Disclaimer : See Part One

Title - Winning the Game
Author - KB
E-mail address - gekbruce@melbpc.org.au
Rating - G
Category - Adventure/Drama/Alternate Universe
Series/Sequel - Total Recall Epilogue
Spoilers - Some, but not many
Summary - There's a new player in the game...

"Winning the Game"
By KB

"Momma Daddy is coming home tonight, isn't he?" Jennifer turned from the stovetop and smiled at her son.

"Has he ever broken a promise to you before?"

"Well, no."

"So what makes you think he would do it today? After all, your first birthday as a teenager is an important event. He wouldn't miss it for the world. If I know your father…"

"You ought to," interjected her son with a grin that was the mirror of his father's, right down to the dimples on both cheeks. "After all this time"

"Then he wouldn't miss it for the world, would he?" she ruffled her son's hair and when he tried to duck out from under her hand, she tickled him until he gasped for air.

"Mercy, mercy. You win." She let him go and he shot over to the other side of the room before she could catch him.

"What are you cooking?"

"What do I always cook on your birthday?"

"Pasta?"

"Well, naturally," laughed Jennifer. As she turned back to the stove, a sound was heard from the next room.

"That's Sydney!" exclaimed Kyle as he made a leap for the door. "Should I get him up?"

"See if he'll go back to sleep first. Oh, and try not to wake Jacob up in the process." The crying of a healthy two-year old continued for several seconds before there was silence. Jennifer, glancing over her shoulder, saw her ten-year old daughter standing in the doorway.

"Don't I look pretty, Momma?"

"Very pretty," agreed Jennifer. "But what did I say about wearing that dress?"

"On special occasions?"

"Try again." The little girl sighed.

"When we're going out."

"And are we going out?"

"No, Momma."

"So go and take it off and put on the clothes that I put out for you."

"I told Emily that she wouldn’t be allowed to wear that dress.” Jennifer grinned at her son as he re-entered the room.

"Smarty," she teased. With a final stir, she turned off the gas and put the lid on the pot. "Okay, everything's ready. Did you bring in the chickens?"

“Yes, Momma.”

As he spoke, Jennifer saw headlights sweeping through the window as the car drove up the driveway, and then it came to a stop in the garage. Before Jarod could climb out of the car, his son was climbing all over him. The others in the car got out, laughing, and entered the house.

"Jennifer, it's wonderful to see you, dear. How have you been?" Jennifer wiped her hands on the apron she wore and returned the kiss that her mother-in-law gave her.

"I'm very well, thank-you Margaret. I hope the journey was pleasant? Jarod didn't drive too badly?" The conversation continued as Margaret and Emily, who had followed her mother in, began to set the table, extending it to fit the extra guests.

Jarod came in and handed Jennifer a large bunch of roses.

"Did you miss me?"

"Oh, goodness no. You know that we make a point of never missing you, unless we have to. Did you miss us?"

"Oh, once in a while, I suppose." The Major came up to the couple in time to hear the statement.

"Oh, come on," he teased, "you were saying in the car that you couldn't wait to get home." Jennifer's eyebrows went up and she laughed.

"So, you did miss us." Jarod tried to glare at his father but couldn't and laughed instead.

"Guilty. I did. And you're sure you didn't miss me? Not the tiniest little bit?" He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. She was about to respond when she heard gagging noises behind her and turned to see her son and daughter with their fingers down their throat, pretending to be sick. Jarod made a noise like an angry bear and chased them upstairs.

Jennifer laughed and went to the door as another car was heard in the driveway.

"Sydney and Broots?"

"I hope so. I understand from Jarod that they were coming, depending on work, of course."

"Is Sydney still working? I thought he had retired."

"He helps with therapy for some of the future parents and flutters around the place. But, officially, he retired after Jarod was shot."

"Yes, we heard about that retirement." Charles smiled.

"But Miss Parker's still trying to find Jarod?" Jennifer turned around so that her back was to the stove.

"That's something I've never been able to understand. Perhaps she thinks he still knows more about her family than he's telling her. I'm not sure."

"Why not ask her?"

"The last time I spoke to her, we didn't really get on. I'm not surethat she'll ever forgive me for having her held at the hospital. In fact I think Sam forgave me before she did."

"How was he?"

"Afterwards? Pretty good, actually. He didn't even have a headache, which is more than can be said for any of the rest us! And of course that was nothing compared to the headache that the Centre had while trying to remove my virus. I still say that it was the cause of the Centre, to all intents and purposes, being closed down."

Jennifer moved towards the door as it opened to reveal the last visitors.

"Sydney, Broots, how lovely. I’m so glad you could come."

"Well, having been to every other birthday, I could hardly miss this one, could I?" chuckled Sydney as he kissed Jennifer on the cheek. "How are you?"

"Very well. Emily’s been waiting for you to come…"

"…but she had to change her dress!” Kyle, having bounced into the room, ran over and hugged Sydney while Broots moved to greet Jennifer. She was about to make a comment when she looked again at the doorway.

"Kyle!"

"Yes, Momma?"

"Come here!" He moved over and she waved at him to stand in behind her.

"Miss Parker, it's been a long time.”

"It…it has." Jarod entered the room with his daughter at this point and Jennifer looked briefly at him with raised eyebrows. He nodded slightly. However before she could say anything, Parker spoke.

"I…Jarod suggested I come."

"Really…"

Jennifer looked at Jarod again, for a little longer this time. A feeling of futility began to well up in her. For so many years they had managed to avoid this moment. But now it had come. She looked at Parker again and was surprised to notice that she carried no gun. Not that it mattered, however. There was no doubt that a helicopter full of sweepers was heading their way at that very moment, having been kept expressly for this occasion. Sydney and Broots, too, were silent until Parker spoke.

"Jennifer, I…I'm not going to, I mean, I don't want to…I won't…" Sydney stepped forward and placed an arm on Miss Parker's shoulder.

"She's not here as a Centre operative, but as a friend. She was in my office when Jarod called to let me know what time to come, and I thought it might be nice if she came along."

Finally Parker found her voice.

"Believe me, I don't want to…ruin this. I just thought…"

"I need to know that my children are safe." Jennifer's voice did not sound as hard as she thought it would.

"They are. Believe me, they really are. I just wanted to…to see how things were going." Jennifer looked at her for a long minute. Miss Parker looked at the floor and Broots' expression almost begged Jennifer to believe his colleague. Jennifer let out the breath that she had been holding and the tension in the room broke at the same moment.

Sydney pulled out a chair for Miss Parker at the table and he and Broots also sat down.

"Kyle, you can go into my room now, if you like." The smile in Jennifer’s voice was reflected in the face of her son and he grabbed his father and dragged him down the hallway after him. Sydney leant over the table towards Miss Parker.

"Jennifer always puts the present in her room until we arrive and then the birthday child can go and find it."

"And you've been to every birthday."

"Four times a year for the kids' birthdays. And occasionally Christmas."

"Four?" Miss Parker looked around the room to where Emily had sidled in. Jennifer laughed and turned to her daughter.

"Emily, go and get the twins."

"Michelle and Nicholas send their regrets. They couldn't make it this year."

"Kyle will be disappointed. He and Nicholas get on well."

"Nick said he'd make an effort to try and come down at some later date." Margaret and Emily had remained standing, although Major Charles had sat beside Sydney and the two of them had begun to chat. Miss Parker turned to them and the unsure way in which she spoke was an almost comical contrast to her usual style.

"I...I'm sorry."

"Are you, Miss Parker? After everything that my family has had to go through because of the fear caused by you and that damned team of yours, all you can say is 'I'm sorry.' Do you have any idea what it's like, going through life wondering if you're just around the next corner, waiting to grab us at the first opportunity. I can't help wondering when the sweepers are going to burst through the door and drag us all away." Jennifer started at hearing her own thoughts echoed as Jarod got up from his seat and put his hands on his mother's shoulders, moving her gently out of the room. Emily followed them out

"Parker, sit down." Sydney pulled out a chair at Jennifer's suggestion and the other woman sank into it. "I'm sorry. She's still a little..."

"Sensitive?" Broots suggested before a glare from Sydney made him close his mouth.

"I understand. I mean, if I'd spent all my life running from me, I wouldn't want to see me either even more."

Jennifer suppressed a smile at the absurd remark and was about to reply when a noise from the other room brought both Charles to his feet.

"Be right back."

"Where's he going?" Miss Parker's tones expressed her thankfulness at the change of topic.

"To get my babies. We have four children now. I'm not sure whether Sydney would have told you about the new arrivals, two years ago.

"Sydney didn't tell me anything, which was probably a good idea."

"Are you so determined to take us back? Even now?" Jennifer voice was soft. "I mean, with Raines, Lyle, Brigitte and the others out of the way, what could possibly be your incentive? Even your father can hardly keep his end of the deal, from Africa." Miss Parker looked startled.

"How did you know he went?"

"Oh, I keep an eye and an ear on everything to do with the Centre. It was a form of security in the past and now it's a habit. Until Raines' death, he was the one we all had most to fear from. Even he must have realised the link between me and that virus."

"You? You mean..."

"Damn." Jennifer slammed her fist on the table as she got up. "I thought you would have realised. Yes, I put it into the system. Who did you think did it?"

"Well...Jarod. He seemed like the most obvious suspect. Even after the shooting and everything, I thought he must have infected the system before it all happened. It never occurred to me that you would..."

"Well...I did." Jennifer sighed heavily and checked the pots on the stove. "I couldn't help myself, and one day, when you called Sydney at the hospital actually, I realised what Jarod would have wanted if he really hadn't woken up. So I did it."

Margaret and Emily reappeared at this point, being dragged into the room by Jennifer's daughter. She ran to Sydney and scrambled up into his lap.

"I didn't hear you come in."

"We've been here for some time, gorgeous," responded Sydney with a smile as he kissed the top of her head. "You'll have to listen harder." He began to tickle her and she slid awkwardly off his lap amid peals of laughter and, running to her mother, tried to hide behind her.

"You'll have to do better than that." Jennifer swung the little girl up in her arms and dropped her into a chair at the table. "Where's Kyle?"

"Kyle's showing Daddy his present. He got dragged all the way up the stairs by his tie, Kyle was so excited."

"What's he getting?" Broots smiled at Emily as he asked the question. "I don't know. I don't get to see until he shows me. But I bet it's something special. I mean, Momma's been telling us for ages what an important birthday the thirteenth one is."

"And you're not going up there until he asks you to, understand?"

"Yes, Momma."

"Oh, man!" An excited thirteen-year-old burst into the room and threw his arms around his mother. "How did you know that I wanted a stereo?"

"I guessed. And I suppose," Jennifer went on with a smile, "that you'll want some cds to play in it, won't you?" She reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out the two objects that she'd slipped in only several minutes earlier.

"Oh, wow!" Kyle gasped as he took them from her almost reverently. "Come on, Emily. I'll show you. Daddy set it up in my room."

"Kyle," the boy looked at his father. "Remember what I said about the volume, please. We want to be able to hear ourselves think out here."

"Yes, Daddy." The two ran off and Jarod sighed before sitting down in the chair vacated by his daughter. "Mom will be down soon with the other two. They needed changing."

"Good. We'll want to eat soon or it will get cold."

***

After dinner, the adults moved into the lounge room. The two older children had again retreated into Kyle's room to use the new stereo and the babies were close to going to bed. Miss Parker held baby Jacob in her arms and gently rocked him.

"You're good at that."

"I had a lot of practice with Robert."

"Oh, yes. How is your brother? He'd be the same age as Kyle, I suppose." Margaret inquired politely. She had gradually become used to the idea of Miss Parker's attendance and, although she was not as friendly and warm as she had been, she could at least now be civil.

"He's growing quickly. He started at boarding school last month and he's doing well."

"Is he as independent as you were at that age?"

"More so, if that's possible." Sydney smiled at the remark but didn't comment.

"Have you heard from your father?" Jarod's remark sounded off-hand but Jennifer could hear the underlying meaning in it. She understood, feeling the same concern herself.

"He wrote a few years ago, to tell me that she was still alive and possibly pregnant again, but that was all. I think he's not allowed to write any more than that. Mutumbo won't let him. It was part of the deal, trading freedom for a life as a slave, just to be close to her. Of course, they don't get any time alone, so I don't really see what good it did him. But it did give him protection against Raines' anger, and after betraying the Centre to the CIA, he needed all the protection he could get."

Jennifer tried to hide the smile on her face but Jarod noticed it and raised one eyebrow in an unspoken question. She nodded, knowing that he was well aware that it hadn't been Mr Parker who had betrayed the Centre to the CIA.

"Momma, I want to go to bed."

"Okay, darling." Jennifer looked down at the little boy she held and stood up.

"Should I come too?"

"Sure."

"He speaks well." Miss Parker commented as they began to climb the stairs to the upper level of the house.

"Considering who his father is, I don't think that's such a surprise, do you? Margaret said that both Jarod and Kyle spoke earlier than most other children their age. In fact, they did most things earlier." Jennifer entered the room, still wondering in the very darkest part of her mind whether Parker was planning to use the occasion when they were alone to take a little revenge for the past. She was still undecided about the fact when they left the room and descended the stairs.

"Parker, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything. But mostly for having held you hostage at the hospital when Jarod was shot. I know that it was hard for you to take but..." she trailed off.

"I can't deny that I was angry about it, but after I learnt that you arranged for Ben to look after Robert and organised everything else, I realised why. I guess it was about that time that I forgave you for it. And," she smiled a little, "it is easier to work for the Centre now than it was then."

"I find it amazing that you still work there. I mean, I organised a nice retirement package and everything, so that you could leave." Miss Parker stopped on the step. "I thought about it, I really did. But I had this fear, for the first few years, that if I left they would come and get me, like they got..."

"...Your mother."

"Yeah. It's always haunted me that I could end up in the same situation. I've had nightmares about it for years. And then," she thankfully changed the subject, "I got interested in what I was doing and so I stayed."

"Why," Jennifer's voice was soft, as though afraid of the storm that he question could incite, "are you still looking for him? I mean, if you want to ask him questions, all you had to do was call. What is it incentive, after all these years?"

Miss Parker looked a little sheepish.

"Habit."

"Habit?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I've been looking for him for so long that it seemed impossible that it could be unnecessary. Of course, I guess I know it is, now."

"So, you'll stop?"

"I guess...I will."

Jennifer let out a sigh of relief.

"You have no idea how great it is to hear that. I mean..."

"I know what you mean. It wasn't only when a person was being chased by the Centre that they felt hunted." Jennifer and Miss Parker looked at each other for several seconds, considering what had been said, before they both began to laugh. They were still giggling as they re-entered the lounge, where the others sat.

***

Jennifer climbed into bed with a sigh of relief. The guests hadn't left until quite late and, having had to cope with four children as well as preparing the house for the visitors, she was exhausted. Sleep, though, was impossible with so many thoughts in her mind. When Jarod got into bed beside her, she rolled over and propped her head up on her elbow.

"So, how does it feel?" He looked at her with a bemused expression. "I know you don't like this phrase, but 'huh'?"

"How does it feel not to be hunted anymore?" He shook his head slightly and put the back of his hand to her forehead. She pulled away impatiently and then began to giggle again.

"I'm sorry. I forgot that you didn't hear the conversation." She repeated the main points of it for him, by which time he was lying on his back with his hands tucked behind his head. After a pause Jennifer spoke again.

"Well?"

"I don't know. I'll need some time to get used to it." His glance met her eyes. "Do you believe her?"

"Actually, yes. She's never lied to me, so I don't see any reason not to. Come to think of it, I don't think she's ever lied to you either."

"No, that's true." The words came out slowly, almost unwillingly. Jennifer lowered herself until she was lying on his chest. "Let's change the subject. How long are you home for?"

"Not sure, exactly. A couple of days, anyway." He wrapped both arms around her "I really missed you, did you know that?"

"I missed you too."

"Dad had this great idea. He and Mom have volunteered to baby-sit the kids for a few weeks and I was thinking that maybe we could finally have that honeymoon we talked about." Jennifer lifted herself and looked at him. A smile spread across his face and one hand came up and stroked her cheek.

"Well?"

"Where?"

"Wherever you want. I'm happy anywhere, as long as it's with you."

"Oh, Jarod." She lowered herself again but, as she ran her hand down his chest, the smile vanished from her face.

"What?" Jarod's voice was full of concern. "What is it?" Jennifer broke out of the reverie and tried to smile.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about the time before we got married."

"What, the hospital? I thought you were going to try not to think about it again."

"I know. And I do try. But sometimes, I can't help thinking about it."

"Hey, it all worked out, remember? I'm here. With you."

"Thank God." The phrase was soft, but Jarod heard it and smiled.

"I guess that prayer worked after all."

"I guess so. I'll never forget looking up and seeing you looking back at me. I nearly fainted."

"Well you certainly cried." Jarod teased.

"As you would have. In fact, if the positions had been reversed, I think you would have cried more."

"Perhaps." After another pause, Jarod spoke again. "So, where do you want to go?"

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