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Sydney felt a familiar flicker in her stomach. Her brow was knitted, her eyelids closed in fear of him and the daisies not really existing. Her fear was crushed when she felt him exhale against her, it was a sensation she'd grown so used to in the short period of time they were together, that now all she noted was its absence. She knew she didn't need to tell him she missed him; her actions over the past year must have been a bit of a give away, but regardless of that she decided he would have known anyway. She also knew they had to talk, about everything, but they weren't ready for that yet. They couldn't just pick up where they left off, they had many things to work through and she shivered with trepidation for the tears she knew they would shed. She became aware of the silence filling the air between them. She heard a cricket clicking somewhere in the garden and the distant hiss of traffic.

"My ice-cream's melted," she whispered causing him to laugh loudly; it wasn't the sort of shallow sound accompanied by the half-hearted lop-sided smile she was used to- the kind she had become accustomed to over the past eleven months; no, this was a deep joyful laugh, one which filled her with an overwhelming need giggle herself. However, being the super-spy, as Eric had called her once, she kept a straight face. "I'm not kidding Vaughn you owe me. That was like four bucks" Sydney sat back against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyebrow was raised at his bemused expression. He sat up straight crossing his arms like he had many times in the rotunda, a habit he had she had once noticed when he was concentrating or trying to be all serious. He shrugged as he began to speak.

"Well, Miss Bristow, I just don't know what to say to you. Would you like me to show you my caring face?" his expression fell into one of extreme melancholy. It was now her turn to laugh loudly

"You're terrible" she giggled "Well, I try" he sighed dramatically. The sat facing each other against their respective side of the door. Their knees were touching, bumping into each other as they laughed

"Want to go to dinner with me?" he asked, his eyes down

"Yeah" she applied instantly, her voice shy but certain. They exchanged a brief smile and then following his lead, stood "Hey I never asked-" she bent to pick up the carton off the floor "Where you staying at the moment?" she peered at him dusting off his jeans, deciding her assumptions about his ass were right

"Eric's" she smiled at the thought of their friend

"Right next door" she said

"Right next door. You doing anything tomorrow?" she shook her head "The King's are in town, I thought- I don't know I thought you might like to"

"That would be perfect"

He sighed with a smile and began to walk away.

"Hey" she called after him; he turned around "what happened to my fancy dinner"

"I'll buy you a pretzel. How bout that?" she pressed her tongue to the inside of her cheek a smile appearing much to his delight. She couldn't believe his nerve but secretly loved his teasing.

"Night Vaughn"

"Night Syd"

Sydney closed her door unable make the small grin disappear. She placed the carton on the table by the door unaware of the way it bled back into to its original shape. She walked straight to her bedroom in an attempt to make tomorrow come quicker; still clutching the daisies, she softly padded into her bathroom grabbing the vase on her dresser. The flowers in it were beginning to lose their colour and the water was turning stale. With great care she tipped the greyish liquid down the sink placing the flowers in the bin at her feet. Sydney looked at them standing proudly within their glass walls, their petals shining in the muted bathroom light. She looked at her reflection confound by the mirror before her; her cheeks were flushed and rosy, her eyes alive and shining. She brushed her teeth gently her eyes unfocused, her mind in other places. Minutes later she slipped between her sheets her thoughts wandering towards Eric's house where she knew Vaughn was probably sleeping. She imagined his slender, muscular body and tanned skin. She remembered what it felt like to run her hands down his toned back. She pushed the impure thoughts to the far reaches of her mind just clinging on to the feeling of what it felt like to be close to him again.

Sydney fell asleep.

Sixty feet away Vaughn lay awake toying with the two tickets to the Kings game. He still laughed at the thought of the CIA having season tickets, but he arranged to have them weeks ago. He knew if he never managed to pluck up the courage to talk to her he would have taken Eric, however that would have proven painful due to Eric's inability to leave a joke alone. He was petrified, but the memories of warm chocolate eyes made him smile.

Vaughn fell asleep.