SkyGirl5
Cadet
as promised the sequel to The Right time AA link ... easy reading at RANDOM
Title: Taken
Genre: S/V family angst
Summary: How will Sydney and Michael cope with their one and only daughter being kidnapped?
10 chapters (yes i know its short)
Chapter 1
“Daddy, put me dooooown,” five-year-old Beth whined to her father.
“But you just asked me to pick you up,” he laughed softly at her. She stuck her bottom lip out at him and folded her arms across her chest as her father looked at her. “Okay, okay,” he sighed as he let her slide down from his hip. “Be careful!” he called after her as she raced off to the wooden playground.
It was the second Saturday in September and they were having ‘father-daughter day’. Michael and Beth, together with Eric and his seven-month-old daughter, April, enjoyed this time together while their wives spent some time away from their families for some retail therapy (otherwise known as shopping).
Michael looked back at his friend slash brother-in-law struggling to push his stroller over the uneven grass in the park. “Damn thing,” Eric muttered.
“Eric, you’re just pathetic,” Michael laughed at him as he helped to wheel the stroller over to a nearby bench. “Isn’t that right, April? He’s pathetic,” Michael cooed to the little girl in the stroller as he poked her belly. She giggled and smiled at him.
“Ugh, take her please,” Eric groaned.
Michael rolled his eyes and lifted his niece from her stroller and onto his lap. “Eric, you’re a terrible father,” Michael told him bluntly.
“I know!” Eric whined. “It’s just the babies I’m bad with. Once she’s Beth’s age, I’ll be cool.”
Michael nodded in agreement. Eric was far better with Beth than he was with his own daughter. Michael, however, preferred the baby stage, when they weren’t off running around on their own and thus making it harder to protect them. “Eric, you’re scared of babies, just face it,” Michael told him with a smirk.
“I’m not scared of them. I just don’t know what to do with them,” he sighed helplessly.
“You just… take care of ‘em,” Michael told him with a shrug as he began to tickle April’s belly and she giggled even more.
“Uh huh… anyway, didn’t Beth start kindergarten his week?” Eric asked him.
“Yep, she loves it. She won’t stop talking about all the other kids and her teacher,” Michael told him.
“That’s great,” Eric said. “Way better than coming home crying…”
“Like you?” Michael laughed softly. While Eric was grumbling, Michael looked towards the playground a few feet from them. His eyes scanned through the crowed for a few moments before he found Beth sliding down a metal pole. Then, he turned back to Eric, who was sulking. “I was kidding!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “You think the girls are still shopping?”
“Well… it’s only been two hours, so that’s a safe bet,” Michael told him. “Why? You miss Nadia already?”
“No, I’m watching my precious free time closely,” he explained.
“Gee Eric, you don’t want your wife to come back, you don’t know how to take care of your daughter… you’re just pathetic,” Michael laughed.
“Well, when you say it that way it sounds horrible. But I’m not that bad,” he defended.
“I know, I know. Once thirty hit, everything went downhill, right?” Michael smiled.
“Something like that, yeah,” Eric laughed. “You’re one to talk though. You, my friend, will be thirty in only three short months – less than!”
“I know,” he sighed. “It’s not so bad though… I mean I thought I’d freak out at thirty, but I’m cool with it.”
“Uh huh,” Eric said suspiciously. “You’ll be singing a different tune in a month or so.”
Michael shrugged causally. Truthfully, he wasn’t worried; he loved his life. Almost seven years earlier, Michael had married Sydney during a beautiful, winter-themed wedding ceremony around Christmastime. Their wedding was everything they had dreamed of and more. For over a year, they worked and were thrilled and completely in love newlyweds, living in the apartment they had purchased shortly after graduation. Then, they found out that Sydney was pregnant and though it wasn’t planned, it seemed to be the perfect time for them to have a baby, even if Sydney was only twenty-four. She had always wanted to be a young mother and Michael had a stable job and was able to support them enough so that Sydney could take six months of maternity leave. After that, their mothers were all too eager to watch their adorable cherub-cheeked granddaughter so that Sydney could return to work.
Shortly after Sydney returned to work, she and Michael moved to a small house, since their apartment was too small for the two of them plus a baby. A year after that, Nadia and Eric were married after a very short engagement.
Michael loved his family more than anything. He spent all his free time with Sydney and Beth. Occasionally, the entire extended family would get together, especially during the summers, when they would have barbeques in Michael’s backyard. He loved it all and wouldn’t change it for anything.
“Daddy, will you push me on the swings?” Beth asked as she ran up to her father.
“Sure sweet-pea,” Michael smiled at her. He handed April to her father, who groaned slightly and took her very cautiously, and then grabbed Beth’s hand as she tried to yank him towards the swings as quickly as she could go.
“Higher Daddy!! Higher!” she called when Michael began to push her.
“Okay, okay,” he laughed. He grabbed onto the metal chain holding the swing and pulled it back as far as he thought was safe and then let her go. She cheered.
After only a few minutes, Beth tired of the swing and ran back towards the wooden play area. “Crazy girl,” Michael laughed softly and shook his head as he walked back to Eric. “How’s it going here?”
“Awful…she’s whimpering,” Eric sighed towards his daughter in his lap.
“Lemme see, what’s the matter sweetie?” Michael asked April softly. “Eric she needs changed.”
“Aw maaaaaaaaan,” Eric groaned.
Michael rolled his eyes. “I’ll do it; just give me her bag, honestly,” he shook his head. He took the bag and stood up to walk to the nearby bathroom to change her. “Keep an eye on Beth, please,” he added before walking away. Eric nodded and waved his hand casually.
“Where is she?” Michael asked when he returned a few minutes later. Eric pointed towards the tiny balance beam on the ground, which Beth was struggling to walk across. “Okay, good,” he sighed and sat down. The fathers then fell into their usual conversation about the upcoming hockey season.
At a break in the conversation, Michael looked up to find Beth, like he had a few minutes earlier, but he couldn’t see her. “Where’s Beth?” he asked, trying not to panic because most likely, he was just unable to see her.
“Dunno,” Eric said.
“Help me look, would you?!” Michael snapped as he got up from the bench. He walked quickly over to the wooden jungle gym where she had been playing, but found she wasn’t there. “Beth!! BETH!” he called out, frantically searching the rest of the playground, but his baby girl was nowhere in sight.
Title: Taken
Genre: S/V family angst
Summary: How will Sydney and Michael cope with their one and only daughter being kidnapped?
10 chapters (yes i know its short)
Chapter 1
“Daddy, put me dooooown,” five-year-old Beth whined to her father.
“But you just asked me to pick you up,” he laughed softly at her. She stuck her bottom lip out at him and folded her arms across her chest as her father looked at her. “Okay, okay,” he sighed as he let her slide down from his hip. “Be careful!” he called after her as she raced off to the wooden playground.
It was the second Saturday in September and they were having ‘father-daughter day’. Michael and Beth, together with Eric and his seven-month-old daughter, April, enjoyed this time together while their wives spent some time away from their families for some retail therapy (otherwise known as shopping).
Michael looked back at his friend slash brother-in-law struggling to push his stroller over the uneven grass in the park. “Damn thing,” Eric muttered.
“Eric, you’re just pathetic,” Michael laughed at him as he helped to wheel the stroller over to a nearby bench. “Isn’t that right, April? He’s pathetic,” Michael cooed to the little girl in the stroller as he poked her belly. She giggled and smiled at him.
“Ugh, take her please,” Eric groaned.
Michael rolled his eyes and lifted his niece from her stroller and onto his lap. “Eric, you’re a terrible father,” Michael told him bluntly.
“I know!” Eric whined. “It’s just the babies I’m bad with. Once she’s Beth’s age, I’ll be cool.”
Michael nodded in agreement. Eric was far better with Beth than he was with his own daughter. Michael, however, preferred the baby stage, when they weren’t off running around on their own and thus making it harder to protect them. “Eric, you’re scared of babies, just face it,” Michael told him with a smirk.
“I’m not scared of them. I just don’t know what to do with them,” he sighed helplessly.
“You just… take care of ‘em,” Michael told him with a shrug as he began to tickle April’s belly and she giggled even more.
“Uh huh… anyway, didn’t Beth start kindergarten his week?” Eric asked him.
“Yep, she loves it. She won’t stop talking about all the other kids and her teacher,” Michael told him.
“That’s great,” Eric said. “Way better than coming home crying…”
“Like you?” Michael laughed softly. While Eric was grumbling, Michael looked towards the playground a few feet from them. His eyes scanned through the crowed for a few moments before he found Beth sliding down a metal pole. Then, he turned back to Eric, who was sulking. “I was kidding!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “You think the girls are still shopping?”
“Well… it’s only been two hours, so that’s a safe bet,” Michael told him. “Why? You miss Nadia already?”
“No, I’m watching my precious free time closely,” he explained.
“Gee Eric, you don’t want your wife to come back, you don’t know how to take care of your daughter… you’re just pathetic,” Michael laughed.
“Well, when you say it that way it sounds horrible. But I’m not that bad,” he defended.
“I know, I know. Once thirty hit, everything went downhill, right?” Michael smiled.
“Something like that, yeah,” Eric laughed. “You’re one to talk though. You, my friend, will be thirty in only three short months – less than!”
“I know,” he sighed. “It’s not so bad though… I mean I thought I’d freak out at thirty, but I’m cool with it.”
“Uh huh,” Eric said suspiciously. “You’ll be singing a different tune in a month or so.”
Michael shrugged causally. Truthfully, he wasn’t worried; he loved his life. Almost seven years earlier, Michael had married Sydney during a beautiful, winter-themed wedding ceremony around Christmastime. Their wedding was everything they had dreamed of and more. For over a year, they worked and were thrilled and completely in love newlyweds, living in the apartment they had purchased shortly after graduation. Then, they found out that Sydney was pregnant and though it wasn’t planned, it seemed to be the perfect time for them to have a baby, even if Sydney was only twenty-four. She had always wanted to be a young mother and Michael had a stable job and was able to support them enough so that Sydney could take six months of maternity leave. After that, their mothers were all too eager to watch their adorable cherub-cheeked granddaughter so that Sydney could return to work.
Shortly after Sydney returned to work, she and Michael moved to a small house, since their apartment was too small for the two of them plus a baby. A year after that, Nadia and Eric were married after a very short engagement.
Michael loved his family more than anything. He spent all his free time with Sydney and Beth. Occasionally, the entire extended family would get together, especially during the summers, when they would have barbeques in Michael’s backyard. He loved it all and wouldn’t change it for anything.
“Daddy, will you push me on the swings?” Beth asked as she ran up to her father.
“Sure sweet-pea,” Michael smiled at her. He handed April to her father, who groaned slightly and took her very cautiously, and then grabbed Beth’s hand as she tried to yank him towards the swings as quickly as she could go.
“Higher Daddy!! Higher!” she called when Michael began to push her.
“Okay, okay,” he laughed. He grabbed onto the metal chain holding the swing and pulled it back as far as he thought was safe and then let her go. She cheered.
After only a few minutes, Beth tired of the swing and ran back towards the wooden play area. “Crazy girl,” Michael laughed softly and shook his head as he walked back to Eric. “How’s it going here?”
“Awful…she’s whimpering,” Eric sighed towards his daughter in his lap.
“Lemme see, what’s the matter sweetie?” Michael asked April softly. “Eric she needs changed.”
“Aw maaaaaaaaan,” Eric groaned.
Michael rolled his eyes. “I’ll do it; just give me her bag, honestly,” he shook his head. He took the bag and stood up to walk to the nearby bathroom to change her. “Keep an eye on Beth, please,” he added before walking away. Eric nodded and waved his hand casually.
“Where is she?” Michael asked when he returned a few minutes later. Eric pointed towards the tiny balance beam on the ground, which Beth was struggling to walk across. “Okay, good,” he sighed and sat down. The fathers then fell into their usual conversation about the upcoming hockey season.
At a break in the conversation, Michael looked up to find Beth, like he had a few minutes earlier, but he couldn’t see her. “Where’s Beth?” he asked, trying not to panic because most likely, he was just unable to see her.
“Dunno,” Eric said.
“Help me look, would you?!” Michael snapped as he got up from the bench. He walked quickly over to the wooden jungle gym where she had been playing, but found she wasn’t there. “Beth!! BETH!” he called out, frantically searching the rest of the playground, but his baby girl was nowhere in sight.
me doesn't like Beth disappearing... but please PM me