Sydney/Vaughn
Post 3.18, Unveiled.
A knock on her door late at night forced Sydney out of bed with half opened eyes. Vaughn, standing in front of her, made her stop mid-yawn and stare with a confused expression.
"Can I come in?" he asked, when standing in the doorway staring at each other got tiring, and she pushed the door open to let him it, not missing out on his nervous appearance.
Turning around to look at him as he was checking out the living room, she cleared her throat. "I don't mean to sound or anything, but what the hell are you doing here?"
"Had to get out of the house."
"And you came here? What did you tell Lauren?"
There was definitely a flinch there when she mentioned his wife's name. "I didn't tell her anything and I doubt she cares. She's probably using the time I'm not there to communicate with whoever she's betraying our country with or… whatever."
She contemplated touching his arm but decided against it. "So you didn't just feel like getting out of the house."
"No."
"Why don't you sit down?"
He did. "I've never been here. Nice couches."
"Thanks. How did you find out?"
"A wig and a gun. Things every non field agent needs, of course." His eyes rose up to meet hers. "You're not going to say 'I told you so', are you?"
A soft smile. "No. you know, she can come up with a way to explain a wig and a gun."
"It's not going to work. I've been a fool for long enough."
"Well, you can't just walk into the CIA and say your wife's a double agent."
"I know."
"What are you going to do?"
He gave a bitter smile. "You mean, after getting a divorce? Get every proof I need to guarantee her a lifetime's vacation in prison."
"Do you have a plan?"
"No," his reply was quick and it made them both laugh slightly. "I'll come up with something."
"What are you gonna do in the mean time?"
"What?"
"You can't just tell her 'I know who you are' and be done with it."
"Are you trying to say I need to pretend I don't know? Be the perfect husband while she goes on with what she's doing?"
Sydney nodded.
"I can't."
"You have to."
She watched as he put his hands to his head and mumbled softly, "I cannot believe this is happening."
"Vaughn, it'll be okay. We'll get her."
"Sydney, you don't understand!" he called, standing up and pacing. "I spent the past year married to a traitor!"
She waited until he stopped and looked at her, waiting for a reaction. "My mother was a traitor. You know I understand. You also know that if it were up to me, she wouldn't be the woman you're married to."
"But it was up to you, wasn't it? You knew who you were the whole time. You saw me burying you and falling apart and if you'd really wanted to, you could have stopped me from marrying her."
"You don't mean that," she said, her face blank.
He looked at his shoes, then into her eyes. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll just… go over to Weiss' and-"
"You can stay here. I don't mind."
"You don't?"
"No. But tomorrow you're going back to her." She left the room and returned mere minutes later, carrying a blanket and a pillow. She placed the pile on the couch and looked at him. "Good night."
He caught her arm as she turned to leave and she looked at him questioningly.
"I'm sorry. "
"You already said that. It's alright."
"No, Syd. I'm sorry. About everything I put you through - not waiting, not looking for you, forcing you to see me with her. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she whispered. "It's fine, I'm fine, it doesn't matter anymore."
"Why doesn't it-"
"Good night, Vaughn."
He let go of her arm. "Night."
The following morning, she woke up and he wasn't there. Before debrief, he grabbed her hand and she followed him to a place where they could quietly talk.
"Well?" she asked, looking at his smile. "What are you so happy about?"
"I bugged our apartment. Every single room."
"You think you're gonna get her from that? What agent takes calls about top secret stuff in their bedroom?"
His eye roll suggested a 'duh'. "An agent who thinks her apartment has bug killers everywhere because both her and her husband work for the CIA?"
If the phrase 'her husband' bothered Sydney at all, she didn't let it show. "Sure. So, I'll update my father, and if you get something, tell him about it and he'll know what to do with it."
Weiss came around the corner and stopped when he saw them. "Is this your new flirting corner?" he asked. When they didn't reply, he said, "debrief? They're looking for you."
"We'll be right there," Sydney quickly said, and Weiss walked away, mumbling something that sounded like 'heard that one before'.
Sydney looked at Vaughn uncomfortably.
"He's kinda right," Vaughn said with a barely showing smile. "He has heard that one before."
"The situation's different now," she said as she turned to leave.
"Syd-"
"Vaughn, don't," she almost pleaded with him.
"Why not? Syd, this is-"
"It's not. Don't you see that this is not what we've, I've been waiting for?"
He stared. "But-"
"Debrief," she stopped him, and walked away.
It was her father who gave her the news. "We got her. Covenant. Her partner was Sark."
"Sark?! Does Vaughn know yet?"
"Lauren is in CIA custody. Vaughn knows."
"Good. Where can I find him?"
Her father couldn't give her the answer, and she went over the possibilities in her head. She found him sitting in his car, parked next to the house that belonged to her, before it was burned down to the core.
She slid into the passenger's seat, and he didn't even look at her before talking. "You know, I was thinking. What if I went inside with you that day? I dropped you off to pack for Santa Barbara, and the next thing I knew, you had died, and I was all alone. Maybe if I had walked in with you, grabbed a few of my own things, helped you pack - we wouldn't be here today."
She looked down. "I think about it everyday. What if I had killed Sloane when I had the chance to? What if I had realized earlier my best friend was a psychotic clone who wanted me dead? What if I had resigned from the CIA after the takedown of SD-6? What if I hadn't told Danny?"
"We wouldn't have met."
"Do you think I'm happy to know you right now?" she asked, the tears already falling down.
"I hope you are."
"Vaughn…"
"You know, my father's watch, that Lauren had fixed? It stopped again."
"When?" she barely managed to breathe out.
"The day I found Lauren's wig and gun."
She knew immediately what he was talking about. "You spent the night at my place."
He nodded.
"And the watch stopped."
Another nod.
"Vaughn."
"I know you think it's too fast, too soon - but we can take it slowly."
"How?"
"Don't I owe you a cup of coffee?"
"And you threw your pager in the ocean."
Her laughter rang in his ears. "Oh God, I totally did. The look on your face was priceless."
"I thought you'd gone mad," he said, trying to keep a straight face, but failed miserably.
"I can only imagine. I mean, you barely knew me back then."
"But I understood. Well, almost," he added with a chuckle. "No one could ever fully understand you."
Her smile was warm. "You came close."
"Yeah. I was an awesome boyfriend."
"Nah," she said. "But you were kinda cute," she added with a giggle when he gave her a nasty look.
"So if I was only 'cute', I guess you wouldn't be willing to give me another shot, would you?"
"Vaughn."
"I need to know. Syd, I understand out situation, but I need a know."
"Get a divorce first, okay?"
They looked at each other seriously, then broke into laughter. "I'll get a divorce as soon as I can," he said the moment he stopped laughing. "Even better, I'm aiming for an annulment. You think that 'My wife's an evil blonde with a funny accent who betrayed me and my country and everyone else I know' is annulment worthy?"
"If you pull this puppy look you have going right now - definitely."
"You're horrible."
"You love it."
He pulled over to drop her off at her new apartment when it was getting late. "Thank you."
"What for?"
"This day. Being you. Understanding."
"Loving you?"
"That too."
She smiled. "You're welcome."
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Good night, Sydney."
"Night."
She exited the car and closed the door, but before he drove off, looked at him through the open window. "Do you want to come in?"
"Your couch's not so comfortable, Syd."
"Who said anything about a couch?"
"I just-"
"Hurry up before I change my mind."
He obeyed.
When they walked inside, he grabbed her waist and kissed her deeply. "I love you more than ever - if that's even possible."
"Of course it is."
He didn't let her leave his arms until the sun came up.