Disclaimer: I don't' own anyone from " Alias," including (sigh) Vaughn,
but a girl can dream right. But I do own David Lansing, he's mine!!! LOL
Set up as a continuation to " The telling."
"The Other Side of the Story"
Part I
" You were gone for two years," Michael Vaughn's voice cracked as he managed to say, " we thought you were dead."
Sydney Bristow stared at him, stunned. So what did this mean? She was no longer a part of Michael's life? Two years had gone, but it didn't feel like a day had gone by for her since she'd killed Francine's clone. But it obviously had for the rest of the world and she'd been cheated out of it. Two years, sure that was a long time but Sydney wondered just how long her boyfriend had held out for her before he'd decided she was gone forever.
Before he'd decided that it was the right time to put a ring on his left finger, binding him forever to somebody who wasn't her.
" Sydney?"
Sydney looked at Michael, her heart-breaking but not because he was married and she would have to go on in the world without his fumbled words, or his smile, but because Michael was finding regret in what was supposed to have been the experience of a lifetime. At that moment, she wished she wasn't there. It would have saved them both the headache.
" Sydney? Please, say something," Michael begged, his eyes filling with painful tears. He was still in disbelief that the love of his life, the best partner he was sure he'd lost was sitting there. He needed her to make some kind of movement. She was just sitting there, eyes glazed, cheeks as white as salt.
The way Michael had pictured in his mind, he'd see when he next saw Sydney. As though she were dead.
" Um.sorry. I know the CIA has surprises but I can't say that I was prepared for this one. I lost two years of my life," Sydney cracked, trying to put a humorous spin on in to alleviate the feeling of surreal that surrounded them.
" Don't be sorry.I know this is hard," Michael whined. " It is for me," he moaned in a low tone. If only he had stayed single for another year, he would be overjoyed right now. All the different outcomes that could have replaced the one happening before his eyes, preyed on the edge of his mind.
She reached for Michael's trembling hand and touched his ring. It felt as though she had gotten electrocuted, like she wanted to die. But she had to be strong, for both of them. " Michael, I've lost you, I know that. And I accept that. But don't' look so sad. You're married Vaughn. This should be the happiest time in your life."
" Yeah, if it had happened with you," he thought to himself. But Michael went along with her, urged by her smiling face. Even though he was sure that Sydney was torn just as much as he was, if not more so.
" Sydney.."
Sydney heard the voice, but she could no longer look over at Michael without the tears spilling down her cheeks. She couldn't fake it any longer. Every moment the reality was getting more harder to accept.
" Sydney." ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````````````````````
" Sydney? Hey, Syd, wake up," a gentle man's voice urged her.
Sydney Bristow opened her eyes. She saw a hand on her shoulder. A ring glistened on the ring finger on his left hand.
It was Michael.
" Agent Vaughn," Sydney murmured, rubbing her eyes as she lifted her head from the table. She heard Michael start to say something but it didn't go anywhere. She instead flashed her eyes at the clock sitting on her desk. She was at work. So why had she been asleep. " Oh God, I'm at work."
" Yeah, you are.look, Syd, about tonight," Michael began but Sydney wasn't giving him one second of her time.
" Please, just tell me that Kendall didn't see me sleeping," Sydney begged, her eyes wide with disappointment.
" No..he didn't, in fact, he's not in the office today," Michael reassured her, and then gently stoke her cheek. " You look tired, Syd."
" I had that dream again," Sydney confided in him. It was eight weeks after she'd woken up in Hong Kong two years after she'd killed Francine. She was accepting Michael's new life and that just made things easier for her. For them. Michael was listening attentively. " And, it just gets to me, everyday." " Believe me, when I see the sadness in your eyes, it gets to me too," Michael assured her, grinning sadly. " If I only had it in my heart to do give in to my feelings and not do the right thing."
" No, hey, I think you've got it all wrong," Sydney cut in. " What I meant was, how I feel thankful every morning, just to wake up and know I'm.where I'm supposed to be. It's really given my life new meaning."
" Well, if that's the case, I suggest you start working," came a booming voice from behind them.
It was Kendall.
" Sir," Sydney gasped, and stood up.
" Are you feeling all right, Agent Bristow?"
" Of course, I'm in the best shape ever," she told him cheerily, avoiding Michael's apologetic gaze. She would deal with him later. Right now, she had to make sure she could keep her job. She still had unfinished business to tend to, to stop the SD-6 and find out more about "Project Christmas."
" Very well then, if you're convinced of that fact, I suppose you'd be interested in what I have to say, come with me," he beckoned her. Sydney nodded, took a composing breath and then trailed after Kendall. " You might as well come too, Agent Vaughn," he added in a sarcastic voice. " I haven't taken you off being her Operations officer."
Michael felt very uncomfortable. There was no way he couldn't. He was married, dammnit. But it didn't change how he'd felt when he'd seen Sydney again. Now he felt as though he were chasing her.the difference was, she didn't seem to be giving back.
" Are you coming, Agent Vaughn?" Kendall asked impatiently. Michael's eyes traveled from Kendall's unhappy expression to that of Sydney's reassuring smile, as though this were just a regular day, as though they were oblivious to their feelings and the chemistry that surface whenever they were near each other.
" Yes, sir," Michael replied. " I'm coming."
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````````````````````
Sydney was led into the room where they were always led to for a slideshow, or for a "group meeting." Not that it would ever be good news. Sydney knew better now. Losing two years of her life had really made her eyes wider.
" Now, Agent Bristow, I've got a interesting assignment for you."
Interesting coming from Kendall's mouth: Translation: life- threatening.
" I'm listening," Sydney told him in her all-business tone. She felt Michael give her hand a squeeze. " Don't do that," she pleaded inside of herself. " Just let me be." But Michael held her, as though he were afraid to let her out of his sight again.
" You know that you have been recruited by Project Christmas, the program that you went through unknowingly to be evaluated whether you would ever amount to a CIA spy," Kendall reminded her.
Sydney tried not to grit her teeth and nodded her head.
" Well, ever since your disappearance, we've been searching through every information channel available. The CIA was not going to rest until your body was found. Fortunately you were in tact."
Sydney nodded again, thankful to be alive.
" This time, your project is not SD-6, no Sloane. In fact, this may be your first not life-threatening endeavor," Kendall explained. Sydney hear Michael gasp with relief before she could let out her own. " Yes, I'm very glad about it myself, Agent Vaughn."
Michael couldn't help but blush, and Sydney was touched at how much Michael still cared for her.
" But this will also be the first time, you're on your own. Agent Vaughn will have no part of this, no contact, nothing. You will be watched and it will be reported back to me."
Without Michael? Michael was the reason she'd gotten this far. He was her right hand. Could this really be happening. She could imagine what Agent Vaughn looked like without giving him a glance. His beautiful eyes would be full of shock and pain, a clot would form in his throat, afraid as he always was, even when he was there. This time, he wouldn't be.
" This time, your mission is to befriend a dying patient who has had the feared effects of Project Christmas," Kendall informed her, but in a tone that was filled with worry.
" Sir? What exactly do you mean by the feared effects?" Michael demanded, taking it personal.
" They are still researching. Obviously, the ones who took the test have been affected. And the creators of the test were fast on their feet to cover their tracks. They were doing a partially good thing by finding people for the CIA, like yourself, Sydney, by conducting the test. But.they were also prepared for the ones who didn't qualify."
" I don't understand, Sir. What harm could come from a test?" Michael cried out, losing his control.
" Sit down, Agent Vaughn," he said coldly. " I refuse to hear one more disrespectful outburst from your mouth."
That shut Michael up, but his mind was filled with so many "if" scenarios that his head was sure to burst. Sydney looked over at Michael out of the corner of her eye and was pained to see he was in so much pain with worry for her.
" Now, Agent Bristow. We have been reviewing case by case, how the victims of Project Christmas are doing, and the ones in the CIA, or of an intelligence agency have been doing as well as you have."
Sydney let out a sigh of relief. It sounded good so far.
" But, the ones who are out in the world have either become outcasts or they've grown mentally ill in the head and have developed a strange growth in their brains that the doctors still have no clue what it is. Most people have died, and the doctors have dismissed it as a brain tumor, but we at CIA, are not so sure."
" So, what is my mission?"
Kendall pulled out a file and slid it across the table. " This is a case file for David Lansing. He is a victim of Project Christmas who has survived the feared effects longer than any other Project Christmas candidate. What I want you to do is go into this hospital, find out what this growth is, which should be easy because he's went so deep into himself he doesn't know what's going on in the real world. He won't know what hit him. And then.I want you to.put him out of his misery."
Sydney gulped. " You want me to kill him, sir?"
" He's just a husk of what he used to be, Sydney. I am very sure he will thank you for this," Kendall reassured her. " Will, you accept this mission?"
" W.what are the dangers of this mission?" she asked then, looking quite calm, even though inside, she was tossing and turning.
" Well.what you find out may be shocking. It may tell us that you could develop the growth yourself," Kendall said uneasily. " We don't know how it's contracted, but, they are careful when they are around him. Most of the time, David Lansing is left in isolation."
" Are you saying, that Project Christmas candidates, all of us are possibly at risk, whether we are inducted into the CIA or not?" Sydney asked, her voice trembling.
" That's exactly what I'm saying," Kendall told her. " So, what I'm asking is, for you to go in there, get the information they have on this growth, and maybe, if the time comes.we'll know how to save your life."
Sydney felt her eyes roll back, but they didn't. They were just glued to Kendall's face. She felt Michael's arm on hers, holding so tightly she was sure she would lose circulation.
" I need some time," Sydney finally answered. Kendall nodded. " If we're finished.I'd like some time alone."
" I was sure you would," Kendall told her. " I'm so sorry I had to do this to you, so soon after your traumatic accident."
" No, sir. I have recovered from that," Sydney reassured him. " Excuse me."
Michael and Kendall watched the slender figure of the beautiful agent exit the room. Michael was ready to say words to his boss but decided against it. He needed his job, and more importantly, Sydney needed him. More now than ever. He got up and left the room without asking for permission. He looked down the hallway as far as he could see and then broke into a run when he was sure he saw Sydney, looking down at the ground, arms folded.
" Sydney!" Michael shouted, catching up to her, and grabbed her arm.
" Michael, what are you?" Sydney demanded but Michael had grabbed her in his muscular arms and pulled her to his tight body, proceeding to kissing her with his rough lips. She staggered back, pushing the agent away in the process. " What's going on?"
" You cannot accept this mission, Sydney. You just can't," Michael told her in a more of an order tone than anything else.
" Why not? It's my choice, Michael," she murmured, though she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Never had she thought that a few questions could be enough to traumatize the brain forever.
" No. This is dangerous, Sydney. All right, you can go insane," Michael warned her. " You heard what Kendall said."
" You know what, Michael. I almost died.insanity is not going to be that different," Sydney spit back, wanting to run into Michael's arms, but knew she couldn't. Giving in to the kiss was another bad option. " Tell your wife I might be a little late coming to that dinner party."
" Sydney, no.Sydney wait!"
But Sydney was already gone.
Yikes, okay, so maybe the beginning didn't go as well as I planned, but it's a start right? It's my first Alias fic, so bear with me. I would appreciate it if you all can give me some kind of feedback, because we're writers and that's what keeps us going. You all keep me going, I'm loving it all!
Set up as a continuation to " The telling."
"The Other Side of the Story"
Part I
" You were gone for two years," Michael Vaughn's voice cracked as he managed to say, " we thought you were dead."
Sydney Bristow stared at him, stunned. So what did this mean? She was no longer a part of Michael's life? Two years had gone, but it didn't feel like a day had gone by for her since she'd killed Francine's clone. But it obviously had for the rest of the world and she'd been cheated out of it. Two years, sure that was a long time but Sydney wondered just how long her boyfriend had held out for her before he'd decided she was gone forever.
Before he'd decided that it was the right time to put a ring on his left finger, binding him forever to somebody who wasn't her.
" Sydney?"
Sydney looked at Michael, her heart-breaking but not because he was married and she would have to go on in the world without his fumbled words, or his smile, but because Michael was finding regret in what was supposed to have been the experience of a lifetime. At that moment, she wished she wasn't there. It would have saved them both the headache.
" Sydney? Please, say something," Michael begged, his eyes filling with painful tears. He was still in disbelief that the love of his life, the best partner he was sure he'd lost was sitting there. He needed her to make some kind of movement. She was just sitting there, eyes glazed, cheeks as white as salt.
The way Michael had pictured in his mind, he'd see when he next saw Sydney. As though she were dead.
" Um.sorry. I know the CIA has surprises but I can't say that I was prepared for this one. I lost two years of my life," Sydney cracked, trying to put a humorous spin on in to alleviate the feeling of surreal that surrounded them.
" Don't be sorry.I know this is hard," Michael whined. " It is for me," he moaned in a low tone. If only he had stayed single for another year, he would be overjoyed right now. All the different outcomes that could have replaced the one happening before his eyes, preyed on the edge of his mind.
She reached for Michael's trembling hand and touched his ring. It felt as though she had gotten electrocuted, like she wanted to die. But she had to be strong, for both of them. " Michael, I've lost you, I know that. And I accept that. But don't' look so sad. You're married Vaughn. This should be the happiest time in your life."
" Yeah, if it had happened with you," he thought to himself. But Michael went along with her, urged by her smiling face. Even though he was sure that Sydney was torn just as much as he was, if not more so.
" Sydney.."
Sydney heard the voice, but she could no longer look over at Michael without the tears spilling down her cheeks. She couldn't fake it any longer. Every moment the reality was getting more harder to accept.
" Sydney." ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````````````````````
" Sydney? Hey, Syd, wake up," a gentle man's voice urged her.
Sydney Bristow opened her eyes. She saw a hand on her shoulder. A ring glistened on the ring finger on his left hand.
It was Michael.
" Agent Vaughn," Sydney murmured, rubbing her eyes as she lifted her head from the table. She heard Michael start to say something but it didn't go anywhere. She instead flashed her eyes at the clock sitting on her desk. She was at work. So why had she been asleep. " Oh God, I'm at work."
" Yeah, you are.look, Syd, about tonight," Michael began but Sydney wasn't giving him one second of her time.
" Please, just tell me that Kendall didn't see me sleeping," Sydney begged, her eyes wide with disappointment.
" No..he didn't, in fact, he's not in the office today," Michael reassured her, and then gently stoke her cheek. " You look tired, Syd."
" I had that dream again," Sydney confided in him. It was eight weeks after she'd woken up in Hong Kong two years after she'd killed Francine. She was accepting Michael's new life and that just made things easier for her. For them. Michael was listening attentively. " And, it just gets to me, everyday." " Believe me, when I see the sadness in your eyes, it gets to me too," Michael assured her, grinning sadly. " If I only had it in my heart to do give in to my feelings and not do the right thing."
" No, hey, I think you've got it all wrong," Sydney cut in. " What I meant was, how I feel thankful every morning, just to wake up and know I'm.where I'm supposed to be. It's really given my life new meaning."
" Well, if that's the case, I suggest you start working," came a booming voice from behind them.
It was Kendall.
" Sir," Sydney gasped, and stood up.
" Are you feeling all right, Agent Bristow?"
" Of course, I'm in the best shape ever," she told him cheerily, avoiding Michael's apologetic gaze. She would deal with him later. Right now, she had to make sure she could keep her job. She still had unfinished business to tend to, to stop the SD-6 and find out more about "Project Christmas."
" Very well then, if you're convinced of that fact, I suppose you'd be interested in what I have to say, come with me," he beckoned her. Sydney nodded, took a composing breath and then trailed after Kendall. " You might as well come too, Agent Vaughn," he added in a sarcastic voice. " I haven't taken you off being her Operations officer."
Michael felt very uncomfortable. There was no way he couldn't. He was married, dammnit. But it didn't change how he'd felt when he'd seen Sydney again. Now he felt as though he were chasing her.the difference was, she didn't seem to be giving back.
" Are you coming, Agent Vaughn?" Kendall asked impatiently. Michael's eyes traveled from Kendall's unhappy expression to that of Sydney's reassuring smile, as though this were just a regular day, as though they were oblivious to their feelings and the chemistry that surface whenever they were near each other.
" Yes, sir," Michael replied. " I'm coming."
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````````````````````
Sydney was led into the room where they were always led to for a slideshow, or for a "group meeting." Not that it would ever be good news. Sydney knew better now. Losing two years of her life had really made her eyes wider.
" Now, Agent Bristow, I've got a interesting assignment for you."
Interesting coming from Kendall's mouth: Translation: life- threatening.
" I'm listening," Sydney told him in her all-business tone. She felt Michael give her hand a squeeze. " Don't do that," she pleaded inside of herself. " Just let me be." But Michael held her, as though he were afraid to let her out of his sight again.
" You know that you have been recruited by Project Christmas, the program that you went through unknowingly to be evaluated whether you would ever amount to a CIA spy," Kendall reminded her.
Sydney tried not to grit her teeth and nodded her head.
" Well, ever since your disappearance, we've been searching through every information channel available. The CIA was not going to rest until your body was found. Fortunately you were in tact."
Sydney nodded again, thankful to be alive.
" This time, your project is not SD-6, no Sloane. In fact, this may be your first not life-threatening endeavor," Kendall explained. Sydney hear Michael gasp with relief before she could let out her own. " Yes, I'm very glad about it myself, Agent Vaughn."
Michael couldn't help but blush, and Sydney was touched at how much Michael still cared for her.
" But this will also be the first time, you're on your own. Agent Vaughn will have no part of this, no contact, nothing. You will be watched and it will be reported back to me."
Without Michael? Michael was the reason she'd gotten this far. He was her right hand. Could this really be happening. She could imagine what Agent Vaughn looked like without giving him a glance. His beautiful eyes would be full of shock and pain, a clot would form in his throat, afraid as he always was, even when he was there. This time, he wouldn't be.
" This time, your mission is to befriend a dying patient who has had the feared effects of Project Christmas," Kendall informed her, but in a tone that was filled with worry.
" Sir? What exactly do you mean by the feared effects?" Michael demanded, taking it personal.
" They are still researching. Obviously, the ones who took the test have been affected. And the creators of the test were fast on their feet to cover their tracks. They were doing a partially good thing by finding people for the CIA, like yourself, Sydney, by conducting the test. But.they were also prepared for the ones who didn't qualify."
" I don't understand, Sir. What harm could come from a test?" Michael cried out, losing his control.
" Sit down, Agent Vaughn," he said coldly. " I refuse to hear one more disrespectful outburst from your mouth."
That shut Michael up, but his mind was filled with so many "if" scenarios that his head was sure to burst. Sydney looked over at Michael out of the corner of her eye and was pained to see he was in so much pain with worry for her.
" Now, Agent Bristow. We have been reviewing case by case, how the victims of Project Christmas are doing, and the ones in the CIA, or of an intelligence agency have been doing as well as you have."
Sydney let out a sigh of relief. It sounded good so far.
" But, the ones who are out in the world have either become outcasts or they've grown mentally ill in the head and have developed a strange growth in their brains that the doctors still have no clue what it is. Most people have died, and the doctors have dismissed it as a brain tumor, but we at CIA, are not so sure."
" So, what is my mission?"
Kendall pulled out a file and slid it across the table. " This is a case file for David Lansing. He is a victim of Project Christmas who has survived the feared effects longer than any other Project Christmas candidate. What I want you to do is go into this hospital, find out what this growth is, which should be easy because he's went so deep into himself he doesn't know what's going on in the real world. He won't know what hit him. And then.I want you to.put him out of his misery."
Sydney gulped. " You want me to kill him, sir?"
" He's just a husk of what he used to be, Sydney. I am very sure he will thank you for this," Kendall reassured her. " Will, you accept this mission?"
" W.what are the dangers of this mission?" she asked then, looking quite calm, even though inside, she was tossing and turning.
" Well.what you find out may be shocking. It may tell us that you could develop the growth yourself," Kendall said uneasily. " We don't know how it's contracted, but, they are careful when they are around him. Most of the time, David Lansing is left in isolation."
" Are you saying, that Project Christmas candidates, all of us are possibly at risk, whether we are inducted into the CIA or not?" Sydney asked, her voice trembling.
" That's exactly what I'm saying," Kendall told her. " So, what I'm asking is, for you to go in there, get the information they have on this growth, and maybe, if the time comes.we'll know how to save your life."
Sydney felt her eyes roll back, but they didn't. They were just glued to Kendall's face. She felt Michael's arm on hers, holding so tightly she was sure she would lose circulation.
" I need some time," Sydney finally answered. Kendall nodded. " If we're finished.I'd like some time alone."
" I was sure you would," Kendall told her. " I'm so sorry I had to do this to you, so soon after your traumatic accident."
" No, sir. I have recovered from that," Sydney reassured him. " Excuse me."
Michael and Kendall watched the slender figure of the beautiful agent exit the room. Michael was ready to say words to his boss but decided against it. He needed his job, and more importantly, Sydney needed him. More now than ever. He got up and left the room without asking for permission. He looked down the hallway as far as he could see and then broke into a run when he was sure he saw Sydney, looking down at the ground, arms folded.
" Sydney!" Michael shouted, catching up to her, and grabbed her arm.
" Michael, what are you?" Sydney demanded but Michael had grabbed her in his muscular arms and pulled her to his tight body, proceeding to kissing her with his rough lips. She staggered back, pushing the agent away in the process. " What's going on?"
" You cannot accept this mission, Sydney. You just can't," Michael told her in a more of an order tone than anything else.
" Why not? It's my choice, Michael," she murmured, though she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Never had she thought that a few questions could be enough to traumatize the brain forever.
" No. This is dangerous, Sydney. All right, you can go insane," Michael warned her. " You heard what Kendall said."
" You know what, Michael. I almost died.insanity is not going to be that different," Sydney spit back, wanting to run into Michael's arms, but knew she couldn't. Giving in to the kiss was another bad option. " Tell your wife I might be a little late coming to that dinner party."
" Sydney, no.Sydney wait!"
But Sydney was already gone.
Yikes, okay, so maybe the beginning didn't go as well as I planned, but it's a start right? It's my first Alias fic, so bear with me. I would appreciate it if you all can give me some kind of feedback, because we're writers and that's what keeps us going. You all keep me going, I'm loving it all!