Author's Note: Thank you for making this my first 100+ review story!  I know some of you fabulous authors out there have experienced this before so it's no big deal to you, but it's a milestone for me!

P.S. I'm letting you know now that this chapter and the next chapter are really short, but it looks like the one after it will be the finale and that one's turning out extra-long.  Thanks for keeping me going!

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Sydney made a quick stop in the ladies room before heading back into the exhibition hall. Pilfering priceless works of art took a lot out of a girl and she needed to take a moment to catch her breath.

Breaking into the vault had been surprisingly simple. She knew exactly where it was located thanks to Weiss' specs and the card key he had provided her opened the door leading to the vault with ease. Once inside, she attached the descrambler to the vault and let it do its stuff. It took several minutes to unscramble the security code, but she was able to get inside relatively quickly.

Locating the ruby-and-topaz brooch, however, took longer than expected. Every second she was in the vault, she was expecting her father's voice in her ear, saying that Anna was on her way. If only the museum hadn't had such a convoluted filing system!

But she eventually managed to find the brooch and replace it with the fake Marshall had conjured up. Since the CIA would be getting the real brooch, she planned to give the CIA-made one to Sloane.

Sydney had been gone close to half an hour by the time she reappeared at the entrance to the exhibition hall. Her father met her immediately.

"Do you have it?" He raised his eyebrow a fraction of an inch in question.

Sydney nodded, plastering a big fake smile on her face. "Oh, Dad, I'm afraid your boutonniere is all wilted." She said in louder than normal voice and reached up to remove the flower in her father's lapel. As she did so, she slipped the brooch into the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket.

Jack's mouth twitched slightly and Sydney thought she saw a look of appreciation in his eyes. "Come along, we'd better get going." He put his hand under her elbow to steer her towards the exit.

"Dad, wait," Sydney quickly scanned the room, trying to quell the surging panic she was feeling in the pit of her stomach when she couldn't find the person for whom she was looking. "Where's Vaughn?"

Jack looked at her with a faintly guilty look. "I think Anna noticed you were missing and she may have gone after you. He may have gone after her."

"And you didn't tell me?" Sydney exploded, albeit quietly. "Dad, you were supposed to be watching them!"

"They didn't leave until after you'd already gotten out. I figured you were safe."

"Dad, that's not the point." She said angrily. "Vaughn could be in danger if he goes after her."

"Sydney, it was his choice to go after her." Jack pointed out. "He's a trained agent. He can handle her if things get rough."

"Can you guarantee that?" Sydney said fearfully. "I have to go after them." She turned to go, but her father kept his grip on her arm.

"Sydney, you cannot go looking for him now." Jack ordered in his most authoritative voice. "You may blow his cover and you know what Anna will do to him if she finds out he has been using her."

"What if she already has him? I can't just stand here and do nothing!" She gave her father a pleading look.

"Sydney--"

"Dad, you can't make me bow down to you like all the other underlings who are scared of you." She wrenched her arm from his grasp. "I'll be careful." She promised, running down the dark, deserted hallways back towards the vault.

The vault was located in the basement of the museum. Sydney removed her high heels, partly so that she would be a quieter presence and partly so that she wouldn't turn an ankle while running along the slick flooring. She was able to make it down to the basement without being noticed by any of the security guards.

Why had Vaughn gone after Anna? Sydney wondered to herself as she turned a corner. It hadn't been part of the plan and now there was a good chance that he was in danger. Something about vengeance and a woman scorned came to mind. If Anna was on to Vaughn, Sydney knew what would happen and so she had to find him as quickly as she could. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him before she got the chance to tell him how much he meant to her.

She came upon the security door that led to the vault. She noticed it was cracked open about an inch and a chill ran across her bones. She hadn't left it unlocked, so obviously someone had broken in after her. Of course, there was only one other person it could be and while Sydney didn't exactly relish going into an ambush, she had no choice. If Anna had Vaughn, she had to take what Anna had in store for her.

Sydney slowly pushed open the door and slipped in. The heavy steel door sealing the vault was directly in front of her and it looked to be undisturbed.

Where the hell was Anna? Sydney started towards the vault but froze in tracks when she heard a gun being cocked at the side of her head.

To be continued…