Chapter 10: in which at least one step, maybe two, in the plan is enacted.
Hijinks and hilarity this chapter? Not so much. (I mean, Weiss couldn't be
here for this step, could he? That would be NC17 and we're not going there
in this story, folks. We're going for cute in this story.)
Sometime around sunrise, Vaughn gave up tossing and turning and sat up in his bed. He was startled when Weiss said softly, "There's just thirty minutes until the alarm rings."
"Why are you awake too?" Vaughn asked.
"Today is a complicated day. I've got a lot on my mind," Weiss replied, and then said softly, "But a lot less than you, I'm sure."
Vaughn made no reply, just stood and stared outside. Their room faced west, so looking out from the doors to the balcony he saw only blackness, just starting to lighten to gray. It suited his mood and he stepped outside, wearing just his shorts. Sitting down on one of the chairs on the balcony, he felt like an old man. His muscles ached from fatigue. Maybe he should use these minutes to soak in the hot tub for a while, he wondered briefly, then rejected the idea as requiring far too much work. It was easier to just sit here in the warm, fragrant air unique to Hawaii and try and relax. Or that's what he tried to tell himself.
He gave a casual glance to the left, looking at the balcony for Syd's room, peering through the decorative privacy grillwork that separated each balcony. It reminded him of the priest's confessional in the church back home in Normandy. Just enough screening to give the illusion of privacy, but enough light to remind one that someone else was there, that you were not alone. There was a towel on the chair - had she gone swimming late last night? Weiss had never left the room. Great, she went off without any protection. Then he laughed to himself, like she needed protection? Staring off in the distance where he knew Molokai lay, even though he could not see it, he pondered exactly what his next move should be.
Suddenly, Vaughn heard the door to Sydney's room open. To his astonishment, she stepped outside. She flipped the towel over the balcony railing and sat down in the chair, moving slowly as if her muscles ached too. He just stared at her, wondering what he should say.
"Snick," went the door to his room. Startled he glanced up and saw Weiss standing on the other side of the glass, closing the door. His mouth hanging open, (although his brain wondered why he was shocked at anything Weiss did at this point), he saw Weiss point to his watch and mouth, "Less than thirty minutes."
His head whipped back around to Syd, wondering if she had heard the door as well. Sure enough, she was staring at him, also in open-mouthed shock. He gave a wry smile and then looked down.
Neither said a word for the longest time as the sky lightened. Finally, Vaughn gave a deep breath and then opened his mouth.
"Syd-" "Vaughn-" they spoke at the same time, looking at each other through the grillwork. They stopped.
Vaughn hurried to speak first, "Syd, let me get this over with."
"Okay," she said quietly.
"Here goes. I can say a lot of things. In fact I spent most of the night thinking of different ways to say this. More eloquent ways, maybe. But the simple truth is that, however inadvertently, however stupidly, however many reasons I thought I had for what I did, I hurt you. And I'm sorry."
As Vaughn let out a deep breath, he realized that his chest felt lighter. Looking at Syd through the grillwork, he saw her staring wide-eyed at him. Taking another breath, feeling more nervous than he could remember in his entire life, he continued, "I'm more sorry than I can ever say. If there was ever anyone I would not have wanted to hurt it would be you. I hope you can forgive me and -"
"Vaughn," Syd said firmly, cutting off his babbling. Thank God, he thought. Then asked, "What?," feeling his heart rise into his mouth. Was she going to tell him to shut up or..
"Can we talk without this grill between us?"
"Sure," he said with a small laugh, feeling relief. Leaping up from the chair, he grabbed the grillwork with his left hand and swung up onto the railing, barefoot. Clambering easily around the grillwork, he stepped onto the railing on her side of the balcony and jumped lightly down. Catching her grin, he realized suddenly that all he wore were his Kings boxers, a joke Christmas gift from his aunt. "Don't say it," he implored.
She stood too. "You know, all the times I imagined seeing you in this state of undress for the first time, I never imagined that hockey pucks would enter the picture," Syd laughed.
Vaughn said quickly, "How many times did you imagine---"
Syd cut him off, "About as many times as you did."
And he looked at her for the first time and grinned himself. She was wearing a Little Mermaid sleepshirt with Sebastian the lobster on it saying, 'Kiss the girl.' He asked, "Were you wearing that when Weiss was in your room?"
"Yeah. Though I had a bathrobe on, why?"
"Oh, nothing. It's cute. A joke Christmas gift, too?"
"Yeah, from my dad, last year."
"Your dad? Gave you a joke gift?"
"I know. Weird, isn't it? It was one of the few movies he took me to after my mom disappeared, so I guess he remembered it. But the thought of my dad in a Disney store surrounded by stuffed animals and sippie cups--" She stopped. Waited.
"Syd," he began. "I didn't come over here to talk about Ariel."
"You know her name?"
"Sure, she was a babe. For a cartoon character and all."
"Huh?"
"It's a guy thing. Anyway, I didn't come over to talk about either of our sleepwear. I came over to continue my apology." He looked down, thinking that, you know, he had silk boxers. Could he have had them on tonight? Oh no. Instead.
"Oh, yeah. Well, get on with it," she said with a smirk.
At the tone of her voice, he looked up sharply and caught the fleeting grin that flew across her face before she schooled her features into solemnity. "Oh, no!" he laughed, "You're not yanking my chain any more."
"No?"
"No. I'm begging you, no."
"Well, since you're begging.." Syd said archly, raising an eyebrow.
Vaughn groaned, "Don't tell me you want me to get on my knees. Not on this concrete, not on my bare knees."
"Well, gee, now that you mention it." She laughed at the look of horror on his face. "No, of course not. I think or hope maybe, that if you're on your knees in front of me, it will be for something else." He swallowed. She waited. He looked down and then began to smile, looking at her nightshirt again.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I think I'm going to take the advice," he said, giving her a bone-melting smile.
"What advice is that?" she asked quizzically.
"Kiss the girl," he said and reached for her. Wrapping one arm around her waist and tunneling his other hand into her hair, he brushed his lips across hers slowly, slowly until she hissed and said, "I thought you were going to kiss the girl." "I think it's your turn to beg," he whispered. "Oooh!" she growled and reaching up with her own hands, held his head in place, slanted her mouth across his and began the kiss they had been anticipating for far too long. Each time Vaughn would lift his mouth for a breath he would whisper, "Sorry." Finally, Syd stopped him with a finger across his lips. "That's enough with the sorries." When he breathed a sigh of relief, she smiled and added, "For now, anyway. I can think of other ways you can apologize later, after you tell me-"
Vaughn bent his head again. He would never admit that he was trying to avoid anything. Nope, not him.
"Ahem." They looked to Weiss' balcony. Sure enough there he stood, looking out at Molokai. "Sorry, guys. Very sorry. We need to get going on the mission. Oh and Vaughn - this time, why don't you use the door between the rooms? It's getting a little light out for those hockey pucks, to say nothing of any hockey umm sticks, to be making a dive across the balconies. Especially if someone was watching, they might wonder why you were leaving Syd's bed to come to my room. Okay?"
Sometime around sunrise, Vaughn gave up tossing and turning and sat up in his bed. He was startled when Weiss said softly, "There's just thirty minutes until the alarm rings."
"Why are you awake too?" Vaughn asked.
"Today is a complicated day. I've got a lot on my mind," Weiss replied, and then said softly, "But a lot less than you, I'm sure."
Vaughn made no reply, just stood and stared outside. Their room faced west, so looking out from the doors to the balcony he saw only blackness, just starting to lighten to gray. It suited his mood and he stepped outside, wearing just his shorts. Sitting down on one of the chairs on the balcony, he felt like an old man. His muscles ached from fatigue. Maybe he should use these minutes to soak in the hot tub for a while, he wondered briefly, then rejected the idea as requiring far too much work. It was easier to just sit here in the warm, fragrant air unique to Hawaii and try and relax. Or that's what he tried to tell himself.
He gave a casual glance to the left, looking at the balcony for Syd's room, peering through the decorative privacy grillwork that separated each balcony. It reminded him of the priest's confessional in the church back home in Normandy. Just enough screening to give the illusion of privacy, but enough light to remind one that someone else was there, that you were not alone. There was a towel on the chair - had she gone swimming late last night? Weiss had never left the room. Great, she went off without any protection. Then he laughed to himself, like she needed protection? Staring off in the distance where he knew Molokai lay, even though he could not see it, he pondered exactly what his next move should be.
Suddenly, Vaughn heard the door to Sydney's room open. To his astonishment, she stepped outside. She flipped the towel over the balcony railing and sat down in the chair, moving slowly as if her muscles ached too. He just stared at her, wondering what he should say.
"Snick," went the door to his room. Startled he glanced up and saw Weiss standing on the other side of the glass, closing the door. His mouth hanging open, (although his brain wondered why he was shocked at anything Weiss did at this point), he saw Weiss point to his watch and mouth, "Less than thirty minutes."
His head whipped back around to Syd, wondering if she had heard the door as well. Sure enough, she was staring at him, also in open-mouthed shock. He gave a wry smile and then looked down.
Neither said a word for the longest time as the sky lightened. Finally, Vaughn gave a deep breath and then opened his mouth.
"Syd-" "Vaughn-" they spoke at the same time, looking at each other through the grillwork. They stopped.
Vaughn hurried to speak first, "Syd, let me get this over with."
"Okay," she said quietly.
"Here goes. I can say a lot of things. In fact I spent most of the night thinking of different ways to say this. More eloquent ways, maybe. But the simple truth is that, however inadvertently, however stupidly, however many reasons I thought I had for what I did, I hurt you. And I'm sorry."
As Vaughn let out a deep breath, he realized that his chest felt lighter. Looking at Syd through the grillwork, he saw her staring wide-eyed at him. Taking another breath, feeling more nervous than he could remember in his entire life, he continued, "I'm more sorry than I can ever say. If there was ever anyone I would not have wanted to hurt it would be you. I hope you can forgive me and -"
"Vaughn," Syd said firmly, cutting off his babbling. Thank God, he thought. Then asked, "What?," feeling his heart rise into his mouth. Was she going to tell him to shut up or..
"Can we talk without this grill between us?"
"Sure," he said with a small laugh, feeling relief. Leaping up from the chair, he grabbed the grillwork with his left hand and swung up onto the railing, barefoot. Clambering easily around the grillwork, he stepped onto the railing on her side of the balcony and jumped lightly down. Catching her grin, he realized suddenly that all he wore were his Kings boxers, a joke Christmas gift from his aunt. "Don't say it," he implored.
She stood too. "You know, all the times I imagined seeing you in this state of undress for the first time, I never imagined that hockey pucks would enter the picture," Syd laughed.
Vaughn said quickly, "How many times did you imagine---"
Syd cut him off, "About as many times as you did."
And he looked at her for the first time and grinned himself. She was wearing a Little Mermaid sleepshirt with Sebastian the lobster on it saying, 'Kiss the girl.' He asked, "Were you wearing that when Weiss was in your room?"
"Yeah. Though I had a bathrobe on, why?"
"Oh, nothing. It's cute. A joke Christmas gift, too?"
"Yeah, from my dad, last year."
"Your dad? Gave you a joke gift?"
"I know. Weird, isn't it? It was one of the few movies he took me to after my mom disappeared, so I guess he remembered it. But the thought of my dad in a Disney store surrounded by stuffed animals and sippie cups--" She stopped. Waited.
"Syd," he began. "I didn't come over here to talk about Ariel."
"You know her name?"
"Sure, she was a babe. For a cartoon character and all."
"Huh?"
"It's a guy thing. Anyway, I didn't come over to talk about either of our sleepwear. I came over to continue my apology." He looked down, thinking that, you know, he had silk boxers. Could he have had them on tonight? Oh no. Instead.
"Oh, yeah. Well, get on with it," she said with a smirk.
At the tone of her voice, he looked up sharply and caught the fleeting grin that flew across her face before she schooled her features into solemnity. "Oh, no!" he laughed, "You're not yanking my chain any more."
"No?"
"No. I'm begging you, no."
"Well, since you're begging.." Syd said archly, raising an eyebrow.
Vaughn groaned, "Don't tell me you want me to get on my knees. Not on this concrete, not on my bare knees."
"Well, gee, now that you mention it." She laughed at the look of horror on his face. "No, of course not. I think or hope maybe, that if you're on your knees in front of me, it will be for something else." He swallowed. She waited. He looked down and then began to smile, looking at her nightshirt again.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I think I'm going to take the advice," he said, giving her a bone-melting smile.
"What advice is that?" she asked quizzically.
"Kiss the girl," he said and reached for her. Wrapping one arm around her waist and tunneling his other hand into her hair, he brushed his lips across hers slowly, slowly until she hissed and said, "I thought you were going to kiss the girl." "I think it's your turn to beg," he whispered. "Oooh!" she growled and reaching up with her own hands, held his head in place, slanted her mouth across his and began the kiss they had been anticipating for far too long. Each time Vaughn would lift his mouth for a breath he would whisper, "Sorry." Finally, Syd stopped him with a finger across his lips. "That's enough with the sorries." When he breathed a sigh of relief, she smiled and added, "For now, anyway. I can think of other ways you can apologize later, after you tell me-"
Vaughn bent his head again. He would never admit that he was trying to avoid anything. Nope, not him.
"Ahem." They looked to Weiss' balcony. Sure enough there he stood, looking out at Molokai. "Sorry, guys. Very sorry. We need to get going on the mission. Oh and Vaughn - this time, why don't you use the door between the rooms? It's getting a little light out for those hockey pucks, to say nothing of any hockey umm sticks, to be making a dive across the balconies. Especially if someone was watching, they might wonder why you were leaving Syd's bed to come to my room. Okay?"