Title: Alive and Missing

Author: Shannon

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Sydney's found out as the mole... again. This time she is surprised by four unsuspecting people.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or thing. (If I did I wouldn't be sitting here typing a fanfic.)
A/N: Ok, this is confusing. There are flashbacks. You'll be able to tell.

Set After: The Confession.

Sydney sat up and looked around. Must have fallen asleep. She looked over at the clock and saw the numbers flash 12:00. She sighed and got up barely wincing at the pain in her leg. The house was quiet and the kitchen was bright with the sun coming through the window. Hopefully he'll have something in the fridge for lunch. She opened the fridge door and peered in. Full. Thank God. She pulled out the milk and checked the cabinets for cereal.

When she was finished it was ten minutes later. She lay down on the couch to daydream or fall asleep. Her head didn't agree with her... she was still a bit dizzy.

Someone opening the door interrupted her. She looked up surprised. When Vaughn walked in she put her head back down.

"Scared me half to death." She mumbled.

"Sorry... but it's just me." He sat next to where her feet were.

"What're you doing out of work?" Sydney asked.

"Oh, taking a lunch break." Vaughn smiled.

Sydney sat up and stared at him.

"Ok, now you're scaring me, what it is?" He asked.

"I was just wondering why you call me Sydney and I don't call you Michael." She continued staring.

"Yeah, well, I never said you couldn't." He smiled sweetly at her.

"Well, maybe I should start. After those two kisses, I think were on a first name basis." She listened to him laugh and she smiled and kissed him softly.

He shrugged, "Anyway, I know I just got here, but my lunch break has been cut short on account of me being late this morning."

"Mmm..." Sydney thought of this morning.

"I'll see you later." He brushed a quick kiss on her lips and left her there.

Sydney lay back down and went back to her daydreams.

An hour later the phone rang. She let it ring, seeing as she was supposed to be dead.

The answering machine clicked and she heard Vaughn's voice say, "Hey, Michael Vaughn here. I'm not home right now. So, leave a message after the beep. Thanks."

Sydney heard the beep and then, "Syd. It's Michael. Pick up the phone."

She hurried over and picked up the phone, "Hey..."

 "So, what're you doing?" He asked.

"Wait. Shouldn't you be working?" Sydney teased.

"I'm taking a break." He explained.

"You should get back to work and not get fired." She teased even more.

"But Mom..." He whined.

"Hey." Sydney laughed. "Anyway, I'm just sitting here... what're you supposed to be doing?"

"I'm... oh shit." Sydney heard his office door open. "Hold on, 'sorry central' is here."

Sydney listened on the other end.

Vaughn's Office

            "Hey!" Haladki walked in the room. "Heard about Bristow. Sorry."

            "Yeah. Umm... I'm on the phone right now. Do you mind waiting till I'm finished." Vaughn asked. He heard Sydney on the other end.

            "Well, I do mind, because Barnett wants to see you." Haladki said.

            "Barnett... why would she want to see me?" Vaughn asked.

            "Who?" He heard Sydney whisper into the phone. Vaughn coughed what sounded like 'the shrink' and Sydney whispered thanks in a confused voice.

            "You gotta get that cough checked out man." Haladki continued, "She wants to see you cause of Bristow actually. Because of what you told us today, plus her mom killed your dad. So, she's got some pretty good reasons."

            "This is supposed to be 'sorry central'?" Sydney asked quietly.

            Vaughn laughed and Haladki looked at him curiously. "What are you laughing at?" He asked.

            "Nothing." Vaughn frowned, "When does Barnett want to see me?"

            "I think she said, 'as soon as possible'."

            "So do me a favor and tell her I'll be there in five minutes." Vaughn gestured toward the door.

            "Yeah." Haladki walked out with a 'you're hiding something' look.

            "You almost got me into trouble." Vaughn laughed at Sydney.

            "Yeah, well that's the price you pay with me on the phone." Sydney smiled. "So, I guess I better leave you to your shrink."

            "Hey. You better behave yourself or..."

            "Or what?" Sydney laughed.

            "Or..." Vaughn smiled. She had him cornered. "I gotta go now. I'll be home in a couple of hours."

            "Bye."

            "Sydney..."

            "Yeah, Michael..."

            "I... I'll see you later."

            "See you later too."

Barnett's Office

"Hello, Agent Vaughn." Barnett shook Vaughn's hand and gestured to a chair in front of her. "Have a seat."

"Hey." Vaughn said as he sat, "I was just wondering… why did you call to see me?"

"I wanted to see you for a while now." Barnett took the seat in front of Vaughn. "I was told that you had been told, a week or two ago, that… Agent Bristow's mother was a KGB agent… and that she had been assigned to kill several agents including…"

"My father…" Vaughn interrupted. "Yes. I know, and I'd rather not get into a recap of that meeting." He remembered sitting there… listening to Sydney's father talk about how he was so damn sorry. And the whole time all he had been thinking was, I don't care if you're sorry or not. You could've very well told Sydney in your own little time and then me. You didn't have to bring it out in front of everyone.

"Ok, so let me just start with that I'm sorry about what happened." Barnett looked at him. "I heard that she has gone missing."

Vaughn nodded, confused at where this was leading.

"I would like to ask about the relationship between you and Agent Bristow…" She let her sentence trail off.

"What relationship?" Vaughn asked. He knew that look on his face wasn't at all the right one to use when lying about this, but what the hell was he supposed to do?

"Just about how many times have you usually seen Agent Bristow?" Barnett asked as if it was just a natural question.

"Two… sometimes three days, maybe." He answered hoping that his look had changed.

"And have you ever seen her when you didn't have to discuss work?" Barnett took a sip of the water she had been holding.

God, what is this. I feel like I'm meeting with the principle again. Vaughn coughed.

"Yes, she needed someone to talk to…" He left no sign of whether he was going to continue or not, but that was good, it would make Barnett pause for a second… only a second though.

"So, you and she have a friendship?" Barnett left it as a question.

"Yes. I guess we do. She needs someone to talk to. It's not like she can tell her friends that she's a double agent for the CIA." Vaughn coughed again. You are not in the principles office. You are not eight years old again. You're not in third grade anymore. You're mom is not rushing in crying.

"Agent Vaughn?" Barnett's voice shocks him and he realizes that he's been staring into space again.

"Sorry." He shakes his head to rid himself of his 'principles office' image. "What were you saying?"

"I was asking if you had purchased a Christmas present for Agent Bristow. And I also asked what you thought of your relationship with her." Barnett put her water on her desk.

What kind of question is that? Syd and I were friends, we still are… just a little more. Vaughn looked at Barnett closely.

"Why am I here? This is pretty much a waste of time… Agent Bristow is missing and if you don't mind I'd like to be helping to find her."  Vaughn was getting a bit angry and he had to force himself to stay seated. His brain was telling him to leave, to just get up and leave.

"So you think she's still alive somewhere?"

His brain wins as Vaughn gets up and shuts the door behind him.

"So… how'd it go?" Eric jogged a bit to keep up with Vaughn. "You know you just passed your office, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Vaughn slowed down as they saw Haladki. "I'm going home for a while. I'll be back in an hour tops." Vaughn left Eric's side and passed Haladki.

"What was that all about?" Haladki asked as he reached Eric.

"Nothing… guess his meeting went well…" Eric shot a look at Haladki and then left for his office.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Sydney sat up as Vaughn entered the house.

"I don't know." He sat down next to Sydney. "Had a meeting with the shrink. She was asking these questions and I felt like I was in the principles office… when I was eight…" His voice trailed and cracked.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing… I probably got Barnett pissed and she'll be telling Devlin… and then who knows what…" Vaughn put his head on the back of the couch. "And yet I'm still in the principles office."

"That's where you were when you found out your father died… isn't it?" Sydney brushed a strand of hair from his face.

Vaughn just nodded.

Flashback

            "Michael." Mrs. Ginta said.

            Michael looked up from his math sheet and the whole class looked at him, "Yes." He said.

            "You're wanted down at the principles office." Oooo's went throughout the classroom, but everyone knew Michael wasn't in trouble. He never got in trouble. Being teachers pet, always doing your work… yep, a regular geek.

            He stood up not taking his books, but Mrs. Ginta said, "Bring your books. I believe you'll be going home." The look on her face was pure pity.

            His thoughts were on that. Wonder what they told her…

            The hallway of the school was empty. The classroom doors shut and the teacher's voices filled the air. To get his mind off the way his teacher had looked, he looked at the numbers on the door. 101… 100… 99… He kept counting until he got to the office. The door was ajar and the principle was in his chair.

            "Michael." He stood up and went to the door, opening it all the way. "Here, put the books down and have a seat." His look was the same as Mrs. Ginta.

            "Thanks Mr. Lee." Michael sat in the chair across from the desk. Mr. Lee took the seat behind it.

            "Bet you're wondering why I called you down here…" Mr. Lee took a breath and looked at Michael. Always happens to the good ones doesn't it.

            "Yes sir." Michael looked at him in confusion and a bit of worry.

            "Well, your father went on a trip yesterday correct?" He started off slow. Afraid of hurting the kid.

            "Yes, sir." Michael repeated. With his dad working for the CIA, he was constantly away, but Michael still had the best relationship with him. He had know since he was born what his dad did. In their house nothing was a secret.

            "Michael!" He spun around and saw his mother crying. She ran to him and hugged him. "Come one hunny. We're going home."

            "Mom, what happened?" Michael stood rooted to his spot. He wasn't going to leave until he knew what happened.

            His mother saw this. She looked toward Mr. Lee for help and he stood. "Hunny." His mother started. "Your dad…" More tears fell and Michael knew what was coming… or not coming…

            "Your dad isn't coming home. He…" She gulped and a few tears spilled. "He was shot…" She hugged Michael tightly, but the shock that had come was too much.

            He didn't notice the tears streaking down his cheek.

Flashback ends