Chapter 1 Part 2
It was about 8:30 when Jack finally got Sydney home. After he left, partially assured that she was ok, she burst into tears, and spent another night, crying herself to sleep. She only slept for about a half an hour when the phone rang. When she answered, it was a groggy, mumbled 'hello.'
"Joey's Pizza?" Inwardly, she groaned. She didn't want to meet him there of all places now.
"Wrong number." She heard him hang up on the other end.
She arrived at the warehouse about ten minutes later. Michael was already there.
"Sydney..what happened?" She didn't know what he was talking about for a minute, but then she realized it. She hadn't done anything to herself, this is what she looked like after she had been crying, and sleeping. He had never seen that.
"This is how I normally look, Michael. Nothing happened. I was asleep, because I cried myself that way. This is how much it hurts." Talk about guilt. "What is it you had to tell me that you couldn't tell me on the phone?"
"I feel like my entire world has been turned upside down. I feel like I'm in this nightmare and I can't wake up. I love Lauren, but I love you too. After you left, your dad called me. "
*Flashback*
"Mr. Vaughn, I don't know what you said to my daughter, but whatever it was it hurt her. I know my daughter well enough to know that if I were to do anything to you, which has crossed my mind many times, I would lose any relationship I had with her. I was shocked to hear that you were able to move on so fast after Sydney. It makes me wonder if you truly loved my daughter. I never thought you were good enough for her, I still don't. You made her happy, so I kept my mouth shut. Now, it is you that causes her pain. You need to make a choice Mr. Vaughn. You need to choose whom it is you want to be with. If you choose Lauren, move away so that she can move on. If you choose Sydney, then welcome to the family."
"Jack, you should know that I loved your daughter. I will always love her. I still do and that's why it's killing me."
"Then I would suggest you make a choice." Jack hung up before he could reply. *End Flashback*
"I thought about it, and your father is right, I need to choose. I called you to tell you that, and that I love you. Everything I told you before the two years, before we got together, it's all still true. You can call me for anything, at any time, and I will always be your ally."
"Don't you get it? I can't call you! You are the one person I can't call. Anything you say will make me hurt that much more, because I want to believe you."
"Then believe me." She was crying, again. "What do you want from me?"
"You know what I want."
"You'd think that, wouldn't you? On the off chance that I do, I need you to tell me, just to be sure."
"I can't. You aren't mine to tell it to."
"All you have to do is tell me, and then I could be."
"Vaughn, it's not that simple. I can't tell you. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't do that." Before he said anything, she turned around and walked away. She got in her car and went home.
It was about 10:45 when she reached home. Since tomorrow was Saturday, she went and took a long bath before she went to sleep.
She slept, somewhat peacefully, with the exception of the nightmares the people in that group told her she would have. They were memories, of her and Vaughn together, all the time. Every dream she had all had them together. It was always the same dream too, a clip of different points of their relationship. Starting with the kiss and ending when she fainted. She always woke up when she fainted, she didn't want to know what happened.
After Sydney left the warehouse, Vaughn waited there a few minutes. He sat on one of the boxes, and thought. He knew he had to make a decision. How, he didn't. For someone who was as smart as he, he felt like the dumbest person on the planet. He couldn't make his decision here. He had to go away, but where? It had to be somewhere that he would not be reminded of either of them. He wanted to make the decision on his own, without the help of his surroundings. He couldn't go to Santa Barbara, or San Francisco, or Washington, or Langley. He couldn't visit any of the states near Washington. He couldn't go to Florida, or Colorado. Where was he going to go? He knew of a place about two hours away, Big Bear Lake. He knew someone who had a cabin up there. At this time of year, it was sure to be beautiful. There were places to go hiking, a great way for him to think. Now he just had to get Lauren to agree to let him go by himself. She was acting weird lately.
He went home, Lauren was asleep. He went to sleep, knowing the next morning, he would have to prepare to leave.
The next morning, he did that. Lauren had gotten mad that he was leaving but let him go anyway. He called Dixon and told him that he needed time off. Dixon let him go. Then he called to find a cabin to rent for about three days. There was one available. He left about a half an hour later, with his bags and Donavan. He arrived two hours later; traffic was on his side this morning. He got the key and went inside the cabin. He unpacked and went outside to look around. There were a few trails and a lake about half a mile away. The trees were changing colors, it was a beautiful sight. He was going to try not to think about the decision yet. He was going to relax first. He knew that would never happen, however. He knew that Sydney was being sent half way around the world, and he worried, like usual. He worried about Lauren, too. He didn't even want to think about what she would say when he got back. He would just have to be prepared to let one of them down, hoping that it was the right decision.
It was about 8:30 when Jack finally got Sydney home. After he left, partially assured that she was ok, she burst into tears, and spent another night, crying herself to sleep. She only slept for about a half an hour when the phone rang. When she answered, it was a groggy, mumbled 'hello.'
"Joey's Pizza?" Inwardly, she groaned. She didn't want to meet him there of all places now.
"Wrong number." She heard him hang up on the other end.
She arrived at the warehouse about ten minutes later. Michael was already there.
"Sydney..what happened?" She didn't know what he was talking about for a minute, but then she realized it. She hadn't done anything to herself, this is what she looked like after she had been crying, and sleeping. He had never seen that.
"This is how I normally look, Michael. Nothing happened. I was asleep, because I cried myself that way. This is how much it hurts." Talk about guilt. "What is it you had to tell me that you couldn't tell me on the phone?"
"I feel like my entire world has been turned upside down. I feel like I'm in this nightmare and I can't wake up. I love Lauren, but I love you too. After you left, your dad called me. "
*Flashback*
"Mr. Vaughn, I don't know what you said to my daughter, but whatever it was it hurt her. I know my daughter well enough to know that if I were to do anything to you, which has crossed my mind many times, I would lose any relationship I had with her. I was shocked to hear that you were able to move on so fast after Sydney. It makes me wonder if you truly loved my daughter. I never thought you were good enough for her, I still don't. You made her happy, so I kept my mouth shut. Now, it is you that causes her pain. You need to make a choice Mr. Vaughn. You need to choose whom it is you want to be with. If you choose Lauren, move away so that she can move on. If you choose Sydney, then welcome to the family."
"Jack, you should know that I loved your daughter. I will always love her. I still do and that's why it's killing me."
"Then I would suggest you make a choice." Jack hung up before he could reply. *End Flashback*
"I thought about it, and your father is right, I need to choose. I called you to tell you that, and that I love you. Everything I told you before the two years, before we got together, it's all still true. You can call me for anything, at any time, and I will always be your ally."
"Don't you get it? I can't call you! You are the one person I can't call. Anything you say will make me hurt that much more, because I want to believe you."
"Then believe me." She was crying, again. "What do you want from me?"
"You know what I want."
"You'd think that, wouldn't you? On the off chance that I do, I need you to tell me, just to be sure."
"I can't. You aren't mine to tell it to."
"All you have to do is tell me, and then I could be."
"Vaughn, it's not that simple. I can't tell you. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't do that." Before he said anything, she turned around and walked away. She got in her car and went home.
It was about 10:45 when she reached home. Since tomorrow was Saturday, she went and took a long bath before she went to sleep.
She slept, somewhat peacefully, with the exception of the nightmares the people in that group told her she would have. They were memories, of her and Vaughn together, all the time. Every dream she had all had them together. It was always the same dream too, a clip of different points of their relationship. Starting with the kiss and ending when she fainted. She always woke up when she fainted, she didn't want to know what happened.
After Sydney left the warehouse, Vaughn waited there a few minutes. He sat on one of the boxes, and thought. He knew he had to make a decision. How, he didn't. For someone who was as smart as he, he felt like the dumbest person on the planet. He couldn't make his decision here. He had to go away, but where? It had to be somewhere that he would not be reminded of either of them. He wanted to make the decision on his own, without the help of his surroundings. He couldn't go to Santa Barbara, or San Francisco, or Washington, or Langley. He couldn't visit any of the states near Washington. He couldn't go to Florida, or Colorado. Where was he going to go? He knew of a place about two hours away, Big Bear Lake. He knew someone who had a cabin up there. At this time of year, it was sure to be beautiful. There were places to go hiking, a great way for him to think. Now he just had to get Lauren to agree to let him go by himself. She was acting weird lately.
He went home, Lauren was asleep. He went to sleep, knowing the next morning, he would have to prepare to leave.
The next morning, he did that. Lauren had gotten mad that he was leaving but let him go anyway. He called Dixon and told him that he needed time off. Dixon let him go. Then he called to find a cabin to rent for about three days. There was one available. He left about a half an hour later, with his bags and Donavan. He arrived two hours later; traffic was on his side this morning. He got the key and went inside the cabin. He unpacked and went outside to look around. There were a few trails and a lake about half a mile away. The trees were changing colors, it was a beautiful sight. He was going to try not to think about the decision yet. He was going to relax first. He knew that would never happen, however. He knew that Sydney was being sent half way around the world, and he worried, like usual. He worried about Lauren, too. He didn't even want to think about what she would say when he got back. He would just have to be prepared to let one of them down, hoping that it was the right decision.