Shaddyr's Eclectic Collection > Pretender Fanfiction > N.R. Levy > A Matter of Blood

A Matter of Blood
Part 21
by N.R. Levy

The elevator doors opened and Cox and Sam emerged, providing a sight that both amused and shocked the Centre personnel who were present to see it. The two men looked as if they'd been, to use a cliché, road hard and put out wet. Cox had a large bruise on the side of his forehead, dirt encrusted in his hair, and his suit had been torn in at least a dozen places. Sam looked as if he could barely move his jaw, the scrapes and bruises there were prominent, and he walked as if he had a metal pipe sewn into his right leg that prevented him from bending it.

As the two men made their way across the lobby, eyes turned down quickly and hands raised to mouths to cover their snickers and smiles. Sam had long been regarded as the toughest sweeper in the Centre. Hell, to be Miss Parker's chosen man, he had to be. And Mr. Cox...well, there was no end to the people who quaked in fear just seeing him walk into a room. No one could imagine what had happened to them to leave them in such a state.

Hobbled by their injuries, the two men had barely made it to the elevators that accessed the executive floors when the doors opened and Mr. Parker stepped out flanked by a unit of sweepers. Cox and Sam stopped dead in their tracks at the site of the Chairman.

"I can assume from your state that Jarod got away."

Both men looked Mr. Parker dead in the eye, but it was Cox who responded to the older man's statement.

"Yes, sir, he did."

"Does he have my daughter?"

"We never saw anyone but Jarod," came Sam's reply.

The Chairman cleared his throat and motioned to the sweepers. The men divided in half, three to a team, and moved to either one of the two returned prodigals.

"You two will need to be debriefed. There was some trouble here while you were gone, and we need to determine if you know anything about it."

"Of course, Mr. Parker," said Cox, wincing a bit to emphasize his discomfort. "Whatever you'd like."

Mr. Parker nodded with satisfaction and watched as the two were led away by the sweepers. As they rounded the far corner, Mr. Parker glanced upwards toward the spot where he knew a camera, one with very limited access, had just watched the whole scene unfold. Mr. Garvey was personally going to assess the probability that Cox had been involved in the escapes. For all their sakes, Mr. Parker hoped that Cox would pass the test. It had been he who brought Cox into the Centre, and it would not please Garvey if someone he'd recommended had become a traitor.





On Sublevel 20, Cox watched through the glass of his own door as the sweepers secured Sam in a separate room. They had expected as much. Broots and Sydney had gotten word to Jarod about the T-Boards and the suspicions Lyle had cast on Cox's actions. Though the video of he and Sam in bondage and unconscious, respectively, had bought them a certain amount of credibility, both the doctor and the sweeper had known that they would need some extra insurance before they waltzed back into the Centre.

Thinking back on the amused faces of the junior staff members as he and Sam had walked in, Cox wondered just what they would think if they'd seen what had occurred a few hours earlier when he and Sam had squared off in Harry and Elizabeth's barn and beaten each other senseless in order to fabricate their cover. Jarod had thought they were both crazy when, bloodied and exhausted, both men had collapsed on the ground laughing. Perhaps they were crazy...they were both risking everything now. Yet Cox knew that at least for himself, everything had taken on a whole new meaning in the last 48 hours. Everything was a mother and a cousin and her children...everything was the truth.

Cox eased himself down on the cot and laid back to get what rest he could until they came for him. His mind, muddled so desperately after Elizabeth had revealed his own past to him, was clear now. He knew that he had been betrayed by his father and, as it turned out, by his grandfather. And though he would have sworn to anyone who asked him just a few days ago that he didn't want or need a family, now that he had one, it meant...well, not to repeat himself, he thought, but it suddenly meant everything.





Parker blinked her eyes open, the light hurting them a bit from all the time she'd been unconscious. All day long, she had been drifting in and out of sleep. Each time she opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by those she loved. Angelo was always around, huddled in a corner or lying close to her. Elizabeth had read to her and Emily had brought Matthew into the room and laid him on the bed so his little hands could touch her. Though she'd been half-asleep, Parker had felt a surge of completion run through her as Matthew's fingers curled around her own. And though she wasn't sure if it were real or a dream, Parker could have sworn that at one point she'd awakened to find Jarod and Will talking to one another without an ounce of tension in the room.

Her body ached from the ordeal it had endured. Stretching cautiously, she couldn't hold back a slight groan of discomfort as her arms and legs tried to uncoil despite the stiffness left behind by the horrible tremors she'd gone through courtesy of Raines' gas. The groan brought movement in the room, and the blinds were quickly closed. Now able to open her eyes a little more, Parker looked to her side in time to see Will sit down beside her.

Her son...strange how it seemed he had always been hers when she'd only known of him for a few short days...her son looked tired and thin and about a year older than when she'd last seen him. The memory of his pleas for her, of his calling out to her as the sweepers took her away, would stay with her forever. Parker only hoped that they would have enough time together to make a host of newer, happier memories to try and bury that terrible one deep inside.

"How long this time?"

Will smiled tentatively as he glanced at the clock.

"Three hours, but you need the sleep, Mom."

His mother nodded and shifted very slowly, making herself more comfortable. Will wondered if she could hear his heart. Actually, it was pounding so loudly, he wondered if the whole house could hear it.

This wasn't the first time she'd been awake when he was in the room, but they hadn't spoken much. She'd still been so weak. Only now did she seem close to her real self. And Will was nervous. He knew that she loved him, that she had forgiven him, but he didn't know how to forgive himself for what he'd done to her. One careless act, and it had almost cost him the most important person in his life.

Sensing the teen's raging emotions, Parker lifted her still shaky arms and motioned for him to come to her. Will hesitated, but only until he felt the dam of tears he was fighting begin to break. He leaned forward, burying his head against his mother's chest as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I'm so...I was just so angry."

"Shh, I know, baby. I told you, that only proves that you're mine. I hurt people I love all the time when I get angry or scared."

"But I should have known you weren't like that. I should have trusted..."

"No one has taught you how to trust, Will. You can't know how to until you see it."

"The Major...my grandfather...he tried, and I did the same thing to him."

Parker mustered all the energy she could and wrapped her arms even tighter around her son. How well she knew the place where he was at this moment, and she knew that all she could really do for him was hold him and hope he could feel how completely he now owned her heart.

"Just remember that I love you. Focus on that, baby, and everything else will be okay. I promise."

Out in the hall, Jarod leaned against the wall as tears streamed down his face. He wasn't certain what it was...the sound of Parker's voice so strong and confident again, the pain his son was feeling, or just the reality of all that had changed in the past week, but what Jarod did know was that he was going to do whatever it took to protect the two people in that bedroom, the baby boy down the hall, and everyone else that they all needed in order to be a happy family someday.

Searching for his composure, and knowing that Parker and Will probably needed more time alone, Jarod headed downstairs. His mood, darkened slightly by thinking of all that his family had lost, lightened immediately as his eyes fell on the scene that met him in the living room. Angelo and Emily were seated on the floor on either side of Matthew, their legs open in wide Vs. Matthew, now contented by his mother's strong presence in the house, was giggling as he displayed his talent at rolling over from side to side, his laughter and energy spurred on by the applause and squeals of the adults.

He'd thought to join them, but something made him turn to look the opposite direction. Elizabeth was sitting across the hall in the dining room, her eyes fixed on the window and the view outside. Knowing that his youngest son was happy and safe, Jarod walked toward Parker's aunt and turned his gaze in the same direction as hers. Harry was walking toward the barn, Angel, Angelo's puppy trailing after him. The little dog that Parker had pegged as a survivor was growing every day, and her devotion to the family was evident. Yet despite the cute and captivating scene, Jarod doubted it was what had caught Elizabeth's attention so completely. Rather, he imagined she was trying to look all the way to Blue Cove, Delaware. He knelt down beside her, his hand reaching out to take hold of one of hers.

"He'll be all right, Elizabeth. He comes from good stock, a true line of survivors."

That made the older woman smile slightly, and she moved her other hand atop the clasped twosome of her right hand and Jarod's left.

"You're still not sure you trust him, are you?"

Jarod could have tried to lie to her then, but she deserved better than that, and he knew it.

"No, I don't. I've spent a lot of months building up a healthy mistrust of Mr. Cox. Daniel, your son...that person is someone I don't know. He could be back at the Centre right now telling them chapter and verse how to find us and what we have planned."

"I know," Elizabeth responded, nodding slightly, "but I don't think he'll betray us."

"I know you don't. Angelo doesn't either. That's why I agreed to the plan. If you two feel you can trust him, I want that to be true. And I can't ignore what he did for Parker and Will. If he hadn't helped Sydney and Broots find her..."

She didn't need him to finish the thought. Elizabeth knew all too well how close they'd come to losing Little Cat.

"It's just, I have so much to lose if we're wrong, Elizabeth."

"We're not wrong. I know it doesn't make any sense, Jarod. I never even saw him when he was born, yet the first time I laid eyes on him, I knew. I saw those eyes, and I knew he was a part of me, of my blood. He won't betray that."

Jarod stood, walking in front of Elizabeth and closer to the window, his hands diving into the pockets of his jeans.

"But he's Garvey's blood, too."

"Yes, he is," Elizabeth said, "but so am I, so was Catherine, so are Angelo and Little Cat, and both of your boys. Yet we've all walked a better path, a truer path than him. We found each other. We have to believe that Daniel will find his way home, too."

"Uh, Dad?"

Jarod turned sharply at the sound of Will's voice, momentarily alarmed that the boy's presence meant something was wrong with Parker. Will instantly read the look on his father's face and shook his head.

"No, she's fine. Maj...uh, Charles is with her. I wanted to talk to you for a minute."

The tenuous bond between these two was palpable in the room, and Elizabeth decided to excuse herself and go start lunch. She knew that they would find their way together, their mutual love of Parker and Matthew would ensure that. And nothing would foster that connection between them better than communication and time alone.

Jarod smiled a thank you at the older woman as she left the room, and he watched as Will stepped nervously toward him. There were still faint tearstains on his cheeks, and from someplace filled with natural instinct Jarod felt the urge to reach out and wipe them away. Yet he knew that his child was not a child, he was a young man. Will was learning to deal with what it meant to be a man in the world, to be part of a family, and to take responsibility for his choices. And that, as his father, was what Jarod had to let happen, no matter how much he wished he could spare him the pain that would go along with that growth.

"Mom's doing better."

"That's good," Jarod said as he sat down, motioning for his son to take another one of the available chairs. "It helps her to spend time with you and Matthew."

"Yeah, I'm gonna take him up later and read them a story. Uncle Harry said something about a book called 'Green Eggs and Ham.' Sounds like an odd food choice, but I guess that's why they wrote a book about it."

That got a chuckle out of his father. The innocence of worldly things reminded the Pretender so much of his own child-like wonder just a few years ago. It made him happy to see it. Despite everything, there was still some little boy left inside of the young man. And Jarod knew his job would be to teach him how to enjoy that side of himself.

"Anyway, I...well, I got to thinking this morning that, you know, we had to leave Blue Cove without anything. None of Mom's stuff, you know, and maybe...well, I mean, I know she can borrow stuff from Aunt Emily and Aunt Elizabeth, but I just thought she might like some stuff of her own. And since you've known her so much longer than me, I thought maybe, that, you know, we could go into town and get some things for her."

It had taken a lot of words to put the simple request out there, but Jarod understood that it had been a Herculean effort for the boy to come to him now that the crisis was over and suggest an idea regarding Parker's care. It was entirely possible that, while her health was still in question, Jarod had been willing to listen to any suggestion, even one from a son he didn't trust. It was just as probable now that, with her on the mend, he'd turn back toward his resentment of his oldest child rather than embrace him. Of course, it was an impossibility on Jarod's part, but Will didn't know that yet.

"I suppose we can find a bottle of Channel somewhere in town. If we head out now, we can probably make it back in time for lunch."

The smile that broke out on Will's face was worth more to Jarod than almost anything he could imagine. Within minutes, father and son were in the truck headed to town on their first outing together, and for a few precious hours, the Centre and its dark specter were far away and all that mattered were silk dresses and sterling silver hairbrushes with which to pamper the woman that was the very heart of their universe.







The halls of Sublevel 20 were silent, and much to Cox's amazement the quiet had lulled him to sleep. Not that the rest was really peaceful. His mind kept fixating on an image of young Will holding his baby brother. The idea that those two boys were connected to him, that they had almost been denied their natural right to be a part of their own family-well, it seemed to echo the truth of Cox's own life, and it brought forth in his unconscious a well of hurt and longing from his childhood that the man hadn't even been aware existed inside of him.

The silence soon erupted into a clatter of noise as a door slammed shut and several sets of footsteps began to move closer to Cox's cell. He moved his sore body to the door in time to see a fleet of sweepers escorting Sam away, most likely toward the T-Board room.

Well, there was step one. Jarod had called that one perfectly, and Cox sensed that everything else this day would progress just as Jarod had simmed it. Cox smiled as he remembered. It seemed almost comical that he and Jarod were working together now, had been since Cox had made the fateful decision to help in Miss Parker's escape. But the real moment of truth had come when Major Charles had discovered he and Angelo working at the computer in Angelo's attic space. Cox could still feel the older man's incredibly strong hands on his shoulders, pulling him away from the computer.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The Major's voice was low and measured, a controlled anger lurking so close to the surface that it was palpable in the room. Cox, who was used to always being in control of himself, was stunned to find he was grasping for words to describe just what exactly he was doing. Thankfully, Angelo had stepped in.

"Help family. Help Sister, now help all of us."

Charles shook his head, unconvinced.

"He's part of the Centre, Angelo. He could hurt all of us."

Charles started to reach for Cox again, not anticipating that Cox had sensed the movement and was preparing to fight if he had to. He would not be restrained or locked away from his family again, not when he knew that what he and Angelo had already begun was perhaps the only way to keep them all safe. Had he had time to think about it, Cox might have marveled then at his sudden feelings of familial affection, but there was no time. Angelo grabbed Charles' wrist to stop his action.

"No! Helping is his chance. Can't take that away. Sister wouldn't want that. I don't want that."

A slight gasp came from the stairs then, and the men all turned to see Jarod standing there. In all the years Jarod had known Angelo, the man had never once uttered a phrase with the word "I" in it. It was as if when Raines had driven his personality inside, anything identified as "I" had gone with it, and Angelo had been left only able to identify himself as an entity. Whether this sudden change was a result of Elizabeth's psychiatric care or his flourishing bond with Parker was really irrelevant. The end result was that this man who had spent so much of his life in a damaged state seemed to be healing, and the strength of his determination could not be ignored.

Charles watched as his son walked over to the small group. Jarod looked tired, but relieved. Now that Miss Parker was on the mend, they were all breathing a little easier, but this sudden reminder of the threat Cox could pose to them had Charles on edge again.

"Jarod, I caught him at the computer with Angelo."

"Angelo has thought of a way to get Sam and I back into the Centre," said Cox, and Jarod narrowed his eyes at the man.

"What makes you think I'm going to let you go back to the Centre?"

"Because the only way for you and the people you love to be safe is for the Centre to be neutralized. And I'm the only one who can do it." Cox's voice was calm and it possessed a definite confidence. What it also had that Jarod couldn't help but note was a sense of sincerity. Still, Jarod's anger at the Centre, at what those bastards had done to Parker and their children, it was too strong for him to think in terms of anything milder than total obliteration of the entity that had nearly ruined his entire life.

"The Centre doesn't need to be neutralized, it needs to be destroyed."

"No, Jarod, that's where you're wrong." Cox stepped closer to Jarod, making certain his eyes and the Pretender's were locked so that his meaning would not be misinterpreted. "The Centre can't be destroyed. If it could, don't you think that Catherine Parker and your father and all the people who've tried to get in their way over the years, don't you think they might have made a dent? The Centre is a power structure bigger than even you can comprehend, and dismantling it will take decades."

"My children don't have decades."

Cox nodded. "I know. That's why I have to go back. Don't you see, Jarod, I'm his choice. Miss Parker's humanity 'failed' our dear grandfather. I'm the one he expects to succeed him. Proving my loyalty is the only way to keep that expectation alive. By doing that, I can be in position to do the one thing we can do to protect our family."

Charles cleared his throat, the tension in the room making him feel as if he couldn't quite catch his breath. "And what is that one thing?"

"Take control of the Centre, and make that son of a bitch pay for what he's done to all of us."

Now Cox stood within the Centre, their plan firmly in action. When he heard several sets of footsteps coming toward his cell, Cox stood and straightened his disheveled clothes as best he could. It seemed it was time for phase two to begin.




Garvey was not happy. Not only had his granddaughter proven to be stricken with the same personal weakness that had destroyed her mother, but in the space of a few hours the Centre had lost control of two more pretenders thanks to their fugitive one, and Miss Parker was also now included among the missing. There were Lyle and Mr. Raines to deal with as well, but the former was locked in the Renewal Wing under the very special care Garvey had personally ordered for him, and the latter was on a plane to Equatorial Africa. Raines had failed him for the last time, and Garvey had issued orders that he was not to return no matter what miraculous conversions of faith he protested this time.

Any other decisions, such as what to do with Mr. Parker for his continued incompetence, were pushed aside so that Garvey could devote his full attention to the T-Board. He had to know if Cox had betrayed him. If he had, then both of his heirs had proven defective, and it meant that getting back the next generation of Jamison progeny was more critical than ever.

A knock at the door indicated that who he had been waiting for had arrived, and Garvey barked out a terse "Come in," which resulted in the door opening and Cox, who looked very much worse for wear, to be lead into the room. The man took a stance in the center of the area near Garvey's desk, his stance tall, his eyes focused straight ahead. Well, if the boy had something to be afraid of, he certainly wasn't showing it. Not yet.

Garvey nodded and the sweepers who had brought Cox left the room. A flick of Garvey's hand brought the monitor screen near his desk came to life. The screen was soon filled with an image beamed straight from the T-Board room. Sam sat at the ominous end of the table, his tired face clearly annoyed by the questions he was being asked.

"Your friend seems to be holding his own."

Cox measured the sound of Garvey's voice. He was definitely fishing, trying to find cracks in the doctor's façade. Cox let his eyes move briefly to the screen, then he returned to staring straight ahead.

"Last time I checked, I didn't have any friends."

Garvey took in the response, then sat down in his chair. He purposely avoided inviting Cox to sit opposite him.

"You are living under a very large cloud of suspicion, my friend. In your absence, some rather serious accusations were made."

"With all due respect, Mr. Garvey, I wasn't absent, I was chasing after our missing pretender. I believe that's what I was instructed to do."

Cox waited in the silence that followed. He and Jarod had discussed this scenario at length. If he were too aggressive, Mr. Garvey would probably guess that Cox was trying to convince him of something, and if he seemed too concerned, well, then the good doctor knew that his mentor cum grandfather would consider that weakness and fail him just as he has he had failed Parker when it came to the potential heir test.

"Mr. Lyle says that you helped Miss Parker escape from the Centre."

"Excuse me?"

"I said..."

"I heard what you said, sir," Cox began, just the right tone of annoyance in his voice, "but how could I help Miss Parker escape from the Centre when I didn't even know she was here?"

Point scored. Garvey took in the information, and he was convinced. His own security checks had showed that there was no record on any of the security DSAs that Cox had discovered Miss Parker in the Centre.

"There were sweepers who said they thought it was you that warned them Jarod was in the Centre."

"Mr. Garvey, if you believed that, I wouldn't be here or in front of a T-Board, I'd be headed to the Centre morgue. Now, may I please get back to work? It seems the number of escaped pretenders keeps going up rather than being reduced. I'd like to change that."

Garvey surveyed Cox a few more moments. The man bore further watching. He seemed to be innocent of the ridiculous charges leveled by Lyle, but one could never be too careful within the Centre.

"Fine. Jarod and the two boys are to be returned quickly and unharmed."

"Of course. And Miss Parker?"

"Her return is unnecessary."

And there it was. With his own ears, Cox had heard his grandfather, his own flesh and blood, pass a death sentence on Parker.

"Very well."

Cox turned and moved to the door. Closing it behind him, he took a deep breath and began to move down the hall. He was really going to enjoy the moment when he brought David Jamison's world crashing down around him.



The moment Cox stepped out of the office, a second door inside the room opened and Mr. Parker stepped out taking the "hot seat" in front of Garvey.

"Do you believe you can trust him?"

"I trust him as much as I trust anyone."

Mr. Parker knew that meant not at all, but Cox seemed to have earned another chance. What that meant for him or for any of the other powers that be in the Centre remained to be seen.







The moment Emily heard the truck's approach, she ran out to the porch. The sound in Jarod's voice when he'd called had both surprised and delighted her. It was as close to happy as Emily could remember hearing him since those precious few days that she, Jarod and Parker had spent here last Christmas.

The truck came to a stop in the driveway and Jarod and Will both excitedly climbed from the cab. Within minutes their arms were laden with bags and boxes-the treasures collected on their shopping spree in town. Emily wouldn't have imagined the little berg having that many stores to visit; in fact, she couldn't remember them going into more than four or five during the holidays. Yet it seemed that the Russell men had more than pleased themselves with the offerings found.

"Everything okay?" Jarod asked as he climbed the porch steps.

Emily nodded. "Are you kidding? She'd have been happy if we let her out of bed to sit in a chair by the window. Letting her out to soak in a hot tub was grounds for life-long gratitude. I think Dad got three kisses on the cheek for carrying her down the hall.

They all laughed, and Emily was struck by how similar Will's laugh was to his father's. She looked at her nephew carefully, enjoying the glint of real joy she saw in his eyes as he thought about surprising Parker.

"Well, she's not gonna stay in that tub forever," Emily smiled. "You two better get upstairs."

Needing no further prompting, Jarod and Will made their way into the house and upstairs. As they passed the bathroom, they could hear quiet conversation inside and knew that Elizabeth was helping Parker finish her bath. That meant that they had to work quickly if they wanted everything in place.

With swift movements father and son unpacked their packages, and suddenly Parker's room was filled with a silver-plated vanity set, a bottle of Chanel Number Five, (Jarod still couldn't believe they'd actually found that item,), makeup brushes and cosmetics. When those bags lay empty, Will took several boxes and began to open them, revealing skirts and shirts and a few pairs of jeans, which he then carefully hung in the closet. As Will worked, Jarod stocked the dresser drawers with soft nightgowns and a host of undergarments. Jarod couldn't help but laugh as he remembered Will's embarrassment at being in the "girls' store."

Thinking of his son, Jarod looked up in time to see the pleasure on Will's face as he unpacked his favorite purchase of the day. It was a midnight blue silk sundress. He'd been certain the sleeveless, front-button dress, though much simpler than the clothes Parker was used to, would look beautiful on his mother. Jarod hadn't been about to argue.

They were just stacking up all of the empty bags and boxes when a knock sounded at the door followed by Elizabeth's head poking in.

"Jarod, she's ready to come back down."

"Okay, I'll come and get her. Will, take this stuff out and then go get Matthew and come back, okay?"

Will nodded agreement and gathered up the rubbish as Jarod headed down the hall to the bathroom. The door was sitting ajar, and Parker was sitting a small corner stool, her body wrapped in Harry's two-sizes-too-big bathrobe. Jarod almost wished they brought down her new one, but that might have spoiled her surprise, and he couldn't let that happen. Besides, she looked so cute in that plaid, flannel number. He was just about to tell her so when Parker looked up at him.

"Say a word, and I will find a way to hurt you, I promise."

Ah, his threatening, beautiful huntress was back...and nothing could have made him happier.

"I see we're feeling better."

Parker's pretend glare melted.

"Yes, I am. It's amazing what a hot bath will do for a girl."

That brought a smile to Jarod's face.

"Well, now it's time for all good girls to go back to bed."

"Jarod," Parker started, a sly look on her face, "I have never been confused with a good girl."

The faint hint of flirtation in her voice made Jarod's heart flutter. God, how close he'd come to...no, he wasn't going to think about it anymore. She was here and she was alive, and that was really all that mattered. With that thought, Jarod stepped forward and scooped Parker up into his arms.

"Come on, you."

Parker laughed and let herself relax into Jarod's arms. She hadn't felt so safe since...since he'd held her through the night in this house. A small shudder ran through her as she remembered her nightmare about Thomas and the way Jarod had comforted her through the horror of it. The dark images had seemed so awful then, yet it was nothing compared to the dream that had driven her away from Jarod and what it was that had begun to grow between them. Thinking of it, Parker involuntarily curled more tightly against him.

"You okay?" Jarod asked, noticing the sudden tension in her.

"Fine," she lied, not wanting to think about that dark day in their past, not now.

Jarod knew she was keeping something from him, but it could wait. What or rather who was inside her bedroom could not. They approached the door and found it standing partially open. Jarod used his foot to kick it the rest of the way and as he brought her inside, Parker's gaze fell on her two boys. Will was holding Matthew, and her oldest son looked at her with expectant eyes. She wondered why until she began to notice the new items in her room. The fully stocked dressing table was easy to spot, and they had left the closet door open so she could see it was now filled with clothes.

"Oh, no, you boys aren't planning to spoil me, are you?"

Jarod placed her on the bed, right next to her new white terry cloth robe, and smiled. "And if we are?"

Will came to stand beside his father, and little Matthew, seemingly picking up on the male bonding going on the room, fought to "stand" up straighter in his brother's arms as all of them beamed at Parker. They were so proud of themselves, she realized, and clearly whatever they'd done, Will and Jarod had done it together. That thought alone brought a huge smile to her face.

"Well, I suppose I'm in no condition to stop you, so spoil away."

Jarod settled on the bed next to Parker, helping her as she took Matthew into her arms. Her little boy eagerly snuggled against her, grateful to again be allowed the closeness, as her big boy toured the room pointing out every new item they'd purchased. Though they didn't realize it, both Parker and Jarod enjoyed the demonstration with the same thought in mind...it was almost as if they were a real family, a family not worried about their safety or freedom being taken away.

Finished with his tour, Will sat down on the side of the bed opposite his father, and looked at his mother. Parker couldn't miss the true sense of pride he felt at having done something for her.

"Will, it's all wonderful. Thank you so much. I can't wait to try it all out."

Jarod, tuned to Parker as he was, couldn't miss the exhaustion he heard in her voice. As much as he hated the idea of breaking up the family moment, she was just barely recovered from the worst part of her ordeal, and she needed to rest.

"Was someone making chocolate chip cookies when we came in?"

Parker laughed, "I think Emily and Elizabeth mentioned something about cookies, yes."

"Well, son, what do you say," Jarod said, his eyes focused intently on Will, "think you can eat more cookies than me?"

The hint was not lost on Will, who could see his mother's energy waning. He wasn't really ready to leave her, but he knew enough about what Raines and Lyle had done to her to know that she was far from 100% yet. He watched as his father reached out for Matthew, and his mother reluctantly surrendered the little boy.

"I think I can eat a dozen at least."

"Guess we better find out, huh?" came Jarod's playful reply. Before he could stand up, Parker leaned over and kissed Matthew on the cheek, and then she reached her arms toward Will. The teenage boy moved into her embrace, and they held each other tightly in a way that only mothers and sons can. Will reached for Matthew and the baby's laughter filled then lingered in the room as the little boy giggled over his big brother's tickling. Jarod turned to leave as well, but Parker's hand reached out and stopped him.

"Someone's trying to leave without his hug."

Never one to argue when a beautiful woman wanted to hug him, especially this beautiful woman, Jarod sat back down and leaned forward, pulling Parker against him. Just as it had when he'd carried her back here, it felt so good to have her close to him.

"It was the dream, Jarod."

Confused, Jarod sat back, looking at her. To his surprise, he saw sadness on her face and tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Parker?"

"I left because of the dream. I really didn't want to go, but it was so awful..."

His confusion grew momentarily, then he realized what she was talking about. "You mean at Christmas? Your nightmare about Thomas?"

"I thought it was about Thomas. I mean, it was that first time. But then on Christmas Eve I had it again, only this time it wasn't Thomas I found..."

Her voice trailed off, but Jarod didn't need to hear anymore. God, it made so much sense to him now-the way her mood had changed, the distance she'd tried to put between them, and the abrupt way she'd left him, it had all been out of fear that she would lose him. Quickly, he pulled her close and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

"It's okay, Parker. You did what you had to do. I didn't understand then, but we both had so many things to face before we could try and...I was keeping secrets, too, remember?"

"But, Jarod..."

"Shush. Let's not regret anything that might have kept us from finding our sons, okay? Who knows what would have happened if we'd stayed together then. But we know what happened when we didn't...we found our family. You found our family. So no regrets, promise?"

Jarod stroked her back and waited. Though it took time, Parker finally nodded agreement to his question, her head moving against his shoulder. He sat there, holding her, until finally she fell asleep in his arms and he laid her back against the pillows. As he pulled the blankets up around her, Jarod suddenly thought of Parker's newly-found cousin and the plan he had convinced them was the only way to set the family free.

"Please let him be right," he whispered to whoever might be listening.







After a visit to the infirmary and a hot shower, Cox was sitting in his office pressed and ready to go back to work. Of course, he was not here to do what was expected of him; there would be no pretender hunting happening today or any other day if he could help it. Daniel Cox had a new mission, one his twisted grandfather and soulless father had bred and reared him for-the acquisition of power. A man like David Jamison had enemies, and enemies lived for the chance to see their opposition fall. Cox would capitalize on that to accomplish his own goal. But first he had to find out who the keys to the kingdom were.

The doors of the office opened, and in walked Sydney and Broots. Jarod had managed to get word to them that they were to follow Cox's instructions, though passing those instructions would be very difficult and they all knew it. Cox would be closely watched now that he was back in the fold.

"Doctor Green, Mr. Broots. Now that our dear Miss Parker has flown the coop, and Mr. Lyle is, well, indisposed, you will report to me. Our main duty is the reclamation of Jarod, young William and Master Parker. These are our only objectives. Is that understood?"

Both men understood all too well. Miss Parker was still expendable to the Centre. Still, they had to make it appear that they didn't know a plan was in place to save her and everyone she loved.

"And what of Miss Parker?" said Sydney. "Surely you don't intend to just leave her out there."

"As I said, doctor, our objectives are the three pretenders. Anyone else we may encounter is incidental and unnecessary."

Broots began to speak as he knew those watching would expect him, too, but Cox was anxious to get to work and so he cut off his cousin's friend.

"This is not a time to declare the wrong allegiances, Mr. Broots. I suggest we get to work." With that, Cox extended his arm, giving a file folder to the technician.

"A list of possible leads on Jarod's potential hiding places. I expect a report in two hours."

Lowering his head, a sense of defeat emanating from him, Broots turned and walked out with the file. Sydney paused a moment, staring at Cox, then he followed his associate out of the room. In the hall, Broots kept his façade in place as he scanned the instructions Cox had hidden in the file.

"The man who formed the Centre is really named David Jamison. Find out who he hurt to get control and find out who hates him. He watches everything, so be careful. J is waiting"

Broots looked up at Sydney, his eyes full of the energy Sydney often saw there when the younger man was determined to solve a puzzle for Miss Parker. This assignment was no different.

"I'll be at my desk, Syd."

Sydney nodded and as Broots walked away, the doctor turned to head back to the Sim lab. He stopped for a moment, though, when he caught sight of Sam walking toward Cox's office. Sam paused long enough to glance at Sydney, then walked through the double doors. Inside, he found Mr. Cox seated behind his desk.

"Sam, are you ready to get back to work?"

Following the T-board, Sam had been allowed to clean up and then he'd received orders to report directly to Mr. Cox as soon as he was ready. That was good news. Jarod's sim had predicted their first few steps perfectly. Now they all had to hope that they were right about the rest of it.

"Yes, Mr. Cox."

"Good, then I have an assignment I believe singularly suited to you. Mr. Lyle is in Renewal Wing. I would like you to find out what he knows about Miss Parker's escape."

Lyle had been the one point of contention back at the farm as Jarod, Charles, Mr. Cox and Sam tried to formulate their plan. They'd already learned that Raines had been sent to Africa, and the orders Garvey had put in place should ensure that they had heard the last of that hideous monster. But Lyle was still in the Centre, and as long as he might convince someone in power to help him, he was a threat. The decision on how to handle him had been made with great difficulty, because despite Sam and Cox's ability to carry out the task, Charles and Jarod were not men accustomed to plotting the deaths of other men, even callous, cold-blooded murders like Lyle. It had finally fallen to Sam to complete the task.

"Very good, sir. I'll report back to you as soon as I'm finished."

Sam turned and walked out of the room. Though it was assumed that all sweepers had a cold-blooded mentality, the truth was that murder had never sat well with him. It hadn't prevented him from doing what he'd been asked to over the years, and he knew there was a space in hell reserved just for him because of it, but he was well aware of when his actions were justified and when they were not.

For Sam, any act performed in the larger scheme of protecting Miss Parker was always justified, even if she might not agree with it. He knew that Lyle had done many things to hurt her over the years, not the least of which was hiding her true brother from her. For that alone, Sam wanted to see Lyle suffer. But helping Raines almost destroy her in that monstrosity down in the sublevels...that had just been going to far, at least it had been for him. Even after that, Sam knew that it had been difficult for Jarod to go along with this part of the plan. Finally, what had won him over was a simple statement of fact-as long as Lyle was alive, he would try to find a way to destroy Cox, and if Cox fell, Jarod, Miss Parker and their children would be running for the rest of their lives.

Turning the corner, Sam moved to face Lyle's room in Renewal Wing.





To Jarod's amazement, his son out ate him two cookies to one, and Elizabeth laughed, saying Will was a growing boy and what did Jarod expect. It was Major Charles who added in that perhaps Will should be concerned about growing out rather than up if he kept eating cookies like that, but the teenager seemed unfazed by the teasing. His day had simply been too good. And it got better when his grandfather suggested that he, Emily and Will take over dinner duties and make an old-fashioned family barbecue. Will didn't know what that meant, but that his grandfather would ask him to help after what had happened between them during Christmas meant everything to the boy. He eagerly volunteered.

Free from cooking duties, Elizabeth decided to go for a walk with Harry, their private time having been severely limited recently with the houseful of family they had in residence. With Matthew safely down for his nap, Jarod decided now was the time to go upstairs and get to work with Angelo.

Angelo's attic space had become the command headquarters for their mission against the Centre. The pretender was only really just beginning to realize how amazing Angelo's skills were when it came to working with the computer. No wonder he'd been able to act as a spy for so many years inside the Centre, the man could work magic with a keyboard and mouse, and for Jarod to be impressed...well, that was saying something.

He found Parker's twin brother working on establishing a computer link with Broots' terminal in Blue Cove. Using the link, they could upload a cloaking program that Jarod had written. The program would enable all three men to work from different terminals searching Centre databases for any information they could gather on David Jamison. Cox's specific aim was to find other players in the Centre structure that could be used to manipulate and provoke Garvey while keeping Cox's façade of supportive heir apparent in place.

"Ready now." Angelo spoke as he saw Jarod sit down at another computer opposite him.

"Okay, Angelo. I'll load the program now."

Back in Blue Cove, no one monitoring Broots' computer would have detected anything more than a screensaver download, but the technician knew that the sudden "uploading" message on his screen meant that it was time almost to get to work. As he watched the uploading percentage total increase, Sydney walked in and sat down on the edge of Broots' desk.

"Broots, I know you're worried about Miss Parker?"

Broots looked at Sydney. They had agreed as soon as Jarod contacted them that other than look for information, their main role in this power play was to keep the PTBs convinced of their loyalty to Miss Parker. They did not seem like a threat if they were backing a horse that had already lost the race.

"Sydney, they can't just forget about her."

"I don't believe they intend to forget about her, Broots. I suspect that's definitely not their intention at all."

The ominous tone in Sydney's voice prompted Broots' reply. "Then we have to do something, Syd. We can't just let them kill her."

"You stay here and do what Cox has asked," said Sydney. "I'll see what I can find out."

Broots nodded as Sydney walked out of the room. That had gone perfectly. They had planned to make it look as if Sydney were leaving to search for Miss Parker when he was really going home to search through Jacob's old notes for any references to David Jamison. If he could find something, anything, perhaps that would be the key to freeing those he loved from the Centre's torment forever.

A beep alerted Broots to the completion of the program upload from Jarod. Well, he thought, now it really was time to find out just how smart Jarod was. The technician hoped that no one had overestimated Jarod's abilities; all of their lives were dependent upon them now.





Garvey was sitting in his office when the chief of Centre security buzzed him.

"Yes? I'll see to it."

Garvey disconnected the line and turned on the monitor that covered Lyle's room in Renewal Wing. The sweeper known as Sam was in the room. He had clearly been questioning Lyle, though the questioning seemed more an excuse to beat the living daylights out of Garvey's pretend grandson. The Centre founder watched the scene with interest.

"Tell me," growled the sweeper as he loomed over Mr. Lyle, who was clearly working overtime to hide his fear.

"Go to hell. I don't answer to you. You and your friend Cox will burn in hell before I admit anything to you."

"That's not a very healthy attitude, Mr. Lyle."

"What do you think, Sam? That she'll reward you? Set you free? My sister will never have the guts to run this place the way it should be run. She's weak."

Garvey was almost amused by Lyle's determination to play the part of Miss Parker's twin to the end. Well, so be it. The charade had proved useful to Garvey, which is why he had allowed it to go on. How ridiculous the boy had been to think that no one in the upper echelons of the Centre would know the true identity of the other Parker child. Yet it had allowed Garvey to make Lyle dance to his tune, even if the younger man had never known it. Still watching, Garvey reached over and buzzed his secretary.

"Have Cox sent up here now."

He went back to watching the scene on the monitor. Lyle grew ever more defiant and whiny and Sam's temper was obviously growing more fierce with every insult against Garvey's granddaughter. It was such a shame she'd failed him. She really did inspire amazing loyalty in her subordinates.

The door opened and Cox entered. He walked forward and stopped just in front of Garvey's desk.

"Yes, sir?"

"You're aware of this?"

Cox leaned so he could see what "this" was.

"Yes. I asked Sam to take care of the Lyle problem."

"There are simpler ways."

Cox nodded stiffly, once, then spoke. "Mr. Lyle still has friends within the Centre, some of them your direct associates, I believe. It seemed prudent to make the resolution something everyone could live with."

The response pleased Garvey immensely as Cox knew it would. The sick bastard was actually proud of him for orchestrating Lyle's murder. Despite his own past and the sins he had already committed in the name of the Centre, Cox felt disgusted that this creature in front of him was any part of who he was. But just as his calm exterior threatened to break, Cox heard his mother's voice echoing from their last conversation before his return.

"You are who you are, Daniel. Whether that's what he wanted you to be or not is up to you."

Cox focused on that thought as a sharp yell brought his attention back to the monitor. Lyle had taken advantage of another sweeper's entry into the room to try and bull-rush the door. Sam and the other sweeper had both ordered him to stop, but Lyle had kept running and so Sam drew his gun and shot the man once in the back. Lyle dropped instantly. Sam did not need the other sweeper to tell him that he'd killed the target, though the man insisted on confirming it anyway.

Garvey flicked off the monitor and turned to Cox.

"Well done. We should have dinner, Mr. Cox, very soon."

"Of course, sir," Cox replied, and then took his leave. Very soon, he thought, very soon indeed.