Trail Of Tears
Sequel To 'An Ocean Between Us.'
February 5,2003
Miss Parker
By Adrianne Boudreau
Part Of The Rabilia Series
A Snapshot.
The bright twinkling multi-colored light of dawn stretched out and touched Miss Parker's face as she drove along the highway. Pine trees seemed to litter the edge of the road in a type of greeting that gave her hope as to the end of her journey into the arms of long needed comfort from an old friend. Her topaz colored eyes were brighter than usual as she glanced at the rearview mirror trying to get a glimpse of one of her few reasons for living now.
In the middle of the backseat, strapped with infinite care, was a little boy no more than three years old with dark brown hair that fell dishevled to his little shoulders and his closed eyelids shielded his dark navy blue eyes in sleep.
Thomas-Kyle Parker.
Her somewhat neglected little brother. Another victim of the long list of her family's legacy--The Centre.
Miss Parker's eyes flickered back to the road and, for the first time since Blue Cove, her mouth twitched into a small smile. Several weeks ago, just after Jarod and she had gained the last of the puzzle piece to what was to be the end of the Centre, Angelo approached her about the danger concerning the littlest Parker. Lyle and Raines had big plans for the boy, plans to make him into another 'Jarod'. To truly start his training as a Pretender. The thought squeezed her heart tightly in a death grip. She had to get him out. So just like old times, Miss Parker, Jarod, and Angelo came together to plot and plan the rescue of her little brother.
Ironically enough finishing her mother's work in more ways than one.
The opportunity came on Christmas Eve.
The Centre had gone down to a skeleton crew, Lyle had gone on one of his little 'retreats', while Raines had gone to Africa three days earlier to meet with the Triumverate over approval of a new project that had the excecutives in the tower ga-ga with glee. Unfortunely for them, it was all a ploy set up by her and Jarod.
During the early morning hours, with the help of a mild sedative, Angelo smoothly smuggled the sleeping little boy into one of the unused tunnels that ran from one of the rooms in the sub-levels to the end of the Centre's property. Jarod had found that tunnel several weeks before he attempted to escape.
It was in a mutal decision between the two red-files that T.K., as Jarod came to call him, was to be taken to saftey to Ben's Inn in Maine until the Centre was offical done for, and no harm could come to him. Parker had stayed for a couple of days to get the boy settled and then headed back to the Centre with her Ice Queen mask firmly in place to hide the heartwrenching pain of leaving the little boy with her mother's former lover.
It was almost a month later when she had run from Blue Cove, grieving for the loss of everything that she held dear. Sydney, Broots, and her ever loyal sweeper Sam had gone into hiding. She probably wouldn't ever see them again. And then there was Jarod.
Her best friend, her enemy, her partner in crime.
The one constant in her world filled with secert and lies.
She had left him, it was for his own good and for hers. They had too much history, too much angst between them to ever make a true go at a relationship. Parker would never be accepted by his newly reunited family. She had hunted their precious son, and even though she for years pretended to be a cold hearted bitch, she couldn't rightfully intrude on that.
So she left and hurried to Maine to pick her brother up from Ben before heading out west. Desperate to find some solace from the only person, other than Jarod, Sydney, and Thomas, who ever made her feel human instead of some Centre pawn. The person who, when she was far away from Jarod's reach for ten years, she would send a quick letter or call and everything seemed so clearer.
Parker pulled off the highway and pulled into a Tiger Market© gas station just near the access road.
She sat back in her seat and sighed as she opened the glove box, grabbing a small envelope with a Pike's Peak stamp on the front. She caressed the edges of the envelope before she opened it. Inside there was just a short note on familiar expensive stationary:
Dear Mel,
I have recently moved, and I wanted you to have a key to the new place, that you can use whenever you need to. Please be careful, and I will talk to you soon.
Yours Truly,
S.E. Carter.
P.S. My new address is: 2315 Harrington Way
Colorado Springs, CO 32213
"Melly, where are we?" asked a small quiet voice from the back seat.
Parker‘s head turned to glimpse the dark blue eyes glaring back at her."We're in Colorado sweetheart."
He cocked his head, Parker could see the little wheels turning inside his brain. Imagery making her smile once again.
"Why, are we in Cull-orad-O?"
"We're going to meet a old friend of mine."
"Oh...okay."
"You stay here, I'm going to get some gas."
"Okay Melly."
It didn't take her long to fill her car up with enough gas to make to the trip to the Springs, before she was on the road again. She had thought about maybe stopping at a hotel for some much needed sleep, but something inside her told her to keep going. She was too close to her goal to stop now. So it was after many half-hearted attempts at sing alongs, stopping twice at fast food restaraunts before they passed Denver, and it was another hour when she gave a long sigh of relief as she passed the sign stating: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING COLORADO SPRINGS!
She then once again stopped at a gas station, consulted the road map, and without too much trouble pulled on to Harrington Way. In the background she could hear the quiet voice of T.K. singing 'The Wheels On The Bus.'
It was a pretty street filled with old Victorian and Colonial style houses, filled with typical middle class citzens. Many just coming home from work, kids playing on the sidewalks, and across the way was Milton Park. A somewhat decent sized park, it looked peaceful and inviting. She could imagine going there with T.K.
Parker unbuckled her seat belt, got out and began to help T.K. from his car seat. She was struggling with the aforementioned car seat when she felt a pat on her shoulder. She froze and gave her little brother a questioning look.
"Is this where you friend lives Melly?"
"Yep, and we are going to visit her."
"Is she nice?"
"She is very nice, and she'll just love you T.K."
"Really?"
She kissed him on the nose, making him wrinkle it in the adorable way that made her fall in love with the little tyke just a bit more."Really".
She finally won the war with the car seat, and picked him up and headed to the door. She gave a deep breath, then pushed the door bell twice, and waited for her friend with bated breath.
It was a long moment later when the door flew open to reveal a tall willowy short haired blonde woman, who had eyes the matching hue of blue as Parker. For a second there was a tension filled silence as the two women looked at each other. The blonde woman‘s eyes had gone wide, shock evident on her face, before a wide grin appeared slowly, and she embraced Parker in a hard hug.
"Melly, you hurting me," whined T.K.
The blonde woman quickly let go and looked at the little boy, quirking an eyebrow. "It seems things have changed?" she said.
Parker couldn't speak, she just stared. The emotions that have been boiling down and churning in her stomach since she left Blue Cove and Jarod began to erupt. Before she knew it T.K. was out of her arms and she was wrapped in the warm arms of the one person other than Faith that she could count on as the sister she always wanted and needed.
They stood there for a long while, with her crying on the front step of her long time friend, before she was able to speak. She looked into the identical eyes, cataloging the changes in the woman before her.
" I missed you, Sam."
Sam Carter smiled at her and shook her head in fondness. "I missed you too Mel."
THE END.