Chapter Eight
*Christmas, Two Years Later*
Sydney's POV
Christmas Eve has come so quickly this year, and somehow I found myself wishing that I could spend it with Vaughn, instead of my husband.
Why I had said yes to marrying him on that day, two years ago when he proposed is beyond me. I guess that when he said that I'd be protecting Vaughn that way, I went weak in the knees and said yes.
Somehow, by marrying Andrew Sark and losing myself as Sydney Bristow, I felt like I had save the people that I love: Vaughn, Dad, Mom, Will, Francie, and most of all, my little girl: Ambria.
After Andrew and I were married, we decided together that if we had a child, it would be harder for Sloane to find us, so I went ahead and allowed myself to have Sark's child. I don't think of Ambria as Andrew's child, but my little girl. She helps me forget Vaughn, at least a little. Somehow though, I feel like she should be Michael Vaughn's child, and not Andrew Sark's.
I hear Ambria's squeal of delight and remember why I came up to my room; to get the camera. I finally find it and put on a smile as Ambria, my wonderful two-year-old daughter abandons her present to wrap her tiny arms around my leg. I now remember that my only reason for living is inside the grin of my blonde-haired, blue-eyed bundle of joy- my daughter.
***
Sark's POV
She looks unhappy, I thought as her face lit up with false joy, something that I am so used to seeing on my wife's face. I know that it kills her, every day, to get up and see her daughter, identical to me, the same blue eyes, the same blonde mop of hair, but her nose and facial structure, smiling at her.
Sometimes, I hope that I'll get stabbed or shot when I got to work, just so she can pack up her daughter, move back to LA, and go back to her old life. Somehow, I know that it will never happen.
She sits down on the floor and hands Ambria another present to open. My daughter eagerly tears it open and smiles at us as she discovers the doll, hidden beneath the wrappings.
Sydney, my darling wife, was so hesitant, that day that I proposed, for both her and Vaughn's sakes. She never realized that I truly cared about her and how hard every mission with her was and that I had to fight back the urge to kiss her right there and then.
I suppose that she's grown to love me, just knowing that she's saving Vaughn by being my wife and raising our daughter. She thinks of Ambria more as her daughter, than mine, and I know that and accept it.
Still, I always find myself wondering if there is a way to bring back the smile that she had before she married me, two years ago. I would see it when she was with Vaughn, or even when we were competing on a mission for SD-6 or fighting in another pointless argument. I wonder if I can bring it back.
***
Vaughn's POV
She's been gone for two years and six months, but who's counting? I ask myself this every day. The last picture ever taken of her and me sits on my dresser and I stop to look at it every morning. I still have the newspaper article that was published the day after the shooting. Sark murdered Sydney, that same thought keeps coming back to haunt me, night after night.
The article had said that she- Anna Taylor, that is, was on her way to her job as a fifth grade teacher when she was shot and left to bleed to death. The murderer, who had been identified by the CIA, or probably SD-6 once again posing as the CIA, was identified as Mr. Sark, an agent for the CIA. The funeral was a few days later, and I hadn't bothered attending, or rather, I couldn't attend.
Alice and I got back together two weeks ago. I don't know why, I just need someone to be here for me. She never knew who Sydney was, she just knew her as Rita.
I still find myself wondering every day, is she still alive and out there, somewhere? Did she fake her death, or did someone fake it for her?
***
Jack's POV
Sydney.I find myself thinking about her once again. Sure, I saw the newspaper article, but I refuse to allow myself to believe that Sark killed her. She was the one connection between Irina and I, and now that link is gone. After her death, Irina refused to talk to anyone else and help the CIA. She always looks so lonely when someone goes in to visit her. I just can't believe Sydney's gone though.
Things have been different around SD-6 without Sydney or Sark. The aggressive atmosphere, the competition, it just isn't there anymore.
Somehow, I know that my daughter isn't dead, that she's alive somewhere, and happy. That's enough for me.
***
Sydney sat with Ambria on her lap next to Sark, watching Frosty the Snowman on the TV. Ambria laughed happily as Frosty came to life and crawled closer to the TV.
Sark scooted a bit closer to her, just to see what she would do. She stayed put and he put his arm around her. She moved closer into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. If someone had looked in their living room window right at that moment, they would have seen a perfect family.
Sydney stretched and picked Ambria up. "Time for bed, sweetheart," she said to the little girl.
"I'll help you put her to bed," Sark offered.
"It's okay," she said. The fake smile was back again. "I can do it."
She whisked their little girl upstairs and put her into her crib. Ambria snuggled against her overstuffed pink bear and Sydney heard her whisper, "Night, night Mommy" in her little baby babble.
Sydney paused at the top of the stairs, wondering if she should go back downstairs to her husband or just go to bed. She had grown to love him, or at least more than she had when she had first married him. She decided to go back downstairs. Sark had turned on The Santa Clause, on the Disney channel. She sat back down next to him and he put a supportive arm around her.
"Can't we watch something a little less juvenile?" she asked, laying her head on his chest.
"I don't know, can we?" he asked with a teasing grin. She looked up at him and smiled, not a fake smile, but a real smile, her first in years.
"We should get Ambria's presents out," she said. "But I don't want to move."
He pulled her closer to him and she closed her eyes in pure bliss. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Here she was, lying on her couch with Sark, of all people. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Relaxing."
"You're staring at me," she said with a small smile.
"Like I said, I'm relaxing." He helped her get up. "Let's go get Ambria's presents."
They brought up the ten small gifts for their daughter and Sark said, "Do you want to see if Kelly wants to watch her on New Years Eve?" Kelly was the teenage girl next door, and babysat for Ambria often.
"I guess that would be okay," she said with a teasing grin. "I'd rather go on vacation though."
"To where?"
"Los Angeles."
"You're kidding me."
She fell back onto the couch and sighed. "Not really. I miss it. It sort of grows on you, you know?"
He nodded and sat down next to her, both instinctively coming back to their original position; his arm around her, her laying on his chest.
"Los Angeles it is," he whispered. "We'll leave tomorrow."
"We can't," she said quietly. "What about Ambria?"
"Then we won't go," he said simply. "We're a few hours away."
"I want to, though."
"I know," he gave her another smile.
"Let's go," she said quietly. "I want to find my father."
"We can't find your father. That's the thing. No one is to know we're there. Your father has worked for Sloane for over thirty years. He probably still is."
"I just want to see everyone again."
"I know," he kissed her, silencing her. When he pulled away, he said again, "I know."
*Christmas, Two Years Later*
Sydney's POV
Christmas Eve has come so quickly this year, and somehow I found myself wishing that I could spend it with Vaughn, instead of my husband.
Why I had said yes to marrying him on that day, two years ago when he proposed is beyond me. I guess that when he said that I'd be protecting Vaughn that way, I went weak in the knees and said yes.
Somehow, by marrying Andrew Sark and losing myself as Sydney Bristow, I felt like I had save the people that I love: Vaughn, Dad, Mom, Will, Francie, and most of all, my little girl: Ambria.
After Andrew and I were married, we decided together that if we had a child, it would be harder for Sloane to find us, so I went ahead and allowed myself to have Sark's child. I don't think of Ambria as Andrew's child, but my little girl. She helps me forget Vaughn, at least a little. Somehow though, I feel like she should be Michael Vaughn's child, and not Andrew Sark's.
I hear Ambria's squeal of delight and remember why I came up to my room; to get the camera. I finally find it and put on a smile as Ambria, my wonderful two-year-old daughter abandons her present to wrap her tiny arms around my leg. I now remember that my only reason for living is inside the grin of my blonde-haired, blue-eyed bundle of joy- my daughter.
***
Sark's POV
She looks unhappy, I thought as her face lit up with false joy, something that I am so used to seeing on my wife's face. I know that it kills her, every day, to get up and see her daughter, identical to me, the same blue eyes, the same blonde mop of hair, but her nose and facial structure, smiling at her.
Sometimes, I hope that I'll get stabbed or shot when I got to work, just so she can pack up her daughter, move back to LA, and go back to her old life. Somehow, I know that it will never happen.
She sits down on the floor and hands Ambria another present to open. My daughter eagerly tears it open and smiles at us as she discovers the doll, hidden beneath the wrappings.
Sydney, my darling wife, was so hesitant, that day that I proposed, for both her and Vaughn's sakes. She never realized that I truly cared about her and how hard every mission with her was and that I had to fight back the urge to kiss her right there and then.
I suppose that she's grown to love me, just knowing that she's saving Vaughn by being my wife and raising our daughter. She thinks of Ambria more as her daughter, than mine, and I know that and accept it.
Still, I always find myself wondering if there is a way to bring back the smile that she had before she married me, two years ago. I would see it when she was with Vaughn, or even when we were competing on a mission for SD-6 or fighting in another pointless argument. I wonder if I can bring it back.
***
Vaughn's POV
She's been gone for two years and six months, but who's counting? I ask myself this every day. The last picture ever taken of her and me sits on my dresser and I stop to look at it every morning. I still have the newspaper article that was published the day after the shooting. Sark murdered Sydney, that same thought keeps coming back to haunt me, night after night.
The article had said that she- Anna Taylor, that is, was on her way to her job as a fifth grade teacher when she was shot and left to bleed to death. The murderer, who had been identified by the CIA, or probably SD-6 once again posing as the CIA, was identified as Mr. Sark, an agent for the CIA. The funeral was a few days later, and I hadn't bothered attending, or rather, I couldn't attend.
Alice and I got back together two weeks ago. I don't know why, I just need someone to be here for me. She never knew who Sydney was, she just knew her as Rita.
I still find myself wondering every day, is she still alive and out there, somewhere? Did she fake her death, or did someone fake it for her?
***
Jack's POV
Sydney.I find myself thinking about her once again. Sure, I saw the newspaper article, but I refuse to allow myself to believe that Sark killed her. She was the one connection between Irina and I, and now that link is gone. After her death, Irina refused to talk to anyone else and help the CIA. She always looks so lonely when someone goes in to visit her. I just can't believe Sydney's gone though.
Things have been different around SD-6 without Sydney or Sark. The aggressive atmosphere, the competition, it just isn't there anymore.
Somehow, I know that my daughter isn't dead, that she's alive somewhere, and happy. That's enough for me.
***
Sydney sat with Ambria on her lap next to Sark, watching Frosty the Snowman on the TV. Ambria laughed happily as Frosty came to life and crawled closer to the TV.
Sark scooted a bit closer to her, just to see what she would do. She stayed put and he put his arm around her. She moved closer into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. If someone had looked in their living room window right at that moment, they would have seen a perfect family.
Sydney stretched and picked Ambria up. "Time for bed, sweetheart," she said to the little girl.
"I'll help you put her to bed," Sark offered.
"It's okay," she said. The fake smile was back again. "I can do it."
She whisked their little girl upstairs and put her into her crib. Ambria snuggled against her overstuffed pink bear and Sydney heard her whisper, "Night, night Mommy" in her little baby babble.
Sydney paused at the top of the stairs, wondering if she should go back downstairs to her husband or just go to bed. She had grown to love him, or at least more than she had when she had first married him. She decided to go back downstairs. Sark had turned on The Santa Clause, on the Disney channel. She sat back down next to him and he put a supportive arm around her.
"Can't we watch something a little less juvenile?" she asked, laying her head on his chest.
"I don't know, can we?" he asked with a teasing grin. She looked up at him and smiled, not a fake smile, but a real smile, her first in years.
"We should get Ambria's presents out," she said. "But I don't want to move."
He pulled her closer to him and she closed her eyes in pure bliss. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Here she was, lying on her couch with Sark, of all people. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Relaxing."
"You're staring at me," she said with a small smile.
"Like I said, I'm relaxing." He helped her get up. "Let's go get Ambria's presents."
They brought up the ten small gifts for their daughter and Sark said, "Do you want to see if Kelly wants to watch her on New Years Eve?" Kelly was the teenage girl next door, and babysat for Ambria often.
"I guess that would be okay," she said with a teasing grin. "I'd rather go on vacation though."
"To where?"
"Los Angeles."
"You're kidding me."
She fell back onto the couch and sighed. "Not really. I miss it. It sort of grows on you, you know?"
He nodded and sat down next to her, both instinctively coming back to their original position; his arm around her, her laying on his chest.
"Los Angeles it is," he whispered. "We'll leave tomorrow."
"We can't," she said quietly. "What about Ambria?"
"Then we won't go," he said simply. "We're a few hours away."
"I want to, though."
"I know," he gave her another smile.
"Let's go," she said quietly. "I want to find my father."
"We can't find your father. That's the thing. No one is to know we're there. Your father has worked for Sloane for over thirty years. He probably still is."
"I just want to see everyone again."
"I know," he kissed her, silencing her. When he pulled away, he said again, "I know."