This story was something I wrote in response to a challenge my friend and I were doing. We gave the other person characters and had to write a songfic based on who we were given. My friend gave me Vaughn, Sabrina, and Regis. Admittedly, Regis isn't really in this story, because the song I used was definitely more about Vaughn (and a little bit of Sabrina). But "Find Yourself" by Brad Paisley was almost made for the guy, so I had to use it.

This was originally a songfic, but I removed the lyrics because of the site's rule about lyrics in the story (I used some of the lyrics for the summary though....heh.....). If anyone's interested in the original draft though (with the lyrics in), let me know. The original is also on my Livejournal (the homepage link on my profile), so you can find it there.

Anyway, enjoy!

Find Yourself

"Thank you," the old man behind the counter said, taking the payment. Then with a slight bow, he added, "I hope you've enjoyed your stay at the Original Inn."

With a small nod, Vaughn pulled the straps of his bag over his shoulder and made his way out. Tipping his hat to the owner, he slowly closed the door behind him.

It would be the last time he'd ever set foot in the Original Inn again.

Inhaling deeply, he sighed softly as he looked over the town, gently colored by the setting sun. He watched as lingering townsfolk, undeterred by the approaching night, conversed and went about their business. It was hard to believe that this was the same island that he first arrived on more than four years ago. Back when it was only starting out with a handful of people struggling to make it. He never thought it would flourish as much as it had.

So many people were coming to live on this island. But he never imagined that he would be one of them. Yet even now, he found that he didn't want to leave.

Heading down the path towards the beach, he stopped when he saw two familiar figures approaching. A fisherman and a farmer were the last people he thought he'd ever be close to, but surprisingly he found that he had some things in common with them. Of all the people on the island, the two were among the few he was closest with, and he actually appreciated their company.

"Hey, Vaughn!" Denny called as they approached him.

"You all done working today?" Chelsea asked with a cheerful smile.

Vaughn nodded slightly, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "Mirabelle didn't have a lot for me to do today, so I finished early."

Denny grinned. "Cool. Well, Chelsea and I were gonna meet Lanna at Luke's for some dinner. You wanna come?"

Fingering the brim of his hat, Vaughn pulled it down a little more on his head. "Thanks," he replied, "but I need to catch the next ferry. I have a lot of things to take care of before next week, so I want to leave as soon as possible."

The two of them glanced at each other, and he could almost hear what they were thinking.

"So you're really gonna do it?" Chelsea wondered. "I mean, you're really gonna go through with it?"

Vaughn quirked an eyebrow. "You don't think I would?" he wondered.

"No, it's not that," the girl farmer corrected. "It's just…it's surprising, that's all."

He glanced down the road that led to East Town, a wisp of a smile on his lips. "Yeah…surprised me, too."

"Well, I'm happy for you, man," Denny said. With a wink, he added, "Eventually, a wanderer's gotta find a place to call home, right?"

Vaughn chuckled softly, recalling the conversation he had with the other man that day on the beach. He hadn't understood then, but he was beginning to. "I guess so," he replied.

Chelsea smiled. "I'm happy for you, too," she assured. "And if you were going to choose anywhere to live, I'm glad you chose to stay here on the island."

Once again Vaughn looked toward East Town. "Yeah…" he said. Truthfully, there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

"Well, I guess we should let you get going," Chelsea said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Bye, Vaughn."

He tipped his hat to her. "See ya."

With a grin, Denny waved and followed after the girl. "See ya next week!" he called as the two of them headed away.

Vaughn remained where he stood, watching as the two disappeared down the road. He couldn't remember a time when anyone was looking forward to seeing him return. He usually spent so much time working, so much time traveling, that he never gave people a chance to know him. He grew accustomed to coming and going, never staying anywhere for too long, and he expected things to stay that way.

Sunny Island was just supposed to be another place of business, another way to earn money and make a living. He remained on the island for two days and would travel to work somewhere else. He thought one day he would move on, to leave this place behind as he'd done with so many others.

But somewhere along the way…things changed.

He never expected to enjoy this place as much as he did…He never expected to make friends here, more friends than he could recall ever having…He never expected to look forward to coming back every week…And now, with just a week to go, he never expected to be preparing to spend the rest of his life here.

When he first came to this island years ago, he never expected any of it. And he certainly never guessed he would be thankful for it all. But he was…and he felt happier than he had in a long time.

With another sigh, Vaughn once again headed down the road towards the beach, making a mental list of all the things he needed to take care of before he returned. Just as he was leaving town, however, a strong gust of wind whipped around him, snatching his hat from his head before he had a chance to grab for it. He turned, watching as the wind carried his hat back up the road into West Town. Frustrated, he started to go after his hat, but then he stopped.

Another figure was coming down the road, and he felt his heart skipped a beat as she neared. The strong wind seemed to calm in her presence as it suddenly faded into a soft breeze, gently placing the hat at her feet. She paused for a moment, then bent down to pick it up.

He watched as she came closer, dusting his hat off before presenting it to him.

"Here," Sabrina said softly. "I think this is yours."

With a small smile, Vaughn took his hat from her and placed it back on his head. "Thanks," he replied. Then he frowned as he looked down the road towards East Town; she was normally back home around this time. "What are you doing here?"

She flushed a little, brushing away some of her ebony hair from her face. "W-well…I saw Denny and Chelsea on their way to the diner, and they told me you were getting ready to leave. So I…I-I wanted to see you off."

He wasn't sure why he felt his face warm up as well, but he managed to regain his composure as he looked up towards the sunless sky. "It's getting dark," he said.

"I'll be all right," she promised.

Turning to her, he shook his head. "I don't want you walking home by yourself at night. It's not safe."

He couldn't help thinking how cute she looked as she pouted. "Now you sound like my father," she said.

He grimaced slightly; while he disliked the pretentious older man, he had to agree with her father's concerns about her safety…even if he would never admit it out loud.

She was just so cheerful, so trusting, so innocent…and he hated the thought of anything bad happening to her.

So with a small smile, he nodded his head down the path and said, "Come on…I'll walk you home."

Frowning slightly, she glanced towards the beach. "You might miss the ferry," she said.

He shrugged. "I'll catch the next one." Gently he took her hand and led her down the road back to East Town.

For a while, the two walked together silently, focused on the road in front of them. Then Sabrina said softly, "I'm sorry for troubling you like this. I just wanted to say goodbye before you left."

"Don't worry about it," Vaughn replied.

Another lapse of silence, but then suddenly the girl giggled quietly. Curious, he looked at her with a questioning brow. "What?" he wondered.

She shook her head slightly, glancing up at him. "This just reminds me of the time you walked me home that day I wasn't feeling well."

Vaughn nodded; he remembered that day very well.

She giggled again. "Looking back on it now, I'm kind of glad I wasn't feeling well that day. It was the first time you and I ever really spoke to each other, and you were so nice to take me home. I guess if it wasn't for that day, we wouldn't be getting married next week…"

"Yeah…" Vaughn said softly. He would never forget that day; he tried to pretend he was only annoyed with her, and that she was being a bother. But she saw through him and found a side of him that even he didn't know he had…the side that she brought out of him. No matter how distant he tried to be around her, she still found some kindness in him…and now, he wanted to be everything she thought of him, everything she wanted and needed from him.

He wanted to be there for her…and he just couldn't imagine his life without her.

When they finally reached the gate of her mansion, Sabrina turned to him. "Thanks for walking me home," she said, shyly glancing away as she folded her hands in front of her.

"Sure," he said. With a small nod, he turned to leave.

He only managed a step, however, when her voice called him back. "Vaughn?"

Curious, he turned back to face her as she rested one hand on the gate and leaned against it. Even under the evening sky, he could see her cheeks were flushed as she met his eyes, a quiet determination shining beneath her glasses.

"I…I-I love you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vaughn hesitated slightly; he felt his mouth open to answer her, but then he closed it again. Even after everything that's happened, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Words were never his strong suit, but even if he could say them, he knew no amount of words would ever be enough.

So instead he approached her once again, slipping a finger underneath her chin and tilting her head up. Then he leaned forward, gently capturing her lips with his own. She tensed in surprise, but only for a moment before relaxing again, and she leaned into him and deepened the kiss.

After a moment, he drew back; watching as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. He gave her a small smile, tipping his hat before finally heading away for the last time.

It was only after he entered West Town again that he released the breath he was holding, carefully licking his lips. He wanted more, but it would have to last him for the week…until the day he spent the rest of his life by her side.

The End