* * * * *
Mary, Kelsey, and Gretchen sat on the couch, staring out the bay window in Mary's apartment, watching the busy people rush home after a long day at work or shopping. The emptiness, sat around, giving off an odd aroma to the room. "Ok, this is your last night as a single woman, what do you want to do?" Gretchen tempted.
"I haven't been single for some time now. What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the fact that you are moving in with Travis in the morning and you're trying to tell me that you don't want to do anything the night before but sleep?"
"Yeah."
"There are way more fun things." Kelsey said.
"Come on, there are some good clubs."
"If it weren't for the fact that I got drunk off my ass last night, I'd say yes." Kelsey said. "But I want to come too, so think again."
"I agree with Kelsey." Mary answered.
"Then we'll have a movie night. I'll run to Blockbusters, and get all the chick flicks I can find." Kelsey suggested.
"Sounds good."
"I'll run to the store to get some junk food." Gretchen offered. The three turned to the TV where the DVD player had carefully been packed back away in the box. "And I'll swing by my place and grab my DVD player too. How could we forget that thing was packed?" She paused. "Everything is packed, including all your chip bowls. I'll grab those from my house too."
"I know, I was thinking the same thing. My apartment feels so empty. Hopefully this is my last move for a long time." Mary looked around sorrowfully. It was there, on that couch, that she was sitting act, that Sydney and Vaughn had first introduced themselves to Kelsey. This apartment was one of the most major steps in distancing herself from the CIA. Mary felt comfortable in that apartment. She felt like Sydney in that apartment.
Kelsey could see what Mary was feeling. "New game plan. Mary and I are going to get the movies. Gretchen, you're still getting the junk food. But we'll meet up at my apartment so that you don't have to worry about moving your DVD player, and I've still got bowls to put popcorn in." The three agreed that that was a better plan, and went their separate ways.
Kelsey cornered Sydney in the car, regarding the mysterious phone call that she had to leave the building to answer. "Who is Uncle Jack really, and what did he really want? Because you looked terrified when he called and then ran out."
"Uncle Jack is my dad." Sydney answered. "I haven't been allowed to call him, or talked to him since I left. I had seen him. He was the bartender last night."
"No way. That seriously was your dad. I thought your resemblance was uncanny."
"Yes, but you can't tell anyone that was him. We both could get marked as easy targets, no matter who finds out."
"I wouldn't dream about it. What did he want?"
"To apologize and to give me good news."
"For what?"
"Sorry?"
"Why did he apologize?"
"Oh, under orders, he had to get me drunk last night to see if I wasn't being careful enough. Which I wasn't." Kelsey looked at her friend, confused. "Every drink I get at a restaurant or something, I have to slip something into it to reverse the effects of alcohol or any other poisons. Last night, I didn't add any to my drink, and he did slip a toxin into my drink to amplify the alcohol, making me drunk after too drinks. When I'm drunk I can give out some information that I can't share. But I did. It was ok. That's a CIA bar. But my dad called to apologize for my morning hangover."
"There isn't a chance he did the same for me?" Kelsey shyly asked.
Mary let out a small laugh. "No, you got drunk all on your own." They pulled into a movie rental shop, and picked out three of the most fun chick flicks they could find, and one action flick, because Kelsey argued that despite her love of chick flicks, she needed an action flick to balance it out. Sydney came back and retorted that any action spy movie was more than close to home. Kelsey pointed out that Mary's close to home is the chick flicks. Sydney shut up, and they got the action movie.
They beat Gretchen back to Kelsey's apartment. Which was good, considering it was Kelsey's apartment. Her arms full of every kind of junk food under the sun, Gretchen came a knocking. Mary answered the door.
"What'd you guys get?" She immediately demanded.
"Um… chick flicks." Mary answered. She then reluctantly added, "And Kelsey got Die Another Day."
"Ohhh… I wanted to see that. Let's watch that."
Mary sighed and shut the door. "Yeah. Mary didn't want to watch it." Kelsey said. "Sorry Mar, two against one. We're watching it."
"As long as I get to pick a movie all on my own. No voting."
Gretchen and Kelsey looked unenthusiastic to accept her offer, but they agreed. Kelsey got the bowls. Gretchen opened the chips. Mary popped the popcorn. Mary watched the movie, and was disgusted by what the movie was portraying about spies. "He's going to get caught. You wait two blocks before you go." Sydney slipped, after watching a stakeout scene.
"His lights are off." Gretchen pointed out.
"Unless there are some cars to between it gets too obvious that you're being followed. Lights should be on until it's just you and the other car." Sydney pointed out.
"How do you know that?" Gretchen retorted. "Were you like once CIA trained or something?"
Sydney momentarily froze. This was not a good time to bring Gretchen into the rapidly expanding circle of people that knew the truth. Lucky for Sydney, she had Mary as her back up. Mary quickly came out, to cover-up. "N-n-no." Mary quickly answered. "I don't have the guts to be a spy. That stuff is just common knowledge."
"Well, since you're not a spy we're going to have to trust Mr. Bond knows what he's doing." Gretchen said.
"Common knowledge. What do you do? Go on the internet, and look up how to follow people?" Kelsey asked.
"I guess not. I had a student last year that wrote an essay about how to properly hold a stakeout. Contacted the CIA and everything. Guess I picked that up then." Mary gracefully recovered. Sydney kept her mouth shut for the rest of the movie. Mary did as well. She sat in silence keeping her mouth shut, and her face blank.
The next morning, right at 10, a loud horn honked outside. Mary peered through her window, and saw Vaughn beaming up at her. She grabbed a box, and headed downstairs. "Hey." She greeted him with a kiss.
"Is that all of your stuff?" Travis joked.
"No. Come on. Help me get everything out."
"Yo! Guys!" Travis called, to a car that Mary had failed to notice. Three guys came out, and hung around Travis. One of which Mary recognized.
"When did you get here Eric?" Mary demanded, putting down the box she was holding to give Eric a hug.
"I had to see my older brother move in with his gorgeous girlfriend." Eric said.
"You're avoiding my question."
"This morning."
"Honey, why didn't you tell me that your brother was coming to help us move?" Mary demanded as she led everyone up to her apartment.
"I didn't tell him I was coming. It was a little surprise."
"Good. You can help him carry out my couch." Eric grumbled, and took the couch from Mary's hands. Only an hour later, her apartment was entirely empty.
"I thought Kelsey said that she was coming to help." Travis said, as they shut the back of the truck, and was preparing to leave.
"She's meeting us at the house at 11."
"She's a slacker, only pulling half a day."
"She's not a slacker. She just did a lot more packing than you did, so I insisted that she not show up until we got to the house."
"I'll see you at the house." Travis said, kissing Mary before getting into the truck.
Kelsey stood outside of her car, waiting patently for the caravan of four cars to arrive. "You would think that you guys would be on time for your own moving." She said, as Mary stepped out of her car.
"Excuse me? You could have been at my apartment to help us get everything into the truck. Travis was there exactly at 10." Mary said.
"It's ok. I've been waiting like a minute."
"Grab a box." Travis ordered, pulling open the truck. Mary and Kelsey each grabbed a box, and chatted as they made their first load in.
Travis reached for a box himself, when a hand stopped him. "Who is Mary's friend?" Weiss asked.
"Kelsey?" Travis checked.
"Yeah. Who is she?"
"Kelsey." Travis repeated. "She's Mary's best friend."
"She single?"
"Yeah."
"She looking?"
"You'll have to ask Mary or Kelsey for that."
Weiss grabbed the heaviest box he could find, and made his way inside the house.
Inside the house Kelsey confronted Mary. "Who is Travis' friend?" She demanded, after setting her box down.
"Which one?"
"The one that drove Travis' car over here."
"You mean his brother?"
"That's Travis' brother."
"Key name is Travis."
"So there's no…?" Kelsey said, hoping that Mary would get her hint.
"None."
"So what's his name?"
"What's it to you?" Mary teased.
"Come on."
"Eric."
"Single?"
"I haven't had the chance to catch up with him yet. Haven't seen him in years. But knowing Eric, yeah, still single. And probably looking."
Kelsey smiled and Mary laughed. In the hot sun, everyone baked as they took load upon load of both Mary's and Travis' stuff into the house. "Eric's got his eye on Kelsey." Travis warned, pulling Mary aside. I only warned you, because, well, you remember the stories."
"Oh, I remember the stories. But I also remember how you were involved in most of them, Vaughn." Sydney said, emerging. "I don't think that we have any problem. Besides, Kelsey wanted to know if he's single."
"Still single." Vaughn paused. "Wait, what stories did you hear?"
"I heard about the Vegas trip."
"How did you find out about that? Weiss swore that he wouldn't tell a soul about that. I haven't told anyone."
"You told me."
"Oh really, when?"
"You told me all about it right after you guys got back."
"I can't believe we made it into work that morning. We had to have broken 100 traffic laws trying to get back in time. You were on a mission. I had to make sure I was on the other end."
"My guardian angel."
"That I am."
"Yo! Travis! Pizza's here!" One of Travis' friends called from outside.
"I wonder if it's from Joey's." Sydney teased.
"Cut it out." Vaughn said, silencing her with a kiss. When they pulled apart the only two left were Travis and Mary. Kelsey and Weiss got friendly over lunch, and for the rest of the afternoon talked. When everyone had departed after the truck was empty, and returned to the rental shop, Mary looked up at the house, her house, their house, and smiled. Travis came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her. Neither said anything as they just stood there, looking up at their house, enjoying the cool evening air. Suddenly, Mary felt herself being swept off her feet. Literally. She looked up at Travis, who was carrying her into their house.
"Your brother is staying at a hotel tonight, right?" Mary tempted.
"I had to spring for the hotel." He answered, taking her lips.
"If you hadn't done it, I would have done it." Sydney answered, kissing Vaughn. "I think that Weiss got the hint."
Vaughn smiled, and kissed Sydney again. "We're finally living together Syd."
"I know."
* * * * *