A/N: Ok, here's the update I promised like two weeks ago. Sorry
Don't hate me. The muse just wasn't working with me.
Title: Freedom
Summary: Sydney brings someone back to LA w/ her. This story is AU, but it still includes the CIA. SD-6 never existed, but there are other terrorist groups that are a threat. Vaughn is 22 (in case anyone wondered
)
Rating: PG13 (probably)
Disclaimer: I don't own Alias or anything affiliated with the show or people. I also don't own anything else that I may happen to mention later in the story.
Ch17
Sydney woke up feeling safe and warm and realized she was still in Vaughn's arms. Her head was now resting on his chest and his arms were wrapped around her gently holding her to him.
She looked over to the clock to see it was just after seven a.m. She may not have gotten a lot of sleep, but it was the best sleep she could remember having. She knew she had more time to sleep, but the thought that Jadon would be home in three hours was too much for her to even try.
Instead she lifted her head to look at Vaughn who was still sleeping peacefully. She layed there with him for awhile longer before deciding to get up. Careful not to wake him she slid out of his embrace and headed for the bathroom. She quietly closed the door before turning on the water in the tub. She got it to just the right temperature and then got in. When she finished getting ready she headed back out of the bathroom to see Vaughn still asleep. His one arm laid out across her side of the bed as if reaching out for her. She went over and sat down on the bed next to him. She brushed the hair off of his forehead and then gently shook his shoulder.
He slowly opened his eyes to see her sitting there with a small smile on her face.
"Hey," he said.
"Morning," she replied," You mind getting up."
"Not at all," he said," especially with you."
"What," she asked surprised.
Vaughn looked at her realizing he'd just said that out loud.
"Nothing," he said standing up," I'm still half asleep."
With that said he headed into the bathroom. Sydney sat there for another minute still wondering why he'd said that. Was it possible Vaughn liked her?
She knew she couldn't dwell on that so instead she turned on the tv and waited for Vaughn to finish getting ready and come back out. She stared at the tv, but she was really wondering how Jadon was doing. She knew he was with her father now on the plane on his way back to her, but she hoped that he was alright. She was concerned that he'd be scared all of the time now and wouldn't be able to just be a worry free kid. She continued thinking of him until Vaughn opened the bathroom door and came back out.
"I'm ready," he told her. She looked at the clock and realized it was only eight thirty and still pretty early for them to be showing up at the airstrip. Vaughn saw her look and he too realized the time.
"Well, we could go get breakfast," he said.
"Ok, sure," she agreed.
They headed out of the hotel and got into his car. As they pulled out of the parking lot Vaughn could feel Sydney watching him.
"What," he asked.
"Thankyou for last night and being here," she said.
"Would you stop thanking me," he said smiling at her," I want to be here."
"Ok, well thank...hmm...ok," she said barely stopping herself from saying it again.
"So where do you wanna get breakfast," he asked her.
"I don't know," she said," where's good."
Vaughn thought for a moment and then made a right.
"There's this little outdoor cafe by the pier," he told her," We could go there. The food's pretty good."
"Alright," she said.
It was only another five minutes before they pulled up to the cafe. They got out of the car and headed over to a table. It was still pretty early so there was only one customer, an older woman reading the paper. It was only a couple of minutes before a waiter came up to take their order. Vaughn got an omelette with hashbrowns and toast and Sydney ordered pancakes with fruit on top.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Sydney spoke.
"I just can't wait to see him," she said looking from the beach back to Vaughn," I hope he's alright."
"He'll be fine," Vaughn reassured her," You dad would have called otherwise."
"Right, I know," she said," I just can't help it."
"Of course," Vaughn said understanding.
"Your dad's probably worse off than Jadon," Vaughn told her," He's on that plane trying to take care of him for the whole flight."
This got a laugh out of Sydney when she pictured her father on the plane with Jadon who would be trying to convince Jack to play some sort of game with him.
"I see what you mean," she said.
Just then the waiter returned with their food and they started to eat. They hadn't eaten since lunch the day before and they hadn't gotten to finish that. It was only now that they realized how hungry they were.
Although they started out starving by the time Sydney reached the end of her pancakes she wasn't sure if she could eat the last few bites.
Vaughn looked at her and he knew she was full too.
"I think I've reached my limit," she told him.
"I kinda thought," he said watching her use her fork to play with her food," I'm done too," he told her.
They sat there awhile longer until the waiter brought out their bill and Vaughn paid. Vaughn looked at his watch as they headed back to the car.
"Well, we have almost an hour until the plane gets here," he said.
"Can we go anyway," Sydney asked," I just don't want to risk being late."
"Absolutely," he told her as they got into the car. Sydney watched out the window as they drove to the airstrip which wasn't even fifteen minutes away.
Once they arrived at the airstrip they sat in the car with the windows down waiting.
"There's a plane," Sydney said after they'd sat there for half an hour.
Vaughn looked up to where she was pointing to see the plane.
"Nope that's not one of ours," he told her," Sorry, but don't worry they'll be here soon."
It wasn't five minutes later that they spotted another one.
"Is that them," Sydney asked.
"Yeah, that's them," Vaughn told her as they watched the plane get lower and lower and eventually land.
They got out of the car and started heading toward the plane as the door opened and the stairs came down. Two agents came down first and then Jack appeared carrying Jadon.
Sydney ran the rest of the way to the plane to meet them. Jack handed Jadon right over to her.
"Hi mama," Jadon said with a smile.
"Hi sweetheart," Sydney said smiling back with tears in her eyes as she hugged him to her.
"Hey little man," Vaughn said as he came up to them.
"Hi Vaughn," Jadon said.
"I missed you," Sydney told him.
"Me too," Jadon said still smiling apparently unaware of everything that'd gone on.
Jack stood there quiet.
Sydney handed Jadon to Vaughn for a moment and then turned to her father.
"Thankyou Dad," she said before wrapping her arms around him in a grateful hug.
"You're welcome," he said sincerely hugging her back.