A.N: Hey Everyone! I'm so sorry that I'm just updating now. I've been SUPER busy! And I apologize that I made you guys wait so long! Today is my birthday, and the more pathetic thing is, I'm excited, but not because of the fact that its my birthday, but because Alias is on tonight! I told you I was pathetic! Remember, my responses to all the reviews I get, are on my livejournal account. To get there, click on homepage on my author profile. I also posted another link in my livejournal so you can all view the blueprint I made for Syd's apartment. Your ability to view the blueprint, courtesy of Mizzle fo' Rizzle. I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to update any sooner! Okay. Before I start rambling, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!


"And so I was thinking," Vaughn continued, making his way across the living room and into the kitchen where Sydney was standing.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?"

"He asked you to dinner?" Francie asked excitedly. She had just gotten home from her lunch date with Will. Sydney greeted her when she first arrived back at her apartment. Her friend was zealous.

Sydney jerked her head up and down in response.

"And what did you say?" Francie inquired, setting her purse down on the kitchen counter.

"I said yes," Sydney replied. "Does that make me a bad person? I mean he has a girlfriend."

"That's what I thought too Syd. But Michael isn't really that much of a classy guy. He's a bit unpredictable," Sydney cocked her brow at Francie's response. Of course she said yes to Vaughn's dinner invitation. But she started to regret doing so because of his girlfriend, Alice. He was off limits. But him asking her out to dinner for that evening, had only thrown her into more confusion.

"Well was it right to say yes?"

"If he asked you, I guess it's okay."

"But what about Alice?" Sydney asked, more to herself than Francie. She sat down on the couch in the living room where Francie soon joined her.

"He asked you, so she's out of the picture," Francie stated. "For now at least," she added in an inaudible murmur.

"What was that last part?" Sydney asked, unable to hear what her friend had just said. The more questions she asked, the more curious she grew. Was it right of her to accept a date from a guy who was already in a commited relationship?

"Nevermind," Francie perked up. She didn't want to get into that conversation. Especially with her best friend. She'd find out on her own. And it was probably better that she did. "What are you going to wear?" she changed the subject.

"Oh my God! Fran! I didn't even think about that!" Sydney's face lit up. She was glowing. She had been more concerned with her decision to say yes to Vaughn, than what she was going to wear on their date. What was she going to wear?

"Where is he taking you?"

"Some restaurant on the boardwalk. Why?"

"He's taking you to Le souper Avec l'Amour?" Francie asked, her jaw dropped.

"Yeah, I think that's what it was called. He said it in a smooth French accent."

"You do realize that's a high-end restaurant?"

"What?"

"He's kinda going all out for a first date," Francie pondered.

"Wait, what?"

"You can't dress casual. You have to think semi-formal. Do you have a cocktail dress, or something along those lines?"

Sydney mentally scanned her closet that was just the next apartment over. She had skirts. She had nice tops...

Her mind stopped on the deep red dress that she had bought in college. She had only worn it once. To a dinner party at her boss' house. It was the only dress she owned that could be considered anything close to semi-formal.

"Yeah. I have this one dress. It's a strappy number, but it's definitely semi-formal," Sydney confirmed. The dress's hem would dangle around Sydney's legs, and would cling to her body in all the right places.

"Shoes?"

"Black stilettos," Sydney answered, shocked at her immediate response.

Francie threw her a quizzical look. Sydney never had very good experience with stilettos. She was a bit of a klutz back in their college days. The time she wore stilletos when they had shared a dorm room together, she broke her ankle just trying them on, and walking around their room.

"Right. I've got black pumps."

"Better," Francie smiled warmly. "What time his he coming to get you?" She glanced at the clock sitting on her television. It read 6:45.

"7:30."

"Well you better hop to it. It's fifteen 'till."

Sydney bolted up from her seat. "I still got to take a shower. Bye Fran," she said.

"Have fun," Francie called after her.

She didn't want her friend to get hurt.


"Dude."

"What?"

"Remember Alice?" Eric asked Michael. Weiss walked himself into Vaughn's apartment in search of food, for his left overs from previous nights had disappeared.

"Yeah? What about her?" Vaughn asked, straightening the collar of his navy shirt. He knew it might have been a mistake telling Weiss about his date with Sydney.

"She's your girlfriend man."

"Eric, it's just dinner. That's it."

"Yeah, dinner at a fancy French restaurant," Weiss snorted.

"Le souper Avec l'Amour. What's wrong with that? Dude, it's just dinner."

"You have no idea what you do to women, do you?"

"I like to make a first impression."

"Mike, this is like your fifth impression. I think she's impressed already."

Michael smiled to himself. He was excited to be going to dinner with Sydney. Though, he had just met her, he quickly felt at ease when he was around her.

"And from the looks of it, she's already done quite of an impression on you," Weiss added.

"It's just dinner Eric, now get out of my apartment," Vaughn said, pushing Weiss out with a tupperware container of lasagna. "Good bye."

"But, dude yo-" Weiss tried to say, but Vaughn had already shut the door.

He had a date with the girl next door.


Sydney wiggled in her chair. Vaughn's ever-lasting gaze on her gave her goose bumps.

She didn't like it when a guy could have that kind of effect on her.

"You look great tonight, Syd," Vaughn smiled. She liked how he shortened her name. It sounded natural coming from him, even though she just met him. Only her friends and family called her that.

"Thanks, you do too," she blushed. Smooth Syd, smooth. She was already more nervous than she should have been. It was just dinner, and he already had a girlfriend. And yet, there she was. In a fancy restaurant with a guy she already had a crush on.

Surviving dinner with a swoon-worthy guy was already difficult for her as it was. Accepting his compliments was tougher.

"Would you like the check now, sir?" a unformed waiter with a thick French accent asked Vaughn. He had the dinner receipt ready in his hand. Vaughn nodded, and the waiter set the check down on the table. He reached for his wallet from the breast pocket of his jacket, when he noticed Sydney searching through her purse.

"What are you doing?" he smiled. Sydney looked up at him from her purse.

"Paying my half."

"No, don't worry about it."

"But Michael, the dinner it wa-"

"I'll pay for dinner. I invited you, remember?"

Sydney smiled. She couldn't refuse him.

"Alright. But I'm buying ice cream," she said in a matter-of-factly voice.

Vaughn laughed.

"I hope you're happy," she said in mock disappointment.

"Oh believe me. It's my pleasure," he grinned.

And it was.


"I can't believe you like coffee ice cream," Vaughn teased.

"Well you like strawberry. I mean when I usually buy people ice cream, they pick a real flavor," Sydney retorted playfully.

They were walking home from the pier. Sydney had bought them both ice cream, like she promised, and he was walking her home, like he promised. Though he was walking himself home too.

"Oh Syd. That hurts," he said, hand over his heart in false shame, finishing up the little point of an ice cream cone he had left.

"Well next time order a real flavor. Come on, be a man," she countered, finishing up her ice cream as well. She was amazed at how at ease she was around him. At the beginning of the evening, she was all nervous, and couldn't look at him without flushing to save her life. But here, at the end of their date, she felt like she knew him for years.

"Is my strawberry ice cream not owning up to your standards?" he asked.

"Not even close."

"I'll try harder next time," he continued as they approached her apartment door. "Maybe chocolate chip?"

"Who said there was going to be a next time?" Sydney asked, half joking, the other half seriously. Was there going to be a second time? He had a girlfriend, and this was just a dinner date.

Vaughn covered his panic with a shrug.

"Well that's up to you," he grinned. "Are you ready to see me and my strawberry ice cream again?"

Sydney giggled.

"Maybe you, but the strawberry ice cream has got to go," she said, rummaging through her purse for her apartment keys.

When she finally found them, she reached towards the lock with its respective key, when his hand stopped her.

"I had a great time tonight.'

"Me too," Sydney whispered. It was all she could manage, with all her senses flying around.

After a minute, he leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her cheek at the last minute.

"It's getting late," she said when he missed her lips.

"Yeah," he blushed nervously.

"See you later."

"Bye."

"Bye," she said, closing the door behind her.


"Oh shit!" a voice gasped from outside the complex.

It was Saturday morning, and Sydney was sitting in her kitchen, reading the morning newspaper. She was contemplating with whether she should have told Francie about her date the night before. Deciding she would talk to her later, she opened the screendoor to her apartment to see what had happened outside.

A short, dark skinned woman was bent over a torn box, with its contents spread all over the sidewalk. Shuffling to put everything back into the broken box, Sydney approached the her to see if she could help.

"Hey, do you need help?" Sydney asked cautiously, not sure if she should be intimidated my the young woman.

"Oh, no. I'm just fine," the girl looked up at Sydney through her long eyelashes.

"Let me help you," Sydney said, lifting up one of the other boxes that was scattered around the younger woman. "This one you?" she gestured to an apartment with an open door. The girl nodded, as Sydney brought the box into the apartment. Apartment eleven.

"I'm Sydney," she offered her hand to the girl.

"Oh G-day, Sydney, I'm Yanicka. But please call me Yani," she said in a thick Australian accent, as she firmly shook Sydney's hand. "I just moved here from Queensland."

Sydney gave her a quizzical look.

"Australia?" Yani reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"For a yank, you look zonked, if you don't mind me saying so," Yani said.

Sydney was about to ask her what she meant, when she heard a muffled scream. She remembered she had left her apartment door wide open.

"Excuse me," Sydney smiled at Yani, leaving the apartment to close her door.

"Yeah," Yani said.

Sydney turned the corner only to see Vaughn.

And a blonde woman. Who was by the way, playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck, and giggling softly in his ear.

Sydney cleared her throat, then Vaughn turned around.

"Oh hey Sydney," was all he could muster from his surprise.

"Hey Vaughn," she forced a smile. "And who's this?" Though, she already had an idea.

The blonde woman stepped forward, and extended her hand.

"I'm Alice," she said.

Sydney smile politely and shook Alice's hand

"Michael's girlfriend."


A/N: MU WAH AH! How did you like that chapter? Please don't hate me? I love you guys! Now review! P-wease? pouts I hope you liked it! Remember, my responses to all the reviews I get, are on my livejournal account. To get there, click on homepage on my author profile. I also posted another link in my livejournal so you can all view the blueprint I made for Syd's apartment. Your ability to view the blueprint, courtesy of Mizzle fo' Rizzle. I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to update any sooner! Please review. I want to know what you guys thought of that chapter!