Chapter 2:

Sydney's eyes snapped open the next morning as a siren-like blare blasted from her alarm clock. *Whoever invented the alarm clock should be beaten and shot* she declared to herself. She slunked to the shower and let the steady beating of the water on her back welcome her to consciousness. *Here we go again.* She stepped out of the shower to the inviting smell of coffee brewing. She got dressed, choosing a wine colored skirt cut just above the knee, a matching jacket, tan hose, black high heels, and a sleek black blouse. The blouse was one of her favorites, accenting the hard earned muscles of her torso. The neckline was low, just low enough to keep Kendall from bitching at her about proper office attire. Anyway, she knew it earned her a few appreciative stares from the boys at the water cooler, so she was doing her part to see that government servants had high morale. Not that what they thought mattered though. Only one man's opinion meant something to her, yet at the same time she knew he was to much of a gentleman, and a business man, to comment. Once dressed, Sydney walked into the kitchen to see who else was up at this ungodly time in the morning.

"It's alive!" Will called as she walked into the room.

"Coffee?" She asked hopefully. Will handed her a steaming mug, and he beamed at she took a sip and smiled. "My hero. Why are you up so early Will? Does the 'newspaper' really want you there this early? I thought the CIA might only be this evil to the doubles."

"They are only that evil to the doubles," he grinned. "I don't have to be in yet, I still have a few hours. I wanted to make sure you were ok, you seemed kinda upset last night. Is there anything that I can do?" Will knew that she wouldn't talk to him about anything she didn't want to. He could always hope, though. *That Vaughn guy doesn't know how lucky he is. I can tell just by the way she talks about him that she trusts him with her life.* Sydney saw a look of anger, and what appeared to be jealousy flash across her friend's face.

"Will? You ok?" Will snapped his head from his thoughts to meet Sydney's concerned gaze.

"Hmmm? Yea Syd, I'm fine. I just hate what they put you through." Sydney smiled at the look of genuine concern Will gave her.

"Please don't worry about me Will, I hate burdening you. Anyway, now you're part of the team, too. Not to worry though, you won't be going out into the field or anything." Sydney glanced up at the clock and noticed the time.

"Here we go again. It is time again for me to go Will. Just remember when you go to watch for tails, ok? I can just picture getting an evil stare from my father today in the conference room for drifting off and worrying about you." Sydney gave Will a kiss on the cheek and headed for the door.

"Hey Syd!" Will called. She turned to look back at him. "I never got to find out if you were ok. Francie told me you two went for a few drinks last night, don't you only do that as a cheer-me-up kind of thing?"

"Yea," Sydney replied with a sad smile. She walked away then, not wanting to be late to SD-6, and really not wanting to continue that conversation. As Sydney walked out the door, Will was left to wonder what the hell she meant. He almost called after her, but he knew she wouldn't turn back.

An hour later Will's pager buzzed. He was still thinking about Sydney, and hoped to find Mr. Vaughn at the 'newspaper' office. As he drove over, checking for tails as Sydney had insisted, he thought about exactly what he wanted to say to this man. He had what Will always wanted, Sydney's heart. When Francie had passed along that Syd had told her she had a crush on a guy from work named Michael, he was mad. No, mad was an understatement. It had taken everything in him not to lash out at Vaughn during their last meeting. Instead, he coolly reminded Vaughn to respect whatever relationship he had with Sydney. Will smiled as he remembered that. It's not often you get to catch someone completely off guard, especially not Sydney's hero. When he pulled up to the 'newspaper' office, he had still not decided what he was going to say. *Whatever happens, happens I guess* he thought. When he walked inside, he found Vaughn there, waiting for him.

"Good morning Mr. Tippin. Follow me and I'll show you your new office." Will noticed the extra air of professionalism that Vaughn put up in this public place. *I bet he hates meeting her at places like these* Will decided. Before long they were standing in a cozy little office that would be Will's base of operations. Cozy being small, but not tight, and needing some homey touches.

"Does this look ok to you Will?" Once again in private, the professionalism dropped. Will didn't answer him. He was daydreaming about how perfect this office would look if Sydney were sitting in the chair across from his desk. "Will? Is there something wrong?" Will looked up. *I wonder what he'd do if I told him what I really thought of him. Tell him to stay away from Syd, she's not his and never will be. Yea, that'd go over real well.*

"What?" Will asked, a little to sharply, but he didn't regret it. Vaughn looked at him, surprised at the outburst. When it was clear that no apology was to follow, surprise grew to irritation.

"What's the matter with you?" Vaughn demanded. Will opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped and glanced at the door to the office, which stood wide open. Vaughn got the hint, got up, and closed the door. Once he had resumed his position leaning against the edge of the desk, he looked at Will expectantly. "Well?" Will met his gaze, he didn't want to appear at all weak to this man. If he was to have any chance with Sydney, he had to prove himself to be better than her hero. So, he met Vaughn's gaze with equal force, and neither one flinched.

"I just wonder if you know how lucky you are," Gaining the desired look of confusion from Vaughn, he continued. "You can't really be this dense. Ok, let me spell it out for you. When one of Sydney's missions goes wrong, when she can't make the switch or get the fake, it's always her fault. She always blames herself. It's never that the counter mission was near impossible or that your timing was crap. It's always her fault. Your counter missions are flawless, she's the one who messed up." He studied the other man's face when he finished. Shock was apparent on Vaughn's face for a moment, but it was quickly hidden.

"What are you trying to say Will?" *Not one for beating around the bush* Will observed.

"You matter to her, but you shouldn't You're the one who sends her off every time, to risk her life for her country knowing full well she might not come back! Even when she does come back, it's only to leave again! Everyday she puts herself on the line, and for what!? She does it for her country, and because you tell her to. I know what she did to save you from that virus. I wouldn't be surprised if someday she gave up her own life to save you." Just as he finished, his new CIA issue cell phone rang. Vaughn shot him a look that said 'we will finish this later.' "Hello?" He answered, a little more irate sounding than he had meant.

"Will? Will it's me." Sydney, and she doesn't sound happy. *Shit, I hope she's ok. Wait, she called me, not hero boy, hmmm. Well here's my time to prove I'm better. Don't loose your cool Will, you don't need to fuel Vaughn's ego.*

"Syd, it's ok, it's me, what's wrong?" Will noticed smugly how Vaughn's head snapped up, shocked at the mention of Sydney's name.