Chapter 145: Flower Power

"You have to count on living every single day in a way you believe will make you feel goof about your life – so that if it were over tomorrow, you'd be content with yourself." – Jane Seymour

"If a man carefully examines his thoughts he will be surprised to find how much he lives in the future. His well-being is always ahead." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If you give your life as a wholehearted response to love, then love will wholeheartedly respond to you." – Marianne Williamson

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get – only with what you are expecting to give – which is everything." – Katherine Hepburn

"Artichokes…are just plain annoying…After all the trouble you go to, you get about as much actual 'food' out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking thirty or forty postage stamps. Have the shrimp cocktail instead." – Miss Piggy


Sydney and Vaughn stayed wrapped together for a while before getting redressed. They'd pushed the envelope a few times already today, and neither cared to explain to their friends or his mother the reasons why they were laying in bed naked.

"Well, I don't know how long they'll be gone," Sydney said as she helped him with his shirt, "but I'm getting hungry…why don't I call and see how long they think they're gonna be."

He nodded and reclined back sleepily.

She took in a sideways glance at him and smiled at his exhaustion. She was just about to tease him when Francie answered on the other end of the line, "Francie's House of Insanity," she drawled.

Sydney chuckled, "How's it going?"

Francie sighed, "Well…it's insane…but I swear, Amélie is sent from God, like really, I believe that she is a celestial being. She is not of this world."

Sydney chuckled some more, "She's that good, huh?"

"Oh my God, you have no idea; she has flowers in arrangements faster than FTD. It's so amazing."

"She's a lot like her son," Sydney said as she smiled at Vaughn.

He grinned back, "Mom doing a good job with the flowers?"

Sydney nodded, "Francie thinks your mother is an angel."

"She is."

Sydney leaned over and kissed him, "Just like her son."

"Mmm…must be in the genes…but I think it's transmittable too…cause you've got the sickness too…"

Sydney beamed back at him and then said to Francie, "We are just one damn angelic household here…how long do you think you'll be yet? Cause I'm getting hungry," she looked to Vaughn who was yawning but nodding his head enthusiastically, "And so is Vaughn."

Francie replied, "Probably about another half hour…"

"It's ok if it takes longer, Vaughn and I can just eat…"

"No, if you can wait like a half hour, we can just grab something on the way."

"Can you wait a half hour?" Sydney asked Vaughn.

"Yeah, you?"

Sydney nodded to him, "Yeah Francie, we can wait, where are you gonna get it from?"

Francie thought a moment, "Umm…Umm…Mexican? King Taco?"

Sydney turned to Vaughn, "Mexican?"

"Ooo Mexican…you're gonna let me have Mexican?"

She smiled, "Yeah, well…you've had a…good day…I wouldn't want to deprive you of eating pleasure."

He smirked, "I'll have 2 beef tacos, corn tortilla, lots of cheese and lettuce...and guacamole."

Sydney smiled as she related, "I hope you had a pen."

Francie laughed, "Yeah I wrote it all down."

"K, and I'll have…3 rolled tacos with guacamole and a bean and cheese burrito…"

"Ok…that it?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

"Ok, we'll see you in a few."

"Ok," Sydney said hanging up the phone. "K, they're getting the food, and will be here in a little while. We–" she was cut off by the ringing phone. "Hello?"

"Hello sweetheart."

"Hi dad!"

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good…you?"

"I just got back from a business trip in Kuala Lumpur…I'm sorry I haven't called in a while…"

"No dad, that's ok…and you can talk on here, it's a secure line."

"Nothing is secure," Jack said with a chuckle, but she wasn't sure if he was being serious or not.

"Well…I mean–"

"I had a meeting with an informant."

Sydney looked to Vaughn, "About?"

"Sloane of course."

"And?" she asked, as Vaughn looked at her in confusion.

"Nothing concrete, we had reports from this informant that he had visited Terengganu and Perak, but it turned out to be a dead end, so I'm sorry to say that I have no real information to help in the search."

"But you're still trying dad, thank you…"

Sydney could sense the smile in his voice, "Thank you."

"You wanna come over for dinner?" Sydney asked and then looked wildly to Vaughn, who looked her in confusion again.

"Oh…yes, I'd love to."

"Ok, Francie and Will and Amélie are going to pick up food on their way home…what do you want? I'll call her and let her know."

"Amélie is visiting again?" Jack asked.

"Yes, she came down on Thursday…"

"Oh, I see…how is everything going?"

"That's a really long story that we can tell you when you get here…lots of stuff."

"Is Michael ok?"

"He's better," Sydney said as she sat on the bed and traced his cheek, "What did you want me to tell Francie?"

"Oh right, um…I'll have a California burrito…"

"Ok, I'll tell her, they should be back here in about a half hour."

"Ok, I'll see you then, give Michael my best."

"I will dad."

"I love you Sydney."

"I love you too dad."

Sydney smiled and hung up the phone, looking at it in almost disbelief.

"What?" Vaughn asked her.

"It's just…strange after so many years to do that…" she looked at him, "And I SO should have asked you if you wanted him to come over before I invited him."

"No, he's your dad Sydney…and it's fine."

"Ok," she said, giving him a quick kiss and dialing the phone again.

"Francie's House of–"

"It's me…"

"Yes?"

"My dad is coming over too…he wants a California burrito."

"Ok, so noted, we're our way."

"Great."

Sydney turned back to Vaughn, "So what should we do tonight? You wanna square off with my dad again with games?"

He smiled, "I know how much you enjoy when I win, and I like playing them with your dad, but tonight…" he sighed, "I'll be lucky if I make it through the tacos…I think I'd fall face first into the game boards if we tried to do that."

She chuckled, "I didn't wear you out did I?"

"I haven't been this happily exhausted in a long time," he said with a smile.

She grinned back, "At least you'll sleep well…"

He smirked, "As long as you don't have anything else planned…"

"Nah, you gotta rest sometime…"

"Thanks, maybe just a movie or something, I can fall asleep real quickly if it's the right type of movie…"

"Was that your subtle plea for an action flick?"

"Take it however you'd like honey."

She smiled, "Ok, what movie?"

"Mmm…what do you have?"

"I'll go check…" she said getting up and perusing the titles in the living room.

She came back moments later, "Aww…wouldn't ya know…we took all the action ones out…left only chick flicks…"

Vaughn groaned, "You're going to ruin my perfect day."

She smiled, "Why don't I just go check again."

"Ok, that's a great idea."

She left again and returned several minutes later, "K, we have a lot of movies…what type of action do you want?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Vaughn…not THAT kind of action."

He smiled, "Um…you mean like war, cop action, that stuff?"

"Yeah, that would help me narrow it down…cause we have like scary action – like the Mummy, cop action – like Speed, or L.A. Confidential, or we have like–"

"L.A. Confidential is a great movie…and I've seen it before so I won't have to think as hard as I did the first time around."

Sydney chuckled, "Ok, so L.A. Confidential then?"

"Yeah, if that's ok with you and everyone else…"

"I'm sure it will be…my dad will get a real charge out of the whole noir thing I'm sure, and he can analyze all the ways the movie is incorrect…"

Vaughn laughed, "I can't wait…"

Sydney was in the process of getting Vaughn settled on the couch when the doorbell rang. She went to the door and offered her father a warm smile, "Hi dad."

"Hello sweetheart," he said stepping inside.

She impulsively hugged him, shocking them both but he accepted it whole-heartedly.

Vaughn smiled from his perch on the couch, watching father and daughter in an unfamiliar scene.

When they parted, Sydney said, "You know dad, you can just come in, you don't have to ring the bell…"

"Well, I don't want to intrude…"

Sydney smiled, "Ok, but just know…you can…"

"I'll remember that."

"Come on, sit down," she said motioning. She moved back to Vaughn on the couch, fidgeting with the pillows to make him more comfortable. He let her fuss until she was satisfied, smiling at Jack.

"Hello Michael," Jack said as he sat down.

"Hi Jack."

"How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad…not now," Vaughn said.

Sydney sat down on the edge of the couch with Vaughn, looking over at her father for a minute and then leaning down to whisper in Vaughn's ear, "Do you want him to know?"

Jack looked at them strangely, but Vaughn nodded and Sydney asked, "Do you want me to tell him?"

He nodded again.

"Since last week…lots has happened, lots of therapy stuff…Barnett used really intensive therapy to break down the walls Vaughn put up from the torture…so…she did that on Friday."

Jack nodded, "What kind of intensive therapy?"

"Suggestion," Vaughn said.

Jack offered him a smile, "The most effective kind I think, and she no doubt used Sydney as the visual," Jack added.

Vaughn smiled, "Yup."

Jack smiled, "That would break me too."

Both Vaughn and Sydney smiled at him; however, Sydney's was more of a beam, as she was impressed by her father's tact.

"So what has changed?" Jack asked, "You said you were better…"

Vaughn nodded, "Well…I attacked Barnett…but really, I feel better…"

"A breakthrough through the breakdown?"

"Yeah," Vaughn agreed, "Took me a while…but…yeah, I feel better."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that…what about physically…how are you doing physically?"

"Better too…I hurt my shoulder and stuff when I attacked Barnett, but overall…"

"Good," Jack said with a nod.

"It sounded like Sydney was talking to you about a mission…" Vaughn replied after a few minutes.

"Yes," Jack started, "I was checking a lead with an informant in Kuala Lumpur…but it really turned up nothing, I'm sorry…"

"No, thanks for going," Vaughn said sincerely.

"I will continue to check any leads, keep digging."

"Thank you," Vaughn replied.

Jack nodded and then added, "Your mother was here during the session…"

"No, Barnett made us both leave," Sydney answered.

Jack nodded again, "Still, I imagine that was hard for her."

"Yeah, it was," Vaughn admitted, "Truthfully, we haven't really gotten to talk about it…but I know it was hard for her."

"It was a hard day for all of us," Sydney said looking down at Vaughn.

He smiled, "That it was…"

The door opened suddenly, Francie, Will and Amélie traipsing in, bags of food in hand.

"Well…if you wouldn't have been so busy flirting with the girl taking our order, we'd have been here sooner!"

"I was NOT flirting with her! Unless you consider, 'I'd like the carne asada plate please,' to be flirting!"

Amélie just shook her head, smiling at the occupants of the living room, "Hello Michael, Sydney, and Jack, how nice to see you!"

"Hello Amélie, likewise."

Will and Francie argued all the way to the kitchen, "'Do you have any guacamole, VJ?'" Francie said in an annoyed manner, "How is THAT not flirting?"

"I asked for guacamole, not her phone number, excuse me if her name was on the nametag and she happened to be polite!"

"Polite my ass!" Francie retorted, "She was totally checking you out AS we checked out!"

"Well, it's not MY fault she finds me attractive!" Will said in defense, "I'm all yours baby, come on!"

Francie softened, "Well…I suppose…but you are SO making up for this later," she said as she and Will carried in the plates.

"Hi!" she said to Jack and Sydney and Vaughn, who were all smirking.

"Hey guys," Will said nonchalantly, as though none of them had heard any of that conversation.

They dished out the plates, "Wait – who had the chicken enchiladas," Will asked.

"I did," Amélie said.

Will smiled, "There ya go!"

"So, did you get the flowers all taken care of for tomorrow, Francie?" Sydney asked.

"Thanks to flower woman, Amélie, yes," she beamed, "Michael – your mom rocks!"

Vaughn chuckled, "Well I've known that for years."

Amélie blushed, "Oh stop…doting son, that's all."

Vaughn shook his head, "Uh un – now you've got other witnesses…"

Amélie smiled at her son and listened bashfully as Francie proceeded to tell them all about the flower arrangements that were gloriously placed for the catering tomorrow.