Hey all. Thank you so much for your feedback. Many of you raised questions on what I have planned, but since there are only five chapters left I have decided to be mean and cruel and tell you guys nothing:P However, a few of you mentioned the possibility of a sequel and the answer is yes. (I've already written about fifteen chapters)
kiefer4ever: Yes, I am really enjoying season four. We only have two episodes left (Search and Rescue is on tonight.)
"Fran? Are you ok?" Sydney asked as Vaughn gently pulled her down on the couch.
"Oh my god, Sydney!" Francie sounded hysterical.
"Francie, what is it?" Sydney was terrified. Between Vaughn's grim face and Francie's hysteria, she had no idea what to expect.
"It's gone. Destroyed." Francie sobbed.
"I don't understand. What's gone?"
"The apartment."
"What?"
"There was a fire, Syd. The apartment…it burnt down."
Sydney dropped the phone.
With one arm wrapped around Sydney, Vaughn reached down and picked up the mobile.
"Francie, you still there?" All he could hear were her muffled sobs. "Francie, are you with Will?"
"Yeah," she managed to choke out.
"Can you put him on the phone?" As he waited for Will, Vaughn looked up at Juliette and motioned towards Sydney. Juliette didn't need any words to understand and sat down on the couch, wrapping the shocked Sydney in a hug.
"Mike?" Vaughn stood up when he heard Will's voice.
"Yeah. What happened?"
"Not totally sure. I haven't been able to get a lot out of Francie."
"Where are you guys now?"
"At my apartment."
"Look, I think Syd and Francie should be together tonight. There's enough room at my place for all of us. If we leave now, Syd and I should be there in about twenty minutes."
"I'll meet you there."
After hanging up the phone and quickly explaining to Juliette what had happened, Vaughn knelt down in front of Sydney.
"Syd," he said, gently cupping her face with his hands. "We're going home. Will and Francie will be there, ok."
Sydney nodded dumbly as Vaughn helped her up.
"I'll call you tomorrow, maman," he said to Juliette before leaving.
"Don't worry about me, Michael. You just concentrate on Sydney." Watching Vaughn escort Sydney out to his car, Juliette had never felt more proud of her son than at that moment.
"Here." Vaughn tossed Will a beer later that night. Sydney and Fracnie were both asleep in his bed.
"Thanks." Will took a long mouthful. "I can't believe this."
"I know. Did you get anything from Francie after we got off the phone?"
"Yeah, she calmed down a bit…until she saw Syd." Will replied. "She told me that they seem to believe that the fire started because of some electrical fault in the roof. Francie said that she had smelt something funny. Presumably it was the smoke. Anyway she convinced herself it was nothing, got into the bath and fell asleep. When she woke the place was in flames. She was incredibly lucky to get out unharmed."
"How bad is the damage?"
"The place is completely gutted. I don't know whether they will be able to salvage anything."
"Shit." Vaughn said sombrely as he took a swig of beer. "Do their families know?"
"I called Francie's parents, but I couldn't get hold of Jack. I figured I'd try again in the morning- it's too late."
"No." Vaughn shook his head. "Jack will want to know whatever the time is. I'll try him now."
Vaughn was right. While Jack hadn't sounded happy when he answered the phone, his tune soon changed. He insisted on coming over, but Vaughn had convinced him not to.
"Sydney is asleep Mr Bristow. But I know she'll want to see you tomorrow." Vaughn gave Jack his address and then hung up the phone.
"Mike, that was incredible." Will said as Vaughn sat back down on the couch.
"What was?"
"The fact you got Jack Bristow to listen to you." Will replied with awe.
Vaughn shrugged. "His a logical man. He knows that there is no point in coming around tonight."
"Logical or not, that was still damn impressive."
Vaughn and Will spent the night in the living room. It was early when Vaughn woke up, his neck sore from sleeping in his armchair. He got up quietly as not to wake Will who was still snoring, stretched out on the couch.
Donovan was whining at the back door, but instead of letting him inside, Vaughn went outside to give the dog some company. If let in, the first place Donovan would head to was Vaughn's bed and after the night that Sydney and Francie had just had, the last thing they would want was to be waking up to a drooling bulldog.
Vaughn wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there when he heard the back door open.
"Vaughn." Sydney came out and sat beside him, her face pale and her eyes puffy. Vaughn didn't say anything and simply opened his arms. Sydney sagged gratefully against him, letting the warmth of his arms envelope her.
After a few minutes Sydney spoke up. "Do you know what I want?"
"What?"
"I want us to have a month go by with nothing happening. Just a plain, old, boring, normal month."
Vaughn pressed his lips into the top of her head. "What's normal anyway, Syd?"
"Normal is definitely not what my life is." She paused, closing her eyes. "I can't believe the apartment is gone."
"Hmm, I know." Vaughn murmured.
"Can you take me there today?"
"Are you sure you want to Syd?"
"I have to Vaughn. I have to see it, see if I can salvage anything."
"Ok then." Vaughn pulled his arms tighter around Sydney as the two of them fell into silence.
"Oh my god." Sydney breathed as she and Vaughn stepped gingerly through the blackened interior of the apartment, which the fire department had deemed safe to enter. It was completely unrecognisable and Sydney struggled to fight back tears.
'It's only belongings,' she told herself. 'Everything is replaceable.' However, when she got to her bedroom and saw the charred remains of the albums that contained all the photos of her mother, Sydney lost her composure completely.
Vaughn, who was still looking around the living room, heard her sobs and was quickly by her side.
"I have nothing," she choked. "It's all gone. The teddy I've had since I was a baby, my grandmother's earrings and every single thing that reminds me of my mum. Gone."
"Hey, Syd." Vaughn brushed away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. "Not everything is gone."
"Huh?" Sydney sniffed, pulling back.
"Alice in Wonderland- it's still at maman's."
Sydney's eyes widened as she registered this thought. It had only just occurred to her that Emily's seed box had been spared too- her father still had it in his possession. The realization that her two most precious possessions had been saved did ease the deep ache inside her, somewhat.
"Come on." Vaughn said. "I think we should go."
"Ok." Sydney nodded, but didn't move.
"Vaughn."
"Yeah."
"How do you put up with this?"
"Put up with what?" Vaughn asked in confusion.
Sydney exhaled loudly. "Me and my dramas."
"Your dramas?"
"Yeah, my dramas. Think about the last six months, Vaughn. My father, Emily, my little freak-outs…No matter what happens, you're always there, without fail."
"Sydney, why would I not be there?" Vaughn asked, placing his hands on her upper arms.
"You're telling that all of these things don't bother you in the slightest."
"They don't." Vaughn said, simply.
"But-"
"No buts, Syd. I love you and that's that." Vaughn smiled. "Where is all this coming from?"
Sydney shrugged. "I guess I'm just feeling spoilt. You seem to have to put up with a lot more in this relationship than I do."
"Sydney, stop. I don't 'put up' with anything. Yeah, you've been going through a rough trot of late, but I've been there because I want to, not because I have to. And you'll be the same if I ever hit hard times." He cupped Sydney's face and kissed her gently. "Now, come on, let's get out of here."
Sydney smiled weakly as Vaughn grabbed her hand and as they walked out Sydney looked around, taking in the beloved apartment for the last time. She never ever contemplated saying good-bye to it like this.