A/N: This Chapter is RATED R. Please do not read if you are under-age. An NC-17 version is posted at SD-1 & AliasUncovered. A huge Thank You to all my readers & especially my reviewers. You all have made my first writing experience an unbelievable one, and after a short break, I'm certain that I'll be back for more. Please enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX – REALIZZATA
When Jack entered the house, Sydney was sitting on the couch with Weiss, resting on him while his arm lay around her shoulders. Eric had been trying to comfort his friend and coerce her into a nap, but when Sydney stopped responding to him, it was Weiss who had fallen asleep, head flopped back onto the top of the sofa. Sydney leaned into the embrace. Her head was on Weiss's shoulder, but her mind was focused only on one person… one set of arms.
When her father strode in with a smile threatening to overtake his features, Sydney's entire body jolted, instantly waking her sleeping companion. She stood, waiting for Jack to explain why Vaughn wasn't with him. Instead her father looked to Eric, conveying without words what should take place.
After a quick squeeze of her hand, Weiss was gone, and Jack looked poised to follow. Before he left, he handed Sydney a small piece of paper with a strange address. "You can find me here when you need me," he explained quietly. "Take your time. You have my cell number." Before Sydney could object or question, Jack had hugged her and walked out, leaving the front door open and a bewildered daughter in the living room.
When Sydney looked up, she found herself in the same scene from the night before… eyes locked with her lost love as he stared into her house from the front stoop. They stood frozen, too afraid to move, until Sydney broke their link by looking away. "You came back," she whispered into the deadened air.
Her words compelled him towards her, "How could you think that I wouldn't?"
Sydney was studying her hands clasping the crumpled note when she admitted her transgression to him in a gasp, "Because I didn't." Sydney's breathing became very shallow and her eyes were flitting around the room, resting everywhere but on the man standing less than a foot from her. "Vaughn… I know that…"
Vaughn didn't allow her to begin the speech she had planned, silencing her with two fingers softly pressed to her lips and a hand on her shoulder. Startled and confused, Sydney chanced a look at his tightly closed eyes and shaking head.
"No…" He commanded evenly, his eyes opening to hold her gaze unabashedly, "No, Sydney, you don't know. I don't want to hear any apologies or regrets from you, just like I'm sure you don't want to hear them from me. It's in the past, and if all this has taught me anything, it's that I only need to be concerned about Right Now."
Vaughn moved his fingers from her lips and began running his hand so lightly over her nose, forehead, and cheeks that Sydney had to close her eyes to feel it. He leaned in closer, so his lips were touching hers in that same, softer-than-a-feather way as he spoke, "Right now all I care about is you."
Sydney's breath caught in a small gasp before his lips took hers completely. Vaughn pulled her close and Sydney's hands pressed flat on his stomach for support as relief washed over her, nearly causing her knees to give out. But Vaughn anticipated her problem, and had moved his hands to grip her at the waist, stabilizing them, allowing Sydney to give in to him completely. Her body sculpted itself to his and her arms coiled around his neck as they each attempted to fill themselves by consuming the other.
Vaughn began to slow their kiss and then languorously pulled away and resumed his searching gaze, trying to determine if she had understood his meaning. He wasn't angry with her, and frankly, he didn't care about any of it as long as she wanted him now. He gave her a soft smile, which she returned before leaning in towards his ear and secretly whispering, "You left the door open."
He embraced her tightly, feeling truly himself for the first time in years. He had to consciously force himself to release her. With a sideways grin on his face, Vaughn took a step back, set the keys he pulled from his pocket on the counter, and went to go secure the front door. Sydney stood, transfixed by his movements until he turned and she blushed, embarrassed at having been caught staring.
She blinked and began moving toward the kitchen, wondering what to do next. She noticed the keys that Vaughn had been carrying. They were her father's keys to their house. Sydney looked down at the small paper, now crumpled and slightly damp from her palms. Why did he give me this? She looked back and forth between the address and the house keys for a few seconds before a shocking idea began to creep into her mind.
Sydney felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. "What are you looking at?" he asked softly, his lips brushing her ear. She had to push her body's reaction to him out of her mind to answer his question, "An address Dad gave me. Why do you have his keys?"
She could feel Vaughn's smile even before she turned in their embrace to face him. His joy was infectious, and Sydney couldn't help smiling as she asked, "What?" Vaughn just shook his head in amazement, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Sydney's mind was racing. "He… he left?" she spoke the realization out loud, looking to Vaughn for confirmation. He nodded for her and continued, "He gave me his keys, saying he wouldn't need them anymore. I guess he assumed that I would…" Vaughn was grinning again at Sydney's astonishment.
"What went on between the two of you while I was gone?" she asked, not realizing the enormity of her question. Vaughn's smile faded as he contemplated how to answer her. Jack had taken care of him completely after Sydney's disappearance. Everyone had treated Vaughn as if he and Sydney had been married, including Jack. However, defining the relationship between the two men would have taken more time and psychological insight than Vaughn possessed.
So, he simply chose to gloss over her question, answering honestly, "Syd, your father is a good man. He loves you and wants to see you happy, and he knows that I love you and will do everything I can to make your life the best it can be… starting right now."
Vaughn used his body to pin Sydney to the kitchen counter while his mouth found hers again. Their kisses started soft, but quickly transformed into something deeper, stronger, and more passionate. For the first time in over two years, they were truly alone together, their bodies provoking and responding as if they had never been apart.
When their need had become almost too much to bear, Sydney pushed against Vaughn's arms, causing him to pull back. Without speaking, Sydney grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway to her bedroom, stealing quick glances over her shoulder at his blissful face. It was only when they were safely locked in the small room, with the yellow light of mid-day filtering through the gauzy curtains, that Vaughn dared to break their quiet.
"Sydney, I love you, and I want this more than I can say, but if it's too soon…"
This time it was Sydney who silenced Vaughn with a soft finger to his mouth. She quickly replaced it with her lips before answering him softly, "No, it's not too soon. Vaughn, I love you so much. I need you – all of you – now, more than ever. If anything, it has been too long."
With her declaration, Vaughn could no longer fight the urge that had possessed him. In no time, his hands were back on her, roaming the landscape of her body, finding every nuance and curve that was craving his touch. In one rapid movement, he lifted her shirt off and tossed it across the room. His hands then resumed their previous path, over and around her thin, satin bra, giving rise to shivers and small goosebumps on her smooth skin.
Sydney could feel herself rapidly losing focus, her only thoughts were of touching him as he was touching her. Her hands had found their way under his tee-shirt and undershirt, and after a short struggle, lifted both over his head. She quickly razed her fingernails down his chest and over his abs, causing the taut muscles to pulse slightly from the sensation.
When her fingers paused on the buttons to his jeans, their eyes locked. She carefully unfastened the buttons, slid the material to the floor, and helped him step out of the pant legs. When she stood again, he repeated the action on her, leaving them standing, face to face, nothing between them but some thin cotton and scraps of satin.
Vaughn placed his hands on either side of Sydney's slim waist and pulled her against him. He relished the feel of her breasts pressed flush against his chest as he began pushing against her, leading her toward the bed. He tightened his grip and she let out a soft gasp as Vaughn, almost effortlessly, lifted Sydney a few inches off the floor and carried her the few remaining steps to the edge of the bed. He gently lowered her onto the mattress, his body above hers, but skin just touching for a moment before he backed away, kneeling at the end of the bed.
Sydney's face flushed as she felt his gaze on her, a warm tingle running from her toes to her center, and spreading up to her chest, neck, and face. She could hear his shallow breaths, but could not meet his eyes until he spoke,
"You are perfection." His voice was thick with emotion, and Sydney felt her own eyes begin to cloud. All she could do in response was to lift a hand, fingertips stretching to touch him. He instantly heeded her call, moving so he was kneeling between her ankles.
Sydney's breathing had become shallow and erratic, and she wedged her fingers into his hair, exhaling the only word on her mind,
"Michael…"
The sound of his given name, so rarely heard from her lips, spurred him upward, attacking her delicate neck with a ferocity like nothing Sydney remembered experiencing. She rained soft kisses randomly upon his forehead and hair until he raised his head to hers. Leaning on his forearms, Vaughn lay between Sydney's raised knees, his torso covering hers.
Their gazes met, a mix of adoration, longing, and desire. Sydney's ability to breathe left her entirely. They had come through so much, overcoming every obstacle that could have been thrown their way, and triumphed. This man, with half-lidded eyes gazing at her with veneration and a tousled head of dark blond hair, was hers. The effect of that realization was overwhelming, and Sydney once again had to fight back tears.
Vaughn saw her reaction, fully mirroring every sensation he saw. He simply met her watery eyes, nodding in understanding before beginning his rain of feather-soft kisses over her face, eyelids, and lips. When she said his name again, turning her head and breathing it softly into his ear, Vaughn knew she was ready.
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When they were both sated and exhausted, Vaughn laid down next to Sydney, who was still trying to regain a normal breathing pattern and heartbeat. She turned her head to find him staring at her, a peaceful expression gracing his features. Sydney raised her trembling hand to stroke his cheek, and Vaughn used what strength he had left to reach out and pull her to him.
"Promise me…" He whispered with a shaking voice into her hair, "Promise me that you will never leave me again."
Sydney pulled back just far enough to look Vaughn straight in the eye. With a tone that revealed a strength that only returned with her touchstone, she assured him of her every intention.
"Never. I promise. I couldn't even if I tried."
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Fine