Title: All the Difference
Authors: Duck and Glittering Pegasus
Rating: PG
Timeline: S3
Summary: The smallest choices can change everything.
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Prologue
-
"Hey Syd? You awake?" Vaughn gently touched her shoulder as he stopped at the red light two blocks from her apartment. She stirred under the light prod, a smile of contentment crossing her features briefly as she dozed against the headrest. He was glad to see her relaxed; this week had taken a huge toll on her mental state. He had a secret that would help relieve the stress, and his fingers danced in anticipation on the steering wheel as the light turned green.
She awoke herself before opening her eyes, wondering briefly why her room felt as if it was moving. She became aware of her surroundings a second later, and her eyelids fluttered open. She smiled a little as she looked to her left, and quietly spoke. "Hey."
"Hey. You dozed off around Magnolia. We're almost home."
"Mmmk." she murmured as she leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around her protectively. "I may just stay here, if that's ok with you," she whispered into his jacket.
"That would be more than okay," he chuckled lightly, stroking her hair softly with the hand not on the wheel. "If only I didn't have a debrief to go to."
Sydney closed her eyes again and smiled at his touch. She opened them again at the mention of the debrief. "Have I mentioned..." she paused to yawn, "...that I hate my job?"
He laughed again quietly. "Once or twice, I think."
They pulled up next to her apartment faster than she expected, and was disappointed to be leaving his warm embrace. Her happily content demeanor faded quickly as she sat up. "Sloane has the device...and my mother, she-"
Vaughn touched her chin and commanded gently, "Another day." To appease him she smiled a tiny smile and he reached over to kiss her.
Her hand moved to the car door handle, but his voice stopped her. "So I did it."
Looking into his eyes she replied, "Did what?"
"Booked the hotel," he answered matter of factly.
Sydney looked down for a moment, her breath caught momentarily in surprise. She looked back up. "No you didn't."
He smiled at her shocked expression and disbelief and continued veraciously, "Yes I did."
"You did. Santa Barbara," she confirmed, still not fully believing the words.
"Three nights, starting tonight." He said, looking pleased with himself. "It was probably the greatest phone call I ever made."
Her smile grew as she leaned in towards him. "You're a genius."
"Thank you." After they parted from the quick kiss, he added, "So, after the debrief I'll come pick you up."
"Okay."
Nothing seemed out of place as Sydney let go of his hand, headed to her door, stepped inside her house. If anything, everything was a little too in place. "Hey," she greeted Francie when she saw her on the couch in the living room reading.
"Hi," she answered.
For some reason Francie's behavior seemed off, and Sydney called her on it. "You okay?"
"Relatively speaking," her best friend answered, still not all too convincing. Sydney decided to brush it off, that she was probably just being paranoid, and headed to the freezer. She could really use something cold and sweet.
Francie's, "You?" was barely heard as she glanced quickly at her choices. A pint of vanilla and a pint of coffee. She reached for the vanilla, but changed her mind and grabbed the carton of coffee instead. Maybe the taste would trick her mind to believe that caffeine was rushing through her bloodstream and she'd wake up a little.
"Tired." was her response as she grabbed a spoon and peeled back the lid of the carton, anxious to wake up so she could fully enjoy her first night in Santa Barbara. Tired was not something she wanted to be in hotel room far away with Vaughn.
She brought her ice cream and spoon to the living room and sat by Francie.
"What's up?" her friend asked her.
"I am so burnt," Sydney answered. *If only she knew...* she thought.
"I understand."
Remembering that she had left her cell phone off earlier to save the battery, Syd took it out to check the messages before plugging it in to charge for the trip. "You have two messages," it's high pitched mechanical voice said as she held the phone to her ear with her shoulder.
"Where's Will?" she wondered as she tried to spoon some of the rock hard ice cream, listening to Mary Beth from Kendall's office tell her that she needed to call the asshole back.
"Will said he had something to do," Francie answered, voice deep.
Sydney's phone gave a small click as the next message began, and Will's frantic voice quietly filled her ear. "Sydney it's me listen, this is going to sound insane but I just found provacillium in the bathroom. And I think that I think that uh. Just think about it. I think the double is Franc--" Click.
Slowly Sydney turned the phone off and stared at the light brown ice cream to calm her jumping pulse. Knots began to tie up her stomach, and breathing became difficult. She worked through it, however, and plans began forming in her mind. Again she stirred the now softer ice cream and smiled at Francie.
"Want some?"
Francie glanced up from her magazine and was silent a moment, then answered. "Sure."
Sydney smiled at her and offered her the spoon. Sydney carefully put the lid back on the carton, mind spinning faster than a helicopter propeller. "I just need to get out of these clothes." She forced out in what she hoped was a calm, natural tone. Slowly, she headed to her room.
Once out of view of Francie, her pace quickened to a power walk into her room, around the bed until she could reach the gun she hid under it at all times. As she was cocking it, she heard her best friend's voice from the other side of the room.
"I just remembered." Sydney looked up into the face of her best friend since her freshman year in college. "Francie doesn't like coffee ice cream."
A shot rang out. As the shot of a marathon signals the beginning of the race, so this blast signified the end of the world as Sydney Bristow knew it.
-
TBC
Authors: Duck and Glittering Pegasus
Rating: PG
Timeline: S3
Summary: The smallest choices can change everything.
-
Prologue
-
"Hey Syd? You awake?" Vaughn gently touched her shoulder as he stopped at the red light two blocks from her apartment. She stirred under the light prod, a smile of contentment crossing her features briefly as she dozed against the headrest. He was glad to see her relaxed; this week had taken a huge toll on her mental state. He had a secret that would help relieve the stress, and his fingers danced in anticipation on the steering wheel as the light turned green.
She awoke herself before opening her eyes, wondering briefly why her room felt as if it was moving. She became aware of her surroundings a second later, and her eyelids fluttered open. She smiled a little as she looked to her left, and quietly spoke. "Hey."
"Hey. You dozed off around Magnolia. We're almost home."
"Mmmk." she murmured as she leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around her protectively. "I may just stay here, if that's ok with you," she whispered into his jacket.
"That would be more than okay," he chuckled lightly, stroking her hair softly with the hand not on the wheel. "If only I didn't have a debrief to go to."
Sydney closed her eyes again and smiled at his touch. She opened them again at the mention of the debrief. "Have I mentioned..." she paused to yawn, "...that I hate my job?"
He laughed again quietly. "Once or twice, I think."
They pulled up next to her apartment faster than she expected, and was disappointed to be leaving his warm embrace. Her happily content demeanor faded quickly as she sat up. "Sloane has the device...and my mother, she-"
Vaughn touched her chin and commanded gently, "Another day." To appease him she smiled a tiny smile and he reached over to kiss her.
Her hand moved to the car door handle, but his voice stopped her. "So I did it."
Looking into his eyes she replied, "Did what?"
"Booked the hotel," he answered matter of factly.
Sydney looked down for a moment, her breath caught momentarily in surprise. She looked back up. "No you didn't."
He smiled at her shocked expression and disbelief and continued veraciously, "Yes I did."
"You did. Santa Barbara," she confirmed, still not fully believing the words.
"Three nights, starting tonight." He said, looking pleased with himself. "It was probably the greatest phone call I ever made."
Her smile grew as she leaned in towards him. "You're a genius."
"Thank you." After they parted from the quick kiss, he added, "So, after the debrief I'll come pick you up."
"Okay."
Nothing seemed out of place as Sydney let go of his hand, headed to her door, stepped inside her house. If anything, everything was a little too in place. "Hey," she greeted Francie when she saw her on the couch in the living room reading.
"Hi," she answered.
For some reason Francie's behavior seemed off, and Sydney called her on it. "You okay?"
"Relatively speaking," her best friend answered, still not all too convincing. Sydney decided to brush it off, that she was probably just being paranoid, and headed to the freezer. She could really use something cold and sweet.
Francie's, "You?" was barely heard as she glanced quickly at her choices. A pint of vanilla and a pint of coffee. She reached for the vanilla, but changed her mind and grabbed the carton of coffee instead. Maybe the taste would trick her mind to believe that caffeine was rushing through her bloodstream and she'd wake up a little.
"Tired." was her response as she grabbed a spoon and peeled back the lid of the carton, anxious to wake up so she could fully enjoy her first night in Santa Barbara. Tired was not something she wanted to be in hotel room far away with Vaughn.
She brought her ice cream and spoon to the living room and sat by Francie.
"What's up?" her friend asked her.
"I am so burnt," Sydney answered. *If only she knew...* she thought.
"I understand."
Remembering that she had left her cell phone off earlier to save the battery, Syd took it out to check the messages before plugging it in to charge for the trip. "You have two messages," it's high pitched mechanical voice said as she held the phone to her ear with her shoulder.
"Where's Will?" she wondered as she tried to spoon some of the rock hard ice cream, listening to Mary Beth from Kendall's office tell her that she needed to call the asshole back.
"Will said he had something to do," Francie answered, voice deep.
Sydney's phone gave a small click as the next message began, and Will's frantic voice quietly filled her ear. "Sydney it's me listen, this is going to sound insane but I just found provacillium in the bathroom. And I think that I think that uh. Just think about it. I think the double is Franc--" Click.
Slowly Sydney turned the phone off and stared at the light brown ice cream to calm her jumping pulse. Knots began to tie up her stomach, and breathing became difficult. She worked through it, however, and plans began forming in her mind. Again she stirred the now softer ice cream and smiled at Francie.
"Want some?"
Francie glanced up from her magazine and was silent a moment, then answered. "Sure."
Sydney smiled at her and offered her the spoon. Sydney carefully put the lid back on the carton, mind spinning faster than a helicopter propeller. "I just need to get out of these clothes." She forced out in what she hoped was a calm, natural tone. Slowly, she headed to her room.
Once out of view of Francie, her pace quickened to a power walk into her room, around the bed until she could reach the gun she hid under it at all times. As she was cocking it, she heard her best friend's voice from the other side of the room.
"I just remembered." Sydney looked up into the face of her best friend since her freshman year in college. "Francie doesn't like coffee ice cream."
A shot rang out. As the shot of a marathon signals the beginning of the race, so this blast signified the end of the world as Sydney Bristow knew it.
-
TBC