Sydney woke up on Saturday morning with a satisfied smile on her face. She prided herself on being right about most things, and she had definitely been right about Vaughn. She just didn't know *how* right until last night. It didn't really show behind his conservative CIA suits, but Michael Vaughn? Was a very dangerous man, indeed. If he had been working for another intelligence agency last night, she would have gladly given up every secret that she ever knew. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she remembered all the things he had done and said to her last night. He was amazing, even better than in her fantasies. Their first time together was soft and sweet, the second was fiery and more passionate, the third time slow and sensual and the fourth . . .
He broke her train of thought as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her left shoulder from behind her. "Morning," he murmured in her ear.
"Just barely," she grinned.
"What time is it?" he asked with a yawn.
"Eleven."
"Seriously? I never sleep that late."
"Not even on weekends?"
"Nope. All the east coast college football games start at nine, so I'm usually up."
She smiled as she rolled over to face him. The things that men would do for sports! "Well, I'm not surprised you slept late. We had a late night."
He blushed slightly. "Yeah, we did. God, Syd, you're more than I can handle. You always have been," he smiled.
"Yeah, well, you handled me pretty well last night," she said as she nestled into his embrace.
"Be sure to tell Devlin. Maybe he'll give me a promotion," he said wryly as she giggled. He was surprised at how easily he pushed all thoughts about the inappropriateness of their new closeness out of his head. He knew that eventually he would have to think about it, but that could wait. He only had 24 more hours alone with Sydney. He wasn't going to waste that time thinking about work, and he couldn't find it within himself to regret anything that happened last night, especially when Sydney began softly kissing his chest. He bent down to kiss the top of her head. "Hey, what do you want to do today?"
"Do you have to ask?" she smiled wickedly. She had one day left with him. Only 24 hours to try and soak up as much of him as she could before reality came knocking on the door. She and Will had once asked each other what they would do if they only had one day left to live. She was asking herself the same question now, because she felt like she *did* only have a day to live. The day she spent with Vaughn gave her some much needed clarity, and she now realized that the only times she truly felt alive anymore were the times when she was with him. All the time in between -- well, that wasn't living, it was just waiting. Waiting for the next time she could be with him. She knew that she was going to be doing *a lot* of waiting until SD-6 was destroyed, so for today, at least, she was going to live like there was no tomorrow.
"Seriously? As much as I would love to spend the whole day like this, I'd kind of wanted to actually see Tahoe. I mean, I've been here for a day and all I've seen so far are the ski slopes and this bed."
"Then you've already seen all the most important sights," Vaughn grinned.
She smiled back at him. God, he was so beautiful when he was smiling at her like that and his green eyes were sparkling. She was in awe at the effect that he had on her. He made her forget everything but him.
"You're right, and the view was breathtaking. But I know that Francie and Will are going to be full of questions about my vacation. You know, what I did, what I saw. I have to be able to describe something other than your body," she laughed. "And they will never believe in a million years that I went to Lake Tahoe and didn't take pictures . . . of something other than you!" she giggled as soon as she saw his mouth open to say something cute.
"Damn. I was all set for my closeup," he said with a mock pout as he sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, here's the plan: I'm going back to my room to shower and get dressed, then I'll come back down and we'll go exploring, okay?"
She laughed, "You're always giving me the plan, Agent Vaughn."
"Yeah, but you like it that way," he said as he kissed her nose and rose from the bed. As he got dressed she silently watched him and smiled. It was going to take a lot to wipe the smile off of her face today. She was sure than nothing could.
*****
Three hours later, Vaughn and Sydney walked hand in hand down a short path until they were overlooking Emerald Bay. It was a gorgeous, clear day and Sydney felt like she could see for miles. In the distance, snow covered mountains framed the rest of the lake. In front of her were jagged grey rocks, half covered in snow, and the little island in the middle of the bay.
"Wow, this is the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen," she said breathlessly. She looked over at him. "Well, the *second* most gorgeous. The water's not as green as your eyes." She grinned as Vaughn looked away from her. "Are you blushing again? Geez, Vaughn, you've got to learn how to take a compliment."
He just laughed softly and shook his head. "Shouldn't you be taking pictures?" he asked as he gently pried the camera from her hands. He started snapping pictures. "Hey, go stand over there, so I can get a picture of you with the lake and the mountains behind you."
"No," she said softly. "Don't worry about it."
"You don't want to be in a picture? Why not?" he asked, not masking the concern in his voice.
She turned away from him slightly and looked down at the ground. "Because, I don't want to get the pictures back and see myself standing there without you. I know that sounds crazy . . ." her voice trailed off as she absentmindedly dug the toe of her boots into the snow. "The only picture that I really want is a picture of *us*, with your arm around my shoulders, and both of us smiling. The kind of picture that you could put on your desk, or we could put on the mantle, and pick up every now and then and say, 'Remember that time in Lake Tahoe?' But we can't take that picture, Vaughn. I know why, and I accept it, but . . . if I can't take that picture with you, I'd just rather not take one by myself." She looked up off into the distance and let a short, bitter laugh escape her lips. "God, that made no sense at all."
"No, it makes perfect sense. One day, we're going to come back and take that picture, Sydney. I promise."
He always knew the right thing to say to her. She turned back towards him until she was facing him. She pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head, and reached up with both hands to remove his. "Truthfully," she said looking into his eyes, "the pictures are just for Francie and Will's benefit. I don't need pictures to remember this weekend. I'll be lucky if I can remember anything else once I get home." As she felt his arms wrap around her and she pressed her face to his shoulder, she knew for sure that she wouldn't forget a single minute of the time they had spent together. The feelings and emotions would always be permanently etched in her memory. No picture could ever do them justice, anyway.
They stood wrapped in each others' arms for a few minutes until Vaughn pulled away to look at his watch. "Hey," Sydney cried, "stop looking at your watch! You're on vacation, you don't have a schedule to be concerned about."
"Actually, I do. We both do. C'mon," he said as he grabbed her hand and began walking back towards his rented Explorer. He had a surprise for her, and he didn't want to be late. When he saw the suspicious look she had on her face, he laughed. "Don't bother asking me questions, 'cause I'm not giving you any hints. And your spy mind games won't work on me either, because I know every interrogation trick in the book."
"Fine," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I won't ask any questions, but this had better be good." Knowing him the way she did, though, she had no doubt that it would be.
*****
Forty-five minutes later, Sydney and Vaughn were stomping across the snow in an open meadow. Vaughn's left hand was firmly placed over Sydney's eyes as they walked. "Vaughn, your gloves are making my nose itch," she laughed.
"I'm not falling for that, Sydney," Vaughn said good-naturedly. "We're almost there, anyway."
A few minutes later, Sydney could tell that they had come to a stop. She raised her right arm to pull Vaughn's hand away from her eyes, but he grabbed it from behind her before she could. "Vaughn, stop teasing me!" she whined.
"Okay, you win" he chuckled. "I know better than to mess with Sydney Bristow." He removed his hand from her eyes and smiled when he heard her gasp. In front of them were two blond Belgian draft horses and a two-seater sleigh. "Oh my god! We're going on a sleigh ride?" she asked excitedly.
"Yeah. There were brochures for it in my room, and I thought it might be something you'd like to do. I know it's kind of cheesy," he said with an embarrassed half-smile.
"Are you kidding me? This is gonna be great! I've never done anything like this before." She was practically bouncing with excitement. "Ooh, and these horses are gorgeous," she said as she reached out her hand before snapping it back. "Can I?" she asked the sleigh driver.
"Of course," he chuckled. He reached out to shake her hand. "I'm Ray, I'll be your driver today." He turned to Vaughn. "You must be Michael," he said, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you Ray."
Ray tightened the reigns on the horses and smiled at Sydney. "We should probably be on the way. The sun sets soon, and that's always the most romantic time to be on the ride," he said with a wink. Sydney blushed as he offered her a hand and she stepped up into the sleigh. Vaughn followed behind her.
"There are blankets back there, for you all," Ray said as they started off. Vaughn grabbed one of the blankets and placed it over his and Sydney's laps. The sun was already starting to set and the temperature was growing noticeably colder. Vaughn protectively wrapped his right arm around Sydney's shoulder, and she leaned back into him.
"I can't believe you did this," she whispered in his ear.
The smile that he gave her radiated pure love and warmth. "I was just trying to impress you."
"You did," she laughed. "Mission accomplished." They smiled at each other until they heard Ray's voice.
"So where are you folks from?"
"Los Angeles," Sydney replied. "Right now, it seems a million miles away from here."
"I'll bet," Ray laughed. "Not too many sleigh rides in that neck of the woods, huh? So, you folks married?"
Sydney could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks. How could they explain that, not only were they *not* married, but that technically, they weren't even dating, and if the wrong people saw them together right now, they would be dead before they could ever have a relationship.
"Not yet," Vaughn said smoothly. She looked at him with surprise, and he just shrugged and smiled. If she thought she was blushing before . . . *Not yet*. The thought of one day marrying Vaughn sent shivers down her spine. She knew that she was getting way ahead of herself, but she could practically imagine him waiting for her at the altar.
Ray nodded knowingly as they continued. Vaughn was surprised how easily those words had rolled off his lips. He had never seriously considered marrying any of his previous girlfriends. He always figured that he *would* get married, but he had never been with anyone that he could actually visualize spending the rest of his life with. But Sydney -- he could happily imagine spending an eternity with her. He knew that she was the one; he'd known seemingly from the day he met her. And after last night, he knew that when this was all over, he wouldn't hesitate to begin the rest of his life with her.
Vaughn, Sydney and Ray all grew silent as they rode along. White snow stretched in front of them for what seemed like miles, and tall trees with snow covered leaves and branches seemed to be standing guard over the meadow. The mountains were off in the distance, and ahead of them, the sky was various shades of orange and pink as the sun gracefully slid off the horizon. Once the sun set, the temperature dropped even lower, and Vaughn slipped his arm from around Sydney and reached over to grab another blanket. When he leaned back, Sydney wrapped both of her arms around his right arm, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Hey, Vaughn," she said softly.
"Mmm hmm?"
"This was the perfect way to end the day," she said as she raised her head to look up at him. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love *you*," he said as he bent his head down to give her the slowest, sweetest kiss she'd ever received in her life. When they finally broke the kiss, she rested her head back on his shoulder and said a silent prayer of thanks that this incredible man was hers. She'd have to remind herself of that the next time she started feeling sorry for herself. No matter how chaotic and twisted her life was, she had him, even if she wasn't free to be with him yet. As long as she knew that he loved her, everything that she had to endure in her life was worth it.
*****
An hour after Vaughn and Sydney returned to the hotel, Sydney knocked on Vaughn's door. They had reservations at a restaurant they had passed by earlier in the day. She was suddenly glad that she had seen fit to pack at least one dress nice enough for a romantic dinner. She hadn't thought she would need one, but she'd finally told herself "you never know what might happen." Sure enough, she had been right. Who knew that she would go on vacation and wind up spending two days with her gorgeous handler whom she happened to be in love with?
When Vaughn opened the door, Sydney felt her breath catch in her throat. Vaughn was such a sweet guy that she sometimes forgot how devastatingly sexy he could be. Now was one of the times that reminded her. He was wearing a white button down shirt, open at the neck, and black dress slacks. His hair was still slightly wet from the shower.
"Hey," he said as his arm reached out around her waist to pull her into his room. Before she could even respond, his mouth was on hers, hungrily tasting her as he pressed her back against the door. She hadn't been expecting his kiss, and was, quite literally, left breathless. She gasped for air when his lips finally left hers. "Wow, what came over you?" she asked after she recovered.
"Sorry, I just . . . you . . . an hour was too long to be away from you," he finished with a frustrated sigh. His gaze was deep and intense, and she felt her breath becoming more and more shallow as she looked into his eyes.
"Are you ready to go to dinner?" she asked. She was praying he would say no.
"Actually, I need a few minutes before we go," he said as he reluctantly tore himself away from her and walked over to the desk where his cellphone was. "I need to check my messages back at the office."
"Aren't you on vacation? And isn't it Saturday?" she teased.
"Yeah," he smiled sheepishly, "but, you know . . ." his voice trailed off as he punched the speed dial button on his phone. "Make yourself comfortable, this might take a few minutes."
Sydney sighed and set her purse down on the bed. She had to admire his dedication to his job, even though she wished he'd allow himself just one night where he didn't have to think about it. She began unbuttoning the heavy winter coat she was wearing, and tossed it on the bed too. She smoothed her hands over the dress she wore, a red strapless number with a slit in the front. She had never worn it before, but she had actually thought about Vaughn when she bought it, imagining the expression on his face if he ever saw her in it. She wasn't about to share that bit of information with him, though, she thought with a smile.
She sat down on the edge of the bed with her legs stretched out in front of her. Vaughn was standing near the desk with his back to her, deeply engrossed in his messages. His right arm was crossed under his left elbow as he held the phone to his ear. Sydney couldn't help but notice the way his shirt emphasized his back and shoulders. She stared for a few moments before she rose and stood behind him. She thought she would go crazy if she didn't touch him. She let her right hand trace circles of varying dimensions across his back as her left hand rested on his hip. She felt him stiffen initially at her unexpected touch, but he relaxed as she continued. He switched the phone to his right hand, as his left hand reached down to gently grab hers. He brought her hand up to his mouth, and kissed it, brushing his lips across her knuckles and then her open palm. She moved her right hand from his back to his stomach and pressed her body closer to his. Soon, her lips found the back of his neck and she softly kissed him.
"Syd," he moaned softly.
"Mmm, what?" she murmured.
"Syd, You're driving me crazy."
"Hmm, really?" she asked innocently. "I can't be driving you *that* crazy, if you're still on the phone." She could hear a voice droning on in his voicemail.
He pressed the "end" button on his cellphone mid-message and tossed it onto the desk. She smiled a triumphant smile behind his back. "I haven't even begun to drive you crazy yet Vaughn," she said as she let her hands start to move across his body.
"Uh, yeah, you have," he rasped as he turned around to face her. His eyes took in the sight of her in her dress, and he swallowed hard. "Sydney, my god. What are you trying to do to me?" he asked with a smile. The smile quickly faded as he pulled her into his arms again, and let his lips attack her neck and her bare shoulders. He was kissing her so hungrily that it startled her, but she silently pleaded that he wouldn't. She cocked her head to the side to give him more access to her neck, and buried her fingers in his hair. They were both getting swept away by passion until she quietly asked, "Vaughn, what about dinner?"
He stopped kissing her long enough to reach over to the hotel phone on the desk. He pressed the button for the concierge. "Hi, can you give me the number for Mirabelle? Thanks." He disconnect that call and dialed the restaurant's number. "Hi, I had an 8:00 reservation for Vaughn, party of two. I'm going to have to cancel the reservation. Yes, thank you." He hung up the phone and met Sydney's questioning smile with a shrug.
"Something came up," he murmured as he reached behind her to unzip her dress.
*****
Some time later, Sydney pressed her ear to Vaughn's chest as she laid on top of him. She could hear his heartbeat slowing down, echoing her own. "That was. . . wow," she breathed. "I knew were athletic, but . . . wow."
He laughed, "You're no slouch, yourself, Syd. I think I may need medical attention tomorrow."
She raised herself slightly and playfully slapped his chest. "Assumption of risk. I assume they taught you about that in law school."
He brushed the hair from her face. Her eyes were sparkling and her entire face was glowing. "God, you're beautiful, do you know that?" He kissed her before she could answer. "I hope you're not too disappointed about missing dinner."
"Are you kidding me?" she laughed as she rolled onto her back next to him. "Dinner was the last thing on my mind when you started kissing me. But now that you mention it, I'm starving."
"You should be. You're an animal, Miss Bristow," he laughed as she hit him again. He reached over to the night stand, and picked up the hotel directory. He handed it to her. "Order whatever you like."
"Gee, thanks, Vaughn. That's the least you can do after you lure me up here with false promises of going to dinner, and took advantage of me." She grinned as she sat up. "Seriously, I could eat everything on this menu right now. I'm ravenous."
"Me too," he said as he rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I meant for *food* Vaughn," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Do you want something? Edible? *From the menu?*" she laughingly asked as she anticipated his responses.
"Damn," he shook his head, "you're good. I'll just have a burger."
"A burger," she rolled her eyes. "That's a far cry from the fancy French food we would have been eating right now."
"I'll live. I've eaten enough French food to last a lifetime."
"Hey, over dinner, I want you to tell me all about your summers in France, okay?" she asked as she picked up the phone to call room service.
*****
"The vineyard sounds incredible," Sydney said with an awed expression. "I've never known anyone whose family owned a vineyard." She and Vaughn were camped out on the floor in front of the bed, having a room service picnic. She was wearing his white shirt and he was in boxers. It all felt so achingly right to her, so normal and relaxed. She couldn't bear to think that it would all be over tomorrow.
"I'll take you there, as soon as . . . well, you know." He said with a sad smile. He couldn't bring himself to say the words.
"Yeah, I know," she said as she grabbed a fry from his plate. "I can't wait," she smiled, "but I will. As long as it takes. Believe that."
He took her hand in his. "I do believe that. Just make sure that you don't stop believing it, no matter how hard things get for you . . . or for us."
"I won't," she said solemnly. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Vaughn. You're stuck with me now."
"Promise me," he said intently, as he looked into her eyes.
"I promise," she said as she rose and pulled him up to his feet and kissed him softly.
As they spent their last night together for the foreseeable future, their hearts made dozens more promises that would remain unspoken until they could be together for good.
He broke her train of thought as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her left shoulder from behind her. "Morning," he murmured in her ear.
"Just barely," she grinned.
"What time is it?" he asked with a yawn.
"Eleven."
"Seriously? I never sleep that late."
"Not even on weekends?"
"Nope. All the east coast college football games start at nine, so I'm usually up."
She smiled as she rolled over to face him. The things that men would do for sports! "Well, I'm not surprised you slept late. We had a late night."
He blushed slightly. "Yeah, we did. God, Syd, you're more than I can handle. You always have been," he smiled.
"Yeah, well, you handled me pretty well last night," she said as she nestled into his embrace.
"Be sure to tell Devlin. Maybe he'll give me a promotion," he said wryly as she giggled. He was surprised at how easily he pushed all thoughts about the inappropriateness of their new closeness out of his head. He knew that eventually he would have to think about it, but that could wait. He only had 24 more hours alone with Sydney. He wasn't going to waste that time thinking about work, and he couldn't find it within himself to regret anything that happened last night, especially when Sydney began softly kissing his chest. He bent down to kiss the top of her head. "Hey, what do you want to do today?"
"Do you have to ask?" she smiled wickedly. She had one day left with him. Only 24 hours to try and soak up as much of him as she could before reality came knocking on the door. She and Will had once asked each other what they would do if they only had one day left to live. She was asking herself the same question now, because she felt like she *did* only have a day to live. The day she spent with Vaughn gave her some much needed clarity, and she now realized that the only times she truly felt alive anymore were the times when she was with him. All the time in between -- well, that wasn't living, it was just waiting. Waiting for the next time she could be with him. She knew that she was going to be doing *a lot* of waiting until SD-6 was destroyed, so for today, at least, she was going to live like there was no tomorrow.
"Seriously? As much as I would love to spend the whole day like this, I'd kind of wanted to actually see Tahoe. I mean, I've been here for a day and all I've seen so far are the ski slopes and this bed."
"Then you've already seen all the most important sights," Vaughn grinned.
She smiled back at him. God, he was so beautiful when he was smiling at her like that and his green eyes were sparkling. She was in awe at the effect that he had on her. He made her forget everything but him.
"You're right, and the view was breathtaking. But I know that Francie and Will are going to be full of questions about my vacation. You know, what I did, what I saw. I have to be able to describe something other than your body," she laughed. "And they will never believe in a million years that I went to Lake Tahoe and didn't take pictures . . . of something other than you!" she giggled as soon as she saw his mouth open to say something cute.
"Damn. I was all set for my closeup," he said with a mock pout as he sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, here's the plan: I'm going back to my room to shower and get dressed, then I'll come back down and we'll go exploring, okay?"
She laughed, "You're always giving me the plan, Agent Vaughn."
"Yeah, but you like it that way," he said as he kissed her nose and rose from the bed. As he got dressed she silently watched him and smiled. It was going to take a lot to wipe the smile off of her face today. She was sure than nothing could.
*****
Three hours later, Vaughn and Sydney walked hand in hand down a short path until they were overlooking Emerald Bay. It was a gorgeous, clear day and Sydney felt like she could see for miles. In the distance, snow covered mountains framed the rest of the lake. In front of her were jagged grey rocks, half covered in snow, and the little island in the middle of the bay.
"Wow, this is the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen," she said breathlessly. She looked over at him. "Well, the *second* most gorgeous. The water's not as green as your eyes." She grinned as Vaughn looked away from her. "Are you blushing again? Geez, Vaughn, you've got to learn how to take a compliment."
He just laughed softly and shook his head. "Shouldn't you be taking pictures?" he asked as he gently pried the camera from her hands. He started snapping pictures. "Hey, go stand over there, so I can get a picture of you with the lake and the mountains behind you."
"No," she said softly. "Don't worry about it."
"You don't want to be in a picture? Why not?" he asked, not masking the concern in his voice.
She turned away from him slightly and looked down at the ground. "Because, I don't want to get the pictures back and see myself standing there without you. I know that sounds crazy . . ." her voice trailed off as she absentmindedly dug the toe of her boots into the snow. "The only picture that I really want is a picture of *us*, with your arm around my shoulders, and both of us smiling. The kind of picture that you could put on your desk, or we could put on the mantle, and pick up every now and then and say, 'Remember that time in Lake Tahoe?' But we can't take that picture, Vaughn. I know why, and I accept it, but . . . if I can't take that picture with you, I'd just rather not take one by myself." She looked up off into the distance and let a short, bitter laugh escape her lips. "God, that made no sense at all."
"No, it makes perfect sense. One day, we're going to come back and take that picture, Sydney. I promise."
He always knew the right thing to say to her. She turned back towards him until she was facing him. She pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head, and reached up with both hands to remove his. "Truthfully," she said looking into his eyes, "the pictures are just for Francie and Will's benefit. I don't need pictures to remember this weekend. I'll be lucky if I can remember anything else once I get home." As she felt his arms wrap around her and she pressed her face to his shoulder, she knew for sure that she wouldn't forget a single minute of the time they had spent together. The feelings and emotions would always be permanently etched in her memory. No picture could ever do them justice, anyway.
They stood wrapped in each others' arms for a few minutes until Vaughn pulled away to look at his watch. "Hey," Sydney cried, "stop looking at your watch! You're on vacation, you don't have a schedule to be concerned about."
"Actually, I do. We both do. C'mon," he said as he grabbed her hand and began walking back towards his rented Explorer. He had a surprise for her, and he didn't want to be late. When he saw the suspicious look she had on her face, he laughed. "Don't bother asking me questions, 'cause I'm not giving you any hints. And your spy mind games won't work on me either, because I know every interrogation trick in the book."
"Fine," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I won't ask any questions, but this had better be good." Knowing him the way she did, though, she had no doubt that it would be.
*****
Forty-five minutes later, Sydney and Vaughn were stomping across the snow in an open meadow. Vaughn's left hand was firmly placed over Sydney's eyes as they walked. "Vaughn, your gloves are making my nose itch," she laughed.
"I'm not falling for that, Sydney," Vaughn said good-naturedly. "We're almost there, anyway."
A few minutes later, Sydney could tell that they had come to a stop. She raised her right arm to pull Vaughn's hand away from her eyes, but he grabbed it from behind her before she could. "Vaughn, stop teasing me!" she whined.
"Okay, you win" he chuckled. "I know better than to mess with Sydney Bristow." He removed his hand from her eyes and smiled when he heard her gasp. In front of them were two blond Belgian draft horses and a two-seater sleigh. "Oh my god! We're going on a sleigh ride?" she asked excitedly.
"Yeah. There were brochures for it in my room, and I thought it might be something you'd like to do. I know it's kind of cheesy," he said with an embarrassed half-smile.
"Are you kidding me? This is gonna be great! I've never done anything like this before." She was practically bouncing with excitement. "Ooh, and these horses are gorgeous," she said as she reached out her hand before snapping it back. "Can I?" she asked the sleigh driver.
"Of course," he chuckled. He reached out to shake her hand. "I'm Ray, I'll be your driver today." He turned to Vaughn. "You must be Michael," he said, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you Ray."
Ray tightened the reigns on the horses and smiled at Sydney. "We should probably be on the way. The sun sets soon, and that's always the most romantic time to be on the ride," he said with a wink. Sydney blushed as he offered her a hand and she stepped up into the sleigh. Vaughn followed behind her.
"There are blankets back there, for you all," Ray said as they started off. Vaughn grabbed one of the blankets and placed it over his and Sydney's laps. The sun was already starting to set and the temperature was growing noticeably colder. Vaughn protectively wrapped his right arm around Sydney's shoulder, and she leaned back into him.
"I can't believe you did this," she whispered in his ear.
The smile that he gave her radiated pure love and warmth. "I was just trying to impress you."
"You did," she laughed. "Mission accomplished." They smiled at each other until they heard Ray's voice.
"So where are you folks from?"
"Los Angeles," Sydney replied. "Right now, it seems a million miles away from here."
"I'll bet," Ray laughed. "Not too many sleigh rides in that neck of the woods, huh? So, you folks married?"
Sydney could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks. How could they explain that, not only were they *not* married, but that technically, they weren't even dating, and if the wrong people saw them together right now, they would be dead before they could ever have a relationship.
"Not yet," Vaughn said smoothly. She looked at him with surprise, and he just shrugged and smiled. If she thought she was blushing before . . . *Not yet*. The thought of one day marrying Vaughn sent shivers down her spine. She knew that she was getting way ahead of herself, but she could practically imagine him waiting for her at the altar.
Ray nodded knowingly as they continued. Vaughn was surprised how easily those words had rolled off his lips. He had never seriously considered marrying any of his previous girlfriends. He always figured that he *would* get married, but he had never been with anyone that he could actually visualize spending the rest of his life with. But Sydney -- he could happily imagine spending an eternity with her. He knew that she was the one; he'd known seemingly from the day he met her. And after last night, he knew that when this was all over, he wouldn't hesitate to begin the rest of his life with her.
Vaughn, Sydney and Ray all grew silent as they rode along. White snow stretched in front of them for what seemed like miles, and tall trees with snow covered leaves and branches seemed to be standing guard over the meadow. The mountains were off in the distance, and ahead of them, the sky was various shades of orange and pink as the sun gracefully slid off the horizon. Once the sun set, the temperature dropped even lower, and Vaughn slipped his arm from around Sydney and reached over to grab another blanket. When he leaned back, Sydney wrapped both of her arms around his right arm, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Hey, Vaughn," she said softly.
"Mmm hmm?"
"This was the perfect way to end the day," she said as she raised her head to look up at him. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love *you*," he said as he bent his head down to give her the slowest, sweetest kiss she'd ever received in her life. When they finally broke the kiss, she rested her head back on his shoulder and said a silent prayer of thanks that this incredible man was hers. She'd have to remind herself of that the next time she started feeling sorry for herself. No matter how chaotic and twisted her life was, she had him, even if she wasn't free to be with him yet. As long as she knew that he loved her, everything that she had to endure in her life was worth it.
*****
An hour after Vaughn and Sydney returned to the hotel, Sydney knocked on Vaughn's door. They had reservations at a restaurant they had passed by earlier in the day. She was suddenly glad that she had seen fit to pack at least one dress nice enough for a romantic dinner. She hadn't thought she would need one, but she'd finally told herself "you never know what might happen." Sure enough, she had been right. Who knew that she would go on vacation and wind up spending two days with her gorgeous handler whom she happened to be in love with?
When Vaughn opened the door, Sydney felt her breath catch in her throat. Vaughn was such a sweet guy that she sometimes forgot how devastatingly sexy he could be. Now was one of the times that reminded her. He was wearing a white button down shirt, open at the neck, and black dress slacks. His hair was still slightly wet from the shower.
"Hey," he said as his arm reached out around her waist to pull her into his room. Before she could even respond, his mouth was on hers, hungrily tasting her as he pressed her back against the door. She hadn't been expecting his kiss, and was, quite literally, left breathless. She gasped for air when his lips finally left hers. "Wow, what came over you?" she asked after she recovered.
"Sorry, I just . . . you . . . an hour was too long to be away from you," he finished with a frustrated sigh. His gaze was deep and intense, and she felt her breath becoming more and more shallow as she looked into his eyes.
"Are you ready to go to dinner?" she asked. She was praying he would say no.
"Actually, I need a few minutes before we go," he said as he reluctantly tore himself away from her and walked over to the desk where his cellphone was. "I need to check my messages back at the office."
"Aren't you on vacation? And isn't it Saturday?" she teased.
"Yeah," he smiled sheepishly, "but, you know . . ." his voice trailed off as he punched the speed dial button on his phone. "Make yourself comfortable, this might take a few minutes."
Sydney sighed and set her purse down on the bed. She had to admire his dedication to his job, even though she wished he'd allow himself just one night where he didn't have to think about it. She began unbuttoning the heavy winter coat she was wearing, and tossed it on the bed too. She smoothed her hands over the dress she wore, a red strapless number with a slit in the front. She had never worn it before, but she had actually thought about Vaughn when she bought it, imagining the expression on his face if he ever saw her in it. She wasn't about to share that bit of information with him, though, she thought with a smile.
She sat down on the edge of the bed with her legs stretched out in front of her. Vaughn was standing near the desk with his back to her, deeply engrossed in his messages. His right arm was crossed under his left elbow as he held the phone to his ear. Sydney couldn't help but notice the way his shirt emphasized his back and shoulders. She stared for a few moments before she rose and stood behind him. She thought she would go crazy if she didn't touch him. She let her right hand trace circles of varying dimensions across his back as her left hand rested on his hip. She felt him stiffen initially at her unexpected touch, but he relaxed as she continued. He switched the phone to his right hand, as his left hand reached down to gently grab hers. He brought her hand up to his mouth, and kissed it, brushing his lips across her knuckles and then her open palm. She moved her right hand from his back to his stomach and pressed her body closer to his. Soon, her lips found the back of his neck and she softly kissed him.
"Syd," he moaned softly.
"Mmm, what?" she murmured.
"Syd, You're driving me crazy."
"Hmm, really?" she asked innocently. "I can't be driving you *that* crazy, if you're still on the phone." She could hear a voice droning on in his voicemail.
He pressed the "end" button on his cellphone mid-message and tossed it onto the desk. She smiled a triumphant smile behind his back. "I haven't even begun to drive you crazy yet Vaughn," she said as she let her hands start to move across his body.
"Uh, yeah, you have," he rasped as he turned around to face her. His eyes took in the sight of her in her dress, and he swallowed hard. "Sydney, my god. What are you trying to do to me?" he asked with a smile. The smile quickly faded as he pulled her into his arms again, and let his lips attack her neck and her bare shoulders. He was kissing her so hungrily that it startled her, but she silently pleaded that he wouldn't. She cocked her head to the side to give him more access to her neck, and buried her fingers in his hair. They were both getting swept away by passion until she quietly asked, "Vaughn, what about dinner?"
He stopped kissing her long enough to reach over to the hotel phone on the desk. He pressed the button for the concierge. "Hi, can you give me the number for Mirabelle? Thanks." He disconnect that call and dialed the restaurant's number. "Hi, I had an 8:00 reservation for Vaughn, party of two. I'm going to have to cancel the reservation. Yes, thank you." He hung up the phone and met Sydney's questioning smile with a shrug.
"Something came up," he murmured as he reached behind her to unzip her dress.
*****
Some time later, Sydney pressed her ear to Vaughn's chest as she laid on top of him. She could hear his heartbeat slowing down, echoing her own. "That was. . . wow," she breathed. "I knew were athletic, but . . . wow."
He laughed, "You're no slouch, yourself, Syd. I think I may need medical attention tomorrow."
She raised herself slightly and playfully slapped his chest. "Assumption of risk. I assume they taught you about that in law school."
He brushed the hair from her face. Her eyes were sparkling and her entire face was glowing. "God, you're beautiful, do you know that?" He kissed her before she could answer. "I hope you're not too disappointed about missing dinner."
"Are you kidding me?" she laughed as she rolled onto her back next to him. "Dinner was the last thing on my mind when you started kissing me. But now that you mention it, I'm starving."
"You should be. You're an animal, Miss Bristow," he laughed as she hit him again. He reached over to the night stand, and picked up the hotel directory. He handed it to her. "Order whatever you like."
"Gee, thanks, Vaughn. That's the least you can do after you lure me up here with false promises of going to dinner, and took advantage of me." She grinned as she sat up. "Seriously, I could eat everything on this menu right now. I'm ravenous."
"Me too," he said as he rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I meant for *food* Vaughn," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Do you want something? Edible? *From the menu?*" she laughingly asked as she anticipated his responses.
"Damn," he shook his head, "you're good. I'll just have a burger."
"A burger," she rolled her eyes. "That's a far cry from the fancy French food we would have been eating right now."
"I'll live. I've eaten enough French food to last a lifetime."
"Hey, over dinner, I want you to tell me all about your summers in France, okay?" she asked as she picked up the phone to call room service.
*****
"The vineyard sounds incredible," Sydney said with an awed expression. "I've never known anyone whose family owned a vineyard." She and Vaughn were camped out on the floor in front of the bed, having a room service picnic. She was wearing his white shirt and he was in boxers. It all felt so achingly right to her, so normal and relaxed. She couldn't bear to think that it would all be over tomorrow.
"I'll take you there, as soon as . . . well, you know." He said with a sad smile. He couldn't bring himself to say the words.
"Yeah, I know," she said as she grabbed a fry from his plate. "I can't wait," she smiled, "but I will. As long as it takes. Believe that."
He took her hand in his. "I do believe that. Just make sure that you don't stop believing it, no matter how hard things get for you . . . or for us."
"I won't," she said solemnly. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Vaughn. You're stuck with me now."
"Promise me," he said intently, as he looked into her eyes.
"I promise," she said as she rose and pulled him up to his feet and kissed him softly.
As they spent their last night together for the foreseeable future, their hearts made dozens more promises that would remain unspoken until they could be together for good.