After dinner Jarod and Parker explained everything to Sydney and Broots about their leaving the next morning.

"We'll make as many detours as we can to remove any trail we might leave behind us." Parker informed them and then added, "And you won't know where we are either. Broots, you'll drive to town with us tomorrow. We need to get you some things. First, we'll need cell phones and a laptop for you to keep us up to date. Did I leave anything out?" she asked Jarod.

He sat more or less speechless beside her. He didn't say a word but shook his head.

"OK, then and take good care of Angelo while we're gone."

All the others had long ago gone to bed while Parker and Jarod were still studying maps and working out their travel route. They decided to fly to London and then take a train to Europe. There they would take a train to Paris and from there fly to Frankfurt, Germany. After a stay of half a day, they could get a flight to New York. Parker rubbed her tired eyes and rolled her head from side to side.

"You're tense. Shall I help you?"

"Mhm, no, I think it's time to go to bed, we have a big day tomorrow." She put the papers together and stood up. "You coming?"

"Yeah." Jarod blew out the candles on the table and put out the lamp and then followed her. "I hope we thought of everything."

"Jarod, you always think of everything." She sounded much more asleep than awake.

Without thinking, Parker slipped with Jarod into his room, just like they were use to it. She had already thrown her clothes on the couch and curled on the bed while Jarod undressed. Though Parker seemed to be asleep within minutes, Jarod lay restlessly awake for hours. His mind just couldn't get any rest.

When he turned over for about the hundredth time, Parker woke again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Jarod whispered.

"It's OK. What time is it?"

"Ahm, 2 a.m."

"Can't sleep?"

Jarod nodded and Parker chuckled in response. "You know, my mom use to sing to me when I couldn't sleep." She smiled at the memory of those pleasant times that where so long ago.

"So..."

"No, no, I'm not gonna sing for you! You can get the cd-player if you want," she laughed.

"Oh, please, no one ever sang for me, well, not that I remember."

"No, but I think I remember something that will surely make you sleep like a baby afterward." She smiled seductively and let her fingers glide down the side of his face, guiding him to her.

"You do?"

"Mhmmmm."

"Mhmmmm! Have I ... told you ... how ...beautiful ... you are?" he said between kisses.

"No.... but ... you .....mhm.... are quite .... handsome.... yourself," she responded.

The next morning

"Oh no, you can call them this time." Sydney protested when Broots asked if he would call Jarod and Parker for breakfast.

"OK, but take care of the flapjacks." He threw his towel on the table and went up. He didn't see Sydney grin as he walked over to the stove.

Broots knocked on Jarod's door first because he hoped Jarod would wake Parker later.

Knock, knock.

Nothing. After a short while Broots tried again. Still nothing. No, wait, he heard something. He knocked again.

"What?" Miss Parker's unmistakable voice shouted sleepily from inside.

Broots stepped back and looked again at the door. Was this Jarod's room or did he mixed them up again?

"Mhm, breakfast. Don't you wanna come down? The boat will pick you up in one and a half hours."

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming." She mumbled and Broots strolled away. He didn't even tried to knock on her door because they surely didn't just switched rooms. This time he couldn't hide his grin when he entered the kitchen.

"Ah, oh, what the hell did we do last night, I every muscle in my body hurts." Jarod wheezed when he tried to stand up.

"Well, for my part, I'm feeling just great." Parker leaned over and gave him a sweet good morning kiss.

She hopped out of the bed and grabbed her clothes, "I'll go shower first, you can sleep a bit longer. You can use the rest." She grinned evilly and slipped out the room while Jarod sank back on his pillow. Aaah, He hadn't realized what aching muscles were before.

Jarod went to the kitchen cupboard to get more bread and Parker followed him. "Stop that!" she leaned in and whispered as she filled her cup with coffee.

"Stop what?"

"That goofy grinning! You look like a fool."

Sydney threw Broots a knowing look and tried to hide his smile.

"Mhm. I'm just lucky," he responded still grinning.

"I know but do me a favor and don't let everybody else know, OK."

"Ah, come on. They are our friends. Besides, they know it anyway." Jarod stopped when he heard Angelo chuckle. "OK, OK." He leaned further toward her but she lightly pushed him back and sat down at the table, every eye on her and Jarod.

Parker cursed herself and after a moment she turned again to Jarod who had sat next to her. "We'd better hurry. The boat will be here in a few minutes." She ate the last bit of her bread and was about to put her things in the sink when Broots stopped her. "Hey, you go pack and we'll do everything down here."

"OK, thanks." She flashed him a small smile.

Jarod swallowed the the last of his breakfast and headed after Parker.

"See ya in a few minutes." She disappeared into her room and left Jarod feeling confused outside. He shook his head and went into his own room. Jarod finished his packing very quickly, he was use to it. He sat his bag down in front of Parker's door, knocked and entered.

"Hi!" he grinned.

"Hi." She was standing halfway in the closet cursing. "Shit!"

"Can I help you?" Jarod walked up behind her.

"No, I just can't find my watch. I thought I might have left it in my jacket."

"Well, if you mean this one? You left it on my nightstand." He showed it to her.

"Oh, yeah, thanks." She grabbed it and hurried through the room.

"Hey ... What's up?" Jarod asked softly.

"Nothing, but if you didn't realize it, we're late." She zipped her bag, fastened her holster in the small of her back and put on her jacket.

"Ready?" she asked Jarod, who was staring at her.

"Mhm, sure. Do you really think you need this?" He patted her back when she walked past him out the door.

"I hope not but better safe than sorry, right?"

Sydney, Broots, Debbie and Angelo walked them down to the shore where the boat waited for Jarod and Miss Parker.

"Be careful," Sydney said hugging Jarod.

Debbie said good-bye to Parker. "What are we going to do if you don't come back?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it. We will come back soon, I promise!" Parker kneeled so Debbie could hug her.

When Parker let go of the girl, she stood and took Angelo in her arms. At first, he just let his arms hang to his sides but he then quickly took hold of her.

"Hope," he whispered in her ear like he had once before at the Center.

"Yeah, *Hope*." Parker let go of him and ruffled his hair. "We'll never give up hope!" she said, making him grin like a fool.

"Are you sure Kyle was your only brother?" Parker smirked at Jarod.

"Hey folks, don't you want leave?" the captain shouted.

"Yeah, we had better hurry if we want to stay on time." Jarod lifted his and Parker's bag onto the boat and climbed up after her.

Broots followed them. "See you in a few hours," he called to Syd, Angelo and his daughter.

"Bye!"

Jarod and Broots looked at every single laptop in the town's computer store while a bored Parker stood beside them. "Haven't you found anything yet?" She began tapping her fingernails on the glass counter.

"Mhm, I think we should take two of these and the internet access stuff plus two of those cell phones over there. What do you think, Jarod?" Broots didn't dared make Parker more impatient. Though she had softened a bit, which he would never admit out loud, he was sure she would still bite if he annoyed her.

"Yeah, that's a good choice," Jarod responded and signaled to the salesman to get them their things.

After Jarod paid the bill, they drove to the airport and Broots walked them to the gate. Broots handed Miss Parker the bag with the laptop because Jarod carried both of their luggage.

"Mhm, well ... bye then." He uncomfortably shifted from foot to foot. Jarod put the bags down and shook Broots' hand. "Take good care of the others, OK? You know where everything is? The money we left you ..." "... is in the closet of your room, I know, I know." Broots cut him off, they had discussed this more than once. When he turned to Parker, he hugged her quickly and stepped back. "Good luck. Bye."

"Bye." Parker grinned evilly. She would have slapped him if she wasn't carrying the damn computer. "Oh, and Broots..."

"What?"

"Don't chat with anybody on the net."

"Why?"

"Because some of your buddies could be from the Centre."

"No, I can't imagine that...."

"Well, I've chatted with you before."

"What?" Broots stumbled. "When? Mhm, I mean under what name?"

"Find out." She smiled even more evilly and left him standing there like a fool.

Broots strolled away and waited in the visitors area until the plane took off.

He tried to remember with whom he could have chatted that might have been her. he thought.

Parker checked them in and half an hour later they were in the air. "Poor Broots," Jarod began. "Did you really talked to him over the net?" Parker chuckled and nodded.

"And, what did you talk about?"

"You're a bit curious, are you?"

"Yes!" Jarod laughed.

"Not much, we just talked about nonsense."

"So, now it's just the two of us." Jarod grinned boldly, changing the subject and leaning over to caress her hair and kiss her throat.

"Jarod, stop that!"

"Why?"

"Not here."

"But why? We're almost alone."

"Just don't, OK. I don't want to argue with you about it."

Jarod leaned back in his seat and pouted, "Okaaaay."

After a while of doing nothing but stare out of the window, Jarod grew bored. He looked at Parker when she laid her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, OK? But I don't ... like to be watched by strange people."

"I think I understand what you mean but there are no cameras here. No one is watching us and they never will again!"

Parker closed her eyes as Jarod reached out and caressed her cheek, turning her slightly towards him. Parker took his hand in hers and kissed his palm.

"Never again."

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