Summary: Conclusion of Valentine's Day.
Warehouse
Sydney arrived at the warehouse after dark, bags of all sizes and shapes hanging from her arms. Thank goodness she had thought to bring some of her props over the night before, when she told Vaughn she couldn't meet him because she was tired from her trip.
Her movements were stealthy as she slipped in through a door. She hurried over to her little makeshift dining area and dropped everything she was carrying with a resounding thud. She'd have to make some time for a little weight training later on this week, Sydney chastised herself as she rubbed her sore arms, strained by the heavy bags she'd been carrying.
Sydney surveyed her surroundings. The night before, she had come to the warehouse and fashioned a "cozy" little dining nook out of a few crates pushed together. She'd covered one with a tablecloth and two more with comfy seat cushions. Two silver candlesticks with tall red tapers were sitting on the "table," waiting to be lit, along with a bottle of red wine and two wineglasses.
She opened one of her grocery bags and pulled out a vase and the bouquet of flowers she had bought. She'd always been a sucker for daisies, even though they weren't as exotic or sophisticated as Casablanca lilies or Chinese peonies. Daisies just always looked happy and bright. Lord knew she could use some of that in her life right now.
Next out of her bag was her CD boom box. She wanted some mood music, but she also wanted to let him listen to a CD she'd made for him. Last night, she'd burned a CD for Vaughn of her favorite classical pieces with a surprise shot of Stones at the end. She thought he'd get a kick out of it.
The aroma of the Italian food emanated throughout the tiny area as she placed the two takeout trays on the table. She hoped he liked veal, but even if he didn't, she had a feeling he would be too polite to say so. In any case, they could share and he could have some of her shrimp and linguine.
She banged the rock-hard pint of rocky road ice cream on the side of a crate. Still frozen solid and the cold, drafty warehouse wouldn't help defrost it, either. Well, maybe it'll be soft by the time dessert rolled around, she decided.
Sydney unbelted her black trench coat and slipped it from her shoulders. She smoothed her hands down the silky fabric of her dress, the expert cut showing off her curves to full advantage. She'd exchanged her very sensible black pumps for a pair of strappy red sandals. Her only jewelry was a delicate gold bracelet encircling her wrist.
She'd touched up her hair and makeup in the ladies room, but it wouldn't hurt to check again. She opened her tote and found her compact. Sydney had decided to wear her hair down and it fell in soft, shiny mane, the ends just brushing her shoulders after a recent trim. Her makeup was subtle, although she did spring for the crimson lipstick that matched her dress exactly. She dabbed a few drops of perfume on her wrists and behind her ears. Perfect.
Sydney checked the time on her cell phone and then turned it off. Vaughn was due in about 10 minutes. She hurriedly got rid of all her carryalls and lit the candles so that they gave off a warm glow. If she squinted, she could almost forget that this was a dark, dank warehouse and was instead an intimate romantic hideaway.
Vaughn arrived at the warehouse and noiselessly opened the door. He had a bounce in his step as he realized he would be seeing Sydney in just a few moments. He let the door close behind him and turned around. That was when he noticed a strange glow coming from a corner of the warehouse. The corner of the warehouse where he and Sydney usually met.
Shadows flickered along the wall as he hurriedly made his way along the concrete floor. His heart rose in his throat. Had someone followed Sydney, knocked her out, and then set fire to the place to cover his tracks?
It took an enormous amount of restraint on his part not to call out her name. If she wasn't alone, at least he'd have the element of surprise. He turned at the corner.
"Syd--" Her name was a shout halfway out of his mouth when he suddenly stopped short. He blinked a few times. Was he really seeing flowers and candlelight and Sydney in an amazing red dress or was it just his mind playing tricks on him?
"Hello, Vaughn." She murmured, a small smile on her face.
He gulped. "Sydney." He uttered her name. "What is all this?"
"Vaughn, I know you thought I was losing it last week when I was asking you all those questions, but I really did have a good reason." She smiled winningly. "See, Italian food, rocky road ice cream, jazz on the stereo…"
Vaughn's mind was whirling and his emotions were churning inside of him. The rational side of him told him that they shouldn't be doing this, that he should leave and not look back, no matter how hard it might be to do so.
But the emotional side of him (the side he really wanted to listen to, he admitted) was enormously touched by what Sydney had done. It was sweet and crazy and wonderful, but then what else would he expect from her?
"Sydney, you shouldn't have done this." He murmured.
Sydney's smile faltered a bit. Oh, God! Her heart dropped into her stomach. Had she totally misread the signs? Was he about to tell her that he was flattered but that he didn't feel that way about her? She didn't think she could bear it if he said that.
"…would've been happy with a pizza and beer." Vaughn was saying in his adorably shy way.
Her pulse resumed its rapid pace. "Well, maybe I went a little overboard…"
"No, no!" He said quickly. "I think what you've done…is wonderful." He said softly.
Sydney was thrilled that he was pleased with her efforts. "Well, come on and sit down." She gestured.
"Something smells good." He lifted the cover of his foil tray. "Is this veal parmigiana?"
"Do you like veal?" She asked worriedly.
"My absolute favorite." He assured her. She smiled happily.
For the next few hours, Sydney and Vaughn treated their dinner as if they were on a real date. They told each other funny stories about their childhoods, conversed about books and movies, politics and hobbies. The subject of work was never mentioned.
After dinner, Sydney and Vaughn found themselves sitting next to each other on a crate, sharing the carton of ice cream. In all her meticulous planning, she had forgotten to bring bowls in which to serve the ice cream, so they wound up taking turns, passing it back and forth whenever their fingers got frozen or when someone was particularly grabby.
"Thank you for tonight, Sydney." Vaughn licked a drip of melted ice cream from his finger. Sydney found that unbelievably sexy and had to look away, so that her eyes wouldn't betray her. "I think this was the best Valentine's Day I ever had."
"You're kidding?" Sydney looked surprised. This wasn't exactly the Ritz Carlton, after all. "Didn't you ever go out with Alice?"
"I think I was always working." He looked regretful. "Our first year together, she was upset. The second year, she was disappointed. The third year, I think she expected it."
"I'm sorry." She murmured.
"What about you?" Vaughn turned the focus on her. "I bet Danny went all out for you, didn't he?" I know I would.
Sydney's lips curved into a smile. "Our first year, he sent me three dozen red roses and took me out to the fanciest restaurant in town and then we went dancing afterwards." Her eyes grew hazy as she remembered. "Then the next year, he filled my bathtub with rose petals and he cooked me dinner and we spent the evening at home." She felt a tear forming in the corner of her eye.
Vaughn didn't know what to say. No matter what the reason was for their being together tonight, she was still hurting because Danny was gone.
"I'm sorry they took him away from you." He said finally, his voice a low whisper. In a bold move, he put an arm around her shoulder. He was relieved when she didn't flinch or pull away.
"Me too." Sydney said in a tired voice. Without even realizing what she was doing, she laid her head against the crook of his neck. He felt warm and solid next to her and it was comforting. "I think he would've liked you." She mused.
Vaughn felt the silkiness of her hair against his cheek and the scent of her perfume filling his senses and he wondered what the protocol was when you wanted to kiss a woman who was reminiscing about her dead fiancé.
Sydney moved away from him just then and the moment passed. He watched as she stood up and started to clear away the remains of their dinner.
Sydney's emotions were all jumbled up inside of her and the only thing she could think to do was to keep moving, preferably away from Vaughn. She knew it wasn't rational to feel guilty about betraying Danny—he was dead, she knew that—but it still felt disloyal to have such strong feelings towards another man.
Without warning, hot tears squeezed from her eyes and her vision became blurred. Damn, she cursed silently, not knowing if she was angry for crying because Danny was gone or because Vaughn was slowly taking his place in her heart.
"Sydney," Vaughn was suddenly behind her.
Sydney surreptitiously wiped at her eyes. "Yes?" She tried to keep the sob out of her voice, but was unsuccessful.
"Why are you crying?"
"It's nothing." She turned to face him, her eyes still bright, glistening in the candlelight.
"It's not nothing." He said gently. "Don't pull away from me, Syd. Talk to me."
Sydney looked down. "You'll think I'm a basket case if I tell you." She mumbled.
"Well, I already think you're a basket case, taking all the risks that you do, so whatever you tell me won't change my opinion of you." His voice was teasing as he tried to coax a smile from her.
Sydney let out a short laugh and he felt as if he'd grabbed the brass ring. "Well, that's reassuring." She laughed again and suddenly she knew she could tell him anything and he would understand. He wouldn't judge her or think badly of her. He would just listen and he would understand.
"Vaughn, you know I planned this entire evening as a kind of first date, right?" She began.
"Yeah, I figured that out pretty quickly." He smiled.
"Maybe it was presumptuous of me--"
"No," He cut in. "You took the initiative. It's one of the many things I admire about you, Sydney."
She felt a warm glow suffuse her entire body. "So is it safe to say that we both feel an…attraction to each other?" She said tentatively.
"To put it mildly." He drawled. Lust, desire, love (?) also came to mind.
She gave him a little smile. "Then I don't know why I feel guilty."
"It's completely understandable, Sydney." His eyes never left her face. "Danny was the guy you thought you'd spend the rest of your life with. Then he was taken from you in the worst way imaginable, but that doesn't mean the feelings you had for him died with him."
"I'm not trying to take Danny's place in your heart, Sydney. I don't want to do that. You loved him and I would never expect you to forget that. The people we love and have loved make us who we are."
Vaughn reached out to take her hands in his. "What I do want is my own place, Sydney. A place where you keep your feelings only for me." He brought her hand to his lips and brushed them against her soft skin.
God, after a speech like that, was it any wonder how she could easily fall in love with this man? But he was right. A part of her would always love Danny and a part of her soul would always be with him, but he was gone and Vaughn was here and she knew she didn't want to be alone for the rest of her life.
"Vaughn?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want to dance?" She smiled at him to let him know she was all right again.
He rewarded her with a heart-melting smile of his own. "Definitely."
For the next few moments, Sydney and Vaughn were completely oblivious to their surroundings. Gone were the warehouse and the crates and the chain-link fencing; in their place was a moonlit night, a fragrant breeze and the feeling that they were the only two people left in the world.
"Sydney?" Vaughn whispered in her ear, his voice low and velvety. She felt a shiver up and down her spine.
"Hmmm?"
"Have I told you yet how beautiful you look in that dress tonight?"
Sydney smiled languidly, like a cat stretching in the sun. "Would you believe me if I said I bought it with you in mind?"
Vaughn smiled. "At this moment, if you told me the moon was made of green cheese, I'd believe you."
"Well, it's true. That's really how all this came about. I saw it and I wondered what it would be like for you to see me in it. Then I had to come up with a way that you could." She flashed her dimples at him. "After all, it's not as if I could come strolling in here in high heels and a hot red dress."
"If you had done that, I think my blood pressure would have gone through the roof." Vaughn wisecracked.
Sydney let out an amused chuckle. "Well, then I think this way was definitely more conducive to your health."
"Well, I don't know about that." Vaughn raised an eyebrow. "It's not my blood pressure that's rising." He said huskily, in an uncharacteristically suggestive undertone. Sydney's eyes widened and then she blushed.
"What time is it?" Sydney murmured after awhile, her head resting on Vaughn's shoulder as they swayed to the music.
Vaughn looked at his wristwatch. "A little after midnight." He responded.
She lifted her head to look at him. "Valentine's Day is over." She said with some regret.
"Are you going to be turning into a pumpkin soon?" He quipped.
"No, but I do have an early class tomorrow." She reluctantly extracted herself from his arms. She turned to start cleaning up and gathering her things.
Vaughn suddenly remembered his gift. "Sydney, wait." He grabbed her hand. "Even though I don't want this evening to end, I know it has to eventually and I wanted to give you something."
She looked surprised but pleased. "You didn't have to--"
"I know, but I wanted to." He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope. "Before I give you this, I want to say that I wish it could be more personal." He held out the envelope and she took it, sitting down on a crate as she did so.
Sydney caught the odd note in his voice. "Is there a reason it can't be?"
"Yeah." He replied without elaboration.
"You're talking about the picture frame, right?" She prodded him. "Vaughn, did you get into any trouble for giving me that gift?" She asked shrewdly.
"Sydney, I'd rather not get into it." He said uncomfortably, not wanting to bring up Haladki and Barnett and everything they had stirred up. Not tonight, anyway. "Can't we just keep this night as perfect as it's been?"
"Okay," She said slowly, knowing that somehow she'd get the full story out of him. But that was for another day. Not for tonight.
With great anticipation, Sydney opened the flap and pulled out three tickets. "These are tickets to a Dodgers game." She said, the surprise evident on her face.
"Yeah, for opening weekend."
Sydney wasn't quite sure what to make of her gift. She was touched that he had thought of her, but let's face it, baseball tickets weren't exactly the most romantic gift in the world. She considered Vaughn to be a man of some taste and thought that perhaps he would have gotten her tickets to the ballet or the opera or even The Lion King. But baseball tickets?
"Well, thank you." She said politely. Maybe Francie and Will would go with her. Then she inspected the tickets more closely. "Wait a minute. These are single tickets for a 3-game series."
"Uh-huh."
Sydney frowned. "You expect me to go to a baseball game by myself?"
"Well, maybe you'll make some new friends." Vaughn suggested.
"Or maybe I'll get stuck sitting next to some obnoxious, beer-guzzling drunk!" She fumed, realizing too late that she might have sounded ungrateful.
Vaughn stifled a laugh. "Sydney, I swear that two beers are my limit." He said solemnly, raising his right hand as if taking an oath.
She looked at him in consternation and then a realization dawned on her. Her mouth parted into an "O."
Vaughn's sensual lips curved into an amused smile. "Sydney, did you happen to see who they're playing opening weekend?"
Sydney glanced at the tickets. "They're playing the Mets." She gave Vaughn a raised eyebrow.
"I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to re-introduce you to Great American Pastime. You told me you hadn't been to a game in five years." He reached into his other pocket and waved his tickets in front of her. "You'll be able to see how a real baseball team plays."
"I don't believe it!" Her eyes lit up delightedly. An actual in-public sort-of-date? "Vaughn, do we dare? Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that you wouldn't go to the Kings game with me?"
"I know and I'm sorry I turned you down." He looked apologetic. "That's partly why I'm trying to make up for that now."
"So what's going to change in two months?"
"Probably not much." He admitted. "It'll still be complicated and dangerous. Of course, you know we'll have to arrive separately and pretend that we're just meeting for the first time." He looked at her. "If anyone happens to be watching, it'll look like a blind date."
"And even though we have to go through this elaborate charade, you still want to do it?" She looked at him skeptically. "Why?"
Vaughn didn't reply right away, gathering his thoughts. "Sydney, I've been thinking a lot." He said slowly. "About you and me and my father and your mother."
Sydney looked downcast, but said nothing.
"They both had their lives ended…abruptly. There was no time for them to say goodbye, make amends, do all the things they planned to do in the future." Vaughn caught Sydney's gaze and held it. "You live a very dangerous life, Sydney. Whenever you go away, I always wonder if I'm ever going to see you again. My stomach is in knots and I have trouble sleeping and I'm pretty much hell to be around."
"But then when you're home and I know you're safe, it's as if the greatest weight has been lifted off my shoulders." He gave her a little smile. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that all that agony I go through has to mean something."
"What I'm trying to say--even though I'm being long-winded in trying to say it--is that you've become one of the most important people in my life, Sydney, and I would consider it the biggest regret of my life if something happened to you before we had a chance to figure out what it is we're dancing around." Vaughn had laid his heart bare for her and now it was up to her to figure out what she wanted to do with it.
Sydney felt her own heart doing flip-flops in her chest. Without breaking his gaze, she stood up and walked over to him. She took his face in her hands and she kissed him before she had time to talk herself out of it. Vaughn responded immediately to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her back, with equal fervor and passion. This was where they were meant to be.
THE END
Note: Thanks for indulging me in my sappy, romantic fantasy. I figure that's all we'll have between Sydney and Vaughn this Valentine's Day, but hey, there's always next year! I appreciated all your positive feedback! I had fun writing this and hopefully, you'll be hearing from me again soon.