A/N: Hi! Hope it goes well for you today... Here we are getting snow for the first time this winter!
Chapter 13
The next day was surprisingly peaceful for Vaughn, except for a call by his sister Anna.
«Bro, is this true what mom told me?»
«Hi, Anna! I’m surprised I didn’t hear from you sooner…»
«Well, I’ve been away for a few days and I just talked to mom. So???»
«It’s true.»
«Is this a joke? Is this your payback for when I threw you in the pool last summer?»
«Anna. It’s true. You’ll meet Sydney at Sabrina’s birthday.»
«OH MY GOD!!! IT IS REAL!!!»
«Anna, breathe, breathe. I got to go now. Take care.»
«Mike, I… You’re the best brother EVER!!!»
*****
Nobody else mentioned anything about he and Sydney that day, so he was pretty joyful that evening when he got at Sydney’s place to have dinner.
«So, how was your first day as a celebrity?»
«Uneventful. Nobody said anything, can you believe it?»
Sydney’s brown eyes stared at the floor. She hated to be the one to bring him back to reality.
«Honey… It’s all about to change. I got a call from Connie. Someone tip off
Entertainment Tonight about who you are. I had to confirm you worked at the State Department. I also said we met a few months ago and just began dating.»
Michael sat down and sighed.
«Who told them?»
«I don’t know. It could be anybody. The show will air in a few minutes, we should watch.»
Feeling her boyfriend wasn’t too pleased about that turn of events, Sydney sat close to him and rubbed his back.
«Michael, I’m so sorry to make you go through this…»
«Syd, don’t apologise. You’re worth it. Don’t question that. Never.» He took her in his arms, and they silently waited for
ET to begin.
«Tonight, we bring you all the details about the Indiana Jones 4 premiere last night, all the fashion and all the gossip! Also, our Hot Story tonight, “Who’s Sydney’s Mysterious Hunk?”
That’s when his phone started ringing. And ringing. Friends. Long lost cousins. Colleagues. Everybody wanted to get details and, Vaughn suspected, to be able to tell their entourage that they knew Sydney Bristow’s boyfriend.
When Vaughn got to work the day after that, things didn’t improve. He was without a doubt the point of attention, with an endless succession of co-workers dropping by his office, looks from across the room, whispers at the coffee machine… Kendall didn’t seem to enjoy it and Michael feared he would take back his blessing. But the worst part was when Haladki, the most hated agent in FBI’S history, came to see him.
«So Vaughn, how many times did you f*** her in that safe house, uh?»
«Stop it, Haladki!»
«Ooh, I can just picture her naked… hummmm…»
«Cut it out, or I swear…»
«Yes, man, shut up!», Weiss added.
«Anyway, the reporters of
Entertainment Tonight were very grateful for my information…»
So Haladki was the one that tipped off the media. That was more than what Vaughn could take from that jerk. He got up and grabbed him by the collar.
«You son of a b…»
«Mike, stop! He’s not worth it!»
Vaughn finally let go, still furious. That was enough. He grabbed his jacket and left, taking the rest of the afternoon off.
*****
He needed to change his mind and fast, so he called Sydney.
«Syd? Are you up for a little trip to Toys ‘R’ Us? I need your help.»
«For your niece? Sure!»
«I’m on my way. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.»
«Okay!»
On the way to the store, Sydney questioned him to know why he took the afternoon off. Vaughn replied evasively, not wanting to tell her about Haladki. She already had enough on her mind, feeling guilty enough as it was. So he quickly changed the topic of conversation.
«Sabrina is going to be three years old and Jennifer said she would like a princess outfit.»
«Alright, I can do that.»
In the store, they chose a beautiful lavender dress. Sydney was looking at tiaras for a while, as she couldn’t decide which one would be the perfect match. Seeing Michael was getting a little impatient, she sent him to get princess shoes on the other isle. When he came back with red shoes, she teased:
«Are you colour blind? What is it with man and not being able to match clothes?»
«Hey, watch it, Bristow! What’s wrong with lavender and red together?»
«Everything!»
«So if we have kids one day, you won’t let me dress them?»
His comment felt like a punch in Sydney’s gut. She plastered a fake smile on her face and replied:
«No way… Now go and get matching shoes!»
As he left her side, Sydney stared blankly at the tiaras. Of course he wanted children! He loved children. She knew he had this life planned for himself, for them, with a few kids… She never saw herself as a mother. How could she be a good mother after all she had been through? How could she ever be the woman Vaughn needed? Maybe he would be better off without her. Maybe she should leave him right now and save him the pain. Maybe.
*****
A few days later, Sydney went to work on Alias. Filming the first episode wasn’t too much work, as she had only one scene. But she had a lot promotion to do in the following days:
Live with Regis and Kelly, Late night with David Letterman, interview with
Access Hollywood… Of course, they all had questions about Michael. She tried to avoid answering as often as she could, but she also knew she had to throw them a bone if she ever wanted the interest toward them to decrease. And that’s what happened. Just two weeks later, there were less paparazzi haunting Sydney’s neighbourhood, less phone calls, less attention for Vaughn at the office. Slowly, they settled in their life together, seldom spending the night apart, going out and seeing friends. Melissa and Eric had dated a few times and things went wonderful. Everything was great… But Sydney was still struggling with her feelings of inadequacy. When she was in Michael’s arms, everything seemed possible. He loved her. It would be okay. It was different when she was alone. Her fear of disappointing him consumed her. Now she was going to meet his family, and her fear grew exponentially as the day approached.
*****
omg!! your halle berry!