Thanks for all the reviews again! See, I wouldn't be that mean to you guys, hehe. Enjoy the next chapter!
PART II- Chapter 15.
Syd's POV"Vaughn! Vaughn… I think I'm going to fall." I yelled to him, reaching out my hand.
"You're not going to fall. It's all in your head. Just relax, be light on your feet and don't think about it. Now skate towards me and don't look down."
I did just as he told, slowly moving my ice skates forward without picking them up off of the ground. I put my arms straight out in hopes to keep my balance as I locked my eyes with Vaughn's and skated right into his arms.
"See? You didn't trip, did you?" He asked while pulling my scarf tighter around my neck.
The clear, black skies of the Los Angeles night were filled millions of stars hiding behind the hills and shining down on the big, crowded skating rink. The weather had been somewhat pleasant at the beginning of the day, now turning into a crisp breeze after the sun went down.
Amélie had been released from the hospital the week before, finally being able to go home despite the fact that she was still immobile. She had pleaded with the doctors for two weeks, begging them to let her go home. Finally, they complied, but not before giving Amélie strict instructions that she were to stay in bed for the next week and have constant 24 hour care looking after her.
She had recovered quite quickly, raising her spirits and all of our hope. Although she was ordered to take it easy not do anything strenuous, she was often smiling to herself as she rested, knowing that the absolute worst had passed.
After a week of caring for Amélie 24 hours a day, Vaughn's Aunt Trish came to visit and told Vaughn and I to go out and have some fun. We didn't need to be asked twice as we rushed out of the door and into Vaughn's car. Without knowing exactly where we were going, Vaughn unconsciously steered his way to the outdoor ice rink in the park.
"You look really cute in that hat, you know." I told him, latching on to his arm tightly while we skated slowly around the edge of the rink.
Vaughn had grabbed his Kings knit cap from the backseat of his car, pulling it tightly over his ears, causing the hair at the bottom of his neck to slightly stick out. His black cap made his brilliant green eyes look even shinier under the bright lights of the skating rink.
"Cute like little kid cute?" He responded.
"No. Cute like hot cute."
Not that Vaughn had to do much to make himself look better. His looks were practically flawless making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. It definitely didn't go unnoticed by the group of teenage girls standing outside of the rink. Every time we would pass by them, they would blush at Vaughn and giggle amongst themselves.
"I think those girls have a crush on you." I nudged him, nodding to the group of girls now entering the rink.
"They look like freshman in high school."
"Yeah, well they think you're pretty damn studly Michael Vaughn."
"Uh huh, and what do you think of me?" He asked playfully, throwing his arm around my shoulders.
"I guess you're ok…"
"Ahhh, I see how it is Bristow. You're playing dirty."
"Oh c'mon Vaughn, I think you know already. I don't need to tell you." I murmured.
"Tell me what?"
"That you're absolutely gorgeous." I sighed.
Instead of responding, Vaughn rolled his eyes, not wanting to hear me gush about how good-looking he was. Vaughn had always been the type of guy that was unaware of his hotness or the constant looks he always attracted from girls. The fact that he was so humble about it made him even sexier in my eyes.
I began to gain some confidence in my skating abilities, lifting my feet off of the ground a little higher and increasing the speed. I knew how badly Vaughn wanted to skate for real, being the super star hockey player that he was. I somehow felt that I was holding him back and apologized for being a slow learner.
Of course Vaughn didn't mind. Instead, he held on to my hand tightly, making sure I wouldn't lose my balance or run into the dozens of little kids skating circles around us.
From the moment we arrived at the rink, this one little boy had caught my eye. He must've been around 8 or 9 years old with bright blonde hair stuffed under a baseball cap. He would fly around the edges of the rink wearing his worn hockey gloves and weaving in and out of people skating too slowly. His strong resemblance to Vaughn reminded me of when we were kids.
"I always think of my dad every time I come to this ice rink." Vaughn suddenly broke the silence.
"Yeah? Why?"
"When I was growing up, this rink would only be open from the beginning of December to the end of January. You know, because it's LA and those are the only two months you can have an outdoor rink." He explained. "So anyways, my dad bought me my first pair of skates when I must've been around 3 or 4 years old and my mom was terrified. I mean, literally terrified. She didn't want me anywhere near the ice. I don't remember much, but I do remember my mom telling my dad that it was too dangerous to put me in the rink."
"That sounds like something your mom would say." I joked.
"I know, right? But my dad didn't listen to her and sort of just threw me on the ice without even showing me what to do. I guess I was a natural because before I knew it, I was flying around the rink."
Vaughn paused for a second and I could tell the memories were playing in his mind as he stared off distantly into the night. I squeezed his hand tightly, encouraging him to finish his story.
"Ever since my father bought me my first hockey skates, every year I couldn't wait until December hit and this rink would be up again. I know all of those indoor rinks were open all year round, but it wasn't the same. Being here brings back so many good memories, Syd. Those were some of the best days of my life. I would skate for hours while my dad would just watch me and smile. I felt so free, you know? I miss those days." He finished wistfully.
Vaughn and I skated around the crowded rink until my ankles could no longer take it. My legs were sore and my feet hurt so bad that Vaughn had to help me limp to the car. The heat emanating from the vents on the dashboard felt soothing on my face, creating a relaxing atmosphere in the car.
"Hey… let's crash at my house tonight." I suggested on our way back.
"What about your dad? I hate sleeping at your house knowing he's directly downstairs waiting to take a bat to my head."
"He left yesterday for Atlanta. He won't be back until tomorrow night."
"Are you sure?" He asked cautiously.
"Yes, I talked to him this morning. Vaughn, it will be fine." I reassured him. "My dad loves you. He's not going to murder you like you think."
"Ok… we have to swing by my house first to pick up some clothes though."
Vaughn's POVAfter pulling into the driveway, I hopped out of the car and swung over to the passenger's side to let Sydney out. Her feet were too sore to walk so she opted to stay in the car while I ran inside the house real quick.
As soon as I unlocked my front door, two separate piles of boxes greeted me at the entrance, blocking Donovan off from jumping on me. I eyed the boxes curiously, wondering where they came from as I swiftly opened one and peeked inside.
"Mom?" I yelled out. "Are these your boxes of clothes?"
"Michael! You're home!" My mother greeted me. "How was your date with Sydney?"
"It was good. She's in the car though cause she can't walk. Her feet are hurting from ice-skating. I just stopped by to pick up a change of clothes and to tell you that we're going to stay at her house tonight."
"Oh, that's fine."
"Why are there so many boxes over there?" I asked inquisitively.
"They're mine." A familiar voice said behind me.
Turning around, I saw my Aunt Trish carrying another box into the family room and setting it amongst the other ones. This one was labeled 'sweaters' in big red marker on the side.
"Michael, we wanted to surprise you." My mother said excitedly.
"Aunt Trish is moving in? Alright… she makes really good ham and eggs."
"No… what your mother is trying to say is that I'm moving in so you can move back out again." My Aunt explained.
"Your Aunt is moving in with me so you can go back to school, Michael. She's going to help me through my radiation. I don't want you to miss out anymore on your education. Besides, I know how sad you are when Sydney leaves."
I stood there shocked for a moment, not really knowing how to react. I wanted to be around for my mother in her last stages of radiation. It was my job to take care of her.
"Mom, are you sure? I mean, really. I don't mind taking care of you. I want to take care of you." I protested.
"No. You're going back up to San Francisco. I'll be fine. The hard part is over, right? Besides, it'll be nice having your Aunt Trish around again."
"I can't believe it. I get to go back to school." I repeated to myself
Finally being able to react, I threw my arms around my mother's small body and embraced her in a tight hug.
"Thank you so much mom. I love you, you know that?" I said sincerely.
"I know you do sweetheart. Now why don't you go and tell Sydney the news."
Running upstairs, I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and extra clothes from my closet. I could hardly contain my excitement. Although actually attending school wasn't the most thrilling thing for me, it was being with Sydney and hanging out with Weiss and Francie that made me the happiest.
I could finally go back to my normal life. Not like I thought of taking care of my mom was a chore for me or an inconvenience. But, at times, I felt myself bored at home and frustrated because I wasn't doing much with my life. At least at school I felt that I was furthering my education and helping out my future.
As soon as I jumped back in the car, the big smile on my face didn't go unnoticed by Sydney.
"What are you all happy about?" She asked, running her fingertips lightly through my hair.
"Nothing, I was just playing with Donovan before I ran out here."
I so badly wanted to tell Syd, but wanted to surprise her even more. It was quiet in the car for the next couple of minutes. Obviously Sydney had bought my lie because she didn't question it. Instead, she continued to lightly massage my head and play with my right ear.
"Hey… what classes are you taking next semester?" I questioned, setting her up for the big reveal.
"A few lit classes, humanities, journalism and some history class."
"That's not that bad. You won't be carrying a heavy load. Not nearly as much work as the winter semester."
"Yeah I know. I just want to get it over with." She sighed. "Because after I leave, all I'm going to want to do is come home back to you."
"So that history class, is that the American history class we were supposed to take together this year?"
"I'm sorry Vaughn, but I can't wait for you because I need to fill up my units." Syd apologized.
"No, no. It's fine. Just remind me to add it in when I schedule for my classes this week."
There was a long pause in the car. For a second I thought she didn't get my hint or she didn't hear what I said.
"What?" She finally asked.
"Oh… I just said that I have to register for my classes next week so remind me to add it in."
"What do you mean registering… is it… are you trying to tell me… Omg, Vaughn!" She stuttered, not being able to spit out a coherent sentence.
"I didn't tell you? I guess I forgot. I'm moving back up to San Francisco again."
"VAUGHN!" Syd screamed. "Why didn't you tell me? When did you find out? How did this happen? Are you just joking with me? Because if you are, I'm going to kick your ass for playing with my emotions."
"I just found out 5 minutes ago. I walked into my house and there were all these boxes by the door. When I asked my mom what was going on, she told me that my Aunt Trish is moving in with her to help her through the radiation while I go back to school until the summer." I explained.
"I can't believe it. I won't have to suffer without you anymore." She joked. "So now we're officially moving in together."
"Yes, we're officially moving in together." I repeated, pulling into her driveway and placing a soft kiss on her lips.
"So how about we go celebrate?"
I was awake late the next morning, exhausted from the night before and enjoying the fact that we could sleep in as long as we wanted. The bright lights from the sun came peeking under Syd's curtains, bringing a soft glow into the room.
Syd was once again murmuring something in her sleep as I laid on my back. In most circumstances, I would've complained about having to sleep under pink sheets and a pink blanket, but I had no right to whine since Sydney and I had spent almost every night at my house. It was the first time in weeks that we decided to stay over her place and it was all because the presence of Jack Bristow was missing.
I could feel Syd shifting over next to my body while she threw her arm over my body and nuzzled up against my neck. Her warm breath tickled the side of my face as I kissed the top of her forehead.
"Morning roomie." She grumbled with her eyes still shut.
"Good morning to you too."
"I'm starving, Vaughn. You know what would be really good right now? Blueberry pancakes."
"We can't have blueberry pancakes unless your dad keeps blueberries in the house which I doubt he does." I answered back. "Will cereal work?"
"I guess so."
"Ok, I'll be right back."
After slipping out of Syd's embrace, I searched around the room for my sweats and threw my Kings shirt over my head.
"Have you seen my sweats, Syd?" I asked quietly, rummaging through my bag.
"No. Don't worry about it. You're just coming back up here anyways."
Taking Syd's advice, I quietly left the room and ran down the stairs. To my surprise, Jack had kept quite a variety of cereal in the cupboards. Everything from Cheerio's to Lucky Charms were up on the shelves, making it tough to decide which one Syd would want for breakfast.
Loud footsteps could be heard coming from the family room and I had a feeling Sydney would crawl out of bed sooner or later.
"Hey… I told you I'd get it for you. I'm serving your breakfast in bed." I joked, feeling her presence from the entranceway of the kitchen.
"That won't be necessary." A stern male voice answered back.
Turning around, I nearly dropped the bowl of cocoa puffs that I was holding in my hand. There in the doorway stood Jack Bristow with his arms folded across his chest and an unpleasant look plastered on his face.
I really had no idea what to do next. Do I shake his hand? Offer him cereal? Run back upstairs and throw on some pants that Syd instructed me not to put on. I suddenly regretted listening to her advice while I stood in my green striped boxer shorts in front of a scary looking Jack Bristow.
"Hi Jack. I was just bringing Sydney some breakfast. Umm, you wouldn't want some Cheerio's or something, would you? Because I have an extra bowl here." I said shakily.
"No, I already ate breakfast. I see that you and my daughter were taking advantage of the empty house while I was on my business trip."
"Oh… actually we didn't even know you were gone." I lied.
"Is that so? Tell me Mr. Vaughn, if you knew I'd be home, why are you walking around my house in your boxer shorts?"
Shit. That was the only thing running through my mind at that moment. Jack had caught me in a lie and there was no way I could get out of it.
"That's a good question. But, I should actually get this cereal up to Syd before it gets soggy. You know how bad it is to eat soggy cereal."
I tried my best to walk passed him, putting my head down and tucking the two spoons tightly in my hand. Unfortunately, Jack grabbed my arm just as I was about to head out.
"Michael, don't think I'm that naïve to know that you and Sydney are having pre-martial relations under the roof of my house. And while I know you two are grown adults and can make your own decisions, just know that if you ever impregnate my daughter while you two are still pursuing your education in college, I will make sure you pay the consequences. Understand?" He stated sternly.
"Yes, sir."
"Good, now don't keep Sydney waiting for her breakfast."
Pulling into a full on sprint up the stairs and towards Syd's room, my heart was beating so fast in my chest that I thought I was going to pass out. Out of all the months that I had been dating Syd, he still hadn't given me the talk or lecture yet. I was hoping that somehow he forgot or he just wasn't going to give it to me.
Boy, was I wrong. Before opening to the door to her room I promised myself, never ever to sleep at Syd's house again.
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