Fanfic

Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘The Pretender’ or any of its characters. They rightfully belong to NBC, MTM, TNT and Pretender Productions. Man this is getting depressing! I’m not doing this for the money, but for my sanity. Please don’t sue. Thanks, Thunderchild.

Guardian Angel

Part 1

by Thunderchild

It has been a week since Tommy was murdered and Parker’s nightmares are only getting started.

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MONDAY 9, OCTOBER 2000:

PARKER MANOR:

3:30A.M.

Parker was jerked from her sleep suddenly. It took her a few minutes to gather her bearings and she noticed Tommy wasn’t beside her. *You probably woke up when he got out of bed, stop been so jumpy* She scolded herself. She got out of bed and walked to the bathroom while she was putting her dressing gown on.

The shower was running, so naturally she presumed that Tommy was in there and she started to pore her heart to him. "Use all the hot water and I’ll kill you." She washes and dries her face. "I know it’s not easy living with someone like me, I’ve got more baggage than an airport. But I want you and me to work. I’m committed to making you and me work." She turns round, leaning against the sink and staring at the floor. "I just spilt my guts all over the imported Italian tiles, the LEAST you could give me is a grunt." She laughs gently. "Tommy?" She opens the shower curtain and the smile on her face disappears. "Tommy?" She asks more urgently and leaves the bathroom.

When she is walking across the living room, it has been completely trashed. Papers are lying all over the floor, chairs tipped over and looking like a tornado went through her living room. She walks over to the opened front door, but something on the floor makes her lose her balance and she takes a step back from the area. She puts her fingers to the floor where she slipped and when she looked back at her fingers. Blood. *Oh God!* She thought and ran round the house frantically looking for him.

When she found him, he was leaning limply against the wall of the house, his arms hanging lifelessly at his side and surrounded by blood. His blood. "TOMMY!" She screamed and ran over to him, dropping at his side, holding and stroking his head gently, while crying…

She sat up in bed screaming. "I HEARD THEM! I HEARD THEM!" With that she ran out of her room downstairs and out to where she found Tommy.

That’s where she stayed for the rest of the night.

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PARKER MANOR:

9:45A.M.

Sydney and Broots just pulled up outside because they were trying to get in contact with her but she wasn’t answering her phone and she was now over 2½ hours late for work, which was most unlike Parker. Unless there was something seriously wrong.

Since the death of Tommy, Sydney has noticed a BIG difference in the way she has been acting at The Centre and he was worried about her.

Knocking at the door for five minutes hasn’t gotten them anywhere, so Sydney worked up the nerve to unlock the door and go inside. He unlocked the door with a key that Parker leaves on the pole of her porch, just in case of an emergency. This would count for such a reason. "Parker?" He called through the house. No answer. "Broots you can check downstairs, while I have a look upstairs." He said as he walked up the stairs.

"OK Syd." He walked nervously through the house. *If Parker knew that I was here, she’d KILL me* Broots thought. When he walked over to the back door, it was opened. He walked outside and turned the corner, then he saw Parker in shorts and T-shirt, leaning heavily against the wall and shivering, with the cold temperature outside, her skin was starting to turn a light shade of blue. "SYDNEY!" Broots called out and ran over to her. "Miss Parker, can you hear me? It’s Broots." He said to her as he put his coat around her.

"Broots?" Sydney stepped out onto the porch and then he saw Parker’s fragile form, shaking uncontrollably and turning blue with cold. "You didn’t stay out here dressed like that, did you?" He said sadly as he ran over to her. He felt her forehead. "She’s burning up…"

"I heard them." She chanted in between shudders.

"We have to get her inside before she gets hypothermia." Sydney said as he lifted her into his arms and started to carry her inside.

"NO! I want to stay with Tommy." She started to struggle weakly.

"Easy Parker, I’ll take you to see him when we get you warmed up." Sydney said to her as they walked into the house. "Shut the door Broots." He shut the door quietly.

"I heard them…I heard them…I heard them." She chanted as Sydney laid her down on the couch.

"Who Parker?" Sydney asked as he covered her in a blanket, which she just tossed back off.

"Them…I heard them." She said weakly.

"Broots could you get some more blankets out of the cupboard over there." Sydney said as he tried to make her lie down. Broots walked over and got two large blankets from the cupboard.

"Here you go, should we call someone at The Centre and tell them about Parker?" He asked.

"No, not unless she gets worse." He said as he was struggling with Parker. "Please Parker, stay down." He pleaded. "Broots get a damp cloth." He instructed. Broots scuttled off again.

Jarod was looking at her house from a distance, but when he saw Sydney and Broots go in, he became concerned. *Why is Sydney here? Why didn’t she go to work today?* He started to make his way to take a closer look.

"Please Parker, I’m trying to help." Sydney had put the cloth on her face and she flicked it off.

"No! I want to go back to Tommy." She was pushing him away. Broots came over and pulled her back down by her shoulders. "No!" She groaned and tried to get away.

Jarod came up behind them and he watched Sydney struggle with Parker. "You’re going about this all wrong." He walked over to them.

"Jarod! Please help me, she won’t stay down." Sydney said pleadingly.

"Hand me cloth and step back." He walked closer to the couch. Sydney stood up and handed him the cloth. He sat down next to her and put the cloth on her neck. She flinched away from the cloth, but then she rested her cheek against it. He tucked the blankets around her tightly. "She didn’t know what you were trying to do." He moved the cloth from her neck and onto her face.

"I heard them…I heard them…I heard them." She started chanting.

"She was chanting that when I found her." Broots said.

"Heard who?" Jarod asked her as he folded the cloth and wiped her face.

"Them…I heard them." She drifted into a light sleep, but jerked back and started to shiver. "Can’t go to sleep."

"Shh, you can go to sleep and NOTHING is going to happen." He answered. "You can go back to work if you wanted Syd."

"We can’t. If we go back and tell them that Parker’s sick, they’ll ALL come running over and in her present state it might seem strange if we leave her." Sydney explained.

"You have a point. Broots could you stand guard at the door and say if anyone comes?" He asks him. Broots nods and walks over to the door and watches. "Syd, could you get me a hot drink for her?"

"I was just about to go and get her something." Sydney walked into the kitchen.

"Tommy." She tried to sit up.

"No Parker, lie down." Jarod pushed her down gently.

"I want to see Tommy." She punched him weakly.

"Tommy is dead Parker, he died six days ago. You can’t see him." He pushed her flinging fists down.

"HE’S OUTSIDE AND HE NEEDS ME!" She cried.

"Parker, Tommy is dead. You went to his funeral was 4 days ago." He explained patiently.

"NO, he’s outside and he NEEDS me." She whimpered. Just then Sydney came back with a mug of Chinese tea.

"Now, how do you propose we give this to her?" Sydney walked over to the couch and stood behind them.

"You can sit behind her and stabilise her, while I help her to drink it." He moved down the couch and put the mug on the table. Jarod leant over and lifted her into a sitting position so Sydney could sit behind her. Jarod gently rested her against Sydney’s shoulder and picked the mug up from the table. "Now are you going to be a good girl and drink this?" He asked her.

"No." She groaned and turned her head away from him.

"Thought so, we’ll have to do this the hard way." Jarod said to Sydney and gently put his hand under her chin, to be able to hold her head to help her drink. When he was giving her the hot liquid they both felt her flinch. "It’s not that hot." Jarod said gently.

When the mug was empty, she was starting to fall asleep with Sydney behind her back. "Do you want to get up?" He asked him. Sydney nodded. Jarod put his arms around her and pulled her forward.

"Tommy?" She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No Parker, its Jarod." He tried to explain.

"Don’t you love me anymore?" She sounded hurt.

"Play along." Sydney whispered.

"Of course I still…love you." He said nervously.

What? You always wanted to tell her.

*Yeah, when she knew it was ME not TOMMY*

"Then why did you leave me? Why did you get up?" She asked him confused.

"It was about time I got up." He said, starting to feel a little more comfortable.

"You should have stayed." She said weakly and fell asleep.

*I won’t be leaving again Angel, I promise* Jarod thought.

"Umm…We have a problem." Broots said nervously.

"What?" Sydney walked over to the door.

"Lyle." He answered.

Jarod looked up quickly and then tried to get Parker, gently but quickly, off him. When he got her off him, he ran over to Catherine’s sunroom. "Tommy!" She screamed and started crying.

"Syd, lock this behind me." He said. Sydney came over, locked the door and pushed the key under the door to Jarod.

"Easy Parker, he’ll be back in a while." He said to her gently. She quieted down a little but she was whimpering.

"I WANT TOMMY NOW!" She screamed.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Broots opened the door as Sydney sat next to Parker and tried to quiet her down. "Yes Mr Lyle?"

"Where’s my sister? And what are you doing in her house?" He snarled.

"She’s over here Lyle." Sydney signaled him over to the couch.

"What the Hell happened?" Lyle asked as he dropped at her side.

"She had a nightmare last night and she spent the night out where Thomas was shot." Sydney explains.

"Why didn’t you call me?"

"I didn’t think you cared."

"I do care!"

"Yeah, about as much as I want a bullet." Broots mumbled.

"What was that?" Lyle’s head shot up.

"N-nothing S-sir." He stuttered.

"What are you doing to get her temperature down?" Lyle asked Sydney.

"Blankets, hot fluids and cool cloth on her face." Sydney told Lyle.

"It’s times like these I wish Mom was still alive or at least Jarod, so she could talk a lot of her problems out. She keeps everything bottled up and it isn’t doing her any good." Lyle said.

"Tommy." She started to whimper and dropped her hand off the side of the couch.

"I’m here Sis." Lyle took her hand. She snatched her hand back.

"I want Tommy." She cried out.

Jarod could only pace in the sunroom and listen to her cry. *I have to get to her* He thought to himself.

You can’t, Lyle’s out there.

*But she’s crying out! I can’t take it* Jarod bit back.

Take it easy, she’s calling Tommy not you. If you go out there now, you’ll go back to Hell. Then where would she be?

"If Jarod was nearby and he knew about Sis was sick would he come and help?" Lyle asked, stood up and started to pace.

"I don’t know, he might and he might not." Sydney lied.

"TOMMY." She let out a blood-curdling scream at which everyone flinched.

Jarod unlocked the door quickly.

JAROD NO! STOP!

He ran over to her, sat down and lifted her into his arms, hugging her tightly and rocking her slowly back and forth. "I don’t care if you take me back I just couldn’t listen to her crying a minute longer." He said to Lyle.

"I won’t take you in, that’s Sis’ job. I just want her to get better." Lyle answered.

"I heard them…I heard them…I heard them." She chanted in his ear.

"Shh." He stroked her head.

"Heard who?" Lyle asked.

"Parker thinks she heard THEM killing Tommy." He whispered. She groped for his hand. When she found it she held tightly.

"Tommy." She cried.

"It’s OK, I’m here." He started to rock her back and forth slowly. Lyle raised an eyebrow in question. "She thinks I’m Thomas."

"Broots why don’t you go and rinse the cloth so I can cool her down." Lyle said.

"Yes sir." Broots took the cloth and walked back into the kitchen. She started to shiver again.

"You cold?" He went to lay her down but she started to whimper.

"Don’t leave me!" She cried.

"Shh, I’ll take her upstairs and put her to bed." He said and he picked her up. She groans at been moved again. "She might settle down when she gets warmed up and comfortable." He carries her upstairs.

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9, OCTOBER 2000:

PARKER MANOR:

2:30P.M.

Parker is tucked up in bed with Jarod sitting beside her, trying to lower her temperature with a damp cloth. Just as he was starting to get her comfortable, Lyle came running up the stairs. "Our father is here." Lyle said out of breath.

"Damnit! He has the WORST timing. Lyle you’ll have to take over while I hide somewhere."

"You could hide in the spare room." Lyle suggests as he sits next to his sister.

"OK." He ran down the corridor and into the spare room.

Downstairs, Broots opened the door and Mr Parker walked in without a word to Broots. Once inside he turned around to face him. "Where’s my daughter?"

"Upstairs sir." Broots answered.

"What happened?"

"She had a nightmare last night and she spent the night outside where she found Thomas." Broots explained.

"Oh God." Mr Parker turned and walked quickly upstairs. When he got to her room and saw her lying there with Lyle wiping her face with the cloth he became alarmed. "My Little Princess." He rushed over to her and touched her face. She started to whimper and thrash around.

"Shh, it’s OK." Lyle whispered and brushed his hand across her forehead. She went quiet and fell asleep. Lyle resumed cooling her face down.

"How is she?"

"Not too good, we can’t get her temperature down." Lyle said quietly.

"My poor little girl, what have you been doing to get it down?" Mr Parker asked.

"Hot fluids, tons of blankets and a cool cloth across her head. Did you come for any particular reason?" He asked as he walked into the bathroom.

"She wasn’t at work, neither were you, Sydney or Mr Broots. I was worried it isn’t like her not to come to work." Mr Parker explained.

"She just lost her lover. It’s any wonder she’s lying here sick." Lyle snarled as he sat back on the bed.

"I didn’t push her into doing ANYTHING!"

"BULLSHIT! You EXPECTED her to stay at work even while you KNEW she was breaking apart!"

"How can she be breaking apart, she’s COLD TO EVERYONE!"

"How dare you!" Lyle hissed.

Mr Parker knows that he had said too much and started to back down. "I didn’t mean that."

"Like Hell you didn’t! YOU’RE THE ONE TO BLAME FOR THE WAY PARKER ACTS TOWARDS OTHERS!" With everyone yelling and snarling, she starts to whimper. "Now look what you’ve done!" He stroked her face. "Do you want you’re father to go?"

"I want Tommy." She cried.

"See, get out!" Lyle growled. Sydney came up.

"I heard her crying and you yelling is everything all right?" Sydney walked over to the bed.

"I WANT TOMMY!" She screamed. Lyle and Sydney stopped breathing when she screamed because if Jarod came running in the game will be up. But he didn’t come in so they started to relax.

"Shh." He stroked her face. She started to calm down.

"What can I do?" Mr Parker asked.

"GET OUT!" She starts to cry again. "Shh, will you just leave your only upsetting her. But tell me why you’re here." Lyle whispered hoarsely.

"I came to check on my daughter, why are you here? You don’t even acknowledge her as your sister." Mr Parker fought back.

"You BASTARD! I’ve treated her better than you ever have DADDY!" Lyle threw at him like a knife.

"I’m sure Sydney and Broots don’t need to be here, so they can go back to work." Mr Parker started to attack someone that wouldn’t fight back.

"I’m not leaving." Sydney bucked up. Mr Parker was taken by surprise by his outburst.

"She’s MY DAUGHTER and if I want you to leave, YOU LEAVE!"

"I’m the one who raised her. Some father you are ALWAYS pushing her away, not showing her how much she means to you! No wonder she hates you enough to kill you." Sydney snarled at him. She starts crying out and she held Lyle’s hand and curled up around him.

"I hate to do this, but could you take this outside. You’re upsetting my sister." Lyle whispered coldly as he stroked her face.

"OK, I know when I’m not wanted. But I’ll be back later." Mr Parker walked to the door.

"Not if I have anything to do with it." Lyle hissed.

"I will be and you can’t stop me!" With that Mr Parker walked out of the room and downstairs. Broots opened the door for the silent Mr Parker and shut and locked it behind him. He went upstairs to see what was going on.

"How is she?"

"Better now that DADDY has left." Lyle said as he continued to stroke her face.

"You can go and tell Jarod that it’s safe to come back." Sydney said. Broots nodded and left the room, walking down the hall.

"Why do you think he came?" Lyle asked Sydney.

"I don’t know but I think we better keep our wits about us just in case he comes back." Sydney said just as Broots and Jarod came back in. Broots stayed by the door.

"Is she OK?" Jarod asked as he walked up to the bed.

"She won’t stop whimpering, I’ve been touching her face and she calms down only to start back again a few minutes later." She starts to cry again. Lyle stood up for Jarod to sit down next to her.

"What did he want?" He asked as he lifted Parker up to hug her, while gently rocking her back and forth.

"Apparently he came to check on Parker. But I wouldn’t believe him." Sydney said. She suddenly fell silent.

"That’s the first time she’s been quiet since you left." Lyle commented.

Jarod just nodded and continued his slow rocking. "We’re not going to trust him because SINCE WHEN has he cared about her enough to come round?" He said angrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and fell asleep.

"She’s glad your back." Lyle smiled.

"I know." He gently stroked her head.

TBC…

Whatcha think? Good? Bad? Should I steal Miss Parker’s gun and shoot myself? Umm...Maybe not. You know the drill. Gimme, gimme, gimme feedback, I need it to survive.

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