A/N: Ok, so it's not on tonight and that makes me really sad. So I am
updating to fuel my Alias nature. It's really a good thing though, since it
means a really fast update (compared to my normal speed) for all of you.
This chapter and then one more is what I have written out, but I know it's
going to be more. How many, I don't know, but I had this idea for a
conflict in chapter 9 I just have to get it planned and well, written.
However, here is chapter 7.
This chapter is for *Jennifer* who for some strange reason went back and re-read all the prequels because she didn't want to do her homework. I love you Jenn!!
I don't really own anything. I literately just spent all my money today on birthday gifts so feel like suing? By all means, do. You can have the $3 in my bank account! But as for anything mentioned in my fic, I own nothing. The Alias part is owned by J J Abrams and Bad Robot Productions (Anyone know where in the hell he came up with that name that is soo very wrong!?) Everything else is owned by who ever owns it. You get the picture, it ain't me.
O and I don't know how long the Thanksgiving break in California is, I'm a New Hampshirite, but you know what!? In my story it's a week!
Here is chapter 7 for all of you. Please read and REVIEW, they make me really happy. If I can get up to 65 by Thursday, I will update in my way too long free period again!! - Secret Agent Girl
CHAPTER 7 - EN FRANCE
His alarm went off as usual and he rose as normal. He touched her arm softly and whispered softly into her ear. "Time to get up, babe." She moaned in protest as he chuckled quietly and moved to take a shower.
When he stepped back into the bedroom, showered and shaved, he smiled when he found her still in bed, having fallen back asleep. He threw on a pair of boxers and a white tee shirt and leaned over her sleeping form. "Sydney. Sydney, you need to get up." She moaned again and turned away from him slightly. He smiled before leaning down and kissing her.
At first she didn't respond. But after a moment she fully awoke and responded by pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. "Mmm." She moaned into his mouth before pulling back and smiling. "Morning."
"Morning. You ready for your first day back?" He asked as he moved to get dressed.
She yawned loudly. "I don't know. Mmm." She stretched, forcing herself to wake up more. "I'm going to go shower."
"Ok. I'll go make coffee." He began to walk past her when she brushed her hand down his arm and stopped him. "What?" He asked, turning back to her.
She pulled his arm and captured his lips with hers again. "If I have a really bad day, you are making it up to me." He smiled and pulled her close, kissing her.
"And if you have a good day?"
She smiled mischievously, "Then I will thank you for waking me up."
He locked eyes with her for a moment before pulling away and turning towards the door. "Go shower before we both get fired because we walk in late and way too happy." She laughed as he left and she entered the bathroom.
She arrived downstairs at around 7 to find Vaughn reading the paper, a cup of coffee on the table next to a fruit platter. She walked over and pushed down his paper, kissing him deeply. He instantly dropped the paper onto the table and pulled her down onto his lap. "What was that for?"
"Waking me up the way you did." She smiled and leaned in for another kiss when the door bell rang. She sighed and leaned her head against Vaughn's forehead, grabbing a piece of fruit. "That'll be your mom."
And sure enough the door opened and Brigitte entered. "Good morning!" She called as she smiled at the two sitting at the table. Seeing her son so in love always brought a smile to her face. When he was as content as he was at the moment, he reminded her of her late husband in everyway.
"Morning." They chimed.
"Already to go back?" She asked Sydney as she moved to pour herself a cup of coffee.
"Uh. I don't know." Sydney smiled and looked at the video monitor showing her sleeping son. "Huuuh . . ."
"Mom, there are tons of bottles in the fridge and he usually gets up again in another half hour or so." Vaughn explained as he forced Sydney to stand and grabbed their travel mugs, already filled with coffee, and their jackets. "We'll see you around 3:30 or so." He kissed his mother goodbye and dragged a whining Sydney from the house.
"But . . ." She protested as he placed her in the car and went to the driver's side.
"No buts! Now smile! It's your first day back and you love your job!" He insisted as they pulled out of the driveway.
Sydney sat at her desk during 4th period, one of her free periods, and prepared for her next class. She smiled as she took out her Shakespeare text and prepared to talk about sonnet 145, the only one in tetrameter, when she heard a noise at her doorway. She glanced over to see a smiling Vaughn leaning against the doorframe. "Hey." She called, completely surprised to see him there.
He walked over to her and kissed her lightly. "Hi."
"What are you doing here?"
"I have periods 4, 5 and 6th off, so I thought I'd come and see my wife."
She smiled as the bell rang. "4th is over." She sighed as she stood to face him.
"So? I don't have class."
"I do." She laughed and walked over to the board.
He watched her as she placed the rules of the sonnets on the board and admired the way she moved gracefully across the board. She turned to find him staring and smiled. "What?"
"Just watching you and trying to believe that you and I are married and have a son."
"Huhh." She whimpered softly. "My Daniel."
Vaughn smiled and took his wife in his arms. "You are too sentimental for your own good." He smiled as several of her students entered. He sighed and pulled away from her. "Ok. Well I'll see you next period for lunch, ok?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "Hey!" She called to his retreating form. "Can we call home next period? PLEASE?" She begged.
He quickly doubled back and kissed her lightly. "Yeah." He smiled as the late bell rang and left.
Sydney turned to her students, who all sat looking at her. "What?!" She asked at their strange looks.
"It's just . . ." One of the girls started.
"Just what?" Sydney insisted.
"Mr. Vaughn is GORGEOUS!" The girls in the room all smiled and giggled.
"Yes, he is." Sydney smiled. "And my son looks just like him." She spoke with a wistful tone. "However, neither of them wrote sonnets." She smiled and began her lesson.
"Do you understand?" Sydney asked the young girl standing in front of her. School had finished and Sydney was answering questions from several of her students. Thankfully this girl was the last in a long line.
"So each has 14 lines?" The young girl stated.
"Right. And each is in Iambic Pentameter."
"That's the part I'm having trouble with. I don't know how to write in it." The young girl looked helpless.
Sydney smiled. This was why she took up teaching. "Well each line has 10 syllables, 5 stressed and 5 unstressed. And each line always starts unstressed; da-DA-da-DA-da-DA-da-DA-da-Da." The girl still looked lost. "Tell you what, try it tonight and if you are still having problems, I have periods 1, 4 and 6th off and I can stay after school and we'll figure it out."
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Vaughn. You have no idea how glad we all are that you are back." Sydney smiled at the compliment. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." Sydney called as the girl turned to leave.
Vaughn stood in the doorway, smiling and moved as the girl passed him. "Bye." He smiled at her.
"Bye, Mr. Vaughn." The girl's cheeks tinted red ever so slightly as she left.
"Great." Sydney smiled as Vaughn approached her.
"What?" He asked innocently.
"Now she's never going to be able to write her sonnet tonight!"
"Why?" He laughed.
"Two reasons. 1) Your gorgeous so she'll be home thinking about that and 2) your gorgeous and if she stays after tomorrow with me she'll see you again when you come to get me to leave." Sydney smiled as a smirk came across his face.
"I can't help it if I'm a good looking guy." He insisted.
"GREAT! Is this what I can expect from our son as a teenager? He's never dating." She smiled as they left the room. "Come on. I wanna go see my baby."
Vaughn laughed as they drove towards home. "He's fine." She looked at him skeptically. "I missed him too." He confessed.
Sydney woke to the sounds of her screaming son early one morning the next week. She rose and made her way to the nursery, careful not to wake her sleeping husband. She picked up Danny and settled down in the rocking chair in the corner and fed him. She glanced out the window and smiled as the sun began to rise. The colors were exquisite and Sydney felt a peace settle over her.
When she returned to her bedroom, she felt that she just couldn't sleep. Without disturbing Vaughn, she quickly snuck downstairs and made coffee. When it was finished, she grabbed a cup and made her way back upstairs. She entered the bedroom and soundlessly opened the window that sat right at the porch roof. Thanking God for her skills as an agent, she silently slipped out onto the porch roof and sat down, holding her coffee close.
Sydney sight deeply as she looked out over the horizon. The oranges and reds blended and disappeared into blue. She sat breathing deeply, her knees drawn up to her chest. She didn't realize how long she had been sitting there, time seed to have slipped away, drifting off into the sunrise.
Inside the house, Vaughn shifted in his sleep and turned only to find he was alone. His eyes blinked open and he sat up. Looking around, his eyes found the monitor, to show his son was sleeping peacefully. Vaughn rose from bed and was about to make his way downstairs in search of his wife when he passed the widow and saw Sydney sitting on the porch roof. He slipped the window open. "Syd?" He crawled onto the roof and sat next to her. "Syd?" she didn't move. He placed his hand on her arm, gently. "Sydney?"
She broke out of her trance by the feel of his hand. "Hi." She whispered as she turned to face him.
"Is everything ok?"
"Yeah. Yeah. I was just up with Danny and it was just so peaceful and beautiful out here." She smiled at him and turned back to look at the sunrise.
Vaughn laughed lightly. He leaned over to kiss her cheek and felt it to be ice cold. "Ok, Syd, you need to come inside, now."
"What?"
"You're freezing! And you cannot get sick!" He began to lead her back in through the window.
"What do you mean I cannot get sick?" She asked as she closed the window behind her.
Vaughn turned to her and sighed. "You just can't ok?"
"Why?" She could tell there was something else. A real reason. Vaughn wasn't meeting her eyes.
"Because." He sounded like a child.
"Michael." She countered, acting like a mother. "Come on; tell me what the big deal is."
"No." He tried to stifle a smirk but was failing miserably.
She walked over to stand right in front of him. "Please?" She asked sweetly.
"No." He folded his arms across his chest in defiance.
She leaned up and kissed him right below his ear. She felt him shudder under her touch. "Please." She breathed as she trailed kisses along his neck.
"N-No." He spoke but his defiance was much weaker.
She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly as her fingers toyed with his hair. She pulled back and looked at him. "Please?"
"No." He tried to stand his ground.
She smiled, noticing that he was losing this battle. She leaned in again to kiss him, slowly, tauntingly. Vaughn's arms dropped from his chest and found their way around Sydney's waist, deepening the kiss. As soon as she felt him pull her closer she pulled away quickly and back out of his embrace. He made to follow her but she pushed him away.
"Syd." He whined. "Come on, it's Saturday, it's not like we have to go anywhere."
"Tell me."
"Syd . . ."
"Tell. Me."
He sighed, knowing by her tone that no matter what, he was defeated. "Fine. Because we are going to spend Thanksgiving with my mother."
"That's it!?" She laughed in disbelief. "We're spending Thanksgiving with your mother at her place?"
"No. My mom isn't having it at her house . . ." He broke off. Sydney simply glared at him.
"Michael." She threatened.
"We are joining my mother for Thanksgiving at her sister's house." He paused. "In Fleury."
"Fleury? As in Normandy?" He nodded. "As in *FRANCE*." He nodded again. "AH!" She screamed in excitement. "We're going to France?! As in *France*?"
"Yeah." Vaughn smiled at her excitement. "What's the big deal? You've been to France tons of times."
"Yeah, but I never got to enjoy it. I was always on a mission working to steal something. And the one time I was going to enjoy it for a bit at a nice party I never got to do so!"
"Why?"
"I was too busy running around saving your ass from Khasinau!" She joked. Vaughn laughed and pulled her close.
"And thank God you did." Vaughn pulled her flush against him. "Now, we were right, were we not?" He leaned down and kissed her fiercely.
"Mmm. No." Sydney circled around him and pulled Vaughn down to the bed. "I think we were right about here."
She stood in the doorway and watched as he lectured his class. His strong form leaned against his desk as he spoke to the faces in front of him. Images of the days of counter-missions and clandestine meetings flooded her mind. She stood watching as he spoke and found herself getting lost in voice. When the bell ran, she slipped just inside the door and watched as he collected papers and answered questions. It was the last Friday before the week long vacation for Thanksgiving. The last of his students filed out and she stood watching as he collected the last of his things. He felt a presence and looked up, expecting to see one of his students but smiled when his gaze landed upon a smiling Sydney who was leaning against the wall, her arms folded over her chest. "Hey."
"Hi. You have quite a presence, you know." She smiled at him. "Watching you up there reminded me of before we got together. The passion and emotion you had when you would give me my counter-missions." She smiled at the memories.
"The good ol' days?" He joked as he pulled on his coat.
"Uh - No." She laughed as she picked up her bag by her feet. "Definitely not."
Vaughn smiled and took her hand as they left the building. "So what time is your dad stopping by?"
"Uh- I think around 4:30-5:00."
"Ok."
"And Will is coming with him." Vaughn nodded as they entered the car. "What time is our flight, again?"
"Well." He pulled out of the parking loot and started towards their home. "My mom left yesterday morning at 7:15 and we leave tomorrow at the same time."
"UH! I hate early morning flights."
Vaughn laughed as they pulled up to the house. "Just keep thinking France, Syd. Just keep thinking France."
They arrived home to find Francie, who had offered to watch Danny for the past two days, bustling around the kitchen while Danny watched from the swing that was placed in the corner. Francie ran passed the door again and heard the front door close. "Hey!" She called.
"Hi." Sydney replied as she put down her bag and hung up her coast. She walked into the kitchen and was met by the aroma of an amazing meal. "Fran, what *are* you doing?"
"Cooking."
"Well I can see that. But why?" Sydney walked to the stove and opened the cover of a pot to find a mound of mashed potatoes. "Oh, God. This smells amazing!"
Francie smiled and quickly snapped the lid back on. "Thank you. We all aren't going to be together for Thanksgiving, but we're all going to be here today, so I figured we could have a nice big Thanksgiving dinner, today."
"Oh!" Sydney hugged Francie close. "I love you!"
Francie laughed as Vaughn opened the over and took a deep breath. He closed the oven and quickly embraced Francie. "I love you too! It's my day to make dinner." Vaughn smiled slyly.
There was a cry from the corner of the room and Vaughn moved to pick up his son while Sydney moved to ask Francie if she needed any help. "No, no." Francie insisted. "Its best if I'm left alone. Too many people in my kitchen and I get annoyed." Francie smiled as Sydney moved into the living room, followed by Vaughn, who was still holding Danny.
Sydney sunk into the couch and closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the meal being created in the kitchen. Vaughn sat down and chuckled at her. She opened her eyes and looked at him, in mock hurt. "What?"
"Nothing. Just you." Vaughn smiled at her.
She reached over and drifted a hand over her son's head as he lay against his father's chest. "I just love the smell of Thanksgiving. It takes me back to when I was 5, my last Thanksgiving with my mom. It was a time when I had both parents and no knowledge of the CIA or SD-6. I was just a little girl who had two parents that not only loved her, but loved each other."
Vaughn leaned over and kissed her softly. "Now we can create that for our son."
"That's right," She leaned up and kissed Vaughn, slowly. A grin spread across his face as he pulled away.
"We're going to send them home early, right?" His eyes twinkled.
"Michael! My dad's gonna be here!" Sydney cried trying to deny her want for the same thing. "Keep your mind clean, please!"
Vaughn laughed and kissed her again as the door bell rang. "Your dad has got really bad timing." Vaughn smirked as Sydney stood and opened the door to find Jack and Will.
"Hey!" She called as her dad enveloped her in a hug.
"Hello, Sydney." Jack moved passed her and hung up his coat.
Will stepped in and gave Sydney a quick hug. "Hey. Mmm. Something smells good!"
"Francie's cooking." Came the voice of Vaughn behind them as he approached them, Danny in his arms.
Will smiled widely and moved to greet the chef while Jack moved to hold his grandson. "What time do you two leave tomorrow?" Jack asked as they went into the living room.
"Way too early." Sydney replied as she sat next to Vaughn on the couch as Jack sat in the oversized chair across from them.
"She's exaggerating. Our flight is at 7:15 tomorrow morning." Vaughn countered as he nudged Sydney softly, only to receive a look from her.
"Well I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. France is lovely this time of the year." Jack shifted his grandson in his arms.
"France is wonderful anytime of the year as long as I get to enjoy it without having Dixon in one ear, Michael in the other and 3 guards chasing me down a hallway while I wear a way too tight dress and 3 inch heals." Sydney smiled as Francie called; informing them that dinner was ready.
They all stood and walked towards the kitchen. As Jack entered with Danny, Vaughn grabbed Sydney's arm and whispered into her ear, "I wouldn't say no to the dress on this trip." A wide smile across his face.
She smacked him lightly on the arm and looked at him. "Hey. What did I say about keeping your mind clean? Huh?"
They all sat around the table, eating amazing food, prepared expertly by Francie, laughing and talked. Sydney whimpered as the wine passed her for the 3rd time. "You are all very, very mean." She informed them as she rose to give a bottle to her fussing son.
Everyone laughed, including Sydney, as she returned to the table with Danny. "Hey, I went 2 years without it." Will informed her.
"You did not!" Sydney laughed. "Every time Francie wasn't around and you felt like a drink you had one! U should know since every time she walked in, I'd have to pretend to be drinking it only to be yelled at by Francie for waving alcohol in your face! I swear for years she thought I was the most inconsiderate drunk in the world!" Sydney laughed as Will blushed, being caught in his lie.
"Damn." He laughed.
Sydney sat on her bed, eyes closed; humming softly along with the CD she was playing, when Vaughn appeared in the doorway, having come from putting Danny down. He listened to her humming softly and smiled. He went over to the CD player and switched to the disc he wanted. He walked over to her and pulled her up. He held her closed and swayed slowly from side to side as he sang softly in her ear.
"Looking out the door I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners. Parading in a lake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water. And maybe I'm too young to keep good love from going wrong, but tonight you're on my mind so you never know."
She smiled up at him as he sang out along with Jeff Buckley. This was one of her favorite songs and she couldn't help but fall more in love with him as he sang so softly. "You are amazing."
Vaughn smirked at her. "I know." Sydney laughed and moved to leave his embrace but Vaughn pulled her back in and kissed her, hard. "Sorry, but I'm not letting you go tonight." She smiled and pulled him into another kiss, letting him know that she didn't object.
They arrived at the airplane with plenty of time and when they boarded the place, Sydney was almost instantly apprehensive. Vaughn noticed her apprehensive state and was immediately reminded of the last time they were on a plane together, for reasons other than a mission.
They had been on their way to Italy for their honeymoon and the second they had sat down in their seats, she had become extremely nervous and was fidgeting like mad, something completely strange. He had turned to her and, laying a hand on her arm, had spoken softly, "Syd, hun, what's wrong?"
"Hmm?" She had turned to him and smiled. "I'm sorry. Planes give me this 'pre-mission' feeling and it makes me nervous. I used to be good at hiding it, though sometimes Dixon noticed. I guess old habits die hard." She smiled.
Vaughn's face broke into a smile at the memory and Sydney looked at him suspiciously. "I'm glad to see you find this funny." She quipped as she shifted in her seat again.
"Just memories."
"Of . . ."
"When we went to Rome."
The memories, not of the plane ride but of the actual trip, came flooding back and Sydney began to relax, sinking back into her seat. "That was the best trip I had ever taken."
Vaughn leaned over and kissed her. "Same."
They arrived in France right on schedule and found Brigitte waiting for them. "Bonjour!" She called as the three neared her.
"Bonjour, Maman." Vaughn hugged her. "Où est tante Juliette?"
"Oh, you know her. She's at the house, cleaning." Brigitte smiled.
The four piled into Brigitte's car and made their way to her sister's house. As they turned on to a small road, Vaughn leaned over to Sydney. "It's coming up soon." She smiled at him and sure enough, as they turned a corner a gorgeous French style home came into view.
Sydney gasped at the sight of it. It was a good sized home with a moderate sized yard with flower beds in which flowers of every color sat in them in the spring, or so Brigitte told her. "This place is so beautiful." Sydney exclaimed as they exited the car.
"Wait till you see the inside." Vaughn smiled and led her through the front door.
The inside was just as spectacular, with its hardwood floors and French décor. "This place is so nice."
"Yeah, it was a great place to grow up in." Vaughn informed her.
"What? I thought you said this was your aunt's house."
"Now it is. When I was born, we lived here and then we moved to the states when my dad was transferred when I was 7. When we left France, my aunt moved in here. After my dad died, we came back here for a while and then moved back to the states when I was 13."
"Ok, that's wrong."
"What?"
"We've been married for a year and a half. We dated for a year and a half prior to that and I knew you for a year *before* that. That means I've known you for 4 years, been with you for 3, and I never knew that. In the past we have talked about me entirely too much." She smiled. He laughed and grasped her hand, pulling her after his mother who had taken Danny and ventured off to the kitchen to find his aunt.
Juliette Fortier was a petit woman a few years older than Brigitte. Her husband had died in the late 90's and like her sister, she had never remarried. Her daughter, Olivia, was back in the states with her husband, so Juliette had the house to herself, though Brigitte visited often. She was a warm spirit and the moment she saw Sydney, she was quick to embrace her.
"Thank you so much for having us this week, Mrs. Fortier." Sydney said.
"So formal! Please, it's Juliette of tante. Never Mrs. Fortier makes me feel old." Juliette smiled widely. She turned to Vaughn and embraced him in a large hug. "Michel! Finally he returns to France!" She joked as Vaughn turned a light shade of red.
"I've been busy!" He insisted.
Juliette turned and spotted her great-nephew. "So I see. And who is this gorgeous creature?"
Sydney picked up her son and handed him to Juliette. "This is Daniel."
"Daniel?"
"Yes. Daniel William."
"William. Very fitting." Juliette smiled and turned to Vaughn. "He's the perfect mirror image of you as a baby." Vaughn smiled modestly. "How old is he?"
"Three months next week." Sydney informed her as Danny began to fuss. "Here, I'll take him." Sydney took her son and bounced him softly in her arms. "It's been a long day. Huh, baby?" He quieted down slowly and Vaughn nudged a pacifier in the boy's mouth.
"He's absolutely amazing." Juliette fawned over the boy as he began to drift into a state of slumber.
"Thank you." Sydney smiled down at Danny.
Sydney and Vaughn made their way upstairs a while later and Vaughn led her to his old room. They stepped in and Sydney broke into a mile. It was a medium sized, dark blue room, the perfect size and color for a young boy. The thing that she found humorous however, was the fact that his old bed seemed to still be there. It was a small twin sized bed. "This isn't gonna work." She informed Vaughn as he began to set up Danny's portable play pen in the corner.
"Why? It'll be cozy." He smiled.
"Yeah, real cozy. Until you kick me off the bed. You're a bed hog Michael."
Vaughn laughed and walked over to the bed. "Well, then, it's a good thin it had this." He reached down and pulled out a trundle bed from underneath and propped it up so it was the same height as the other bed.
Sydney burst out laughing at the smirk on Vaughn's face and kissed him. "That looks *real* comfortable."
"I'll take the trundle bed. You can have the actual bed." He reassured her as she pulled out the baby monitors and pointed one towards Danny, who was sleeping in the play pen.
"Damn right I will." She smiled as they made their way downstairs, the other part of the monitor in Sydney's hand.
Later that night, they made their way back upstairs to go to bed. Sydney slipped into the twin bed as Vaughn double check the sleeping infant in the corner before slipping into the trundle bed that squeaked underneath him. Sydney tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh as Vaughn groaned, trying to find a comfortable position in the bed.
After he finally settled, Sydney smiled as he draped an arm across her waist as she slept on the end of her bed, her back to him. "Comfy?" She mocked him.
"Shut up and go to sleep." Vaughn muttered into her shoulder.
Sydney woke the next morning to find that she was almost off the bed entirely. She wondered at first why she was so far over and then she felt the presence behind her. I the middle of the night, Vaughn had managed to shift off of the uncomfortable trundle bed and onto hers. He was pushed up close to her, his arm securing her to him and the bed, his legs entangled with hers.
Suddenly cries began softly in the corner and Sydney was about to get up when the door creaked open slowly and Brigitte tip toes in. Sydney was instantly still as Brigitte moved to the play pen and extracted her grandson, bringing him downstairs.
Sydney though for a moment, wondering how the woman could have heard the very soft cries when she remembered that since she and Vaughn were the last to go to bed the night before, they had left the other monitor downstairs and apparently on. Sydney smiled and shifted slightly to face her husband and wrapped her arms around him.
He responded by pulling her closer and brining his head down to hers and whispering "Morning" while keeping his eyes closed.
"Morning."
"How early is it? I don't hear Danny."
"It's like 7:30." She glanced at her watch quickly.
"Did you already get up with Danny?"
"No. Your mom, thinking we were still sleeping, just came and got him. We left the monitor downstairs." They spoke in hushed tones.
Vaughn opened his eyes and smiled. "Ah." He rose and walked over to the other monitor and clicked it off before quickly retreating back to bed. "They can handle him for a while. I think I just want to stay here and lie with you for a while."
"Sounds good to me." Sydney kissed him softly and then snuggled down into his chest.
A/N: Ok, so there is chapter 7, fluffomania! The next one is full of that fluffy goodness that I'm getting a little too good at, and then . . . someone from previous chapters (who is so fun to write) shall return . . . who shall it be? Read and review (member I need 65 to get to chapter 8 by Thursday) and who knows chapter 9 could be out really soon!!! O and I am going back to the prequels and editing (looking at all the mistakes makes me sick!) So if you see those as updates, they are all just edited!
This chapter is for *Jennifer* who for some strange reason went back and re-read all the prequels because she didn't want to do her homework. I love you Jenn!!
I don't really own anything. I literately just spent all my money today on birthday gifts so feel like suing? By all means, do. You can have the $3 in my bank account! But as for anything mentioned in my fic, I own nothing. The Alias part is owned by J J Abrams and Bad Robot Productions (Anyone know where in the hell he came up with that name that is soo very wrong!?) Everything else is owned by who ever owns it. You get the picture, it ain't me.
O and I don't know how long the Thanksgiving break in California is, I'm a New Hampshirite, but you know what!? In my story it's a week!
Here is chapter 7 for all of you. Please read and REVIEW, they make me really happy. If I can get up to 65 by Thursday, I will update in my way too long free period again!! - Secret Agent Girl
CHAPTER 7 - EN FRANCE
His alarm went off as usual and he rose as normal. He touched her arm softly and whispered softly into her ear. "Time to get up, babe." She moaned in protest as he chuckled quietly and moved to take a shower.
When he stepped back into the bedroom, showered and shaved, he smiled when he found her still in bed, having fallen back asleep. He threw on a pair of boxers and a white tee shirt and leaned over her sleeping form. "Sydney. Sydney, you need to get up." She moaned again and turned away from him slightly. He smiled before leaning down and kissing her.
At first she didn't respond. But after a moment she fully awoke and responded by pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. "Mmm." She moaned into his mouth before pulling back and smiling. "Morning."
"Morning. You ready for your first day back?" He asked as he moved to get dressed.
She yawned loudly. "I don't know. Mmm." She stretched, forcing herself to wake up more. "I'm going to go shower."
"Ok. I'll go make coffee." He began to walk past her when she brushed her hand down his arm and stopped him. "What?" He asked, turning back to her.
She pulled his arm and captured his lips with hers again. "If I have a really bad day, you are making it up to me." He smiled and pulled her close, kissing her.
"And if you have a good day?"
She smiled mischievously, "Then I will thank you for waking me up."
He locked eyes with her for a moment before pulling away and turning towards the door. "Go shower before we both get fired because we walk in late and way too happy." She laughed as he left and she entered the bathroom.
She arrived downstairs at around 7 to find Vaughn reading the paper, a cup of coffee on the table next to a fruit platter. She walked over and pushed down his paper, kissing him deeply. He instantly dropped the paper onto the table and pulled her down onto his lap. "What was that for?"
"Waking me up the way you did." She smiled and leaned in for another kiss when the door bell rang. She sighed and leaned her head against Vaughn's forehead, grabbing a piece of fruit. "That'll be your mom."
And sure enough the door opened and Brigitte entered. "Good morning!" She called as she smiled at the two sitting at the table. Seeing her son so in love always brought a smile to her face. When he was as content as he was at the moment, he reminded her of her late husband in everyway.
"Morning." They chimed.
"Already to go back?" She asked Sydney as she moved to pour herself a cup of coffee.
"Uh. I don't know." Sydney smiled and looked at the video monitor showing her sleeping son. "Huuuh . . ."
"Mom, there are tons of bottles in the fridge and he usually gets up again in another half hour or so." Vaughn explained as he forced Sydney to stand and grabbed their travel mugs, already filled with coffee, and their jackets. "We'll see you around 3:30 or so." He kissed his mother goodbye and dragged a whining Sydney from the house.
"But . . ." She protested as he placed her in the car and went to the driver's side.
"No buts! Now smile! It's your first day back and you love your job!" He insisted as they pulled out of the driveway.
Sydney sat at her desk during 4th period, one of her free periods, and prepared for her next class. She smiled as she took out her Shakespeare text and prepared to talk about sonnet 145, the only one in tetrameter, when she heard a noise at her doorway. She glanced over to see a smiling Vaughn leaning against the doorframe. "Hey." She called, completely surprised to see him there.
He walked over to her and kissed her lightly. "Hi."
"What are you doing here?"
"I have periods 4, 5 and 6th off, so I thought I'd come and see my wife."
She smiled as the bell rang. "4th is over." She sighed as she stood to face him.
"So? I don't have class."
"I do." She laughed and walked over to the board.
He watched her as she placed the rules of the sonnets on the board and admired the way she moved gracefully across the board. She turned to find him staring and smiled. "What?"
"Just watching you and trying to believe that you and I are married and have a son."
"Huhh." She whimpered softly. "My Daniel."
Vaughn smiled and took his wife in his arms. "You are too sentimental for your own good." He smiled as several of her students entered. He sighed and pulled away from her. "Ok. Well I'll see you next period for lunch, ok?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "Hey!" She called to his retreating form. "Can we call home next period? PLEASE?" She begged.
He quickly doubled back and kissed her lightly. "Yeah." He smiled as the late bell rang and left.
Sydney turned to her students, who all sat looking at her. "What?!" She asked at their strange looks.
"It's just . . ." One of the girls started.
"Just what?" Sydney insisted.
"Mr. Vaughn is GORGEOUS!" The girls in the room all smiled and giggled.
"Yes, he is." Sydney smiled. "And my son looks just like him." She spoke with a wistful tone. "However, neither of them wrote sonnets." She smiled and began her lesson.
"Do you understand?" Sydney asked the young girl standing in front of her. School had finished and Sydney was answering questions from several of her students. Thankfully this girl was the last in a long line.
"So each has 14 lines?" The young girl stated.
"Right. And each is in Iambic Pentameter."
"That's the part I'm having trouble with. I don't know how to write in it." The young girl looked helpless.
Sydney smiled. This was why she took up teaching. "Well each line has 10 syllables, 5 stressed and 5 unstressed. And each line always starts unstressed; da-DA-da-DA-da-DA-da-DA-da-Da." The girl still looked lost. "Tell you what, try it tonight and if you are still having problems, I have periods 1, 4 and 6th off and I can stay after school and we'll figure it out."
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Vaughn. You have no idea how glad we all are that you are back." Sydney smiled at the compliment. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." Sydney called as the girl turned to leave.
Vaughn stood in the doorway, smiling and moved as the girl passed him. "Bye." He smiled at her.
"Bye, Mr. Vaughn." The girl's cheeks tinted red ever so slightly as she left.
"Great." Sydney smiled as Vaughn approached her.
"What?" He asked innocently.
"Now she's never going to be able to write her sonnet tonight!"
"Why?" He laughed.
"Two reasons. 1) Your gorgeous so she'll be home thinking about that and 2) your gorgeous and if she stays after tomorrow with me she'll see you again when you come to get me to leave." Sydney smiled as a smirk came across his face.
"I can't help it if I'm a good looking guy." He insisted.
"GREAT! Is this what I can expect from our son as a teenager? He's never dating." She smiled as they left the room. "Come on. I wanna go see my baby."
Vaughn laughed as they drove towards home. "He's fine." She looked at him skeptically. "I missed him too." He confessed.
Sydney woke to the sounds of her screaming son early one morning the next week. She rose and made her way to the nursery, careful not to wake her sleeping husband. She picked up Danny and settled down in the rocking chair in the corner and fed him. She glanced out the window and smiled as the sun began to rise. The colors were exquisite and Sydney felt a peace settle over her.
When she returned to her bedroom, she felt that she just couldn't sleep. Without disturbing Vaughn, she quickly snuck downstairs and made coffee. When it was finished, she grabbed a cup and made her way back upstairs. She entered the bedroom and soundlessly opened the window that sat right at the porch roof. Thanking God for her skills as an agent, she silently slipped out onto the porch roof and sat down, holding her coffee close.
Sydney sight deeply as she looked out over the horizon. The oranges and reds blended and disappeared into blue. She sat breathing deeply, her knees drawn up to her chest. She didn't realize how long she had been sitting there, time seed to have slipped away, drifting off into the sunrise.
Inside the house, Vaughn shifted in his sleep and turned only to find he was alone. His eyes blinked open and he sat up. Looking around, his eyes found the monitor, to show his son was sleeping peacefully. Vaughn rose from bed and was about to make his way downstairs in search of his wife when he passed the widow and saw Sydney sitting on the porch roof. He slipped the window open. "Syd?" He crawled onto the roof and sat next to her. "Syd?" she didn't move. He placed his hand on her arm, gently. "Sydney?"
She broke out of her trance by the feel of his hand. "Hi." She whispered as she turned to face him.
"Is everything ok?"
"Yeah. Yeah. I was just up with Danny and it was just so peaceful and beautiful out here." She smiled at him and turned back to look at the sunrise.
Vaughn laughed lightly. He leaned over to kiss her cheek and felt it to be ice cold. "Ok, Syd, you need to come inside, now."
"What?"
"You're freezing! And you cannot get sick!" He began to lead her back in through the window.
"What do you mean I cannot get sick?" She asked as she closed the window behind her.
Vaughn turned to her and sighed. "You just can't ok?"
"Why?" She could tell there was something else. A real reason. Vaughn wasn't meeting her eyes.
"Because." He sounded like a child.
"Michael." She countered, acting like a mother. "Come on; tell me what the big deal is."
"No." He tried to stifle a smirk but was failing miserably.
She walked over to stand right in front of him. "Please?" She asked sweetly.
"No." He folded his arms across his chest in defiance.
She leaned up and kissed him right below his ear. She felt him shudder under her touch. "Please." She breathed as she trailed kisses along his neck.
"N-No." He spoke but his defiance was much weaker.
She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly as her fingers toyed with his hair. She pulled back and looked at him. "Please?"
"No." He tried to stand his ground.
She smiled, noticing that he was losing this battle. She leaned in again to kiss him, slowly, tauntingly. Vaughn's arms dropped from his chest and found their way around Sydney's waist, deepening the kiss. As soon as she felt him pull her closer she pulled away quickly and back out of his embrace. He made to follow her but she pushed him away.
"Syd." He whined. "Come on, it's Saturday, it's not like we have to go anywhere."
"Tell me."
"Syd . . ."
"Tell. Me."
He sighed, knowing by her tone that no matter what, he was defeated. "Fine. Because we are going to spend Thanksgiving with my mother."
"That's it!?" She laughed in disbelief. "We're spending Thanksgiving with your mother at her place?"
"No. My mom isn't having it at her house . . ." He broke off. Sydney simply glared at him.
"Michael." She threatened.
"We are joining my mother for Thanksgiving at her sister's house." He paused. "In Fleury."
"Fleury? As in Normandy?" He nodded. "As in *FRANCE*." He nodded again. "AH!" She screamed in excitement. "We're going to France?! As in *France*?"
"Yeah." Vaughn smiled at her excitement. "What's the big deal? You've been to France tons of times."
"Yeah, but I never got to enjoy it. I was always on a mission working to steal something. And the one time I was going to enjoy it for a bit at a nice party I never got to do so!"
"Why?"
"I was too busy running around saving your ass from Khasinau!" She joked. Vaughn laughed and pulled her close.
"And thank God you did." Vaughn pulled her flush against him. "Now, we were right, were we not?" He leaned down and kissed her fiercely.
"Mmm. No." Sydney circled around him and pulled Vaughn down to the bed. "I think we were right about here."
She stood in the doorway and watched as he lectured his class. His strong form leaned against his desk as he spoke to the faces in front of him. Images of the days of counter-missions and clandestine meetings flooded her mind. She stood watching as he spoke and found herself getting lost in voice. When the bell ran, she slipped just inside the door and watched as he collected papers and answered questions. It was the last Friday before the week long vacation for Thanksgiving. The last of his students filed out and she stood watching as he collected the last of his things. He felt a presence and looked up, expecting to see one of his students but smiled when his gaze landed upon a smiling Sydney who was leaning against the wall, her arms folded over her chest. "Hey."
"Hi. You have quite a presence, you know." She smiled at him. "Watching you up there reminded me of before we got together. The passion and emotion you had when you would give me my counter-missions." She smiled at the memories.
"The good ol' days?" He joked as he pulled on his coat.
"Uh - No." She laughed as she picked up her bag by her feet. "Definitely not."
Vaughn smiled and took her hand as they left the building. "So what time is your dad stopping by?"
"Uh- I think around 4:30-5:00."
"Ok."
"And Will is coming with him." Vaughn nodded as they entered the car. "What time is our flight, again?"
"Well." He pulled out of the parking loot and started towards their home. "My mom left yesterday morning at 7:15 and we leave tomorrow at the same time."
"UH! I hate early morning flights."
Vaughn laughed as they pulled up to the house. "Just keep thinking France, Syd. Just keep thinking France."
They arrived home to find Francie, who had offered to watch Danny for the past two days, bustling around the kitchen while Danny watched from the swing that was placed in the corner. Francie ran passed the door again and heard the front door close. "Hey!" She called.
"Hi." Sydney replied as she put down her bag and hung up her coast. She walked into the kitchen and was met by the aroma of an amazing meal. "Fran, what *are* you doing?"
"Cooking."
"Well I can see that. But why?" Sydney walked to the stove and opened the cover of a pot to find a mound of mashed potatoes. "Oh, God. This smells amazing!"
Francie smiled and quickly snapped the lid back on. "Thank you. We all aren't going to be together for Thanksgiving, but we're all going to be here today, so I figured we could have a nice big Thanksgiving dinner, today."
"Oh!" Sydney hugged Francie close. "I love you!"
Francie laughed as Vaughn opened the over and took a deep breath. He closed the oven and quickly embraced Francie. "I love you too! It's my day to make dinner." Vaughn smiled slyly.
There was a cry from the corner of the room and Vaughn moved to pick up his son while Sydney moved to ask Francie if she needed any help. "No, no." Francie insisted. "Its best if I'm left alone. Too many people in my kitchen and I get annoyed." Francie smiled as Sydney moved into the living room, followed by Vaughn, who was still holding Danny.
Sydney sunk into the couch and closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the meal being created in the kitchen. Vaughn sat down and chuckled at her. She opened her eyes and looked at him, in mock hurt. "What?"
"Nothing. Just you." Vaughn smiled at her.
She reached over and drifted a hand over her son's head as he lay against his father's chest. "I just love the smell of Thanksgiving. It takes me back to when I was 5, my last Thanksgiving with my mom. It was a time when I had both parents and no knowledge of the CIA or SD-6. I was just a little girl who had two parents that not only loved her, but loved each other."
Vaughn leaned over and kissed her softly. "Now we can create that for our son."
"That's right," She leaned up and kissed Vaughn, slowly. A grin spread across his face as he pulled away.
"We're going to send them home early, right?" His eyes twinkled.
"Michael! My dad's gonna be here!" Sydney cried trying to deny her want for the same thing. "Keep your mind clean, please!"
Vaughn laughed and kissed her again as the door bell rang. "Your dad has got really bad timing." Vaughn smirked as Sydney stood and opened the door to find Jack and Will.
"Hey!" She called as her dad enveloped her in a hug.
"Hello, Sydney." Jack moved passed her and hung up his coat.
Will stepped in and gave Sydney a quick hug. "Hey. Mmm. Something smells good!"
"Francie's cooking." Came the voice of Vaughn behind them as he approached them, Danny in his arms.
Will smiled widely and moved to greet the chef while Jack moved to hold his grandson. "What time do you two leave tomorrow?" Jack asked as they went into the living room.
"Way too early." Sydney replied as she sat next to Vaughn on the couch as Jack sat in the oversized chair across from them.
"She's exaggerating. Our flight is at 7:15 tomorrow morning." Vaughn countered as he nudged Sydney softly, only to receive a look from her.
"Well I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. France is lovely this time of the year." Jack shifted his grandson in his arms.
"France is wonderful anytime of the year as long as I get to enjoy it without having Dixon in one ear, Michael in the other and 3 guards chasing me down a hallway while I wear a way too tight dress and 3 inch heals." Sydney smiled as Francie called; informing them that dinner was ready.
They all stood and walked towards the kitchen. As Jack entered with Danny, Vaughn grabbed Sydney's arm and whispered into her ear, "I wouldn't say no to the dress on this trip." A wide smile across his face.
She smacked him lightly on the arm and looked at him. "Hey. What did I say about keeping your mind clean? Huh?"
They all sat around the table, eating amazing food, prepared expertly by Francie, laughing and talked. Sydney whimpered as the wine passed her for the 3rd time. "You are all very, very mean." She informed them as she rose to give a bottle to her fussing son.
Everyone laughed, including Sydney, as she returned to the table with Danny. "Hey, I went 2 years without it." Will informed her.
"You did not!" Sydney laughed. "Every time Francie wasn't around and you felt like a drink you had one! U should know since every time she walked in, I'd have to pretend to be drinking it only to be yelled at by Francie for waving alcohol in your face! I swear for years she thought I was the most inconsiderate drunk in the world!" Sydney laughed as Will blushed, being caught in his lie.
"Damn." He laughed.
Sydney sat on her bed, eyes closed; humming softly along with the CD she was playing, when Vaughn appeared in the doorway, having come from putting Danny down. He listened to her humming softly and smiled. He went over to the CD player and switched to the disc he wanted. He walked over to her and pulled her up. He held her closed and swayed slowly from side to side as he sang softly in her ear.
"Looking out the door I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners. Parading in a lake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water. And maybe I'm too young to keep good love from going wrong, but tonight you're on my mind so you never know."
She smiled up at him as he sang out along with Jeff Buckley. This was one of her favorite songs and she couldn't help but fall more in love with him as he sang so softly. "You are amazing."
Vaughn smirked at her. "I know." Sydney laughed and moved to leave his embrace but Vaughn pulled her back in and kissed her, hard. "Sorry, but I'm not letting you go tonight." She smiled and pulled him into another kiss, letting him know that she didn't object.
They arrived at the airplane with plenty of time and when they boarded the place, Sydney was almost instantly apprehensive. Vaughn noticed her apprehensive state and was immediately reminded of the last time they were on a plane together, for reasons other than a mission.
They had been on their way to Italy for their honeymoon and the second they had sat down in their seats, she had become extremely nervous and was fidgeting like mad, something completely strange. He had turned to her and, laying a hand on her arm, had spoken softly, "Syd, hun, what's wrong?"
"Hmm?" She had turned to him and smiled. "I'm sorry. Planes give me this 'pre-mission' feeling and it makes me nervous. I used to be good at hiding it, though sometimes Dixon noticed. I guess old habits die hard." She smiled.
Vaughn's face broke into a smile at the memory and Sydney looked at him suspiciously. "I'm glad to see you find this funny." She quipped as she shifted in her seat again.
"Just memories."
"Of . . ."
"When we went to Rome."
The memories, not of the plane ride but of the actual trip, came flooding back and Sydney began to relax, sinking back into her seat. "That was the best trip I had ever taken."
Vaughn leaned over and kissed her. "Same."
They arrived in France right on schedule and found Brigitte waiting for them. "Bonjour!" She called as the three neared her.
"Bonjour, Maman." Vaughn hugged her. "Où est tante Juliette?"
"Oh, you know her. She's at the house, cleaning." Brigitte smiled.
The four piled into Brigitte's car and made their way to her sister's house. As they turned on to a small road, Vaughn leaned over to Sydney. "It's coming up soon." She smiled at him and sure enough, as they turned a corner a gorgeous French style home came into view.
Sydney gasped at the sight of it. It was a good sized home with a moderate sized yard with flower beds in which flowers of every color sat in them in the spring, or so Brigitte told her. "This place is so beautiful." Sydney exclaimed as they exited the car.
"Wait till you see the inside." Vaughn smiled and led her through the front door.
The inside was just as spectacular, with its hardwood floors and French décor. "This place is so nice."
"Yeah, it was a great place to grow up in." Vaughn informed her.
"What? I thought you said this was your aunt's house."
"Now it is. When I was born, we lived here and then we moved to the states when my dad was transferred when I was 7. When we left France, my aunt moved in here. After my dad died, we came back here for a while and then moved back to the states when I was 13."
"Ok, that's wrong."
"What?"
"We've been married for a year and a half. We dated for a year and a half prior to that and I knew you for a year *before* that. That means I've known you for 4 years, been with you for 3, and I never knew that. In the past we have talked about me entirely too much." She smiled. He laughed and grasped her hand, pulling her after his mother who had taken Danny and ventured off to the kitchen to find his aunt.
Juliette Fortier was a petit woman a few years older than Brigitte. Her husband had died in the late 90's and like her sister, she had never remarried. Her daughter, Olivia, was back in the states with her husband, so Juliette had the house to herself, though Brigitte visited often. She was a warm spirit and the moment she saw Sydney, she was quick to embrace her.
"Thank you so much for having us this week, Mrs. Fortier." Sydney said.
"So formal! Please, it's Juliette of tante. Never Mrs. Fortier makes me feel old." Juliette smiled widely. She turned to Vaughn and embraced him in a large hug. "Michel! Finally he returns to France!" She joked as Vaughn turned a light shade of red.
"I've been busy!" He insisted.
Juliette turned and spotted her great-nephew. "So I see. And who is this gorgeous creature?"
Sydney picked up her son and handed him to Juliette. "This is Daniel."
"Daniel?"
"Yes. Daniel William."
"William. Very fitting." Juliette smiled and turned to Vaughn. "He's the perfect mirror image of you as a baby." Vaughn smiled modestly. "How old is he?"
"Three months next week." Sydney informed her as Danny began to fuss. "Here, I'll take him." Sydney took her son and bounced him softly in her arms. "It's been a long day. Huh, baby?" He quieted down slowly and Vaughn nudged a pacifier in the boy's mouth.
"He's absolutely amazing." Juliette fawned over the boy as he began to drift into a state of slumber.
"Thank you." Sydney smiled down at Danny.
Sydney and Vaughn made their way upstairs a while later and Vaughn led her to his old room. They stepped in and Sydney broke into a mile. It was a medium sized, dark blue room, the perfect size and color for a young boy. The thing that she found humorous however, was the fact that his old bed seemed to still be there. It was a small twin sized bed. "This isn't gonna work." She informed Vaughn as he began to set up Danny's portable play pen in the corner.
"Why? It'll be cozy." He smiled.
"Yeah, real cozy. Until you kick me off the bed. You're a bed hog Michael."
Vaughn laughed and walked over to the bed. "Well, then, it's a good thin it had this." He reached down and pulled out a trundle bed from underneath and propped it up so it was the same height as the other bed.
Sydney burst out laughing at the smirk on Vaughn's face and kissed him. "That looks *real* comfortable."
"I'll take the trundle bed. You can have the actual bed." He reassured her as she pulled out the baby monitors and pointed one towards Danny, who was sleeping in the play pen.
"Damn right I will." She smiled as they made their way downstairs, the other part of the monitor in Sydney's hand.
Later that night, they made their way back upstairs to go to bed. Sydney slipped into the twin bed as Vaughn double check the sleeping infant in the corner before slipping into the trundle bed that squeaked underneath him. Sydney tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh as Vaughn groaned, trying to find a comfortable position in the bed.
After he finally settled, Sydney smiled as he draped an arm across her waist as she slept on the end of her bed, her back to him. "Comfy?" She mocked him.
"Shut up and go to sleep." Vaughn muttered into her shoulder.
Sydney woke the next morning to find that she was almost off the bed entirely. She wondered at first why she was so far over and then she felt the presence behind her. I the middle of the night, Vaughn had managed to shift off of the uncomfortable trundle bed and onto hers. He was pushed up close to her, his arm securing her to him and the bed, his legs entangled with hers.
Suddenly cries began softly in the corner and Sydney was about to get up when the door creaked open slowly and Brigitte tip toes in. Sydney was instantly still as Brigitte moved to the play pen and extracted her grandson, bringing him downstairs.
Sydney though for a moment, wondering how the woman could have heard the very soft cries when she remembered that since she and Vaughn were the last to go to bed the night before, they had left the other monitor downstairs and apparently on. Sydney smiled and shifted slightly to face her husband and wrapped her arms around him.
He responded by pulling her closer and brining his head down to hers and whispering "Morning" while keeping his eyes closed.
"Morning."
"How early is it? I don't hear Danny."
"It's like 7:30." She glanced at her watch quickly.
"Did you already get up with Danny?"
"No. Your mom, thinking we were still sleeping, just came and got him. We left the monitor downstairs." They spoke in hushed tones.
Vaughn opened his eyes and smiled. "Ah." He rose and walked over to the other monitor and clicked it off before quickly retreating back to bed. "They can handle him for a while. I think I just want to stay here and lie with you for a while."
"Sounds good to me." Sydney kissed him softly and then snuggled down into his chest.
A/N: Ok, so there is chapter 7, fluffomania! The next one is full of that fluffy goodness that I'm getting a little too good at, and then . . . someone from previous chapters (who is so fun to write) shall return . . . who shall it be? Read and review (member I need 65 to get to chapter 8 by Thursday) and who knows chapter 9 could be out really soon!!! O and I am going back to the prequels and editing (looking at all the mistakes makes me sick!) So if you see those as updates, they are all just edited!