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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: I don't own Jarod, Miss Parker, or "Pretender." Thanx for not suing!
_____
When The Past Comes Back To Haunt You
(4/5)
by Oriana Lemke
Jarod sat on the bed, aimlessly flipping through TV channels. He had to admit, he was a bit distracted by the knowledge that Parker was in the bathroom showering, but he eventually settled on a station. They were showing some cartoon called "The Simpsons."
He was thoroughly enjoying the show, especially the overweight bald man they called Homer. Jarod was laughing at something Homer had said, when Parker walked out of the bathroom. As he caught of glimpse of her, he stopped mid-laugh. All she was wearing was a rather suggestive terry cloth robe. At first, she wasn't even aware of him watching her, but as she stood brushing out her damp hair, Parker got a sense of someone watching her, and turned to find Jarod's gaze on her.
"What?" Jarod snapped out of his stare.
"You know, I don't think anyone would mind if you didn't bother changing before we went down to eat," he teased.
"Dream on, Wonderboy," she laughed, but when she was finished sorting through her clothes, Jarod couldn't help noticing the outfit she had chosen. Sure enough, when she walked out, he had to admit that the slim black dress she'd chosen was rather impressive.
"Well?" Parker asked, turning in a circle to show off the long dress's high slits and scooping back. "What do you think?"
"Very...nice," Jarod managed. It was taking way too much willpower to keep his tongue from dangling.
~~~~~~~~~
As the Jarod and Parker walked, arm in arm, into the hotel's restaurant, a few people actually stopped talking to look at them. A couple of guys sitting at the bar observed Parker appreciatively, and gave Jarod a look of congratulations and respect. One woman, on a date with a very dull man, let her eyes wander to the man with the dark eyes, and as he turned to smile at his date, the woman nearly fainted at his gorgeous grin.
Parker and Jarod weren't oblivious to the reactions each other were causing, and both unconsciously tightened their hold on the other. Once they reached their table, Jarod pulled Parker's chair out for her, and she smiled in return. Once they had ordered and the waiter had left them with red wine, the two relaxed and began to talk.
"This is great," Parker sighed as she sipped her wine. "No work, no hassles, just you and me."
"I know," Jarod agreed. "I can't think of a better place to be right now, than here with you." Parker smiled.
Across the room, in a darkened corner of the room, sat a man by himself. He glared at the happy couple, and quickly made his way through his second glass of wine. He reached over for the bottle set on the table, and poured himself another glass
Next to the dancefloor, a small band began to play as a young lady walked up to the microphone and sang softly. A few men and women got up and began to dance. Over at their table, Jarod stood and walked around the table to Parker's seat.
"May I have this dance?" Smiling, Parker gave him her hand, and he led her onto the dancefloor. Without any hesitation, they put their arms around each other and slowly danced. Jarod found himself completely enthralled by the woman he held, her soft hands wrapped around his neck. Parker felt herself melting into his arms; she closed her eyes and concentrated on the sensation of his breath on her neck.
"Hard to believe this is real. It almost seems too perfect," Parker murmured.
"Want me to step on your toes?"
"You already did," she laughed.
In his corner, the man looked at the two in disgust. He saw how Jarod was holding Parker. It was sickening. Who did he think he was? She belonged to him. Then Parker's face came into view, and he was shocked to see her smiling contently. His grip on the wine glass tightened, and he distantly heard the sound of breaking glass. He looked down at the broken wine glass in his hands, calmly pulling a large, sharp piece out of his palm. Blood was slowly oozing from his hand. Without another thought, he wrapped a napkin around his wounded hand, tossed a few bills on the table, and walked out of the restaurant.
He stood in the elevator, staring at his reflection in the metal doors. The cut didn't bother him, but Parker's ridiculous behavior had left him steaming. He tried to calm down, reminding himself that this was all Jarod's doing. After all, it was he that was trying to pull the lovely Parker away from him.
This attraction to Jarod was puzzling, but he had taken advantage of it. He had to admit, the guy knew a few things about winning a girl over. So he'd copied him, outdid him, in his own creative way. He'd left gifts for Parker to find, a few notes to reassure her. Hell, he'd even adopted what he had to admit was Jarod's rather handsome style.
Using the metal doors as a mirror, he straightened his dark blue jacket. His outfit was the same as Jarods: navy blue pants and jacket over a deep blue shirt. He'd used the same gel in his hair.
He smiled, and his reflection smiled right back. No question, he looked better than the genuine article.
~~~~~~~~~
As he slowly awakened, an instinct in Jarod told him to remain absolutely still. He became aware of a warmth on his chest. A hand, he realized. He opened his eyes, and found himself face to face with Parker.
They had turned the lights off and crawled into bed, hesitantly bidding each other goodnight before falling asleep, both with their backs to the other and as near to the edge of the bed as possible. Jarod had even offered to sleep above the covers, but Parker had pointed out how odd that would seem to her stalker. Besides, she had added, why should he have to freeze all night? After all, they were two adults, perfectly capable of handling the situation, right?
Now, while they had been asleep, it seems their bodies had betrayed them. Both had moved to the center of the bed, and Parker had curled up beside him, with one hand resting on his chest. She had a gentle smile on her face. He liked being this close to her, Jarod decided. It was nice, safe. It felt like it was just natural for them to be like this. Jarod nearly laughed as he thought of Parker's reaction in the morning, when she found herself cuddled up next to him like this.
Jarod felt his eyes growing heavy. He was enjoying this, but was just too tired to do anything now but sleep. Soon, he was drifting off. He was barely conscious of moving into a more comfortable position.
>From his post, a man growled as he saw Jarod turn onto his side and wrap one arm around Parker's waist. This guy was really starting to get on his nerves. He got up from his chair and kicked it aside. He went to the bed and sat, not taking his eyes off of the small black and white screen in front of him. He had gone into their room, while they had been down in the restaurant, and hidden a small camera in the painting hanging on the wall opposite the bed. It blended in perfectly with the picture's black background.
He sat for many hours, watching what belonged to him sleep in the arms of another man, feeling rage grow inside him.
~~~~~~~~~
Parker and Jarod woke up simultaneously, finding her wrapped in both his arms, and their faces only inches apart. There were blushes and apologies on both sides, as they squirmed over to opposite sides of the bed. Parker quickly excused herself, and headed into the bathroom to shower. Jarod flopped back down onto the bed and smiled.
"Jarod," Parker called, "you'd better come take a look at this." Curious, he got up and went into the bathroom. There, on the mirror, was a message:
We'll be together again soon
Away from your too-eager Pretender
It was scrawled in the handwriting so familiar to them by now, and had been written with Parker's deep red lipstick. Jarod felt anger and fear and guilt all at once.
"Pack your bags," he growled. "We're leaving." His behavior was concerning Parker, since getting this guy's attention was the point, but she did as he said, quickly throwing everything she had into her bags. Within 15 minutes, they were packed and checked out. Jarod's mouth was set in a straight, determined line, and he didn't say anything the entire time. They pulled out of the hotel parking lot and onto the freeway, only to be greeted by stand-still traffic.
"Great," he muttered. "This is just great."
"Jarod, what is the matter with you?"
"What's the matter with me?" Jarod looked at Parker in disbelief. "Are you serious? That monster came into our room last night. I never even knew...What if something had happened to you?" Her face softened at his concern. "I should never have agreed to this. Pissing off a stalker is just stupid."
"Hey, this was my idea, remember?"
"Still, to think he was that close..." Parker sighed and reached over, taking hold of his chin with her hand, to guarantee that their eyes would meet.
"Listen to me," she said softly. "I am going to be fine. I promise. You and I have been through worse than this. Hell, we've survived years of each other. This is nothing." They laughed, but as the laughter slowly died away they found themselves staring at each other. Parker moved her hand, spreading it out across his cheek. He cupped her chin with one hand, and slowly moved forward. She tilted her head, and moved forward as well. Slowly, but without hesitation, their lips met in the perfect moment of bliss.
A car horn sounded from behind them, breaking the moment. They reluctantly pulled away from each other, and Jarod shifted the car into drive, moving their car forward along with the now-moving traffic. There was no uncomfortable silence between them, or hasty apologies. It never occured to either one. Instead, they began behaving like a normal couple, cheerfully bantering over which radio station to listen to, which exit was right for Bluewater Bay -their next stop- and what to do once they reached their destination.
Once and awhile, when they thought the other wasn't looking, Parker or Jarod would glance over and feel a silly grin spread across their face.
~~~~~~~~~
The community of Bluewater Bay was amazing. It was absolutely picturesque, with clear waters and long, warm beaches, and plenty of small specialty shops along the beach. Best of all, there were just enough tourists for Jarod and Parker to feel like they blended, just another couple out on a romantic getaway.
They had a great time. They took full advantage of the reward given to them, the reward of normalcy. For the entire day, they got to behave like a regular couple, without any worries of sweepers or shooting sprees. They held hands nearly the entire time, and were constantly surprising each other with sudden kisses.
Jarod and Parker rented a beachfront condo for four nights. They went through dinner, dancing and a moonlit walk on the beach with ease. They talked and held hands and kissed throughout the night, enjoying how natural it felt to be together. Neither one ever mentioned what would happen in bed that night. It was some sort of unspoken understanding, that anything besides sleep was out of the question. On Jarod's part, he couldn't stand the thought of some madman watching something so intimate, something that Jarod himself had waited a long time for.
They arrived at the condo around midnight. Exhausted from the day's events, but completely satisfied with how the night had gone, they tossed their coats on the couch and dug through their bags for something to sleep in.
"I can't believe I only packed one nightgown," she sighed, shaking her head at her own bad last-minute planning. Truth was, it was her favorite, the long navy blue one, and she had no problem with wearing it two nights in a row, but she was hoping Jarod would get the hint. She was happy to find that he did.
"Here, wear one of my shirts," he offered, tossing one to her. She smiled and unzipped her dress, letting it fall around her feet. Parker slipped Jarod's shirt over her lace underwear and bra, and crawled into bed. While she fluffed her pillow, Jarod finished undressing, leaving nothing on but a pair of black silk boxers. He got into bed, and switched off the light. Parker moved over next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and relaxing her head to one side of his chest.
"Sweet dreams," Jarod whispered, kissing her gently on the forehead.
~~~~~~~~~
This day seemed to be going just as well as the last. They'd agreed to get an early start, and spend the day checking out the local shopping area and boardwalk, before hitting the beach in the afternoon.
>From his vigil, always just a few feet behind them, blended in with the rest of the crowd, Parker's stalker watched the scenes with growing fury. They constantly kissed in public, they had a passerby take a photo of them in front of a fountain, Jarod surprised her with a bouquet of flowers, they rode the ferris wheel, he even convinced her to try fishing on the pier...he saw it all, how Jarod was using his Parker like some kind of trophy, and each event pushed him a little further.
There was a line of small shops overlooking the ocean, and it was here that a dress store caught Parker's eye. She told Jarod that she wanted a new dress for dinner that night. He offered to come along, but Parker insisted that she wanted to surprise him with what she bought. He agreed, and they parted, deciding to meet in an hour at a nearby outdoor cafe for lunch. Jarod hadn't really minded the separation, since he had some shopping plans of his own. He continued on until he found a jewelry store, which he entered.
"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me," Jarod said to the clerk.
"Of course, sir," the man smiled.
"Well," Jarod began, unsure of how to explain exactly what he wanted, "I was looking for something, um, special. You see, I want something that would symbolize commitment, but I don't want an engagement ring. I mean," he hurried on, not wanting the man to get the wrong impression, "I would love to be married to her. But now's not the time to, you know, propose."
"I see. Actually, I believe I have just the thing for you." The clerk walked over to a glass showroom case, unlocked it, and retrieved a tray of rings. "These are called promise rings. Rather popular lately. They're used for the exact purpose you described--commitment without an immediate wedding."
"Wonderful." He looked at the rings with a careful eye, and smiled as he noticed one in particular. "This one. It's perfect."
An hour later, Parker was sitting at a table outside, sipping iced tea and enjoying the view. She closed her eyes and gave a happy sigh, enjoying the feel of the warm smile on her skin. Jarod approached the cafe, and smiled as he spotted Parker. She felt something block her sun, and opened her eyes to see Jarod in front of her, with one hand behind his back.
"What've you got there?" she asked, trying to peer around him.
"I bought you something," he said with a proud grin, revealing a small white gift bag. She stood and took it from him, and pulled out a red square jewelry box.
"What are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.
"Open it," Jarod said, his eyes twinkling. Parker undid the tiny metal clasp and lifted the lid. Inside, on a bed of dark blue silk, was a ring. She glanced at Jarod and smiled before picking up the ring. It was beautiful, a thin silver band decorated with a simple, round stone; sapphire, she would guess, from the look of it. She was about to slip it on when Jarod stopped her.
"Look on the inside," he suggested. Curious, she tilted the ring and looked. There, a single word had been engraved: refuge. She could feel her eyes tear up a little, but ignored them, looking at Jarod with a wide smile.
"It's a promise ring," he explained. "I wanted you to have something, as a reminder."
"A reminder?"
"No matter where we will go," he said, taking the ring from her, "no matter what either of us may do or say, you'll know I'll be here to protect you. You can look at this ring and remember that I'll always love you." Parker looked at him with surprise. It was the first time either of them had said the words.
"I love you too," she whispered. Jarod leaned over and kissed her. Then, he took the ring and slipped it on her wedding finger. She laughed and threw her arms around him, and they kissed, much longer and deeper this time.
Their special moment wasn't very private. Sitting at the other end of the cafe was the stalker. Behind his sunglasses were glaring eyes, and he was grinding his teeth. He couldn't hear them, with the waves crashing and all these people, but he could pretty much guess from that ring and her reaction. That damn bastard. He'd proposed to her. Jarod was trying to steal what was his.
"Well," he murmured, his glaring eyes narrowing even more, "we'll just see how far he gets."
~~~~~~~~~
Jarod and Parker entered the condo, laughing and holding hands. They'd been smiling the whole day, mostly because of all the compliments Parker was getting from her ring.
"I'm gonna go open the patio doors, let some of that ocean air in," Jarod said, walking into the livingroom.
"Great," Parker said, heading for the kitchen. "I'll open the champagne we bought, and get some glasses." She walked over to a cupboard, retrieving two champagne glasses and a corkscrew, then humming as she popped open the bottle. She heard the floor squeak behind her.
"We should have let this chill," she said without turning around, "but I suppose we're both having too much fun to wait." No reply. "Jarod?" She turned around, and opened her mouth to scream, but a leather glove-covered hand wrapped around her mouth. Before she could do anything, Parker felt a needle breaking the skin on her arm. Almost immediately, everything faded to black.
Jarod finally managed to get the doors open, after fiddling with the lock for a second. He took a deep breath of the salty scent before heading to the kitchen. She wasn't in there. Confused, he turned to go look in the bedroom, when the butt of a gun came down hard and swift, immediately knocking him unconscious.
_____
(4/5)
by Oriana Lemke
Jarod sat on the bed, aimlessly flipping through TV channels. He had to admit, he was a bit distracted by the knowledge that Parker was in the bathroom showering, but he eventually settled on a station. They were showing some cartoon called "The Simpsons."
He was thoroughly enjoying the show, especially the overweight bald man they called Homer. Jarod was laughing at something Homer had said, when Parker walked out of the bathroom. As he caught of glimpse of her, he stopped mid-laugh. All she was wearing was a rather suggestive terry cloth robe. At first, she wasn't even aware of him watching her, but as she stood brushing out her damp hair, Parker got a sense of someone watching her, and turned to find Jarod's gaze on her.
"What?" Jarod snapped out of his stare.
"You know, I don't think anyone would mind if you didn't bother changing before we went down to eat," he teased.
"Dream on, Wonderboy," she laughed, but when she was finished sorting through her clothes, Jarod couldn't help noticing the outfit she had chosen. Sure enough, when she walked out, he had to admit that the slim black dress she'd chosen was rather impressive.
"Well?" Parker asked, turning in a circle to show off the long dress's high slits and scooping back. "What do you think?"
"Very...nice," Jarod managed. It was taking way too much willpower to keep his tongue from dangling.
~~~~~~~~~
As the Jarod and Parker walked, arm in arm, into the hotel's restaurant, a few people actually stopped talking to look at them. A couple of guys sitting at the bar observed Parker appreciatively, and gave Jarod a look of congratulations and respect. One woman, on a date with a very dull man, let her eyes wander to the man with the dark eyes, and as he turned to smile at his date, the woman nearly fainted at his gorgeous grin.
Parker and Jarod weren't oblivious to the reactions each other were causing, and both unconsciously tightened their hold on the other. Once they reached their table, Jarod pulled Parker's chair out for her, and she smiled in return. Once they had ordered and the waiter had left them with red wine, the two relaxed and began to talk.
"This is great," Parker sighed as she sipped her wine. "No work, no hassles, just you and me."
"I know," Jarod agreed. "I can't think of a better place to be right now, than here with you." Parker smiled.
Across the room, in a darkened corner of the room, sat a man by himself. He glared at the happy couple, and quickly made his way through his second glass of wine. He reached over for the bottle set on the table, and poured himself another glass
Next to the dancefloor, a small band began to play as a young lady walked up to the microphone and sang softly. A few men and women got up and began to dance. Over at their table, Jarod stood and walked around the table to Parker's seat.
"May I have this dance?" Smiling, Parker gave him her hand, and he led her onto the dancefloor. Without any hesitation, they put their arms around each other and slowly danced. Jarod found himself completely enthralled by the woman he held, her soft hands wrapped around his neck. Parker felt herself melting into his arms; she closed her eyes and concentrated on the sensation of his breath on her neck.
"Hard to believe this is real. It almost seems too perfect," Parker murmured.
"Want me to step on your toes?"
"You already did," she laughed.
In his corner, the man looked at the two in disgust. He saw how Jarod was holding Parker. It was sickening. Who did he think he was? She belonged to him. Then Parker's face came into view, and he was shocked to see her smiling contently. His grip on the wine glass tightened, and he distantly heard the sound of breaking glass. He looked down at the broken wine glass in his hands, calmly pulling a large, sharp piece out of his palm. Blood was slowly oozing from his hand. Without another thought, he wrapped a napkin around his wounded hand, tossed a few bills on the table, and walked out of the restaurant.
He stood in the elevator, staring at his reflection in the metal doors. The cut didn't bother him, but Parker's ridiculous behavior had left him steaming. He tried to calm down, reminding himself that this was all Jarod's doing. After all, it was he that was trying to pull the lovely Parker away from him.
This attraction to Jarod was puzzling, but he had taken advantage of it. He had to admit, the guy knew a few things about winning a girl over. So he'd copied him, outdid him, in his own creative way. He'd left gifts for Parker to find, a few notes to reassure her. Hell, he'd even adopted what he had to admit was Jarod's rather handsome style.
Using the metal doors as a mirror, he straightened his dark blue jacket. His outfit was the same as Jarods: navy blue pants and jacket over a deep blue shirt. He'd used the same gel in his hair.
He smiled, and his reflection smiled right back. No question, he looked better than the genuine article.
~~~~~~~~~
As he slowly awakened, an instinct in Jarod told him to remain absolutely still. He became aware of a warmth on his chest. A hand, he realized. He opened his eyes, and found himself face to face with Parker.
They had turned the lights off and crawled into bed, hesitantly bidding each other goodnight before falling asleep, both with their backs to the other and as near to the edge of the bed as possible. Jarod had even offered to sleep above the covers, but Parker had pointed out how odd that would seem to her stalker. Besides, she had added, why should he have to freeze all night? After all, they were two adults, perfectly capable of handling the situation, right?
Now, while they had been asleep, it seems their bodies had betrayed them. Both had moved to the center of the bed, and Parker had curled up beside him, with one hand resting on his chest. She had a gentle smile on her face. He liked being this close to her, Jarod decided. It was nice, safe. It felt like it was just natural for them to be like this. Jarod nearly laughed as he thought of Parker's reaction in the morning, when she found herself cuddled up next to him like this.
Jarod felt his eyes growing heavy. He was enjoying this, but was just too tired to do anything now but sleep. Soon, he was drifting off. He was barely conscious of moving into a more comfortable position.
>From his post, a man growled as he saw Jarod turn onto his side and wrap one arm around Parker's waist. This guy was really starting to get on his nerves. He got up from his chair and kicked it aside. He went to the bed and sat, not taking his eyes off of the small black and white screen in front of him. He had gone into their room, while they had been down in the restaurant, and hidden a small camera in the painting hanging on the wall opposite the bed. It blended in perfectly with the picture's black background.
He sat for many hours, watching what belonged to him sleep in the arms of another man, feeling rage grow inside him.
~~~~~~~~~
Parker and Jarod woke up simultaneously, finding her wrapped in both his arms, and their faces only inches apart. There were blushes and apologies on both sides, as they squirmed over to opposite sides of the bed. Parker quickly excused herself, and headed into the bathroom to shower. Jarod flopped back down onto the bed and smiled.
"Jarod," Parker called, "you'd better come take a look at this." Curious, he got up and went into the bathroom. There, on the mirror, was a message:
We'll be together again soon
Away from your too-eager Pretender
It was scrawled in the handwriting so familiar to them by now, and had been written with Parker's deep red lipstick. Jarod felt anger and fear and guilt all at once.
"Pack your bags," he growled. "We're leaving." His behavior was concerning Parker, since getting this guy's attention was the point, but she did as he said, quickly throwing everything she had into her bags. Within 15 minutes, they were packed and checked out. Jarod's mouth was set in a straight, determined line, and he didn't say anything the entire time. They pulled out of the hotel parking lot and onto the freeway, only to be greeted by stand-still traffic.
"Great," he muttered. "This is just great."
"Jarod, what is the matter with you?"
"What's the matter with me?" Jarod looked at Parker in disbelief. "Are you serious? That monster came into our room last night. I never even knew...What if something had happened to you?" Her face softened at his concern. "I should never have agreed to this. Pissing off a stalker is just stupid."
"Hey, this was my idea, remember?"
"Still, to think he was that close..." Parker sighed and reached over, taking hold of his chin with her hand, to guarantee that their eyes would meet.
"Listen to me," she said softly. "I am going to be fine. I promise. You and I have been through worse than this. Hell, we've survived years of each other. This is nothing." They laughed, but as the laughter slowly died away they found themselves staring at each other. Parker moved her hand, spreading it out across his cheek. He cupped her chin with one hand, and slowly moved forward. She tilted her head, and moved forward as well. Slowly, but without hesitation, their lips met in the perfect moment of bliss.
A car horn sounded from behind them, breaking the moment. They reluctantly pulled away from each other, and Jarod shifted the car into drive, moving their car forward along with the now-moving traffic. There was no uncomfortable silence between them, or hasty apologies. It never occured to either one. Instead, they began behaving like a normal couple, cheerfully bantering over which radio station to listen to, which exit was right for Bluewater Bay -their next stop- and what to do once they reached their destination.
Once and awhile, when they thought the other wasn't looking, Parker or Jarod would glance over and feel a silly grin spread across their face.
~~~~~~~~~
The community of Bluewater Bay was amazing. It was absolutely picturesque, with clear waters and long, warm beaches, and plenty of small specialty shops along the beach. Best of all, there were just enough tourists for Jarod and Parker to feel like they blended, just another couple out on a romantic getaway.
They had a great time. They took full advantage of the reward given to them, the reward of normalcy. For the entire day, they got to behave like a regular couple, without any worries of sweepers or shooting sprees. They held hands nearly the entire time, and were constantly surprising each other with sudden kisses.
Jarod and Parker rented a beachfront condo for four nights. They went through dinner, dancing and a moonlit walk on the beach with ease. They talked and held hands and kissed throughout the night, enjoying how natural it felt to be together. Neither one ever mentioned what would happen in bed that night. It was some sort of unspoken understanding, that anything besides sleep was out of the question. On Jarod's part, he couldn't stand the thought of some madman watching something so intimate, something that Jarod himself had waited a long time for.
They arrived at the condo around midnight. Exhausted from the day's events, but completely satisfied with how the night had gone, they tossed their coats on the couch and dug through their bags for something to sleep in.
"I can't believe I only packed one nightgown," she sighed, shaking her head at her own bad last-minute planning. Truth was, it was her favorite, the long navy blue one, and she had no problem with wearing it two nights in a row, but she was hoping Jarod would get the hint. She was happy to find that he did.
"Here, wear one of my shirts," he offered, tossing one to her. She smiled and unzipped her dress, letting it fall around her feet. Parker slipped Jarod's shirt over her lace underwear and bra, and crawled into bed. While she fluffed her pillow, Jarod finished undressing, leaving nothing on but a pair of black silk boxers. He got into bed, and switched off the light. Parker moved over next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and relaxing her head to one side of his chest.
"Sweet dreams," Jarod whispered, kissing her gently on the forehead.
~~~~~~~~~
This day seemed to be going just as well as the last. They'd agreed to get an early start, and spend the day checking out the local shopping area and boardwalk, before hitting the beach in the afternoon.
>From his vigil, always just a few feet behind them, blended in with the rest of the crowd, Parker's stalker watched the scenes with growing fury. They constantly kissed in public, they had a passerby take a photo of them in front of a fountain, Jarod surprised her with a bouquet of flowers, they rode the ferris wheel, he even convinced her to try fishing on the pier...he saw it all, how Jarod was using his Parker like some kind of trophy, and each event pushed him a little further.
There was a line of small shops overlooking the ocean, and it was here that a dress store caught Parker's eye. She told Jarod that she wanted a new dress for dinner that night. He offered to come along, but Parker insisted that she wanted to surprise him with what she bought. He agreed, and they parted, deciding to meet in an hour at a nearby outdoor cafe for lunch. Jarod hadn't really minded the separation, since he had some shopping plans of his own. He continued on until he found a jewelry store, which he entered.
"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me," Jarod said to the clerk.
"Of course, sir," the man smiled.
"Well," Jarod began, unsure of how to explain exactly what he wanted, "I was looking for something, um, special. You see, I want something that would symbolize commitment, but I don't want an engagement ring. I mean," he hurried on, not wanting the man to get the wrong impression, "I would love to be married to her. But now's not the time to, you know, propose."
"I see. Actually, I believe I have just the thing for you." The clerk walked over to a glass showroom case, unlocked it, and retrieved a tray of rings. "These are called promise rings. Rather popular lately. They're used for the exact purpose you described--commitment without an immediate wedding."
"Wonderful." He looked at the rings with a careful eye, and smiled as he noticed one in particular. "This one. It's perfect."
An hour later, Parker was sitting at a table outside, sipping iced tea and enjoying the view. She closed her eyes and gave a happy sigh, enjoying the feel of the warm smile on her skin. Jarod approached the cafe, and smiled as he spotted Parker. She felt something block her sun, and opened her eyes to see Jarod in front of her, with one hand behind his back.
"What've you got there?" she asked, trying to peer around him.
"I bought you something," he said with a proud grin, revealing a small white gift bag. She stood and took it from him, and pulled out a red square jewelry box.
"What are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.
"Open it," Jarod said, his eyes twinkling. Parker undid the tiny metal clasp and lifted the lid. Inside, on a bed of dark blue silk, was a ring. She glanced at Jarod and smiled before picking up the ring. It was beautiful, a thin silver band decorated with a simple, round stone; sapphire, she would guess, from the look of it. She was about to slip it on when Jarod stopped her.
"Look on the inside," he suggested. Curious, she tilted the ring and looked. There, a single word had been engraved: refuge. She could feel her eyes tear up a little, but ignored them, looking at Jarod with a wide smile.
"It's a promise ring," he explained. "I wanted you to have something, as a reminder."
"A reminder?"
"No matter where we will go," he said, taking the ring from her, "no matter what either of us may do or say, you'll know I'll be here to protect you. You can look at this ring and remember that I'll always love you." Parker looked at him with surprise. It was the first time either of them had said the words.
"I love you too," she whispered. Jarod leaned over and kissed her. Then, he took the ring and slipped it on her wedding finger. She laughed and threw her arms around him, and they kissed, much longer and deeper this time.
Their special moment wasn't very private. Sitting at the other end of the cafe was the stalker. Behind his sunglasses were glaring eyes, and he was grinding his teeth. He couldn't hear them, with the waves crashing and all these people, but he could pretty much guess from that ring and her reaction. That damn bastard. He'd proposed to her. Jarod was trying to steal what was his.
"Well," he murmured, his glaring eyes narrowing even more, "we'll just see how far he gets."
~~~~~~~~~
Jarod and Parker entered the condo, laughing and holding hands. They'd been smiling the whole day, mostly because of all the compliments Parker was getting from her ring.
"I'm gonna go open the patio doors, let some of that ocean air in," Jarod said, walking into the livingroom.
"Great," Parker said, heading for the kitchen. "I'll open the champagne we bought, and get some glasses." She walked over to a cupboard, retrieving two champagne glasses and a corkscrew, then humming as she popped open the bottle. She heard the floor squeak behind her.
"We should have let this chill," she said without turning around, "but I suppose we're both having too much fun to wait." No reply. "Jarod?" She turned around, and opened her mouth to scream, but a leather glove-covered hand wrapped around her mouth. Before she could do anything, Parker felt a needle breaking the skin on her arm. Almost immediately, everything faded to black.
Jarod finally managed to get the doors open, after fiddling with the lock for a second. He took a deep breath of the salty scent before heading to the kitchen. She wasn't in there. Confused, he turned to go look in the bedroom, when the butt of a gun came down hard and swift, immediately knocking him unconscious.
