FAMILIAR TERRITORY

Chapter Two

"I trust you, Vaughn," she said. And it is as if she is telling me far more. For a moment, no one else exists in the room…the world, as Sydney Bristow looks up into my steady gaze and tells me everything with only four brief words.

A shrill sound shatters the illusion. Everyone in the room looks to their person to see "who" is ringing. Sydney pulls out a cell phone and shows it to us… "Personal line," she says apologetically.

Lee and Amanda nod in understanding, while I walk a few paces away to give her privacy. Of course, I can still hear every word.

"Hello?" Pause. "Oh, Francie, I'm so sorry." She glances at her watch. "Just give me…" she looks at all of us helplessly. "Twenty minutes, less if I can manage it." Sydney's face falls, I can see she's upset. "No… don't say that. You know this wedding is important to me. Fifteen minutes, I promise."

Sydney turns back to face us, taking a deep breath first, her graceful shoulders rising high and falling fast. "I'm supposed to be in a boutique getting a final fitting on my gown for Francie's wedding. Can we continue this later?"

Amanda stands and walks towards Sydney. There is such a nurturing essence to my godfather's wife, as if she can't stand to see anyone struggling with something without trying to fix it herself. "I have an idea." She takes Sydney's hand and walks toward the front door, she knows how important time is. "Why don't I join you? We can talk on the way and I'll fill you in on where we are with Birol."

Sydney looks concerned, but also strangely relieved. "How?"

"Well," Amanda offers. "Let's see…maybe you could introduce me as an Aunt or an old friend of the family."

I cringe inwardly, knowing what kind of old friends Sydney's parents would have. She however, seems to let the comment roll right off her.

"Why not?" she smiles. "I could use a second opinion on this dress anyway."

Lee laughs. "I wonder which will take longer? The briefing on the international terrorist or the dress fitting."

I can't suppress my own laughter as the women try to look piqued. I can't miss the subtle signs of Sydney's smile and the small indentations where her dimples are in serious threat of showing.

Amanda crosses quickly to her husband and places a quick kiss on his cheek. "Why don't the two of you meet us for dinner. Chinese at your place Mikie?"

I'm taken aback. Dinner with Sydney at my apartment? Is that even possible? Just a week ago we were watching old reruns over the phone and risking who knows what to see La Traviata together from a distance. Now she would be my guest.

"I'll make a call and have someone sweep my apartment," I hear myself saying. A raised glance at Sydney reveals that she is as shocked at the idea as I am. But is her shock because it's me or because it's beyond protocol? And why didn't Amanda and Lee visit a long time ago?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amanda and I enter the boutique in a rush. Francie catches sight of me instantly and rushes forward in her wedding gown, unbustled train flying behind her.

"Thank god, I thought I was going to have to go through this alone." Francie hugs me quick and whispers in my ear. "My mother-in-law is driving me insane."

Suddenly, she is very aware of the woman at my side, her brow creases in confusion, but she doesn't quite know how to ask. Amanda is all smiles.

"Francie, this is my Aunt Amanda…"

"Keen," Amanda puts out her hand. "Amanda Keen, and aren't you a beautiful bride."

Francie is still utterly confused.

"I'm afraid Sydney's lateness is all my fault. I showed up unannounced and put her all off schedule."

I'm amazed as Francie seems to not only accept Amanda's story but genuinely seems to open up to her almost instantly. "Two for the price of one," she says, and pulls us both toward the dressing area. "There's strength in numbers, right?. Let's see if we can convince her that I really don't have to carry the gaudy purse handed down from her great-grandmother."

I squeeze her hand in response, but Amanda goes one step further. "This is your day, my dear on your terms. God willing, you only get one wedding. Don't let anyone stop you from doing it your way."

Francie and I both take a moment to look at Amanda. She is this strange combination of mother and best friend, woman and spy.

"Amanda, I think I'm going to adopt you during this process as my surrogate mom," Francie jokes and leads us behind the velvet curtain.

If only there were a wizard on the other side… I'd ask him for the same thing. Amanda King is everything I'd always wished my own mother might have been.

On the drive back to Vaughn's I'm terribly quiet. Too quiet for someone with a virtual stranger sitting next to her, someone I should be entertaining.

"You have a good friend in Francie," Amanda says, breaking the silence.

"Yes," I agree. "She the best."

"It must be hard to keep so many secrets from her."

I feel tears rise and pool in my eyes, but I can't explain it. I quickly brush away a few drops that escape, trying vainly to sober. "I'm sorry. It's just, except for Vaughn, no one else has ever known just how hard it is."

"I know." Amanda nods and places a gentle hand on my sleeve. "For many years, the only one I had to confide in…the only one who knew all my secrets was Lee."

"You've got to tell me your secret, Amanda. I don't know how you did it for all those years."

"Well, it's easy, I had Lee." She said the last with such pride and love I am overwhelmed with jealously. How wonderful to have such a confident, but also be able to love him so purely. "I see a lot of him in his godson."

Was she hinting at something? But the truth was… "So do I."

"Be strong, Sydney. You'll do what's right. I read your dossier. I know what you've been through. I'm pretty darn confident that when it comes to making the right choices, you'll have no problems. You can trust Michael. In time, you might even learn to trust others."

Exactly what's in that dossier, I wonder. "He's the only one…at least for now. And unfortunately, it's not exactly CIA protocol for us to get personal. He's already been reprimanded for our unorthodox relationship."

Amanda laughs out loud at this and I wonder what could possibly be so funny.

"Well, while I can't lay claim to double agent status or anything near as mercenary as SD-6, I can tell you that when it came to unorthodox behavior Lee and I cornered the market. A housewife and a spy don't exactly jive in any standard issue espionage manuals. And well… we let our feelings affect a good many of our cases together…but I'll tell you something, Sydney. I'd rather go in to any dangerous situation with an intelligence man with a heart than the tin men alternative the agency seems to want to pump out these days."

I'm amazed at the clarity she's managed to bring to my life all in less than two hours. I'm not alone. I have Vaughn and suddenly I know that I've also got Lee and Amanda. And together, we are going to get Adi Birol.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I pace the apartment, waiting for Weiss to finish the sweep. Lee enters the kitchen and hands me a bottle of beer.

"Mikie, you're going to wear down the tile. The place is clean. Weiss is just giving it a second go over."

I stop my thirtieth trip from breakfast bar to range and take a sip of the beer. "I know it's clean. I checked it myself just…" Just last week, I admit silently, when I thought of asking Sydney over after the opera. Of course, I never had the guts to follow it through.

"Mikie, before the ladies get here, why don't we lay the cards out on the table, huh? I spent three years doing exactly the same thing your doing now. Denial is not just a river in Egypt my son." He pats me on the arm and I know where he's going with this. "You care about Sydney."

His comment is inappropriately timed as Weiss has just entered the room, clearly having heard every word. He turns on his heel and walk back in the other direction, offering as he leaves, "Don't waste your breath Lee…he's the king of the Bristow forest, yet can't seem to see a single tree."

"Sweep!" I roar.

"Done." Weiss pokes his head back in the kitchen. "It's spotless."

"Good," I say a little perturbed. "Now get on your broomstick and fly on outta here."

Weiss does a wicked witch imitation and disappears from view.

"Mikie…"

"Lee, there's nothing to talk about. Syd… Agent Bristow is my responsibility. I'm her handler. End of story."

"Your father was a bad liar too," Lee said. "Thank god the affliction only surfaced in matters of the heart."

"Fine," I spit out. "You want me to tell you I care about her, it's true. I do. I worry every time she goes out on a mission. I hate that she's got to spend one millisecond of time in the presence of that madman Sloane. I keep finding myself drawn to her neighborhood when I know it would be a national security risk if I was seen. I want to share things with her, petty things, things that friends share, but I can't because one slip could mean her life."

"You love her."

"No!" Denial again. What else can I do? If I deny it enough then eventually maybe I'll begin to believe it. "It's not possible for me to love Sydney Bristow."

The look on Lee's face alters drastically. Concern shadows over him and I hear a throat clear behind me. I know without turning that Amanda and Sydney are in the room.

What have I done?

--end part 2--

(R&R please!)