Chapter 11: Lost Angels

A/n: Hey! Thanks so much for your reviews, they really make my day! This is the last chapter of this story, and then I will have an epilogue so don't forget about me please. I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day... I sure did when my special someone wished me a happy one ;) Theme Songs: Someday by Nickelback and Concrete Angel by Martina McBride

Disclaimer: I do not own Alias nor do I own Scrabble. Someone please tell me when Vaughn's for sale, I'll buy him in a millisecond.



Comforting Sydney became a nightly routine for Vaughn. He wished at so many times that he could tell her how he comforted her at night, but he never could bring himself to say it. But still, each night when he heard her whimpers, he would sneak into her room, wrap his arms around her, and soothe her back to an easy sleep. Occasionally, he would also slip into Alyssa's room to sing her the French lullaby.

His face had begun to heal nicely; the swelling had gone down quickly and the bruise barely seemed more than a shadow on his face. His stitches were but a mere red scratch underneath his eye. And from some reliable sources, he heard that Corey's nose was broken rather badly (::snickers::).

That particular morning, Vaughn had just left Sydney's room to get dressed when he heard the faint roll of thunder. Sighing, he moved to look out the window and peered through the blinds, only to find gray skies above him and a light drizzle forming. The weather would only get worse, he was sure.

After a quick shave in the bathroom (A/n: pause for a moment and stare at our dear Vaughn in his tight, white shirt and boxers. Mmmmm-hmmmmm...), he headed into the kitchen to start the coffee. Out the front window, the rain poured down in heavy sheets, soaking everything in sight, and it made Vaughn glad that he was inside where it was warm and safe from the storm. Lightning cracked, and the thunder soon followed it. He heard the creak of Sydney's bedroom door opening when the light – and all other electrical appliances – suddenly shut off, leaving them in a world of darkness.

He barely saw her figure in the hall when he turned around; buried in the shadows so softly, and protected by their seclusion. he uttered. Looks like the power's out.

She yawned, stretching her arms up into the air and letting her muscles freeze her for a moment; she was still beautiful. A booming thunder echoed, reverberating through the walls of the house, causing Sydney to stumble forward a bit. The grumbling whines of a young girl began to call from down the hall, and Sydney turned to hush them. She quickly returned with a still tearing Alyssa rocking in her arms. Sh, I know you don't like thunder, baby, she whispered, kissing her daughter's head.

While Sydney searched around the house for some candles and flashlights, Vaughn found the old battery powered radio and found any station he would that would report the weather conditions. The best one he could find came in fuzzy at times, but seemed very informative.

Thunderstorm warning for the Los Angeles area, the radio anchor said in her newscaster voice. She went on to describe the inches they already accumulated and how long the storm was supposed to last (which told them at least another three hours). She then turned the microphone over to who was reporting the number of car crashes on the freeways.

Syd, I think we should call in sick, Vaughn said, raising his eyebrows as Alyssa bounded towards Vaughn's leg while carrying a tiny flashlight. He swung her up onto his lap. The roads are awful.

I agree, she replied immediately without hesitation. I'm on it. She turned into the kitchen and grabbed the phone. Vaughn heard her voice over his shoulder as he bounced Alyssa on his knee and made funny sound effects. He was delighted as a small giggle escaped from her throat instead of the slight crying from the storm. But when the thunder sounded again, she squealed and wriggled in his arms. Okay, we're all set, Sydney smiled, taking a seat next to Vaughn and resting her head in her hands. What should we do today?

Oh, I don't know, Vaughn mused, attempting to calm Alyssa again.

she shouted.

Sydney looked confused; her daughter didn't speak much gibberish anymore. She wants pancakes, Vaughn explained, remembering back to when Corey had come over. Sorry, little angel, no electricity. Alyssa shifted her body to stand on her father's lap, lifting her hands to balance on his shoulders. Vaughn shot his arm out and grabbed quickly for her stomach, swinging her around and tickling her stomach like mad. The girl erupted in a fit of laughter, ignoring the thunder that roared in the distance.

Hey, look, Sydney said as Vaughn's tickling ceased. It's Scrabble, I haven't played this game in forever... Want to play?

He kissed Alyssa's head and set her into her playpen with many of her toys. He almost forgot about the power outage and turned on the TV, but stopped his hand midway. Alyssa seemed content with her little flashlight and stuffed animals, anyway, with her soft brown curls bouncing out of the pony tail atop her head.

He returned to the table where Sydney had lit a few candles around them and had the board set up between the chairs. They each picked their letters. As Vaughn set them into the wooden holder, he decided on a game plan. He hoped he could make all of his words be hints to Sydney, words such as love' or boyfriend' though the latter was a far shot. He took a moment to look at his letters. F-E-Q-N-B-A-T. Oh boy, he thought as Sydney laid down her first word, witch,' this is going to be an interesting game...

Is feqnbat a word?



It had, in fact, been an interesting game. Jeez, Vaughn, I could have let you have feqnbat and you still would have lost by a hundred, Sydney conveniently pointed out.

Only a hundred?

Well, give or take a few points. She smiled warmly at him before leaning over to blow out a dying candle. I think Alyssa finally fell back asleep, she pointed.

He craned his neck around to find his little angel sleeping soundly with her arms wrapped around her lion stuffed animal. Doesn't sound like a bad idea, he replied, catching his arms in a yawn. He stared at his daughter's sleeping form for another moment longer, studying her inhaling and exhaling motions, watching how her body sighed effortlessly in its daze. He sighed contentedly to himself and turned back to Sydney who was staring at him. When they're eyes met it was like an electrical shock woke them up.

Yeah, so, Sydney said abruptly, averting her eyes away quickly, to Vaughn's dismay, the rain hasn't let up any. Maybe we should hear what the radio has to say again.

He stared at her body by the ill lit window for a moment. The gray clouds in the sky above omitted much light from coming through, though remnants of the sun glimmering past them could be seen reflecting in her eyes. The remaining candles' light illuminated her every curve in its faint glow. he finally whispered, scratching his head. She pushed aside the candle she had blown out, and set a new one in its place. It was red and worn, but the smell of cinnamon that it evanesced proved it to be strong and sturdy. Sydney had difficulty lighting the match before the candle would light.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Sydney moved from the window to answer it. Hello? Oh, hi, Will, I – ... Sorry, that didn't cross my mind. We called in sick today. I'm sorry we didn't call you. Light chuckle. Okay, bye. Sydney casually slid back into her chair next to Vaughn – perhaps a little closer, even – and blushed. I forgot to call Will and tell him that Alyssa wasn't coming over. We thought we had been in a car accident.



The stirs of Alyssa could be heard from her play pen in the other room, and Vaughn initially lifted himself from his chair. You don't need to go yet, Sydney stopped him. She might fall back asleep, and if not she'll just call mama.

He nodded and edged back down with a swirling feeling rushing throughout. He loved learning things about Alyssa; there was something new everyday. And he absorbed everything he could because it was never enough. He noticed how her whimpers had ceased, but then he heard them start up again. Looking at Sydney, she held her finger up to wait.



Vaughn froze. Sydney's eyes widened as she tried to restrain a smile. She brought her hand back down, crossed her arms, and raised her eyebrows. Vaughn and Sydney's eyes met for a moment, a moment that gave him the strength to get out of his chair. He walked over to his daughter who sat in a sleepy daze, her arms wrapped tightly around her lion.

At first he wasn't sure what to do, but only for a brief minute. As soon as Alyssa saw him, she raised her arms up into the air. she mumbled, music to his ears.

A tear came to Vaughn's eye and he lifted his daughter in his arms. Bonjour, mon petite ange, he whispered and held her close. He rocked her in his arms and turned in a slow circle, singing her the French lullaby in their dance. He opened his eyes and saw Sydney leaning against the couch. His tears spilled softly over cheeks, he finally realized, and he stroked Alyssa's hair and kissed her cheek; she had fallen asleep again. I'm really a father now, Syd, he said, believing it for the first time. He sniffed and wiped his tears with his free hand, gently swaying his way closer to Sydney.

When it hits you, it really hits hard, Sydney whispered back, and Vaughn nodded, closing his eyes and holding Alyssa closer to him. Now he would never let her go again; she would never escape his protection, never befriend anyone without running a background check first, no dating until she was thirty, no venturing farther than across the street... I remember when I first realized that I really a mother. You'd think it hits when you hold her for the first time, but that's not when. It's when you come home from work at the end of a horrible day – you look and feel awful – and she shouts mama and runs to give you a hug. And that's when you know. It still feels like a miracle every time I hear her say mama.

Or dada, he smiled, opening his eyes to meet her warm ones.

Or dada.

Vaughn realized how close they really were at this point. If he leaned in just a little, he could touch her lips with his and lose her body in a kiss. He restrained his neck from leaning in as it naturally wanted to do. Their eyes were still locked; one gaze; one soul. Sydney's head was becoming closer and closer, and suddenly she leaned in, kissing Alyssa's head and resting her cheek against her daughter's soft hair. It was Vaughn's first instinct to bring his arm up and wrap it around Sydney's body, and before anyone could realize what was happening, they found themselves in a family hug. No one stopped it, but rather consumed it, lost in the rhythm and swirling love; concealed by the warmth of the darkness.

And Vaughn knew that this was what he wanted forever.



I heard the ice rink is having a free skate this afternoon, Vaughn admitted at lunch the next day. It was both his and Sydney's day off.

We should go, she smiled back. I bet Alyssa would love it.

Vaughn had hoped she would. How long had it been since he last skated? Technically more than two years, which was way too long. He needed to feel the cold brush of air sting his cheeks as he races full speed towards the goal; the adrenaline rushing through his body as he aims for a shot; the excitement and thrill of scoring once the puck hits the back of the net...

They seemed to finish lunch quickly, all eager to get to the rink. The rink was relatively empty when they arrived, but they still hurried to get their skates. Vaughn was the first on the ice, and Sydney held Alyssa just outside while they watched him take a warmup lap. He let his strides advance in at a rapid rate; he whipped his body around to move backwards. The more he moved, the more at home he felt on the ice. Finally, he stopped at the opening by where Sydney and Alyssa were standing.

Are you sure Sloane didn't keep you hostage on an ice rink? Sydney asked. You're looking like you've done this everyday for your whole life.

Vaughn shrugged. One of those things that never leaves you... you know? Now, how about we start this love in my little one? Sydney took her cue and stood Alyssa carefully on the ice, but held her hands up above her head. She gently pushed her forward, gliding her along the ice. That's it, Vaughn smiled. She's a natural.

Just like her daddy.

Sydney released hold of one of Alyssa's hands, and Vaughn took hold of his daughter's free hand. Both Sydney and Vaughn skated slightly hunch over so Alyssa could be slowly pulled between them. Well, I don't know about you, but my little angel is definitely going to the Olympics one day, captain of the hockey team.

Sydney laughed. But of course. Gold medal, star forward.

And don't you forget it! He looked up and locked eye contact with Sydney. Suddenly all the noise around him meshed to nothing and time stood still. She let him penetrate his gaze through her – into her – and he was slowly invited closer and closer until –

Attention all skaters, would you please leave the ice for the zamboni. Thank you.

Sydney blinked her eyes away. Ooh, zamboni time! she finally exclaimed once air had returned to her lungs. Let's watch the zamboni, Alyssa. They quickly skated over to the side and watched the large machine clean the ice. But Vaughn wasn't watching the zamboni, he was watching Sydney and wondering what could have just happened.

Alyssa startled him, pointing to the ice when people had started to return to it.

I knew she'd love it, Vaughn grinned at Sydney as he brought his daughter back out to a place where he knew she loved just as much as he did.

The three spent the remainder of the day together. It was almost sad when they had to go home, except for the reminder that they were going home together. Alyssa fell asleep on the car ride home, content with her dinner of junk that none of them really should have eaten. Vaughn carried his sleeping beauty to her bedroom, humming the French lullaby as he lay her into her crib. To his pleasure, Sydney's body appeared next to him. Good night, Lyssie, Sydney whispered, bending down to kiss her daughter goodnight. Vaughn did the same. They walked out the door slowly, pausing to smile at each other, then parted their separate ways to their rooms. But Vaughn knew that he would be going to Sydney's room shortly, to comfort and suppress her bad dream.

And he was right.

Before he knew it he had crawled into bed next to Sydney and wrapped his arms around her torso, hugging her tight to his body. That night was particularly warm, and Sydney's windows were opened to their screens. He felt a cool wind blow by as he settled into the bed, and watched the moonlight fall in soft beams. They draped gracefully across the woman he loved more than anything, causing her skin to shimmer in its basking light. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature Vaughn had ever laid eyes on.

Right on cue, her breathing rate increased and her pulse soared. Vaughn held her closer and stroked her head. she shouted in a hoarse whisper. Please, no! Her breathing built and built until she shot straight up in a scream. she blurted between pants. I... I found...

Vaughn's voice wavered. She had woken up... What was he supposed to do now? Found what, Sydney? Next he felt her body stutter in tears, and he pulled her back to him as she cried.

he managed to cipher from her crying. But he hushed her, trying to ease her back to sleep. After a while, she gave a few sniffles, but her breathing had steadied. Now that she was sleeping like an angel, he kissed the top of her head, and lay her head gingerly against the pillow by his arm. As he began to slide out, he heard a groan. Don't leave, Vaughn, please don't leave. Her request was simple, yet it shocked Vaughn in many ways. It sent shivers down his spine to know she knew he had kissed her head. She knew he had been in his bed. But she wanted him to stay.

He obeyed, and eased back under the covers. With a few shaky breaths, Sydney sat up against the headboard, and wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. She wrapped her comforter around her bare arms, obviously chilled despite the warm spring air. I've been having this dream for the longest time now, she told him, adjusting her tank top strap. They've all been slightly different, but every night I've been looking, searching for something. I never knew what I was looking for, or where it was, but I just knew I'd know it when I saw it.

In each dream I'd see the back of someone, just their feet rounding a corner or the tip of their coat going through a door, but I always followed this person, like I knew they were supposed to lead me to what I'm looking for. But each time I got close enough to ask them something happens and I'm hurt, or being chased away, or... anything to get me away from that person. That man. Sometimes I knew something bad was going to happen when I followed him, though. Yet I followed him every time.

While I looked for what I needed to find, it started to take me over, became my obsession and was my every thought. I needed to find this. I would die if I didn't. Which was why I was so desperate to follow this man. But – but sometimes Corey or Sloane would be in my way to hurt me. Or things would haunt me... things from when I was tortured.

But lately I've been able to get closer and closer to the man, and tonight, everything was fighting me – Sloane, Corey, my past – all of them tried to force me away from him. But I fought them with all my might, and I made it to the man. And I grabbed hold of his shoulder and turned him around so I could see him. He looked like an angel, dressed in a white robe. And he had this great light about him, brighter than anything; brighter than the sun, even. But once I saw him, I knew he was what I was looking for. And I had found him.

She paused a moment and took a few heavy breaths. That man was you, she whispered, her chocolate eyes filled again as pools of tears. I found you. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, then brought her hand to his face. He stiffened at her touch, but her cold fingers warmed quickly and he relaxed. But... but you've been here all... all along. Tears spilled out at last, and soon her body followed. She collapsed onto Vaughn's shoulder, and he held her with all he could, vowing to never let her go.

Opening her eyes, she sniffled and stared up at Vaughn. Her lips trembled slightly, but boldly made their way forward to the first touch. They melted together as their lips crashed into one another, not too hard but not too softly, just perfect. His hands supported her back and neck, gently massaging where her hair started.

Too soon, she pulled away for air but kept her head close to his, never breaking eye contact. How could I lose my guardian angel? she asked, a last tear escaping down her cheek.

You didn't, he replied, wiping the tear with the pad of his thumb. He's right here and he's never going away again. He hesitated, but her eyes pleaded that he continue to reassure her. I love you.

There, it was said, and nothing could be done about it. He felt free finally to not hold it in any longer. She knew, the world knew, and all that was left was her reply. Something suddenly changed in the way she looked at him. There was no longer the confusion, no longer the worry, or the fear, but it had been replaced with something Vaughn hadn't seen since his return.

It was love.

I love you too, Vaughn.

The most incredible feeling washed over their bodies and he leaned forward for another kiss. This one was deeper, with more heart, soul, and emotion than any of their kisses before. It lasted for an indefinite time, but time didn't matter. They were in each other's arms, under the strongest spell of love, and they would remain that way until the end of time.

At different points, both had been asked what they wanted, which was simply to find what they had lost; their angels...

~Fin~

A/n: AH! I can't believe it's over, I'm seriously about to cry. I have to thank you all so much for being so supportive and loyal readers. I love you guys so much! So please, REVIEW, and don't forget to stay tuned for the epilogue (it should be along shortly).

And by the way, feqnbat is so a word. But will Christine and Ben let you use it when that's all you have? Noooooooo. Stupid Scrabble. Who needs words anyway? Oh, right...
~Whitelighter Enchantress