A/N: Ok so right now I'm sure you all want to kill me because it's been at
least a week since I've updated . . . Blame school and my parents (who
think that every time I type a new chapter I'm actually doing my creative
writing homework . . . Yeah Right!) But here it is! Hey I got 50 reviews!
That is soooo cool! I think that this story is going to have like this
chapter and then one more . . . because the bad stuff is coming, though I
SUCK at action writing so it won't be much, just something I thought I'd
try . . . and then I have a third part to this whole debacle that already
has 3 chapters written, or almost three. I just need to know if you are
still interested in it. Let me know! Oh, I own nothing, as always. PLEASE
REVIEW! - Secret Agent Girl
CHAPTER 6 - STARTING OVER
The door slung open as barks rang through the house. "I FOUND IT!" Her voice echoed off the walls. "Michael?! Michael!" She shut the door and ran into the bedroom where she found her husband sitting on the bed, pen between his teeth and a stack of papers on his lap. She was amazed that he didn't even look up, then she noticed the headphones in his ears blasting music.
She smiled and ran to the bed, jumping on it and startling him. "GEEZ!" He jumped and removed the headphones. "You scared me to death, Sydney!"
She leaned up and kissed him, never loosing her smile. "Hi. Sorry. *But*, I've found it!"
"Found what?"
"The perfect home! It's about 2 hours from here and, oh Mike, I swear it's perfect!"
"Is that where you've been all day?"
She nodded. "Mm-hmm. *And* the local high school is looking for an English Lit teacher for next year. It's only just July, so I'd have plenty of time to be prepared." He smiled at her eagerness. Ever since they had come home from their honeymoon in Rome, she had been working non-stop at finding a new place to live and a new job. He understood her eagerness to start their life, together, away from everything that had held them back in the past.
"Ok. Well, I still haven't any idea what I'm going to do Syd. So before we move 2 hours away, I think I should figure that out, don't you? Because I love you but I am not commuting two hours one way everyday."
She smiled. "Well what did you study in school?
"Law."
"Well, then, there you go! You could work at a firm or start your own small practice. You can do anything!" He smiled and she giggled.
"Well, I have tomorrow off so we can go look at this house of yours." He grasped her hand and pulled her towards him, capturing her lips with his own.
She moved onto his lap, when Donovan began to bark and whine. "Hmm." She pulled away and giggled. "I think your dog needs to go out."
"Dumb dog. Always picks the worst times to have to go out." He smiled and she slid off his lap. "Don't go anywhere. I want to finish that when I get back." She smiled as he left the room. She heard him muttering his dislike at the dog as they left.
The next morning, they woke and prepared to go see the house Sydney had seen the day before. When they arrived, Sydney jumped out of the car and stood before it as Vaughn came next to her. "Didn't I tell you?"
"You're right. It's perfect." He smiled.
It was a medium sized home with a good sized yard, perfect for Donovan. It had a fairly large kitchen and a living room with a fireplace, as well as a good sized dinning room. It also had an extra room that could be considered a study on the first floor. ON the second floor there was a master bedroom and bathroom as well as a smaller bathroom, though it was a full bath compared to the half bath on the first floor. The second floor also contained tow extra bedrooms, one slightly larger than the other. As they wandered around Vaughn fell in love with it just as Sydney had.
"What do you think, babe?" Sydney turned to Vaughn as they made their way home.
"I think it's perfect."
"So we can seriously look into buying it?" She didn't want to get her hopes up but it was just too easy.
"I have always trusted your instincts and wouldn't doubt them now. I loved it just as much as you." He looked at her quickly as they neared their apartment. "I think it's the exact thing we are looking for." She took that as a yes and when they arrived home, she made sure he knew her appreciation.
It was tow weeks before they became secure with the home. Sydney had worked hard at making sure everything was perfect. Between getting the house plans set, selling the apartment, and preparing for an interview with the high school, Sydney and Vaughn had spent almost no time together. When Sydney wasn't working on their plans she was preparing for the interview, or meeting with realtors or helping out Francie. While she was doing that, Vaughn had become engrossed with work at the CIA, as well as trying to plan a new ob. He had sent out many résumé's in the area to several firms and despite his original feelings that leaving the CIA would demean his original reason for entering it, to be closer to and honor his father, he was becoming excited about the prospect of a new job.
He walked through the door one evening in a great moon to find Sydney on their bed, nervously preparing for her interview the following day. Without saying a word, he walked to her and kissed her as he removed the papers from her lap. Due to their busy schedules they hadn't been together, together in two weeks. She instantly responded to his kiss and removed her glasses. "Good day at work?"
He removed his jacket, ID badges, gun, tie and shoes and threw them on the floor. "Very. You know how I was a little iffy about leaving the CIA?"
"Because of your dad, right."
"Well, I talked to Devlin. He still wants to keep me on staff for consulting. So I can move away and get a new job, while still being associated with the CIA. I just have to go to a meeting once a month or so." He kissed her again as he began to unbutton her shirt.
"Mike, I really have to get ready for tomorrow." She pulled away and reached for her papers.
He grabbed her wrist and kissed her again. "I have barely seen you in two weeks. Not only am I in a great moon because of work, but I am 100% certain that you will have *no* problems and will nail your interview." He smiled and kissed her. "You are far too tense and I am trying to get your mind off of it. *Please*, work with me here." She giggled and gave in.
When she woke the next morning she had a sense of something great. She was completely relaxed and she snuggled closer to Vaughn, her forehead resting on his chest as they slept towards each other, his arm holding her close. She felt him stir and place a kiss on the crown of her head. She arched her head up and kissed him softly. "Thank you."
"For what?" They barely spoke above a whisper.
"For making me completely tense free." He smiled and pulled her closer.
She rose and made her way to the shower. When she emerged 30 minutes later, she had her hair and makeup done and felt completely fresh and ready to face the day. She slipped on a pant suit and turned to smile at her husband, who was still in bed, watching her. "So? How do I look?"
"If my English teacher had looked like you, I would have majored in that in college."
"So I'll take that as a compliment." She smiled and he crawled to the end of the bed and grabbed her hand, bringing her down with him and capturing her in a kiss. She pulled away before getting too wrapped up in it. "Go shower and I'll make some coffee."
He whimpered as she left, giggling. He entered the kitchen 10 minutes later in jeans and a button up shirt, the top two buttons opened. She smiled as he entered and shot him a look. "That's not going to work."
He smirked. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Suuurrrreee." She droned taking a sip of coffee. "You just happen to have me push away this morning because I have to leave soon so in retaliation you wear my favorite shirt, which brings out your eyes, and you leave the top tow buttons undone. Sorry, babe, I have to leave in like 2 minutes for this interview."
He smiled and kissed her lightly. "Fine. Hey why don't I come with and then we can stop by the house and check on everything before going out to lunch."
"Hmm. Perfect."
She walked into the building with a strong sense of determination. She was going to do this. As she sat down her nerves exploded and she wanted to burst out laughing. She had been face to face with rockets about to launch, her own mother *and* father pointing a gun on her and yet she couldn't remember being as nervous as she was right now. "So much for 'super spy'" she thought as the interview began.
He sat outside the room and thought. He admired her determination to start this life and he loved her for her need and love of teaching. He had always found teaching an interesting idea but he was a trained lawyer who worked for the CIA. What place was there for him in the teaching world? He looked at the bulletin board in front of him and something caught his eye. He stood and walked to it, extracting a slip of paper. "WANTED: Law and Society teacher. Profound knowledge of the legal system required. Experience in law preferred." He read the ad out loud and placed it in his pocket. It was worth a conversation with his wife.
Sydney breathed deeply as she stood and shook the board members' hands. Everything had gone wonderfully. They informed her that she was the final candidate for that spot and she would know within the week. She smiled as she thanked them and left the room.
Her smile grew as her eyes found Vaughn sitting in a chair, outside the room, his eyes closed. She silently took the seat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, as she sighed.
His head jerked up and his eyes opened at the feeling of contact on his shoulder. He looked at the woman leaning on him and smiled. "So how did it go?"
"Great." She smiled. "I have a good feeling about this."
"I'm glad." He stood and reached for her hand. "Come on. I'll treat you to lunch/" She smiled and took his hand as she stood and they made their way to his car, hand in hand.
She glanced at Vaughn questioningly as they turned onto a street. "Michael?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are we driving towards the house?"
"Well . . ." He smiled. "We're moving in there in what, a week?" She nodded. "Well we haven't finalized any placement plans yet. So . . ." He reached the house and pulled into the driveway. He stopped the car and reached behind Sydney's seat to extract a white paper bag with the name of a deli on the front. "I figured today we could do just that. So while you were in the interview I went and got lunch."
"See, this is why I love you." She kissed him lightly before exiting the car.
"Gee, and I though it was because I'm cute." He teased as he took her hand and lead her inside their soon to be home.
They sat in the living room some time later after having discussed the plans they had for the different rooms in the house. Color swatches had been placed and the painters were arriving in tow days to begin. They sat eating lunch when Vaughn remembered the piece of paper in his pocket. He extracted it from his pocket and handed it to Sydney. "What do you think of this, Syd? I figured it would be a good thing, you know, allow me to use my law degree and be near you at the same time. It's just a thought, though."
Sydney took the ad and read it. Several different notions went through her mind before she spoke. "Personally, I think it's a great idea. You and I would be in the same building and you could use all your law skills without being in the position of having someone's life depending on you."
"Exactly. I had enough of that with you. The last thing I need to be doing is staying up all night worrying about someone else. So do you think I should go for it?"
"I do." She leaned over and kissed him gently.
"So here's what I'm thinking. You'll be here when the painters arrive on Monday right?" She nodded. "Ok. So, I have to deal with Devlin and my leaving and then I'll meet you here."
"Sounds good. They should be out of here by Friday at the latest and then we can move in here next Sunday."
"Is that a hint for me to get a move on in the packing?"
"You said it, not me. I have already packed up the guestroom, most of the living room, half of the kitchen and part of the bathroom."
"I know." He sighed. "I can take a hint. I promise we will be completely packed by Friday."
She smiled and kissed him again. "Good."
The next week was a whirl of painters and boxes/ Sydney spent most of her time at the house supervising the painting. Their kitchen was painted a soft sage green while the living room was beige to accentuate their dark furniture. The dining room was a soft peach that matched the table they had bought. Their bathrooms were a whirl of blues and whiles while the study was left with the natural wood tomes and the guest room a pale, pale mint green. The larger of the two extra bedrooms was kept white, though they both secretly thought to themselves that they hoped to paint it as a nursery one day. Of all the rooms in the house however, the hardest had been their bedroom. Vaughn's room had been masculine in navies while Sydney's room at Francie's was a simple white. They both decided that they wanted something different and ended up with a deep, but soft, burgundy with oriental touches.
When Friday came, their entire apartment was filled with boxes and the new residents would be arriving on Monday. Saturday came and both Sydney and Vaughn were saddened by the notion of leaving. They had both been offered and accepted the jobs at the high school and Vaughn had finished his final full week at the CIA.
That night, Sydney and Vaughn sat in their bare living room (the movers had already taken all of their things) and ate Chinese food out of the cartons. "This is so strange." Sydney said as she took a bite of lo mien.
"Why?" Vaughn asked, mouth full of Kung Pow Chicken.
"Because, it's our final night in this apartment. I almost don't want to leave. It's here that I was able to wake up with your arms still around me. I . . . I'm being silly, aren't I?"
"No. I understand. I feel the same way." He kissed her and they made their way to the bedroom. "But tomorrow we get to start our lives in a new place."
"That's true."
"Come here." He pulled her to him and held her close, kissing her deeply. "It's our last night here. Let's make it memorable." He smiled down at her and picked her up.
Sunday was nonstop chaos. Between making sure the movers put everything in the right room without breaking them and trying to control Donovan as well as unpacking everything, neither had much time to breath let alone rest.
At 7:30 Sydney collapsed on the couch, letting out and exhausted sigh. She was soon joined by both Vaughn and Donovan. "I am exhausted!"
Vaughn laughed as he placed his arm around her shoulder and brought her to him, her head resting on his chest as she folded her feet next to her. "Me too. We are not moving again for a *very* long time."
"Deal." She smiled. "What time is it?"
"7:37."
"Seriously?" He nodded. "Wow. I feel like I could do to bed right now and sleep for the next three days."
He smiled and picked her up. "Ok, then."
She laughed as he brought her up the stairs and they both collapsed on the bed. "This is our home, isn't it Michael?"
"Yeah, Syd, it is." He took her in his arms and she leaned against him as she peered around the room.
"This is it."
"What?"
"This is that moment I've been waiting for. The one perfect moment. This is it. I', in the arms of the man I love, in a home that I love, about to embark on a new life, with my dream job. I'm here. I've finally made it to that one perfect moment."
Vaughn smiled at his wife and kissed her. "No."
"NO?!"
"No. This isn't that *one* perfect moment. It's the *first* in a line of many. I promise."
The bell rang out through the house, shocking both Sydney and Vaughn out of their peaceful sleep. "Ah." Sydney moaned as she glanced at the clock. "Uh . . ." They both trudged out of bed and pulled on a pair of pajama pants each with Sydney grabbing a tank top. They both trudged down the stairs as the bell rang a few more times. "It's 8:30!" Sydney cried as they neared the door. "Who ever it is, I am seriously thinking of setting them up a consultation with the crazy Asian Dentist." Sydney grumbled as Vaughn opened the door.
"Thanks, but I've already had one. He recommended that I have a root canal." Two faces smiled at them.
"WILL!" Sydney exclaimed as she flung herself into his arms. "FRANCIE! What are you doing here?"
"We wanted to surprise you with a house warming breakfast!" Francie said as she hugged her best friend.
"Its 8:30 and you both live two hours from here!" Sydney laughed as she ushered them inside.
"Yeah, but we love you enough to get up early and drive those two hours to see you." Will spoke as he set the boxes he had been carrying on the counter. "Hey Mike."
"Hey." Vaughn yawned as he pressed the on button on the coffee maker.
"Sorry we woke you." Francie apologized.
Vaughn leaned against the counter. He yawned as he waved his hand aside. "Don't worry about it." Francie smiled as he yawned for the third time. "I'm gonna go throw on a shirt. I'll be down in a minute."
"Grab a sweatshirt for me would ya?" Sydney called to her husbands retreating back.
"K"
"I'm so glad you're here!" Sydney cried as she got down 4 cups and began to pour the coffee as Francie opened the boxes to reveal an array of pastries and breakfast treats. "Wow. These from the restaurant?" Francie nodded.
The three friends began to chatter about the restaurant and Will's latest story when Vaughn appeared in jeans and a tee-shirt. He threw Sydney a sweatshirt as he passed by her position on the couch and went to retrieve his coffee. She giggled as she slipped on the sweatshirt. The Kings logo hung loosely around her body. "Mike, this is one of yours."
"Yeah, well, I'm tired. I got woken up early this morning by a loud bell." He joked as he sat down next to her. "I just reached in the closet and grabbed the first one I found."
"Ok." Sydney laughed as the four began to chat once again.
The four spent the day together and Sydney began to feel more and more comfortable being away from the city.
One day in mid-September, Sydney walked in the door after retrieving the mail with a somber look on her face. "What's wrong?" Vaughn asked as he took the mail from her.
"Nothing." He glared at her. "I just thought my dad might have, I don't know. It's just weird. We haven't heard from him in almost a month and that just worries me."
"You're that scared?" She nodded and he took her into his arms. "Ok, then you can come with me on Saturday for my monthly meeting with Devlin, ok?"
"Ok." She kissed him. "Thank you."
They entered the CIA headquarters together in the late morning on Saturday. While Vaughn entered his office to gather the necessities for his meeting, Sydney ventured to her father's office only to find it empty. "Where's Agent Bristow?" Sydney asked his secretary.
"I believe he is in a meeting."
"Do you know with whom?"
"I'm sorry I cannot release that info."
"I'm former Special Agent Sydney Bristow, his daughter. Can you please tell me?"
"I'm sorry." The woman shook her head.
'Ok time to play the BIG card.' Sydney thought. "Look, not only am I former Special Agent Sydney Bristow but I am also the wife of Senior Officer Michael Vaughn and I would really like to know where my father is. If you won't tell me, I'll take this up with Devlin and you can deal with him." Sydney glared at the woman though she was inwardly smiling as the woman's eyes widened with fright.
"Agent Bristow is currently in a meeting with Irena Derevko, Mrs. Vaughn."
"Thank you." Sydney's face drained of color as she walked towards the holding cells. She began to panic. Her father never *ever* went to talk to her mother except for one reason, if something was seriously wrong.
He left his office to go to his meeting, but decided to check if she had found her father first. Vaughn rounded the corner to Jack Bristow's office to find the only occupant to be his secretary. She looked at his questioningly and he realized that she had no clue as to who he was, at least from just appearances. "I'm looking for Agent Bristow." He informed her.
'You and the rest of the world.' She thought. "I'm sorry, he's in a meeting."
"With who?"
"I'm sorry that's classified."
"Is it with his daughter?"
"No. His daughter, however, was here earlier."
"Can you tell me where she went?"
"I'm sorry; she went to find Agent Bristow."
"And that would be where?" Vaughn was getting ticked; this woman was getting him nowhere.
"In a meeting."
"Look, I'm looking for Jack and Sydney. It's in your best interest to tell me where they are." He was getting worried. Where could they possibly be that was so classified?
"I'm sorry that's . . ."
"Classified, yeah I get it." He cut her off. 'Time to pull out the BIG guns.' He thought as he showed her his ID badge - Michael Vaughn, Senior Officer. "Now." He replaced his ID badge on his jacket and glared at the frightened secretary. "Do me a favor and kindly tell me where my wife and father in law are."
"In a meeting with Irena Derevko."
Vaughn silently cursed as he raced towards the holding cells. He stopped briefly in front of Devlin's secretary and spoke in a rushed manor. "Tell Devlin, Agent Vaughn is in the holding cells, family emergency." The secretary glanced at his retreating back for a moment before informing the Director.
Sydney saw her father's rigid figure standing before the glass as she approached. "Dad." She called out causing Jack to turn abruptly towards her.
"Sydney. What are you doing here?"
"I hadn't heard from you in a while so I joined Michael in his coming to LA for his meeting and was told by your secretary that you were here, though I had to get really angry and use my title as Special Agent *AND* Michael's wife before she gave it up." She noticed her mother looking at her out of the corner of her eye but she chose to ignore it. "What's going on?"
"Well . . ." Jack was about to explain when he was interrupted by a male voice.
"Syd." Vaughn called as he jogged in through the opening gates. "What's going on? Is everything ok?"
"That's what I'm about to find out. Dad . . ." She urged her father to continue.
"Well, it seems as though someone is trying to rebuild your mother's organization. One of her former employees has begun to reconstruct it."
"Who?" Sydney asked afraid of the answer.
"Sark."
A/N: HA! Cliff hanger! Well I am sorry again for the delay. I promise to have more up soon. There is only one more chapter to this story then the third installment will be on its way . . . I hate to ask but I would LOVE to get to 60 reviews before the next chapter . . . The more I get the faster I write! Show me love! - Secret Agent Girl
CHAPTER 6 - STARTING OVER
The door slung open as barks rang through the house. "I FOUND IT!" Her voice echoed off the walls. "Michael?! Michael!" She shut the door and ran into the bedroom where she found her husband sitting on the bed, pen between his teeth and a stack of papers on his lap. She was amazed that he didn't even look up, then she noticed the headphones in his ears blasting music.
She smiled and ran to the bed, jumping on it and startling him. "GEEZ!" He jumped and removed the headphones. "You scared me to death, Sydney!"
She leaned up and kissed him, never loosing her smile. "Hi. Sorry. *But*, I've found it!"
"Found what?"
"The perfect home! It's about 2 hours from here and, oh Mike, I swear it's perfect!"
"Is that where you've been all day?"
She nodded. "Mm-hmm. *And* the local high school is looking for an English Lit teacher for next year. It's only just July, so I'd have plenty of time to be prepared." He smiled at her eagerness. Ever since they had come home from their honeymoon in Rome, she had been working non-stop at finding a new place to live and a new job. He understood her eagerness to start their life, together, away from everything that had held them back in the past.
"Ok. Well, I still haven't any idea what I'm going to do Syd. So before we move 2 hours away, I think I should figure that out, don't you? Because I love you but I am not commuting two hours one way everyday."
She smiled. "Well what did you study in school?
"Law."
"Well, then, there you go! You could work at a firm or start your own small practice. You can do anything!" He smiled and she giggled.
"Well, I have tomorrow off so we can go look at this house of yours." He grasped her hand and pulled her towards him, capturing her lips with his own.
She moved onto his lap, when Donovan began to bark and whine. "Hmm." She pulled away and giggled. "I think your dog needs to go out."
"Dumb dog. Always picks the worst times to have to go out." He smiled and she slid off his lap. "Don't go anywhere. I want to finish that when I get back." She smiled as he left the room. She heard him muttering his dislike at the dog as they left.
The next morning, they woke and prepared to go see the house Sydney had seen the day before. When they arrived, Sydney jumped out of the car and stood before it as Vaughn came next to her. "Didn't I tell you?"
"You're right. It's perfect." He smiled.
It was a medium sized home with a good sized yard, perfect for Donovan. It had a fairly large kitchen and a living room with a fireplace, as well as a good sized dinning room. It also had an extra room that could be considered a study on the first floor. ON the second floor there was a master bedroom and bathroom as well as a smaller bathroom, though it was a full bath compared to the half bath on the first floor. The second floor also contained tow extra bedrooms, one slightly larger than the other. As they wandered around Vaughn fell in love with it just as Sydney had.
"What do you think, babe?" Sydney turned to Vaughn as they made their way home.
"I think it's perfect."
"So we can seriously look into buying it?" She didn't want to get her hopes up but it was just too easy.
"I have always trusted your instincts and wouldn't doubt them now. I loved it just as much as you." He looked at her quickly as they neared their apartment. "I think it's the exact thing we are looking for." She took that as a yes and when they arrived home, she made sure he knew her appreciation.
It was tow weeks before they became secure with the home. Sydney had worked hard at making sure everything was perfect. Between getting the house plans set, selling the apartment, and preparing for an interview with the high school, Sydney and Vaughn had spent almost no time together. When Sydney wasn't working on their plans she was preparing for the interview, or meeting with realtors or helping out Francie. While she was doing that, Vaughn had become engrossed with work at the CIA, as well as trying to plan a new ob. He had sent out many résumé's in the area to several firms and despite his original feelings that leaving the CIA would demean his original reason for entering it, to be closer to and honor his father, he was becoming excited about the prospect of a new job.
He walked through the door one evening in a great moon to find Sydney on their bed, nervously preparing for her interview the following day. Without saying a word, he walked to her and kissed her as he removed the papers from her lap. Due to their busy schedules they hadn't been together, together in two weeks. She instantly responded to his kiss and removed her glasses. "Good day at work?"
He removed his jacket, ID badges, gun, tie and shoes and threw them on the floor. "Very. You know how I was a little iffy about leaving the CIA?"
"Because of your dad, right."
"Well, I talked to Devlin. He still wants to keep me on staff for consulting. So I can move away and get a new job, while still being associated with the CIA. I just have to go to a meeting once a month or so." He kissed her again as he began to unbutton her shirt.
"Mike, I really have to get ready for tomorrow." She pulled away and reached for her papers.
He grabbed her wrist and kissed her again. "I have barely seen you in two weeks. Not only am I in a great moon because of work, but I am 100% certain that you will have *no* problems and will nail your interview." He smiled and kissed her. "You are far too tense and I am trying to get your mind off of it. *Please*, work with me here." She giggled and gave in.
When she woke the next morning she had a sense of something great. She was completely relaxed and she snuggled closer to Vaughn, her forehead resting on his chest as they slept towards each other, his arm holding her close. She felt him stir and place a kiss on the crown of her head. She arched her head up and kissed him softly. "Thank you."
"For what?" They barely spoke above a whisper.
"For making me completely tense free." He smiled and pulled her closer.
She rose and made her way to the shower. When she emerged 30 minutes later, she had her hair and makeup done and felt completely fresh and ready to face the day. She slipped on a pant suit and turned to smile at her husband, who was still in bed, watching her. "So? How do I look?"
"If my English teacher had looked like you, I would have majored in that in college."
"So I'll take that as a compliment." She smiled and he crawled to the end of the bed and grabbed her hand, bringing her down with him and capturing her in a kiss. She pulled away before getting too wrapped up in it. "Go shower and I'll make some coffee."
He whimpered as she left, giggling. He entered the kitchen 10 minutes later in jeans and a button up shirt, the top two buttons opened. She smiled as he entered and shot him a look. "That's not going to work."
He smirked. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Suuurrrreee." She droned taking a sip of coffee. "You just happen to have me push away this morning because I have to leave soon so in retaliation you wear my favorite shirt, which brings out your eyes, and you leave the top tow buttons undone. Sorry, babe, I have to leave in like 2 minutes for this interview."
He smiled and kissed her lightly. "Fine. Hey why don't I come with and then we can stop by the house and check on everything before going out to lunch."
"Hmm. Perfect."
She walked into the building with a strong sense of determination. She was going to do this. As she sat down her nerves exploded and she wanted to burst out laughing. She had been face to face with rockets about to launch, her own mother *and* father pointing a gun on her and yet she couldn't remember being as nervous as she was right now. "So much for 'super spy'" she thought as the interview began.
He sat outside the room and thought. He admired her determination to start this life and he loved her for her need and love of teaching. He had always found teaching an interesting idea but he was a trained lawyer who worked for the CIA. What place was there for him in the teaching world? He looked at the bulletin board in front of him and something caught his eye. He stood and walked to it, extracting a slip of paper. "WANTED: Law and Society teacher. Profound knowledge of the legal system required. Experience in law preferred." He read the ad out loud and placed it in his pocket. It was worth a conversation with his wife.
Sydney breathed deeply as she stood and shook the board members' hands. Everything had gone wonderfully. They informed her that she was the final candidate for that spot and she would know within the week. She smiled as she thanked them and left the room.
Her smile grew as her eyes found Vaughn sitting in a chair, outside the room, his eyes closed. She silently took the seat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, as she sighed.
His head jerked up and his eyes opened at the feeling of contact on his shoulder. He looked at the woman leaning on him and smiled. "So how did it go?"
"Great." She smiled. "I have a good feeling about this."
"I'm glad." He stood and reached for her hand. "Come on. I'll treat you to lunch/" She smiled and took his hand as she stood and they made their way to his car, hand in hand.
She glanced at Vaughn questioningly as they turned onto a street. "Michael?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are we driving towards the house?"
"Well . . ." He smiled. "We're moving in there in what, a week?" She nodded. "Well we haven't finalized any placement plans yet. So . . ." He reached the house and pulled into the driveway. He stopped the car and reached behind Sydney's seat to extract a white paper bag with the name of a deli on the front. "I figured today we could do just that. So while you were in the interview I went and got lunch."
"See, this is why I love you." She kissed him lightly before exiting the car.
"Gee, and I though it was because I'm cute." He teased as he took her hand and lead her inside their soon to be home.
They sat in the living room some time later after having discussed the plans they had for the different rooms in the house. Color swatches had been placed and the painters were arriving in tow days to begin. They sat eating lunch when Vaughn remembered the piece of paper in his pocket. He extracted it from his pocket and handed it to Sydney. "What do you think of this, Syd? I figured it would be a good thing, you know, allow me to use my law degree and be near you at the same time. It's just a thought, though."
Sydney took the ad and read it. Several different notions went through her mind before she spoke. "Personally, I think it's a great idea. You and I would be in the same building and you could use all your law skills without being in the position of having someone's life depending on you."
"Exactly. I had enough of that with you. The last thing I need to be doing is staying up all night worrying about someone else. So do you think I should go for it?"
"I do." She leaned over and kissed him gently.
"So here's what I'm thinking. You'll be here when the painters arrive on Monday right?" She nodded. "Ok. So, I have to deal with Devlin and my leaving and then I'll meet you here."
"Sounds good. They should be out of here by Friday at the latest and then we can move in here next Sunday."
"Is that a hint for me to get a move on in the packing?"
"You said it, not me. I have already packed up the guestroom, most of the living room, half of the kitchen and part of the bathroom."
"I know." He sighed. "I can take a hint. I promise we will be completely packed by Friday."
She smiled and kissed him again. "Good."
The next week was a whirl of painters and boxes/ Sydney spent most of her time at the house supervising the painting. Their kitchen was painted a soft sage green while the living room was beige to accentuate their dark furniture. The dining room was a soft peach that matched the table they had bought. Their bathrooms were a whirl of blues and whiles while the study was left with the natural wood tomes and the guest room a pale, pale mint green. The larger of the two extra bedrooms was kept white, though they both secretly thought to themselves that they hoped to paint it as a nursery one day. Of all the rooms in the house however, the hardest had been their bedroom. Vaughn's room had been masculine in navies while Sydney's room at Francie's was a simple white. They both decided that they wanted something different and ended up with a deep, but soft, burgundy with oriental touches.
When Friday came, their entire apartment was filled with boxes and the new residents would be arriving on Monday. Saturday came and both Sydney and Vaughn were saddened by the notion of leaving. They had both been offered and accepted the jobs at the high school and Vaughn had finished his final full week at the CIA.
That night, Sydney and Vaughn sat in their bare living room (the movers had already taken all of their things) and ate Chinese food out of the cartons. "This is so strange." Sydney said as she took a bite of lo mien.
"Why?" Vaughn asked, mouth full of Kung Pow Chicken.
"Because, it's our final night in this apartment. I almost don't want to leave. It's here that I was able to wake up with your arms still around me. I . . . I'm being silly, aren't I?"
"No. I understand. I feel the same way." He kissed her and they made their way to the bedroom. "But tomorrow we get to start our lives in a new place."
"That's true."
"Come here." He pulled her to him and held her close, kissing her deeply. "It's our last night here. Let's make it memorable." He smiled down at her and picked her up.
Sunday was nonstop chaos. Between making sure the movers put everything in the right room without breaking them and trying to control Donovan as well as unpacking everything, neither had much time to breath let alone rest.
At 7:30 Sydney collapsed on the couch, letting out and exhausted sigh. She was soon joined by both Vaughn and Donovan. "I am exhausted!"
Vaughn laughed as he placed his arm around her shoulder and brought her to him, her head resting on his chest as she folded her feet next to her. "Me too. We are not moving again for a *very* long time."
"Deal." She smiled. "What time is it?"
"7:37."
"Seriously?" He nodded. "Wow. I feel like I could do to bed right now and sleep for the next three days."
He smiled and picked her up. "Ok, then."
She laughed as he brought her up the stairs and they both collapsed on the bed. "This is our home, isn't it Michael?"
"Yeah, Syd, it is." He took her in his arms and she leaned against him as she peered around the room.
"This is it."
"What?"
"This is that moment I've been waiting for. The one perfect moment. This is it. I', in the arms of the man I love, in a home that I love, about to embark on a new life, with my dream job. I'm here. I've finally made it to that one perfect moment."
Vaughn smiled at his wife and kissed her. "No."
"NO?!"
"No. This isn't that *one* perfect moment. It's the *first* in a line of many. I promise."
The bell rang out through the house, shocking both Sydney and Vaughn out of their peaceful sleep. "Ah." Sydney moaned as she glanced at the clock. "Uh . . ." They both trudged out of bed and pulled on a pair of pajama pants each with Sydney grabbing a tank top. They both trudged down the stairs as the bell rang a few more times. "It's 8:30!" Sydney cried as they neared the door. "Who ever it is, I am seriously thinking of setting them up a consultation with the crazy Asian Dentist." Sydney grumbled as Vaughn opened the door.
"Thanks, but I've already had one. He recommended that I have a root canal." Two faces smiled at them.
"WILL!" Sydney exclaimed as she flung herself into his arms. "FRANCIE! What are you doing here?"
"We wanted to surprise you with a house warming breakfast!" Francie said as she hugged her best friend.
"Its 8:30 and you both live two hours from here!" Sydney laughed as she ushered them inside.
"Yeah, but we love you enough to get up early and drive those two hours to see you." Will spoke as he set the boxes he had been carrying on the counter. "Hey Mike."
"Hey." Vaughn yawned as he pressed the on button on the coffee maker.
"Sorry we woke you." Francie apologized.
Vaughn leaned against the counter. He yawned as he waved his hand aside. "Don't worry about it." Francie smiled as he yawned for the third time. "I'm gonna go throw on a shirt. I'll be down in a minute."
"Grab a sweatshirt for me would ya?" Sydney called to her husbands retreating back.
"K"
"I'm so glad you're here!" Sydney cried as she got down 4 cups and began to pour the coffee as Francie opened the boxes to reveal an array of pastries and breakfast treats. "Wow. These from the restaurant?" Francie nodded.
The three friends began to chatter about the restaurant and Will's latest story when Vaughn appeared in jeans and a tee-shirt. He threw Sydney a sweatshirt as he passed by her position on the couch and went to retrieve his coffee. She giggled as she slipped on the sweatshirt. The Kings logo hung loosely around her body. "Mike, this is one of yours."
"Yeah, well, I'm tired. I got woken up early this morning by a loud bell." He joked as he sat down next to her. "I just reached in the closet and grabbed the first one I found."
"Ok." Sydney laughed as the four began to chat once again.
The four spent the day together and Sydney began to feel more and more comfortable being away from the city.
One day in mid-September, Sydney walked in the door after retrieving the mail with a somber look on her face. "What's wrong?" Vaughn asked as he took the mail from her.
"Nothing." He glared at her. "I just thought my dad might have, I don't know. It's just weird. We haven't heard from him in almost a month and that just worries me."
"You're that scared?" She nodded and he took her into his arms. "Ok, then you can come with me on Saturday for my monthly meeting with Devlin, ok?"
"Ok." She kissed him. "Thank you."
They entered the CIA headquarters together in the late morning on Saturday. While Vaughn entered his office to gather the necessities for his meeting, Sydney ventured to her father's office only to find it empty. "Where's Agent Bristow?" Sydney asked his secretary.
"I believe he is in a meeting."
"Do you know with whom?"
"I'm sorry I cannot release that info."
"I'm former Special Agent Sydney Bristow, his daughter. Can you please tell me?"
"I'm sorry." The woman shook her head.
'Ok time to play the BIG card.' Sydney thought. "Look, not only am I former Special Agent Sydney Bristow but I am also the wife of Senior Officer Michael Vaughn and I would really like to know where my father is. If you won't tell me, I'll take this up with Devlin and you can deal with him." Sydney glared at the woman though she was inwardly smiling as the woman's eyes widened with fright.
"Agent Bristow is currently in a meeting with Irena Derevko, Mrs. Vaughn."
"Thank you." Sydney's face drained of color as she walked towards the holding cells. She began to panic. Her father never *ever* went to talk to her mother except for one reason, if something was seriously wrong.
He left his office to go to his meeting, but decided to check if she had found her father first. Vaughn rounded the corner to Jack Bristow's office to find the only occupant to be his secretary. She looked at his questioningly and he realized that she had no clue as to who he was, at least from just appearances. "I'm looking for Agent Bristow." He informed her.
'You and the rest of the world.' She thought. "I'm sorry, he's in a meeting."
"With who?"
"I'm sorry that's classified."
"Is it with his daughter?"
"No. His daughter, however, was here earlier."
"Can you tell me where she went?"
"I'm sorry; she went to find Agent Bristow."
"And that would be where?" Vaughn was getting ticked; this woman was getting him nowhere.
"In a meeting."
"Look, I'm looking for Jack and Sydney. It's in your best interest to tell me where they are." He was getting worried. Where could they possibly be that was so classified?
"I'm sorry that's . . ."
"Classified, yeah I get it." He cut her off. 'Time to pull out the BIG guns.' He thought as he showed her his ID badge - Michael Vaughn, Senior Officer. "Now." He replaced his ID badge on his jacket and glared at the frightened secretary. "Do me a favor and kindly tell me where my wife and father in law are."
"In a meeting with Irena Derevko."
Vaughn silently cursed as he raced towards the holding cells. He stopped briefly in front of Devlin's secretary and spoke in a rushed manor. "Tell Devlin, Agent Vaughn is in the holding cells, family emergency." The secretary glanced at his retreating back for a moment before informing the Director.
Sydney saw her father's rigid figure standing before the glass as she approached. "Dad." She called out causing Jack to turn abruptly towards her.
"Sydney. What are you doing here?"
"I hadn't heard from you in a while so I joined Michael in his coming to LA for his meeting and was told by your secretary that you were here, though I had to get really angry and use my title as Special Agent *AND* Michael's wife before she gave it up." She noticed her mother looking at her out of the corner of her eye but she chose to ignore it. "What's going on?"
"Well . . ." Jack was about to explain when he was interrupted by a male voice.
"Syd." Vaughn called as he jogged in through the opening gates. "What's going on? Is everything ok?"
"That's what I'm about to find out. Dad . . ." She urged her father to continue.
"Well, it seems as though someone is trying to rebuild your mother's organization. One of her former employees has begun to reconstruct it."
"Who?" Sydney asked afraid of the answer.
"Sark."
A/N: HA! Cliff hanger! Well I am sorry again for the delay. I promise to have more up soon. There is only one more chapter to this story then the third installment will be on its way . . . I hate to ask but I would LOVE to get to 60 reviews before the next chapter . . . The more I get the faster I write! Show me love! - Secret Agent Girl