Chapter 6- Shadow

Sydney held her breath as she walked through the door. She wasn't sure why but she supposed that it was just the idea of spending the night at Vaughn's house. SHE was spending the NIGHT with Vaughn. Well maybe not WITH him with him but WITH him. . . Lord, how did it happen? Why was she here?

If anything happened, nothing would ever be the same. Their relationship would be forever altered. Would she be willing to risk that for a night of. . . whatever the night would hold? She looked at him, saw the expression of wonderment in his eyes and smiled.

"Hi," she said, as if they hadn't been together for the past four hours.

"Hi," he grinned at her.

His gaze ripped through her, broke apart her composure. He was an extremely good-looking man and when he smiled like that and lost all the worry that usually marred his face. . . he was just exquisite. She shivered from the feeling of it all.

"Are you cold?" Vaughn was concerned about her. VAUGHN was concerned about HER. Cold? She felt like she was burning up.

Something looked different about her. She was flushed, almost red. She certainly didn't look very cold. He couldn't help it. He raised his hand slowly and touched her cheek just as she nodded yes. "Are you sure you're cold Sydney? You're burning up." He was suddenly alert. Wasn't it a bad sign for someone to be burning up while complaining of the cold? "Here, why don't you lie down. . . er, you can take my room. I'll set up the couch."

Sydney smiled at him. He was so considerate, how could a man as wonderful as this manage to slip through the fingers of all the single women waiting for him? She followed him into his bedroom. If his car had smelled like him, then the room overwhelmed her. His distinct scent filled her senses. She felt. . . funny. A way she hadn't ever really felt before. It was as it a horde of emotions flew at her and pounded her. IT was sudden, an emotional blitzkrieg and it wasn't the most pleasant feeling she had ever felt. She was pretty sure it wasn't love because she had loved before. *It kinda feels like love but is the room actually supposed to be spinning? I thought that was just an expression or a lovey-dovey phrase. I'm so dizzy, it feels weird. Like I'm going to be sick but. . . I don't know."

That's when her knees buckled. The last thing she was aware of before she blacked out was his arms catching her. "You always look out for me Vaughn," she murmured.

Vaughn was in a panic. Sydney was in his arms but it wasn't exactly the romantic setting he had always thought it would be. Was she actually sick? He gently set her on the bed. *Oh my God, what's happening? Was it because it's so cold outside?* He lay a hand on her head, not caring about the romantic aspect of it anymore. She was flushed. He hated himself for not noticing. Another liability for loving her. He had even entertained the thought that she had been flushed because of his affect on her or something stupid like that. God, if he had been objective, he would have noticed something was actually wrong with her instead of trying to convince himself that she loved him too.

He didn't know what else to do and decided to just let her sleep. He was pretty sure that whatever was happening wasn't too serious. Obviously she hadn't been outside too long. Maybe she had been affected? Slightly? A smidgeon. He was too tired to care. He walked out of the room, unfolded the couch and rearranged the pillows and sheets. After thinking about it awhile, he left the door open just in case she might need him.

God he was tired. He looked at the clock. It was barely past 3 now. He would have about 5 hours of sleep time. He supposed it was a sign of his getting older that he was so tired already. He remembered how, when he had first met Sydney, he had trouble falling asleep. The mere thought of her exhilarated him in a way he had never felt before. He wanted to be that person for her. He closed his eyes and right before blackness engulfed him, Sydney's smiling face popped up. For the past three months, she had been the last thing on his mind when she fell asleep and he supposed that his mind was planning on keeping up with the tradition despite the fact that she was asleep in the next room.

Mom? Are you there? Mom?? Wait, stay where you are. I can almost see you. Mom, you promised to come to my Thanksgiving play! Mom, why are you running away from me?

Mommy, it's so dark. Please come back and hold my hand. Ow, it hurts. It hurts everywhere. Come and take away the pain.

"Sydney, you're mother's not coming back."

"Why? Dad. . . is it something I did?"

"No. Sydney, she died. In a car accident."

"What? Why did she die? Why did she leave us?"

"I don't know Sydney. It was just her time. Stop crying."

Mommy, you never told me to stop crying, you always said it was better to let it out while you could. Come back. Take me with you. Daddy's gone all the time. I'm so lonely. No one is here to play with me anymore.

Mom. . . MOM! Something's coming. It's big and scary and its trying to get me. Mom, I'm crying now, it's so scary. I can't stay here by myself. It's coming after me. Oh mommy, I'm running so fast but it keep coming. I'm yelling at it to go away but it won't understand me. I'm yelling at it in English, in Russian, in French, and Latin but it won't listen.

Mom, you have to come back and teach me how to get rid of it. Help me. It's right behind me. MOMMY! Where are you!

"AHH!" Sydney threw herself out of bed. Her eyes were swimming and her cheeks were itchy from her tears. She knew that dream. It was familiar, the one she had had for months after her mother's supposed death. *Okay, okay. Its okay Sydney. You're a big girl. You can go back to sleep. Your mother's not dead. C'mon.* But despite her reason, her body still shook, she could feel the thing wiping his black, slimy fingers all over her, smothering her in darkness while her mother ran away.

Her lungs felt like they were about to explode and she realized that she hadn't stopped screaming. She couldn't stop screaming. Her eyes were wide open but she couldn't see anything, her mouth was open and sound came from it but she couldn't hear what she was saying. Her head shook, trying to say no, trying to push the dark thing from her thoughts, trying to keep the darkness from smothering her but nothing worked. It was still there, at the foot of the bed, inching its way to her feet.

She saw it but didn't couldn't stop it. She knew it wasn't there but she couldn't help screaming again, louder. Her own ears rumbled with the sound she couldn't hear, her body ached with shaking it couldn't feel. Never had she felt so helpless in her entire life. She shut up eyes, clamping them closed with all the power in her body, trying to revert to her childhood days where the 'if I can't see you then you can't see me' theory had always worked. She felt someone shaking her, felt someone put their arms around her and say soothing things into her ear. But she couldn't see who it was and she doesn't distinctly hear what they were saying. She was falling. Her screaming stopped, her hair was limp from sweat and all the energy in her body swept out of her and into the air around her, leaving her with little more than a heart beat.

Vaughn's eyes had flown open at the first scream. It had taken him two more moments to remember the events of the past hours, two more to find out where the noise was coming from and only a half a second for him to come running through the door. What had taken him so long was the sight he was to see. Sydney sat upright in his bed, teeth chattering, eyes wide-open, head shaking back and forth. Her face was shiny from sweat and tears, her eyes puffy, and a never-ending moan issued from her lips.

He had never felt terror like this in his life. He watched as the women he loved- yes he could admit it now- shoved herself against the headboard and kicked at an imaginary things, muttering words in English, Russian, French, Latin, and a multitude of other languages that he could only identify before she went on to the next one. Finally, he realized what he was doing and rushed to her side.

Sydney, his Sydney, was drenched. He held her against him and whispered in her ear, "Sh, it's okay Sydney. It's just a dream, it's fine. I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you, it's just me. Vaugh, remember? I'm not going to hurt you. Everything's going to be fine." She clamped her eyes shut shook her head more furiously. Vaughn began rocking her until she relaxed, and then fell limp against him.

A few hours in the life of Sydney Bristow brought more excitement than he had ever had in his life. Perhaps that was a little exaggeration but, at the moment, he felt that it was true. He continued rocking her until her eyes relaxed. He set her on the bed once more, feeling like a parent comforting his child. He paused, and then kissed her forehead. He turned to leave but he felt something grab his hand. He turned back towards her.

She was still asleep but moving her lips. "Please don't leave me. No, don't run away. Please, its coming after me and it won't go away."

He sighed and crept under the covers, instinctively taking her into his arms. She finally seemed to quiet down, covered in his warm embrace. Her head fit into the curve of his neck perfectly. Vaughn would have been exulting if he had not already been asleep.