Chapter 50

It was pretty early the next morning when Sydney and Vaughn woke up. For a while they just lay in bed, facing each other, only communicating through smiles and touches.

"How are we going to stay awake today?" Sydney finally wondered out loud.

Acting very unlike her usually very efficient handler, Vaughn only ran his hand along her shoulder and replied:

"Who cares?

They exchanged a happy gaze until Sydney grew serious.

"Vaughn?" she asked.

"Why don't you ever call me Michael?" he wondered, smiling.

Embarrassed, Sydney couldn't hide a coy smile.

"I don't know… It seems a little too intimate, but… I guess that now… now I could get used to it."

"There's still a lot to get used to…" he said, understanding. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Well… I've been lying here, thinking about my future… Trying to remember why I never gave school up and why I killed myself writing papers instead of... I don't know, accepting that I'd be an agent forever."

"Why didn't you give up school?" Vaughn asked gently.

Sydney took a moment before answering.

"I think… I think I wanted to be a normal mom one day; a mom like my own mother was… Well, like I thought she was."

She cringed, thinking how far off she had been.

"I still want a family, but now I'm not so sure that I'd like to be a teacher."

Vaughn looked at her silently for a couple of seconds. His eyes clearly expressed his worry as he asked:

"Are you thinking of staying with the CIA?"

Slowly, Sydney nodded, afraid of his reaction. He rolled onto his back and sighed.

"Syd… I don't think my heart could take it if I went on worrying about you the way I have done for the last six months…"

A little smile formed on Sydney's face and she moved closer to him, running her hand on his stubbly cheek.

"We'll figure something out," she said reassuringly. "Maybe Devlin would agree to give me a non-field job?"

"Is that what you really want?" he asked, concerned. "I mean… I'd like if you stayed out of the field, but you being happy is what matters to me the most."

If it was even possible, Sydney's love for him increased in that moment.

"I've been working in the field for over seven years. It has filled a big part of my life, but… not always in a good way. I'm ready for a change."

Vaughn let out a relieved sigh before smiling so widely it showed off his dimples. He then hugged her very tight and said:

"That'd be nice. I'll put in a good word for you, Agent Bristow."

"Oh, thank you, Agent Vaughn," she replied, playing along.

In high spirits, they kissed lazily for a few minutes before agreeing they needed to get to work. They were both anxious to get all the details about the fall of the Alliance.

While Sydney put the finishing touches to her make-up, Vaughn called the office. When he hung up, Sydney turned to him.

"Any word on Dixon or Marshall?" she asked, still hurt by her SD-6 partner's words.

"They'll be in debriefing for a while," Vaughn simply replied.

Seeing her dejected expression, he added:

"Syd… Don't worry, he'll come around. He'll understand eventually."

She nodded sadly.

"I guess so…"

Vaughn hugged her briefly and gave her a sweet kiss. He then said:

"Come on, let's go and meet Francie."

XXX

Probably having heard them coming in the previous night, Francie was busy making pancakes for Sydney and her guest. She greeted them cheerfully as they entered the kitchen.

"Hey!"

"Hi," Vaughn replied with a drop-dead smile that wasn't without effect on Francie.

"Francie, this is Michael... from the bank."

Somehow Vaughn was flattered to learn that Sydney had already talked to her friend about him.

"Hey, Francie. Nice to meet you."

He shook her hand and she smiled widely, already under his charm.

"Oh, I'm so glad Sydney turned out to be wrong about you!" she exclaimed.

Puzzled, Vaughn repeated:

"Wrong?"

Knowing what Francie meant by her remark, Sydney felt really uneasy.

"Fran-"

But Francie went on:

"Yeah, she thought you were gay, didn't she tell you?"

His mouth hanging open, Vaughn shot a look at Sydney, who was a picture of embarrassment.

"I'll explain later," she mouthed to him.

Her cheeks had turned red and Vaughn couldn't help but laugh.

"No, she didn't tell me," he looked down and chuckled, touching the underside of his nose with the back of his index finger.

Francie thought Sydney's look of mortification was hilarious and laughed too. They then all sat down to eat breakfast.

"Fran, I've got news," Sydney said after a taking a few bites.

"Good news or bad news?"

"Good news. I left the bank."

"Oh, Syd, that's so great! You took the job at that other bank?"

"Yes. I'll have more regular hours and… that means I can be with Michael."

"Oh, Syd, I'm so happy! We've got to celebrate! We should go to dinner tonight, you two, me and Will, just like you suggested the other day!"

Unsure about Vaughn's reaction to such dinner, Sydney gazed at him. She was reassured by his big smile. A smile that seemed to say that he'd happily be with her anytime. Happier than she had even been, she gave Francie the okay.

XXX

A few hours later, Sydney exited Devlin's office with a smile on her lips. She laughed inwardly, thinking how she hadn't smiled this much in years.

Devlin had just agreed to give her a job training rookie agents. Plus, when she had inquired about Dixon and Marshall, Devlin had told her he was going to offer them a job with the CIA as well. She didn't know if they would accept it, but now at least she had some hope that they would be able to resume their friendship.

Walking on a cloud, Sydney was wondering how she could ever feel better when she saw Vaughn and her father talking in a remote corner of the CIA office.

"… and I understand the risks you've taken here. You have my respect for that," Jack was saying to Vaughn, who only nodded silently. He knew full well he and Jack would never enter the Father-in-law/ Son-in-law CIA Golf Tournament together, but he was glad they could now at least be civil with each other.

"Dad!"

Jack turned around, a thin smile on his lips. He and Sydney hugged for a few seconds before Jack pulled away, fully aware of Vaughn's presence next to them.

"Sweetheart… You did incredible work."

"Thanks, dad. But I wouldn't have done it without Vaughn… And a big helping hand from… uh…"

She hesitated, not really knowing how to refer to Derevko.

"… my mother."

Jack tensed up at the words.

"Well, the end result is what matters. I'll see you later, Sydney, I've got work to do."

He walked away before she could say anything.

"Work?" she wondered, turning to Vaughn for answers.

He nodded.

"Yeah. He's going to keep working for the CIA. It seems he's not ready for retirement," he said with a lop-sided grin.

"I'm sure the last months in hiding have killed him."

Vaughn didn't add anything; too busy smiling at her with a totally smitten look on his face.

"'What is this, the flirting corner?" they suddenly heard.

It was Weiss.

"Eric! Hi!" Sydney greeted him.

"Welcome aboard, Sydney," he replied with a smile.

"Thanks. I'm glad I'll have a chance to know you better."

Nodding contently, Weiss began to walk away when he suddenly stopped and came back. Looking at Sydney, he asked:

"There is something I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"You know, back in Slovakia, when you two first met… How come you ended up giving Mike your phone number, after he asked you if you 'had the turtle'? Why didn't you just run away?"

As Vaughn intensely studied his shoes, Sydney replied, amused:

"I thought it was cute."

"Cute, huh? Interesting…"

Eric walked away, pondering over that information. Smiling back at the memory of their first meeting, Sydney and Vaughn exchanged a look. They could never have guessed that they'd end up together…

XXX

The next few weeks passed on quickly, during which Sydney and Vaughn grew more and more comfortable as a couple. As the first dinner with Fran and Will had been really nice, they had repeated the experience several times already. Vaughn had gotten along famously with everyone, even discovering a shared passion for sports with Will.

They had just had such dinner, but when Sydney's friends had decided to go see a movie, the new couple had passed on the offer, preferring to come back to Sydney's place and enjoy some time alone.

"It's still exciting to be in public with you," Vaughn said as Sydney unlocked the front door. "I don't think I'll ever take that for granted."

"Yes, it is good," she agreed, turning to face him. They kissed sweetly and then Sydney asked:

"Would you like to stay?"

Vaughn had a big grin.

"Did you really think you'd get rid of me that easily?"

"I wasn't trying to," she chuckled.

They stepped inside and as soon as the door was closed behind them, Sydney gave Vaughn a passionate kiss.

"It's nice to have the house all to ourselves for a while," she said with a naughty smile when they had to breathe again.

Vaughn rolled his eyes comically.

"Syd, can you tell me why the heck we always end up here? I live alone, you know."

"Yeah, but your place is so tiny, I don't know where to put my stuff", she replied on the same tone.

"I could give you a drawer."

Sydney pretended to ponder over the offer, when inside she was thrilled by his words.

"If you give half your closet space I'm there," she finally replied.

"Well, then I should get a bigger place, something with two closets."

"Yeah, I think you should."

Vaughn acted as if he was thinking very hard and then said:

"Maybe you'd like to choose that house with me, to make sure you like the storage space?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I'd like that. But if I'm going to spend an appreciable amount of time there, I might like to express an opinion on the kitchen, too. And on the bathroom..."

"I see," he said, still playing the game. "All right, I agree. But under one condition: that you spend every day and every night there with me."

Her answer was a big dimpled smile and the tightest hug ever.

XXX

A while later, they were lying in bed, their arms and legs tangled up. Vaughn's breathing was becoming very slow and rhythmical. His voice sounded sleepy when he said, a moment later:

"Goodnight, Syd… I love you."

"I love you, too… Michael."

He smiled at the mention of his first name but said nothing. A new life was beginning for them and there were many things they would need to get used to…

As Vaughn fell asleep, Sydney's mind was reviewing the last six months, thinking about how her life had changed during that time.

In a world where you never knew who to trust, where you learned to expect betrayal, she had found a wonderful man. A loyal, honest, courageous man that knew how to protect her while still giving her the space she needed.

There were still many things she didn't know about him, but getting to learn everything there was to know would be an incredible journey. She loved him like she had never even imagined it was possible to love someone and she knew he felt the same about her, too. Knowing him had changed not only her life, but also the way she was inside. Before him, she had never felt comfortable enough with someone to have the confidence to be herself. Now she did. And even if Vaughn knew who she really was, even if he knew about her less than ideal qualities… he was still there and that meant everything to her.

One thing that had also changed over the course of the last months was the way she thought of her mother. When she had learned that Laura was still alive and had been a KGB agent, Sydney had been confused, trying to deal with the fact that the mother she had known had been playing a role during all those years. Maybe she had never even loved her? Maybe all those wonderful moments with her had been a lie?

And there had been the shocking moment where she had actually been reunited with Irina. Since then, Sydney had felt some kind of closure. Whilst still having sadness and resentment concerning her childhood and on behalf of her father, Sydney was almost certain that her mother really cared about her and had her best interests at heart. Yes, taking down the Alliance was good for Irina's business, but Sydney now believed that her primary reason for making that happen was to free her daughter.

No, her mother wasn't a good person; she had killed many people in her life, even killing Khasinau right in front of her. But she loved her daughter in her own way and Sydney was grateful for that.

And the fact remained that, thanks to her, Sydney was now free and happy. Smiling in the shadows, she tenderly kissed Vaughn's shoulder, closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

XXX

From a car parked not too far from Sydney's house, a woman with long brown hair was smiling. A few weeks ago she had gotten confirmation that her plan had worked out perfectly, but she had to see it for herself.

Her daughter was free.

More than that, she had found love with a good man. Truth was that she didn't really know much about that Michael Vaughn, but if he was anything like his father… Then she knew Sydney was in good hands.

If Irina was happy at that moment, she couldn't help also being a bit sad. After the way she had left Sydney and Jack more than twenty years before, the least she could do for them was to help them when she got the chance… Tears filled her eyes for one rare time as she wished things could have been different, that they could've remained a family.

Irina swiftly dried her tears. Grieving over things that hadn't happened was pointless. She could console herself with the thought that even if they didn't know it, even if it was complicated; she would always be their ally.

After one last look towards Sydney's house, she released the brakes and left.

XXX

THE END