When Sydney walked back into the rotunda a mere 3 hours later she looked
like hell. Her eyes were both swollen, the cut along her cheekbone had
proven to be quite deep, she had cuts along her wrists and arms from the
chains, and her whole body was sore.
She hadn't wanted to go home to an empty house for to long, so she got a shower changed her clothes and arrived back to the office. All she wanted to do was to go and work until she couldn't think. Drown herself in paperwork, better then alcohol, right?
She certainly turned heads when she walked in, especially those of her father, Vaughn, Weiss, and Dixon.
Dixon had approached her and welcomed her back, but after realizing she was in no mood to talk about it, he left quickly.
Her father lingered a little longer then Sydney would have liked, but the fatherly hug he administered before he left was greatly appreciated.
Weiss immediately trotted over and commenced to hug her and say= how much she had scared him. He left with the encouraging parting words, "Anytime you wanna you know, get drunk, and talk I'm ready." She laughed appreciatively.
Vaughn
Vaughn had been in the middle of writing up a report when she walked in. He followed her with his eyes across the rotunda being approached by Dixon, then her father, and finally Weiss.
The report suddenly forgotten he took in her injuries, mentally calculating how much pain she was in. He had grown used to doing that when she would return from missions, it's not like she would ever admit to being in pain.
She looked pretty beat up. Her eyes were definitely inflamed, the right one almost shut, the left side had a pretty nasty cut along the cheekbone; both were probably a result of someone's fist connecting with her face.
He was so sick of seeing her in all of this pain. It was like it surrounded her, but constantly. Some of it like today was merely physical, but the majority of it was mental. When it was mental it was always much easier for her to hide sadly, and she hid it well. He knew the majority of the mental pain she felt was in part his fault and it ate at him some nights.
He was just about to get up and approach her when Lauren walked over. Sydney glanced towards his desk at the exact moment and was met with the site of Lauren's hand along his cheek. She looked away quickly, but not before Michael had seen her looking. He cursed his bad timing; Lauren's bad timing, and began to wonder if Lauren had come to him when Sydney had just gotten back on purpose.
Fuck. Now when was he going to talk with her?
Sydney
The idea of going back to the office had been a good one until she had seen Vaughn with Lauren practically allover him. She turned back towards Weiss and talked briefly before saying she was going to call it a day.
Her dad approached her and said he would drive her home, she agreed reluctantly too tired to argue.
They rode back mostly in silence. He knew she didn't want to talk, so he didn't ask.
When they reached her new apartment he leaned over and asked, "Are you ok? Not hurt too bad right?" in a quiet voice.
"Yeah," she replied, "just some scratches, dad. Nothing I'm not used to."
He smiled before he said, "I know Syd, I know. I love you."
Her smile back was just as genuine when she said, "You too dad."
And with that she was out of the car walking to her door.
After she had fixed a bowl of cereal and plopped onto the couch was when she started reflecting on what had happened: on how right Sark was and how pitiful it was that she was still in love with a married man. She didn't understand how to move on like Vaughn apparently did. He had moved on, with "no regrets" as he had so eloquently put it.
As much as she thought about it, there was just no way she could move on, no fucking way. So she was stuck worshipping someone she could never have and it hurt.
The more she thought about it the angrier she grew, towards Vaughn. He had caused all of this, hadn't he? It had been he who had moved on and gotten himself married to that bitch Lauren...
She had been so deep in thought she hadn't heard the phone ringing until now. She swiftly picked it up and answered. "Hello?"
The voice on the other line faltered slightly but then followed with, "Joey's Pizza?" with his usual deep and concerned voice.
Sydney had had it. She was angry and she didn't want Vaughn or his pity at the moment.
Her voice was full of anger when she answered, "You have the wrong fucking number! Just please stop calling me," she had gone into tears now slightly hysterical as she finished with, "...just stop calling..."
She hung up the phone softly; painfully aware of the fact that she was now going to have to meet the one person she couldn't look in the eye.
She allowed herself 20 minutes to release all of her emotion. She cried, and cried hard, sobbing into the couch pillows, not caring that they weren't waterproof. She gathered herself in the bathroom trying to remove all evidence of tears. She didn't want him to know she had been crying. She didn't think she could stand the irony of him trying to comfort her.
She slipped into some running shorts and a t-shirt, finishing the look with sneakers. She walked to the end of her driveway and commenced to run to the warehouse.
Vaughn
He had waited for 20 minutes now and he was growing anxious. He wanted to see her, make sure she was ok; something told him he needed to see her.
It was only a moment later that he heard and recognized her soft gate. She had obviously chosen to run. He knew her well enough to know that usually meant there was something on her mind.
She rounded the corner and slowed to a walk as she entered the warehouse. He looked up and noticed her tearstained cheeks; he also noticed how she had tried to cover them up.
He walked towards her and said, "Sydney..."
She countered just as easily with, "Don't Vaughn, please."
He took a step back knowing this would be more difficult then he had thought.
She hadn't wanted to go home to an empty house for to long, so she got a shower changed her clothes and arrived back to the office. All she wanted to do was to go and work until she couldn't think. Drown herself in paperwork, better then alcohol, right?
She certainly turned heads when she walked in, especially those of her father, Vaughn, Weiss, and Dixon.
Dixon had approached her and welcomed her back, but after realizing she was in no mood to talk about it, he left quickly.
Her father lingered a little longer then Sydney would have liked, but the fatherly hug he administered before he left was greatly appreciated.
Weiss immediately trotted over and commenced to hug her and say= how much she had scared him. He left with the encouraging parting words, "Anytime you wanna you know, get drunk, and talk I'm ready." She laughed appreciatively.
Vaughn
Vaughn had been in the middle of writing up a report when she walked in. He followed her with his eyes across the rotunda being approached by Dixon, then her father, and finally Weiss.
The report suddenly forgotten he took in her injuries, mentally calculating how much pain she was in. He had grown used to doing that when she would return from missions, it's not like she would ever admit to being in pain.
She looked pretty beat up. Her eyes were definitely inflamed, the right one almost shut, the left side had a pretty nasty cut along the cheekbone; both were probably a result of someone's fist connecting with her face.
He was so sick of seeing her in all of this pain. It was like it surrounded her, but constantly. Some of it like today was merely physical, but the majority of it was mental. When it was mental it was always much easier for her to hide sadly, and she hid it well. He knew the majority of the mental pain she felt was in part his fault and it ate at him some nights.
He was just about to get up and approach her when Lauren walked over. Sydney glanced towards his desk at the exact moment and was met with the site of Lauren's hand along his cheek. She looked away quickly, but not before Michael had seen her looking. He cursed his bad timing; Lauren's bad timing, and began to wonder if Lauren had come to him when Sydney had just gotten back on purpose.
Fuck. Now when was he going to talk with her?
Sydney
The idea of going back to the office had been a good one until she had seen Vaughn with Lauren practically allover him. She turned back towards Weiss and talked briefly before saying she was going to call it a day.
Her dad approached her and said he would drive her home, she agreed reluctantly too tired to argue.
They rode back mostly in silence. He knew she didn't want to talk, so he didn't ask.
When they reached her new apartment he leaned over and asked, "Are you ok? Not hurt too bad right?" in a quiet voice.
"Yeah," she replied, "just some scratches, dad. Nothing I'm not used to."
He smiled before he said, "I know Syd, I know. I love you."
Her smile back was just as genuine when she said, "You too dad."
And with that she was out of the car walking to her door.
After she had fixed a bowl of cereal and plopped onto the couch was when she started reflecting on what had happened: on how right Sark was and how pitiful it was that she was still in love with a married man. She didn't understand how to move on like Vaughn apparently did. He had moved on, with "no regrets" as he had so eloquently put it.
As much as she thought about it, there was just no way she could move on, no fucking way. So she was stuck worshipping someone she could never have and it hurt.
The more she thought about it the angrier she grew, towards Vaughn. He had caused all of this, hadn't he? It had been he who had moved on and gotten himself married to that bitch Lauren...
She had been so deep in thought she hadn't heard the phone ringing until now. She swiftly picked it up and answered. "Hello?"
The voice on the other line faltered slightly but then followed with, "Joey's Pizza?" with his usual deep and concerned voice.
Sydney had had it. She was angry and she didn't want Vaughn or his pity at the moment.
Her voice was full of anger when she answered, "You have the wrong fucking number! Just please stop calling me," she had gone into tears now slightly hysterical as she finished with, "...just stop calling..."
She hung up the phone softly; painfully aware of the fact that she was now going to have to meet the one person she couldn't look in the eye.
She allowed herself 20 minutes to release all of her emotion. She cried, and cried hard, sobbing into the couch pillows, not caring that they weren't waterproof. She gathered herself in the bathroom trying to remove all evidence of tears. She didn't want him to know she had been crying. She didn't think she could stand the irony of him trying to comfort her.
She slipped into some running shorts and a t-shirt, finishing the look with sneakers. She walked to the end of her driveway and commenced to run to the warehouse.
Vaughn
He had waited for 20 minutes now and he was growing anxious. He wanted to see her, make sure she was ok; something told him he needed to see her.
It was only a moment later that he heard and recognized her soft gate. She had obviously chosen to run. He knew her well enough to know that usually meant there was something on her mind.
She rounded the corner and slowed to a walk as she entered the warehouse. He looked up and noticed her tearstained cheeks; he also noticed how she had tried to cover them up.
He walked towards her and said, "Sydney..."
She countered just as easily with, "Don't Vaughn, please."
He took a step back knowing this would be more difficult then he had thought.