Chapter 4

"Oh no," Syd said. "It's raining," and she pointed to the window.

Vaughn removed his suit jacket and placed it on her shoulders.

"Stay here, Syd," he said her name quietly. "I'll bring around the car."

Vaughn ran out into the rain. By the time he reached the black sedan, he was soaked through his shirt to his skin. He pulled up near the front entrance and Syd spotted him. She jumped in beside him and they sped off.

"You poor thing," she said to him when she saw how cold and wet he was. She was nice and dry in his wonderful smelling jacket.

They pulled up to a small motel and Vaughn parked the car. He pulled out two keys and showed them to Syd. "I got us two rooms side by side if that's alright. Tomorrow I can drop you off at the airport for your 7:30 flight, then I'll return the car and meet you back in L.A. a few hours later."

Sydney smiled as he signaled for her to wait in the while he stood in the rain and fiddled with the door key. When it was opened. he motioned for her to come on in. She grabbed her small overnight bag and met him inside. He ran back out and removed his own bag from the trunk and ran back in.

As he shut the door behind himself he looked at Sydney who was trying to suppress a giggle but couldn't keep it in. She was laughing and covering her mouth with one hand and pointing to his face with the other.

"What's so funny?" Vaughn asked embarrassed and dripping wet.

Sydney walked over to where Vaughn stood and ran her hand across his smooth cheek. She put one hand on his chest to spin him around toward the mirror so he could see himself. He was mesmerized by her touch and confused as to what she was trying to do. Then he caught an image of himself in the mirror - his fake beard had begun to peel off from the onslaught of rain and was half hanging off his face. He just cracked up. What a mood breaker! At the restaurant, the setting was so romantic, so intimate. And here they were laughing at his droopy disguise.

But Sydney turned him toward her and looked straight into his eyes. She placed on hand on his cheek and with the other hand she began gently tugging on his "beard" until the rest of his smooth cheeked complexion was revealed. She slipped her hands around his forehead and removed his wig. Here he was. Here was the Vaughn she knew.

He looked at her standing so close to him and spun her around slowly to remove his jacket from her arms. She reached up and took off her own wig and removed the barrette that was holding in her hair. Then she turned around toward him as her hair fell down onto her shoulders. He couldn't resist running his fingers through it and finally cupping her lovely face in his hands. There she is, he thought. There's the Syd I know. And love.

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A/N I can only live with a chaste ending. In my imagination they kiss a bit and stop themselves before any more clothing is removed. they talk for a long while and go to bed separately in their own rooms, but neither gets much sleep. ;)

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