Vaughn woke with a start. The early morning sunlight poured into the room
through the large widows.
"Daddy?" A little voice came from the doorway. Vaughn sat up immediately and looked around. Sydney wasn't in bed, she usually rose before him.
"What's up little man?" Vaughn called, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Where did mommy go?" Ryan said, on the verge of tears.
"She's not in the kitchen?" Vaughn said, slowly getting out of bed. Ryan ran the several steps in between the doorway and the bed. He reached Vaughn and grabbed on to one of his legs. Looking up at his father, with tears in his eyes, his little voice shook.
"No. Mommy's gone. Where did she go?"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The morning was awkward all around. Jack had been up with the sun. He allowed Irina to sleep in peacefully. He started breakfast quietly. He'd decided on eggs and bacon. Usually he didn't cook. It was only when Irina was in town that he kept the fridge well stocked. She loved it when he cooked, so he did it as often a possible.
Sark awoke not long after Jack had put the bacon in the frying pan.
"Good morning," Jack said. He smiled, reveling in the fact that for the first time in his life, Jack was able to greet his own son.
"Morning it is. I've never been good with time changes." Sark said taking a seat on a stool at the counter where Jack worked.
"Did you sleep well?" Jack said turning to grab some milk.
"Yes," Sark said smiling to himself. Jack turned around and the two looked at each other intently. "I don't remember ever sleeping that well."
Jack turned quickly, unsure how to react. The awkward silence was broken by Irina's entrance into the room. She wore a long robe, and somehow managed to look gorgeous even in the early morning.
"Good morning." She exclaimed smiling. She walked toward Sark and touched his shoulder gently. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes." Sark smiled, a sort of mystical joy in his eyes.
"Good." Irina said, letting her hand to linger on his shoulder. She then walked into the kitchen and eyes Jack's morning ventures. "I am famished." She said moving toward Jack and giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. Jack smiled.
"Good, because there's plenty." He began to divvy up the plates.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ryan's intuition was amazing.
Vaughn had thought very little of it at first. He assured his son that Sydney was just in the office or in the basement. Ryan had only begun to cry. He was sure that Sydney was gone.
It wasn't until Vaughn found the note on the kitchen table, that he was sure. Shock, denial, anger, and worry, all flooded his mind at once. He'd had to read it multiple times. By the end he could barely see the writing through the tears in his eyes. She said she 'had to end it', she needed him to 'wait and protect their family'. It was his worst fear come true. She was gone again. He had no idea where she was. He had no way to help her. She promised to return to him. She said she wanted their child to be born in Colorado, and that she would be back. "I love you Michael. I love Ryan, Alex, Damien, everyone. I'm doing this for you. It has to be done. This has to stop."
He could barely think. Ryan sat crying on a chair across the table, and all Vaughn could think to do was hold the little boy. So they sat there, father and son. Broken and unsure. Vaughn tried to tell himself that Ryan needed him to be strong. But there was no way to stop the tears.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was Irina who noticed it first. A strange feeling in her gut. She didn't know what it was, but in the middle of cleaning the dishes, she literally dropped everything and picked up the phone.
"Michael?"
"No this is Alex."
"I need to talk to your father."
"He's.busy."
"It's Sydney's mother. It is imperative I speak with him."
A few seconds passed. Irina's worry grew exponentially upon hearing Vaughn's voice.
"Irina?"
"What's going on?"
"She's gone. She left. She went after Sloane. I."
"When did she leave?"
"I'm not sure, early this morning I guess."
"Why, what was the cause of this?"
"I have no idea. She was fine last night. We were. fine. She left a note."
"What did it say?"
"That she was going to end it. That she'd be back, and she'd be fine. And that I should stay and take care of." He broke down into sobs.
"Michael, listen to me. Something had to have caused her to leave so suddenly. You must find out what that is. Secondly you have to keep yourself together. Your children need you. Finally, I will need your help. I will call you soon with instructions. Someone will need to stay at the house."
"Alright." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Daddy?" A little voice came from the doorway. Vaughn sat up immediately and looked around. Sydney wasn't in bed, she usually rose before him.
"What's up little man?" Vaughn called, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Where did mommy go?" Ryan said, on the verge of tears.
"She's not in the kitchen?" Vaughn said, slowly getting out of bed. Ryan ran the several steps in between the doorway and the bed. He reached Vaughn and grabbed on to one of his legs. Looking up at his father, with tears in his eyes, his little voice shook.
"No. Mommy's gone. Where did she go?"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The morning was awkward all around. Jack had been up with the sun. He allowed Irina to sleep in peacefully. He started breakfast quietly. He'd decided on eggs and bacon. Usually he didn't cook. It was only when Irina was in town that he kept the fridge well stocked. She loved it when he cooked, so he did it as often a possible.
Sark awoke not long after Jack had put the bacon in the frying pan.
"Good morning," Jack said. He smiled, reveling in the fact that for the first time in his life, Jack was able to greet his own son.
"Morning it is. I've never been good with time changes." Sark said taking a seat on a stool at the counter where Jack worked.
"Did you sleep well?" Jack said turning to grab some milk.
"Yes," Sark said smiling to himself. Jack turned around and the two looked at each other intently. "I don't remember ever sleeping that well."
Jack turned quickly, unsure how to react. The awkward silence was broken by Irina's entrance into the room. She wore a long robe, and somehow managed to look gorgeous even in the early morning.
"Good morning." She exclaimed smiling. She walked toward Sark and touched his shoulder gently. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes." Sark smiled, a sort of mystical joy in his eyes.
"Good." Irina said, letting her hand to linger on his shoulder. She then walked into the kitchen and eyes Jack's morning ventures. "I am famished." She said moving toward Jack and giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. Jack smiled.
"Good, because there's plenty." He began to divvy up the plates.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ryan's intuition was amazing.
Vaughn had thought very little of it at first. He assured his son that Sydney was just in the office or in the basement. Ryan had only begun to cry. He was sure that Sydney was gone.
It wasn't until Vaughn found the note on the kitchen table, that he was sure. Shock, denial, anger, and worry, all flooded his mind at once. He'd had to read it multiple times. By the end he could barely see the writing through the tears in his eyes. She said she 'had to end it', she needed him to 'wait and protect their family'. It was his worst fear come true. She was gone again. He had no idea where she was. He had no way to help her. She promised to return to him. She said she wanted their child to be born in Colorado, and that she would be back. "I love you Michael. I love Ryan, Alex, Damien, everyone. I'm doing this for you. It has to be done. This has to stop."
He could barely think. Ryan sat crying on a chair across the table, and all Vaughn could think to do was hold the little boy. So they sat there, father and son. Broken and unsure. Vaughn tried to tell himself that Ryan needed him to be strong. But there was no way to stop the tears.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was Irina who noticed it first. A strange feeling in her gut. She didn't know what it was, but in the middle of cleaning the dishes, she literally dropped everything and picked up the phone.
"Michael?"
"No this is Alex."
"I need to talk to your father."
"He's.busy."
"It's Sydney's mother. It is imperative I speak with him."
A few seconds passed. Irina's worry grew exponentially upon hearing Vaughn's voice.
"Irina?"
"What's going on?"
"She's gone. She left. She went after Sloane. I."
"When did she leave?"
"I'm not sure, early this morning I guess."
"Why, what was the cause of this?"
"I have no idea. She was fine last night. We were. fine. She left a note."
"What did it say?"
"That she was going to end it. That she'd be back, and she'd be fine. And that I should stay and take care of." He broke down into sobs.
"Michael, listen to me. Something had to have caused her to leave so suddenly. You must find out what that is. Secondly you have to keep yourself together. Your children need you. Finally, I will need your help. I will call you soon with instructions. Someone will need to stay at the house."
"Alright." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++