VISION



LoS AnGeLeS

Sydney Bristow strutted through SD-6 for her meeting with Sloane, Dixon, Marshall, and Jack Bristow. The tall, brunette turned heads as she walked through. She was efficient, beautiful, smart, and savvy, and most of SD-6 that knew her, admired her.

She pushed through the doors and sat in her chair. Arvin Sloane began to speak,

"There is another Milo Rambaldi artifact. " He clicked a button. A painting of a woman appeared on the computer screen. " Underneath this simple painting, in the framework is a code, a code that will give us details on the scrapbook that was stolen from us by K-Directorate, details that even with the scrapbook, K-Directorate does not know. Agent Bristow, your mission is simple, retrieve the painting and bring it back to us. You will be attending a party thrown by the owner of the painting, Tavish Sveiler, in Stockholm, Sweden." A button was clicked and a picture of a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes appeared. "Marshall, please show Agent Bristow her equipment."

Marshall stood up, " Hello, everyone. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's. I know I did... I ..." Sloane warned," Marshall...."

" Yeah, right, the equipment. OK, Miss Bristow, see this?" He held up a locket. " It looks like a normal cameo locket that you would put the picture of your sweetheart or family in, which by the way I've heard cameos are all the rage this year, so you'll be lookin' way stylish..." Sydney smiled warmly and exchanged glances with Dixon. Sydney's mind flashed to Vaughn for a brief moment. " Yes, Marshall."

" All you have to do is press the head and this laser will appear. It will retrieve the code for entry into his study and you will be able to get inside. There on, you will take this pen, pull it apart, and you see this little screwdriver-looking thing, you need to run it all the way around the frame to deactivate any alarms attached to it. Got it?"

Sydney nodded, " Thank you, Marshall, brilliant work." Marshall beamed.

Sydney was in her apartment, packing, waiting for contact from Vaughn. *Ring* She went to the phone, but whoever had called must have hung up. Francie must have answered it. " Francie, who was it?" Francie replied, " Wrong number, something about Joey's Pizza." Sydney nodded to herself. She grabbed her purse. " I forgot some stuff at work, Francie, I'll be back in a few." Syd left the small house and headed for the warehouse.

Vaughn was waiting for her, like always. He watched every move she made as she pranced into the chained area. Gosh, she was beautiful. He reprimanded himself, he shouldn't be thinking of her as beautiful. " Hey, Vaughn."

" Hey, Syd. Glad you made it here OK."

" Yeah, I shook the tails. So, what's my countermission?" Vaughn smiled slightly, she always got down to business. " OK, you will switch the paintings, one that looks exactly like the real one. An agent will be at the party and be ready to switch you paintings, OK? You have to get out of there fast, though, because Dixon is going to be setting a small explosive that will blow up the house. The party guests will be alerted of a bomb and sent away, but it will still explode. You have to get out of there fast. OK? I'll be watching you from here."

" Yeah, got it." She stood to leave. Vaughn, not wanting their contact to be over spoke again, " Well, how are Francie's wedding plans coming?" Sydney looked surprised that he remembered," Good. We found her the perfect wedding dress, it will be so beautiful and we also found bridesmaids' dresses. It's so amazing, long light blue dress, with silver spaghetti straps and a silver sheer covering that comes over the light blue. I think it's awesome." Vaughn smiled, "Maybe I'll see you in it someday." An akward silence fell over them. " Be careful, Syd. I'll see you when you get back. I'll be watching you." " Like always, Guardian Angel." Sydney left quickly. Five minutes later, Vaughn followed.



StOcKhOlM

Sydney attached her shoulder length red wig on her head and adjusted the cameo. She was wearing a short, skin-tight black dress that had a v neck in both front and back. She walked into the party with Dixon. He was to plant the bomb and then announce to everyone there was a bomb; that they need to be evacuated. Sydney was to go from there to the study to retrieve the painting. Dixon left her side and Sydney surveyed the room. There was one man who nodded slightly at her. He looked like the pictures Vaughn had shown her. She lifted her diamond bracelet, " I found him." The man turned and headed up a flight of stairs. An announcement was made," A BOMB! A BOMB!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!" Panic arose and people started to fly everywhere. Sydney deftly climbed the stairs and went straight to the study door. The man was sitting there. " Bristow..." " Walker..." Sydney pressed the cameo head and the door flashed open. She went straight to the painting. She pulled the pen out of her clutch purse and deactivated the alarms. She pulled the painting off the wall. Walker and Sydney went straight out the door and went to another small sitting room. He handed her an alternate painting and then they parted separate ways. She started down the stairs closest to her.

Vaughn was watching. " What's she doing, Eric? What's she doing? She's going down the wrong set of stairs. SYDNEY!! DON'T GO DOWN THOSE STAIRS. YOU'RE GOING STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE BOMB!" He held his breath as she looked for a way out.

Sydney heard Vaughn's panicked voice. She began to run with the painting. She slid through the kitchen and found a back door She ran through it just as the bomb went off.

Vaughn collapsed in his chair. She must be dead, she had to have died in an explosion like that. He couldn't see because of all the smoke. Then he heard her coughing. " Syd, are you alright?"

" Yeah. I think so." She began to crawl out of the smoke. She was quite aways away when she realized something. " O MY GOSH, Vaughn!"

" What? What?"

" I can't see! I can't see. Everything is black. Vaughn, help me! I don't know where I am. I can't see anything!" She began to wail, " Vaughn, help me! Help me." She passed out. Vaughn was heartbroken. " She just said she can't see, didn't she?" Eric nodded his head slowly. Vaughn's face fell and he looked like someone had just stabbed a knife in his chest. Eric Weiss watched his friend's reaction. Vaughn had it bad for Bristow. Now she may never see again.

Dixon found Sydney and the painting in a ditch near the mansion. He gently shook her, " Syd, Syd wake up." Syd's eyes fluttered open. " Thank God! I thought you were dead Sydney." Sydney shook her head, " No, Dixon. I'm not dead, but I'm blind."

"WHAT?"

" I can't see anything except blackness. Lord help me." Sydney's head was pounding. Dixon lifted her to the van and then went back for the painting. He drove her straight to the airport, so they could get her home. She had passed out again. She was mumbling something. He listened carefully. It sounded like a name. Who's? Dixon had no idea. He listened again, " Vaughn, save me. I need you... please."

Dixon repeated it louder, " Vaughn, save me. I need you... please." He was puzzled. Who was Vaughn? He didn't know whether he should mention this to Sloane or not. No, first he would tell Mr. Bristow.

Vaughn still had the headphones in his ears. He could no longer see anything on the screen, but he could hear. He heard Dixon repeat his name. Then he heard Sydney mumbling, but he couldn't understand her. He heard Dixon say, " Vaughn, save me. I need you... please. Who's Vaughn? Who is she talking about or what?" Vaughn's heart broke for several reasons. If Dixon told Sloane this, Sydney would be in a lot of trouble. Another reason was she wanted him to save her. He was stuck here in LA, unable to reach her yet. He would go to her once she got to the hospital and take her away from there. Weiss saw the look on Vaughn's face, " You can't save her. You go to her, Vaughn, and you could endanger her life even more and yours as well."

" NO. She needs me and she wants me to come to her. I'm going to do just that." Vaughn turned away from Eric and continued to listen to Sydney's mutterings, the only thing that could comfort him was that she was still alive.

LoS AnGeLeS

The black Lincoln town car, Dixon's, pulled up in front of the Angels of Mercy Hospital in LA. Angels of Mercy was an SD-6 run hospital. She was taken immediately behind the doors where injured agents were held. A doctor came and checked Sydney's eyes and ran some tests. They determined that she was blind. Dr. Jamieson came and spoke, " Miss Bristow, we have gotten your test results back. You are blind, but it may only be temporary."

" May be? Like it could be permanent?"

" Well... yes." Sydney turned her head. " We'll want to keep you overnight and observe you. Then you can be released to your next of kin or a friend tomorrow." Sydney nodded. Dixon was in her room as well, listening to what the doctor said. After Dr. Jamieson left, Dixon stepped forward. " Sydney, I'm so sorry."

" Dixon, is that you?"

" Yeah. It's me. I think I'll go call your father. Is there anyone else you want me to call?"

" Francie. Tell her to call Will. You have my number, right?"

" Yeah."

" Francie's home number is the same. OK?"

" Alright." He turned to leave. " Dixon... did I say anything while I was unconscious?"

Dixon thought for a moment, " No, nothing." Sydney smiled and nodded. Dixon left to call Mr. Bristow. Sydney's mind began to wander. She wondered if Vaughn even knew where she was. Tears filled her eyes, she was blind and alone. She didn't know what to do. She felt disoriented, unable to comprehend anything. She sighed and closed her eyes, not that it made much difference for her whether her eyes were open or closed.

Jack rushed immediately to the hospital. Dixon had called and said Sydney had been injured in Stockholm and that she was at Angels of Mercy. Jack found Dixon in the waiting room. " Dixon, what happened?"

" Sydney, she didn't get far enough from the explosion. She's blind."

" What? She can't see?"

" No. I have a question, Mr. Bristow."

" What is it?"

" Do you know anyone named Vaughn? She fell unconscious and she kept calling for someone named Vaughn and asking him to help her. Do you know anything about this Vaughn person?" Jack knew Sydney couldn't help what she said while she was unconscious. He had to think fast. " Vaughn... is a friend of hers. Did you mention this to Sloane?"

" No, for some reason I felt like I should talk to you first."

" Don't say anything to him. Please.... she's trying to keep her friends separate from work. Don't tell Sloane about her calling out for Vaughn."

" OK. I'll do it for Sydney."

" Thank you Dixon. Now I think I will go visit my daughter."

Jack walked into her room. Sydney was fast asleep. He came to her bed and took her hand. He held her small hand in his large, callused hand. He kissed it.

" Oh, my little girl. I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you. I should have been able to protect you from this, all the hurt you've been made to feel. I'm so sorry." Sydney opened her eyes, " Daddy?"

" Yeah."

" It's not your fault. Thank you for coming."

" Your welcome. I love you, Sydney."

" I love you, too, Daddy."

" I have to go do damage control and try to explain this to Sloane. We'll come back with the story you should tell Will and Francie. OK?'

" Ok." Jack kissed her cheeks and then left the room. Sydney sighed and laid back on her pillows.

Sydney could feel someone in the room. She took a deep breath and smelled something, sweet and familiar. It was Vaughn, it had to be. " Vaughn? Are you in here?" Vaughn stepped forward, "Yeah. How'd you know it was me?" Sydney blushed," I know what you smell like, you have a wonderful, familiar scent, your cologne and something else. I smelled it and knew you were here." Vaughn smiled. He went to the bed. " Are you OK?"

" I guess." She got choked up, " I'm blind. It might be temporary and it might not be." Vaughn touched her cheek and wiped a tear away. " It'll be alright, Syd. I swear."

" Don't promise anything when you don't know what will happen." Vaughn sighed. " I came to see how you were."

" It's dangerous for you, in a SD-6 hospital."

" Yeah. When will they release you?"

" Tomorrow. I have to have someone come for me. Will or Francie will probably come get me."

" How about if I come get you?"

" Would you?" He nodded and then caught himself. "Of course." Sydney closed her eyes. " I'm really tired now." Vaughn replied. " Yeah, I'll leave you alone. I'll come back tomorrow."

" No, wait! Stay with me for a little while." Vaughn felt his heart tighten. " OK." He sat in a chair and took both of her hands in his. He watched as her breathing slowed and she soon was asleep. She looked so innocent when she slept, like she hadn't seen all the horrors she had. He watched her closely and whispered, " I should have protected you. I'll protect you from now on, I swear that to you with a certainty. No one will ever hurt you again." He stood and placed her hands on her stomach. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly. Then, he turned and left.

The next day, Vaughn came for her like he said he would. He had called in sick and then came straight to the hospital. The nurses told him to sign a paper, in place of Sydney's signature, since she couldn't see what she was signing. He read the document that said that Sydney was released into someone else's care and if anything happened to her afterwards, the hospital could not be sued. He took a pen out of his pocket and signed on the dotted line, Bryce Smith. He went straight to Sydney's room. She was sitting on the edge of her bed. She was in jeans and a tank top, looking comfortable. " Hello?" she called out. " It's me, Sydney." She sighed in relief. "Vaughn..."

" No, Bryce."

" Bryce, right." He rolled a wheelchair to the side of the bed. " OK, I've signed you out. Time to go home." He lifted her up and placed her in the wheelchair, so she wouldn't fall. " Do you want to go to your house?"

" Yeah, Francie should be at work. Let's go." Vaughn pushed her out the doors and led her to his car.

They pulled in front of Sydney's house. He lifted her back in his arms. " Wrap your arms around my neck, OK? Relax." Sydney did as she was told, except for the whole relaxing part. She was in Vaughn's arms, and she was supposed to relax? Yeah, right. He carried her up the front porch steps. " Sydney, where's a key?"

" There should be a plant on the right side of the door. It's taped to the back of the pot." Vaughn looked to his right, and found the pot. He took the key and unlocked the door. Francie came running, " Who is it?" She saw a tall, handsome stranger and then she saw Sydney in his arms. Her head was against his chest and her arms were around his neck. She looked comfortable, almost like the way she did with Danny, yet it was somehow different. " Who are you?" Vaughn shifted uncomfortably, " Where should I put Syd down?" Francie shook her head, " Oh, ummm, the couch, I guess. " Francie led him to the living room. Vaughn put her down with great gentleness, like Sydney was a breakable porcelain doll. Francie observed the scene. " OK, now who are you?" Sydney opened her mouth, but Vaughn spoke first. " Francie..."

" How do you know my name?"

" Sydney told me your name. Sydney was hurt and she's blind." Francie yelped, " She's blind? Dixon called and said she had been injured and we should pick her up today. Will was going to. Why did you pick her up?" Sydney spoke, " Because he wanted too."

" Syd, what's going on? Who is he?"

" I was hurt. See, I was in Chicago on my business trip. These guys jumped out of the car and started shooting down the bank. I fell and received a head injury and I can no longer see. Now don't give him the third degree either." Sydney had deliberately left Vaughn's name out, because she didn't know if Vaughn wanted Francie to get an alias or not. Vaughn out stretched his hand, " I'm Michael Vaughn. I work with Sydney."

Francie shook his hand, but was still cautious. " How come Sydney never talks about you?" Francie waited for an answer. Sydney spoke up, " I do. You know the guy that bought me the picture frame?"

" The one that Will is obsessed about finding out who it is? The Christmas present guy?"

" Yeah, Vaughn is he."

" Why do you call him Vaughn instead of Michael?" Vaughn answered that question, " I answer by both, but most people at work call me Vaughn." That was not an all out lie, they did call him Vaughn. The door bell rang. " I'll get it." Francie left the room. Vaughn wrapped an arm around Sydney, "It's nice to finally get to meet your friends."

" Yeah, well, I wish you didn't have to. I would rather you not know them and me not to have gotten hurt." Vaughn nodded.

Will was at the door. " I went to pick her up and the nurses said she was already gone. They wouldn't tell me who they had release her to. I thought we had decided that I would pick her up. Where is she?" Sydney called to the familiar voice, " I'm in here, Will!"

" Francie, I said I would go get her."

" I know. I wasn't the one who picked her up. The Christmas gift guy did."

" What? The mysterious secret Santa guy?'

" Yep." Will charged into the living room. " Sydney, are you OK?" Sydney retold her Chicago story and that she was blind. Will felt like a brick had hit him, but soon his reporter's instinct set in. " How come I haven't heard about a Chicago bank shoot out?" Sydney didn't know what to say. Vaughn came to the rescue, " I don't believe we've met yet."

" I'm Will Tippin."

" I'm Michael Vaughn." The two stared at each other, in something that looked like a stare down, like they were sizing each other up. Francie almost laughed out loud.

" How come Sydney has never mention your name, Mr. Vaughn?"

" Call me Michael, or Vaughn. I guess the occasion never came up." Vaughn tightened his grip around Sydney's waist. She had inadvertently laid her head down on his chest, so she could rest. Will started to question some more. " Will, stop it! Please!" Will saw the pained look in Sydney's face and he quickly stopped the third degree. An akward silence spread over the four of them. A cell phone rang. Vaughn pulled his out of his pocket, " Vaughn here..."

Weiss was on the other end of the phone. " Where are you, man?"

" I'm sick."

" Sick, my foot, you aren't sick. I bet you twenty dollars you're with Sydney Bristow."

" No, I will not bet you. I'm sick, now why are you calling me?" Sydney and the rest were listening to the conversation. " There is an important meeting with me and Walker about the Stockholm case. I figured you would want to be there. I know you are not sick."

" I'll be there."

" Tell Sydney 'Hi' for me." Eric chortled a laugh as he hung up the phone.

Vaughn looked on to Sydney. " That was Eric. He needs me to come see to something, that I would want to be at the meeting. Oh, yeah, and he says 'Hi'."

" He knew you were here?"

" He guessed as much. I have to go. Only for a little while, OK? I'll be back soon, I promise."

" I don't expect you to spend every minute here with me. Bye, Vaughn." He nodded.

" Bye, Syd." He left her with her two friends, a worried Francie and a jealous Will. Will noted several things. Sydney's voice changed when they started to talk about work, almost like it was a secret. And why did Vaughn answer the phone, "Vaughn here?" Why did Sydney call him Vaughn, instead of Michael. Questions he had, and questions he vowed to answer.

Vaughn had already met with Weiss and Walker. The picture frame had not been injured and everything had checked out. They had discovered the code and were decoding it now. He walked outside of a warehouse. Someone came up behind him and pulled him behind some boxes. Vaughn turned around to see the angry eyes of Jack Bristow. " Who do you think you are, picking my daughter up from the hospital?"

" I wanted to and she said that it would be great if I picked her up."

" You deliberately walked into an SD-6 hospital and endangered Sydney's life the minute you walked in, not to mention your own life."

" I don't care about my life. Sydney needed me."

" Don't try to be noble about this, Agent Vaughn. You could have gotten Sydney hurt or killed." Bristow spit out.

" I won't ever let anything happen to Sydney."

" Sometimes you don't have much of a choice. You stay away from her. It's bad enough she's blind, you don't need to get her killed."

" She won't get killed."

" Yeah. Do you know that she called out to you while she was unconscious?"

" Yes, I do."

" That probably boosted your manly pride, huh?"

" No, of course not." he fibbed. It had. To think that Sydney needed him, nearly stopped his heart.

" Sydney did not know what she was saying, so don't believe everything you hear. Stay away from her." With that, Bristow walked away, leaving Vaughn to ponder what he had said.

Francie had left for work, but Will was intent on finding some answers. " Why do you call him Vaughn?"

" What?"

" You heard me, Syd. Why?"

" That's what we call him at work."

" Why doesn't he answer the phone 'Hello', instead of 'Vaughn here'?"

" I don't know, Will. Please, stop asking questions. I don't feel up to it, right now. Please, can we talk about something else."

" Alright. Are you feeling any better?"

" Some. What time is it? Is it almost dark?"

" It is dark."

" He should have called me by now."

" Who?"

" No one. Nothing. Will, I think I'm going to sleep some more. That medicine they gave me knocks me out."

" It's OK, Sydney. I'll stay with you until Francie returns." Sydney stretched out on the couch, her head on Will's lap. " Ok..." Slowly, she drifted off to sleep. Vaughn was the one who returned though, before Francie. Sydney was sleeping peacefully at the moment. Vaughn spoke, " I intend to stay with her all night and all day. You can go on home, I'll watch over her." Vaughn nearly choked at that. He had watched over her in Sweden and look at where that had gotten Sydney. Will glared, " I don't know who you are or what's really going on, but I intend to find out." Vaughn went into agent mode, " I would leave this alone, Mr. Tippin, for Sydney's sake. If you want to help her out, leave it be." Will gently laid Sydney's head down on the couch and stood. " We'll see." He left Sydney alone with Vaughn.

It was nearly 11:30 P.M. Francie hadn't gotten home yet, because she was after all, a caterer and she was still finishing stuff up at a party. Vaughn decided to find out where Sydney slept, so he could put her to bed. When she had awakened and found Vaughn watching TV in the chair, he had filled her in quickly about the painting. She was glad that everything had gone OK on the job end of Sweden. She had already changed into her pajamas, but had fallen asleep on the couch. He found her bedroom and then came back to the couch. He lifted her up gently. She made a slight noise,

" mmmmm?"

" It's OK, Sydney. I've got you now. It's time for bed." He placed her in the bed and wrapped her up in the covers. She turned to her right side and groaned lightly. Then, she was back asleep. Vaughn stepped back to the door and leaned against the door frame. He just stood there and stared at her sleeping. He couldn't help the way he was feeling, he loved Sydney Bristow with all of his heart. She would never know though. That's how Francie found Vaughn, leaning against the door frame, staring at Sydney's peaceful figure. She came up behind him. " Michael..." He jumped and turned to see Francie." Hmm?"

" How did Sydney do today?"

" Alright. She's been sleeping a lot."

" Medicine will do that. I hope she'll be OK. She's my best friend. She's been through a lot."

" Yeah, with Danny dying and everything else. Now she lost her sight. What else will she lose?"

" Hopefully, nothing. You know about Danny?"

" Of course. You know, Francie, she's talked about you a lot. She thinks you're the greatest friend a girl could have."

" She is the greatest friend a girl could have. From the looks of it, she'd be a great girlfriend too, don't you think, Mr. Vaughn?" Francie said, playfully. He turned, feeling like his emotions had just been displayed to Francie. He was about to answer when they heard wailing. Both turned to Sydney. She no longer looked peaceful. She was tossing and mumbling something. Francie moved to wake her up. "No, Francie, let's see what she's saying."

They were silent, listening carefully. " Please... please don't hurt him. Vaughn, RUN!! Go... No, No!!!! Don't hurt Vaughn. You want to hurt me, not him. No, no...

VVVVVVVVVVVVAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHNNNN!!"

Vaughn touched her arm and then shook her. She opened her eyes, still unable to see anything. " Who are you?"

" It's me, it's Vaughn."

" You're OK?"

" Yeah, I'm fine." Sydney sighed, in what seemed like relief. Francie nodded to Vaughn and slipped out of the room, but watched from the hall way. " It's OK, Syd, I've

got you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." Sydney buried her head in the pillow.

" They weren't going to hurt me." She wailed softly, " They were going to hurt you."

Vaughn brushed her hair off of her forehead. " Shhh... No one will hurt me. Go back to sleep." She nodded. " Vaughn?"

" Yes?"

" Will you hold me?"

" Of course." He could feel his heart pounding as he slid into bed next to Sydney. He wrapped his arms around Sydney and pulled her close. He kissed the back of her hair and then murmured comforting words to Sydney. Francie was still watching. She thought to herself, OMG, Michael Vaughn is in love with Sydney, and if I am correct Sydney feels the same way. She smiled as she watched the two of them drift off to sleep together.

Vaughn woke up with sunlight streaming into his eyes. He turned to see Sydney, already awake, her eyes wide, open laying against the pillows. " Good morning, Sydney."

" Good morning, sleepyhead." Vaughn leaned up and watched her intently. " Vaughn, I haven't washed my hair in nearly three days. Do you think you could help me?"

" Sure." He helped her up out of bed and she asked where Francie was. "It appears to me that she is still in bed."

" Will you go wake her up? I need to get dressed, but I will need some help. I'm afraid that this is one thing you are not allowed to do." Vaughn blushed a very bright red. " I'll go get her." He knocked lightly on Francie's door. She opened it, already dressed and hair ready. " I have a job this morning. Can I help you with something?"

" Yeah, uh... Sydney needs to get dressed and she wants some help." Francie laughed. " Alright, I'll be right there." Francie went straight to Syd's room.

" Syd, do you feel something for Michael?" Francie asked while helping Sydney put socks on. " Michael? Oh, Vaughn... uhhh... of course not, I work with him. It's against protocol."

" Protocol, the bank won't let you date other employees?"

" Oh, yeah."

" Well, I say that's stupid. Michael feels something for you. I think he loves you even."

" Naw, Vaughn would never love me. He's just someone I can talk too."

" Sure. Well, I have to go to work. Bye, Syd." They air kissed and Francie left the room.

"You can come in, Vaughn." Sydney called from her room. He went to her.

" OK, let's go get the shampoo. It's in the bathroom." They found the herbal scented shampoo and then went to the sink. Vaughn pulled a chair up so Sydney could sit down. He laid her head back and turned on warm water. He got her hair soaking wet and then put a dollop of shampoo in the palm of his hand. He massaged Sydney's head and bubbles were surrounding the strands. He picked up a few and plopped them on Sydney's nose. She giggled, " Are those bubbles?"

" Yep." She giggled again. He rinsed out her hair and blew the bubbles off her nose. Sydney's heart was beating so quickly. He raised her up and dried her hair with a towel. He found her hair dryer next to the sink along with a sparkly blue brush. He slowly brushed each strand of her hair hundreds of strokes. Her eyes were closed as the brush massaged her aching head. The warm air dried the brown hair quickly and soon her hair was smooth and shining. Vaughn bent down at eye level and smiled. " All done." Her eyes opened and looked straight into Vaughn's, but they were blank. No amusement, sadness, nothing in them. He nearly leaned forward to kiss her, but was stopped when the doorbell rang. " Should I answer it, Sydney?"

" Yeah, unless you don't think it's safe." He picked her up and carried her to a chair in the living room and then went straight to the door.

Marshall was standing at the door with roses. Vaughn answered the door for the man. He grinned, " Hello. My name is Marshall. I'm here to see Sydney." Vaughn nodded and led him into the living room. " Vaughn, who was it?" Marshall answered,

" It's me. Marshall. I brought you some flowers. I know you can't see them, but there red roses. I figured you would still be able to smell them though, and I thought that might cheer you up." He handed them to her. She raised them close to her nose and breathed in. " You're right, Marshall. They smell amazing. Thank you so much."

" We all miss you around S... Credit Dauphine. We can't wait till your back in action."

" Thanks, Marshall."

" I guess I should go. I just wanted to stop by and give you the flowers."

" Bye Marshall." Marshall let himself out.

Will was at the newspaper office. "Jenny, I need some help."

" What is it, Will?"

" You know Sydney was injured, right?'

" Yeah, didn't you say she was blind?"

" Uh huh. I think she was lying about how she got hurt. She said she was at a Chicago bank and some men came and shot up the place. I contacted someone in Chicago and they said no bank was shot up. I need you to put in the night of January 5 and the morning of January 6 and see if anything major comes up."

" Ok." Jenny bounced out of the room. She came back moments later.

" January 5 was probably the slowest day ever. The only thing that came up on my search was a bombing in Stockholm, Sweden. A mansion blew up during the middle of a party, but they believe everyone got out OK."

" Sweden, huh. Was Sydney in Sweden?" He called his contact at the airport.

" Hi! Was there a Sydney Bristow on a flight to Sweden, man?"

" Just a second." The man cross referenced and Sydney Bristow didn't come up.

" Nope." Then a thought came to mind. " What about a Kate Jones?"

" Yeah... There was a Kate Jones on flight 555. She flew back the morning of January 6."

" Thanks." Will began to ponder. Was Sydney Kate Jones?

Will was at Sydney's house. " Sydney, I need to talk to you... alone." He said, glaring at Vaughn, who had called in another sick day. Most knew he wasn't really sick, that he was taking care of the double agent Bristow, but they played along with his game. Sydney agreed. " I'll be in the kitchen if you need me, Syd." Vaughn left the room and stopped by the doorway, needing to hear what was being said. Will began,

" Sydney, I don't think you told us the truth."

" What do you mean?"

" There was no bank robbery was there?'

" Of course there was."

" No, I don't believe there was. I think you were in Stockholm, Sweden under the alias Kate Jones." Sydney's face registered shock.

" Why were you in Sweden, Syd?" Sydney suddenly knew she had to keep Will from learning the truth.

" No, Will. I wasn't in Sweden. How could you think I was lying to you!!!!! Why are you checking the story I told you? You should leave things alone and stop questioning everything." Tears came to her eyes. " Vaughn, Vaughn, I need you to come get me." Vaughn waited a few seconds before he could go in the living room. Sydney continued, " You need to leave stuff alone! I don't believe you, Will." Vaughn came and took her hand and led her out of the room. Before Vaughn was gone, he gave Will a look to kill. Will knew that he was right. That's why Sydney was freaking out so much. He just didn't know why she had the need to lie.

Vaughn had led Sydney into her bedroom. " Sydney, are you alright?" Tears were streaming down her face. "No, I'm not alright. Will is looking into this way to much. He's going to get killed just like Danny was. I'm blind. I may never see red roses, or your smile, or your green eyes with little flecks of amber. I may never see anything ever again. I may never see you again." She lifted the thing closest to her and hurled it across the room. Unfortunately, the thing closest to her was a glass that had held some water. It crashed and broke into millions of little pieces on the floor. Vaughn wrapped his arms around her, " Sydney, I'm so sorry. I should have been watching you better. It's my fault."

" No, no... Vaughn, the only thing I am sure of is that it's not your fault. I went down the wrong staircase, I did this to myself. You had nothing to do with this." He put his forehead against hers and he breathed deeply. He leaned forward and kissed her lips. They connected with sweetness, innocence, love, and passion all mixed together.

" Sydney, you are the most amazing person I know. You have been through so much, yet you still live. You are so confident and caring, loving and sweet. I can't get you out of my mind. All I think about is you. The Agency seems to think its bad for an agent to love another agent, especially a double agent, but it's not. I'm your handler, it's my job to watch over you. Since I only think about you, I can only think of ways to keep you safe and help you. I know I shouldn't love you, it's against protocol. I can't help it. I've fallen deeply, madly in love with you, so help me." Sydney's tears stopped and she looked up towards his voice.

" I love you too, Vaughn. I thought you would never love me. I'm a double agent and you're my senior officer. I'm supposed to only think of the missions. I've truly come to think of you as my Guardian Angel. I don't know what I would do without you. When they pulled you off my case, I thought I had lost you and my world crumbled. Then, you were put back on and I knew you were my Guardian Angel." Vaughn kissed her again with the pent up feelings he had been dealing with for the last few months.

Will turned and leaned against the wall. He ran to the door and slipped out unnoticed. His mind was reeling. He would get killed? The Agency? A double agent and her handler? What were Sydney and Michael Vaughn talking about? Was Sydney in danger? And they loved each other. His heart had stopped the minute he had seen Vaughn kiss her. He didn't know what to do with the information he had.

Will went to Francie. He didn't know who else he could talk to. " Francie, I need to talk to you, now!"

" I'm working, Will."

" Now, it's about Sydney." She looked and called out, " I'm taking my 15 minute break."

She came outside with Will. He looked around. " OK, I was at Sydney's house, talking to her. I think she was hurt in an explosion in Sweden, not in a bank shoot up in Chicago. There was no bank shoot out in Chicago. I asked her about it and asked her about Kate Jones. I think she has an alias, Kate Jones. She started to freak out and called Vaughn to take her away. He did and took her to the bedroom. They were talking and Sydney was crying. I listened in."

" WILL!" She elbowed him. " Wait, let me finish. She started saying that I would end up getting killed just like Danny had for looking into things."

" She's just paranoid about the people she loved getting killed."

" No, he started telling her how much he loved her and that he knew it was against protocol, which is an odd word for calling work rules, don't you think?"

" That's what Sydney told me though."

" Anyways, he said 'I'm your handler, you're a double agent. The Agency thinks it's bad for agents to date other agents'... and so on and so on. Then, Sydney spilled her guts. She told him that she loved him, too, and that she had always thought of him as her Guardian Angel... knowing that he would always be watching her. Stuff like that. I don't understand, it's like she's working for the government instead of a bank. Can you talk to her?" Francie nodded. " You have me curious now, Will. I'll talk to her after I get finished here. I have another hour." Will agreed and left Francie to get back to work.

The doorbell rang. Vaughn went to look out the peephole. Sydney had fallen asleep after crying her heart out and spilling her guts. He saw Jack Bristow standing on the other side of the door. He took a deep breath. He couldn't wait for the speech Jack would give him. He slowly answered the door. Jack saw Vaughn at the door and anger went through his entire body. " What are you doing here?" he demanded of Vaughn. " I'm here with Sydney."

" I told you to stay away from her."

" She needs me. I will not leave her ever again. Now she's had a rough day, so be nice to her, if only for a day."

" I hope you're proud of yourself, endangering everything Sydney lives for. Bringing down SD-6 and her friends."

" Sydney can't see. That's the first thing that needs to be taken care of, Syd's well-being. Then we can take down SD-6, and Syd and I will do that together."

" You think you've outsmarted SD-6, huh? I'm afraid that if anyone drops by, which will happen, they will find you here, a CIA agent. What if they tap the house? They can hear you and see you even."

" SD-6 will not kill me or Sydney. I'll not allow that to happen."

" What about Francie who lives here, too?"

" She doesn't know anything about what I do."

" I'd be careful and watch your step. You may be a senior officer, but that doesn't mean you are senior up here." Jack tapped his own head. " The only reason you were promoted was because of Sydney, because the CIA needs her." A woman's voice broke through, "Dad? How could you say those things!" Vaughn and Jack turned to Sydney, looking guilty for fighting. " I'm sorry, sweetheart."

" No, you aren't. Get out of my house. You will not say that about Vaughn and expect to be welcome here."

Vaughn spoke on Jack's behalf, " He's just trying to keep you from harm, Sydney. It's OK, really."

" No, it isn't. Not to me. Dad, get out of here, now!! NOW!!!" Jack turned, " Sydney, I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

She snorted, " Yeah, right. You've kept the truth from me for years, the truth about my mother, the truth about how she died, everything. You've hurt me over and over again. Now get out!" Jack skulked out of the house, feeling upset for Sydney. Vaughn went straight to her. " I'm so sorry you had to hear that, baby."

" It's not your fault, Vaughn. Has he said stuff like that before?" Vaughn denied it, but his voice had gone up slightly. " You are lying to me. I don't need anyone to lie to me anymore. Stop the lies. Now tell me the truth."

" He has a few times, but I've said some mean things to him as well."

" I don't care. It's no excuse." Sydney was so angry, angry at the world.

" You know you're beautiful when you're angry. For that matter, you're beautiful when you happy, sad, amused and so on." Sydney laughed lightly.

" Liar."

" Nope, no lie." He lifted her up and kissed her soundly. Sydney sighed. " I think we should go for a walk tomorrow, when it's light again." Vaughn agreed. Sydney buried her head in Vaughn's chest and took a deep breath. " What is it?"

" Nothing. I just love the way you smell, it makes me feel comfortable and safe." Vaughn smiled.

Francie came home to find Vaughn and Sydney cuddling. " Ahem, excuse me for interrupting, but I need to talk to you. Both of you."

Vaughn looked up, " What is it, Francie?"

" Who are you? Really?"

" I'm Michael Vaughn."

" I thought you were Bryce Smith." Vaughn shifted and Sydney cleared her throat.

" Syd, why do you have luggage with the tags of Kate Jones?" Sydney breathed deeply. Vaughn came to the rescue, " Leave Sydney alone. She's had a rough day."

" I bet. Will told me about it. He also told me about the conversation you had in the bedroom."

" What conversation?"

" The one where you spilled your guts to each other."

" Will was listening?'

" Yeah." Sydney was outraged, " I let him in my house and he eavesdrops. How dare he!"

" Sydney, tell me what's going on." Sydney looked defeated. She whispered, " I can't tell you, Francie."

" Why not?"

" I can't say."

" Can Vaughn tell me?"

" No." Vaughn pulled out a pen and pulled the clasp out. " Signal jammer, 3 minutes. Talk fast. I think we should go ahead and tell her. She probably already knows. Do you?"

" I think so. Sydney doesn't really work for a bank, does she?"

Sydney shook her head. " I work for Credit Dauphine, but it's a secret corporation called SD-6. They tell everyone that they are working for a secret branch for the CIA, but we aren't really. Only about 10 people know the truth that work inside. I'm a double agent for the CIA. See, I told Danny and SD-6 killed him. That's why I didn't want Will to fish around his death. I went to the CIA, where I began to work as a double agent. Vaughn is my handler, the one who gives me countermissions and watches over me when I'm on these missions. I have the alias Kate Jones to keep anyone from learning what I really do. The apartment is bugged usually, that's why we have the signal jammer. Since Danny died, all I've wanted to do was bring down SD-6. I was swiping a painting for SD-6, which I switched the real painting for a look alike, but Dixon had set a bomb. I went down the wrong staircase and I didn't get far enough away from the explosion. That's why I'm blind. One more thing, my dad is also a double agent. He knew from the beginning and he's been helping the CIA. Got it? Any questions?" Francie stood there in shock. Vaughn spoke, " 10 seconds till jammer is through. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. So you see Francie, I love Sydney."

" I understand, I think. I was beginning to suspect." They nodded in understanding with one another. Sydney stood and found Francie. She whispered in her ear, " You can't tell anyone. You must never speak of this again. And if you want to move out now, I understand." She shook her head. Sydney felt better that it was out in the open, yet she felt like she may have just harmed her friend for life.

Sydney woke up screaming again. "VVVVVVAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!" He jumped, " What is it Syd? What's wrong?" She sighed as she tried to find his hand. He took it and squeezed it. " What is it Sydney?"

" I had that dream again. I can't seem to shake it. I've had it for the last 2 weeks." Vaughn creased his eyebrows, "I'm sorry you keep having bad dreams, baby." She nodded. She settled back down and laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tighter and held her until she fell asleep. Then, he turned his own head and fell fast asleep.

*a song was playing* Syd woke up the next morning. She could hear a small song playing from somewhere and the water running in the bathroom. Vaughn must be taking a shower. She scooted across the bed and flailed her hands about. She found his sport jacket. She pulled it up and kept feeling the material until she found a small opening. A ha!!! Vaughn's cell phone in his pocket. She rubbed her fingertips across the buttons and tried pressing the ON button. Nope, that must not be it, the phone was still ringing, she thought to herself. She pressed another one and this time it worked.

" Vaughn's cell phone."

Weiss was on the other end, " Sydney, is that you?"

" Yeah. Who's this?"

" It's Agent Weiss."

" Sorry it took so long for me to answer. I was asleep and Vaughn must be in the shower, so I had to try to find it in the constant darkness I'm in."

" It's OK, Sydney. Can I talk to Vaughn please?"

" Yeah, I'll see if he can hear me call him?"

" VAUGHN!!! VAUGHN!!!" The door opened. Vaughn answered, " Sydney, did you turn the lights out?"

" Duh, the light is out permanently in my head. Weiss is on the phone, he wants to talk to you." Vaughn didn't answer for a second. " Vaughn? Hello?"

" Syd, tell him to send a team over here. I have a bad feeling."

Syd got back on the phone, " Vaughn said the lights just went out in the house and that he has a bad feeling. Send a team over here, but make sure they watch for tails."

" Got it. Careful, Miss Bristow."

" OK." She hung the cell phone up and Vaughn was at her side in an instant. "Sydney, come with me. I think you should find some cover. I have this feeling about the lights turning off."

" Alright." Vaughn grabbed his jacket that held the cell phone and his gun and led her into the bathroom. " Stay here."

Sydney protested, " No, I'm not letting you go out there alone."

" You are not coming with me. It won't do me any good for my blind girlfriend to come with me and make me worry about her even more than I already am."

" Vaughn, don't leave me here. I need to know you'll be alright. Stay here."

" I have to go check things out. I'll be right back, I promise."

" Don't make promises you may not be able to keep." Sydney turned away, angry.

" Sydney, please. I'm sorry." He kissed the top of her head and left the room, heading into the kitchen first.

Sydney waited until she thought Vaughn was out of the room. She felt her way back to her bedroom and found her night stand. She kept her gun there. She pulled it out and made sure it was loaded by feeling the bullets. Maybe she would be able to scare them with the gun. She slowly and carefully made her way out of the bedroom.

Sydney headed in the direction of the living room. She listened for any hint of breathing, whether it be Vaughn's or someone else's. She took a deep breath, trying to find any scent of Vaughn being in the room. Dangit, the shower had washed it off. She heard a voice coming from the hallway, " Drop your weapon, Agent Vaughn." She turned quickly towards the sound and went walking in the direction of the voice.

Vaughn saw the big, burly man the same instant he saw Sydney. His mind flashed with things that could happen to her. " I don't think so." The man walked to him and punched him in the stomach. Vaughn kicked his leg up, connecting with the man's upper jaw. Vaughn pushed him to the wall and said, " You want to hurt me, my girlfriend. I don't think so." Vaughn then knocked the guy out. Vaughn heard clapping behind him. He turned slowly to find a fist connecting with his jaw. Vaughn doubled over in pain. Sydney heard him gasp in pain. " NO! Leave my boyfriend alone!" The man turned and slapped her cheek. She flung her leg up and hit the guys knee cap. He threw her down on the ground and punched her in the stomach, causing her to cry out in pain. Vaughn heard and came running, attacking the guy from behind. The guy grabbed his arm and twisted it. Sydney cried out, " Please...please don't hurt him. Vaughn, RUN!!! Go..." A snap was heard as Vaughn's arm was broken. Sydney saw two shadowy figures. One big, tall, and muscley, the other one was Vaughn. She could barely see them, but she did. She jumped up and aimed her gun at the man. Vaughn on the other hand was not faring so well. His arm being broken, he could not put up much of a fight. Sydney spoke from behind, " Don't hurt Vaughn! You want to hurt me, not him. No... no!!!!!!!" Sydney pulled the trigger and the bullet impacted into the man's chest. He slid down, yelping. Sydney ran to Vaughn. " Vaughn, are you OK?" At the same time the door burst open, Jack, Weiss, and Walker all appeared. They saw Vaughn holding his arm up and Sydney standing before a man with a puddle of blood around him. Jack immediately worked on the lights, making them work again. Sydney wrapped her arms around Vaughn's neck. " Are you alright?"

" Yeah, I'll be fine. How did you shoot him? How could you see him?"

" Shadows. I can see shadows. I saw him about to break your neck and I shot him. It was just like my dream, like de ja vous."

" Are you alright? Sydney, I tried to stop him from hurting you."

" I know, Vaughn. It comes with the territory. Don't worry about it, OK?" Vaughn nodded slowly. " It looks like, Mr. Vaughn, I may get my sight back yet. I may see your sexy smile and amazing eyes again." Vaughn grinned, " I'm glad because I sure have missed the emotions in your eyes." Vaughn leaned down and kissed Sydney all over her face and then landed on her lips. " I love you so much, Sydney."

" I love you more, Vaughn." He laughed as he heard some shouts from behind. He turned to find Weiss cracking up at the scene. " No, I love you more Sydney." Weiss said in a falsetto voice. Changing back to his regular voice, " I told you you weren't really sick. Now come on, let's go fix your arm." Vaughn's arm was put in a cast. Jack came to his daughter,

" I'm glad your safe."

" Yeah, if it weren't for Vaughn being here, I never would have known anyone was in the house."

" I still think you should stay away from him."

" I respect your opinion, but I'm afraid I'll have to disagree." Sydney pecked her father on the cheek and then called out to Vaughn. " Vaughn, where are you?"

" I'm in the kitchen with Eric! Do you need help getting here?"

" I'll have someone lead me to you." Walker quickly came up and took her to Vaughn.

Vaughn held his arm up. "No more carrying you to bed, Syd." Eric groaned,

" Dude, that's way more than I need to know." Sydney blushed, " It's OK. Hopefully my sight will return totally and you won't have too." She kissed his cheeks and then the tip of his nose and then his mouth. Eric spoke up, " You're all set. Now I'm going to leave before I throw up. What about you, Walker?"

" Right behind you." The two left the kitchen, leaving the love birds behind.

Several days later, Sydney was back home from the doctors. Vaughn had been sent on a mission in Argentina, so Francie was the only one home. " Francie!!! My eyesight has been totally regained!!! I'm going to be fine!!!!" France came running down the hall and started to jump up and down with Sydney. " AHHH!! I'm sooo happy for you!!!!! So you can see me? Will?

" Yep. Francie, I'm so glad!!!" They were talking when the Syd's cell phone rang.

" Hello?"

" I'm back...."

" You are? That's great!"

" Yeah. Meet me at the warehouse at 10, OK?'

" Sure." The only unfortunate thing about the incident was now Vaughn had to stay away from the house. Sydney and Vaughn couldn't even go out on a real date. Everything was back to secrecy.

" Wait... I can see again. The doctors said I regained my eyesight totally."

" That's wonderful, Sydney."

Vaughn said," I love you."

" Me too." Sydney had to say that to throw off suspicion for the PTB's who were listening. Sydney hung up the phone. Francie nodded knowingly.

" I'm going to go talk to Will and Charlie. See ya later, babe." The two waved good bye to each other.

Francie announced the good news to the guys. Both were ecstatic for Sydney. Francie whispered to Will, " I need to talk to you." Charlie got up to get them some drinks and Francie began to explain to Will quickly about Sydney's secret life. " So, you see, that's why she is always going on business trips and leaving for work. She told me that I could never speak of it again, and the same goes for you. Got it?"

" Yeah."

" Will, you can't even tell that cheerleader girlfriend of yours. No one. Your life could be in danger for knowing this, so act like you don't. Keep giving her a rough time about going to work all the time, and never mention Vaughn's name in the house again. The house is bugged for SD-6, so I'm just warning you now." Will agreed to the conditions.

Sydney walked silently into the warehouse building. She was wearing her work clothes, knee high boots, a short black and white skirt, and a white shirt on top. She went to the chain room and found Vaughn standing in the middle of it. Around the crates were candles lit, a picnic basket, and a portable c.d. player. Sydney lifted her eyes questioningly. " Vaughn?"

" We can go on dates or even dancing. I'm here to make your life wonderful, if only for a few moments."

" Vaughn, my life is wonderful with you."

" I know. I love you so much, my life would end if I ever lost you."

" That's why you won't." She lifted her warm brown eyes and stared straight into his green ones. Happiness just glowed through her eyes. " Vaughn, I thought I may never see your eyes again. I am so glad I can see you again." She touched his arm, " How is your arm?"

" It's feeling better. Only a few more weeks left with the cast on. I got something for you while I was in Argentina. I remember how romantic you thought it was that your father sent your mother books. I know that they weren't really books for reading pleasure, but it's the thought." He pulled out a small silver bag. He handed it to her. She slowly untied the green ribbon and pulled out a beautiful antique picture frame. It was silver and it had blue flowers engraved in it. " It's beautiful."

" I wrote a note that will go with it. I intend to bring you back a frame from every trip I go on." Sydney thought she would melt. She lifted the piece of stationary out and read the note.

My darling Sydney,

I love you so much. I bought this frame for the same idea of your father bringing your mother first edition books. I'll be bringing one back to you every trip that I go on. I chose the picture frame idea because that was the first gift I ever bought you, so I thought I would continue with the theme. I love you with all my heart and soul and my life would end without you. I don't know what I would do without you, and hopefully I will never have to find out. I still can't get you out of my head! Don't forget I will always protect you from any harm I can. I'll be watching...

Love always, your Guardian Angel, Michael Vaughn

" Oh, Vaughn, this is so amazing." She stepped on her tiptoes and kissed him. He turned on the c.d. player and a romantic, slow song played. He stepped towards her wrapped his arms around her waist. They began to sway slowly to the music.

" Sydney, I know this is hard, not being able to see each other like normal people do."

" Vaughn, we aren't normal people." Sydney buried her head in his chest and breathed in his scent. They pulled apart as the song ended. They ate their picnic lunch, laughing and talking like any normal couple would. The only thing that changed the fact was that they weren't allowed to be together. Soon an hour ended. " I should go to SD-6. They're expecting me back today." Vaughn agreed reluctantly. " I love you Vaughn."

" I love you too, Syd." She smothered his face with kisses and then left, package in hand. She placed the note close to her heart and began walking to her car. " I'll be watching..." Syd smiled as she got in the car to go to work.

Everyone welcomed her back with great enthusiasm. They admired Sydney Bristow even more than before. She had killed and knocked out huge men, while only being able to see shadows. They all thought she was a heroine. The two men turned out to be from K-Directorate who had discovered that Sydney had gone blind. They thought this was a perfect opportunity to kill the opponent. They had been watching her and knew that Agent Vaughn was there, but one was dead and the other had a head injury. There was a huge banner that said, " WELCOME BACK SYDNEY!"

Sydney grinned. If only these good people knew they were really working for the monsters, the very monsters they thought they were fighting against.