Hey y'all! Here's chapter ten. Fluffiness ensues. And perhaps a bit of plot. GASP. Read, enjoy, and review!
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Chapter 10: Awakening
"Vaughn?"
I moaned in my sleep, still plagued by a nagging headache, and ignored the soft voice in my mind as I rolled over, pulling the hospital pillow over my head. I was still so tired…it seemed like I'd just gotten to sleep a few seconds ago.
Just as I was about to slip back into oblivion, the voice returned, more forceful this time.
"Vaughn…"
Something about the voice roused me from my state of half-sleep, forcing me to open my eyes. I winced, squinting against the faint light in the room.
"Son of a bitch," I muttered to myself as I pushed myself up, gritting my teeth against the pain in my neck and back that had only gotten worse overnight.
I probably would have been better off sleeping on the floor, I thought. The cot Dr. Greggson had provided was about the most uncomfortable thing I'd ever slept on in my life.
Shaking off the fogginess of sleep, I slowly scanned the room, wondering if the voice that had wakened me was nothing more than a dream.
My eyes came to rest on Sydney, and my breath caught in my chest as I realized that her sparkling brown eyes were staring right back at me.
Those eyes.
I hadn't realized how much I'd missed them.
Sydney grinned at me, probably amused by the look of shock plastered on my face.
"You are definitely not a morning person," she said softly, her voice rough and scratchy, probably because she hadn't used it for so long.
"Syd?" I whispered, not quite convinced that she was actually there, awake and talking to me. "Oh God…" I said, rising and rushing to her bed. I lowered myself to my knees, bringing myself level with her eyes. I reached out hesitantly, cupping her cheek in my hand, almost afraid to touch her, in fear that she might disappear.
"Hey," she said. I shut my eyes, blinking back tears.
"Syd… I was so scared. I thought- I-" I broke off, unable to put into words the one thing I most feared.
That I would lose her.
"I know," she said, reaching out to take my free hand in hers. "I'm ok."
I nodded, a grin spreading across my face.
She was ok.
She was back.
And I could breathe again.
We sat in silence for several long minutes, speaking with our eyes the emotions we had no way to express in words.
"I missed you," she said softly, squeezing my hand weakly.
"Not as much as I missed you," I replied, rising up slowly to place a soft, lingering kiss on her check, her forehead, her lips. I felt lips curve into a smile beneath mine, and I backed away slightly.
"Wanna bet?" She said with a grin. I chuckled. Without releasing her hand, I moved back to the chair beside her bed. After a few moments, my face became serious.
"What happened?" I asked, frowning as her brow instantly furrowed in thought.
"I can't remember," she said finally. "I remember getting the disk, but after that it's all kind of a blur."
I nodded, not surprised. I knew enough about injuries like hers to understand that there could be some memory loss. Luckily, in Sydney's case, that memory loss didn't seem very significant. In fact, she was probably better off not remembering how she had ended up in the hospital. It could do nothing but cause her more pain.
"I do have some good news, though," she continued. I looked at her questioningly. "I managed to switch the disks and hand off the fake to Sloane." She grinned.
I sighed, shaking my head. "I don't care about the countermission, Syd. All I care about is that you're-" She cut me off with a laugh.
"Will you let me finish?" She asked with a smile. After she was certain I wasn't going to continue talking, she continued. "It's not just the disk. It's what's on the disk." I frowned, silently asking her to continue. "They're codes, Vaughn. Security codes. For all known Alliance cells." Her words hung in the air as we stared silently at each other. "This could be it, Vaughn," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "This could bring down SD-6 for good."
I smiled, realizing several things at once. If these codes were what Sydney said, it meant that the Hell of the past two years could soon be over.
It meant that Sydney could stop lying and live a normal life.
And it meant that we could be together.
Without a word, I moved to sit next to her on the bed, silently wrapping her in my embrace.
"I love you so much," I whispered. I felt her smile against my shoulder, her arms tightening around me.
"I love you too," she said. I pulled away to look at her again, sensing her exhaustion.
"You should get some sleep," I said, tracing the dark circles underneath her eyes.
She nodded, moving her hand to my eyes and repeating my gesture. "So should you," she said. I chuckled, rising from her bed and squeezing her hand once more before releasing it.
"I will," I said, heading to the door. "But first, I'm going to find Dr. Greggson and have him check you out." I turned and opened the door.
"No." I turned at Sydney's tense response, concerned.
"No?" I asked, moving back to her bed. "What's the matter? Do you feel ok?"
"Don't leave." She looked up at me, her eyes pleading with mine. "I want you to stay here." She paused, embarrassed. "I don't want to be alone."
"You'll never be alone, Syd." She nodded. "I'll only be gone for a few minutes." She looked at me, her eyes sad. I felt my resolve quickly melting away.
"But I'm cold," she said, pouting. I chuckled, amused at her obvious attempt to convince me to stay with her. And it worked.
"Ok," I agreed. "But you'll have to see the doctor eventually." She smiled, satisfied. I slipped off my shoes and slid into the narrow hospital bed behind her. She sighed contentedly as she rested her back against my chest. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer and taking comfort in that closeness. I smiled, placing a light kiss on the back of her neck.
"Warmer?" I asked.
"Mmmhmm…" she murmured, sleep already overtaking her. "Love you," she muttered softly, before her breathing steadied.
"Love you too," I replied, stroking her waist, and silently vowing to myself that I would never let her be alone again.
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Did you like? I hope so :) I probably won't be able to update for the next week or so... I have company coming. But I will definately keep thinking of ideas. And if any of you have suggestions, let me know, cuz I'm kind of stuck at the moment! Email me at adele1013@email.com. Read and review!!
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Chapter 10: Awakening
"Vaughn?"
I moaned in my sleep, still plagued by a nagging headache, and ignored the soft voice in my mind as I rolled over, pulling the hospital pillow over my head. I was still so tired…it seemed like I'd just gotten to sleep a few seconds ago.
Just as I was about to slip back into oblivion, the voice returned, more forceful this time.
"Vaughn…"
Something about the voice roused me from my state of half-sleep, forcing me to open my eyes. I winced, squinting against the faint light in the room.
"Son of a bitch," I muttered to myself as I pushed myself up, gritting my teeth against the pain in my neck and back that had only gotten worse overnight.
I probably would have been better off sleeping on the floor, I thought. The cot Dr. Greggson had provided was about the most uncomfortable thing I'd ever slept on in my life.
Shaking off the fogginess of sleep, I slowly scanned the room, wondering if the voice that had wakened me was nothing more than a dream.
My eyes came to rest on Sydney, and my breath caught in my chest as I realized that her sparkling brown eyes were staring right back at me.
Those eyes.
I hadn't realized how much I'd missed them.
Sydney grinned at me, probably amused by the look of shock plastered on my face.
"You are definitely not a morning person," she said softly, her voice rough and scratchy, probably because she hadn't used it for so long.
"Syd?" I whispered, not quite convinced that she was actually there, awake and talking to me. "Oh God…" I said, rising and rushing to her bed. I lowered myself to my knees, bringing myself level with her eyes. I reached out hesitantly, cupping her cheek in my hand, almost afraid to touch her, in fear that she might disappear.
"Hey," she said. I shut my eyes, blinking back tears.
"Syd… I was so scared. I thought- I-" I broke off, unable to put into words the one thing I most feared.
That I would lose her.
"I know," she said, reaching out to take my free hand in hers. "I'm ok."
I nodded, a grin spreading across my face.
She was ok.
She was back.
And I could breathe again.
We sat in silence for several long minutes, speaking with our eyes the emotions we had no way to express in words.
"I missed you," she said softly, squeezing my hand weakly.
"Not as much as I missed you," I replied, rising up slowly to place a soft, lingering kiss on her check, her forehead, her lips. I felt lips curve into a smile beneath mine, and I backed away slightly.
"Wanna bet?" She said with a grin. I chuckled. Without releasing her hand, I moved back to the chair beside her bed. After a few moments, my face became serious.
"What happened?" I asked, frowning as her brow instantly furrowed in thought.
"I can't remember," she said finally. "I remember getting the disk, but after that it's all kind of a blur."
I nodded, not surprised. I knew enough about injuries like hers to understand that there could be some memory loss. Luckily, in Sydney's case, that memory loss didn't seem very significant. In fact, she was probably better off not remembering how she had ended up in the hospital. It could do nothing but cause her more pain.
"I do have some good news, though," she continued. I looked at her questioningly. "I managed to switch the disks and hand off the fake to Sloane." She grinned.
I sighed, shaking my head. "I don't care about the countermission, Syd. All I care about is that you're-" She cut me off with a laugh.
"Will you let me finish?" She asked with a smile. After she was certain I wasn't going to continue talking, she continued. "It's not just the disk. It's what's on the disk." I frowned, silently asking her to continue. "They're codes, Vaughn. Security codes. For all known Alliance cells." Her words hung in the air as we stared silently at each other. "This could be it, Vaughn," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "This could bring down SD-6 for good."
I smiled, realizing several things at once. If these codes were what Sydney said, it meant that the Hell of the past two years could soon be over.
It meant that Sydney could stop lying and live a normal life.
And it meant that we could be together.
Without a word, I moved to sit next to her on the bed, silently wrapping her in my embrace.
"I love you so much," I whispered. I felt her smile against my shoulder, her arms tightening around me.
"I love you too," she said. I pulled away to look at her again, sensing her exhaustion.
"You should get some sleep," I said, tracing the dark circles underneath her eyes.
She nodded, moving her hand to my eyes and repeating my gesture. "So should you," she said. I chuckled, rising from her bed and squeezing her hand once more before releasing it.
"I will," I said, heading to the door. "But first, I'm going to find Dr. Greggson and have him check you out." I turned and opened the door.
"No." I turned at Sydney's tense response, concerned.
"No?" I asked, moving back to her bed. "What's the matter? Do you feel ok?"
"Don't leave." She looked up at me, her eyes pleading with mine. "I want you to stay here." She paused, embarrassed. "I don't want to be alone."
"You'll never be alone, Syd." She nodded. "I'll only be gone for a few minutes." She looked at me, her eyes sad. I felt my resolve quickly melting away.
"But I'm cold," she said, pouting. I chuckled, amused at her obvious attempt to convince me to stay with her. And it worked.
"Ok," I agreed. "But you'll have to see the doctor eventually." She smiled, satisfied. I slipped off my shoes and slid into the narrow hospital bed behind her. She sighed contentedly as she rested her back against my chest. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer and taking comfort in that closeness. I smiled, placing a light kiss on the back of her neck.
"Warmer?" I asked.
"Mmmhmm…" she murmured, sleep already overtaking her. "Love you," she muttered softly, before her breathing steadied.
"Love you too," I replied, stroking her waist, and silently vowing to myself that I would never let her be alone again.
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Did you like? I hope so :) I probably won't be able to update for the next week or so... I have company coming. But I will definately keep thinking of ideas. And if any of you have suggestions, let me know, cuz I'm kind of stuck at the moment! Email me at adele1013@email.com. Read and review!!
