Alright. I can deal with negative reviews. Sorry if the story has turned in
a way that totally turns you off but I really believe that the emotions of
the characters are real and wanted the romance to hold off until Sydney was
absolutely sure. Yes, I do know that Sydney loves him. I just don't know if
she knows. So, this IS a romance and they WILL get together. . . How can
they not? All ten chapters have been flashbacks so. . . yeah. Hang in
there, the tides will turn. -Jenn
Hint hint. . . the tides will turn REALLY SOON. . .
Oh, and don't stop reviewing. . . even if it's negative. (Or as I prefer: "constructive criticism ;) ).
Chapter 11: Loving you
Or had she? The dream was Vaughn's past and he had obviously moved on and still found in his heart to love her. She looked at him, his head pointed towards the ground as he tried to hold back the tears.
On impulse, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. She knew he was surprised but she was too. Not because of what she had done but at how right it felt. To hold him in her arms. To have him hold her back. She closed her eyes, relishing the closeness of it all. The familiar tingling of her back spread throughout her body as she held him to her.
He pulled back, looking into her eyes. Maybe there was a chance after all.
Sydney smiled at him. "Wine?"
He turned and passed her her glass. She raised it and gently clinked it against his own. "To. . . what should we toast to?"
"To us." His voice was soft and gravelly and she was suddenly glad she was sitting down.
"To us." She still wasn't sure what that meant. "May we get through all of this and come out stronger for it."
"Hear hear." Vaughn reached over her to grab the wine bottle. Their glasses had been empty.
Sydney saw him reach over her, his head right under hers. Maybe she hadn't been in love before but more had happened between them in the past 24 hours than in the past two years. Maybe it was time to move on. And maybe Vaughn was the guy for her. He popped the cork and tipped it so that the liquid flowed from the neck of the bottle.
He never saw it coming. One minute his eyes were on the bottle, then on the wine filling Sydney's glass. And then he saw Sydney's own face, in front of his. And felt her lips on top of his own. He wanted to drop everything that he had in his hands but didn't, knowing that if he did, he would regret it later. Instead, he put down his empty glass and set the bottle on the floor, his lips never leaving hers. Why was she doing this? At first he thought that maybe if was because she was drunk. But she hadn't even had a sip of her wine.
So he decided not to think at all. Sydney Bristow was kissing him. He tentatively placed a hand at the small of her back, then holding her possessively against him. The other hand he placed at her neck, feeling its warmth against his hand. He felt her own hands traveling up his back and burying themselves into his hair. Heat filled him and he wanted to sigh but decided against it, wanting to keep kissing her. He heard a noise and was confused, until he realized that it was Sydney. It sounded like "Mmmm" and that's exactly what he felt too.
He ran out of oxygen and, cursing mentally, he raised his head from hers. She blushed furiously but her eyes sparkled with a life that he never recalled seeing before. This was the first time he had ever seen her unprofessional. Even when she cried on his shoulder she had managed to keep some of her composure. But this was raw Sydney. And he loved it.
The look on his face mirrored hers. WOW. He still wasn't sure why she had done it. Vaughn opened his mouth, ready to ask but felt her fingers intertwine with his. He looked down at them, her small, delicate fingers around his own thicker ones. He wanted to take a picture of it; it made such a beautiful scene.
He looked back up at her and she smiled, her face flaming. She kissed him again, fingering his hair. He nearly went crazy as he felt her hand slide under his shirt and, much as he wanted it to go on, he stopped her. Pulling his face away, he laid his forehead on hers. "Sydney. We can't do this."
Sydney looked into his eyes, half an inch away from hers. "Why not?"
"Because I've never slept with a woman who didn't love me. And I don't plan on starting now."
She pulled her face away, recollecting her thoughts. And suddenly, everything fit together.
It was a little smile but one so full of sudden comprehension and happiness that Vaughn felt his heart fill with hope.
"Vaughn. I think that fifteen minutes ago, I was still too naïve. I think I had forgotten what love was. I think that when Danny died, I placed it on some pedestal and told myself that I would never be able to find it again. That it was so perfect that it could only be had once. And that was if you were lucky. And I had already been lucky. And that's why I convinced myself that all I felt for you was a crush. That you attracted me physically and that your personality was merely an added bonus.
And I was content with that knowledge. I want you to know that what you told me. . . this morning was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. But it also turned my world upside down. Because after you risked everything to tell me that, I knew I had to make up my mind. And I didn't want to hurt you. Or me.
But when you leaned over me, I realized that you weren't just manipulating me. I knew that you had spoken from your heart before but I also thought you were taking advantage of my emotional state. It was then that I realized that you didn't love me because I was in a low place and you could rescue me. I realized that you loved me both in spite of them and because of them.
Now you know I'm human. And when I kissed you, I wanted to see if I could be myself again. If I was ready to break out of me shell. And from the moment your lips touched mine, I knew. It was like my soul was complete again." She looked at him meaningfully but it was his turn to become silent. He was still processing her words.
She laughed softly. "Don't you get it yet? The moment we broke our kiss, I felt scared and nervous and happy and . . . and wonderful. All at once. And I remember feeling the exact same way two years ago. But I don't remember ever being so happy as I am now. Don't you think that it's fate that all this happened? That my flight was canceled, that you asked me to stay? That you comforted me and then told me how you felt?"
There was still no response. She prodded him gently. "Don't you think that's it's too big to be a coincidence that I love you too?"
His eyes widened. And then his lips spread into a smile.
Hint hint. . . the tides will turn REALLY SOON. . .
Oh, and don't stop reviewing. . . even if it's negative. (Or as I prefer: "constructive criticism ;) ).
Chapter 11: Loving you
Or had she? The dream was Vaughn's past and he had obviously moved on and still found in his heart to love her. She looked at him, his head pointed towards the ground as he tried to hold back the tears.
On impulse, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. She knew he was surprised but she was too. Not because of what she had done but at how right it felt. To hold him in her arms. To have him hold her back. She closed her eyes, relishing the closeness of it all. The familiar tingling of her back spread throughout her body as she held him to her.
He pulled back, looking into her eyes. Maybe there was a chance after all.
Sydney smiled at him. "Wine?"
He turned and passed her her glass. She raised it and gently clinked it against his own. "To. . . what should we toast to?"
"To us." His voice was soft and gravelly and she was suddenly glad she was sitting down.
"To us." She still wasn't sure what that meant. "May we get through all of this and come out stronger for it."
"Hear hear." Vaughn reached over her to grab the wine bottle. Their glasses had been empty.
Sydney saw him reach over her, his head right under hers. Maybe she hadn't been in love before but more had happened between them in the past 24 hours than in the past two years. Maybe it was time to move on. And maybe Vaughn was the guy for her. He popped the cork and tipped it so that the liquid flowed from the neck of the bottle.
He never saw it coming. One minute his eyes were on the bottle, then on the wine filling Sydney's glass. And then he saw Sydney's own face, in front of his. And felt her lips on top of his own. He wanted to drop everything that he had in his hands but didn't, knowing that if he did, he would regret it later. Instead, he put down his empty glass and set the bottle on the floor, his lips never leaving hers. Why was she doing this? At first he thought that maybe if was because she was drunk. But she hadn't even had a sip of her wine.
So he decided not to think at all. Sydney Bristow was kissing him. He tentatively placed a hand at the small of her back, then holding her possessively against him. The other hand he placed at her neck, feeling its warmth against his hand. He felt her own hands traveling up his back and burying themselves into his hair. Heat filled him and he wanted to sigh but decided against it, wanting to keep kissing her. He heard a noise and was confused, until he realized that it was Sydney. It sounded like "Mmmm" and that's exactly what he felt too.
He ran out of oxygen and, cursing mentally, he raised his head from hers. She blushed furiously but her eyes sparkled with a life that he never recalled seeing before. This was the first time he had ever seen her unprofessional. Even when she cried on his shoulder she had managed to keep some of her composure. But this was raw Sydney. And he loved it.
The look on his face mirrored hers. WOW. He still wasn't sure why she had done it. Vaughn opened his mouth, ready to ask but felt her fingers intertwine with his. He looked down at them, her small, delicate fingers around his own thicker ones. He wanted to take a picture of it; it made such a beautiful scene.
He looked back up at her and she smiled, her face flaming. She kissed him again, fingering his hair. He nearly went crazy as he felt her hand slide under his shirt and, much as he wanted it to go on, he stopped her. Pulling his face away, he laid his forehead on hers. "Sydney. We can't do this."
Sydney looked into his eyes, half an inch away from hers. "Why not?"
"Because I've never slept with a woman who didn't love me. And I don't plan on starting now."
She pulled her face away, recollecting her thoughts. And suddenly, everything fit together.
It was a little smile but one so full of sudden comprehension and happiness that Vaughn felt his heart fill with hope.
"Vaughn. I think that fifteen minutes ago, I was still too naïve. I think I had forgotten what love was. I think that when Danny died, I placed it on some pedestal and told myself that I would never be able to find it again. That it was so perfect that it could only be had once. And that was if you were lucky. And I had already been lucky. And that's why I convinced myself that all I felt for you was a crush. That you attracted me physically and that your personality was merely an added bonus.
And I was content with that knowledge. I want you to know that what you told me. . . this morning was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. But it also turned my world upside down. Because after you risked everything to tell me that, I knew I had to make up my mind. And I didn't want to hurt you. Or me.
But when you leaned over me, I realized that you weren't just manipulating me. I knew that you had spoken from your heart before but I also thought you were taking advantage of my emotional state. It was then that I realized that you didn't love me because I was in a low place and you could rescue me. I realized that you loved me both in spite of them and because of them.
Now you know I'm human. And when I kissed you, I wanted to see if I could be myself again. If I was ready to break out of me shell. And from the moment your lips touched mine, I knew. It was like my soul was complete again." She looked at him meaningfully but it was his turn to become silent. He was still processing her words.
She laughed softly. "Don't you get it yet? The moment we broke our kiss, I felt scared and nervous and happy and . . . and wonderful. All at once. And I remember feeling the exact same way two years ago. But I don't remember ever being so happy as I am now. Don't you think that it's fate that all this happened? That my flight was canceled, that you asked me to stay? That you comforted me and then told me how you felt?"
There was still no response. She prodded him gently. "Don't you think that's it's too big to be a coincidence that I love you too?"
His eyes widened. And then his lips spread into a smile.
