Thanks again for your fantastic reviews.
MistyX: In the series Vaughn doesn't get to meet Emily
smilez4eva: That's awful- how can a country not have Alias on their tv screens?
LittleAussieAliasChick: Oh I hope that your information is correct- Alias on our screens next week! I will be crushed if it doesn't happen.
Scary-Girly: Yeah, I'm an Aussie (as you can tell by all my bitching about Alias not being on here yet!). I hope the fact that I am an Aussie will incline you to forgive me about Sydney's costume...I'm sorry but I just had to have her as Alice in Wonderland! I was watching the episode Doppelganger and realized just how much I loved that costume and couldn't bring myself to have her as anything else.
"Will, NO!" Francie shrieked, dashing across her and Sydney's living room. "I want the spider webs draped above the kitchen bench!"
Sydney and Will caught each other's eyes and tried desperately not to laugh. It was Wednesday afternoon andFrancie's stress over the Halloween party tonight had been building up for a long time and she was just about ready to blow.
"Where are the lights? The small one. The ones that blink and make everybody feel festive." Francie cried as she stood in the middle of the living room, resembling a crazy person.
"Francie! Breathe." Sydney instructed. "Weiss has them, see." She pointed to both Weiss and Vaughn who were near the front door with their jaws slightly dropped, looking stunned and somewhat scared of Francie's behaviour.
"Ok." Francie took a deep breath. "I'm going to go out and decorate the front of the apartment. Sydney, you are in charge. If anything goes wrong-"
"I'll blame Will." Sydney interjected, winking at him.
"-I will hurt you." Francie finished. With that she walked outside and Sydney and Will were finally able to laugh. Vaughn and Weiss on the otherhand still looked scared.
"Uh, Syd, is she always like that?" Weiss asked, tentatively.
"Not always. Only when she is stressed." Sydney answered.
"And how often does she get stressed?" Vaughn asked.
"Well there's everytime she has a big assignment due." Will started.
"And when she is trying out a new recipe and everything is not going as she wants." Sydney added.
"And whenever she is planning a party, especially for our birthday's." Will continued.
"Don't forget Christmas, New Years and this year there was the party at Easter."
"Ugh, don't remind me Syd." Will shuddered.
"Why?" asked Weiss.
"Francie made him dress up as the Easter Bunny." Sydney explained, as Will shot her a dirty look.
"It's not funny!" he protested turning to Vaughn and Weiss who were cracking up.
"Yeah, it is!" Weiss spluttered.
"Hey do you guys wanna see a photo? Will looked awfully cute with a cottontail and whiskers." Sydney said.
"Yeah, show us. If it's good enough I may have to put it on my Walls of Fame." Vaughn replied.
"Excuse me! Will is not getting on those walls before me!" Sydney exclaimed.
"Why not?" Will protested, walking up to Vaughn. "You love me don't you Vaughn?"
"With all of my heart," Vaughn joked, throwing his arm around Will's shoulders.
"Hey what about me?" Weiss asked, dropping the lights.
"Don't worry," Will said. "We love you too."
"Ok." Sydney threw up her hands. "This is nauseating is so many ways, I can't even begin to describe."
"What's the matter Syd?" Weiss asked. "Can you hack us revealing our male emotions?"
Sydney was about to retort but was cut off by a scream from outside.
"How's about I leave you three lovebirds here while I go prevent Francie from having an aneurism." She walked out shaking her head, but with a huge grin on her face. If she had half as much fun tonightt as she was having hanging around with her friends this afternoon, this party was going to be one to remember.
"Come on Francie!" Sydney called tapping her foot. She stood dressed head to toe as Alice in Wonderland. "Get out and show us your costume!"
"Yeah, people will be arriving soon." Will chimed in, standing next to Sydney, holding his Jason Voorhees hockey mask in one hand.
"Ok! I'm coming out." Her bedroom door opened andFrancie walked into the living room, wearing an incredible Cleopatra outfit.
"Oh Fran, you look goregeous!" Sydney cried.
"So do you! You look great as a blonde."
"Hey guys, what about me?" Will piped up, putting his mask on.
"You look..." Francie searched for the right word.
"Disturbing?" Sydney offered.
"Yeah, disturbing." Francie agreed.
"Well, given my costume, disturbing is good."
"So is everything ready?" Francie fretted as she began pacing the living room.
"Francie, you had Will, Vaughn, Weiss and me working all day. Everything is perfect."
"Are you sure Syd? Because you let Weiss do the lights. Are you sure he is capable?"
"Francie, believe it not but Weiss is a very intelligent guy. I'm sure he knows how to use a power point." Sydney answered.
"Yeah, get yourself a stiff drink Francie." Will ordered. "Help settle the nerves." Just then the doorbell rang and Francie let out a shriek.
"Francie! Settle down." Sydney said, walking to the front door. "Hurry up and get some alcohol in her Will." Opening the door Sydney was greeted byan Elvis in a jewelled white jumpsuitand the hottest looking goth ever.
"Hey Syd!" Weiss greeted her, walking through the door and over to Will and Francie. Sydney however couldn't take her eyes off Vaughn, who looked mighty fine in black leather, fake piercings and eyeliner.
"What?" he asked, grinning.
"You're new look. I like it."
"Yeah, well what better night to let me dark side show."
"I think you should show it more often."
"Is that so?" Vaughn retorted, walking through the door and kissing her long and hard.
"If that is how your dark side behaves," Sydney started after they broke apart," then most definately."
"Well it's not just my dark side."
"What else then?"
"Ever since I was a little kid, I alwayskinda thought Alice in Wonderland was hot."
"Really? I kind of always had a thing for the Little Mermaid." Weiss broke in. Vaughn looked as if he was about to throttle his best friend and Sydney couldn't help but laugh.
"When you get yourself a girlfriend I'll be sure to tell her- just in case you want to act out any childhood fantasies." Sydney said, and Weiss looking delighted at the prospect walked off towards the food table.
"So will I get to live out my childhood fantasy and make out with Alice in Wonderland?" Vaughn whispered in Sydney's ear.
"Just as long as I get to act out my brand new fantasy of making out with a hot goth."
"I think that can be arranged," Vaughn murmured, leaning in for another heart-stirring kiss."
Two hours later the party was in full swing and Vaughn was having a blast. He was standing in the kitchen watching Sydney dance with Francie. She looked so amazing, in her cute blue dress and blonde wig. It had taken all of his self-control not to jump on her when she opened the door.
"You're drooling."
"Huh?" Vaughn turned and saw Will standing beside him.
"I said you're drooling, but don't worry. Sydney tends to have that effect on people."
"I can't imagine why." Vaughn joked. "She doen't seem to affect you."
"Because we are like brother and sister."
"You guys are really close, hey."
"Yeah, I've known Syd and Francie since about year 10. They've slowly been driving me insane ever since."
"I probably wouldn't let them hear you say that."
"I've been on the recieving end of Syd and Francie's blows many times. I'm used to it now."
"Wow." Vaughn commented. "That is quite possibly one of the most pathetic things I've ever heard a guy utter."
"What can I say? I'm a battered male."
"Well, after Saturday, I'm probably on the way to joining you."
"What did Syd do?" Will asked.
"She threw my Playstation contoller at me. Hard." Vaughn replied and Will cracked up.
"You should know," Will started when his laughter had subsided, "that Sydney really likes you, Vaughn."
"I feel the same way about her."
"Don't hurt her." Will said, suddenly serious. "She got enough crap from Noah. I don't know if Syd could handle that again."
""I swear to you Will that I could never hurt Sydney."
"Good, cos if you do, I'll have to, you know, get Francie to hurt you back."
"You're a good guy, Will." Vaughn laughed. "Come on let's get a beer."
"How's my sexy goth doing?" Sydney whispered in Vaughn's ear as she came up behind him later on.
"He's doing great now." Vaughn replied, wrapping his arms around Sydney's body and bringing his lips to hers. He pressed her up against a wall as their kiss grew more intense. The loud music and voices of everybody at the party faded to just a buzz in thier ears as both of them got lost in each others touch. Eventually oxygen became essential and the two had to break apart.
"Are you having a good time?" Sydney asked, touching his chin dimple lightly with the tip of her finger.
"Yeah. I had a little chat with Will before."
"What did he say?"
"He said that if I ever hurt you he'd get Francie to hurt me back." Vaughn grinned.
"God, he's like a protective big brother."
"I can understand why." Sydney looked at Vaughn questioningly. "Because you, Miss Bristow, are someone worth protecting."
"And you, Mr Vaughn, have all the right lines, don't you?"
"Just one of my many talents," he whispered in her ear and Sydney smiled.
"Kind of a familiar statement between us." she said. Vaughn smiled back at her and bent towards her for another kiss.
"Get a room!" Sydney and Vaughn jumped apart at the sound of Weiss's voice.
"What is it Weiss?" Vaughn asked.
"The girl dressed up as Paris Hilton...or a Barbie Doll...or is it a prostitute? I can't really tell, but I'm pretty sure they're real..."
"Weiss!" Sydney exclaimed.
"Sorry, anyway she's looking for Francie. Have you seen her Syd?"
"No I haven't. She disappeared about half an hour ago."
"Ok then. I'll have to go tell Barbie that." Weiss said, grinning at the chance to speak to her again.
"I'll go have a look around." Sydney said to Vaughn as Weiss walked off. "Make sure that she hasn't suffered a party related anxiety attack."
"I'll come with you." Vaughn offered and Sydney grabbed his hand as she negotiated the sea of people and headed towards Francie's bedroom.
Opening the door Sydney took a peek inside, but after witnessing what was going on in there, quickly shut it.
"Oh my god!" Sydney clamped a hand over her grinning mouth, and looked at Vaughn through wide eyes.
"What?"
"Francie is in there- with Will!"
"So what?"
"Let me rephrase that for your male brain. Francie and Will are in there- kissing!"