Chapter 7
Sydney took her time getting ready. It had taken her almost an hour to get her temper under control. She knew she needed to if she were to pull this off tonight. If she could leave the room she'd have gone for a run, but since that wasn't an option it seemed a glass of wine was in order. Perhaps several. The worst part was how confused she felt. Usually she was very sure what side she was on. For the moment she didn't feel like she wanted to be on either side. Sark was good, she had to give him that. He was playing her like a pro. Confusing her and comforting her at just the right times. The look in his eyes the night before when he related the story of the girl. She could swear, even now, the shock was real. But come on, she told herself, this is Sark here.
Still, she had never seen him like that, so.. off balance. From what little she knew of him, he was, if nothing else, consistent. He went into a mission with a specific goal. Every moment meticulously planned and executed. Now he seemed to be just winging it. He wasn't any less decisive, just more reflexive. It could all be part of it; his manipulation of her. But why? For a moment she thought again 'he must know,' know the truth about her. It's all that could explain his abrupt change of behavior. No, she'd be dead if he did. That much she knew.
Vaughn needed her to pull it together and, of course, she would. But she was going to hold him to that promise to help the girl after all of this was over. Which meant the sooner this was over, the sooner he'd have to come through for her.
It helps to have a goal.
As much as anything, she was frustrated with herself for allowing Sark to build her trust at all. It gave him leverage over her. Exactly what she'd set out to avoid. He had used it to get the upper hand. Now the question was how to take back her power. Sark had been right before when he said she hadn't taken the time to learn about him. It had been deliberate. Self-defense. Her father would have said the best defense is a good offense.
With this in mind she thought about what little she did know about him. Sexy, gorgeous, ruthless, cunning. All words she'd heard used to describe him. No, she knew more of him than that. What would her words be? How do you describe the indescribable? Concentrate on the bad, she told herself, it's safer and there's plenty of it. Her mind flashed to the very first time she saw his face. The execution of Quan Li...
She'd witnessed his gentle side too, she conceded, but he'd brought that out only while he was in mission mode and this therefore negated the validity of it. So where to start?
Anomalies came to mind. Anomalies upset him. She'd definitely taken note of that. He was a major control freak... enjoyed toying with her... making her react to him. It annoyed her and she assumed he did it for that reason. But perhaps..., she thought, a light going off in her head, perhaps he could also be made to react. She was definitely angry enough to attempt it. He certainly deserved it. She poured herself another glass of wine and went to take a long bath to give her mind time to work it out. When she finally came out it was late. Sark would be here soon. She needed to get ready. She'd heard the hotel staff arrive to turn down the bed and light the fire while she was in the bath. She hadn't spoken to them as Maurice had instructed them under no circumstance were they to disturb her.
After some consideration, she took it upon herself to complete the ambiance.
***************
Before Sark returned, he'd set the monitors to begin taping for a 12- minute length, starting approximately 20 minutes after his arrival back at the suite. He'd programmed it to then continue in a loop until it was manually deactivated. He'd hesitated to make it start so long after his arrival, but he couldn't be sure what state he'd find Sydney in. It was one of the things that intrigued him about her, her instability. He smiled to himself thinking about it. She didn't trust him, of course, but for the moment she was going along. She understood this taping was only a means to an end.
Strangely, he was dreading this. He had to admit, having Sydney in his arms he'd thought about often. But this was work. He didn't like to think of her coming to him only out of professional obligation. If he weren't so sure it would work, he'd have looked for another way. Fortunately, he was very good at compartmentalizing his emotions. Otherwise it may be difficult not to take advantage of the situation. No, he realized, he wouldn't do that to Sydney..., others perhaps, but not Sydney. Any way, their 'interacting' need only be minimal, more visually deceptive than real. He'd given her his word he wouldn't take advantage of the situation and he would keep it. He felt confident she'd take the lead there. Smiling to himself he thought, 'I'm sure she'll make it as unpleasant as she possibly can.'
Steering himself forward, Sark entered the suite with his usual resolve.
****************
Vaughn - Back at the CIA safe house.~
"Agent Vaughn?"
"Yes." Vaughn stood up to shake his hand.
"I'm David, your op-tech."
"Oh, great. I've heard you're the best."
"Thanks, " he said, placing his files on the table next to his monitor, "I aim to please."
"Hey, listen. I know your vacation started yesterday." Vaughn explained. "I appreciate your coming in. Moving into this phase of the mission we really need someone of your advanced skills."
"I understand." He smiled, sitting down and settling himself. "So, are you two the ones we've been hearing all the buzz about?"
"What do you mean?" Vaughn asked, concerned.
"Oh, well, there's been talk - no naming of names of course, of a couple of agents pulling off some pretty wild tricks lately."
"We have a lot of good agents," Vaughn pointed out.
"Right, well," he said, sensing Vaughn's discomfort, "I'm just happy to be here. So what have we got?" He asked, pulling out his keyboard.
Vaughn filled him in on the basics. "For now we'll be strictly observing. One of our best agents is on the inside. Our number one priority is this agent's protection. But, if all goes as planned, we'll also be gathering some sensitive information to help our friends in Russia. Again, our number one priority is protecting our agent."
David's brow arched. This surprised him. Usually it was the Intel that came first, not the agent. "Do we have a man on point?" He asked.
"No. Too risky. This agent's cover was nearly blown already today."
"What can we do from here?"
"Monitor the situation mostly, be ready for any contingencies that may come up. Now, our agent won't be able to contact us so we'll need to follow their movements through the hotel security surveillance system we've hacked into. After they leave the room, they'll be accessing the computer system of another man staying at the hotel. We aren't sure exactly where that will be so it may take a little finagling on your part to find them."
"If they're in the hotel, I'll find them."
Vaughn continued. "By that point they'll have activated a looping cycle in the hotel mainframe to trick this man into believing they haven't left their room."
"Really? That's good. Was that our idea?"
"No, actually, it wasn't." Vaughn admitted.
David began typing in a series of codes. "Sounds simple enough."
"It's anything but." Vaughn explained. "The man our agent is working with is extremely dangerous. Every moment they spend together our agent's life is in danger."
David nodded, continuing to work the keyboard.
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
Sark sensed the change immediately. The air felt .... electric.
He'd noticed the light was already on when he came in. Korin certainly wasn't wasting any time, he thought wryly. He removed his jacket and placed it over the back of a chair. He wanted to prepare himself. This wasn't going to be easy, pretending she didn't affect him in every way while having to pretend she affected him in everyway.
He could feel her here.
Sydney.
The candles had been lit, and there was a fragrance in the air. The bedroom door was ajar and he could see firelight dancing off the walls. He sensed her waiting for him. His felt his skin come alive.
Slowly he walked to the bedroom, rolling up his sleeves. It wouldn't do to rush. He pushed open the door and leaned his body against the doorframe. And she was there.
Sydney.
Only she was entirely different.
Even with her back to him she looked more alive than she ever had before. As he'd imagined she could be if only she'd allow herself. He stood there, watching her. She sat on the bearskin rug in front of the hearth and was brushing her long hair in the firelight. The light glistened through every strand as it fell softly from the brush with each stroke. His eyes fell to her dress. He'd supposed she would do as instructed and wear one of the garments he'd provided for her. She hadn't. To his surprise all she had on was the shirt he'd worn the day before. It was dark, as most of them were, causing her skin to bloom against the starched fabric.
When she finally did turn to him, she took his breath away. She was Enya in everyway to the untrained eye, but she was all Sydney to him. Her eyes were dark and glistening. There was something..... She looked..dangerous. He felt the blood surge through his veins. He didn't speak immediately, he couldn't. He could only stare at her overpowering beauty.
She'd questioned the need for her to look like herself on this mission. He hadn't had a good answer for that. Now he knew it was because he could never look at another woman the way he was looking at her now. It had seemed a tactical move at the time.
****************
Vaughn and David - Back at the CIA safe house.~
Vaughn was leaning against the table with his back to the monitor when David reached over and nudged him on the arm.
"We have lift-off." He announced. Vaughn looked over. An image of a room came flickering onto the screen.
"Good. It should still be awhile before they go into motion. Has it begun taping yet?" Vaughn asked.
"No. Not yet. Well ...., wait a minute." David typed. "Someone is. But it's not coming from the hotel mainframe directly. It's coming from an outside line hooked into the system."
"That's expected." Vaughn said, looking back down at the case file he'd been reading.
David let out a low whistle. "Now who's this?" He asked.
Vaughn glanced back over his shoulder to look. "That's her," he said quietly, staring at the monitor. The image on the screen reflected her sitting on the floor in front of a fireplace.
Surprised, David looked over at him. "She's yours?"
"She's my asset, yes." Vaughn turned back to his file.
"How long you two been working together?" David questioned.
"It's been a while."
"Must be nice." David observed, continuing to upload information into the system. Vaughn just smiled a little and nodded without looking up.
"Who's this guy?" David asked a few minutes later.
Vaughn looked back. "That's the man she's working with." A worried expression quickly worked its way across his face. He began to rub his forehead as if he felt a headache coming on, but it was just the familiar ache of Sydney facing danger and him having to watch from a distance.
"He doesn't look so bad." David tried to reassure him.
"Looks can be deceiving."
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
Her face lit up when she saw him standing there, watching her. Smiling softly, her eyes moved discreetly upwards to signal him.
But he wasn't thinking about the light anymore.
"Is it you?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.
She reached her hand out to him, inviting him to her as Enya would. He came and sat close to her. She handed him the brush and moved into his lap like a child. He began brushing her hair gently. After a moment he put the brush down and continued with his hands, feeling the strands fall through his fingers. He marveled at its softness. He'd first felt it the night before when she'd slept in his arms. He couldn't stop touching it. It'd calmed him, helped him to think. He knew she'd slept well too. He'd felt her body relax completely against his. She hadn't moved away from him the entire night. 'She must feel safe,' He had thought, 'safe in his arms. She was.. if only she knew how safe.'
"Sydney, you amaze me," he said softly. Placing his lips against her head inhaling the natural fragrance of her hair.
She turned in his lap to face him. She had Enya's shy, complacent expression drawn across her face. She looked exactly as she should for what they were doing. 'She is so good..,' he mused distractedly. 'too good..'
"Is he watching?" She asked tentatively. He nodded, leaning his head against her cheek. He wrapped his strong arms protectively around her small frame.
"You've outdone yourself. I'm overwhelmed. I had no idea.." He began.
Leaning fully into him, she whispered, "We'll need to be convincing."
When he would reflect back on this later, he would realize that is what should have caught his attention immediately. But she had taken him by surprise. She'd played on his weakness for her. She'd seen past the teasing and chose the common route to offset his reasoning. Sometimes the simple approach was best. It becomes so unexpected in this line of work. He would take pride in her ingenuity.
****************
Vaughn and David - Back at the CIA safe house.~
Vaughn and David watched the unexpected turning of events unfolding in front of them.
"What's she doing?" David asked, confused. "I thought you said this guy was dangerous."
Vaughn nervously watched Sydney work. He knew exactly what she was doing.
"She's playing with fire."
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
Even though he had been slow to see it, it had ebbed at the back of his mind. 'This isn't right. .... She doesn't need to do this much for Korin ....She's going too far .... She's so beautiful .....'
Then the idea flashed in his mind. Convincing to whom?
When she leaned in to kiss him on the mouth for the first time he moved in eagerly to meet her. That's when he caught it. The gleam in her eyes that told him everything in her had changed. She could have fooled anyone else, but he knew her too well. As his opponent he had learned to read every one of her expressions. The set jaw. The determined look in her eyes. She was going into battle now. No fear.
He stopped her just before their lips met, putting his hand up against her throat. She attempted to go around it, to connect with him anyway, but he pulled back, knowing once she did, the opportunity would be lost. He placed his hands on either side of her face and looked deeply in her eyes. She met his gaze unflinchingly, locking her eyes with his. She had incredible eyes. They were dancing with passion, or.... anger perhaps. He considered it. The two emotions are so closely related. Then looking around them, taking in the setting, her behavior to him... It was all so obvious. She'd meant it to be. She was mocking him. A small smile lit the corners of his mouth. Suddenly it was as if he could read her mind. She knew something, or at least she thought she did. And she was mad. Someone had gotten to her, he realized. Reminded her not to trust him. Perhaps convinced her he'd betrayed her..... He thought back to the necklace, the anomaly. Of course.
He realized everything then. She intended to punish him for something. "You think you can beat me!" He exclaimed, suddenly laughing.
She didn't shrink from him. She was glad he knew she was no longer his pawn. It had taken him longer to see it then she'd expected.
"You think I can't?" She defied him bravely.
He ceased laughing then. His eyes roaming the length of her body, he conceded, "No, on the contrary. If anyone has a chance, it's certainly you."
"Tell me what you're after." She whispered in his ear, biting softly on the lobe, causing him to shudder for once. Two could play his games.
"I told you.." He began, weakening again. It felt so right to have her in his arms. It was where she belonged.
"The truth." She stressed, lighting her lips down the sensitive underside of his throat.
"The truth?" He chimed. "I'm not the one lying about who he is," he whispered.
She pulled back abruptly. Apparently he had struck a nerve. Taking advantage of her distress, he leaned in and gripping her by the arms, took hold of her. He could feel her pulse quicken in anticipation of a fight.
He had planned to honor his word to her; he had planned to be good. But she had started this. The gloves were coming off. 'She thought she could manipulate me so easily. She can, of course... But, she doesn't know it yet. She's still innocent.' He thought, reverently.
"Oh Sydney, you have no idea who you're up against." He pushed her down roughly onto her back. "Do you really think you can do it?" he patronized, bringing his full weight down upon her.
Their eyes met in a Mexican standoff. She looked crazed, he thought. Beautiful, but crazed. He held her firmly to the floor. "So you want to fight me, Sydney? Then let's fight."
With that look in her eye Sark couldn't tell if she was going to try and beat the hell out of him or take him to bed. Both possibilities excited him immensely. He knew her strength. He knew she could take most men, but she couldn't take him, not if he didn't want her to. He was confident in his ability to control her physically. She didn't move right away, though, she just stared at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. He couldn't read her expression. It unnerved him.
"Come on Sydney," he taunted, trying to provoke her either way, "you've got me on my knees here. I'm waiting."
She seemed to falter then and he thought maybe he had actually beaten her until she came up and suddenly and recklessly captured his mouth with hers in a mad drive for control. Crushing herself up against him, pushing him back, she pressed her way up again into his lap, her tongue entering his mouth possessively. Controlling him and fighting him with all her strength and through sheer determination she managed finally to straddle him with her knees. Then, using her legs as leverage, she pushed him back hard against the side of the bed.
Pulling back, her eyes blazing, she wiped her mouth roughly with the back of her hand, and hissed. "I will get you Sark."
He smirked. "Sounds like a threat. I do hope you're not teasing me....." he leaned up and whispered her name in her ear, "Sydney."
He didn't know why he loved the sound of her name coming from his lips, why he loved causing those dreaded shivers to spread throughout her. He felt the bumps rising up all over her skin under his finger tips and he watched the color sneak across her cheeks. It fascinated him.
Gripping her by the back of the neck with one hand, grabbing a fist full of her hair at the same time, he propelled her forward into him again. She resisted, pushing hard, and managed to keep her head back slightly and maintain a small distance with a strength that surprised him somewhat.
This also fascinated him. They were both breathing hard now. Something between them had shifted. He could feel it. He knew she felt it too.
"How do you know I won't kill you?" he asked, suddenly curious, his mouth just a breath away from hers.
"If you wanted to kill me," she whispered; her eyes fluttering closed in anticipation of his touch as he reached up and caressed her cheek, "you would have."
He felt her tremble slightly at his touch.
"Perhaps I've tried." He said, searching her face with his eyes.
She shook her head slightly. "No, you haven't." But her voice came out shaky; he could see she was beginning to falter. Her body was responding to his touch of it's own volition now. Her mind was losing its grip.
"No," he relented, completely amazed, "not really." He couldn't take his eyes off her anymore.
"You are so beautiful, do you know that?" He breathed, bringing his forehead up against hers.
Slowly, tenderly, he bent to kiss her again, enjoying the way she responded this time. Soft. Enveloping. It had been a long time, it occurred to him, that he'd wanted this. He relaxed his grip and she fell against him.
"Perhaps you already have me......" he mused.
Looping one arm around her small waist, he pulled her effortlessly up onto the bed with him in one fluid motion. They fit together so perfectly it was hard to tell where the fight had ended and the love began.
He held her possessively underneath him. "You're so small, so delicate," he sighed, "I just want to crush you."
She smiled. She couldn't feel frightened. It was all so surreal. She lifted her hand and pressed it against his cheek. In a way, it was so sweet, so unexpected, for both of them. His eyes closed, allowing her femininity to envelope him, his head moving against her hand. It felt.... Inexplicable. And suddenly she was precious to him. He felt insanely possessive of her.
He fell into her then, taking her soft mouth hungrily with his. He wanted her so badly now he wasn't sure he wouldn't hurt her for it. He wanted her to belong fully and only to him. He craved to be inside of her, to feel her warmth surround him, to spill his seed inside her so she would know she was his. He entwined his legs around her, pushed her arms up over her head, groped her shamelessly, pressing hard against her in his need to get ever closer to her. He knew he was probably hurting her, but he didn't care anymore. Their bodies responded so well to each other, watching her react to him was making him insane. He could feel her skin burning against his lips, making him feel desperate and crazed. Everything about her brought out the man in him. Just the scent of her was pushing him over the edge. When she began to moan softly beneath him, he thought he might come completely undone.
His mind screamed at him to stop. This wasn't part of the plan.
But she was here, beneath him, finally, willingly, and he could feel everything about her.
He wanted desperately to feel her.....
It felt as if this was all he ever wanted.
His hands traveled along the thin stretch of fabric that still separated her from him, and he struggled with himself. He tried to think. She was so beautiful ... He had to stop it.... It could be so easily removed ...... He wanted her....He couldn't do this.....
Looking away from her, he struggled to focus. They had gone too far. This wasn't the time. Bloody hell, she was a walking anomaly. How had she done this to him? He couldn't lose control, not now. And Sydney Bristow out of control in his arms would be his undoing. This he knew. He had to let her go now, or he never would, he realized. Then he shuddered because he knew. Once he he'd had her, he'd kill her before he'd ever give her up again.
He had to end this. He had to stop it before it was too late. They were here for a reason. He had to complete his mission.
He pulled back then, all at once aware. Looking up he saw the light had gone off.
"Syd," he breathed heavily, "that's enough. I only set the clock for 12 minutes. We have to go. We've already stayed too long."
Sydney looked up at him in disbelief. She'd momentarily forgotten everything. Forgotten the mission. Forgotten the light. Forgotten Vaughn.
"Oh my God." Her hand went to her mouth. "Damn it! What just happened?" Her eyes flew open wide.
"You were amazing." He said quietly and then quickly realized the words hadn't come out quite as he intended them to.
'Shit. Son of a Bitch! He did it again.' Her head screamed. She flushed again, but this time it was out of humiliation. How could she be so entirely irresponsible? She felt ill looking down and seeing the state he'd so easily brought her to. She was barely covered and her hair was in complete disarray. 'Oh, God,' she thought, her head falling back.
He leaned down to caress her gently, but a flick of her eyes stopped him cold. "You said we were finished."
He nodded. Standing up, he reached out his hand to help her up. She ignored it, rolling over and pulling herself up off the bed in one swift motion.
He buttoned his shirt while she pulled on a pair of pants and shoes she'd hidden under the bed.
Picking up the case and a gun, he turned to her. He wanted to say... something.
"Let's go," she said, lifting her head up and walking quickly past him.
He checked the hallway before opening the door for her. Noiselessly they slipped down the hall to the back stairwell. He estimated they had 10 minutes left. Tops.
****************
Sydney took her time getting ready. It had taken her almost an hour to get her temper under control. She knew she needed to if she were to pull this off tonight. If she could leave the room she'd have gone for a run, but since that wasn't an option it seemed a glass of wine was in order. Perhaps several. The worst part was how confused she felt. Usually she was very sure what side she was on. For the moment she didn't feel like she wanted to be on either side. Sark was good, she had to give him that. He was playing her like a pro. Confusing her and comforting her at just the right times. The look in his eyes the night before when he related the story of the girl. She could swear, even now, the shock was real. But come on, she told herself, this is Sark here.
Still, she had never seen him like that, so.. off balance. From what little she knew of him, he was, if nothing else, consistent. He went into a mission with a specific goal. Every moment meticulously planned and executed. Now he seemed to be just winging it. He wasn't any less decisive, just more reflexive. It could all be part of it; his manipulation of her. But why? For a moment she thought again 'he must know,' know the truth about her. It's all that could explain his abrupt change of behavior. No, she'd be dead if he did. That much she knew.
Vaughn needed her to pull it together and, of course, she would. But she was going to hold him to that promise to help the girl after all of this was over. Which meant the sooner this was over, the sooner he'd have to come through for her.
It helps to have a goal.
As much as anything, she was frustrated with herself for allowing Sark to build her trust at all. It gave him leverage over her. Exactly what she'd set out to avoid. He had used it to get the upper hand. Now the question was how to take back her power. Sark had been right before when he said she hadn't taken the time to learn about him. It had been deliberate. Self-defense. Her father would have said the best defense is a good offense.
With this in mind she thought about what little she did know about him. Sexy, gorgeous, ruthless, cunning. All words she'd heard used to describe him. No, she knew more of him than that. What would her words be? How do you describe the indescribable? Concentrate on the bad, she told herself, it's safer and there's plenty of it. Her mind flashed to the very first time she saw his face. The execution of Quan Li...
She'd witnessed his gentle side too, she conceded, but he'd brought that out only while he was in mission mode and this therefore negated the validity of it. So where to start?
Anomalies came to mind. Anomalies upset him. She'd definitely taken note of that. He was a major control freak... enjoyed toying with her... making her react to him. It annoyed her and she assumed he did it for that reason. But perhaps..., she thought, a light going off in her head, perhaps he could also be made to react. She was definitely angry enough to attempt it. He certainly deserved it. She poured herself another glass of wine and went to take a long bath to give her mind time to work it out. When she finally came out it was late. Sark would be here soon. She needed to get ready. She'd heard the hotel staff arrive to turn down the bed and light the fire while she was in the bath. She hadn't spoken to them as Maurice had instructed them under no circumstance were they to disturb her.
After some consideration, she took it upon herself to complete the ambiance.
***************
Before Sark returned, he'd set the monitors to begin taping for a 12- minute length, starting approximately 20 minutes after his arrival back at the suite. He'd programmed it to then continue in a loop until it was manually deactivated. He'd hesitated to make it start so long after his arrival, but he couldn't be sure what state he'd find Sydney in. It was one of the things that intrigued him about her, her instability. He smiled to himself thinking about it. She didn't trust him, of course, but for the moment she was going along. She understood this taping was only a means to an end.
Strangely, he was dreading this. He had to admit, having Sydney in his arms he'd thought about often. But this was work. He didn't like to think of her coming to him only out of professional obligation. If he weren't so sure it would work, he'd have looked for another way. Fortunately, he was very good at compartmentalizing his emotions. Otherwise it may be difficult not to take advantage of the situation. No, he realized, he wouldn't do that to Sydney..., others perhaps, but not Sydney. Any way, their 'interacting' need only be minimal, more visually deceptive than real. He'd given her his word he wouldn't take advantage of the situation and he would keep it. He felt confident she'd take the lead there. Smiling to himself he thought, 'I'm sure she'll make it as unpleasant as she possibly can.'
Steering himself forward, Sark entered the suite with his usual resolve.
****************
Vaughn - Back at the CIA safe house.~
"Agent Vaughn?"
"Yes." Vaughn stood up to shake his hand.
"I'm David, your op-tech."
"Oh, great. I've heard you're the best."
"Thanks, " he said, placing his files on the table next to his monitor, "I aim to please."
"Hey, listen. I know your vacation started yesterday." Vaughn explained. "I appreciate your coming in. Moving into this phase of the mission we really need someone of your advanced skills."
"I understand." He smiled, sitting down and settling himself. "So, are you two the ones we've been hearing all the buzz about?"
"What do you mean?" Vaughn asked, concerned.
"Oh, well, there's been talk - no naming of names of course, of a couple of agents pulling off some pretty wild tricks lately."
"We have a lot of good agents," Vaughn pointed out.
"Right, well," he said, sensing Vaughn's discomfort, "I'm just happy to be here. So what have we got?" He asked, pulling out his keyboard.
Vaughn filled him in on the basics. "For now we'll be strictly observing. One of our best agents is on the inside. Our number one priority is this agent's protection. But, if all goes as planned, we'll also be gathering some sensitive information to help our friends in Russia. Again, our number one priority is protecting our agent."
David's brow arched. This surprised him. Usually it was the Intel that came first, not the agent. "Do we have a man on point?" He asked.
"No. Too risky. This agent's cover was nearly blown already today."
"What can we do from here?"
"Monitor the situation mostly, be ready for any contingencies that may come up. Now, our agent won't be able to contact us so we'll need to follow their movements through the hotel security surveillance system we've hacked into. After they leave the room, they'll be accessing the computer system of another man staying at the hotel. We aren't sure exactly where that will be so it may take a little finagling on your part to find them."
"If they're in the hotel, I'll find them."
Vaughn continued. "By that point they'll have activated a looping cycle in the hotel mainframe to trick this man into believing they haven't left their room."
"Really? That's good. Was that our idea?"
"No, actually, it wasn't." Vaughn admitted.
David began typing in a series of codes. "Sounds simple enough."
"It's anything but." Vaughn explained. "The man our agent is working with is extremely dangerous. Every moment they spend together our agent's life is in danger."
David nodded, continuing to work the keyboard.
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
Sark sensed the change immediately. The air felt .... electric.
He'd noticed the light was already on when he came in. Korin certainly wasn't wasting any time, he thought wryly. He removed his jacket and placed it over the back of a chair. He wanted to prepare himself. This wasn't going to be easy, pretending she didn't affect him in every way while having to pretend she affected him in everyway.
He could feel her here.
Sydney.
The candles had been lit, and there was a fragrance in the air. The bedroom door was ajar and he could see firelight dancing off the walls. He sensed her waiting for him. His felt his skin come alive.
Slowly he walked to the bedroom, rolling up his sleeves. It wouldn't do to rush. He pushed open the door and leaned his body against the doorframe. And she was there.
Sydney.
Only she was entirely different.
Even with her back to him she looked more alive than she ever had before. As he'd imagined she could be if only she'd allow herself. He stood there, watching her. She sat on the bearskin rug in front of the hearth and was brushing her long hair in the firelight. The light glistened through every strand as it fell softly from the brush with each stroke. His eyes fell to her dress. He'd supposed she would do as instructed and wear one of the garments he'd provided for her. She hadn't. To his surprise all she had on was the shirt he'd worn the day before. It was dark, as most of them were, causing her skin to bloom against the starched fabric.
When she finally did turn to him, she took his breath away. She was Enya in everyway to the untrained eye, but she was all Sydney to him. Her eyes were dark and glistening. There was something..... She looked..dangerous. He felt the blood surge through his veins. He didn't speak immediately, he couldn't. He could only stare at her overpowering beauty.
She'd questioned the need for her to look like herself on this mission. He hadn't had a good answer for that. Now he knew it was because he could never look at another woman the way he was looking at her now. It had seemed a tactical move at the time.
****************
Vaughn and David - Back at the CIA safe house.~
Vaughn was leaning against the table with his back to the monitor when David reached over and nudged him on the arm.
"We have lift-off." He announced. Vaughn looked over. An image of a room came flickering onto the screen.
"Good. It should still be awhile before they go into motion. Has it begun taping yet?" Vaughn asked.
"No. Not yet. Well ...., wait a minute." David typed. "Someone is. But it's not coming from the hotel mainframe directly. It's coming from an outside line hooked into the system."
"That's expected." Vaughn said, looking back down at the case file he'd been reading.
David let out a low whistle. "Now who's this?" He asked.
Vaughn glanced back over his shoulder to look. "That's her," he said quietly, staring at the monitor. The image on the screen reflected her sitting on the floor in front of a fireplace.
Surprised, David looked over at him. "She's yours?"
"She's my asset, yes." Vaughn turned back to his file.
"How long you two been working together?" David questioned.
"It's been a while."
"Must be nice." David observed, continuing to upload information into the system. Vaughn just smiled a little and nodded without looking up.
"Who's this guy?" David asked a few minutes later.
Vaughn looked back. "That's the man she's working with." A worried expression quickly worked its way across his face. He began to rub his forehead as if he felt a headache coming on, but it was just the familiar ache of Sydney facing danger and him having to watch from a distance.
"He doesn't look so bad." David tried to reassure him.
"Looks can be deceiving."
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
Her face lit up when she saw him standing there, watching her. Smiling softly, her eyes moved discreetly upwards to signal him.
But he wasn't thinking about the light anymore.
"Is it you?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.
She reached her hand out to him, inviting him to her as Enya would. He came and sat close to her. She handed him the brush and moved into his lap like a child. He began brushing her hair gently. After a moment he put the brush down and continued with his hands, feeling the strands fall through his fingers. He marveled at its softness. He'd first felt it the night before when she'd slept in his arms. He couldn't stop touching it. It'd calmed him, helped him to think. He knew she'd slept well too. He'd felt her body relax completely against his. She hadn't moved away from him the entire night. 'She must feel safe,' He had thought, 'safe in his arms. She was.. if only she knew how safe.'
"Sydney, you amaze me," he said softly. Placing his lips against her head inhaling the natural fragrance of her hair.
She turned in his lap to face him. She had Enya's shy, complacent expression drawn across her face. She looked exactly as she should for what they were doing. 'She is so good..,' he mused distractedly. 'too good..'
"Is he watching?" She asked tentatively. He nodded, leaning his head against her cheek. He wrapped his strong arms protectively around her small frame.
"You've outdone yourself. I'm overwhelmed. I had no idea.." He began.
Leaning fully into him, she whispered, "We'll need to be convincing."
When he would reflect back on this later, he would realize that is what should have caught his attention immediately. But she had taken him by surprise. She'd played on his weakness for her. She'd seen past the teasing and chose the common route to offset his reasoning. Sometimes the simple approach was best. It becomes so unexpected in this line of work. He would take pride in her ingenuity.
****************
Vaughn and David - Back at the CIA safe house.~
Vaughn and David watched the unexpected turning of events unfolding in front of them.
"What's she doing?" David asked, confused. "I thought you said this guy was dangerous."
Vaughn nervously watched Sydney work. He knew exactly what she was doing.
"She's playing with fire."
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
Even though he had been slow to see it, it had ebbed at the back of his mind. 'This isn't right. .... She doesn't need to do this much for Korin ....She's going too far .... She's so beautiful .....'
Then the idea flashed in his mind. Convincing to whom?
When she leaned in to kiss him on the mouth for the first time he moved in eagerly to meet her. That's when he caught it. The gleam in her eyes that told him everything in her had changed. She could have fooled anyone else, but he knew her too well. As his opponent he had learned to read every one of her expressions. The set jaw. The determined look in her eyes. She was going into battle now. No fear.
He stopped her just before their lips met, putting his hand up against her throat. She attempted to go around it, to connect with him anyway, but he pulled back, knowing once she did, the opportunity would be lost. He placed his hands on either side of her face and looked deeply in her eyes. She met his gaze unflinchingly, locking her eyes with his. She had incredible eyes. They were dancing with passion, or.... anger perhaps. He considered it. The two emotions are so closely related. Then looking around them, taking in the setting, her behavior to him... It was all so obvious. She'd meant it to be. She was mocking him. A small smile lit the corners of his mouth. Suddenly it was as if he could read her mind. She knew something, or at least she thought she did. And she was mad. Someone had gotten to her, he realized. Reminded her not to trust him. Perhaps convinced her he'd betrayed her..... He thought back to the necklace, the anomaly. Of course.
He realized everything then. She intended to punish him for something. "You think you can beat me!" He exclaimed, suddenly laughing.
She didn't shrink from him. She was glad he knew she was no longer his pawn. It had taken him longer to see it then she'd expected.
"You think I can't?" She defied him bravely.
He ceased laughing then. His eyes roaming the length of her body, he conceded, "No, on the contrary. If anyone has a chance, it's certainly you."
"Tell me what you're after." She whispered in his ear, biting softly on the lobe, causing him to shudder for once. Two could play his games.
"I told you.." He began, weakening again. It felt so right to have her in his arms. It was where she belonged.
"The truth." She stressed, lighting her lips down the sensitive underside of his throat.
"The truth?" He chimed. "I'm not the one lying about who he is," he whispered.
She pulled back abruptly. Apparently he had struck a nerve. Taking advantage of her distress, he leaned in and gripping her by the arms, took hold of her. He could feel her pulse quicken in anticipation of a fight.
He had planned to honor his word to her; he had planned to be good. But she had started this. The gloves were coming off. 'She thought she could manipulate me so easily. She can, of course... But, she doesn't know it yet. She's still innocent.' He thought, reverently.
"Oh Sydney, you have no idea who you're up against." He pushed her down roughly onto her back. "Do you really think you can do it?" he patronized, bringing his full weight down upon her.
Their eyes met in a Mexican standoff. She looked crazed, he thought. Beautiful, but crazed. He held her firmly to the floor. "So you want to fight me, Sydney? Then let's fight."
With that look in her eye Sark couldn't tell if she was going to try and beat the hell out of him or take him to bed. Both possibilities excited him immensely. He knew her strength. He knew she could take most men, but she couldn't take him, not if he didn't want her to. He was confident in his ability to control her physically. She didn't move right away, though, she just stared at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. He couldn't read her expression. It unnerved him.
"Come on Sydney," he taunted, trying to provoke her either way, "you've got me on my knees here. I'm waiting."
She seemed to falter then and he thought maybe he had actually beaten her until she came up and suddenly and recklessly captured his mouth with hers in a mad drive for control. Crushing herself up against him, pushing him back, she pressed her way up again into his lap, her tongue entering his mouth possessively. Controlling him and fighting him with all her strength and through sheer determination she managed finally to straddle him with her knees. Then, using her legs as leverage, she pushed him back hard against the side of the bed.
Pulling back, her eyes blazing, she wiped her mouth roughly with the back of her hand, and hissed. "I will get you Sark."
He smirked. "Sounds like a threat. I do hope you're not teasing me....." he leaned up and whispered her name in her ear, "Sydney."
He didn't know why he loved the sound of her name coming from his lips, why he loved causing those dreaded shivers to spread throughout her. He felt the bumps rising up all over her skin under his finger tips and he watched the color sneak across her cheeks. It fascinated him.
Gripping her by the back of the neck with one hand, grabbing a fist full of her hair at the same time, he propelled her forward into him again. She resisted, pushing hard, and managed to keep her head back slightly and maintain a small distance with a strength that surprised him somewhat.
This also fascinated him. They were both breathing hard now. Something between them had shifted. He could feel it. He knew she felt it too.
"How do you know I won't kill you?" he asked, suddenly curious, his mouth just a breath away from hers.
"If you wanted to kill me," she whispered; her eyes fluttering closed in anticipation of his touch as he reached up and caressed her cheek, "you would have."
He felt her tremble slightly at his touch.
"Perhaps I've tried." He said, searching her face with his eyes.
She shook her head slightly. "No, you haven't." But her voice came out shaky; he could see she was beginning to falter. Her body was responding to his touch of it's own volition now. Her mind was losing its grip.
"No," he relented, completely amazed, "not really." He couldn't take his eyes off her anymore.
"You are so beautiful, do you know that?" He breathed, bringing his forehead up against hers.
Slowly, tenderly, he bent to kiss her again, enjoying the way she responded this time. Soft. Enveloping. It had been a long time, it occurred to him, that he'd wanted this. He relaxed his grip and she fell against him.
"Perhaps you already have me......" he mused.
Looping one arm around her small waist, he pulled her effortlessly up onto the bed with him in one fluid motion. They fit together so perfectly it was hard to tell where the fight had ended and the love began.
He held her possessively underneath him. "You're so small, so delicate," he sighed, "I just want to crush you."
She smiled. She couldn't feel frightened. It was all so surreal. She lifted her hand and pressed it against his cheek. In a way, it was so sweet, so unexpected, for both of them. His eyes closed, allowing her femininity to envelope him, his head moving against her hand. It felt.... Inexplicable. And suddenly she was precious to him. He felt insanely possessive of her.
He fell into her then, taking her soft mouth hungrily with his. He wanted her so badly now he wasn't sure he wouldn't hurt her for it. He wanted her to belong fully and only to him. He craved to be inside of her, to feel her warmth surround him, to spill his seed inside her so she would know she was his. He entwined his legs around her, pushed her arms up over her head, groped her shamelessly, pressing hard against her in his need to get ever closer to her. He knew he was probably hurting her, but he didn't care anymore. Their bodies responded so well to each other, watching her react to him was making him insane. He could feel her skin burning against his lips, making him feel desperate and crazed. Everything about her brought out the man in him. Just the scent of her was pushing him over the edge. When she began to moan softly beneath him, he thought he might come completely undone.
His mind screamed at him to stop. This wasn't part of the plan.
But she was here, beneath him, finally, willingly, and he could feel everything about her.
He wanted desperately to feel her.....
It felt as if this was all he ever wanted.
His hands traveled along the thin stretch of fabric that still separated her from him, and he struggled with himself. He tried to think. She was so beautiful ... He had to stop it.... It could be so easily removed ...... He wanted her....He couldn't do this.....
Looking away from her, he struggled to focus. They had gone too far. This wasn't the time. Bloody hell, she was a walking anomaly. How had she done this to him? He couldn't lose control, not now. And Sydney Bristow out of control in his arms would be his undoing. This he knew. He had to let her go now, or he never would, he realized. Then he shuddered because he knew. Once he he'd had her, he'd kill her before he'd ever give her up again.
He had to end this. He had to stop it before it was too late. They were here for a reason. He had to complete his mission.
He pulled back then, all at once aware. Looking up he saw the light had gone off.
"Syd," he breathed heavily, "that's enough. I only set the clock for 12 minutes. We have to go. We've already stayed too long."
Sydney looked up at him in disbelief. She'd momentarily forgotten everything. Forgotten the mission. Forgotten the light. Forgotten Vaughn.
"Oh my God." Her hand went to her mouth. "Damn it! What just happened?" Her eyes flew open wide.
"You were amazing." He said quietly and then quickly realized the words hadn't come out quite as he intended them to.
'Shit. Son of a Bitch! He did it again.' Her head screamed. She flushed again, but this time it was out of humiliation. How could she be so entirely irresponsible? She felt ill looking down and seeing the state he'd so easily brought her to. She was barely covered and her hair was in complete disarray. 'Oh, God,' she thought, her head falling back.
He leaned down to caress her gently, but a flick of her eyes stopped him cold. "You said we were finished."
He nodded. Standing up, he reached out his hand to help her up. She ignored it, rolling over and pulling herself up off the bed in one swift motion.
He buttoned his shirt while she pulled on a pair of pants and shoes she'd hidden under the bed.
Picking up the case and a gun, he turned to her. He wanted to say... something.
"Let's go," she said, lifting her head up and walking quickly past him.
He checked the hallway before opening the door for her. Noiselessly they slipped down the hall to the back stairwell. He estimated they had 10 minutes left. Tops.
****************