Chapter 1: Maybe I'm Crazy to Suppose
It was 7:00 AM on Christmas morning. Most single adults would still be in bed, no longer driven by childhood eagerness to open their presents, nor having children to wake them up at 4:00. However, Sydney Bristow was not most single adults. Her life had always been unique in many ways and as one more proof of that fact, she was awake and pacing her kitchen floor.
"Why is he coming?" she muttered to herself. "Why did I say yes? Nothing he has to say can change the facts, it will only hurt to see him now. I should call him and tell him not to come," she decided, picking up the phone and dialing his cell.
A second later she heard a ring outside her front door, followed by a knock. Resigning herself to breakfast, she hit the off button on the phone and opened the door. "Good morning Vaughn."
"Good morning? Try Merry Christmas Sydney, I think that's the traditional greeting for today," Vaughn said teasingly.
"Merry Christmas Vaughn," she said, smiling involuntarily. "Here, let me take the pastries," she added, grabbing the bag from his hands so he was free to carry the coffee.
"You would not believe how busy Starbucks was at 6:30 on Christmas morning," he commented as he moved into the kitchen and set the coffee down on the next to the microwave.
"6:30? Vaughn, did you sneak out of your house on Christmas morning to come over here?" Syd asked, troubled by the thought.
"There was no sneaking involved Syd," he assured her, handing her coffee over and leaning against the counter.
"Is Lauren awake?" she questioned.
"I don't know if she's awake, but it's safe to say she knows I'm here, if that's what you're asking," he said, enjoying the look of complete confusion on her face.
Noticing the smile creeping across his face, Syd said, "Ok, what aren't you telling me? Is Lauren..."
"Gone," he interrupted. "She's gone."
Hope flared briefly in her eyes but she tamped it down quickly. "But she'll be back Vaughn," she said quietly, turning away from him. "She's on a trip and this seems so easy, but she'll be back," she repeated.
"Syd," Vaughn started, but she ignored him.
"She'll be back, and you'll regret this. You'll hate me, and I couldn't handle that. Please... just go Vaughn," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"How could she even think I would do that?" he asked himself, hurt by the accusation implicit in her words. Fueled by hurt, he said sharply, "Sydney!" He waited impatiently for as she slowly turned to face him, ready to pelt her with a thousand questions, but it only took one look into her eyes for all his recriminations to die on his tongue. Where he had expected to see disbelief or disdain, there was only despair. "She doesn't have any hope left for us," he realized.
In three quick steps he was standing in front of her, gently brushing her hair out of her face. "Syd, do you really think I came over here to ask you to be my mistress?" She opened her mouth but he placed a finger on her lips to quiet her before explaining. "Lauren left me... she's not coming back."
"Lauren left you?" Sydney parroted, the words not sinking in until she said them herself. "Wait, Lauren left you?" she asked incredulously. "Does she have rocks in her head?"
"No," Vaughn replied with a smile. "She just knew that I'll never love her as much as..."
Syd quickly clapped her hand over his mouth, preventing him from finishing the sentence. "Don't Vaughn, don't say it," she ordered.
"Why not?" he asked, confused and hurt. "I thought you... felt the same way," he said awkwardly, avoiding the words she didn't want to hear from him.
"I do," she said seriously.
"Then why can't I say it? I've wanted to for so long..."
"Because... because I can't believe this is happening," she admitted. "For eight months this dream has been dead, and now that it's suddenly come true I can't... it just doesn't seem real."
"I know what you mean," he told her. "I'd just relegated any thought of us... am I allowed to say that?" he asked uncertainly, breathing a sigh of relief when she smiled and nodded. "All thoughts of us were forced to stay in dreams, and now that it's possible it feels..."
"Surreal?" she provided.
"Exactly," he concurred. "So what do you propose we do to make it real?"
"Let's take it slow, just give ourselves time to get used to the idea," she suggested.
"Okay," he agreed, then hesitated for a minute. "I have something to ask you, but I don't know... maybe it's too early..."
"Vaughn, just ask," she said with a laugh.
"What are you doing New Year's Eve?"
It was 7:00 AM on Christmas morning. Most single adults would still be in bed, no longer driven by childhood eagerness to open their presents, nor having children to wake them up at 4:00. However, Sydney Bristow was not most single adults. Her life had always been unique in many ways and as one more proof of that fact, she was awake and pacing her kitchen floor.
"Why is he coming?" she muttered to herself. "Why did I say yes? Nothing he has to say can change the facts, it will only hurt to see him now. I should call him and tell him not to come," she decided, picking up the phone and dialing his cell.
A second later she heard a ring outside her front door, followed by a knock. Resigning herself to breakfast, she hit the off button on the phone and opened the door. "Good morning Vaughn."
"Good morning? Try Merry Christmas Sydney, I think that's the traditional greeting for today," Vaughn said teasingly.
"Merry Christmas Vaughn," she said, smiling involuntarily. "Here, let me take the pastries," she added, grabbing the bag from his hands so he was free to carry the coffee.
"You would not believe how busy Starbucks was at 6:30 on Christmas morning," he commented as he moved into the kitchen and set the coffee down on the next to the microwave.
"6:30? Vaughn, did you sneak out of your house on Christmas morning to come over here?" Syd asked, troubled by the thought.
"There was no sneaking involved Syd," he assured her, handing her coffee over and leaning against the counter.
"Is Lauren awake?" she questioned.
"I don't know if she's awake, but it's safe to say she knows I'm here, if that's what you're asking," he said, enjoying the look of complete confusion on her face.
Noticing the smile creeping across his face, Syd said, "Ok, what aren't you telling me? Is Lauren..."
"Gone," he interrupted. "She's gone."
Hope flared briefly in her eyes but she tamped it down quickly. "But she'll be back Vaughn," she said quietly, turning away from him. "She's on a trip and this seems so easy, but she'll be back," she repeated.
"Syd," Vaughn started, but she ignored him.
"She'll be back, and you'll regret this. You'll hate me, and I couldn't handle that. Please... just go Vaughn," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"How could she even think I would do that?" he asked himself, hurt by the accusation implicit in her words. Fueled by hurt, he said sharply, "Sydney!" He waited impatiently for as she slowly turned to face him, ready to pelt her with a thousand questions, but it only took one look into her eyes for all his recriminations to die on his tongue. Where he had expected to see disbelief or disdain, there was only despair. "She doesn't have any hope left for us," he realized.
In three quick steps he was standing in front of her, gently brushing her hair out of her face. "Syd, do you really think I came over here to ask you to be my mistress?" She opened her mouth but he placed a finger on her lips to quiet her before explaining. "Lauren left me... she's not coming back."
"Lauren left you?" Sydney parroted, the words not sinking in until she said them herself. "Wait, Lauren left you?" she asked incredulously. "Does she have rocks in her head?"
"No," Vaughn replied with a smile. "She just knew that I'll never love her as much as..."
Syd quickly clapped her hand over his mouth, preventing him from finishing the sentence. "Don't Vaughn, don't say it," she ordered.
"Why not?" he asked, confused and hurt. "I thought you... felt the same way," he said awkwardly, avoiding the words she didn't want to hear from him.
"I do," she said seriously.
"Then why can't I say it? I've wanted to for so long..."
"Because... because I can't believe this is happening," she admitted. "For eight months this dream has been dead, and now that it's suddenly come true I can't... it just doesn't seem real."
"I know what you mean," he told her. "I'd just relegated any thought of us... am I allowed to say that?" he asked uncertainly, breathing a sigh of relief when she smiled and nodded. "All thoughts of us were forced to stay in dreams, and now that it's possible it feels..."
"Surreal?" she provided.
"Exactly," he concurred. "So what do you propose we do to make it real?"
"Let's take it slow, just give ourselves time to get used to the idea," she suggested.
"Okay," he agreed, then hesitated for a minute. "I have something to ask you, but I don't know... maybe it's too early..."
"Vaughn, just ask," she said with a laugh.
"What are you doing New Year's Eve?"