For Better or WorseTill the NSC do us part

Total Vaughn Lover

A/N: Yeah, I know, I haven't updated in a long time but I think you are going to like this chapter, it's going to be S/V S/V S/V! So please review, things are about get interesting between Sydney and Vaughn and of course there are those awesome emotional Sydney moments that Jennifer Garner is absolutely phenomenal at!

Part 9: In Recovery (Part I)

"Ah…" Vaughn groaned as a doctor examined his lower body parts. The yank Sydney had given the cord had really taken a toll on his groin area. He held onto the edge of the table as the doctor squeezed, prodded and poked his body.

The doctor finally finished the examination then reached over to a tray that she had ready. She picked up an alcohol swab and gently dabbed an area, massaged the tension out of it then gave Vaughn a medicine that was similar to an epidural.

"Ow!" he winced as red-hot pain flowed from the injection site.

"Okay, you're done Agent Vaughn and things seem to be fine. The tightening of the cords didn't ruin your genital area," she assured him as she pulled off her gloved and handed them to an assistant. Then she obtained a pen from her pocket and began writing away. "Go ahead and pull up your pants Agent Vaughn and make sure you're careful for the next few hours. I numbed you up a bit so you can get on with tonight but if you accidentally zip up your pants and it catches, you'll be feeling it later.

"Right. Thanks doctor," he murmured, blinking back the tears he felt forming readily in his pain-filled green eyes. Then he left the room and walked over to the hospital's waiting room which had door that led to a JTF, allowing "patients," to observe operations being carried out or allowed them to finish up on reports that needed to be filed before procedures and annual physicals.

Vaughn swallowed. He remembered the first time he'd ever come here. It had been to get a supposed bullet fished out of his butt, only when the doctor diagnosed it, it had turned out to be an unheroic boil he had to have lanced. What an embarrassing time that was. He'd come here a coupe of times after that and he had to admit, it did get easier. Or wait, that changed when the doctor had given him a shot in the last place he'd ever want one, only moments ago.

He took a deep composing breath then walked over to a door that looked like it led to a lab and put his palm against the device. It would identify him by hand print, at the same time, a laser ran down his iris which he cleared as well. He was then asked to state his name before he was allowed into the room.

Upon mentioning, "Michael Vaughn," the door made a huge click and opened to the brain of the medical facility which was only used as a camoflauge for the field office it really contained. He walked past cubicles and desks, similar to back home, concentrating not on the staring eyes of everybody but one person he recognized as Dr. Doren Wright, former agent of the L.A. office.

"Agent Wright," Vaughn whispered when he reached the man. Agent Wright nodded his dark head and held out his hand.

"Hello Agent Vaughn. How are things?"

"They're fine. Except for the incident with the bomb the Covenant planted tonight," Vaughn griped and Wright nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but as always, you and Agent Bristow have come out in one piece. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Vaughn coughed out and leaned against a huge mortal pillar. "So what do you have to report to me?"

"Now would you like the news of your partner first or not?" he teased him and Vaughn's mouth dropped in shock when his former agent friend grinned.

"Uh…it doesn't matter. Just tell me either way that she's all right," Vaughn told him with a shrug, even though he cared, a lot. He wondered if there was a neon sign stamped on his head that he had overwhelming feelings for Sydney.

Wright grinned. "She's fine. I know she started breaking down and you grew concerned for her but that was just her body telling her she needs to slow down. She's gone through more than enough since she's gotten back. She's resting in a recovery room right now."

Vaughn closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh. Sydney was okay, just traumatized. He felt a pain every time his heart took a beat. In his mind, he pictured her lying on the be, trembling under her covers as she wept, trying to make sense of everything that was going on around her. He felt a bit of guilt and bit his lip. He'd told Sydney how he'd felt, thinking she would feel better, but was it possible that those words had pushed her over the edge?

"What about the Covenant guards? Have they been extracted from the building?" Vaughn inquired then, trying to act or appear as though he wasn't constantly being distracted with thoughts of Sydney.

"Yes. Bristow knocked out the one that was with her, we got him into custody as well as four other guards that was on President Belzarin's immediate security detail. And get this, Belzarin didn't hire these men, he's had trustworthy people watching over him since he took office two years ago and yet somehow these Covenant men were hired just weeks ago. We are trying to pinpoint who was doing the hiring," Wright informed him as he typed onto the screen where new intel was flashing every few seconds. Seemed the CIA was on top of it. And it seemed there was a shitload of paperwork and research waiting for him when he got back. He could only pray Weiss would have the majority of it done. He really preferred going on missions as opposed to sitting at a desk.

"Seems the only contact we've got is the Vice President. But they're not moving on that because they believe someone under him would have let through first."

Great, Vaughn assumed that he and Sydney would have maybe a day or two in L.A before the CIA came up with a plan and send them to execute it. Good, with the mess Sydney was going through, Vaughn didn't want to stray from her side and he was also sure a little separation from Lauren wouldn't do much harm.

"Fine. How is Belzarin doing?" Vaughn demanded then as he folded his arms. Wright typed in some data, hit enter then directed Vaughn to a screen displaying live coverage of the operation being performed on the Russian President. Vaughn tried not to be disgusted as the surgeons performed a very gory surgery on the President's ear.

"As you can see, the surgery is in full flow," Wright pointed out, "they are taking longer than expected but they've been able to buy the time thanks to uh a… "Marshall," back in L.A who found a way to deactivate it with radio wave simulation. In other words, the reason danger is over now, they're just working on extraction."

Vaughn nodded but decided to focus on something that looked bit more mundane. Wright had just left for a second to respond to someone who was trying to get his attention. His thoughts returned to Sydney.

He loved her, that was fine, Lauren probably knew that.

But now Sydney did too.

He'd promised himself that he wasn't going to say or do anything to complicate his situation anymore, yet he had. It had really taken him a lot to admit his feelings, but after hose words had been brought out of him, it had been easy to kiss her. Too easy! Like he'd broken the dam to his feelings and now they were pouring out at a pace he couldn't hope to control.

But now, what did that mean? What was he going to do? Lauren probably did expect him to leave her for Sydney one of these days but if he did it now, he might just give his wife the reason to report to the NSC regarding those incriminating photos.

So wel…sh!

He felt a tap on the shoulder and raised his head. His forehead red from the arm he'd used to support it. It was Agent Wright.

"Hey, I just heard from our communications department, we've got an incoming call from Director Dixon, and it's for you."

"Oh…I'll take it, thank you."

"Right, well, I need to take care of something that just came up so this nice agent, Agent Kozier will take you through. It was really nice seeing you again Agent Vaughn. You take care of that partner of yours now, you hear? Maybe if you stick around for a few days, we'll be able to catch up."

"Highly doubtful, especially since the Covenant is still on the move. I bet we'll be pulled back to analyze their secret agenda," Vaughn groaned, frowning.

"Probably right, well, you take care all right? See you again soon."

Vaughn watched Agent Wright leave then turned to Agent Kozier who was a small old lady with graying hair.

"This way," she said gently and walked Vaughn through a door. This room was filled with buzzing sounds, static from walkie talkies, phones ringing off the hook and people shouting to each other across the room.

Kozier led him to a desk that reminded him strongly of the one he'd left back home, only she seemed to keep her place a bit tidier than he did. His desk was always cluttered with pens, wires and other miscellaneous objects.

She pulled a pair of headphone from off its' hook and handed it to Vaughn. He put it snuggly on his head and adjusted the mouth piece then nodded to Kozier who pushed a button on what looked like a soundboard.

"This is Agent Vaughn."

"Agent Vaughn, this is Director Dixon, how is it going there?"

"Aside form the fact that the Covenant outsmarted us with their ambushing the CORNU team, we're fine. Thank god Sydney is an excellent agent."

"How is Agent Bristow? I heard the doctors were worried about her," Dixon commented, his voice laced with concern.

"We both got check out by medical services and we were cleared. Sydney is resting in recovery and I'm sure you're getting coverage of Belzarin's surgery."

There was a cough before Dixon acknowledged that fact. It seemed that he was also a bit squeamish when it came to gorey situaitons,

"So we will be ready for extraction, when are you sending the team in?"

"Tomorrow night, and meanwhile, I want you to get some sleep. I don't' need another agent fainting from exhaustion."

"But what about our next move? The Covenant is moving quick, we need to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible," Vaughn argued. Adrenaline was still running in his body from his near-death experience and it was only promising to grow in anticipation of his next assignment.

"Agent Vaughn, we at HQ are taking care of that part. You and Bristow just suffered a near-death experience and need to get some recovery time. That's an order."

This silenced Vaughn to saying only, "yes sir" through gritted teeth.

"God, but here's what you can do. After you take the night off, you are to interrogate the guards using only certain measures to get the answer out of them. And then make sure they're ready to be extracted along with you two. We are going ot take them into custody in our office," Dixon added a little less sternly.

"All right, sir. And is Bristow to accompany me?"

"No. She's been through more than enough. I'm not sure she's ready to talk to someone directly in the terrorist group, especially since they almost killed…you, and we know how much she cares for you."

Vaughn nodded then said, 'yes sir," when he remembered that Dixon couldn't see him. "And if that is all, I'd like to go see Agent Bristow."

"Very well, I will make another call in tomorrow with the specifics of your extraction," he concluded then added, "and perhaps I should tell your wife that you're okay?"

Vaughn gulped. Yeah, his wife. He heard her voice in the background and panicked. She wanted to speak with him, only he wasn't ready to speak with her.

"Um Michael, your wife would like a word with you, would you like me to let her on?"

Michael almost let out a sarcastic laugh as he stared at his feet. Did Dixon really think he could say anything other than yes? "Yes, please put her on."

An excruciating second later he heard a very frightened and trembling female voice come onto the line. "Michael?"

"L…Lauren, sweetheart," he gasped, shocked by the relief he felt in hearing her voice. "Oh sweetie."

"I…I heard about how the guard was Covenant and he h…had a bomb," she sobbed and Vaughn closed his eyes, beating himself for feeling the way he did when his wife cared so much about him. "And then we heard an explosion. The NSC captured it live on satellite camera. It…it was so huge Michael, I was so sure you were dead."

More of Lauren's sobbing followed and Vaughn wished he could reach his hand through the line and caress her soft skin and wipe away the tears from her huge blue eyes. But of course, he couldn't.

"Lauren, honey, I'm fine. Me and Sydney, we're both okay," he cajoled her, not realizing he'd added Syd's name until it was too late. He waited for Lauren to blow the story of him and Julia out of sheer jealousy but she surprised him.

"I know. I know agent Bristow is okay if you are," Lauren beamed and Vaughn could hear the smile in her voice. "You're not the type of man to leave anyone behind."

Oh yeah, Michael was drowning in guilt now.

"Lauren…"

"When should I expect you home?" she cut in, sounding very anxious and maybe a little of her was still cross with him and could only keep up the cover of the happily married couple for a few more moments.

"Tomorrow," he said firmly. "Dixon is fixing our extraction for tomorrow evening so it might be late but I will be on mainland tomorrow."

"Good, well, I won't keep you. I overheard Dixon saying that you need to get your rest so I'll see you tomorrow," she crooned then paused as she said in a worried voice as she always did when her husband was about to embark on a mission away from her, "be safe."

"I will," he promised her then hastily added, "I love you."

"I…I love you too."

There was an awkward pause then Dixon came onto the line, said a few more words about how he better be asleep and that he would check in to make sure.

So after Kozier guided him to the suitcase they'd retrieved from the hotel room, a very weary Vaughn changed into a pair of sweat and a white t-shirt then went to the room a different agent beckoned him to.

"Thank you, and your name is?"

"Andrews but don't bother worrying about remembering it. I probably wont' see you again. I'm leaving on a missions myself in two hours," he said briskly and Vaughn couldn't help but feel brushed off.

"Right. Well have a nice trip."

"Thank you," Andrews replied, nodding his head. Then he whipped out a key card, slipped it into its' appropriate slot. The metal door made a huge click. The agent opened the door, wheeled his suitcase into the room then stepped out of the way so Agent Vaughn could enter the room.

As soon as his body was in the room, the door slammed shut and locked with another huge click. Man, what was going on that they felt they had to keep him contained, he wondered?

He walked over to the bed, his eyelids starting to fall over his eyes. He had really wanted to see Sydney and talk to her before he went to sleep but that was obviously not going to happen. Then again, he'd just talked to his wife, maybe being away from Sydney for a few hours was exactly what the doctor ordered.

He sat down on the edge and pulled his sneakers off then he pulled his body under the covers and turned out the lamp. He took a deep breath and was just beginning to drift off when something warm pressed against him. He could feel it through his t-shirt.

He bolted away and rapidly threw the covers back and then reached over to flick on the bedside lamp. He then turned back around and saw a beautiful sleeping brunette, dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a white tank top.

"Sydney!" he shouted, forgetting she was asleep.

Upon hearing her name, Sydney opened her eyes, looking quite groggy, that was until she realized who was staring down at her. An extremely handsome man with mussed up brown hair and piercing green eyes.

"Vaughn."

00000000000000

I know what you're thinking, dang didn't TVL update yet! I'm sorry I didn't for so long but I have been trying to keep up with all my fics, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it but as any human being is, I do get busy! Lol

Please review, let me know you're reading and I promise I will respond by updating a lot faster

Till next time,

Total Vaughn Lover