Barely Breathing
Cold Fingers
© 2002
Rating: PG
Spoilers: basic stuff
Pairing: V/S; Vaughn takes a trip down memory lane
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
-Sydney's POV-
The airport is crowded. I scan the crowd for Dixon. He is nowhere in sight, and our flight leaves in twenty minutes. I wonder what else can go wrong today. Today reminded me of why I've always hated Mondays.
Sighing, I take a seat near the boarding gate. I don't know if I should call Dixon or what. He usually arrives before me when we go on missions; I have never known him to be late. The intercom comes on. Last boarding call. I don't know what to do. Glancing around, I don't see him in sight.
I pull out the phone SD-6 gave me. Use only in emergency situations. I don't know if this is an emergency situation or not, but Dixon is never late. He always shows up. I dial a number that connects me to the SD-6 main server.
"Identification, please."
"Jones, Kate," I state, almost without thinking. Funny, how the name just seems to roll of my tongue.
"One moment."
Tapping my foot impatiently, I watch as the last few passengers board the flight.
"You are now being connected. Please hold."
A moment later Sloane comes on the line. "Sydney?" he asks, concern filling his voice.
"Sloane! I'm at the airport; Dixon hasn't shown up. The flight is leaving…."
He interrupts me. "Get on the plane. Call again when you land in Paris." The click at other end tells me he's hung up without waiting for a reply. I let out a frustrated breath before jogging toward the boarding gate. Giving the flight attendant a warm smile, I hand her my boarding pass and get on the plane.
--
"Ma'am, ma'am? Please return your seat to its upright position. We are getting ready to land." I open my eyes slowly, my sluggish brain having difficulty processing the words. The flight attendant is looking down at me. She has a motherly smile on her face.
"Yeah, okay," I manage to say before an enormous yawn prevents me from uttering anything coherent. "Thanks."
---
-Vaughn's POV-
Six o'clock. I grab my jacket and keys and head down to my car. Time to go home. Home to a now empty apartment I used to share with Alice. The girl who I thought I had loved. The girl who packed up her things and left the day she found out I wasn't in love with her anymore. It wasn't something I had said. It was more the sum of all the things I had done. We were growing apart. I regularly missed dinner dates because of "work." I left at odd hours during the day and at night for no explainable reason. I neglected her. And it added up. It added up to me coming home after an exhausting day at "work," only to find that she was packed and ready to leave. No words were spoken. Our huge fight the week before had worn out all channels of communication.
She refused to look me in the eye. Her expression was stoic, but sad. I could tell she was trying not to cry.
"I hope she's worth it," she said, so softly I almost missed her words.
My eyebrows shot up. My mouth fell open. "What, what are you talking about?" I whispered, because the fear in my throat made it hard to breathe.
She pushed her honey-blond hair beyond her ear, looking up to meet my frightened gaze.
"The girl you're in love with." Tears stared trickling down her cheek. She pushed them away almost angrily. "I hope she's worth it." With one last bitter smile, she walked out of my life, slamming the door behind her, leaving me standing in the middle of my half-empty apartment staring at the place she had stood only a minute before.
Alice. Sweet Alice. Sweet Alice who knew all along. I smile at the memory.
---
-Sydney's POV-
I hang up the phone with Sloane. Dixon is nowhere to be found. However, I am to continue with the mission alone, which is perfectly fine by me. I hope Dixon is all right.
I crawl under covers of my queen-sized bed. The sounds of Paris at night float through my open window. I imagine lovers strolling hand-in-hand down the broad boulevards, staring deep into one another's eyes, speaking endearing words, sharing private moments of romance. It's early, yet. The sky is tinted with the fading hues of a brilliant sunset. Rosy fingers extend outward from a ring of glowing fire. Paris is the most beautiful at nightfall. Lights come on all around the city, doting the dimming horizon with thousands of tiny, glimmering lights, like fireflies.
I think of Danny. I think of Vaughn. I think of my mission tomorrow. I think about my life. Tomorrow I will not be Sydney Bristow, double agent, graduate student, all-American girl. Tomorrow I will be Sonia Clozier, book collector, wealthy heiress, a Frenchwoman looking at Engle's private collection with promises of purchase.
But tonight I am just Sydney. Sydney, who is tired of dreaming of a life she knows she cannot have, yet. I close my eyes, willing sleep to overtake me and carry me away.
What has happened to Dixon? What will happen between Sydney and Vaughn? Review and find out! -V
Cold Fingers
© 2002
Rating: PG
Spoilers: basic stuff
Pairing: V/S; Vaughn takes a trip down memory lane
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
-Sydney's POV-
The airport is crowded. I scan the crowd for Dixon. He is nowhere in sight, and our flight leaves in twenty minutes. I wonder what else can go wrong today. Today reminded me of why I've always hated Mondays.
Sighing, I take a seat near the boarding gate. I don't know if I should call Dixon or what. He usually arrives before me when we go on missions; I have never known him to be late. The intercom comes on. Last boarding call. I don't know what to do. Glancing around, I don't see him in sight.
I pull out the phone SD-6 gave me. Use only in emergency situations. I don't know if this is an emergency situation or not, but Dixon is never late. He always shows up. I dial a number that connects me to the SD-6 main server.
"Identification, please."
"Jones, Kate," I state, almost without thinking. Funny, how the name just seems to roll of my tongue.
"One moment."
Tapping my foot impatiently, I watch as the last few passengers board the flight.
"You are now being connected. Please hold."
A moment later Sloane comes on the line. "Sydney?" he asks, concern filling his voice.
"Sloane! I'm at the airport; Dixon hasn't shown up. The flight is leaving…."
He interrupts me. "Get on the plane. Call again when you land in Paris." The click at other end tells me he's hung up without waiting for a reply. I let out a frustrated breath before jogging toward the boarding gate. Giving the flight attendant a warm smile, I hand her my boarding pass and get on the plane.
--
"Ma'am, ma'am? Please return your seat to its upright position. We are getting ready to land." I open my eyes slowly, my sluggish brain having difficulty processing the words. The flight attendant is looking down at me. She has a motherly smile on her face.
"Yeah, okay," I manage to say before an enormous yawn prevents me from uttering anything coherent. "Thanks."
---
-Vaughn's POV-
Six o'clock. I grab my jacket and keys and head down to my car. Time to go home. Home to a now empty apartment I used to share with Alice. The girl who I thought I had loved. The girl who packed up her things and left the day she found out I wasn't in love with her anymore. It wasn't something I had said. It was more the sum of all the things I had done. We were growing apart. I regularly missed dinner dates because of "work." I left at odd hours during the day and at night for no explainable reason. I neglected her. And it added up. It added up to me coming home after an exhausting day at "work," only to find that she was packed and ready to leave. No words were spoken. Our huge fight the week before had worn out all channels of communication.
She refused to look me in the eye. Her expression was stoic, but sad. I could tell she was trying not to cry.
"I hope she's worth it," she said, so softly I almost missed her words.
My eyebrows shot up. My mouth fell open. "What, what are you talking about?" I whispered, because the fear in my throat made it hard to breathe.
She pushed her honey-blond hair beyond her ear, looking up to meet my frightened gaze.
"The girl you're in love with." Tears stared trickling down her cheek. She pushed them away almost angrily. "I hope she's worth it." With one last bitter smile, she walked out of my life, slamming the door behind her, leaving me standing in the middle of my half-empty apartment staring at the place she had stood only a minute before.
Alice. Sweet Alice. Sweet Alice who knew all along. I smile at the memory.
---
-Sydney's POV-
I hang up the phone with Sloane. Dixon is nowhere to be found. However, I am to continue with the mission alone, which is perfectly fine by me. I hope Dixon is all right.
I crawl under covers of my queen-sized bed. The sounds of Paris at night float through my open window. I imagine lovers strolling hand-in-hand down the broad boulevards, staring deep into one another's eyes, speaking endearing words, sharing private moments of romance. It's early, yet. The sky is tinted with the fading hues of a brilliant sunset. Rosy fingers extend outward from a ring of glowing fire. Paris is the most beautiful at nightfall. Lights come on all around the city, doting the dimming horizon with thousands of tiny, glimmering lights, like fireflies.
I think of Danny. I think of Vaughn. I think of my mission tomorrow. I think about my life. Tomorrow I will not be Sydney Bristow, double agent, graduate student, all-American girl. Tomorrow I will be Sonia Clozier, book collector, wealthy heiress, a Frenchwoman looking at Engle's private collection with promises of purchase.
But tonight I am just Sydney. Sydney, who is tired of dreaming of a life she knows she cannot have, yet. I close my eyes, willing sleep to overtake me and carry me away.
What has happened to Dixon? What will happen between Sydney and Vaughn? Review and find out! -V
