Chapter 5
Will's eyes met Vaughn's and the two stayed in a tense lock. Not knowing what was going on between the two men, Sydney inadvertently broke the tension by rising from the couch, mumbling, "Excuse me," and walking swiftly towards the back of the house.
Vaughn's eyes followed her retreating figure as did Will's, a fact that was not lost on either man. As she faded from sight Will cursed in exasperation.
"Mr. Tippin," Vaughn began, "there—"
Will cut him off before he had a chance to speak. "Man, who the hell are you?" he spit out, looking up at Vaughn from his perch on the couch. Both men realized the subtext beneath the question—Will wanted to know who Vaughn was to Sydney.
Vaughn closed his eyes and breathed deep. Searching for the right answer proved harder than he thought. Finally he slowly opened his eyes and leaned down towards Will. "I'm her friend, Mr. Tippin, just like you. And what that means is that I won't let anything, anything, hurt her. Do you understand that? As her friend you should want to protect her at all costs. That's my job," he said simply, shrugging. "And you should know, I take my job very seriously." There was no mistaking his threat as he pulled back from Will's personal space and straightened his spine.
Will had to admit he made an imposing figure. He swallowed in discomfort. "Fine," he answered, voice tight with a combination of respect, dislike and envy. "Whatever I can do for Syd. This is all about her." He met Vaughn's eyes—a message sent. Telling him that if Vaughn was important to her in this aspect of her life then so could he be.
Vaughn let out his breath. "Okay…I wasn't exaggerating when I said that Sydney's done more for you, for America, then you'll ever know. And you can't know, no matter how much you want to. Understand that if she tells you this truth then she'll end up compromising both herself and you. Her job is unique and it's one that is, at many times, thankless. Her personal life has to suffer because of what she does, and you're a part of that life."
Will did not miss the way he seemed to force out this last sentence. Knowing Vaughn was right, he sighed in defeat. "I know…I know all this and the last thing I want is to hurt her. It's just so hard. I mean, I've been dragged into this and I still don't really know why. Maybe it's just my job that forces me to be curious, but if I'm going to get killed over something I'd like to know what it's all about."
"I completely understand your need to know, but you have to realize that Sydney cannot tell you certain things and it is that that is going to keep you alive." Vaughn did not fail to notice the irony in play: that it was he who was trying to repair the gap between Will and Sydney.
Will silently contemplated Vaughn's words. It was obvious that this man cared about her, almost as much as he himself did.
Vaughn continued as he leaned down to Will's eye level, "I need you to do me a favor, Mr. Tippin. Talk to Sydney, be her friend. Give her your love and support because she needs it. Lying to you and Francie has taken more of a toll on her than she'd like to admit. You guys mean a lot to her and she does not deserve your disrespect and questions that she cannot possibly answer. It will just remind her of how much she's lost in her life." Vaughn sighed and stood back up. "Please," he finished quietly, "just try and move past this."
They heard a door open at the back of the house. Before Sydney appeared Will had to ask Vaughn a question; not because he wanted to know the answer but because he needed confirmation that Vaughn knew the answer.
"Why did Syd react the way she did a few minutes ago, when she told me not to talk to a machine and get drunk?"
Vaughn looked at him quizzically but answered nonetheless. "Danny—he left a message on her machine. It's how SD-6 learned that he knew the truth." Will nodded slightly, his eyes focused on a far off point, as if he had known all along.
Sydney stepped back into the room, composed but still looking as if she'd just lost her best friend. Vaughn cleared his throat. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay, Syd? Then we've got to get going."
Sydney nodded at him, grateful for the time alone with Will.
Vaughn disappeared into a door down the hallway and Sydney sat back on the couch, facing Will once more. She steeled herself against another verbal assault but he seemed to be contemplating something, lost in his own world.
"Will?" she asked. The sound of her voice seemed to snap him out of his reverie.
"Syd, I'm sorry about how I acted before. I…I know what you do can't be easy and I'm just making it worse. You have my word that I'll never talk about this with anyone, okay? What you've told me is enough."
Sydney looked at him with wide eyes. She wondered, briefly, what Vaughn had said to him while she was in the bathroom. "That really—I'm really glad you said that. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you or Francie."
Will's mouth twisted wistfully as she mentioned his name in the same breath as Francie's. Her friends. She would hate to lose her best friends. Him and Francie. It ran through his brain like a locomotive on crack.
Sydney suddenly rose up on her haunches to bridge the gap between her and Will, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tight.
After a few moments they broke apart and settled back on opposite sides of the couch. Sydney was smiling serenely and Will was loath to interrupt the comfortable silence, but he realized that if he didn't ask the question now he'd probably never get another chance.
"So, ah, what's up with 'Mulder?'" he asked in an overly composed tone, eyes glancing towards the direction in which Vaughn had disappeared.
Sydney's mouth quirked at the comparison to the fictional FBI agent but her eyebrows knitted in confusion at his question. "What do you mean 'what's up' with him?"
Will cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, what do you two…um, are you guys…" his face turned red as he tried to come up with an easy way to broach the subject. Finally he gave a frustrated sigh and stared at the mirror on the wall. His own reflection, Will the Suave Reporter, seemed to mock his inability to ask a simple question.
Sydney continued to stare at Will as she tried to work out what he was trying to ask her. "Will, I'm really sorry, but I completely don't understand what you're trying to…"
Will brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. His face contorted as if in pain. He released the hold on his skin and looked over at Sydney. "How exactly…how exactly does he 'handle' you?" he blurted out, unable to come up with any better way to throw it out there. He mentally smacked himself for being such a dork.
*****
Okay, the future in-laws are out to dinner so I was able to type this up and post it. After all, I promised with feedback comes more goodies. Still a little bit left—what do you guys think so far? Anything you want to happen? I'm open to suggestions :) Now that you know feedback=chapters I'm definitely expecting some! FEEEED MEEE!
Will's eyes met Vaughn's and the two stayed in a tense lock. Not knowing what was going on between the two men, Sydney inadvertently broke the tension by rising from the couch, mumbling, "Excuse me," and walking swiftly towards the back of the house.
Vaughn's eyes followed her retreating figure as did Will's, a fact that was not lost on either man. As she faded from sight Will cursed in exasperation.
"Mr. Tippin," Vaughn began, "there—"
Will cut him off before he had a chance to speak. "Man, who the hell are you?" he spit out, looking up at Vaughn from his perch on the couch. Both men realized the subtext beneath the question—Will wanted to know who Vaughn was to Sydney.
Vaughn closed his eyes and breathed deep. Searching for the right answer proved harder than he thought. Finally he slowly opened his eyes and leaned down towards Will. "I'm her friend, Mr. Tippin, just like you. And what that means is that I won't let anything, anything, hurt her. Do you understand that? As her friend you should want to protect her at all costs. That's my job," he said simply, shrugging. "And you should know, I take my job very seriously." There was no mistaking his threat as he pulled back from Will's personal space and straightened his spine.
Will had to admit he made an imposing figure. He swallowed in discomfort. "Fine," he answered, voice tight with a combination of respect, dislike and envy. "Whatever I can do for Syd. This is all about her." He met Vaughn's eyes—a message sent. Telling him that if Vaughn was important to her in this aspect of her life then so could he be.
Vaughn let out his breath. "Okay…I wasn't exaggerating when I said that Sydney's done more for you, for America, then you'll ever know. And you can't know, no matter how much you want to. Understand that if she tells you this truth then she'll end up compromising both herself and you. Her job is unique and it's one that is, at many times, thankless. Her personal life has to suffer because of what she does, and you're a part of that life."
Will did not miss the way he seemed to force out this last sentence. Knowing Vaughn was right, he sighed in defeat. "I know…I know all this and the last thing I want is to hurt her. It's just so hard. I mean, I've been dragged into this and I still don't really know why. Maybe it's just my job that forces me to be curious, but if I'm going to get killed over something I'd like to know what it's all about."
"I completely understand your need to know, but you have to realize that Sydney cannot tell you certain things and it is that that is going to keep you alive." Vaughn did not fail to notice the irony in play: that it was he who was trying to repair the gap between Will and Sydney.
Will silently contemplated Vaughn's words. It was obvious that this man cared about her, almost as much as he himself did.
Vaughn continued as he leaned down to Will's eye level, "I need you to do me a favor, Mr. Tippin. Talk to Sydney, be her friend. Give her your love and support because she needs it. Lying to you and Francie has taken more of a toll on her than she'd like to admit. You guys mean a lot to her and she does not deserve your disrespect and questions that she cannot possibly answer. It will just remind her of how much she's lost in her life." Vaughn sighed and stood back up. "Please," he finished quietly, "just try and move past this."
They heard a door open at the back of the house. Before Sydney appeared Will had to ask Vaughn a question; not because he wanted to know the answer but because he needed confirmation that Vaughn knew the answer.
"Why did Syd react the way she did a few minutes ago, when she told me not to talk to a machine and get drunk?"
Vaughn looked at him quizzically but answered nonetheless. "Danny—he left a message on her machine. It's how SD-6 learned that he knew the truth." Will nodded slightly, his eyes focused on a far off point, as if he had known all along.
Sydney stepped back into the room, composed but still looking as if she'd just lost her best friend. Vaughn cleared his throat. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay, Syd? Then we've got to get going."
Sydney nodded at him, grateful for the time alone with Will.
Vaughn disappeared into a door down the hallway and Sydney sat back on the couch, facing Will once more. She steeled herself against another verbal assault but he seemed to be contemplating something, lost in his own world.
"Will?" she asked. The sound of her voice seemed to snap him out of his reverie.
"Syd, I'm sorry about how I acted before. I…I know what you do can't be easy and I'm just making it worse. You have my word that I'll never talk about this with anyone, okay? What you've told me is enough."
Sydney looked at him with wide eyes. She wondered, briefly, what Vaughn had said to him while she was in the bathroom. "That really—I'm really glad you said that. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you or Francie."
Will's mouth twisted wistfully as she mentioned his name in the same breath as Francie's. Her friends. She would hate to lose her best friends. Him and Francie. It ran through his brain like a locomotive on crack.
Sydney suddenly rose up on her haunches to bridge the gap between her and Will, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tight.
After a few moments they broke apart and settled back on opposite sides of the couch. Sydney was smiling serenely and Will was loath to interrupt the comfortable silence, but he realized that if he didn't ask the question now he'd probably never get another chance.
"So, ah, what's up with 'Mulder?'" he asked in an overly composed tone, eyes glancing towards the direction in which Vaughn had disappeared.
Sydney's mouth quirked at the comparison to the fictional FBI agent but her eyebrows knitted in confusion at his question. "What do you mean 'what's up' with him?"
Will cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, what do you two…um, are you guys…" his face turned red as he tried to come up with an easy way to broach the subject. Finally he gave a frustrated sigh and stared at the mirror on the wall. His own reflection, Will the Suave Reporter, seemed to mock his inability to ask a simple question.
Sydney continued to stare at Will as she tried to work out what he was trying to ask her. "Will, I'm really sorry, but I completely don't understand what you're trying to…"
Will brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. His face contorted as if in pain. He released the hold on his skin and looked over at Sydney. "How exactly…how exactly does he 'handle' you?" he blurted out, unable to come up with any better way to throw it out there. He mentally smacked himself for being such a dork.
*****
Okay, the future in-laws are out to dinner so I was able to type this up and post it. After all, I promised with feedback comes more goodies. Still a little bit left—what do you guys think so far? Anything you want to happen? I'm open to suggestions :) Now that you know feedback=chapters I'm definitely expecting some! FEEEED MEEE!