I Remember

Author: Janet (SkyGirl5)

Genre: S/V, AU

Summary:

Disclaimer: Sydney, Vaughn, etc are properties of JJ Abrams and ABC.

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Chapters 1-10 // Chapters 11 - 20 // Chapters 21-24

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Chapter 21

The next morning was Saturday and Vaughn had promised Eric they could hang out. Which Vaughn was very grateful for since he needed desperately to talk to someone. Sydney awoke rather early and made her way to the shower. Vaughn got up and began brushing his teeth while he waited. Sydney poked her head out the shower door, her wet hair dripping onto the floor.

“You don’t have to wait you know” She winked at him. He smiled at her and then they showered together.

“What’s with you?” Sydney asked as she was getting Michelle cereal for breakfast.

“Huh? Oh nothing.” He sighed.

At the first opportunity Vaughn went next door and knocked on Eric’s door.

“Morning” Eric yawned. “You’ll have to forgive me- I didn’t get up at the crack of dawn like you so I’m not quite ready....”

“Can I ask you something but you have to promise to be completely 100% honest with me?” Vaughn said.

“Sure buddy what is it?” Eric yawned again. Just then Nadia came walking out of the hallway with Michael tagging along at her feet.

“Michelle is my daughter isn’t she?” Vaughn said firmly.

Eric and Nadia just gaped at him then they looked at each other, and then back to him.

“I’m judging by your lack of response that I am indeed correct” Vaughn sighed.

“You are...” Eric sighed.

Vaughn sighed heavily at sat down at their kitchen table.

“Are you upset?” Nadia asked him.

“No not really... I mean of course I’m not upset she’s my daughter... I love her and Sydney it’s just... I’ve been back for almost five months – why didn’t someone tell me?”

“Sydney wouldn’t let us.” Eric sighed.

“What?” He gasped.

“She wouldn’t let us tell you about Michelle or the fact that you two were engaged... oops I’m really hoping you already knew that” Eric grimaced.

“I did.” Vaughn sighed.

“Good because Syd will wring my neck for this conversation alone.”

“I still don’t understand why she didn’t want me to know.” Vaughn sighed.

“She was terrified Michael” Nadia told him. “When you came back she didn’t know what to do she just...”

“I know exactly how she felt. Remember? Same thing happened to me?” Vaughn sighed.

“Right well I wasn’t here for that so it’s easy to forget” Nadia shrugged.

“Oh sorry Nadia”

“It’s ok” She sighed.

“So what are you going to do?” Eric asked him.

“I’m going to ask her to marry me... again”

“Would this be before or after you tell her all that you know?” Eric asked.

“Before.” Vaughn said.

“and just so I follow your thought process.... why exactly?” Eric asked.

“Well Sydney is probably scared that I’ll only want to be with her out of familial obligation am I right?”

“He really knows her too well – its scary.” Eric told his wife.

“Anyway if I ask her to marry me before she knows I know then she’ll know that I want be with her....”

“Right... well as long as you know what you just said.” Eric laughed.

Vaughn smiled. “I’m going to do it now” He said as he got up and walked next door.

“Good Luck – I think you’re going to need it” Eric called after him.



Chapter 22

“Sydney?” Vaughn called when he walked into her house.

“Just a sec I’m on the phone” He heard her call from somewhere upstairs.

Vaughn walked over and saw Michelle sitting on the floor playing with the bear he had given her. He walked over and sat down next to her.

“Hi Michelle” He smiled.

“Hi” she said.

“You know what? I never got to hear what your name was.”

“It’s Michelle” She smiled.

“No I mean your full name – middle name and last name too”

“Oh Michelle Jacqueline Vaughn” She smiled.

Vaughn’s heart skipped a beat. Sydney had used his last name. Vaughn leaned over and kissed her head softly and then went to wait for Sydney.

A few minutes later she came down the stairs smiling. “I thought you were going to be with Eric all day?”

“I was but I had something really important I needed to ask you.” Vaughn said.

“Ok what is it?” She asked sweetly.

Vaughn took a deep breath and got down on one knee in front of her. She gasped and stepped back, tears already forming in her eyes.

“Vaughn... what are you doing?” She whispered.

“Sydney I love you. I’ve loved you from the first moment that you walked into my office wearing that crazy bright red wig. Would you please do me the honor of being my wife?” He said in one breath. He couldn’t tell if the expression on her face was shock or horror or some combination of both.

“Vaughn... what...what did you say?” Sydney gasped. Her mind was reeling. He had used that exact proposal before... could it be?

“Sydney...” Vaughn said as he got up and walked over to her. “Sydney please I want to be with you... I need to be with you. We need to be together- you, me and our daughter.”

“What?” She gasped. “Did you say our daughter?”

“Yes I know she’s mine... I know everything.” He smiled.

“What?! Eric! Did he tell you?! Or no was it Dixon?” She said as tears spilled from her eyes.

“No one told me... I just remembered everything. Spending the night with you triggered my memory it’s all back now.” He smiled.

“No, no it can’t be.... are you sure?”

“Ask me anything- I can prove it” He said.

Sydney searched her mind for the most obscure detail she could think of. “When my mother was first going to trial we were on a roof... I asked you to tell me a joke”

“A grasshopper walks into a bar and the bartender says oh we have a drink named after you and the grasshopper goes and this is the part where you said ‘you have a drink named Phil?’ and I said that I was going to use Doug and you said that you didn’t think that was any funnier.” He smiled.

“Oh...” Sydney gasped. “You’re father’s watch...” She prompted him.

“Stopped October first the day we met and I believe the birth date of our daughter – actually Eric told me that one.” He laughed.

“Oh my god... is this really happening.” She sobbed. “Are you really back Vaughn?”

“I’m back and I swear I’ll never leave again.” He promised. She sobbed and leapt into his arms where he held her tightly and lifted her off the ground.

“Oh my god Michael I love you so much I missed you so much” She sobbed.

“Michael? When did you start calling me that?” Vaughn laughed. Sydney laughed too.

“I don’t know I...” But he stopped her from finishing by kissing her passionately.

“Oh wait...” She said as she ran up to her bedroom and returned with the engagement ring he had given her so many years before. “I’ll let you...” she said as she held it out in the palm of her hand.

He picked it up and slid it on her finger. Then he kissed it softly. Then he turned her hand over and kissed her palm and her wrist and then the whole way up her arm. She giggled.

“Vaughn we can’t... Michelle is right there.” Sydney sighed.

“Michelle” Vaughn called.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Look out the window and see what your Aunt and Uncle are doing”

“They’re playing basketball.” She told him.

“Good why don’t you go play with them for about...”

“... a few hours.” Sydney told her. Vaughn raised his eyebrow at her and she just winked at him.

“Ok Mommy” Michelle said. They heard her walk out the front door.

“Now where were we?” Vaughn asked coyly. “Oh yes I believe I was going to take the woman who I’m about to marry upstairs...”

“And what will you do with her there?” Sydney asked.

“Oh you’ll see” Vaughn smiled as he picked her up and carried her off.



Chapter 23

A little later Sydney and Vaughn were up in bed holding each other when Sydney began to cry.

“What’s wrong?” Vaughn asked softly.

“It’s just everything... these past few months....” She sighed.

“I know, I know.... how’d you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Stay away?”

“Vaughn... it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done I just...”

“I guess my question is why’d you do it?”

“I don’t know I mean I was just terrified. You came back and you didn’t remember. It was just so painful – almost worse that not having you at all. That’s why I didn’t want to be around you. And I told everyone not to tell you about us or Michelle so you wouldn’t feel obligated to be with us or guilty for not remembering. But then every time I was near you I just... it was so hard to not touch you... oh god I just wanted to touch you” She sobbed. He kissed her forehead.

“You remember that day you brought Michelle back?” She asked him. He nodded. “Well when I opened the door and saw you standing with your daughter I swear I nearly died.” She laughed.

“I know I saw it in your eyes”

“I asked to hug you... I knew that if I hugged you I’d never want to stop but if I didn’t hug you then I would go out of my mind..... and then at Christmas... I didn’t know how to stop myself from being with you so I just... I couldn’t ... but you, you wanted me...” She sighed.

“I did.” He smiled. “When I saw you that first day back I knew immediately that there was some connection between us but I didn’t know what it was.”

“How did you know?” She asked him.

“Two ways. First, when you walked into that room and I saw you my heart jumped and I couldn’t breathe... second by the way you looked at me. I couldn’t explain it I was just drawn to you.... I guess like I always was.” He smiled. She looked up at him and smiled too, then she kissed him.

“So tell me about Michelle” Vaughn said as he began to rub Sydney’s arms gently. “Did you know about her when I left?”

“No... I didn’t find out until almost a month after you died. I mean the doctors couldn’t believe I didn’t miscarry.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well after you died I was so stressed and just.... devastated they were surprised that I was able to keep the baby. But I thought there might have been a bigger reason. Like you were taken away but I had this amazing gift... a part of you I could have forever...” She sighed.

“Where was I buried?” He asked.

“Your ashes were spread at sea by me just like....” She said but she knew she didn’t need to finish her sentence it just made her cry harder. “I’m sorry Vaughn.”

“Sorry? Why?”

“I’m sorry for everything I said to you when I came back after those two years. I finally understand how hard it was and how hard it must have been for you. I mean you were there but I couldn’t have you and.... I’m just sorry....” She cried.

“It’s ok Sydney....” Vaughn sighed as he hugged her tighter. “I know....”

They held each other tightly for a while before Vaughn whispered. “I want to marry you Sydney Bristow.”

Sydney looked up at him and shook her head. Michael raised an eyebrow at her.

“My name isn’t Sydney Bristow” she said quietly. He gave her and even more perplexed expression. “It’s Sydney Vaughn...”

Michael sat up and looked down at her. “What?” He said in a barely audible whisper.

“When Michelle was born there was no question in my mind that I would give her your last name. But then I thought about me. I wanted to marry you. So I decided to change my name to the name of the man I loved, my soul mate, so that we could be together forever in a way...” She looked up at him and smiled.

He was looking down at her with such love. He couldn’t believe she had done that. That was the most amazing thing any one could ever do.

“What?” She laughed.

“You...” He sighed.

“You don’t believe me?” She giggled.

“No I do but....”

“Look.” She sighed as she reached over the side of the bed and grabbed her purse. She pulled out her driver’s license and handed it to him. He read it. Sydney Anne Vaughn it said. “Told ya” She smiled.

“You are the most amazing person.” He said with a tear in his eye. “I love you so much”

“I love you too.” She smiled as she kissed him.

“How come no one mentioned your name change?” Michael asked.

“No one knows.” She said. Michael looked at her strangely. “Ok well my dad knows and so do Eric and Nadia but no one else”

“Oh ok...so about us getting married...” Vaughn began.

“Yes?”

“I don’t want to wait at all so how about today?” He smiled.

She grinned broadly. “I would love nothing more but sadly it takes a day to process a marriage license.”

“Ok tomorrow then” He smiled.

“Tomorrow” She agreed.



Chapter 24

By the time they arrived home from getting their marriage license it was nearly five o’clock. Sydney and Vaughn went to Eric and Nadia’s to get Michelle.

“Hello...” Eric said suspiciously.

“Hey.” They both smiled.

“We have an invitation to give you.” Sydney smiled.

“An invitation? To what?” Nadia asked.

“Our wedding” Sydney smiled.

“What? When?” Eric smiled.

“Tomorrow” They both said.

“Oh this is wonderful!” Nadia grinned as she hugged them both. “Oh my god we’re all going to be family!”

“I guess so.” Vaughn laughed.

“So you know everything now huh?” Eric asked him. Vaughn nodded his head.

“Actually there’s one more thing...” Sydney said. Nadia and Eric gave her a questioning glance. Sydney nodded toward their son.

“Ohhh...” Nadia sighed.

“What?” Vaughn asked.

“Their son Michael...” Sydney said.

“What about him?”

“He’s named after you.” Sydney smiled at him. Vaughn looked slightly stunned. He looked to Eric and Nadia who were smiling and feeling slightly embarrassed with their arms around one another.

“Wow... I don’t know what to say except... thanks” Vaughn sighed.

“You don’t have to say anything but you’re welcome” Eric smiled.

“Ok enough sadness! We have a wedding to plan” Nadia grinned. “OH no!” She gasped.

“What?”

“Dad – did you tell him?”

“Oh no I completely forgot... and we didn’t tell Michelle either.” Sydney said.

“We should probably tell her first.”

“Yeah.... well thanks for watching her guys... we’ll see you tomorrow.” Sydney smiled as she walked over and picked up her daughter and then they went home.

“Michelle we need to talk to you about something.” Sydney told her daughter as she sat her on the couch.

“Ok”

“Well this man,” She said as she patted Michael’s arm. “He’s your father.”

“Oh...” Michelle said with a slightly confused expression.

“Wait I know...” Sydney said as she went to the closet and retrieved the box with all of the pictures of her and Michael. “Remember these? I told you that this was your father and see it’s the same person.”

Michelle looked from the man in the photograph to the man sitting in front of her. A smile grew on her face and then she stood up and hugged Vaughn. Vaughn was surprised at first but then he pulled her into his lap and hugged her tight.

“I love you so much sweetie” Vaughn said to his daughter.

“I love you daddy.” She said.

Sydney was now in tears watching them embrace. Vaughn pulled her into the hug and the three of them held each other.

~*~

The next day Sydney, Vaughn, Michelle, Eric, Nadia, Michael and Jack went to the courthouse to watch Sydney and Vaughn finally become husband and wife.

After their marriage they insisted on going to the CIA rotunda to tell all of their friends their wonderful news. While they were there they passed their ‘flirting corner’

“Hey Vaughn do you...” Sydney began.

“Yeah,” He smiled as he gave her a tight hug finally knowing that after so many years, after so many things getting in their way, they would finally be together forever. “I remember.”

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