INT. SYDNEY'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUED

Vaughn takes his hand off hers, looks at his wedding ring, and sighs.

VAUGHN
Sydney...

She regretted it the instant she said it and now she tries to gloss over it and move on. She tries to sound conversational but it ends up sounding forced.

SYDNEY
So, how did you two meet?

Vaughn knows what she's trying to do.

VAUGHN
Syd, are you sure...

She takes a deep breath and looks him straight in the eye.

SYDNEY
I want to know. Really, I do. (beat) So Weiss told me that you two met while she was investigating my mother.

Vaughn sighs. Part of the reason he came over tonight was to explain what happened between him and Lauren but now that it's actually time to do it he hesitates. But he owes her an explanation so he plows ahead.

VAUGHN
After Rome I went to LA for a visit but then I heard about this program in Marseilles where college students from all over go to learn French.

He smiles.

VAUGHN
In between the drinking and the partying and the... Well, you know. They had a position open and since I spoke multiple languages they were willing to overlook my inexperience.

SYDNEY
They have programs like that?

VAUGHN
That's what I thought. I wish the CIA language school were run like that. It was nice. I taught in the morning and then I had the rest of the day to ride my bike, take a drive, whatever. It was almost perfect.

He gives her a meaningful look.

VAUGHN
Anyways, I was able to find some peace and I even had fun.

Syd smiles.

SYDNEY
I bet you did. Those college girls must have been all over you.

Vaughn wasn't expecting her to say that but he recovers and gives her a seductive smile.

VAUGHN
Can you blame them?

Syd laughs and so does Vaughn. She doesn't buy his "God's gift to women" act and he can't maintain it.

VAUGHN
Seriously though, it wasn't like that. They were too busy with the local French guys their own age. I swear some of the lines those guys would use. And the way they would exaggerate their accents. Girls don't really go for that, do they?

SYDNEY
I don't. But there is something to be said for a guy with an accent. Although I prefer just a hint of one that likes to slip in every now and then.

VAUGHN
Well, the girls over there didn't. I didn't mind though. I was finally able to enjoy being alone again.

SYDNEY
And then Lauren came along?

Syd was enjoying just talking to him so she's loath to bring up his wife but she wants to know what happened. Vaughn nods.

VAUGHN
A couple weeks after I started I got a call from Weiss saying he was coming over with someone from the NSC to question me about your mom, particularly my independent investigation of her. As you know the investigation turned up nothing so it was a short interview and afterward the three of us went out to eat.

SYDNEY
The two of you hit it off?

Vaughn's a little uncomfortable talking about this with her.

VAUGHN
I guess so. We compared notes on our duel nationalities. Her mom's British, mine's French. That sort of thing. But I wasn't looking for anything other than a nice dinner to catch up on things with Weiss. I only invited her cause it would have been rude not to. It just felt way too soon to even think about getting involved in a relationship. But she was back a few weeks later for some conference or something and she asked if I wouldn't mind meeting her for lunch.

SYDNEY
Ah, your first date.

VAUGHN
Actually I turned her down. I was busy with school and, to be honest, I felt like I'd be betraying you if I went out with someone else.

SYDNEY
Vaughn, it would have been okay. I know what I said before, about you losing faith, but I was just tired and scared. I didn't mean it. You had no reason to think that I was alive.

VAUGHN
But part of me thinks that I should have known. I should have sensed it.

SYDNEY
Sensed it? Come on, you're not psychic.

VAUGHN
I know. And you know me, I usually don't believe in that sort of thing. I leave that stuff up to my crazy Aunt Trish. But I do believe in my instincts, especially when it came to you. Whenever you were hurt or in trouble or if you needed me, instinctively I knew. I could feel it. But after you died I couldn't feel anything. That's why I was so certain you were gone and you weren't coming back. (beat) And so the next time Lauren was out my way and she asked me out I said yes. She was nice and we got along. It was comfortable.

SYDNEY
How long was it before you got married?

VAUGHN
A little over ten months. We went out on a few more dates while I was in France but it was just too hard. She was always pressed for time and after our first date we'd always have to meet in whatever city she was in. It wasn't until I found a job and moved back here that we were able to go out on normal dates instead of, say, stuffy boring diplomatic functions. Then one weekend about seven months after we started dating she surprises me with reservations at the Venetian in Vegas. We're having a good time and one night we pass by this chapel and there was a couple getting married and looking ridiculously in love at which point she turns to me and says, "Let's get married."

SYDNEY
Wait, I thought you got married in Virginia.

VAUGHN
We did. I was too shocked to speak and after thinking about what she'd said she realized her mom and dad would hate it if she got married without them so she nixed the idea of getting married in Vegas. But she still wanted to get married.

SYDNEY
So she asked you to marry her?

VAUGHN
Yeah. Surprised the hell out of me. I didn't feel ready at all. I was still getting used to dating again. But then I thought about all the time I wasted with you. You know, I was in love with you almost from the moment we met, even if I didn't know or acknowledge it. But even when I did realize it I still didn't do anything.

SYDNEY
There was nothing you could have done. I mean, look at what happened in Nice. It would have been too risky.

VAUGHN
Yeah but it would have been worth it. I know we could have figured something out. (beat) At the very least I should have told you how I felt.

This surprises her.

SYDNEY
But you did. You didn't say the words but what you did say and, more importantly what you did, made it clear enough. I just wasn't willing to acknowledge it either.

Vaughn sighs.

VAUGHN
If only...

SYDNEY
Yeah. (beat) So, you said yes.

And they're back on that lovely topic again.

VAUGHN
Yeah. Like I said, I was comfortable with her and I cared about her and she cared about me so I said yes. The one thing that really bothered me was her job. I was trying to avoid intelligence work but she wasn't allowed to discuss anything with me anyway so I could ignore it. Plus she already knew about you and since I still wasn't ready to talk about what happened that helped.

SYDNEY
So you never talked to her about us?

Vaughn's not sure how to explain.

VAUGHN
She knew we dated and how I felt about you but that's it. I just never felt like I could talk to her about you. I wasn't trying to forget you and there were times when I'd start to tell her about us but I never did. There were just certain things that felt like they belonged between us and no one else. (beat) Does that make sense?

SYDNEY
Yeah. I mean, it's not like I ever really told you about Danny.

VAUGHN
Well, we didn't have all that much time to talk.

SYDNEY
But even when we did I never said anything.

VAUGHN
To be fair I never asked.

SYDNEY
Yeah, but I did the same thing you did. I'd think about telling you but something always held me back. I guess I just didn't want you to think I was comparing you to him cause I wasn't. It wouldn't have been fair. What I had with him was so different from what I had with you. So I never said anything.

VAUGHN
That's how I feel with Lauren. There's just no grounds for a comparison so I never said anything either. And she never asked so it was easy to keep it to myself.

SYDNEY
Until I came.

VAUGHN
Until you came.

He gets a thoughtful look.

VAUGHN
I still remember getting the call. She was at a NATO conference so I was home alone. I had fallen asleep grading papers...

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