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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: Okay, all Pretender related stuff is the property of NBC's The Pretender. They are not mine! Although, other characters are mine.
Author's note: This is a [MAJOR] "What if" story so bare with me on this one, okay? I was so tempted to do it, so... I did! I had a lot fun writing it too. So here it is... enjoy!
The woman turned to Miss Parker suddenly, as if realizing she was there for the first time, and smiled... awkwardly.
"And who is this, Jarod?" the woman asked, glancing at Jarod briefly. She returned her small green eyes to Miss Parker. "Girlfriend?"
"No," Jarod said. "Babysitter."
"Babysitter, eh?" the woman said, as if looking her up and down. Miss Parker wanted so much to just slap the woman.
"Well, I have to go. We have a lot more stores..." Jarod began, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
"Don't be a stranger, okay? Call me once in a while," the woman said, pinching Jarod cheek. "You're a looker! A real fine gentleman!"
Jarod smiled and gave her a fake salute, as she smiled back and Jarod, Miss Parker and Chelsea, who stayed close to her dad in fear, hurried passed the woman before she could say anything more.
"Jeez," was all Chelsea said, looking up at Jarod. Jarod smiled down at her and brushed back her hair with his hand.
"Some woman," Miss Parker said, glancing behind them at her.
"Yeah, that is Mrs. Randolph. She is one of a kind," Jarod said, running his hand through his short dark brown hair nervously.
"Yeah, and if I didn't know any better, I think she wants you," Miss Parker said, jabbing her elbow into his side playfully. Jarod smiled shyly, looking down to the ground. Miss Parker saw the sparkle in his eyes and she almost gasped out loud.
"Yeah, well... she is a little old for me. And besides," he paused, the smile and happiness disappearing from his lips and eyes. "I don't think I'll ever find myself loving another... again."
Miss Parker glanced up from the sidewalk at his face. His eyes met hers and she noticed how quickly he glanced away.
"Well Chels, there is nothing else but crappy stores down there. What do you say we head on out of here?" Jarod asked the little girl, his smile obviously forced.
Chelsea smiled, "Okay daddy! But we to take Miss Parker out for ice cream. We promised her!"
"We did, did we?" Jarod asked with a smile, glancing at Miss Parker briefly.
"Yes we did. And she would be really sad if we didn't," Chelsea finished, glancing at Miss Parker and smiling.
Jarod let out a soft chuckle and lifted Chelsea into his arms. He kissed her softly on her small cheek and whispered, loud enough for Miss Parker to hear, "Or are going to be the one that will be sad?"
"I'll be sad too, but Miss Parker will be if we don't," Chelsea whispered back. Jarod smiled and then set her down.
"Okay kiddo, you win!" Jarod said. Chelsea smiled wide. "Go get in the car, and we will be right there." With that, Chelsea spun around and took off, full speed with bag over her shoulder, towards the red car.
Jarod looked to the ground briefly and then turned to her, "Look, if I offended you in anyway... I'm sorry..." he began.
"How could you have offended me?" she asked gently. He shook his head softly. "Look, you may think I am a stranger to you... but..."
Jarod looked up and waited for her to finish. After a couple seconds... "But?" he asked.
"But... um, it ah, feels like I have known you all my life. I can relate to what you are going through. Loosing a loved one and all."
"Who did you loose?"
"My mother."
"I'm sorry."
"She was a wonderful person."
"If I can ask, how did she die?"
"She was..." it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh my god!" Miss Parker said suddenly.
Jarod looked around him nervously. "What?"
"Ah... nothing. Let's just get in the car, Chelsea is probably waiting for us."
Jarod stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "Alright."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"She could be alive!" Miss Parker shouted, barging into Sydney and Broots' room. She caught Broots pull up his covers just in time. She smirked at him.
"What?" Sydney asked, looking up from a book he was reading from the near by shelf.
"My mother, Catherine! She could be alive! There is no Centre right? Meaning no one had shot her!"
"Oh my," Broots said, sitting up more.
"Broots! I need you to find her! Now!" she snapped, turning to the balding man on the bed that held his covers to his scrawny chest.
"But M-Miss Parker. I can't without my equipment and..."
"He is right, Parker. He won't be able to do it without the Centre," Sydney calmly explained from the couch.
Miss Parker let out a frustrated huff. "Fine! I'll find her myself... somehow." She left the room with that.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Well, I'm off to see the Wizard," Jarod said, kissing Chelsea and Cian on the cheeks as they sat at the table eating their breakfast. "Be good for them, okay?" Jarod looked up at the three that stood by the counter.
"Okay daddy," Chelsea replied, as Cian nodded.
"Okay," Jarod said with a smile, kissing them one last time. He walked over to the three, but only looked at Miss Parker. "If Cian gets into
the cookies, just send him to his room for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes to him is torture, believe me. And for Chelsea, if she doesn't pick up her toys, no TV." Miss Parker nodded. "And as for you guys," Jarod said, turning to Broots and Sydney, "if I find one thing gone... I won't even hesitate calling the police. Got it?" They both nodded in agreement. "And if I find even a tiny little scratch on one of my kids," he said, turning to Miss Parker, "that you can't explain, I'll call the police as well."
"Of course," Miss Parker replied with a sly smile. Jarod nodded, not returning the smile.
"Oh daddy, Miss Parker won't hurt us," Chelsea said, proof that she was listening. "And Boots and Sadney won't steal nothing either." Jarod turned around to look at her and smiled.
"Just taking boss my dear," he said gently, walking passed her and kissing her on the top of her head. "Now, Kellie will be in and out, so if you have any question to where something goes or how it works... just ask her. And there is a woman's number on the fridge. Her name is Mrs. Smith. She lives down the block from here. If there is any emergencies, call her. Otherwise, be good!" Jarod said, pointing to the three adults as if they were children themselves. They nodded.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"And who is this?" Miss Parker asked, holding up a pink pony.
"Oh, that is Pinky, and this is Sparks," Chelsea said looking down at a yellow pony. Miss Parker picked up a green one.
"And this one?"
"Oh, that is Kindra," Chelsea said, the happiness gone from her eyes.
"Kindra? Your mother's name?"
"Yeah. The pony is green, like my mommy's eyes."
"That is beautiful."
"Yeah, that is what my daddy said," the little girl said, staring at the green pony. After a moment of silence, Chelsea looked up at Miss Parker, "Mommy isn't coming home, I know. Grandpa is dead. She went to visit him."
Miss Parker smiled sadly at her and ran her hand through Chelsea's thin
hair gently. "It's going to be okay."
"I know," Chelsea said quietly.
Just then Sydney came in and sat down at the couch.
"All done Syd?" Miss Parker asked, looking up at the old man.
"Well, there was barely anything to do... Everything was clean already!"
Miss Parker smiled at Sydney. "Yeah, Kellie kept it clean," Chelsea said, playing with one of her pony's tail.
"You like horses?" Sydney asked, getting up from the couch and bending on down his haunches to where they sat on the floor in the living room.
"Yes I do Mr. Sadney," Chelsea said quietly, looking down at the green pony in her little hand. Sydney smiled.
"Call me Sydney," he said gently.
"Okay, Sadney," she said with a smile. Sydney smiled wide and looked at Miss Parker briefly before standing up again.
"Where are you going?" Miss Parker asked, watching him walk over the little girl sitting on the floor and making his way to the hallway.
"I am going to try to find Broots. Last time I knew, he was trying to work the vacuum and almost sucked up a rug," the old man chuckled, disappearing in the hallway. Miss Parker smiled, staring off towards where Sydney just disappeared to and then looked down at the little girl again, watching her play with a pony's tail.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Cian," Miss Parker said firmly, coming into the kitchen and seeing the little boy on his tiptoes reaching for a jar on the counter. As soon as he saw her, he stepped away, his little eyes still staring at the cookie jar longingly. Miss Parker smiled, walking over to the child and leaning down on her haunches. "Remember what your daddy said about the cookies?" Miss Parker asked the child gently.
Cian glanced up at the jar and then quickly looked back at Miss Parker, his lip out slightly. "I'm sorry," he murmured.
She smiled warmly. "It's okay, Cian. Just don't do it again. Now, go up and get ready for bed. I'll be up in a minute."
Cian suddenly leaned down and placed a kiss on Miss Parker's cheek, before the small boy scrambled out of the kitchen and up the steps. Still staring off, Miss Parker stayed there for a few seconds in shock. Finally she blinked and smiled, staring off towards the foyer in wonder.
Standing up, she turned and walked into the living room, seeing Chelsea still on the floor with her ponies all around her. As Miss Parker stepped closer, she smiled, seeing the little girl's head bent to the side where it lies on the couch. She was asleep, her mouth hanging open slightly, green pony in one hand and her breath heavy and even.
Stopping in front of her, Miss Parker leaned down and gently lifted the girl into her arms, carrying her towards the foyer. Carefully walking up to the steps, trying not to wake the sleeping child, she made it to the little girl's room. Pulling back the covers, she laid the girl down and covered her up. Miss Parker found herself standing beside the bed for a moment, staring down at her.
Man, how the child looked like her father: long dark eyelashes, dark eyes, and dark hair. She was beautiful... just like her father. Miss Parker blinked a couple times, the thought scaring her more than Mr. Raines would.
Ironic. That's the word for it. Here she stands beside the bed of a little girl that is the child of Jarod. Is this a dream? Or was the other world a dream? No, this can't be reality... can it? The organization that destroyed her completely... destroyed him completely, is gone. But yet, not everything is 'peachy'. He still grieves over the loss of his beloved wife and here she is obsessed over her mother... again. Are they both not meant to be happy and at peace or...?
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she walked out of Chelsea's room, closing the door silently and walking down the hall to Cian's. Opening the door just a crack, she peeked in, smiling at the sight of the little boy trying to pull his pants over his training trousers.
Miss Parker walked into the room and over to Cian, bending down and pulling the dinosaur pajama bottoms over the diaper. Grabbing the top from the floor, Miss Parker carefully helped the little boy put his head through the correct hole, his little arms following.
"There," Miss Parker said, smiling, tugging on the bottom hem of the shirt. "All ready. Did you brush your teethe?"
Cian nodded, clenching his teeth together and folding up his lips to show her.
"Very good," Miss Parker said, after the inspection. "Alright, now, into bed."
Miss Parker watched as the boy climbed onto the bed, the covers also printed with dinosaurs and climbed under the sheets. Miss Parker chuckled, pulling the covers all the way up to his chin and then turning the lamp off on the nightstand.
"All cozy?" she asked. Watching the boy nod, Miss Parker smiled, turning for the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"That had to be the worst client I had!" Jarod huffed, walking into the house and setting down his briefcase. "Sorry I am so late," he said, looking up at Miss Parker, who stood in the hallway, cup of coffee in hand.
"It's okay," she simply said, glancing briefly down at her mug. "You want coffee?"
"I am on a strict rule not to have coffee at night," he said, smiling, rushing passed her into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he looked around quickly. "Where is um... Green and Broots?"
"Oh, they already gone to bed," she said, gesturing with her hand over her shoulder.
"Oh..." Jarod said, looking a little surprised. Shrugging a little, Jarod bent down into the refrigerator and pulled out a half-eaten cherry pie. "Want some? Mrs. Jones from down the road brought it to me. She is a great cook. Chelsea absolutely loves Cherry."
Miss Parker smiled at him, watching him pull the plastic covering off the pie and then walking over to the cupboard to pull out two plates.
"How did the kids behave?" Jarod asked, setting the plates down and retrieving two forks.
"Great," Miss Parker said, smiling. "They are perfect."
He smiled up at her from cutting the pie into two even slices. "Yeah well, even at their young ages, they are two couple of geniuses."
"Like you," she muttered, unable to hold it back. Jarod's eyes snapped up at her face, and stared for a moment. Miss Parker shifted to one foot nervously, wondering how she let that one slip.
Finally, he looked away, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Miss Parker did the same.
"We never really talked about your background, Miss Parker," Jarod said, stabbing his pie with his fork.
Miss Parker practically choked on a cherry. "There are reasons."
He looked up from his pie at her. "What kinds?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not a criminal or anything. Just... you know bad childhood." He stared at her for a moment, before looking down at his pie again. "And what about you?" she dared to ask, interested in his past. "How was your childhood?"
He simply shrugged. "Rather boring actually. I lived in the country with both parents until I was thirteen. Then my parents got divorced and my mom and I moved here. I grew up in this little town," he said, flashing her a smile.
"Boring? You probably have millions of memories."
He smiled oddly, pushing a cherry around his plate casually. "Yeah. Where we lived before, we had a huge pond in our backyard. My dad and grandpa would always take me fishing on it in the summer."
Miss Parker smiled, watching his face carefully as he spoke, his eyes still down on his plate, playing with the cherry with his fork. From that moment, she realized how gorgeous he was, and that hit her like a kick in the gut. The realization was so powerful that it made her heart beat faster and she felt like listening to him all day.
"Were you popular in school?" she asked, taking a bite of her pie and letting the sweet sensation of the taste fill her mouth as she stared at him.
Jarod chuckled softly, glancing up at her. "In my elementary grades, I was considered a geek. You know, always getting A's. But when I reach high school, I became more popular."
"Didn't try as hard on the grades, huh?" she asked, jokingly.
Jarod smiled warmly. "No, I still got A's, but I used to hide my report card and tell my friends that I got a D here and a B here. I would have given anything to be as stupid as everyone else."
Miss Parker sighed, looking down at her pie. "I heard that one before."
He looked up at her, studying her for a moment. "And what about you, Miss Parker? Were you the ace of your class?"
She lifted her eyebrows, looking up at him. "Well, yeah, I guess. I got all A's, a lot of friends, a lot of boyfriends..."
"I bet," he said, without thinking. She watched as his eyes widened a little and then flashed her a nervous smile. She almost burst into laughter at his face, but held it down. Settling for a friendly smirk instead.
"Yeah, I had this one special guy that I was absolutely head over heels for. He was actually the one that gave me my first kiss." She smiled at the memory and wished the man across the table from her knew what she was talking about. "I loved that boy so much, and I never got to tell him that."
"He probably knows," Jarod said softly. She looked up at him in surprise.
"I hope so," she whispered, staring at him for a moment. Looking down at her half eaten pie, she quickly changed the subject. "So, is your family still around?" she asked.
He sighed. "Yeah, I have family around... somewhere." She smiled. "And you?" he asked.
"Um... I'm not sure," she said, staring down at her pie in thought.
"Not sure?" he asked. "Hmph, that could be bad."
She bit her lower lip and looked up at him, smiling gently. "Yeah."
"Well, Parker, I am beat," he said, getting up and walking his plate to the sink. "I'm going to hit the sack. Good night and nice talking to you."
"Ditto," she said, flashing him a smile. "Oh, and Jarod."
He stopped at the hallway and looked over his shoulder at her. She smiled.
"Sweet dreams. We should do this again sometime."
Author's note: This is a [MAJOR] "What if" story so bare with me on this one, okay? I was so tempted to do it, so... I did! I had a lot fun writing it too. So here it is... enjoy!
The woman turned to Miss Parker suddenly, as if realizing she was there for the first time, and smiled... awkwardly.
"And who is this, Jarod?" the woman asked, glancing at Jarod briefly. She returned her small green eyes to Miss Parker. "Girlfriend?"
"No," Jarod said. "Babysitter."
"Babysitter, eh?" the woman said, as if looking her up and down. Miss Parker wanted so much to just slap the woman.
"Well, I have to go. We have a lot more stores..." Jarod began, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
"Don't be a stranger, okay? Call me once in a while," the woman said, pinching Jarod cheek. "You're a looker! A real fine gentleman!"
Jarod smiled and gave her a fake salute, as she smiled back and Jarod, Miss Parker and Chelsea, who stayed close to her dad in fear, hurried passed the woman before she could say anything more.
"Jeez," was all Chelsea said, looking up at Jarod. Jarod smiled down at her and brushed back her hair with his hand.
"Some woman," Miss Parker said, glancing behind them at her.
"Yeah, that is Mrs. Randolph. She is one of a kind," Jarod said, running his hand through his short dark brown hair nervously.
"Yeah, and if I didn't know any better, I think she wants you," Miss Parker said, jabbing her elbow into his side playfully. Jarod smiled shyly, looking down to the ground. Miss Parker saw the sparkle in his eyes and she almost gasped out loud.
"Yeah, well... she is a little old for me. And besides," he paused, the smile and happiness disappearing from his lips and eyes. "I don't think I'll ever find myself loving another... again."
Miss Parker glanced up from the sidewalk at his face. His eyes met hers and she noticed how quickly he glanced away.
"Well Chels, there is nothing else but crappy stores down there. What do you say we head on out of here?" Jarod asked the little girl, his smile obviously forced.
Chelsea smiled, "Okay daddy! But we to take Miss Parker out for ice cream. We promised her!"
"We did, did we?" Jarod asked with a smile, glancing at Miss Parker briefly.
"Yes we did. And she would be really sad if we didn't," Chelsea finished, glancing at Miss Parker and smiling.
Jarod let out a soft chuckle and lifted Chelsea into his arms. He kissed her softly on her small cheek and whispered, loud enough for Miss Parker to hear, "Or are going to be the one that will be sad?"
"I'll be sad too, but Miss Parker will be if we don't," Chelsea whispered back. Jarod smiled and then set her down.
"Okay kiddo, you win!" Jarod said. Chelsea smiled wide. "Go get in the car, and we will be right there." With that, Chelsea spun around and took off, full speed with bag over her shoulder, towards the red car.
Jarod looked to the ground briefly and then turned to her, "Look, if I offended you in anyway... I'm sorry..." he began.
"How could you have offended me?" she asked gently. He shook his head softly. "Look, you may think I am a stranger to you... but..."
Jarod looked up and waited for her to finish. After a couple seconds... "But?" he asked.
"But... um, it ah, feels like I have known you all my life. I can relate to what you are going through. Loosing a loved one and all."
"Who did you loose?"
"My mother."
"I'm sorry."
"She was a wonderful person."
"If I can ask, how did she die?"
"She was..." it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh my god!" Miss Parker said suddenly.
Jarod looked around him nervously. "What?"
"Ah... nothing. Let's just get in the car, Chelsea is probably waiting for us."
Jarod stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "Alright."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"She could be alive!" Miss Parker shouted, barging into Sydney and Broots' room. She caught Broots pull up his covers just in time. She smirked at him.
"What?" Sydney asked, looking up from a book he was reading from the near by shelf.
"My mother, Catherine! She could be alive! There is no Centre right? Meaning no one had shot her!"
"Oh my," Broots said, sitting up more.
"Broots! I need you to find her! Now!" she snapped, turning to the balding man on the bed that held his covers to his scrawny chest.
"But M-Miss Parker. I can't without my equipment and..."
"He is right, Parker. He won't be able to do it without the Centre," Sydney calmly explained from the couch.
Miss Parker let out a frustrated huff. "Fine! I'll find her myself... somehow." She left the room with that.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Well, I'm off to see the Wizard," Jarod said, kissing Chelsea and Cian on the cheeks as they sat at the table eating their breakfast. "Be good for them, okay?" Jarod looked up at the three that stood by the counter.
"Okay daddy," Chelsea replied, as Cian nodded.
"Okay," Jarod said with a smile, kissing them one last time. He walked over to the three, but only looked at Miss Parker. "If Cian gets into
the cookies, just send him to his room for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes to him is torture, believe me. And for Chelsea, if she doesn't pick up her toys, no TV." Miss Parker nodded. "And as for you guys," Jarod said, turning to Broots and Sydney, "if I find one thing gone... I won't even hesitate calling the police. Got it?" They both nodded in agreement. "And if I find even a tiny little scratch on one of my kids," he said, turning to Miss Parker, "that you can't explain, I'll call the police as well."
"Of course," Miss Parker replied with a sly smile. Jarod nodded, not returning the smile.
"Oh daddy, Miss Parker won't hurt us," Chelsea said, proof that she was listening. "And Boots and Sadney won't steal nothing either." Jarod turned around to look at her and smiled.
"Just taking boss my dear," he said gently, walking passed her and kissing her on the top of her head. "Now, Kellie will be in and out, so if you have any question to where something goes or how it works... just ask her. And there is a woman's number on the fridge. Her name is Mrs. Smith. She lives down the block from here. If there is any emergencies, call her. Otherwise, be good!" Jarod said, pointing to the three adults as if they were children themselves. They nodded.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"And who is this?" Miss Parker asked, holding up a pink pony.
"Oh, that is Pinky, and this is Sparks," Chelsea said looking down at a yellow pony. Miss Parker picked up a green one.
"And this one?"
"Oh, that is Kindra," Chelsea said, the happiness gone from her eyes.
"Kindra? Your mother's name?"
"Yeah. The pony is green, like my mommy's eyes."
"That is beautiful."
"Yeah, that is what my daddy said," the little girl said, staring at the green pony. After a moment of silence, Chelsea looked up at Miss Parker, "Mommy isn't coming home, I know. Grandpa is dead. She went to visit him."
Miss Parker smiled sadly at her and ran her hand through Chelsea's thin
hair gently. "It's going to be okay."
"I know," Chelsea said quietly.
Just then Sydney came in and sat down at the couch.
"All done Syd?" Miss Parker asked, looking up at the old man.
"Well, there was barely anything to do... Everything was clean already!"
Miss Parker smiled at Sydney. "Yeah, Kellie kept it clean," Chelsea said, playing with one of her pony's tail.
"You like horses?" Sydney asked, getting up from the couch and bending on down his haunches to where they sat on the floor in the living room.
"Yes I do Mr. Sadney," Chelsea said quietly, looking down at the green pony in her little hand. Sydney smiled.
"Call me Sydney," he said gently.
"Okay, Sadney," she said with a smile. Sydney smiled wide and looked at Miss Parker briefly before standing up again.
"Where are you going?" Miss Parker asked, watching him walk over the little girl sitting on the floor and making his way to the hallway.
"I am going to try to find Broots. Last time I knew, he was trying to work the vacuum and almost sucked up a rug," the old man chuckled, disappearing in the hallway. Miss Parker smiled, staring off towards where Sydney just disappeared to and then looked down at the little girl again, watching her play with a pony's tail.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Cian," Miss Parker said firmly, coming into the kitchen and seeing the little boy on his tiptoes reaching for a jar on the counter. As soon as he saw her, he stepped away, his little eyes still staring at the cookie jar longingly. Miss Parker smiled, walking over to the child and leaning down on her haunches. "Remember what your daddy said about the cookies?" Miss Parker asked the child gently.
Cian glanced up at the jar and then quickly looked back at Miss Parker, his lip out slightly. "I'm sorry," he murmured.
She smiled warmly. "It's okay, Cian. Just don't do it again. Now, go up and get ready for bed. I'll be up in a minute."
Cian suddenly leaned down and placed a kiss on Miss Parker's cheek, before the small boy scrambled out of the kitchen and up the steps. Still staring off, Miss Parker stayed there for a few seconds in shock. Finally she blinked and smiled, staring off towards the foyer in wonder.
Standing up, she turned and walked into the living room, seeing Chelsea still on the floor with her ponies all around her. As Miss Parker stepped closer, she smiled, seeing the little girl's head bent to the side where it lies on the couch. She was asleep, her mouth hanging open slightly, green pony in one hand and her breath heavy and even.
Stopping in front of her, Miss Parker leaned down and gently lifted the girl into her arms, carrying her towards the foyer. Carefully walking up to the steps, trying not to wake the sleeping child, she made it to the little girl's room. Pulling back the covers, she laid the girl down and covered her up. Miss Parker found herself standing beside the bed for a moment, staring down at her.
Man, how the child looked like her father: long dark eyelashes, dark eyes, and dark hair. She was beautiful... just like her father. Miss Parker blinked a couple times, the thought scaring her more than Mr. Raines would.
Ironic. That's the word for it. Here she stands beside the bed of a little girl that is the child of Jarod. Is this a dream? Or was the other world a dream? No, this can't be reality... can it? The organization that destroyed her completely... destroyed him completely, is gone. But yet, not everything is 'peachy'. He still grieves over the loss of his beloved wife and here she is obsessed over her mother... again. Are they both not meant to be happy and at peace or...?
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she walked out of Chelsea's room, closing the door silently and walking down the hall to Cian's. Opening the door just a crack, she peeked in, smiling at the sight of the little boy trying to pull his pants over his training trousers.
Miss Parker walked into the room and over to Cian, bending down and pulling the dinosaur pajama bottoms over the diaper. Grabbing the top from the floor, Miss Parker carefully helped the little boy put his head through the correct hole, his little arms following.
"There," Miss Parker said, smiling, tugging on the bottom hem of the shirt. "All ready. Did you brush your teethe?"
Cian nodded, clenching his teeth together and folding up his lips to show her.
"Very good," Miss Parker said, after the inspection. "Alright, now, into bed."
Miss Parker watched as the boy climbed onto the bed, the covers also printed with dinosaurs and climbed under the sheets. Miss Parker chuckled, pulling the covers all the way up to his chin and then turning the lamp off on the nightstand.
"All cozy?" she asked. Watching the boy nod, Miss Parker smiled, turning for the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"That had to be the worst client I had!" Jarod huffed, walking into the house and setting down his briefcase. "Sorry I am so late," he said, looking up at Miss Parker, who stood in the hallway, cup of coffee in hand.
"It's okay," she simply said, glancing briefly down at her mug. "You want coffee?"
"I am on a strict rule not to have coffee at night," he said, smiling, rushing passed her into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he looked around quickly. "Where is um... Green and Broots?"
"Oh, they already gone to bed," she said, gesturing with her hand over her shoulder.
"Oh..." Jarod said, looking a little surprised. Shrugging a little, Jarod bent down into the refrigerator and pulled out a half-eaten cherry pie. "Want some? Mrs. Jones from down the road brought it to me. She is a great cook. Chelsea absolutely loves Cherry."
Miss Parker smiled at him, watching him pull the plastic covering off the pie and then walking over to the cupboard to pull out two plates.
"How did the kids behave?" Jarod asked, setting the plates down and retrieving two forks.
"Great," Miss Parker said, smiling. "They are perfect."
He smiled up at her from cutting the pie into two even slices. "Yeah well, even at their young ages, they are two couple of geniuses."
"Like you," she muttered, unable to hold it back. Jarod's eyes snapped up at her face, and stared for a moment. Miss Parker shifted to one foot nervously, wondering how she let that one slip.
Finally, he looked away, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Miss Parker did the same.
"We never really talked about your background, Miss Parker," Jarod said, stabbing his pie with his fork.
Miss Parker practically choked on a cherry. "There are reasons."
He looked up from his pie at her. "What kinds?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not a criminal or anything. Just... you know bad childhood." He stared at her for a moment, before looking down at his pie again. "And what about you?" she dared to ask, interested in his past. "How was your childhood?"
He simply shrugged. "Rather boring actually. I lived in the country with both parents until I was thirteen. Then my parents got divorced and my mom and I moved here. I grew up in this little town," he said, flashing her a smile.
"Boring? You probably have millions of memories."
He smiled oddly, pushing a cherry around his plate casually. "Yeah. Where we lived before, we had a huge pond in our backyard. My dad and grandpa would always take me fishing on it in the summer."
Miss Parker smiled, watching his face carefully as he spoke, his eyes still down on his plate, playing with the cherry with his fork. From that moment, she realized how gorgeous he was, and that hit her like a kick in the gut. The realization was so powerful that it made her heart beat faster and she felt like listening to him all day.
"Were you popular in school?" she asked, taking a bite of her pie and letting the sweet sensation of the taste fill her mouth as she stared at him.
Jarod chuckled softly, glancing up at her. "In my elementary grades, I was considered a geek. You know, always getting A's. But when I reach high school, I became more popular."
"Didn't try as hard on the grades, huh?" she asked, jokingly.
Jarod smiled warmly. "No, I still got A's, but I used to hide my report card and tell my friends that I got a D here and a B here. I would have given anything to be as stupid as everyone else."
Miss Parker sighed, looking down at her pie. "I heard that one before."
He looked up at her, studying her for a moment. "And what about you, Miss Parker? Were you the ace of your class?"
She lifted her eyebrows, looking up at him. "Well, yeah, I guess. I got all A's, a lot of friends, a lot of boyfriends..."
"I bet," he said, without thinking. She watched as his eyes widened a little and then flashed her a nervous smile. She almost burst into laughter at his face, but held it down. Settling for a friendly smirk instead.
"Yeah, I had this one special guy that I was absolutely head over heels for. He was actually the one that gave me my first kiss." She smiled at the memory and wished the man across the table from her knew what she was talking about. "I loved that boy so much, and I never got to tell him that."
"He probably knows," Jarod said softly. She looked up at him in surprise.
"I hope so," she whispered, staring at him for a moment. Looking down at her half eaten pie, she quickly changed the subject. "So, is your family still around?" she asked.
He sighed. "Yeah, I have family around... somewhere." She smiled. "And you?" he asked.
"Um... I'm not sure," she said, staring down at her pie in thought.
"Not sure?" he asked. "Hmph, that could be bad."
She bit her lower lip and looked up at him, smiling gently. "Yeah."
"Well, Parker, I am beat," he said, getting up and walking his plate to the sink. "I'm going to hit the sack. Good night and nice talking to you."
"Ditto," she said, flashing him a smile. "Oh, and Jarod."
He stopped at the hallway and looked over his shoulder at her. She smiled.
"Sweet dreams. We should do this again sometime."
