Title: Untitled
Author: Sweetness
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah, blah, disclaimercakes.
Rating: PG-13, for language.
'Ship: Sarkney; hints of friendly Sweiss
Timeline: AU S2 future. The kiss at the end of "Phase One" did not happen. Plus, there may have been a few more Syd-Sark missions than weren't shown ;).
Summary: Weiss goes to Sark for answers after Sydney falls off the face of the earth.
A/N: This was written for aricadavidson for pinkdaze's Sark ficathon. Her requirements were to have Weiss in the story and NO SLASH! I think I succeeded at that pretty damn well, since I can't write it, anyway. KaraB, I apologize if this isn't quite what you were wanting. This is what happens when you procrastinate and don't ask questions ;).
A/N 2: Thank you, nicblue0707, serenitysea, angryhamster, and undoubtablyjess for all your support. Especially you, Jess. You're my personal cheerleader and the best beta ever.
"Admiring the view, Mr. Weiss?"
Eric Weiss just stood there with his hands in his pockets. Without turning around, he said, "I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Sark. Or is it Julian Lazarey now?"
Sark smirked slightly and took a couple steps to stand beside Weiss. Ignoring Weiss's question, he replied, "As for me, I assure you, I am very much admiring my view."
Weiss snorted and responded, "You would."
Sark turned to face him. "And just what do you mean by that?"
"What? This isn't your natural habitat? Watching people from afar?"
"Are you insinuating something about my personal life?"
"Well, if the shoe fits…"
"I assure you I do not share that type of eccentricity in my own personal life."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Now who's insinuating?"
Sark sighed impatiently. "As entertaining as this conversation has been, what is the purpose of this meeting, Mr. Weiss?"
Weiss looked at him for a moment, then turned back to observing the scene afar.
Sark nodded in understanding. "Of course. What would you like to discuss, specifically?"
"Why did she leave?"
"You know why—"
"Don't give me that cryptic bullshit, Sark. I want to know the real reason why she left."
"What makes you believe the reason she gave isn't the real reason?"
"Because I know her. She wouldn't just up and leave like that. Something—or should I say someone?—prompted her to leave so suddenly."
"You have no reason to think she left suddenly. You were privy to her desire to become a literature professor, just like her mother, her desire to leave after SD-6 was destroyed, and her desire to have a family. She was just fulfilling those desires."
"Those might have been her dreams once, but her opinion of her mother kinda changed rather drastically after finding out she wasn't really dead, and she married her father and killed a bunch of CIA officers under KGB orders, including Michael Vaughn's father. And, speaking of Mike, why would she just up and leave when she clearly had a future with him?"
The faintest flickers of disgust and incredulity passed over Sark's face. "You actually think she had a future with the Boy Scout?"
"Are you kidding me? You should have seen them at work; they were always flirting and looking at each other with these longing looks. It was really disgusting."
"That is your basis for this absurd notion?" Sark asked, slightly amused.
"Hey, Mike risked his career, his life, for her! And how does she repay him? She leaves!"
"And as I recall, he is in no position to criticize her decision. He did not leave his girlfriend for her, and he would have done so if he had been as devoted to her as you claim he is."
Weiss harshly turned to face Sark. Pointing his finger at him, he said, "Never question Michael Vaughn's honor. Ever."
Sark turned to face Weiss. "I think I deserve to examine his honor, since we are discussing Agent Vaughn's alleged 'devotion' to her. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did he not reunite with his former girlfriend while he was 'in love' with another woman?"
"Alice's father had just died!"
"That does not excuse Mr. Vaughn from culpability. He could have easily supported his former girlfriend in her time of need as a friend, but he chose to reconcile."
"He resigned himself to possibly never having a future with her! Think about how long her father was working against SD-6. Everyone was expecting it to take forever to take down SD-6."
Sark smirked. "Yes, and all it took to bring down SD-6 and the rest of the Alliance was a few computer codes. Makes the CIA's efforts for the past thirty years look worthless, doesn't it?"
"The CIA doesn't see it that way."
Sark snorted. "Of course they wouldn't. What good would it do to look like a group of incompetent imbeciles who couldn't find their heads if they weren't attached to their bodies?"
They both turned back around to face their previous view. Weiss sighed. "Whatever. Can we get back to the topic on hand?"
Sark smirked yet again. "Of course. And if I recall correctly, was it not you who digressed?"
Weiss threw a look at Sark's direction. "Can you quit being such a smartass for two seconds so we can have a conversation?"
Sark mocked, "Can you refrain from being such a clueless CIA agent for two seconds so we can have a conversation?"
Weiss turned to face him again, irritated by Sark's attitude. "Listen! The only reason why I haven't turned you into the CIA is because I care about her and I want to know why she left." He turned back to his previous position. In a more subdued tone of voice, he said, "And if I have to find out through you, then so be it."
Sark raised his eyebrow in amusement. "You honestly think your incompetent agency would actually capture me?"
Weiss stated in a determined voice, "Yes. I. Do."
Sark sneered. "Think whatever you like, if it will help you sleep at night."
Weiss released another sigh in frustration. "Do you ever sleep? Or do all the faces of the people you've killed keep you awake?"
"Why, Mr. Weiss, I never knew you were so concerned for my well-being. I'm touched, really," said Sark, his voice dripping with sarcasm, placing his hand over his heart for full effect.
Weiss snorted. "I'm not. I'm more concerned about all the innocent people you've killed than I will ever be for your cocky British ass."
Sark continued to stare into the distance and paused a moment before speaking. "There are no innocents in our line of business."
Weiss threw him an incredulous look. "Our line of business?"
Sark glanced over at Weiss. "Yes, our line of business. Espionage. Intelligence, or the apparent lack thereof. You were working for the Central Intelligence Agency the last time I checked. Has something changed since then?"
"No, I'm still CIA."
"Of course. You're just as much of a Boy Scout as the Boy Scout himself."
Weiss snorted. "I'd rather be a Boy Scout than Satan's spawn."
"I am hardly the spawn of Satan. That title is more likely to be held by Sloane."
Weiss thought for a moment. Grudgingly, he responded, "I guess you're right about that one."
That damned smirk graced Sark's countenance once again. "Of course I am."
Weiss sighed in frustration. "Can we just get on with this?"
Sark nodded his assent. A few moments of silence stretched before he spoke.
"You have to know that it wasn't an easy decision for her to make."
"I bet you made it easier for her, huh?"
Sark ignored Weiss' comment. "As you know, Sydney wasn't happy with her double-agent status. She came to me for help in getting out. And I helped her."
When Sark didn't continue, Weiss said, "Uh-uh. You can't just leave me with that. I've come too far."
Sark smirked, but didn't rise to the bait. "Not too long after I came to work at SD-6, I noticed Sydney was very distracted. I deduced that she was having some issues with her handler, whom she had been willing to kill Arvin Sloane for.
"One day, after I pushed her a little too far, she blurted out that the man she thought she loved, the one she had techincally killed for, chose to reunite with his girlfriend without informing her, esentially choosing the other woman over her. After I assured her I could not divulge her double agent status without endangering myself, she decided she had nothing to lose and confessed everything that had been bothering her. She was tired of working for a man she secretly despised because he had manipulated her, lied to her, and killed her fiancé. She had conflicting emotions about her mother, whom was in CIA custody.
"She wanted out of the spy game, and she asked if I could help her. As disappointed as I was about her decision, I couldn't deny her. It was what Irina wanted, anyway. So, all we had to do was wait for the right time. And what better time to leave than right after the Alliance fell?"
Weiss threw Sark an incredulous look. "No, that can't be it. She would never be desperate enough to ask for help from the likes of you. She hates you."
Sark smirked and corrected, "Hated me. Past tense."
Weiss shook his head in denial and disbelief. "No, she couldn't possibly feel anything but hatred for you."
Sark merely replied, "Believe what you like."
The two men returned their gazes to the scene afar. The woman they had been mutually watching pulled out a cell phone from her pocket, dialed a number, and placed the phone at her ear.
Suddenly, Sark's phone rang. That infuriating smirk graced his face again as he answered. "Hello?"
Weiss watched in sheer incredulity as Sark appeared to converse with the object of their mutual attention during the meeting.
"Hello, love. How are you? Are you feeling well?"
Weiss would have given away everything he owned to have heard the other end of the conversation, or maybe to not have witnessed this scene at all.
"That's good." More words from the other end. "No, I'm not working right now. In fact, I'm nearby. I'll be there in a few minutes. I love you." Sark presumably waited long enough for a reply and hung up the phone.
Sark turned to Weiss. "Well, as amusing as this meeting has been, I must go now. Take care, Mr. Weiss." Without waiting for an answer, he made his way toward his wife.
Weiss continued to stare in absolute shock and horror as Sark walked over to his one-time friend, hugged her from behind, and kissed her on the forhead. The full force of her betrayal hit him then, as he watched Sark kiss her extremely round stomach, and he nearly collapsed. He seethed with rage and reached for the phone to call in the cavalry… until he saw the smile that lit up his former friend's face. She loved the bastard and was truly happy. That truth was harder to swallow than anything. Weiss reluctantly withdrew his hand from his pocket, deciding she had suffered enough and deserved some happiness.
"Goodbye, Sydney," Weiss said with a sad smile, and with that, he walked away.
