Chapter 18
I stir noiselessly as my eyelids flutter open, squinting from the light spilling in through the window on the other side of the room. I feel warmth all over, and the pleasant sunlight plays against my face deliciously as I close my eyes again. I feel safe, protected, and so comfortable; for a moment I can't remember where I am, but then I feel him, under me. My head lies upon his chest, his arms wrapped around me affectionately, our legs intertwined. I take a deep breath and smile, capturing the way he smells of clean, fresh soap, yet also of a spicy cologne, and engraving it into my memory to linger upon in later days.
I lay quietly, my eyes still closed, perfectly in peace. I don't know what could be better than waking up in Michael Vaughn's arms on a beautiful morning like this. His hand runs along my arm soothingly as I melt into his soft embrace.
"Good Morning" He says, his voice a little dry, having just woke up. But I love the sound of it; I wish it could be like this all the time, every morning for the rest of my life. I reply with a sigh and a smile I know he can feel. He breathes in my hair, exhaling deeply and then planting a kiss on my forehead, the feel of his lips against my skin staying with me. I realize I must have fallen asleep during the game last night.
"Who won last night?" I say, emitting a yawn mid-sentence. His face still pressed against my hair, he smiles.
"Caps won, you were right" He pulls away from my hair, whispering into my ear, "how did you sleep?"
"Great. I don't think I've slept this well in years" I know it was probably just the comfort of his presence, the strange feeling of security, lulling me to sleep. "How about you?"
"Amazingly. I don't think I've ever slept this well when you were on a mission" He says, chuckling lightly. I feel a trickle of guilt, knowing I cause him loss of sleep when I'm away. He cares about me so much, worries about me, tries to keep me away from danger, even though he knows that danger is always with us. We are danger, us, our relationship. Even without him, I am always in danger, yet with him, I feel safe, for once.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Just a minute or so before you woke up, but you seemed so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you" We fall into a comfortable silence, in each other's arms, relaxed, laying cozily in the middle of the sea of blankets that is the bed. I think I drift in and out of sleep in these few calming minutes, a time in which we can be together, alone, and in harmony. He strokes my hair lovingly throughout the entire period, his hand finding mine and clasping it gently, his thumb periodically running over the palm of my hand. We are in our own world, lost in the serene silence of the moment. Nothing exists around us; it's him and me, unaccompanied by some unwanted presence. I know we can both feel that we should get up, have some breakfast, get ready to leave, but I don't think either of us is ready to break the hushed, still atmosphere.
Minutes later, we know we must. We come to a silent agreement and simultaneously pull away from each other. I raise my head off of him and run my hands over my hair, smoothing it out. I lie back and extend my arms above my head in a large stretch, accompanied by another yawn. He's first out of bed, and walks over to my side, sitting on the edge.
"Come now, princess. It's time to get up," He says playfully. I grin smugly and he stands and holds out his hand to me. I grab onto it and he helps pull me up and out of bed, straight into his arms again. I lean my head on his shoulder, my breath playing against his neck. He pulls away, cupping my face in his hands. "Come on gorgeous, it's time to eat."
He leads me towards a small table off to the side of the room, by the sliding glass doors that lead out to the balcony. It has two chairs and is adorned by a simple white tablecloth. A tall vase stands in the middle, filled with about a dozen beautiful, bright sunflowers all in their prime and glory. He lets go of my hand and walks over to the sliding doors, drawing open the curtains and letting in a bust of sunlight and a beautiful view.
The curtains give way to a whole new world outside, filled with splendor and beauty. The perfectly green grass of the hotel and further out the white, sandy beaches, crowded with people. The blue-green waves wash over the sand, crashing repeatedly and endlessly into the shore. The sky is a clear, startling blue, barely any clouds are found in it, and the sun shines bright filling the whole environment with a sort of ecstasy.
He pulls the door open and we both take a deep breath of the salty, yet fresh, sea air. The sound of the roaring of the waves is heartening as a light breeze blows into the room and tosses around my hair. I walk up to his side, neither of us taking our eyes off of the view, and I take his hand, squeezing it gently. We stand, looking out at this beautiful sight. I close my eyes and concentrate on the sweet sensation of this place. The sound of children playing reaches my ears, gasping, laughing, and giggling with joy; the hum of the crowd, the squawking of the seagulls as they fly around, circling the beach. It's all so glorious.
"This is beautiful, Vaughn. It's breathtaking." He nods his head.
"Yes, it's incredible how everything is so calm and cheerful. Truly marvelous" He reluctantly looks away and pulls a small menu off of the table. Still holding my hand, he guides me out onto the balcony and we sit on a bench outside. He opens up the menu and holds it in front of us. "So, what would you like for breakfast, Mademoiselle?" I smile at the use of the elegant, French word, and how he says it in such a lighthearted manner. I skim over everything on the menu and furrow my brow in thought.
"I don't know, everything sounds so delicious!"
"I know. It does, doesn't it?" We both laugh and begin to debate the different options good-naturedly. He says maybe we should try the poached eggs, I say we could also try the scrambled. He says poached is more exotic, I ask how poached is exotic and he replies that it sounds more foreign, even though its not. I give in, laughing at his answer. He points out that we should get some fruit and some milk, I point out that it would be better and we'd save more money if we just got smoothies. It's his turn to give in this time. Based on our decisions, we make our choices and shake hands jokingly once finished.
He leaves me on the balcony while he goes inside, and through the window I can see him calling and ordering our food through room service. After about a minute, he joins me outside.
"The food will be ready in about half an hour," He tells me.
"When does our plane leave?"
"Well, right now it's 11:30 and the flight leaves at 4:30 in the afternoon, which means we've got to leave at about 2:00 to have enough time to check out, catch a cab, and make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare."
"Perfect, gives us just enough time to eat and get ready" He smiles at me and gives my hand a quick squeeze.
"I'm going to go use the bathroom, I'll be right back" I nod my head and he lets go of my hand and enters the room once again, disappearing through the bathroom door. I sit quietly, looking out at the ocean. I've always found the ocean comforting, the sound of the waves rolling into the beach has been one that I've always been prepared to hear, and that I've heard on many trips when after a hard day it lulls me to sleep, preventing another hard night.
I stand up and hold on to the railing, bending forward to look off to the sides. The peach-colored walls of the hotel buildings blend in with its surroundings, couples walk down the paths, hand in hand, their hats covering their smiling faces as they walk towards the beach and back, their beach sandals creating a beat of flips and flops with each step. Children run in circles, chasing each other, tossing beach balls, playing their games, and just enjoying the moment. They don't know how lucky they are, but one day they will look back upon this day and realize that what they felt was true happiness, freedom, and love.
I'm startled by the sound of knocking and hear the bathroom door open. I hear as Vaughn opens the door and greets Ben, who has brought our breakfast. Could it be that I've been out here thinking for half an hour? Time sure went by fast. I listen as Ben wheels in the cart of food and Vaughn tips him. The door shuts and I turn around. Vaughn's standing directly in front of me, and I look at him and smile. He comes towards the closed glass door and stands in front of it. I slide it open, getting rid of the obstruction. I reach out and take his hand and without a word he walks me over to one of the chairs.
He lets go of my hand and pulls out the chair for me; he's such a gentleman. I sit down and he pushes my chair back into place properly. He receives a sweet smile and a small murmur of thank you from me. The wonderful smell of breakfast fills the air and I release a sigh at the delicious odor. He walks over to the cart and I begin to get up again.
"Vaughn, really, you don't have to, I can get it myself..." He comes over and takes my hand, bringing it up to my lips.
"Let me do it, sit down please" I manage to nod and sit, and he places a kiss on my forehead and returns to the cart. He picks up my plate and places it on the table in front of me. I look up at him and smile genuinely.
"Thanks" I look down at my food, a plate covered in food consisting of poached eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. It all looks delicious. Vaughn picks up his own plate and sets it down on his side of the table. He picks up the vase of sunflowers and transfers them to a small end table by the armchair. Then, he sits in front of me and we place our napkins in our laps.
"Bon appetite" He says, bringing yet another smile to my face. He looks so gorgeous and wonderful when he smiles himself that I can't bear it and have to look down at my food before returning my gaze to him. I pick up my toast, but before I can take a bite he holds up his hand to stop me. I look at him, confused and he points to a jar on the side of the table.
"Vegemite"
"You have to try it, Syd. I mean we are in Australia!" I give in and pick up the jar. I feel very brave and daring as I smother some of the substance onto my toast. I look at him cautiously.
"Vaughn are you sure about this? Is there some extra toast? You know...just in case" He laughs and nods. I close my eyes and bite off a mouthful. I open them again, chewing slowly, taking in the taste of this new foreign substance. "Hmmm... This stuff is pretty good," I say, slathering more onto my toast.
"Whoa...watch it, it's good if you have a little, but If you put too much...well, you never know," He says, surprised I like it. He takes some himself and we begin to eat. I take a sip of my mango smoothie and make a noise of approval.
"Oh... this is very good!"
"Everything is excellent." We continue eating, making simple conversation over the course of the meal, talking about home, our friends, and everything we don't already know about each other. I never knew all the little details about Vaughn, the ones that are sometimes most important. It was great to be sharing this with him. He finishes before me and removes the napkin from his lap. I feel very self-conscious, as he watches me eat, for some strange reason; I finish quickly afterwards. As I'm placing my napkin on the table he grabs my hand and looks into my eyes.
"This was great Syd, I'm so glad I could spend some time with you. Did you enjoy this?"
"Yes, so much Vaughn. You have no idea how much" I stand up and walk over to him. He stands as well and smiles weakly. "It's been great, really it has"
"Yes, it has" He wraps his arms around me and I rest against him and close my eyes. I refer back to my earlier thoughts; one day, I will look back on this day and realize that what I am feeling, what I have felt, is true happiness, freedom, and most of all, love.
A/N: Pure fluff, I know. I did have some good action planned for it though. I had written a bit more to this story, but I couldn't carry on. It just wavered off and I couldn't bring it back. Anyway, this seemed like a good place to stop. I hope to move forward to better things. So I guess this is The End.
I stir noiselessly as my eyelids flutter open, squinting from the light spilling in through the window on the other side of the room. I feel warmth all over, and the pleasant sunlight plays against my face deliciously as I close my eyes again. I feel safe, protected, and so comfortable; for a moment I can't remember where I am, but then I feel him, under me. My head lies upon his chest, his arms wrapped around me affectionately, our legs intertwined. I take a deep breath and smile, capturing the way he smells of clean, fresh soap, yet also of a spicy cologne, and engraving it into my memory to linger upon in later days.
I lay quietly, my eyes still closed, perfectly in peace. I don't know what could be better than waking up in Michael Vaughn's arms on a beautiful morning like this. His hand runs along my arm soothingly as I melt into his soft embrace.
"Good Morning" He says, his voice a little dry, having just woke up. But I love the sound of it; I wish it could be like this all the time, every morning for the rest of my life. I reply with a sigh and a smile I know he can feel. He breathes in my hair, exhaling deeply and then planting a kiss on my forehead, the feel of his lips against my skin staying with me. I realize I must have fallen asleep during the game last night.
"Who won last night?" I say, emitting a yawn mid-sentence. His face still pressed against my hair, he smiles.
"Caps won, you were right" He pulls away from my hair, whispering into my ear, "how did you sleep?"
"Great. I don't think I've slept this well in years" I know it was probably just the comfort of his presence, the strange feeling of security, lulling me to sleep. "How about you?"
"Amazingly. I don't think I've ever slept this well when you were on a mission" He says, chuckling lightly. I feel a trickle of guilt, knowing I cause him loss of sleep when I'm away. He cares about me so much, worries about me, tries to keep me away from danger, even though he knows that danger is always with us. We are danger, us, our relationship. Even without him, I am always in danger, yet with him, I feel safe, for once.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Just a minute or so before you woke up, but you seemed so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you" We fall into a comfortable silence, in each other's arms, relaxed, laying cozily in the middle of the sea of blankets that is the bed. I think I drift in and out of sleep in these few calming minutes, a time in which we can be together, alone, and in harmony. He strokes my hair lovingly throughout the entire period, his hand finding mine and clasping it gently, his thumb periodically running over the palm of my hand. We are in our own world, lost in the serene silence of the moment. Nothing exists around us; it's him and me, unaccompanied by some unwanted presence. I know we can both feel that we should get up, have some breakfast, get ready to leave, but I don't think either of us is ready to break the hushed, still atmosphere.
Minutes later, we know we must. We come to a silent agreement and simultaneously pull away from each other. I raise my head off of him and run my hands over my hair, smoothing it out. I lie back and extend my arms above my head in a large stretch, accompanied by another yawn. He's first out of bed, and walks over to my side, sitting on the edge.
"Come now, princess. It's time to get up," He says playfully. I grin smugly and he stands and holds out his hand to me. I grab onto it and he helps pull me up and out of bed, straight into his arms again. I lean my head on his shoulder, my breath playing against his neck. He pulls away, cupping my face in his hands. "Come on gorgeous, it's time to eat."
He leads me towards a small table off to the side of the room, by the sliding glass doors that lead out to the balcony. It has two chairs and is adorned by a simple white tablecloth. A tall vase stands in the middle, filled with about a dozen beautiful, bright sunflowers all in their prime and glory. He lets go of my hand and walks over to the sliding doors, drawing open the curtains and letting in a bust of sunlight and a beautiful view.
The curtains give way to a whole new world outside, filled with splendor and beauty. The perfectly green grass of the hotel and further out the white, sandy beaches, crowded with people. The blue-green waves wash over the sand, crashing repeatedly and endlessly into the shore. The sky is a clear, startling blue, barely any clouds are found in it, and the sun shines bright filling the whole environment with a sort of ecstasy.
He pulls the door open and we both take a deep breath of the salty, yet fresh, sea air. The sound of the roaring of the waves is heartening as a light breeze blows into the room and tosses around my hair. I walk up to his side, neither of us taking our eyes off of the view, and I take his hand, squeezing it gently. We stand, looking out at this beautiful sight. I close my eyes and concentrate on the sweet sensation of this place. The sound of children playing reaches my ears, gasping, laughing, and giggling with joy; the hum of the crowd, the squawking of the seagulls as they fly around, circling the beach. It's all so glorious.
"This is beautiful, Vaughn. It's breathtaking." He nods his head.
"Yes, it's incredible how everything is so calm and cheerful. Truly marvelous" He reluctantly looks away and pulls a small menu off of the table. Still holding my hand, he guides me out onto the balcony and we sit on a bench outside. He opens up the menu and holds it in front of us. "So, what would you like for breakfast, Mademoiselle?" I smile at the use of the elegant, French word, and how he says it in such a lighthearted manner. I skim over everything on the menu and furrow my brow in thought.
"I don't know, everything sounds so delicious!"
"I know. It does, doesn't it?" We both laugh and begin to debate the different options good-naturedly. He says maybe we should try the poached eggs, I say we could also try the scrambled. He says poached is more exotic, I ask how poached is exotic and he replies that it sounds more foreign, even though its not. I give in, laughing at his answer. He points out that we should get some fruit and some milk, I point out that it would be better and we'd save more money if we just got smoothies. It's his turn to give in this time. Based on our decisions, we make our choices and shake hands jokingly once finished.
He leaves me on the balcony while he goes inside, and through the window I can see him calling and ordering our food through room service. After about a minute, he joins me outside.
"The food will be ready in about half an hour," He tells me.
"When does our plane leave?"
"Well, right now it's 11:30 and the flight leaves at 4:30 in the afternoon, which means we've got to leave at about 2:00 to have enough time to check out, catch a cab, and make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare."
"Perfect, gives us just enough time to eat and get ready" He smiles at me and gives my hand a quick squeeze.
"I'm going to go use the bathroom, I'll be right back" I nod my head and he lets go of my hand and enters the room once again, disappearing through the bathroom door. I sit quietly, looking out at the ocean. I've always found the ocean comforting, the sound of the waves rolling into the beach has been one that I've always been prepared to hear, and that I've heard on many trips when after a hard day it lulls me to sleep, preventing another hard night.
I stand up and hold on to the railing, bending forward to look off to the sides. The peach-colored walls of the hotel buildings blend in with its surroundings, couples walk down the paths, hand in hand, their hats covering their smiling faces as they walk towards the beach and back, their beach sandals creating a beat of flips and flops with each step. Children run in circles, chasing each other, tossing beach balls, playing their games, and just enjoying the moment. They don't know how lucky they are, but one day they will look back upon this day and realize that what they felt was true happiness, freedom, and love.
I'm startled by the sound of knocking and hear the bathroom door open. I hear as Vaughn opens the door and greets Ben, who has brought our breakfast. Could it be that I've been out here thinking for half an hour? Time sure went by fast. I listen as Ben wheels in the cart of food and Vaughn tips him. The door shuts and I turn around. Vaughn's standing directly in front of me, and I look at him and smile. He comes towards the closed glass door and stands in front of it. I slide it open, getting rid of the obstruction. I reach out and take his hand and without a word he walks me over to one of the chairs.
He lets go of my hand and pulls out the chair for me; he's such a gentleman. I sit down and he pushes my chair back into place properly. He receives a sweet smile and a small murmur of thank you from me. The wonderful smell of breakfast fills the air and I release a sigh at the delicious odor. He walks over to the cart and I begin to get up again.
"Vaughn, really, you don't have to, I can get it myself..." He comes over and takes my hand, bringing it up to my lips.
"Let me do it, sit down please" I manage to nod and sit, and he places a kiss on my forehead and returns to the cart. He picks up my plate and places it on the table in front of me. I look up at him and smile genuinely.
"Thanks" I look down at my food, a plate covered in food consisting of poached eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. It all looks delicious. Vaughn picks up his own plate and sets it down on his side of the table. He picks up the vase of sunflowers and transfers them to a small end table by the armchair. Then, he sits in front of me and we place our napkins in our laps.
"Bon appetite" He says, bringing yet another smile to my face. He looks so gorgeous and wonderful when he smiles himself that I can't bear it and have to look down at my food before returning my gaze to him. I pick up my toast, but before I can take a bite he holds up his hand to stop me. I look at him, confused and he points to a jar on the side of the table.
"Vegemite"
"You have to try it, Syd. I mean we are in Australia!" I give in and pick up the jar. I feel very brave and daring as I smother some of the substance onto my toast. I look at him cautiously.
"Vaughn are you sure about this? Is there some extra toast? You know...just in case" He laughs and nods. I close my eyes and bite off a mouthful. I open them again, chewing slowly, taking in the taste of this new foreign substance. "Hmmm... This stuff is pretty good," I say, slathering more onto my toast.
"Whoa...watch it, it's good if you have a little, but If you put too much...well, you never know," He says, surprised I like it. He takes some himself and we begin to eat. I take a sip of my mango smoothie and make a noise of approval.
"Oh... this is very good!"
"Everything is excellent." We continue eating, making simple conversation over the course of the meal, talking about home, our friends, and everything we don't already know about each other. I never knew all the little details about Vaughn, the ones that are sometimes most important. It was great to be sharing this with him. He finishes before me and removes the napkin from his lap. I feel very self-conscious, as he watches me eat, for some strange reason; I finish quickly afterwards. As I'm placing my napkin on the table he grabs my hand and looks into my eyes.
"This was great Syd, I'm so glad I could spend some time with you. Did you enjoy this?"
"Yes, so much Vaughn. You have no idea how much" I stand up and walk over to him. He stands as well and smiles weakly. "It's been great, really it has"
"Yes, it has" He wraps his arms around me and I rest against him and close my eyes. I refer back to my earlier thoughts; one day, I will look back on this day and realize that what I am feeling, what I have felt, is true happiness, freedom, and most of all, love.
A/N: Pure fluff, I know. I did have some good action planned for it though. I had written a bit more to this story, but I couldn't carry on. It just wavered off and I couldn't bring it back. Anyway, this seemed like a good place to stop. I hope to move forward to better things. So I guess this is The End.