Everyday Peril
Chapter 5: A Tale of Two Verities
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Thanks for the reviews, Kiki, WishingStar, Leo's l'il Sista, One Legged Hooker Jane Barbie (you crack me up), and of course, Dream Writer 4 Life (who I forgot to mention last time, and was nice enough to review anyway. Sorry!). You guys are great!
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Michael walked down the hallway and knocked softly on his daughter's door. Usually, Sydney dealt with this sort of thing, knowing exactly what to say to have their daughter laughing and smiling again in less than five minutes. This would be his first real father-daughter talk. Or at least it would be if Hailey actually let him in the room.
"Go away!" he heard her tiny voice call from behind the door. She sniffled and he could tell she was trying to hide her tears. Just like her mother, the little girl never wanted to appear vulnerable. Even when her cousin had pushed her down at the playground, leaving her with a scraped knee and blood dripping down her leg, she had refused to shed anything more than a few surprised tears.
Ignoring her shouts, Michael opened the door and poked his head in the room. Hailey had her back to him, busily putting things into her backpack: her doll, her favorite nightgown, the little teddy bear that Jonny and William had "given" her when they were born.
"Going on a trip?" he asked, stepping inside her room.
"I'm running away," she answered quickly, and then spinning around and remembering that she hadn't wanted him in her room in the first place, said, "Go away."
"Can't I just talk to you for a minute?" Michael asked. She looked ready to snap at him again, so he added, "Since this'll be the last time, with you running away and all."
Hailey considered that for a moment and gave in, nodding. The child was like her mother in more ways than he could count. Although she had a fiery temper, she never stayed angry long. And even though certain tactics definitely could not be tried, if she was indeed as like her mother as he suspected, it wouldn't be difficult for him to calm her again.
"I can't talk for a long time," Hailey answered. "I have to go soon. Afore it gets dark out."
"I understand," Michael nodded, pretending to look over the things she was packing. "Where are you going, anyway?"
The little girl began to shrug, but then changed her mind, putting her hands on her hips, seeming to just recall that she had been mad at him. "Somewhere you'll never find me. Or Mommy or Jonny or William. Nobody will ever ever find me. 'Cept maybe spies and detectives like in the movies."
She turned her back to him again and kept putting little knick-knacks into her bag, and Michael grinned. If she only knew the irony of that statement. He and Sydney had decided that their children didn't need to know about their past until they were old enough to understand it. As far as they knew, their mother was a teacher and their dad had some boring desk job at the CIA. They didn't like having to hide the truth, but knew that the last thing they needed was Hailey's preschool teacher saying that she could not advance to kindergarten because she was telling lies to her schoolmates about how her mother had been a spy and her father had killed her kidnapper.
This was probably the wisest course of action considering their previous experiences with their daughter and things that were meant to be kept secret. One Saturday morning, Hailey had walked in on a sleeping Sydney and Michael, who had both been too tired to dress after the activities of the night before. Unfortunately, Jack had come for lunch that day and got an earful about how both his granddaughter and daughter had seen Daddy's penis that morning, and somehow Mommy had slept the whole night without knowing that Daddy didn't have any clothes on.
Needless to say, all three adults turned a shade of red darker than any crayon found in a Crayola box, and Michael received a private speech concerning the appropriate sights for little girls, and the benefits of both clothing and locked doors. There were definitely some things that their daughter was too young to be told and that they didn't want the entire world to know.
"That would make us very sad," Michael answered after a moment, sitting on the edge of her bed. "We would miss our little girl."
"No you won't," Hailey said, turning to look at him, her soft eyes both sad and angry. "A new baby can be your little girl."
So there it was. Poor little Hailey thought she was going to be replaced, that her parents wouldn't be able to love her and her brothers and a new baby all at the same time. At least now that he knew what was troubling her, he could work to right it.
"Is that why you don't want the baby, Hailey?" he asked her carefully, gently. "You're afraid Mommy and I won't have time for you?"
"No!" But she answered a little too quickly, with a little too much force. Her hands returned to her hips and she stomped her foot as she said it. She had already betrayed her true feelings. There was nothing she could do to take them back.
"Then why aren't you happy about it?"
But Hailey didn't answer the question, instead turning the tables on her father with an accusation of her own. "You weren't very happy. And Mommy wasn't."
Maybe it would have been better to tell the kids when they were feeling more secure about all of this themselves, when they had come to terms with it completely and were ready to spread joy of it, not simply the information. He had forgotten that just as the children's looks and personalities mirrored their own, so could their behaviors and emotions.
For a split second, he thought he would have to lie to her, to tell her that he was overjoyed with the news of the newest little Vaughn. But even as he opened his mouth to speak, he realized that he didn't have to lie. "I am happy, Hailey. I promise you that. A new baby means I have someone else to love, just as much as I love you, your brothers, and your mother."
Hailey didn't seem to buy that. She didn't respond, instead zipping up her backpack and swinging it onto her shoulders, looking expectantly at her father.
"If we had told you how happy we were, would you have been happy too?"
"No," she answered simply, shaking her head. "I don't want there to be another baby. I have to go run away."
"Okay," Michael sighed. "But don't you think you should take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with you? You might get hungry."
Hailey crinkled up her nose. "I hate jelly."
"Peanut butter then. Come on."
"Okay," she sighed. "But it has to be fast."
"I'll be as quick as I can." He took his daughter's hand and led her out of the room.
Hailey sat at the kitchen table as he got out the peanut butter and the bread. "Next time you go to the store, can you get the peanut butter that squeezes out?" she asked him.
"Sure," he answered, smiling to himself. "But only the twins will be able to try it. You'll probably be far away where we'll never find you."
"Oh, I forgetted that." Her answer was quick and sure, but she appeared to be contemplating whether this new peanut butter would be worth staying home for.
"Before you go," Michael began, spreading the peanut butter on the bread, "you should probably know that what you said earlier made your mommy very sad. She loves you very much, Hailey, and it hurt her feelings that you said you didn't love her back."
Hailey's face fell, but she shrugged. "The new baby will love her."
Michael finished putting the sandwich in a baggie and knelt down to be at eyelevel with his daughter. He would have to try something else. "Hailey, do you have any idea how much your mother and I love each other?"
The little girl would have to be blind in order to not have seen her parents display their affection. Some children never saw their parents kiss or even embrace, but not Hailey and her brothers. Kisses and hugs were something to be cherished and shared in the Vaughn family, among all its members, but especially between Sydney and Michael.
"I thought of her every moment of every day before we were married, and still think of her constantly now. I love your mother so much that I don't think they make a measurement big enough for me to tell you." He paused, making sure his daughter's eyes were focused on his own. "And that's how much both of us love you and your brothers. When you came along, I didn't stop loving her even a little bit, and when your brothers were born, the love we had for you was still just as strong. Love just keeps getting bigger, Hailey. There is always more to share."
Hailey's eyes grew wide as he gave his speech, and he thought she must be considering what he had said. Michael thought that his little talk hadn't been that bad, and was beginning to wonder if Sydney had been in earshot, hoping that she had heard it.
But Hailey quickly shattered his confidence and his ego with what she said next. It wasn't about love or how she was finally happy that they were having a new baby. "You knew Mommy before you got married?"
"Of course," he laughed. "It's like how Uncle Eric and Aunt Francie know each other."
The little girl looked suddenly confused. "But if they're not married, how come they live in the same house? And how do they have Drew?"
Oh God. Wrong example. She opened her mouth to ask something else, and he knew that the answer to her next question would involve either the stork or birds and the bees if they kept this subject going. And to say that Sydney would be pissed if their four-year-old daughter came away from this conversation knowing where babies came from would be an understatement.
"And I loved your mommy very much, but we had to wait until we could get married. We've been married for almost… seven years." Had it really been seven years already?
"Is seven a lot?"
"It's this many fingers," he said, holding one of her hands open and closing three fingers on the other. "Three years older than you," he continued, pressing down the two fingers on one hand and her thumb on the other, one by one.
"Free years!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up to her face. "Wow… You and Mommy must be old."
"Not yet," Michael answered with a smile and stood up. "Now, my little girl, you better get going. It's going to get dark soon, and I need to make dinner."
Hailey jumped off the chair and walked over to the stove, trying to see what was cooking on top of it. "What's for dinner?"
"We're gonna have…" A glance in the pot still simmering on the stove informed him that he had achieved a new level of cooking greatness: burnt spaghetti. "Pizza."
If the squeezable peanut butter hadn't won her over, he thought this definitely would have. And for a moment, it looked as if it had worked. He could practically see the gears working in Hailey's head, convincing her that it was a good idea to stay. But this little girl was the product of Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn. And as stubborn as ever.
"I have my sandwich," she stated, putting her backpack on once again. "Bye, Daddy."
"Bye, angel."
Hailey looked at her father expectantly, waiting for him to run over to her and beg her not to go. But he wasn't even looking in her direction, already flipping through the phonebook for the number of the pizza parlor.
Michael watched her walk out the door and then glanced at the clock. His mother, of course, had regaled them with numerous stories of his childhood attempts to run away. The longest he had made it was half an hour, and that had been when he had stolen Jacqueline's comforter and tried to convert it into a tent in the backyard. Hailey was sure to give in before that. He hoped.
Sure enough, as soon as he had finished cleaning up his sorry attempt at dinner, the backdoor squeaked open and the little girl poked her head inside.
"Is the pizza here yet?" she asked hopefully.
"Nope, not for half an hour," Michael said, shaking his head. "And you'll probably be long gone by then."
"Oh, okay," Hailey frowned and shut the door again, but didn't leave the back steps. Michael waited. Minutes later, the door opened again. "Daddy?"
He looked up from the sink, where he had quickly pretended to look busy. "Hailey, is that you? I didn't think we'd ever see you again."
"Can I come inside, please?" Her voice was tiny and he knew she had given in.
"Of course. I'm sure your mother would love to see you again, and you can tell us all about all the places you've been before you have to leave again."
"I only went to the backyard," Hailey said softly, looking down at her shoes. "Daddy, I was thinking… Maybe can I please stay? Even if we have a new baby, and you and Mommy don't love me so much?"
"Oh, Hailey." Michael quickly put down the washcloth and scooped his daughter up, kissing her nose and cheeks. "Of course you can stay. But we're going to keep loving you more and more everyday. Even with the new baby. Okay?"
"Okay!" Hailey exclaimed brightly, wrapping her arms around her father and nearly cutting off his air supply with the force of her hug. "Only, can I have pizza for dinner and not my sandwich?"
"Yes, but only if you go tell Mommy that you're sorry."
"I will! I'm very sorry. I promise."
Michael put her down, and she started to run into the other room, but skidded to a stop and ran back to him. "Daddy!" she cried frantically, wrapping her arms around his legs and peering up at him. "Will Mommy still teach me to say "I love you?" Even after I telled her that I didn't love her?"
"I bet she will," Michael answered, trying not to smile. "But you'll have to tell her you love her again."
"I do love her, Daddy! And I love you!" She brightened suddenly. "Tell me how to say it in French, Daddy. Please! Then there'll be so much love she'll have to teach me!"
"Je t'aime," Michael said. " Je t'aime. Can you say it, Hailey?"
"Je t'aime," the little girl repeated, rolling the word almost perfectly off her tongue. "Did I do it right, Daddy?"
"Perfect," Michael praised. "Mommy will love it."
"Thank you!" Hailey chirped, kissing both of his knees and taking her arms from around his legs. "Je t'aime, Daddy!" she called as she ran out of the room.
Of course, Sydney had forgiven her daughter, and although she and Michael were together for practically the rest of the night, they didn't get a chance to really talk until after the kids were in bed. After tucking the twins in, Michael found Sydney sitting in the family room, her back to him.
"You okay?" he asked as he approached her. When she didn't answer, he continued, "Syd?"
She started at the sound of her name, turning to face him and smiling. "Hey." She patted the space next to her and he sat down.
"You okay?" he repeated, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah," she answered quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I think we should have waited to tell the kids, but I'm glad that it's over with. Let's not tell anyone else for a little while."
He wished that they wouldn't have to, just to give her a little bit of peace before things started to spiral into craziness, but… "Do you really think Hailey will be able to keep this a secret for very long?"
"She will. She promised. I told her that we were going to keep this a secret just for the five of us." Sydney straightened up to face him, looking guilty. "And I kinda bribed her a little bit."
Michael laughed, bringing a hand up to smooth his wife's hair. "What'd you tell her?"
"Well…" Sydney seemed reluctant to tell him, but finally spat it out. "I sort of promised her that she could help pick out the baby's middle name."
The familiar wrinkles creased Michael's forehead. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Syd. I don't think the this child," he said, placing a gentle hand on her stomach, "will appreciate if it's middle name is Barbie or Elmo."
Sydney grinned and tilted her head, catching the eye of the man beside her. "Actually, she said she wanted to name it after you."
"Really?" Michael asked, his eyes lighting up. "I take it back. She'll be great at picking out a name. What if it's a girl?"
"I asked her that, and she still said she wanted to name her Michael after you. I don't know what you said to her earlier, Mike, but now she absolutely idolizes you."
"Well, she's daddy's little girl," he answered, adding quickly, "Of course, she adores you too."
This man never ceased to amaze her. He was a loving father, a caring husband, a loyal son and brother. He was absolutely gorgeous and would do anything for her. All the pain and horror of her double life had been worth it just for bringing him to her.
"It's okay, Michael," Sydney laughed. "We're going to have four kids. I'm sure one of them is bound to like me."
"They'll all love you," Michael assured her. "Who wouldn't?" He paused for a minute, relishing her smile, her eyes, her face, every part of her. "Four kids…" he said quietly, as if thinking aloud. "How far…?"
"Almost seven weeks," she cut in, knowing what he was asking before he finished. She bit her bottom lip, staring at her feet, "I kind of suspected it for awhile."
But either he hadn't heard her last statement, or it hadn't bothered him as she thought it would. "Wow." He said, lifting her shirt and tenderly stroking her stomach. He had been with her for the other pregnancies, but this still awed him. There was a little life inside of her, one that the two of them had created. "Another baby." He smiled up at her.
"I know," Sydney groaned. "How could we let this happen?" Michael could see the doubt creeping back up on her, the shadow of it hiding in the dim light of the room, waiting until he wasn't looking to grab her full-force. They hadn't exactly planned Hailey, and while they had meant for William Jonathan to be born, having William and Jonathan was certainly a surprise. And now they had this new baby. They definitely could have done better in the Planned Parenthood department…
Michael knew he had one shot to put her in a better mood and he was definitely going to take it. "It's my fault," he murmured, bringing his face close to hers. "I just can't keep my hands off you."
He ran his hands up her sides and down her arms to demonstrate this fact, finally linking his fingers with hers and covering her lips with his own. The kiss started gently but quickly escalated with his rising desire, leaving her whimpering as his lips parted from hers.
"Now," he said, planting a lingering kiss on her lips before pulling away. "You should go to bed. It's been a long day."
"I'll go to bed, Michael," she responded breathlessly. "But there's no way in hell I'm sleeping after a kiss like that."
Michael smiled seductively and Sydney trembled. "Do you think we can put the language of love to use?" he asked in French, voice low and eyes glittering.
"Without a doubt," she answered, taking his hand and leading him from the room.
With the children asleep, and Sydney and Michael enjoying what some would consider less wholesome activities in the privacy of their room, everything seemed perfect. The two of them had, after all, been without trouble for four years, and although they would never forget the dangers of their old way of life, they no longer held them at the forefront of their thoughts.
But what about the hazards of this new life, of ordinary life? Who thinks of the danger of stairs, dogs, cars, strangers, sparks of electricity, or the flames of the stove when they have had treacherous villains and ruthless murderers to deal with in the past? But the way they creep up on their unsuspecting victims, shattering joy with sudden sorrow, can make the perils of everyday life the most malicious of all…
