Timeline: End of season 2 and Season 3
Genre: Romance/ comfort
Characters: Sydney and Vaughn mainly with the rest of the gang
Vaughn's apartment
It's not right I should not have gone out with Lauren Reed last night that was made clear to me when as soon as the date was over I went home got drunk until I saw Sydney and apologized a thousand times over. You would think I would be able to move on I mean two years ago today she died, Sydney died and all I have done since is work and drink.
Anyway now is not the time to dwell on my failed attempt of dating, now is the time to through myself into my work and hope I don't see Lauren.
Rotunda
Wow I seem to be getting into work earlier and earlier, it is 7:00 am and I am walking into the Rotunda yet everyone seems to be here already.
"Hey Weiss what is going on?"
"Ah there you are Vaughn to be honest I don't know I got a call this morning from Dixon telling me to get in ASAP"
"Why didn't he call me?"
"Dude he knows that you are normally here before everyone else anyway so there is not point"
"Alright already I get I am a workaholic"
"Don't forget alcoholic, geez how much did you drink last night with Lauren did you two have a binge instead of a date?"
"I didn't drink on the date with Lauren I don't think your aloud to in the cinema"
"Dude was the date seriously that bad, actually don't answer that Dixon is waiting for us" Weiss pulled out the strong smelling aftershave he kept in his draw and handed it to Vaughn. "Put this on before someone smells you"
After putting after Weiss's aftershave we headed to the briefing room to find out why Weiss and everyone else had been called in so early. As soon as we sat down Dixon started with the briefing but first he introduced the different faces in the room, Kendall is back (damn), Will is back from Witness protection (great another person to remind me of Sydney today) and Lauren Reed the new NSC liaison (there goes the hope of not having to see her today). After the introductions Dixon handed the briefing over to Kendall, who of course, got straight down to business.
"Most of you will be familiar with some of the workings of the Covenant. In the early hours of this morning Echelon picked up a this call between Simon Walker, a known freelance operative the covenant uses and Mckennas Cole who we believe is a high raking officer" Kendall pressed a button on the remote he was holding and the recording of the call started playing.
"What would you like my services for today Mr. Cole?" came the crackly voice of Simon Walker.
"Actually just information, When was the last time you heard from Julia Thorne?" came the over confident voice of Mckennas Cole.
"Uh….. That would be uh… two weeks ago…. why?"
"It is probably nothing but she has reported in for two weeks, may I ask what you two talked about Mr. Walker?
"She was just letting me know that she appreciated my teams help on our last mission together"
"Well that isn't much help good bye Mr. Walker" and with that the call ended we all looked at Kendall wondering what on earth he wanted us to do with this information. We had been searching for Julia Thorne ever since we found out she was working for the covenant fifteen months ago with no luck.
"Tippin, Flinkman look through everything we have on the covenant and Julia Thorne. Weiss, Vaughn call the CIA contacts in Italy see if they have heard or seen anything that might tell us anything new. Ms. Reed I believe you have an assignment from the NSC. Someone is gonna slip up some where lets find it people."
After which everyone headed off to try to complete the assignments. I headed out as quickly as possible but unfortunately not fast enough, as I was about to exit I heard someone say me name behind me but it wasn't a Mike, it wasn't a Michael and it wasn't an Agent Vaughn, it was just Vaughn most people knew by now that I didn't like anyone calling me by me last name. I turned around to see who had said it when I noticed that the only two people still in the briefing room were me and Will Tippin. I can't really blame him for not knowing not to call me Vaughn since he had only just come back from a two year stay in Witness Protection, and the person who introduced us was Sydney and she never called me by my first name. I walked over to him and guided him to a spot in the briefing room where no one could see us.
"Hey welcome back Will, so they have told me that they believe that the people that would be after you are either dead or in prison so you are safe." I tried to be as professional as possible manly because I was hoping he wouldn't notice what a wreck I am now compared to when I knew him.
"Vaughn, I know that otherwise I wouldn't be back." Will seemed a little bit more confident then he did two years ago but by the look on his face I doubted this conversation is going to be anything but professional. "Look uh… when I came in yesterday ….. Yeah I know it was a Sunday but they had paper work for me to fill out… anyway… I heard that you hadn't been dealing so well since well you know what and wanted to let you know that if you ever want someone to reminisce about Syd with don't hesitate to ask…. And also I was wondering if umm you thought that the first day that I'm back is the day well…."
Crap he remembered what today is. "Okay Will… first of all thanks for the offer but isn't a good idea after what happened last year. Second I know I am a wreck but are people seriously talking about it? Never mind. Thirdly have you reminded anyone what today is?"
"Firstly that is cool I understand. Second seriously they are and thirdly no I wanted to talk to you but I figured everyone would remember."
"Alright well I suggest we don't because it is extremely important that we find Julia Thorne and take down the Covenant and everyone needs to be working with a clear head as possible. However if you do find it is too hard for you to concentrate the go tell Dixon the situation, Dixon not Kendall he won't understand. Okay we both need to be getting back to work or we are going to be accused of not pulling our weight."
"Now that sounds like a plan see you later" and with that we walked out of the briefing room and went to work.
The rest of the morning went like normal everyone was running around like headless chooks trying to get anything that would be helpful. The afternoon didn't go quite as smoothly, I must have looked completely pathetic because Dixon came over and asked if I found a new victim of Julia Thorne.
"Uh No director I haven't been able to find anything on Julia Thorne"
"Okay then what is it Agent Vaughn?"
"Do I really look that bad? …Can I meet you in your office in five minutes and I will explain then."
"Sure?" and with that Dixon went to check on a few other things and I went to go find Will because if he was dealing with this the way I told him he is going to be desperate to talk to someone about it and if he tells Marshall the whole Rotunda will know in about 10 seconds.
"Will I am going to go tell Dixon about that thing we were taking about earlier would you like to join me" about halfway through my sentence Will was already up and almost out the door of Marshall's office. When we reached Dixon Office he fled through the door and as soon as I was through and the door was shut he started saying stuff about how none one but us remembered what today was and that he felt like he was going to scream if someone didn't remember soon. I could tell he was having trouble controlling himself trying to stop himself from actually screaming.
Dixon was even more startled at Will's outburst then I was and I knew what this was about and I was still completely taken aback about just how desperate Will was to let it out. Dixon sat down and gestured that we do the same, and then he got that look on his face, the look that said he was thinking deeply about something and if we disturbed him we would be in big trouble, believe me I tried once.
"Agent Vaughn is this why you were looking so distracted before? Never mind I know it was …. Okay here is what we are going to do I want you to go out for a couple of hours take a long lunch go somewhere where it will help you both to deal with this, that doesn't mean go to a bar Agent Vaughn, then I want you to come back and get back to work. I'll cover for you with your working partners unless of course you want to tell them."
I glanced at Will and look back to Dixon "Thank you sir, do you have a piece of paper I could use I'll write a note for Weiss explaining the situation… he will figure it out anyway." With that Dixon got up and went to his desk and got a pad out of his desk for me and I wrote Weiss a note that Dixon would later give to him once Will and I had left.
Weiss, you were right yesterday it is the anniversary of Sydney's death this week, it is Today. Will and I were the only ones who remembered and we couldn't stop thinking about it so we told Dixon and he is letting us take a couple of hours off. Please don't tell anyone else.
After I wrote my note Will and I left, both of us silently wondering where we would go. "Where are you going to Will?"
"To be honest I have no idea, I thought maybe her old apartment but then I thought it had probably been re-built and new people living there. Then I thought of going to the University were we first meet. You?"
"I am going to go to the warehouse where we used to meet while she was double agent with SD-6, then I will go to the pier and then to the ice rink and maybe fall over a few times deliberately"
After that we parted ways I think he was still trying to figure out why I would go to the pier and the ice rink to fall over, even I think they are strange places to go and I know the reasons behind them.
The warehouse was dead silent as always, I just stood there remembering all the conversations I had had with Sydney here both professional and personal.
The Pier was mostly the same as the warehouse quiet and bare I didn't really feel like I was standing there right at this moment it felt like I was standing there the first time Sydney and I had been there are her contact in Morocco had died and her Dad had stood her up on their dinner. It also happened to be the first time I had told her that no matter what I was her ally.
The Ice Rink however had just opened after being closed for hockey practice so there were a few people around including some of my old team mates who stopped and said hello and asked me where I had been and if I was here to join up again. I was as polite to them as possible considering why I was actually there. I went out onto the rink and went in circles a few times but as much as I tried I just couldn't fall over so instead I started shooting pucks into the net which was something I had once tried to teach Sydney to do.
When I got back to my desk at the Rotunda after feeling that I had honored Sydney's memory enough to let me get to work, with a clear head. As I sat down I noticed no one was really working, so I went off to find Weiss who I found in Marshall's office of all places.
"Hey Weiss what is going on did someone get a lead?"
"No did you, Dixon said you might have found someone who might know what Julia Thorne looks like and you went to meet them."
"No turns out there is a woman in his building that isn't very nice to him named Julia Thorne but she has purple hair and is a waitress so she isn't smart enough to use a wig. So if they haven't got a lead what is going on?"
"To be honest were not quite sure all we know is that just after you left Kendall took a call from one of the workstations, through the entire phone call he had this look of utter surprise on his face. Next thing we know everyone was told to stop working and go to lunch. Kendall and Dixon have been in Dixon's office ever since then."
I sat down with Marshall and Weiss thinking about what that phone call could have possibly been about. Weiss seemed to be watching me carefully, I think he was worried that if I didn't have something to do I would snap. We spent almost an hour in Marshall's office talking about Carries pregnancy and Marshall's latest gadgets before one of the techies came in and asked us all to go the Dixon's office. When we arrived we were told sit down because apparently what they had to tell us was pretty shocking. In the room already were Will, Carrie, Dixon and Kendall.
"I know all of you will find what the phone call I took earlier extremely hard to believe that is why Dixon and I thought it best if you heard it for yourselves and please don't say anything until it is finished." With that Dixon pressed a button and the recording of the phone call played.
"Kendall here"
"Kendall, I just woke up in Hong Kong with no memory of how I got here" I think the only two faces in the room that weren't completely shocked were Kendall and Dixon, there was no mistaking it, it was her voice, it was Sydney's voice.
"Okay … do you know where the safe house is?"
"Of course"
"I'll tell them to prep for your arrival, I want you to wait there until your contact arrives"
"Okay" I wanted her to say more it was so good to hear her voice. But the Agent in me told me
not to get to excited until I had all the details. The room was quiet but we all knew what the other was thinking, yikes could this really be her, did she really not die two years ago. Weiss was the first to speak.
"Uh ...Yikes…. Okay someone has to say it, how do we know that this doesn't have something to do with the Helix protocol?"
"We don't agent Weiss however we have come up with a plan to find out I am sure you all remember when we thought Will was a double, Sydney asked him questions that only he could answer…. Here is what we are going to do I want each of you to go and write up five questions that only the real Sydney would know the answer to, they can be about personal or professional things. Then hand them to me and we will see where we go from there." Kendall said in his debrief voice but he seemed to show a slight trace of hope on his face when he said it.
We all left the room anxious to get started on our questions, we must have looked pretty weird the group of us half running out of Dixon's office and to our desks, the way we did. However when we got to ours desks we all went into a deep thinking mode trying to figure out the right questions to ask. Then they came to me and I started typing.
What is the significance of Vaughn's Dad's watch?
Why do you like going to the train station?
In what country did you find Vaughn after he almost drowned in Taiwan?
What project did your farther test on you when you were six?
How did you figure out which Jim Lennox was the double?
As soon as I finished I printed out my questions and went back to Dixon's office a couple of moments after everyone else entered with theirs. Then we sat and waited while Dixon and Kendall sorted through the all of them, deciding which ones they will use. After what seemed like forever they decided and told us the plan Kendall will go to Hong Kong and ask the questions in person and the rest of us would be back at the Rotunda listening and telling him through comms is the answer was correct.
Kendall left straight away, Dixon told everyone else in the Rotunda to go home except one of the techies who stayed behind to set up the comms and the rest of us started discussing some of the types of things we thought Kendall might have chosen from our questions. Before we knew it Kendall was in Hong Kong and on his way to the safe house.
We could hear him setting up the microphone and Sydney's voice mumbling something in the background. We heard Kendall explain to her what was going to happen and why. Then the questions began.
"After the first mission Marshall had with you what had the CIA planned to happen after you got back?"
"He was supposed to be kidnapped by the real CIA and told the truth about SD-6." Kendall knew that was what was going to happen because he was there so no one needed to tell him if it was right or wrong. But Marshall did look a little shocked at that news.
"Whose men did you and Vaughn take out in Nice?"
"Ariana Kane's, she was investigating Emily's 'death'." Which Weiss confirmed was right.
"Why did Marshall want you to take a picture of Paris?"
"So that he could put himself in it, for proof of his cover job for SD-6." Which Marshall confirmed.
"Who was there the night Charlie proposed to Francie?"
"Will, his assistant Jenny, myself the happy couple and my Dad stopped by just after but didn't come in." This Will confirmed and by now all of us were excited by the fact that so far she had gotten every answer correct.
"The first time Carrie was in the rotunda what was Dixon going to blow up?"
"Himself, me, the guy he was interrogating and probably a quarter of the shipping yard we were in." This time both Carrie and Dixon confirmed that the answer was correct.
"Okay one last question, what is the significance of Vaughn's Dad's watch?"
"When Vaughn's Dad gave him the watch he said that you can set your heart by this watch it stopped October first, the day Vaughn and I met." This time I got to confirm the answer and as soon as I did we all yelled it is really her we have Sydney back.
After that everyone listened into when she would be back in Los Angeles, which turned out to be tomorrow morning but Kendall wanted her to go straight to the naval hospital to make sure she hadn't suffered from any kind of torture. After Kendall packed up the microphone we were unable to listen any more.
Everyone was so happy we had all missed her so much. Dixon suggested that tomorrow we all take turns of seeing her in the Naval hospital, but for now we should all go out and celebrate. So we all headed to the closest bar, but before we left the Rotunda Weiss came up to me and asked.
"You aren't going to get and attack all of us like last year are you?"
"No the only reason why I have been getting drunk every night for the past two years is so that I could see Sydney and now that I don't have to get drunk to see her I won't be getting drunk like that anytime soon." That was the truth but I also felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders like I wasn't along in the world anymore. Weiss seemed happy with that answer too. So for tonight we partied because the best person that ever lived in the world is coming home.
The night at the bar was probably exactly what we all needed although there was an unspoken thought amongst all of us where has she been for the past two years, who took her and how do we tell everyone else. That last part was just about to be answered when we all saw Ms. Lauren Reed walk into the pub she went straight up to Dixon and I and told us that the Director of the NSC, Robert Lindsey, would very much like to know what was going on and what gave them the authority to send his agent home half way through the day.
Dixon pulled out his mobile and must have dialed Robert Lindsey's number because we heard yelling coming through the phone and then walked away leaving me standing with Lauren. She turned to me looking at me like I was suppose to say something but then Dixon returned and he explained what had happened today. After Dixon finished she walked back out of the bar the only thing she said before she left was.
"I guess we won't be going on a second date then."
With that she left and after a few moments we went back to celebrating. At around 10:30 we decided it was time to go home and get some rest because tomorrow was probably going to be a long day. I went back to my apartment and had the best night's sleep I had had in in last two years.
The next morning I went into the Rotunda feeling like a new man, the group of us that knew this extraordinary news gathered in Dixon's office and discussed how we would tell everyone else. We decided to tell them as one big group in the briefing room. Marshall and Carrie however would not be there they were going to go see if Sydney was awake and fill her in on what had been happening around here the last two years.
I was dying to go see her but we had work that had to be done so after telling everyone and asking several questions people had we went to work some of us trying to track the Covenants movements and the rest of us trying to figure out what on earth had happened to Sydney. Dixon decided that I wouldn't go to see her until late this afternoon because he knew that if he sent me halfway through the day I probably wouldn't come back.
When Marshall and Carrie came back they told me that Sydney really wanted to see me and that she was doing well. Will was the next to go and when he came back he said pretty much the same thing. Weiss and Dixon said the same thing when they came back they also said that we should really talk to each other before coming because apparently she has heard the same things almost every time, which made me laugh so I asked Weiss what they had talked about. Apparently they talked about Francie being the other double, the fire in her apartment, the body we found with her DNA, her funeral, the Covenant, what she remembered of the past two years which was apparently nothing and I even got him to admit that they had talked about how I had been coping while she was gone.
I finished up my work for the day, then went to my car actually I sort of ran to it desperate to see her.
I walked into the hospital and went straight to the room I was told she was in, it was right down the end of the hall, through the glass door I saw her pacing around the room which actually made me laugh. The second I crossed the threshold of the door way she was in my arms and crying against my shoulder. I got her over to the bed and got her sit down and she continues to cry for a few more minutes, when she stopped she looked up at me. Her whole expression looked like that of a sad, lost, scared kid. I pulled her back against my chest and simply said.
"It is going to be ok Syd, your home and that is all that matters right now."
"Vaughn, don't go …" I could tell that she needed me here right now and I wasn't going anywhere but I could also tell that she had something else to say, I wasn't going to push her for it. We just sat there on the hospital bed and I kissed her forehead. "Vaughn I lied to Kendall and everyone else that came here today …. I do remember something I remember the first nine months I was gone and when I woke up in Hong Kong I thought I had only been gone those nine months. Vaughn I remember being tortured, broken down and then conditioned to be someone called Julia Thorne but that is it." She stumbled over the words in a rush to let them all out.
"Syd it is ok, I am so sorry you had to go through that but you are here now and I am not going to let anything happen to you. As for not telling the others they will understand that you needed to feel completely safe before you told anyone. But right now you need to rest, I'll be right here I promise."
With that she lied down on the bed and slept. While she did I never let go of her hand trying to reassure myself and her that we were both here together and neither of us were going anywhere anytime soon.
I must have fallen asleep myself because when I woke up my head was on the edge of Sydney's bed and she was awake talking to Dixon, Weiss, Marshall, Carrie and Will. Also amazingly neither of us had let go of each others hands while we were asleep. I sat up as Sydney whispered one of her soft "hey" to me and I whispered one back and somehow we went unnoticed by the others who were talking about an operative they have in France in the corner of the room.
I went to stand up but was promptly pulled back down by an anxious Syd who still had a hold of my hand.
"Sydney I am just going to go and get a cup of coffee from the cafeteria I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Well then I'll come with you and before you say anything the doctor said that it was perfectly okay for me to walk around this morning while you were asleep. So come on." I helped her out of her bed and we went to the cafeteria after telling the others where we were going of course.
"Ok so we didn't get much of a chance to talk last night before my little melt down."
"Ok what do you want to talk about?"
"I want to ask you something and please don't get mad at any one ok is it true that you had an NSC liaison called Lauren Reed drooling over a very drunken you for the past two years?" How could she possibly know about Lauren already?
"Ah I don't know so much of the drooling part but yeah she had wanted to go out with me but I couldn't do it Syd…. I am going to assume that you know about my drinking but did Weiss tell you why I dunk so much?"
"No he just said that ever since I was 'killed' that you were drinking all night, getting to work at the crack of dawn and that once you punched him for mentioning you move on."
I stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned her so she faced me.
"He said all that ha… Syd the only reason why I drunk so much was so that I could see you, for the first couple of weeks after you were….'killed'…. I sat at home and talked to you about the silliest things the weather, should I get a new car, should I have another drink….. And then I started staying up even later and I could hear you talking to me saying things like 'Vaughn help me' or 'Vaughn please find me' which to be honest I always thought was strange but as time went on I started having entire conversations about stuff ." The look on her face scared me a little, she looked sad, worried and yet there was also a hint of realization. "Sorry I really shouldn't be telling you all this you have enough to worry about."
"It's ok I asked I just wasn't prepared to hear how depressing your life had gotten. But one thing you said got me you know how you said you heard me say help me or find me … it is just that I can remember saying exactly that while I was being tortured.
"Ok yeah that is a little weird"
"Anyway it is like you said last night it doesn't matter now because right now we are together and that is all that matters right?"
"Right" and with that she curled her arm around mine and I kissed her forehead.
When we got back to Sydney's room there were a few new comers Kendall and the doctor that had examined Sydney when she had arrived at the hospital. Everyone turned to us as we walked in, the doctor was the first to speak.
"Ms. Bristow my I talk to you a moment" he glanced down at our fingers laced around each other "alone".
Reluctantly Sydney let go of my hand and the rest of us left the room leaving them to talk. I tried asking the others if they knew what was going on and they simply said that the doctor only said that he had to talk to Sydney and it was up to her if she told anyone else.
Then something completely unexpected happened, Lauren Reed walked over to all of us and bluntly said "Where is she?"
"If you are talking about Sydney Bristow Ms. Reed she is with her doctor now and why would you want to know any way." Kendall bluntly explained.
"I am here under direct order from Director Lindsey, to ask Ms. Bristow a few questions about where she has been these last couple of months because the NSC has information that she may have been held by the Covenant."
"Ms. Reed as you may already know Ms. Bristow has already told us that she doesn't remember anything from the last two years and if Lindsey still wants to talk to her he can wait until Sydney is more stable." I honestly don't know how Dixon could be so calm, his six months as Director had really changed him.
"I assure you Director Dixon that Director Lindsey will still want to talk to Sydney Bristow and it is highly unlikely that he will be willing to wait until you deem it an appropriate time."
"Good day Ms. Reed"
Just as Lauren turned to walk away the door to Sydney's room flew open and Sydney through herself into my arms and started crying again. Lauren must have decided that she wasn't going to be the one to tell Robert Lindsey that she had been unable to talk to Sydney as he had requested.
Lauren tapped one Sydney's shoulder to which Sydney replied with a very muffled grumbled coming from where Sydney had hidden her face against my now tear stained shirt and tie.
"Ms. Bristow my name is Lauren Reed I am the NSC liaison in the CIA's Los Angeles main posting and I would like to ask you a couple of questions regarding your missing time, Ms. Bristow did you a any point in the last couple of years have contact with any member of the Covenant?"
Sydney's head slowly turned so that she was looking directly at Lauren with a fierce look in her eyes and her tear stained cheeks catching the lights in the hallway where we were standing.
"Ms. Reed I don't know who you think you are, but as I have already told the CIA I don't remember a single thing from the last two years, let alone if I did or did not have any contact with what ever Rambaldi obsessed group that is around now or yesterday."
Lauren was rather taken a back by Sydney's outburst and actually looked terrified not to mention that myself, Dixon, Will, Weiss and a very hormonal Carrie were all looking at her like she was our opposition in a wrestling match that was to the death. But she held her ground and said before she left 'That Lindsey will be in contact with Dixon shortly to discuss this'.
"I'll go and make sure that neither Ms Reed or any other NSC officer bothers you Sydney" Dixon then walked away with his phone to his ear but I am not completely sure that Sydney actually heard him because she had her face buried back into my chest and had started crying again.
The doctor then came out of Sydney's room, he seemed to be completely oblivious to what had just happened "ah Ms. Bristow, I'm so very sorry and you are going to be able to leave as soon as I get the paper work organized." Sydney mumbled something that sounded like thank you, but by the look on the doctor's face I gathered that he had no idea she had said anything at all so I thanked him for her. We all went back into Sydney's room and got her to sit down and eventually got her to go to sleep.
Later that afternoon when Sydney woke up I asked her whether she was planning on buying a new house or if she would like to move in with me. Her answer of course was a typical Sydney way, she asked almost every possible question about my apartment and then got me to go get a real estate magazine.
A few days pasted (the doctor was extremely slow in getting the paper work together) like that just talking about anything and everything go times that we had had in the past, where she was going to live the only subject that she didn't want to talk about was what she did remember from her missing time which was understandable.
Of course I could only spend time with her after work which continued to function as normal except for the fact that the few of us that knew Sydney from two years ago were in high sprits nothing seemed to be able to bring us down and was actually kind of funny when you think about all the stuff we see while we are working.
A week passed since they had found Sydney in Hong Kong and she had been brought to the Strafford Navel Hospital and the doctors decided that they could get the paper work together. She could go home unfortunately I was unable to get the day off but Carrie was because she had an appointment to check on her baby so her and Sydney spent the day together shopping, because Sydney had lost all her things two years ago in the fire that tore through her apartment the night she went missing. I had given Carrie the spare key to my apartment so that the girls could put their shopping away when they were finished.