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: Thank the good Lord that I was able to figure out how to separate my lines again. Seriously, the Fan Fiction document manager had never been so cruel to me before. Anyway, I apologize for the crap that I posted in the last chapter, but remember: it was four in the morning! This time, it's only one.yes, that's right, I'm an insomniac. That's not good for a teen. But whatever, it's still crap. Okay, so this chapter continues with more dropped names of celebrities because it's my newfound joy. And a cliffhanger! You gotta love those.
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"Francie, I'm home," Sydney called as she walked through the door of her house. She pulled of her coat and walked into the living room, throwing it on a chair. She turned around and saw Francie staring at the TV.
"What are you watching?" Sydney asked curiously. "Huh?" Francie asked, not removing her eyes from the screen. Sydney laughed and sat down next to her friend. She looked up at what Francie was so intent on watching and smiled widely.
"Ooh," she said excitedly, "Bounce!"
"God," Francie murmured aloud, "Ben Affleck is such so damn sexy."
"You're telling me," Sydney agreed, joining Francie in losing her surroundings to stare at Ben.
"Naked in the shower!" the girls squealed suddenly. They laughed together and Sydney shook her head.
"Are you in the mood for some popcorn?" Sydney asked.
"Oh, absolutely," Francie replied.
"Good, get up and make it."
"Excuse me?" Francie asked accusingly.
"What, did you think I was going to leave my perfect view of Ben to make popcorn?"
Francie rolled her eyes. "Well, if you aren't, then I won't."
They heard the front door open and quickly twisted their heads to look over their shoulders. When they saw who it was, they turned their attention back to the movie.
"Hey, what are you two doing?" Will asked, walking into the room.
He was still bruised, but the cuts were fading. He and Sydney had spent an entire week trying to convince Francie that what had happened to him was nothing more than Will getting himself into a drunken rage and getting his ass kicked. She hadn't bought it at first, but after pushing for more information and not getting any, she had decided to stay satisfied with their explanation.
"Make us some popcorn, Will," Sydney said to him.
She and Francie giggled and gave each other a high-five. Will wrinkled his forehead and looked at what they were watching. Ben Affleck.
"Oh," he said, realizing the reason behind the girls' lack of attention toward him. He decided to do them a favor and walked into the kitchen. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a packet of popcorn, stuck it in the microwave, and waited for it to heat up.
He thought about some of the events that had passed in the last couple of weeks. Of course, other than the torture, there was one thing that stood out: Michael Vaughn. Sydney had mentioned him more than once. She had told him about how he had offered to help with his rescue and how he had died after she had broken something called the Circumference. It had greatly confused Will, but he figured that Sydney was close to this man. But apparently, as Sydney had discovered the previous week, this Agent Vaughn had escaped. He had never seen Sydney so happy and so.glowing as he had when she was telling him about how Michael Vaughn was alive.
It made him jealous, of course. After all, he was quite smitten with her. Her amazing dimples when she smiled that smile were enough to make him melt. But he knew that they could never have a romantic relationship. She didn't have those feelings he had for her. He'd accepted it, though. He was content just being her best friend. As long as she was in his life.
The microwave beeped as it signaled that the popcorn was done. Will reached up to pull a large pot from one of the cabinets and walked over to the microwave. He pulled the steaming bag out and poured the tasteful snack into the bowl. He grabbed a few drinks from the refrigerator and balanced the four items in his arms as he walked back to the girls.
"Here you go, ladies," he said as he set down the drinks and popcorn.
"Thanks," they replied in unison, both immediately reaching for a handful of the popcorn.
Will sighed and sat down on the couch with them. He did not feel like watching a drama starring Ben Affleck, but what he got out of it was getting to see Gwyneth Paltrow. He yawned and felt himself drifting off until he heard the phone ring. He snapped out of his "happy place" and laughed when Sydney and Francie groaned at being interrupted. Sydney stood up from her spot on the couch and walked over to the phone.
"Hello?" she grumbled. She paused. "Sorry, you've got the wrong number."
Will frowned. He remembered Sydney explaining to him about why they got so many calls at the house for 'Joey's Pizza.' Such a place didn't exist in L.A., as Will had suspected, and when she had finally told him that it was actually Agent Vaughn placing the calls as a secret way to organize a meeting, it had made much more sense.
"That Joey's Pizza guy again?" Francie complained.
Sydney gave her a small smile. "Uh-huh."
"Sydney, I swear, we have to get our number changed or something because if I get another one of those calls, I will scream," she cried.
Sydney laughed at her friend's mini-rant. "Uh, listen, I am going to...uh, you know, go for a walk."
Francie gave her a confused look. "What? What about Ben and the movie?"
"Don't worry, we'll go rent it later this week."
"Sydney, the movie's done in like, forty minutes. I think your walk can wait that long." "Actually," Will spoke up, "I could use a walk myself."
He gave Sydney a pointed look and she gave him a glare.
"No, Will, I really don't think you need one right now," she said, a hint of anger in her tone.
"Oh, I really do. You have no idea."
He could tell she was trying her best not to lose it and he felt guilty for putting her on the spot like that. But he wanted to meet this guy she so deeply cared for.
Francie rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever.if you don't want to look at this fine man, I'll be okay doing it myself."
Sydney sighed to herself. "Thanks, Francie. I promise, someday this week, we'll go to the video store and rent ourselves every Ben Affleck movie there."
Francie smiled. "Sounds good to me."
"Alright," Sydney smiled back. She looked at Will and frowned. "Let's go, Will."
He quickly stood up and grabbed both of their jackets before following her out the door.
He ran to keep up with her fast pace and handed her the coat. She took it and put it on, but didn't speak.
"Listen, Sydney, I just wanted to."
"You're not coming with me, if that's what you're thinking," she interrupted.
"Huh?"
"I'm not permitted to bring you with me to these meetings."
"Oh, come on, Sydney, I just."
"Will, I'm not allowed to do it, okay? I could get in trouble.or worse, you or Vaughn could get in trouble."
"Syd, nobody has to know that I was there," Will argued.
Sydney shook her head. "You don't understand, Will, you."
"No, Sydney, I think you're the one who doesn't understand," he said, halting.
She stopped and turned to look at him. "How's that?"
He hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Uh, well."
She raised an eyebrow at him and he decided to try another method.
"Sydney, you told me that this guy willingly volunteered to save my life. I just want to meet him.just once. Please?"
Her expression softened. She bit her lip and look down at the ground. She groaned to herself and found herself nodding.
"Fine, fine.but if anyone finds out about this, I guarantee it won't be pretty."
"I just want to meet him," he insisted.
"Okay," she relented, "let's go."
Vaughn looked at his watch again. It had been fifteen minutes since he had called Sydney. This meeting wasn't to discuss a counter- mission. He had just wanted to talk to her. He didn't know what he wanted to talk about, exactly, just that he needed to see her and hear her voice. He was feeling quite tired and as he looked around the warehouse, he decided to rest his body and sat down on one of the large crates. He slowly swung his legs back and forth until he heard Sydney call his name. He quickly stood up, but cursed himself for it when he felt a sharp pang travel throughout his body. The pain was replaced by shock, however, when he saw Sydney's friend, Will, standing behind her. He gave her a questioning look and she shrugged apologetically.
"Uh, Sydney, can I have a word with you?" he said, beckoning her over.
She nodded and whispered something to Will before walking over.
"This'll only take a minute," Vaughn told the reporter.
He took Sydney by the arm and guided her a few feet away from the crates.
"What is he doing here?" he demanded angrily.
"I'm sorry, he wanted to come with me," she whispered.
Vaughn groaned and put his arm to his forehead. "God, Sydney, you can't do this! You shouldn't have brought him here."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry, Vaughn, but he...he said he wanted to meet you."
Vaughn wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Meet me? Why?"
"Well, uh...see, I..." Sydney stammered.
Vaughn raised an eyebrow at her, silently telling her to speed up her explanation.
"Listen," she said finally, "after we came back from Taipei, I told him about you. About how you came with me to help save him and how you...uh, died. Remember when I met you at the warehouse last week?"
Vaughn nodded.
"And remember when Will called me?"
He nodded again.
"When I went to see him, I told him you were alive, and I guess now he wants to...I don't know, thank you or something."
Vaughn sighed and glanced at Will. He was looking around the warehouse, obviously feeling out-of-place. Vaughn rolled his eyes and groaned again.
"Fine, but Sydney, please, don't do this again, okay?"
"I won't, Vaughn, I promise," she replied sincerely.
He shook his head and they walked back to where Will was standing. Sydney smiled at both of the men and introduced them to one another.
"Will, this is my handler, Agent Michael Vaughn, Vaughn, this is Will Tippin."
"Hi," Will said, "you know, Sydney's told me a lot about you."
"Is that right?" Vaughn asked.
"Yeah...don't worry, though, all of it was good."
Vaughn smiled. "That's good."
An uncomfortable silence fell among the three.
"Uh, so Vaughn," Sydney started, "you called me here, so...what's my counter-mission?"
Vaughn shot a look at Will, who didn't seem confused by Sydney's question. Obviously Sydney had shared with him what handlers did and why she was always leaving the house to come here.
"I didn't call you here to discuss a counter-mission," he replied, looking at the ground.
She furrowed her brow, but a look of understanding came over here. "Oh..."
"Yeah."
"Vaughn, I..."
"Don't worry about it, Sydney, it wasn't that important anyway."
"Wait, did I miss something?" Will asked.
Sydney and Vaughn looked up at him in surprise. They had almost forgotten he was there.
"Not a thing," Sydney told him.
More silence. Will finally worked up the courage to talk to Vaughn again.
"Listen, man, Sydney told me that you came to Taipei to help me and I just wanted to say that I really appreciate that. You didn't even know me and you were willing to help her out."
Vaughn nodded. "Yeah, well...I would do anything that would make Sydney happy."
Sydney shifted her line of vision to her handler, but he didn't return her gaze.
"I figured as much," Will agreed. "And I can see you definitely went through a lot."
"I wouldn't hesitate to say the same about you."
"I'm getting over it," he replied. "You know, I think Sydney really likes you."
Sydney's eyes widened. She quickly whirled her head to look at Vaughn and saw his lips forming a small smile.
"You know, I'm here!" she exclaimed.
Will laughed. "Sorry, Syd, I didn't know saying that would get to you."
"I...I mean, it doesn't, it just..." she started, becoming flustered.
Will held up his hand, still laughing. "Whatever, Sydney. Listen, I'm going to wait outside. You two can talk....whatever it is you talk about." He turned to Vaughn. "It was nice to meet you."
Vaughn nodded as they shook hands again. "It was nice to meet you, too."
"Take care," Will said as he walked out of the warehouse.
When he left, Vaughn gave Sydney an amused look.
"Well," he commented, "that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."
She gave him a menacing look. "Oh, shut up."
They smiled sweetly at each other.
"I'm really sorry we didn't get to talk," she said, becoming serious.
"It's okay," he shrugged. "It can wait."
"It shouldn't have had to," she said softly, walking closer to him.
One small move by either of them and their lips would meet. Instead, Sydney grabbed his hand.
"Are you going to be alright?" she asked, examining his beautiful green pools.
He was trying his hardest not to blink. "I think I will," he replied in a whisper.
They stayed in that position for a moment, surrounded by silence, staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them wanted to look away and ruin the moment. Sydney began to lean closer to Vaughn's tempting lips, but he pulled back.
"Sydney, we can't," he started.
Her expression matched his: disappointed. He sighed and drooped his shoulders.
"You shouldn't keep Will waiting anymore," he suggested.
She bit her lip and looked away from him. "Uh, listen, next time you call me, I'll make sure to come alone and we can really have a talk, okay?"
Vaughn forced himself to put on a sad smile. "I'll be counting on it."
She nodded and returned an identical smile. "See you later," she said, before quickly turning and walking out of the warehouse.
As he watched her go, thoughts instantly filled his head, as if someone had turned on a switch to start a flow of emotions. Regret, relief, temptation to go after her...and he would have, if his practical side hadn't convinced him otherwise. He looked up at the ceiling, mentally asking God what he was planning.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang and he grabbed it from his pocket with false hope that it was Sydney.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Hello, Agent Vaughn," a female replied.
"Uh, who is this?"
"I'll give you one guess, Michael."
His eyes widened as he placed the voice. "Irina."
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: Thank the good Lord that I was able to figure out how to separate my lines again. Seriously, the Fan Fiction document manager had never been so cruel to me before. Anyway, I apologize for the crap that I posted in the last chapter, but remember: it was four in the morning! This time, it's only one.yes, that's right, I'm an insomniac. That's not good for a teen. But whatever, it's still crap. Okay, so this chapter continues with more dropped names of celebrities because it's my newfound joy. And a cliffhanger! You gotta love those.
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"Francie, I'm home," Sydney called as she walked through the door of her house. She pulled of her coat and walked into the living room, throwing it on a chair. She turned around and saw Francie staring at the TV.
"What are you watching?" Sydney asked curiously. "Huh?" Francie asked, not removing her eyes from the screen. Sydney laughed and sat down next to her friend. She looked up at what Francie was so intent on watching and smiled widely.
"Ooh," she said excitedly, "Bounce!"
"God," Francie murmured aloud, "Ben Affleck is such so damn sexy."
"You're telling me," Sydney agreed, joining Francie in losing her surroundings to stare at Ben.
"Naked in the shower!" the girls squealed suddenly. They laughed together and Sydney shook her head.
"Are you in the mood for some popcorn?" Sydney asked.
"Oh, absolutely," Francie replied.
"Good, get up and make it."
"Excuse me?" Francie asked accusingly.
"What, did you think I was going to leave my perfect view of Ben to make popcorn?"
Francie rolled her eyes. "Well, if you aren't, then I won't."
They heard the front door open and quickly twisted their heads to look over their shoulders. When they saw who it was, they turned their attention back to the movie.
"Hey, what are you two doing?" Will asked, walking into the room.
He was still bruised, but the cuts were fading. He and Sydney had spent an entire week trying to convince Francie that what had happened to him was nothing more than Will getting himself into a drunken rage and getting his ass kicked. She hadn't bought it at first, but after pushing for more information and not getting any, she had decided to stay satisfied with their explanation.
"Make us some popcorn, Will," Sydney said to him.
She and Francie giggled and gave each other a high-five. Will wrinkled his forehead and looked at what they were watching. Ben Affleck.
"Oh," he said, realizing the reason behind the girls' lack of attention toward him. He decided to do them a favor and walked into the kitchen. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a packet of popcorn, stuck it in the microwave, and waited for it to heat up.
He thought about some of the events that had passed in the last couple of weeks. Of course, other than the torture, there was one thing that stood out: Michael Vaughn. Sydney had mentioned him more than once. She had told him about how he had offered to help with his rescue and how he had died after she had broken something called the Circumference. It had greatly confused Will, but he figured that Sydney was close to this man. But apparently, as Sydney had discovered the previous week, this Agent Vaughn had escaped. He had never seen Sydney so happy and so.glowing as he had when she was telling him about how Michael Vaughn was alive.
It made him jealous, of course. After all, he was quite smitten with her. Her amazing dimples when she smiled that smile were enough to make him melt. But he knew that they could never have a romantic relationship. She didn't have those feelings he had for her. He'd accepted it, though. He was content just being her best friend. As long as she was in his life.
The microwave beeped as it signaled that the popcorn was done. Will reached up to pull a large pot from one of the cabinets and walked over to the microwave. He pulled the steaming bag out and poured the tasteful snack into the bowl. He grabbed a few drinks from the refrigerator and balanced the four items in his arms as he walked back to the girls.
"Here you go, ladies," he said as he set down the drinks and popcorn.
"Thanks," they replied in unison, both immediately reaching for a handful of the popcorn.
Will sighed and sat down on the couch with them. He did not feel like watching a drama starring Ben Affleck, but what he got out of it was getting to see Gwyneth Paltrow. He yawned and felt himself drifting off until he heard the phone ring. He snapped out of his "happy place" and laughed when Sydney and Francie groaned at being interrupted. Sydney stood up from her spot on the couch and walked over to the phone.
"Hello?" she grumbled. She paused. "Sorry, you've got the wrong number."
Will frowned. He remembered Sydney explaining to him about why they got so many calls at the house for 'Joey's Pizza.' Such a place didn't exist in L.A., as Will had suspected, and when she had finally told him that it was actually Agent Vaughn placing the calls as a secret way to organize a meeting, it had made much more sense.
"That Joey's Pizza guy again?" Francie complained.
Sydney gave her a small smile. "Uh-huh."
"Sydney, I swear, we have to get our number changed or something because if I get another one of those calls, I will scream," she cried.
Sydney laughed at her friend's mini-rant. "Uh, listen, I am going to...uh, you know, go for a walk."
Francie gave her a confused look. "What? What about Ben and the movie?"
"Don't worry, we'll go rent it later this week."
"Sydney, the movie's done in like, forty minutes. I think your walk can wait that long." "Actually," Will spoke up, "I could use a walk myself."
He gave Sydney a pointed look and she gave him a glare.
"No, Will, I really don't think you need one right now," she said, a hint of anger in her tone.
"Oh, I really do. You have no idea."
He could tell she was trying her best not to lose it and he felt guilty for putting her on the spot like that. But he wanted to meet this guy she so deeply cared for.
Francie rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever.if you don't want to look at this fine man, I'll be okay doing it myself."
Sydney sighed to herself. "Thanks, Francie. I promise, someday this week, we'll go to the video store and rent ourselves every Ben Affleck movie there."
Francie smiled. "Sounds good to me."
"Alright," Sydney smiled back. She looked at Will and frowned. "Let's go, Will."
He quickly stood up and grabbed both of their jackets before following her out the door.
He ran to keep up with her fast pace and handed her the coat. She took it and put it on, but didn't speak.
"Listen, Sydney, I just wanted to."
"You're not coming with me, if that's what you're thinking," she interrupted.
"Huh?"
"I'm not permitted to bring you with me to these meetings."
"Oh, come on, Sydney, I just."
"Will, I'm not allowed to do it, okay? I could get in trouble.or worse, you or Vaughn could get in trouble."
"Syd, nobody has to know that I was there," Will argued.
Sydney shook her head. "You don't understand, Will, you."
"No, Sydney, I think you're the one who doesn't understand," he said, halting.
She stopped and turned to look at him. "How's that?"
He hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Uh, well."
She raised an eyebrow at him and he decided to try another method.
"Sydney, you told me that this guy willingly volunteered to save my life. I just want to meet him.just once. Please?"
Her expression softened. She bit her lip and look down at the ground. She groaned to herself and found herself nodding.
"Fine, fine.but if anyone finds out about this, I guarantee it won't be pretty."
"I just want to meet him," he insisted.
"Okay," she relented, "let's go."
Vaughn looked at his watch again. It had been fifteen minutes since he had called Sydney. This meeting wasn't to discuss a counter- mission. He had just wanted to talk to her. He didn't know what he wanted to talk about, exactly, just that he needed to see her and hear her voice. He was feeling quite tired and as he looked around the warehouse, he decided to rest his body and sat down on one of the large crates. He slowly swung his legs back and forth until he heard Sydney call his name. He quickly stood up, but cursed himself for it when he felt a sharp pang travel throughout his body. The pain was replaced by shock, however, when he saw Sydney's friend, Will, standing behind her. He gave her a questioning look and she shrugged apologetically.
"Uh, Sydney, can I have a word with you?" he said, beckoning her over.
She nodded and whispered something to Will before walking over.
"This'll only take a minute," Vaughn told the reporter.
He took Sydney by the arm and guided her a few feet away from the crates.
"What is he doing here?" he demanded angrily.
"I'm sorry, he wanted to come with me," she whispered.
Vaughn groaned and put his arm to his forehead. "God, Sydney, you can't do this! You shouldn't have brought him here."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry, Vaughn, but he...he said he wanted to meet you."
Vaughn wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Meet me? Why?"
"Well, uh...see, I..." Sydney stammered.
Vaughn raised an eyebrow at her, silently telling her to speed up her explanation.
"Listen," she said finally, "after we came back from Taipei, I told him about you. About how you came with me to help save him and how you...uh, died. Remember when I met you at the warehouse last week?"
Vaughn nodded.
"And remember when Will called me?"
He nodded again.
"When I went to see him, I told him you were alive, and I guess now he wants to...I don't know, thank you or something."
Vaughn sighed and glanced at Will. He was looking around the warehouse, obviously feeling out-of-place. Vaughn rolled his eyes and groaned again.
"Fine, but Sydney, please, don't do this again, okay?"
"I won't, Vaughn, I promise," she replied sincerely.
He shook his head and they walked back to where Will was standing. Sydney smiled at both of the men and introduced them to one another.
"Will, this is my handler, Agent Michael Vaughn, Vaughn, this is Will Tippin."
"Hi," Will said, "you know, Sydney's told me a lot about you."
"Is that right?" Vaughn asked.
"Yeah...don't worry, though, all of it was good."
Vaughn smiled. "That's good."
An uncomfortable silence fell among the three.
"Uh, so Vaughn," Sydney started, "you called me here, so...what's my counter-mission?"
Vaughn shot a look at Will, who didn't seem confused by Sydney's question. Obviously Sydney had shared with him what handlers did and why she was always leaving the house to come here.
"I didn't call you here to discuss a counter-mission," he replied, looking at the ground.
She furrowed her brow, but a look of understanding came over here. "Oh..."
"Yeah."
"Vaughn, I..."
"Don't worry about it, Sydney, it wasn't that important anyway."
"Wait, did I miss something?" Will asked.
Sydney and Vaughn looked up at him in surprise. They had almost forgotten he was there.
"Not a thing," Sydney told him.
More silence. Will finally worked up the courage to talk to Vaughn again.
"Listen, man, Sydney told me that you came to Taipei to help me and I just wanted to say that I really appreciate that. You didn't even know me and you were willing to help her out."
Vaughn nodded. "Yeah, well...I would do anything that would make Sydney happy."
Sydney shifted her line of vision to her handler, but he didn't return her gaze.
"I figured as much," Will agreed. "And I can see you definitely went through a lot."
"I wouldn't hesitate to say the same about you."
"I'm getting over it," he replied. "You know, I think Sydney really likes you."
Sydney's eyes widened. She quickly whirled her head to look at Vaughn and saw his lips forming a small smile.
"You know, I'm here!" she exclaimed.
Will laughed. "Sorry, Syd, I didn't know saying that would get to you."
"I...I mean, it doesn't, it just..." she started, becoming flustered.
Will held up his hand, still laughing. "Whatever, Sydney. Listen, I'm going to wait outside. You two can talk....whatever it is you talk about." He turned to Vaughn. "It was nice to meet you."
Vaughn nodded as they shook hands again. "It was nice to meet you, too."
"Take care," Will said as he walked out of the warehouse.
When he left, Vaughn gave Sydney an amused look.
"Well," he commented, "that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."
She gave him a menacing look. "Oh, shut up."
They smiled sweetly at each other.
"I'm really sorry we didn't get to talk," she said, becoming serious.
"It's okay," he shrugged. "It can wait."
"It shouldn't have had to," she said softly, walking closer to him.
One small move by either of them and their lips would meet. Instead, Sydney grabbed his hand.
"Are you going to be alright?" she asked, examining his beautiful green pools.
He was trying his hardest not to blink. "I think I will," he replied in a whisper.
They stayed in that position for a moment, surrounded by silence, staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them wanted to look away and ruin the moment. Sydney began to lean closer to Vaughn's tempting lips, but he pulled back.
"Sydney, we can't," he started.
Her expression matched his: disappointed. He sighed and drooped his shoulders.
"You shouldn't keep Will waiting anymore," he suggested.
She bit her lip and looked away from him. "Uh, listen, next time you call me, I'll make sure to come alone and we can really have a talk, okay?"
Vaughn forced himself to put on a sad smile. "I'll be counting on it."
She nodded and returned an identical smile. "See you later," she said, before quickly turning and walking out of the warehouse.
As he watched her go, thoughts instantly filled his head, as if someone had turned on a switch to start a flow of emotions. Regret, relief, temptation to go after her...and he would have, if his practical side hadn't convinced him otherwise. He looked up at the ceiling, mentally asking God what he was planning.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang and he grabbed it from his pocket with false hope that it was Sydney.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Hello, Agent Vaughn," a female replied.
"Uh, who is this?"
"I'll give you one guess, Michael."
His eyes widened as he placed the voice. "Irina."