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Alias The Other Side of the Story"
Part IX
Sydney pawed through her bag for her key ring as she made her way from the elevator to her living quarters. Which she found wasn't an easy task since one arm was wrapped in gauze and throbbing as the anesthetic wore off.
" Not painful my ass," Sydney cursed as she jammed the key into the door. The paramedic had told her it wouldn't cause her too much discomfort for the doctors to fish out the bullet but he'd been very wrong. First the doctors had tried to do it without administering the lidocaine, but the doctor had screwed up and ended up pushing it in deeper that the doctors had decided to administer the anesthetic. But when the doctors had given her the numbing medicine, it hadn't worked too well and she'd ended up cringing as every nerve got touched, while the doctors fished out the bullet. She would get Marc for that. Heaven help him if he lived in the same apartment complex!
And heaven help Sean if he stuck one foot out of line. It was past eleven and Sydney was aware her roommate had had a very important business meeting that afternoon. But then again, she didn't feel like he'd been telling the truth. Right now, she felt like she didn't know him at all, ever since she'd found out that Michael's wife was her roommate's ex.
All Sydney could help was that whatever Jessica had said to him had made him very tired or sent him home with a headache and he was asleep, dreaming of the following morning. Because if Sean was coherent, she wasn't sure what she would do.
She stepped in and shoved her key into her pocket, then proceeded to somehow shedding off her light jacket and hung it in the closet.
She heard a murmuring of voice and concluded that the t.v. set was on. She only hoped that Sean had fallen asleep watching the game. Sydney cautiously tip-toed into the kitchen. She needed water, something to moisturize her dry throat. She walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a thing of bottled water and began chugging it.
" S~~~Sydney?"
Sydney froze. She gulped as she gazed over at the person who had called her name.
" Sean," Sydney gasped. She felt the water slide into the wrong tube. She began coughing. She steadied herself with one arm and thumped her chest with the other, hoping to dislodge it.
" I saw the news and the drug bust and it looked so horrible. There had to be at least fifteen police cars, and then they said there were civilians involved and~~~" Sean cried, rambling on. But then he registered Sydney was coughing. " Oh God! Syd! Are you okay?" he demanded, coming up behind her and patted her back soothingly. " Just relax, Syd, you're going to be okay."
Sydney closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and then with her good elbow, jabbed Sean sharply in the stomach.
Sean fell backwards and clutched his stomach, his face twisted with surprise and agony. " Syd, what did you do that for?"
" You touched me," she retorted, feeling disgusted. Being in the same room was bad enough.
" Yes, but you were choking, I was just trying to help you," Sean complained, putting a hand on the counter to steady himself. " I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression."
" Oh, shut up, Sean!" Sydney shot back, her voice loaded with venom. She looked absolutely surprised to have said that and that itched Sean Gaskin.
" Okay, there's obviously something going on with you, and it must be something other than the drug bust," Sean recollected, trying not to retaliate for the pain Sydney had caused him. " If you tell me what it is, I'll let this episode go."
" You don't even know if I was at the drug bust," Sydney shrieked. " Don't even act like you care!"
" I just, I knew you were coming home. You told me you had sick leave, but you didn't come home till now and I know you like to go to the pier to think. Then I saw your arm and~~~ I was worried sick about you."
Sydney laughed hysterically.
" Obviously you're reeling from the incident. Did you eat yet? Why don't' I fix you something and you go ahead and turn on a movie or something," Sean offered.
Sydney was blind to his request and continued chuckling. Tears were falling out of her eyes now.
" Come on, Syd, I'll take you over there," the blond offered and put his arm around her shoulder when Sydney shoved him, yet again. " Syd?" he winced.
" I told you, don't' touch me! Don't you understand English?!"
Sean's blue eyes looked tired with a gray tint. He took a deep breath before he leveled with her.
" There is something really wrong with you today so I'm not going to give you what you deserve," he told her, deathly calm, while he pulled out a chair from kitchen table and sank down onto it. " Tell me what is going on now."
" You first," Sydney blurted out.
Sean raised his head, his eyes narrowed menacingly as he fixed them on the now clearly angry Sydney. " Excuse me?"
" Don't, "excuse me?" Sean. You have no freaking right to be condescending to me. Especially since you're just a lying son of a b****!"
This shook Sean and he no longer looked sorry for his roommate. " Mind telling me what you think I did before you start accusing me?" he suggested, threateningly.
" I'm just curious how far back do you go with Jess," Sydney lampooned, her face spread with a sarcastic expression. " Best friends? Girlfriend? The one you lost your virginity to?"
" What?" Sean demanded, rubbing his trembling arms. " What are you talking about now, Syd?"
" Game's over, Mr. Gaskin. I saw you at the care with my ex- boyfriend's wife. And you two seemed cunning, and it also didn't look like you two just met," Sydney continued, her voice getting harsher.
" Syd? What is going on?"
" Just answer the question, Sean," Sydney spit, disgustedly. " I'm not buying any cover stories, so don't try. Mrs. Vaughn has very kindly told me her side and I'm anxious to see if your stories match."
" Jess, she spoke to you?" Sean sighed, and looked extremely defeated when Sydney confirmed that she had. " What did she say?"
" I'm pretty pissed off, aren't I? I think you know exactly what she said," Sydney shot back, evenly.
" Are you going to give me a window to defend myself or am I already presumed guilty?" Sean chuckled, even though nothing about the situation was remotely funny. He lowered his voice a tad and asked, " what do you want to know?"
" In the living room," Sydney said quickly, and walked out to the room and settled onto the couch. Sean sat down just as she flicked the television off.
" Okay, Syd, what do you want to know?"
Sydney saw Sean's forlorn expression and couldn't help but feel she was being a little bit harsh. But no, he was the one who'd been lying to her, and possibly been playing with her head. Those two thoughts returned her to her angry feelings.
" Jessica told me you two were involved, is that true?"
" Big mistake, biggest one I probably ever made but yes, I was involved with the present Jessica Vaughn. We grew up together, or at least I did. She was the most popular girl in high school, I was the boy she loved that everybody believed she felt sorry for. We dated pretty seriously in college but then, one day, she dropped me and that's the end of that," Sean said firmly, but Sydney could hear longing in his voice and she was sure it wasn't longing to close things off with Jess.
" It didn't seem like you two closed things off," Sydney replied, pointedly. " I thought Jessica was cheating on her husband when I saw her with another man."
" Well, I couldn't strangle her neck or bark at her in a public place, could I? Then people would suspect something. We were just being civil, but what can I say, we look good together. And if you thought she actually liked me, give her the academy award. She detests me. She used to hand me death threats whenever I picked the wrong flower or picked up a lipstick some lady had dropped," Sean laughed, his expression dark.
" But what about you, do you still like her?" Sydney said, a bit more gently.
"N~~no, not since college and that nasty break up. I haven't caught up to her until now," Sean explained, rubbing his hands together.
" Well then, why did you even find out about her? Wouldn't that be stupid, opening up old wounds?" Sydney pressed.
" Me and Jess are always going to have a connection, it is a simple as that. And maybe I'm here because despite how much she has hurt me, I don't want her to go through the same pain," he admitted quietly.
This was not the answer Sydney had expected.
" You think Michael is going to hurt her?"
" Why not? He hurt you," Sean said simply.
" That's a totally different situation," Sydney cut in, defensively. " He thought I was dead."
" Yeah, but now you're back. It doesn't take an idiot to figure out that he wants to be with you, but he also wants to stay faithful to his wife," Sean cursed. " He's crazy if he thinks he can have it both ways."
" Okay, fine, so you don't' want to see Jessica hurt. That still doesn't explain what you're doing with her."
" The honest truth, Jessica asked me to come out to L.A three months ago. And I thought she wanted to get back with me. I gotta tell you, it was quite a blow to find out she was married."
" So you've known, all this time, your ex is married to mine?" Sydney asked in a shrilly voice.
" Yes."
" So, what? Did Jessica hire you to seduce me? Keep me away from her family, have you convince me I'm making the biggest mistake of my life?" Sydney roared, too shaken to speak.
" Yes, at the beginning, I think that's what she tricked me into doing. But my plan was not to hurt you, it was to get Jessica to realize I'm better for her. That is, until I lost interest in her," Sean said, his voice trembling. " Look, in the beginning it may have been about keeping you from messing up Jessica's so-called happiness, but that's not what it is anymore."
" No, stop! I don't think I want to hear anymore," Sydney scowled severely. " You were playing with me, you didn't want a roommate, you're just a loser who couldn't say no to your gorgeous ex!"
" No, Syd! I already told you, her being married came as a surprise for me too," Sean protested, getting desperate.
" But you failed to mention you were in on this whole thing with Jess, the whole time! Good bye, Mr. Gaskin!"
" Wait, Sydney! I'm not finished!"
" Please, I already know what you're going to say. That you didn't mean all that and that you wish you can take it back because you've fallen for me!"
"H~~how did you know?"
" Jessica, she told me," Sydney revealed, spitting out her name with disgust. " Don't ask me why I'm taking her word for it but I just don't think she'd lie about that."
"So what do you want? Confirmation?" Sean plodded. "Yes, I do. I've grown to like you, so much that I haven't gone back to my wife."
" And that's another thing, you lied to me that you and your wife are having problems. What does she think of you being away from her?" Sydney demanded, very angrily.
" She probably thinks I'm with Jess," Sean shrugged, as though he really didn't care at all.
" That doesn't bother you?"
" I guess not, I'm still here, aren't I?"
Sydney had known Sean was a goofball with a secret agenda but she could never have predicted how full of it he was.
" I've gotta go, your, b.b. is going to mess me all up!" Sydney groaned and got up from the seat. " I don't know how you can bad mouth Michael."
" Um before you start telling me I'm messed up, why don't you look at your pathetic self?" Sean suggested, threateningly. " I mean, what are you going to do? Wait for Michael to come to his senses? Guilt trip him for being married? If you love the guy, you'd let him go and then move on to assure him he doesn't have to worry about you. And who better to do that than with your roommate? I'm sure your ex wonders what goes on between you and me behind closed doors."
" Shut up, Sean. I don't' want any lectures of love from you. You don't' even know what it is!"
" Maybe I don't, but that's because I've been hurt all my life. Jess totally ruined it for me," Sean agreed. " But that doesn't mean you can't change that," he purred, looking at Sydney in a way Sydney was sure he could see through her clothes. " Drop your clothes."
" E~excuse me?"
" Syd, you and I have been hurt by the people we love. There's a reason God put us lost souls together, to comfort each other, to find a new beginning together."
Sydney watched in horror as Sean began to take off his clothes, until he stood there wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He was sexy, she had to admit. He was tanned, and had a very tight abdomen, sweat glistened between the ripples of his six-pack. But Sean was a liar, and a player. There was no way she wanted to be in the same room as him tonight.
" What are you waiting for, Syd?" come on, you know you want this as much as I do," Sean crooned, flashing her a reassuring smile.
" No, but I wouldn't expect you to know that, you hardly know me."
" Well, it seems you don't know me either," Sean murmured, dangerously. " Smart girls don't say, "no," to me. Keeps me happy and them out of pain and trouble."
" Sean, you stand right there," Sydney warned him, but Sean kept coming closer. " I'm not joking, Mr. Gaskin!"
" What are you going to do? Cry, "rape!" he sniveled. " You don't want me to go to sleep having "blue-balls," do you?"
" I'll give you worse than "blue-balls," if you touch me," Sydney growled.
" Go ahead, threaten away. I like to live dangerously," he sneered, then threw her down onto the couch. " Now this is how it works, you do what I say and we can make this a pleasant experience."
" Oh god!" Sydney's brain screamed. He was going to rape her! But then she scolded herself. " Come on Syd, you're a CIA agent, a double agent, you've been in worse situations than this! Push him off! Do something!
" It's really a shame I have to force myself onto a beautiful girl like you," Sean chuckled as he undid the buttons of her shirt. " But honestly, can you say you have no interest in me?"
" YES!" Sydney barked. Sean looked shocked. Sydney used that to her advantage and kneed him in the groin. Sean doubled over in pain and Sydney lost no time in throwing him to the ground. She pulled the key to the apartment off her key ring and threw it onto Sean's body.
" S~Syd? What are you doing? Where are you going?" he rasped, opening one swollen eye.
" Getting away from you, that's what!" she bellowed. She didn't even pack a thing and left he apartment, slamming the door behind her.
" Now what?" Sydney sobbed, as she walked out of the building. She checked her wallet. She did have some money, at least she would last through the night. But where was she going to go?"
" Oh God, Michael, I wish you could be here, I need you! Oh god, I need you!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" We have Mrs. Vaughn on routine checks," the doctor told Michael after checking on Jess one last time. " We don't fear that she'll have a concussion, or any brain damage. We treated her shock in just the right amount of time."
" Oh great," Michael gasped. " Is she awake? Can I go in and see her?"
" Yes, Mr. Vaughn. Jessica has been asking about you. But understand, she is in a weak state, do not say anything to upset her. I think I would be best not to inquire about the accident or the incident that prompted her current state," the doctor continued in a firm tone.
" I understand."
"Well good. Jessica has two i.v.'s in her to keep her body hydrated and to offer her body some nutrients so don't let that shock you. If anything happens, just press the red nurse call button and somebody will come in to assist you."
" Um~~~thank you," Michael replied.
The doctor nodded and walked away.
" Hey Michael!"
Michael turned around and grew tense. It was Weiss. " Eric, hi~~~did you hear anything about~~~Sydney?" he inquired.
" Yeah, she's already been treated and they discharged her," Eric reported happily. " Our Sydney is one hell of a trooper."
" I'll say," Michael exhaled with relief. " I'm glad she's okay. Have you notified Kendall?"
" No, I thought we should keep this on the d.l, at least until the reason is clear why Sydney and Jessica were on the scene," Eric answered in a whisper.
" Good thinking," Michael priased.
" Um, Vaughn, you don't think Sydney and Jess went out there because they were fighting do you? I mean, you heard Syd's story, she didn't even know about the drug bust."
" I sure hope not. It wouldn't be a fight between Syd and Jess. Sydney would be the only one getting the hits," Michael laughed, dismissively, and in admiration of Sydney's strength.
" Well, let's hope there was no gun involved either. Then Syd could go down for attempted murder," Eric said, quietly.
" Eric, listen to yourself!" Michsel hissed. " Syd would never kill anybody."
" Yeah, I know but. I hope this would at least get one thing through to you, your inability to choose between Sydney and Jessica is making one hopeful and one feel insecure, and they have basically pitted against each other today," Weiss said in a wise tone that was out of his character.
" I know that, damnit, Weiss! And had it been an easy choice, I would have done it by now," Michael groaned, getting neurotic to that particular question.
" Well, Mike, I feel really sorry for you, I do, but just know, next time, it might turn out worse than today."
" Um Eric, thanks for informing me about Sydney. I think I'm going to go in and sit with my wife. I'll see you at work tomorrow," Michael said quickly, trying to find a way to end the conversation.
Weiss nodded and watched Michael disappear behind the closed doors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael closed the door softly behind him and looked over at Jessica. She seemed to be sleeping. He was warmed by the sight of his wife in such a peaceful state.
He crept over to the bed and took a seat on the chair, but as careful as he was, the chair squeaked and Jessica shifted in bed.
" M~~Michael?" Jessica whispered, opening her eyes.
" Hey Jess, I didn't mean to wake you."
" No, don't worry about it," Jessica cooed, flashing a wan smile. " There's no other way I'd rather be woken up."
" Well, it sure seems like you're doing okay," Michael breathed as he removed his jacket. " How are you feeling?"
" I could have done without getting poked and stuck but other than that, I think I'll be fine," Jessica mumbled, tiredly.
" Well, we have to make sure you're going to be in perfect health. But you look tired, go ahead and sleep," he cajoled her.
" What about you, what are you going to do?" Jessica whined. Without make up, she looked so like a little girl.
" I'll stay here, all night long. So go ahead and rest, I'll be here in the morning," he promised and took hold of her hand.
" M~~Michael, honey?"
" Yes, sweetie?"
" Do you love me?"
Michael looked at Jessica's serious expression and coughed. " Whoa, Jess, where'd you pull that from?"
" I want an answer, Michael."
" I~~~I married you, isn't that proof enough?"
Jessica stared hard at her husband's face. She knew Michael didn't love her, he wished he was with Sydney.
" You sure you don't want to be with Sydney?" Jessica said in a sweet voice.
" No," he stammered. " I'm your husband, Jess. I'm here for you."
Gosh, that sounded too much like he was forcing himself to say those words.
" Well, you are here," Jessica evaluated. " I guess I've been feeling insecure since Sydney came back. I mean it's clear you two were involved and you're always at work with her."
" Jess, are you getting jealous?"
" Maybe, but that would be your fault. You haven't done much to alleviate my fears," Jessica whined, fixing her piercing gaze onto Michael.
" Jess, I'm sorry," he lamented. " What can I do?"
" Listen. There's something I have to tell you about this afternoon," Jessica began gravely.
" No, Jess. The doctor told me to keep you from thinking about what happened today," Michael protested, squeezing his wife's hand.
" But I need to, Michael. You need to know," Jessica insisted.. " Your girlfriend pulled a gun on me."
" What? Jessica, we're talking about Sydney, here. Why would you say something like that?" Michael retorted, offended.
" Because it's true, Michael! She tried to shoot me!"
" Keep your voice down!" Michael hissed, angrily. " Now look, Sydney had a gun, yes, but from what I've heard, she shot the gang member that was coming up behind you! She saved your life and got shot herself! Shouldn't you be grateful?!"
" Why are you defending the woman who's doing everything to tear us apart? She pointed a gun at me, your wife!" Jessica cried, heartbrokenly.
" Because I know she didn't. She's not that kind of person. She acted in self-defense."
" Sydney has been, "missing," for two years. You said so yourself. And you don't think things changed inside of her?" Jessica demanded, incredulously. " Oh Michael, you are amazing! No wonder Sydney is holding out for you!"
" Jess, I am serious, drop this now! I understand you are jealous, and yes, that's partially my fault. But that doesn't give you any right to accuse my ex-girlfriend of trying to kill you! I'm not going to accept that! And I won't tolerate it either. If you don't' have that much trust in me, we shouldn't be together!" Michael glowered, his expression stern, and his mouth a tight line.
" Michael, I just have to say this. You may not want to realize it but your girlfriend is out to get me. And she's going to have access to me as long as you work at Bristow Electronics," Jessica stated, nervously.
" What? Now you want me to quit my job?" Michael gasped and could no longer deal with the controlling his wife was trying to do. " I'm sorry, Jess, but my job is important to me. I am not giving up years of work because you're paranoid!"
" Michael, why can't you see that I'm trying to save you pain? Why don't you love me enough to want to protect me?"
" Because Jess, I'm not going to entertain your fears or play your little games! I'm a grown man who's been through more than you can ever stomach. If you can't respect that, me, or my close friends, this is not going to work," Michael concluded, quietly and then got up from his chair.
" Michael, where are you going?"
" I'm going to go home and pack a few things, Jess. We obviously need some space apart. I need to come to terms with my unfinished business with Sydney and you need to learn to trust me, Jess," Michael said firmly.
" Michael, no! Please don't go! I know where you're going. If you go, we're never going to be the same again!" Jessica pleaded between sobs.
" Jess, you have been put in an unfair position, and I regret that a lot. But this is something I need to do alone. Please understand that," Michael assuaged, his voice growing soft. He gently knelt his head down and kissed her on the forehead. " I'll see you in a few days. You just, think about what I said, and we'll exchange notes in a few days."
Michael was just turning the doorknob when Jessica squirreled, " I love you, Michael."
" Thanks, Jess. Maybe one day, I can truly mean those words when I say them to you," he replied, smiling sadly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" What did you think of the movie, Jane?" Will Tippin asked his girlfriend as they exited the cineplex.
" Was there a movie on?" Jane teased, snuggling against Will's shoulder. " I was too into staring at you."
" Hey, I paid good money for those tickets," Will reminded her, only half-joking.
" Well, you couldn't have watched much of the movie either, after all I spent the majority of it kissing the lips of the guy I love," Jane giggled, looking very girlish with big blue eyes.
" You got me darlin," Will sighed. " So, what do you want to do now?" Will inquired and stared at his watch. " How long does the babysitter have left?"
" Two hours," Jane told him with a smile. " Well, this is a rare night off for me, and since you paid for the movie, why don't I buy dinner?"
" You buy dinner? Please, let the handsome gentleman do that."
" No, no, my treat, for being an exceptional guy and for being a great friend to a girl who was in need."
" Jane, aw, you're going to make me blush."
" That was really sweet what you did for Sydney. She seemed very nice. I was kind of disappointed when I saw she was leaving," Jane admitted.
" Well, I'll try and squeeze in a visit before she leaves for London."
" She's really going to do that?" Jane murmured, biting her lip.
" She wants to move on and she thinks it's a way to do so. I just want her to be okay," Will acclaimed, putting his arm strongly around his girlfriend.
" Me too," Jane said, " for you sake." Jane then looked around the area for dinner possibilities when she caught sight of a familiar brunette. " Um, honey, I know I only saw Sydney for a minute but isn't that her?"
Will followed his girlfriend's finger and gasped.
" Oh man, that is Syd," Will confirmed and then jogged over to her. " Sydney!"
" W~Will, oh my God, Will!" Sydney cried and buried her head into his chest. Will put his arms tightly around her, trying to comfort her.
" Hey, Will, is she okay?"
" Um, I don't know," Will admitted and gently released her. " Sydney, are you okay?"
" Um~~~no, actually, after I left I got shot at, then my roommate forced himself onto me so I can't go back there. I guess I'm sort of wondering around," Sydney explained between sobs.
" Oh God, Syd, am I glad you ran into us," Will coaxed her. " Man, you don't worry about a thing, Syd. You're coming home with us."
" Thank you but, I don't have anything, I don't want to be imposing," Sydney crowed.
" You're not," Jane said quickly. " I'm sure we can manage something. Can I see your arm?"
Sydney nodded and winced slightly as she examined it.
" Don't worry, Syd. Jane's a great doctor," Will assured his friend.
" Well, looks like a few stitches tore but I think I'll be able to stabilize it. And as for your roommate, how far did he get?"
" He didn't get anywhere, I pushed him off and bolted before he had a chance."
" Did he knee you or anything like that?"
" N~no," Sydney assured her.
" Okay, well, have you eaten, we were just about to grab dinner," Will chimed in.
" N~ no, just coffee."
" Well you're coming with us," Will said firmly and Jane added. " Don't worry, everything is going to be all right."
There you have it, another installment and yeah, so Michael left Jess ( YAY! Believe me I am a S/V shipper all the way and maybe it's heading in that direction. And don't you all love Jane, she's such an understanding girlfriend. But wait, there's more surprises that lie ahead, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve and I promise you won't be disappointed. And yes, please shoot Sean at will. Thanks, REVIEW. And see ya next week on " the other side of the story!" Lataz
Alias The Other Side of the Story"
Part IX
Sydney pawed through her bag for her key ring as she made her way from the elevator to her living quarters. Which she found wasn't an easy task since one arm was wrapped in gauze and throbbing as the anesthetic wore off.
" Not painful my ass," Sydney cursed as she jammed the key into the door. The paramedic had told her it wouldn't cause her too much discomfort for the doctors to fish out the bullet but he'd been very wrong. First the doctors had tried to do it without administering the lidocaine, but the doctor had screwed up and ended up pushing it in deeper that the doctors had decided to administer the anesthetic. But when the doctors had given her the numbing medicine, it hadn't worked too well and she'd ended up cringing as every nerve got touched, while the doctors fished out the bullet. She would get Marc for that. Heaven help him if he lived in the same apartment complex!
And heaven help Sean if he stuck one foot out of line. It was past eleven and Sydney was aware her roommate had had a very important business meeting that afternoon. But then again, she didn't feel like he'd been telling the truth. Right now, she felt like she didn't know him at all, ever since she'd found out that Michael's wife was her roommate's ex.
All Sydney could help was that whatever Jessica had said to him had made him very tired or sent him home with a headache and he was asleep, dreaming of the following morning. Because if Sean was coherent, she wasn't sure what she would do.
She stepped in and shoved her key into her pocket, then proceeded to somehow shedding off her light jacket and hung it in the closet.
She heard a murmuring of voice and concluded that the t.v. set was on. She only hoped that Sean had fallen asleep watching the game. Sydney cautiously tip-toed into the kitchen. She needed water, something to moisturize her dry throat. She walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a thing of bottled water and began chugging it.
" S~~~Sydney?"
Sydney froze. She gulped as she gazed over at the person who had called her name.
" Sean," Sydney gasped. She felt the water slide into the wrong tube. She began coughing. She steadied herself with one arm and thumped her chest with the other, hoping to dislodge it.
" I saw the news and the drug bust and it looked so horrible. There had to be at least fifteen police cars, and then they said there were civilians involved and~~~" Sean cried, rambling on. But then he registered Sydney was coughing. " Oh God! Syd! Are you okay?" he demanded, coming up behind her and patted her back soothingly. " Just relax, Syd, you're going to be okay."
Sydney closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and then with her good elbow, jabbed Sean sharply in the stomach.
Sean fell backwards and clutched his stomach, his face twisted with surprise and agony. " Syd, what did you do that for?"
" You touched me," she retorted, feeling disgusted. Being in the same room was bad enough.
" Yes, but you were choking, I was just trying to help you," Sean complained, putting a hand on the counter to steady himself. " I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression."
" Oh, shut up, Sean!" Sydney shot back, her voice loaded with venom. She looked absolutely surprised to have said that and that itched Sean Gaskin.
" Okay, there's obviously something going on with you, and it must be something other than the drug bust," Sean recollected, trying not to retaliate for the pain Sydney had caused him. " If you tell me what it is, I'll let this episode go."
" You don't even know if I was at the drug bust," Sydney shrieked. " Don't even act like you care!"
" I just, I knew you were coming home. You told me you had sick leave, but you didn't come home till now and I know you like to go to the pier to think. Then I saw your arm and~~~ I was worried sick about you."
Sydney laughed hysterically.
" Obviously you're reeling from the incident. Did you eat yet? Why don't' I fix you something and you go ahead and turn on a movie or something," Sean offered.
Sydney was blind to his request and continued chuckling. Tears were falling out of her eyes now.
" Come on, Syd, I'll take you over there," the blond offered and put his arm around her shoulder when Sydney shoved him, yet again. " Syd?" he winced.
" I told you, don't' touch me! Don't you understand English?!"
Sean's blue eyes looked tired with a gray tint. He took a deep breath before he leveled with her.
" There is something really wrong with you today so I'm not going to give you what you deserve," he told her, deathly calm, while he pulled out a chair from kitchen table and sank down onto it. " Tell me what is going on now."
" You first," Sydney blurted out.
Sean raised his head, his eyes narrowed menacingly as he fixed them on the now clearly angry Sydney. " Excuse me?"
" Don't, "excuse me?" Sean. You have no freaking right to be condescending to me. Especially since you're just a lying son of a b****!"
This shook Sean and he no longer looked sorry for his roommate. " Mind telling me what you think I did before you start accusing me?" he suggested, threateningly.
" I'm just curious how far back do you go with Jess," Sydney lampooned, her face spread with a sarcastic expression. " Best friends? Girlfriend? The one you lost your virginity to?"
" What?" Sean demanded, rubbing his trembling arms. " What are you talking about now, Syd?"
" Game's over, Mr. Gaskin. I saw you at the care with my ex- boyfriend's wife. And you two seemed cunning, and it also didn't look like you two just met," Sydney continued, her voice getting harsher.
" Syd? What is going on?"
" Just answer the question, Sean," Sydney spit, disgustedly. " I'm not buying any cover stories, so don't try. Mrs. Vaughn has very kindly told me her side and I'm anxious to see if your stories match."
" Jess, she spoke to you?" Sean sighed, and looked extremely defeated when Sydney confirmed that she had. " What did she say?"
" I'm pretty pissed off, aren't I? I think you know exactly what she said," Sydney shot back, evenly.
" Are you going to give me a window to defend myself or am I already presumed guilty?" Sean chuckled, even though nothing about the situation was remotely funny. He lowered his voice a tad and asked, " what do you want to know?"
" In the living room," Sydney said quickly, and walked out to the room and settled onto the couch. Sean sat down just as she flicked the television off.
" Okay, Syd, what do you want to know?"
Sydney saw Sean's forlorn expression and couldn't help but feel she was being a little bit harsh. But no, he was the one who'd been lying to her, and possibly been playing with her head. Those two thoughts returned her to her angry feelings.
" Jessica told me you two were involved, is that true?"
" Big mistake, biggest one I probably ever made but yes, I was involved with the present Jessica Vaughn. We grew up together, or at least I did. She was the most popular girl in high school, I was the boy she loved that everybody believed she felt sorry for. We dated pretty seriously in college but then, one day, she dropped me and that's the end of that," Sean said firmly, but Sydney could hear longing in his voice and she was sure it wasn't longing to close things off with Jess.
" It didn't seem like you two closed things off," Sydney replied, pointedly. " I thought Jessica was cheating on her husband when I saw her with another man."
" Well, I couldn't strangle her neck or bark at her in a public place, could I? Then people would suspect something. We were just being civil, but what can I say, we look good together. And if you thought she actually liked me, give her the academy award. She detests me. She used to hand me death threats whenever I picked the wrong flower or picked up a lipstick some lady had dropped," Sean laughed, his expression dark.
" But what about you, do you still like her?" Sydney said, a bit more gently.
"N~~no, not since college and that nasty break up. I haven't caught up to her until now," Sean explained, rubbing his hands together.
" Well then, why did you even find out about her? Wouldn't that be stupid, opening up old wounds?" Sydney pressed.
" Me and Jess are always going to have a connection, it is a simple as that. And maybe I'm here because despite how much she has hurt me, I don't want her to go through the same pain," he admitted quietly.
This was not the answer Sydney had expected.
" You think Michael is going to hurt her?"
" Why not? He hurt you," Sean said simply.
" That's a totally different situation," Sydney cut in, defensively. " He thought I was dead."
" Yeah, but now you're back. It doesn't take an idiot to figure out that he wants to be with you, but he also wants to stay faithful to his wife," Sean cursed. " He's crazy if he thinks he can have it both ways."
" Okay, fine, so you don't' want to see Jessica hurt. That still doesn't explain what you're doing with her."
" The honest truth, Jessica asked me to come out to L.A three months ago. And I thought she wanted to get back with me. I gotta tell you, it was quite a blow to find out she was married."
" So you've known, all this time, your ex is married to mine?" Sydney asked in a shrilly voice.
" Yes."
" So, what? Did Jessica hire you to seduce me? Keep me away from her family, have you convince me I'm making the biggest mistake of my life?" Sydney roared, too shaken to speak.
" Yes, at the beginning, I think that's what she tricked me into doing. But my plan was not to hurt you, it was to get Jessica to realize I'm better for her. That is, until I lost interest in her," Sean said, his voice trembling. " Look, in the beginning it may have been about keeping you from messing up Jessica's so-called happiness, but that's not what it is anymore."
" No, stop! I don't think I want to hear anymore," Sydney scowled severely. " You were playing with me, you didn't want a roommate, you're just a loser who couldn't say no to your gorgeous ex!"
" No, Syd! I already told you, her being married came as a surprise for me too," Sean protested, getting desperate.
" But you failed to mention you were in on this whole thing with Jess, the whole time! Good bye, Mr. Gaskin!"
" Wait, Sydney! I'm not finished!"
" Please, I already know what you're going to say. That you didn't mean all that and that you wish you can take it back because you've fallen for me!"
"H~~how did you know?"
" Jessica, she told me," Sydney revealed, spitting out her name with disgust. " Don't ask me why I'm taking her word for it but I just don't think she'd lie about that."
"So what do you want? Confirmation?" Sean plodded. "Yes, I do. I've grown to like you, so much that I haven't gone back to my wife."
" And that's another thing, you lied to me that you and your wife are having problems. What does she think of you being away from her?" Sydney demanded, very angrily.
" She probably thinks I'm with Jess," Sean shrugged, as though he really didn't care at all.
" That doesn't bother you?"
" I guess not, I'm still here, aren't I?"
Sydney had known Sean was a goofball with a secret agenda but she could never have predicted how full of it he was.
" I've gotta go, your, b.b. is going to mess me all up!" Sydney groaned and got up from the seat. " I don't know how you can bad mouth Michael."
" Um before you start telling me I'm messed up, why don't you look at your pathetic self?" Sean suggested, threateningly. " I mean, what are you going to do? Wait for Michael to come to his senses? Guilt trip him for being married? If you love the guy, you'd let him go and then move on to assure him he doesn't have to worry about you. And who better to do that than with your roommate? I'm sure your ex wonders what goes on between you and me behind closed doors."
" Shut up, Sean. I don't' want any lectures of love from you. You don't' even know what it is!"
" Maybe I don't, but that's because I've been hurt all my life. Jess totally ruined it for me," Sean agreed. " But that doesn't mean you can't change that," he purred, looking at Sydney in a way Sydney was sure he could see through her clothes. " Drop your clothes."
" E~excuse me?"
" Syd, you and I have been hurt by the people we love. There's a reason God put us lost souls together, to comfort each other, to find a new beginning together."
Sydney watched in horror as Sean began to take off his clothes, until he stood there wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He was sexy, she had to admit. He was tanned, and had a very tight abdomen, sweat glistened between the ripples of his six-pack. But Sean was a liar, and a player. There was no way she wanted to be in the same room as him tonight.
" What are you waiting for, Syd?" come on, you know you want this as much as I do," Sean crooned, flashing her a reassuring smile.
" No, but I wouldn't expect you to know that, you hardly know me."
" Well, it seems you don't know me either," Sean murmured, dangerously. " Smart girls don't say, "no," to me. Keeps me happy and them out of pain and trouble."
" Sean, you stand right there," Sydney warned him, but Sean kept coming closer. " I'm not joking, Mr. Gaskin!"
" What are you going to do? Cry, "rape!" he sniveled. " You don't want me to go to sleep having "blue-balls," do you?"
" I'll give you worse than "blue-balls," if you touch me," Sydney growled.
" Go ahead, threaten away. I like to live dangerously," he sneered, then threw her down onto the couch. " Now this is how it works, you do what I say and we can make this a pleasant experience."
" Oh god!" Sydney's brain screamed. He was going to rape her! But then she scolded herself. " Come on Syd, you're a CIA agent, a double agent, you've been in worse situations than this! Push him off! Do something!
" It's really a shame I have to force myself onto a beautiful girl like you," Sean chuckled as he undid the buttons of her shirt. " But honestly, can you say you have no interest in me?"
" YES!" Sydney barked. Sean looked shocked. Sydney used that to her advantage and kneed him in the groin. Sean doubled over in pain and Sydney lost no time in throwing him to the ground. She pulled the key to the apartment off her key ring and threw it onto Sean's body.
" S~Syd? What are you doing? Where are you going?" he rasped, opening one swollen eye.
" Getting away from you, that's what!" she bellowed. She didn't even pack a thing and left he apartment, slamming the door behind her.
" Now what?" Sydney sobbed, as she walked out of the building. She checked her wallet. She did have some money, at least she would last through the night. But where was she going to go?"
" Oh God, Michael, I wish you could be here, I need you! Oh god, I need you!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" We have Mrs. Vaughn on routine checks," the doctor told Michael after checking on Jess one last time. " We don't fear that she'll have a concussion, or any brain damage. We treated her shock in just the right amount of time."
" Oh great," Michael gasped. " Is she awake? Can I go in and see her?"
" Yes, Mr. Vaughn. Jessica has been asking about you. But understand, she is in a weak state, do not say anything to upset her. I think I would be best not to inquire about the accident or the incident that prompted her current state," the doctor continued in a firm tone.
" I understand."
"Well good. Jessica has two i.v.'s in her to keep her body hydrated and to offer her body some nutrients so don't let that shock you. If anything happens, just press the red nurse call button and somebody will come in to assist you."
" Um~~~thank you," Michael replied.
The doctor nodded and walked away.
" Hey Michael!"
Michael turned around and grew tense. It was Weiss. " Eric, hi~~~did you hear anything about~~~Sydney?" he inquired.
" Yeah, she's already been treated and they discharged her," Eric reported happily. " Our Sydney is one hell of a trooper."
" I'll say," Michael exhaled with relief. " I'm glad she's okay. Have you notified Kendall?"
" No, I thought we should keep this on the d.l, at least until the reason is clear why Sydney and Jessica were on the scene," Eric answered in a whisper.
" Good thinking," Michael priased.
" Um, Vaughn, you don't think Sydney and Jess went out there because they were fighting do you? I mean, you heard Syd's story, she didn't even know about the drug bust."
" I sure hope not. It wouldn't be a fight between Syd and Jess. Sydney would be the only one getting the hits," Michael laughed, dismissively, and in admiration of Sydney's strength.
" Well, let's hope there was no gun involved either. Then Syd could go down for attempted murder," Eric said, quietly.
" Eric, listen to yourself!" Michsel hissed. " Syd would never kill anybody."
" Yeah, I know but. I hope this would at least get one thing through to you, your inability to choose between Sydney and Jessica is making one hopeful and one feel insecure, and they have basically pitted against each other today," Weiss said in a wise tone that was out of his character.
" I know that, damnit, Weiss! And had it been an easy choice, I would have done it by now," Michael groaned, getting neurotic to that particular question.
" Well, Mike, I feel really sorry for you, I do, but just know, next time, it might turn out worse than today."
" Um Eric, thanks for informing me about Sydney. I think I'm going to go in and sit with my wife. I'll see you at work tomorrow," Michael said quickly, trying to find a way to end the conversation.
Weiss nodded and watched Michael disappear behind the closed doors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael closed the door softly behind him and looked over at Jessica. She seemed to be sleeping. He was warmed by the sight of his wife in such a peaceful state.
He crept over to the bed and took a seat on the chair, but as careful as he was, the chair squeaked and Jessica shifted in bed.
" M~~Michael?" Jessica whispered, opening her eyes.
" Hey Jess, I didn't mean to wake you."
" No, don't worry about it," Jessica cooed, flashing a wan smile. " There's no other way I'd rather be woken up."
" Well, it sure seems like you're doing okay," Michael breathed as he removed his jacket. " How are you feeling?"
" I could have done without getting poked and stuck but other than that, I think I'll be fine," Jessica mumbled, tiredly.
" Well, we have to make sure you're going to be in perfect health. But you look tired, go ahead and sleep," he cajoled her.
" What about you, what are you going to do?" Jessica whined. Without make up, she looked so like a little girl.
" I'll stay here, all night long. So go ahead and rest, I'll be here in the morning," he promised and took hold of her hand.
" M~~Michael, honey?"
" Yes, sweetie?"
" Do you love me?"
Michael looked at Jessica's serious expression and coughed. " Whoa, Jess, where'd you pull that from?"
" I want an answer, Michael."
" I~~~I married you, isn't that proof enough?"
Jessica stared hard at her husband's face. She knew Michael didn't love her, he wished he was with Sydney.
" You sure you don't want to be with Sydney?" Jessica said in a sweet voice.
" No," he stammered. " I'm your husband, Jess. I'm here for you."
Gosh, that sounded too much like he was forcing himself to say those words.
" Well, you are here," Jessica evaluated. " I guess I've been feeling insecure since Sydney came back. I mean it's clear you two were involved and you're always at work with her."
" Jess, are you getting jealous?"
" Maybe, but that would be your fault. You haven't done much to alleviate my fears," Jessica whined, fixing her piercing gaze onto Michael.
" Jess, I'm sorry," he lamented. " What can I do?"
" Listen. There's something I have to tell you about this afternoon," Jessica began gravely.
" No, Jess. The doctor told me to keep you from thinking about what happened today," Michael protested, squeezing his wife's hand.
" But I need to, Michael. You need to know," Jessica insisted.. " Your girlfriend pulled a gun on me."
" What? Jessica, we're talking about Sydney, here. Why would you say something like that?" Michael retorted, offended.
" Because it's true, Michael! She tried to shoot me!"
" Keep your voice down!" Michael hissed, angrily. " Now look, Sydney had a gun, yes, but from what I've heard, she shot the gang member that was coming up behind you! She saved your life and got shot herself! Shouldn't you be grateful?!"
" Why are you defending the woman who's doing everything to tear us apart? She pointed a gun at me, your wife!" Jessica cried, heartbrokenly.
" Because I know she didn't. She's not that kind of person. She acted in self-defense."
" Sydney has been, "missing," for two years. You said so yourself. And you don't think things changed inside of her?" Jessica demanded, incredulously. " Oh Michael, you are amazing! No wonder Sydney is holding out for you!"
" Jess, I am serious, drop this now! I understand you are jealous, and yes, that's partially my fault. But that doesn't give you any right to accuse my ex-girlfriend of trying to kill you! I'm not going to accept that! And I won't tolerate it either. If you don't' have that much trust in me, we shouldn't be together!" Michael glowered, his expression stern, and his mouth a tight line.
" Michael, I just have to say this. You may not want to realize it but your girlfriend is out to get me. And she's going to have access to me as long as you work at Bristow Electronics," Jessica stated, nervously.
" What? Now you want me to quit my job?" Michael gasped and could no longer deal with the controlling his wife was trying to do. " I'm sorry, Jess, but my job is important to me. I am not giving up years of work because you're paranoid!"
" Michael, why can't you see that I'm trying to save you pain? Why don't you love me enough to want to protect me?"
" Because Jess, I'm not going to entertain your fears or play your little games! I'm a grown man who's been through more than you can ever stomach. If you can't respect that, me, or my close friends, this is not going to work," Michael concluded, quietly and then got up from his chair.
" Michael, where are you going?"
" I'm going to go home and pack a few things, Jess. We obviously need some space apart. I need to come to terms with my unfinished business with Sydney and you need to learn to trust me, Jess," Michael said firmly.
" Michael, no! Please don't go! I know where you're going. If you go, we're never going to be the same again!" Jessica pleaded between sobs.
" Jess, you have been put in an unfair position, and I regret that a lot. But this is something I need to do alone. Please understand that," Michael assuaged, his voice growing soft. He gently knelt his head down and kissed her on the forehead. " I'll see you in a few days. You just, think about what I said, and we'll exchange notes in a few days."
Michael was just turning the doorknob when Jessica squirreled, " I love you, Michael."
" Thanks, Jess. Maybe one day, I can truly mean those words when I say them to you," he replied, smiling sadly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" What did you think of the movie, Jane?" Will Tippin asked his girlfriend as they exited the cineplex.
" Was there a movie on?" Jane teased, snuggling against Will's shoulder. " I was too into staring at you."
" Hey, I paid good money for those tickets," Will reminded her, only half-joking.
" Well, you couldn't have watched much of the movie either, after all I spent the majority of it kissing the lips of the guy I love," Jane giggled, looking very girlish with big blue eyes.
" You got me darlin," Will sighed. " So, what do you want to do now?" Will inquired and stared at his watch. " How long does the babysitter have left?"
" Two hours," Jane told him with a smile. " Well, this is a rare night off for me, and since you paid for the movie, why don't I buy dinner?"
" You buy dinner? Please, let the handsome gentleman do that."
" No, no, my treat, for being an exceptional guy and for being a great friend to a girl who was in need."
" Jane, aw, you're going to make me blush."
" That was really sweet what you did for Sydney. She seemed very nice. I was kind of disappointed when I saw she was leaving," Jane admitted.
" Well, I'll try and squeeze in a visit before she leaves for London."
" She's really going to do that?" Jane murmured, biting her lip.
" She wants to move on and she thinks it's a way to do so. I just want her to be okay," Will acclaimed, putting his arm strongly around his girlfriend.
" Me too," Jane said, " for you sake." Jane then looked around the area for dinner possibilities when she caught sight of a familiar brunette. " Um, honey, I know I only saw Sydney for a minute but isn't that her?"
Will followed his girlfriend's finger and gasped.
" Oh man, that is Syd," Will confirmed and then jogged over to her. " Sydney!"
" W~Will, oh my God, Will!" Sydney cried and buried her head into his chest. Will put his arms tightly around her, trying to comfort her.
" Hey, Will, is she okay?"
" Um, I don't know," Will admitted and gently released her. " Sydney, are you okay?"
" Um~~~no, actually, after I left I got shot at, then my roommate forced himself onto me so I can't go back there. I guess I'm sort of wondering around," Sydney explained between sobs.
" Oh God, Syd, am I glad you ran into us," Will coaxed her. " Man, you don't worry about a thing, Syd. You're coming home with us."
" Thank you but, I don't have anything, I don't want to be imposing," Sydney crowed.
" You're not," Jane said quickly. " I'm sure we can manage something. Can I see your arm?"
Sydney nodded and winced slightly as she examined it.
" Don't worry, Syd. Jane's a great doctor," Will assured his friend.
" Well, looks like a few stitches tore but I think I'll be able to stabilize it. And as for your roommate, how far did he get?"
" He didn't get anywhere, I pushed him off and bolted before he had a chance."
" Did he knee you or anything like that?"
" N~no," Sydney assured her.
" Okay, well, have you eaten, we were just about to grab dinner," Will chimed in.
" N~ no, just coffee."
" Well you're coming with us," Will said firmly and Jane added. " Don't worry, everything is going to be all right."
There you have it, another installment and yeah, so Michael left Jess ( YAY! Believe me I am a S/V shipper all the way and maybe it's heading in that direction. And don't you all love Jane, she's such an understanding girlfriend. But wait, there's more surprises that lie ahead, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve and I promise you won't be disappointed. And yes, please shoot Sean at will. Thanks, REVIEW. And see ya next week on " the other side of the story!" Lataz
