Beginnings

By: Thursday's Child

Rating: pg-13

Summary: Miss Parker has just returned from college to begin working at the Centre. This is her first encounter with a grown up, and very attractive Jarod...

Disclaimer: NBC owns the characters, I just play with them

Blue Cove, Delaware

June 15th, 1983

Center Hanger 3

I stepped off the private jet that Daddy had sent for me, onto Daddy's private runway, ready for him to throw his arms around me and tell me how much he had longed to see me. How proud he was that I had finished first in my class and got a free ride to college. How beautiful I had turned out to be, just like my mother.

Instead, a large sweeper, who introduced himself as Sam, greeted me. And all I could think was, 'God, what kind of a hell am I walking into.'

I brushed past security with an air of sophistication and turned my nose to the sky. No one dared to question my authority, though they had no idea whom I might be. I struck them as someone they should not mess with, and boy, could they ever be right.

Older members of the firm, those I remembered somewhat from my childhood, looked as if they had seen a ghost as I walked by. And, in a way, they had. I was a spitting image of my mother, from the neck up. But everywhere else, including my heart, I was the exact opposite of my mom. Her death had transformed me. In one quick moment, the only person in the world who had ever loved me, stole that love away. And it hurt, in ways no one else will ever be able to understand. It had replaced my heart with ice and taken any semblance of love from my mind.

And, if I had been able to feel remorse, I wouldn't have anyway. All I had left was my father, and I had become him, what better way to make him proud of me. I would be everything that he wanted me to be and maybe, someday, I would feel the love I so desperately longed for, from him.

"Excuse me, Miss.", someone called out behind me. I spun on my four inch, stiletto heels to fact the intrusive voice. The young man who had interrupted my thoughts, stared at me like he had the power to make me do as he please. I could tell he was a member of security.

"What." I demanded coolly, turning a submissive question into a deadly threat. My eyes locked onto his, and I saw genuine fear. I had only spoken one word, and I turned him into a scared little boy.

"Um, well...I just..." he stuttered incoherently as I watched in amusement and annoyance.

"Look, I'm sure you think you're just doing your job, but I am a very important person, and I suggest that you go on your merry way, and pray that I forget this incident."

He looked at me dumbfounded and was trying to articulate a reply, when a richly accented voice interrupted his ruminations. "What's the problem here?" it asked, and I immediately recognized the voice as Sydney Greene. He had been a good friend of mine. A very sympathetic source when my mother had died. He was also the only person to visit me while I was in England.

For a moment, I allowed a smile to grace my face, then I turned to face Doctor Greene.

"Doctor Greene, how nice to see you again, it's been too long." I told him, taking his hand firmly in mine and shaking it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, "I thought you were in England."

"Daddy decided he wanted to see me on a regular basis. And, speaking of my father, do you know where he is?" I asked, impatient for him to see me after so long.

The guard, who until this point had remanded quiet, spoke again, "Doctor Greene, do you know this woman?" he asked, still trying in vain, to do his job.

"Syd, I don't have time for this." I began, trying to brush by the guard. The young fool grabbed my wrist in a further effort to stop me.

My patience was slipping rather quickly, and I didn't want to hurt this poor, green- no, wait, I did want to hurt him. "Sydney, will you please tell Bozo the clown here what a horrible mistake he's making."

"It would be wise to let the young lady go." Sydney advised calmly. The man didn't budge, "Unless you want to be fired," Sydney tried again, "I'd let her go."

But it was too late for him. Walking down the hallway, towards our little scene where a small crowd had developed my father came.

Anger was brewing on his face, and I could see it was directed towards the security officer who still had a tight grip on my wrist. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded from the crowd who took a collective step back. My father wasn't someone to mess with.

The guard spun around, dragging me with him, "Sir, this woman broke into the Centre, bypassing security with no explanation."

"You ugly little idiot." I hissed at him, "You should have listened to what I told you to do."

"What should I do with her, Mister Parker?" he asked, ignoring me once again.

The anger coming from Daddy was tangible as he grabbed my free arm a pulled me to him, enveloping me in a hug. "Are you hurt, Princess?" he asked, smoothing my hair.

"I'm fine, Daddy." I told him, looking at the guard with an evil smile that seemed to say, 'You're in for it now.'

"Good, nobody touches my little girl." He let me go and turned back to idiot boy. "What's your name?"

The guard quivered with fear as he realized just whom he had harassed, "Alan McArthy." he said, trying to put on a brave face.

"Well, Mr. McArthy, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm very sorry, Sir, I didn't know she was your daughter, I thought she was trespassing."

"Oh, I see. So you just decided to accost her right here in the middle of the main corridor."

Once again, the man began to babble, but, it was no use, "You're fired." Daddy told him. "Come on, Sweetie, let's go out for lunch." he suggested turning to me, leaving little Alan, dumbfounded.

I was so excited to get out of the dismal confines of The Centre. Excited at the prospect of spending an uninterrupted meal with my father. He asked me about my first quarter of college and listened attentively while I told him of the uneventful time. I was still waiting for him to tell me how he had missed me and how he would never let me go again, but I never heard those words from his lips. Never ever!

He told me I needed to lose that silly English accent. He told me to make quick work of college. He told me I was out of shape and I needed to go to the gym every other day. I needed to start interning at The Centre, because I would start working there even before I finished school. He told me my habits were horrendous and that I needed to see a woman at the Centre who would correct all my flaws. Not a single word of praise! I felt the hollow in my stomach grow larger.

It was a cold, September morning when I saw Jarod. My father sent me down to Sydney, to collect some important test results. He stood in the hallway outside a sim room, elbow propped on the open door, facing me. I could not keep myself from taking a visual inventory of him. Slowly, lazily, I allowed my eyes to burn a trail up his muscular body. He wore a tight, ribbed, grey turtleneck and tight black jeans. His skin was unnaturally tan for someone who spent all of his time inside. My gaze finally landed on his face. The full, kissable pout resting on his lips. When I came to his eyes, I was startled to find him staring at me intently. I felt a violated shiver run through me as he undressed me with his eyes. He smiled sardonically at me, then turned away. I spun about quickly and didn’t come to a stop until I was locked up safely in me office.

Late that evening, I still hid in my room, feeling. I felt. It didn’t matter what I felt, it was the fact that someone had caused me to. I couldn’t tell whether he had simply been a male and stared down a gorgeous young woman. Or, had he been trying to convey to me what words couldn’t. I was really hoping on the latter.

A loud crash interrupted my reverie and I glanced at the source to see the grate covering the ventilation shaft lying on my floor. I stared at it dully, my mind too confused to register what was going on. I turned my eyes to where the grate should have been and saw Jarod, just as his spry form leaped out at me. I guess he was trying to startle me, but it didn’t work. “Can I help you, Wonderboy?” I asked, mockingly. It didn’t faze him, as if he was expecting any possible response. I snorted when he didn’t reply. “That’s what I thought. Anyway, I have to get home. I’m really tired. Maybe you should get back to the maze, before Syd finds out his rat is gone.” I smirked at the beautiful man before me, wanting nothing more than to run my fingers through his close cropped hair. Dip my tongue into the sweet hollow of his throat. Let him have his way and undress me again, only this time literally. Enough of those thoughts! For all I knew, Jarod was the one making me think these evil things and it would be wrong to act on them, since I was under the influence. Yeah, I could see that standing up in court, ‘ Yes your honor, I was under the influence of Jarod.’

I hadn’t moved for at least five minutes and he knew why. He stood before me, that placid smile on his face. The smile I wanted to slap off his face. Or, possibly, the smile I wanted to turn into a kiss. ‘Stop!’ my inner voice shrieked at me. By my motor functions would hear none of it.

Jarod seemed to notice the shift in my attitude towards his presence. “You know, now that you mention it, I really should get back to my ‘labyrinth’, as you said.” In a movement that would put the most graceful dancers to shame, Jarod glided across the room and sprung back into the shaft. Then he was gone.

I was crushed. He had been most obvious in his intentions. Jarod had come here to have his way with me. Then another thought came to mind, ‘what part of me did he want to have his way with?’ I stared forlornly at the open tube, fighting with all my might to resist the urge to follow my childhood friend. No, he would not cause me this trouble. He had played hard to get and now, as far as he was concerned, I was impossible to get.

As I left the Centre and headed home, the lines in my face that expressed hate and pain, softened momentarily. I let myself entertain the thought of making love to Jarod. Sharing myself with him physically, opening my mind to him so we could join mentally. But that would never be the way, the Centre had seen to that.

When I entered the Centre the next morning, he was gone. Oh, damn.