5.
Here's a couple lines so you guys don't forget what has happened:
"Vaughn, what are you doing here? Weren't you here like an hour ago?" Her eyes are inquisitive and worried. I nearly smile. She is worried about me. Why does she care for me so much? What have I done to earn her love?
"I hadn't realized it had been an hour already. I was just walking around and I realized that there was something I had to do."
"What?" Her voice was noticeably softer and I suddenly thought that maybe I was doing the wrong thing. But I pushed the thoughts away. I had to be strong.
"I have to ask you something, Syd. You told me that you didn't want to be alone. . . that that was the reason why you were afraid to die. So I decided that the best way to remedy that is to make sure that you're not alone. I'm going to be with you wherever you go, Syd. And that's why I have to ask you this question."
I take a deep breath. "Sydney, you know that I care for you. That I never want to see you frightened or sad or alone. And I want you to know that the impact that you have had on my life is immeasurable. You have completed and made my life better in so many ways that it seems almost a sin not to let you know how much I love you. I hope that what I'm about to do will help alleviate your fright. I wanted to do something to let you know that I was always going to be with you, even if it is just in spirit. You mean way too much to me to just stand and do nothing."
I think she knew right then what I was going to ask but couldn't say anything because she wasn't completely sure. Or maybe she was too shocked.
I pulled out the velvet ring box from my pocket and opened it. Her eyes widen as she sees the ring inside. She's thrilled and, at least for the moment, she has forgotten her illness.
"We may never have gone out on a single date, you may be more comfortable calling my by last name, and I may never have called you at night to tell you how much I love you. But I want to make up for all the flowers I didn't buy, all the chocolates I didn't give, and all the reservations I never made. We belong together, Sydney Bristow, and even if our time together might be short, I still want you to be mine. Will you please make me the luckiest man alive? Sydney, will you marry me?"
Her eyes get even bigger. Even though she might've have anticipated this, she still hadn't prepared herself for the utter reality of the question. She is happy but her eyes fill with tears.
"Why?" She croaks, "Why do you want to marry a woman like me? A woman dying from cancer?"
I push my own tears aside. She is so much more than that. She has to know that she is so much more than that to me.
"Sydney, you're not just a woman with cancer. You are my soul mate. So what if you happen to have cancer? Are you going to let that get in the way of how we feel about each other? I want to marry you Syd. I want to grow old as your husband."
"Vaughn. . . I do love you. I love you so much. You have to know that. But. . . I can't cause you that much pain," The words are hard to get out. She wants so badly to say yes. I know it. I see it in her face that she wants to marry me too.
"Pain?" I say incredulously, kissing her hand. "The only pain I'll feel is the voice in my head asking me why I didn't do this sooner! Trust me Sydney, there won't be any pain. Having you in my life. . . being able to introduce you to people as my WIFE. . . that would make me so proud."
She looks down at her lap, softly shaking her head. "But what about when I die?" She whispers.
I look at her. I can't speak. I have no idea how to respond to that question; I don't want to talk about what will happen to me when she dies.
She looks up at me again, her eyes full of the fire that I love so much. "What about when I DIE? You. . . I might not be alone anymore but you will. And you will have lost me as a wife and not just someone you loved. . . and who loved you back. Won't it make things worse? Won't it be easier if we aren't attached?"
My voice is gruff with sorrow. "Sydney, I can NOT imagine us being more attached than we already are. And if you die, no matter what you are to me, the grief will be the same. How could it be increased because of some legal term? How could I feel more sorrow if you were my wife? If you don't marry me, it will just mean that the grief will start earlier.
"I will never be alone if I have the memory of us being together, even is it was just for a fraction of a second." I hope that she gets my point. I hope she stops trying to protect me.
"Just once, I want to be the one to protect you, to make you feel safe. To make sure you know that I love you more than there are stars in the sky. It might sound corny but it's so true that it hurts. Please stop the hurt, Sydney. I know that you love me. Please.
" Please, just marry me."
"Oh, Vaughn," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Why are you so good? Why are you so good to me?"
I wipe away a tear with my thumb and then bring my hand under her chin to lift her face and see her eyes.
And then she nods and gives me her hand. And as I slip the ring on her finger, my grief goes away. And even though I know that it will come back soon enough, I know that I will cherish my last moments with Sydney. My fiancé.
"Vaughn, what are you doing here? Weren't you here like an hour ago?" Her eyes are inquisitive and worried. I nearly smile. She is worried about me. Why does she care for me so much? What have I done to earn her love?
"I hadn't realized it had been an hour already. I was just walking around and I realized that there was something I had to do."
"What?" Her voice was noticeably softer and I suddenly thought that maybe I was doing the wrong thing. But I pushed the thoughts away. I had to be strong.
"I have to ask you something, Syd. You told me that you didn't want to be alone. . . that that was the reason why you were afraid to die. So I decided that the best way to remedy that is to make sure that you're not alone. I'm going to be with you wherever you go, Syd. And that's why I have to ask you this question."
I take a deep breath. "Sydney, you know that I care for you. That I never want to see you frightened or sad or alone. And I want you to know that the impact that you have had on my life is immeasurable. You have completed and made my life better in so many ways that it seems almost a sin not to let you know how much I love you. I hope that what I'm about to do will help alleviate your fright. I wanted to do something to let you know that I was always going to be with you, even if it is just in spirit. You mean way too much to me to just stand and do nothing."
I think she knew right then what I was going to ask but couldn't say anything because she wasn't completely sure. Or maybe she was too shocked.
I pulled out the velvet ring box from my pocket and opened it. Her eyes widen as she sees the ring inside. She's thrilled and, at least for the moment, she has forgotten her illness.
"We may never have gone out on a single date, you may be more comfortable calling my by last name, and I may never have called you at night to tell you how much I love you. But I want to make up for all the flowers I didn't buy, all the chocolates I didn't give, and all the reservations I never made. We belong together, Sydney Bristow, and even if our time together might be short, I still want you to be mine. Will you please make me the luckiest man alive? Sydney, will you marry me?"
Her eyes get even bigger. Even though she might've have anticipated this, she still hadn't prepared herself for the utter reality of the question. She is happy but her eyes fill with tears.
"Why?" She croaks, "Why do you want to marry a woman like me? A woman dying from cancer?"
I push my own tears aside. She is so much more than that. She has to know that she is so much more than that to me.
"Sydney, you're not just a woman with cancer. You are my soul mate. So what if you happen to have cancer? Are you going to let that get in the way of how we feel about each other? I want to marry you Syd. I want to grow old as your husband."
"Vaughn. . . I do love you. I love you so much. You have to know that. But. . . I can't cause you that much pain," The words are hard to get out. She wants so badly to say yes. I know it. I see it in her face that she wants to marry me too.
"Pain?" I say incredulously, kissing her hand. "The only pain I'll feel is the voice in my head asking me why I didn't do this sooner! Trust me Sydney, there won't be any pain. Having you in my life. . . being able to introduce you to people as my WIFE. . . that would make me so proud."
She looks down at her lap, softly shaking her head. "But what about when I die?" She whispers.
I look at her. I can't speak. I have no idea how to respond to that question; I don't want to talk about what will happen to me when she dies.
She looks up at me again, her eyes full of the fire that I love so much. "What about when I DIE? You. . . I might not be alone anymore but you will. And you will have lost me as a wife and not just someone you loved. . . and who loved you back. Won't it make things worse? Won't it be easier if we aren't attached?"
My voice is gruff with sorrow. "Sydney, I can NOT imagine us being more attached than we already are. And if you die, no matter what you are to me, the grief will be the same. How could it be increased because of some legal term? How could I feel more sorrow if you were my wife? If you don't marry me, it will just mean that the grief will start earlier.
"I will never be alone if I have the memory of us being together, even is it was just for a fraction of a second." I hope that she gets my point. I hope she stops trying to protect me.
"Just once, I want to be the one to protect you, to make you feel safe. To make sure you know that I love you more than there are stars in the sky. It might sound corny but it's so true that it hurts. Please stop the hurt, Sydney. I know that you love me. Please.
" Please, just marry me."
"Oh, Vaughn," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Why are you so good? Why are you so good to me?"
I wipe away a tear with my thumb and then bring my hand under her chin to lift her face and see her eyes.
And then she nods and gives me her hand. And as I slip the ring on her finger, my grief goes away. And even though I know that it will come back soon enough, I know that I will cherish my last moments with Sydney. My fiancé.