Against All Odds

Part 5

Using a neighbouring tree as a means of support, Vaughn took the opportunity to take a moment and try and slow his breathing down. The two agents had been walking now for almost three hours and whilst Sydney showed no sign of strain, the effort was beginning to clearly take its toll on Vaughn. The terrain they had covered had varied from flat ground to steep hills and he was not sure how much longer he could keep the pace up for.

Sydney had paused up ahead to verify their position using the map and Vaughn had been grateful for the rest. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and he raised his good arm to wipe away the moisture from his face. His mouth was parched and he desperately wanted to ask Sydney for some of the bottled water that was secured in her backpack but he knew that they couldn't afford to spare it. He had already consumed one of their daily rations only a short while ago and it had had little effect on hydrating his throat.

"Are we still on track Syd?" He called to her, wanting to know how much further they had to go today.

"I think so. Judging by our proposed flight path we would have been south of Sloane's facilities so as long as we keep heading north we should be on target for the town......" Sydney dropped the map onto the ground and reached up her arms so she could stretch. "......and hopefully a hot shower too. Lord knows I could use one."

She grinned affectionately at him but as she took the opportunity to take a glance and see how the hike had affected him the smile quickly turned into a concerned frown. She had noticed that his pace had been gradually slowing during the last hour and she had slowed up to match his speed. Looking at him now she realised that he wouldn't be able to carry on much further without a break and decided that they should make camp for the night.

She took a glance around their surroundings and observed that the small clearing that they stood in didn't offer much in the way of shelter, but it if she was right about their position it was the best they were going to find in the area.

"I think here would be the most suitable spot to rest for the night. If I'm right we are going to have fun tomorrow because after this lovely flat clearing the terrain will start to become mostly precipitous. Basically it's going to be a veritable minefield of obstacles that we are going to have to clamber over - just what we do all that CIA training for." Sydney dejectedly sat herself down on a fallen tree and stared hard at the ground. She could see that Vaughn was going to protest and quickly carried on speaking. They were in no fit state to attempt that terrain now, despite his objections.

"It's getting dark too. If we use the torch anyone in a one mile vicinity will see us coming thanks to the wonder that is the incandescent beam. Usually that would be helpful to us if we knew that it would be the good guys that were looking for us, but knowing my luck Sloane would be the one that ends up "rescuing" us." She looked up at Vaughn and patted the empty space on the log next to her. "No I think all in all we should stay here tonight."

"Are you sure because I can keep going, don't stop on my account." He tried to reinforce the point that he was perfectly fine both to her and himself. But as he eased himself down and fully allowed the pain from his arm and chest injuries to compete for his attention, he wondered if he would even be able to make it back up later.

Whilst Vaughn was desperate for a break he knew that they had only been travelling for three hours. He dreaded to think about tomorrow and the full day's hike they would have.

"No I think we should stop here. We will get going tomorrow at first light." Sydney sighed wearily and slipped the rucksack off her shoulders so she could lean into Vaughn for comfort.

She only hoped that she was leading them in the right direction and not further into the wilderness. She had been making educated guesses during the day about the direction they were heading in and wished there had been more landmarks to help her other than trees. Yes she had her CIA training but she had been brought up in the jungles of Los Angeles, she was not overly familiar with forests of the green variety. Why hadn't she gone camping with Will all them times he had invited her?

She was about to bend down and grab the water bottle from her rucksack when she noticed that Vaughn was smiling at her.

"What?" She asked suspiciously, bolting up. "Do I have something on my face?" Sydney brushed her face and hair in a mad panic. "Tell me it's not a bug because I have been fighting them all afternoon. Ugh it is isn't it? That's why you have this huge grin on your face right now because you know I hate bugs."

She hastily stood up and started doing a mad dance around the clearing attacking her head with her hands and it was all Vaughn could do not to laugh any harder.

"Argggggggggh! Tell me it's off now......is it off yet? I can't see it......is it off?"

Vaughn quickly leaned forward and gently grabbed her hands, pulling her towards him so she could sit in his lap.

"Syd, stop panicking, there is no bug on you." Sydney hesitantly stopped struggling and stared at him sceptically. "I swear! I was smiling simply because it makes a change you giving me the plan, that's all. Although I have to admit that I think I do it better." He took a side glance at her and then prepared himself for the onslaught.

Sydney stared at him hard and then hit him with it, her voice getting louder with every word. "Vaughn, I'm a woman in dire need of a bath, a venti sized Starbucks, and a threesome with Ben and Jerry. Do you really want to mess with me now?"

He chuckled at her and held his hand up in defeat. "Ok, ok, I concede. I just love seeing you get all worked up. You can definitely handle me anytime you want."

Sydney leaned carefully into him, laughing, ensuring that her full weight wasn't on his chest. "Anytime baby, anytime."

As she closed her eyes she tried her hardest to convince herself that the two of them were snuggled up close on her couch without an inch of woodland in sight.

"You can probably tell from that performance that I'm so not a bug person." She mumbled into his chest after a few moments peaceful silence.

"Yeah well the crazy dance kind of gave it away." He replied, amusement evident in his voice.

Sydney was about to defend herself when she felt Vaughn shiver hard against her. Snapping her head up to face him she edged back to see if he was all right.

"Vaughn, what wrong? Are you cold?" She asked concerned.

"A little bit." He shifted slightly on the log, trying to get himself into a better position. "I think we should get a fire going soon. The temperature is obviously going to drop further tonight."

"That definitely sounds like a plan. I'll let it go this time though." Sydney was about to jump off his knee to start the fire when she suddenly had a thought.

"Okay Boy Scout, not to come across all girlie but please tell me that you have had some experience of making a camp fire?"

"Of course I can build a camp fire." Vaughn replied with a look that clearly said otherwise. "Wood, matches, kindle ...... where's the difficulty?" He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It won't be a problem."

"Really?" Sydney drawled, completely unconvinced. "Because I don't remember you showing me your badge for that."

"Well that's because I don't have one for that." He leaned in close and whispered seductively in her ear. "The Boy Scouts don't give badges for everything you know."

"Yes well I am still in denial here." She replied, stepping out if his embrace to face him. "I think I going to need to see some hard evidence." He gave her a look. "And not that kind of evidence." She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm going to get some wood, you stay here and rest for a while. I will be back soon. Don't forget that the water is in my backpack if you want it."

"I don't need to rest." Vaughn protested, starting to get up. "I can help you."

Sydney quickly turned around and placed her hands on his shoulders to push him back down. Once he was sitting comfortably back down on the log she lowered herself into a crouching position in front of him so she could stare into his face. She had to make her point clear.

"Vaughn seriously. We have got a big day ahead of us tomorrow so you need to get as much rest as you can now. It won't take me long to get the wood, I mean we are in a forest right? Get some rest, I won't be long." Standing up, Sydney placed a light kiss on his forehead then started off towards the trees.

Vaughn watched her retreating figure walk off until the trees blocked her from view. Once Sydney was out of sight he took the chance to inhale deeply and rub his side tenderly. As he sat there by himself a wave of helplessness hit him full force and he felt a hint of anger run through his veins. What use would he be if he couldn't even collect firewood? It was such a simple thing to do so why did he lack the energy for it?

He slid himself down slowly off the log and used the wood to support his back and head. As he rubbed his eyes he tried hard to fight off the fatigue that was threatening to swamp him.

Great, some help I'm going to be if I fall asleep before Syd gets back.

Swiping his hand across his face he noticed that he was still sweating profusely.

Why the hell am I still sweating? The temperature is hardly what I would call warm and we finished the hike about twenty minutes ago.

Vaughn stared worryingly at the shimmer of moisture on his hand and tried to convince himself that it was nothing more than the result of overexertion. But what if he was wrong?