Defeated
Vaughn had waited over an hour at the warehouse. He knew that something was wrong - Sydney was never late without calling to let him know that she was on her way, stuck in a traffic jam, at a meeting, or at home helping out Will or Francie. He knew, as soon as she picked up the phone, and was greeted with a ghostly whisper, that something wasn't right.
Vaughn had paced the small, caged-in area enough times to wear down his shoes - his anxiety and worry finally getting the better of him. He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice the clicking of her heels as she entered the warehouse.
It wasn't until she collapsed onto the crate in front of him, that he finally looked up and saw before him not the Sydney he knew, but a broken, limp and lifeless body.
He didn't waste a second, and moments later, Sydney was wrapped in a warm embrace. She didn't respond or react - her eyes focused on nothing in particular, and when Vaughn finally let her go, he got his first good look at her.
'God Syd..', Vaughn gasped. 'I mean. how.. why.. . what happened?', he finally managed to stammer.
His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes scanned over her bruised, scarred, and bleeding body. 'What did they do to you Syd?', he asked - anger, hurt and worry evident in his breaking voice. Still no reply. The only response he got was a blank stare. He clasped his hands over hers and looked intently into her eyes. He asked again, this time more gently, 'Syd. Syd, please tell me what happened?'
Sydney looked away, avoiding his gaze. It seemed like she was fighting an internal battle - One side of her desperately wanted to let loose all her feelings and emotions - another side forced her to bottle it up, keeping it hidden from everyone.
~ Flashback ~
'NO!', she screamed, 'NO! Please!. please. no! . I won't let you.. no.' She had yelled for what seemed like hours, and finally she broke. What were once screams of desperation, were now reduced to nothing more than whimpers and sobs of self pity and hopelessness.
~ End Flashback ~
During those times, Sydney had never felt more ashamed of herself - She had yielded, allowed them to her hurt her, break her, degrade her. She wanted to beat herself up for that, but she was hurting all over too much already - inside and outside.
'Syd. you know you can tell me anything. anything at all', Vaughn said tentatively, encouraging her to speak. After a moment's silence, Sydney turned back to meet Vaughn's eyes. 'I know,' she said in a barely audible whisper, 'I know.'
Sydney did know that she could tell Vaughn everything; she knew that Vaughn would understand - he always did. But she also knew that if she told Vaughn, the image of her being the strong, steady woman who pulled through anything and was always on top of the world, would vanish - and that was something she wasn't willing to give up. Her dignity, pride and reputation would be gone, and instead the world would look upon her as a shamed woman.
Sydney hadn't noticed, but tears fell silently down her cheek. Vaughn had pulled her into a tight embrace, and she realised that she didn't have to go through this alone.
Nobody said a word, but at that time, words weren't needed.
TBC
A/N : umm.. maybe I guess.. tell me what you think.. I'm really nervous about this..
Vaughn had waited over an hour at the warehouse. He knew that something was wrong - Sydney was never late without calling to let him know that she was on her way, stuck in a traffic jam, at a meeting, or at home helping out Will or Francie. He knew, as soon as she picked up the phone, and was greeted with a ghostly whisper, that something wasn't right.
Vaughn had paced the small, caged-in area enough times to wear down his shoes - his anxiety and worry finally getting the better of him. He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice the clicking of her heels as she entered the warehouse.
It wasn't until she collapsed onto the crate in front of him, that he finally looked up and saw before him not the Sydney he knew, but a broken, limp and lifeless body.
He didn't waste a second, and moments later, Sydney was wrapped in a warm embrace. She didn't respond or react - her eyes focused on nothing in particular, and when Vaughn finally let her go, he got his first good look at her.
'God Syd..', Vaughn gasped. 'I mean. how.. why.. . what happened?', he finally managed to stammer.
His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes scanned over her bruised, scarred, and bleeding body. 'What did they do to you Syd?', he asked - anger, hurt and worry evident in his breaking voice. Still no reply. The only response he got was a blank stare. He clasped his hands over hers and looked intently into her eyes. He asked again, this time more gently, 'Syd. Syd, please tell me what happened?'
Sydney looked away, avoiding his gaze. It seemed like she was fighting an internal battle - One side of her desperately wanted to let loose all her feelings and emotions - another side forced her to bottle it up, keeping it hidden from everyone.
~ Flashback ~
'NO!', she screamed, 'NO! Please!. please. no! . I won't let you.. no.' She had yelled for what seemed like hours, and finally she broke. What were once screams of desperation, were now reduced to nothing more than whimpers and sobs of self pity and hopelessness.
~ End Flashback ~
During those times, Sydney had never felt more ashamed of herself - She had yielded, allowed them to her hurt her, break her, degrade her. She wanted to beat herself up for that, but she was hurting all over too much already - inside and outside.
'Syd. you know you can tell me anything. anything at all', Vaughn said tentatively, encouraging her to speak. After a moment's silence, Sydney turned back to meet Vaughn's eyes. 'I know,' she said in a barely audible whisper, 'I know.'
Sydney did know that she could tell Vaughn everything; she knew that Vaughn would understand - he always did. But she also knew that if she told Vaughn, the image of her being the strong, steady woman who pulled through anything and was always on top of the world, would vanish - and that was something she wasn't willing to give up. Her dignity, pride and reputation would be gone, and instead the world would look upon her as a shamed woman.
Sydney hadn't noticed, but tears fell silently down her cheek. Vaughn had pulled her into a tight embrace, and she realised that she didn't have to go through this alone.
Nobody said a word, but at that time, words weren't needed.
TBC
A/N : umm.. maybe I guess.. tell me what you think.. I'm really nervous about this..