Chapter 6

The word echoed through the room sending Sydney's message across with such authority that it could seem like Sark actually surrendered right away – he stood completely still, as if having been stopped in a motion, raising his hands in the air to signal his defeat.

As Sydney moved towards him she was surprised by his odd behavior and, without being able to explain it, his submissiveness made her feel even more uneasy than his otherwise crude nature would have. She had both feared and anticipated this day ever since the assault but she had never dared hoping that it would be easy. And in a way she didn't want it to be – it would be so much harder to get her revenge if Sark didn't do anything to spark her hatred towards him, because doing something as immoral as hurting and torturing someone who is unable fight back was so in conflict with her own personal beliefs of right and wrong that she didn't know whether or not she would be able to do it. She needed to see the Sark who raped her, the Sark who just shot her boyfriend, she needed to dehumanize him in every possible way or else she didn't know if she would be able to do what she had to.

Having left his gun on the stairs Sark didn't feel that he had any other option than to stand still until Sydney came within fighting-range, but his impatience was growing fast. There couldn't be more than a couple of minutes left before the entire place would be blown to pieces – including the two of them. Meaning that he had to get out of there. Right now. Only two options came to mind; He either had to render Sydney harmless almost faster than possible and then get the hell out of there, or he had to come clean and leave the next move up to his opponent. The decision wasn't difficult.

'Listen to me Sydney…' he started, instantly being interrupted by a person who's voice was rigged with hatred and repulsion,

'Don't you move, you disgusting low-life, or I'll blow your head off faster then…'

'You have to listen to me!' He repeated, this time with a touch of panic in his voice, 'I placed a bomb on the third floor and within two minutes it'll explode! We have to get out of here!'

Her eyes flickered, revealing a second of indecisiveness, before she once again stared right at her target. Looking utterly untouched by the situation she countered,

'You're working with my mother, correct?' Not needing the confirmation she continued, 'I'm sure the two of you are in radio contact, so tell her that if she doesn't disarm the bomb, you'll die…'

'Since when would Irina Derevko care if I live or die?' He asked with a sarcastic, but yet fearful, smile.

Without any hesitation Sydney answered,

'Then let her know I'll be killed too…Because we're not going anywhere until I'm done with you…'

Locking her eyes on his she watched him as he contacted Derevko telling her what had to be done to prevent her daughter from dying an ill-timed death. And as he gave his partner the 7 digit code used to deactivate the bomb, Sydney did her best to keep her cool, seem 100 per cent convinced that her mother wouldn't just let her die, even though she did have serious doubts.

Feeling as though her heart was sitting in her throat she almost let out a sigh of relief when Sark smiled, asking Derevko to confirm that the bomb actually had been disarmed. He got the confirmation.

'You shouldn't feel too safe yet,' Sydney said, sounding as professional as always, but feeling more and more insecure as the seconds passed – she didn't know if she could do this. Sure, in an even battle she would be more then capable of killing him, but like this? Just executing him like this?

Looking down at him she suddenly smiled, grabbing the gun with both hands as she ordered,

'Turn away from me and put your hands behind your head…' when he did so she quickly lowered the gun while continuing, '…and now, get down on your knees!'

As he did what he was told Sydney walked up in front of him, aiming at his head once again, smiling maliciously at the insecurity appearing in his eyes when she made it seem like she was ready to pull the trigger.

'You can't do this,' Sark said, fighting bravely to keep up his cold appearance, 'I'm convinced you're not authorized to kill me…'

'Of course I'm not,' she replied, grinding her teeth together as she spoke, 'and did you really think that I would just kill you this quickly and painlessly? No, I've got something much better in store for you…'

With her every word she let the gun travel further and further south, not stopping until she was aiming right at his crotch, enjoying the mere panic building up in his eyes when he realized what she was going to do. 'Now you know what it's like, you son of a bitch,' she thought, watching the sweat appearing on his forehead, suddenly remembering a sentence she had been trying to suppress for so long now;

'I want to hear you scream, you bastard!' She hissed, watching him twitch at the recognition of his own words, deciding that now was the time. And then she pulled the trigger.

The silence was deafening. Letting out a sob he had been holding in for as long as he could, Sark opened his eyes, with disbelief looking down at himself to make sure that what he had heard really was true. No shot had been fired…she'd been shooting at him with an unloaded gun. Feeling how his heart was still beating like crazy, tears of both fear and relief burning in his eyes, he kept looking down to avoid Sydney's gaze, and that was when he noticed… he had wet himself… he had pissed on himself out of fear.

It didn't take long before the overriding sense of humiliation kicked in, belittling him to the fullest, making him regret ever having put himself in such a situation. And that was exactly what Sydney had intended. Since she'd stopped him, it had become clear to her that she wouldn't be able to put him through any serious physical torture, but still she wanted to make him just as scared and humiliated as she once had been. And it was evident that she had succeeded.

Swiftly loading her gun she watched the man sitting in front of her, teary-eyed and trembling, and she decided that it was enough – he was already broken. She had the upper hand now, both mentally and physically, and she wasn't going to let him forget it anytime soon. But for now, it was enough.

With 3 quick steps she walked up to him, using the gun to knock him out cold before calmly contacting Vaughn.

- - - - -

Somehow everything seemed so unreal. The ride there had been quiet but pleasant and Sydney could tell that Vaughn had something in store for her she just didn't know what it was. As they pulled over she turned her head, looking inquiringly at Vaughn, asking,

'Where are we? Is this your place?'

Without answering he smiled beginning to open the car door while saying,

'Get out, I want to show you something.'

Doing as he told her she stepped out onto the pavement where Vaughn already was standing taking her hand and leading her towards the building. When they reached the door he quickly slid in behind her putting his hands on her wrists gently holding her back while saying,

'Now, close your eyes…'

Looking back at him, he smiled at her reassuringly, and when she closed her eyes she felt a light trembling as he let go of her with one hand seconds later placing it over her eyes while whispering,

'No peaking', his lips being so close to her ear that she could feel both the warmth of his breath and the very faint touch of his lips on her neck. And, to her own surprise and pleasure, she loved it. It had been about a month since her run-in with Sark and ever since that day her life had started to return to normal – in every possible way. She had found herself not just feeling mentally but also physically attracted to Vaughn again but still nothing had happened. She hadn't let it. Vaughn didn't want to push her into something he wasn't sure if she was ready for and Sydney didn't have the courage to initiate anything herself, because what if it didn't turn out the way she wanted it to? What if she thought she was ready but really wasn't? If being intimate with Vaughn would be awkward and unpleasant, reminding her too much of her bad experience? That would be impossible to bear – not knowing somehow worked better.

Therefore she just enjoyed the moment letting Vaughn guide her in the door, leading her only a few feet into his home before removing his hand, exclaiming,

'Open your eyes…. now!'

The glistening light from at least a hundred candles met her eyes as Sydney looked around in awe at Vaughn's very romantically decorated living room. Trying to tear her eyes away from a beautifully set table in the middle of the room she gazed at Vaughn and he responded by saying,

'I know I haven't been that original but…'

'No, it's beautiful…' Sydney interrupted, smiling teasingly at him while adding, '…as long as you haven't been cocky enough to cover your bed with rose pedals!'

He shook his head, sending her a loving look, while walking towards the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. Finding a corkscrew he watched her fiddle with the tablecloth and as if she could feel his eyes on her, she looked up, meeting his gaze with a wide smile, asking,

'What's the occasion?'

Pouring up the wine, he answered,

'I could give you some clues…' he walked towards her offering her one of the wineglasses, '…let's see; terrible, red Bozo-hair, a horrendous toothache and…'

'That's right,' she exclaimed, brushing some hair away from her face, 'It's October 1…'

'Exactly 2 years since I saw you for the first time…'

He was doing it again. Killing her with those eyes of his, these amazing green eyes so full of love and compassion always took her breath away, and as she stood there, no more than a foot from him, she had to retain herself not to give in to that warm, soothing feeling he had a habit of evoking in her. But for what? Why was she ignoring every signal her body was giving her – good and bad? She'd been doing it right after the assault, pushing herself into an intimate situation with Vaughn she knew she wasn't ready for, and she was doing it now, just the other way around! What was she so afraid of? To actually get her old life back? That was stupid…

Placing her wineglass on the dining table she looked intensely at Vaughn, and, without thinking, she said,

'Put your glass down …'

'Why?' he asked, slowly placing the glass of red wine not far from hers, watching his beautiful girlfriend walk up to him, stating,

'It'll just get in the way…' as she put her hand on the side of his face, letting it slide to the back of his head before leaning in, gently placing her lips on his.

A second or so went by before Sydney felt Vaughn responding to her kiss, but as he did, his lips attentively massaging hers, their tongues meeting in a passionate embrace, she felt as if a stone had fallen from her heart – she was able to love again, in the best use of the word.

As they parted Vaughn noticed a single tear trailing down Sydney's face, and he felt a touch of insecurity, suddenly fearing that he had somehow crossed an invisible line, but when she looked at him it was clear that these tears were tears of relief not of fear or disgust, so instead of stepping away he held her tight, wanting to make sure that she felt just as safe and loved as she deserved to.

And she savored his touch, enjoying the mere feeling of his arms wrapped around her, wanting, no not wanting, needing, to take things one step further. Needing to see if her problems really would work themselves out if she just… gave in to her desires.

Burying her face in his shoulder, noticing how wonderfully he smelled, she whispered,

'I think I'm ready…'

Meeting his eyes she saw him frown, seeming more concerned than exited, and there was a certain touch of nervousness in his voice as he responded,

'You're sure…?'

She nodded, feeling more sure than ever when she took his hand, saying,

'Just lead the way…'

A moment he simply stood there, wanting her more badly than he ever had so it seemed, but at the same time recalling how wrong it had been the last time they had tried being together. The image of Sydney standing beside him, trembling and crying, tucking on her clothes to try and cover up, was still very alive in his memory, and he couldn't handle another episode like that – if the alternative was waiting then that was what he wanted.

But when he looked at her, really looked at her, it was obvious that it was a completely different Sydney standing before him now then it had been those months before – she was no longer intimidated by the closeness, now responding to the feel of him with excitement, and, most important of all, the sparkle in her eye had returned, telling him that this time she really did want him.

So he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist, consciously letting a couple of his fingers slide underneath her shirt, just to see if she would allow it. And when the only response he got was her pushing herself closer to him, her fingers caressing the back of his neck, he was convinced. This time she wasn't acting.

'And if I really had covered my bed with rose pedals…' he said as they parted, him leading her towards the door of his bedroom, '…how would my chances be again?'

'Hitting rock bottom,' she replied, looking at him with a teasing grin, as he opened the door, both of them slowly entering.

'Just stand there for a second,' Vaughn said, quickly leaving the room, reentering with some of the many lit candles from other parts of the apartment. Repeating the motion a few times he glanced at Sydney, sending her a relieved and warm smile when he saw how relaxed she looked. It seemed right this time.

Walking up to her he covered her backside with his body, taking both her hands and joining them together on her stomach, while letting kisses trail from her jaw line and down her neck.

'You still want this?' He asked, feeling her loosen one of her hands from his grip, reaching up to him to run it through his hair, as she answered,

'Absolutely, just…' the movement of her hand stopped, '…just take it slow…'

His cheek brushed against hers when he nodded affirmatively, and she closed her eyes as he started stroking the soft skin around her navel, smiling widely when her hopes were confirmed – the images were gone. No more seeing or feeling Sark when Vaughn touched her, not recalling a single feeling from that night, because all she could focus on was how her anticipation rose as Vaughn began opening her shirt buttons one by one.

Sliding the shirt off her shoulders Vaughn swiftly removed his own, listening to Sydney's breathing becoming more shallow as he opened her bra, letting it fall to the floor while cupping her breasts, his own excitement growing at the feeling of her nipples hardening under his eager, but yet tentative, touch.

Warmth filled every inch of Sydney's body as Vaughn spun her around, kissing her much deeper and more passionately than before, and she pushed herself closer to him, letting out a gasp when she felt his big erection pressing against her stomach. The same second Vaughn unhooked her jeans, pulling them off her, and she quickly stepped out of them while fighting with his belt, eager to return the favor.

Both standing in their underwear Vaughn took a hold of Sydney's leg, gently lifting it, letting his hand slide up her inner thigh, leaving what felt as burning marks where ever he touched her. She wrapped her leg around his waist and he lifted her up, carrying her to his bed, where he climbed on top of her, kissing her so intensely that she felt as though every cell in her body was going to explode with pure pleasure.

As their lips parted Sydney took Vaughn's face in her hands, looking deeply into his eyes while saying,

'I love you too, you know that right?'

He smiled, placing a kiss on her lips, answering,

'I thought so, but it was nice to hear…'

And as she looked at her boyfriend, thriving at the sight and feeling of him caressing her with his hands and mouth, she couldn't remember ever being happier. This was as close to Heaven as she would ever get.

The End