Hey guys! :D
I'm thrilled that my Vaughn story has attracted some people. I was seriously thinking that I was the only Vaughn-lover out there but I was proven wrong! Seems the sexy Scottish-accent has attracted some fans, which is good news for me because I would definitely like to take this fic up to AT LEAST five - eight chapters. I'll be honest that this is going to be a short story, probably not going passed ten chapters, if that. But I'm going to do my best with the limited screen time Vaughn has had to really give us his full character. You never know, I might be able to stretch it out if I decide to take him off the island. ;)
I usually don't think of songs to match the scenes in my fics, but this one song seemed too perfect not to put up while I was typing the end of this chapter. 8D
Lonestar - Amazed (Surprise at the end ;) )
The next morning Autumn woke up slowly and let her eyes adjust to the brightness of the sunlight peeking in through the trees. She blinked a few times hoping that would help take away the stinging sensation and rubbed her hands on her face a few times before realizing she was not in the cabin. Shooting up into a sitting position she quickly looked around and gripped a handful of the sleeping bag. Last nights events slowly popped back up in her head as she frowned a little.
"Mornin'," A familiar Scottish-clad voice called to her. She quickly turned around to see an extremely handsome blond man looking at her, "Sleep alright?"
Autumn blushed when she realized that it was Vaughn, "I guess." She couldn't help but stare at him. Vaughn had to have the most dazzling bright blue eyes she had ever seen.
She had to admit, seeing him in the day light, the man was very attractive. What the dim light of the fire had to offer as a visual last night didn't do him justice, not like she got to see him now.
He stood up with a plate in hand and walked over to her holding it out, "Here, you'll need your strength for today." When she took the plate in her hand thanking him he returned to his spot on the log and watched her curiously as she timidly began to eat, "No need to be shy, Autumn. You must be hungry."
Her cheeks burned a light red color, "Sorry... I just find it awkward to eat in front of people. Even family for that matter."
Vaughn took the hint and made himself busy to let her eat in peace. He began gathering all his equipment and packed it all in his bag. As Autumn ate she watched him and noticed everything he placed in that bag was a weapon of some sorts.
"Vaughn," She frowned a little, "Are you going hunting or something?"
He turned to look at her, "I guess you could say that," He continued what he was doing and when finished packing he looked back at her noticing she was finished eating, "If you're nervous about getting hurt, don't be. I won't let you get hurt."
Autumn felt a small bit of warmth spread through her body at his words and smiled, "Thank you."
Vaughn eyed the girl as she got up and set the plate down on the log and then went to the sleeping bag and began rolling it up. He silently observed her until she was finished and then took the rolled up sleeping bag and pillow from her attaching it to a duffel bag.
"You alright to carry this?" He picked up the duffel by the long shoulder strap and held it out to her.
Autumn nodded and took it from him, "Of course," She blinked at it's surprising weight but said nothing as she pulled the strap over her head and comfortably positioned it on her shoulder.
Vaughn soon suited up with his bag and then motioned for her to follow as they started their hike through the woods. The two traveled in silence as they watched for any signs of movement or danger, making sure to avoid trip wires that Vaughn would point out to her or any nets that had been camouflaged by shrubbery. Autumn was more then thankful for Vaughn's help, thinking about what might have happened if he was not there to warn her of the dangers in these woods. The thought suddenly made her think of her friends, bringing tears to her eyes almost instantly.
The thought of them dead made Autumn's heart break, knowing that there was nothing she could do. She had gotten away on a small drop of luck by being in the right place at the right time when Vaughn appeared and rescued her.
"You alright?"
Autumn quickly snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Vaughn, who had stopped walking and was now watching her.
She felt her cheeks burn a little as she smiled small at his concern, "Yes and no."
"You're thinking about your friends, eh?" He turned around and continued walking but stayed in a slower pace to allow her to catch up to him, "I can't make any promises but, if we manage to find your friends I'll do my best to rescue them for you."
Autumn stopped walking and looked right at him, "You would do that for me?"
"Ay," He looked over his shoulder at her, "No need for you and your friends to get caught up in a mess that doesn't concern you."
Autumn followed Vaughn and repeated his words in her mind. He would save her friends for her, pending if they were alive of course. The thought made a wave of relief crash over her.
As the two continued their hike Vaughn constantly glanced in Autumn's direction. There was something bugging him about this girl, and he didn't understand it. She brought up all those emotions he'd hoped he had completely rid himself of years and years ago. It was the look of gratitude in her bright hazel eyes that caught Vaughn's attention the most. She was so appreciative of his help and concern for her that he couldn't help but want to please her in some way and not disappoint her with the expectations she might have placed on him. He was both confused and intrigued by this stranger, and that alone made him feel strange.
Suddenly Vaughn spotted movement up a head and grabbed Autumn by the wrist pulling her behind a rather large tree surrounded by thick bushes. His eyes were intensely staring at the figures moving up a head that he hadn't noticed how close he pulled the girl to his chest.
She looked up at him with concern and tried not to think of how close they were, "Is something wrong, Vaughn?" She was whispering so low that she feared he may not have heard her.
Vaughn never ripped his eyes away from what lay a head of them, "Stay quiet and don't move." He gently freed her wrist from his strong grip and cautiously pulled out one of the stake guns from the holster on the side of his bag.
Autumn watched him intensely as he got into a stance and aimed the gun through the thick bushes, never moving an inch or making even the tiniest sound. She bit her lip and slowly looked around for any signs of danger that might come from behind them. The tension that had developed was almost suffocating to her, but she took a deep breath and did her best to remain calm.
After a moment Vaughn suddenly moved passed her and checked the other side of the tree, "Autumn I need you to do something for me, alright?"
"Sure," She replied less confidently then she'd thought she sounded.
Slowly Vaughn pulled out a crossbow from God-knows where and held it out to her, "I'm going to go check up a head, so I need you to cover me from back here," He noticed the fear in her eyes, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
Autumn nodded slowly and gently took the crossbow from Vaughn. He gave her a quick lesson on how to use it and then disappeared from her sight. She took a deep breath and went to where Vaughn once stood behind the bushes and looked for him but saw no signs of him. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of him getting caught by whoever it was that might have taken her friends, making her hands shake as her grip tightened on the crossbow. It seemed like an eternity since Vaughn left her side to go scout up a head. Autumn had become paranoid and was constantly looking around for anything, anticipating an attack while she was alone and vulnerable.
Suddenly there was a rustling sound that came from behind her as she shot around quickly aiming the crossbow, only to see Vaughn standing there with one of his hands extended, "Easy, it''s only me. Good reflex, though."
"Vaughn, thank God!" Autumn sighed deeply in relief and lowered the weapon down as she walked to him, "I was so worried you got caught."
Vaughn watched the girl as tears weld up in her eyes, "Eh, no time for tears," He hesitantly raised his hand and delicately touched her cheek running his thumb underneath her eye. He noticed how she froze under his touch and pulled away quickly, "Come on."
Autumn nodded slowly and rubbed her eyes quickly and then followed after him. She pushed all the fluttery feelings Vaughn's touch had caused and quietly trailed behind him, knowing this was not the time nor the place for any kind of intimate feeling.
When the darkness of the night slowly settled in around the woods, Vaughn immediately set up a small camp while Autumn tried her hardest to get a fire started. Vaughn glanced over at her watching how she had difficulty with getting the the flame she would make to stay lit and quietly made his way over.
He dropped down on one knee close to Autumn and took the pieces of flint from her, "Let me show you an easy way," He grabbed a handful of dry moss from a rock that was close to him and set it on a piece of tree bark before scrapping the flint together roughly right by the moss and quickly created a flame.
Autumn watched feeling a little embarrassed as he carefully placed the flame underneath some wood and was easily able to create a large fire, "I'll keep that in mind for next time." She sighed deeply and then giggled more towards herself then anything, "You make it look so easy."
"Years of practice," Vaughn looked at her with a small grin before standing up. He walked over to a tree stump and sat down, quickly beginning to pluck the abnormally large pheasant he'd killed earlier.
Autumn watched him for a moment before setting up a couple of thick branches that were relatively the same height and stuck them in the ground on either side of the fire. She quickly found another thinner branch and checked to see if it would fit across and found a way to rig it so it would hover above the fire so the meat would cook. As she kept herself busy she hadn't noticed Vaughn watching her. He couldn't help but feel a small shred of pride as she finished building a spit and stood back to admire her work.
Later that night after supper the two sat in a comfortable silence, the only noise being the crackling of the fire. Again, Vaughn found himself glancing her way repeatedly, unable to take his eyes off her for more then a few seconds. It was a new feeling to him, considering he had been in the city before coming to the island and was around women but they had never once earned a second glance. Autumn was in a whole league of her own, and the more she was with him the more he began to grow attached. It made his brows furrow in frustration. They had been together for a little over twenty-four hours, and already he felt like he couldn't let her walk away.
Vaughn silently pledged to keep her safe until they had to part, and he promised himself that he would see her home no matter what the cost.
"Tell me a little bit about yourself, Vaughn?" Autumn looked at him with a soft smile, "Nothing personal if you're not comfortable, but I would like to know a little bit more about you. You know, other then the fact you're a hunting expert."
Vaughn looked at the fire and gave a short chuckle, "A little about me, huh? Let's see," He paused to think for a moment, "Well I don't exactly have anything pleasant about my childhood. I lost my parents when I was young, and I guess you could say I'd taken up hunting shortly after their deaths."
"Wow..." Autumn frowned, "I'm so sorry to hear about that."
He looked at her and shrugged, "It happened a long time ago. No time to dwell in the past nowadays," Using a long branch he poked at a log in the fire to keep the flame blazing high, "Enough about my depressing history, what about you?"
"Well," Autumn didn't want to change the subject as Vaughn intrigued her beyond belief but wouldn't push or pry at him if he didn't wish to talk about himself, "To give you the short version, my mother and I live in a small town in Virginia. I have two dogs named Abel and Knox, and a cat named Jagger. Nothing in my life is exactly fun or action packed, so coming out here was probably the most exciting thing I've ever done," She looked at the fire with a small frown, "Despite everything that's happened, of course."
Vaughn observed her while she continued to talk, trying hard not to stare at her lips as she spoke. Every time his eyes landed anywhere near her mouth he felt a strong urge to lean forward and claim them in a deep kiss, but he held back for obvious reasons. He had a hard time telling himself they were strangers and that this wasn't the place he wanted to engage in such an act. He gave his head a shake to rid himself of those thoughts and looked at the fire.
"I'm glad I met you," Autumn's words caught his attention and brought his eyes back to her face once more, "I've never met a guy like you before."
His eyebrow rose, "What do you mean?"
"You're so..." She leaned back against his hands as she thought of how to word what she about to say, "You're so tough and you seem to know how to handle any situation. I've never seen someone who could stay so calm knowing that they might be forced into some sort of combat even if the odds are against them," She looked at him with a smile, "Not to mention you have this unique charm to you."
Vaughn blinked, "Unique charm?" He chuckled a bit, "Wouldn't know anything about that."
"You also have the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen, and I can't believe I'm saying that out loud." Autumn felt her cheeks furiously heat up as she looked towards the fire.
He stared at her in silence as she smiled looking at the fire avoiding eye contact with him. Her words repeated in his head over and over, making his brows furrow. No one had ever complimented on his eyes before, let alone given him a compliment in general.
He slowly turned his gaze to fire before taking in a deep breath, "Well to make this less awkward, I think you're beautiful."
Autumn suddenly felt as if she was in a romantic movie. Her heart skipped a beat at his flattering words. She wanted to respond to him but no words would come out. All she could do was silently look at him and smile shyly. Vaughn glanced at her and returned her small smile with his own before getting up. He muttered a few things she couldn't quite catch to himself as he readied the sleeping bag for her like the night before.
Again, Autumn found herself smiling at his kindness towards her. She slowly got up and made her way over to him, "I know I say this a lot and it's probably getting annoying but, thank you Vaughn. I mean it."
He looked down at her, "You're welcome," He gave her a small smile and set the pillow at the top of the sleeping bag down for her.
He stood up straight and went to walk passed her but froze in place when he felt her lips press against his cheek gently. When she pulled away she moved passed him but he caught her arm and gently turned her around to face him. Leaning down, Vaughn kissed her, which she immediately returned. She could feel in the way his hand now cupped her cheek that he was feeling almost tentative. Slowly, Autumn brought a hand to grip the back of his neck to pull him closer.
When they finally pulled away to catch their breath he softly ran his thumb across her cheek, "You best get some sleep."
Autumn looked up at him and nodded with a smile before standing on her her tippy-toes to give him one more gentle kiss before pulling away completely. Vaughn watched her with a small smile as she settled herself into a comfortable position and soon closed her eyes. He stood there watching her for another moment before going to the tree stump nearby and sat down. Picking up his knife and a random piece of wood he'd grabbed, he settled himself down he sliced away pieces of bark little by little, occasionally glancing at the woman he'd just selfishly stolen an intimate moment with. If he could choose any distraction from the mission at hand, he couldn't argue that a chance taste her lips again would be exactly what he would choose without hesitation..
Yeahhhh, I know, he's probably soooooooooo out of character that it's disgusting, but TOO BAD. LOOL
When I watch Vaughn I feel like he could be a very passionate lover if he had a woman to protect and go home to when this whole 'Brotherhood of the Five' mission was done. I mean, Connor told Elena while she was hallucinating that he had a family, so why can't Vaughn have a chance at happiness with someone, huh? :D
Comment/review and all that amazing stuff you awesome peepulars do. ;D
