1 Title: Rainy Days and Mondays Chapter 4

Author: Karin (Bailsgal)

Email: celtic_7@hotmail.com

Feedback: Live for it!

Summary: When Vaughn can't handle seeing Syd with Noah any longer, he accepts a posting to the American Embassy in London. However a bad mission and unsaid things lead Sydney to his door.

Disclaimer: None of this is mine. All Alias characters belong to the very talented mind of JJ Abrams. Emma Brody and Doug Roach and the rest of the London Embassy crew belong to the cancelled Fox show The American Embassy, produced by Jersey Television., Michelle Fox and Danny DeVito

Distribution: Whoever wants it just ask and it's yours.

Rating : PG to start.

Classification: Angst/Adventure and Romance…what could a person ask for?

Author's Note: I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my dear friend and beta girl extraordinar Anne-Marie! I'd be lost without her help and support. And to all the wonderful people who took the time to send me feedback…. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

"Damn it! I totally forgot about the party," Vaughn cursed. If anyone were watching them, they would surely question the sudden cancellation of the unofficial Embassy bash. From the day that Vaughn and Emma had moved into their spacious loft, co-workers had been trying to convince them to throw a party. Finally after months of nagging the two had agreed. The party that Emma and Vaughn planned on throwing was the talk of the embassy. How could they explain it's sudden cancellation without drawing attention to them and Sydney?

"We could say I've come down with the flu or something," Emma suggested. She knew perfectly well what this cancellation would be met with rumours and possible investigation by nosy operatives.

"Food poisoning. You both have food poisoning. I'll fake the paperwork at the hospital," Robert said looking from Vaughn to Emma, almost daring them to challenge him. He would not let anything happen to Jack's daughter or his former best friend's son. "Seems you both ate some bad fish tonight."

"That'll work," Vaughn said and smiled at the man who'd provided him with a father figure as he'd grown up. Robert had always been there for him in difficult times, and once again he was here to help him save Sydney. How the two men had ended up living in London at the same time was something of a mystery to Vaughn but not one he was interested in uncovering.

"I'll take care of it then," Robert Carrington said, moving to the closet to retrieve his coat. "Michael, one of the nurses will be staying until Sydney's out of the woods. A case like hers could take a turn for the worse in a matter of minutes."

"You're leaving? What happens if something happens? Can this nurse you're leaving behind take care of it? Robert please, I need you here," Vaughn knew he sounded like a scared little boy, but he'd already lost her once. He couldn't risk losing her forever, especially now that he knew she loved him!

"Mike I'm a phone call away and Louise and Katie are the most professional nurses I know. They're both field experienced nurses and I'm sure they could teach me a thing or two. Trust me, okay?" Robert said trying to calm the young man standing before him. Suddenly he didn't see the adult Michael Vaughn but rather, the little boy whom for the first year after his father's death would not let his mother out of his sight for more than 5 minutes.

"Sidney will be fine Michael. She's in good hands and I'll be back in a few hours," Robert said locking eyes with Vaughn.

Michael sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew it would be fine but he couldn't help but worry. He'd feel better when he saw her.

"Can I see her now?" Vaughn asked, as he looked up the staircase to where Sydney was sleeping the 'sleep of the heavily sedated'.

"They're just moving her to your room. Give them a few minutes," Robert said slipping his coat on.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I'll call Jack myself. There's no need for you to do it. Go up and check on her before you have a heart attack," Robert said, patting the boy on the shoulder. He shook hid head as he watched Vaughn turn and take the stairs two at a time.

"Take care him for me, will you?" Robert said to Doug.

"Of course, I will. Mike's one of my best friends," Doug slipped his arms around Emma's waist, letting her lean back against his chest.

Robert noticed one of his nurses passing Vaughn on the stairs. "Katie are you ready?"

The woman nodded and Robert handed her, her raincoat.

"I'll be back by in the morning. Good night Doug, and it was nice meeting you Emma, I just wish it had been under better circumstances," Robert said extending his hand but Emma moved forward to place a kiss on the older man's cheek.

"The pleasure is all mine," she replied stepping back to let the doctor pull open the front door. He ushered the nurse through and closed it softly behind him.

"So now comes the fun part," Doug said as he pulled Emma back to him and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Well she survived the surgery. We just have to get her through the next 48 hours," Emma said scrunching up her nose, confused by her boyfriend's comment.

"No, I mean trying to get Mike through this. If she doesn't jump out of bed in the morning prepared to run a marathon, he's gonna be basketcase," Doug sighed, kissing Emma's forehead.

"Oh yeah, I never really thought about it. I just wanted her to make it through the surgery so I tried not to think past that."

It was Emma's turn to sigh as she looked up the stairs to where Vaughn was anxiously waiting for the nurses to let him into his room.

"You know he's not going to leave her side till she's conscious again," Doug said following her gaze up the stairs.

" I know. Why don't you go to sleep and I'll go sit with him for awhile? It's kind of a blessing that neither of us has to go to work in the morning what with the food poisoning and all."

Emma snuggled more deeply into his powerful embrace, grateful for the love and support he gave her. Emma still couldn't believe sometimes that Doug was standing by her side, committed to her and no one else, especially considering the gossip and fear of commitment stories that she had heard circulating around the embassy.

"Thanks for reminding me. I can't wait to be the bearer of that particular bad news!" Doug groaned, thinking of the abuse he'd have to take from their co-workers, come morning.

"No problem. You can always deliver my bad news if you'd like," Emma yawned.



Vaughn sat on the floor of his room with files scattered around him. He needed to keep busy, but he only had eyes for the pale beauty in his bed. Sydney looked so frail and small. She appeared more vulnerable than he'd ever thought he'd see her look in her life. Louise, the nurse, had been in and out of the room all night checking Sydney's vitals and so far all seemed well.

Vaughn looked across the bed to where Emma was curled up in his wingback chair. She was fast asleep. She'd really tried to stay awake for his sake, but had fallen asleep about an hour ago, snoring in that cute little way that usually made him smile. He had known before how lucky he was to have Emma's and Doug's friendship but after last night he was more grateful for them than ever. They had kept him sane as he waited for Robert to fill him in on Sydney's condition. It was not something that he never ever wanted to live through again.

Living without seeing Sydney on a regular basis had been hard but he'd survived because he knew that she was alive and happy in LA. Sure he'd once dreamed that he'd be the one making her deliriously happy but happily ever after wasn't in the cards for him and Sydney. She'd chosen Noah to fill that void in her life. It wasn't easy to accept but making Sydney happy was all that mattered to him and if that meant Noah, well it meant Noah but Vaughn felt she deserved more, better than that, better than him.

Seeing her like this, fighting for her life rocked him harder than he ever thought possible. He use to have this recurring nightmare where he'd find her dead, crumpled body lying in a heap in the middle of 'their' warehouse. After one of those nightmares, he'd wake up screaming her name, soaked with sweat and for the rest of the night he'd sit up sipping coffee and waiting for the sun to rise. The idea of living in a world without her frightened him beyond words and that fear would keep him awake for days on end. Who could possibly take her shining place in the world? No one could ever live up to that challenge, at least in his eyes. The way she fought to bring down SD-6, to protect those that she loved despite what it cost her personally was amazing to him. He was glad to have been a part of it because she kept him going as much as he kept her going. It was just that he had never told her that.

Vaughn sighed and let memories wash over him. He could still hear her laughter if he let himself or feel her hand under his that night on the pier. He remembered her tears, her anger, everything that had ever passed between them. As hard as he had tried to block her out, she was still the star of his dreams every night. It didn't matter how far he went, he still loved Sydney Bristow.

"You really should get some sleep," Doug's voice interrupted Vaughn's thoughts.

"I thought you were asleep," Vaughn yawned as he said the word 'sleep'.

"I was, but it looks like you could use a couple hours yourself bud. I'm headin' home to have a shower, change, then I'll head into the office. I want to see if Dave found anything on his sweep last night," Doug replied, as he watched Vaughn lean his head back against the wall and rub his tired eyes.

"Let me know if he has anything. We're going to have to come up with some sort of action plan to protect her," Vaughn's eyes flickered back Sydney's unconscious form.

"I won't promise you anything until you promise me to catch a few hours sleep, Mike. You're in no condition right now to be make any decisions regarding her safety," Doug wasn't about to let go of this that easily. Vaughn needed to run point on this op. He knew Sydney's world better than any of them but if Vaughn was running on empty and unable to make coherent decisions, one little mistake could get them all killed

"Not till she wakes up. I need to be here when she opens her eyes. If I'm asleep I can't do that," Vaughn shrugged, not taking his eyes off of Sydney. The nagging implication of Doug's words pulled at his senses, but his need to be with Sydney out weighed everything else.

"And what good will you be to her if you're dead to the world from exhaustion?" Doug said tilting his head against the door jam watching Vaughn watch Sydney.

He couldn't figure out how to reach him. Michael was long past reasonable.

"You may have a point Doug, but I need to be awake…I … I can sleep afterwards. If it was Emma, can you honestly tell me you'd be able to sleep while her life hung in the balance?" Vaughn asked his friend as he shifted so he could take Sydney's limp hand in his.

"That's dirty shit Mike, 'cause you know I'd never be able to leave her side but this isn't Emma we're talking about. This is double Agent Sydney Bristow, the CIA's best weapon to take down SD-6, a weapon that the CIA will not let you risk because you're in love with her." Doug glanced over at his girlfriend, curled up, fast asleep, and he prayed silently that he'd never have to make the decisions that Vaughn was facing.

"You don't think I know that!" Vaughn's head snapped around to face his friend.

"I know you do. I'm just trying to make you see some sense. You need some sleep so you'll be at the top of you game. That's all I'm trying to get you to see Mike. Why don't you and I go and bring one of the couches up here then at least you'll have a place to crash," Doug offered.

"No I'm fine here," Vaughn waved off the offer. He liked sitting on the floor. It was hard, it was uncomfortable, and it kept him awake.

"Alright. I'm gonna put Em to bed though so you can sit in the chair," Doug said, crossing the room to lift a sleeping Emma into his arms. She stirred once and looked up slightly dazed.

"Go back to sleep Em," Doug whispered and patted her back, smiling as she curled up against him.

"She always looks so peaceful when she sleeps," Vaughn said, voicing his thoughts out loud.

"The price one pays for having a guilt free conscious, I suppose. That's something you and I will never know," Doug shifted her slightly as she became heavy in his arms and winked at his friend.

"If I'd known that joining the CIA was going to rob me of every good night's sleep until I retired, I never would have joined," Vaughn smirked.

"Yeah but some of those nights were well worth it, Mike. Remember those Swedish stewardesses in Vienna? If I remember correctly, you told me you'd be willing to give up sleep if you got to relive that every night."

"You're a bad influence," Vaughn shook his head at the memory.

"Who was the bad influence? Because if I remember it right, you were the pick up king," Doug retorted, raising an eyebrow at Vaughn's innocent act.

"Whatever. Go tuck Em in before you drop her," Vaughn waved a hand in a princely dismissal at his friend.

"I'll call you later and I'll take Donovan for a walk before I leave."

"Thanks man," Vaughn said, getting to his feet and walking Doug to the door of his room.

"You'd do the same thing for me brother," Doug whispered truthfully as he headed down the hall to Emma's room.

Vaughn sat down in the empty chair and took Sydney's hand in his. He looked down at their entwined fingers for a long time before he lifted her hand it to his lips and placed a soft kiss on it.

"Hey Syd, I hope you can hear me. That was Doug, he's one of my best friends and someone I can't wait for you to meet. You remember you said that last day in the warehouse that there was a lot about me you didn't know? Well the truth is you're right. There's so much we need to talk about, and I'm not even sure where to start, other than to say I was ass that night. I should have told you the truth about why I was leaving. I owed you that much," Vaughn leaned forward in the chair and brushed a piece of hair away from her mouth.

"Sydney, I would move heaven and earth to see you safe and happy but seeing you with Noah… well sweetheart, you might as well have shot me in the heart yourself because that just about killed me. Knowing that someone else was giving you what I couldn't…that you chose it… I couldn't stay. Loving you has not been easy on me Sydney but, God help me, I do love you," Vaughn put her hand gently back down on the bed and settled back against the chair. Who was he kidding? She may have said that she loved him, but it meant nothing until he knew that Noah was gone from her life for good.

"Thought you could use some of this," Louise the nurse said, carrying in two mugs of coffee. "Mr Roach showed me where you kept the coffee."

"Thanks," Vaughn held out a hand, accepting the nectar of the gods, at least the CIA's gods. The Agency ran on the stuff.

"She's coming along fine, Michael. You don't mind if I call you that?"

"No, not at all."

"How long have you and Agent Bristow been together?"

"We're not together. I am…was her handler," he corrected himself quickly. How could he have made such a stupid slip of the tongue?

"Could have fooled me. It's easy to see you love her," Louise said, leaning back against Vaughn's closet door.

"I care about her," he allowed.

"Is that all? Hmmphh… must have misread the way you look at her," Louise mused as she sipped her coffee.

"You'd think that after all this time apart I'd have learned to hide my feelings for her better." He said giving her a wry smile.

"Don't beat yourself up, women are better at seeing things like that is all. So you love her?" Louise took another sip of her coffee, watching the handsome man try to find the words to explain his lack of a relationship with Sydney.

"Yes I do. But with our working so closely together…well a relationship wouldn't exactly have been sanctioned," Vaughn tried to explain to this stranger about CIA protocol with out saying too much.

"Oh the CIA's dreaded protocol about Agents who work together? I know that one inside and out. Before I was engaged to Brad, we had to sneak around. It was kind of exciting at first but it lost its charm pretty damn quick," Louise told him and nodded her head in understanding.

"You're married?"

"No, Brad was killed on a mysterious mission a few years ago. He was working for the Agency somewhere in Central America. I never really found out the truth. It was all cloaked in mystery. Robert tried to find out for me anything he could but the case was sealed Omega 17."

Vaughn noticed that Louise spoke from the same distant place that his mother went to when she talked about his father's death.

"I'm sorry. My father was killed in the line of duty as well," Vaughn looked away from Louise and back at Sydney. He hated seeing the sadness in the nurse's eyes. Losing the person you love and not find the answers you need to let them rest was not an easy pill to swallow. Hadn't that been what drove him to the CIA and onto a collision course with Agent Sydney Bristow?

"That's horrible! How old were you?"

"Eight," Vaughn flinched slightly at her question but he'd opened up this particular can of conversational worms so he should have been prepared for it.

"That's one of the things I was grateful for when Brad died…we had no children so I didn't have to explain why he was never coming home. My boyfriend now, Bruce, is a mild-mannered English businessman and I've never been happier," she smiled weakly.

"Does he know what you do? Who you really work for?" Vaughn asked trying to change the subject and the unpleasant thoughts they were both dealing with.

"You mean Dr. Carrington right?" she smiled coyly.

"Right," Vaughn nodded.

"Yeah he knows. He just doesn't know about my sideline gig. I'm gonna be in the other room if you need anything," Louise moved away from the closet toward the door.

"Any idea when she'll come out of this?"

Louise shook her head,

"Sorry, but I'd say soon, a couple hours at the most," Louise estimated before she left.

Vaughn turned the chair slightly so he could stretch his legs, but still hold onto Syd's hand. Holding her hand in his made it all seem 'more real' if that were possible. He had this weird feeling that if he let go she'd float away like a helium balloon on a windy day.

"Come on Syd honey, open those beautiful brown eyes for me. Really sweetie, I need to see you open them," he whispered to her, running the pad of his thumb over her knuckles.

"Don't give up on me Syd…on us. I'll do it better this time, I swear."

But those couple hours turned into several and somewhere along the way Vaughn found himself drifting off to sleep. The last coherent thought he had before sleep claimed him was that they had to name his chair 'the crash and burn chair', first Emma and now him. Maybe Doug had been right, about him needing the sleep and all.



Sydney could feel herself slowly crawling through the layers of a drug induced haze. Her body felt heavy and her head felt as though it wasn't attached to her body. Fighting hard, she tried to open her eyes but she couldn't. They seemed to have a mind all their own or maybe it was just that her head wasn't attached to her body after all. Come on open your eyes! On the count of three, 1…2…3…

In the distance she could hear music and a soft light filtered against her closed lids. She felt herself being anchored in place, but this anchor didn't frighten her. It wasn't heavy or cold, rather it warmed her to her very core and supported more than weighed. As clarity set in, Sydney realised that the anchor was someone else's hand holding hers. The hand brought her security and comfort and without another thought she knew who it belonged to. Ordering her eyes open, Sydney slowly blinked them.

Where the hell was she? Nothing looked familiar at all. The room was definitely masculine in its decor, but she didn't recognise it. Looking to the floor to ceiling windows she noticed it was dark outside. How long had she been out? Sydney could feel the panic starting to bubble up through her. She thought she knew where she was, but she'd been wrong before. Where was he? She blinked through her fuzzy brain and where was her hand…the one she thought she'd felt him holding. Shaking her head to clear out the cobwebs, she looked down to her right hand. It was empty but hooked up to an IV drip. Moving her head slowly to the other side, she found her left hand gently encased in someone else's. Sydney let her eyes wander up the stranger's arm until she found the sleeping face of Michael Vaughn.

Vaughn!

She hadn't dreamed it at all! She'd made her way to him after all. How she'd gotten here was one big blur to her but she was here and she was safe with him.

With him.

God he was a sight for sore, drugged-blurred eyes! He looked like hell. He was worn out and in need of a shave but at the same time, he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen in her life. His hair seemed shorter and his face a little thinner but he was still her Vaughn. Had he come looking for her? No she'd found him… well not him, his blonde girlfriend. It was all a little bit confusing for her at the moment but she knew it would all come back to her eventually. Shaking off the ice-cold dread she felt at that thought, Sydney decided to enjoy this little bit of private Vaughn staring time. It had been so long!

Need to memorize it all, just in case I lose him again.

Sydney's brain screamed the message even as her eyes scanned his form. He seemed so out of it, lost in the folds of a sleep that appeared anything but peaceful. His mouth and legs twitched and he mumbled incoherently more than once. Sydney moved slightly to reach for him and comfort him but as she did, she felt a sharp throbbing pain in her side. She closed her eyes and hissed out loud as it tore through her. It was agonising, like having hot spears thrusted into her every joint and pore.

"Breath, Syd, just breath through the pain. I'll get you something for it," his deep, gentle voice soothed and calmed her immediately. For a minute she even forgot the pain she was so focused on his wonderful voice.

Sydney's eyes fluttered open as he dropped her hand. She quickly latched back onto it, sending another sharp pain down her damaged side.

"Don't leave me," she cried out in a hoarse voice. She panicked as he tried to disentangle his fingers from hers. Sydney wasn't sure how much of the panic was from pain or fear that she'd never seem him again.

"I'll be right back, okay? Just keep breathing. I'm just going to the door."

His concern for her was evident in his voice and the wrinkles on his forehead as he pointed about 12 feet from her to the closed door. Sydney scrabbled for his hand again and opened her mouth. Vaughn shook his head.

"Try not to talk, Syd, you've had a tube down your throat so it'll be raw. Relax, I'm not going far. Okay?"

The panic had abated somewhat and Sydney closed her eyes, nodding her consent.

"Katie! She needs something for the pain," Vaughn almost shouted at the top of his lungs. She was awake! She was awake and that was a very good sign but Vaughn knew that she wasn't quite out of the woods yet. There were still infections, blood clots, and who knew how many other things to worry about.

"She's awake?" Emma yelled, suddenly appearing at the foot of the stairs with Donovan at her heels.

"Yes," he smiled, relief clear on his face.

"I'll need a few minutes with her Michael, you'll have to wait out here," Katie said as she disappeared into Vaughn's room to check on her patient.

"Just let her know I'm out here."

"Sure," Katie smiled

"Why aren't you in there?" Emma asked coming up the stairs.

"Katie is checking her over," Vaughn answered lamely. He didn't know what to say or what to do while he waited. He just kept telling himself that she was really alive and safely tucked into his bed in the next room.

"She's awake…Em she's back. I just…" Vaughn's voice faded as he choked on the tears he'd been trying to hold back.

"I know," Emma said taking him into her arms and holding him close as he let go all his tears of frustration and exhaustion. "It's going to be okay Michael, I swear"

"Last night I kept waiting for Robert to come out and tell me he that couldn't save her, that it was too much… I honestly thought I'd lose her again," he said pulling back from Emma, and wiping at his face. He was totally overwhelmed by the last day's events and felt as if he were coming apart at the seams.

The friends stood hugging quietly outside Vaughn's room, waiting for Katie.

"What do I say to her now?" Vaughn suddenly asked.

For the last six months he'd fought so hard to keep Sydney's memories at bay, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't dreamt of this moment a million times.

"Tell her the truth about how you feel. You owe it to her and to yourself. Remember what Dewey said about facing up to who we really are and our problems? I did it with Rob, now it's your turn with Sydney. Either tell her the truth or let her go Michael," Emma said bluntly, looking him directly in the eye.

It was one (of many) things that Vaughn loved about Emma. The way she called a spade a spade and did it in such a way that it forced him to face himself and the things he was hiding from.

"I'd be lost with you," he said kissing her tenderly on the forehead.

"It's been said before. Now go to her," Emma smiled patting him lightly on the behind and pushing him toward Sydney.

Sydney watched Vaughn through a crack in the door. He was in the hallway with his girlfriend and she couldn't help but feel a burning jealousy in the pit of her stomach. Here she was very much alive and in his bed, and he was off hugging and kissing someone else. Her dream was an arm's length away and he didn't seem to want to be part of it. As hard as Syd tried she couldn't tear her eyes away from them, she felt like a total voyeur. Seeing the way this woman held him, the way he place a gentle tender kiss on her forehead, the way he spoke to her so softly, it brought tears to Sydney's eyes. She looked like Alice, total California girl, blonde, blue- eyed and tall. She was just Vaughn's type and to think he had to come all the way to London to find her.

"Ms. Bristow, the shot should kick in soon, you just need to relax and let it work. Dr Carrington will be by later tonight to see you," the nurse smiled at her, but Sydney's attention was on Vaughn and his girlfriend.

"They're great aren't they? From the moment I arrived this afternoon, neither has really left your side," the nurse said when she noticed where Syd's attention was drawn.

Well where was Florence Nightingale when I woke up then?

Sydney hated this side of herself. Jealousy wasn't usually her thing but this was the first time she'd seen Vaughn with another woman and she bloody well didn't like it! She'd always assumed he'd be there for 'her', not off having a life of his own. It appeared that said life was just 'great' too, according to the nurse.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep. I'll check on you a little later," the nurse offered before she exited the room.

Sydney finally pulled her eyes away from the couple in the hall, and blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over any second. The last thing she wanted was Vaughn knowing how she felt. He'd moved on with his life and here she was stupidly clinging to the past.

"Syd?" Vaughn's voice reached across the silent room to reach her. She wasn't sure when he'd returned to her side, but the familiar concern she heard in his voice warmed her heart. He still cared about her just not the way she wanted him too.

Well then that will have to do. Better to be friends than nothing at all. If it hadn't hurt so much, she would have snorted.

Sydney turned her head slowly to face him and she noticed he was by himself, the girlfriend was noticeably absent. What had they called her at the Embassy? It started with an E but what the hell was it, and, more importantly, why did she care?

"Hey," she rasped.

"Would you like some water? Katie said you could have some but that's about it for now," Vaughn asked. He could see how uncomfortable she had become upon his return to the room.

"Please," Sydney nodded, looking at him.

Vaughn moved went into his bathroom and came back a few minutes later with a cold glass of water, which he put on the bedside table within her easy reach.

"I'm gonna have to help you sit up," he said softly, propping up the pillows behind her. He slipped his hands under her arms and slowly shifted her against him before settling her back against the pillows.

Closing her eyes, Sydney cherished their closeness. She inhaled deeply and let her senses swim in his scent. Feeling his arms around her and his breath on her skin was totally overwhelming her because for the last six months she'd only dreamed of moments like this.

"You okay?" he asked glancing at her quickly before looking away. How could he do this? Tell her the truth about why he left, about how he felt? He couldn't do it, not until he was sure of where Noah was in her life. She'd hurt him once already, and he wasn't sure he could risk letting her hurt him again.

"Yeah," she said reaching out with a shaky hand for the water glass. She quickly dropped her hand back onto the mattress when she realised she couldn't hold the glass herself.

"Let me," Vaughn said, bringing the glass to her lips for her to drink from it.

"Careful," he cautioned as he watched her inhale the water, hoping he sounded concerned and not affect by the nearness they shared. Seeing her lips against the rim of the glass, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be that glass.

I'm a pig!

She was weak and recovering from two major gunshot wounds and he was thinking about kissing her, having her, wishing he were a piece of stemware! He was losing it completely.

"Thanks," she smiled and pushed the glass away from her mouth.

"Anytime."

He put the glass back on the table and then moved back to the chair beside the bed. Vaughn sat looking down at his hands. For the first time since he'd met her, he didn't know what to say to her.

"So do you feel up to telling me what happened?" he asked gently. He knew how terrified she must have been when she'd first arrived and he didn't want to push her into talking about things that might upset her.

"I'm not sure where to start," she rasped, her fingers itching to hold his.

"The beginning is always good," he offered looking up at her, with one of those patented Vaughn smiles that melted her heart. His dimples seemed deeper than she'd remembered.

"Sloan had sent Dixon and I to Paris to retrieve another Rambaldi artifact from this banker, Jean-Marc Henri."

"I've heard of him. Made most of his money laundering money for drug and weapons dealers," Vaughn said leaning back in the chair.

"That's him. Seems he and the Alliance were once friends, but they had a falling out. You know how it goes, 'never do business with friends or family'. I don't know what happened, but the Alliance put a pretty hefty price on his head."

"He probably double crossed them somewhere along the way," Vaughn said thoughtfully.

"You know him?"

"We're acquainted," he said cryptically before giving her a look that told her the subject was off limits for the time being.

"Anyway, Sloan found out Henri had a scroll that belonged to Rambaldi…and well you know Sloan, he wanted it. He sent Dixon and I after it but Henri had the scroll in a vault buried in the catacombs. Talk about a creepy place! Considering the banker that he is and the assets he's amassed, he had the place wired from top to bottom, but we were prepared. Marshall had done his homework."

Sydney stopped suddenly, feeling short of breath as a sharp pain ripped through her.

"You okay? Do you want me to get Katie?" he asked trying to keep the panic out of his voice as he moved to her side. Seeing her in pain like this made him feel utterly helpless, and he hated that.

"Fine. Just thought those painkillers would have kicked in by now," she gasped.

"Here. Try sitting up a little," he said sitting down gently on the side of the bed so not to jar her, and then wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Sydney let him and leaned into his warmth and strength.

"Take a few slow deep breaths," he said and rubbed between her shoulder blades.

"I'm okay," she whispered through gritted teeth, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Maybe we should stop this. You need your rest," Vaughn murmured as he rested his chin on top of her head, enjoying the feel of her against him.

"No I'm fine, but I could use a little more water," she assured him with a smile.

"Hang on," he said reaching for the glass and returning it to her lips. He watched her take another long sip before pulling back from the glass.

"Thanks," she said again. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip before continuing her story,

"Do you ever have one of those days when everything is just going too smoothly and you know it's that whole 'calm before the storm' thing? Dixon and I were actually having fun, if you can believe it. He was telling me about some show he'd seen on TLC about the catacombs how they're haunted and stuff. We were laughing as we got to the exit and that's when they hit us."

"Anna?"

"No. I don't know who it was. As soon as we stepped out into the light they let loose with the gunfire. I just looked over at Dixon, he nodded and we split up. He was laying down cover for me and that's the last time I saw him. I just hope he made it out okay," Sydney ended in a whisper. She had been worried about leaving her partner behind and she's argued with him but he'd ordered her to go. She had the scroll and it had to be protected. Now she worried that Dixon's children might grow up without their father. She should have stayed.

"I don't know how I managed to make it here. Whoever they were, they were always one step behind me. I managed to make it to the ferry and that's where I lost them. I got on just as they pulled up to the gate. It was too late though and they couldn't get on."

"So how did you get to London?" he asked tightening his arm around her.

"This older Canadian couple gave me a ride into London," she wiggled closer to him. "I left them as soon as I could, and then tried to find a way to contact you. I knew I couldn't just pick up a phone so I camped out in front of the Embassy for two days."

"You were there for two days? My god Syd, you should have made contact!" he said, shocked that she'd hadn't come to him sooner. She said she trusted him but did she really.

Almost as if she read his mind she explained her action. "I didn't want to involve you. Please don't doubt my trust in you Vaughn. I know you would have helped but I was just trying to protect you."

"God damn it Syd! You don't have to protect me," he sighed. Something's just never changed with her.

"I do. You have a life here that doesn't include me or SD-6 and I wanted to keep it that way. Every time I was ready to make contact they found me again so I've spent half my time in London taking them on wild goose chases. I couldn't let them target you."

"You almost bled to death trying to protect me! Don't ever do that again, do you understand me?" he said catching her chin with his free hand forcing her look at him. He was angry with her, at her for being willing to die to protect him.

"You have a life…"

"And so do you! Do you have any idea how scared I've been the last two days? Sitting here waiting for you to regain consciousness has been the most painful experience I've ever been through," he wanted to wring her neck. How could she possibly figure that his life was more important than hers?

"I'm sorry," she whispered, pulling her chin away from his now gentle fingers.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" he sighed. Shouldn't have what? Cared?

"It's okay Vaughn. I guess I owe your girlfriend an apology too. For scaring her," Sydney said tightly as she looked up into Vaughn's beautiful green eyes. So how did he really feel about this blonde? Some say the eyes are the windows to the soul and Sydney searched for some sign o his feelings. Did he love her?

"Who? What girlfriend?" he shook his head, wondering if he'd heard her right.

"The blonde. The one who's feet I collapsed at," Sydney almost felt like laughing at the confused look on his face.

"Emma? Em's not my girlfriend, Sydney. She's my roommate," Vaughn was stunned by the idea. How could she have misunderstood his relationship with Emma? Okay, so they were close and they did live together but a couple?! Not likely. He wasn't her type.

"Roommate?" Sydney felt giddy with relief.

Ah assumptions! Nothing like making an ass out of you and me! she thought to herself.

"Wait! You thought….Em's dating my best friend, Doug Roach. We graduated from the 'Farm' together," Vaughn snorted. He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing at the look on Sydney's face.

"Oh," she smiled slightly. She was feeling pretty embarrassed and decided to lay her head back on his shoulder. If she'd had enough blood, she would have blushed!

"Oh," he echoed, suddenly finding himself with nothing to say again. Inside he was crowing just a little, she'd been jealous! Geez that felt good!

Vaughn had no idea how long they sat there, with her head on his shoulder. When she yawned he looked down at her and could see that she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

"You should get some sleep and I should have a shower and shave," he said rubbing his chin in her hair.

"Yeah. You smell," she teased and then yawned again as he helped her lie back down.

"Thanks a lot," he said, ruffling her hair.

"Don't mention it. I'm full of compliments today," she nodded as her eyes fluttered shut.

Before he had time to think of a smart comeback, she was fast asleep. Whatever Katie had given her had taken its time to kick in, but when it did…wow, she was out like a light! Vaughn tucked the blanket around her and stared at her for a long time before leaving her to return downstairs.

TBC