Thanks for the comments—we appreciate them! g
For disclaimers, etc., please see the A/N at the beginning.
~~~~~~~~
Sydney zipped her pilot's case and set it on the floor before manoeuvering it just outside her bedroom door. She glanced at her watch and let out a startled cry. 11:00 a.m. She'd forgotten that she was supposed to be at Dixon's for brunch. Damn it! And she'd already eaten something.
Running back into her room, she quickly changed into a nice pair of slacks and a sleeveless sweater. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she dabbed a bit of makeup on and declared herself as presentable as she was going to get.
Running through the living room, she grabbed her CIA cell phone, her purse, and her keys off the counter and was about to run out the door as the cordless phone in the kitchen rang.
She dashed back through the living room and reached over the counter to grab the phone from its charger. "Hello?" she answered breathlessly.
"Hey, Sydney."
Dixon. "Hey, Dixon. I was just on my way out the door."
"So you are still coming for brunch then? Diane was getting a little worried. I told her you wouldn't forget, but she wouldn't believe me."
Sydney chuckled. "No, I didn't forget. I'm just running late as usual. What is it about Sundays that just make you want to sleep in?"
Now it was Dixon's turn to laugh. "You're young. Trust me, when you get older, and the kids are screaming and ramming around at 7:30 in the morning, you'll wish you could remember what it was like to sleep in."
"Been up for awhile then, have you?"
Dixon snickered. "How could you guess?" He paused for a moment. The fact that his two screaming children could be heard in the background couldn't possibly have given that away... "Forget I asked. I'm just going to hang up so you can get over here before Diane burns the food."
"Like that would ever happen," Sydney joked. Diane was an excellent cook, something Dixon reminded her every time he'd ever eaten her cooking. "Ok, I'm on my way. I should be there in about 10 minutes. Bye, Dixon."
"See ya soon, Syd. Bye."
Replacing the phone, Sydney ran out the still open door and locked it behind her. Hurrying to her car, she slid behind the wheel and left, wondering how things were going at Sloane's.
********
"Why don't you go on inside, Emily. I'll bring your bag in."
Emily nodded as she got out of the car, looking around at the flowers and shrubs that lined the drive. While she'd been in the hospital, she'd feared for the safety of her garden and flowers, but it appeared that Arvin had taken very good care of them. Or, more likely, he'd hired someone to take care of them in her place.
"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll just go sit in the garden. I've missed it," she replied as she turned to her husband.
Sloane watched her carefully. She looked tired, but no more so than she had been at the hospital. "Fine. Would you like me to bring you a glass of tea or something?"
She smiled at him. "Tea would be nice. And maybe we could even have an early supper out on the patio?" Emily suggested.
"We'll see."
Emily surprised her husband by wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly before kissing him. Pulling back slightly, she smiled again. "Thank you."
"Well, you're welcome, but what was that for?" Sloane asked as he held Emily in his embrace.
"Arvin, I don't think I could have made it through any of this without you. I don't think I would have wanted to," she answered, kissing his cheek lightly.
Before he had a chance to reply, or even think about what she'd said, they were interrupted by a car pulling into the drive.
Jack got out of the car, still questioning the soundness of his own plan, knowing that it wouldn't matter. This was their only chance.
"Emily," he stated as he walked up, giving her a quick hug. "Should you be out of the hospital?"
Emily was beaming. "Arvin must not have had a chance to tell you. The latest tests show that I'm going into remission," she stated happily.
Jack clasped his hands before him, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "That's wonderful news. I'm happy for you both. And I know Sydney will be as well." The smile disappeared as he turned to Sloane. "I wish now that I didn't have to interrupt your homecoming, but I'm afraid I must borrow your husband for a few minutes. I need to talk to him about something and, unfortunately, I don't think it can wait."
Emily stepped away from her husband. "Go ahead, dear. I'm just going to the garden. Join me after you're done."
Sloane watched as Emily started walking around to the back of the house. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
Emily turned back and waved. "It was good seeing you, Jack. The next time you see or talk to Sydney, would you please go ahead and tell her the wonderful news? And tell her I'd love for her to stop by when she gets the chance."
"I will. And Emily, it's wonderful to see you looking so well."
Emily grinned before turning and continuing to the garden.
Sloane waited until she was out of sight before facing Jack. "What is this about, Jack?"
"I would prefer to do this inside."
Sloane glanced down the path Emily had taken. "Certainly," he replied, picking up Emily's bag and heading towards the house.
Jack followed silently, going over exactly what he was about to say. He'd been trying to gauge Sloane's emotional state and realized that it was going to be easier to play him than he had originally planned. He was almost disappointed. Almost.
Walking into the house, he continued to follow Sloane, who led Jack to his office. Once inside, Sloane moved to the bar, pouring himself a rather large scotch. Jack surreptitiously looked at his watch--11:13 a.m. Interesting. As he sank into a chair, he watched Sloane down his first drink before pouring another.
Turning to Jack, he gestured towards the decanter. "Can I offer you something?"
"Thank you, but no. I really don't want to keep you away from Emily any longer than necessary."
Jack watched as Sloane took a large gulp of his second drink at the mention of Emily's name. "Arvin, is everything ok? I mean, I thought Emily's coming home would be welcomed. By both of you."
Sloane finished off the second drink quickly before setting the glass back on the table next to the decanter. "Trudeau came to see me at the hospital before I brought Emily home," he stated quietly, staring at the floor.
"Oh," Jack responded, his voice tight. "They know about Emily's remission."
Sloane walked over and took a chair opposite Jack. "Yes." Gripping the arms of the chair, he leaned forward. "Jack, what did you want to see me about? You said it couldn't wait."
Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm sure you've noticed that my relationship with Sydney has been strained since she began looking for her mother."
Sloane nodded. "What is it you think I can do for you?"
Jack took a deep breath. "I realize that you just gave Sydney a few days off, but I would like to take her somewhere to try and make her understand the futility of this quest of hers."
"I see."
Jack moved closer to the edge of his chair, not really having to play at being a little desperate. "No, I don't think you do. When Sydney found out what I really did for a living, she wouldn't even look at me. Then, it seemed as if she slowly understood that I'd kept my distance only to protect her. We weren't close, not by any means, but we were working towards a mutual understanding. And since she found out about her mother, all that's changed."
Jack stopped momentarily, trying to judge if he should continue or just let it rest for a moment. The expression on Sloane's face told him he needed to keep going. "After seeing what you've gone through with Emily, it's made me realize that I want, no, that I need some sort of relationship with my daughter. And Sydney's search for her mother is jeopardizing that."
Sloane tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He'd never seen Jack this close to the edge. He'd known that Sydney's search was going to have an effect on Jack; he just hadn't thought it would be this profound. "Do you really think you will be able to stop her?"
"I don't know," Jack said quietly as he slouched back in the chair, resigned. "All I know is that if I don't do something soon to end this madness, it will destroy us both."
Sloane stood up from the chair, walking back to the bar, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder as he passed by. "Do you think that by doing this, by taking Sydney away for a few days, that you'll be able to function at your full capacity once again?"
Jack cringed. "I think it might help me regain my focus, yes."
The decanter lightly tapping the glass could be heard in the silence. "How much time do you think you will need?"
Jack closed his eyes. It was almost over. "Maybe a week."
Sloane almost choked on his scotch. A week. Such a short amount of time. Not nearly enough time, he thought as Trudeau's words echoed in his mind. Maybe Jack had the right idea. Maybe he should take Emily somewhere as well. "Fine."
Jack let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank you," he stated as he stood from the chair. "I should let you get back to Emily."
Sloane merely nodded as he took another drink.
"Please give Emily my best, and tell her I'm sorry for interrupting her homecoming."
"Yes, I will." Sloane continued to nurse the drink he held in his hands.
"I'll show myself out," Jack announced.
When Jack reached the door leading to the hallway, Sloane looked up. "Jack, I hope you and Sydney have a good trip."
"Thank you," Jack answered as he entered the hallway and made his way to the front door.
Sloane stood there for several moments after he heard the front door close. "Good-bye, Jack."
********
Jack walked quickly to his car. Glancing at his watch, he was surprised to find it had only taken ten minutes to get Sloane to agree to time off he'd requested. Backing out of the driveway, he headed back to his apartment to pack a few things before he went to pick up Sydney.
He was almost halfway home before he felt it was safe to place the call. Removing the phone from his jacket, he punched in the number as he sat at a stop sign.
He didn't have to wait long for it to be answered. Without waiting for a greeting, Jack spoke. "Make the call."
********
Sydney knocked on the door as she self-consciously brushed non-existent lint from her slacks. When the door opened suddenly, she immediately stopped, a sheepish smile on her face.
"Diane, I'm so sorry I'm late," she stated as she followed Dixon's wife into the house.
"That's fine. I was only joking with Marcus about you forgetting. I hope you know that."
"Yeah, I know."
Diane smiled. "Good. Now why don't you come on into the dining room? I was just about to call everyone to the table."
Sydney nodded, following Diane further into the house. "Something smells wonderful," she said as the tantalizing aromas reached her.
"Thanks," Diane chuckled. "It's nothing special," she added as they entered the dining room.
Sydney looked around. Sure, it's nothing special, she thought as she noted that they'd even pulled out the good dishes. Glancing up and down the table, she saw that Diane had been very busy in the kitchen that morning.
Dixon entered the room, sipping from a coffee mug. "Sydney, glad you could make it," he said cheerfully.
"Hey," Sydney replied as the sound of two bickering children grew louder by the second.
Diane stood next to the table, her hands on her hips. Sydney noticed that the "mom" face was firmly in place. "Matthew, leave your sister alone. Both of you come in here now!"
Matt and Sarah were still pushing each other when they entered the room, but were quickly separated by their parents.
"Stop it, both of you!" Diane ordered.
"But Mom..." they whined simultaneously.
Taking a deep breath, Diane looked at her husband, her frustration with their children obvious. "How did I ever let you talk me into having two of these creatures?" she asked, unable to keep from laughing as she led Matthew to one end of the table while Dixon placed Sarah at the other.
"I have no idea," Dixon answered. "Want another one?"
Diane blushed and Sydney stood with her mouth open and eyes wide.
Dixon started laughing so hard he almost dropped his coffee. "You should see yourselves." He walked over to his wife, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm just kidding."
Sydney watched the exchange, envying the closeness between them all. Looking around the room, she wondered if she would ever know this kind of happiness, peace, and love.
"Sydney, have a seat."
Sydney nodded, accepting the chair Dixon was holding out for her. Seating herself, she'd just unfolded her napkin when she felt something pushing into her arm. She glanced over and saw a still-pouting Sarah, pushing a platter of eggs at her.
"Here."
"Sarah, that will be enough," Diane admonished. "Sydney is our guest, and you don't push the dishes into our guests."
"Yes, Mom."
"Now what do you say to Sydney?"
"Sorry, Sydney," Sarah replied quietly.
"It's ok, honey," Sydney answered as she took the platter and placed some eggs on her plate. Passing the dish on down the table, she leaned over to Sarah, whispering, "Was your little brother bothering you?"
Sarah nodded.
"Should I tickle him for you later?"
For the first time, Sarah smiled. "Yeah," she giggled as she took the plate of toast from her father.
"Sydney, what are you two plotting over there?" Dixon asked.
Both Sydney and Sarah straightened themselves and smiled back at Sarah's father. "Nothing," they replied in unison.
"Uh huh." Dixon looked down to where his son sat at the other end of the table. "Matt..."
Matt's loaded fork stopped halfway to his mouth. "Yeah, Dad?"
Dixon glanced at Sydney and Sarah before returning his gaze to his son. "When you finish your food, go to your room, lock your door, and don't let anyone in until I tell you."
"But, Dad..." Matt whined. "Why do I have to go to my room? Why doesn't Sarah have to go to hers?" Dropping his fork, he leaned back in his chair. Now it was his turn to pout.
When Sydney, Dixon, and Diane broke into laughter, Matt slipped even further back in the chair. "This is so not fair!"
The laughter was interrupted by the ringing of Sydney's cell phone. Rolling her eyes, she just looked at Diane and Dixon apologetically. "You know, sometimes I don't even know why I have one of these. Why is it that it only rings when you are in the middle of something?"
"Ah, technology. Don't you just love it?" Dixon responded, taking a sip of his coffee.
"At this moment, no." Retrieving the phone from the front pocket of her purse, she turned it on. "Hello?" she answered, stabbing the eggs in front of her with her fork.
"Hey, Syd. It's your father."
Sydney almost choked on her eggs at the sound of Vaughn's voice. "Dad?" she coughed.
"Are you ok?" Dixon and Vaughn asked at the same time.
After clearing her throat and taking a drink of her coffee, she was finally able to answer them both. "Um, yeah. Just swallowed wrong."
"Dad? Sydney's not playing by the rules. We aren't supposed to talk on the phone at the table," Matt grumbled.
Dixon just glared at his son, who, at the sight of his father's withering glance, decided that the food on his plate was much more interesting than Sydney talking on the phone.
"I'm sorry, Diane, Dixon. If you'll excuse me a moment, I'll take this in the other room."
Diane just smiled sweetly. "That's ok, Sydney. Go ahead and finish your call. No need to leave the room."
Sydney smiled back, trying to hide her frustration at having to conduct this conversation in front of witnesses.
"Syd?" Vaughn asked.
"I'm here. Sorry about that. Um, why are you calling?"
"Your father has gotten Sloane to agree to the time off. Please act surprised by this."
"You're kidding? Really? But I just got back from Palm Springs."
At the mention of Palm Springs, Dixon looked over at Sydney, suddenly very interested in her half of the conversation.
"He's going to pick you up in about 20 minutes and take you to the airport."
"20 minutes? Dad, I'm at Dixon's right now. Remember, Sunday brunch? Are you sure I can't just meet you at the airport?"
"No," Vaughn replied firmly. "Jack said that he would pick you up. Apparently he thinks that Sloane might be having him followed, so he wants to make this look as real as possible."
Sydney grimaced. "Well, ok. God, you aren't giving me much notice. Would you at least tell me where we're going?"
"Syd, I'm going to have to go. Weiss and I are almost at the airport now. Just make sure you're home in 20 minutes when Jack gets there."
"Dad..." she whined. "You know I don't like surprises."
"That's good, Syd. Is Dixon buying any of this?" Vaughn chuckled.
"Actually, yes. I think so."
"Ok, well, we're here. I'll see you at the airport."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to tell them you said hello," she replied as she looked at Dixon. Seeing the smile on his face, she immediately felt guilty for the charade, but what choice did she have? "Ok, I'll head home and get a few things packed."
"Alright, Syd. I really have to go now," Vaughn announced as the cab driver informed Weiss of the fare.
"Ok, I'll see you in just a bit." She paused briefly. "Bye."
"Ok, Syd. We'll see you in Newark." He didn't think half of this had been necessary, but Sydney was the one who had to do the convincing.
Sydney waited for a second before taking a deep breath and then spoke softly. "I love you. Bye!" Turning the phone off, she dropped it back in her purse. She took another bite of her eggs before excusing herself from the table. "I'm so sorry to do this, but I have to go."
Dixon leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "So what's going on?"
Sydney had the good sense to look confused. "I don't know. All he'd say is that he was going to take me someplace I haven't been since I was a little girl."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not really sure, but he's going to be picking me up in," she glanced at her watch, "oh dear, about fifteen minutes."
Dixon stood and led her to the door. Opening it, he leaned against the frame and watched as Sydney walked to her car. "Hey, Syd."
She turned back. "Yeah?"
"Have a good trip."
Sydney smiled and turned back to her car. "Thanks, Dixon. When I get back, we'll have to try this again. Tell Diane that, as usual, it was wonderful," she shouted as she climbed behind the wheel.
Dixon waved. "I'll tell her, and I'll hold you to that."
********
Vaughn was still sitting in the back of the cab, unable to move. Slowly, he pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the display. 2 minutes, 49 seconds. That's how long the call had been. Maybe it was just my imagination, he thought as he hit end.
I love you... Sydney's voice echoed through his mind. No, he hadn't imagined it, but why had she said it?
"Hey, Mike?"
Vaughn glanced at Weiss, his expression confused. "Huh?"
"I think the driver would like you to get out now."
Vaughn nodded, still in a daze. Getting out, he walked around to where Weiss was standing, their bags beside him.
"What's wrong?"
Vaughn put the phone in his pocket and grabbed his suitcase. "Nothing," he answered as they entered the terminal.