Chapter 2- What She Never Expected
2 Years Later
Sydney felt the warm sun hit her face. She loved that feeling when she woke up in the morning. She smiled and felt for Julian on the other side of her bed, and when she didn't feel him, sat up and looked around the room for him. The water running in the background told her he was in the shower. Syd got up and walked over to the closet to pick out what she was going to wear.
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Syd walked out of the bedroom, dressed and ready for work. She walked into the kitchen and took out an empty mug from the cupboard. She filled the tea kettle with water and placed it on the stove. She turned on the flame and sat down at the table, reading the morning's paper. Julian walked in, and the smell of his cologne sickened her. He walked closer to her, gave her a peck on the lips and patted her slightly bulging stomach.
Syd looked down at her stomach. She was very self-conscious of her appearance. She had only just started showing, (she was about 5 months pregnant) but she already fussed continuously about her weight.
Julian, realizing what she was thinking, put his index finger on her chin, picking up her head and said, "You look fine." He smiled at her and she smiled back. Just then the tea kettle whizzed to say it was ready and Syd took it of the flame and poured some water into her mug. She grabbed two tea bags from a drawer and placed one on the table, and dunking the other one into her as she sat down. She dunked the tea bag into her mug repeatedly, and Julian said, "We're out of coffee?" She smiled. "No. But drink tea. It's better for you." Julian smiled and he scooped up the tea bag from the table and dunked it in his mug as well. He pulled out a few papers from his briefcase and started reading them, and Syd read the newspaper.
After a few minutes, Syd glanced at her watch and said, "We better get going. Dixon'll kill us if we're late again."
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Syd and Julian walked into the office and headed straight to the briefing room. They sat down, waiting for Dixon to come in and start. She sat in her usual seat, which was next to Julian and her father. Across from her sat Marshall and there was an empty seat next to him. Vaughn's seat. Her face fell at the thought of her deceased boyfriend. She missed him so much. It had been two years since he died, and she felt worse everyday she was without him. But meeting Julian helped her with her grief. About a year after Vaughn died, Julian and Syd started going out. Before she knew it, they were engaged. They had been married for six months when she got pregnant.
Syd's thoughts were interrupted by Dixon's words. Syd looked up, and listened. "Yesterday we received an anonymous tip to the dealings of the covenant. We now know that this woman," Dixon turned on the video screen which now showed a white blonde-haired woman in her mid-twenties, "Lauren Reed, is the covenant's newest, most valued agent." Julian tensed. Dixon continued, "There will be a meet taking place in a restaurant in Venice. The covenant is trading something with their contact and I'm sending Julian in," He nodded at Julian. "to intercept the deal. Here's all the information you'll need." Dixon said, passing Julian a folder. "Syd, you're back-up. You all need to find out as much as you can about this contact, so we aren't going in blind. Okay. We'll meet back here tomorrow. Just Syd, please wait here." Everyone got up to leave except Jack, Syd.
Julian walked out and hurried to his desk. He pulled out his cell phone, dialed a series of numbers, and put the phone to his ear. "They know about the trade tomorrow in Venice." He said quickly and quietly. "We'll take care of it." A male voice said on the other end. Julian hung up his phone and looked around to see that Weiss was looking at him. Julian smiled and Weiss smiled back.
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When everyone was gone, Jack sat down across from Syd and started. "Last night, headquarters got a distress call from Vaughn."
"What!" Syd exclaimed, but Jack remained silent. "I don't understand. Dad, he died two years ago. How is he alive?"
"We don't know." Jack said quietly. "But he's in a safe house in Hong Kong. We want you to go to him and explain to him what happened. He has no memory of the past two years."
"Wait, whoa. You want me, the pregnant wife of his sworn enemy to go talk to him?" she asked.
"No. I want the woman he loves, the woman he fell in love with, to go and talk to him.
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Syd's hands trembled as she walked up the dimly-lit hallway in the safe house in Hong Kong. As she stood in front of room 047, she took a deep breath and turned the knob. The door opened and Vaughn was sitting on a bed on the other side of the room. Vaughn looked up and saw her. She stared at him and couldn't move. She was paralyzed. After moments of silence, Vaughn shot up and darted toward her. He pulled her into a passionate kiss, one she never thought she'd feel again. But then she quickly pulled away.
"Wait-Vaughn, wait a minute. I-I can't. I'm married." She said.
"You're what? What do you mean? How?" Vaughn asked, confused.
"Sit down." Syd said and showed him to a chair and pulled over a chair to sit across from him. She didn't know how to start but did anyway. "Vaughn, the night we captured Sark," she started, holding back tears, "there was a fire in your house. You were presumed dead. We all thought you were dead and-"
"Whoa, what!" Vaughn cut in. "How long has it been?" he asked.
"Two years." She said quietly.
"Oh." he whispered. "Is Weiss still working at the agency? Marshall? Your father? You?" he asked.
"Ya. We're all still there." She answered.
Vaughn stood up and looked around the room, noticeably trying to register all of it. Suddenly he spun around and took Sydney by the neck, choking her.
Sydney tried to pry his hands off of her, but it got harder and harder the tighter he squeezed her neck. "I know about Project Helix. Who are you? Who do you work for? Is it Sloane!" He shouted. Syd started seeing white spots and started losing consciousness. She punched him across the face and he loosened his grip a bit. She took advantage of the opportunity and kicked him in the stomach. He stumbled back and then with a weird look, fell slowly to the ground, with a tranq dart in his back. Breathing heavily, sit looked at the doorway, and saw a guard, who had a tranq gun in his hand. Syd looked from the guard to Vaughn, and back to the guard, who nodded and walked away.