Song is italics is "I dreamed a dream" from Les Miserables

All he could do was whisper, "Syd…" He stood there immobilized; his arms forgot how to embrace and lungs forgot how to breathe. It was as if he had just been punched in the stomach and all he wanted to do was take in a deep breath but couldn't…

"Vaughn…Vaughn, please don't say anything." Sydney pleaded, struggling to find herself beneath the crashing waves of emotions that had suddenly compounded upon her. She hadn't expected this feeling when she said it. It was this new feeling of helplessness and a new feeling of being absolutely exposed in front of the man that she loved. She wanted to hide beneath the sheets and never return to the land of the living.

It took them both a moment to comprehend what was going on. But after that initial shock, Vaughn allowed her to collapse into his arms. He just held her tightly to his body, wishing all of this would go away. Her head melted into his chest and she felt empty tears pouring down her face. They stayed like that for a long while, both entirely unsure as to what the next step was. He felt weak suddenly and didn't know how to fix this situation. She just felt broken….highly medicated and broken.

"I'm so sorry." She finally murmured into his chest, finally feeling some sobriety return to her veins. She didn't dare pick her head up for she couldn't stand the look of disappointment that was bound to be in his eyes. It was sure to be that look of fear…of disappointment…of betrayal.

He adjusted her slightly in his arms, shocked at such an apology, "Syd, what are you doing? This wasn't your fault…"

"It's my job…" She started and the tears started coursing down her face again. She couldn't help it. She wanted all of it to stop and she just couldn't make the emotions go away. All of the little tops were coming off of the boxes. She couldn't compartmentalize anymore. It was just too much. Saying it aloud…it made it real. It made all of the past events come to life.

He wiped two tears away with his rough fingertips, "Syd…" She just sobbed in his arms. There was no stopping the emotion now. This was the floodgate she had barely cracked open when she first called him at the warehouse. Now, it was time for her to empty the contents of the world from her body. "It's all going to be okay. I'm right here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you anymore. You're safe. Okay? I've got you. I've got you." He cooed as they rocked gently back and forth.

"You can't let go of me… " She whimpered, tugging on his t-shirt more.

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

"Sydney, I can promise you…you'll never be without me." Vaughn replied, kissing a chaste kiss into her temple. He felt her body breaking down in his arms and he didn't know what to do to make it stop. Part of him couldn't believe that she would let him touch her…after an act so violent and so terrible…it was amazing to him that she could still trust a man.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

She continued to cry and cry and cry. The tears would not cease running down her face and she didn't know how to stop her shaking core. She had to get this out. She needed to feel pure again. It was this disgusting feeling of dirtiness, like she had done something terribly wrong. She felt distrust in her own skin and she didn't know if she could feel her own emotions. There was a certain rawness to her body. She was fine. Over and over, she had reassured herself that she was going to be fine. The pain was purely physical. Now, the pain was raw and real and very, very emotional.

He wanted to ask something so badly. It was a nagging, pulling feeling that had to be released from his chest, "Syd…did he use…did you take…do you need?" His words jumbled and his brain slurred. It was not the way he should have asked those questions. They were sensitive enough.

"He did…and I keep 'the pill' in my kit…no need to worry about anything else…I'm okay…" She whispered softly into the soft, now extremely wet material of his shirt.

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

"Will you stay with me?" She managed to continue. Her voice was fading quickly and her breathing had slowed considerably. "Stay with me until I fall asleep. I feel safe here…I like it here…"

Vaughn's heart felt compelled and his brain had ceased working, "I promise I'll never leave you, Syd…I'll be right here when you wake…." He shifted his weight slightly and felt her meld into him, perfectly safe in the crook of his arm. It didn't scare him what she had gone through. It didn't scare him that she was so fragile right now. It didn't scare him having her asleep in his arms. It didn't scare him that Alice was waiting for him right outside the door.

It scared him because he realized how much he was in love with Sydney and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her happy…