A/N – I'm sorry about the cliffhanger… I hate cliffhangers, but that's only when I am not the one making them… Example: I hate JJ for making the Vaughn cliffhanger! How dare he… Just, this cliffhanger went with the story!
Be warned that there is more
cursing in this chapter for some reason. It just sounded right. But they are
little words… like shit. But that's about it.
Vaughn's POV
My head hurt. God, I sounded like such a baby.
"Hello…" A voice trailed on. "You awake yet?" The person stood up before me. "Sydney got up an hour ago…"
At the mention of Sydney, I snapped my eyes open and my head up.
"Oh, you are awake." Sark smirked slightly. What alliteration! The letter 's' three times.
"Yeah, I'm awake." My throat was sore and scratchy. No duh, that last thing that was in my mouth was water, that only God knows what was in it.
"You sound terrible." Sark frowned sarcastically and looked at the door. "Mr. Khasinau should be here soon, with a drink for you." He shrugged. "Though I don't think any of you should get such good treatment, I have no say in all of it."
Thank God. The thought fluttered through my head, and it almost hurt to think. How bad had I been hit?
"Sark." A female voice entered the room, but not enough so that I could see her. "Jack is awake and pissed. He's just like Irina said he would be. Yelling, cursing…" At least it wasn't Sydney's mother again. I don't think I could be in the same room with her.
"I'll be right there…" The woman left and Sark glanced back at me. "Don't go anywhere." He smirked and left the room quickly.
It took about five minutes for Khasinau to walk through the door. Isn't that strange… it always takes about five minutes for people to show up… now if it could only take me five minutes to think of a plan to save myself and Sydney… oh and Jack.
"Drink?" He held up the cup and let the dark liquid move around a bit.
I shook my head, which made the room spin. I'm gonna kick his ass… as soon as I puke first.
"I know you need a drink." Khasinau held the cup to my lips and forced a few drops down my throat. I tasted Coke. He finally (after some persuading and almost drowning in the Coke) got the rest down my throat and threw the cup to the floor, making the glass shatter into pieces.
I gotta get out of here. But my hands were tied behind the chair, and even when I felt the air for something, nothing popped up. I'm so friggin` delusional.
"Sir." Sark opened the door, only enough that I could see a shadow of him Freaky. "Irina wants to see you… she's with Sydney."
Khasinau glanced toward me and then walked to the door. "Be right back." He muttered and shut the door behind him and Sark.
Alone at last. Now, if I could just reach the table behind me. Oh, shit. I went a little too far, because the chair, with me tied to it, is on its back. Crushing my hands, no less. Shit. Something is digging into my hand and I have no idea what. It's cutting my hand too and it hurts like hell. What is… piece of glass. Yes! Ok, now I just gotta maneuver it so that I can cut the rope.
Hell yes! I rolled the chair over and got my other hand free quickly. As if I was on fire, I tugged the ropes on my ankles loose and jumped up. Yes! I feel like a kid who just got out of detention. Of course, I had never been in detention so I wouldn't… I gotta shut up and find Sydney.
Oooo the hallway again. God, now I really do sound like a kid. I think the bump on my head did a little more damage then I thought.
There were sounds coming from every which way, but only one caught my attention and that one was Jack… yelling about how they should get their asses back in there… or something like that.
"Jack?" I hissed as I slid into the room. "Would you shut the hell up?"
He looked at me surprised and quickly quieted. "How in the world did you get out?" I untied his hands without answering his question. Let him think what he wants.
"Get yourself untied. I'm going to find Sydney…" I left, not waiting for him to answer me, or try and stop me.
Every door was closed and I started to wonder if they ever left a door open. One room caught my attention. The door was open a crack and voices were arguing inside. When I got closer, I realized it was where Sydney was.
"You are not…" Sydney practically yelled and then lowered her voice. "You're not even close to being my mother."
"Stubborn." I heard her mother mutter and then the door opened. I looked around quickly and ducked into another room, making sure it was empty. Which it was. "She's a stubborn brat." I listened as her mother walked down the hall, away from the room.
"She's you." Khasinau muttered after her.
When the footsteps were gone I checked the halls then got out. I didn't know if the room was empty or not. I didn't care. I needed to get Sydney out of here. So I just entered the room.
"Sydney?" I looked around the room. It was empty except for Sydney, obviously, tied in yet another chair. I bent down in front of her and she looked up. "Hey?" I smirked and pushed her hair out of her face. Whoa. Déjà vu.
"Hey." She smiled softly and pulled her hands from the ropes as I untied her.
Sydney's POV
Déjà vu. He's pushing my hair back and untying the ropes… again. I love this man.
I didn't just think that. No, I take that…
"You okay?" He whispered and pulled me out of the chair.
"Yeah." I pulled back and looked him in the eye. "I'm fine. I just… she…" I stopped short. What am I doing? Am I nuts? I'm standing here, in the middle of a foreign country, thinking about the man standing in front of me and how his hair looks so sexy when it's messed and he looks worried.
"Sydney?" He made a move to me and I stepped back one. "Syd, what's going on?"
"I'm just… I want to get out of here." I whispered.
"Me too… but you have to let me…" He moved to me again and this time I let him get closer. His arms surrounded me again, but this time it's just because we are both standing here. Not because I thought he was dead, not because I had been captured by my mother… because it's just me and him.
"Vaughn…" I looked up and caught my breath. The look in his eyes… My arms were around his neck and I tightened them, pulling him closer. A moment of shock swept through me when I felt his lips on mine and then a surge of hunger as the kiss deepened. One of his hands moved up my back and into my hair, sending shivers down my spine. My own hands rested on the back of his neck and pushed the kiss deeper. My lungs burned for air, but my heart and soul burned for him.
Air won as we both pulled apart, handing staying in place, breathing calming down and taking long, deep breaths.
"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." Vaughn whispered when he gained his breath back. Our foreheads were rested against each other's and I smiled.
"We have to get out of here." I muttered; not wanting to leave this spot, but needing to get out.
"Come on." One of his hands left me as I slid my hands back to me. His other hand was on my waist, lightly guiding me out the door.
The hallway was empty as we quickly made our way down to the entrance. Occasionally we ducked into an empty room as someone came down the hallway towards us. But we managed.
I didn't know if they had realized we were gone. The only thing I knew was that I was outside, my dad standing by the car and Vaughn's hand was still on my waist.
Later:
Ok, I'm sitting in the backseat of a car. I know it's a CIA car because it's black. My father is in the front, driving. And Vaughn is on the other side of my seat, our hands locked together, but out of view from the prying eyes of who I call Dad. I had gotten rid of my blue hair in the airport and had changed into something a little more… Sydney.
I let go of Vaughn's hand as we turned down my dads' street. "I'm assuming you can find Sydney's house pretty well…" Dad stopped the car and glanced at Vaughn.
"She can give me directions, yes." He nodded and smirked as my dad left the front seat.
We all got out. I wasn't going to sit in the backseat, while Vaughn drove. Hell no. So, I get into the passenger seat and Vaughn gets into the drivers seat.
"What time is it?" I asked softly. I remember that I told Francie I'd be home at, maybe, twelve o'clock if I was lucky. It was way past twelve, I know that.
"Five in the morning." Vaughn yawned and glanced at me. "Take a left here, right?"
"Yeah." I whispered; looking out the window, trying to make an excuse for not being there on time. Will is probably sleeping on my couch right now, if he could've thought up an excuse to give to Francie for how he looked like shit.
"Well… here we are." Vaughn muttered and turned off the car as he looked at where I lived. "Nice."
"Thanks." I noticed that the living room light was on and that someone was walking around. Francie. She always was a worrier. "I better go before she does something drastic." I said as I took off my seatbelt and opened my door. Before I got out I leaned over to Vaughn. We kissed again, but this time, rushed and over quickly. "See you." I muttered and jumped out of the car, smiling as I walked to the door and opened it.
"Sydney?" Francie walked into my line of view and stood there. "Where were you?"
"I'm sorry Francie." I threw my jacket to the floor and walked up to her. "It went a little longer then planned, so I just fell asleep there and decided to wait till now to come home."
"Okay." Francie hugged me and pointed to the couch. "Will is on the couch. Be nice to him. He's been robbed and he looks like crap, they beat him up."
Nice save, Will. I thought to myself, smiling.
"Okay Francie." I smiled at her, then went into my bedroom. I was beat. Literally and non-literally. The minute, second, millisecond my head touched the pillow I was asleep.
"Will… wake up." I pushed him over and over again. "Will, this is urgent!" I pushed him until he finally opened his eyes.
"What'd you want?" Will sat up slowly, wincing slightly at the pain. Right now, I couldn't care.
"Tell me, that you called Abby…" I looked him in t he eye. Before he left, my dad told me about Will's story and about Abby.
"Yeah." Will breathed out and so did I. "She's worried, but not gonna publish the story." Will closed his eyes again, then opened them, this time with more energy in them. "It took some persuading and blackmailing, but she's gonna tell the editor that it was all a joke… I'm gonna get my ass kicked." He tried to stand, but I pushed him down.
"You are going to stay on this couch the whole day." I ordered. He made a move to get up, but I put up my hand. "You know that I can kick your ass worse then your editor can, so stay there and you don't move." I looked at my watch. "I gotta get to work." I muttered and looked down at him. "If I found out that you moved for anything else then food and bathroom, then I will kick your ass." I left his side to grab my coat. "I'll be back." I blew him a kiss and left quickly.
