"You're m..m..married?" Brootes yelped.
I had pulled off my old image too well. I knew that he was trying to imagine Miss Parker getting married.
"Yes Brootes. Call me Liz. It's short for Elizabeth."
Lyle had picked up on my new name quickly. I think he just liked the sound of "Lyle and Liz the Twins."
"Liz? But that's not what you told me your name was" Debbie looked puzzled.
"I know. I left it all behind Debbie. But, I'll be here for a while, so we'll have lots of time to gab" I smiled.
"Do you have any children?"
Brootes was as eager to hear the answer as his daughter.
"None of my own. My husband has a son from a previous marriage. And we adopted two foster kids, Henry and Mara. Jake, Steve's son is 24, Henry and Mara are both 17. We adopted them about seven years ago. They are best friends."
I smiled, and in the pause finally noticed the patient woman next to Brootes.
"Brootes!" I snapped. Smiling at the old feeling.
"When are you going to introduce me to your... wife?"
"Oh I'm Sorry, Miss P uh Liz. This is Shelly. My wife. We've been married for umm 12 years."
I put out my hand. And smiled, a true smile of warmth
"Nice to meet you Shelly. I'm an old colleague of Brootes'"
She took my hand, and looked at me. No doubt she saw the fear that I evoked in her husband. But she shook my hand again and smiled back.
Lyle tugged at my sleeve and nodded toward the grave. I saw three men standing there. I couldn't hold back my shock. There was Nicholas, and Jarod of course, but the third man surprised me.
It was Jarod's clone. He was a few year's older than Debbie, and I instantly flashed back to my trips home from college. That was the time when Jarod and I had started to separate due to the wedge my father pushed between us.
"That is Charlie. He took the name soon after the major died. A sweeper shot him in a chase. Jarod raised the boy."
I didn't even know my mouth was open until Lyle spoke those words, my jaw dropped further.
"How could he do it?"
"With the Center's help. We made a deal. Jarod saw how the Center was changing and decided to help. He and the boy lived in a house near by. They continued to do sims together. Good sims, Sims that Jarod approved."
I couldn't believe my ears.
"So you did change it. I wanted to ask, but feared the answer."
"After you left, all hell broke loose. Sydney and Brootes asked to leave, and so did a couple of other lower minions who indirectly worked for you. Then Raines killed himself. All of this happened within six months. Dad came back a month after that. He was ... different and did not make good decisions. Bridget's child was not his - or mine. Who knows who it belonged to. He was furious. He insisted that she give it up. That's when she shot him. She and the baby disappeared shortly after that, by hand of the tower I believe. Jarod had been tortured all that time. He kept refusing to do sims and the tower kept beating him.
"Then, things just solved themselves, in their own twisted Center way. The Major was shot and the boy captured just a couple of days after Dad died. By then I had secured all the power, just like you predicted.
"I talked to Jarod. He wasn't very thrilled with me. But I offered him the deal. Help me change the Center, and he can be with the boy."
I didn't know what to think. All of these events had happened over a decade ago. But Lyle never told me that the Center might be something I could actually be proud of.
"What about Kyle?" I asked. I knew and trusted Lyle, but how could Jarod?
"Yeahhh. He was reluctant to say the least. He has never forgiven me for shooting Kyle. I don't ever expect him to. We developed a necessary professional relationship. In the mean time I showed Jarod your letters. Over the months he saw our friendship grow. He respects you Liz, he always has. He trusted your willingness to give me a chance. So we planned to get revenge on the Center for taking us away from our mothers. For killing Catherine and for taking you away.
"It took about 2 years. He and the boy slowly undermined the triumvirate. It was ingenious, and I was there to pick up the pieces. And so I took the remains and rebuilt the Center. We do ethical and moral research now. We don't steal kids. I'd like to think that Mom would be proud.
"I thought about asking you back to help, but you were already happy in San Francisco. A year later you met Steve, so I decided to leave it alone. Please don't be angry."
The irony of fate was too unbelievable. My psychopathic brother turned the Center into a saintly institution, and got Jarod to help! I turned from Lyle and looked at Brootes. He nodded to confirm the story.
"Sydney and I left the same day. He moved near Michelle and they were married within a year. I started my own programming company."
I looked over to the three men by the grave: Sydney's three sons, my heart wept because for the first time I felt a strong regret for leaving. I felt that I should be standing next to them, standing there as Sydney's daughter.
I wished that Steve, my husband was here. I had refused to let him come. He does not know about my past, and I didn't want him to come hear and listen to people talk about the Ice Queen Miss Parker. But I really wished I could lean on him right now. I loved Steve so much. We have had a wonderful life together. He was the perfect combination of all the men I had ever loved. Jarod's looks, Thomas's unerringly sweetness, and Tanaka's suave style.
Jarod's clone broke away and walked over to our little group. He stood next to Debbie.
"Lyle, Mr. Brootes, Mrs. Brootes and ... Miss Parker I presume? You look the same as you did when you visited me. I never forgot that day Miss Parker. You started me thinking about my new life. Thank you."
I couldn't believe that he remembered me, but if he was raised by Jarod, there was no doubt that Jarod would remind him.
"Can you stay for the wedding?"
My head snapped up to look at him. He was smiling and holding Debbie close.
"You didn't tell her sweetheart?"
"Well no, she interrupted me before I could!" Debbie laughed as she looked at my shocked face.
I looked at Brootes
"Yeah I know, I had to get used to the idea too" He whispered to me.
The clone told the story. "Mr. Brootes asked the Center to test his new anti-hacking program. I was on one side trying to get in and Debbie was monitoring from the other side. I met her when I dropped the report off at their house. That was a year ago."
"So, you work for your father Debbie?" I asked. Because I had nothing else to say.
"Just in the summers. I go to college for the rest of the year. Not all of us are born geniuses!" She smiled and kissed her fiancée.
She was truly happy, and I smiled for her. I knew exactly how she felt.
"I realize that in some respects having the wedding so soon after the funeral is in poor taste, but everybody is already here, and Sydney wouldn't want us to wait any longer. In fact, he said to Jarod 'it's about time.' And made Jarod promise that we'd keep the wedding date."
Flabbergasted, I nodded again.
Lyle touched my arm again.
"Tell you what sis, why don't you ride with Debbie. I'll meet you guys at Sydney's."
As I looked back at the grave once more, only Jarod remained, He set aside his jacket -- he would be the one to finish burying Sydney.
~~~~~
In the car Debbie asked question after question about my life. I pulled out the pictures and told her everything I could in the 20 minute ride.
"For our honeymoon we are going on a world trip! First to Europe to see the medieval castles, Charlie can pretend to be an expert so we'll get to see all the ins and outs! And then down into Africa to the Serengeti. I'm a photography major, and we are going on a shooting safari!"
Debbie laughed and I felt like I was in the twilight zone. They were going to Europe?... together?... To see castles?...
"And then into Asia, Charlie loves Japanese food!"
"I guess I got that taste from Jarod"
And I could bet where Jarod got that taste from.
"Well Debbie, you will have to stop off in San Francisco I would love to introduce you to my family and show you around the town!"
I was still scared about bringing my past into my present life, but inviting them felt right.
~~~~~
I saw Jarod talking to some people at the memorial service. He was the only one I hadn't talked to, I was half wishing he would come over to me, and half wishing that I could hide. I decided to hide.
I wondered the hallways of Syd's house trying to learn more about the man he was when he died. There were tons of pictures on the walls. Pictures of Jarod and the boy, of Nicholas, and his family and a few of Debbie.
I found Syd's office. It was decorated in dark woods and burgundy. Definitely a masculine office, with a touch of the psychiatrist. The walls were lined with books, but I bet that they hadn't been touched in a long time because in front of them, on every shelf, were more picture frames.
I went around the room and watched Jarod grow up again. This time much more happy. But it wasn't him I reminded myself. It was the clone, Charlie.
The pictures on his desk surprised me the most. There was the picture of my mother holding me as a baby, and next to it was the last picture that I sent Lyle! I picked up the frame. The picture was not the original -- Lyle had been copying the pictures I sent him. The gesture touched me in many ways.
The words Jarod spoke to me in his cell on the day that I left came back to me, >>A lot of people will miss you. You seem to instill a strong sense of loyalty in those you meet.
Note: There are a number of references to //The Bank// and to //The Deal//. I would suggest reading them first. I just have to say, that now this story is out of my system, I will finish the other one I left hanging. Thanks for waiting!
By Gables
~~~~~
I got a phone call from Lyle yesterday. Sydney died. He died in his own bed with his family next to him. He died naturally, without any fault of the Center.
Although Sydney's death struck me hard, I was happy to hear that Sydney was with his rediscovered family.
On the plane back to Blue Cove, I thought about the last 13 years. I had done it. In those 13 year I had not gone back to the Center, even when my father died (by a gunshot wound from Brigitte a little less than a year after I left.) I had spoken to no one, save Lyle.
Lyle and I had become family. I dropped him a postcard after a couple of months. He hand-wrote me a response. That surprised me at first, but as I got to know my brother, I learned that he liked to do the most important things in person, and in a way that could not be traced by the Center.
He continued to write me, writing two or three letters to my one. We wrote about the weather, current affairs and art. He never wrote about the Center, or any mutual acquaintances, except Jarod once. Just after Daddy died he mentioned Jarod in passing. He said that if I were to ever come back, I would find Jarod as I left him. I was reassured by that.
I finally matched his writing pace after a year or so.
I settled down in San Francisco. It was a big city with the culture I liked, plus it was far away from Delaware.
After about four years I gave Lyle my phone number. We talk regularly. We send presents. I send him pictures of me every once in a while; pictures from my trips with my friends. I don't have many friends, but the three I do have are fantastic.
He sends me pictures too. I have no idea who took them, but the person probably wasn't associated with the Center because he was smiling and happy.
I have only seen him twice since I left. I met him in Chicago after Daddy died and once he came to San Francisco.
I never told my new friends about my past, and they never asked. When Lyle came, they loved him, and the fact that I was a twin. But that trip was over eight years ago.
And now Sydney was dead. I was flying back to Blue Cove, and I had no idea what to expect.
Before leaving I had to buy a new black dress suit. I stopped wearing them a long time ago. But as far as anybody back there was concerned, I was the same Miss Parker who left. Except the heels. I couldn't handle the pressure on my toes in the 4 inchers after so many years, so I settled with a 2 inch heel.
Lyle met me at the airport. I was going to stay at his house. Actually it was our mother's cabin. He guarded our mother's sanctuary as closely as I had.
"Hello" He greeted me with a hug.
"Hi Lyle" I smiled.
"Do you want to get something to eat? Or do you just want to go to the house first?"
"Actually I want to visit Mom's grave"
He nodded and led the way to the car. He first drove to a florist so that I could pick up some flowers.
Mommy's grave was well kept. There were flowers already rested to it. I looked at Lyle but he shrugged his shoulders.
"A lot of her admires have come out recently."
I gave him an odd look, but then returned back to my purpose.
He stayed next to me as I told my mother about my life and apologized for not visiting her in person. When I finished, I stood up and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. We looked at her grave for a bit.
"Thank you Lyle."
"For what?"
"For letting me leave."
"Ahh, truthfully, back then it was to grab the power, just like you thought. But now I know that leaving was the best thing for you. You couldn't fight your demons when they were all surrounding you at once."
"That makes me wonder all the more how you survived there"
"You'd be surprised. You will be surprised."
I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"There's a Parker look I haven't seen in a long time."
I jabbed him gently with my elbow.
"That's //Miss// Parker to you. When is the funeral?"
"At 3:30." He looked at his watch. "It's about 12:20 right now. Plenty of time to get some food."
"Okay, sounds good."
He took me to the spot where we had lunch the day I left the Center. The small Italian place I knew had been replaced. It was now an elegant seafood restaurant.
"It's about as Memory Lane-ish as I can get."
I laughed. "It's perfect."
We still didn't talk about the Center over lunch. That would come at the funeral. Instead we talked about other the changes in Blue Cove.
Lunch strung out. We talked so long that there was no use in driving back to the house.
A little after 3:00 we left the restaurant and headed to the cemetery. I was nervous as hell. I had no idea who would be there... and who would not.
Lyle sensed my apprehension.
"Don't worry. This will be a welcomed homecoming."
"What happened to Raines?"
"The reeducated Raines took his life. He began to search into his own past, and when he discovered that his old actions didn't live up to his new spiritualistic ideals, he became depressed and shot himself. The suicide note said that he didn't want his old self to return and hurt more people. Apparently the reeducation worked too well, it gave him morals!"
I laughed. "Good for that wheezing corpse."
My laughed subsided when we pulled into the cemetery. At my request, we sat in the back.
Michelle gave the main eulogy, telling how dedicated to her Sydney had become once he retired and married her. He spent all of his efforts making up for lost time with her and their son.
Next Nicholas said a few words. He was married and had two daughters. Sydney had loved them. I was so happy to hear that Sydney gained Nicholas' respect and admiration.
After Nicholas, Jarod stood up. I had not seen him sitting there. Like always, he had appeared out of nowhere. I look at Lyle.
"What's he doing here?"
"Paying his respects."
I was going to press further when Jarod began to speak.
"Sydney raised me, but never acknowledged his role as my father figure until late in life. He pushed me hard to learn and to work, but also taught me to sit back and evaluated my actions. What I am today is directly because of Sydney.
"He had a tough childhood, and made some bad decisions. I won't lie about that and neither would he, but he also made some good ones. Marrying Michelle, finally, for instance. Retiring and moving on from his work is another. And the best decision he made, was to spend the last few years getting to know all of us better and letting us get to know him better. Sydney raised me, but it was only in these past few years did I really feel close to him. I'm sure many of you feel the same."
Jarod's eyes wondered over the crowd watching the heads nod. He stopped when he saw me.
"I uh umm" He glanced down to somebody in the front pew then looked back at me.
I looked directly at him. He was still the tall muscular man I remembered, but he had a more weathered face, and some graying hair. For the first time he reminded me of Major Charles.
"Sydney loved many people, some he told daily, some occasionally, and there is an instance or two where he never openly expressed his feelings. But I know that everybody here knows how much he cared for you, no matter what happened the last time you saw him."
The crowd looked a little puzzled by his last remark, and they should be, because Jarod was talking only to me.
I closed my eyes and tried to blink away the tears that were coming. Jarod like always, had given me peace.
Lyle put his arm around me and hugged me. I let the tears flow. Jarod paused again. I know he was watching me.
"Sydney, go and move on, but don't forget us. Some need you still." Jarod sat down.
The preacher asked if there was anybody else. Lyle looked at me. I shook my head.
"The man I knew is not the same one they did. I can't go up and try to explain my relationship with him, especially since I continually pushed him away."
My brother nodded. He understood me.
~~~~~
We stood once again in the background as the casket was lowered into the ground.
After most of the people left, the ones who stayed behind were those I knew. Brootes and a woman walked toward me with a now grown up Debbie.
"M..m..Miss Parker!"
Good old Brootes was still intimidated by me. I laughed to myself thinking how wrong he was to fear me now. I had become much more mellow since I saw him last.
"Brootes, I'm sorry I never said goodbye to you in person, but I see you got my message."
I turned and looked at Debbie. She was a beautiful woman. She was tall and thin, and carried herself with authority.
"Hello Debbie."
"Miss Parker! I can't believe you're here! I have so much to tell you!!"
I held up a hand.
"First of all, it's actually Misses." I shower her my wedding band. "Mrs. Steve O'Brien."
"You're m..m..married?" Brootes yelped.
I had pulled off my old image too well. I knew that he was trying to imagine Miss Parker getting married.
"Yes Brootes. Call me Liz. It's short for Elizabeth."
Lyle had picked up on my new name quickly. I think he just liked the sound of "Lyle and Liz the Twins."
"Liz? But that's not what you told me your name was" Debbie looked puzzled.
"I know. I left it all behind Debbie. But, I'll be here for a while, so we'll have lots of time to gab" I smiled.
"Do you have any children?"
Brootes was as eager to hear the answer as his daughter.
"None of my own. My husband has a son from a previous marriage. And we adopted two foster kids, Henry and Mara. Jake, Steve's son is 24, Henry and Mara are both 17. We adopted them about seven years ago. They are best friends."
I smiled, and in the pause finally noticed the patient woman next to Brootes.
"Brootes!" I snapped. Smiling at the old feeling.
"When are you going to introduce me to your... wife?"
"Oh I'm Sorry, Miss P uh Liz. This is Shelly. My wife. We've been married for umm 12 years."
I put out my hand. And smiled, a true smile of warmth
"Nice to meet you Shelly. I'm an old colleague of Brootes'"
She took my hand, and looked at me. No doubt she saw the fear that I evoked in her husband. But she shook my hand again and smiled back.
Lyle tugged at my sleeve and nodded toward the grave. I saw three men standing there. I couldn't hold back my shock. There was Nicholas, and Jarod of course, but the third man surprised me.
It was Jarod's clone. He was a few year's older than Debbie, and I instantly flashed back to my trips home from college. That was the time when Jarod and I had started to separate due to the wedge my father pushed between us.
"That is Charlie. He took the name soon after the major died. A sweeper shot him in a chase. Jarod raised the boy."
I didn't even know my mouth was open until Lyle spoke those words, my jaw dropped further.
"How could he do it?"
"With the Center's help. We made a deal. Jarod saw how the Center was changing and decided to help. He and the boy lived in a house near by. They continued to do sims together. Good sims, Sims that Jarod approved."
I couldn't believe my ears.
"So you did change it. I wanted to ask, but feared the answer."
"After you left, all hell broke loose. Sydney and Brootes asked to leave, and so did a couple of other lower minions who indirectly worked for you. Then Raines killed himself. All of this happened within six months. Dad came back a month after that. He was ... different and did not make good decisions. Bridget's child was not his - or mine. Who knows who it belonged to. He was furious. He insisted that she give it up. That's when she shot him. She and the baby disappeared shortly after that, by hand of the tower I believe. Jarod had been tortured all that time. He kept refusing to do sims and the tower kept beating him.
"Then, things just solved themselves, in their own twisted Center way. The Major was shot and the boy captured just a couple of days after Dad died. By then I had secured all the power, just like you predicted.
"I talked to Jarod. He wasn't very thrilled with me. But I offered him the deal. Help me change the Center, and he can be with the boy."
I didn't know what to think. All of these events had happened over a decade ago. But Lyle never told me that the Center might be something I could actually be proud of.
"What about Kyle?" I asked. I knew and trusted Lyle, but how could Jarod?
"Yeahhh. He was reluctant to say the least. He has never forgiven me for shooting Kyle. I don't ever expect him to. We developed a necessary professional relationship. In the mean time I showed Jarod your letters. Over the months he saw our friendship grow. He respects you Liz, he always has. He trusted your willingness to give me a chance. So we planned to get revenge on the Center for taking us away from our mothers. For killing Catherine and for taking you away.
"It took about 2 years. He and the boy slowly undermined the triumvirate. It was ingenious, and I was there to pick up the pieces. And so I took the remains and rebuilt the Center. We do ethical and moral research now. We don't steal kids. I'd like to think that Mom would be proud.
"I thought about asking you back to help, but you were already happy in San Francisco. A year later you met Steve, so I decided to leave it alone. Please don't be angry."
The irony of fate was too unbelievable. My psychopathic brother turned the Center into a saintly institution, and got Jarod to help! I turned from Lyle and looked at Brootes. He nodded to confirm the story.
"Sydney and I left the same day. He moved near Michelle and they were married within a year. I started my own programming company."
I looked over to the three men by the grave: Sydney's three sons, my heart wept because for the first time I felt a strong regret for leaving. I felt that I should be standing next to them, standing there as Sydney's daughter.
I wished that Steve, my husband was here. I had refused to let him come. He does not know about my past, and I didn't want him to come hear and listen to people talk about the Ice Queen Miss Parker. But I really wished I could lean on him right now. I loved Steve so much. We have had a wonderful life together. He was the perfect combination of all the men I had ever loved. Jarod's looks, Thomas's unerringly sweetness, and Tanaka's suave style.
Jarod's clone broke away and walked over to our little group. He stood next to Debbie.
"Lyle, Mr. Brootes, Mrs. Brootes and ... Miss Parker I presume? You look the same as you did when you visited me. I never forgot that day Miss Parker. You started me thinking about my new life. Thank you."
I couldn't believe that he remembered me, but if he was raised by Jarod, there was no doubt that Jarod would remind him.
"Can you stay for the wedding?"
My head snapped up to look at him. He was smiling and holding Debbie close.
"You didn't tell her sweetheart?"
"Well no, she interrupted me before I could!" Debbie laughed as she looked at my shocked face.
I looked at Brootes
"Yeah I know, I had to get used to the idea too" He whispered to me.
The clone told the story. "Mr. Brootes asked the Center to test his new anti-hacking program. I was on one side trying to get in and Debbie was monitoring from the other side. I met her when I dropped the report off at their house. That was a year ago."
"So, you work for your father Debbie?" I asked. Because I had nothing else to say.
"Just in the summers. I go to college for the rest of the year. Not all of us are born geniuses!" She smiled and kissed her fiancée.
She was truly happy, and I smiled for her. I knew exactly how she felt.
"I realize that in some respects having the wedding so soon after the funeral is in poor taste, but everybody is already here, and Sydney wouldn't want us to wait any longer. In fact, he said to Jarod 'it's about time.' And made Jarod promise that we'd keep the wedding date."
Flabbergasted, I nodded again.
Lyle touched my arm again.
"Tell you what sis, why don't you ride with Debbie. I'll meet you guys at Sydney's."
As I looked back at the grave once more, only Jarod remained, He set aside his jacket -- he would be the one to finish burying Sydney.
~~~~~
In the car Debbie asked question after question about my life. I pulled out the pictures and told her everything I could in the 20 minute ride.
"For our honeymoon we are going on a world trip! First to Europe to see the medieval castles, Charlie can pretend to be an expert so we'll get to see all the ins and outs! And then down into Africa to the Serengeti. I'm a photography major, and we are going on a shooting safari!"
Debbie laughed and I felt like I was in the twilight zone. They were going to Europe?... together?... To see castles?...
"And then into Asia, Charlie loves Japanese food!"
"I guess I got that taste from Jarod"
And I could bet where Jarod got that taste from.
"Well Debbie, you will have to stop off in San Francisco I would love to introduce you to my family and show you around the town!"
I was still scared about bringing my past into my present life, but inviting them felt right.
~~~~~
I saw Jarod talking to some people at the memorial service. He was the only one I hadn't talked to, I was half wishing he would come over to me, and half wishing that I could hide. I decided to hide.
I wondered the hallways of Syd's house trying to learn more about the man he was when he died. There were tons of pictures on the walls. Pictures of Jarod and the boy, of Nicholas, and his family and a few of Debbie.
I found Syd's office. It was decorated in dark woods and burgundy. Definitely a masculine office, with a touch of the psychiatrist. The walls were lined with books, but I bet that they hadn't been touched in a long time because in front of them, on every shelf, were more picture frames.
I went around the room and watched Jarod grow up again. This time much more happy. But it wasn't him I reminded myself. It was the clone, Charlie.
The pictures on his desk surprised me the most. There was the picture of my mother holding me as a baby, and next to it was the last picture that I sent Lyle! I picked up the frame. The picture was not the original -- Lyle had been copying the pictures I sent him. The gesture touched me in many ways.
The words Jarod spoke to me in his cell on the day that I left came back to me, >>A lot of people will miss you. You seem to instill a strong sense of loyalty in those you meet.
