Chapter 3- "Going for visits"
The drive to Eric Weiss' house took a shorter amount of time then usual. Michael was almost frantic, even to the point that he didn't notice anything else but the road and his worried thoughts for Sydney. He didn't even hear Alissa trying to get his attention from the back seat. Finally, after calling his name three times, she tapped him on the back.
"Daddy."
He briefly glanced behind him, remembering that he wasn't alone in the car. "Yes, 'Lissa?"
"Where's Mommy? Why did we leave her at the park?"
"She's not at the park. You remember that note that we found? It was telling me that Mommy had to go somewhere."
It wasn't a complete lie, but Michael still hated telling her that. Knowing that the truth might have scared her a little bit, he decided that it was safer for her not to know what was going on.
"So we are going to Uncle Eric's right? Because I told him we were and if we don't go, he'll be sad that we aren't coming," Alissa said seriously.
"Yes, we're going to Uncle Eric's and he knows we're coming."
"Okay."
The car fell into silence, as they continued driving. Alissa watched the houses they passed, looking for something that seemed familiar. She knew the area near Uncle Eric's house, and she was watching for the houses that were close to him to come into view. Suddenly, a question popped into her head.
"Daddy, what are we going to do at Uncle Eric's house?"
"You're going to wait for Mommy to come back. She didn't say how long she would be gone, so I'm going to go find her. You're going to stay with Uncle Eric."
"Oh.Do you think he knows any princess stories?"
Michael let out a little sigh. "I don't know, honey. Maybe he does. You'll have to ask him."
"Okay," she could tell her Daddy didn't want to talk.
'Maybe he misses Mommy,' she thought. 'That's why he's so cranky.'
She returned to gazing out the car window. That's when she noticed that she did know where they were.
"Look! There's Uncle Eric's house!" She squealed with obvious excitement.
As Michael drove into the driveway, the front door swung open and Eric Weiss stepped out. Alissa quickly took her seat belt off and flung open the door. In no time at all she was hugging her "Uncle" Eric's leg.
"Hey, Kiddo. Are you taking care of your dad?" Eric asked with a wink.
"I think he misses Mommy," she whispered back solemnly. "She went somewhere and didn't take him with her."
"Well then, we better find her. Don't you think?"
Eric unlatched her from his leg as he turned and greeted a distracted Michael who was meandering up the sidewalk.
"Weiss," Michael began, "I need you to-"
Michael's phone rang, cutting him off mid-sentence. Swiftly, he answered, having hope that maybe it would be Sydney on the other end.
"Vaughn."
"Michael, we need you to come down to the task center."
"Alright," he sighed at the sound of Jack Bristow's voice. "Have you heard anything or had any leads?"
"No. Nothing besides the notes that you have that our technicians are waiting to see," Jack hinted.
"Okay, I'm on my way," he stated as he pushed the end button. "I have to go, Eric. Will you watch her for me?"
Alissa looked up at her father with sad eyes. "Are you leaving me too, Daddy?"
"I have to go find your Mommy. Stay here with Uncle Eric for me, Baby. Be a good girl."
"Um, Mike," Eric cut in. "I'm going in too. She'll have to come with us."
Michael began shaking his head with fervor. "She can't come. You'll have to stay with her. There aren't anymore options."
"What about Will?" Eric inquired.
Alissa shook her head. "Uncle Will's on vacation with Aunt Suzie. I can't stay here with Uncle Eric if he's going to work with you, Daddy. So, I get to go to work with you too!" She exclaimed with a broad smile as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands with joy.
"Mike, we don't have any other options. What's it going to hurt? Just this once."
"Sydney would kill me for taking her, not to mention what Jack will do!"
"Sydney's gone. We have to get her back, Mike, and the easiest way to do that would be for you and I to go in and work on figuring those notes out. 'Lissa has to come with us. Sydney would understand," Eric assured. "Come on, man, we need to go now."
Michael sighed and glanced down at his daughter, his reminder of what was taken. He had to protect her from all this. No matter what the consequences for him were, she had to be safe.
"Sweetie," he got down on his knees so he would be at eye level with her. "Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yes, Daddy. Please? I'll be a good girl. Just let me go with you and Uncle Eric. I won't be bad or bother you," she solemnly promised.
"Oh, Honey, I'm not worried about you bothering me. You don't bother me. Come here," He held out his arms to her and she ran to him.
As she flung her arms around his neck, she whispered, "I love you always, Daddy," in his ear.
"I love you too, Baby. Always and forever," he replied back. Gently, he kissed her forehead and stood. He held out his hand to her, and she tightly grasped it with her own.
"Come on, Uncle Eric! Time to go to work!" she exclaimed as she held her free hand out to Eric.
~*~*~*~*~
The ride to the JTF took about fifteen minutes. Besides Alissa's gleeful singing-along with the songs on the radio that she knew, the car ride was quiet. Michael was focusing on what he was going to tell Jack and Eric was playing games on his palm pilot, wishing he had remembered to grab his yo- yo.
As Michael parked the car in the underground garage, Alissa asked excitedly, "Is this where you work, Daddy?"
"Kinda. We're going to go in now, and find your grandpa, okay?"
"Alright! Do you think he'll be surprised to see me? Oh! What's that?" Alissa pointed.
Alissa had never been to work with Michael, and with so many new things to be seen, questions were inevitable. Doing their best to answer her questions and also continue moving inside, Eric and Michael replied without much detail. At the checkpoint, the men pulled out their badges and showed the guard. Alissa gave a broad smile to the man who was anonymous to her.
"Hi! Do you work with my Daddy?"
With an amused smile, the man replied, "I guess so. Does your Daddy work here?"
"Oh, yes. He's very important," she nodded. "And my grandpa works here too. Do you know him?"
"What's his name," the man inquired. "I may just know him."
"Umm.It's Grandpa Jack. Jack.What is it again, Daddy?"
"Bristow, honey."
"Thank you. Jack Bristow," she proudly stated, not know how widely known and respected her grandfather truly was.
"The Jack Bristow?" he asked in awe.
Alissa looked up at her father, confused by the man's question. "Is there more then one grandpa, Daddy?"
"No, Honey, there's only one. Come on, we gotta go find him now. Thanks, Rob," he addressed the guard.
"No problem, Mr. Vaughn," Rob replied with a bemused look on his face.
"Bye, Mr. Rob!" Alissa waved as they walked through a set of big double doors.
The search for Jack- and consequently, Sydney- had begun.
The drive to Eric Weiss' house took a shorter amount of time then usual. Michael was almost frantic, even to the point that he didn't notice anything else but the road and his worried thoughts for Sydney. He didn't even hear Alissa trying to get his attention from the back seat. Finally, after calling his name three times, she tapped him on the back.
"Daddy."
He briefly glanced behind him, remembering that he wasn't alone in the car. "Yes, 'Lissa?"
"Where's Mommy? Why did we leave her at the park?"
"She's not at the park. You remember that note that we found? It was telling me that Mommy had to go somewhere."
It wasn't a complete lie, but Michael still hated telling her that. Knowing that the truth might have scared her a little bit, he decided that it was safer for her not to know what was going on.
"So we are going to Uncle Eric's right? Because I told him we were and if we don't go, he'll be sad that we aren't coming," Alissa said seriously.
"Yes, we're going to Uncle Eric's and he knows we're coming."
"Okay."
The car fell into silence, as they continued driving. Alissa watched the houses they passed, looking for something that seemed familiar. She knew the area near Uncle Eric's house, and she was watching for the houses that were close to him to come into view. Suddenly, a question popped into her head.
"Daddy, what are we going to do at Uncle Eric's house?"
"You're going to wait for Mommy to come back. She didn't say how long she would be gone, so I'm going to go find her. You're going to stay with Uncle Eric."
"Oh.Do you think he knows any princess stories?"
Michael let out a little sigh. "I don't know, honey. Maybe he does. You'll have to ask him."
"Okay," she could tell her Daddy didn't want to talk.
'Maybe he misses Mommy,' she thought. 'That's why he's so cranky.'
She returned to gazing out the car window. That's when she noticed that she did know where they were.
"Look! There's Uncle Eric's house!" She squealed with obvious excitement.
As Michael drove into the driveway, the front door swung open and Eric Weiss stepped out. Alissa quickly took her seat belt off and flung open the door. In no time at all she was hugging her "Uncle" Eric's leg.
"Hey, Kiddo. Are you taking care of your dad?" Eric asked with a wink.
"I think he misses Mommy," she whispered back solemnly. "She went somewhere and didn't take him with her."
"Well then, we better find her. Don't you think?"
Eric unlatched her from his leg as he turned and greeted a distracted Michael who was meandering up the sidewalk.
"Weiss," Michael began, "I need you to-"
Michael's phone rang, cutting him off mid-sentence. Swiftly, he answered, having hope that maybe it would be Sydney on the other end.
"Vaughn."
"Michael, we need you to come down to the task center."
"Alright," he sighed at the sound of Jack Bristow's voice. "Have you heard anything or had any leads?"
"No. Nothing besides the notes that you have that our technicians are waiting to see," Jack hinted.
"Okay, I'm on my way," he stated as he pushed the end button. "I have to go, Eric. Will you watch her for me?"
Alissa looked up at her father with sad eyes. "Are you leaving me too, Daddy?"
"I have to go find your Mommy. Stay here with Uncle Eric for me, Baby. Be a good girl."
"Um, Mike," Eric cut in. "I'm going in too. She'll have to come with us."
Michael began shaking his head with fervor. "She can't come. You'll have to stay with her. There aren't anymore options."
"What about Will?" Eric inquired.
Alissa shook her head. "Uncle Will's on vacation with Aunt Suzie. I can't stay here with Uncle Eric if he's going to work with you, Daddy. So, I get to go to work with you too!" She exclaimed with a broad smile as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands with joy.
"Mike, we don't have any other options. What's it going to hurt? Just this once."
"Sydney would kill me for taking her, not to mention what Jack will do!"
"Sydney's gone. We have to get her back, Mike, and the easiest way to do that would be for you and I to go in and work on figuring those notes out. 'Lissa has to come with us. Sydney would understand," Eric assured. "Come on, man, we need to go now."
Michael sighed and glanced down at his daughter, his reminder of what was taken. He had to protect her from all this. No matter what the consequences for him were, she had to be safe.
"Sweetie," he got down on his knees so he would be at eye level with her. "Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yes, Daddy. Please? I'll be a good girl. Just let me go with you and Uncle Eric. I won't be bad or bother you," she solemnly promised.
"Oh, Honey, I'm not worried about you bothering me. You don't bother me. Come here," He held out his arms to her and she ran to him.
As she flung her arms around his neck, she whispered, "I love you always, Daddy," in his ear.
"I love you too, Baby. Always and forever," he replied back. Gently, he kissed her forehead and stood. He held out his hand to her, and she tightly grasped it with her own.
"Come on, Uncle Eric! Time to go to work!" she exclaimed as she held her free hand out to Eric.
~*~*~*~*~
The ride to the JTF took about fifteen minutes. Besides Alissa's gleeful singing-along with the songs on the radio that she knew, the car ride was quiet. Michael was focusing on what he was going to tell Jack and Eric was playing games on his palm pilot, wishing he had remembered to grab his yo- yo.
As Michael parked the car in the underground garage, Alissa asked excitedly, "Is this where you work, Daddy?"
"Kinda. We're going to go in now, and find your grandpa, okay?"
"Alright! Do you think he'll be surprised to see me? Oh! What's that?" Alissa pointed.
Alissa had never been to work with Michael, and with so many new things to be seen, questions were inevitable. Doing their best to answer her questions and also continue moving inside, Eric and Michael replied without much detail. At the checkpoint, the men pulled out their badges and showed the guard. Alissa gave a broad smile to the man who was anonymous to her.
"Hi! Do you work with my Daddy?"
With an amused smile, the man replied, "I guess so. Does your Daddy work here?"
"Oh, yes. He's very important," she nodded. "And my grandpa works here too. Do you know him?"
"What's his name," the man inquired. "I may just know him."
"Umm.It's Grandpa Jack. Jack.What is it again, Daddy?"
"Bristow, honey."
"Thank you. Jack Bristow," she proudly stated, not know how widely known and respected her grandfather truly was.
"The Jack Bristow?" he asked in awe.
Alissa looked up at her father, confused by the man's question. "Is there more then one grandpa, Daddy?"
"No, Honey, there's only one. Come on, we gotta go find him now. Thanks, Rob," he addressed the guard.
"No problem, Mr. Vaughn," Rob replied with a bemused look on his face.
"Bye, Mr. Rob!" Alissa waved as they walked through a set of big double doors.
The search for Jack- and consequently, Sydney- had begun.
