Chapter 7
A/N: I figured it was about time for a new chapter, and for some fluff ;)
I don't think I could be any more confused. It couldn't possibly be [I] my [/I] Tom. why was I even calling him mine? I shook my head vigorously and tried to shift my expression into a happy one. From the look on Francie's face, it obviously wasn't working. She cocked her head to one side and gave me a sympathetic look; I of course, took it as an insult and crossed my arms defensively. I think Francie believed I was out of my mind and just changed the subject to not dig deeper into the mess of a hole we had started.
"Anyway, I was just stopping by, since we're never home at the same time, and I wanted to congratulate-" She was cut off by the shrill ring of the phone. I wasn't in the best of moods. I hope its Vaughn so I can get out of here. Standing up I stretched and then made my way to the phone.
"Hello?" Part of me knew that getting out of the house wasn't the only reason why I wished it were Vaughn on the other end at that very moment.
"Hello Sydney" Well, It's not Vaughn, and I have no idea what my father is calling me for. " I was going to talk to you today, at the office, but we just didn't have time. So, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday; it is the reason why you're not leaving for that mission tonight." He ended his thought with a sort of false ironic tone. Meanwhile, I was even more dazed. I shifted my eyes over to the calendar. It was my birthday. I never thought this day would come.
"Thanks Dad. really, that means a lot to me." I could feel his smile on the other end of the phone, and I really was so glad he had remembered, even when I hadn't. I was just so overwhelmed.
"Well," he hesitated for a moment, " walk by the fountain in the park, there's someone waiting for you" and he hung up, without even saying goodbye. I put the phone back in its place and wandered back to the couch. Most everything made sense now. What had Francie wanted to congratulate me about? My birthday, that's why she was home. Why was my father somewhat more hesitant and less grave then usual today, because it was my birthday. I never thought I would end up as this kind of person. The kind of person who gets so wrapped up in their work that they are lost in time. Days go by and every one is the same. The kind of person who wanders through each day lost, forgetting to live.
"Happy Birthday" I looked up and smiled at my friend. She wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug and I felt a tear escape. Why I was crying, I had no idea. Pulling away from her embrace, I brushed a tear from my face.
"Thanks Fran. Look, I need to go out and get some fresh air. I'm just going to go for a walk." She nodded her head. I could tell she was still confused but she couldn't be as confused as I was.
It was a beautiful day outside; the sky was a clear blue and there were almost no clouds to be seen. The cool breeze hit my face and ran through my hair, leaving me refreshed. The same breeze ran through the trees, stirring their leaves, creating a wave of color. There were little kids running through their lawns, chasing each other, laughing, and playing. Some sat on the sidewalk, drawing on it with chalk. Their mothers watched them from the doors, while they talked and smiled. They led normal lives, lived in normal worlds, and were surrounded by normal people. Would I ever get to live that sort of life?
I don't know how my life became such a mess. Wait, I do. It was them, the same bloody idiots who continue to wreak havoc upon my life to this very day. Pushing my hatred for Arvin Sloane aside, I concentrated on my other problems.
Tom. It was so strange that he would suddenly reappear in my life. We dated all of senior year in high school. We were very close, I trusted him greatly. But then we moved on. We never officially broke up, we just drifted apart as I entered college and SD-6 came into my life. Anger surged through me. Everything that was wrong with my life, it all came down to SD- 6.
And my father, SD-6 consumed him as well. We would be so much closer if SD- 6 hadn't stolen his life as well as mine, yet in a way it has brought us closer together as well, both of us fighting against them. It made me feel wonderfully happy that he had remembered my birthday, that he had called me and congratulated me. I felt like the little girl I was once, loved by my parents, and loving them back. Yet, he had acted so strangely when he ended the call.
I passed the playground on my right. Kids riding down slides, on swings, playing in the sand. Mothers sitting on the side, chatting away with each other, but still keeping a protective eye on their children. It was what I longed for, a family, protection, and love. It was everything that I needed. With those things my life would be so much more complete than it is now. At the end of the day they would always be there for me, no matter how horrible things were. Maybe it was a sign, maybe it wasn't, but just then I saw something that most certainly caught my eye.
How many handsome, green-eyed strangers were there in LA? Probably a lot, but there was only one I cared about. I saw him leaning against the edge of the fountain, his sun-streaked hair shining in the sun, his jacket blowing in the wind. I slowed my pace and started towards him. He looked up, meeting my gaze. His brilliant smile melted me instantly. I'm brave enough to keep on walking and thankfully my legs can hold me up. He averts his vision and my eyes fall to his hand. In it there's a small folded up piece of paper and some sort of green.thing, I can't really tell what it is. I let my bag hang open as we near each other. We purposely bump shoulders and there's a twinkle in his eye as we apologize simultaneously.
"Sorry" The brush pass was so smooth I'm not even sure it happened, but sure enough when I look into my purse, there is the crumbled paper and what looks like a green stem hidden inside. It only improves this great feeling that my father was in all of this; he helped set it up. I don't think my smile could get much bigger.
***
[I] Syd,
Meet me tonight at 8:00 at the ice rink on Great Palm Road. Go around to the back and enter through the door marked " Private, Staff Only". I'll be waiting.
-V
Happy Birthday [/I]
I put the letter into my pocket and walk back into my house. I was wrong, my smile has grown. I see Francie waiting for me, so I casually join her once again on the coach.
"So do you want to do something tonight? Will is coming back in a couple of hours and can join us" My mood has jumped incredible heights in the last ten minutes.
"Sorry, I'm busy tonight" I think of a reasonable excuse, "I'm doing something with my Dad" Close enough. or not. She was definitely happy for me.
"That's great Syd! But when you get home you [I] are [/I] spending some time with Will and I! I mean it's your birthday!"
"Sure" Things only improve as I enter my room. I open up my purse to take out my cell phone and find something unexpected. A red rose, beautiful and long. So that's what the stem was. I place it in a thin vase with water and set it down on my bedside table next to the picture frame. Maybe I should call this my Vaughn corner.
***
A/N: Hehe.
A/N: I figured it was about time for a new chapter, and for some fluff ;)
I don't think I could be any more confused. It couldn't possibly be [I] my [/I] Tom. why was I even calling him mine? I shook my head vigorously and tried to shift my expression into a happy one. From the look on Francie's face, it obviously wasn't working. She cocked her head to one side and gave me a sympathetic look; I of course, took it as an insult and crossed my arms defensively. I think Francie believed I was out of my mind and just changed the subject to not dig deeper into the mess of a hole we had started.
"Anyway, I was just stopping by, since we're never home at the same time, and I wanted to congratulate-" She was cut off by the shrill ring of the phone. I wasn't in the best of moods. I hope its Vaughn so I can get out of here. Standing up I stretched and then made my way to the phone.
"Hello?" Part of me knew that getting out of the house wasn't the only reason why I wished it were Vaughn on the other end at that very moment.
"Hello Sydney" Well, It's not Vaughn, and I have no idea what my father is calling me for. " I was going to talk to you today, at the office, but we just didn't have time. So, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday; it is the reason why you're not leaving for that mission tonight." He ended his thought with a sort of false ironic tone. Meanwhile, I was even more dazed. I shifted my eyes over to the calendar. It was my birthday. I never thought this day would come.
"Thanks Dad. really, that means a lot to me." I could feel his smile on the other end of the phone, and I really was so glad he had remembered, even when I hadn't. I was just so overwhelmed.
"Well," he hesitated for a moment, " walk by the fountain in the park, there's someone waiting for you" and he hung up, without even saying goodbye. I put the phone back in its place and wandered back to the couch. Most everything made sense now. What had Francie wanted to congratulate me about? My birthday, that's why she was home. Why was my father somewhat more hesitant and less grave then usual today, because it was my birthday. I never thought I would end up as this kind of person. The kind of person who gets so wrapped up in their work that they are lost in time. Days go by and every one is the same. The kind of person who wanders through each day lost, forgetting to live.
"Happy Birthday" I looked up and smiled at my friend. She wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug and I felt a tear escape. Why I was crying, I had no idea. Pulling away from her embrace, I brushed a tear from my face.
"Thanks Fran. Look, I need to go out and get some fresh air. I'm just going to go for a walk." She nodded her head. I could tell she was still confused but she couldn't be as confused as I was.
It was a beautiful day outside; the sky was a clear blue and there were almost no clouds to be seen. The cool breeze hit my face and ran through my hair, leaving me refreshed. The same breeze ran through the trees, stirring their leaves, creating a wave of color. There were little kids running through their lawns, chasing each other, laughing, and playing. Some sat on the sidewalk, drawing on it with chalk. Their mothers watched them from the doors, while they talked and smiled. They led normal lives, lived in normal worlds, and were surrounded by normal people. Would I ever get to live that sort of life?
I don't know how my life became such a mess. Wait, I do. It was them, the same bloody idiots who continue to wreak havoc upon my life to this very day. Pushing my hatred for Arvin Sloane aside, I concentrated on my other problems.
Tom. It was so strange that he would suddenly reappear in my life. We dated all of senior year in high school. We were very close, I trusted him greatly. But then we moved on. We never officially broke up, we just drifted apart as I entered college and SD-6 came into my life. Anger surged through me. Everything that was wrong with my life, it all came down to SD- 6.
And my father, SD-6 consumed him as well. We would be so much closer if SD- 6 hadn't stolen his life as well as mine, yet in a way it has brought us closer together as well, both of us fighting against them. It made me feel wonderfully happy that he had remembered my birthday, that he had called me and congratulated me. I felt like the little girl I was once, loved by my parents, and loving them back. Yet, he had acted so strangely when he ended the call.
I passed the playground on my right. Kids riding down slides, on swings, playing in the sand. Mothers sitting on the side, chatting away with each other, but still keeping a protective eye on their children. It was what I longed for, a family, protection, and love. It was everything that I needed. With those things my life would be so much more complete than it is now. At the end of the day they would always be there for me, no matter how horrible things were. Maybe it was a sign, maybe it wasn't, but just then I saw something that most certainly caught my eye.
How many handsome, green-eyed strangers were there in LA? Probably a lot, but there was only one I cared about. I saw him leaning against the edge of the fountain, his sun-streaked hair shining in the sun, his jacket blowing in the wind. I slowed my pace and started towards him. He looked up, meeting my gaze. His brilliant smile melted me instantly. I'm brave enough to keep on walking and thankfully my legs can hold me up. He averts his vision and my eyes fall to his hand. In it there's a small folded up piece of paper and some sort of green.thing, I can't really tell what it is. I let my bag hang open as we near each other. We purposely bump shoulders and there's a twinkle in his eye as we apologize simultaneously.
"Sorry" The brush pass was so smooth I'm not even sure it happened, but sure enough when I look into my purse, there is the crumbled paper and what looks like a green stem hidden inside. It only improves this great feeling that my father was in all of this; he helped set it up. I don't think my smile could get much bigger.
***
[I] Syd,
Meet me tonight at 8:00 at the ice rink on Great Palm Road. Go around to the back and enter through the door marked " Private, Staff Only". I'll be waiting.
-V
Happy Birthday [/I]
I put the letter into my pocket and walk back into my house. I was wrong, my smile has grown. I see Francie waiting for me, so I casually join her once again on the coach.
"So do you want to do something tonight? Will is coming back in a couple of hours and can join us" My mood has jumped incredible heights in the last ten minutes.
"Sorry, I'm busy tonight" I think of a reasonable excuse, "I'm doing something with my Dad" Close enough. or not. She was definitely happy for me.
"That's great Syd! But when you get home you [I] are [/I] spending some time with Will and I! I mean it's your birthday!"
"Sure" Things only improve as I enter my room. I open up my purse to take out my cell phone and find something unexpected. A red rose, beautiful and long. So that's what the stem was. I place it in a thin vase with water and set it down on my bedside table next to the picture frame. Maybe I should call this my Vaughn corner.
***
A/N: Hehe.