Fanfic

Disclaimer: With the exception of the family, all the characters belong to NBC, MTM and Fox ; I'm just borrowing them for my story. Please don't sue:)

Time For Reunion

Part 2

by Vania

It's 10 am and Jarod is still in Seattle trying to find Julia's mother. Her name was Linda and he had spotted her working in a restaurant. Several people had seen her around, so he decided to go there with the child. He also had to act quickly, because he had set up a meeting with Samantha Waters and he also had a plane to catch to Delaware. 

But all that mattered now was this little girl and all he could do was to hope that the mother would accept her. What kind of mother wouldn't? Will she just abandon the child and let her go to an orphanage? That kind of thought went through Jarod's mind as soon as he saw the woman. She was in her thirties, had dark hair pulled up into a pony tail, her eyes were green and was serving coffee to a man sitting on a table next to the window. Apparently that man was the owner and was arguing with the woman. The restaurant was nice but the owner didn't seem so nice. As Jarod kept the girl from seeing the fight and was buying an ice-cream, he watch the whole conversation. He was firing her and she was pleading him not to. 

Once the conversation was over and she took off the apron, Jarod, who was on the outside of the restaurant with Julia, approached her and immediately the little girl recognized her. They both ran to each others arms. Jarod was very relieved to see that his worst fears had gone away. The woman loved that child, so why did she left? However, Jarod couldn't interrupt that manifestation of joy. The better he could do was to stand there just looking at the two. 

But Julia suddenly interrupted saying "See mom, this is the man I told you about." as she pointed to Jarod, who was now approaching the two. 

"Nice to meet you. My name is Jarod." 

He started explaining that her ex-husband was dead and that he started looking for her, because if he didn't Julia would be sent to an institution. Then he told her how did he got there: he was working with him in order to put a end to the robberies and the murderers. Mark (this was his name) was a very rich man, with a lot of properties, but he was exploiting his renters, taking to much money out of it. All this because he wanted to sell the building to a big corporation and the renters were too old and he couldn't just put them out of their houses. But waiting for them to die would be a long wait so the corporation started to kill them leaving no traces of the crime, whatsoever. 'Till they made a mistake, Jarod showed up and stopped it. Now some of the mans of the corporation were in jail waiting for a trial and Mark was dead - killed by a gunshot in the head by the same corporation that was doing business with him.

That was the reason Linda left in the first place, but he didn't let Julia go. So she came to Seattle and started working in restaurants, trying to make some money for her daughter and her. That's when she started wondering what to do now. She was unemployed and Julia was with her, but how to sustain both of them? 

"Well" Jarod started "I thought you could use some help" and handled Linda an envelope full of cash. 

"Jarod, I can't accept this!"

"It's okay. Besides that money belongs to you and your family. You know, Mark was a very rich man after all." 

He stepped closer to Julia and told her to take good care of her mother, as he turned to leave.

"Jarod! Thank you for bringing her back to me." Linda said watching him go away.

****

At The Centre, Broots is typing in his keyboard at full speed. "If I don't find who this guy is and where did he came from, soon he won't the only one in trouble." As soon as he finished his thought, the sound of high heals resounded in the Sim Lab and Broots continued typing, never removing his face from the monitor. 

"Anything new?" This was her regular morning compliment.

"Good morning, Miss Parker. Hm... no." As he swallowed hard. "But I'm running out of choices. I already checked all the office staff and I'm reaching the field ones."

"How much time is that going to take?" 

"An hour. Maybe less."

"I'm going to Sydney's. Call me if anything change." And she left heading to her old friend's office. 

Sydney was in his office, watching an old sim performed by Jarod when he was still a child. 

"I can't do it, Sydney!" the boy cried.

"Of course you can. You shut down now, and we all die. You too."

"Memory Lane, Syd?"

"Miss Parker!" He hurriedly shut down the case and turned to her. "Has Broots found the insider yet?"

She let out a frustrated "No." 

"Is anything wrong, Miss Parker?" Jarod's mentor asked concerned.

"Just the same: The Centre. All things that happened on this last months."

"Have you seen Ethan since the explosion?"

"I never saw him again. He must be with Major Charles and the rest of the happy family."

"They are a family, but I doubt about being happy. They have been separated all these years and the way they finally met is not the best either. But despite all that happened in their lives they still manage to be together."

"What's your point?"

"The truth is that they are a very united family and they don't even know themselves. On the other hand, you always knew your family and you don't seem to have the kind of connection they share."

"We have our differences..." Miss Parker replied.

"But you still have issues with them. Maybe its time you start believing in them."

"Are you talking about Lyle? The guy that marries oriental women and then kills them and eats them?"

"There's no proof that he really eats them. Maybe he just made that tattoo to convince Ki Mok that he was one of them."

"Why are you defending Lyle so much? Did he pay you?"

"No, Parker. All that I'm trying to say is that you should trust your feelings. They're right. If you feel that there's something wrong, then correct it. That's what you should do. And Ethan is your family too. You should help him. And Jarod. That's what your mother would've wanted you to do."

"I can't do that, Sydney! You know that the only way I can help Jarod and myself is to bring him back!" She was really starting to lose it with Sydney. "By the way, tell me Sydney who was that girl my brother and Cox kidnapped?"

"I know the same as you do, Miss Parker. She was having something with Jarod, so they realized they would catch Jarod if they had her."

"Another ruin. They weren't counting with the Major. I would have liked to see their faces when he saved her. Lyle was not amused." A small smile in her face.

"Neither was the Triumvirate when they knew about this."  

"Tell me, Sydney. Do you think that thing with Jarod and that girl is serious?"

"I never saw Jarod like this. He really cares about this girl but as long as The Centre is in the way, they can't have peace. Worried about that, Parker?"

"Why should I worry?"

"I always hoped to see you two together some day."

"It's never going to happen, Sydney!"

Her cell phone rang. "Finally!" she said.

"What?"

"I-I found the mole, Miss Parker."

"We'll be right there." And they broke the connection.

"Let's go Sydney, Broots has news!"

****

Meanwhile, Jarod was arriving Delaware. He was already late to his meeting with Sam. Last time they met she had sensed something wrong with him and she almost saw who he was on reality. 

She had left the crimes department and was now working in more "regular" cases. At least that was what she thought. She was not a "profiler" anymore: she quit. Living with the psycho 'Jack-of-all-Trades' had been tough. Now that he was gone, it was time for a new life: a real life, with her daughter, her friends and, of course, new cases.

In the "Garden Restaurant", Sam sat impatiently waiting for Jarod to arrive. She was already thinking he wasn't going to come when a man with dark hair and dark coat sat in front of her. She recognized him immediately.

"I thought you weren't coming." She started.

"I'm sorry. But I had something to do in Seattle and took me more than I expected."

"You told me you wanted to talk to me about a case I'm working on. About that corporation in Blue Cove, right?"

"Yes. Do you know why I wanted to talk to you?"

"Well, I suppose you know exactly what they are doing there, since you're one of the people involved."

"I am involved but not in the way you think I am. I though that last time we met you had understood part of me."

"I thought you were a nice guy, that missed his family, friends and that inside that guy was a frightened little boy. But once I saw you performing all those sims I realized that once in my life I had reached the wrong conclusion."

"You're wrong! They made me doing the sims! I was stolen from my parents by The Centre, because they wanted to exploit my genius! You see, I'm a pretender. I can become anyone I want to be. One day, I ran away from The Centre, and now they're after me!"

"Then, if you're running from The Centre what do you wanted to tell me that I don't already know?"

"That you can't continue this investigation!"

"What are you saying, Jarod! I can't stop this! There's too much evil going on there!"

"I know. But you don't know The Centre. They'll find out the infiltrated agent and they will kill him, and then they'll go after you. This is The Centre I know. Innocent people are killed by them!"

"Listen, I'm too advanced now, so I will continue. They don't scare me, Jarod! I lived four years of my life with 'Jack-of-all-Trades", I'm sure I will survive to a corporation."

"You will put in danger lots of people that work there and have nothing to do with their projects."

"I will try not to. Who do you think I am?"

"Then, let me help you with the investigation."

"I suppose I can do that. You can help me with some loose ends."

****

In the Chairman's office, Mr. Parker, Mr. Cox and Mr. Lyle were discussing the new situation. They had spotted the FBI files and have found the insider. 

"There's a traitor in The Centre!" Mr. Cox began.

"Do you know who he is yet?" Mr. Parker questioned his son.

"Yes, sir." said Lyle.

"Then what are we doing to act. Kill him!" Parker ordered.

The youngests left the office as soon as the Chairman said that words. That's when the door begins to open again. Thinking it might be Cox and Lyle, Mr. Parker started "Didn't I told you what to do about him?". In spite of an answer, Mr. Parker heard the sound of two very rusted wheels. Knowing that sound, Mr. Parker looked to the man in his office and began to speak.

"What are you doing here? We had a deal!"

"Calm down, Parker!" that rough voice said "I thought it was time for me to show up and pay a visit to the rest of the mortals."

"You're officially dead, Raines!" Mr. Parker said really upset.

"That was just another of your games! Now is time to show up again. I heard you have a problem in hands. Who is he?"

"I already have Lyle and Cox taking care of that! Now get out of my office! You'll know who he was in the meeting." Parker said in as a last order.

****

Somewhere in The Centre, Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney were heading to the man that had been risking his life to put an end to the corporation. She never suspected him. It's true that he was different from the other sweepers, but he always did what the Tower ordered him to. What mattered now was to save him from his final destination. If The Centre hadn't found it yet, they still had a chance.

They knew they were too late, when they heard gunshots. There was nothing they could do and soon they were in the same room with the three men.

Sam's body laid lifeless on the floor. Lyle's gun still trained on him, slowly pulled away. 

"Why did you have to kill him?" Miss Parker asked almost screaming.

"He was danger for The Centre!" her brother began "He was exposing us to the outside world!"

"You know how much danger that means!" Cox added.

Then, Mr. Raines appeared with his sweepers, and before everyone could breath normally, Mr. Parker showed up.

"I saw you dying!" That's all Miss Parker could say. 

"Call it a miracle." The "undead" said.

"Leave no traces!" Mr. Parker ordered to the sweepers/cleaners and then headed to his daughter and left, along with Cox, Lyle and Raines.

There was nothing they could do. Sam was already dead. So, they left , watching the others do what they were told.

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