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Disclaimer: "The Pretender" and its characters do not belong to me they belong to TNT and NBC and are being used without permission. Please don't sue because I have no money.

The Final Goodbye.
By: 24

Jarod sat in his latest lair tired of doing pretend after pretend, running from the Centre and trying to stay free. He had remembered the talk that they had in the limo before he was taken to the plane that would take him back to the Centre. He had told her that there was a turning point and reached out his cuffed hands towards her gloved ones. She looked at the cuffs surrounding his wrists and pulled hers out of his he looked at her with a hurt expression on his face when she said turning points only come when there is something to turn to. Over the months when they got back from the Island he had been telling Miss Parker that he loved her and that he cared for her. He even went to her house a couple of times, but she was so angry with him and for no reason at all. She didn't want to give into her feelings for him and he didn't want to force her either. That too was getting tiring.

He stood on her porch as he considered what he was going to say to her. It was going to be hard, but he knew that he had to do this. He held up his hand to the door and knocked waiting for it to open.

He was about ready to leave when the door opened and Miss Parker looked at him as he stared back at her.

"What are you doing here?" She glared at him.

"I need to talk to you."

"Not again. Look I don't want to talk to you now get out, or I'll get a sweeper team down here so fast you won't know what hit you."

"I'll just take a moment than I'll leave."

"Fine come in."

He stood in the living room and watched as Miss Parker sat on a chair and he too lowered himself onto the couch. He looked around the house trying to memorize it and then back to Miss Parker.

"I came here because I needed to tell you something. Something important and I didn't want to say this to you on the phone."

"Spit it out Jarod."

He took a deep breath and started to talk again.

"Ever since we got back from the Island trying to find the scrolls I knew that there was something more than I run and you chase. At Ocee's house when we almost kissed I knew what it was. I love you and I loved you ever since we first met, but you don't love me. I won't force you to tell me that you love me. Every time I try to approach the subject of love or anything having to do with us you get angry and yell at me or you went so far as pulling a gun on me. I don't know what I deserve to make you hate me so much, but I know that you can never love me. I'm so tired of saying that I love you to you and you throwing it back into my face. You know I do have feelings too, but I just can't take it anymore. I've always had the means to disappear forever and now I've made my choice to do so. I never did it before because of my love for you, but I'm tired of getting hurt so many times. I'll always love you Parker even when I disappear for good. This is my final goodbye to you. No more red notebooks, no more secrets to your past, no more I run and you chase and no more late night phone calls. Goodbye Parker." He said as he got up and walked out the door.

She stared at the vacant seat for a minute then coming out of her trance she ran to the door and flung it open trying to see if Jarod was still there, but he was not. What have I done she thought to herself. I've loved him ever since I was a child and when he grew up I kept on pushing him away. They say every man has a breaking point and she guessed that this was Jarod's breaking point.

*******
Years Later.

She walked down the little city's sidewalk window-shopping. Her stomach rumbled telling her that it was hungry. She spotted a little restaurant and went inside. She had paid her check and was looking outside when a familiar figure walked past the building that she was in. She gathered her purse and ran out of it. She looked where the man was going and ran towards the retreating back.

He heard the sounds of heels running towards him. He tensed a little and turned around surprised to find that Miss Parker was running after him.

"Jarod wait."

He waited as Miss Parker stopped in front of him

"What do you want?"

"Jarod can we talk somewhere?"

"Do you really want to talk to the Centre's ex-lab rat?" He glared at her.

"I'm sorry Jarod."

"I knew what you thought of me. Why you couldn't show feelings towards me because you thought of me as a monster, a lab rat and a science experiment. The Centre is gone now. What would you possibly want with me?"

"I just need to talk to you."

"Fine. Where's your car?"

"Up the street." She pointed to where they were heading.

"I'm parked there to."

As they neared where they were going they found out that Jarod's car was right in front of her car.

"Follow me and I'll take you to my house."

Jarod pulled out and watched as Miss Parker did the same. Every once in a while he would make sure that Miss Parker was following him as he made his way towards his little house.

Pulling into his driveway he got out of the car and watched as Miss Parker did the same. He walked up to the door, unlocked it and waited for Miss Parker to join him.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"No thanks."

"Please sit down."

She sat down and studied the modest little house. "This is a cute house Jarod."

"It's a two bedroom, one bath, living room and kitchen house. It's small, but it fits my needs. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You know the day that you said goodbye?"

"Yes."

"I still couldn't believe that you had said goodbye and I was sort of in a trance. When I got out of it I opened the door to find that you had already left. Months went by and you didn't call and there were no red notebooks. I finally realized that you did disappear. True to your words you were gone. After the Centre's fall I examined those feelings again. I missed you. I never realized that I depended on you to uncover the truth to my past. You helped me so much over the years and all I've ever done was be cruel to you. I'm sorry for that Jarod. It's true that in the beginning of the chase I called you a monster, lab rat, boy wonder, rat boy and all kinds of names over the years, but I never saw the real you. I remember the hurt in your eyes when you were inside the Centre and I turned a blind eye towards it. I'm so sorry for that. I know that they've hurt you in the Centre. That was one of the reason's why I tried to free the clone. I saw the real you when we were on the Island when you were captured. I saw how scared you were as you held the scrolls. Scared of going back there being the Centre's prize possession again. Even then I turned a blind eye. I also know that I hurt you when I pulled my hand away in the limo. I'm so sorry Jarod I didn't see the turning point that you talked about. Over the years you have helped me and all I've done is receive. You've so unselfishly gave me help even when I didn't want or need it. You were always there when I needed you. Well, almost. I've pushed you away so many times over the years and I'm sorry about that. They say every man has a breaking point and that was yours. I just hope that you can forgive me for all I've done. I have a turning point now and that turning point is you. I realize that now. All you have to do is take it."

She stared at Jarod as a tear rolled down his eyes.

He looked at her studying her trying to find if this was for real or not. Finding genuine feelings in her eyes he smiled at her.

"I accept the turning point Miss Parker. Will you forgive me for leaving you?"

"I really didn't give you a choice in that matter."

"We all have choices Miss Parker. Mine wasn't right, but there hasn't been a day that I didn't think about you. There's so many times that I've almost picked up the phone or drove to your house, but I stopped myself. I knew that you might be angry at me and would of probably shot me and taken me back to the Centre."

"That would have been right. I would have been so angry that I couldn't see straight."

"Why would you be so angry that you wouldn't see straight? Even if you were angry you could still see straight." He asked curiously.

She looked at him and then started to laugh.

"What?"

"It's an expression Jarod."

"Oh."

They parted ways after Jarod had invited her to dinner that night. They would see each other again in the future. There would also be a lot of ground to cover and many hurts to heal. It would be a tough road ahead of them, but they were both up to the challenge.

The End.