AN: Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews. Here's the next chapter as promised. I know, I know, a little late in the day, but hey, a girl's got school. unfortunately. :( That was my one cliffhanger of the story. So don't worry. No more, at least none that are planned at the moment. As always, ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!

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Chapter 5

Sydney's POV

Oh my god! What is Mike doing here? This is the CIA offices. He's an accountant for crying out loud! Okay, Sydney. Calm down. Take a deep breath. As I tried to keep breathing, Kendall spoke.

"Wait a minute, you two know each other?" Somehow, Mike was much more composed than I was and managed to answer.

"Well, you could say that, sir." Michael didn't look at Kendall, instead he seemed to be fascinated by the lines of his hands.

"Be specific, Agent Vaughn!" Kendall was obviously getting mad and I knew I could probably handle him better so I interrupted.

"We're dating." Great, Sydney. Very subtle.

"You're what?? Dating? This is a major problem." Kendall started rubbing his temples. He really seems to know how to state the obvious. No one said anything for a few seconds, then Kendall spoke.

"Okay. This is what we're going to do. For now and I emphasize the now part, Agent Vaughn will be your handler, Agent Bristow. You will tell him about your missions. He will give you your countermission. End of story. There will be no fraternizing outside of the office until a new handler can be found for Agent Bristow and even if we do find one, there is still a chance your lives will still be in danger. I will be speaking to Delvin about this and meeting with you both again. I'll leave you two to talk."

Kendall stood up and exited the room. I was in shock. Utter shock. Mike, my wonderful boyfriend, was an agent for the CIA and my handler, for now. I can't see him in public and our lives are currently in danger. What more could go wrong? I put my head down on the table and let my cheek rest on the cool wood.

"Sydney?" I lift my head up and look at Mike. He looks troubled and there are worry lines on his forehead.

"You know, I thought I was home free. I thought I was done with all the bad luck in my life. Obviously I was wrong. Fate's twisted, isn't it?" I could feel my eyes start to water. Mike came around the table and sat in the chair next to me. He put his arms around me and spoke.

"It's going to be okay, Syd. Everything will be okay."

I pulled slighted apart from him and broke down. "How can you say that? Our lives are in danger, Mike! We've been lying to each for the past week. Everything we've said about our jobs has been a lie! We're not a normal couple anymore. We can't even see each other in public." By now, I was practically sobbing and I wasn't even sure he could hear what I was saying.

"Look. Our lives were in danger even before we met and of course we had to lie. If we didn't, you know what could have happened. So we can't see each other in public right now. That could change later. You just have to have faith, Sydney."

"I don't know how much more faith I can have, Mike. I've been through so much these past few years. This just seems like the final draw."

"I don't know what you've been through, Syd, but I'm sure it's pretty bad. I've gotten to know you a lot this past week and I know that you are doing much better than some people I know in your situation. If you break down now and give up, you're letting the enemy win."

I knew he was right. Damn. Why does he have to be right? We sat in silence for a few seconds. I took a deep breath before I spoke.

"So you're my handler huh? Think you can handle me, Agent Vaughn?" I gave him a small smile. He smiled back.

"Oh. I think so, Agent Bristow." There was another silence before I realized it was getting late.

"I better go. Francie's probably wondering where I am." He nodded and gave me a sad look. I knew how he felt. If we weren't who we were, I would be going home with him instead.

"Alright. I will be contacting you pretending I'm have the wrong number for Joey's Pizza. We will meet at the warehouse indicated on this paper," He handed me a piece of paper with a map drawn on it, "I better get to reading your file. It's pretty extensive. I heard your statement was Tolstoy long." I gave him a sad smile and a quick kiss before standing up and going out of the room.

As I started going down the elevator, I started thinking more and more about our predicament. I wonder how he was going to react once he read my whole file and really found out how bad my life really was. I wonder how he was going to react once he found out how Danny really died. I wonder if I'm being selfish. He doesn't deserve to be with an unlucky person as me. It'll probably end up in his death. I wonder if I'll be able to let him go if I need to. I wonder if it's too late to ever let him go.