Title: Everything Is Relative: Part Two
Author : Sarah
E-mail: sydney453@yahoo.com
Feedback: Makes my day.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing I tell you! Except the original characters.
Authors note: This is the sequel to Everything Is Relative, which is why it is so creatively titled Everything Is Relative: Part Two. So you might want to read that first. It picks up immediately after EIR. It's also an unedited unbetaed version. I thought I'd just throw it out there and see what everyone thought.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this. It really does make my day!
Everything Is Relative: Part Two
Chapter Four- Telling Lies
Los Angeles
Los Angels International Airport
"Sydney!" Audrey gasped. "You're the last person I expected to see here."
Sydney nodded and stared into Audrey's eyes. "I could say the same for you. Shouldn't you be at home resting?"
Audrey sighed uncomfortably and fiddled with her pocket book strap. "I did go home. For a while. Then I went out to the drugstore and…" She trailed off as tears filled her eyes.
"Audrey sweetie, what's wrong?" Sydney took Audrey by her elbow and guided her over towards a pair of empty chairs.
Sydney patted Audrey on the back and watched as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.
"I was coming out of the drugstore when this man in a big van pulled up beside me and ordered me to get in." Audrey paused as she took a deep, shuddering breath. She stared with tear-filled eyes at Sydney. "He pointed a gun at me and told me to get behind the wheel and to drive to SD-6 headquarters."
Sydney gasped as she realized where Audrey was going with her story. "Tell me what happened next. Please."
Audrey pushed her long hair out of her face and closed her eyes, remembering. "He had me park the van near the entrance to the building and went to… I don't know…. hide somewhere I guess. Before he closed the van's door, he said that if I tried to get away he would shoot me."
Sydney placed and encouraging hand on Audrey's arm and urged her to continue. "I know this is hard for you, but please go on."
Audrey nodded at Sydney and tried to calm herself. "I watched in the rearview mirror as three men came out of the building. One was handcuffed and the other two had guns trained on him, I assume they were CIA. Then the man who held me at gunpoint jumped out from behind them and knocked both of the agents unconscious in a few seconds. It looked like he had a stun gun of some sort."
Audrey closed her eyes and slumped down in her seat. "Honestly, Sydney. I know that a CIA job is dangerous and everything, but this is ridiculous. I thought I'd be pushing papers around for Marshall, not helping a criminal escape." She paused and then sighed deeply. "On my first day."
Sydney looked at Audrey sympathetically. "I know this is a difficult situation to process, but you have to tell me everything else that happened."
Audrey shrugged. "Nothing much. The man uncuffed the guy the CIA had in custody and then they got in the van and told me to drive here. They made me park the van and come with them , to quote the man who made me get in the van, 'as insurance'. Once they got to the terminal where their private plane was located, they let me go. Then I ran into you. What are you doing here anyway?"
"I've been searching for someone too. I hope to find that person soon..." Sydney's vague answer trailed off as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket book and began to dial someone.
"Who are you calling?" Audrey asked.
Sydney replied "My father." without looking at Audrey.
Audrey gasped. "Please don't do that. I just can't bear to think about this any more today."
Sydney held up her hand as Jack picked up the phone. "Dad? I need you to get down to the airport as soon as you can. I have a big problem." She turned to Audrey and looked at her sternly. "I'm not going to argue with you about this. I have to leave soon, so you have to talk to my father."
Audrey and Sydney sat in an uncomfortable silence for the ten minutes they had alone until Jack arrived.
"I was nearby when you called me." Jack said by way of explanation for his quick arrival when Sydney got up to greet him. He glanced over Sydney's shoulder and saw that Audrey was still slumped dejectedly in her seat. "Why is Audrey here?"
Sydney explained Audrey's situation to Jack and the two made their way over to where Audrey was sitting.
Jack said hello to Audrey while Sydney listened to her flight being called over the public address system.
"They're calling my flight." Sydney glanced hesitantly at the terminal and then back at Audrey. "Will you be all right?"
Audrey nodded and responded, "I'll be fine Syd. Don't worry about me."
Jack stared Sydney in the eyes. "Be careful Sydney."
Sydney smiled at her father as she pulled her ticket out of her pocket book. "I will Dad. Don't worry."
Sydney waved her goodbye as Jack sat down next to Audrey. They both watched in silence as Sydney disappeared down the terminal. Audrey shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced warily at Jack. "What are we going to do now?"
"Let's not talk about that here." Jack got up and gestured for Audrey to follow him. "I think it would be better for us to discuss this situation in my car."
Jack began to walk swiftly towards the exits with Audrey close behind. "What are we going to do about the van?" Audrey asked.
"That's for me to worry about." Jack said as he held a door open for Audrey and they both exited the building. "Right now you need to come with me."
Jack unlocked the doors to the car and he and Audrey both got in. He turned to face Audrey. "What are you hiding?"
Sydney leafed through the papers that she had found in the seat pocket in front of her. Everything that she needed was laid out for her. The time of her arrival in Dublin. The hotel where she could spend the night if it was necessary. A map of downtown Dublin. Everything was there except the one thing that she wanted the most; knowledge of Vaughn's whereabouts. Sydney leaned back in her seat and sighed, listening to the sounds of the plane taking off. She knew that she had to come home from this trip with Vaughn. She'd stopped caring about how she would deal with her mother after her meeting with Sark. All that mattered to her now was Vaughn.
Audrey chuckled uneasily. "What makes you think I'm hiding something Jack?"
Jack continued to stare at Audrey. "I've know you since you were a little girl Audrey. I know when you are keeping something from me. Now please tell me what it is that you are hiding."
Jack wasn't prepared for the reaction that he received from Audrey. She put her head in her hands and began to sob. Jack awkwardly put his arm around her shoulder and attempted to comfort her. "It will be okay Audrey. You don't have to cry. I know that what happened to you today must have been traumatizing, but I'm sure you'll feel better if you tell me everything."
Audrey leaned back in her seat and brushed tears away from her eyes. She sighed deeply and stared out the window for a few minutes before responding. "That man that you call Sark, I know him."
Jack gazed at Audrey with a look of disbelief on his face. "How do you know him?"
"I met him in college. He was a couple of years ahead of me. We dated on and off throughout my junior and senior years." Audrey fidgeted in her seat, remembering. "I hadn't seen him much recently, but I'd assumed it was because he had started a job." Audrey snorted derisively. "I never would have thought that his job was to murder innocent people."
Jack stared at Audrey with a serious look on his face. "I need you to tell me everything that you know about him. Name, age, information about his family; anything you tell me will be a help."
"His name is Alexander Derevko. He was two years ahead of me at Oxford. Since I had skipped a grade in high school, I assumed he was three years older than me." Audrey turned away from Jack and went back to staring out the window. "He didn't really mention his family all that much. I know that he was raised by his mother and that he had never met his father. He also mentioned that he was named after his uncle." Audrey shrugged and glanced at Jack. "That's it. That's all I really know about him." She shook her head and sighed. "After a two year long relationship that's all I know about him. How could I not have known that he was hiding something?" Audrey closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "This is giving me a headache."
Jack looked Audrey over thoughtfully. "Is this why you had the asthma attack at the office?"
Audrey nodded, embarrassed. "I saw him standing there with my father and almost fainted, but I managed to compose myself. Then Marshall told me some of the things that he had done and it just… overwhelmed me. He was always so wonderful to me, I never expected to learn something like this about him."
Jack glanced out the window, looking around the parking lot. "Did he ever ask you about your father? About what he does?"
Audrey shrugged. "All he knew about my family was that my father worked for a bank and that my mother was sick. I never mentioned SD-6 to him, if that's what you're getting at."
Jack nodded. "That's good." Jack started the engine of his car and pulled out of the parking lot.
Audrey glanced at Jack. "Where are we going?"
Jack didn't look at Audrey as he drove. "I'm taking you home. We need to tell your father everything that you know."
"I can't do that Jack!" Audrey gasped. "You and I both know he'll find him and kill him. As much as I hate what Alexander has done and the way he lied to me, there will always be a little part of me that loves him. I can't have that on my conscience. I won't be the reason for his death."
"Audrey, we have to tell your father. There's no way to hide something of this magnitude from him." Jack glanced at Audrey and saw that she was looking like she was going to cry again. "Your father will not kill Sark, Audrey. You have my word on that." Jack went back to staring at the road ahead, knowing that he had made an empty promise.
Audrey just sighed and muttered under her breath, "I can't believe he calls himself Mr. Sark. Who the hell does he think he is, James Bond?"
Arvin Sloane's Home
Jack and Audrey pulled up to her house and glanced at each other.
"I don't want to do this." Audrey sighed.
Jack got out of the car and walked over to open the door to Audrey's side of the car. "You have to."
Audrey walked up to the front door and let herself and Jack in. They were immediately greeted by an anxious Sloane.
"Audrey, where were you? I've been worried sick." Sloane said.
"There's something I need to talk to you about Dad." Audrey responded. She made her way into the living room and sat down and waited while Jack and Sloane made themselves comfortable before she told her father the whole story. "If I had known the truth about what Alexander really was I would have told you everything long ago."
Sloane glared at Audrey. "Like you told me at the office today." He shook his head. "I'm surprised at you Audrey. Why didn't you tell me who Sark really was the second you saw him?"
Audrey gaped at her father. "Well aside from the fact that I couldn't breathe, I figured my running up to you yelling 'Sark is my boyfriend' might have caused a commotion." She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't have any right to put the blame for his disappearance on me! I found out the man that I thought I loved was… god, I don't even know what. A murder. A liar. Who knows what else." She trailed off as tears sprang to her eyes.
Sloane reached out and too Audrey's hand. "Sweetheart, I'm not blaming you for anything." he said softly. "I know what a shock this has been for you and I apologize for sounding so harsh."
Audrey looked at her father. "What are you going to do now?"
Sloane shook his head. "We need to find him, that's the most important thing. Then we need to get as much information out of him as possible."
Audrey stared into her father's eyes. "You have to promise me that you won't hurt him."
"I can't promise you anything." Sloane got up and paced the room. "Harmed or not, Sark will be back in my custody soon."
Audrey got up to face her father. "You can't do that! You can't hurt him."
Sloane glared at Audrey once again. "I don't understand why you care for him so much. The man is a cold blooded murderer. What if he comes back and tries to kill you?"
Audrey shook her head as she fought back tears. "He would never do that! He cares for me."
Sloane stared into his daughter's eyes. "You're just too damn immature to understand this!"
Audrey sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. "I'm sorry you feel that way." She turned and left the room.
Audrey closed the door to her bedroom and started digging through her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a familiar number. When her call was answered she said, "I want to be there."
End episode four.
AN: I decided to repost this chapter because there were a couple of little things I needed to change because I am a perfectionist. This chapter was a lot of blah, blah, blah and not much action, but what has been said here will bear greatly on what I have planned for the next couple of chapters. Anyway, I'm hard at work on the next chapter and will probably have it finished by the end of the weekend or early next week. I just felt the need to share that.
