Thank you all for your feedback.
Em-958: I'll be going to Venice, Rome, Paris, St Petersburg, Moscow and Helsinki, and it's actually a trip for a class for uni. Skiing? Who knows...somehow I think me on a pair of skis is a recipe for disaster. Oh, and I live in Melbourne, Australia.
kiefer4ever: I thought pretty much the same about LA weather, but wasn't sure if I was just assuming things that weren't true.
ascha: Hey, welcome to the site, and glad that you are enjoying the fic.
"Pass us a knife," Sydney said to Vaughn Thursday evening, "and I'll give you a hand."
She been in the laundry putting on a load of washing, and had exited the hallway to find Vaughn at the bench chopping vegetables for that night's dinner. The radio was playing and the two of them listened, as Weiss's show came to an end for that day.
"Ok, now that's almost the show for today, except for one thing. Now, those of you who are regular listener will have heard me mention the name Ainsley more than once…and more than once those mentions have got me into a lot of trouble. For those of you new to the show, Ainsley is the most amazing woman on the planet and today marks three years since the day she made quite possibly the craziest decision of her life and made me the luckiest guy on Earth.
So Ainz, I love you, my little mermaid, and this song is for you."
Sydney smiled as she began chopping a carrot, but as the music started she placed down the knife and looked up at Vaughn.
He, too, was looking confused. "What in the…"
American womanStay away from me
American woman
Mama, let me be
Don't come hanging around my door
I don't want to see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Then spend my time growin' old with you
Now woman, stay away—
The song abruptly cut off at that point and Weiss, obviously oblivious to this, could be heard clearly yelling.
"…is up? That is not funny! I try and do something nice and you go and do this…Joey, I swear I am…" he trailed off, as laughter could be clearly heard in the background. "I'm on air right now, aren't I?"
"Do you think Ainz is listening to this?" Sydney asked.
"I hope so," Vaughn grinned. "Because she would be absolutely loving it."
"Right." Weiss sounded a lot more composed. "Now that our little 'technical difficulty' has been removed from the room, this is the song that I originally intended.
If you'd like to walk a while
We could waste the day
Follow me into the trees
I will lead the way
Bring some change up to the bridge
Bring some alcohol
There we'll make a final wish
Just before the fall
Promise I will be forever yours
Promise not to say another word
Never mind what's done is done
Always was a lucky one
Sydney picked up the knife again. "Was Weiss always a big softie? Or has it just been Ainsley?"
"Oh, he's always been a softie." Vaughn laughed. "Though never a softie in love."
"Twice as bad?"
"Times that by about fifty."
Promise I will be forever yours
Promise not to say another word
Here forever deep beneath the dirt
Never mind what's done is done
Always was a lucky one
When Sydney and Vaughn got home after school on Friday they set about packing their bags and gathering their camping gear. Since the surprise trip for Vaughn's birthday three years ago, camping had become a favourite pastime for them. After the stress of the previous week Sydney couldn't wait to get out under the stars.
All they had to do was wait for Weiss, who's show was finishing early that day so the station could broadcast some concert, to come and pick up Donovan and then they would be free to go.
"Guys!" Weiss burst into the house without even knocking. "Look at what I found."
"What?" Vaughn asked, warily.
"I was playing around on my computer before the show this afternoon and I found this website." Weiss waved a piece of paper in front of them. "Listen to this- an exalted minister of the Internet Church of Mammals."
"What?" Sydney was unsure of whether she had heard him correctly.
"The Internet Church of Mammals. Apparently I can become a certified minister over the net." He grinned. "I sign this piece of paper and I could marry you guys."
"You can what?" Vaughn tried hard to cringe.
"Can't you just imagine it?" Weiss had a reflective expression on his face. "Eric Weiss, minister."
"Uh, Eric Weiss the best man sounds better to me." Vaughn interjected, as he took a glance at Sydney's distressed expression.
"Huh?" Weiss said, snapping out of whatever montage was playing through his mind.
"Weiss, you're my best friend and I want you there beside me on mine and Syd's big day, not preaching in front of us."
"Yeah," Sydney added. "And if you're not Vaughn's best man, then you know what that means?"
"What?" Weiss asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"No speech." Sydney replied.
Weiss's eyes widened slightly. "Oh…well, maybe I can hold off the marriage celebrant thing until your second marriages."
"Oh, that's real nice." Vaughn laughed, handing him Donovan's leash. "Now remember—"
"I know, I know. Only half a can with the dry stuff," Weiss recited mechanically, like a school kid would do with their multiplication tables. "You know, Ainz and I are real hurt that we didn't get an invite."
Vaughn just grinned at him. "See you when we get back!"
When Vaughn woke up Saturday morning, Sydney was no longer in the tent. Unzipping it and crawling out, he spotted her standing down by the edge of the river.
"Good morning," he said, walking up beside her.
Sydney looked up at him and smiled. "Morning," she replied, leaning in for a kiss.
"So what were you doing out here?" Vaughn asked.
Sydney shrugged. "Nothing." She said inhaling deeply. "Just decompressing."
"Oh."
She laughed softly. "Can you believe that we have two days ahead of us where we can do absolutely nothing?"
Vaughn grinned. "It's a nice feeling, isn't it?"
"The best." Sydney agreed as their lips connected once again.
"Eric!" Ainsley admonished. "Was that what I think it was?"
"What?" Weiss looked up, his expression guilty.
"You just fed Donovan a doughnut!" Her eyes fell on the near empty box sitting on the kitchen bench. "Or doughnuts more like it."
"Oh, come on Ainz. Let the dog have some fun. That's what staying over at your grandparents and aunties and uncles is all about- getting to do stuff your parents won't let you."
Ainsley rolled her eyes. "We are talking about a dog here, Eric."
Weiss frowned, placing his hands over Donovan's ears. "Ssh, you'll hurt his feelings." He straightened up. "Besides, it wasn't me who was slipping great big pieces of hamburger last night, was it?"
Ainsley went to reply, but closed her mouth. She knew when she was beat. After hesitating for a few seconds, she spoke up. "I won't tell if you won't."
"Deal." Weiss grinned. "Now, why don't you give poor starving Donny a doughnut? The ones with the white icing are his favourites."
"Hmm," Sydney sighed as she leaned back into Vaughn's arms late Saturday night. The only sounds breaking the tranquillity was the crackling of the fire before them and the occasional chirping of crickets.
"I agree." Vaughn responded to Sydney's languid sigh with a smile.
"When was the last time we did this?" Sydney asked, turning her head upwards so that she could see Vaughn.
"I think it was that first weekend of summer."
"Seems like forever ago." Sydney commented.
"Well," Vaughn picked up Sydney's left hand and kissed it. "A lot has happened since then."
"Yeah, just a bit." Sydney looked back towards the fire. "You know, we say this every time we come out here, but—"
"We should do this more often." Vaughn finished the sentence, his tone laughing.
"Well, how come we don't'?" Sydney asked, somewhat indignantly. She sat up and turned, so that she was directly facing Vaughn.
"Maybe because we have jobs, friends, family and all of the other things that add up to a thing call a life," he answered, with a playful grin.
"And we can't have a life like this?"
"What?" Vaughn laughed. "A life living in a tent?"
"Why not?" Sydney grinned.
Vaughn leaned forward slightly. "And you would be happy?"
"Yes, I have everything I need here."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes."
"Oh really? Because I see one major flaw in your lie of thought."
Sydney's head cocked with curiosity. "And what might that be?"
"No electricity, which means no TV or DVD, which means no more Dirty Dancing." Vaughn paused, as his eyes lit up. "On second thoughts, this life in a tent is sounding very enticing. When do we move?"
"Well, you can move whenever you want," Sydney replied, bluntly. "But I'm staying home with Johnny."
Vaughn snorted. "Quickest turnaround I've ever witnessed."
Sydney smiled cheerfully. "I just figured that if we did this all the time, then it wouldn't feel half as special as it does now."
Vaughn inched his face closer to hers. "I like the way you think, Bristow."
"Well, that's good, cos here I was thinking that you were only marrying me for my body."
They were both smiling as their lips connected.
Disclaimer: I do not own the songs 'American Woman' by Lenny Kravitz and 'Still' by the Foo Fighters.