Chapter 2: Alone With His Thoughts
Vaughn was alone. Well…not as alone as he could have hoped. The empty plane, save for the pilot, was almost eerily quiet, and the white leather seats seemed to engulf him with memories from every angle. His gaze drifted to the back, seeing the mini bar and the two chairs separated by a long wooden table, he smiled with his eyes as his face remained blank.
'Sydney is alive,' his voice echoed every couple of moments, though he tried to force the three words from his mind as he settled back into the plush of his own seat. He tried closing off from the assault of images, but was unable to as the flood gates opened.
"I'm fairly sure, Agent Vaughn, that three of a kind beat two pair." Sydney's voice was slightly slurred as she poured more tequila into the small shot glass to her right. Dollar bills scattered the flat surface of the table as the two bumped knees between the posts securing it to the floor of the plane.
"Even if my…two pair are aces and twos?"
"Especially if they're aces and twos. You don't seem to be….understanding the concept of this game," she laughed with a hiccup and collected the money from the middle of the table. Shoving it toward her already impressive stash, Vaughn glowered at her from his perch across the way.
"You know…I didn't think you were this good at poker. It's your face. I…I can usually read your emotions clearly, but not when you play. Or when you're on a mission," he commented and set his cards down silently, crossing his hands over the scattered discard pile.
"This conversation is a little bit too deep for how drunk we are. Kendall is going to flip when we stumble off of the plane." Syd smiled, her dimples captivating him as she leaned across the table to set a kiss against his lips. Her aim was a bit off as she set her mouth at the corner of his own, but the result was the exact same. His hands reached out and cupped her cheek and chin before tugging her mouth over to his own, tasting the sting of the lime and the burn of the liquor along with the undeniable flavor of Sydney's strawberry-kiwi lip gloss.
"Maybe we should stop drinking," she mumbled in a deep voice, almost foreign to his ears before pulling herself away with a slight blush to her cheeks and an extra pout to her lips. They both clumsily put the cards back into her carry-on bag and he made his way to the front to confer with the pilot briefly before returning to the cabin.
He found her resting on one of the two couches, though in his mind a couch is something you can stretch out on completely without slamming your head or feet into the armrest. These were something more akin to elongated chairs. Still…the sight of her bundled up with a blanket around her waist, hair fanning out against the bland, white pillow, and her hand tucked gently against her cheek, his breath couldn't help but catch in the back of his throat.
"Did you talk with the pilot?"
"Who?" her words made him jump, seeing nothing but a shadow of her lips move as the overhead lights dimmed when he hit the switch on the wall.
"You know, the one flying the plane? The pilot? What's our ETA?" He had to crack a smile as she tried to remain professional despite the slight drawl to her sentences and the occasional hiccup that impaired her usually articulate speech.
"We'll land in about thirteen hours," he sighed as he moved to the opposite side of the cabin and began making his own bed for the evening.
"What are you doing?" her voice was curious as she sat up, letting the blanket pool about her waist as she pulled the button up blouse over her head, revealing a black tank top underneath. Her slender arms tossed the offending piece of clothing to the back of a nearby chair. She leaned onto her side, propping her head in the palm of her hand as she watched him pull out a ratty backpack from an overhead storage bin.
A slow smile spread across her cheeks as she calmly watched him yank out a crumpled t-shirt. He placed it on his newly extracted pillow from the same compartment and moved his hands to the buttons of his shirt. Working them each, he felt her eyes burning into his back but continued nonetheless.
"I'm going to go to bed. What are you doing?" he asked with a lopsided grin tossed over his shoulder as his eyes focused on the curve of her waist as the black material of the stretchy tank top held nothing and yet everything to the imagination. He had already memorized each toned abdominal muscle, each soft bend and dip of her hips and stomach, along with the slope of her side as his line of sight moved to her shoulders and then across her chest. Her graceful neck had a swan-like bend as her hand held her head at a slight angle. Her highlighted brown hair was pulled aside, revealing the fading purple mark he had placed a few nights ago under her ear.
"You're not the only one who's seen it. You could have at least let me know what you'd done," One of her delicate yet strong hands traced a circle around the love bite, a contented yet annoyed look flashing in her deep chocolate eyes before the hand ran the length of her throat and flopped down to land on the cream colored cushion of the seat.
"I'll bet Jack was thrilled." Vaughn joked as he turned back, pulling the button-up shirt off and tossing it to the same chair her own rested.
Her eyes darkened slightly as she took in the movement of his muscles across and down his back before they disappeared into the top of his belt-buckled trousers. He turned slightly to the side as he lifted his shirt up and shook it out. Shoving both arms into their respective holes, he bundled the fabric up in his strong hands before he pulled it over his head, letting the material fall down to hide his bronzed skin from her eyes. He opened the compartment above his head once more in search of a blanket, but came up empty handed as he turned to see her desire filled eyes watching him with unveiled interest.
"Any more blankets?"
"Here," she reached underneath her pillow and extracted a folded blanket.
"No, if you were using it I won't take it. I'll just find another," he protested lightly, moving to her side of the plane and rummaging through several bins before coming up empty handed. His search ended quickly when he felt her fingers skimming across his muscled stomach beneath his grey, tattered shirt, a finger briefly dipping in and out of his bellybutton as a shock of electricity moved from one end of his spine to the other.
"You know…I've got a blanket here, and a cozy pillow. Plus, it's already warm on my side." She prodded with the gentle yet sultry voice she usually reserved for when they were in the privacy of a bedroom. The simple fact that they weren't sure if they were being surveilled or if the pilot would come back to check on his passengers prompted Vaughn to pull away from her sizzling touch.
"Syd, we need to behave. Trust me, it's probably a good idea." his voice was strained as he took the offered blanket from her hands and let his fingers graze hers before setting a light kiss to her forehead. Unable to resist, he ran a hand through her silky hair before returning to his side of the cabin and tossing his ratty backpack to the floor by the head of the couch/chair. After making his cot for the evening, he stood up and turned out the remainder of the overhead lights. All that remained were the emergency exit signs and the small lights running on both sides of the floor leading to said points on the aircraft.
He heard her sigh and slide underneath the covers, the faint silhouette showing him that she'd rolled over to face the back of the cushion. Vaughn lay listening to her breathing as it evened out, her entire body relaxing into sleep-mode as he lay on his back, a small smile curving his lips as he willed his mind to settle and sleep to enter.
Unfortunately, sleep did not come so easily. He tossed and turned for most of two hours, sleeping off and on ten to fifteen minutes at a time. Rolling over once more he stretched out his legs and settled with his back to the open and quiet cabin. He heard a faint rustle of cloth, figuring that Sydney had moved about as well. Her gentle hands running through his hair and the soft kiss she placed against his stubbly jaw made him smile slowly. He felt her slide in behind him, pulling the blankets around her body as a momentary breeze hit his warm back and legs.
"Can't sleep?" Syd's voice was a sweet whisper, making him wonder if she'd spoken at all. Her breath fanned the back of his neck as she draped her arm over his side and the other began rubbing small but firm circles into his upper back.
"Not really. Don't know why," he shrugged lightly, not wanting her soothing touch to end.
"Well…me either. I suppose I'm getting used to having you sleep next to me each night." she confessed as he looped her fingers through hers before awkwardly turning to face her. Leaving their hands joined between their two stomachs, his other wound underneath her head as she set her head to his shoulder and buried her nose into the side of his neck. Her legs tangled around his, creating their own cocoon before drifting off while sharing a contented sigh.
Michael pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes as he heard his cell phone ring in his pocket. Without thinking he pulled it out and hit the button prior to setting it against his ear.
"Vaughn," he spoke gruffly into the receiver as his wife's worried voice broke the quiet cocoon of semi-tranquility and semi-heartache he'd created.
"Where are you? I tried calling before but you didn't answer. I got your message, but you weren't specific. What's wrong?"
"I'm on my way to Hong Kong."
"Whatever for?" her curt reply made his take a deep breath, deciding ultimately to tell his wife the truth.
"Lauren, I got a call from Eric. He said that my superior from when I was with the Agency got a call from an agent we all presumed was dead,"
"What? Who?" her voice sounded a bit off, a hint of concern mixed with jealousy tainting her usually clipped, British tone.
"Sydney Bristow. They've asked me to go get her from Hong Kong; apparently she has no memories of the last two years. She's lost and alone, and…though I tried to talk Eric out of it…the Agency thought it would be best if I was the one to…to introduce her to her new life."
"She…Sydney is alive?" she sounded broken, which only served to make his guilt over the present situation rise to the surface.
"Lauren, please try to understand something. Yes - I am going because the Agency asked me, but…but this is also an important step for me. Lauren, sweetie, I can finally get closure,"
"But you'll be there with her; the woman that you loved so much,"
"We've been through this; you're my wife. Sydney…yes, I loved her. But that part of my life is over. If I can help her even the smallest way to get her life back in order, I will. Before everything, she was my friend. And I'm determined to keep it that way."
"Fine." Lauren's clipped word was the last thing he heard over the receiver before the line went dead. Closing the phone with a sigh, he peered out the darkening window, hearing the captain over the intercom saying they had an hour before reaching Hong Kong's airport.
"I don't think there isn't a spot on my body that isn't sore." Sydney grumbled as she eased herself into the chair beside Vaughn. Terminal two in was buzzing with activity as the two agents waited patiently for their plane to begin loading.
"Well, I did advise against your escape route," Vaughn hid a chuckle from behind his magazine before bending the page and seeing the death glare Syd was shooting in his direction. With a suppressed laugh he blocked her face with the rather uninteresting article and continued to read.
"What would you have done? It was either take the fall through the window, or get shot. I've been shot - thank you very much - so I opted for the slight drop to the padded grass below."
"Two stories is a slight drop to you?" Vaughn asked, their conversation sharing something akin to gentle romantic banter if viewed from the outside.
"Like I said…what would you have done?" she questioned with a sigh and leaned her head against his shoulder.
She dozed lightly for the forty-seven minutes until the PA system asked for the first class passengers to begin boarding their flight. He picked up her carry on along with his own and helped her out of the chair, noticing the slight wince as he set his hand to the small of her back.
Finding their seats was a bit of a chore as she realized they weren't sitting next to one another; rather he was across the aisle by the opposite window. They passed sincere looks before exchanging a small chaste kiss and taking their positions quietly.
"Pardon me, is this 24C?" a young man's voice asked with a heavy Russian accent. Sydney looked up at him with a smile that wasn't entirely heartfelt as she noticed his eyes taking in her slim frame.
"Yes it is," her clipped answer went unnoticed by the man as he winked unabashedly in her direction and stowed his carry-on.
"My name is Dimitri Voshkovisch; it is pleasure to meet you."
"Kate Jones," She briefly saw Vaughn's amused smile in the corner of her eye as he tried to look interested in his magazine and not on the conversation across the aisle.
"That is lovely name, Ms. Jones. Do you travel to Russia often?"
Sydney sighed and finally decided that the sooner they introduced themselves the sooner she would be able to break off the conversation and sleep the remainder of the flight.
"I flew in for a finance conference in Moscow; I work as a loan officer for Credit Dauphine in Los Angeles."
That magic sentence had saved her many times from pushy men on more flights than she could remember. An attractive young woman with a brain wasn't usually the kind that would share a cab and a night of fun before going back to the real world, and most men she talked to would nod politely and say something like, 'that's nice' prior to turning to more interesting books, magazines, or paperwork.
"Really? Very interesting, I am investment analyst at corporate Bank St. Petersburg. Flying to Los Angeles for a meeting with client."
And thus began Sydney's two hour conversation. She'd been adequately prepped on the cover story of a loan officer from her work at SD-6, and her ability to improvise was stellar. Though Vaughn felt a little sorry for her, he couldn't help but grow concerned as the man began asking about Syd's personal life, and if she would be interested in "getting together for drink after the flight," as he put it. He'd been in a nice conversation with a kind old woman to his left, though he mostly tuned her out after she began gushing over her granddaughter's wedding.
"Marie is such a wonderful young lady…would you like to see her dress Mr. Daniels?" She asked and Vaughn responded, nearly forgetting that he'd given himself an Alias as well.
Reaching into her knitting bag, she pulled out a bridal magazine and flipped expertly to a page, showing him the pearly-white gown worn beautifully by a model standing in a gorgeous rose garden.
"Please, it's nothing. I merely ran into someone, that's all." Syd's voice broke his concentration as he looked over and saw Voshkovisch examining – a little too closely – a bruise on her arm.
"May I borrow this?" he asked the woman beside him with a wink and his usual disarming smile, reaching out and taking the magazine from her hands. "Pardon me," He stood, walking across the aisle as Sydney followed him with her eyes while rolling the sleeve of her sweater back down over the bruise, cursing herself for revealing the angry mark in the first place.
"Sweetie, what about this? Not the dress, of course, since you've already picked yours out, but the setting?" he winked at her, leaning deliberately over Dimitri and flashing the photo in the bridal magazine to Syd's surprised eyes.
"It's nice, but I thought we'd settled on a beach wedding. You can't change your mind, we've only got three weeks left. It's all been planned, baby, go sit back down." Brushing a soft kiss against his chin she noticed the surprised look of the man seated beside her.
"I am sorry…would you like to sit here? I had not realized you were separated. You should have spoken sooner, I would have moved had I known," He rose, not waiting for an answer, and collected his things before taking residence in Vaughn's empty seat.
"You're a genius." she giggled, leaning in and placing a loving kiss to his mouth before pulling back and looking at the bridal magazine in his hands. "Where did you get that?" she asked with a grin as she looped her arm through his and placed her head on his shoulder.
"Oh," Vaughn leaned over, holding the magazine out across the aisle to the woman he'd borrowed it from.
"No, no, dearie, you look like you'll need it more than I will." she batted his hand away and resumed her knitting as he shrugged and began leafing through catalog as Sydney dozed off on his shoulder, a faint smile on her lips.
Vaughn felt the plane begin to descend a second before the pilot announced the near arrival as he finally noticed the bright lights of Hong Kong as the haze lifted from his mind. He barely felt the landing, gathering his things and walking off the aircraft as he thanked the man in the cockpit.
A car was waiting as he climbed into the back and the driver began the journey to the safe house…and the woman that left his life so abruptly.
…
