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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
*Disclaimer: I don't own "The Pretender" or any of its characters. Thanx for not suing! ~Oriana
1) Paper Snowflakes (the original, isn't a sequel)
2) To Dance In An English Garden
3) A Night To Remember
4) The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
5) Life In A Heartbeart
6) With Me (the last in the series)
~~~~~~~~~
The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
Part V
by Orinana
The day continued on, Jarod still in the dark. He did feel concern as the hours wore on and Parker didn't appear, not even to chew out Broots, but was calmed by Syd, who casually mentioned over dinner that Parker had moved into a lower level apartment, so that she could have some privacy. Even then, as he shook his head at a woman who insisted on working even when on vacation, there was something that just didn't feel right to him. And the fact that Broots and Sydney were never both around at the same time, almost as though they were leaving in shifts, kept bugging Jarod. Still, he tried to shrug it off.
Everyone headed off to bed around 11:30. Julia for one was glad to finally have Jarod to herself, but he was distracted by how quickly Syd and Broots said their goodbyes, and hurried off.
He lie in bed in a black t-shirt and baggy pants, trying to put the pieces together in his head, frowning, knowing there was something that he was missing. In the master bathroom, Julia smoothed her silk nightgown, tailored to show every curve, and walked slowly into the bedroom.
Jarod, oblivious to her standing at the end of the bed, continued to stare at the ceiling and think. She gave a small, slightly irritated cough, and he looked at her abruptly.
"Ready for bed?" she smiled seductively.
He gave a small frown. "You're kidding, right?"
Her face dropped. "What?"
"You don't find it the least bit weird, making love knowing full well that there are people asleep one and two floors down?"
"They aren't going to hear us," she pointed out, crawling into the bed next to him. He just raised an eyebrow at her. Julia gave a small pout, but got under the covers. "Fine, if you're not comfortable with it." She snuggled close, lying her head next to his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, and closed his eyes.
"'Night, Jewel," he murmured. "Sweet dreams."
"You too."
~~~~~~~~~
"I know I've already said this about a dozen times today," Broots said, "but thank god this place is soundproofed." Sydney made no reply, and he glanced over at the man. His brow was bunched up in concern, and his eyes were glued to the bedroom door, now shut. Obviously there was only one person and one topic that would get Syd to talk tonight, and despite how touchy a subject it was, Broots was desperate to get him out of his reverie. It couldn't be healthy. "So, why haven't we told Jarod about her?"
Sydney finally looked at him. "Up in the penthouse, Parker regained consciousness for only a few seconds. She clearly didn't have much strength, but she used what energy she had left to give me one definite order: I was not to inform Jarod."
Broots nodded. Right now, there wasn't a thing in the world that Sydney wouldn't do for her.
Just then, the weak cries from the bedroom slowly died down, replaced by a constant moan. In a flash, Sydney was on his feet and in the room. Parker was awake.
She was shivering violently, despite the three comforters covering her, and she was sweating profusely. Broots felt a bit lightheaded, as he did every time he caught another glimpse of her. She looked far beyond death at this point.
Despite her obviously ill state, Parker's blue eyes were as clear and sharp as ever. Catching sight of the two men entering, she signaled for them to come closer.
As Sydney sat in the folding chair next to the cot, she turned her head -a painful movement- to face him and said in a low and hoarse, yet somehow strong, whisper, "Promise me..."
"Anything," he replied immediately.
"I'm getting weaker by the...the moment," she managed. "I don't th-think I have even as long as I first thought..."
"What are you saying?"
"I wanna do this alone."
Sydney sprang up from his chair. "No," he replied sharply. "Absolutely not."
"Syd, please. I'm asking you...Try to understand, I have to."
"The hell you do. Listen to me, you have nothing to prove, to yourself, to your father, to anyone."
"You said anything."
His eyes softened, and he sat back down. "Please," he begged, "don't ask this of me."
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. But this is the way it has to be."
"You're not going to change your mind, are you?" he realized.
She smiled, and weak as it was, it warmed Broots' heart. "Have I ever?"
Syd chuckled sadly. "No, I suppose not." He brushed a hand across her warm forehead lovingly. After a reluctant swallow, he nodded. "Very well. If that's what you want..."
"It is."
Suddenly seeing that this was really it, Broots stepped forward. "Miss Parker, I--"
"Don't, Broots. No goodbyes." His eyes watered, but sticking his chin resolutely in the air, he turned and walked out the door.
Watching his exit, Sydney knew he couldn't be so strong. Looking back to Parker, and seeing her blue eyes shining up at him, everything in him shouted to stay. Instead, he knelt over, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then stood and walked to the door. He paused, then -looking down at the doorknob in his hand- said, "Watching you grow up has been one of the few honors in my life. I'm proud of you." And he was gone.
The door clicked shut. "Thank you."
~~~~~~~~
When they were young, Miss Parker once caught a cold. It was a nasty virus, keeping her ill for more than two weeks. It remained burnt in Jarod's mind, not just because of the disastrous midnight attempt in the employee lounge to make her soup, but because it was the only time he'd seen her during the day in the comfortable clothes of a normal child, not the stiff and proper uniforms and skirts her father insisted on. Considering that she was in his thoughts, it wasn't unusual that Jarod should dream of that memory. What was unusual was how it morphed in his mind.
The memories of that time came and went. Then, suddenly, Jarod found himself grown, and walking through the darkened Centre infirmary. Only one light was on, at the end of the room, a warm glow that pulled him towards it.
There, pale-faced and motionless, lie Miss Parker, still young, still ill. Jarod looked around in confusion at all of the machines she was hooked up to. It didn't make any sense--you didn't need these things for something as simple as a cold.
Her eyes shot open, almost as if she hadn't been asleep at all, and she grasped Jarod's hand with her own small cold one. He looked at her in shock.
"Help me."
Jarod shot up in his bed and looked blindly around the room, his heart pounding and his mind racing. It took only a split second for him to jump out of bed, and run out.
He had absolutely no idea how, but right then Jarod was absolutely certain of one thing. She was sick. Those three words kept spinning around and around in his mind. In the elevator, it was that same instinct that told him to keep going, past the floor Syd and Broots had told him Miss Parker was on, right on to the basement level.
Slowly, too slowly, the elevator doors slid open, and immediately he was greeted with the worst sound he could possibly imagine: Miss Parker's agonized screams, strong enough to pierce the walls' soundproofing and echo throughout the hallway. He didn't wait for the doors, but urgently squeezed past, and ran as fast as his body could be pushed.
His own shouts, which he wasn't even aware of, began, mixing with her cries, as he called out to her.
"Parker! Parker!" And the echoing screams continued.
1) Paper Snowflakes (the original, isn't a sequel)
2) To Dance In An English Garden
3) A Night To Remember
4) The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
5) Life In A Heartbeart
6) With Me (the last in the series)
~~~~~~~~~
Part V
by Orinana
The day continued on, Jarod still in the dark. He did feel concern as the hours wore on and Parker didn't appear, not even to chew out Broots, but was calmed by Syd, who casually mentioned over dinner that Parker had moved into a lower level apartment, so that she could have some privacy. Even then, as he shook his head at a woman who insisted on working even when on vacation, there was something that just didn't feel right to him. And the fact that Broots and Sydney were never both around at the same time, almost as though they were leaving in shifts, kept bugging Jarod. Still, he tried to shrug it off.
Everyone headed off to bed around 11:30. Julia for one was glad to finally have Jarod to herself, but he was distracted by how quickly Syd and Broots said their goodbyes, and hurried off.
He lie in bed in a black t-shirt and baggy pants, trying to put the pieces together in his head, frowning, knowing there was something that he was missing. In the master bathroom, Julia smoothed her silk nightgown, tailored to show every curve, and walked slowly into the bedroom.
Jarod, oblivious to her standing at the end of the bed, continued to stare at the ceiling and think. She gave a small, slightly irritated cough, and he looked at her abruptly.
"Ready for bed?" she smiled seductively.
He gave a small frown. "You're kidding, right?"
Her face dropped. "What?"
"You don't find it the least bit weird, making love knowing full well that there are people asleep one and two floors down?"
"They aren't going to hear us," she pointed out, crawling into the bed next to him. He just raised an eyebrow at her. Julia gave a small pout, but got under the covers. "Fine, if you're not comfortable with it." She snuggled close, lying her head next to his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, and closed his eyes.
"'Night, Jewel," he murmured. "Sweet dreams."
"You too."
~~~~~~~~~
"I know I've already said this about a dozen times today," Broots said, "but thank god this place is soundproofed." Sydney made no reply, and he glanced over at the man. His brow was bunched up in concern, and his eyes were glued to the bedroom door, now shut. Obviously there was only one person and one topic that would get Syd to talk tonight, and despite how touchy a subject it was, Broots was desperate to get him out of his reverie. It couldn't be healthy. "So, why haven't we told Jarod about her?"
Sydney finally looked at him. "Up in the penthouse, Parker regained consciousness for only a few seconds. She clearly didn't have much strength, but she used what energy she had left to give me one definite order: I was not to inform Jarod."
Broots nodded. Right now, there wasn't a thing in the world that Sydney wouldn't do for her.
Just then, the weak cries from the bedroom slowly died down, replaced by a constant moan. In a flash, Sydney was on his feet and in the room. Parker was awake.
She was shivering violently, despite the three comforters covering her, and she was sweating profusely. Broots felt a bit lightheaded, as he did every time he caught another glimpse of her. She looked far beyond death at this point.
Despite her obviously ill state, Parker's blue eyes were as clear and sharp as ever. Catching sight of the two men entering, she signaled for them to come closer.
As Sydney sat in the folding chair next to the cot, she turned her head -a painful movement- to face him and said in a low and hoarse, yet somehow strong, whisper, "Promise me..."
"Anything," he replied immediately.
"I'm getting weaker by the...the moment," she managed. "I don't th-think I have even as long as I first thought..."
"What are you saying?"
"I wanna do this alone."
Sydney sprang up from his chair. "No," he replied sharply. "Absolutely not."
"Syd, please. I'm asking you...Try to understand, I have to."
"The hell you do. Listen to me, you have nothing to prove, to yourself, to your father, to anyone."
"You said anything."
His eyes softened, and he sat back down. "Please," he begged, "don't ask this of me."
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. But this is the way it has to be."
"You're not going to change your mind, are you?" he realized.
She smiled, and weak as it was, it warmed Broots' heart. "Have I ever?"
Syd chuckled sadly. "No, I suppose not." He brushed a hand across her warm forehead lovingly. After a reluctant swallow, he nodded. "Very well. If that's what you want..."
"It is."
Suddenly seeing that this was really it, Broots stepped forward. "Miss Parker, I--"
"Don't, Broots. No goodbyes." His eyes watered, but sticking his chin resolutely in the air, he turned and walked out the door.
Watching his exit, Sydney knew he couldn't be so strong. Looking back to Parker, and seeing her blue eyes shining up at him, everything in him shouted to stay. Instead, he knelt over, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then stood and walked to the door. He paused, then -looking down at the doorknob in his hand- said, "Watching you grow up has been one of the few honors in my life. I'm proud of you." And he was gone.
The door clicked shut. "Thank you."
~~~~~~~~
When they were young, Miss Parker once caught a cold. It was a nasty virus, keeping her ill for more than two weeks. It remained burnt in Jarod's mind, not just because of the disastrous midnight attempt in the employee lounge to make her soup, but because it was the only time he'd seen her during the day in the comfortable clothes of a normal child, not the stiff and proper uniforms and skirts her father insisted on. Considering that she was in his thoughts, it wasn't unusual that Jarod should dream of that memory. What was unusual was how it morphed in his mind.
The memories of that time came and went. Then, suddenly, Jarod found himself grown, and walking through the darkened Centre infirmary. Only one light was on, at the end of the room, a warm glow that pulled him towards it.
There, pale-faced and motionless, lie Miss Parker, still young, still ill. Jarod looked around in confusion at all of the machines she was hooked up to. It didn't make any sense--you didn't need these things for something as simple as a cold.
Her eyes shot open, almost as if she hadn't been asleep at all, and she grasped Jarod's hand with her own small cold one. He looked at her in shock.
"Help me."
Jarod shot up in his bed and looked blindly around the room, his heart pounding and his mind racing. It took only a split second for him to jump out of bed, and run out.
He had absolutely no idea how, but right then Jarod was absolutely certain of one thing. She was sick. Those three words kept spinning around and around in his mind. In the elevator, it was that same instinct that told him to keep going, past the floor Syd and Broots had told him Miss Parker was on, right on to the basement level.
Slowly, too slowly, the elevator doors slid open, and immediately he was greeted with the worst sound he could possibly imagine: Miss Parker's agonized screams, strong enough to pierce the walls' soundproofing and echo throughout the hallway. He didn't wait for the doors, but urgently squeezed past, and ran as fast as his body could be pushed.
His own shouts, which he wasn't even aware of, began, mixing with her cries, as he called out to her.
"Parker! Parker!" And the echoing screams continued.
