Title: Failure
Author: Kayar
Rating: G
Spoilers: Up to Season 4 finale.
Disclaimer: Alias and its characters are not mine. It belongs to ABC, Bad Robot Productions, and a genius by the name of J.J. Abrams.

Summary: Vaughn's thoughts after Sevogda, SD-1 September/October 2005 Challenge 3rd Place. (Challenge elements: A siren, twilight, and the quote "time is everyone's enemy")

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The low beeps of monitors and the distant wail of a police siren are the only sounds in the room. He stands, leaning against the doorway because he doesn't feel comfortable enough to walk all the way inside and sit by her bed. He's not even sure why he's here, but he wanted to see how she is doing. Should anyone he knows stop by, he can say he's looking for Sydney.

He is unsure about his feelings for the person in front of him. He loves Sydney, that much he is sure of. But her sister is more of a mystery. Is it simply a fraternal affection that stems from his relationship with Sydney? Of course she cares about her sister, so it is natural that he should care about her too. But his connection to her is more than just their connection through Sydney. His father died to protect her. Rather than give up her location, he was killed.

Killed by her mother. The corners of his mouth almost twist into a smile as he thinks about the absurdity of the situation. Her parents are possibly the two people in the world he despises the most, but try as he might, he can never escape either one of them. He admires her effort to connect to her mother and father, secretly thankful he has never had to be in such a difficult position. Still, he has a grudging respect for all that they have achieved. Their dedication, however misguided, is seldom found in people today. Their charisma is unusual, too; their ability to fool so many people—he that he was the head of a covert branch of the CIA, she that she was an average American literature student—has become legendary within the CIA. Their daughter has obviously inherited many of these qualities: charm, dedication, and a fair amount of stubbornness.

But his thoughts return to his original question—Why is he here? He could be at home, packing for a much-needed vacation, or finishing up some last-minute work at APO. Maybe it's because he feels guilty for her current situation. If his team had waited a bit longer on the train, if he had provided more cover fire while she was trying to escape, if he had gotten to the roof before Sloane did…

There are too many what-ifs. Everything he does recently brings back unwanted memories of the Oransky incident two weeks ago. He remembers how his heart stopped as he heard the gunshot on the roof. Relief flooded him when he saw Sydney unhurt, but his heart still sank as he saw Nadia's lifeless form. He had done his best to save her, and while she will live, she may never be the same person his father rescued 25 years ago.

Maybe that's the real reason he's here. He feels he's failed his father, dishonored his memory by allowing her to be harmed. His father died for Nadia, yet he is unable to prevent her from a fate worse than death.

Almost on cue, she stirs in her bed and briefly opens her eyes. The menacing red, a far cry from benign brown he is used to, startles him out of his reverie. He glances out the window and curses under his breath. It's already twilight. A glance at his watch reveals that he is supposed to be at Sydney's apartment in twenty minutes. He takes one more glance at the figure on the bed and turns to leave.

Time is everyone's enemy.

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(1/1)

A/N: This has been on SD-1 for a couple years now, and in the process of writing some more fics I realized I never posted it here. And yes, I am a S/V shipper, I just thought it would be fun to see what other possibilities there are. Review and let me know what you think!