I am beginning to see how this is something that is impossible to stop once you start. Mickey posted a challenge that I liked again and ruined two days of work. This one is in response to the "Jarod in Custody" challenge. This one might suck, really - I mean it, and for that I apologize in advance. It's also a little longer. I'll try to get it all posted in a timely manner. So here's to hoping the sophomore jinx doesn't apply to fan fiction. . .
Disclaimer: I do not own The Pretender nor any of the characters contained therein. They belong to Mitchell/Van Sickle Productions, NBC, TNT, etc. They live in their world and play in ours. No infringement intended - no profit gained.
Spoilers: everything
Rating: Suitable for any audience

WAKE UP

 

by Kristal Sloce

She shouldn't have come alone. She knew that. It was a risky thing to do. Not that she thought Jarod would do anything to hurt her, she just wasn't sure she could bring him in alone. Sydney was at a convention. Broots was out of town with Debbie. Alerting sweepers would only attract Lyle's attention. Somehow, he had beaten her to Jarod's last three lairs. Either she was slipping or he was getting better. She doubted the latter was true. She heard a noise behind her and stopped. It sounded like a soft sigh. Jarod?! Could he actually still be here? She crept around the corner in the direction of the sigh.

Her eyes fell on the form of her sleeping pretender.

Moving slowly and carefully so as to not wake him, she moved towards Jarod. He was lying on his back fully dressed, she doubted he slept any other way.  The blankets had been tossed aside in fitful sleep.  His long hair had fallen across his forehead, his breathing now deep and even. She carefully climbed onto the bed, straddling Jarod, coming to rest softly on his abdomen. She considered him for a moment. He looked beautiful when he slept.

He looked beautiful.

She was sorry she had to do this.

Parker was surprised Jarod slept so soundly. Could he not feel her presence when she was this close? Unless, of course, he was faking it and was about to overtake her any minute now. Not this time, Jarod. She touched the barrel of her 9mm gently to his forehead.

"Wake up Jarod."

His eyes fluttered open and widened when he met hers. He looked at her in silence for nearly a minute. She couldn't quite read his eyes.

"Miss Parker, what a surprise."

"Is it really a surprise, Jarod?", she murmured quietly, "Didn't you ever think that someday I would catch you, that in the end it would come down to just you and me. No Broots, no Sydney, no sweepers. Just you, and me. Today is that day Jarod. It's over."

Silence.

He squirmed beneath her and she moved to get off of him. He scrambled after her and that's when he felt it. The quick click from one wrist to the other. She had him in handcuffs.

"You're really going to do this, aren't you?!"

"Yes Jarod, I am."

She placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down on the bed. She reached behind her for her cell phone. It was safe to call a sweeper team if she already had him. Suddenly Jarod knocked into her sending her cell phone flying. She quickly raised the 9mm
back to his head.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing!!"

"Please don't call the sweeper team yet, Miss Parker! Please, just listen to me for a minute! I found my Mother. I am supposed to meet her today. I was really going to see my Mom after all this time. Please, don't let this be the day you take me in! Let me just see her, please! Let me go Parker, let me go!"

"You know I can't do that Jarod!"

"Then don't let me go. Just let me see her. Then, and only then, I will go back to the Centre with you willingly."

She laughed harshly. "You would let me take you back to the Centre willingly?! Jarod I don't believe that!"

"I said I would go, I didn't say I would stay."

"Jarod. . ."

He cut her off abruptly. "What happens to me after I get to the Centre is not your responsibility, Miss Parker. Your responsibility is to bring me back, and I will go willingly if you let me see my Mom."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll let Sydney know where he can find you when he gets back Monday."

"Says the man without the gun. How do you know I won't capture you both?"

"I don't, but I'm willing to take that chance.  Parker, please. You are about to take my life from me and send me back into hell. Let me have this moment."

She turned away from his pleading eyes. She had seen that look once before, and she turned him down then too. I don't believe this!  Jarod's finally back in custody and I oddly find myself with some very hard decisions to make. My only difficult decision should be
whether to shoot him in the knee or the foot if he moves. I know  what I am about to do to him. I know seeing his mother means more to him than anything, even his freedom. But I have never given into Jarod, ever, and I certainly don't intend to start now. I can't do it, I just can't do it.

So why am I doing it?

Sigh. "When and where?"

--------------------------------------------------------------

She stands watching Jarod from behind a dusty pillar, watching the play of emotions on his face. Today he gets what he's always wanted. She hopes it lives up to his expectations. Today she gets what she's always wanted. She hopes it holds the freedom she deserves.

The train delivering his mother rolls to a stop, right on time.
Jarod eagerly searches the windows. He looks like he might cry.
Jarod turned suddenly, something must have startled him. Sweepers?!

Lyle!! He must have intercepted Jarod's message!

Parker watched in horror as two sweepers grabbed Jarod and threw him into a nearby train as it was rolling out. If she had blinked she would have missed it. In a matter of seconds they were gone.

Jarod was gone.

She just signed her own death certificate.

Parker looked up then to see an older woman standing alone on the
 platform scanning the crowd. Searching, searching. Oh no. Margaret.

(End Part 1)

 

**********

(Part 2)

 

 "He's gone."
 
Margaret turned toward the voice and gasped. She was sure she had seen a ghost. In front of her was the mirror image of Catherine Parker, except. . . her eyes were darker, her expression fierce. It must be her daughter.

 "You must be Catherine's daughter."

 "Yes, and I have to get you out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere with you! Where's Jarod?!"

"He's been taken, and we are going to be in worse trouble than he is
 if we don't get out of here now!

 "No, I . . "

"Look, as of right now we are both on the wrong side of the Centre. This place is going to be crawling with cleaners any minute. If we don't move, we're dead. JUST GO!!"

Parker hustled Margaret toward the ticket booth, frantically scanning the departure list for a train to Boston. That's where she found Jarod this morning. His DSAs were likely still there. She needed to get to them before Lyle did. Maybe, just maybe, she could use them  to cut a deal with Raines to save her life.
 

Yes! There was one leaving in the next five minutes. She quickly bought the tickets and hurried them toward the train. Thankfully it left on time, she recognized familiar faces of cleaners descending upon the station as they left.
 
Parker sighed heavily and sat down. Then she looked across at her unlikely travel companion, the woman who only seemed a myth until now.
 Jarod's mother - Margaret.

This was going to be a long ride.

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Jarod raised his head slowly, he was dizzy and he felt sick. He was still reeling from the drugs used to knock him out. What happened?! He was waiting to meet his Mom when suddenly he was pulled back, then darkness. Oh no, Mom.

Jarod opened his eyes fully then. Lyle was looming over him, two sweepers by his side. He was flicking water on his face.

"Wake up sleepyhead."

 "Lyle."

"Jarod, so nice of you to join us. We were on our way to Boston to see you actually, and you were kind enough to meet us halfway. That's quite a present Jarod, and it's not even my birthday."
 
Jarod answered his taunts with silence. He prayed that Lyle didn't really know why he was at the train station at that ill fated moment. If he had put his mother in danger he would never forgive himself. And what about Parker? If Lyle had him she was as good as dead. Parker - dead, he wasn't sure he could live with that. He had to get out of here. Where was here, exactly? It looked like the inside of a tractor trailer. He felt the gentle sway below him. It was a tractor trailer. Where were they taking him?

"Where are you taking me?!", Jarod growled. It didn't hurt to ask.
Lyle was foolish enough to tell him.

"Jarod, I'll tell you where we're not taking you - back to the Centre. I'm sure you've already mapped out your air duct escape route in your head but it's not going to work this time. No, this time your past escapes have earned you a one way ticket to Centre Africa. May God have mercy on your soul."
His stomach turned while Lyle laughed. If they took him to Africa he  might not make it back. Everything and everyone he cared about would be lost to him forever. He had to get out of there now.

Jarod carefully felt behind him for any implement he could use to unlock his cuffs. His fingers ran across something jagged and sharp, a loose screw maybe? Perfect! He slowly unwound the screw and slipped it between his fingers. As soon as he had somewhere to run he would unlock his cuffs and escape.

He felt the truck grinding to a halt. The sweepers opened up the back and lifted him to his feet. They were at a small airfield, a perfect means of escape! Jarod spotted a small Cessna rolling across the parking lot near them and chose that moment to bolt. He punched and shoved his sweepers aside and headed for the Cessna in a dead run. Lyle's bullets whizzed past his head as he caught up with the  plane. He pulled the driver out with a shouted apology. If he could just get out of there he would gladly replace the plane with a bigger and better model. He taxied down the runway as fast as the plane would go and took off for Boston. He had left his computer there, as well as the DSA case. He needed to contact his father and let him know what happened. His family must be worried sick with no word from him in so long. What he had to say would only add to their worries. He didn't look forward to letting them down.

 ( End Part 2 )

 

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

 

Part 3


 
Miss Parker and Margaret eyed each other cooly, the silence hung heavy in the air. Parker had so many questions she wanted to ask her, but she was afraid she wouldn't answer them. She turned her eyes to the window instead, watching the scenery roll by was oddly comforting. She needed time to figure out what she was going to do.

"Your mother wanted a better life for you than this."

Margaret's voice startled her from her reverie.

"You knew my mother, didn't you? I've seen the picture."
 
"Yes, we were friends. I met your mother at NuGenesis, a fertility clinic in Atlanta. She was a wonderful person, so full of life and love. She wanted nothing more than to give that love to a child. We were both having difficulty conceiving and had come to NuGenesis as a last hope. The procedures were not easy, nor was the constant  disappointments when they failed. Your mother was so supportive. She helped me keep my hopes up that the next time would be the one. When I got pregnant and your mother didn't I was heartbroken for her. I almost wished it was her instead of me because she wanted it so badly. I left NuGenesis after I got pregnant with Jarod. I lost touch with her after that. We had Jarod, then a year later we had Kyle without any further problems. I had both boys examined at NuGenesis to make sure they were healthy and normal. I now know  NuGenesis was our downfall. When Jarod was 3 and Kyle 2 they were taken from our home, kidnapped from their beds as we slept. We immediately suspected foul play, but the police were no help. My husband was so angry he left to find them on his own. I was pregnant with Emily at the time and couldn't go with him. We have been separated ever since."

Margaret stopped then, her eyes filling with tears. Parker knew that she was close to finding out everything she wanted to know, if she could just keep her talking.

"The picture of you and my Mom was taken years later. What happened to bring you together again?"

"Oh yes. Jarod's father sent me a message that he had discovered there was a corporation called The Centre fronting NuGenesis. He suspected The Centre was behind Jarod and Kyle's disappearance. When I finally heard from your mother I was shocked to discover she was married to the chairman. You see, I didn't know Mr. Parker very well. He was not at NuGenesis with your mother often. He was always cold and short with her. I suspected she wanted a child more than he did, which only made me want it for her more. I was so happy to hear that she had you, dear. You meant the world to her."

Margaret patted Miss Parker's hand reassuringly before she continued.

"Your mother had discovered The Centre had taken Jarod and Kyle all those years ago. She knew Jarod was being held at The Centre as part of a "pretender" program. She knew Kyle was part of the "pretender" program at one time, but she didn't know where he was taken after  that. Jarod, Kyle, and a number of other children were being held at The Centre because they had certain genetic markers that indicated they had above average intelligence and special abilities. The Centre exploited those abilities for money and power. She wanted to rescue the children from The Centre - all of them, and then get you and her to safety. But it wasn't enough just to rescue the children from The Centre. As long as it existed other children were in danger of being taken. She wanted to destroy The Centre, and she thought she had discovered how. She asked me to help."

"She found out about the scrolls?"

"Yes. The Centre was supposedly based on what the scrolls said. She knew that The Centre held a special interest in Jarod because they thought he was the "chosen one". However, he was not "the key". The Centre needs "the key" to survive. They captured countless children and conducted countless experiments looking for "the key". No one knows if it is a person or a thing. That's what your mother and I were hoping to find before she died. That's what I was looking for on Carthis. "The key" could destroy The Centre"

The train rolled to a stop as Margaret finished her story. Parker's mind reeled from all that she had just heard. Her mother and Margaret co-conspirators, searching for a way to destroy the only life she had ever known?! She rubbed her pounding temple.

"I don't know what to say to all of this."

"Just say you've been listening, really listening, to what I've told you. Your mother would have wanted you to know everything. She did want a better life for you. She wanted to get
out of The Centre before it destroyed you both."
 
"Too late for that.", Parker sighed as she hailed a taxi to take them to Jarod's lair.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The warehouse was just as they left it. Margaret walked around distractedly touching Jarod's things. Her expression was pained, her eyes teary. Parker couldn't watch her. Instead she scanned the room looking for the DSA case. It had to be here somewhere. Suddenly Jarod's computer whirred to life. "Incoming Transmission!" flashed across the monitor. Margaret reached the computer before Parker and clicked on the icon. Major Charles appeared on the screen.

"Margaret! Is that really you?!"

"Yes! Yes! I'm really here. It's so good to see you!" She reached out and brushed her fingers across the screen.
 
"Where's Jarod?"

 "He's been captured! Oh, this is all so awful. We're never going to be a family again!"

"Don't say that Margaret! Don't ever give up! We will have our son back. We will be a family. If I have to tear The Centre apart brick  by brick to make it happen, then so be it!"
 
"Where are you now, my love?"

”I'm at a safe house less than a block away!"

Parker spoke up then. "Go to him, and both of you get out of here  now. I never saw you. This never happened."

Margaret looked back at Major Charles on the screen. "Meet me on the street."   She closed the computer screen and slowly turned toward Parker.

"Thank you."

"Just go.", Parker said wearily.

With one final piercing look in her direction Margaret turned and  left.
Miss Parker went back to the task at hand - finding the DSAs.

"That one was for you Mom. I hope your happy." Parker said out loud to the empty warehouse. At least that was one thing her mother started that she could finish. Finally, in the corner under some empty donut boxes, Parker found the DSAs. Jarod's life in a box. That must be why it's so important to him, it's the only identity he's ever had.
Just then Parker heard a scuffling noise behind her. She turned her
head and . . . .

------------------------------------------------------------------

( End Part 3 )
*****************

 

Part 4

Jarod finally made it back to the warehouse. He knew it might be crawling with cleaners by now and he needed to be careful. He quietly climbed the fire escape and crawled through a broken window. He could hear someone moving around noisily so he quickly shrank back in the shadows. It was Miss Parker, and she seemed to be alone.

Oh no! She had the DSAs!

Jarod slowly crept around to where his duffel bag lay open. He reached inside for the chloroform he kept just in case. <I'm sorry to do this to you Parker, but it's for your own good.> Jarod grabbed  her from behind and held her tight until she stopped struggling.

 -------------------------------------------------------------

Parker woke with a start. Something was holding her down. What the?! Oh great, she was handcuffed to the bed in Jarod's lair. Every trace of his ever being there was gone. Her gun lay on the bedside table just out of reach. A note was propped up beside it.

"I'll let Sydney know where he can find you when he gets back Monday.
 J."

She was so relieved she could cry <Jarod escaped from Lyle! He made it look like he escaped from me!>. This means she's no longer first in Raines's firing line - which might mean Jarod saved her life. She didn't like the implications of that. She also didn't like the scratching noises she was hearing in the corner. She hoped Sydney hurried.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Parker slammed the door behind her and leaned back against it. Helluva day she'd just had. She and Lyle had to face a T-board for their collective failure to catch Jarod. Raines followed that up by renewing the threat on their lives.

<I am so tired of this I almost wish Raines would have me killed.>

Parker thought as she slipped into her nightgown. A glass of scotch or two, or three, and she was off to bed. Morning would come soon enough and she would have to start her hunt for Jarod all over again. She wondered if he had found his family. If he reunites with them he'll probably drop out of sight forever. She might never see Jarod again. That thought made her chest ache. She closed her eyes and breathed it away. Until tomorrow. . .

Jarod shouldn't have come unarmed. He knew that it was a risky thing to do. Not that he thought Parker would do anything to hurt him. He just wasn't sure she wouldn't try to bring him in. He knew Raines had put her life in danger. He wasn't sure how much that meant to
her now. He heard a noise ahead of him and stopped. It sounded like a soft sigh. Parker?! Could she actually be awake? He crept around the corner in the direction of the sigh.

His eyes fell on the form of his sleeping huntress.
 
Moving slowly and carefully so as to not wake her, he moved towards Parker. She was lying on her back in some hot silky number, he doubted she slept any other way.  The blankets had been tossed aside in fitful sleep. A lock of her long hair had fallen across her forehead, her breathing now deep and even. He carefully climbed onto the bed, straddling Parker, coming to rest softly on her abdomen. He considered her for a moment. She looked beautiful when she slept.

She looked beautiful.

He was sorry he had to do this.
 
Jarod was surprised Miss Parker slept so soundly. Could she not feel  his presence when he was this close? Unless, of course, she was faking it and the hand she had under her pillow was wrapping itself  around the hilt of her 9mm right now. Not this time, Parker. He brushed the lock of hair gently away from her forehead.
 
"Wake up Parker."
 
"Jarod?! What are you doing here?"

"I'm leaving."

"I know."
 

"I want you to come with me."

"I know."

"But you won't."

"I know."

Jarod sighed. Then he pulled her up into a passionate kiss before she could stop him, but she didn't try.

"When you're ready, you will find me. Someday Parker, it really will come down to just you and me."

And with that Jarod left.
 ------------------------------------------------------------------

Much later. . .

Jarod was enjoying life with his family, but he couldn't help feeling like he was still a prisoner

of The Centre. It still invaded every aspect of his life. The Centre was in his clone who looked up to him like a father. The Centre was in Ethan, his engineered half brother. The Centre was in the revenge his parents were still determined to have. The Centre was in his words, his thoughts, and his empty bed.

Every morning he looked across the empty space and wish she was there beside him. So you can imagine his surprise when one morning she was.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"You came!"

"Yeah."

Jarod pulled her to him and held her tight, like at any given moment  she might disappear.
He couldn't believe she was finally there.

"Jarod.", Parker whispered, "I know what "the key" is."

"What?", he murmured, not letting go.

"It's me. It was always me. Together we can do this! I'm ready to  finish what my mother started. And. . . I'm ready to finish what you started, Jarod."

 

And with that her lips met his in a gentle kiss.

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End.

Questions, comments, or complaints? Let me know.