Chapter 19: in which there is some romance on the beach. Everyone sighs
happily again.
When they got to the hotel, Vaughn snagged some towels from the hotel's towel rack by the pool and the couple followed the lighted path to the beach. Placing the towels on the sand, he sat down and pulled her with him. Seeing her shiver a little, he urged her to sit between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. "Umm, this is nice," she murmured and rubbed his leg with hers. He smiled and kissed her hair. They looked out toward the ocean. Syd commented, "It's weird. It's so dark tonight without the moon. You know Molokai is out there -- this huge land mass -- and yet you can't see it."
Vaughn thought to himself, 'Where's Weiss? He'd just love THAT analogy.'
Then he took a deep breath and asked, hating to spoil the peace of the moment, "Do you want to talk some more about--"
She shook her head and the wet ends of her hair whipped back and forth. "You know what, Vaughn? I don't. We can go over that list I made later, tomorrow. You know we'll work this all out. But not right now. Weiss was right, I'm just too tired. And this is too nice." She paused. "Humph. You'd think an English major could come up with a better word than 'nice', wouldn't you? I must be tired. I'm babbling, aren't I?" she commented, feeling more than seeing his smile.
He quipped, "Well, at least you've stopped the endless alliteration."
She shook her head and asked, "How about we just talk about...whatever? Tell me what's been going on with your life in the last six months, that kind of stuff...."
Vaughn was quiet for a moment and then said softly, "I do have something I need to tell you right now, though."
"Go ahead."
He leaned forward and whispered, "Sydney, I love you."
She turned to face him and smiled. "I know."
"You do?" He asked and raised his eyebrows, wrinkling his forehead. He saw her eyes move upwards and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Counting the wrinkles on your forehead." He groaned. She continued teasing, "You know when you get older--"
"Sometimes I doubt that I am actually going to get any older, that maybe I'll die of frustration by then." He rolled his eyes, then asked, "Syd, how did you know? Was it women's intuition or--"
"My mom told me," Syd said with a chuckle while Vaughn rolled his eyes.
He asked, "How does she know these things, anyway?"
"I don't know. I 'm not sure I want to know. But I do know this -- I love you."
"I know," Vaughn said with a smile of his own.
"How?"
"Your mom told me." They both laughed. Vaughn continued, "Of course she also told me I was blind and stupid and--"
"You don't need to go on. My mom has a tongue like a knife."
"Hmm. Prove to me you're different," he said teasingly as she tilted her face up for his kiss.
He lifted his head and quipped, "Please, whatever you do, don't tell me that was 'nice.'"
Syd opened her eyes and blinked up at him. "Hmm? Oh no. It was more than nice, it was..Sorry, I'm exhausted. The stress of the last two days and then, really the last few weeks I've been running on empty - I guess it's finally catching up with me. Sorry. It's my turn for bad timing, isn't it?"
Vaughn gave a huge sigh of mock relief and commented, "Well, glad to see I'm not the only one."
"No. We're more alike than I think we knew. But, hey, I thought you didn't sleep well last night. Where are you getting your energy?"
"Oddly enough," he said sarcastically, "I've had lots of energy today," he said with a smile as he tilted his hips forward towards her.
She chuckled sleepily, "Energy? That's what you're calling that nowadays?"
"C'mon. You need to crash." Vaughn said and then stared at her in bemusement when she began to giggle helplessly at the word 'crash' and mumbled something about a 'happy highway.' Huh? She really needed to get some sleep. He stood and pulled her up.
"No, not yet. Let's just sit here and talk for a while," Syd protested.
"We can do that on our balcony. That way when you fall asleep I don't have so far to carry you," Vaughn contradicted her. Putting his arm around her, they walked into the hotel.
"Gee, that sounds..nice," Sydney laughed at the look on Vaughn's face. "Would this be the first time you carried me when I wasn't shot or bleeding or tortured?"
Vaughn thought for a moment. "I think so."
"Well, at least tonight will see something done between us for the first time."
"Wow. Just what I was hoping, too," Vaughn said sarcastically. "I am so lucky. I get to spend another night with Weiss."
"Should I be worried about that?" Syd laughed.
"The only thing you should worry about is whether or not I'm going to kill him when he gives me more unwanted advice."
"Has the advice been so bad?"
"No. That's the problem. He's been right. That's why I want to kill him."
They were walking toward the hotel and Syd automatically looked up at their rooms. "Smile," she chuckled, "The guys are watching." Vaughn looked up and sure enough Weiss, Barclay and Washington were laughing down at them from a balcony. Syd gave a happy wave. Vaughn lifted his own hand in a slightly more offensive digital salute.
When they got to the hotel, Vaughn snagged some towels from the hotel's towel rack by the pool and the couple followed the lighted path to the beach. Placing the towels on the sand, he sat down and pulled her with him. Seeing her shiver a little, he urged her to sit between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. "Umm, this is nice," she murmured and rubbed his leg with hers. He smiled and kissed her hair. They looked out toward the ocean. Syd commented, "It's weird. It's so dark tonight without the moon. You know Molokai is out there -- this huge land mass -- and yet you can't see it."
Vaughn thought to himself, 'Where's Weiss? He'd just love THAT analogy.'
Then he took a deep breath and asked, hating to spoil the peace of the moment, "Do you want to talk some more about--"
She shook her head and the wet ends of her hair whipped back and forth. "You know what, Vaughn? I don't. We can go over that list I made later, tomorrow. You know we'll work this all out. But not right now. Weiss was right, I'm just too tired. And this is too nice." She paused. "Humph. You'd think an English major could come up with a better word than 'nice', wouldn't you? I must be tired. I'm babbling, aren't I?" she commented, feeling more than seeing his smile.
He quipped, "Well, at least you've stopped the endless alliteration."
She shook her head and asked, "How about we just talk about...whatever? Tell me what's been going on with your life in the last six months, that kind of stuff...."
Vaughn was quiet for a moment and then said softly, "I do have something I need to tell you right now, though."
"Go ahead."
He leaned forward and whispered, "Sydney, I love you."
She turned to face him and smiled. "I know."
"You do?" He asked and raised his eyebrows, wrinkling his forehead. He saw her eyes move upwards and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Counting the wrinkles on your forehead." He groaned. She continued teasing, "You know when you get older--"
"Sometimes I doubt that I am actually going to get any older, that maybe I'll die of frustration by then." He rolled his eyes, then asked, "Syd, how did you know? Was it women's intuition or--"
"My mom told me," Syd said with a chuckle while Vaughn rolled his eyes.
He asked, "How does she know these things, anyway?"
"I don't know. I 'm not sure I want to know. But I do know this -- I love you."
"I know," Vaughn said with a smile of his own.
"How?"
"Your mom told me." They both laughed. Vaughn continued, "Of course she also told me I was blind and stupid and--"
"You don't need to go on. My mom has a tongue like a knife."
"Hmm. Prove to me you're different," he said teasingly as she tilted her face up for his kiss.
He lifted his head and quipped, "Please, whatever you do, don't tell me that was 'nice.'"
Syd opened her eyes and blinked up at him. "Hmm? Oh no. It was more than nice, it was..Sorry, I'm exhausted. The stress of the last two days and then, really the last few weeks I've been running on empty - I guess it's finally catching up with me. Sorry. It's my turn for bad timing, isn't it?"
Vaughn gave a huge sigh of mock relief and commented, "Well, glad to see I'm not the only one."
"No. We're more alike than I think we knew. But, hey, I thought you didn't sleep well last night. Where are you getting your energy?"
"Oddly enough," he said sarcastically, "I've had lots of energy today," he said with a smile as he tilted his hips forward towards her.
She chuckled sleepily, "Energy? That's what you're calling that nowadays?"
"C'mon. You need to crash." Vaughn said and then stared at her in bemusement when she began to giggle helplessly at the word 'crash' and mumbled something about a 'happy highway.' Huh? She really needed to get some sleep. He stood and pulled her up.
"No, not yet. Let's just sit here and talk for a while," Syd protested.
"We can do that on our balcony. That way when you fall asleep I don't have so far to carry you," Vaughn contradicted her. Putting his arm around her, they walked into the hotel.
"Gee, that sounds..nice," Sydney laughed at the look on Vaughn's face. "Would this be the first time you carried me when I wasn't shot or bleeding or tortured?"
Vaughn thought for a moment. "I think so."
"Well, at least tonight will see something done between us for the first time."
"Wow. Just what I was hoping, too," Vaughn said sarcastically. "I am so lucky. I get to spend another night with Weiss."
"Should I be worried about that?" Syd laughed.
"The only thing you should worry about is whether or not I'm going to kill him when he gives me more unwanted advice."
"Has the advice been so bad?"
"No. That's the problem. He's been right. That's why I want to kill him."
They were walking toward the hotel and Syd automatically looked up at their rooms. "Smile," she chuckled, "The guys are watching." Vaughn looked up and sure enough Weiss, Barclay and Washington were laughing down at them from a balcony. Syd gave a happy wave. Vaughn lifted his own hand in a slightly more offensive digital salute.