Title: Road Trip
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff, with some UST lying around.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Alias, and therefore, none of its characters belong to me. However, Ailish is my creation, my little baby, so don’t steal her away from me. You can try to steal Alias from J.J though. *snorts* Good luck.
Author's Note: I wanted to give my beloved BT readers (I love you all!) a little token of my gratitude, and something to distract them from the lack of update this weekend. (No time to write, people). So I decided to post this.
Hopefully you'll enjoy.
Read on...
*-*-*
Part One
“Room or cottage?”
“Um… I don’t know. Pro & Con, please.”
Michael Vaughn raised an eyebrow, and smiled amusingly before talking to the person on the other side of the line. A few minutes later he put his hand over the receiver and spoke to the woman trying to feed a baby who seemed to think smashed potatoes were the greatest thing since Da Vinci’s drawings.
“Alright. The room. It’s nearer to the pool and the playground, the room service is available with, and I’m quoting here, “extraordinary speed”, you have more social contact, etc etc.”
“Ailish, honey, stop playing with the food. What are the cons?”
“We’d have to go to the hotel kitchen to heat a bottle after two in the morning except, well, we’re not allowed in the hotel kitchen after two in the morning so it makes no sense. Too many people can scare the baby. The baby’s cry can disturb the people. Some guests can be loud. That’s all she said.”
“Alright, ask about the cottage.”
Vaughn did so, and after a few more minutes, spoke again.
“Cottages-” he said matter-of-factly, as Sydney managed to get her giggling daughter to take her hand out of the smashed potatoes. “They’re uphill, so you can see the beach from the ones on the front; there’s a kitchen so we wouldn’t have problems with baby food; we get more privacy; it’s more distant from the road; it’s more quiet and supposedly roomy.”
“Sounding good. Cons?”
“Room service takes longer, it’s not near the social areas and you might have to hear, and I’m quoting again, “the night sounds”. So if you were an urban by conviction, it wouldn’t work. And that’s it.”
“The cottage it is.” She said, removing the bibber from Ailish’s neck, and surveying the mess she had made.
Vaughn re-focused on the phone for a while, before addressing to her again.
“We’re sharing a bed.” He said.
“Alright.” Sydney shrugged, settling the baby on her hip. “Ailish needs a shower. Come up when you’re done here, okay?”
Vaughn nodded and smiled. She smiled back, and climbed up the stairs, her daughter - having a thrill out of being covered in what was originally her lunch – chatting nonsensically all the way up.
*-*-*
Vaughn walked in the nursery laughing to himself. Sydney tilted her head back when she heard him coming, Ailish happily kicking the air as she waited to be changed into clean diapers and clothes.
“What’s so funny?” Sydney asked, focusing back on the baby.
“Nothing… it’s just… Mary, the hotel lady, she started saying how good the hotel was for reconciliation, that couples would fall in love all over again while staying there, etc etc.”
“Her point being?”
“Exactly what I thought. But then she started giving me all sorts of advice and ended by wishing me and my wife good luck, and telling me everything would be fine, that I should just be patient and give us time.”
Sydney laughed, shaking her head.
“People love to assume things. It’s ridiculous, really. What did you say?”
“I said thanks.”
“What? Vaughn, so now she thinks we’re married.”
“Yep.”
The thought didn’t seem to bother Sydney nearly as much as she would have believe.
“Well, hubbie,” She said, shruggin. “Come here and get me that pink sweater.”
“The one with the birds?”
“No, the one with the flowers.”
“Here sweetie.” He said jokingly, handing it to her.
Sydney winked flirtatiously, before turning back to her baby, baby-talking to distract her.
Vaughn stood behind her, watching as she dressed her daughter carefully, with the zeal only a mother could muster.
Sydney felt her heartbeat fastening despite of herself. He was too close. Dangerously so. She could feel his breathing against her neck, and wondered whether it was visible that her face was burning.
She stopped talking to Ailish, and a tense silence settled in the room. They stood there, enough electricity in the room to lighten half LA, and Sydney suddenly wanted to turn. To turn and crash her lips against his, to pass her arms around his neck, and never let go again.
And as suddenly as it came, it was gone. Their moment, whatever it was, was interrupted by a cry of the baby, growing irritated for being so much time lying down.
Vaughn backed away, muttering something about dishes, and Sydney picked Ailish in her arms, rocking her slightly, more to sooth herself than the baby.
She took deep calming breaths, and squeezed her daughter against her chest.
Silence descended upon the house once again, interrupted only by the water running on the kitchen, and the clang of dishes being washed.
It wasn’t until ten minutes later that someone spoke again.
“Syd, come here.” Vaughn said excitedly, all thoughts of awkwardness forgotten for the time being. “You gotta see this.”
She went, and found him by the window, with an expression of deep amusement on his face.
“What is it?” She asked curiously, approaching him, the baby still in her arms.
“Look.” He motioned outside the window, and Sydney’s eyes instantly widened.
“What is he doing? ”
“I was hoping you could give me a clue, because I honestly don’t know.” Vaughn said, and she could see he was holding back his laughter.
“Aili, you’re too young for this.” Sydney said, and put her hand over her daughter eyes, while looking rather too eagerly outside the window.
“Oh, here comes the wife.”
“She does not look happy.”
“Is that a spaghetti roll?”
“I don’t know, I think- Ooo… ooooh…” the both flinched and backed away slightly from the window.
“That must have hurt.” Sydney said with a pained expression on her neighbor’s behalf, as Ailish tried to take her hand off her face.
“No doubt to that. Oh, oh, there she goes again.”
“Oooh… ouch!” They both exclaimed at the same time, flinching again.
“Okay, I can’t watch this anymore.” Sydney announced, walking away. Vaughn followed her.
“I feel sorry for him.” He said in what he hoped was a serious tone.
“Me too.” Sydney nodded gravely.
They looked at each other, and burst out laughing one second later.
“We’re evil people.” Vaughn said, gasping for air.
“Terrible.”
“bad bad bad.”
“We should be banished from Earth.”
“Or at least have our tongues cut off.”
“Or our toes.”
They nodded emphatically, putting on serious faces and attempting to calm down. But it only took their gazes to meet again to make the fits of laughter restart. Ailish stared at them as if they were from a foreign planet. Things were back to normal.
*-*-*
“Dada… da… dadadada…”
“Baby, be quiet now so mommy can dress you.”
The pleading had no answer. The small little girl clad in diapers and nothing else continue to make wide arm gestures and smile broadly, chanting in her own language.
“Dadada… daba… baaah…”
“What do you think she’s trying to say?”
“I’m not sure. But I’m starting to suspect she’s actually singing a more upbeat version of ‘Unchained Melody’.”
“Da… babah… heee…”
“Yes, if you listen closely, some of the notes are there.”
“My girl is a genius.”
“You have to send her to college.”
“I’m not letting her go.”
“What? And depriving the world from her geniality?”
“The world will have to make it, I’m not parting with my baby.”
“When she turns forty, will the world have a chance?”
“Um… fifty.”
“Forty-five.”
“Alright, forty-five.”
Ailish listened to this exchange without the slight interest. She attempt to jump on the bed, and her diapered bottom met the soft mattress with a soft thud. She laughed heartily.
“Maaammaa….”
“Yes, honey, I don’t think it’s a fair deal either. But you know your Uncle Michael, he would never give up.”
“Bababa…”
“I agree, baby, I agree.”
“Don’t listen to her, Aili. Sixteen years from now, you’ll hate her and ask to live with cool Uncle Michael.
““Cool Uncle Michael?””
There was an undistinguished snort.
“What? I’m cool.”
“I’m not saying that you’re not. It’s just… an odd title for you.”
“Who’s got a title?”
“Papapa…” was the closest Ailish had gotten to “grandpa” and was what she used now to celebrate Jack Bristow’s arrival.
Sydney got up, Ailish still undressed in her arms, and kissed her father’s cheek.
“Say hello to grandpa, Aili. Hi, grandpa.”
Ailish beamed at her grandfather, and pressed two little fists against his cheeks. Jack rubbed his nose against hers, and melted in front of the smile that still lack a considerable quantity of teeth.
“Hi beautiful.” He said, picking his granddaughter in his arms. And then, trying to stop his voice from being too soft, “Hey Vaughn. Are you all ready to go?”
“I’m ready, Vaughn’s ready, Ailish-” Sydney collected her daughter to her arms again. “Is not.”
Hearing the name she’d learn to recognize as her own, and oblivious to her mother’s reprehending tone while saying it, Ailish giggled happily.
“Well, I can’t stay long. I just came to say goodbye and wish you good luck.”
“Good luck?” Sydney echoed, using a soft hairbrush to settle into place small wisps of hair.
“If Ailish’s first road trip is anything like yours was, you’re going to need it. Take my word on that.”
Sydney and Vaughn glanced at each other, and by a silent agreement, decided to downright ignore the warning.
“We’ll be back on the 24th.” Vaughn said, helping Sydney to put the overly excited Ailish into a shirt. The procedure ruffled the hair Sydney had just brushed, and she patiently reached for the hairbrush again.
“Call me when you get there.” Jack said.
“We will.”
“Is everything in the car already?”
“Yep.”
“Did you talk to Lisa?”
“Yep. She’ll come to water my plants, and our neighbor will pick up the newspaper everyday.”
“Good. Good.”
“Dababa… haaa…”
“Dad? We’re going to miss you too.”
Sydney winked as she put the hairbrush, two diapers, a change of clothing, socks, a stuffed duck and a plastic hockey disk in a handbag decorated with pink bunnies.
“Don’t forget to call.” Jack repeated weakly.
“You said that already.” Sydney laughed, and went to hug her father.
“Well, don’t. I love you, honey.”
“Love you too, dad.” Sydney broke the hug and picked up her daughter. “Say bye-bye to grandpa, sweetie.”
“Bye-bye.” Ailish repeated.
Jack took her from Sydney, and squeezed her against him.
“Papapa is going to miss you, honey.” He said, and decided to take Ailish’s “dubaah… hee…” as an “I’ll miss you too.”
Jack left, and soon they were ready to leave as well. That being the case, Sydney decided it would be appropriate to give Ailish a pep talk regarding the dangers of the world she was stepping into; the maturity necessary to face it; how there was evil people in the world; how it was important not to throw up at Mommy’s car; and how she shouldn’t, under any circumstances, move to Uncle Michael’s. Unless, of course, Mommy died. Because sometimes people had to leave, when the angels needed them to help taking care of all the children in the world and no, Mommy was not crying, why would she think that?
Ailish listened intently, and responded with a complex “heeee…”
“Are we all set?” Vaughn asked, shutting down the electrical system on the control panel.
“My baby’s all grown up.” Sydney said, and there was a definite sniff.
“We’re all set.” Vaughn affirmed, and gently pushed Sydney to the door, locking it behind him.
As soon as she settled Ailish on the baby-seat and hopped inside the car, Sydney’s spirits seemed to lift considerably, as she finally remembered the prospect of one week of sun and sea.
As they left the street of wonderfully gardened houses, she was singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” in a most cheerful tone and - apparently indifferent to the fact that her daughter’s vocabulary consisted basically of no more than ten words – asking Ailish to sing along.
*-*-*
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff, with some UST lying around.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Alias, and therefore, none of its characters belong to me. However, Ailish is my creation, my little baby, so don’t steal her away from me. You can try to steal Alias from J.J though. *snorts* Good luck.
Author's Note: I wanted to give my beloved BT readers (I love you all!) a little token of my gratitude, and something to distract them from the lack of update this weekend. (No time to write, people). So I decided to post this.
Hopefully you'll enjoy. Read on...
*-*-*
Part One
“Room or cottage?”
“Um… I don’t know. Pro & Con, please.”
Michael Vaughn raised an eyebrow, and smiled amusingly before talking to the person on the other side of the line. A few minutes later he put his hand over the receiver and spoke to the woman trying to feed a baby who seemed to think smashed potatoes were the greatest thing since Da Vinci’s drawings.
“Alright. The room. It’s nearer to the pool and the playground, the room service is available with, and I’m quoting here, “extraordinary speed”, you have more social contact, etc etc.”
“Ailish, honey, stop playing with the food. What are the cons?”
“We’d have to go to the hotel kitchen to heat a bottle after two in the morning except, well, we’re not allowed in the hotel kitchen after two in the morning so it makes no sense. Too many people can scare the baby. The baby’s cry can disturb the people. Some guests can be loud. That’s all she said.”
“Alright, ask about the cottage.”
Vaughn did so, and after a few more minutes, spoke again.
“Cottages-” he said matter-of-factly, as Sydney managed to get her giggling daughter to take her hand out of the smashed potatoes. “They’re uphill, so you can see the beach from the ones on the front; there’s a kitchen so we wouldn’t have problems with baby food; we get more privacy; it’s more distant from the road; it’s more quiet and supposedly roomy.”
“Sounding good. Cons?”
“Room service takes longer, it’s not near the social areas and you might have to hear, and I’m quoting again, “the night sounds”. So if you were an urban by conviction, it wouldn’t work. And that’s it.”
“The cottage it is.” She said, removing the bibber from Ailish’s neck, and surveying the mess she had made.
Vaughn re-focused on the phone for a while, before addressing to her again.
“We’re sharing a bed.” He said.
“Alright.” Sydney shrugged, settling the baby on her hip. “Ailish needs a shower. Come up when you’re done here, okay?”
Vaughn nodded and smiled. She smiled back, and climbed up the stairs, her daughter - having a thrill out of being covered in what was originally her lunch – chatting nonsensically all the way up.
*-*-*
Vaughn walked in the nursery laughing to himself. Sydney tilted her head back when she heard him coming, Ailish happily kicking the air as she waited to be changed into clean diapers and clothes.
“What’s so funny?” Sydney asked, focusing back on the baby.
“Nothing… it’s just… Mary, the hotel lady, she started saying how good the hotel was for reconciliation, that couples would fall in love all over again while staying there, etc etc.”
“Her point being?”
“Exactly what I thought. But then she started giving me all sorts of advice and ended by wishing me and my wife good luck, and telling me everything would be fine, that I should just be patient and give us time.”
Sydney laughed, shaking her head.
“People love to assume things. It’s ridiculous, really. What did you say?”
“I said thanks.”
“What? Vaughn, so now she thinks we’re married.”
“Yep.”
The thought didn’t seem to bother Sydney nearly as much as she would have believe.
“Well, hubbie,” She said, shruggin. “Come here and get me that pink sweater.”
“The one with the birds?”
“No, the one with the flowers.”
“Here sweetie.” He said jokingly, handing it to her.
Sydney winked flirtatiously, before turning back to her baby, baby-talking to distract her.
Vaughn stood behind her, watching as she dressed her daughter carefully, with the zeal only a mother could muster.
Sydney felt her heartbeat fastening despite of herself. He was too close. Dangerously so. She could feel his breathing against her neck, and wondered whether it was visible that her face was burning.
She stopped talking to Ailish, and a tense silence settled in the room. They stood there, enough electricity in the room to lighten half LA, and Sydney suddenly wanted to turn. To turn and crash her lips against his, to pass her arms around his neck, and never let go again.
And as suddenly as it came, it was gone. Their moment, whatever it was, was interrupted by a cry of the baby, growing irritated for being so much time lying down.
Vaughn backed away, muttering something about dishes, and Sydney picked Ailish in her arms, rocking her slightly, more to sooth herself than the baby.
She took deep calming breaths, and squeezed her daughter against her chest.
Silence descended upon the house once again, interrupted only by the water running on the kitchen, and the clang of dishes being washed.
It wasn’t until ten minutes later that someone spoke again.
“Syd, come here.” Vaughn said excitedly, all thoughts of awkwardness forgotten for the time being. “You gotta see this.”
She went, and found him by the window, with an expression of deep amusement on his face.
“What is it?” She asked curiously, approaching him, the baby still in her arms.
“Look.” He motioned outside the window, and Sydney’s eyes instantly widened.
“What is he doing? ”
“I was hoping you could give me a clue, because I honestly don’t know.” Vaughn said, and she could see he was holding back his laughter.
“Aili, you’re too young for this.” Sydney said, and put her hand over her daughter eyes, while looking rather too eagerly outside the window.
“Oh, here comes the wife.”
“She does not look happy.”
“Is that a spaghetti roll?”
“I don’t know, I think- Ooo… ooooh…” the both flinched and backed away slightly from the window.
“That must have hurt.” Sydney said with a pained expression on her neighbor’s behalf, as Ailish tried to take her hand off her face.
“No doubt to that. Oh, oh, there she goes again.”
“Oooh… ouch!” They both exclaimed at the same time, flinching again.
“Okay, I can’t watch this anymore.” Sydney announced, walking away. Vaughn followed her.
“I feel sorry for him.” He said in what he hoped was a serious tone.
“Me too.” Sydney nodded gravely.
They looked at each other, and burst out laughing one second later.
“We’re evil people.” Vaughn said, gasping for air.
“Terrible.”
“bad bad bad.”
“We should be banished from Earth.”
“Or at least have our tongues cut off.”
“Or our toes.”
They nodded emphatically, putting on serious faces and attempting to calm down. But it only took their gazes to meet again to make the fits of laughter restart. Ailish stared at them as if they were from a foreign planet. Things were back to normal.
*-*-*
“Dada… da… dadadada…”
“Baby, be quiet now so mommy can dress you.”
The pleading had no answer. The small little girl clad in diapers and nothing else continue to make wide arm gestures and smile broadly, chanting in her own language.
“Dadada… daba… baaah…”
“What do you think she’s trying to say?”
“I’m not sure. But I’m starting to suspect she’s actually singing a more upbeat version of ‘Unchained Melody’.”
“Da… babah… heee…”
“Yes, if you listen closely, some of the notes are there.”
“My girl is a genius.”
“You have to send her to college.”
“I’m not letting her go.”
“What? And depriving the world from her geniality?”
“The world will have to make it, I’m not parting with my baby.”
“When she turns forty, will the world have a chance?”
“Um… fifty.”
“Forty-five.”
“Alright, forty-five.”
Ailish listened to this exchange without the slight interest. She attempt to jump on the bed, and her diapered bottom met the soft mattress with a soft thud. She laughed heartily.
“Maaammaa….”
“Yes, honey, I don’t think it’s a fair deal either. But you know your Uncle Michael, he would never give up.”
“Bababa…”
“I agree, baby, I agree.”
“Don’t listen to her, Aili. Sixteen years from now, you’ll hate her and ask to live with cool Uncle Michael.
““Cool Uncle Michael?””
There was an undistinguished snort.
“What? I’m cool.”
“I’m not saying that you’re not. It’s just… an odd title for you.”
“Who’s got a title?”
“Papapa…” was the closest Ailish had gotten to “grandpa” and was what she used now to celebrate Jack Bristow’s arrival.
Sydney got up, Ailish still undressed in her arms, and kissed her father’s cheek.
“Say hello to grandpa, Aili. Hi, grandpa.”
Ailish beamed at her grandfather, and pressed two little fists against his cheeks. Jack rubbed his nose against hers, and melted in front of the smile that still lack a considerable quantity of teeth.
“Hi beautiful.” He said, picking his granddaughter in his arms. And then, trying to stop his voice from being too soft, “Hey Vaughn. Are you all ready to go?”
“I’m ready, Vaughn’s ready, Ailish-” Sydney collected her daughter to her arms again. “Is not.”
Hearing the name she’d learn to recognize as her own, and oblivious to her mother’s reprehending tone while saying it, Ailish giggled happily.
“Well, I can’t stay long. I just came to say goodbye and wish you good luck.”
“Good luck?” Sydney echoed, using a soft hairbrush to settle into place small wisps of hair.
“If Ailish’s first road trip is anything like yours was, you’re going to need it. Take my word on that.”
Sydney and Vaughn glanced at each other, and by a silent agreement, decided to downright ignore the warning.
“We’ll be back on the 24th.” Vaughn said, helping Sydney to put the overly excited Ailish into a shirt. The procedure ruffled the hair Sydney had just brushed, and she patiently reached for the hairbrush again.
“Call me when you get there.” Jack said.
“We will.”
“Is everything in the car already?”
“Yep.”
“Did you talk to Lisa?”
“Yep. She’ll come to water my plants, and our neighbor will pick up the newspaper everyday.”
“Good. Good.”
“Dababa… haaa…”
“Dad? We’re going to miss you too.”
Sydney winked as she put the hairbrush, two diapers, a change of clothing, socks, a stuffed duck and a plastic hockey disk in a handbag decorated with pink bunnies.
“Don’t forget to call.” Jack repeated weakly.
“You said that already.” Sydney laughed, and went to hug her father.
“Well, don’t. I love you, honey.”
“Love you too, dad.” Sydney broke the hug and picked up her daughter. “Say bye-bye to grandpa, sweetie.”
“Bye-bye.” Ailish repeated.
Jack took her from Sydney, and squeezed her against him.
“Papapa is going to miss you, honey.” He said, and decided to take Ailish’s “dubaah… hee…” as an “I’ll miss you too.”
Jack left, and soon they were ready to leave as well. That being the case, Sydney decided it would be appropriate to give Ailish a pep talk regarding the dangers of the world she was stepping into; the maturity necessary to face it; how there was evil people in the world; how it was important not to throw up at Mommy’s car; and how she shouldn’t, under any circumstances, move to Uncle Michael’s. Unless, of course, Mommy died. Because sometimes people had to leave, when the angels needed them to help taking care of all the children in the world and no, Mommy was not crying, why would she think that?
Ailish listened intently, and responded with a complex “heeee…”
“Are we all set?” Vaughn asked, shutting down the electrical system on the control panel.
“My baby’s all grown up.” Sydney said, and there was a definite sniff.
“We’re all set.” Vaughn affirmed, and gently pushed Sydney to the door, locking it behind him.
As soon as she settled Ailish on the baby-seat and hopped inside the car, Sydney’s spirits seemed to lift considerably, as she finally remembered the prospect of one week of sun and sea.
As they left the street of wonderfully gardened houses, she was singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” in a most cheerful tone and - apparently indifferent to the fact that her daughter’s vocabulary consisted basically of no more than ten words – asking Ailish to sing along.
*-*-*
I like it.