After a two-hour drive of silence, Vaughn stopped the car. Darkness had fallen but Sydney knew that they were in the mountains, near Bear Mountain. Some snow was on the ground. They had stopped in front of a cabin, a romantic cabin. Sydney felt as though she was being tortured, and her mind flew to all sorts of scenarios.

Sydney felt immature, but she wasn't ready to talk to Vaughn yet. He hadn't answered her last question, which in itself was an answer. She grabbed her bag and walked to the front door of the cabin. She stood there patiently, until Vaughn walked up the steps and pulled a key out of his coat pocket.

Vaughn smiled as Sydney walked past and into the cabin with wide eyes. "This is beautiful." She broke her silence, and cursed herself for doing so. But the cabin was beautiful. Here she was, in a beautiful place with the man she loved. but he didn't want them to be together. She turned around to Vaughn with confusion and tears in her eyes. "Why did you come with me here? Why couldn't my dad have partnered with me? God, why couldn't it have been anyone else?"

Vaughn looked a bit hurt in his eyes. "Sydney, please don't cry. Listen to me okay? There is something I want you to have." Vaughn reached into his pocket again, and pulled out his father's watch. "I told you the I set my heart by this. But what I didn't tell you is. my dad gave it to me, right before he died, and it is the third closest thing to my heart."

"Whats the second?"

"My mom."

Sydney smiled and looked away. Then she looked back up, her brown eyes searching Vaughn's. "And the first?"

"You. It's been you. And you were right okay? Love doesn't go away. It hasn't gone away since the first time I laid eyes on you. And I don't want it to. Sydney, I don't want to be safe anymore. I want to be with you."

Sydney nodded, and took the watch from Vaughn's outstretched hand. She then took his hand and led him down the hall. She found the bedroom on her right and led him into it. She didn't bother with the lights. Sydney turned and pressed her cheek to Vaughn's, breathing him in.

"I love you," she murmured into his ear.

"I love you too. Sydney Bristow, I love you so much."

Sydney's mouth found his and she kissed him gently, then harder. She began to take off her shirt, and he took of his. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. Sydney opened her eyes and found his were open too. She kept eye contact with him the whole night, enjoying the moment that they were in- him, Michael Vaughn, and her, Sydney Bristow.



A while later, Sydney still had her eyes open. She was staring up at the ceiling, her body pressed against Vaughn's. She stroked his arm lightly.

"Are you still awake?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't asleep either."

Sydney smiled against his chest. "Michael?"

"Yes?" He liked her calling him by his first name.

"We're going to make this work right?"

"Yes. We are going to make this work."

Sydney smiled again, and peacefully drifted off to sleep.