Like Normal People Do
By: Chshalogrl 'aka' Ellie
A/N: It's done a day early. It's a long one. Enjoy!
Ch. 19-Necessary Risks
Los Angeles
After hanging up with Vaughn, Jack Bristow was seen striding purposefully toward an area of the CIA that he hadn't ventured toward in quite some time.
She was stretched out on the bed with an aged, leather volume clutched in her hands. Deeply involved in her reading, she didn't notice him as he approached the glass, and he took the opportunity to watch her for a moment. Resentful as he might be, he couldn't ignore the nagging sense of pride at the fact that Sydney had taken after her mother in appearance. While she was not the ideal role model, there were certainly women who were less attractive. Sydney's coloring, her well-defined cheekbones, and the inherent grace with which she carried herself were all traits of Irina's that hadn't yet betrayed his daughter.
She noticed him as he entered the cell. Setting her book aside, she stood, and if she was surprise at his sudden visit, her expression didn't indicate the fact. Nodding politely to acknowledge him, he returned the curt gesture before getting down to business.
"I need any information you can give me on locations in Northern California which Sloane could be using to assemble his Rambaldi artifacts."
Her eyes widened slightly before they narrowed in thought. "What happened?"
Jawline tensing, Jack's gazed drilled into her. She didn't flinch. Relenting, he answered. "Sydney's been in hiding for the past five months. With Agent Vaughn."
Irina brought a hand to her chin and smiled. "I knew that Agent Vaughn had feelings for Sydney." She looked up at Jack. "Does she return them?"
Jack scoffed. "That's hardly my highest concern at the moment. Sloane's found them. He has Sydney and we don't know where he's taken her. I know that he believes that they're both a part of Rambaldi's prophecy…that they'll be the keys to his inheritance of Rambaldi's power. But I need to know more about the prophecy. And about the process he's planning on putting them through."
A vague sparkle of concern flickered in Irina's eyes and she remained silent.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Jack growled. "I know you've been keeping your knowledge private as leverage against the CIA, but I need to know. Our daughter's life is at stake."
Glancing up at his choice of words, she stared at him for a moment before speaking softly. "I find it interesting that she becomes our daughter when you need my help to save her. We were both there on the day of her birth, Jack. You'll recall that I was the one who chose the name Sydney. You wanted to name her Anne…too simple a name for any daughter of ours." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "Do you regret having our daughter?"
Jack glared steadily at her before he addressed her calmly. "Sydney is the only good thing I can recall of the years we spent together. Now, I'm aware of our abysmal history. If you'll help me, then help me. If you refuse to help me, save me the trouble of wasting my time here, rehashing our daughter's parentage with a debate of nature versus nature. I have an hour before I need to be on a plane to Sacramento."
Irina seemed to be weighing his words carefully. "I don't know the facts about the prophecy or the process. All I know is that the prophecy consists of two pages. One describes a man. One describes a woman. The woman is Sydney. I've believed for some time now that the man is Agent Vaughn, but having never been in possession of the page myself, I couldn't be sure." Pressing a finger to her mouth as her chin rested in her palm, she continued. "I do know that the process involves the blending of the blood of the man and the woman. And there's no specific mention of what happens to the man and woman as a result of the process. Whether they live or die."
"Sloane is waiting for Vaughn to go after Sydney."
Irina shrugged. "Then take a team to go and extract Sydney without Agent Vaughn."
"My thoughts exactly. But Sloane has to know that we would consider that option. He's anticipating our moves. He seems to have left so many ends untied. That's what makes me nervous. He has something planned, I just don't know what."
She spoke. "He'll have the building wired to explode." Tilting her head slightly, she frowned. "How did he get his hands on all of the artifacts?"
Jack's eyes narrowed even more as he answered. "An NSC raid that was never reported. He managed to get his hands on the CIA's collection as well as any other pieces we're aware of. It seems Sloane's been busy with more than just hunting for Sydney for the last five months."
"If her blood is all he needs, then he doesn't need Sydney to be alive. I don't believe he wants to kill her, but if you don't bring Agent Vaughn to him, I have a feeling he'll threaten to do just that. He has nothing to lose. Without Rambaldi, he feels that his life is worthless. I, too, fell prey the Rambaldi obsession. He wouldn't hesitate to go down with the artifacts if he feels threatened."
Jack nodded. "He'll have a remote detonator. And he'll probably have an off-site team with a detonator as well. That's his style."
"I have an idea of where he could be. There aren't many locations in that area. There's a warehouse in Sacramento though. Khasinau and I met there on occasion. It's been shuffled through the hands of several smaller terrorist organizations. It's several miles east of Sacramento. You're taking back-up?"
"A small team."
"I'm familiar with his preferred wiring of C-4 charges. You could disable his remote receiver and enable your own. He would never know that his detonator wasn't working until he tried to use it."
Jack shook his head. "That's risky. I'm the only one who I would trust to properly disengage the explosives. But then I'd have to send Agent Vaughn up to Sloane without me. It's too risky to put Sydney, Vaughn, and Sloane alone in the same room." He paused as he caught the intensity of her gaze and then continued. "I have an idea…"
Smiling knowingly, Irina nodded. "I wouldn't expect any less."
* * * * * * * * *
Vaughn had stumbled his way to their bedroom and had been sitting on his and Sydney's bed counting down the minutes until he needed to meet Jack at the airport. Lying on his back, he let his hands graze the surface of the bedspread lightly before clenching a fistful of fabric as he thought of Sydney. It had been bad enough when she was on missions. The tossing and turning at night. The aching in his chest when he thought about her putting herself at risk in the fight against Sloane and the Alliance. And the anti-climatic moments that had always accompanied her safe return…moments when he had wanted to pull her into his arms, thanking God that she was okay…moments when he'd had to settle for a small smile and a nod of approval for a job well done.
Bringing his hands to his face, he sighed heavily. He was exhausted but didn't even attempt to sleep. As far as he was concerned, the bed was going to remain in its current messy state. Just the way Sydney had left it. Or had she been taken from it?
Glancing over at the nightstand on Sydney's side of the bed, he reached over to run his finger across the smooth surface of the silver frame that seemed to be an artifact of a relationship from long ago. One of the few items that made the leap from LA to Lucosa, the frame was one of the true remnants of their relationship...with them since nearly the beginning. Smiling halfheartedly, he remembered his nerves when he had given her the gift. He had wanted so badly to compensate for all of the bad in her life. All of the adversity she'd faced. And he'd wanted her to understand just how amazing she was to have come through it practically unscathed.
"I, uh, got you something."
"No you didn't."
Her disbelief had been evident in her voice and for a moment, he had been mortified. What was he doing? But then he caught the shy little smiled that had appeared on her face just before she glanced humbly toward her feet. Just for a fraction of a second. And he knew that he hadn't made a mistake. That she deserved this gift and many more to come.
She had only recently put the picture in it. She had declared it her favorite photo of the two of them and had immediately gotten duplicates. He knew that the very same picture rested on her desk in her classroom and that she liked to look at it when something was bothering her. The Harvest Fair had been a blast. Sydney had practically dragged him, but he had ended up enjoying himself more than he was willing to admit.
Flashback
"Ooh, look Josh! Hot apple cider! That looks good!" Sydney rushed over to the small table selling Styrofoam cups of steaming cider and purchased two. Hurrying back to Vaughn, she handed him one of the cups.
Taking his hand, Sydney led them excitedly through the array of tables and booths that were being manned by several local organizations. She ran into several of her students who seemed genuinely excited to see her and he had smiled as he watched her interact animatedly with the kids. He was so intent on watching her, in fact, that the woman who suddenly tapped him insistently on the shoulder had startled him. Turning to find a petite, older woman with a camera in her hand, he smiled.
"Can I do something for you?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, you can let me take a picture of you and your lovely wife." She offered her hand. "I'm Teryn Jacobs. I'm actually one of your neighbors, but I also work part-time as an aid at Lucosa Elementary. Natalie has been voted our Teacher of the Month and we'd love to have a picture of her to put up in the office for the kids to see. She doesn't know yet. We'd like it to be a surprise when she comes in on Monday."
Vaughn grinned. "Sure." He turned to Sydney. "Natalie, Mrs. Jacobs here would like to get your picture."
Sydney had turned and grinned at the woman. "Hi Teryn! How are you?"
"Fine thanks, Natalie. I'd love to get a picture of you and your husband."
Grinning, Sydney had arranged herself in Vaughn's arms as Teryn snapped the picture of the ecstatic couple.
"Great!" Teryn had remarked. "I'll be sure to drop a copy by your house."
As Sydney had turned to Vaughn, he had noticed the scheming expression on her face. "What?" He inquired.
Shrugging innocently, Sydney had pointed at the flatbed truck covered in hay. "Remember how much fun we had with the piles of leaves?"
Vaughn groaned. "Yeah, why?"
"Imagine how much fun we could have with hay!"
And Vaughn had allowed a laughing Sydney to pull him toward the hayride where they had remained for the rest of the night.
End Flashback
Tearing himself from the bittersweet memory, Vaughn glanced up at the clock and realized that it had been nearly two hours since he had spoken with Jack. Standing up quickly, he moved toward their closet and began rummaging around the tiny room. Ignoring the fact that Sydney's scent was clinging to the fabrics of her clothing, he pulled a rather large box away from a dark corner. Opening it, he found what he was looking for. Protective gear, weapons, some basic electronic surveillance equipment, and anything else they would have needed for a very basic operation. Readying himself as though he was preparing for a typical mission, Vaughn glanced down sorrowfully at the leftover gear meant for Sydney. Taking a breath, he reminded himself that they were going to get her and that, within a few hours, she would be back in his arms and they would be celebrating their freedom.
He didn't know what Jack Bristow was going to have in mind when he arrived, but Vaughn knew that Jack's resources were far more extensive than what he had in Lucosa. Barreling down the freeway at highly illegal speeds, Vaughn floored his way to the Sacramento Airport, just praying that Jack would have some kind of rational plan for how they were going to do this.
* * * * * * * * *
When he pulled up to the crowded terminal, he spotted a steely Jack Bristow almost immediately. The lone figure stood out from the bustling crowd like a sore thumb, and Vaughn was surprised that there was no one else with him. Braking to a stop, Vaughn watched from the driver's seat as Jack approached the LandCruiser that he had prepared for his daughter less than six months earlier.
Vaughn nodded a terse greeting towards the older man as he seated himself in the passenger seat. As Jack buckled his seatbelt, Vaughn looked over with disbelief written all over his face.
"No back-up? No extraction team? Are you crazy?"
There was a pause.
"No, I am not crazy, Agent Vaughn. There's a team. They had other arrangements for transportation made by the agency. They're headed out to check the intel we were provided with while I fill you in. We think we know where Sloane has taken Sydney." Jack was silent for a moment before he failed in his restraint and began questioning Vaughn. "How did this happen? Weren't you being careful?" He shook his head. "I knew I should have just taken Sydney myself."
It didn't take much for Vaughn to grow defensive. "Hey! We did everything we were supposed to do. Maybe if the CIA had done something besides cut us loose, we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation. I never should have taken Sydney out of LA. I should have known we were putting off the inevitable." He turned to Jack pointedly. "You should have known too."
"Unfortunately, Agent Vaughn, we didn't. And we are sitting here having this conversation. My daughter is being held hostage a man I despise with every fiber of my being and I am unsure as to his intentions."
"Sydney is important to me too, Jack." Vaughn remarked with annoyance.
"She's my daughter."
"She's my wife!"
Silence. As soon as the word had left his mouth, Vaughn had flinched. Sydney wasn't his wife. She wasn't even technically his fiancée yet. But for all practical…and not so practical…purposes, they had been husband and wife for the past five months.
Jack's tone was flat and gravelly. "Surely, Agent Vaughn, you haven't deluded yourself into believing that your circumstances were permanent? You can't honestly believe that once this is all over you'll return to the blissful little life you've both created." Jack looked at him with a hint of amusement. "It was an act, pure and simple, Agent Vaughn. Once this is all over with, my daughter will be finished with the CIA. You'll no longer be an important part of her life and she'll move on. I've tolerated and even respected the work you've done with Sydney because it's helped to keep her safe. But I know my daughter. She's going to want out of this life and into a life that I'm quite certain will not include you."
"You're wrong, Jack. Sydney and I are committed to each other. She's the most precious thing I have in my life and while I don't have delusions about a future with a picket fence and a minivan…I love her. And as much as you deny it, she loves me. The CIA is a part of who she is. It's a part of who we are. Sure she's enjoyed teaching and living a quiet life. But Sydney is a patriot and she's never prouder than when she's serving her country. I respect you because I'm in love with your daughter. But I'm going to suggest that we focus on the task at hand, because it seems that the one thing we agree on is the importance of Sydney's safety. What's the plan?"
* * * * * * * * *
As the drugs slowly began to wear off, Sydney was able to lift her head and take in her surroundings for the first time. She was in small room in what looked to be a warehouse of some kind, given the dusty cement floors and the exposed insulation lining the walls. She was laying on a cot and she wasn't surprised to see that her wrist was shackled to the wall. Sloane had left the room a few minutes before and Sydney was desperately trying to analyze her situation in spite of the fact that her mind was hazy due to the drugs that remained in her system.
Surely Vaughn was on his way to get her out of this hellhole, but was that a good thing? The prophecy required both of them and she had no doubt that once Vaughn arrived, they were both going to be at Sloane's mercy. She heard the door open and glanced up to see Sloane walk in. Sending a glare his way, she questioned him.
"So what's taking so long? If we're going to activate this device, let's do it."
"Patience, Sydney. Patience. We're just waiting for Michael to make his much anticipated appearance. Accompanied I'm sure by a multitude of federal agents.
* * * * * * * *
Jack had directed Vaughn through a series of turns on several rural roads that ran east of Sacramento and they were pulling up outside of warehouse surrounded by large fields. While it looked to be a typical storage space for large farm equipment, Vaughn knew that Sydney could be inside and was eager to get her out of Sloane's custody. Stopping the car near the tactical van that had been set up about two hundred yards from the building, both Vaughn and Jack exited the vehicle to check up on the status of the situation.
Acknowledging the few agents that were conducting surveillance on the building, both Vaughn and Jack approached the van. Sliding the back door open, Jack inquired about the situation and when Vaughn heard the responding voice, he pulled Jack harshly aside.
"What the hell is she doing here?"
Jack turned as Irina Derevko stepped out of the van and looked back at Vaughn. "Agent Vaughn, when it comes to the safety of my daughter, I'm willing to take any and all necessary risks to ensure her safety. I assume that you practice the same policy."
Stepping forward, Irina spoke to Vaughn. "You and I have a colorful history, Agent Vaughn. But I hope that we can set that fact aside in the interest of our current task. I have a feeling that there are many truths that will be revealed tonight. But, first and foremost, I'm here to make sure that Sydney is safe."
Vaughn glanced at Jack before sighing. He nodded. "Okay. But if anything goes wrong as a result of your involvement, I won't be responsible for my actions…"
"A threat, Agent Vaughn, that I can assure you I've made several times in the past few hours." Jack interrupted as he glanced threateningly towards Irina. Beckoning the two adversaries to move closer, they formed a small huddle. "Here's the situation as we understand it. And here's what we're going to do."
* * * * * * * * *
As Irina and the rest of the team had gone to find and disable Sloane's explosives, Jack and Vaughn were headed into the building to find Sydney and grab Sloane as soon as they received word that his remote had been rendered useless. Stepping into the darkness, Vaughn slowly drew the door closed to avoid a loud echo. Taking a breath, he was overwhelmed by the cool scent of earth and mildew, both of which seemed to be plentiful in the warehouse. Glancing over a Jack, he saw the older man nod towards the back of the warehouse. Shining a flashlight through the rain of dancing particles, Vaughn spotted a staircase that led up to the offices that ran along the perimeter of the main floor…a way for overseers to keep an eye on the work that was being done below.
Together, the pair moved toward the staircase and crept lightly up the stairs until they reached the balcony. Glancing down the line of doors, they headed towards the thin blanket of light that bled through the crack between the floor and one particular door.
Leaving Jack in the dust, Vaughn hurried towards the small room and stopped himself just outside so that he could hear the tail end of Sloane and Sydney's conversation.
"We're just waiting for Michael to make his much anticipated appearance. Accompanied I'm sure by a multitude of federal agents."
Vaughn felt a hand grab his arm harshly and he spun around to see Jack glaring at him. Vaughn watched as he pointed at his watch and nodded. He knew what Jack was saying. As soon as they got in there, they needed to find a way to kill time. They needed to distract Sloane until Jack received word from Irina over his comm. that the explosives had been successfully reset to the CIA's remote triggers.
Taking a breath, wished for a moment that he could take a shot at Sloane right now. But he knew how Sloane operated. If he shot him, there was a good chance that the entire building would be blown up. Not really a result he was looking to achieve. He settled for aiming the barrel at Sloane before kicking his way into the room and making his presence known. Ignoring Sloane, Vaughn immediately found Sydney on a cot in the corner with shackles binding her to the wall. She was still wearing the pajamas she'd worn to bed the previous night and she looked unbelievably drowsy. His voice was high-pitched with emotion as he spoke to her. "Syd…"
Turning, Sloane smiled and interrupted him. "Aaah, Michael. You're here." He glanced behind Vaughn in confusion. "Where's Jack? I know you didn't come here alone."
Jack stepped into the room and Sloane smiled. "Jack, my friend, I'm so glad you could make it. I hope that you appreciated the lack of resistance you encountered when you came in. I called off my guards to make it easier for the two of you to get here. Although I'm sure you have a back-up team downstairs just waiting for your word. No matter. I've notified my own team that if anyone else enters the building, they're to destroy it. Now that Michael is here, we can fill him in on what it is that makes tonight such a special night."
Jack's voice was low and he spoke slowly. "I don't know who you think you are. But I can assure you that you are not the man that Rambaldi would have wanted to bring forth his works. Why would he want an evil, conniving, sniveling fraction of a man to be responsible for unveiling his most important discovery? Thousands of men just like you have lived and died…most of them bitter and alone. What makes you any different from the rest of them?"
Shaking his head, Sloane spoke to Jack sympathetically. "Bitter and alone? That sounds remarkably like you, Jack. I wasn't the one gullible enough to build a life with my enemy. I wasn't the one resentful enough to ignore my only child after discovering the truth about my wife. You've always envied my closeness with Sydney! You've always wished that you had a relationship with her like mine! And now, Sydney is going to make the ultimate sacrifice for my sake. Something she would never do for you!"
Sydney spoke weakly from the cot. "Excuse me, but did I give you the impression at some point that I am a willing participant? You are not my father. You are nothing like my father. And I will never view you as such."
Sloane smiled at her as though he hadn't heard her small outburst and glanced to Vaughn. "Please Michael. Go to her. Make sure she's okay. It's this kind of love that is going to bring forth the power of Rambaldi." Sloane paused before reminiscing. "I remember a time that I told you that you would learn to value the life of the one you love over your own. You were just a boy and looked at me as though I was crazy. But I knew. I knew back then that you and Sydney were the ones. So I cultivated the two of you as young children. And I'm so proud of what I see today."
Looking over at Sydney, he continued. "A beautiful, intelligent, and spirited woman."
He glanced back at Vaughn. "And a strong, handsome, and compassionate man."
Vaughn had all but ignored Sloane as he raced across the tiny room towards Sydney. Falling to his knees beside the small cot, he let his fingers linger on her cheek and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before taking her hand. "Are you okay, Syd? Did he do anything to you?"
Shaking her head, she responded. "You mean aside from being a sadistically insane bastard? He hasn't done anything."
Vaughn turned back to Sloane without releasing Sydney's shackled hand. He still held his gun firmly in his free hand and kept his trigger finger ready.
Noticing this, Sloane smiled. "I'd suggest that you put down your gun. As I'm sure you know, I have this entire place rigged with C-4. At any sign of trouble, this entire building will be destroyed. Now Michael, Sydney's already seen the prophecies. But you haven't yet. Please, let me show you why we're doing this."
Sloane turned to approach the table with the Rambaldi manuscript and turned back towards the cot to place the two pages beside Sydney so that Vaughn could read them. Staring at the eerily familiar sketch of the man, he glanced up at Sydney with a look of trepidation. Reading the prophecy however, he was suddenly struck by a revelation and couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face.
"This is amazing, Sydney. We were chosen. Rambaldi picked us."
Sydney looked at him with confusion. "What? Vaughn…"
"No Syd. Think about it. We have the chance to do something huge. To sacrifice ourselves in the name of something incredibly powerful." He glanced up at Sloane who didn't seem surprised at Vaughn's fascination. "What do we have to do? What happens after the device is activated? It won't hurt Sydney will it?"
Sloane smiled before putting a hand on Vaughn's shoulder. "I need your blood. Plenty of it. By blending your blood, I will make the fuel of Rambaldi's machine."
Vaughn nodded.
Sloane hadn't answered his question.
Vaughn tried again with another question. "Where's the device been assembled?"
"Downstairs. But we can perform the procedure here." Brandishing an antique looking knife, Sloane handed it to Vaughn. "Rambaldi's knife. As "the Creator" I can't get my hands dirty. You'll have to make the cuts. The wrists first. Then she'll return the gesture. And I will take the knife with me to complete the procedure."
Vaughn tried not to let Sloane realize that he thought he was a raving lunatic, so he nodded as though he had expected as much.
Hesitating at the idea of marring Sydney's perfect skin, he looked into her eyes and tried to assuage at the fear and confusion he could see. Trying to find a way out of cutting her, he looked discreetly at Jack who nodded reluctantly. Praying that the team would disable the explosives before could cause too much damage; he closed his eyes and took a breath. Gently, he dragged the blade across the inside of her wrist and watched her wince as red seeped to the surface. In the middle of his cutting, he was startled to hear the thud of fist on face from behind him and he turned to see that Jack had lunged at Sloane.
"I'll detonate the building, Jack! I'll take the three of you down with me!"
"I have no doubt." Jack snarled. "You didn't honestly think you would get away with this did you?"
"If I don't, then none of us will."
"Do it." Jack commanded. "As long as you're roaming the earth a free man, none of us are free to live anyway. Our lives are consumed by your very existence. Your presence on this planet makes countless people miserable. So save us all from a lifetime of chasing Arvin Sloane. Push the button."
Wordlessly, Sloane pulled out the slim remote and never let his gaze break from Jack as he pressed the button.
Nothing.
Sloane pressed again.
Nothing.
Leaping towards the older man, Vaughn tackled him to the ground and furiously pounded his frustration into the man. It took the sudden appearance of a tactical team, with Jack's assistance, to pull Vaughn away from Sloane before they took him downstairs themselves. Jack began to accompany the incapacitated Sloane downstairs before he glanced back towards Vaughn.
"We have two minutes to be out. Let's go!"
Quickly spotting the key to Sydney's restraints on the table, Vaughn moved toward her and freed her wrists from the shackles. Grimacing at the gaping wound on her wrist, he pulled her gently to her feet.
Placing another kiss on her forehead, he stroked her cheek softly and asked her. "Can you walk?"
She shook her head and he could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she did so.
"Everything is going to be fine, Syd. It's over. Let's go." Scooping her up into his arms, he moved toward the doorway.
"Wait."
Pausing, Vaughn looked down at her. "What?"
"The manuscript and the artifacts. Don't we need to take them? What if someone else gets a hold of them?"
Shaking his head, Vaughn hurried through the door and down the stairs. Assaulted again by the odor of aged moisture, he headed towards the doors he'd entered through. Running awkwardly with Sydney in his arms, the pair burst from the building and they swiftly covered the yardage that separated them from the other agents. Sydney was astonished to see the small group of people awaiting their return…most specifically, Irina Derevko. An excited cheer erupted from the group before they all began to retreat further from the building.
She was surprised when she suddenly felt Vaughn lower her to the ground and before she knew it, he was covering her body with his own. She could feel his hands entwined in her hair and she heard his deep breaths as he seemed to inhale her scent. His whispers were soft, but his words were clear. "It's over, Syd. This nightmare is finally over."
Punctuating his emotional declaration, a massive roar was accompanied by a violent shaking that ripped through the earth beneath them and when Vaughn lifted himself away from Sydney, the sky was aglow with the light from the flaming remains of the warehouse. More cheers echoed through the field that had surrounded the warehouse.
While most people were too caught up in the final destruction of Rambaldi's legacy, Sydney could hear something beyond the joyful yells. Shivering, she realized that she was listening to the anguished cries of someone in great agony. And to their right, Sydney spotted several agents standing over Arvin Sloane as he squirmed and writhed on the ground, probably unaware of his own screams.
Watching as the flames flickered triumphantly in his shock-widened eyes, Sydney almost felt sorry for the pathetic man. Everything he had ever believed in, everything he had ever worked for had just been destroyed before his very eyes. But then she remembered the last time that she herself had felt that way. When she had discovered the truth about SD-6. Traces of sympathy disappeared and Sydney turned quickly away from Sloane to meet the mixture of love, relief, and adoration on Vaughn's face.
Both of them still seated, she looked down to note that Vaughn was busily applying pressure to her sliced wrist. She had forgotten that it was even bleeding and it was only now that she noticed the blood that had been smeared all over Vaughn's front when he had carried her out to safety. He caught her looking and gave her an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry. I had to convince him that I was interested in the prophecy. I would rather have done it myself and been gentle than had him force my hand. I wanted it to be as painless as possible."
Sydney shook her head. "It's okay, Vaughn. I've had much worse. I do have some questions for you though."
Vaughn shook his head before smiling tiredly. "Not now. I promise we'll talk. Later. Right now, the only thing I can focus on is the fact that you're okay. You're here and you're okay. Wrapping a hand gingerly around her middle, he pulled her towards him and enveloped her in a desperate embrace.
"Ahem."
Looking up, the couple found both Jack and Irina standing over them. Jack was offering some first-aid materials for Sydney's wrist and Irina was simply observing the interaction between her daughter and Agent Vaughn. Vaughn accepted the bandages and began to doctor Sydney's wound while Sydney glanced up at her parents.
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
Irina looked Sydney in the eye. "I know you don't consider me to be your mother, Sydney. But regardless of that fact, you will always be my daughter. I wanted to make sure you were safe before they take me back to Los Angeles."
Sydney shook her head. "How did you get permission…?"
Jack interrupted her. "I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again. I'm willing to take any necessary risks to maintain your safety, Sydney. Tonight, your mother was a necessary risk." He nodded at Vaughn and reached down to give Sydney's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm glad you're safe." He glanced at Vaughn. "And happy."
With one last look back, he added. "Agent Vaughn, obviously there will be a debrief tomorrow in LA. We expect to see you both at the airport at noon. Get my daughter home. Get some rest…both of you. We'll see you tomorrow."
Vaughn nodded at Jack's order before glancing down at Sydney.
It was definitely time to go home.
TBC…
Gah! Well, that was it. It was hell to write. I would just like to say right now…I am horrible at action! I know nothing about explosives or weapons or anything of that nature. So if anything is horribly done…please let me know (nicely!). I just figured…this is Alias. About half the stuff they do is completely implausible. That's what makes it fun! And I'm extremely weary of writing Jack, Sloane, and Irina. This fic is kind of AU, so I haven't been TOO worried about being slightly out of character with S/V. But as I said…I've read this over several times and I could totally be missing really obvious mistakes. Please let me know if you spot anything so that I can fix it. Thank you so much for your patience and support! You are all amazing. Now…back to the fluff…hehehe!
~Ellie