- Title: Setting the Proposal
- Author: A. Jinnie McManus
- Email: jinnie@sbjdesigns.com
- Rating: PG
- Spoilers/Timeline: Prequel to "Surmising Alliances" (also archived here). Future fic. Fits with all aired Alias episodes.
- Summary: Because every wedding has a backstory. Prequel to "Surmising Alliances". (Can be read independently.) S/V with J/I angst. Canon-friendly.
- Disclaimer: Not mine. Some quotes are directly from various episodes. No infringement is intended.
- 'Ship: S/V, J/I
- Archiving: Ask first.
Chapter One: The Night It Began
She can't breathe. The world has suddenly turned into categorical array of primary colors, each one brighter than the rest.
But none more beautiful than the man kneeling in front of her.
"I rehearsed what to say here," he stammers. "Seriously. I asked Donovan, my lamp, the desk…"
"Vaughn - "
"Shhhhh," he teases. "Let me finish."
She grins, properly abashed.
"Sydney, I love you. I love you so much." He drops his head, smiling to himself. "People always say, 'you two fell in love'," he muses. "But we didn't fall, Sydney. We rose up to it. You inspired me to rise up to us."
She can't speak. Tears of joy flow from her eyes. Her heart melts as she looks down at him, watching as he purses his lips and clearly fights for control of his emotions.
"For most of my life, I lived in this shadow," he continues, voice hoarse. "I know that sounds melodramatic. But it's true. I was the little boy that lost his father, and it stole my innocence and my ability to feel strong emotion. I didn't let myself feel strong emotions," he grins. "Unless I was yelling at Weiss, of course."
Weiss throws his napkin at him. Vaughn and Sydney both dodge without noticing they do so, lost in the moment that begins an eternity together.
"And then there you were," he breathes, awed at even the memory. "This kid with bozo hair that singlehandedly got me assigned to every shrink the CIA could come up with, because of my inability to stay objective with you. And I didn't care. Because me not being objective meant you would be there tomorrow, free to go about your life with your friends or your school or everything else I could only hear about, and never be a part of. I was content with that."
She nods, grasping his free hand.
"But I'm not content anymore," he all but whispers. "I want to share those tomorrows with you. I want to wake up every morning with you in my arms. I want, Sydney, to share all the joys and sorrows of life with the woman that I love more than anything." He pauses. "That's you, if you were wondering."
Weiss snorts. Will groans, amused.
And Vaughn takes a deep breath, looking her full in the eyes and sliding a ring on her hand.
"Sydney Bristow, will you do me the honor of being your husband? Will you marry me?"
And she looks down at him, crying freely.
"No," she chokes out. "No, I will not."
(Upon completion of Presages!)