Title: Southern Cross
Author: CG
Feedback: Please. If criticism, please make it constructive.
Disclaimer: Alias is owned by ABC, Touchstone, and is the creation of JJ Abrams and Bad Robot Productions. The song lyrics used are all about Crosby, Stills, Nash, and sometimes Young. They can be thanked for the title too.
Summary: Sydney/Lennox with remnants of Sydney/Vaughn. Future fic. Set around two years after Phase One. Sydney takes a trip alone to heal at an old friend's vacation home.
Rating: Hard R.
Classification: Mostly Romance with sides of Angst, Drama and just a hint of Smut.
Distribution: Cover Me, all others please ask.
***A/N – Okay, so this is me being fluffy. Personally, I think it leans more toward meringue type fluff, not the Cool Whip kind. Big thanks to pie for the beta, and to Jenai for wanting the daily pre-screens and offering feedback. Much appreciated.
I also had problems with uploading italics, which are flashbacks or dreams so those parts are separated by // for easier distinction. Also some random italic sentences popped out of nowhere.
Things weren't supposed to be this way.
Although, that's not entirely true. She was supposed to be in the South Pacific on vacation for three weeks, just not on this particular island and definitely not alone.
The original plan, devised over a year ago, consisted of an extensive break spent lazing in ninety-degree weather on light sandy beaches, cooling off in the waves of the crystal clear ultramarine ocean, sailing from island to island in a strong attempt to achieve a goal, his goal…
Sydney weakly cleared the constriction in her throat, the pain near powerful. Just the thought of his carefree "life's ambition", as he used to tease, still brought on sadness. She realized that after months of being forced to adapt that her sorrow was steadily waning, but was more aware that it could take many more before her feelings would be anywhere near settled. Knowing that truth, she sighed heavily, in part to relax but mostly to inhale the fresh salt filled air that crept in through the partially opened sunroof of her Toyota Rav4.
Her research of the area that she ended up deciding on wasn't extensive. It didn't need to be. She knew most of the details of Taveuni Island beforehand. The basics of Fiji–the climate in all seasons, including late January, the basics of Polynesian culture and customs, information on the surrounding amenities, address and thorough directions to the villa where she was staying were all communicated to her through periodic friendly email. All that was left for her to do was change her destination from its original, Tahiti, and arrange transportation.
As her rental hugged the curves of the recently tarred terrain, Sydney pulled a couple of normal sized sheets of paper from her tote bag. Facts relayed to her over the past couple years and playful, sociable conversation were all compiled on a few sheets of paper. After rechecking the last part of the instructions that she had mostly memorized, she made a left hand turn, the last one before reaching her destination.
Nearly two years ago when she had exchanged email addresses with Jim Lennox, Sydney would have never pictured a friendship developing between them. The first note, received a few weeks after Jim left Los Angeles was a bit uncomfortable, the content short and topics impersonal. That was to be expected. After all, he had experienced a major life transformation when he lost his fiancée, Emma, and Sydney was adapting to her newly developed relationship with Vaughn. But Jim's life was parallel to hers in so many ways; lies, betrayal, death of a lover, the importance of putting all of that aside in order to survive. She had come to consider him a kindred spirit.
Once the initial awkwardness had faded, and she assumed Jim had started to heal, the emails grew lighter. They started with an update on his four-week respite from the CIA in Fiji, visiting the place where Emma was from just like he had planned, then moved to a few on the job antics, personal jokes or stories, and transpired into the collection of emails that she had in her tote. Included were a few invitations, starting a year back, for her and Michael to stay at his newly purchased second home, the same one that she was nearing. It would have been the perfect getaway for the couple since Jim rarely had the chance to spend time there with his increasingly hectic schedule.
Before she came to the island, she pictured Fiji as the normal tropical paradise. But when she arrived, the scenery was more breathtaking than she had imagined. She never thought green as a color to admire, but the lush shade that covered the land and fanned from the tall coconut palms was enough to change her mind. It was beautiful. Even the narrow road that was taking her to Jim's place was impressive.
The gravel drive ended at a stunning, fairly large structure. Any pictures that she had seen over the year didn't do his home justice one bit. Built with a natural colored wood, the house consisted of three hexagon-shaped rooms, each with large windows and their own towering roof. From the ground, she also noticed a few skylights in the tiled peaks, surely adding to the natural glow inside. She knew it would be nice, most waterfront houses on the island were, but she wasn't quite prepared for the grandness of it.
Sydney stepped from her vehicle, gathered her large suitcase and tote, then made her way to the stairs that led to the front porch. Just as Jim had told her the countless times he'd dropped the open invitation for her to stay when he wasn't there, a spare key to the front door was found in the wall of the front flowerbed, under a loose brick.
Once inside, she couldn't help but be awestruck. It was a simple décor, the same color wood as the exterior lining the walls mixed nicely with the black furniture and tiling scattered throughout the combined living room and kitchen. The scent of wood and a hint of something tropical fluttered about her nose, intoxicating her. It was simple, but positively perfect.
Wasting no time, Sydney opened her suitcase to retrieve a few essentials. Since she had worn her bikini under her mid thigh black twill shorts and pale pink mesh top, the only items needed were her beach towel, sunscreen, and glasses before she went out the back sliding glass door.
The early afternoon sun shone brightly, heating the summer day to its full potential. Feeling a little lighter than she had in some time, Sydney almost jogged down the fifty-foot slope of green landscape and tall palms to the exclusive beach Jim had teasingly bragged to her about.
The exhibitionist in me thrives off the white sand and crisp surf. Nude has never been so fun.
Sydney smiled as she remembered his line from a past email, even more when she remembered her mischievous reply.
Personally, being alone with sand and water isn't in my initial thoughts when pondering what would be considered fun in the nude.
And he took the bait, taking the innuendo and running.
Interesting. Well tell me then, Sydney Bristow, what are some activities that you prefer to do while nude?
That was their comfort level. They had never made any other type of contact besides those emails. Both were busy with their jobs, busy moving on with their lives. Busy trying to keep themselves and those that they cared about the most alive…
Another pang hit her weighted heart as she spread her large white towel over the fine blanket of sand. A deep breath and quick strip down to her black two piece, and she was on her back, trying to relax. It worked, well into the first hour of bathing on the beach in fact. Her lotion soaked body rejoiced under the hot sun, tingled with the mid-day warmth. After setting her watch for an hour, she slowly drifted into a light state of meditation.
When she practiced the tool of wakeful rest, thoughts always seemed to flow back to Michael. As they should. Their days together were some of the most tranquil in her late twenties, and gave her all of the calming power she needed. This time it was New Year's Eve, just over a year ago.
//
"I don't know, Michael. Do you think we can get away with it?" Sydney looked into her lover's green eyes, her own filled with wonderment, "Don't you think that the people at work who don't know about us will get suspicious?"
His arms tightened around her small frame, drawing her closer to him as they swayed to the music. "Who cares, Sydney," the softness of his voice sent a pleasurable chill down her spine. "We've been together for almost a year now and those who have a direct affect on our lives, or career really, are more than aware of our relationship. Besides, you and I both could use some time off."
"But a whole month?" He smiled at her question, stopping their movement. "That's more time than I've taken off in the past two years combined."
The shiver in her body returned when he softly cupped her face, his lips inches away from hers. "You deserve this… we do. I'll do anything to make you say yes." A crooked smile spread across his lips, "You can't deny a man his life's ambition, can you?"
She bit her lip as she contemplated his offer. It wasn't that she didn't want to go away to Tahiti with him at the start of next year like he asked. His proposal of a joint vacation was absolutely enticing, but she knew that this sort of commitment would change everything between them. Take them to that next level. After Danny died and the Noah fiasco, she promised herself that if she ever did enter another relationship, she'd take it slow.
'But this is Michael,' she forced herself to remember the man in front of her, the man that had been her rock since the first day they had met. His green eyes were glowing as he waited for a response from her.
"Just say yes," he said while gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Sydney…Sydney…"
//
"Sydney?"
It took her a moment before she realized the voice was no longer in her head. At first she thought the breeze was playing a trick on her, whispering her name. That was until she felt a shadow hovering over her body, blocking her direct sunlight.
The interruption snapped her out of her reverie. Her sunglass covered eyes immediately popped open, but were still unable to make out her intruder. Almost abruptly, she sat up, removing her black shades and directing her attention to the tall figure above her.
"I didn't mean to startle you."
She made out his words even though the pounding of her heart was more prevalent in her head. He squatted to near her eye level, resting his elbows on his knees. His movements were slow and non-threatening. It was then that things clicked. His hair was sun soaked, nearly a shade lighter not to mention slightly longer, skin a bit darker than she remembered. His inquisitive eyes were now a bit rougher around the edges, but relaxed when he realized that she was remembering.
"Jim…" Sydney managed to get out, her voice cracking slightly. She felt a flush rise to her face when he smiled, his perfect pink lips curling upward. "I didn't know that you'd…I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," he laughed, lightheartedly. "I told you the place was yours whenever you wanted to use it."
"You didn't respond to the email that I sent informing you that I was coming, so I thought it would be okay." She knew that she sounded flustered, but she couldn't slow the beating of her heart or the heat that her uneasiness brought to her body.
Jim held his hand out to Sydney, assisting her to stand. "And it is okay. Even if I didn't receive your email."
After brushing a few grains of sand off of her legs, Sydney gave him a once over. He looked well, handsome in his unbuttoned short-sleeved white cotton shirt with the same colored tank underneath, thin khaki pants, and brown leather thong sandals. Remembering her state of undress, Sydney grabbed for her shorts, quickly putting them on.
Jim watched her intently, "So how long are you staying?"
"I was planning on three weeks, but I can leave before that if you want," she did her best at hiding the tremble in her voice.
"No, no. Please stay as long as you like." Sydney smiled faintly at him, her nervousness progressively decreasing. "It would be nice to have the company for a change."
Sydney gathered up her things and followed him back up the grassy pathway. "So, when did you arrive?"
He casually inserted his hands into his pockets as they walked, "A few days ago. I'm here for the next month, a much needed vacation."
"I know the feeling," Sydney replied quietly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance furtively in her direction before gazing down at the ground in front of him. His action made her heart leap. She hadn't emailed him much about her life within the past six months, but for some reason she sensed that he already knew.
"So," Jim broke the brief awkward silence. "I wasn't planning on feeding anyone but me, which means the house is somewhat deprived of food. What do you say we take a trip into town and hit the local market?"
She glanced at him right as he returned his gaze to her, his face soft and very much at ease. "Sure. I'll tag along." Another smile shared between them and they were at the sliding glass door.