Here we go. A fat chapter. You only get one of those a day... :-D A brand new day, explanations, a glimpse of Vaughn, tears, banter... and breakfast!

Enjoy and review, pretty please. It'll make me happy to read your thoughts... :-)

Part 6: Hello-Goodbye

.

When she woke up, Sydney felt better than she had in weeks. She was refreshed. Her fever seemed to be gone. Her body was achy like after a long fight. But it was a good ache, born out of exertion and not despair.

She turned over on the bed and stopped at the sound of something crinkling. She sat up and saw a folded paper with a single word on it: Sydney.

Mechanically, she took the page and unfolded it:

.

Hey Syd,

It's five and the birds outside are yelling at me to get up.

You, on the other hand, they want to spare and serenade for a while longer. So I'll leave you to it.

Will be back around noon with the meanest brunch of all time. So be hungry.

Don't hesitate to buzz me if you need anything.

Eric

.

She grinned at the words written in a fluid hand. Eric… In the nightmare her life had been since she "came back" from where she never knew she'd gone, he had been, with the exception of her father (and how surreal was that…) the only steady point of her life. The one friend that greeted her as she was now and didn't judge or pressure her into "accepting" everything that was wrong in her new life.

In her past, he had always been in the background, like a trusted shadow. She smiled as she recalled him referring to himself as a "conduit to Vaughn." He'd been right -he often was, she'd discovered-. She had sadly neglected him back them. And in doing so, she'd deprived herself of the very precious friendship she was enjoying now. The one and only she had left, she noted.

Her brow furrowed at that thought. In light of last night's collapse, she suddenly wasn't sure how much their friendship might be affected. She couldn't bear the idea that her only remaining friend might look at her differently after seeing her like this. Not because of her being in the buff for a substantial part of that time. In her line of business, physical nudity was nothing to baring your emotions for everyone to see. And last night was so out of character… Such a loss of self-control… She was afraid she had irreparably damaged any confidence and regard Weiss had had for her. And that troubled her more she cared to admit.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the change of numbers on the clock display. 11:50. Weiss would soon be back. She just had time for a shower. She'd better be quick about it too. No need for a repeat of last night's performance.

She hopped out of bed, wincing a little at the soreness in her muscles. In the bathroom, she turned the shower on. As soon as she was out of her sweats, she walked into the warm stream of water.

How different one's perception could be from one day to the other. The water that yesterday had been an icy reminder of her loneliness, today felt like a gift that rejuvenated her spirits. She made quick work of using her shampoo and body wash.

It was truly remarkable how much lighter her mood was, she noted again as she rinsed the scented suds out of her hair. It was as though her mind had broken free from the depression that had taken hold of her just the night before. She almost felt at peace now that she had finally faced her worst fear. In the light of day, and however heartbreaking was the final realization that her relationship with Vaughn was over, it was as though an enormous weight had been lifted off her. She was sad. She hated all of it, but somehow she knew the worst was behind her. The tears had washed away the longing. And the night had swallowed the darkness that had enshrouded her since her return.

Not everything had changed. Her future was still undefinable. But she had a renewed sense of hope, which is more than she could have claimed 24 hours ago. It would have to do for now.

She turned off the shower and dried herself with her plushy blue towel. She'd have to explain all of this to Weiss. He deserved no less. Last night, he'd been so much more than a dutiful friend. Maybe if she explained, he would find it easier to forgive her weakness. She berated herself. Why did she believe that he thought less of her? He hadn't given any indication of that, last night. All the same, the idea that he might was too much to handle right now…

Back in her bedroom, she picked out undies, a pair of jeans, and a light blue t-shirt. She was all dressed and slipping her sneakers on when she heard the front door open quietly.

She smiled. Quickly, she went into the bathroom and combed her hair. Her reflection was a little pale, but not too bad, all things considered. The scrapes on her face were beginning to fade. And for the first time in months, the expression in her eyes seemed to match her lighter mood.

Satisfied that she wouldn't spook Weiss with the wild looks of a crazy person, she walked quietly towards the living room.

As she neared the end of the short hallway, she stopped and enjoyed the view. On the table, two plates were set along with their respective silverware. Turning her attention to the kitchen on the right, she spotted Weiss. He was busy putting on various serving plates what looked like an enormous quantity of food. Pancakes, sausages, bacon, muffins, scrambled eggs… He wasn't kidding when he told her to be ready for the works. She laughed softly, her eyes threatening to spill a couple of tears weighed down by fondness…

At the sound, Weiss turned around, maple syrup in one hand, a fork in the other and a startled look on his face. He let out a sharp breath of relief. "Jesus, Syd… You almost killed me with a giggl…"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence. She was already in his arms, hugging him fiercely. She let out a wet laugh, too full of gratitude to express it with words.

"Hey, hey, I'm here. It's ok". Weiss spoke softly. He reached out to put down the fork and syrup on the counter and soon returned her hug.

She laughed again, with more mirth this time.

"I know." She eventually pushed away from him and looked him square in the eye. "Thank you, Eric. Thanks for being here." She looked down to the kitchen tile, her dimples fully formed under the happiness of the moment.

"You're welcome." That was all Weiss could say to her heartfelt words. Pretty pathetic, he thought. He got a hold of himself, remembering how he'd thought all morning about how this moment could be awkward for the both of them and how he could make it easier for her forget that. "So… How's the appetite? Cause I may be well versed in the art of clearing up everything on a table, but I think I might've gone overboard, you know, not knowing exactly what you'd like. I kind of took a little of everything… Or a lot." He continued, his smile fading slightly to a more worried look at the sight of the enormous amount of food that covered both kitchen counters. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna need some major backup on this one. So what do you say?"

Sydney laughed at his mock embarrassment. She turned to the counter on her left and began inspecting what was there. Her smile widened at the sight of a couple of orange muffins. Grabbing one, she took a bite. She turned back to Weiss, an innocent look on her sweet face.

"I'm game if you are. But I think it's only fair I warn you: I'm a mean brunch machine. You'd better get a head start if you want to have something left to munch on…" She joked.

"What, a skinny thing like you? You'll be full after two bites…"

"In your dreams, Weiss. Bet you can't even touch me."

"You're so full of it, Bristow."

"Nah-hah," she denied, talking around the last of her orange muffin. "It'sh true. High metabolijm. If I don't eat a lot of food all the time, I can't maintain my weight. I get too thin"

"Ok now, I'm insanely jealous and my appetite is gone. Which is probably what you were after…"

She gave him a satisfied grin as she took the plate of pancakes and the syrup to the table. "I fight to win…"

"Yeah… In your dreams, Missy…" He joked back, happy to see her spirits up and the dimpled smiles back in full action. Her powers of recuperation had always amazed him. But never more than today. Who could tell this was the same person who had almost caught pneumonia out of neglect for her health last night?

They brought the rest of the food over to the table and spent the next half hour sampling a large part of the IHOP menu, laughing and bantering their way through several plates of deliciously comforting food. After her third helping, Sydney finally pushed her chair back, a hand on her stomach and a slightly nauseous look on her face.

"Ok. I surrender. You win. If I eat another bite, I think I'll explode," she said to Weiss who was finishing his last pancake.

"Yesss!" Weiss triumphed, arms up in victory. "I knew you were just faking it… Ok, I'll admit that for such a slender person, you can put away a fair amount. But that's as far as I'll go…"

"Thank you; I appreciate the recognition." She laughed. God, it was good to babble about nothing of significance and enjoy the simple pleasures of life again. She couldn't remember food tasting so great since she'd been back. She let out a long sigh to show her satisfaction. "Ahh, this was so good, Eric. I can't tell you how much I needed this… Ugh, I don't think I can move." She giggled. "Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, I can levitate that cup of coffee on the counter and float it over to me…"

Weiss laughed at her thinly veiled query. He stood up to get her cup as well as his, along with some sugar and creamers.

"Looks like it's working just fine, Syd. We might make something out of you yet."

She smiled at him as she took her cup. "Thanks. You're the best, Eric. Especially after last night…" She paused, sensing him tense a little. "I don't let just anyone babysit me to sleep, you know… At least, I don't think I used to…" The corner of her eyes crinkled as she quipped to lessen the tension she'd felt coming over him at the mention of what happened. She was taken aback when she saw him tense even more. He didn't want to press her, but she could tell he was dying to hear what had prompted her depressive state. "Hey umm, are you finished too? Do you want to move to the sofa?" She asked curiously.

"Sure." He answered briefly, hoping he'd managed to hide how her joke hit a little too close to home for comfort. No need to comment further anyway. He could tell Syd had it all worked out and wanted to talk. And who was he to try and distract her from telling him all that he couldn't wait to hear at last, right?

They took their coffees and sat on opposite ends of the sofa. Sydney put her cup down on the small table, all the while trying to figure out where to begin her story. Should it start when she and Vaughn were captured and beaten? Or when she told him she'd slept with Will and was ready to move on? Or even further back, when they were fighting over nothing on the plane?

Surveying Sydney's actions from the corner of his eye, Weiss sensed she was stuck. He took a sip of the java, and spoke in a nonchalant voice. "It's ok if you don't want to talk, Syd. It's ok to say nothing if you can't yet."

"No, no, I want to." She hesitated. "I just don't know where to start…"

"Why don't you start at the beginning, on the flight over. What happened?" He asked softly while putting down his half-empty cup.

"Yeah…" She smiled, grateful for the gentle nudge.

And she began recounting how the plane was attacked and they had to do an emergency landing. She explained how they got to the rendezvous point but were captured, and how they finally faced the firing squad, only to be saved at the last possible second.

Though he already knew most of this, Weiss listened quietly. Syd was drawing the background picture, giving the specs. Soon she'd stop with the mundane details and get to the heart of the matter.

"…And we hauled that Covenant sonofab***h Lisenker out of there and across the border. You know the rest." She paused, then spoke again in a lower voice. "That's what's in the official report. What's not in there…" She paused again, then looked straight at Weiss. "We kissed."

Weiss carefully kept his face very still. Ok so they kissed. Ok. So why was he so… disappointed, for lack of a better word?

At the sight of Weiss' dark face, Sydney thought back to what she had just said. Her eyes widened as she understood he must take her for a hussy to be kissing a married man.

"Oh no! It wasn't like that, Weiss, I swear. Not at all…"

Ok, now she lost him. "So… What was it like?" He asked without letting on to his confusion.

She looked at him sheepishly, slightly embarrassed to be dumping all this on him. Vaughn was his friend too, after all. She forgot that sometimes.

"On the flight over, we fought. It was awful and I was beginning to think about reassignment. But then, we were captured and injured. And there was no escape, only the firing squad waiting for us. That's when he told me how he felt." She looked up, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I actually didn't let him finish. I knew… I think I always knew. But at the moment when he almost said 'it,' I understood… I finally admitted to myself that it was too late. Too much damage… The faith, the trust…" She stopped to think for a second and added: "And I think he understood it too." She paused once more. "… Before we were captured, on the way to Gai-Li, I'd told him I was moving on." She took a hitching breath. "So when we finally kissed, it wasn't just because we were about to die. And it wasn't because we…" She looked up, heavy tears running down her face. Her voice broke. "It was to say goodbye." She sighed and added in a whisper. "To 'us'…"

Stunned, Weiss remained silent and motionless.

Her emotions finally loose, Sydney started crying in earnest, her hands covering her mouth as if to keep the sobs in. A few words escaped her, muffled, torn right out of her heart. "… 'over… 's over…"

His own emotions yo-yoing between astonishment and something that felt suspiciously like relief, Weiss moved closer and gathered Sydney in his arms. Her whole body was trembling at the rhythm of her sobs. Each cry felt like an emotional jackhammer pounding on his chest, compounding the lump that closed up his throat.

God, he couldn't stand seeing her in so much pain. And yet, he was powerless to do anything that could alleviate her sadness. So he just held her tight. Without thinking, he caressed her hair lightly and drew soothing circles on her back. All the while, he kept murmuring gentle words to reassure himself as much as her that everything would be alright. And he was sure it would be, eventually.

At last, her sobs subsided, replaced by the occasional sorrowful, wet sigh. Then he heard a broken laugh. He looked down. Sydney was grinning through her tears, obviously in the grip of some ironical joke. "With last night's shower and all the crying, I can't believe the neighbors aren't calling for a plumber to fix the broken pipe," she said as a couple of stray tears fell heavily on his shirt. He laughed softly at her attempt at levity, and she followed suit.

After another heavy sigh, Sydney spoke again, her voice wavering at first, then gradually becoming more assertive.

"I knew… it was coming, you know… I mean, it was already decided while I was missing. There was no way out of his situation. So I had braced myself for this." She had a small bitter laugh. "I even found a way to prove to myself that I was over him. And I think I was. I know I am now. Still… When I realized our kiss was the last, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn't have time to process it then… Only after, when I came home. And that's how you found me."

She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks again. She moved closer to give him a tight hug. "Thank you for being my friend, Eric. Thank you so much. Last night. I was so lost… I don't know what I would have done…"

He hugged her back, reveling in the feeling of her vibrant body pressed against his chest and neck.

"You'd've been fine, Syd. Sick as a dog…" She laughed at his remark and he grinned with absurd pride at being able to make her chuckle at herself. "…But fine. You're so strong, Sydney. I don't think you always know how strong you are. I mean, I'm starting to feel self-conscious here. It's cramping my style."

She laughed again, her worries and sorrows suddenly turning into a mindless peel of giggles that became so contagious Weiss finally joined in. When they caught their breath, Sydney finally moved out of his arms, leaving him feeling somewhat empty at the loss.

"Wuuuh… Enough brooding already. I think I saw the sun out earlier. What do you say we go to the park for a run?"

"So I can die a happy death trying to catch up with you… Not a chance!"

"Come on, Weiss. You can do it. I promise to hold back." She mocked him fondly while pulling him up by his left arm.

"Oh yeah?" He snickered lightly before continuing. "No need to do me any favors, Bristow. Bet I can beat you to the ice-cream cart." She made a face at the thought of more food. "See? I play to win too…" He added with a cunning grin.

"Bring it on, Agent Weiss." She smiled widely, happy to play along.

With that, she went to wash off and get ready, while Weiss got to his apartment and changed into running gear. The two of them met in the hallway, a few minutes later, ready to take on each other's challenge. In the street, neither of them noticed a car that had been parked inconspicuously for a little while, half a block down. As they passed nearby, they started to run, all the while laughing and joking like friends of old.

When they were out of sight, Vaughn started the engine and move into the traffic, unaware of the tears that had escaped from his eyes.

.

tbc

.

Next time, in Part 7: En-Route

It had been five weeks since she'd been back from North Korea. At long last, it was beginning to feel like life was moving forward again...

Feedback=love=happy