A Lesson in Humility
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4.
He realized that he had been rambling for fifteen minutes without interruption and suddenly grew skeptical of exactly how much Eric had been listening to him. "Eric, are you still awake?"
"No. And you know why I'm asleep? Because it's four in the morning Michael! Are there no clocks, no watches, no time-telling devices in your entire apartment or did you them all to Sydney?"
"Shut up. I'm being serious."
"You're being stupid."
He sat up in the bed, phone cradled in his neck as he leaned against his headboard. "What are you talking about?"
"Every single time she goes on a mission, you get like this. You know that she's a phenomenal agent and you know that she always comes back so why can't you just go to sleep. And if you can't, why can't you let the people who aren't in love with her get to sleep?"
Eric heard a choking noise from the other end of the phone and would have smiled if he were more alert instead of having his eyelids stuck together. "Don't even try to deny it."
"I'm not in love with her. I'm just worried about her. It's typical and normal for a handler to be in lo- worried about his asset."
"I think you and I are thinking about different definitions of the word 'asset'. Keep your assets to yourself and shut up.
"I'm tired. I have a presentation. If you can't control yourself, either keep it to yourself or separate yourself from her. Seriously man, I'm not as beautiful as you. I need beauty sleep."
Michael cracked a smile, he didn't understand how Eric's mind was able to go so quickly when he had just woken up. "You're a witty man my friend."
"And for my wit, I gave up my looks so let me go to sleep. Why am I even asking permission? I'm going to hang u-"
"Wait. Eric."
There was a sigh at the other end. "What?"
"I had a dream about her."
He could hear the sheets rustling at the other end of the phone, Eric getting up with real interest now. "You see, you are allowed to call me about this kind of thing. This is how friendship works, one friends dreams, tells the other about it… you get my drift."
Michael shook his head. "I don't understand how anyone could not "get your drift". You aren't the most subtle person in the world."
"On the contrary, I can be very subtle. And who are you to be talking Mr. I'm-so-deeply-blinded-with-love-for-my-asset-that-I-don't-even-see-that-it's-obvious-to-everyone-else-in-the-universe-except-for-her? Very subtle. Especially when you know she's coming and so you take a shower in cologne or whatever the hell that is."
A mock-arrogant voice. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh please. Whenever all the guys know that Sydney's coming in beforehand, they don't even put ON their cologne because they know that just being the office with you will make it rub off on them."
Michael flushed slightly and was suddenly very glad that Eric was only on the phone and not here to make fun of him even more. "Go to sleep Eric."
"Not until you tell me about this dream…"
The pager interrupted the conversation and Michael nearly jumped out of bed in order to intercept its message.
"Eric, it's Syd. She's back, I gotta go."
"At 4 in the morning? Jesus Michael, no wonder you got girls pining for you all the time… you can't just leave me hanging like you do with them! You build up their expectations and then take off."
He smiled, pulling on his pants.
"Am I ever going to get to hear this dream?"
He laughed. "Not a chance." He hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed before tugging a white shirt over his head and rushing out the door. Sydney was back and waiting for him.
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She was waiting for him, sitting on the crates sporting a few minor cuts but otherwise unhurt. Vaughn felt his face flushing just remembering the remnants of his dream, unable to believe that the real thing was right in front of his eyes. "Hey."
"Hey."
She tossed him a parcel and he stood stunned for a second before his reflexes kicked in and grabbed it from the air. "Is this it?"
"Nope, it's a present."
"A present?" For some reason, that statement made him tense, as if suddenly he wished they were back to being formal with each other, suddenly uncomfortable with how comfortable they were. For the first time, he could see what others saw in their relationship. He knew he would do anything for her. How far would that go?
At her nod, he unwrapped it and took out a small globe. "A snow globe?"
She walked over and took it from his hands. "Look, it's Italy and what do you see over there?"
"They put restaurants on snow globes?"
"They did in this one."
"Is that Tratorria di Nardi?"
She nodded, grinning at him and he couldn't help grin back though it was strained. After his dream, he no longer had to guess at what she wore under those suits. He couldn't let that happen.
"How did it go over there?" It was an abrupt change of subject accompanied by an abrupt change of tone. She looked startled but then nodded.
"It went well. Everything went to plan as usual. Thanks for your wonderfully detailed counter mission."
He nodded in reply, knowing that his attention to detail was done because of his feelings for her. He had to figure out everything that could possibly go wrong and rectify it. That was his job and he had always been an overachiever. But an overachiever in love? Perhaps that was pushing the limits.
"Is there something wrong?" She looked puzzled by his erratic swings… she had thought that he would have been happier to see her, happier with his gift and the fact that she had remembered.
He flushed, embarrassed. "Of course. Everything's fine." He moved in to hug her but the contact was minimal and fake. The pantomime or placing your arms around another person. She tensed, feeling the way he was pulling back.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm just tired. I'm glad that you're back." He allowed a heartfelt smile to come through. That was something he was allowed to say.
She smiled back, relieved that the Vaughn that she knew was back but still sensing that there was something more that she had not been told. However, she had called him at four in the morning and he probably was tired. "I'm sorry I called you in so early, I probably woke you up."
I never went to sleep.
"That's all right. I needed to wake up from that dream anyways." Michael grinned though he felt as if he were blushing inwards, knowing that he was saying all the opposite things.
Her eyebrow raised. "What dream was this?"
He chuckled, raised his shoulders. "I don't even remember anymore."
She handed him another package. "Here. It's the Intel you wanted."
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and walked out, leaving Sydney standing there, puzzled.
As he strode to his car, feeling the little snow globe knocking against his thigh with every step, his heart grew heavier. He took out his cell phone and called Eric.
"Is that you again Michael you son of a bitch?"
"Yeah, interrupting your beauty sleep?"
"It's not like I would ever get enough. You changed your mind about telling me the dream?"
There was a laugh in his voice. "No, I just wanted to tell you that you were right."
Confusion. "Right about what?"
"I do need to separate myself from her. This is too hard. I'm turning in my resignation tomorrow morning."
There was only silence on the other line.
TBC… (even though continuation is backwards…)
Review~
Question: Since this story moves backwards and I can, would you like me to include the dream? ::wiggles eyebrows::
Haha… you can probably guess that it's slightly smutty (I'm not sure what "slightly" means yet) so let me know PLEASE!!!!!
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-Jenn
