Author's Note: Don't worry guys. It'll get happier, just hang in there.

Chapter 5

Vaughn arrived at work the next morning having gotten no sleep after visiting Sydney's grave. He mechanically said hi to those who addressed him as he walked to his desk, but he didn't know why they bothered. While one half of the agency were giving him a friendly or sympathetic hi, the other half were looking at him horrified by his appearance.

His hair seemed to be matted and sticking up in several different places. His suit was slightly wrinkled and it held a trace of fresh mud from the cemetery, but it was his face that was scary. He had grown a very scratchy beard that gave him the appearance of a wild man. His eyes were slightly red and swollen, and bags were heavily present.

Vaughn headed to his desk, pondering on the visitor in the graveyard. Who was it? A SD-6 agent? A friend of Sydney's? He wasn't sure. He really didn't see why SD-6 would send an agent to spy on Sydney's grave. Sydney was dead, and it wouldn't benefit SD-6 to spy on a dead agent. A friend was possible, but it seemed unlikely that they would be dressed in black just to skulk around a graveyard.

Vaughn leaned back in his chair and sighed. He really didn't know why he had come into work today, but to be honest, he preferred to be sulking around the office then he did home alone. I guess I hoped I could find something here to take my mind off her, he thought to himself.

"Hey buddy," Weiss said to him softly. Vaughn looked up. He hadn't even been aware that he was there.

"Hey, Weiss," Vaughn said, but he didn't even attempt to smile. Weiss knew exactly how Vaughn felt inside, and there was no reason to pretend that he didn't.

"You look terrible," Weiss commented.

"Thanks," Vaughn said off-handedly. Weiss had apparently hoped to get some sort of reaction out of him through that comment, but Vaughn just couldn't.

"You should go home, Vaughn. You're not doing anyone any good here, including yourself."

Vaughn looked at his friend carefully so that he'd take him seriously. "It's keeping me away from things like the bottle."

Weiss looked at him confused. "You don't drink."

"This is a reason to start."

"Wooh, my friend. Maybe you should stay here," Weiss said looking at his friend with concern.

"Any lead on the murderer?" Vaughn asked, wanting to keep the conversation away from himself.

"No, this guy came in the scene as quickly as he disappeared. He left no mark what so ever," Weiss replied. Weiss decided to tread carefully on the next question. "You know that as long as you're here, Kendall is going to put you to work."

"I know," Vaughn said solemnly.

"You're going to be assigned a new agent," Weiss said.

"I know," Vaughn whispered.

"Vaughn, you should-" Weiss started.

"Agent Vaughn!" Kendall interrupted approaching the two. "Boy, you look like hell."

"I know, Sir," Vaughn answered.

"Do you need to go home?" Kendall asked. "Cause you're not getting paid to sit here and mope."

"Yes, Sir," Vaughn answered without really knowing what he said.

"Give him a break, Sir," Weiss said. "He just lost his agent."

Kendall eyed Vaughn carefully. "I've seen many people lose partners and agents, Agent Weiss, and I can tell you Agent Vaughn here is upset over more than just losing an agent." Kendall took the last remaining set in front of Vaughn's desk. "Look, Agent Bristow was good, damn good. Losing her is going to affect the agent severely, but I know enough to realize that you, Agent Vaughn, have broken protocol and fallen for your agent. Fine, it does no good to fire you now, but I suggest you let Bristow go and get back in the game." Kendall took the file he was holding and laid it on his desk.

"This is your new agent. Catch up on her file and give her her counter mission, to-day," Kendall said with emphasis. "In the future don't come to work, if you feel incapable of completely the daily duties." Kendall stood up and walked away.

"Jack ass," Weiss said, not bothering to whisper. "Are you really going to go out and meet your new agent?"

Vaughn looked at Weiss somewhat blankly. "I've got to do something."

Weiss stared at his friend, really becoming anxious. "Vaughn, you're scaring me a little. You want to talk about it?"

Vaughn shook his head. "What's to say that you don't already know?"

"Plenty. Look, I may know what you're feeling, but I've got no idea what you're thinking."

Vaughn sighed. "Maybe some other time. Right now I don't even want to think about what's in my mind." He glanced down at the file in front of him. It was weird. It kind of felt like he was betraying Sydney, replacing her if you will. He already knew he couldn't replace Sydney, but whether or not he could face meeting a different agent in their spot was another story.

"You don't have to go," Weiss pressed his friend. "Say you're sick and call it quits for the day, huh?"

"What good would it do? I have to come in and face reality some day," Vaughn sighed. "It just feels like she's on a mission, Weiss. I think that she'll just walk in threw those doors and tell us how she survived her latest mission, and things can go back to the way they were."

Weiss nodded sympathetically, but internally he was jumping for joy that Vaughn was finally opening up, consciously or subconsciously, he didn't care.

Vaughn looked down at his hands, and Weiss's heart began to sink. No sooner had Vaughn opened up, but he had shut down again. "Look," Vaughn said, still looking down. "You've probably got tons of work to do. You go on ahead."

"Vaughn," Weiss said. "Don't do this. Don't push away the people who care about you."

Vaughn looked up straight at Weiss. "I've got stuff to do," he said right before he looked away.

Weiss sighed in frustration. "Vaughn, I'm here for you, you know?"

"I know," Vaughn said.