The Watch
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Alias or anything to do with Alias, other than my complete boxed set seasons 1 and 2.
"This watch belonged to my father. It's broken now, but it used to keep perfect time. When he gave it to me, he said, 'you could set your heart by this watch'..."
I bet when my father told me that, he didn't realize quite how true that would turn out to be.
"It stopped October 1st. The day we met."
He had fallen for her instantly. He silently watched as she poured out her story, filling page after
page without pausing. As they worked together more and more, he realized just how much she
meant to him. She consumed his thoughts. She was the last thing he thought of at night. She was
the first thing he thought of in the morning, and the entire time in between was spent dreaming
about her. He spent all day at work worrying about her. He loved her, plain and simple. He no
longer needed the watch to set his heart. His heart now belonged to Sydney Bristow. After SD-
6 was taken down, he was finally able to be with her. To hold her, and kiss her, drive her to
work. He could giver his heart to her, and the entire world could know. And she took it, giving
him hers in return. Everything was perfect, despite everything going on at work, her mother,
Sloane, everything was good because they had each other. He felt safe, his heart was safe. And
then, as suddenly as she had entered into his life, she was gone. She was dead, the DNA
proved it, but Vaughn couldn't believe it, he knew that couldn't be true. His heart was still
beating so she had to be out there somewhere. He believed that for a long time, until one month
became two, then four, then eight. She was gone, and she took his heart with her...so how was
he still alive?
( 3x14- "blowback")
As he held his father's watch in his hands that morning, he thought about how complicated everything had become. He didn't
know what to set his heart to anymore. Syd was back again, making her sudden appearance, but he was trapped. He loved
his wife. He had moved on. But did he really move on? He loved his wife, he never questioned that, but did he love her as
much as he had loved Sydney, as much as he still loves Sydney. He knew the answer right away. He hadn't love anyone as
much as he loved Sydney, including his wife. Syd always had a special part of him. Something that he couldn't let go of, even
if he wanted to. But that was the problem- he didn't want to. He loved her still, never stopped actually. He just pushed her
aside, hid her in the corner and covered her up while he let someone else in; someone to ease the pain of losing her. But
then he got that call that he had been hoping for for two years, they had found her. She was in Hong Kong. And just like that,
her little corner was uncovered, and she was slowly taking over, pushing Lauren out, and trying to take back his whole heart.
And it was working.
"I realized I forgot the anniversary of your father's death, I felt terribly and I wanted to do something special to make up for it. It's the watch he gave you. I had it fixed."
She fixed his watch. He found it strangely fitting. She fixed his watch like she had fixed his heart. She pulled him out of the
dark, dark place he had retreated into when he lost Syd. She brought him back to life, sobered him up, made him face the
truth and move on. He was grateful to her for that, but in that moment, he realized her job was done. He couldn't set his
heart to her like he had done with Sydney. When the watch broke, he realized he didn't need it anymore, and now that it's
fixed, he's realized that he still didn't need it. He still sets his heart by Sydney Bristow
"This isn't working. Not the watch, us. This isn't working for me. I'm not happy. I don't know, I guess for a while, I thought I could be again. I don't think that's gonna happen. I think we should separate."
(after the season 3 finale)
He had gone home to pack his bags. He and Syd were finally back together. Lauren was dead. They stayed there, holding
each other for awhile, until they realized the tranquilizer darts Syd had used would be wearing off soon and they'd be in
trouble if they hung around much longer. They had gone back up to the hills to take Katya into custody, but she was gone.
"Well, I guess that just adds one more to the list of people who want me dead," she had said, gently touching the bandages
on my back, "We'll find her, and she'll pay for what she did." Then we left that place without looking back. We could finally
both look ahead and see a happy future. Together. He had serious explaining to do at headquarters when he had gotten
back, but thanks to Syd's help and threats, he was able to escape the whole ordeal with only a severe reprimanding and a
temporary cutback in clearance. He was ordered to go home and rest. The doctors wanted to admit him back into the
hospital, saying that it was a miracle he hadn't killed himself, but he refused. He didn't want to spend another second, never
mind another night, away from Sydney.
He went back to her place that night. She had insisted that he stay with her, saying that he needed to stay with someone
who could watch over him and nurse him back to health. "Someone to call the ambulance if you puncture that lung again,"
she joked, before quietly adding, "I don't really feel safe in that big house all by myself." She was lying, he knew and she
knew that he knew it. Sydney Bristow did not have to worry about defending herself from burglars. It didn't take much to
convince him to stay. She had an extra bed, and Weiss's couch wasn't all that comfortable. There was no way he was going
back to that house- "their house". He didn't end up using the extra bed. Unfortunately his injury prevented them from doing
what they both had really wanted to do, but he was kind of glad to have an excuse to take it slow. They both needed time.
Both were content to just hold each other and all asleep in each other's arms like they used to, years before. That night they
both felt safer than they had in a long time.
He casually mentioned, a few days later, his need for a new apartment. He asked for her help in finding a place.
"You're good at that kind of thing."
"Real estate?" She joked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah. But then again, you're good at just about everything."
"Stay with me."
She blurted out so suddenly that it made him drop his newspaper. After a long discussion, it was settled. He would move in
with her, using the spare bedroom, though they both knew the bed in that room would never be used.
It was when he went back the "that house" to pack that he found it, lying in his top dresser drawer- his father's beloved
watch. He looked at it and realized the irony of it. He smiled as he saw that it had stopped again. His heart was back where it
belonged.
The End