Title: The Charade
Author: Steph (ILUVNYYANK@aol.com)
Category: Action/Romance/Drama/Comedy
Pairings: Sydney/Vaughn
Summary: Vaughn worries about Sydney's new mission and suggests that another agent do it instead. When she refuses to step aside, he takes things into his own hands.
Rating: PG
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.
Spoilers: Nope.
Disclaimer: Alias and its characters do not belong tome. I do this out of a love for the show and no infringement is intended.
Note # 1: This is my first attempt at action Alias fanfic. I have no idea if I am any good at it, but I gave it my best shot. So please excuse anything that seems impossible, illogical or just plain stupid. That's why J.J. Abrams has his job and I don't :) Also, this plot (Sydney/Vaughn working together) has been done before, but I just love the idea, so I couldn't resist!
Note # 2: This story will be three chapters long. The next chapter should be out sometime in the next couple of days.
* * * The Charade: Chapter 2* * *
Sydney squeezed Vaughn's left hand so hard as they walked that she nearly stopped its blood flow. She practically dragged him down one of the many halls and pulled him into a bathroom. She locked the door behind them and then whirled around to face him. Her glare could have frightened a pack of lions.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I think you broke my hand," Vaughn replied, as he studied his red fingers.
"You are jeopardizing my operation!"
Vaughn looked at her and then asked quietly, "Is Dixon-..."
"No, we had trouble with the earpiece, but you didn't know that before pulling that stunt out there! What if he had heard you?!"
Vaughn smiled knowingly, "I knew he wouldn't. I knew about your earpiece and surveillance problems."
"How did you know?" Sydney asked, clearly surprised.
"It's my job to know," he replied with a grin.
Sydney shook her head sharply and her eyes grew wild, "I can't believe you?! What were you thinking?!"
Vaughn's calm attitude quickly disappeared, "I was thinking that you are in over your head, Sydney! You wouldn't listen to a word I said, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Look how much has already gone wrong when I specifically told you that this was going to be difficult if everything went perfectly!"
"I don't need your help, Vaughn! This is my operation and I plan on completing it successfully!"
Vaughn shook his head and responded softly, "I saw how Camancha looked at you, Sydney. You're not going to get what you want until he gets what he wants."
"You don't know that. All I need to get is the locket."
"And as soon as you get close enough to do that, he'll want to head upstairs with you. He doesn't waste anytime, Sydney. And, if by some chance, you did get it before it went that far, how long do you think it would take him to figure out what's going on? You would never have enough time to get past six guards, a keypad at the door, handprint scanner, and the keypad on the unit and get out before he or someone else caught on."
Sydney's eyes narrowed at him, "You don't trust me."
Vaughn sighed tiredly, "It's not about trust, Sydney. It's about being realistic."
"I've pulled off operations much harder than this, Vaughn, and I didn't need you to do it."
"Look, this will be much easier with two people. Here's the plan. I- ..."
"What?! You are not giving ME the plan."
"Sydney-..."
"No, Vaughn, what gives you the right to tell me how to do my job?"
"I'm your handler!"
"You're not acting like my handler right now! My handler is not supposed to endanger my life and jeopardize my operation by arriving unannounced!"
"Your handler is trying to make sure you don't end up dead or, God forbid, raped!" Vaughn yelled, unable to keep his emotions under wrap.
Sydney snapped her mouth shot, as she realized he was truly concerned for her well-being. She didn't agree with how he went about ensuring her safety, but she knew his intentions were good.
She averted her eyes and spoke softly, "I appreciate your concern, Vaughn, but this is completely inappropriate. Does Devlin even know you're here?"
Vaughn lowered his eyes, "No, I am here in an unofficial capacity."
Sydney shook her head, "You shouldn't be here either way, but coming here without letting Devlin know? He'll remove you as my handler if he finds out, Vaughn. He might even fire you."
He raised his head and met her eyes. He responded in a sincere, low voice. "I don't care what Devlin does to me, Sydney. Your safety is my first concern."
In truth, it made Vaughn's heart ache to think that he could be removed from Sydney's life and never see her face again, but that feeling couldn't even compare to the fear he had for her safety. It would hurt him more than words could express to walk out of Sydney's life, but he'd do it to ensure that she had a life to live.
They looked at each other for a long, tense moment, before Sydney sighed heavily in defeat. "Fine. What's the plan?"
Vaughn smiled in relief. "Okay, Camancha's cover is that he's in the movie business. He gives money to independent films and screenwriters that would otherwise be overlooked by the big movie studios. These parties are often where people approach him for money and pitch him ideas. Camancha does not like to mix business with pleasure, however, and often conducts these meetings in his office, which is on the second floor. These meetings can be rather lengthy, so his absence won't seem strange. I am going to try to pitch him a movie idea and we'll go up to his office. Once there, I will knock him out and remove the code from the locket. You will wait outside and together we'll go to the third floor stairway. You pretend to be looking for a bathroom because you're sick and then faint. I will then take that opportunity to overtake one of the guards and then you can take the other."
"What about the guards at the hallway entrance?"
"They are going to be trickier because they will know that we shouldn't be up there. I think we should act innocent. Tell them that the guards must have been on a break because we didn't see them. Of course, they won't believe that, but it'll buy us enough time to get close enough to take them out."
"And the guards at the bedroom door?"
"There is an emergency button at the entryway to the hall. If it is pressed, the guards at the bedroom door hear it in their earpieces and know that there has been a security breach at checkpoint number two. They'll leave their posts to see what happened and then we'll ambush them."
Sydney smiled at the plan. "It should work. But I think I could have managed it by myself."
Vaughn shook his head and offered her a smile, "Maybe so, but Camancha wouldn't have believed the movie pitch thing. He's heard of Gina Hallaway. She's in advertising."
Sydney shrugged, "Fine, let's just hope this works."
Vaughn clapped his hands together, a new twinkle in his eye that came from finally seeing some action. "Okay, let's put in a little more time at the party. We have to make Camancha think we're really together. We don't want him to be suspicious of us."
Sydney nodded and then followed him out of the bathroom.
* * * *
Sydney and Vaughn reentered the large living room. Vaughn snatched a couple of champagne glasses from a tray a waiter was carrying and handed one of them to Sydney.
She smiled widely and said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Thank you so much, sugar plum."
Vaughn smiled and whispered, "You might not want to lay it on so thick."
"Are you saying you don't like my acting job, Agent Vaughn?" Sydney replied in a low voice.
"My name's not Agent Vaughn, remember?"
Sydney's brow furrowed, "Actually, what is your name supposed to be?"
"Gunther York," Vaughn replied out of the side of his mouth, while nodding at another guest.
Sydney had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Gunther?"
"It was the best I could do on short notice," he replied, somewhat defensively.
Sydney couldn't help but chuckle. However, the laugh subsided, as Vaughn's arm once again wrapped around her waist and his hand came in contact with her skin. His touch sent shivers down her spine and her body involuntarily shuddered slightly.
"You okay?" Vaughn asked, as he realized his body temperature had just skyrocketed about ten degrees when he touched Sydney.
"Yeah...uh...yeah, it's just cold in here."
Vaughn nodded and commented under his breath, "Funny, 'cause I thought it just got real hot in here."
"What?"
"Uh, nothing," Vaughn replied with a hint of embarrassment.
Sydney and Vaughn made their way through the crowd, smiling here and there, stopping to talk every once in a while. Sydney noticed how the women looked at Vaughn. He might as well have been a piece of meat. A pool of drool had formed at their feet.
She had to admit he looked damn good. He was wearing a black suit and white shirt that was open a couple of buttons. It was a simple look, but achieved the desired effect. His hair was a tad more tousled than usual and she found that it made him look even sexier.
But it was that smile of his that got her every time.
'That smile,' she thought, 'could make a nun rethink her calling.'
She loved when he offered her a crooked smile. It usually formed on the right side of his mouth and it made her knees go weak. There was just something about it that drove her crazy.
Sydney was snapped from her Vaughn-filled thoughts by his voice. They had joined a man and a woman and Vaughn had engaged them in conversation.
"Oh, we actually met about four years ago. I was working at a shoe store in Hollywood, you know struggling screenwriter, and she came in looking for stiletto heels." Vaughn paused and turned to Sydney. He spoke in a voice that was too sincere for his own good, "I think a part of me probably fell in love with her the moment I saw her."
Sydney swallowed hard, but listened as Vaughn averted his eyes and went on, "Anyway, I brought out all of these stiletto heels in forty different colors and styles and, after all that, she decides on the very first pair I brought out! Then she tries them on, loses her balance and breaks her ankle. I accompanied her to the hospital and the rest is history."
Sydney smiled at the story. It was a nice story...One that you could tell the grandkids as you sat around a warm, cozy fire on a cold winter night.
She found herself looking at Vaughn and wondering what would happen if, someday when it was safe, they ended up together. They got married and started a family.
Would she gather her grandkids around a fire and tell them the story about how they had met?
Not likely.
And something in Sydney sank at that thought, at the injustice of it all.
Sydney snapped out of her thoughts, as she realized that all eyes were on her. They must have asked her a question. Vaughn must have noticed she wasn't paying attention because he said, "Come on, sweetie, tell them about the time at the zoo."
Sydney's mouth opened and she was about to spin her story, when Camancha and another man approached them.
"Excuse me for interrupting, Miss Hallaway, but my friend, Enrique Juarez, wanted to meet you," Camancha said.
Sydney smiled at the man and extended her hand, but he did not return the gesture. Instead, he stared at her with a strange expression.
Juarez turned to Camancha, "This is not Gina Hallaway. I saw her picture in the newspaper when she landed that billion dollar Locton account." He paused and then returned his eyes to Sydney. "The real Gina Hallaway is at least thirty pounds heavier."
Sydney and Vaughn were shocked and their minds began to race. Sydney blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, "Well, I've lost some weight."
Juarez laughed smugly, "I don't believe it's possible to lose thirty pounds in one week."
Sydney's eyes widened and she stumbled for her words, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "Oh, yes, I remember now. The newspaper printed the wrong photograph. They issued a correction the next day."
Juarez and Camancha didn't believe her story for a second. Camancha quickly reached inside his jacket and pulled out a walkie talkie. "Security Breach 413. Living room."
Seeing an opportunity, Sydney used Camancha's momentary lapse in attention to kick him in the stomach, causing his body to fly into the dessert table. Vaughn reacted quickly too and landed a right hook to Juarez's jaw.
They ran from the room, the guests too shocked to stop them and actually aiding them by parting like the red sea.
The house or, rather, the mansion consisted of a maze of hallways, each with numerous doors. Sydney, who led the way, randomly chose one hallway and picked the fifth door on the left.
The door was narrow and revealed a utility closet when Sydney threw it open. There was a broom, a mop and a bucket in the small space, but Sydney decided that she and Vaughn could fit. She shoved him in and then squeezed herself in beside them.
Only an inch or two separated them and although, initially, the close proximity of their bodies caused their hearts to beat wildly, the discomfort the situation provided soon overpowered it.
"You're stepping on my foot," Sydney said in a harsh whisper.
"Well, your knee is digging into my thigh," Vaughn countered.
"Ugh!" Sydney said, a tad too loudly.
Vaughn sighed and then met her eyes, his voice low, "Do you really think it's wise for us to hide in a utility closet? It's likely they'll look here and we won't have any place to hide."
"I've learned from my many experiences that often the best place to hide is the most obvious. People tend to think, as you do, that an obvious place like a closet would be too obvious and would leave the person trapped, so they often bypass these types of places."
Vaughn let out a little groan. "Let's hope you're right."
They were silent for a few moments, before Sydney asked, "So what's Plan B?"
"Plan B?"
Sydney's eyes widened at him, "You don't have a Plan B?!"
Vaughn shrugged, although it was not an easy task in the small space. "Hey, I had great confidence that Plan A would work!"
"You always have a Plan B!"
"Did you have a Plan B?"
Sydney responded hesitantly and in a soft voice, "No, but-..."
"But nothing. This could have just as easily happened to you if I hadn't shown up. So don't lecture me about not having a Plan B when you didn't either. I barely had time to formulate a Plan A, never mind a Plan B."
"Fine!" Sydney replied roughly.
There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Vaughn broke it. "So what do you suggest we do?"
"What do you suggest we do?"
"I asked you first."
"What are you, in fourth grade?!"
They both shook their heads and rolled their eyes at each other. Their conversation was beginning to seem like the ones they'd had when they first met and were still learning about each other and figuring out how best to work together. Now that they were forced to work together in the field, they were finding that they had to learn how to deal with new aspects of each other's personalities.
Sydney let out a breath and then spoke. "Okay, I say we give them a little more time to search and then we slip out. Then we have to find Camancha."
"And how are we supposed to do that? This place is a maze, in case you haven't noticed."
"I have a hunch he'll be in his office."
"A hunch?"
"Yes, an instinct, a feeling, an intuition."
"I know what a hunch is!"
"Then why did you-..."
"You're risking our lives and this operation on a 'hunch'?"
"It's worked for me before. I have very good instincts."
"Is this 'hunch' based on anything?"
"Yes, it is. Soon, Camancha will have decided that we escaped and he'll try to figure out who we are, what we were after and who we work for. It won't take him long to figure out that it's the Small Pox strain we wanted. From there, it's my guess that he'll go about using his contacts and connections to form a list of possible suspects. What better place to do that than in your office?"
Vaughn shook his head, "That's weak, but I suppose it's as good as any other guess."
Sydney smiled slightly, "Well, it's certainly better than your nonexistent one."
Vaughn offered her a smirk before asking, "And then what?"
"Then we incapacitate him and get the codes."
"And what about the guards? They know what we look like now and they'll be watching for us."
Sydney smiled, her eyes twinkling, "They know what you look like because you unwisely chose to come undisguised. But they only *think* they know what I look like."
With that, Sydney pulled off her wig and her brown hair fell to her shoulders.
Vaughn stifled a smile and then glanced down at her dress, "What about your dress? That's definitely not something anyone could forget."
The last part had kind of slipped out and it drew a smile from Sydney. She didn't reply, but instead opened her purse and pulled out a small pair of scissors.
"I never go anywhere without these," she said, holding them up to him.
It was difficult in such a tight space, but Sydney managed to carefully cut her dress so that it now ended mid-thigh. She had been careful enough that the hem didn't look noticeably ragged. She also removed her black gloves and placed them in her pocket book. The last distinguishing feature was the diamond lariat necklace, which she also removed and placed in her pocketbook.
She offered Vaughn a sparkling smile, "See, I'm a whole new woman."
Vaughn grinned, as he looked her over the best he could in such close quarters. "Yes, you are. You look different enough that they shouldn't recognize you right away."
She nodded and he went on, "But what about me? How am I supposed to help you incapacitate the guards when I look like this?"
Sydney rifled through her bag and pulled out a small bottle that contained a yellow liquid. "Hair dye."
Vaughn peered into the bag in amazement, "What else you got in there?"
Sydney smiled and snapped it shut, "Never ask a woman what she has in her purse."
She held the bottle up to him, "This hair dye washes right out and your hair doesn't have to be wet. All you do is squirt it into your hand and run it through your hair. Then your hair will be a blondish color."
Vaughn tried to raise his arms up to take the bottle, but found that they were wedged tightly between the door and the back wall. He couldn't raise them up past his waist.
He looked at Sydney, more than a hint of embarrassment in his tone, "Seems I can't really raise my arms up to reach my hair."
Sydney raised her eyebrows, but didn't say a word. She opened the bottle and placed a few drops into her hand. She then rubbed her palms together.
She raised her arms up, but her hands seemed hesitant to make contact with his hair. She swallowed hard and then placed her hands into his hair. She began to massage the dye into his hair, all the while trying to steady her racing heart.
She'd imagined running her hands through that hair of his many times, but she'd never imagined it would happen like this. She felt almost sad that she couldn't just run her fingers through his hair like she wanted to...That this situation had to fulfill that desire.
Still, she'd take it.
Vaughn tried his hardest not to close his eyes and let the feel of Sydney's fingers running through his hair wash over him. She worked slowly and gently and Vaughn couldn't help but wonder what other magic those hands of hers could work.
The moment ended far too quickly for them both. Sydney reluctantly pulled her hands from his hair. "Okay, you're done."
"How do I look?"
"You look like you went overboard on the mousse." Sydney smiled at his disgusted expression. "Don't worry. Camancha looks like he gets oiled everyday, so you look great compared to him."
Vaughn smiled slightly, "Thanks, I think. Do I look like a surfer dude?"
Sydney tilted her head to the side, eyeing his new blonde hair. You could give the guy a perm and he'd still be sexy, but the blonde hair color definitely gave him a new edge.
"Well, you'll need to work on your language and wardrobe, but I think you could achieve that look if you put your mind to it," she replied with a grin.
Vaughn nodded and smiled. He then removed his jacket, to further change his look and to try to cool off his body, which was in serious danger of overheating.
But it wasn't the cramped, stuffy space that had created his problem...It was a certain sexy brunette standing only a few inches away that was responsible.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
TBC. . .Last chapter soon! Thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought! ~Steph
Author: Steph (ILUVNYYANK@aol.com)
Category: Action/Romance/Drama/Comedy
Pairings: Sydney/Vaughn
Summary: Vaughn worries about Sydney's new mission and suggests that another agent do it instead. When she refuses to step aside, he takes things into his own hands.
Rating: PG
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.
Spoilers: Nope.
Disclaimer: Alias and its characters do not belong tome. I do this out of a love for the show and no infringement is intended.
Note # 1: This is my first attempt at action Alias fanfic. I have no idea if I am any good at it, but I gave it my best shot. So please excuse anything that seems impossible, illogical or just plain stupid. That's why J.J. Abrams has his job and I don't :) Also, this plot (Sydney/Vaughn working together) has been done before, but I just love the idea, so I couldn't resist!
Note # 2: This story will be three chapters long. The next chapter should be out sometime in the next couple of days.
* * * The Charade: Chapter 2* * *
Sydney squeezed Vaughn's left hand so hard as they walked that she nearly stopped its blood flow. She practically dragged him down one of the many halls and pulled him into a bathroom. She locked the door behind them and then whirled around to face him. Her glare could have frightened a pack of lions.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I think you broke my hand," Vaughn replied, as he studied his red fingers.
"You are jeopardizing my operation!"
Vaughn looked at her and then asked quietly, "Is Dixon-..."
"No, we had trouble with the earpiece, but you didn't know that before pulling that stunt out there! What if he had heard you?!"
Vaughn smiled knowingly, "I knew he wouldn't. I knew about your earpiece and surveillance problems."
"How did you know?" Sydney asked, clearly surprised.
"It's my job to know," he replied with a grin.
Sydney shook her head sharply and her eyes grew wild, "I can't believe you?! What were you thinking?!"
Vaughn's calm attitude quickly disappeared, "I was thinking that you are in over your head, Sydney! You wouldn't listen to a word I said, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Look how much has already gone wrong when I specifically told you that this was going to be difficult if everything went perfectly!"
"I don't need your help, Vaughn! This is my operation and I plan on completing it successfully!"
Vaughn shook his head and responded softly, "I saw how Camancha looked at you, Sydney. You're not going to get what you want until he gets what he wants."
"You don't know that. All I need to get is the locket."
"And as soon as you get close enough to do that, he'll want to head upstairs with you. He doesn't waste anytime, Sydney. And, if by some chance, you did get it before it went that far, how long do you think it would take him to figure out what's going on? You would never have enough time to get past six guards, a keypad at the door, handprint scanner, and the keypad on the unit and get out before he or someone else caught on."
Sydney's eyes narrowed at him, "You don't trust me."
Vaughn sighed tiredly, "It's not about trust, Sydney. It's about being realistic."
"I've pulled off operations much harder than this, Vaughn, and I didn't need you to do it."
"Look, this will be much easier with two people. Here's the plan. I- ..."
"What?! You are not giving ME the plan."
"Sydney-..."
"No, Vaughn, what gives you the right to tell me how to do my job?"
"I'm your handler!"
"You're not acting like my handler right now! My handler is not supposed to endanger my life and jeopardize my operation by arriving unannounced!"
"Your handler is trying to make sure you don't end up dead or, God forbid, raped!" Vaughn yelled, unable to keep his emotions under wrap.
Sydney snapped her mouth shot, as she realized he was truly concerned for her well-being. She didn't agree with how he went about ensuring her safety, but she knew his intentions were good.
She averted her eyes and spoke softly, "I appreciate your concern, Vaughn, but this is completely inappropriate. Does Devlin even know you're here?"
Vaughn lowered his eyes, "No, I am here in an unofficial capacity."
Sydney shook her head, "You shouldn't be here either way, but coming here without letting Devlin know? He'll remove you as my handler if he finds out, Vaughn. He might even fire you."
He raised his head and met her eyes. He responded in a sincere, low voice. "I don't care what Devlin does to me, Sydney. Your safety is my first concern."
In truth, it made Vaughn's heart ache to think that he could be removed from Sydney's life and never see her face again, but that feeling couldn't even compare to the fear he had for her safety. It would hurt him more than words could express to walk out of Sydney's life, but he'd do it to ensure that she had a life to live.
They looked at each other for a long, tense moment, before Sydney sighed heavily in defeat. "Fine. What's the plan?"
Vaughn smiled in relief. "Okay, Camancha's cover is that he's in the movie business. He gives money to independent films and screenwriters that would otherwise be overlooked by the big movie studios. These parties are often where people approach him for money and pitch him ideas. Camancha does not like to mix business with pleasure, however, and often conducts these meetings in his office, which is on the second floor. These meetings can be rather lengthy, so his absence won't seem strange. I am going to try to pitch him a movie idea and we'll go up to his office. Once there, I will knock him out and remove the code from the locket. You will wait outside and together we'll go to the third floor stairway. You pretend to be looking for a bathroom because you're sick and then faint. I will then take that opportunity to overtake one of the guards and then you can take the other."
"What about the guards at the hallway entrance?"
"They are going to be trickier because they will know that we shouldn't be up there. I think we should act innocent. Tell them that the guards must have been on a break because we didn't see them. Of course, they won't believe that, but it'll buy us enough time to get close enough to take them out."
"And the guards at the bedroom door?"
"There is an emergency button at the entryway to the hall. If it is pressed, the guards at the bedroom door hear it in their earpieces and know that there has been a security breach at checkpoint number two. They'll leave their posts to see what happened and then we'll ambush them."
Sydney smiled at the plan. "It should work. But I think I could have managed it by myself."
Vaughn shook his head and offered her a smile, "Maybe so, but Camancha wouldn't have believed the movie pitch thing. He's heard of Gina Hallaway. She's in advertising."
Sydney shrugged, "Fine, let's just hope this works."
Vaughn clapped his hands together, a new twinkle in his eye that came from finally seeing some action. "Okay, let's put in a little more time at the party. We have to make Camancha think we're really together. We don't want him to be suspicious of us."
Sydney nodded and then followed him out of the bathroom.
* * * *
Sydney and Vaughn reentered the large living room. Vaughn snatched a couple of champagne glasses from a tray a waiter was carrying and handed one of them to Sydney.
She smiled widely and said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Thank you so much, sugar plum."
Vaughn smiled and whispered, "You might not want to lay it on so thick."
"Are you saying you don't like my acting job, Agent Vaughn?" Sydney replied in a low voice.
"My name's not Agent Vaughn, remember?"
Sydney's brow furrowed, "Actually, what is your name supposed to be?"
"Gunther York," Vaughn replied out of the side of his mouth, while nodding at another guest.
Sydney had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Gunther?"
"It was the best I could do on short notice," he replied, somewhat defensively.
Sydney couldn't help but chuckle. However, the laugh subsided, as Vaughn's arm once again wrapped around her waist and his hand came in contact with her skin. His touch sent shivers down her spine and her body involuntarily shuddered slightly.
"You okay?" Vaughn asked, as he realized his body temperature had just skyrocketed about ten degrees when he touched Sydney.
"Yeah...uh...yeah, it's just cold in here."
Vaughn nodded and commented under his breath, "Funny, 'cause I thought it just got real hot in here."
"What?"
"Uh, nothing," Vaughn replied with a hint of embarrassment.
Sydney and Vaughn made their way through the crowd, smiling here and there, stopping to talk every once in a while. Sydney noticed how the women looked at Vaughn. He might as well have been a piece of meat. A pool of drool had formed at their feet.
She had to admit he looked damn good. He was wearing a black suit and white shirt that was open a couple of buttons. It was a simple look, but achieved the desired effect. His hair was a tad more tousled than usual and she found that it made him look even sexier.
But it was that smile of his that got her every time.
'That smile,' she thought, 'could make a nun rethink her calling.'
She loved when he offered her a crooked smile. It usually formed on the right side of his mouth and it made her knees go weak. There was just something about it that drove her crazy.
Sydney was snapped from her Vaughn-filled thoughts by his voice. They had joined a man and a woman and Vaughn had engaged them in conversation.
"Oh, we actually met about four years ago. I was working at a shoe store in Hollywood, you know struggling screenwriter, and she came in looking for stiletto heels." Vaughn paused and turned to Sydney. He spoke in a voice that was too sincere for his own good, "I think a part of me probably fell in love with her the moment I saw her."
Sydney swallowed hard, but listened as Vaughn averted his eyes and went on, "Anyway, I brought out all of these stiletto heels in forty different colors and styles and, after all that, she decides on the very first pair I brought out! Then she tries them on, loses her balance and breaks her ankle. I accompanied her to the hospital and the rest is history."
Sydney smiled at the story. It was a nice story...One that you could tell the grandkids as you sat around a warm, cozy fire on a cold winter night.
She found herself looking at Vaughn and wondering what would happen if, someday when it was safe, they ended up together. They got married and started a family.
Would she gather her grandkids around a fire and tell them the story about how they had met?
Not likely.
And something in Sydney sank at that thought, at the injustice of it all.
Sydney snapped out of her thoughts, as she realized that all eyes were on her. They must have asked her a question. Vaughn must have noticed she wasn't paying attention because he said, "Come on, sweetie, tell them about the time at the zoo."
Sydney's mouth opened and she was about to spin her story, when Camancha and another man approached them.
"Excuse me for interrupting, Miss Hallaway, but my friend, Enrique Juarez, wanted to meet you," Camancha said.
Sydney smiled at the man and extended her hand, but he did not return the gesture. Instead, he stared at her with a strange expression.
Juarez turned to Camancha, "This is not Gina Hallaway. I saw her picture in the newspaper when she landed that billion dollar Locton account." He paused and then returned his eyes to Sydney. "The real Gina Hallaway is at least thirty pounds heavier."
Sydney and Vaughn were shocked and their minds began to race. Sydney blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, "Well, I've lost some weight."
Juarez laughed smugly, "I don't believe it's possible to lose thirty pounds in one week."
Sydney's eyes widened and she stumbled for her words, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "Oh, yes, I remember now. The newspaper printed the wrong photograph. They issued a correction the next day."
Juarez and Camancha didn't believe her story for a second. Camancha quickly reached inside his jacket and pulled out a walkie talkie. "Security Breach 413. Living room."
Seeing an opportunity, Sydney used Camancha's momentary lapse in attention to kick him in the stomach, causing his body to fly into the dessert table. Vaughn reacted quickly too and landed a right hook to Juarez's jaw.
They ran from the room, the guests too shocked to stop them and actually aiding them by parting like the red sea.
The house or, rather, the mansion consisted of a maze of hallways, each with numerous doors. Sydney, who led the way, randomly chose one hallway and picked the fifth door on the left.
The door was narrow and revealed a utility closet when Sydney threw it open. There was a broom, a mop and a bucket in the small space, but Sydney decided that she and Vaughn could fit. She shoved him in and then squeezed herself in beside them.
Only an inch or two separated them and although, initially, the close proximity of their bodies caused their hearts to beat wildly, the discomfort the situation provided soon overpowered it.
"You're stepping on my foot," Sydney said in a harsh whisper.
"Well, your knee is digging into my thigh," Vaughn countered.
"Ugh!" Sydney said, a tad too loudly.
Vaughn sighed and then met her eyes, his voice low, "Do you really think it's wise for us to hide in a utility closet? It's likely they'll look here and we won't have any place to hide."
"I've learned from my many experiences that often the best place to hide is the most obvious. People tend to think, as you do, that an obvious place like a closet would be too obvious and would leave the person trapped, so they often bypass these types of places."
Vaughn let out a little groan. "Let's hope you're right."
They were silent for a few moments, before Sydney asked, "So what's Plan B?"
"Plan B?"
Sydney's eyes widened at him, "You don't have a Plan B?!"
Vaughn shrugged, although it was not an easy task in the small space. "Hey, I had great confidence that Plan A would work!"
"You always have a Plan B!"
"Did you have a Plan B?"
Sydney responded hesitantly and in a soft voice, "No, but-..."
"But nothing. This could have just as easily happened to you if I hadn't shown up. So don't lecture me about not having a Plan B when you didn't either. I barely had time to formulate a Plan A, never mind a Plan B."
"Fine!" Sydney replied roughly.
There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Vaughn broke it. "So what do you suggest we do?"
"What do you suggest we do?"
"I asked you first."
"What are you, in fourth grade?!"
They both shook their heads and rolled their eyes at each other. Their conversation was beginning to seem like the ones they'd had when they first met and were still learning about each other and figuring out how best to work together. Now that they were forced to work together in the field, they were finding that they had to learn how to deal with new aspects of each other's personalities.
Sydney let out a breath and then spoke. "Okay, I say we give them a little more time to search and then we slip out. Then we have to find Camancha."
"And how are we supposed to do that? This place is a maze, in case you haven't noticed."
"I have a hunch he'll be in his office."
"A hunch?"
"Yes, an instinct, a feeling, an intuition."
"I know what a hunch is!"
"Then why did you-..."
"You're risking our lives and this operation on a 'hunch'?"
"It's worked for me before. I have very good instincts."
"Is this 'hunch' based on anything?"
"Yes, it is. Soon, Camancha will have decided that we escaped and he'll try to figure out who we are, what we were after and who we work for. It won't take him long to figure out that it's the Small Pox strain we wanted. From there, it's my guess that he'll go about using his contacts and connections to form a list of possible suspects. What better place to do that than in your office?"
Vaughn shook his head, "That's weak, but I suppose it's as good as any other guess."
Sydney smiled slightly, "Well, it's certainly better than your nonexistent one."
Vaughn offered her a smirk before asking, "And then what?"
"Then we incapacitate him and get the codes."
"And what about the guards? They know what we look like now and they'll be watching for us."
Sydney smiled, her eyes twinkling, "They know what you look like because you unwisely chose to come undisguised. But they only *think* they know what I look like."
With that, Sydney pulled off her wig and her brown hair fell to her shoulders.
Vaughn stifled a smile and then glanced down at her dress, "What about your dress? That's definitely not something anyone could forget."
The last part had kind of slipped out and it drew a smile from Sydney. She didn't reply, but instead opened her purse and pulled out a small pair of scissors.
"I never go anywhere without these," she said, holding them up to him.
It was difficult in such a tight space, but Sydney managed to carefully cut her dress so that it now ended mid-thigh. She had been careful enough that the hem didn't look noticeably ragged. She also removed her black gloves and placed them in her pocket book. The last distinguishing feature was the diamond lariat necklace, which she also removed and placed in her pocketbook.
She offered Vaughn a sparkling smile, "See, I'm a whole new woman."
Vaughn grinned, as he looked her over the best he could in such close quarters. "Yes, you are. You look different enough that they shouldn't recognize you right away."
She nodded and he went on, "But what about me? How am I supposed to help you incapacitate the guards when I look like this?"
Sydney rifled through her bag and pulled out a small bottle that contained a yellow liquid. "Hair dye."
Vaughn peered into the bag in amazement, "What else you got in there?"
Sydney smiled and snapped it shut, "Never ask a woman what she has in her purse."
She held the bottle up to him, "This hair dye washes right out and your hair doesn't have to be wet. All you do is squirt it into your hand and run it through your hair. Then your hair will be a blondish color."
Vaughn tried to raise his arms up to take the bottle, but found that they were wedged tightly between the door and the back wall. He couldn't raise them up past his waist.
He looked at Sydney, more than a hint of embarrassment in his tone, "Seems I can't really raise my arms up to reach my hair."
Sydney raised her eyebrows, but didn't say a word. She opened the bottle and placed a few drops into her hand. She then rubbed her palms together.
She raised her arms up, but her hands seemed hesitant to make contact with his hair. She swallowed hard and then placed her hands into his hair. She began to massage the dye into his hair, all the while trying to steady her racing heart.
She'd imagined running her hands through that hair of his many times, but she'd never imagined it would happen like this. She felt almost sad that she couldn't just run her fingers through his hair like she wanted to...That this situation had to fulfill that desire.
Still, she'd take it.
Vaughn tried his hardest not to close his eyes and let the feel of Sydney's fingers running through his hair wash over him. She worked slowly and gently and Vaughn couldn't help but wonder what other magic those hands of hers could work.
The moment ended far too quickly for them both. Sydney reluctantly pulled her hands from his hair. "Okay, you're done."
"How do I look?"
"You look like you went overboard on the mousse." Sydney smiled at his disgusted expression. "Don't worry. Camancha looks like he gets oiled everyday, so you look great compared to him."
Vaughn smiled slightly, "Thanks, I think. Do I look like a surfer dude?"
Sydney tilted her head to the side, eyeing his new blonde hair. You could give the guy a perm and he'd still be sexy, but the blonde hair color definitely gave him a new edge.
"Well, you'll need to work on your language and wardrobe, but I think you could achieve that look if you put your mind to it," she replied with a grin.
Vaughn nodded and smiled. He then removed his jacket, to further change his look and to try to cool off his body, which was in serious danger of overheating.
But it wasn't the cramped, stuffy space that had created his problem...It was a certain sexy brunette standing only a few inches away that was responsible.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
TBC. . .Last chapter soon! Thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought! ~Steph
