A Matter of Blood

Part 15

by N.R. Levy

Christmas day came to Boston along with more than a foot of snow. Charles was happy about that. Jare had never really seen a good snow before. They had seen a few inches in Rhode Island, but this was a real storm, the kind where teenage boys could go outside and make snowballs and make his sled go as fast as possible down the hill a few blocks from their house.

The Major had gotten up early to make sure every detail had been taken care of, right down to the filled stockings that hung from the mantle. How many years had it been since he had even bought a Christmas tree, let alone hung stockings and lights and piled badly wrapped presents for eager hands to open? So many years of empty holidays...and though he knew he had been just a few feet away from spending this holiday with Jarod as well, Charles promised himself he would not spend the day trapped in regret as he had so many other times. This year he had someone to spoil and to share family traditions with, and he was going to make the most of it.

Still, he couldn’t help wondering where his eldest son was today. Was he free? Was he alone? Charles hoped not. Somehow, he hoped that Jarod was sitting beside someone he loved.

As a yawn escaped his body, Charles stretched and moved to start a pot of coffee. He had just hit the brew button when he heard Jare behind him clearing his throat.

“Hey, son. You ready for Christmas?”

“I guess, sir.”

“Jare, I’ve told you before. You don’t have to call me sir. Charles is fine. Dad when you’re ready, okay?”

Jare only nodded and walked to the other side of the counter where Charles stood.

“Charles, I know that you’ve done a lot for me, and I hope you know that I really do appreciate it.”

“I’ve been happy to do it, son. Gives me a chance to make up for some of the time I lost out on, you know, being a father to my kids.”

“Do you remember when we talked the other day? When you were telling me that you didn’t expect me to be Jarod. That you wanted me to be who I really was?”

Charles poured a cup of coffee from the half-finished pot as he brought the conversation back to his mind.

“Mm-hmm.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, and I think you’re right. I think I have to be the person I am. The person I was meant to be.”

“That’s what we want for you, son -- me, Jarod, Miss Parker, all of us.”

Before Jare could respond to the Major’s last statement, the front door of the house flew open. Charles immediately ran toward his gun, but he found it with the chamber open, the clip missing entirely. Confused, he spun around to face those who had invaded his home.

The five black-suited sweepers were unmistakable. Two other men stepped to the front of the room, and Charles realized he had never seen either of them before. One was pale, nearly an albino. The other was tall and thin with piercing blue eyes that for some reason seemed vaguely familiar to the Major, though he pushed that thought aside as the man he was considering spoke.

“Major Charles, pleasure to meet you. I have heard so much about you. I believe we’ll be getting quite a few chances to talk in the next few weeks. My name, by the way, is Mr. Cox with an ‘X’.”

Charles’s eyes scanned the room, trying desperately to seek out a way to get Jare and get out of the room, but there was none. For the moment, they were trapped. Maybe if he could get a signal to Jare...but as that thought dropped off in his brain, the Major realized that Jare had moved “toward” the sweepers when they’d entered, not away.

“Jare, what’s going on?”

“Just being who I am, sir. By the way, my name is William.”

As the reality of what had happened, as the enormity of the betrayal he’d just fallen victim to grew inside of the Major’s heart, his mind reeled. The albino looking man stepped forward and placed his prisoner in handcuffs, the major offering no resistance as his heart broke. He watched helplessly as Mr. Cox with an “X” stepped to Jare... to William, and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“So, you were Mr. White’s little tattletale? I’m sure Mr. Raines will be very proud indeed.”

Broots had known which present he would open first because the mystery surrounding it had driven him nuts for weeks. Ever since Miss Parker and Debbie had brought the beautifully wrapped gift into the house, he’d been dying to know what was inside of it.

Unlike most mysteries, the solution lived up to what he had imagined, mainly because it opened up another mystery for him.

The portrait was beautiful. Debbie had never looked happier or more radiant than she did in the picture, and her obvious pride at giving him such a gift only intensified his joy at receiving it. But it was the tiny scrawl in the bottom right hand corner of the portrait that truly made Broots feel as if he would cry.

The work of art, which is what it was, had been made by his friend...by his best friend, and though he suspected she did not want him to know that, he was thrilled that he had that knowledge.

He wondered if she had been hesitant to sign it. The small “M” and “P” were barely decipherable, except that Broots had spent hours looking at her handwriting, and therefore knew it very well. Debbie had only said that Miss Parker had “helped” get the picture, not that she’d painted it, and he was proud of his daughter’s loyalty. Still, clearly, Miss Parker had painted it. Not only the initials had given her away. Only someone who loved his little girl could have captured her so well.

As he watched Debbie open another of her gifts, he wondered where Miss Parker was now. He hoped wherever she was, she was as happy as her gift had made both he and his daughter today.

Sydney accepted the cup of coffee offered by Michelle, and though he was fascinated by the conversation he was sharing with Nicholas, his thoughts were split between the people he was with and the two people he was worried about.

It was not so strange to him that Miss Parker hadn’t called. She had left a gift for him in his office, and so had taken care of Christmas between them. What was odd was that Jarod had not contacted him. This would be the first year since his escape that the pretender had not called or sent some message.

Sydney hoped that the absence of such contact meant that Jarod and Miss Parker were sharing the holiday he had wished for them.

Still, something nagged at him. What the feeling was remained unclear to him, but Sydney could swear it felt reminiscent of fear. The question was, who should he be afraid for, and what could he do to help them?

Despite the five people in residence, the farmhouse was empty. It was empty of the joy it should have been filled with, the happy sounds of people opening gifts and saying “thank you’s” and “you’re welcome’s.” Instead it was filled with silence.

Harry, knowing that Elizabeth felt responsible for Parker’s flight, simply sat beside his wife, stroking her hand as they sat opposite each other at the dining room table. Periodically, Elizabeth would draw in a breath as if she meant to speak, but after just a moment she would settle her chin back on her hand, silence remaining in the room.

Angelo was curled up in the bed his sister had occupied less than 12 hours ago. Angel, his new friend, lay on his chest, her wet nose resting on his chin. Even she seemed to sense the terrible weight of sadness that had fallen on the house.

But nowhere was that weight more heavily felt than in the living room, where Jarod sat on the sofa, a pile of blankets around him. Emily had been frantic when she’d found him outside and felt how cold his body was. He had refused for a long while to come inside, and only when she had cried and lifted his face with her hands to make him see her tears had he agreed to move. She had settled him on the couch, running for blankets to warm him. He had not moved since.

Emily sat beside him, her hand gently stroking his cheek.

“Jarod? Jarod, what happened?”

“She ran away. I told you.”

“No, I mean what happened between the two of you? What did she say?”

“She didn’t say anything. She just said she wanted to go home.”

“That place isn’t her home.”

“She thinks it is. They made her think that.”

“But she knows better, Jarod. She was going to leave there, wasn’t she? Didn’t you tell me she was going to leave before Thomas was killed?”

“Yes, she ‘was’ going to leave, Em. ‘Was.’ But she’s too scared. She’s still grieving for Thomas, and...Em, she doesn’t trust me enough.”

“Jarod, that’s ridiculous. She came here because you asked her too.”

“That’s not what I mean. With her heart, she doesn’t trust me with her heart, and why should she?”

“Because you would never hurt her, Jarod.”

“But I did. I...Emily, I caused that. Thomas tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen, and then what they did to him...I should have known.”

“How on earth could you have known that the Centre would kill him?”

Jarod turned and looked at his sister as if she’d grown horns suddenly. A look of total disbelief on his face, he stood, casting off the blankets that had surrounded him for hours.

“How? I’m the genius, Em. I was supposed to know that they would do anything to keep her, even kill the man she loved.”

“She loves you, Jarod.”

Those words stopped the frantic pacing that Jarod had undertaken during his explosion.

“That’s why she came to San Diego, Jarod. She came to protect you because she loves you.”

“She loved him, Em. She did. It was real and it was...I wanted that for her, I did. I wanted it so much that I...I sent Thomas Gates to Blue Cove. I sent him to her.”

Now it was Emily’s turn to wear a mask of disbelief.

“You what?”

“You didn’t know him. He was...I’ve never met a man I respected more in my life than Thomas. He had the most amazing heart, and one day he saw a picture of Parker sitting on my table. Do you know what he said, Em? He said, “That is the prettiest, saddest woman I have ever seen in my life.” He knew. He could see how much she needed someone and he didn’t even know her. I knew I could trust him not to hurt her, Em. So, I sent him to Blue Cove on a lead about a house and from the moment they met, I knew that she was safe and that someone was finally going to love her the way she needed to be loved.”

“Jarod, you could –“

“Could what? Give her that? Make her safe? Clearly not, Em, because look at this. All I’ve done is hurt her again, make her even more afraid. It doesn’t matter how good my intentions are, I only seem to end up hurting her.”

Jarod stopped speaking, the emotion of what he’d said exhausting him. He collapsed back down on the couch. Emily reached over and embraced him.

“Give her some time. Then make her see that she can trust you, even with her heart.”

“And how do I do that?”

“Tell her the truth, Jarod. Tell her about Thomas. Tell her how you feel. Once she sees how much you care about her happiness, she’ll realize that she doesn’t have to be afraid.”

Sighing deeply, Jarod pulled away from his sister and sank back against the couch cushions. He knew that Emily was right. How could he expect Parker to come to him with her fears when he was keeping such a big secret – two big secrets from her? He would give her time to heal, and he would use that time to try and find the answer to Thomas’s murder once and for all. Let her finish grieving, let her deal with his killer, then he would give her his heart and hope that she still had enough strength to accept it.

The cold in the house was no match for the cold Parker felt in her soul. She lay motionless in her bed, the room dark, her body wrapped in the flannel shirt of Tommy’s she always wore when she felt alone.

It was Christmas day, and the only thing she’d managed to give to the people that mattered to her was grief. Parker was no fool; she knew what she had left behind in her wake. She had ripped Jarod’s heart out. She had abandoned her brother. She had left Elizabeth hanging, giving her no answers about how their relationship might end up.

No, she had just turned back into the Ice Queen and frozen them out – all of them.

It was better this way. That’s what she kept telling herself. Now none of them would get hurt, hurt by her or by those who would use them to control her.

She could handle being alone. What she couldn’t handle was losing anyone else, especially...no, she wouldn’t even think that. That, Parker knew, would kill her once and for all. It was time to let go of things that could never be, and focus in on salvaging what was left of her life.

Mr. Cox beamed with pride as the limousine pulled up to the side entrance of the Centre. The place was nearly a ghost town, and so there were few if any eyes on hand to notice the gray-haired man, his hands and feet shackled as they brought him to his new home. Nor did they see the teenage boy whose eyes scanned the area for the only two people he felt connected to.

The small group headed inside the Centre, and Mr. White left to escort the Major personally to his cell. That was when Mr. Raines stepped forward, his arms opening to his namesake.

“William, welcome home.”

The boy stepped into his arms. Yes, this was what he knew -- this man, this place, and her. Where was she? As he stepped back from Mr. Raines, he looked around for her again. She was the only one who had ever actually asked him what he wanted or how he felt. Even Jarod and the Major had just taken him, never imagining that he had no desire to leave this place or the people that mattered to him.

That’s why he had turned the Major in. He had to prove his loyalty to Mr. Raines. It was the only chance he had of ever getting close to her again. He had to be the perfect pretender... and then he would get what he really wanted.

“I let you down, sir.”

Raines patted the boy’s shoulder, and then slowly began to guide him toward the elevator.

“Nonsense. This was God’s will. Our original plan was flawed. Now you have delivered us. We have the means to capture our wayward sheep, and you have returned to us unharmed. We have much to be grateful for, my son.”

Cox watched as Raines walked away with the boy and the rest of the sweeper team. Something about the boy troubled him, though he couldn’t yet put his finger on it. How unthinkable that anyone given a chance at freedom from this place would voluntarily return.

At least the boy’s loyalty had allowed him to accomplish his main goal. He had completed the assignment from Mr. Garvey, and he had done so without any involvement on Miss Parker’s part. Now all he had to do was make certain the Major was buried inside the Centre until they were ready to spring their trap for Jarod.

It was curious to him that he still had no understanding of his protective feelings toward the woman. Still, he had survived this long by following his instincts, and they were telling him three things: keep Garvey happy, keep Parker safe, and keep everyone guessing as to just what it was he was up to.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Emily sat inside the coffee shop waiting for her brother to arrive. They had worked out a system of separations and reunions over the past few months in order to keep the Centre hunters on their toes and to follow up the leads they’d found on their parents. Unfortunately, none of those leads had proved fruitful. A few weeks ago, someone in Boston had thought they remembered seeing her father, but she had been unable to find any other trace of him.

Every three weeks, Emily met Jarod where he was “pretending” and then they stayed together for three weeks before she moved on. Now that they had found each other, they were careful to make certain they would never be separated permanently again, and though the goodbyes were always painful, both siblings knew that for now they were necessary.

Nervously, Emily glanced at her watch and wondered where Jarod was. She knew that the last few months had been extremely hard on him. Purposefully, he had kept his distance from Parker doing what he had vowed to do back at Elizabeth’s farm – he had given her time to heal, and he had investigated Thomas’s murder. That had led him to the Rumor wiretap, but it had also taken him on some difficult adventures.

He was still reeling a bit from his encounter with Zoey. Emily knew that he had really believed he loved her at the time, but now, he realized that she was a surrogate for the woman that really held his heart. Someone that he could, at least temporarily, save, but no amount of space or distance had been able to quell his concern for Parker. That concern had taken him to Blue Cove, and now she was waiting to hear what had happened.

The bell on the front door of the diner rang, attracting Emily’s attention, and she looked up to see Jarod already inside, his left arm already out of his leather jacket. He finished removing the jacket as he looked over and saw her. A faint smile graced his face, and he moved quickly to her table. Emily stood to greet him, and the two shared a warm hug before sitting back down.

“You look good, sis.”

“You too. Now don’t keep me waiting. How did it go?”

“Gee, Em, can I actually make contact with my seat first?”

“No. What happened?”

Jarod took a deep breath, smiling at his sister.

“I told her.”

“Thank goodness. It’s about time. What did she say?”

“She was upset at first, at least, I think she was. I told her over the phone.”

Jarod anticipated her ire and dropped his eyes as Emily’s mouth fell open and her hands pressed against the table.

“The phone? What happened to meeting her at the cemetery?”

“I went, but it was a bad idea. She wasn’t... she couldn’t handle that.”

“She couldn’t handle it, Jarod, or you chickened out?”

“Will it make you happy if I say both?”

A silence fell between the siblings then, and the waitress approached and took their order. As soon as she departed, Emily zeroed in on her brother again.

“So she was upset at first, but then?”

“Then she asked me about him, how I met him. I think it helped her to know that. And now she knows what happened to him. I think that she’s ready to move on now.”

“You found out who killed him?”

“She did. It was Brigitte.”

“Parker didn’t –“

“No, but Brigitte is dead. She died in childbirth. If you can believe it, Parker had to deliver the baby.”

Emily’s eyebrows rose at that. What an idea that Parker would have to deliver the child of her most hated enemy.

“But she’s okay? I mean, Parker got through it?”

“Yeah. I think she’s finally said goodbye to Thomas. The question now is how long do I wait to tell her the rest.”

“You’ll know, Jarod. You just have to listen to your heart. You timed this right. You’ll get the rest right, too.”

Jarod nodded, his hand reaching for Emily’s.

“I hope so, Em. I hope so.”

Miss Parker walked down the hallways of the Centre with a strange feeling inside of her. In some ways, it could be called peace. Finally, she had said her farewell to the man she loved. The weight that had taken off her shoulders was immeasurable, but a curious new burden had fallen into her arms at precisely the same moment.

Turning the corner, Parker took in a deep breath and made her way toward the observation window of the lab at the end of the corridor. Inside was a baby boy. Her brother. A child who she felt an unexplainable connection to, and one she was ready to do battle for if it became necessary.

So far, it had not. Cox was proving to be a good caretaker despite her reservations. Still, the baby was only a few weeks old, and Parker knew the kid gloves would come off as soon as he was old enough to test for her potential as a pretender. That this was her father’s plan was a certainty to Parker.

Her father – did she even consider him that anymore? She didn’t know who the hell he was – a man who could let his wife die, who could hand his child over to the Centre without blinking an eye or finding out whether he had a son or a daughter – could this have been the man she had given a lifetime of loyalty to? Added to all that she had learned from Elizabeth, the sum left her with one thought -- she saw him now as a monster – something she had never imagined she would think of her precious daddy.

Inside the nursery, Cox looked up from the crib and saw Miss Parker standing at the window. He waved her in, not caring that Mr. Parker had instructed him to limit her contact with the child. Cox was grateful

that his months of “helping” Mr. Parker regain his position were over, and though he had been further instructed by Mr. Garvey to remain close to the Chairman, it was no longer imperative that the rest of the Centre regard him as a potential hit man or as Mr. Parker’s right hand. Instead, he had two assignments – care for the new pretender and prepare for the launch of Project Retrieval.

He picked up the infant as Miss Parker approached and immediately held him out toward the woman who still held a mystical fascination to him. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to find out where she had been during the holidays, mostly because she had been so depressed upon her return. Wherever she had gone, it had affected her deeply, and like all things that concerned Miss Parker that made it of interest to him.

Cox watched as Miss Parker cradled the little boy in her arms. The bond between them was unmistakable. He assumed that it was because she had delivered the baby, but the concern Mr. Parker showed over their attachment made him wonder if there were more to it than that. Another mystery for another time. Cox turned on his smile and directed it at Miss Parker.

“Pleasure to see you again, Miss Parker.”

“Wish I could say the same.”

“Now, now, we don’t want any tension around the little one here, do we?”

“Cox, don’t you have work you need to do elsewhere?”

Cox smiled, taking the cue and removing his lab coat.

“As a matter of fact, I do. And since Master Parker is in such good hands, I suppose I can be off to it.”

Miss Parker watched as Cox walked out of the room. Who he was and what he wanted were still mysteries that required her attention, but for the moment, they could wait. She had a little boy to play with, and she had to decide what was going to happen next with Jarod.

Their meeting at the cemetery had been decidedly tense. In her heart, she knew he had come to the cemetery that day to tell her the truth about his involvement in her meeting Thomas, but all she’d been able to feel is anger – anger at him for intruding in her life, her home and her heart. The question she didn’t have the answer too was what would she would have done had her gun worked. She had been angry enough at him to strike out without thinking – and he had clearly anticipated that. Because of that, some small part of her was grateful he had broken in and tampered with her gun. God would not have been able to help her had she pulled that trigger. Still, he did deserve to have that smug look smacked off his face when he’d bragged about her gun, and she regretted that she hadn’t taken advantage of his proximity to do so.

Jarod – so much of her energy was spent trying to figure out how she felt about him. Since their bitter parting at Elizabeth’s, they’d barely spoken until he’d showed up at Thomas’s grave. Now that she had seen him, she knew that distance had done little to quell the feelings she’d begun to feel during their time together in San Diego and at the farm. Problem was, she still didn’t believe she could face those feelings, and that left her uncertain of what to do next.

Sighing, she moved to the rocking chair in the corner and sat down with her brother. It amazed her how spending time with this baby – Brigitte’s baby – made her feel so at ease. For the moment, she pushed every other thought aside and focused all her attention on the little bundle in her arms. These would be the only precious minutes of this day that would be spent on a focus other than Jarod and her own incredibly messed up life. Parker intended to enjoy them.

Mr. Raines beamed as William handed over the DSA of the completed simulation.

“Very good work, William. You feel certain of your results?”

“Absolutely, sir. If you follow this plan, Project Retrieval will be a complete success.”

“Wonderful. You’ve done outstanding work since your return. I wonder, is there anything you might like to do or have, as say, a small reward?”

William smiled. This was what he had been aiming for. His work with the Major, helping them to “prepare” the older man for their plan had been horrible, but he had done it in order to reach this moment.

“Yes, sir, there actually is something I’d like very much.”

“And that is?”

“Miss Parker.”