Chapter 3

Vaughn sighed and rolled over onto his stomach, where he could better observe his wife. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and tried to fall asleep. As the minutes ticked by, sleep kept eluding him, so he finally got up to run. He grabbed his keys and leaned down to kiss Sydney goodbye.

"What is it?" She asked sleepily.

"I'm going running." He said. "See you later."

"Why?" She asked bewildered.

"I'll see you later." He said, avoiding her question and pressed a kiss into her silky brown hair before walked out the door. He pushed the car quickly to the corner, making sure that Sydney couldn't hear him, and then sped off towards the address that Jack had given him. He rolled up the garage like door and was confronted with a surplus of army supplies. Vaughn felt his heart give a little jump of shock and astonishment. Sure he'd been here before, but seeing it all again, knowing that he was going to have to face his ex-wife in a few short hours sent shivers up his spine. He gazed around, shutting the door behind him, and walked over to a wall of the latest military specs. He tucked two knives into his waistband and an extra gun, then attached one to his leg and one up his sleeve. He hastily locked the door behind him and with his tires squealing, hurried to the place where Lauren Reed was staying.

He glanced around the lobby, but it was deserted. There was no sound except for the soft snoring of the sleeping concierge. He found the entrance for the stairs and started the journey upwards. He stopped on the 4th floor and then walked down the hall to number 47. He knocked and glanced around to make sure no one was anywhere close.

He heard the scrape of the lock being drawn and he cocked the weapon behind his back. She opened the door and gasped in shock, taking several steps back, her knees bending slightly.

"Come out here, with your hands up in the air." He growled in a low voice.

"You know that's not what you want." She said coyly, getting her courage back after the initial shock of seeing her ex-husband.

"Shut up and get out here!" He hissed, trying not to raise his voice to high.

"Come in and we'll talk." She said pleadingly. He hesitated and lowered the gun a little, still keeping it at ready. He was ready to kill her if she even blinked too many times. He was ready to kill her without conscience. This woman needed to be stopped. He soothed his nerves internally and took a deep breath. "Please Michael." Her voice was so calming. He found himself lost in her voice, mesmorized, and walked over to her.

"God, you are beautiful woman." He said, smelling the scent of her hair that was lavender and vanilla together. He was drawn to her. His hand reached up and caressed her face, one that he hadn't seen in what seemed like a lifetime. She was just so intoxicating and he couldn't resist her. He leaned down and their lips met in a passionate kiss. They carefully made their way to the bed where their clothes were quickly thrown haphazardly around the room and their desire extinguished quickly. "You always were good at that." He said, sighing, his fingers tracing circles on her bare back.

"It's been 15 minutes, shouldn't you be going?" Lauren asked, sounding concerned for once.

"I don't want to go." He whined slightly. He wanted to stay with the best creation God had ever come-NO NO NO-Sydney, Oh my God, he'd betrayed the women he loved, his wife, and soon to be mother of his child. He scrambled around the room pulling on his clothes and hurried out of the room, not glancing back once to see where Lauren was.

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A women clad in all black sat in another room, watching the young lovers. She smirked and checked the recording again, making sure she was had gotten a clear view of their faces along with the sounds they were emitting.

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Vaughn pushed the car exactly where it had been before and undressed quickly; slipping in bed next to Sydney dressed only in his boxers. He hugged her and felt a solitary tear making its way into her hair and disappearing. He laid awake the rest of the night. He couldn't believe what he had just done, it was horrible. He was disgusted by his actions. How could he have tarnished such a wonderful and perfect thing like his marriage to Sydney? He swore over and over in his mind it wouldn't ever happen again. He swore it. He stroked Sydney's hair and watched as the sun slowly drenched their room in light. He jumped slightly at the alarm, but felt Sydney start to move and he got up too. She sauntered into the bathroom to take a shower where Vaughn joined her, feeling dirty and unclean. He felt so guilty looking at her. He knew that he wasn't good enough for her. He knew that Sydney would never betray him like he had just betrayed her.

"Vaughn?" Sydney asked. Vaughn looked down at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned, panicking, maybe she had heard him or maybe she noticed.

"I love you, that's all." She said, giving him a dimpled smile. "You're going to be a good father." She said and opened the door to get out. Vaughn felt his heart break at that. He started to call her back, but restrained and let another tear make its way down his cheek as he tried to forget that anything had ever happened.