Title: My Guardian Angel

Author: brokenflower

Email: faithcharity@adelphia.net

Distribution: Go ahead and put it wherever you want but email me let me know first

Disclaimer: Poor little me, I own nothing, if I did then Vaughn would not be breathing battery fluid right not. Alias is owned by ABC, Touchstone, and was created by J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions.

Summary: Vaughn knew ahead of time that he would be trapped and would presumably drown to death, he had it all planned out, but why?

Rating: G

Classification: AU fic

Author's Note: Something that my dad inspired me to write (his theory of what happened) and I hope that you enjoy it. Kind of short though.

~

I knew. I knew that Sydney would see that the device was larger than she thought. I knew that the wave of water would come crashing down those lonely hallways. I knew that the security doors would shut automatically. I knew…because it was all planned. 

~

"Agent Vaughn, Agent Weiss, please sit down," Devlin gestured to the two unoccupied seats in front of his desk.

Jack paced the room. The way he looked, it scared me. I've known him long enough to know that he has a lot going on in his head and for some reason I had this vibe that whatever the outcome of his latest plot, I wasn't going to like it.

"Sir, what is this about?" I asked once we were seated.

"Whatever we say here, stays between the four of us. It will not leave this room," Devlin ordered.

I nodded my head in confusion. Weiss did the same, anxious to hear what was so important. Jack stopped pacing and faced us. "Sydney and I are going to Taipei in a few hours. Khasinou and Sark have kidnapped her friend, Will Tippin, they want the Rambaldi page that she and Dixon stole from them. "

"But that page is in the hands of SD-6, even if you gave it to them it's worthless without the solution to reveal the ink," I argued.

"Sydney has the page. She stole it from SD-6 and we've already revealed it," Jack answered.

"Are you suggesting that we give the enemy what they want?"

I couldn't believe it. Doesn't that go against everything the CIA has worked for?

"Wait! That's going against everything the CIA has worked for!" Eric shouted.

Leave it to Weiss to voice my thoughts exactly.

"It's against protocol!" he continued.

"Yes, it is," Devlin agreed, "but sometimes friends are more important than the rules. I know that now," he directed the last statement to Jack and I knew that they had a sort of mutual understanding happening.

"So what are you going to do?" I asked.

Jack cleared his throat. "I'm going to hand the revealed page over to Sark in exchange for Tippin, we have reason to suspect that Khasinou may have recreated one of Rambaldi's inventions, it's not confirmed but I'm going to 'meet' with my source soon. If this is the case, Sydney will be there to destroy it."

"I want in on this mission," I said without hesitation.

"What? Mike, no," Eric began but Devlin cut him off.

"Actually Agent Weiss, we were hoping that Agent Vaughn would say that."

"You were?" we asked simultaneously.

Devlin opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a knock at the door. Haladki ducked his head inside.

"Sir? I came just came by because I'm on my way home and I wanted to know if you needed anything?"

He hesitated before letting out a small cough and picking up a file on his desk.

"If you would please put this back in records on your way out that would be a great help."

Haladki took the file and with a smug smile towards Eric and I left. Devlin looked at Jack pointedly.

"Yes well," Jack began, "I'm going to go make the calls for the mission. After your done here Agent Vaughn I suggest you find Sydney, but you must not tell her about this meeting."

"Where is she?" I ask.

"You'll know where to find her," he answered cryptically, and then he left.

~

Minutes later Haladki would walk by the office one more time to go to his car…it was only after much later that I found out Jack had been waiting to pick him up and reveal him as the mole. It was then that Jack began formulating my death.

I left the office that night in search of Sydney. I drove to all her usual haunts before remembering her love for the train station. As I drove my heart ripped into two. Jack had called my cell, he told me about the device being larger than Sydney anticipated, he told me that I would need to act as though I had no knowledge of this, he told me that because of my inappropriate feelings for Sydney, I would have to leave her.

That night, on the plane when Sydney was called away by the captain, Jack gave me the intel I needed. I would carry out the beginning of the original plan with her but a few minutes in would hit a button on my jacket that would send out a small impulse to disrupt our comm. link. Still, I was supposed to act as if it wasn't planned in case she could hear me through the static.

I still remember it, running down the hall towards her, knowing that any second I would lose the woman I loved more than anything. As that wave came crashing after her, I stood frozen in place, not out of fear though. I was frozen, knowing that in the last moments I would have with her she would be in pain. I let her pass me by as the wave got closer, I purposely slowed my running, and as the door closed and I stood by the window, I wore a pained expression. That wasn't planned, that wasn't an act. I saw the look in her eyes, the shock, disbelief, and determination and I knew, she would blame herself. Suddenly I didn't want to die, I didn't want to put her through the guilt but when that wave slammed me into the door I knew it was too late to change my mind. I had to let her go.

I pleaded with her to leave me behind, it was already bad enough that she didn't keep on running after the door slid closed but now she would see me as I struggled to breath. She didn't listen…and I felt torn inside. Unable to take it anymore I pushed myself away from the window and pulled out the small oxygen tank that Jack had given me. Swimming back, deeper into the water filled hall I located the air vent that Weiss had opened seconds before. He pulled me out and gave me a towel and as I sat there coughing and sputtering I prayed to God that Sydney was all right.

On the plane ride back Weiss told me that Sydney had been taken and confronted by her mother but that Jack had rescued her. I nodded in acceptance and asked for some time alone. Weiss left, understanding that I had to think about everything.

I didn't want to leave her like that. So why did I do it? Because I'm a danger to her. I let my feelings cloud my judgment and that is the last thing that I want to happen. I tried so hard to make meetings with her not personal but it was tearing me up inside. Unfortunately Weiss, Devlin, and Jack caught on to it before I did. So, they gave me a way out. Like a fool in love, I took it, I love her so much but I know that I could easily get her killed. Until it's safe, until SD-6 is brought down for good she can never know that I made it out of there alive. She and all the other people in my life can never know that I had faked my own death.

She's here, now. Here I am hiding in the shadows of trees watching my own funeral listening to the sermon through my earpiece linked to a microphone Weiss planted in the floral arrangement on 'my casket'. My mother is crying, shaking in grief as Weiss slowly rubs her back in comfort. For a split second Weiss looks up and I swear he is looking at me, telling me that he is just as torn about my mother as I am. I drag my gaze over my friends and colleagues that have gathered and stop to a focus on a certain redhead. It's her. My Sydney. I know that she fought for the right to attend my funeral, even if she had to come disguised as someone else. I hold onto the tree for support as I fight the urge to run over there and take her in my arms and tell her it has been one huge mistake as I see her breaking down completely…no one is there to comfort her.

One day, the time will come when I can go to her without fear of being followed but I know that day will be too late, the damage will be done. She'll hate me for hurting her. She'll hate me for not letting her know in some way that I am still alive. Maybe, it's better that she never finds out. I can disappear after this is all over. Maybe. But I'll have plenty of time to decide that.

Slowly the people disperse but she remains unmoving, eyes locked on the empty casket before her. Soon, she is the only one left standing there and through the microphone I can hear her crying. As she walks up to the casket, a white rose in hand, I stop breathing as her voice sounds in my ear.

~

"Vaughn, why? How could you have just stood there? We both could have gotten out of there if only you hadn't hesitated like that. Maybe then I would have been able to tell you…I love you. I love you Vaughn, more than I should. But now…you were the one person I could always trust, always be honest with. I felt safe with you. You were my guardian angel. It doesn't matter what happens Vaughn, there will never be anyone else like you. I will always love you."

Kissing the rose she laid it on top of the arrangement with the other flowers. Looking heavenward she whispered, "My guardian angel," before turning and walking away.

~

I choked back tears of my own when she said that. She loves me. She feels the same way and now…now I will watch her from afar. I will still be the one who reviews her missions and produces counter missions but Weiss will be, for appearance sake, her handler, while I stay in hiding.

"You're my guardian angel too. Don't worry Syd, I'm here, you don't know it but I'm here. Always," I whisper before turning away.

~

As Sydney walks away she feels a sense of comfort, the comfort she only feels when he is around. Spinning back around she sees one lone figure, back facing her, walking away. Her breath escaped her but at that moment she knew, she would see her angel again.