Faded Memories

© 2002

Rating: G

Spoilers: a little up through "The Box, Part 1"

Pairing: none

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.

The fire cackled in the dusky glow of the living room. Sydney Bristow sat cross-legged on the floor, a large, round box lying open in front of her. The box was open, its innards spilled out on the cream-colored carpet. The hundreds of photographs and clippings that lay scattered showed signs of having been handled countless times.

She was alone.

Funny, how she had never fully realized just how alone she really was. Danny was gone; all that was left of him were faded memories of better times. Her own father was as familiar to her as a stranger on the street. His awkward attempts at conversation, and his missed dinner date, left her frustrated and tired. Tired of the way things were going around in circles. Francie and Will knew nothing of her double life, and she wanted to keep it that way. It was already almost too much to bear without having to worry about her innocent friends.

Vaughn was distant, an accepted fact that came along with the demands of the job. Sometimes she thought she caught a glimmer of something in his eyes, but she dismissed it. He was her handler, and that was all. Sure, he acted as her confidante occasionally, but she knew that going any further would put both of them in jeopardy. It was just so good to finally have someone to talk to.

But now her mother was gone as well. Completely gone. The last shred of sanity that had been preserved in the image of her mother was wretched from her grasp. The box and its contents meant nothing to her now. Lies. Her whole life was based on a lie. What is it that they say? Sometimes the truth hurts. It was all another faded memory collecting dust in a corner compartment of her brain. Dead. Gone. Forgotten.

Angrily, she tossed the meticulously cut photos and clippings into the roaring fire. She watched them burn. There was a certain satisfaction in that.



Please give me some feedback. -V