I'm writing this Pretender FanFic for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. I am only borrowing these characters and they will be returned, unharmed, at the conclusion of this fic.
1.The rain beat down, the wind jerking the leaves on the trees. The lightning flashed, the road that split the forest from the field lit up for a second. The black sedan drove down the middle of the country road, the bright lights doing little to cut through the dark downpour. Miss Parker leaned forward on her steering wheel, trying to see the road ahead of her. The cell phone next to the handcuffs in the passenger seat rang and Parker grabbed it and flipped it open as she brought it up to her ear.
"You better have something good for me," she said. "Because if I'm out in the middle of nowhere on a wild goose chase in this weather, head will roll." Mr. Broots stuttered on the other end of the line. Parker roller her eyes. "Spit it out, Broots," she said and she heard him swallow hard before talking.
"Someone reported that, after saving two kids and turning in a corrupt Ranger, Park Ranger Jarod Bear was going to be staying in a little cabin in the wood."
"How poetic," Parker muttered. "Just tell me I'm close, Broots."
"You should be," he said and she could hear rustling paper. "According to the map, there should be a road just past mile marker 36." As Broots said it, the mile marker came and went and Parker gritted her teeth as she brought the car to a harsh stop.
"There was no road," Parker said, looking back over her shoulder. She heard more rustling paper.
"No, it's there," Broots insisted and Parker put the car in reverse.
"There's nothing here but trees, Broots," Parker hissed. "Are you looking at a map or your tea leaves?"
"A forest service map," Broots told her. "We couldn't find much of anything for that area in the computer." Parker stopped the car and looked up the long, dark, wet dirt road.
"You have got to be kidding," Parker snarled.
"What's wrong?" Broots asked. "Did you find the road?"
"This isn't a road, Broots," she snapped. "This is a mud pit." She silently cursed Jarod. "Nature boy might like this kind of crap, but I don't," she told Broots. There was silence, then Sydney's voice came on.
"I wish I could tell you that you didn't have to go up that road, Miss Parker, but this map shows at least two other ways out of that forest." Sydney cleared his throat. "If you don't go in there, we may loose Jarod again."
"Damn you, Syd," Parker muttered and Sydney laughed.
"If you'd like, we can send a team. They can be there by tomorrow morning."
"That'll take too damn long," Parker said, running one hand over her eyes. "I'll be halfway back in Blue Cove with Jarod by then."
"Happy hunting, Miss Parker," Sydney said and she started to pull the phone away from her head, but she heard Broots call her name.
"What?" she asked.
"Well, I was doing some checking," he said and she nodded as the rain beat harder on her car. "And it looks like there is an area in the forest where there is no cell phone service."
"Let me guess," Parker said, but Broots finished.
"Jarod's cabin is in the middle of the dead zone."
"Of course it is," Parker muttered. "Any other bad news before I'm cut off from civilization completely?" she asked.
"Uh┘no." Parker nodded and shut her phone, throwing it in the backseat. She backed up a few more feet and pulled onto the muddy road as another flash of lightning lit up the sky. If she didn't find Jarod, she was going to shoot someone.
2.Jarod added another piece of wood to the fire and watched it burn before turning to the window. The rain was coming down at a sharp angle, beating against the tin roof. The weatherman had said it wasn't supposed to rain tonight. So much for that. Jarod could feel the heat from the fire place and headed into the kitchen, grabbing the lantern as he went. In the kitchen he set the lantern on the small wooden table and grabbed up a box of matches, quickly lighting one side of the two burner propane stove. He put the kettle on the burner and headed back into the living room, passing through to the dark bedroom where he grabbed a red notebook before returning to the living room.
Jarod sat down on the worn green couch and pulled the blue comforter up and around he shoulders. He flipped open the notebook and unfolded the newspaper clipping. Ranger Bob was behind bars now and young Tommy and Gina were safe, but Jarod couldn't let his mind rest. Ranger Bob had said he wasn't the only one who had drowned the little boy to keep the money laundering a secret, but Jarod didn't see anything that made it seem like there was someone else, and Bob didn't have names. It sounded like he was lying. It should have been open and shut, and Jarod should have moved on, but there was something wrong. Jarod shut the notebook and decided he would find the others if they were out there. In the morning, Jarod would drive his Jeep to town and try to question Ranger Bob. Until then, he was going to enjoy the cabin Ranger Sarah had let him use.
The cabin had a generator but Jarod hadn't bothered to start it, finding that he liked the fiery semi darkness. Besides the kitchen, living room, and bedroom, the cabin also had a pantry full of food and a small bathroom. There was running water and a solar panel on the roof to make the water hot when the generator wasn't going. Considering it was the middle of nowhere and he had no cell service, Jarod actually liked the cabin.
The kettle started to whistle in the kitchen and Jarod threw off the blanket. He went into the kitchen and turned off the burner before he pulled a cup off a hook on the wall. Jarod picked up and tore open the small white package that he had set out earlier that day, dumping the contents into the cup, then he added the hot water and stirred it. He set the kettle back on the burner and set the spoon in the sink before grabbed the cup of hot chocolate and heading back to the living room.
Jarod sat back down on the couch as something in the fire place popped and Jarod watched as the sparks danced. He pulled the blanket back up over his shoulder and picked up the white mug, sinking back on the couch. Ranger Sarah had offered to come stay at the cabin with Jarod tonight, but he had been planning on leaving early tomorrow, so he had declined the offer. Now that he was going back to town in the morning, Jarod was wishing that Sarah was there. Her company would have been nice.
Jarod sighed and took a small sip of the cocoa, wincing slightly. It was still very hot, steam rising quickly into the cooler air. Jarod saw the flash of the lightning as he took another small sip, but the thunder tolled out and Jarod jumped, spilling the hot liquid down the front of his shirt. He cried out as he set the cup down and stood, trying to pull the hot, wet material away from his skin.
Jarod quickly pulled the soaked black sweater off over his head, thankful he had still been wearing it. He used the sweater to clean up the cocoa that had splashed onto the floor, then went into the kitchen and grabbed the lantern. He headed back into the bedroom and tossed the sweater on the floor, stripping out of the white t-shirt, which was now stained brown. It ended up on the floor as well and Jarod was suddenly glad for the warm running water as he stared down at his sticky chest and stomach and sighed. He grabbed a towel off the shelf and the lantern and headed into the bathroom.