The rest of the evening seemed to fly by, and all too soon, it was over.
Sydney couldn't help but worry that the level of semi-comfort she and her
father had gained over the last couple hours would disappear as soon as
they returned to the hotel. She shivered slightly in the cool London night,
wrapping her coat more tightly around her. She had been waiting outside for
Jack to finish paying for about five minutes, and was beginning to get
bored.
Deciding to occupy herself, Sydney began studying the people that passed her on the sidewalk. A young couple immediately caught her eye. They were strolling arm in arm, laughing at some private joke. They seemed surrounded by a magical bubble, one that completely separated them from the rest of the world.
I wish I could have that, she thought. In an attempt to block out the face that immediately came to mind in reaction to that thought, she abruptly switched her attention from the couple to a cab, which had stopped across the street. That was when her world stopped turning.
* * *
Vaughn sighed as he received more jabs about his relationship with Sydney. For CIA agents, they seemed to be getting too much enjoyment out of torturing him about something that was directly against any protocol they could possibly dream up. Looking each of them in the eye, he started, "For the last time. There is nothing -,"
He trailed off as his eyes moved toward the doorway. Sydney stood there, face pale and drawn. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and still shone with unshed tears. Before he could think about it, Vaughn was moving toward her, enveloping her into a hug. He knew what the others must have been thinking, but at that point, their opinions were irrelevant to him. All that mattered was the seemingly broken woman in his arms.
"What's wrong?" he asked gently, mentally preparing himself for whatever she was about to tell him. But her words surprised him more than he could have imagined they would, and he gripped her even closer to him.
"Mom. She's here."
* * *
Jack walked briskly down the hotel corridor, ignoring the scandalized looks he received as he brushed by those in his way. He reached the door to penthouse 1, and was only mildly surprised to see a sliver of pale light from underneath.
After sending Sydney home in a cab, he had spent the last three hours tailing Irina Derevko. As much as he would have liked his daughter's company, his concern for her outweighed how much of an asset she might be.
He swiped his key card. Quickly and opened the door. The television cast a blue glow over the otherwise dark room. Weiss, Palmer and Duncan were asleep in various positions on the pullout couches. Judging by the TV remote still clutched in Weiss' hand, they had fallen asleep watching television. Moving his attention to the kitchen area, he saw Sydney and Vaughn at the table, playing what appeared to be a game of poker. Neither had noticed Jack's presence yet.
"You're bluffing," Vaughn was saying, as he eyed her carefully. He had gone down to the hotel gift shop looking for something to distract Sydney until her father returned, knowing that she would want to wait up for him. They had been playing cards ever since.
She almost smiled at his reaction. Almost. Despite his efforts to distract her, which were greatly appreciated, the knowledge that her mother was somewhere out there, possibly in the same hotel as her, was constantly nagging at the back of her mind. Attempting to push her worries aside until her father returned, she said indignantly, "No, I am not!"
Vaughn quirked an eyebrow at her, knowing quite well that she was. While they were both trained in the art of deception, it was apparent that their training didn't extend to each other. Although he had already had some notion of this development, the fact that it applied to even the small things was something that made him really think about the accusations from earlier. Perhaps Weiss and the rest hadn't been too far off.
Jack cleared his throat, and the pair looked up quickly, instantly back in CIA agent mode.
"What did you find out?" Sydney demanded. Her mother was here, and there was no way that Sydney could just do nothing. That woman had caused her life to be turned completely upside down so many times . caused Vaughn's life to be turned upside down.. And all the other families of those CIA agents. Anything that she could possibly do to keep more people from getting hurt had to be done.
Through the myriad of emotions that flashed across her face, Jack saw for the first time how incredibly worn out his daughter was. Defeated. A twinge of regret struck him. That Sydney had to live this life, that she couldn't have escaped it. He felt it too, sometimes. The exhaustion that came from knowing that the end was nowhere near in sight. If he had one wish, it would be that Sydney had never had to know that feeling.
"I'll tell you in the morning. You should get some sleep."
Sydney looked at the clock, and realized for the first time how late it was. The numbers suggestively flashing 2:30 made her yawn. Nodding in resignation, she stood and muttered a quiet goodnight, before leaving the room.
A moment of silence passed before Vaughn said quietly, "You're planning something, aren't you."
It was more of a statement than a question. Jack stared at the younger agent steadily, before answering, "Am I to assume that we can count on your assistance?"
"The CIA will never agree to any course of action."
"I realize this."
Vaughn nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
Deciding to occupy herself, Sydney began studying the people that passed her on the sidewalk. A young couple immediately caught her eye. They were strolling arm in arm, laughing at some private joke. They seemed surrounded by a magical bubble, one that completely separated them from the rest of the world.
I wish I could have that, she thought. In an attempt to block out the face that immediately came to mind in reaction to that thought, she abruptly switched her attention from the couple to a cab, which had stopped across the street. That was when her world stopped turning.
* * *
Vaughn sighed as he received more jabs about his relationship with Sydney. For CIA agents, they seemed to be getting too much enjoyment out of torturing him about something that was directly against any protocol they could possibly dream up. Looking each of them in the eye, he started, "For the last time. There is nothing -,"
He trailed off as his eyes moved toward the doorway. Sydney stood there, face pale and drawn. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and still shone with unshed tears. Before he could think about it, Vaughn was moving toward her, enveloping her into a hug. He knew what the others must have been thinking, but at that point, their opinions were irrelevant to him. All that mattered was the seemingly broken woman in his arms.
"What's wrong?" he asked gently, mentally preparing himself for whatever she was about to tell him. But her words surprised him more than he could have imagined they would, and he gripped her even closer to him.
"Mom. She's here."
* * *
Jack walked briskly down the hotel corridor, ignoring the scandalized looks he received as he brushed by those in his way. He reached the door to penthouse 1, and was only mildly surprised to see a sliver of pale light from underneath.
After sending Sydney home in a cab, he had spent the last three hours tailing Irina Derevko. As much as he would have liked his daughter's company, his concern for her outweighed how much of an asset she might be.
He swiped his key card. Quickly and opened the door. The television cast a blue glow over the otherwise dark room. Weiss, Palmer and Duncan were asleep in various positions on the pullout couches. Judging by the TV remote still clutched in Weiss' hand, they had fallen asleep watching television. Moving his attention to the kitchen area, he saw Sydney and Vaughn at the table, playing what appeared to be a game of poker. Neither had noticed Jack's presence yet.
"You're bluffing," Vaughn was saying, as he eyed her carefully. He had gone down to the hotel gift shop looking for something to distract Sydney until her father returned, knowing that she would want to wait up for him. They had been playing cards ever since.
She almost smiled at his reaction. Almost. Despite his efforts to distract her, which were greatly appreciated, the knowledge that her mother was somewhere out there, possibly in the same hotel as her, was constantly nagging at the back of her mind. Attempting to push her worries aside until her father returned, she said indignantly, "No, I am not!"
Vaughn quirked an eyebrow at her, knowing quite well that she was. While they were both trained in the art of deception, it was apparent that their training didn't extend to each other. Although he had already had some notion of this development, the fact that it applied to even the small things was something that made him really think about the accusations from earlier. Perhaps Weiss and the rest hadn't been too far off.
Jack cleared his throat, and the pair looked up quickly, instantly back in CIA agent mode.
"What did you find out?" Sydney demanded. Her mother was here, and there was no way that Sydney could just do nothing. That woman had caused her life to be turned completely upside down so many times . caused Vaughn's life to be turned upside down.. And all the other families of those CIA agents. Anything that she could possibly do to keep more people from getting hurt had to be done.
Through the myriad of emotions that flashed across her face, Jack saw for the first time how incredibly worn out his daughter was. Defeated. A twinge of regret struck him. That Sydney had to live this life, that she couldn't have escaped it. He felt it too, sometimes. The exhaustion that came from knowing that the end was nowhere near in sight. If he had one wish, it would be that Sydney had never had to know that feeling.
"I'll tell you in the morning. You should get some sleep."
Sydney looked at the clock, and realized for the first time how late it was. The numbers suggestively flashing 2:30 made her yawn. Nodding in resignation, she stood and muttered a quiet goodnight, before leaving the room.
A moment of silence passed before Vaughn said quietly, "You're planning something, aren't you."
It was more of a statement than a question. Jack stared at the younger agent steadily, before answering, "Am I to assume that we can count on your assistance?"
"The CIA will never agree to any course of action."
"I realize this."
Vaughn nodded. "What do you need me to do?"