A/N: This is the final chapter!!! I got the epilogue in the works
so..please review this so I know whether or not to do the sequel I have in
mind. And to clear up anything, chapter 16 "Cell Block Tango" was based on
the song from Chicago, which I do not own in any way. Please review and
tell me what you think! I love reading them and hopefully, each chapter
was better than the rest. So, read this last chapter and the epilogue
coming within the next couple of days!
So without any further ado..the final chapter of AND THE BLUEBIRD MAY FALL..
She clutched her hands tightly in her lap, feeling the sweat pool between her fingertips. She could help her hands on her legs from bouncing up and down or the impatient feeling running through her veins. Her heart was pounding so loudly with anticipation that she could barely hear the small talk her father was attempting to have. She only paused to breath and murmur a "yeah," or "uh-huh." She and her father were pulling away from the Joint Task Force Ops and going towards the warehouse. Her body was free from the confines of the wheelchair and was now confined to her dad's black SUV. She hadn't seen Vaughn in over a week. Now, grant it, she had not seen him for a lot longer than a week but today, all she wanted to do was lay her eyes on him and make sure that he was okay. The last time she saw him, she was being tortured and he was crying for her to be okay. And now she was. It was time for her to show him that he was well. *Hurry, hurry, hurry* she coaxed her father's foot on the gas. She let her hands bop up and down causing extreme pain and-
"Sydney." Jack finally let out an exasperated sigh. His eyes glanced between his nervous daughter and the road, letting his hand away from the wheel to unclasp hers. "Why are you so worried?" Every since she had returned, he was the sweetest man on the planet, showing adamant concern in his eyes for her whenever he looked at her. He was in love with his daughter all over again.
She couldn't tell him the real reason why. It would only bring more trouble to her life. She couldn't confess that she was nervous as all hell to see a man she hadn't seen in a week and dreamed about every night. That his images surrounded her in every waking moment that she could focus on. Or daydreams made her zone out of conversations and gossip that Francie gushed everyday. She wanted to see him so badly, it actually ached inside. "I'm just anxious to see the warehouse again." She unyieldingly replied.
Jack smiled and laughed lightly, "You know, for an agent, you sure can't lie."
Sydney started to laugh and would have hit her father if he wasn't driving, "What are you talking about? I haven't seen the warehouse in a while."
"Liar."
"Dad!" Sydney felt her cheeks glow brightly in the midday sun. "I'm- "
"Liar." His answer was short and made her burn even brighter. "You- "
"Don't you finish that sentence!" Sydney let go off everything and shook her hands in the air. "Dad!" (A/N a little OOC but its still works).
Jack felt a laugh brew in his stomach and escape his lips. He hadn't laughed in nearly twenty-four years. It felt so good..it was bottled up inside him so tightly that it felt good to finally release it.
Vaughn sat on the table in the middle of the warehouse and his body was shaking with anticipation. His leg still throbbed with pain but it was okay. It was bearable and he was going to see Sydney again. His jade eyes shut for a moment as he thought about this morning and how chaotic it had been..what had happened and its results. This morning had been chaotic. No, this week had been chaotic.
Weiss had brought him home, cracking the usual jokes about Alice or his apartment or how ugly he was. Vaughn managed to climb out of the wheelchair, on loan from the hospital and he was put on bed rest for a few days. Weiss didn't ask about what happened in Madrid or if anything had happened with Sydney. As Vaughn got settled, seeing his house again, Weiss was unusually silent and solemn. At his heart, Vaughn knew that something had changed while he had gone..that something had happened to his friend but he didn't have the heart to bring it up. Weiss had grown quietly, not bearing to look at him at all. His quiet manners scared his friend slightly and as Weiss turned to leave his best friend's place, he turned around, "Hey Mike."
Vaughn looked up from the bed with pain filled eyes, "Yeah?"
Weiss struggled with the next phrase he wanted to say so badly. "You know..we almost lost you...and Sydney..but I just wanted to say..that I'm glad.."
Vaughn raised his hand to silence him, "Me too." He shared this touching moment for minute.
"Hey baby." A female voice entered, quickly dissolving the moment. She had rushed home from dinner at the country club with her parents and was dressed in a floor length black dress that had a slit up her hamstring. Her blonde hair was pulled back by a rhinestone headband and her brown eyes shown with jealousy. "Good-bye, Eric. Mike needs his rest." Alice had promptly entered Vaughn's room and hastily pushed Weiss out of the door. "You need to go." And the moment was gone. She placed her hand on his chest and started to push him out of the room.
"Bye man." Vaughn barely spoke aloud, feeling resentment towards the woman he supposedly loved but was now grating on his nerves.
Her blonde haired head had bopped around a bit and formerly shoved him out the house. "Good-bye." She finally said, shutting the door in his face with a perky matter.
Alice had quickly returned to Vaughn's side, "Hey baby." She cooed, sitting next to him on the bed and started to kiss his face and his neck.
He wanted to roll his eyes but instead, let out a painful sigh, "Hi." He hoarsely whispered.
She sat up from kissing his neck and looked him squarely in the eyes, "You don't know how much I missed you, baby. How much I hate lying here alone and now, you're home." Never mind, 'how are you feeling?' No, she jumped right to, 'I' and 'me' and all the selfish terms that are implied there. "From this moment, until you get better, I'm going to take care of you. I promise."
Vaughn smiled weakly and pretended to be exhausted and shut his eyes, privately dreading the next few days. They had been over for a while but she didn't know that.
There, and from that moment on for the next three or for days, was disgustingly overprotective and motherly to him. She cooked his meals, took care of Donovan, slept beside him and woke him every few hours to make sure he was okay and to give him his medication. And every day, she told him she loved him and he couldn't say it back with a clear conscious. That morning, she had come in, dressed in jean skirt and tank top and quietly stirred him.
"Hey baby." She cooed, kissing him lightly to wake him.
His body had not stirred too much; he was living in this dream. Finally, his cherry colored lips uttered the words, "I love you too, Syd."
Alice stood up, waking him violently in the process. "Okay Michael. Who the hell is Sydney?" She knew he was awake and if he wasn't, so what?
Vaughn's eyes had opened slowly and gone was the great dream he was having of him and Sydney..but an angry girlfriend standing over him, with her hands on her hips, ready to kill him. He suddenly found himself wishing he was still in Madrid or Ophelia had killed him. "Alice!" He exclaimed, frantically trying to sit up. "Alice!"
"Very good, Michael. You remembered my name." The veins were popping out of her neck and for a while there, he thought she was going to strangle him. "Who the hell is Sydney?"
"Hang on!" He ran his hands over his face and desperately tried to rationalize with her or even wake up, "Can you sit for a minute?"
"No!"
"Okay." That obviously wasn't going to work. "Let me explain."
"No it's really okay." She replied sarcastically. "For the past few nights, you've moaned that name in your sleep. You've cried out for her when I touch you! When I kiss you while you sleep you say her name! Who the hell is she, Michael?" She was pissed, there was no denying that. She began to pace at the foot of his bed, her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for her answer.
Vaughn suddenly realized how swollen his tongue was. The words were tripping out of his mouth as he tried to explain the insanely complicated situation. "I'm in love with another woman." Not exactly the most subtle way to go but it could work for him. He cringed at the way the words fell out of his mouth and how incredibly brash that sounded. Her face went from red to purple very quickly and he noticed how quickly she started to breath. "Alice-" He would have gotten up and forced her to sit down but that was futile. His leg was heavy and he couldn't bear to put any wait on it. "I'm so sorry."
She snorted and starred at him. "You're sorry? I've wasted how long being in this relationship with you and you go around and screw some other girl?" Her eyes narrowed at him and he swore for a moment there she was going to kill him with the stiletto heels on her feet.
*Well, technically..I haven't screwed another girl. Hell, I haven't even kissed her.* "I'm so sorry, Alice." He repeated again, feeling horrible and free all at the same time. This was a great feeling that was coming over him and he needed to suppress it right now. He was free from the "Ice Queen" as Weiss liked to refer to her. He wasn't cynical or mean by nature but if he was going to do what he wanted to do today, it would have to be over between him and Alice. "I really am sorry."
"Screw you!" She snapped, going to his closet and ripping down all of her clothes. "I'll be gone by the afternoon."
Vaughn ran his hands over his face again, still exhausted from his sleep, "Take all the time you need."
That made her snap. "I want you out of my life as soon as possible! I don't want to hear your name-see your face-hear you breathing! I hate you right now Michael and I hope you rot in hell for this!" She abandoned her clothes and rushed out of the house, slamming the door behind her with a loud thud.
So now, he sat on the table in the middle of the dingy warehouse waiting for Sydney to come. He was early, as usual but he couldn't help but feel like the seconds were barely inching by. He tapped his good foot in anticipation, running through his speech over and over again in his mind, with his still bandaged leg resting awkwardly on the table. He couldn't help but bop up and down, like an anxious two year old. His eyes grew wide and were promptly removed from his reverie by the opening of the warehouse door and the sound of two male feet making their way across the hard cement. He felt his eyes grow wide as he tried to get his emotions in perfect check. His throat was cleared rapidly over and over again. Vaughn thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest if Jack took a moment longer or at least, he hoped it was Jack. A familiar figure started to come into the shadows with another figure clinging to his neck.
Nothing short of a cold voice greeted him, "Agent Vaughn," the first figure replied, walking straight up to the table and setting the first figure down. "I trust you'll get her home safely." Jack straightened up and slowly stretched out his back from the weight of his daughter in his arms. His black suit had grown wrinkled from his embrace but the perfect, controlling Mr. Bristow didn't mind at all.
He would have stood up and shook his hand but perceptibly couldn't. "Yes sir." He extended his hand out and Jack shook it firmly. He felt the old wounds of his torture spread through his lower back and his plain black t-shirt revealed the track marks on his arms that had turned a violent violet in color.
Jack looked at his daughter once more and softly said, "Dinner tonight at 8?"
Sydney smiled from her space on the table. "Yeah..8's good."
He slowly started to back away towards his car and the exit, fully aware that he was giving his daughter to another man. This was painful for him to doubt. He missed her entire life and now as soon as he had the chance to catch up, there was another man waiting with his arms wide open. His eyes scanned her once more and then he turned to leave.
Sydney sat uncomfortably on the table next to Vaughn, wanting so badly to cross her legs but knowing with full knowledge she couldn't. Their hands were so close to each other. It was like being in High School and sitting so close to that other person but not knowing if they could touch the other.
"What did that woman do to you?" Vaughn managed to say, after surveying the damage of her legs and the bruises that were unable to be concealed on her arms and neck. His eyes had grown red and worried at the sight of her looking so destroyed. He had never seen her this way.except the first time that they met.
"Yeah, I know." She replied, looking down at her legs and then at him. "They did you pretty bad too." Her voice was soft and insecure.
He bit down on his lip, "You got worse than I did, Syd. I'm so glad that you're okay." He didn't know what to say after that. Hell, he could barely look at her without revealing everything he had bottled up. Lord, he was losing his nerve quickly. No, he could back down.
She didn't know how to start the conversation. How do you confess your feelings to a man you're not allowed to have feelings for?
Silence
Silence
And more awkward silence.
"So." her voice wavered in the stillness. Her eyes were locked on him as he starred out in to void of the space. The dim lighting seemed more peaceful than it ever had before. Without receiving a response she spoke again, "So why did you need so see me? Has something come up?" She still didn't receive a response but honestly didn't have the energy to fight with him today. But it was okay. She didn't mind sitting in silence for this little bit. It gave her a few extra seconds to reflect on what she wanted to say so badly.
He breathed in slowly and finally spoke, "I broke up with Alice this morning." He said simply. He didn't face her as he spoke but quickly turned as he had finished. She was clearly in shock and wasn't doing a great job at concealing her emotions.
When she realized what had just happened she could only utter, "Oh." And after a split second or two of thinking, "I'm sorry."
He moved his body to face her, balancing partly on the table and his good leg. "It's been over for a while," blatantly ignoring his body screaming at him to go home and lie down...that his body was going to fall in a few hours or to get out of there- it needed its rest!
"Oh." She bit down hard on the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. He was free from her and she was free..they could be together. "So..are you and Anne Marie going to get together?" She had to play the devil. She poked and prodded and waited for the dreaded answer and prayed it would be the one she wanted. The correct answer would be uh, no.
This completely caught him off guard, "Annie? What?" He thought back to the plane, "What made you think..?"
Sydney wore a smug impression of her face, "Well, you two seemed so chummy at the airport that I just assumed." Her response was jealous. She crossed her arms defensively. Her brown now green eyes narrowed. "She certainly flirted with you enough."
He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Annie and I had dated for awhile..like a year. We," he cleared his throat again, "she was my first love and then..I found her in my bed..with someone.with someone else...actually my...my old roommate." He shut his jade eyes for a moment and reflected that warm summer day that he had returned from work and found her...it was horrible. "After that.I found Alice and then.."
She didn't want to hear about it anymore. She didn't care. *Why is that men always feel it's necessary to talk about their love life with other women? Huh?* "Is that why you called me? To talk about this?" It sounded harsh but she meant it to be sincere.
He laughed lightly, forcing his body back into the present, "I-uh, no. Definitely not." Vaughn shifted once more to get comfortable. "I spoke with your mother today."
"I know. Me too." She started to smile a little. "She told me." She answered the puzzled expression on his face.
He was taken back by this at first and jerked his body back slightly. "Oh." Clearing his throat, he continued, "She told me something kinda interesting. Something that I at least found interesting, you might-"
"Vaughn, you're babbling."
"Right. She-uh..she told me that we..She told me that you were at my father's funeral. That we played together afterwards. That she had to tear us apart because we were having so much fun together that you didn't want to go home and I had forgotten what had happened." His voice grew quiet and gentle as he spoke so carefully. His father's funeral was a complete blur to him but he needed to tell Sydney that they had met before he was assigned to her. Every part of his body desired to reach out and touch her face or caress the nape of her neck but he knew he couldn't. He could never have her. She was out of his league.
She tried to form words but it was impossible. "I-uh-we-really?" She started to laugh a little. "Huh." They knew each other when they were little. She had met his mother, him, and what other family he had. "That's so.." She let her voice trail off. "Well. Well, is that what you wanted to tell me?"
Vaughn laughed lightly and shook his head no. "I have something I want to tell you."
"Well, I have something to say to you too. Let me go first."" She started slowly, not really sure where she wanted to go with this. "I," she cleared her throat, "I guess I wanted to say that I am really glad I had you..er..I was with you throughout all of this. I don't know what would have happened if I didn't have you. You're my rock and I am so happy you were there with me..for everything." She paused, letting her words sink into his mind.
Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, it's hard to breathe
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the fame, I'm so ashamed
"I feel like I owe you my life." She finished with satisfaction. There. She had said it and it was now out in the open. The ball was in his court. But he didn't say anything. He just looked away from her, craning his neck all the way around so that she couldn't even see his face. She had basically just confessed her feelings for him and he was looking away from her? Eager to see what was on his face, she reached up but quickly pulled his hands back from touching him.
I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today
Vaughn felt the emotions overrunning him. She felt the same way about him that he felt about her. This was a lot for him to handle. He almost pictured her not feeling the same way. "I thought you would blame me for all of this." He spoke softly. And lied.
She scoffed, "You what?"
"I was your link to the CIA and being a double agent so I thought that you would want to severer the ties with me and then your double agent status." He slowly went through his rational that he was totally making up on the spot. He didn't think that for a second but he needed to say something. His palms were getting sweaty and his body was now officially jittery. His eyes stayed locked to his left, locked on one part of the chain link fence established there.
To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The piece is gone and the puzzle undone
That's the way it is
Screw protocol and all of that bull, she reached up and took his face in her hands. She was concentrating fully and had a serious face on. "Look at me. You," She pulled his face towards her, forcing him to look into her eyes, "are my one link to sanity. I would never even think of forcing you out of my life. I could never do that. You save me more than you really think." She spoke so purely and his mouth was so close to hers that it pained her not kiss him. "I don't know what I would do if it wasn't your voice on the other end of my comm. link. You're my sanity." His skin beneath hers sent chills through her spine and she felt so tiny and so unworthy at that moment. The tension between them had grown to the point that she didn't know that she could wake up everyday without him lying next to her.
He realized then how much he loved her. For a while, he had known it and felt in whenever they were in the same room together but right now, it felt so real. "You know." His voice was soft and husky, "my biggest fear is losing you." He spoke on a personal and business level. He brought his hands up to touch hers, still resting on either side of her face. The warmth of her body was spreading up through his and at the same time, sending frightening chills through his spine. "When you're out..on a mission..I can't stop thinking about you."
"And I can't stop thinking about you when I'm out. That I'm doing this..that I'm a double because..and then..." Her reason changed. She was no longer doing this for Danny or for Will or for all those innocent people. She was doing this for herself..to prove that she could avenge murderers and get what she wanted so badly. She wanted to bring down SD-6 so she could be with him. She wanted to be with Vaughn.
She held his face in her palms and wished the world would stop turning for a moment. She smiled at the stubble on his cheek. The tears threatened to come to her eyes again. She had fallen for the one man she couldn't have. She leaned closer, wanting to get nearer to him and unsure where this was going to go. She rolled over on her hips as she grew closer and closer, with her eyes darting between his perfect lips and his emerald eyes. The pain throughout her body was ignored. His touch was painkiller enough for him and as the electricity grew into a fire in her heart, she thought she was going to break if something didn't happen soon.
His lips parted for a moment and she honestly thought she was going to die. Her heart was pounding so fast that she didn't even know if her heart was still beating.
The worlds blurred out completely as he leaned in just a little bit closer, pressing his lips against hers. His hands left hers and wrapped tightly around hers as it grew in intensity. That was all she needed. Their first kiss was sweet and unsure. It was like the Junior High First Kiss that she never received. But the first kiss soon led to the second and to the third and suddenly, his brain was screaming for him to take a breath as the passion between the two of them lit his body afire. She ran her hands through his hair and felt that was going to die if they separated. His grip around his back became tighter and more passionate, pulling her closer and closer to him. He was so sweet and pure and all she wanted was to be with him. The passion overtook them and their desires took control. There were no senses anymore just each other and neither could get enough of the other. Fire seized hegemony and lord knows she wanted him.
He pulled her closer to him and at first she winced at the movement but went with it. She felt his heart racing against hers. He had never felt such intense feelings for anyone before. Anne Marie..Alice..no one did this to him. It was like the rest of the world faded away and he wanted to laugh and breakdown all at the same time. He was holding her so tightly to him and she didn't want to be anywhere else in the world. Her brains started to scream for oxygen too and finally, she pulled back, gasping for air.
He was the first one to speak, "I uh..wow." A goofy little grin had spread over his mouth, stained with berry lipstick. He had never been kissed like that before and wanted to for the rest of his life. They were still so close together that he was breathing in her breath.
She ran his hands through his hair, "Yeah." The smile had spread over her mouth also. She was suddenly aware of his hands, clutching her back, afraid of letting go. She leaned in again and kissed him, even more passionately this time. She wanted to go further and stay with him forever. Love was not something that had always been kind to her and now that she found it, she didn't want to let go so easily.
He pressed her even closer to his body, thinking he was going to explode any moment now. She groped heavily at his t-shirt, undoing it from his jeans and wanting so desperately to rip it over his head. He played with her shirt as their mouths fiercely pressed against each other, not knowing where the love they shared would leave them. He started to lean her backwards, when she yelped in pain. His hand had pressed against the stitches, which were already swollen with pain. "Oh G-d, Sydney, I'm sorry."
She shifted her weight and leaned back on her arms, letting go of his grasp. Her scarred abdomen was showing and her shirt was dangling seductively off of her shoulder. His shirt was wrinkled and pulled at different angles from the outburst. "It's okay. That's okay. After the stitches are out." She joked quickly, wiggling further to get more comfortable. He took the hint and sat up a few inches from her, letting his leg dangle over one side and tucking the other one in front of him. "Did we just.?"
Vaughn smiled innocently, "How long did you..?"
"Since I met you. You?" She was now smilingly broadly and leaned forward to rub the lipstick off of his face and lips. They felt so clean and pure underneath his fingertips.
"The red hair definitely did it for me."
Sydney began to laugh and sit up a little bit with the help of Vaughn. He tucked his hand beneath the small of her back and with his other hand, helped her pull her legs onto the table. "I wanted to kiss you so badly in Madrid." She turned her body and rested in his arms.
"You are so beautiful, you know that?" Vaughn kissed her forehead and rocked back and forth, feeling the weight of his angel in his arms.
"What would I do without you?" she barely whispered aloud, feeling insanely vulnerable.
You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words won't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words won't bring you down
Don't you bring me down today...
She laughed, letting some tears spill over from her eyes. She reached up and kissed him once more.
He counted quickly, releasing his lips from hers, "What would I do without you?"
"Don't worry. They aren't getting rid of me that easy."
So without any further ado..the final chapter of AND THE BLUEBIRD MAY FALL..
She clutched her hands tightly in her lap, feeling the sweat pool between her fingertips. She could help her hands on her legs from bouncing up and down or the impatient feeling running through her veins. Her heart was pounding so loudly with anticipation that she could barely hear the small talk her father was attempting to have. She only paused to breath and murmur a "yeah," or "uh-huh." She and her father were pulling away from the Joint Task Force Ops and going towards the warehouse. Her body was free from the confines of the wheelchair and was now confined to her dad's black SUV. She hadn't seen Vaughn in over a week. Now, grant it, she had not seen him for a lot longer than a week but today, all she wanted to do was lay her eyes on him and make sure that he was okay. The last time she saw him, she was being tortured and he was crying for her to be okay. And now she was. It was time for her to show him that he was well. *Hurry, hurry, hurry* she coaxed her father's foot on the gas. She let her hands bop up and down causing extreme pain and-
"Sydney." Jack finally let out an exasperated sigh. His eyes glanced between his nervous daughter and the road, letting his hand away from the wheel to unclasp hers. "Why are you so worried?" Every since she had returned, he was the sweetest man on the planet, showing adamant concern in his eyes for her whenever he looked at her. He was in love with his daughter all over again.
She couldn't tell him the real reason why. It would only bring more trouble to her life. She couldn't confess that she was nervous as all hell to see a man she hadn't seen in a week and dreamed about every night. That his images surrounded her in every waking moment that she could focus on. Or daydreams made her zone out of conversations and gossip that Francie gushed everyday. She wanted to see him so badly, it actually ached inside. "I'm just anxious to see the warehouse again." She unyieldingly replied.
Jack smiled and laughed lightly, "You know, for an agent, you sure can't lie."
Sydney started to laugh and would have hit her father if he wasn't driving, "What are you talking about? I haven't seen the warehouse in a while."
"Liar."
"Dad!" Sydney felt her cheeks glow brightly in the midday sun. "I'm- "
"Liar." His answer was short and made her burn even brighter. "You- "
"Don't you finish that sentence!" Sydney let go off everything and shook her hands in the air. "Dad!" (A/N a little OOC but its still works).
Jack felt a laugh brew in his stomach and escape his lips. He hadn't laughed in nearly twenty-four years. It felt so good..it was bottled up inside him so tightly that it felt good to finally release it.
Vaughn sat on the table in the middle of the warehouse and his body was shaking with anticipation. His leg still throbbed with pain but it was okay. It was bearable and he was going to see Sydney again. His jade eyes shut for a moment as he thought about this morning and how chaotic it had been..what had happened and its results. This morning had been chaotic. No, this week had been chaotic.
Weiss had brought him home, cracking the usual jokes about Alice or his apartment or how ugly he was. Vaughn managed to climb out of the wheelchair, on loan from the hospital and he was put on bed rest for a few days. Weiss didn't ask about what happened in Madrid or if anything had happened with Sydney. As Vaughn got settled, seeing his house again, Weiss was unusually silent and solemn. At his heart, Vaughn knew that something had changed while he had gone..that something had happened to his friend but he didn't have the heart to bring it up. Weiss had grown quietly, not bearing to look at him at all. His quiet manners scared his friend slightly and as Weiss turned to leave his best friend's place, he turned around, "Hey Mike."
Vaughn looked up from the bed with pain filled eyes, "Yeah?"
Weiss struggled with the next phrase he wanted to say so badly. "You know..we almost lost you...and Sydney..but I just wanted to say..that I'm glad.."
Vaughn raised his hand to silence him, "Me too." He shared this touching moment for minute.
"Hey baby." A female voice entered, quickly dissolving the moment. She had rushed home from dinner at the country club with her parents and was dressed in a floor length black dress that had a slit up her hamstring. Her blonde hair was pulled back by a rhinestone headband and her brown eyes shown with jealousy. "Good-bye, Eric. Mike needs his rest." Alice had promptly entered Vaughn's room and hastily pushed Weiss out of the door. "You need to go." And the moment was gone. She placed her hand on his chest and started to push him out of the room.
"Bye man." Vaughn barely spoke aloud, feeling resentment towards the woman he supposedly loved but was now grating on his nerves.
Her blonde haired head had bopped around a bit and formerly shoved him out the house. "Good-bye." She finally said, shutting the door in his face with a perky matter.
Alice had quickly returned to Vaughn's side, "Hey baby." She cooed, sitting next to him on the bed and started to kiss his face and his neck.
He wanted to roll his eyes but instead, let out a painful sigh, "Hi." He hoarsely whispered.
She sat up from kissing his neck and looked him squarely in the eyes, "You don't know how much I missed you, baby. How much I hate lying here alone and now, you're home." Never mind, 'how are you feeling?' No, she jumped right to, 'I' and 'me' and all the selfish terms that are implied there. "From this moment, until you get better, I'm going to take care of you. I promise."
Vaughn smiled weakly and pretended to be exhausted and shut his eyes, privately dreading the next few days. They had been over for a while but she didn't know that.
There, and from that moment on for the next three or for days, was disgustingly overprotective and motherly to him. She cooked his meals, took care of Donovan, slept beside him and woke him every few hours to make sure he was okay and to give him his medication. And every day, she told him she loved him and he couldn't say it back with a clear conscious. That morning, she had come in, dressed in jean skirt and tank top and quietly stirred him.
"Hey baby." She cooed, kissing him lightly to wake him.
His body had not stirred too much; he was living in this dream. Finally, his cherry colored lips uttered the words, "I love you too, Syd."
Alice stood up, waking him violently in the process. "Okay Michael. Who the hell is Sydney?" She knew he was awake and if he wasn't, so what?
Vaughn's eyes had opened slowly and gone was the great dream he was having of him and Sydney..but an angry girlfriend standing over him, with her hands on her hips, ready to kill him. He suddenly found himself wishing he was still in Madrid or Ophelia had killed him. "Alice!" He exclaimed, frantically trying to sit up. "Alice!"
"Very good, Michael. You remembered my name." The veins were popping out of her neck and for a while there, he thought she was going to strangle him. "Who the hell is Sydney?"
"Hang on!" He ran his hands over his face and desperately tried to rationalize with her or even wake up, "Can you sit for a minute?"
"No!"
"Okay." That obviously wasn't going to work. "Let me explain."
"No it's really okay." She replied sarcastically. "For the past few nights, you've moaned that name in your sleep. You've cried out for her when I touch you! When I kiss you while you sleep you say her name! Who the hell is she, Michael?" She was pissed, there was no denying that. She began to pace at the foot of his bed, her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for her answer.
Vaughn suddenly realized how swollen his tongue was. The words were tripping out of his mouth as he tried to explain the insanely complicated situation. "I'm in love with another woman." Not exactly the most subtle way to go but it could work for him. He cringed at the way the words fell out of his mouth and how incredibly brash that sounded. Her face went from red to purple very quickly and he noticed how quickly she started to breath. "Alice-" He would have gotten up and forced her to sit down but that was futile. His leg was heavy and he couldn't bear to put any wait on it. "I'm so sorry."
She snorted and starred at him. "You're sorry? I've wasted how long being in this relationship with you and you go around and screw some other girl?" Her eyes narrowed at him and he swore for a moment there she was going to kill him with the stiletto heels on her feet.
*Well, technically..I haven't screwed another girl. Hell, I haven't even kissed her.* "I'm so sorry, Alice." He repeated again, feeling horrible and free all at the same time. This was a great feeling that was coming over him and he needed to suppress it right now. He was free from the "Ice Queen" as Weiss liked to refer to her. He wasn't cynical or mean by nature but if he was going to do what he wanted to do today, it would have to be over between him and Alice. "I really am sorry."
"Screw you!" She snapped, going to his closet and ripping down all of her clothes. "I'll be gone by the afternoon."
Vaughn ran his hands over his face again, still exhausted from his sleep, "Take all the time you need."
That made her snap. "I want you out of my life as soon as possible! I don't want to hear your name-see your face-hear you breathing! I hate you right now Michael and I hope you rot in hell for this!" She abandoned her clothes and rushed out of the house, slamming the door behind her with a loud thud.
So now, he sat on the table in the middle of the dingy warehouse waiting for Sydney to come. He was early, as usual but he couldn't help but feel like the seconds were barely inching by. He tapped his good foot in anticipation, running through his speech over and over again in his mind, with his still bandaged leg resting awkwardly on the table. He couldn't help but bop up and down, like an anxious two year old. His eyes grew wide and were promptly removed from his reverie by the opening of the warehouse door and the sound of two male feet making their way across the hard cement. He felt his eyes grow wide as he tried to get his emotions in perfect check. His throat was cleared rapidly over and over again. Vaughn thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest if Jack took a moment longer or at least, he hoped it was Jack. A familiar figure started to come into the shadows with another figure clinging to his neck.
Nothing short of a cold voice greeted him, "Agent Vaughn," the first figure replied, walking straight up to the table and setting the first figure down. "I trust you'll get her home safely." Jack straightened up and slowly stretched out his back from the weight of his daughter in his arms. His black suit had grown wrinkled from his embrace but the perfect, controlling Mr. Bristow didn't mind at all.
He would have stood up and shook his hand but perceptibly couldn't. "Yes sir." He extended his hand out and Jack shook it firmly. He felt the old wounds of his torture spread through his lower back and his plain black t-shirt revealed the track marks on his arms that had turned a violent violet in color.
Jack looked at his daughter once more and softly said, "Dinner tonight at 8?"
Sydney smiled from her space on the table. "Yeah..8's good."
He slowly started to back away towards his car and the exit, fully aware that he was giving his daughter to another man. This was painful for him to doubt. He missed her entire life and now as soon as he had the chance to catch up, there was another man waiting with his arms wide open. His eyes scanned her once more and then he turned to leave.
Sydney sat uncomfortably on the table next to Vaughn, wanting so badly to cross her legs but knowing with full knowledge she couldn't. Their hands were so close to each other. It was like being in High School and sitting so close to that other person but not knowing if they could touch the other.
"What did that woman do to you?" Vaughn managed to say, after surveying the damage of her legs and the bruises that were unable to be concealed on her arms and neck. His eyes had grown red and worried at the sight of her looking so destroyed. He had never seen her this way.except the first time that they met.
"Yeah, I know." She replied, looking down at her legs and then at him. "They did you pretty bad too." Her voice was soft and insecure.
He bit down on his lip, "You got worse than I did, Syd. I'm so glad that you're okay." He didn't know what to say after that. Hell, he could barely look at her without revealing everything he had bottled up. Lord, he was losing his nerve quickly. No, he could back down.
She didn't know how to start the conversation. How do you confess your feelings to a man you're not allowed to have feelings for?
Silence
Silence
And more awkward silence.
"So." her voice wavered in the stillness. Her eyes were locked on him as he starred out in to void of the space. The dim lighting seemed more peaceful than it ever had before. Without receiving a response she spoke again, "So why did you need so see me? Has something come up?" She still didn't receive a response but honestly didn't have the energy to fight with him today. But it was okay. She didn't mind sitting in silence for this little bit. It gave her a few extra seconds to reflect on what she wanted to say so badly.
He breathed in slowly and finally spoke, "I broke up with Alice this morning." He said simply. He didn't face her as he spoke but quickly turned as he had finished. She was clearly in shock and wasn't doing a great job at concealing her emotions.
When she realized what had just happened she could only utter, "Oh." And after a split second or two of thinking, "I'm sorry."
He moved his body to face her, balancing partly on the table and his good leg. "It's been over for a while," blatantly ignoring his body screaming at him to go home and lie down...that his body was going to fall in a few hours or to get out of there- it needed its rest!
"Oh." She bit down hard on the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. He was free from her and she was free..they could be together. "So..are you and Anne Marie going to get together?" She had to play the devil. She poked and prodded and waited for the dreaded answer and prayed it would be the one she wanted. The correct answer would be uh, no.
This completely caught him off guard, "Annie? What?" He thought back to the plane, "What made you think..?"
Sydney wore a smug impression of her face, "Well, you two seemed so chummy at the airport that I just assumed." Her response was jealous. She crossed her arms defensively. Her brown now green eyes narrowed. "She certainly flirted with you enough."
He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Annie and I had dated for awhile..like a year. We," he cleared his throat again, "she was my first love and then..I found her in my bed..with someone.with someone else...actually my...my old roommate." He shut his jade eyes for a moment and reflected that warm summer day that he had returned from work and found her...it was horrible. "After that.I found Alice and then.."
She didn't want to hear about it anymore. She didn't care. *Why is that men always feel it's necessary to talk about their love life with other women? Huh?* "Is that why you called me? To talk about this?" It sounded harsh but she meant it to be sincere.
He laughed lightly, forcing his body back into the present, "I-uh, no. Definitely not." Vaughn shifted once more to get comfortable. "I spoke with your mother today."
"I know. Me too." She started to smile a little. "She told me." She answered the puzzled expression on his face.
He was taken back by this at first and jerked his body back slightly. "Oh." Clearing his throat, he continued, "She told me something kinda interesting. Something that I at least found interesting, you might-"
"Vaughn, you're babbling."
"Right. She-uh..she told me that we..She told me that you were at my father's funeral. That we played together afterwards. That she had to tear us apart because we were having so much fun together that you didn't want to go home and I had forgotten what had happened." His voice grew quiet and gentle as he spoke so carefully. His father's funeral was a complete blur to him but he needed to tell Sydney that they had met before he was assigned to her. Every part of his body desired to reach out and touch her face or caress the nape of her neck but he knew he couldn't. He could never have her. She was out of his league.
She tried to form words but it was impossible. "I-uh-we-really?" She started to laugh a little. "Huh." They knew each other when they were little. She had met his mother, him, and what other family he had. "That's so.." She let her voice trail off. "Well. Well, is that what you wanted to tell me?"
Vaughn laughed lightly and shook his head no. "I have something I want to tell you."
"Well, I have something to say to you too. Let me go first."" She started slowly, not really sure where she wanted to go with this. "I," she cleared her throat, "I guess I wanted to say that I am really glad I had you..er..I was with you throughout all of this. I don't know what would have happened if I didn't have you. You're my rock and I am so happy you were there with me..for everything." She paused, letting her words sink into his mind.
Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, it's hard to breathe
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the fame, I'm so ashamed
"I feel like I owe you my life." She finished with satisfaction. There. She had said it and it was now out in the open. The ball was in his court. But he didn't say anything. He just looked away from her, craning his neck all the way around so that she couldn't even see his face. She had basically just confessed her feelings for him and he was looking away from her? Eager to see what was on his face, she reached up but quickly pulled his hands back from touching him.
I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today
Vaughn felt the emotions overrunning him. She felt the same way about him that he felt about her. This was a lot for him to handle. He almost pictured her not feeling the same way. "I thought you would blame me for all of this." He spoke softly. And lied.
She scoffed, "You what?"
"I was your link to the CIA and being a double agent so I thought that you would want to severer the ties with me and then your double agent status." He slowly went through his rational that he was totally making up on the spot. He didn't think that for a second but he needed to say something. His palms were getting sweaty and his body was now officially jittery. His eyes stayed locked to his left, locked on one part of the chain link fence established there.
To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The piece is gone and the puzzle undone
That's the way it is
Screw protocol and all of that bull, she reached up and took his face in her hands. She was concentrating fully and had a serious face on. "Look at me. You," She pulled his face towards her, forcing him to look into her eyes, "are my one link to sanity. I would never even think of forcing you out of my life. I could never do that. You save me more than you really think." She spoke so purely and his mouth was so close to hers that it pained her not kiss him. "I don't know what I would do if it wasn't your voice on the other end of my comm. link. You're my sanity." His skin beneath hers sent chills through her spine and she felt so tiny and so unworthy at that moment. The tension between them had grown to the point that she didn't know that she could wake up everyday without him lying next to her.
He realized then how much he loved her. For a while, he had known it and felt in whenever they were in the same room together but right now, it felt so real. "You know." His voice was soft and husky, "my biggest fear is losing you." He spoke on a personal and business level. He brought his hands up to touch hers, still resting on either side of her face. The warmth of her body was spreading up through his and at the same time, sending frightening chills through his spine. "When you're out..on a mission..I can't stop thinking about you."
"And I can't stop thinking about you when I'm out. That I'm doing this..that I'm a double because..and then..." Her reason changed. She was no longer doing this for Danny or for Will or for all those innocent people. She was doing this for herself..to prove that she could avenge murderers and get what she wanted so badly. She wanted to bring down SD-6 so she could be with him. She wanted to be with Vaughn.
She held his face in her palms and wished the world would stop turning for a moment. She smiled at the stubble on his cheek. The tears threatened to come to her eyes again. She had fallen for the one man she couldn't have. She leaned closer, wanting to get nearer to him and unsure where this was going to go. She rolled over on her hips as she grew closer and closer, with her eyes darting between his perfect lips and his emerald eyes. The pain throughout her body was ignored. His touch was painkiller enough for him and as the electricity grew into a fire in her heart, she thought she was going to break if something didn't happen soon.
His lips parted for a moment and she honestly thought she was going to die. Her heart was pounding so fast that she didn't even know if her heart was still beating.
The worlds blurred out completely as he leaned in just a little bit closer, pressing his lips against hers. His hands left hers and wrapped tightly around hers as it grew in intensity. That was all she needed. Their first kiss was sweet and unsure. It was like the Junior High First Kiss that she never received. But the first kiss soon led to the second and to the third and suddenly, his brain was screaming for him to take a breath as the passion between the two of them lit his body afire. She ran her hands through his hair and felt that was going to die if they separated. His grip around his back became tighter and more passionate, pulling her closer and closer to him. He was so sweet and pure and all she wanted was to be with him. The passion overtook them and their desires took control. There were no senses anymore just each other and neither could get enough of the other. Fire seized hegemony and lord knows she wanted him.
He pulled her closer to him and at first she winced at the movement but went with it. She felt his heart racing against hers. He had never felt such intense feelings for anyone before. Anne Marie..Alice..no one did this to him. It was like the rest of the world faded away and he wanted to laugh and breakdown all at the same time. He was holding her so tightly to him and she didn't want to be anywhere else in the world. Her brains started to scream for oxygen too and finally, she pulled back, gasping for air.
He was the first one to speak, "I uh..wow." A goofy little grin had spread over his mouth, stained with berry lipstick. He had never been kissed like that before and wanted to for the rest of his life. They were still so close together that he was breathing in her breath.
She ran his hands through his hair, "Yeah." The smile had spread over her mouth also. She was suddenly aware of his hands, clutching her back, afraid of letting go. She leaned in again and kissed him, even more passionately this time. She wanted to go further and stay with him forever. Love was not something that had always been kind to her and now that she found it, she didn't want to let go so easily.
He pressed her even closer to his body, thinking he was going to explode any moment now. She groped heavily at his t-shirt, undoing it from his jeans and wanting so desperately to rip it over his head. He played with her shirt as their mouths fiercely pressed against each other, not knowing where the love they shared would leave them. He started to lean her backwards, when she yelped in pain. His hand had pressed against the stitches, which were already swollen with pain. "Oh G-d, Sydney, I'm sorry."
She shifted her weight and leaned back on her arms, letting go of his grasp. Her scarred abdomen was showing and her shirt was dangling seductively off of her shoulder. His shirt was wrinkled and pulled at different angles from the outburst. "It's okay. That's okay. After the stitches are out." She joked quickly, wiggling further to get more comfortable. He took the hint and sat up a few inches from her, letting his leg dangle over one side and tucking the other one in front of him. "Did we just.?"
Vaughn smiled innocently, "How long did you..?"
"Since I met you. You?" She was now smilingly broadly and leaned forward to rub the lipstick off of his face and lips. They felt so clean and pure underneath his fingertips.
"The red hair definitely did it for me."
Sydney began to laugh and sit up a little bit with the help of Vaughn. He tucked his hand beneath the small of her back and with his other hand, helped her pull her legs onto the table. "I wanted to kiss you so badly in Madrid." She turned her body and rested in his arms.
"You are so beautiful, you know that?" Vaughn kissed her forehead and rocked back and forth, feeling the weight of his angel in his arms.
"What would I do without you?" she barely whispered aloud, feeling insanely vulnerable.
You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words won't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words won't bring you down
Don't you bring me down today...
She laughed, letting some tears spill over from her eyes. She reached up and kissed him once more.
He counted quickly, releasing his lips from hers, "What would I do without you?"
"Don't worry. They aren't getting rid of me that easy."