Shaddyr's Eclectic Collection > Pretender Fanfiction > N.R. Levy > A Special Valentine
A Special Valentine
by N.R. LevyNote: Okay, for all those who asked for a sequel to my Christmas story “The Not So Wonderful Life,” I have finally given in. This is the first. There will be at least one more following. I would suggest reading that first, if you haven’t, or this won’t make a lot of sense to you.
Disclaimer: All characters from the Pretender are the sole property of MTM, NBC and Pretender Productions. Story written for enjoyment only.
Two thoughts had traveled through his brain the first moment he’d seen her – he had to own her and he had to kill her.
Those two conflicting desires had waged war inside of Lyle’s mind and heart from then on. From that first day when she’d walked into her father’s office expecting to find the old man, her eyes had provoked him. They challenged him, called him what he was, and he both loved and hated her for that.
Now she knew everything...everything! And his entire future was at risk. Of course she couldn’t make things easy by just dying from the knife wound. Stubborn as ever, she’d recovered and was now back at the Centre. The question was, what was happening?
Lyle was frozen out again. Cut off from the place that should be his empire, and it was all because of her and the pretender. Well, Lyle thought, if they are going to take away my life, then I will have to return the favor.
The trick was to hit them where they were vulnerable, and from the looks on their faces in the alley that night, Lyle knew just where that was. Now all he had to do was create a plan – the perfect plan to get the one thing he had always wanted – Parker’s heart.
Miss Parker leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a brief second after checking to make certain Sydney and Broots were nowhere in sight. She knew that if they spied her resting they would take it as another opportunity to lecture her on coming back to work too soon. That she could do without, mostly because she knew they were right. Unfortunately, she had to be here. This time, her life depended on it.
Lyle had disappeared into the night after stabbing her, and despite Sam’s diligent efforts, no sign of him had been found. Thankfully, Jarod had thought quickly and planted evidence in the mainframe that implicated Lyle in some questionable dealings, so no one at the Centre seemed surprised by his disappearance. This had allowed Parker to assign Sam to find him out in the open, with her father’s approval.
Of course, no one in the Centre besides Sydney, Broots, and Sam knew it was Lyle who had attacked her. Thankfully, they weren’t privy to her nightmares. Shuddering, she was suddenly even more pleased with her decision to assign Sam two new sweeper teams. The group would work exclusively on the search for her psychotic brother. They had to find him before he hurt someone else, before he went after Jarod, before...
She refused to finish that thought. She would never let Lyle get that close to her again. If she had to shoot him while he stood unarmed in front of her she would do it, and this time she would feel no guilt, no remorse for being a killer. How could you feel guilt for destroying evil itself?
For now, Sue-Li, her brother’s last intended victim, was safely hidden away. Jarod had seen to it that she was somewhere Lyle couldn’t find her, and her statement about Lyle’s attack had been recorded on DSA and now sat tucked away in Parker’s safe. She and Jarod both knew that without corroborating evidence it was still not enough to take to the Triumvirate. Still, it was a place to start. More than that, it was a place for them to start working together.
Together – like in the dream. Well, not exactly like it. She and Jarod were never going to build the picture of familial bliss together, but she knew now that she needed his help. It was time to stop pushing him away. Now all she had to do was find a way to tell him that.
Sighing, Parker stood and moved slowly around her office. Though it had been two months since the stabbing, the injury had been slow in healing. In fact, of all the injuries she had suffered during the past five years, this one had come closest to killing her and seemed destined to leave the worst scars. If only they were all on her body, she thought, at least I could learn to ignore those.
As if he’d heard her think a reflective thought, Sydney knocked on her door. He was well aware that prolonged periods of sitting made her chest muscles tighten up around her wound and she needed to walk that off, but normally she did so in her usual manner of stalking the hallways. He was glad to see her moving about, taking care not to overtire herself for a change.
“Miss Parker, I’m heading out for lunch. Can I pick you up anything?”
Parker had reached the far wall of her office, and she turned around and walked back toward her desk. She glanced up and saw Sydney trying to keep that “I’m so concerned for you” look off of his face and failing miserably.
“No thanks, Syd. I’m fine.”
“Did you eat?”
“Syd, I said I’m fine.”
Parker stopped in front of the window and fixed her gaze outward. Sydney watched her. Suddenly he had the desire to walk over and wrap his arms around her, as if that alone would be enough to protect her from the horrors he knew she was facing now. They had come so close to losing her – he and Broots both knew it. If Jarod hadn’t been there to slow down the bleeding, she never would have survived.
With a sigh, Sydney turned to leave, but as he opened the door, he saw Broots approaching with a package in hand. The doctor held the door open, then moved to Parker’s desk where Broots had sat the package.
“Miss Parker, this just came for you.”
Parker turned her head and saw the package. It was a medium sized box wrapped in plain brown paper.
“From Jarod?”
“I don’t think so. The handwriting doesn’t look like his, and normally he leaves some kind of clue on the packaging.”
Parker raised her eyebrow, then took the few steps to her desk. She moved the package in front of her and tore into the paper as her eyes flitted from it to Broots and back again.
“Any word from Sam?”
“No, Miss Parker, nothing yet, but you know Sam’s going to find him.” Broots could hear the nerves in his own voice as he spoke. Just mentioning Lyle now gave him the creeps. It had been bad enough knowing the terrible things the man had done to strangers, but since he’d hurt Miss Parker – well, Broots had discovered a whole new level of revulsion for his boss’s twin brother.
The paper now tossed aside, Parker grabbed her letter opener to break the tape on the plain white shipping box. She was lifting the flaps as Sydney started to speak but his words died inside the sound of Parker’s scream as she moved away from the package, her hand coming to cover her mouth as she paled to pure white before the eyes of her friends. Sydney moved to Miss Parker’s side instantly as Broots leaned over to look in the box.
“Oh, jeez. Oh, jeez!”
Sydney saw Broots turn away as he felt Parker turn toward him. For a moment, Sydney almost thought she would lean on him for support. That moment passed quickly, however, as Parker forced herself to stand taller and turn back toward the desk. She closed her eyes a moment before she willed them back onto the package. She glimpsed a piece of paper sticking up out of the horror inside and she cautiously reached in to retrieve it as Broots’s panicked words began to fill the room.
“Jeez, Miss Parker, who would – I mean, what kind of freak would send you –“
As Parker brought the small envelope out of the box, Sydney saw that it had bloodstains on the edges – fresh bloodstains. No longer able to stop himself, he leaned forward and looked into the package.
Inside was a heart – a bloody and unmistakably human heart.
Parker’s hands shook as she opened the envelope. Inside was a picture of a young woman, mid 20’s with dark hair and blue eyes. The girl was smiling brightly, her whole future ahead of her as the photographer snapped the photo. Now, Parker knew, that future was over. Though she knew in her soul who had sent the gift, she turned the photo over anyway, finding the familiar handwriting she had expected.
“Until I have your heart, I’ll have to settle for theirs.”
Tears threatened to break through her eyes so she closed them tightly, trying to quell the rising tide of emotion and losing. She turned her back to Sydney as she felt the moisture on her cheeks, then she leaned forward, letting her hair fall into her face so that her friends could not see how badly shaken she was.
Broots, seeing this, suddenly felt a strong need to protect Parker. He reached out and, pushing aside thoughts of his own knotted stomach, he grabbed the box and closed the flaps.
“I’ll take this to the lab. Have Danny check on it.”
Parker nodded. She swallowed hard, her stomach suddenly unbearably queasy. Despite that, her mind was clicking, trying to process what had just happened. Suddenly remembering the photo in her hand, she looked up at Broots.
“Take this. See if – see if you can find out who she...was.”
Broots took the photo, a nod his only response. After a brief glance at Sydney, the technician left with his grisly cargo. The moment he was gone, Sydney took another step closer to Parker, his hand on her back moving in reassuring, slow circles.
“Parker, are you all right?”
“I have to stop him, Sydney.”
And though he knew how much danger those words put her in, how far Lyle would go to try and save himself, Sydney also knew that Parker was right. She had to stop him.
Jarod couldn’t remember being so glad that a pretend had come to an end. His work at the Sutterfield Home for Children had opened up a lot of old wounds, but it had been necessary. His role as home administrator had given him vital access to the historical records of the facility, and that meant access to the beginnings of the Centre.
This was his life. He had spent the past two months searching solely for information to use in his quest to bring down the monstrosity that had created him. Jarod knew how important that was now. The dream had shown him. Still, it was hard to focus on digging up the Centre’s sordid history when his heart was somewhere else, specifically in Blue Cove.
He was worried sick about Parker. He had not actually seen her since he’d left her side at the hospital, and he had depended on phone calls to Sydney to stay posted on her condition. Jarod knew that they had to speak eventually, but somehow he knew that the time had to be right. He was about to propose something to her that would change everything about her life. Working with him to bring down the Centre – it wasn’t as if he’d never implied to her before that that’s what he wanted, but Jarod knew that actually saying the words, “Parker, I want us to team up and take down the Centre,” was somehow different. It was a direct request, one he had to make in person.
Thinking of Parker made Jarod stop packing and reach for his cell phone. He waited as the speed dial beeped out the familiar number and then as the line rang.
“This is Sydney.”
“It’s me.”
The silence that came lasted barely five seconds, but within it, Jarod could feel danger and he knew it surrounded those he cared for most.
“Sydney, what is it?”
“Lyle – he sent Miss Parker a package today. Jarod, it was a heart, a human heart.”
The fire burned, chasing the cold from Parker’s living room, but not from her soul. That she feared would never feel warm again. He was killing again -- killing innocent people to get to her.
That thought chilled her anew, and she pulled her cashmere blanket tighter around her as she curled deeper into the couch. She’d been home for nearly two hours now. After filling in Sam on the latest developments, she picked up the report Broots had prepared on the girl in the photo and then headed home, somehow needing the comfort of her “safe place” to deal with what she might learn.
The girl’s name had been Cassidy Tyler and her body had been found only hours before the package had arrived in Parker’s office. She was a 24-year-old medical student and the only child of John and Martha Tyler, and she was dead and Parker knew her brother had killed her.
If Parker had any doubts about how badly rattled her nerves where, her reaction to her ringing cell phone would have told her. She practically came off the couch when the shrill sound ripped through the silence of her home, and it took her a moment and a deep breath before she could actually answer.
“What?”
“Don’t let the shadows scare you.”
Jarod. She knew the voice, but didn’t understand the message. She was about to ask what he meant when she saw a shadow pass by her window. Instinctively, she moved to the front door and without hesitation, she opened it.
He was standing in the doorway dressed in his usual black ensemble. Quickly she waved him in and shut the door behind him.
“Seen too many spy movies lately or did you just pick up a sudden love of secret code words?”
Smiling, Jarod moved into the living room and walked to the chair to the right of her couch. She moved behind him, reclaiming her seat on the couch and they both sat down. Neither of them thought about the fact that a few months ago, Parker would have had him at gunpoint in handcuffs by now. That time had passed so completely for them, it didn’t seem to need mentioning. Unfortunately, other things did.
“Sydney told me what happened today. I had a feeling you might be a little on edge, and I wasn’t sure where your gun was.”
Parker’s only response was a nod. She pulled her blanket back over her legs and let her eyes focus on the fire again.
“It isn’t your fault, Parker. That’s what he wants – he wants you to carry her with you, but you’re not responsible.”
“Then who is, Jarod? I should have been more careful. I should have just shot him when I –“
“Stop.”
She looked at him with suddenly angry eyes, and Jarod moved from his seat and knelt down in front of her.
“Parker, this is what he wants, what he needs. You rattled are easier to get to. Don’t let him have that advantage.”
Parker tore her eyes from Jarod’s and looked up at the ceiling. She knew he was right, but that didn’t make the smiling face of Cassidy Tyler disappear from mind. Still, she nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words.
As Parker fell silent, Jarod moved to sit on the couch beside her. He wanted so much to reach out and take her hand the way he had in the hospital, but he could see that she wasn’t ready for that, not yet. Still, there was something he needed to say to her, and now was time to do it.
“Parker, I-I’ve been doing some research on the Centre.”
“About Lyle?”
“No. I mean, I’ve kept my eyes open for any sign of Lyle, and I’ll focus even more on finding him now, but, no, this was information on the Centre itself. If I pursue it, I think I’m going to be able to bring the Centre down.”
Her brow furrowed as Parker thought about what Jarod was saying. Bring the Centre down – hadn’t that been her first thought when she’d woken up in the hospital? But how could he know...no, it must just be a coincidence. He couldn’t possibly know about her dream.
“You really think you can stop them, Jarod?”
“I think WE can stop them. I can’t do it alone, Parker. I realize what I’m asking you, but I need your help to stop them.”
Jarod took a deep breath, and when no explosive remark came from her, he prepared to launch into the rest of his argument. He couldn’t tell her about the dream, of course, she’d think he was insane. But he was prepared to use her concern for Sydney and Broots and their families against her if he had to. He was prepared to show her the files that detailed just how her mother had come to the Centre’s attention, and he was also ready to tell her about the secrets he’d unearthed at the Sutterfield Home for Children, even though he knew it would break her heart to learn about the experiments her father had approved there in order to gain favor with the Triumvirate. He was ready to do all this but he never had to because he heard her voice give an answer he had never expected to come so easily.
“I’ll help you.”
Stunned, Jarod almost didn’t believe what had happened. She was agreeing? No argument, no trying to defend her father – she was giving in? He was so surprised by this, he almost pushed her for a reason why. Thankfully, the little voice inside his head stopped him by reminding him to just be grateful.
“So, we’re on the same side again?” Jarod didn’t notice the hopeful sound in his voice, but Parker did. She turned to look at him, and for a moment, the dream flashed through her brain, and she could see the way the Jarod in her dream had looked at her over dinner on that first date. It was almost easy to forget how the dream had ended as she saw that same look on his face now -– almost. Instead, she focused on what the dream had taught her. There could be no happy endings for her or Jarod if the Centre wasn’t destroyed.
“Same side. But we can’t focus solely on the Centre, Jarod, not until Lyle is put down.”
“I know, Parker. And we will stop him.”
Their eyes locked as Jarod spoke, and both of them felt something they could neither explain nor understand. They were also both completely unaware of the figure in the room that remained unseen, his ghostly figure clad in a flannel shirt and jeans. Thomas watched from his perch as they both sat silently on the couch, each accepting this new step on the twisting road of their relationship.
“Good girl, Parker. Trust him. Both of you trust each other.”
The lights from Parker’s house blazed and so the man outside had to be careful to stay concealed. Tonight was not a night for action, but rather a time to observe. He had been so right. One little nasty prank on his sister and the Pretender had come running.
Now that he knew his theory was sound, it was time to plan. He would push Parker to the edge emotionally, and that would make them both vulnerable. Then he would strike – and he would destroy them.
As Lyle crept away into the night, he, too, remained unaware of the ghostly figure that watched him. This figure, a woman with long, dark hair and sad, blue eyes could only look after the man, wishing she could somehow alter his fate and knowing she could not. Her son was destined to the ending that was coming.
Sighing, she began to disappear, knowing she was not needed to watch over the two who sat inside the house. She would be needed later, certainly. Their ending, too, would not be easy, but it was also destined, and she only hoped that the interference she, Thomas, and the others had accomplished with the dream would it make it easier for the survivor to face the future without the one they loved.