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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Part 22
by N.R. Levy
The sound of laughter coming from downstairs woke Parker from her latest nap, and she stretched gingerly, her body still suffering from tight and sore muscles. The laughter was coming from her teenage son and his father and their whole amazing and strange family. God, she loved the sound of Will's laugh. She knew he was probably still getting used to it himself. It certainly wasn't like he'd had much to laugh or smile about much until recently. But she would change all that now. She and Jarod would change it together.
Suddenly the weight of all the days that she'd spent apart from both of her sons and their father began to settle in on Parker, and she couldn't tolerate the sensation. The Centre was no longer going to stand between her and those she loved, not even if her body still bore the scars and vestiges of that monstrous entity's terrible crimes. Throwing back the covers, Parker slowly pushed herself up to a seated position. It wasn't easy, but by moving cautiously, she managed. After a few deep breaths, she worked her legs over the edge of the bed and turned herself so that her feet were now dangling just above the floor. That's when her eyes fell on the plaid robe that covered her body. She laughed and ran her hand through her hair.
"Well, I can't exactly go out looking like this," she said to herself. But then Parker remembered the joyous display of clothes and accessories that her "boys" had shown to her earlier, and she realized she didn't have to worry about anything except getting to the items she needed.
The first few pieces were easy. Parker slid down to the end of the bed and stretching a bit, she was able to pull open the drawer of the dresser and retrieve a pair of undies and a bra that she smiled at as she imagined Jarod picking them out. It was such a wonderfully simple yet intimate gesture,
buying undergarments for someone, and she marveled at how perfectly they fit. Amazing, she thought, we have two children together and he can buy my lingerie in a perfect fit, but we haven't even kissed since we were teenagers. Of course, that was another thing that just might be changing soon if the closeness they'd begun to rebuild at Christmas was anything to measure it by.
Then, they'd just been friends reconnecting, people who loved each other but had never had the chance to be in love. Now they were parents and allies, with all the other feelings still there. Could she even let herself hope that it all added up to them having the future she'd been too frightened to dream of before?
Parker shook her head, not wanting to think too much right now. She just wanted to be with her family. Unfortunately, that meant that now that she'd secured her undergarments she had to actually walk to the closet in order to get something else to wear.
"Well," Parker muttered, "better to just go for it and get it over with."
Pushing against the bed with both hands, Parker hurled herself to a standing position. Her hands immediately reached for the footboard of the bed as her unsteady legs wavered. But after a few moments to compose herself, and a few deep breaths to steady her nerves, she was ready to keep going. Taking careful steps, and transferring her left hand from the footboard to the nearby dresser, Parker was able to cross to the closet. Opening the door, she looked inside at the lovely things that Will and Jarod had bought for her. They really had done an amazing job, especially considering the limited resources they'd had to work with. She started to reach for a cashmere short-sleeved sweater and a pair of slacks, but she suddenly thought of how much work getting those pants on might be, and she thought better of it. Scanning the rest of the contents, Parker's eyes fell on a midnight blue silk dress that she could easily slip on without much effort. On top of that, it was simply gorgeous, and the thought of having the soft fabric against her still sensitive skin was too good to pass up. Dress in hand, Parker took a few steps back, then she let go of her makeshift handrails and fell back into a seated position on the bed.
The dress was soon on her, and another stretch toward the dresser produced her new hairbrush. She gently pulled the bristles through her hair, knowing no one would care what it looked like, but she needing to do this routine task for herself. That's when she heard a giggle from behind her. Parker turned to see Angelo standing in the doorway.
"You're should be sleeping."
Parker smiled at her brother's confused but sweetly spoken words. His language skills had improved steadily since he'd come to live with their aunt Elizabeth, and though far from perfect, the very fact that he was even trying to communicate more warmed her heart. Parker patted the bed beside her and Angelo made his way to sit down next to her, taking her hand in his in a display of physical affection that still took Parker's breath away from its newness.
"I'm tired of sleeping, Angelo. I miss you and I miss..."
"Baby!" He smiled wide as he spoke, the light in Angelo's eyes reflected in his twin's.
"Yes," Parker said, laughing, "I miss Matthew, too. So, what do you say, are you gonna give your sister a helping hand, or what?"
Angelo looked at Parker closely, his eyes seeming to scan her whole being, trying to read how she was really feeling. Then he did another one of those things that he had never done before. He took Parker's hand to his lips and kissed it.
"Angelo loves you."
Parker leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her brother's cheek, which was wet from a tear that had slipped from his eye. As their joy had been earlier, this, too, was mirrored by each twin as a matching tear strolled down Parker's face.
"I love you, too," Parker said quietly.
Angelo reached up and wiped his own cheek, then his sister's. Then he stood and put out his hands to Parker. "Come, go see family."
Jarod threw another batch of burgers on the grill, wondering just who was going to eat more of them, him or his son. They'd already eaten two apiece, with Harry and his father each downing one. Elizabeth and Emily had begged off the burgers and instead had grilled chicken. Charles had grilled corn on the cob and Elizabeth had thrown together an amazing looking salad. And there were still plenty of chocolate chip cookies despite Jarod and Will's best attempt to eat them all.
Will held Matthew up above him, mocking an airplane flight as Jarod adjusted the placement of his burgers and glanced up at his sons. Matthew laughed, his tiny fists batting at the air as his brother's firm hold kept him safe. It was an almost perfect picture, Jarod thought. All it needed to be complete was their mother's adoring gaze taking it in. And then Jarod heard the screen door open. His eyes turned toward it and took in the sight that waited for him. He should have been angry, should have chastised her, should have sent her immediately back to bed, but to Jarod, the vision of Parker standing there looking almost like her old self was just too good to wish away. Handing his spatula to his father, Jarod quickly crossed the distance between them and stepped to the side of her not supported by Angelo. As his hand slipped around her waist, Jarod felt the smooth, silky fabric of her dress and the warmth of her skin beneath it. His heartbeat quickened at the sensation. Parker's eyes locked with his, her own heart reacting to the closeness as well, and Angelo eased his arm away from his sister's body. She had all the support she needed. As Will watched the power of his parents love for each other expressed so silently in front of him, his breath caught in his throat. They were amazing together. It was really the first time he'd seen them like this, actually together, and with his mom in the blue dress he'd known would look so beautiful on her and his father so happy to just be close to her, Will felt himself overwhelmed by emotions he had never felt before. Part of him wanted to laugh, part to smile, part to cry, and part wanted to run to them and ask them to hold him and never let him go. It felt hard and scary and...amazing. This was having a family, he realized. It made you feel like you were spinning in
circles, but it was real and it was finally his. Well, he thought, his and his baby brother's. Will smiled as he pulled Matthew against his chest, holding his little brother's face even with his own.
"We have a family, Matthew, a family of our very own."
Matthew snuggled against his brother momentarily before his eyes locked on his mother. The infant immediately reached out toward her, his soft and excited babble drawing Parker's attention away from Jarod and over toward her two boys. Will handed his brother over to his mother, and as the little boy wrapped his small body around hers, Parker leaned over and drew Will to her as well. She kissed his cheek and hugged him close to her. Parker couldn't help but smile when she saw the slight blush that crossed her teenage son's face.
"You're going to have to get used to that, you know?" she said softly so that only Will could hear. He looked up at her, and those intense eyes gazed back at her with the same depth of emotion his father's always held.
"I think I'd like to," he said in his own quiet voice before turning into a typical teenaged boy. He cleared his throat and looked over at Emily, who was taking one of the remaining chocolate chip cookies off of the platter on the table. Though he wanted to be with his mother, he was also a bit overcome, and he found the perfect escape in his aunt. A devilish grin on his face, Will ran over to Emily and pulled the cookie from her hand, popping it whole into his mouth. Emily's mouth fell open in surprise, then she put her hands on her hips. "You little scamp!" Will tore off the porch and headed for the barn as Emily gave chase. A gaggle of giggles and laughs remained in their wake as the newly found aunt and nephew engaged in an age-old ritual of family.
Jarod, though enjoying the show, was concerned about Parker, so he stepped toward her and guided her to one of the benches, where she sat down with her arms still wrapped around a very happy Matthew. Jarod was unable to keep a smile off of his own face as he saw the mile-wide grin that had replaced Matthew's frequent frown during the days when he'd been denied this close contact with Parker. Then he felt his heart melt as she turned her eyes away from their son to him. God, what this woman did to him with just a look.
"You aren't going to scold me?" she asked.
"No," Jarod answered, "even though I should," he finished, his arms wrapping around both Parker and Matthew.
"Thank you," Parker responded as her body leaned back against Jarod's in what was becoming a familiar and comfortable embrace. They watched as Emily chased Will and he laughed and taunted her, they watched Harry walk up and wrap his arms around Elizabeth in a way only a man who knows everything about his wife can, and they both spotted the longing on Charles' face. They watched their family.
From back inside the house, Angelo looked out the window at his sister one more time, then sat down at his computer. He was glad to see her doing so much better and he wanted to be sure that both Sydney and Broots knew that she was so much better. As he typed away in a message of broken thoughts that he knew Sydney would understand but no one else would, his mail icon blinked. He quickly sent the message to Sydney and then opened the new e-mail. Angelo, so
new to feeling his own feelings, wasn't certain how to react to what he read. It was a simple phrase coming from a shadow e-mail address no one would ever be able to trace, but it was clear. "Phase two is complete."
Cox sat at his desk, his eyes scanning documents he was not reading. Still, going through the motions, making it appear that he was settling back into "business as usual" at least distracted his mind from the unfamiliar feelings he was still learning to deal with. In just a few days he had gone from a man obsessed with power to a man bound to family, a man committed to his family. It was a shift he would have thought impossible, and yet the mantle sat comfortably upon his shoulders.
After looking through enough legitimate Centre reports to make almost anyone who might be spying on him fall into a deep sleep, Cox pulled out the folder that Broots had dropped off for him on his way out of the building for the day. He hadn't found much on his first foray, but they had somewhere to start. Just prior to the supposed "death" of his family, David Jamison had begun construction of a lab in British Columbia. Two other names were on the purchase order. Randall Highton and Eric Harmon. It was the last legitimate business transaction made in the name of David Jamison. Broots had found a copy of the building's blueprint. Cox knew from his own experience that the lab had been the plan a later group of secretive builders would use to create a
research facility in the Arctic, a place where, years later, Jarod's genome would later be mapped, though apparently far less successfully than Raines had led everyone to believe. But why the trial run? What was it Jamison had been trying to establish by building the mock facility?
Cox would be certain to ask Broots to check into more tomorrow. For now, Cox used his scanner to copy the file and send it in an encoded e-mail via one of the ghost accounts Jarod had set up. The information would be in his new ally's hands before Cox could even shut down his computer.
Thinking of Jarod and of the family that he was watching over, Cox's thoughts fell on his mother. All those years...all those lies...
David Jamison was going to pay for it all. Broots shook off a chill as he walked into the restaurant where Sydney was waiting for him. They had decided not to discuss the news about Lyle until they were away from the Centre with a very large drink in their hands. Spotting his friend, Broots quickly crossed over, took his seat, and drank down half of the open Corona that sat before his empty seat. Sydney was already working on his second martini.
"Syd, do you think Miss Parker knows yet?"
"I don't know, Broots. I'm not sure how much of anything Jarod's telling her right now."
Understanding, Broots nodded and took another drink.
I wonder if she'll feel anything, you know, like, would she be sad at all. I mean, I know he wasn't her brother, but he made her believe he was for a long time. She did care about him in a weird way when she thought he was."
"Yes," Sydney said, "but I think she felt those feelings out of her natural sense of duty. She loves Angelo so completely now, and she has Jarod with her. If she is troubled at all, they'll be with her."
"What about Sam, Syd? I mean, I know he, you know, he's a sweeper, but..."
"Sam will be fine, Broots. He's doing his job. That's what he will hold on
to."
"Nice job. How do they get guys to be sweepers, anyway?"
"You misunderstand me, my friend," Sydney said, his speech stopping long enough for him to finish off the martini before him. "Sam isn't a sweeper any longer. He's a samaurai serving his master, and as long as Miss Parker is safe, her children are safe...Sam's job is his protection from the emotional ramifications of his actions. As long as his duty is fulfilled, then he's as safe as those he is protecting."
Sydney motioned to the waitress for another drink as silence fell between he and Broots.
The time with her family had been wonderful, but Parker hadn't been able to hide her exhaustion from the watchful eyes of Jarod or Elizabeth. While Jarod had gone off to put Matthew to bed, Elizabeth had escorted her niece upstairs and helped her change. Parker was now settled down on the bed, her body weary from the effort she had put out today, yet she smiled. Every moment had been worth it.
The one thing that was unsettling to Parker, though, was the sense that everyone at dinner knew something she did not. The conspiratorial looks exchanged between her family were indicative of them trying to protect her from something, and though Parker knew they were only concerned for her, she had too long been out of control of her own fate. She needed to be a part of whatever was happening, and so she forced herself into a confident, strong seated position on the bed and turned to her aunt.
"Elizabeth, what is it that Jarod is trying so hard to keep from me?"
The curiosity in her niece's eyes had been there since dinner, and Elizabeth had sensed that they were at the end of the time when they could keep the truth of her rescue or the developments that had followed from her. Elizabeth also knew that Jarod would disagree. He wanted to keep Parker as far away from whatever was destined to happen at the Centre as possible. Yet Elizabeth sensed that Parker would not allow that. She needed to be part of her own salvation. So, taking a deep breath, Elizabeth looked at her sister's brave and beautiful daughter, her hand clasping the younger woman's.
"Well, Little Cat, I guess we need to start with my son."
Parker's brow furrowed, then her memory kicked in and her face softened. "The child you told me you lost?"
"Yes," Elizabeth said, nodding, "only I didn't lose him. It turns out he was taken away."
The look of horror on Parker's face was an honest emotional reaction to her aunt's words, but it quickly vanished. The Centre was capable of such terrible evil, taking a child was the least of their crimes.
"Who took him, Elizabeth, my grandfather?" Tears began to sting at the corners of Elizabeth's eyes as she nodded silently in response. Parker, having so recently experienced the emotional whirlwind of finding out she had a child, two children, and that the Centre had kept them from her, understood. But Parker felt that her aunt's pain must been so much worse. She had known about her son, waited for his birth, then grieved for him all these years. Parker couldn't imagine the depth of the wound those years must have left on Elizabeth's heart.
"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry."
Elizabeth looked up at Parker and smiled softly. "Thank you, sweetheart. But at least the good news is that I've found him. Or rather, he found me by helping to bring you here."
Now Parker was confused again. Jarod had rescued her, hadn't he?
I don't understand, I thought that Jarod..."
"Jarod did bring you home, Parker, but he had a lot of help. Angelo and Will and Sam and, well, my son, Daniel, though I guess you know him better as Mr. Cox."
Parker's face turned into a fear-laced question mark as Jarod entered the room and immediately picked up on the mood. Her gaze turned to him, and though she wasn't angry, he wouldn't exactly describe her as pleased either. Oh, well, he thought, so much for my days as the great protector. It seemed that Miss Parker, though far less dangerous to him, was suddenly back in full force. And it appeared it was time for him to do some explaining.
