Chapter 1: No Sign of Snow Around
"Absolutely not!" Jack's raised voice caught Lauren's attention as she walked past the conference room. Wondering what Sydney's request was, she hovered near the door so she could listen in.
"But Dad..."
"No Sydney, I won't do it."
"Come on Dad, I just want to have a perfect Christmas party!" she pleaded.
"And why is it necessary to humiliate me in order to do so?"
"Dad, it's a Santa suit. That's not humiliating, it's... festive!"
"Holly is festive, plastic snowmen in the yard are festive, even mistletoe is festive! This is just..."
"It's just what I want," Sydney broke in. "Please Dad?" she said in a much quieter tone.
"It's really that important to you?"
"I want a normal Christmas Dad... sugar cookies, eggnog, and Santa. After everything I've been through I deserve that much don't you think?"
"What time do you want me to show up?" Jack asked, resigning himself to an evening of ridicule.
"Come over around five o'clock and help me set up, and then you can change into your Santa suit right before the guests start arriving."
"And what day is this?"
"This Friday Dad, you know that!" Sydney exclaimed, exasperated.
"Fine, I'll be there."
"With bells on," she added teasingly as she stepped toward the door.
When the voices started to come closer to her hiding spot, Lauren straightened up and moved away from where she had been eavesdropping. She was still walking away when the door opened behind her.
It was obvious to Jack that Lauren had overheard part of their conversation. He suspected it wasn't entirely on accident, but either way, now that she knew about the party Sydney was practically obligated to invite her. Catching his daughter's eye, he gestured toward the other woman, making it clear what he wanted her to do.
Sydney stared at the other woman's retreating form, struggling to come to a decision. Part of her wasn't sure she wanted to spend an entire evening off watching Vaughn with his wife, but if she was honest with herself she wanted Vaughn to be there, if only so they could pretend to be normal friends who could enjoy a holiday party together. "Lauren!" she called finally.
"Yes Sydney?" Lauren asked as she turned to face her.
"I'm having a Christmas party on Friday, would you and Vaughn... Michael... would you care to come?" she asked.
Lauren was quiet for a moment, wondering if the invitation was genuine or only offered for appearance's sake. "Maybe I should decline," she pondered. A frown crossed her face when she realized that would be fitting with the way she had been acting around Sydney lately. She'd been tiptoeing around her at work and Michael at home, trying to avoid the situation as much as possible. "It's time to take back control of my life," she told herself firmly. "We'd love to come Sydney," she replied warmly, hiding an inner smile at the fleeting look of surprise on the other woman's face.
"Maybe this Christmas we'll finally pull out of the shadow of the last two years... all three of us," she mused as she walked away.
"Absolutely not!" Jack's raised voice caught Lauren's attention as she walked past the conference room. Wondering what Sydney's request was, she hovered near the door so she could listen in.
"But Dad..."
"No Sydney, I won't do it."
"Come on Dad, I just want to have a perfect Christmas party!" she pleaded.
"And why is it necessary to humiliate me in order to do so?"
"Dad, it's a Santa suit. That's not humiliating, it's... festive!"
"Holly is festive, plastic snowmen in the yard are festive, even mistletoe is festive! This is just..."
"It's just what I want," Sydney broke in. "Please Dad?" she said in a much quieter tone.
"It's really that important to you?"
"I want a normal Christmas Dad... sugar cookies, eggnog, and Santa. After everything I've been through I deserve that much don't you think?"
"What time do you want me to show up?" Jack asked, resigning himself to an evening of ridicule.
"Come over around five o'clock and help me set up, and then you can change into your Santa suit right before the guests start arriving."
"And what day is this?"
"This Friday Dad, you know that!" Sydney exclaimed, exasperated.
"Fine, I'll be there."
"With bells on," she added teasingly as she stepped toward the door.
When the voices started to come closer to her hiding spot, Lauren straightened up and moved away from where she had been eavesdropping. She was still walking away when the door opened behind her.
It was obvious to Jack that Lauren had overheard part of their conversation. He suspected it wasn't entirely on accident, but either way, now that she knew about the party Sydney was practically obligated to invite her. Catching his daughter's eye, he gestured toward the other woman, making it clear what he wanted her to do.
Sydney stared at the other woman's retreating form, struggling to come to a decision. Part of her wasn't sure she wanted to spend an entire evening off watching Vaughn with his wife, but if she was honest with herself she wanted Vaughn to be there, if only so they could pretend to be normal friends who could enjoy a holiday party together. "Lauren!" she called finally.
"Yes Sydney?" Lauren asked as she turned to face her.
"I'm having a Christmas party on Friday, would you and Vaughn... Michael... would you care to come?" she asked.
Lauren was quiet for a moment, wondering if the invitation was genuine or only offered for appearance's sake. "Maybe I should decline," she pondered. A frown crossed her face when she realized that would be fitting with the way she had been acting around Sydney lately. She'd been tiptoeing around her at work and Michael at home, trying to avoid the situation as much as possible. "It's time to take back control of my life," she told herself firmly. "We'd love to come Sydney," she replied warmly, hiding an inner smile at the fleeting look of surprise on the other woman's face.
"Maybe this Christmas we'll finally pull out of the shadow of the last two years... all three of us," she mused as she walked away.
