Another Journey into
the Unknown

By: G. Barton

After leaving Arkansas, Jarod takes his wife through St.
Louis. They stop at a gas station to fill up. Parker gets out
and walks around. Her back is hurting her. She walks over to
Jarod and says, "I'm hungry. Lets get something."

"Okay. Let me pay for this and we will go." Jarod goes into
the service station. He pays for the gas and asked the man
behind the counter, "Where could my wife and I get something
to eat around here?"

"Well, son there is cafe a couple of blocks down. The food is
not bad."

"Thanks." Jarod said as he walked out.

"What took you so long?" she asked as he got in the car.

"I was asking about somewhere to eat."

They drove down to the cafe. Jarod lead her in. They got a
booth in the corner. They sat and talked while they were
waiting on their food. After they finished Jarod said, "Why
don't we get a room here and move on tomorrow?"

"That is fine with me." Parker gets up and heads toward the
bathroom.

"I will wait for you outside." Jarod says as she walks off.

He goes outside and leans up against the car. He overhears a
couple fighting. He walks around the car and watches them.
The guy hits the girl and she turns to walk off. The guy
grabs her arm and pulls her back toward him. Jarod gets ready
to walk over there when Parker comes out.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Jarod sees the guy leave pulling her behind him. "Yeah, I'm
ready." he said. He opens the car door and helps Parker in.
They drive to a motel and he gets them a room. He gets her
settled and says, "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To look around. I won't be gone long. I promise." He shuts
the door behind him. He can't help but look around. He has
been on the run for so long now.

Parker lays down on the bed. She picks up the remote and
flips through the channels. Her eyes get heavy and she closes
them. She was almost asleep when she heard something. She
raises up and grabs for her gun. Then remembers she left it
at home. "A force of habit." she says to herself. She gets up
and looks out the window. "Nothing." she says.

She turns to walk back to the bed when the door opens. She
turns quickly and see Jarod standing there. She runs up to
him and gives him a hug.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she held on to him tight.

"I heard something and I am glad to see you standing there.
Not someone else." she says as she continued her lock around
him.

Then she lets go and noticed a funny looking expression on
his face. "What?" she asked.

"You never greeted me like that before. Thats all."

She turns to walk back to the bed. Jarod said, "I liked it."
as he followed her.

He touched her face with his soft fingers. She closed her
eyes and said, "Did you find what you were looking for?" She
open them again.

"No."

"Why did you leave anyway?" she asked.

"I wanted to make sure we weren't followed and to check in
with Sydney." She looked at him funny and said, "What?"

"I wanted to make sure daddy and Raines didn't someone our way."

"Oh." she said softly. She gets up and goes into the
bathroom. When she returns Jarod is laying on the bed. He
pulled his shoes off and got comfortable.

"What are you watching?"

"Scooby Doo." he answered.

She laid down beside him. She watched him as he got into his
cartoon. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to touch him.
He looked so relaxed and she was so miserable. She laid her
head on his shoulder and slowly unbuttoned his shirt with one
hand. She ran her finger tips over his chest. Jarod wasn't
paying her any attention. She looked up at him and kissed his
neck softly. She place her lips on his neck and sucked on it
slowly. "I love you." she said without removing them. Then
she laid her head back on his shoulder and began rubbing his
chest again.

"I love you too." he answered not removing his eyes from the
TV. Then Jarod looked over at her and said, "Are you trying
to tell me something?"

"Me....no." she answered softly as she placed one leg over him.

"Oh, I think you are." he said as he rolled over and faced
her. He started to tickle her side with his fingers. She
began to laugh and said, "Stop it, that tickles."

"Now you want me to stop. You are the one that started it."
he said as he continued to tickle her again.

She laughed harder and said, "Two can play this game." She
ran her fingers over his body til she found his tickish spot.
Jarod tried not to laugh but could hold it any longer. He
fell back against the bed. Parker sat up next to him and
tickled him some more. He grabbed her hands and their eyes
met, blue to brown. She bend down and gave him a kiss. He
moved his hands down her side. They began to wonder up her
shirt. He returned her kiss as he moved her closer to him.
She continue to kiss when his hands unhooked her bra. Then he
started to unbutton her shirt when she stopped him.

"No." she said softly.

He looked her and said, "Why? I thought you wanted this."

"I do but I don't want you to see be naked."

Jarod let out a small laugh and said, "Why? I have before."

"Before I wasn't this big either. I don't want you to see me fat."

"You are not fat. You are having our baby. Besides I think
you look sexy like this." he said as he kissed her neck.

He finished unbuttoning her shirt and opened it slowly. He
looked down at her breast and cupped them in his hands. Then
he kissed them. He looked back at her and said, "I want you
and I know you want me."

She pulled him closer to her and said, "Take me." She soon
forgot about letting him seeing her naked.

He touched her face with his gentle hands. He pulled her hair
back out of the way. Then he kissed her. She grabbed his face
with her hands and held him tight against her. He kissed her
neck and down her shoulder to her chest. She removed his
shirt and kissed his nipple. He slipped her pants off of her
and kissed her legs up to her thigh. He laid beside her,
kissing her neck and lips. She unziped his jeans and her
hands slipped down into them. She pulled them off and he
moved onto her body. They body moved together with the rhythm
they only knew with each other. With their lips locked
together, they held each other tight. When they were satified
with each other she laid her head on his chest.

"Jarod." she said softly as she took his hand into hers.

"Yeah." he answered as he held her tight.

"What do you think our baby will look like?"

"Beautiful. Why?"

"No, I mean who do you think she will look like?"

"Well, both of us but I hope she has your eyes."

"Or yours." she said as she looked up at him.

"It doesn't matter who she looks like as long as she is heathly."

"I know. I was just trying to picture her." she said softly.

Jarod held her hand tighter and said, "You know, I love you."

"I love you too." she replied in soft voice.

She laid beside her husband holding onto him she couldn't
help but feel happy. "Oh." she said as she sat up.

"What is it?"

"The baby."

"What about the baby?" he asked as he sat up quickly.

"It's okay. She is moving."

Jarod placed his hands on her stomach and kissed it. "Oh."
Parker said again.

"What? Tell me something."

"She is laying along my ribs." she said as she pushed on her
stomach.

"Don't hurt her." he said softly.

"Me hurt her. She is the one that is hurting me." she said as
she pushed on her stomach again. "Jarod, here." she said as
she placed his hands on her stomach again.

"What?"

"Right there. Feel that."

"Yeah."

"That is a foot."

"How do you know?" he asked as he smiled.

"You can just tell." Then about that time the baby stretched.
He could see her kicking and moving inside his wife.

"Wow." he said as he moved his hands along her stomach. "I
guess there is not much room in there." he said as he started
pushing on her stomach.

"Look at you."

"What?" he asked.

"You told me not to hurt her and look at you."

"I'm not hurting her, am I?"

"No. She is fine. I just wanted to tease you."

After a while the baby settled down. Jarod took his wife into
his arms and held her tight again. "What do you say we get
some sleep?"

"Fine by me." she answered in an exhausting voice.

Jarod reached up and turned the lamp off. He wrapped his
arms around Parker and fell asleep.

The next morning he woke with their back to each other. He
rolled over and kissed the back of her neck. "Good morning."
he said lovely.

She turned to face him and said, "Good morning. Did you sleep
well?"

"Yes, I did. I always sleep better knowing you are beside."

"Really. I do too." she answered him lovely.

"I am going to get us something to eat while you get ready,
okay."

"Okay, I will see you soon." she said as she kissed his lips
before he got out of bed.

Jarod walks out and see the same couple from the night before
outside the motel. They are fighting again and he hits her
across the face. Jarod walks up to them and says, "Can I help
you miss?"

"This doesn't concern you." the man said.

The girl is crying and shakes her head no. Jarod turns to
walk off and the man raises his hand to her again. Jarod
punches him in the stomach and said, "It is not nice to hit
a lady."

The man comes toward him and Jarod blocks his punch. Jarod
hits him again and says, "You better leave." He takes the
girl by the arm and says, "Are you okay?"

"Yes." she answers.

"You shouldn't hang out with guys like that. You will only
get in trouble."

"I know. Thanks." She turns to walk away.

"Hey, can I help you in any way?"

"No, I will manage."

Jarod takes out his wallet and hands her some money. "Here,
this should help you get away from him."

"I can't take that."

"Yes, you can. Take it. Get a bus ticket, get away and don't
look back. You will be fine."

"Thanks." she said as a smile came to her face. She turned
and walked away.

As he walked off Parker saw him talking to the girl. She
remembered seeing her last night. He went into a little
store beside the motel.

After a short while he returned. He came in eating some
chocolate donuts. He sat a bag down on the table. "I'm back."
he said.

Parker came out of the bathroom wearing his shirt and nothing
else. She said, "Who were you talking to?"

"Oh, her. She was having some problems with her boyfriend. I
had to set him straight."

"Oh." she said as she walked over to him.

"Why are you jealous?" he said smiling.

"No...me... jealous. Never." she answered. She looked into
the bag. "What did you get?"

"Donuts."

"I don't need donuts. I'm fat enough."

"I got pop tarts too."

"Oh, how sweet." she said as she pulled the food out of the
bag. "I see you got milk."

"Yeah, I thought you might want some."

"Thanks." she said as she opened the pop tarts. She started
eating one when Jarod said, "I want you to know that I
wouldn't look at another woman."

"Jarod, you are male. You will look another woman."

"Well, I would never touch another woman. How about that?"

"I hope not." she said. "Jarod, will you tell me if you ever
get tired of me?"

"What? I will never get tired of you."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

"If you ever want someone else will you tell me before you
act on it."

"I'm not going to act on it because you are the one for me.
How many times do I have to tell you, you are my soul mate?"
he said as he moved next to her. "Besides I can't keep my
hands off of you, pregnant or not. I want you and no one
else. I love you."

"I love you too." she said as she finished eating.

He kissed her neck. "You know check out time is not until 11:00."

"Oh, really." she said as he continue kissing her neck. She
turned to face him. She kissed his lips and pushed him down
on the bed.

"Why do you always get to be on top?" he asked softly.

"Because I like it. You should know that by now." she said as
she unbuttoned his shirt.

"I think it has something to do with you being in control."
he said as he laid there letting her have her way.

"You got it." she said as her hands moved down his chest. She
unbutton his jeans and moved them down his legs.

He removed her panties and moved her on him. She straddled
him while he kissed her.

After a while they got dressed and checked out. He loaded up
the car and they headed out again.

"Where do you want to go now?"

"I don't care." she said as she gave him a kiss. They drove
off and never looked back.