- Title: Fatherly Ruminations
- Author: A. Jinnie McManus
- Email: jinnie@sbjdesigns.com
- Rating: G
– Archiving: Ask first.
- Spoilers/Timeline: Missing scene for Counteragent. Spoilers for that and Salvation.
- Summary: Jack watches Vaughn sleep. Missing scene from Counteragent. No slash.
- Disclaimer: Not mine. Some quotes are directly from The Counteragent. No infringement is intended.
- 'Ship: S/V
He is, of course, sleeping when I enter.
For a moment, I pause by the door and simply stare. Asleep, Michael Vaughn looks ridiculously innocent, far too young to be immersed in this complex mess. Just like Sydney.
Sydney.
Forcing myself to walk with slow, measured steps, I head for the chair beside his bed. He doesn't stir. For a long time, I simply sit there and watch him.
This boy, (this man), means more to my daughter than I do.
He moves slightly, murmuring to himself before relaxing once more. It seems I'm not the only one thinking about my little girl.
I lean forward in the chair, studying him more closely. What is it about this man?
I will not claim to know all the details of my daughter's life. But what I do know, what everyone that meets her knows, is that she is independent. Fiercely so.
What is it about this man that causes her to willingly abandon that trait? To be open to sacrificing her own life, her own morals, if that means saving his?
He stirs again, his eyes flying open. Automatically, I sit back and just watch the transformation.
I watch as his innocence vanishes behind a mask and is replaced by the hardened Agent he has become. Whatever doubts I have about his abilities vanish as I watch him. Analyze, observe, scrutinize…. the same mental training I endured, he goes through in a matter of seconds.
You would be proud of him, William.
Only after he has determined that all is safe do his eyes meet mine, his confusion apparent. I hide an uncharacteristic smile. As polite as my daughter's handler may be, he can't hide the fact that he wanted to see another Bristow waiting for him to wake up.
"What's happening?" he asks slowly.
"You've been asleep for forty hours," I inform him.
"Am I dying?"
"Almost. Sydney got the antidote. Doctors say your blood level is looking good."
I watch as emotions parade past his eyes, the only part of his body not under control. And I begin to understand the forbidden attraction between the young agent and my little girl.
She has eyes like that, too. Eyes that have seen more horrors than I ever will, and yet stubbornly retain a naive belief that in the end, all will be well. The good guys will always win.
"How did she do it?"
"She had Sloane killed."
His eyes widen slightly, but he says nothing. My respect for him grows. What could he say?
I rise, heading for the door. "I'll tell Sydney you're awake."
He nods. "Jack?"
I turn back. He's watching me now, the combination of veteran agent and wide-eyed child that he is reminding me so much of my daughter that I can't meet his gaze.
"Thanks," he says simply.
Wordlessly, I leave the room. He is already struggling to rise and reaching for his clothes as I do so, clearly determined to not allow Sydney to see him that weak again. Every time I see him, he earns more of my respect.
Maybe someday, I will be able to tell him that.