Chapter 7: It's Her Eyes
Disclaimer: I don't own Alias, but this is my story!
A/N: This story is going really well! Thanks for all the really good reviews, and even the criticizing ones aren't so bad…
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"Sydney!" Lorrie snapped around 7:30. "I asked you to really look at these pictures! You might see something I'm missing!"
Sydney came out of the daze she'd slipped into while looking through all the files. She reluctantly put aside the paper she was looking at and pressed her hands the palms of her hands into her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, Lorrie pressed the folder into her hands.
She sighed and flipped the folder open. Then a gasp rose and stuck in her throat. Her eyes widened in horror. Her mouth gaped open. Her hands shook so violently that the pictures slid around in the open file.
"Sydney?" she heard vaguely, as though from far away. "What's wrong? Sydney!" At the note of panic in Lorrie's voice, Sydney managed to snap out of the trance that held her just enough to propel the open folder away from her body, scattering the photographs everywhere, and whip her hands back up to her eyes, sure she must be hallucinating.
Lorrie jumped away at Sydney's abrupt actions and hurried to gather the photos back into their folder. When she had, she shut it and left it sitting on the end of the bed, away from Sydney. Then she joined Sydney at the head of the bed, holding her breath. Sydney's breathing was short and ragged, but it gradually slowed to deep, deliberate breaths. Finally she took her hands away from her face and looked at Lorrie, who she knew she'd frightened. She tried to appear calm, but knew she failed.
"Lorrie…" she said, uncertain of where to start.
"Are you okay?" Lorrie interrupted quickly.
She nodded impatiently. "Can I see those pictures again?" she asked softly, keeping her voice forcefully calm.
Lorrie reluctantly reached for the folder and handed it to Sydney, watching her almost warily. Sydney didn't take the folder.
"Give me just one of the pictures," Sydney instructed instead, her voice deathly quiet.
She took the picture Lorrie handed her with her hands shaking so that she almost couldn't hold the picture.
Instead of looking immediately at the woman in the picture, Sydney focused on little details. The setting appeared to be a business meeting; there were four other people in suits and ties in the picture. The woman wore a dark gray pinstriped suit, and black flat-soled shoes; she was too tall for heels. She held a mahogany colored leather brief case. Her dishwater blonde hair was twisted up in a careful chignon. She wore wire-rimmed glasses. And from behind those glasses peered Sydney's eyes. And Lorrie's, she added suddenly. She looked up at Lorrie's eyes closer, hoping for some hint that she couldn't be right. But it only confirmed what she already knew; Lorrie's nose, and her mouth, were identical to the woman in the picture, as were Sydney's.
Sydney continued to stare, unable to believe it possible that she'd missed the strong resemblance before. Was that why Kaitlin had seemed surprised to see Lorrie, and instantly known she was with Sydney? Because she looked so much like Sydney? Or, even, could that be why Michael had looked at Lorrie so strangely and seemed so interested in her? May be he thought Sydney knew something she wasn't telling him.
All these questions and more raced through Sydney's mind before Lorrie's voice broke through again, before she even reached questions of what that meant to her family.
"Sydney? Why are you looking at me like that?" Lorrie asked, her voice raising an octave. "It's creepy. Stop. Stop it, please."
Sydney blinked hard and looked away. Then she glanced back at the picture. Finally, Sydney looked back up at Lorrie.
"I need to call my father. He's going to need to see this," she said slowly, careful not to become too frantic to communicate to Lorrie what was going on.
"What? Why?" Lorrie asked, afraid she would end up in trouble.
"Because…Lorrie, are you absolutely sure this is your mother?" Sydney asked, pleading for her to say that no, of course that wasn't her mother.
"Yes," Lorrie said confidently. "It's her eyes," she explained. "They're just…"
"I know," Sydney interrupted quickly, dropping her eyes. "I know."
"What do you mean?" Lorrie asked in confusion, squinting as though the answer was about to appear on Sydney's forehead.
"My mother…That's my mother," she said, gesturing at the picture.
"You're…you're joking, right? I don't think that's very funny," Lorrie chided.
Sydney shook her head. "That's my mother," she repeated.
"How can you be sure? I mean…"
"Her eyes," Sydney said shortly, holding Lorrie's gaze.
"But…"
Lorrie stopped when Sydney held up her hand and tossed the photo away from her.
"Her eyes appear, at first glance, to be a soft, liquid brown. When you look closely, though, you can see tiny flecks of gold that seem to hint at a strength and confidence you don't see at first. The strength most people don't expect from a warm, loving woman," Sydney finished fondly. Then her expression hardened. "But even I never recognized the other thing that could have been read there, too. The coldness I never even glimpsed until now."
Lorrie had begun to shake and cry silently, huge tears slipping unchecked down her cheeks. She knew, without a doubt, that the woman Sydney described could have been none other than her mother.
"She's alive," Lorrie whispered in horror.
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SHITAWKI MUSHROOMS! Does anybody know how to do HTML coding? I'm trying to learn it on my own, but I'm not getting anywhere!!! Everything comes back regular type, no formatting at all. Dang it!
Er, anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter. And if any HTML experts should happen to read this, please drop me an e-mail if you'll help me out!
Disclaimer: I don't own Alias, but this is my story!
A/N: This story is going really well! Thanks for all the really good reviews, and even the criticizing ones aren't so bad…
_____________________________________________________________________________________
"Sydney!" Lorrie snapped around 7:30. "I asked you to really look at these pictures! You might see something I'm missing!"
Sydney came out of the daze she'd slipped into while looking through all the files. She reluctantly put aside the paper she was looking at and pressed her hands the palms of her hands into her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, Lorrie pressed the folder into her hands.
She sighed and flipped the folder open. Then a gasp rose and stuck in her throat. Her eyes widened in horror. Her mouth gaped open. Her hands shook so violently that the pictures slid around in the open file.
"Sydney?" she heard vaguely, as though from far away. "What's wrong? Sydney!" At the note of panic in Lorrie's voice, Sydney managed to snap out of the trance that held her just enough to propel the open folder away from her body, scattering the photographs everywhere, and whip her hands back up to her eyes, sure she must be hallucinating.
Lorrie jumped away at Sydney's abrupt actions and hurried to gather the photos back into their folder. When she had, she shut it and left it sitting on the end of the bed, away from Sydney. Then she joined Sydney at the head of the bed, holding her breath. Sydney's breathing was short and ragged, but it gradually slowed to deep, deliberate breaths. Finally she took her hands away from her face and looked at Lorrie, who she knew she'd frightened. She tried to appear calm, but knew she failed.
"Lorrie…" she said, uncertain of where to start.
"Are you okay?" Lorrie interrupted quickly.
She nodded impatiently. "Can I see those pictures again?" she asked softly, keeping her voice forcefully calm.
Lorrie reluctantly reached for the folder and handed it to Sydney, watching her almost warily. Sydney didn't take the folder.
"Give me just one of the pictures," Sydney instructed instead, her voice deathly quiet.
She took the picture Lorrie handed her with her hands shaking so that she almost couldn't hold the picture.
Instead of looking immediately at the woman in the picture, Sydney focused on little details. The setting appeared to be a business meeting; there were four other people in suits and ties in the picture. The woman wore a dark gray pinstriped suit, and black flat-soled shoes; she was too tall for heels. She held a mahogany colored leather brief case. Her dishwater blonde hair was twisted up in a careful chignon. She wore wire-rimmed glasses. And from behind those glasses peered Sydney's eyes. And Lorrie's, she added suddenly. She looked up at Lorrie's eyes closer, hoping for some hint that she couldn't be right. But it only confirmed what she already knew; Lorrie's nose, and her mouth, were identical to the woman in the picture, as were Sydney's.
Sydney continued to stare, unable to believe it possible that she'd missed the strong resemblance before. Was that why Kaitlin had seemed surprised to see Lorrie, and instantly known she was with Sydney? Because she looked so much like Sydney? Or, even, could that be why Michael had looked at Lorrie so strangely and seemed so interested in her? May be he thought Sydney knew something she wasn't telling him.
All these questions and more raced through Sydney's mind before Lorrie's voice broke through again, before she even reached questions of what that meant to her family.
"Sydney? Why are you looking at me like that?" Lorrie asked, her voice raising an octave. "It's creepy. Stop. Stop it, please."
Sydney blinked hard and looked away. Then she glanced back at the picture. Finally, Sydney looked back up at Lorrie.
"I need to call my father. He's going to need to see this," she said slowly, careful not to become too frantic to communicate to Lorrie what was going on.
"What? Why?" Lorrie asked, afraid she would end up in trouble.
"Because…Lorrie, are you absolutely sure this is your mother?" Sydney asked, pleading for her to say that no, of course that wasn't her mother.
"Yes," Lorrie said confidently. "It's her eyes," she explained. "They're just…"
"I know," Sydney interrupted quickly, dropping her eyes. "I know."
"What do you mean?" Lorrie asked in confusion, squinting as though the answer was about to appear on Sydney's forehead.
"My mother…That's my mother," she said, gesturing at the picture.
"You're…you're joking, right? I don't think that's very funny," Lorrie chided.
Sydney shook her head. "That's my mother," she repeated.
"How can you be sure? I mean…"
"Her eyes," Sydney said shortly, holding Lorrie's gaze.
"But…"
Lorrie stopped when Sydney held up her hand and tossed the photo away from her.
"Her eyes appear, at first glance, to be a soft, liquid brown. When you look closely, though, you can see tiny flecks of gold that seem to hint at a strength and confidence you don't see at first. The strength most people don't expect from a warm, loving woman," Sydney finished fondly. Then her expression hardened. "But even I never recognized the other thing that could have been read there, too. The coldness I never even glimpsed until now."
Lorrie had begun to shake and cry silently, huge tears slipping unchecked down her cheeks. She knew, without a doubt, that the woman Sydney described could have been none other than her mother.
"She's alive," Lorrie whispered in horror.
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SHITAWKI MUSHROOMS! Does anybody know how to do HTML coding? I'm trying to learn it on my own, but I'm not getting anywhere!!! Everything comes back regular type, no formatting at all. Dang it!
Er, anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter. And if any HTML experts should happen to read this, please drop me an e-mail if you'll help me out!