Barely Breathing

Irrational Thoughts

© 2002

Rating: PG

Spoilers: basic stuff

Pairing: definite V/S, although Will has some thoughts

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.

-Will's POV-

The door slams behind her. I don't have to look to know Francie has a disapproving look on her face.

"Will," she starts, and I already know what she's going to say.

"I know, I know." I shake my head, refusing to meet her eyes. "Leave her alone, right?"

Francie looks at me sadly, and for a second I think she knows what I'm going through. The moment passes, and she gives me a small smile. "Sydney knows how to take care of herself," she continues softly, like I am a child. I guess she doesn't understand. "I know you're just worried about her, but so am I. But I know when to let her do her own thing. Being nosy will get you nowhere, Will."

She's right. I am nosy. And nosy gets me nowhere with Sydney. And "with Sydney" is where I want to be. I sigh loudly. Francie looks sympathetic.

"Listen, I'm meeting Charlie for a late lunch in half an hour. You want to come?" Francie can be so sweet sometimes. She always wants the best for everyone, even me. I wonder what she would say if I told her I'm hopelessly in love with her roommate. Probably something along the lines of "Oh, I'm so sorry, Will," because she knows as well as I do that Sydney doesn't think of me that way. And I can't hate her for it. Just like I don't hate Sydney for not liking me back.

"No, you go ahead. I don't want to be around when all that lovey-dovey stuff happens," I tease.

Francie rolls her eyes and hits me on the shoulder. I can tell she's trying not to smile. "Whatever," she sniffs, feigning insult. But that doesn't last long as I start making kissing noises.

"Will, grow up!" she manages to say through peals of laughter. I just smile.

--

-Francie's POV-

Will smiles as I laugh at his immaturity. God bless his soul. He's so in love with Sydney that it practically radiates off of him. I know she knows it, but chooses to ignore it most of the time. I can't blame her. Will is one of her, or should I say our, best friends. We've all known each other for years. We are about as close as three people can possibly be without crossing friendship lines. Will wanting more with Sydney is dangerous, not to mention weird. Don't get me wrong, I love Will like a brother. But I'm so afraid that he'll throw away what he already has with Sydney for something out of his reach. In fact, I can already see cracks in their friendship. Sydney's more stressed than usual, and Will's more persistent and frustrated. Which is why I think he should just give her some space. Plus, what's the deal with Jenny?

---

-Vaughn's POV-

She's late. It usually doesn't take her more than half an hour to get here from her place. I try not to assume the worst. I pace.

Suddenly I hear the door creak open. "Sydney?" I call out immediately, heading in that direction.

She appears around the corner, face flushed, hair slightly tousled, clothes a little askew. My eyes widen; she's usually so neat, but now she looks flustered. "Are you okay?" I demand.

"Yeah," she sighs, "I'm fine. I had some trouble getting by Will and out of the house. Then it took me ten minutes to lose a tail. Sorry I'm late."

Sorry. She's sorry. She's sorry she's late. I resist the urge to grab her and kiss her senseless. I look away, trying to calm my nerves, not to mention my raging hormones. God, I feel like I'm seventeen again. Back when I was an awkward teenager with the biggest crush on Kelly Ryan, the most popular girl in school. Except this now is more than a crush. Or so according to Weiss, and I believe him. The first time I laid eyes on Sydney Bristow I knew she was going to turn my world upside-down. Boy, was I right.

"So, about my counter-mission." Her voice cuts into my thoughts, and I snap back to attention. "SD-6 wants me to retrieve a book from Engle's private collection in Paris. It apparently contains codes needed to open a vault in the Caribbean containing information on the extent of Engle's drug network around the world."

I nod; the CIA is familiar with Engle. "Will you be going on the mission to the Caribbean?"

"Yes. If this mission is successful, Dixon and I will be leaving immediately, before Engle has a chance to realize the book is gone and alert his people in the Caribbean."

"Dixon is going with you this time?" I ask warily. She nods. "The CIA wants a copy of the codes. Don't try to give SD-6 the wrong codes. We plan to get to the vault before SD-6 does, but I'll brief you on that mission when you get back."

She smiles and gets up to leave.

"Sydney, good luck in Paris," I say, looking into her eyes. Be safe, I want to add, come back to me in one piece.

"Thanks, Vaughn," she replies with a heart-stopping smile.

And something inside of me snaps. Before I realize what I am doing, I've closed the space between us. She looks at me quizzically, and my breath is coming in short gasps. I grab her roughly and stare into her shocked brown eyes for one meaningful moment before my lips come crashing down on hers in a fierce, bruising kiss.



How was that? Give me some feedback before I post the next chapter. -V