Coming to Terms

by UConn Fan

The arrival of Baby Bristow . . .

7. Coming to Terms Chapter 7

Title: Coming to Terms (Chapter 7)
Author: UConn Fan (Michele)
E-Mail: LoveUConnBasketball@yahoo.com

Authors Note:
I'm not a UConn student. I'm a senior in high school; I intend to go to college in Vermont & study English. I LOVE UConn, but it's too big for me and doesn't offer the program I want (the school I'm going to go to has about 500 kids, it's perfect). My future college is also NCAA Divison III sport, so no conflicts about being a UConn fan :) Anyone who loves UConn though, seriously, e-mail me, I'm obsessive about it. :)
Everyone who reviews my story - I LOVE YOU! :) Thank you, your reviews make me so happy. I see this story about about 9 chapters, give or take, and there will be a sequel of sorts (although I might not post it, unless there's an interest). Also, I'm thinking about entering this in the next FOF, what does everyone think?

Is this getting boring? Well, the good news is at the end of this section, there are less then 5 cells remaining in the Alliance & Sydney's on her way to the hospital. Also, the girl who's birthday is the same as Sydney's due date, Sydney doesn't give birth on that date BUT I promise something WILL happen on April 27th, just because I don't want to make you sad!

Are they still in character? Is they're not, please tell me. I'm worried that this is becoming worse as it goes along instead of better. Please read & respond, you literally make my day.

This is dedicated to my sister, although she'll probably never read it. She listens & listens & listens so more. Meggie, you *are* the best and I love you *so* much! :) Also dedicated to my former babysitter Mandy, I named Sydney's nanny after her. I haven't seen her in a long time but I still think of her fairly often, I wouldn't be the person I am today without her.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any recognizable characters, Jennie's mine but if you want her you can have her. I don't own 'Catcher in the Rye', Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Madonna, Cher, the movies "The Next Best Thing" or "Mermaids", the NHL teams the Kings or the Blackhawks, "Felicity", "ER", "Chicago Hope", Yale University, University of Southern California, Mets or Yankees (Sure wish I did), or really anything or anyone else you recognize. I'm just playing, don't sue, ask anyone, you won't get anything.


For Sydney, her friends "countdown" really seemed to start the following Monday. Looking in the mirror she realized that at twenty-seven weeks pregnant she could no longer deny that she waddled instead of walked. Although she reassured herself that she bore no resemblance to a duck, it didn't make her feel too good. Along with that her sore back, puffy feet and constantly full bladder made for more then enough on her plate.

Jack picked up his daughter early Friday evening and they drove to Our Lady of Mercy. During their first class they were part of a small group that was introduced to a woman named Nancy. Nancy claimed to be a trained childbirth instructor but admitted she had no children of her own (Sydney wondered how what was even possible). For the first time in her pregnancy she met another single Mother, a USC graduate student who was being coached by her Mother. Everyone seemed relatively nice, and no one appeared to be related to SD-6 or the Alliance. Instead the group seemed to have been forced together by the random miracle of life.

Nancy explained to everyone that the class would meet eight times during the next eight weeks. All of the women in the group were due between late March and late May, leaving her due date directly in the middle. Their instructor explained how in the weeks to come they would learn breathing techniques, what to expect from labor, pain medication, hospital procedures as well as what to expect from nursing and a newborn. Cheerfully she informed them that they would even be lucky enough to view a video of a live birth and a c-section, although she added that Our Lady of Mercy had the lowest c-section rate in all of California.

Late Monday morning Sloane called them into a meeting. The four of them were kept waiting for nearly a half hour before Sloane marched in, so visibly angry that she swore she had seen smoke coming from his ears. Yanking the remote off of the table, he put the monitor on and began to speak.

"This morning our offices in Vancouver were raided and destroyed, leaving several innocent agents killed in the gun fire that ensued. Our director of that office, Robin Roland, was taken into custody by the unknown organization. This is the forth office to be taken over and destroyed in the last month. Whoever it is, we believe it's the same organization. Security section has very little to go on, seconds before each office was raided the video feed to the security cameras was cut off and all lines, wireless or otherwise, were disabled making communication to the outside impossible."

"Does security section suspect K-Directorate?" Dixon suggested.

"No, we've already discredited them. Some of their offices have been under attack in recent weeks as well, also by this unknown organization. In fact all of our enemies have come under attack in recent weeks by this same unknown organization. Whatever this organization is, they are taking information from agents they've captured and using it against us. It is *imperative* to the sanctity of this organization and our government that we remain *extremely* vigilant in the weeks to come."

"Sir . . You d-d-don't think we're next, do you?" Marshall asked feebly, obviously terrified.

"If someone does attempt to raid and destroy these offices, they will live to regret it." Sloane seethed.

"Do we have a mole somewhere?" Dixon asked.

"No, we have no reason to believe that this organization is getting it's information any other way then from the agents and directors it's taken into custody."

"How do we stop it?" Sydney dared to ask. Almost hearing the room's conversation, her child kicked her, *hard*, as if to remind it's Mother that they *didn't* want to stop it.

"Security section is currently working on discovering the identity of this unknown organization. As soon as we know the origin of these attacks, we'll take immediate action to stop them." Sloane explained. "That is all," he sighed heavily as he sat down.

Sydney shared a brief look with her partner before they stood, leaving their boss alone to his thoughts. While she sat getting comfortable at her desk, she wondered if Sloane really knew who was behind the attacks. Either way, she was comforted knowing that they weren't suspecting a mole - that made her life a tad easier. Even if security section was aware that the Alliance was under attack by the CIA, there was nothing Sloane could do about it. Telling his employees that they were facing the possibility of destruction by the CIA would be the end of the ruse that he had been playing.

"Sloane cannot risk taking any action against the CIA if he discovers they're the source of the Alliance's destruction," Jack explained as they drove to the hospital Friday evening for childbirth classes.

"Does he even suspect the CIA?"

"He suspects them but he has no proof. The CIA has successfully dissembled the offices without being monitored and any offices involved who had real knowledge of the Alliance's intentions are in custody."

"Has security section discovered any errors with the copy of 'Catcher in the Rye' that Dixon retrieved from Rome?"

"No," Jack answered. "The one crucial thing we have on our side is that Sloane has no reason to suspect a mole at SD-6, although we have no reason to suspect that the security section isn't still closely monitoring everyone's actions. In the current climate, Sloane must be cautious. His main concern cannot be revenge but preservation."

"I just want this life over with Dad," she said softly as a hand rested protectively over her belly. "For the baby and I."

"Yes, I understand." He said blankly.

"You'll still meet Charlie and Will at the storage facility tomorrow afternoon?" She asked as he nodded. "Francie, Jennie and I will be back at the house by the time you arrive, we're going to go shopping for some more equipment. Thank you for helping us with this."

"Your welcome Sydney," he nodded.

That evening her childbirth class was given a tour of the hospitals labor and delivery ward as well as a brief walk-by of the nursery. As they walked by, Sydney was struck by how tiny and helpless they all were. Soon enough her own baby would be there. Then it would be her responsibility to mold, care for and raise an innocent life. Nancy lightheartedly reminded them that all first time parents make mistakes. The beauty of that was that while they had never been parents before, their baby had never been born or raised before either.

It was Saturday evening Vaughn walked into the boarding house. He hated this, he thought as he climbed the steps while the planks grew creakier under his feet as he reached the third floor. Whenever he was here it was rarely a good thing, although every memory he had there was connected to Sydney. Opening the door with it's familiar '2' hanging by it's hinges, he slipped in, wondering why he felt he had to be so cautious when they were in a safe location.

"I'm sorry," Sydney sniffled as she stood. "I didn't mean to make a big deal out of this, but then I remembered this place . . With my back, I can barely get comfortable anywhere, never mind the warehouse -"

"It's fine." He insisted as he motioned for her to sit on the bed. After a moment he sat down next to her. Patiently he waited for her to speak. Eventually she shifted to give him her attention as she began to talk.

"Yesterday Nancy, my childbirth instructor, she said that it's okay to be nervous about having a baby for the first time. A first time parent as an advantage because a baby has never been raised before either." She explained as he nodded, not sure where was heading. "Which makes sense, don't you think that makes sense?"

"Yeah." He shrugged.

"I don't know anything about being a Mother . . My own Mother was a fraud," she laughed, her laughter bordered on hysterical. "I don't know how to be a Mother . . I look at my friends. They're all really good people, great people. They all helped me today, Will and Charlie moved furniture with my Dad . . Jennie and Francie went shopping with me . . . I see them and I know how lucky I am, but I *know* I'm not a good enough friend . . . I'm not even sure I know how to be with someone," she whispered regretfully, unable to meet his eyes as he muttered the words. "The *only* thing I know how to be is a spy. Even today, when I was directing everyone where to put furniture, I was arranging it so that if someone *did* try to break in, they'd make enough noise so I could get to the baby in time. What normal Mother considers potential break-ins by her enemies in espionage when planning their child's nursery?"

By then she turned back to him, the tip of her nose was red as she sat on the verge of tears. "I've been so excited about the baby's new life starting while my spy life is ending . . Now I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I *know* the Alliance needs to end, and I need out of this life . .I *want* out of this life, but what am I supposed to do when this is all over?"

Vaughn's eyes met hers. No matter how long he searched his brain, there were no words to say. Instead, she took the initiative and spoke again. In the end, he suspected that's what she needed the most anyway. "All I want is to look at my life, to look at *all* of my life, and be happy with it. Now I look at my life and it's not even one life, it's several different lives where I jump back and forth playing the appropriate character. I just want to look at my life and see all the good things together as one life. I just want to be able to look at my life in ten years from now and not be disgusted with my own decisions."

"I know," he sighed. Silently he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders as she rested her head on his shoulder. Eventually she began to cry, tears of frustration and anger, confusion and need.

"Will I always be like this?" She whispered, not lifting her head from his shoulder. "Will I always be so confused and angry at myself?"

"You have no reason to be angry at yourself," he insisted. He used his right hand to gently touch her hair and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'm proud of you Syd, because you go out there and you do the darkest job a person could do. Every day you come face to face with the enemy. You haven't let yourself become that Syd; you haven't let them get to you. Don't let them win by getting to you, your so much better then they are."

All she did was nod against his shoulder. Taking his right hand she placed it on her stomach. Although their baby was half-awake, he or she greeted his or her Father with a gentle kick. Vaughn sighed and tilted his head against hers, no wish more prominent in his heart then to have this end right then and there. To give Sydney the freedom to be happy and safe, to make her own choices and take her life into her own hands. Instead of offering her one-dimensional words, he kept his eyes on her, on the family he held in his arms. *His* family.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled a suspended moment later.

"Don't apologize," he reminded her. "You worked on the nursery?" He asked with the hopes of shifting the conversation. There was a rare chance that by shifting the topic he could slightly lift her spirits.

"Yes," she wiped away her tears. "I was able to get a lot from storage. There was a cradle, a crib, Armour and changing table that were all handcrafted and part of a set. Then they took the glider and ottoman that my Mother used to rock me . . " She shifted her eyes to look at him. "I know it's a piece of her, but I have a lot of good memories with that glider . . I love it." She explained as he nodded.

"We bought padding for the changing table and a mattress for the crib. I didn't put the sheets on, but I probably will soon ... Jennie and Will bought me a baby book, since I won't let anyone throw me a baby shower they're just giving me gifts," she laughed in embarrassment. "A lot of it can't be filled out until the baby is born . . . So, I started on the Family Tree." She looked at him, her eyes wide and her face stained with mascara and the track of tears. "There is so much that's empty. I can't fill in the details about the Father because of security purposes - can you believe that, security purposes in my own child's baby book," she sniffled. "Then I barely know anything about myself." She realized. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to fill the entire thing."

"We'll fill what we can," he vowed. Again she nodded against his shoulder, remaining silent for a long time, comforted by the knowledge that she wasn't in this alone. Not entirely anyway, and certainly not forever.

"How much longer until I'm out of this?" She asked in a tiny voice.

"Soon, I hope." He reassured her. "You're stronger then this Syd, I know it, you're going to be fine. Just fine."

"I'm so tired of all this lying, of having to help Sloane when I really want to lean over and kick box his head in," she muttered. A soft laugh vibrated throughout his body, causing her to laugh. "That's an interesting image, isn't it?"

"Sure is." He agreed. "Syd, while we're here, I need to talk to you about something."

Sydney pulled back and looked at him. "What is it?" She was instantly professional, her back straight and her expression stoic. Slowly he took his arm off her shoulders and mirrored her posture.

"The CIA has your Mother's remains. After the raid in Moscow, since she was technically an unclaimed body, her body was cremated. They were going to scatter her ashes into the sea, which is the standard procedure, but I thought you might want to do something with them."

"Vaughn," her face contorted in painful confusion. "You know she was a *horrible* woman - "

"She was your Mother. This could be the last chance you have to make peace with her, with the Laura Bristow you grew up with and the Irina Derevko you've learned about." He carefully explained.

"Does my Father know about this?"

"No, I spoke to Devlin and requested that Jack not be told. It's your decision, and if you decide not to take them they'll be handled by CIA protocol."

Sydney nodded; holding his hand while her free hand drew circles on her belly. He sat silently beside her, holding her hand and watching her. That was one of his favorite things to do, when given the chance was to watch her. He'd watch her sleep, loving the expression on her face and the inane mumbles that would come from her mouth during her slumber. Now she was faced with what he knew was a horrible decision. The decision was hers alone to make, free of her Father or even his bias. He wanted to offer her a chance for peace, a chance for whatever she felt she might still need. This was the best he could do; it was up to her after that.

Turning towards him, she asked in an emotionless voice, "how long until I can have the ashes?"



"Syd, are you *sure* you don't want to come out with us?" Francie asked, clasping her earring in as Sydney finished zipping up her friends dress.

"I'm sure," she smiled. "This is Valentines Day, you guys go out and have fun. You can come by later, or tomorrow. Call if you do decide to come, I'm pretty exhausted, I think I just might crash." She shrugged.

"You certainly look ready for a good night of ice cream and romantic comedies." Jennie smiled as she grabbed her coat. Sydney looked down at her sweatpants and t-shirt in self-consciousness before she shrugged. At nearly thirty weeks pregnant she was losing more and more control over her body as the days passed. "Thanks for letting us get ready here Syd, we just didn't want the guys to see these new dresses before dinner."

"You both look great, I'm sure they'll be thrilled. Anyway, I should thank you guys for bringing me the movies."

"No problem. Before Will I had a long string of idiot boyfriends, I have a lot more where those came from." Jennie explained as she laughed. When the doorbell rang she opened it, smiling at how handsome both Charlie and Will looked.

"Come in," she insisted. Both hugged her before turning to their significant others. Sydney's smile grew slightly nostalgic as she watched her friends greet one another, Will and Jennie so wrapped up in the newness of a real relationship while Charlie and Francie were comfortable and at ease with one another. Despite their contrasting relationship stages, both were deeply in love with each other.

"We'll bring you back leftovers?" Will suggested as she started to Shepard them out.

"You better, especially if it's peaches or chocolate."

"Peaches?" Charlie asked in confusion.

"Yeah, that's her new thing. I'll explain on the way to the restaurant," Francie promised. She grabbed her husband's arm and both couples walked out of the house. Sydney stood watching them get into the one car and they appeared to be bickering over the radio as Charlie drove the car out of the driveway.

She waited a full five minutes until she leaned over for the phone; her numbers dialed the appropriate phone number. "Go ahead."

"Twenty minutes?" She asked, already walking back to her bedroom to change.

"I'll be there," the voice responded. Seconds later she heard a dead signal as she hung up her own phone.

Half an hour later Sydney stood on the white sand of the private beach, surrounded by the darkness of night. Swallowing hard, she looked over at her companion. "I think I'm supposed to say something here," she whispered.

"Do you want to say anything?" He asked.

She shrugged, "no, I don't think so. I think this is enough."

"Are you sure you want me to do this?"

"Yes," she nodded. Their expressions lit only by the moon and the nearby city lights; she was still able to see his nod. In a different way this was just as difficult, perhaps more difficult for him. However when she had asked him to be there, to do this for her, he had agreed without hesitation. Just as he always did; he'd follow her to the ends of the earth. In fact he had, just as she'd do it all for him in a heartbeat.

He stepped away from her and opened the urn. Hugging herself, their baby kicked as he waded barefoot into the water and scattered the ashes, taking a few moments before he returned to her side. Although their eyes met in the dark, she clearly saw the sympathy, concern and affection that went unhidden in his emerald eyes. "Thank you," she whispered as he nodded. "Do you think my Father will be able to forgive me?"

After a second of deliberation, he dared to meet her eyes in the sanctuary of the darkness. "I think that ultimately this was your decision. Your Father has had the opportunity to make his peace, to create his own opinion. This was your opportunity, and it was your decision. You've done nothing wrong. This does not betray him, this is for you, and so you can move on. Nothing else."

"Thank you," she restated. Now he grinned as his eyes twinkled.

"You already said that," he reminded her. She grinned, slightly embarrassed.

"I guess I did," she realized as she kicked the sand underneath her feet.

"Happy Valentines Day," he spoke, almost as an afterthought.

"You forgot it was Valentines Day, didn't you?" She softly teased, grinning at him through the darkness.

"I did not!" He protested. Judging by his smile, she knew he had.

"You so did."

He shrugged and looked away, still both smiling playfully. "Okay, maybe I did."

"How'd you get this place?" She asked softly. "The private beach?"

"Do you really want to know?" He challenged. Sydney looked away, in truth she didn't want to know. In truth it didn't matter all that much anyway. What mattered was he had done this for her, no matter how much it tore at him he had done it for her.

"This place is beautiful though," she commented, turning around. Far off in the distance were massive mansions, home of the quiet elite of California. Beautiful homes, beautiful beaches and a beautiful night. "I'd love to live someplace like this. Away from everything."

"It gets too quiet during the winter and too loud during the summer. This may be a private beach, but from those houses you hear plenty of beach bums. Drunk ones too. Trust me, drunk beach bums are terrifying," he teased. He was delighted that his target was reached and she laughed.

"Do you think the baby will be born late?" She asked softly.

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"I hope not. I want to be there when this all ends."

A regretful sigh reached her ears as he kicked the sand under his feet. "I know you do."

"I need to be there, I don't care how dangerous it is. It can't be something I read about in a case file." She explained, daring to briefly meet his eyes.

"I know," he agreed. "On that day, whenever it is, we'll make arrangements to insure that your Father is there as well."

"Is that for my safety or your sanity?" She teased and he laughed.

"Both," he grinned. With a heavy sigh, he grew serious. Their lighthearted moments were so few and far between, and while there was an end in sight there was still a considerable amount to work through. For both of them. Things for them would never be simple, but he suspected it wouldn't mean as much if it were.

"I should go. They might be coming back to my house after dinner, so I should probably be there if they decide to come." She realized. He silently responded, just nodding his head. "Thank you."
"Your welcome," his lips formed a small smile before she turned and walked into the darkness of the night.

Later that night she found herself once again unable to sleep after a late-night bathroom run. Sydney was unable to stop all the thoughts that raged through her head. Pacing through her home, her bare feet ended up leading her to the nursery. After she had put the sheets on the crib's mattress, she sat down in the glider, lightly rocking. Being there with the carpet down, walls painted, the crib, changing table and glider there, it all seemed so real.

Looking around, she surveyed how much more she still had to buy. She realized that there wasn't a single lamp in the room. That just wouldn't do, she couldn't turn on the bright overhead light every time she snuck in here, especially late at night? The crib needed a mobile and maybe a radio so she had something to listen to at night. With the highly dangerous lifestyle she lived, she knew it was even more imperative that she buy a baby monitor so she could keep track of the baby when he or she was out of her sight.

Aside from furniture, such as diaper pails and portable playpens, she needed to stock up on simple things. There needed to be diapers on hand, warm blankets in the closet and bottles for when she would be away at work. Soon enough she and Francie could allow themselves to go shopping, since she had nothing for the baby to wear aside from an aged, handmade christening gown. With a sense of paranoia running through her veins, she had been so careful not to buy anything too early that now she realized there was still so much to do.

Sunday evening her friends congregated to her home for dinner. The company did her good. Francie and Charlie brought food already made at the restaurant, leaving them little to do aside from getting plates and utensils and eating. The five of them sat down and spent a few quiet moments passing around containers and dishing out food. Eventually everyone was settled around and conversation began.

"We need to go shopping next weekend," Sydney told Francie, who's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Baby shopping?"

"Yes," she laughed. "I was in the nursery last night and I realized that I have about ten weeks until this baby gets here and I don't have a single piece of clothing. I don't have any blankets or bottles or diapers or anything."

"With a newborn your not going to have time to go out and shop, you're going to want to stock up on diapers in different sizes." Jennie warned. "I remember when my brother was born we ran out of clothes so fast because we bought so small, so you're going to want to buy big."

"You remember that from when you were little?" Will asked in awe. Jennie turned towards him, her eyes wide as she shrugged.

"No, I was seventeen when my brother was born."

"You're going to need stuffed animals too, and a breast pump."

"Francie!" Will's nose scrunched up in disgust as he dropped his fork.

"What? It's not too unreasonable. If she's going to breastfeed and return to work, she's going to need a pump."

"We *do* still have ten weeks, you don't want to get it all in one weekend." Charlie jumped in to remind them. "If you do it all in one weekend your going to go out of your mind for the remainder of the wait."

"She has a point. You still do have a lot to do, but pace yourself." Jennie advised. "Trust me, the farther you get the worse it is to wait."

"Are you *sure* you've never had a baby?" Will looked at his girlfriend.

"I *was* seventeen when my brother was born." She reminded him as he shrugged and returned to his food.

"How are your classes coming?" Francie questioned.

"Really good. In a few weeks were going to see a video of a caesarean and then the week after that we'll see a video of a live birth."

"Do all childbirth classes make you watch them?" Francie spoke now with obvious disgust.

"I'm sure when you take your childbirth classes they won't force you to watch them." She gently reassured her.

"I hope not," she declared, turning back to her food.

"Are you feeling okay though?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I just feel like the baby's going to fall out," she smiled and laughed at her own joke.

"That's because the baby's engaging," Francie informed her. When her four friends looked at her, amused that she knew that, she shrugged. "I read a bunch of magazines at the doctor's! It just means the baby's getting comfortable in the pelvis and preparing for birth."

"Eww, gross, Francie, *please* not at dinner!" Will demanded while his friends laughed.

"Will, what are you going to do when you're in the delivery room with me?" Jennie asked gently.

"Not eat dinner!"

They all laughed before they started talking about Will's most recent column.



The following Wednesday morning Sydney walked slowly into the SD-6 offices at Credit Dauphine. At thirty one weeks along she was one step closer to her due date and even farther way from ever fitting into her own clothes again. By then even walking could be a slow and muscle-aching experience, especially as the day progressed. Even the simple task of sitting up and getting out of bed could take a good five minutes in the morning, not that she actually slept until the morning though.

Before she could even set her bag down at her desk, Sloane walked by and told both she and Dixon to report to his office immediately. Dixon's puzzled glance reflected just what she was feeling as she followed them into the familiar conference room. Taking a few seconds to get comfortable in her seat, she watched as her boss flicked on the monitor, displaying a plain looking granite building.

"This is a building in Vienna, formerly the home of the joint offices of our allies. This morning this office was raided into by the same unknown organization who continues to raid our offices on a nearly *by weekly* basis," he seethed. With another flick of his wrist, the image of a man who reminded her of Santa Claus appeared on the screen. "This is Stephen Cashman, the head of one of our Vienna offices," the image was followed by a grainy photo of a tall, presumably graying man with a prominent nose. "This is Christopher Ryans, he was the head of our other offices. Both have been taken into custody by this unknown organization. Dixon you leave tonight to recover any and all Rimbaldi artifacts, and there are several in these offices. Jack, I trust you can brief them."

Jack nodded, as Sloane stood erect and walked out of the office. Why Sydney needed to stay, she was never certain. It was the same briefing as they had received before Dixon left for Rome. He would reclaim what he could for SD-6 and upon his return Jack would supervise them as they designated through what he had brought back. Once Dixon left the room, her Father took out the pen to cut off the security feed and turned towards his daughter.

"SD-4 and SD-9?" She asked as he nodded. "Six down, six to go," she realized softly. "What does Sloane intend to do?"

"Right now his primary concern is preserving what remains of the Alliance. There's a possibility of what's left of the Alliance holding a meeting in London this weekend, but right now all of the Branch Directors are so paranoid about being infiltrated and destroyed that no one wants to leave their city. Nor can any of them agree on what organization is doing this or what to do to stop it."

"They're destroying themselves," she whispered in awe.

"No one wants to be stabbed in the back or lose their own branch. They're close to forgoing any attempts to keep the Alliance intact and instead focus solely on their own self preservation."

Before Sydney could respond, the pen beeped, signaling that the security feed had been restored. Standing up, she nodded at her Father. "Thanks Dad." She smiled as he nodded back and watched her walk out of the room.

Thursday evening she walked into the warehouse cage, smiling at Vaughn when he came into view. "Hey."

"Hi. Vienna was a massive success."

"Really?" She asked, smiling at the pillow that had been arranged on the plastic chair, making her slightly more comfortable.

"Really. Apparently the Alliance had forgotten that they had blueprints, financial information, business transactions and Rimbaldi artifacts all in storage at their Vienna facilities."

"That is huge," she agreed.

"It'll help us when we raid the remaining offices, and their already using some of what we've confiscated to begin their case against the Alliance members."

"Good," she nodded. "Are Cashman and Ryan's being cooperative?"
"In today's current climate they have no other option then to be cooperative," he reminded her with a smile. Sydney's eyes slid shut as she nodded. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked softly, his focus instantly changing to her.

"I'll be fine," she smiled as she opened her eyes. "How's Charlotte doing?"

"Fine last time I spoke to her," he shrugged. "Maya's getting more and more excited."

Sydney smiled at the thought. "Good," she nodded. "The CIA planted what Dixon is supposed to find in Vienna, right?"

"Yes, it's taken care of." He promised.

"This is going to end eventually, right?" She asked softly.

"Yeah," he promised, his own eyes gentle. "Soon."

"Good," she nodded. "What do you think of Grace?"

"That's pretty," he agreed. Although the baby would be born a Bristow, he hoped one day he or she would be a Vaughn, and Grace flowed well in either combination.

"Robert for a boy."

"Robert Bristow, good name." He tried it out as she smiled; glad he was attempting to lighten the situation. "You're going to be fine Syd," he reassured her. "You're going to be a great Mother. Maybe so good you won't even need me around." He teased.

Her eyes met his. Sydney hated when his humor turned self-deprecating. It was always better when he made her laugh with her non-humorous jokes. "Don't say that," she directed. "I need you." Her eyes shone with all the unspoken fear she had not only about her child's future, but her future, the Alliance, things with her Father, everything.

"Yeah," he agreed as he reached out to take her hand. "I know."

"Thanks for the pillow," she grinned as they both laughed. "Did I tell you Will and Francie are betting each other on what I'm having?"

"No, you didn't," he smiled as he bent down, giving them a better chance to make eye contact.

"Yeah. Will's still ready to bet his soul that it's a boy and Francie would probably bet the restaurant that it's a girl. Originally they bet each other dessert at the cafe. Now if it's a boy, Francie has to buy Will and Jennie tickets to a Lakers game and if it's a girl Will has to buy Francie and Charlie tickets to a game."

"And what do you get?"

"To sit at home and watch the game on television?" She suggested. His response was to join in with her laughter and squeeze her hand. "Thank you," she said somberly a moment later.

"For what?"

"For being there."

Vaughn smiled and squeezed her hand again. "Your welcome."

"I should go," she realized as he stood and then helped her stand up. "Dixon isn't scheduled to return until Monday or Tuesday."

"Okay. Your Father will be supervising when he returns. We don't anticipate there being any problems with what he'll be bringing back."

Sydney nodded and thanked him. After they spent a prolong moment smiling at one another she forced herself to turn around and leave him.

Friday Sydney kept herself preoccupied at work. Moments seemed to drag by those days, not only because of her pregnancy but because it all seemed so pointless. She seemed to serve no purpose there anymore. Anything she did, any piece of paperwork or any briefing she sat in on would be null and void in just a short few months. The end was so close in sight, the CIA already had enough to start work on a trial against the Alliance members and with the blueprints of the offices and so many leaders in custody, it seemed that they had all the information to take them down as well. Now all that had to happen was the passage of time.

Since her Father spent most of the day in meetings with Sloane, she sat in Marshall's office. When she dared to sit down in his inflatable chair, she found it surprisingly comfortable. Due to how gracious he was and how excited he seemed to be to show her his new toys and gadgets, she gave him her full attention. He even got her some water before returning to explain another new gadget he had invented. His excitement and exuberance might have been slightly overwhelming, but he was sweet and obviously brilliant to have created what he had over the years. After he helped her up and she left the office, she couldn't help but hope that the CIA had a niche for someone as sweet as Marshall.

That evening on the ride to the hospital, her Father explained the purpose of his meetings with Sloane. His day had been full of conference calls with other members of the Alliance, and as one of the few people Arvin Sloane trusted without question he had been asked to sit in on them. Occasionally he had been asked his opinion on strategy or who could possibly be doing this to the Alliance. Jack suggested offhandedly that it could be a tactic of K-Directorate. When reminded that some K-Directorate cells had been under attack as well, he proposed that they were staged raids in order to throw the Alliance off their tail.

Sitting next to her Father in the car, Sydney was briefly awed by his strategic genius.

In class that night they worked on they're breathing and relaxing exercises. Nancy spoke to them about the signs of labor versus when you should call your doctor or midwife, an especially important topic because a few women in her class were due in less then a month. At the end of the class they lingered long enough to make brief small talk without looking rude. Then, at the earliest possible moment, they left. Sydney might have wanted normalcy, but she hadn't achieved it yet, and as a result she didn't feel comfortable mingling with women who's main concern seemed to be baby names and what outfit they should bring their babies home in. Sydney's life wasn't that simple, although she certainly wished it were.

Saturday night Will had requested that Sydney make swordfish and all of her friends came over. Much to her confusion, Will seemed especially jumpy as they sat in the living room. As they waited for the fish to cook they played Life and debated who was better - Madonna or Cher?

"C'mon Francie, admit it, Mermaids always makes you cry and you can't even *stand* The Next Best Thing." Will pointed out as they waited for dinner to be ready.

"Mermaids seemed so *long* the first time I saw it, I thought it was never going to end!" Francie insisted.

"She has a point," Jennie meekly agreed.

"Syd, help me out here, who's better, Cher or Madonna?" Will asked. Sydney looked up from her yellow car to look at her friends. So far she had successfully stayed out of the debate, and she searched her brain for how to remain neutral.

"I don't know . . I actually liked Mermaids the second time around, the first time it *was* kind of long . . I like The Next Best Thing and the guy in it . ."

"Rupert Everet?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"No! The one who played Kevin . ." She trailed off and shrugged. "I don't know who he is, he's cute though." She smiled.

"He is cute," Jennie agreed.

"That man wasn't cute, that man was *hot*, and whoever played him is *hot*." Francie corrected. Charlie shot her a look. "What?" She smiled and leaned over to kiss him.

The kitchen buzzer sounded and Sydney extracted herself from the sofa. "Dinner should be ready."

"I'll bring it in Syd, go sit down," Francie insisted as the rest of them walked to the dining room.

"It smells good Syd, what did you make?" Jennie asked.

"Swordfish." She smiled as she got into her seat.

"Really? That's my favorite."

"I know," Will grinned. Francie came in with the platter and sat down.

After the food was dished out and everyone was comfortable, conversation started up again. They decided to end their debate of Madonna versus Cher, at least until after dinner was over. "I'm going to Texas." Will said calmly.

"What?" They all asked at once.

"For a story," he shrugged. "Don't look at me like that, it's not like I'm taking a big vacation without you guys."

"What could there possibly be to write about in Texas?" Jennie asked.

"A social interest story. A family allowed their son's heart to be transplanted into the Father of the guy whose car collided with their sons and killed him."

"Sounds gory." Francie decided.

"And complicated," Sydney added.

"Yeah, well, it's a story," Will shrugged. "I'm leaving Tuesday, I should be back Friday."

"Good, you can make my parents dinner Saturday," Jennie decided with a grin.

"What?" He asked, his eyes widening. "Your parents are coming in to town?"

"Did I forget to tell you?" She teased. Francie exchanged a roll of the eyes with Sydney before Syd returned her attention to eating her dinner.

On the other side of town Vaughn and Weiss floated through the crowds at the Staples Center. "I can't believe you were able to get tickets to the Blackhawks-Kings game," Weiss said in amazement.

"Yeah," Vaughn shrugged, only giving his friend part of his attention as he led him into the gift shop. "I have to go to dinner at my Mother's tomorrow," he remembered.

"How is Brigitte these days?" Weiss questioned. "Making any of her chicken cordon bleu soon?"

"My Mother's fine and to my knowledge no, we're having stew tomorrow." He answered, bringing them in the direction of the baby/toddler apparel. Weiss watched in confusion as his friend just started to sift through the baby's outfits.

"Tell her to make some chicken and invite me over."

"I'll get right on that," he muttered, taking a L.A. Kings onesie from the rack and walking towards the cashier.

"You're really excited about getting a nephew, huh?" He asked as Vaughn started to pay for the onesie.

"Huh?" He looked up in confusion. Weiss picked up the hanger and pointed at the onesie.

"Last time I checked this is a bit too small for you."

"Yeah, I guess I'm excited about having a nephew." He grabbed the brown bag from his friend and started to walk out of the gift shop.

"Man, wait up," Weiss hurried to catch him, grabbing is shoulder to get his attention. "You *are* excited about getting a nephew, right?" He asked, the underlying meaning to his words clearly written on his face. When Vaughn didn't respond, his friend sighed heavily and looked downward. "Man, you are *so* screwed."

"Thank you very much," he said dryly. "Now I came here to see a hockey game, not have an argument with you, so let's just go." He explained as he led his friend towards the rink.

Weiss stood briefly still, saying a silent prayer for his friend before he quickly walked to catch up.



"This is so exciting," Francie said over pizza Monday night. Sydney looked up from her piece, feeling the heartburn kick in.

"Why is this so exciting? It's just pizza and a rented movie." She grinned as her friend laughed.

"Yeah, but next *month* your going to have a baby. Isn't that exciting?"

Sydney moved slightly, attempting to get more comfortable with her belly, which was swollen at thirty-two weeks along. "It's exciting and uncomfortable," she laughed.

"You could literally have the baby in five weeks and it would be healthy. I hope you don't go too long though Syd, I'd hate to see you have to be induced or something, I heard that hurts."

"The good news is that Our Lady of Mercy has one of the lowest c-section rates in the state," Sydney reminded her with a smile.

"I'm so glad that your Dad is going to be there. Charlie and I will be in the hallway or wherever you want us. Just not in the actual room."

"I don't know how long I'm going to be in labor Francie, Nancy said that first time Mother's take an average of twenty four hours."

"Ow," she muttered. "So, what do you think of Will and Jennie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think they'll end up getting married? They're so cute together."

"They are cute together. She makes him really happy."

"I like her."

"Me too," Sydney nodded.

"Are you and the baby's Father going to get married?"

"What? Francie, I told you about the company policy - "

"I know, but I mean eventually all things end, even *your* job," she teased as she got herself another piece of pizza. "Or he'll leave whatever he does. Then you two will get married, right? You're already having a child together."

"I don't know," she realized softly. Thinking that far ahead had always been a dangerous prospect in her type of work. Instead she was an expert on the here and now, and in the here and now they were as together as they could be, she lov . . . She abruptly stopped that train of thought. If she didn't think it, she couldn't say it and she could maintain some semblance of professionalism.

"Not a big wedding or anything Syd, not a white dress or big bands. Just rings and vows," she suggested. "You don't have to, you're going to be a great Mom and we're all going to help you . . I don't know, I'm sorry, I guess I was wrong." She shrugged as she sat back against the sofa.

"No Francie, what is it?"

"The way you talk about him . . You won't even tell us his name, but when he comes up you get this twinkle in your eye. It's really sweet, that's all."

"We really haven't talked about it . . "

"You two are having a child together, that already makes you a family." Francie reminded her. "Not that you can't be a family without a Father - " she started to backpedal, not wanting to hurt her friend's feelings.

"I understand," she halted her with a smile.

"Are you sure you don't want a baby shower? We can invite some of your friends from work and have it at the restaurant . ." She eagerly suggested. Sydney had to contain herself from snorting her nose at the thought of friends from work.

"Francie, I appreciate that you want to help, but with work . . By the end of the day I'm so tired, I just want to crash here and hang out with you guys." She smiled.

"At least you look good."

"Very funny."

"No, you look nice. You're starting to glow again."

"That's because my nauseas back," she muttered as Francie laughed.

"Well, at least it's almost over. Who do you think the baby will look like?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I look mostly like my Mom, so maybe the baby will take after me."

"I hope it's a girl."

"You just want tickets to see Kobe."

"Yeah . ." Francie grinned. "Girls are more fun though, you can dress them up and make them look all cute. Boys you can't as much."

"Boys are harder to potty trained," she realized. Francie looked at her in confusion. "Think about it, it's a two step process. First they have to learn how to go sitting down, and then you have to teach them how to do it standing up."

"Complicated," she agreed. "I still hope that when Charlie and I have a baby, it's a girl. He wants a boy, you know, the whole carry on the last name thing," she shrugged. "Do you even know how to change a diaper?"

Sydney laughed, "yes. I used to baby-sit when I was younger, I have some idea."

The phone rang and Francie grabbed it before Sydney could even respond. Seconds later, her friend hung the phone up with a regretful sigh. "That's Charlie. I should be going, we have to finish the schedules for next weeks staff."

"That's fine. Thanks for coming," she smiled as she stood. They hugged and Francie slipped into her coat.

"Get some rest, okay Syd?"

"I will." She nodded.

"Promise?"

"Promise." She agreed.

Sydney met with Vaughn Friday night. He had paged her during her childbirth classes, and once her Father had dropped her off she left the house again to meet him. His page had requested her presence on the top floor of an abandoned parking garage where they had met before. After determining that she wasn't being followed, she drove there and parked her car next to his.

"How did Dixon's reconnaissance mission go?" He asked as he took a seat on the hood of her car. Sydney plopped down next to him, slightly bouncing off of him as she shrugged.

"It was fine. I have to go to the video store before I go home," she said as he sent her a confused look. "I'm going to rent 'The Best of Friends' - I need to laugh." She sighed.

"You don't appreciate my non-humorous attempts to make you laugh?" He teased, his intended target reached when she grinned at him.

"They make me laugh but that doesn't mean they're funny." She shot back as he rolled his eyes. Once he was able to pull his eyes way from her, he grew serious.

"Monday morning we're going into Tokyo."

"Good," she nodded. "Sloane's growing more and more paranoid."

"They all are. Rumor has it that the Alliance is planning a meeting in London next Friday. Sloane hasn't mentioned anything to your Father, but there's a possibility that they've grown so paranoid that not even all of the Alliance leaders are being summoned to the meetings."

"If they didn't invite him, wouldn't that mean they don't trust him?"

"Possibly. There's a chance that they believe one of their own is selling them out to the 'unknown organization' tearing them down." He reminded her. "Oh," he remembered as he climbed off of her car and to his own. "I got you something," he told her, handing her a nondescript looking gift bag. Climbing back onto the car, he motioned for her to open it. "Just don't tell Weiss, he thinks it's for my soon to be born nephew."

For a brief second she looked at him in confusion until she pulled out a tiny L.A. Kings onesie, probably small enough to fit a baby in the first few months of life. "I hope it's big enough. I remembered with Maya I had to buy big, so that's a 6 to 9 month, which means it'll probably fit the baby as a newborn," he joked as she laughed.

"Thank you, this is wonderful."

"So," he clapped his hands together. "How was your class tonight?"

"Good. It's hard to believe, one of the girls in my class is already thirty-seven weeks. Everything is happening so fast," she explained as she carefully folded the onesie and put it back in the bag. "Francie, Jennie and I are going shopping this weekend."

"Again?"

"Yeah," she smirked. "Francie decided that I should start buying diapers. I still need some other things too. A mobile, a diaper pail, pacifiers . . . Charlie keeps reminding us not to buy too fast, but at the same time I'm afraid the baby will come and I won't have everything."

"What does your Dad say?"

"That I'm doing fine. He just keeps saying that I'm doing fine," she sighed.

"You are Syd, you're doing great," he agreed. "Worse that happens is you have time left over to sit around the house and think."

Sydney laughed and looked at him, "do you realize how dangerous it can be to leave me bored and thinking?"

He grinned and shrugged. "That's just a chance we're going to have to take."

"Katherine." She suggested as he looked at her and shook his head.

"Katie's far too common." He responded. "Courtney."

"No, I've hated anyone I've ever met named Courtney, which considering I went to a boarding school is a lot of girls." She reminded him as she bounced her shoulder off of his. "Jacob."

"Too common." He sighed before he shot back. "Brandon."

"Christopher."

"Hey, that's my middle name," he stopped their game to meet her eyes.

"Really?"

"Really," he nodded. "Suzanne."

"Suzie, cute," she agreed. "Felicity."

"Good TV show, bad name."

"You liked Felicity?" She questioned, surprised he would like such a show. "Do you realize that they're showing that in reruns on the Women's Entertainment channel now?" She teased.

"It wasn't too bad," he shrugged. "Keri Russell was cute . . Plus, I *did* date Alice for a long time, she loved that show."

"Danny used to make me watch Chicago Hope," she laughed at the memory. "I hated it, ER was so much better but he said it was nothing like a real emergency room and didn't let me watch it."

"We've only been involved with TV tyrants, huh?" He joked.

"Are you a TV tyrant?" She teased.

"Only with the Kings and the Mets."

"The *Mets*?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah, they're awesome!"

"Vaughn, they're *horrible*!"

"What baseball teams do you like?" He challenged.

"The Yankees."

"The *Yankees*?" His eyes rolled. "That's so typical Syd! Why do you like them? Let me guess, some boy you liked back in high school was interested in them?"

"No, I just like them. My nanny went undergrad at Yale and lived on Long Island growing up so she was a Yankees fan."

"After Yale she was a Nanny?"

Sydney shrugged. "Mandy was a part time graduate student at UCLA," she remembered and then smiled. "That's pretty familiar, huh? Maybe I should have become a nanny instead."

Vaughn smiled at the image. Suddenly, her beeper went off. "It's Francie from my house. I should go," she realized as he helped her off of the hood of the car. "Thank you for the onesie."

"Your welcome," he smiled. They exchanged a glance before she got into her car and drove out of his sight.




Monday morning was a disaster at SD-6. From the second she walked through the door she was warned in quiet whispers not to go near Sloane's office unless absolutely necessary. The destruction of SD-8 in Tokyo and the capture of its leader, Ronald Llanview, had sent him into a blind rage. The anger had been deeply etched in his face as he sat in the conference room, so infuriated that he had Jack run the debriefing while he listened. Eventually he even yelled at Marshall, causing the friendly tech wizard to nearly jump out of his skin. Sydney and Dixon had even been visibly shaken, all three of them relieved to be out of his office as Dixon excused himself to go pack. He had a flight to catch in two hours, the reconnaissance mission that was now becoming nearly procedure.

Her job at SD-6, which was once dangerous and exciting, was now humdrum and boring. Things were becoming so slow for her that Sloane even suggested she could start reorganizing his filing system for them later in the week, if she was interested. Judging by the look her Father gave her, it was apparent that she *would* be interested. Complete access to Sloane's personal filing cabinet had the potential to give her highly classified information. It was too much of a chance to turn down.

She started Thursday, and was already bored again by Friday. So far she had only come across things she already knew, things that would serve no purpose to the CIA. The highlight of her week was still Friday afternoon, when Sloane left on a 'business trip' to London, which her Father explained was truly a meeting of the Alliance branches. In a big break for the CIA, her Father was asked to accompany him, under the guise of representing the branches that the Alliance was hoping to restore.

"All I want," Sydney said as she took a bite of her ice cream sundae. "All I really want is to burn the place while he's away. That's not too discreet though, is it?" She laughed.

Even though Vaughn sat behind her and out of her eyesight, she knew he laughed. They were sitting Saturday night in an empty ice cream parlor half a block from the pier and near Francie's restaurant. Vaughn had agreed to arrange for the parlor to be safe from wandering eyes, and just as she did with the beach, she refrained from asking questions. The how didn't matter, all that mattered was that this time had been given to them.

"I'm pretty sure that would blow your cover," he joked.

"I'm not even sure I care anymore. Even now, going through his files, it seems so pointless. Not that I haven't done a lot to help this," she added, not wanting him to think that she felt low on herself again. "I can't go on missions and even the paperwork I'm doing is just . . You know, it's just stupid." She sighed in frustration. "Next Friday's my last childbirth class. This week we watched a video of a c-section."

"Oh," he said, taking a bite of his own ice cream.

"It was a lot bloodier then I thought it would be. Nancy reminded is *again* that Our Lady of Mercy has a low c-section rate."

"Your Father already explained that -" He started in a low voice.

"I know, watching the video is just a formality for me. I'm having this baby naturally, even if it kills me." She muttered then snorted. "Sloane would just love it if it killed me."

"Our Lady of Mercy also has an extremely low maternal and infant morality rate." He whispered. Quickly she glanced at him over her shoulder, wondering how he learned that. Somehow, as always, he understood her silent question. "I've been doing some background checking of my own. On your doctor, any nurses that might be on duty when you give birth, any anesthesiologists, anything," he shrugged. "It's my job." He reminded her. "Your Father's wearing a comlink into the Alliance meeting."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"It shouldn't be. They don't check for devices as standard procedure, especially not on someone as highly thought of as your Father." He explained. "That way we'll learn everything that's shared at the meeting."

"What do you expect to find out?"

"Honestly, not that much. The only Intel we expect them to be sharing is ways to preserve the Alliance. Either way we'll be listening, just in case anything substantial is passed along."

"Good." She smiled. It was good news, probably some of the best news she had heard all week. Then again, at that stage a simple full night of sleep was enough to send her to the moon and back. "So, who's next?"

"Berlin."

"SD-7," she muttered, wiping whipped cream off the tip of her nose. "Do you think they have any idea?"

"None," he shook his head. "I have to go to my Mother's tomorrow afternoon," he sighed in regret.

"What for?"

"Charlotte's baby shower."

Sydney unsuccessfully held back a laugh as she took another bite of her ice cream. "You're going to a *baby shower*? I thought they were female only."

"Not this one. One of my Mother's friends from work, she used to baby-sit for us, and she's throwing Charlotte a *coed* baby shower. The only positive is that Patrick wants to go even less then I do."

"Is it going to be one of those baby showers with pink crepe paper and guess the weight games?"

"I hope not," he rolled his eyes. "Especially since they're having a boy, crepe paper might offend him."

"Vaughn, he can't *see* the baby shower." She whispered.

"Yeah, but I can." He reminded her as she laughed. "What am I supposed to bring my own sister for a baby shower?"

"A tried but true classic," she suggested.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Diapers?" She guessed as they shared a laugh.

"You're still not having a shower, right?"

"Right. I had enough pink crepe paper at my prom." She remembered as he smirked.

"Syd, did you wear a pink dress to prom?" He teased.

"Yes," she said with a barely contained laugh. "It was a *gown* and I still think it was very pretty."

"Did you go with Mr. Hockey *Roger*?" He playfully bantered.

"No, I went with a boy named Sam. After high school he went to Yale, studied English Lit and played baseball. I guess he was kind of a nerd, but so I was I," she shrugged.

"I don't believe that, there's no way you were a nerd."

"I was!" She insisted, wanting to turn around and look at him but knowing she couldn't. "Puberty really didn't hit until high school, boys were a mystery and my Father wasn't exactly around to talk to. Mandy had already returned to Yale to get her doctorate so I couldn't even talk to *her* . . . Sam and I both loved to read, he was so sweet . . . I was so happy when he asked me." She smiled at the memory.

"Your nanny went back for her doctorate?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yeah . .I Think she was the daughter of one of my Father's business associates, that's mostly how she got the job. Either way, I loved her, she was there to talk to and listen when my Father wasn't . . Which was most of the time," she remembered regretfully.

"Do you ever hear from her anymore?"

"Sometimes. Christmas and birthday cards, e-mails. She's living in Maine, working on a book and engaged."

"That's good."

"Yeah, it is." She agreed. Looking down at her glass sundae holder, she realized it was empty. There was no more legitimate reason for her to sit here. "I have to go," she explained as she started to gather up her belongings.

"If you need anything, you'll contact me?" He asked softly.

"Yep," she nodded in agreement, slipping on her coat. As she stood, she dared to pay him a longing glance over her shoulder before she walked out of the parlor into the March rain.

Sydney had an early morning doctor's appointment that Monday morning. The rain still continued to fall over Los Angeles, slapping against the roof of the doctor's office as she sat waiting. Even though she was used to being the only solo mother in the waiting room, the farther along she became the lonelier she felt as she sat there. Hiding her loneliness behind parenting magazines and watching the youngest infants in their Mother's arms as the new Mothers waited their own doctor's appointment.

Nothing in the appointment came as a surprise. She was progressing well for thirty-four weeks, measuring at about the right size as well. Her weight gain was nothing astronomical, although her body was often achy by the midday. The doctor suggested that she finish the nursery for good, since if her baby decided to make it's arrival within the next couple of days it would have a very good chance of being healthy. Not that she expected the baby to come soon, her doctor had quickly added, but anything *was* possible. Afterwards she also advised Sydney to continue working on her breathing exercises and to pay attention to her body, basically no overdoing it.

Wednesday night the rain finally let up and the roads started to dry. All of the grass, which had started to turn brown and die, was instantly brought to life. The next morning Sydney decided to go in late to work, putting on her headphones as she started to walk through the park. She reasoned that she didn't have much to do at SD-6 anyway. Her Father was handling anything crucial. At thirty-four weeks pregnant she was close to being put out of commission, and had been surprised when her doctor had allowed her to return to work.

The truth was she wasn't even sure if she wanted to be at SD-6 anymore. She knew there was a possibility that if she left she would never walk in again, although she was still determined to be there at the take down. What was there for her to do now that she was no longer an operative? Fill out paperwork and laugh at Marshall's sweet attempts to amuse her? Everything in her life was now a waiting game. Waiting to hear about the latest take down, waiting to go into labor, waiting to give birth, waiting for the Alliance to come crashing down and the rest of her life to begin. She had never considered that starting a new chapter of her life would require so much waiting before hand.

Once she returned to her home from her brisk walk she felt slightly more pumped up. Much to her despair, she walked into SD-6 full of energy and was sent away to work on computer files. Sitting at the computer, her fingers typed away, she found herself working on the various exercises they had taught her in childbirth class. Although she was alone in the room, she forced herself to hide to smile on her face at how ridiculous it seemed. Better now then never, she reasoned as she printed out her latest assignment.

That Friday her Father took her out to dinner after class to celebrate. They had grown closer over the eight-week class. Once in a while, her Father would even smile at her. Over dinner they spoke about the nursery, the class - including the graphic video of a birth that had been shown that evening - how her friends were doing, even about the Lakers and the Kings. Jack thought Will and Francie's bet was quite humorous, and refused to cave into Sydney's pleas to know the gender. His daughter had survived thirty-four weeks without knowing, she could certainly survive the last six.

By Sunday night, the nursery was completely done. The five friends stood in the doorway, admiring their hard work. "This place is really beautiful," Jennie said.

"It really is," Sydney agreed with a smile. Everything was together, the curtains were hung, the mobile was hanging over the crib, and the diaper genie was well settled next to the changing table. Will had moved the swing into the closet for Sydney to decide what to do with once the baby was born. The black antique pram, which her Father had kept in storage, was waiting to be used in the same closet. There was a hamper by the closet and a plastic baby bathtub resting the closet.

"There's still so much to buy though," Francie reminded them with a sigh. Sydney nodded, knowing her best friend had a reason. They still needed blankets, pacifiers, bottles and baby clothes. The car seat they had bought still needed to be installed and she still needed to pack a diaper bag and her hospital bag.

"There's still time Syd. There's enough to do to keep you from going out of your mind," Charlie warmly offered.

"I hope so," she quietly agreed. Briefly her thoughts turned to Vaughn and Charlotte's baby shower, wondering how that had gone. They all turned around and she gently shut the door, leaving the nursery in peace while it was still available. Soon enough a newborn would inhabit that room and all pretense of quiet would be lost. "I have to go see my doctor again on Wednesday," she sighed as she sat down on the sofa.

"Why? Is everything okay Syd?" Francie asked, concern plainly written on her features.

"Everything's fine," she shrugged. "This week I'll be thirty five weeks along, from now on she wants to see me on a weekly basis to check my prognosis."

"Maybe the doctor will talk some sense into you and you'll leave work." Will muttered as Sydney sent him a glare. Although part of her wanted to leave work, the other part knew she'd feel completely helpless if she weren't even in the building. Plus, debating work with her friends was a can of worms she would just assume avoid.

"I want to stay there as long as I can. What am I going to do when I leave work, sit around here and go out of my mind?"

"You could come down to the restaurant, I'll keep you company. Free food," Francie suggested as Sydney smiled.

"Let's just see what the doctor says, okay? Let's go shopping next weekend too, okay?"
"We'll start getting things together to pack your labor bag too." Francie eagerly proposed as she nodded.

"Okay, we'll do that next weekend," she agreed, smiling at the thought. Normal time with her friends, what else could she ask for?




Before she could savor the normal time with her friends, the reality of the life she lived kicked back into gear. Late Tuesday night she was beeped into SD-6. Sloane had paged them all into a late night meeting to inform them that yet another of their 'allies' in Berlin had collapsed. This time they had put up a fight, and crossfire ensued. Sydney found her heart contracting briefly when Sloane triumphantly told them that some of the 'enemy' had been shot. Dixon had to leave immediately for a flight to Berlin on a mission to reclaim one item - to claim a CD labeled 'Family Tree'. Other then that, they were dismissed.

"No agents were fatally wounded in the raid in Berlin," her Father explained as they sat in the warehouse alone late Wednesday evening.

"Good."

"There was one agent critically wounded, but now he's expected to make a full recovery."

"What's this 'Family Tree' disk that Sloane's so insistent on having returned?"

"The CIA confiscated it with the remainder of SD-7's files and CD's. They had to bring in Tech to make the file run. Linguistics is just starting to decode it, but it appears to be the Alliance family tree, dating back to the very start of the Alliance."

"Sloane didn't already tell you what was on the disk?" She questioned, obviously surprised.

"He didn't know."

"So they're keeping secrets from one another.

"Yes, apparently more secrets then Arvin originally suspected." Jack said blankly. "You had another appointment with Dr. Knight today?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Just a regular check up. One a week now that I'm so close," she shrugged. "This morning I actually thought the baby might be on it's way." She remembered, laughing softly at herself.

"Is everything okay then?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "The baby's dropped, so the baby's lower and more in position for me to give birth, which means the baby's farther from my lungs and my ribs. Plus, I've had a couple of Braxton Hicks," she explained.

"Braxton Hicks?" Jack questioned, an eyebrow slightly raised. Throughout all of his training, he wasn't sure of what those were. The term sounded familiar, but he couldn't be entirely sure. Given the circumstance, he would rather ask and be certain then remain in the dark.

"They're when my stomach contracts a little. They don't hurt, not really, it's just my body starting to get ready for labor," she shrugged. "I'll be fine Dad. I remember what Nancy told us, it's not really labor until the pain is so bad that you can't talk through it."

"Perhaps you should begin your maternity leave, you need your rest -"

"Dad, I'm fine." She cut him off. "Really, I am feeling fine. I'm sure that Dr. Knight will tell me when it's time to call it quits. I feel well enough to come in and sit at a desk a few hours a day. Sitting in a debriefing makes me more useful as opposed to just sitting in my apartment all day."

"It's your decision," he agreed, albeit hesitantly. While he didn't dare bring it up, he remembered Laura leaving work around Valentines Day of 1974, and Sydney wasn't born until April 17th. As much as he worried, he knew better then to oppose her choices too loudly. Jack had complete confidence in his daughter's ability to be a wonderful Mother, and he didn't want her to question that if he began to question what she decided.

Sydney smiled at him, hoping to ease his fears as she finished eating.



**Sydney felt surprisingly light as air as she walked through the doors of SD-6. What instantly alarmed her, however, was the eerie silence her ears met. There wasn't a single person in sight, no one was at his or her desks, and not even a phone was ringing. She continued to walk through the offices, searching for one of her coworkers. Eventually she walked towards Sloane's office and opened the door.

Her heart skipped a beat and dropped to her stomach when she walked in. Sitting on one side of the room was Vaughn, holding a yellow bundle close to him.

The baby, her heart realized as she swallowed hard. Looking on the other side of the room, she was met with Sloane's disgusting smirk as he held a gun in the direction of Vaughn and the baby. "Sydney, I told you that certain sacrifices are necessary to preserve the agency. You wouldn't want to ruin the agency, would you Sydney?" Sloane asked her, his finger waiting on the trigger.

"Please, please don't do this - "

"I have no choice Sydney. The agency *must* be preserved at all costs. You've known that all along, and you've made foolish decisions. Now, you have to pay for them."

Before she could react, the gun went off, whizzing in the direction of her family - **

"NO!" Sydney screamed as she sat up in bed. Her heart was racing and she felt her face covered in a stream of tears she must have cried in her sleep. Looking down at herself she was reassured to see that she was still safely pregnant. All it had been was a nightmare.

Lying back on the bed, she rested her hands on her stomach and forced her heart to calm down. Everything was okay, she was fine, the baby was fine, and Vaughn was -

Was Vaughn fine? She wondered as she sat back up. Given her current situation, it wasn't as though she could just look over on the other side of the bed and find out. Without thought, she reached over and picked up the phone, dialing the number she knew by heart.

Fifteen minutes later she was walking into the warehouse. The dream had been so vivid that she just left the house after she called him, not even bothering to wash her face, just putting on her slippers. What was the point, her feet were sore and she just spent the car ride crying. The dream was the embodiment of all her greatest fears. When she stepped inside the warehouse, she met his eyes, not even speaking.

Vaughn's eyes shone with concern as she approached him. She had obviously been crying recently, and whatever had upset her was so traumatic that she hadn't bothered to change into clothes. Walking over to him, she let out a sigh of relief as she neared, resting her forehead against his shoulder for support. Having her there in, basically in his arms, without knowing what had been the source of her pain and grief. Whatever it was had to be substantial enough for her to call him in to a meeting at two in the morning, especially since she needed her sleep even more then he did. Regardless of her reasons, he did the only thing he could think of and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her lower back as he attempted to massage it.

"I didn't call you for a late night back massage," she laughed as she looked up into his eyes. "I had another nightmare," she conceded.

"*Another*?" He asked. He had known she wasn't sleeping well at night, but he hadn't known that she was having nightmares as well.

"You were at SD-6," she started to explain, pulling back so she could explain. "The office was empty, until I got to Sloane's office. Then I saw you holding the baby, sitting across the room from Sloane," she remembered with a sigh. "It was horrible."

"It was just a dream," he gently reminded her as his hands worked magic on her sore back. "The baby's fine, your fine, I'm fine. Everyone's fine," he softly reassured her.

"What if we don't stay that way?" She proposed. "What if Sloane - "

"Nothing's going to happen to any of us." He insisted, his eyebrow raising slightly as he made the promise. "Your Father and I would not let that happen."

"Okay," she sighed, resting her head against his shoulder one more time, soaking in all the warm comfort she could.

"It's almost over," he reminded her.

"Right, it's almost over." She echoed as he dared to plant a brief kiss on her head.

How April managed to arrive so quickly the following Thursday was a mystery to Sydney. For her it seemed like just yesterday she was sitting at Francie and Charlie's anniversary party, having just learned she was pregnant. That was eight months ago, and her baby would be there within a few days. She got a message on her machine the morning of Friday the 2nd that two girls in her childbirth class had already had their babies, both boys. Soon enough, she reminded herself, and SD-6 and her pregnancy would both be over.

"I can't believe your doctor is still letting you work," Francie said in disbelief. It was the first Friday of the April, and with the message on her machine that morning telling her two of her childbirth classmates had given birth, Sydney realized there was so much to do. Since Sloane had given her and Dixon a half a day, she had met Francie back at the house and they were starting to pack her hospital bag and the diaper bag.

"I go back next Friday Francie, she'll probably make me stop then. I'll be thirty seven weeks by then."

"I can't believe that on Monday you'll be thirty seven weeks pregnant and the baby could come at any time."

"It is unbelievable," she smiled in agreement.

"Let's see," Francie sat down on the bed and looked at her list. If a person could ever be a pregnancy coordinator, her best friend would be perfect for the job. If it was important to the pregnancy or Sydney's health, there was a good chance Francie had a list ready to go over or an article in tow to share with you. Now if only she had been more organized with her wedding, Sydney remembered with a smile. "Do you have a nightgown, robe and slippers?"

"Yep, the most comfortable ones I own," Sydney nodded, placing the mentioned items into her duffel.

"Favorite pillow?"

"I'll grab it before I go, I still need it on the bed to sleep with," she explained as her friend nodded.

"Okay. Music for labor?"

"Check," she said, slipping the mixed CD Will had made for her into the side compartment.

"Crackers and raisins for post-labor snacking?"

"They're in the kitchen, don't want them to go bad in my bag."

"Understandable," her friend nodded. "Toiletries?"

"Got them," she agreed.

"Something comfortable for you to go home in?"

"My Bruin's sweatpants, t-shirt and sweatshirt included so I'm prepared for any weather," Sydney beamed proudly as Francie laughed.

"Good, it's April, you never know what the weather will be like." She commented as she checked it off of her list. "Okay, an outfit, cap and blanket for the baby?"

"All set," she nodded as she zipped up the duffel and placed it in the corner of her bedroom. "We'll do the diaper bag in a second, okay? I just need to rest my bag for a second," she explained as she sat down. Sydney allowed her eyes to shut for a second as she breathed through the Braxton-Hicks contractions. They certainly didn't cause the pain she expected real contractions too, but they were annoying.

Suddenly, her beeper went off as Francie sighed. Sydney picked it up and made a face. "I have to go Francie, it's the bank 9-1-1."

"Okay," Francie agreed, helping her friend off the bed. "Call me later, okay? We can work on the diaper bag tomorrow then okay?"

"That'd be great," she smiled and hugged her friend. Grabbing her keys and her coat, she waddled as quickly as she could out of the bedroom.

Dixon was also in the conference room when Sydney walked in, looking just as perplexed as she felt. Marshall sat across the table, smiling nervously at them. Due to his bubbly, sweet personality, he had been taking the brunt of Sloane's recent outbursts. Seconds later, when her Father and Sloane walked in, both with somber expressions, she knew instantly what had occurred.

Sloane grabbed the remote, flipping on the monitor and sitting. Jack remained standing and began to speak. "This evening our offices in Paris were invaded and dissembled. Paris is where we kept our formulas for several deadly viruses as well as the antidotes." He explained, sliding a black folder across the table to Dixon. "You leave tonight. Your mission is to reclaim the formulas. They're all on a disk kept in a vault on the 2nd sublevel. Marshall I trust you can brief Mr. Dixon on the necessary technology in your office."

"Yes, sir," Marshall nodded, quickly standing, happy to be out of the hostile environment. Dixon glanced at his partner briefly before walking out of the room.

"Sydney," Sloane said, turning his eyes towards her for the first time during the meeting. "As one of SD-6's best field operatives, I trust that once you return from your maternity leave you'll be eager to help us take down whatever bastards are doing this to us."

"Of course," she said solemnly with a nod.

"Emily's been asking about you, how are you feeling?"

"Fine," she forced a smile.

"Good," he smiled. The image of the same disgusting smile from her dream sent shivers of disgust down her spine. "I trust you'll take it easy. Take the rest of the day off," he suggested as she stood. "Sydney?" He called, as she was halfway to the door.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around to look at him.

"Don't worry, I promise we'll get whatever bastards are doing this to us."

Sydney forced another smile and nod as she walked out of the room.

"The three cells left are the three most profitable and successful cells in all of the Alliance," her Father explained to them as she sat in the warehouse that evening with Vaughn."SD-6 is by far the strongest cell, although Arvin's power at the table has been waning for quite some time. The cell that the CIA intends to target next is in New York, SD-5. They won't be raiding that cell until later in the month. After New York they'll be heading to London, but that won't be until sometime next month."

"Sloane doesn't have any idea who it is?" Sydney asked as her Father shook his head.
"The newest theory is that it's various former members of K-Directorate and other Alliance enemies who have created their own organization and are strategically dissembling the Alliance."

"He doesn't suspect me of anything though?"

"No, actually today he was talking about how lucky we were to have such a reliable, trust worthy agent such as you at SD-6." Jack offered as his daughter held back a snort.

"Using the clock you gave Sloane for Christmas we were able to pick up the information on where the formulas were in Paris and plant a similar copy for Dixon to find." Vaughn explained.

"I'm meeting with Sloane for a budget meeting in an hour," Jack explained as he grabbed his briefcase. "I'll see you at work?" He asked his daughter, who nodded. Offering Vaughn a nod of the head, he turned and walked out of the warehouse.

"How was the baby shower?" She asked, realizing she had never asked him.

"Fine," he shrugged. "Lots of crepe paper." He smirked.

"Pink?"

"No, yellow." He corrected as she laughed. "Diapers were a big hit."

"Good," she smiled and nodded. "Francie was helping me pack my bag this morning when I got called into work. I promised I'd have dinner with her at the restaurant to make up for it, so I better go."

"Okay," he nodded in understanding. They shared a smile one more time before Sydney slowly stood up and waddled out of the warehouse.

The following Friday, April 9th. Francie called her early in the morning to ask if she wanted someone to go to the doctors with her, and to remind her that there was only sixteen days until her due date - then again, she thought wryly as she dressed, who's counting? Everything in her body ached as she slipped on her shoes, praying that they were a matching pair. Those days she couldn't even see her feet, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to. Most night she had them soaking, attempting to bring the swelling down. They were so swollen that she had had to buy new shoes half a size bigger then her regular shoes and in a wide size.

Sydney's doctor's appointment wasn't until the early afternoon. Going in to SD-6 at least kept her mind busy, she mused. Sloane loved to pick her brain, asking her opinion on security procedures and various other things. He was surprisingly pleasant to her in those days, always asking how she was doing and telling her how Emily was doing. He had even insisted that as soon as the baby arrived, he and Emily would come in to see him or her, since Emily was just bubbling with excitement. Try as she might, she couldn't shake his mind of that notion. Luckily her Father would be there in the hospital, and Sydney *did* want Emily to be able to meet her child. Hopefully, by the time this was all done, she could still keep Emily in her life in some way.

Kicking her feet back and forth, Sydney sat on the doctor's table anxiously waiting for her to come in. She had arrived nearly a half hour ago, had given her necessary samples and was now waiting. At least in the exam room she wasn't forced to see all the young, happy couples preparing for their own arrival. While she realized that she no longer classified as a super spy, she was still very much a solo Mommy.

"Thirty seven weeks already, Sydney, amazing, isn't it?" The doctor smiled at her as she walked in. Grabbing her chair, she sat down facing her patient.

"It's gone by awful quickly." She agreed. The quickest and yet longest thirty-seven weeks of her life, but she suspected every Mother felt that way, even if they weren't working to tear down an internationally dangerous organization in their spare time.

"You've only gained eighteen pounds, you should be proud of yourself," she smiled as Sydney nodded. "You're already fully engaged . . . How've you been feeling?"

"Fine," she shrugged. "My back hurts and my feet are swollen. My Braxton Hicks seem to be more regularly . . . Just tired." She confessed.

"Sydney, I'd like you to stop working today." She said as Sydney sighed. "I know that you've been insistent that you wanted to keep working, but I feel that right now it's in the best interest of both you and your baby to rest. I'd also suggest you make sure your car seat is installed in the car, because it could be any day now," she smiled.

"So no more work." She said softly.

"No more work," the doctor agreed. "I've already contacted Sloane and he knows you won't be returning today or Monday. You need your rest Sydney, your baby's just waiting for the moment to strike and then he or she will be here."

"Thank you doctor," she smiled as she stepped off of the table.

"I'd like to see you next Friday. Remember what we talked about, if you start having pain and it gets to be too much, just head over to the hospital and I'll meet you there."

Sydney smiled and nodded, relieved to be alone to change.

Later that night Sydney found herself in the warehouse for what she suspected could be one of the last times. Certainly the last time before she had her baby. There was no place comfortable to sit, and as much as she hated to admit it, now that she was officially out of work there was no legitimate reasons for her to meet with Vaughn. He walked into the warehouse, still in his suit, looking purely professional.

"I'm out." She said solemnly. His expression was one of confusion and worry before she continued. "The doctor doesn't want me to return to work anymore. This is it for me. " She shrugged. "I'm out."

"You need your rest Syd, I have to agree with the doctor."

"If anything happens with SD-6 -"

"Both your Father and I will contact you if anything comes up." He promised. "You'll call me if something happens - "

"Promise," she nodded with a smile.

"So . . " He looked around, feeling suddenly awkward. What did he do now, what could he possibly say? There was no way to make this better, and he couldn't make her promises he couldn't keep. Things hadn't been this awkward between them since their meeting after their first romantic encounter. "Get some rest, okay?" He advised.

"I will," she nodded. "I should go, I'm supposed to get pizza with Will and Jennie . ." She shrugged.

"Take care," he called as she looked at him one more time before walking out of the warehouse, leaving his heart breaking in her path.

That night when she told her friends she was out of work, there was a surprising cry of joy. They had all been advising her to leave for weeks, and now that she was forced to they were relieved. Much to her chagrin they were already making plans on who would be with Sydney during the day, since no one dared to leave her alone. Rolling her eyes, she dealt they money and reminded them to play the game. Taking her little blue husband a few moments after the game began, she quietly named him Michael and thought back to Vaughn.

Saturday morning her friends were once again over. Will and Charlie spent nearly an hour installing the car seat, showing Sydney how to lift it out of the older so she could carry the baby in it. Afterwards Sydney put her hospital bag, pillow and the baby's diaper bag into the car, reasoning that it's better to be safe then sorry. Jennie made them pancakes and they sat around watching cartoons and debating baby names ("Pepper Ann?" Sydney asked, trying not to choke on her food. "Will, I'm *not* naming my baby after a redheaded preadolescent on a Disney morning cartoon, no matter how good the cartoon may be!"). Having them over made the day go by faster and made the cramps and aches that grew worse as the hours pass seem less important. They played Life and Jennie practiced her closing argument on her friends, nervous about having to present it Tuesday morning in court. Will told them all about his story in Texas as well as about his upcoming trip to Sacramento.

"The new Brad Pitt movie is showing at the Cineplex at 9:30," Francie realized as they sat eating dinner. "Let's go see it!"

"Brad Pitt, I'm there." Jennie agreed, taking another bite of her dinner.

"Who else is in the movie?" Will asked.

"Sandra Bullock," Jennie remembered.

"Nah, anyone else?" Charlie asked, squinting his nose.

"Halle Berry." Francie added.

"We're there," Will and Charlie agreed in unison as Sydney laughed.

"Syd, c'mon, you've got to come!" Francie insisted.

"Fran, I don't know, I haven't been feeling too -"

"It'll be fun! C'mon, one movie will be fun! It'll kill some time and it's *Brad Pitt*, life doesn't get much better then that!" Jennie insisted.

"I'll buy you as much chocolate as you want Syd," Will gently promised.

"Really?" Sydney asked, laughing at her own eagerness. "Okay, okay, I'll go."

Francie drove Sydney's car and they left her house around quarter to nine. Her friends had been right, she felt better even just being out of the house with them. They debated the music, shared embarrassing stories and listened to half a dozen of Will and Charlie's lame jokes. Arriving at the theatre, they waited in a short line for popcorn, soda and Will bought Sydney the biggest Hershey bar the concession stand offered. Then shortly after nine they walked into the dimmed, nearly empty theatre, starting to walk down the aisle to find a seat. After insisting she'd take the aisle, Sydney waited for her friends to sit and then started to lower herself into her own chair.

Seconds after she sat down she closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. The stomach and back cramps that she had started with earlier in the day were now terrible pains. Her stomach felt tied up in knots and her back hurt so badly it burned. Deep down she wondered if this was the pain Nancy had spoken about. Closing her eyes, white stars burst in front of her eyes like a supernova from the pain.

"Syd? Are you okay?" Will asked as she felt Francie's hand cover hers.

"Syd, sweetie, what's wrong?" Francie asked. Inside her sneakers, Sydney felt her toes curl as she did the breathing exercises that she had been taught. Opening her eyes, she saw that her friends looked as panicked as she was beginning to feel.

"Sydney, is it time?" Jennie asked. So focused on alleviating her own pain she couldn't speak, instead she nodded.

"Okay, okay, it's time," Will jumped out of his seat so quickly he almost fell over his own feet.

"Will!" Francie hissed. "C'mon Syd, you're going to be okay," she said gently, standing and then starting to help her friend. "Jennie, could you help -"

"Got it," her friend nodded. Jennie and Francie walked on either side of her, helping her up the aisle as Will fumbled for his cell phone and started to dial Jack's phone number.

"T-t-too soon?" Sydney asked in panic as Francie shook her head.

"No Syd, you're thirty seven weeks, it's not too early, everything's going to be fine," she gently insisted.

"P-p-promise?" She asked, knowing her best friend would never purposely lead her astray.

"Your Dad will be there, we'll all be waiting, and everything's going to be great." Francie promised.

"You're going to be a Mom Syd," Jennie sweetly reminded her. Sydney smiled, her eyes slipping shut once again at the pain as they continued to lead her out to the car.