Thanks for the encouraging reviews everyone :) Keep 'em coming...
Last night after Sydney left…
"Goddamnit, Weiss, what is your problem?" Vaughn shouted.
"My problem! Vaughn, do I honestly need to tell you what the problem is?"
"Listen, I've rethought everything. I have an idea that I think will work better than Kendall's plan."
"That's very comforting, but do I need to remind you that when Kendall hears you completely violated protocol, you might not even have a part in this 'plan' – or in the CIA – ever again?"
Vaughn nodded, biting his lip slightly. "Yeah. That's why I'm gonna need you to back me up on this."
Weiss stared at Vaughn for a moment in disbelief. Then he slammed his hand against the wall angrily. Then he sighed. "What did you have in mind?"
Vaughn knew he had won the battle.
"We get to know her. We gain her trust. Maybe she'll tell us everything freely. Maybe we won't have to bring her in."
"You know that's out of the question. We're gonna have to bring her in sometime."
"Maybe, maybe not. At least not now. We're not even sure she's the right girl."
"Vaughn…"
"If we bring her in, it will ruin her life. It's just not right."
"Vaughn, I hardly need to be the one to break it to you that in a job like ours, the laws of right and wrong frequently become muddled."
"Not this time. Not now."
"Wow," said Weiss, patting his friend on the back. "You've become a regular hero. I'm sure the lovely Alice would be proud," he added slyly.
Vaughn looked up abruptly.
"You know, Alice, your girlfriend…" Weiss continued. "The one with the short blonde hair…"
"What are you getting at?"
"Look, Sydney's hot. There's no denying it. And, from what I gleaned from your conversation over the radio, she seems to have a stellar personality to boot. A sweet, funny girl. But be careful. Not only are you already in a relationship, but Sydney Bristow is the enemy."
A Few Nights Later…
Sydney, Francie, and Will were all lying in a heap on the couch in the girls' apartment.
"Oh my God," Francie moaned. "I've never eaten so much in my life. I'm going to die."
"Seriously," Sydney agreed. "I'm doubling my run tomorrow and every day from now on. Not that it will help. I think I gained twenty pounds tonight."
"Oh shut up," said Francie, eyeing her friend's perfect figure jealously. "Don't even start on the whole 'I'm so fat' thing. You're the most fit person I ever saw. Me on the other hand," she said, pinching her stomach, "look at that! I have love handles!"
"No you don't, retard," Sydney insisted. "Ugh, look at my thighs! They're taking over the universe, one inch at a time."
"Ok, rhino-thighs and handles-o'love, can we cut the fat crap out? I'm gonna get the ice cream, who wants some?" Will asked.
"Good God, Will, how can you possibly think of eating more?" Francie exclaimed. "We just ate like fifty cookies and twelve pounds of steak. Yeah, I'll have some."
Sydney groaned. "Why not. The damage is already done," she said mournfully. "Bring me the carton of coffee. Might as well finish it off."
Will got up, rubbing his stomach, and stumbled over to the freezer to get the ice cream. Just then the doorbell rang. The three friends looked at each other confusedly.
"Who could that be?" Francie asked. "We're all here. I swear to God, if it's Charlie asking for a second chance – someone better hold me back or else I'm likely to stab him with my steak knife."
"Yeah, I think I'll get it," Sydney said, patting Francie on the head. She got up sluggishly and made her way to the door, oblivious to the fact that she was still wearing an apron and her face and clothes were splattered with cookie dough.
She opened the door and found herself face to face with Michael Vaughn.
"Hi Sydney," he said, trying not to laugh at her appearance. "Uh…I hope this isn't a bad time…"
Sydney just stared. Michael Vaughn was at her apartment. Michael Vaughn was at her apartment. He had looked her up. He wanted to see her again! He was standing there in front of her, waiting for her to ask him in. So ask him in, idiot.
"Come on in. My friends and I were just eating dessert. Do you want some ice cream or cookies?" she asked, shutting the door behind them.
"No cookies left," Will said apologetically.
"WILL! YOU DID NOT EAT THE LAST COOKIE!" Francie cried. "Oh my God, how you manage to keep under 500 pounds is the world's greatest mystery. Oh, hi there," she said, holding out her hand to Vaughn. "I'm Francie. Sorry we can't offer you cookies. But we have some delicious strawberry ice cream, and coffee too, if you can get Sydney to share it."
Vaughn couldn't help laughing now. "That's alright – I can't stay long. I'm sorry to drop in like this, but your number wasn't listed in the UCLA directory."
"Oh, sorry about that," Sydney said. "We actually don't have a phone line. We just use our cells."
"That explains it. Anyway, I was just wondering if…well, I have some tickets to the hockey game tomorrow night…me and some friends are going…if you wanted to tag along, that would be great. You can bring your friends too."
Sydney's heart was racing. She loved Francie and Will to death, but she was always excited at the prospect of a new friend. And after Noah's revolting behavior last night, she wasn't sure she wanted him as a friend anymore. But Michael Vaughn seemed like a decent guy. Decent guy? Said the voice in her head sarcastically. He's gorgeous. And so far shows no signs of being a conceited asshole. Definite friendship potential here.
"Sure, I'd love to," she replied, beaming at him. "Do you guys have any plans?" she asked Will and Francie.
"Aw man, I'd love to go, but I've got a huge exam the next day that I'll need to spend all night cramming for," Francie said.
"I'm free," said Will. Vaughn eyed him skeptically. He knew all about Will Tippin's life from reading files about him at the CIA, but he was not sure exactly how close Will was with Sydney.
"Great. Well, I guess I better get going," said Vaughn. "See you guys tomorrow night."
Sydney longed to ask him to stay and hang out with them for a bit. But -- though she wouldn't hesitate a moment to put a bullet through a bad guy's head, or to take a bullet herself if it meant serving her country -- when it came to making a new acquaintance, particularly with men, she was shy and insecure. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. It wasn't so bad though; she'd see him tomorrow...
"Michael, you should stay," said Francie suddenly. Sydney made a mental note to spend extra cash on Francie's birthday present that year. "We were just gonna play Monopoly, but it's totally better with four people than three."
"I don't know…" said Vaughn. For some reason, he wanted to stay there and play Monopoly more than he'd wanted anything in ages. But Weiss's warning rung clear in his ears. Not only are you already in a relationship, but Sydney Bristow is the enemy.
"If you stay, I'll put another batch of cookies in the oven," Sydney said, smiling at him.
If Weiss could just see the way those adorable dimples spread across Sydney Bristow's face when she smiled, Vaughn was sure he'd understand his inability to leave her apartment. And since when did "enemies" bake their opponents homemade chocolate chip cookies?