Chapter One
Chloe hummed happily to herself as she loaded her dirty clothes into the washing machine. It was Saturday, and she loved Saturdays for two reasons. One, no school, other than the pile of homework that her professors gave her, and two, Saturday was family day. Ever since Chloe's first weekend with her parents seven years ago, Saturday had always been reserved for the three of them. It was a time for them to sit down and have a nice dinner, talk about their weeks, play games, and generally be together.
Sydney and Vaughn had told Chloe when they first adopted her that they worked for the CIA, but it hadn't been till her twentieth birthday two years ago that they had informed her about what exactly they did for the CIA. They had always strived to be a family, despite the hectic schedule they had because of the CIA, and they had succeeded.
Once her laundry was started, Chloe made her way out to the kitchen to start on dinner. Her parents would be back from work any time now, and she wanted dinner ready for them. The front door opened and she could hear them coming in.
"Something sure smells good in here." Vaughn said as he came into the kitchen. He hugged Chloe and wen to inspect what was in the oven. The young woman shook her head and smiled as she watched her father, always thinking with his stomach. Sydney followed her husband and greeted her daughter with a hug of her own.
"How are you Chloe? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." Her mother pouted.
"It's only been a week mom." Chloe laughed.
"Feels like longer than that." Sydney sighed. Chloe smiled at her mother. Even though she'd been nearly all grown up when the Vaughns adopted her, Chloe had always felt as if she'd been born into the family. They had been that loving and accepting of her.
The timer dinged on the oven and the family sat down to eat and start their Saturday ritual.
Sark tapped his fingers expectantly atop the walnut table that he sat at. He had to admit that he was nervous when the Covenant called him into this meeting, and the longer they made him wait, the more anxious he got. He sat alone in the large room usually reserved for the top men in the Covenant to have their meetings. Sark didn't know why he'd been called in for this meeting, but he was smart enough to know that when the Covenants top men ask you to come and meet with them, it can't be good.
The door opened and Sark stood respectfully as three men walked in. Each of them was dressed in expensive designer suits with Italian shoes and silk ties. They acknowledged Sark with nods. The English man waited until they had been seated before he resumed his seat.
"You must be wondering why we called you here," said one of the men. He was middle aged, but the cut of his suit showed that he was still well built.
"I must admit that I am a bit anxious to know what the Covenant wants with me now." Sark replied.
"Mister Sark," a second gentleman replied, this one older than the others, and more distinguished with a full head of salt and pepper hair, "We have heard reports of a woman in America who has some information that we need. And since you are a member of the North American cell, and stationed close to where this woman resides, you were the only option."
"I'm afraid I'm not following." Sark said watching each of the men closely.
"Mr. Sark, we wish that you take this woman into your care until we can extract what we need from her." the first gentleman said.
"You wish me to kidnap her?" Sark questioned.
"Now Mr. Sark, kidnap is such a harsh word," the man replied, "We merely wish to ask her a few questions in hopes that we will obtain the information we seek." The third man placed a file on the table and slid it over to Sark who opened it cautiously. He stared down at the picture.
"Beautiful, is she not?" the older of the men asked as they watched Sark carefully.
"Yes she is." Sark replied.
"We want her taken as soon as possible, and we want it done quietly." The first man said, "You may go now Mr. Sark." Sark stood and nodded his good-byes to the men before walking out of the room.
Laughter echoed throughout the Vaughn home as the three family members sat around the table playing a game of cards and snacking on popcorn, pretzels, and soda. Dinner was long over, and the family was beginning to settle down for the night.
"Uno!" Vaughn exclaimed laying down a card. Chloe glanced at her father before placing a wild card down.
"Blue." She said. Sydney studied her cards and placed down a blue skip.
"What? Are you two gonna gang up on me now!" Vaughn cried as Chloe placed down a card and cried uno.
"Yep." The two women said together. Sydney smirked and placed a reverse card on the discard stack.
"Thank you mom." Chloe said giddily as she placed her final card down, "I win!"
"It's no fair," Vaughn pouted throwing his card down on the table, "You always win."
"Oh you poor baby," Sydney said leaning over and kissing her husband softly on the lips, "Does that make it better?"
"No." Vaughn whined, his pout deepening. Sydney smirked and moved in again.
"If you two are gonna start a make-out session, then I'm gonna go ahead and head back to the dorm." Chloe said interrupting them.
"Don't let us stop you." Vaughn said pulling his wife closer to him. Sydney smacked him upside the head.
"Is that anyway to talk to your daughter." She scolded him.
"It is when we're about to get hot and heavy." Vaughn teased.
"Eww, gross. Innocent ears here." Chloe said covering her ears.
"You're not that innocent." Vaughn laughed.
"I might be." Chloe said with a small smile. The clock on the wall struck midnight, breaking into whatever her dad was gonna say.
"I better get going." The young woman said getting up and heading towards the laundry room to gather her clothes, "I need to get up early tomorrow morning if I'm gonna go rock climbing with Jill. I swear, that girl has too much energy, it's like she doesn't even need sleep."
"You're still going to your grandfather's on Tuesday right?" Sydney asked as Chloe dropped her laundry bag by the door.
"Of course, do you really think I'd miss Grandpa's birthday dinner?"
"I would if I could." Vaughn said under his breath.
"Oh shut up." Sydney said slapping her husband's arm.
"Oww! What's with all the hitting woman?" Vaughn asked rubbing his arm. Syd rolled her eyes and turned back to her daughter.
"Drive safe." She said hugging the young woman.
"I will mom. Bye dad." Chloe hugged her dad and left with a wave.
"We did a good job." Syd said as she watched her daughter walk out the door.
"We sure did." Vaughn said pulling his wife down onto his lap and kissing her soundly.
Well that's the end of chapter one. Please review and tell me what you thought. I want to thank everybody who reviewed the prologue. I can't believe I got EIGHT reviews for that! That's so cool! Please keep the reviews coming.
Chloe hummed happily to herself as she loaded her dirty clothes into the washing machine. It was Saturday, and she loved Saturdays for two reasons. One, no school, other than the pile of homework that her professors gave her, and two, Saturday was family day. Ever since Chloe's first weekend with her parents seven years ago, Saturday had always been reserved for the three of them. It was a time for them to sit down and have a nice dinner, talk about their weeks, play games, and generally be together.
Sydney and Vaughn had told Chloe when they first adopted her that they worked for the CIA, but it hadn't been till her twentieth birthday two years ago that they had informed her about what exactly they did for the CIA. They had always strived to be a family, despite the hectic schedule they had because of the CIA, and they had succeeded.
Once her laundry was started, Chloe made her way out to the kitchen to start on dinner. Her parents would be back from work any time now, and she wanted dinner ready for them. The front door opened and she could hear them coming in.
"Something sure smells good in here." Vaughn said as he came into the kitchen. He hugged Chloe and wen to inspect what was in the oven. The young woman shook her head and smiled as she watched her father, always thinking with his stomach. Sydney followed her husband and greeted her daughter with a hug of her own.
"How are you Chloe? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." Her mother pouted.
"It's only been a week mom." Chloe laughed.
"Feels like longer than that." Sydney sighed. Chloe smiled at her mother. Even though she'd been nearly all grown up when the Vaughns adopted her, Chloe had always felt as if she'd been born into the family. They had been that loving and accepting of her.
The timer dinged on the oven and the family sat down to eat and start their Saturday ritual.
Sark tapped his fingers expectantly atop the walnut table that he sat at. He had to admit that he was nervous when the Covenant called him into this meeting, and the longer they made him wait, the more anxious he got. He sat alone in the large room usually reserved for the top men in the Covenant to have their meetings. Sark didn't know why he'd been called in for this meeting, but he was smart enough to know that when the Covenants top men ask you to come and meet with them, it can't be good.
The door opened and Sark stood respectfully as three men walked in. Each of them was dressed in expensive designer suits with Italian shoes and silk ties. They acknowledged Sark with nods. The English man waited until they had been seated before he resumed his seat.
"You must be wondering why we called you here," said one of the men. He was middle aged, but the cut of his suit showed that he was still well built.
"I must admit that I am a bit anxious to know what the Covenant wants with me now." Sark replied.
"Mister Sark," a second gentleman replied, this one older than the others, and more distinguished with a full head of salt and pepper hair, "We have heard reports of a woman in America who has some information that we need. And since you are a member of the North American cell, and stationed close to where this woman resides, you were the only option."
"I'm afraid I'm not following." Sark said watching each of the men closely.
"Mr. Sark, we wish that you take this woman into your care until we can extract what we need from her." the first gentleman said.
"You wish me to kidnap her?" Sark questioned.
"Now Mr. Sark, kidnap is such a harsh word," the man replied, "We merely wish to ask her a few questions in hopes that we will obtain the information we seek." The third man placed a file on the table and slid it over to Sark who opened it cautiously. He stared down at the picture.
"Beautiful, is she not?" the older of the men asked as they watched Sark carefully.
"Yes she is." Sark replied.
"We want her taken as soon as possible, and we want it done quietly." The first man said, "You may go now Mr. Sark." Sark stood and nodded his good-byes to the men before walking out of the room.
Laughter echoed throughout the Vaughn home as the three family members sat around the table playing a game of cards and snacking on popcorn, pretzels, and soda. Dinner was long over, and the family was beginning to settle down for the night.
"Uno!" Vaughn exclaimed laying down a card. Chloe glanced at her father before placing a wild card down.
"Blue." She said. Sydney studied her cards and placed down a blue skip.
"What? Are you two gonna gang up on me now!" Vaughn cried as Chloe placed down a card and cried uno.
"Yep." The two women said together. Sydney smirked and placed a reverse card on the discard stack.
"Thank you mom." Chloe said giddily as she placed her final card down, "I win!"
"It's no fair," Vaughn pouted throwing his card down on the table, "You always win."
"Oh you poor baby," Sydney said leaning over and kissing her husband softly on the lips, "Does that make it better?"
"No." Vaughn whined, his pout deepening. Sydney smirked and moved in again.
"If you two are gonna start a make-out session, then I'm gonna go ahead and head back to the dorm." Chloe said interrupting them.
"Don't let us stop you." Vaughn said pulling his wife closer to him. Sydney smacked him upside the head.
"Is that anyway to talk to your daughter." She scolded him.
"It is when we're about to get hot and heavy." Vaughn teased.
"Eww, gross. Innocent ears here." Chloe said covering her ears.
"You're not that innocent." Vaughn laughed.
"I might be." Chloe said with a small smile. The clock on the wall struck midnight, breaking into whatever her dad was gonna say.
"I better get going." The young woman said getting up and heading towards the laundry room to gather her clothes, "I need to get up early tomorrow morning if I'm gonna go rock climbing with Jill. I swear, that girl has too much energy, it's like she doesn't even need sleep."
"You're still going to your grandfather's on Tuesday right?" Sydney asked as Chloe dropped her laundry bag by the door.
"Of course, do you really think I'd miss Grandpa's birthday dinner?"
"I would if I could." Vaughn said under his breath.
"Oh shut up." Sydney said slapping her husband's arm.
"Oww! What's with all the hitting woman?" Vaughn asked rubbing his arm. Syd rolled her eyes and turned back to her daughter.
"Drive safe." She said hugging the young woman.
"I will mom. Bye dad." Chloe hugged her dad and left with a wave.
"We did a good job." Syd said as she watched her daughter walk out the door.
"We sure did." Vaughn said pulling his wife down onto his lap and kissing her soundly.
Well that's the end of chapter one. Please review and tell me what you thought. I want to thank everybody who reviewed the prologue. I can't believe I got EIGHT reviews for that! That's so cool! Please keep the reviews coming.