Title: Welcome to Normal
Author: Steph (ILUVNYYANK@aol.com)
Category: Romance/Humor
Pairings: Syd/Vaughn, Vaughn/Weiss friendship
Spoilers: "The Frame", "Unveiled", "Hourglass"
Rating: PG (with a strong PG-13 for an upcoming chapter)
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.
Disclaimer: Alias and its characters do not belong to me. I do this out of
a love for the show and no infringement is intended.
Summary: Vaughn gets a taste of the normal life he craves.
Note: Hey guys! Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback! You guys are great. So, this chapter used to be a lot shorter, but I tinkered and now it's longer than 4 and 5. Well, for now at least! I can't stop tinkering! That's what happens when you have the week off from work. I guess it's a good thing I go back tomorrow! I'm glad I played around with this story though. I think it's better than it was originally and has more heart and depth. Anyway, hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you thought! ~Steph
* * * * Welcome to Normal: Part 3/5 * * * *
Vaughn walked in the door at five thirty, completely exhausted. He'd forgotten how much teaching takes out of you. He smiled to himself, thinking about how he used to feel the same way after a grueling mission halfway around the world and a painfully long plane ride. How is it possible, he wondered, to feel equally exhausted from such vastly different experiences?
He dropped his bag by the front door and sank into the recliner in the living room. He laid his head back and lifted his hand to loosen his tie. He felt himself drifting off to sleep, when he heard footsteps approaching.
Sydney stopped in front of him. "We have a problem."
Vaughn reluctantly opened his eyes. "What? No how was your day? No welcome home kiss?"
A smile crept across her lips. She bent down and gave him a smoldering kiss. He suddenly felt his energy increase and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap. She laughed into his lips and finished loosening his tie. He was hoping to continue what they'd started in bed that morning and in her classroom that afternoon.
"How was your day?" she asked, her voice muffled against his skin as she began to kiss a path down his neck.
Vaughn had lost all train of thought. He could have traveled to Mars and back that day, and he wouldn't have been able to recall it.
That's what she did to him. That's what she'd always done to him.
'Yeah,' he thought, 'coming home to Sydney is certainly different than coming home to Lauren.'
"Much, much better now," he replied, as he tangled his hands in her hair and found her lips again.
Sydney smiled and then gently placed her hands on his chest, pulling back and jumping off his lap. Vaughn's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.
She placed her hands on her hips and grinned at him.
"Uh, what just happened?" he asked, his voice cracking on the last syllable.
"You wanted a kiss and a 'how was your day?', so I gave you one."
He swallowed, shifting in his seat. "Yes, yes, I did, but I was kind of hoping we could expand on the kiss part."
"I told you. We have a problem," she said with a shake of her head.
He nodded in understanding. "So, that whole thing right there? That was just to temporarily appease me and get my attention?"
"Yup."
"That's evil."
"But it worked," she replied with a smile. "Actually, it's worked for eight years, yet you still fall for it every time."
Vaughn could still taste her on his lips. 'I can understand why,' he thought to himself.
He finally accepted the fact that there was not going to be anymore of that right now and sat up straight, focusing his attention on her.
"So, what's the problem?"
"Mr. Goldy died."
Vaughn could tell from her tone and the use of the word 'died' that this was to be met with some sort of sympathetic response, even though he had no idea who Mr. Goldy was.
"That's terrible. What happened?"
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"Well, how did you find out? Did a family member or friend of his call?"
Sydney chuckled. "Yeah, Mrs. Goldy called."
Vaughn thought the chuckle to be a bit inappropriate under the circumstances, but let it slide. "What did she say?"
Sydney couldn't help but laugh out loud now. "Nothing! She's a goldfish and not blessed with the gift of speech!"
Vaughn's face reddened in embarrassment. He didn't quite know what to say. "Oh."
Sydney shook her head, her tone playfully reprimanding, "How could you joke about such a thing?"
Vaughn swallowed. "Sorry."
Syd's expression grew serious. "Actually, Billy's taking it really hard. Lindsay's overjoyed that her fish, Mr. Goldy's grieving widow, survived, but Billy found Mr. Goldy."
"He found him dead?"
Sydney nodded. "And I found him trying to revive him."
Vaughn had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "What, he was doing CPR?"
Sydney nodded, as she suppressed her own laugh. "I found him with Mr. Goldy halfway in his mouth. He was trying to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him."
Vaughn nearly burst out laughing at that. "What's next? Chest compressions with a Q-tip?"
Sydney swatted his arm, as she too fought to control her laughter. "It's not funny. I tried talking to him about it, but he wouldn't listen. He won't even let go of him. Why don't you give it a try?"
That finally stopped Vaughn's laughter. His mouth dropped open. 'Me?'
"Me?"
"Yeah, you know he adores you. Just make him see that this is a natural part of life. If you don't, I'm pretty sure he'll be sleeping with that thing tonight."
Vaughn was about to protest again, when he realized that this was expected of him. It was a fatherly thing to do.
'I'm suddenly Bill Cosby', he thought.
The only problem was that he had no idea how to talk to a kid about death.
He slowly stood up and placed a kiss on Sydney's cheek, saying as more of a confidence-builder for himself than to soothe her, "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
Sydney nodded and watched him leave the room. Vaughn found Billy in his hockey-themed bedroom, sitting on his bed, cradling the fish in the palm of his hand. He hesitantly sat down next to him. Billy didn't acknowledge him, his gaze focused solely on the fish.
"Mommy told me what happened to Mr. Goldy. I'm sorry."
"He's just sleeping," Billy replied, as he used his free hand to stroke the fish.
Vaughn ran his sweaty palms over his pants. "I think you know that's not true or you wouldn't have tried to save him."
Billy lifted his head, his green eyes meeting Vaughn's. "It didn't work," he said with a sad shake of his head.
"There was nothing you could do. He was already gone."
"Mommy says I have to say good-bye to him now."
Vaughn nodded. "That's what people do when something they love dies. They say good-bye. But that doesn't mean they ever forget. That's what memories are for, right?"
Billy nodded. "I guess."
Vaughn swallowed. "You know, I had a hamster when I was about your age, maybe a little older. I named him Hammy."
"That's not a very good name."
Vaughn almost countered with a remark about the lack of creativity involved in naming a goldfish Mr. Goldy, before remembering he was four.
He shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't the best name. Anyway, we did everything together. I took him everywhere I went. I even got in trouble for taking him to school one day. He escaped and ended up in Lisa Delmer's lunch."
Billy giggled, bringing a smile to Vaughn's face. After a moment, he went on, the smile now gone. "Then, one day, I came home from school and I found him dead. I was so upset. I didn't even want to bury him. But then my father talked to me. He said that Hammy wouldn't be at peace until I Iet him go. He said he needed to go to Hamster Heaven."
"Hamster Heaven?" Billy asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Yup, Hamster Heaven. And I bet there's a heaven for fish, too."
Billy shook his head, his hair flying back and forth. "Nope, you're wrong and so was your dad."
Vaughn's eyes widened, wondering if he'd said the wrong thing. Then Billy looked up at him with big eyes and said softly, "Pets don't go to a different heaven. They go to people heaven and wait for us."
Vaughn smiled in relief and nodded. "You know, you just may be right." He was then silent for a long moment before going on. "So, are you ready to say good-bye?"
Billy bobbed his head. He then kissed the fish and whispered, "Good-bye, Mr. Goldy. I know, I wish it'd been your wife, too."
Vaughn couldn't help but smile at that, as Billy reluctantly handed the goldfish over to him. He took it in his palm and then pulled his son to his side, placing a kiss on his forehead. "It'll be okay."
Billy nodded and then jumped off the bed. "Let's go play hockey."
Vaughn raised his eyebrows in surprise at the quick change of mood. Four-year olds, he realized right then, were resilient...and just a little bit fickle.
He watched as Billy ran out of the room and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He then smiled to himself, proud that he'd survived his first real fatherly duty.
* * * *
The Vaughns stood opposite each other on the ice: Mother/daughter vs. father/son.
They had the whole rink to themselves. Apparently, Vaughn was friends with the manager of the rink and, once a month, when it was Billy's turn to pick, he always chose hockey. So they had it on reserve every four weeks.
Vaughn looked down at his son, who stood swimming in one of his old L.A. Kings jerseys. Billy stuck his tongue out at Lindsay. "Me and Daddy are going to kill you and Mommy!"
Lindsay returned the gesture. "Not if we kill you first!"
Sydney suppressed a laugh. "Okay, you two, enough with the killing talk. We're here to have fun."
"And to win!" Billy yelled.
Vaughn shrugged at Syd. "The boy's got a champion's will, Syd...just like his father."
Sydney smiled. "You mean he doesn't know how to lose...just like his father."
Vaughn offered her a toothless grin, as he stepped forward, nearly closing the distance between them, except for the kids who stood as their obstacle. "You're right, I don't know how to lose because I never have."
Syd leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss, over a chorus of 'ewws' from the kids. "Well, first time for everything."
She then distracted Vaughn with another kiss and took possession of the hockey puck.
He shook his head, an amused smile on his lips. "If she uses that strategy, then I don't have a chance," he muttered.
"Go, Mommy!" Lindsay cheered, as Sydney raced toward their goal. She easily hit the puck into the unblocked goal. Lindsay skated towards her and gave her a high five. She then turned to face her brother. "See, girls are better than boys!"
Billy skated over on wobbly legs and slyly stole the puck away, as he distracted his sister with a clever 'nuh uh'. He then hit it to Vaughn, who raced toward the other side of the rink with the puck.
Sydney followed close behind, trying to get to the goal before he did. When she realized it was a losing battle, she decided to try a different strategy. She wrapped her arms around Vaughn's waist and spun him around, gently knocking him to the ice and then landing on top of him.
He smiled up at her, panting. "I'm pretty sure that was illegal."
"Maybe."
"What are you teaching your children by using such unfair tactics?" he asked, as he lifted his hand and absentmindedly ran his thumb across her jawbone.
She leaned down, her hair tickling his face, and whispered in his ear, "Whoever said life is fair?"
Vaughn managed to reply, despite the feeling her breath against his skin stirred within him. "That's a mature response."
He then lifted his head up and kissed her. Soon, they felt a presence near them.
"GA-ross," Lindsay said with a wrinkle of her nose, her brother standing by her side and nodding in agreement.
Sydney and Vaughn separated and looked up at their children. They then looked back at each other, the matching twinkle in their eyes indicating they were thinking the same thing.
Before the kids had a chance to react, their parents had pulled them down onto the ice, assaulting them with tickles and kisses.
As Vaughn looked at his laughing wife and children, he realized he never wanted this to end. 'Whatever this is, I want to live in it forever,' he thought.
* * * *
Sydney pulled a sleeping Billy out of the car, as Vaughn removed a sleepy Lindsay. They entered the house and walked to the kids' bedrooms. Vaughn watched as Sydney placed Billy in bed, not bothering to undress him. She then put the covers over him and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Vaughn smiled at the sight. He always knew she'd be an amazing mother.
He carried Lindsay into her bedroom, Sydney following behind him. He placed her on the bed and pulled the covers over her.
Not quite asleep yet, she muttered groggily. "Tooth."
Vaughn looked at Sydney and she nodded. "She wants to put her tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy."
Sydney reached into her nighttable and pulled a baggy out that contained the tooth. She then slipped it under her pillow.
She stepped back and wrapped her arm around Vaughn's waist. He looked down at her and whispered, "So, how long do we wait before the tooth fairy comes?"
Sydney studied her daughter. "She's asleep now. You can take the tooth and put five dollars under her pillow."
Vaughn's mouth dropped open. 'Five dollars!' he thought. 'I got a quarter when I was a kid!'
He eventually pulled out his wallet and took a five dollar bill out. He then carefully slipped his hand under the pillow and pulled the baggy with the tooth out, quickly replacing it with the money.
Sydney smiled and spoke softly. "See, those spy skills still come in handy every now and then."
Vaughn nodded with a grin and leaned down to place a kiss on his daughter's nose, just as she had done that morning.
They then exited the room and walked downstairs. Sydney collapsed on the family room couch, emitting an exaggerated sigh. Vaughn found himself wandering around the room, studying it. He'd checked it out only briefly during his tour of the house. This was his favorite room. It seemed to best represent the family. It had a fireplace, a large television, a broken-in sectional and a supply of toys. It also had a multitude of pictures, either hanging on the wall or sitting on shelves.
Vaughn looked at each picture, completely captivated by them. He smiled at one of Lindsay when she was about two. It was a close-up of her face, which was covered entirely in chocolate ice cream. The one next to it was of Billy. It was fairly recent, less than a year he guessed. He was clothed in a very large button down shirt and pants and huge shoes, the bag Vaughn used when he taught in his hand. Vaughn realized he was pretending to be him. He shook his head, amazed by how much one picture could say.
He moved a few feet down, finding one of Lindsay and Billy on the swings and one of the whole family at Disney World. He then moved to the mantel over the fireplace. His breath caught in his chest at the sight of the picture at the center of the mantel. He slowly moved to stand in front of it and then lifted his hand to pick it up.
It was their wedding picture. He was in a charcoal tux and Sydney was in a strapless ivory silk gown, her hair swept up into a mass of curls. As he looked at her, he knew there had never been a more beautiful bride. They were standing below an archway of wildflowers, the ocean behind them. He stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. His head was bent slightly, looking down at her, and hers was tilted up, looking at him. They both had the biggest smiles he'd ever seen. He couldn't get over how happy they looked. How happy he looked.
He ran his fingers over the cool glass, tracing the outline of Sydney's face. He felt a sudden pang of sadness as he looked at them. He had no memory of this day. He had no memory of that happiness. He couldn't recall any of the memories represented in the photos. And the birth of his children? They must have been the happiest days of his life and he didn't remember a thing about them.
He swallowed, thinking about the word 'remember'. Truthfully, he knew there was nothing to remember. This wasn't his life, not really. He had gotten used to this life and tried not to think about it, but he knew this wasn't his reality. He only hoped that if it were a dream, it would eventually come true.
He'd felt Sydney's eyes on him as he looked at the pictures. She hadn't said a word, but now stood beside him. She smiled, looking at the picture.
He spoke, his eyes still focused on the photograph. "Our wedding video. We haven't watched that in a while."
Everyone had a wedding video, so he figured that wasn't too much of a stretch. She looked up at him and smiled. "No, we haven't."
"And the births of Lindsay and Billy," he added, hoping they had videotaped them.
He felt so happy in this life, but he now realized there was a huge void. He wanted to live those moments in some way.
Sydney raised her eyebrows. "I guess you're feeling nostalgic, huh?"
He nodded and looked down at her, meeting her eyes. "I guess so."
Sydney walked over to a shelf next to the television and removed two videos. She put the first one in and then sat down. Vaughn settled next to her, placing his arm around her shoulders.
He could feel a lump form in his throat, as the images flashed across the screen. He watched as Sydney walked down the aisle toward him. In that moment, he finally understood what people meant about brides glowing. Their eyes focused on only each other as she approached him. Vaughn could tell how happy he was. What a difference from when he'd married Lauren. That day, he'd been a bundle of nerves, sweating through two shirts and nearly vomiting on the ring bearer.
He watched as they joined hands, looked into each other's eyes and exchanged vows. They then shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Their hands were linked tightly together as they strolled down the aisle, smiling and laughing all the way down.
The reception was next. It was outside and by the ocean. He watched as family and friends gathered around the dance floor for their first dance. He pulled Sydney close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. She snaked hers around his neck and then rested her head on his shoulder. They both closed their eyes and swayed to the song "When You Say Nothing At All" by Alison Krauss. Vaughn knew, in that moment, they were the only two people on earth.
He marveled at how well the words to the song fit them. From the beginning of their relationship, before they were even together, they could say so much to each other without saying a word. A smile, a touch...their eyes meeting across the room. Things hadn't changed.
He continued to watch, as he moved his mouth close to Sydney's ear and whispered something.
Sydney snuggled closer to him on the couch and looked up at him with a smile, "You decided to defy the song and say something to me. Do you remember what you said?" He froze for a moment, thinking she expected him to answer. But she went on after a brief pause, "You said, 'This is the happiest day of my life.'"
Vaughn knew exactly why he'd emphasized the word 'this' when saying that to her. He still hated agreeing with Lauren when she'd said that in Richmond. He knew Sydney had heard it and that it must have hurt her. He hoped she knew it was a lie, said to keep up pretenses, but he still wished he had said something to her about it when they discussed the situation later on.
He met her eyes now and said softly, "And it was."
She nodded and smiled. "Of course, now we have a three way tie." She held up the video with the birth of their children.
They watched the rest of their wedding video and then Sydney put the other video in. Vaughn focused on Sydney's round form, lying in bed. He couldn't believe she had ever looked like that, that she'd ever had a child growing inside of her. The pangs of sadness returned, as he realized he'd missed all of the important events of the pregnancy and the anticipation of the birth.
He shook his head and refocused on the screen. Sydney's hair was sweaty and plastered to her forehead, but she still managed to look unbelievably gorgeous. Vaughn was taping the whole thing and, therefore, unseen, but you could make out his hand holding hers tightly and hear him whispering encouragement. The video went on for a while, until, with a more than a few hard pushes, Lindsay came into the world.
Vaughn watched Sydney's face, as the nurse placed their daughter in her arms. He realized right then that she had never looked more beautiful to him. The camera lost focus for a moment, as Vaughn apparently gave the camera to a nurse and moved next to his wife and daughter.
Vaughn's eyes focused on his face on the screen. He stared at his daughter, completely mesmerized by her, before placing his finger in her little hand. He then smiled and kissed Sydney's forehead, whispering, "She looks just like you."
Vaughn could feel Sydney's hand find his and squeeze, as they watched the images. There was a little bit more, until it faded to black and then new images came on a moment later. Sydney's hair was a little bit shorter this time and Vaughn was now in front of the camera.
His brow furrowed, as he wondered who was shooting this. A familiar voice answered his question.
"I don't have to be here for the gross parts, do I?" Weiss asked.
Vaughn and Sydney shook their heads vigorously. Vaughn spoke, "Actually, I have no idea why you're still here. I only asked you to drop off the camera."
"Oh. So, I'll take that as a 'no' then."
"That's a no," Vaughn replied.
"Good, because I watched that Maternity Ward show once and I couldn't eat for a week afterwards."
"Sounds like a good diet," Vaughn said with a chuckle.
Weiss laughed and then stuck his face into the camera. "Hi, new baby. I'm your Uncle Eric. Take it from me, you're getting some good parents. They might be a little sickening with all the touchy-feely crap, but it's a lot better than my parents...where intimacy means pushing your spouse off your side of the bed. Anyway, welcome to the world, kid."
With that, Weiss handed the camera to Vaughn and left. It wasn't long after that Sydney began pushing. A few hard pushes welcomed Billy to that world. The doctor placed Billy in Sydney's arms and then Vaughn moved next to them, turning the camera to catch it all.
Sydney smiled down at her son and then looked up at Vaughn. "He looks just like you."
Vaughn couldn't take his eyes off the screen. He could actually feel himself holding his breath. He then watched as Weiss snuck Lindsay into the room to meet her new brother.
And there they all sat. Smiling like fools. That was their family.
The screen faded to black and Sydney hit stop. She then turned to him and smiled, saying softly, "We're very lucky."
He nodded and replied in a whisper, "Yeah, we are."
But he still couldn't help but feel sad at missing it all. He wanted to live those moments, he wanted to have those memories to remember them by.
Sydney then stood and offered him her hand. He slipped his hand in hers and followed his wife to their bedroom.
Vaughn quickly changed and got into bed. He watched Sydney go through her nightly routine. His eyes followed her as she walked back and forth across the room. His gaze focused on her as she brushed through her hair.
'I could certainly get used to this,' he thought.
Sydney soon joined him in bed, sliding her body up close to his. She placed her head on his shoulder and draped her arm across his chest.
"I love you," she whispered sleepily.
The words made him smile from ear-to-ear, having never actually heard her say them before.
"I love you, too," he whispered.
He watched as she drifted off to sleep. He was reluctant to do the same though, for fear that when he woke this life would be gone. But, soon, fatigue overtook him.
* * * *
End of Part 3
~Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought. Part 4 coming soon. ~Steph