Friday morning, Sydney looked out the window in her room and smiled. White show blanketed the landscape, and the sun was shining brightly. She knew she had made a great decision. This was the perfect place to get away for a couple of days.
"Is your room suitable, Miss Bristow?" asked the bellman.
"It's perfect," she said as she turned to tip him and walk him to the door. She had considered checking in under an alias, but what was the point? She wasn't hiding from Sloane, and she relished the chance to be herself for a few days. She would be someone else soon enough when it was time for her next mission, but the next three days would be all about Sydney, and doing what Sydney wanted to do. She walked back over to the bed and opened her suitcase, as she decided to change and go for a walk outside.
Fifteen minutes later, Sydney was pulling on her gloves as she waited for the elevator. When the doors opened and she looked up, she couldn't believe her eyes. Standing in front of her was Michael Vaughn. "Oh my god. Vaughn."
"Sydney? What are you doing here? How did you know I was here? Is something wrong?"
Sydney stepped in the elevator and smirked as she pushed the button to close the doors. "I'm glad to see you've been *relaxing* Vaughn. Calm down. Nothing's wrong. I didn't even know you were here."
"Really? You just showed up here? Why aren't you at SD-6?"
"Sloane told me to take a long weekend." She noticed the skeptical look on his face. "Yeah, I know. How kind of him, right? He said I've been working too hard lately."
"I may never say this again, but Sloane is right. After everything you've been through lately, you could definitely use a rest. Why Lake Tahoe?" Vaughn asked as the elevator doors opened in the lobby. He glanced around and steered her over to a corner where they wouldn't be overheard by anyone.
Sydney shrugged. "I was flipping through a magazine, and saw a picture of this hotel. It just seemed like the perfect place. At that moment, she realized that it absolutely was the perfect place because Vaughn was here; she could hardly believe it. Even though his hand had just been on the small of her back when he guided her to the corner, she wanted to touch him and make sure that she was really standing there talking to him. "I had no idea you were here with your friend."
"Peter," Vaughn nodded. "He actually had to leave, yesterday. An emergency came up and he was called back to his office in Dallas."
"Oh." Sydney tried to keep her voice even. "So you're here alone now?" Please say yes, she silently pleaded with him.
"Not anymore," he said, giving her one of the too infrequent grins that made her heart soar. Suddenly he frowned and rubbed his forehead. "What am I thinking? I shouldn't even be talking to you like this. Someone from security section could be watching you."
Sydney shook her head. "I doubt it. Sloane's been preoccupied lately. I really don't think he's having me followed." Great. Leave it to Vaughn to be practical and cautious and bring her back down to earth. She absolutely loved that he was so concerned about her safety, but she hated the fact that he always had to be. She hated that the handler/agent aspect of their relationship was always lurking in the back of both their minds, no matter how much they wanted to ignore it.
"You don't know that for sure, Syd." Vaughn wanted nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of the weekend in her company, but not if it meant putting her life at risk. His eyes swept the lobby, looking for anyone who appeared to be watching them. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone across the street or in a hotel room somewhere monitoring them on video surveillance.
Sydney smiled softly. He was so protective of her sometimes! "Vaughn," she said firmly, placing her hand on his arm, "no one's watching me. I would know if someone was."
"Syd --"
"Vaughn! Geez, I've been here for thirty minutes and I'm already ruining your vacation by making you worry. I'm sorry."
"Syd, don't be ridiculous. You're not ruining my vacation. I just want you to be safe, that's all."
"I *am* safe," she said smiling at him. "You're here. I'm always safe with you."
His heart jumped a tiny bit at her words. He prayed that she was right, because if anything ever happened to her . . . He made himself push those thoughts from his mind and smiled at her again. "So where were you headed?"
"I was going for a walk. You?"
"Breakfast, then out to the slopes. Do you want to join me?"
"For breakfast or skiing?"
"Either. Both. Do you ski?"
"If by *ski*, you mean *fall*, then yes, I'm an expert." They both laughed. "I bet you're a great skier, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't call myself great, but I'm pretty good," Vaughn shrugged. "I spent most of my childhood on skis and skates."
Sydney smiled imagining him as a boy. There was so much she didn't know about him, so much that she wanted to know. She silently promised herself, that she would take more opportunities to learn everything about him. "I appreciate the offer, Vaughn, but I don't want to slow you down, and I wouldn't dream of dragging you to the beginners' slope. You should go without me."
He looked at her thoughtfully. "Hmm. I don't think I want to. I don't mind playing ski instructor for the day, honest."
"Really? You're not just saying that?"
"Have I ever lied to you, Sydney?"
"No," she said softly. He never had. He was possibly the only person in her life she could say that about. "Give me a few minutes to get some things from my room, okay?"
"Sure."
As Sydney turned toward the elevator, she could barely fight the grin spreading across her face. She was about to spend the entire day with Michael Vaughn, far away from the watchful gaze of SD-6 and the CIA.
"Is your room suitable, Miss Bristow?" asked the bellman.
"It's perfect," she said as she turned to tip him and walk him to the door. She had considered checking in under an alias, but what was the point? She wasn't hiding from Sloane, and she relished the chance to be herself for a few days. She would be someone else soon enough when it was time for her next mission, but the next three days would be all about Sydney, and doing what Sydney wanted to do. She walked back over to the bed and opened her suitcase, as she decided to change and go for a walk outside.
Fifteen minutes later, Sydney was pulling on her gloves as she waited for the elevator. When the doors opened and she looked up, she couldn't believe her eyes. Standing in front of her was Michael Vaughn. "Oh my god. Vaughn."
"Sydney? What are you doing here? How did you know I was here? Is something wrong?"
Sydney stepped in the elevator and smirked as she pushed the button to close the doors. "I'm glad to see you've been *relaxing* Vaughn. Calm down. Nothing's wrong. I didn't even know you were here."
"Really? You just showed up here? Why aren't you at SD-6?"
"Sloane told me to take a long weekend." She noticed the skeptical look on his face. "Yeah, I know. How kind of him, right? He said I've been working too hard lately."
"I may never say this again, but Sloane is right. After everything you've been through lately, you could definitely use a rest. Why Lake Tahoe?" Vaughn asked as the elevator doors opened in the lobby. He glanced around and steered her over to a corner where they wouldn't be overheard by anyone.
Sydney shrugged. "I was flipping through a magazine, and saw a picture of this hotel. It just seemed like the perfect place. At that moment, she realized that it absolutely was the perfect place because Vaughn was here; she could hardly believe it. Even though his hand had just been on the small of her back when he guided her to the corner, she wanted to touch him and make sure that she was really standing there talking to him. "I had no idea you were here with your friend."
"Peter," Vaughn nodded. "He actually had to leave, yesterday. An emergency came up and he was called back to his office in Dallas."
"Oh." Sydney tried to keep her voice even. "So you're here alone now?" Please say yes, she silently pleaded with him.
"Not anymore," he said, giving her one of the too infrequent grins that made her heart soar. Suddenly he frowned and rubbed his forehead. "What am I thinking? I shouldn't even be talking to you like this. Someone from security section could be watching you."
Sydney shook her head. "I doubt it. Sloane's been preoccupied lately. I really don't think he's having me followed." Great. Leave it to Vaughn to be practical and cautious and bring her back down to earth. She absolutely loved that he was so concerned about her safety, but she hated the fact that he always had to be. She hated that the handler/agent aspect of their relationship was always lurking in the back of both their minds, no matter how much they wanted to ignore it.
"You don't know that for sure, Syd." Vaughn wanted nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of the weekend in her company, but not if it meant putting her life at risk. His eyes swept the lobby, looking for anyone who appeared to be watching them. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone across the street or in a hotel room somewhere monitoring them on video surveillance.
Sydney smiled softly. He was so protective of her sometimes! "Vaughn," she said firmly, placing her hand on his arm, "no one's watching me. I would know if someone was."
"Syd --"
"Vaughn! Geez, I've been here for thirty minutes and I'm already ruining your vacation by making you worry. I'm sorry."
"Syd, don't be ridiculous. You're not ruining my vacation. I just want you to be safe, that's all."
"I *am* safe," she said smiling at him. "You're here. I'm always safe with you."
His heart jumped a tiny bit at her words. He prayed that she was right, because if anything ever happened to her . . . He made himself push those thoughts from his mind and smiled at her again. "So where were you headed?"
"I was going for a walk. You?"
"Breakfast, then out to the slopes. Do you want to join me?"
"For breakfast or skiing?"
"Either. Both. Do you ski?"
"If by *ski*, you mean *fall*, then yes, I'm an expert." They both laughed. "I bet you're a great skier, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't call myself great, but I'm pretty good," Vaughn shrugged. "I spent most of my childhood on skis and skates."
Sydney smiled imagining him as a boy. There was so much she didn't know about him, so much that she wanted to know. She silently promised herself, that she would take more opportunities to learn everything about him. "I appreciate the offer, Vaughn, but I don't want to slow you down, and I wouldn't dream of dragging you to the beginners' slope. You should go without me."
He looked at her thoughtfully. "Hmm. I don't think I want to. I don't mind playing ski instructor for the day, honest."
"Really? You're not just saying that?"
"Have I ever lied to you, Sydney?"
"No," she said softly. He never had. He was possibly the only person in her life she could say that about. "Give me a few minutes to get some things from my room, okay?"
"Sure."
As Sydney turned toward the elevator, she could barely fight the grin spreading across her face. She was about to spend the entire day with Michael Vaughn, far away from the watchful gaze of SD-6 and the CIA.