To Everything Its Place

By: Ellie (Chshalogrl)

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The fluffy sequel to "Like Normal People Do". Fluffity-fluff.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am not JJ Abrams nor am I affiliated with ABC, Touchstone, or Bad Robot.

A/N: Here's a cookie for each person who acknowledged the 'Sound of Music' line as last chapter's title. *passes out cookies*  Chapter 3 is actually here. I'm actually enjoying this 'go-with-the-flow-while-consulting-a-basic-outline' thing I've got going.  We're almost to LA, so for those of you who can't wait to get back to Tinseltown…hang tight.  I wasn't going to post this yet, but after that episode and talking to DarlingSaila, I was convinced to post it early. Welcome to all new readers!

Ch. 3- Heated Words

They couldn't have chosen a warmer day to travel. Sydney pressed her hand against the window of the truck and was startled by the warmth beneath her palm.  The heat and humidity were also clinging to the asphalt and Vaughn's eyes burned as he kept his eyes on the unbending road in front of him, focusing on the illusion of water that always seemed to be just beyond their front tires. A quick glance at the digital thermometer indicated a three-digit temperature and, feeling restless and sticky, Sydney reached over to crank the air conditioning to full blast.

"God, Syd. It's freezing in here already. Are you okay?" Vaughn had cringed when her hand had turned the knob up all the way, and goosebumps had instantly raised the hairs on his arms when the vents began spewing frigid air at him.

Squirming slightly, Sydney leaned forward to place herself directly in the path of the gusty air. "I'm just so hot." She practically panted. "My clothes are sticking to me. I just want to take them off."

Too easy

"I really wouldn't have a problem with that.."

He didn't take his eyes of the road as he smirked. He didn't need to. He could feel himself melting beneath her withering glare. "It's not funny. Even my fingers and toes are swollen from this heat!" She held up her left hand. "Look! My wedding ring wouldn't come off if I wanted it to."

"And that would be a bad thing because…" His grin was evident in his tone of voice.

Sydney laughed quietly before she turned to him with a look of excitement. "So? Have you come up with your names?"

Flashback

Relieved that Saturday had finally arrived, Sydney taunted the sun inwardly as she pulled the covers over her head to maintain the darkness that accommodated her slumber. When she felt herself being pulled gently towards the other side of the bed, she groaned in weak protest before she found herself settled comfortably against a warm chest.

Vaughn wrapped an arm around Sydney's thickened waist and pressed his lips lightly against her neck. "Hey Syd?" He received a grumble in response and smiled when she turned over to face him with one eye open.

"What?"

"Do you remember in San Francisco when…"

She cut him off mid-sentence with a shake of her head. "I'm too tired right now, Vaughn. I'm really not in the mood. Maybe later."

"Not THAT. Although…" He lifted an eyebrow suggestively. "I was going to ask if you remembered the whole Rufus debacle."

With a small yawn, Sydney finally opened both eyes and fixed her attention on him. "Of course I remember. You rejected Rufus."

"And obviously you're still devastated." He teased.

"Truly." Sydney responded cheekily. "What about it?"

"Well, this kid IS going to need a name. And I was wondering if you'd really thought about it…"

"Well, Rufus was really my first choice. I'll have to think about it some more."

"So you really think it's a boy, huh?" Vaughn pressed a hand against the bulge of her belly beneath the covers.

Sydney nodded. "A little boy with my nose and your eyes. I'm not sure where he got the hair."

Vaughn shook his head. "Nope. Wrong. Little girl with my hair, your mouth, and your stubborn temperament. I'm already dreading her teenage years."

Sydney eyed him challengingly and nodded. "Okay. If that's the way you want it. This is how it's gonna be. If it's a boy, I get to pick the name. Whatever I want as long as it's not vulgar or impossible to pronounce. If it's a girl, you pick. Same rules apply. No dislosure until the baby is born."

"We're gambling for the opportunity to name our child?" Vaughn asked dubiously.

Sydney said nothing, but extended her hand and, after a moment, Vaughn reached over to shake it.

"Deal."

End Flashback

"You know the rules, Syd." Vaughn chuckled at her persistence. "I'm not telling you a thing. We agreed to keep the names a secret. When our daughter is born, you'll find out which name I've chosen. Until then…how about Artemesia?"

"Winston."  She responded.

"Pocket protector and suspenders! How about Verna?"

"Cigarette-smoking waitress. Alvin?"

"Singing chipmunk. Hmmm…Cher?" Vaughn suggested with a grin.

"I got you babe…" Sydney started to sing when Vaughn interrupted.

"Awww, I've got you too, babe."

Sydney rolled her eyes. "And it's jokes like those, Mr. Vaughn, that make me thankful for reconnaissance missions."

"Are you saying you don't miss me when you go on solo missions?"  Vaughn feigned a look of hurt.

"Of course I miss you. I just don't miss your sense of humor." She tossed back playfully.

Vaughn chuckled. "Well, it's too bad your days of solo operations are over. Because I've still got a vast array of wonderful jokes to share."

While the mood had been light, something in Sydney's posture caused Vaughn to glance over at her. "You okay, Syd?"

"What do you mean my days of solo missions are over?"

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

"You weren't seriously planning on continuing in the field after the baby was born!" Vaughn's disbelief put an edge in his voice and it was shrill, even to his own ears.

Sydney shrugged. "Well, I hadn't really decided for certain. But apparently you took it upon yourself to make the decision for me."

"No." Vaughn started slowly. "I guess I just assumed that you'd finished your career in the field."

"You know what they say about assuming, Vaughn." Sydney remarked condescendingly.

"Yeah. To assume makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me'. And to let your wife go trotting across the globe on dangerous missions might make a single father out of me. I think I prefer being an ass."

"Vaughn!" Sydney exclaimed at his harsh reasoning.

"It's true, isn't it? You know how much can go wrong on the simplest of missions, Sydney. And you know how much I used to worry. Hell, that was before we were even involved. You think it's going to be easier now that you're my wife?"

"I think that there's risk in nearly everything we do!  Whether I stay in the field or not, I've made enemies, Vaughn.  There are people who would like nothing better than to see me dead.  I can't just spend the rest of my life hiding from people from my past."

"But you don't have to go looking for them either." He argued.

They'd established a cadence in their argument and Vaughn was thrown for a moment when she failed to respond. Finally, she spoke.

"I have to go to the bathroom." The words were flat and emotionless. But firm.

"Okay. We'll stop in a little while and…"

"I don't think you understand. I need a bathroom." Vaughn could hear the anger seeping into her words and he started to get frustrated himself.

"I understand perfectly, Sydney. But unless you'd like me to stop in the middle of the freeway, there's not really much I can do. Besides, we've only been on the road for forty-five minutes since our last stop. Why didn't you go before we left?"

Uh-oh. Big mistake.

His eyes ticked towards her and he caught a glimpse of her furious expression. Chin jutted defiantly, lips pursed, and her eyes narrow as she sized him up.

"Do I look like a six-year old, Michael? She placed much emphasis on his first name to demonstrate just how upset she was. "Sometimes I get so tired of you coddling me. I'm a grown woman!  I took care of myself long before I met you and I can take care of myself now." Sydney bit her lip as she felt the tears threaten to spill from her eyes. She blinked heavily and looked away to keep Vaughn from seeing the evidence of her emotions.  She knew that he would want to comfort her, even if he was upset with her, and the last thing she wanted was to feel guilty for her frustration. She was tired and achy and bloated. Having Vaughn treat her like an incompetent fool was just the last straw.

"Haven't we had this conversation, Sydney? Because I feel like it's set on repeat.  Why do I coddle you?  Maybe it's because you act like such a child!" While he'd been patient in the beginning, Vaughn was tired of letting everything slide.  Sydney knew that, if he could, he would take away every ounce of pain and discomfort she'd ever felt. She was his purpose in life. And keeping her out of harm's way was his mission. If she didn't know that by now then it was her problem.

Her breaking point came much sooner than he anticipated.

"Take this exit."

"What?" Vaughn's knuckles were white on the steering wheel as he moved the vehicle toward the exit ramp and pulled into the parking lot of a small restaurant. "Why?"

"Because, at the moment, I have a husband who's being incredibly insensitive to his very pregnant wife! And I'm tired of being the only one affected by this pregnancy! You get to stand by and watch me gain weight, get sick, and put my body in turmoil! And meanwhile, you're high-fiving your friends when you think I'm not looking because guys have this mistaken impression that getting a woman pregnant is an ego-booster. I've got news for you! I'm not impressed!" 

Vaughn lifted his hands from the steering wheel and gripped at the thin air in frustration. Resting his elbow on the steering wheel, he sat with his forehead in his palm for a long period of silence before turning to face Sydney. "Look, you said you needed to use the restroom. Go use it. I'm going to get something to cold to drink. You can join me when you're done if you'd like."

Vaughn slid from the driver's seat and ventured into the small building. After securing a corner booth, he ordered an iced tea for himself and a glass of lemonade for Sydney.  Tense from their sudden conflict, he traced lines through the condensation on his glass, and watched as the ice cubes slowly shrank away. 

It was nearly forty minutes later when Vaughn felt the seat cushion shift slightly as Sydney boldly seated herself next to him in the booth.  She looked him straight in the eye before offering an apology.

"I'm sorry, Vaughn. I was being…" She paused for a moment with her eyes fixed on the table. "Insane. What I said? I didn't mean any of it. Please believe that. You've been amazing for the past several months. And I know that I haven't exactly been the easiest person to live with.  It's just…" Sydney sniffled slightly before closing her eyes to regain her focus. "This isn't my life. I mean, it is my life. But it's a life I never expected to have for myself. And I'm still getting used to the fact that I have to consider the way my actions affect you. And the baby too."

Sydney fixed her stare on him and pleaded him with her eyes to understand her behavior. He was always so selfless.  Always giving to her without a second thought about himself. She just prayed that he knew how important he was to her. Because she knew how lucky she was to be married to someone like Michael Vaughn. Only the most incredible man could make her feel like such an incredible woman. As she watched him, she had to force herself to keep from reaching out to play with the short hair at the back of his neck. And she had to press her lips tightly together to keep from kissing the familiar cleft in his chin.

Vaughn swore he could feel his heart throbbing when she looked up at him with her wet, brown eyes and her soft mouth in a pout.  It took every ounce of his willpower to maintain the small distance between them, but he fought the urge to touch her until after he spoke.

"Sydney, I know how hard it's been for you to adjust. Believe me, I do. But I love you. All I want is for you to be safe and happy. And that's all I want for our baby too. And honestly? It scares me to death to think that there might be a night that this baby and I are waiting for Mommy to come home only to get a phone call saying that you'll never come home again.  I just don't understand how you could even consider going back into the field when we're going to have a child to take care of."

He stopped when he saw the first tear make its descent and he reached out to tentatively brush at the moisture it had left in its wake.  The instant she felt his fingertips brush her cheekbone, she launched herself into his arms and lowered her wet eyes to his shoulder. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, she inhaled his scent and lifted her head to leave a layer of soft kisses along his jawline. Upon reaching his mouth, she giggled slightly when she tasted the tea on his lips and lowered her head back to his shoulder before sitting back to face him.

"You have to understand something. I worked for the wrong people for seven years, Vaughn. Seven years. Since the takedown, I've thought about how many times I must have caused harm or at least setbacks to the right side. And I can't even comprehend the idea that I hurt my own country. I was a traitor."  She lowered her eyes to her lap and was caught off guard when he caught her chin to raise her eyes to his.

"You were lied to. You were a good person. A kind, intelligent, and beautiful person who believed in her cause."

"I need to fight it. I need to help get rid of that evil. If it's not Sloane, it's someone else. I need to make up for what I've done."

"You have, Syd. You don't owe anyone anything. You gave up an era of your life. Now it's your turn to focus on you." He smiled slightly. "And me. And little Pippalotta here." He tickled her side lightly and was relieved when he heard a giggle.

Feeling lightened by his ability to make her smile, Sydney leaned into his embrace and sighed contentedly when she felt his lips just above her ear.

"I love you, Vaughn. Even when I act like a crazed lunatic."

"I love you too, Syd." He smiled widely. "Even when you act like a crazed lunatic."

TBC…

Of course, I want to post fluff to cheer us up after a sad episode…and the next chapter happens to be lacking in the happy fluff category. Eh. Hope you enjoyed!