Washington Dulles International: Sunday, 11am
[continued from here]
They'd switched out the van for Parker's car and Isabel's Volkswagen as soon as they were out of Delaware. Let the Sweepers keep tracking dark vans, once they realized there had been an escape; so much the better. It had only taken another hour to get to the airport, with a short stop for supplies for Emily on the way.
And now they were on the airstrip where the private Gulfstream that Jarod had arranged for was parked and ready to take off. Fortunately, forging a pilot's license hadn't been beyond Angelo's skills. Isabel and Bridge and Xander had been thanked again for their part in making this possible.
And now for the difficult part. Good-byes.
"It was good to meet you, Emily. I always wanted to know who melted Jarod's hard drive. I'm glad I could buy you a pair of shoes for the amusement factor." Parker quirked a smile at the girl, tilting her head. Jarod shook his head at her, and she smirked back at him. "Look out for your brother for me, will you?"
"Of course." Emily held out her hand to be shaken. "Thanks for helping rescue me. And I hope you don't get in trouble for it."
"I won't." Parker shook her hand, and smiled a little. "Take care."
After his sister boarded the plane, Parker was still looking after her. "She looks like Kyle."
"I know." He was going to have to tell his parents what happened to Kyle. Maybe they'd heard, over the last year. Maybe they hadn't. He was thrilled to meet Emily, and so far, they'd gotten along great. Neither of them were pushing too hard, although he was hoping they'd have a chance to really talk on the trip. But nearly the first thing he'd have to say to his parents after "hello" and "I've been looking forward to this my entire life" would be "Kyle's dead. I couldn't save him." He almost wanted to put off the first meeting, just because of that.
"It'll be okay." Parker had turned back to him while he'd been lost in thought. "You know that, right?"
He searched her face for some reassurance, then shook his head. "What if it isn't? What if we just... what if I'm too different now? All this time, I've been searching for them. I never thought about what it would be like when I found them."
"They're your family, Jarod." Parker tilted her sunglasses down and gave him a disdainful look. "You're part of them. There's no way they won't be thrilled with you. And you saved Emily. You'd have to be a lot worse than just an annoying psychotic genius for them to not want you back."
He hoped so. In only a few days, he'd find out. No matter how many simulations he could run in his mind, there was no way to predict what would happen.
Which left only the things still unfinished to address.
"I got a chance to tell Sydney I was leaving. I don't think they'll suspect him of any complicity. Angelo too. I'm going to miss them." He studied Parker's face, not knowing what he wanted to say. "Why did you help?" Because that was still bewildering him. All her plans for the future, her father's approval, her own life-- he didn't think she'd risk them like this. "Why didn't you leave me to do it on my own? You know I could have."
Parker snorted. "And gotten captured again, and stuck back in a little cell to lose your mind after all this time on the outside, and... yeah, no." She looked away, the wind picking up to whip her hair across her face. "I can stand you disappearing off into a sunset. I can't stand you disappearing into the Centre. Let's leave it at that, okay?"
He gave up trying to understand her, and simply whispered, "Okay." This time, he really had no idea when he'd be back. If he'd be back. Especially now that he was officially missing, with all the Centre resources scrambled to find him. When he found his family, he'd have to stay even further away from the Centre, maybe for a very long time. They both knew that. They always had.
There was a long, awkward silence, which he finally broke with, "Parker--"
"Jarod? Don't. We've already said these good-byes before." Parker seemed to be smiling behind her sunglasses; maybe there were tears too, but it was impossible to tell. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then swiped her fingers across his face, rubbing at the lipstick mark she'd left. "Rent Casablanca, watch the last scene, it says it better than I could."
Jarod grabbed her hand before she could move away, and gave her a light kiss on the temple, breathing in the scent of her shampoo for what might be the last time. "Thank you. For everything." He saw her swallow before he let go of her hand and turned away to walk toward the jet, not looking back.
He was doing the pre-flight check with Emily sitting beside him, when his sister started to giggle. "You've got lipstick all over your cheek."
"What?" He put his hand up to his face, and came away with a smear of Valentine Rouge on his fingers. She hadn't been wiping it away. She'd been rubbing it in.
"Typical Parker." And somehow, he didn't believe this was the last time he'd ever see her, after all.
[thanks again to the others, and to Shadow for help with the plot.]
They'd switched out the van for Parker's car and Isabel's Volkswagen as soon as they were out of Delaware. Let the Sweepers keep tracking dark vans, once they realized there had been an escape; so much the better. It had only taken another hour to get to the airport, with a short stop for supplies for Emily on the way.
And now they were on the airstrip where the private Gulfstream that Jarod had arranged for was parked and ready to take off. Fortunately, forging a pilot's license hadn't been beyond Angelo's skills. Isabel and Bridge and Xander had been thanked again for their part in making this possible.
And now for the difficult part. Good-byes.
"It was good to meet you, Emily. I always wanted to know who melted Jarod's hard drive. I'm glad I could buy you a pair of shoes for the amusement factor." Parker quirked a smile at the girl, tilting her head. Jarod shook his head at her, and she smirked back at him. "Look out for your brother for me, will you?"
"Of course." Emily held out her hand to be shaken. "Thanks for helping rescue me. And I hope you don't get in trouble for it."
"I won't." Parker shook her hand, and smiled a little. "Take care."
After his sister boarded the plane, Parker was still looking after her. "She looks like Kyle."
"I know." He was going to have to tell his parents what happened to Kyle. Maybe they'd heard, over the last year. Maybe they hadn't. He was thrilled to meet Emily, and so far, they'd gotten along great. Neither of them were pushing too hard, although he was hoping they'd have a chance to really talk on the trip. But nearly the first thing he'd have to say to his parents after "hello" and "I've been looking forward to this my entire life" would be "Kyle's dead. I couldn't save him." He almost wanted to put off the first meeting, just because of that.
"It'll be okay." Parker had turned back to him while he'd been lost in thought. "You know that, right?"
He searched her face for some reassurance, then shook his head. "What if it isn't? What if we just... what if I'm too different now? All this time, I've been searching for them. I never thought about what it would be like when I found them."
"They're your family, Jarod." Parker tilted her sunglasses down and gave him a disdainful look. "You're part of them. There's no way they won't be thrilled with you. And you saved Emily. You'd have to be a lot worse than just an annoying psychotic genius for them to not want you back."
He hoped so. In only a few days, he'd find out. No matter how many simulations he could run in his mind, there was no way to predict what would happen.
Which left only the things still unfinished to address.
"I got a chance to tell Sydney I was leaving. I don't think they'll suspect him of any complicity. Angelo too. I'm going to miss them." He studied Parker's face, not knowing what he wanted to say. "Why did you help?" Because that was still bewildering him. All her plans for the future, her father's approval, her own life-- he didn't think she'd risk them like this. "Why didn't you leave me to do it on my own? You know I could have."
Parker snorted. "And gotten captured again, and stuck back in a little cell to lose your mind after all this time on the outside, and... yeah, no." She looked away, the wind picking up to whip her hair across her face. "I can stand you disappearing off into a sunset. I can't stand you disappearing into the Centre. Let's leave it at that, okay?"
He gave up trying to understand her, and simply whispered, "Okay." This time, he really had no idea when he'd be back. If he'd be back. Especially now that he was officially missing, with all the Centre resources scrambled to find him. When he found his family, he'd have to stay even further away from the Centre, maybe for a very long time. They both knew that. They always had.
There was a long, awkward silence, which he finally broke with, "Parker--"
"Jarod? Don't. We've already said these good-byes before." Parker seemed to be smiling behind her sunglasses; maybe there were tears too, but it was impossible to tell. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then swiped her fingers across his face, rubbing at the lipstick mark she'd left. "Rent Casablanca, watch the last scene, it says it better than I could."
Jarod grabbed her hand before she could move away, and gave her a light kiss on the temple, breathing in the scent of her shampoo for what might be the last time. "Thank you. For everything." He saw her swallow before he let go of her hand and turned away to walk toward the jet, not looking back.
He was doing the pre-flight check with Emily sitting beside him, when his sister started to giggle. "You've got lipstick all over your cheek."
"What?" He put his hand up to his face, and came away with a smear of Valentine Rouge on his fingers. She hadn't been wiping it away. She'd been rubbing it in.
"Typical Parker." And somehow, he didn't believe this was the last time he'd ever see her, after all.
[thanks again to the others, and to Shadow for help with the plot.]