A little epilogue I wanted to add after seeing 'Til Death Do Us Part. :-)
"I love you, Tommy."
"And I love you, Parker."
When Miss Parker awoke the next morning, she sighed. Reaching down to the foot of the bed, she grasped Tommy's flannel shirt, fingering the collar as she thought of him. For the first time, the memories were not filled with the pain of what could have been, but the happiness in what they had shared. They loved each other. And that was enough.
Parker took a languid shower, not caring if she was late to work. But despite her attempt to take things slow today – to savor the dream – her body walked about at it's usual pace, and she was ready to leave with five minutes to spare. On her way out of the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. Shock made her backup and look again.
She was smiling.
God, it feels like ages since I've done that.
Sending a silent thank you to her lost love, she headed for the front door, gathering her keys and gun along the way.
She was locking the door behind her when she heard a soft footstep on the porch. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"How's the unfinished business?" Jarod asked.
Parker turned to look at him, her smile mingling with tears of joy. "What unfinished business?"
Jarod didn't say anything. He just smiled right along with her. But it was a sad smile – the only kind she ever saw from him. He turned to walk away.
"I don't suppose trying to bring you in today would do any good, either," Parker said, not bothering to reach for her weapon.
Jarod looked back at her. "Actually, I didn't want to disturb you last night."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You didn't disable my weapon?"
"No," Jarod replied.
Silence fell between them. Parker knew she should unholster her gun. But she didn't move. Jarod started to walk away again.
"Jarod!" she called after him. He stopped, but didn't turn. "Thank you."
Parker just stood there as he disappeared down her driveway.
She couldn't see it, but she knew – they were both smiling.
Hope you liked it!