Weiss stared out the window, watching as the clouds floated below the plane. It looks so peaceful from here, he thought as the snow-capped Rockies poked through some of the clouds.
Glancing at his watch, he was surprised to find they'd been in the air for about an hour and a half. Suddenly, someone leaned around him and looked out the window.
"What the..." Weiss started before realizing it was Vaughn leaning around him.
Vaughn moved back and settled himself in the seat next to Weiss's. "Hey."
"Hey. I thought you were stuck somewhere way in the back."
Vaughn grinned. "Yeah, well, I just asked the nice woman who was sitting next to you if she'd like a window seat. Seems she did, so here I am."
"Right. And what mildly contagious disease do I have that helped convince her?"
Vaughn held up his hands in mock surrender. "I swear, I just asked her if she wanted a window seat."
Weiss looked at his friend, a mixture of uncertainty and sadness crossing his face. "Mike, I'm ok," he stated quietly.
Vaughn regarded his friend carefully. "No, you aren't." He quickly continued before Weiss could disagree. "No one who has been through what you have today could possibly be ok."
Weiss nodded. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," he replied sarcastically.
"Eric..."
"Excuse me?" Weiss interrupted, catching the attention of the passing flight attendant.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Could I have a pillow please?"
"Certainly." She looked at Vaughn. "Is there anything I can get for you, Sir?"
Instead of paying attention to what was being asked, Vaughn had been glaring at his friend.
"Mike, you're being rude."
Vaughn looked over at the woman whom he'd hoped had already gone away. "Sorry, what?"
"Is there anything I can get for you? A pillow? Or perhaps something to drink?"
Vaughn was suddenly aware of just how tired he was. "A pillow would be fine. Thank you."
The attendant nodded. "I'll be right back."
Vaughn smiled half-heartedly at the attendant before turning his attention back to Weiss. "Eric..." he started, only to be interrupted once again by the attendant.
"Here you are. Is there anything else?"
Vaughn knew the woman was only doing her job, but at the moment, her perkiness was severely pissing him off. "No. I think we are ok for now."
"Well, just let me know if you need anything."
"We will," he answered tightly as the attendant was called away by another passenger. He looked back at Weiss and was about to speak when Weiss cut him off.
"Mike, I know what you're going to say, but don't. Please." He sighed and shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position. In the end, he settled for leaning against the window, the pillow smashed somewhere between the back of his seat and the paneling next to the window. "I just want to get some sleep."
Vaughn reluctantly agreed. "Ok. But you know if you need..."
"I know," Weiss stated tiredly as he closed his eyes, praying for a dreamless sleep.
********
Sydney shifted slightly in her seat, trying to get comfortable. You'd think that the seats in first class would be more comfortable, she thought as she shifted around again.
She pulled the headphones she'd been wearing off, placing them back in the seat pocket. She'd chosen an easy listening music channel, but found that she was too worried to let the music relax her.
She glanced at her watch. Almost 6 p.m.. Well in LA, it's almost 6, she thought. Glancing at her father, she noticed he'd fallen asleep. It didn't surprise her.
As gently as she could, she stood and scooted around him. She hated airplane lavatories, but she had no choice. Last time I have more than two glass of wine on a flight...
Sydney pulled the curtain aside, walking through the coach section on her way to the bathroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vaughn and Weiss. Hmm... I thought Devlin said they wouldn't have seats next to each other. Jesus, Syd, Vaughn probably just switched seats so he could be next to his friend.
She was forced to stop a row up from where they were sitting due to a businessman pulling something out of the overhead storage compartment. She took the opportunity to study Vaughn.
From the way he was slumped in the seat, she assumed he'd been asleep for quite some time, but his expression was anything but relaxed. She knew she was staring, but she couldn't help herself.
When he shifted slightly, she tore her gaze from him, noticing that the man who'd been blocking her path had returned to his seat. Glancing back at him, she found herself staring into his now opened eyes. She straightened herself quickly before walking past where he and Weiss were sitting and on to the bathroom.
On her way back to her seat, Sydney purposely kept her eyes forward as she passed their seats. Going around the curtain, she leaned against the partition for a moment before returning to her seat.
********
The door was ajar, but he knocked anyway. When there was no response, he pulled his gun and carefully entered the house. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he walked further into the living room.
He glanced to his right, immediately noticing the two coffee mugs that were sitting on the counter. Moving silently to them, he held his hand over one cup then the other. Still warm, he thought, but by no means hot.
Walking forward into the hall, a soft cry reached his ear that had him raising his gun as he headed quickly to her bedroom and the noise.
The closer he came to her door, the louder, the more insistent the pleas became.
"Oh... God... Please... Don't..."
He couldn't hear anything now but the pounding of his heart. He was just about to burst through the door when another voice, a decidedly masculine voice, joined hers.
"Oh God..."
He stopped dead in his tracks. What the hell was HE doing here?
He pushed the door open, just enough to see them, naked, arms and legs entwined on her bed. His little girl...
It only took a moment for Sydney to realize someone else was in the room. "Dad?!?" she asked.
Jack saw something move in the corner of the room. Sloane. Jack tried to warn Sydney as Sloane raised a semi-automatic pistol, gunfire erupting, bullets shredding the bedding and the people lying on top of it.
"Dad?" she asked once again, her face contorted in pain, blood seeping from the gaping wound in her chest. She slid off the bed, the sheet clutched in her hand. He moved forward, catching her before she landed hard on the floor.
"I'm sorry Jack, but she lied to me." Sloane cocked his head, regarding the man cradling his dying daughter in his arms. "She lied to all of us..."
"Daddy?" she repeated before closing her eyes one last time...
"Dad?" Sydney called as she tried to wake him.
Jack almost jumped out of his seat when her hand touched his shoulder. "What?" he asked gruffly, his voice full of emotion. Thank God, it hadn't been real...
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he replied, shifting around in his seat. "What time is it?"
"They just announced that we'll landing in about 20 minutes."
Jack nodded. "Sydney..."
"What?"
"We need to talk about this."
Even though she knew what he was referring to, she decided to act like she didn't. "Talk about what?"
Jack leaned closer, his voice not much above a whisper. "About what has happened."
Sydney glared at her father for a moment before turning her gaze to the back of the seat in front of her. "Dad," she replied coldly, all traces of the concern that had colored her voice just minutes before completely gone. "I don't really think that this is time or the place for this conversation. Do you?"
Jack looked around the crowded cabin. She had a point, but they still needed to resolve this conflict between them. Especially after the nightmare he'd just had. "You have a point, but we need to..."
Sydney turned to face her father, her look cold and hard. "Not now. Not here. Maybe we can discuss this after we've landed, but right now, Dad, I don't think you want to hear what I have to say."
But I already did... "Fine," he shot back angrily. He stood up and moved into the aisle.
"Where are you going?"
Jack looked back at his daughter. His living, breathing, daughter. "I need to use the facilities," he answered. He stopped, "If that's ok with you."
Sydney sat back as if she'd been slapped. Turning her gaze forward, she mumbled, "Fine..."
Jack reached the curtain and drew it back. He was about halfway back when his eyes drifted and he spotted Vaughn. He glared at the younger man for a moment before quickening his pace, reaching the bathroom in just a few lengthy strides.
Once he was safely inside the small closet they jokingly called a bathroom, he leaned heavily against the lavatory, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He shook his head before turning on the water and splashing some on his face.
"Our daughter is such a beautiful little girl," Laura's words echoed through his mind. "When she's older, we'll have to lock the doors and windows to keep the boys away."
He remembered her laughing as she'd run her hand through Sydney's hair lovingly. Lovingly... He shook his head at the thought, reaching over and grabbing a small towel. Drying his face, he straightened his tie before exiting the bathroom.
Much like his daughter had several hours before, he quickly walked back up to first class and reclaimed his seat.
Weiss looked at Vaughn. "What the hell's wrong with Jack?"
Vaughn shook his head. "I have no idea," he replied as the flight attendant made the landing announcements.
********
Jack and Sydney made their way through the crowded terminal finally reaching the lower level. No words were spoken as they waited for their luggage.
Five minutes later, they were walking towards the exit when Jack spotted a man in a driver's uniform holding a card with their last name printed on it. Looking around, he noticed another man standing about 10 feet away holding a card with Vaughn's and Weiss's names on it.
Sydney was about two steps ahead of him when he called her back.
She turned back to him. "What?"
Jack inclined his head slightly towards the man holding the card. He watched as she glanced over and then moved back to where he stood.
"Do you know anything about this?" she asked cautiously as they slowly approached the man.
"No, but I'm willing to assume that Devlin arranged this."
"Why?"
"Ten feet behind this one, you'll see someone else holding another card. Read the names."
Sydney looked ahead, seeing the man Jack was referring to. "Are you sure about this?"
"Go on over. Tell him, I'll be right with you."
"Dad?"
"I'm going to make a call."
Sydney did as she was told. Turning back around, she saw her father talking on his phone. When she was able to catch his eye, he simply nodded at her, indicating that everything was ok.
Jack watched as Weiss and Vaughn approached. Waiting until Vaughn was practically next to him, Jack stepped forward, colliding with him.
"What the hell?"
"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention," Jack apologized as he leaned over to help Vaughn pick up the bag he'd dropped. "Ten feet ahead. Driver. Go with him. Devlin arranged," he stated quietly. Standing back up, he handed the bag back Vaughn. "Again, I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention."
"No problem," Vaughn replied. "Thanks."
"Certainly. If you'll excuse me."
"What's going on?" Weiss asked as he watched Jack join Sydney, becoming concerned when he saw them leave with the unknown driver.
Vaughn watched them leave as well. "It's ok. Jack told me that Devlin arranged this."
"Arranged what?"
"See the guy over there? The one holding the card our names are on?"
"Yeah?"
"Devlin arranged this," Vaughn stated again. Seeing that Weiss was still confused, Vaughn moved a bit closer. "You know. Arranged this."
"Oh," Weiss replied as Vaughn's meaning finally dawned on him. Walking forward, he glanced back at Vaughn. "Well, let's not keep him waiting."
********
Sydney stared out the window as the car pulled up to the safe house, lost in thought. Three days ago Will had no idea I led a double life. Now he's been kidnapped because of me, maybe even dea-
"Sydney?"
She jumped, then turned to see that her father was holding the door open for her. "Oh. Thanks," she muttered and stepped out of the car.
Father and daughter followed their driver into the safe house. He flipped a light switch, illuminating the oversized living room, and waved his hand. "Have a seat," he said. "The others should be arriving shortly."
Sydney gratefully sank onto the couch, exhausted from hours of worrying. Jack walked around the room-- inspecting it for bugs, she realized-- before sitting down beside her.
The driver plugged a speaker phone into the wall. "We'll be calling Mr. Devlin as soon as everyone's here," he said, answering Jack's silent question. "Those were the orders." With that, he spun on his heel and left the room.
The two sat quietly on the couch, each contemplating what information Devlin would have for them.After several minutes, Jack spoke. "We need to talk," he said quietly, staring straight ahead.
Sydney sighed, expecting the worst, as a sense of dread overcame her. I am going to kill Francie when I get home. "What?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.
"I'm sorry."
"You're what?" Sydney asked, shocked.
"You heard me. There's no need to repeat myself," Jack answered.
"Sorry about what?" she shot back. For not being a father for all these years, for not keeping me away from Arvin Sloane...geez Dad, there's a lot you should be sorry for!
"I'm sorry that Will got drawn into this," he replied in a measured tone. "He had too many questions, talked to too many people. It got Sloane's attention. I want you to know, Sydney, that I did everything in my power to keep him safe. Everything!"
Had too many questions, talked to too many people. Why does he keep using the past tense? Sydney shivered. He's not dead. He's fine. I'm going to wake up and find myself at home and Will's going to be eating our cereal again. Will's fine. Except he's not.
Sydney realized that she'd zoned out again. "What did you say?"
Jack sighed, looking like an exasperated parent. "I said, if Will is alive--which he most likely is, he's too valuable to Sark--we will find him and bring him home.
"If Will is alive," she echoed.
"Sydney, we must face reality. Given what they found at the safe house in L.A., this may not be a rescue mission." Jack hated to point this out to her, but felt he needed to prepare her just in case things did not go as planned.
Sydney stared at the clock as it chimed twelve times. "I just can't help thinking that if I'd still been there, I could have kept him safe," she admitted.
"Sark had a tazer. If you had still been there, he probably would have shot and kidnapped you like Ti--Will." Jack paused, fighting for control. "And at worst, you could have suffered the same fate as Pierson." He was moving closer and closer to the edge, and the thought that his daughter's voice could have been the one at the end of the tape was almost his undoing.
Sydney nodded and opened her mouth to speak when the phone rang.
The driver returned to the living room and picked up the receiver. "Perez." He listened for a moment. "You're sure you lost them? Drive around for another ten minutes just to be sure," he instructed, then hung up the phone.
"They were being tailed?" Sydney asked Perez.
"It appears that way," he answered as he sat down in an overstuffed chair. "Adams said that they were being tailed from the airport, then suddenly the other car did a u-turn and drove away."
"Weird," Sydney muttered. "Maybe they weren't really being followed."
Perez shook his head. "Sounds too suspicious. Anyway, they're going to drive around a little while longer before joining us." He leaned back in his seat and stared out the front window.
Eighteen minutes later, headlights could be seen pulling into the driveway. Perez rose from his chair and walked to the front door.
Jack stood up as the four agents entered the room. Sydney reluctantly followed suit.
"Long time no see," Weiss said as he set his suitcase on the floor. He unceremoniously plopped on the nearest available seat.
"Jack, Sydney," Vaughn said, his eyes lingering on Sydney for one brief moment.
"You lost the tail?" Jack asked in a clipped voice.
"Yes, Sir," the agent Sydney presumed to be Adams answered. He looked at Perez. "Are we ready?"
"Just need to call Mr. Devlin," Perez answered. He punched a series of numbers into the telephone and waited for an answer.
"Devlin," the voice on the other end of the phone replied.
"Sir, it's Perez and Adams. Everyone's here."
"Good. I take it there were no problems?"
"Actually," Adams confessed. "It looked like we were being followed from the airport, but then the car just disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"Yes, and just to make sure, we drove around for awhile before coming here."
Devlin was silent for a moment. "You're sure you weren't followed?"
"Yes, Sir. Positive."
"Ok. I'm going to be brief because we don't have much time. We have received intel that Sark commissioned two planes to leave from Newark," Devlin began.
"Which one was he on?" Weiss asked.
"That, Agent Weiss, is the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Unfortunately, we don't know. Which means that the four of you will have to split up to complete this mission. I trust that won't pose any problems."
Jack looked around at those assembled before answering for the group, "I'm certain that everyone is capable of playing their roles," he said as he carefully inspected Weiss. The man was sitting in his chair, grinding his teeth and gripping the armrests. Moving on to the anger stage, I see.
"Fine. Does everyone have their new passports?" Devlin asked.
Weiss leaned over and opened the suitcase, retrieving the four manila envelopes. "I'm handing them out now, Sir," he said as he handed them out to Jack, Sydney, and Vaughn, keeping the last for himself.
"Agent Vaughn, Sydney, you two will be leaving on a commercial flight in two hours for Paris. Jack, you and Agent Weiss will be flying by private jet to Madrid. Your plane will leave as soon as you can get to Teterboro."
"Ben, are you sure about these arrangements?" Jack questioned impatiently. He leaned forward, moving his head closer to the speaker. "Are you sure it's wise for Sydney to return to Paris so soon? Besides, her Spanish is far superior to her French."
Vaughn looked on, amused by what he realized was taking place. Papa Bear isn't too happy, he thought to himself as he tried not to grin. Besides, he didn't know what Jack was talking about. Sydney's French was marvelous.
Looking over at her, he remembered their last conversation. On second thought, maybe we should switch this around. Except that would mean I would be traveling with--he cleared that thought from his mind immediately. Never mind. Definitely want to travel with Sydney.
"The tickets to Paris have already been purchased under Vaughn's and Sydney's aliases. Besides, we need you to use your contacts in Spain once you get there."
Jack leaned back on the couch, silently fuming.
"Jack, you and Agent Weiss need to leave immediately. We don't need to waste any more time," Devlin instructed. "Perez, Adams, are the phones ready?"
Perez answered for them both. "Yes, Sir."
"Good. Please give them to Weiss and Vaughn."
Perez and Adams did as they were told. "Gentlemen, keep these phones with you at all times. They are secure lines, even overseas. Call as soon as you have any information on the whereabouts of Sark and Tippin. Good luck."
The six agents heard a click, followed by a dial tone. Perez reached over and disconnected the call. Looking at Jack and Weiss, he said, "We need to get you gentlemen to the airport."
Jack, Weiss, Vaughn, and Sydney all stood. Sydney turned to her father, not quite sure what she wanted to say. "I guess I'll see you when I get back," she said to him.
"Be careful," he admonished.
"I will. You too," she answered softly. She stared at him. Be careful... Did he mean "be careful" as in don't get yourself killed be careful or did he mean... She shook her head.
"Come on, Syd, let's go." She felt a warm, reassuring pressure on her arm. Vaughn. She nodded and began following him from the room, but turned back to find Weiss directly behind her. Impulsively, she reached out and hugged him, then went to her father. "Au revoir, Dad," she said, trying to sound cheerful. Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Jack was stunned by the gesture. A gentle nudge brought him back. He looked at Weiss. "Yes?"
"We should be going."
"Right," Jack said, still shocked by Sydney's actions. He started moving forward when he caught sight of Vaughn leading Sydney from the room. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Mr. Vaughn, may I speak with you a moment?"
Vaughn looked at Jack and then back at Sydney. "It will only take a moment, I assure you," Jack added.
"But we really need to get going," Weiss complained.
Jack looked at Weiss and Sydney. "You two go on ahead. We'll be right behind you."
Sydney looked at her father. What the hell was going on? "Dad, we really need to go. Can't this wait?"
"No, Sydney, it can't," Jack stated coolly, staring at her. "The longer you remain here, the longer this will take," he pointed out after a couple of minutes.
Sydney watched her father for a moment. "Fine, just don't be long, ok?" Glancing at Weiss, she jerked her head towards the door. "Let's go."
Weiss followed. Actually this might be good, he thought as he shoved his hand in his pocket and realized he had something he needed to give back to Sydney anyway. "We'll be waiting outside," he said simply as he left the room.
Jack closed the door behind Weiss and turned back to face an impatient and confused Vaughn. "Thank you."
"For what?"
Jack smiled slightly. "At the warehouse, for insisting that I be a part of this mission."
Vaughn relaxed a bit. "Jack, we need you on this. Whether Sydney likes it or not, we need your expertise if we are going to be able to successfully get Will Tippin back."
Jack nodded slightly. Thinking they were finished, Vaughn went to the door, his hand reaching for the knob when Jack's voice stopped him.
"One more thing."
Vaughn impatiently turned back to face Jack. "What?"
"I know you have feelings for my daughter," Jack started.
When Vaughn opened his mouth to reply, Jack cut him off before he had the chance to utter a single syllable. "Don't bother denying it. You've proven it time and again by meeting with her when there was not a mission to discuss. You even broke into the Vatican with her!"
Jack stopped for a moment, trying to keep his temper in check. Vaughn stared back at him with a confused expression on his face. Good, Jack liked it that way. "You seem to be wondering why I'm bringing this up."
For the first time, Vaughn was permitted to respond. "Actually, I am wondering where this is going."
A predatory smile flashed across Jack's countenance seconds before he lunged at Vaughn, pushing him hard into the wall. "Where this is going, Mr. Vaughn, is nowhere. If you so much as lay a finger, let alone a hand, on my daughter, I will make sure that you spend what might remain of your career with the CIA filling out paperwork for coffee requisitions. You will not put her life in any more danger than it already is. And if I find out that you have ignored this warning, I will make damn sure that you will never want to touch another human being for the remainder of your life."
Backing away slightly, Jack allowed Vaughn to straighten himself before concluding. "Are we clear on this point, Mr. Vaughn?"
Vaughn nodded, unable to speak, having been reminded violently about his first meeting with Sydney's father. Déjà-vu was not something he'd ever been particularly fond of, this incident just a reminder of how much he detested revisiting the past.
Jack smiled again. Vaughn had never seen him smile this much. It was creepy. Hell, his face is probably going to crack, he thought as Jack moved to the door, his hand on the knob. "I believe we have planes to catch. Shall we?"
Again Vaughn nodded. "Yes," he started, his voice cracking. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Yes, sir."
Jack opened the door and allowed Vaughn to precede him from the room.