The Edge of Everything I Wanted

Title: The Edge of Everything I Wanted
Author: i love vaughny
Disclaimer: i don’t own anything besides the dvds and the love i have for this show. otherwise, it all belongs to jj. [or later on if i mention something else, it belongs to its respected creator, etc.]
Summary: A/U. sequel to and continuation of The Edge of Something New. Vaughn goes to Columbia, Sydney goes to UCLA.
A/N: This is going to go a lot quicker, time-wise (overall), than tEoSN. It will be quite the contrary of its predecessor, in the way that most of the story will be told during the year (school year) rather than over the summer.



umm... i realize that it's been forever and a year since tEoSN was last posted, and i'm sorry about that, but between school and the medical issues i've been having, it's been impossible to write anything. i think it took me, literally, over one year to finish a chapter (which i did a few nights ago). i kind of have to remember where i wanted to go now...

currently, there are 19 chapters written (and it's not much). so... i really don't know what my posting schedule's going to be like, at all.


i'm only sending pms out for this chapter, because my computer sucks.


ENJOY!



Chapter One

With tears in her eyes, Sydney, with the cart, walked through the glass doors and into the main lobby of the airport. Vaughn, on the other hand, went into his car and began to drive out of the drop-off loop.

Driving through the twists and turns of the complex airport parking lot, Vaughn eventually found himself in his desired location – a parking garage that housed the vehicles of travelers departing from this particular airport. Shortly after entering, he found his assigned spot on the fourth floor of the garage. Quickly, he scrambled out of the vehicle and let the SUV’s trunk door lift upward. He retrieved his luggage that he had hid very well from Sydney and began his way back to the airport. While inside, he was very cautious because he didn’t want to be spotted by Sydney, as that would ruin the whole surprise. Thus, he disguised himself minimally, just enough to not be immediately recognized, by putting on a baseball cap.

Soon after setting foot in the waiting room by the terminal he was to leave from, he caught a glimpse of Sydney. She was reading some sort of magazine and listening to music. He made sure that he had a clear view of her, though he was several rows away and was not sitting facing her, as another precaution. This escapade had been planned for quite a while, eight weeks at the least, and it was too big to be spoiled now, just minutes away from being executed. Honestly, he wanted to see her reaction to the fullest effect.

He would only be staying in Los Angeles for two nights, because he was going to be starting school himself in next to no time at all. Frankly, being able to make this trip was astonishing. Convincing Jack Bristow to let him, his only daughter’s teenage, hormonal, boyfriend, trek across country with her, to help her settle into her college dorm room, wasn’t exactly easy and certainly did not give Jack a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. There was much yelling involved, but eventually a plan was devised. Vaughn would be staying in a nearby hotel for the nights he would be spending in LA. Also unpredictably, Jack had allowed Vaughn to be the one with a rental car.

Sydney’s agenda called for a rental car to be waiting for her when she reached LAX. However, somehow, Vaughn and his mother had managed to sway Jack into canceling that reservation and making one for Vaughn instead. It would be the more logical plan to arrange. After all, Vaughn would need to have transportation to the hotel, Sydney’s dorm, and the airport, while Sydney only needed to get to the university campus, which Vaughn could easily make happen.

Vaughn observed that a flight attendant was calling boarders onto the plane. He saw Sydney rise and get in line. Following suit, he also went into the line, but there were at least twenty fellow boarders between them. Still, he remained careful not to be pinpointed. Naturally, he had a ticket to be seated next to Sydney on the plane. As potentially scary as it was, Jack Bristow was a very powerful man and was able to obtain results without much fuss being made in the process. After about a half hour of waiting to get his ticket and passport checked, Vaughn was cleared and let onto the plane.

Reading his seat number from a few rows back, still undetected, he observed that Sydney was sitting in her chair facing the window. In his eyes it was quite comical how wonderfully this idea would play out. First, he opened the overhead storage compartment. When his carry-on bag was halfway in, and Sydney was nevertheless ignoring the still-anonymous person that was to be next to her for the about six hour plane ride, he piped, “This seat taken?” A grin the lengthways size of his face emerged.

Swiftly, she rotated her body around and emerald green met chestnut brown. A gigantic smile was plastered on her face and she gasped. “What are you doing here?” she asked, countless faces, ranging from baffled to excited, overtaking her usual.


Flying stably at high altitude for a while by this time, Sydney glanced at her and Vaughn’s entwined fingers that were resting in her lap. Secretly, she smiled to herself. Not only had Vaughn’s surprise taken her aback, it had also eased any worries of starting college life. The intense, nervous beating of her heart and anxious shaking of her limbs had subsided, at least. As had the tense, sporadic chills which caused her teeth to clench and had the tendency to come about without announcement.

Her head was leaning back against the tall seat and it was turned ever so slightly so that she was looking at Vaughn. She smiled softly. “Have I told you that I’m happy you’re coming with me, even though it’s only for two nights?” she asked quietly.

He turned his head so that now he could see her face. “Yeah,” he said in a like tone, nodding faintly, the corners of his lips arcing upward as he spoke, “you have.” His grin expanded, widened. “So’ve I.”

“Yeah,” Sydney replied, the smile still stuck where it was, unwilling to leave her, not that she wanted it to in any sense.


The remainder of the flight went smoothly with a few snoozes taken here and there. Baggage claim, on the other hand, was the opposite. Finding and procuring every last article of luggage belonging to Sydney was not as easy as baking a pie, minus the frosting. Since she was technically temporarily moving to California for the greater part of nine months, it was necessary for her to bring many, many personal items including clothing, accessories, books, electronics, and other essentials with her, therefore she did not have the average one to two bags. Instead, she had five rather large suitcases. Pulling each off of the baggage claim conveyer belt was not exactly the most fun activity one could engage in. In the end, both Sydney and Vaughn were grateful that, at the very least, her bags were coordinated and had the same pattern, making spotting them simpler.

Eventually, every bag was repossessed and the rental car was issued to them as well. They loaded the car, which created a rather snug feeling to the two passengers, but it wasn’t too bad overall. Sydney was on map duty, ready to give Vaughn the directions from the airport to UCLA’s campus. Los Angeles traffic could be compared to New York City’s in the sense that in both areas it was crazy and everyone appeared to be in a rush. All drivers were impatient and probably had mild to severe cases of road rage.

The drive was supposed to only take about twenty minutes. However, with the insanity at the airport, and dealing with heavy traffic, it took almost double that time to reach the final destination. When they did arrive at the university, conditions were equally as hectic because it was move-in day for all students. Once finding a parking spot fairly close to Sydney’s residence building, Sproul Hall, each began contributing to unpacking the vehicle. There were groups of presumed older students who had carts to make transferring baggage from cars to the actual building less complicated. Together, Sydney, Vaughn and a junior named Tony delivered Sydney’s items to the entrance of the hall. But the best part was carrying all of her bags up to the third floor, where her designated room was.

“At least it’s not the seventh floor,” she grinned to Vaughn when they managed to transport all of her materials into the cramped, double occupancy, and twelve-and-a-half by just over ten-and-a-half foot room that was to be her home until the short Thanksgiving break.
 
REMINDER: I'M NOT SENDING OUT PMS HENCEFORTH, BECAUSE, SERIOUSLY, WITH THIS COMPUTER, IT TAKES LIKE... AN HOUR (OR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES) AND THAT'S TOO MUCH.




Chapter Two

Sydney’s room really was the typical definition of college dormitory. Provided for her and her roommate were individual extra-long twin beds, a desk and chair, a chest of drawers, and preserved closet space.

Just seconds after entering the room through the threshold, Sydney and Vaughn’s eyes were greeted with the sight of a tall, lanky blonde girl putting a boldly printed fitted sheet on a bed that was touching the right wall of the room. They, in turn, stole a quick glance at each other.

“Rachel?” Sydney asked, somewhat unsurely, as she held the handle of a wheeling suitcase which rested on the floor. Yes, she could be pretty certain that this girl in her assigned room was probably her roommate, Rachel Gibson, whom she’d spoken with on the phone a few times, to organize who should bring what and other preparations, but she wanted to be sure.

The girl’s head snapped around to see who was addressing her. Her line of vision aligned with Vaughn and Sydney’s heads. “Sydney?” she asked questionably, in a half-squeal that was also laced with a very large amount of excitement.

Sydney gave a friendly smile and her muscles loosened in a relaxed manner. “Hi,” she said with a small, relieved chuckle.

“It’s so great that we’re finally meeting each other!” Rachel exclaimed as she dashed across the room and embraced her new roommate. Sydney, on the other hand, just kind of stood there, feeling a bit awkward. Rachel squealed again happily as she broke the hug. “So, I picked the side of the room I want already,” she stated as she gestured with her left hand behind her to the bed on Sydney’s right. “Is that okay with you? ‘Cause, if it’s not, I guess we could flip a coin or something…” she trailed.

Sydney shook her head. “No, no. That’s fine. You got here before I did: First come, first serve,” she smiled politely. She then began wheeling two suitcases toward her bed and commenced the long and tiring process of unpacking as she engaged in small talk with Rachel. All the while, Vaughn was still in the doorway, feeling a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t until her third trip back to the door that Sydney realized introducing Vaughn to Rachel, and vice versa, had totally escaped her. Rachel had noticed him, though, and she wasn’t exactly adding to his comfort level by any means because, even though she was speaking with Sydney, she was smiling at him.

“Oh my god!” Sydney shouted embarrassedly as she covered her face with her hands. “I’m an idiot,” she announced to them both. “Rachel,” she said, turning around to look at her now, “this is Michael Vaughn, my boyfriend.”

One would have thought that Rachel’s smile would have shrunk, or better yet, disappeared completely. Only, it didn’t. It remained identical to as it was. “Nice to meet you,” Rachel grinned a toothy smile.

“You too,” Vaughn said, finally feeling welcomed in the tiny room. He began to unload some items and set them on Sydney’s bed.

As Rachel was making her bed, she commented, “It’s so nice of you to help Sydney out before settling into your own dorm, Michael.” She fluffed a pillow.

“Oh, I don’t go here,” Vaughn answered as he carried an empty brown cardboard box to the door.

“He’s actually just visiting for a few days, and then it’s back to Jersey and off to New York for him,” Sydney added. On the still-uncovered supplied mattress, Sydney had lined up various items, ranging from clothes to accessories to her laptop.

Rachel plopped down on her springy mattress. “So, where in New York are you gonna go to school?” she asked Vaughn.

“Columbia,” he answered as he grabbed Sydney’s laptop and placed it on her nearby desk. Subsequently, he began to set it up, making sure she had Internet access.

Sydney’s eyes scanned the room, Rachel’s side in particular, as she specifically looked for two appliance boxes. A couple of weeks prior, Jack had arranged for Sydney to wire enough money to Rachel so that Rachel could purchase a mini refrigerator and microwave for the room. That way, Sydney wouldn’t have to worry about fitting them into her luggage. “Where should we put the fridge and microwave?” Sydney asked slightly absently, as her gaze wandered the room, searching for a good location.

“Hmm,” Rachel hummed, as she, too, looked for a decent spot. “Well,” she opened, “we could put the fridge under one of our beds,” she suggested. The given beds were raised so that they were actually about two and a half feet above the floor, and could still be elevated, meaning the refrigerator would fit just fine.

“Sounds good to me,” Sydney responded.

“It’s over there,” Rachel said, pointing towards the left of the door. “You can put it under your bed; there’s not really a lot of room under mine.” A quick peak showed that beneath Rachel’s bed were rows of shoes, as well as two large, plastic storage units, which appeared to be filled to the brim.

“Okay,” Sydney said as she went over and retrieved the refrigerator box, opened it, and began arranging the device in the chosen place.


A couple of hours later, both girls were acclimatized pretty well. All electronics were installed and working properly. About an hour into the unpacking, Rachel left to meet some of their other suitemates, their residential assistant, and practically anyone else she could.

With their backs leaning against the wall and their feet hanging off the edge of the mattress, Sydney and Vaughn sat beside one another and drank bottles of water. Their dominant, meaning her right and his left, hands were entwined.

“This feels so… official,” Sydney confided to Vaughn.

He grinned so that one corner of his lips was raised more than the other. “That’s because it is official,” he told her, squeezing her hand delicately.

A while later they had lunch together off-campus. Afterward, Vaughn walked Sydney back to her dorm. He had to go check into his hotel, which was only just over five minutes away, and she had to get ready for an introductory floor meeting.

However, instead of him leaving and her primping herself, they were both sitting on her bed, holding hands again. Vaughn kissed her quickly. “I have to go,” he informed her for probably the fifth time.

Her grip was still firm. “I know,” she said, aware of this, but smiling anyway. He shook his head, but was grinning nevertheless. She kissed him, much more intensely than he’d previously kissed her. “Okay,” she said breathily. “You can go now.”

“You’re devious,” he breathed. Naturally, now he didn’t want to depart.

“But you love me anyway,” she teased, her dimples in plain view.

Once more, he shook his head. “I don’t know why anymore,” he teased back, “but I do love you, in spite of your scheming ways.”

She laughed. “I’ll see you later?” she asked, though neither of them moved.

“Call me when you’re done and I’ll stop by.”

“Good,” she said before kissing him again.

He got up off the bed, kissed her cheek softly, and left.
 
Those two are really going to miss each other, with him at Columbia and her at UCLA. However, it is good they're going to different schools for one reason, I don't trust Rachel. I can see her as someone who would try to make a move on someone's boyfriend.

Chris
 
I love it!!! Amazing. It's so cool too because I just got home from a leadership forum at UCLA so I know exactly what you're talking about when you say Sproul Hall. I miss it already.
 
Oh this is really good!!! Just like the last one. I can not wait for more. ^_^ You are such a great writer.
 
Congrats on a great start!! Can't wait to see how the separation affects Sydney and Vaughn's relationship...

Great start and looking forward to reading more!!!

Manda
 
aww that was SO sweet i loved it!
i have missed this fic so much and i am so pleased its back :D
thanks for the PM, cant wait for more!
 
No why did he leave
come back
lock the door and skip the introduction!!!!

Oh I think Rachel might be a problem

Oh so i was thinking Syd should stay with Vaughn at the hotel that way when Jack undoubtedly calls Vaughn he will be there and he would probably call syds mobile

SEE it'd all work out!
 
it's great so far!!!!!!!!!! i loved The Edge of Something New and i'm really really excited to see where you take this story! once again great job! =]
 
i don't know when i should post the next chapter, as i havent been WRITING anything lately. (mostly because i kinda, sorta, perhaps forgot where i was going to go next... :/ )
 
OMG I was shocked when I saw that you posted the sequel!!!
-I am soo freakin' happy!!! I've missed this SOO much!!
I LOVE IT!!! I'm not sure if I like Rachel tho! But I do love the title for this!!
-Perfect start!! Are you still going to post your 'wonderful' spoilers in between chapters!!?

:makefun: (HAHA)
 
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