Title: Love Heals

Summary: Well not to ruin it, but it's a story that takes place six years after Vaughn's death. Isabelle is five, Sydney quit the CIA.

Rating: T for language and thematic elements.

Disclaimer: Yeah, if I owned Alias, Vaughn would still be alive, Sark would be sleeping with Rachel because she reminded him of Lauren, Irina would be in every single episode, and Eric Weiss would not be in Washington. But regrettably I own nothing.

Reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

A/N: Yeah I know I haven't finished For One So Small, but my muse decided to give me this idea instead. I promise I'll have the rest of For One So Small up soon.


"Love heals the pain to much to bear, when you reach out your hand and only the wind is there."-Jonathan Larsen

Sydney stepped into the reassuring spray of the shower. She contently let the water rain down hard on her back as she tried to rid herself of memories. It had been six years, five hours, and forty two, wait, forty three minutes since he died. This was the hardest day to get through every year. People offering small sad smiles, normal people laughing as if the day was not momentous at all. But this year was the hardest so far. People started to forget what it was, the grave at the cemetery was looking older, and people began to forget about him. It was only those closest to him that remembered the most; the people who loved him the most; the people who respected him the most. Eric came to stand at his grave all the way from Washington, before giving his goddaughter a pat on the head and stopping at Nadia's grave, the final date on it only six months after Vaughn's. Marshall stopped by with Carrie and an eight year old Mitchell. Dixon came, hugging her gently. And her father had come too, he came every year.

The shower spray mixed with her tears as Sydney remembered the last minutes in the cemetery. Isabelle was standing at the grave as Sydney made small talk with her father. As Sydney went to get Isabelle, she heard her talking and crying gently.

"Hi daddy it's me. Mommy says that you're an angel and that you're always watching over me, but every other kid in my class has a daddy, a real daddy. So I was wondering if you could stop being an angel just for one day. I start kindergarten in September and I really want you to take me on the first day of school. So please daddy can you come back just for that day? Mommy said you loved me soooo much when I was in her tummy. But daddy I'm five now and I'm sure you'll love me even more now."

Sydney's heart broke as she heard her daughter pleading to the grave stone. No child should ever have to do this. Vaughn shouldn't have had to gone through it with his father, Sydney shouldn't have had to go through it with Laura. But the cycle repeated and now little Isabelle Bristow-Vaughn stood at the grave of her father. Sydney couldn't help but wonder if it would soon be her standing at the entrance for the cemetery, instead of Jack, waiting for Isabelle and her daughter to say goodbye to a husband and father.

"Honey why don't you go wait with Grandpa, I need to talk to your daddy for a minute."

Isabelle obliged whispering a tiny goodbye before wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her dress and walking over to where Jack stood. Sydney traced Vaughn's name in the stone before speaking.

"Hey. She's getting so big Vaughn, you would be so proud of her. Eric managed to introduce her to hockey and she absolutely loves it…and the Kings for that matter. I can't believe it has been six years already, it's been so hard without you. Isabelle's eyes get more and more like yours everyday and she's turning out to be a really smart little girl. She's reading and writing already and she's fluent in French, I know you would have liked that. She misses you a lot. She loves to hear stories about you and to look at pictures of you. Dixon retired from the CIA a few months ago so it's only Marshall and Dad left from the original team. Dad's director now and he has his hands full. They're trying to talk me into coming back to work for them, I guess they thought I was joking when I quit four years ago. Your mother came out from France to visit Isabelle during the winter. She absolutely adores her, spoils her rotten. I still haven't heard from my mother. I hope you and Nadia are having fun in heaven. I miss you so much Vaughn. I love you."

She turned off the shower and stepped out into the well lit bathroom. After dressing in a pair of black yoga pants and a simple white tank top, she braided her hair as she made her way to Isabelle's room to check on her. Sydney had tucked Isabelle in and read her a story before taking a shower. She expected Isabelle to be asleep when she went back to check on her but the bed was empty.

Isabelle was wrapped up in her blanket and sitting at her window looking out into the night. Sydney was surprised to see tears in her daughter's eyes.

"Isabelle, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Mommy."

"Honey, you're crying."

"I—daddy, he isn't going to be able to stop being an angel is he?"

"Oh honey."

Sydney crossed the room and drew her daughter into her arms. The little girl cried gently in her arms and Sydney did the best to comfort her.

"Would you like to sleep with me tonight Isabelle?"

"Sure mommy."

Sydney carried Isabelle to her room and placed her on the bed. She climbed into the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around Isabelle. Sydney could just make out the outline of Isabelle's face in the darkness.

"Mommy can you tell me another story?"

"Sure! What do you want it to be about?"

"Tell me a story about you and daddy when you were spies!"

Sydney laughed and pushed a strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear.

"Okay. Um let's see. Did I ever tell you about mine and daddy's first kiss?"

"No!"

"Well we were trying to destroy this really bad man's headquarters. So we finally got enough information to take them down. Me and your daddy were part of the team."

Sydney launched into the story of the takedown of SD-6 and The Alliance, creatively childproofing the story. Before she could finish the story, Isabelle had drifted off, lost in dreams.

Sydney kissed her daughter's forehead before pulling the covers over them. She pressed her head into the pillow falling asleep to the sounds of her daughter's even breathing. Sydney quickly fell asleep.

And so the two occupants of the household fell into dreams of a lost loved one, neither of them noticing the silent figure that slipped out of the closet and made its way over to the sleeping figures.


Continue? I promise I'll finish For One So Small soon. I promise.