Alrighties...new chapter. Rejoice!

Set during Firebomb this time around. This is my favorite chapter so far. The ending's a bit clichéd but whatever.

For rules of the game, see Chapter Two.

Oh and this chapter is a bit -using the words 'a bit' very lightly- sexually oriented. I think I'm repressed or something. It doesn't go above PG-13 but just a warning.


She sighed happily and relaxed in her chair as she took another spoonful of ice cream and licked it off the spoon. They sat across from each other, each with a half gallon of Ben and Jerry's in their lap –Sydney with coffee, Vaughn with chocolate chip cookie dough- and their feet propped up on the same chair the other occupied. It had been Vaughn's doing first and Sydney just copied it.

He looked at her. "You seem happy," He commented.

She looked up from staring at her toes and smiled at him. "Well, I have coffee ice cream."

He smiled back. "That you do."

They smiled at each for a minute before going back to eating their ice cream.

"I want to play our game," Sydney said suddenly.

"Our game?" Vaughn asked raising an eyebrow at her slightly.

"Yes, our game." She answered.

"Has it always been our game?"

"Yes." She replied immediately.

"Yeah okay," He relented, "but there's one thing wrong with that."

"What?"

"I have no liquor." He said plainly.

She looked at him completely surprised. "What?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting to play. Need I remind you that it was you that suggested we play?" He explained.

Damn him for having a point. "No…but how are we going to play without it?"

He creased his brow, trying to think of a way to rectify their currant predicament. "Oh!" He said suddenly, causing her to jump a little. "I have an idea." He paused and she nodded impatiently for him to go on. "The ice cream."

She tilted her head to the side confused. "The ice cream?"

"You know," He said patiently, "Instead of taking a shot, you take a bite of ice cream."

The corners of her mouth twitched like she was going to smile. "I don't know…" She said slowly. It just wasn't the same without the liquor.

"We can't play any other way," He pressed. Playing with no liquor and ice cream instead was better in his mind than not playing at all.

Apparently she agreed because she stiffened in her chair slightly before nodded resignedly. "Alright. We'll play with the ice cream." She agreed reluctantly. Oh well, she could always spice things up if you know what I mean.

He smiled at her as he got the cards out of his briefcase. Of course, the cards never left, just the liquor. He had a pretty good idea that she wanted the liquor to be a very large part of this round of the game but at the moment, that couldn't be helped. "You go first this time," He offered handing her half of the deck.

She took the half and shuffled it idly in her hand as she shook her head. "No. Since I forced you into playing, then you go first."

Nice try but the guilt trip wasn't going to work on him (at least not yet). Besides, he still couldn't do anything about the lack of alcohol on the plane at thirty thousand feet. "Okay," He agreed, a little too happily for her –why didn't the guilt trip work on him?- and picked off the top card from his deck. "Jack."

She threw him a dirty look before extracting a five from her purse and throwing it to him. Hidden deep in her purse was the half a ten and half a twenty from the previous two rounds of their game and she smiled secretly to herself just at the thought of them.

"Go," He commanded, his tone light.

"I'm working on it," She grumbled ripping the top card off her half of the deck. "Five. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." He answered immediately. There, that might make her be in a better mood.

She perked up at the dare request. Time to spice this game up a little. "Okay." She agreed, smirking. "I dare you to kiss me."

"What?" He asked surprised. It wasn't like that was anything weird anymore but it was unexpected nonetheless. She must really be missing that alcohol, he mused.

"You heard me," She answered. "A kiss."

"Alright," He agreed, trying to sound exasperated but not doing a very good job at it. She grinned at him cheekily and he retracted his feet from her chair and got up. He stood over her for a second, calculating before leaning down and placing a soft kiss not on her lips but her forehead. She exhaled disbelieving and stared at him. What the hell? She felt cheated.

"Vaughn!" She cried once she found her voice.

He smirked at her and placed his feet back in their original position on her chair. "Yes?" He asked the picture of innocence.

She glared at him. "You suck."

He laughed and picked up another card. "Queen."

She grumbled again and pulled out a ten for him. "There."

"Thank you oh so very much," He replied, taking the ten from her.

She threw him another dirty look and grabbed another card. "Seven. Eat your ice cream, you cheater."

He laughed despite her tone and that made her sink lower into pouting mode than before. After he swallowed the mouthful of ice cream, he stuck his tongue out at her and she growled. "How, might I ask, did I cheat?"

She opened her mouth to snap at him but hit a dry spell thinking wise and closed it promptly. "You just did." She said finally and pitifully.

"That's helpful," He murmured as he took another card. "King."

"No way!" Sydney yelled incredulously. "No fricking way!"

He laughed. "Come on. Cough it up."

She growled and chucked a twenty at him, ripping off one of the corners in the process. This was getting ridiculous. First, no liquor. Second, he didn't give her the kiss she'd intended. And now she has to give him practically all her money? This sucked, it really and truly did.

"Can you ever just not rip money during this game?" He asked looking at the torn corner of the twenty.

"No." She snapped. The smirk he gave her didn't help her mood any as she grabbed another card. "Ten. This sucks."

"Only because you're losing," Vaughn pointed out as he took another spoonful of ice cream.

"Is it even possible to lose at this game?" Sydney asked raising an eyebrow.

"Apparently," He answered nodding towards her emptying wallet and less eaten ice cream carton. She gave him a glare as he reached for another card. "Two. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What are your many fetishes?" He asked complete serious.

She blinked at him. "What?" What kind of half assed question was that?

"The last time we played," He explained. "You said you had many fetishes, one of them being ripping money." Truthfully, he had forgotten about her saying that until she ripped his twenty this time around.

"Yeah, I know." She answered shortly. On the other hand, she didn't forget what she hadsaid. But then again, she had the best damn memory of anyone he knew with the exception of Marshall of course. "I'm just wondering where this suddenly came from."

"Nowhere. It's just my question and you have to answer it. That's the rules." He replied.

She had a feeling that part of his answer was a lie but she was too preoccupied with how much this was starting to suck for her that she didn't think too much about it. "Alright fine." She said. "Ripping money…"

He nodded. That one he knew.

"…kicking bad guys' asses…"

He nodded again. That one he knew too.

She paused and smiled at him mischievously. "…and something bedroom related that involves me, you, and a lot less clothes."

He stared at her, suddenly feeling like the temperature in the plane had just risen twenty degrees in four seconds. She held his gaze for a long time before he cracked and looked down. "Okay then."

Her naughty smile increased when he looked away. That's what he got for kissing her on the forehead! "Four." She said smugly after turning over a card. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Okay…" She trailed off and studied him for a moment before her eyes lit up as she thought of a question. "What are your fetishes?"

"Who says I even have any?" He asked smoothly.

"I do," She answered.

He laughed. "Yeah, okay." Damn her for being right. He swallowed and looked down at his hands. "It's going to sound cheesy," He warned.

"I don't care."

He nodded. "You."

Wow…okay, so she hadn't been expecting that. Yeah, it was kinda cheesy -kinda being used lightly- but at the same time, it was Vaughn and incredibly sweet. A smile crossed her face as she lowered her eyes and stared at the ice cream in her hand. She had yet to have any during the game, she noted. And that was odd. Usually, the shot cards came often and numerous for her.

Vaughn watched her, happy that she didn't laugh in his face for that. He would've understood if she had laughed. Hell, he would have laughed had he been in her position. But she hadn't. Thank God for her.

"What do you know," He mused aloud.

Her head snapped up and her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"The Ace of clubs," He answered, nodding towards the card he had turned over.

She stared at him before pulling off her beige dress shirt leaving her in a white undershirt. A smirk crossed her face as he stared openly at her. "See something you like?" She teased.

He swallowed hard and nodded slightly. "You could say that."

She laughed softly and he groaned, just barely, but a groan nonetheless. "Aww…poor you." She cooed as she turned over another card. This game was suddenly becoming much more enjoyable for her. True, she was still losing but that was beyond the point. "What do you know…the Ace of spades."

He chuckled darkly and unbuttoned each and every little button of his oxford before slipping it off his shoulders and tossing it onto the chair next to him. Her head tilted to the side as she stared at him in his white undershirt. "See something you like?" He teased.

She nodded dumbly. "Uh huh…" She licked her lips and exhaled slowly.

"At least you admit it," He teased as he grabbed another card. "Eight."

"Yes!" She cried when she heard him. "Finally! I get some ice cream." He laughed at her as she took a rather large bite of ice cream. She noticed his laughing and stuck her tongue out at him immaturely before grabbing a card. This game was coming back in her favor. "Three. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"That's two dares for you." She pointed out.

"I know."

"That's adventurous of you." She explained.

"Are you going to give me a dare or what?" He asked.

"Ooh, and impatient to," She taunted smirking. "Well, then, I guess I'm going to have to dare you to take off your shirt."

"You just have to change every single dare into some kind of fantasy of yours, don't you?" He asked, teasing.

She laughed. "It's just stripping your shirt. Don't tell me you're afraid of that."

"I'm not," He answered resentfully. "I'm more afraid of you." He teased taking off the white undershirt he was in.

"I resent that," She replied her eyes greedily taking in the sight of him completely shirtless.

He laughed at her and grabbed another card. "Five. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." She answered immediately.

"Okay then," He said slowly. "I dare you to take your shirt off."

Her eyes darkened and she did as she was dared, leaving her in just her white bra. God did she hope that the plane didn't land within the next thirty seconds and the pilot didn't come back to the cabin. That would be awkward. With a glance outside the window, she realized they were still in the air and would be for awhile and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"What was what for?" She asked back.

"That sigh of yours," He answered.

She smiled. "Just realizing that the plane won't land for a little while and that the pilot won't walk in on us like this." She nodded between her own scantily clad self and then to him.

A laugh escaped his lips. "Yeah. That would be awkward."

"And embarrassing," She added.

"Yes, that too," He agreed.

She looked at him, tilting her head to the side inquiringly. "Are you embarrassed of this relationship?" She asked.

Wait…huh? Where did that question come from? Of course he wasn't embarrassed by their relationship. Well, maybe she got it from him agreeing that it would be embarrassing for the pilot to walk in. But she had suggested it, so if anything, she was the embarrassed one. "No!" Vaughn answered immediately. "Remind me to kiss you right in front of Kendall and your dad one of these days."

She smiled and looked down, blushing a little. "I will." She responded quietly before going for another card. "Six."

He caught her blush and smiled to himself, both because of the fact that he made her blush, and that he got more ice cream and she didn't. "Queen," He said after turning another card over.

"What?" She asked disbelieving. That was what, thirty five dollars she's had to give him and she's gotten nothing in return? That sucks. It really does. "Here," She growled throwing him a ten.

He caught the ten and smirked. "Is that thirty five dollars now?" He pointed out.

"Yes," She answered shortly.

"Interesting."

Sydney gave him a weird look before grabbing a card and grinning instantly. "Yes! King!" She yelled happily.

Vaughn laughed and tossed her the twenty she had given him earlier. "There you go."

She laughed as well and kissed the twenty before putting it back in her purse. "Okay, now I feel better."

"You just kissed that twenty," He pointed out.

"Yes," She agreed like it was no big deal. Granted, it was weird but she didn't want to dwell on it. "Now go."

"Someone's impatient," He teased and doing as she commanded. "Nine."

"Yes!" She yelled again eliciting a laugh out of him as she took another large bite of her coffee ice cream. "Okay, so…seven." Her face fell a little when she turned over her next card.

"Funny how that works," He teased, taking a smaller than hers bite of ice cream. She gave him a tired look and he turned over another card without another comment. "Four. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"You're very adventurous today," He noted.

"And you're procrastinating," She countered.

He laughed and thought for a moment. "Alright…even though I'm copying you, I dare you to kiss me."

She raised an eyebrow at him. Yeah, that was copying her earlier dare but it also gave her an excellent chance to pay him back for the little move he'd pulled earlier with the forehead kiss. Slowly, she pulled her feet off his chair and stood up, a carefully maintained smile on her face. Somehow, he didn't trust that smile and when she pecked him lightly on the cheek, his suspicions were confirmed.

"You suck," He told her, pouting just like she had when he'd cheated her of a kiss.

"Yes, well," She started, "payback's a bitch."

"Apparently," He commented.

She gave him a look before grabbing a card. "Eight."

He took her lack of a snide remark as a blessing and quickly downed his ice cream.

She noticed and smirked, "Good boy."

He shook his head ruefully. "You're a very weird woman, Syd." He commented.

"Thanks," She answered sarcastically. "And you're dating the weird woman, so there." She added as an afterthought.

"I never said it was a bad thing," He explained. "Just a random comment."

"A very random comment."

He shrugged and reached for a card. "Ten."

"I love this part," She sighed happily after taking a bite of ice cream.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had to take shots," He pointed out.

Oh yeah, she had complained bitterly about having to take shots in the first two times they'd played this game. Wow…she forgot about that completely. So much for having the best memory around. But then again, she had really wanted the liquor to be in this round. So, he wasn't completely right.

"Whatever," She said finally and reaching for a card. "Four. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Aw…no more dares?" She taunted.

"No more dares," He agreed.

She stuck out her bottom lip pouting for a moment. "Oh alright, fine. Am I ever going to see your place?" She asked.

"We've been dating for about two weeks," He pointed out.

"And you've seen my place in that amount of time," She countered.

"Yeah, okay," He sighed. "I don't know. Soon."

"Soon?" She repeated raising an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean." He answered.

"Yeah, fine." She relented.

He laughed softly and picked up a card. "Two. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Vaughn studied her for a moment before asking, "What do you hate the most about the Alliance finally being gone?"

"What kind of question is that?" Sydney asked confused. Hate the most? Wouldn't it be the other way around?

"It's my question and a very good one, now answer it." He answered.

"I don't know," She sighed. "Dixon being my partner. We had a lot of good times together. Now he won't even speak to me." She looked down at her hands and stared.

"He'll come around," He said reassuringly.

"Oh yeah?" She asked, looking up with a skeptical eye. "What makes you say that?"

"After all you told me about him, I feel like I know him well enough to say that he'll forgive you. Just give him some time."

A soft smile touched the corners of her mouth as she nodded very slightly. "I can do that."

"Good," He answered firmly.

The smile on her lips grew a small amount as she grabbed another card. "Five. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Okay, mister very good question. What do you hate the most about the Alliance finally being gone?" She asked, teasing.

"Having to listen to you complain about Sloane," He answered. "No wait… that's what I love the most about it being gone." She narrowed her eyes at him, sensing that he was kidding but not enjoying it all that much. He shrugged then. Point taken. "I don't know… I didn't really have any kind of an attachment to it."

She took his answer without question and nodded towards his deck. "Your turn."

"I realize that," He answered with a slight smirk as he turned over a card. "Three. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What's your favorite food?"

"Where do you come up with this stuff?" She asked. Could he get any more random?

"Just do." He shrugged. "Now answer."

She sighed and thought about it for a moment. "Orange chicken." She said finally, then added as an afterthought, "With chow mien."

"Good choice," He nodded his agreement.

"Why thank you," She answered a little awkwardly. What the hell had he meant by that?" You know what, she didn't really want to know. Forget it. "Ace of diamonds," She said proudly, setting down the card she had just picked up. "The pants, Mister Vaughn. The pants."

He shook his head wistfully and reached down, making it seem like he was going to take off his pants, but instead bypassing that and going for his shoes and socks. Once those were gone, he straightened and laughed at her disappointed and utterly shocked expression.

"Vaughn!" She cried when she found her voice.

"Yes?"

"You suck," She told him, with a hint of a growl in her voice.

He laughed harder. "So you've already told me." Before she could add something in there, he picked up another card and turned it over. "King."

She growled and threw him a twenty. Okay, so she lost a lot of money to him in this game today. "There you go, oh master of the money." She said sarcastically.

"Why thank you," He answered, pocketing the twenty.

She threw him a look and picked up a card. "Four. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

She sighed heavily. That was not the card she'd wanted and the fact that he chose dare didn't help any. "Has Francie seemed weird to you these past few weeks?"

Oh and he was random? A frown line appeared between his eyes as he thought about it. "I've only known Francie for about two weeks. Maybe I'm not the person to ask." He answered after awhile.

She nodded. He had a point. Making the mental note to ask Will about it later, she said, "Yeah, you're right."

He nodded as well and reached for a card. "Six."

She smiled instantly and downed her large bite of coffee ice cream.

"Agent Bristow? Agent Vaughn?" The voice of the pilot over the intercom scared the hell out of them and both of them jumped. "We'll be landing soon," He continued before switching the intercom off.

Sydney and Vaughn stared at each other for a moment before panic set in and they scrambled to clean up both their appearances and the cabin.

Five minutes later, their shirts were back on and in place, his shoes and socks were back on his feet, the money exchanged was tucked away, the ice cream containers were thrown into the small trashcan on the plane and when Sydney reached for the cards to put them away, Vaughn placed a hand on her wrist, stopping the motion.

She looked up at him confused. "What?"

"One more card," He answered. "Just turn over one more."

A soft smile touched her lips as she did as he wanted her to and turned over the top card on her deck. Her smile increased as she looked to him happily. "The Ace of hearts."

He grinned back tearing his eyes away from the card to her face. "I guess I owe you something then." He answered.

She nodded. "Yes, you do."

"Finally." He whispered before bringing her lips to his and kissing her.


A/N: Next chapter: Post The Telling. I'm so evil.