The Aislin Chronicles
Part XLIII
A/n: Thanks for the reviews! Okay, so I made a little mistake—I'm pretty good about researching these things because I hate reading those fics where Sydney's two weeks pregnant and she can feel her fetus kicking her—anyway, I didn't know when women went on maternity leave so I kind of just sent Sydney home. I guess my excuse for this is… Because Vaughny said so Please review!
11-26-03
3:41 PM
Mr. Davidson is whack. He assigns us a project on the book I hate over my Thanksgiving break. Luckily I'm not traveling anywhere so I don't have to work by myself. I'm going to do something with Jess and Krissy, but we aren't sure yet what exactly we're doing. We have a lot of options. Regardless, I feel forced to schedule my four days' holiday around his stupid assignment when I could be, I don't know, um, hanging out with Ian? Well, it shouldn't take us more than a day to do whatever, but I like to keep my options open. And Ian's been having basketball practices, and once games start I'll never see him. Except for math class. Sigh. Who makes you do two projects on one book? This intern is crazy. I want Mrs. Fitzgerald back. She needs to be teaching us, because Davidson sucks at being a teacher.
Whatever, I'd rather think about how I plan to stuff my face tomorrow at dinner. We were planning on having dinner here, so we invited Will and Francie, but then Jack said he wanted to host dinner, so now dinner is at Jack's place. I feel bad for Will and Francie being thrust into dinner at Jack's. I feel bad for anyone who has to be in close contact with Jack. I think Weiss and Aunt Melody are stopping by later for dessert after they've eaten dinner at the Silko's. I assume that they're going out again. I mean, if they're hitting up two Thanksgiving dinners, am I wrong in believing that they might be more than just friends? Whatever. I'll just have to observe.
I'm so not doing homework until Sunday night. This is awesome.
11-27-03
10:02 PM
Today was such a good day. I love Thanksgiving. It's probably my favorite holiday. No. Christmas probably is. Well, and the Fourth of July is fun too. Never mind, you get the idea.
We arrived at Jack's humble abode mid-afternoon. We brought some food with us (I can't remember what dish anymore) and the dogs. We really hated to leave them all alone, especially because Chester's a gigantic bundle of energy and if he sits around the house all day he'll be awake all night trying to play, but also because, from Mom's words… "So Aislin doesn't get bored." Ha.
We mostly sat around and watched football until Francie and Will got there. Then we continued watching football, only there was a lot more conversation between Francie and Mom. They started talking about the baby, and I realized I hadn't seen any baby-Sydney pictures.
"Hey Jack, do you have any pictures of little Sydney around here?"
He nodded, but didn't move to go find them for me or anything. Cause I guess only a crazy person would do something like that. Mom interjected. "There might be one or two albums in my old room, but I think those are mostly from high school. Oh! They might be up in the attic with my old toys–"
"I don't think so," Jack interrupted her calmly.
"Well, I can go check."
Just as Mom started to heave herself off the couch, Jack finally tore his eyes away from the game on the screen. "No."
"It won't hurt to look, Dad."
"I will not have you clamber up that ladder in your… condition." He glanced at her stomach briefly. "I'll do it later." The look on his face almost made me laugh, I had to bite my tongue to stifle myself. She's pregnant, Jack, get over it! Then she gave him this look and that certainly ended my wanting to laugh. I figured that I would go check later if he hadn't yet.
Soon after that Jack and I set the table. He kept glancing at me oddly, I couldn't figure out why until I realized that I was whistling the theme song from Friends. Oops. And then—ah—we feasted a most marvelous meal of turkey and potatoes and stuffing and cranberries and rolls and oh my gosh it was delicious. When all of the adults were having coffee after dinner, I dragged myself into the living room and rolled onto the couch. I ate soooo much. And still, it doesn't even compare to the amount of food Mom ate, I mean, she was incredible. They way she just shovels it all in, we should put her on TV.
Anyway, the dogs started pestering me so I reluctantly played with them on the floor even though I just wanted to fall asleep watching another football game. And even though I was completely and utterly full, I wanted dessert, but we were waiting for Weiss and Aunt Melody to arrive, and so Dad could open his birthday presents. I figured we had some time because I remembered Jess saying that they usually ate later. So then I decided to check out the attic and look for those albums, I really wanted to see Baby Mommy.
The dogs followed me up the stairs; Chester was biting Donny's little tail stub and Donny was growling it him. I told them to knock it off but they wouldn't listen. Hmm. Up the ladder I climbed until I reached the floor, where I stood up and felt for the string to pull that turned on the light. I remembered from last time I was up there where to look, and I saw the old dollhouse and the box of Sydney's stuff. Without much notice of anything else, I went right for the boxes and started digging, but Jack was right, they weren't there anyway.
I stood back up from my knees and reached for the light when my vision grazed across the dollhouse again. It was different. I stepped closer to it, and noticed that the broken parts had been fixed, and it looked like it was in the process of being painted. That's when I realized: Jack did this. For my sister. For his granddaughter.
I almost fell backwards down the hole in the floor, so when I caught myself I tried to put the boxes just as they had been to look like nobody had gone upstairs, and then turned out the light and climbed back down. I sat at the top of the stairs with the dogs and just had to think for a moment. I almost couldn't believe that Jack would do something like that. It was so sweet, and such a thoughtful gift, certainly not characteristic of him. Then again, this is his first grandchild, that is, if you don't count me, because I was kind of a random surprise and I guess baggage that came with marrying Vaughn. (Note, I don't think of myself as baggage, I just couldn't think of a better way to put it.) I wondered if I had begun to soften Jack up. I mean, technically I'm the weakness of his non-existent alter ego Captain Monstrosity. But seriously, did I make Jack nicer? Was I the weakness to Jack Bristow, the man with a heart of steel? I think I was, er, I am. And so will be my sister. Maybe Jack has a heart after all.
When my reflecting was done I sat and listened to the conversation going on over coffee. I was still on top of the stairs, so I was actaully eavesdropping.
"Where's Aislin?" I heard Mom ask.
"I think she's out with the dogs," Dad replied. Donovan looked at me then, and it made me smile.
I admit, the eavesdropping wasn't so much fun because they were talking about boring things. What's Mom doing at home? Sleeping, making me cookies. I could have answered that question. Hmm. Jack wants her to do some research, if she doesn't mind. She doesn't. So now she's going to do some research. See? Not that fun.
I saw a car pull into the driveway through the little windows next to the front door, so I quietly came back downstairs and went into the living room. The dogs started barking when they heard Weiss and Melody outside, and, I don't care to describe this any further.
Skipping ahead, apple pie is delightful. I think I have a new favorite dessert. Francie makes really amazing apple pie, and if you're ever offered a piece, don't you dare refuse it. Because, well, you are a journal, and you don't eat things, so I would have to eat it for you.
Then Dad opened his presents and Chester fell asleep under my chair and I had to sit awkwardly so my feet wouldn't stomp on him. Francie and Will offered to do the dishes, so the rest of us retired to the living room after we cleared our plates in the kitchen. Jack said he would go find the baby pictures for me, so Mom and I sat down together on the couch, where we were quickly joined by Dad who cuddled with Mom and rubbed her belly. I would look over at Weiss and Melody every once in a while, but they were just sitting there watching football. He didn't have his arm around her or anything, and they weren't holding hands. No good evidence. I was disappointed.
But then I forgot all about it because Mom was the most adorable baby! Her dimples were so cute, and she had these big brown eyes, and really soft-looking wispy brown hair. I would have the cutest little sister if she turned out looking like that. If she ended up looking like Dad, well, I haven't seen him as a baby but I've seen him as a little kid. He was pretty average looking. Not particularly adorable, but not ugly. He was blonde. Hehe. But he turned out all right. Daddy's a good looking man. But, oooh, I want her to look like Mom with those dimples!
I got so excited looking at baby Sydney that I forgot to keep an extra eye on Weiss and Melody, but oh well, I can still talk to Jess and see what she observed. I have to talk to her anyway so we can designate a time to work, cough, stall, cough, on our project this weekend. Right now I think I'm gonna go downstairs and see what Mom and Dad are up to. Later.
And Happy Thanksgiving!
11-29-03
11:41 AM
She has a name! Ha, I know her name, and so does Dad, but Mom won't know until January and I don't care because now I can call her—whoa, not so fast. Don't you think you can just weasel it out of me, journal, without me properly telling the story in chronological order. So there. Yes, I just stuck my tongue out at a journal. And, yes, I am a little pathetic.
Okay! So, Thursday night I went downstairs, and Mom was exhausted and had fallen asleep on the couch with her head in Dad's lap, and he was stroking her hair. They were so cute. There was some room on the other side of Dad, enough for me to sit, so I snuggled with Dad for a bit, and we talked quietly so's not to wake Mom.
I must have fallen asleep there because the next thing I remember is waking up yesterday morning in my bed wearing the clothes I had worn the day before. I felt kind nasty, and needed a shower, but the idea of breakfast overpowered that so I headed down into the kitchen. It seems I woke up at the perfect time because they were just beginning a conversation of baby names.
"…only one side of the family to look at, and I don't really care for those," was the first thing I heard Mom say, so I guess I didn't know they were talking about baby names when I entered, but Dad quickly informed me.
"Sydney's scrapping the family name idea," he told me.
"I realized I don't like any of their names."
I chuckled at her. She had been so excited about it when I told her my story, and now she had completely changed her mind. She did sound a little disappointed about it, though. I carried my bowl of cheerios into the dining room so I could listen to them discuss this.
Mom had asked him whether he had any family names. He responded, "I had a great aunt Charlotte who I really liked. She died a few years back. And, well, William…"
Mom nodded right away at William, then contemplated Charlotte. She said the name to herself a few times. "I think I like that. What do you think of the name Audrey? I've always liked that."
I immediately thought of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's, and how Mom and I love watching that movie. We were watching it when she found out she was pregnant, if I remember correctly, even though I wasn't aware of it. "Audrey's cute," I said.
"Yeah, I like that." Dad nodded. "Audrey Charlotte." And, like that, she was named. Audrey! My sister's name is Audrey! I just realized we'll have the same initials, that's kind of funny. Audrey and Aislin Vaughn. Aud and Ais. Insert girlish squeal and giddy clapping here. I want her now!
I thought we were done then, but I remembered that Mom had to pick out a boy's name too, because she didn't know yet, and Dad did a very convincing job not to let on what the gender is.
They struggled with agreeing on my hypothetical baby brother's name. "What about Nathan?" Mom asked.
Dad shook his head. "Bradley?"
"Mm, no. Maybe, Joshua?"
"I don't know. Maybe." Dad paused, then smiled to himself. "Hey, how about Milo?" I don't know exactly what Mom has against that name, but she gave Dad the WORST death glare I had ever seen. We're talking, I'm surprised Dad's heart didn't stop. Maybe Mom inherited some of Jack's super powers…
There was a little moment of silence, and I had zoned out anyway because I was busy thinking about a Super-Sydney, and a whole family of super-hero-slash-crime-fighters, and, well, Audrey (!) playing with the dollhouse Jack would have fixed up, and I almost didn't hear Mom ask for my opinion.
"Aislin?"
"Huh?"
"What do you think?"
"Oh." I was a little taken aback, not quite ready for a question like this. I mean, it's a girl, and we just gave her a name, and I clearly had not been thinking about boy's names for the last ten minutes, so I had to think fast. Quick, quick, it didn't matter what I said anyway, just as long as I sounded honest. "I like Andrew." Whew, that was a close one. And, yeah, Andrew wasn't a bad choice. I wonder how that name popped into my head…
Mom nodded. And Dad gave a 'that's not bad' shrug. "Andrew William," Mom tried out. "Joshua William. I guess we'll see."
About then I finished eating my cheerios, and they had finished talking about baby names and were onto a different subject. I really couldn't wait to call Jess and tell her about Audrey. Audrey Charlotte. Audrey Charlotte Vaughn. Ahh, it's so perfect!
Anyway, later in the afternoon I split for Jess's, actually, Dad drove me over there, so we chilled there for the rest of the day. And night, actually. I ended up staying over. Anyway, she and Krissy were telling me about how their huge family was playing Cranium yesterday, when we got the brilliant idea for our project—Johnny Tremainium. It was perfect, and for some reason we got all excited about it and started right away to make questions for each category. I had Jess work on all the Humdingers, because, well, I don't know any patriotic songs. Do you know how long it took me to get the Pledge of Allegiance down? It was awful. And it didn't help that we had to do it in Spanish, too, when we were in Spanish class.
Anyway, I was proud of our effort of making actual questions about the book. Seeing as the two of us sit next to this bookshelf in the back of the room with the new seating arrangement, we have more fun reading the books on the shelf than listening to Mr. Davidson talk about the book. And also seeing as none of us actually like it. The game board was fun to paint, though. And we just used the vocab words for all the spelling questions. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my J-Sizzle. Is it weird that I've been calling her that lately? Because I have. This morning we talked about how we could go watch Ian's basketball game together next Thursday, which is their first game of the year. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of excited about seeing him all working hard, and sweaty, and… I'll stop. That boy just makes me positively giddy! I'm really sad football games are over, because we tend to hold hands at those games. I… Whatever… You really don't care that much.
Stupid journal.
I'm going to go dance around the house and look for a snack. Then maybe I'll call Ian…
A/n: Now you know her name too! I've had it picked out for at least a year, probably even more than that, and now you and Aislin both know. I really doubt people could pick out baby names in a ten minute conversation, knowing how impossible it is for my family to name our new puppy (give me some suggestions? She's a cute little miniature schnauzer—charcoal gray with some white on her chest, paws, and butt), but I don't really care. Anyway, please review! I'm looking forward to reading them when I get back from Ireland!