TITLE: The Island of Truths 3 AUTHOR: Trixi E-MAIL: 1007-816@online.de RATING: PG-13 SPOILERS: Second Season Final, Mild 3rd season DISCLAIMER: The Pretender and its characters, Jarod, Miss Parker, Sydney, Broots, Debbie, Angelo and all others belong to NBC and I just borrow them.

Warning: I had not seen the third season when I wrote this and I wrote the first part short before the second season end was shown here in Germany. So if you find any storyline mistakes, blame our tv-station for not showing the Pretender sooner ;)

AUTHORS NOTE: Ok, that´s it. Here´s the last part of the Island-series and I´m feeling sorry you all had to wait so long. First I thought I could finish it around x-mas but then it turned out to be much more difficult and well, sometimes life´s a bitch ;-) If you need the first two parts, e-mail me.

Thanks to Miss Houk, Jan and Penny for their help and ideas :)

And this one is just for you Heather. Thanks for everything :-)

**** "Parker-Island"
Though it was only 6 p.m., the sun hung low and could barely be seen behind the huge dark clouds above Jarod. He sat with his feet hanging over the edge of the parapet of the little tower at the top of the castle and stared at nothing. He seemed not to recognize that it was raining lightly. His mind was always drifting off. He was afraid, completely afraid, that Miss Parker would do the wrong thing and he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. This morning she had found out too much too soon. He had wanted to tell her about it but he had just missed the right moment. Meanwhile Miss Parker was walking down the hallway to the kitchen when Debbie caught up with her.

"Is it true?"

"What, honey?"

"You're going to leave us."

Parker breathed hard and then leaned down to her.

"Yes." She spoke with gentleness in her voice. "There's something I have to find out, but then I'll come back, OK?"

"But why do you want to go back to the Center? They'll do something to you. I don't want you to leave!" she begged.

"Listen, please. It's very important to me and I'll be careful. Besides I'm having Jarod go with me. He'll keep an eye on me." She tried to persuade the little girl who seemed to have grown up in these few days during their stay. Debbie thought a few moments and then nodded, "OK."

"By the way, have you seen Jarod?"

"Mhm, no. He's not down here."

"Thanks. I'll see if I can find him."

Parker knocked lightly on Jarod's door and opened it a crack when he didn't answer. No one was in there so she went to the end of the hallway to look around. Her eyes fell on the stairs up to the tower and her intuition told her to go up. When she opened the heavy wooden door, she spotted him sitting on the parapet with his back to her.

"You're not going to jump, are you?" she joked.

"Ah, no, but if you startle me like that again like, I'll fall off."

Leaning against the stone wall, he turned to watch her coming toward him.

"What's up? It's raining."

"Really?" Jarod looked up in the sky and for the first time felt the rain drops spatter on his face. He patted his clothes and realized that his jeans and jacket were already soaked. The rain looked like tears on his cheeks and Parker reached out to caress them away. He really looked cute with damp hair and the little droplets on his face.

"Hey," she ruffled his hair, shaking the water from his hair like a wet dog,"what's bothering you?"

"You," he responded. He lifted his legs and pivoted around on the low wall to face her. "I'm trying to clear my mind but ... without success. You know, I'm so confused."

Parker tilted her head to the side, "Mhm?"

"I can't think straight." He paused and went on, "When I'm out on a pretender-job, I'm just focused on that job and maybe ..."

"Playing little games with me," Parker chuckled, finishing for him.

Jarod made a face, "Yeah, but now, so much is coming together. I mean, Angelo, Syd, Broots and Debbie. And...," he trailed off.

"What?" she whispered.

Jarod gently took her hand in his and pulled her in front of him so they were now eye to eye. He placed his hands on her waist.

"You throw me a little bit out of my way."

"I just sat you on a new trail." Parker stepped nearer to him and put her hands under his leather jacket.

"Haha, are you planning to get even with me for everything I did to you?"

"Mhm, not a bad idea, I'll think about it."

Jarod smiled but she saw in his eyes that something was wrong. He touched his forehead to hers and after a while he spoke again. "Do you really want to go?"

Parker nodded.

"But is it worth risking your life .. again?" Jarod added.

Parker freed herself from the embrace and walked a few steps away, her eyes now focused far away. "I want to know the truth, no matter what it costs."

"But..."

"No!" she cut him off angrily. "You of all people should understand how much this means to me. I know now my *daddy* knew everything from the beginning. Now I want answers, too." Her voice raised as she fought hard not to lose her control. "I have to!"

Jarod hopped down and gently laid his hands on her shoulder.

"I do understand you. That's the problem. I know what I would do and I'm afraid ... something could happen to you."

Parker closed her eyes and tried to work out what she just had heard. She was not use to someone actually caring about her. Well, maybe Sydney or Broots but she usually shut them out. It felt strange, knowing someone was there for her.

"Then you'll have to take care I don't do something stupid." She turned around to look him in his brown eyes and hugged him once more. She was much more comfortable with her arms and hands under his jacket than out because it was quite cold.

"OK, then I'll start keeping an eye on you now. We'd better get inside before we catch a cold, huh?" Jarod tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her there.

Parker first leaned into him and after a quick squeeze she pulled away.

"Good idea. You'll get sick for sure. Look at your wet clothes."

Back inside, in front of the door to his room, Jarod grinned at Parker.

"Mhm, I think I could use some help...." He looked innocently at her.

"With what, huh?" Parker grinned back.

"I might need some scissors to get out of these jeans or should I stand in front of the fireplace until they are dry." Jarod tried without success to move them a bit.

"Oh, come on." She pushed him inside his room and kicked the door shut behind her.

"Did you know that she wants to go back to Blue Cove?" Broots asked Sydney, who sat across from Debbie at the living room table, teaching her to play chess.

The elder man shook his head. "I hope Jarod can talk her out of it. She can be very impulsive. Just because Lyle could go back to the Center doesn't mean her father will greet her with open arms, too."

"Yeah." Broots sighed, suddenly afraid at the thought of what might have happened to all of them if Miss Parker hadn't helped them escape.

"Debbie, would you get us something to drink?" he asked his daughter.

"But daddy, it's all in the cellar...."

"Please..?"

"OK." she stood up.

"Why do you think they wanted to kill her? Jarod escaped us several times before," Broots asked Sydney when he was sure Debbie was out of ear shot.

"It might have been a mistake."

"A mistake? Are you kidding? This is the Centre!"

"I found this in the kitchen this morning after Jarod and Parker had left." He took a paper out of his pocket and showed it to him.

"Holy shit!" Broots stumbled after he read the first lines. "They actually tried ...."

"Yes they did."

"But why? Mr. Parker wouldn't allow it!"

"No, it was his order. It was just that the doctor that examined her way back then found out she couldn't .... I'm not sure if I should tell you."

"Oh, I heard their conversation this morning, too. They were loud enough."

"Well, then you know why..."

Just then the alarm clock in the kitchen rang.

"Oh, dinner is ready." Broots had cooked lasagna for all of them.

"I'll call Jarod and Parker. Debbie, would you search for Angelo?" She had just entered with two bottles water.

Sydney almost fell backwards out of Jarod's room after he knocked and entered.

Jarod stood before his bed and Parker was unbuttoning his jeans.

"I'm sorry, dinner is ready." Then he was gone.

Parker and Jarod exchanged looks and then started to laugh out loud. "Did you see his face. We should have taken a photo!" Parker pointed to the bed, "Lay down."

"OK, but shouldn't we eat dinner first?" he smirked.

"That way I can pull better." She pushed him backwards onto the bed, gripped the end of the trousers and pulled. "I saw a shoehorn somewhere." She pulled again and finally freed him from his soaked jeans.

"From now on I only wear sports trousers!" Jarod stood up and got himself a fresh pair.

Parker still laughed. "I'll get myself a new sweatshirt, meet me in front of my room. A photo, we should have taken one."

Sydney was grinning from ear to ear when Broots spotted him entering the kitchen.

"Are they coming?"

"I'm not sure." Syd grinned while shaking his head.

"What?" Broots asked eagerly.

"Mhm, when Miss Parker comes down and shoots me it will just be to remove the witnesses."

"Witnesses to what?"

"Nothing, nothing."