Weiss waited til everyone left, and walked up to close the door. The
usually easy going guy, was strangely silent and thoughtful.
"I don't know why I feel like I need to apologize, but it wasn't my idea, man," he offered to Vaughn.
"It's alright," Vaughn returned stoically. Sydney just smiled at him.
"So, hey… good job at Sloane's house. Vaughn didn't think you'd go for the plan. You came through."
Sydney was buffled. She quickly shot Vaughn a look.
"I thought it was your idea," she questioned him.
"No, Devlin had to order him," Weiss offered. At Vaughn's look, he quickly retreated saying "I should get going."
Sydney remained quiet til he was out of the office. "You argued with me."
"Yeah," Vaughn said. Sydney waited a long moment for him to continue.
"You should probably get going. You need to talk to Francie." Explaining that he was only doing his job seemed unnecessary for him.
"I'll see you in Prague."
Sydney settled in to her seat, and pulled the seatbelts to fasten it, rolling her head and shoulders slightly to work out the tension that was racking her body. Usually she had Dixon to distract from the mission ahead, and the journey didn't seem so bad, but this time the journey itself was a mission to her, with no one to distract her.
It had been hard to convince Francie to go to her father's cottage near Lake Arrowhead. Francie had complained that she was fine, and wanted to stay back to write more bitter return letters. But, with Will's assistance, she had been able to talk her into going, promising she will join them both as soon as she returned; a promise she won't be able to keep.
Oh well. She'll think of an excuse once she got back. It was unnerving however, that Francie could sense her excitement over this particular trip. She had been relentless hounding her for details, until finally Sydney had volunteered some information about how she was going on this trip with another banker from another company.
"You like him, don't you?" Francie had pinned her right away.
Sydney wanted to lie, to protect her friend from any harm that might come by confessing the truth. But she desperately wanted to talk to her friend about the guy she seriously liked.
"Yeah," she had admitted. "But it's complicated. He works for a different bank, you know."
A different bank!!. Good grief Syd. You're trained to be sneakier than this.
Francie had given her a smile, and patted her on the shoulder. She had begged her not to say anything to Will yet. She'd made up some excuse about not wanting his questions. Francie had dropped the subject, opting to pack her bags instead.
Sydney looked down at her hands, at the ring that had been provided to her by OPS at CIA. Ironic that she would get another one, when she had just taken her engagement ring off. Vaughn presumably would've gotten a ring to match hers, to fit the part of the happy married couple, vacationing in Italy.
She sighed heavily, sinking into the seat, and tried to get some sleep.
Vaughn walked into the Bed & Breakfast, whistling softly to himself. For a B&B, this was impressive, complete with a lounge, bar, and pool table on the main floor. There was a door to his left, which he assumed led to the dining hall. Under normal circumstances, he would've liked to spend a night.
1 Jack has good taste…
He plopped his bags on the floor, beside a stool, as he grabbed a seat at the bar. He ordered a drink and waited for his contact with CSIS to arrive.
"You checking in?" the bartender pointed towards the bags.
"No, just waiting for my wife," he choked out. Wife, he thought. What a joke. They can't even hang out in public.
"Not staying then?" the bartended pressed.
"My wife and I are backpacking," Vaughn offered the prepared cover story. "We're going to keep moving today."
"Then you need this," the barkeep pulled out an envelope. "Slight change in plan. Meet your wife at the airport. You're leaving in an hour to Rome."
Vaughn quickly scanned around before opening the envelope. Two passports were neatly tucked inside. He nodded his thanks to the bartender, grabbed his bags, and rushed to the door.
Sydney claimed her bags and quickly made her way to the waiting area. She scanned the throng of people, for the familiar tall and lithe form. She turned fully around once, and not having found him, continued to scan the crowd. Flipping her wrist, she checked her watch. They had fifteen minutes to board the plane. She hoped that he had gotten the message in time.
Her father had briefed her on the change of meeting place. He had assured her that he would make sure that Vaughn had gotten the message. She hoped he had been able to in time.
Her anxiety grew as she continued to scan the crowd, without spotting the person she wanted to see.
"Hey, got here as soon as I could," a familiar voice said from behind her. She whipped around to find a pair of the loveliest green eyes and the puckered forehead creased with worry lines.
"Hi honey," she quickly kissed him on the lips, and smoothed his forehead with her fingertips. "What took you so long?"
Vaughn was taken back for a minute before he noticed that her eyes were darting back and forth. He smiled back, grabbing her arm to bring it down for a kiss.
"Sorry, the cab took a while. Let's go."
He pulled out two passports from inside his jacket, and handed one to her. She pulled out two tickets from her purse and gave him one. Both of them shared a smile at each other, before clasping their hands and heading towards the departure terminal.
Jack Bristow walked firmly, buttoning his suit. When he reached his destination, he paused for a second, gathering his thoughts, and his composure.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked Sloane, upon entering his office.
"We've been able to identify The Man, as Khasinau. At this point, that's all we have a name. Tap your contacts in Europe to see what you can find out," Sloane handed him a very thin file.
Jack received the file, and turned around to walk out.
"Have you heard from Sydney?" Sloane asked.
"Not since she left for Arrowhead. Why?"
"Just wanted to see how she was doing. That's all. Thank you Jack." Sloane returned to his scribbling.
Jack nodded his head, exited the office discretely. Once he was outside, he stopped to glance back. He stood there, staring at Sloane's office for a long a while.
2 What are you up to, Sloane?
"I don't know why I feel like I need to apologize, but it wasn't my idea, man," he offered to Vaughn.
"It's alright," Vaughn returned stoically. Sydney just smiled at him.
"So, hey… good job at Sloane's house. Vaughn didn't think you'd go for the plan. You came through."
Sydney was buffled. She quickly shot Vaughn a look.
"I thought it was your idea," she questioned him.
"No, Devlin had to order him," Weiss offered. At Vaughn's look, he quickly retreated saying "I should get going."
Sydney remained quiet til he was out of the office. "You argued with me."
"Yeah," Vaughn said. Sydney waited a long moment for him to continue.
"You should probably get going. You need to talk to Francie." Explaining that he was only doing his job seemed unnecessary for him.
"I'll see you in Prague."
Sydney settled in to her seat, and pulled the seatbelts to fasten it, rolling her head and shoulders slightly to work out the tension that was racking her body. Usually she had Dixon to distract from the mission ahead, and the journey didn't seem so bad, but this time the journey itself was a mission to her, with no one to distract her.
It had been hard to convince Francie to go to her father's cottage near Lake Arrowhead. Francie had complained that she was fine, and wanted to stay back to write more bitter return letters. But, with Will's assistance, she had been able to talk her into going, promising she will join them both as soon as she returned; a promise she won't be able to keep.
Oh well. She'll think of an excuse once she got back. It was unnerving however, that Francie could sense her excitement over this particular trip. She had been relentless hounding her for details, until finally Sydney had volunteered some information about how she was going on this trip with another banker from another company.
"You like him, don't you?" Francie had pinned her right away.
Sydney wanted to lie, to protect her friend from any harm that might come by confessing the truth. But she desperately wanted to talk to her friend about the guy she seriously liked.
"Yeah," she had admitted. "But it's complicated. He works for a different bank, you know."
A different bank!!. Good grief Syd. You're trained to be sneakier than this.
Francie had given her a smile, and patted her on the shoulder. She had begged her not to say anything to Will yet. She'd made up some excuse about not wanting his questions. Francie had dropped the subject, opting to pack her bags instead.
Sydney looked down at her hands, at the ring that had been provided to her by OPS at CIA. Ironic that she would get another one, when she had just taken her engagement ring off. Vaughn presumably would've gotten a ring to match hers, to fit the part of the happy married couple, vacationing in Italy.
She sighed heavily, sinking into the seat, and tried to get some sleep.
Vaughn walked into the Bed & Breakfast, whistling softly to himself. For a B&B, this was impressive, complete with a lounge, bar, and pool table on the main floor. There was a door to his left, which he assumed led to the dining hall. Under normal circumstances, he would've liked to spend a night.
1 Jack has good taste…
He plopped his bags on the floor, beside a stool, as he grabbed a seat at the bar. He ordered a drink and waited for his contact with CSIS to arrive.
"You checking in?" the bartender pointed towards the bags.
"No, just waiting for my wife," he choked out. Wife, he thought. What a joke. They can't even hang out in public.
"Not staying then?" the bartended pressed.
"My wife and I are backpacking," Vaughn offered the prepared cover story. "We're going to keep moving today."
"Then you need this," the barkeep pulled out an envelope. "Slight change in plan. Meet your wife at the airport. You're leaving in an hour to Rome."
Vaughn quickly scanned around before opening the envelope. Two passports were neatly tucked inside. He nodded his thanks to the bartender, grabbed his bags, and rushed to the door.
Sydney claimed her bags and quickly made her way to the waiting area. She scanned the throng of people, for the familiar tall and lithe form. She turned fully around once, and not having found him, continued to scan the crowd. Flipping her wrist, she checked her watch. They had fifteen minutes to board the plane. She hoped that he had gotten the message in time.
Her father had briefed her on the change of meeting place. He had assured her that he would make sure that Vaughn had gotten the message. She hoped he had been able to in time.
Her anxiety grew as she continued to scan the crowd, without spotting the person she wanted to see.
"Hey, got here as soon as I could," a familiar voice said from behind her. She whipped around to find a pair of the loveliest green eyes and the puckered forehead creased with worry lines.
"Hi honey," she quickly kissed him on the lips, and smoothed his forehead with her fingertips. "What took you so long?"
Vaughn was taken back for a minute before he noticed that her eyes were darting back and forth. He smiled back, grabbing her arm to bring it down for a kiss.
"Sorry, the cab took a while. Let's go."
He pulled out two passports from inside his jacket, and handed one to her. She pulled out two tickets from her purse and gave him one. Both of them shared a smile at each other, before clasping their hands and heading towards the departure terminal.
Jack Bristow walked firmly, buttoning his suit. When he reached his destination, he paused for a second, gathering his thoughts, and his composure.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked Sloane, upon entering his office.
"We've been able to identify The Man, as Khasinau. At this point, that's all we have a name. Tap your contacts in Europe to see what you can find out," Sloane handed him a very thin file.
Jack received the file, and turned around to walk out.
"Have you heard from Sydney?" Sloane asked.
"Not since she left for Arrowhead. Why?"
"Just wanted to see how she was doing. That's all. Thank you Jack." Sloane returned to his scribbling.
Jack nodded his head, exited the office discretely. Once he was outside, he stopped to glance back. He stood there, staring at Sloane's office for a long a while.
2 What are you up to, Sloane?