178 Nigths ~ Chapter 13

Sydney's POV

The intimate size of the wedding allows our dinner to be set up on the patio of the dining room against the picturesque sunset. Our guests are casually mingling while enjoying their pre-dinner drinks and hor d'oeuvres. Since I was the one who planned our wedding, I had the privilege to be selfish about not having any detail resemble Vaughn's first one – not only because I couldn't stand the idea of him actually marrying another woman but more mindful of the pain and hurt it still brings him. I don't need any formalities or dignitaries for this to stick – we'll always be soul mates no matter what.

Our wedding turned out to be even better than I could ever hope for. And tonight would simply be a continuation of this remarkable day. Great friends and gourmet food equal worthwhile celebration - something I learned long ago from Francine and something I've regrettably done little of the last couple years. The only blemish of my otherwise perfect day is the people who should have been here – Francine, Diane, Nadia, Vaughn's father, Dad, and arguably, Mom. So I cherish the ones who are here to share this day with us all the more.

Vaughn has his arm around my waist lightly guiding me towards our awaiting guests and whispers, "Let's finish dinner and make babies, now that we're legit..."

"Not like that ever stopped you before!" I smirk and am pleased to see a hearty half laugh as his sign of defeat.

We enter the patio to another round of hooting as Weiss announces, "Here comes the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Michael Vaughn who have already spent too long in their suite and kept us all waiting!"

I bask in the echo of my new title – though I never thought I enjoy being called Missus. I didn't care if it was her duplicity or stupidity that kept her as Lauren Reed but I surely am grateful to be the one and only Mrs. Michael Vaughn...

I crawled into bed watching Vaughn change and marvel at my seemingly insatiable desire for this man. As the one thought I had in my head refuses to leave all night, I pop myself up on one elbow and turn to trace mindless circles on his thigh. He knows a question is on its way and looks amused trying to anticipate what might be on my mind.

"How come Lauren never took your name?" I've always been curious about the fact but didn't think it was a safe topic until our recent air-clearing heart-to-heart.

"I really couldn't tell you. I presumed she wanted to keep her prominent family name and it was never an issue for me. Truth is, Syd, whether I admitted it to myself or not at the time, I was relieved at some level that she didn't choose to use my name. When we got married, I needed to be a husband more than I needed to have a wife ... if any of this makes sense to you."

"Come here," I want nothing more than to gather Vaughn in my arms right now so we can both continue to heal from the gut-wrenching pain we sustained during my missing years. As much as I had suffered at the hands of the Covenant, I am beginning to comprehend the true magnitude of Vaughn's devastation. "You've never lost me even when you thought you did ... and you never will ... I promise. Now stop beating yourself up."

Vaughn stays quiet in my embrace as if he is drawing strength from my presence. Then all of a sudden, he flips me on my back and attacks me with a frenzy of assaults that rouse my every sense ...

Getting this dinner reception under way seems like a really good idea right now – the urge to start our honeymoon just went into overdrive with the memory of that night in my mind.

"Let's get the show on the road, everyone. Dinner will be served momentarily and it's gonna be a real treat from what I've seen ... Weiss is the name you can trust when it comes to food." Eric is certainly earning his keep as Best Man. "Amelie, my favourite lady in this entire resort, will say a few words first – please welcome Mrs. Amelie Vaughn."

Amelie's POV

I stand up amongst the intimate setting of three elegantly set up tables following Eric's introduction. The setting sun casts a warm golden glow on every guest's face, along with smiles and applause that seem genuinely from their hearts. The sight couldn't be any better than what I've always wished for my only child.

"Mommy, you want me marry?" My darling Mike asked out of the blue and I am amused.

"Well, if you find a very nice girl, then maybe. If not, I am keeping you to myself forever. You're too cute to be shared." I plant a big kiss on my boy's forehead and hug him tight for effect.

"I want to stay in my house and live with you and Daddy when I grow up. Girls are so bossy!" He pauses and then goes on slightly more agitated. "Jenny in my class likes to tell me not to scribble on my paper and I must colour my flowers red. She kicks me if I step on her pink Snow White backpack."

"Oh, Mikey ... girls are picky and they want their way, don't they?" I laugh, "You will feel differently ten years from now though. You will come ask me for my car because you want to take your girlfriend out for a movie. You will do all sorts of silly things for her but you will think it is so worth it because she makes your heart dance."

Michael looks at me puzzled as if I were out of my mind.

Years have gone by and Michael has introduced me to several of his girlfriends – well brought up girls who are young and attractive. As a mother who wants nothing but the best for my son, I grow increasingly concerned deep down when I never see him starry-eyed or head-over-heels with any of those women. You miss out in life if you can't love to the fullest. And I wouldn't want Michael to miss out any more than he already has. It's not enough to see passion on his face only in a hockey rink. He is likely more jaded than young men his age, given he has spent most of his teenage years missing the father he worshipped and trying his best to be my pride and joy. But I want him to have what his father and I had – a love that not even death could diminish.

All that changed one spring afternoon when Michael paid me a surprise visit. He said he'd like me to meet someone very special and he couldn't mask the excitement in his voice. He sounded almost giddy and I was intrigued.

I opened my front door to Michael tightly gripping the hand of a beautiful brunette. I almost did not hear her introduce herself as Sydney Bristow as I was preoccupied observing the sparks fly between them. I knew that day my prayers were answered and Michael has finally found the love of his life.

He tentatively told me about Sydney's background and lineage during a later conversation and implored me not to hold her parents' history against her. I never did. Physical features aside, I liked Sydney for who she was and was impressed by her willingness to be vulnerable. But Michael's request helped me realize how deeply he cared for Sydney. Having lived with the pain his father's death brought him, I could appreciate how certain he was about his feelings for her to separate how he must have felt about her family.

When he asked my permission to resize the ring his father gave me, I couldn't be happier. He was his father's son after all – he followed his heart and he wouldn't settle.

As fast as the joy had come, it was taken from him just as abruptly. I thought dealing with William's death was hard but watching my son lose hope in life was much harder. He called and said Sydney had died. He disappeared into obliviousness for days and months. He came back. He quit his job. He became a French teacher. And then he married Lauren Reed.

His eyes no longer sparkled. His smile was carefully constructed. He wanted everyone to think he was fine but only a mother could see that he was heading toward emotional suicide. But I didn't have the heart or the courage to confront him. It still beat an actual physical suicide. I couldn't bear to lose both my husband and my son. I told myself there were many couples out there who lived together content though not in love. Michael would adjust.

He didn't.

Nothing concerned him. Nothing excited him. Nothing pleased or displeased him. He died inside with Sydney. My friends spoke of Michael and his wife with envy and I could barely return a polite grin. I feared the day when the perfect front would unravel.

It did but not in the way I thought. I found out much later that Sydney suddenly came back to his life under circumstances I wasn't privy to. He kept his distance from me for a long while and spoke little about the situation. I learned long ago as William's wife to accept people or situations without needing all my questions answered. I could only imagine the moral torture he must have gone through. His marriage was a lie he had himself believe in from the start and it wouldn't survive when the basis for its existence turned out false. Maybe it was a blessing when he realized it was actually a sham and Lauren was somehow killed as a result. I didn't know how Sydney and Michael picked up the pieces but was surely thankful that they did.

When I saw Michael and Sydney again after all the dust had settled, I was relieved to finally have my son back. He was surely scarred but no longer broken. There was even stronger resolve in his eyes when it came to Sydney but also much deeper longing and tenderness.

He was happy to see his mother forging a relationship with the woman he loved despite the infrequent visits. Something he didn't care to have when he was with Lauren, likely to protect me from finding out how meaningless the relationship was to him.

The turmoil in their lives made them more determined to be together and I was overjoyed when they announced their engagement two summers ago. My delight was soon replaced by worries when I "lost" my son again. Sydney was my saving grace as she risked everything to not keep me completely in the dark regarding Michael. The news of an impending grandchild and Sydney's sheer determination to not allow her daughter grow up without her father gave me a glimmer of hope. I opted to live in France "to grieve my son" during Sydney's pregnancy for fear of complicating her already delicate situation.

When I finally held my granddaughter in my arms, it was as if I had been flown back to the day Michael was born. Those identical green eyes made me believe I would see my son again one day. Sydney and Michael had to be the perfect match to have created a daughter as flawless as Isabelle.

Then the phone call came and I heard a familiar voice, "Mom, I'm home. I've got Sydney. I've met Isabelle. I'm good. You don't have to worry about us." And my tears fell.

Those tears seem to have found their way back this moment. Couple drops escaped my eyes as I begin to speak.

"Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for being such important people in Michael and Sydney's lives. I wish William were here, but I know, he has everything to do with what is happening today.

Michael is a wonderful father, much like his dad but he outdid his father when he picked a better wife. Please join me in wishing my son and my daughter-in-law a life-long marriage filled with love, joy and hope!"

I raise my champagne glass to resounding applause and laughter. While I keep one eye on Isabelle bouncing cheerfully on Rachel's lap beside Eric, I also see Michael and Sydney raising their glasses to me in return with unspoken gratitude on their faces.

And once again, I secretly thank William for watching over our son ...

~tbc

AN: Hope the second helping of pint-size Vaughn did not disappoint. As you can probably tell by now, this is not an action-filled fic but one for my pleasure of exploring all the untold thoughts and emotions of our characters... and I had a lot of fun doing it, though life tends to get in the way of my enjoyment (sigh!)