Phantasmagoria
Chapter 5
A/n: Thank you for the reviews! But now it's time to admit, I, well, I forgot something important. Penny gets mad, mad props for helping me out with this story. I know she's like never on to read this stuff anymore, but still, I need to give her credit, because she helped me figure everything out one morning after I stole her muse. Again, mad props to her.
Assume any dialogue spoken in Bern is in German.
Much to Sydney's dismay, Vaughn must return to work the next morning, and she wakes to an empty bed. Most of her day alone is spent lounging around the apartment, inspecting the classified ads for houses in the area, and eating. Eric Weiss stops by around lunchtime carrying an overfed bulldog in his arms. He says he cannot stay long, but declares that Donovan deserves to be with her.
Jack clearly is not thrilled by the idea of a dog in his apartment upon returning home. This prompts Sydney to search harder for a home, and though she is picky she finds a small house not far from her father's complex. The house has two bedrooms and is slightly more spacious than the Swiss house, though Sydney is eager to be on her own again with her husband and soon-to-be-born daughter. She knows this house is a fine place to start.
A few weeks pass by, and furniture and full boxes from Switzerland are transported from storage to the new house. Once they close the deal, Sydney begins to unpack and allows Donovan to romp freely in the backyard while Vaughn works. They spend their dinners and evenings together and cherish every moment. She orders Vaughn around with a smirk as he moves couches, tables, and various baby furniture, always congratulating him with a kiss once he has moved them to their proper places.
The moving of the furniture quite often reminds Sydney of their arrival and first week in the village of Köniz. At times she even stops whatever she is previously doing in order to reflect. However, unlike the last house, Sydney opts not to decorate it as much as she would like, internally knowing they will not abide there for too long. Vaughn helps her place a simple teddy bear print border around the walls of the nursery instead of painting over residing walls. The baby's room is almost complete, lacking only a few items and of course, the baby.
As Vaughn heads off for a shower, Sydney eases herself into the rocking chair in the nursery, holding her stomach and gently humming to herself. Her eyes wander about the room, taking in each detail, comparing it to the smaller nursery back in Switzerland.
Donovan waddles his way through the door and settles himself on the rug in front of a few empty boxes on the floor. Sydney smiles inwardly at him, recalling a time when she first saw the spare bedroom, never imagining that it would one day become a baby's room. She closes her eyes, allowing the rocking to soothe her further into comforting memories, surrounded by boxes and the smell of new house.
Sydney's eyes slowly blinked open to the close image of hardwood floors. She shivered into the cold morning air, her arm draped over the edge of the mattress onto the floor, and she pushed up from her stomach to roll onto her side. Expecting to see Vaughn lying beside her, she was disappointed when she discovered his absence. In brief confusion, she looked around and finally spotted him seated at a wooden chair at the foot of the mattress. She sighed and lifted herself to a sitting position, watching him carefully as he held two steaming cups and stared into the floor.
Upon hearing a creaking mattress, he looked up and met her gaze. "Hey," he said softly, smiling sideways. She smiled back at him before he offered her one of the coffee cups, which she graciously accepted in the morning chill. She moved to the end of the mattress, closer to Vaughn. She gazed up at him for a moment, unsure of what to say, or how to act. How should she conduct herself in front of the person who gave everything up for her?
Her brain decided to avoid the subject for now. She scanned the room, taking in the scene of many boxes and some random furniture. By the looks of it, she figured she currently resided in the living room. Not far in front of her and to the right she could see the front door and the opening to a small foyer, beyond which she had yet to traverse. She heard Vaughn mumble something about finding a coffee maker in a box containing other kitchen appliances, amidst boxes of other things. He said they would have to sort through things and get settled.
Sydney nodded simply, sipping her coffee in silence. Hardly a minute passed. Sydney felt Vaughn's eyes on her, though she could not bring herself to meet his gaze. She knew he wanted to work through the awkwardness. Finally he offered his free hand to her, asking, "Want to explore?" She agreed, taking his hand as he pulled her to her feet. They stood close together for a quick moment before Sydney followed Vaughn.
They moved into the small foyer, a square of oak between the door and the stairs, the kitchen and the living room. They each peeked their heads around the corner into the kitchen. A single window on the back wall provided the only light as the sun emerged from behind a cloud and light streamed inside, illuminating the whiteness of its walls and tiled floor.
She heard Vaughn's footsteps creep up the stairs and she decided to follow. They found the guest bedroom and bathroom at the top of the stairs off to the left, and a hall closet and master bedroom with private bathroom on the right. They entered the master bedroom together and stopped, staring at the metal frame of a bed sitting angled in the center of the room. Sydney realized that they slept in the same bed for the first time last night, though most unromantically, both with day old clothes on– which they were still wearing –and so exhausted they did not bother to find any blankets. Yet there it was; their bed, in their bedroom, in their house… Where Vaughn could hold her in his arms all night long, which he had yet to do.
They stood and stared in silence, both deep in thought, both scared to say something. Vaughn broke first; "I guess we should… move the mattress up. Get it out of the way." They pushed the frame back against the wall and returned to the ground floor to retrieve the mattress. Lifting it onto its side proved difficult, it was much heavier than it appeared. They attempted moving through the doorway and rounding the corner up the narrow stairwell. For a moment, the mattress seemed stuck, a barricade from upstairs to downstairs, yet after some maneuvering and a few rest stops, they made it back to the bedroom and situated the bed properly.
The couple decided to go through the boxes and get things settled. They organized the jumble of cardboard receptacles, finding the already opened box of kitchen appliances, silverware, and plates, others with towels and linens, and some with simple homely decorative items. After awhile, they realized their hunger, and Sydney sent Vaughn to bring back some sort of lunch while she continued to sort.
Vaughn returned about forty-five minutes later with sandwiches to find Sydney sitting peacefully in a cleared out space on the couch that jutted uncomfortably at a diagonal through the room. He handed Sydney a sandwich a pulled the chair he had been sitting upon earlier that morning next to the couch. Sydney studied his rosy cheeks as he breathed heavily and warmed his hands. "Cold outside?" she asked.
He simply nodded. "There's about three inches of snow on the ground." Sydney bit into her sandwich and noticed the trail of melted snow that followed Vaughn's footpath. He told Sydney that he drove into Bern (the CIA had nicely provided them with a silver Mercedes) and located his bookshop. Just down the street was the deli where he purchased their meal, and just a few blocks away on the river was Sydney's school.
As they ate their sandwiches, Sydney noticed things between them were slowly becoming easier, and less awkward. They prolonged their break, continuing to talk long after they had finished eating. They laughed and joked a bit, but eventually conversation revolved back to the house, and Sydney revealed that she wanted to paint. Vaughn chuckled lightly in response. "What? What's so funny about that?"
"Nothing, nothing," he shook his head. He said he would go buy paint later, as well as some food for the kitchen.
The remainder of the day was spent sorting and unpacking the seemingly endless boxes and scrounging for some dinner. They were finally able to shower (though not together) and change their clothes– Sydney was ecstatic to come across boxes and boxes of clean clothes –and go to sleep.
Sydney acquiesced her body under a sea of blankets in bed as she gazed around the nearly empty room. Except for the bed and boxes of clothes, the only other furniture was a small lamps set on an empty box as a table. She tore her eyes away upon the sound of the bathroom door opening. Vaughn exited the bathroom fresh from the shower wearing only his boxers, his muscles particularly defined in the dim light. She watched him walk to his side of the bed and slide in next to her. She dropped the French novel that rested on her chest to the floor; there was too much on her mind to read.
Vaughn settled his body into the bed, and with a bit of disappointment she turned to turn off the lamp. When her head made its way back to her pillow, she felt Vaughn's eyes on her. She paused, unsure what to do besides gaze back, and he took hold of her hand and squeezed it. "Goodnight," he whispered, hesitating before kissing her cheek. Though his face lingered closely, and Sydney quickly turned her head in to meet his lips.
When they parted she could feel his mouth form a smile, and he knowingly wrapped his arms around her. She could feel his breath against her forehead as she snuggled into his chest, still warm from the shower. "Goodnight," she whispered back, closing her eyes.
"Sydney? Syd?"
She shakes herself from a daze and focuses in on Francie. She holds up a tiny outfit from the clothing rack, staring at her friend expectantly. "Sorry… What?"
"I asked you what you thought of this." Sydney inspects the duck design, her eyes settling on the orange bill as she folds her arms atop her stomach, and shrugs. In frustration, Francie sighs and places the hanger back on the rack. "I thought you wanted to come shopping with me today. We have just over a month before this baby comes and she won't have anything to wear."
Sydney idly scratches her neck and nibbles on the end of the straw gouging out of the large paper cup that previously held lemonade, but contains only ice now. Truthfully, she wants to take care of the baby products left to buy, and she wants to make up for lost time with her best friend, but she is confused. She cannot make sense of the thoughts in her head and her feelings, and the last thing she wants to do is shop. Her ankles are swollen, her back is killing her, she cannot stay focused on her task: a hunt for baby clothes, among other things.
Slamming her cup of ice in a quick downward motion, she tilts the cup and tries to suction any melted water into her mouth. Francie remains staring at her curiously next to the duck outfit, waiting– Sydney realizes –for a response. "I… I'm sorry, Francie. I really want to get this done; I just can't stop reflecting."
Francie seems to understand immediately, and nods in recognition. "No one blames you for thinking about the past, especially at this point. I just worry about you sometimes."
She has been reflecting on the past a lot recently, probably more than she should. "I don't mean to worry you," she attempts to reassure her. She tries to continue, to back up her statement, but she is at a loss for words.
Her friend counters back. "It's okay to look back, it's always okay to look back, but you need to remember to think about the future once in awhile."
Sydney wants to tell her that she knows, but can only nod. With one final gnash of her teeth against the flattened end of the straw, she drops her arm to her side and lets the nearly empty cup dangle from her fingertips. Francie is absolutely right, she thinks. And if Vaughn was here right now he would agree with her. She knows she lets herself drift away into the memories, often drifting away from reality at the same time. Reminding herself that the future is more important, she obediently follows Francie around the store and they manage to find a few outfits.
Sydney glances over at Francie as she buckles herself into the car on the drive home. It feels so good to be in the company of her old friend that it is almost unreal. Sydney remembers during that first week in Switzerland when the realization truly struck her– that she may never see her friends again. She had tried to imagine their anguish of confusion over her sudden disappearance. She had broken down at the thought of no more girls' nights out in Francie's restaurant. She had curled up and cried in Vaughn's arms, thinking of lost Scrabble games with Will. Where would her friends be when the job got difficult? Where would they be when she needed advice? Where would they be to comfort her in case of a fight with Vaughn? Where would they be to share her joys of her newly allowed relationship with Vaughn? And their growing love for one another? And their pregnancy?
The simple reminiscence prompts Sydney to give Francie a tight squeeze before she drops her off, thanking her for everything. It is greatly to Sydney's relief that Francie has stuck by her, offered her more than ever at this time. Upon Sydney's return, Francie voluntarily took care of little things for Sydney: picking up a grocery here and there, occasionally preparing some meals, assuring Sydney that Aunt Francie would be there to babysit and help out with the baby whenever she would be needed. And particularly with Vaughn working so much, she became Sydney's saint. She feels almost as if she hadn't left for three years, and they picked up merely where they left off.
Sydney is delighted to see Vaughn's car pull into the driveway shortly after her arrival back home. She plans to show him the baby clothes, yet deviates madly from her grand scheme as she nestles into the couch and is joined by her husband. There he holds her, kisses her temple, and smiles while she tells him how utterly pleased she is to have her friends again.
That next morning after a blissful awakening in each other's arms, Sydney sent Vaughn out for a bite to eat and painting supplies. During his brief absence, Sydney moved most of the boxes out of the living room and into their prospective places in the house, and decided that all random leftovers would rest in the guest bedroom, since they had no other use for it. She happily kissed Vaughn's cold, rosy cheeks as he stomped the snow off his boots at the door, exchanging a cup of coffee for a breakfast pastry. She devoured both her food and drink, demanding to paint.
Vaughn smiled as she approved of the dark green color for the bedroom and the red for the living room. "Not bad, Mr. Avery, not bad," she told him.
"Good. I got worried for awhile… You were really specific when describing them yesterday." They headed upstairs and covered the bed, floor, and makeshift table with a drop cloth before pouring the paint into trays and beginning to cover the walls. "And don't forget," Vaughn began as he applied tape over the molding and doorframes, "I'm expected at the bookshop tomorrow morning."
"Will you come home for lunch?" She caught his nod out of the corner of her eye. "Good."
They painted through most of the day and completed the room, but the fumes prevented them from sleeping in their bed. Sydney stiffly awoke on the couch in the living room, thankful to be surrounded with a blanket this time. Unfortunately, the space that Vaughn had occupied the night before was empty, and she knew he had already left for the city.
Sydney transferred the drop cloths into the living room and was taping the molding when, as promised, Vaughn returned at lunch. He offered to take Sydney into Bern, explore a little, and meet his employees in the bookshop.
As they trudged through the snowy walkway to the car, Sydney snuggled into her coat against the wind and became both nervous and excited about their use of aliases. This would be they're truly first experience as Scarlett and Michael Avery. Sydney stared down at her left hand and twisted the diamond ring around her finger, finally setting it straight as they passed soothing farmland and eased into the outskirts of the city. Soon they were driving amidst a bustling capital town, historic sights surrounding them as well as tourists, locals, shops, and cramped housing.
Vaughn drove them deep into the eest, where he parked in an alley off Postgasse. Sydney's mind scrambled with German words and phrases as she prepared her mind for the scene to come. The wind had died down a bit, but Sydney rubbed her arms for warmth as Vaughn led her around front under the arcade and held a door open for her. The glass outside was nearly covered in posters advertising past and future events in the city. She barely noticed the multilingual "open" sign crammed into the corner.
A bell jingled behind Sydney as the door shut and Vaughn helped her take her coat off. The shop was warm in both temperature and friendly feeling. She inhaled the familiar scent of old books and her eyes danced from shelf to shelf. Soon the rapid bickering of a woman and man came to her attention and she spied a blonde woman leaning behind the register, speaking harshly in hushed tones towards the back of the store. The man in the conversation quickly came into view and placed a pile of books down on the counter before rushing away to another table.
The woman stopped mid-sentence as she spotted Vaughn and Sydney. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Klaus, come, Mr. Avery's returned."
"Please, call me Michael," Vaughn insisted as he stepped forward. "Ana, this is my wife, Scarlett. She starts work at Weiss Primary School on Monday." Sydney held back a snicker as the blonde greeted her with a hug and kiss on each cheek.
Ana mentioned good things she had heard about the school as Sydney took in her appearance. She was shorter than Sydney by a good few inches, and her short blonde hair curled lightly below her earlobes. She used her thin arms animatedly as she spoke, luckily slowly enough at first for Sydney to understand, having not spoken German for a long time.
She suddenly stopped once again in mid-sentence. "I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself! I am Analiese Schlosser, and my husband and I have worked here for– Klaus! Put down those books and come greet Mr. Avery's wife!"
The man who had earlier been arguing with Ana returned to the front of the store, a pile of books still held firmly in his grasp. "Ana, why didn't you tell me we had a guest?" he asked, setting the books down and greeting Sydney in the same fashion as Ana had. "You may call me Klaus, and I am Ana's house slave–"
"He means husband."
"–in case she hasn't already told you. You're Scarlett I presume?"
Sydney nodded with a chuckle. The four commenced into light chit-chat before Klaus had to return to work and his dark, curly hair and lanky body disappeared behind the shelves once again, and Ana momentarily stole Vaughn away to tend to some legal papers. Sydney wandered around the front of the store until Vaughn returned shortly, hollering a farewell to the couple in the back of the store before exiting with Sydney.
She turned to smile at him as he wrapped his arm around her and walked down the arcade. "The school's called Weiss?"
He smirked. "The school's called Weiss."
She snuggled in closer to him. "I like them," she decided, referring to the Schlossers. "They're cute."
Vaughn brought her to the deli where he had bought sandwiches the other day and they enjoyed a quick lunch, followed by a quick tour of the area. Finally they were too cold to walk around much longer, and they hurried to the car to get warm at their house.
Late in the afternoon, they began the painting job of the living room. They knew they would fail to finish tonight, since they started late and the room was larger than the bedroom. Still they persisted, finishing one and half walls before stopping for a bite to eat, and carrying on to finish the second. Sometime during the third wall, Sydney gingerly picked up the paint can to refill an emptying paint try, however, her fingers slipped off the handle and red paint splattered over the drop cloth, unpainted wall, and unfortunately, Vaughn.
Sydney's mouth formed an O shape in shock and amusement while Vaughn paused to inspect the damage. Suddenly he shifted his arms, and his paint roller smeared a fresh coat over half of Sydney's face. Quickly she dug her hand into what remained in the can and tossed a handful in Vaughn's direction, launching an all out paint war. They threw paint at each other while dodging behind the covered couch and chased each other with messy brushes.
After minutes of what resembled bloody warfare, Vaughn tackled Sydney from behind and smudged handfuls of paint down the front of her shirt. Sydney attempted to turn and playfully throw him back against the wall, however, tripping in the process, came down hard onto the floor with Vaughn on top of her. Immediately laughter exuded from their bodies, which eased into giggles, which disappeared into smiles, which died away into deep staring. Their heads drifted closer and closer together until their mouths crashed.
Her hands grabbed for his neck and head, desperately clutching him to her. Vaughn's arms moved to wrap around her body and he swooped her into the air in one rapid motion. Clumsily, they followed the wall up the stairs; Sydney's fingers dug at his collar, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it along the way, along with other articles of clothing. They stumbled into the bedroom, half-naked and hungry for each other. She nibbled at his neck and ear ravenously as they removed the rest of their clothes. He laid her down onto the bed with great care, pulling away for an instant to stare at her and awe in her beauty, but she drew him back on top of her quickly, where they buried themselves under the covers.
A/n: You know, when I wrote this chapter I didn't like it very much, but now, it's growing on me, I admit. Who can say they don't enjoy the Spy!Sex? Haha. Please review, give me some feedback!