A Cure For What Ails Us, Part 9 of 9 by N.R. Levy with help from Trish and Shannon

Disclaimer in part 1 I think, but just in case...we don't own them and don't claim to....just borrowing them for a little spin around the fanfic universe.

VCTF headquarters literally hummed with activity. Major Charles was seated in one area of the spacious offices with the FBI’s computer technician George and Jakob, the young boy through whom Charles was getting a chance to see what Jarod had looked like at age 16. They were supervising the transfer of files from the Centre mainframe—files that would be used as evidence in the weeks to come. It had all been made possible thanks to a combination of Broots’ programming skills and George’s hacking abilities.

Elsewhere, Sam, who had shed his sweeper garb for a far more comfortable in a pair of Dockers and a cotton turtleneck, sat with John examining a series of weapons that would have made a terrorist group green with envy. The two men silently hoped none of them were necessary, but Bailey had ordered them to prepare for war, and that was exactly what each of them were doing.

Grace sat in her laboratory, forcing herself to complete the grim task of cataloguing all the physical evidence from Rachel Burke’s murder. Every now and then, she would glace up and look through her window, her eyes falling on the mostly silent figure of the man Parker had called Angelo. Grace had heard whispers that the man was Parker’s brother, and the doctor was fairly certain that whatever horrible things had turned him into the quiet, odd figure he was had everything to do with why Parker and Jarod were so determined to bring the Centre to its knees.

As all of these different people came together to do what needed to be done in the interest of justice, Bailey Malone sat in the darkened office that had belonged to his colleague and friend. Thinking of the horror that Rachel suffered was something he could not stop doing, and though he knew that Jarod’s plan was sound and that the man responsible for it would be dealt with soon, Bailey didn’t know how he would stem the tide of boiling rage that seemed to grow with each passing hour.

Knowing his thoughts were not helping, Bailey sighed and prepared to head out to find Jarod. He stopped when he saw the office door open. Parker wandered in, her eyes briefly glancing over at Bailey as she made her way to one of the chairs across from him.

“It’s hard to push the hate away. Believe me, I know.”

Bailey shook his head, his body relaxing back into the chair he had almost vacated. “I don’t know how you can manage. After what they did to you and Jarod...stealing your son...”

Parker smiled a half-smile, the sadness in her eyes palpable.

“Creating Benjamin and stealing him...those are the least terrible things they’ve done. They killed my mother, Bailey. They killed a man I loved. They destroyed my brother’s chance at a normal life. They killed Jarod’s brother and destroyed his family...We definitely have more than enough reason to hate them.”

“And do you?”

Parker looked up at Bailey now, a mild confusion coming over her face.

“Yes, I guess I do. Only you have to understand that for me, “they” boils down to one person, and he’s the only one I really have to see pay for all the hell that I’ve been through.”

“Lyle?”

“No, though I do want to see Lyle stopped before he can hurt anyone else, but no. You see, everything that happened to me—it all happened because my father allowed it to happen. Well, the man I thought was my father. Of course, he doesn’t know he isn’t my father. So it still makes him as much a bastard as if he were.”

Bailey watched as Parker tried to process the emotions she was feeling, her awareness of him in the room seemingly gone for the moment. He couldn’t imagine that—to betray one of his daughters in any of the ways Parker had been, let alone for the laundry list of sins to be so long and so vile. And though it amazed him, Bailey could see in the way Parker struggled with her own thoughts that her capacity for love was something to be truly awestruck by, because despite everything that had been done to her, she still clearly had some feelings of concern for the man she had loved as her father for so long.

“He’ll go down in the sting, Parker. He’ll go on trial and his fate will be up to a jury.”

She looked up at him then, almost surprised by the revelation that Bailey had been there all along. Then she nodded, her brain processing the information he’d given her.

“I was just thinking about the way he looks at me when he calls me Angel. I used to live for that. Anyway, I just want it to all be over. I want him held accountable for what he’s done.”

Bailey nodded and then fell silent. The two of them sat there for a while with no sound between them, only the silence of the ghosts they were both confronting in the room. Then Parker leaned forward and looked Bailey in the eye.

“She knew that you’d make him pay, Bailey. I won’t lie to you, she was terrified. But Rachel knew that you would make Lyle pay for what he did to her. She believed in you absolutely.”

Eyes narrowing, Bailey leaned forward.

“How do you know that?”

“I have a connection with Lyle. I saw what he did.” Parker’s voice faltered as the terrible images rushed back to her again, and though she wanted to stop anything that would allow them to continue, she felt compelled to offer this small bit of comfort to the man who had helped her family so much. “My brother Angelo...he also has a special ability. By being near me, he could feel what Rachel felt...it’s all way too complicated to explain, but I wanted you to know that right up to the end, Rachel knew you would find a way to make even her death turn out right.”

And in that moment, Bailey understood why Jarod was willing to risk everything for this woman. She was something special.

While everyone else was occupied, Jarod slipped into Bailey’s office and dialed a number he knew by heart.

“This is Sydney.”

“Sydney, it’s me.”

Sydney sighed as he let the timbre and inclinations in Jarod’s voice register in his psyche. Ever since the Centre had tried to kill he and Broots, Sydney had been hidden away at the convent house watching over Baby Benjamin. He wanted to be with Jarod and Miss Parker, but he knew they needed to know their son was safe, and Sydney took some comfort in the knowledge that they felt that way because he was with the little boy. Still, it was clear that something was troubling Jarod, and now Sydney wanted to focus his attention on him.

“Jarod, how are things going?”

“Tell Broots his program works like a charm. They’re getting tons of data and the Centre will never be able to trace the break in.”

“That’s good news. He’ll be pleased. I finally got him to lie down for a bit. Then he’s going to start work on establishing everyone’s new identities.”

“And how’s my boy?”

Sydney smiled as he looked out the window in front of him. Debbie and Emily were introducing Benjamin to the joys of playing outside...something the little boy would never have been able to do had his mother not had the courage to take him away from the dreadful place that had made him.

“Benjamin is wonderful, though he misses his parents terribly.”

“We miss him, too. I’m going to want to re-establish the satellite link one more time before we go into action. Parker needs to see him.”

As Jarod said Parker’s name, there was something subtle in his voice that told Sydney exactly what it was the pretender needed to talk about. The little tremor had given away so much.

“Jarod, what is it? Is Parker all right?”

“I’m not sure, Sydney. You read the files that Broots found for me?”

“The ones on the genetic manipulation at the Centre? Yes. I’d like to say I was shocked, but I’ve learned to expect only the most horrifying of actions from that place.”

On the other end of the phone, Jarod nodded, completely understanding. “When I read what they did...taking DNA from their subjects and altering it to produce the results they wanted...it’s a miracle that any of us came out halfway normal.”

“You and Parker were lucky, Jarod. What they did to Angelo and Lyle, even Kyle...it led all of them to ruin.”

“I know, Sydney. But what I’m afraid of is that it isn’t over.”

“What do you mean? There was no manipulation used in Benjamin’s conception, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No, Sydney, it’s Parker I’m worried about. Before Rachel was murdered, Parker mentioned that there were times when she could actually feel Lyle...like she was connected to him. Then yesterday, she...she lost it. She said that she could see everything Lyle had done to Rachel.”

“She could have just perceived some kind of identification with the Burke woman.”

“No, it was more than that. She knew too much detail. What if there is a connection between them, Syd? What if something goes wrong tomorrow and Lyle kills me? She’ll see it. She’ll have to live with that...

“Jarod...”

“And then I think about Lyle...she’s connected to him, Sydney. I mean, in a sense he really is her brother. They used Catherine’s DNA to splice together the ovum that made him. And that connection is there. The FBI wants Lyle’s hide, the Centre wants him dead and I’m ready to strangle him with my bare hands—if one of us gets to him, what then? Will his death somehow affect Parker?”

“Jarod, stop this.” Sydney’s voice became hard and scolding, his own fear coming to the surface. “You cannot think like that. Parker will pick up on it.”

“I have to think like that. If something happens to me, I have to be sure Parker will be whole for Benjamin. He needs her, Syd. Have you seen them together? It is the most perfect and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t let him loose her.”

“Benjamin is going to have both of you, Jarod. You will be all right and Parker will be fine. You’ve both fought too hard for what you have to let Lyle take it from you now.”

Silence greeted Sydney’s words, and he wished for the millionth time that he could read his protégé’s thoughts.

“I have to go, Syd. Please have Benjamin at the camera in about an hour.”

“I will, Jarod. Give Parker my love.”

Jarod nodded, not realizing he hadn’t answered Sydney. He hung up the phone, his mind still focused on the words Sydney had said earlier. ‘You’ve both fought too hard for what you have to let Lyle take it from you now.’

“I hope you’re right, Sydney. God, I hope.”

Eyes closed, Jarod sank back into his chair. His mind filled with an endless sea of images of what could happen over the next 24 hours, and none of them were good.

“Hey, big brother.”

Jarod opened his eyes and found Ethan standing in front of him. He’d almost forgotten his brother was here, and he certainly hadn’t heard the younger man walk into the room.

“Hey, Ethan. How’s everything going?”

“All of your plans are falling into place, but we need to talk, don’t we.”

Jarod shifted in his chair, somehow knowing what it was Ethan was getting at. Unfortunately, it was the place he’d just been with Sydney, and Jarod was in no mood to go back so soon. “About what?”

“You know about what, Jarod. I read the files, too. Parker wasn’t imagining her connection to Lyle. We have to talk about how we’re going to deal with it.”

“I don’t know that there is any way to deal with it.” Jarod sighed heavily, leaning his head into his hands. “The connection is real, you’re right. Maybe if we’d known before they spent any time around each other...but it’s gotten so strong now.”

“Not as strong as her connection to me and Angelo.”

Sometimes, despite Jarod’s intellect, it seemed the simplest things escaped him when the people he loved most were involved. Of course. It was that simple, wasn’t it? Parker and Lyle were biologically linked because of Centre foul play. But no link they had made could possibly be stronger than the one between Parker and Angelo, a set of twins, nor was it likely to be more powerful than her connection to Ethan because it was they who shared the “inner sense” they had inherited from their mother.

“What do you have in mind?”

Ethan’s habit was to pace when he was explaining something. Jarod had once theorized that it came from all the years of wrestling with the voices. Now that Ethan had them under control, he no longer needed the frenetic physical movement to soothe him, but it was a habit he had yet to overcome.

“I was thinking that if Parker stays with Angelo, I mean literally physically connected to her, he can help her process anything...I mean, he can help her deal with whatever happens as it’s happening. And I should be with you, because if for some reason Lyle’s presence overwhelms her, she’s going to need some kind of connection to you to hold on to. If I’m with you, she has that.”

Jarod listened intently to his brother’s theory. Then he began to play it over in his mind, running the possibilities and calculating the odds of success. The end result was that they had a far better chance of getting Parker through this, whatever “this” turned out to be, if they tried Ethan’s plan instead of just taking their chances.

“Okay. Let me take care of one thing and then we’ll have a group strategy meeting.”

Ethan nodded and Jarod stood and walked out of the office. He headed down the twisted maze of hallways that made up the VCTF offices. Jarod shuddered a little as he thought of how similar these hallways were to others he’d been forced to exist in for so long. He shook off those terrible memories, however, when he found what or rather who it was he was looking for. Parker was sitting in the kitchen with Grace. The two were sharing a cup of coffee and for a minute, watching them talk, Jarod was able to forget that he was about to risk everything he’d ever wanted in order to protect everything he had.

Parker looked up and saw that turmoil brewing in Jarod’s eyes. She politely excused herself from Grace and walked toward him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close.

“Did I mention yet today that I love you?”

Jarod smiled. God, he loved hearing her say that.

“No, I don’t think you did, but if you think you love me now, just wait.”

Parker looked up at him, her eyebrow raised.

“What do you mean?”

He never answered her. Instead, Jarod simply took her hand and led her back down the FBI labyrinth and into George’s control room. George, Charles and Jakob all looked up as they entered and Jarod stepped forward, indicating the chair he wanted Parker to take.

“We’re ready, guys.”

“Ready on this end, too, Jarod.”

The voice belonged to Sydney and Parker recognized it instantly. Just as she thought to say something to Jarod the briefing screen came to life, and it filled with an image of Broots, Debbie, Sydney and, most importantly, Benjamin.

Seeing her son set off a firestorm of emotions in Parker. She didn’t even notice that the other occupants in the room stood and left, leaving Jarod and Parker alone.

“Hi, baby. Mommy misses you.”

Benjamin laughed when he heard her voice, and Parker felt tears come to her eyes, but she fought them. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t shake the thought that this might be the last time her son saw her, and Parker wouldn’t let him remember her with tears on her face.

******

Mr. Parker was sitting at his desk, frustrated and antsy. He was trying to concentrate on other things, but having little success. A growing sense of anxiety was wrapping itself around him and, like a conductor high on his music, his heart was beating prestissimo. In the past 24 hours, the computers at the Centre had gone down and when the technicians had finally managed to bring them back on line, they were downloading every file in the Centre database. All available personnel were now working around the clock trying, rather unsuccessfully, to trace the breach in security.

Whoever had designed the program knew how to circumvent the firewalls the Centre had installed in its mainframe. What Mr. Parker was waiting to hear was who had done it and where this material was going. If he didn't know better, he would have suspected Jarod, but that was impossible for the pretender was dead. It couldn't be his angel. Without her two associates, both also dead, she was too busy trying to elude the sweeper teams that were trying to bring her home along with the newest pretender, her son. That only left Lyle, and Mr. Parker strongly suspected that he had sold the Centre out. But to whom was the question.

Once Cox and his team found Lyle, he would pay and pay dearly. His death would be no great loss but this downloading of information was. As each file passed through the electronic maze of cyberspace, it was destroyed in the Centre mainframe, eliminating the essential data which made up the company’s operations. Without that data, the Centre would collapse. It had to be stopped.

Mr. Parker turned and switched on his computer. 6 A.M. or 6 P.M., it was alert and ready to perform. Earlier, he'd sent a message to Cox, through the e-mail system telling him that someone had hacked into the computer's mainframe and was dumping its records at an unknown server. The screen's cursor blinked at him, insisting there was nothing in the document he'd sent. It was right. The e-mail had a heading but other than that, blank. When he tried to access his mail, the computer started to download case sensitive e-mail. He looked at the computer with an absolute cognizance of what was happening. He started pressing keys immediately, hitting what was the escape button again and again and again. Still, the files continued to scroll.

Frantic and frustrated--never a good combination--he picked the keyboard up to rip it out of the terminal, in a last, desperate attempt to stop the transfer.

******

Hundreds of miles from the Centre, a black Town Car occupied by Cox and White sped along the highway pursuing a white Ford Explorer that they had identified as belonging to Miss Parker. They were about 30 seconds behind her, but they were gaining ground. What they had no way of knowing was that the “tip” that had put them on this trail had been planted on the Centre’s mainframe by Broots.

The two men sped around a tightly-curved bend in the road, expecting to have picked up ground on the Explorer. Instead they found the white SUV on its side, the roof smashed against a tree—the whole vehicle was engulfed in flames. A flash of light signaled an oncoming explosion, and the two men dove for cover as the vehicle further ignited. The two men were just getting back to their feet when four police cars swooped down from opposite sides of the road.

******

Parker had taken a few minutes alone to compose herself after the brief moment with her son. Then she and Jarod had joined the others in the VCTF boardroom. There was no more time for discussion or making plans...what Jarod had put into play was now a full reality, and in a matter of hours the institution which had haunted he and Parker their whole lives would crumble. Jarod only hoped they would both be alive to see it.

The phone rang, startling everyone momentarily, then Bailey reached out and flicked the intercom switch.

“Malone.”

”Mr. Malone, good of you to answer. Now perhaps we can finally put an end to all of this. Jarod, I assume you’re there.”

“We’re all here, you bastard.” The words came from John, and everyone spared a brief glance in his direction. Bailey placed a hand on his colleague’s arm, indicating that he needed to remain silent for the rest of the conversation.

“Well,” Lyle chuckled, “I guess there’s no denying that fact. A bastard is certainly what I am. Now, back to the matter at hand. Jarod, are you ready to give me what I want?”

Jarod looked at Parker, and she leaned forward on the table, swallowing hard before she did what needed to come next.

“Jarod isn’t here, Lyle.”

“What’s the matter, Parker? Get sick of the knight-in-shining-armour routine already?”

“Let’s just say we had a difference of opinion about how this should play out.”

On the other end of the phone, Lyle smiled. Good. He had hoped for this. Jarod and Parker were fools to think they could work together. They were simply too different. Lyle had known that Parker’s main goal would be to kill him, while Jarod’s would be to ‘administer justice.’ And that would give him what he wanted.

“All right then, Parker, let’s do this. I want you and the baby...and I want you in two hours time.”

“I’ll come back with you, Lyle, but I am not giving you my son.”

“I already told you what I’ll do to you if you don’t give him to me. You’re not foolish enough to think I was kidding, are you?”

“I am not giving you my son.”

Lyle felt his fury rise, but still, he knew he needed to keep control. He probably wouldn’t really kill her, and he knew that. He wanted too much from her to kill her. Most of all, he just wanted her. And if her role was to produce new pretenders, then who better to father them than the future head of the Centre? That brought a smile to his face. Yes, Lyle, thought, who better indeed.

“All right, I’ll take your deal, Parker, but hear this...if you betray me, I will make it my life’s goal to hunt down your son and his father, and I will kill them both.”

Parker looked up at Jarod then, his eyes providing the reassurance that she needed to continue. “Where and when?”

“Well, I figure you might want to see where it was that your pretender did the profiler, so let’s make it Agent Burke’s apartment building at, oh, 3:00? And, well, tedious as it sounds, you know the drill...come alone or little baby genius is going to be in a lot of trouble. So I’d tell your little FBI friends there to stay away. You know how I get when I’m angry.”

The line disconnected and Parker stood and walked out of the room. Jarod nodded at Angelo, and soon the twin was following after his sister to try and offer her some comfort. After Angelo’s exit, Jarod stood and began pacing.

“Did you tell her?”

Bailey’s voice hung in the air as he waited for an answer to his question. Jarod stopped his pacing and turned to face Malone.

“No, Bailey, I didn’t. And I’m not going to until there’s no choice but for her to do as I say.”

Malone nodded, understanding. He glanced down at his watch and then stood.

“All right, we know what we need to do. Let’s get moving. Jarod, can I see you for a second?”

Bailey headed out of the room, a file folder in hand. A curious Jarod followed him. The two men soon found Parker sitting in Bailey’s office. The agent walked over to his desk and leaned against it as Jarod walked to Parker and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“There’s something you two should know.”

Bailey opened the folder he’d been carrying and handed it to Parker. She studied its contents for a moment then looked up at Bailey, a look of pure wonder on her face.

“Is this for real?”

As Parker spoke, she handed the folder up to Jarod. He began reading as a smiling Bailey crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“I know you two think we blame you for what happened to Rachel, but we don’t. I have some friends and I knew this was something I could do for you, so we did it. As of this morning, Meredith Parker and a male infant are dead. Victims of a fiery crash in upstate New York.”

Jarod looked down at Parker and then back up at Malone.

“I don’t know what say.”

Bailey stood then, heading toward the door.

“Just take care of what you love, Jarod. That’s thanks enough. I’ll give you two a minute alone.”

After the agent left, Jarod sank to his knees, his arms wrapping around Parker.

“It’s almost over, baby. In a few hours, it’ll all be over.”

******

The plan was actually far simpler than anyone would have imagined it could be. As the Centre spun into a panic, their computer files downloading and disappearing faster than anyone could even count let alone stop, the FBI had systematically gathered each file and stored it in a protected database of their own. Several incriminating files had been “tagged” by Broots and George, and these files had been immediately printed out and taken to the United States Attorney’s office. A stack of search warrants was immediately prepared, and as Parker had been speaking with Lyle a platoon of FBI agents had headed off toward the Centre.

Mr. Parker watched as the legion of black cars and SUVs surrounded the Centre. For a brief moment, he contemplated using the gun he kept hidden in his drawer to save himself from capture, but, arrogant to the end, he convinced himself that he would remain above the law as he had for so long.

The federal agents made their way through the halls of the imposing building, securing weapons and cuffing Centre personnel as they went. They had met little resistance. The Centre operatives had been trained to surrender to law enforcement personnel at all times. It was far easier to give in and be released later than to put up a public fight. It had never occurred to them that a day would come when surrender would mean their destruction and an end to the life they had known.

Three men entered the Chairman’s office, and found the man seated behind his desk. The tallest agent took the lead and approached Mr. Parker.

“William Parker, my name is Agent Michael Trent, and you are under arrest for murder, kidnapping and about a fifty other charges.”

Mr. Parker stood, straightening his jacket as he did so. “And I presume my daughter is responsible for all of this?”

As the two other agents approached Mr. Parker, handcuffing him, Trent cleared his throat.

“I assume you mean the woman we identified as Meredith Parker? No, she’s far from responsible for this. I’m sorry to tell you this, Mr. Parker but your daughter and an infant we’ve assumed was her son were killed in a car accident this morning. We found two of your associates, a Mr. White and a Mr. Cox in pursuit of her vehicle. Apparently she lost control of her car and crashed.”

Mr. Parker began to shake visibly, and the two agents who had cuffed him grabbed him to keep him from falling. He’d lost his pretender...that was the only thought going through his mind. He’d lost the key to the kingdom, and now William Parker knew he was truly lost.

******

Parker arrived at Rachel’s building at 2:55. Contrary to Lyle’s advice, she did not go upstairs. Instead, she simply waited outside for some sign from her nemesis as to what she should do next. It should have eased her mind that Bailey, John, Charles and Sam were all stationed at various locations around the meeting site, just waiting to move in on Lyle when the opportunity arose. But Parker doubted anything would make her feel better right now. She couldn’t shake the tiny voice inside of her that was warning her of danger...danger for Jarod.

She wasn’t certain where Jarod was right now, only that he was nearby. It was imperative that Lyle think Parker had really come alone until they had him cornered. Jarod had simmed the meeting, and he was fairly certain that Lyle would crowd her into the alley beside the building. Then he would try and force her into a vehicle. That was when Jarod would come out of hiding and drive Lyle into the close quarters it would take to capture him. That would also put the man she loved in imminent danger, and Parker shuddered as she thought of what that could mean.

To try and stop the frightening thoughts she was having, Parker instead turned her musings to why Jarod had insisted on bringing Angelo and Ethan with him. They, too, were in hiding with Jarod, and when she’d asked, his only response had been “because you’ll need them.” She didn’t know what that meant, and now, in a time of such high stress, it didn’t make her feel very comforted.

A shabby looking homeless man approached Parker, almost stumbling into her. She backed away, but the man reached for her and managed to grab her arm. His weight pushed her back further until she was just a step away from the alley. That’s when she noticed the hand holding her wrist...the thumb was missing. Stealing herself, Parker surrendered to his force and let him push her into the alley. As she went, she looked over at the van where she knew Bailey was sitting and watching.

Malone instantly realized who had approached Parker when she looked over at him. He brought his radio up and spoke into it in a direct but hushed tone.

“That’s him. Get ready to move.”

Lyle continued to move Parker backwards until he had her pressed up against the passenger door of an Expedition.

“Nice to see you again, Parker. What do you say we go somewhere more private?”

Lyle reached behind Parker and tried to open the door of the Expedition. As he did so, three men emerged from the side door of the apartment building. Jarod grabbed Lyle, pulling him away from Parker and driving him to the ground. Ethan and Angelo grabbed their sister, pulling her back toward the rear of the truck.

Jarod and Lyle struggled on the ground for several moments then Lyle landed a devastating punch to the pretender’s chest. Jarod sprawled backward, and Lyle jumped to his feet, running down the alley. As Jarod stood to chase after him, Parker tried to lunge forward and follow, but Ethan turned to her pushed her back toward Angelo.

“Stay with Angelo.”

“No,” Parker yelled, trying to break her twin’s hold on her, “Jarod needs me.”

Ethan walked forward, placing his hands on either side of Parker’s face. “He needs you to be safe, and the only way you’ll be safe is if you stay here.”

Parker didn’t know why, but somehow she knew Ethan was right. She watched as Ethan raced down the alley, chasing after Jarod and Lyle, who had disappeared into the industrial warehouse that sat at the back of the dead profiler’s building. Her fighting instincts led Parker to reach out again, but when Angelo pulled her back.

Her other brother disappeared around the corner and disappeared out of her sight. It was then that Parker felt the hatred, Lyle’s hatred. It filled her with such pain that she could have doubled over if it weren't for Angelo holding her up. Looking down the alley, she waited for them to return to her, hoping against hope that somehow it would all work out. As she fought against the deep feelings of anger that Lyle was flooding into her senses, Parker picked up movement in her peripheral vision. Bailey and John were moving down the alley. Parker knew that meant that Sam and Charles had moved in on the other side of the warehouse, blocking Lyle’s other path of escape.

Inside the warehouse, Lyle waited and listened. It was the sound of the door banging shut that told him that his nemesis was in the building.

“Jarod! The VCTF can't help you now. You're alone. All alone."

Jarod stood there, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Ethan had taken cover in the shadows. The pretender’s expression was grave, serious, but a light shone in his eyes. He was going to win; he could sense it.

Lyle was careful to stay hidden as he moved throughout the warehouse, trying to get a position of advantage. "You know what I want," Lyle said, regarding Jarod with a hatred tinged with envy. This man had everything he’d ever wanted...

Jarod moved closer.

"You can't have either of them, Lyle. It's finished."

"Finished for you," Lyle laughed. "Once I return with Parker and the baby, the Centre will welcome me back with open arms."

"Don't think so, Lyle. You see, while you were busy playing games, I, and some friends destroyed the Centre, and since we are dead in their eyes, they think it was you that set them up for the fall. There's nothing for you to go back to."

Lyle felt his whole being tense as he listened to Jarod’s words. It had to be a lie. The Centre was all he had. If it was gone...

“You’re lying, pretender. You’re lying to protect her, but it won’t work.”

“No, Lyle, I’m the one who’s here to tell you the truth.” Jarod took a step forward as he began to try and hunt out Lyle’s hiding place. Ethan tagged closely along, knowing that his presence near Jarod might be the only thing providing any comfort to his worried sister.

“Listen to me, Lyle. We know you faked the tests. We know that Angelo is Parker’s brother, but in a sense, so are you. You are still a part of Catherine Parker, and what you are isn’t entirely your fault.”

Jarod nearly choked on the words as they came out, but he forced himself to go forward. This would be the hardest part...he’d known that, but it was worth the effort. If he could get Lyle in without physically harming him, perhaps it would buy them all time to find a way to break the undeniable metaphysical bond between Lyle and Parker.

“Nice try, Jarod, but I know who my parents are, unlike you.”

“You know what they wanted you to know. The truth is that the Centre was behind it all – you were manipulated even before your birth so that you would become the perfect killer. You became what they wanted you to be, Lyle.”

This part of the sim had broken down on Jarod, and so he had no idea what to expect. He knew that his friends were just outside these doors, ready to storm in if things went wrong, but there was still the chance that if Lyle snapped, there wouldn’t be much time for intervention. Yet he couldn’t let go of the faint hope that he could spare Parker having to deal with whatever emotions she would have to face at Lyle’s death. That was a hope not meant to be.

The truth weighed heavily in Lyle’s mind, but it did not make him wonder about the connection he shared to Parker and her mother, nor did it make him hate the Centre. Instead, the truth only intensified his hatred toward Jarod. Once again, Jarod had taken what he wanted most...and what he’d wanted was the Centre.

From his hiding place, Lyle leapt at the pretender, his hands grappling for Jarod's throat. Jarod was briefly startled, but met the charge, his hands closing upon the madman's wrists. The two struggled, locked in desperate combat. Although Lyle was younger, he was overconfident, overeager. He had expected to strike the pretender down with ease. That had not happened, and now frustrated, his will thwarted, Lyle lost his head. He tried to overpower Jarod, but it was used against him. He ended up on his back, dazed and stunned by the fall.

As the room fell silent, the doors flew open and from opposite sides of the building, Bailey, John, Charles and Sam all moved in, waiting to see what would happen next.

What happened next was that a deafening sound filled the room. Lyle howled in rage and cursed the pretender. He couldn't lose. He would defeat them. Gathering all of his will, Lyle regained his footing, his right hand moving for the gun that he’d kept hidden in the side pocket of his pants. He raised it and took aim on Jarod.

“Lyle, don’t!” Bailey’s voice rang out from the side door, and Lyle momentarily stopped his movement. Then, in one frantic yet graceful second, Lyle lunged at Jarod, his goal simply to end it one way or the other. Then a gunshot rang out, and a body fell to the ground.

Outside, Parker heard and felt someone cry out, a hoarse, agonized scream of rage and anger. She tried to steel herself, seeking strength from Angelo. She cried out, collapsing against her brother as an onslaught of pain ran through her body. It was then that silence surrounded her. She lay in her brother’s arms, her body wracked with agony as she listened, waiting. A voice would come, she knew that, but which voice would it be? Then one came, and though her body was still gripped with the horrible pain, she heard it clearly.

‘He’s with me, Parker. Jarod’s with me and he’s fine.’

As Ethan’s calming voice flooded through her, Parker allowed herself to give into the pain and slip away into unconsciousness. Angelo pulled her tighter against him, his body absorbing as much of the pain as he could, insuring that she would survive this terrifying experience, just as Ethan and Jarod had predicted.

In the ensuing hours, John went off to do a debriefing, as it had been his weapon that had stopped Lyle once and for all. Bailey supervised the crime scene, and Grace examined Parker, determining that the best place for her was a quiet hospital room where she could rest. Jarod rode off in the ambulance with a still unconscious Parker, leaving his brother and father to help the VCTF sort out the mess that remained in the warehouse.

Four hours after they arrived at the hospital, Parker awoke. She immediately felt the absence of something, and she realized that her body was still assimilating the loss of the mysterious connection she shared with Lyle. Thinking of him sent a chill through her body, and Parker was immediately comforted by the warmth of Jarod as he climbed into the hospital bed beside her.

“It’s okay, Parker. I’m right here.”

Parker turned to him, burying her face against his chest as she pressed her body against his.

“It’s really over now, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sweetheart. It’s really over, well, all except the shouting.”

Parker looked up at him then, a question written on her face. Jarod smiled and pulled her back against him.

“I heard my dad say that once, and I liked it. Now go back to sleep. You need all the rest you can get so you’ll be ready to stay up with Benjamin for the, oh, three days he’ll probably refuse to let you out of his sight.”

The mention of their son made Parker smile, and though he couldn’t see it in their current position, he felt it in his heart.

“When can we go to him?”

“Anytime we want. We’re ghosts now, remember?”

And ghosts they were. Slowly over the next several months, the remnants of the Centre were taken down by the FBI. The files that George and Broots had provided the federal government made it a prosecutor’s dream to go after the Triumvirate members, Mr. Parker, Mr. Cox and Mr. White. Though the trials were still in progress, no one was expecting anything less than convictions all around.

Bailey Malone returned to work at the VCTF and dedicated himself even more to stopping the kind of evil that had killed his friend. And in a move unprecedented in FBI history, Bailey had recruited a man of less than kosher character into the agency. Agent Sam Reynolds had been sworn in on Bailey’s say so, and he began work with the VCTF immediately thereafter. Malone’s logic seemed clear – a man who knew how to break the law would be able to do wonders to help them stop others from doing so. Jarod and Miss Parker’s enthusiastic recommendations hadn’t hurt the cause either.

Broots and his daughter Debbie had settled in Washington D.C. where Broots had been recruited himself – to handle computer security for the White House. Once the Bureau had seen what he was capable of – his talents even humbling George – they had quickly contacted the Secret Service and told them they had the only man in America who could actually secure the Pennsylvania Avenue computers. It was a time-consuming job, but the former technician was safe, and better yet, he was finally doing something honorable that he could share with his daughter.

Sydney settled into a comfortable existence roaming between his son’s home in San Diego and Jarod and Parker’s new residence in Malibu. Seeing his young friends build a solid relationship with their son had inspired the older man to do what he’d hedged upon doing for so long – find out who Nicholas was, and let his son know him for who he truly was as well.

The Russell family remained largely scattered, but it was now by choice, not by necessity. Jakob and Ethan had enrolled at Stanford College together. Though they were in different years, they were roommates and good friends, and both young men were getting to experience life the way that everyone who loved them had hoped they would. Though Ethan still battled his voices from time to time, his connection with his sister remained his rock. Even though they were miles apart, he could hear her voice, warm and comforting in his mind, and he knew that he could face whatever obstacles were left for him to overcome.

Charles and Emily were still trying to locate Margaret, though it seemed the search might be ending soon. Emily’s latest clue had looked promising, and Jarod’s heart was alive with hope that he might soon meet the woman he had missed for so long.

At present, what Jarod was missing was Parker. She had apparently not been able to sleep, and he had woken to find her gone from their bed. A cool ocean breeze blew in through their windows, and he moved to the balcony, not surprised to find her curled up on the chaise with Benjamin in her arms. Their son was nearly a year old now, and he was still the absolute center of their universe.

Parker looked up and saw Jarod approaching. She carefully moved so that he could join his small family on the lounge chair.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Jarod spoke in a soft whisper so his voice wouldn’t wake his little boy.

“No. I miss Angelo.”

“Parker, even though he’s in Maine with Ben, you know he can still feel you.”

“I know, but it’s not the same. I’m so used to having him with me. Ever since that day in the alley, I think our connection to each other got even stronger. It’s hard to have him gone.”

“He’ll be back before you know it. He and Ben needed some time to get to know each other, and it was time.”

Parker nodded, leaning back against Jarod’s chest. It was a warm night in Southern California, and the gentle breeze off the ocean was just the comforting touch that, mixed with Jarod’s strong presence and the soft rhythm of her son’s breathing, provided her with the first feelings of sleepiness.

“Jarod.”

Jarod smiled, hearing the lethargy that was crawling into her voice. He knew that in just a few moments, his love would be sound asleep in his arms.

“What, sweetheart?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

Parker snuggled closer against him, her arms wrapping even more protectively around their son.

“For helping us find our way home.”

Benjamin took a deep breath, then settled even more comfortably in his mother’s arms, and Jarod, who now held his whole world in his arms, simply lay back his head and relaxed. This, he knew, was the peace he had sought for so long.

“My pleasure, Miss Parker. My pleasure.”

THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated along the way. This was a great little experiment and it you guys made it into a terrific story. -- Niceole