Sydney woke up first. The sun streamed through the balcony doors. I'm really here. In bed with Vaughn. With Michael. That's how she had started to think of this new, tender Vaughn lying beside her, curled into her body. Michael. And here she was giving him a split personality: Vaughn the CIA handler, Michael the lover. I'm the one with the split personality. I have a different one for every mission, and for every aspect of my life. But he is different. The lover is the extension of the handler – always taking care of me.
She realized that he took care of her last night just like he always had; he gave what she needed. Last night, she needed to be loved. Today, they would need to get back to business. Back to bringing down SD-6. But maybe last night would make it a little easier to go on. She needed something to fight for.
Vaughn stirred.
"Hey."
"Hey."
They looked into each other's eyes for a minute, seeing what was there. The longing was still there, but a contentedness was there as well.
"Sydney, last night was, incredible. I have never felt that way before."
"I had a pretty good time, too." She giggled.
He stroked her hip. "I'm serious. You are the most important person in my life. I don't want to do anything to hurt you. We have to go back to being partners at work soon. But I want you know that last night meant a lot to me. You mean a lot to me."
"I feel the same way. It's going to be ridiculously hard to look at you when we're at work without wanting to grab you and drag you behind the nearest desk. But I am so happy right now. I have something to care about besides saving the world from SD-6. I have another reason to take them down. So that I can be with you." She hoped she hadn't said too much. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, or to leave herself too vulnerable.
"Sydney, I love you."
She sighed with relief. "Michael Vaughn, I love you too."
Sydney and Vaughn spent a bit more time in their room, but made sure to be dressed and gone before the maid arrived. Spies can never be too careful.
**********
Back on the road, back to downtown LA, back to reality.
"Where should I drop you off? I don't think it's a good idea if I bring you to your house."
"How about the UCLA main campus? I can take a quick bus home from there."
"OK. Are you going to talk to your father again?"
"Ugh, I don't even want to see him."
"But you have to, Syd. You can't avoid him, at the CIA or at SD-6."
"I know. I guess it won't be so hard to see him. He will be his normal, cold self. We'll just go back to the relationship we had for the past 20 years."
"Oh, Syd. He is your father. There might be an explanation for his actions. Hard as that is to believe." Vaughn had a hard time coming up with an excuse for Jack.
"I know. And Irina is my mother. And she may get the death penalty for what he did."
"She has her own actions to explain."
"I know. Welcome to 'Life with the Bristows.'"
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. We have to think about this together. We don't want to expose our operation to SD-6. If Dad gets in trouble with the CIA, they will find out about it."
"Sydney, I think we have to talk to your father."
"And I have to talk to my mother."
"This is going to be a fun week."
"Well, last night was a good start." She grinned, her dimples deepening, knocking him out with her smile. She doesn't even know what she does to me.
"Back to the spy game, Agent Bristow."
"See you at the Joint Task Force offices, Agent Vaughn."
THE END