"What is with you lately?" Sydney found herself slightly annoyed by the
English accent.
"What do you mean?" She replied spitefully.
"You're. glowing." Sark smiled slyly. "Looks like someone had been getting-"
"Don't finish that. It's the Christmas spirit, Sark. You know? Goodness and merry-ness? Oh wait, I forgot. you wouldn't know about that."
"Despite you accusations, I'll have you know I am a very merry person." Sark stopped talking and pointed up. "Well looky there. Mistletoe."
Sydney cringed seeing the green leaves hanging above them. Sark leaned in an kissed her on the cheek.
"Merry Christmas Agent Bristow." He smiled. Sydney smiled back.
"Merry Christmas." Through gritted teeth she added, "If you ever touch me again, I'll castrate you with my bare hands. Understood?"
Sark smiled wider. "Can't wait." He strolled off confidently.
At the CIA office, Sydney was disappointed to find no mistletoe. In her hand she clutched a small package. She headed straight for her mother's cell. She smiled sweetly at the guard, who shook his head.
"No. no way. Devlin already rang my ass out on protocol for the last time I let you in there."
"Let me handle Devlin. Come on, where is your Christmas spirit?" The guard shook his head again.
Sydney looked at him, gazing into his eyes trying to be inconspicuously seductive.
"Whats the problem here?"
Sydney looked up to see her father.
"I have a Christmas gift. for mom. I want to give it to her."
"Sydney." Jack began to launch into a speech but stopped. Instead, he turned to the guard. "Let her in young man, or else you'll have Devlin to answer to."
Looking bewildered, the officer led Sydney down the hall, who turned around to look at her dad once more. He was watching her looking sad. She mouthed thank you to him and he nodded his head before going back to his work.
Sydney faced the glass, while the guard unlocked the door. She walked inside the cell, lightly hugging her mother.
"Merry Christmas," Sydney said, feeling sad that her mother would spend Christmas in this cell alone.
Irina smiled. "I guess it is in a way." She looked at her daughter meaningfully, letting Sydney know that she was the "way".
Sydney handed Irina her gift. "This is for you. its just something small but."
Irina looked at the package curiously, easily opening it neatly. She let out a small gasp. It was a framed picture of her and Sydney from when Sydney was five. Irina's vision became blurred by her tears. She looked up at Sydney as one single salty tear fell down her cheek. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Sydney embraced her mother again. Then she pulled away. "I'll be gone tomorrow. its Christmas. But I promise I'll come see you on Thursday."
"I would like that very much."
Sydney took a few steps toward the door. "Merry Christmas mom."
"Merry Christmas."
Jack felt on top of the world. He sat down on Sydney's couch, his stomach full of the wonderful Christmas meal that Francie had made. Will sat down next to him.
"So Mr. Bristow, are you a football fan?"
"When I get the time to watch it, yes."
Will flipped on the tv, turning it to ESPN.
Sydney watched from the kitchen. "Oh no, Francie, they've slipped into a sports coma."
Francie looked up from a dish she was washing and smiled. "Boys will be boys."
Sydney grabbed a towel and started to dry dishes. Francie looked at her friend, raising her eyebrows. "So whats going on with you?"
Sydney was taken by surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you are all aglow, and you invited your father to Christmas dinner. You seem. happy."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"No," Francie replied quickly. "That's not what I meant. I just want to know whats up."
"Well," Sydney lowered her voice some. "Do you remember Michael? From the bank?"
Francie nodded. "The perfect guy except he has a girlfriend?"
"Yes, but no, not anymore. Well kind of." Sydney let out a giggle and Francie put down her dishes giving her full attention to Sydney. "See the bank sort of put us on a job together, and he told me that he and the girlfriend split up, and then things sort of led to another and."
"Oh my god!" Francie slapped a hand over her gaping mouth before making a happy girl noise.
"What? What is it?" called Will from the couch.
"Nothing!" Francie said, still shaking her head in disbelief.
"But, the banks policy hasn't changed at all, so we have to sneak around. I haven't told very many people. just you and Will."
Francie nodded and then motioned that her lips were locked. Then she broke into a smile and looked at her friend happily before returning to dishes. "You should invite him over."
"Here? Tonight?"
"Why not?"
"Well. my dad. I just don't want to make to big of a deal of this yet."
"How about after your dad leaves then?"
"I'll call him and see what he thinks. I promise."
"Okay, you better. I got to see this perfect man, because god knows I've been looking for him!"
Sydney laughed and dried her dishes, daydreaming about a time and a place when she could be scrubbing Christmas dishes with Vaughn, her dad in the other room talking to his mom. she couldn't wait.
Five hours later, Jack Bristow made his exit. Sydney walked him downstairs and outside, kissing him on the cheek.
"Dad. this was really nice."
"Yes, yes it was."
Sydney looked off.
"But, I wasn't the only person you wanted here?"
Sydney nodded.
Jack sighed. "Listen Sydney, I still don't trust your mother, you know that. But I want to see you happy. Maybe you should go see her."
"Dad its Christmas day."
"Honey, the CIA never rests." Jack smiled and hugged his daughter tightly. "I have something for you." He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket. "Merry Christmas Sydney."
Sydney took the paper, looking at her father with uncertainty. After he walked away, she opened it up.
Sydney-
3303 Cole Court Fullerton, CA 92058 Merry Christmas -Weiss
Sydney smiled to herself.
"What do you mean?" She replied spitefully.
"You're. glowing." Sark smiled slyly. "Looks like someone had been getting-"
"Don't finish that. It's the Christmas spirit, Sark. You know? Goodness and merry-ness? Oh wait, I forgot. you wouldn't know about that."
"Despite you accusations, I'll have you know I am a very merry person." Sark stopped talking and pointed up. "Well looky there. Mistletoe."
Sydney cringed seeing the green leaves hanging above them. Sark leaned in an kissed her on the cheek.
"Merry Christmas Agent Bristow." He smiled. Sydney smiled back.
"Merry Christmas." Through gritted teeth she added, "If you ever touch me again, I'll castrate you with my bare hands. Understood?"
Sark smiled wider. "Can't wait." He strolled off confidently.
At the CIA office, Sydney was disappointed to find no mistletoe. In her hand she clutched a small package. She headed straight for her mother's cell. She smiled sweetly at the guard, who shook his head.
"No. no way. Devlin already rang my ass out on protocol for the last time I let you in there."
"Let me handle Devlin. Come on, where is your Christmas spirit?" The guard shook his head again.
Sydney looked at him, gazing into his eyes trying to be inconspicuously seductive.
"Whats the problem here?"
Sydney looked up to see her father.
"I have a Christmas gift. for mom. I want to give it to her."
"Sydney." Jack began to launch into a speech but stopped. Instead, he turned to the guard. "Let her in young man, or else you'll have Devlin to answer to."
Looking bewildered, the officer led Sydney down the hall, who turned around to look at her dad once more. He was watching her looking sad. She mouthed thank you to him and he nodded his head before going back to his work.
Sydney faced the glass, while the guard unlocked the door. She walked inside the cell, lightly hugging her mother.
"Merry Christmas," Sydney said, feeling sad that her mother would spend Christmas in this cell alone.
Irina smiled. "I guess it is in a way." She looked at her daughter meaningfully, letting Sydney know that she was the "way".
Sydney handed Irina her gift. "This is for you. its just something small but."
Irina looked at the package curiously, easily opening it neatly. She let out a small gasp. It was a framed picture of her and Sydney from when Sydney was five. Irina's vision became blurred by her tears. She looked up at Sydney as one single salty tear fell down her cheek. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Sydney embraced her mother again. Then she pulled away. "I'll be gone tomorrow. its Christmas. But I promise I'll come see you on Thursday."
"I would like that very much."
Sydney took a few steps toward the door. "Merry Christmas mom."
"Merry Christmas."
Jack felt on top of the world. He sat down on Sydney's couch, his stomach full of the wonderful Christmas meal that Francie had made. Will sat down next to him.
"So Mr. Bristow, are you a football fan?"
"When I get the time to watch it, yes."
Will flipped on the tv, turning it to ESPN.
Sydney watched from the kitchen. "Oh no, Francie, they've slipped into a sports coma."
Francie looked up from a dish she was washing and smiled. "Boys will be boys."
Sydney grabbed a towel and started to dry dishes. Francie looked at her friend, raising her eyebrows. "So whats going on with you?"
Sydney was taken by surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you are all aglow, and you invited your father to Christmas dinner. You seem. happy."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"No," Francie replied quickly. "That's not what I meant. I just want to know whats up."
"Well," Sydney lowered her voice some. "Do you remember Michael? From the bank?"
Francie nodded. "The perfect guy except he has a girlfriend?"
"Yes, but no, not anymore. Well kind of." Sydney let out a giggle and Francie put down her dishes giving her full attention to Sydney. "See the bank sort of put us on a job together, and he told me that he and the girlfriend split up, and then things sort of led to another and."
"Oh my god!" Francie slapped a hand over her gaping mouth before making a happy girl noise.
"What? What is it?" called Will from the couch.
"Nothing!" Francie said, still shaking her head in disbelief.
"But, the banks policy hasn't changed at all, so we have to sneak around. I haven't told very many people. just you and Will."
Francie nodded and then motioned that her lips were locked. Then she broke into a smile and looked at her friend happily before returning to dishes. "You should invite him over."
"Here? Tonight?"
"Why not?"
"Well. my dad. I just don't want to make to big of a deal of this yet."
"How about after your dad leaves then?"
"I'll call him and see what he thinks. I promise."
"Okay, you better. I got to see this perfect man, because god knows I've been looking for him!"
Sydney laughed and dried her dishes, daydreaming about a time and a place when she could be scrubbing Christmas dishes with Vaughn, her dad in the other room talking to his mom. she couldn't wait.
Five hours later, Jack Bristow made his exit. Sydney walked him downstairs and outside, kissing him on the cheek.
"Dad. this was really nice."
"Yes, yes it was."
Sydney looked off.
"But, I wasn't the only person you wanted here?"
Sydney nodded.
Jack sighed. "Listen Sydney, I still don't trust your mother, you know that. But I want to see you happy. Maybe you should go see her."
"Dad its Christmas day."
"Honey, the CIA never rests." Jack smiled and hugged his daughter tightly. "I have something for you." He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket. "Merry Christmas Sydney."
Sydney took the paper, looking at her father with uncertainty. After he walked away, she opened it up.
Sydney-
3303 Cole Court Fullerton, CA 92058 Merry Christmas -Weiss
Sydney smiled to herself.