Title: Getting To Know You
Author: Soul Artist
Summary: The first in the 'In Your Arms' series. Vaughn and Sydney's various meetings in secret to discuss their CIA countermeasures among, um, other things.
Setting: During "Masquerade", after the extraction.
Part One: Sydney's POV
"So this guy. You know him?"
I looked up, startled. I'd been so deep in my thoughts I hadn't heard a word he'd said.
"Um, sorry. What?" I shook my head and glanced up at Vaughn, who was staring intently at me.
"Noah Hicks. You two know each other."
'Know each other'. He made it sound so easy.
"Yes. Actually, we sort of…" I hesitated to even say it, but what was the use? "Dated. A few years back."
Vaughn's expression remained the same. "And you haven't seen him since you broke up?" Even as he asked it, he looked as if he wanted to say, You have broken up, right?
"Right. Um, the extraction was the first time in five years." I tried to keep that distant tone out of my voice. This was so uncomfortable. Why, every time Vaughn and I met, we seemed to get farther and farther apart?
"All right." Vaughn snapped his folder shut, making me jump. "Well, I'll contact you if we get anything. In the meantime, just keep an eye out."
I forced a smile. Right. I was working my ex that I hadn't seen in five years and the only reason we broke up was because of some stupid misunderstanding and that was his advice for me?
I stood up and made my way towards the door, stopping to smile at Vaughn before leaving. As I stepped outside, I breathed a sigh of relief to be out of that room. There as just too much tension between us lately, with Noah and everything. I wondered if Vaughn and I would ever feel completely comfortable around each other. It was kind of essential, wasn't it? We basically had our lives in our hands. I wanted to be comfortable with that, but I couldn't.
Not just yet.