Gone and Back Again
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.
Spoilers: Maybe.
A/N: This chapter shows five different scenarios in which either Sydney or Vaughn are having a conversation with another person. You will read the following conversations in this order: Vaughn and Devlin, Sydney and Jack, Vaughn, and Jessica Kieran, Vaughn and Weiss, and Sydney and Weiss.
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Morning
Vaughn & Devlin
Vaughn took a deep breath as he made his way to Devlin's office. He stopped at Devlin's door and knocked, ignoring the faces of shock his fellow agents were shooting at him. Shock of seeing him alive, that is.
"Come in," Devlin called.
Vaughn bit his lip nervously and pushed open the door. "Good morning, sir," he said to his boss.
"Agent Vaughn, glad to see you're alive and well," Devlin replied.
'I beg to differ,' Vaughn thought to himself. "Thank you."
"Sit down, agent, sit down," Devlin said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.
Vaughn complied and took a seat. Devlin looked him over a few times and Vaughn began to feel more and more uneasy.
"So you went to Taipei to assist Agent Bristow with a mission," Devlin said out loud.
"Uh, yes, sir," Vaughn replied quietly.
Devlin shook his head. "What in God's name is wrong with you?"
Vaughn winced at his angry, but calm tone. Devlin stood up and began to pace.
"You endangered the entire mission, the agents involved, and you practically dug your own grave!"
He stopped when he was directly to Vaughn's left and glared down at him for a moment. Devlin's expression then softened. He went back to his own chair, sat down, and sighed.
"Though, if I may say, I was quite relieved to hear from Agent Weiss that you weren't dead," he admitted.
Vaughn raised his eyebrows. "Sir?"
"You're a wonderful agent, Vaughn. You're one of my best, in fact, and I'd hate to lose you. You're quite intelligent, though not in this case, and I know there's many a' folk around here that trust you."
Vaughn fought the urge to smile at the compliment.
"But after this stunt you've pulled, as well as all the others," Devlin continued, "I should terminate you as Sydney Bristow's handler permanently."
Vaughn glanced at the floor. "I know, sir."
"However," Devlin said, slowly, "it's a well known fact that Agent Bristow will refuse to work with anyone but you and her father will completely agree with her. So I am allowing you to continue your job as her handler."
Vaughn smiled widely. "Sir, I...I don't know what to say..."
"I'm not finished, Agent Vaughn."
"I'm sorry, sir."
"There are going to be consequences, of course. Needless to say, you will be closely supervised for the next few months. I am also requiring you to go to Crisis Management meetings at least three times a week until I see fit."
Vaughn's eyes widened. "Sir, really, I don't need Crisis Management...I mean, Doctor Barnett and I...we don't exactly..."
"Doctor Barnett is going to be away for awhile. Her substitute is one Dr. Jessica Kieran. She's quite the lovely young woman. And quite frankly, Agent Vaughn, I think these meetings will do you good. Anyone who looks at you will realize that you've been through hell and back in a very short time. You'll be doing yourself a favor by talking to Dr. Kieran. Besides, you must realize that these are quite the small so-called punishments I'm giving you compared to what you should be receiving."
Vaughn groaned to himself. "Yes, sir, I understand."
"Good. Now, you're first meeting with Dr. Kieran will be after we're down here, which is right about now. She'll be expecting you."
"Yes, sir," Vaughn said again, standing up.
Devlin nodded and stood up as well. He held out his hand to his agent and Vaughn took it.
"I will speak with you again later. Welcome back, Agent Vaughn."
"Thank you, sir. Have a good day," Vaughn replied as he dropped his hand to his sighed, turned, and walked out of Devlin's office.
He shut the door behind him and started walking toward the Crisis Management room. He averted his eyes from all the curious stares of the other people in the room, not daring to look up at them. He quickened his pace and felt himself bump into someone. He looked up to find himself looking at the face of Jack Bristow.
"Oh, uh, I'm...I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't see you," Vaughn said.
"It's fine, Agent Vaughn," Jack assured him. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Oh, well...Crisis Management," Vaughn replied, lowering his voice.
"Voluntarily?" Jack asked.
"Absolutely not. Mr. Devlin has required me to attend these meetings three times a week," he explained.
"I see. You know, Agent Vaughn, these sessions might very well help you."
Vaughn sighed. "I don't need any help. I'm fine."
Jack cast a very doubtful look at him.
"Really, I don't." Vaughn said again.
Jack didn't say anything.
"I don't," Vaughn said, raising his voice defiantly.
Jack shrugged. "Alright, then."
Vaughn blinked. "Okay...well, I should get going."
Jack nodded. "Good luck, Agent Vaughn," he said as he walked away.
Vaughn looked after him for a moment before shaking his head and walking the other direction.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Afternoon
Sydney & Jack
Credit Dauphine
"Dad," Sydney called to her father as he walked by.
He stopped and turned to face her. "Yes, Sydney?"
"Dad, I have to talk to you," she said, her eyes pleading with him.
Jack furrowed his eyebrows and nodded. "Alright."
They walked to an empty area in another room and Sydney looked at him.
"What's the matter, Sydney?" Jack asked.
"You know, Vaughn's back in L.A.," she told him.
Jack nodded. "Yes, I know, I ran into him just a little while ago."
Sydney bit her lip. "Yeah, I saw him last night."
"Well, I'm glad your mind was put to ease about him," he replied.
"Actually, he didn't seem like he was doing too well."
"Oh, no?"
"No...I mean, you saw him, so you've seen his face.the bruises...and he's got bruised ribs, if not broken..."
"He's a strong young man, Sydney. I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Do you have any idea what happened to him, Dad?"
"How would I?"
Sydney sighed. She couldn't play around anymore. "I know you got him out of Taipei."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Did Agent Vaughn inform you of that?"
Sydney hesitated. "No," she lied, "I figured it out for myself."
Jack eyed her carefully.
"Why didn't you come to me?" Sydney asked. "Why did you ask Weiss to help you?"
Jack paused. "We shouldn't discuss this here..."
"Don't give me that bull," Sydney snapped.
Jack looked at her in surprise. "Sydney, I know you care for him, and..."
"Weiss cares about him, too, Dad."
"You know what I mean, Sydney," he said, looking at her with hard eyes.
She cowered for a moment, but quickly recovered. "I wouldn't let my caring for him interfere with helping him and you know it."
"Sydney, listen.you were the first person to come to my mind to recruit to rescue Agent Vaughn. But with your friend, Mr. Tippin, and with discovering that 'The Man' is your mother...I figured you needed a rest from everything."
She gazed at him in silence. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears, but tried to hold them back.
"To tell you the truth, if Agent Weiss's name hadn't somehow popped into my head at the last minute, I would have gotten you to go with me. Of course, that would be impossible because of the risk that you might be re-captured by your mother."
She remained silent for another moment. She sniffled and before she knew it, tears were flowing freely down her face. "Thank you, daddy," she whispered.
Jack's expression melted into one of sympathy. "Well, you know, I didn't do it for you," he said, a hint of a smile forming on his face.
Sydney let out a short laugh. "I know, but...thank you. So tell me...why did you do it then?"
"Well, obviously because I wasn't going to just let him die. He's a very smart man and one of the CIA's best agents. And quite frankly, I'm becoming quite fond of him."
She laughed again. "How did you even know he was still alive?"
Jack shot her a sly look. "That's just another subject to add to the list of thigns I just cannot tell you."
Sydney shook her head. "You are amazing."
Jack blinked. "Well, you're not so bad yourself."
She smiled. Jack looked at his watch and looked back at his daughter. "We'd better get back in. We have a meeting with Sloane."
Sydney nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should."
"I will talk with you later, Sydney."
"Okay, Dad," she replied.
"Give my regard to Agent Vaughn when you see him again," Jack said as he began to walk away.
"I will," she promised.
"See you inside," he called behind his shoulder as he walked through the door and back to SD-6.
Sydney sighed. Her father, the hero.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Vaughn & Kieran
Vaughn closed his eyes before knocking on the Crisis Management door. He heard a faint voice call, "Come on in."
He reached for the doorknob and pushed the door open.
"Good morning, Agent Vaughn," a smiling young woman greeted him.
She was sitting down in a chair in front of the couch and holding a notepad and pen. She looked around twenty-five and she had beautiful, long blonde hair and sparkling emerald eyes. Vaughn gave her a fake smile.
"Good morning," he replied, walking into the room and shutting the door behind him.
"My name is Jessica Kieran. I'm sure Mr. Devlin has informed you that I am substituting for Doctor Barnett while she is away."
Vaughn nodded and looked around the room uncomfortably.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Agent Vaughn! Please, take a load off," Kieran exclaimed, gesturing to the couch.
Vaughn walked over to it and dropped himself down onto the soft, cushy seat.
"So, Agent Vaughn," she said, "as I understand it..."
"Okay, um...Ms. Kieran," Vaughn began.
"Doctor," she corrected.
Vaughn inaudibly sighed. "Doctor Kieran, let's just cut the crap, alright? Yes, I went to Taipei to assist Agent Sydney Bristow upon her request, yes, I almost died drowning, and yes, I was tortured for thirteen days because I didn't answer questions that would destroy everything the CIA has worked for. But I do not need Crisis Management. I am only here because Mr. Devlin has ordered it upon me."
Jessica Kieran gazed at the obviously troubled agent. "Well, that's all fine and good, Agent Vaughn, but as you said: Mr. Devlin required you to meet with me three times every week until he says otherwise. So, you can either share with me the things that are upsetting you, or we can both sit here in silence for an hour and a half."
Vaughn raised an eyebrow and averted his eyes from Jessica's. "Alright then," he said quietly. "What do you want to know?"
Jessica nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, Agent Vaughn, everything you say in this office stays in this office. It will all be kept completely confidential."
Vaughn nodded to acknowledge her statement.
"Okay," Kieran said kindly, "let's get started..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Evening
Vaughn & Weiss
As soon as Vaughn entered his office, he walked directly to his chair and sat down with a comfortable sigh, lifting his feet onto his desk. It had been a long day and although the meeting with Kieran hadn't necessarily been that bad, he was utterly exhausted. He closed his eyes and was just starting to drift off.until a knock at the door shocked him awake. He sat up and looked at a familiar face peeking into his office.
"Oh, hey, Eric," Vaughn greeted, stretching his arms. "Come on in."
"Thanks," Weiss replied, walking in and closing the door. "You settling back in okay?"
Vaughn tilted his head. "I don't know, really...I mean, everything around here is...the same. But it's different. You know what I mean?"
Weiss smiled. "Yeah, I think I do."
"I don't know...everybody's looking at me weird and whispering about me," he continued, "it's just a little nerve-wracking."
"And annoying?"
"And annoying," Vaughn agreed with a smile. "Did I thank you?"
Weiss raised his eyebrows. "For what?"
Vaughn let out a short laugh. "Give me a break."
"Listen, buddy, I...I know that things between us are...unsettled. I just want you to know how sorry I am."
"Eric, look, I'm...I'm not upset with you...not anymore."
"Yeah, but, I..."
"Eric," Vaughn pleaded, "please let it go."
Weiss rolled his eyes. "Fine...but you never have to thank me for anything."
"Oh, come on, man...you saved my life! God, you...you put aside our differences and you made protocol kiss your ass!"
Weiss laughed out loud. "Well, I know you would've done the same for me."
"Damn straight," Vaughn agreed.
Weiss suddenly put on a serious face and sat down. "Listen, Mike, you're my best friend. I should've screwed protocol the first time around. I destroyed our friendship so I wouldn't lose my job."
Vaughn looked down at his hands. "You did what you had to do."
Weiss bit his lip and nodded slowly. He took a breath. "So, was Devlin pissed?"
Vaughn laughed. "Well, kind of. It was weird...I mean, he's letting me stay. My ass should be out of here right now, but for some reason I'm being allowed to get my job back as Sydney's handler...I don't know. I have no clue what's going on and my head is spinning so much that I'm not going to try and figure it out. Anyway, he's making me go to Crisis Management and I'm going to be watched like a hawk."
"Crisis Management again?"
"Well, it's not as bad as the last time. I mean, I'm sure you know that Barnett's not around, but the new doc, Jessica Kieran, is pretty okay."
"Yeah, I know that she's replacing Barnett for awhile, but I haven't met her. Is she hot?"
Vaughn rolled his eyes. "Shut up, man."
Weiss and Vaughn shared a laugh.
"Actually," Vaughn continued, "I'm surprised that my office wasn't cleared out."
"Oh, uh...I kind of asked Devlin if I could clean it out myself, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."
"Why not?"
Weiss shrugged. "I dunno...I guess I just didn't want to accept that fact that you were gone. Of course, when Jack told me you were alive...man, was I relieved."
Vaughn smiled. "Hey, there's actually something I was wondering...why did Jack go to you in the first place?"
"Who knows? Maybe he thought I wasn't as emotionally involved as Sydney."
Vaughn raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything.
"Mike, are...are you going to be okay?" Weiss asked his friend.
Vaughn thought for a moment. "I don't know," he replied truthfully.
"I mean, I look at you and it scares me," Weiss admitted. "It's obvious that you're not the same...and why should you be? After all you've been through, you should be different."
Vaughn didn't know what to say. What could he say? Eric was his friend...and that's what Vaughn needed at that moment.
"It hurt, Eric," he whispered.
Weiss looked at him carefully with a concerned expression. "What?"
Vaughn shook his head sadly. "It hurt like hell. I know I shouldn't complain about anything...that's probably the least of what they can do to people. But still..."
"Mike, you.you have every damn right to complain. You were tortured by people who have no conscience. You feel like you deserve it. I know you well enough to know that. But you didn't deserve it, Mike. No one deserves being treated like that. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have sacrificed everything to save you."
Vaughn gave him a grateful look. "You did," he said. Weiss gave him a half-smile. "Hey, don't ever forget what I said. I mean every word of it."
Vaughn nodded back. "I won't."
Weiss looked down at his watch and groaned. "Damn it, I have to go."
"Oh," Vaughn said disappointedly. "Uh, yeah, well, it is getting a little late."
"Listen, we'll talk tomorrow, okay? Maybe if you're up to it, we'll go out and get drunk."
Vaughn laughed. "Getting drunk isn't the solution to everything, Weiss."
Weiss shrugged. "Hey, it's good enough for me."
Vaughn shook his head, smiling.
"You know, you should get home, too," Weiss suggested.
"Nah, I'll be okay," Vaughn replied.
"Are you sure? I'll drive you home, if you want."
"No, yeah, I'll be fine."
"Okay...well, I'll see you later, buddy," Weiss said as he stood up and walked to the door. He opened it, gave Vaughn a little wave, and exited from the room.
Vaughn let out a big yawn and settled comfortably into his chair again. His shut his eyes and this time, his peaceful slumber was not interrupted.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sydney & Weiss
She watched him from her car. She watched as he exited the CIA building and made his way toward his own ride. She hopped out of her seat and ran toward him.
"Weiss!" she yelled.
He stopped and looked at her in surprise. He waited until she came up to him and asked, "Sydney, what is it?"
"Listen, Vaughn told me that you and my father got him out of Taipei."
He nodded. "Yeah, we did."
"I just wanted to tell you that, uh...I think that it was really brave of you to do that. I know that you two were...upset with each other, and I want you to know that I really respect you for doing what you did."
"Sydney, Mike's my best friend, okay? I would risk my life for him any time he was in danger."
"So have you talked to him at all today?"
"Yeah, I just finished having a nice conversation with him up in his office."
"He's still here?"
"Yeah, I offered him a ride home, but he didn't want to leave."
"Does he seem okay to you?"
Weiss shook his head. "He's been through a rough time, Sydney. He's not going to magically be alright after two weeks of constant pain."
"I know, it's just...I hate to see him so upset."
"I do, too, but it's expected. We just have to everything we can to make him feel comfortable."
"So Devlin has decided to keep him in the CIA?" she asked hopefully.
"Yup, and he's being allowed to continue as your handler as well."
Sydney smiled happily. "Really?"
Weiss nodded.
"Wow, that's great..."
"Sydney," he interrupted, "I know you have feelings for each other."
She stopped and looked at the agent before her.
"I felt that Mike had crossed the line by getting emotionally attached to you, but I can see now...it's good for the both of you."
Sydney raised her eyebrows at Weiss's confession.
"I've been trying so hard to tear you two apart, but I've only succeeded in bringing you closer together. And maybe that's the way it should be. You guys work well as team because you care about each other. So I'm going to stop sticking my nose where it doesn't belong and leave your relationship between the two of you."
Sydney smiled as she realized what he was trying to say. "Eric, I don't have any intention of putting Vaughn in danger. I know you're worried about him, but so am I. Trust me, I've been getting this lecture from my father and I learned that it's not a good idea the first time around."
"You mean your fiancé?"
Sydney's mouth twitched. "He's not my fiancé anymore. And I'm not going to make the same mistake again. Vaughn and I may have a friendship, and yes, I admit...I do have feelings for him, but I won't act upon them. You know I wouldn't."
Eric nodded and sighed. "Well, I should go now," he said, tapping his car's roof.
"Oh, yeah, sorry for stopping you," she said as she backed away a few steps.
"It's not a problem. I'm actually kind of glad you did," he replied. He opened his car door and stepped into it. He started his car and looked up at Sydney. He smiled at her. "Don't worry, Sydney. He's strong, he'll pull through."
She smiled back. "Thanks, Eric. Good night."
"Good night."
He pulled the door shut and pulled out of his parking space. Sydney watched as he drove away and looked up at the CIA building. There were only a few rooms with lights on and she spotted Vaughn's office as being one of them. She contemplated going up to talk to him, but decided to give him his space. She walked back to her car, climbed in, and drove home, looking forward to a nice night of peaceful sleep.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.
Spoilers: Maybe.
A/N: This chapter shows five different scenarios in which either Sydney or Vaughn are having a conversation with another person. You will read the following conversations in this order: Vaughn and Devlin, Sydney and Jack, Vaughn, and Jessica Kieran, Vaughn and Weiss, and Sydney and Weiss.
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Morning
Vaughn & Devlin
Vaughn took a deep breath as he made his way to Devlin's office. He stopped at Devlin's door and knocked, ignoring the faces of shock his fellow agents were shooting at him. Shock of seeing him alive, that is.
"Come in," Devlin called.
Vaughn bit his lip nervously and pushed open the door. "Good morning, sir," he said to his boss.
"Agent Vaughn, glad to see you're alive and well," Devlin replied.
'I beg to differ,' Vaughn thought to himself. "Thank you."
"Sit down, agent, sit down," Devlin said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.
Vaughn complied and took a seat. Devlin looked him over a few times and Vaughn began to feel more and more uneasy.
"So you went to Taipei to assist Agent Bristow with a mission," Devlin said out loud.
"Uh, yes, sir," Vaughn replied quietly.
Devlin shook his head. "What in God's name is wrong with you?"
Vaughn winced at his angry, but calm tone. Devlin stood up and began to pace.
"You endangered the entire mission, the agents involved, and you practically dug your own grave!"
He stopped when he was directly to Vaughn's left and glared down at him for a moment. Devlin's expression then softened. He went back to his own chair, sat down, and sighed.
"Though, if I may say, I was quite relieved to hear from Agent Weiss that you weren't dead," he admitted.
Vaughn raised his eyebrows. "Sir?"
"You're a wonderful agent, Vaughn. You're one of my best, in fact, and I'd hate to lose you. You're quite intelligent, though not in this case, and I know there's many a' folk around here that trust you."
Vaughn fought the urge to smile at the compliment.
"But after this stunt you've pulled, as well as all the others," Devlin continued, "I should terminate you as Sydney Bristow's handler permanently."
Vaughn glanced at the floor. "I know, sir."
"However," Devlin said, slowly, "it's a well known fact that Agent Bristow will refuse to work with anyone but you and her father will completely agree with her. So I am allowing you to continue your job as her handler."
Vaughn smiled widely. "Sir, I...I don't know what to say..."
"I'm not finished, Agent Vaughn."
"I'm sorry, sir."
"There are going to be consequences, of course. Needless to say, you will be closely supervised for the next few months. I am also requiring you to go to Crisis Management meetings at least three times a week until I see fit."
Vaughn's eyes widened. "Sir, really, I don't need Crisis Management...I mean, Doctor Barnett and I...we don't exactly..."
"Doctor Barnett is going to be away for awhile. Her substitute is one Dr. Jessica Kieran. She's quite the lovely young woman. And quite frankly, Agent Vaughn, I think these meetings will do you good. Anyone who looks at you will realize that you've been through hell and back in a very short time. You'll be doing yourself a favor by talking to Dr. Kieran. Besides, you must realize that these are quite the small so-called punishments I'm giving you compared to what you should be receiving."
Vaughn groaned to himself. "Yes, sir, I understand."
"Good. Now, you're first meeting with Dr. Kieran will be after we're down here, which is right about now. She'll be expecting you."
"Yes, sir," Vaughn said again, standing up.
Devlin nodded and stood up as well. He held out his hand to his agent and Vaughn took it.
"I will speak with you again later. Welcome back, Agent Vaughn."
"Thank you, sir. Have a good day," Vaughn replied as he dropped his hand to his sighed, turned, and walked out of Devlin's office.
He shut the door behind him and started walking toward the Crisis Management room. He averted his eyes from all the curious stares of the other people in the room, not daring to look up at them. He quickened his pace and felt himself bump into someone. He looked up to find himself looking at the face of Jack Bristow.
"Oh, uh, I'm...I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't see you," Vaughn said.
"It's fine, Agent Vaughn," Jack assured him. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Oh, well...Crisis Management," Vaughn replied, lowering his voice.
"Voluntarily?" Jack asked.
"Absolutely not. Mr. Devlin has required me to attend these meetings three times a week," he explained.
"I see. You know, Agent Vaughn, these sessions might very well help you."
Vaughn sighed. "I don't need any help. I'm fine."
Jack cast a very doubtful look at him.
"Really, I don't." Vaughn said again.
Jack didn't say anything.
"I don't," Vaughn said, raising his voice defiantly.
Jack shrugged. "Alright, then."
Vaughn blinked. "Okay...well, I should get going."
Jack nodded. "Good luck, Agent Vaughn," he said as he walked away.
Vaughn looked after him for a moment before shaking his head and walking the other direction.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Afternoon
Sydney & Jack
Credit Dauphine
"Dad," Sydney called to her father as he walked by.
He stopped and turned to face her. "Yes, Sydney?"
"Dad, I have to talk to you," she said, her eyes pleading with him.
Jack furrowed his eyebrows and nodded. "Alright."
They walked to an empty area in another room and Sydney looked at him.
"What's the matter, Sydney?" Jack asked.
"You know, Vaughn's back in L.A.," she told him.
Jack nodded. "Yes, I know, I ran into him just a little while ago."
Sydney bit her lip. "Yeah, I saw him last night."
"Well, I'm glad your mind was put to ease about him," he replied.
"Actually, he didn't seem like he was doing too well."
"Oh, no?"
"No...I mean, you saw him, so you've seen his face.the bruises...and he's got bruised ribs, if not broken..."
"He's a strong young man, Sydney. I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Do you have any idea what happened to him, Dad?"
"How would I?"
Sydney sighed. She couldn't play around anymore. "I know you got him out of Taipei."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Did Agent Vaughn inform you of that?"
Sydney hesitated. "No," she lied, "I figured it out for myself."
Jack eyed her carefully.
"Why didn't you come to me?" Sydney asked. "Why did you ask Weiss to help you?"
Jack paused. "We shouldn't discuss this here..."
"Don't give me that bull," Sydney snapped.
Jack looked at her in surprise. "Sydney, I know you care for him, and..."
"Weiss cares about him, too, Dad."
"You know what I mean, Sydney," he said, looking at her with hard eyes.
She cowered for a moment, but quickly recovered. "I wouldn't let my caring for him interfere with helping him and you know it."
"Sydney, listen.you were the first person to come to my mind to recruit to rescue Agent Vaughn. But with your friend, Mr. Tippin, and with discovering that 'The Man' is your mother...I figured you needed a rest from everything."
She gazed at him in silence. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears, but tried to hold them back.
"To tell you the truth, if Agent Weiss's name hadn't somehow popped into my head at the last minute, I would have gotten you to go with me. Of course, that would be impossible because of the risk that you might be re-captured by your mother."
She remained silent for another moment. She sniffled and before she knew it, tears were flowing freely down her face. "Thank you, daddy," she whispered.
Jack's expression melted into one of sympathy. "Well, you know, I didn't do it for you," he said, a hint of a smile forming on his face.
Sydney let out a short laugh. "I know, but...thank you. So tell me...why did you do it then?"
"Well, obviously because I wasn't going to just let him die. He's a very smart man and one of the CIA's best agents. And quite frankly, I'm becoming quite fond of him."
She laughed again. "How did you even know he was still alive?"
Jack shot her a sly look. "That's just another subject to add to the list of thigns I just cannot tell you."
Sydney shook her head. "You are amazing."
Jack blinked. "Well, you're not so bad yourself."
She smiled. Jack looked at his watch and looked back at his daughter. "We'd better get back in. We have a meeting with Sloane."
Sydney nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should."
"I will talk with you later, Sydney."
"Okay, Dad," she replied.
"Give my regard to Agent Vaughn when you see him again," Jack said as he began to walk away.
"I will," she promised.
"See you inside," he called behind his shoulder as he walked through the door and back to SD-6.
Sydney sighed. Her father, the hero.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Vaughn & Kieran
Vaughn closed his eyes before knocking on the Crisis Management door. He heard a faint voice call, "Come on in."
He reached for the doorknob and pushed the door open.
"Good morning, Agent Vaughn," a smiling young woman greeted him.
She was sitting down in a chair in front of the couch and holding a notepad and pen. She looked around twenty-five and she had beautiful, long blonde hair and sparkling emerald eyes. Vaughn gave her a fake smile.
"Good morning," he replied, walking into the room and shutting the door behind him.
"My name is Jessica Kieran. I'm sure Mr. Devlin has informed you that I am substituting for Doctor Barnett while she is away."
Vaughn nodded and looked around the room uncomfortably.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Agent Vaughn! Please, take a load off," Kieran exclaimed, gesturing to the couch.
Vaughn walked over to it and dropped himself down onto the soft, cushy seat.
"So, Agent Vaughn," she said, "as I understand it..."
"Okay, um...Ms. Kieran," Vaughn began.
"Doctor," she corrected.
Vaughn inaudibly sighed. "Doctor Kieran, let's just cut the crap, alright? Yes, I went to Taipei to assist Agent Sydney Bristow upon her request, yes, I almost died drowning, and yes, I was tortured for thirteen days because I didn't answer questions that would destroy everything the CIA has worked for. But I do not need Crisis Management. I am only here because Mr. Devlin has ordered it upon me."
Jessica Kieran gazed at the obviously troubled agent. "Well, that's all fine and good, Agent Vaughn, but as you said: Mr. Devlin required you to meet with me three times every week until he says otherwise. So, you can either share with me the things that are upsetting you, or we can both sit here in silence for an hour and a half."
Vaughn raised an eyebrow and averted his eyes from Jessica's. "Alright then," he said quietly. "What do you want to know?"
Jessica nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, Agent Vaughn, everything you say in this office stays in this office. It will all be kept completely confidential."
Vaughn nodded to acknowledge her statement.
"Okay," Kieran said kindly, "let's get started..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Evening
Vaughn & Weiss
As soon as Vaughn entered his office, he walked directly to his chair and sat down with a comfortable sigh, lifting his feet onto his desk. It had been a long day and although the meeting with Kieran hadn't necessarily been that bad, he was utterly exhausted. He closed his eyes and was just starting to drift off.until a knock at the door shocked him awake. He sat up and looked at a familiar face peeking into his office.
"Oh, hey, Eric," Vaughn greeted, stretching his arms. "Come on in."
"Thanks," Weiss replied, walking in and closing the door. "You settling back in okay?"
Vaughn tilted his head. "I don't know, really...I mean, everything around here is...the same. But it's different. You know what I mean?"
Weiss smiled. "Yeah, I think I do."
"I don't know...everybody's looking at me weird and whispering about me," he continued, "it's just a little nerve-wracking."
"And annoying?"
"And annoying," Vaughn agreed with a smile. "Did I thank you?"
Weiss raised his eyebrows. "For what?"
Vaughn let out a short laugh. "Give me a break."
"Listen, buddy, I...I know that things between us are...unsettled. I just want you to know how sorry I am."
"Eric, look, I'm...I'm not upset with you...not anymore."
"Yeah, but, I..."
"Eric," Vaughn pleaded, "please let it go."
Weiss rolled his eyes. "Fine...but you never have to thank me for anything."
"Oh, come on, man...you saved my life! God, you...you put aside our differences and you made protocol kiss your ass!"
Weiss laughed out loud. "Well, I know you would've done the same for me."
"Damn straight," Vaughn agreed.
Weiss suddenly put on a serious face and sat down. "Listen, Mike, you're my best friend. I should've screwed protocol the first time around. I destroyed our friendship so I wouldn't lose my job."
Vaughn looked down at his hands. "You did what you had to do."
Weiss bit his lip and nodded slowly. He took a breath. "So, was Devlin pissed?"
Vaughn laughed. "Well, kind of. It was weird...I mean, he's letting me stay. My ass should be out of here right now, but for some reason I'm being allowed to get my job back as Sydney's handler...I don't know. I have no clue what's going on and my head is spinning so much that I'm not going to try and figure it out. Anyway, he's making me go to Crisis Management and I'm going to be watched like a hawk."
"Crisis Management again?"
"Well, it's not as bad as the last time. I mean, I'm sure you know that Barnett's not around, but the new doc, Jessica Kieran, is pretty okay."
"Yeah, I know that she's replacing Barnett for awhile, but I haven't met her. Is she hot?"
Vaughn rolled his eyes. "Shut up, man."
Weiss and Vaughn shared a laugh.
"Actually," Vaughn continued, "I'm surprised that my office wasn't cleared out."
"Oh, uh...I kind of asked Devlin if I could clean it out myself, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."
"Why not?"
Weiss shrugged. "I dunno...I guess I just didn't want to accept that fact that you were gone. Of course, when Jack told me you were alive...man, was I relieved."
Vaughn smiled. "Hey, there's actually something I was wondering...why did Jack go to you in the first place?"
"Who knows? Maybe he thought I wasn't as emotionally involved as Sydney."
Vaughn raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything.
"Mike, are...are you going to be okay?" Weiss asked his friend.
Vaughn thought for a moment. "I don't know," he replied truthfully.
"I mean, I look at you and it scares me," Weiss admitted. "It's obvious that you're not the same...and why should you be? After all you've been through, you should be different."
Vaughn didn't know what to say. What could he say? Eric was his friend...and that's what Vaughn needed at that moment.
"It hurt, Eric," he whispered.
Weiss looked at him carefully with a concerned expression. "What?"
Vaughn shook his head sadly. "It hurt like hell. I know I shouldn't complain about anything...that's probably the least of what they can do to people. But still..."
"Mike, you.you have every damn right to complain. You were tortured by people who have no conscience. You feel like you deserve it. I know you well enough to know that. But you didn't deserve it, Mike. No one deserves being treated like that. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have sacrificed everything to save you."
Vaughn gave him a grateful look. "You did," he said. Weiss gave him a half-smile. "Hey, don't ever forget what I said. I mean every word of it."
Vaughn nodded back. "I won't."
Weiss looked down at his watch and groaned. "Damn it, I have to go."
"Oh," Vaughn said disappointedly. "Uh, yeah, well, it is getting a little late."
"Listen, we'll talk tomorrow, okay? Maybe if you're up to it, we'll go out and get drunk."
Vaughn laughed. "Getting drunk isn't the solution to everything, Weiss."
Weiss shrugged. "Hey, it's good enough for me."
Vaughn shook his head, smiling.
"You know, you should get home, too," Weiss suggested.
"Nah, I'll be okay," Vaughn replied.
"Are you sure? I'll drive you home, if you want."
"No, yeah, I'll be fine."
"Okay...well, I'll see you later, buddy," Weiss said as he stood up and walked to the door. He opened it, gave Vaughn a little wave, and exited from the room.
Vaughn let out a big yawn and settled comfortably into his chair again. His shut his eyes and this time, his peaceful slumber was not interrupted.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sydney & Weiss
She watched him from her car. She watched as he exited the CIA building and made his way toward his own ride. She hopped out of her seat and ran toward him.
"Weiss!" she yelled.
He stopped and looked at her in surprise. He waited until she came up to him and asked, "Sydney, what is it?"
"Listen, Vaughn told me that you and my father got him out of Taipei."
He nodded. "Yeah, we did."
"I just wanted to tell you that, uh...I think that it was really brave of you to do that. I know that you two were...upset with each other, and I want you to know that I really respect you for doing what you did."
"Sydney, Mike's my best friend, okay? I would risk my life for him any time he was in danger."
"So have you talked to him at all today?"
"Yeah, I just finished having a nice conversation with him up in his office."
"He's still here?"
"Yeah, I offered him a ride home, but he didn't want to leave."
"Does he seem okay to you?"
Weiss shook his head. "He's been through a rough time, Sydney. He's not going to magically be alright after two weeks of constant pain."
"I know, it's just...I hate to see him so upset."
"I do, too, but it's expected. We just have to everything we can to make him feel comfortable."
"So Devlin has decided to keep him in the CIA?" she asked hopefully.
"Yup, and he's being allowed to continue as your handler as well."
Sydney smiled happily. "Really?"
Weiss nodded.
"Wow, that's great..."
"Sydney," he interrupted, "I know you have feelings for each other."
She stopped and looked at the agent before her.
"I felt that Mike had crossed the line by getting emotionally attached to you, but I can see now...it's good for the both of you."
Sydney raised her eyebrows at Weiss's confession.
"I've been trying so hard to tear you two apart, but I've only succeeded in bringing you closer together. And maybe that's the way it should be. You guys work well as team because you care about each other. So I'm going to stop sticking my nose where it doesn't belong and leave your relationship between the two of you."
Sydney smiled as she realized what he was trying to say. "Eric, I don't have any intention of putting Vaughn in danger. I know you're worried about him, but so am I. Trust me, I've been getting this lecture from my father and I learned that it's not a good idea the first time around."
"You mean your fiancé?"
Sydney's mouth twitched. "He's not my fiancé anymore. And I'm not going to make the same mistake again. Vaughn and I may have a friendship, and yes, I admit...I do have feelings for him, but I won't act upon them. You know I wouldn't."
Eric nodded and sighed. "Well, I should go now," he said, tapping his car's roof.
"Oh, yeah, sorry for stopping you," she said as she backed away a few steps.
"It's not a problem. I'm actually kind of glad you did," he replied. He opened his car door and stepped into it. He started his car and looked up at Sydney. He smiled at her. "Don't worry, Sydney. He's strong, he'll pull through."
She smiled back. "Thanks, Eric. Good night."
"Good night."
He pulled the door shut and pulled out of his parking space. Sydney watched as he drove away and looked up at the CIA building. There were only a few rooms with lights on and she spotted Vaughn's office as being one of them. She contemplated going up to talk to him, but decided to give him his space. She walked back to her car, climbed in, and drove home, looking forward to a nice night of peaceful sleep.