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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: see Chapter sixteen
~~~~~~~
To End The Evil
Part 51
Observations and coming to terms
They were still sitting on the porch. Ethan roused from his musing as to what part he held in making the connection between Parker and Jarod complete.
He looked up and silently observed them. They were sitting side by side and sometime after he had joined them on the front porch they had turned towards each other slightly and by now they were holding hands. Their fingers were entwined and Jarod gently stroke his thumb over the back of her hand in an unconscious motion.
Ethan smiled at the sight of them.
“Come on, let’s go in,“ he finally suggested after shivering slightly.
Everyone got back into the real world slowly and soon they all stood up and went back into the house.
When they reached the kitchen, they saw Sydney sitting quietly at the table and sipping at a cup of coffee.
The house was silent. “Where is everyone?” Parker asked and went over to the counter to get herself some coffee as well. Jarod followed her and stepped behind her, letting his chin come to rest on her shoulder just like he had done on the beach. Parker flinched slightly at first and then relaxed into his touch.
“Don’t you think it is a bit late for coffee?” Jarod murmured into her ear.
She halted in her movements and then grumbled silently. “Yeah, you’re right. I forgot the time.”
Ethan followed Parker’s and Jarod’s movements with his eyes and slowly it dawned on him. There was something between them, something deeper than friendship but there was also a reservation between them. He had noticed it before but not really paid attention to it. To be honest, he had noticed it several times over the course of the last few days.
The way Parker looked at him and was nearly always at his side, especially during these dark and painful hours and the way Jarod looked at her, seemed to draw strength from her presence.
There was an uncertainty in them both that gave away that they both wanted more than the friendship they shared but they both were afraid of that new relationship and so they refrained from walking towards it.
Maybe this was the connection the Scrolls predicted.
But then what was his part in making that connection become a real one? He didn’t want to play the part of pushing them both together. Love was something that had to grow between two people. One couldn’t push that, even if both persons felt a great attraction towards each other.
‘You’re right, you can’t push the love between them but you can help them find the path to it. It won’t take much longer and you already helped them when you sent my Angel to talk to Jarod today’, his mother’s voice told him.
‘Then what do I have to do?’ Ethan asked back.
‘Help them along the way. Help them sort through their feelings,’ his mother advised.
Ethan sighed.
‘They will come to you. You won’t have to push them,’ his mother told him gently.
Ethan snapped out of his conversation in time to hear Sydney tell them that everyone else had retired for the day. The Major still sat in the living room.
“Last time I checked, he sat there in much the same position you left him, Parker,“ Sydney said.
Jarod and Parker had each taken a seat at the table and Jay made a move toward the next chair, too. Ethan stood with his back against the doorframe.
Sydney quietly observed Parker and mostly Jarod. He saw fatigue in his former students face; fatigue and pain.
“How are you, Jarod?” he asked.
Jarod looked up at Sydney with sad eyes. “Honestly, I don’t know.” He sat up and put his arms on the table, crossed in front of his chest in a defensive motion.
Sydney nodded silently and observed when Parker reach out and put her hand over Jarod’s arm. Just as Ethan had seen before, Sydney realized the waves of love and uncertainty that flowed between them.
Sydney had a hard time to keep from smiling. He looked over first to Jay and then to Ethan to see if they had noticed what he had seen.
Jay was not paying attention to what was going on around him but when Sydney’s eyes flew over to Ethan, their gazes met.
Ethan smiled slightly and winked, telling Sydney that he knew what was going on and Sydney smiled back in conspiracy.
Before Sydney got the chance to speak to Jarod again, the Major appeared in the doorframe besides Ethan.
Jarod didn’t look up.
“Jarod,… son. I would like to talk to you,” the Major addressed to his eldest son.
Jarod drew in a deep breath and looked up. “Go on then, talk,“ he said.
“Can we talk alone?” The Major asked.
“I have nothing to hide from the people in this room,“ Jarod said plainly.
“I know that and that’s not the reason why I asked you to let us talk alone,“ the Major responded, grimacing slightly.
Parker silently squeezed his arm, making Jarod look at her. ‘Don’t make this harder for him that it already is,’ she told him with her eyes.
Jarod nodded and looked back over to his father. He got up from his seat and walked over to him.
The Major sighed gratefully and walked back into the living room, followed by his son.
~~~~~~~
“Miss Parker told me some of the reasons you had to make that choice,“ Major Charles started when he was seated on the couch.
Jarod sat down in the armchair opposite the couch.
“I… I…,“ his father stuttered. “Are you certain you want to do this?”
Jarod clenched his hands. “Dad, we’ve already been through this,” he huffed frustrated and shook his head, tired of the seemingly endless argument.
“I know and I won’t doubt the wisdom of your decision anymore. You were right, it is not my place to make that decision for you,“ the Major said and Jarod looked up sharply. He frowned slightly.
“But…,” Jarod stammered.
“The only thing I want to know from you right now is, are you content with your decision, are you sure that you want to do it?” his father asked serenely.
Jarod blinked at this question. The conversation was not going as he had expected it to go. He had been prepared for another fight but not for this… reasonable discussion and his father’s question if he was ok with what he would be doing.
He shook out of his thoughts. “Yes, Dad. Yes, I am sure and I really want to do this,“ Jarod told his father calmly. “There are so many things we could achieve there, so many things to make right.”
The Major sighed.
“I am sorry if the decision is not what you wanted but I can’t help it. I somehow feel that my place is there,” Jarod continued softly.
“You don’t have to apologize for your decision. You are right. I had hoped that you would chose another way but if you are content with your decision and if it is what you really want to do, then I won’t try to hold you back. It would neither be good nor reasonable to do that, I realized that after Miss Parker talked to me. If I did, I would loose you…,“ his father paused and then searched Jarod’s eyes. “…and I wouldn’t want that. I spent a long time searching for you and this decision is not worth losing you again. Nothing is worth it to push one’s son away intentionally! I’m still not sure if I’m able to overcome my aversion against that place and come with you but I will help you any way I can and I will not let you walk out of my life again.”
Jarod looked at his father with tears shimmering in his eyes. “Thank you, Dad,” he whispered. He had given up all hope that he would be able to make it right with his father and it had nearly broken his heart.
That his father had just returned to his side and that made him feel hole again.
He smiled through his tears. “Thank you,“ he repeated.
Major Charles got up from his seat and walked over to his son. When Jarod got up from the armchair, his father drew him in a tight hug.
‘No, this decision was definitely not worth the pain that both he and his son had experienced because of his stubbornness,’ Major Charles decided silently.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~
Part 51
Observations and coming to terms
They were still sitting on the porch. Ethan roused from his musing as to what part he held in making the connection between Parker and Jarod complete.
He looked up and silently observed them. They were sitting side by side and sometime after he had joined them on the front porch they had turned towards each other slightly and by now they were holding hands. Their fingers were entwined and Jarod gently stroke his thumb over the back of her hand in an unconscious motion.
Ethan smiled at the sight of them.
“Come on, let’s go in,“ he finally suggested after shivering slightly.
Everyone got back into the real world slowly and soon they all stood up and went back into the house.
When they reached the kitchen, they saw Sydney sitting quietly at the table and sipping at a cup of coffee.
The house was silent. “Where is everyone?” Parker asked and went over to the counter to get herself some coffee as well. Jarod followed her and stepped behind her, letting his chin come to rest on her shoulder just like he had done on the beach. Parker flinched slightly at first and then relaxed into his touch.
“Don’t you think it is a bit late for coffee?” Jarod murmured into her ear.
She halted in her movements and then grumbled silently. “Yeah, you’re right. I forgot the time.”
Ethan followed Parker’s and Jarod’s movements with his eyes and slowly it dawned on him. There was something between them, something deeper than friendship but there was also a reservation between them. He had noticed it before but not really paid attention to it. To be honest, he had noticed it several times over the course of the last few days.
The way Parker looked at him and was nearly always at his side, especially during these dark and painful hours and the way Jarod looked at her, seemed to draw strength from her presence.
There was an uncertainty in them both that gave away that they both wanted more than the friendship they shared but they both were afraid of that new relationship and so they refrained from walking towards it.
Maybe this was the connection the Scrolls predicted.
But then what was his part in making that connection become a real one? He didn’t want to play the part of pushing them both together. Love was something that had to grow between two people. One couldn’t push that, even if both persons felt a great attraction towards each other.
‘You’re right, you can’t push the love between them but you can help them find the path to it. It won’t take much longer and you already helped them when you sent my Angel to talk to Jarod today’, his mother’s voice told him.
‘Then what do I have to do?’ Ethan asked back.
‘Help them along the way. Help them sort through their feelings,’ his mother advised.
Ethan sighed.
‘They will come to you. You won’t have to push them,’ his mother told him gently.
Ethan snapped out of his conversation in time to hear Sydney tell them that everyone else had retired for the day. The Major still sat in the living room.
“Last time I checked, he sat there in much the same position you left him, Parker,“ Sydney said.
Jarod and Parker had each taken a seat at the table and Jay made a move toward the next chair, too. Ethan stood with his back against the doorframe.
Sydney quietly observed Parker and mostly Jarod. He saw fatigue in his former students face; fatigue and pain.
“How are you, Jarod?” he asked.
Jarod looked up at Sydney with sad eyes. “Honestly, I don’t know.” He sat up and put his arms on the table, crossed in front of his chest in a defensive motion.
Sydney nodded silently and observed when Parker reach out and put her hand over Jarod’s arm. Just as Ethan had seen before, Sydney realized the waves of love and uncertainty that flowed between them.
Sydney had a hard time to keep from smiling. He looked over first to Jay and then to Ethan to see if they had noticed what he had seen.
Jay was not paying attention to what was going on around him but when Sydney’s eyes flew over to Ethan, their gazes met.
Ethan smiled slightly and winked, telling Sydney that he knew what was going on and Sydney smiled back in conspiracy.
Before Sydney got the chance to speak to Jarod again, the Major appeared in the doorframe besides Ethan.
Jarod didn’t look up.
“Jarod,… son. I would like to talk to you,” the Major addressed to his eldest son.
Jarod drew in a deep breath and looked up. “Go on then, talk,“ he said.
“Can we talk alone?” The Major asked.
“I have nothing to hide from the people in this room,“ Jarod said plainly.
“I know that and that’s not the reason why I asked you to let us talk alone,“ the Major responded, grimacing slightly.
Parker silently squeezed his arm, making Jarod look at her. ‘Don’t make this harder for him that it already is,’ she told him with her eyes.
Jarod nodded and looked back over to his father. He got up from his seat and walked over to him.
The Major sighed gratefully and walked back into the living room, followed by his son.
~~~~~~~
“Miss Parker told me some of the reasons you had to make that choice,“ Major Charles started when he was seated on the couch.
Jarod sat down in the armchair opposite the couch.
“I… I…,“ his father stuttered. “Are you certain you want to do this?”
Jarod clenched his hands. “Dad, we’ve already been through this,” he huffed frustrated and shook his head, tired of the seemingly endless argument.
“I know and I won’t doubt the wisdom of your decision anymore. You were right, it is not my place to make that decision for you,“ the Major said and Jarod looked up sharply. He frowned slightly.
“But…,” Jarod stammered.
“The only thing I want to know from you right now is, are you content with your decision, are you sure that you want to do it?” his father asked serenely.
Jarod blinked at this question. The conversation was not going as he had expected it to go. He had been prepared for another fight but not for this… reasonable discussion and his father’s question if he was ok with what he would be doing.
He shook out of his thoughts. “Yes, Dad. Yes, I am sure and I really want to do this,“ Jarod told his father calmly. “There are so many things we could achieve there, so many things to make right.”
The Major sighed.
“I am sorry if the decision is not what you wanted but I can’t help it. I somehow feel that my place is there,” Jarod continued softly.
“You don’t have to apologize for your decision. You are right. I had hoped that you would chose another way but if you are content with your decision and if it is what you really want to do, then I won’t try to hold you back. It would neither be good nor reasonable to do that, I realized that after Miss Parker talked to me. If I did, I would loose you…,“ his father paused and then searched Jarod’s eyes. “…and I wouldn’t want that. I spent a long time searching for you and this decision is not worth losing you again. Nothing is worth it to push one’s son away intentionally! I’m still not sure if I’m able to overcome my aversion against that place and come with you but I will help you any way I can and I will not let you walk out of my life again.”
Jarod looked at his father with tears shimmering in his eyes. “Thank you, Dad,” he whispered. He had given up all hope that he would be able to make it right with his father and it had nearly broken his heart.
That his father had just returned to his side and that made him feel hole again.
He smiled through his tears. “Thank you,“ he repeated.
Major Charles got up from his seat and walked over to his son. When Jarod got up from the armchair, his father drew him in a tight hug.
‘No, this decision was definitely not worth the pain that both he and his son had experienced because of his stubbornness,’ Major Charles decided silently.
To be continued…
