The Aislin Chronicles
by Whitelighter Enchantress

A/n: Ahhh! Sequel! Wahoo! I'm excited, can you tell? Well, this is the sequel to An Irish Prayer. This is totally from Aislin's POV (basically, well, there's other stuff, and oh, you'll see...) and it's her writing in her journal. This is completely different from anything I've done before, so I hope it turns out okay. And I hope you like it. This is posted on both SD-1 and Now, sit back and relax...

31-12-02
4:47 PM
Dear Journal,

Yay! I found you! When I moved in here I seemed to have misplaced you for nearly a week. But you were under my bed. How silly of me.

Anyway, I haven't been up to much lately. Decorating my room, mostly. Watching telly. Vaughn's always asking me questions like I have some terminal illness. I think he's worried I'm not having any fun or something. Wait... I mean Dad! Dad. He's Dad now. Still weird to me. But I like it, nevertheless. He and Syd feel bad leaving me home alone most of the day. But I mean, I start school soon and they have to work so it's all fine. Just like back in Ireland...

Sigh.

I do miss it. I will always miss it. Someday I'll go back. But not for a long time... I need to start my new life here first. Who knows, maybe I'll like it better in LA after all. I know I won't miss school in Ireland... How we sat still and recited what they told us. No talking to anyone. No talking period. Perhaps that's why I had few good friends.

Okay, I'm exicted for school. The day after Christmas Vaughn took me to this school and we enrolled me. I was surprised that there was someone working in the office, but whatever. I will be attending MacDonald Junior Academy starting 5 January. Or January 5. Sigh. You Americans and your bloody backwards ways. Days before months, people, please! Oh well. I'll have to get used to that. So today would be 12-31-02.

4:53 PM
That looks funny.

4:54 PM
Right, so school. I'm hoping to make friends here. I've heard American schools are much more lenient than European ones. Maybe I'll be able to talk more to people. Maybe I'll fit in more here than I did in Ireland.

4:55 PM
Ireland.

4:59 PM
I do miss Father desperately. This journal makes me think of him. But it's happy memories, not sad, which is good. Sometimes something bloody stupid reminds me of him and I just want to break down and cry. Once in a while Sydney will stare at me and I feel it then. She feels guilty. I know she will always feel that. And I love her, I really do, but part of me will always resent her. Only in the slightest. I hate that I feel that, but I can't help it.

5:05 PM
Hell, I'm crying now. Finally stopping.

5:06 PM
Okay, okay. Enough of that. I'm still glad that Syd's moving in here with us. She's still got some stuff at her friend's Francie's house but most of it's here now. We've traded a few of Vaughn's things with hers. Apartment looks more girly now. I like it.

Shall I give you a tour, journal? Why not. I've got nothing better to do. I'm a little bored, if you can't tell. So you walk in the door. Right in front of you is the living room. There's a big couch on the left side kind of in the middle of the room, and directly in front of you is the big matching chair. To your right is a corridor leading to the bedchambers and whatnot. Beyond the hallway (in the living room, I mean) is the fireplace, and then next to that is the giant flat screen TV. I mean, this thing is a monster. Plus like his DVD player and stereo and stuff as such.

Turn left and around the corner is the kitchen. If you just turn left you get like the first half of it but it goes around the corner too with a long island in the middle. Behind the big couch in the living room is the table, and beyond the table are the doors to the balcony. Vaughn calls it the porch, but it's a balcony. Don't listen to him. He's nuts. On the balcony is the grill and patio table and chairs. We had dinner out there on Christmas, when Vaughn said Syd was moving in with us. Gosh, I was so completely happy that night. I think that was the happiest day of my life.

Wow, it's really odd to me now that we had dinner outside. We grilled on Christmas!? Where the hell is the snow? Silly California weather. Guess I won't have any snow for a while.

5:10 PM

Not that I'm complaining about that. Snow is cold. And... Evil.

5:11 PM

Wait. I'll have no more snow days. No! Ah, well. I'm in LA.

The tour! Right. Turn right at the front door and you're in a small corridor. Turn left there's the door to Aislin's room! Wahoo! Turn right and there's Vaughn and Syd's room (cough, Dad's room). At the end of the hall is the bathroom and there's a hall closet and such. Dad's got his own bathroom so I pretty much get the one to myself besides guests. It's nice. But my most favorite part of the apartment is my room, by far. You walk in the door, and, well, we've painted the walls this light bluish-purple color. Along the wall afront the door is this dresser that's short and long not tall and skinny so it's got this big mirror behind it. And my desk and a bookshelf is next to the door. They look kinda empty, but I'm sure I'll fill it up in a jif. Then my closet is in the corner beyond the dresser and then my bed jutting out from the far wall in the middle of the room. My big, comfy bed. With polka dot comforter. So happy.

Oh, I hear people in the living room. Weiss or someone must be here for the New Year's party. Can you believe it'll be 2003? Crazy. Well, until later.

1-1-03
1:14 AM
That was so much fun! Weiss, well, he's insane. And Will and Francie are so cute. Holidays are so enjoyable. But apparently I'm told (although by several drunken adults) that we're going to Jack Bristow's tomorrow. Hmm. Here's how that conversation kind of went:

Weiss: Well, folks, happy New Year. Welcome 2003! He raised his glass of wine and downed it. Really quickly. He scrambled from the couch and mumbled something then came back from the kitchen with beers for everyone, except me obviously.

Francie: (After taking a swig of beer) So, anyone got a New Year's resolution?

I kind of have one, but I didn't want to say it just then. Because 1) she's probably not talking to me, 2) they don't need to know, and 3) they're all drunk so they're not gonna remember! But yeah, it's something like... Trying to completely forgiving Sydney (I really don't want her to know that I completely haven't.) And getting some friends. Like good friends. Or just one person I can tell absolutely anything too. Right now this journal is all I have. And, Dear Journal, you are nice to tell things too, but once in a while I'd like a reply. You know?

1:16 AM

Well, no, you don't, because you're an inanimate object. But... Right. Jack's.

Will: I'm going to get a job. A good job. One that sees me for my writing abilities and not for a has been who once had a substance abuse problem.

I was shocked. Will and substance abuse? Whoa. I'll have to ask Syd or Vaughn or something.

Sydney: Except you never actually had a substance abuse problem.

What!? Whoa! Okay, yeah, really gotta ask someone about that.

Right everyone was quiet for a while after that, drinking their beers (I should probably add that it was their fourth, fifth, or sixth beer each). Glancing around, it looked like some of them were thinking. Weiss seemed amused by the label on his beer and the bottle cap, so he obviously wasn't, and Francie seemed dazed by the telly, so she really wasn't either. But Will seemd to be comtemplating on this couch Syd has brought over that goes against the back wall of the living room. Vaughn sat on the floor with his back leaning against the couch and Syd leaned against him, and both of them were studying the floor. I curled up on the big chair, thinking myself. I kind of wanted a Coca Cola, but then Sydney spoke.

I want to rebuild my relationship with my father. She sounded a bit slurry, so it may have been the alcohol talking. I got the feeling she didn't want to say that aloud, but it happened anyway.

I've never met Syd's dad, though. She said so I guess things are rocky between them. Anyway...

Vaughn: I wanna be a good dad. Aww, Vaughn. I love you.

I was going to say something to him. Thank him. I don't know. I even opened my mouth. But Sydney kept going. I wonder what he's doing now... Drinking. Or working. Whatever. She paused, and I forgot what I was going to say before. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she bolted upright. Oh shit! He invited us to breakfast tomorrow! Vaughn, I forgot completely!

Vaughn seemed kind of shaken, like he hadn't realized Syd had been talking. Oh, breakfast tomorrow, okay, okay... Then he kind of sobered up quickly just like Sydney previously had. At Jack's!? Oh no, no, no, no... He set down the beer bottle. We can't show up hungover.

I laughed, but no one seemed to notice. Maybe Weiss. He laughed too, but I think he was seeing pink elephants or something.

So then I started hearing stories about Jack being scary and commanding and such. But he's Sydney's Dad, right? He can't be utterly horrible. Although when Sydney told me about her mother that one day she said she and her Dad were never the same. I don't know. I plan to bring this journal to write in when we go. I feel I might get bored.

1:22 AM
Holy monkeys, I'm exhausted. Good night, journal. Sleep tight. Wait. You don't sleep. Oh. Shut-up. You can't talk either. I... Oh I'm defending myself to a bunch of papers. Bedtime indeed.

1-1-03
10:33 AM

Good God, this is so awkward. First off, we're incredibly tired. Secondly, Vaughn and Syd have slight(ly massive...) hangovers. Thirdly, Jack just found out that Sydney's moved in with us.

How did he not know!? I don't understand. Anyway, I've been too scared to say anything, so I've been just standing around. And now Jack's to Vaughn in the kitchen while Sydney and I sit here in the family room.

What do you think he's saying? I just asked.

Her eyes are closed. Is she praying? Uh oh. I just hope he's not dead yet.

Jack appears around the corner and my body stiffens. Vaughn follows. No one's saying anything. This is horrible, make it stop. Oh man...

10:42 AM
Let's eat, Jack mumbles.

Hm, I'm hungry. I wonder what we're having.

12:12 PM
Okay, I guess that wasn't so bad. But... It was so eerily silent. Creepy even. I didn't once speak to Jack nor did he truly acknowledge my presence. Sydney's complaining about it now to Vaughn as we drive back home. Vaughn thinks the shock of his daughter living with him was too much. I think Jack is just mean. After his wife betrayed him he just like abandoned Sydney. How cruel. He just must hate kids or something.

Meanie.

I wonder what Syd's mother is like. If she's like Father. Interesting thought. I should like to meet Vaughn's mother as well. I'm sure she'd be eager to meet me too. In fact, I know she is. Since Vaughn called her on Christmas and told her about me he said she nearly did backflips. Excitement or anger? I think excitement, well, I hope. That's always a good thing.

12:14 PM
Hm.

Oh, right, the breakfast. We had french toast, it was really good, but like I said, not much talking. Sydney tried, but rather failed. The adults may have spoken after I left, but I'm not sure. I was the first the finish eating, and Sydney said I could go watch TV back in the family room. I agreed. I tried not to sounds terribly enthusiastic when I replied, but I'm afraid I may have.

Hm.

So I watched TV. Yeah, I know, this is boring. That's what I thought. So I started playing with this pen (the one Vaughn gave me from the CIA at Christmas with the audio recorder). I figured it out. The bottom twisty yoke is for just the ink to come out. Press down the top yoke to record, press it again to stop. Squeeze the twisty yoke to play. It's simple. I recorded some TV quotes and played em back. I don't remember the one that's on there now. I'll play it and find out.

12:19 PM
Haha, it said, -st year he started as running back, but now he's switched to cor-. Both Sydney and Vau- Dad! It's Dad. Swung their heads around and stared at me funny. That silly pen. I wonder how long it can record. I'll test it out some time.

Oooh, yay, we're home.

A/n: Okay, what did you think? More to come soon. Next chapter is school, yippy skippy! Please review. I promise it'll get better, it's just hard to start out.
–Whitelighter Enchantress