Table of Contents [Report This]
Author's Chapter Notes:
I don't own the characters.
This is a responce to RaChell author challenge.
“If you had one day, just one day, to spend with one of the people you tried to rescue but failed, or someone killed by one of your sims, who would that be?”
These words echoed in Jarod’s head, over and over again. How could Miss Parker have been so cruel? Not causing pain deliberately was one of their unspoken rules. She has broken it, spoken the exact words she knew would cause the most pain. Shadows of all those dies because of one of his Sims the Centre had exploited assaulted his mind. They were crying loudly and each of their cries was a stab to Jarod’s chest. The people he had cried to help but failed… still this day he had a lot of trouble dealing with failure. The picture of the 15 years old teen he had found after she hang herself in her room while he was ‘’working’’ in a rehab Centre haunted him.
“Why, Parker why? What did I do to deserve this from you?” Jarod yelled powerlessly into the night.
The pain got too intense to be bearable, so Jarod did what he always did in such situation; he switched into sim mode. This way he would feel no pain. Rationally analyzing Miss Parker’s motives and intentions would keep him focus and pain free. She had return to him the question he had asked her earlier. She had carefully chosen the words. In what mean? Revenge, he had caused her pain unwillingly and she had reacted in the only way she knew; she had strike back. No matter how hard he tried to make her see the reality she closed herself and desperately tried to push him away. That’s when it hit him; the person he always tried to help but failed was Parker!
Since he had escaped, he tried to make Parker see the truth. He exposed the Centre lies to her, in hopes she would leave. He tried to make her see that her freedom was barely an illusion. That she was a prisoner of the Centre. But she stubbornly kept her eyes shut. All his efforts to help her failed miserably, but he kept on trying no matter what. Somehow it was worth it. Not only because he remembered the little who gave him his first kiss but because he cared for her. Her past he could never erase, her pain he could never make it disappear but he could help her grief. Grief over her mother’s death; after more than 30 years it was more than time. Then she could move on and deal with the other loses of her life: Faith, Tommy, her father. When he asked her the question: with whom she spend the day with, he wanted her to realize it was time to live the past behind, to finally say goodbye.
Something then hit Jarod; if Parker had deliberately tired to hurt him, how much pain was she in? A lot was the obvious answer, but quantifying Parker’s pain was far from being a priority. He was mainly with how she would react. Actually how was also obvious, the real question was how far would she go? How much alcohol would she consume? Would she take anything else? Would she go out and ‘’meet’’ a man? His mind not wanting to go further down that road. His worry for Parker was increasing exponentially; he couldn’t sit back and do nothing. He had to go and repair the damage he had unwillingly caused.
*****
Jarod finally got to Parker’s home two hours after leaving his hideaway. He parked his car a few blocks further and walked to the house. He silently entered through the back door. He didn’t have the illusion Parker would simply open her front door and welcome him! He made his way to the living room, without making a sound. Having a 9mm pointed at his head would do no good. He examined the room; the only source of lighting came from a lamp a few meters away from him. Parker was sitting on the couch, a drink in her hand. On the coffee table were scattered an empty bottle of liquor, a half-full one and various picture frames. Parker was contemplating them, lost in taught. Jarod moved slowly through the room and got were Miss Parker was sitting. He carefully sat down nest her.
“What the hell are you doing here Jarod?” was the first thing she said the second she noticed his presence.
Parker tried to reach for her gun but Jarod was quicker. He took the gun and put the safety on before placing it next to him, out of Parker’s reach.
“What the fuck, give me my gun and get the hell out!” Parker yelled out enraged.
“I’m not leaving, I want to talk to you.” was Jarod’s quiet response.
“I said get the fuck out Jarod!” Parker attempted to get up but she lost her balance, hit her leg and felt forward. Jarod hurried to Parker’s side, and helped her get up. At the same time he notice a very nasty cut on Parker’s leg.
“Parker you cut yourself” there was concern in his voice.
“I’m fine” Parker replied automatically.
“I’ll go get your first aid kit.” Jarod did not ask where it was. Parker knew he had been in her house before and frankly she did not have the strength to start another fight. She had to be very careful if not she could very easily fall to Jarod talks. She was just so tired, so tired of this life. She always had to watch her back; never knowing would stab her at the first opportunity, both literally and figuratively. She knew leaving was out of question, and despite what the people she loved had told her today she could not trust Jarod. At the Centre trust got you killed or worst got the other person killed…
“Why don’t sit down so I can take care of your cut, standing there and staring blankly into space is not going to stop the bleeding” Parker snapped back from her reverie and sat down on the couch just like Jarod had directed. She was actually happy not be alone tonight, but she couldn’t admit to him, too dangerous.
While Parker was lost in taught Jarod cleaned and covered her cut. He was wondering what she was thinking about. Maybe tonight he could make her see that she was not meant to be living the way she was.
Parker sat back on her couch simply because she could not find a good enough reason to protest. Jarod also sat down next to her.
“Jarod what are you really doing here” Parker’s voice sounded tired, just like she was.
“I wanted to talk to you” Jarod replied simply.
“Come on Jarod, after what I said earlier my house is the last place you want to be. So why don’t you drop the knight in a shining armor attitude and rub my face with whatever dark Centre secret you have just discovered” Parker was getting impatient what exactly did Jarod want?
“You’re wrong Parker. I want to be here. What you said earlier really hurt me. But I know you said such because you yourself were hurting. Do you want to know who is the person I’m constantly trying to help but always fail?”
Not liking the direction the conversation was taking, Parker stayed quiet.
“Well it’s you Parker; I’m always trying to make you see that you don’t belong at the Centre. There is a life for you outside these walls. All you have to do is leave.”
Parker got up suddenly and screamed “It’s not that easy, you’re wrong the Centre is where I belong. It’s where I was born, where I live and where I’ll most probably die!”
“It doesn’t have to be this way. You can make a life for yourself outside the Centre’s walls. I’ll be there to help.” In opposite to Parker, Jarod was calm and settled.
Parker was literally on the verge of hysteria “Fuck, Jarod don’t you understand if I leave they’ll Sydney and they’ll kill you just like they killed Tommy and mom. Jarod I sold my soul to them long ago. I traded my life for yours, take that change and disappear forever.”
Parker collapse to the ground and started sobbing uncontrollably. Jarod sat next to her and took in his arms; He started stroking her hair softly.
These words echoed in Jarod’s head, over and over again. How could Miss Parker have been so cruel? Not causing pain deliberately was one of their unspoken rules. She has broken it, spoken the exact words she knew would cause the most pain. Shadows of all those dies because of one of his Sims the Centre had exploited assaulted his mind. They were crying loudly and each of their cries was a stab to Jarod’s chest. The people he had cried to help but failed… still this day he had a lot of trouble dealing with failure. The picture of the 15 years old teen he had found after she hang herself in her room while he was ‘’working’’ in a rehab Centre haunted him.
“Why, Parker why? What did I do to deserve this from you?” Jarod yelled powerlessly into the night.
The pain got too intense to be bearable, so Jarod did what he always did in such situation; he switched into sim mode. This way he would feel no pain. Rationally analyzing Miss Parker’s motives and intentions would keep him focus and pain free. She had return to him the question he had asked her earlier. She had carefully chosen the words. In what mean? Revenge, he had caused her pain unwillingly and she had reacted in the only way she knew; she had strike back. No matter how hard he tried to make her see the reality she closed herself and desperately tried to push him away. That’s when it hit him; the person he always tried to help but failed was Parker!
Since he had escaped, he tried to make Parker see the truth. He exposed the Centre lies to her, in hopes she would leave. He tried to make her see that her freedom was barely an illusion. That she was a prisoner of the Centre. But she stubbornly kept her eyes shut. All his efforts to help her failed miserably, but he kept on trying no matter what. Somehow it was worth it. Not only because he remembered the little who gave him his first kiss but because he cared for her. Her past he could never erase, her pain he could never make it disappear but he could help her grief. Grief over her mother’s death; after more than 30 years it was more than time. Then she could move on and deal with the other loses of her life: Faith, Tommy, her father. When he asked her the question: with whom she spend the day with, he wanted her to realize it was time to live the past behind, to finally say goodbye.
Something then hit Jarod; if Parker had deliberately tired to hurt him, how much pain was she in? A lot was the obvious answer, but quantifying Parker’s pain was far from being a priority. He was mainly with how she would react. Actually how was also obvious, the real question was how far would she go? How much alcohol would she consume? Would she take anything else? Would she go out and ‘’meet’’ a man? His mind not wanting to go further down that road. His worry for Parker was increasing exponentially; he couldn’t sit back and do nothing. He had to go and repair the damage he had unwillingly caused.
*****
Jarod finally got to Parker’s home two hours after leaving his hideaway. He parked his car a few blocks further and walked to the house. He silently entered through the back door. He didn’t have the illusion Parker would simply open her front door and welcome him! He made his way to the living room, without making a sound. Having a 9mm pointed at his head would do no good. He examined the room; the only source of lighting came from a lamp a few meters away from him. Parker was sitting on the couch, a drink in her hand. On the coffee table were scattered an empty bottle of liquor, a half-full one and various picture frames. Parker was contemplating them, lost in taught. Jarod moved slowly through the room and got were Miss Parker was sitting. He carefully sat down nest her.
“What the hell are you doing here Jarod?” was the first thing she said the second she noticed his presence.
Parker tried to reach for her gun but Jarod was quicker. He took the gun and put the safety on before placing it next to him, out of Parker’s reach.
“What the fuck, give me my gun and get the hell out!” Parker yelled out enraged.
“I’m not leaving, I want to talk to you.” was Jarod’s quiet response.
“I said get the fuck out Jarod!” Parker attempted to get up but she lost her balance, hit her leg and felt forward. Jarod hurried to Parker’s side, and helped her get up. At the same time he notice a very nasty cut on Parker’s leg.
“Parker you cut yourself” there was concern in his voice.
“I’m fine” Parker replied automatically.
“I’ll go get your first aid kit.” Jarod did not ask where it was. Parker knew he had been in her house before and frankly she did not have the strength to start another fight. She had to be very careful if not she could very easily fall to Jarod talks. She was just so tired, so tired of this life. She always had to watch her back; never knowing would stab her at the first opportunity, both literally and figuratively. She knew leaving was out of question, and despite what the people she loved had told her today she could not trust Jarod. At the Centre trust got you killed or worst got the other person killed…
“Why don’t sit down so I can take care of your cut, standing there and staring blankly into space is not going to stop the bleeding” Parker snapped back from her reverie and sat down on the couch just like Jarod had directed. She was actually happy not be alone tonight, but she couldn’t admit to him, too dangerous.
While Parker was lost in taught Jarod cleaned and covered her cut. He was wondering what she was thinking about. Maybe tonight he could make her see that she was not meant to be living the way she was.
“Parker why don’t you sit down?” Jarod’s voice echoed through her distant mind.
Parker sat back on her couch simply because she could not find a good enough reason to protest. Jarod also sat down next to her.
“Jarod what are you really doing here” Parker’s voice sounded tired, just like she was.
“I wanted to talk to you” Jarod replied simply.
“Come on Jarod, after what I said earlier my house is the last place you want to be. So why don’t you drop the knight in a shining armor attitude and rub my face with whatever dark Centre secret you have just discovered” Parker was getting impatient what exactly did Jarod want?
“You’re wrong Parker. I want to be here. What you said earlier really hurt me. But I know you said such because you yourself were hurting. Do you want to know who is the person I’m constantly trying to help but always fail?”
Not liking the direction the conversation was taking, Parker stayed quiet.
“Well it’s you Parker; I’m always trying to make you see that you don’t belong at the Centre. There is a life for you outside these walls. All you have to do is leave.”
Parker got up suddenly and screamed “It’s not that easy, you’re wrong the Centre is where I belong. It’s where I was born, where I live and where I’ll most probably die!”
“It doesn’t have to be this way. You can make a life for yourself outside the Centre’s walls. I’ll be there to help.” In opposite to Parker, Jarod was calm and settled.
Parker was literally on the verge of hysteria “Fuck, Jarod don’t you understand if I leave they’ll Sydney and they’ll kill you just like they killed Tommy and mom. Jarod I sold my soul to them long ago. I traded my life for yours, take that change and disappear forever.”
Parker collapse to the ground and started sobbing uncontrollably. Jarod sat next to her and took in his arms; He started stroking her hair softly.
“It’s ok to cry.”
After a while, Parker had calmed down. She was resting peacefully in Jarod’s arms. Jarod had the feeling Parker was at the end of her rope. If she stayed at the Centre it wouldn’t be long before she could no longer survive. But how could he bring up the topic without getting her upset again; that was Jarod’s main concern. He only had a few hours left before morning, before parker would want to leave for the Centre. He knew he had to make sure Sydney was safe, along with Broots and his daughter. That wasn’t a problem; he had a worked out a plan to get them away from the Centre long ago. The challenge was convincing Parker that she could leave. He knew she wanted to but she didn’t know how. Pretty much like a woman trapped in an abusive relationship. Her ties to the Centre were deep and dated back to her childhood, the Centre is literally all she knows, her life had always revolved around it, even when she had been away. Boarding school and university had been her only taste of freedom. Jarod knew nothing of that period of her life. If he got her to talk about it, really talk about it; he could make her realize how much she missed her freedom. But that had only one downside, he had to suppose that Parker had liked those years. But no matter the outcome it was worth a try.
“Parker how was boarding school? How was it to be away from the Centre?”
“What exactly do you want to know?” Parker replied, trying to sound annoyed but not succeeding completely.
“Come on Parker, why don’t you satisfy my curiosity just like you did when we were kids.” Jarod answered playfully.
“Why not, Daddy decided to send me away when I started Junior High. I guess he wanted me away from you.” Parker got more serious. “Anyways, I was 12 years old alone in a boarding school in southern Italy. I was lost at first; I missed you, Angelo and Sydney. I knew I had disappointed Daddy very badly. He was the only person I had left so I worked hard to please him, to be like him. Jarod, I actually wanted to be like him.” Her voice was sad and confused. “By the end of grade 8, I was dating, going out with boys and let’s just say it happened before I started High School. Daddy decided I was to do my High School elsewhere, so I obeyed and packed my things and off to Vienna I was. Three years of High School, and well over three boyfriends. Off to University I went in Japan this time. I met Tanaka not long after I started my first semester. I was always with him, we partied a lot and it was far from innocent fun. As long as my marks were very high, I could do whatever I wanted. And yes, back then I enjoyed it. I was basically free to do whatever I wanted. I experienced things that you probably can’t imagine. But it did not last; I got back to the Centre and worked my way up. I keep the same life still for a while but it got to be more and more work and less and less fun.”
Jarod was happy to have succeeded in lightening the atmosphere, he was confident that his plan was working. “Where you happy?”
“In some ways I was, now I realize that in many ways I wasn’t. I know what you are thinking; I have wished many times to regain that freedom. I just don’t know how to, neither do I know how to leave outside the Centre.” Her voice was just barely about a whisper and carried all the powerlessness she felt.
“What if I showed you how. Parker why don’t you leave the Centre with me, now?” Jarod was nervous anticipating Parker’s reply. He could work with anything other than an absolute no.
“Jarod, I don’t know. What about Syd and Broots. I can’t leave them behind, I can’t leave them in the arms of the Centre, I can’t.” Parker was starting to panic. Her heart and mind fighting against each other. She was born at the Centre, she was a Parker, and she could not leave. A small voice was telling her she could; it was her mom’s voice. She didn’t know what to do.
Jarod saw the emotional battle raging in Parker’s mind “Parker, listen to your mother, she is right. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Sydney, Broots and his daughter are safe. I have a plan for them to leave safely. All you have to do is say you want to leave.”
Parker raised her head slowly and looked right into Jarod’s eyes. “Ok” was all she managed to say, her voice barely audible. She immediately collapsed in Jarod’s arms, completely exhausted. Jarod placed his arms around her and he just hold her.
The packing was completed fairly quickly. In the mean time, Jarod had put his plan in action and within hours everyone would be safe, away from hell. Parker closed the door of her home and whispered “I’ll listen to you, I’ll trust Jarod”.
