AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS A LONG ONE BUT IT'S WORTH IT! FINAL
CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Flash forward. Sydney and Vaughn stayed in the French hospital for a few more days and with unwanted help of Jack, they were brought home. They were both confined to wheelchairs..especially Sydney.
"You both could have been killed." Jack scolded them on the plane home. They hadn't bother to take a commercial flight but instead a private CIA one.
"But we weren't, sir." Vaughn spoke up first. His actions were correct and Jack had no right, even if he was the superior.
"What were you thinking? Staying in the same building as Sark? You know how dangerous he is, Mr. Vaughn!" Jack began to raise his voice.
"And now he has the dummy vile and thinks he has the real one."
"But that won't do us any good-"
"Sir, if you had bother to read the report, you would know that in that vile is a small dose of radiation. We can follow Sark as long as he has the vile." Vaughn raised his voice to match Jack's.
"Careless." Scoffed Jack. "What do you have to say about all of this, Sydney?"
There was no answer. She was angry at his response. "Sydney?" Jack gave into his daughter's strong will. "What do you have to say about all of this?"
"I stand by any decision Agent Vaughn or I have made." Her voice was cold. She settled her honey brown eyes on Vaughn for a moment. They made the right decisions. She waited for him to look at him but he avoided hers. She knew why and looked away. "We did the right thing."
"Foolish things you mean."
"Vaughn and I executed the mission successfully. The fact that we got injured is besides the point." She refused to call him "dad" but she couldn't bring herself to address him as Mr. Bristow or Agent Bristow.
"Devlin doesn't see it as besides the point."
"What?" Vaughn spoke up again.
"Tyler spoke to Weiss and it got leaked to Devlin." Jack replied.
"What got leaked to Devlin?" Vaughn's ass was on the line. His mind was racing. What had they done that was so wrong? Everything had gone as planned with the exception of the shooting..the injury..it had to be something before that. His mind settled on their answer - no!
"You kissing my daughter, Mr. Vaughn." Jack's temper was beginning to show. "You are her handler..you are not allowed to be romantically involved with your agent! Especially my daughter!"
"Back up, Dad! I kissed him and it wasn't anything romantic! I needed to hide my face from Sark-" Dad, she finally acknowledge her father as her father.
"And that's the first thing that came to your mind? Well, that obviously didn't work. He still found you and shot you in the process!" He caught his breath for a moment.
Sydney was humiliated. Not only was she having the one conversation she never wanted to have with her father but she was doing it in front of Vaughn.
"Now tell me Sydney, did you sleep with him?" Jack's voice cut through the silence.
"I am not going to answer that!"
"Answer me!"
"She doesn't have to."
"Vaughn, stay out of this." Sydney snapped. "Now you listen to me, my personal life is in no way connected to the agency and you, as an agent or as a father, have no right to ask me who I'm sleeping with!" If she could have gotten up and left, she would have. She lowered her voice for a moment. "I will not be discussing my personal life with you. Ever."
"That's fine." Jack replied, a hurt tone in his voice. His gaze shifted slightly to Vaughn. "Mr. Vaughn, do you care to answer that?"
Vaughn looked away from the Bristows. He had that hurt look at his face. He wanted to do the right thing by both the agency and by Sydney. What was more important? "That question has no relation to our op, sir."
"It has everything to do with the op!"
"We made the brush pass with Tyler and Stabler, as you requested and to make it less noticeable, we stayed on the dance floor. Sark entered the room and Sydney feared he would recognize her face. We kissed to hide her. Sark-"
"Still found you out!" barked Jack.
Sydney scoffed. "If we were any other agents, you would never think twice about our actions. But because Vaughn knew about you and I'm your daughter, you're doing this. Knock it off, Mr. Bristow." She couldn't bring herself to call Jack 'dad.' It just seemed so wrong.
"What did you just say?" Jack was about ready to kill her. "What did you just say?"
"I said, knock it off, Mr. Bristow." There was no way she would back down now.
Jack looked over his daughter. They had lost touch many years ago and now she depended on him for numerous things. Well, at least she did. Ever since she found out about Project Christmas, she had been back to her old ways of hating him. And she had every right to. "You want to be upset with me, that's fine. But I still deserve the respect that you would give any other agent. That respect includes your address to me."
"Fine, dad." Sydney said, patronizing him. Her breath was slow and steady. She had inherited his temper. "But I'm still not answering your question."
"You will either tell me, tell Devlin, or have a physical exam, Sydney." Jack answered her tone.
"No, I won't. It has nothing to do with the op! My personal life has nothing to do with this op!"
Vaughn opened his mouth to say something but quickly decided against it. Sydney was important to him but for a moment, his job took the number one spot in his heart. If he lost his job then he would never be able to see Sydney. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Sydney. He knew deep in his heart that if he so much at glanced at her, Jack would take him from his wheelchair and throw him across the plane.
Why wasn't he saying anything? Sydney wanted to hear Vaughn's voice defending their actions and more importantly her but he didn't even look at her. "When is the plane landing?" She asked, her voice still sounding hurt.
"In about two minutes." Jack replied roughly.
"I don't want to be brought into see Devlin about this, DAD." Sydney said almost painfully. "This stays between the three of us. Our actions and your accusations. Got it?"
"If Devlin calls you in that is not my responsibility."
Vaughn sighed a little too loudly. The pain medication was beginning to run low and he felt every heart beat, every bit of his rapid pulse in his shoulder.
"Mine's running low too." Sydney replied, glancing next to her. She was suddenly grateful that Jack had an empty cargo plane pick them up from the hospital. There was no one else on board with the exception of Sydney and Vaughn, both strapped to their wheelchairs and the floor and Jack, who sat on a weighted crate. There were no IV's or heart monitors or anything remotely looking like the two has just come from the hospital but the two wheelchairs. Sydney was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and black sweat pants from the safe house. She ran her fingers over her pants and felt the hard cast. It felt so harsh and cold. She wanted to be able to feel her skin but more, she wanted to feel Vaughn's hand on her skin. Her thoughts became so random. They settled on Sark, who had recently made a deal with Sydney and Sloane but had gone back on both of them. He now knew that she was a double agent but then again, did? Things were too confusing! How did he know Vaughn? Why hadn't Sark finished her? Things didn't make sense.
"Are you okay?" Vaughn hushed his voice and looked in her direction and moved his good hand as if to touch hers.
"I will be." She sounded distracted to him.
"What is it?" Vaughn continued, ignoring Jack.
"We're landing now. I'm going up front." Jack informed them and walked to the cockpit.
"What is it?" Vaughn asked again. This time he moved his hand and touched hers. She jumped slightly but then relaxed. "You don't sound right."
"How am I going to explain this to Francie?"
"Mmm..tell her while you were on your business trip, oh G- d..you..were dancing with this really cute French guy, that would be me, and..and while you two were running out of the club you were at.your..heel caught on the stairs and you..you...broke your ankle or sprained it or whatever girls do to their ankles in heels that would require a cast." Vaughn tripped and struggled over his own lie.
"Sounds good to me."
"Good."
"Yeah."
The silence filled the area once more. Sydney involuntary braced herself as the plane landed and hit the ground. It was as smooth as a landing in that plane could get. When the plane finally stopped moving, she realized that she had grabbed Vaughn's hand and held it tightly. Realizing what she had done, she let it go and folded her hands neatly in her lap.
"Nothing happened during this whole op. Absolutely nothing." Sydney spoke aloud, trying to convince herself.
"That's right." Vaughn said, trying to convince himself.
"What do you want to do first when we get home?" She needed to hear his voice just once more before they parted ways. She shifted her weight in the chair and groaned softly.
"Shave. Those nurses were trying to butcher my face." He smiled and watched Sydney's face for approval. "What about you?" Her voice would be pain-killer enough for him.
"Get that hospital smell off of me." She shuddered at the faint scent of hospital on her. "I hate that smell more than I hate Arvin's cheap cologne."
Vaughn laughed. "It must smell awful."
Before they knew it, CIA agents were flooding the plane. They un- strapped Sydney and lifted her up into their arms. She couldn't help but wish she was in Vaughn's arms. Her eyes glanced over the unfamiliar agent's shoulders. Vaughn was being un-strapped by another group of agents and helped to his feet. He wasn't being carried but instead just supported by two strong looking male agents. Sydney sighed.
"Good day, Agent Bristow." A female agent greeted her off of the plane. She had curly red hair and black cat-eye glasses. "We have you to thank. Because you let Sark get the vile, we have been tracking him and have pinpointed to a lab in Northern Siberia. There's a team now being sent out to get him." She spoke rapidly and followed Sydney into the main CIA building. They entered a dismal looking hallway and began to walk towards a gray steel elevator.
"Who are you?" Sydney breathed.
"My name is Agent Camille Martins."
"Listen Agent Martins, where am I going?"
"We're going down to the office."
"Whose?"
"Agent Vaughn's then Devlin's."
"And my father?"
"Going straight to Devlin's office."
"Shit." Why was her father making such a big deal about Vaughn and her kissing? There was no way that he knew that she had feelings for Vaughn! It was impossible unless somehow it had been leaked but that was impossible! No one knew!
"How are you feeling, Agent Bristow?" Martins continued.
"Not well."
"Would you like to go to the medical facility? Stop please." Martins called for the other agent, who was carrying Sydney, to stop.
"No."
"Then, let's keep going." Martins tapped the other agent's shoulder and he started to walk towards the elevator.
"No. I want to go home. You know what? Put me down. Get me crutches and let me go home. I need to go home." She began to struggle with the agent holding her. He let her win and set her down. She put her weight on her left foot, the un-shot foot. "I'm going home. Tell Devlin that I'll be back when the cast comes off my foot. Sloane's back in a week and it's bad enough I'm going to have to explain my limp to him!"
"But Agent Bristow."
"No buts. I've been in France for a week now. Right now I need to go home, take a pain killer, and go to sleep without a nurse or doctor waking me up every half of an hour! Do you understand? I need to go home! Devlin will understand!"
Martin opened her mouth to speak but promptly decided against it. Instead, she nodded her head and spoke to the other agent. "Go get Agent Bristow some crutches and get her personal belongings."
"Hello?"
"Joey's pizza?"
"Sorry, wrong number." Sydney replied to the familiar voice in the phone. It had been over ten days since she and Vaughn had returned home from Paris. She laid on her toned stomach on her bed in a pair of Francie's sweatpants that she had borrowed a while ago. She hung up the phone and got to her feet. Her ankle had almost healed. In fact, she was leaving for Malaysia in fourteen and a half hours. Her ankle was still a little shaky but she knew that she would be able to fake anything. "Be back in a bit, Will!" Sydney called as she ran or more less hobbled out of the house.
"Good guys?" Will called from the kitchen.
"You bet!" She slammed the door behind her and made her way towards her car. She was on her way to see the only person she had dreamed about for so many nights.
Vaughn sat on his table with his leg on the table. His abdomen was still sore but he could move easier. He wasn't allowed to work out or go on any more field missions for at least another month but he was home and Sydney was on her way to see him. He feeling better. Probably because Sydney was coming. Not seeing her made the pain more intense and the nights lonelier. He ended up crashing at Weiss's apartment for a few days because he didn't know how he would deal if he passed out or something. He hadn't heard from Sydney in what felt like ages. It was a relief to receive that brown paper bag. He wouldn't hear the familiar clicking of her heels but instead the muffled sound of running sneakers.
She appeared from around the corner and saw him resting on the table, arching his back to stretch out his stomach. Her body stopped and with it her breath. He had gotten more gorgeous in ten days. Was that possible? Her love had become intense since their kiss and their injuries. "You don't know how glad I am to see you." She said clear as a bell. It echoed throughout the warehouse.
"Yes I do. I didn't think you were going to make it." He loved her so much. He wanted so much to run to her and hold her. "I thought we were both- I thought you would-"
"Yeah I felt the same way." She walked strongly over to table and sat down next to Vaughn. Their hands almost touched and the chemistry between them was so intense. She had thought that she had hidden her feelings so well but he obviously knew how she felt for him, right? "We're even."
"I guess so." He laughed a little and his green eyes lit up. "Are you sure you're up to doing this for this?"
"Never let a little pain get to me." She smiled a sad smile and the momentary silence gave them both a chance to reflect. She loved the silence of their "relationship."
He sighed and looked at her. "You thinking about Taipei?"
"How did you know?"
He knew her all too well. "Because I was thinking about Taipei which led up to France, again. And I know how you think." He stopped and inhaled deeply. "How is your father doing?"
She rolled her eyes.
"That well, huh?"
"He's still convinced I kissed you out of emotion as opposed to the safety of our identities. Oh and I slept with you."
"Well, you-we didn't." He was beginning to grow uncomfortable. "And that.that was just.that kiss..it was just for the op.no emotions, right?" He didn't want to be right.
She had to say this..for the sake of their jobs. "Right." It was almost to painful to say and she sensed that he knew this. "Nothing emotional happened during that op..with the exception of our parent's anniversary."
"Right, the anniversary." He managed to stand up and turned towards her. She still looked like her mother and he was sure that he still looked by his father. The world was too ironic at that moment and he had to move on. They had survived Sark and injury. But maybe they could survive a romance but not right then. "Let's talk about your counter mission."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Flash forward. Sydney and Vaughn stayed in the French hospital for a few more days and with unwanted help of Jack, they were brought home. They were both confined to wheelchairs..especially Sydney.
"You both could have been killed." Jack scolded them on the plane home. They hadn't bother to take a commercial flight but instead a private CIA one.
"But we weren't, sir." Vaughn spoke up first. His actions were correct and Jack had no right, even if he was the superior.
"What were you thinking? Staying in the same building as Sark? You know how dangerous he is, Mr. Vaughn!" Jack began to raise his voice.
"And now he has the dummy vile and thinks he has the real one."
"But that won't do us any good-"
"Sir, if you had bother to read the report, you would know that in that vile is a small dose of radiation. We can follow Sark as long as he has the vile." Vaughn raised his voice to match Jack's.
"Careless." Scoffed Jack. "What do you have to say about all of this, Sydney?"
There was no answer. She was angry at his response. "Sydney?" Jack gave into his daughter's strong will. "What do you have to say about all of this?"
"I stand by any decision Agent Vaughn or I have made." Her voice was cold. She settled her honey brown eyes on Vaughn for a moment. They made the right decisions. She waited for him to look at him but he avoided hers. She knew why and looked away. "We did the right thing."
"Foolish things you mean."
"Vaughn and I executed the mission successfully. The fact that we got injured is besides the point." She refused to call him "dad" but she couldn't bring herself to address him as Mr. Bristow or Agent Bristow.
"Devlin doesn't see it as besides the point."
"What?" Vaughn spoke up again.
"Tyler spoke to Weiss and it got leaked to Devlin." Jack replied.
"What got leaked to Devlin?" Vaughn's ass was on the line. His mind was racing. What had they done that was so wrong? Everything had gone as planned with the exception of the shooting..the injury..it had to be something before that. His mind settled on their answer - no!
"You kissing my daughter, Mr. Vaughn." Jack's temper was beginning to show. "You are her handler..you are not allowed to be romantically involved with your agent! Especially my daughter!"
"Back up, Dad! I kissed him and it wasn't anything romantic! I needed to hide my face from Sark-" Dad, she finally acknowledge her father as her father.
"And that's the first thing that came to your mind? Well, that obviously didn't work. He still found you and shot you in the process!" He caught his breath for a moment.
Sydney was humiliated. Not only was she having the one conversation she never wanted to have with her father but she was doing it in front of Vaughn.
"Now tell me Sydney, did you sleep with him?" Jack's voice cut through the silence.
"I am not going to answer that!"
"Answer me!"
"She doesn't have to."
"Vaughn, stay out of this." Sydney snapped. "Now you listen to me, my personal life is in no way connected to the agency and you, as an agent or as a father, have no right to ask me who I'm sleeping with!" If she could have gotten up and left, she would have. She lowered her voice for a moment. "I will not be discussing my personal life with you. Ever."
"That's fine." Jack replied, a hurt tone in his voice. His gaze shifted slightly to Vaughn. "Mr. Vaughn, do you care to answer that?"
Vaughn looked away from the Bristows. He had that hurt look at his face. He wanted to do the right thing by both the agency and by Sydney. What was more important? "That question has no relation to our op, sir."
"It has everything to do with the op!"
"We made the brush pass with Tyler and Stabler, as you requested and to make it less noticeable, we stayed on the dance floor. Sark entered the room and Sydney feared he would recognize her face. We kissed to hide her. Sark-"
"Still found you out!" barked Jack.
Sydney scoffed. "If we were any other agents, you would never think twice about our actions. But because Vaughn knew about you and I'm your daughter, you're doing this. Knock it off, Mr. Bristow." She couldn't bring herself to call Jack 'dad.' It just seemed so wrong.
"What did you just say?" Jack was about ready to kill her. "What did you just say?"
"I said, knock it off, Mr. Bristow." There was no way she would back down now.
Jack looked over his daughter. They had lost touch many years ago and now she depended on him for numerous things. Well, at least she did. Ever since she found out about Project Christmas, she had been back to her old ways of hating him. And she had every right to. "You want to be upset with me, that's fine. But I still deserve the respect that you would give any other agent. That respect includes your address to me."
"Fine, dad." Sydney said, patronizing him. Her breath was slow and steady. She had inherited his temper. "But I'm still not answering your question."
"You will either tell me, tell Devlin, or have a physical exam, Sydney." Jack answered her tone.
"No, I won't. It has nothing to do with the op! My personal life has nothing to do with this op!"
Vaughn opened his mouth to say something but quickly decided against it. Sydney was important to him but for a moment, his job took the number one spot in his heart. If he lost his job then he would never be able to see Sydney. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Sydney. He knew deep in his heart that if he so much at glanced at her, Jack would take him from his wheelchair and throw him across the plane.
Why wasn't he saying anything? Sydney wanted to hear Vaughn's voice defending their actions and more importantly her but he didn't even look at her. "When is the plane landing?" She asked, her voice still sounding hurt.
"In about two minutes." Jack replied roughly.
"I don't want to be brought into see Devlin about this, DAD." Sydney said almost painfully. "This stays between the three of us. Our actions and your accusations. Got it?"
"If Devlin calls you in that is not my responsibility."
Vaughn sighed a little too loudly. The pain medication was beginning to run low and he felt every heart beat, every bit of his rapid pulse in his shoulder.
"Mine's running low too." Sydney replied, glancing next to her. She was suddenly grateful that Jack had an empty cargo plane pick them up from the hospital. There was no one else on board with the exception of Sydney and Vaughn, both strapped to their wheelchairs and the floor and Jack, who sat on a weighted crate. There were no IV's or heart monitors or anything remotely looking like the two has just come from the hospital but the two wheelchairs. Sydney was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and black sweat pants from the safe house. She ran her fingers over her pants and felt the hard cast. It felt so harsh and cold. She wanted to be able to feel her skin but more, she wanted to feel Vaughn's hand on her skin. Her thoughts became so random. They settled on Sark, who had recently made a deal with Sydney and Sloane but had gone back on both of them. He now knew that she was a double agent but then again, did? Things were too confusing! How did he know Vaughn? Why hadn't Sark finished her? Things didn't make sense.
"Are you okay?" Vaughn hushed his voice and looked in her direction and moved his good hand as if to touch hers.
"I will be." She sounded distracted to him.
"What is it?" Vaughn continued, ignoring Jack.
"We're landing now. I'm going up front." Jack informed them and walked to the cockpit.
"What is it?" Vaughn asked again. This time he moved his hand and touched hers. She jumped slightly but then relaxed. "You don't sound right."
"How am I going to explain this to Francie?"
"Mmm..tell her while you were on your business trip, oh G- d..you..were dancing with this really cute French guy, that would be me, and..and while you two were running out of the club you were at.your..heel caught on the stairs and you..you...broke your ankle or sprained it or whatever girls do to their ankles in heels that would require a cast." Vaughn tripped and struggled over his own lie.
"Sounds good to me."
"Good."
"Yeah."
The silence filled the area once more. Sydney involuntary braced herself as the plane landed and hit the ground. It was as smooth as a landing in that plane could get. When the plane finally stopped moving, she realized that she had grabbed Vaughn's hand and held it tightly. Realizing what she had done, she let it go and folded her hands neatly in her lap.
"Nothing happened during this whole op. Absolutely nothing." Sydney spoke aloud, trying to convince herself.
"That's right." Vaughn said, trying to convince himself.
"What do you want to do first when we get home?" She needed to hear his voice just once more before they parted ways. She shifted her weight in the chair and groaned softly.
"Shave. Those nurses were trying to butcher my face." He smiled and watched Sydney's face for approval. "What about you?" Her voice would be pain-killer enough for him.
"Get that hospital smell off of me." She shuddered at the faint scent of hospital on her. "I hate that smell more than I hate Arvin's cheap cologne."
Vaughn laughed. "It must smell awful."
Before they knew it, CIA agents were flooding the plane. They un- strapped Sydney and lifted her up into their arms. She couldn't help but wish she was in Vaughn's arms. Her eyes glanced over the unfamiliar agent's shoulders. Vaughn was being un-strapped by another group of agents and helped to his feet. He wasn't being carried but instead just supported by two strong looking male agents. Sydney sighed.
"Good day, Agent Bristow." A female agent greeted her off of the plane. She had curly red hair and black cat-eye glasses. "We have you to thank. Because you let Sark get the vile, we have been tracking him and have pinpointed to a lab in Northern Siberia. There's a team now being sent out to get him." She spoke rapidly and followed Sydney into the main CIA building. They entered a dismal looking hallway and began to walk towards a gray steel elevator.
"Who are you?" Sydney breathed.
"My name is Agent Camille Martins."
"Listen Agent Martins, where am I going?"
"We're going down to the office."
"Whose?"
"Agent Vaughn's then Devlin's."
"And my father?"
"Going straight to Devlin's office."
"Shit." Why was her father making such a big deal about Vaughn and her kissing? There was no way that he knew that she had feelings for Vaughn! It was impossible unless somehow it had been leaked but that was impossible! No one knew!
"How are you feeling, Agent Bristow?" Martins continued.
"Not well."
"Would you like to go to the medical facility? Stop please." Martins called for the other agent, who was carrying Sydney, to stop.
"No."
"Then, let's keep going." Martins tapped the other agent's shoulder and he started to walk towards the elevator.
"No. I want to go home. You know what? Put me down. Get me crutches and let me go home. I need to go home." She began to struggle with the agent holding her. He let her win and set her down. She put her weight on her left foot, the un-shot foot. "I'm going home. Tell Devlin that I'll be back when the cast comes off my foot. Sloane's back in a week and it's bad enough I'm going to have to explain my limp to him!"
"But Agent Bristow."
"No buts. I've been in France for a week now. Right now I need to go home, take a pain killer, and go to sleep without a nurse or doctor waking me up every half of an hour! Do you understand? I need to go home! Devlin will understand!"
Martin opened her mouth to speak but promptly decided against it. Instead, she nodded her head and spoke to the other agent. "Go get Agent Bristow some crutches and get her personal belongings."
"Hello?"
"Joey's pizza?"
"Sorry, wrong number." Sydney replied to the familiar voice in the phone. It had been over ten days since she and Vaughn had returned home from Paris. She laid on her toned stomach on her bed in a pair of Francie's sweatpants that she had borrowed a while ago. She hung up the phone and got to her feet. Her ankle had almost healed. In fact, she was leaving for Malaysia in fourteen and a half hours. Her ankle was still a little shaky but she knew that she would be able to fake anything. "Be back in a bit, Will!" Sydney called as she ran or more less hobbled out of the house.
"Good guys?" Will called from the kitchen.
"You bet!" She slammed the door behind her and made her way towards her car. She was on her way to see the only person she had dreamed about for so many nights.
Vaughn sat on his table with his leg on the table. His abdomen was still sore but he could move easier. He wasn't allowed to work out or go on any more field missions for at least another month but he was home and Sydney was on her way to see him. He feeling better. Probably because Sydney was coming. Not seeing her made the pain more intense and the nights lonelier. He ended up crashing at Weiss's apartment for a few days because he didn't know how he would deal if he passed out or something. He hadn't heard from Sydney in what felt like ages. It was a relief to receive that brown paper bag. He wouldn't hear the familiar clicking of her heels but instead the muffled sound of running sneakers.
She appeared from around the corner and saw him resting on the table, arching his back to stretch out his stomach. Her body stopped and with it her breath. He had gotten more gorgeous in ten days. Was that possible? Her love had become intense since their kiss and their injuries. "You don't know how glad I am to see you." She said clear as a bell. It echoed throughout the warehouse.
"Yes I do. I didn't think you were going to make it." He loved her so much. He wanted so much to run to her and hold her. "I thought we were both- I thought you would-"
"Yeah I felt the same way." She walked strongly over to table and sat down next to Vaughn. Their hands almost touched and the chemistry between them was so intense. She had thought that she had hidden her feelings so well but he obviously knew how she felt for him, right? "We're even."
"I guess so." He laughed a little and his green eyes lit up. "Are you sure you're up to doing this for this?"
"Never let a little pain get to me." She smiled a sad smile and the momentary silence gave them both a chance to reflect. She loved the silence of their "relationship."
He sighed and looked at her. "You thinking about Taipei?"
"How did you know?"
He knew her all too well. "Because I was thinking about Taipei which led up to France, again. And I know how you think." He stopped and inhaled deeply. "How is your father doing?"
She rolled her eyes.
"That well, huh?"
"He's still convinced I kissed you out of emotion as opposed to the safety of our identities. Oh and I slept with you."
"Well, you-we didn't." He was beginning to grow uncomfortable. "And that.that was just.that kiss..it was just for the op.no emotions, right?" He didn't want to be right.
She had to say this..for the sake of their jobs. "Right." It was almost to painful to say and she sensed that he knew this. "Nothing emotional happened during that op..with the exception of our parent's anniversary."
"Right, the anniversary." He managed to stand up and turned towards her. She still looked like her mother and he was sure that he still looked by his father. The world was too ironic at that moment and he had to move on. They had survived Sark and injury. But maybe they could survive a romance but not right then. "Let's talk about your counter mission."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *