Title: Goodbye
Sydney's heart beat like it would fly right out of her chest. She stared into a face of a woman she had convinced herself she knew, a woman who she had recognized from photographs and cloudy memories.
"Wh…what are you doing here?" was all Sydney managed to say.
Sydney's mother smiled and took a step towards her. Sydney instinctively took a step backward.
"I couldn't miss my baby's wedding!" She smiled again, saying it as if she had always been there, as if she was a real mother to Sydney. Her smile was cold, and emotionless, almost eerie.
Sydney shook her head harshly. "No. NO! This isn't real!! You're dead! You CAN'T BE HERE!!!"
"Sydney, do I look dead? I have been watching you from a distance all these years, I couldn't do anything about it becau…" Sydney cut her off, a wave of anger flooding over her. "Because you were too busy killing people? Too busy betraying people who loved you? Tell me something, does the name William Vaughn mean anything to you?!" Sydney clenched her jaw and curled her hands into fists.
"Oh…" her mother looked down. "So you know."
Sydney scoffed in disbelief. "THAT is all you have to say? What the hell did you think you were doing?! You cannot just walk into my life on my WEDDING DAY of all days and expect me to accept it! LIFE doesn't work that way! I can't even look at you and call you my mother." Sydney brought her hand to cover her mouth, the realization of everything hitting her harder. "Gosh…you're dead…you're dead!" she said in a half whisper, trying to wake up from this horrible dream…only it wasn't a dream this time.
Sydney jumped at a knock at the door. "Syd? Everything ok?" Francie stood outside the door. Sydney's eyes widened.
"Yea! Fran. Everything is fine. Uh…could you get my dad for me? I need to talk to him." Sydney scooted over toward the door, keeping a watchful eye on her mother.
"Sure. Syd, you sure you're ok? You sound…different." Francie put her hand on the door knob. Sydney flew to the door and opened it just enough to put her face out. She smiled at Francie.
"Yea, I'm fine…just a little nervous I guess." She smiled and Francie nodded.
"I'll find your dad." Francie turned and started down the hall.
"Thanks Francie." Sydney shut the door and turned back to her mother, who was sitting on the chair in the room.
Sydney leaned against the wall, folding her arms across her chest. Her mother sighed.
"It will be odd."
Sydney raised an eyebrow at her. "What will?"
"Seeing Jack…your father again." She smiled almost sweetly, like she was remembering something.
Sydney tried so hard not to let herself feel. She was over denial, and still in a bit of shock, but she had to make herself think of the bad things she had learned about her mother, to keep herself from running into her mother's arms and letting her back into her life. Her mother's smile reminded her of a happy life they had shared…but no…it was all a lie.
The door opened slowly and Jack walked into the room, knocking on the door as he opened it. "Sydney…" he smiled, almost breathless. "You look beau…what's wrong?" He followed her gaze across the room.
"Hello Jack."
Jack's heart nearly stopped beating, then sped up way past normal. He looked into the eyes of a woman who he had loved more than life itself, a woman who he had thought he knew, a woman who's betrayal had made him never want to love again, and had nearly ruined his relationship with his daughter indefinitely. His mouth went dry and he tried to speak.
"L…Laura?" he couldn't believe it. He looked at Sydney, he recognized for the first time, just how much she looked like her mother. Sydney's eyes locked on his, her eyes filled with confusion, fear, and pain. He turned to his wife. "You…you died."
Laura sighed. "Jack, I am not going to beat around the bush here. I will just come right out and say it. I had to fake my death. You were getting too close to finding out the truth…"
Jack shook his head. "I knew the truth, that you were KGB."
She nodded. "I was. There was another reason for faking my own death." Sydney listened to her mother, and she hated to admit, but despite all the things she had done, there was something beautiful about her mother. Something that she remembered.
"What reason is that?" Sydney asked cautiously.
"The KGB…they would have killed me, and my family if I hadn't carried out the orders to kill those agents. They wouldn't let me out. I had first requested, then even begged, but there was no getting out once I was in. The only way for them to leave me…and you all alone was if they thought I was dead." She paused. "You don't know…how hard it was for me to get on a plane, with a new identity, and leave for England, leaving you behind, thinking I was dead." She turned to Jack. "With you knowing the things I had done, thinking I was this evil person." She turned back to Sydney. "And my little girl, who I had such a deep connection with, who I loved more than I could even tell you." She paused again, tears filling her eyes. "It was the only way."
Sydney felt tears sting her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. Francie would literally kill her if she messed up her makeup. Jack looked at his wife, all of the feelings he had once felt for her, breaking their way through his tough shell again. He knew she was telling the truth, and no matter how hard he tried not to believe it…it was the truth. He unconsciously took a step towards her.
Sydney wanted to go to her mother, to wrap her arms around both her parents and cry…but the fact remained, her mother had killed her fiancé's father.
Laura looked at Sydney, tears streaming down her face. She could still feel reluctance and tension coming from Sydney.
"Sydney?"
"No."
"No what?" Laura asked.
"No. I can't do this. I can't let you off that easily. You killed my fiancé's father! I want to forgive you." Sydney shut her eyes, trying to get the courage to say what she needed to say. "Believe me, I want to, but I can't. It's not that easy. I love Michael too much to let you in, to let the person who murdered his father into my life, which would allow you into HIS life." She looked from her mother to her father. "I'm sorry." She turned, and before anyone could speak, walked out the door and down the hallway.
-Thank you to those who corrected my error. I could have SWORN it was Katherine…maybe that was someone else;)- read on(
Sydney's heart beat like it would fly right out of her chest. She stared into a face of a woman she had convinced herself she knew, a woman who she had recognized from photographs and cloudy memories.
"Wh…what are you doing here?" was all Sydney managed to say.
Sydney's mother smiled and took a step towards her. Sydney instinctively took a step backward.
"I couldn't miss my baby's wedding!" She smiled again, saying it as if she had always been there, as if she was a real mother to Sydney. Her smile was cold, and emotionless, almost eerie.
Sydney shook her head harshly. "No. NO! This isn't real!! You're dead! You CAN'T BE HERE!!!"
"Sydney, do I look dead? I have been watching you from a distance all these years, I couldn't do anything about it becau…" Sydney cut her off, a wave of anger flooding over her. "Because you were too busy killing people? Too busy betraying people who loved you? Tell me something, does the name William Vaughn mean anything to you?!" Sydney clenched her jaw and curled her hands into fists.
"Oh…" her mother looked down. "So you know."
Sydney scoffed in disbelief. "THAT is all you have to say? What the hell did you think you were doing?! You cannot just walk into my life on my WEDDING DAY of all days and expect me to accept it! LIFE doesn't work that way! I can't even look at you and call you my mother." Sydney brought her hand to cover her mouth, the realization of everything hitting her harder. "Gosh…you're dead…you're dead!" she said in a half whisper, trying to wake up from this horrible dream…only it wasn't a dream this time.
Sydney jumped at a knock at the door. "Syd? Everything ok?" Francie stood outside the door. Sydney's eyes widened.
"Yea! Fran. Everything is fine. Uh…could you get my dad for me? I need to talk to him." Sydney scooted over toward the door, keeping a watchful eye on her mother.
"Sure. Syd, you sure you're ok? You sound…different." Francie put her hand on the door knob. Sydney flew to the door and opened it just enough to put her face out. She smiled at Francie.
"Yea, I'm fine…just a little nervous I guess." She smiled and Francie nodded.
"I'll find your dad." Francie turned and started down the hall.
"Thanks Francie." Sydney shut the door and turned back to her mother, who was sitting on the chair in the room.
Sydney leaned against the wall, folding her arms across her chest. Her mother sighed.
"It will be odd."
Sydney raised an eyebrow at her. "What will?"
"Seeing Jack…your father again." She smiled almost sweetly, like she was remembering something.
Sydney tried so hard not to let herself feel. She was over denial, and still in a bit of shock, but she had to make herself think of the bad things she had learned about her mother, to keep herself from running into her mother's arms and letting her back into her life. Her mother's smile reminded her of a happy life they had shared…but no…it was all a lie.
The door opened slowly and Jack walked into the room, knocking on the door as he opened it. "Sydney…" he smiled, almost breathless. "You look beau…what's wrong?" He followed her gaze across the room.
"Hello Jack."
Jack's heart nearly stopped beating, then sped up way past normal. He looked into the eyes of a woman who he had loved more than life itself, a woman who he had thought he knew, a woman who's betrayal had made him never want to love again, and had nearly ruined his relationship with his daughter indefinitely. His mouth went dry and he tried to speak.
"L…Laura?" he couldn't believe it. He looked at Sydney, he recognized for the first time, just how much she looked like her mother. Sydney's eyes locked on his, her eyes filled with confusion, fear, and pain. He turned to his wife. "You…you died."
Laura sighed. "Jack, I am not going to beat around the bush here. I will just come right out and say it. I had to fake my death. You were getting too close to finding out the truth…"
Jack shook his head. "I knew the truth, that you were KGB."
She nodded. "I was. There was another reason for faking my own death." Sydney listened to her mother, and she hated to admit, but despite all the things she had done, there was something beautiful about her mother. Something that she remembered.
"What reason is that?" Sydney asked cautiously.
"The KGB…they would have killed me, and my family if I hadn't carried out the orders to kill those agents. They wouldn't let me out. I had first requested, then even begged, but there was no getting out once I was in. The only way for them to leave me…and you all alone was if they thought I was dead." She paused. "You don't know…how hard it was for me to get on a plane, with a new identity, and leave for England, leaving you behind, thinking I was dead." She turned to Jack. "With you knowing the things I had done, thinking I was this evil person." She turned back to Sydney. "And my little girl, who I had such a deep connection with, who I loved more than I could even tell you." She paused again, tears filling her eyes. "It was the only way."
Sydney felt tears sting her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. Francie would literally kill her if she messed up her makeup. Jack looked at his wife, all of the feelings he had once felt for her, breaking their way through his tough shell again. He knew she was telling the truth, and no matter how hard he tried not to believe it…it was the truth. He unconsciously took a step towards her.
Sydney wanted to go to her mother, to wrap her arms around both her parents and cry…but the fact remained, her mother had killed her fiancé's father.
Laura looked at Sydney, tears streaming down her face. She could still feel reluctance and tension coming from Sydney.
"Sydney?"
"No."
"No what?" Laura asked.
"No. I can't do this. I can't let you off that easily. You killed my fiancé's father! I want to forgive you." Sydney shut her eyes, trying to get the courage to say what she needed to say. "Believe me, I want to, but I can't. It's not that easy. I love Michael too much to let you in, to let the person who murdered his father into my life, which would allow you into HIS life." She looked from her mother to her father. "I'm sorry." She turned, and before anyone could speak, walked out the door and down the hallway.
-Thank you to those who corrected my error. I could have SWORN it was Katherine…maybe that was someone else;)- read on(