Author: Bookworm0509
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Missing scenes post S2 ep.18

Sydney's POV

After we finally took down the Alliance, our lives were still frantic trying to apprehend Sloane and to keep his crazed pursuit of everything Rambaldi at bay.

We did not have many lazy weekends that Vaughn and I could share all to ourselves. The rare few we had, we took full advantage of … in every sense of the word … if you know what I mean.

It was a Saturday after all the frenzies surrounding my mother's disappearance.
As we were still trying to gather intel on Sloane and my mother's whereabouts and what they planned to do with the file they retrieved from the bio-genetic company, there was no urgent mission to go on and we caught a much needed break.

I was still reeling from the thought of losing Vaughn in Sark's hands.

When I saw him put a bullet through Vaughn, my Vaughn, as I had gotten accustomed to regard, I felt like my bottom just gave out. All I could think of was to get to him as soon as possible. As I flew down the flights of stairs, I felt the same dread I had when he was so sick with the virus. Seeing him slumped in pain gasping for air, I saw my hands moving quickly to pull off his layers and check his status, but my mind was blank and I wasn't really breathing. My senses only returned when I saw the bullet tucked safely on top of his vest and I immediately let out the breath I had been holding for what seemed like eternity. I put my forehead against his and I felt his breath on me. I kept asking if he was okay but that was more for me to know I was okay because he told me so. I helped him up, put his arm around my shoulder and never wanted to let go. Had it not been the adrenaline coursing through my body, I would be sobbing non-stop right there and then. I was so scared. Losing Vaughn could NEVER be an option.

The explosion, my mother's schemes and the tedious debrief unnerved me.

I was barely holding on when Vaughn took me back to my apartment.

I sobbed.

He held me and told me how much he loved me – for the first time.

We had always known how deep our feelings were for one another – we had perfected our non-verbal communication skills during my double agent days. So there was no urgency in verbalizing what had been felt and deepened since we got together.

Sark's bullet helped Vaughn realize he did not want to leave those words unsaid.

Though we hardly spent any days or nights apart after his first night in my apartment, I needed him close to know that he was real, that he was indeed okay.

We made love through the night to chase away the awful fear of what could have happened, and we finally fell into blissful slumber near daybreak.

When we stirred again, it was already mid-morning – a Saturday morning and we didn't have to be at the JTF.

We laid in bed, unhurried.

We made small talks and exchanged banters, just enjoying each other's company.
I had never been so in love – not with Noah, not with Danny. I cared for them deeply but not without reservation. With Vaughn, I could be completely vulnerable and completely safe at the same time.

We only got out of the house when our stomachs began to growl and we went for a leisurely brunch.

Vaughn was bent on spoiling me on my first weekend off in what felt like my lifetime. But my wish was simple and we found ourselves strolling along the ocean for the afternoon. He told me more of his childhood stories and I recounted more of my mischief during boarding school years.

No treats for Sydney Bristow was ever complete without a stop at Starbucks to grab my favourite latte.

We stopped by a rather large Starbucks and the merchandise aisle grabbed my attention. I spotted a tall ceramic mug with pink polka dots and yellow flowers on it.

"Syd … you made a beeline to a coffee mug?" Vaughn was curious about my fascination.

"Pink polka dots with yellow flowers … just like my favourite summer dress. I wore that dress on my 5th birthday ... and that was one of the last happy memories I had in my childhood before everything unravelled." I said with my full-dimpled smile.

He insisted on buying the mug for me and I was more than touched by his simple indulgence – he loved me… he loved all of me … my shady childhood, my hectic present et al.

I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his neck and kissed him with every ounce of love I felt.

When we broke apart, that's when I saw her. Alice. With a friend. Lining up for the cashier.

Honestly, I hadn't even thought about Alice since Vaughn told me they were over, amongst the ruins of SD-6.

The only other time Alice was mentioned was when Vaughn explained to me, despite their apparent reunion, things had never gotten back to being sexual. He used the excuse of wanting to take things slow while he knew in his heart how hypocritical it would have been to make "love" to someone he no longer loved. She was his necessary defence to stop him from losing utter control over his ever growing feelings for me. He needed to make that clear to me after our first couple nights together. As much as I said the past didn't matter, I had no idea how much it meant to me to actually hear him say that.

Now that Alice was only 20 feet away, I wasn't sure what to do exactly.

"Vaughn, don't turn around…"I said quietly as I kept my arms around his neck. He gave me a puzzled look as I continued …"Alice … two o'clock to your right." I paused for a moment before blurting out my request, "If we go up to say hi, I can't be Rita … us, our relationship cannot be a lie. If you don't want that, we probably still have time to slip away without being made".

Vaughn's reaction surprised me, he looked at me like he had just struck gold, and he replied with the widest smile I had seen on him, "Syd, we've got nothing to hide … you have no idea how proud I'm to be able to hold your hand in public, put my arm around your waist and let every one know that SYDNEY BRISTOW, the most amazing woman in the world, IS MY GIRLFRIEND!" he finished his tease by kissing me sweetly and letting his lips linger … maybe a bit too long as I could sense Alice glaring our way from the corner of my eye.

"I don't know how much luckier you want to get after last night … you probably should save all this sweet talking for another day…" I was never good at getting compliment.

"Is it working?" Vaughn continued teasing while grabbing the pink polka dots and yellow flowers coffee mug from the shelf.

"More than you think …"

"Good ..." he grinned.

When we slowly turned around to be on our way, we met Alice's gaze head on. She had a smile plastered on her face but I could see the flickering emotions in her eyes. After all, it had only been six months since the table was turned.

Holding the coffee mug in one hand, Vaughn laced his fingers through mine with the other hand as we slowly walked toward Alice and her friend.

"Michael, hi … it's so great to see you … it's been a while … and ummm Rita, right? It's good to see you too" Alice said so politely while her friend eyed me from head to toe.

"Hi, Alice … it's nice seeing you again …" Vaughn's voice conveyed his sincerity, "actually, let me introduce you … Sydney, you've met Alice and this is Evelyn …" Vaughn nodded towards the woman unknown to me. I could see Alice trying to conceal her confusion upon hearing Vaughn call me 'Sydney'.

"Alice, I'm so sorry … my name is really Sydney, not Rita…" I stopped for a second to gauge her reaction … "When we met, I was working on a highly classified case and was under orders not to disclose my true identity to anyone not related to the case." I tried my best to be truthful.

"I understand … Michael never talked much about his work. I got it that there was a lot he was not allowed to share … so what brought you to the area? Evelyn and I were just doing a bit of shopping close by."

"Syd and I were taking a walk down by the beach ... we're gonna grab a latte and be on our way to run some more errands."

"It's really good to see you Michael, you look happier than I've ever seen you." Alice said poignantly.

"I am happy." Vaughn looked my way and replied without hesitation.

"Nice meeting you Evelyn. Good to see you again Alice" I finished the exchange of pleasantries.

"Bye, Michael."

"Bye, Alice. Bye, Evelyn" Vaughn wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me toward the order line as Alice and Evelyn went opposite direction to find a place to sit down. I couldn't help but wonder how many times Vaughn and my name would be mentioned when Alice and Evelyn chatted over coffee. I surely was glad we got out of a potentially awkward situation rather comfortably.

"Vaughn, thank you …" I said wearing a foolish grin.

"What for?"

"For letting me tell the truth … and …" I hesitated for a moment before continuing. "…selfishly, I'm glad to be the one leaving with you this time." I still remember the pit in my stomach when I watched him leave with Alice in the restaurant not so long ago.

"Syd, Alice is a nice girl and she really deserves someone who will worship the ground she walks on. I never felt that way about her. Not since the beginning. I was foolish to think that going back to her was the right thing to do when her father died. I should have known it would eventually hurt her more when I had nothing other than my shoulder to offer. Breaking up and telling her how I really felt about our relationship was actually the right thing to do ... she did not need me wasting any more of her time…" before he could finish, my hand was on his face and I kissed him deeply.

I understood the meaning behind his words … all the sleepless nights he spent worrying about me, all the sacrifices he made, all the times he acted putting my interest ahead of his own … all those he did BEFORE we ever got together … he did because he cared so much about me … he did because he worshipped the grounds I walked on.

After we finally broke apart and ordered my latte, we left the café with our fingers intertwined and our souls linked. I knew that even with all the uncertainties in my upside down world, I could be certain about one thing – pink polka dots and yellow flowers might be my favourite childhood memory, but with Vaughn by my side, I get to feel and experience different favourite moments every day ….

AN: Hope you enjoyed the ride! This piece is special to me because:
1) I strongly believed Vaughn would have said "I love you" to Sydney before her missing years eventhough that was never shown on the show. Theirs is never a casual relationship - after Sark's bullet is likely when it could have happened in my mind
2) I can't help but secretly hope that Sydney would have a chance to gloat since they had to make her bump into Vaughn and Alice at the restaurant

Let me know what you think