Title: A Case Of You
Author: S@nd
Feedback: sydneyvaughnmailbox@yahoo.fr
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.J, Bad Robot, ABC… blablabla (you know). OK, OK, I don't own anything.
Summary: It's my version of the end of Season 1. In the previous chapters, Fran & Will played detectives as Sydney made one of her many visits to 'Joey's Pizza'. Did they discover Vaughn? Yes! And what else do they find out?…
A/N: Hi this is the sixth chapter. Sydney's confrontation with Fran and Will. I hope you'll like it. As always, whether you like it or not, let me know what you think about this chapter. I really want to have feedback. Please REVIEW. Thank you. S@nd
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CHAPTER 6 – HEAL THE PAIN
* - * SydNey's HouSe * - *
Sydney opened the front door, and went in.
Fran and Will were sitting on the couch, chatting.
Sydney spotted them and took a deep breath. She had to face them. 'Fran must have told Will' she guessed, feeling uncomfortable.
"Hey, guys!" she said, awkward.
"Hi, Syd", they both replied.
She came near the couch.
They had stopped talking and were staring at her, smiling.
"Why are you both laughing? What's so funny?" she asked.
"It's nothing, Syd. Err.. Will just told me what happened to him today and…" Fran answered.
"It's a long story, Sydney, but if you do insist…" Will suggested.
"Did you meet your Michael today, Syd?" Fran asked, interrupting him. She had been burning to ask the question, and she wanted the answer right now.
Sydney swallowed hard. She was sure Fran would ask the question.
And Will didn't looked surprised so she was sure he already knew.
"I think he probably had to meet international clients today, as he was not at the bank, so the answer is NO! And for the hundredth time, he's not 'my' Michael, Fran!" she replied, annoyed.
"Ok, Ok." She paused. "Not yet…" she joked.
"Fran, please!" she said, frowning.
Fran sighed. "Sydney, trust me, I'm sure you two belong together. You looked so sweet… Do acknowledge, you don't have to keep this from us, Syd! You have a crush on him…, don't you!"
"Don't tell us little stories, Syd, you have nothing to be afraid of, we can understand. I know how difficult it was when Danny died, and…perhaps it's high time to make a fresh start. If you're happy, then I'd be happy for you too, Syd" Will said, a bit sad.
How can I help you?
Please let me try to
I can heal the pain
That you're feeling inside
Whenever you want me
You know that I will be
Waiting for the day
That you say you'll be mineHe couldn't believe he had said those words. But he knew he had to resign himself to it.
She almost married Danny, but he died. And now, she was with that 'Michael', that other guy and it was not him.
It probably never would be him. And he had to deal with that.
"To be frank, Sydney, I thought you were having secret business meetings, I don't know, transactions with the mob, or some other organization…well, something like that!" he acknowledged.
"What? When did you come up with such an idea?" she said, taken aback. "You don't believe I'm involved in a sort of traffic, do you?" she replied, a bit scared. "He couldn't have found out about SD-6, no, he couldn't!" she murmured to herself.
"Well, it's just… the other day, we found plane tickets, in your jacket pocket. You said you've been to Seattle, and the destination on the ticket was different, you have strange 'wrong number' phone calls and you often leave home almost immediately after, so…"
Sydney sat next to him.
Let me tell you a secret
Put it in your heart and keep it
Something that I want you to know
Do something for me
Listen to my simple story
And maybe we'll have something to show"Look, Will, I have to travel the world for my job, Ok, and I have to leave home so often, that sometimes it's hard to remember we're I'm supposed to go. It's just a mistake, trust me, Will!"
"Ok, Syd. I won't bother you with this anymore, I promise."
"But I haven't promise anything…" Fran interrupted. "So, Sydney, what about that dinner? Did you change your mind?" she asked again.
"Oh, no, not again, Fran. I told you I thought it's not a good idea…" Sydney replied, sighing.
"But I'm sure you'd like to spend time with 'your' Michael, even if you keep telling me you're just 'friends', which obviously is not true, well, never mind… And if you two can't have dinner in a restaurant, in public, nothing prevents you from having dinner here, uh?"
"How stubborn you are, Fran! You won't rest until I tell you I agree with you, that's right?"
"Exactly! So, that dinner, is that OK?"
"Ok, ok, you win. I'll ask him to come for dinner someday…" she said, to avoid Fran's obstinacy.
"Great! I can't wait to meet him! How about tomorrow?" she suggested, enthusiastically.
Sydney gulped. "Tomorrow!?" She couldn't believe it. Vaughn would never accept. "How on earth did I get talked into that?" she thought.
"Ok, tomorrow" she finally replied." Well, I'll ask him, but I'm not sure he accepts…"
Sydney sighed, she had to resign herself to it. Fran found out, so now she had to take the consequences.
She headed to her bedroom and sat on her bed, thinking about what to do. Fran would keep bothering her as long as she refuses to invite Vaughn for dinner. Vaughn and her had agreed on something different, but she had no other choice now but to accept. That would change the situation, make it even more complicated, but here she was. There was no way out.
She looked at the handset, hesitating. She was trying to find the right words.
"Ok, Syd. What do I do now? How can I ask him?" she murmured to herself. "Well, on one hand, he's my handler, and he would never do anything that could blow my cover. But on the other hand, he's my 'guardian angel', and he would do anything that could protect me, so…"
Who needs a lover
That can't be a friend
Something tells me I'm the one you've been looking for
If you ever should see him again
Won't you tell him you've found someone who gives you more
She knew she could ask him anything, and he would do it for her, for them both.
He was some kind of her friend after all, someone she could trust unconditionally, someone she could share an openness she could never share with Fran and Will.
Someone who will protect you
Love and respect you
All those things
That he never could bring to you
Like I do
Or rather I would
Won't you show me your heart
Like you should
Her life had been in his hands so often. She trusted him blindly, and now she had to ask him to trust her enough to do the same thing. He had promised her his alliance, it was now or never to prove it.
The question was: was it that great a risk or not, for him to accept? What could be the more risky: dealing with Fran's stubbornness, endangering Fran and Will's lives, as she was pretty sure they would keep investigating on her, and would finally find out the whole truth, or take the risk to be made, but keep her secret from her friends?"
She kept thinking it over, and finally made her decision. "Fran and Will better be unaware of SD-6, I don't want them to be brought into this life! I prefer that they think I have a love affair. But would Vaughn agree with me?" she wondered.
Won't you let me in
Let this love begin
Won't you show me your heart now
I'll be good to you
I can make this thing true
And get to your heart somehow
"Ok, do it now, Syd! It's easy! Do it now, otherwise you're going to change your mind!"
Let me tell you a secret
Put it in your heart and keep it
Something that I want you to know
Do something for me
Listen to my simple story
And maybe we'll have something to showShe picked up the receiver and dialed the number.
"Vaughn?"
"Sydney! Why the hell do you call me here, what's wrong?" he asked, surprised.
"We have a problem. It's Fran. She wants to meet you, and I think nothing would make her change her mind, she's such a stubborn girl, you know…" she explained.
"So what do you want me to do?" he asked, going straight to the point.
"She wants us to have dinner together tomorrow…" she said, in a dying voice.
How can I help you
Please let me try to
I can heal the pain
That you're feeling inside
Whenever you want me
You know that I will be
Waiting for the day
That you say you'll be mine
He didn't reply immediately, as her words echoed in his mind. "A dinner? Together?". He couldn't believe it. That couldn't be true.
"Vaughn?" she asked, breaking his train of thoughts.
He still waited a few seconds before asking. "Um…Is it a date, Sydney!?" he coughed.
"A date?! Well, um, that's not…really a date. I mean, for Fran, it sounds like a date, yes, but we are not...err...um…Oh, Ok, we could call it a date!" she acknowledged, awkward.
"Good." He simply replied.
"Good? So, does that mean you're OK?" she asked, hesitantly.
"Sure, I would love to…"
Sydney was surprised. Little did she expect him to accept such a meeting, and he just accepted so quickly. He took her aback.
"Don't you think it's a bit dangerous, Vaughn?! I mean, we are not supposed to be seen together and..." she asked, puzzled. She couldn't believe he had put all the risks of being seen together aside, especially after the conversation they had had in the warehouse before.
"Sydney, look, Fran and Will are your friends. I doubt they are to kill us just before we eat the dessert, so dinner is better than blowing up your cover. I don't have to tell you what could happen if they knew the truth…" he rationalized.
It was just useless. She knew oh-too well what could happen if she was not careful.
"No, don't."
She sighed, a bit sad. Of course he didn't need to remind her what happened to Danny.
He knew he'd better avoid talking about him. He didn't mean to hurt her, but he had to tell her. And he also knew she would do anything to protect her friends, so she would never do something that could endanger their lives.
"So, dinner in my house, tomorrow ?" she asked. It sounded so weird, and so easy at the same time she still couldn't believe it.
"Sure. See you then."
"Fran will do the cooking, so don't be late. OK…See you tomorrow." She added.
She was about to hang up when she heard his sweet voice again.
"Syd?"
"What ?"
"I have a question…"
"Yes?" she asked, completely intrigued.
"What am I supposed to wear?" he asked.
She burst into laugh. She couldn't help it. "Oh my, I just can't believe it, you never told me you were such a fashion victim, Vaughn... I never would have guessed…" she wisecracked.
He felt himself blushing.
"I didn't mean it, I just..." he stammered, embarrassed. He finally laughed too.
"I'm kidding, Vaughn" Sydney said. "Well, seriously, I think I know what you mean, I told Fran you're a business lawyer, and that I met you at work, so you'd better wear a suit… as you always do" she added. The last part of the sentence sounded like regret.
"So… does that mean you don't like my suits, that's it?" he joked.
"Oh! No, it's just..." she answered, blushing. This time it was her turn.
"Just what?"
"Just a bit formal ...for a date".
Of course Vaughn was the only person she could tell anything. But she couldn't tell him how badly she would like to see him wearing anything else rather than a suit or...nothing. Just thinking of him like that made her blushed more. She didn't want to hurt his pride, but she couldn't help implying she would love to see him in more casual clothes.
He didn't reply immediately.
"Vaughn, still here?" she asked, becoming upset. "I'm sorry, don't be mad about..."
"I'm not. Ok, anything else?" he replied, formal again. 'Nice to see you again in professional mode, agent Vaughn' she thought, a bit sad.
"Nope. Um, Oh! I almost forgot. Does eight o'clock suit you, is that ok for you?"
"Eight. Um. Good. See you tomorrow, eight sharp" he replied, hanging up.
She smiled. For the first time, she was giving him the plan. And she quite liked that, even if it was probably the riskier mission so far…
Vaughn hung up the phone, and immersed in thought.
He couldn't believe he was about to have a date with Sydney Bristow, and have dinner at her home with her closest friends. It sounded weird.
But perhaps it was too dangerous, and all things considered, it was not a good idea.
If Fran and Will had followed them and had found out, things would be even more dangerous.
But on the other hand, he couldn't run the risk to endanger Sydney's friends' lives if they didn't prevent them from carrying out investigations on Sydney. He sighed.
Then he picked up the phone again, and dialed a number…
George Michael 'Heal The Pain'Let me tell you a secret
Put it in your heart and keep it
Something that I want you to know
Do something for me
Listen to my simple story
And maybe we'll have something to show
You tell me you're cold on the inside
How can the outside world
Be a place that your heart can embrace
Be good to yourself
Because nobody else
Has the power to make you happy
How can I help you
Please let me try to
I can heal the pain
That you're feeling inside
Whenever you want me
You know that I will be
Waiting for the day
That you say you'll be mine
He must have really hurt you
To make you say the things that you do
He must have really hurt you
To make those pretty eyes look so blue
He must have known
That he could
That you'd never leave him
Now you can't see my love is good
And that I'm not him
How can I help you
Please let me try to
I can heal the pain
That you're feeling inside
Whenever you want me
You know that I will be
Waiting for the day
That you say you'll be mine
Who needs a lover
That can't be a friend
Something tells me I'm the one you've been looking for
If you ever should see him again
Won't you tell him you've found someone who gives you more
Someone who will protect you
Love and respect you
All those things
That he never could bring to you
Like I do
Or rather I would
Won't you show me your heart
Like you should
Won't you let me in
Let this love begin
Won't you show me your heart now
I'll be good to you
I can make this thing true
And get to your heart somehow
* - *
A/N: Well, that's all… for Chapter 6. I'm sure you can't wait to find out who Vaughn is calling. His mother? Weiss? Sydney? Or….Just tell me who you think it is. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Thanks a lot to Egyptian Kat, my wonderful beta, for your help. You're great.
Thanks a lot for your nice reviews and suggestions. I almost forgot I'm French, and I just didn't think about writing something in French, but you're right, if you all agree, why not? Don't worry, I'll give you the translation.
Okay, I STILL NEED YOU! And it's rather urgent now! I still need ideas about Vaughn's past and background for Chapter 8. If anyone has other good ideas, you know what to do, just press the button and send your review, you'll make my day. Don't forget it's gonna be Xmas soon…
Sorry folks, still no kiss in THAT chapter. Just be patient….Ok, now, let me know what you think about that chapter. Please REVIEW.
Stay tuned for CHAPTER 7 – CRUSH… Coming soon, IF you don't forget to review. Remember, the more you review, the sooner I post…