Hey all and thank you for your feedback.
A/N: A few of your raised questions about the name of Francie's restaurant. I read somewhere that it was actaully the name of her restaurant in the show, even though it was never disclosed, and that was the reason behind myself calling it Deep Inside in the fic
Also to you eager about the wedding, all I will say is that it is approaching...(I know, I'm horrible and mean, however it will become more apparent in the chapters to come exactly how long there is to go).
Em-958: Just another thing about Emotional Rescue, the reason I chose to put it in Meeting Their Match was that it was actually used in an episode of Alias (Ep. 2.9 Passage Pt 2, the scene where Vaughn is watching Syd at the mini-golf course with Francie and Will. I just thought that it was really sweet.)
Anyway, here's hoping that you do approve of the song that I chose...
"Vaughn, would you be able to get down to the supermarket for me today?" Sydney asked Wednesday morning. "I have to go to these stupid holiday rehearsals and won't get a chance to."
"I would, but I was going around to Will and Craig's. I told them I would help with some work around the place."
"Well, couldn't you just drop by? I really need some stuff for Friday night."
"I don't know if I'll get the chance. Can't we just go tomorrow?" Vaughn asked, grabbing his keys off the kitchen bench.
"No." Sydney said bluntly. "The shops will be mayhem tomorrow and Friday. There will be nothing left on the shelves. I've left it late enough going today."
"Syd, I'm saying I can't go."
"Vaughn, I am asking you to do one little thing for me. This bloody production is taking up way too much of time and is driving me nuts. Is it really that difficult for you to do one little thing to make my life a tiny but easier?"
"Today, yes. You committed to the production, and I committed to Will and Craig."
"Fine." Sydney grabbed her bag. "Then I guess we can have nothing to eat here on Christmas Eve."
"Fine with me." Vaughn snapped back. Sydney just shot him a look and walked out of the house.
The argument put Sydney in a funk for the rest of the day. She hated the fact that it wasa stupid, little thing that had flaired upher and Vaughn's tempers simultaneously. If they had argued about something worthwhile then she knew she wouldn't be feeling so ridiculous.
Feeling a mixture of that stupidity and also guilt, she feigned being sick to get out of the rehearsal early and headed to the supermarket. She would apologise to Vaughn as soon as she saw him that evening. May be she could even try to get Danielle out of the house so they could have dinner alone.
But she didn't need to wait that long. As she turned down the freezer aisle, she saw a familiar figure heading towards her.
When Vaughn spotted her, he stopped for a second, before continuing forward. "Hi," he said, positioning his trolley next to hers.
"Hi."
They smiled sheepishly at each other for a second before speaking.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
Hearing their voices in unison, both Sydney and Vaughn allowed themselves to laugh.
"Come on," Vaughn gestured with his head. "We'll get this shopping done quicker together."
Thursday afternoon Sydney hung up the phone, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. It was as if she was in the twilight zone, with everything upside down and inside out.
"Syd?' Vaughn waved a hand in front of her face. "Are you ok?"
"That was my dad," Sydney replied. "Asking if your mum would want him to bring anything on Saturday."
"Really?"
"Yes. He offered to make a trifle."
Vaughn froze, an image of Jack Bristow wearing a frilly apron and fussing about in a kitchen suddenly formed in his mind. It was really quite disturbing.
"A trifle?" Sydney was muttering. "I have never even seen him defrost something…a trifle?"
Danielle, who had just walked out of her bedroom, suddenly looked interested. "Ooh, I love trifle. Are you making one Sydney?"
Sydney just looked at Vaughn and laughed. She'd let him explain.
On Friday evening, before people started arriving, Vaughn pulled Sydney aside. "It's all set," he whispered. "Her flight gets in after midnight. Can you stay here to make sure that Danielle is asleep when we get here?"
Sydney nodded. She had told Vaughn about the homesickness that Danielle was experiencing, and so for a Christmas surprise they had organized, with Felise, for her to fly in secretly that night. If everything went to plan, Danielle would wake up Christmas morning to one of the biggest surprises of her life.
That years Christmas Eve was the largest yet. Weiss, Ainsley, Francie, Will, Craig, Amy, Troy, Dillon, Marshall and of course Danielle were all spread out over Sydney and Vaughn's living room, and spilling out onto the back veranda.
"Hey Vaughn," Weiss spoke up, with a quick wink. "Did you tell Danielle about the Christmas Eve tradition initiation?"
"Uh, no," Vaughn replied, catching on. "I thought I'd leave that to you."
Danielle glanced between them. "What are you talking about?"
"In order to join in on the festivities, you have to perform a number of tasks." Weiss said. "And if you fail to complete even one of them, then it's no Santa on the fire truck for you."
Danielle looked at Vaughn, who was nodding in confirmation. "Well, what about Craig? It is his first Christmas Eve too."
"If there's more than one recruit, then only the youngest has to be initiated." Vaughn put in quickly.
"Would you two leave the poor girl alone." Francie interrupted, walking outside. "They are having you on Danielle. Don't believe a word they say."
"Oh, come on Francie!" Weiss slapped the arm of his chair. "Could you just let us have some fun for once?"
"Nope." Francie grinned. "I just came out to say good bye."
"You leaving already?" Vaughn asked as he stood up.
"Yeah, I have to get back to the restaurant. I told the assistant manager that I would only be gone for about an hour."
Weiss's eyes widened. "You're leaving before Santa on the fire truck?" He shook his head. "I knew you would have to make some sacrifices for this restaurant, but missing out on Santa and the fire truck? It's just not worth it," he said, his face serious.
Francie laughed and turned to Vaughn. "Small things, hey?"
After going out to the fire truck, the group settled back in the living room, and started up an impromptu game of poker. It continued into the night, until gradually everybody started to leave. Marshall heading next door, Amy and Troy all excited about going home because they were going to be playing Santa for the first time that night, and both Will and Craig were driving out to their parent's houses. Weiss and Ainsley declared that they needed a lot of sleep before having to do all the family rounds the next day.
"We have to see everybody, to ensure that our mother's don't kill each other."
After everybody had left, Sydney got into the shower and Vaughn stayed in the living room, waiting for Danielle to go to bed so that he could leave for the airport. Getting up to fix himself a drink, Vaughn stopped when one of the photos on the wall caught his eye.
One of him and Sydney, grinning with their faces pressed together, and holding up a key each.
"What are you smiling at?"
Vaughn turned as Danielle came up beside him.
"That." Vaughn pointed to the photograph. "That's me and Syd on our first Christmas Eve together."
Danielle peered at it. "Why are you holding keys?"
Vaughn chuckled softly. "We kind of get each other the same gift that year- keys to our apartments."
Danielle looked up at him, with a scrutinizing expression, for a few seconds before speaking. "You really love her, don't you?"
"Of course I do," Vaughn laughed. "I did ask her to marry me, didn't I?"
Danielle shook her head. "It is more than that." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Anybody can get married, but it takes something really special for that marriage to last. When maman talks about your parents, I imagine that they had it. And I see it with our grandparents, and with my parents. And when I watch you and Sydney together, I know that you have it too."
"What?" Vaughn had never realized just how much his cousin was examining him and Sydney. It surprised him that she noticed. He'd believed that Danielle lived in a world of her own.
"Yes," Danielle smiled. "It is the same with your friends, Eric and Ainsley. Anybody can see that you are all with who you were meant to be with."
Vaughn was speechless. He knew all of this was true, but to hear it from an outsider, somebody who did not know them all that well, it was a whole different story.
"Oh well." Danielle yawned. "I am tired. Good night."
"Here you go." Vaughn whispered as he opened the front door and let Felise in. While he had been gone, Sydney had made up the couch for Felise to sleep on. "I'm sorry about the whole couch thing, but Danielle has the spare bed."
"The couch is fine." Felise stretched up and pecked Vaughn on the cheek. "Such a good nephew, organizing all of this."
"It wasn't just me. Sydney helped too, Vaughn replied, placing her suitcase on the floor.
"Ah, then she is wonderful too." Felise failed to stifle a yawn.
"Why don't you get some sleep?" Vaughn suggested. "And we'll see you in the morning."
Felise nodded. "Again, thank you so much Michael. I have missed my little girl so much."
"She's missed you too." Vaughn smiled. "Good night."
"Good night."