After Ryan was fed, and tucked safely in bed Sydney and Vaughn set about
making dinner for those who weren't as ecstatic about "Roni". They had
decided on grilled chicken, and while Vaughn was outside finishing up the
grilling, Sydney was finishing the salad. She smiled to herself as she made
a Salad for four. Usually it was just her, and sometimes Ryan. Soon Vaughn
came back in and told the boys to turn the TV off. They reluctantly made
their way to the table and everyone sat down.
After a few minutes Vaughn decided that he couldn't put off explaining things any longer. "Damien, Alex, I know you guys have a lot of questions." He said looking to Sydney and then glancing at each of the boys. Syd smiled, both boys stopped eating, and looked at Vaughn intently. "Sydney and I were together, before I married Alice. We've been apart for a very long time, and I just recently found Sydney and Ryan." He paused and glanced at his audience yet again, trying to form the right words. "There's a lot I, we can't tell you because of my job, but Ryan is our son, and I know that seems weird but I have to ask you to trust me on this one." He looked at Alex, who nodded with a slight smile, and then to Damien who was staring blankly at his dinner. Sydney smiled when Vaughn finally glanced at her and he held her gaze.
"So do you work for the government too?" Alex asked.
"I did a long time ago, but I left. I'm a teacher now, in Colorado." She said trying to sound confident over her shaky nerves. Alex nodded in understanding and looked as though he was trying to sort out everything that had just been told to him.
"Don't get me wrong. I don't really care, but you cheated on Alice?" Damien said, not looking up from his plate. Vaughn inhaled sharply and looked down at his plate as well. Then he looked up and tried to catch Damien's gaze.
"I know this sound's impossible but I didn't cheat on Alice, and I had no idea where Sydney was five years ago." Damien looked up at Vaughn in disbelief, Alex looked confused as well. "Unfortunately I can't explain, but I really hope you guys can trust me on this. I can't tell you anything more, so I guess you can believe what you want." Vaughn said, his gaze still locked on Damien. "I never cheated on Alice, and .. I wish I could tell you more but." Sydney interrupted him.
"He can't tell you but I can." Vaughn looked at her shapely. Sydney smiled and then looked to Damien and Alex. "Seven years ago I was kidnapped. I was held for two years, and I don't remember anything from those years. All I know is that when I was released I was pregnant and that the child was Vaughn's." She said quickly, suddenly realizing that she should have said Michael. Damien and Alex looked shocked. Damien even let his façade of boredom drop, and now only held an expression of amazement. "I don't know how it happened, but now I have a wonderful little boy, so whatever did happen doesn't really matter. Now that's all that I can tell you, but I hope you'll believe Michael that he never betrayed your stepmother." Sydney had taken what Mrs. Vaughn had said to heart. She did not want to come between Vaughn and the boys. She certainly wasn't going to let them feel like he'd betrayed anyone, even though she felt betrayed all over again as she spoke about her disappearance, and about Alice.
Vaughn reached over and grabbed Sydney's hand, causing her to look up. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
"So did you guys work together, for the government I mean?" Alex said changing the mood of the room drastically. Sydney looked at the boy and smiled.
"Yeah can you tell us where you worked?" Damien said enthusiastically. Sydney was taken aback by Damien's question. She was about to speak when Vaughn cut her off.
"Sydney can't tell you anything, just like I can't, but she's told you plenty. If she tells you more she'll have to kill you." He laughed and the boys followed suit. Soon the four were eating and laughing and having a great time.
After dinner Sydney and Vaughn were standing together at the sink doing dishes. Vaughn was scrubbing plates, and Sydney was loading them into the dishwasher. While Vaughn was drying a pan the phone rang, and he set the pan down to go and answer it.
"Hello." He paused. " Hey Damien it's for you." He said covering the speaker with his hand. "Tell them that from now on they have to call before nine okay. I don't want to wake Ryan up." He said as Damien rushed to retrieve the phone from him. He quickly nodded, grabbed the phone and went back to the TV. Vaughn walked back over to the sink and Sydney flicked some soapy water at his face. Laughing he plunged his hand under the running faucet and did the same. After a moment they were both laughing hysterically. Sydney turned and scooped up a handful of bubbles, and while Vaughn wasn't looking, smeared them all over his cheek.
"Hey that's not fair," he cried as he flicked her with water again. Sydney grabbed a towel and stepped forward to wipe the bubbles off, but before she was able to reach for his face Vaughn grabbed her kissed her gently on the lips. Sydney giggled as the bubbles squished between their faces. Vaughn chuckled and kissed her again. They stood for a moment just staring at each other. Sydney felt safe wrapped in Vaughn's arms, and Vaughn was happy to hold her. Sydney leaned forward and kissed him once again, before leaning down and resting her head on his shoulder. "Tired?" He whispered kissing her hair.
"Just a little," she said nestling closer to his neck. As they stood cuddling, Damien walked back into the kitchen to put the phone on the charger. Sydney couldn't see him, but Vaughn smiled at Damien, who just laughed and walked away.
After the dishes were done, the phone rang again, and this time Damien ran to answer it. Vaughn and Sydney were putting away a few last things after dinner and pretended not to listen to the conversation. "Hey Matt,...awesome, yeah hold on." Damien said before holding the phone to his shoulder and looking to Vaughn. "Dad, can Matt come over, he rented a DVD, and we could watch it in the basement." Damien said hopefully.
"Will Matt be spending the night?" Vaughn asked arching an eyebrow.
"If it's okay?" Damien said more hopeful now. "Alright, but the three of you have to stay in the basement, so you don't wake Ryan up. And I don't want to hear you either okay!" Vaughn said smiling.
"Cool, thanks dad. We'll be real quiet!" Damien said turning back to the phone. Vaughn gave Sydney an exasperated look, and smiled. When Damien had finished his phone call, he put the phone back and thanked Vaughn again, before dashing off to the basement. Within seconds he called to Alex to bring some blankets down.
"Matt lives down the street, and he and the boys are almost inseparable." Vaughn explained. Sydney smiled while wiping off the table. "If you want you can go get ready for bed, and I'll finish up here, and lock up after Matt comes?" Vaughn said sweetly.
"That sounds good." Sydney said walking toward him. She kissed him and walked away.
After a few minutes Vaughn decided that he couldn't put off explaining things any longer. "Damien, Alex, I know you guys have a lot of questions." He said looking to Sydney and then glancing at each of the boys. Syd smiled, both boys stopped eating, and looked at Vaughn intently. "Sydney and I were together, before I married Alice. We've been apart for a very long time, and I just recently found Sydney and Ryan." He paused and glanced at his audience yet again, trying to form the right words. "There's a lot I, we can't tell you because of my job, but Ryan is our son, and I know that seems weird but I have to ask you to trust me on this one." He looked at Alex, who nodded with a slight smile, and then to Damien who was staring blankly at his dinner. Sydney smiled when Vaughn finally glanced at her and he held her gaze.
"So do you work for the government too?" Alex asked.
"I did a long time ago, but I left. I'm a teacher now, in Colorado." She said trying to sound confident over her shaky nerves. Alex nodded in understanding and looked as though he was trying to sort out everything that had just been told to him.
"Don't get me wrong. I don't really care, but you cheated on Alice?" Damien said, not looking up from his plate. Vaughn inhaled sharply and looked down at his plate as well. Then he looked up and tried to catch Damien's gaze.
"I know this sound's impossible but I didn't cheat on Alice, and I had no idea where Sydney was five years ago." Damien looked up at Vaughn in disbelief, Alex looked confused as well. "Unfortunately I can't explain, but I really hope you guys can trust me on this. I can't tell you anything more, so I guess you can believe what you want." Vaughn said, his gaze still locked on Damien. "I never cheated on Alice, and .. I wish I could tell you more but." Sydney interrupted him.
"He can't tell you but I can." Vaughn looked at her shapely. Sydney smiled and then looked to Damien and Alex. "Seven years ago I was kidnapped. I was held for two years, and I don't remember anything from those years. All I know is that when I was released I was pregnant and that the child was Vaughn's." She said quickly, suddenly realizing that she should have said Michael. Damien and Alex looked shocked. Damien even let his façade of boredom drop, and now only held an expression of amazement. "I don't know how it happened, but now I have a wonderful little boy, so whatever did happen doesn't really matter. Now that's all that I can tell you, but I hope you'll believe Michael that he never betrayed your stepmother." Sydney had taken what Mrs. Vaughn had said to heart. She did not want to come between Vaughn and the boys. She certainly wasn't going to let them feel like he'd betrayed anyone, even though she felt betrayed all over again as she spoke about her disappearance, and about Alice.
Vaughn reached over and grabbed Sydney's hand, causing her to look up. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
"So did you guys work together, for the government I mean?" Alex said changing the mood of the room drastically. Sydney looked at the boy and smiled.
"Yeah can you tell us where you worked?" Damien said enthusiastically. Sydney was taken aback by Damien's question. She was about to speak when Vaughn cut her off.
"Sydney can't tell you anything, just like I can't, but she's told you plenty. If she tells you more she'll have to kill you." He laughed and the boys followed suit. Soon the four were eating and laughing and having a great time.
After dinner Sydney and Vaughn were standing together at the sink doing dishes. Vaughn was scrubbing plates, and Sydney was loading them into the dishwasher. While Vaughn was drying a pan the phone rang, and he set the pan down to go and answer it.
"Hello." He paused. " Hey Damien it's for you." He said covering the speaker with his hand. "Tell them that from now on they have to call before nine okay. I don't want to wake Ryan up." He said as Damien rushed to retrieve the phone from him. He quickly nodded, grabbed the phone and went back to the TV. Vaughn walked back over to the sink and Sydney flicked some soapy water at his face. Laughing he plunged his hand under the running faucet and did the same. After a moment they were both laughing hysterically. Sydney turned and scooped up a handful of bubbles, and while Vaughn wasn't looking, smeared them all over his cheek.
"Hey that's not fair," he cried as he flicked her with water again. Sydney grabbed a towel and stepped forward to wipe the bubbles off, but before she was able to reach for his face Vaughn grabbed her kissed her gently on the lips. Sydney giggled as the bubbles squished between their faces. Vaughn chuckled and kissed her again. They stood for a moment just staring at each other. Sydney felt safe wrapped in Vaughn's arms, and Vaughn was happy to hold her. Sydney leaned forward and kissed him once again, before leaning down and resting her head on his shoulder. "Tired?" He whispered kissing her hair.
"Just a little," she said nestling closer to his neck. As they stood cuddling, Damien walked back into the kitchen to put the phone on the charger. Sydney couldn't see him, but Vaughn smiled at Damien, who just laughed and walked away.
After the dishes were done, the phone rang again, and this time Damien ran to answer it. Vaughn and Sydney were putting away a few last things after dinner and pretended not to listen to the conversation. "Hey Matt,...awesome, yeah hold on." Damien said before holding the phone to his shoulder and looking to Vaughn. "Dad, can Matt come over, he rented a DVD, and we could watch it in the basement." Damien said hopefully.
"Will Matt be spending the night?" Vaughn asked arching an eyebrow.
"If it's okay?" Damien said more hopeful now. "Alright, but the three of you have to stay in the basement, so you don't wake Ryan up. And I don't want to hear you either okay!" Vaughn said smiling.
"Cool, thanks dad. We'll be real quiet!" Damien said turning back to the phone. Vaughn gave Sydney an exasperated look, and smiled. When Damien had finished his phone call, he put the phone back and thanked Vaughn again, before dashing off to the basement. Within seconds he called to Alex to bring some blankets down.
"Matt lives down the street, and he and the boys are almost inseparable." Vaughn explained. Sydney smiled while wiping off the table. "If you want you can go get ready for bed, and I'll finish up here, and lock up after Matt comes?" Vaughn said sweetly.
"That sounds good." Sydney said walking toward him. She kissed him and walked away.