Title: A Dame Like That, part 4/8
Author: Chocolatequeen
Email: g_chocolatequeen@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Considering that I live from paycheck to paycheck, I doubt I own much of anything, must less a TV show. Alias belongs to ABC et al.
Rating: PG
Archiving: Just ask
Summary: Alias/film noir
Snafu—Situation Normal All Fouled Up
Act 4: The Usual Suspects
When I got to the office the next morning, Sydney was there waiting for me. What is it with this family? I asked myself. Do they have something against calling before they show up? Taking off my limp, wet fedora I hung it up on the coat rack next to my trench coat before turning to her. "Morning Sydney," I said politely as I stepped over to the coffee pot. Mornings were not designed to be handled without coffee, especially not wet, miserable ones like this one. Briefly I wondered if the sun was ever going to shine again, but I turned my groggy mental faculties over to making a decent pot of coffee.
Five minutes later, the smell of coffee permeated the small office. I poured two cups and handed one to her. She took a cautious sip of the strong brew and wrinkled her nose. "This coffee tastes horrible. I thought you knew the way I liked it. Now go get me a new cup and make it quick," she demanded.
"Whoa Dollface! Do I look like your maid? Besides, it's not my fault that you wouldn't know a good cup of joe if it came up and bit you on the nose." She simply sighed and rolled her eyes as she proceeded to dump half the contents of my sugar bowl into her cup. "Take a little coffee with your sugar?" I asked incredulously.
"Enough with the snide remarks Vaughn. What's on the agenda for today?"
"You know the drill Sweet Thing. Weiss follows you, I follow your dad, we compare notes at the end of the day." And try to catch a mafia boss all before lunch, I added to myself.
"That's it?"
"That's it," I confirmed, willing myself not to squirm under her penetrating gaze.
"I get the feeling you're not being square with me Vaughn. You wouldn't happen to have a suspect up your sleeve that you're not telling me about, now would you?" she asked suspiciously.
"Not specifically," I hedged, "but I am willing to pursue other avenues. There's a list three miles long of people who would want to lay their hands on those pictures, starting with the people who are in them."
"I suppose you're right," she admitted reluctantly. "But I still think my dad is behind it."
"Says you, but we'd be pretty poor excuses for detectives if we ignored everything else. So you and Weiss have a good time today while I follow your father. Ah, speaking of my erstwhile partner…" I said as Weiss walked in the door, dripping wet.
"It's raining." Weiss had a thing for stating the obvious. "Doesn't it ever stop raining in this city?" he complained.
"Not this week my friend. Are you ready to play Miss Bristow's shadow for the day?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this show on the road, doll," he said and started for the door.
"Hold on a sec Weiss. Sydney, why don't you go ahead and get started. I need to talk to Weiss for a moment, he'll catch up with you later."
"Sure thing Vaughn. But before I go, promise me something."
"What's that?"
"If you get a lead, you'll share it with me."
I opened my mouth to tell her no, but then I made the mistake of looking her square in the eye, and I couldn't do it. "You bet Sweet Thing," I heard myself saying. With a satisfied smile, she opened up her umbrella and left the office.
"So what's the deal Vaughn?" Weiss asks as soon as the door closes behind her.
"The story's changed a little Weiss. Jack Bristow was waiting for me when I got home last night."
"So did he confess?" he asked cheekily.
"No, he pointed me in a different direction."
"Well that's a big surprise. Like he's going to come to your pad and bare his soul to you. Of course he's going to point a finger someplace else. But just for the sake of argument, who did he implicate?"
"Arvin Sloane."
"Well he's no fool of the western world. At least he was smart enough to finger a mafia member. So what's the big to do Vaughn? You're not taking him seriously are you?"
I took a deep breath before telling him the rest of the story. "Bristow is FBI, undercover in Sloane's establishment."
Weiss let out a low whistle at that. "Well if that isn't a snafu!"
"Tell me about it," I agreed grimly. "So here's the deal. You're going to follow Sydney, as planned. I'm going to 'follow' Bristow, but we'll really meet to lay the groundwork in a plan to get our hands on Sloane. When we meet back here after hours, I'll let you in on our plans, but we can't let Syd know about her father or she'll never go for it."
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" he asked skeptically.
"Would you rather we told her and let her blow our plans out of the water?"
"Alls I'm saying is a dame like that doesn't like to be left in the dark."
"You don't think I know that? But desperate times call for desperate measures. This is the only chance we have to convince Sydney to go with our plan to go after Sloane. I suggest we take it."
Weiss nodded reluctantly and headed toward the door. "All right then, I'm going to start tailing Sydney. But before I go, I have a suggestion. Check out Bristow's story, see if he's on the up and up." I nodded in agreement and he stepped into the rain.
Author: Chocolatequeen
Email: g_chocolatequeen@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Considering that I live from paycheck to paycheck, I doubt I own much of anything, must less a TV show. Alias belongs to ABC et al.
Rating: PG
Archiving: Just ask
Summary: Alias/film noir
Snafu—Situation Normal All Fouled Up
Act 4: The Usual Suspects
When I got to the office the next morning, Sydney was there waiting for me. What is it with this family? I asked myself. Do they have something against calling before they show up? Taking off my limp, wet fedora I hung it up on the coat rack next to my trench coat before turning to her. "Morning Sydney," I said politely as I stepped over to the coffee pot. Mornings were not designed to be handled without coffee, especially not wet, miserable ones like this one. Briefly I wondered if the sun was ever going to shine again, but I turned my groggy mental faculties over to making a decent pot of coffee.
Five minutes later, the smell of coffee permeated the small office. I poured two cups and handed one to her. She took a cautious sip of the strong brew and wrinkled her nose. "This coffee tastes horrible. I thought you knew the way I liked it. Now go get me a new cup and make it quick," she demanded.
"Whoa Dollface! Do I look like your maid? Besides, it's not my fault that you wouldn't know a good cup of joe if it came up and bit you on the nose." She simply sighed and rolled her eyes as she proceeded to dump half the contents of my sugar bowl into her cup. "Take a little coffee with your sugar?" I asked incredulously.
"Enough with the snide remarks Vaughn. What's on the agenda for today?"
"You know the drill Sweet Thing. Weiss follows you, I follow your dad, we compare notes at the end of the day." And try to catch a mafia boss all before lunch, I added to myself.
"That's it?"
"That's it," I confirmed, willing myself not to squirm under her penetrating gaze.
"I get the feeling you're not being square with me Vaughn. You wouldn't happen to have a suspect up your sleeve that you're not telling me about, now would you?" she asked suspiciously.
"Not specifically," I hedged, "but I am willing to pursue other avenues. There's a list three miles long of people who would want to lay their hands on those pictures, starting with the people who are in them."
"I suppose you're right," she admitted reluctantly. "But I still think my dad is behind it."
"Says you, but we'd be pretty poor excuses for detectives if we ignored everything else. So you and Weiss have a good time today while I follow your father. Ah, speaking of my erstwhile partner…" I said as Weiss walked in the door, dripping wet.
"It's raining." Weiss had a thing for stating the obvious. "Doesn't it ever stop raining in this city?" he complained.
"Not this week my friend. Are you ready to play Miss Bristow's shadow for the day?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this show on the road, doll," he said and started for the door.
"Hold on a sec Weiss. Sydney, why don't you go ahead and get started. I need to talk to Weiss for a moment, he'll catch up with you later."
"Sure thing Vaughn. But before I go, promise me something."
"What's that?"
"If you get a lead, you'll share it with me."
I opened my mouth to tell her no, but then I made the mistake of looking her square in the eye, and I couldn't do it. "You bet Sweet Thing," I heard myself saying. With a satisfied smile, she opened up her umbrella and left the office.
"So what's the deal Vaughn?" Weiss asks as soon as the door closes behind her.
"The story's changed a little Weiss. Jack Bristow was waiting for me when I got home last night."
"So did he confess?" he asked cheekily.
"No, he pointed me in a different direction."
"Well that's a big surprise. Like he's going to come to your pad and bare his soul to you. Of course he's going to point a finger someplace else. But just for the sake of argument, who did he implicate?"
"Arvin Sloane."
"Well he's no fool of the western world. At least he was smart enough to finger a mafia member. So what's the big to do Vaughn? You're not taking him seriously are you?"
I took a deep breath before telling him the rest of the story. "Bristow is FBI, undercover in Sloane's establishment."
Weiss let out a low whistle at that. "Well if that isn't a snafu!"
"Tell me about it," I agreed grimly. "So here's the deal. You're going to follow Sydney, as planned. I'm going to 'follow' Bristow, but we'll really meet to lay the groundwork in a plan to get our hands on Sloane. When we meet back here after hours, I'll let you in on our plans, but we can't let Syd know about her father or she'll never go for it."
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" he asked skeptically.
"Would you rather we told her and let her blow our plans out of the water?"
"Alls I'm saying is a dame like that doesn't like to be left in the dark."
"You don't think I know that? But desperate times call for desperate measures. This is the only chance we have to convince Sydney to go with our plan to go after Sloane. I suggest we take it."
Weiss nodded reluctantly and headed toward the door. "All right then, I'm going to start tailing Sydney. But before I go, I have a suggestion. Check out Bristow's story, see if he's on the up and up." I nodded in agreement and he stepped into the rain.