Author's Note:: Sorry for the LONG wait! I've just been busy. Anyways, there's one more chapter left after this. And then, it'll be up to you if I continue the story or not. hehes. Wells, I hope you guys enjoy the story.
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The sound of glass breaking made him jump out of bed and find out where the sound had come from. He ran to the bathroom where he found Sydney picking the pieces of the mirror up off the floor.
"Are you alright?" he asked, as he bent down to help her pick up the pieces.
"Uh, yeah." she said and threw the pieces into the trash can. He examined her carefully, she seemed shaken. "You want me to get you some water?"
She let out a deep sigh, "No, I'm fine." They finished throwing away the pieces of the mirror and he left her in the bathroom to continue doing whatever it was she was doing. Vaughn became concerned, what happened that caused the mirror to break? He knew she was trying to down play whatever it was that was running through her mind, but he wanted to know. Asking her straight out wouldn't seem right, especially with their "condition". She had made it subtly clear to him that he could no longer make anything personal with her, ever again. The doctors told him that it would be impossible for her to regain her stature as an agent, but she had proven them wrong. Even though she appeared normal, something inside of him felt otherwise.
All through her shower, she thought of why she had to shatter the mirror. "Ugh, of all things to break," she said to herself. For the rest of the day, she and Vaughn walked around the area of where the party was going to be held that night. After that, Sydney went to sleep. She had been doing that a lot lately. But, that was the only thing she could do to make sure that she didn't hear that voice in her head again. As he watched her sleep, he sensed her unrest.
"Doesn't matter how long she sleeps, she still has to face reality. A reality she hates now because of you." said the voice in his head. The voice seemed to want to make him feel guilty about marrying Melanie. As much as he wanted to retaliate, he didn't. Whatever power the voice possesed in making him feel guilty and thinking twice about EVERYTHING, it was working. Sydney slept til about 6pm. Her sleep for once, had been peaceful. She began to get ready for the mission. She noticed that the mirror in the bathroom had been repaired.
An hour later, she and Vaughn were dressed, and ready for the mission. Vaughn was nearly breathless when he saw her in a red [hott!] dress with a bit of a low neckline and hugged her in the right places. While he was doing that, she too also noticed how handsome he looked in his tux.
"This is JUST A MISSION," she silently reminded herself, as she took Vaughn's arm and headed down to the ballroom.
"Yeah, right." said the voice, smugly.
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Once the party began, Sydney and Vaughn separated. Although, she seemed more eager than him to do so.
"See them yet?" Sydney asked through her com-link.
"No, and where are you?" he looked around.
"Relax, DEAR, I'm just getting myself something to drink." she said, as the bartender [who was Weiss] handed her a drink.
"Thanks." she replied, and went back to looking for the couple, or at least the wife. Weiss could only shake his head to keep himself from laughing.
"Ohh, great," Vaughn thought to himself. "She has to be DRUNK to do this mission?!"
"Hey, whatever helps a girl," replied the voice. He was beginning to recognize the voice, but was still nowhere near of figuring out who it sounded like. Suddenly, Vaughn spotted Nicholas Gryer and his wife, Emma.
"Syd, heads up, his wife Emma is headed your way. White dress and pearls on." he whispered into the com-link. Sydney chugged down the last of her martini, and looked for the woman Vaughn just described. She saw a woman in her early-mid forties walking in her direction, white dress and all.
"Hi, Emma Gryer?" Sydney greeted in her politest voice. It had been awhile since she used it.
"Yes?" the woman answered.
"I'm Kathleen Clarkson, I'm one of the donator's for your charity, and I think that what you're doing here is wonderful. We really should be more aware of the disease. Especially one that spreads quickly."
"Why, thank you. Believe it or not, I had to persuade my husband, Nicholas, to let me throw this party. He didn't want me to throw this little shindig, because he said it would cost too much. So, I said, c`mon honey, just once? And he gave in!" she laughed. Sydney laughed along with the woman as she digested the information.
"Husbands can be such sticklers, can't they?"
"ALL husbands are. But, what do you expect? They're men. Would you like a drink?" the lady offered.
"Uh, why not?! It's a party."
"Wonderful!! Bartender, 2 white wines, please." Weiss served the older lady and Sydney their white wines, and they left to join the other women.
"Seriously, how much alcohol does this woman NEED?!" Weiss said to Vaughn on the com-link. He wasn't having much luck with Nicholas. Vaughn saw Sydney walk into the other room with Mrs.Gryer.
"I heard that," Sydney muttered to Weiss through the link. Sydney talked up Emma and the other ladies in the room. She got more intel from Emma than Vaughn did Nicholas. Sydney could clearly hear the conversation that was going on between the men. He needed help.
"Pardon me, ladies," Sydney said getting up. "But, I hear a slow song, and I want to get my husband out on the dance floor." The ladies let her through and she went in search of Vaughn.
"Yeah, good luck in getting Vaughn to dance. The man has two left feet." Weiss said. He was clearly enjoying this.
"I heard that too," Vaughn said softly. Sydney finally found Vaughn with a group of men, including Nicholas.
"Excuse me," she began, as she broke into the group. "But, may I borrow my husband for a minute?" The men in the group took one look at her and immediately said yes.
"You're a lucky one, Clarkson!" yelled one of the men as she pulled him away.
"They're drunk, aren't they?" she asked as they took a spot on the dance floor.
He let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I think they are." The song was one of Sydney's favorites, "My Everything" by 98 degrees. Even though they were a boy band of long ago, she still liked this song. Someone must've heard her need to hear the song again. Weiss saw the pair out on the dance floor, and quietly turned off his link.
"So, what did you find out?" he asked her, in an almost business-only like tone.
"Nicholas isn't the businessman Kendall thinks he is." she began. "It was Emma's idea to throw this party. AND, it's her family's company. When she and Nicholas got married, she gave it to him as a wedding gift."
"And from the talks I had with Nicholas before, it's obvious that he has no ties to Sloane. Or ever had any. He's done illegal dealing, but whatever the deals were, he took them all and made them legal." he said to her.
"So, they're both clean."
"You know, Kendall's going to be mad when he finds out that they've got nothing on Gryer," he said, softly. She smiled, the widest he'd ever seen her smile in a long time.
"I know. He sent us here for nothing." she was loosing herself in the moment. She wasn't fighting it, though.
"Well, maybe not for 'nothing'," he said. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. She looked too beautiful, and the mood was perfect. He leaned in. She was nearly caught off guard by him, and pulled away immediately. Vaughn could kill himself! She was suddenly a little scared, as she felt frozen on the floor. With nothing else left for her to do, she ran out of the ballroom. Vaughn ran after her.
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Okay, soO it may have gotten a lil bad...at least, im MY POV. But, tell me something I don't know. Pls. review!!! `=D
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The sound of glass breaking made him jump out of bed and find out where the sound had come from. He ran to the bathroom where he found Sydney picking the pieces of the mirror up off the floor.
"Are you alright?" he asked, as he bent down to help her pick up the pieces.
"Uh, yeah." she said and threw the pieces into the trash can. He examined her carefully, she seemed shaken. "You want me to get you some water?"
She let out a deep sigh, "No, I'm fine." They finished throwing away the pieces of the mirror and he left her in the bathroom to continue doing whatever it was she was doing. Vaughn became concerned, what happened that caused the mirror to break? He knew she was trying to down play whatever it was that was running through her mind, but he wanted to know. Asking her straight out wouldn't seem right, especially with their "condition". She had made it subtly clear to him that he could no longer make anything personal with her, ever again. The doctors told him that it would be impossible for her to regain her stature as an agent, but she had proven them wrong. Even though she appeared normal, something inside of him felt otherwise.
All through her shower, she thought of why she had to shatter the mirror. "Ugh, of all things to break," she said to herself. For the rest of the day, she and Vaughn walked around the area of where the party was going to be held that night. After that, Sydney went to sleep. She had been doing that a lot lately. But, that was the only thing she could do to make sure that she didn't hear that voice in her head again. As he watched her sleep, he sensed her unrest.
"Doesn't matter how long she sleeps, she still has to face reality. A reality she hates now because of you." said the voice in his head. The voice seemed to want to make him feel guilty about marrying Melanie. As much as he wanted to retaliate, he didn't. Whatever power the voice possesed in making him feel guilty and thinking twice about EVERYTHING, it was working. Sydney slept til about 6pm. Her sleep for once, had been peaceful. She began to get ready for the mission. She noticed that the mirror in the bathroom had been repaired.
An hour later, she and Vaughn were dressed, and ready for the mission. Vaughn was nearly breathless when he saw her in a red [hott!] dress with a bit of a low neckline and hugged her in the right places. While he was doing that, she too also noticed how handsome he looked in his tux.
"This is JUST A MISSION," she silently reminded herself, as she took Vaughn's arm and headed down to the ballroom.
"Yeah, right." said the voice, smugly.
-----------------------------
Once the party began, Sydney and Vaughn separated. Although, she seemed more eager than him to do so.
"See them yet?" Sydney asked through her com-link.
"No, and where are you?" he looked around.
"Relax, DEAR, I'm just getting myself something to drink." she said, as the bartender [who was Weiss] handed her a drink.
"Thanks." she replied, and went back to looking for the couple, or at least the wife. Weiss could only shake his head to keep himself from laughing.
"Ohh, great," Vaughn thought to himself. "She has to be DRUNK to do this mission?!"
"Hey, whatever helps a girl," replied the voice. He was beginning to recognize the voice, but was still nowhere near of figuring out who it sounded like. Suddenly, Vaughn spotted Nicholas Gryer and his wife, Emma.
"Syd, heads up, his wife Emma is headed your way. White dress and pearls on." he whispered into the com-link. Sydney chugged down the last of her martini, and looked for the woman Vaughn just described. She saw a woman in her early-mid forties walking in her direction, white dress and all.
"Hi, Emma Gryer?" Sydney greeted in her politest voice. It had been awhile since she used it.
"Yes?" the woman answered.
"I'm Kathleen Clarkson, I'm one of the donator's for your charity, and I think that what you're doing here is wonderful. We really should be more aware of the disease. Especially one that spreads quickly."
"Why, thank you. Believe it or not, I had to persuade my husband, Nicholas, to let me throw this party. He didn't want me to throw this little shindig, because he said it would cost too much. So, I said, c`mon honey, just once? And he gave in!" she laughed. Sydney laughed along with the woman as she digested the information.
"Husbands can be such sticklers, can't they?"
"ALL husbands are. But, what do you expect? They're men. Would you like a drink?" the lady offered.
"Uh, why not?! It's a party."
"Wonderful!! Bartender, 2 white wines, please." Weiss served the older lady and Sydney their white wines, and they left to join the other women.
"Seriously, how much alcohol does this woman NEED?!" Weiss said to Vaughn on the com-link. He wasn't having much luck with Nicholas. Vaughn saw Sydney walk into the other room with Mrs.Gryer.
"I heard that," Sydney muttered to Weiss through the link. Sydney talked up Emma and the other ladies in the room. She got more intel from Emma than Vaughn did Nicholas. Sydney could clearly hear the conversation that was going on between the men. He needed help.
"Pardon me, ladies," Sydney said getting up. "But, I hear a slow song, and I want to get my husband out on the dance floor." The ladies let her through and she went in search of Vaughn.
"Yeah, good luck in getting Vaughn to dance. The man has two left feet." Weiss said. He was clearly enjoying this.
"I heard that too," Vaughn said softly. Sydney finally found Vaughn with a group of men, including Nicholas.
"Excuse me," she began, as she broke into the group. "But, may I borrow my husband for a minute?" The men in the group took one look at her and immediately said yes.
"You're a lucky one, Clarkson!" yelled one of the men as she pulled him away.
"They're drunk, aren't they?" she asked as they took a spot on the dance floor.
He let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I think they are." The song was one of Sydney's favorites, "My Everything" by 98 degrees. Even though they were a boy band of long ago, she still liked this song. Someone must've heard her need to hear the song again. Weiss saw the pair out on the dance floor, and quietly turned off his link.
"So, what did you find out?" he asked her, in an almost business-only like tone.
"Nicholas isn't the businessman Kendall thinks he is." she began. "It was Emma's idea to throw this party. AND, it's her family's company. When she and Nicholas got married, she gave it to him as a wedding gift."
"And from the talks I had with Nicholas before, it's obvious that he has no ties to Sloane. Or ever had any. He's done illegal dealing, but whatever the deals were, he took them all and made them legal." he said to her.
"So, they're both clean."
"You know, Kendall's going to be mad when he finds out that they've got nothing on Gryer," he said, softly. She smiled, the widest he'd ever seen her smile in a long time.
"I know. He sent us here for nothing." she was loosing herself in the moment. She wasn't fighting it, though.
"Well, maybe not for 'nothing'," he said. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. She looked too beautiful, and the mood was perfect. He leaned in. She was nearly caught off guard by him, and pulled away immediately. Vaughn could kill himself! She was suddenly a little scared, as she felt frozen on the floor. With nothing else left for her to do, she ran out of the ballroom. Vaughn ran after her.
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Okay, soO it may have gotten a lil bad...at least, im MY POV. But, tell me something I don't know. Pls. review!!! `=D