Chapter Two

"Who was that?" Michael placed a mug of hot tea into Sydney's hands.

"Dixon."

"Did you tell him about Jack's game?"

"I told him." Sydney stared hard at the family portrait that hung on a nearby wall. She grasped the warm mug firmly with both hands, allowing the steam from her cup to dance over her lips and nose before sipping it.

Vaughn noticed her distressed look. "You okay?"

She didn't respond. In fact, he wasn't certain she'd even heard him.

"If you want to take this job, go ahead. Jack will understand you missing one game." He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. Again, no response. "Sydney?!" he finally exclaimed rather forcefully.

She didn't look at him. She hardly even moved. "Isabelle," she said almost inaudibly. "Dixon wants to use Isabelle on a job."

"What?" Vaughn couldn't believe what he'd heard. He couldn't believe that Dixon would have the audacity to ask Sydney something like that. Michael set his cup on the glass-topped end table and stood to his feet, unsure whether to comfort his wife or contact Dixon himself to inform him of his exasperation. "What kind of job is it?"

"He couldn't go into detail on the phone. He wants me to go with Isabelle to Langley. He said he'd brief us there."

"But you didn't tell him yes, did you?"

"I told him I'd think about it."

"Syd, you can't even consider doing this."

Sydney scoffed. "Five minutes ago you were encouraging me to let Isabelle make her own decisions! You said espionage was in her blood!"

"Yeah, well that was before I knew the CIA wanted to use her for a mission. She's only nineteen years old!"

"She'll be twenty in two months. I was only twenty-two when I started work with SD-6."

Vaughn stared at her in disbelief. She was actually considering this. "Sydney, doing this means no turning back. I mean you'll have to tell her the truth about us."

"I know." Sydney stared down into her lap for a moment, then back into Vaughn's eyes. "It would almost be kind of a relief, don't you think?"

"A relief for whom?" Michael's brow furrowed in frustration. "How do you think Isabelle is going to feel about the fact that we've lied to her for her entire life?"

Sydney remembered the confusion and disbelief she'd experienced when she first learned the truth about her parents. "I know. But I think Isabelle could take it. Besides, it did bring me and my dad closer together."

Vaughn almost caved when he saw the hopeful look in her eyes. That twinkle always returned at the mere mention of Jack's name. She adored her father; sometimes to a point that incited jealousy in Michael. "Yeah, it did. But Sydney…"

"He got me, my dad. All my life I thought he was just this awkward character who had no clue about who I was or what I wanted. It turned out that he understood me better than anyone else in my life. I want that with Isabelle, Vaughn. I want her to see me the way she looks at you. I want her to realize that I understand every hope, every dream, every desire she has for that kind of life. I understand she wants to save the world."

Vaughn couldn't hide the grin that enveloped his entire five o'clock-shadowed face. He seated himself on the sofa beside Sydney and pressed his mouth to the side of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair deeply. She'd been his for so long, but he never tired of her. Sydney Bristow-Vaughn was his soul mate; the love of his life. He felt extremely blessed to have her as his wife, the mother of his children. He couldn't imagine a life that didn't include Sydney.

He took a moment to nibble her earlobe before whispering in her ear, "Call Isabelle, Syd. You can save the world together."

"I swear I'm tempted to become a doctor; make my mom happy for once." Isabelle pulled her silky, chestnut colored hair into a ponytail and plopped down on the twin bed in her tiny dorm room. Her fair-skinned, auburn haired roommate, Mallie Brooks, turned away from her studies long enough to give Isabelle a questioning look.

"Since when do you care so much about pleasing your mother?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought that finally declaring a major would please her. Instead, I pissed her off all over again. It seems like my best is never good enough for her."

"Your dad seems nice, though," Mallie commented, remembering being unable to take her eyes off of Isabelle's handsome, distinguished-looking father during the Vaughn's most recent visit. She swiftly concealed a blush by resting her face in her hands.

"My dad is incredible," Isabelle reiterated boldly. "He's kind of the neutral party between my mom and me."

"Well, Is, my advice for you is to go for it. If criminal justice makes you happy, don't worry about what you mom says. It's your life, after all."

"I know. I just…" Isabelle paused to pick up her ringing cell phone. "Hello? Oh, hi Mom!" she rolled her eyes at Mallie who smirked and returned to her studies. "No, it's okay. I just got in; talking to Mallie…Yeah…Oh, okay. When? Sure, that'd be great…Okay, see you then, Mom."

Mallie glanced up to see a perplexed Isabelle tucking her feet under the covers as she chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. "Everything all right?"

Isabelle placed her cell phone on the nightstand. "I hope so. My mom wants to come for lunch on Tuesday. She says we need to talk about something."

"Hmmm. Maybe she wants to apologize for the argument," Mallie suggested.

"Maybe." Isabelle snuggled deeper under the covers and turned her face away from Mallie and the bright desk light that hovered over Mallie's studies. She tried to convince herself that everything would be fine; that Tuesday's lunch with her mom would be nothing.

But deep down, Isabelle was worried. Worried that her mother had discovered her secret.