Chapter 18: Be Safe

Disclaimer: Nope. It's not mine.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I know it's been longer than ten days, but it's a long story…Anyway, here ya go!

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Jack evaluated his daughter's response for a moment, then nodded to Michael and walked away. Michael sat down in the seat next to Sydney, and Lorrie stood behind him.

"Your father is telling Danny that you'll have to be checked out by the CIA and that it might take several days for them to release you. You will have to be checked out for any signs of after effects, but that will only take a couple of hours. Danny won't be allowed in the facility, Sydney. It'll give you some time to decide what you're going to do. Your father…and I…want you to be safe while you make your decision," Michael said gently.

"What about Lorrie?" Sydney said shakily, wary of the affection she'd heard in Michael's voice.

"You are her closest relative. That means that if you request it, the CIA will release her to me. I can bring her to the facility during the day, and she can stay with me until you're ready to leave, Michael said, signifying that he'd spent some time thinking about it.

"It doesn't sound like you're offering. It sounds like you're telling us this is how we're doing things," Sydney ventured.

"I'm telling you what I hope you'll do. But if you want, I can arrange for Lorrie to stay with you. They'll allow it, since she'll have to be checked out too. If nothing else, we can tell them we doubt your mental stability and want you watched."

"I am perfectly sane, thank you!" Sydney snapped, shocked. "I…"

"It's a precaution, Sydney. If both agents suggest that you may be mentally instable, they aren't too likely to boot you out before you're ready," Michael explained patiently.

"Oh," Sydney said meekly. "Could you leave us alone for a few minutes? Please?"

Michael nodded and stood. "Come find me when you're ready," he said before walking away.

Sydney watched him for several long moments, then looked over at Lorrie.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

Lorrie shook her head. "It's up to you."

"Lorrie, what do you feel comfortable with? Do you want to stay with Michael, or would you rather stay with me? I doubt the accommodations will be very comfortable," she warned with a slight grimace.

Lorrie answered slowly, weighing each word carefully. "I'd be comfortable with Michael. I like him. But I'd rather be with you, even if it is uncomfortable. Only if you don't think I might be in your way, though,"

Sydney smiled. "You'll never be in my way, Lorrie. If you'd rather stay with me, then that's where I want you."

Lorrie smiled too. "Thank you."

"Come on. Let's tell Michael what we've decided. You don't think he'll be disappointed, do you?"

"I think, may be, he likes having us around," Lorrie said with a grin.

"You think so? I'm starting to think so, too. Let's see," Sydney said with a matching grin as she stood up to find Michael.

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Sydney glanced anxiously at Lorrie, who sat huddled in the corner on the smaller of the two cots in the room, staring at the opposite wall, or may be into thin air.

Sydney was beginning to regret her decision to let Lorrie stay with her. She had been quieter and quieter in the two days they'd been in the CIA holding cell. Michael came to check on them two or three times a day, and Sydney was sure he was getting ready to take Lorrie out of there. Sydney knew she couldn't fault him if he came to that conclusion; the bare cement room with one completely clear wall was no place for a twelve-year-old girl, especially not one who'd been through what Lorrie had. Lorrie would undoubtedly be better off with Michael.

Besides, in worrying about Lorrie, Sydney hadn't thought much about her own predicament. She couldn't live with a man she was afraid of. Other than her own well being, she had to worry about Jaime, and now Lorrie. Jaime couldn't grow up in that type of environment. And she had to be honest with herself. Even if Danny never did anything else threatening again, she'd still have to live with the fear in the back of her mind that he would.

Jaime must miss me, she thought suddenly. She knew that he was with Kaitlyn, and she loved him, but he needed him mother.

She needed to make a decision, not for her own well being, but for Jaime's and Lorrie's.

When Michael came in, she faced him with a new resolve.

"We're leaving tomorrow," she told him stoically.

"Oh?" he said, mildly surprised. "What did you decide?" His interest was comfortingly friendly; he was like an old friend that only wanted to see her do what was best for her.

"I've decided that I can't put my life, as well as Jaime's and Lorrie's, on hold indefinitely. I have to move on and stop stalling," she said honestly, hoping it was satisfy him.

It obviously didn't. Michael saw right through her speech, and realized what she was doing. She had no clue what the hell she was going to do about Danny or otherwise. But she was none of his business. Michael didn't want to press her for information she was unwilling to give him. He knew his eyes became guarded again, something he knew he'd stopped doing around her, but he dismissed the thought.

Michael moved around the door, saying coldly, "I'll arrange for your departure." With no more than a nod to Lorrie, he left.

As he walked down the hall away from Sydney and Lorrie, he replayed what Sydney had said.

Fine. So she wants me to butt out, he thought finally. I will.

The thought caused him more anguish than he was willing to admit, even to himself.

He stopped by Jack's office as he passed it.

"Go talk to your daughter," he advised, pausing in the doorway for only a few seconds.

Michael tried to go about his business, but he found that his mind consistently wandered elsewhere. Somewhere it had no right to be.

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Danny slammed impatiently around the kitchen, heating up a can of condensed soup for the second night in a row. Sydney had always made sure there was something ready when he got home; he was too tired to cook. He'd been in college the last time he'd had to resort to soup for a meal, and he hated it even more now than he had then. The whole thing made him mad.

What did the CIA think they were doing, holding his wife? She was fine; she should be home where she belonged. Danny was willing to bet that Vaughn character had something to do with it, and Bristow probably did too. Bristow had disliked him even before he'd married Sydney, and the marriage had only made it worse. Michael Vaughn clearly liked Sydney too much, and vice versa. It didn't help any that Michael disliked Danny as much as Bristow did.

Yeah, it was all a conspiracy, and Danny didn't like it one bit. Sydney was going to have a lot of explaining to do when she got home, because there was no was all that could be going on right under her nose and she not know about it.

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Sydney stayed awake long into the night. She could see Lorrie sleeping restlessly across the room, and that only added to her dilemma.

She still didn't know what she was going to do. She had a potentially life-altering decision to make, and she was all too aware that it would affect more than just her if she made the wrong one. It would hurt Jaime and Lorrie too.

All of which only brought her back to the only conclusion she's come to: she couldn't afford to make the wrong decision.

She moaned and shook her head, then, abandoning all pretense of sleep, stood up and started pacing room. It was small, only allowing her to go four or five paces one way before having to turn and retrace those steps.

Several minutes later, Lorrie was awakened by the sound of Sydney muttering under her breath. Lorrie frowned, causing a single crease to appear on her forehead.

Sitting up, she said quietly, "Sydney? Are you okay?" she started slightly when Sydney stopped in front of her abruptly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm fine. Go back to sleep," Sydney said distractedly.

"I'm awake now. Besides, I couldn't sleep with you pacing," Lorrie said in a matter-of-fact tone that Sydney had become accustomed to having directed at her. Lorrie stood up beside Sydney. "Michael didn't buy your that whole thing about needing to move on, and neither did I."

Sydney was a little surprised by her sudden comment. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously, despite the certainty that she was about to see every one of her antics in the last few days torn apart before her eyes by a twelve year old.

"You said all that stuff to Michael so he'd let you…and me…leave. None of it was what he was looking for, though. And when your father was in here, he didn't buy your indignant 'I Don't Need Your Approval' speech. Michael knows, your dad knows, and I know, you don't have half a clue what you're going to do tomorrow," Lorrie said, her calm, smooth tone as disturbing as her words and her observations.

"Okay. You win. I don't know." Sydney rubbed at her temples for a moment. "Lorrie, I know you don't understand this, but we have to leave whether I want to or not," Sydney said desperately.

"I'll…I'll stay with Michael."

Lorrie seemed so definite that it took Sydney a few moments to respond. When she did, it wasn't more than a sputter.

"Why?"

"So you can stay here. So you'll be ready," she said, once again amazing Sydney with the things she picked up on. But Lorrie was fighting to hold onto her calm tone. If Sydney needed to be alone, she would leave her alone…

"No."

Lorrie's control snapped then, but not in the way she expected. Instead of shedding tears, she was angry. That one word answer, the obvious dismissal of what she'd offered, the blatant absence of an explanation…it was not only unfair, it was just…wrong.

Sydney watched as Lorrie's face hardened, a clear indicator of her mindset. She stubbornly crossed her arms, completing the picture.

"You said I could decide where I wanted to stay. You said if I wanted to be here, then you wanted me here." Lorrie's flat, angry tone alerted Sydney. "If I don't want to be here, what then?" Lorrie asked slowly, her tone clearly challenging. And almost cold.

Sydney sighed, suddenly exhausted.

"Everything is already in motion, Lorrie. We leave tomorrow." Sydney's voice held a distinctly hurt tone that made Lorrie instantly regret what she'd said.

Eyes downcast, Lorrie mumbled, "Okay" softly. As she settled on her cot, she wondered if Sydney had even heard her, because she didn't react or respond.

Lorrie didn't get back to sleep. She was too busy worrying that she's just alienated her one ally.

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Poor Lorrie. It's good to be back, though.

Too bad I've finished writing the story and all I have to do is type it…I feel so lost without my characters!