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Sydney walked into the conference room, knowing who would be in there. She was able to avoid the area around Barnett's office for most of the morning, but the meeting was a whole different territory. He had to be in there. He would probably sit next to her, as they used to do. Sydney left fashionably late for the meeting. She didn't care. Work was the second to last place she wanted to be. This meeting was the last place she wanted to be.
Kendall looked annoyed at Sydney's delayed entrance. He hadn't started, and was waiting for Sydney to show. There was only one seat left around the large table, and Sydney took it. Thankfully it was next to Will, but it was across the way from Vaughn, making it more difficult for Sydney to not look at him. "We were starting to wonder if you had left again." Will whispered as Kendall began the meeting.
"Not yet." She responded. "But I'm close to just getting up and leaving."
"I think we all are. Hey Syd, what are you doing for lunch?"
"I have extra work to do." She said. All she wanted to do was to curl up at her desk, and avoid all human contact, no matter how she was able to avoid it. As Kendall's voice droned, Sydney paid little attention to him.
"Sydney, you will be accompanying Agent Vaughn. Your plane leaves in one hour." Sydney shot up at the mention of her name. Vaughn and Sydney both opened their mouths to protest the assignment, but a stern glare from Kendall and an even harsher glare from Jack told them both that the assignment was not negotiable.
Everyone filed out of the conference room, and Sydney and Vaughn laagered behind to talk about the mission. "Sydney, I think."
"I don't want to talk to you."
"You'll have to sometime."
"No. Let's just get this mission over with." On the plane, Sydney took a seat on the opposite side of the plane than Vaughn. She pulled out the mission specs, and began to read over what she had chosen not to listen to at the meeting. She ignored Vaughn's presence, as he sat down next to her.
"Sydney, I haven't forgotten what day it is."
"Ok."
"We met today, 5 years ago. You waltzed into the agency with that bozo red hair, and a swollen jaw."
"I am aware of that."
"Sydney, I never gave up hope on you. I only married Alice because, well, we were both drunk, and in Vegas. Old passion, not flame, not even love, can be awakened when you're really drunk. I was drunk. She didn't want to get a divorce, or to get it annulled, because she wanted to make it work. But it wasn't working. It hadn't been working for almost seven months. And it honestly never was working. Sydney, we're getting a divorce. And that was before you came back. I never loved Alice the way I love you."
Sydney pushed her papers aside, and looked over at the man she loves. "Vaughn, if we were still dating, and all that happened, would you have still gotten drunk off your ass in Vegas, and gotten married." Sydney calmly asked
"No."
"Honestly?" Sydney questioned, not believing the hastiness of Vaughn's answer.
"Sydney, you don't want to hear my honest answer."
"That's what I thought." Sydney turned a cold shoulder to Vaughn, and continued reading until he finally left her alone. Quietly, her paper began to get moist with her salty tears.
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