Chapter 6
" What do you mean?" Sydney is confused by his reply.
He runs his fingers through his hair, still a little damp from the morning shower. " I mean that you may be Sydney Davidson when the day's over."
" I'm not going to change my name, if that's what you mean," she's still unclear at what he's trying to say. She is afraid that if he elaborates, she's not going to like what she hears.
" I know. But you'll be. . .different. You won't be just Sydney Bristow anymore. You'll be Sydney and Andrew, or Andrew and Sydney. I just wanted to see Sydney Bristow one more time." and his voice drifts away as his hand moves to stable himself on the door frame. Just saying those words for some reason took a lot out of him.
" I am still the same person. What's a name? I've had countless aliases."
" Yeah, but all those times you were playing someone else. This is you. This is your new life. with Andrew." Sydney let's out a sigh of frustration. Why does he keep saying Andrew's name?
" Fine. You're right. It's time for change. Time to move on." Suddenly a déjà vu flashed before her eyes. Those exact words were uttered out of her mouth six months ago. That day was a week since Andrew proposed on bended knee by a park bench after their routine jog. It wasn't the most romantic since both their bodies wanted to give out and they were covered in sweat, but it certainly surprised her. She didn't know what to say and he saw the hesitation in her eyes. She asked him to give her a few days to think about it. He said of course, but asked in return if she would wear the ring while she thought about it, and she agreed.
That night Francie's sharp eagle eyes went straight to Sydney's hand, and she went completely off the walls. She was extremely excited because she was the one who had introduced Sydney to Andrew. Andrew was Francie's doctor after she was in a small car accident. When Sydney came to visit Francie, Francie saw sparkle in Andrew's eyes when he saw Sydney. She told Francie that she hasn't accepted yet. It soothed her to have her friend's support. She wasn't sure how Will would react.
His reaction to her and Danny's engagement at the track was something she had not expected or prepared herself for. To her surprise, Will was on the same boat as Francie. He had met up with his high school sweetheart a few months back and they had rekindled a romance that was never completely gone. There is a part of him that will always have deep feelings for Sydney; he just wanted her to be happy. He knew her life was hard being a double agent and Andrew seemed good for Sydney. She told her dad the next day when they went out for dinner. He too seemed genuinely supportive. With all these people wanting her to answer "yes," she was beginning to feel more sure. She just didn't know how to bring the subject up with one particular person. She wasn't entirely sure she even wanted to tell him.
As she walked in the warehouse for a counter-mission session, she began to feel nervous. She looked at her hands and they were jittery. Her eyes caught sight of the ring and she quickly slipped it off and into her suit pocket. She couldn't go through with it and she didn't know why. That night wasn't the right night to say anything.
" Hey," he smiled as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in.
" Hey," she gave a nervous smile back.
" Is everything okay?" how could he always sense something was not right with her?
" Yeah, everything fine." She couldn't help but lie, and she felt terrible for it. He was the only person she promised she wouldn't lie to.
" Alright. How much time can you stay tonight?"
" Um.Francie's working overtime, Will's out with his girlfriend, and Andrew is at his mother's for the weekend. So, I don't have plans. Why?"
" Well." he moved aside and gestured for her to look at the table, which was filled gadgets of all sizes.
" What are.."
" Those are the latest gadgets still in experimental stages. The CIA sometime needs agents to try and work out some new technology before they let everyone use it. I, uh, volunteered us to try it out. I hope that's okay."
" Oh, sure. That's completely fine. It'll be like trying new clothes." They both chuckled. He gave her the counter-mission for her operation in Venice and started to explain how each new technology worked. He stopped at a certain one with a whole lot of wires.
" This is one that you will actually be wearing for this next mission."
Sydney looked skeptically at all the tangled wires on the gadget. " It's not that discreet. How does it work?"
" Well, it kind of wraps around in your clothes. It'll be hidden if it is put in the right places." Then he took the black base and handed it in her hands. She took the attached wires and started hooking it in places on her suit. She was having a difficult time figuring out where everything went. She usually had a person help her with where the wires go whenever she went on a mission with Dixon. Vaughn watched her fiddle with the wires and let out a laugh when she got all tangled up.
" Uh.I don't think I'm doing this right." Sydney gave him a frustrated look and blew a lose strand of hair out of the way.
" Here, I'll try and help." He walked up to her and untangled her clothes. She just stood there still as he worked around her. She lifted her arms when he needed to put the wire into the lining of her suit. She felt like she was a little girl and someone was helping her dress. At the thought of him trying to help her dress, she felt her cheeks heat up and quickly shook the thought away. His head was right under her nose and she could smell the shampoo he used. It was a puzzle to him where everything went also, but he tried to hide it. His hands moved up and down, inside and out of her suit. When he was almost done, he took a step back to examine.
" I think I've almost got it. You can't really tell where the wires are. Just one more place." He took the base of the device from her hand and put his hand in her pocket to secure it in place. All of a sudden he felt something. Sydney watched his expression change. "Oh no!" she thought. He found it. He slowly took the engagement ring out and swallowed really hard.
" um." she didn't know what to say.
" Congratulations," he gave her a forced smile. "I didn't know you guys were that serious."
" Well we."
" That's great." he could hardly cover the hurt in his voice, but he tried. " I'm really happy for you guys."
" I." Sydney didn't know if she should say that she hasn't accepted yet. But he seemed to jump to the conclusion that she had.
" It's time for you to move on. You probably always really wanted a family. Does, um, Sloane know?"
" No.he." Let me get a few words out please, she thought, but he beat her to it.
" I don't want to hurt you, but you know, that you can't say anything to him.like with Danny." He couldn't control his words. He was very flustered. When he discovered the ring, he almost blocked her out. He wouldn't let her tell him how Andrew proposed, how happy she is with Andrew. He didn't know if he could take it, so he kept interrupting her.
" I know."
" Why is it hidden in your pocket? You should wear it." He was acting very funny and unlike himself. He quickly takes her hand and slips the ring onto her finger.
" Vaughn."
" Well.congratulations again. It's time you moved on." He said quickly.
" Yeah," she said in a defeated voice. "You're right. It's time for change. Time to move on."
" I have to go. Good luck . . in Venice. .and with everything else too." Then he just walked off leaving her clutching the ring in her hand. That night when Andrew called, she accepted his proposal. That night, she cried herself to sleep. She wants to clear her head of that night and draws her attention back.
" Well, when you see me next. I hopefully won't be that different," she turns her head to face him for the first time today. No one moved. Her eyes travels from staring at his eyes to focus in on his mouth.
" Um. When I said I wanted to see you as Sydney Bristow one last time. I also meant something else. I meant that. . I won't be see you much. Because I'm leaving. " He didn't want those words to come out because he was afraid of what she would say. That's why he wasn't planning on coming today. Not only would it be so painful to watch her marry someone else, he wouldn't know if he'd have the courage to leave if she asked him to stay.
" What do you mean?" Sydney is confused by his reply.
He runs his fingers through his hair, still a little damp from the morning shower. " I mean that you may be Sydney Davidson when the day's over."
" I'm not going to change my name, if that's what you mean," she's still unclear at what he's trying to say. She is afraid that if he elaborates, she's not going to like what she hears.
" I know. But you'll be. . .different. You won't be just Sydney Bristow anymore. You'll be Sydney and Andrew, or Andrew and Sydney. I just wanted to see Sydney Bristow one more time." and his voice drifts away as his hand moves to stable himself on the door frame. Just saying those words for some reason took a lot out of him.
" I am still the same person. What's a name? I've had countless aliases."
" Yeah, but all those times you were playing someone else. This is you. This is your new life. with Andrew." Sydney let's out a sigh of frustration. Why does he keep saying Andrew's name?
" Fine. You're right. It's time for change. Time to move on." Suddenly a déjà vu flashed before her eyes. Those exact words were uttered out of her mouth six months ago. That day was a week since Andrew proposed on bended knee by a park bench after their routine jog. It wasn't the most romantic since both their bodies wanted to give out and they were covered in sweat, but it certainly surprised her. She didn't know what to say and he saw the hesitation in her eyes. She asked him to give her a few days to think about it. He said of course, but asked in return if she would wear the ring while she thought about it, and she agreed.
That night Francie's sharp eagle eyes went straight to Sydney's hand, and she went completely off the walls. She was extremely excited because she was the one who had introduced Sydney to Andrew. Andrew was Francie's doctor after she was in a small car accident. When Sydney came to visit Francie, Francie saw sparkle in Andrew's eyes when he saw Sydney. She told Francie that she hasn't accepted yet. It soothed her to have her friend's support. She wasn't sure how Will would react.
His reaction to her and Danny's engagement at the track was something she had not expected or prepared herself for. To her surprise, Will was on the same boat as Francie. He had met up with his high school sweetheart a few months back and they had rekindled a romance that was never completely gone. There is a part of him that will always have deep feelings for Sydney; he just wanted her to be happy. He knew her life was hard being a double agent and Andrew seemed good for Sydney. She told her dad the next day when they went out for dinner. He too seemed genuinely supportive. With all these people wanting her to answer "yes," she was beginning to feel more sure. She just didn't know how to bring the subject up with one particular person. She wasn't entirely sure she even wanted to tell him.
As she walked in the warehouse for a counter-mission session, she began to feel nervous. She looked at her hands and they were jittery. Her eyes caught sight of the ring and she quickly slipped it off and into her suit pocket. She couldn't go through with it and she didn't know why. That night wasn't the right night to say anything.
" Hey," he smiled as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in.
" Hey," she gave a nervous smile back.
" Is everything okay?" how could he always sense something was not right with her?
" Yeah, everything fine." She couldn't help but lie, and she felt terrible for it. He was the only person she promised she wouldn't lie to.
" Alright. How much time can you stay tonight?"
" Um.Francie's working overtime, Will's out with his girlfriend, and Andrew is at his mother's for the weekend. So, I don't have plans. Why?"
" Well." he moved aside and gestured for her to look at the table, which was filled gadgets of all sizes.
" What are.."
" Those are the latest gadgets still in experimental stages. The CIA sometime needs agents to try and work out some new technology before they let everyone use it. I, uh, volunteered us to try it out. I hope that's okay."
" Oh, sure. That's completely fine. It'll be like trying new clothes." They both chuckled. He gave her the counter-mission for her operation in Venice and started to explain how each new technology worked. He stopped at a certain one with a whole lot of wires.
" This is one that you will actually be wearing for this next mission."
Sydney looked skeptically at all the tangled wires on the gadget. " It's not that discreet. How does it work?"
" Well, it kind of wraps around in your clothes. It'll be hidden if it is put in the right places." Then he took the black base and handed it in her hands. She took the attached wires and started hooking it in places on her suit. She was having a difficult time figuring out where everything went. She usually had a person help her with where the wires go whenever she went on a mission with Dixon. Vaughn watched her fiddle with the wires and let out a laugh when she got all tangled up.
" Uh.I don't think I'm doing this right." Sydney gave him a frustrated look and blew a lose strand of hair out of the way.
" Here, I'll try and help." He walked up to her and untangled her clothes. She just stood there still as he worked around her. She lifted her arms when he needed to put the wire into the lining of her suit. She felt like she was a little girl and someone was helping her dress. At the thought of him trying to help her dress, she felt her cheeks heat up and quickly shook the thought away. His head was right under her nose and she could smell the shampoo he used. It was a puzzle to him where everything went also, but he tried to hide it. His hands moved up and down, inside and out of her suit. When he was almost done, he took a step back to examine.
" I think I've almost got it. You can't really tell where the wires are. Just one more place." He took the base of the device from her hand and put his hand in her pocket to secure it in place. All of a sudden he felt something. Sydney watched his expression change. "Oh no!" she thought. He found it. He slowly took the engagement ring out and swallowed really hard.
" um." she didn't know what to say.
" Congratulations," he gave her a forced smile. "I didn't know you guys were that serious."
" Well we."
" That's great." he could hardly cover the hurt in his voice, but he tried. " I'm really happy for you guys."
" I." Sydney didn't know if she should say that she hasn't accepted yet. But he seemed to jump to the conclusion that she had.
" It's time for you to move on. You probably always really wanted a family. Does, um, Sloane know?"
" No.he." Let me get a few words out please, she thought, but he beat her to it.
" I don't want to hurt you, but you know, that you can't say anything to him.like with Danny." He couldn't control his words. He was very flustered. When he discovered the ring, he almost blocked her out. He wouldn't let her tell him how Andrew proposed, how happy she is with Andrew. He didn't know if he could take it, so he kept interrupting her.
" I know."
" Why is it hidden in your pocket? You should wear it." He was acting very funny and unlike himself. He quickly takes her hand and slips the ring onto her finger.
" Vaughn."
" Well.congratulations again. It's time you moved on." He said quickly.
" Yeah," she said in a defeated voice. "You're right. It's time for change. Time to move on."
" I have to go. Good luck . . in Venice. .and with everything else too." Then he just walked off leaving her clutching the ring in her hand. That night when Andrew called, she accepted his proposal. That night, she cried herself to sleep. She wants to clear her head of that night and draws her attention back.
" Well, when you see me next. I hopefully won't be that different," she turns her head to face him for the first time today. No one moved. Her eyes travels from staring at his eyes to focus in on his mouth.
" Um. When I said I wanted to see you as Sydney Bristow one last time. I also meant something else. I meant that. . I won't be see you much. Because I'm leaving. " He didn't want those words to come out because he was afraid of what she would say. That's why he wasn't planning on coming today. Not only would it be so painful to watch her marry someone else, he wouldn't know if he'd have the courage to leave if she asked him to stay.