It was a cold, desolate place that Miss Parker could say without a doubt that she hated more than any other place in the world. Being there made her feel like a child, small and lost and no longer sure where she belonged or even why she was here. Not even the Centre had the ability to make her feel so insignificant to the world.

She'd left a man who seemed to care deeply about her, bleeding on the floor of a motel room. True, the wound had not seemed serious, but it had been a wound brought on by her presence in his life. She might have well shot him herself so much were her feelings of guilt.

Now, after several hours of driving she stood there, in the middle of the road, staring up into the night's sky.

There wasn't another living person for 20 miles around her and no artificial light at all, making her feel like the only person left on the world. The stars seemed so bright here, brighter than any where else she had been, that they outshone the moon. Empty desert stretched out endlessly around her, barely visible cliffs and rock faces rising in the distance.

It was isolated and infinite, and being there made everything seem inconsequential. It should've made her feel right at home, considering how often she herself had seemed inconsequential during her years at the Centre. She'd always been the one to be manipulated, to be uninformed, and to be used by the various powers of the Centre.

She'd always been playing catch up with everyone else.

Bobby whined from the passenger seat, his face pressed against the fogged up window as he tried to get to her. Miss Parker smiled slightly at the sound but continued to stare up at the crystal clear sky. Maybe if she stood here long enough the world would move on without her.

Bobby scratched at the inner door and brought Parker back to reality.

As much as she wished, the world would not move on and forget about her.

She had responsibilities.

She had grudges to settle.

She had plans to complete.

Tearing her eyes reluctantly from the beatific scenery, Parker moved to open the passenger door. The second there was an opening; Bobby shot out of it and took off for the desert, barking jubilantly as he did so. He continued to run around like that for several minutes before loping back to her side. Parker smiled at the animal and ran her hand down his neck comfortingly.

Parker slid on top of the hood of her car and quietly contemplated her next move. Up until now she'd been moving randomly, leaving small clues and trails every few weeks to keep the trail warm, but not entirely baiting anyone.

That would have to change now. Her opposition was clearly moving up their pursuit which meant she too had to tighten up her plan and precautions. It was time to make things interesting.

Parker didn't want to spare any thoughts for Jarod back in Las Vegas, but she found she couldn't help herself. She wondered what hospital he'd been taken to, or if he'd even went. She wouldn't put it past him to refuse treatment and sew himself up with his own hands.

In fact, the curiosity was so great that she couldn't help but reach for her cell phone. Calling to check on him didn't mean she cared, did it?

Parker dialed Nevada information from memory, and waited for the operator to pick up.

She wondered briefly how many 'Argyles' could be living in Las Vegas.
_____

Jarod was sitting on an examination table in the ER when Argyle's phone rang an irritating little ditty from his coat pocket. He examined the doctor's stitching on his arm and deduced silently that he'd have done a better job. Still, between Argyle's panicky disposition and the swarming of people around him, he'd been unable to slip away quietly.

In his old ‘pretender’ days, this never would have happened.

Perhaps he was going soft in his older age.

"What?" Argyle whined into the phone with his typical charm. Jarod wasn't paying much attention to the younger man but when his friend's voice suddenly became quiet and meek as he began to whisper into the phone, his attention was caught.

"How'd you get my number?"

Jarod looked up to stare across the room at the suddenly quieter yet just as jittery Argyle.

"He's doing fine. The doctor said it was just a flesh wound."

Jarod had a solid suspicion as to who was on the other end of that phone conversation, but wondered at what her motivation was for calling. Since she'd abandoned him so easily, why would she care enough to inquire about his health?

"He's being released right now," Argyle whispered as he turned to face the wall, pretending that if he couldn't see Jarod then Jarod wouldn't notice he was on the phone.
"Give me the phone, Argyle," Jarod demanded as he slid off of the bed.

Argyle ignored him. "The doctor isn't in here right now."

"Give me the phone, now, Argyle," Jarod said as he moved to stand tall and intimidating above the smaller man.

Argyle finally noticed Jarod. "Ummm..."

Jarod easily pulled the slim phone from Argyle's suddenly limp fingers. He grinned down at Argyle even as he put the phone to his ear and spoke. "Hello, Miss Parker."

"Hello, Jarod. How's the arm?" Her voice was nonchalant, but there was a tone of concern that she was unable to hide.

"It'll heal just fine, though I must admit my feelings are a bit hurt." Since Miss Parker wanted to play the conversation cool and casual, Jarod figured he was capable of doing the same.

"And why is that, Jarod?" Amusement peppered her voice but Jarod could clearly hear the note of relief.

"It's not every day I get shot and abandoned in a motel room by an old friend." Jarod struggled to keep his voice calm, but could hear a thread of hurt sliding through.

Parker laughed, but it was slightly bitter. "It's not like you wouldn't have done the same."

"I wouldn't have," Jarod vowed, his congenial attitude gone.

"Really? Because I recall a certain incident where I was shot in the back, almost died, and was told you ran like a coward."

"That was different," Jarod started only to be interrupted.

"How so?"

"You weren't supposed to even be there!" Jarod ground out through clenching teeth, his hold on the cell phone so tight that the plastic creaked ominously.

"Just as you weren't supposed to be there today, Jarod!" Parker shouted back with a conciliatory tone to her voice.

Jarod sighed and moved away from Argyle; this conversation was growing too personal for eavesdroppers. "History does seem to be repeating itself, Miss Parker."

She sighed on the other end of the phone and Jarod felt the tension leaving her body through the phone line. "Let's hope for a happy ending this time, eh?"

"That's all I ever wanted, Parker. A happy ending." Jarod said, almost in a dreamy voice, imagining the happy ending he had dreamt of his whole life.

"Then why couldn't you leave well enough alone, Jarod?" She asked with sudden anger. "Why did you follow me? I just wanted to be left alone."

Jarod was silent for several minutes before he answered. "I wasn't happy."

"Why not? You have everything you wanted, Jarod. Your family, a home, safety from the Centre. You just couldn't resist playing with me, not even when I'd left the damn table, Jarod."

Jarod nodded slowly as his thoughts slowed to a crawl. "Not everything, Parker," Jarod said softly.

Parker gasped sharply and Jarod could hear her almost drop the phone. His attention was riveted on everything he could hear through the connection. He was almost startled when she spoke quickly. "I have to go."

"Parker, wait-" The sudden click of the phone line signaled she'd ended the call.

He was so tired of not knowing what was going on.

He was also tired of her leaving their conversations just as they got interesting.

It almost seemed like karma coming back to haunt him given the way their conversations were mirroring those of their past, with her now doing the hanging-up instead of him.

Jarod turned and threw the cell phone back to Argyle. "I'm leaving."

"Where we goin'?"

"I am going to find Miss Parker. You are staying here."

Argyle frowned in disappointment. "I was thinking we could have an adventure, you know, like last time! You could be the boss, this time, though! I don't mind being the sidekick, though I do prefer it when we're partners," Argyle continued to ramble on until he realized that Jarod had tuned him out long ago.

They were standing just outside the emergency doors when Jarod stopped walking and turned to face him. "Argyle, this isn't a game this time. This is my life. It's dangerous and it's unpredictable. I can't expect you to risk your life."

Argyle was heartbreakingly earnest as he replied. "I'm just doing what you've always done for me."

Jarod smiled genuinely and clasped Argyle's shoulder. "You're a good man."

"Thanks, J-man. So I was thinking we'd take the Cadillac-"

Argyle's words suddenly cut off as Jarod initiated a nerve pinch that swiftly dragged the man into unconsciousness. Jarod gently laid Argyle on the ground, yelling for help as he did so. As the ER nurses and doctors swarmed around his friend, he made his escape.
______

Parker slid off the hood of her car, her phone slipping out of her fingers unnoticed. As she'd been speaking with Jarod she hadn't even noticed the slow creep of an approaching car until it was too late to escape.

As soon as the driver removed himself from the vehicle she realized it wasn't necessary for her to escape.

"Ethan!" She yelled in a shocked tone, uncertain of how he'd found her or why.

"Parker!"

It seemed most natural for her to let him wrap his arms around her and hug her tightly. The fact that she hadn't felt this comfort for well over a year made the embrace even more poignant. Parker was shocked to find tears burning in the back of her eyes. She leaned back to run her hands over his shoulders, to assure herself of his safety and his wholeness and found that she didn't have the strength to hold those tears back.

"Hey, sis," he said with a quiet grin that mirrored her own exactly.

"Hey, bro," she replied as she wiped at the tears running down her face. "Oh, God, Ethan. What are you doing here?"

"I knew you needed me."

She couldn't deny that she needed him. He was the only family she had left, of course she needed him. The real question was did he need her? Did he need the danger and uncertainty she brought with her wherever she went?

"I-" She started to reply, to pull away from him and to sending him packing, but he was already shaking his head.

"Don't even say it. I can take care of myself, Parker. I have the Inner Sense. I can keep myself safe, and I can keep you safe too. I can help you with your plan. I'm going to help you. Your plan must succeed if anyone is to be happy and truly free."

Parker wasn't shocked that he knew what she was planning, but she was a little surprised by the new strength that Ethan was demonstrating. In the time he'd been living with Jarod and his family, Ethan had become what he'd always been meant to be. He was strong and confident, able to control his abilities and to use them for good.

Their mother would be proud.

"She is, you know," Ethan said as he released his tight hold on her and moved back to stare down at her face. "She's proud of me and you."

Parker nodded and her tears finally stopped. Determination and resolve set in and she visibly steeled herself against the oncoming battles. "We have to finish her work."

Ethan nodded and entwined his fingers with hers. "She started it, you continued it, but we'll finish it."

Parker smiled. "I'm glad you're here."

Ethan pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they stared into the dark horizon. "I only wish you would accept Jarod's help, as well."

She wished she could, too.

In fact, she wasn't even sure why she couldn't. Parker only knew that in her gut, she didn't want this to be Jarod's fight. She didn't want to add to the legacy of ‘Jarod versus The Centre’. This was her fight. She was not going to be the damsel in distress for Jarod to save.

This was a new chapter in their history.

This was Miss Parker versus The Centre.

Actually, rather, it was ‘Miss Parker versus The Remnants of The Centre’.

Parker drew herself from her thoughts and watched as Ethan stooped down to greet her companion. She'd forgotten all about the dog at her feet.

"So, this is Bobby," Ethan said, and it was not a question.

Parker smiled and knelt down as well, watching as Bobby rose to rub himself against her side. "You know, sometimes you're creepy in all the things you can think up out of thin air."

Ethan smiled at her in humor, but his eyes were glazed over as he looked at the dog. "He feels...old. Familiar." Suddenly Ethan's eyes snapped awake and he stared over at her. "He's your protector."

"I spend most of my time protecting him, so I'm not sure how that's working out," Parker said ironically.

"No, not like that. Do you believe in reincarnation, Parker?" Ethan asked as he stood to gaze into the distance.

"No," she replied absolutely, unwilling to even go there.

Ethan smiled. "Then I won't tell you, then."

Parker was curious, but this was one thing she didn't want to know. She had enough information to process without adding another layer of weirdness to it.

"So, what's the plan, little brother?"

Ethan quirked his eyebrow in a perfect mimicry of Jarod's own mannerism. Even as Ethan spoke again, Parker wondered if he'd gotten that quirk from Jarod or if it came naturally. "I believe that's your decision."

Parker sighed heavily and opened the passenger door of her convertible. Bobby, used to the routine, jumped in and took up residence on the passenger seat. "We'll need more help."

"I have a suggestion."

"No, not him." Never Jarod.

"Then who?"

Parker suddenly grinned. "I have the perfect candidate. It's a fair bit of driving to get there, however."

"I just got my driver's license a month ago," Ethan said excitedly, the prospect of getting the speedy little car his sister owned under his control had him practically salivating.

"So, I'll be doing the driving, then," Parker muttered under her breath. "What are we going to do with your car?"

Ethan shrugged. "It's a rental."

Parker laughed as she remembered a time a few years back when she herself had gone through the wall of a building in a rental car. "So, you don't care?"

"Not really."

"Grab your stuff. We've got a long way to go."
_____

Blue Cove, Delaware

For all its diabolical plotting and secret evil greeds, the Centre itself had been a majestic building. It'd stretched high into the air and overlooked a scenic view of the coastline. Even in stark daylight it had retained its air of malevolence and though quite beautiful, there had been little to no tourists hoping for a tour.

Its history had been rich in detail and stretched back almost fifty years. Fifty years of secrets and manipulation, soaked in Triumverate money and Carpathian prophecies.

Many who'd worked here and lived to reminisce about it were happy to see it destroyed.

Many who'd worked here and died here were now properly buried for the first time.

Several months after Mr. Raines and Mr. Lyle's trials had concluded, the town of Blue Cove had woken to find that in the night the large foreboding facility had been demolished.

Silently and secretly in the night, with no one the wiser.

For several weeks the national newspapers, already in frenzy over the revelations of the Centre and the subsequent trials of its founder and head lieutenant, made suppositions about how it was possible.

Where the evil building had once stood, the morning light had found only a large vacant lot, not a brick or remnant of the building's infrastructure anywhere.

Some thought it was supernatural in nature, or at the very least incredibly mysterious as all things 'Centre' seemed to be.

The most popular opinion held, however, that the Triumverate had decided once and for all to remove any trace of its presence in America. Though how they'd managed to do it so quickly and quietly was anyone's guess.

All that remained of the Centre was the paved road and a set of stairs. The road was fifteen miles long, stretching from town to the isolated location where the Centre had stood. The stairs had connected that road to the actual entrance into the building.

The state and local police force had spent several weeks keeping any overly curious thrill-seekers or reporters from trying to dig up the lot, and eventually the curiosity had slid away.

Now, months later, a stranger stood at the top of the stairs and stared down at the dirt lot.

He knew that beneath thirty feet of hard packed dirt one could find the remnants of the Centre, level after level of collapsed building creating a concrete, mortar, and stone layer cake.

Strategically placed dynamite, deep enough to not echo down to town, had proved useful.

Not quite as quietly as most assumed, the building had fallen to its death. It'd created its own grave and now all of its secrets lay there. The Centre had been a large building, its roots deep into the Earth and its branches stretching far into the distance, and after its destruction a large gap remained between the top of the rubble and the surface area of the surrounding land.

He'd had his people pour sand, dirt, and rocks into that gap until the appearance of a dirt lot was achieved. It was better to leave behind the idea that nothing remained than to leave behind a pile of rubble that was easily sifted through.

His mission accomplished, he and his people had disappeared into dawn's early light as quickly and stealthily as they'd come.

Now, he stood in this place because it was the beginning.

The beginning of the end of the Centre.

The beginning of a new era for himself and the few pieces he deemed worthy to take with him.

The mysterious figure turned and returned to his car at the bottom of the steps.

One of those pieces he deemed both worthy and needed just happened to be Miss Parker.