Hey guys,

sorry it's taken me so long to update, i've been a busy writing new fics and stuff:)

anyways, here's the next chap and it's dedicated to waitinromeo because your review was just so sweet! thank you so much. and thank you to everyone else who has reviewed, i love to hear your thoughts on the chapter...i'll stop babbling now:P

Chapter 21

"He's here." Sydney smiled nervously, as she checked her reflection in the mirror. Piper let out a girlish squeal, her excitement for Sydney beginning to show.

"Ok, sweetie I'm just gonna hide in the kitchen until you guys have gone and then I'm going to head over to Leo's. Have a great time honey." She kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug.

"Piper, thanks for tonight…for everything." Sydney was truly grateful for everything that Piper had done for her, and she knew that it was time that she told her that.

"Hey you don't have to thank me. It's what I'm here for." Piper smiled and walked into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table and began flicking through a catalogue that had been left there.

Taking one last look in the mirror, Sydney opened the door and gave her date an irresistible smile. "Hey." Vaughn was stunned at how amazingly beautiful she looked as she smiled at him from the doorway. He couldn't help but check-her out, which didn't go unnoticed by Sydney who blushed as she felt his eyes roam all over her body.

Finally her pulled himself together and managed to speak. "Hi." He leaned towards her and gently kissed her, his hand resting on her waist, his other arm behind his back. "You look gorgeous Syd." He made eye contact with her, her long eyelashes framing her chocolate coloured eyes.

"Thank you. You look hot yourself!" The minute she opened the door she noticed how attractive he looked. He was wearing khaki pants, accompanied by a black top, and his hair was a little messier than usual which Sydney liked.

"This is for you." His arm, which was behind his back, came forward, a single white rose held in it. Sydney took the rose from him and brought it up to her nose, as she smelt it. She smiled, remembering yesterday morning when he had first given her a white rose, which was now kept in a vase in her room, among some other flowers.

She placed the rose on the table near the door, promising to herself that she would add it to the other one later, and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Your welcome! So are you ready to go?" He asked, holding out his hand for her to hold. She nodded as she took his hand, their fingers automatically linking together.

"So where is it we're going, if you don't mind me asking?"

"No I don't mind you asking," he smiled shyly at her. "We're going to the beach, I have a surprise waiting for you." He told her, enjoying the look of excitement which was spread across her face.

"I love surprises!" She gave his hand a quick squeeze; a huge grin fixed on her face.

"It's only a couple of blocks away. I thought it would be nice if we walked." Vaughn suggested as they walked down Sydney's street.

"Yeah that would be great!" She released his hand, and leaned into him, his arm wrapping around her shoulders, and hers settling around his waist.

They had been driving for about thirty minutes before Jack eventually pulled into a parking lot. They had talked for most of the way, their conversation drifting towards Sydney and work. Stepping out of the car, Irina looked at the restaurant that Jack had chosen. 'Rossiya,' was a famed Russian restaurant in their neighborhood, although Irina had never dined there before.

The exterior of the restaurant looked fairly American, blending in with the other shops and restaurants that were on that road. But the inside was decorated like true Russian restaurants, even the music played held a hint of Irina's home country.

"I know that you miss home a lot, so I thought it would be nice if we dined here." Jack smiled as he opened the door of the restaurant for her. Irina was touched; bringing her here was certainly one of the nicest things anybody had ever done for her.

"Thank you Jack." Her smile warmed him, as he knew that she appreciated his thought. "That was really sweet of you."

A waiter interrupted them, and asked if he could help them. He spoke in Russian, his accent matching that of Irina's. Jack looked at Irina helplessly; Russian wasn't one of the languages that he spoke. Rolling her eyes at Jack, she answered the waiter.

"здравствулте! можем мы иметь таблицу для 2 пожалуйста? (Can we have a table for 2 please?)" Jack was impressed hearing Irina speak fluently. He hated to admit it, but he found her quite sexy when she started speaking Russian, although he couldn't understand a word of what she was saying.

"Некоторо. Если вы хотел были бы последовать за мной (Certainly. If you would like to follow me.)" He picked up two menus and made his way through the crowded restaurant towards an empty table next to the window. The people dining were mainly couples who appeared to be in love; judging by the way that they were gazing into each other's eyes.

Jack pulled out the chair for Irina, surprising both himself and her. She smiled and thanked him as she took a seat. Jack sat opposite her, mentally beating himself about his growing feelings for his ex-wife.

"ваши меню (Your menus)" The waiter handed them both a menu, and took out a small pad of paper and pen. "Могу я получить вам что-то выпить? (Can I get you something to drink?)" He waited while they chose.

"Do you just want to share a bottle of wine?" Irina asked, smirking as she remembered what happened last time that they shared some wine; it resulted in Jack passing out on her couch.

"Sure." Jack had to leave it up to Irina to order the drinks, her foreign words going right over his head. Why couldn't she be speaking Arabic? Now Arabic I could understand…

"Смогли мы иметь бутылку вина пожалуйста? (Can we have a bottle of wine please?)"

"O'кейо. Красный цвет или белизна? (Ok. Red or white?)"

"Red or white?" Irina translated for Jack, and waited for his answer. Jack hated that he couldn't understand the waiter, but it was his own fault. Irina had always told him that he should learn Russian, but he had never listened.

"Red sounds good!"

"Красный цвет пожалуйста."

"O'кейо." Irina gave the waiter a friendly smile as he walked away.

"This is a lovely restaurant. How did you find this place?"

"I've drove past it a couple of times, and thought that it looked like a decent place, but I just never came." They both opened their menus although this task was more difficult for Jack who couldn't read a word of it. Wouldn't you think that they'd have a menu in English? Jack sighed and looked at the menu, acting like he understood it although Irina saw right through his act but didn't say anything.

Five minutes later the waiter came back and placed their drinks on the table. "Могу я принять ваш заказ? (Can I take your order?)" Irina closed the menu and passed it back to him.

"да, я буду иметь русское пряное kolbassa. Вы. (Yes, I will have the Russian spicy kolbassa. thank you)" They both looked at Jack who continued to gaze at the menu, and then randomly picked a dish.

"Bors, B o r s," Jack was trying his hardest to pronounce one of the dishes, but the waiter couldn't understand a word of what he was saying. He turned back to Irina, hoping that she could tell him what her friend wanted. Irina gave Jack a please-give-up look, and he finally did. Sighing he showed her the menu and pointed to what he wanted to order.

Trying to hide her laughter, Irina turned to the waiter. "Oн будет иметь лето Borscht. Огорченно он будет американцом, Русский не дальше языков он говорит. (He will have the Summer Borscht. Sorry he's an American; Russian isn't one of the languages that he speaks.)" Irina apologized for Jack, causing the waiter to laugh as he walked away. Irina looked at Jack, no longer being able to hold her laughter in.

"So what is it that I've ordered?" Jack asked, suddenly worried about his choice of food.

"It wasn't the food that you ordered that we were laughing at. You're just so American!" Jack looked away, embarrassment building up in him. Irina placed her hand on his, causing him to look at her. "It's sweet! And as for your meal you basically ordered beef, potatoes and vegetables. Nothing weird!"

They finally arrived at the beach, still with their arms around each other. To people who walked past them, they looked like the perfect couple; they just fitted together so well. The part of the beach that they were walking on was deserted; not a person in sight. Sydney noticed a blanket and picnic basket in the middle of the beach and looked at Vaughn who was grinning at her.

"Where having a picnic on the beach?" Sydney asked, standing to face him. The sun was beginning to set along the horizon, creating a romantic atmosphere on the beach. Vaughn captured her smile with his lips as he gave her a loving kiss.

"Yes we are. Come on." Vaughn sat down on the blanket, Sydney sitting opposite him. He opened the basket and took out the contents.

"Did you make all of this yourself?" Sydney asked. She was amazed at all the trouble that he had gone to for her; she could tell that she was falling fast for this guy.

Vaughn smiled shyly and looked at her. "Yeah I did, well with the help of my mom's recipes." Sydney gazed at all the food that he had made; there was a chicken salad, pasta, fruit cocktails and a deliciously chocolate fudge cake which Sydney just couldn't keep her eyes off.

"This all looks gorgeous Vaughn." Sydney gave him a chaste kiss and started to help him get everything out of the basket.

They started eating the pasta and salad, all the time talking about school, Vaughn's life in France, Sydney's friends. Sydney ate quickly, determined to eat the chocolate cake. Vaughn knew what she was doing, and couldn't help but laugh.

Finally when all they had finished their main meal, Vaughn took out the chocolate cake and cut a slice for Sydney and himself. "Thanks." She immediately started eating it, enjoying every bite. "Michael this is so good. Did you make this yourself?"

"Actually the cake was bought." He laughed, a smile remaining on his lips. "Er, Syd?"

"Yeah?" Sydney looked up from her cake to see what he wanted.

"You have a little bit of chocolate there." He pointed to his lip, causing Sydney to wipe her own lip.

"Has it gone?" Vaughn shook his head. Sydney put her cake down and continued trying to get the chocolate off of her face.

"No. Here let me." Vaughn moved over on the blanket, so that they were sat side by side. Sydney watched him as he leaned forward to kiss the corner of her mouth. He slowly started to kiss his way along her lips, until he was able to deepen the kiss. His arm went around her back, pulling her into him, her hands cupped his face. Pulling apart Sydney looked at him questioningly.

"There never was any chocolate on my face was there?" She smiled at him, as his eyes traveled over her face, taking in every bit of detail.

"No." He whispered, a cheeky grin playing on his lips. Sydney laughed and kissed him again, this time with more desire then before.

"So you wanna be a painter when you leave school?" Prue asked. They had moved their discussion into the living room, as the couch was far more comfortable than the chairs in the sunroom. Both of them were lying at opposite ends of the couch, content that they were finally getting to know each other better.

"No. I'd like to be a social worker. I like helping innocent people and I guess becoming a social worker will let me do that. What about you?"

"Well, I guess I'd like to be a professional photographer, for a top magazine or something. That would be cool. When I was in San Francisco, I had a Saturday job at Bucklands, which is one of the main auction houses in the Bay. So if the photography thing doesn't work out, I'd like to appraise antiques and things like that."

Phoebe came jogging down the stairs and stopped when she saw her two sisters. "Hey what are you two up to?" She had been working on an assignment all night, and she was still no where near finished. She was dressed in sweats, her hair tied to a scruffy bun on top of her head.

"We were just talking." Paige answered, although her and Prue knew that they had done more than talk; they had created a sisterly bond that should always have been there.

"Oh ok. I'm just going to get a drink before I get back to work, you guys want anything?" They both shook their heads so she left them to get back to their talking.

"Have you always got on well with Phoebe and Piper?" Paige asked. She had always been curious about their relationship before she arrived, only she had never asked anybody about it.

"Yeah, you could say that, but we haven't always got along. I've never had any major problems with Piper, but Phoebe and me haven't always seen eye to eye. I guess it was because she was younger and more naïve, we just used to fight about everything. But we talked about it and now I'm just as close to her as I am to Piper. Her and Piper have always been close though. Phoebe used to idolise her when she was growing up, she would always be following her around, wanting to be like her. I suppose it's quite cute really."

Paige was sad that she hadn't grown up with her sisters. She had believed that she was an only child, although she always had wished that that wasn't the case. She had friends who had sisters, and she had wanted what they had; other people to talk to, to share that closeness. But she knew that she should count herself lucky because now she had three sisters who she loved more than anything.

"Who do you get along with best?" Prue asked.

"Well at the start I got along better with Phoebe; she was more welcoming to me, made me feel more at home. Piper missed you a lot, and although you were still a part of her life, I think she saw me as a replacement for you, so she pushed me away. But eventually she came around and became more warm and friendly towards me. And now we're really close." Prue smiled; she was glad that Piper and Phoebe had welcomed Paige. Paige was part of the family; it was only right that she was treated like it.

"Do you remember that time that we went to that restaurant when your friends from out of town visited?" Irina started laughing as her and Jack took a trip down memory lane.

"Oh my God, I had forgotten about that. You made me get up and sing on the karoke. I have never been so embarrassed in my whole life." Jack laughed aswell, pleasant memories being resurfaced.

"Ваша еда (Your meal)" The waiter returned carrying two plates full of steaming hot food. He placed them down infront of the couple and walked away, serving a couple on another table.

"This looks nice." Jack commented on his food, content that he had made a good choice.

All the food had now been eaten, everything returned back into the basket. Sydney was leaning against Vaughn's chest, his arms wrapped safely around her, his head resting against hers. They sat there watching the sun set, Sydney drawing patterns along Vaughn's arms.

"Vaughn can I ask you a question?" She turned her head slightly so that she could see him, never once breaking the connection that they had.

"Sure. You can ask me anything."

"Does Weiss date a lot?" Vaughn threw her a puzzled look, quite confused by her question.

"Gee Syd, you're on a date with a guy and your thinking about his best friend." Vaughn said, sarcasm evident in his voice. "Let me just give you some advice for future dates…whenever you're with a guy, don't start talking about other guys. We don't like it!" He joked; receiving a playful hit on his arm.

"The reason I asked, was because I want to set him up with my friend Paige. They are both single, and I'm thinking that they would make a great couple. And FYI, I was thinking about you, but I just thought that you could help me with my plan. But obviously I was wrong." Sydney pretended to be angry, turning her face away from him. Vaughn sensed what she was doing and decided that he would make her talk to him again.

He started kissing the back of her neck slowly making his way up to her ear. "You know you're not really made at me, so why don't you stop pretending!" Sydney tried so hard to resist him, but the feel of his breath against her skin as he whispered in her ear sent shivers down her spine. She turned and pouted at him, but the pout was soon gone as he covered her lips with his own.

"So what's your plan?" He asked, pulling her even closer to him.

"You know how I'm coming to watch you guys play hockey tomorrow?" Vaughn nodded. "Well Paige is coming with me, and I guess I'm just gonna introduce them, and then I'm gonna arrange some kind of double date for us all tomorrow night."

"Oh, so you want to go on another date with me?" He asked, smirking. Inside his stomach was doing summersaults after hearing that she wanted to spend more time with him.

"Yeah, of course I want to go on another date with you. But if you don't want to then I can always find somebody else, shouldn't be too hard." Aha that should wipe the smirk off his face. Sydney was enjoying every minute of teasing him, he was just so cute the way he'd fall for it every time.

"Hey, you can't do that. I don't like the idea of my girlfriend going on a date with another guy." Vaughn froze as he finished that sentence. Girlfriend? Did I just call Syd my girlfriend? Vaughn wasn't the only one who noticed what he had said.

Girlfriend? Did he just call me his girlfriend? All Sydney wanted to do was run along the beach screaming with happiness, but she managed to control herself, except for the huge smile that had taken residence on her face.

"Oh, so I'm your girlfriend now!" Sydney joked, trying to get the answer that she really wanted to hear.

Vaughn was lost for words. Do not stuff this up! "Well, that's if it's alright with you…" He smiled, hoping to win her over. She met his gaze, their eyes saying far much more than words could. Slowly the gap between them closed as Sydney kissed him.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend." Sydney gave her boyfriend another kiss, and then resumed their original position with Vaughn's arms wrapped around her, resting on her stomach, her back pressed up against him.

"Как была ваша еда? (How was your meal?)" The waiter asked Irina as he collected their empty plates. He knew that it was useless asking the man anything so all of his questions were directed at Irina. Irina told him that the meal was lovely and that they both had enjoyed it. "Могу я иметь проверку пожалуйста? (Can I have the check please?)" Irina asked.

"Некоторо (Certainly)" The waiter disappeared with their plates and returned with the check, which he placed on the table. Irina went to pick it up, but Jack beat her to it.

"This is on me. After all you did all the translating for the night, it's only fair that I pay." Jack joked as he took out his credit card. Irina nodded and thanked him.

Once they had paid, they walked towards the exit ready to leave. "Имейте славную ночу. (Have a nice night.)" The waiter called as he spotted them leave.

"вы слишком. (You too)" Irina responded and linked her arm through Jack's as they walked to his car.

Sydney and Vaughn finally brought their date to an end, and began the walk back to Sydney's house. Sydney took a hold of Vaughn's hand, still smiling from the news that they were now officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Vaughn could tell that that was why she was smiling, because that was the reason that he had a smile on his face too. They walked most of the way in a comfortable silence, each just enjoying the company of the other person.

Walking up Sydney's driveway, Sydney guessed that her mom still wasn't back from her evening with her father. I wonder how their date, sorry dinner went. Sydney thought to herself as they came to a stop outside her front door.

"Thank you for tonight Michael. I had a really lovely time." This has been probably one of the best dates I've ever had.

"I'm glad you liked it." Even in the dark Vaughn's smile still managed to dazzle her.

"You know what else I like?" Sydney asked, as she gradually got closer to him.

"You're gonna have to give me a clue…" Vaughn said as their lips met. Sydney wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into her embrace. Breaking apart, Vaughn laughed. "Well that was some clue." Sydney giggled at him as she fished in her purse for her keys.

"Do you want to meet me here tomorrow before we go to school?" She asked, finally grabbing hold of her keys.

"Yeah I'd like that." Vaughn kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight Syd."

"'Night Vaughn."

Jack pulled up outside Irina's house and took the keys out of the ignition. Irina could see that Sydney's light was on, and was eager to find out about what happened on her date with Michael.

"I had a really great time tonight Jack. You don't know how much tonight meant to me." She gently placed a chaste kissed on his lips and quickly got out of the car before he had chance to say anything. She opened the door and quickly shut it, leaving Jack confused in his car. She leaned her back against the door and thought about what she just did. Did I just kiss Jack?