Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story

- Text Size +

Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.

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)


With Me
7/8
By Orania Lemke



He drove along the Golden Gate Bridge; actually, "inched along" would probably be a better description--5:00 Friday in San Francisco, especially during the holidays, was the traffic jam epitome. Jarod looked through the passenger's side window out onto the bay and smiled. It was just before dusk, and boats on the water were beginning to light up with their colorful Christmas lights.

Realizing that he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, Jarod looked through the CDs he had, and stopped at one: The Foo Fighters. He'd bought it out of curiosity, and never gotten around to listening to it. He popped the disc in, and pressed the random play button; he was too busy frowning at the honking vehicles, though, to listen to the lyrics until a line caught his attention:

"Things just won't do without you, matter of fact I'm on your back..."

The words brought a thought to him, but he shoved it aside.

"If you'd accept surrender, give up some more Weren't you adored? I cannot be without you, matter of fact I'm on your back...."

He shook his head as the thought, and a picture of her, stubbornly returned. He pressed the eject button, took the CD out, hit the button on the door for the passenger side window, waited for it to roll down, and tossed the Foo Fighters out the window.

~~~~~~~~~

Five cars up, Parker frowned and watched in curiosity as something metallic sailed through the sky, down towards the water. Then, shrugging, she turned on the radio, hoping to find some music to put her back in the Christmas spirit after this half hour wait on the bridge. She tuned it to a generally peppy station, and a song entered the car.

"I play it off, but I'm dreamin' of you
Try to keep my cool, but I'm failing
I try to say goodbye, and I choke
Try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not here..."

Not at all liking the thoughts entering her head, Parker reached over and turned the stereo off.

~~~~~~~~~

For Jarod, however, things weren't that easy. Too stubborn to turn off the radio, and unwilling to believe that every song playing in the Bay area could be connected to them, he switched to another station--his fourth in the last 30 seconds.

"You're cynical and beautiful
You always make a scene
You're monochrome delirious
You're nothing that you seem..."

He growled, and clicked to another station.

"Your heart hides a secret
The promise of what is
Something more than this
Offer me the world, how can I resist?
Something more than this..."

Growl, click.

"One is the loneliest number
Since you went away..."

Growl, click.

"Love's the only house
Big enough for all the pain in the world..."

Growl, click. The car was empty of music once again. Still, though he'd given up on the radio, Jarod found it hard to believe that there wasn't some music available to him that wouldn't send his mind and emotions reeling. Digging again through the CDs, he picked up another unopened one, and studied the cover. It was the Pretenders, a gift Julia had given him as a joke. Funny, he hadn't thought about her in the longest time. Shrugging, he pushed the CD in and waited for music.

"Oh, why you look so sad? The tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
But don't, be ashamed to cry, let me see you through
'Cause I've been in the dark side too
When the night falls on you, and you don't know what to do
Nothing you confess, could make me love you less..."

His finger reached for the eject button, but something stopped him, as the words finally hit home.

"I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you

So, if you're mad, get mad, don't hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide? I get angry too
Well, I'm a lot like you..."

There was a realization just within his grasp; with a feeling of urgency, Jarod leaned closer to the speaker.

"When you're standing
At the crossroads, but don't know, which path to choose
Let me come along, 'cause even if you're wrong
I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you

Take me into, your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you, I'll stand by you..."

And he got it, he really got it. Everything they'd done, suddenly thrown into perspective. He thought of the risk she'd taken in Washington, how she'd put herself out there despite the odds.

"And when, when the night falls on you, baby
You're feeling all alone, you won't be on your own
I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you

Take me into, your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you, I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you..."

The music trailed off and the song ended. Jarod sat back into his seat, and stared ahead in a sort of daze. The traffic began to move a moment later, and impatient drivers behind him honked their horns. Snapping back to reality, he hit the accelerator and finished the drive across the bridge in contemplation.

But as he drove through the city, got back to the real world, his earlier realization was forgotten, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to just get out of this place. He didn't even know why he'd had the urge to come to San Francisco for the holidays anyhow.

~~~~~~~~~

She'd put a lot of work into the house in the last two months. Painting the nursery, pouring plenty of time and energy into finding the perfect furniture for every room, from the sofa to the toothbrush holder; she'd done everything imaginable to make it into a home.

As she sat that night, though, long after her brother had fallen asleep, and oblivious to the freezing ocean breeze thanks to a thick cardigan sweater, she was lost in thought. She loved this place, she really did, and her brother was the happiest baby she'd ever seen. Before, she'd been looking forward to Christmas here. But now...

"Maybe it's just too much at once," she thought aloud. "Maybe I'm going into happy home overload." She gave this more consideration, then stood up and went inside. The living room was completely decked, from a huge tree to stockings over the fireplace. She touched one with herfingers, and thought back to the makeshift stockings of last year--

"That settles it," she sighed decisively. "So what if next week's Christmas. I'm gettin' the hell out of here." She checked on her brother, then went into her bedroom and started packing.

~~~~~~~~~

"But, sir, don't most people who come here already know where they're going for the holidays?" asked the confused Delta Air employee.

His boss sighed impatiently. "Harold, I've already explained this to you three times. We overestimated the flight demand for Virginia this Christmas, so we've got zero passengers and mucho space. If anyone comes up here without a destination picked out, I want you to hammer that state in their heads until they buy a ticket. You got me?"

"Yes, sir. But, how am I supposed to convince them?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, that's your problem. Make a cute jingle, point out the cheap prices. Hell, I don't care if you have to strip naked and start doing the funky chicken, but you're gonna sell those seats."

"Yes, sir," he squeaked. Moments later, from the throngs of seasonal passengers, Parker appeared in front of him pushing a stroller. "Hello, ma'am," he greeted her brightly. "Happy holidays! What can I do for you?"

"Hi," she replied cheerfully. "Um, you know, I'm not really that sure. This is sort of spur-of-the-moment thing. Where's someplace nice to spend Christmas?"

His eyes brightened up. "Well, ma'am, I'd say Virginia is what you're looking for."

She gave him a confused look. "Virginia?"

"Yes, Virginia has everything--beaches, shopping, wildlife."

"It's below zero, I've seen enough stores to last me a lifetime, and I'm pretty sure anything interesting would be hibernating."

Harold looked around desperately, and spotted a sticker on someone's suitcase. "Well, you know their motto: 'Virginia is for lovers.'"

Parker's cheerful face melted. "Don't push it, buddy," she frowned. Studying the available flights schedule behind him, she spotted a plane leaving in 20 minutes. "Boston! There's culture, there's iceskating, there's hotels that have room service."

"But--"

She slapped down her Visa. "I'll take two seats."

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled weakly. He typed the order into his computer, and found a ray of hope. "I'm afraid the only two seats left together are first class. Due to the closeness of purchase to departure, and the fact that it's the holidays, I'm afraid it's going to cost you an extra $150 each."

"No problem." She turned her attention to her brother, tucking his blanket in around him as he napped. Harold sighed, and printed up the tickets.

~~~~~~~~~

Four minutes later, Jarod appeared at the same desk.

"Hello, sir. Happy holidays!"

"Happy holidays to you too," he smiled, studying the schedule.

"And where will you be going today?"

"Anyplace away from here."

Harold grinned. "Well, then, sir, might I suggest Virginia? You know what they say--Virginia is for lovers."

He stared at the ticket clerk. "You're joking, right?"

"Sorry?"

"Nevermind," he sighed. A flight caught his eye. "Hey, Boston! I'll be out of here in 15 minutes." He pulled out a credit card.

Harold gave him a withered look. What was with these people? "There's only one seat left, sir."

"No problem, I'm traveling alone." He paused, and frowned, "First class?"

"No sir, those were just taken."

Jarod sighed, pictured spending a three hour flight with some kid kicking the back of his seat, then thought of the alternative. "Fine, I'll take it."

~~~~~~~~~

"Now, Angie, you're sure he has enough toys?" Parker fretted, placing yet another stuffed animal onto the floor near her brother.

"Yes, yes, he'll be fine," assured the middle-aged woman, slowly leading her towards the door.

"This must seem silly to you," she laughed.

"Not at all," replied Angie.

"I'm just nervous about leaving him alone in a strange hotel room for so long."

"Long? You said two hours!"

"Still," she sighed with worry, "I don't know."

"Honey, he's going to be fine. Besides, it's not like you're leaving him to go pick up some stranger at a bar--you're getting stocking stuffers!"

"I should have just brought the ones from San Francisco. Then I wouldn't be rushing out on Christmas Eve."

Angie laughed. "It's okay. Now go on, off with you."

Parker stopped in the door. "I really do appreciate this. I know it's a lot to ask, leaving your family on a night like tonight."

"It's my pleasure, honey. Not mention my job--I am one of the hotel's babysitters, remember?"

"All right, you have a point." She looked back into the suite's family room anxiously. "Okay... I'm going now."

"Yes, dear."

"But I'll be back soon."

"Yes, dear."

"Just a quick stop or two."

"Yes, dear," Angie said pointedly. Parker closed the door behind her reluctantly, and decided that she should stop at a toy store and pick up another gift.

~~~~~~~~~

It was just before dusk, and despite the cold, Jarod had an irresistible craving for a chocolate sundae. Following the crowds of last-minute shoppers, he wandered around the main shopping district until he spotted an icecream store on the next corner. He was just about to enter, when something he'd seen registered in his mind. Turning back to the street, he looked, but saw nothing, and shrugged, then went inside.

Sitting in her taxi, Parker froze as she realized who she thought she'd just seen. She looked again at the corner, but no one familiar was there.

~~~~~~~~~

In the bustling toy store, she smiled at an electric train display. She'd have to get one of those as soon as her brother was old enough. Finally spotting an open salesperson, she flagged him down.

"Excuse me, but do you have any bears that talk?"

"Oh, yeah, tons. I'd say Buddy Bear is what you want—great for little kids, he talks when you squeeze him, and laughs when you tickle him."

"Perfect. I'll take one."

"Sure thing. Hey, Sheila," he called to a nearby employee. "Where are the rest of the Buddy Bears?"

She walked up to them. "Oh, I'm sorry, miss, but someone just bought the last one."

Exiting through the store's revolving doors, Jarod looked into his shopping bag and grinned. Sure, it was a stuffed bear for kids, but he just couldn't resist.

~~~~~~~~~

It'd begun to snow. Parker walked slowly down the street next to the water, enjoying the sight of fluffy white flakes floating through the dark sky. It really was picturesque. Shopping bags in hand, she was taking the scenic route back to the hotel; she'd given up on finding an empty taxi.

An old-fashioned 50s cafe on the block up ahead caught her attention. Big bulbs outlined the door and windows, and Jingle Bell Rock was drifting out into the cold air whenever a customer came or went. She grinned, stopped in front of it, and considered stopping for a milkshake, then froze as she looked through the window.

At a table near the back, just finishing up a cheeseburger and fries, was Jarod.

"My god." Uncountable emotions went through her right, and Parker found she couldn't even think. Her body, of its own accord, walked her straight into the restaurant and back to his table, where he sat with his back to her, starting on a strawberry milkshake.

At that moment, she was completely split. On one hand, she had the desire to just go up and hug this man she never thought she'd see again; on the other hand, there was the irresistable urge to take that glass of water the waitress had just sat down next to him, and soak him.

This was a serious deliberation, but not for long--as she watched him, she got angry, thinking of how Jarod was innocently sipping a milkshake while she stood with her heart pounding once again. The decision was made. "Screw it," she muttered to herself, "I've never been able to control myself before. Why start now?"

Parker walked right up to him, and just as he looked up in shock and realized that it was her, she picked up the glass, splashed the water directly in his face, turned and walked back out.

Jarod, also in a daze of his own, felt himself stand up and hurry after her.

She had just gotten outside, and looking to where she'd dropped her bags earlier, when he walked through the door. Curious customers were gathering in the windows, watching and murmuring among themselves.

She could've apologized. She could've acted like an adult. She could've walked away and never spoken to him again. But she heard the jingle of the door's bell as he came out, grew completely indignant, turned and instead just blurted out, "I may be condescending, arrogant, and at times irreversibly bitchy. I'm completely opinionated, and have been a hopeless mess since birth. I'm egotistical, rebellious and have no idea how to do the laundry--but damn it, man, isn't that why you fell in love with me?!"

Out of breath, and too ticked off to say anything, she turned and ran.

Jarod couldn't move, only watch as she ran out of his life once again--for about three seconds. Then, a woman of 60 stuck her head out the door and said, "Well what are you waiting for? Go after her!"

Staring after her, he snapped to and murmured, "What am I doing?" He broke out running after her, calling her name.

He caught up to her after four blocks. Just feet behind, he called again, "Parker!"

She finally turned, and demanded, "What?"

"Marry me."









You must login (register) to review.