tommygirl | Times Like These (PG)

I ended up skipping around on the kiss drabbles as one of them (::coughsMEDIEcoughs::) has sent my brain spinning into a huge story. I tried to go back and do something smaller and different, but that just seemed to all occur in my head in the same world. So, first up is the one for

celli, who asked for Alias, Syd/Weiss.

Times Like These

Sydney walked out of the meeting with Dixon and her father with a spring in her step. A weekend off. One weekend where she could focus on her life and not work or the Covenant or whatever other crisis popped up. Sure, she didn’t appreciate the concerned looks and spoken worries about burn out geared at her, but she was going to take her time off and enjoy it.

It still amazed her how much had changed in her life sometimes. Not just the two years, which was a given, but the past six months since her return. She had lambasted Vaughn for moving on so quickly after she was gone, and while it was different circumstances, she understood it now. Loneliness could be overwhelming and sometimes it just happened. Love could hit harder than any criminal she had gone up against. Sydney hadn’t expected it, hadn’t wanted it, but one day, she felt it. The flutter in her chest as she looked across the booth of the diner with a newfound wonder as Eric made her laugh at his own expense and did everything he could to keep her smiling.

She rounded the corner, her excitement growing when she noticed Eric leaning back in his chair with his feet up, and closed the distance between them. She shoved his feet off the desk and as he attempted to recover, she said, “One whole weekend to ourselves.”

“You could’ve killed me.”

“Eric.”

“Syd.”

“One whole weekend to ourselves,” she repeated. She did a quick peripheral check to see if anyone was around - not that it probably would've stopped her - before grabbing his hand. She said, “You do know what that means.”

He closed his eyes and smiled. “I’m imagining it now.”

She couldn’t stop herself – unsure if it was the mood or the adorable look on Eric’s face or the fact that she hadn’t felt this unfettered in a relationship in so long – and she slid onto Eric’s lap and kissed him. Her hands roamed through his hair as his arms went around her, pulling her closer to him. It probably would’ve continued if someone – her father – wasn’t clearing his throat in consternation.

“Mr. Bristow, we were just…”

“Spare me, Agent Weiss,” Jack replied. He glanced at Sydney and said, “I was going to see if you wanted to get dinner, but it looks like you’re spoken for.”

Sydney knew she should stand up and apologize, but she couldn’t be bothered. She shifted in Eric’s lap and replied, “Maybe tomorrow?”

“That’s fine.”

“It’ll be the three of us. It’s time you get to know Eric better.”

Sydney almost laughed at the horrified expressions on both Eric and her dad’s faces, but her father, ever the professional, immediately neutralized his gaze on Eric and said, “Sure, sweetheart, I’ll even come by early to have a chat with Agent Weiss.”

“Oh that sounds fun,” Eric replied, groaning when Sydney kicked him.

“Thanks dad. Tomorrow then,” she replied. Once he disappeared into his office, Sydney turned her attention back on Eric. “Where were we?”

“Stop trying to get me into trouble. I need to finish this report.”

“It can wait until Monday.”

“What if someone else walks by?”

“Everyone else has left for the weekend except for a few workaholics like my father.”

“Not everyone. People could see. I thought you didn’t want people to see.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Let me guess, woman’s prerogative?”

“If you’re not comfortable—“

“—I’m very comfortable.”

“Then there's no issue, unless you’re worried about Vaughn seeing us.”

“It did cross my mind.”

“In what way?”

“In the I’m a crappy best friend way. I've broken the don’t date your best friend’s girl code.”

“And that’s it? No second thoughts about us?”

“I’m usually the one to ask you that.”

“I’m serious, Eric.”

“So am I.”

Sydney traced her fingers over the lines of Eric’s face and said, “I have no second thoughts about us. This was unexpected and I probably handled it wrong when it first happened, but this is about you and me. I’m not Vaughn’s girl, I’m yours, and he knows that.”

“He knows?”

“I told him that you and I were dating."

“You told him?”

“Are you going to keep repeating everything I say?”

Eric stared at her for moment as though considering what to say. Finally, he said, “I understand why you told him. I kept meaning to do it myself, but would always find an excuse to avoid the conversation. I’m going to need to man up and talk to him about it, especially since Mike hasn’t mentioned it. I wonder why he hasn’t said anything. Do you think he hates my guts? Or maybe he and your father are conspiring to have me killed.”

“First, there is hardly any love lost between my father and Vaughn. Second, that is utterly ridiculous,” Sydney paused, meeting Eric’s gaze. Eric was looking at her in that way he had that made her feel like the most amazing woman to ever walk the planet, the one that made her feel safe and home. She kissed him again before finishing, “Third, maybe Vaughn is respecting our privacy.”

“Or plotting to kill me.”

Sydney rolled her eyes. “Like I would let that happen.”

“Thanks, honey, it’s always nice to know that my girlfriend will kick someone’s ass for being mean to me, even if I deserve it.”

“Look, I know this is weird. I’m sorry for that, and I don’t want it to create any problems between the two of you, but I’m not going to apologize for moving on with my life. I’m happy with you, Eric. You make me happy.”

He grinned at her and said, “In case you weren’t aware of it already, what with the way all the men in the office fawn over you, you’re pretty awesome.”

Sydney laughed as she stood up and pulled Eric to his feet. She shut his computer down, not waiting for any begrudging work ethic to get in between her and her plans for the evening, and wrapped her arm around his. She said, “Can we please get out of here? It’s not often we get forty-eight consecutive hours away from this place.”

Eric used his free hand to grab his suit jacket and said, “I’m all yours.”

{fin}