A/N: I want to thank everyone who reviewed my first chapter for such supportive words! I was planning on letting it stand alone, but why not give a second chapter a shot! Hope you like it!

Chapter 2

As the water poured violently over him, he felt himself being pulled backwards. He looked around frantically, disoriented, knowing there was somewhere, someone that he needed to get to. His eyes focused, and he saw her, watching him with fear-filled eyes. He fought desperately to get to her, reaching his hands out for her, but the unseen current was too strong. The more he fought, the faster he was pulled away, into the depths of this man made ocean. As his world went black, his last thoughts were of her, of Sydney.

            Vaughn awoke with a start, his heart racing. He could still feel the water running through his hair. It took him several moments to realize where he was, what had happened. Eventually he recognized the back of the cargo plane, and some tension was visibly released as he realized whose lap he was lying in; that it was Sydney's fingers, not the currents of countless gallons of water, softly caressing his hair.

            "Bad dream?" she asked softly, abandoning her ministrations of his scalp to slowly rub his back, willing away the tension between his shoulder blades. Vaughn closed his eyes briefly at the sensation, then sighed, sitting up to face her.

            "Aren't you tired? You should try to sleep." He answered, ignoring her question.

            "I'm fine." She said quickly, trying desperately to read his eyes. "What was it about?"

            He looked up at her, wondering if she realized just how complex a question that actually was. "You."

            She looked surprised, but quickly hid the expression behind a devilish glint in her eyes. "Oh, one of those dreams…" she smiled slyly, watching with pleasure as the corner of his mouth twitched into a little half smile, the kind she had quickly grown to savor.

            "Not quite." He answered, grateful for her humor. He sighed, realizing he had to talk to someone, and at the same time, realizing there was no one else he'd rather talk to. He launched into details about the dream, taking strength from Sydney's unwavering gaze. He stopped short of analysis, figuring that she could extrapolate the supposed message easily by herself, and not really wanting to put words to what he thought the dream could mean. When he finished, they sat for a few moments in comfortable silence, as he pondered how to say what exactly he was thinking. Looking into her eyes, he was suddenly surprised by the expression reflected there. Instead of the camaraderie and support that he had been getting used to, he saw resignation, and even hopelessness. "What?" he asked quietly, his heart racing suddenly in anticipation.

            "I'm going to request that you be removed as my handler." She said softly.

            "What?! Sydney, no…"

            "No, Vaughn, stop." He shut his mouth, silencing his protests. She held his gaze for several moments, before shifting to stare at the floor. "I came too close to losing you tonight. And I realized that I can't. I can't lose you too. I would rather be alone knowing you were alive. I would rather that, than… " She let the sentence trail off, knowing he understood where she was going.

            Vaughn sat silently for a few moments, but the more he thought about what she was saying, the angrier he became. "That's horribly selfish." He said softly, unable to keep the anger out of his tone. She looked up at him quizzically. "You want a new handler, why, so I won't follow you around and get myself killed?"

            "Vaughn, that's not- "

            "No Sydney, that's exactly what you're saying. You want me on some other assignment, manning some desk job, so you can go to sleep at night knowing I'm safe. Well, Sydney, did you stop and think about me? About how that little arrangement of yours would make me feel?" He paused, looking over at Will, aware that his voice was rising in volume. When he started again, he spoke softly. "I know you care about me Sydney, I know it. But I care about you. For God's sake I follow you out here because I can help you, because I want to help you. If I'm on some desk back in LA, I won't be able to go to sleep at night. I'll never know that you're safe, that you're alive. And I can't do that." He emphasized his last sentence, and watched as her eyes softened in understanding. "I can't not know that I've done everything in my power to keep you safe."

            Sydney nodded, her eyes shining with tears that she willed not to fall. "I'm sorry." She whispered, "Vaughn, I didn't think. I'm sorry-"

            "Sydney, don't apologize." He said softly, thoughtfully stroking her fingers lightly with his own. She entwined hers with his immediately. "I guess that's why they have these rules huh?" he said with a wry smile.

            "Yeah, I guess so." She replied, but their smiles vanished as quickly as they had appeared, as the same nagging question entered both of their minds. "Vaughn, what are we going to do?"

            He stared at her intently for a moment, then closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I don't know."

A/N: So what do you think? I don't usually do much with dialogue; I'm more of a mood/description type person. Was it believable?? Please R&R!!