Ms.MichaelVaughn
Cadet
It's such a sweet story 
I absolutely LOVE it... 
please update soon
op:
I absolutely LOVE it...
please update soon
op:
Mrs. Karie Vartan
Cadet
This is great!! I can't wait to see what happens next!! Please post more soon please.
-Karie-
I can't wait to see what happens next!! Please post more soon please. -Karie-
Syd_Vaughn4ever
Cadet
AWWWWWWWWWW OMG!!! I am seriously crying here!!! That is sooooooooooo cute OMG!!! ::tear:: Since you've already written it then can you mabey ya know post ::wink wink:: more cause I really wanna know who's coming in and excuse me but Vaughn is marrying ME!!! LOL (j/k) we can share!!! LMAO!!!! More soon PLEASE!!!
kate_jones
Cadet
ohhhhh. He's so perfect! I wish real guys were as perfect as Vaughn... Anyways, this is still great and I'm soooo looking forward to your next post. You're seriously killing me over here!
~kate
~kate
Avrilfan89
Cadet
If every guy was as great as Vaughn we would have a perfect world. Anyway, back to reality. This is a great story I really hope you write more, and soon!
-Avrilfan89
-Avrilfan89
Addicted to Alias
Cadet
THis story is so sweet! But who is Andrew? Is this going to be like Sweet Home Alabama, where both the guys are sweet and good. BUt anyone who gets in between Sydney and VAughn is evil!!!!!!! Something must have happened, but what? Post more, this is great!
Scarlet Crystal
Bibbity Rabbity
aw, sweet! write more.
Vaughn4ever
Cadet
SYDNEY DONT MARRY HIM PLEASE!!!!! SHE SHOULD MARRY VAUGHN!!!!!!!!!! SORRY CANT MAKE YOU DO ANYTHING. I AGREE WITH ADDICTED TO ALIAS BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE SWEET HOME ALABAMA RIGHT NOW WHICH IS NOT A BAD THING AT ALL. ITS VERY CUTE. AWSOME JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!! CANT WAIT FOR MORE!!!!!!!
CANT WAIT FOR MORE!!!!!!! OMV...thank you guys so much for the wonderful comments. You all rock!!!
What is funny (and Trish will tell you this, coz I told her before)....that I wrote this BEFORE Sweet Home Alabama came out....lol.... and as I just finished....I went to see the movie and the whole time, I was thinking...WHOA...I just wrote something like this. Well...the Andrew name and something else that will happen later is coincidentally like Sweet Home Alabama...lol....and BTW, I loved that movie. :lol:
Chapter 3
Sydney really wants to be alone right now. She needs to pull herself together, or at least figure out why she is acting the way she is, but it’s too late because the words already slipped out of her mouth. “Come in.” Oh well she has played many roles, unlike the way she felt at the time, off in far away exotic places; she’ll simply have to play along with whoever is at the door.
“ Sydney, hope we’re not intruding.” It is her dad and Will. The two are not exactly what you would call friends, but they have become more than mere acquaintances over the years thanks to Sydney. Since they returned from Taipei three years ago, Will has always been secretly grateful to Jack for coming to get him. Jack, who wanted to work on his own relationship with his daughter, more than ever since they found out about her mother, came by the house more often. Since Will was always over at Sydney’s, the three and Francie, had more than a few nights of dinner, talking, and even some friendly games. Sydney had never laughed so hard like the night that her dad learned to play monopoly with them.
“ No, I’m really happy you both are here today,” Sydney looks at two very important men in her life. She and her dad had come along way since her first engagement. When Danny told her about the “conversation” he had with her father to ask for his blessings, Sydney was so mad that she swore she would not even invite her dad to the wedding. But back then, she hadn’t expected anything from him anyway. Now, after working with him and seeing that behind his stoic appearance is a wise man full of love, though he’d never admit it. Sydney had spent so many teenage years resenting her dad that she forgot the special moments they shared when she was young. Those memories of bedtime stories and walks in the park are slowly resurfacing every time they get closer.
“ I wouldn’t miss your wedding day for anything,” her dad says seriously looking into her eyes. Then his eyes light up with a smile, “Besides, who would walk you down the aisle?” he teases.
“ Will could,” she teases back. “Isn’t that right Will?” she nudges him in the ribs.
“ Oh no, nope!” Will shakes his head violently. “ I already got suckered into decorating and entertainment for the reception by Francie’s oh so persuasive method of threatening to beat me up. I wouldn’t want Jack to beat me up for real if I took his place by giving his daughter away” Everyone laughs at that. Will just knows how to liven up the place.
“ Mr. Tippin, I would not beat you up. I am above that,” Jack returns to his cool demeanor.
“ Jack, you can call me Will, and that’s good to know,” Will is relieved.
“ I would simply have my men dressed up in black ski-masks take you while you were sleeping.”
Jack gives them his signature straight serious face and Sydney tries to stifle a laugh. Will swallows hard and then gives into laughing along. Sydney feels a little better. This is the way it’s supposed to be she thinks. Having her dad and her best friend cracking jokes on her wedding day.
“ Speaking of entertainment and music. I, uh, didn’t really do my homework and I don’t know what to play for your song.”
“ Oh, Andrew and I don’t really have a song,” Sydney replies slightly embarrassed.
“ What?” Will eyes suddenly become twice their normal size. “ How can you not have a song? You better think of one fast.”
“ Why don’t you pick one for me.” Sydney says with a shrug.
“ Uh, okay. I’m not sure that’s the best idea. I remember you specifically telling me I have no taste in music.” Will thinks that Sydney is acting a little weird. Sydney is the most decisive woman he knows. She knows exactly what she wants and yet she doesn’t even care for the most important song of the night. “ Um, tell you what. I have a few choices right here I could play for you right now. We’ll get this done quickly.”
“Alright, let’s hear them.” Sydney says as she gets comfortable in a nearby couch. She wraps her arm around her dad’s to make him sit right next to her.
“ I think this is actually a really good one. My older sister had it at her wedding. Get this: it’s French too.”
The music starts playing. First the instrumental and then the voices of a woman and a man slowly gets louder and clearer. Louder and clearer…This is slightly familiar, Sydney thinks to herself. “Where have I heard it?” she wonders in her head. Then the realization hits her and for the second time today she feels tears coming on as she remembers a nightclub in Paris.
She was on a mission in Paris to get another Rambaldi artifact, a unique ring with the famous symbol engraved on the inside. The man who had the ring didn’t know the true value of the ring, but was told by his father to always keep it on him. That night he was entertaining guests at a Paris nightclub. Sydney was going to find him, get his attention, and switch the ring with a fake one while they were dancing. That night, another CIA agent would be at the club ready to switch the ring again the same way Sydney obtained the ring. She would recognize him because he would be wearing shaded glasses. He was suppose to look innocent and blind so no one would suspect him. Sydney remembered thinking it would be an easy mission, but she didn’t know how unforgettable it would actually be.
The night was going perfectly as planned. The man with the ring was a scumbag like all the other ones she dealt with, but his attention was easily gotten. One look at Sydney’s skin-tight red dress with a slit that ran up her right thigh and he was hooked. She felt disgusted by his forwardness. He looked like a weasel, a hungry one too. “Let’s just get this over with quick,” Sydney thought. It was a little pep talk, but it prepared her. When they danced, all she could think about was a shower to wash everywhere he touched. Once she switched the rings, that was it. No more Ms. Let-you-do-anything-you wanted. As she moved away from his grasp, he pulled her tighter. Luckily, she didn’t have to resort to violence because another woman came up from behind him and threw a punch for her. Sydney couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. She assumed the woman was either his wife or girlfriend, who was not so happy at his public displays of affection with other women. Sydney slipped quietly away towards the other side of the nightclub.
Half of the mission was completed. Now, in search for Mr.CIA-with-sunglasses so she can get the other half done as quickly as possible. She gazed around the room, but with all the cigarette smoke in the room, it is a wonder she could see anything within five feet of her. Where was he? She was beginning to think that she got the description wrong. A blind man with sunglasses. That shouldn’t be that hard to find. Then she heard the two women next to hear talking in French.
“ It has been a bore tonight. No one worth our time here.”
“ I don’t know Cecile. There was one man in particular. He was tall and looked great in a suit.”
“ Yeah? Well, why aren’t you with him? ”
“ He didn’t seem interested. Besides, I think he is blind.”
“ Too bad.”
“ Yes, I don’t know where he is now, but last I saw him, he was by the bar.”
“Hmmmm,” Sydney thought and headed toward the bar. There was a man there with his back to her. That has got to be him. Even though she hasn’t seen his face yet, the back certainly looked…appealing. What? Did she just think that? She quickly reprimanded herself. She was on a mission, not here to pick up guys. Anyway, it was probably the smoke getting into her eyes to blur her vision. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.
“ Monsieur, would you like to dance?” she said in French.
He turned around, and there were the sunglasses covering his eyes. Then she gasped. Oh my gosh! This was not just any CIA agent. Even though it was dark, the room was smoky, and his eyes were hidden, she knew it was him. She was stunned, but didn’t want to draw any attention towards them.
“ I’d be delighted,” he answered with a smile. “Will you lead the way?” Of course, she thought. He was pretending to be blind. She took his hand in hers and moved to the dance floor. Once they were close enough so no one could hear, she dropped her act.
“ What are you doing here?”
“ Excuse me, I don’t know what you’re talking about Mademoiselle.”
“ Vaughn…what is going on?” she glared at him.
Acting completely shocked he answered smoothly, “ Who is this Vaughn? We have never met before. Simply two strangers.”
So, this is the way he wants to play, she thought. Fine I can play along. “ And who might you be?”
“ Just your average blind French man.” She couldn’t stay mad at him anymore and let out a sigh. “ Who might you be?” he asked her in return.
“ Just your average American woman.”
Then a very slow song started playing in the background. A man and a woman sang a duet. He took both her wrists, one in each hand, pulled her in, and put them around his neck drawing her closer. Sydney took a deep breath as his hands moved to her waist. She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes as her head fell on his shoulder. They have never been this close before. Her heart pounded so fast she thought she could feel it in her throat.
“ Just your average American woman? Really?…I think not,” he whispered into her ear and she blushed. She was beginning to feel warm and dizzy. “ What does your average American woman look like?”
She let go of her grasp and reached down for his hand. She slowly brought it up to her face and let her hand go while his remained still. His touch on her face was so gentle, she could barely feel it. But she knew it was there because she felt heat everywhere he touched. He glided his hand across her eyes as she closed them. She hoped he didn’t feel the wetness under her eyes. Then he stroked the back of his hand across her cheek sending shivers down her spine. Finally he used his index finger to outline her full lips.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered and she swallowed hard. They stopped talking and simply swayed against each other to the music. It felt so right and perfect at that moment that she didn’t realize she was holding on tighter and tighter with each passing second until he cleared his throat and whispered, “ I think you have something for me,”
Those words brought her back to the mission at hand. She let one arm stay around his neck while the other reached down into her purse to get the Rambaldi ring. She kept it well hidden as she moved her hands down the arms of his suit and slipped the ring into his pocket. He then reached down into the other pocket and took out the fake ring. He took her hand in his and passed the ring into her palm as he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “ Thank you for the dance,” and he turned away as the song ended. The room just seemed to fade.
“ Well Syd, what do you think? Syd? Do you like the song?” Will asks.
“ No!” she cries in alarm and blinks at the tears. She shocks Will and her dad with her sudden outburst. “ I mean, I uh, I think we should go with a English song for the, uh, guests.” She’s all flustered and has to think quick. “ Just, just go with ‘At Last’ That’s... um... a nice normal wedding song.”
“ Okay…um…that’s a great song,” says Will. He went up to her and asks, “ Are you alright?”
“ Yeah, Fine.”
“ Could you be a little more convincing and smile for me?” She gives another forced smile and he has to leave it like that. Will gives her a quick kiss on the cheek and with a “ I’ll get working on it,” he leaves the room.
Sydney slumps back down on the couch. “ Sydney, what’s wrong?” her dad asks in a concerned fatherly manner.
“ I just don’t know.”
A/N: Just to let you know, the uh....whole nightclub flashback scene was inspired when I first saw a picture of Daredevil and him touching her face....lol....
You all rock!!! What is funny (and Trish will tell you this, coz I told her before)....that I wrote this BEFORE Sweet Home Alabama came out....lol.... and as I just finished....I went to see the movie and the whole time, I was thinking...WHOA...I just wrote something like this. Well...the Andrew name and something else that will happen later is coincidentally like Sweet Home Alabama...lol....and BTW, I loved that movie. :lol:
Chapter 3
Sydney really wants to be alone right now. She needs to pull herself together, or at least figure out why she is acting the way she is, but it’s too late because the words already slipped out of her mouth. “Come in.” Oh well she has played many roles, unlike the way she felt at the time, off in far away exotic places; she’ll simply have to play along with whoever is at the door.
“ Sydney, hope we’re not intruding.” It is her dad and Will. The two are not exactly what you would call friends, but they have become more than mere acquaintances over the years thanks to Sydney. Since they returned from Taipei three years ago, Will has always been secretly grateful to Jack for coming to get him. Jack, who wanted to work on his own relationship with his daughter, more than ever since they found out about her mother, came by the house more often. Since Will was always over at Sydney’s, the three and Francie, had more than a few nights of dinner, talking, and even some friendly games. Sydney had never laughed so hard like the night that her dad learned to play monopoly with them.
“ No, I’m really happy you both are here today,” Sydney looks at two very important men in her life. She and her dad had come along way since her first engagement. When Danny told her about the “conversation” he had with her father to ask for his blessings, Sydney was so mad that she swore she would not even invite her dad to the wedding. But back then, she hadn’t expected anything from him anyway. Now, after working with him and seeing that behind his stoic appearance is a wise man full of love, though he’d never admit it. Sydney had spent so many teenage years resenting her dad that she forgot the special moments they shared when she was young. Those memories of bedtime stories and walks in the park are slowly resurfacing every time they get closer.
“ I wouldn’t miss your wedding day for anything,” her dad says seriously looking into her eyes. Then his eyes light up with a smile, “Besides, who would walk you down the aisle?” he teases.
“ Will could,” she teases back. “Isn’t that right Will?” she nudges him in the ribs.
“ Oh no, nope!” Will shakes his head violently. “ I already got suckered into decorating and entertainment for the reception by Francie’s oh so persuasive method of threatening to beat me up. I wouldn’t want Jack to beat me up for real if I took his place by giving his daughter away” Everyone laughs at that. Will just knows how to liven up the place.
“ Mr. Tippin, I would not beat you up. I am above that,” Jack returns to his cool demeanor.
“ Jack, you can call me Will, and that’s good to know,” Will is relieved.
“ I would simply have my men dressed up in black ski-masks take you while you were sleeping.”
Jack gives them his signature straight serious face and Sydney tries to stifle a laugh. Will swallows hard and then gives into laughing along. Sydney feels a little better. This is the way it’s supposed to be she thinks. Having her dad and her best friend cracking jokes on her wedding day.
“ Speaking of entertainment and music. I, uh, didn’t really do my homework and I don’t know what to play for your song.”
“ Oh, Andrew and I don’t really have a song,” Sydney replies slightly embarrassed.
“ What?” Will eyes suddenly become twice their normal size. “ How can you not have a song? You better think of one fast.”
“ Why don’t you pick one for me.” Sydney says with a shrug.
“ Uh, okay. I’m not sure that’s the best idea. I remember you specifically telling me I have no taste in music.” Will thinks that Sydney is acting a little weird. Sydney is the most decisive woman he knows. She knows exactly what she wants and yet she doesn’t even care for the most important song of the night. “ Um, tell you what. I have a few choices right here I could play for you right now. We’ll get this done quickly.”
“Alright, let’s hear them.” Sydney says as she gets comfortable in a nearby couch. She wraps her arm around her dad’s to make him sit right next to her.
“ I think this is actually a really good one. My older sister had it at her wedding. Get this: it’s French too.”
The music starts playing. First the instrumental and then the voices of a woman and a man slowly gets louder and clearer. Louder and clearer…This is slightly familiar, Sydney thinks to herself. “Where have I heard it?” she wonders in her head. Then the realization hits her and for the second time today she feels tears coming on as she remembers a nightclub in Paris.
She was on a mission in Paris to get another Rambaldi artifact, a unique ring with the famous symbol engraved on the inside. The man who had the ring didn’t know the true value of the ring, but was told by his father to always keep it on him. That night he was entertaining guests at a Paris nightclub. Sydney was going to find him, get his attention, and switch the ring with a fake one while they were dancing. That night, another CIA agent would be at the club ready to switch the ring again the same way Sydney obtained the ring. She would recognize him because he would be wearing shaded glasses. He was suppose to look innocent and blind so no one would suspect him. Sydney remembered thinking it would be an easy mission, but she didn’t know how unforgettable it would actually be.
The night was going perfectly as planned. The man with the ring was a scumbag like all the other ones she dealt with, but his attention was easily gotten. One look at Sydney’s skin-tight red dress with a slit that ran up her right thigh and he was hooked. She felt disgusted by his forwardness. He looked like a weasel, a hungry one too. “Let’s just get this over with quick,” Sydney thought. It was a little pep talk, but it prepared her. When they danced, all she could think about was a shower to wash everywhere he touched. Once she switched the rings, that was it. No more Ms. Let-you-do-anything-you wanted. As she moved away from his grasp, he pulled her tighter. Luckily, she didn’t have to resort to violence because another woman came up from behind him and threw a punch for her. Sydney couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. She assumed the woman was either his wife or girlfriend, who was not so happy at his public displays of affection with other women. Sydney slipped quietly away towards the other side of the nightclub.
Half of the mission was completed. Now, in search for Mr.CIA-with-sunglasses so she can get the other half done as quickly as possible. She gazed around the room, but with all the cigarette smoke in the room, it is a wonder she could see anything within five feet of her. Where was he? She was beginning to think that she got the description wrong. A blind man with sunglasses. That shouldn’t be that hard to find. Then she heard the two women next to hear talking in French.
“ It has been a bore tonight. No one worth our time here.”
“ I don’t know Cecile. There was one man in particular. He was tall and looked great in a suit.”
“ Yeah? Well, why aren’t you with him? ”
“ He didn’t seem interested. Besides, I think he is blind.”
“ Too bad.”
“ Yes, I don’t know where he is now, but last I saw him, he was by the bar.”
“Hmmmm,” Sydney thought and headed toward the bar. There was a man there with his back to her. That has got to be him. Even though she hasn’t seen his face yet, the back certainly looked…appealing. What? Did she just think that? She quickly reprimanded herself. She was on a mission, not here to pick up guys. Anyway, it was probably the smoke getting into her eyes to blur her vision. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.
“ Monsieur, would you like to dance?” she said in French.
He turned around, and there were the sunglasses covering his eyes. Then she gasped. Oh my gosh! This was not just any CIA agent. Even though it was dark, the room was smoky, and his eyes were hidden, she knew it was him. She was stunned, but didn’t want to draw any attention towards them.
“ I’d be delighted,” he answered with a smile. “Will you lead the way?” Of course, she thought. He was pretending to be blind. She took his hand in hers and moved to the dance floor. Once they were close enough so no one could hear, she dropped her act.
“ What are you doing here?”
“ Excuse me, I don’t know what you’re talking about Mademoiselle.”
“ Vaughn…what is going on?” she glared at him.
Acting completely shocked he answered smoothly, “ Who is this Vaughn? We have never met before. Simply two strangers.”
So, this is the way he wants to play, she thought. Fine I can play along. “ And who might you be?”
“ Just your average blind French man.” She couldn’t stay mad at him anymore and let out a sigh. “ Who might you be?” he asked her in return.
“ Just your average American woman.”
Then a very slow song started playing in the background. A man and a woman sang a duet. He took both her wrists, one in each hand, pulled her in, and put them around his neck drawing her closer. Sydney took a deep breath as his hands moved to her waist. She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes as her head fell on his shoulder. They have never been this close before. Her heart pounded so fast she thought she could feel it in her throat.
“ Just your average American woman? Really?…I think not,” he whispered into her ear and she blushed. She was beginning to feel warm and dizzy. “ What does your average American woman look like?”
She let go of her grasp and reached down for his hand. She slowly brought it up to her face and let her hand go while his remained still. His touch on her face was so gentle, she could barely feel it. But she knew it was there because she felt heat everywhere he touched. He glided his hand across her eyes as she closed them. She hoped he didn’t feel the wetness under her eyes. Then he stroked the back of his hand across her cheek sending shivers down her spine. Finally he used his index finger to outline her full lips.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered and she swallowed hard. They stopped talking and simply swayed against each other to the music. It felt so right and perfect at that moment that she didn’t realize she was holding on tighter and tighter with each passing second until he cleared his throat and whispered, “ I think you have something for me,”
Those words brought her back to the mission at hand. She let one arm stay around his neck while the other reached down into her purse to get the Rambaldi ring. She kept it well hidden as she moved her hands down the arms of his suit and slipped the ring into his pocket. He then reached down into the other pocket and took out the fake ring. He took her hand in his and passed the ring into her palm as he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “ Thank you for the dance,” and he turned away as the song ended. The room just seemed to fade.
“ Well Syd, what do you think? Syd? Do you like the song?” Will asks.
“ No!” she cries in alarm and blinks at the tears. She shocks Will and her dad with her sudden outburst. “ I mean, I uh, I think we should go with a English song for the, uh, guests.” She’s all flustered and has to think quick. “ Just, just go with ‘At Last’ That’s... um... a nice normal wedding song.”
“ Okay…um…that’s a great song,” says Will. He went up to her and asks, “ Are you alright?”
“ Yeah, Fine.”
“ Could you be a little more convincing and smile for me?” She gives another forced smile and he has to leave it like that. Will gives her a quick kiss on the cheek and with a “ I’ll get working on it,” he leaves the room.
Sydney slumps back down on the couch. “ Sydney, what’s wrong?” her dad asks in a concerned fatherly manner.
“ I just don’t know.”
A/N: Just to let you know, the uh....whole nightclub flashback scene was inspired when I first saw a picture of Daredevil and him touching her face....lol....
aliasjgfanaticmv
Cadet
awww, that was so good!!! heheh, I needed something to get me up, this helped! Once again, you're a wonderful writer ^_^
kate_jones
Cadet
That was great great great. I want to hear more about the present. It was the necklace, right? That whole scene in the club when they were dancing was so romantic! I love the way you've written Vaughn - Great job!
~kate
~kate
Ms.MichaelVaughn
Cadet
This was really good ....I'm waiting for the next chapter
I hope you'll update soon :redhair:
....I'm waiting for the next chapter I hope you'll update soon :redhair:
wildwildrae
Cadet
It's amazing how much that nightclub scene is like my own fic!! Sydney goes to get a Rambaldi ring from this scuzzy guy... and then Vaughn is there! ack! That's so weird!
Well, anywho, I was so hoping the knock on the door was going to be Vaughn.... poop. He better show up and profess his love!
But the part with him being blind....ahhhhh. Is it any wonder I want to date a blind guy now? ^_^
Fantastic job, continue soon! I need to stop salivating over Vaughn! If only, if only.
Rachel
Syd_Vaughn4ever
Cadet
Awwww can't wait for more!!!
Thank you to all who read and reviewed! This is a shorter chapter with not much happening....except....some father daughter time. Second to the relationship between Sydney and Vaughn, I enjoy the Jack/Sydney moments a great deal. And also...please keep in mind that this was written before we got to know Irina's character. Thanks again. Next part up tomorrow.
Chapter 4
“ Sydney, what’s wrong?” her dad asks with a concerned voice.
“ I just don’t know.” She wants so badly to cry on his shoulder like she did when she was six years old and fell off a pony and scraped her knee. He had been there to help her get right back on. Instead, she doesn’t want him to worry so much about her.
“ Dad, do you remember your wedding day?”
Jack turns his back to her and looks out the window. Sydney suddenly feels terrible to have asked him such a question. She knows that he tries desperately to forget the hurtful past with her mother. She wants to take it back, but it’s too late and she secretly really wants to know his answer. He tilts his head and the memory of over thirty years back flashes before him like still frames of a movie passing right before his eyes.
“ I remember it perfectly,” he finally says with a sigh. “Every second.”
“ Really?”
“ There weren’t that many people, just a priest. Your mother convinced me that we didn’t need anyone else at our wedding. At the time, she said that ‘it would be like our own little secret moment.’ But now, thinking back, it was probably because she didn’t have anyone to invite. Her whole history had been a lie. She couldn’t let people come to the wedding if they didn’t exist. I was naïve and let her have her way…”
“ Dad, don’t do that to yourself. You couldn’t have known,” Sydney places her hand gently on her dad’s arm.
“ Well, it didn’t matter because, in a way, she was right. You really only need two people. The two who share a love that makes them want to declare to the whole world that they are like one. It’s nice to share with others, but not essential. Anyway, it was very intimate. She wore a slim white silk dress with long strands that you had to tie in the back. I actually had to help her into her dress because no one else was there. I was not very good at lacing the strands and actually ripped one of them. You know, my hands are very skilled with guns but terrible with women’s clothing.” He turned back to see if Sydney had cracked a smile, and she did.
“ What did you do?”
“ Well, first, we laughed until our stomach hurt for a few minutes and then I was gentleman like and gave her my suit jacket to wear. A few other things didn’t go our way that day. We didn’t make it out to be a grand occasion. Simple, but special. We didn’t even have music. When she walked down to meet me, she had to hum the wedding march to herself. When we made eye-contact, she gave me a look as if playfully threatening me to hum with her or she would hurt me. Then at that moment, I felt like the happiest man alive because I knew I had found her. ” He stops suddenly trying to compose himself. The memory was sweet and painful at the same time.
“ Did you feel, I don’t know, unsure, um, about anything?” Sydney was not being very articulate today.
“ Of course there was the usual amount of apprehension about the future. But Sydney, there is uncertainty in everything. You should know that by now. It was just nerves I guess,” Jack smirks. To think of himself being scared of anything, let alone marriage, made him almost laugh. “ It wasn’t, how should I put it, dread, but nerves of excitement. Not knowing what the future held.”
“ Yeah, you said mom was the one. How were you so sure?”
“ Now after thirty-some years, I am not so sure why I was so sure. Did you know that when I first met your mother, I was dating someone else at the time?”
“ No, I didn’t.” At the first initial moment of hearing her father’s words, she felt surprised, but then remembered that she doesn’t really know that much about her father’s past. They were working on their relationship, but haven’t gotten to the point of sharing everything.
“ Yes Sydney. I did, date, other women before your mother. Her name was Sara. We knew each other for a really long time and started seeing each other when mutual friends suggested we would be a good match. And we were, but everything was the way it was suppose to be. There was no excitement. There were no obstacles. We settled into routine quickly. On the outside we seemed like the perfect couple that never argued. With your mother, there was always something special. She challenged my ideas and everything I thought I knew. She made me see new perspectives. Of course I didn’t know everything was planned. I thought everything she did was spontaneous.”
“ Do you regret your decision to end things with Sara?”
Jack had to think hard, and finally he answered. “ No. If I had stayed with Sara and did eventually end up marrying her. I would have settled for normality.”
“ But, isn’t that something you would want with your life being so messed up with the CIA?” That’s what I would want, she thought.
“ Sydney, when you lead the life of a CIA agent, you need to be motivated to do the things you do. If you settled all the time, slowly your drive would diminish and then disappear. You don’t really want to settle when you can have something greater. The times when I wanted normality, I still got it with your mother. I’d like to think that when we were together, there were times when it wasn’t always about our jobs.”
Sydney nods her head slowly as she tries to remember times of her mother and father together.
“ I remember times when it couldn’t have been her job to do the things she did,” Jack adds on to give Sydney more confidence about her mother.
“ Me too. Thanks dad.” Sydney reaches out and gives her dad a tight hug.
“ Are you sure about this?” Jack asks pointing to her dress, but really meaning this whole wedding occasion.
Sydney thinks for awhile and finally gets the courage to share her doubts with her dad. “ Do you think I’m trying to settle?”
“ I can’t answer that.”
Sydney just nods her head. “ I’ll give you some more time by yourself,” he says heading toward the door. “ But don’t take too long. Unlike my wedding, you actually have guests.”
“ Don’t worry, I won’t be too long,” she turns her head to follow him out the door.
Sydney returns to mirror but drifts off to thinking about her mom and dad and their wedding. Wow, Sydney thinks about the story. It doesn’t seem like it could be true. She always remembered her parents were happy when she was young, but she never knew how much her Dad truly loved her mother. Slowly, with that same realization, her inside begins to fill with anger. How could her mother use him like that? Not really loving someone, but marrying that person pretending the whole time, was simply cruel.
She reaches for the box on the table and takes out the necklace as she hears the door slowly open behind her.
“ Dad, I said I wouldn’t take that long. I just need to put one more thing on.”
There is a cleared throat, “ um....It’s not Jack.”
This is a shorter chapter with not much happening....except....some father daughter time. Second to the relationship between Sydney and Vaughn, I enjoy the Jack/Sydney moments a great deal. And also...please keep in mind that this was written before we got to know Irina's character. Thanks again. Next part up tomorrow. Chapter 4
“ Sydney, what’s wrong?” her dad asks with a concerned voice.
“ I just don’t know.” She wants so badly to cry on his shoulder like she did when she was six years old and fell off a pony and scraped her knee. He had been there to help her get right back on. Instead, she doesn’t want him to worry so much about her.
“ Dad, do you remember your wedding day?”
Jack turns his back to her and looks out the window. Sydney suddenly feels terrible to have asked him such a question. She knows that he tries desperately to forget the hurtful past with her mother. She wants to take it back, but it’s too late and she secretly really wants to know his answer. He tilts his head and the memory of over thirty years back flashes before him like still frames of a movie passing right before his eyes.
“ I remember it perfectly,” he finally says with a sigh. “Every second.”
“ Really?”
“ There weren’t that many people, just a priest. Your mother convinced me that we didn’t need anyone else at our wedding. At the time, she said that ‘it would be like our own little secret moment.’ But now, thinking back, it was probably because she didn’t have anyone to invite. Her whole history had been a lie. She couldn’t let people come to the wedding if they didn’t exist. I was naïve and let her have her way…”
“ Dad, don’t do that to yourself. You couldn’t have known,” Sydney places her hand gently on her dad’s arm.
“ Well, it didn’t matter because, in a way, she was right. You really only need two people. The two who share a love that makes them want to declare to the whole world that they are like one. It’s nice to share with others, but not essential. Anyway, it was very intimate. She wore a slim white silk dress with long strands that you had to tie in the back. I actually had to help her into her dress because no one else was there. I was not very good at lacing the strands and actually ripped one of them. You know, my hands are very skilled with guns but terrible with women’s clothing.” He turned back to see if Sydney had cracked a smile, and she did.
“ What did you do?”
“ Well, first, we laughed until our stomach hurt for a few minutes and then I was gentleman like and gave her my suit jacket to wear. A few other things didn’t go our way that day. We didn’t make it out to be a grand occasion. Simple, but special. We didn’t even have music. When she walked down to meet me, she had to hum the wedding march to herself. When we made eye-contact, she gave me a look as if playfully threatening me to hum with her or she would hurt me. Then at that moment, I felt like the happiest man alive because I knew I had found her. ” He stops suddenly trying to compose himself. The memory was sweet and painful at the same time.
“ Did you feel, I don’t know, unsure, um, about anything?” Sydney was not being very articulate today.
“ Of course there was the usual amount of apprehension about the future. But Sydney, there is uncertainty in everything. You should know that by now. It was just nerves I guess,” Jack smirks. To think of himself being scared of anything, let alone marriage, made him almost laugh. “ It wasn’t, how should I put it, dread, but nerves of excitement. Not knowing what the future held.”
“ Yeah, you said mom was the one. How were you so sure?”
“ Now after thirty-some years, I am not so sure why I was so sure. Did you know that when I first met your mother, I was dating someone else at the time?”
“ No, I didn’t.” At the first initial moment of hearing her father’s words, she felt surprised, but then remembered that she doesn’t really know that much about her father’s past. They were working on their relationship, but haven’t gotten to the point of sharing everything.
“ Yes Sydney. I did, date, other women before your mother. Her name was Sara. We knew each other for a really long time and started seeing each other when mutual friends suggested we would be a good match. And we were, but everything was the way it was suppose to be. There was no excitement. There were no obstacles. We settled into routine quickly. On the outside we seemed like the perfect couple that never argued. With your mother, there was always something special. She challenged my ideas and everything I thought I knew. She made me see new perspectives. Of course I didn’t know everything was planned. I thought everything she did was spontaneous.”
“ Do you regret your decision to end things with Sara?”
Jack had to think hard, and finally he answered. “ No. If I had stayed with Sara and did eventually end up marrying her. I would have settled for normality.”
“ But, isn’t that something you would want with your life being so messed up with the CIA?” That’s what I would want, she thought.
“ Sydney, when you lead the life of a CIA agent, you need to be motivated to do the things you do. If you settled all the time, slowly your drive would diminish and then disappear. You don’t really want to settle when you can have something greater. The times when I wanted normality, I still got it with your mother. I’d like to think that when we were together, there were times when it wasn’t always about our jobs.”
Sydney nods her head slowly as she tries to remember times of her mother and father together.
“ I remember times when it couldn’t have been her job to do the things she did,” Jack adds on to give Sydney more confidence about her mother.
“ Me too. Thanks dad.” Sydney reaches out and gives her dad a tight hug.
“ Are you sure about this?” Jack asks pointing to her dress, but really meaning this whole wedding occasion.
Sydney thinks for awhile and finally gets the courage to share her doubts with her dad. “ Do you think I’m trying to settle?”
“ I can’t answer that.”
Sydney just nods her head. “ I’ll give you some more time by yourself,” he says heading toward the door. “ But don’t take too long. Unlike my wedding, you actually have guests.”
“ Don’t worry, I won’t be too long,” she turns her head to follow him out the door.
Sydney returns to mirror but drifts off to thinking about her mom and dad and their wedding. Wow, Sydney thinks about the story. It doesn’t seem like it could be true. She always remembered her parents were happy when she was young, but she never knew how much her Dad truly loved her mother. Slowly, with that same realization, her inside begins to fill with anger. How could her mother use him like that? Not really loving someone, but marrying that person pretending the whole time, was simply cruel.
She reaches for the box on the table and takes out the necklace as she hears the door slowly open behind her.
“ Dad, I said I wouldn’t take that long. I just need to put one more thing on.”
There is a cleared throat, “ um....It’s not Jack.”
wildwildrae
Cadet
Vaughn!! It's Vaughn!!! It has to be him!
If it's not, this is a very cruel cliffhanger....
Post more NOW, not tomorrow! Now, now!! ack!
Rachel
If it's not, this is a very cruel cliffhanger....
Post more NOW, not tomorrow! Now, now!! ack!
Rachel