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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
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.
The Gift
part V
by Michele
Lyle, he thought as he looked at the techie, then answered," See who the doctor was, discreetly, Broots. Truth of the matter is that I have a bad feeling about this."
"Sure, Syd. Is he okay?" Broots nodded in the direction of the little boy who sat in the middle of the table, pouting.
"He wants Miss Parker," Sydney replied.
"Are you kidding? After what he did to her yesterday," the man looked at the child, smiled, only to see him scowl even more, " Is he taking lessons from her, Syd? Look at that look. Next thing he'll be doing is snapping his fingers when he wants something."
The thoughts that crossed Sydney's mind ran along the same lines, only he wasn't ready to voice them just yet. If what he was thinking was true, than the party that was responsible had better run in fear of what would come their way once Jarod and Miss Parker found out. He had to make sure he was right first, yet that inner voice told him he was.
Parker stood for a moment in the hall, listening to Broots, trying to coax the child off of the table, when she walked as though pulled by some force of nature toward the SIM lab door. The door of the SIM lab was closed, and as she reached it, she could hear him arguing with Broots. She placed her hand on the silver knob, knowing that she had the element of surprise on her side, turning it slowly, she pushed it open. As it opened, Ryan, turned his dark hair and big brown eyes toward the noise, then his whole face exploded into smiles at her entrance.
"Miss Parker!" He flew off the table and into her arms before anyone could stop him, not that she would have allowed them to. For her own face melted into a smile as she felt him wrap his baby arms around her legs. She picked him up and held him to her as he nuzzled her neck and breathed in her scent.
"You smell good," he whispered, and she surpressed the urge to laugh.
"What's this about you not wanting to work?" she pulled away to look at him with disapproval in her eyes.
"I wanted to see you, first," he answered her, looking very serious," And, ask you to have wunch with me." He looked pensive, and then he smiled at her again, snuggling closer. He only met her yesterday, but he loved being close to her, smelling her perfume, feeling the silk of her hair, and letting her kiss him, which she did when she had put him to bed last night. She thought he was asleep, he wasn't, it was a game he was good at, pretending, and he liked the feel of her lips on his cheek. She was the most beautiful and exciting person he knew, at least in this ugly place. His other friend intrigued him.
"Ryan, I have work to do?" she started to say, then looked at the little boy, his lower lip beginning to turn down.
"Of course Miss Parker will have lunch with you today, young Ryan," the voice at the top of the stairs said, causing Parker to turn her head. There stood Mutumbo ginning, while Lyle stood behind him, a look of disgust on his face.
"Can she stay? He hesitated, not wanting to cross the line again.
Parker looked at Mutumbo, knowing full well that he would hate if there was interference of any kind regarding the tests that were to be run.
"She can't stay?" It wasn't Mutumbo that answered the question, but Lyle, with a look of satisfaction as he watched the boy's eagerness deflate before his eyes, only to be filled with contempt. Parker, still holding the child, also looked at him defiantly.
"Ryan, do you promise to work with Dr. Green, if I let Miss Parker stay?" the triumvirate boss asked solemnly, knowing that Lyle would be seething with anger at this turn of events.
Shaking his head eagerly, his brown eyes shining, he wiggled to indicate he had enough of being held. Slowly and with a tinge of regret, Parker put the boy down. He immediately scrambled to the big plastic bubble, crawled in and then turned toward Syd.
"Seems we have work to do, Doctor," he smiled, as he watched Miss Parker take a seat in the chair next to the bubble.
The occupants of the SIM lab didn't realize that they were being watched. The figure sat in the shadows behind the air shaft vent, waiting for a chance to be with the new friend he made yesterday. Other friend, the savant thought, come and save both, child and daughter. Needed to save both from bad man, as bad man walked away angry. Need to warn friend.
**************************
Emily looked out the cabin window, and caught sight of the headlights coming down the winding driveway. Finally, she thought. Her parents and Jake. She had worried that they had been delayed due to the snow, but it had let up about an hour ago. Taking a deep breath she knew that she had to tell her parents that Jarod went back to the Centre to help that woman. Again.
The door to the cabin blew open, and the snow swirled around the three figures bundled warmly against the cold.
"Emily," a woman's voice called out," Come help us, dear."
"Mom, Dad. Jarod isn't'. . ." she was cut off, by her younger brother, Jake.
"We know, Em. He got a hold of me, via his website. So before you get all bent out of shape with Miss Parker, listen to what we have to tell you. Please."
Emily looked into his big brown eyes, and knew that she was one against the rest of them. She was fighting a loosing battle, whatever hold that woman had on her brother's heart was unbreakable. She watched as the men went out to retrieve the rest of the items from the car, and headed into the kitchen with her mother.
"Mom, I don't get it? She hunts him down like he's a wild animal, yet at the first sign of trouble he's off," she shook her dark hair.
"Em, baby. Next time watch his eyes, everything that he feels is reflected in his eyes. He loves her, and nothing is ever going to change that."
"How can he love her?"
"Oh honey, think about it. She's been the one constant in his life. Always there. And I bet that I can say the same about her regarding your brother. She feels the same way, only she hides behind that tough woman exterior. She's afraid that if she lets him in, he'll end up dead. So, she plays the game that the Centre taught her, only she changed the rules on them and they don't even now it."
"But, Mom."
"There are no buts, young lady," the voice was that of her father, who had been standing in the doorway, listening, "Seems that there's a little boy being held at the Centre. Jarod went to get him. According to Jake, he's only a baby. "
"Poor thing," whispered Margaret as she put the kettle on the stove," coffee or hot chocolate, Charles."
"Hot chocolate is fine. Jake's setting up his computer, in case Jarod needs us for any reason. I think that I'll send Sydney a message. Perhaps he can shed some light on this. After all he was the one that alerted Jarod and I when they decided to move Jake earlier than scheduled."
Margaret and Emily watched as he left the kitchen, knowing that he was worried about his oldest but that Jarod adopted causes that no one else would. A modern day Robin Hood, thought Emily.
"Is it a girl or boy being held at the Centre?" she asked her mother.
"It's a little boy," Jake answered, as he stepped into the kitchen," Dad said that you had hot chocolate out here. Got any more of those cookies, too?"
"Where do you put it, young man?" his mother laughed, then turned serious again," Is he a . . ."
"Clone? Could be. Jarod only sent me what Angelo sent him. A rather cryptic message and some video of him. Ryan. That's his name and he looks to be about three. Here I pulled his picture off the computer." Jake handed the photo to his sister, who held it out for her mother.
"Three! What could they possible want with a baby?" Margaret wiped her hands on the towel before accepting the sheet of paper.
"Not just any baby, Mom. If it's Jarod, he's a genius." Emily turned and headed into the other room, as her mother gazed at the picture.
"Em," her mother's voice came in a hushed whisper," Get your father, please."
'Mom, what's wrong!"
"Nothing just get your father," she sank into the kitchen chair, still staring at the picture before removing the locket that was pinned to her blouse. Opening it she took out the four pictures in it. Baby pictures of Jarod, Kyle and Emily. The other was picture of Miss Parker, one that Jarod
asked her to hold on to. A wistful sigh escaped her lips as she looked teary eyed at Kyle's but she returned the one of her youngest children back in the locket and looked at the one of Jarod and Miss Parker.
"Margaret, Emily said that you wanted to see me. What's the matter?"
"Have you contacted Sydney yet?" she raised her eyes to her husband.
"Not yet, why? What is it, what's wrong? "
Sliding the two pictures in front of him as well as the picture of Ryan that Jake had given her, she watched as he looked at all three.
"Jake," the major said, calmly, " Email Sydney, quickly."
"Charles, that little boy isn't a clone, is he?"
"Not if what I'm seeing is the truth. Jarod had that little mole since he was born, Ryan doesn't, but the resemblance to both is uncanny . . ." he stopped short and looked at his wife.
"He's their son. Our grandson," she whispered.
"Angelo's message. It makes sense to me now," a cry from the doorway, startled the two at the table.
"Jake?" his mother turned a quizzically gaze at him.
"Angelo's message to Jarod, was " Ryan, both friend and daughter." He knew and tried to tell Jarod that the Centre has his son, not a clone." Jake looked at the couple that sat at the table.
"How is it possible?" Emily voiced.
"With the Centre anything is possible," the major answered," I'd hate to be the one to tell either of them what the Centre did."
"You mean she doesn't know that Ryan is . . ." Emily looked at the three others who stared at her, incredulous.
"She promised me that I'd live the life that every normal boy should and then was going to take me out of there. She never got to because . . ." Jake shook his head.
"Oh God, we're going to have to tell them before each of them does something stupid," Emily said, receiving looks from the others.
"We, since when have you . . ." Jake smiled.
"Okay, I've been a bit judgmental regarding Miss Parker . . ."
"A bit judgmental, did you hear that Mom, dad," Jake laughed.
"Hey its a woman's prerogative to change her mind.'
"Just admit that you were jealous of her, because she stolen our brother's heart first," Jake continued to laugh, then sobered quickly," She's right, they need to know and it needs to be confirmed. I'll get a hold of Sydney, Dad. Perhaps Jarod will call him when he gets to Blue Cove."
The Gift
part V
by Michele
Lyle, he thought as he looked at the techie, then answered," See who the doctor was, discreetly, Broots. Truth of the matter is that I have a bad feeling about this."
"Sure, Syd. Is he okay?" Broots nodded in the direction of the little boy who sat in the middle of the table, pouting.
"He wants Miss Parker," Sydney replied.
"Are you kidding? After what he did to her yesterday," the man looked at the child, smiled, only to see him scowl even more, " Is he taking lessons from her, Syd? Look at that look. Next thing he'll be doing is snapping his fingers when he wants something."
The thoughts that crossed Sydney's mind ran along the same lines, only he wasn't ready to voice them just yet. If what he was thinking was true, than the party that was responsible had better run in fear of what would come their way once Jarod and Miss Parker found out. He had to make sure he was right first, yet that inner voice told him he was.
Parker stood for a moment in the hall, listening to Broots, trying to coax the child off of the table, when she walked as though pulled by some force of nature toward the SIM lab door. The door of the SIM lab was closed, and as she reached it, she could hear him arguing with Broots. She placed her hand on the silver knob, knowing that she had the element of surprise on her side, turning it slowly, she pushed it open. As it opened, Ryan, turned his dark hair and big brown eyes toward the noise, then his whole face exploded into smiles at her entrance.
"Miss Parker!" He flew off the table and into her arms before anyone could stop him, not that she would have allowed them to. For her own face melted into a smile as she felt him wrap his baby arms around her legs. She picked him up and held him to her as he nuzzled her neck and breathed in her scent.
"You smell good," he whispered, and she surpressed the urge to laugh.
"What's this about you not wanting to work?" she pulled away to look at him with disapproval in her eyes.
"I wanted to see you, first," he answered her, looking very serious," And, ask you to have wunch with me." He looked pensive, and then he smiled at her again, snuggling closer. He only met her yesterday, but he loved being close to her, smelling her perfume, feeling the silk of her hair, and letting her kiss him, which she did when she had put him to bed last night. She thought he was asleep, he wasn't, it was a game he was good at, pretending, and he liked the feel of her lips on his cheek. She was the most beautiful and exciting person he knew, at least in this ugly place. His other friend intrigued him.
"Ryan, I have work to do?" she started to say, then looked at the little boy, his lower lip beginning to turn down.
"Of course Miss Parker will have lunch with you today, young Ryan," the voice at the top of the stairs said, causing Parker to turn her head. There stood Mutumbo ginning, while Lyle stood behind him, a look of disgust on his face.
"Can she stay? He hesitated, not wanting to cross the line again.
Parker looked at Mutumbo, knowing full well that he would hate if there was interference of any kind regarding the tests that were to be run.
"She can't stay?" It wasn't Mutumbo that answered the question, but Lyle, with a look of satisfaction as he watched the boy's eagerness deflate before his eyes, only to be filled with contempt. Parker, still holding the child, also looked at him defiantly.
"Ryan, do you promise to work with Dr. Green, if I let Miss Parker stay?" the triumvirate boss asked solemnly, knowing that Lyle would be seething with anger at this turn of events.
Shaking his head eagerly, his brown eyes shining, he wiggled to indicate he had enough of being held. Slowly and with a tinge of regret, Parker put the boy down. He immediately scrambled to the big plastic bubble, crawled in and then turned toward Syd.
"Seems we have work to do, Doctor," he smiled, as he watched Miss Parker take a seat in the chair next to the bubble.
The occupants of the SIM lab didn't realize that they were being watched. The figure sat in the shadows behind the air shaft vent, waiting for a chance to be with the new friend he made yesterday. Other friend, the savant thought, come and save both, child and daughter. Needed to save both from bad man, as bad man walked away angry. Need to warn friend.
**************************
Emily looked out the cabin window, and caught sight of the headlights coming down the winding driveway. Finally, she thought. Her parents and Jake. She had worried that they had been delayed due to the snow, but it had let up about an hour ago. Taking a deep breath she knew that she had to tell her parents that Jarod went back to the Centre to help that woman. Again.
The door to the cabin blew open, and the snow swirled around the three figures bundled warmly against the cold.
"Emily," a woman's voice called out," Come help us, dear."
"Mom, Dad. Jarod isn't'. . ." she was cut off, by her younger brother, Jake.
"We know, Em. He got a hold of me, via his website. So before you get all bent out of shape with Miss Parker, listen to what we have to tell you. Please."
Emily looked into his big brown eyes, and knew that she was one against the rest of them. She was fighting a loosing battle, whatever hold that woman had on her brother's heart was unbreakable. She watched as the men went out to retrieve the rest of the items from the car, and headed into the kitchen with her mother.
"Mom, I don't get it? She hunts him down like he's a wild animal, yet at the first sign of trouble he's off," she shook her dark hair.
"Em, baby. Next time watch his eyes, everything that he feels is reflected in his eyes. He loves her, and nothing is ever going to change that."
"How can he love her?"
"Oh honey, think about it. She's been the one constant in his life. Always there. And I bet that I can say the same about her regarding your brother. She feels the same way, only she hides behind that tough woman exterior. She's afraid that if she lets him in, he'll end up dead. So, she plays the game that the Centre taught her, only she changed the rules on them and they don't even now it."
"But, Mom."
"There are no buts, young lady," the voice was that of her father, who had been standing in the doorway, listening, "Seems that there's a little boy being held at the Centre. Jarod went to get him. According to Jake, he's only a baby. "
"Poor thing," whispered Margaret as she put the kettle on the stove," coffee or hot chocolate, Charles."
"Hot chocolate is fine. Jake's setting up his computer, in case Jarod needs us for any reason. I think that I'll send Sydney a message. Perhaps he can shed some light on this. After all he was the one that alerted Jarod and I when they decided to move Jake earlier than scheduled."
Margaret and Emily watched as he left the kitchen, knowing that he was worried about his oldest but that Jarod adopted causes that no one else would. A modern day Robin Hood, thought Emily.
"Is it a girl or boy being held at the Centre?" she asked her mother.
"It's a little boy," Jake answered, as he stepped into the kitchen," Dad said that you had hot chocolate out here. Got any more of those cookies, too?"
"Where do you put it, young man?" his mother laughed, then turned serious again," Is he a . . ."
"Clone? Could be. Jarod only sent me what Angelo sent him. A rather cryptic message and some video of him. Ryan. That's his name and he looks to be about three. Here I pulled his picture off the computer." Jake handed the photo to his sister, who held it out for her mother.
"Three! What could they possible want with a baby?" Margaret wiped her hands on the towel before accepting the sheet of paper.
"Not just any baby, Mom. If it's Jarod, he's a genius." Emily turned and headed into the other room, as her mother gazed at the picture.
"Em," her mother's voice came in a hushed whisper," Get your father, please."
'Mom, what's wrong!"
"Nothing just get your father," she sank into the kitchen chair, still staring at the picture before removing the locket that was pinned to her blouse. Opening it she took out the four pictures in it. Baby pictures of Jarod, Kyle and Emily. The other was picture of Miss Parker, one that Jarod
asked her to hold on to. A wistful sigh escaped her lips as she looked teary eyed at Kyle's but she returned the one of her youngest children back in the locket and looked at the one of Jarod and Miss Parker.
"Margaret, Emily said that you wanted to see me. What's the matter?"
"Have you contacted Sydney yet?" she raised her eyes to her husband.
"Not yet, why? What is it, what's wrong? "
Sliding the two pictures in front of him as well as the picture of Ryan that Jake had given her, she watched as he looked at all three.
"Jake," the major said, calmly, " Email Sydney, quickly."
"Charles, that little boy isn't a clone, is he?"
"Not if what I'm seeing is the truth. Jarod had that little mole since he was born, Ryan doesn't, but the resemblance to both is uncanny . . ." he stopped short and looked at his wife.
"He's their son. Our grandson," she whispered.
"Angelo's message. It makes sense to me now," a cry from the doorway, startled the two at the table.
"Jake?" his mother turned a quizzically gaze at him.
"Angelo's message to Jarod, was " Ryan, both friend and daughter." He knew and tried to tell Jarod that the Centre has his son, not a clone." Jake looked at the couple that sat at the table.
"How is it possible?" Emily voiced.
"With the Centre anything is possible," the major answered," I'd hate to be the one to tell either of them what the Centre did."
"You mean she doesn't know that Ryan is . . ." Emily looked at the three others who stared at her, incredulous.
"She promised me that I'd live the life that every normal boy should and then was going to take me out of there. She never got to because . . ." Jake shook his head.
"Oh God, we're going to have to tell them before each of them does something stupid," Emily said, receiving looks from the others.
"We, since when have you . . ." Jake smiled.
"Okay, I've been a bit judgmental regarding Miss Parker . . ."
"A bit judgmental, did you hear that Mom, dad," Jake laughed.
"Hey its a woman's prerogative to change her mind.'
"Just admit that you were jealous of her, because she stolen our brother's heart first," Jake continued to laugh, then sobered quickly," She's right, they need to know and it needs to be confirmed. I'll get a hold of Sydney, Dad. Perhaps Jarod will call him when he gets to Blue Cove."
