Chapter 2
'She's back in town,' he thought to himself, brooding as Alice still had herself locked in the bedroom, Weiss having just called him again and let him in on the news, 'My one true love is back in town after 5 years. What am I still doing here?'
Tossing the beer in the sink he muttered, "I need to get out of here."
He scribbled a note for Alice, explaining he'd be back later, not to worry, he'd call her if he was going to be late and left the house he hated, that he felt so trapped in, to go somewhere, anywhere that would get him out of that house, and he already knew Alice wouldn't even notice he was gone.
Somehow he was pulled towards the park, where he saw all the happy families walking through, the couples holding hands and he envisioned that one of the couples were Sydney and himself.
He plopped down on a bench to brood some more as he thought about Sydney, but what's new? He always thought about her.
Jack just stood there, Irina coming to meet him at the door, both their gazes fixated on Sydney, and both had yet to notice little Kiera standing next to her mommy and holding her hand.
All of this was happening as if it were in slow motion, when in actuality Sydney was rushing up the sidewalk dragging Kiera behind her.
Forgetting that she had her daughter with her she dropped everything - the bags and Kiera's hand - and rushed into the arms of her parents, their tears merging together.
Kiera just stood there, rooted to the spot completely clueless as to what was going on.
Minutes later they finally broke apart and Jack took a step back to get a good look at his long lost daughter, "You look good sweetheart."
He thought it was good that something was the same as before she left as she beamed at him, her dimpled smile as beautiful as ever. "You do too," she replied then turned her attention to Irina, "Mom what are you doing here?"
Irina smiled back, grabbing her daughter's hand, "Your father and I got remarried."
Sydney's smile only grew as she pulled her mother excitedly into a hug and squealed, "That's so great!"
Meanwhile, as they were reminiscing, Jack's gaze had been wandering when he saw the little 4-year-old with blonde hair and unmistakable green eyes, and instantly he knew who she was.
It was then that Sydney had remembered Kiera was still standing out on the steps and she turned to look down at her daughter, "Kiera why don't you come up here and meet your grandparents."
Irina looked shocked, she was a grandmother. Kiera never met any of their eyes as she walked up the stairs to stand next to her mother and instinctively snuck her hand into Sydney's, something she only did when she was extremely shy, afraid, and scared.
"Kiera," Sydney said quietly trying to get her attention, "This is your grandmother and your grandfather."
Kiera finally looked up and met their eyes and Jack's suspicions about who the father was were confirmed. Blonde hair, intense green eyes, cleft chin - definitely Vaughn's.
Irina bent down to eyelevel with Kiera as Jack discreetly pulled Sydney aside.
"How old are you Kiera?" Irina asked quietly.
"Four," she smiled, warming up to her grandmother, "But I'll be four and a half in three months."
This was the piece of information Irina had hoped she would get, and she calculated in her head. Kiera had been conceived right before Sydney left, and by her looks Irina knew Agent Vaughn was her father.
"That's wonderful sweetie," Irina laughed, "How about we leave Mommy and Grandpa alone to talk and we can go inside and get some cookies and milk?"
"Ohh cookies!" Kiera exclaimed excitedly as she let Irina lead her in the house. As the door shut, Jack began talking.
"I'm so happy to see you," Jack sighed, "I'm so happy you're okay, we thought we'd never see you again."
"I'm fine dad," Sydney smiled, "I've had a good life so far in the last few years."
"So Kiera?" he laughed with a smile.
Love filled Sydney's eyes as her smile grew, "Yeah, she's something isn't she?"
Jack knew the next thing he would say would probably make her mad, but he had to be blunt and to the point, "Who's the father?"
Sydney looked shocked, "Dad!"
"No Sydney, I have my own suspicions - based on how she looks, but I want to hear it out of your mouth."
She rolled her eyes, "What makes you think you have any right to know who her father is?"
"Is it Vaughn?" Jack asked her quietly.
She gave up, she hadn't come here to fight with him or with anyone and she nodded her head, whispering, "Yes."
Jack nodded, he had thought that would be the answer he would get, "And does Vaughn know about her?"
She shook her head cautiously letting him know that Vaughn did not know. "If everything goes according to plan," she explained, "I had planned on telling him sometime soon - I just have to call him first."
Jack sighed, he really hadn't wanted to be the one to tell her, but he had no choice, "Sydney, Vaughn is married - he married Alice three years ago."
She turned and walked into the house before he could see the tears swimming in her eyes.
Brushing them away she murmured, "Kiera get something to eat and then we're going to the park for a walk."
Vaughn sat on the bench brooding when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and looked at the caller id: home number, just what he needed right now - Alice.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Michael where the hell are you?" Alice screamed.
"I left you a note Alice, I told you I was going out for a little while," he sighed.
"You've been gone forever," she yelled.
"I've been gone for an hour," he retorted, "That's it! An hour."
"That's an hour too long," she continued screaming, "Where the hell are you?"
"I'm at the park, is there a crime against that?" he sarcastically replied.
"Who's there with you?" she jealously asked.
"Uh, me?"
"Come home now," she demanded.
"I don't want to come home now," he told her, "I'll be home when I feel like it."
"NOW Michael!"
Getting sick and tired of listening to her, Michael clicked the end button and put the phone back in his pocket before he went back to brooding.
Sydney and Kiera walked through the park hand-in-hand, quietly looking at everything going on around them.
"Sydney."
She flipped around at the sound of her name being called and was met by a pair of green eyes she would recognize any day.
But those green eyes left hers as they saw the occupant with her and became clouded with something she couldn't recognize: confusion!
Kiera looked up and met those green eyes and the person gasped, "Who's that?"
'She's back in town,' he thought to himself, brooding as Alice still had herself locked in the bedroom, Weiss having just called him again and let him in on the news, 'My one true love is back in town after 5 years. What am I still doing here?'
Tossing the beer in the sink he muttered, "I need to get out of here."
He scribbled a note for Alice, explaining he'd be back later, not to worry, he'd call her if he was going to be late and left the house he hated, that he felt so trapped in, to go somewhere, anywhere that would get him out of that house, and he already knew Alice wouldn't even notice he was gone.
Somehow he was pulled towards the park, where he saw all the happy families walking through, the couples holding hands and he envisioned that one of the couples were Sydney and himself.
He plopped down on a bench to brood some more as he thought about Sydney, but what's new? He always thought about her.
Jack just stood there, Irina coming to meet him at the door, both their gazes fixated on Sydney, and both had yet to notice little Kiera standing next to her mommy and holding her hand.
All of this was happening as if it were in slow motion, when in actuality Sydney was rushing up the sidewalk dragging Kiera behind her.
Forgetting that she had her daughter with her she dropped everything - the bags and Kiera's hand - and rushed into the arms of her parents, their tears merging together.
Kiera just stood there, rooted to the spot completely clueless as to what was going on.
Minutes later they finally broke apart and Jack took a step back to get a good look at his long lost daughter, "You look good sweetheart."
He thought it was good that something was the same as before she left as she beamed at him, her dimpled smile as beautiful as ever. "You do too," she replied then turned her attention to Irina, "Mom what are you doing here?"
Irina smiled back, grabbing her daughter's hand, "Your father and I got remarried."
Sydney's smile only grew as she pulled her mother excitedly into a hug and squealed, "That's so great!"
Meanwhile, as they were reminiscing, Jack's gaze had been wandering when he saw the little 4-year-old with blonde hair and unmistakable green eyes, and instantly he knew who she was.
It was then that Sydney had remembered Kiera was still standing out on the steps and she turned to look down at her daughter, "Kiera why don't you come up here and meet your grandparents."
Irina looked shocked, she was a grandmother. Kiera never met any of their eyes as she walked up the stairs to stand next to her mother and instinctively snuck her hand into Sydney's, something she only did when she was extremely shy, afraid, and scared.
"Kiera," Sydney said quietly trying to get her attention, "This is your grandmother and your grandfather."
Kiera finally looked up and met their eyes and Jack's suspicions about who the father was were confirmed. Blonde hair, intense green eyes, cleft chin - definitely Vaughn's.
Irina bent down to eyelevel with Kiera as Jack discreetly pulled Sydney aside.
"How old are you Kiera?" Irina asked quietly.
"Four," she smiled, warming up to her grandmother, "But I'll be four and a half in three months."
This was the piece of information Irina had hoped she would get, and she calculated in her head. Kiera had been conceived right before Sydney left, and by her looks Irina knew Agent Vaughn was her father.
"That's wonderful sweetie," Irina laughed, "How about we leave Mommy and Grandpa alone to talk and we can go inside and get some cookies and milk?"
"Ohh cookies!" Kiera exclaimed excitedly as she let Irina lead her in the house. As the door shut, Jack began talking.
"I'm so happy to see you," Jack sighed, "I'm so happy you're okay, we thought we'd never see you again."
"I'm fine dad," Sydney smiled, "I've had a good life so far in the last few years."
"So Kiera?" he laughed with a smile.
Love filled Sydney's eyes as her smile grew, "Yeah, she's something isn't she?"
Jack knew the next thing he would say would probably make her mad, but he had to be blunt and to the point, "Who's the father?"
Sydney looked shocked, "Dad!"
"No Sydney, I have my own suspicions - based on how she looks, but I want to hear it out of your mouth."
She rolled her eyes, "What makes you think you have any right to know who her father is?"
"Is it Vaughn?" Jack asked her quietly.
She gave up, she hadn't come here to fight with him or with anyone and she nodded her head, whispering, "Yes."
Jack nodded, he had thought that would be the answer he would get, "And does Vaughn know about her?"
She shook her head cautiously letting him know that Vaughn did not know. "If everything goes according to plan," she explained, "I had planned on telling him sometime soon - I just have to call him first."
Jack sighed, he really hadn't wanted to be the one to tell her, but he had no choice, "Sydney, Vaughn is married - he married Alice three years ago."
She turned and walked into the house before he could see the tears swimming in her eyes.
Brushing them away she murmured, "Kiera get something to eat and then we're going to the park for a walk."
Vaughn sat on the bench brooding when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and looked at the caller id: home number, just what he needed right now - Alice.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Michael where the hell are you?" Alice screamed.
"I left you a note Alice, I told you I was going out for a little while," he sighed.
"You've been gone forever," she yelled.
"I've been gone for an hour," he retorted, "That's it! An hour."
"That's an hour too long," she continued screaming, "Where the hell are you?"
"I'm at the park, is there a crime against that?" he sarcastically replied.
"Who's there with you?" she jealously asked.
"Uh, me?"
"Come home now," she demanded.
"I don't want to come home now," he told her, "I'll be home when I feel like it."
"NOW Michael!"
Getting sick and tired of listening to her, Michael clicked the end button and put the phone back in his pocket before he went back to brooding.
Sydney and Kiera walked through the park hand-in-hand, quietly looking at everything going on around them.
"Sydney."
She flipped around at the sound of her name being called and was met by a pair of green eyes she would recognize any day.
But those green eyes left hers as they saw the occupant with her and became clouded with something she couldn't recognize: confusion!
Kiera looked up and met those green eyes and the person gasped, "Who's that?"