It is like October is giving me everything that I want, and also taking everything away from me.
Sydney sat on her bed as she read what she just wrote in her notebook. October had been her version of heaven and hell wrapped up in a few weeks.
And through all of it, Michael Vaughn had been her savior. Whenever she needed someone to talk to or just to be with her, he would be at her side in a heartbeat.
But right now was her time to be alone. She wished for these times a lot now, times where she could just think back and think of the good memories. It was times like these when she said a little prayer that she could hopefully be as good as her mother someday.
"Hey Syd."
She looked up right after a single tear slowly slid down her face to see Vaughn standing in her doorway, takeout in hand. Once he saw her look, he set the takeout on a dresser and walked over to her bed and sat on the edge.
"Brought you some food, but if you want to be alone-"
The growl of her stomach cut him off. She let out a small laugh and an equally small smile. "Guess you got your answer."
"Guess so," He said, bringing his hand up and wiping away the lone tear on her chin. He got up and retrieved the food, bringing it back to her bed. "Hope you don't mind tacos."
"Anything sounds good right now."
"Good," He reached into the bag, grabbing some tacos and giving them to Sydney, then grabbing some for himself. "Nadia and Francie say that I've got balls of steel for even being up here with you."
She let out a laugh at his words, causing herself to nearly choke on her tacos and bust out into more laughing.
"Ah ha now!" He couldn't help but to grin as she fell back onto the bed from laughter. "Glad to see that smile," He spoke quietly as he lay down opposite of her.
"Me too," She mumbled out when her laughter finally died down.
"You know," He started as he secured her right hand and intertwined their fingers. "I'll always be here for you."
xxxxxxx
"Why now?" The woman spat out as she glared at the man pacing in front of her.
"Why now? Because we need you right now. You remember the deal before you left, if we needed you, we would extract you immediately."
The woman felt her eyes start to well up despite the fact that her face maintained seriousness. "You could've given me time."
"That was not part of the deal."
Instead, she happened to growl. "Screw deals. I have a life, I have a family..."
"You had a life, you had a family. Now if you don't shut up, your precious family will be gone."
The woman glared but remained silent after the words.
"Good," The man smirked; stroking his chin as he finally stopped his slow walking and sat on the edge of the steel table. "Now, about that business."
xxxxxxx
Francie ran around her house like a woman who was about to kill someone. She was the party organizer, and every time she had a party, whether it was small or big, she would turn into a tyrant.
Now Nadia, Sydney, Will, Eric, and Michael were feeling the effects. They had agreed, unwillingly, to help Francie set up for her annual Halloween bash. It was two days before Halloween and the party and Francie wanted to make sure that every little detail was perfect.
Her costume was another story. After Sydney had finally come out of her shell, Francie dragged her and Nadia to the costume shop in the mall for some impromptu costume shopping. Only Nadia had succeeded in finding a costume that day, leaving Francie to design her own and Sydney to search around for some more.
Now Francie had locked herself in her room and left everyone to the decorating.
"Francie," Sydney yelled at Francie's door as she knocked on it. The door suddenly opened to a frazzled Francie with pins clenched in her teeth and holding fabric in her hands. "You almost done?"
Francie grabbed the pins from her mouth and glared at her best friend. "What do you think?"
"Right," Sydney mumbled, smirking at her friend's state. Sydney was about to start talking when Francie cut her off.
"Yes, I know, deep breath," Francie said, taking a deep breath, and then showing a smile. "So how about your outfit?"
"I got something that will knock Vaughn's socks off."
Francie could tell by the mischievous glint in Sydney's eyes that her friend was up to something. Her lips turned into a grin as she tried to suppress a laugh. "Sydney Bristow, what are you up to?"
"The party is in a couple of hours, you'll be the first one to see."
At this, Francie shrieked and slammed the door shut, muffling an 'I've got to get to work!' Sydney could hear fabric tearing, cutting, and other various things before she went into the kitchen to see Will and Michael working on pouring candy corn and other candies into large bowls.
"Where are Nadia and Eric?"
"Somewhere around here, I think they're trying to get that list done," Michael said with his mouth full of popcorn.
"Dude, we need to save some of that!" Will said as he tried to snatch the popcorn bowl away.
Sydney laughed as she walked away from the two guys who continued to argue over the popcorn. She found Nadia and Eric outside the house putting up decorations.
"Hey guys, I'm gonna head off. You want me to get your suit?" Sydney asked to Nadia.
"Please! I'm going to be stuck here with him, and Francie won't let us loose!" Nadia yelled back before she was carted off inside by Eric. "Thanks!"
Sydney took off from Francie's house. For the first time in a couple of weeks, she was going to have a blast.
xxxxxxx
"Gosh! The party starts soon!"
"And the guys are waiting out there!"
"I know!"
"Already!"
The three girls stood in Francie's bathroom putting on their finishing touches to their costumes.
Francie somehow thought of a costume during the morning, deciding she was going to be totally unique, and have a bunch of fun. She had on a black v-top tank top along with black pants, with white blobs of cotton all over her body. If anyone asked who she was, she had a water gun ready to use. Then, hopefully, a giggly response would come after an annoyed look from the soaked recipient, "Partly cloudy with a chance of showers!"
Nadia was dressed in a gold suit, her hair done straight with dark makeup on, dressing up as a salsa dancer. She knew that Eric would definitely like her costume.
Sydney had decided to be the daring one of the group. When she shopped on her own she found a costume that would make Michael's, and just about every other guys in the room's mouth drop. The black and red French maid's suit fit her perfectly, and she smirked at the fact.
"So you think Michael's gonna die when he sees you're wearing that?" Francie asked as she looked at Sydney through the mirror.
"Let's hope not," Sydney said with a laugh and finished her eyeliner, grinning at how she looked.
"I love Halloween," Nadia said as she looked at the two.
"Oh yeah."
All three left the bathroom, with Nadia going out of the bedroom first. Francie followed, picking up her water gun along the way, and Sydney came out last, carrying a tray, because she would also be the waiter for the night. They walked into the living room to see the three boys sitting on the couch, watching the television and in their costumes. Francie faked coughed to get their attention, all the three guy's stood up and turned around, showing off their costumes and their shocked reactions to their girlfriend's costumes.
Will was dressed as Crocodile Dundee, the khaki shorts way too tight and looking hysterical on him. He had on the knee high socks along with the big boots and hat.
When the girls saw Eric, they tried their hardest to maintain their straight, serious faces. He was dressed in a grass hula skirt and a matching coconut bra with the grass bands at the arms and ankles.
Sydney finally got a good look at Michael, who was dressed sharply in a mobster's suit, along with the black rimmed hat and sunglasses. She could see that his jaw did drop at her own attire, and a smirk formed on her face once again.
"Aloha ladies," Weiss said as he showed a cheeky grin. "Ready to party?"
An hour later and Francie's house was filled with people, all in costumes. Francie put Sydney to work, making sure that people ate and that none of the food would be left. The French maid was busy, of course, but she always made sure to keep an eye on her mobster who was always walking around and talking to people.
Finally, thirty minutes later, after serving out pizzas, she set down an empty box and pulled Vaughn outside and into the backyard without warning. Before he could let out a word, she grabbed his coat jacket and pulled him closer to kiss him. He didn't refuse, keeping it going until they both needed air.
"You know, you don't look so bad, Mr. Vaughn," Sydney said in her best mobster voice.
He smirked, wrapping both of his arms around her waist. "You look pretty nice yourself, Miss Bristow," He replied in the same tone. "So, how's your night been, Syd?"
"Good, now even better since I've got a br-"
"Hey Sydney!" Francie interrupted as she came outside. "People are a bit hungry, you know."
"I'll get right on it," Sydney said, sending a glare in Francie's direction as Francie went back inside. Sydney looked at Michael, who was showing a smile. "Duty calls," She winked, giving him a small peck and trying to break free from his arms, but he wouldn't budge.
"She can wait a couple more seconds," He said, pressing his lips into hers. She responded back immediately, and soon their tongues were in each other's mouths.
She ended the kiss too soon for his liking, and left him out in the backyard as she went back to 'work', looking back before she went inside to send a challenging grin his way.
xxxxxxx
"I think I might wear this to school," Eric said with a hint of giddiness in his voice. The party had ended and the usual six sat around in the living room, still dressed in their costumes and eating away at the last of the food.
Nadia's eyes bugged out at his proclamation, and she nearly choked on the piece of pizza in her mouth. A muffled 'You better not!' came out, but she had to try to not laugh.
"I wouldn't mind," Vaughn said as he loosened his tie and sat back, placing one foot on the coffee table and an arm around Sydney.
"Yeah, good for you," Will mumbled as he squirmed around on the couch. The shorts were definitely giving him problems now, and Francie was getting red after laughing so hard. "Screw it! I'm changing!" He growled, standing up and stomping out of the room.
The rest busted out into laughter after he left.
"Now that Crocodile Drama-Dee has left the room, who talked him into wearing that?" Sydney asked once the laughter subsided.
"Well, they did fit well, until I decided to put the shorts into the wash, a lot," Francie added in with glee.
"You did what!" Will shouted from one of the guest bedrooms.
"Nothing, sweetheart," Francie said while smirking at the others.
Sydney yawned, resting her body against Michael's as she kicked her high heels off. "Those are evil," She commented while growling.
"Tell me about it, you weren't dancing all night, fulfilling your boyfriend's fantasies," Nadia scoffed as she playfully smacked Weiss on the chest.
"I think I might keep that water gun handy," Francie said as Will came back into the room, a towel in his hand as he started to dry off his hair. After seeing the look on his face, she added in, "Definitely."