Writing Assignment

A/N! hey guys!

this is a new fic... short and sweet... almost completely AU and totally stocked with fluff (beware those of you who don't enjoy reading those kind of stories!)

i wasn't going to write another new fic just yet, but after the overwhelmingly great responses i got from my ultra-cool readers, i gave in to the urge to write this story down (which ultimately led me towards a full-fledged case of insomia, but hey, i got a new S/V story to show for it!)

thanks so much for sticking with me! i'm going to be sending out pms to those people who responded to it had to be you, my apologies if i sent one out to anyone who didn't want any! please just let me know, and i'll be careful not to overflood you inbox next time!

okay, enough babbling!
 
Writing Assignment:
Write a 2-paragraph essay on the following topic: What is your definition of a best friend? Who do you consider in life to be yours?


Zackary William Vaughn frowned at the sheet of paper in front of him, his chin resting on his fists. The 8 year old sighed heavily, his green eyes betraying the frustration he felt.
This was not how he pictured spending his late Saturday morning.

The sun was shining, the air was nice and cool… and from the window in the den, he saw a clear view of the basketball hoop his father set up for him, which was looking more and more appealing by the minute.
Come to think of it, so was his bike, his hockey equipment and not to mention Saturday cartoons.

He sighed again and reached for his pencil. As much as he wanted to go out and enjoy all those things, he knew that he had to finish his homework first.
His parents weren’t strict about much, especially sports and playing with his friends, but the one thing they always asked of him was that he always do his best in school and put homework first.

And I always do, he reminded himself. Except he hated writing essays, and his English teacher, Mrs. Whittaker was a really stickler for them.

****

In the kitchen Sydney Vaughn gritted her teeth as she tried to open a jar of peanut butter. What do they use on these things? Super Glue? She wondered silently as she continued to pry it open.
A moment later she let out a breath of exasperation as she heard the front door open and close, meaning her husband was back from walking their dog Donavan.

Smiling to herself, partially because it meant she wasn’t going to continue the battle with the peanut butter jar on her own, but mostly because having him around always made the corners of her mouth tug all the way up.

“Oh Mike honey, I need your manly strength!” she called out in a playful, but pleading tone. He appeared in the kitchen a second later, a lopsided grin on his face as his wife’s form came into view.
“A damsel in distress, what can I do to help?” Michael Vaughn asked innocently as he leaned down for a deep kiss, simultaneously plucking the jar from her hands and opening it with a swift click, even before they parted.

“Mm…” Sydney said dreamily as she pulled back, reaching to take the jar from him again. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” she added teasingly.
Vaughn chuckled lightly as he moved back slightly to let her finish making a couple of sandwiches.
“Nice to know I’m appreciated,” he joked back.

Sydney grinned as she dipped a clean spoon into the peanut butter and fed him some, topping it off with a kiss to his cheek. “Always, my darling.” He tweaked his eyebrows mischievously, catching her eye before she went back to putting together a snack, consisting of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a side of potato chips and tall, frosted glasses of iced tea.

Vaughn smiled slightly to himself as he watched his wife, wondering for the millionth time why on earth she chose him. Aside from being beautiful, intelligent and classy, she was also warm, caring and kind. He loved all of that about her, but it was also the little things he appreciated as well.

Like how she could immediately tell if he was feeling sick or under the weather with just a glance and a caress to his cheek. The way she always knew what to say to make anything bad seem better.
Or the way she was thoughtful enough to make him and their son a snack without being asked.

It was the little things like this that reminded him that he was the luckiest man in the world, to be in love with such a wonderful woman. And the most amazing part was, she loved him back.

“What are you smiling about?” Sydney asked with a knowing grin, jolting him out of his thoughts. He grinned sheepishly as he ran a hand through his tousled hair.
“Nothing, just…. staring,” he admitted. “Yeah, like what you see?” she asked, a twinkle in her eye, dimples deepening as she moved into his arms.

“You have no idea,” he murmured back before lowering his mouth to hers and losing himself in their kiss.

****

“Hey honey, I bet you’re hungry,” Sydney said with a smile as she nudged open the door of the den, her hands full. Zack jumped to his feet and smiled as his mother set down his snack on the study table.
“Thanks mom, how did you know?” he asked in wonder. Sydney grinned and ruffled her son’s light brown hair as he picked up his sandwich and began to eat it. “Moms always know kiddo,” she told him affectionately.

She gestured towards his mess of papers on the floor. “How’s the writing assignment coming?” Zack rolled his eyes as he swallowed a bite of his food. “It’s hard to think of what to write. I mean, I can talk about stuff, but I don’t like writing about it,” he admitted.

Sydney nodded. “Sometimes it’s like that for most people, and other times, it’s the other way around,” she explained, remembering her own days of writer’s block when it came to writing term papers during her own school days.

“What you need is a little inspiration, something to help you get started.” Zack’s interest looked piqued.
“Really? What’s that? Where do I get it?” he asked seriously. Sydney bit back a smile, wondering how to explain such a term to an 7 year old.

“It’s like when you get this great idea out of nowhere and all you want to do is make it happen. And it can come from anywhere, or anyone, you just have to pay attention, and when it does come, you’ll know,” she assured him.
“Thanks mom,” Zack said through a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly.

“You’re welcome sweetie, if you need me, I’ll be in the garden, okay?” she said getting to her feet. “Where’s dad?” Zack asked before she reached the door.
“He’s in the living room, taking down the Christmas tree,” his mother answered with a final smile before he was alone again.

****

I hate this part, Vaughn grumbled to himself as he took down the Christmas decorations that were strung up on their tree.

For someone who hated cleaning up in general, taking down a Christmas tree was not how he pictured spending his late Saturday morning.
After the fiery kisses he and Sydney had shared in the kitchen, he had hoping to take it a little further, specifically in the bedroom, but she had reminded him that they had guests coming tomorrow and now was a good time as any to get the living room cleared up.

And even if it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, here he was, packing up their Yuletide ornaments simply because she had asked him too.
The happy smile on her face made him feel like the patting himself on the back for agreeing to do something she wanted.

The boredom he was feeling from making the Christmas tree branches bare again made him feeling like kicking himself in the shin for getting roped into doing something he hated.
Face it Vaughn, you’re whipped, he told himself with a knowing smile as he pictured sweet, although occasionally stubborn Sydney telling him so. And pretty darn proud of it as well.

“Hey dad.” The greeting brought him back down to earth, specifically his living room where his son had just appeared alongside him, moving to pick up a few Christmas decorations that had littered the floor.

“Hey pal, you okay?” he asked, wondering where the usual grin on his son’s face had gone too.
“Yeah… heard mom was making you take down the Christmas tree,” Zack answered, his frown turning into a mischievous grin.

Ah, there it is. Vaughn chuckled slightly. “Yeah, that’s one way of looking at it,” he said with a wink. Zack laughed too. Mom definitely has her own way of making dad and me do stuff we don’t want to do, he thought. “

You finish your writing assignment yet?” Vaughn asked glancing over at his son as he closed an already full box of decorations. Zack shook his head as he handed his father an empty box to fill up.
“No, I talked to mom about it, she said I just need to find my inspiration, and then it’ll all come together,” he answered. Vaughn winked knowingly.
“Well, if your mom says it, then it’s bound to be true, right?” Zack nodded in agreement as he began to help his dad with the task at hand.

“Hey dad, Uncle Eric is your best friend, right?” Zack asked after a few minutes of contented silence. Vaughn chuckled as he thought about how many times in the past he had moments where he couldn’t decide whether to thank Eric for something he did or strangle him.
“What makes you say that?” he asked, pretty much knowing why, but giving his son the chance to explain it himself.

“Cause you guys always hang out together, you talk about all kinds of stuff and even if he makes weird jokes, and you tease him about his weight… you guys are still friends.” Vaughn smiled and nodded, understanding and recalling his own definition of a best friend when he was 7 years old.

“That’s true Zack, Uncle Eric is one of my best friends, he’s a little weird sometimes, but he’s still my friend nonetheless. When we were younger we’d do all sorts of crazy stuff, get into loads of trouble, at least now we’ve settled down quite a bit. ” He paused, watching as Zack grinned in agreement.

“But you know what? When I got a little bit older, I realized that a best friend isn’t just someone you have a good time with, or play sports with,” he began.
Zack looked up, a little confused. “What do you mean dad?” he asked.

“See pal, a best friend has to be someone you can talk to about anything, someone who, when you’re sad or having some trouble, is the first person you think of turning too. Someone who knows all your both good and bad points, and still accepts you for who you are…you understand what I’m saying?”

Zack’s forehead was creased slightly as he nodded, hanging onto every word his father was telling him. “Uncle Eric is the greatest, and he’s definitely someone I can count on in all the ways I just told you, but there’s someone else in my life who takes the top spot as my best friend,” Vaughn added.
“You mean mom?” Zack asked confused. “But… she’s… you guys are married,” he stated.

Vaughn chuckled. “I know pal, but that’s the best part. Having your best friend in your own family is great, it means that no matter what happens, you’ll always get to be close to them, share everything with them.”

A look of realization crossed Zack’s face and he grinned. “I think I get it dad, I know how to write my essay! And who to write about!” he said, his voice a mixture of excitement and relief. Vaughn grinned back.
“Really? That’s great,” he said, a hint of pride in his voice as he watched Zack abandon the Christmas tree and turn to go, but stopping and turning around after only a few steps.

“Hey dad, when I get my homework done and you finish with the tree, can we go to the rink and play some hockey?” Zack asked a few minutes later. Vaughn glanced over at his son, a look of faint surprise on his face.
“I thought you wanted to hang out with Charlie and Jeff later,” he said, referring to the event that had become part of his son’s weekly routine.
Zack shrugged. “I know, but I see them all the time at school anyway, I wanna hang out with you… so can we?”

Vaughn couldn’t help but grin again as he heard the last part of Zack’s statement. “Sure pal, it’ll be fun,” he said. “Alright!” his son cheered turning to go again. He turned his attention back to the Christmas tree, only to snap his head back again.

“Hey Zack, I forgot to ask who are you going to write about? Charlie or Jeff?” Zack smiled and shook his head. “Mrs. Whittaker said we have to write about our best friend… I’m not writing about those guys dad, I’m going to write about you.”

Another quick grin and he was on his way, leaving his father in stunned silence. Slowly the weight of Zack’s words began to sink in and an ear-to-ear grin spread out onto his face.

He loved his son more than he thought it was possible for any father to love his child, and he knew that Zack loved him too. But to hear him say that, something that he himself had said to his own father so many years ago…

It was at that moment Vaughn knew that William Vaughn was smiling down at him, proud of the man and father his son had become and how his grandson was turning out.
 
****

Out on the front porch, Sydney smiled to herself as she heard her husband and her son sharing their conversation. She had been on her way in to grab a drink of water, but stopped short when she heard their voices. She settled for sitting on the front porch instead.

And while it was tempting to head on inside, watch it all happen, she knew in her heart that this was a moment that was meant to be between them… and meant to be a memory of her own.

“Syd? Syd!” She snapped her gaze up at the sound of her name, smiling as she caught sight of the heart-stopping grin on her husband’s face.
“Whoa there, where’s the fire honey?” she joked. Vaughn shook his head, still grinning as he sat down next to her.

Sydney slid closer to him, wrapping one arm around his chest, and the other behind his shoulders, kissing his cheek. “Syd, you’ll never believe what Zack just said to me,” he said, his tone tinged with excitement, pride and love as he quickly gave her a recap of the conversation he had shared with their son.

Sydney didn’t interrupt once, only listened and smiled as she absentmindedly stroked his shoulder. When he was finished relaying all the details, Vaughn ran a hand through his hair, smiling once more as he turned to his wife.

“I’ve been trying so hard to be a good dad, and I know that if it weren’t for you, our son would be a total screw-up by now, but… to hear him say that… it made me feel like I was doing something right, something my own dad would be proud of.”

“Michael, you’re a great father, Zack loves you more than anything, he idolizes you,” she told him reassuringly, recalling all the times her son would immediately ask what time his father would be home, the minute he got back from school.
“And just so you know… your dad isn’t the only one who’s proud of the way you’re raising our son,” she added with a smile.

Vaughn turned to his wife, another grin spreading across his face as the true weight of her words began to sink in. “Yeah?” he asked softly. Sydney winked and nodded. “Yeah,” she answered.
“C’mere Syd,” he whispered tilting her head to meet his as they kissed, long and hard.

“I love you Mike, and I’m so proud of you,” she murmured when they broke apart a moment later. Burying her face in her silky brown hair, Vaughn took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of flowers and something uniquely Sydney.
“I love you too Syd, and I just want to say… thank you for giving me our son.”




****


“My Best Friend”
By Zackary William Vaughn



A best friend is not just someone you can play with or have fun with on the weekends. A best friend should be someone you can talk to about anything. Someone who helps you out when you’re feeling bad, and someone who still likes you even if you make a mistake or you guys fight about something.
Someone who will always be your friend even if no one else wants to be.

My best friend is my dad, Michael Vaughn. He loves me a whole lot, and he takes real good care of my and my mom. I can talk to him about anything, and he always listens no matter what I say.

And no matter how busy he is, he always makes time to play hockey or basketball with me, and he always lets me win when we play video games. I’m lucky because my best friend is in my family, and it means he’ll always be around for me no matter what.
 
i hope you liked it!

updates soon on my other fics! and i'm going to add the link in my sig for IN A RUSH, a one parter that i wrote sometime back for those who didn't get a chance to read it!

thanks everyone!
 
Awww!! That was so sweet!! :love: Zack is such a cute boy, and I loved the Syd/Vaughn bits, of course... Especially that peanut butter jar-thing. :smiley: Another wonderful ficcie, jersey! :smiley: (y)

/Ebony
 
Aww, that was cute! I loved Zack's paper. Are you going to be writing more? Thanx for the PM!

S/V
 
That was SO CUTE! *sigh* I just love it. Though the essay was short :P :lol: It was great though :smiley:
--mandy :angelic:
 
this fic is so sweet! thanks for the pm talking about it!!! the peanut butter story was really funny very domestic!!

update this story and your others ones.

thanks
kisses
anya
 
sorry guys but that's the end of this story!

but i'll be updating my other fics soon, and then starting another hopefully by next week!

thanks so much!
 
This was a sweet story , you're really good at writting , you know that , don't you?
Thanks for the PM!!! Hope you'll update your other fics soon!
See you.
Marie. ;)
 
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