Chapter Eight: All's Fair in Love and War
Michael Vaughn was not the kind of man to commit adultery.
Sydney knew this, and attempted to keep the thought from her mind. It was difficult, however, in the early hours when she woke, her mind awash with images from her dreams. In them, she relived old memories and created new ones, the two of them happy and living life the way she somehow had always believed they would.
But opening her eyes to the harsh reality of daylight always snapped her back, reminded her with a heavy hand that in the world in which she lived, visions of a happy future were stepping stones to disappointment. She could name two times, at least, when those visions had led her to ruin: Danny and Noah. Sydney shuddered to think that she now had to add Vaughn's name to that heartbreaking list.
Rolling over beneath the bed sheets to look at the digital clock, Sydney noticed beside it the open spiral bound notebook, ballpoint pen idle on its clean, blue-lined page. She smiled to herself, wondering if Dr. Barnett would have any use for the dreams from which she had just awakened; the idea of writing them down brought color to her cheeks.
With a sigh, Sydney extracted herself from the bed covers and stood, stifling a yawn. Clearing her mind, she concentrated on getting ready for the day, grateful it was Saturday and she didn't need to think consciously about work. She grabbed her robe from the end of the bed and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.
It had been four days since the botched operation in Nepal that Jack Bristow was still trying to avenge. He had been in Moscow for two days, then moved on to Italy as Irina Derevko trekked across Europe, destination and intent unknown. Jack checked in every few hours and agents kept Sydney posted, but she tried not to get her hopes up.
Four days had also passed since Sydney's heated exchange with Vaughn in medical services. After walking out on him, she'd gotten a call from Dr. Barnett asking her to come in each day that week to work through recent events. Sydney had kept those appointments, returning to the ops center each morning with nothing more to do than see the psychologist and track her father's progress.
For the sake of her sanity, Sydney avoided contact with Vaughn. Thus far they had proven to be as compatible as oil and water, and she didn't need the further aggravation. But still, there were times as she walked across the ops center that Sydney could feel him watching her. Twice she had caught him, turning quickly to see his eyes darting away from her, his brow furrowing as he attempted to appear busy. Publicly, Sydney pretended not to notice. Privately, she smiled.
When Sydney told her she hadn't waited around for the sleeping pill prescription, Dr. Barnett had insisted she take it. At the time, Sydney had relented, but since that day she hadn't swallowed a single dose. She knew the medication would put her into a deep sleep, the kind that robbed her of the ability to remember her dreams. Sydney wasn't willing to sacrifice that; her dreams were the one place where she could be with Vaughn, the only time when he belonged solely to her.
After her shower, Sydney dressed quickly, stepping into a pair of comfortable jeans. She finished with an oatmeal colored sweater and slipped on her athletic shoes before deftly pulling her hair into a casual ponytail. Entering the living room, she was surprised to find it empty. Will and Pip were gone, most likely on a tour of the neighborhood. Sydney went into the kitchen to make herself breakfast.
Twenty minutes later, as Sydney was cutting into an apple, the front door opened and Pip bounded into the apartment. Will followed a few steps behind.
"Good morning," Sydney smiled at him as he entered the kitchen, the dog excitedly circling his legs. Sydney cored the apple and offered Will half. "Good walk?"
"Thanks," Will accepted the fruit and took a bite, pausing to rub Pip's ears. "Yeah. We hit all the usual spots, you know. The park, the bus stop."
Sydney grinned, leaning back against the kitchen counter as she bit into her half of the apple. "You're up early," She mused, watching as the dog loped into the living room and plopped down on the rug.
Will nodded and rolled his eyes. "I gotta take the car in for a recall fix," He glanced at his watch. "In fact, I need to leave now if I'm gonna make the appointment."
"Can I go, too?"
Will swallowed his last bite of apple and looked up at her strangely. "You want to go hang out with me at the Ford dealer?"
"Well, this may come as a surprise to you, but I'm thinking it might be time for me to consider buying a car," Sydney rinsed her hands in the sink and reached for the kitchen towel. "I can't have you driving me around forever."
"Ha," Will chuckled. "You like being chauffeured, admit it." Sydney just smiled, and Will shrugged as he pulled his keys from his pocket. "It's cool with me. Are you ready?"
Sydney nodded. "Let's go."
An hour or so later, after perusing the car lot for a while, Sydney and Will sat in the service department waiting room flipping through old magazines. Sydney glanced up at the window and caught sight of a familiar storefront sign across the street. She poked Will's arm with her elbow.
"Hey," She said when he met her eyes. "There's a Starbucks across the street, and I could really go for a latte. Do you want anything?"
"Are you buyin'?"
Sydney sighed, jokingly rolling her eyes. "Is that a tall café mocha?"
"Yes, with extra foam," Will called to her as she got up and walked toward the door. "And chocolate sprinkles!"
Sydney chuckled to herself as she made her way across the street, mindful of the Saturday morning traffic. Upon entering the shop, she inhaled deeply, the warming aroma of fresh coffee bringing a smile to her face. There was a short line, and Sydney waited patiently, casually people watching until it was her turn to order.
Moments later, as Sydney carried the steaming beverages to the condiment station to grab a couple of napkins and add Will's sprinkles, she heard a voice behind her say a familiar name.
"Rita."
Sydney busied herself with the coffee, carefully pulling the lid from Will's café mocha. It didn't even dawn on her that the name was directed at her until she felt someone's hand on her arm.
"Rita, hi."
Sydney turned abruptly to find herself face to face with Alice. Vaughn's Alice.
"Oh my gosh," Sydney said out of genuine surprise. "Hi."
"I didn't startle you, I hope," Alice smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean to."
"No, no," Sydney shook her head a little too vigorously. "I was just concentrating-" She looked down at the beverages, realizing how silly she sounded. "-on the coffee."
"Oh," Alice glanced from the cups to Sydney's face. "I saw you over here and I thought, what are the odds of us running into each other again, for the second weekend in a row?"
"Yeah," Sydney smiled wanly. "What are the odds?"
"Anyway," Alice forged ahead. "I'm glad I did. I've been after Michael to get me your phone number, but you know how it is," She trailed off, chuckling.
*No, I don't know how it is,* Sydney said to herself. *And that's largely because of you.*
"Right," Sydney turned her eyes back to the coffee, grabbing the shaker can of chocolate sprinkles and liberally coating Will's extra foam. She dreaded knowing the reason behind Alice's desire for her number; surely she wasn't going to call up to chat. Sydney honestly couldn't imagine a more awkward phone conversation.
"Anyway, I wanted to get a hold of you so I could find out if you and your friend would like to have dinner with us," Alice continued. "I know it's short notice, but Michael and I would love it if you could come tomorrow night."
Sydney was momentarily taken aback. "Wow, Alice, that's really sweet of you," She forced herself to focus, to smile politely. She thought of a million reasons to decline, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Tomorrow night sounds wonderful. I'll have to check with Will, but I'm sure it'll be fine."
Alice was noticeably relieved. She smiled again. "Oh, great," She sighed. "I know Michael will be pleased."
*I bet he will.*
"Does six o'clock sound okay? I'll have Michael get in touch with you with the directions," Alice casually glanced at her watch as Sydney nodded in agreement. Alice frowned. "I apologize, but I've got to run." As she turned to go, she grasped Sydney's arm. "I'm so glad I ran into you!"
"Me, too," Sydney found herself saying before immediately wondering why.
"Oh, one more thing," Alice turned back. "Are either of you vegetarians?" Sydney shook her head, and Alice was relieved once again. "Great! Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"
"Bye," Sydney echoed hollowly, watching as Alice wove her way back through the crowd of patrons and exited the shop.
"I still can't believe we're doing this," Will shook his head, smiling grimly as he concentrated on the city streets before him. "I can't believe you said yes."
"Pull into that market, please," Sydney ignored his comments, pointing toward a small corner grocery store one block ahead. "I think it would be rude to show up empty handed."
Will said nothing more as he snapped on the turn signal and eased into a parking spot. After Sydney had exited the car, he sat back in his seat, sighing. He hoped desperately that he wasn't moments away from the longest evening of his life.
A few minutes later, Sydney was back in the car with a moderately priced bottle of California merlot. After Will had expertly guided the car back into traffic, Sydney smiled at him and held forth the purchase for his approval.
"Look, Will, here's something you may not be familiar with," Sydney teased, pulling the wine bottle from the brown paper sack. "It's wine - with a cork."
"Ha ha," Will grimaced. He was silent for a moment until a thought struck him. "Hey, Syd," He looked sideways at her. "I can't help but notice that you've chosen wine as the hostess gift."
"Yes. And?"
"The hostess is pregnant."
"I know," Sydney cradled the bottle in her lap, looking out the passenger window at the pedestrians on the sidewalks that they drove past.
Will sighed, making a left turn onto a residential street. He pulled over to the curb and put the car into park, allowing it to idle as he swiveled in his seat.
"Syd," He started.
"Why did you stop? According to Vaughn's directions, we have at least another six blocks-"
"Screw the directions," Will barked, forcefully grabbing Sydney's attention. She stared at him with wide eyes.
"Will-"
"Sydney," He spoke over the top of her, laying his hand on her arm. "I'm not sure you're ready for this."
"Ready for what?"
"Dinner with Vaughn and his wife," Will made no attempt to sugar coat the truth.
Sydney shrugged, avoiding Will's eyes. "Dr. Barnett said I need to confront this, so - I'm confronting it."
"Again, as I said last week, I think this is a little more confrontation than she had in mind," Will pointed out. "I mean, c'mon, Syd - the wine? That's pretty passive aggressive, don't you think? That's not generally your style."
"My style?" Sydney repeated, making a face. "I don't have a style, Will. Especially not when it comes to this, something I haven't ever had the pleasure of encountering before."
"That's my point," Will insisted. "I don't think you know how to deal with this. I'm worried it might be too soon, with everything else-"
"Will."
"We can just call them and tell them I got sick at the last minute or something-"
"Will!" Sydney grabbed his arm. "Stop it."
"Syd," Will sighed, concern in his blue eyes. "I'm just trying to help you."
"I don't need you to do that," Sydney assured him, reaching for his hand. He gave it to her, allowing her fingers to slip around his own. "Will, I'm a big girl. I've been taking care of myself for most of my life. Please believe me when I say I can handle this," She squeezed his hand, her eyes imploring. "I need to handle this."
Will watched her carefully before nodding. Quietly, he said, "Okay," as he turned back to the steering wheel and eased the car into the street.
Once they'd gotten turned back around and on their way, both Will and Sydney were silent, contemplative as they viewed the world through their respective windows.
Sydney pointed out where to turn next and then sighed, feeling the jagged edges of their still-open discussion.
"Besides," She finally said after directing Will down a sleepy residential street. "As far as Alice is concerned, she doesn't know that I know."
Will was quick to reply. "That doesn't matter. You still know," He reasoned. "And Vaughn knows that you know-" Will's voice trailed off as the light bulb within his mind instantly came on. Pulling into a parking space in front of Vaughn and Alice's apartment building, he turned off the car and met Sydney's eyes. "Oh, I get it. This isn't about Alice at all. It's about Vaughn."
Sydney averted her eyes, pulling the wine from its sack before crumpling the paper bag into a tight ball. She squeezed it in her fist, watching the veins on the back of her hand.
Will couldn't stand her silence. He yanked the keys from the ignition and sat back heavily in his seat.
"Syd, you know I love you, but," He shook his head. "It's a crappy thing to hold against him, you know. Getting on with his life when he thought you were dead. Someday you're going to have to forgive him for that."
Sydney frowned, the painful truth registering in her eyes. "As soon as he forgives me for making him do it."
"Rita, hi! Please come in," Alice smiled brightly and looked beautiful in a pale blue dress as she met Sydney and Will at the front door. Stepping aside, she allowed them to pass. "I'm so glad you both could make it."
"Thanks again for inviting us," Sydney took a few steps into the living room and stopped, her eyes scanning the room. She quickly introduced Will to Alice before turning her attention back to the apartment, her mind taking snapshots of the space Vaughn and Alice shared.
"Michael's out on the patio, grilling the chicken," Alice explained, motioning towards the sliding glass doors in the dining room. The table was set beautifully with china plates and sterling silver, crystal wine goblets and water glasses shimmering beneath the small, overhead chandelier.
Sydney only partially listened as Alice prattled on to Will about the dinner menu and the attraction men have to cooking meat over an open flame. She stood apart from them, listening to the soft music that played on the stereo, her gaze gliding over the floral patterned couch and arm chair, the deep green recliner, the medium oak coffee and side tables. Laying eyes upon the tall corner bookcase, she was drawn to it, coming to stand just inches away from a framed photograph on one of the shelves.
It was obviously a wedding photo, taken in Las Vegas. Alice and Vaughn were embracing, her in a white slip dress and he in a deep blue suit. They were smiling. They looked happy. Sydney's heart broke in two.
"Hello, Rita," Vaughn's voice sliced through her reverie. She turned to him, startled, blinking away the moisture in her eyes.
"Hi," Sydney managed before walking past him to where Alice and Will stood at the open patio door, Alice pointing to the city skyline visible above a berm of trees bordering the apartment complex.
"It's not like you can see the Hollywood sign or anything, but at least it's a view," She was saying, laughing good-naturedly. She looked up as Sydney approached, the bottle of wine in her outstretched hand.
"I should've given this to you when we came in, I'm sorry," Sydney forced a smile. "I hope red is okay."
Alice took the bottle and studied the label, the smile never leaving her lips. "We love merlot. Thanks so much, Rita," She leaned in and gave Sydney a short hug, squeezing her tightly. Sydney half-heartedly squeezed back, the smell of Alice's understated floral perfume bringing back a memory Sydney couldn't quite grasp.
"The chicken will be ready in about ten minutes," Vaughn announced, brushing past them as he stepped out onto the patio. Sydney watched him lift the lid of the large gas grill, the fragrant smoke wafting past the open door.
"Will, can I get you a beer?" Alice called over her shoulder, carrying the wine into the kitchen.
Will glanced at Sydney, shrugging discreetly. "She's not so bad," He whispered, just before turning to follow Alice. If it was meant to be an encouragement, it failed miserably. Sydney did not want to be won over.
Conversation continued amiably, the four of them gathering on the patio for talk about the weather and, briefly, politics before Vaughn pronounced the chicken done.
Dinner was quickly put out on the table, the chicken nicely accompanied by steamed asparagus, baked potatoes, a plate of fresh fruit and a neatly tossed spinach salad. As the meal began, talk drifted from friends to co- workers and eventually to family, where Sydney soon found herself the uncomfortable center of attention.
"So, Rita," Alice began, cutting into her baked potato. "What do your parents do?"
Will and Vaughn both stopped abruptly, knives and forks posed above their plates.
Sydney glanced at them briefly before turning her attention to Alice. "My father sells airplane parts," She smiled sweetly. "And my mother is dead."
As soon as the words left Sydney's mouth, Will was struck with a coughing fit. Sydney looked at him with alarm as Vaughn hurried to refill his water glass.
"Will, are you all right?" Alice worried, partially rising from her chair.
Will gulped down water and nodded, pulling himself together. "I'm fine, Alice, really," He jabbed Sydney's shin with his foot. She winced and he smiled. "I'm okay, thanks."
As Will grabbed his water glass again for another long gulp, Alice heavily set her hands on the table top, looking in Sydney's direction.
"Rita, I'm sorry, I forgot to bring out the wine you brought," She started to get up, but Sydney held out her hands as she herself got to her feet, grateful for the distraction.
Throughout the meal, Vaughn and Alice had been sitting agonizingly close, their elbows bumping occasionally, small smiles exchanged each time. There were even moments when Vaughn had rested a hand on Alice's thigh, his fingers grasping her own. It was all at once too much to take, and Sydney needed a moment away.
"It's okay, Alice. If you'll direct me to your corkscrew, I'll be happy to get it."
Sydney easily located the necessary items in the small, tidy kitchen and returned to the table after leaning against the fridge, eyes closed and breathing deeply. In moments she had pulled the cork from the green glass bottle and reached across the table for Alice's wine goblet.
Will and Vaughn both watched as Sydney began to tip the bottle.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Alice suddenly jumped in, extending her hand to cover the rim of the glass. "None for me, thank you."
Sydney returned the glass to its place, seemingly nonplussed. She turned to Vaughn, holding the wine aloft. "Michael?"
Vaughn met Sydney's eyes, a clear and present warning wordlessly communicated. Without a sound, he extended the glass to Sydney and allowed her pour while he turned and smiled at his wife.
"Sweetheart," He said, the word a tiny arrow in Sydney's soul. "Why don't you share with Rita and Will the reason why you're not having wine tonight?"
Alice smiled at Vaughn and waited until Sydney had returned to her seat before she reached over and grasped both of Vaughn's hands in her own.
"Michael and I are going to have a baby," Alice beamed, her eyes shining as they filled with tears.
Will was quick to offer his best wishes. He raised his wine goblet in toast, and Sydney joined in, a pained smile on her lips. She glanced up from her plate just in time to catch Vaughn's eyes on her face, his brow furrowed, his expression dark. It melted into a smile, however, as soon as Alice leaned in to him and planted a kiss on his dimpled cheek.
"Excuse me," Sydney muttered, slipping from her chair. "Where's the-"
"First door on the left," Vaughn quickly supplied, pointing toward the hallway. His eyes never left her as she quickly exited the room.
After dinner and following a heavenly dessert of homemade white chocolate cheesecake (was there anything that Alice could not do?!), Sydney was helping Alice clear the table when the telephone rang. Vaughn was in the living room showing Will a photo album full of pictures he'd taken on a recent vacation to France and called out to Alice that her mother was on the line.
Alice excused herself, leaving Sydney alone in the kitchen. She started to run water in the sink to wash the dishes and was just adding the liquid detergent when a voice sounded behind her.
"I'll wash if you'll dry."
Sydney didn't look up as she set an armload of plates in the soapy water. "You'd better take off your wedding band first. It'd be a shame if it slipped off your finger and went down the drain."
"I'm going to ignore your sarcasm," Vaughn came to Sydney's side, rolling up the sleeves of his cornflower blue button down shirt. Just for safety's sake, however, he pulled the ring from his finger and dropped it into the pocket of his khakis.
Vaughn directed Sydney to the dish towel and she grabbed it, slinging it over her shoulder as she waited for Vaughn to finish washing the first couple of dishes.
"I wish she weren't so nice," Sydney admitted, watching as Vaughn rinsed a plate and set it in the drying rack. Upon hearing this, he paused, letting the sentence hang in the air before he pulled another plate from the sudsy water and gave it a good scrub with the brush in his left hand.
"I don't know what to say to that," He replied quietly, concentrating much too hard on the pile of plates in the sink.
"What can you say? You don't need to say anything," Sydney grabbed the plate from the drying rack and began to wipe it down with the deep yellow dishtowel. "She's sweet, she's nice, she's decent. What can be said about that? She's lovely."
"I'm sure she's thinking the exact same thing about you," Vaughn delivered this line with a lack of conviction that made Sydney smile.
"Nice, but you got your best shot in at dinner, when you called her 'sweetheart' while I was pouring your wine," Sydney set the dry plate on the countertop and reached for another wet one.
Vaughn chuckled ruefully. "And you got yours in by bringing the wine," He said. "Don't think that went by unnoticed."
"I knew it wouldn't."
The kitchen was momentarily silent, the sound of the humming refrigerator a soothing backdrop to the splashing and dish scrubbing going on at the sink. Sydney and Vaughn didn't look at each other as they each performed their task, working in sync, working well together as they always had.
"Do you ever not play games?" Vaughn asked suddenly, an inexplicably hard edge to his voice.
Sydney carefully set down a dry dish and looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
"The wine, the comment about your mother delivered so eloquently with a smile," Vaughn turned to her, wrist deep in detergent bubbles. He paused when he heard voices in the next room, continuing only after the sound of laughter assured him Alice and Will were deep into a conversation of their own. "Not everything is a competition, Sydney. This is real life, not a game."
"Don't preach to me about real life," Sydney hissed, anger darkening her eyes. "I've had more than my share of it, especially recently. And if anyone's got a game going here, it's you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. The perfect apartment, the perfect china, the perfect meal, the perfect wife," The end of the sentence slid off her tongue as if it were a dirty word. Sydney reached over to grab a clean dish as Vaughn lifted it from the water. Her voice thick with disdain, she added, "Let me know, Vaughn, if you ever get tired of playing house."
The wet dish did not offer Sydney a firm grip and it slipped from her grasp, dropping with a splash back into the soapy water. Both reaching for it at once, their fingers bumped beneath the sudsy surface. As she started to grope for the stray plate, Vaughn suddenly grabbed Sydney's hand and held on tight. Sydney thought of pulling free but stopped when she allowed herself to look up into his eyes.
"Hey, Michael, Will was just reminding me of a when I first met him," Alice's voice was growing louder as she neared the kitchen doorway. "Remember how I told you I thought he looked familiar? Well, it turns out-" Alice stopped, a strange charge in the air catching her attention. Before she could say another word, Will appeared behind her, Sydney's chirping cell phone in his hand.
"Rita," He said softly, feeling as though he was interrupting something. What is was, he wasn't sure. "Your phone."
Sydney didn't look away from Vaughn's eyes, her fingers slowly slipping from beneath his grasp. Her eyes filling, her chin quivering, she swallowed hard around the lump in her throat.
"Congratulations, Michael," She murmured, a meaningful look passing between them just before she turned away. After wiping her hand on the dishtowel, Sydney brushed past Alice, avoiding her eyes, and took the phone from Will's outstretched hand.
Answering curtly, Sydney was greeted by the voice of her father. "Sydney," He said. "We got her."
******
A/N: Here I am again, begging for your opinion. Please let me know what you think - good or bad - my muse is fueled by your honest reviews.
Michael Vaughn was not the kind of man to commit adultery.
Sydney knew this, and attempted to keep the thought from her mind. It was difficult, however, in the early hours when she woke, her mind awash with images from her dreams. In them, she relived old memories and created new ones, the two of them happy and living life the way she somehow had always believed they would.
But opening her eyes to the harsh reality of daylight always snapped her back, reminded her with a heavy hand that in the world in which she lived, visions of a happy future were stepping stones to disappointment. She could name two times, at least, when those visions had led her to ruin: Danny and Noah. Sydney shuddered to think that she now had to add Vaughn's name to that heartbreaking list.
Rolling over beneath the bed sheets to look at the digital clock, Sydney noticed beside it the open spiral bound notebook, ballpoint pen idle on its clean, blue-lined page. She smiled to herself, wondering if Dr. Barnett would have any use for the dreams from which she had just awakened; the idea of writing them down brought color to her cheeks.
With a sigh, Sydney extracted herself from the bed covers and stood, stifling a yawn. Clearing her mind, she concentrated on getting ready for the day, grateful it was Saturday and she didn't need to think consciously about work. She grabbed her robe from the end of the bed and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.
It had been four days since the botched operation in Nepal that Jack Bristow was still trying to avenge. He had been in Moscow for two days, then moved on to Italy as Irina Derevko trekked across Europe, destination and intent unknown. Jack checked in every few hours and agents kept Sydney posted, but she tried not to get her hopes up.
Four days had also passed since Sydney's heated exchange with Vaughn in medical services. After walking out on him, she'd gotten a call from Dr. Barnett asking her to come in each day that week to work through recent events. Sydney had kept those appointments, returning to the ops center each morning with nothing more to do than see the psychologist and track her father's progress.
For the sake of her sanity, Sydney avoided contact with Vaughn. Thus far they had proven to be as compatible as oil and water, and she didn't need the further aggravation. But still, there were times as she walked across the ops center that Sydney could feel him watching her. Twice she had caught him, turning quickly to see his eyes darting away from her, his brow furrowing as he attempted to appear busy. Publicly, Sydney pretended not to notice. Privately, she smiled.
When Sydney told her she hadn't waited around for the sleeping pill prescription, Dr. Barnett had insisted she take it. At the time, Sydney had relented, but since that day she hadn't swallowed a single dose. She knew the medication would put her into a deep sleep, the kind that robbed her of the ability to remember her dreams. Sydney wasn't willing to sacrifice that; her dreams were the one place where she could be with Vaughn, the only time when he belonged solely to her.
After her shower, Sydney dressed quickly, stepping into a pair of comfortable jeans. She finished with an oatmeal colored sweater and slipped on her athletic shoes before deftly pulling her hair into a casual ponytail. Entering the living room, she was surprised to find it empty. Will and Pip were gone, most likely on a tour of the neighborhood. Sydney went into the kitchen to make herself breakfast.
Twenty minutes later, as Sydney was cutting into an apple, the front door opened and Pip bounded into the apartment. Will followed a few steps behind.
"Good morning," Sydney smiled at him as he entered the kitchen, the dog excitedly circling his legs. Sydney cored the apple and offered Will half. "Good walk?"
"Thanks," Will accepted the fruit and took a bite, pausing to rub Pip's ears. "Yeah. We hit all the usual spots, you know. The park, the bus stop."
Sydney grinned, leaning back against the kitchen counter as she bit into her half of the apple. "You're up early," She mused, watching as the dog loped into the living room and plopped down on the rug.
Will nodded and rolled his eyes. "I gotta take the car in for a recall fix," He glanced at his watch. "In fact, I need to leave now if I'm gonna make the appointment."
"Can I go, too?"
Will swallowed his last bite of apple and looked up at her strangely. "You want to go hang out with me at the Ford dealer?"
"Well, this may come as a surprise to you, but I'm thinking it might be time for me to consider buying a car," Sydney rinsed her hands in the sink and reached for the kitchen towel. "I can't have you driving me around forever."
"Ha," Will chuckled. "You like being chauffeured, admit it." Sydney just smiled, and Will shrugged as he pulled his keys from his pocket. "It's cool with me. Are you ready?"
Sydney nodded. "Let's go."
An hour or so later, after perusing the car lot for a while, Sydney and Will sat in the service department waiting room flipping through old magazines. Sydney glanced up at the window and caught sight of a familiar storefront sign across the street. She poked Will's arm with her elbow.
"Hey," She said when he met her eyes. "There's a Starbucks across the street, and I could really go for a latte. Do you want anything?"
"Are you buyin'?"
Sydney sighed, jokingly rolling her eyes. "Is that a tall café mocha?"
"Yes, with extra foam," Will called to her as she got up and walked toward the door. "And chocolate sprinkles!"
Sydney chuckled to herself as she made her way across the street, mindful of the Saturday morning traffic. Upon entering the shop, she inhaled deeply, the warming aroma of fresh coffee bringing a smile to her face. There was a short line, and Sydney waited patiently, casually people watching until it was her turn to order.
Moments later, as Sydney carried the steaming beverages to the condiment station to grab a couple of napkins and add Will's sprinkles, she heard a voice behind her say a familiar name.
"Rita."
Sydney busied herself with the coffee, carefully pulling the lid from Will's café mocha. It didn't even dawn on her that the name was directed at her until she felt someone's hand on her arm.
"Rita, hi."
Sydney turned abruptly to find herself face to face with Alice. Vaughn's Alice.
"Oh my gosh," Sydney said out of genuine surprise. "Hi."
"I didn't startle you, I hope," Alice smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean to."
"No, no," Sydney shook her head a little too vigorously. "I was just concentrating-" She looked down at the beverages, realizing how silly she sounded. "-on the coffee."
"Oh," Alice glanced from the cups to Sydney's face. "I saw you over here and I thought, what are the odds of us running into each other again, for the second weekend in a row?"
"Yeah," Sydney smiled wanly. "What are the odds?"
"Anyway," Alice forged ahead. "I'm glad I did. I've been after Michael to get me your phone number, but you know how it is," She trailed off, chuckling.
*No, I don't know how it is,* Sydney said to herself. *And that's largely because of you.*
"Right," Sydney turned her eyes back to the coffee, grabbing the shaker can of chocolate sprinkles and liberally coating Will's extra foam. She dreaded knowing the reason behind Alice's desire for her number; surely she wasn't going to call up to chat. Sydney honestly couldn't imagine a more awkward phone conversation.
"Anyway, I wanted to get a hold of you so I could find out if you and your friend would like to have dinner with us," Alice continued. "I know it's short notice, but Michael and I would love it if you could come tomorrow night."
Sydney was momentarily taken aback. "Wow, Alice, that's really sweet of you," She forced herself to focus, to smile politely. She thought of a million reasons to decline, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Tomorrow night sounds wonderful. I'll have to check with Will, but I'm sure it'll be fine."
Alice was noticeably relieved. She smiled again. "Oh, great," She sighed. "I know Michael will be pleased."
*I bet he will.*
"Does six o'clock sound okay? I'll have Michael get in touch with you with the directions," Alice casually glanced at her watch as Sydney nodded in agreement. Alice frowned. "I apologize, but I've got to run." As she turned to go, she grasped Sydney's arm. "I'm so glad I ran into you!"
"Me, too," Sydney found herself saying before immediately wondering why.
"Oh, one more thing," Alice turned back. "Are either of you vegetarians?" Sydney shook her head, and Alice was relieved once again. "Great! Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"
"Bye," Sydney echoed hollowly, watching as Alice wove her way back through the crowd of patrons and exited the shop.
"I still can't believe we're doing this," Will shook his head, smiling grimly as he concentrated on the city streets before him. "I can't believe you said yes."
"Pull into that market, please," Sydney ignored his comments, pointing toward a small corner grocery store one block ahead. "I think it would be rude to show up empty handed."
Will said nothing more as he snapped on the turn signal and eased into a parking spot. After Sydney had exited the car, he sat back in his seat, sighing. He hoped desperately that he wasn't moments away from the longest evening of his life.
A few minutes later, Sydney was back in the car with a moderately priced bottle of California merlot. After Will had expertly guided the car back into traffic, Sydney smiled at him and held forth the purchase for his approval.
"Look, Will, here's something you may not be familiar with," Sydney teased, pulling the wine bottle from the brown paper sack. "It's wine - with a cork."
"Ha ha," Will grimaced. He was silent for a moment until a thought struck him. "Hey, Syd," He looked sideways at her. "I can't help but notice that you've chosen wine as the hostess gift."
"Yes. And?"
"The hostess is pregnant."
"I know," Sydney cradled the bottle in her lap, looking out the passenger window at the pedestrians on the sidewalks that they drove past.
Will sighed, making a left turn onto a residential street. He pulled over to the curb and put the car into park, allowing it to idle as he swiveled in his seat.
"Syd," He started.
"Why did you stop? According to Vaughn's directions, we have at least another six blocks-"
"Screw the directions," Will barked, forcefully grabbing Sydney's attention. She stared at him with wide eyes.
"Will-"
"Sydney," He spoke over the top of her, laying his hand on her arm. "I'm not sure you're ready for this."
"Ready for what?"
"Dinner with Vaughn and his wife," Will made no attempt to sugar coat the truth.
Sydney shrugged, avoiding Will's eyes. "Dr. Barnett said I need to confront this, so - I'm confronting it."
"Again, as I said last week, I think this is a little more confrontation than she had in mind," Will pointed out. "I mean, c'mon, Syd - the wine? That's pretty passive aggressive, don't you think? That's not generally your style."
"My style?" Sydney repeated, making a face. "I don't have a style, Will. Especially not when it comes to this, something I haven't ever had the pleasure of encountering before."
"That's my point," Will insisted. "I don't think you know how to deal with this. I'm worried it might be too soon, with everything else-"
"Will."
"We can just call them and tell them I got sick at the last minute or something-"
"Will!" Sydney grabbed his arm. "Stop it."
"Syd," Will sighed, concern in his blue eyes. "I'm just trying to help you."
"I don't need you to do that," Sydney assured him, reaching for his hand. He gave it to her, allowing her fingers to slip around his own. "Will, I'm a big girl. I've been taking care of myself for most of my life. Please believe me when I say I can handle this," She squeezed his hand, her eyes imploring. "I need to handle this."
Will watched her carefully before nodding. Quietly, he said, "Okay," as he turned back to the steering wheel and eased the car into the street.
Once they'd gotten turned back around and on their way, both Will and Sydney were silent, contemplative as they viewed the world through their respective windows.
Sydney pointed out where to turn next and then sighed, feeling the jagged edges of their still-open discussion.
"Besides," She finally said after directing Will down a sleepy residential street. "As far as Alice is concerned, she doesn't know that I know."
Will was quick to reply. "That doesn't matter. You still know," He reasoned. "And Vaughn knows that you know-" Will's voice trailed off as the light bulb within his mind instantly came on. Pulling into a parking space in front of Vaughn and Alice's apartment building, he turned off the car and met Sydney's eyes. "Oh, I get it. This isn't about Alice at all. It's about Vaughn."
Sydney averted her eyes, pulling the wine from its sack before crumpling the paper bag into a tight ball. She squeezed it in her fist, watching the veins on the back of her hand.
Will couldn't stand her silence. He yanked the keys from the ignition and sat back heavily in his seat.
"Syd, you know I love you, but," He shook his head. "It's a crappy thing to hold against him, you know. Getting on with his life when he thought you were dead. Someday you're going to have to forgive him for that."
Sydney frowned, the painful truth registering in her eyes. "As soon as he forgives me for making him do it."
"Rita, hi! Please come in," Alice smiled brightly and looked beautiful in a pale blue dress as she met Sydney and Will at the front door. Stepping aside, she allowed them to pass. "I'm so glad you both could make it."
"Thanks again for inviting us," Sydney took a few steps into the living room and stopped, her eyes scanning the room. She quickly introduced Will to Alice before turning her attention back to the apartment, her mind taking snapshots of the space Vaughn and Alice shared.
"Michael's out on the patio, grilling the chicken," Alice explained, motioning towards the sliding glass doors in the dining room. The table was set beautifully with china plates and sterling silver, crystal wine goblets and water glasses shimmering beneath the small, overhead chandelier.
Sydney only partially listened as Alice prattled on to Will about the dinner menu and the attraction men have to cooking meat over an open flame. She stood apart from them, listening to the soft music that played on the stereo, her gaze gliding over the floral patterned couch and arm chair, the deep green recliner, the medium oak coffee and side tables. Laying eyes upon the tall corner bookcase, she was drawn to it, coming to stand just inches away from a framed photograph on one of the shelves.
It was obviously a wedding photo, taken in Las Vegas. Alice and Vaughn were embracing, her in a white slip dress and he in a deep blue suit. They were smiling. They looked happy. Sydney's heart broke in two.
"Hello, Rita," Vaughn's voice sliced through her reverie. She turned to him, startled, blinking away the moisture in her eyes.
"Hi," Sydney managed before walking past him to where Alice and Will stood at the open patio door, Alice pointing to the city skyline visible above a berm of trees bordering the apartment complex.
"It's not like you can see the Hollywood sign or anything, but at least it's a view," She was saying, laughing good-naturedly. She looked up as Sydney approached, the bottle of wine in her outstretched hand.
"I should've given this to you when we came in, I'm sorry," Sydney forced a smile. "I hope red is okay."
Alice took the bottle and studied the label, the smile never leaving her lips. "We love merlot. Thanks so much, Rita," She leaned in and gave Sydney a short hug, squeezing her tightly. Sydney half-heartedly squeezed back, the smell of Alice's understated floral perfume bringing back a memory Sydney couldn't quite grasp.
"The chicken will be ready in about ten minutes," Vaughn announced, brushing past them as he stepped out onto the patio. Sydney watched him lift the lid of the large gas grill, the fragrant smoke wafting past the open door.
"Will, can I get you a beer?" Alice called over her shoulder, carrying the wine into the kitchen.
Will glanced at Sydney, shrugging discreetly. "She's not so bad," He whispered, just before turning to follow Alice. If it was meant to be an encouragement, it failed miserably. Sydney did not want to be won over.
Conversation continued amiably, the four of them gathering on the patio for talk about the weather and, briefly, politics before Vaughn pronounced the chicken done.
Dinner was quickly put out on the table, the chicken nicely accompanied by steamed asparagus, baked potatoes, a plate of fresh fruit and a neatly tossed spinach salad. As the meal began, talk drifted from friends to co- workers and eventually to family, where Sydney soon found herself the uncomfortable center of attention.
"So, Rita," Alice began, cutting into her baked potato. "What do your parents do?"
Will and Vaughn both stopped abruptly, knives and forks posed above their plates.
Sydney glanced at them briefly before turning her attention to Alice. "My father sells airplane parts," She smiled sweetly. "And my mother is dead."
As soon as the words left Sydney's mouth, Will was struck with a coughing fit. Sydney looked at him with alarm as Vaughn hurried to refill his water glass.
"Will, are you all right?" Alice worried, partially rising from her chair.
Will gulped down water and nodded, pulling himself together. "I'm fine, Alice, really," He jabbed Sydney's shin with his foot. She winced and he smiled. "I'm okay, thanks."
As Will grabbed his water glass again for another long gulp, Alice heavily set her hands on the table top, looking in Sydney's direction.
"Rita, I'm sorry, I forgot to bring out the wine you brought," She started to get up, but Sydney held out her hands as she herself got to her feet, grateful for the distraction.
Throughout the meal, Vaughn and Alice had been sitting agonizingly close, their elbows bumping occasionally, small smiles exchanged each time. There were even moments when Vaughn had rested a hand on Alice's thigh, his fingers grasping her own. It was all at once too much to take, and Sydney needed a moment away.
"It's okay, Alice. If you'll direct me to your corkscrew, I'll be happy to get it."
Sydney easily located the necessary items in the small, tidy kitchen and returned to the table after leaning against the fridge, eyes closed and breathing deeply. In moments she had pulled the cork from the green glass bottle and reached across the table for Alice's wine goblet.
Will and Vaughn both watched as Sydney began to tip the bottle.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Alice suddenly jumped in, extending her hand to cover the rim of the glass. "None for me, thank you."
Sydney returned the glass to its place, seemingly nonplussed. She turned to Vaughn, holding the wine aloft. "Michael?"
Vaughn met Sydney's eyes, a clear and present warning wordlessly communicated. Without a sound, he extended the glass to Sydney and allowed her pour while he turned and smiled at his wife.
"Sweetheart," He said, the word a tiny arrow in Sydney's soul. "Why don't you share with Rita and Will the reason why you're not having wine tonight?"
Alice smiled at Vaughn and waited until Sydney had returned to her seat before she reached over and grasped both of Vaughn's hands in her own.
"Michael and I are going to have a baby," Alice beamed, her eyes shining as they filled with tears.
Will was quick to offer his best wishes. He raised his wine goblet in toast, and Sydney joined in, a pained smile on her lips. She glanced up from her plate just in time to catch Vaughn's eyes on her face, his brow furrowed, his expression dark. It melted into a smile, however, as soon as Alice leaned in to him and planted a kiss on his dimpled cheek.
"Excuse me," Sydney muttered, slipping from her chair. "Where's the-"
"First door on the left," Vaughn quickly supplied, pointing toward the hallway. His eyes never left her as she quickly exited the room.
After dinner and following a heavenly dessert of homemade white chocolate cheesecake (was there anything that Alice could not do?!), Sydney was helping Alice clear the table when the telephone rang. Vaughn was in the living room showing Will a photo album full of pictures he'd taken on a recent vacation to France and called out to Alice that her mother was on the line.
Alice excused herself, leaving Sydney alone in the kitchen. She started to run water in the sink to wash the dishes and was just adding the liquid detergent when a voice sounded behind her.
"I'll wash if you'll dry."
Sydney didn't look up as she set an armload of plates in the soapy water. "You'd better take off your wedding band first. It'd be a shame if it slipped off your finger and went down the drain."
"I'm going to ignore your sarcasm," Vaughn came to Sydney's side, rolling up the sleeves of his cornflower blue button down shirt. Just for safety's sake, however, he pulled the ring from his finger and dropped it into the pocket of his khakis.
Vaughn directed Sydney to the dish towel and she grabbed it, slinging it over her shoulder as she waited for Vaughn to finish washing the first couple of dishes.
"I wish she weren't so nice," Sydney admitted, watching as Vaughn rinsed a plate and set it in the drying rack. Upon hearing this, he paused, letting the sentence hang in the air before he pulled another plate from the sudsy water and gave it a good scrub with the brush in his left hand.
"I don't know what to say to that," He replied quietly, concentrating much too hard on the pile of plates in the sink.
"What can you say? You don't need to say anything," Sydney grabbed the plate from the drying rack and began to wipe it down with the deep yellow dishtowel. "She's sweet, she's nice, she's decent. What can be said about that? She's lovely."
"I'm sure she's thinking the exact same thing about you," Vaughn delivered this line with a lack of conviction that made Sydney smile.
"Nice, but you got your best shot in at dinner, when you called her 'sweetheart' while I was pouring your wine," Sydney set the dry plate on the countertop and reached for another wet one.
Vaughn chuckled ruefully. "And you got yours in by bringing the wine," He said. "Don't think that went by unnoticed."
"I knew it wouldn't."
The kitchen was momentarily silent, the sound of the humming refrigerator a soothing backdrop to the splashing and dish scrubbing going on at the sink. Sydney and Vaughn didn't look at each other as they each performed their task, working in sync, working well together as they always had.
"Do you ever not play games?" Vaughn asked suddenly, an inexplicably hard edge to his voice.
Sydney carefully set down a dry dish and looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
"The wine, the comment about your mother delivered so eloquently with a smile," Vaughn turned to her, wrist deep in detergent bubbles. He paused when he heard voices in the next room, continuing only after the sound of laughter assured him Alice and Will were deep into a conversation of their own. "Not everything is a competition, Sydney. This is real life, not a game."
"Don't preach to me about real life," Sydney hissed, anger darkening her eyes. "I've had more than my share of it, especially recently. And if anyone's got a game going here, it's you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. The perfect apartment, the perfect china, the perfect meal, the perfect wife," The end of the sentence slid off her tongue as if it were a dirty word. Sydney reached over to grab a clean dish as Vaughn lifted it from the water. Her voice thick with disdain, she added, "Let me know, Vaughn, if you ever get tired of playing house."
The wet dish did not offer Sydney a firm grip and it slipped from her grasp, dropping with a splash back into the soapy water. Both reaching for it at once, their fingers bumped beneath the sudsy surface. As she started to grope for the stray plate, Vaughn suddenly grabbed Sydney's hand and held on tight. Sydney thought of pulling free but stopped when she allowed herself to look up into his eyes.
"Hey, Michael, Will was just reminding me of a when I first met him," Alice's voice was growing louder as she neared the kitchen doorway. "Remember how I told you I thought he looked familiar? Well, it turns out-" Alice stopped, a strange charge in the air catching her attention. Before she could say another word, Will appeared behind her, Sydney's chirping cell phone in his hand.
"Rita," He said softly, feeling as though he was interrupting something. What is was, he wasn't sure. "Your phone."
Sydney didn't look away from Vaughn's eyes, her fingers slowly slipping from beneath his grasp. Her eyes filling, her chin quivering, she swallowed hard around the lump in her throat.
"Congratulations, Michael," She murmured, a meaningful look passing between them just before she turned away. After wiping her hand on the dishtowel, Sydney brushed past Alice, avoiding her eyes, and took the phone from Will's outstretched hand.
Answering curtly, Sydney was greeted by the voice of her father. "Sydney," He said. "We got her."
******
A/N: Here I am again, begging for your opinion. Please let me know what you think - good or bad - my muse is fueled by your honest reviews.
