It's been a good run everyone. I have invested more than a year of my life into this fic, and let me tell you. The feedback I've gotten from all of my wondrous readers has made everyday worth it.
I want to thank my betas. In this past year, I've had several beta changes, so I'm not going to list all of my great betas. They had the patience to read through these chapters when they were still rough. They smoothed it out, and really made this fic what it is. My betas would help me when the writers block stonewalled me. And thanks to my muse. She helped too.
You should see me. I'm crying! I don't cry easily. Longest fic I have ever completed. And it's my most popular fic too!
If you enjoyed this fic, Colly E. will be writing a sequel. She hasn't told me what it is going to be called, or what it's going to be about yet, but I can guarantee that it will be just as amazing as this one. Check it out when she starts posting.
So.
I'm posting today. Because I'm leaving for vacation, and wanted to post it sometime over the holidays.
Happy Holidays everyone.
And please don't forget to review.
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Alexandra took Juliana's hand, and both girls took off running into the house. Sydney and Vaughn looked up at the house. "You know, when we bought this house, you told me you could hear our future in the walls. I was skeptical. I mean, at that time it was just you and I. I wasn't sure what we'd do with all that space." Vaughn said, turning towards Sydney. "When we began painting the nursery, you turned and looked at me and said, 'I told you this house was perfect'. From that moment on, I never doubted you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Shh…"
"What?"
Sydney and Vaughn stood perfectly still on the front porch. From their spot they could hear the happy squeals of Juliana discovering her new room, and Alexandra's laughing while playing. The happy and proud parents smiled. "I can still hear our future in there."
"Tonight, I was thinking of getting everyone together at Francie's restaurant." Vaughn suggested.
Sydney hesitated. "Yeah. Sounds good."
"You sure that it's not too fast?"
"My memory is better. Besides, I'll have you, the girls, and I already have acquainted myself with Mia and the twins. So that leaves Will, Francie and her family, and your friend."
"Eric."
"Oh right, Eric."
"You remember him?"
"No. I remember you talking about him."
"So you want to go to dinner at Francie's?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll call everyone."
"*Mama! Come look!*" Juliana yelled from the end of the hallway.
Sydney smiled, and went to follow her daughter. "*You like your room?*"
"*It's purple!*"
"*Just like you asked.*"
"*Thank you Mama.*"
"*Thank your Dad too.*" Juliana ran off to find her father, leaving Sydney alone in the almost empty room with Alexandra.
"I am so happy to be back. You know that right, Alex?"
Alexandra replied only by hugging Sydney.
Sydney fiddled with the strap of her purse the entire way over to the restaurant. She couldn't remember when she picked up that nervous habit, but even Vaughn commented on it. "**Everything will be fine. I promise.**" Vaughn assured, placing his hand over Sydney's to stop her fingers. Sydney gave a weak smile, and looked out the window.
The restaurant was a busy place. Sydney saw a flash of a memory with her and Francie talking at the bar, and could tell that the place had grown considerably in size. Everyone else was already there. They were all talking happily about one thing or another. The minute they spotted the Vaughn's walk through the door, they fell into silence. "Hey guys!" Vaughn brightly greeted.
"Syd?" Francie weakly smiled.
Sydney smiled and nodded, racing over to her long lost friend. "Sorry I didn't call you last month."
"Don't apologize. Michael explained it all to us. I understand."
Will stood up from his seat and stared at Sydney. "What? I don't get a hug either?"
Sydney smiled, "Of course you do."
"It's good to see you Sydney."
Juliana clung close to her father, as Alexandra took the open seat next to Ally and Leigh, leaving three seats. Vaughn held out a seat for Sydney, next to Francie. Juliana jumped at the opportunity to sit on the other side of her mother, leaving Vaughn for the final seat.
"Order what ever you want. Dinner tonight is on me!" Francie declared.
"It's always on you." Will joked. "You own the place."
Everyone laughed, except a very lost Juliana. "Como?"
Sydney smiled apologetically at Juliana. The confused look on the little girl's face told all. It was going to be a long upward battle until she would be able to comprehend everything. She looked lost and scared. Sydney knew that Juliana would be able to adjust, but everything Juliana knew was different. She could only communicate with her parent's and grandfather. She had yet to meet her grandmother. Everyone else that surrounded her was leaving her out of the conversation, and Sydney could only do her best to translate for a little bit. Juliana sat back in her chair, realizing the same exact thing.
Sydney was the first one up the next morning. Which seemed odd, because after a late night, and jet lag, she should have slept until noon. Juliana fell asleep at the restaurant, and after peering into the bedroom, found her still sound asleep. Alexandra's door was shut, a sign that she still slept. Sydney started the coffee, and looked around the kitchen. There was a low grumble. Sydney looked down at her stomach, which was clearly yelling to her, "Feed me!" She picked up the bag of bread off the top of the refrigerator, and pulled the toaster out from underneath the cabinets. She put the bread in, and then left to quickly go to the bathroom.
When she came back, the toast was on fire. Reacting quickly, Sydney grabbed the fire extinguisher. It didn't take long at all for the fire to be put out. Sydney looked around the kitchen, glad to see it still empty. She didn't want to see anyone else wake up because of her little mistake. The room still reeked of burnt toast. But Sydney didn't have time to reflect on her save. The second she thought about it, the smoke finally reached the smoke detector. The high pitch scream began to sound, surely waking everyone.
The scream of the smoke alarm suddenly set off a flood of memories in Sydney's mind.
*****Flashback*****
Four-year-old Sydney covered her ears. The noise was so annoying. "Turn it off Daddy!" She screamed through her tears.
Jack and Laura were laughing so hard it was near impossible for Jack to turn off the smoke detector. "I'm trying sweetheart, I really am."
The smoke reached the young girl's lungs, and Sydney began to cough. "Come on, let's get you some fresh air." Laura took Sydney by the hand, and led her outside. She held the scared little girl close until the coughing subsided. She looked up at her mother for comfort. "Daddy and I really burnt some toast, didn't we?"
In the distance, a siren sounded. The pitch rose as it got closer and closer to the house. "Why are the firemen coming? Is our house going to burn down?" Sydney asked, on the brink of tears.
"No, I thought that there was a little too much smoke. Our house is not going to be burnt down."
"Good."
Jack quickly joined his wife and daughter on the front porch as the fire truck parked in front of the house. The small family watched from the front lawn as the men made sure the house was safe. A small crowd began to form around them, fascinated by the shiny red truck. After almost an hour, one fireman approached the huddled family. "Sir, there was a lot of smoke damage. We haven't finished our assessment yet, but we suggest that you find another place to stay until it can be cleaned up."
"How long will that be?" Jack asked.
"We'll tell you when we finish."
"Can we get our stuff from our bedroom?" Laura asked.
"Certainly."
*****End flashback*****
*****Flashback*****
Sydney sat on the train looking at her parents, sipping from a bottle of wine. She smiled as the two of them smiled at each other.
"I know what you're thinking." Jack said, passing the bottle of wine to Irina. She took it and took a sip.
Irina smiled. "Do you?"
"The toaster." Irina laughed at the memory.
"What are you guys talking about?" Sydney asked. This was a side of her father she can barely remember.
"Ah..." Her mother fondly sighed. She took another drink, and then passed it to Jack with a smile. He took it, and did something unexpected. He gave a small smile.
"We used to have this toaster at home. It was broken and using it one night, I started a small fire." Jack explained.
"We had something like this to drink and we both had a little too much."
"I forgot about the toast I was making." He confessed. Irina laughed.
"When was this?" Sydney begged. It was a side of her parents she had never seen before. It was a side she liked.
"You were... four years old." Irina recalled, and her father agreed. "There was so much smoke, we had to move out for a week. We stayed in that hotel."
"The Summit." Jack whispered.
"The Summit."
"W-wait was that the hotel with the sundaes?" Sydney smiled, for the first time in a long time; her parents were actually getting along.
"Mm-hmm." Irina confirmed.
Jack was now smiling. "Yeah. I think you had one every night." Irina gave a chuckle at the memory. She looked into Jack's eyes. They both blushed, but then looked away. Jack's smile faded. "You should get some sleep."
*****End Flashback*****
*****Flashback*****
Sydney woke up, disappointed not to find her new husband lying in their bed. She smiled though, looking at the new wedding band around her finger. She got up, and found Michael in the kitchen. He spotted her, and immediately turned around. "Go back to bed!" He ordered.
"Why?" Sydney demanded, coming closer, and giving him a kiss.
"I want to make you breakfast in bed, but I can't do that if you're not in bed."
Sydney kissed him again, putting her arms around his waist. "Good morning Mr. Vaughn."
Vaughn felt his knees become weak, and his heartbeat quicken. "Good morning to you too Mrs. Vaughn."
"Oh, I like that sound." She whispered, kissing her husband of 10 hours again.
"Mrs. Vaughn." Vaughn repeated it again, knowing he would get another kiss from his wife.
Sydney smiled, and fulfilled his wish. Vaughn went to whisper his wife's name again, but was interrupted by the smoke detector. Both were pulled out of the moment by the smoke that had gone unnoticed by the newlyweds for some time.
Sydney put her hands on Vaughn's shoulders, and began to laugh. Vaughn quickly joined in. She rushed to remove the burning toast, while Vaughn went to turn off the smoke detector. Laughing, they both went to open some windows to allow the fresh air in. Working their way back to each other, they met kissing. "What a way to start our lives together." Vaughn joked.
"It can only get better. And I'm sure it will." Sydney assured. "At least the smoke is clearing up."
"Really? I think it's getting stronger."
Both sniffed the air, and sure enough, the smoke was getting thick again. And the high-pitched alarm started to beep again.
"What is it? You're not making more toast, are you?" Sydney asked, helping Vaughn to turn off the alarm.
"No, not toast..."Vaughn paused, trying to remember what could be burning. "Not the toast, I'm making pancakes. I forgot about them!"
Sydney quickly went and took the pancakes off the heat. They met up in the living room again, this time laughing too hard to even kiss.
*****End Flashback*****
"Sydney?" Vaughn said, shaking Sydney. She was sitting on the couch in a half daze, just staring with a goofy grin.
"What's that noise?" Alexandra complained holding her hands over her ears.
""*What's burning?*" Juliana asked, trying to cover both her ears and her nose.
Vaughn left Sydney, and got out the stepladder to deal with the alarm first. He quickly instructed both girls to open the windows. "Sydney you ok?" Vaughn checked again.
"I haven't smelt burnt toast in six years."
"So?"
"The doctors said that a smell could trigger my memory."
"Burnt toast?"
"My parents burnt toast when I was six. It was so bad that we had to stay in a hotel for a couple nights. I liked the sundaes. They then told me about it when we were in the cargo car of the train when we were in India. They were smiling, one of the few times I had seen my dad smile in years. You burnt toast the morning after we got married. You were trying to make me breakfast in bed, but I woke up before you had a chance. When we got the toast mess cleaned up, we forgot about the pancakes, and they burned, causing the house to smoke up again."
"Yeah." Vaughn replied, surprised that she remembered all that. "You remember that?"
"I remember everything." Sydney lowered her voice. "I remember all the missions, all the faces, all the alias', all the stupid costumes." She then raised her voice. "I remember the day we met, I remember our third trip to the zoo with Alex, I remember my sixth birthday party."
"Sydney?"
"Vaughn, I remember things I compartmentalized."
Vaughn smiled brightly. "Sydney, this is, this is, this, this, is amazing."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
"We have to celebrate."
"I'm all for it. Girls, get over here!"
Obediently, they both rushed over. "What's up?" Alexandra asked.
Sydney first explained what happened to Juliana, seeing as how she always got what happens second, and then told Alexandra. Both girls were ecstatic for their mother.
Sydney and Juliana drove to the airport to pick up Rosa, Luis, and Raquel early the next month. Juliana was excited to see her 'aunt' again. Sydney honestly couldn't wait to see Rosa again. She and Rosa would call each other at least once a week, and now they were coming to visit Sydney for two weeks, for the wedding.
Juliana desperately wanted to be able to communicate with everyone around her, and every second Sydney or Vaughn could spare, she would beg them to teach her more English. After just one month, Juliana was able to communicate what she wanted. With a slow drive to the airport, due to the traffic, Juliana and Sydney were able to get a lot of practice done. Sydney never got tired of helping her daughter. With each new word she learned, they both got more excited.
Rosa, Luis and Raquel were waiting outside for Sydney and Juliana. Sydney stopped the car with a jerk, excited to see her friends. She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the car. Juliana wasn't far behind mimicking her mother's actions. Rosa and Sydney ran towards each other. While embracing, Sydney felt something small latch onto her leg. She looked down to see Raquel there.
"*Come, you have to meet Alexandra and Michael still.*" Sydney said, after the hugging had ended.
"*I can't wait. I mean you have told us so much about them, and won't shut up about them.*"
Sydney smiled. "*With good reason.*"
"Mama?" Juliana interrupted.
"Yes?"
"Where Daddy?"
"Where is Daddy." Sydney corrected. "Getting Grandma."
"Ok. *I can't wait to show you my room!*" Juliana yelled.
"Quieter."
"Que?"
"Shhh…"
Sydney stayed up all night talking with Rosa. Michael, Alexandra, and Bridgette arrived long after Raquel and Juliana had gone to bed. Alexandra walked half asleep to her bedroom, barely awake enough to even say hello to the guests. She immediately went to sleep when her head hit the pillow. Michael and Luis headed off when the girl talk began. Bridgette turned in not too long afterward. The two friends talked about everything from the wedding, to Sydney's childhood, which after six years, Rosa was listening to for the first time.
Over the next week, Rosa helped Sydney get everything ready for the wedding. Vaughn and Sydney decided to have a small wedding with only family and close friends, in the backyard. Everything was planned, and as the day grew closer and closer, Sydney grew increasingly more nervous. She knew everything was going to be all right. All they were doing was renewing their wedding vows. The only reason they were even still calling it a wedding, was because they had been calling it that since three months before Sydney's memory returned. Something about waking up next to Michael Vaughn every morning, made it feel like each day was the morning she was getting married. Sydney could still remember the day she and Vaughn got married the first time.
After the small ceremony, they were all going to go to Francie's restaurant. Sydney and Vaughn rented out the restaurant for a great price, free- for the reception. By no means did they even need that much space, but when they tried to get a couple tables, Francie insisted that they take the entire restaurant. And no matter how much the two protested that they only needed room for 20, Francie reserved her entire restaurant for her friends.
Finally the day arrived. The ceremony was set for two, and for tradition sake, Vaughn stayed at a local hotel the night before. Sydney was finding it increasingly difficult to get ready with both Juliana and Alexandra trying to help her get ready.
"What do you think, should I wear my hair up, or should I leave it down?"
"Down." Alexandra answered. "You look beautiful, Mom."
"Thank you."
"*You need to brush your hair.*"
"Do you have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?"
"*Do you want me to do your hair Mama?*"
"Girls! Go see if Aunt Francie needs any help setting up outside. Ok?"
"*Why can't we help in here?*"
"*Because, all I have left is my hair.*"
"I have blue earrings!" Alexandra leaped off her spot from her bed, and ran into her bedroom. She came back only seconds later with a dark blue pair of earrings. "You can borrow them, so they can be your borrowed and your blue." Alexandra beamed.
Sydney smiled and took the earrings from Alexandra. "Go help Aunt Francie outside, or go play with Calvin, or Leigh, or Ally, or something. Ok?"
"Ok."
Sydney took a closer look at the earrings. They were plastic dark blue bunnies. The kind you buy for three year olds who lose their earrings frequently. Sydney couldn't hurt Alexandra's feelings, so she took out her mother's old earrings, and put her daughter's in. Sydney decided to put her hair down, hoping to maybe hide the bunnies a little.
Alexandra hit play on the CD player, and Sydney took a deep breath. She smelled the daisies she used as a bouquet, and smiled. Vaughn was waiting on the other side of the door, and Sydney couldn't wait any longer. She smiled as she heard the simple notes from the old string quartet CD cue her to start walking. She opened the door, and came out. Everyone was standing up, waiting for Sydney, the bride to walk. Sydney saw her two daughters waiting for her by their father. Eric and his fiancé, Robin, watched with a smile. Francie and Joe each held a hand of Calvin's, trying to tame the impatient child. Will and Mia held each other's hand, remembering their own wedding. Leigh and Ally watched with only half attention, while also trying to see whose dress made a bigger circle, without their parents noticing. Rosa held a napping Raquel in her arms, while Luis stood behind them, rubbing her back in a loving and comforting way. Jack stood on the end, smiling at his daughter. Their journey to friendship was slow, but now they had a real relationship, and he couldn't help but be prouder of her, than he had ever been in his life. Bridgette had always told her son that it was time for him to move on. She knew that Sydney was the only woman that her son could ever love, but she saw him tear up him and Alexandra before anyone else did. She knew that if she could get him to move on, maybe he would save his relationship with his daughter before it failed. But now watching Sydney walk towards her son, she knew that there was no way that he would have ever gotten over the one woman that gave him everything.
As Sydney looked around at her family and friends, Sydney couldn't help but smile. Looking into Vaughn's eyes, Sydney could tell. She had found her way home.
~~FIN~~
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