Strike a Match- Ending Number 2
It also could've happened like this...
"I choose bachelor number... three!"
Yes, three. Three was the right choice. Three was so perfect and familiar. Screw the mission.
I listened as Max introduced the other two contestants.
Christopher Cellins and Marc Abrams. Either could've been Angel, but at this point I just didn't care. I didn't even bother looking at the screen to see what they looked like.
All I cared about was seeing Emerald Eyes, and knowing that with my earring broken, no one could say I'd failed the mission on purpose.
"Contestant number 3, please come stand with your back to Miss Cohen."
As I felt him come behind me, a familiar shiver ran up my spine. It was the feeling I got every time I laid my eyes on Vaughn in the warehouse.
But Vaughn was dead.
Obviously, Emerald Eyes was like, his spirit trying to communicate with me through another body or something.
God damnit, Sydney. What is this, Casper?
"And say hello to your match, Michael Vaughn!"
I whirled around to meet the sparkling green eyes before I had the chance to comprehend what that name meant.
And as we looked at each other, it fell hard into place.
Vaughn's alive.
A simple realization, two simple words. And yet they were so complicated, meant so much. It was all too much to let sink in right then and all I wanted to do was pull him towards me and hug him until my arms lost feeling.
But we could show no recognition, no sign of the shock we were feeling. His trademark green eyes showed me he was just as surprised as I was.
THAT NIGHT- LA KINGS' HOME RINK
The Kings scored a goal and we stood and cheered loudly.
As we sat back down, I smiled and said, "Can you believe we're doing this? I mean... we're here. We're at the Kings game, and we don't have to worry about Sloane's flying monkeys coming to blow our brains out."
Vaughn smiled back and nodded. "Despite the unpleasurable image of Sloane in red and white tights and a pointed witch's hat that that Wizard of Oz reference just permanently engraved in my mind, you're right. This is pretty amazing."
I giggled and shook my head.
I was having a genuinely great time. My life didn't leave much room for fun, so I hadn't had tons since that guy came up to me freshman year and said, "Hey, would you like to sign up to help destroy the world?"
Ok, so that's a paraphrase. But he might as well have said that.
We sat back down after clapping for another goal and I felt a sudden warm tingle circulate from my hand up to my arm. I glanced down and saw that Vaughn had rested his hand on mine.
I turned and smiled at him. He smiled back at me and our eyes locked, then we faced the rink again to watch the game.
When the game was over, we headed outside to talk.
The first thing that happened was Vaughn telling me that Pearly Whites had been Sark. I was shocked. How could I have missed that? Apparently he'd been assigned to stop me from finding Angel. He'd succeeded, but not really in the way he'd expected.
After that we stood in silence. Finally I spoke up. "So... tonight was pretty unforgettable. Really."
He nodded in agreement. "We should do it again sometime."
"Vaughn, you know we can't-" I stopped short, realizing. "But... if SD-6 believed we just happened to meet on the show..."
He grinned and nodded, finishing the sentence with his eyes.
This was beyond amazing. This was like... something truly dramatic happening on 7th Heaven for once amazing. Except that's impossible. This was really happening.
"I guess we can thank my mother for this," I commented suddenly as we walked to Vaughn's car, hand in hand.
"What?" he asked.
"Think about it. If my mother hadn't separated us in Taipei and made me believe you were dead, I wouldn't have let Devlin suspend you as my handler. Then you wouldn't have been talked into this by Eric and we wouldn't be in this situation."
Vaughn gave me an odd look as he opened the car door. "Sydney, did anyone ever tell you that your thought process is completely distorted?"
"Hey, I'm serious!" I laughed, shutting the door.
While he drove me home, we talked about everything but work. Turns out Vaughn has a secret infatuation with watching Nick at Night.
"I like Gilligan's Island!" he protested as I giggled.
"Yeah, that and you have a crush on Sam from Bewitched."
He didn't answer, but a blush quickly spread across his face while he stared at the road ahead.
I gasped. "Oh my God. No way!"
This guy was full of surprises.
This was a beginning. As we drove through the night with the California wind streaming through my hair, I felt it.
Something was starting, or maybe it was just that something that had always been there was being discovered.
Whatever it was, the feeling of wonder and excitement, I couldn't wait to explore it.
Thank God for dating game shows. I always knew I liked them.
...What? Degrading, lame, and superficial? I never said that!
You must've gotten me confused with someone else. After all, a game like 'Strike a Match' can change everything.
And from the way things feel now, it's for the better.
END POSSIBLE ENDING TWO
A/N: You expected this to be the real ending, didn't you? Just goes to show, even the biggest shippers can surprise you. But don't get too upset, because the real eding will also include some nice shppery stuff. :-D
