He stood waiting outside her house. His hand hovered near the doorbell, but
he was having trouble actually mustering up the courage to push it. He
slowly lowered his hand, and stepped back from the door. He looked the
house up and down. It was a very quaint light blue color, and the attached
town homes, had accenting green and yellow paint. The sun shone down
brightly thought the tall pine trees, and there was a cool, but not
unpleasant breeze. In true Colorado form, there was not snow on the ground,
but the wind was cool, and there were ominous clouds on the horizon.
Jack forced himself back to reality. 'You coward,' He thought. 'You can face death as if it were nothing, but you can't bring yourself to ring your own daughter's doorbell.' After a thorough mental kicking in the butt, Jack stepped forward and again and reached out his hand. This time he pushed the bell quickly before he had time to chicken out again. He heard footsteps behind the door, and inhaled sharply as the doorknob turned. He held his breath for the few moments between the knob turning and when the door was fully opened. He'd expected to come face to face with Sydney, but instead was forced to lower his gaze to the short little boy standing in the doorway.
Jack immediately sighed as he stared down at his grandson. The boy smiled tentatively, before running off into the kitchen. As Jack followed the boy with his eyes, his eye was caught by his daughter, who was standing in the hall. She didn't quite smile to see him but made her way forward with an expression of mixed excitement and hesitation. Jack began to hold his breath again as Sydney approached. She didn't say a word but leaned across the threshold and pulled him into a tight embrace. As he hesitantly closed his arms around her he let out his breath and pulled her close. After several moments they released each other, and Jack stood back to look at his daughter.
"I'm so glad you came dad." Sydney said softly, smiling sweetly as she led him into the house. He followed her in silence setting his bag down by the door. "Ryan, sweetie, come here." Sydney called into the kitchen. Ryan come walking out slowly, and went straight to Sydney. Jack watched a hesitant grin on his face. "Ryan can you say hi to your grandfather?" Sydney said bending down and kneeling next to her son. Ryan just looked up at Jack. Sydney watched him closely. "Sweetie, do you remember when we were in California, and Grandpa and Grandma came to visit at Daddy's house?" She kissed him softly on the cheek. Ryan nodded slowly, and then turned to Sydney.
"But mommy, Grandma's in the kitchen." Ryan said looking quite confused.
"Yes sweetie, you have two grandmas." Sydney said hoping that he would understand. She realized that it must be a great shock to him to have to take in all these people at once.
"Oh, do I have two grandpas too?" the boy said hopefully looking at his mother and then to Jack.
"Well, no sweetie, but that's why this grandpa is so special. Can you say hi?" She said slowly.
"Hi Grandpa, do you want to come see my bedroom?" Ryan said, as he turned to run up the stairs.
"I would like that very much Ryan." Jack said following his grandson. He gave Sydney a quick smile as she stood up, and then started up the stairs.
Sydney smiled to herself as she watched her father go. She sighed thinking back to her childhood. Before her mother had "died" they had all been very happy together. Jack had always been a wonderful father to her, always playing games, and reading to her. In a way she missed that, but in other ways she was happy that Ryan got to experience how great Jack could be.
Sydney was interrupted from her thoughtful reverie, as Vaughn and Alex burst through the door both of their arms loaded down with bags of presents and groceries. "Hey!" Sydney said, her face lighting up.
"Hi there." Vaughn said setting down his bags and walking toward her. "Did you miss me?" He said, his eyes sparkling.
"Very much." Sydney breathed as their lips came together. They kissed for a long moment, and then Vaughn pulled away. "Oh, Syd there's uh, someone here to see Will." He said giving her a confused look.
"Okay, he went to wrap some presents, I'll go get him." She said starting toward the stairs. "Who is it?" She said glancing back.
"A girl named Alicia." He said with the same confused look on his face.
Sydney went downstairs to retrieve Will. She decided to surprise him, and told him only to come upstairs. Once they had reached the top of the stairs, she led him past Alex and Vaughn who were still bringing in groceries, and out of the front door. Standing near the open trunk of a rental car was a blonde woman in a dark leather jacket.
"Alicia?" Will called out as he rushed toward her. She turned immediately and smiled. She was pretty; medium height and build, with shoulder length blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes. Sydney watched from the door way as Will ran up to the woman and pulled her into a tight hug. Vaughn stood near the Pathfinder and watched as well, before grabbing several more grocery bags and starting toward the door. He smiled as he approached Sydney, and kissed her on the cheek as he passed her into the house.
Sydney stayed standing in the doorway as Will and Alicia approached. She smiled when she saw the large goofy grin on Will's face, and the equally large smile on Alicia's.
"Sydney this is Alicia, my girlfriend." He smiled and looked at the girl.
"Hi Sydney it is so nice to meet you, I'm so sorry to barge in all ya'lls Christmas, but I just had to see Will." She said with a noticeable southern twang.
"We're all happy to have you! The more the merrier!" Sydney smiled back. When the introductions were over, Sydney led Alicia into the house while Will went back to the car to get her things.
"This is such a nice area! I've never been to Colorado before!" Alicia said excitedly as she looked around the house.
After Will had come back into the house Sydney closed the door and led the pair into the kitchen where Mrs. Vaughn was helping Alex unload groceries.
"Everybody, this is Will's girlfriend Alicia." Everyone smiled and said hi. After several questions from Mrs. Vaughn, and a long discussion about Alabama, Sydney excused herself to go change the sheets on the downstairs pull-out -ouch. She could barely believe that they could fit another person into the house, but she happily made the bed, and told Damien than he and Alex would have to sleep in the living room. Damien grunted softly before returning his full attention to the video game. As she began to walk up the stairs Damien call out to her.
"Hey Sydney." He said, setting down the controller he held.
"Yes Damien?" She said stepping toward him.
"Um, thanks for everything. I mean, you make Michael, my dad, really happy, and I'm sorry if I've been rude before." He smiled awkwardly before looking down at the floor where he sat.
"Damien your welcome for everything. I love your dad a lot, and that makes you family." She smiled as he looked up at her. He smiled to and then quickly returned his gaze to the video screen. Sydney smiled to herself before turning and ascending the stairs.
Jack forced himself back to reality. 'You coward,' He thought. 'You can face death as if it were nothing, but you can't bring yourself to ring your own daughter's doorbell.' After a thorough mental kicking in the butt, Jack stepped forward and again and reached out his hand. This time he pushed the bell quickly before he had time to chicken out again. He heard footsteps behind the door, and inhaled sharply as the doorknob turned. He held his breath for the few moments between the knob turning and when the door was fully opened. He'd expected to come face to face with Sydney, but instead was forced to lower his gaze to the short little boy standing in the doorway.
Jack immediately sighed as he stared down at his grandson. The boy smiled tentatively, before running off into the kitchen. As Jack followed the boy with his eyes, his eye was caught by his daughter, who was standing in the hall. She didn't quite smile to see him but made her way forward with an expression of mixed excitement and hesitation. Jack began to hold his breath again as Sydney approached. She didn't say a word but leaned across the threshold and pulled him into a tight embrace. As he hesitantly closed his arms around her he let out his breath and pulled her close. After several moments they released each other, and Jack stood back to look at his daughter.
"I'm so glad you came dad." Sydney said softly, smiling sweetly as she led him into the house. He followed her in silence setting his bag down by the door. "Ryan, sweetie, come here." Sydney called into the kitchen. Ryan come walking out slowly, and went straight to Sydney. Jack watched a hesitant grin on his face. "Ryan can you say hi to your grandfather?" Sydney said bending down and kneeling next to her son. Ryan just looked up at Jack. Sydney watched him closely. "Sweetie, do you remember when we were in California, and Grandpa and Grandma came to visit at Daddy's house?" She kissed him softly on the cheek. Ryan nodded slowly, and then turned to Sydney.
"But mommy, Grandma's in the kitchen." Ryan said looking quite confused.
"Yes sweetie, you have two grandmas." Sydney said hoping that he would understand. She realized that it must be a great shock to him to have to take in all these people at once.
"Oh, do I have two grandpas too?" the boy said hopefully looking at his mother and then to Jack.
"Well, no sweetie, but that's why this grandpa is so special. Can you say hi?" She said slowly.
"Hi Grandpa, do you want to come see my bedroom?" Ryan said, as he turned to run up the stairs.
"I would like that very much Ryan." Jack said following his grandson. He gave Sydney a quick smile as she stood up, and then started up the stairs.
Sydney smiled to herself as she watched her father go. She sighed thinking back to her childhood. Before her mother had "died" they had all been very happy together. Jack had always been a wonderful father to her, always playing games, and reading to her. In a way she missed that, but in other ways she was happy that Ryan got to experience how great Jack could be.
Sydney was interrupted from her thoughtful reverie, as Vaughn and Alex burst through the door both of their arms loaded down with bags of presents and groceries. "Hey!" Sydney said, her face lighting up.
"Hi there." Vaughn said setting down his bags and walking toward her. "Did you miss me?" He said, his eyes sparkling.
"Very much." Sydney breathed as their lips came together. They kissed for a long moment, and then Vaughn pulled away. "Oh, Syd there's uh, someone here to see Will." He said giving her a confused look.
"Okay, he went to wrap some presents, I'll go get him." She said starting toward the stairs. "Who is it?" She said glancing back.
"A girl named Alicia." He said with the same confused look on his face.
Sydney went downstairs to retrieve Will. She decided to surprise him, and told him only to come upstairs. Once they had reached the top of the stairs, she led him past Alex and Vaughn who were still bringing in groceries, and out of the front door. Standing near the open trunk of a rental car was a blonde woman in a dark leather jacket.
"Alicia?" Will called out as he rushed toward her. She turned immediately and smiled. She was pretty; medium height and build, with shoulder length blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes. Sydney watched from the door way as Will ran up to the woman and pulled her into a tight hug. Vaughn stood near the Pathfinder and watched as well, before grabbing several more grocery bags and starting toward the door. He smiled as he approached Sydney, and kissed her on the cheek as he passed her into the house.
Sydney stayed standing in the doorway as Will and Alicia approached. She smiled when she saw the large goofy grin on Will's face, and the equally large smile on Alicia's.
"Sydney this is Alicia, my girlfriend." He smiled and looked at the girl.
"Hi Sydney it is so nice to meet you, I'm so sorry to barge in all ya'lls Christmas, but I just had to see Will." She said with a noticeable southern twang.
"We're all happy to have you! The more the merrier!" Sydney smiled back. When the introductions were over, Sydney led Alicia into the house while Will went back to the car to get her things.
"This is such a nice area! I've never been to Colorado before!" Alicia said excitedly as she looked around the house.
After Will had come back into the house Sydney closed the door and led the pair into the kitchen where Mrs. Vaughn was helping Alex unload groceries.
"Everybody, this is Will's girlfriend Alicia." Everyone smiled and said hi. After several questions from Mrs. Vaughn, and a long discussion about Alabama, Sydney excused herself to go change the sheets on the downstairs pull-out -ouch. She could barely believe that they could fit another person into the house, but she happily made the bed, and told Damien than he and Alex would have to sleep in the living room. Damien grunted softly before returning his full attention to the video game. As she began to walk up the stairs Damien call out to her.
"Hey Sydney." He said, setting down the controller he held.
"Yes Damien?" She said stepping toward him.
"Um, thanks for everything. I mean, you make Michael, my dad, really happy, and I'm sorry if I've been rude before." He smiled awkwardly before looking down at the floor where he sat.
"Damien your welcome for everything. I love your dad a lot, and that makes you family." She smiled as he looked up at her. He smiled to and then quickly returned his gaze to the video screen. Sydney smiled to herself before turning and ascending the stairs.