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Epilogue:

When The Clouds Clear

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Darkness lingered in his dreams.

Shadows crept over his thoughts, memories that haunted him slowly faded away into darkness. It was only when he awoke to find Sydney beside him that the clouds cleared, and his world was filled with light again.

This morning, he woke in an unfamiliar bed where the warmth of her still lingered on his skin. But she was not beside him, the sun spilled across the empty space where she had once been. The sheets, still rumpled from her body, glowed in the light, as if she left traces of her energy upon them. He sat up slowly, the slow weight that had eased from his shoulders returned and he frowned as he glanced around the room.

"Sydney?" He called her name, his voice echoing off empty walls but her own did not resound with it. He slid to his feet, a knot of anxiety forming in his gut as he pulled on clothes. He headed through the house, the warmth of the sun fading from his flesh and leaving him chilled without her presence.

Bare feet hit warm sand as he fought the lurking fear that she was gone, that it had all been a dream. His throat tightened as he looked out over the horizon, his body moving without conscious thought. Her name was tangled on his lips, unable to be spoken through the fear that he was choking back. One hand came to shield his eyes against the glare of the rising sun and the brilliance of the water that reflected it.

Then he saw her, seated at the edge of the ocean, idle fingers tracing patterns into the sand. Her knees were tucked up against her chest, head cradled on her arm as she gazed out into the horizon. He did not know what she was saw slipping in and out of the rays of sun that glittered off of the water. Soft blue waves washed up before her but never seemed to touch, she seemed to be a sentinal, guarding the light of the dawn. She was guarding the essence of life, the warmth, the illumination of the light.

The fear seeped from his heart, like water draining from a jar and he stopped in his tracks. He watched her. The slender curve of her back, the grace of her arm draped across the sand, the way her hair ruffled in the gentle breeze. He memorized the sight, every line of her body, every ray of sunlight, every grain of sand and breathed a sigh of relief.

He approached quietly from behind, his footprints mingling with hers until their shadows touched and merged together. She turned her head slightly, he could see the smile playing across her lips as she became aware of him. Easing down beside her, he wrapped one arm around her wait. He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, where the shoulder of the shirt draped off of her. He grinned and plucked at the cloth.

"Why is it that my clothes look better on you?" He asked as he brought his lips up to hers. She smiled into his kiss and broke away with a soft chuckle.

"I bet some of my clothes would look pretty good on you," Sydney smirked and Vaughn shook his head.

"I would never wear them as well," His words ended abruptly as her arm snaked around to pull his lips to hers once more, drowning out the end of his sentence.

She pulled away, her head resting briefly against his forehead in a union of minds. He ran his fingers through her hair, soft brown strands curling around his fingers. She breathed out a quiet sigh, and turned her eyes back to the horizon.

There was a bittersweet sadness in her eyes, he could see it beneath the gleam of the morning light. He understood what it meant, he knew it all too well. The memories that had shrouded him in a veil of mourning for over two years were now haunting her. As he began to let them go, she could not help but cling to them. It was the only way she could know that it had been real, that she was not mad. He smoothed one hand across her skin, rested his chin on her shoulder, and waited for her to speak.

At length she eased her feet out into the sand, and leaned slightly against him, her arm coming up around his back. "I can still see it, Vaughn."

He nodded and with a gentle touch, eased his hand into hers. "I know," he murmured softly. "So can I."

Sydney turned to look at him and now he could see the shimmer of tears in her eyes, beneath the light, it was like the sun on the ocean. "There is some cruel irony here," she smiled through the pain. That was his Sydney, always putting on a brave face, even despite her own sadness.

"I spent so long trying to remember those two years I had lost. Only to regain the memories, once the years never happened." Her fingers dug into the warmth of the sand, finding the cool soil beneath. The many layers of the shore, the billions of grains of sand spread before her, the waves that brushed her skin, she was a part of it all. She turned her eyes away from him, blinding herself to the images in her mind.

"Sometimes, I don't know what is real and what is a dream," Sydney whispered. "I wake up and I'm in a dark cell somewhere and I think that I was never on this beach with you. I am convinced that it has all been a hallucination," she bit her lip and he saw her face contort as she struggled to hold back the tears. "Then I wake up in bed, beside you and I am convinced that I am dreaming," she shook her head, strands of loose hair lashing her face.

"I just want to know what's real," her words were a broken sob that cracked open the wounds in Vaughn's heart. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him, her sobs muffled by his bare skin.

Vaughn shut his eyes, knowing better than anyone could, how much those memories pained her.

"I'm real," he murmured into her ear. He gripped her hand and pressed it against the bare skin of his chest, where his heart beat rapidly. "This is real, Syd. Our love is real." Gently he eased up and placed his hands on her waist, turning her to face him. Her eyes no longer blinded by the sun, were dark as they gazed into his. He took her hands into his and firmly laced their fingers together, holding onto her as he spoke.

"They are horrible, painful memories Sydney. But we have been given a second chance, to start over, to keep it all from happening." He gripped her hands tightly and gazed at her, overwhelmed by his fierce devotion to this woman. A love that no longer had to be smothered by a sense of duty.

"We passed a test, proved our love." He smiled and brought her hands up to his lips, planting a soft kiss on the skin. "Saved lives, prevented a bunch of evil terroristic monks from taking over the world." She couldn't help but laugh at his words.

Nodding, she met his gaze and smiled gently. The darkness was clearing from her eyes and he could see her resurfacing. They had lived for two years as completely different people. They had been strangers even to one another after they had each endured so much pain. Only now could they return to who they had once been and rebuild themselves without ghosts lingering over their heads.

"This world seems so different now," Sydney shook her head. "I woke up in Hong Kong, a different person. The last thing I remembered was passing out in my apartment. Then I wake up in my apartment, and I'm a different person." She swallowed hard.

"I don't know who I am anymore," she whispered. Her voice was small beneath the roar of the waves, the rustle of the wind, the voices in her memory. She was lost, she was afraid, but she was not alone.

Vaughn cupped her face in his hands and turned her eyes to meet his, "You are Sydney Bristow," he reassured her. "You are the strongest person I have ever known," gently he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to her temple. "You're my soulmate," he whispered.

Her fingers traced a pattern across his chest before she brought her arms up around his neck. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you," he spoke the words into her as his lips found hers. She breathed them in and with the strength he gave her, found the hope that had drowned in the tide of memory.

Vaughn shook his head and turned his eyes to the ocean, "I don't think I could have ever imagined it." She gazed at him, with knowing eyes that drank him in slowly.

"I never believed in Rambaldi," he could not seem to fathom that concept now, after everything that had happened to him. His mind had been opened, his soul made aware of something higher than himself at work. Fate had brought both of them here.

"I never would have thought that something like this was even possible," He grinned at her and squeezed her hands. "But then when I met you, a lot of impossible things began to happen."

She smiled, "Name one impossible thing I've done."

He leaned over and kissed her softly, "You made me believe."

Sydney felt heat rush through her, his words softly whispered across her skin. She cupped his face in her hands and sighed. "In what?"

He smiled and it was like the waves finally breaking over her skin, cleansing the stains of her soul. "In you."

Sydney shut her eyes and fell against him, arms coming around to circle his neck as her face buried into the warmth of his bare skin. His arms wrapped her up in him and a deep sigh spilled from his lips onto her skin, filled with relief at the feel of her in his arms. She pressed a kiss to his skin and nestled her head against him, to find the horizon before her again.

The rays of sunlight that danced off the waters still reflected in the depths of her memory, sparking images that had been carried over from another life. A life that she would never have to live. She closed her eyes and could still see it all in her mind, but the colors were not as vibrant. The sounds were not as sharp. She knew now that the memories would fade, the pain would dissipate but the experiences would always be with her. They had made her older, wiser, stronger. They had shown her true quality, made her believe in the power that she held within herself.

When she opened her eyes, she saw only Vaughn. He was her future, her past, and embodied everything that she fought for. Innocence lost and the regained, beauty, truth, freedom and love.

Slowly, she pushed herself up off the sand. Vaughn watched her with quiet eyes as she rose to her feet, his hand squeezing her's once more before letting go. He sat on the sand, bare chest gleaming like gold in the morning light, the light haloing around him. He was her guardian angel, keeping watch over her even when she did not know it.

Sydney turned her eyes to the ocean and smiled. Stripping off the t-shirt that she had stolen from Vaughn, she closed her eyes and let herself go. Running full force into the ocean, she let the waves wash over her bare flesh. A shrill cry of happy surprise rose from her throat and behind her, she could hear Vaughn laughing. She smiled and joined in his laughter, letting the waves wash over her flesh as she tread deeper into the water. The cold water bit at her flesh but the warmth of the sun held her in its grasp and she knew no fear. Diving into the water, she resurfaced on the other side, allowing herself to flow with the waves. The ocean is a constant force on the planet, sustaining all life, moving with the flow of the universe. It has a steady ebb and flow like emotions that run high and then low again. Sydney let her emotions go with the ocean, flow through her like water. She laughed through her tears, transforming pain into pleasure, sorrow into bliss. The waves crashed over her solid form, washing her clean of all the shadows in her mind. She would always live with them, but they would never taint her light.

Strong arms gripped her around the waist and she let out a shriek of laughter as Vaughn lifted her into his arms and swung her around. Waves leapt high around them, surrounding them in a wall of water where they stood motionless and outside of all time. The sparkle in his eyes made her soul come back to life, the grip of his fingers on her skin awakening every nerve that had been dulled by the pain. She was alive once more.

Vaughn pulled her close to his chest and she wrapped her arms lazily around his neck. Resting her head comfortably in the crook of his shoulder, she let out a deep sigh and smiled into his skin. He shook his head and she could feel a deep thunder of laughter resonating from his chest.

"Thank you," he whispered. She heard his words above the rush of water, she could hear his voice anywhere.

"For what, exactly?" She asked as he strode from the water and back up the shore toward the house. She shifted her position to gaze up into his eyes. He stopped in his tracks, instantly transfixed by the love that he found shining up at him.

"For saving me," he whispered.

Sydney shook her head, "We saved ourselves, Vaughn. We saved each other, we always do."

He placed a gentle kiss onto her forehead, and she snuggled closer to him as he strode back into the house.

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When he awoke again, the sun was dipping lower on the horizon. Warm afternoon light drifted in through the open window. Outside, the sound of waves crashing onto shore resonated over empty dunes. Sydney lay beside him, naked and bare to his eyes. She was curled up against the warmth of his body, head tucked under his chin, her hands folded as if in prayer. He smiled at the sight of her, and as he smoothed one loving hand across her back, he realized that the weight had gone from his shoulders. There was no further darkness in his thoughts upon awakening, he did not fear what he would find when his eyes opened. He knew that she would be there.

Sydney's eyes blinked slowly open, eyelashes fluttering against his skin and he smiled at the sensation. Kissing the top of her head, he stroked her back gently and let out a sigh of contentment.

"I'm not afraid anymore," she whispered. Tilting her head to meet his gaze, she was surprised to see tears shimmering there. But they were not tears of sadness, there was a profound joy in her eyes that she finally understood. She felt it too.

"If it ever returns," Vaughn whispered, tracing his fingers along the contours of her face. "If you're ever afraid or if the memories returns to haunt you, know that I'll be here. I'm always going to be here." He smiled softly and kissed her forehead. "When you need me to see you through the storm, I'll be with you, until the clouds clear."

Sydney smiled, unable to find words that could adequately express her gratitude, her love for him. She snuggled closer to him and kissed the hollow of his throat, murmuring inaudible thanks against his flesh. He grinned and drew her closer to him. Leaning his forehead against hers, he drew the covers up around them and cocooned them in a private world of their own love.

While all the world around them may become unrecognizable and changed, one thing would always remain true. The bond that connected them was stronger than all chains of sorrow or pain, more profound than despair or desperation. Their love had survived death, betrayal and the boundaries of time. They were more powerful in their union together than they ever had been apart, it was only now that they truly knew that.

The darkness that had blanketed each of them for so long had finally given way to light. They alone knew of the dark times that would never come to pass, of the power that they had held in their hands and of the power that they know possessed together. None of it mattered, not the darkness, not the power, nor the prophecies. None of it mattered because they were strong enough to withstand anything that might come their way from here on in. They were strong enough because they were together. Love is a power far greater than anger, revenge, greed or mythology. They knew that now.

They had been given a second chance, a choice to change their destinies and they had accepted it. They had chosen one another, they had chosen life.

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Fin.

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