Sorry sorry sorry... busy busy busy... so making it short LOL Sorry about that too... but here's the next update... you'll love it... at least I hope so
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13/14
Vaughn didn’t hesitate once and walked to the main door towards the exit the school building, constantly shouting her name. He was followed by Sydney and Jack outside. There were quite some of bushes around the place and they went to check there first.
“Charlie, where are you? Please answer me!” Sydney yelled hoping that she would at least hear soft far away crying from her daughter. But no such luck.
“Sydney, where do you think she could have gone?” Jack questioned his daughter still not very pleased about what just happened but they would discuss this later he thought. Now was not the time for being mad at anybody. They first had to find Charlie.
She shook her head not quite able to reason properly. “Do you think she run to some friends? Maybe she run home?
“No, I don’t think so.” She sobbed loudly. “She doesn’t know the way home. She’s going to get lost.”
“No Syd, I don’t think so” Vaughn had turned around to face them “Remember when I met her yesterday, she was on her way home. She knows it Syd!”
“Ok, then let’s go!” Jack ran over to his car and let Syd and Vaughn inside. The car quickly drove off towards Sydney’s house, through the different streets lightened with soft Christmas light. Right then, nobody even had cared about Jason so far and that was good Jack thought. All of this was a big mistake anyway and Sydney had to make up for it.
Jack manoeuvred the car into the alley and all of them squinted out to see if Charlie happened to be around. “Dad maybe she is in the tree?”
Jack walked to the backside of the house “Charlie angel, you there?” But still no response!
Sydney collapsed at the front door and happily for her Vaughn had stood by her side to catch her on time.
“Still no sign?” Jack showed up again. Seeing his daughter in Vaughn’s arms “God what happened? Sweetheart?” He emphasized checking on his daughter.
“I think she just fainted. This is too much for her!” Vaughn lifted her into his arms and held her tightly. “Jack?” Vaughn tried to make an approach towards the Bristow father he knew far too well “I’m really sorry about what happened. Not only tonight, but also… well you know…”
“Not now Mr. Vaughn! We’ll clear all of this later. We have to find Charlotte Louise first.”
“Charlotte Louise” he whispered softly looking dreamingly at Sydney in his arms. Jack watched Vaughn and right then he knew that the love for his daughter was important to Vaughn just like it was for him towards Sydney. “Such a beautiful name”
“Yes. I think so too. That’s why I always call her angel. It fits so well” Jack said as Sydney started shifting in Vaughn’s arms. She rubbed her eyes slowly to remember where she was. “Hey Syd, you ok?” Vaughn was worried about her.
“Yeah I think so!” she thought for a moment.
“What is it?” Vaughn wanted to know before he set her down onto the ground. Sydney gave him a confused look surely wondering why the hell she has been in his arms…but again right now she had other worries. She had to find her daughter. Her and Vaughn’s daughter… she still couldn’t believe that he was standing right there in front of her.
And this look… this pained look he had in his eyes and his wrinkled forehead. She knew that look and those wrinkles far too good! There weren’t only worries written on his mind; but also regret, pain…. And love. She knew right then what had gone wrong. She should have never lied to him at first place… no matter what the reason was of his disappearance. Charlie was his daughter and he had the right to know the truth.
Now he knew it… Charlie was their daughter and he was just as anxious to find her back as was Sydney. They had to find her.
“I know!”
“You know what?”
“I know where she is! I had a vision.”
“Maybe it was a dream?” Jack jumped in.
“No it wasn’t. I just wonder why I haven’t thought about it before hand.” They stared at each other for a moment, due to the closeness they had just shared. Awkwardness flew all over the place with a uncomfortable Jack standing in between the couple.
“Then, where is she?” Jack wanted to know.
“I think she is at the planetarium”
“Why would she be there?” Jack thought they had better things to do then just trying to figure out where she was and where she wasn’t.
“Well...” Sydney shyly looked at the ground while Vaughn gazed at her wondering what she was going to answer to that. “She likes the planetarium.”
“How come I didn’t know what?”
“Well dad, you don’t know everything about her. There are simply things that she likes to keep for herself. It even surprises me that this is where she might be.”
Vaughn and Jack stared at Sydney waiting for her to continue “I told her that Vaughn… I mean her father that he is an archaeologist, so where ever he was, she could always look at the moon and know that this was something they had in common. He would always be close to her. She could easily sit there and watch the moon at night and think of her father.” When she finished the sentence she was finally able to let out the sob she was trying to hold on.
“Then let’s go there” Jack ordered them again and off they were.
“I cannot believe she ran away!” Sydney shook her head… it’s been the second time already in one day! What was wrong with her lately?
“Guess she’s just like her dad and scared about facing problems” Vaughn blurted out. “Sorry, not a good joke at this point!” he quickly excused himself. He dared to touch Sydney hand in support. A silence smile passed between them. Everything was going to be fine eventually. They would find Charlie soon.
“Ok, here we are”
Sydney walked first up the stairs to the main area of the planetarium. It was a rather small building, far away, at least on foot, from the neighbourhood they lived in. “Do you really think she went that far?” Vaughn questioned Sydney.
“Do you really think I don’t know my daughter enough?” Sydney muttered.
“Stop it you two! I want you to quit fighting. There is no reason to fight! Now get moved. I want my granddaughter back!” He bellowed leaving the pair dumbfounded.
Vaughn and Sydney climbed the tiny steps up and indeed she was laying there on the ground turning her back towards the steps. A soft sobering could be heard and her shoulders were trembling ever so slightly.
“Hey Charlie!” Sydney climbed the last two steps and ran towards her daughter and lifted her up.
“I’m sorry mummy. I promise you to never run off again!” She cried heavily.
“Shhhh sweetie. Everything’s gonna be ok!” Sydney rubbed her back with slow circling movements just like she did when she used to be a baby to get her to sleep.
Vaughn stood at the back and watched Sydney and Charlie not knowing what to do or how to react.
“Charlie, can you listen to me, please?” she asked setting her back down on the ground. They both sat down on the mattress and Sydney ended up lifting her onto her lap. Vaughn understood that it was time for a mother to daughter talk and that they needed to be alone, so he went back outside.
Vaughn finally felt relieved that they had found her. The look though Charlie had flashed him, when he saw her in the small tower was too much for him. It was love and hate at the same time. She was hurt and that hurt him too. His mind was busy trying to figure out, what had just happened, how would it go on from here on? Well that still was Sydney’s decision but he hoped for the best. He hoped that Sydney was at least willing to give him the right to see her.
His daughter.
That was the only thought on his mind. She was the perfect image of himself, when he was a kid. He knew it from the beginning on he saw her. Well not exactly then but right when he saw Charlie with her mother. That’s when he knew it. The dirty blond hair, her green shining eyes, the way she moved her eye brows just like he did, her smile,…just everything.
She was perfect to him and he was glad to know her sound and safe in Sydney’s arms. Unaware, he looked at the upper level window to where they were.
tbc