Freeze
Disclaimer: Sadly, Alias still isn't mine. Now go, read.
A/N: I can't get a hold of my beta reader, so please feel free to point out any blatant type-o's. I'll try to fix them.
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Vaughn sits silently at the kitchen table, holding a now cold cup of coffee. He managed to convince Kendall to let him stay with the kids. He's worried, *very* worried, about Laura. It's only 7:30 now, but he can hear her moving around in the den. She probably slept less than an hour, he thinks. He can do that; She can't.
He stands and pours himself a fresh cup of coffee so that Laura will have no way of knowing how long he's been sitting there.
"Daddy?" Laura asks tentatively, stepping into the kitchen.
"What is it?" He asks gently, nervously wondering what's on her mind and how he's going to handle it.
"You're still up?" she asks with a hint of surprise in her voice. He had sent her to get some sleep, yet he had stayed up.
"Yeah," he admits lamely. "Can't sleep."
"Are you thinking about Mom too?" she asks softly, stubbornly blinking back tears.
"Yeah," he replies quietly as she sits across from him.
"Can…Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he said, his voice not reflecting his anxiety about what the question may be.
"Do you miss her?" She looks up at him hopefully.
Vaughn fights back tears before he can answer.
"I never stopped missing her. From the day she left, there hasn't been a day when I haven't wished we were all together like we should have been," he says, fighting to control his voice. Laura mistakes his struggle for anger.
"You're mad at her?" she asks in a small voice, dangerously close to her breaking point.
"Mad!?! I love Sydney! I love you and Brandon! And she took you away and just disappeared! Of course I'm mad, but I'd give anything to have us all back together again! Anything!" he insists, hating the look of betrayal in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, her voice barely audible.
"I just don't want you to doubt how much I love you and your mother. I will do everything I can to find her, and so will the CIA."
"I know, I just…I don't want to think about it." She looked down at the floor. "That's awful, isn't it."
"No. I understand. Believe me, I know," he admitted.
"Really?" she said, looking up.
"Yeah. It's like, may be if I don't think about it, it'll all just go away. Right?"
She nodded.
"I've been trying that for years. You want to know the truth? It doesn't work. But that doesn't stop me from thinking that way," he added.
They sat in silence for several minutes before he finally stood up.
"Laura, go get some sleep. I will, too. We won't do Brandon any good if we're both exhausted," he says.
"Okay," she says, standing up. She gives him a weak smile before going back to the den.
Vaughn reluctantly goes into his own room. He knows he won't sleep, but sitting alone in the kitchen downing coffee isn't his best option, either.
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I came back to the den and I'm trying to sleep, but I can't. I doubt Daddy's sleeping either. Brandon's out like a light, but he doesn't know much about what happened to Mom. All he knows is she's gone.
I hear someone moving around in the front of the house. Daddy must have gotten back up. For some reason, my mind jumps back to the handgun I found hidden in a drawer this morning. Then I realize why. Daddy didn't come down the hall to *get* to the front of the house.
I spend several seconds debating with myself. If someone broke in, it would be a good thing to have the gun handy. But if it's just Daddy, he'll have a fit that I even know where it is, let alone the fact that I got it out.
Finally, I move silently to the drawer and pull out the gun. I know it's loaded because I checked that earlier. I slip back across the room and back into my bed. I'll look less threatening if I appear to be sleeping.
There's another soft sound. He's in the kitchen!
I finger the handle of the gun and try to keep calm. it's a long time before I hear another noise. This time he's headed down the hall.
Daddy!
I slip out of my makeshift bed and, gun in hand, follow the figure down the hall. He looks strangely familiar.
The figure stops in front of Daddy's door. As he opens it, he looks directly at me.
"Freeze!" I yell, bringing the gun up to point at him.
To my surprise, my voice blends with another yelling the same thing. I stare at the figure, but he yields no weapon and hadn't shouted. Keeping the gun trained on the man, I move to see inside Daddy's room just as Daddy steps out, also with a gun trained on the man.
"Laurie!" he shouts at me, his eyes never leaving his target. "What the hell are you doing?!?"
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This guy was going after you!" Laura shouts back. "I had to do something!"
Vaughn glances quickly at his daughter. She too is watching the man carefully. He flips on the bedroom light, and they can see their unwelcome visitor clearly. His first impression of the man is that he wouldn't want to get in a fight with him. He's solidly build, and dressed in all black, right down to black gloves on the hands held in the air and a black ski mask pulled down over his face.
"Mr. Milner?" Laura says suddenly. She's rewarded by the man starting to turn his head before checking his action. "He lived on our street in Texas!" Laura explains to Vaughn.
Vaughn caught the man's reaction as well. "Sloane must have had people watching you, even then."
A voice calls out from the den. "Laurie, where are you?"
"Go," Vaughn orders. "Keep him away from here."
Laura drops the gun to her side, clicking on the safety as she runs. She catches Brandon just before he reaches the hall.
"I'm right here," she soothes, shutting the door.
"What are you doing here?" Vaughn snaps at his captive.
The man remains silent. Vaughn picks up his cell phone and calls Kendall for reinforcements.
"…I've got a prowler here, with suspected ties to Sloane…no, no injuries…they're fine…alright, thanks."
Vaughn tosses the cell phone onto a table and focuses on how to restrain the man without a scuffle that would bring Laura out and into it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Ooooh…What will he do?
Please review! I prefer praise, but constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks!
Disclaimer: Sadly, Alias still isn't mine. Now go, read.
A/N: I can't get a hold of my beta reader, so please feel free to point out any blatant type-o's. I'll try to fix them.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Vaughn sits silently at the kitchen table, holding a now cold cup of coffee. He managed to convince Kendall to let him stay with the kids. He's worried, *very* worried, about Laura. It's only 7:30 now, but he can hear her moving around in the den. She probably slept less than an hour, he thinks. He can do that; She can't.
He stands and pours himself a fresh cup of coffee so that Laura will have no way of knowing how long he's been sitting there.
"Daddy?" Laura asks tentatively, stepping into the kitchen.
"What is it?" He asks gently, nervously wondering what's on her mind and how he's going to handle it.
"You're still up?" she asks with a hint of surprise in her voice. He had sent her to get some sleep, yet he had stayed up.
"Yeah," he admits lamely. "Can't sleep."
"Are you thinking about Mom too?" she asks softly, stubbornly blinking back tears.
"Yeah," he replies quietly as she sits across from him.
"Can…Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he said, his voice not reflecting his anxiety about what the question may be.
"Do you miss her?" She looks up at him hopefully.
Vaughn fights back tears before he can answer.
"I never stopped missing her. From the day she left, there hasn't been a day when I haven't wished we were all together like we should have been," he says, fighting to control his voice. Laura mistakes his struggle for anger.
"You're mad at her?" she asks in a small voice, dangerously close to her breaking point.
"Mad!?! I love Sydney! I love you and Brandon! And she took you away and just disappeared! Of course I'm mad, but I'd give anything to have us all back together again! Anything!" he insists, hating the look of betrayal in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, her voice barely audible.
"I just don't want you to doubt how much I love you and your mother. I will do everything I can to find her, and so will the CIA."
"I know, I just…I don't want to think about it." She looked down at the floor. "That's awful, isn't it."
"No. I understand. Believe me, I know," he admitted.
"Really?" she said, looking up.
"Yeah. It's like, may be if I don't think about it, it'll all just go away. Right?"
She nodded.
"I've been trying that for years. You want to know the truth? It doesn't work. But that doesn't stop me from thinking that way," he added.
They sat in silence for several minutes before he finally stood up.
"Laura, go get some sleep. I will, too. We won't do Brandon any good if we're both exhausted," he says.
"Okay," she says, standing up. She gives him a weak smile before going back to the den.
Vaughn reluctantly goes into his own room. He knows he won't sleep, but sitting alone in the kitchen downing coffee isn't his best option, either.
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I came back to the den and I'm trying to sleep, but I can't. I doubt Daddy's sleeping either. Brandon's out like a light, but he doesn't know much about what happened to Mom. All he knows is she's gone.
I hear someone moving around in the front of the house. Daddy must have gotten back up. For some reason, my mind jumps back to the handgun I found hidden in a drawer this morning. Then I realize why. Daddy didn't come down the hall to *get* to the front of the house.
I spend several seconds debating with myself. If someone broke in, it would be a good thing to have the gun handy. But if it's just Daddy, he'll have a fit that I even know where it is, let alone the fact that I got it out.
Finally, I move silently to the drawer and pull out the gun. I know it's loaded because I checked that earlier. I slip back across the room and back into my bed. I'll look less threatening if I appear to be sleeping.
There's another soft sound. He's in the kitchen!
I finger the handle of the gun and try to keep calm. it's a long time before I hear another noise. This time he's headed down the hall.
Daddy!
I slip out of my makeshift bed and, gun in hand, follow the figure down the hall. He looks strangely familiar.
The figure stops in front of Daddy's door. As he opens it, he looks directly at me.
"Freeze!" I yell, bringing the gun up to point at him.
To my surprise, my voice blends with another yelling the same thing. I stare at the figure, but he yields no weapon and hadn't shouted. Keeping the gun trained on the man, I move to see inside Daddy's room just as Daddy steps out, also with a gun trained on the man.
"Laurie!" he shouts at me, his eyes never leaving his target. "What the hell are you doing?!?"
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This guy was going after you!" Laura shouts back. "I had to do something!"
Vaughn glances quickly at his daughter. She too is watching the man carefully. He flips on the bedroom light, and they can see their unwelcome visitor clearly. His first impression of the man is that he wouldn't want to get in a fight with him. He's solidly build, and dressed in all black, right down to black gloves on the hands held in the air and a black ski mask pulled down over his face.
"Mr. Milner?" Laura says suddenly. She's rewarded by the man starting to turn his head before checking his action. "He lived on our street in Texas!" Laura explains to Vaughn.
Vaughn caught the man's reaction as well. "Sloane must have had people watching you, even then."
A voice calls out from the den. "Laurie, where are you?"
"Go," Vaughn orders. "Keep him away from here."
Laura drops the gun to her side, clicking on the safety as she runs. She catches Brandon just before he reaches the hall.
"I'm right here," she soothes, shutting the door.
"What are you doing here?" Vaughn snaps at his captive.
The man remains silent. Vaughn picks up his cell phone and calls Kendall for reinforcements.
"…I've got a prowler here, with suspected ties to Sloane…no, no injuries…they're fine…alright, thanks."
Vaughn tosses the cell phone onto a table and focuses on how to restrain the man without a scuffle that would bring Laura out and into it.
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Ooooh…What will he do?
Please review! I prefer praise, but constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks!
