bChapter 2 -- Getting to Know You/b
"Mikey!"
An energetic young woman with brilliant green eyes and light brown hair ran excitedly into Michael Vaughn's arms.
"Hey, sweetie! I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"
"Of course not, you know how at home I feel at airports anyway. Plus, my flight was a little delayed...I've only been waiting for a few minutes."
"Okay, good. Now I don't feel as bad about coming late." Vaughn said picking up his sister's luggage and carrying it toward the automatic doors.
"Hey! Guilt should still be felt. I was expecting to be greeted by my dear loving brother at the gate as I got off the plane. My heart was broken for a whole fifteen seconds. Fifteen seconds of pain. Fifteen seconds I can never get back..."
Vaughn sighed and rolled his eyes as the automatic doors opened, exposing them to the cool air that had recently hit the LA area. "I'm not even going to respond to that," Vaughn said trying to keep a straight face, but failing miserably as his sister, Juliana (or simply Jules to him) broke out into a fit of laughter. She was approaching 30, yet Vaughn swore that she was still ten.
"Jules, all I have to say is thank God you went into medicine and not acting."
"Hey! I bet I'm better than most people on TV today. Take Anna Nicole Smith for instance."
Vaughn cringed at the sound of the woman's name.
"Oh God, please no," he said as he unlocked the car and began putting Jules's baggage into the car's trunk.
"Ha! My point Iexactly/I?"
"What a point, indeed," Vaughn said as he got into the car, "what was the point again?"
Jules laughed at her brother's characteristic playfulness, nudging him lovingly as he started the car.
"Hey! Watch it! This is an expensive suit!"
"Oh yeah, like Mr. CIA Agent-Man doesn't have a million others just like it at home."
Juliana was the only person outside of Vaughn's friends and collegues in the CIA that knew what his true occupation was. They both decided it would be best to keep it from their mother -- the death of their father had been hard enough. They knew she wouldn't be able to bear seeing her only son take the same occupation that violently claimed the life of her husband. Juliana, on the other hand, forced it out of him. She suspected something sketchy was going on, and called Michael on it. No secrets were kept between the two of them Iever/I, and she was determined to keep it that way.
"And since when would a nudge mess up a whole suit anyway? Never, that's when."
"You could have greasy hands!"
"After being on a plane for the last 6 hours?"
"The peanuts are salted!"
"I'm allergic to peanuts!"
"Your hands could be sweaty!"
"Yeah, because I was just Idying/I of anticipation to see you," Jules quipped sarcastically, "Since when are you so anal?!"
"Since now, alright?"
Vaughn laughed at the bickering that overtook the two of them so easily. Neither of them really cared about what they were "fighting" about, but old habits die hard.
"So, Mikey," Jules started as she fidgeted with Vaughn's car radio, "what was so important that made you forget about your own flesh and blood?"
"Just work, thats all," Vaughn said, dismissing the issue quickly, piquing Jules's interest.
"Are you sure...?" She asked devilishly as she settled on a radiostation.
"What do you mean, 'am I sure'"? Vaughn asked laughing to cover up his nervousness when talking about anything remotely related to Sydney Bristow, "of course I'm sure!"
Juliana just smiled.
"Alright, alright," she responded, knowing that it probably had something to do with that double agent of his -- Sydney...Sydney...Sydney Something. Yeah, well she was always a pretty sore subject when it came to Mike, so Jules decided to steer clear of any trouble.
"So what have you been up to the last few months, Jules?"
~~~
ISyd and Francie's Apartment/I
"Hey guys!"
Sydney greeted her two friends, who were gathered around the Christmas tree, starting to decorate it.
"Thank God you're here Syd," Francie said handing her a box of ornaments, "we were about to start without you."
"Oh Francie, you know you could have gotten this done weeks ago...You really didn't have to wait until I had free time. You know how I am with free time..."
"Oh, trust me, we know," Will added smiling at Syd. Syd smiled back, recognizing the double meaning behind Will's words.
Things really had changed between her and Will since that fateful night in Paris, when Will learned the truth. She never thought anything good could have come from that night, and she was almost completely right...Will got tortured, lost his job at the newspaper, and had to endure the pressures of a drug addiction that he really didn't have. Despite all of that, Syd felt like her relationship with Will had grown immensely. They were better friends than they had ever been, and it was nice to actually have someone to unload on...someone to relax around. With Will she didn't always need to have her guard up, and that was nice. Times were rough for Will, but he was getting along with the help of Vaughn of course, and the CIA research job he got for him. Vaughn...What would she do without him? She sincerely had no idea, whatsoever. He was the stability in her life, and she was thankful for it. Whether they could be together or not.
"So it looks like I didn't miss too much," Sydney said smiling as Christmas cheer brightened her spirits.
"Nah, we have a while to go." Francie said, pulling lights out of the box and walking toward the door, "we have to get this drab little place filled with holiday spirit by tomorrow night, because we all know how Amy will react if this place doesn't match her quota of Christmas-ness."
Will laughed. "Yeah, and you don't want to make Amy upset on Christmas Eve...She will literally bite your head off. No joke. See this scar?" Will asked pointing to a faint patch of darkness right below his hairline, "Christmas Eve '78"
Sydney rolled her eyes at Will's lame attempt at a joke and pushed him lightly. "Oh, don't let me forget...We have to do some last minute grocery shopping before tomorrow night."
"Sure thing," Francie responded.
~~~
"Jules, I seriously have no clue how people are willing to put their ill children in your care."
"Hey! I take offense to that! That's so not cool, Mikey, so not cool."
"You know I'd let you take care of my kid when I have one, so it's alright."
"Speaking of which," Jules said, helping Vaughn by unlocking the door to his apartment for him, "when will I be getting a lovely niece or nephew?"
"Actually..." Vaughn said exaustedly, as he put down her luggage in the living room, "it should be coming in any day now."
Jules almost choked on her drink, "WHAT?!"
"Yeah, I ordered it a few days ago for you for Christmas...Ebay is wonderful, isn't it? Well, yeah, I really hope you like it. I won't tell you whether it's a girl or boy, because that would really ruin the suprise."
Jules breathed a sigh of relief before attacking Vaughn with soft, playful punches.
"You...You...You fool!"
"Ouch. That really stung, Jules. Seriously, it hurt me right here," Vaughn said placing his hand over his heart.
"So, Mikey..." Jules said, suddenly turning serious as she sat comfortably on the couch, "how has work been going?"
Vaughn's expression turned from one of carefree playfulness to one of sullen concern.
"Jules, you know that I don't like talking about my job."
"That's exactly why you need to talk to me," Jules watched Vaughn with concern as he walked into the Kitchen and began to pour himself some soda, "Mike, it's not healthy to keep everything bottled up. Clearly, something is going on with you and your double agent. Sydney...Sydney Something. Talk to me Mikey."
Vaughn sat on the couch beside her, drawing in a deep breath as he did so.
"It's just...hard."
"I know," Jules said, rubbing Vaughns hand lovingly. "How bout this. I treat you to a lovely dinner at the restaurant of your choice, and you can tell me all about it."
Juliana knew all about Vaughn's dysfunctional relationship with his agent...up until his trip to Taipei. She knew that his agent's mother was some deadly Russian agent who was a killer and enemy of the United States, but Vaughn decided not to fill Jules in on the fact that she killed their father. There was no need to rehash painful memories...he knew that better than anyone. Jules knew that her brother clearly loved this Sydney woman, and seeing what happened after Mike was hospitalized after their incident in Taipei, she was starting to think that maybe she loved him back.
II mean, who would risk their own life so willingly for someone that they didn't love?/I Jules thought. But she knew their relationship was a strange one, and she had to tread with caution when it came to talking about it. But there was obviously something bothering her brother and she was determined to find out what it was.
"I thought you were the guest?" Vaughn asked playfully. "I'm the one that's supposed to be treating you."
"How bout this. You choose a restaurant that I like, you pay, and I grace you with my wonderful presence. Sound even?"
Vaughn laughed. Typical Jules.
"Sounds great."
bEND CHAPTER 2 /b
