A/N: So, I'm sorta closing the door on the Isabella/Maisie part.
This is pretty much the last that you'll see directly of them. The next
chapter starts the missions (yay!) and more confusion with Claire, MI-5,
the blonde hair gentleman, and of course, the missing/presumed dead
Jeanette. And you thought your life was complicated!
The door closed behind the last guest on the day following the funeral. "The house seems so quiet again." Claire remarked as she glanced about the room. Her voice was hushed as her eyes turned back to the dinning room table that they were all seated at. Her voice seemed to echo throughout the silence and each member of the room nodded their head slightly in agreement.
"Yeah, it does." Sydney turned to look over to Vaughn who looked emotionless. She placed her fork down off of its salad and touched his arm affectionately. He looked towards her and smiled softly. They were each lost in their own thoughts with different worries, different idea swarming around in their minds. No one could tell what the other way thinking.
"It's weird without Mom around." Isabelle said soberly. She fondly remembered how her mother was always floating around the house, singing in two languages. She took a small sip of her wine and continued to think. It was painful to talk about her. They were so close and so much alike in so many ways. Without making much noise, she got up and walked to the old record playing gathering dust in the corner. Feeling all eyes upon her, she flipped through her mother's old albums and found one of her favorites. The record was blown free from its dust and placed gingerly on the turntable. With a small scratch of the needle, Felicity Vaughn came alive again, in the sound of music. Her black skirt flared about her as she found her seat again, sharing a shy smile with the other male at the table.
I can hear music.
I can hear music
The sounds of the city, baby
Seem to disappear whoa
I can hear music
Sweet sweet music
Whenever you touch me baby.
Whenever you're near.
"Mom always loved to have music playing. She wouldn't let a day go by without us listening to at least two records. She always believed music soothed the soul." Vaughn whispered, sounding more hoarse than intended and felt his heart swell with absolute pride over his angelic mother. "G-d Syd, she would have loved her." Without realizing it, his foot started to tap to the music and his body swayed in a euphoric state of mind.
Sydney leaned back into her chair slightly. "I wish I could've met her."
"Yeah, I know." He reached for her hand and held it tightly. "She had this sense about her. Like, she knew how to fix everything and anything and you couldn't keep a thing from her." He laughed lightly as he remembered something and his eyes danced with excitement. "She-she even knew that I fell for someone at work before I did."
Sydney tilted her head in amusement. "How did you not know that you were falling for someone at work?" She answered coyly.
Vaughn smiled even brighter, "Apparently, I talked a lot about this new girl at the office and every conversation I said was based around 'the new girl.' Finally, after I think our third conversation, my mother told me to 'just ask the new girl out' or she was going to kill me. And never doubt the words of a French mother."
Sydney laughed slightly, taking Vaughn's hands into her own. "I wouldn't have put it passed her."
There was a type of soothing silence that coated over the room. No one was interested in anything but what was going on in their own mind. It was that type of sobering silence that kept them all sane. Sydney and Vaughn sat next to each other with Maisie and Claire sitting at the heads of the table. Isabella and Weiss sat next to each other on the opposite side, with their backs to the kitchen. Vaughn was lost in his own thoughts of how wonderful his family was.
Felicity Vaughn was so beautiful. She had evergreen colored eyes, darker than his and beautiful blonde/brown hair that was always tied back away from her pale completion. His mother had a tiny waist and was always cooking something she had learned from her grandmother over in France. Her laugh could fill the room and her perfume was the sweetest scent in the world. She was the most beautiful woman in the world or so he thought until a little over a year ago, when he met Sydney. But going back to his original thought train, he, his sisters, and his mother were all okay. They survived through everything, even Vaughn entering the CIA. But he barely knew his father and Isabelle was the same way but Claire. Claire was just baby when he died. At his funeral, she was completely clueless, walking around with a microphone, singing traditional French and American songs. She was sweet. He loved both of his sisters more than anything.
The ringing of a phone cut through the silence. "I'll get it." Isabella offered and stood up, taking her plate in her hand. "I'm finished anyway." Her black skirt swirled about her knees as she pushed back the oak chairs. The open doorway to the French country kitchen was directly behind her with the phone attached to wall. "Allo?" She began her conversation in French but promptly switched to English, turning her back on her family and curling her body tight as she listened to voice on the phone. "Yes, I did. Sure. Four days ago. You did? Oh-oh-ok. I-um. You don't? Of course not. Yeah, I know. That's why this-. Oh. Ok. I'll be in touch." And she hung up the phone. Without even looking, she walked into the kitchen, standing directly to the sink and placed her dish down. Every move was perfectly practiced and it was as if she had done it a thousand times before. Finally, she placed her palm down on either side of the sink and pressed her weight into her hand, leaning over the sink, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes and felt her pulse race through her.
Weiss had kept his eyes on Isabella the entire time. This wasn't noticed by Maisie talking loudly about her new doll with Claire or by Vaughn and Sydney, who were finishing their meals. His eyes didn't move from her form and felt his own freeze. He watched her shoulders hunch over and her voice shake with uncertainty. He didn't even miss the worried glance she shot almost over her shoulder. And he saw her collapse over the sink. He grabbed his dish in his hand, pushing his chair aside. It had been a long time since someone had moved him this way. He couldn't remember the last time his heart swelled like this.
"Baby, why don't you run up and get our folders and I'll help clear the table, leave it Eric." Sydney chirped rather cheerfully as she saw Weiss stand. She apparently had been paying attention. She reached forward, her hand out expectantly for this plate.
"No!" He cried defensively. "You go with Vaughn for your briefing and I'll do this. I don't mind." He responded unconvincingly. "Honest."
"Eric Weiss willing to do domestic work? The world is coming to an end." Vaughn replied, standing up. He looked once back Weiss and then at his plate and then back again. "You sure, man?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm sure." He said again. He reached for all the plates on the table. He was completely turning domestic.
"Alright, I'm going to start packing my things. My flight leaves early tomorrow morning." Claire spoke, the pain no longer evident from her voice. She was over what had happened last night and felt purer because of it. She knew what she had done was right. Her brother knew what she did and then she made contact with her contact, the blonde hair gentleman, and then with MI-5. There were secrets that she had a feeling in her gut that would be told by the end of this family interlude. She smiled and reached for her plate.
"I got it, Claire." Weiss said with the same thrust as before. Claire shot him a look to ask if he was sure and he nodded in agreement. He smiled slightly and watched as Claire disappeared behind Vaughn and Sydney.
Weiss waited a moment before turning around, ignoring the little girl sitting at her place at the table, gripping a worn teddy bear in one hand and a fork too large for her hand in the other. Her mouth wrapped around a large piece of chicken as she held her fork at an odd angle. Her eyes were wide as she watched the man walk towards her mother. She thought absolutely nothing of this and continued her eating. His body turned and he walked towards Isabella, still standing over the sink, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "Isabella?" No response. "Isabella?" Finally, his voice reaching low and sexy range, "Belle?' He didn't even realize how close he was standing to her or how wonderful she smelled.
She barely glanced over her shoulder but knew Weiss was there. Her vision was blotchy from unfallen tears. "Hi." Her back remained towards the agent.
"Hi yourself."
She stood up straight and took her left hand in her right now, starring down at it intently.
"Who was that on the phone?" Weiss hazarded asking.
She pulled the ring off her finger, setting it down on the white linoleum. "My ex-husband, David Santoria. He told me the divorce was final and he was sending my copy of it." Her hands went back to the counter top and she starred out the small window in front of her. "I'm Isabella Vaughn, again." There was a type of freeing tone to her voice. "I'm Ms. Vaughn again." She stayed that way for a moment, just starring out the window, but something changed suddenly. She saw Weiss's eyes looking at her with a look. "And I don't know what to do anymore. I have no where to go. And it's all because of my brother's daughter and me losing my other daughter. He couldn't take looking at me, or so he said. He wasn't there for me or for Maisie at all." She knew she wasn't making any sense. "I was pregnant a few months ago and then, there were complications and something happened. She died. I miscarried in the sixth month. My little girl, my Zoe died within me. G-d, it burned and it hurt my heart so badly I never thought I would recover. A few months after, David and I got into a fight about how I should snap out of it...how I had another daughter to look after and I said-I said that she wasn't mine. That she was Michael's. We started screaming, the both of us in tears. It lasted a few days and it ended me with packing my things and Maisie's and moving out of the house. David said that any one that would lie and keep their brother's bastard child for their own...he said that he couldn't live with me, let alone be married." She paused, feeling her body fly with relief.
Weiss let his eyes drop and study a crack in the counter. "I'm so sorry." He managed to choke out after a moment.
"It's okay." She managed to smile. "I've moved past it and I realized that I don't love David anymore. I haven't for a long time."
She starred out the window for a time more and then was suddenly aware of how close he was standing, how hot his breath felt on the back of her bare neck, how much she longed to feel his touch around her waist.
"Bella." He whispered huskily, using a newly found nickname for her.
She turned around slowly, her hand naked of the one piece that had held her back. Her body nearly brushed against his as she moved, taking a step back against the counter top to ensure a millimeter between the two. She reached up and somehow, her hands found his clean shaven face and crept around to the nap of his neck. His hands found her waist, creeping around towards the small of her back, resting on the curve there. Their eyes met in the most cliché sounding ways but this was different. They reached closer and closer to each other, drawn to the other like some magnetic force that could only be explained by two lovers. Finally, seconds turned to minutes and minute to hours or at least that's what it felt like. Their lips finally met in the most ginger manner. It was a slow burning intensity that grew and made each brush of their lips more passionate. This, this sexual frustration that they both felt had been building for a while now. They now had a common thread with Sydney and Vaughn. Finally, their brains started to hum from lack of oxygen. They parted but kept their foreheads pressed together.
"Bella." He whispered again, taking his lips to her neck.
Her accent was at its heaviest. "Eric" moaned over her lips softly as he found a tender spot by her ear. A giggle emerged as he nipped the sensitive spot near her jaw. He finally retreated, looking at the beautiful woman before him. She inhale deeply and smiled the first real smile in a while. "That was a long time coming, wasn't it?"
"Oh yeah." Weiss smiled and kiss her lips softly again.
"And it doesn't bother you that I'm older than you are." She was always the logical one.
He laughed, bring their bodies closer than before and said into her hair, "You're three months older than me, Bella."
Her hands wrapped around his neck tightly and buried her head into his tailored suit and inhaled deeply. She felt so safe for the first time. She laughed slightly, "Yeah well. I just wanted to make sure about that one."
"It's so beautiful out here!" Sydney exclaimed, lying back against the white wooden porch in the back of the house. "I don't know how you could ever leave here." She was sitting with Vaughn on the back steps of the porch with their black briefing folders pressed over their laps. "So beautiful."
Vaughn was sitting very close to her, his eyes more focused on her than the strawberry and lavender fields before him. "You're so beautiful." He replied huskily and leaned forward to kiss her but she pulled back.
"Is that your line to get me into bed?" She smiled rather coyly. Her eyes met his and she felt the smile reach over her face and spread to his.
"Does it work?"
A bigger smile reached over their face. He was about to kiss her when coughs started to overtake his body and he pulled away suddenly, finding it difficult to catch his breath.
She wanted to say something rather bitchy or sarcastic at that moment but promptly decided against it. "Are you all right, baby?" She managed to whisper, not moving a muscle to help him.
He nodded his head as he covered his mouth and felt his lung ache with the lack of oxygen. It was a buzz affect that hurt every moment that he couldn't breath. It was a long moment before the coughing subsided and he realized that he could breath again. His eyes had started to tear and he squeezed them tightly to vanish the blurriness. He licked his lips and cleared his throat, "Ahem. Well, I'm fine now." He moved to kiss Sydney's forehead but stopped at the sight of her face wrinkles in concern. "Baby, I promise. I'm fine." But she wasn't convinced. "I promise you." Sydney sighed heavily and looked towards her folder, starring down at the new information that she had to study dutifully. "It's almost under control. It should be under control by now. You'll take blood tonight and Weiss will send it off. It will be fine." Sydney sighed heavily again.
"So let's talk about the missions." She replied, starring back at the folder. "Now, while you were off screaming at your sister, I received a phone call from my Dad. We're flip flopping."
"Flip flopping?" Vaughn repeated as he glanced up from folder as he opened it. His brow was already creased in concern.
"We're doing the nightclub first." She flipped through some pages and found a blueprint, alias, and mission specs. She started to ramble through her information, reciting it more for herself than for Vaughn.
He wanted to ignore all of this information. Tomorrow he would have to say good-bye to his sisters and his daughter for another stretch of absence. Their visits were few and far between. He saw their tear stained faces and their mumbled French as he kissed each of their foreheads or cheeks. Maisie would say good-bye and offer a little bouquet of flowers or a hand drawn picture. Sydney and Weiss would stand off to the side, saying uncomfortable good-byes and trying not to stare at the intimate family moments.
And he was right.
"Are you sure you have to leave today?" Isabella queried as she helped tote the luggage down the steps. "One more day would be nice. You were barely here a week." She reached the car, slightly out of breath from carrying the heavier black bag, even though it did have wheels.
Vaughn was bent over the trunk and simply perched down to grab it and fit it in with the rest of them. This was the last one. Putting it away, he groaned slightly, "Yeah, Izzy. I'm sure. We have to go." His eyes turned back to the trunk. "That the last of them?"
Isabella nodded sadly. "Oh, Michael. Why do you have to go? It's so nice having you around the house." She watched him close the trunk with watchful eyes and as soon as he shut it, she lunged at him, embracing him tightly. Her arms were wrapped around him tightly and she felt as though she was losing grasp of her younger brother.
The baby sister glided out of the house, carrying her own small luggage behind her. Her hazel eyes scanned the horizon as she sighed to herself. This was the hardest time home she had ever had. There were so many events that had happened that scarred her and the next few days were going to be difficult. Lord, they were going to be difficult.
Vaughn's eyes remained closed for a moment as he tried to memorize her scent. Fresh lavender and baby powder. Something forced him to look up and there, standing in all her glory, was his baby sister, dressed to the nines in a long camel colored trench coat. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she held her black bag behind her. She looked she stepped out of a movie from the 1940's. "You heading out?" He asked, looking up. Her attention was grasped away from her brother and the other's way snapped away from the horizon.
"You're leaving too?" Isabella gasped and let go of part of his shoulder and opened her arms to her brother.
Claire made her way down the steps and to the top of the gravel driveway. "I'm afraid so. But I'll be back to visit soon." *If all goes well tonight.* She quickly found herself wrapped in her sister's smothering embrace and her brother's rather awkward one.
Sydney and Weiss had met each other in the foyer before heading outside. They knew it was time to get going. It was only a few hours before they needed to be in India and infiltrate that nightclub. Weiss was balancing his duffle bag in his hand and Maisie on his hip. The little girl had taken quite the emotional attachment to him. They met up and Sydney smiled, holding her purse in hand. "Hello, Miss Maisie." The girl grinned and Weiss playfully scowled. "And Mr. Eric." And his face brightened. "You ready to go?"
"Why does Uncle Eric have to leave Tante Sydney?" The innocent child had started to call Sydney 'Aunt Sydney.'
Sydney leaned forward and kissed Maisie's head. "We all have to go, sweetie pie. We just do." Now, Maisie wasn't entirely satisfied with this answer but wormed her way out of Weiss's grasp. Without so much as a word, she skipped out of the door to find her mother, aunt, and uncle. As soon as the screen door slammed, Sydney smirked sarcastically, "Emotional attachment, Agent Weiss? I believe someone has fallen for someone." Her voice rang out in a sing song.
Weiss turned from white to scarlet in record time. His eyes grew as large as saucers and his mouth stopped moving. "I-uh-wha-no-Bella and I-"
"Bella?" It was the same reaction that she had when she caught Marshall referring to Ms. Boeman as 'Carrie.' She gave that unbelieving look.
"Isabella and I are just friends."
She shot him another unbelieving look.
"Isabella and I are just friends." He repeated a little more firmly before pushing open the door to find the three Vaughn children standing by the black car.
Sydney followed, smiling a bit to herself but immediately reminded herself to snap out of it. The mood of this day was too somber for her to be smiling. She pressed open the screen door and felt the sunrise radiate down on her face. It warmed her immediately. Without so much as a sound, she hurried down the steps and stood aside the clamor of the siblings saying their good-byes. They were all standing close and conversing in low tones. Claire was the first one to turn away and smile at Sydney. "It was so nice meeting you, Claire." Sydney spoke up first.
Without words, she hugged Sydney tightly and Claire whispered, "Take good care of Michael. He loves you. Don't let anything to happen to him, please." Her whisper became tinted with an accent but the message was still there. "I don't know what Izzy and I would do without him." She pulled back looked Sydney in the eyes and nodded, eyes wide, hoping for agreement.
"I swear I won't let a thing happen to him." Sydney reassured and found herself in another hug. "I swear."
Claire pulled back, gathered her things once more and looked around. She found her little niece and pulled her into her arms. "Salut, Mademoiselle Maisie."
"Salut Tatie!" Maisie responded. "When are you coming back?" A child's innocence.
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and couldn't find it in her to meet Maisie's eyes. "As soon as I can, sweetie."
"You promise?" She insisted.
"I promise.
"Good!"
Claire set the child down on the ground and she immediately started to mill around. "I really must be off. My plane leaves soon." She barely uttered anther word before disappearing into the green little car parked behind the black one. She waved once more before she slammed the door shut and threw her luggage in the passenger seat. One more wave and she started to back out of the driveway. One more moment and the car started to drive out of sight.
Sydney found Vaughn and wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms were wrapped around her waist. They waved slightly and Vaughn rested his head atop hers. "There goes my baby sister." He whispered barely aloud.
Standing slightly behind the happy couple, Isabella found Weiss and her lips found his. This was dangerous territory for her. Making out with her new flame right behind her younger brother. But she didn't know when she would see him again.
"Mommy? Is Oncle and Tante Sydney leaving too?" An innocent voice rang out.
"Maisie, I told you I have to leave, sweetheart." Vaughn turned around without even thinking to find his sister in his best friend's arms. There was a moment of absolute silence as Vaughn's eyes grew wide and Weiss and Isabella realized that they were caught. But no one moved. Isabella waited for Vaughn's reaction before she did a thing. At that moment, her heart seemed to have stopped. Meanwhile, Weiss was picturing Vaughn taking the 9mm that was strapped to his ankle and killing him with it on the spot. But none of that happened. Vaughn inhaled slowly and then his lips crept into a smile. "Well. I wondered when this was going to happen." Isabella breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. It was the first time she could breath in days. Vaughn obviously didn't feel this exact sentiment. "But Weiss, man. I swear, if you hurt you, I will kill you."
Weiss turned bright red and felt his blood run cold. "Yeah, I know. I've seen you in action-"
"And," Vaughn continued, "if I can't for some reason, I'll get Sydney to kick your ass."
This made Weiss turn paler than ever. His chocolate eyes grew wider than before and he started to mumble incoherently.
"Mommy?"
Isabella unattached herself from her new lover and bent down to be at her daughter's level, "Yes, darling?"
The little girl cocked her head to the side and looked at all three adults, "Why is Oncle going to kill Uncle Eric? And why is Tante Sydney going to kick his as-"
"Maisie!" Isabella quickly jumped up but she realized her abruptness caused the child to pout. "Oncle is only joking and we don't that type of language in our house."
"Oh." She replied thoughtfully and seemed to dwell on this for a moment. "So, words like sh-"
"Maisie." Isabella answered a little firmer. "We don't use that language in our house."
"Oh." She replied again before being piled into her mother's arms and receiving a kiss on the forehead.
With a heavy heart, Vaughn started to turn back to the car. His emerald eyes scanned the horizon and found it perfectly cloudless. "We better get going, love."
Sydney had followed his eye line and gotten lost in the world around her. "Yeah."
Vaughn kissed his sister once more and his niece a few more times after that. His feet felt heavy and didn't want to drag himself into the car. But somehow, he managed it. Weiss shared one last passionate kiss with his new found girl despite her daughter's objections. His feet dragged along and slammed the door heavily behind him. Sydney gave one last squeeze before she filled into the car and soon, all was left was for Vaughn to turn the key ignition. With a heavy heart, the car started to pull away from the drive, leaving the picturesque scene of the oldest sister holding her adopted daughter bathing in the sunlight.
The door closed behind the last guest on the day following the funeral. "The house seems so quiet again." Claire remarked as she glanced about the room. Her voice was hushed as her eyes turned back to the dinning room table that they were all seated at. Her voice seemed to echo throughout the silence and each member of the room nodded their head slightly in agreement.
"Yeah, it does." Sydney turned to look over to Vaughn who looked emotionless. She placed her fork down off of its salad and touched his arm affectionately. He looked towards her and smiled softly. They were each lost in their own thoughts with different worries, different idea swarming around in their minds. No one could tell what the other way thinking.
"It's weird without Mom around." Isabelle said soberly. She fondly remembered how her mother was always floating around the house, singing in two languages. She took a small sip of her wine and continued to think. It was painful to talk about her. They were so close and so much alike in so many ways. Without making much noise, she got up and walked to the old record playing gathering dust in the corner. Feeling all eyes upon her, she flipped through her mother's old albums and found one of her favorites. The record was blown free from its dust and placed gingerly on the turntable. With a small scratch of the needle, Felicity Vaughn came alive again, in the sound of music. Her black skirt flared about her as she found her seat again, sharing a shy smile with the other male at the table.
I can hear music.
I can hear music
The sounds of the city, baby
Seem to disappear whoa
I can hear music
Sweet sweet music
Whenever you touch me baby.
Whenever you're near.
"Mom always loved to have music playing. She wouldn't let a day go by without us listening to at least two records. She always believed music soothed the soul." Vaughn whispered, sounding more hoarse than intended and felt his heart swell with absolute pride over his angelic mother. "G-d Syd, she would have loved her." Without realizing it, his foot started to tap to the music and his body swayed in a euphoric state of mind.
Sydney leaned back into her chair slightly. "I wish I could've met her."
"Yeah, I know." He reached for her hand and held it tightly. "She had this sense about her. Like, she knew how to fix everything and anything and you couldn't keep a thing from her." He laughed lightly as he remembered something and his eyes danced with excitement. "She-she even knew that I fell for someone at work before I did."
Sydney tilted her head in amusement. "How did you not know that you were falling for someone at work?" She answered coyly.
Vaughn smiled even brighter, "Apparently, I talked a lot about this new girl at the office and every conversation I said was based around 'the new girl.' Finally, after I think our third conversation, my mother told me to 'just ask the new girl out' or she was going to kill me. And never doubt the words of a French mother."
Sydney laughed slightly, taking Vaughn's hands into her own. "I wouldn't have put it passed her."
There was a type of soothing silence that coated over the room. No one was interested in anything but what was going on in their own mind. It was that type of sobering silence that kept them all sane. Sydney and Vaughn sat next to each other with Maisie and Claire sitting at the heads of the table. Isabella and Weiss sat next to each other on the opposite side, with their backs to the kitchen. Vaughn was lost in his own thoughts of how wonderful his family was.
Felicity Vaughn was so beautiful. She had evergreen colored eyes, darker than his and beautiful blonde/brown hair that was always tied back away from her pale completion. His mother had a tiny waist and was always cooking something she had learned from her grandmother over in France. Her laugh could fill the room and her perfume was the sweetest scent in the world. She was the most beautiful woman in the world or so he thought until a little over a year ago, when he met Sydney. But going back to his original thought train, he, his sisters, and his mother were all okay. They survived through everything, even Vaughn entering the CIA. But he barely knew his father and Isabelle was the same way but Claire. Claire was just baby when he died. At his funeral, she was completely clueless, walking around with a microphone, singing traditional French and American songs. She was sweet. He loved both of his sisters more than anything.
The ringing of a phone cut through the silence. "I'll get it." Isabella offered and stood up, taking her plate in her hand. "I'm finished anyway." Her black skirt swirled about her knees as she pushed back the oak chairs. The open doorway to the French country kitchen was directly behind her with the phone attached to wall. "Allo?" She began her conversation in French but promptly switched to English, turning her back on her family and curling her body tight as she listened to voice on the phone. "Yes, I did. Sure. Four days ago. You did? Oh-oh-ok. I-um. You don't? Of course not. Yeah, I know. That's why this-. Oh. Ok. I'll be in touch." And she hung up the phone. Without even looking, she walked into the kitchen, standing directly to the sink and placed her dish down. Every move was perfectly practiced and it was as if she had done it a thousand times before. Finally, she placed her palm down on either side of the sink and pressed her weight into her hand, leaning over the sink, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes and felt her pulse race through her.
Weiss had kept his eyes on Isabella the entire time. This wasn't noticed by Maisie talking loudly about her new doll with Claire or by Vaughn and Sydney, who were finishing their meals. His eyes didn't move from her form and felt his own freeze. He watched her shoulders hunch over and her voice shake with uncertainty. He didn't even miss the worried glance she shot almost over her shoulder. And he saw her collapse over the sink. He grabbed his dish in his hand, pushing his chair aside. It had been a long time since someone had moved him this way. He couldn't remember the last time his heart swelled like this.
"Baby, why don't you run up and get our folders and I'll help clear the table, leave it Eric." Sydney chirped rather cheerfully as she saw Weiss stand. She apparently had been paying attention. She reached forward, her hand out expectantly for this plate.
"No!" He cried defensively. "You go with Vaughn for your briefing and I'll do this. I don't mind." He responded unconvincingly. "Honest."
"Eric Weiss willing to do domestic work? The world is coming to an end." Vaughn replied, standing up. He looked once back Weiss and then at his plate and then back again. "You sure, man?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm sure." He said again. He reached for all the plates on the table. He was completely turning domestic.
"Alright, I'm going to start packing my things. My flight leaves early tomorrow morning." Claire spoke, the pain no longer evident from her voice. She was over what had happened last night and felt purer because of it. She knew what she had done was right. Her brother knew what she did and then she made contact with her contact, the blonde hair gentleman, and then with MI-5. There were secrets that she had a feeling in her gut that would be told by the end of this family interlude. She smiled and reached for her plate.
"I got it, Claire." Weiss said with the same thrust as before. Claire shot him a look to ask if he was sure and he nodded in agreement. He smiled slightly and watched as Claire disappeared behind Vaughn and Sydney.
Weiss waited a moment before turning around, ignoring the little girl sitting at her place at the table, gripping a worn teddy bear in one hand and a fork too large for her hand in the other. Her mouth wrapped around a large piece of chicken as she held her fork at an odd angle. Her eyes were wide as she watched the man walk towards her mother. She thought absolutely nothing of this and continued her eating. His body turned and he walked towards Isabella, still standing over the sink, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "Isabella?" No response. "Isabella?" Finally, his voice reaching low and sexy range, "Belle?' He didn't even realize how close he was standing to her or how wonderful she smelled.
She barely glanced over her shoulder but knew Weiss was there. Her vision was blotchy from unfallen tears. "Hi." Her back remained towards the agent.
"Hi yourself."
She stood up straight and took her left hand in her right now, starring down at it intently.
"Who was that on the phone?" Weiss hazarded asking.
She pulled the ring off her finger, setting it down on the white linoleum. "My ex-husband, David Santoria. He told me the divorce was final and he was sending my copy of it." Her hands went back to the counter top and she starred out the small window in front of her. "I'm Isabella Vaughn, again." There was a type of freeing tone to her voice. "I'm Ms. Vaughn again." She stayed that way for a moment, just starring out the window, but something changed suddenly. She saw Weiss's eyes looking at her with a look. "And I don't know what to do anymore. I have no where to go. And it's all because of my brother's daughter and me losing my other daughter. He couldn't take looking at me, or so he said. He wasn't there for me or for Maisie at all." She knew she wasn't making any sense. "I was pregnant a few months ago and then, there were complications and something happened. She died. I miscarried in the sixth month. My little girl, my Zoe died within me. G-d, it burned and it hurt my heart so badly I never thought I would recover. A few months after, David and I got into a fight about how I should snap out of it...how I had another daughter to look after and I said-I said that she wasn't mine. That she was Michael's. We started screaming, the both of us in tears. It lasted a few days and it ended me with packing my things and Maisie's and moving out of the house. David said that any one that would lie and keep their brother's bastard child for their own...he said that he couldn't live with me, let alone be married." She paused, feeling her body fly with relief.
Weiss let his eyes drop and study a crack in the counter. "I'm so sorry." He managed to choke out after a moment.
"It's okay." She managed to smile. "I've moved past it and I realized that I don't love David anymore. I haven't for a long time."
She starred out the window for a time more and then was suddenly aware of how close he was standing, how hot his breath felt on the back of her bare neck, how much she longed to feel his touch around her waist.
"Bella." He whispered huskily, using a newly found nickname for her.
She turned around slowly, her hand naked of the one piece that had held her back. Her body nearly brushed against his as she moved, taking a step back against the counter top to ensure a millimeter between the two. She reached up and somehow, her hands found his clean shaven face and crept around to the nap of his neck. His hands found her waist, creeping around towards the small of her back, resting on the curve there. Their eyes met in the most cliché sounding ways but this was different. They reached closer and closer to each other, drawn to the other like some magnetic force that could only be explained by two lovers. Finally, seconds turned to minutes and minute to hours or at least that's what it felt like. Their lips finally met in the most ginger manner. It was a slow burning intensity that grew and made each brush of their lips more passionate. This, this sexual frustration that they both felt had been building for a while now. They now had a common thread with Sydney and Vaughn. Finally, their brains started to hum from lack of oxygen. They parted but kept their foreheads pressed together.
"Bella." He whispered again, taking his lips to her neck.
Her accent was at its heaviest. "Eric" moaned over her lips softly as he found a tender spot by her ear. A giggle emerged as he nipped the sensitive spot near her jaw. He finally retreated, looking at the beautiful woman before him. She inhale deeply and smiled the first real smile in a while. "That was a long time coming, wasn't it?"
"Oh yeah." Weiss smiled and kiss her lips softly again.
"And it doesn't bother you that I'm older than you are." She was always the logical one.
He laughed, bring their bodies closer than before and said into her hair, "You're three months older than me, Bella."
Her hands wrapped around his neck tightly and buried her head into his tailored suit and inhaled deeply. She felt so safe for the first time. She laughed slightly, "Yeah well. I just wanted to make sure about that one."
"It's so beautiful out here!" Sydney exclaimed, lying back against the white wooden porch in the back of the house. "I don't know how you could ever leave here." She was sitting with Vaughn on the back steps of the porch with their black briefing folders pressed over their laps. "So beautiful."
Vaughn was sitting very close to her, his eyes more focused on her than the strawberry and lavender fields before him. "You're so beautiful." He replied huskily and leaned forward to kiss her but she pulled back.
"Is that your line to get me into bed?" She smiled rather coyly. Her eyes met his and she felt the smile reach over her face and spread to his.
"Does it work?"
A bigger smile reached over their face. He was about to kiss her when coughs started to overtake his body and he pulled away suddenly, finding it difficult to catch his breath.
She wanted to say something rather bitchy or sarcastic at that moment but promptly decided against it. "Are you all right, baby?" She managed to whisper, not moving a muscle to help him.
He nodded his head as he covered his mouth and felt his lung ache with the lack of oxygen. It was a buzz affect that hurt every moment that he couldn't breath. It was a long moment before the coughing subsided and he realized that he could breath again. His eyes had started to tear and he squeezed them tightly to vanish the blurriness. He licked his lips and cleared his throat, "Ahem. Well, I'm fine now." He moved to kiss Sydney's forehead but stopped at the sight of her face wrinkles in concern. "Baby, I promise. I'm fine." But she wasn't convinced. "I promise you." Sydney sighed heavily and looked towards her folder, starring down at the new information that she had to study dutifully. "It's almost under control. It should be under control by now. You'll take blood tonight and Weiss will send it off. It will be fine." Sydney sighed heavily again.
"So let's talk about the missions." She replied, starring back at the folder. "Now, while you were off screaming at your sister, I received a phone call from my Dad. We're flip flopping."
"Flip flopping?" Vaughn repeated as he glanced up from folder as he opened it. His brow was already creased in concern.
"We're doing the nightclub first." She flipped through some pages and found a blueprint, alias, and mission specs. She started to ramble through her information, reciting it more for herself than for Vaughn.
He wanted to ignore all of this information. Tomorrow he would have to say good-bye to his sisters and his daughter for another stretch of absence. Their visits were few and far between. He saw their tear stained faces and their mumbled French as he kissed each of their foreheads or cheeks. Maisie would say good-bye and offer a little bouquet of flowers or a hand drawn picture. Sydney and Weiss would stand off to the side, saying uncomfortable good-byes and trying not to stare at the intimate family moments.
And he was right.
"Are you sure you have to leave today?" Isabella queried as she helped tote the luggage down the steps. "One more day would be nice. You were barely here a week." She reached the car, slightly out of breath from carrying the heavier black bag, even though it did have wheels.
Vaughn was bent over the trunk and simply perched down to grab it and fit it in with the rest of them. This was the last one. Putting it away, he groaned slightly, "Yeah, Izzy. I'm sure. We have to go." His eyes turned back to the trunk. "That the last of them?"
Isabella nodded sadly. "Oh, Michael. Why do you have to go? It's so nice having you around the house." She watched him close the trunk with watchful eyes and as soon as he shut it, she lunged at him, embracing him tightly. Her arms were wrapped around him tightly and she felt as though she was losing grasp of her younger brother.
The baby sister glided out of the house, carrying her own small luggage behind her. Her hazel eyes scanned the horizon as she sighed to herself. This was the hardest time home she had ever had. There were so many events that had happened that scarred her and the next few days were going to be difficult. Lord, they were going to be difficult.
Vaughn's eyes remained closed for a moment as he tried to memorize her scent. Fresh lavender and baby powder. Something forced him to look up and there, standing in all her glory, was his baby sister, dressed to the nines in a long camel colored trench coat. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she held her black bag behind her. She looked she stepped out of a movie from the 1940's. "You heading out?" He asked, looking up. Her attention was grasped away from her brother and the other's way snapped away from the horizon.
"You're leaving too?" Isabella gasped and let go of part of his shoulder and opened her arms to her brother.
Claire made her way down the steps and to the top of the gravel driveway. "I'm afraid so. But I'll be back to visit soon." *If all goes well tonight.* She quickly found herself wrapped in her sister's smothering embrace and her brother's rather awkward one.
Sydney and Weiss had met each other in the foyer before heading outside. They knew it was time to get going. It was only a few hours before they needed to be in India and infiltrate that nightclub. Weiss was balancing his duffle bag in his hand and Maisie on his hip. The little girl had taken quite the emotional attachment to him. They met up and Sydney smiled, holding her purse in hand. "Hello, Miss Maisie." The girl grinned and Weiss playfully scowled. "And Mr. Eric." And his face brightened. "You ready to go?"
"Why does Uncle Eric have to leave Tante Sydney?" The innocent child had started to call Sydney 'Aunt Sydney.'
Sydney leaned forward and kissed Maisie's head. "We all have to go, sweetie pie. We just do." Now, Maisie wasn't entirely satisfied with this answer but wormed her way out of Weiss's grasp. Without so much as a word, she skipped out of the door to find her mother, aunt, and uncle. As soon as the screen door slammed, Sydney smirked sarcastically, "Emotional attachment, Agent Weiss? I believe someone has fallen for someone." Her voice rang out in a sing song.
Weiss turned from white to scarlet in record time. His eyes grew as large as saucers and his mouth stopped moving. "I-uh-wha-no-Bella and I-"
"Bella?" It was the same reaction that she had when she caught Marshall referring to Ms. Boeman as 'Carrie.' She gave that unbelieving look.
"Isabella and I are just friends."
She shot him another unbelieving look.
"Isabella and I are just friends." He repeated a little more firmly before pushing open the door to find the three Vaughn children standing by the black car.
Sydney followed, smiling a bit to herself but immediately reminded herself to snap out of it. The mood of this day was too somber for her to be smiling. She pressed open the screen door and felt the sunrise radiate down on her face. It warmed her immediately. Without so much as a sound, she hurried down the steps and stood aside the clamor of the siblings saying their good-byes. They were all standing close and conversing in low tones. Claire was the first one to turn away and smile at Sydney. "It was so nice meeting you, Claire." Sydney spoke up first.
Without words, she hugged Sydney tightly and Claire whispered, "Take good care of Michael. He loves you. Don't let anything to happen to him, please." Her whisper became tinted with an accent but the message was still there. "I don't know what Izzy and I would do without him." She pulled back looked Sydney in the eyes and nodded, eyes wide, hoping for agreement.
"I swear I won't let a thing happen to him." Sydney reassured and found herself in another hug. "I swear."
Claire pulled back, gathered her things once more and looked around. She found her little niece and pulled her into her arms. "Salut, Mademoiselle Maisie."
"Salut Tatie!" Maisie responded. "When are you coming back?" A child's innocence.
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and couldn't find it in her to meet Maisie's eyes. "As soon as I can, sweetie."
"You promise?" She insisted.
"I promise.
"Good!"
Claire set the child down on the ground and she immediately started to mill around. "I really must be off. My plane leaves soon." She barely uttered anther word before disappearing into the green little car parked behind the black one. She waved once more before she slammed the door shut and threw her luggage in the passenger seat. One more wave and she started to back out of the driveway. One more moment and the car started to drive out of sight.
Sydney found Vaughn and wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms were wrapped around her waist. They waved slightly and Vaughn rested his head atop hers. "There goes my baby sister." He whispered barely aloud.
Standing slightly behind the happy couple, Isabella found Weiss and her lips found his. This was dangerous territory for her. Making out with her new flame right behind her younger brother. But she didn't know when she would see him again.
"Mommy? Is Oncle and Tante Sydney leaving too?" An innocent voice rang out.
"Maisie, I told you I have to leave, sweetheart." Vaughn turned around without even thinking to find his sister in his best friend's arms. There was a moment of absolute silence as Vaughn's eyes grew wide and Weiss and Isabella realized that they were caught. But no one moved. Isabella waited for Vaughn's reaction before she did a thing. At that moment, her heart seemed to have stopped. Meanwhile, Weiss was picturing Vaughn taking the 9mm that was strapped to his ankle and killing him with it on the spot. But none of that happened. Vaughn inhaled slowly and then his lips crept into a smile. "Well. I wondered when this was going to happen." Isabella breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. It was the first time she could breath in days. Vaughn obviously didn't feel this exact sentiment. "But Weiss, man. I swear, if you hurt you, I will kill you."
Weiss turned bright red and felt his blood run cold. "Yeah, I know. I've seen you in action-"
"And," Vaughn continued, "if I can't for some reason, I'll get Sydney to kick your ass."
This made Weiss turn paler than ever. His chocolate eyes grew wider than before and he started to mumble incoherently.
"Mommy?"
Isabella unattached herself from her new lover and bent down to be at her daughter's level, "Yes, darling?"
The little girl cocked her head to the side and looked at all three adults, "Why is Oncle going to kill Uncle Eric? And why is Tante Sydney going to kick his as-"
"Maisie!" Isabella quickly jumped up but she realized her abruptness caused the child to pout. "Oncle is only joking and we don't that type of language in our house."
"Oh." She replied thoughtfully and seemed to dwell on this for a moment. "So, words like sh-"
"Maisie." Isabella answered a little firmer. "We don't use that language in our house."
"Oh." She replied again before being piled into her mother's arms and receiving a kiss on the forehead.
With a heavy heart, Vaughn started to turn back to the car. His emerald eyes scanned the horizon and found it perfectly cloudless. "We better get going, love."
Sydney had followed his eye line and gotten lost in the world around her. "Yeah."
Vaughn kissed his sister once more and his niece a few more times after that. His feet felt heavy and didn't want to drag himself into the car. But somehow, he managed it. Weiss shared one last passionate kiss with his new found girl despite her daughter's objections. His feet dragged along and slammed the door heavily behind him. Sydney gave one last squeeze before she filled into the car and soon, all was left was for Vaughn to turn the key ignition. With a heavy heart, the car started to pull away from the drive, leaving the picturesque scene of the oldest sister holding her adopted daughter bathing in the sunlight.