Chapter 3: Old Friends
Author's note: First of all, I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews. They really are amazing and inspiring. One of you reviewed the last chapter, saying how you couldn't picture Vaughn telling Sydney 'and we meet again', which was also the title of the chapter. All I can say is that there's a reason why he says that specific sentence, ok? Just bear with me for a while. Another reviewer noticed a few typos here and there. Well, that's because English is not my first language so if any of you would be willing to be my beta I'd really appreciate it. I know I need one. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review. ;)
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Sydney couldn't believe Michael Vaughn was standing in front of her. He was the last person she would have expected to see now. She wanted to close the space between them and hug him. Hug him for all the years that they had been apart. However, something held her back from doing that. A little voice inside her head was telling her that she should hold back. So, instead of hugging him, she broke into a huge grin that matched his.
"I can't believe this." She managed to whisper.
"Me neither." He answered looking straight into her eyes.
She remembers me, he thought happily. Now he realized how unrealistic his worries had been. Of course she would remember him. They had been friends for years. It would be extremely rare if she didn't remember him at all. He mentally chuckled. He felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He fought an internal battle with himself. He wanted to hug her so badly and to tell her how much he'd missed her all these years, but, like Sydney, something was holding him back. Perhaps it was this new handler-agent relationship?
They stood in silence for a long time, staring at each other, not believing that they had been reunited after all those years. It was Vaughn who looked away first. Sydney followed shortly after.
"I missed you, Syd." He said looking up. The words were out of his mouth before he even knew it. His emotions had won over his better judgment.
There, he'd said it. He waited patiently for her response. He knew she'd missed him too. There was no doubt about it. He could see it in her eyes.
"I missed you too, Mike." She said fighting the tears that were threatening to fall.
And that was it. Before any of them knew it, they were in each other's arms, in a fierce hug. Sydney buried her head in his chest, breathing in his scent. It had been too long. Too damn long, she thought. Vaughn slowly caressed her back, drawing small circles.
They stayed like that for a while, not wanting to let go, but knowing that eventually they'd have to. Sydney disentangled herself from his embrace and took a step backwards. He did the same, trying to hide the disappointing look on his face.
They both had a lot of questions to ask. They wanted to know everything about the other. However, it wasn't the right time now.
"I wish we had more time. I want to know everything that's happened to you since you left." Vaughn said. "There's nothing in this world I'd rather do than that." He smiled sadly, remembering how they used to talk when they were little.
She looked at him, making eye contact again. "I know."
Memories of their talks as kids flashed before her eyes and she had to suppress the urge to cry.
"Do you think she's watching over me right now, Mike?" Syd asked him, sobbing.
He took her hand and looked at her in the eye.
"Of course she is, Syd." He told her gently, "Just like I know my dad is looking over me right know."
She smiled at him, trying to stop the tears from falling.
"Thank you, Mike." She said honestly.
They both sat in comfortable silence, thinking about their deceased parents, and at the same time grateful because they had each other to lean on for support.
"Sydney?" Vaughn asked in a barely audible voice, regretting already what he was about to tell her.
"Yes?" She replied absently.
He sighed, "The handler-agent protocol… it… we can't be seen together in public."
"I know, Michael." She acknowledged sadly.
An awkward silence filled the warehouse. Neither of them knew what to say or how to act around each other. Well, they knew what they wanted to do and say, but that would have to wait. This was a business meeting as much as they both hated it. Vaughn was the first one to approach the subject.
"Who would have thought that we would actually become spies working for the CIA, huh?" He said, willing the tension between them to disappear.
Sydney let out a little laugh, "You always wanted to work for the CIA, remember? It's no surprise for me."
He smiled, "I guess. It feels as if we were playing that 'spy-game' we used to play when we were kids, remember?"
"How could I forget, 'Agent Vaughn'?" She replied mockingly.
"Hey, don't laugh at that! People at the office do call me agent Vaughn." He said, pretending to be offended.
And suddenly it felt as if they were children again, plotting their next mission and getting ready to pull it off.
"Mike, you there?" Sydney asked over the walkie-talkie, tucking her long hair behind her ears.
A slightly annoyed voice answered, "It's agent Vaughn. How many times do I have to tell you that, agent Bristow?"
"I like Mike better." She said, imaging just how flustered he would be by now and laughing silently.
"Just keep your mind on the mission, alright?" He said softly, showing her that he really wasn't mad at her.
"Maybe we should have code names." She suggested, watching as the subject moved around the house.
"We'll talk about that later, ok?" The annoyed voice, which Sydney found really cute, was back.
"Fine." She agreed reluctantly. "The subject is leaving the kitchen." She informed him.
"Ok. You go ahead and retrieve the package, agent Bristow. I'll keep an eye on the subject."
"Copy that, agent Vaughn." She smiled as she slipped soundlessly into the kitchen, looking forward to getting her hands on those delicious cookies.
"Sydney?" Vaughn's voice brought her back.
"I was just remembering our 'missions'." She explained, a smile touching her lips.
Vaughn laughed. He treasured those times as well.
"Speaking about missions…" he began, not really wanting to talk about it.
That got Sydney into full mission mode.
"Yes, Sloane, the head of SD-6, wants me to go to Madrid, Spain, to retrieve a file located in Mr. Deza's mansion. I'm supposed to go as Ms. Maria López, a wealthy woman, and snick into Mr. Deza's office during a party tomorrow night." She explained, not leaving anything out.
"Did Sloane tell you why he wants this file?" He asked.
She shook her head, "No, all he said was that this file was of extremely importance to SD-6."
Vaughn studied the situation for a moment.
"Alright. Then I want you to take several photographs of this file. An agent will be waiting for you at the airport when you come back to receive these photos. He'll be dressed as a clerk at gate 15B. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Vaughn." She said, stressing his last name.
Vaughn gave her a lopsided grin, which she found adorable.
"Ok, then. I guess I'll see you when you come back." He said, wishing he had something else to tell her so she would stay.
"I'll see you when I come back, Michael."
And she turned to leave the warehouse.
"Syd." He called out her name, "Just… be careful out there."
She smiled, touched by his concern, and walked away.
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Author's note: Ok, so this chapter was longer than the previous ones, but I don't think any of you will mind ;). This was a very difficult chapter to write because there were so many emotions I wanted to put into words so please tell me what you think. Did it make you cry? Did it make you laugh? Did it make you wish you were Sydney when Vaughn hugged her? Yeah, I bet it did. Lol. I'm not sure if I made Sydney and Vaughn justice. I mean, they hadn't seen each other for almost twenty years. As always, comments and suggestions are very welcome and you can also send me feedback at: l_aliaga@hotmail.com