-You guys crack me up. No really, you do. So many of you made me aware of
your worries about who certain people were going to end up with in your
reviews, and I must say I was proud of myself. Now, I could sit here and
tell you who's going to be with who and when, but that would take all of
the fun out of it, now wouldn't it?
-I would like to give a warm welcome to Lainie, Erin, Charisma, Jodi, and Stephanie. It makes me smile to know knew people are taking the time to read through this whole darn thing to get to the new stuff : ) Side note: Sandra, I noticed that your email is xendra, are you xendra from the ABC message boards? Just curious . . . And Twin*Muse, yes, I will get to the fluff eventually. It may take a few chapters but I promise I will : )
-I haven't updated in a while, so this chapter is a bit longer than most. Enjoy! -
-
-
Upon arriving at the Joint Task Force, Sydney just sits there in her car and stares at it. For the first time in nearly three months (in her scope of time, of course) she was actually looking forward to entering the building. Walking through the front door, she would be greeted with words of congratulations and praise instead of plans of her next field assignment. It was a feeling she was unfamiliar with, and she enjoyed it.
"Syd?"
The fact that her door had been opened had gone completely unnoticed to her, and when she heard Vaughn's voice she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"I . . .Vaughn, you surprised me, I had no idea you were standing there."
In apology he flashes her that smile, the one she knows is only for her, and moves so she can exit the car.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, that's ok. I was just thinking."
"Are you alright?"
"Better than I have ever been."
Again, he flashes her a smile, but this one not quite as vibrant as the one before. Something has been bothering him, and she knows that. But she doesn't want to deal with it just yet, especially if it's a certain conversation she will do what she can to avoid.
Vaughn can feel her gaze on his back as she follows him towards the door. Try as he might, he just can not seem to rid his mind of his earlier thoughts.
This is not how it should be between them right now. His arm should be around her waist, she should be looking into his eyes and infecting him with the laugh he has missed so much. They should be discussing plans for the future, for their future, now that 'he' is finally gone.
But they're not.
Reaching forward, he pulls open the door and watches as she passes in front of him. The smile on her face reaches her eyes, which are bright with excitement and a trace of relief, and he has to suppress the sudden urge to reach out and hold her, spin her in circles and tell her how happy he is for her.
They walk in silence down the long hallway, and various people give them appreciative smiles to Sydney. Vaughn, on the other hand, receives looks of sorrow; by now the entire task force must know of the betrayal he has been living for the past year.
Finally, they reach the debrief room, and Jack Bristow does not hesitate to pull his daughter into a hug. Those attending the debriefing have never seen the cold man perform such a personal act, yet they are not surprised.
"I am so proud of you, Sydney."
He whispers the words and then releases her, allowing her to take in the site of the smiles apparent on the faces of everyone else in the room. Everyone who has ever meant anything to her at the agency is present with the exception of Weiss, but before she has a chance to speak to anyone Kendall reminds everyone that they are still at a government sanctioned meeting.
"Agents Bristow, Agent Vaughn, will you please have a seat."
Reluctantly Sydney pulls out the chair in front of her and sits, followed by Vaughn and her father on either side.
"As I am sure all of you are aware by now, Arvin Sloane, who had been MIA for the past two years, was eliminated by Agent Bristow."
Kendall offers her the closest to a smile she has ever seen, but it doesn't last long. As soon as Marshall, who is grinning like a fool, begins to clap, Kendall shoots him an agitated glare.
"While this is a great achievement, it by no means grants us room to relax. Sark and Derevko are still at large, and until they have been dealt with we still have work to do."
Rolling her eyes, Sydney lets out a loud sigh. She should have expected Kendall to be the one to shoot down the most important act of her life. Looking around, she finds that everyone else is having the same response. Amusement fills her eyes as she watches a timid Marshall raise his hand.
"Yes, Marshall."
"Well, I, first off, congratulations Sydney. Once again, you have proved to be the best of the best, and well, good job."
"Marshall . . ."
"Right, sorry. It's not important really; I was just wondering where Er, I, umm, Agent Weiss is. I mean, he was a part of the search and all and I thought that he might . . ."
Marshall trails off his last sentence when he catches the uncomfortable shift of everyone in the room. Apparently, Marshall has been left out of the loop on this one, and no one really knows what to say. After a long period of silence, Sydney breaks the ice.
"Weiss is dealing with another . . .contingency. He will be here as soon as he can."
Sydney cringes at her words, immediately regretting her choice to answer Marshall. Referring to his wife as a contingency would only further and feelings of betrayal she knew he was feeling, and again a silence washes over the room. This time, Jack is the one to speak up.
"Director Kendall, I think we would be doing everyone, including the agency, a favor if we were to postpone this meeting until a later date."
Per usual, Jack and Kendall exchange heated stares. Sydney finds it amusing that after two years, her father still has the ability to get under Kendall's skin on the issue of authority.
A few seconds later the director relents.
"Very well. I expect everyone to be completely focused the next time we meet."
Everyone in the room exchanges relieved smiles and slowly gets up to leave. Marshall is the first to go, Carrie is due any day now and she had to force him out of the house to begin with.
Dixon steps towards Sydney and embraces her, knowing better than most the finality she must feel. He would have liked to be the one to take his life after the pain he had caused his family, but he knew that Sydney had gone through the same, if not worse.
"Sydney, I would love to stick around, but I'm still uncomfortable leaving the kids home and . . ."
"No, Dixon, don't worry about it. I'll see you soon."
"Alright, Syd. If you need anything . . ."
"I know. Thank you."
They smile and Sydney turns to look for her father and Vaughn, both of which seem to be missing. Her face contorts in confusion, and she leaves the debriefing room. Turning the corner, she spots her father speaking with Kendall, but before she has the time to figure out where Vaughn disappeared to, she finds her self swept up into a huge hug.
"Weiss! What the hell are you doing!"
"Can't a guy say congratulations?"
She can't help but to laugh at his words, and thanks whoever's listening for providing her with comic relief. Suddenly she is broken from her thoughts when she finds their arms linked and that she is somehow walking towards the door.
"Where are we going?"
"I do believe you promised me dinner Miss Bristow."
"That's right, I did. Meet me at Macaroni Grille?"
"Sounds good, see you there in a few. And don't even think about standing me up."
"I wouldn't dare."
Sydney smiles and makes her way towards her car. Once inside, she lets out a small laugh. Why? She isn't exactly sure. It could be because she was about to go eat at her favorite restaurant with a good friend. It could be because the man who ruined her life was finally dead. It could be because the love of her life was finally available for her to love again. In all honesty it doesn't really matter. All that matters at the moment is that tonight is the end of that part of her life. The smile does not leave her face as she turns the key and exits the parking lot.
As she pulls past the front doors, Sydney somehow misses the young man watching her leave. She also misses the forlorn look on his face.
Vaughn mentally slaps himself for the pangs of jealousy he is feeling, but once again, he cannot help it. *He * wants to be the one eating dinner with her. But he's not.
Shaking his head, he slowly walks towards his car, scuffing his feet on the concrete as he walks.
Should he stop by the restaurant, claiming it to be pure coincidence? Should he call her, tell her that he wants to talk?
Should he simply show up at her new apartment and tell her everything he has been meaning to tell her for the past two years?
He wants to do the latter, but knows that he wont. Instead, he will go home, pop a bag of popcorn, grab a beer, and watch Sports Center all night. Baseball seasons in full swing now, and he enjoys to torture himself with the thought that maybe his Mets will be up to par with the Yankees for once.
Once the car starts, he immediately turns off the Coldplay CD that he had blaring on the way here. For some odd reason, he feels the need to think in silence. As he turns the corner, he lets out a small cough, which is followed by a laugh.
He had never known that heartbreak could actually cause you to become ill in the physical sense.
-
"So, Syd, what'll it be? It's on me, of course, so keep in mind that your budget is limited."
"I'm going to get the make your own pasta with . . ."
"Sliced tomatoes, olives, artichokes, asagio sauce, fettuccini noodles, and bacon."
She laughs at her predictability and feens innocence.
"How ever did you guess?"
"Syd, you get the same thing ever single time. How about a little variety?"
"Hey, last time I got bow tie noodles."
"Oh, gee, I forgot."
"Weiss, I believe I deserve whatever I want tonight, and I want something that is going to taste amazingly delicious, and in my former experience I have never gone wrong with this. So give me a break, will you?"
"By all means, Syd. You're right, you deserve whatever you damn well please."
They exchange smiles and the waiter comes by and takes their menus.
The rest of the night is filled with meaningless conversation, which is one of the reasons she is glad she is with Weiss. Anyone else would have wanted to talk about work, which she most certainly did not. The only downside was that she knew Eric well enough to know that he would bring *him * up eventually. Not that she didn't want to talk about him, she did. Just not tonight.
Too bad that wasn't a choice.
"Syd?"
"Hmm?"
"We should have invited Mike."
"I know."
"And?"
"And . . .I know that he is going through guilt right now, and to tell you the truth I hate seeing him like that. I never know what to do, or what to say when he does the whole 'I don't deserve you' act."
"He has a right to feel that way."
"I know that. It doesn't make it easier to talk to him about I though."
"You will eventually though, right?"
The concern in his voice makes her laugh, and she twirls the straw in her coke around a bit.
"What's so funny?"
"I just love how protective you are of him. Weiss, I love the guy, of course I am going to talk to him about it. Just not right now. That's pretty selfish of me, isn't it?"
"Yep. But it doesn't make a difference really. You two are going to be together whether you like it or not."
"Is that so?"
"Sure is. Everyone can see it. I never really believed in fate before, but I don't know anymore."
The waiter returns Weiss's credit card and they move to exit the booth. Once they finally make it outside, a rush of cold air hits them both.
"When did it get so cold?"
Shaking her head, Sydney searches her brain trying to remember where she left her jacket. Finally, it dawns on her where she left it last.
"Damnit!"
Weiss looks at her with amusement, and then figures out the reason behind her swearing from the site of her vigorously rubbing her arms.
"See! What did I say, Bristow, what did I say? Looks like you're going to have that conversation after all."
-
-
-
-I know, not the best way to end it, but oh well. So, have all of your fears been put to rest? If not, don't worry, there's a heck of a lot of S/V coming up in the next few chapters. So go review, and I mean now. The more reviews, the quicker the updates!
-I would like to give a warm welcome to Lainie, Erin, Charisma, Jodi, and Stephanie. It makes me smile to know knew people are taking the time to read through this whole darn thing to get to the new stuff : ) Side note: Sandra, I noticed that your email is xendra, are you xendra from the ABC message boards? Just curious . . . And Twin*Muse, yes, I will get to the fluff eventually. It may take a few chapters but I promise I will : )
-I haven't updated in a while, so this chapter is a bit longer than most. Enjoy! -
-
-
Upon arriving at the Joint Task Force, Sydney just sits there in her car and stares at it. For the first time in nearly three months (in her scope of time, of course) she was actually looking forward to entering the building. Walking through the front door, she would be greeted with words of congratulations and praise instead of plans of her next field assignment. It was a feeling she was unfamiliar with, and she enjoyed it.
"Syd?"
The fact that her door had been opened had gone completely unnoticed to her, and when she heard Vaughn's voice she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"I . . .Vaughn, you surprised me, I had no idea you were standing there."
In apology he flashes her that smile, the one she knows is only for her, and moves so she can exit the car.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, that's ok. I was just thinking."
"Are you alright?"
"Better than I have ever been."
Again, he flashes her a smile, but this one not quite as vibrant as the one before. Something has been bothering him, and she knows that. But she doesn't want to deal with it just yet, especially if it's a certain conversation she will do what she can to avoid.
Vaughn can feel her gaze on his back as she follows him towards the door. Try as he might, he just can not seem to rid his mind of his earlier thoughts.
This is not how it should be between them right now. His arm should be around her waist, she should be looking into his eyes and infecting him with the laugh he has missed so much. They should be discussing plans for the future, for their future, now that 'he' is finally gone.
But they're not.
Reaching forward, he pulls open the door and watches as she passes in front of him. The smile on her face reaches her eyes, which are bright with excitement and a trace of relief, and he has to suppress the sudden urge to reach out and hold her, spin her in circles and tell her how happy he is for her.
They walk in silence down the long hallway, and various people give them appreciative smiles to Sydney. Vaughn, on the other hand, receives looks of sorrow; by now the entire task force must know of the betrayal he has been living for the past year.
Finally, they reach the debrief room, and Jack Bristow does not hesitate to pull his daughter into a hug. Those attending the debriefing have never seen the cold man perform such a personal act, yet they are not surprised.
"I am so proud of you, Sydney."
He whispers the words and then releases her, allowing her to take in the site of the smiles apparent on the faces of everyone else in the room. Everyone who has ever meant anything to her at the agency is present with the exception of Weiss, but before she has a chance to speak to anyone Kendall reminds everyone that they are still at a government sanctioned meeting.
"Agents Bristow, Agent Vaughn, will you please have a seat."
Reluctantly Sydney pulls out the chair in front of her and sits, followed by Vaughn and her father on either side.
"As I am sure all of you are aware by now, Arvin Sloane, who had been MIA for the past two years, was eliminated by Agent Bristow."
Kendall offers her the closest to a smile she has ever seen, but it doesn't last long. As soon as Marshall, who is grinning like a fool, begins to clap, Kendall shoots him an agitated glare.
"While this is a great achievement, it by no means grants us room to relax. Sark and Derevko are still at large, and until they have been dealt with we still have work to do."
Rolling her eyes, Sydney lets out a loud sigh. She should have expected Kendall to be the one to shoot down the most important act of her life. Looking around, she finds that everyone else is having the same response. Amusement fills her eyes as she watches a timid Marshall raise his hand.
"Yes, Marshall."
"Well, I, first off, congratulations Sydney. Once again, you have proved to be the best of the best, and well, good job."
"Marshall . . ."
"Right, sorry. It's not important really; I was just wondering where Er, I, umm, Agent Weiss is. I mean, he was a part of the search and all and I thought that he might . . ."
Marshall trails off his last sentence when he catches the uncomfortable shift of everyone in the room. Apparently, Marshall has been left out of the loop on this one, and no one really knows what to say. After a long period of silence, Sydney breaks the ice.
"Weiss is dealing with another . . .contingency. He will be here as soon as he can."
Sydney cringes at her words, immediately regretting her choice to answer Marshall. Referring to his wife as a contingency would only further and feelings of betrayal she knew he was feeling, and again a silence washes over the room. This time, Jack is the one to speak up.
"Director Kendall, I think we would be doing everyone, including the agency, a favor if we were to postpone this meeting until a later date."
Per usual, Jack and Kendall exchange heated stares. Sydney finds it amusing that after two years, her father still has the ability to get under Kendall's skin on the issue of authority.
A few seconds later the director relents.
"Very well. I expect everyone to be completely focused the next time we meet."
Everyone in the room exchanges relieved smiles and slowly gets up to leave. Marshall is the first to go, Carrie is due any day now and she had to force him out of the house to begin with.
Dixon steps towards Sydney and embraces her, knowing better than most the finality she must feel. He would have liked to be the one to take his life after the pain he had caused his family, but he knew that Sydney had gone through the same, if not worse.
"Sydney, I would love to stick around, but I'm still uncomfortable leaving the kids home and . . ."
"No, Dixon, don't worry about it. I'll see you soon."
"Alright, Syd. If you need anything . . ."
"I know. Thank you."
They smile and Sydney turns to look for her father and Vaughn, both of which seem to be missing. Her face contorts in confusion, and she leaves the debriefing room. Turning the corner, she spots her father speaking with Kendall, but before she has the time to figure out where Vaughn disappeared to, she finds her self swept up into a huge hug.
"Weiss! What the hell are you doing!"
"Can't a guy say congratulations?"
She can't help but to laugh at his words, and thanks whoever's listening for providing her with comic relief. Suddenly she is broken from her thoughts when she finds their arms linked and that she is somehow walking towards the door.
"Where are we going?"
"I do believe you promised me dinner Miss Bristow."
"That's right, I did. Meet me at Macaroni Grille?"
"Sounds good, see you there in a few. And don't even think about standing me up."
"I wouldn't dare."
Sydney smiles and makes her way towards her car. Once inside, she lets out a small laugh. Why? She isn't exactly sure. It could be because she was about to go eat at her favorite restaurant with a good friend. It could be because the man who ruined her life was finally dead. It could be because the love of her life was finally available for her to love again. In all honesty it doesn't really matter. All that matters at the moment is that tonight is the end of that part of her life. The smile does not leave her face as she turns the key and exits the parking lot.
As she pulls past the front doors, Sydney somehow misses the young man watching her leave. She also misses the forlorn look on his face.
Vaughn mentally slaps himself for the pangs of jealousy he is feeling, but once again, he cannot help it. *He * wants to be the one eating dinner with her. But he's not.
Shaking his head, he slowly walks towards his car, scuffing his feet on the concrete as he walks.
Should he stop by the restaurant, claiming it to be pure coincidence? Should he call her, tell her that he wants to talk?
Should he simply show up at her new apartment and tell her everything he has been meaning to tell her for the past two years?
He wants to do the latter, but knows that he wont. Instead, he will go home, pop a bag of popcorn, grab a beer, and watch Sports Center all night. Baseball seasons in full swing now, and he enjoys to torture himself with the thought that maybe his Mets will be up to par with the Yankees for once.
Once the car starts, he immediately turns off the Coldplay CD that he had blaring on the way here. For some odd reason, he feels the need to think in silence. As he turns the corner, he lets out a small cough, which is followed by a laugh.
He had never known that heartbreak could actually cause you to become ill in the physical sense.
-
"So, Syd, what'll it be? It's on me, of course, so keep in mind that your budget is limited."
"I'm going to get the make your own pasta with . . ."
"Sliced tomatoes, olives, artichokes, asagio sauce, fettuccini noodles, and bacon."
She laughs at her predictability and feens innocence.
"How ever did you guess?"
"Syd, you get the same thing ever single time. How about a little variety?"
"Hey, last time I got bow tie noodles."
"Oh, gee, I forgot."
"Weiss, I believe I deserve whatever I want tonight, and I want something that is going to taste amazingly delicious, and in my former experience I have never gone wrong with this. So give me a break, will you?"
"By all means, Syd. You're right, you deserve whatever you damn well please."
They exchange smiles and the waiter comes by and takes their menus.
The rest of the night is filled with meaningless conversation, which is one of the reasons she is glad she is with Weiss. Anyone else would have wanted to talk about work, which she most certainly did not. The only downside was that she knew Eric well enough to know that he would bring *him * up eventually. Not that she didn't want to talk about him, she did. Just not tonight.
Too bad that wasn't a choice.
"Syd?"
"Hmm?"
"We should have invited Mike."
"I know."
"And?"
"And . . .I know that he is going through guilt right now, and to tell you the truth I hate seeing him like that. I never know what to do, or what to say when he does the whole 'I don't deserve you' act."
"He has a right to feel that way."
"I know that. It doesn't make it easier to talk to him about I though."
"You will eventually though, right?"
The concern in his voice makes her laugh, and she twirls the straw in her coke around a bit.
"What's so funny?"
"I just love how protective you are of him. Weiss, I love the guy, of course I am going to talk to him about it. Just not right now. That's pretty selfish of me, isn't it?"
"Yep. But it doesn't make a difference really. You two are going to be together whether you like it or not."
"Is that so?"
"Sure is. Everyone can see it. I never really believed in fate before, but I don't know anymore."
The waiter returns Weiss's credit card and they move to exit the booth. Once they finally make it outside, a rush of cold air hits them both.
"When did it get so cold?"
Shaking her head, Sydney searches her brain trying to remember where she left her jacket. Finally, it dawns on her where she left it last.
"Damnit!"
Weiss looks at her with amusement, and then figures out the reason behind her swearing from the site of her vigorously rubbing her arms.
"See! What did I say, Bristow, what did I say? Looks like you're going to have that conversation after all."
-
-
-
-I know, not the best way to end it, but oh well. So, have all of your fears been put to rest? If not, don't worry, there's a heck of a lot of S/V coming up in the next few chapters. So go review, and I mean now. The more reviews, the quicker the updates!
