A/N: Hey Everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews. I'm glad you all liked that last chapter. Comedy is tough for me to write, so its great you thought it was good enough. So here's the next chapter. Enjoy!


Vaughn looked from Sydney to Weiss, then to Sydney again.

"All that I needed to hear," he smiled.

Shit.

"You ready?" Vaughn smiled again. Sydney could feel embarrassment burning in her cheeks. I'm gonna kill that kid...

"Uh almost. J-just give me ten minutes," Sydney mumbled, apparently still embarrassed.

"Take your time," Michael grinned as Sydney pushed past him towards her apartment. He turned to Weiss who was trying hard to suppress another good laugh.

"What, dude?" Weiss asked. He had changed his mind after their conversation earlier. The episode between Yani and Sydney made it completely obvious that the woman that his best friend was supposed to be 'just friends' with, wanted a bit more than friendship.

Michael smirked and went to his own apartment to retrieve his duffel bag, leaving Eric all alone in the walkway. He finally chuckled to himself. Weiss knew that his best friend was clearly interested in Sydney. And he was happy for that. All the girls that Vaughn usually brought home were, snotty, rich, or, well, just plain sluts. Or any combination of the three.

But there was something different about Sydney Bristow. She had this magnetic personality, and both he and Vaughn were surprised that she didn't have a boyfriend. Who wouldn't want to have a relationship with someone like her? Perfect match, he thought to himself. Twenty bucks something exciting happens in Santa Barbara. Just friends my ass...

The door of Sydney's apartment opened, but it wasn't Sydney. It was a woman Eric Weiss didn't recognize. She smiled politely at him and headed for the parking lot. He shrugged to himself and sat down on the bench facing the beach.

A few minutes later the woman who previously emerged from Sydney's apartment, had returned and was trying to tow three different suitcases. Hearing her grunts, cussing, and gasps, Eric finally stood up from his spot on the bench and offered her help. "Here, let me help you out," he said, taking one of the bags out of her arms, which she let him take without a fight.

"Oh, thank you," she replied.

"Which one are you?" he asked, referring as to what apartment she was staying in. He was confused when she pointed to Sydney's apartment. I didn't know Sydney had a roomate...

"Thank you," the woman laughed. Weiss had at first just relieved that one suitcase from her, and when they were done, he had found that he actually brought all three bags in himself. "You didn't have to help me bring them all insid-"

"Oh hey Eric," Sydney said to him, pulling her own suitcase to the foyer of the apartment. She sensed the tension between her sister and Weiss. "This is my sister, Nadia. Nads, this is Eric Weiss."

"Nice to meet you, er, officially, I guess," Weiss chuckled holding his hand out for Nadia to shake.

"You too," Nadia smiled, gladly accepting his hand and shook it firmly.

Sydney recognized the awkward moment. "Well, Nadia, I'll see you Sunday night. Make yourself comfy."

"Alright," her younger sister said.

"I'm sure Eric would love to show you around this weekend," Sydney winked at Weiss while Nadia wasn't looking. He fumbled with his hands before nodding in agreement.

"Thanks again for letting me stay here," Nadia smiled, giving her sister a hug.

"No problem," Sydney whispered, pulling out of the embrace, and picking up her suitcase.

"Have fun with Mike, Syd," Weiss coughed loudly. Sydney glowered at Eric before opening the front door to leave.

"Bye guys!" she called over her shoulder slamming the door behind her.

"I thought that she and Michael were just friends," Nadia pointed out.

"You gonna seriously believe that crap?" Weiss inquired.

"Not for one second. I'm just excited to see how this one turns out..."

"Well then, Nadia, we share a common interest."


He was waiting outside her apartment when she finally came out. "Ready now?" he grinned.

"Yeah," she smiled back at him.

"Here, I'll take that," he said, bending over to pick up her small suitcase before she could object.

"Thanks," she beamed. Honestly, Francie never offers to carry my suitcase...

The pair walked up to the parking lot with Sydney trying to guess what vehicle was his. The Saturn, maybe? No, no, the Hyundai...

"This is it," said Michael. He had stopped walking behind a silver Mercedes, and loaded her suitcase in the trunk along with his duffel bag.

"Nice ride," she commented when he gestured her to get into the passenger's seat.

"I was thinking of trading it in for a different color," he said, putting his key in the ignition and starting up the car.

"You don't like the color of it?"

"Nah, it's just too girly."

"I like it."

"Well then I'll keep it," he smiled. He pulled out of the parking lot and took a left at the lot's entrance.

"How long do we have to Santa Barbara?" she asked, looking a bit flustered.

"About two hours, depending on how long it takes us to get through LA." Her eyes seemed to find the scenic view of the beach quite enticing. "Have you ever been to Santa Barbara?"

Forcing herself to look away from the window, she replied sweetly. "Nope."

"It's really beautiful up there," he said. "And the water is so clear, it looks like glass."

"I love the beach."

"Me too."


It was already seven o'clock, and Eric, Nadia, and Will had gathered at Francie's apartment for dinner. Will and Francie were excited to see Nadia again, so they had not heard from her since high school.

"I remember that. But I thought that that happened in high school," Nadia laughed, setting down her glass of merlot. The four of them

"You two?" Weiss inquired both Nadia and Francie, evidently surprised. "A stink bomb?"

"Yeah, man. It was so awesome. And we never had to retake the test," Will sighed. Weiss still looked a bit shocked. Nadia and Francie? Rebels? "It's true. Hard to believe, but true. Sounds like something that Sydney would do, but never these two."

"Shut up," Francie said, playfully slapping her boyfriend in the arm.

"To tell you the truth, I was so not prepared for that test," Nadia admitted. "We were so lucky that Fran was the science whiz."

"Okay, now you're just making me sound like a nerd," Francie laughed. "Sydney was so pissed though. She threw the biggest fit, you would not believe it, Eric."

"Let me guess, she was the only one out of you for who pulled an all-nighter preparing for the test?" Weiss guessed.

Nadia nodded. "She was asking us why the hell we didn't plan to do it for honors geometry."

"Still hard to believe," Weiss shrugged.

"Are you underestimating us?" Nadia asked sheepishly. "Because I wouldn't do that if I were you." She winked, but immediately gave herself a mental slap. You're engaged, no flirting!

"What if I am? What are you gonna do? Make itching powder and dump it in my closet while I'm at work?" he questioned.

"No, Sydney's better with that kind of stuff. I'd just kick your ass." Stop...

"Whoa, okay then," Weiss threw his hands up in the air.

"You think that's threatening, wait 'till you piss all three of 'em off," Will added. The oven timer beeped. And Francie got up from her spot on the sofa.

"Dinner's ready," she said, making her way to the kitchen. And at that the front door flew open, revealing a hard-breathing Yanicka.

"Sorry I'm late Francie. I was at the beach. Must have forgotten the time," Yani explained herself.

"It's okay," Francie said sweetly from the other side of the kitchen counter, then remembered Nadia standing right beside her. "Oh yeah. Hey, Yani. I want you to meet Syd's sister," she said, pushing Nadia out into the entry way. "Nadia."

"Oh hi!" Yani greeted her friend's sister excitedly. "Nice to meet you."

Nadia smiled and stuck her hand out for Yani to shake, but the Aussie ignored it, and instead gave her a friendly hug with a pat on the back.

"You're from Australia?" Nadia asked gathering from the girl's accent.

"Yep. And I bet you're somewhere from South America, maybe?" Yani inquired, a bit apprehensive. Nadia's accent sounded Spanish, but she didn't look like she was from Mexico, so maybe from somewhere in South America...

"Argentina."

"Beautiful country," Yani said. Nadia nodded, a smile dancing across her lips with pride of her home country. She was starting to like this girl. "Hey guys," Yani acknowledged Will and Eric.

"Hey Yani," they said back.

"I'm starving," the Aussie exclaimed, picking up a plate.

"There's plenty," Francie said dropping some spaghetti on her own plate.

Once everyone had sat down at the dinner table, it didn't take long for today's topic to sneak up on their conversation.

"It's so obvious that they're into each other," Yani sighed. "Why don't they just admit it?" For this young woman, Sydney and Vaughn's relationship was angsty enough. Just like watching a soap opera, and the waiting and anticipation for her favorite characters to finally stop being stupid and hop to it.

"But you know what Syd said," Francie said.

"I know, I know. 'We're just friends'" Yani mimicked Sydney with airquotes and an annoyed voice. "She actually expects us to believe that rubbish?"

Nadia laughed. "No, but she'll try damn hard."

Weiss shook his head in disbelief. "What is it with women and commitment?"

"Hey now Eric," Yani said. "At least us girls can keep our pants on through the first date."

"She's got a point," Francie said, stealing a glance at Will.

"But you do realize that all guys aren't like that. I know Vaughn can keep his own," Will added.

"Yeah, he's a good guy," Weiss said. "I can tell he's really into Sydney."

"But he just broke up with Alice," Francie stated. "And that relationship went on for a few years."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't break something like that up for himself, unless he knew he could make something great of another relationship," Eric was quick to defend his best friend. Francie nodded at the possibility.

"If there's anything know about Sydney, she's not gonna just wait around for something to happen," Will said.

"I agree. She'll take her chances and make a move," Nadia said. "But if she's apprehensive about the relationship, she'll take the backseat for a little while and wait it out 'till she feels the time is right."

"It's so cute," Francie cried. "You can tell she's crushing on him really bad..."

"THEN WHY THE HELL DON'T THEY JUST JUMP IN THE SACK ALREADY?" shouted the Aussie.


"Childhood pet."

"Didn't have one. What about you?"

"A dog, Donovan. My little Donny." Sydney smiled at Michael's affection for his pet. He seemed like a sweet enough guy. The kind of person who put himself after the world. An hour and a half had passed, and the two had taken the time to explore each other's lives. Both were mentally saving the most random facts of the other. It was Sydney's turn to ask a question.

"Longest relationship."

"Three years."

"With Alice?" Sydney inquired softly.

"Yeah. And you?"

"Three years, too," she smiled weakly. It was her relationship with Danny. He had died in a plane crash, not long before she had graduated college. Danny had proposed to her a few days before the crash, but after careful consideration, she had declined.

"Oh, I'm sorry Syd," Michael sympathized.

"How'd you know?" she asked, surprised he figured out that Danny was gone.

"My father died," he said quitely. "He was my hero." Michael gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"I know the feeling. I lost my mother in a car crash," she whispered, teary eyed. "And lately, I feel like I lost my father too. He became distant ever since the accident." It was true. Sydney used to be able to confide in both her parents, but since her mother passed, she couldn't confide in her dad anymore. Then, when she was in high school, she had found a long lost sister, Nadia.

There was silence for a couple minutes before Vaughn spoke again. "It's amazing how much more you love them once they're gone."

Sydney smiled. She had more in common with Michael Vaughn that she would have guessed. "Favorite movie."

"Miracle," he quickly replied without hesitation. "What?" he asked when she gave him a quizzical look, then turning back to the road. "I love hockey. And I bet your favorite is some sappy romantic comedy." A deep crimson crawled over Sydney's cheeks. "Alright, what one is it? I bet I've heard of it," he grinned.

"Neverbeenkissed," Sydney mumbled.

"What was that? A High School Diss?"

"I said, Never Been Kissed," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh," then he couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst into a fit of laughter. "And let me guess, you think that Michael Spartan is hot?"

"It's Michael Vartan," she corrected him, sitting taller in the passenger seat. She did in fact thinkthat Michael Vartan was hot.

"Whatever," he laughed again. "You know, some people tell me I look like I could be his twin."

"Ha! Whatever."

"What now?"

"It's just that, no offense, no. I don't see it. Sorry."

"Oh that hurts Syd. Cuts me deep," he smiled, while Sydney giggled like a school girl. "Oh, we're here," he said, pulling into the Sandpiper Lodge. It was already dark out, but the lights from the town were dancing on the ocean.

"It's beautiful," Sydney said, clearly fascinated with the view.

"Told you so." She smiled.

"Thank you for taking Michael, really. Thanks," she told him.

"Anytime. Now lets hurry up and check in so we can go to dinner."


"Wow," Sydney marveled, stepping into the hotel room and going straight to the balcony. The view was miraculous. She could spot the warming beach homes that lined the ocean, the stars and there constellations dotting the black night sky.

Turning around and wandering back into the hotel room, she looked for Vaughn. He had just dropped both of their bags in front of the door, and let out a long sigh. "You ready for dinner?" he called into the room. She was still looking for him.

But instead of finding Vaughn, she found something else.

"Michael," she said, walking out to where he was standing in the foyer of the room.

"Yeah?"

"There's only one bed."


A/N: Why hello. How do you like me now? Splendid! Review people! You know the drill. Please. :-D Purply button: "I love you! Click me! Click me!"