Thanks to all for reading this little story, I appreciate your feedback and
encouragement!
Enjoy!
******
The days following Sloane's visit to Sydney's house all seemed to blend into one. Even though Emily had been dead for almost two weeks, Sloane still wanted the usual visitation and memorial service. Sydney was in attendance for all occasions, Will by her side, accepting the condolences of those who knew she thought of Emily is a mother. Jack tried to make it when he could but was working on a mission for the CIA and that was taking up much of his time apart from his typical SD-6 duties.
Sydney knew that the ache would soon leave her and her contempt for Sloane would grow even stronger, a nagging feeling told her that Emily's death wasn't likely to have happened exactly has Sloane had said. Sloane was most certainly a grieving spouse but at times he acted almost guilty, like he was responsible for his wife's death. Believing Sloane actually did have something to do with there being ashes in the urn on the alter in the funeral home was not too far of a stretch for Sydney and once she had made that leap, anger started replacing sorrow and her desire to fight harder and longer for SD-6's destruction grew more powerful.
Vaughn hated that he couldn't be there for Sydney, but he very well couldn't show up at the memorial to support her. They met twice in the following week, the first time under the guise of checking up on she and Will's "relationship" and the second as a prep meeting for an upcoming operation that both Sydney and Will would be sent on.
Both times Will had been required to tag along but he managed to find the back corner of the warehouse very interesting for the first half hour of each meeting, leaving Sydney and Vaughn alone. During those times, Sydney had buried her head in Vaughn's chest and let herself be taken into him, Vaughn's arms wrapping around her like a comforting blanket. Vaughn breathed into her hair and planted light kisses all over her head. Sydney didn't have any tears left to shed so she simply stood in his embrace, willing herself to forget everything that was outside of their small cocoon. By their second meeting, a week after learning about Emily's death, Sydney felt more at peace than she had in months.
But the peace only carried her through to the next morning when she awoke from a terrible dream only to realize that it wasn't a dream at all and Will was snoring quietly beside her. That day she eulogized Emily in front of a small crowd of SD-6 employees and Emily's friends. She carried a handkerchief that Vaughn had slipped into her hand the night before. "I know I won't be there in person but I hope this helps remind you that my heart is with you and I will be thinking about you the whole time."
She made it through the day, sitting next to Sloane after the memorial, holding his hand while he cried, using every bit of her self-control to keep from crushed the bones between her fingers. Will came up behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her check. Absentmindedly, she turned and kissed him full on the mouth, taking Will quite by surprise, as they hadn't participated in public displays of affection outside of handholding and close embraces. Sydney quickly turned back to Sloane, eyes wide. 'What the hell was I thinking,' she chided herself, 'Oh well, we are supposed to be dating, that was fairly normal interaction between a couple who shares the same bed.'
While Sydney was quick to dismiss the kiss, Will could focus on nothing but. He knew that Sydney loved Vaughn but he had spent the better part of three years in love with her and kissing her wasn't something he could easily dismiss and no one could really blame him for thinking twice or three times about what had happened. His thoughts didn't carry him too far before he felt something vibrating against his pants - his CIA-issued cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Vaughn. I know you are at the memorial right now and talking to me isn't the best idea in the world but I needed to reach you before I left the office for the afternoon. I need to meet with you and Sydney tonight - regarding our topic of conversation last night. Just say, okay if you can make it by nine."
"Ok."
"Good." Vaughn paused, the inevitable question waiting to be asked, "How is she?"
"She's holding up, as well as can be expected, I guess," Will answered almost before the words had come through the earpiece. "I'll tell her you called, Francie, and that you love her."
"Thanks, Will. I'll see you tonight."
"Bye." Will disconnected and looked down at Sydney who had turned her face up to look at him, knowing Francie didn't have the number to the phone in Will's hand. "Francie was just checking in and wanted me to say that she loves you. She will see us at 9:00 tonight."
Sydney nodded in understanding, "That was nice of her to call."
******
As Will and Sydney were saying their goodbyes and preparing to leave the memorial, Jack had stopped them and given them tickets to Bangor, Maine. He explained that he had arranged a trip for them to go on to rest and relax before facing the real world again. Sydney looked questioningly in Sloane's direction and Jack continued that he had already cleared the trip with Sloane and Will's boss at the newspaper, both had been understanding given the situation. Jack had pressed the envelope containing the tickets into Sydney's open hands and gave her gentle kiss on the cheek. He wished them safe travels and moved in Sloane's direction, a look of sympathy making its way onto his face.
Sydney had taken Will's hand and practically dragged him out to the car. Will didn't have a clue what was going on but knew Sydney would explain it to him soon enough.
"Wasn't that nice of my dad," Sydney said calmly, "I could definitely use a break from reality. I wonder where we are staying."
As she spoke she ran a bug-finder across the floor of the car and over the dashboard. The tiny device didn't make a sound.
"We're clean," Sydney offered Will a smile. "Looks like we're going on vacation, you're first."
"Huh," Will's confused look hadn't left his face and then it dawned on him, it was his first mission, that was why they were going to meet with Vaughn. "Oh. Okay, let's go."
******
Will drove them to the warehouse, pulling in behind Vaughn's black sedan. 'He was always there before them, he probably came 20 minutes early just to be sure of arriving first,' Will thought with disdain. What he didn't know was that Vaughn often arrived an hour before his scheduled meeting time with Sydney - using the time to center his thinking and focus on the task at hand instead of the girl who would be walking through the doors. That night he had already been at the warehouse two hours, preparing for the op his two agents would be leaving on the next morning.
Sydney and Will would be heading to Maine for a week at a resort on the East Coast. The CIA had recovered intelligence leading them to believe "The Man" had a safe house near Bar Harbor where they stored their most prized Rimbaldi discoveries. What better place to hide something than the least likely place in the world - a sleepy, backwoods town in New England.
Shortly after Sydney had blown up the Circumference in Taipei, small planes had been spotted landing at night just outside of Bar Harbor, gliding across the water, careful not to disturb the quiet setting. All radar's were up for unusual activity and middle-of-the-night plane arrivals by water were not typical for Bar Harbor. The closest field office was contacted and a local agent was able to track one of the plane's passengers, whose description loosely matched Sark's, 60 miles out of town. But, in being careful not to be spotted, the agent had lost the trail; thankfully satellite footage revealed a small cluster of buildings a few more miles from where the car had been lost.
Sydney was chosen for mission because Devlin and Jack Bristow had felt that it would be good for her to get out of town and jump back into going after the "bad guys" - they didn't want her to languish for too long in memories of Emily and lose her focus on her overall objective. Both were unaware that Sydney's resolve was only strengthened by what happened and she was ready to get back in the thick of things. Will would ironically be her cover; a romantic getaway would be just what the doctor ordered to get over the grief of losing Emily, Sloane would be more than willing to let her take the time off. Jack had already approached Sloane with the idea, revealing that he had gotten tickets and reservations for his daughter and her new beau. Sloane had easily agreed, never questioning Jack's motives.
Vaughn would also be staying at the resort, another female agent posed as his companion. He would be going with Sydney to see what they could find out about the compound in the woods, and his roommate would stay behind to look out for Will when they were gone. Jack had pushed for Vaughn's direct involvement, knowing his daughter wasn't likely to trust any other agent, no matter who they worked for, and that Sydney worked well with the younger agent. The only better alternative would be his accompanying Sydney but he was needed at SD-6 and his turning up at the same place his daughter was vacationing didn't make a whole lot of sense.
A CIA team was already assembled in Maine, poised and ready to back up the four agents staying at the resort. They were also prepping the rooms Sydney and Will and Vaughn and Agent Burrows would be staying in. Everything would be ready by the time their planes landed the following afternoon.
Sydney was the first one through the door, Will following behind, almost bouncing through the door. His nerves had wound up so tightly in anticipation of what Vaughn would be telling them, he was actually looking forward to whatever the mission was. His mood deflated not even 30 minutes later has he listened to Vaughn detail the trip; Vaughn would be leaving every night with Sydney to do the actual work while he was left behind with a glorified babysitter watching over him. It was hard not to be jealous when you were the one always getting the shaft.
Vaughn's description had the opposite effect on Sydney; as could have been expected, the idea of working one-on-one with Vaughn (despite the many unknowns about the mission) lifted her spirits. Scattering Emily's ashes at the end of the memorial and watching them float in the air and into the ocean had made her feel both heartbroken and free. She grieved for Emily but knew that this was now behind her and she had other things to think about. The mission couldn't have come at a better time.
"So Amanda, Agent Burrows, and I will be arriving at Mount Mercy a couple hours after you and Will," Vaughn highlighted the important facts again. "We will be under the names of Julia Evans and Donovan Mitchell and you guys will of course keep your names."
Sydney smiled at Vaughn's alias, recognizing it as his dog's name. "Donovan?"
"Weiss' suggestion, he thought it would be funny," Vaughn grinned and turned to Will, "My dog's name is Donovan."
"Oh, yeah, that's funny," Will was fuming on the inside, knowing it was irrational of him to be jealous, he couldn't really expect to be given such a tough assignment his first time out and he should just have been happy Sydney wasn't going on her own. "Hey, do you mind if I get some air, this is a lot to think about."
"Sure, I just have a few more things to cover anyways, mostly things that Sydney needs to know," Vaughn shrugged. "Let me know if you have any questions."
Will mimicked Vaughn's shrug and plodded in the direction of the door. When it clicked shut behind him, Sydney was already in Vaughn's arms. "I didn't think anything could cheer me up today, it has been so awful. Who would have thought that a mission would bring me joy, I'm actually glad to be going."
Vaughn didn't have time to reply before Sydney's lips were on his, exploring the territory and claiming it has her own. He pulled away long enough to utter her name as a means of getting her attention but as they say, resistance was futile and he gave in to the kiss without much of a fight.
Sydney sighed into his mouth, bringing her hands up to either side of his face and smiled as Vaughn mirrored her actions. Soon his hands were bunched in her hair, loosening it from the clip she had pulled it back with while her hands slid across his shoulders and to his back, squeezing the tensed muscles.
"God," Sydney murmured as she moved her lips across his cheek to his earlobe. "I have wanted to do that since I walked in the door, why did you have to have so much to say?"
"Syd, are you all right," Vaughn was glad for her advances but worried about the woman before him knowing the emotional roller coaster her day must have been. "Not that I am complaining, but you have had quite a day and you don't seem, um. . ."
"Sad," Sydney finished for him, "Trust me, I'm sad, but when I watched Emily's ashes scatter away in the wind it occurred to me that I am not honoring her memory by wallowing in self-pity for having lost another person I love and I am most definitely letting Sloane win if I don't suck it up. I'd much rather have Emily here to talk to but I know she is listening - I have to believe that. And now, now she's not with Sloane anymore. So I am choosing to carry on, Emily would have wanted that and to be honest, so do I. I can't spend another 6 months numb from the loss like I was with Danny."
The mention of Danny's name brought a flash of concern to Vaughn's face. Sydney saw the flicker and continued, her voice a whisper, "And with all this, there is you. You who I want so much it hurts. I'm so glad you came to Taipei and I'm even glad you almost died because it forced me to admit that I loved you, that I love you."
Sydney would have continued but the intense look in Vaughn's eyes silenced her. "Come here," he breathed as his lips captured hers. The kiss that followed literally took her breath away, as if Vaughn had sucked it out of her. Knowing they only had a few minutes before Will was likely to come back to join them only added to the intensity of their union.
After a few moments, Sydney pushed her hand against Vaughn's chest, prying her body away from his. Vaughn was slow to move and managed to place one more kiss on her lips before he heard the door opening behind him.
Sydney propelled herself into an empty chair next the table with the mission details spread out on its surface.
"So, that's about it," Vaughn said. "Sounds good to you?"
"Sounds great," Sydney bit her lip to keep from grinning, deeming in an inappropriate reaction to learning about plans for the op.
"Do either of you have questions?"
Will shook his head but then stopped it sharply, "Are we allowed to talk to each other at the resort? I mean you and Agent Burrows and Sydney and myself."
"Yes, that will be allowed," Vaughn nodded, "There shouldn't be a problem given the circumstances. Our rooms are right down the hall from each other and our interacting shouldn't raise any questions. We might even become friends."
"How nice, friends," Will grumbled. "That'd be great."
"You'll like Amanda, Agent Burrows, or I guess you should think of her as Julia. She has been living in London for the past five years and grew up in a small town in Minnesota - giving her a nice mix of mid-Western hospitality and English frankness."
"She sounds nice, how do you know her, Vaughn," Will's implication was not lost on either of the other two people in the room.
"I don't really, but Weiss met her when he was in London for six months last year working at the embassy," Vaughn sidestepped Will's jab, "I think he had a little crush, or a big crush considering he wouldn't stop talking about her when he got back."
Eric Weiss' initial comments with regard to Amanda Burrows had gone something like, 'She's so beautiful it makes you want to call your mom to tell her thanks for giving birth to you. I may have been born just to look at her every day.' Vaughn laughed remembering his friend's infatuation that had never come to fruition has she had been involved with a French diplomat at the time.
Sydney stood up and stretched, the stress of the day finally catching up with her and making her want nothing more than the warmth of her bed. Sleep brought a clear head and more importantly it brought her closer to Maine and a mission that could possibly move them one step nearer to their goal and that meant she was allowed time alone with Vaughn. "Ready to go home and pack, Mr. Tippin?"
"It shouldn't be too hard," Will finally allowed the tension to slip away, "I haven't unpacked my bag from New York."
"Be careful with that line of thinking," Sydney laughed, "One time I left for one trip within hours of getting back from another one and was so tired I didn't really pack new clothes and ended up with sweaters from the Russian leg of my trip which didn't really work in Lima, Peru. Dixon will never let me forget that. Thankfully it wasn't too terribly hot so I ended up cutting the sleeves from a couple of them and making do. Of course the cocktail dresses didn't prove to be a problem, there's never much material to them."
Sydney's eyes locked with Vaughn's as she said her last sentence, he only grinned and gave her a wink that was just out of Will's line of sight due to his body being slightly turned away from the reporter.
"Don't forget your earpiece and lapel pin, that way we'll be able to talk to each other when we are at the resort without picking up the phone," Vaughn handed Sydney a small bag containing the tiny electronics.
"Thanks, Vaughn," Sydney said. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Vaughn."
"Will, tomorrow's the big day," Vaughn offered his hand to Will who took it and returned the firm handshake. "I know it might not seem like much, but your role in this whole is just as important as any of them. I spent my first mission in a surveillance truck watching a house for activity. Forty- eight hours later the dog-walker came to walk Fifi and discovered the owner, our target, dead from a heart attack on his treadmill. Not the most glamorous story."
Will snorted, "The guy was dead? That sucks. At least I'll get a vacation out of this whole thing, I kind of missed out on all the fun I was supposed to have had in New York - the pictures looked great."
For a moment Vaughn and Will were on the same level, agents on the job; Sydney decided that it was her cue to get Will out of there before someone spoke and ruined the mood. "Let's go, Tippin, this girl has to pack!"
Will rolled his eyes in Sydney's direction and smiled at Vaughn, "Women."
Vaughn returned the smile and shook his head. "See you guys tomorrow."
Will turned and made his retreat and was clear of the door before Sydney was able to take two steps forward. "Awww, you guys bonded."
Vaughn smiled and gave Sydney a mischievous look, "Sydney. . ."
"Yeah?"
"About what you were talking about earlier," Vaughn approached Sydney, almost walking past her, his right arm brushing against hers.
"Yes," Sydney's voice practically cracked.
Vaughn placed his hand flat against her stomach and whispered into her ear, "In case you were unclear, I want you too."
Sydney couldn't catch her breath to respond, the second time that night he'd had that effect on her. Vaughn's hand moved from her stomach to her hand and lifted it to his mouth. "Sleep tight."
Sydney heard the car horn blare outside and decided her best move would be not saying a word and walking out the door - hopefully her legs would carry her there. One step forward proved to be a success and ten more followed, bringing her to the door.
Throwing a look over her shoulder she found Vaughn hadn't turned around to watch her go as she had expected. Narrowing her eyes she said the first thing that came to her mind, "Nice ass, Agent Vaughn."
Vaughn's laugh echoed through the warehouse as Sydney left the building to join Will in the car.
******
The days following Sloane's visit to Sydney's house all seemed to blend into one. Even though Emily had been dead for almost two weeks, Sloane still wanted the usual visitation and memorial service. Sydney was in attendance for all occasions, Will by her side, accepting the condolences of those who knew she thought of Emily is a mother. Jack tried to make it when he could but was working on a mission for the CIA and that was taking up much of his time apart from his typical SD-6 duties.
Sydney knew that the ache would soon leave her and her contempt for Sloane would grow even stronger, a nagging feeling told her that Emily's death wasn't likely to have happened exactly has Sloane had said. Sloane was most certainly a grieving spouse but at times he acted almost guilty, like he was responsible for his wife's death. Believing Sloane actually did have something to do with there being ashes in the urn on the alter in the funeral home was not too far of a stretch for Sydney and once she had made that leap, anger started replacing sorrow and her desire to fight harder and longer for SD-6's destruction grew more powerful.
Vaughn hated that he couldn't be there for Sydney, but he very well couldn't show up at the memorial to support her. They met twice in the following week, the first time under the guise of checking up on she and Will's "relationship" and the second as a prep meeting for an upcoming operation that both Sydney and Will would be sent on.
Both times Will had been required to tag along but he managed to find the back corner of the warehouse very interesting for the first half hour of each meeting, leaving Sydney and Vaughn alone. During those times, Sydney had buried her head in Vaughn's chest and let herself be taken into him, Vaughn's arms wrapping around her like a comforting blanket. Vaughn breathed into her hair and planted light kisses all over her head. Sydney didn't have any tears left to shed so she simply stood in his embrace, willing herself to forget everything that was outside of their small cocoon. By their second meeting, a week after learning about Emily's death, Sydney felt more at peace than she had in months.
But the peace only carried her through to the next morning when she awoke from a terrible dream only to realize that it wasn't a dream at all and Will was snoring quietly beside her. That day she eulogized Emily in front of a small crowd of SD-6 employees and Emily's friends. She carried a handkerchief that Vaughn had slipped into her hand the night before. "I know I won't be there in person but I hope this helps remind you that my heart is with you and I will be thinking about you the whole time."
She made it through the day, sitting next to Sloane after the memorial, holding his hand while he cried, using every bit of her self-control to keep from crushed the bones between her fingers. Will came up behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her check. Absentmindedly, she turned and kissed him full on the mouth, taking Will quite by surprise, as they hadn't participated in public displays of affection outside of handholding and close embraces. Sydney quickly turned back to Sloane, eyes wide. 'What the hell was I thinking,' she chided herself, 'Oh well, we are supposed to be dating, that was fairly normal interaction between a couple who shares the same bed.'
While Sydney was quick to dismiss the kiss, Will could focus on nothing but. He knew that Sydney loved Vaughn but he had spent the better part of three years in love with her and kissing her wasn't something he could easily dismiss and no one could really blame him for thinking twice or three times about what had happened. His thoughts didn't carry him too far before he felt something vibrating against his pants - his CIA-issued cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Vaughn. I know you are at the memorial right now and talking to me isn't the best idea in the world but I needed to reach you before I left the office for the afternoon. I need to meet with you and Sydney tonight - regarding our topic of conversation last night. Just say, okay if you can make it by nine."
"Ok."
"Good." Vaughn paused, the inevitable question waiting to be asked, "How is she?"
"She's holding up, as well as can be expected, I guess," Will answered almost before the words had come through the earpiece. "I'll tell her you called, Francie, and that you love her."
"Thanks, Will. I'll see you tonight."
"Bye." Will disconnected and looked down at Sydney who had turned her face up to look at him, knowing Francie didn't have the number to the phone in Will's hand. "Francie was just checking in and wanted me to say that she loves you. She will see us at 9:00 tonight."
Sydney nodded in understanding, "That was nice of her to call."
******
As Will and Sydney were saying their goodbyes and preparing to leave the memorial, Jack had stopped them and given them tickets to Bangor, Maine. He explained that he had arranged a trip for them to go on to rest and relax before facing the real world again. Sydney looked questioningly in Sloane's direction and Jack continued that he had already cleared the trip with Sloane and Will's boss at the newspaper, both had been understanding given the situation. Jack had pressed the envelope containing the tickets into Sydney's open hands and gave her gentle kiss on the cheek. He wished them safe travels and moved in Sloane's direction, a look of sympathy making its way onto his face.
Sydney had taken Will's hand and practically dragged him out to the car. Will didn't have a clue what was going on but knew Sydney would explain it to him soon enough.
"Wasn't that nice of my dad," Sydney said calmly, "I could definitely use a break from reality. I wonder where we are staying."
As she spoke she ran a bug-finder across the floor of the car and over the dashboard. The tiny device didn't make a sound.
"We're clean," Sydney offered Will a smile. "Looks like we're going on vacation, you're first."
"Huh," Will's confused look hadn't left his face and then it dawned on him, it was his first mission, that was why they were going to meet with Vaughn. "Oh. Okay, let's go."
******
Will drove them to the warehouse, pulling in behind Vaughn's black sedan. 'He was always there before them, he probably came 20 minutes early just to be sure of arriving first,' Will thought with disdain. What he didn't know was that Vaughn often arrived an hour before his scheduled meeting time with Sydney - using the time to center his thinking and focus on the task at hand instead of the girl who would be walking through the doors. That night he had already been at the warehouse two hours, preparing for the op his two agents would be leaving on the next morning.
Sydney and Will would be heading to Maine for a week at a resort on the East Coast. The CIA had recovered intelligence leading them to believe "The Man" had a safe house near Bar Harbor where they stored their most prized Rimbaldi discoveries. What better place to hide something than the least likely place in the world - a sleepy, backwoods town in New England.
Shortly after Sydney had blown up the Circumference in Taipei, small planes had been spotted landing at night just outside of Bar Harbor, gliding across the water, careful not to disturb the quiet setting. All radar's were up for unusual activity and middle-of-the-night plane arrivals by water were not typical for Bar Harbor. The closest field office was contacted and a local agent was able to track one of the plane's passengers, whose description loosely matched Sark's, 60 miles out of town. But, in being careful not to be spotted, the agent had lost the trail; thankfully satellite footage revealed a small cluster of buildings a few more miles from where the car had been lost.
Sydney was chosen for mission because Devlin and Jack Bristow had felt that it would be good for her to get out of town and jump back into going after the "bad guys" - they didn't want her to languish for too long in memories of Emily and lose her focus on her overall objective. Both were unaware that Sydney's resolve was only strengthened by what happened and she was ready to get back in the thick of things. Will would ironically be her cover; a romantic getaway would be just what the doctor ordered to get over the grief of losing Emily, Sloane would be more than willing to let her take the time off. Jack had already approached Sloane with the idea, revealing that he had gotten tickets and reservations for his daughter and her new beau. Sloane had easily agreed, never questioning Jack's motives.
Vaughn would also be staying at the resort, another female agent posed as his companion. He would be going with Sydney to see what they could find out about the compound in the woods, and his roommate would stay behind to look out for Will when they were gone. Jack had pushed for Vaughn's direct involvement, knowing his daughter wasn't likely to trust any other agent, no matter who they worked for, and that Sydney worked well with the younger agent. The only better alternative would be his accompanying Sydney but he was needed at SD-6 and his turning up at the same place his daughter was vacationing didn't make a whole lot of sense.
A CIA team was already assembled in Maine, poised and ready to back up the four agents staying at the resort. They were also prepping the rooms Sydney and Will and Vaughn and Agent Burrows would be staying in. Everything would be ready by the time their planes landed the following afternoon.
Sydney was the first one through the door, Will following behind, almost bouncing through the door. His nerves had wound up so tightly in anticipation of what Vaughn would be telling them, he was actually looking forward to whatever the mission was. His mood deflated not even 30 minutes later has he listened to Vaughn detail the trip; Vaughn would be leaving every night with Sydney to do the actual work while he was left behind with a glorified babysitter watching over him. It was hard not to be jealous when you were the one always getting the shaft.
Vaughn's description had the opposite effect on Sydney; as could have been expected, the idea of working one-on-one with Vaughn (despite the many unknowns about the mission) lifted her spirits. Scattering Emily's ashes at the end of the memorial and watching them float in the air and into the ocean had made her feel both heartbroken and free. She grieved for Emily but knew that this was now behind her and she had other things to think about. The mission couldn't have come at a better time.
"So Amanda, Agent Burrows, and I will be arriving at Mount Mercy a couple hours after you and Will," Vaughn highlighted the important facts again. "We will be under the names of Julia Evans and Donovan Mitchell and you guys will of course keep your names."
Sydney smiled at Vaughn's alias, recognizing it as his dog's name. "Donovan?"
"Weiss' suggestion, he thought it would be funny," Vaughn grinned and turned to Will, "My dog's name is Donovan."
"Oh, yeah, that's funny," Will was fuming on the inside, knowing it was irrational of him to be jealous, he couldn't really expect to be given such a tough assignment his first time out and he should just have been happy Sydney wasn't going on her own. "Hey, do you mind if I get some air, this is a lot to think about."
"Sure, I just have a few more things to cover anyways, mostly things that Sydney needs to know," Vaughn shrugged. "Let me know if you have any questions."
Will mimicked Vaughn's shrug and plodded in the direction of the door. When it clicked shut behind him, Sydney was already in Vaughn's arms. "I didn't think anything could cheer me up today, it has been so awful. Who would have thought that a mission would bring me joy, I'm actually glad to be going."
Vaughn didn't have time to reply before Sydney's lips were on his, exploring the territory and claiming it has her own. He pulled away long enough to utter her name as a means of getting her attention but as they say, resistance was futile and he gave in to the kiss without much of a fight.
Sydney sighed into his mouth, bringing her hands up to either side of his face and smiled as Vaughn mirrored her actions. Soon his hands were bunched in her hair, loosening it from the clip she had pulled it back with while her hands slid across his shoulders and to his back, squeezing the tensed muscles.
"God," Sydney murmured as she moved her lips across his cheek to his earlobe. "I have wanted to do that since I walked in the door, why did you have to have so much to say?"
"Syd, are you all right," Vaughn was glad for her advances but worried about the woman before him knowing the emotional roller coaster her day must have been. "Not that I am complaining, but you have had quite a day and you don't seem, um. . ."
"Sad," Sydney finished for him, "Trust me, I'm sad, but when I watched Emily's ashes scatter away in the wind it occurred to me that I am not honoring her memory by wallowing in self-pity for having lost another person I love and I am most definitely letting Sloane win if I don't suck it up. I'd much rather have Emily here to talk to but I know she is listening - I have to believe that. And now, now she's not with Sloane anymore. So I am choosing to carry on, Emily would have wanted that and to be honest, so do I. I can't spend another 6 months numb from the loss like I was with Danny."
The mention of Danny's name brought a flash of concern to Vaughn's face. Sydney saw the flicker and continued, her voice a whisper, "And with all this, there is you. You who I want so much it hurts. I'm so glad you came to Taipei and I'm even glad you almost died because it forced me to admit that I loved you, that I love you."
Sydney would have continued but the intense look in Vaughn's eyes silenced her. "Come here," he breathed as his lips captured hers. The kiss that followed literally took her breath away, as if Vaughn had sucked it out of her. Knowing they only had a few minutes before Will was likely to come back to join them only added to the intensity of their union.
After a few moments, Sydney pushed her hand against Vaughn's chest, prying her body away from his. Vaughn was slow to move and managed to place one more kiss on her lips before he heard the door opening behind him.
Sydney propelled herself into an empty chair next the table with the mission details spread out on its surface.
"So, that's about it," Vaughn said. "Sounds good to you?"
"Sounds great," Sydney bit her lip to keep from grinning, deeming in an inappropriate reaction to learning about plans for the op.
"Do either of you have questions?"
Will shook his head but then stopped it sharply, "Are we allowed to talk to each other at the resort? I mean you and Agent Burrows and Sydney and myself."
"Yes, that will be allowed," Vaughn nodded, "There shouldn't be a problem given the circumstances. Our rooms are right down the hall from each other and our interacting shouldn't raise any questions. We might even become friends."
"How nice, friends," Will grumbled. "That'd be great."
"You'll like Amanda, Agent Burrows, or I guess you should think of her as Julia. She has been living in London for the past five years and grew up in a small town in Minnesota - giving her a nice mix of mid-Western hospitality and English frankness."
"She sounds nice, how do you know her, Vaughn," Will's implication was not lost on either of the other two people in the room.
"I don't really, but Weiss met her when he was in London for six months last year working at the embassy," Vaughn sidestepped Will's jab, "I think he had a little crush, or a big crush considering he wouldn't stop talking about her when he got back."
Eric Weiss' initial comments with regard to Amanda Burrows had gone something like, 'She's so beautiful it makes you want to call your mom to tell her thanks for giving birth to you. I may have been born just to look at her every day.' Vaughn laughed remembering his friend's infatuation that had never come to fruition has she had been involved with a French diplomat at the time.
Sydney stood up and stretched, the stress of the day finally catching up with her and making her want nothing more than the warmth of her bed. Sleep brought a clear head and more importantly it brought her closer to Maine and a mission that could possibly move them one step nearer to their goal and that meant she was allowed time alone with Vaughn. "Ready to go home and pack, Mr. Tippin?"
"It shouldn't be too hard," Will finally allowed the tension to slip away, "I haven't unpacked my bag from New York."
"Be careful with that line of thinking," Sydney laughed, "One time I left for one trip within hours of getting back from another one and was so tired I didn't really pack new clothes and ended up with sweaters from the Russian leg of my trip which didn't really work in Lima, Peru. Dixon will never let me forget that. Thankfully it wasn't too terribly hot so I ended up cutting the sleeves from a couple of them and making do. Of course the cocktail dresses didn't prove to be a problem, there's never much material to them."
Sydney's eyes locked with Vaughn's as she said her last sentence, he only grinned and gave her a wink that was just out of Will's line of sight due to his body being slightly turned away from the reporter.
"Don't forget your earpiece and lapel pin, that way we'll be able to talk to each other when we are at the resort without picking up the phone," Vaughn handed Sydney a small bag containing the tiny electronics.
"Thanks, Vaughn," Sydney said. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Vaughn."
"Will, tomorrow's the big day," Vaughn offered his hand to Will who took it and returned the firm handshake. "I know it might not seem like much, but your role in this whole is just as important as any of them. I spent my first mission in a surveillance truck watching a house for activity. Forty- eight hours later the dog-walker came to walk Fifi and discovered the owner, our target, dead from a heart attack on his treadmill. Not the most glamorous story."
Will snorted, "The guy was dead? That sucks. At least I'll get a vacation out of this whole thing, I kind of missed out on all the fun I was supposed to have had in New York - the pictures looked great."
For a moment Vaughn and Will were on the same level, agents on the job; Sydney decided that it was her cue to get Will out of there before someone spoke and ruined the mood. "Let's go, Tippin, this girl has to pack!"
Will rolled his eyes in Sydney's direction and smiled at Vaughn, "Women."
Vaughn returned the smile and shook his head. "See you guys tomorrow."
Will turned and made his retreat and was clear of the door before Sydney was able to take two steps forward. "Awww, you guys bonded."
Vaughn smiled and gave Sydney a mischievous look, "Sydney. . ."
"Yeah?"
"About what you were talking about earlier," Vaughn approached Sydney, almost walking past her, his right arm brushing against hers.
"Yes," Sydney's voice practically cracked.
Vaughn placed his hand flat against her stomach and whispered into her ear, "In case you were unclear, I want you too."
Sydney couldn't catch her breath to respond, the second time that night he'd had that effect on her. Vaughn's hand moved from her stomach to her hand and lifted it to his mouth. "Sleep tight."
Sydney heard the car horn blare outside and decided her best move would be not saying a word and walking out the door - hopefully her legs would carry her there. One step forward proved to be a success and ten more followed, bringing her to the door.
Throwing a look over her shoulder she found Vaughn hadn't turned around to watch her go as she had expected. Narrowing her eyes she said the first thing that came to her mind, "Nice ass, Agent Vaughn."
Vaughn's laugh echoed through the warehouse as Sydney left the building to join Will in the car.
