A/N: WOW! I didn't realize you all like this so much! Ha! It's the next day
and I got all the reviews I asked for. You are all soo wonderful. I love
each and every one of you! So New Hampshire has a snow day (and yes I do
mean the ENTIRE state) so I am writing this just for all of you because you
reviewed. HOWEVER I am upping the anti, you want another chapter on
Thursday (during that excruciating free period I have)? Well I want 80
reviews by then (I know how can I be so cruel!?) BUT here's the thing, if I
am to have that new chapter, it means I would have to write it all out
starting, o, now. Because I have yet to write it (writers block is a
bitch). But if you want it, all I ask is for 14 measly reviews by Thursday.
This is for *Jennifer* - Damn you and your nice weather out in Cali. Thanks for the update and the love in yours.
And for *Mrs.Swearingen* - It's ok, Jennifer's my favorite writer too, to be put in the same category with her is an honor.
Disclaimers are all the same. Don't own a thing. However the new characters that are here are based on real people. Juliette Fortier (who first appeared last chapter) is my cousins grandmother, only with a different name (I don't actually know the REAL Mrs. Fortier's name, she's always just been Gammi) and the owner of the restaurant (this chapter) is my uncle, because he is the man.
I hope you all enjoy this. Wicked fluff though, whoo! (Though the next chapter is full of conflict with my favorite reappearing character) I actually had to do some research for this chapter so I feel my previous demand (I'm getting feisty today) for reviews was ok. I love you all for getting those reviews out so lightning fast last time. ONCORE! ONCORE! - Secret Agent Girl
CHAPTER 8 - Aux Champs-Elysees
Their first few days in France were spent mainly around the house. They spent some real quality time with Juliette and Brigitte, something that Vaughn was reveling in, he had missed being in that house, with those people. Everything about it made him feel safe, comforted, happy. On Monday, Sydney woke to find Danny already downstairs, something that was becoming habit for Brigitte. She peered at the clock and saw that it was almost 8:00. She quickly shifted and nudged the sleeping man beside her. "Hey. Michael, we need to get up."
Vaughn groaned. "Why?"
Sydney smiled and untangled herself from him. "Because we leave in an hour."
Her statement, so blunt and obscure, and the fact that he was now missing the warmth of her body next to his, automatically woke Vaughn. "What do you mean, 'we leave in an hour'?"
"I *mean*, we leave in an hour. Pretty self explanatory. Now come on!" She began to pull clothing together, rather quickly.
Vaughn got up and stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "What are you doing?"
"Getting ready." She told him matter-of-factly.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere." He looked at her. "Somewhere that I know you'll love so, come one. Go shower." She began to shove him towards the door before turning around and continuing through their clothes.
"Syd, seriously. Where?"
"You really want to know?" She turned to him.
"Yes."
"You want to ruin the surprise? Make all my hard work meaningless?" She asked putting her hands on her hips and giving him a pouty look.
"You bet." She was trying to guilt trip him into backing off and he knew it. Not only did he know it, but he wasn't going to let her get away with it. "Spill."
"Fine. Meany." She smiled, letting him know she really wasn't upset. "You and I are going away for a few days and your mom and aunt are going to watch our son. Ok? So now that you have ruined my big surprise, that I worked so hard on, can you please go and shower so I can finish packing?"
"You gonna tell me where we are going?" He wouldn't budge.
"No." Vaughn began to walk towards her, fully intending on using whatever tactics he could to get her to spill, after all she had done it to him not two weeks before. But Sydney held up her hand and stopped him in his tracks. She had a much stronger will than he did. "No. This is something that you are just going to have to accept."
"Fine." He sighed and gave a mock pout before grabbing his shaving kit and walking to the bathroom.
Sydney quickly packed and dressed and made her way downstairs. She found Brigitte and Juliette sitting in the kitchen, as Danny sat in his bouncy seat on the table. Sydney walked in and grabbed a cup of coffee and a croissant from the counter before joining the two women at the table and kissing her son good morning. "Thank you so much for doing this."
"Oh, it's our pleasure." Brigitte assured her. "Danny is the easiest child to care for. After Michel, he is an angel."
Sydney smiled, remembering all the stories that she had heard in the past few days about how Vaughn had been a very noisy and fussy baby.
"Where are you two going?" Juliette asked as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Into Paris. I've never been and we were going to go for our one year anniversary, something we decided we were going to do when we were in Rome for our honeymoon, but I was 7 months along with this one here," she tickled Danny and smiled as he laughed his wonderfully happy infant laugh. "So. But you can't say anything. He only knows that we are going away for a few days, not where we are going." Sydney took a bite of her croissant as the two women nodded reassuringly. "Oh my! These are simply amazing!"
Juliette smiled. It was a rarity that she was complemented so on her cooking, her family was used to it now. "Well I'm glad to see I can still please someone new with my culinary skills."
"Amazing!" Sydney stuffed the rest of the croissant in her mouth as Vaughn appeared in the doorway, showered and shaved.
"Morning." He greeted them as he grabbed Sydney's cup and downed the rest of her coffee.
"You look good." Sydney smiled at the Khaki's and crew neck sweater she had pulled out this morning and placed on the bed for him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes as he grabbed a croissant for himself and took a bite. "By the way, don't ever do that again."
"Why?" She laughed at his tone.
"I felt like I was back in high school again and my mom was trying to get me to change the way I dressed."
"Well I had every right. Those outfits were hideous!" Brigitte exclaimed as Juliette sat back and laughed.
"Hey! I'll have you know I was very in style." Vaughn insisted as Sydney raised and eyebrow.
"Please Michel! The outfits you wore were very, very odd! Made me want to move right back to France!" Brigitte exclaimed.
"Why? How did you dress?" Sydney questioned, fully intreged by now.
"You have to remember that I was a sophomore in high school when all the big teen movies started to come out, like Sixteen Candles." Vaughn stated shyly.
"Oh my God! You were a Ducky follower?" Vaughn blushed a deep red. "Oh my God, you were! You wore those outfits?!" Sydney could barely stand she was laughing so hard.
"Hey! It was very in! I'm sure many of your friends dressed like Molly Ringwald!"
"Not a chance! I was still in elementary school!" Sydney laughed as she stood up and walked over to their things. "Ok." She collected herself, taking several deep breaths while she held the stitch in her side. "You ready Mike?" She asked as she shrugged on her coat.
"I supposed so, now that you've all belittled my very childhood." He sighed with mock exasperation. He walked over to his son and kissed his forehead softly. "See ya kid. Mommy is taking me away and she wont tell me where." Sydney rolled her eyes at his last ditch attempt at guilt. "And you can wear whatever you want when you get older." He smiled. "See you in a few days." Vaughn turned to him mother and aunt. "Thanks for helping out, I think." Vaughn smiled as he hugged them both.
"Thanks again." Sydney called as she picked up the two bags by the door. "I'll call when we get, there." She smiled at Vaughn's hopeful look. He had been hoping she would slip but then again he had married a Bristow. "We'll see you Wednesday night."
They stepped out of the house to find a cab waiting for them. Vaughn's suspicions only grew when he saw the cab. Where could they be going that they couldn't take their own car, or rather Brigitte's car? "Syd . . ."
"I'm not telling you." She cut him off.
"Mean." She smiled at him.
"Damn straight."
When the cab stopped a short while later at the train station, Vaughn raised his eyebrows questioningly. "How far away are we going?"
"Oh, it's only about 2 hours or so by train." She smiled as she led him through the station towards their train. She stopped in front of the correct terminal and smiled. "This is ours."
Vaughn's eyes lit up at the destination stated and turned to her. "Paris? We're going to Paris?" Sydney nodded. "Why?"
"Michael what is today?"
"Monday."
"That date, Mike." She eyed him.
"The 18th."
"Right and tomorrow is the 19th of November. Those two dates are milestones for us, why?"
Vaughn thought for a moment, contemplating the days. When it finally hit him he leaned over and kissed her. "The 18th is the day I first told you I loved you and the 19th, one year later, is the day SD-6 fell and subsequently the day we got engaged."
Sydney smiled and pulled him onto the train. "Exactly. Now we have about 3 days to enjoy this, shall we?" Vaughn smiled and nodded as they sat down and made their way to Paris.
They arrived in Paris around 11 and Sydney was overly excited. She grabbed Vaughn's hand as they left the train station and had to bite her tongue to keep from jumping up and down in excitement. "This place is so amazing." She cried as they waited for a cab.
"I told you that." Vaughn smiled as the cab approached and they entered. "So where are we staying?"
"To Le Hotel Splendid Etoile, please." Sydney told the driver with a smile.
"Seriously?" Vaughn's eyes twinkled in the mid morning sun. "Syd, that place is so . . ."
"Perfect." She cut him off.
"I was going to say expensive."
"Yeah, well, don't go looking for your CIA paycheck this month." She smiled as he let out a low chuckle.
"Did you spend my entire paycheck?" She looked away, shyly. "Oh, man!"
She playfully tapped him on the arm. "You'll have fun, I promise!"
They arrived at the hotel and Sydney check in, not wanting Vaughn to know what room she had reserved. After refusing a bell boy, they only had one bag each; Sydney walked back over to Vaughn and grabbed his hand, bringing him to the elevators. Stepping inside, she pushed the button for the top floor, smiling widely.
"The top floor?" Vaughn raised his eyebrow. "You really *did* use my whole paycheck, didn't you?" She turned away. "Didn't you?"
Just then the doors opened to the top floor. "Oh look, we're here." Sydney quickly exited and made her way down the hallway.
"Sydney." Vaughn called after her as she continued her way. Chuckling, Vaughn followed her down the hallway to where she stood in front of a pair of double doors, waiting for him.
"Ready?" She asked seductively as she slipped the key into the door.
Smiling at him, she swung open the door to show the most gorgeous hotel room either of them had ever seen. It was actually two rooms, divided by two thick curtains that had been pulled back. The front room was beautiful. The antique blue furniture and high candle like lamps made the room glow and gave a look of true French elegance. The bedroom part took their breath away. The bed was a large king sized, the comforter a soft blue, matching the décor perfectly. The three-mirrored vanity shown with deep gold accents and the large bay window looked out over the L'arc de Triomphe. Sydney walked in fully and placed her bags by the soft blue curtain dividers and turned back to look at Vaughn, who stood mesmerized.
"Welcome to Le Hotel Splendid Etoile's deluxe suit." She smiled brightly. "What do you think?"
"I . . . I . . . I can't even find the words. I can't believe you did this. This is . . . its just." He walked over to her, at a complete loss of words and held her close. He kissed her softly with so much love that Sydney melted against him and moaned into his mouth. He pulled away slowly from her, lingering only an inch or two away, their eyes still closed. "This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me."
Sydney leaned back in and kissed him. "Well I'm glad. There are so many more surprises left." She smiled at him. Pulling away from him, she grabbed his hand and her bag, and proceeded to the door. "Come on, I want to go see Paris."
"You're not going to make me do all the tourist stuff are you?" Vaughn smiled as he slipped back on his jacket and followed her.
"No. I do want to see the Eiffel Tower and L'arc de Triomphe, though our view of it is quite nice. But other than that I just want to enjoy Paris."
"Meaning you want to go shopping?"
She smiled at him as they left the hotel. "You know me too well."
They spent the day wandering around the city, basking in the warm sun, despite the November weather, and soaking in everything around them. At 4:00 Sydney was dragging Vaughn down the shopping district looking for a shoe store. "Why again?" Vaughn asked as they found a shop and Sydney began to drag him inside.
"It's a girl thing. When you're in Paris, you just *have* to buy shoes."
Vaughn stepped out f the shower and smiled at his wide, who was fixing her hair in front of the mirror. He couldn't help think how gorgeous she was as she piled her curled hair on top of her head. He walked next to her and started to shave. "So we're going where?"
"Sorry, can't tell you. It's my last surprise for this trip." She smiled as he washed the excess shaving cream off his face and dried his hands.
He leaned over and kissed her shoulder, covered only by the thin strap of her black dress. "Hmm. Maybe I'll pull a few surprises tonight, myself." He whispered seductively in her ear.
"Hmm." she giggled lightly. "I can't wait."
They entered the taxi and Sydney leaned up to tell him where to go. She sat back and dragged her eyes over Vaughn. He looked amazing in a pair of dress slacks and a deep blue shirt, the top buttons lying open, and a suit jacket. It reminded her of the suits he wore in the days at the warehouse, sans the tie. "You look amazing." She smiled at him.
He leaned over and kissed her. "You took the words right out of my mouth." She was wearing a knee length black spaghetti strap dress that had a sheer overlay, covered in soft sparkles. One of her new pairs of shoes completed the outfit.
They arrived at an open field, that was being over looked by the Eiffel Tower. Thanking the driver, Sydney paid him and proceeded to leave, with a very confused Vaughn following her. "Uh, Syd?" he asked letting the question hang.
"What? We're here."
"Here? We're eating in an open field?"
"Of course not." She pulled him close to her. "We're eating there." She pointed to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
"Are you joking?" She shook her head. "It takes months to get reservations up there! How did you do it with a week's notice?"
She started off towards the tower, keeping her hand safely lodged inside his. "I called in a favor."
"Meaning?"
"I called Devlin." She smirked. "He owes me huge. I've never asked the CIA for anything after I left and I didn't think that my asking for something as simple as dinner reservations was anything too great. It's not like I asked him to pay for it. He agreed with me that my request was minor and was more than happy to oblige. He even told us to have a nice time." She smiled at Vaughn's surprised face as they entered the tower's elevator.
"Tomorrow we have to get him something." he insisted as the elevator made its way towards the top.
"I agree."
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Vaughn and Sydney both gasped at the room before them. The rich red walls and striking views from the giant windows gave you a feel of Paris at its finest. They were greeted but he Maitre d' and proceeded to their table. Devlin had even secured them a window seat. They sat down and as Sydney gazed out the window at the twinkling city below them, Vaughn ordered wine.
Looking back at her, he couldn't help but smile. The place was absolutely amazing and he couldn't believe that she had done this all. He watched her for a few moments, enchanted by her as she silently looked out the window. As she turned back to him, he smiled and clasped her hand in his own. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Thank you."
"For what?" She asked softly.
"For this whole trip."
She smiled and looked down at the table for a moment before meeting his eyes. "Well I can only take credit for Paris, you brought me to France in the first place."
"You're right, I did."
"Always the modest one." She smiled at him fully, showing the deep dimples that lay in her cheeks.
"That was amazing." Vaughn smiled as they made their way out of the Eiffel Tower elevators, sometime later.
"I'll take it I picked a good spot?" Sydney smiled and began to walk towards the street, ready to hail a cab, when Vaughn grabbed her arm, stopping her. "It's only down the Champs-Elysees, let's walk back." She smiled and nodded her head before grasping his hand as they started off.
"Paris is so amazing. Did you come here often when you lived in Fleury?"
"Every now and then. I remember coming here once with my dad in particular. I was only about 6 or so. Usually we came once or twice a year with my mom but those were mainly day trips. My grandparents use to live in the city so we'd visit for Christmas and Easter. But this one time it was just him and me. He took me up the Eiffel Tower for the first time." Vaughn smiled at the memory of his father telling him the story of his first date with Brigitte, a picnic in the field under the Eiffel Tower.
"Sounds like you had a good time."
"I did. That was one of the times I got to spend real quality time with my dad. Soon after that his work load increased much more and he wasn't around much." Vaughn smiled sadly as they walked slowly closer to their hotel.
"If I could give you one thing, it would be to give you back your father." Sydney smiled up at him softly.
Vaughn pulled her close, holding his arm across her shoulders. He felt her cold skin and slipping his coat from his shoulders, slipped it on to hers. He never understood why she refused to wear a coat, despite the fact that it was November. She smiled as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of his warm suit coat. "If I could give *you* one thing, it would be your mother."
Sydney looked at him for a moment. "Mike, my mom is back in LA."
"No, Irena Derevko is in LA. I'd give you back Laura Bristow."
Sydney leaned up and kissed him gently. They walked slowly down the street, soft lights from darkened shops illuminating the way. A smile crept across Sydney's face as they passed a small cafe and the smell of rich coffee and fresh pastries wafted over to them. She glanced up at the sky and her mind was put at ease at the sight of the stars twinkling down at her. Leaning towards Vaughn, she began to sing softly.
"Aux Champs-Elysees. Aux Champs-Elysees. Jour et nuit. Sous la pluie, a midi, et a minuit. Il y a tout ce que vous voulez, auz Champs-Elysees.
Vaughn smiled at her and whispered softly, "Cute."
"French was the language I took in high school. My professor loved to have us sing these silly little songs to have us learn. That was one of them." She leaned up against him as they reached the hotel. "It doesn't sound as nice in English as it does in French, though."
"Well nothing does." He smiled.
"That's not true. I know some words that I prefer in English rather than in French." She smiled knowingly at him.
"Such as . . ."
"Shower."
"Oh, ok, I'll give you that one." He smiled as they entered the hotel and made their way to the elevators.
As they walked down the hallway to their room, Sydney turned to him apprehensively. "So did you enjoy tonight?"
"Immensely." He smiled at her before attacking her neck with his lips as she moved to open the door.
"Hmm. I'm glad. Except there's one more thing."
"Oh, I know." He whispered as he trailed kisses down towards her collar bone.
"Not that!" She laughed as she pulled away from him. "Go sit down." She pointed to the bed before walking towards her bag and extracting a small square package.
"Syd, what did you do?"
"Well, see, when I told you I planned this Paris trip because of the 18th and the 19th, I wasn't necessarily lying, I just left something out. *This*," She handed him the box. "This is for the 27th." She smiled shyly.
"Syd, it's not for over a week."
"I know. But I wanted to give it to you now, in Paris. So Happy Birthday." He looked at her, a look of awe playing across his face. "Open it."
He smiled for a moment and carefully opened the box. Inside was a gorgeous leather wallet with small gold script on the front spelling out M.C.V. He ran his hand over the soft brown leather. It felt amazing along his skin, so soft and smooth. He flipped it open to find the picture section filled with a few pictures. One from their wedding day, their smiles wide. Another of them standing outside their new house, Donovan at their feet. The final picture was of Danny. Vaughn looked at him and smiled, remembering when Sydney and he had taken the picture. Danny had been about 2 months old and had been laughing that entire day. He was sitting on the couch, surrounded by pillows, a smile across his face.
Vaughn looked back at Sydney, who stood in front of him, with a nervous look on her face. "So?" She asked quietly. "So you like it?"
Vaughn stood and captured her in a soft kiss. "Thank you. This is amazing." He kissed her again, pulling her close, deepening the kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled at him. "Happy Birthday."
Vaughn smiled at her for only a moment before he picked her up and laid her down on the bed, kissing her fiercely. "You," his breathing was heavy as he fought to catch his breath. "You are the most amazing person ever. I don't know what I would do without you."
She kissed him softly, bringing him down to her as she slipped her hand under his shirt as she untucked it. "Let's not find out."
The sunlight crept though the small opening in the soft curtains, landing directly at the head of the bed. Sydney turned her head in protest as the light tried to force her awake. She moaned as she dug her head deep into Vaughn's chest, waking him as she moved.
His arm tightened around her as he woke slowly. Pulling in a deep breath, he leaned his head down and kissed the crown of her head. "Morning."
"Hmmm." She whined. "It's too early."
Vaughn let out an airy chuckle as he shifted himself further down in the bed. "It's almost 8:30." He told her after glancing quickly at his watch.
"See, early,: She smiled into his shoulder as her hand ran across his flat stomach. She leaned up and kissed him on his neck at the base of his ear. "Last night was truly spectacular."
"Yes. Yes it was. Everything was absolutely delicious.
Sydney snorted a short laugh. "Mike, I wasn't talking about dinner."
"Neither was I." She blushed at his comment. "Come on, get up. Today I'm taking you around Paris. Not the touristy Paris, but the good Paris, the one I use to visit with my grandparents."
She smiled and got up, slipping on his dress shirt from the night before. "Ok." She managed through a yawn. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower."
"Ok. I'm going to go call mom and check in with them." He stood, slipping on a pair of boxers and t-shirt.
"Ok, give them my love and have them hug Danny for me." Sydney called over her shoulder as she grabbed her clothes and toiletries and went to shower.
As soon as Vaughn heard the water running, he ran to the phone and quickly dialed. After waiting a few moments, he heard the line being answered and he quickly slipped into his native French. "Allo, Allan? It's Michael Vaughn . . .good, good. . . actually I'm staying in Paris with my wife for a few days . . .yeah, one . . . a boy, Daniel . . . Thank you. Actually yes, I have a favor to ask you. . . "
Sydney stepped out of the shower and dressed in a pair of tan cotton pants and a soft baby blue sweater. She dried her hair so that it curled at the ends. She smiled at herself in the mirror as she pushed her hair behind her ear, her wedding rings catching in the light.
Stepping back into the bedroom, her smile grew as her eyes fell on her husband, standing at the vanity as he finished his conversation with his mother. She walked up behind him and leaned against his back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and began to fiddle with the hem of his deep grey sweater and felt one of his hands slip over on her hers and intertwine his fingers with hers. She smiled as she saw his old wallet lying empty on the counter, meaning the new one was the bulge in his khaki's.
"Ok, we'll see you tomorrow. Je t'aime aussi. Au revoir, Maman." Vaughn hung up and turned, pulling Sydney into a hug.
"How are they handling things?" She asked as they gathered their jackets.
"Oh, just fine. You ready to go?"
"Uh-huh." She nodded and started towards the door.
He quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him. He kissed her softly and she smiled as he pulled away. "You look really pretty." She laughed at him softly. "What?"
"The first time you commented on my appearance, other than the whole "you look like you could use a dentist" thing." He smiled at the memory. "The first time, you said those exact words. I was going to dinner at Sloane's with Will and my dad. I had met you at the warehouse and after you blatantly checked me out in front of my dad, right before I left you told me I looked really pretty."
Vaughn's smiled grew as she spoke. "I was really jealous of Will that night. He was doing what I couldn't but wanted to do."
Sydney smiled and kissed him softly. "Yeah but you ended up with me in the end, didn't you."
Not bothering to hide his pride in that he simply replied, "Yes I did."
They made their way through the hidden areas of Paris, Vaughn leading the way as Sydney followed, amazed by each new place they went. As they day moved on, Vaughn brought her out of the city and more towards the country. As they sat in a cab, around 4:30, Sydney turned to Vaughn. "Mike, where are we going?"
"Out."
"Where?"
"To dinner."
"Again, where?"
"France." She smacked him lightly on the arm.
"Thank you Captain Obvious. Are you going to expand on where we are going?"
"No." He smiled at her innocently as the cab started through a small town.
When it finally came to a stop, they were outside a small restaurant that gave the impression that it had been there forever. It was a tiny little place with flower boxes everywhere and a small emblem on the door. They exited the cab and Sydney approached the door. "Chez Gelinas?" She turned to Vaughn with raised eyebrows.
"Trattoria di Nardi may be my favorite restaurant in the world, but this is my favorite in all of France." He took her hand and led her inside. They approached the Matre D' and Vaughn spoke. "Bonjour, reservations for Vaughn?" The man smiled and after asking them to wait one moment, disappeared, only to return a moment later with an older French man.
He was shorter with a slight build, his head devoid of hair, though obviously not by choice. His eyes were a deep brown, almost black, but radiated kindness. "Michel!" He called as he embraced Vaughn, speaking in rapid French. "So nice to see you again! How is your mother? Off gallivanting with Juliette, I assume?"
"She's well. The two of them are watching our son for a few days." Vaughn smiled and turned towards Sydney. "Allan Gelinas, this is my wife, Sydney. Syd, this is Allan Gelinas, he owns this place. He was a close friend of my fathers."
"It's nice to meet you." Sydney shook the older gentleman's hand, more than willing to continue the conversation in the older man's native language.
Allan smiled warmly at her before turning back to Vaughn. "I should have known."
"What?" Vaughn asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Just like your father, married to a true beauty." He turned to Sydney who blushed a deep chrisom red.
He brought them through the restaurant to the back. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky burned a bright and vibrant mix of oranges, reds, pinks and yellows. They made their way into a glassed in room that over looked a wide valley. There was a single table sitting in the candle light by the large glass walls. Sydney smiled and thanked Allan as he helped her into her chair before he turned and left, only to return a moment later with a bottle of wine. Right as Vaughn was about to ask where the menus where when Allan insisted that 'because he was William's son' that the best dishes of the house were being prepared. "Only the best for my Michel and such a gorgeous creature." He smiled before leaving the room, Sydney's face once again taking up a deep red shade.
Vaughn began to chuckle softly leaving Sydney questioned. "What?"
"I can't bring you anywhere. Every man we come across hits on you!"
"Well that's not my fault!" She smiled and took a sip of her wine. "Maybe you should have married someone more . . . homely."
"Maybe you shouldn't dress so provocatively." He countered with a smile.
"Mike, I'm wearing a sweater and long pants." She laughed lightly.
"You, we're going to have to do something about that later, given that we have to go back tomorrow."
She sighed deeply. "I know. Don't get me wrong, I love Brigitte and Juliette and I miss my son terribly but . . ." she smiled at him lovingly. "But these last few days have been absolute heaven."
"You're right, it has been. In June, we'll have to stick Danny with your dad and go away again."
"Hmm. Sounds good. I've always wanted to go to Vienna." She took another sip as Allan appeared, accompanied by a waiter, carrying several dishes, steam rising off of them as they were set in front of Sydney and Vaughn.
Sydney's eyes widened and her mouth dropped at the sight of the dishes. Plate after plate was set before them with mounds of gorgeous French delicacies. Vaughn smiled as he watched her gaze over the dishes. "Do you remember the food at Trattoria di Nardi?"
"No, I'm pretty sure I forgot all about the restaurant that you couldn't stop talking about for years." She replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "Yes I remember."
"Well do you remember the way I *first* described it to you?"
"That I would only like if it I liked food?" She smiled as he laughed.
"Yeah. Well that was Italian food. *This* is the greatest French food, ever."
"And here I was thinking you brought me to some mediocre restaurant." She smiled as she took a bite of the first dish. "Oh, my God. This is, oh my God. Seriously, MMM!"
"Told you." Vaughn smiled as he joined her in eating.
Sydney sat back and placed a hand on her stomach. "That was the greatest meal I have had in a long time."
"Told you. And you haven't even had dessert." Vaughn smiled evilly.
"Oh, Mike, I don't think I can eat another bite."
"Well, that'll change once you see the dessert." Allan arrived at that point, the waiter back at his side. As the waiter cleared the table of dishes, Vaughn turned to Allan. "Allan, nous voudrions la mort par Chocolate, s'il vous plait."
"Death by Chocolate?" Sydney raised her eyebrow as Allan walked away. Vaughn could only smile. "You are going to be the death of me."
"Yeah, why is that?"
"Because, you spoil me horribly."
"Well it's my job." He smiled widely as Allan returned.
"Voila." Allan smiled as he placed the plate in front of them.
Sydney's eyes widened at the sight, and she thought dinner looked amazing. A mound of white chocolate ice cream with white chocolate chunks sat at one end, drizzled in raspberry and chocolate sauces. A soft chocolate brownie, sprinkled with powdered sugar, sat on its side. On the edge of the plate, two chocolate Piolette sticks lie gracefully, their ends laying in a puddle of chocolate and raspberry sauce, leading to a gigantic chocolate soufflé, whose tiny incision was oozing a thick, dark, rich chocolate.
"Wow. This looks amazing!"
Vaughn smiled and handed her a fork, "Wait till you try it."
They arrived back at the hotel and Sydney had yet to stop smiling. "So much for me taking you on a trip. My dinner seems rather lame compared to tonights."
"What are you talking about? That was amazing! I would never have had the nerve to ask Devlin to get us into the Eiffel tower!"
"That's because you can still get fired." She smiled. "Well I'm glad you like it. I truly loved tonight. I mean, you know all the good restaurants. Do you have one in every major city?'
"Basically." He smiled as they walked down the corridor to their room. "So what are we doing tomorrow?"
"I don't know. I really only had last night planned. Other than that I figured we'd play it by ear."
"Ok, well I think that we should sleep in late and then be excruciatingly lazy as we walk around the city aimlessly, enjoying our time here, until we have to go back to being parents."
Sydney smiled and laughed at him, pulling him to her and kissing him softly. "Sounds good to me."
He pushed open the door and pulled her inside, capturing her lisp with his own. Pushing the door closed behind him, he pulled her towards the bed. "We don't have to be parents right at this very moment do we?"
Sydney tugged at his sweater, pulling it up over his head before attacking the white t-shirt that lay underneath it. "Definitely not." She smirked as she felt his hands slip at the hem of her sweater as she flipped off her shoes. She drew him to her again and whispered softly into his ear. "Tonight of all nights, definitely not."
A/N: Ok so there you go. The hotel is real. Took me FOREVER to find a good one to use. I needed one in a certain spot yadda, yadda, yadda. But the restaurant (Chez Gelinas) isn't. However the one in the Eiffel tower is, though I've never been. I've never even been to CANADA for goodness sakes and I live 3 hours from it. (I know my life is sad). Don't forget. I want 80 reviews or no new chapter!!! (Seriously getting really feisty!) Lots of love to you all! - Secret Agent Girl
This is for *Jennifer* - Damn you and your nice weather out in Cali. Thanks for the update and the love in yours.
And for *Mrs.Swearingen* - It's ok, Jennifer's my favorite writer too, to be put in the same category with her is an honor.
Disclaimers are all the same. Don't own a thing. However the new characters that are here are based on real people. Juliette Fortier (who first appeared last chapter) is my cousins grandmother, only with a different name (I don't actually know the REAL Mrs. Fortier's name, she's always just been Gammi) and the owner of the restaurant (this chapter) is my uncle, because he is the man.
I hope you all enjoy this. Wicked fluff though, whoo! (Though the next chapter is full of conflict with my favorite reappearing character) I actually had to do some research for this chapter so I feel my previous demand (I'm getting feisty today) for reviews was ok. I love you all for getting those reviews out so lightning fast last time. ONCORE! ONCORE! - Secret Agent Girl
CHAPTER 8 - Aux Champs-Elysees
Their first few days in France were spent mainly around the house. They spent some real quality time with Juliette and Brigitte, something that Vaughn was reveling in, he had missed being in that house, with those people. Everything about it made him feel safe, comforted, happy. On Monday, Sydney woke to find Danny already downstairs, something that was becoming habit for Brigitte. She peered at the clock and saw that it was almost 8:00. She quickly shifted and nudged the sleeping man beside her. "Hey. Michael, we need to get up."
Vaughn groaned. "Why?"
Sydney smiled and untangled herself from him. "Because we leave in an hour."
Her statement, so blunt and obscure, and the fact that he was now missing the warmth of her body next to his, automatically woke Vaughn. "What do you mean, 'we leave in an hour'?"
"I *mean*, we leave in an hour. Pretty self explanatory. Now come on!" She began to pull clothing together, rather quickly.
Vaughn got up and stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "What are you doing?"
"Getting ready." She told him matter-of-factly.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere." He looked at her. "Somewhere that I know you'll love so, come one. Go shower." She began to shove him towards the door before turning around and continuing through their clothes.
"Syd, seriously. Where?"
"You really want to know?" She turned to him.
"Yes."
"You want to ruin the surprise? Make all my hard work meaningless?" She asked putting her hands on her hips and giving him a pouty look.
"You bet." She was trying to guilt trip him into backing off and he knew it. Not only did he know it, but he wasn't going to let her get away with it. "Spill."
"Fine. Meany." She smiled, letting him know she really wasn't upset. "You and I are going away for a few days and your mom and aunt are going to watch our son. Ok? So now that you have ruined my big surprise, that I worked so hard on, can you please go and shower so I can finish packing?"
"You gonna tell me where we are going?" He wouldn't budge.
"No." Vaughn began to walk towards her, fully intending on using whatever tactics he could to get her to spill, after all she had done it to him not two weeks before. But Sydney held up her hand and stopped him in his tracks. She had a much stronger will than he did. "No. This is something that you are just going to have to accept."
"Fine." He sighed and gave a mock pout before grabbing his shaving kit and walking to the bathroom.
Sydney quickly packed and dressed and made her way downstairs. She found Brigitte and Juliette sitting in the kitchen, as Danny sat in his bouncy seat on the table. Sydney walked in and grabbed a cup of coffee and a croissant from the counter before joining the two women at the table and kissing her son good morning. "Thank you so much for doing this."
"Oh, it's our pleasure." Brigitte assured her. "Danny is the easiest child to care for. After Michel, he is an angel."
Sydney smiled, remembering all the stories that she had heard in the past few days about how Vaughn had been a very noisy and fussy baby.
"Where are you two going?" Juliette asked as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Into Paris. I've never been and we were going to go for our one year anniversary, something we decided we were going to do when we were in Rome for our honeymoon, but I was 7 months along with this one here," she tickled Danny and smiled as he laughed his wonderfully happy infant laugh. "So. But you can't say anything. He only knows that we are going away for a few days, not where we are going." Sydney took a bite of her croissant as the two women nodded reassuringly. "Oh my! These are simply amazing!"
Juliette smiled. It was a rarity that she was complemented so on her cooking, her family was used to it now. "Well I'm glad to see I can still please someone new with my culinary skills."
"Amazing!" Sydney stuffed the rest of the croissant in her mouth as Vaughn appeared in the doorway, showered and shaved.
"Morning." He greeted them as he grabbed Sydney's cup and downed the rest of her coffee.
"You look good." Sydney smiled at the Khaki's and crew neck sweater she had pulled out this morning and placed on the bed for him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes as he grabbed a croissant for himself and took a bite. "By the way, don't ever do that again."
"Why?" She laughed at his tone.
"I felt like I was back in high school again and my mom was trying to get me to change the way I dressed."
"Well I had every right. Those outfits were hideous!" Brigitte exclaimed as Juliette sat back and laughed.
"Hey! I'll have you know I was very in style." Vaughn insisted as Sydney raised and eyebrow.
"Please Michel! The outfits you wore were very, very odd! Made me want to move right back to France!" Brigitte exclaimed.
"Why? How did you dress?" Sydney questioned, fully intreged by now.
"You have to remember that I was a sophomore in high school when all the big teen movies started to come out, like Sixteen Candles." Vaughn stated shyly.
"Oh my God! You were a Ducky follower?" Vaughn blushed a deep red. "Oh my God, you were! You wore those outfits?!" Sydney could barely stand she was laughing so hard.
"Hey! It was very in! I'm sure many of your friends dressed like Molly Ringwald!"
"Not a chance! I was still in elementary school!" Sydney laughed as she stood up and walked over to their things. "Ok." She collected herself, taking several deep breaths while she held the stitch in her side. "You ready Mike?" She asked as she shrugged on her coat.
"I supposed so, now that you've all belittled my very childhood." He sighed with mock exasperation. He walked over to his son and kissed his forehead softly. "See ya kid. Mommy is taking me away and she wont tell me where." Sydney rolled her eyes at his last ditch attempt at guilt. "And you can wear whatever you want when you get older." He smiled. "See you in a few days." Vaughn turned to him mother and aunt. "Thanks for helping out, I think." Vaughn smiled as he hugged them both.
"Thanks again." Sydney called as she picked up the two bags by the door. "I'll call when we get, there." She smiled at Vaughn's hopeful look. He had been hoping she would slip but then again he had married a Bristow. "We'll see you Wednesday night."
They stepped out of the house to find a cab waiting for them. Vaughn's suspicions only grew when he saw the cab. Where could they be going that they couldn't take their own car, or rather Brigitte's car? "Syd . . ."
"I'm not telling you." She cut him off.
"Mean." She smiled at him.
"Damn straight."
When the cab stopped a short while later at the train station, Vaughn raised his eyebrows questioningly. "How far away are we going?"
"Oh, it's only about 2 hours or so by train." She smiled as she led him through the station towards their train. She stopped in front of the correct terminal and smiled. "This is ours."
Vaughn's eyes lit up at the destination stated and turned to her. "Paris? We're going to Paris?" Sydney nodded. "Why?"
"Michael what is today?"
"Monday."
"That date, Mike." She eyed him.
"The 18th."
"Right and tomorrow is the 19th of November. Those two dates are milestones for us, why?"
Vaughn thought for a moment, contemplating the days. When it finally hit him he leaned over and kissed her. "The 18th is the day I first told you I loved you and the 19th, one year later, is the day SD-6 fell and subsequently the day we got engaged."
Sydney smiled and pulled him onto the train. "Exactly. Now we have about 3 days to enjoy this, shall we?" Vaughn smiled and nodded as they sat down and made their way to Paris.
They arrived in Paris around 11 and Sydney was overly excited. She grabbed Vaughn's hand as they left the train station and had to bite her tongue to keep from jumping up and down in excitement. "This place is so amazing." She cried as they waited for a cab.
"I told you that." Vaughn smiled as the cab approached and they entered. "So where are we staying?"
"To Le Hotel Splendid Etoile, please." Sydney told the driver with a smile.
"Seriously?" Vaughn's eyes twinkled in the mid morning sun. "Syd, that place is so . . ."
"Perfect." She cut him off.
"I was going to say expensive."
"Yeah, well, don't go looking for your CIA paycheck this month." She smiled as he let out a low chuckle.
"Did you spend my entire paycheck?" She looked away, shyly. "Oh, man!"
She playfully tapped him on the arm. "You'll have fun, I promise!"
They arrived at the hotel and Sydney check in, not wanting Vaughn to know what room she had reserved. After refusing a bell boy, they only had one bag each; Sydney walked back over to Vaughn and grabbed his hand, bringing him to the elevators. Stepping inside, she pushed the button for the top floor, smiling widely.
"The top floor?" Vaughn raised his eyebrow. "You really *did* use my whole paycheck, didn't you?" She turned away. "Didn't you?"
Just then the doors opened to the top floor. "Oh look, we're here." Sydney quickly exited and made her way down the hallway.
"Sydney." Vaughn called after her as she continued her way. Chuckling, Vaughn followed her down the hallway to where she stood in front of a pair of double doors, waiting for him.
"Ready?" She asked seductively as she slipped the key into the door.
Smiling at him, she swung open the door to show the most gorgeous hotel room either of them had ever seen. It was actually two rooms, divided by two thick curtains that had been pulled back. The front room was beautiful. The antique blue furniture and high candle like lamps made the room glow and gave a look of true French elegance. The bedroom part took their breath away. The bed was a large king sized, the comforter a soft blue, matching the décor perfectly. The three-mirrored vanity shown with deep gold accents and the large bay window looked out over the L'arc de Triomphe. Sydney walked in fully and placed her bags by the soft blue curtain dividers and turned back to look at Vaughn, who stood mesmerized.
"Welcome to Le Hotel Splendid Etoile's deluxe suit." She smiled brightly. "What do you think?"
"I . . . I . . . I can't even find the words. I can't believe you did this. This is . . . its just." He walked over to her, at a complete loss of words and held her close. He kissed her softly with so much love that Sydney melted against him and moaned into his mouth. He pulled away slowly from her, lingering only an inch or two away, their eyes still closed. "This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me."
Sydney leaned back in and kissed him. "Well I'm glad. There are so many more surprises left." She smiled at him. Pulling away from him, she grabbed his hand and her bag, and proceeded to the door. "Come on, I want to go see Paris."
"You're not going to make me do all the tourist stuff are you?" Vaughn smiled as he slipped back on his jacket and followed her.
"No. I do want to see the Eiffel Tower and L'arc de Triomphe, though our view of it is quite nice. But other than that I just want to enjoy Paris."
"Meaning you want to go shopping?"
She smiled at him as they left the hotel. "You know me too well."
They spent the day wandering around the city, basking in the warm sun, despite the November weather, and soaking in everything around them. At 4:00 Sydney was dragging Vaughn down the shopping district looking for a shoe store. "Why again?" Vaughn asked as they found a shop and Sydney began to drag him inside.
"It's a girl thing. When you're in Paris, you just *have* to buy shoes."
Vaughn stepped out f the shower and smiled at his wide, who was fixing her hair in front of the mirror. He couldn't help think how gorgeous she was as she piled her curled hair on top of her head. He walked next to her and started to shave. "So we're going where?"
"Sorry, can't tell you. It's my last surprise for this trip." She smiled as he washed the excess shaving cream off his face and dried his hands.
He leaned over and kissed her shoulder, covered only by the thin strap of her black dress. "Hmm. Maybe I'll pull a few surprises tonight, myself." He whispered seductively in her ear.
"Hmm." she giggled lightly. "I can't wait."
They entered the taxi and Sydney leaned up to tell him where to go. She sat back and dragged her eyes over Vaughn. He looked amazing in a pair of dress slacks and a deep blue shirt, the top buttons lying open, and a suit jacket. It reminded her of the suits he wore in the days at the warehouse, sans the tie. "You look amazing." She smiled at him.
He leaned over and kissed her. "You took the words right out of my mouth." She was wearing a knee length black spaghetti strap dress that had a sheer overlay, covered in soft sparkles. One of her new pairs of shoes completed the outfit.
They arrived at an open field, that was being over looked by the Eiffel Tower. Thanking the driver, Sydney paid him and proceeded to leave, with a very confused Vaughn following her. "Uh, Syd?" he asked letting the question hang.
"What? We're here."
"Here? We're eating in an open field?"
"Of course not." She pulled him close to her. "We're eating there." She pointed to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
"Are you joking?" She shook her head. "It takes months to get reservations up there! How did you do it with a week's notice?"
She started off towards the tower, keeping her hand safely lodged inside his. "I called in a favor."
"Meaning?"
"I called Devlin." She smirked. "He owes me huge. I've never asked the CIA for anything after I left and I didn't think that my asking for something as simple as dinner reservations was anything too great. It's not like I asked him to pay for it. He agreed with me that my request was minor and was more than happy to oblige. He even told us to have a nice time." She smiled at Vaughn's surprised face as they entered the tower's elevator.
"Tomorrow we have to get him something." he insisted as the elevator made its way towards the top.
"I agree."
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Vaughn and Sydney both gasped at the room before them. The rich red walls and striking views from the giant windows gave you a feel of Paris at its finest. They were greeted but he Maitre d' and proceeded to their table. Devlin had even secured them a window seat. They sat down and as Sydney gazed out the window at the twinkling city below them, Vaughn ordered wine.
Looking back at her, he couldn't help but smile. The place was absolutely amazing and he couldn't believe that she had done this all. He watched her for a few moments, enchanted by her as she silently looked out the window. As she turned back to him, he smiled and clasped her hand in his own. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Thank you."
"For what?" She asked softly.
"For this whole trip."
She smiled and looked down at the table for a moment before meeting his eyes. "Well I can only take credit for Paris, you brought me to France in the first place."
"You're right, I did."
"Always the modest one." She smiled at him fully, showing the deep dimples that lay in her cheeks.
"That was amazing." Vaughn smiled as they made their way out of the Eiffel Tower elevators, sometime later.
"I'll take it I picked a good spot?" Sydney smiled and began to walk towards the street, ready to hail a cab, when Vaughn grabbed her arm, stopping her. "It's only down the Champs-Elysees, let's walk back." She smiled and nodded her head before grasping his hand as they started off.
"Paris is so amazing. Did you come here often when you lived in Fleury?"
"Every now and then. I remember coming here once with my dad in particular. I was only about 6 or so. Usually we came once or twice a year with my mom but those were mainly day trips. My grandparents use to live in the city so we'd visit for Christmas and Easter. But this one time it was just him and me. He took me up the Eiffel Tower for the first time." Vaughn smiled at the memory of his father telling him the story of his first date with Brigitte, a picnic in the field under the Eiffel Tower.
"Sounds like you had a good time."
"I did. That was one of the times I got to spend real quality time with my dad. Soon after that his work load increased much more and he wasn't around much." Vaughn smiled sadly as they walked slowly closer to their hotel.
"If I could give you one thing, it would be to give you back your father." Sydney smiled up at him softly.
Vaughn pulled her close, holding his arm across her shoulders. He felt her cold skin and slipping his coat from his shoulders, slipped it on to hers. He never understood why she refused to wear a coat, despite the fact that it was November. She smiled as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of his warm suit coat. "If I could give *you* one thing, it would be your mother."
Sydney looked at him for a moment. "Mike, my mom is back in LA."
"No, Irena Derevko is in LA. I'd give you back Laura Bristow."
Sydney leaned up and kissed him gently. They walked slowly down the street, soft lights from darkened shops illuminating the way. A smile crept across Sydney's face as they passed a small cafe and the smell of rich coffee and fresh pastries wafted over to them. She glanced up at the sky and her mind was put at ease at the sight of the stars twinkling down at her. Leaning towards Vaughn, she began to sing softly.
"Aux Champs-Elysees. Aux Champs-Elysees. Jour et nuit. Sous la pluie, a midi, et a minuit. Il y a tout ce que vous voulez, auz Champs-Elysees.
Vaughn smiled at her and whispered softly, "Cute."
"French was the language I took in high school. My professor loved to have us sing these silly little songs to have us learn. That was one of them." She leaned up against him as they reached the hotel. "It doesn't sound as nice in English as it does in French, though."
"Well nothing does." He smiled.
"That's not true. I know some words that I prefer in English rather than in French." She smiled knowingly at him.
"Such as . . ."
"Shower."
"Oh, ok, I'll give you that one." He smiled as they entered the hotel and made their way to the elevators.
As they walked down the hallway to their room, Sydney turned to him apprehensively. "So did you enjoy tonight?"
"Immensely." He smiled at her before attacking her neck with his lips as she moved to open the door.
"Hmm. I'm glad. Except there's one more thing."
"Oh, I know." He whispered as he trailed kisses down towards her collar bone.
"Not that!" She laughed as she pulled away from him. "Go sit down." She pointed to the bed before walking towards her bag and extracting a small square package.
"Syd, what did you do?"
"Well, see, when I told you I planned this Paris trip because of the 18th and the 19th, I wasn't necessarily lying, I just left something out. *This*," She handed him the box. "This is for the 27th." She smiled shyly.
"Syd, it's not for over a week."
"I know. But I wanted to give it to you now, in Paris. So Happy Birthday." He looked at her, a look of awe playing across his face. "Open it."
He smiled for a moment and carefully opened the box. Inside was a gorgeous leather wallet with small gold script on the front spelling out M.C.V. He ran his hand over the soft brown leather. It felt amazing along his skin, so soft and smooth. He flipped it open to find the picture section filled with a few pictures. One from their wedding day, their smiles wide. Another of them standing outside their new house, Donovan at their feet. The final picture was of Danny. Vaughn looked at him and smiled, remembering when Sydney and he had taken the picture. Danny had been about 2 months old and had been laughing that entire day. He was sitting on the couch, surrounded by pillows, a smile across his face.
Vaughn looked back at Sydney, who stood in front of him, with a nervous look on her face. "So?" She asked quietly. "So you like it?"
Vaughn stood and captured her in a soft kiss. "Thank you. This is amazing." He kissed her again, pulling her close, deepening the kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled at him. "Happy Birthday."
Vaughn smiled at her for only a moment before he picked her up and laid her down on the bed, kissing her fiercely. "You," his breathing was heavy as he fought to catch his breath. "You are the most amazing person ever. I don't know what I would do without you."
She kissed him softly, bringing him down to her as she slipped her hand under his shirt as she untucked it. "Let's not find out."
The sunlight crept though the small opening in the soft curtains, landing directly at the head of the bed. Sydney turned her head in protest as the light tried to force her awake. She moaned as she dug her head deep into Vaughn's chest, waking him as she moved.
His arm tightened around her as he woke slowly. Pulling in a deep breath, he leaned his head down and kissed the crown of her head. "Morning."
"Hmmm." She whined. "It's too early."
Vaughn let out an airy chuckle as he shifted himself further down in the bed. "It's almost 8:30." He told her after glancing quickly at his watch.
"See, early,: She smiled into his shoulder as her hand ran across his flat stomach. She leaned up and kissed him on his neck at the base of his ear. "Last night was truly spectacular."
"Yes. Yes it was. Everything was absolutely delicious.
Sydney snorted a short laugh. "Mike, I wasn't talking about dinner."
"Neither was I." She blushed at his comment. "Come on, get up. Today I'm taking you around Paris. Not the touristy Paris, but the good Paris, the one I use to visit with my grandparents."
She smiled and got up, slipping on his dress shirt from the night before. "Ok." She managed through a yawn. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower."
"Ok. I'm going to go call mom and check in with them." He stood, slipping on a pair of boxers and t-shirt.
"Ok, give them my love and have them hug Danny for me." Sydney called over her shoulder as she grabbed her clothes and toiletries and went to shower.
As soon as Vaughn heard the water running, he ran to the phone and quickly dialed. After waiting a few moments, he heard the line being answered and he quickly slipped into his native French. "Allo, Allan? It's Michael Vaughn . . .good, good. . . actually I'm staying in Paris with my wife for a few days . . .yeah, one . . . a boy, Daniel . . . Thank you. Actually yes, I have a favor to ask you. . . "
Sydney stepped out of the shower and dressed in a pair of tan cotton pants and a soft baby blue sweater. She dried her hair so that it curled at the ends. She smiled at herself in the mirror as she pushed her hair behind her ear, her wedding rings catching in the light.
Stepping back into the bedroom, her smile grew as her eyes fell on her husband, standing at the vanity as he finished his conversation with his mother. She walked up behind him and leaned against his back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and began to fiddle with the hem of his deep grey sweater and felt one of his hands slip over on her hers and intertwine his fingers with hers. She smiled as she saw his old wallet lying empty on the counter, meaning the new one was the bulge in his khaki's.
"Ok, we'll see you tomorrow. Je t'aime aussi. Au revoir, Maman." Vaughn hung up and turned, pulling Sydney into a hug.
"How are they handling things?" She asked as they gathered their jackets.
"Oh, just fine. You ready to go?"
"Uh-huh." She nodded and started towards the door.
He quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him. He kissed her softly and she smiled as he pulled away. "You look really pretty." She laughed at him softly. "What?"
"The first time you commented on my appearance, other than the whole "you look like you could use a dentist" thing." He smiled at the memory. "The first time, you said those exact words. I was going to dinner at Sloane's with Will and my dad. I had met you at the warehouse and after you blatantly checked me out in front of my dad, right before I left you told me I looked really pretty."
Vaughn's smiled grew as she spoke. "I was really jealous of Will that night. He was doing what I couldn't but wanted to do."
Sydney smiled and kissed him softly. "Yeah but you ended up with me in the end, didn't you."
Not bothering to hide his pride in that he simply replied, "Yes I did."
They made their way through the hidden areas of Paris, Vaughn leading the way as Sydney followed, amazed by each new place they went. As they day moved on, Vaughn brought her out of the city and more towards the country. As they sat in a cab, around 4:30, Sydney turned to Vaughn. "Mike, where are we going?"
"Out."
"Where?"
"To dinner."
"Again, where?"
"France." She smacked him lightly on the arm.
"Thank you Captain Obvious. Are you going to expand on where we are going?"
"No." He smiled at her innocently as the cab started through a small town.
When it finally came to a stop, they were outside a small restaurant that gave the impression that it had been there forever. It was a tiny little place with flower boxes everywhere and a small emblem on the door. They exited the cab and Sydney approached the door. "Chez Gelinas?" She turned to Vaughn with raised eyebrows.
"Trattoria di Nardi may be my favorite restaurant in the world, but this is my favorite in all of France." He took her hand and led her inside. They approached the Matre D' and Vaughn spoke. "Bonjour, reservations for Vaughn?" The man smiled and after asking them to wait one moment, disappeared, only to return a moment later with an older French man.
He was shorter with a slight build, his head devoid of hair, though obviously not by choice. His eyes were a deep brown, almost black, but radiated kindness. "Michel!" He called as he embraced Vaughn, speaking in rapid French. "So nice to see you again! How is your mother? Off gallivanting with Juliette, I assume?"
"She's well. The two of them are watching our son for a few days." Vaughn smiled and turned towards Sydney. "Allan Gelinas, this is my wife, Sydney. Syd, this is Allan Gelinas, he owns this place. He was a close friend of my fathers."
"It's nice to meet you." Sydney shook the older gentleman's hand, more than willing to continue the conversation in the older man's native language.
Allan smiled warmly at her before turning back to Vaughn. "I should have known."
"What?" Vaughn asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Just like your father, married to a true beauty." He turned to Sydney who blushed a deep chrisom red.
He brought them through the restaurant to the back. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky burned a bright and vibrant mix of oranges, reds, pinks and yellows. They made their way into a glassed in room that over looked a wide valley. There was a single table sitting in the candle light by the large glass walls. Sydney smiled and thanked Allan as he helped her into her chair before he turned and left, only to return a moment later with a bottle of wine. Right as Vaughn was about to ask where the menus where when Allan insisted that 'because he was William's son' that the best dishes of the house were being prepared. "Only the best for my Michel and such a gorgeous creature." He smiled before leaving the room, Sydney's face once again taking up a deep red shade.
Vaughn began to chuckle softly leaving Sydney questioned. "What?"
"I can't bring you anywhere. Every man we come across hits on you!"
"Well that's not my fault!" She smiled and took a sip of her wine. "Maybe you should have married someone more . . . homely."
"Maybe you shouldn't dress so provocatively." He countered with a smile.
"Mike, I'm wearing a sweater and long pants." She laughed lightly.
"You, we're going to have to do something about that later, given that we have to go back tomorrow."
She sighed deeply. "I know. Don't get me wrong, I love Brigitte and Juliette and I miss my son terribly but . . ." she smiled at him lovingly. "But these last few days have been absolute heaven."
"You're right, it has been. In June, we'll have to stick Danny with your dad and go away again."
"Hmm. Sounds good. I've always wanted to go to Vienna." She took another sip as Allan appeared, accompanied by a waiter, carrying several dishes, steam rising off of them as they were set in front of Sydney and Vaughn.
Sydney's eyes widened and her mouth dropped at the sight of the dishes. Plate after plate was set before them with mounds of gorgeous French delicacies. Vaughn smiled as he watched her gaze over the dishes. "Do you remember the food at Trattoria di Nardi?"
"No, I'm pretty sure I forgot all about the restaurant that you couldn't stop talking about for years." She replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "Yes I remember."
"Well do you remember the way I *first* described it to you?"
"That I would only like if it I liked food?" She smiled as he laughed.
"Yeah. Well that was Italian food. *This* is the greatest French food, ever."
"And here I was thinking you brought me to some mediocre restaurant." She smiled as she took a bite of the first dish. "Oh, my God. This is, oh my God. Seriously, MMM!"
"Told you." Vaughn smiled as he joined her in eating.
Sydney sat back and placed a hand on her stomach. "That was the greatest meal I have had in a long time."
"Told you. And you haven't even had dessert." Vaughn smiled evilly.
"Oh, Mike, I don't think I can eat another bite."
"Well, that'll change once you see the dessert." Allan arrived at that point, the waiter back at his side. As the waiter cleared the table of dishes, Vaughn turned to Allan. "Allan, nous voudrions la mort par Chocolate, s'il vous plait."
"Death by Chocolate?" Sydney raised her eyebrow as Allan walked away. Vaughn could only smile. "You are going to be the death of me."
"Yeah, why is that?"
"Because, you spoil me horribly."
"Well it's my job." He smiled widely as Allan returned.
"Voila." Allan smiled as he placed the plate in front of them.
Sydney's eyes widened at the sight, and she thought dinner looked amazing. A mound of white chocolate ice cream with white chocolate chunks sat at one end, drizzled in raspberry and chocolate sauces. A soft chocolate brownie, sprinkled with powdered sugar, sat on its side. On the edge of the plate, two chocolate Piolette sticks lie gracefully, their ends laying in a puddle of chocolate and raspberry sauce, leading to a gigantic chocolate soufflé, whose tiny incision was oozing a thick, dark, rich chocolate.
"Wow. This looks amazing!"
Vaughn smiled and handed her a fork, "Wait till you try it."
They arrived back at the hotel and Sydney had yet to stop smiling. "So much for me taking you on a trip. My dinner seems rather lame compared to tonights."
"What are you talking about? That was amazing! I would never have had the nerve to ask Devlin to get us into the Eiffel tower!"
"That's because you can still get fired." She smiled. "Well I'm glad you like it. I truly loved tonight. I mean, you know all the good restaurants. Do you have one in every major city?'
"Basically." He smiled as they walked down the corridor to their room. "So what are we doing tomorrow?"
"I don't know. I really only had last night planned. Other than that I figured we'd play it by ear."
"Ok, well I think that we should sleep in late and then be excruciatingly lazy as we walk around the city aimlessly, enjoying our time here, until we have to go back to being parents."
Sydney smiled and laughed at him, pulling him to her and kissing him softly. "Sounds good to me."
He pushed open the door and pulled her inside, capturing her lisp with his own. Pushing the door closed behind him, he pulled her towards the bed. "We don't have to be parents right at this very moment do we?"
Sydney tugged at his sweater, pulling it up over his head before attacking the white t-shirt that lay underneath it. "Definitely not." She smirked as she felt his hands slip at the hem of her sweater as she flipped off her shoes. She drew him to her again and whispered softly into his ear. "Tonight of all nights, definitely not."
A/N: Ok so there you go. The hotel is real. Took me FOREVER to find a good one to use. I needed one in a certain spot yadda, yadda, yadda. But the restaurant (Chez Gelinas) isn't. However the one in the Eiffel tower is, though I've never been. I've never even been to CANADA for goodness sakes and I live 3 hours from it. (I know my life is sad). Don't forget. I want 80 reviews or no new chapter!!! (Seriously getting really feisty!) Lots of love to you all! - Secret Agent Girl