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

- Text Size +

DISCLAIMER: If I owned the show, we would have the Pretender on TV for the next 5 years (or more). But I don’t, so please don’t sue me for using the characters.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I had a hankering for mush so I decided to write this story. It takes place before the last season finale. This is for all you shippers out there. No real plot, just romance, and mush, and “aw shucks” kind of stuff. I’ll leave some shipper warning space for you non-shippers.



“Truce”

by Rachel




Miss Parker parked her car across the apartment building. She hesitated getting out into the frigid air. She checked the address again that she ‘accidentally’ found in Lyle’s desk. With the address was a newspaper clipping with a picture of a man circled in the background. The circled face looked a lot like Jarod, but it was too blurry to be sure. This whole thing probably has nothing to do with Jarod, but if it has to with Lyle, it’s worth exposing. Her enthusiasm in catching Jarod has waned. It’s three days before Christmas and she’s following a lead to a no-name town in the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter. And to make things worse, she was alone. Lonely might be a better word. Her father took her little brother to Europe for the holidays, Broots and Debbie are with his family, Sydney went to visit Michelle and Nicolas, and Lyle is probably having Chinese food somewhere. If she didn’t find Jarod, she didn’t care. Might as well spend Christmas with total strangers. ‘It’s not a bad little town,’ she remembered when she passed through. Christmas decorations lined the streets and the store front windows were flashing with Season’s Greetings. People scurried about buying last minute gifts, greeting each other like they’ve all been friends forever. She quit feeling sorry for herself and daydreamed of getting lost in this wonderful atmosphere--being apart yet a part of the crowd, shaking hands and meeting caring people who would accept her and welcome her. She shook herself out of it and stepped out of the car. She wrapped her coat tighter around her to subdue the cold air that assaulted her and walked toward the building.

As Miss Parker neared the door, a man walking by tipped his hat and opened the door for her. Another time she would have glared at him for assuming she was a lady who couldn’t open her own door. But today, she smiled at him warmly and uttered a sincere thank you. She climbed the small set of stairs and looked for the apartment number, still unsure why she was doing this or why she would trust anything that has to do with Lyle. Maybe she just needed to get away from the Centre.

Already knowing she wouldn’t find Jarod, she picked the lock and entered. She looked around and shook her head. The place was empty--not a scrap or trace of Jarod or anyone who lived there. She turned to leave and stopped abruptly when she heard ‘click, click’ coming from the kitchen. Before she could react, an explosion sent her down to the floor. The smoke and flames tried to engulf the place like an angry dragon. She crawled toward the door and tried to open it but the knob wouldn’t turn. She slid down to the ground, her world spinning out of control. She banged on the door and tried to yell, “help me,” but it just came out a muffled whimper.

The firefighters arrived in minutes to the 911 call. Two of the fighters entered the building and began to search for the origin of the fire. Tenants piled out coughing and crying, but were all fine. One of the men headed toward the end apartment and the other checked the rest, both fighting the thick smoke that blanketed the air. Tom felt and listened on the door and thought he heard a slight tap on it from the inside. He broke the knob and slowly but urgently tried to open the door. Miss Parker scooted out of the way and Tom immediately kneeled in front of her, giving her emergency oxygen and helping her to her feet. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kept the oxygen on her face as he practically carried her out of the building, giving the other firefighter a nod as they passed him in the hall.

Miss Parker took the mask from her mouth and breathe in the air. “I’m fine. Thank you.” Tom ushered her to the fire truck and wrapped a blanket around her for warmth.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Tom asked, noticing the sadness in the woman.

“Yes,” Miss Parker responded, her eyes filling with tears. Tom returned to his duty and left Miss Parker alone. Now she felt lonelier than ever, even in the midst of the crowd. Someone offered her coffee, but she refused. She walked over to her car and sat behind the wheel. She stared out the window and let herself be hypnotized by the blinking Christmas lights that has become blurry by her tears.

The firefighters contained the fire, puzzled by the little damage the explosion created, as if someone deliberately caused a fire to happen only in the one apartment, but made sure there were plenty of smoke for effect. Tom patted each man on the shoulder and praised him. “Good job, Bill. Good job, Jarod.”

“Thanks, Tom,” Jarod responded. “Where is that woman you took out of the empty apartment?”

Tom looked around and spotted Miss Parker sitting in her car. “She’s in her car, over there. Good looking lady, but sad. Why don’t you make sure she’s alright.”

Jarod looked at the direction Tom pointed and was shocked to see who it was. He was dead on his tracks and didn’t know what to do. Then he saw the tears that fell down her cheek and his heart decided for him.

“Go on, Jarod, she won’t bite.” Tom prodded

Jarod chuckled at that and headed toward Miss Parker.

He put his helmet back on and went around to the passenger side. He tapped on the window and waited for her to turn her head. She looked at him and he opened the door and sat in the car with her. Miss Parker wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to compose herself. She was a little annoyed at the nerve of this guy who was invading her space. “I said I was fine,” she said, narrowing her eyes at the stranger.

“I’m glad,” Jarod spoke as he removed his helmet to reveal his identity.

Miss Parker stared at him speechless for a minute, then she laid her head heavily on the seat. “Oh, it you,” she sighed.

Jarod smiled at her bewilderedly and wondered why she hasn’t reached for her gun and handcuffs.

“Not today, Jarod. I’m too tired and angry. That fire was deliberate, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, but it was meant only to scare whoever was in the apartment. Very little damage was done. Any ideas who?”

“My loving brother, Lyle,” she said sarcastically. “I found the address in his desk. The jerk set me up knowing I’ll follow any lead on you. WHY DID I FALL FOR THAT?!” she yelled, hitting the steering wheel with her palms. “I am SO SICK of this, Jarod!” she cried, tears freely flowing from her eyes. “I’m all alone, it’s almost Christmas, and I walk right into Lyle’s sick joke.” She crossed her arms across the steering wheel and buried her face in them. “I have no one, Jarod, and I hate it.”

“You have me,” Jarod said lightly, putting his hand on her arm reassuringly.

Miss Parker laughed a sad laugh, turning to look at Jarod with her tear-stained face. “Why aren’t you with your family?” she asked sincerely.

“I haven’t been able to locate them. They’ve gone underground to keep safe,” Jarod said sadly. Miss Parker felt his loneliness, too.

“Daddy took little Jonathan away for the holidays.”

“That’s his name?”

“Yeah, I picked it. I was tired of calling him the Baby.”

Jarod’s face lit up suddenly and he made an offer to Miss Parker. “Call truce for tonight, Miss Parker, and I’ll make you fall in love with this town and it’s people.”

Miss Parker was unsure of the drastic offer. She looked at Jarod’s extended hand, then she looked at his expectant face. She turned away, closed her eyes to think, taking in deep breaths. “What the hell,” she muttered, “truce.” She took his hand and shook it.

“Stay at the Hampton Inn and I’ll pick you up at 5. Dress warmly,” Jarod announced as he opened the door to get out.

Miss Parker grabbed his arm, “That’s it? You’re just going to trust me to not bring you back at gunpoint, and I’m just going to trust you to show up at 5?”

“Yes,” he said simply and left.

Miss Parker sat there astonished. “O-kay,” she pondered. “What the hell….” She smiled as she drove to the hotel.

**********

Miss Parker paced in her hotel room glancing at her watch for the upteenth time. “He has 5-4-3-2-1,” a knock interrupted her counting, “seconds,” she continued. She opened the door and saw Jarod standing on the other side, smiling at her like they’ve been friends forever. All she could do was smile back.

“You ready to hit the town, Miss Parker?”

“It’s only 5 o’clock, Jarod. You don’t ‘hit the town’ till after dark.”

“Well, Miss Parker, this town closes at 8, so we have to hit it before it shuts down.”

Miss Parker gave in. “Fine.”

Their first stop was a little bakery on the corner of Main Street. They entered the store and the warmth and smell caused their head to lean back and their eyes to close in pleasure.

“Mmmmmm, it smells wonderful in here,” Miss Parker commented, breathing in the precious aroma.An old Mexican man came out of the kitchen and greeted them happily, hugging Jarod tightly. “Jerud! Mi hermano, my son! Always good to see you. And who is this beautiful young lady?”

“Mr. Gonzalez, this is Miss Parker, a friend.” The man shook her hand enthusiastically and Miss Parker felt a surge of happiness run through her.

“Any friend of Jerud is a friend of mine. Come, come, sientate, sit. I bring you something very special. Something I just created today, but have not found a name for it yet!” the man laughed and disappeared into the kitchen.

A young girl approached their table with coffee cups and a shy smile. “Hola, Mister Jerud.”

“Hola, Carina,” Jarod greeted her.

She placed the cups on the table and reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a single red rose and offered it to Miss Parker. “For the beautiful lady.”

Miss Parker put a hand on her chest and took a sharp intake of breath. She was so touched, her eyes began to water, but she held the tears in. “Thank you,” Miss Parker managed to say as she took the flower from the girl.

The girl walked away smiling while Miss Parker watched in awe. Jarod stared at her grinning. Miss Parker noticed his amused expression and looked away. She lightly slapped his hand that was resting on the table. “Stop looking at me like that,” she smiled, a little embarrassed.

“You’re beautiful when you’re embarrassed,” Jarod said, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

They went into each store and browsed. Jarod’s favorite was the Candy Store. He managed to persuade Miss Parker to buy something sweet. They walked the street greeting people, smiling at the children, having a great time. Miss Parker made the first move and reached for Jarod’s hand as they strolled. She didn’t care what Jarod thought, or what the others thought. She didn’t even care what SHE thought, she just did what she felt like doing--and that’s to hold his hand. Even though they wore gloves, she could still feel the heat that emanated from his hand. He returned the favor by clasping her hand tightly, entwining their arms, drawing her close to him.They headed toward the Plaza Square where people gathered to witness the traditional lighting of the huge Christmas tree. The town waits till three days before Christmas because that’s how they’ve always done it--for the past 50 years. Who can argue with tradition? They waited with the crowd. Looking around, Miss Parker saw the anxious faces on the children, the pride in the older people, and the joy in others as they wait for this event. She has never felt this good in a long time. She and Jarod were part of a people that enjoyed each other, cared for each other.

“Is everyone ready?” the man announced on the loud speaker.

“YES!!” the crowd roared.

“Alright, you know what to do. Hold on to someone special……”

Jarod squeezed her hand as they waited.

The man plugged in the tree and the lights pierced the darkness, illuminating the tree from top to bottom. It was a magnificent sight. People clapped in unison.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” the man announced. After a little while, people started walking away, leaving a scant few to stare at the tree in amazement. Jarod and Miss Parker were among the few. Jarod released his hand from hers only to put his arm around her shoulders. “You’re cold,” he noticed. She didn’t resist, it felt too good to resist. He pulled her closer and she wrapped her arms around him underneath his coat, resting her hands on his back, feeling his strength. She snuggled her face into his neck, still not taking her eyes off the tree, a smile of contentment playing on her lips. They stood there in silence--beautiful, peaceful silence.

Mr. Gonzalez and his wife passed the couple who seemed oblivious to the outside world. Mr. Gonzalez smiled a fatherly smile at them, bidding them good night as they walked past. “Good night, Jerud, and Senorita Parker.”

“Good night.”

“I love the way he says your name, ” Miss Parker smiled, still enjoying her position in Jarod’s arms. “How did you meet them?”

“ I was able to save his family when the bakery burned down. I also helped them rebuild it. I have a very special place in my heart for them.”

“And it’s obvious they have a special place in their heart for you.” Miss Parker looked up at him and saw the pride he had for being included in the Gonzalez family. They looked at each other and the natural thing happened. They kissed tenderly, with a touch of passion, but mostly it was a kiss of two friends finding each other again. They gave each other one last squeeze and walked away hand in hand.

Finding stuff to do in a small town is tough, but for Jarod and Miss Parker, they enjoyed every minute of being together. They spent hours in a diner talking. Jarod shared his experiences and stories of people he has crossed paths with. He’s never had anyone to share with, someone who understands who he is, so this was a nice treat. Miss Parker listened intently and was actually impressed and found herself interested in what Jarod has done outside the Centre. She knew what he was capable of doing, but to hear him tell it with enthusiasm and passion, she was amazed. Not a mention of the evils of the Centre ever came up. They have been transported to another place and another time--a place void of lies, schemes, treachery, and secrets. To end the truce at midnight seemed unfair.

***************

It was almost midnight and they walked slowly back to the Inn, wishing for time to stop. They stood in front of Miss Parker’s room, a little uneasy, like two teenagers out on their first date.

“Can I kiss you goodnight?” Jarod asked.

“Yes,” Miss Parker responded, biting her lower lip, unsure why she was a little nervous. “Can I kiss you thanks?” She asked in return.

Jarod smiled and moved in closer and held her at the waist gently. Miss Parker caressed his cheek and they kissed lightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his lips.

“Good night,” he whispered back, kissing the corner of her mouth.

They kissed again, this time, a little longer and sweeter, holding on to each other tighter.

“Thank you,” she whispered again.

“Good night,” he breathe out.

They couldn’t stop themselves, they kissed longer the third time, longer, more passionately. They were both breathless when they broke away, their heart pounding in their chest. They both knew that it was their last kiss--a kiss of thanks, a kiss good night, a kiss of friendship, a kiss goodbye.

“Good night, Jarod.” She smiled at him as she untangled herself from his strong embrace.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening, Miss Parker.” He smiled back. He watched her walk into her room and she shut the door slowly. Jarod heaved a big sigh and walked away, both forever touched and changed by the power of their truce.









You must login (register) to review.