a couple more things have to happen before THAT happens.
you probably won't understand now, but this is a hint: it will not be cliche.
Chapter Ninety- one
Jack heard a jingling come from the front door, most likely keys being turned in the lock. He stood from his chair and walked towards the door. When he saw the door open, he said, “Sydney, we have to discuss last-.” Then he saw that she was not by herself. “Night,” he finished quieter. Obviously, he could not rationally converse with his daughter about her boyfriend when he was standing right in front of him. Though he genuinely did not want to, he could not help but scowl, just a tiny bit, in Vaughn’s direction. “Can I talk to you in the other room, please?” he asked, looking towards Sydney. His poker face was on and adjusted perfectly to not reveal any true motives.
She was shaking her head. “No,” she said. “If you have something to say to me, then you can say it in front of him.”
Jack realized that they were holding hands. He hadn’t seen that when they walked in.
Vaughn squeezed Sydney’s hand comfortingly.
“Very well,” he almost conceded. “Then I need to talk to you. In my office. Now,” he said to Vaughn, not even bothering to put on a polite façade.
“Dad,” Sydney tried to intervene, but Vaughn surprised her.
“No, it’s okay,” he said, giving her a small smile. Jack didn’t acknowledge this, but began moving towards his office. Vaughn followed in suit.
Once in his study, Jack made sure to keep the door tightly shut. He then walked around to his desk. Vaughn sat in a chair across from Jack, with only the dark cherry desk as a mediator.
“I thought we had an arrangement,” Jack said, struggling to keep his voice down. “You deliberately went against my rule,” he said angrily.
Vaughn sat in the upholstered chair casually. “Rules aren’t usually made for the people,” he informed, to Jack’s major dislike.
Jack’s eyes narrowed irritably. “Still, you told me you would obey, and you didn’t.”
Shaking his head, Vaughn said, “I never said that. And you don’t even know the whole story, Mr. Bristow.” He adopted a glare of his own. “Maybe you should actually listen to someone once in a while. This stern attitude you have may be good for your job, but it definitely doesn’t work with me. Or with your daughter.”
Snickering, Jack said, “Was that an offer to tell me the ‘whole story’?”
“If you want to know it, I have no problem recounting it.”
“Fine,” Jack said, leaning back in his sturdy chair. “Tell me.”
Vaughn was completely relaxed; not intimidated. Intimidation was Jack’s main tool, and his daughter’s boyfriend was deflecting every strike he took. However, he was not impressed with this boy. He was, still, to a degree, just trying to make a good impression on his girlfriend’s father.
“You forbade me to see Sydney,” Vaughn began.
“And you defied me, I already know this, Mr. Vaughn,” Jack butted in.
“Sure, you know that that’s what happened in the end. But that’s not exactly the way it happened originally,” Vaughn enlightened. “You see, sir, after you told me you didn’t want me to date Sydney anymore, I, technically obeyed.”
A confused look was on Jack’s face. “I don’t understand,” he admitted.
“Well, if you’d actually listen and stop disrupting me, then I could explain,” he retorted. Jack didn’t say anything else and Vaughn took the silence as his cue to resume his story. “For one day, I didn’t talk to Sydney. I didn’t call her,” he shrugged, “I didn’t email her. I didn’t instant message her. But, I didn’t not talk to her because I felt threatened by you, sir. While your warning inspired this little avoiding period, it was not why I did it.”
“I was,” he sighed, “confused, I guess. It’s not every day that your girlfriend’s dad says ‘Stop dating my daughter or else.’ I considered your offer, I did, and there was a lot on my mind.” He leaned against the back of his chair. “She, however, called me. And left me messages and emails. I didn’t respond, though it killed me. Finally,” he sighed, “I couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t just that it was hard not to talk to Sydney, I wasn’t capable of it.”
He drew in a breath. “So, after you left the day after, I called her. She was mad at me; she had every right to be,” he shared. “Then I told her what happened. Literally, she thought I was calling her to break up with her. And,” he was shaking his head, “though I couldn’t see her, I knew she was on the verge of tears.”
“So, as a courtesy, you stayed with her,” Jack finished.
“No,” Vaughn said immediately. “I wasn’t calling her to break up; I was calling her to apologize for ignoring her. We decided, together, that breaking up was not an option. So we did the only thing we could think of: we hid our relationship from you.”
Internally, Jack scrutinized and criticized himself for not picking up on their plan earlier. “Mr. Vaughn,” he said after a few moments. “Why are you dating my daughter?”
Vaughn, always the honest boy, saw no reason to lie in this situation. “Because I love her,” he said smoothly.
“You love her?” Jack asked doubtfully.
“Yes.”
Leaning so that he could fold his hands on his desk top, Jack got down to business. “You – and Sydney – do not know what love is. I don’t know why you two pollute your brains with these thoughts,” he said menacingly.
Vaughn knew that Jack was trying to play with his mind; that he was trying to get him to do, say, or suggest something that would back up his theory. But Vaughn was smart enough not to fall for this bear trap. “Okay, then tell me what love is,” he dared. “Obviously, if you can tell Sydney and I don’t know, then you have to. So explain it to me.”
Jack was awed, but had no intention of showing it. Maybe he was wrong about this Vaughn boy. Or at least he was wrong in his tactics to sabotage him.
“I was in love with my late wife. She was the reason I breathed. I won’t tell you that love is a weakness or a distraction, because that’s far from the truth. Love is security. Love is joy,” he explained. “Love means knowing you’re wrong and apologizing, and generally knowing your loved one. It means you are not living for yourself, but for them. When you love someone, your number one priority is to keep them happy and at ease, always.”
And that’s where Jack went wrong.
“If that’s true, Mr. Bristow, then why don’t you do any of that for Sydney?” Vaughn asked determinedly. “You told me your definition of love. And I think I’m right to assume you love your only child, especially since she’s your only immediate family. So tell me why,” he wondered aloud, “you don’t hold her in this same respect.”
“I do love my daughter, and I care for her appropriately,” Jack defended.
“Really?” Vaughn asked. “Because I really don’t think you do. You said love is knowing someone. I don’t think you know her at all. And I can prove it,” he challenged. “What three sports does she play? What’s her favorite color? What’s her favorite movie? Does she laugh easily? What are some of her hobbies?” Vaughn rapidly asked.
These questions and accusations caught Jack off guard. “Her…,” he opened cautiously. “Her favorite color is green,” he said, knowing for a fact he was correct because that was why he had her shore house room painted that hue.
“Light or dark?” Vaughn questioned. “Emerald, sage or olive-colored?” he asked.
The truth was Jack didn’t have a clue. He knew she loved green and that was it. Vaughn was gaining power in this discussion and that made Jack feel weak. This was not a state that he was comfortable in. Jack never liked to be proved wrong, and the fact that some eighteen year old punk was the one doing the proving didn’t help.
“You don’t know,” Vaughn stated knowingly. “Well, what about the other questions I asked you. What are her sports?” he almost demanded.
The details in Jack’s head were fuzzy. He knew he missed a major tournament a couple of years ago for one of her sports. That’s why he bought her a car, to make up for it. Certainly, he knew it contained a ball and a net. However, he knew tennis wasn’t correct. For the life of him he couldn’t remember.
“Well, it only makes sense you don’t know,” Vaughn said when he saw Jack was struggling to recall. “You never go to her games.” Vaughn had Jack exactly where he wanted him. “She plays volleyball, track and cross country, and she excels at them all. When I didn’t have to work or have a hockey game of my own, I cheered her on,” he disclosed.
Jack was not happy in this predicament. “Look, Michael. Whatever you want, you clearly are trying to break me down to get it. Why don’t you just come out with it already? I’m sick of these games you’re playing to try and get it.”
Vaughn laughed. He actually laughed. And then he smiled. “I should’ve known you would try to give me something so your ego wouldn’t be bruised. It’s what you always do, isn’t it?” he indirectly asked. “Instead of actually showing interest in something, you buy gifts, right?”
“What does that matter?” Jack asked, annoyed.
That’s when Vaughn did something even he didn’t see coming. He shot up out of his chair and banged his fist on Jack’s desk. “Bullshit!” he yelled. “Gifts cannot be used to replace love,” he shouted. “You think Sydney really cares that you bought her a new car, or a new i-Pod, or whatever the hell else you buy her?” His face showed anger and plain old annoyance.
This different side of the so-called nice boy his daughter was dating startled Jack. “She,” he croaked. He grunted to get the frog out of his throat. “Sydney doesn’t complain about it.”
“Sure, she doesn’t complain about it!” he yelled. “When the hell does she have a chance to? It’s not like you’re home for her to talk to,” he said through gritted teeth.
Really, there wasn’t much Jack could say to refute that statement. It was the truth, the ugly truth. “I am home… sometimes. She could tell me then… if she’s unhappy.”
Vaughn, again, shook his head. Only this time it was in disgust. He sat down. “Do you really think she’d want to start a fight with you, especially since you’re usually only home for a few days at a time at most?” he asked, much quieter that the booming voice he had previously used. “You asked me why I want to be with your daughter. I told you because I love her, and that is the reason. But it’s not the only reason.” Jack was listening. “I love Sydney because of who she is, and because she, basically, became that person on her own.”
He raised and lowered his shoulders, “Mr. Bristow, I don’t know if you know this or not, but Sydney is a very generous and caring person. She likes to take care of people; likes to stand up for them when and if they need it. She’s friendly and gets along with almost anyone.” Vaughn smiled. “And she has this amazing,” he squinted his eyes for a second, “ability to forgive.” After taking a breath, he said, “Sir, I don’t love Sydney because she’s beautiful, even though she is, or because she’s well-mannered, even though she is. And I definitely don’t love her because she comes from a family with a lot of money, even though she does. I love her because, after knowing her for almost two years, I don’t know how to be myself without her,” he finished.
He smiled softly. “I’ve tried. I can’t do it, though. I don’t know who I am without her. And that’s why I love her. Because in order to be me, I need her.”
With a tilted head, Jack only stared at Vaughn. No words exited his mouth; he didn’t even blink. Now Vaughn was becoming nervous.
“Sir?” he prompted after a few minutes.
“Okay,” Jack said slowly, nodding his head in approval.
“Okay?” Vaughn asked. “I’m not sure I follow…. Okay what?” he asked, puzzled.
“Okay, you’re correct about my paternal abilities, and I need to work on that,” he said. Then he took a deep breath. “And, okay, you can date Sydney. You don’t appear to have the ulterior motive I thought you did.”
“Are you serious?” Vaughn questioned. “Because, Mr. Bristow, if you’re not, this isn’t a funny joke at all.”
Jack almost, just barely, smiled. “I’m not telling a joke.”
Sydney swore Vaughn and her father were in his office for an insane amount of time. She heard yelling at one point, which made her stomach do flip flops. Eventually, Vaughn walked out. He seemed to be unharmed.
“Vaughn?” she asked questioningly.
He smiled at her and stuck out his hand for her to take, and she did. She also followed his lead towards the front door.
“Vaughn?” she asked again.
“You want to go see that movie now?” he asked calmly when they were on the porch.
Sydney firmly planted her feet down and let go of his hand. “Vaughn, what the hell happened in there?” she asked, looking at him and then at her father’s office door, and then back at him. She had a feeling that this was her ultimatum: she could either choose Vaughn or her father, and she had no idea who to choose. Yes, she was in love with Vaughn and loved him more than anything, but then there was her father, who was rarely ever there for her, but he was still her family: the only family she had.
“Your dad and I talked,” Vaughn said.
“Yeah? Really?” she said. “Because I heard yelling at one point,” she said, panicked.
“Well, maybe it got loud at one point,” he admitted.
“Yeah, well… what the hell happened? Because I don’t want to…,” she began babbling.
“He approves now,” Vaughn said.
“Lose you, but he’s my dad. He’s not the greatest dad, but he’s my dad,” she continued. Suddenly, she stopped talking. “Wait, hold up, rewind. He approves? Like, approves of us dating?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Vaughn answered.
Sydney began rubbing her forehead. “I don’t… I don’t understand,” she said. “What did you guys talk about?” she asked.
“Oh, you know,” Vaughn said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Everything. Me, you… love.”
He smiled and she was more confused that she’d ever been in her life.
i can't believe he said all that to Jack, and even Jack opened up a bit!
hmm Jack definatly has to have some respect for vaughn after what he did..sooo good
and they are finally allowed to date i'm so excited!!
lol awwwwwwwwww poor syd she is so lost
and wow vaughn was very very very good
wasn't he??
i luv it and can't wait for more
please update soon
thanks for the pm
luved the chapter
update soon
but i read it thru my email.
a superduper COOOOL way.
ha.
ok.
bye.
V - addded in after i posted.
damnnnnnn. thatperson told u - like i didnt even know ! i wsa too busy posting. the COOOL thng to do. and making ittt purrrty. yup.
poeple who dont make entries pretty - should. OK !
i can't believe he said all that to Jack, and even Jack opened up a bit!
hmm Jack definatly has to have some respect for vaughn after what he did..sooo good
and they are finally allowed to date i'm so excited!!
lol awwwwwwwwww poor syd she is so lost
and wow vaughn was very very very good
wasn't he??
i luv it and can't wait for more
please update soon
thanks for the pm
luved the chapter
update soon
OMG! that was like, so great, i love how Vaughn knocked some since into Jack, i love it all, awesome
great chapter
thanx for the pm
can't wiat for more
OMG!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS CHAPTER! I am so glad that Vaughn finally put Jack in his place! I loved their fight and that Jack finally sees the type of loving, caring man Vaughn is, and that he approves of them dating! That took a lot of courage on Vaughns part! That earned him major respect! Did I mention how much I loved this chapter?
Excellent Job! I think this is one of my favorite chapters out of this fic,! Job well done!
OMG!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS CHAPTER! I am so glad that Vaughn finally put Jack in his place! I loved their fight and that Jack finally sees the type of loving, caring man Vaughn is, and that he approves of them dating! That took a lot of courage on Vaughns part! That earned him major respect! Did I mention how much I loved this chapter?
Excellent Job! I think this is one of my favorite chapters out of this fic,! Job well done!
