Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Alias or any of the characters written about here. They all belong to JJ Abrams and Bad Robot and ABC etc.
Michael Vaughn was sitting in traffic. There could be no worse time for traffic than today, than right now, he thought to himself, as he made his way down the freeway at a measly 20 miles an hour.
Right now was the time he needed to be at Sydney's. Less than an hour ago he was called into a conference room to be told the news. The bugs that had been found in Sydney's apartment were not planted by a random plumber, but by Francie. Rather, by the person pretending to be her.
It made his stomach churn when he heard it, as it did to everyone else. Not only was Sydney's best friend dead, Sydney had been spied on for months by someone who was living in the room next door.
She could have been killed at any moment.
"Does Sydney know?" was his first reaction to the news.
"She was just notified," was the answer he was given.
"What? Why!?" he shouted as he rose from his chair in anger.
"Agent Vaughn, I understand that you knew Francie, so this has to be difficult for you, but..."
"Why did you tell her already? She was at home today. Did someone just call her up just to say, 'sorry, you've been spied on for months and your best friend is dead?'"
"Agent Vaughn, she was notified appropriately and sensitively."
"This is unbelievable," he said irately as he moved for the door.
************
And now he sat there. In traffic. The minutes seemed like hours. All he could think about was Sydney, alone in her house. She had dealt with grief before, but he was afraid that this might be too much.
People don't feel the loss Sydney has felt. The loss or the betrayal. It was unbelievable the suffering she had endured.
People lose people they love before they should have to. It happens. It happened to Vaughn. It's terrible and unfair. But people don't lose their mother, their fiance, their best friend - all too early and all before they are 35.
People get betrayed. It happens. It happens to intelligence officers all the time. But not like this. Not on the scale that it happened to Sydney. People don't find out they are working for the enemy. They don't find out their mother works for the enemy. They don't find out their best friend does, too.
And now, Sydney was alone and needed someone to be there with her. And Vaughn was here, on the highway, waiting.
*************
Vaughn used his fist to pound on the hard oak of Sydney's front door.
"Sydney. Sydney, let me in!" He took his keys from his pocket and quickly found the right one, jamming it into the lock as quickly as he could. He threw the door open and slammed it shut behind him.
"Sydney. Sydney, are you alright?" he called as he locked the door and hurried to her room. When he arrived at her bedroom, the door was locked.
"Syd. Syd!" he panicked and threw himself against the door with all of his weight. It flew open.
She was there. She was alright - physically at least. She was lying in bed on her side, wrapped in the white duvet cover, sobbing uncontrollably. Her hair was a mess; her shoes and her purse were strewn about the floor. Her hand quivered as she moved it to cover her face so he wouldn't see her red cheeks or puffy eyes.
Vaughn let out a sigh of relief while still standing in the doorway. He rushed to the bed and sat down beside her. He put his hands on her face and kissed her on the forehead.
"Sydney," was all he could say. He took another deep breath in. Vaughn ran his hands through her hair. She didn't say a word to him, she just continued to weep.
He lied down next to her on the bed and put his arm around her.
"It's ok," he breathed. "Shhhh, it's ok." He spoke to her as if she was a child, but maybe that is what she needed. Maybe after one too many losses, a child is what you turn into for a little while. "I'm here, Sydney. It's ok."
She rolled over so that she was facing him. She tried to speak, but she couldn't form any words. "I..." she was overcome with sobs.
"Shh...I know."
"Please, stay with me," Sydney said through her tears.
"Don't worry."
He took off his shoes and pulled the covers over himself. "See, I'm not going anywhere."
She moved close to him, as close as she could possibly be. She took a deep breath. "I need to know that something is real," she said shakily.
"I know. Whatever you need, Sydney."
"Something has to be real," she said. In a few moments she lay still, weeping quietly against his chest.
Michael Vaughn was sitting in traffic. There could be no worse time for traffic than today, than right now, he thought to himself, as he made his way down the freeway at a measly 20 miles an hour.
Right now was the time he needed to be at Sydney's. Less than an hour ago he was called into a conference room to be told the news. The bugs that had been found in Sydney's apartment were not planted by a random plumber, but by Francie. Rather, by the person pretending to be her.
It made his stomach churn when he heard it, as it did to everyone else. Not only was Sydney's best friend dead, Sydney had been spied on for months by someone who was living in the room next door.
She could have been killed at any moment.
"Does Sydney know?" was his first reaction to the news.
"She was just notified," was the answer he was given.
"What? Why!?" he shouted as he rose from his chair in anger.
"Agent Vaughn, I understand that you knew Francie, so this has to be difficult for you, but..."
"Why did you tell her already? She was at home today. Did someone just call her up just to say, 'sorry, you've been spied on for months and your best friend is dead?'"
"Agent Vaughn, she was notified appropriately and sensitively."
"This is unbelievable," he said irately as he moved for the door.
************
And now he sat there. In traffic. The minutes seemed like hours. All he could think about was Sydney, alone in her house. She had dealt with grief before, but he was afraid that this might be too much.
People don't feel the loss Sydney has felt. The loss or the betrayal. It was unbelievable the suffering she had endured.
People lose people they love before they should have to. It happens. It happened to Vaughn. It's terrible and unfair. But people don't lose their mother, their fiance, their best friend - all too early and all before they are 35.
People get betrayed. It happens. It happens to intelligence officers all the time. But not like this. Not on the scale that it happened to Sydney. People don't find out they are working for the enemy. They don't find out their mother works for the enemy. They don't find out their best friend does, too.
And now, Sydney was alone and needed someone to be there with her. And Vaughn was here, on the highway, waiting.
*************
Vaughn used his fist to pound on the hard oak of Sydney's front door.
"Sydney. Sydney, let me in!" He took his keys from his pocket and quickly found the right one, jamming it into the lock as quickly as he could. He threw the door open and slammed it shut behind him.
"Sydney. Sydney, are you alright?" he called as he locked the door and hurried to her room. When he arrived at her bedroom, the door was locked.
"Syd. Syd!" he panicked and threw himself against the door with all of his weight. It flew open.
She was there. She was alright - physically at least. She was lying in bed on her side, wrapped in the white duvet cover, sobbing uncontrollably. Her hair was a mess; her shoes and her purse were strewn about the floor. Her hand quivered as she moved it to cover her face so he wouldn't see her red cheeks or puffy eyes.
Vaughn let out a sigh of relief while still standing in the doorway. He rushed to the bed and sat down beside her. He put his hands on her face and kissed her on the forehead.
"Sydney," was all he could say. He took another deep breath in. Vaughn ran his hands through her hair. She didn't say a word to him, she just continued to weep.
He lied down next to her on the bed and put his arm around her.
"It's ok," he breathed. "Shhhh, it's ok." He spoke to her as if she was a child, but maybe that is what she needed. Maybe after one too many losses, a child is what you turn into for a little while. "I'm here, Sydney. It's ok."
She rolled over so that she was facing him. She tried to speak, but she couldn't form any words. "I..." she was overcome with sobs.
"Shh...I know."
"Please, stay with me," Sydney said through her tears.
"Don't worry."
He took off his shoes and pulled the covers over himself. "See, I'm not going anywhere."
She moved close to him, as close as she could possibly be. She took a deep breath. "I need to know that something is real," she said shakily.
"I know. Whatever you need, Sydney."
"Something has to be real," she said. In a few moments she lay still, weeping quietly against his chest.