[b][u]Chapter Three[/u]
Sub with Nothing on It[/b]
So Will moped around and acted generally depressed until Wednesday, the day Sydney was scheduled to return to LA. The affect Sydney had on the office was amazing. When she was away, it was dreary. Jack barked twice as much at everyone, including Marshall. Marshall obviously didn't enjoy that as much, so he wasn't his usual cheerful self. Agent Vaughn seemed in his own world, but offered less resistance when she was gone. It made no difference to him. Will was distracted. He could barely focus, and was never paying attention to anybody. He was always in the break room or staring blankly at his computer. The day before she returned, everything turned around. Jack was more lenient, Michael stepped into his shoes and started ratting on everyone, and Will managed to work again, and started putting milk and sugar into his coffee again.
*~*~*~*~*
As Sydney walked up the pathway to her house, suitcase in hand. She thought something felt out of place. It was as if something had been changed, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and it threw her off. She became wary of approaching her house, but continued forward, as though nothing was different. If somebody was watching her, she didn't want them to know she knew they were watching. She was vigilant, and she was ready for anything. Senses heightened, she reached for the doorknob. Before she could even touch it, the door swung open, and a grinning Will Tippin greeted her. Taking a deep breath, she looked into his face, and saw that he was smiling.
"Will, let me open the door to my own house! I live here! Opening the door should come with the house. It shouldn't be an optional extra!"
"So am I the optional extra then?" asked Will jokingly as he took her suitcase. "Surely you'd rather have your own personal bellboy. But if not, I'm sure I can sell myself out in the road." He was being dramatic now, and was making a scene, waving down imaginary cars in the road, and waiting for them to roll down their imaginary windows before he pleaded his case. "Yes, my best friend doesn't want me to carry her suitcases or open her doors, so I was wondering if you-"
"Oh Will stop it! Sometimes you are too much. Come in the house and carry my suitcases then." Sydney started playing along now, and was pretending to be his damsel in distress. "Oh dear boy! I cannae lift this bag, 'tis too heavy, you look like a strong young man. Ca-an you carry it for me?"
Will walked towards the door, and deepened his voice. "Why of course ma'am. Anything for a beautiful lady such as yourself." He bowed lower than necessary, and took off his imaginary hat, before flexing his muscles, and taking the suitcase to Sydney's bedroom. "There y'are ma'am. One bag carried to yer room. That'll be one shilling."
"One shilling? Oh dear, that is too much! Take it back, I shall carry it meself."
Will couldn't help laughing as Sydney flopped down on the bed, pretending to be a helpless damsel in distress.
"Are we ever going to grow up?" He asked.
"What fun is growing up?" She was still speaking in the same voice. "Besides, I don't want to grow up until somebody takes mah suitcase to mah room for me."
He chuckled again. "You are something special Lady Bristow. Something vee- ry special indeed! I set up the bathroom for you; you look like you could use a long soak. You must be jet lagged to say the least of everything you've been through this week. Get some rest. I should be getting back to the office. I'm only off on lunch."
"Oh Will. You shouldn't have given up your lunch break. Lunch is for eating. I don't think you eat enough real food as it is. Promise you'll grab something on the way back to the office."
"Having lunch with your father, scares me to the point of not wanting to eat any more. And I promise I'll get a sandwich from the deli, if you promise to take a bath and relax."
"It's a deal." And they shook on it. Sydney headed towards the bathroom, and Will walked out the door, closing it quietly on his way out, so he didn't disturb her. He had spent two hours at her place, cleaning up and preparing the bathroom. He made sure the bubble bath was ready, and that the candles were out around the room. When he saw her car coming he had lit them all, and finished drwaing the bath. He took the towel out of the dryer, and folded it up so that it stayed warm. It was perfect, and it was exactly the same as it had always been. He had always tried to spoil her like that, to make her feel special. Even if she didn't notice the small things, he wanted to show her how much he appreciated her being in his life, and sticking around him, even when he was being stupid.
Investigating Danny's death had been only one instance. She had specifically asked him to let it be, but he couldn't. He couldn't put it to rest, because he saw how much pain it was causing her, and he couldn't stand seeing her in so much pain, and not being able to do something about it. It killed him to see her like that, so he vowed to try his damnedest to find out who had done that. He knew it was foolish, and he knew she had told him not to, but he thought that maybe if he found out what had happened, who had done it and why, maybe she would stop hurting so bad. Maybe he would stop hurting, because it hurt him to see her feeling like that. When he found out, he was sorry, but he understood why she felt that way, and it helped him feel better, even just a little bit.
He pulled into the local SubWay, and ordered a small sub with virtually nothing on it. No drink, no cookie, no chips, just the sub. He wasn't hungry. He was never really hungry, but he had promised Syd that he would eat something 'normal', and he would do almost anything for her, so although it nearly made him sick, he ate the sub, and then he headed back to the office. He was going to have to work longer that night to make up for his extended lunch break, but to him, Sydney was more than worth it.
So Will moped around and acted generally depressed until Wednesday, the day Sydney was scheduled to return to LA. The affect Sydney had on the office was amazing. When she was away, it was dreary. Jack barked twice as much at everyone, including Marshall. Marshall obviously didn't enjoy that as much, so he wasn't his usual cheerful self. Agent Vaughn seemed in his own world, but offered less resistance when she was gone. It made no difference to him. Will was distracted. He could barely focus, and was never paying attention to anybody. He was always in the break room or staring blankly at his computer. The day before she returned, everything turned around. Jack was more lenient, Michael stepped into his shoes and started ratting on everyone, and Will managed to work again, and started putting milk and sugar into his coffee again.
*~*~*~*~*
As Sydney walked up the pathway to her house, suitcase in hand. She thought something felt out of place. It was as if something had been changed, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and it threw her off. She became wary of approaching her house, but continued forward, as though nothing was different. If somebody was watching her, she didn't want them to know she knew they were watching. She was vigilant, and she was ready for anything. Senses heightened, she reached for the doorknob. Before she could even touch it, the door swung open, and a grinning Will Tippin greeted her. Taking a deep breath, she looked into his face, and saw that he was smiling.
"Will, let me open the door to my own house! I live here! Opening the door should come with the house. It shouldn't be an optional extra!"
"So am I the optional extra then?" asked Will jokingly as he took her suitcase. "Surely you'd rather have your own personal bellboy. But if not, I'm sure I can sell myself out in the road." He was being dramatic now, and was making a scene, waving down imaginary cars in the road, and waiting for them to roll down their imaginary windows before he pleaded his case. "Yes, my best friend doesn't want me to carry her suitcases or open her doors, so I was wondering if you-"
"Oh Will stop it! Sometimes you are too much. Come in the house and carry my suitcases then." Sydney started playing along now, and was pretending to be his damsel in distress. "Oh dear boy! I cannae lift this bag, 'tis too heavy, you look like a strong young man. Ca-an you carry it for me?"
Will walked towards the door, and deepened his voice. "Why of course ma'am. Anything for a beautiful lady such as yourself." He bowed lower than necessary, and took off his imaginary hat, before flexing his muscles, and taking the suitcase to Sydney's bedroom. "There y'are ma'am. One bag carried to yer room. That'll be one shilling."
"One shilling? Oh dear, that is too much! Take it back, I shall carry it meself."
Will couldn't help laughing as Sydney flopped down on the bed, pretending to be a helpless damsel in distress.
"Are we ever going to grow up?" He asked.
"What fun is growing up?" She was still speaking in the same voice. "Besides, I don't want to grow up until somebody takes mah suitcase to mah room for me."
He chuckled again. "You are something special Lady Bristow. Something vee- ry special indeed! I set up the bathroom for you; you look like you could use a long soak. You must be jet lagged to say the least of everything you've been through this week. Get some rest. I should be getting back to the office. I'm only off on lunch."
"Oh Will. You shouldn't have given up your lunch break. Lunch is for eating. I don't think you eat enough real food as it is. Promise you'll grab something on the way back to the office."
"Having lunch with your father, scares me to the point of not wanting to eat any more. And I promise I'll get a sandwich from the deli, if you promise to take a bath and relax."
"It's a deal." And they shook on it. Sydney headed towards the bathroom, and Will walked out the door, closing it quietly on his way out, so he didn't disturb her. He had spent two hours at her place, cleaning up and preparing the bathroom. He made sure the bubble bath was ready, and that the candles were out around the room. When he saw her car coming he had lit them all, and finished drwaing the bath. He took the towel out of the dryer, and folded it up so that it stayed warm. It was perfect, and it was exactly the same as it had always been. He had always tried to spoil her like that, to make her feel special. Even if she didn't notice the small things, he wanted to show her how much he appreciated her being in his life, and sticking around him, even when he was being stupid.
Investigating Danny's death had been only one instance. She had specifically asked him to let it be, but he couldn't. He couldn't put it to rest, because he saw how much pain it was causing her, and he couldn't stand seeing her in so much pain, and not being able to do something about it. It killed him to see her like that, so he vowed to try his damnedest to find out who had done that. He knew it was foolish, and he knew she had told him not to, but he thought that maybe if he found out what had happened, who had done it and why, maybe she would stop hurting so bad. Maybe he would stop hurting, because it hurt him to see her feeling like that. When he found out, he was sorry, but he understood why she felt that way, and it helped him feel better, even just a little bit.
He pulled into the local SubWay, and ordered a small sub with virtually nothing on it. No drink, no cookie, no chips, just the sub. He wasn't hungry. He was never really hungry, but he had promised Syd that he would eat something 'normal', and he would do almost anything for her, so although it nearly made him sick, he ate the sub, and then he headed back to the office. He was going to have to work longer that night to make up for his extended lunch break, but to him, Sydney was more than worth it.