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Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and used
without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
********************
Note: This is a sequel to my other Highlander/Pretender X-Over entitled Innocence in the Dark. You really need to read that one first for this one to make any sense. Hey, I guess I've got my own little Universe going on
here (Isn't it great to be in charge? :)). That said, hope you enjoy and
any feedback is always welcome. Thanks to Molly and Max for the swift beta.
********************
No Longer Alone
Caffre
Duncan was fixing them both something to eat in the kitchen, while Methos was checking up on the quality of Macleod's beer.
It had been a week since Jarod had left them, surprising them both with the level of skill he had acquired in such a short space of time with the use of a sword. It wasn't that he was just mimicking them. Far from it. He had gained the ability to use a sword as if he'd been practising all his life. Methos had suspected that he could even be a match for himself or MacLeod, and that the Pretender had been holding back a little with what he was truly capable of.
"All that skill learned in a week. I mean, how good were you after having a sword for just a week?"
MacLeod turned from stirring some sauce on the stove. "My father knocked me on my ass for years after I first picked up a sword."
"My point exactly. He might be on the run, but the Centre's taught him well." He nodded to himself. "I'd say he's a contender you know."
Surprise echoed through Macleod's voice. "For the Prize? You really think so?"
"He's a survivor. He's already proven that. Plus, he's like one of those, ah, chameleon things. He can blend in wherever he goes." Methos took another swig of his beer. "Trust me MacLeod, it's a really handy skill to have."
Duncan took a taste of his sauce before replying with a smile. "Trust you? Why should I change a habit of a lifetime?"
Adam threw his beer cap at him, Duncan moving just in time so it instead fell into the sauce. "For flavour?"
* * * * *
It hadn't taken Raines long to track down the man who Miss Parker had met that night Jarod had been shot. Once he had been traced and ran through the system, he had been named as one Adam Pierson, a post-grad student from England who had just finished his PhD in France. The Centre's offices in London had gone into his history and discovered very little other than some basic information. Date of birth, parent's names, his schools. Nothing of any importance or anything that would place him in a position to actually know Catherine Parker. Raines had looked at his file and had known as soon as he was halfway through the scant information that it was faked. He had plenty experience of deception to know when he was being deceived himself.
Still, he had known her. Reports from his own operatives from the sweeper team that night had only confirmed his suspicions when they told him about Pierson calling Miss Parker 'Catherine'. He was too much of a liability to be allowed to continue roaming the streets. He could hold information that could lead Jarod to his parents. It was clearly an unacceptable risk.
A cleaner team had been dispatched to Seacover, and Raines was waiting for the call to tell him that he had been taken out. He'd taken care to ensure that Miss Parker was out of the Centre while this was being done, the woman in question having heard of a lead concerning Jarod on the east coast. Right now he didn't care. This was far more important.
* * * * *
Jarod had moved on to Boston and to what had turned into a relatively short Pretend. Someone had been selling kids drugs in high school, and, after a little digging it had turned out to be one of the teachers, supplying through a few of the students in return for better grades in his maths class. Jarod had come into the school as a janitor and had found what he needed in the form of one of the students. Another student, Rebecca, had suspected something and had been heard threatening to complain; only to have drugs found in her locker. She had been expelled, especially after her unsympathetic maths teacher had complained that drugs where one of the worst evils a school had to face. Thanks to Jarod she was back in school, and the maths teacher had been found in the Headmaster's locker with all his supply. Jarod hadn't done anything to the kids other than look at their past performances in regards to their math classes, hacked into the computer and then gave them the grades they would have gotten if they hadn't of cheated.
Now, he was in his dingy little apartment, surfing the Internet for any sign of his mother. He knew what Methos had told him, that they weren't 'born' as such, but where foundlings, but he was still determined to find her. She might not be my birth mother, he thought to himself, but she's as close as I'm going to get in this world.
After several hours and still nothing, Jarod grabbed his jacket and went out. He was hungry and he wasn't keen on cooking when it was just himself. And besides, he was all out of donuts.
* * * * *
The coffee had been good, but the donuts had been even better, and he was eating out of the box on his way back to the apartment when he felt it.
Just like with MacLeod and Methos, he could feel the presence of another immortal somewhere around him. Focusing, he turned and saw her.
A tall blonde haired woman was looking at him from across the street, her face unreadable. Jarod finished what he was eating before crossing over the road. He wasn't going to challenge anyone, but protocol (according to MacLeod at any rate) demanded that he introduce himself.
He nodded as he reached her. "I'm Jarod."
Suddenly the unreadable expression looked liked it was holding back a laugh. "What?"
"Sorry." She said, her mouth turning up into a smile that made her seem more alive somehow. "You have jam on your face."
He grinned at that, wiping it away with a finger, before sticking it in his mouth.
"I'm Andrasta of the Iceni."
"Andrasta? That's a very unusual name. I like it."
"Thanks. I think I would have noticed another immortal around here before now. You're not one of these, 'live for the game' types are you?"
Jarod visibly relaxed. She seemed more than friendly, and nothing he could tell about her made her out to be lying.
"No, I'm not after any ones head."
She leaned in close to him, lifting the lid off the box of donuts he had before looking up at him. "You have quite a selection there Jarod. Got any Boston crèmes?"
He smiled at her. Was he imagining it, or was she hitting on him?
"Plenty. Want to share?"
* * * * *
They had actually not gone anywhere other than the café that Jarod had bought the donuts in the first place.
He ordered them both coffee and set the box on the table in front of him.
"So, Andrasta of the Iceni. Do you live here in Boston?"
"Actually, no. I'm just passing through. Actually, I was gunned down in England about a month ago. I've been living out of my suitcase, trying to find somewhere new to live. "What about you?"
"My new life story pretty much began two weeks ago. I got shot by an old...employer. Well, except that they never actually paid me." Jarod couldn't help the smile cross over his face. "Well, never voluntarily at any rate."
The other immortal looked at him. "Wait a minute. Your telling me you've only been..."She whispered the word, "Immortal...For two weeks? Really? You really shouldn't be walking around so blatantly without some sword skills." He watched as her face set into something he couldn't quite fathom. "If you need a teacher, I can help you. I've been around for a while, I know my round a sword."
He couldn't believe how generous she was being. "Wow. I mean, you've only known me for all of what? Five minutes, and you'd do that for me?"
The woman beside him set her coffee down. "It's important to have a good first teacher, believe me, I know."
He saw the pain briefly flash across her face and decided not to ask. "No, I'm fine. I...learn very quickly, and I did have a couple of really good teachers. Over in Seacover." He reached for his own coffee. He hadn't realised how tempting it would be to name drop. Methos, the oldest immortal was my teacher, and Duncan MacLeod. Two names apparently famous in immortal circles. "Do you mind me asking how old you are?"
"You should never ask a woman her age Jarod."
"Really? Why?"
It was asked in all innocence, and she couldn't hide the grin. "Forget it. I 'died' around 2000 years ago over in Norfolk, England."
It wasn't as old as Methos, but still. 2000 years!
"Do you mind me asking how you died?"
"No, I don't mind. I was sacrificed to my goddess. I later found out that my 'husband to be' at the time wanted me dead so we could be immortal together. He was...eager for us to be together. Biggest mistake of my life. "
It seemed best not to pry too much further into that. "I don't even know how old I am, and I only died for the first time two weeks ago." He saw the inquiring look as she took another drink from her cup. "I was taken from my family at an early age by a group of people who really had no business raising a child. They saw my intelligence as both a tool and a weapon." He could feel the same old bitter feelings at what had been done to him surfacing and he tried to swallow them down. "I was kept locked up and 'trained' for 30 years, I finally broke free and I've been trying to stay out of their path for a long time now. Plus, if they ever get me back and realise I'm immortal, my life won't be worth living."
"You're on the run from a secret organisation?"
He smiled. He'd heard the laughter behind her words.
"Don't get me wrong, I believe you, it's just, well, it makes for an interesting existence don't you think?"
"Sometimes just a bit too interesting."
She raised her cup to his, and clinked them together. "You can say that again."
* * * * *
Having spent the entire day just 'talking' in the café, Jarod had told Andrasta about his mother and the Centre in more detail and of his life outside it, while she had given her very own unique point of view of certain aspects of world history.
Outside now, Jarod felt somewhat confused. He didn't want to say goodbye to her.
"Would you..." He could feel the blush rise over his face. He wasn't exactly experienced when it came to women, and here he was, standing in front of a 2000 year old one. "No, I'm sorry, it doesn't..."
She cut him off, placing a hand on his cheek and gently stroking it down his face. "Of course it matters."
Jarod had closed his eyes at the simple touch, human contact on this level something he wasn't used to, but had promised himself he would savour the next time he ever got the chance.
He reached up and took her hand, kissing the inside of her palm. "Come home with me?"
She reached a hand to behind his neck, and pulled him close to her, their mouths meeting to share a sensual kiss. After what seemed like an eternity they broke apart. "I'd like nothing better."
* * * * *
Miss Parker sat on the only chair in the room, while Sam and Sydney both sat on the bed. She could feel it, could feel that victory was finally in her grasp. She'd found Jarod's location and was currently waiting for him in the room next to his. She had had her car hidden and had called for no other sweepers except for her own trusted few. She was keeping this low-key. All she had to do was wait.
She couldn't keep the smile off her face. Jarod was coming home and she would be free of the Centre.
* * * * *
They hadn't even made it as far as the door before they were all over each other, hands roaming everywhere. Andrasta bit down gently on the side of Jarod's neck, causing him to gasp a little.
"Hey, have you ever read the Karma Sutra Jarod?"
He removed his mouth from her neck for a brief moment to reply. "Twice."
She laughed as she leaned back a little to let him get better access, the sensations running through her at his touch something she hadn't felt in a very long time with another immortal. "I thought...Oh God..." She forced herself to breathe. "I thought you only had to read something once... to...to..."
He brought his hand out from his pocket, keys in his hand, and fumbled as he tried to open the door. "I liked the pictures."
He pushed it open a bit too hard, the door hitting the wall beside it.
They separated for a moment, Andrasta looking around the room. "I'm sorry its such a mess, but..."
"Jarod? I once lived in a cave. I really couldn't care less." She came up to him, a smile on her face, her hands settling on his chest. "As long as you have a bed..."
He began unbuttoning her top, and once that was done, he ran his hands over her breasts, leaning down to kiss her.
He stopped for a second, breathy and excited, his eyes hungry for what was standing in front of him. "And if I didn't?"
She went for his mouth, her own hunger sparking her lust for him. "We'd just..." More kissing as they fell onto the bed. "Have to make do, wouldn't we?"
* * * * *
"This is it Syd. I'm finally going to nail me this coffin lid shut." She turned to Jarod's protector, a savage smile there that disturbed Sydney. Despite everything, he'd always believed that Miss Parker at heart wanted Jarod to be free of the Centre.
"Miss Parker..."
She dropped her cigarette on to the carpet, grinding it underneath her foot. Pulling a gun from behind her jacket she tapped him on the chest with it. "Don't even start with me. And don't even think of getting in my way, cause, if I have to, this bullet goes through you before it hits Jarod. Are we clear?"
She was going to do this, and he could do very little to stop her. He held up his hands in defeat. "I won't get in your way Miss Parker, but consider this...Is this what you truly want?"
Miss Parker smiled. "I truly wanted a pony when I was eight, and I got it. Now I truly want to put Jarod back where he belongs so I can get on with my life, and I intend to do just that. I'm glad we've had this chance to work together Syd. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a kneecap or two to put a bullet in."
* * * * *
Clothes were scattered everywhere, and the two immortals were both on the bed, their bodies almost naked apart from the underwear they hadn't gotten round to taking off yet.
Jarod was enjoying making Andrasta moan when ever he pressed hard against her, his erection starting to demand that it be let free from the confines of his boxers.
Hands grabbed his head and pulled him in for a smouldering kiss, tongues gliding against one another as they fought together.
The door to the room they where in suddenly was kicked off it's hinges, both Andrasta and Jarod looking up against the light to see figures standing there.
"Well, well, well. Looks like I caught a Pretender with his pants down." She shook her head, making no effort to disguise the enjoyment she was taking at his discomfort. "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"
Jarod felt his stomach twist. "Miss Parker."
"Get dressed Jarod. You're going home."
* * * * *
"Miss Parker! Come and take a look at this?"
Sam was standing guard at the door, but he had found two swords sitting by the way out. He held one up, the light catching it. "What do you think these are for?"
Parker barely spared them a glance, never once taking her eyes off Jarod. "Who cares? Lets get going already. You ready Jarod?"
Jarod could hardly speak, he was so angry at having been caught, and at having placed in danger a woman he knew he already had feelings for.
"I'm never going back there. I'd rather die."
"Yes, well you did that the last time didn't you. And yet you didn't stay dead. I don't liked being played like that Jarod. Nobody makes a fool of me."
"I'd say you're quite capable of doing that all by yourself."
"I beg your pardon?" The tone Parker used was dangerous, but Andrasta wasn't in the least put off by it.
"You have no idea who or what you're dealing with anymore. You're way over your head and you don't even realise your drowning."
Andrasta had taken a step closer, and Jarod could suddenly see that she was going for the gun Parker held in her hand. He felt fear shoot through him at the thought that she might get hurt, but then he realised. She was immortal. They both were. He almost grinned. He'd only come back from the dead once; it was still something he was learning to get used to.
"I'd be the one who would worry about..." She didn't get to finish her sentence, as Andrasta hit her in the face with her fist, trying to get the gun out of her hand. However, Parker wasn't stupid. She'd been prepared for some move by Jarod. Coming from the woman, it had only surprised her a little. She used her gun to hit Andrasta in the face, knocking the other woman to the floor.
Jarod was at her side in an instant, instinct making him look at the cut on her face that was bleeding. "You didn't have to do that!"
"Yes I did...Jarod..." Parker stared as a small flare of what looked like electricity raced over the cut above Andrasta's eye, healing it over in seconds. Both Sydney and Sam had seen it too. Slowly a smile that even Jarod hadn't seen before crossed Parkers face. "Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a two for one kinda deal here." She bent down and cupped Jarod's chin, hard, making him look at her. "I bet Mr. Raines is going to *love* playing with her. Don't you think Jarod?"
He pulled out of her grasp, saying nothing.
Parker stood up turning to her team. "Pack this little show up. I want to be gone in 5 minutes. Are we clear gentlemen?"
Parker left the room, the sweepers knowing not to reply, as it had been a purely rhetorical question.
* * * * *
Sam scanned the street as two men led both Jarod and Andrasta out of the apartment block. Jarod was grateful that at least he didn't have the DSA's with him. He'd stored them along with his Halliburton case in the janitor's locker back at Roosevelt High, the place of his last pretend. He cast a quick look at Andrasta, and suddenly knew she was planning something again.
He watched, ready for it as she stumbled slightly coming down the last step of the building. She made to grab onto the man walking beside her, as if she was going to steady herself. What she did instead was grab him hard and throw him into the man next to Jarod, knocking the two to the ground.
Parker turned at the commotion, just in time to see Jarod hit Sam hard in the face, taking both the swords out of his hands before the other sweeper hit the ground. He tossed Andrasta her sword, who within seconds had the business end pointed at Parkers neck.
"You wouldn't dare!" Pure arrogance kept Parker from feeling threatened.
Andrasta smiled. "You think? If I told you just how many people I've killed in my life, 'Miss Parker' you wouldn't have even said something so...stupid." The immortal didn't turn around as she spoke to Jarod. "Get in the drivers seat. We're going to have to get out of here."
Jarod couldn't help but worry as Parker felt the tip of the blade on her throat, but still, he got into the car. He really didn't think she was in any real danger.
Andrasta heard the door slam shut, and shortly after the engine gunning. All of Jarod's belongings that had been up in the apartment had been moved down into the car before, so there was nothing being left behind.
Andrasta cautiously moved closer to the car. "Jarod isn't the same man you once knew. He's different now."
Sydney interrupted her. "What do you mean, different?"
The immortal could sense the impatience coming from the man in the car behind her, but she needed to tell them this.
The passenger car door opened up behind her. "Andrasta, get in! We have to go!"
She never took her gaze off Parker. "Just stop this. Stop looking for him. You really don't have a clue to what you're getting into anymore." Her piece said, she dropped her sword slightly and got in the car, the tires burning rubber onto the tarmac as they sped away.
Parker pulled her gun and fired off a few rounds, her sweepers joining in as the car sped up the street and around a corner. She angrily turned to the man beside her and pushed him hard out of her way as she stepped back up onto the pavement.
"Damn!"
Sydney said nothing, too busy trying to hide his relief that Jarod had gotten away.
It was Parker who spoke to him first. "I'm going to see that bitch again Sydney, and when I do..." She let the threat hang in the air as she pulled out her phone and called her father.
* * * * *
It had been nearly 12 hours since the incident with Miss Parker, and only now did Jarod feel safe enough to slow down for a while. They had ditched the car as soon as they had had the chance, picking up a clean one that would be harder to trace.
Andrasta was out getting them something to eat while Jarod set up his computer in their room. He'd just activated one of his email accounts when the door opened. He looked up to see her carrying some takeout. He stood up immediately, taking some of the food off her and setting it down on a nearby table.
"I'm so sorry."
"What?" She really didn't understand, and then she did. "Oh Jarod, you don't have to be sorry." She smiled. "Not for this." She wrapped her arms around him. "If anything, I should thank you."
He pulled back to look at her. "Thank me? What on earth for? Now the Centre and Miss Parker are going to be after you."
"Jarod, I know that, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I've come across a lot worse than the Centre in my life." She pulled away from him, sitting down on the bed. "I was going to ask you something?"
"Anything? What is it?"
She wiped her hands over his face, dark green eyes looking up at him. "I want to help you. Come with you." She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her. "I've been on this earth for a long time Jarod, done some good and some bad, and while I have put that guilt behind me, I've found a taste for doing good. Let me put it this way. You're a Pretender because you're smart and have been trained." She quickly licked her lips, her mouth a little dry. "I'm a Pretender from over two thousand years of experience. I can help, and if I'm honest, I don't want to leave you. And besides, it's not like I can get killed. Well, at least, not in the normal way."
Jarod took her hand, holding it tight. "You really want to stay with me? Even..."
She kissed him. "Even with the Centre hunting us down." He responded to her kiss, a part of him taking note of the fact that he wasn't going to be alone anymore.
Just as things were beginning to heat up between them, a synthetic voice announced: 'You Have Mail.'
Knowing that it was more than likely from Sydney regarding what the Centre thought of his latest break from them, he offered Andrasta an apologetic grin.
"Go on then, see what it is."
He pulled the computer over to him, opening up the mail. Surprisingly it wasn't from Sydney at all. It was from Methos.
'Jarod,
Had a visit from your old friends. Afraid we had to deal with it.
Your other old friend,
Adam.
He looked over to Andrasta. This wasn't something he could ignore, despite
the dangers in going back there so soon. "Have you ever been to Seacover?"
* * * * *
Mr. Raines reluctantly pushed open the door to Miss Parker's office.
"I hear your latest attempt to capture Jarod ended as per usual."
She looked up at him from her notebook. "Shouldn't you have dropped dead about a year ago Raines?"
He ignored her, instead throwing a file onto her desk. Frowning her dislike of him, she opened it up, only to see the face of the man who had called her Catherine looking back up at her. It was a pretty good shot of him.
"You're showing me this why?" She held back her worry that yet another lead to her mother was again exposed to the Centre and to the walking zombie in front of her. Still, she felt it was beneath her to show Raines that she was worried. She would never give him the satisfaction.
"We know this man was with Jarod on the night of his so called death a short while ago in Seacover. This..." He placed another photograph in front of her, the dead bodies of two sweepers she had vaguely known. "Is what happened when we tried to talk to him."
She knew she was only getting half of this story. She seriously doubted that they had been sent to merely 'talk' to the man.
"And what? You really expect me to care? Leave me alone Raines, I've got enough problems of my own." She picked up her favourite lighter, the chunky silver one a college friend had once given her and lit a cigarette in front of him.
"We want to wait awhile, and then send you in. We know this man has connections to your mother, and we know that he called you by her name that night." He turned around, dragging his tank behind him as he left her. "In your own interests, I would have thought you would have wanted to know more yourself." He turned away, leaving her alone as the squeak of the wheels on his oxygen tank marked his passage away from her office.
Parker picked up the photograph and examined the face on it in more detail. Whoever this man was, he had known her mother. Her mother felt like the only part of her life that was clean, despite everything else that had happened to her, that had resulted in her death.
She threw down the photograph, standing to look out of her window. Whatever else happened, she had to find out the truth from this man, and protect him somehow from both the Centre and Mr. Raines.
Please read Facing the Past next!
without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
********************
Note: This is a sequel to my other Highlander/Pretender X-Over entitled Innocence in the Dark. You really need to read that one first for this one to make any sense. Hey, I guess I've got my own little Universe going on
here (Isn't it great to be in charge? :)). That said, hope you enjoy and
any feedback is always welcome. Thanks to Molly and Max for the swift beta.
********************
No Longer Alone
Caffre
Duncan was fixing them both something to eat in the kitchen, while Methos was checking up on the quality of Macleod's beer.
It had been a week since Jarod had left them, surprising them both with the level of skill he had acquired in such a short space of time with the use of a sword. It wasn't that he was just mimicking them. Far from it. He had gained the ability to use a sword as if he'd been practising all his life. Methos had suspected that he could even be a match for himself or MacLeod, and that the Pretender had been holding back a little with what he was truly capable of.
"All that skill learned in a week. I mean, how good were you after having a sword for just a week?"
MacLeod turned from stirring some sauce on the stove. "My father knocked me on my ass for years after I first picked up a sword."
"My point exactly. He might be on the run, but the Centre's taught him well." He nodded to himself. "I'd say he's a contender you know."
Surprise echoed through Macleod's voice. "For the Prize? You really think so?"
"He's a survivor. He's already proven that. Plus, he's like one of those, ah, chameleon things. He can blend in wherever he goes." Methos took another swig of his beer. "Trust me MacLeod, it's a really handy skill to have."
Duncan took a taste of his sauce before replying with a smile. "Trust you? Why should I change a habit of a lifetime?"
Adam threw his beer cap at him, Duncan moving just in time so it instead fell into the sauce. "For flavour?"
* * * * *
It hadn't taken Raines long to track down the man who Miss Parker had met that night Jarod had been shot. Once he had been traced and ran through the system, he had been named as one Adam Pierson, a post-grad student from England who had just finished his PhD in France. The Centre's offices in London had gone into his history and discovered very little other than some basic information. Date of birth, parent's names, his schools. Nothing of any importance or anything that would place him in a position to actually know Catherine Parker. Raines had looked at his file and had known as soon as he was halfway through the scant information that it was faked. He had plenty experience of deception to know when he was being deceived himself.
Still, he had known her. Reports from his own operatives from the sweeper team that night had only confirmed his suspicions when they told him about Pierson calling Miss Parker 'Catherine'. He was too much of a liability to be allowed to continue roaming the streets. He could hold information that could lead Jarod to his parents. It was clearly an unacceptable risk.
A cleaner team had been dispatched to Seacover, and Raines was waiting for the call to tell him that he had been taken out. He'd taken care to ensure that Miss Parker was out of the Centre while this was being done, the woman in question having heard of a lead concerning Jarod on the east coast. Right now he didn't care. This was far more important.
* * * * *
Jarod had moved on to Boston and to what had turned into a relatively short Pretend. Someone had been selling kids drugs in high school, and, after a little digging it had turned out to be one of the teachers, supplying through a few of the students in return for better grades in his maths class. Jarod had come into the school as a janitor and had found what he needed in the form of one of the students. Another student, Rebecca, had suspected something and had been heard threatening to complain; only to have drugs found in her locker. She had been expelled, especially after her unsympathetic maths teacher had complained that drugs where one of the worst evils a school had to face. Thanks to Jarod she was back in school, and the maths teacher had been found in the Headmaster's locker with all his supply. Jarod hadn't done anything to the kids other than look at their past performances in regards to their math classes, hacked into the computer and then gave them the grades they would have gotten if they hadn't of cheated.
Now, he was in his dingy little apartment, surfing the Internet for any sign of his mother. He knew what Methos had told him, that they weren't 'born' as such, but where foundlings, but he was still determined to find her. She might not be my birth mother, he thought to himself, but she's as close as I'm going to get in this world.
After several hours and still nothing, Jarod grabbed his jacket and went out. He was hungry and he wasn't keen on cooking when it was just himself. And besides, he was all out of donuts.
* * * * *
The coffee had been good, but the donuts had been even better, and he was eating out of the box on his way back to the apartment when he felt it.
Just like with MacLeod and Methos, he could feel the presence of another immortal somewhere around him. Focusing, he turned and saw her.
A tall blonde haired woman was looking at him from across the street, her face unreadable. Jarod finished what he was eating before crossing over the road. He wasn't going to challenge anyone, but protocol (according to MacLeod at any rate) demanded that he introduce himself.
He nodded as he reached her. "I'm Jarod."
Suddenly the unreadable expression looked liked it was holding back a laugh. "What?"
"Sorry." She said, her mouth turning up into a smile that made her seem more alive somehow. "You have jam on your face."
He grinned at that, wiping it away with a finger, before sticking it in his mouth.
"I'm Andrasta of the Iceni."
"Andrasta? That's a very unusual name. I like it."
"Thanks. I think I would have noticed another immortal around here before now. You're not one of these, 'live for the game' types are you?"
Jarod visibly relaxed. She seemed more than friendly, and nothing he could tell about her made her out to be lying.
"No, I'm not after any ones head."
She leaned in close to him, lifting the lid off the box of donuts he had before looking up at him. "You have quite a selection there Jarod. Got any Boston crèmes?"
He smiled at her. Was he imagining it, or was she hitting on him?
"Plenty. Want to share?"
* * * * *
They had actually not gone anywhere other than the café that Jarod had bought the donuts in the first place.
He ordered them both coffee and set the box on the table in front of him.
"So, Andrasta of the Iceni. Do you live here in Boston?"
"Actually, no. I'm just passing through. Actually, I was gunned down in England about a month ago. I've been living out of my suitcase, trying to find somewhere new to live. "What about you?"
"My new life story pretty much began two weeks ago. I got shot by an old...employer. Well, except that they never actually paid me." Jarod couldn't help the smile cross over his face. "Well, never voluntarily at any rate."
The other immortal looked at him. "Wait a minute. Your telling me you've only been..."She whispered the word, "Immortal...For two weeks? Really? You really shouldn't be walking around so blatantly without some sword skills." He watched as her face set into something he couldn't quite fathom. "If you need a teacher, I can help you. I've been around for a while, I know my round a sword."
He couldn't believe how generous she was being. "Wow. I mean, you've only known me for all of what? Five minutes, and you'd do that for me?"
The woman beside him set her coffee down. "It's important to have a good first teacher, believe me, I know."
He saw the pain briefly flash across her face and decided not to ask. "No, I'm fine. I...learn very quickly, and I did have a couple of really good teachers. Over in Seacover." He reached for his own coffee. He hadn't realised how tempting it would be to name drop. Methos, the oldest immortal was my teacher, and Duncan MacLeod. Two names apparently famous in immortal circles. "Do you mind me asking how old you are?"
"You should never ask a woman her age Jarod."
"Really? Why?"
It was asked in all innocence, and she couldn't hide the grin. "Forget it. I 'died' around 2000 years ago over in Norfolk, England."
It wasn't as old as Methos, but still. 2000 years!
"Do you mind me asking how you died?"
"No, I don't mind. I was sacrificed to my goddess. I later found out that my 'husband to be' at the time wanted me dead so we could be immortal together. He was...eager for us to be together. Biggest mistake of my life. "
It seemed best not to pry too much further into that. "I don't even know how old I am, and I only died for the first time two weeks ago." He saw the inquiring look as she took another drink from her cup. "I was taken from my family at an early age by a group of people who really had no business raising a child. They saw my intelligence as both a tool and a weapon." He could feel the same old bitter feelings at what had been done to him surfacing and he tried to swallow them down. "I was kept locked up and 'trained' for 30 years, I finally broke free and I've been trying to stay out of their path for a long time now. Plus, if they ever get me back and realise I'm immortal, my life won't be worth living."
"You're on the run from a secret organisation?"
He smiled. He'd heard the laughter behind her words.
"Don't get me wrong, I believe you, it's just, well, it makes for an interesting existence don't you think?"
"Sometimes just a bit too interesting."
She raised her cup to his, and clinked them together. "You can say that again."
* * * * *
Having spent the entire day just 'talking' in the café, Jarod had told Andrasta about his mother and the Centre in more detail and of his life outside it, while she had given her very own unique point of view of certain aspects of world history.
Outside now, Jarod felt somewhat confused. He didn't want to say goodbye to her.
"Would you..." He could feel the blush rise over his face. He wasn't exactly experienced when it came to women, and here he was, standing in front of a 2000 year old one. "No, I'm sorry, it doesn't..."
She cut him off, placing a hand on his cheek and gently stroking it down his face. "Of course it matters."
Jarod had closed his eyes at the simple touch, human contact on this level something he wasn't used to, but had promised himself he would savour the next time he ever got the chance.
He reached up and took her hand, kissing the inside of her palm. "Come home with me?"
She reached a hand to behind his neck, and pulled him close to her, their mouths meeting to share a sensual kiss. After what seemed like an eternity they broke apart. "I'd like nothing better."
* * * * *
Miss Parker sat on the only chair in the room, while Sam and Sydney both sat on the bed. She could feel it, could feel that victory was finally in her grasp. She'd found Jarod's location and was currently waiting for him in the room next to his. She had had her car hidden and had called for no other sweepers except for her own trusted few. She was keeping this low-key. All she had to do was wait.
She couldn't keep the smile off her face. Jarod was coming home and she would be free of the Centre.
* * * * *
They hadn't even made it as far as the door before they were all over each other, hands roaming everywhere. Andrasta bit down gently on the side of Jarod's neck, causing him to gasp a little.
"Hey, have you ever read the Karma Sutra Jarod?"
He removed his mouth from her neck for a brief moment to reply. "Twice."
She laughed as she leaned back a little to let him get better access, the sensations running through her at his touch something she hadn't felt in a very long time with another immortal. "I thought...Oh God..." She forced herself to breathe. "I thought you only had to read something once... to...to..."
He brought his hand out from his pocket, keys in his hand, and fumbled as he tried to open the door. "I liked the pictures."
He pushed it open a bit too hard, the door hitting the wall beside it.
They separated for a moment, Andrasta looking around the room. "I'm sorry its such a mess, but..."
"Jarod? I once lived in a cave. I really couldn't care less." She came up to him, a smile on her face, her hands settling on his chest. "As long as you have a bed..."
He began unbuttoning her top, and once that was done, he ran his hands over her breasts, leaning down to kiss her.
He stopped for a second, breathy and excited, his eyes hungry for what was standing in front of him. "And if I didn't?"
She went for his mouth, her own hunger sparking her lust for him. "We'd just..." More kissing as they fell onto the bed. "Have to make do, wouldn't we?"
* * * * *
"This is it Syd. I'm finally going to nail me this coffin lid shut." She turned to Jarod's protector, a savage smile there that disturbed Sydney. Despite everything, he'd always believed that Miss Parker at heart wanted Jarod to be free of the Centre.
"Miss Parker..."
She dropped her cigarette on to the carpet, grinding it underneath her foot. Pulling a gun from behind her jacket she tapped him on the chest with it. "Don't even start with me. And don't even think of getting in my way, cause, if I have to, this bullet goes through you before it hits Jarod. Are we clear?"
She was going to do this, and he could do very little to stop her. He held up his hands in defeat. "I won't get in your way Miss Parker, but consider this...Is this what you truly want?"
Miss Parker smiled. "I truly wanted a pony when I was eight, and I got it. Now I truly want to put Jarod back where he belongs so I can get on with my life, and I intend to do just that. I'm glad we've had this chance to work together Syd. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a kneecap or two to put a bullet in."
* * * * *
Clothes were scattered everywhere, and the two immortals were both on the bed, their bodies almost naked apart from the underwear they hadn't gotten round to taking off yet.
Jarod was enjoying making Andrasta moan when ever he pressed hard against her, his erection starting to demand that it be let free from the confines of his boxers.
Hands grabbed his head and pulled him in for a smouldering kiss, tongues gliding against one another as they fought together.
The door to the room they where in suddenly was kicked off it's hinges, both Andrasta and Jarod looking up against the light to see figures standing there.
"Well, well, well. Looks like I caught a Pretender with his pants down." She shook her head, making no effort to disguise the enjoyment she was taking at his discomfort. "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"
Jarod felt his stomach twist. "Miss Parker."
"Get dressed Jarod. You're going home."
* * * * *
"Miss Parker! Come and take a look at this?"
Sam was standing guard at the door, but he had found two swords sitting by the way out. He held one up, the light catching it. "What do you think these are for?"
Parker barely spared them a glance, never once taking her eyes off Jarod. "Who cares? Lets get going already. You ready Jarod?"
Jarod could hardly speak, he was so angry at having been caught, and at having placed in danger a woman he knew he already had feelings for.
"I'm never going back there. I'd rather die."
"Yes, well you did that the last time didn't you. And yet you didn't stay dead. I don't liked being played like that Jarod. Nobody makes a fool of me."
"I'd say you're quite capable of doing that all by yourself."
"I beg your pardon?" The tone Parker used was dangerous, but Andrasta wasn't in the least put off by it.
"You have no idea who or what you're dealing with anymore. You're way over your head and you don't even realise your drowning."
Andrasta had taken a step closer, and Jarod could suddenly see that she was going for the gun Parker held in her hand. He felt fear shoot through him at the thought that she might get hurt, but then he realised. She was immortal. They both were. He almost grinned. He'd only come back from the dead once; it was still something he was learning to get used to.
"I'd be the one who would worry about..." She didn't get to finish her sentence, as Andrasta hit her in the face with her fist, trying to get the gun out of her hand. However, Parker wasn't stupid. She'd been prepared for some move by Jarod. Coming from the woman, it had only surprised her a little. She used her gun to hit Andrasta in the face, knocking the other woman to the floor.
Jarod was at her side in an instant, instinct making him look at the cut on her face that was bleeding. "You didn't have to do that!"
"Yes I did...Jarod..." Parker stared as a small flare of what looked like electricity raced over the cut above Andrasta's eye, healing it over in seconds. Both Sydney and Sam had seen it too. Slowly a smile that even Jarod hadn't seen before crossed Parkers face. "Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a two for one kinda deal here." She bent down and cupped Jarod's chin, hard, making him look at her. "I bet Mr. Raines is going to *love* playing with her. Don't you think Jarod?"
He pulled out of her grasp, saying nothing.
Parker stood up turning to her team. "Pack this little show up. I want to be gone in 5 minutes. Are we clear gentlemen?"
Parker left the room, the sweepers knowing not to reply, as it had been a purely rhetorical question.
* * * * *
Sam scanned the street as two men led both Jarod and Andrasta out of the apartment block. Jarod was grateful that at least he didn't have the DSA's with him. He'd stored them along with his Halliburton case in the janitor's locker back at Roosevelt High, the place of his last pretend. He cast a quick look at Andrasta, and suddenly knew she was planning something again.
He watched, ready for it as she stumbled slightly coming down the last step of the building. She made to grab onto the man walking beside her, as if she was going to steady herself. What she did instead was grab him hard and throw him into the man next to Jarod, knocking the two to the ground.
Parker turned at the commotion, just in time to see Jarod hit Sam hard in the face, taking both the swords out of his hands before the other sweeper hit the ground. He tossed Andrasta her sword, who within seconds had the business end pointed at Parkers neck.
"You wouldn't dare!" Pure arrogance kept Parker from feeling threatened.
Andrasta smiled. "You think? If I told you just how many people I've killed in my life, 'Miss Parker' you wouldn't have even said something so...stupid." The immortal didn't turn around as she spoke to Jarod. "Get in the drivers seat. We're going to have to get out of here."
Jarod couldn't help but worry as Parker felt the tip of the blade on her throat, but still, he got into the car. He really didn't think she was in any real danger.
Andrasta heard the door slam shut, and shortly after the engine gunning. All of Jarod's belongings that had been up in the apartment had been moved down into the car before, so there was nothing being left behind.
Andrasta cautiously moved closer to the car. "Jarod isn't the same man you once knew. He's different now."
Sydney interrupted her. "What do you mean, different?"
The immortal could sense the impatience coming from the man in the car behind her, but she needed to tell them this.
The passenger car door opened up behind her. "Andrasta, get in! We have to go!"
She never took her gaze off Parker. "Just stop this. Stop looking for him. You really don't have a clue to what you're getting into anymore." Her piece said, she dropped her sword slightly and got in the car, the tires burning rubber onto the tarmac as they sped away.
Parker pulled her gun and fired off a few rounds, her sweepers joining in as the car sped up the street and around a corner. She angrily turned to the man beside her and pushed him hard out of her way as she stepped back up onto the pavement.
"Damn!"
Sydney said nothing, too busy trying to hide his relief that Jarod had gotten away.
It was Parker who spoke to him first. "I'm going to see that bitch again Sydney, and when I do..." She let the threat hang in the air as she pulled out her phone and called her father.
* * * * *
It had been nearly 12 hours since the incident with Miss Parker, and only now did Jarod feel safe enough to slow down for a while. They had ditched the car as soon as they had had the chance, picking up a clean one that would be harder to trace.
Andrasta was out getting them something to eat while Jarod set up his computer in their room. He'd just activated one of his email accounts when the door opened. He looked up to see her carrying some takeout. He stood up immediately, taking some of the food off her and setting it down on a nearby table.
"I'm so sorry."
"What?" She really didn't understand, and then she did. "Oh Jarod, you don't have to be sorry." She smiled. "Not for this." She wrapped her arms around him. "If anything, I should thank you."
He pulled back to look at her. "Thank me? What on earth for? Now the Centre and Miss Parker are going to be after you."
"Jarod, I know that, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I've come across a lot worse than the Centre in my life." She pulled away from him, sitting down on the bed. "I was going to ask you something?"
"Anything? What is it?"
She wiped her hands over his face, dark green eyes looking up at him. "I want to help you. Come with you." She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her. "I've been on this earth for a long time Jarod, done some good and some bad, and while I have put that guilt behind me, I've found a taste for doing good. Let me put it this way. You're a Pretender because you're smart and have been trained." She quickly licked her lips, her mouth a little dry. "I'm a Pretender from over two thousand years of experience. I can help, and if I'm honest, I don't want to leave you. And besides, it's not like I can get killed. Well, at least, not in the normal way."
Jarod took her hand, holding it tight. "You really want to stay with me? Even..."
She kissed him. "Even with the Centre hunting us down." He responded to her kiss, a part of him taking note of the fact that he wasn't going to be alone anymore.
Just as things were beginning to heat up between them, a synthetic voice announced: 'You Have Mail.'
Knowing that it was more than likely from Sydney regarding what the Centre thought of his latest break from them, he offered Andrasta an apologetic grin.
"Go on then, see what it is."
He pulled the computer over to him, opening up the mail. Surprisingly it wasn't from Sydney at all. It was from Methos.
'Jarod,
Had a visit from your old friends. Afraid we had to deal with it.
Your other old friend,
Adam.
He looked over to Andrasta. This wasn't something he could ignore, despite
the dangers in going back there so soon. "Have you ever been to Seacover?"
* * * * *
Mr. Raines reluctantly pushed open the door to Miss Parker's office.
"I hear your latest attempt to capture Jarod ended as per usual."
She looked up at him from her notebook. "Shouldn't you have dropped dead about a year ago Raines?"
He ignored her, instead throwing a file onto her desk. Frowning her dislike of him, she opened it up, only to see the face of the man who had called her Catherine looking back up at her. It was a pretty good shot of him.
"You're showing me this why?" She held back her worry that yet another lead to her mother was again exposed to the Centre and to the walking zombie in front of her. Still, she felt it was beneath her to show Raines that she was worried. She would never give him the satisfaction.
"We know this man was with Jarod on the night of his so called death a short while ago in Seacover. This..." He placed another photograph in front of her, the dead bodies of two sweepers she had vaguely known. "Is what happened when we tried to talk to him."
She knew she was only getting half of this story. She seriously doubted that they had been sent to merely 'talk' to the man.
"And what? You really expect me to care? Leave me alone Raines, I've got enough problems of my own." She picked up her favourite lighter, the chunky silver one a college friend had once given her and lit a cigarette in front of him.
"We want to wait awhile, and then send you in. We know this man has connections to your mother, and we know that he called you by her name that night." He turned around, dragging his tank behind him as he left her. "In your own interests, I would have thought you would have wanted to know more yourself." He turned away, leaving her alone as the squeak of the wheels on his oxygen tank marked his passage away from her office.
Parker picked up the photograph and examined the face on it in more detail. Whoever this man was, he had known her mother. Her mother felt like the only part of her life that was clean, despite everything else that had happened to her, that had resulted in her death.
She threw down the photograph, standing to look out of her window. Whatever else happened, she had to find out the truth from this man, and protect him somehow from both the Centre and Mr. Raines.
Please read Facing the Past next!
