A/N: The first version of this, well it was missing stuff. Basically I felt it sucked. And yes I know authors are our own worst critics but I refused to let it stay knowing I could do so much better. So its 2:39 on Sunday and I'm starting my revisions… here is the big question. How long is this gonna take me? I dunno but it isn't going up till I am completely happy with it.

            And Jack may seem a bit OOC but remember- I went AU a LONG time ago (I'm talking ch 3 of my original fic and I am now on ch 5 of the 4th-quel (that's 25 chapters later. I think its ok.))

            And side note to Kristal… its still a mystery (it's actually a joke between my friends and I who are all convinced that I'm on like coke or something. But alas, it's just who I am.)

            Oh and same deal, final paragraph of ch. 4 is first of ch. 5

Ch. 5    Princess

            Jack moved closer to the bed and took Sydney's hand in his own. "Oh, Sydney." Jack whispered softly. "My sweet Sydney. You don't deserve this."

            Jack stood above his daughter, watching silently as she lay there. His breath became labored as he blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. Gripping her hand tighter, he moved to sit down in the chair by her bedside.

            "Some things never change. Even lying here in a coma you are still as stubborn as ever. Though I guess I can only blame myself and your mother for that. We do have our stubborn sides. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? We are the two most stubborn pains in the ass in California." Jack laughed lightly as he shifted in his seat. "You and I," he took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "We are two very stubborn people, Sydney. And it's with ourselves that we are the most stubborn with. We never want to admit when we could be wrong. At least I don't. You, on the other hand, you became this wonderful woman who is willing to admit when she is wrong and… and I don't want to lose you."

            Tears began to slowly stream down his face as he spoke. He couldn't remember the last time he had broken down and cried, but if there was a good as time as any, now was it. "You and I had a very… strained really doesn't cover it but I guess it will have to do … relationship when you were growing up. We never talked, we barely saw each other, and it was my fault. I pushed you away. I know I did. Even back then, I knew what I was doing. But Sydney, it was just too damn hard to be around you, knowing that I failed you by letting her leave. And I thought, I honestly thought, that you were better off without me. Now, now I think that I really may have screwed up big time."

            "Then again, I guess that's obvious. You would have never had such a hard life if I wasn't so determined all the time to make things the way I thought they should be. And by alienating you, you didn't learn certain things that only a parent can teach you. Mainly, how to deal with your problems instead of running from them. This whole mess could have been avoided if I had stuck around long enough to teach you that as a child."

            "When Eric called me, I broke. He didn't tell me much, just that I needed to get to the hospital, something had happened and you were there. I think I broke every driving law in the state to get here." Jack laughed bitterly as he wiped the tears from his face. "When I was driving here, I racked my brain trying to remember times from your childhood, happy times. I wanted to remember your smile and the way it used to light up a room. And as I drove, I realized, I didn't see you smile as much as normal children. There were so few times that you were happy. And that sickens me to my core." His face contorted in disgust before falling back into a slight frown. "I tried so hard and when I finally got a good memory in place, it was from so long ago."

            "Do you remember the time when you were five and I took you to the zoo for the day?" He spoke softly as his thumb moved across her hand in a soothing motion. "You were on vacation and your mother was working so it was just you and me. I asked you what you wanted to do and you told me you wanted to go to the zoo. Plain and simple." Jack smiled at the memory. "I don't remember ever seeing you as happy as a child as you were that day. That smile, the room-brightening one, it was there all day long. That's one of the things I treasure most about that day."

            Jack walked into the kitchen to find his daughter sitting at the table, a giant plate of eggs and pancakes in front of her. She smiled up happily at him as he entered the room.

            "Morning, Daddy."

            "Morning, Princess." He replied as he kissed her gently on the forehead. "Did Mommy make you breakfast?"

            "Uh-huh. Your plate is in the oven, staying warm."

            "Thank you." He smiled as he walked over and extracted his plate before grabbing a cup of coffee and the newspaper and joining his daughter at the table.

            "When are you going to work?" Sydney asked as she took a bite of her eggs, wondering who would be staying with her today, maybe Nancy. She liked Nancy; she always brought games with her.

            "I'm not. I took the day off to spend with you."

            "Really?" Sydney asked as her eyes widened in surprise. She never spent the day alone with her father.

            "Really." Jack assured her as he sipped his coffee, delighting in her smile as it grew wide. "So, Princess, what do you want to do today?"

            "Hmm." She bit her bottom lip in thought as she scooped up a bite of pancake and shoveled it into her mouth. "I vanna vo voo va vod." she replied, her mouth full.

            "Chew and swallow and then talk, please. No talking with your mouth full." Jack reprimanded softly.

            Sydney quickly chewed her food and swallowed, taking a big drink of milk to unstick her mouth. "Sorry. I wanna go to the zoo." She tried again, looking shyly towards her father.

            "Hmm." Jack turned the page in his newspaper and pretended to contemplate over it. "Why would you want to go to the zoo?"

            "Because! There are so many animals at the zoo, Daddy!" Sydney squealed.

            "Are there? Like what?" He loved baiting his daughter, if only to see her smile grow wider.

            "Um, monkeys. And tigers and lions and giraffes and elephants and rhinososauruses." Sydney smiled. Despite her excellent vocabulary for her age, there were still a few words she had trouble with.

            Jack smiled at her as she rattled on about the different animals they would see. The heat he had taken for wanting the day off was completely worth it for him to see her reaction. He sighed in mock defeat and folded his paper, placing it on the table. "I suppose. If that's what you really want to do today."

            "YAY!" Sydney cried as she jumped up from the table and ran to embrace her father. "Thank you Daddy!"

            "Alright, alright." Jack chuckled as he pried his daughter off of him. "Finish your breakfast and then we'll get read to go." Jack smiled as he rushed back to her seat and began to devour her meal, the anticipation for the day building.

            "We had a lot of fun that day." Jack smiled sadly. He sat there for a moment in silence, listening to the steady beep, beep of the heart monitor. "It took us a long time, but we're finally back to that place. We're finally back to the kind of relationship we should've had when you were a child. I chide myself everyday knowing that I wasted so much time." His memory began to jog again as he remembered her in different stages of her life. "After I remembered that day, I worked harder trying to remember more. There are so many gaps. Your life, I wish I knew every aspect of your life from your childhood, but I just don't. As insane as that is. My mind was racing as I talked to Mike. He's broken Sydney. If you are to come back for anyone, it should be him."

            Suddenly his face brightened a touch. "I remember one time when you were 16. God, I had finally gotten a break and I was home for the first time in months. You were going to some school dance and you had a date; some senior. I hated him. I remember your nanny informing me of it and the anger I felt. You were my little girl; you were most certainly not old enough to be going out on dates. But when I saw you walk down those stairs, I knew that I was wrong. I hate being wrong. But I was. You were no longer the little girl who loved to go to the zoo, you were a young woman and I had to let you live that way."

            She twirled around, admiring the way the dress fell on her body. The soft black satin caressed her skin as it hung around her perfectly. Her hair was piled loosely on the top of her head, a few curls hanging down, framing her face.

            She slipped on her shoes and double checked her dress, hair, makeup and jewelry. She wore only a simple pair of earrings and a bracelet with her dress. She smiled softly at the framed picture sitting on top of her vanity. She whispered softly as she walked towards the door, "Night, Mom" and proceeded downstairs.

             His face broke into a smile as she reached the bottom stair. The little girl he had remembered was gone, replaced by a young woman who looked so much like her mother. He smiled widely at her, basking in the way she blushed under her father's scrutiny, he had never seen a more beautiful creature. "Sydney, you look lovely."

            "Thanks Dad." She gave him a smile, knowing he was trying. Having him home for this was something she wasn't used to and she was excited and scared all at the same time.

            "But there is something missing."

            "What?" She asked apprehensively.

            "You don't have a necklace."

            "I know. There wasn't one that looked nice with this." She ran her hand over her neckline sadly. She had searched through her jewelry for days looking for the perfect piece but nothing seemed to fit. Her mother's jewelry case was sitting in her father's room, but she had been too frightened to go in there and look through it, he kept everything about her mother so guarded. She knew he still hurt.

            "Well, how about this one?" He asked as he reached behind him and picked up a black velvet box. Inside was a simple diamond solitaire on a white gold chain.

            "It's beautiful, Dad."

            "It was your mother's." He whispered softly as her head shot up in surprise and delight. She knew it must have taken a lot for him to do this for her.

            "Thank you, Daddy." She whispered, tears in her eyes as he slipped the chain around her neck. "It's perfect." She wiped the few stray tears from under her eyes, as to not ruin her makeup. "Is Tom here yet?"

            "No. But I'm sure he'll be here any …" His voice was cut off as the door bell rang. Jack opened the door to find the young suit-cladded man smiling nervously, a single red rose in his hand.

            "Hi, Sydney." He spoke quietly. "You look beautiful."

            "Thank you." She smiled shyly before turning to her father. "Ok, Dad, I'll be home by 12."

            "12?" Jack asked in amazement. His daughter was only 16 and her date was almost 18.

            "Yes, Dad, 12. The homecoming dance is over at 11 and it'll take up a while because of the traffic. If we're going to be later I'll call. Those are Cindy's rules." She reminded him. He knew that she was using the trick of the Nanny's rules as a silent reminder that just because he was home this once, doesn't mean he could change her curfew.

            "Alright." Jack conceded. "Have her home by 12, Thomas."

            "Yes, Mr. Bristow." Tom smiled nervously.

            "Bye, Dad." Sydney called as she made to leave.

            "Have a good time. Night, Princess." Sydney turned and smiled at her father. She couldn't remember the last time he had called her Princess, but she was sure it had been over a decade ago, since before her mother had died.

            "Night, Daddy." She whispered before shutting the door behind her.

            "You know, I never liked that boy. And if I remember correctly, he broke your heart a week or so later." Jack smiled softly at his daughter, lying peacefully on the hospital bed.

            "I know that right now, you're angry. I know that you and Mike had a pretty rough argument. I don't know all the details but I do know that it must have been really bad. But you listen to me, young lady." Jack stood, his tone becoming severe and stern. "Don't you even think about not coming back to us. I will not allow you to leave. If you think for even one moment that I will let you go… you are sorely mistaken."

            Jack broke as tears began to stream down his face. "You have too much to offer to those three children of yours to leave. You know what it is like to grow up without a mother; don't force your children into the same circumstance. Do not force Michael to live the way I lived. It's not something anyone should ever experience. So you listen to me young lady." He took a deep breath. His voice had risen and he knew that he had to keep it down. "Sydney, you have too much to give to leave so early in life."

            Jack leaned over and kissed her forehead softly. "Come back to us Princess." He whispered before giving her hand a final squeeze and walking back into the waiting room.

            She sat in the darkness, whispers floating around her. She didn't know where she was, all she knew was that it was peaceful, calming. She was preparing to stay there forever when a voice rang out in the distance. She recognized it but couldn't place it. She was ready to ignore it when she heard the softly whispered, "Come back to us Princess" and smiled, knowing who it was. Slowly she stood and began the long journey through the dark.

            A/N: Ok. There we go. So much happier with that. There was just stuff missing with the last one. So it's 3:37. Not too bad. I hope you liked this. I certainly like this better than the last version. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me such kind reviews for just an A/N. I really appreciated that.

            So, I want to share something with you all quickly. It's completely off topic… but at the same time, I don't care. So Thursday night I was watching the Ducks/Stars game and was really hyper because it was going into like a million overtimes. So it's like 12:30 in the morning and it's a break in between the 3rd and 4th overtime. So I flip through the channels to see who's going to be on late night TV. And guess who is on Craig Kilborn… that's right, MICHAEL VARTAN! So I was so jazzed. And if that's wasn't good enough, when Michael came on at 1:15 or so, his interview was EXACTLY during the 4th overtime and 5th overtime break!!! AND…AND… not ONLY did it come out so that I could watch it without missing my game, but he said that he was making a sacrifice because he was missing the playoff games… and guess which team he was rooting for… that's right! MY DUCKS! Such a smart man!!

            OK, thanks for letting me rant!! Go and review! And cheer on my DUCKS this Monday night at 7 pm EST/ 4 pm PST.

            Merci,

            -SAG

p.s. ETA for next chapter – Thursday or Saturday. (And go check out If Only Once More Second chapter is up!!)