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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
By Andrea
Disclaimer:: NBC owns the Pretender, I own the words
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His fingers brushed hers, reaching desperately for her outstretched hand. Their palms met, he clutched her hand...
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...and fell into an abyss of color, a deep pool of bright, vibrant emotion.
Emerald green, cerulean blue. Hints of sunshine yellow danced within the airy colors, and the three hues were fused together with deep purple. The whirling palette drew Jarod deeper into the vision...
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...she plummeted into a deep gulf of a spinning spectrum; metallic silver and blood red burgundy flashed before her, merging with the deep black fringing the edges. A deep gold light that shimmered at the farthest point beckoned to her, pulling her into the warmth, the security...
~~~~~~~~~
Hearing his name called faintly, he willed himself to wake, to leave the swirling tunnel.
"Jarod?"
The voice, much closer this time, startled the Pretender, and he jumped out of the small armchair. "Sydney?" He asked, confused.
The psychiatrist chuckled lightly. "It's about time, Jarod. I've been trying to break through to you for the last five minutes. You seemed to be in some sort of trance..." Sydney trailed off, seeing Jarod's puzzled look.
"I was?"
Nodding, Sydney said, "When I came back to the room -"
Jarod cut in. "What room?"
Deciding to start from the beginning, Syd explained. "Broots found Miss Parker in her office at the Centre, the victim of a shooting. We don't know who did it, or why. Once here at the hospital, doctors quickly deduced that the damage from the bullet hadn't caused her coma. In fact, they still don't know. I called you, about two and a half-hours ago. When you arrived, you wanted to be left alone with Miss Parker. I just came back, about five minutes ago. Only to find you in a reverie-like state; you didn't even know I was back."
Suddenly, the events of the time he'd spent in the other world came rushing back to Jarod.
Raising his glance, to the concerned Sydney sitting across from him, Jarod quietly told him everything that had happened to him, during the time Sydney had been gone. Which had passed more like days. Sydney simply sat, astonished, at Jarod's fantastical tale.
Jarod looked down at the pale hand he still clutched. The hand he'd grabbed for dear life, hoping for some kind of rescue. Hoping to be the rescuer. Slowly, he released his grip, unclenching his fingers one by one...
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"Jarod?"
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Her single word caused him to break out in a smile of relief, and Jarod turned to Miss Parker, who had finally woken from her nightmare.
"Parker," Jarod said softly, reaching again for her hand. "You're okay."
"Of course I'm okay," She snapped. With effort, Parker sat up. Only to fall back into the pillows, biting back a cry of pain.
Showing a look of concern, Jarod asked, "Do you remember what happened?"
Thinking over the incidents of the past few days, she nodded. The memories weren't clear, but fuzzy and distorted. But there was one word there, one strong emotion. A gut feeling so powerful she couldn't ignore it. "Lyle. He came into my office..." Sparking her memory, the words spilled out easily, recounting what had happened two days ago.
There was one gap in her recollections, the time she'd spent with Raines 'til the moment Jarod had seized her hand, saving her. He told her what he knew, which wasn't much.
Anger and shock filled her, at the audacity of her twin. Jarod saw her temper rising visibly, and he tried to soothe Parker. "It didn't happen for real."
Of course, she refused to be calmed. "But it could have."
Jarod shook his head. "But it didn't."
Bent on revenge, she continued to rage, "Next time I see that bastard, he's going to hell himself."
"If you do something, everyone's going to think you're crazy. And then you might be turned over to Raines for real. Parker, please." Jarod gazed into her eyes, the icy glacier pools they were. "Just forget this all happened..."
"Jarod, I can't," she whispered tearfully. Memories were flooding back, of her time in limbo.
"Shh." The Pretender did something he would never have dared; he leaned close to Parker, and kissed her.
Suddenly, the door cracked open, and Broots' bald head peeked in the room. He let out a startled grunt, and the handle slipped from his fingers; crashing the door in his face. A minute later, he squeezed his way through the entrance, Standing just inside the doorframe, his eyes swept the room, resting on the awake Miss Parker, and the worried Jarod. "Miss Parker...Jarod..." Abruptly, he fled the hospital room, to the amazement of the others.
Facing Parker again, Jarod said softly, "Parker, you have to forget. Disremember everything that happened in limbo, because you have to. For your own good. I know it won't be easy..."
She knew he was right. Daddy would never reprimand his precious son; hell, he hadn't even killed that other bastard when she'd been shot the year before. She would have to file this away, and act like she'd forgotten, to save herself. But she wouldn't give up on her thoughts of retaliation...no, she'd wait until everyone forgot, and then make them pay...when they weren't expecting it.
She murmured, "You're right."
"Jarod, thank you."
