Chapter Thirteen - Sail Away With Me

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I wanna hold you now

"Sail Away With Me," David Gray


"Of all the superheroes you could ever possibly want to be, you chose Batman? You, my friend, were a sad excuse for a child." Jules said laughing then taking a sip of her water and placing it back on the table.

"What's so wrong with Batman?" Will asked, also laughing. "I always thought he was cool...I mean with all his gadgets and his Batmobile and the Bat signal. Nothing is cooler than the Bat signal. Seriously."

"What about his Robin?" Jules asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"What are you trying to imply, Ms. Vaughn?"

"Okay, fine, I'm just gonna come out and say it. Batman was gay, Will. Ever wonder what him and Robin did on those nights when there was no crime to be fought and it was just the two of them alone in the mansion? Oh, and don't even mention Alfred, cause he was one horny bastard, too."

Will nearly choked on his drink as he listened to Jules's rant about Batman.

"You're a dirty girl, Jules. See, people with dirty minds would obviously think such a thing, but people like me who have perfectly normal minds and have their heads screwed on straight know very well that Batman had tons of love affairs with women."

"Hm, I guess so. But you eve wonder why they never lasted?"

"Because he couldn't tell them the truth about what he did, clearly."

"Ha, yes, clearly," Jules joked, rolling her eyes.

"Okay fine, then, who did you want to be when you younger?"

"Oh, Wonder Woman, clearly."

Will just sat back and began to scan Jules as a smile quickly grew on his face.

"What?" She asked, now feeling the faintest trace of a blush spread across her cheeks. It had been a long time since a guy had looked at her with such open adoration. She wasn't used to it, but she liked it. Especially coming from Will.

"Nothing," he said quickly, still grinning as he put his napkin on his lap.

"That isn't a 'nothing' smirk. Tell me! What's so wrong with Wonder Woman? I thought she was every genX guy's dream woman."

"Exactly."

Jules raised her eyebrow and leaned over the table.

"Now who has the dirty mind, Mr. Tippin?"

"Touche."

They sat in silence for a few moments, and Jules just sat in wonder. She didn't quite understand how she could be as happy as she was right at that moment, but her wonder was soon shattered by the one question she'd been trying so hard not to bring up or even think about.

"So, when are you gonna have to be going back?" Will asked, his voice taking on a sad tone as he looked down then back up into Jules's eyes.

She sighed and put on a fake smile before lowering her eyes from his gaze.

"Well, uh, I think my ticket says January sixth, but I'm not sure..."

"Oh wow. A little more than a week...We'll have to make this week a memorable one." Will reached out and placed a hand on hers and she looked up at his smiling face, and couldn't stop the silly grin from taking shape on her own face.

---

"Stop joking around Michael, I mean this. What are we going to do? We're in this too deep to just go back to work and pretend like nothing has happened to us during this time off." Sydney said into her cell phone as she washed her hands at the sink and made her way to her bedroom.

"What other choice do we have?" He asked as she closed her door and made her way to the closet.

"I don't know, that's why I'm trying to figure out a plan of action with you. I mean come on, you can't just tell me you'd be willing to do that. I know we don't really have any other choice, but let's make one. Hold on a second, I have to change--"

Syd tossed the phone onto her bed and quickly slipped into sweat pants and a tee shirt before plopping down on the bed and picking up the phone.

"Okay, come up with any brilliant ideas in those two seconds?"

"What are you wearing?"

"Michael, that doesn't sound like a question that will precede some sort of grand conclusion you have yet to reach. And if it doesn't I might just come over there and kick your ass for not caring more about this."

"Come on, Syd, just humor me."

"Sweats and a t-shirt, you horny bastard."

"Dammit. I was hoping you'd be nice for once and just play along..."

"Yeah, like I'm really sitting here talking to you in the nude, Michael. What do you take me as, a freak?!"

Syd couldn't help but smile as she heard Michael's exasperated sigh on the other line. Now she heard applause.

"Thank you Ms. Bristow for turning some fun phone sex into a complete and utter failure. I don't think I can ever live out of that embarassement."

"Don't try to act like that's what you wanted, because I know for a fact that Michael Christopher Vaughn is not a phone sex kinda guy. And God knows I'm not either."

"Damn, I thought it wouldn't hurt to just give it a try at least."

Syd laughed and she turned around to lay on her stomach on the bed.

"Come on, I really mean it...Let's be serious here and discuss our future. If we even have one. The only option I see as reasonable is me requesting a new handler."

"Why in the Hell would you even suggest such a thing?! Are you out of your mind?!"

"I don't know," Syd said, taking a deep breath, "clearly, our 'intimate' relationship will sway your judgement...It's hard to try to be rational when it's someone you care about out there in the field -- you get way too emotionally attatched, and I don't want to put you in that situation, nor do I want to be in it myself."

"Syd, I hate to break this to you, but I've been way too emotionally attatched for almost a year and a half now. That's why we work so well together. I thought you of all people would know that."

Syd paused before speaking up again.

"I know, Michael, I really do, but what else can we do about this?"

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we do this...Live our little covert illicit affair one day at a time. Then, once our vacation is over, I'll sweep you off your feet and we'll hide away at my Aunt's place in Normandy where no one will ever find us and we won't ever leave. That way we won't have to worry about anything, ever. Except for maybe the nosy neighbors who are always wondering how two people could possibly make the sounds--"

"Michael..."

Sydney felt her body relax as Michael's laughter filled her head.

"Relax, Syd. We'll work it out. But let's not worry about that now. We still have what...A week and a half to enjoy what we have? Plus, I think we have enough to worry about seeing that we still have that whole you being a double agent for SD-6 and if you're caught with me in public it won't be pretty thing to worry about."

Syd laughed bitterly and buried her head into her pillows.

"How true."

END CHAPTER THIRTEEN