Hey, hey, hey! Here's chapter 26. Hope you all like it. A little more Syd/Vaughn bonding this chapter… it's been awhile! I feel the need to get overly sappy in the upcoming chapters (due to the sad, sad state of Syd/Vaughn on the actual show). Sigh. I'm very bummed out. Anyways, more chapters to come. I can't guarantee a specific date when the next chapter will be up (I'm going on vacation tomorrow—a well deserved vacation, I might add) so it could be awhile. Anyways. Hope you enjoy! Please review, as always!
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Chapter 26
I jerked awake, startled into reality by some dream that was already fading from memory. I opened my eyes, squinting at the light streaming in through a crack in the curtains.
It was light outside.
The thought stuck in my mind for a moment, before I realized what that meant. I must have fallen asleep by seven the night before. I couldn't believe it. I turned my neck, groaning at the stiffness in my back, and squinted at the digital clock on the bedside table.
"Damnit," I muttered, my mind still cloudy from sleep. It was already past ten. I had slept for over fifteen hours.
I cursed again under my breath, berating myself for oversleeping, and wondering how I was able to fall asleep in the first place. Last I could remember, I had been staring at the ceiling fan above me, praying for Vaughn to arrive, and for sleep to overtake me.
And overtake me it had. I had somehow managed to sleep not only through the night, but probably through Vaughn's arrival, as well. Closing my eyes again, I rolled over onto my side, reluctant to get up.
My mind slowly began to clear, and I found myself wondering why Vaughn wasn't here—or at least why he hadn't come to wake me up. According to what my father had said the night before, Vaughn should have been here several hours ago.
Groaning again, I realized that I needed to get up—needed to find out what was going on.
I opened my eyes, again squinting at the harsh light pouring in through the crack in the curtains. Slowly, my eyes focused.
"Morning, Sunshine."
I jumped at the voice, my eyes darting across the room to the source of the sound. They came to rest on none other than Michael Vaughn.
"Vaughn?" I asked, pushing myself up in bed.
"Hey," he said, grinning. His voice was ragged, and I could tell in a glance that he was exhausted. His suit was rumpled, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and he had loosened his tie.
"You look tired," I said.
He smiled. "And you look beautiful," he replied, rising from the chair and moving to sit beside me on the bed. I laughed self-consciously, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to straighten it.
"When did you get here?" I asked.
"A couple hours ago," he said, pulling my hand away from my hair and intertwining his fingers with my own.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked, yawning as I leaned back on the headboard of the bed.
"You need the rest," he said softly. "Plus, I wasn't very good company."
I nodded. "Tough few days?"
Vaughn chuckled. "You have no idea." He sighed.
"But everything's okay now?"
He nodded. "I'm free as a bird. Except I'm not allowed to leave the safehouse."
I chuckled. "Me either."
He shifted on the bed, moving to rest his head on a pillow, letting out a long groan as he did.
"You sure you're okay?" I asked, leaning my head on the palm of my hand as I watched him.
"Mmhmm. Just have a headache. Sodium pentathol will do that." He chuckled dryly.
"What?" I asked, frowning. "Sodium pentathol?"
"Yeah." He gestured to his arm, a small band-aid covering the spot where they had injected the drug. "Didn't Jack tell you?"
"No," I said sharply, anger building in my chest. "He conveniently left that out when he called me."
"Don't worry about it, Syd. It's part of the job—"
"No, it isn't! This whole thing was totally out of line. You've been working for them for years, yet they thought it was necessary to pump you full of drugs to get a straight answer from you. They had no right to—"
Vaughn cut me off, pressing his index finger to my lips. "They had every right, Syd. It's not popular—but it's procedure. They use it on everyone in my situation. You know that," he said gently. "You're just upset that they did it to me."
"No…" I said, sharply. "I'm upset because they didn't tell me. I'm upset that—"
"It's fine," Syd." Vaughn said, his eyes meeting mine. "I had nothing to hide. They weren't going to get any information out of me that wasn't there to begin with. I agreed to it willingly."
I hesitated, and then nodded reluctantly. "I know… I know. I never had any doubt about your loyalties." I looked at him, making sure he knew that my statement was true. "But I know what drugs like that can do to you. You must feel terrible."
"Yeah," he admitted, letting his head fall back to rest against the pillow again. "Horrible. But at least you're here."
I smiled, squeezing his hand in mine. "I'm glad you're back. I finally understood what you meant about not being able to sleep."
Vaughn laughed. "It didn't seem to me like you were having any trouble at all. You were dead to the world when I got here."
I smiled sheepishly. "Well sure. That was after I knew you were okay. But before that—on the plane back from Istanbul—well, sleeping just wasn't an option," I said.
"Sorry about that," he said. "I wish I could have reassured you before you left, but I had figured out, at least partially, what I was being accused of. And I figured that my chances were better if I kept my mouth shut."
"It's okay. I understand."
He smiled, reaching up to snake an arm around my neck. He tugged, and I moved to lie down beside him. He brushed his lips against mine, and then pulled away, our faces only inches apart.
"You never believed that I was a traitor?" He asked, his voice serious. "Not even for a second?"
I shook my head. "Not even for a second. I refused to believe it."
"Good." He said.
"My father didn't believe it either," I said, smiling.
"Really?" Vaughn said, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Yeah—in fact, he was probably half the reason you got released as soon as you did."
"Wow," Vaughn said, obviously shocked. "I thought your dad hated me."
I laughed. "Oh, he does. But I think he has some sympathy for those who are accused of being disloyal to their countries. He's had some experience of his own in that arena."
Vaughn nodded, lost in thought. "True…" He turned back to me after a few moments of silence. "So what's the plan now?"
I paused, looking into his serious green eyes.
"We're taking down SD-6." I stated simply.
Vaughn nodded again, probably realizing that now was not the time to ask how we would accomplish such a huge task—something we had been working towards for years. The question was impossible to answer, and would only cause us to worry even more about our current situation.
"When?" He asked.
"Soon."
We were silent for several minutes, studying each other's faces.
"Vaughn?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"I'm scared." I said, my voice barely a whisper. I realized that it was one of the very few times I had told anyone I was scared about anything.
He moved slightly, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer.
"Don't be… there are more than twenty security guards outside. They have this place surrounded—"
"No," I said softly. "Not about that…"
"What? About Sloane? About your friends? Jack told me he had assigned guards around Will's apartment and Francie's house…"
"No—about us," I said.
"What?" He asked, frowning. "Why?"
I looked away. "When SD-6 is gone, where will that leave us? We've only know each other under a certain set of circumstances—extreme circumstances. We can't be seen together. It's dangerous. It's exciting. What happens when all that is gone? What if—what if it isn't the same?" I focused my eyes on our intertwined fingers, unable to meet his eyes.
Vaughn chuckled. "It won't be the same. Not even close." I choked back a sob, refusing to let myself cry. Vaughn reached down, pulling my chin up so that my eyes met his. "It will be better, Sydney. So much better."
"How do you know?" I asked. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because, Syd. It's us. Because I love you."
I hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Okay," I said, snuggling up against him. "I love you too, by the way."
"I know." He smiled, bending slightly to place a lingering kiss on my lips. "Go to sleep."
"I'm not tired," I responded, amused. "I just slept for fifteen hours."
"Well, I am tired. I, unlike you, have been kept awake by hours of interrogation, and debriefing with Kendall and Devlin which was, arguably, more unpleasant than any interrogation could ever be."
I chuckled. "Then you go to sleep." I hugged him. "I'll keep you company."
"Thanks," he said, his eyes already drifting shut."
"Just think," I said. "Someday, we might be able to live the rest of our lives like this."
Vaughn nodded, and for a moment I wondered if he was still awake. "Someday soon, Syd. Someday soon."
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There you go! Hope you liked it. You all have a great day!!
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Chapter 26
I jerked awake, startled into reality by some dream that was already fading from memory. I opened my eyes, squinting at the light streaming in through a crack in the curtains.
It was light outside.
The thought stuck in my mind for a moment, before I realized what that meant. I must have fallen asleep by seven the night before. I couldn't believe it. I turned my neck, groaning at the stiffness in my back, and squinted at the digital clock on the bedside table.
"Damnit," I muttered, my mind still cloudy from sleep. It was already past ten. I had slept for over fifteen hours.
I cursed again under my breath, berating myself for oversleeping, and wondering how I was able to fall asleep in the first place. Last I could remember, I had been staring at the ceiling fan above me, praying for Vaughn to arrive, and for sleep to overtake me.
And overtake me it had. I had somehow managed to sleep not only through the night, but probably through Vaughn's arrival, as well. Closing my eyes again, I rolled over onto my side, reluctant to get up.
My mind slowly began to clear, and I found myself wondering why Vaughn wasn't here—or at least why he hadn't come to wake me up. According to what my father had said the night before, Vaughn should have been here several hours ago.
Groaning again, I realized that I needed to get up—needed to find out what was going on.
I opened my eyes, again squinting at the harsh light pouring in through the crack in the curtains. Slowly, my eyes focused.
"Morning, Sunshine."
I jumped at the voice, my eyes darting across the room to the source of the sound. They came to rest on none other than Michael Vaughn.
"Vaughn?" I asked, pushing myself up in bed.
"Hey," he said, grinning. His voice was ragged, and I could tell in a glance that he was exhausted. His suit was rumpled, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and he had loosened his tie.
"You look tired," I said.
He smiled. "And you look beautiful," he replied, rising from the chair and moving to sit beside me on the bed. I laughed self-consciously, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to straighten it.
"When did you get here?" I asked.
"A couple hours ago," he said, pulling my hand away from my hair and intertwining his fingers with my own.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked, yawning as I leaned back on the headboard of the bed.
"You need the rest," he said softly. "Plus, I wasn't very good company."
I nodded. "Tough few days?"
Vaughn chuckled. "You have no idea." He sighed.
"But everything's okay now?"
He nodded. "I'm free as a bird. Except I'm not allowed to leave the safehouse."
I chuckled. "Me either."
He shifted on the bed, moving to rest his head on a pillow, letting out a long groan as he did.
"You sure you're okay?" I asked, leaning my head on the palm of my hand as I watched him.
"Mmhmm. Just have a headache. Sodium pentathol will do that." He chuckled dryly.
"What?" I asked, frowning. "Sodium pentathol?"
"Yeah." He gestured to his arm, a small band-aid covering the spot where they had injected the drug. "Didn't Jack tell you?"
"No," I said sharply, anger building in my chest. "He conveniently left that out when he called me."
"Don't worry about it, Syd. It's part of the job—"
"No, it isn't! This whole thing was totally out of line. You've been working for them for years, yet they thought it was necessary to pump you full of drugs to get a straight answer from you. They had no right to—"
Vaughn cut me off, pressing his index finger to my lips. "They had every right, Syd. It's not popular—but it's procedure. They use it on everyone in my situation. You know that," he said gently. "You're just upset that they did it to me."
"No…" I said, sharply. "I'm upset because they didn't tell me. I'm upset that—"
"It's fine," Syd." Vaughn said, his eyes meeting mine. "I had nothing to hide. They weren't going to get any information out of me that wasn't there to begin with. I agreed to it willingly."
I hesitated, and then nodded reluctantly. "I know… I know. I never had any doubt about your loyalties." I looked at him, making sure he knew that my statement was true. "But I know what drugs like that can do to you. You must feel terrible."
"Yeah," he admitted, letting his head fall back to rest against the pillow again. "Horrible. But at least you're here."
I smiled, squeezing his hand in mine. "I'm glad you're back. I finally understood what you meant about not being able to sleep."
Vaughn laughed. "It didn't seem to me like you were having any trouble at all. You were dead to the world when I got here."
I smiled sheepishly. "Well sure. That was after I knew you were okay. But before that—on the plane back from Istanbul—well, sleeping just wasn't an option," I said.
"Sorry about that," he said. "I wish I could have reassured you before you left, but I had figured out, at least partially, what I was being accused of. And I figured that my chances were better if I kept my mouth shut."
"It's okay. I understand."
He smiled, reaching up to snake an arm around my neck. He tugged, and I moved to lie down beside him. He brushed his lips against mine, and then pulled away, our faces only inches apart.
"You never believed that I was a traitor?" He asked, his voice serious. "Not even for a second?"
I shook my head. "Not even for a second. I refused to believe it."
"Good." He said.
"My father didn't believe it either," I said, smiling.
"Really?" Vaughn said, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Yeah—in fact, he was probably half the reason you got released as soon as you did."
"Wow," Vaughn said, obviously shocked. "I thought your dad hated me."
I laughed. "Oh, he does. But I think he has some sympathy for those who are accused of being disloyal to their countries. He's had some experience of his own in that arena."
Vaughn nodded, lost in thought. "True…" He turned back to me after a few moments of silence. "So what's the plan now?"
I paused, looking into his serious green eyes.
"We're taking down SD-6." I stated simply.
Vaughn nodded again, probably realizing that now was not the time to ask how we would accomplish such a huge task—something we had been working towards for years. The question was impossible to answer, and would only cause us to worry even more about our current situation.
"When?" He asked.
"Soon."
We were silent for several minutes, studying each other's faces.
"Vaughn?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"I'm scared." I said, my voice barely a whisper. I realized that it was one of the very few times I had told anyone I was scared about anything.
He moved slightly, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer.
"Don't be… there are more than twenty security guards outside. They have this place surrounded—"
"No," I said softly. "Not about that…"
"What? About Sloane? About your friends? Jack told me he had assigned guards around Will's apartment and Francie's house…"
"No—about us," I said.
"What?" He asked, frowning. "Why?"
I looked away. "When SD-6 is gone, where will that leave us? We've only know each other under a certain set of circumstances—extreme circumstances. We can't be seen together. It's dangerous. It's exciting. What happens when all that is gone? What if—what if it isn't the same?" I focused my eyes on our intertwined fingers, unable to meet his eyes.
Vaughn chuckled. "It won't be the same. Not even close." I choked back a sob, refusing to let myself cry. Vaughn reached down, pulling my chin up so that my eyes met his. "It will be better, Sydney. So much better."
"How do you know?" I asked. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because, Syd. It's us. Because I love you."
I hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Okay," I said, snuggling up against him. "I love you too, by the way."
"I know." He smiled, bending slightly to place a lingering kiss on my lips. "Go to sleep."
"I'm not tired," I responded, amused. "I just slept for fifteen hours."
"Well, I am tired. I, unlike you, have been kept awake by hours of interrogation, and debriefing with Kendall and Devlin which was, arguably, more unpleasant than any interrogation could ever be."
I chuckled. "Then you go to sleep." I hugged him. "I'll keep you company."
"Thanks," he said, his eyes already drifting shut."
"Just think," I said. "Someday, we might be able to live the rest of our lives like this."
Vaughn nodded, and for a moment I wondered if he was still awake. "Someday soon, Syd. Someday soon."
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There you go! Hope you liked it. You all have a great day!!