Chapter 10 – Interlude – Aunt Trish, Take 2
Notes: See Chapter 1.
[The same undisclosed location somewhere in the ether]
"You are definitely right about that, chère."
Vaughn looks about him and sees Aunt Trish again.
"Oh crap," he mutters, "not again."
"And you have company once more," Trish adds, arching a curious eyebrow.
Vaughn whips around to see a slightly disoriented Sydney.
"Vaughn, where are we?"
He sighs, runs his hands through his hair, and then places his hands out in a placating gesture. "Sydney, it's a little hard to explain, but you and I are dead."
"Dead?" Sydney begins. "You have *got* to be kidding me." She looks at Aunt Trish. "Is she dead too?"
"No…she's…my Aunt Trish," Vaughn explains lamely. "Aunt Trish, this is Sydney Bristow, my, ah—the CIA agent I am in charge of."
"Was in charge of." Sydney corrects him, shooting him a slightly disgruntled look. "You're not going to be handling me in the afterlife--if this is really the afterlife--considering the crappy job you did in our previous lives."
Despite herself, Aunt Trish laughs. "Michael, are you sure you're the one in charge?" she needles him, prompting his ears to go pink, and his mouth to open and close like a fish.
He glares at Sydney only to see her smile a little sheepishly. "Sorry, Vaughn. I was feeling a little…punchy there. Being newly dead does that to you, I guess."
"I suppose I was in line for a cheap shot," he mutters, sending her into giggles. "But I do have a way to get us out of here."
"How's that possible?" she asks him.
"Because of Aunt Trish here, I have a way to get us back to before you did the file transfer. The catch is that you won't remember any of this," he explains, waving his hand about the room.
"What, you have a Marshall-like gadget for coming back from the dead?" Sydney asks, with an arched eyebrow.
"You could say that," he says, looking at Aunt Trish, who is now giving him an enigmatic smile.
Sydney looks at him, skeptically, and then at Aunt Trish. "Wait a minute, Vaughn said you weren't dead. How is it that you're here then?"
"I'm sort of tripping the astral plane fantastic. I'm in the middle of a séance."
"Really? That's fascinating. And here Vaughn was telling me you were the crazy, insane one in the family."
"Just eccentric, Sydney, my dear. Insane is when you're nuts and it bothers you. Crazy is when you're just nuts and you like it.*"
Vaughn groans in exasperation. He pulls out the red hanky and clears his throat. "I'd hate to cut things short, but it's time to go."
"But we just got here," Sydney starts.
Aunt Trish smiles warmly at her. "It's all right, chère. We'll meet in life soon enough. And I'm looking forward to that."
"I'd like that," Sydney says, smiling.
Vaughn takes his hand out, and Sydney puts her hand in his, causing that tingling sensation again. He shoots a sidelong glance at Aunt Trish, and now the only thing she is doing is grinning.
"Close your eyes. And count to three on my mark," he orders, glaring at Aunt Trish with a 'please-don't-embarrass-me-anymore-in-front-of-the-girl' look.
Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Sydney nods. "Okay."
"On my mark…" he begins, taking the red hanky out from his pocket…
"1—2—3---" they count…
[CIA van, blocks away]
Vaughn absently fingers Aunt Trish's hanky in his pocket. "How long has she been in there?" Weiss asks him.
* Note: Just a cheesy quote from a friend's email signature; wish I came up with that originally. :D
Notes: See Chapter 1.
[The same undisclosed location somewhere in the ether]
"You are definitely right about that, chère."
Vaughn looks about him and sees Aunt Trish again.
"Oh crap," he mutters, "not again."
"And you have company once more," Trish adds, arching a curious eyebrow.
Vaughn whips around to see a slightly disoriented Sydney.
"Vaughn, where are we?"
He sighs, runs his hands through his hair, and then places his hands out in a placating gesture. "Sydney, it's a little hard to explain, but you and I are dead."
"Dead?" Sydney begins. "You have *got* to be kidding me." She looks at Aunt Trish. "Is she dead too?"
"No…she's…my Aunt Trish," Vaughn explains lamely. "Aunt Trish, this is Sydney Bristow, my, ah—the CIA agent I am in charge of."
"Was in charge of." Sydney corrects him, shooting him a slightly disgruntled look. "You're not going to be handling me in the afterlife--if this is really the afterlife--considering the crappy job you did in our previous lives."
Despite herself, Aunt Trish laughs. "Michael, are you sure you're the one in charge?" she needles him, prompting his ears to go pink, and his mouth to open and close like a fish.
He glares at Sydney only to see her smile a little sheepishly. "Sorry, Vaughn. I was feeling a little…punchy there. Being newly dead does that to you, I guess."
"I suppose I was in line for a cheap shot," he mutters, sending her into giggles. "But I do have a way to get us out of here."
"How's that possible?" she asks him.
"Because of Aunt Trish here, I have a way to get us back to before you did the file transfer. The catch is that you won't remember any of this," he explains, waving his hand about the room.
"What, you have a Marshall-like gadget for coming back from the dead?" Sydney asks, with an arched eyebrow.
"You could say that," he says, looking at Aunt Trish, who is now giving him an enigmatic smile.
Sydney looks at him, skeptically, and then at Aunt Trish. "Wait a minute, Vaughn said you weren't dead. How is it that you're here then?"
"I'm sort of tripping the astral plane fantastic. I'm in the middle of a séance."
"Really? That's fascinating. And here Vaughn was telling me you were the crazy, insane one in the family."
"Just eccentric, Sydney, my dear. Insane is when you're nuts and it bothers you. Crazy is when you're just nuts and you like it.*"
Vaughn groans in exasperation. He pulls out the red hanky and clears his throat. "I'd hate to cut things short, but it's time to go."
"But we just got here," Sydney starts.
Aunt Trish smiles warmly at her. "It's all right, chère. We'll meet in life soon enough. And I'm looking forward to that."
"I'd like that," Sydney says, smiling.
Vaughn takes his hand out, and Sydney puts her hand in his, causing that tingling sensation again. He shoots a sidelong glance at Aunt Trish, and now the only thing she is doing is grinning.
"Close your eyes. And count to three on my mark," he orders, glaring at Aunt Trish with a 'please-don't-embarrass-me-anymore-in-front-of-the-girl' look.
Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Sydney nods. "Okay."
"On my mark…" he begins, taking the red hanky out from his pocket…
"1—2—3---" they count…
[CIA van, blocks away]
Vaughn absently fingers Aunt Trish's hanky in his pocket. "How long has she been in there?" Weiss asks him.
* Note: Just a cheesy quote from a friend's email signature; wish I came up with that originally. :D