This story just started out as a wild idea. This is my attempt to bring it 
together. Many thanks to my great friend "Sunney" who edited it for 
me wonderfully. Thanks a bunch! As always the Characters of Jarod, 
Miss Parker, Sydney, Broots, Mr. Raines, Mr. Parker and Mrs. Parker are 
the property of NBC and MTM entertainment.No infringement 
intended. The rest of the characters however are mine mine mine! 
hehe <g> and on with the fic <g>


 A Child By Any Other Name 
Nirvana Kliese

 Jarod dropped the jacket signaling his previous identity into a large 
wastebasket and rubbed his hands together briskly, struggling to get 
warm in the December cold.

The crisp snow fell slowly, unable to hide the tracks of multitudes 
beneath it's thin white sheets. He walked to a paper stand where a 
young girl stood selling this morning's news. He smiled at her as he 
placed a dollar in her hand and began to leaf through The New York 
Times. The paper was slightly moist from the icy weather and the cold 
wind continued its quest to blow it from his freezing fingers.

He stared down at the stories before him, searching for something to go 
on for his next "mission". He was roused from his thoughts by a young 
female voice, husky from the cold. "The best stories aren't always 
printed." She said softly, noticing his quest for something earth 
shattering.

He turned and smiled at the young paper girl. She smiled back a small 
smile and stuck out her hand for him to shake. "My name's Lisa." She 
introduced herself calmly. "And you are?" "I'm Jarod." He greeted 
warmly, taking her cold hand in his. She nodded in recognition and 
pointed to a large building across the street. "In there." She explained.

Jarod followed her gaze to a large brick building. "Family and Friends 
Orphanage New York" It read in colorful children's lettering. He 
turned back to her and frowned. "What are you talking about?" He 
asked, bemused. She smiled. "I'm talking about a story you'll never see 
in the paper because it hasn't been written yet." Jarod stared at her 
through confused eyes, so she continued. "They need an extra hand in 
there." She said softly.

"What..." Jarod began but she cut him off. "You'll soon see." She 
smiled walking further down the street with her cart load of papers.

Jarod turned to the Orphanage again and stared at it through the 
whirling snow. Its windows were shut tight in an attempt to keep the 
signs of winter on the other side of the glass. He smiled to himself as 
the sight of children dancing around happily came into view. He 
turned back to the street where Lisa had headed moments before, 
hoping to catch another glimpse of her. The street was empty. He 
shrugged, people must walk fast in New York City.

* * * * 

Jarod opened the large doors slowly, shuddering with the contrast of 
weather. He closed the door behind him, greeted by the sound of 
children's laughter. He smiled as the sound rang in his ears for a 
moment. "Can I help you?" The voice was soft and motherly from an 
elderly woman perched behind a large wooden desk. He smiled at her 
and stepped closer. "Yes, my name is Jarod Kinder and I'm a child care 
professional. One of my friends informed me that you have a free 
position here?" He stated, his voice confident and steady. The elderly 
woman's face lit up into a bright smile and she nodded. "Well as a 
matter of fact we do! I don't know how your friend knew about it 
though. It was just decided a few hours ago." She held up a 
handwritten ad. "This was on it's way to the printers." She chuckled 
rising to her feet. She shook his hand happily. "My name's Joyce 
Rowland." She smiled. "But you can call me Joyce." Jarod took her 
outstretched hand and shook it gently. "Pleased to meet you Joyce." He 
greeted softly. She lead him by the hand down a long hallway and to a 
closed door. "Mr. Martain! We have a job applicant." She called 
excitedly, banging on the wooden door. A moment later the door 
swung open and a middle aged man appeared. "We haven't even 
advertised yet!" He chuckled. "How did you know?"

Jarod shrugged. "I heard it from a girl selling papers." They laughed at 
his joke and gestured him into the office.

He took a seat on one of the large arm chairs and let out a deep breath. 
"So Mr......I don't believe we've met." He smiled. Jarod shook his hand. 
"Jarod Kinder. Pleased to meet you Mr. Martain." He said sincerely.

The man nodded. "Do you have experience Mr. Kinder?" He asked 
seriously.

Jarod removed a folder from his briefcase and placed it on the desk 
before him. "My resume." He smiled.

The elder man picked it up and began leafing through the examples of 
Jarod's experience, then smiled. "You're a doctor too?" He asked.

Jarod tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "When I want to be."

The man frowned at Jarod's answer then finally let out a breath. "Well, 
the job's yours if you want it." Jarod nodded. "Thank you Sir, can I start 
right away?" "If you're willing!"

Jarod rose to his feet and exited the office to begin his exploration of 
this new world. 

* * * * 

The children danced happily to the childish music, throwing colorful 
balloons around the decorated room. Jarod smiled as he stepped inside 
and started to walk through the activity. He headed towards a young 
woman seated on the opposite side of the room. She was tossing 
balloons to the children, and continually trying to straighten the party 
hat that kept slipping from her head. Jarod took a seat on the small 
stool beside her and smiled at the happy kids dancing like there was no 
tomorrow. "Hi." She greeted, a smile lighting up her delicate features. 
She brushed the blond hair off her face. "My name's Tracey. You must 
be the new guy." Jarod nodded. "My name's Jarod." He smiled and 
turned to the party. "Someone's birthday?" He asked, gesturing 
towards the festivities.

She pointed to a little girl dancing with the others while munching on 
cake. "Her name's Ania." She smiled. "She's five." Jarod chuckled. 
"Nice party." She nodded. "We try to make their stay here as happy as 
possible." A little boy ran out from the crowd of children and over to 
Jarod. "Will you tie my shoe?" He asked innocently, pointing to the 
stray lace.

Jarod smiled and tied it quickly. The little boy grinned. "Why aren't 
you dancing?" He asked cheerfully.

Jarod exchanged smiles with Tracey and shrugged. "I'm not too good at 
dancing." The boy grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance 
floor with the others. "Everyone's good at dancing! Just feel the music 
man!" He instructed as he broke into a self choreographed rap dance. 
Jarod joined in wholeheartedly, soon dancing like the rest of the 
children. He looked around the room as he danced, his eyes falling on 
a little boy staring sadly out the window. His dark hair was hanging 
over his eyes and he seemed determined to ignore the music and fun 
filling the room.

Tracy noticed what he was looking at and came to his side. "That's 
David." She explained, pointing at the child. "He's six years old and he 
came in about five months ago. He doesn't talk much, keeps mainly to 
himself. We try to get him to join in, we've even had a counselor out 
here to talk to him but he just acts bored. No one knows why." She 
shrugged.

Jarod stared at him and sighed. "I'll go talk to him." He offered softly. 
"Jarod." Her voice behind him was smiling. "Good luck." He smiled 
back and headed towards the boy who seemed oblivious to his 
presence.  He took a seat beside him and bent down to his level. "Hi 
David." He greeted gently. The boy didn't look up, instead he 
continued to trace a number eight on the chair before him. "You like 
the number eight." He smiled. "I do too." The boy looked up at him, 
his big brown eyes bright. "I know you do." He said softly. "And it's not 
a number eight. It's upright infinity." He explained, looking back down 
at the chair as he continued to trace the symbol.

Jarod frowned, surprised that a six year old would know this, or even 
think that way. "Everyone says you're pretty quiet David." He said 
finally, breaking the silence. The little boy shrugged, but didn't answer. 
"My name's Jarod." He continued. "I'm new here and I was wondering 
if you could show me around?" He asked.

Again the child shrugged. Jarod bent lower to catch a glimpse of his 
face, his dark eyes were fixed firmly on his tracing.

Jarod sighed. Something in this child's silence said more than words 
could. "Can I talk to you later David?" he asked softly. The boy looked 
up for a moment and nodded. "Okay." He said, his face solemn.

Jarod rose to his feet and came back to where Tracey was sitting. 
"There's something special about him." He said, his eyes still on the 
small child. Tracey shrugged. "You're the first person to say that." She 
smiled. "But if you can get through to him the staff would be grateful."

Jarod turned to her and smiled. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, 
even inside, and her bright blue eyes sparkled as she smiled. Her blond 
hair was pulled back into a loose braid and her features were fine and 
delicate. "I'll do my best." He answered finally, hoping she hadn't 
noticed him staring at her.

She looked down avoiding his gaze. "Well, I have to get back to the 
party...." She explained softly, moving back into the dancing masses.

* * * * 

The door was pushed open slowly and the little boy stepped into the 
semi-darkness, approaching the man sitting beneath the light of his 
desk on the other side of the room. "Jarod?" He whispered unsurely.

Jarod turned around at the sound of the little boy's voice and smiled. 
"Hi David." He greeted him.

The child smiled a small smile and sat down in the chair beside the 
desk. "What are you doing?" He asked, staring at the papers in front of 
Jarod.

Jarod looked at the newspapers before him and sighed, pushing them 
out of the way. "Just looking for something." He replied.

The boy frowned. "You won't find any stories about here, there's 
nothing to write about."

Jarod raised his eyebrows. "How did you know that was what I was 
looking for?" He asked curiously.

The little boy shrugged and stared back at Jarod. "You said you wanted 
to talk to me." He said softly, his eyes bright and scared. Jarod nodded. 
"I guess I did. You seem a lot more talkative now." He smiled.

The child nodded. "I don't talk to many people. I don't trust them, they 
might be one of them." His eyes went glazed with unshed tears. He 
looked away.

"Who?" Jarod asked, lifting the small boy onto his lap.

The child shook his head. "Nevermind." He whispered and began to 
trace the infinity symbol again. "Where did you learn that David?" 
Jarod asked curiously.

"My father taught me." He said softly. "He said it meant forever and I 
could do anything in forever." He turned to Jarod. "I can be anything I 
want to be." He stated surely.

Jaord felt the phrase hit home. Whoever this child was, there was 
something different about him.

"I don't like it here Jarod." He said softly. "I feel trapped. Like you used 
to."

Jarod stared at him silently for a moment, looking for something in his 
eyes to understand what he just said. "David what are you talking 
about?" He asked finally, too confused to think of anything else.

The boy continued to stare at him. "You know what I'm talking about." 
There was a moment of silence between them before the boy spoke 
again. "Did you used to feel like no one could understand you?" He 
asked softly.

"Yes I did." Jarod answered. He smiled at the boy, who continued to 
stare at him with wondering eyes. "How do you know so much 
David?" He asked calmly, somehow feeling completely at ease with 
this child who seemed to know everything. It was as if he was talking 
to himself, as if this six year old boy was him.

"I can't tell you." He looked down. "I can't tell anyone." He started to 
sob quietly.

Jarod drew him closer and began to rock him in his arms reassuringly. 
"Hey it's okay. You can trust me, I promise." The boy stared into his 
eyes for a moment. "I know." He paused. "I asked your mind." He 
explained slowly.

Jarod closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was psychic. "Is that 
why you don't talk to people much?"

The boy nodded against his chest, resting back there for a moment. "If I 
tell someone they might get me." "Who are they?" Jarod asked, 
confused by this constant reference. "The people that killed my parents 
for me, they're going to find me." He sobbed quietly.

Jarod passed him a tissue and wiped away a few stray tears. "I don't 
know who they are, but it's going to be all right."

* * * * 

Jarod slid the door of the filing cabinet open smoothly and began to sort 
through the multitude of files that filled it. His mind was still on 
David. Who were these people he kept talking about and why where 
they after him? Jarod closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He already 
knew the answer and that scared him.

"Morris, David" The file read in bold letters. He pulled it out gently 
and placed it on the desk before him. He opened it slowly, being careful 
not to drop any of the many pieces of paper that filled it messily.

He stared down at the report before him and began to read. Name: 
David James Morris Born: Twentieth of June 1991 Originally from: 
unknown Parents died in a hit and run car crash in January 1997.

He sighed as he leafed through the news clippings before him. They 
showed scenes of a car smashed beyond recognition. Beside the picture 
read "Young couple die in hit and run". He felt his stomach twist up 
and he took note of a car in the back of the picture. A black car. A car he 
knew all too well.

He dropped the file on the desk and fought back tears. Now he really 
knew who "They" where.

* * * *  

Jarod was woken from his sleep by the sound of muffled screams. He 
jumped out of bed and ran down the flight of stairs to the room that 
David shared with two other children. When he reached the room he 
ran to his beside with the two other kids trying to wake him. He 
stepped past them and picked the little boy up into a sitting position. 
"David?!" He called softly, shaking the sobbing boy gently.

He opened his eyes with a scream and stared, terror stricken up at 
Jarod.His dark hair stuck to his forehead with beads of sweat and his 
eyes were filled with tears. "Jarod!" he sobbed falling into his arms 
securely.

One of the other children sighed. "At least you can control him." She 
sighed, brushing her red hair out of her sleepy eyes. She seemed about 
ten and was apparently not impressed at the disturbance.

"Does he have nightmares often?" Jarod asked.

She nodded. "Ever since he came here. It's almost impossible to wake 
him." She sighed, heading back to her bunk.

David sobbed quietly for a moment before Jarod scooped him up and 
carried him into another room to avoid disturbing the children any 
more.

He carried him into one of the play rooms and sat him down on his 
lap. He rocked the boy backwards and forwards until his sobs faded out. 
"What were you dreaming about?" Jarod asked finally, lifting the little 
boy's head and staring into his red, puffy eyes.

David sniffed. "I was dreaming about when the car hit mummy and 
daddy." He sobbed. Jarod fought the part of him that felt drawn into the 
situation, but it was in vain as he felt himself take on the identity of 
David Morris....

Their car pulls onto the curb slowly. "OK David, go in and get an ice 
cream for us all OK?" He nods, climbing out of the car and trotting 
towards the shop. All of a sudden he is overwhelmed with heat, as an 
explosion rises up from behind him. There is a deafening sound that 
seems to be a mixture of screams and crushing metal as the car goes up 
in an explosion, it's side crushed beyond recognition. He sees a black 
car pull away from the burning wreckage and drive off apparently 
unscathed. Dropping the money on the sidewalk beside him he lets out 
a strangled scream as the vehicle burns fiercely. He begins to run 
towards it, but feels the strong arm of the shopkeeper around his waist 
holding him back from the inferno.

"Jarod!" David called again, bringing him out of his mind. "Huh?" 
Jarod rubbed his brow and stared down at the little boy. The child's eyes 
softened. "It's scary." He whispered.

Jarod nodded. "I don't have family either." He whispered, his voice 
reassuring. The little boy snuggled into his chest. "You can pretend that 
I'm your family. And you can be mine." He smiled.

Jarod laughed, letting out a shiver as the cool breeze from an open 
window struck him. "I'd better close that." He whispered, starting to 
stand up.

"No I'll do it!" David turned to the window and closed his eyes. Jarod 
watched awestruck as the window creaked closed by itself.

The little boy turned to him and smiled.

* * * *

 Jarod knocked on Mr. Martain's office. "Come in." said a gruff voice 
from behind the thick wood. He pushed the door open slowly and 
smiled. "How are you Mr. Martain?" He asked with a smile as he sat 
down in the chair before his desk.

"Well I'm fine, but I know for a fact that's not why you came in here, 
so why don't you just break the suspense." The man chuckled.

Jarod smiled. "OK, you got me." He sobered. "I'm here regarding David 
Morris." He stated.

The elder man removed his glasses and sighed. "That boy is too 
intricate for me to understand. One minute he seems smarter than 
Einstein and the next he seems like this lost, shy child."

Jarod nodded. "I know, but I've talked to him and I have reason to 
believe that he may have a very high IQ, I was after your permission to 
test him."

Mr. Martain raised his eyebrows. "David...a genius?" He asked.

Jarod shrugged. "Well I'm not so sure, it's just a hunch." He smiled. 
"I've learnt to follow those."

Mr. Martain chuckled. "Well sure, go ahead."

Jarod rose to his feet and headed towards the door. "Jarod?" Mr. 
Martain called from behind him.

He turned around to face him and the elder man smiled. "Good luck."

Jarod smiled back and nodded.

* * * *

  Broots hit the Enter key and cheered softly. They had a hit, not on 
Jarod, but someone just as good. He printed the location quickly and 
headed up to Mr.... Parker's office.

When he pushed the door open he stopped at the sight of Miss Parker 
chatting to her father happily. He stood still for a moment, unsure of 
whether she was to know about this project. Mr. Parker had always 
kept his daughter apart from cases involving children. She guessed he 
was afraid that she'd turn into her mother. He was probably right.

"Um, Mr. Parker do you want me to come back?" He asked unsurely.

He opened his mouth to speak but Miss Parker cut him off. "Come on 
in Broots, what is it?"

He exchanged glances with Mr. Parker, but in the end was forced to 
show the contents of his folder. "Mr. Parker, we, um, we have a 
location of David Morris," he paused as Miss Parker snatched the file 
from his hands, "He's at the Family and Friends Orphanage in New 
York." Miss Parker continued to leaf through the file before she turned 
to her father. "This one seems like quite a genius." She commented, 
raising her eyebrows. "How are you going to get him?"

He shrugged. "We don't know. Adoption maybe? Then we'd be legal." 
Mr. Parker fought a smile. And he had doubted her. "But, adoption can 
be picky." He shrugged. "They want to know too much."

She nodded. "Suppose we can find out a way to verify false details? Or 
even work out how to make it look like we've been trying to adopt 
him for months?"

Mr. Parker nodded, visibly impressed. "I'll leave it up to you." He 
smiled, patting her on the shoulder.

* * * *

 "What is it Broots?" Miss Parker asked irritably. Her hands were still 
full of the papers she was going through regarding the adoption of 
David Morris.

Broots turned to her nervously, with a hint of excitement in his eyes. 
"Miss Parker, you will not believe what I found out."

She raised her eyebrows. "Try me."

He typed on the keyboard for a few more minutes bringing up a list of 
names. "Friends and Family Orphanage in New York recently had a 
new addition to their staff."

She looked over his shoulder. "Don't tell me..."

He nodded. "Mr. Jarod Kinder started working there a few days ago."

She got to her feet and chuckled. "He should get an original name." 
She grinned. "None the less this is like hitting the jackpot."

Broots smiled. "Have you got the papers ready?"

She rubbed her forehead and lit another cigarette, inhaling its smoke 
deeply. "Nope. We're just going to have to go back to good old-
fashioned kidnapping." She said unemotionally. 

* * * *

 Jarod moved his Monopoly piece two steps further. He sighed, "Go to 
jail." He shrugged moving his piece to the appropriate square.

Ania grinned. "My turn!" She grabbed the dice and rolled it slowly.

Jarod turned his head to David and smiled at him. The little boy smiled 
back unsurely. "Monopoly IS fun." He grinned.

Jarod chuckled. "I'm glad you let me talk you into playing it." Earlier 
that day Jarod had put David through a basic IQ test. As he suspected, 
the child proved brilliant. His IQ was only a few points lower than his 
at 185. Every time he learned something new about this boy, reasons 
why the Centre would want him came even more clear.

"Jarod?" Tracey's head peaked around the door. She smiled. "Jarod can 
we get you to go for a drive down to Toys R Us to pick up some more 
toys for the kids? You got the winning vote to be the one to do it. You 
pick the best ones according to the kids. Just no more Mr. Potato heads 
OK?" She grinned.

Jarod laughed. "I promise."

David jumped to his feet anxiously. "Can I come please?"

Tracey raised her eyebrows. "David, you don't ask to go out much."

David shrugged. "I like Jarod I wanna go out with him." He turned to 
Jarod. "Can we walk?" He asked, his big, brown eyes pleading.

Jarod exchanged glances with Tracey. She shrugged. "It's up to you."

David smiled pleadingly. "Please?" Finally Jarod nodded. "Okay, but 
just this once."

David grinned. "I'll go get my shoes." He ran up the long flight of stairs 
to his room.

Tracey shook her head at Jarod good naturedly. "I don't know how you 
did it, but that boy has come out of his shell like I never thought he 
could." She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I'm very 
impressed."

Jarod smiled back. "He's a very smart child, he just needs to feel safe." 
She nodded, sobering. "What's that about anyway?" She asked softly.

Jarod hesitated for a moment, wondering who was safe. "There's 
reason to believe that the hit and run with David's parents was an 
intentional attempt to get to him."

Her eyes were confused. "Why?"

Jarod avoided her gaze. "There are people who are after David because 
he's smart."

She lifted his chin up so that he looked at her. "Why do I get the 
feeling he's more than just smart?"

Jarod took a deep breath. "He's psychic and he seems to know how to 
use it."

She nodded and smiled a sincere smile. "I'm glad you found out."

Jarod looked confused. "You knew?"

She nodded unsurely. "He didn't tell me. He didn't tell anyone. I just 
saw something. At first I was frightened by it." She looked at him as if 
she should have felt bad about being scared.

Jarod smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's OK to be afraid 
sometimes."

Her eyes brightened at his understanding and he continued. "I saw him 
pick up his shoes." She bit her lip. "But he didn't touch them." She 
sighed. "I was going to tell Mr. Martain. I thought he should know. 
Then something inside me told me not to, I knew there was a reason to 
keep it quiet."

Jarod nodded. "There is, believe me."

"Who is it that's after him?" She asked. Her eyes were bright and 
intrigued, yet full of fear at the same time. "They're from a place I used 
to know." He sighed, a hard lump forming in his throat.

Hearing the emotion in his voice she retreated, still slightly 
frightened.... "Who are you Jarod?" She asked, her words interrupted 
by David's voice. "He doesn't know who he is." He said softly causing 
them both to look to him. He bit his lip. "I'm sorry Jarod, I didn't mean 
to say anything."

Jarod shot an unsure look at an intrigued Tracey, then bent to David's 
level, a small smile forming on his lips. "It's OK." He smiled, scooping 
the little boy onto his hip. "We have to go." He explained, heading 
towards the door.... "Jarod." She called from behind him, her eyes 
wondering and reassuring at the same time. He turned to her and 
walked back to her side. She smiled. "It doesn't matter who you are 
Jarod." She said softly, her smile kind.

* * * *

 David skipped along down the street with Jarod in tow. "Everyone 
likes you!!" He called back to Jarod, causing him to grin.

"Is that so?" Jarod asked, smiling at the little boy's theory. "Yep." He 
nodded, turning back to Jarod and grinning, "You know why?"

"Why?"

"I dunno! I'm psychic, but not that good!" he grinned.

Jarod ran up behind him and began to tickle him playfully. The little 
boy let out a shriek of laugher as he tumbled to the snowy pavement in 
a giggling heap. "What did I do?!" He shrieked between laughs. Jarod 
grinned. "Nothing." He chuckled. Suddenly his blood began to run 
cold as he caught sight of a black car approaching them fast. "David 
Run!" He screamed suddenly, pulling the boy to his feet. The child 
turned to the car for a moment and let out a blood curdling scream as it 
grew closer by the second.

"Just Run!" Jarod screamed again, as he began to run as fast as possible 
clinging onto the little boy's hand for dear life. He could hear the 
screeching of wheels as the car pulled onto the pavement beside them. 
"Freeze!" A female voice called from the car as another identical car 
pulled up beside it.

Jarod looked back for a moment as David's hand slipped from his and 
the boy tumbled to the white pavement. Everything seemed to go in 
slow motion. The doors of the cars flung open as Miss Parker, Sydney 
and several sweepers emerged, their guns drawn. Jarod struggled to 
help David up, but it was too late. He was already being scooped up by 
one of the sweepers. He let out a terrified scream as he was thrown into 
the back of the car that had held Miss Parker.

Without thinking, Jarod dived for it. The thought of what would come 
of him never even crossed his mind. It suddenly seemed as if it were 
him being pulled into that car. As if it were him having that black 
hood slipped over his head for the first time. He felt a sharp blow to the 
back of the head causing him to fall to his knees, his head swimming at 
its force. His arms where pulled hard behind his back as he was thrown 
into the second car, his mind still blurry from the recent attack.

* * * *

 Miss Parker slid into the back seat beside a struggling David. "Give 
him a shot!" She hissed unemotionally, gesturing at the screaming boy.

"No!" He screamed, his voice emerging as a broken sob. he reached up 
and pulled the hood off his head, staring around the car, still sobbing 
quietly. "Please no!" he whimpered, his eyes pleading.

Miss Parker gestured for the syringe to be put away. "Now sit down and 
shut up." She instructed, blowing smoke in the child's face.

He sputtered softly, then climbed up and tried to look out the back 
window. "Where's Jarod?" He whimpered. She shrugged, looking out 
the window. "Alive." She grinned. "This is just too good." She 
chuckled.

The little boy coughed as she let out another mouthful of smoke. 
"Don't do that!" He grumbled, protesting. "What?" She asked irritably.

He frowned at her for a moment as the cigarette stopped smoking and 
went out quickly. She lifted it out in front of her and stared at it. "What 
the hell?" She asked herself then turned to the child, his eyes shone 
with fear and his dark hair was messy from the struggle. She sighed. 
"You're a freak, kid." She snarled.

A tear slid from his eye. "I am not!" He protested. "I don't like you!" 
He shouted, louder this time. He turned to the dark window and hit on 
it with his fist. "Let me out of here!!!" He cried, his voice breaking.

She grumbled. "You can't get out, live with it!" She snapped.

He turned to her for a moment and stared. His tears began to dry on his 
cheeks, leaving red streaks where they once were. "Why do you do 
that?" He asked, his voice barely audible.

"Do what?" She asked, placing her unlit cigarette into the large ashtray. 
"Why don't you say what you think?" He asked. "You think nice." He 
whispered, his eyes confused.

She chuckled. "Don't analyze me kid." She replied, attempting to light 
another cigarette. She reached for the lighter as it raised up higher, 
slightly out of her reach. She cursed. "Aren't you supposed to be scared 
of me?" She hissed angrily.

He shook his head. "That was before you caught me." He explained.

She sighed. "Well, how about this? You shut up and I smoke a nice 
cigarette, OK?" She offered, her voice cold and condescending. His eyes 
filled with tears again. "I want my mummy and daddy." he sobbed 
quietly, turning to the window as he began to trace a number eight on 
it repeatedly. "I want my mummy and daddy." He whispered again.

Miss Parker closed her eyes. His tone broke her heart. She began to 
think back on what he said. "Why don't you say what you think? You 
think nice." The words rung in her ears. Slowly she turned to the softly 
sobbing boy and put a hesitant arm around his shoulder. "It's OK." She 
whispered softly.

He turned to face her, staring at her through red, puffy eyes. He 
wrapped his arms around her and hugged into her as he continued to 
cry quietly.

His body shook with gentle sobs. She closed her eyes to stop her own 
tears. It reminded her of herself when she was taken away from her 
parents. "How did your mummy and daddy die?" She asked softly.

He raised his head and looked up at her. "Your people killed them." He 
whispered, his voice more frightened than hostile.

"What?" She asked, her mind spinning. This boy was an orphan, The 
Centre had had nothing to do with that.

He nodded. "They killed my mum and dad." He sobbed quietly as he 
cuddled into her arms again, seeking any source of comfort.

* * * *

 Jarod rubbed his head painfully as his sight came clear again. He 
looked up, straight into Sydney's eyes. He sighed. "Hello Sydney." He 
mumbled insincerely.

Sydney smiled despite his unhappy response. "Good to see you again 
Jarod, how are you feeling?" Jarod raised his eyebrows at him. "You're 
the psychiatrist." He replied dryly.

Sydney looked down. "Jarod..." He began but the younger man cut him 
off.

"I know Sydney." He looked up at him and shrugged. "It's not your 
fault." Sydney seemed relieved, even though his tone wasn't 
convincing. "It's good to see you again Jarod." He smiled hesitantly.

Jarod searched for an answer that wouldn't make his anger burst out. 
Unable to find one he changed the subject. "Where's David?" He 
asked, staring out the window.

Sydney sighed. "He's in the other car."

The car was silent for a moment before Jarod spoke, his voice was 
pleading. "Please Sydney, let him go." He whispered. Sydney looked 
away from Jarod's penetrating gaze. "Jarod, it's not my choice."

Jarod's eyes stayed determined. "Sydney, Please...."

Sydney sighed. "I can't help him Jarod, I don't have that power."

Jarod let his head fall back and he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry 
Sydney...." He whispered.

Sydney seemed confused. "For what?"

"I'm sorry I made your life like this." He sighed.

"Jarod, what are you talking about?" Sydney chuckled.

Jarod closed his eyes and rested back against the seat. "You stayed for 
me didn't you?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Sydney nodded slowly, saying nothing. 

* * * *

 Tracey peered out the door again anxiously. It had been three hours 
since they had gone out for a walk. She closed the door and stood for a 
moment, trying to work out what to do. At that moment the room was 
entered by the elderly secretary. "Joyce!" She greeted her.

Joyce smiled. "What's the matter dear? You look concerned?"

Tracey nodded. "I'm worried about Jarod and David, they've been gone 
for hours."

"They're probably just stopping off for ice cream." The elderly lady 
chuckled waving her hand in the air lightheartedly. "That David has 
turned out to be a fine boy." She smiled turning around to face Tracey. 
She seemed to be deep in thought. "Why are you so worried dear?"

She sighed. "I have a feeling." She pushed past her and took a seat by 
the desk. She reached out and began to dial. Finally there was an 
answer. "Hello, 911."

* * * *

 "He'll go by will!" Sydney snapped as Sam snapped a pair of handcuffs 
around Jarod's wrists. Jarod let out a little grunt as he was pushed 
towards the jet hard, almost stumbling. The sweeper shrugged. "Raines 
said he must be restrained at all times." He explained coldly, pressing a 
gun into Jarod's back.

The second car pulled up silently and Miss Parker emerged, for once 
without a cigarette. She approached Sydney and stepped behind Jarod, 
"I'll take boy wonder. I need a cigarette." She grumbled.

Jarod raised his eyebrows. "Hello Miss Parker." he greeted falsely as his 
arms were pulled back harder by the over exuberant sweeper.

She shook her head. "Save it frankenboy." She hissed, pushing him in 
the direction of the plane. Unprepared for this he fell forward against 
the steps, letting out a painful moan as he hit the ground hard.

Sydney reached forward to pick him up but Miss Parker stopped him, 
grabbing hold of the metal of the handcuffs. She pulled him back onto 
his knees and bent over him. "Oh poor diddums." She whispered 
sarcastically.

He closed his eyes, blocking out the throbbing in his arm from when he 
hit the ground. He got to his feet slowly, trying not to make eye contact 
with her. "Thanks for the sympathy." He grumbled as he made his way 
up the steps.

* * * *

 He fell back into the chair as she gave him a final push into his area of 
the plane. He let out a deep breath when he saw the carriage empty 
except for a few sweepers. "Where's David?" He asked angrily, turning 
to face her.

She blew a mouthful of smoke at him and shrugged. "He got a 
different plane, in case, you know, you tried something." She 
explained. She turned to the sweepers and pressed her gun to Jarod's 
forehead. "Get out." She hissed at them. They exchanged glances. "Miss 
Parker, your father asked that we - " "I know what he asked!" She 
snapped. "But you hear what I'm asking. I'm asking for you to get out 
of the cabin and go sit in another part of the plane." She pressed the 
gun harder into Jarod's head to illustrate a point. "I have things under 
control." "Yes ma'am." Sam replied obediently, leading the rest of the 
men out of the room.

When they disappeared from view she lowered her gun and sat back. 
"Well done." Jarod said grinning.

"Shut up Jarod." She snapped. "I just can't stand the thought of anyone 
else analyzing me for a very long time." She rested her head back as the 
plane began to buzz with the sound of a warming engine.

Jarod chuckled. "I see you got on well with David." She pushed her 
fingers through her hair and sighed. "The kid's a living freak show." 
Jarod sobered. "You can't take him back."

Miss Parker laughed condescendingly. "Oh? And why not? It's not like 
we took freak boy away from his parents." She hissed.

Jarod's eyes began to burn with anger. "No! You did take his parents 
away from him! The Centre took their lives and now they want to take 
what's left of his and tear it into a million pieces! There's no room for 
more sick minds in the world Miss Parker!" He shouted, fighting the 
tears that threatened to show themselves.

"Jarod, take a valium." She shot back, seemingly surprised by his 
outburst. "The Centre had nothing to do with the death of David's 
parents."

Jarod closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Miss Parker, I want to 
show you something." He said, his voice more controlled this time. He 
went to reach inside his coat, but she pressed a gun to his head again in 
an effort to stop him. He turned and made eye contact with her. His 
dark eyes were passionate for his beliefs and non-threatening at the 
same time. "If I wanted to shoot you Miss Parker," He whispered. "I'd 
have done it in that hurricane." He stared at her for another moment 
until she lowered her gun slowly.

"What the hell are you looking for anyhow?" she asked. Jarod didn't 
answer, instead he pulled out a newspaper clipping with a photo of the 
car a few moments after it had been hit. In the back of the picture 
clearly showed a black car.

Jarod pointed to it. "Look familiar?" He asked coldly.

She stared at it blankly for a moment then something seemed to click. 
She dropped the photo on his lap and shut her eyes. That car was from 
The Centre.

She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. "That's not proof 
Jarod." She whispered against her own judgment. He sat silent for a 
moment before he whispered. "What sort of proof do you need?"

* * * *

 "Hello David." Sydney smiled at the little boy who seemed to be lost in 
his own world. Sydney took a deep breath. "My name's Sydney." He 
explained. He put his hand on the boys shoulder to turn him around 
but the child refused to move.

The elder man sighed. "David is something the matter?" He asked, 
fully knowing the answer.

The child turned to face him momentarily, his eyebrows raised. Sydney 
nodded at his silent response. "It's going to be OK David." He 
whispered.

The child started to sob softly, pushing Sydney away as he tried to wrap 
his arm around his shoulder.

* * * *

 Tracey felt her blood run cold as the police walked through the door, 
their faces glum. "What did you find?" She managed to ask, her voice 
as unemotional as she could make it.

They shrugged. "Nothing at all, except a few marks in the snow that 
indicted a struggle."

She nodded numbly. "Any clues?" The man shook his head. "I'm 
afraid not, but there is no evidence to indicate that Jarod or David was 
killed or severely injured."

She felt her heart fill with slight hope. "You mean they might be OK?"

He nodded. "Don't get your hopes up but it seems that whoever took 
them seemed to want them alive."

Tracey grimaced. She had a fair idea who that was.

* * * *

 Jarod's head jerked up with a start. He scanned the plane. Everything 
was the same as the last time he looked but this time the windows 
showed only darkness.

He let his head fall back for a moment. "I can't believe I dozed off in 
this!" He grumbled, still feeling tired.

She shrugged. "You didn't." She tapped on the side of a large 
hypodermic needle.

He laughed bitterly. "I guess I thought too much when I expected you 
to be humane." He mumbled under his breath.

Obviously hearing him she rested a hand on his shoulder causing him 
to jerk away. She lowered her hand unsurely. "Jarod I need to talk to 
you."

He felt his throat clog up with bitterness. It was the first time he had 
felt anger for her, and it wasn't even about him. "Well." He hissed. 
"Start talking."

She seemed taken aback by his response. She pulled away slightly. 
"Jarod I'm sorry about the needle." She whispered. "Sam heard the 
argument and ran out with it," She shook her head. "It wasn't my 
fault."

He felt slightly guilty for snapping earlier but he wouldn't let himself 
believe her innocence, at least not yet. "You wanted to talk to me." He 
urged her on, uncomfortable with the silence.

She swallowed hard and dropped her voice. "Jarod I shouldn't have to 
apologize to you for catching you. It's my job." He opened his mouth to 
say something back but she raised her hand to stop him. "But I want to 
anyway." She took a deep breath. "Jarod I'm sorry I have to bring you 
back."

He looked away, fighting the part of him that seemed to be leaping for 
joy hearing her saying something nice to him after so long.

She continued. "Jarod you did a lot of good out there, I'm sorry it has to 
end."

"It doesn't if you let me go." He whispered, still unable to look at her. 
She spun him around, forcing him to look at her. "Jarod I care about 
your life, but not enough to get myself killed." She said tensely, her 
teeth gritted.

Jarod sighed. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "Being kidnapped and 
injected with a hypodermic needle doesn't tend to do much for my 
temperament." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

She chuckled with him then sobered. "Jarod I'm scared. I'm more 
scared than I ever thought I could be." She whispered, her voice dry in 
her throat. "I'm scared of David finding out who I really am, I'm scared 
of him finding out what I'm running from, I'm scared of him finding 
out what really happened to my mother. I'm scared because I don't 
know myself." She sobbed quietly.

Jarod reached out and rested a handcuffed hand on her shoulder. "It's 
going to be OK. You'll see."

* * * *

 "The Centre?" The young officer quoted back.

Tracey nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's what it was called."

The two officers exchanged glances. "OK ma'am let's get this straight. 
You're telling us that this "organization" or "research facility" which, 
according to every document in existence doesn't even exist, has 
kidnapped both Jarod and David because they where smart and also," 
He raised his hand to emphasize the point. "Killed David's parents to 
get to him. Is that about it?"

The young woman sighed. "Look I know it sounds far fetched,"

"No kidding." The second officer piped up. "I want you to give us one 
good reason to follow this lead."

She bit her lip. "Because it's the only lead you have."

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry ma'am, we don't follow goose 
chases."

She jumped to her feet and ran to the filing cabinet, pulling out the 
little boys file. She fumbled through the pictures and pulled out one 
taken at the scene. She pointed to the black. "Look." She grinned. 
"There's the proof, right there."

The men exchanged amused glances. "It's a car." She sighed, obviously 
frustrated. "Look where it is!"

The officer chuckled. "It's on the road."

She shook her head. This was going to be a very long conversation!

* * * *

 David reluctantly allowed himself to be lead down the flight of stairs 
out of the plane. Everything was dark to him under the large black 
hood he wore, similar to the one that held Jarod captive so long ago.

He sighed from under this. "Why have you got this on?" He asked 
impatiently.

One of the sweepers sighed. "Shut up kid."

"What's the point of me wearing this? I'm psychic remember?"

They exchanges glances and Sydney chuckled. "You're right David but 
it's Centre rules." The boy was silent and allowed them to guide him 
towards the large building. 

* * * *

 Jarod stumbled down the flight of stairs, struggling not to jerk too 
much due to the tightly triggered gun still held inches from him. He 
looked up and bit his lip. Before him sat everything he feared. The 
large building loomed over him as if it were a snake about to strike it's 
victim. In a way it was. He all of a sudden felt his veins throb with a 
rush of terror. He closed his eyes and took a deep shaky breath. He 
couldn't scream. There was no use. No one could hear him, and even 
if they could, no one had the power to help. Miss Parker pushed him 
slightly to urge him forward. She gestured with her gun towards the 
building. "Keep moving." She ordered.

He took a few more steps forward before noticing a small airplane on 
the other side of the area. "David." He whispered silently. He turned to 
her, a look of pleading in his eyes. "No Jarod." She replied to his silent 
question, pushing him forward with her gun.

He couldn't fight with her, he knew she'd win. He turned back to the 
plane as he allowed himself to be pushed forward. A small child was 
exiting with a black hood over his head. He seemed confused, but too 
frightened to do anything. A lot like him.

* * * *

 The hood was lifted from David's head gently. Sydney knelt down 
beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is your room 
David." He explained softly, gesturing to the large, full space before 
him. The room was laden with colourful paintings and everything 
educational, yet had a closed and frightening feel about it.

The child pushed away from Sydney and walked to the bed. He lay 
down quietly and stared at the ceiling. The elder man frowned. He was 
used to seeing tears, he was used to seeing anger, but for some reason it 
scared him to see nothing at all.

He came and sat down on the bed beside the boy. "David what's the 
matter? Aren't you going to look around your room?" He asked in his 
usual soft voice. David turned to his side slowly and silently, not 
responding to Sydney's question, he knew if he did he'd cry and he 
knew if he let that happen he wouldn't be able to stop.

* * * *

 "Home sweet home." Jarod mumbled as he was lead into the old room 
he had known so well, his home for thirty torturous years.

"Shut up and make your self comfortable." Miss Parker mumbled 
unclipping his handcuffs.

He rubbed his dented wrists and turned to her. "I get these off too? You 
people are just so kind." She grinned at his sarcasm. "You'll live." She 
mumbled, turning away. "Oh and in case you want to try an escape 
plan," She turned back to him, her face was cold and unfeeling and her 
eyes seemed empty of the frightened power she seemed to hold earlier. 
Her mask was back. "The room's sealed. Top to toe. Have a nice day."

Jarod sighed. "Just let me see David. Please."

She let out a breath of smoke. "Just make yourself at home."

* * * *

 Tracey leaned back in the chair. "Their gone." she sighed. Joyce shook 
her head. "Would you mind telling me what on earth you're talking 
about?" She asked, her voice full of confusion.

The younger woman sighed. "I have told you, I told you a thousand 
times and no matter how much you ask the truth wont change."

Joyce shook her head. "Well you must admit it sounds a tad far 
fetched." She mumbled looking back down at the desk.

"It's true as far as I know and according to everything in existence Jarod 
and David have disappeared off the face of the earth."

* * * *

 The next day

"David?" Sydney called softly to the quiet child staring at the wall. 
"What are you looking at? You've been sitting there for hours."

The boy sat quiet for another moment then finally spoke. "I'm looking 
for the sky."

"The sky?" Sydney raised his eyebrows.

"I want a window." He croaked, unable to hide the growing emotion in 
his voice. "I want to see Jarod!" He sobbed, tears beginning to well up 
in his dark eyes. "Why can't I see him? Where is he?!"

He jumped from the chair and ran back to the bed, burrowing his head 
in the pillow. 

* * * *

 Sydney knocked on the door firmly. "Mr. Parker?" He asked unsurely. 
There was a beeping sound signaling that the door was unlocked. 
"Sydney come in." The voice was cold yet full of a power that only Mr. 
Parker seemed to proclaim. "How's David?"

Sydney sighed. "He wants to see Jarod and Jarod wants to see him."

Mr. Parker shook his head. "No can do I'm afraid."

"Why not?" Sydney asked his hands firmly on the desk. "I just don't 
think it's the right thing for either of them."

"They want to see each other, it would cause no harm." Sydney replied, 
trying to keep his patience.

"I don't think so."

"Why not?" Sydney asked, stronger this time, his face hard with anger. 
Mr. Parker stared at him for a moment. "It's need to know, you don't."

* * * *

 "What." The voice on the other end of the phone was sharp and 
uninviting. Sydney swallowed hard. "Miss Parker I was wondering if I 
could get your help with something." He began unsurely. He had been 
to visit Jarod several times in the past day but David seemed to have 
taken his priority. It broke his heart to have to keep him here, for some 
reason even more than Jarod. They had said that the boy was an 
orphan but something about the more commonly believed answers in 
the Centre seemed to drive him into not believing them even more.

"Oh and what would that be?" Miss Parker asked, very unamused.

"I can't seem to get David to respond to anything."

"What has that got to do with me?" "I was hoping you could talk to 
him, he seemed to get on with you in the car and I can't seem to get 
through to him." He paused. "He keeps asking to see Jarod but The 
Tower wont allow it. They say it's best for them to be kept apart."

She sighed. "I'll be right there."

* * * *

 Jarod sat back on the chair and let out a deep breath. His hand rested 
on the table beside him and he traced a number eight almost without 
thinking. He raised his head and stared over at the air vent on the 
other side of the room. He couldn't get out this time. They must have 
known. The air vent in his room lead straight to the main air 
conditioning unit, not the great outdoors.

He let out a sigh. He didn't seem to care about being trapped though, at 
least not as much as he cared about a certain little boy.

* * * *

 The elevator doors opened slowly exposing a long corridor. Miss 
Parker let out an involuntary shudder as the silence hit her. She stared 
at all the doors before her. Each hid a child, a life that couldn't be lived 
because it was locked away from everything it should know. She closed 
her eyes and shook her head. What was she thinking? She was here to 
see David. No more, no less. "This way Miss Parker." Sydney's voice 
snapped her back to the present. He smiled a small smile and gestured 
to the third door from the elevator. "That's David's room." He 
explained as they approached the doorway. "I don't know how he'll 
react Miss Parker." He said softly, handing her the key. She shrugged. 
"I'm sure I'll get along just fine with the mini freak show...." She 
hissed slipping the key in the lock.

He sighed and stepped back into the elevator. She should be alone with 
this.

The door opened without a sound exposing a well lit room filled with 
everything educational. "David?" She whispered softly, unsure exactly 
where he was. "Would you stop calling me a freak show?!" A young 
voice snapped from a table at the other end of the room. "I don't like 
it."

She chuckled softly. "I keep forgetting that just because you can't hear it 
doesn't mean you don't know." He lifted his head and sighed. "I'm 
glad you came though." He whispered allowing a small smile to creep 
across his lips.      She smiled back taking a seat beside him at the table. 
"I hear you haven't been talking to many people?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Would you?"

"I guess not." She took a deep breath realizing she couldn't agree on 
this one. They where being watched the whole time. She had to be on 
the Towers side. "David you really should talk to them, they want to 
help you do things, fun things."

His face fell and his lip began to quiver at the first sign of tears. "I want 
someone to be on my side." He whimpered. "I know what's right and 
wrong and I wont listen to what you or anyone else tells me. I just 
wanted to have someone I could trust, just one person." He said as 
defiantly as he could manage through the growing number of tears. 
"You took everyone. My mum and dad and Jarod, and now you're 
trying to take me too. I just wished that maybe you could help me. That 
you could be on my side." His voice was now a continual sob as he got 
to his feet and ran over to his neatly made bed. He threw himself down 
and buried his head in the light blue pillow as the sound of tears grew 
softer.

* * * *

 Miss Parker lit another cigarette and inhaled the smoke deeply from 
shaking hands. "He was just throwing a tantrum." She mumbled to 
herself as she pushed her fingers through her hair.

She started to pace down the hall trying to clear her head and stopped 
for a moment to stare into one of the mirrored windows beside each 
room.

The little girl looked about four and her blond hair was pulled back 
into a neat pony tail. She sat at a table that was laden with shapes and 
numbers and a man who looked to be in his mid thirties stood by 
sternly, pointing to the objects and yelling about something Miss 
Parker couldn't make out.

The little girl raised her head and stared at the man with wide sad eyes. 
Her rosy cheeks were streaked with tears and she was sobbing gently. 
She began to talk and Miss Parker watched closely, reading her lips as 
she did so. "I can't do it! I want my mother! I can't do it!" She kept 
repeating through her constant tears. "I hate it here!" She sobbed, her 
eyes red and puffy.

Miss Parker stepped back and blew out a mouthful of smoke. She 
stepped to the next window, avoiding a knot that threatened to form in 
her stomach.  The next room held a boy about eight. He sat in front of a 
computer terminal typing madly. Behind him stood an elderly man 
who continued to poke him to make him continue. The boy yawned 
tiredly and wiped a hint of tears from his eyes. "I can't do anymore, I 
need to rest!" He protested sadly to the man, his eyes tired.

"Of course you can do more! Don't be so lazy." The man shot back, 
turning the boy back to the computer.

Miss Parker let out a breath and stepped to the next room. "I must have 
found the bad bunch." She mumbled to herself as the knot in her 
stomach continued to form.

The next room held a boy about two. He sat in a chair slumped over, 
his body wracked with sobs. "I want my mummy!" He screamed on the 
top of his lungs, his voice muffled by tears. "I want to go home!!" He 
shouted.

Miss Parker stepped back and closed to her eyes to center her thoughts. 
"This must be where they keep the hysterical ones." She mumbled to 
herself as she briskly walked further down the hall.

After walking for awhile she stopped at another room, almost afraid to 
look inside.

It held a dark haired girl around ten. She sat quietly at a table with her 
head down. She seemed to be working on a mathematical problem of 
some sort.

"Is it done yet Miranda?" A youngish lady asked seriously. The little 
girl raised her head, her eyes were empty and emotionless as if she 
really didn't care anymore. She shook her head. "Not yet, I'm getting 
closer though." She replied without feeling.

The lady sighed. "Well make sure you get it done soon, you know the 
rules...."

Miranda nodded solemnly. "I'll have it done."

Miss Parker stepped away from the window frozen. They had taken her 
feeling away. They had made her not care anymore. She shook her 
head and backed away as she headed towards the elevator. She'd seen 
enough.

* * * *

 Miss Parker jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun 
around to see Sydney standing there looking curious. "How did it go 
with David?" He asked softly.

Miss Parker let out a sad laugh. "All he wants is someone on his side." 
She whispered lighting another cigarette. There was deafening silence 
for a moment before she spoke again. "Sydney why are those children 
so sad?" She asked numbly.

He avoided her gaze. "Those children are new to The Centre. They get 
used to it."

She nodded. "Like Miranda?" She asked softly.

He lifted his head and frowned at her. "How do you know about all 
these children?"

She laughed softly. "For the first time I can remember I actually looked 
Syd."

He took a deep breath. "Miss Parker don't pursue this." He whispered, 
his voice tense.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Sydney I will do what the hell I want 
when I want to. And I will not listen to you about matters I am fully 
capable of taking care of myself." She turned and began to walk off.

"Miss Parker." He called after her causing her to turn to face him. He 
trotted to her side. "You've seen the children before." He whispered.

"Yeah." She nodded. "But like I said, I never looked."

* * * *

 The door to the little girls room opened silently. She sat up in her bed 
quickly. "Who's there?" She whispered, her voice shaking with fear.

The young woman stepped closer and scooped her onto her hip. "I've 
came here to help you." She smiled at her. "You're going to go home."

* * * *

 "Three Children have gone missing from The Centre in as many 
days." Mr. Raines snapped. "Who did this?" He looked around the 
large round table. "Someone from the inside I assume." A middle aged 
man in a dark suit suggested.

"That much we know." Mr. Parker snapped. "But we don't know who. 
Or who will be next."

"It seems to just be the new children so far." One of the men sighed. 
"They've all been returned to their parents or guardians safe and 
sound, most in such a way that it would make it very difficult to re 
capture them."

"It's like the problem we had with Catherine Parker years ago." One 
man grumbled.

The room fell silent. "Sir, I didn't mean anything." He quickly retorted, 
attempting to take back his statement.

Mr. Parker frowned. "My wife never caused the problem you talk of."

"It's proof that she did." Mr. Raines snapped. "You know that as well as 
anybody."

"There is no proof of anything of the sort."

"The children stopped disappearing after her death, how much more 
proof do you need?"

Mr. Parker shook his head. "I see no relevance to the present problem. 
Let's not live in the past."

* * * *

 The key slipped into the lock easily. Miss Parker's hands shook 
beneath the leather gloves and she swallowed hard. The door creaked 
open a crack and she slid inside.

Jarod sat up in his bed with a start and he got to his feet quickly. 
"Who's there?" He asked attempting to see in the shadows.

Miss Parker stepped into the open slowly without saying a word.

"It's you." He whispered unsurely.

"Gee you really are a genius." She shot back as quietly as she could.

"There are cameras." He whispered, frowning.

"Their looped."

The room rung with silence. "I hear three children have gone missing 
in the past few days." He whispered softly.

She shrugged. "My mother made a list, she never completed it." She 
threw the keys to him across the room. "I'm making that my job."

The keys fell into his hands with a small clatter and he stared back up 
at her in silence. "You're risking your life." He said softly.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Don't tell me how to do things." She 
smiled a small smile. "Just go."

He shook his head. "I can't go without David."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. 
She walked to his side and handed it to him silently.

He took it and stared at it for a moment. Finally he smiled. "He's next." 
She nodded. "And I don't intend to let anything happen to me before I 
get him out."

He smiled a small smile and gave her a quick hug. "Good luck."

She grinned. "You too."

* * * *

 Mr. Raines let out a wheeze. "I think we may have found our freedom 
fighter." He mumbled to the young black man sitting beside him.

"Who is it?" The man asked leaning forward.

Raines shrugged. "Like mother like daughter."

The man raised his eyebrows. "Miss Parker? But she was always so 
loyal."

Raines shook his head. "There's no such thing as loyal when you're a 
backstabbing criminal."

The man nodded. "You have a point." He shifted uncomfortably. 
"What are you going to do about it?"

Raines smiled a twisted smile. "Stress leads to suicide."

* * * *

 David let out a mumbling sounds as Miss Parker scooped him up into 
her arms.

He opened his eyes suddenly and looked as though he was ready to 
scream but when he saw who it was he just smiled. "Miss Parker.." He 
began softly but she covered his mouth with her hand to stop him 
from continuing.

She put him down on his feet. "Are you okay to walk?" She whispered 
quietly.

He nodded. "Yes but..." "Shhhh.." She quieted him again as she lead 
him by the hand down the hall.... Finally he just walked quietly by her 
side, still looking around anxiously.

Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of sweepers approaching 
down the hall fast.

Miss Parker turned and took one look as she felt the blood drain from 
her face. They were approaching fast.

"David run!" she screamed at him, pushing him forward with her. Her 
heels clicked loudly against the floor of the semi dark corridors and she 
could hear the sounds of footsteps nearing her back.

"Stop now!" One of the men shouted in a gruff voice.

David came to a halt. "Stop Miss Parker!" He shouted at her causing 
her to stop half out of shock. "David what the hell are you doing?" She 
whispered through clenched teeth.

He swallowed hard. "Trust me okay."

The lead sweeper raised his gun at her, his finger placed strategically on 
the trigger. "Hereditary can be dangerous you know." He whispered 
angrily as he stepped closer with the gun.

Suddenly he pulled the trigger. There was a silent sound of the gun 
going off and scream from Miss Parker as she saw the bullet fly from 
the gun. Then, nothing.

She opened her eyes again and stared in shock at the bullet suspended 
in mid air before her. She looked down at David who was grinning 
proudly. He smiled. "Lets go!" He shouted, pulling at her hand as she 
sweepers fired more shots. They met the same fate.

* * * *

 "I missed you so much!" Tracey smiled as she hugged David happily. 
"I wish I'd have known where you guys where! I wanted to help." She 
grinned still holding the child like she may never see him again.

Jarod grinned. "Well I'm just glad we're out of there."

"Me too!" David piped up happily.

Tracey smiled. "I hope you guys are here to stay for awhile."

Jarod nodded. "I think we may be able to manage that."

* * * *

 The phone beside the bed let out a shrill ring waking Jarod from a deep 
sleep.

"Hello?" He mumbled, flicking on the bedside light.

"It's hard being on the run." The voice on the other end was smiling 
despite the time of night.

Jarod laughed. "It is hard, but it's worth it." There was a chuckle from 
the other end. "Yeah it is. My life may be in a mess, but I saved a few 
others."

Jarod smiled to himself. "You saved mine." Her voice quieted. "I 
wanted to finish her list for her."

"I still can't believe you did what you did." 

"Neither can I. But I'm glad I did, despite the fact that Sydney would be 
as confused as hell right about now." She laughed.

Jarod grinned. "Well why not call him. Works for me."

"I think I'll do that." There was a long pause. "Jarod?"

"Yeah."

"I think I'm going to miss chasing you."

"Me too." He smiled softly. "Me too."

 THE END