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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: see Chapter sixteen
~~~~~~~
To End The Evil
Part 52
Awkward Moments
Parker walked silently downstairs, careful not to wake anybody.
When she walked into the kitchen, Jarod was already there. She could smell fresh coffee and there were scrambled eggs and fresh bread.
Jarod was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in front of him.
The Major and he had talked until late into the night. She had already supposed that they had come to terms and Jarod’s behaviour now affirmed her suspicions.
He was relaxed and wore a calm smile on his face.
Parker grinned and walked into the kitchen. Surprising herself and Jarod, she bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then went on to get herself some coffee.
Jarod’s smile broadened even more and Parker had to chuckle when she turned back and took the seat besides him.
“Morning,“ she said lightly.
“Morning. Slept well?” he replied, equally at ease.
Parker just nodded and savoured the smell and taste of the coffee. Jarod went back to his own musing and just looked ahead of him, the content smile still firmly in place.
There was a sparkle in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in them for a long time.
“Bath in it. It will most certainly be gone before you realized it was even there,” Parker advised after a few minutes.
“Hmm?” Jarod mumbled, blinking and then turning to look at her.
Parker smiled. “I said that you should bath in the good spirit you are in now. Knowing our luck it won’t stay this way for a long time,“ she repeated.
“Maybe we are in for a change of luck, don’t you think?” Jarod asked back.
“Can’t get that smile away from your face that easily, now can I?” she smirked.
“No. Do you want to?” Jarod bantered back.
Parker quirked an eyebrow and raised her chin, all the while, a soft smile taking the edge out of her movements. “Why not?“ she quipped.
“Uh, you are up to a fight?” Jarod grinned. He suddenly reached out and drew her over to him.
Parker shrieked and then giggled when he drew her onto his lap. “Let’s see who will win this one,“ he threatened and wiggled his eyebrows. The sparkle she had seen in his eyes before multiplied.
Without another announcement, Jarod bent down and kissed her softly.
Parker sat there on his lap, stunned. Before she even got the chance to think about returning the kiss or pushing him away, Jarod had already withdrawn.
Their heads remained close and he searched her eyes for an emotion.
Parker stretched up to recapture his lips and he bent down again but they were interrupted by Sydney who was walking into the kitchen sleepily.
Parker and Jarod both straightened and looked at Sydney with a guilty expression.
Sydney looked up, running a hand through his hair and blinked at the faces that greeted him.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?”
“N-n-no, no,“ Parker replied quickly and Jarod shook his head, too.
Parker hurried to climb down from Jarod’s lap and retake her seat next to him.
Sydney didn’t comment and just went over to the counter to fetch some coffee. The moment he had his back turned towards the two persons he had fatherly feelings for, a broad smile appeared on his face.
So he hadn’t misinterpreted the emotions that had flown between them yesterday. He fidgeted with the coffee for a long time. When he turned back, he had his features back under control and wore his long schooled neutral face.
Parker and Jarod shared a look when Sydney had his back on them. When their gazes met, they both quickly looked down again.
Both were thinking about what had just happened.
It had neither been unexpected in some ways nor unpleasant but the uncertainty between them returned full force.
Sydney observed Jarod and Parker inconspicuously. They wore guilty and unsure expressions and both had their gaze cast down.
He was about to comment when Emily stumbled into the kitchen.
“Morning everyone,” she called happily.
“Morning,“ Jarod gritted out and both Sydney and Parker nodded their heads.
~~~~~~~
Parker had been right. Once the Major was on their side or at least wasn’t on confrontation course anymore, Emily backed away grudgingly.
Ethan was the last one to come downstairs. He hadn’t slept much. By now there was a nasty headache forming behind his eyes. The voices had kept him awake for most of the night. There was just too much going on around them.
The moment he entered the kitchen, he sensed an awkward atmosphere between Jarod and Parker. His mother had warned him that things would develop fast from now on between these two. Ethan nearly groaned. The voices should have let him sleep the last night so that he would be able to fulfil his part in the Scroll’s prediction.
‘Don’t worry. You will do just fine,’ his mother whispered reassuringly into his ear.
Ethan shrugged and sat down to get some breakfast.
Trying to break up the silence and because everyone was at the table, Ethan asked, “How are we going to pull this off then?”
Jarod looked up at the faces that were now turned towards him and smiled slightly. “I have a few ideas that I would like to run past you. Maybe we can discuss that after breakfast,“ he suggested.
When everyone nodded the room fell back into silence.
Jay and Debbie were sharing a glance. They had come to like one another greatly. It was not so much a probable deeper relationship but merely a friendship that seemed to grow every time they were together. By now Debbie knew what Jay’s place in the puzzle the Centre had developed was. She had been shocked at first but now she merely saw a young man in Jay, not a copy of Jarod. It hadn’t taken her a long time to get there, most certainly also because Jay himself didn’t think of himself as a copy and because she didn’t know Jarod that good and that long so she couldn’t really compare the two.
They had come to enjoy each other’s presence and friendship.
Together they would talk about things Jay didn’t have the opportunity to talk about with the ‘grown-ups’ or things Jay didn’t have the courage to ask the older ones about apart from Jarod.
Debbie asked him with her eyes what the tension in the room was about but Jay merely shrugged his shoulders telling her that he didn’t know as well.
Ethan rolled his eyes and winced at the pain that shot through his head from there on. If not he but someone had to do something against the awkward atmosphere between Parker and Jarod.
They were holding this strange little community together even though Parker had been the enemy until just about yesterday when she had talked some sense into the Major.
Ethan contemplated his steps.
There was no way that he would allow Jarod and Parker to let this little group fall into pieces because they were unsure of their relationship.
Ethan shook his head slightly. It couldn’t be that bad, now could it? The two of them obviously felt quite a lot for the other one.
‘But they won’t admit that,’ he thought.
‘That’s exactly what you will have to make them see. That’s your job, my baby boy,’ Catherine linked herself into Ethan’s musing.
‘Great! From how I know these two, it will give me plenty to do,’ he grumbled back.
‘Wait and see. You might be surprised,’ his mother’s voice chuckled.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~
Part 52
Awkward Moments
Parker walked silently downstairs, careful not to wake anybody.
When she walked into the kitchen, Jarod was already there. She could smell fresh coffee and there were scrambled eggs and fresh bread.
Jarod was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in front of him.
The Major and he had talked until late into the night. She had already supposed that they had come to terms and Jarod’s behaviour now affirmed her suspicions.
He was relaxed and wore a calm smile on his face.
Parker grinned and walked into the kitchen. Surprising herself and Jarod, she bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then went on to get herself some coffee.
Jarod’s smile broadened even more and Parker had to chuckle when she turned back and took the seat besides him.
“Morning,“ she said lightly.
“Morning. Slept well?” he replied, equally at ease.
Parker just nodded and savoured the smell and taste of the coffee. Jarod went back to his own musing and just looked ahead of him, the content smile still firmly in place.
There was a sparkle in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in them for a long time.
“Bath in it. It will most certainly be gone before you realized it was even there,” Parker advised after a few minutes.
“Hmm?” Jarod mumbled, blinking and then turning to look at her.
Parker smiled. “I said that you should bath in the good spirit you are in now. Knowing our luck it won’t stay this way for a long time,“ she repeated.
“Maybe we are in for a change of luck, don’t you think?” Jarod asked back.
“Can’t get that smile away from your face that easily, now can I?” she smirked.
“No. Do you want to?” Jarod bantered back.
Parker quirked an eyebrow and raised her chin, all the while, a soft smile taking the edge out of her movements. “Why not?“ she quipped.
“Uh, you are up to a fight?” Jarod grinned. He suddenly reached out and drew her over to him.
Parker shrieked and then giggled when he drew her onto his lap. “Let’s see who will win this one,“ he threatened and wiggled his eyebrows. The sparkle she had seen in his eyes before multiplied.
Without another announcement, Jarod bent down and kissed her softly.
Parker sat there on his lap, stunned. Before she even got the chance to think about returning the kiss or pushing him away, Jarod had already withdrawn.
Their heads remained close and he searched her eyes for an emotion.
Parker stretched up to recapture his lips and he bent down again but they were interrupted by Sydney who was walking into the kitchen sleepily.
Parker and Jarod both straightened and looked at Sydney with a guilty expression.
Sydney looked up, running a hand through his hair and blinked at the faces that greeted him.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?”
“N-n-no, no,“ Parker replied quickly and Jarod shook his head, too.
Parker hurried to climb down from Jarod’s lap and retake her seat next to him.
Sydney didn’t comment and just went over to the counter to fetch some coffee. The moment he had his back turned towards the two persons he had fatherly feelings for, a broad smile appeared on his face.
So he hadn’t misinterpreted the emotions that had flown between them yesterday. He fidgeted with the coffee for a long time. When he turned back, he had his features back under control and wore his long schooled neutral face.
Parker and Jarod shared a look when Sydney had his back on them. When their gazes met, they both quickly looked down again.
Both were thinking about what had just happened.
It had neither been unexpected in some ways nor unpleasant but the uncertainty between them returned full force.
Sydney observed Jarod and Parker inconspicuously. They wore guilty and unsure expressions and both had their gaze cast down.
He was about to comment when Emily stumbled into the kitchen.
“Morning everyone,” she called happily.
“Morning,“ Jarod gritted out and both Sydney and Parker nodded their heads.
~~~~~~~
Parker had been right. Once the Major was on their side or at least wasn’t on confrontation course anymore, Emily backed away grudgingly.
Ethan was the last one to come downstairs. He hadn’t slept much. By now there was a nasty headache forming behind his eyes. The voices had kept him awake for most of the night. There was just too much going on around them.
The moment he entered the kitchen, he sensed an awkward atmosphere between Jarod and Parker. His mother had warned him that things would develop fast from now on between these two. Ethan nearly groaned. The voices should have let him sleep the last night so that he would be able to fulfil his part in the Scroll’s prediction.
‘Don’t worry. You will do just fine,’ his mother whispered reassuringly into his ear.
Ethan shrugged and sat down to get some breakfast.
Trying to break up the silence and because everyone was at the table, Ethan asked, “How are we going to pull this off then?”
Jarod looked up at the faces that were now turned towards him and smiled slightly. “I have a few ideas that I would like to run past you. Maybe we can discuss that after breakfast,“ he suggested.
When everyone nodded the room fell back into silence.
Jay and Debbie were sharing a glance. They had come to like one another greatly. It was not so much a probable deeper relationship but merely a friendship that seemed to grow every time they were together. By now Debbie knew what Jay’s place in the puzzle the Centre had developed was. She had been shocked at first but now she merely saw a young man in Jay, not a copy of Jarod. It hadn’t taken her a long time to get there, most certainly also because Jay himself didn’t think of himself as a copy and because she didn’t know Jarod that good and that long so she couldn’t really compare the two.
They had come to enjoy each other’s presence and friendship.
Together they would talk about things Jay didn’t have the opportunity to talk about with the ‘grown-ups’ or things Jay didn’t have the courage to ask the older ones about apart from Jarod.
Debbie asked him with her eyes what the tension in the room was about but Jay merely shrugged his shoulders telling her that he didn’t know as well.
Ethan rolled his eyes and winced at the pain that shot through his head from there on. If not he but someone had to do something against the awkward atmosphere between Parker and Jarod.
They were holding this strange little community together even though Parker had been the enemy until just about yesterday when she had talked some sense into the Major.
Ethan contemplated his steps.
There was no way that he would allow Jarod and Parker to let this little group fall into pieces because they were unsure of their relationship.
Ethan shook his head slightly. It couldn’t be that bad, now could it? The two of them obviously felt quite a lot for the other one.
‘But they won’t admit that,’ he thought.
‘That’s exactly what you will have to make them see. That’s your job, my baby boy,’ Catherine linked herself into Ethan’s musing.
‘Great! From how I know these two, it will give me plenty to do,’ he grumbled back.
‘Wait and see. You might be surprised,’ his mother’s voice chuckled.
To be continued…
