RATING: NC-17. ***Please read responsibly.

SUMMARY: Bubblebaths are fun. Picks up where Firebomb left off.

DISCLAIMER: These guys belong to J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot.

THANKS: To Jo March for the read-through, despite this not being her fandom. To Lulu for the betaing and the funny poems. But mostly to Em, for the crazyass bubblebath fixation, for demanding that I write this, and for the fab beta.

***

The silence between them stretched out, lengthening until Sydney's eyes drifted shut, the soft sound of the bubbles exploding soothing her restive mind. The feel of Vaughn's strong, gentle hand smoothing her hair back, stroking her cheek -- that helped too.

He was still so careful with her, Sydney thought. She could kill him about seventeen different ways, and he treated her as if she were made of spun glass. He sent her into dangerous situations without blinking, but seemed to think he might hurt her himself.

He was one big contradiction, Vaughn. No matter how inscrutable he could be, Sydney decided, the peace he brought her was worth it. With his touch, with his words, with his mere presence, he helped her forget the horrors she saw every day, helped her remember why she was fighting so hard in the first place.

Plus, he was damn sexy.

"You asleep?" he whispered softly, his hand stilling in her hair.

She smiled without opening her eyes.

"Playing possum," he surmised, still whispering. "Want me to wash your back, Syd?"

Her smile widened. "That might be nice."

Sydney could tell by the rustle of his clothes, from the shifting pressure of his hand against her temple, from the air rushing past her that Vaughn was leaning over. She heard the wine glass settle onto the tile floor, and opened her eyes, blinking against even the dim light of the candles.

"Hey," he said when he noticed her gaze. He gave her a little half-grin and waggled his eyebrows. "You need to sit up so I can--"

"Nah," Sydney interrupted him. "I think I have a better idea."

"I'm open to suggestions--"

Vaughn's eyes widened comically and his arms flailed as Sydney grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him off-balance. He caught himself before he fell completely into the tub, planting his hands on either side of her body, his sleeves wet past the elbows, and one foot braced against the wall.

"Sydney!"

She grinned at him, unrepentant. "Join me."

"You could've just asked," he pointed out, but he was smiling down at her from a much more reasonable distance. The thing about being with Vaughn, Sydney thought, was that she smiled almost non-stop. It was ridiculous. But there she was, grinning vapidly at him. She leaned up and kissed the admonishment on his lips, wrapping her own wet arms around his neck and urging him closer.

He kissed her hard, shifting his weight to one hand, cupping the back of her head with the other and holding her in place as he plundered her mouth. Her momentary levity faded, replaced by an intense desire to feel Vaughn's skin against hers. After a long, heavenly moment, he pulled back and touched her arms. "At least let me lose the clothes."

She nodded somewhat reluctantly and loosened her arms. "Okay."

Vaughn pushed himself upright, twisting to plant his feet on the floor. He stood and reached for the buttons on his shirt, then paused, and Sydney would swear he was blushing.

Her smile was back, a little subdued. Sydney met his gaze and said in an eminently reasonable tone, "You could put on some music if it would help you get in the mood to strip."

Vaughn laughed and looked away from her as he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged out of it. He pulled his undershirt over his head, and Sydney's attention caught on his arms. Such a lean body for someone who spent so much time in the office. She watched, mesmerized, as his muscles shifted beneath his skin. The dark ink of his tattoo undulated in the dim light as he unfastened his pants and pushed them down. He paused again, his nearly bare body glorious in the candlelight.

Sydney thought she should say something, tell him how sexy he was, but she didn't have the words. She wasn't sure words existed that could accurately describe him. The way he was looking at her, desire and self-consciousness mixed in those eyes. He stepped out of his shoes and hesitated, his hands on the waistband of his boxers. "You're just going to watch me?"

"Yes," she said, dropping her gaze pointedly to the boxers that did little to hide his reaction to her.

Vaughn inhaled sharply, drawing her attention up to his chest, to his throat, to his eyes. He held her gaze and slid his boxers over his hips, down his legs, and off.

Sydney pulled herself up so she was sitting in the tub, and she would swear she could feel Vaughn's hot gaze on her breasts. She shivered as the water slid down her skin. "Vaughn?"

He swallowed hard. "Yeah?"

"C'mere."

Two long strides, and he was at the edge of the tub, his erection tantalizing near. Before he could move to join her in the water, Sydney reached up and took him in her hand, loving the way he felt, silk over steel. Loving the way he groaned in response. His hands balled into fists at his sides as she caressed his length with her wet fingers.

"God," he muttered through clenched teeth.

She beamed up at him, though his eyes were squeezed shut. "Told you my idea was better."

Vaughn moved before she realized what was happening. One hand brushed hers away from him, and then he'd grabbed her upper arms and she was standing, water and bubbles slipping over her skin. Laughing, she reached for him, but he held her where she was, his gaze raking over her body. Her nipples hardened and she shivered, from the cold air on her damp skin or from the heat of his gaze; she wasn't sure which.

"God," Vaughn said again, awe coloring his tone. He released her, his palms sliding over her shoulderblades, his arms circling her back. She leaned into him, moaning at the feel of his skin against hers, and twined her arms around his neck. She tilted her face up and kissed him hard.

Vaughn shifted against her, his muscles tensing. He lifted her up, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around him, bringing her sex into intimate contact with his cock. They broke off the kiss, overwhelmed by the delicious friction as Vaughn took a few unsteady steps towards the door.

"I'm soaked," Sydney mumbled into his mouth.

He groaned. "I know."

"Vaughn!" Sydney buried her face in his neck, laughing. "I mean we'll get the bed soaked."

"Right," Vaughn answered, and without further warning, he pressed her back against the wall, increasing the friction.

Sydney squirmed in his arms, tightening her thighs around him, pressing her hips into his until he gasped her name. She tried to move, shift, slide him inside of her.

"Wait," he said, bracing her against the wall with the weight of his body. He reached around with one hand and tugged at her leg, urging her down.

Sydney asked, "What are you--?"

"Trust me," he said.

She did, sliding her legs down his body, placing her feet on the floor, even as she moaned at the loss of contact. Vaughn took her face in both hands, kissing her with incredible intensity.

Then he pulled away, and before she gathered her wits enough to demand that he get back there, dammit, he dropped to his knees and stuck his tongue in her bellybutton.

Sydney wrapped one hand around the towel rack beside her, and braced the other on his shoulder. She pressed her hips forward shamelessly, knowing where he was going with this and wanting desperately for him to get there. Because Vaughn was an incredibly talented man, as it turned out, at this and many other activities.

"You're so beautiful," he told her stomach, pressing kisses into her skin, tracing a path down, down, down. His palms skimmed up her thighs, pressing delicately against her skin, leaving trails of heat. He moved his fingers to her inner thighs, pressing them apart as he kissed the crease where her leg joined her torso. "Up," he muttered, squeezing her thigh.

Mindlessly, Sydney obeyed, lifting one leg, letting Vaughn settle her thigh on his shoulder. She thought she probably looked ridiculous, and then his tongue touched her clit, and she no longer cared. God. He pressed a kiss against her sex, his fingers joining the torture, skimming over her sensitive skin.

Her head rolled back and forth against the wall, her grip on the towel rack tightened until she heard an ominous creak. She had just enough presence of mind to let go before she snapped it in half, just enough of her wits left to congratulate herself for the yoga. The lessons were paying for themselves, here, with her improved balance.

She pressed her arm flat against the wall as Vaughn's attention focused on her clit, his tongue moving in maddening circles. Her muscles were starting to shake, and her excellent balance wouldn't make one bit of difference if her knees gave out.

Vaughn thrust two fingers inside of her, and she made a strange, high-pitched noise, a sound she didn't recognize. Vaughn hit the right tempo, the right frequency, and she shoved her hips forward and slammed her fist against the wall, crying out his name as she climaxed.

It took her several moments to come back to herself. Still breathing hard, she loosened her grip on his shoulder, wondering if she'd left marks. But his arms were wrapped around her hips, and he was kissing her ribcage, and he didn't seem to care.

Sydney touched his jaw with her fingers, tilting his face up, and shivered at the intensity of his gaze. He loosened his grip, and she tugged him to his feet.

"Sydney," he muttered, his hands tangling in her hair as he brought his mouth to hers, kissing her desperately. She leaned into him, using her weight to force him back a few steps. Laughing, he obliged.

She ended the kiss and beamed up at him. "You're going down."

"I thought I already did," he shot back.

Sydney couldn't help but laugh at him, even as she perfected her plan of attack.

Vaughn knew her well enough to recognize the look on her face. "This is a tile floor, Syd," he pointed out.

She shrugged at him. "There's a fluffy bathmat." She didn't give him time to respond, instead stepping into his embrace to hook one leg around the backs of his knees, forcing them to unlock. He staggered backwards but caught himself, and Sydney pushed him sideways until he landed on his knees.

She gave him a grin and tackled him, using her shoulder to take him down. She pinned his body to the bathmat, her hands holding his wrists to the floor while she playfully straddled his abdomen.

He pulled his arms free and encircled her back, pulling her closer until her breasts pressed up against his chest. "Ouch," he commented conversationally, moving restlessly beneath her.

Sydney couldn't seem to stop grinning at him. "I thought you were supposed to be a tough guy," she teased.

He tightened his grasp, rolling her over. "I'm resourceful."

Sydney trusted him enough to let him pin her, giggling helplessly, because his erection was pressing into her thigh. He laid her almost gently on the mat, pausing to smooth her hair back from her face.

Vaughn tossed a territorial thigh across hers and leaned closer, kissing her more softly this time. He braced his weight on his right elbow, letting his left hand trail over her shoulder, her hipbone, her navel, her breast. She squirmed beneath his ministrations, her own hands busily tugging him closer. When he refused to move, she reached down and clasped his erection.

Vaughn gasped into her mouth, pressing himself up into her grasp. "God," he groaned.

She smiled at him. "C'mere, Vaughn."

This time he obeyed, settling between her thighs. Sydney brought her legs up, pressing her hips up as he slid into her. He was too far gone for delicacy or restraint, pulling out almost immediately to slam back into her. Sydney couldn't stop touching him, couldn't stop pulling him closer. She wanted him as close as he could get, as deep as possible.

Vaughn was groaning her name, thrusting helplessly into her, and even though she thought she couldn't possibly come again so soon, he was hitting just the right angle and she could feel the buzz building.

"Syd," he pleaded, his gaze unfocused as he moved above her, pressing her into the bathmat with each stroke. His impressive arms strained, the muscles bunching and releasing as he moved. Sydney couldn't help but touch his arms, closing her eyes to savor the feel of his muscles straining in concert with his delicious thrusts.

"Vaughn," she answered, her voice heavy with arousal. She tilted her hips up and he slid deeper.

"Syd," he said again. "Please."

She trailed one hand up his arm, down his ribcage, and dropped it to her own body. She was so close, and she just needed a little direct stimulation.

Her eyes opened at Vaughn's growl, and she watched him watching her fingers moving on her clit, felt the last bit of his control snap as he drove furiously into her, and she fell over the edge. Again.

Vaughn shifted his weight to one hand, pulling her leg up to his shoulder again, changing the angle. His thrusts grew short and quick and desperate, and then he was coming, her name on his lips.

Sydney watched in fascination, the cords of his neck, the exquisite grimace on his face, until he stopped shaking and dropped down onto his elbows.

"C'mere." She pulled at his arms until he collapsed onto her body, savoring the delightful weight, the slickness of his skin. His rough breath against her neck tickled a little, and she wrapped her arms and legs around his body and squeezed him close.

"Well," Vaughn said after a while, his fingers tracing patterns on her arms. "I definitely like your idea better."

They started laughing, and Sydney felt so alive, so connected to him in that moment. He rolled them sideways, taking his weight off of her, but keeping her close.

"Well, you didn't actually join me in the tub," Sydney pointed out.

He kissed her softly. "You distracted me."

Sydney gave a careless shrug with one shoulder. "You distracted me, actually, with the striptease."

Vaughn buried his face against her neck in embarrassment. "That was your idea, too."

She pressed a kiss to his temple, inhaling the scent of his hair, of him. Then she rolled away from him, ignoring his unhappy grumblings long enough to check the water temperature. She turned back and gave him a grin. "Water's still warm."

He propped his weight on his elbow, lounging there on her bathmat. "Really."

"Yup."

"So you're implying that we should take a bath now."

"You're really good at textual analysis," she answered with a grin.

Vaughn pushed himself up and stepped closer, offering her a hand up. She took it and joined him beside the tub. "You first."

Gamely, Vaughn climbed into the tub. He sat down and beckoned to her. She settled herself in front of him, his thighs on either side of her rib cage, her head on his chest. Vaughn trailed his fingers from her shoulders down her arms, and clasped his hands together just beneath her breasts. He placed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I don't think I've taken a bath since I was ten years old," Vaughn commented.

"They're relaxing."

"I'll say."

"The baths, Vaughn, not the sex." Sydney's voice was suffused with laughter.

"The sex wasn't relaxing?"

"Well, yes," Sydney admitted. "But my point is that bubblebaths alone can be restful." Especially with Vaughn there to soothe her.

"Ah," he murmured in her ear.

Sydney snuggled closer and closed her eyes.

THE END

Comments

best i've read so far. very S&V. now if only i could get a man like that.

Posted by: sam on August 16, 2004 07:05 AM