June 19th, 2003
She stared at him in complete and utter disbelief. Lying. He had to be. Gone? For two years? What the hell? None of this made any sense.his ring. Will was alive; this had to be a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. "Vaughn.this is crazy. I was in my room, I just shot Francie.oh my god I killed my best friend." She lowered her head into her hands as sobs racked her body.
"You didn't kill her. Sloane had her killed. Syd, it's not you're fault." He knew his attempts at comforting her were in vain; nothing would ease the hurt she felt inside. "Come on. We have to go. The plane leaves soon. I'll explain everything on the way back home." He stood and reached for her hand.
"No."
"I'm sorry-"
She cut him off. "Don't touch me." She spat out, the words acid on her tongue. Her eyes were filled with tears, but he could see the anger beneath that. "You left me. You don't deserve to touch me."
"Please don't do this, Syd."
"Don't you tell me what to do!" Her voice came out shrill, unnatural. "Jesus Christ Vaughn! You're wearing a f****ing wedding ring! You actually expect me to let you touch me when you're wearing that? When you have proof that you're in love with another woman? I just woke up in an alleyway in a foreign country, with two years of my life gone. The man I love is married, my best friend is dead, and I don't know what happened too-" She stopped, took a breath, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ears.
"What happened to what?" He could ignore her outburst of anger, he could shove that down, it's what he had to do. It was his job.he was here just to get her back to the United States. That was it. Then he could go back to Santa Barbara.
"Like you care." She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. "Look, just get me out of here, okay? I want to go home. Or at least what's left of it. To the people that actually care about me. Who haven't forgotten about me."
"I never forgot about me.Syd please just listen to me." He pleaded, looking wounded.
"Shut up."
He sighed, defeated. "Fine. Let's go. Here." He reached into his pocket and tossed an envelope on her lap. "It's you're identification to get onto the plane. You can look it over on the way there." He stood to leave, and she silently followed.
The cab ride to the airport was quiet; the air palpable with the words yet unspoken. The flight back to Los Angles was even worse. Sydney refused to meet Vaughn's eyes, and promptly rolled over and went to sleep. He watched her, remembering when he was able to do this on a nightly basis, when things were the way they should have been. Or almost the way they should have been. He still loved her, more than he loved the woman waiting at home for him. He wished more than anything that Sydney would give him the chance to explain himself. But he knew more than anyone did how she didn't communicate when she was upset. He remembered when Emily had died, how he had tried to say something, how she had silenced him. Brought his arm tighter around her waist. Relaxed when he kissed the back of her neck.
She knew he was watching her sleep. Her eyelids were closed, but she wasn't asleep. Too upset to cry, too tired too sleep, she hovered in the place between the unconscious and the awake. Angry thoughts swirled through her mind; it was better feeling this then the crippling sadness and that quiet lost feeling. Two years. She had been missing for two years. That scar on her side, she knew what it was from. A deep maternal instinct told her that. She wondered if he knew, she wondered if the doctor's office had called after she missed her appointment, if he had put two and two together.this was the feeling that hurt the most. The feeling that she had lost everything. Her friends. Her lover. And now her baby. As much as it pained her to admit it, she wanted her mother. Sydney wanted to be wrapped in her mothers arms and be told that everything was going to be okay, that nothing would ever hurt her again.
The plane jumped as it landed, and Sydney 'woke up' from her false sleep. "Where am I going now?" She asked Vaughn quietly, the first words they had shared for hours.
"A safe house. There's an agent there too take care of you. Come on. There should be a car waiting for us." Instinctly he reached for her hand, until he remembered her reaction earlier. With a sigh, he gestured with his hand through the busy terminal as to where she was supposed to go. She barely acknowledged her surroundings, though she was glad to be in a familiar place. Out front, a sleek black government car sat with its engine humming. The driver door opened, and as Sydney looked up, she broke into a grin. "Dad!"
She stared at him in complete and utter disbelief. Lying. He had to be. Gone? For two years? What the hell? None of this made any sense.his ring. Will was alive; this had to be a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. "Vaughn.this is crazy. I was in my room, I just shot Francie.oh my god I killed my best friend." She lowered her head into her hands as sobs racked her body.
"You didn't kill her. Sloane had her killed. Syd, it's not you're fault." He knew his attempts at comforting her were in vain; nothing would ease the hurt she felt inside. "Come on. We have to go. The plane leaves soon. I'll explain everything on the way back home." He stood and reached for her hand.
"No."
"I'm sorry-"
She cut him off. "Don't touch me." She spat out, the words acid on her tongue. Her eyes were filled with tears, but he could see the anger beneath that. "You left me. You don't deserve to touch me."
"Please don't do this, Syd."
"Don't you tell me what to do!" Her voice came out shrill, unnatural. "Jesus Christ Vaughn! You're wearing a f****ing wedding ring! You actually expect me to let you touch me when you're wearing that? When you have proof that you're in love with another woman? I just woke up in an alleyway in a foreign country, with two years of my life gone. The man I love is married, my best friend is dead, and I don't know what happened too-" She stopped, took a breath, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ears.
"What happened to what?" He could ignore her outburst of anger, he could shove that down, it's what he had to do. It was his job.he was here just to get her back to the United States. That was it. Then he could go back to Santa Barbara.
"Like you care." She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. "Look, just get me out of here, okay? I want to go home. Or at least what's left of it. To the people that actually care about me. Who haven't forgotten about me."
"I never forgot about me.Syd please just listen to me." He pleaded, looking wounded.
"Shut up."
He sighed, defeated. "Fine. Let's go. Here." He reached into his pocket and tossed an envelope on her lap. "It's you're identification to get onto the plane. You can look it over on the way there." He stood to leave, and she silently followed.
The cab ride to the airport was quiet; the air palpable with the words yet unspoken. The flight back to Los Angles was even worse. Sydney refused to meet Vaughn's eyes, and promptly rolled over and went to sleep. He watched her, remembering when he was able to do this on a nightly basis, when things were the way they should have been. Or almost the way they should have been. He still loved her, more than he loved the woman waiting at home for him. He wished more than anything that Sydney would give him the chance to explain himself. But he knew more than anyone did how she didn't communicate when she was upset. He remembered when Emily had died, how he had tried to say something, how she had silenced him. Brought his arm tighter around her waist. Relaxed when he kissed the back of her neck.
She knew he was watching her sleep. Her eyelids were closed, but she wasn't asleep. Too upset to cry, too tired too sleep, she hovered in the place between the unconscious and the awake. Angry thoughts swirled through her mind; it was better feeling this then the crippling sadness and that quiet lost feeling. Two years. She had been missing for two years. That scar on her side, she knew what it was from. A deep maternal instinct told her that. She wondered if he knew, she wondered if the doctor's office had called after she missed her appointment, if he had put two and two together.this was the feeling that hurt the most. The feeling that she had lost everything. Her friends. Her lover. And now her baby. As much as it pained her to admit it, she wanted her mother. Sydney wanted to be wrapped in her mothers arms and be told that everything was going to be okay, that nothing would ever hurt her again.
The plane jumped as it landed, and Sydney 'woke up' from her false sleep. "Where am I going now?" She asked Vaughn quietly, the first words they had shared for hours.
"A safe house. There's an agent there too take care of you. Come on. There should be a car waiting for us." Instinctly he reached for her hand, until he remembered her reaction earlier. With a sigh, he gestured with his hand through the busy terminal as to where she was supposed to go. She barely acknowledged her surroundings, though she was glad to be in a familiar place. Out front, a sleek black government car sat with its engine humming. The driver door opened, and as Sydney looked up, she broke into a grin. "Dad!"
