CHAPTER 3: SIMPLE
"Don't worry Michael, I didn't get around to the typical nude baby pictures…" Marie grinned as she added one word; "yet"
Vaughn turned bright red as he gazed into Sydney's Eyes as his mother spoke. It had been so long since he had seen her, but she had been the leading lady in all of his dreams.
He seated himself infront of her at the table and smiled.
"So," he started "I really didn't expect you to be here"
"Yeah, that's why you tried to call me. I was touched!"
"By what?"
"The fact that you tried to return my call the minute you got through the door."
Vaughn lowered his eyes, blushing again slightly as he lifted the photograph that had made Sydney laugh until she had cried not too long before. He rolled his eyes in embarrassment before glaring at his mother.
Marie held up both of her hands and looked away "I'm going to walk the dog and give you two some time alone!"
"What dog?" Vaughn asked slightly confused "I don't have a dog!"
"Look sonny, I'll find one to walk if I have to! And why don't you have a dog? You always wanted one when you were a little boy." She turned to Sydney "he wouldn't let a conversation pass with out the word 'dog' or 'puppy' in it. He drove us up the wall!"
"Yeah ok ma' that's enough! I don't know why I never got a dog! Guess I never got round to it."
Marie shrugged "Sydney, incase you're gone when I get back (which I doubt) I shall say now that it was nice to finally meet you and I hope to see you again soon." She turned back to her son, who was gazing at Sydney as she smiled at his mother. Marie snapped her fingers at him to get his attention. "Don't let this one get away my boy! Tie her to the bed if you have to!"
"MA!"
She laughed and winked playfully at Sydney as she walked over to pinch her son's cheeks. "It's called a sense of humour Michael! Look it up!" she kissed him on the cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark on his face.
"Oh, go find a dog to walk!" he grumbled as he tried to wipe away the mark, only smudging it across his face.
"Is that any way to speak to your mother?" she pretended to be upset by his words, but couldn't keep it up long when he pasted a babyish grin on his face and squeaked "I love you mommy!"
"That's better!"
Marie left them alone in the house and made a point of staying away for three hours.
"Your mother is amazing!" Sydney stated as she smiled, unable to take her eyes from the red smudge on his face.
"My mother is embarrassing!" unconsciously she leaned across the table as he spoke and began wiping his cheek with her thumb! When she realised what she was doing, she cleared her throat "em, lipstick!" she explained as she sat back down. Vaughn took up a piece of kitchen towel and rubbed his face "gone?" Sydney nodded and continued their conversation.
"You're lucky to have someone like her though! Someone who loves you enough to carry baby pictures around in her purse"
Vaughn leaned forward onto the table and whispered in a low voice "I'll make you a deal! You give me some of your baby pictures, and I'll carry them around in my wallet!" it was more of an attempt to lighten her mood and when he saw it was working, he added, "typical naked ones would be best! And they don't have to be baby ones either! Hint, Hint" he burst out laughing as he watched her jaw drop and her eyes widen!
She tried to brush off the comment. It was the first time he had ever spoken to her in that manner and she had to admit it didn't feel wrong at all, nothing but totally natural.
"This is nice," she said trying to change the subject.
"What's nice? The naked photographs? I'll bet they're more than just nice!" he flinched as she kicked him under the table. "Sorry"
"Honestly Vaughn. It sounds like you've been living with a very randy Frenchman for the past six months!"
"His name is Pierre!" Vaughn smiled "he's my uncle!"
Vaughn asked her how the raid had gone, and talking about that took around an hour.
"I expected to see you there," she admitted "at the safe house I mean"
"I was planning to be there, but my uncle got sick and I had to help him with his restaurant."
"Restaurant? What did you do there?"
"Chief"
"chief? You can cook?" he nodded and Sydney began to giggle as an image popped into her head
"What's funny?"
"Just the image of you funning around a kitchen in one of those big tall hats"
"I have to admit that was quite funny!"
"You mean you actually had to wear one?"
"Yeah"
Vaughn watched as Sydney laughed harder at that confession. He couldn't remember that last time he had seen her so relaxed and happy, probably because he never had!
When Marie came back she walked into the kitchen and saw Sydney, red in the face, wiping her eyes dry.
"What did you say?" she asked her son and he told her only making Sydney start laughing again as the image re-entered her mind.
Sydney spent a total of 6 hours at Vaughn's house that day.
When they walked her to the door, Marie pulled her into a tight motherly hug and kissed her cheek.
Vaughn extended his hand to shake hers but his mother pushed it back to his side!
"What?" he asked innocently
"I just met her this morning! And you have known her for years! I'm not afraid to hug her so why should you be?"
Vaughn sighed and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Sydney's back as she slid her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, not wanting to let him go. She had waited so long to feel his arms around her and now she could. Without having to fear for his life is someone saw them.
The embrace lasted longer than either of them expected it to, and when they parted, Marie was grinning at them, certain now that there was something between them she could work on. They were smiling like a couple of teenagers on their first date.
"It was great to see you again Syd"
"Same to you"
Vaughn stood beside his mother on the doorstep as they watched Sydney get into her car, wave and then drive off.
"Now she's a lovely girl" Marie said as she headed back to the kitchen to clear away the mugs. "She's a very beautiful young lady and some guy is going to snatch her from under your nose. You should grab her with both hands while you still can."
"It's not that simple Ma'!"
But as he walked up the stairs to take a shower, he realised that now, without the threat of SD-6 hanging over them, it was 'that simple'
"Don't worry Michael, I didn't get around to the typical nude baby pictures…" Marie grinned as she added one word; "yet"
Vaughn turned bright red as he gazed into Sydney's Eyes as his mother spoke. It had been so long since he had seen her, but she had been the leading lady in all of his dreams.
He seated himself infront of her at the table and smiled.
"So," he started "I really didn't expect you to be here"
"Yeah, that's why you tried to call me. I was touched!"
"By what?"
"The fact that you tried to return my call the minute you got through the door."
Vaughn lowered his eyes, blushing again slightly as he lifted the photograph that had made Sydney laugh until she had cried not too long before. He rolled his eyes in embarrassment before glaring at his mother.
Marie held up both of her hands and looked away "I'm going to walk the dog and give you two some time alone!"
"What dog?" Vaughn asked slightly confused "I don't have a dog!"
"Look sonny, I'll find one to walk if I have to! And why don't you have a dog? You always wanted one when you were a little boy." She turned to Sydney "he wouldn't let a conversation pass with out the word 'dog' or 'puppy' in it. He drove us up the wall!"
"Yeah ok ma' that's enough! I don't know why I never got a dog! Guess I never got round to it."
Marie shrugged "Sydney, incase you're gone when I get back (which I doubt) I shall say now that it was nice to finally meet you and I hope to see you again soon." She turned back to her son, who was gazing at Sydney as she smiled at his mother. Marie snapped her fingers at him to get his attention. "Don't let this one get away my boy! Tie her to the bed if you have to!"
"MA!"
She laughed and winked playfully at Sydney as she walked over to pinch her son's cheeks. "It's called a sense of humour Michael! Look it up!" she kissed him on the cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark on his face.
"Oh, go find a dog to walk!" he grumbled as he tried to wipe away the mark, only smudging it across his face.
"Is that any way to speak to your mother?" she pretended to be upset by his words, but couldn't keep it up long when he pasted a babyish grin on his face and squeaked "I love you mommy!"
"That's better!"
Marie left them alone in the house and made a point of staying away for three hours.
"Your mother is amazing!" Sydney stated as she smiled, unable to take her eyes from the red smudge on his face.
"My mother is embarrassing!" unconsciously she leaned across the table as he spoke and began wiping his cheek with her thumb! When she realised what she was doing, she cleared her throat "em, lipstick!" she explained as she sat back down. Vaughn took up a piece of kitchen towel and rubbed his face "gone?" Sydney nodded and continued their conversation.
"You're lucky to have someone like her though! Someone who loves you enough to carry baby pictures around in her purse"
Vaughn leaned forward onto the table and whispered in a low voice "I'll make you a deal! You give me some of your baby pictures, and I'll carry them around in my wallet!" it was more of an attempt to lighten her mood and when he saw it was working, he added, "typical naked ones would be best! And they don't have to be baby ones either! Hint, Hint" he burst out laughing as he watched her jaw drop and her eyes widen!
She tried to brush off the comment. It was the first time he had ever spoken to her in that manner and she had to admit it didn't feel wrong at all, nothing but totally natural.
"This is nice," she said trying to change the subject.
"What's nice? The naked photographs? I'll bet they're more than just nice!" he flinched as she kicked him under the table. "Sorry"
"Honestly Vaughn. It sounds like you've been living with a very randy Frenchman for the past six months!"
"His name is Pierre!" Vaughn smiled "he's my uncle!"
Vaughn asked her how the raid had gone, and talking about that took around an hour.
"I expected to see you there," she admitted "at the safe house I mean"
"I was planning to be there, but my uncle got sick and I had to help him with his restaurant."
"Restaurant? What did you do there?"
"Chief"
"chief? You can cook?" he nodded and Sydney began to giggle as an image popped into her head
"What's funny?"
"Just the image of you funning around a kitchen in one of those big tall hats"
"I have to admit that was quite funny!"
"You mean you actually had to wear one?"
"Yeah"
Vaughn watched as Sydney laughed harder at that confession. He couldn't remember that last time he had seen her so relaxed and happy, probably because he never had!
When Marie came back she walked into the kitchen and saw Sydney, red in the face, wiping her eyes dry.
"What did you say?" she asked her son and he told her only making Sydney start laughing again as the image re-entered her mind.
Sydney spent a total of 6 hours at Vaughn's house that day.
When they walked her to the door, Marie pulled her into a tight motherly hug and kissed her cheek.
Vaughn extended his hand to shake hers but his mother pushed it back to his side!
"What?" he asked innocently
"I just met her this morning! And you have known her for years! I'm not afraid to hug her so why should you be?"
Vaughn sighed and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Sydney's back as she slid her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, not wanting to let him go. She had waited so long to feel his arms around her and now she could. Without having to fear for his life is someone saw them.
The embrace lasted longer than either of them expected it to, and when they parted, Marie was grinning at them, certain now that there was something between them she could work on. They were smiling like a couple of teenagers on their first date.
"It was great to see you again Syd"
"Same to you"
Vaughn stood beside his mother on the doorstep as they watched Sydney get into her car, wave and then drive off.
"Now she's a lovely girl" Marie said as she headed back to the kitchen to clear away the mugs. "She's a very beautiful young lady and some guy is going to snatch her from under your nose. You should grab her with both hands while you still can."
"It's not that simple Ma'!"
But as he walked up the stairs to take a shower, he realised that now, without the threat of SD-6 hanging over them, it was 'that simple'