Chapter 9 –A New Life
My blank eyes staring off into the near distance, focusing on him with a gun in his hand, aiming it at us. My heart pounds quickly and hard, echoing on Vaughn's chest, his heart imitating mine. I can feel the unsteady paces he's taking and the jerkiness of him running, up and down, bouncing, rough. My wound on my back began stretching, tearing, throbbing.
I can't keep my mind in order. Everything is trickling about in blurry objects, spinning. My heart aching, hurting for his touch, even though I'm holding onto him fiercely. I bury my head into his neck, whispering into his ear, "I love you, I love you," a last testament to our love. Tears fall mindlessly down his shirt, slipping down to the ground, as I see Sloane inching closer and closer, at our heels, raising his gun into the air and firing a single solitary bullet shot into the thick silence of pandemonium. Everything seemed to flash before my eyes like an old movie that makes no sense. I see the helicopter so close, so close that I can feel the wind tempting me. Its blades winding rapidly, matching the rate of my heart, the bullet from the gun zeroing in on us, causing Sloane to grin evilly. Vaughn wrapping his arms forcefully around me and losing all feeling in his limbs from running, and me, lying in his arms, staring at it all, helpless.
I saw the bullet coming right at Vaughn, targeting him, wanting him just as much as I do. My heart thrashed wildly inside its tight cage, growing louder and louder until it was all I could hear. The bullet finally struck him, just barely. Grazing over top of his shoulder, skimming over my lifeless lump and hurtling on towards the far off mountains into nothing.
I looked up towards the helicopter looming right in front of us; Vaughn heaved me up onto the floor of it, before jumping up himself, all the while Sloane getting closer. Yelling at the pilot to leave, we stared blissfully at the diminishing spot on the ground that was Sloane firing away at us, losing.
I sunk back into the floor of the helicopter finally safe, able to breathe. Vaughn just stared at where we had just escaped, dumbfounded and out of breath. He shut the door, finalizing that we had made it to safety. I sighed exhaling all the secrets, all the lies, and all the hurt. Vaughn pulled a blanket out of a box near the door, wrapping it around me; I was shivering even though it was almost eighty degrees outside.
I sat recollecting myself, relieved that we had made it to temporarily safety. My happy thoughts were short term, once I realized that I would never be able to return back to my normal, if you could call it that, life. A few tears began to cascade down my face, the rest have all been used up. Vaughn saw me crying and took me in his arms, rocking me back and forth, back and forth, affectionately. I held onto him, making my muscles ache from clinging on so tightly. The same thoughts of what next, where to, what now ran through his mind. As the helicopter flew over the Atlantic and over the Rockies flying us home, we sat in silence, not wanting to speak the words we were afraid of. They crept up on us, always in the back of our minds, in the back of our tongues, poised but never to emerge. Holding each other, lying down, we feared our return, if only we could just stay up in the air, flying free together. I fell asleep in his clasp, forgetting about the world that kept going on around us.
- - - - - - -
After many precautions and surveillance issues, Vaughn and I were led to the underground section of the CIA in L.A., finally home, breathing in the unusually comforting smell of smog. We were escorted into Devlin's office and immediately greeted by my father, thoroughly grief-stricken.
"Sydney!" He ran up to me and hugged me. I didn't think that I would miss him so much, but I did. I hugged him with all of my might and power, more tears pouring out of my eyes. I laughed at my now permanently tear-stained face. I couldn't believe what was happening, less than twenty-four hours ago; I thought life was finished with me. Now I was back home, with my father. And Vaughn was alive. I looked over my father's shoulder and saw a tear drop gradually fall down to the soft carpet, all the while looking intently at me with a weak, comforting smile. My heart fluttered and realized that no one here can know, bringing more streams breaking free. I quickly returned my thoughts on my father, hopefully to mask my emotions for Vaughn.
We broke our embrace and I felt such happiness, but was quickly reminded of the seriousness of the issue at hand.
Devlin cut into the peaceful silence that no one else wanted to stop short knowing the worry and confusion that would ensue.
"Now, this is a very difficult matter to handle. Let me get this all straight in my head, you two were found out and held captive in Italy. Now that you broke free, Sloane is out there looking for you. Is that it?"
"Not exactly, but that is the main idea." I couldn't believe that was all that he said we had been through, to me it seemed a whole lot worse and much more. I wanted to scream out all the emotions, hurt, pain and torture we had been through.
"Excuse me, sir, but can you just get to what is going to happen to Sy-Agent Bristow and me? I already know what happened. You don't have to remind us." His lines in his forehead were extremely vivid and I could hear the apprehension and fear in his voice, cracking the last few words that leaked out of his mouth. I crept up onto the tip of my toes, waiting impatiently to learn my fate. How are Vaughn and I going to go back to our old lives? We weren't. We will never be able to claim our lives for ourselves anymore. Never.
"I don't know, it is up to Ms. Bristow and you. You have a couple of options. One, the obvious, go into witness protection." No, I always said that I will never do that, never give into Sloane's wrath. Devlin stared at us, trying to read our faces, he couldn't make out what was going on inside, so he continued. "Two, live in underground living quarters beneath this facility." Was he serious, after living my whole entire life disconnected from truths and everyone I cared about, I wasn't just about to give up the little truth I had with people. "And finally three, hide throughout the world, disappearing, having no identity."
I guided my numb legs to the nearest chair, and sank hard into the stiff comfort. Staring off into nothing, I found nothing. All three of those options contained nothing, held nothing for any promise of any life. Any love and any more truth. I turned my head to face a puzzled Vaughn leaning against the far wall, looking at me for an answer.
Finally the question we knew we wanted to ask tumbled out of my dumbstruck mouth. "Will we get to see each other?"
"Who is we?" Devlin, just as lost and confused as everyone else, demanded.
I sat there unable to move, recognizing that what I had just said wasn't supposed to be know, wasn't supposed to be mentioned, or even thought about. I opened my mouth and tried to find the words to explain myself and reveal all the truths begging to be freed. But they didn't come, just a strange gurgled, forced sound made its way up through my strangled throat filled with love. I sat uncomfortably, my face distorted with uncertainty. Without any further confusion, I was shocked when I heard a voice break the unsettling silence.
"Sydney and I." Vaughn said with such justification. My eyes wide, filled with tears and I was proud of him, and ashamed of myself for not doing the same. As soon as he had spoken, he realized what he had just said was not allowed, against protocol.
He lowered his head, sensing Devlin's glare that followed. My mouth hung open, adoration completely visible.
Devlin relaxed back in his chair, thinking deeply on the secrets hidden starting to unravel, steadily like a ball of yarn. Few minutes of uneasy silence followed, mindless stares and eyes scanning the room for any sign of decision or relief. Finally Devlin broke his determined fix. "Can everyone please leave, except Agent Bristow and Mr. Vaughn?"
With worried glances, I stayed rigid in my chair, looking at a just as uneasy Vaughn staring at the unusual patterns scattering the carpet. What was he going to do? Then I realized that I don't care. My heart becomes and flushed and beats rapidly. I am filled with such energy I can hardly sit still, waiting to defend us. Us, that sounds so right inside my head, us. When the last unwanted person left, Devlin got up from his chair and began to pace. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him show a comforting gaze that gave me an overwhelming feeling of peace. No matter what Devlin was about to tell us, my spirits couldn't be broken, or could they.
"Now you know that this makes it even harder to keep you safe and you know that you two aren't even supposed to be involved." His voice becoming rigid and booming. My spirits dampened, afraid of what he might say next. "Do you want to stay together?"
Vaughn's and mine eyes met and we could both see the nod in our eyes, gently smiling, soothing through the dark world trying to separate us.
"Alright, then there are only two options that you can take, just to let you know that latter of the two won't make you happy, but you would be much safer." As he paused, catching his breath, my heart dropped. Just tell us, please, I could hear my heart pounding out the questions in my head. "The first option is very risky and dangerous, but I'll let you decide. That is to go into witness protection together. You must know the precautions and maybe consequences. If someone recognizes you, you both are in danger. Not to mention that since they will be looking for you both, it only doubles your chances of being discovered."
I stare at Vaughn, motionless and troubled; I don't know what to think. I sense a tear breaking through my barriers, what if Vaughn wanted to make sure he was safe and leave... me.
"Now the less dangerous option is to ... live underground in a type of apartment, solitary confinement." His words falter at the end, knowing that I would never accept this option, to be detached from the outside world. Devlin noticing the uneasy pain and discomfort coming form us, he left us to think, to decide our fates, our new lives, scared or hollow. Both so worthless and unfair.
I get up slowly from the now indented chair and reach my hands for his, taking them in my shaking fingers. I look into his eyes searching for the answer we needed to find so desperately. Silence is all we can manage to say, little words were needed and wanted.
"Um, what do you think?" His voice shaky and rough, voicing the same question blinking in my mind.
"I'm not sure, but I don't like either, but I don't know if I could stand leaving underground. I know that the other may be unsafe, but at least we could be semi-free." I end the last word on hope, praying he feels the same way. He smiles, gently kissing my forehead. I was rambling. At the time, I don't think about Francie and Will, I only think about him, my love.
"Alright, alright…. Well, what now?" I didn't speak, because I don't know what now, my heart caught in my throat. I don't know anything except that we are going to be together and that is all I care about, that we can live together. As we walk out of Devlin's office, to tell everyone of our decision, crying as we prepare to say goodbye.
As we head down to our handler to discuss our future lives, we leave behind us people we will never see again. A hollow feeling enters my heart; Vaughn slips his hand into mine. A solitary tear glides down my face, echoing on the tile floor. We leave behind Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn, people we knew well, but can never admit to it again.
In exactly two hours, they will die; vanish from the face of the earth. Their deaths will be mysteries, mishaps in a car accident. No one will know the truth except for the men in the room, when a nameless couple decided to kill them. Our hearts beating anxiously, frightened of what is to become of us. Afraid that we made the wrong decision, we tightened our grips and gently stroke our thumbs together. We walk hand in hand down the numerous flights of stairs, dizzy, as nobody, becoming people with no lies, no secrets, except one.
One that we will never be able to speak of, one that can kill us in a heartbeat and one that will keep us together through anything that comes in our way. One that will erase all the pain in our lives, all the darkness and confusion, until the lie comes out, until the secret is found.
*Okay, this part of the story is over!!!! There is a sequel in the works!!(I know I sound like those movies that keep going and going!! But I think there needs to be more to the story, and I want to move on with it!!! Please let me know what you think and please keep checking up on my works, looking for part 2!!!!!!!!!!! Also check out my other fic Broken, which will be updated faster since I will only have one for awhile (the first chapter of part 2 is going to be very good, I promise! but long!!!!!!) Thanks and please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!