"What?" Vaughn asked softly, as Irina eyed him thoughtfully. He shifted his
shoulder slightly, allowing Sydney to rest more softly in his arms. The
long flight was already wearing on all of them.
Irina smiled. She didn't avert her eyes, but continued to stare at Vaughn and the sleeping Sydney. "You look guilty." She said intensely assessing his eyes.
"Do I?" He responded breaking her gaze. "I suppose I am feeling guilty." He said looking back at her.
"Is that because you think it's your fault she was taken, or is there something else." She said arching an eyebrow.
Vaughn considered this for a long moment. "I've felt responsible for Sydney's death since the day I found her, and believed her to be dead. Now I feel responsible for letting the Covenant take her, and hurt her so much." He said gazing down at the sleeping woman in his arms.
"But you know, that you couldn't have stopped the Covenant. There's something more." She prompted, still scrutinizing him thoroughly.
Vaughn again considered her words. This was a conversation he really didn't want to be having, but the woman sleeping in his arms kept him trapped. Irina was taking full advantage of the situation. "I feel like I let her down. She was alive all this time, and I spent every second of it mourning, and fumbling through life like an idiot. When I could have been looking for her, I could have saved her some of the pain she went through." Vaughn acknowledged this outright. He looked truthfully into Irina's eyes and said exactly how he felt.
And she just watched. Ever since the day he'd visited her in her CIA cell, and she'd asked him if he loved Sydney, he'd known that her intuition , and perception were impeccable. There was no way he could deceive her. It was the same way with Sydney. They could read each other like books. Maybe that was the reason Irina was so able to see through him. Or maybe it was just that she'd killed his father, and every time he looked at her he fists clenched, and jaw tightened.
"You feel like you betrayed her." Irina said softly still staring at him with the same scrutiny.
"Of course." He breathed before he was ready to admit it. He waited for a long moment, before speaking again. Looking down at Sydney as he did. "For a long time I would go to the beach where I'd planned to take her. I'd sit and remember how much I loved her, and realize how much I still do. I would talk to her, I would scream her name at the ocean; the same ocean where I thought I'd laid her to rest. It was only yesterday that I went to that beach and talked to her, for what I thought was the last time. I wanted her to know that I was going to move on, that I was going to ask Lauren to marry me." He paused wiping a tear from his cheek. He hushed his tone again, realizing how loud he'd begun to speak, and looked back at Irina. "I was a fool to believe she was dead, to mourn her as I did. I was even more of a fool believing I could ever be happy without her." He said frankly.
"This Lauren, she loves you?" Irina considered softly.
Vaughn looked straight at Irina. "Yes. I suppose she does. She made me laugh, and I decided that, despite the fact that I felt nothing for her, I needed to make something out of the shattered life I had." He said, not seeing as Sydney's eyes fluttered open. Irina noticed but did not let on. "You know what I find most ironic, is that Lauren is the exact opposite of Sydney. She's nice, but not genuinely so. She's pretty, but not in a breathtakingly sweet way. She's everything that Sydney is not, and that is the only reason I could stand being with her. Because everything, and everyone else reminded me of Sydney. So when I finally found the one thing that didn't I held on to it. And now feel like the biggest jerk in the world, because I betrayed her, I..."
"Vaughn," Sydney interrupted. Vaughn's eyes met hers instantly. He was shocked that she'd heard his revelations. "You never betrayed me." She cried out. "I don't care about that I don't want you to care either." She said pulling herself up to a sitting position. "If anything, I betrayed you, and I have to live with that. But being here with you changes everything." She said wrapping her arms around him.
Irina smiled. She didn't avert her eyes, but continued to stare at Vaughn and the sleeping Sydney. "You look guilty." She said intensely assessing his eyes.
"Do I?" He responded breaking her gaze. "I suppose I am feeling guilty." He said looking back at her.
"Is that because you think it's your fault she was taken, or is there something else." She said arching an eyebrow.
Vaughn considered this for a long moment. "I've felt responsible for Sydney's death since the day I found her, and believed her to be dead. Now I feel responsible for letting the Covenant take her, and hurt her so much." He said gazing down at the sleeping woman in his arms.
"But you know, that you couldn't have stopped the Covenant. There's something more." She prompted, still scrutinizing him thoroughly.
Vaughn again considered her words. This was a conversation he really didn't want to be having, but the woman sleeping in his arms kept him trapped. Irina was taking full advantage of the situation. "I feel like I let her down. She was alive all this time, and I spent every second of it mourning, and fumbling through life like an idiot. When I could have been looking for her, I could have saved her some of the pain she went through." Vaughn acknowledged this outright. He looked truthfully into Irina's eyes and said exactly how he felt.
And she just watched. Ever since the day he'd visited her in her CIA cell, and she'd asked him if he loved Sydney, he'd known that her intuition , and perception were impeccable. There was no way he could deceive her. It was the same way with Sydney. They could read each other like books. Maybe that was the reason Irina was so able to see through him. Or maybe it was just that she'd killed his father, and every time he looked at her he fists clenched, and jaw tightened.
"You feel like you betrayed her." Irina said softly still staring at him with the same scrutiny.
"Of course." He breathed before he was ready to admit it. He waited for a long moment, before speaking again. Looking down at Sydney as he did. "For a long time I would go to the beach where I'd planned to take her. I'd sit and remember how much I loved her, and realize how much I still do. I would talk to her, I would scream her name at the ocean; the same ocean where I thought I'd laid her to rest. It was only yesterday that I went to that beach and talked to her, for what I thought was the last time. I wanted her to know that I was going to move on, that I was going to ask Lauren to marry me." He paused wiping a tear from his cheek. He hushed his tone again, realizing how loud he'd begun to speak, and looked back at Irina. "I was a fool to believe she was dead, to mourn her as I did. I was even more of a fool believing I could ever be happy without her." He said frankly.
"This Lauren, she loves you?" Irina considered softly.
Vaughn looked straight at Irina. "Yes. I suppose she does. She made me laugh, and I decided that, despite the fact that I felt nothing for her, I needed to make something out of the shattered life I had." He said, not seeing as Sydney's eyes fluttered open. Irina noticed but did not let on. "You know what I find most ironic, is that Lauren is the exact opposite of Sydney. She's nice, but not genuinely so. She's pretty, but not in a breathtakingly sweet way. She's everything that Sydney is not, and that is the only reason I could stand being with her. Because everything, and everyone else reminded me of Sydney. So when I finally found the one thing that didn't I held on to it. And now feel like the biggest jerk in the world, because I betrayed her, I..."
"Vaughn," Sydney interrupted. Vaughn's eyes met hers instantly. He was shocked that she'd heard his revelations. "You never betrayed me." She cried out. "I don't care about that I don't want you to care either." She said pulling herself up to a sitting position. "If anything, I betrayed you, and I have to live with that. But being here with you changes everything." She said wrapping her arms around him.