Road Trip

1/2

Summary: This was a fic exchange gift for someone who requested Jack and Irina; humor; Vaughn getting a harsh reprimand; push-up bras; a beach barbeque. Playing fast and loose in Season 4.

Santa Monica, California

Storage facility

Near midnight

Tired eyes scanned the list – rifles, hand guns, comm. units, smoke bombs, a million dollars in unmarked bills, and enough C4 to blow apart a small warehouse. Gathering up the heavy duffle bags, the dark figure slipped out of the storage locker and secured the door.

As he turned towards his waiting car, a sudden flash of bright headlights blinded him. The parking lot was silent save for the chirping of crickets and he reasoned that if someone was there to kill him, they would've completed the job by now.

Still, Jack Bristow wasn't a betting man, so he lowered one of the bags as gently as possible and hovered a hand over his holstered gun.

When the offending car's dome light illuminated, and he saw the shadowy silhouette of a man exiting the vehicle, Jack wasted no time taking cover behind his own SUV.

Step by step, the stranger neared, shuffling through the pebbly gravel. Closer, closer…

"Jack? Is that you?"

Idiot. How he ever received a field rating is beyond me, thought the experienced agent.

Rising from the crouched hiding position, he made a point of displaying his weapon to the intruder. "Agent Vaughn. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Because you almost made that job very simple for me."

Despite the harsh lighting, he could still see that the younger man's face held no apology. "I know what you're doing and I want in."

"I highly doubt that. Because if you truly knew what was best for you, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. So, go home, go play hockey, go do whatever it is you do when you're not ruining my daughter's life."

"If Sydney's in trouble, I can't sit back and do nothing."

"Oh, really?" questioned Jack. "As I recall, that it exactly why Sydney went solo on the unauthorized mission to save her sister in the first place. You did nothing."

It was only a hunch, but the blank face Vaughn returned confirmed his suspicions. Jack pushed past him and began loading the SUV. The window of opportunity was closing fast and he wasn't about to waste another minute on useless arguments.

Vaughn grabbed the open door and prevented it from closing. "You know I'll follow you anyway. Why can't you just let me help, Jack?"

Wrenching the door from the offending grip, the older man slammed it closed and leaned out the window. "Agent Vaughn, you seem to have mistaken me for one of your friends. At no time have I ever granted you permission to address me by my first name." He turned the key in the ignition, but before he could even rev the engine, the passenger door opened and the sandy-haired man had climbed inside.

"I'm going with you, Agent Bristow."

"I already have all the assistance I'll need."

"Oh really? Who?"

From the backseat, a feminine voiced purred low and breathy, "We meet again, Mr. Vaughn."

Sydney & Nadia's house

25 minutes later

"What's taking him so long?" Jack held out his wrist to view the time. "Packing a small bag of clothes for two women is not exactly difficult."

Long, slender fingers caressed the side of his face. "I love how the veins in your temple bulge when you're angry, Jack." Pressing gently into the skin, she rubbed in slow circles, drawing out the knotted tension.

"I wouldn't be so angry if that incompetent fool wasn't along for the ride."

"Now, now, Jack. He feels guilty for not helping Sydney in the first place."

"He should've known she would go down there, regardless of whether he approved or not."

Leaning across the front seat, she turned his tense face towards her. Just as she brushed her lips over his, the passenger door opened.

"Oh, I didn't realize that you moved up front… Irina. I'll just…"

"Get in the back seat, Agent Vaughn," ordered Jack, the words grinding through gritted teeth. "Tell me, did you stop to make yourself a sandwich while you were in there?"

Climbing in the back, Vaughn slammed the door shut and settled the overnight case on the floor. "No, was I supposed to bring food? No one mentioned food."

Irina suppressed a laugh and secured her seatbelt in place. "Did you get everything on the list…Michael?" The name rolled teasingly off her tongue and the smirk that followed hit its target. Toying with Irina Derevko was not a game.

California/Baja border

Three hours later

"What is the purpose of your visit to Mexico, Señor?" inquired the guard.

Sporting a hearty grin, Jack boomed enthusiastically, "Me and the Mrs., and our son, are just taking a little jaunt down here. We're fixing to bring back some of those fine handcrafted accessories for our new home."

"Don't forget the shrimp, honey," added Irina, smiling flirtatiously at the admiring guard.

"I won't, sugar," chuckled Jack.

"Señor...?"

"Dinkelman," supplied Jack.

"How long do you plan on staying in our country?"

"We'll be heading back tomorrow." He knew that a passport wasn't required for such a short stay, but playing the clueless tourist was all part of the job. "Do you need to see our papers? My wife says that I actually took a good picture this time."

"That won't be necessary, Señor."

The guard narrowed his gaze and pointed his flashlight into the backseat, catching sight of a sleeping Vaughn. The light traveled carefully over his body, then up to his face where his head lolled back and forth, and his tongue dangled lazily from the side of his mouth.

"And you say the man in the back… is your son?"

Nodding his head sadly, Jack grimaced and twirled a finger near his forehead. "Sadly, Jr. is what y'all call… loco."

"Ah, sí… loco. So sorry for you. Enjoy your vacation, Señor Dinkelman." He nodded and smiled shyly in Irina's direction. "Señora Dinkelman."

"Adiós!" chirped Irina, waving happily. As soon as they were out of earshot, she turned to inspect their groggy passenger and her voice lowered, "Not a minute too soon. He's coming out of the tranq already."

"Shame. It's been peaceful, but I suppose he needs to be alert. According to the GPS, the abandoned brewery is only twenty minutes from here, on the southwestern edge of Tijuana."

Irina's skillful hands loaded each gun and stuffed the jacket pockets with extra rounds of ammunition. She fitted a comm. unit first to her ear and then to her husband's, giving his neck a little pinch when she had finished.

"What was that for?"

"Has it been that long since someone's flirted with you, Jack?"

"That was flirting?"

"Where are we?" slurred Vaughn, his big hand wiping the drool from his mouth.

"Canada," answered Jack, not missing a beat.

"But…wait!" sputtered the confused agent. "What about Sydney? And Nadia?"

"Loco," muttered Jack, winking slyly at his wife.

TBC