I will start posting Children of the Shadows when I have more time:)

Jarod's motel room.
2200 hours.
 

Scully sighed and pushed the hair of her eyes, deciding that all shewanted was a nice hot shower and the comfortable bed that was in her motelroom, on the other side of Mulder's. Six hours and all they'd been ableto drag out of the Parker woman was glares and wafts of cigarette smokein their direction. Not that Jarod was any better at handing out information,and although he was much nicer all they'd been able to get was a lengthytalk on the virtues of Pez and Ice-cream.

Scully was sure that something very wrong was going on here, but wasreluctant to take them in because of the expression on the man, Jarod's,face every time any authority was mentioned. Scully was also confused bythe relationship between Miss Parker and Jarod, who seemed to love thecruel banter they tossed at each other, yet she could see the caring bothtried not to show. It was small things, like the way Jarod would very tenderlycheck Parker's wounds too often, or brush her hair behind her ear for her.And the way she instinctively snuggled up against Jarod to get more comfortable,or the way she passed him his Pez when all he did was look at it. The manreally had an obsession for Pez.

"Mulder what do you think it's time we called it a night?" she askedsoftly, after watching Mulder fire a few more questions at the strangecouple, without receiving any more answers than they had before.

"Yeah, I think you're right Scully. You take her into your room andI'll take him into mine, and we'll leave the connecting door unlocked,"Mulder replied, standing up and stretching, "come on you two, grab yourgear and let's go."

Parker got up and walked confidently towards the DSA's lying on thetable, intending to claim them in front of the agents, but was interceptedby Jarod, who tsked her.

"Miss Parker, you're not playing fair, you take your stuff," he saidplayfully, shoving her bag of clothes into her arms, "and I'll take mine."And grabbed the case and his laptop, modem, Pez and the small bag of clotheshe had brought with him.

"Oh but Jarod," she said in her sweetest tone, "shouldn't you share?Now hand over the case!!"

"OK kids, enough," sighed Scully, holding out her hand, "I'm going tohave to start confiscating things. The case Jarod."

"No. It's stays where the Ice Queen can't get her talons on it. Mr.Mulder here takes it, so I can keep an eye on it."

"Whatever," Mulder groans, taking the case, "let's go."

Once they reached their separate rooms and had said good night, or somethingclose to it, Jarod sat down heavily and wiped the blood off the tiny scratchmark Miss Parker had given by way of goodnight.

"Quite a hellcat, isn't she?" asked Mulder. Jarod smiled.

"Yeah. But she's my hellcat."

"How long have you known each other for?"

"Most of our lives...she wasn't always like this, but life has beencruel to her, so she's cruel back." Jarod sighs and lays back on the bedas he took himself back to what she had been, to the pain she felt at theneed for her fathers approval, and the happiness she had found with friendslike Jarod and Angelo. Slipping into Pretender mode, eyes glazing over,body relaxing, slowly Jarod began to speak, in a child like voice as Mulderwatched in growing fascination.

"Sydney can I go see Jarod today? Daddy said I could if I were goodand I've been so good alllll week so can I please go visit Jarod?" Jarod'svoice continued on, begging Sydney to visit Jarod.

"Jarod you asshole I don't suppose you happened to bring me a toothbrush-"Miss Parker burst into the room in her black nightgown, ready to give Jarodanother verbal beating when she saw what he was doing, and heard what hewas saying, and froze. But only for a moment. Then she flew at him, landingon the bed and beating him with her fists as tears streamed down her face,how could he do this to her? Didn't he ever stop? And she started to screamover and over again, for him to get out of her head, leave her alone, allthe while sobbing and hitting him.

Jarod snapped out of the Pretend just as quickly as he had slipped intoit, fending off her blows and trying to soothe her. He held her close asshe beat at him with less and less force, eventually just sobbing as hesmoothed his hands up and down her back, and whispering apologies to her.

Mulder, seeing how personal the moment was, carefully locked the doorthat led outside, took the key, and discreetly slipped out of the room,taking Scully, who had been watching from the doorway, with him.

"Why Jarod? Why can't you just get out of my head and leave me aloneJarod?" her voice whispered.

"I'm sorry, princess," he whispered back, still stroking her back lightly,"I was thinking about you, about the past and it just sort of took me over,I couldn't control it."

He kissed the top of her head lightly, then turned her face up to lookat him with his hands and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I'm so sorry Parker," he murmured, kissing a tear away, "I would neverhave done it on purpose. I'm so sorry...." he trailed off as she gentlypulled his head down to hers, for a real kiss, the first kiss since theone she had given him when they were still young, and not nearly as innocent.

****

In the next room, Mulder and Scully listened as it all went quiet. Theylooked at each other, Scully in bewilderment and Mulder in delight.

"It's amazing Scully," he whispered excitedly, "it's like he just becamesomeone else. One minute he was him, the next minute he was the childhoodversion of that wicked witch of the west in there!"

"Mulder I don't know what you saw,"Scully whispered back, "but peopledo not just...become... other people!"

About to continue the debate they both stopped when they heard a soft,feminine moan coming from the next room.

"Sounds like they managed to overcome their differences," said Mulder,chuckling, "come on, ten more minutes and we make a discreet knock. Someonehas to keep an eye on them, and I think it would be voyeurism if they werein the same room at the time!"

****

Jarod kissed Miss Parker back, curving an arm around her waist as hedeepened the kiss, allowing his tongue to tangle with hers, until she moanedsoftly, running her hands across his back as he buried his fingers in herhair, massaging the scalp lightly. She pulled him even closer, strokinghis cheek with her hand and entangling her legs with his. They ended thekiss, gasping as they still held onto each other tightly, Jarod’s handstill in Miss Parker’s hair as he placed soft kisses around her face.

"Where did that come from?" asked Jarod gently.

"I don’t know," said Miss Parker, a little shakily, "I guess I’ve justwanted to do that for a while." She smiled at him.

At that moment, a very discreet knock sounded, but the couple on thebed didn’t notice, so involved were they in each other, that when the dooropened they rolled apart guiltily, sitting up in embarrassment as the twoagents entered the room.

"Is this what getting caught by your parents feels like?" asked Jarod,a smile playing across his lips.

"Worse," replied Parker, smiling back, "We’re adults, not teenagersany more ..and I guess I wouldn’t know either, Daddy never cared." Shefinished off bitterly.

"Sorry to break up the make-out party," Scully interrupted, wonderingabout Miss Parker’s father, "but I think it’s time we all got some sleep.Parker, in here, I’ll see you in the morning boys." And with that she draggedan unwilling Parker off the bed, and into the adjoining room, before slammingshut the door. Jarod stared up in confusion at Mulder.

"What’s a make-out party?" Jarod questions, then looks even more confusedby Mulder’s aghast expression.

"Oh man What are you, pre-pubescent? No self-respecting male would nothave made it through the teenage years without knowing what they are, whythey are, and how to get an invitation to one!" At Mulder’s outburst, Jarodsmiles sadly.

"I was never allowed to be a teenager." He whispers, remembering growingup in the Centre, and how they never allowed anything that could be classifiedas "normal".

"Jarod," says Mulder, suddenly becoming serious, "who are you? Why isit that you were never allowed to do these things? And what the hell wasthat you did before?"

"You’ve heard of the Centre and some of the things they do there?" askedJarod, waiting until Mulder nodded before continuing, "I was involved intheir most precious project. When I was a child, I had been noticed formy unusual mental abilities. When I was six years old, they came in thenight, and took me. They told me my parents were dead, and kept me in acontrolled environment, running tests on me and making me perform simulationsfor them. It was discovered that with enough information about someone,I could get inside that person’s head, understand them completely, thinklike them, act like them, Pretend to be them. At the time they told meit was to help people, and it wasn’t until I was older that I realisedthat they sold my simulations to the highest bidder. Often this was thegovernment, which you have been trying to expose all these years. I wasin my thirties the first time I tasted things like ice- cream and Pez.I escaped three years ago, and have been searching for my family ever since.Miss Parker has been hunting me, and the DSA’s, trying to bring me back,because when she finds me, they will let her go."

Mulder sat, his mouth gaping, as he tried to process this information.He couldn’t help but feel understanding with Jarod, he knew what it waslike to spend years searching for answers, not to mention family. His ownsister had been abducted, and there wasn’t a day that went by that Mulderdidn’t think about her.

***

Miss Parker sat on the bed, with a cigarette in one hand, watching Scullyreturn from the bathroom in comfortable, striped cotton, pyjamas. She contemplatedwhat had happened with Jarod in the next room only a few minutes ago asshe absent-mindedly blew rings with the smoke. Scully coughed pointedly,drawing Parker back to the present.

"Sorry," she muttered, butting out the offending smoke in the ashtray,"Just like a sleepover, sharing the same bed."

"Well," said Scully, climbing onto the bed, "I’m not sleeping on thefloor, somehow I doubt you will, and there’s no way I’m leaving you alonein another room. I don’t trust you enough, although I get the feeling youwouldn’t leave without Jarod in tow. Now let’s get some sleep, we’ll figurethings out in the morning."

****

The second day.

Mulder’s motel room.
0100 hours.

Mulder awoke to the sound of soft, but urgent, mumbling coming fromthe man handcuffed to the bed. Sitting up, he watched as Jarod thrashedback and forth in the midst of a nightmare, moaning something about releasinghim. Mulder tried to wake him, but it only made the still sleeping manworse, who started throwing his free arm around wildly, striking Mulderonce as he scooted to the far side of the bed, not knowing what to do.Mulder was just about to get Scully, when the connecting door between thetwo rooms opened, and a very dishevelled looking Miss Parker hurried in,followed by a sleepy looking Scully. Miss Parker moved to the bed, sittingbeside Jarod and murmuring soothing words, until she spied the handcuffsattaching him to the bed.

"What the hell do you think your doing!" hissed Miss Parker, stretchingout her hand. "Give me the keys! You never lock him up like this!" sheyelled at Mulder, then caught the keys he threw at her and gently unlockedthe still agitated Jarod.

"Parker?" he whispered hoarsely.

"It’s me Jarod, you’re safe, you’re not in the Centre." She whisperedback, smoothing the damp locks of hair of his brow.

"I had a dream, it was your mother, they held me down and made me watchas they .... as they.... ." He trailed off, his eyes still filled withterror as she curled up next to him, still stroking his hair.

"I know Jarod, I know." She murmured, as a solitary tear trickled downher face. Meanwhile Mulder and Scully stood helplessly near the door, watchingthe touching scene unfold before them. Silently Scully ushered Mulder intoher own room, grabbing the case which contained the DSA’s, knowing thatneither of the figures on the bed would leave without it. Quietly closingthe doors behind them, Mulder sighed, then dropped onto the bed.

"They make quite a couple don’t they?" asked Mulder lazily as he stretchedto make himself more comfortable.

"Yes. What was Jarod talking about in his sleep, he wanted somebodyto let him go?" Asked Scully, then her eyes widened as Mulder relayed theinformation that Jarod had told him, about being a captive of the Centre.

"My god, that’s inhuman!" cried Scully after Mulder had finished.

"Yeah, I could hardly believe it.... . I’d like to help him Scully,I don’t know what we’d do about her, but I’d like to help him. I know whatit’s like to have someone you love taken away from you, and I want to talkto Jarod, see if there’s anything we could do to help him find his family.Perhaps we could help each other."

****

Mulder’s motel room.
0900 hours.
 

Jarod was having the best dream about Miss Parker, better than his normalone’s. She felt more real, and he took advantage of that as he pulled hisdream Parker close, very close, enjoying the soft feel of her skin againsthis cheek.

"Parker I wish you were real, not just a dream like all the other times....." Mumbled Jarod against the imaginary Miss Parkers neck. Darting his tongueout to touch her skin, he pulled her even closer, murmuring to her thatshe tasted real good for one of his dreams.

"Jarod stop talking.... " replied Parker’s just as sleepy voice. Jarodpondered the fact that his fantasy was talking back, then started to getan inkling of an idea which he hoped was true with all his heart. Verygently he slid his hand up from the make-believe Parker’s waist, flutteringhis hand across the very real feeling ribs to cup the underside of herbreast, stroking his thumb across the nipple and feeling it harden underhis touch. For a dream Parker she was very responsive thought Jarod tohimself, then opened his eyes and smiled as he watched the very real MissParker press herself up against him. He chuckled, then placed a seriesof soft kisses along her jaw, while one hand still played with her erectnipple, extracting a small whimper from her. Deciding that the mouth lookedvery tempting, he brushed his own lips against hers very gently, as shewhispered his name softly. About to continue, Jarod stopped when he heardnoises coming from the room next door, and lay his head back down, pretendingto be asleep for when the agents came in.

A few minutes later they entered, and watched the supposedly sleepingcouple, curled up in each others arms as tightly as they could hold eachother, to the point that it was almost indecent. As they hesitated in thedoorway, Jarod opened his eyes and smiled at them, and held a finger tohis lips, indicating to them to be quiet so as not to wake Miss Parker.As gently as he could, he untangled himself from her arms, rose, and dressedonly in boxers, headed back into Scully’s room. Closing the door as carefullyas he could after them, he smiled.

"You’ve never seen her in the morning, nobody wakes her before she wantsto be awake" he said, making the two agents smile. Jarod rummaged throughthe bag which he had bought out of the other room, pulling out black jeansand tight black top.

"I’m headed for the shower, don’t disturb dragon lady" Jarod said witha cheerful grin.

"He’s in a good mood.... . Somebody got lucky last night!" was the onlyresponse from Mulder, once the bathroom door was safely shut.

****

Miss Parker stretched luxuriously, enjoying the sated feeling she hadafter an amazing dream she had dreamt about Jarod. He had been touchingher and kissing her so gently, it almost didn’t seem real. But then again,it wasn’t real, it had only been a dream. Jarod would never be so sweetto her after all the things they had put each other through. Miss Parkersobered at these thoughts, wishing somehow that things didn’t have to bethis way between them, but she had to capture him in order to free herself.

Miss Parker remembered when her and Jarod were children, how close theyhad been, how they longed for each other’s company when they weren’t together.And now, as adults, they were the hunter and the hunted, although the lineof who was who was blurry sometimes, always it remained that they foughtagainst each other, when somehow she felt they should have been fightingtogether. Still reflecting on this, Parker gathered up some things andheaded for the shower.

*****

"So what does everyone want for breakfast?" asked Scully cheerfully,to the three other people sitting in the room, "My shout and I’ll go tothe store now."

"Vodka." Muttered Parker, lighting up a cigarette.

"Twinkies!" exclaimed Jarod, his face lighting up.

"Sunflower seeds.... " sighed Mulder in blissful anticipation. Scullylooked at the three before her disbelievingly then sighed in resignation.

"Right Jarod, you come with me, we’ll get something decent to eat."She sighed, thinking longingly of pancakes. Jarod rose and ran a hand throughhis still wet hair, flicking drops of water on Parker with a grin, thenracing out the door after Scully before she could retaliate. Parker andMulder watched each other warily from opposite sides of the room. Mulderinclined his head and raised his eyebrows in a direct challenge.

"Poker?"

****

Parker sat and stared at the five cards in her hand, keeping her faceblank but inwardly crowing in delight. The eight dollars she had one ofMulder so far was about to increase. She loved winning. And as long asJarod didn’t find out she had lifted his wallet, taking the money beforetossing it aside, she was fine.

"King high straight!" Smirked Mulder, laying down his cards.

"Ace high," purred Parker, scooping up the money on the table and slidingit towards her.

"Come to Mamma!" she cried as Jarod and Scully entered the room, carryinga few brown paper bags with food in them, which they placed on the bed.Jarod watched curiously as Mulder dealt another hand, noting the moneyon the table and the way both players kept their faces completely straight.

"What are you doing?" asked Jarod, much to Mulder’s surprise.

"Playing poker Frankenboy. Watch and learn from the master." RepliedMiss Parker. Jarod watched the next few rounds played, noting what cardstogether were considered winners, the different strategies used by bothto bluff and the exchange of money going on.

After a while Jarod sat down, and was dealt into the next hand, bothMiss Parker and Mulder having donated some money to him after he foundhis wallet was conspicuously empty. He regarded the five cards he heldin his hand, two jacks, a queen, a seven and an eight. He threw in theseven and the eight, waiting until two new cards were dealt to him. Anotherqueen. Another jack. Full house. Jarod kept his face and body languagestudiously expressionless and watched Parker as she received her cards,watching the way she sat a little straighter, pushed her shoulders backslightly and tossed her hair confidently. A good hand, mused Jarod. Mulder,on the other hand, had slumped his shoulders slightly, but quickly satup, ready to bet. He’s bluffing, thought Jarod.

****

Two hours later, Mulder sighed in frustration and gave up. He’d lostmost of his money any way, and the power struggle that was going on betweenthe other two was making him feel invisible. Each had one roughly the sameamount of hands and money, but a little good-humoured poker game had turnedinto a battle of wills, and he knew that much more rested on these gamesthan a couple of dollars. Mulder went and sat with Scully, who was sittingat the small table in one corner. As the two agents began to talk, discussingplans for the future, the poker game continued, making its players obliviousto the world around them.

As the shadows lengthened Mulder and Scully disputed over the best courseof action, they’re quiet murmuring rolling off the two players. It wasbeyond money now, they barely noticed the notes exchanging hands, or thecards in their hands. It was about them. Together. Their history. Theyboth recognised it, the passionate looks on their faces showed it, andthe way eye contact was almost imperative showed it.

And Jarod began to reach an understanding. An understanding of her.She couldn’t let him win. And that applied to everything. And it scaredhim, because she wouldn’t give up, she wouldn’t let him take away whatshe believed to be the key to her freedom, she wouldn’t allow him, couldn’tallow him to walk away with it. And that key was the thing he valued themost in the world, the thing which had kept him sane, kept him caring aboutthe world, but most importantly, kept him from killing the damn lot ofthem whenever he had the chance, was his freedom. His freedom. Which theyhad taken away once, and the very woman he loved had been sent to takeit away again.

He loved her. Miss Parker. The woman he loved. Not the child who hadwhispered her first name to him, or given him his first kiss, but the womanshe had become. The woman who wore revealing clothing to be noticed, becausedaddy had never noticed her enough. The woman who had smoked compulsively,drank too much, had the nickname Ice Queen, the woman who infuriated himso much, who he infuriated so much, but on some level had always loved.He loved her. And with this realisation, Jarod felt physically ill.

****

Scully approached Jarod carefully. He had been lost in thought eversince he had abruptly bought the poker game to a halt, over an hour again.Since then he had sat in the one spot, ignoring or not hearing all attemptsat conversation. Finally Miss Parker, put in a bad mood by his apparentbad mood, had gone to the store to get some more cigarettes. Both Mulderand Scully had thought it best that they spoke alone with Jarod about theirdecisions, and now looked like the perfect time.

"Jarod?" Scully touched his shoulder gently when he didn’t respond,and he jerked his head up to look at her and Mulder, who had come to standnext to his partner.

"Jarod, Mulder and I have been talking," said Scully softly, still unsureof his mood, "we’ve decided that we want to help you Jarod. So if you decideto leave in the middle of the night or something like that, we’ll let itslip."

"We would do more," Mulder resumed where his Scully finished, "but ifwhat you say is true and the government is tied in with the Centre, itwould probably be more dangerous to you if we did do more."

Jarod nodded, thinking over what the two agents had said.

"Give me tonight," murmured Jarod, "with Parker. She and I have someunfinished business."

***

Scully’s motel room.
2200 hours.
 

Miss Parker sat on the bed, idly leafing through a magazine she hadbought that day, when she heard the door open.

"Scully could you pass me my bag?" asked Miss Parker, not looking up.Parker waited a few moments but there was no answer, just the soft clickof the door being pushed shut, then locked. Frowning at this, Miss Parkerlooked up, about to ask Scully why she was locking the door when Jarodcould have another nightmare, but the words froze on her lips. Not Scully.Jarod. Jarod wearing only the bottoms of a pair of black silk pyjamas.Jarod with an expression on his face that reminded Miss Parker of Brootsin a rebellious mood, terrified but claiming a right to dignity.

"Jarod," sighed Miss Parker, barely realising it was out of her mouthuntil it was too late. Suddenly Jarod’s expression hardened, showing afaint flash of desire for her as his eyes raked down her body, clad onlyin the black nightgown she had arrived at the motel in. Jarod, withoutsaying anything, walked forward and hauled her up off the bed and intohis arms, watching the surprised expression on her face change to anger.

"What the hell do you think your doing!" she hissed, her eyes showinga mix of fury and arousal.

"Taking what’s mine." He whispered back, before kissing her hard onthe mouth, forcing her mouth open with his teeth and entwining his tonguewith hers, holding her tight and plunging one hand into her hair, forciblyholding her head in place. Miss Parker curled one hand around his neck,bringing the other to his face, softly caressing, then digging her nailsin and dragging them down his cheek, drawing blood. Jarod jerked his headaway from her, then, to her surprise, smiled.

"Bad kitty," he breathed in her ear, "we’ll have to get those clawsclipped!"

He threw her bodily onto the bed, then straddling her, grabbing herwrists and pinning them above her head. Holding both her small hands withone of his own, he lazily trailed the other hand around the curve of herface, down her neck, between her breasts and down her stomach before allowingit to come to rest on her abdomen. He quirked an eyebrow, regarding herin a very suggestive way.

"No!" was all she could manage while trying not to show how arousedshe was.

"Yes..." He drawled, and leaning down, started placing small kisses onher neck, working his way down. After a few minutes he released her hands,and this time when they rose up to touch him, it was to pull him closer,not inflict pain.

****

The third day.

Scully’s motel room.
0300 hours.
 

Miss Parker slowly became aware of the warm body beside her. But thistime it was no dream. A smile played across her lips as she thought ofall that had happened in the last few hours. Jarod had been.... amazing.He had been both gentle and passionate, but with an edge of suppressedanger, an edge, sensitive to her needs, while applying himself to his own.She never thought that after all they had been through, all that had happened,she would have been able to find joy in such closeness with another humanbeing. Sure, there had been other men, but none had the bond that she andJarod shared.

Miss Parker wondered what would happen now. It had occurred to her tojust leave the Centre, maybe now with Jarod. But somehow that train ofthought just felt...wrong. She wanted, no, needed to find out what had happenedto her mother. And her whole life was with the Centre. But without Jarod,she had no life.

Miss Parker pulled herself up short right there. Where the hell hadthat one come from? Just how deep were her feelings for Jarod? Had Daddybeen right? Had she been too emotionally involved to catch him all thoseyears? Miss Parker was given no more time to question herself as she heardJarod sigh deeply, and realised that he had been awake the whole time.

"Jarod?" asked Parker, feeling almost...shy.

"I’m sorry." Came his voice from the darkness.

"Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for this...sorry for everything. This never should have happened."

"What the hell are you talking about?" cried Parker, raising herselfup on her elbow so she could look at him as her eyes adjusted to the dark."If you ask me this was way overdue!" Jarod raised a hand and stroked itslowly down her face.

"Is that what you really feel Parker? Is that what you really, reallyfeel? Or was it just because it had been awhile and I was there?!" accusedJarod, the harsh words causing a tear to trickle down Miss Parker’s cheek.

"No! No it wasn’t and you know it Jarod! It was because of us!"

"And which us is that, Parker? The one where you hunt me with a gunand a set of goons? Or the one where you leave me all alone to die in theCentre?"

"No it’s how we...it’s how I....because I.... "

"How you what Parker? Because you what Parker?" Jarod pressed, needingto hear it even though he knew he was hurting her with his callous words.

"It’s because I love you! Because I have loved you since we were childrenand you were the only person my age not afraid of me! Because you teaseme and make me look at what’s wrong in my life! Because I love you so muchI hurt inside at the thought of what they could do to you! Because I loveyou but I can’t be with you because of who we are! Because I love you eventhough there’s always going to be some sort of star-crossed lovers complexhanging over our heads! Because I love you....and I know you can’t love meback," and with that she broke down, tears streaming freely as she slumpedback to the bed.

"I love you Parker." said Jarod simply. Miss Parker raised her head.

"What?"

"I love you." he repeated, and watched her anger grow.

"You put me through that, just to tell me you love me back? You asshole!"

"Parker, I had to hear you say it because you wanted to say it, notbecause you had to because I said it first." Whispered Jarod gently, pullingher close.

"Jarod we can’t...I can’t leave the Centre. There’s too many things.I have to be there." Trailed of Miss Parker, trying to explain but notfinding the words.

"I know Parker," said Jarod, reaching down and finding something underthe bed, "I know that you can’t come with me....but I also know you can’tlet me go." Jarod snapped the lamp that was next to the bed, keeping onehand behind his back.

"Jarod...I’d have to take you in...how would I explain it if I just letyou go? We could have tonight, maybe tomorrow but after that." Miss Parkertrailed off, seeing the resolved expression on his face.

"No Parker, not tomorrow, not even tonight. I have to go now." And carefullyJarod brought into view the syringe he’d hidden in the room earlier, gentlyflicking it to remove air bubbles.

"Jarod no!" cried Miss Parker, trying to move away as he caught herby the wrists and dragged her close. Methodically he started to injectthe drug into her arm as the tears streamed down her face. Then he pulledher to him, kissing her gently until he felt her go limp in his arms. Hethen rose and dressed, grabbed his things, including the DSA’s, and afterleaving a thank-you note with a promise to e-mail them, Jarod left.

***

When the agent met up in Mulder’s room the next morning, Scully havingspent the night in the room that Jarod had originally been in, they bothsmiled at the note Jarod had left them, which read:

Thank you for all your help. Miss Parker and I have sorted things out,sort of, but I had to leave. I hope she doesn’t shoot you when she wakesup. Mulder I promise to keep in contact, as per our agreement to help eachother find our families. It was a nice vacation, best and only one I’veever had.

Jarod.

***

And when Miss Parker did awaken, her scream of rage could be heard milesaway. And Jarod, on the road, noted what time she should be waking up,and had to pull over, for he couldn’t see for the tears in his eyes andrunning down his face. When Sydney and Broots came to "rescue" Miss Parkerfrom her horrible ordeal of being kidnapped by Jarod, they brought a sweeperteam with them. And after receiving no details from the two agents, theyquickly removed all evidence of the whole thing ever happening. Becausethe people who weren’t meant to be there didn’t exist, and shadows werenot supposed to move.
 

The End.
 
 

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