Sydney made a quick stop at the grocery store before heading to her father's house.  Dinner would be served promptly at seven he'd told her earlier.  Pulling into the driveway, she checked her watch satisfied that she had arrived with a few minutes to spare.

"Hey Dad, I'm home." 

"I'm in the kitchen, honey, just finishing up." Her father was placing broiled pork chops next to a healthy serving of mashed potatoes and fried apples.  An aromatic tomato sauce simmered gently on the stove.  He spooned some of the sauce over the potatoes, then finished the dish with chilled asparagus spears.  "What's that?" he asked, indicating the plastic grocery bag she carried.

Grinning, she pulled out a box of Mickey Mouse ice cream bars.  "Dessert!"

.~*~

"I forgot what a good cook you were," Sydney sighed, replete.  "I've been looking forward to watching the video tonight.  I still have the Mickey ears you bought me that year."  She settled back against the couch while her father fiddled with the DVD player. 

"I haven't watched this video in years.  Don't get your hopes up too high.  It could just be very boring shots of you going round and round on the carousel. It was your favorite and we went there a lot." 

"That's so weird. I always want to ride them whenever I go to the fair." There was something in her father's eyes as he looked at her, a glimmer revealing a knowledge she didn't have.  "Tell me."  He didn't answer, pretending to adjust the television set.  "Dad?" 

"It reminded you of your mother," he finally admitted.  "You always loved riding the horses. You would pretend you were a princess and your mother was the queen."

"And you? Were you the king?"

"Yes."  He pushed a few more buttons then started the video.

"Daddy, how do planes fly?" Sydney looked up at her father with the earnest trusting eyes only children possess. 

"Magic."

The little girls eyes grew wide.  "Oh."  She gazed at her father in apparent awe.  "Are you going to fly the plane?" 

"No, honey, why?"

"Mommy said you were a magician.  She told me you cast a spell on her and that's why she loved you so much."  Her lip trembled.  "I don't know zackly what that means, but Mommy said it was good."

"Exactly," Jack corrected automatically. "I think it's time for us to get on the plane, sweetheart," he continued abruptly. Young Sydney skipped to the doorway.  "Daddy and I are going to Disney World," she told the attendant importantly.  The man smiled back, pulling the carbon copy from the tickets.  "Have a good time, sweetie."  Then looking up at Jack, "What a cutie.  When she grows up, you'll have to fight off the boys."

They made their way into the cabin, Jack juggling the camera while searching for their seats.

"Can I look out the window, Daddy?"

"Daddy's a little tired honey, if I let you sit by the window, will you promise to stay in your seat while I'm resting?"

 Sydney looked at her father in alarm.  "Are you okay, Daddy?"  There was a fear in her eyes that didn't belong on one so young.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. I'm not going to die." The camera shifted as he leaned over to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead.  "Remember, I promised." The little girl nodded, but the fear never quite left her eyes.

.~*~

The camera zoomed in on the carousel.  Sydney waved to her father, looking every bit the princess in her Cinderella dress.  A woman in her late twenties obscured the view momentarily.  Jack moved to refocus on his daughter, but the woman was headed directly to him.

[i]"Daddy, look at me.  I have the bestest horse." Sydney squealed over the carousel music. 

"Is that your daughter?" a soft husky voice inquired.  "She's very pretty."  A hand came into view, as the woman pointed.  "My son is riding the unicorn right behind her."

"Thank you," Jack responded seriously. "Your son seems a little nervous."

She laughed. "It's his first time riding on one of these.  My ex didn't like 'sissy stuff' as he termed it.  He'll probably divorce me all over again when he finds out how I've corrupted his son.  I'm Sissy, by the way.  Short for Cecilia."

"Jack."

"That dress is really cute, she looks just like Cinderella.  Did your wife make it?"

"No."

"I'll have to ask her where she bought it."

"My wife is dead." This came out flat, emotionless.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"I'm not," Jack cut her off harshly.

Sydney sat stunned.  The warm and loving man she had seen in all the previous videos changed before her eyes.  Dr. Jekyll became Mr. Hyde. She was growing so used to the Dr. Jekyll side of her father that she almost forgot the Mr. Hyde of her childhood. The change was so drastic; she knew there had to be a cause beyond her mother's betrayal.  Hopefully the discs in her laptop would provide her with an answer.  She would have to call in sick in the morning.

The camera faded to black and opened once more as they stood toward the back of an endless line heading into the Haunted House.

"I'm scared, Daddy."

"Scared?  It's just pretend, honey."

"But it has ghosts.  Do you think Mommy's ghost will be there?"

"Sydney, ghosts are not real.  Your mother is dead.  She is not coming back, as a ghost or otherwise."

Sydney watched as tiny tears welled up in her younger self.  Her father had the camera focused on his daughter, but did not seem to notice the distress his words had caused. She looked over at her father.  His eyes were transfixed on the screen, only a slight glistening of his eyes betrayed the effect young Sydney's tears had on him.

"You were wrong, Dad," she whispered softly.  "Ghosts are real.  We've been living with one for over twenty years." At her father's glare, she decided against pointing out that he'd been wrong about her mother as well.

The camera continued to pan the crowd, resting occasionally on the clever grave markers placed on a small hill along the entrance of the house.  Sydney babbled happily, Jack dutifully recording it all for posterity. 

"Oh dear!  You'll think I'm stalking you."  Jack swung the camera toward the voice. The woman from the carousel gave them a jaunty smile.  "Tommy has been begging me all week to take him to the Haunted House. We must have the same itinerary."

The camera returned once more to focus on Sydney, tears forgotten as she excitedly pointed out the markers to Tommy. "Hello, Sissy. It is Sissy, right? Yes, how bizarre that in such a large amusement park we should find ourselves in the same line three times already."  Jack's irony appeared lost on Sissy.

"Yeah.  It's like it was meant. Maybe it's because we are both from Los Angeles. Oh look. They are letting us in. Tommy, come here."  The little boy gave his mother a rebellious look.  "Don't want to.  Wanna stay with Cindy." 

"'Sydney,'" Sissy corrected. "She's going in, too."

"I remember Tommy, Dad. They stayed at the same hotel as we did." She smiled at Jack.  "Wow, was she hitting on you, or what!"

"I didn't notice."

Sydney laughed. "Oh right.  You expect me to believe that.  Did you sleep with her?" As soon as she said it, she wanted to take the words back.  The teasing question was something she could have easily said to Francie or Will.  She had grown too comfortable with the loving, happy man on the screen.  He was only a little older than Will when the videos were recorded, making him seem a peer instead of her father.

"No," Jack responded flatly.

His answer surprised her, causing her to once again respond before thinking.  "Why not?  You were widowed.  She was divorced. She was hot for you."

Jack gave her a measured look, eyes slightly hooded.  "My parenting skills may not have been the best, but I like to think I occasionally did the right thing." There was a tension now to his shoulders that she had not seen in a while. 

"I don't understand," she looked at him, bewildered.  "What does one have to do with the other?"

Jack gave a mirthless chuckle. "After my ... sabbatical ... with the FBI, I needed to get away. As far away as I could.  I wanted to give you a treat, too, so I decided on Disney World. You always liked Disneyland. We were nearly broke.  Almost all our savings went to make sure you were cared for while I was ... away.  There were some expenses that were unavoidable; the plane tickets, the park tickets. I economized everywhere I could.  That meant only one hotel room.  I got one that had two double beds."

"I'm still not sure I understand."

Jack looked slightly nonplussed. "I couldn't have sex in my room, you were there.  And I certainly wasn't going to leave you by yourself and go to her room," he finally told her bluntly. 

"Oh." She felt her cheeks grow warm.

"Besides, she wasn't really interested in me.  I was her assignment."

"C'mon Dad.  Not everyone is a Russian spy.  I think she just liked you." She kept her voice light, teasing.

"No, not Russian.  CIA.  They were ... testing ... me."   The mask was back.  Cold, emotionless. "It was a rather stupid and clumsy attempt, but at least it made me wary of ... future ... involvements."

She looked at her father, horrified.  Her mother had a lot to answer for, but the CIA had just as much.  "How did you find out?"

"I never told her I was from Los Angeles."