Beep beep beep beep "we have a regular pulse"
and we're out of the coma
This may come as a shock but I actually just wrote the rest of the chapter!! And it's longer than i thought it would be which means i have two more chapters in my brain that I can probably write without too much hastle!
Ok so many of you may have forgoten this story- and it's ok I understand it's not that gripping and I have not updated in a LONG time.
But some new peope started reading and put this on the front page :blink: and I thought mah maybe i should wake this up.
But this chapter is mainly for Steph- because for some insane reason she happons to like this fic... and also happened to bug me about it a while ago and made me write down a scene that i had in my head.... so this is for you hun- hope u like it when u get back
Last time
Syd and Vaughn are in a chamber in the heart of a rockface in northan Russia, the chamber seemed to be full of light and there were lots of tropical flowers, it was hot despite the fact that it was snowing outside and they were deep inside a rockface.
Sydney turned to look at Vaughn, amazement showing in all her features.
“Vaughn!” she gasped. “Don’t move.”
His hand instinctively went to the gun on his belt, as he stood motionless in the chamber.
Chapter 28
~LA~
“Can you break it please Grandpa?” she held out the popsicle to Jack who looked distinctly alarmed.
“Errm...” he took the cold packet she was holding out to him.
When he volunteered to take Amy and Claire out to the park he didn’t know it would be so complicated, popsicles were obviously one of the many things he’d missed out on while Sydney was growing up.
“If you can’t don’t worry I know they’re hard. Ruth said when people get old they get all weak and can’t do stuff. I guess you’re kinda old aren’t you?”
Claire laughed; she was standing next to Jack watching the exchange with amusement. Jack glanced at her then looked back at Amy.
“Who’s Ruth?”
“She’s in my class, she has a pink backpack.” She said as thought that explained it.
“Well,” he said crouching down to her level. “You can tell Ruth that your Grandpa is just as strong as he ever was, thank you very much.” With that he broke the popsicle in his hand and passed the packet back to her.
“Okay,” she smiled. “I will. Do you want the other one?” she asked as she popped one stick into her mouth.
He looked startled “Oh, err no thank you munshkin.”
Claire laughed again “Jack it’s just a popsicle, don’t look so scared!” he glared at her.
“Do you want it Grandma?” Amy asked looking from Jack to Claire and holding out the rapidly melting popsicle.
“Oh, go on why not! Thank you.” She said and took it as Amy skipped off in front of them.
“Don’t go too far ahead” Jack called out protectively and she nodded. They continued to walk around the park each lost in their own thoughts as they watched Amy skip along ahead of them.
Claire broke the comfortable silence with a laugh.
“What?” Jack asked with a smile.
“I was just trying to remember the last time I had a popsicle.” She said lightly still eating the one Amy had given her.
“And?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to one of two occasions; a trip to the zoo on this really hot day and the car broke down on the way back- we ended up eating popsicles at a rest stop - or Michael’s tenth birthday- I can’t remember which came first.”
Jack smiled. “I honestly don’t remember ever eating a popsicle.”
“What never?” he shook his head. “Even when Syd was small and couldn’t eat two whole sticks because they gave her ‘brain freeze’?”
“Sounds like you’re talking from experience,” he laughed. “But no I’ve never had one, I wasn’t there much when Sydney was growing up.” He said ruefully.
“Well you’re here now, that’s the main thing.” She said squeezing his arm. “But we’re going to have to remedy this popsicle situation.”
“What?” he asked looking worried.
“Amy?” she called out to the little girl still skipping in front of them “will you run and get another popsicle for Grandpa please? He changed his mind.”
“Ok.” She smiled taking the coin Claire held out and running towards the vendor
“Claire.” Jack said nervously
“Jack.” She replied. “It’s just a popsicle. Honestly you’re one of the bravest people I know and you won’t eat a little slab of ice on a wooden stick!”
“Fine! You win. I’ll eat one!” they laughed and walked over to meet Amy as she ran towards them.
~*~*~*~
“Vaughn!” she gasped. “Don’t move.”
His hand instinctively went to the gun on his belt, as he stood motionless in the chamber.
After a moment of standing still with nothing happening Vaughn relaxed slightly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked confused.
“Don’t move.” Sydney said quietly moving towards him. “There’s a butterfly on your head.”
“What?” he asked with slightly more panic evident in his voice then should have been prompted by a small insect. “Ugg, I can feel it! It’s walking all over me! Get it off!” he started to shake his head frantically. Sydney stifled a laugh. “I don’t get what’s so funny. It’s walking all over me!” he said indignantly
“You.” She replied with a smile “sure you were calm as, when you thought it was a hostile, but a small winged insect walking all over your and you’re worse than Amy.”
“I am not.” He said still trying to shake the butterfly from his head.
“No you’re right- Amy likes butterflies.”
“Why won’t it come off? It’s walking all over the place.” he said shooting her a glare and changing the subject.
“You probably smell good.”
“What?”
“You probably smell good. It’s a complement really.” She shrugged.
“What do you mean?”
“Butterflies smell with their feet- it probably just likes your smell so it’s walking all over you.”
“Butterflies smell with their feet?”
“Yeah. I thought everyone knew that?”
“What? Why would everyone know that? No one knows that. Why do
you know that?”
“It’s common knowledge” she shrugged again
“Well can you please just get it off my head, please?”
She laughed and stepped closer to him scooping it off his head and letting it fly away. “It was right.” He raised an eyebrow questionably, “you do smell good.” She kissed him lightly on the lips and then turned round to continue search through this strange indoor garden.
He paused for a moment then quickly joined her in examining the contents of the room, though he avoided any of the blooms that he thought might be harbouring insects. Remembering why he was there the wrinkles returned to his forehead.
“Vaughn, I’ve got something” Sydney called from the other side of what Vaughn now realised was a vast chamber going very deeply into the rock.
“What is it?” he asked as he joined her in trying to dislodge something from the wall.
“I think it’s a box... whatever it is it’s hollow and there’s something inside.”
They both held their breath as Sydney carefully checked the edge and then lifted the lid. Inside was a bundle of papers tied in various piles with course brow string. Some was clearly older than others- some looked, almost- new.
Sydney set the box and lid down and they both lent over it taking out a bundle each and untying them hesitantly.
Vaughn was the first to open out the papers and what he saw there made him gasp.
Sydney, who had a considerably older bundle, looked at him but then opened her own. There were sketches and diagrams of almost photographic quality. She looked at each page in turn her face showing the new pain that each new image brought to her.
“M-Michael.” She stammered looking up at him. He nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the paper in his hands.
He tore his eyes away and turned to her. Only one word could escape from his tight throat.
“Amy.”
~*~*~*~*
off to find the PM list
thanks for reading