The Dream

Chapter 10: Maybe

Vaughn hung up the phone and looked at the clock. 8:27. She should have been home by now. She should have been home two hours ago. He picked up the phone again and pressed redial. Sighing, knowing that if she hadn't picked up the phone the last ten times he called, she wouldn't pick it up now, he still let it ring for a minute before finally hanging up.

He had tried calling her ever since six thirty. At first he thought that she hadn't gotten home yet, and waited had until about seven before trying again. She still hadn't been home, but he didn't really start to worry. Maybe her flight was delayed.

When it was almost eight o'clock and she still wasn't home, he had started to get nervous.

Maybe she was caught in traffic. He had tried calling her cell phone: no answer.

Maybe she was in a bad area and didn't have any service. He had waited and then tried again and again.

Maybe she didn't have her cell turned on.

Vaughn picked up his phone again. He would call the office; see if they had any word on her flight or her mission.

He dialed, beginning to wonder if she had gotten home at all. What if she had gotten hurt? What if she had been kidnapped? What if she had been kill…No, he didn't want to think of that.

He realized that someone was speaking on the other end of the line, "Hello? Hello?"

"Hey, Weiss?" Vaughn asked, finding his voice.

"Vaughn, is that you?"

"Yeah. What are you still doing at work?"

"Don't ask," Weiss responded with a sigh. "So, what's up?"

"I was supposed to meet with Sydn…Agent Bristow to go over her mission, but I can't get a hold of her. Do you have any information on her mission to Cairo or her flight?"

"No, we haven't heard anything, but I can look up what flight she was on and check the airport schedule. You know, see if they're on time."

"That'd be great."

"Just hold on a minute."

Vaughn waited. Maybe she was asleep. Maybe her cell phone needed a new battery. Maybe…

"Vaughn, you still there?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"She wasn't on her scheduled flight, but…"

Oh, God. What if…

"…just let me check…Yeah. Kate Jones took the flight just before that one; it landed a few hours ago. You've got to love this government clearance; working for the CIA you can find out almost anything."

Vaughn let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. She had taken an earlier flight home. "Thanks, Weiss. I've got to go."

"No problem. Bye."

Vaughn hung up, relieved. At least he knew she had gotten home okay.

Just to know that should have been enough. He should have stopped there, maybe try to call her again in a few hours, maybe just wait until tomorrow. He knew that she had arrived in LA safely, and as her handler, he should have just admitted that he couldn't contact his agent and left it at that.

But he couldn't. He cared about her more deeply than that, and not knowing where she was and if she was all right was tearing him apart. It shouldn't have to be like this. If he was concerned about the woman he cared for, he should be able to simply drive over to her house and check on her.

But he couldn't…No, he wasn't supposed to. If he really wanted to drive over to her house, who would stop him? He didn't give a damn about the agent/handler protocol. If that had been the only reason that he wasn't allowed to face her in public, he would be at her house by now.

There were other reasons. Maybe she was angry with him. Why else wouldn't she answer the phone. Maybe the kiss had been a mistake. But if it was, why had it felt so right? Why had she looked at him with such longing when she had been forced to leave?

Vaughn remembered the look in her eyes and knew she wasn't angry with him, but he knew that something else must be wrong. Something was bothering her, something was making her not want to answer the phone. He wished that he knew what it was. He shouldn't be sitting in his house worrying about her; he should be at her house, holding her in his arms, comforting her and telling her that everything would be all right.

But by doing that, he could put her in danger. If her roommate came home and saw them together, they might be able to come up with a story, a lie. She would hate that, having to lie to her friends again, but at least she would still be alive.

If SD-6 had any type of surveillance in her house, however, he would be blowing her cover. Then she would never be able to take down SD-6, and just by talking to her, he would have jeopardized everything that she had worked so hard for. She would have suffered every single cut and bruise from her trips, and told all the lies for nothing. SD-6 would still be operating and she would be in big trouble. If they were lucky, they would be able to get her out, to get her into the witness protection program before SD-6 could hurt her. If they weren't lucky, she would be killed by SD-6 and he would lose her forever.

Vaughn sat at his desk, feeling helpless and confused. He could think of a thousand and one reasons why he couldn't, shouldn't go to her, and only one why he should: he loved her than anything, more than life itself.

And half an hour later, he found himself standing outside Sydney Bristow's bathroom door. That one reason had won over all the others; he loved her too much to stay away.