A/N: Hello! Ok, so I updated yesterday and yet…here I am. Seriously, Muse is on a roll!! (Anyone got a name idea? My poor muse is nameless here!!) So, I love you all for the lovely reviews and since I'm currently rocking out to some seriously good old music… Remember the Titans soundtrack baby! (Don't ask, you'll only be frightened more) I am updating again. And look forward to more and more because well… I have vacation. So review (because it fuels my muse (that and good music…any suggestions?)) and enjoy!!

            Just quickly, the beginning is going back to Sydney when she was in the car. Gotta fuel the angst train. And then we are going to go back to Vaughn by her hospital bed from where we left off in the last chapter. I thought about putting the Sydney part in italics, but decided against it. Hope it's not too confusing!

Don't forget to read my note at the bottom!!!

Ch. 3   Not Yet

            She ran from the house, tears streaking down her face. She couldn't believe he had said those things to her. She always though that he would never hurt her, would never blame her for that. She thought they had worked past that over the years. No one was completely happy with her mother always, it just wasn't possible, but they had moved past where they had been years before and she had an actual relationship with her now. But she would give it all up for him. He was everything to her and she thought she was everything to him, obviously she was wrong.

            As she peeled out of the driveway, she looked to her left hand and more tears fell at the bare ring finger that she saw. She knew she was being overly emotional and drastic when she took them off, but he had declared that he had felt he made a mistake in marrying her and she wouldn't be with someone who didn't want to be with her. She would take her children and start over somewhere else. She would never allow herself to be held down by a man who didn't love her. And that's exactly how she felt, like Vaughn didn't love her.

            She drove in the rain, wondering where the water was falling harder, outside her car or down her cheeks. She knew that the roads were dangerous and while she was angry and needed to get away, she didn't want to be in an accident that would take her from her children. She may have been losing a husband, but she will never lose her children.

            Sydney pulled over into a nearby park and pulled into a space. She stared out at the rainy scene before her and took several deep breaths. She pulled out her date book and began to flip through the address book, looking for Francie and Weiss's new number. She needed some where to stay for the night and she knew that they would be more than willing to help her out. As she passed the calendar for the week, her eyes stopped on next Sunday and her eyes grew wide. Everything made sense as she realized just what Sunday was.

            Throwing the date book onto the passenger seat, she grabbed her cell phone and called the house. There was no answer so she tried Vaughn's cell phone. It was possible that he was out just as she was, after all they had both been angry and they both needed something to alleviate the anger, he was most likely at the rink. When she got his voice mail, her heart dropped a bit, but she left a message nonetheless.

            After hanging up the phone, she pulled the car back out on to the road and began to make her way home. The storm had gotten worse and she hoped that Bella was ok at her friend's house. She had always been frightened of thunderstorms and this one would be not exception. She was expecting a call to be at home for her, asking her to come get her very frightened child.

            She made her way down the road, wanting to get home for her children and to talk to her husband, to let him know that she was ok with everything. She didn't see the other car lose control as it hit a block of black ice, hidden in the March thunderstorm. She didn't see it until it was too late and it was making its way towards her. Her last thought before everything went black was her children and her husband, and a hope that she would be able to see them again.

            He sat by her side for a few moments, crying softly as he listened to the steady beat of the heart monitor. Lifting his head, he looked at her, looking so peaceful and new tears began to fall. After a moment, he realized there were things he needed to do. Standing, he placed a light kiss on her forehead, smoothing down her hair, before heading quietly out the door.

            The first person he came in contact with was Officer Kane. Vaughn took a moment to compose himself as he neared the officer. "Officer Kane, I want to thank you for everything you've done." Vaughn held out his hand for the man before him to shake.

            Officer Kane took Vaughn's hand and shook it as he spoke. "It was no problem at all. The Vaughn's and the Bristow's are known in the police circuits for all your work on the SD-6 case a decade ago." Vaughn nodded as Officer Kane placed his hat back on his head. "Is there anything else I can do?"

            "No. No, you've done more than enough. Thank you." Vaughn reassured him.

            "My prayers are with you and your wife." Officer Kane smiled sadly before turning to leave.

            "Thank you." Vaughn called quietly after the retreating officer.

            As he made his way down the corridor, Vaughn pulled out his cell phone and clicked it on. He immediately dialed Weiss's number to let his friend know what was happening and to make sure that he, himself, was the one to tell his children what had happened. How he was going to do so, he had no idea, but he knew he had to be the one to do so. He thanked Weiss again before hanging up, knowing that he'd be with his family within the half hour.

            He began to wander through the hallways, hoping to make his way back to Sydney's room, but instead found himself standing outside the hospital's chapel. Vaughn glanced inside and seeing that no one was in there, walked in and took a seat in one of the pews.

            He sat there for a moment, relinquishing in the quiet and solitude of the chapel as he let the events of the past few hours wash over him. The argument that started it all played over and over in his mind as he looked at the alter. As he played his last few words over in his mind, his heart contracted, knowing that his final words to his wife could have been those of hatred and regret for their marriage, something he had never felt. His body contracted as tears rushed to his eyes and he began to sob again, falling to his knees in prayer.

            "You have to bring her back to me. Do you hear me? I refuse to let you take her from me. We have been through too much in our lives to deserve this. She has been through too much. She doesn't deserve to die like this." He whispered as silent tears fell down his face.

            "Everything we've been through to get to here, everything we had to endure just to be happy … I won't lose that. I can't lose that." He took a deep breath as he glanced up at the alter again.

            "God, I can't live without her. She is my everything. She's the reason I get up in the morning. How and I supposed to keep going if she's not with me? Please, I'm not as strong as she is. I can't … I can't do this alone."

            His beeper vibrated in his pocket and he extracted it to look at the small screen. Weiss and Will were on their way, all three of his children with them.

            Vaughn's heart broke again as he realized he'd have to explain everything to his children. "You can't take her yet. They need her. Danny … Danny adores his mother. She is so very important to him. And Bella … Bella, my little beauty. How am I supposed to tell her that her mommy might never wake up?" He bent his head for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

            "And Evelyn. My precious little baby. She's just gotten to start to know what an amazing wonderful person her mother is. I can't do this alone." Tears were streaming down his face in a steady river as he spoke. "I don't care how much good she'd do for you up in heaven. I don't care. You will not force my children to grow up the way we did, with only one parent. You won't. You can't have her yet. I'm not ready to give her up." Vaughn looked up to the ceiling. "I'm not ready to lose her."

            Vaughn stood and wiped the tears from his face. After looking towards the alter once more, he quickly whispered, "Not yet." before walking back towards Sydney's room, preparing himself to tell his children what was happening.

            He was almost at her door when he heard a beep from his pocket. Pulling out his cell phone he realized he had a voice message. He opened it up and placed the phone to his ear, listening to the message left on his phone. His eyes opened in horror and tears began to fall once again as he listened to the voice on the other end.

            A/N: Hehehe! Thought that was a good place to end it. Am I evil? Well let me just tell you that the muse is seriously on a roll and I have so many thoughts running through my head that I don't know how I am going to get them all out. So don't fret, I may just have another update tomorrow. Who knows?

            Let me know what you thought. I would really like to know what you think. I've never really written these kinds of speeches, the ones where one person is being for the life of another and I would like to know how you think I did.

            Kristal – It's a big mystery what I'm on. All I know is that it must be feeding my muse!!

            Tricia – I never actually thought of that. But that would have been interesting!!

Niterockstar – I just load them as a web page rather than a text doc and it keeps all my formatting!

            Thanks for reading and give me those reviews! The faster you all review the quicker I write.

            Merci,

            -SAG