28dOOMDoom28 - this chapter is for you. I'm waiting. : p

You get a long chapter due to all the reviews. I feel so loved now :) I have decided, the more people update the longer the chapters will be.

Oh and TessJess- No coment, depends how I feel when the next few chapters are posted.

The next week went by slowly. Sydney seemed to beavoiding Vaguhnsince her flee from Sark's old cell. Vaughn still hadn't tried to approach her about Izzie, and everyone was pretending, around her at least, that that mission never happened.

She had just sat back down at her desk after a long brief on the newest terrorist organization when Vaughn approached her.

"Syd?" He asked.

"Yes?" She replied as she minimized everything she had just reopened.

"Why don't we catch lunch today? We need to talk." Sydney let out a sigh at his request knowing that they did really need to talk.

"I figured this was coming soon. Sure, we can leave in," She checked her watch. "Forty minutes."

Vaughn nodded his head with his reply, "Sounds good." He stood there for a second, before realizing the conversation was over and walking away.

Forty minutes later Vaughn showed up at her desk. Sydney was busy at a report she had been neglecting for too long.

"Syd, you ready to go." He asked. Sydney jumped in shock not realizing he had been standing right beside her.

"Shit." She muttered, and then turned to him. "Vaughn, I am so sorry I lost track of time; and I promised that I would get Dixon these reports in thirty minutes. I've been putting them off for too long. I know we need to talk, but-"

"But could we move this back to dinner." He finished for her. She smiled at his ability to still understand her. He smiled back "Sure, I'll pick you up tonight at your house at seven. And don't lose track of time this time."

"I won't." Sydney promised as Vaughn walked back to his desk.

At exactly seven o'clock, as Sydney was finishing getting ready by putting on her ear rings, the door bell rang. She rushed to the door, but not to fast, to find Vaughn waiting patiently.

She grabbed her coat and followed him silently to his black car. Once they were off, she turned toward him. "Where's Lauren? I mean, I don't think she would be too happy with you taking me to dinner tonight?"

There was a moment of silence then he answered. "She's on a trip. She won't be back until Sunday night. I pretty much have two days without her."

The rest of the ride to the restaurant was in silence.

When they arrived they were soon seated on a patio seat and continued the silence as they looked over the menu. They placed their orders and the silence started again until Sydney had the courage to speak up first.

"I figure I let you know when I woke up in Hong Kong before you told me that two years had past that I thought I had lost the baby in the fight with Allison." Vaughn refused to look at Sydney when he responded.

"So you were five months pregnant before you left?"

"Yes." She answered softly.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why'd you hide it from me, Syd?" He inquired still not brave enough to look up at her.

"I'm not sure. I think part of me was afraid. I think another part didn't believe it. And I thought that since I really wasn't showing for some reason, I thought I could pretend it wasn't happening. But she is yours, and I want to know if you are going after her?" Sydney asked this time.

"No." He answered simply.

Sydney took a sip of her ice water and ventured on. "May I ask why not?"

"Syd, right now I don't want to believe that anything thathappened during those two years, actually happened. Right now," Vaughn sighed, "I just want us to act like we did before that night; can we just do that tonight, just tonight?" He almost begged finally letting Sydney see his pleading eyes.

Sydney thought it over for a second then nodded her head yes, figuring how much harm could come out of this?

They fell into easy small talk as the night continued.

Two hours later, Vaughn walked Sydney to her door. Sydney turned toward him, with her back pressed against the door and looked back on the night they had together. "I had a great time tonight, Vaughn."

"I did too." He replied softly as he took a step closer.

"Vaughn…" Sydney's voice drifted off into the wind as Vaughn kissed her breathless.

When they finally pulled apart she dropped her head to hide her eyes from Vaughn.

"We shouldn't have done that Vaughn." She told him as he inched closer again.

"Why not?" He asked using his pointer finger to get her to look at him.

"Vaughn, you have Lauren." She pointed out as he came in for another kiss.

"Forget Lauren." He kissed her.

"You're married to her, Vaughn. You're wearing her wedding ring. That ring symbolizes your everlasting love for each other."

"It symbolizes my everlasting love for you." He lied in between kisses.

"No, it doesn't" Sydney soon felt her defenses braking down. If he didn't stop soon she would give in.

Vaughn backed away long enough to pull the ring off his finger and shove it in his pocket. "There is no ring." He lied again.

"Vaughn, stop." She said trying to push him away. He didn't listen as he continued his attack on her lips. "Stop, Vaughn." She tried again this time a little more forceful, but he just shoved her back into the door. "Vaughn, stop, now!" Sydney finally yelled pushing him away. The lights on the porch next door came on.

"Why, Syd? You love me! I love you! I just want to show my love for you!" He shot back at her.

"Vaughn you're married! You mourned me, and then got overme in five months. Vaughn, if you love me so much then you shouldn't be asking me to do this! You shouldn't be asking me to make the choice of becoming the other woman! Of hurting Lauren that way! Vaughn I was starting to get on with my life! I was starting to get over you! If you love me you would let me move on, instead of pulling me down, and making me start over, and over again! Vaughn you let go of me completely, the day you got married! I'm asking you to let me let you go! I love you Vaughn, I do. I'm just not in love with you!"

"You're not in love with me because you're in love with that bastard Sark, aren't you? You believe the lies he told you. You actually think that the man that killed Francie, tortured Will, and brought him into this life is better then me!"

By this time Eric had made his way over to Sydney's front porch in his robe with bunny slippers peeking out of the bottom. "Vaughn calm down! People in this neighborhood do something called sleeping. Which is what, you interrupted me from just now."

"Calm down! You want me to calm down! She is choosing a cold blooded murder over me!" He yelled at Eric.

"Vaughn, go home. Get some sleep. Think this through tomorrow. It's too late at night, you're not thinking straight. First, Syd is choosing no one over you. Second, you're married toa British-Americanwoman named Lauren. Third, if you don't calm down-"

Eric was silenced by Vaughn's fist flying in his face. A few seconds' later sirens could be heard as a LAPD car approached.