A/N- Okay, so its taken me forever to come and update (main reason being I'm lazy, and busy) but you don't have to worry. I'll get my butt in gear and update. But that means I want some reviews! I'm a demanding author. LOL!

Jogging In Place
Chapter Four

Truth


Sydney ran up to Vaughn and slowly stroked his back gently. She could sense in the atmosphere, like some sort of feng-shui kung-fu vibe, that something was seriously wrong. The sobs wracked his body for almost an hour before he slowly took a breath and looked at her.

"She's gone. She… she passed away last year," he said, struggling to get each word out.

Sydney gasped. She was horrified. Her baby, her own flesh and blood had died, and she couldn't even remember. "What happened," she asked timidly.

"She… she… obtained third degree burns on 90 percent of her body. She fought it, but in the end an infection overtook her. She never felt any pain," he said, barely above a whisper.

"Oh God! How did she do that? Was there a fire?"

"No. Boiling water. It pored down her body, burning her as it went."

Sydney studied his eyes for a second. She may not remember marrying him, but she could remember loving him. "It was my fault, wasn't it? I killed our daughter, didn't I?"

"No Syd. It was an accident. You can't blame yourself… please. You spent the last year in deep depression. You can't return to that state. I won't let you," he said with defiance.

Sydney's eyes filled with tears. Hearing Vaughn's tone she tried not to blame herself, but she couldn't stop from calling herself a murder. She summed up all of her courage, and let out a deep sigh, turning back to Vaughn. "Tell me all I can't remember. Every last detail."

He cracked a smile for about one one-millionth of a second before regaining his somber tone. "Can we get breakfast first? That way you can think of all the little details you want to know."

Sydney nodded. Although she couldn't be more depressed about her daughter, it was obvious that Vaughn couldn't handle her being too upset. Instead she put on a slightly bright façade and followed him to the kitchen.
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Sydney stared at her husband. She had never thought that Vaughn could cook, and even more so, he could cook well. Biting down on her egg she thought of something she wanted to know and added it to her list. The list as she called it, had already taken up a good half of the notebook page, and she was just getting started.

"So what's the first thing you want to know?" Vaughn inquired.

Sydney looked down at her list. "What day was SD-6 taken down? What happened, what was it like?" she said not pausing to breathe.

"Ok," he said chuckling lightly, "Well, it was taken down on November 24th. It was a happy day, I don't think I'd seen you happier up to that day. Sloane and all his little buddies were taken into custody. That night we had a huge party at Francie's restaurant. The whole CIA was there I think. You finally explained 'those damn pizza place calls' I think is what Francie called it. Francie was surprised, and I think she respects you a lot more. Either that or she's afraid you'll kick her ass."

"When did we start dating?" she asked, trying to avoid his eyes.

"Amazingly enough, November 25th. I guess we were kinda in a hurry," he said, cupping her face and bringing her eyes to his.

"Right, and what's up with Alex, Francie, Will, my mom, and my dad? Are they all right?"

"They're all ok. Alex is engaged; he's going to be married in a week. His fiancé, Kelsi, is a real nice girl. You like her a lot. And Francie, well I suppose she's all right. She's been left for a week with Tara. Will's good too, always the reporter. He's doing a great job, doing a lot of special articles. You're mom is out of prison. She's trying to start a new life, and doing a good job at that. She's teaching at an elementary around here. And your dad is the director of the CIA branch here in LA."

"Wow. What do I do? What am I like?"

"Well, you work at the CIA too. Yep, you, Jack, and I. I think you're a bit uncomfortable at work though. You're often greeted with 'Oh, you took down SD-6! Congratulations.' or 'I know your father.' I think you want to try and live up to his name. When you're not at work you're at Francie's. Tara's going through that rambunctious stage, and with her dad being gone so much, Francie needs a helping hand."

"I suspect Tara is Francie's daughter. Who is Francie's husband?"

"Will."

Sydney spit out the water she had just took a sip of. Francie and Will were married? That had to be an interesting family. "Oh, ok," Sydney said as her laughing died down.

"I think that was your reaction the first time around too. They really do make a good couple."

"When did we get married? What was it like?"

"We got married last year on the 2nd of March. It was perfect. It was sunny and everyone was happy. You picked out the most beautiful gowns, you had people practically begging to be one of the bridesmaids," Vaughn said smiling. He got up and left the room. He soon returned with an album.

Slowly they turned the pages together. Vaughn explained every picture, leaving no detail untouched. Sydney could almost see the wedding in her mind, smell the fresh flowers, taste the cake, and feel the dancing. She could remember her own middle name for all she cared, but she would never forget her love for Vaughn.

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