The Great Escape

sssmckh

Cadet
A/N: Okay, so first, please know this is my first attempt at fiction. I was actually a newspaper reporter for four years, but never wrote fiction. So please be gentle. I had an idea for a S/V'ish story in Vegas, and have an idea for a couple more along the same vein. Let me know if you like it and I'll keep 'em coming, but for now, here's the first chapter.
Rating: Currently PG-13 for mildly bad language.
Disc.: I own nothing, not even my car, the bank owns it. I only borrow these characters, these lyrics if applicable, and these locations. Though I'd LOVE to own the Bellagio in Vegas.

The Great Escape

“Okay, see this hat? There are ten pieces of paper in it, pick one out.”

“Weiss, what in the world are you doing?”

“Just pick one Syd. Do it before I have to take counter measures.”

“Okay, we all know you’re a spy, you don’t have to prove it just by using all the fancy words… Okay,” As I pick a piece of paper out of the base ball cap that’s in Weiss’ outstretched hand I still have no idea what this is all about.

“Unfold it, what’s it say?”

“Las Vegas. Okay, what does this mean.”

“Whoooo Hooooo, that’s the one I was hoping you’d pick. No place better the toss all your cares away than Sin City. Pack your bags Bristow, the flight leaves at 9:30, which mean you have 45 minutes to be ready to leave.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?” I’m trying to make it look like I’m pissed, but the more I let this sink in, the better it sounds. Because it sounds kinda like a whole weekend away, no work, no missions, no briefings, no debriefings.

“We are going to have a great time, just go along with it. Come on, we both need a break, you and I both. We’ve been working too hard lately, and we never travel for fun. Come on….. Please!” Now Weiss is whining. I hate whining, so I finally give in and let him know that I’m all for it.

“Okay, go back to your apartment, pack and pick me up in 45 minutes. I’ll be ready.” I’m actually really excited. I can’t believe I’ve never gotten a chance to simply enjoy Vegas. This is the best idea Weiss has had in ages.

“You mean you’re not going to fight me on this anymore?”

“No, because if I fight you on this anymore I won’t have time to pack. How long will we be gone?”

“I got your father to get you out of work on Monday, we come back Tuesday on the earliest flight in.”

“Okay, see you in 45 minutes.” I say as I push him out the door.

<Now, what in the world am I going to pack?>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forty three minutes later Weiss is knocking at my door. He’s never on time, but if it’s to go on vacation, he’s early. Gotta love it.

“I’m coming!” I holler from behind the closed door.

As I open the door I can’t help but laugh, Weiss has a gym bag packed, and his cargo short and a Hawaiian shirt on. Such a tourist.

“Okay, lets roll.” Weiss hollers, as he grabs my bag from my hands.

As we drive to the airport, I asked him about the hat, and picking the piece of paper…. I wonder what the other options were.

“Well, I picked a handful of cities that were all within a couple hours flight or drive, put them all in the hat, and figured we’d just go to the one that you picked out. It’s more fun that way. I have to admit though that I really wanted you to pick Vegas… Vegas Baby!!!!!”

“Thank you Weiss, that was a great idea. I’m so glad we’re going and having some fun, and not just sitting on my couch all weekend watching movies. So, what do you like, table games or slots?”

“Oh, definitely table games, that’s where you get to flirt more. But then I lose my money because I’m not paying attention to the game, so you know, then I hit the slots.”

As I laugh at his perfectly male rationale, I realize that I’ve never really had much time to gamble. I mean, I know the basics of the simpler games, but I think I might really enjoy this…. What a way to blow some of my hard earned spying dollars…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to welcome you all to Las Vegas, and just remember that no one loves your money like we here at Southwest Airlines love your money. Except for maybe the casino you’re about to head off to. Have a great stay.”

“Gotta love Southwest Airlines. They’ve brought the humor back to the airline industry.” Weiss cracked.

“Okay, so where are we staying?”

“Well, it’s up to you. There are two places that have vacancy where we can head to, but you have to pick, on the strip, or off the strip?”

“Which hotels?”

“Nope, on the strip or off the strip?”

“Okay, I’ll play, on the strip.”

“Good choice m’lady” Weiss says has he grabs my elbow and leads me off the plane.

“So, can I know where we’re staying now?”

“Nope, you don’t get to know until we get into the cab and I tell him where we’re headed.”

“Fine. But you’re mean. I hate surprises.”

“It’s Vegas, baby, it’s all about the surprises, so you better get used to it,” he says with a cackle.

“Driver, the Bellagio please.”

“Ooh! The Bellagio! I love that place! I can’t wait to watch the water show out front, oh, and go to the art exhibit!”

“Syd, are you kidding me? You’re in Sin City and you’re going to an art exhibit? I don’t think so. Not if the Weiss-man has anything to say about it.”

“Okay, so in your dream world scenario what would we do?”

“Well, we start by the pool where we get nice and liquored up. Then we head off to the Blackjack tables. Then we go have a buffet lunch. Then –“

“Okay, so what part of this trip don’t you have planned then?”

“Well, it’s all flexible, but I can definitely tell you that a trip to the art exhibit was no where in my plans,” Weiss said.

“Okay, Eric, I’ll put myself in your capable hands, oh swammy of Vegas,” I can’t believe it, but I finally just decided to give in. That’s a first.

Right then we pull up in front of the hotel, and it’s as beautiful as I remember from the last time I drove by it on my way home from a mission. There’s something enchanting about Vegas where you can do whatever you want, and it doesn’t matter because that’s what everyone else is doing too. I need a weekend of whatever I want more than I ever realized. Thank heavens Eric realized it for me.

I thank the cab driver as I exit the car, grab my suitcase from Eric and we head into the hotel. And that’s where the surprises continued.

As I stepped into the lobby I immediately felt the need to look up and there was the most amazing glass installation. It was thousands of colored pieces of blown glass by a world famous artist, Dale Chihuly. I could have stood there staring at it for hours, but we hadn’t even checked in yet.

“Welcome to the Bellagio, do you have a reservation?” the desk agent said.

“Yes, it’s under Eric Weiss. I believe we have a two-room suite reserved.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. And Mrs. Weiss, that’s a beautiful suite, one of our finest. Shall we just keep your credit card on file for your charges during your stay?”

“Yes, that’s fine, but she’s not the missus…. I’m not quite that lucky,” Weiss said with a wink in my direction.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Well, here are your two room keys. You are in Suite 1132. Enjoy your stay here at the Bellagio.”

“Weiss…. A suite?? We only need two separate beds… not two separate rooms. I can’t even imagine what a suite runs in this place – “

“Syd, don’t worry about it, it’s your first vacation in what…. Six years? We can splurge, besides, it’s on my government credit card – shhh don’t tell Uncle Sammy.”

I break into peals of laughter as we head off to the nearest bank of elevators, but already Weiss is drooling over the cocktail waitresses. In that instant I realize that two rooms is probably a good thing….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We settled into the room, and decided that because it was already so late we would go downstairs for a quiet meal then see what kind of luck the casino brought us. Dinner was perfect until dessert. I forgot to turn off my cell phone…

“Bristow.” I answered.

“Syd – where are you we need you in a meeting in twenty minutes.” Huh… Vaughn had no idea about this little trip, obviously because he expected me at the JTF in twenty minutes.

“Um… Vaughn, I’m sitting at dinner with Weiss, can’t it wait?”

“Weiss? I thought he went on a weekend trip?”

“Yea, with me. We’re in Vegas.” Wonder how he’ll take that news….

Suddenly Weiss leans into the phone…”VEGAS BABY!!!! YEAH!!!!”
I can’t even attempt to stifle the giggle I feel at that moment. Finally, I know something that Vaughn doesn’t, and finally I have the upper hand. I’m hundreds of miles away, and there’s nothing he can do about it. And maybe he’ll even be a little jealous of the fact that I’m in Sin City with one of his best friends.

After a few seconds to let the info settle in Vaughn finally responds.

“Are you kidding? You just up and went to Vegas?”

“Well, Vaughn, once upon a time I was going to just up and go to Santa Barbara, wasn’t I? I needed a break, and Weiss picked up on that, so we’re taking a break. I’m sure the world won’t melt away without me for a couple days. I’ll talk to you on Tuesday.”

“What.. Um…. But – “ Vaughn obviously didn’t know what to say.

“Good bye Vaughn, oh, and my cell phone will be off in the next hour or so, we’re going gambling and you’re not allowed to have any phones active on the gaming floor.”

Right before I hit the end button Weiss leans over again…

“We’ll put 20 bucks on black for you!” he shouts.

And the call is over. Man that felt good.



A/N: Don't worry it'll be S/V soon enough....
 
great start!! this is a good idea for a fic! i love weiss!! hes so funny! vaughn took the news badly o well. is he married to lauren in this or not? cuz if he's not yay!!!! but if he is...then he can just dump her on the side of the road. yeah i like that idea... can i get a pm when you update?
 
omg. i gotta love weiss. hahaha. he keeps going: "vegas baby!" cracks me up. especially when he says that into the phone to vaughn. hahaha. :smiley:
 
Well, the bad news is Lauren is still around. The good news is she won't be for long...
I'll be updating today, but pms won't go until tonight I don't think....
Thanks for your replies!
 
A/N: Here's the second chap.... sorry to leave it where I did, but I will get another chapter up before I go to bed tonight.


Chapter 2

My eyes opened to a pitch-black room, and I knew that I slept longer than I had intended, but I didn’t care. After rubbing my eyes to help wake myself up, I looked at the bedside clock, and noticed it was already 11:30. Holy felgercarb. I haven’t slept in till 11:30 since before I worked for SD-6! I love the heavy curtains in Vegas, they let you sleep as long as you want without recognizing that it’s daytime.

“Morning sleepyhead.” Eric said, rolling in a room service table brimming with Danish pastries, bagels, coffee, orange juice, and … was that ice cream?

“Eric, am I still dreaming, or is there ice cream on that breakfast table?”

“Well, you’re on vacation, and I know it’s your favorite, so I ordered you some to go with your breakfast, seeing as how it’s almost lunch time anyway,” he said as he handed me the bowl and a spoon.

As I took my first bite, I remembered that I never turned my phone back on after I left the casino last night, so I grab it off the nightstand and hit the Talk button until the screen lights up. I have three messages. Ugh.

As I dig into my ice cream, I hit the voice mail button, enter my passcode and prepare to delete these inopportune interruptions. I’m on vacation.

“Hello Sydney,” comes the monotone voice of my father,”I just wanted to say I hope you’re having fun, and not to worry about anything back here. You need a break, so take it. Ignore any calls from the office because I’ll cover for you. Have fun.”

As I hit delete, I’m at least thankful that my dad cares enough to simply let me have fun, now lets see who the other two dolts are who won’t let me relax.

“Miss Bristow, your dry cleaning is ready to be picked up. We’re open 7 to 7, 7 days a week. Thanks!” Delete.

“Syd, look, I’m sorry I was an idiot to you on the phone earlier. I hope you have a good time, but I need to talk to you. Can you give me a call when you aren’t being dragged around Vegas by that lunatic, K? Bye.”

Well, if that doesn’t ruin a mood, what does?

“Who was it Syd?”

“Dad, Drycleaners and Vaughn.” I said, not wanting to get into it right now.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and Vaughn?”

“Eric, I thought this was vacation. I don’t want to talk about it, it’ll ruin my buzz.” I say getting up to go to the bathroom, knowing it’s the one place he won’t follow me to.

As the water fills the huge sunken tub, I can’t help but think about what he wants from me. We had a “Moment” in North Korea. A moment of what I’m not sure, a moment of truth, a moment of confessions, a moment of silence, a moment of peace? And after that he hasn’t said anything to me other than a casual hello, or request to show up at the JTF. My brain says to move on, but my heart won’t let me. I just hate not knowing what’s going on. I’m in intelligence because I like knowing the secrets, I like having all the facts then drawing conclusions based on those facts. Right now I have NO facts, just emotions and they’ve betrayed me too many times in the past.

I still love him. I know that. I can’t hide from the cold reality that I’m in love with a married man though. I won’t let myself be with a married man. No matter how much of my soul he already occupies, no matter how many moments of the day are filled with thoughts of him, of his touch, of his feel, of his eyes, of his skin… and I’ve lost my train of thought yet again.

I keep doing that… losing my train of thought in Vaughn. In who he is, in what he is. He’s amazing. And he’s MARRIED. No matter how much I care for him, I still stand by what I told him right after I “came back from the dead”. I would have waited and part of me is upset because he didn’t have that faith in me, or in us, but he’s not me. I can’t expect everyone to do what I would do. Especially when it keeps me angry at the one person I love most.

And that’s when it happened. I made up my mind. I’m not angry anymore. I’m simply not. Anger does me no good. Happiness is much more productive, so I’m going to go ahead and be happy with what I’ve got. Starting with a great friend right outside that bathroom door.

I finish up in the bathroom and head out to tell Weiss my revelation. I wonder if I’ll sound crazy.

“Weiss? Weiss! Hey, guess what…. I’m not angry anymore. Not at Vaughn, not at anyone. It’s the magic that is Vegas, I guess, but I’m going to pay attention to the good things and ignore the bad. At least while we’re here. So what’s on deck for today?”

“You know you’re a girl after my own heart, using sports analogies, right?” He says with a huge grin. I love this man. He’s the perfect friend. “Okay, so I figured we’d go be tourists! We can go to the Eiffel Tower, we can go to New York, New York, and we can go see the tiger habitat at the Mirage. Whatcha think?”

“I think I’m letting you plan all my vacations. That sounds perfect! I haven’t done touristy stuff since I was a kid. Let me grab my walking shoes and we’re off.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As we headed across the strip to the Paris hotel my cell phone rings again. It’s Vaughn. Well, at least this time I’m not afraid of him.

“Hey Vaughn!”

“Syd, what are you doing?"

"Well, I’m staring up at the Eiffel Tower, and looking at Weiss’ goofy face. He’s like a kid in a candy store.”

Weiss chuckles and takes the phone from me.

“What are you doing bugging our fair lady Bristow? We’re on vacation. Leave us alone!”

“Weiss, I need to talk to her. Please put her back on the phone.”

“Nuh-uh. I’m her bodyguard. Hot chicks need body guards in this town. And she doesn’t want to talk to you.” As Weiss says that I grab the phone back from him.

“What is it Vaughn?”

“Can we talk? I really think we need to talk, I can come there and meet you for dinner.”

Whoa. That’s the last thing I was expecting.

“Dinner? Why?”

“I just told you, we need to talk. Please Syd.” And for some reason I can never say no to this man.

“Well, how are you going to get here? I mean, it’s not like it's a quick little jaunt to Santa Monica. Vegas is hours away.”

“It’s noon, I can hop in my car and be there by dinner time. Please.”

“What about Lauren?” I had to bring her up, didn’t I?

“That’s what we need to talk about. Please, it’s important.”

“Alright. Pick me up tonight at 7. We’re in Suite 1132 at the Bellagio. I’ll see you then.”

“I can’t wait Syd.” And before I change my mind, I hit the End button.

“So, I’m guessing I’m in need of a dinner date tonight, huh?” Weiss says looking at me with his puppy dog eyes. “I figured if I planned and executed the vacation, you would at least be my dinner date, but NOOOOO.”

“I’m sorry, he wouldn’t tell me what it was about, so I just agreed. I didn’t think about it. Sorry Weiss. I didn’t mean to leave you out.”

“Ah, don’t worry. I don’t care. I was wondering when I’d be able to ditch you to go to a strip club anyway!” Classic Weiss.

“Okay, so are we going to the top of the fake Eiffel Tower or what? Come on!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We spend the day sight seeing, and I honestly forget about dinner. That’s how much fun I’m having. We’re taking cheesy pictures, standing in front of fake monuments, buying stupid souvenirs. But we’re having a blast.

When we finally get back to the hotel around five, I realize what I’ve forgotten all day. I have a date. But is it a date? Who knows. But this is Vegas, where as dressy or as casual as you want to be is fine. So I go for dressy. After all the last time Vaughn and I spent any length of time alone together was when we were both beaten and dirty in a cell. I might as well show off the other end of my fashion spectrum.

As I head down to the shops, I wonder, what this is all about anyway. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Inspired by Weiss’ splurging on a suite, I find myself in Prada. I’ve never even thought to look in Prada before, and I live in LA. Wearing suits all the time gets old quick though, and I want to look like a woman tonight.

I stumble upon it in the back of the shop. It’s stunning. Almost reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn. Straight lines, basic black, but beautiful accents of a pale powder blue that’s almost gray along all the edges of the dress. The skirt is full and flounced, ending just below the knee. There’s one left, and it’s my size.

I ask the sales lady to try it on, and she gladly shows me to the dressing room. One look at the price tag and I know why she’s so glad to let me try it on. It’s $730, but that’s half off. It’s the last one left and they want to get it out of their stock. That’s an oxy moron for you… a $730 bargain.

But once I get it on, it’s insane it’s so perfect. It’s feminine, but still has the business edge to it that I’m so comfortable with. It’s just… me.

I have never been so happy to spend so much money, and I know that I’ll never be able to go into Prada again, knowing how luxurious it feels to wear such amazingly made clothes.

As I head back up to the suite, I wonder how the night will end. I wish I had a crystal ball to look into the future, but I don’t, so I move on to the next task at hand. I have an hour to shower, dress, do my hair and my makeup. I’ve done it before I can do it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh my freaking God! Syd, you look amazing!”

Well, at least I have Weiss’ stamp of approval.

“Hey, hand me my camera, I need a picture of you. That dress is perfect. I can’t believe you got it half off!” Okay, so now Weiss sounds like a chick. I never knew he cared so much about bargain shopping.

As I strike my best poses for Weiss and his digital camera, it reminds me of when I was a little kid. Parading around in my princess dresses whenever I had to get dressed up for special occasions. Dad always took pictures just like Weiss is doing now, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have these two amazing men like Weiss and my father in my life. I’m so blessed.

But the knock at the door snaps me out of my revelry. And suddenly the butterflies in my stomach that I’ve been fighting for the last couple hours since we returned to the hotel have returned in full force. I feel like I need to vomit or pass out. Maybe both. But before I can choose which one to do, Weiss is opening the door, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

I’m almost offended that Vaughn doesn’t even notice that I dressed up, but then I realize he’s staring at his feet. He’s nervous. At least that means we’re on equal footing.

But then he finally raises his eyes from the ground, ever so slowly taking in my image from bottom to top. And I can tell he’s worried. It’s those darn forehead wrinkles. They give him away every time.

“Well, are you ready to go?” I finally break the silence because I can tell Vaughn’s not going to, and Weiss is doing his best impersonation of a lamppost, standing still hoping that he will disappear into the wall. “Cause I’m starved.”

“Of course. I’m ready, let’s go,” he says finally locking eyes with me. I can tell whatever we’ve got to talk about it’s big.

As we step into the hallway, he grabs the crook of my arm and turns me to face him. And all of a sudden I’m not nervous anymore.

“Syd, I didn’t want to say this with Weiss in there, but you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

As my cheeks go crimson, I fumble for what to say.

“Thanks. We’ve got reservations downstairs, we’d better go or we’re going to be late.”
 
sssmckh said:
“Ah, don’t worry. I don’t care. I was wondering when I’d be able to ditch you to go to a strip club anyway!” Classic Weiss

Weiss is doing his best impersonation of a lamppost, standing still hoping that he will disappear into the wall. “Cause I’m starved.”
seriously, weiss is the best. hahaha. :smiley: i wonder what vaughn has to tell syd? something about leaving lauren i hope!! :smiley:
 
A/N: This entire idea for this fic was from my current favorite song on my current favorite CD. “This Love” by Maroon 5 is amazing, as well as the CD, Songs About Jane. I’m borrowing some of the lyrics to open up this chapter as they relay what I mean better than I could ever put into words.

Chapter 3

This love has taken its toll on me
She said Goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore


As we strolled down the walkway taking us to the restaurant, the words coming out of the PA system just seemed too funny. I can’t believe they’re playing this track, now while I’m strolling down the exquisite tile floors of the beautiful place with him. I just wish it were him saying the words, and not the PA system pumping music in to drown out the sounds of the near-by slot machines racking up wins and losses.

Heaven knows this has taken it’s toll on me in more ways than I care to count. I don’t want think about it because it’ll only make it all the more real.

As we see "Picasso" down the hall, Vaughn turns and looks at me. It’s a piercing stare. Piercing right into my core. God how I love him.

“Is this where we’re going?”

I made the reservations because I figured I had plenty of time on my hands. The concierge assured me that this restaurant was great, and I’m looking forward to a good meal, as I’ve hardly eaten all day.

“Yes, this is the place the concierge recommended. We have reservations for 7 o’clock. We’re right on time.”

I step to the booth and tell the hostess that I have reservations under Bristow for two.

She looks at Vaughn and lets her gaze linger a little longer than necessary, noticing his gorgeous navy suit that fits perfectly, but he doesn’t notice so I don’t really care. Not that I should, seeing as how he’s married to someone else.

“Follow me please, your table is right this way.”

As we step into the restaurant, the beauty of the place is overwhelming. I’m glad I dressed up. There are original paintings by Pablo Picasso adorning the walls, and I’ve always been entranced by his works. We’re lucky enough to have a table in a quaint alcove with a Picasso near by to gaze at. I need something to distract me so I study it intently before taking the seat Vaughn is offering me.

“Sydney, thank you for agreeing to talk with me.” I almost feel like I’m interviewing him for a job, he’s just that nervous, and just that careful with his words.

“Vaughn, why don’t you get to the point? I’m supposed to be getting away from my life right now, not rehashing it, so can we please just talk about whatever it was that was so important?” Maybe it was a little harsh, but I’m just as nervous as he is, I’m sure.

“Syd, the main reason I’m here is to say something you’ll never let me say.”

I look at him, refusing to meet his gaze, but listening all the same.

“I love you. I always have, and I couldn't ever stop.”

I look him in the eye this time, wondering where the “but” comes in. No “but”, but he does continue.

“Since North Korea, I’ve been trying so hard to figure out what is best for you, for me, for us. And yes, for Lauren too. It hit me last night after I talked to you on the phone… it’s so absurd that the answer is so simple yet, I let it elude me for so long. I told Lauren last night that I can’t be with her anymore. I don’t know how I ever let myself be with her when I can only ever think of you. You are my life, Sydney.”

We both sit in silence until the waiter comes up to ask us if we’d like anything to drink. Without thinking I respond. “Double vodka on the rocks.”

“I’d like the same please.” Vaughn looks at the waiter, then looks back at me. He seems grateful for the interruption.

“I love you, too.” I say. I can't think of anything else that fits, but it's the honest truth.

Then the waiter returns with our drinks. I take a hit off mine, draining about half of it before I continue.

“I don’t know what else to say Vaughn. I never wanted you to leave your wife for me. You know that.” I have to know that it’s clear. I’m NOT a homewrecker.

“No, you didn’t. I made that decision all on my own. But there’s no way I could continue living this way, and I don’t think you could either, Syd.” As he says my name, the perfect way he does, he reaches out and grabs my hand from around my drink glass. I look down and realize that he’s not wearing his wedding ring.

“Where’s your ring?”

“I told you it’s over. There’s no going back for me. My mind is made up. Now what do I have to do to make up your mind?”

“Don’t you want some time away? Don’t you want to step away from your marriage, let it end and get some closure without simply running to my arms, to my life, to my – “ I don’t finish the thought because it’s not appropriate.

“No. I’ve never been more sure of anything. The first time in I’ve felt at home since you “died” was in the damn cell in North Korea. YOU are my home. I need to be with you. If you don’t want me,” he stumbles on his words,” if you don’t want me, then I’ll deal with that, but I think that you feel the same way.”

Then, after thinking for a moment Vaughn says, “Like you said, we’ll always find each other.”

“It can’t just be that simple Vaughn. My heart was broken, no, it was shattered. You have no idea how painful this has been for me. Especially seeing you running back into her arms after what happened in Korea. Do you have any idea how painful that was???” I’m almost about to break into sobs when I stop myself, take another sip of my drink and wait for a response. Liquid courage as it was.

“Sydney, I’m so sorry; you know I would never hurt you on purpose. I swear. I would never -- You know that. You mean everything to me Sydney. Every time I hurt you I hurt for doing it. It’s like we’re inexplicably linked. Maybe that’s why there’s no way in the world I could ever leave you again.”

“So what, we just start over? How can we do that and just ignore what has happened?” I’m still baffled by this whole thing. He’s ended his marriage in the last 24 hours and the first thing he does is find me. My head says it’s so wrong, but my heart is tugging me towards him.

“No, not start over at the beginning. Start again. Taking everything that’s happened into account, and knowing where we went wrong in the past. I’ll never let go of you again, even if you don’t take me back. Please, Syd.”

“I just don’t know what to think. I’m torn, Vaughn.”

“Yes, but just hear me out, okay? I’ve told you what happened after you “died”, how I was a lunatic, talking to you when I was drunk, hell, I did it even when I was sober. Knowing you weren’t there, but not caring. I did everything for you, then finally something snapped in my head. People kept telling me that you wouldn’t want me to end up the way I was. But they didn’t get it. I wanted to die, but didn’t have the courage to just kill myself. God how I wanted to just die so I could be with you. Then one day, Weiss showed up on my doorstep.”

“Weiss?”

“Yea, the funny guy actually had something useful to say. He told me that I was being disrespectful to you. He didn’t say ‘to your memory’… he said I was being disrespectful to you. He knew I didn’t want to believe you were gone, and he played along with it. He was the first one to approach me and tell me that it was okay, even if I wanted to be in denial. Then I could finally move on, knowing in my heart that there is no one who could ever replace you.” Vaughn looked at me with pleading eyes. His eyes are enchanting. But I still didn’t have the whole picture.

“The why did you get married? I just don’t understand.”

“Actually, no one knows the real story… I asked her in my sleep. I didn’t mean it. I was talking to you Syd, you were still coming to me in my dreams and I begged you to please marry me, and those were the only two words Lauren heard ‘marry me’.

“Once I realized what I did, I figured I needed to fix things, but she had already gone around telling everyone, so I proposed properly, figuring it was the way things were supposed to be. I thought maybe I was paying the pied piper for all the pain I had caused others by having to marry someone I didn’t love.”

“Hopefully the pied piper doesn’t chase me down anytime soon…” I mutter under my breath and trail off thinking of all the things I may have done in my missing two years. Things I’m sure I never want to learn about.

Vaughn doesn’t understand the depth of my comment, and lets it pass.

“Sydney?”

“You’re sure it’s over between you and Lauren?”

“The only thing left to do is draw up the papers and sign them. I told her last night I was moving out. As soon as I leave Vegas I’m finding a new place to stay. It’s over. I swear. I wouldn’t lie to you about this Sydney.” Vaughn is as close to tears as I’ve ever seen him, and somehow it comforts me.

He wants me back so badly he’s almost in tears. Tears like the ones I cried so many times, spilling down my face onto my suit jacket, my pillow, my steering wheel, or anything else in their path. Now, his tears are threatening to spill down his amazing face.

I figure it’s time for some levity…

“Well, at least I only talk about desserts in my sleep. Apparently you propose in yours. That could be dangerous.”

“Nope, because I’ll never sleep next to anyone other than you again Sydney.”

“Well, how about we have a nice dinner, enjoy some classic art, and see where the night takes us. Is that good enough for now?” My words say one thing, but Vaughn can tell my smile and my eyes say something else entirely.

I’ve always been his. I just can’t bring myself to say the words yet.

"That's more than enough for now." He looks at me and knows what I can't say. He knows I'll say it when the time is right.
 
WOW!! :confused:
just wow ^_^
im speechless
and thats a once in a lifetime thing :blush:

i LOVED it

great chapters
cant wait for more ;)

Can i get a pm??
:woot:
 
sssmckh said:
My words say one thing, but Vaughn can tell my smile and my eyes say something else entirely.

I’ve always been his. I just can’t bring myself to say the words yet.

"That's more than enough for now." He looks at me and knows what I can't say. He knows I'll say it when the time is right.
^ i love that part!!!

dude. maroon5 is the best! love them! that's my favorite song. :smiley:
 
A/N: Okay, so I wrote a lot of this from Vaughn's perspective, but I had a hard tme with it because he's being so flighty this season, so I just did what I thought I would want him to, because that's why I'm writing it in the first place right???

Chapter 4

Syd's POV

Now that the tense atmosphere has passed, I can’t believe it but I’m actually having a blast. Just a genuinely good time. No pretense, no faking it, just having a great date. Because that’s what it is. A date. Not like any other date, mind you, but it’s amazing.

I still don’t know what I should think about all this, but I finally realized that I was thinking this all out too much. I let my heart lead and it led me into an amazing date. So that’s where I am. With all my heart and soul.


Vaughn’s POV

Everything is right with the world. At least with the part of the world that matters, and that part is the tiny little universe here at this table at this amazing restaurant in this crazy city. How fitting that this crazy life, this crazy relationship that is the best part of my life was finally resurrected in this city of all places.

Las Vegas will always have a special place in my heart because it’s where she and I decided it was worth a second chance. But the more time we spend together, the more positive I am that it was MORE than worth a second chance. It was worth a zillion chances because this is the best thing in the world.


Your love is better than chocolate.
Better than everything else that I’ve tried.
Oh, love is better than chocolate.



After all we’ve been through I finally feel like this is the finish line. We’re happy and this is where I want all the madness to stop. This is where it all will stop because nothing will ever deter me from my love ever again.

Weiss would think I was a sap if he knew what was going through my head, but he knows that she’s my life. It’s written all over my face, and it always has been.

I couldn’t tell you what we ate, or specifically what we talked about, because we talked about everything. Everything. She asked me about my wedding. She really wanted to know, I could tell from the look in her eyes that it was killing her not knowing about this huge part of my life, so I told her. I told her it was the biggest mistake I ever made and I knew it even as I was taking the vows that now seem so empty because the wrong person was at the alter with me.

What I can tell you, and anyone who asks, is what she looked like, and how it felt. It was home. There’s no other word for it.

And Sydney, she was as beautiful as she’s ever been. I can’t imagine that a creature was created as stunning as she was, especially sitting across that table from me, holding my hand, laughing with me. And as I realize that her beauty rivals none, but surpasses all, I have to stop myself. I’m in the middle of a sentence, and I have to stop…. Have to tell her.

“I know I’ve said this before, but you’re absolutely beautiful. The word is simple, and not enough, but it’s all I can say, you’re beautiful.”

She just gazed in my eyes, and I could tell everything would be okay. It might take some time, but everything would be fine.

Her hair was upswept, away from her graceful neck and strong chin. Her eyes twinkled in the low lighting, but somehow I don’t think it was the lighting. I think it was her twinkle, and I almost forgot that it was there. Her dress was stunning, it fit like a glove, with an off the shoulder neckline that showed off her shoulders, and the special spot I never forgot. And her lips. Her lips danced with her words, smiling at me, revealing her dimples, and her love of laughter. Her lips will always be my favorite piece of her after this night.

By the time the dessert came out, we had slipped into the old Sydney and Vaughn. The soul mates that were apart for far too long, finally coming back into each others lives.

We sat over our shared crème brulee, and just stared at each other. It was as intimate a moment as I’ve ever had. All over dessert, not in a bedroom, not in the throes of passion, but over dessert.

How did I ever find this? How did I ever find her?

“How did I ever find you?” I repeat, only this time out loud.

“You’ve forgotten already? I found you.” She gives me a knowing look and a half smile.

“Too true, you did find me. Then I lost you, then you found me again. The classic love story.”

“Classic?” She giggled. “I don’t know if that classifies as ‘classic’, seeing as how I was declared dead in the middle there.”

“Okay, maybe not the traditional version of ‘classic’ but I think it still qualifies.”

The last bite of dessert is left in the crockery on the table, and I scoop it up and offer it to her. She breaks out the dimples and gladly takes it.

I want this to last forever, but the meal is over. I pick up the check, and realize I have to say something, but I don’t know what. I feel like I’ve been talking all night.

“So, what do you want to do now?”

“Well, I should call Weiss and check in, he may be worried, seeing as how one meal just took four hours of our time.” She says glancing at her watch.

The best four hours of my life.

She finds an in house phone, and dials her suite. After about 30 seconds she hangs up the phone and turns back around to face me.

“Maybe he wasn’t kidding about the whole ‘strip club’ thing… he’s not there.”

“Strip club? Are you kidding?”

“Oh, come on Vaughn, he’s a grown boy, he can have some adult fun, can’t he?” she says with a gentle push on my shoulder.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Well, seeing as how it’s Saturday night and we’re in Vegas, how bout some gambling?” And the twinkle is back in her eyes.

“Well, I don’t know if I should be pushing my luck after such an amazing dinner, so how about I stand by as your good luck charm for now? What’s your pleasure?” There’s no way I can let this night end yet. I just need to be around her more.

“Hmm… Weiss and I played blackjack last night, I’m thinking it’s time for some good old Roulette.”

“Alright, off we go to the roulette tables. Madam?” I offer her my arm in an almost joking manner, but we both know I’m serious. She already has all of me, taking my arm is just the icing on the cake.

For someone who takes chances that are life and death all the time, Syd’s not much of a gambler. She finds the table with the lowest minimum bets and starts getting her feet wet. After about twenty minutes, she’s slightly ahead, and I’m just sitting there, watching her deft movements. She’s never played this particular game before, but she looks like a pro. Placing her chips like she owns the table. I can’t help but notice every man within a 20-foot radius looking at her. Her confidence is so sexy. Her manner, attractive. And that’s not even touching on her physical beauty.

The cocktail waitress brings her what Syd calls her first “girlie” drink. She only drinks “girlie” drinks while gambling she says because they get her tipsy easier, and helps make the gambling more enjoyable.

The lime green Midori Sour sits next to her bright pink one-dollar chips. And as soon as she takes a good hit off her drink, she hits big. She put ten chips down on 17, and it hit. She’s the star of the table, attractive and a winner. But they don’t know he half of it.

With one long drag, the Midori is gone and her confidence is soaring.

Before I even know what’s going on, she’s kissing me. Oh God, she’s kissing me. Her lips, the perfect lips are pressing into mine, burning into mine. This is what I’ve been missing for over two years. True passion. Perfection in one simple kiss. She decides that it’s enough for now, and I’m not about to press her further, but she stops, looks deep into my eyes, and it seems like her brown eyes are melting into mine.

Then, she sits down and places her next bet, while all the men at the table look on at me with hatred and jealousy in their eyes. But I can barely notice because she’s there, and she’s invading all of my senses.


Syd’s POV

I finally left the Roulette table up over $300. Not a bad piece of change for a low limit table and only an hour’s worth of gambling.

I grab a one hundred dollar chip, and hand it to Vaughn.

“Now it’s your turn. Take my winnings and see what you can do.” I give him a wink and a smile that tells him the night isn’t nearly over yet.

We stroll the tables until a game hits Vaughn’s fancy. He seems to be partial to poker, but can’t decide on a table, or a type. Finally he sits down puts the chip down, and doesn’t bother changing it out. He’s putting it all down on one hand. I can only watch, standing behind him like the good-luck trophy he was for me.

As all the cards are turned over, he’s got a full house, and has beaten everyone at the table handily. He quickly takes his winnings, puts them back in my hand and says, “My work here is done.”

His smile melts my heart.

I take my chips and cash them in, and tell him that I heard about some loose slots down a little further in the casino. He’s game for anything, he says, so off we go.

I pick out a machine, and put a hundred into the machine right next to mine so he has something to play on for a while. I pop another hundred into my machine, and quickly flag down the passing cocktail waitress.

“Hi, could I have an Amaretto Sour? Thanks!”

“And for you sir,” the waitress asks.

“Oh, I’ll have a screwdriver. Thanks.”

We start playing, and it’s one of those highly confusing electronic games that looks like a video game. We both start to get into it, deciding how many lines to bet, and how many credits on each line, and each time we win any sort of jackpot we giggle together, and toss the other a high five.

It’s like being back in high school, enjoying the simple things, except those simple things involve alcohol and gambling.

I hit a modest jack pot, about another $200, and I decide I’m done for the night, and as Vaughn’s credits dwindle down, the machine keeps feeding him just enough wins to keep playing. I’m willing the machine to keep giving him little wins because I’m not ready to leave yet, and this night could just never end and I’d be happy.

Finally, he’s betting his last 18 credits on six separate lines, and he hits big. He wins $1200 and we’re jumping up and down hugging each other. And now it’s his turn. He kisses me. It’s better than any bells and whistles that the machine could be spouting right now. He deepens the kiss and I let him, and we’re not interrupted until the change attendant comes along to pay out his jackpot.

We break apart a little unwillingly, knowing it might be the last time we’re this close all night. It seems like they’re dying to give him his money, so he takes it and tries to give it to me.

“I’ll make you a deal, I’ll take your seed money back, but the winnings are yours. Besides, I’m already ahead for the night. In more ways than one.” He knows exactly what I’m saying.

“Okay, fine by me. Here’s my starter hundred.”

“So, what do we do now.” This time I ask it, knowing we’re both wondering.

“Honestly? I don’t want the night to end yet. But I also think it’s foolish of us to take anything too quickly.”

“You’ve read my mind,” I say. “How about we go ahead and head back up to the suite and just talk for a while.”

“Talk?”

“Yes, talk. Just talk Vaughn,” I say. “But if you want to stay here for the night, I bet Weiss wouldn’t mind sharing his room, after all, he does have TWO queen size beds. I snagged the room with the king sized bed before he could see it.”

“That’s my girl!” he says with pride. “Sounds good to me if it’s okay with you, but I don’t want to overstep any boundaries here.”

“I bet we’ll get up there and Weiss will be there, then you two can go have some guy fun while I catch up on my rest. Otherwise we’ll chat, K? I have a feeling we have a lot to catch up on.”

“Okay, let’s go.” He grabs my hand as he says it and threads his fingers with mine. We stroll like this isn’t a monumental day, like it’s any other day in Las Vegas. Like we’re here all the time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Weiss??? Are you here? Weiss?” I holler towards his bedroom to find out if he’s back yet. It’s 2am, but that’s just the beginning of happy hour in this town.

“Weiss, dude, you in here?” Vaughn knocks on the door to his room, and the door swung open.

As he checks the room further, I go into my room, deeper into the suite. There’s a note on my bedside table.

S ‘n V –

Hope you had a nice time. I’m off living the Vegas highlife until I run out of cash. That’s the way it works in Sin City from what I hear. Seeing as how I’m not up gambling at the tables, I’ll probably be out of cash by 3ish. See you then.

The Weiss-man


Vaughn comes up and stands in the doorway of my room. Not quite daring to enter.

“What’s that, Syd?”

“Note from Weiss,” I say crossing over to him and handing it to him to read, “I’m surprised he’s still out.”

“Me too, that man was never lucky. He stopped coming to poker night years ago because he kept losing his shorts.”

“Well, I’m hungry. Where’s the room service menu?”

“Voila!” Vaughn hands me the menu and I curl up into the couch in the sitting area.

“Where is the …. A-ha, desserts! Good old banana split that’ll hit the spot,” I say handing the menu over to Vaughn. “What do you want?”

He grabs the menu from my hands and flips to the dessert section. “My sweet tooth is calling for a piece of Cheesecake. Should I get the caramel or the strawberry?”

“That’s easy, caramel. How could you even have to ask?”

I reach over to the phone on the side table and hit the room service key.

“Room service, what may we get for you this evening?”

“We need one banana split and one piece of your caramel cheesecake, please. Oh, and a pot of coffee, and two bottles of water.”

“Okay, that will be up to suite 1132 in 15 minutes. Thank you!”

“Thanks!” I say, hanging up and looking wide-eyed at Vaughn. “I love hotels, dessert down stairs, then dessert upstairs delivered to your door in less than 20 minutes. I could get used to this.”

“Me too,” he says, never taking his eyes off me.

To break the tension, I get up and turn on the stereo to the local top 40 station. Vaughn gets up and takes off his suit jacket and loosens his tie.

I start to put bobby pins out of my hair one at a time, creating a little mountain of pins on the couch between he and I.

“How about we play a game while we wait for dessert?” I ask.

“Well, that depends, what kind of game?” I’m sure he’s wondering what I’m thinking. I might as well make it crystal clear for him.

“Hmmmm… what can we play with the supplies we have here in the room. Hey, how about Hangman!” I say grabbing the note pad and a pen off the table adjacent to the couch.

“What are we, 12? Hangman?”

“Oh, come on it’ll be fun, I’ll let you go first! Here!”

He looks at me sideways, wondering if I’m really serious. What, did he think I’d suggest something dangerous like Truth or Dare or something?

“Okay…. Give me a minute to come up with a puzzle.”

“Alright, I’ll go change real quick and when I come back, I’m gonna start guessing letters, mister.”

When I return Vaughn is looking as handsome as ever, slouched back into the corner of the couch, with the puzzle drawn out on the note pad, and waiting on the coffee table.

As I sit down, I get right down to business, not paying attention to the fact that I’m now lounging next to him in my beat up pajama bottoms and a comfy sweatshirt.

“Okay, you have to play Wheel of Fortune style, I get R, S, T, L, N and E to start.”

Vaughn fills in the aforementioned letters, and says, “Okay, get guessing, but I’m going to give you a hint. It’s not in English.”

“Oh, come on, not in English! That’s playing dirty!”

“I don’t think it’s playing so dirty when you know nine different languages. Now go!” he laughs.

“Okay, A,” I guess, and I get one ‘A’.

“M,” and I get one ‘M’.

Now the puzzle looks like this: _e t’a_me S_ _ n e _

I guess a Y next, and it fills in two spots. Right then we hear a knock at the door. As I stand up and walk to the door to get the dessert, I look at Vaughn, “Je t’aime aussi, Vaughn.”

I open the door and invite the waiter in, while drooling over the desserts. They look better than I had imagined, even though we feasted on a five-course dinner earlier in the evening.

I sign the check and hand the waiter a cash tip. He tells us to put the dishes in the hall when we’re done and call down for a pick up. We agree to do just that, and sit down for our second dessert that night.

As we start to taste the confections on the plates before us, we don’t speak. And as I start to ask Vaughn if he’d like a bite of my ice cream, we hear the electronic key lock click open.

“Hey guys! What, the fancy restaurant didn’t have dessert?” Weiss come barreling in, obviously slightly inebriated, and happy as heck about it.

“No, this is the second dessert. You know how I love dessert, Weiss!” I say, laughing at how entertaining he is just weaving around the room looking at things. He picks up Vaughn’s jacket and starts to inspect it, then tries to put it on before he realizes it’s not his. He gets his arm stuck in the arm hole, and starts shaking it so hard to try and get the jacket off that he loses his balance and falls onto the couch.

“Uh, Weiss, that’s MY jacket, dude, why don’t you just put it back on the couch, K?” Vaughn says, while going over to try and save his jacket from total destruction by drunken-Weiss.

“Oh, wait, that’s not your second dessert Syd, that’s your third,” Weiss says out of the blue.

“What? Weiss, are you sure you haven’t had WAY too much to drink?” I ask him.

“Uh huh, remember I got you ice cream for breakfasssst too,” he says slurring all over himself.

I break out laughing, and apparently it’s contagious because soon both men are falling over laughing too. Once we settle down, Vaughn takes Weiss in to bed in his room to sleep off his night out and joins me back at the dessert table.

“Weiss got you ice cream for breakfast?” he asks.

“Well, brunch really. He knows it’s my favorite, and he wanted to cheer me up. I was pretty pissed after your phone call last night.” I say laughing.

Then it hits me how just 24 hours ago we were angry at each other, he was (I thought) happily married, and I was as alone as I’d ever been, except for Weiss.

I look over at Vaughn, and all of a sudden I feel like it’s all going way too fast for me. But he sees it in my eyes and beats me to punch.

“Do you want me to go home now, Syd? It’s been a great night but it’s also been a really long day,” he asks.

“That’s silly Vaughn. Driving back to LA now is just a death wish! There’s a perfectly good spare bed in there next to Weiss. Stay here. It’ll be fine. But I am VERY tired and think it’s time for sleep.” Not bed. Sleep. Note the difference, I think.

“Well, I was thinking I could just get my own room, and we could have breakfast in the morning. I don’t want to impose,” he said.

“What, and waste your hard earned winnings?” I laugh. “Come on, just use the other bed. I’m sure Weiss won’t care. I’m putting my foot down.”

Vaughn starts to clean up our dessert table to roll it back out into the hall, and I stand up with a huge yawn.

“I need sleep. I’m going…” another yawn, “to bed. See you in the morning Vaughn. Thanks for a perfect night.”

“Syd, wait –“ he said, grabbing my elbow and turning me back around to him, “It’s not perfect yet.”

I look up at him, not fully understanding what he means, then he leans down and gives me the most passionate kiss I’ve ever had. It’s full of love, and lust, and wanting, and desire. And I return it in exactly the same fashion. And then all of a sudden, it’s over.

“Now it’s perfect. Thank you,” he says kissing me on my nose, then on my forehead. All I can do is smile and go to bed. At least I’ll have sweet dreams tonight for the first time in a very long time.


A/N: Inset lyrics are from "Ice Cream" by Sarah McLachlan, great track that I highly recommend if you're not familar with it.
 
Okay, I don't want to inundate anyone with PMs, so I will send them after the next new chapter in the morning. Plus, I'm too tired now ;)
 
this is such a great story.

Weiss is so funny. syd and vaughn are togerther now!!! :D

can't wait to see what happens next.
 
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