He stood there in her kitchen. Just knowing it was her kitchen made him
feel all sorts of emotions he couldn't describe. He was looking at a
picture of her and a little boy. Obviously it was her son. He'd found out
about the boy about two years ago, when he'd found a stuffed elephant which
they'd left in a hotel room. The elephant was the final piece in a puzzle.
Of course he should have known about the child sooner, but he realized that
he was in denial. Was the kid the reason she'd left him?
He looked at this picture of her and the boy. They looked so happy together, playing soccer in some far off field. The boy looked like her, and he had to assume that he was her son. But who was his father? Had she met someone after she'd left? There were no signs that someone else was with them. They looked really, truly happy together in the picture. She had the most amazing smile, she always had. He could never forget that smile, or how it made him feel inside. He had known the first time that he saw her smile that he loved her.
He was torn away from his memory when he heard the creak of the stairs. He stood their waiting for her. He knew that she must have already realized his presence. This was it. The moment he'd searched for, for five long years. It was finally happening.
She stood for a moment before rounding the corner from the living room into the kitchen. Then using her well honed skills, she rounded the corner, gun first. By the time she realized who it was standing before her, she found her self poised and ready to shoot.
"Sydney, it's me." He said trying to calm her down. It didn't help.
"How the hell did you find me." She spat, still holding the gun aimed at his head.
"Sydney, I've only been looking for the last five years. I was ready to give up after going to your school, but I was convinced to check out the lead at the pre-school. You were evidently in a hurry, and didn't notice me standing in the hallway as you passed. Sydney, please, put he gun down."
She slowly lowered her weapon, but kept her finger poised on the trigger.
"Sydney I." he started but she cut him off.
"I thought maybe you'd given up." She admitted slowly, looking at him firmly in the eye.
"Sydney, I couldn't..I would have never given up. I needed to know why, I still need to know why."
"Why, I thought you understood why, but then again you're standing in my kitchen, so I guess you didn't understand, did you."
"Sydney if you thought that I could ever understand why you'd leave. you were gravely mistaken. Sydney please can we sit down and talk rationally?"
"No, not here. Not with my."she stopped, unable to finish the sentence.
"Ryan. You don't want to wake him up, I understand. Let's just sit down and talk, please Sydney, that's all I want."
"Is it really, Vaughn? I mean you've spent five years looking for me so that we could talk?"
"Yes Sydney, please." He slowly backed up and sat down at her kitchen table. She thought for a moment and then put the gun in the back of her jeans. She slowly made her way to the table and sat down.
"What is it you want to talk about?" She said trying not to sound as impatient as she felt.
"I want to know what it is that made you leave that night. Was it me, and Alice?" He asked the question slowly, hoping she wouldn't respond badly to it.
"You, no Vaughn it wasn't just you. It was everything. My mother.."She paused and physically had to fight back the tears." It was you, and it was. it was the fact that I was pregnant, and I had no idea how that had happened." She looked at him with tears welling up in her eyes. She looked into his eyes, and remembered the man she had once loved. he was still inside this man, she could see it. The way he looked at her with a sort of longing, but so much frustration, and worry clouded everything.
"So you just decided to leave?" He said trying hard not to make it sound like an accusation.
"I just decided to get the hell out of there. I wasn't thinking straight. I wanted to leave the life that I had. It was all too much. I mean my mother was dead, you were married, you had kids now. I mean my life was nothing like the one I'd left before.. those two years." She wiped a stray tear from her eye and looked at Vaughn. He looked away when she'd mentioned her disappearance.
"So you wanted a new life, without the CIA, without all that bull shit, without me.I understand. But Sydney you just left.I was so afraid that..that you'd been taken again." He was having to fight back tears now, she could tell.
"I didn't want a life without you Vaughn, but how the hell was that going to ever happen. I was pregnant, you had a wife and two kids. I mean two years had gone by and . the life that was there for me when I got back, was one that I couldn't stand living in."
"I know Sydney. I. at that time the life I was living wasn't one I wanted to live either, but finding you. it changed everything for me. And then to lose you again.."
"I'm sorry about everything I put you through Vaughn I really am, but all I want now is to leave that all behind. And I have. Ryan and I like it here. We're just fine, and I am tired of running from you Vaughn. I just want to live, that's all. Before I wasn't living my life I was living a life that someone had thrown me into. This is my life, and I am finally living Vaughn."
He looked at this picture of her and the boy. They looked so happy together, playing soccer in some far off field. The boy looked like her, and he had to assume that he was her son. But who was his father? Had she met someone after she'd left? There were no signs that someone else was with them. They looked really, truly happy together in the picture. She had the most amazing smile, she always had. He could never forget that smile, or how it made him feel inside. He had known the first time that he saw her smile that he loved her.
He was torn away from his memory when he heard the creak of the stairs. He stood their waiting for her. He knew that she must have already realized his presence. This was it. The moment he'd searched for, for five long years. It was finally happening.
She stood for a moment before rounding the corner from the living room into the kitchen. Then using her well honed skills, she rounded the corner, gun first. By the time she realized who it was standing before her, she found her self poised and ready to shoot.
"Sydney, it's me." He said trying to calm her down. It didn't help.
"How the hell did you find me." She spat, still holding the gun aimed at his head.
"Sydney, I've only been looking for the last five years. I was ready to give up after going to your school, but I was convinced to check out the lead at the pre-school. You were evidently in a hurry, and didn't notice me standing in the hallway as you passed. Sydney, please, put he gun down."
She slowly lowered her weapon, but kept her finger poised on the trigger.
"Sydney I." he started but she cut him off.
"I thought maybe you'd given up." She admitted slowly, looking at him firmly in the eye.
"Sydney, I couldn't..I would have never given up. I needed to know why, I still need to know why."
"Why, I thought you understood why, but then again you're standing in my kitchen, so I guess you didn't understand, did you."
"Sydney if you thought that I could ever understand why you'd leave. you were gravely mistaken. Sydney please can we sit down and talk rationally?"
"No, not here. Not with my."she stopped, unable to finish the sentence.
"Ryan. You don't want to wake him up, I understand. Let's just sit down and talk, please Sydney, that's all I want."
"Is it really, Vaughn? I mean you've spent five years looking for me so that we could talk?"
"Yes Sydney, please." He slowly backed up and sat down at her kitchen table. She thought for a moment and then put the gun in the back of her jeans. She slowly made her way to the table and sat down.
"What is it you want to talk about?" She said trying not to sound as impatient as she felt.
"I want to know what it is that made you leave that night. Was it me, and Alice?" He asked the question slowly, hoping she wouldn't respond badly to it.
"You, no Vaughn it wasn't just you. It was everything. My mother.."She paused and physically had to fight back the tears." It was you, and it was. it was the fact that I was pregnant, and I had no idea how that had happened." She looked at him with tears welling up in her eyes. She looked into his eyes, and remembered the man she had once loved. he was still inside this man, she could see it. The way he looked at her with a sort of longing, but so much frustration, and worry clouded everything.
"So you just decided to leave?" He said trying hard not to make it sound like an accusation.
"I just decided to get the hell out of there. I wasn't thinking straight. I wanted to leave the life that I had. It was all too much. I mean my mother was dead, you were married, you had kids now. I mean my life was nothing like the one I'd left before.. those two years." She wiped a stray tear from her eye and looked at Vaughn. He looked away when she'd mentioned her disappearance.
"So you wanted a new life, without the CIA, without all that bull shit, without me.I understand. But Sydney you just left.I was so afraid that..that you'd been taken again." He was having to fight back tears now, she could tell.
"I didn't want a life without you Vaughn, but how the hell was that going to ever happen. I was pregnant, you had a wife and two kids. I mean two years had gone by and . the life that was there for me when I got back, was one that I couldn't stand living in."
"I know Sydney. I. at that time the life I was living wasn't one I wanted to live either, but finding you. it changed everything for me. And then to lose you again.."
"I'm sorry about everything I put you through Vaughn I really am, but all I want now is to leave that all behind. And I have. Ryan and I like it here. We're just fine, and I am tired of running from you Vaughn. I just want to live, that's all. Before I wasn't living my life I was living a life that someone had thrown me into. This is my life, and I am finally living Vaughn."