A/N: There are two versions of this chapter. This is the PG-13 chapter for FF.net. But I couldn't fight my inner smut demon, so there's an NC-17 version as well that's posted at Allies and the SD-1 boards, if you'd rather read that version. Thanks for reading and for the feedback. You guys have been great! (Also, I'm having some kind of formatting problem, so sorry that the Chapter title and the "TBC" are smashed up against the text.)
Chapter 14: "Reunion"
"So, Michael, are you going to introduce me to your guest or not?"
Sydney wanted to smile at the amused tone of the other woman's voice and the deer-in-the-headlights expression on Vaughn's face, but she thought better of it, desperately wanting to make a good impression on the elegant woman standing across from her.
Vaughn tried to gather his bearings as the two women in the living room took turns looking expectantly at him. This certainly wasn't the way he had ever expected or intended for them to meet, and his mind raced to find a proper way to introduce the two most important women in his life to each other.
Vaughn cleared his throat. "Um, Sydney Bristow, this is Elise Vaughn," he said gesturing to the woman next to him. "Mom, this is Sydney, my . . ."
Sydney raised an eyebrow and looked at Vaughn pointedly, as if to ask, your *what*?
"My girlfriend," Vaughn said as he took her hand in his and pulled her closer to him. Sydney couldn't believe how good it felt to hear him say those words in the presence of another person. She knew she didn't need words to validate her place in Vaughn's life, but hearing him introduce her to his mother as his girlfriend somehow made their Omega-17 classified relationship seem real. Vaughn smiled when he saw her radiant smile, and then turned to his mother who was clearly surprised and happy to be meeting the mysterious woman about whom he'd been so tight-lipped.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sydney," she said with a warm smile as she shook Sydney's hand.
"You too, Mrs. Vaughn. I wasn't expecting this at all, so please forgive my appearance," she said, looking down at her jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt. After spending most of her day on a plane, she was afraid she looked incredibly grungy, especially in comparison to Mrs. Vaughn's tailored slacks and silk blouse.
"Oh nonsense! You're gorgeous, and please, call me Elise. You can save 'Mrs. Vaughn' for Michael's grandmother. *So*, this is quite a surprise, isn't it? I can't believe you didn't tell me that Sydney was coming for a visit, Michael," she said accusingly.
Vaughn held his hands up in mock surrender. "I had no idea she was coming, so you're not the only one who's surprised. How exactly did you get in here?" he asked as he turned to Sydney who wore a guilty expression on her face. "Forget I asked," he laughed. She shot him a grateful smile and turned back to Elise.
"Michael's telling the truth, he had no idea I was coming. I unexpectedly got a week off from work, so I decided to surprise him."
Vaughn bit back a smile as he remembered what happened the last time Sydney unexpectedly got time off from SD-6.
"Well, he's obviously very happy to see you," Elise said, noticing that he could barely take his eyes off of Sydney. "So what kind of work do you do back in Los Angeles?"
Sydney glanced uncertainly at Vaughn, not knowing what, if anything, he had told his mother about her. "I, um . . ."
Elise Vaughn had never been a spy herself, but after being married to one and raising another one, she was observant enough to notice Michael and Sydney's suddenly tense body language. She remembered what Michael had told her at dinner a few nights ago about his love life being "complicated" and the pieces quickly fell into place. "You work with Michael, don't you?"
"Yes, we work together," Vaughn said with a bemused smile. It was impossible to get anything over on his inquisitive mother.
"Are you an agent?"
"Yes, I am," Sydney nodded, though that didn't begin to tell the half of it.
"Just how closely do the two of you work together?" Elise asked, turning to Vaughn.
"I'm Sydney's handler, Mom," Vaughn sighed. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you what that means."
"It means the two of you shouldn't be seeing each other. No wonder you've been so secretive," she chuckled. "The CIA and its protocol . . . so ridiculous. Your father used to always say that the only reason the company made those rules was so they could be broken."
Vaughn and Sydney shared quick, knowing smiles and then looked away from each other. "I don't have to ask you not to say anything about Sydney to anyone, do I?"
"Michael, please. I can be discreet. I *did* learn a thing or two from being married to your father, my goodness," she huffed with mock indignation. "But surely you know that the two of you can't hide your relationship forever."
"Well, in a few months we may not have to anymore," Vaughn said hopefully. "Mom, listen. The fact that Sydney works for the CIA isn't really an issue, but -- and you *absolutely* cannot mention this to another living soul -- Sydney is a double agent working undercover for us right now. That's the real reason that no one can know about our relationship."
"Oh," Elise nodded, clearly surprised by his revelation. "I see. Is it safe for you to be here, Sydney?" she asked with obvious concern.
"I think so. I doubt that anyone from SD-6 is monitoring me this week," she said, more for Vaughn's benefit than Elise's. When she saw his eyes briefly cloud over, considering the possibility that she might be wrong, she shot him a look, silently pleading with him not to make an issue out of it. "Coming here probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world, but I couldn't stay away from Michael. I missed him desperately," she admitted, wrapping her arms around his left arm and leaning her head on his shoulder.
Elise smiled, remembering what it felt like to be young and in love. "Well, since you've come all this way I hope that you and Michael can spend some quality time with each other this week. God knows he needs someone to drag him away from that office," she grumbled good-naturedly. "Speaking of the office, I need to check my voicemail, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Thanks Mom," Vaughn smirked as he and Sydney watched her leave the room. Noticing Sydney's confused expression, he explained, "My mom checked her voicemail just before we left the restaurant. I think she just wanted to give us a few minutes alone."
"Why?"
"So I could do this," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her slowly as he reacquainted himself with her, having somehow forgotten how incredible it felt to kiss her. It all came flooding back to him as she hungrily kissed him back, slipping her tongue into his mouth and sending shivers racing down his spine. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer to him, moaning softly as her fingertips brushed across the back of his neck. After an agonizing month apart from her, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was break their kiss, but he did a minute later when he felt his lungs burning and screaming for oxygen. He broke apart from her reluctantly, resting his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. He smiled at her as he took her hands in his and squeezed them.
"God, I missed you," he breathed.
"I missed you too, obviously," she said with a breathless laugh.
"I can't believe you're here."
"Me either. I hope you're not upset, but I just couldn't sit in L.A. for a week doing nothing, when I knew that this was probably the only chance I'd get to see you until July. I had to come."
"I'm so glad you did. I've been miserable without you, Syd. I know it's crazy for you to be here, but I don't care. I've never needed anything more than I need to be with you now. Even just standing here with you feels so amazing."
"I know," she smiled, "seeing you was worth the risk, although my dad had a difference of opinion." At that, Vaughn pulled his forehead away from hers and looked at her closely.
"Wait, your father knows that you're here?"
"Well, I had to tell him where I was going so he wouldn't worry and so he could make sure that security section wouldn't track me."
"And how exactly did you explain your destination?" he asked with an amused smile.
"I told him that I needed to be with the man I loved," she said simply.
"You didn't," he said incredulously.
"I did," she smiled. "He knows about us now."
"Since when?" Vaughn asked, growing pale at the thought that Jack knew about their relationship.
"Since last week when I told him. He was concerned about me and he wanted to know why I'd been so miserable since you left. So I told him the truth," she shrugged.
"And you did that a week ago? That should have given him plenty of time to put a hit out on me."
"He wouldn't do anything like that. Well, maybe he would," she acknowledged when she saw his dubious expression. Actually, he *did* threaten you with bodily harm if you ever do anything to hurt me, but I know that you never would," she said, running her fingers through his hair.
"So how badly did he take the news?"
"Shockingly, he took it really well. He was actually supportive, if you can believe that. And it's not like he didn't already know how we felt about each other. I think he knew it was inevitable, although obviously, he was hoping that nothing would happen until after SD-6 was gone, but he seems okay with it. I doubt he'll ever tell you, but in his own weird way, I think he likes you."
"I think you might be overstating it just a bit," Vaughn rolled his eyes.
"No seriously, I think he does. I know for a fact that he respects you and I know that he trusts you with me." Vaughn raised an eyebrow at that.
"Does he?" he asked in a low, seductive voice that made her whole body tingle. "Because if he had any idea of the things I want to do to you right now, he wouldn't trust me at all."
"I won't tell if you don't tell," she grinned before leaning in for another tantalizing kiss.
They were so engrossed in kissing each other that they didn't notice a few minutes later when Elise walked back into the room. She cleared her throat softly to alert them to her presence, and smiled when they jumped away from each other, embarrassed to have been caught.
"Sorry to interrupt, I just needed to grab my purse before I left."
"Oh, Mrs. Vaug -- Elise --" Sydney corrected herself. "You're not leaving so soon, are you?"
"Yes, dear, I need to go. It's late and I have a breakfast meeting in the morning."
"On a Saturday?" Vaughn asked.
"Yes, the trade minister has a few more things he wants to discuss before he returns to Paris tomorrow," Elise explained. "Besides, it's obvious that you and Sydney can't wait to be alone, so I'm going to go gracefully before you throw me out," she smiled. "However, I'd love for the two of you to come over for dinner tomorrow, if you aren't busy."
"I would love that," Sydney beamed.
"Good. Then I'll see the two of you at seven, and don't even think about bringing anything, Michael" she admonished as she gave him a kiss on both cheeks. "Sydney," she said, wrapping her in a warm hug, "it was lovely to meet you, and I look forward to getting to know you better tomorrow evening."
"So do I, Elise." Vaughn gave her hand a quick squeeze before he left to walk Elise out to her car. It was just then that Sydney remembered she had left Donovan outside when she came back in to get her jacket. She opened the sliding glass window and he came barreling back into the living room just as Vaughn returned.
"Donny!" he grinned as the dog ran over to him. "Were you a good boy for Sydney?" Donovan wagged his tail excitedly as if to say yes. "I bet you were excited when she got here, huh? You're not used to being around someone so gorgeous, are you?"
"Please, he spends every day with you; I'm sure he's used to it." She smiled as he started to blush at the compliment she paid him. He could be so adorable sometimes.
Vaughn stood up from his squatting position and looked back down at Donovan. "Well, tomorrow you can play with Sydney, but she's all mine tonight," he said, looking back over at her with a wink. "And I know you're used to sleeping in my room, but not tonight, buddy."
"You're kicking Donovan out of the room? You sound like you have some kind of plans, Vaughn," Sydney said innocently.
"You have no idea," he said, shooting her the sexy grin that always made her knees go weak. "I'm gonna go get him situated in the den, and then I'll be back, okay?"
"I'll be here," she smiled as she watched him leave the room with Donovan in tow. She almost felt sorry for the poor dog, but she definitely wanted to be the only one sharing Vaughn's bed tonight. She had just walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator when she felt a warm body press against her from behind and strong arms wrap themselves around her.
"So where were we before my mother interrupted us?" he asked as he nuzzled her neck.
"I think you were threatening to corrupt Jack Bristow's sweet, innocent daughter," she teased.
"That's right," he smiled. "Man, I still can't believe that he knows about us. It's gonna take me a while to wrap my mind around that."
"Well now *both* our parents know," she said as she turned around to face him. "I thought I was going to die when I saw your mom standing next to you. I can't even imagine what she must have been thinking. She probably thought I was a crazy person," she groaned.
"You *are* a crazy person, Syd. Seriously though, she liked you, I could tell. She's been dying to know all about you."
"Really? What have you told her?"
"Not much, just that I was seeing someone. It's not that I didn't want to tell her everything about you," he explained, "it's just that I didn't think the two of you would meet anytime soon. But now that you're here . . ."
"Yeah," Sydney said softly. "Well, I'm looking forward to getting to know her better."
"You sure about that? I'm warning you now that she's going to ask you a ton of questions. I just want you to be prepared for the inquisition."
"Oh, she's gonna be sizing me up, huh? Figuring out if I'm good enough for her precious Michael?"
"Basically."
"Well, I'm sure I can handle it. In fact, I'm looking forward to proving myself."
"Really?" Vaughn asked, arching his eyebrow as he took the bottle of water from her hands, set it on the counter and pulled her into his arms. "I have a few things I want to prove also."
"I already know all about your endurance and stamina, Vaughn" she grinned.
He laughed as he lowered his head to kiss her neck. "I still can't believe that you're here with me," he murmured. "I knew that being away from you was going to be difficult, but the past month has been torture."
"It's a hell of your own making," she teased, loving the deep, throaty laugh that it provoked from him.
"Yeah, I guess it is. Are you still mad at me?" he asked as he nibbled on her earlobe.
"Yes," she inhaled sharply as he trailed kisses from her ear to her jaw.
"Maybe I could change that tonight . . ."
"I don't think so. You have a lot to make up for, Vaughn. It's going to take longer than just one night," she murmured as she closed her eyes in ecstasy from the feel of his kisses on her neck.
"I'm fully prepared for that. Are you?" he asked, drawing back from her slightly. When she opened her eyes to protest the loss of his lips from her neck, she saw his penetrating gaze fixed on her and remembered how much she had missed seeing that look of open lust and desire in his eyes.
"Try me," she said challengingly. They stared at each other as the heat between them rose to an almost unbearable level and she pulled him back to her, slipping her hands underneath his sweater as she did so. She heard him suck in a breath as her fingers lightly brushed against his stomach.
"Syd," he rasped as he grabbed her hands and pulled them from underneath his sweater. "I want you so much right now that I can't think straight, but I feel like we should talk or something. I haven't seen you in a month and I don't want it to seem like the only thing I care about is taking you up to bed."
She looked at him incredulously. "Vaughn, please. We can talk later . . . or during . . . whatever. But now is *so* not the time for any deep conversations. Seriously, I don't want to talk, I just want to be with you," she said breathlessly as she pulled his head back down to hers and kissed him hard on the mouth, effectively putting an end to any further conversation.
*****
"So are you still mad at me?" Vaughn asked a while later after they had finally made it up to his bedroom.
"Vaughn," she groaned, playfully, "I told you I'm going to be mad at you for a while."
"I know that's what you said, but you don't seem very mad right now."
"I'm just really good at hiding it," she smiled as she snuggled up next to him.
"Well, if that's what it's like to make love to you when you're mad, I hope you stay mad at me forever. Seriously, I might spend all my free time thinking of new ways to piss you off," he grinned, as his hand found hers underneath the blanket and he gently ran his fingers across her knuckles.
"Do I need to remind you that I can kick your ass?"
"Hmmm, that might actually be fun. Could you wear leather when you do it?"
"Michael, you're impossible," she half-laughed, half-groaned.
"Did you just call me Michael again?" he asked, looking at her with mock surprise.
"It slipped out."
"It seemed to slip out a lot a little while ago. Funny how that happens," he teased.
"That's not the only thing that slips out," she smirked. "Every time we make love, I feel like I'm in French class, except my French instructor never taught us *those* words. It's kind of funny how *that* happens, don't you think?"
"I have no explanation for that," he blushed. "Seriously, that's never happened with any other woman. I don't know what it is about you that makes me do that, but I know that you like it," he said with a wicked smile.
"I don't hate it," she grinned.
"Good, because I'm obviously powerless to control it. Hey, I almost forgot . . . " he took a long look into her eyes before leaning over and giving her a slow, smoldering kiss. "Welcome to Virginia."
"You really know how to roll out the red carpet for a girl, don't you? Do you greet all your visitors that way?"
"The only other visitor I've had is Weiss, so that's a definite *no*."
"Too bad for him," she laughed. Her expression grew serious and thoughtful as she looked at him. "Vaughn, I missed you so much. I couldn't even begin to tell you."
"I know," he sighed. "I was crazy to leave you. I don't know how I fooled myself into believing that I could stand to be apart from you for so long."
"I know what you were thinking, and I understand. I hate it, but I understand. I know you were just doing what you thought was best for both of us, and Sylvia's been great -- you were right about her. She told me that you call to check up on me."
"Not so much to check up on you, just to make sure that you're okay. Mostly I just call to make sure that you're not driving her crazy," he smirked.
"Figures," she laughed. "Admit it, Vaughn, that's what you miss about me the most, isn't it? You secretly loved it when I was being a pain in the ass."
"Yeah, you're right. I miss everything about you, Syd, but especially that."
"You know what I miss the most? Coming home to you. No matter how awful my missions were or how tired I was when I got back, I always felt better knowing that I'd walk in the warehouse or the ops center and you'd be there," she said softly.
"And now I'm not. I'm really sorry for that," he said sincerely.
"Don't be," she shook her head, surprised to realize that she actually meant it. "Besides, if you start acting all contrite, it's going to make it harder for me to stay mad at you, so just don't," she teased.
"Gee, the last thing I'd ever want to do is make it easier for you to forgive me," he cracked. "So how's everyone back in L.A.?"
"Good. Will and Francie are good, and my dad is fine. What's it been like here?"
"Mostly just work, but I've been able to hang out with some of my old friends, which was cool. And of course, I've gotten to spend time with my mom, which has been nice. Maybe too nice, because now she keeps trying to convince me to transfer back to Langley."
"You're not considering that, are you?" Sydney asked with concern.
"No," Vaughn scoffed. "I mean, I love it here, I grew up here, but moving back is not an option unless . . ." he glanced at her quickly then shook his head. "It's just not an option."
"Aw, your mom's gonna be disappointed. Speaking of your mom, I was surprised that she doesn't have more of a French accent."
"Well, she's lived here in the states for more than thirty years," Vaughn shrugged. "She went to college and law school at Georgetown."
"Really? I never knew that."
"Yeah. She always knew she wanted to do some kind of foreign service or diplomacy work, so she thought it would be smart to go to school in Washington. Now she works for the French Trade Commission at the embassy here.
"Wow. Sydney was impressed. She loved learning every new detail about Vaughn's life and his family. "So I know you told me that she and your dad fell in love in Paris, but how did they meet?"
"*Ooh, that* story. I think I'll let her tell you at dinner tomorrow. She loves to tell that story," he laughed.
"Okay, then I'm looking forward to it. Given how you turned out, I'm not surprised, but she seems like a really wonderful person."
"She is," he nodded. "Up until a year and a half ago, she was the strongest, most amazing woman I had ever known, but someone bumped her down to second."
"You're just saying that," she smiled.
"No, I mean it," he said seriously as he turned to her and trailed a finger along the side of her face, down to her neck. "I've never met anyone like you, Sydney. Ever."
"And I've never loved anyone like *you*," she said as she pressed him onto his back and kissed him deeply. She only had a week to make up for a whole month of missing him, and she wasn't going to waste a single moment of it.
TBC . . .
Chapter 14: "Reunion"
"So, Michael, are you going to introduce me to your guest or not?"
Sydney wanted to smile at the amused tone of the other woman's voice and the deer-in-the-headlights expression on Vaughn's face, but she thought better of it, desperately wanting to make a good impression on the elegant woman standing across from her.
Vaughn tried to gather his bearings as the two women in the living room took turns looking expectantly at him. This certainly wasn't the way he had ever expected or intended for them to meet, and his mind raced to find a proper way to introduce the two most important women in his life to each other.
Vaughn cleared his throat. "Um, Sydney Bristow, this is Elise Vaughn," he said gesturing to the woman next to him. "Mom, this is Sydney, my . . ."
Sydney raised an eyebrow and looked at Vaughn pointedly, as if to ask, your *what*?
"My girlfriend," Vaughn said as he took her hand in his and pulled her closer to him. Sydney couldn't believe how good it felt to hear him say those words in the presence of another person. She knew she didn't need words to validate her place in Vaughn's life, but hearing him introduce her to his mother as his girlfriend somehow made their Omega-17 classified relationship seem real. Vaughn smiled when he saw her radiant smile, and then turned to his mother who was clearly surprised and happy to be meeting the mysterious woman about whom he'd been so tight-lipped.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sydney," she said with a warm smile as she shook Sydney's hand.
"You too, Mrs. Vaughn. I wasn't expecting this at all, so please forgive my appearance," she said, looking down at her jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt. After spending most of her day on a plane, she was afraid she looked incredibly grungy, especially in comparison to Mrs. Vaughn's tailored slacks and silk blouse.
"Oh nonsense! You're gorgeous, and please, call me Elise. You can save 'Mrs. Vaughn' for Michael's grandmother. *So*, this is quite a surprise, isn't it? I can't believe you didn't tell me that Sydney was coming for a visit, Michael," she said accusingly.
Vaughn held his hands up in mock surrender. "I had no idea she was coming, so you're not the only one who's surprised. How exactly did you get in here?" he asked as he turned to Sydney who wore a guilty expression on her face. "Forget I asked," he laughed. She shot him a grateful smile and turned back to Elise.
"Michael's telling the truth, he had no idea I was coming. I unexpectedly got a week off from work, so I decided to surprise him."
Vaughn bit back a smile as he remembered what happened the last time Sydney unexpectedly got time off from SD-6.
"Well, he's obviously very happy to see you," Elise said, noticing that he could barely take his eyes off of Sydney. "So what kind of work do you do back in Los Angeles?"
Sydney glanced uncertainly at Vaughn, not knowing what, if anything, he had told his mother about her. "I, um . . ."
Elise Vaughn had never been a spy herself, but after being married to one and raising another one, she was observant enough to notice Michael and Sydney's suddenly tense body language. She remembered what Michael had told her at dinner a few nights ago about his love life being "complicated" and the pieces quickly fell into place. "You work with Michael, don't you?"
"Yes, we work together," Vaughn said with a bemused smile. It was impossible to get anything over on his inquisitive mother.
"Are you an agent?"
"Yes, I am," Sydney nodded, though that didn't begin to tell the half of it.
"Just how closely do the two of you work together?" Elise asked, turning to Vaughn.
"I'm Sydney's handler, Mom," Vaughn sighed. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you what that means."
"It means the two of you shouldn't be seeing each other. No wonder you've been so secretive," she chuckled. "The CIA and its protocol . . . so ridiculous. Your father used to always say that the only reason the company made those rules was so they could be broken."
Vaughn and Sydney shared quick, knowing smiles and then looked away from each other. "I don't have to ask you not to say anything about Sydney to anyone, do I?"
"Michael, please. I can be discreet. I *did* learn a thing or two from being married to your father, my goodness," she huffed with mock indignation. "But surely you know that the two of you can't hide your relationship forever."
"Well, in a few months we may not have to anymore," Vaughn said hopefully. "Mom, listen. The fact that Sydney works for the CIA isn't really an issue, but -- and you *absolutely* cannot mention this to another living soul -- Sydney is a double agent working undercover for us right now. That's the real reason that no one can know about our relationship."
"Oh," Elise nodded, clearly surprised by his revelation. "I see. Is it safe for you to be here, Sydney?" she asked with obvious concern.
"I think so. I doubt that anyone from SD-6 is monitoring me this week," she said, more for Vaughn's benefit than Elise's. When she saw his eyes briefly cloud over, considering the possibility that she might be wrong, she shot him a look, silently pleading with him not to make an issue out of it. "Coming here probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world, but I couldn't stay away from Michael. I missed him desperately," she admitted, wrapping her arms around his left arm and leaning her head on his shoulder.
Elise smiled, remembering what it felt like to be young and in love. "Well, since you've come all this way I hope that you and Michael can spend some quality time with each other this week. God knows he needs someone to drag him away from that office," she grumbled good-naturedly. "Speaking of the office, I need to check my voicemail, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Thanks Mom," Vaughn smirked as he and Sydney watched her leave the room. Noticing Sydney's confused expression, he explained, "My mom checked her voicemail just before we left the restaurant. I think she just wanted to give us a few minutes alone."
"Why?"
"So I could do this," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her slowly as he reacquainted himself with her, having somehow forgotten how incredible it felt to kiss her. It all came flooding back to him as she hungrily kissed him back, slipping her tongue into his mouth and sending shivers racing down his spine. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer to him, moaning softly as her fingertips brushed across the back of his neck. After an agonizing month apart from her, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was break their kiss, but he did a minute later when he felt his lungs burning and screaming for oxygen. He broke apart from her reluctantly, resting his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. He smiled at her as he took her hands in his and squeezed them.
"God, I missed you," he breathed.
"I missed you too, obviously," she said with a breathless laugh.
"I can't believe you're here."
"Me either. I hope you're not upset, but I just couldn't sit in L.A. for a week doing nothing, when I knew that this was probably the only chance I'd get to see you until July. I had to come."
"I'm so glad you did. I've been miserable without you, Syd. I know it's crazy for you to be here, but I don't care. I've never needed anything more than I need to be with you now. Even just standing here with you feels so amazing."
"I know," she smiled, "seeing you was worth the risk, although my dad had a difference of opinion." At that, Vaughn pulled his forehead away from hers and looked at her closely.
"Wait, your father knows that you're here?"
"Well, I had to tell him where I was going so he wouldn't worry and so he could make sure that security section wouldn't track me."
"And how exactly did you explain your destination?" he asked with an amused smile.
"I told him that I needed to be with the man I loved," she said simply.
"You didn't," he said incredulously.
"I did," she smiled. "He knows about us now."
"Since when?" Vaughn asked, growing pale at the thought that Jack knew about their relationship.
"Since last week when I told him. He was concerned about me and he wanted to know why I'd been so miserable since you left. So I told him the truth," she shrugged.
"And you did that a week ago? That should have given him plenty of time to put a hit out on me."
"He wouldn't do anything like that. Well, maybe he would," she acknowledged when she saw his dubious expression. Actually, he *did* threaten you with bodily harm if you ever do anything to hurt me, but I know that you never would," she said, running her fingers through his hair.
"So how badly did he take the news?"
"Shockingly, he took it really well. He was actually supportive, if you can believe that. And it's not like he didn't already know how we felt about each other. I think he knew it was inevitable, although obviously, he was hoping that nothing would happen until after SD-6 was gone, but he seems okay with it. I doubt he'll ever tell you, but in his own weird way, I think he likes you."
"I think you might be overstating it just a bit," Vaughn rolled his eyes.
"No seriously, I think he does. I know for a fact that he respects you and I know that he trusts you with me." Vaughn raised an eyebrow at that.
"Does he?" he asked in a low, seductive voice that made her whole body tingle. "Because if he had any idea of the things I want to do to you right now, he wouldn't trust me at all."
"I won't tell if you don't tell," she grinned before leaning in for another tantalizing kiss.
They were so engrossed in kissing each other that they didn't notice a few minutes later when Elise walked back into the room. She cleared her throat softly to alert them to her presence, and smiled when they jumped away from each other, embarrassed to have been caught.
"Sorry to interrupt, I just needed to grab my purse before I left."
"Oh, Mrs. Vaug -- Elise --" Sydney corrected herself. "You're not leaving so soon, are you?"
"Yes, dear, I need to go. It's late and I have a breakfast meeting in the morning."
"On a Saturday?" Vaughn asked.
"Yes, the trade minister has a few more things he wants to discuss before he returns to Paris tomorrow," Elise explained. "Besides, it's obvious that you and Sydney can't wait to be alone, so I'm going to go gracefully before you throw me out," she smiled. "However, I'd love for the two of you to come over for dinner tomorrow, if you aren't busy."
"I would love that," Sydney beamed.
"Good. Then I'll see the two of you at seven, and don't even think about bringing anything, Michael" she admonished as she gave him a kiss on both cheeks. "Sydney," she said, wrapping her in a warm hug, "it was lovely to meet you, and I look forward to getting to know you better tomorrow evening."
"So do I, Elise." Vaughn gave her hand a quick squeeze before he left to walk Elise out to her car. It was just then that Sydney remembered she had left Donovan outside when she came back in to get her jacket. She opened the sliding glass window and he came barreling back into the living room just as Vaughn returned.
"Donny!" he grinned as the dog ran over to him. "Were you a good boy for Sydney?" Donovan wagged his tail excitedly as if to say yes. "I bet you were excited when she got here, huh? You're not used to being around someone so gorgeous, are you?"
"Please, he spends every day with you; I'm sure he's used to it." She smiled as he started to blush at the compliment she paid him. He could be so adorable sometimes.
Vaughn stood up from his squatting position and looked back down at Donovan. "Well, tomorrow you can play with Sydney, but she's all mine tonight," he said, looking back over at her with a wink. "And I know you're used to sleeping in my room, but not tonight, buddy."
"You're kicking Donovan out of the room? You sound like you have some kind of plans, Vaughn," Sydney said innocently.
"You have no idea," he said, shooting her the sexy grin that always made her knees go weak. "I'm gonna go get him situated in the den, and then I'll be back, okay?"
"I'll be here," she smiled as she watched him leave the room with Donovan in tow. She almost felt sorry for the poor dog, but she definitely wanted to be the only one sharing Vaughn's bed tonight. She had just walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator when she felt a warm body press against her from behind and strong arms wrap themselves around her.
"So where were we before my mother interrupted us?" he asked as he nuzzled her neck.
"I think you were threatening to corrupt Jack Bristow's sweet, innocent daughter," she teased.
"That's right," he smiled. "Man, I still can't believe that he knows about us. It's gonna take me a while to wrap my mind around that."
"Well now *both* our parents know," she said as she turned around to face him. "I thought I was going to die when I saw your mom standing next to you. I can't even imagine what she must have been thinking. She probably thought I was a crazy person," she groaned.
"You *are* a crazy person, Syd. Seriously though, she liked you, I could tell. She's been dying to know all about you."
"Really? What have you told her?"
"Not much, just that I was seeing someone. It's not that I didn't want to tell her everything about you," he explained, "it's just that I didn't think the two of you would meet anytime soon. But now that you're here . . ."
"Yeah," Sydney said softly. "Well, I'm looking forward to getting to know her better."
"You sure about that? I'm warning you now that she's going to ask you a ton of questions. I just want you to be prepared for the inquisition."
"Oh, she's gonna be sizing me up, huh? Figuring out if I'm good enough for her precious Michael?"
"Basically."
"Well, I'm sure I can handle it. In fact, I'm looking forward to proving myself."
"Really?" Vaughn asked, arching his eyebrow as he took the bottle of water from her hands, set it on the counter and pulled her into his arms. "I have a few things I want to prove also."
"I already know all about your endurance and stamina, Vaughn" she grinned.
He laughed as he lowered his head to kiss her neck. "I still can't believe that you're here with me," he murmured. "I knew that being away from you was going to be difficult, but the past month has been torture."
"It's a hell of your own making," she teased, loving the deep, throaty laugh that it provoked from him.
"Yeah, I guess it is. Are you still mad at me?" he asked as he nibbled on her earlobe.
"Yes," she inhaled sharply as he trailed kisses from her ear to her jaw.
"Maybe I could change that tonight . . ."
"I don't think so. You have a lot to make up for, Vaughn. It's going to take longer than just one night," she murmured as she closed her eyes in ecstasy from the feel of his kisses on her neck.
"I'm fully prepared for that. Are you?" he asked, drawing back from her slightly. When she opened her eyes to protest the loss of his lips from her neck, she saw his penetrating gaze fixed on her and remembered how much she had missed seeing that look of open lust and desire in his eyes.
"Try me," she said challengingly. They stared at each other as the heat between them rose to an almost unbearable level and she pulled him back to her, slipping her hands underneath his sweater as she did so. She heard him suck in a breath as her fingers lightly brushed against his stomach.
"Syd," he rasped as he grabbed her hands and pulled them from underneath his sweater. "I want you so much right now that I can't think straight, but I feel like we should talk or something. I haven't seen you in a month and I don't want it to seem like the only thing I care about is taking you up to bed."
She looked at him incredulously. "Vaughn, please. We can talk later . . . or during . . . whatever. But now is *so* not the time for any deep conversations. Seriously, I don't want to talk, I just want to be with you," she said breathlessly as she pulled his head back down to hers and kissed him hard on the mouth, effectively putting an end to any further conversation.
*****
"So are you still mad at me?" Vaughn asked a while later after they had finally made it up to his bedroom.
"Vaughn," she groaned, playfully, "I told you I'm going to be mad at you for a while."
"I know that's what you said, but you don't seem very mad right now."
"I'm just really good at hiding it," she smiled as she snuggled up next to him.
"Well, if that's what it's like to make love to you when you're mad, I hope you stay mad at me forever. Seriously, I might spend all my free time thinking of new ways to piss you off," he grinned, as his hand found hers underneath the blanket and he gently ran his fingers across her knuckles.
"Do I need to remind you that I can kick your ass?"
"Hmmm, that might actually be fun. Could you wear leather when you do it?"
"Michael, you're impossible," she half-laughed, half-groaned.
"Did you just call me Michael again?" he asked, looking at her with mock surprise.
"It slipped out."
"It seemed to slip out a lot a little while ago. Funny how that happens," he teased.
"That's not the only thing that slips out," she smirked. "Every time we make love, I feel like I'm in French class, except my French instructor never taught us *those* words. It's kind of funny how *that* happens, don't you think?"
"I have no explanation for that," he blushed. "Seriously, that's never happened with any other woman. I don't know what it is about you that makes me do that, but I know that you like it," he said with a wicked smile.
"I don't hate it," she grinned.
"Good, because I'm obviously powerless to control it. Hey, I almost forgot . . . " he took a long look into her eyes before leaning over and giving her a slow, smoldering kiss. "Welcome to Virginia."
"You really know how to roll out the red carpet for a girl, don't you? Do you greet all your visitors that way?"
"The only other visitor I've had is Weiss, so that's a definite *no*."
"Too bad for him," she laughed. Her expression grew serious and thoughtful as she looked at him. "Vaughn, I missed you so much. I couldn't even begin to tell you."
"I know," he sighed. "I was crazy to leave you. I don't know how I fooled myself into believing that I could stand to be apart from you for so long."
"I know what you were thinking, and I understand. I hate it, but I understand. I know you were just doing what you thought was best for both of us, and Sylvia's been great -- you were right about her. She told me that you call to check up on me."
"Not so much to check up on you, just to make sure that you're okay. Mostly I just call to make sure that you're not driving her crazy," he smirked.
"Figures," she laughed. "Admit it, Vaughn, that's what you miss about me the most, isn't it? You secretly loved it when I was being a pain in the ass."
"Yeah, you're right. I miss everything about you, Syd, but especially that."
"You know what I miss the most? Coming home to you. No matter how awful my missions were or how tired I was when I got back, I always felt better knowing that I'd walk in the warehouse or the ops center and you'd be there," she said softly.
"And now I'm not. I'm really sorry for that," he said sincerely.
"Don't be," she shook her head, surprised to realize that she actually meant it. "Besides, if you start acting all contrite, it's going to make it harder for me to stay mad at you, so just don't," she teased.
"Gee, the last thing I'd ever want to do is make it easier for you to forgive me," he cracked. "So how's everyone back in L.A.?"
"Good. Will and Francie are good, and my dad is fine. What's it been like here?"
"Mostly just work, but I've been able to hang out with some of my old friends, which was cool. And of course, I've gotten to spend time with my mom, which has been nice. Maybe too nice, because now she keeps trying to convince me to transfer back to Langley."
"You're not considering that, are you?" Sydney asked with concern.
"No," Vaughn scoffed. "I mean, I love it here, I grew up here, but moving back is not an option unless . . ." he glanced at her quickly then shook his head. "It's just not an option."
"Aw, your mom's gonna be disappointed. Speaking of your mom, I was surprised that she doesn't have more of a French accent."
"Well, she's lived here in the states for more than thirty years," Vaughn shrugged. "She went to college and law school at Georgetown."
"Really? I never knew that."
"Yeah. She always knew she wanted to do some kind of foreign service or diplomacy work, so she thought it would be smart to go to school in Washington. Now she works for the French Trade Commission at the embassy here.
"Wow. Sydney was impressed. She loved learning every new detail about Vaughn's life and his family. "So I know you told me that she and your dad fell in love in Paris, but how did they meet?"
"*Ooh, that* story. I think I'll let her tell you at dinner tomorrow. She loves to tell that story," he laughed.
"Okay, then I'm looking forward to it. Given how you turned out, I'm not surprised, but she seems like a really wonderful person."
"She is," he nodded. "Up until a year and a half ago, she was the strongest, most amazing woman I had ever known, but someone bumped her down to second."
"You're just saying that," she smiled.
"No, I mean it," he said seriously as he turned to her and trailed a finger along the side of her face, down to her neck. "I've never met anyone like you, Sydney. Ever."
"And I've never loved anyone like *you*," she said as she pressed him onto his back and kissed him deeply. She only had a week to make up for a whole month of missing him, and she wasn't going to waste a single moment of it.
TBC . . .