Thank you all for your feedback.
smilez4eva: thanks for making sure I got the feedback for Prophesised. It was greatly appreciated.
specialfrog: the same kind of thing at your school- does mean you had a teacher as hot as Vaughn? If so, then you are very, very lucky :P
mila-uri113: I promise that it won't be too long until Ainsley's party.
Vaughn was going to kill Weiss. Different methods of torture were running through his mind as he drove towards Phase One Monday afternoon. He and Ainsley had decided it would be the best place for his dance lessons. The chances of them being found out were slim to none.
"What's the matter with you, grumpy pants?" Ainsley asked when Vaughn walked into the empty club.
"Are you listening to Weiss's show?"
Ainsley shook her head. "I was just about to turn it on." She paused, looking at the thunderous expression on Vaughn's face and tried not to laugh. "Why? What has Eric done this time?"
"He somehow managed to get onto the topic of marriage proposals and asked people to call in with their own experiences- just in case there was any body out there looking for inspiration."
Ainsley broke into giggles. "I wouldn't worry too much, Mike. If Sydney had been listening, I doubt she would even get suspicious."
"I know that, but I still want to hurt him."
"And I'm sure Eric knows that." Ainsley grinned. "He'll be hiding out for days."
When Vaughn got home that night, Sydney was already cooking dinner.
"Is it that late?" Vaughn asked, leaning over the bench to give Sydney a kiss.
"Hmm. Did you have a meeting?" Sydney replied, stirring one of the pots on the stove.
"Um, yeah." Vaughn smiled. "I'm just going to get changed ok."
"Ok, dinner will be about fifteen minutes."
After dinner Sydney had settled on the couch and Vaughn was up in the kitchen making the two of them a cup of coffee.
"Hey Vaughn."
"Yeah?" he asked, picking up his mug for a quick mouthful.
"Did you hear Weiss's show this afternoon?"
As if it were out of his control, Vaughn, who was quite luckily standing by the sink, spat out his mouthful of coffee. Silently he cursed himself. If Sydney got to Ainsley's party without the slightest suspicion, it would be a bloody miracle.
"Vaughn!" she exclaimed, staring at him in astonishment. "What are you doing?"
"It was hot," he replied, lamely, carrying the mugs across to the lounge area.
"Of course it's hot- it's coffee." Sydney responded as Vaughn handed her a mug. "Were you expecting it not to be?"
"Uh…um…what was the other question?"
Sydney shook her head, whilst grinning. "Not even a week into the school year and already you're going batty." She took a mouthful of coffee. "I asked if you heard Weiss's show."
"I heard some of it." Vaughn replied. Maybe Sydney was thinking about something other than the proposal talk. "Are talking about something specific?"
"Yeah. He was talking about marriage proposals."
Damn. "Uh, no. I didn't hear that part."
"It was odd." Sydney said, her expression pensive. "It was almost as if he was doing some research."
"Research?" Vaughn shifted slightly in his seat. Things were heading into dangerous territory.
"And I'm pretty sure I know what for." Sydney leaned forward excitedly.
Vaughn's heart skipped a beat. "You do?"
"Uh huh." She grinned at Vaughn. "I think Weiss is going to ask Ainsley to marry him."
Vaughn was thankful that his mouth was empty. Because if there had been coffee in it, he knew that it would have ended up on the couch and quite possibly in Sydney's face. "You think?" he managed to say.
"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Sydney leant back into the couch cushions. "Has he said anything to you about it?"
"No." Vaughn replied. Inside he was smiling. He was off the hook.
Later that night, when they had gotten into bed, Sydney turned to Vaughn.
"Vaughn, why did you agree to my costume idea for Ainsley's party?"
"What?" Vaughn just wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. What was with Sydney and all these questions tonight? If she kept this up, there was no way he was going to last until Ainsley's party.
"Well, you hate that movie and you just agreed straightaway. I can't help but worry that you're planning some horrible way for me to pay to back for it."
"Syd, I wouldn't do that." Vaughn answered truthfully. Sure, he was planning something, but he wouldn't call it pay back.
"Well, you can't blame me for being curious."
"Look Syd," Vaughn pulled her in close. "The way I saw it was, I either said yes then, or go through weeks of you going on and on until I finally gave in. Besides I figured I was getting off lightly in the costume part- no tights or embarrassing outfits in sight."
"Vaughn."
"Yes, Syd?"
"I don't go on and on."
"Oh, when it comes to Dirty Dancing, Syd, you do."
"You know, you're unwillingness to enjoy that movie is, I think, a major crack in our relationship." Sydney said in a mock-serious tone.
"I know." Vaughn looked down at her, his expression mirroring hers. "And the fact that you obsess over a fictional character is a bit of a worry too."
"Ha!" Sydney scoffed. "Alice in Wonderland anyone?"
Vaughn's eyes lit up. "Yes please."
Sydney threw back her head as she burst out laughing. "Oh, if anybody was listening to this conversation…"
"They'd think we're nuts, hey?"
"Yup. They would say that we were completely off the wall."
"Well, at least we're both crazy." Vaughn smiled, tracing a finger down Sydney's cheek. "So maybe they'll lock us up together."
Sydney grinned as she pulled Vaughn on top of her. "Two crazy nuts locked away together, forever," she said, pressing her lips into his.
Thursday night Vaughn headed over to Weiss and Ainsley's. He hadn't had a chance to speak to Weiss since the radio show on Monday. Ainsley was right- he must have been hiding out.
Ainsley let him in. "He's in the lounge."
"Thanks." Vaughn strode determinedly down the hallway. Weiss, hearing footsteps, looked up expectantly. However, when he saw who it was, he jumped up, immediately defensive.
"Look, Vaughn, I wasn't trying to spoil anything, but I thought you might have needed some help."
"Not that sort of help!" Vaughn shot back, sitting down on the couch. "I know you were ambiguous about the whole thing, but sheesh!"
"I was just trying to give you a kick start, Vaughn. Why the hell are you stalling on this?"
"Well, uh…" Vaughn scrambled for an answer. An idea popped into his head- one he thought he should really listen to. "I've been thinking that I should speak to her father before I do anything, you know, get his blessing and all that. It feels like the right thing to do."
Weiss stared at him, his eyes wide. "Dude, you can't do that."
"Why not? Lots of guys do it."
"Yeah, but most guys don't have a girlfriend who have a father like Sydney's. That guy is terrifying! Ever since I met him, I've worried that if you did the slightest thing wrong, that he would shoot you in the face!"
Vaughn had experienced those same fears, but wasn't about to admit it to Weiss. "You really don't think I should speak to him?"
"Don't listen to him, Mike." Ainsley's voice came up the hallway and a second later she appeared in the lounge room. "I think Jack would appreciate it if you sought him out first."
"You don't think he'll 'shoot me in the face', as Weiss so eloquently puts it?"
"Oh, I never said that." Ainsley replied as she sat down next to Weiss. "I just said that I think he would appreciate the gesture."
Vaughn paled slightly.
"Well Vaughn," Weiss said. "The day you face Jack Bristow to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage is the day that you finally become a man. What do you think, Ainz?"
"Oh definitely." Ainsley answered, laughing at the look on Vaughn's face. "Eric, go and get Mike a beer. He looks like he could really do with one."