Seriously?

by Camille2

Ultimately, the story of a soul that was lost. Jack's soul.

4. Chapters 35 thru 48 Checkmate

Chapter 35: "All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed. Third it is accepted as being self- evident." (Arthur Schopenhauer)

"I really should not have been so squeamish about killing him a year ago," Sydney said to her father an hour later.

"Which leads me to a question," Will said, "Why haven't you killed him, Jack? Over the years there must have been plenty of opportunities."

"Even after all my years doing dirty work, I still don't take killing someone lightly. Nonetheless, the reason for waiting has been to set up the strategy properly."

"Well, Dad, how is this threat going to fit into that strategy? His goal is to make sure you are the one who's killed, not him. He said you know too much."

"He's not going to kill me Syd. And he's not going to kill you or Will. I know too much in ways that makes me too valuable. Also, Sloane still thinks of me as his friend, probably his only friend. Not that I'd bet my life on that piece of sentimentality. But you and Will are too valuable as hostages for my compliance. But, Syd, think about this, use some game theory here? Why do you think this has come up now? What is it that Sloane wants me to really do? Thank about it."

Jack pulled out his laptop. Syd tried to answer her father's questions, but she was really reflecting on the last hour. She had left the restaurant and immediately called her father and asked him to meet her at her place. When she arrived, Will was already there, ensconced at her kitchen counter eating, of course. Without saying a word, she went over to the lamp and replaced the bug killer there with a brand new version she had just gotten, no questions asked, from Weiss 15 minutes before. She was glad Vaughn had been out; he would have asked questions.

"Hey, Syd, what's up? Why are you home in the middle of the day?" Will asked without looking up from his Captain Crunch. When she did not answer, he glanced up and immediately stood, "Syd, what's wrong? Your face is bone white. Sit down."

"No, I need to stand, I need to pace."

"What's wrong?"

"I need to wait for my father to get here."

"Okay, we'll wait," and he sat back down and finished his bowl. "You're amazing, Will, you know that? Here you sit eating some dumb kids' cereal and..."

"Whoa, you're clearly mad about something. You're mad at me?"

"At you and -" And her father walked in. "I am mad at the two of you!", she yelled before he even had the door closed.

"Syd, sit down. You look like you're about to fall down," Jack said as he walked swiftly over. "What's the matter? What did Sloane say or do?" "Oh no, this has to do with that scum?" Will asked. Jack gently placed his hand on Syd's shoulders and urged her to sit on the couch.

"What's wrong? What did Sloane do?" Syd demanded as she opened her tote. "He threatened you, Dad, well, really both of you. Why? This is why!" and she opened the envelope and spilled the contents out on the coffee table. Her lip quivered as she watched the two gingerly reach out and examine the photos. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to find out from Sloane? There I was, in total shock, saying you two were just friends, that you weren't having that kind of relationship, and he was gloating, just waiting to spring this on me."

Jack protested, "Syd, honey, we weren't trying to keep it a big secret from you."

"I guess not, Francie knows doesn't she? She's been trying to tell me, hasn't she?"

"You'll have to ask her that," Will said. "As for us, I mean, you were being deliberately obtuse. You didn't want to know the truth. It's true that we didn't take out a billboard or leave a note on the fridge, but we haven't been hiding it from you. What did you think was happening when I moved into Jack's house?"

"Or," her father added quietly, "Will's ring? Didn't you make a comment about him wearing it like a wedding ring?" She stared. It was true. On some level, she had known something was going on. But as they had accused her of long ago, with Vaughn, she had a habit of trying to ignore the truth. Oh, God, Vaughn had been hinting about it that day when she had stuffed him in the box. She was a blind fool. She admitted that to them and said, "Okay, we don't really have time to go into that and what I am thinking or feeling because I honestly don't know. We are in a situation here. The photos are the least of it." She told them of the tapes and watched Will blanch although her father, of course, never even blinked. Then she told them of Sloane's threat and they had begun assessing the time frame of the threat.

Francie walked in. There was no time to hide the photos or rearrange their faces. "Who died?" Francie asked as she walked over. Looking down, she saw the photos and the label, "Bristow-Tippin surveillance." "Oh my God, what is this?" Jack, of course, recovered first. "It a blackmail threat, delivered via Sydney from my boss at work. Remember how I told you about the internal politics at my job and how I needed to keep my personal and business life completely separate?"

"Yeah, but I never imagined that it could be this cutthroat, this nasty. To take pictures of you and then blackmail you? For what, a higher seat on the board, a bigger salary?"

"Power, Francie, it's always about power. The blackmailer wants me in his power."

"What are you going to do?"

"We don't know, but we hope you understand how important it is that none of this ever leaves this room. Not to your mom, your dad, your siblings, not even to one of us unless we are in this apartment or at my house. And even then, not on any phone but mine or Syd's. Is that clear?"

"Of course, of course."

Sydney stood up. "I really need to think about all this, alone," she said and stalked off to her room. "No, you don't, Sydney Bristow" Francie called out and followed her into her room. The two men raised eyebrows at each other and moved closer to eavesdrop without compunction.

"You're mad, aren't you, that you found out this way?" Francie asked.

"Of course. Why didn't you just come out and tell me about my dad and Will instead of all those times you spent hinting around, allowing me to ignore it?"

"Because, Syd, when it comes to your dad you have a lot of growing up to do"

"What do you mean by that?"

"For the last few years you've had him, basically, all to yourself. Then when he and Will became friends you were a little jealous. When they became more, I thought you would become ballistic about it, I mean, it's like anyone whose mother is replaced by someone else. Even though your mom's been dead for two decades, no kid wants their father to replace her. Especially when the replacement is your age, your friend. But when the father is relatively new in your life, and too, no one knew how you would feel about their type of relationship."

"Are you done?"

"Yes, yes, I am. But I thought it would be better, we all thought it would be better if you discovered it on your own, gradually, rather than being shocked."

"Well, that was certainly easier for you all. Rather than having a messy scene, you just wait for the light bulb to go on."

"Syd, stop it." Will said from the doorway, Jack standing behind him. "It was certainly not easier. Not for me or Jack. While we weren't trying to hide it, nor are either of us the type to flaunt it, it's always easier to just be open. Well, at least that's me. And maybe we made a mistake, maybe we should have come right out and told you, but we had some issues of our own to work out, just like any new relationship, we didn't need fallout from you."

"And us, Will? What does this make us?"

"What ARE you talking about?" Will asked impatiently. He reminded her of her father in that moment.

"I thought we were friends, but now, what are you - my stepfather or something?" Jack opened his mouth, but before he could no doubt blister Sydney's ears, Will elbowed him. "Get a grip. We are friends, none of this changes that."

"Oh really? Then what was it about that day in the alley? At the time I was astonished by how you were carrying on - almost like a parent yelling at a kid. Is that how you see yourself now?" Syd accused.

Will crossed his arms over his chest. "Then and now I see you acting like a spoiled brat. A friend is allowed to tell you that. Whining about wanting a relationship with your father, but not being willing to meet him halfway. And you know I was right - or else you wouldn't have changed your ways after that fight in the alley."

Jack interjected, "You two had a fight in some alley?"

"Yeah, that was right before she asked us to the Hollywood Bowl and started to-"

"She and I started to have a relationship," Jack said flatly. Without saying anything else, Jack reached out and clasped Will's left upper arm with his left hand. Syd saw him give it a squeeze and then rub his thumb along the inner edge of Will's bicep. Still glaring at Syd, Will reached back and patted Jack's hand. She sucked in a small breath. The very nonchalance of those quick gestures was more telling, in some ways, than those photographs. In that casual moment, she saw a history, the kind of love and trust built up over time that allowed one of them to say, "Thank you" and the other to say, "You're welcome" with no words whatsoever. She WAS a fool who needed to grow up. Fast.

Jack interrupted her thoughts impatiently, "We don't have time for this right now and I don't intend to defend myself or Will or our relationship here. What I would like right now, is for you to support me as I figure out how to handle the threat."

Sydney stared silently at her father. Did he really think she wouldn't support him? "Of course, Dad. What do you want me to do?"

"Tell my boss that you delivered the package and information and I am considering his terms. But wait until he calls you. Let him sweat a little."

Francie asked, "Jack, what is his name? Just in case he ever calls here or tries to pump me for info?"

"Sloane, Arvin Sloane."

"This is just too nasty. Haven't I been telling both of you for years to get new jobs?"

"Yes, Francie," Jack and Syd said together. Jack spoke up, "Francie, Will, can you go make some coffee? I need to talk to Syd alone."

When Will and Francie left, Jack sat down next to Syd and stared at his hands. Slowly, she reached out and took one of his in hers. "Dad, you know what? Aside from the little blackmail problem," and they gave each other a small smile, "I'm glad for you. Francie and I have been saying how you two are good for each other."

"Thank you. But, back to business." They both sighed.

"I don't want you to tell Vaughn or anyone else about this yet."

"But, Dad. He would want to help."

"No, I want you to promise me this. We will tell him eventually, but not just yet. It's safer for him and truly, I don't want to deal with his lapses into bourgeois morality right now. Will you promise me?"

Searching his eyes, she saw only confidence. "You're sure that Will and you are not in any real danger?"

"I know how to contain it. I've been preparing. I've been afraid.."

"You've been afraid that something like this might happen?" Syd prompted.

"Yes, that's why at first I tried to resist."

She tightened her lips in consternation, but then said, "But Will is like an immovable force when he gets his mind set on something, isn't he? He's changed lately, he's more cautious, more concerned about consequences.That's because you told him about the danger, didn't you?"

Jack shook his head. "First, give Will a little credit of his own-- you can't go through what he did in Taipei without learning from it. Yes, I was trying to make him see why this wasn't a good idea. But.he said it was his choice. And the last few months of my life.."

"But now you have to protect him, don't you?" "Yes." "Oh, Dad," she murmured in sympathy and laid her head on his shoulder.

Chapter 36: "Most games are lost, not won." Casey Stengel

"Sydney," came Sloane's falsely-sympathetic voice two days later. "It's been 48 hours. You've called in sick and your father is nowhere in sight. What's going on? What did Jack say?"

"He said he wanted to meet with you. He wants to know what you really want."

"What I really want? I want him to give up this high-risk relationship, Sydney, that's all. It was just a friendly warning."

"Humph."

"You sound like Jack."

"Really? I'll take that as a compliment. He said he'll meet you at this location," she reeled off an address, "Today at 4pm. Take it or leave it. Oh and Arvin? He said to tell you that there's no such thing as a completely-secure email server."

Chapter 37: "Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?" (Frank Scully)

3pm. "Syd, you seem preoccupied. Again," Vaughn commented. Jack Bristow had sent him a voice mail asking him to set up a meet with Sydney this afternoon, telling Vaughn he was concerned about her next mission, due to begin that night. Vaughn could see Jack's point -- her face had been white and drawn when she arrived. He had asked her if something was wrong and she had ignored the question and just wanted to get down to business. He kept pressing because she was so distracted, he was becoming concerned. Finally, she grew exasperated at his incessant questioning. Ah, success, he thought as she began to speak. Sydney wanted to swear loudly, in fact her mouth had opened to do just that when she stopped. Vaughn was too perceptive and too persistent, she had to say something. If her father even now wasn't getting ready to meet with Sloane, she might have been better able to hide her concern. Would he even survive the meeting?

"Well, again, it's my dad," Syd admitted, thinking she had to tell him something, something close to the truth.

Vaughn said nothing. After all, he was thinking, with Jack Bristow, it might be anything, anything at all. Had he killed another CIA agent, told a joke, blown up a building in a foreign country, worn a red sweater, started crafting C4 necklaces in his basement workshop, sung the theme song from Carousel in a karaoke bar? Who knew? The man was totally unpredictable.

Syd blurted out, "Did you have any idea that my dad and Will were involved? What did I say? I shouldn't have said that. Why would you have any idea? Forget I said it. He'll kill me. No one can know. Don't tell anyone."

Vaughn laughed at how frantic she was. "Shh, Syd. I won't tell anyone. It's no one's business. And I certainly don't intend to EVER have any conversation whatsoever with Jack Bristow about his love life."

"You don't seem surprised." "Well, no." She moaned, "I must be the last person in LA to know."

"Come on, I would be surprised if more than you and Francie and I know. Your father is the most discreet and private person I know."

She swallowed hard to keep from screaming the truth and asked instead, "But then, how did you know? Just from that brunch?"

"Yeah. It was Will. His behavior, the way he doted on Jack, the way he looked at Jack, the way Jack let Will touch him on the shoulder or hand. He's kind of touchy feely, isn't he? That and the fact that your father did not crush him for the teasing him about his clothes."

"Touchy feely?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do," Syd said with a small smile. Good, he thought she was smiling; she might not be when he asked the next question.

"Syd, were you upset when you walked in here today because this is the first time, ostensibly since you lost your mom, that your dad has been involved with someone?"

She stared at him. "No. But you're right, this is the first time that I've known of."

"Well, of course, that you've known of. Jack plays his cards so close to his chest that he could have been involved with who knows how many people and no one would have ever known." She just kept looking at him.

"Are you jealous?"

She shook herself out of her stupor. "Jealous? What's next?" she laughed, "Am I supposed to feel like this is the death knell to my hopes that my parents might get back together?"

Vaughn said softly, "I know the Bristows are somewhat."

Sydney laughed, "The word for which you are searching is dysfunctional, but that's just being polite. Even if my father could forgive Irina for what she's done to him and me and maybe he could - of all people he understands what it's like to be so deep in the game - the betrayal was too deep, the results too scarring. It could never be the same. You know, I honestly don't know if he's been involved, emotionally, with anyone since her. And I can't imagine just how lonely he's been and how I've failed to see that. But, Irina, anyway, that's irrelevant - there's Will." She paused and smiled. "You know what - what I just said - that Irina is irrelevant, I just realized, she is irrelevant to my dad now, except insofar as she might affect the future. My dad's let go of the past."

"So, is it, is it that he's involved with another man?" Vaughn asked gently.

"No. Francie said it well, late last night when it was just the two of us talking. That she saw the two of them so inexplicably, drawn to each other, so slowly falling in love. And my dad, I see now, he's happy for the first time in twenty years.It's.And too they've changed each other, over time and they actually seem to have lots in common, in some odd way, but enough different to fill in the blanks in each other."

"Well, they do have that meddling business in common," Vaughn interrupted with a roll of his eyes.

"Yes, that they do. And that's not a small thing, a small aspect of their personalities. But it seems like together they kind of, I don't know, diminish each other's meddling?"

"Because they can see it and its consequences in the other's actions? Especially Will - he seems like he's become so much more cautious, in some ways." "Maybe. Who knows?"

"So it sounds like they are good for each other? That's what I saw that day. Jack was such a different person, in private anyway. I can't say he busts my chops any less at work," Vaughn smiled.

Syd agreed, "You're right. That's why I think I was able to ignore it for so long."

"So what's the problem?"

She took a deep breath and chose her words with care. "I'm concerned about SD6. Sloane considers that Will is alive on his sufferance. If he found out that my dad and Will are involved, he would think that my dad has an exploitable weakness because of the nature of the relationship, the fact that SD6 considers Will a security risk, and simply the fact that my father has yet someone else he cares about that Sloane could use as a hostage for good behavior."

Vaughn considered her concerns carefully. "Well, if it were anyone else but Jack Bristow, I would have the same concerns. But, Syd, your father is one of the best game players in the business. Although don't tell him I said so!" he quipped, trying to bring a smile to her face. No response, so he continued, "There is no way that he would ever give anything away. And although I saw how Will acted in private, I am sure that there is no way your dad would let Will get away with that in public. You've been out with them tons of times, did you ever see anything in public that made you wonder, looking back on it?"

"No," Syd said thoughtfully looking into the distance. A crease was forming between her brows.

Vaughn was still speaking, "I am sure Jack would impress upon Will the importance of--"

"You mean he'd scare the shit out of him," Syd interrupted.

Vaughn barked out a laugh. "Yeah. That about describes it. And really, if your dad wants something from Will, he'd get it. I saw how Will adores your father; he'd do anything for him. And your father - how he was smiling and enjoying life that day - he'd never do anything to jeopardize that relationship. Honestly, I was envious watching the two of them."

Sydney ignored the last statement, "You saw all that?"

"Yes. And Syd, don't worry too much. First of all, your father - you know how protective he is - he would never take risks with the people he cares about, with you or Will. Especially Will, because he's not trained, he's not a professional. The risks would be too great and one thing your father can and probably does do in his sleep is calculate risks. Your father knows what he's doing, security wise. I'm sure he scans the house every time he walks in, scans the cars, their clothing, doesn't do anything without looking over his shoulder twice, and would never do anything in public that would give cause for suspicion." Syd's head jerked up, but Vaughn did not notice as he quipped to try and make her smile, "Well, aside from the karaoke bar incident, which he could always blame on drinking." Still no laugh, he was batting zip today. Sigh. "My one concern would be having Will move in with him," Vaughn continued. "Although..."

"Although what?"

"If your father found out that, somehow, Sloane knew about Will and Jack's relationship, isn't Will safer in that house than in an apartment? Do you know if Sloane had ever talked with Jack about Will?" Syd compressed her lips.

Looking down, he had missed Syd's shock of recognition when he detailed all the reasons why her father would never get caught when he had the power to control how much information anyone could get about that relationship. Her father had not realized the bug killer in Will's apartment was a dummy? No way, she thought slowly. He had patted Will on the butt in public? Wait a minute. He had let Will kiss him outdoors? Uh-huh. Her father, the greatest games player she had ever known (with the possible exception of her mother), would never have allowed these risks. Unless.... he thought the risks were small enough to justify....the benefits. Just what was her father up to and how deep was Will in this game? It's game theory, she realized. Just what was the game?

Chapter 38: "You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play it better than anyone else." (Diane Feinstein)

"Vaughn, what did you want? I really need to go." What had he said that set Syd off, Vaughn wondered, she was champing at the bit to get out of there now. "

Well," he said slowly, "I wanted to go over tonight's mission. But I also wanted to ask you if you knew that Sloane and Sark have been communicating? We have reliable intel."

"WHAT??" Syd nearly shrieked. "I thought he was out of the picture. Does my father know, did you tell him?"

"I told him."

Her mind made a leap. "Did he know BEFORE you told him?"

"He said he was not aware of the intel I possessed."

She stared at him and said sarcastically, "Well, isn't that a nice ambiguous answer."

"What do you mean?" Vaughn's forehead wrinkled as he realized."Damn it. He got me. If he knew some other way, he wouldn't be lying when he said that to me. Although since when your father would hesitate to lie to me, I can't imagine."

They stared at each other and Syd slammed her hand against the chain links, "Wait a minute. Where did you get this intel on Sark?"

"From Analysis." Syd stared at him, "From exactly whose desk in Analysis?"

"Why? What does it matter?"

"Where does Will work, Vaughn?"

Vaughn opened his phone and dialed. In a few minutes, he flipped the phone closed and looked up with shock on his face. "Tippin's desk. Apparently, he id'd Sark a long time ago at Alliance headquarters and his supervisor ignored it because all he had to go on was his memory of Sark's hands. So."

"So, he told my father. That's why my father flipped out on the two of us about a year ago, maybe eleven months ago, for talking about work with each other. Shit. Total and complete shit. I wonder.""

"What the hell is going on?" They stared at each other. Vaughn held up his hand. "Wait a minute. I got beeped. It's Weiss."

He flipped open his phone, "Hey-" Weiss cut him off, yelling, "Get your butt and Syd's over here. NOW. It's going down."

"What going down?" Vaughn asked harshly while Syd looked on curiously.

"SD6 or Sloane, I'm not sure. Jack, he's set something up. He's on his way to meet with Sloane and Devlin said -- nothing much actually. Only Devlin knows exactly what's going on. Just get over here. NOW."

Staring in shock at his phone, Vaughn slowly looked up. "Syd, is there something you want to tell me? Something about your dad? Something you've withheld?" Watching her face assume the mask as she looked at her watch and gasped, he growled, "You can tell me on the way to the Op Center. We'll take one car. That was Weiss, Jack has set up something big." As they both sprinted toward the exit, Syd called out, "Set up? He's the one being blackmailed." Vaughn looked at her in shock as he called out, "Blackmail? Just when were you-"

Her phone beeped and she glanced down. Seeing the word "Jack" on the display, she halted, almost falling onto the pavement in her haste to stop her momentum. "No, wait," she gasped, "It's my dad."

"Syd, where are you?" "Warehouse," she panted out. "Is Vaughn with you?" "Yes, Dad, what-"

"Don't move. I want the two of you to stay there until I tell you otherwise. Odds are we'll need you there. You both need to find a place to hide. Don't leave, though. There are bulletproofs, extra guns and rounds in this spot." He reeled off a location and continued, "Don't DO anything until I get there. Unless you think they would really kill him."

"Kill who, Dad, WHO?"

"Will, who else?"

"WILL? And who is 'they'?"

"Sloane and Sark, although you won't recognize Sark. Syd, I really have to go for the set up. Don't worry, it's all under control. Your own guards will show up as soon as the set up is done. And Will is really in no danger. I'm just being overly cautious. Love you. Bye." And he hung up.

Vaughn asked harshly, "What the hell was that about?"

Sydney began running back toward the facility, telling Vaughn to follow. They made their way to the area Jack indicated and of course, the supplies were there, as promised. Syd reiterated her conversation with Jack to Vaughn and watched his features contort with anger. "What the HELL? Our own guards? What the hell is going on?"

"I don't really know. I don't," she repeated when he gave her a look of disbelief. "All I knew is that Sloane was blackmailing my father over his relationship with Will. Dad made me promise not to tell, he said it was a private matter between him and Sloane. I never knew what Sloane wanted in return for not telling the Alliance about him having an affair with an identified risk. My dad would only ever say, power. Just power."

Vaughn put down his equipment, "I'm calling the Op Center." He motioned Sydney over and they both listened as Weiss answered. "Sean, it's Mike. Just what's going on? Jack called and said-"

"Yeah, you guys are to stay put. Your guards will be there after the meet. Jack's orders."

"Jack's orders? What about Kendall?"

Weiss burst out laughing. "You missed the best scene ever. It was great, Devlin waltzes in and in front of God and everyone tells Kendall that Bristow has been working some deep plan for nearly a year and it's all coming down right now. And Kendall sputters out how he wasn't even supposed to be here today, he was supposed to be on vacation and doesn't he have operational authority?"

"Yeah, I get the picture, blah, blah, blah, Kendall had a cow. Go on."

Weiss was still laughing, "So Devlin says, 'Well, Kendall, not today. Bristow, Jack Bristow, has total and complete operational authority today and until the end. Everything's in place.' I thought Kendall's bald head was going to friggin' explode. It was--"

"Wait a minute," Vaughn interrupted, "'The end?' What does that mean?"

"Who knows?" Weiss answered. "If I could imagine what Jack Bristow has set up, I would not be a lowly peon hanging on to the glory of your and Syd's coattails, now would I?" Syd giggled. Vaughn gave her a dirty look.

"Listen, you guys, I'm going to patch you through to Jack's com unit. I'm sure you'll want to listen."

"Who's in his ear? I am the case officer. Why am I not the one in Jack's ear?" Vaughn demanded. "Devlin's in Jack's ear. I think he supercedes you, Mike. I guess it's set to go down, what Jack called 'step 284,987 or check', in about ten minutes."

Vaughn echoed, "Check?"

Syd said, "Check as in checkmate. Wait - Weiss? Do you know where my friend, Will Tippin, is? My dad said that we should wait here but not do anything unless Sloane and Sark really look like they are going to kill him."

"Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. Tippin's the - what do you call it? - you know in chess when you set up a less powerful piece to distract the opponent from your strategy? I don't remember the term, but Tippin's what I would call the bait. I don't know where he is, exactly, but Jack does. Jack says not to worry. Anyway, listen, I gotta set up the com for you two. I'm out. Hee, you should see Kendall's face. This is great."

"Jack says not to worry," Vaughn mimicked in a snide voice.

Syd looked up at him in surprise. "Vaughn - what?"

"How can you be so sanguine about this? Your dad is using Tippin for bait, like a pawn!"

"He knows what he's doing, Vaughn. Come on, just get suited up. You just told me that my dad would never endanger Will."

"But-"

"But nothing. Has my father ever, ever deliberately put me in a position where I didn't have a chance?"

"You are a professional, Will is not."

"True, but living with my father for the last six months was probably quite an education."

"I cannot believe you. Don't you have any doubts, any worries?"

"Shh, here's the set up," Syd whispered as she heard her father say, calmly in a lighthearted conversational tone, "Well, here we go. This should be fun." Syd thought that around the Op Center there were a bunch of agents all whispering incredulously, "Fun? Is he nuts?"

Chapter 39: "Don't play this piece fast, it's never right to play ragtime fast." (Scott Joplin)

"So, Jack, I regret after thirty years, it's come to this," Sloane said as he pleated his napkin in the jazz club Jack had specified for the meet.

"Come to what?" Jack asked calmly as he signaled the waiter for a drink. "What exactly is the issue, Arvin, do tell."

"Jack, I am somewhat stunned at your.casual attitude. I think I've made it clear that your position and, therefore, your life, is in danger because of your relationship with Mr. Tippin. And if you don't care about yourself, I am shocked you would be that reckless with his safety."

"Ah yes, the classic Sloane technique - move onto to threatening loved ones, family members. You've used it so effectively over the years on me, threatening Sydney and the people in her life, haven't you? Is it any wonder you thought it would work again?"

Sloane was nonplussed. "And why wouldn't it?"

"Because the issue is not Mr. Tippin. That's a red herring. You and SD6 and the Alliance could care less about Will Tippin and whether or not I am sleeping with him as long as I do my job. You and Sark can take your photos and your tapes and shove them up both your asses and out your ears." Jack paused to savor the shock on Sloane's face and then continued venomously, "Oh yes, I do know about Sark, Arvin, all about him. And then there's Emily. But, topic? I could be screwing a donkey and a goat on alternate days for all any of you care. What is it you really care about? What happened three days ago that made the little blackmail scenario seem plausible? Why have you been warning me for months about my relationship with Tippin? Why do you care?"

"They have nothing to do with each other."

"Really? I am becoming impatient. Let me answer. Three days ago, Sark told you that both Syd and I are double agents. That makes us even more valuable to you, doesn't it, as long as you can control us? Or if you can't, that makes us even more dangerous? Depends upon how much we, I, know, doesn't it? Hard to tell, isn't it, Arvin?" He paused.

"It was the email?"

"Yes. It was pitifully easy for me to access the email Sark sent you telling you the news. Sloppy to have him still using the email address from his tenure at the Alliance. Made my work so much easier, though, gave me time to improvise. Thank you." He raised his glass in Arvin's direction.

"Jack, I.I can't tell you how shocked I was when I learned that you've been a double for all these years. When Sark emailed me that you and Sydney both were CIA? I feel betrayed."

"Do you? Good," Jack said with smugness designed to irritate.

"Good? Jack, we've been best friends, colleagues, for most of our lives..."

"But no one would ever come in the way of your goals, would they, Arvin?"

"What do you mean?

"I never labored under any delusions that we were truly friends." "I did." "Did you? You have a unique notion of friendship then." "What do you mean?"

"Let's cut to the chase, here. You were willing to sell me, Syd, anyone, anyone at all to further your goals. The only exception was Emily. In a way, it's too bad," Jack sighed in mock dismay.

"What's too bad?"

"That when you were gaslighting yourself and pretending to be going insane, that you weren't. It's too bad that you didn't just go around that bend. Then none of this would be necessary. You'd be locked up nice and tight in some lovely facility. I lie awake imagining that sometimes, it's a good bedtime story to lull me to sleep. Perhaps that facility in Romania where Sydney had to undergo shock treatments while trying to rescue the man who had killed her fiancé on your orders? You remember that, don't you, Arvin? Or does all of that - killing Danny, sending Sydney out, unbeknownst to her, to save his murderer - just fade from memory? I mean, there is so much to remember, isn't there? Almost thirty years?"

"You despise me," Sloane said flatly but with a sense of shock.

"Despise you? That would be too mild a word. Also, too simple. Friends become enemies who betray and enemies become friends who save. And sometimes both. Nothing about this game, our lives, has been simple has it?"

"And now, where are we? I am.lost."

"Fortunately, I am not. I know exactly where I am, where you are. Near the end, Arvin, near the end. I think you've finally figured out what I have, what information I have acquired. Your Mr. Sark finally remembered exactly what he told me, doesn't he, when he was under my care in the hospital? That you and he had plans, big plans, his plans originally, to take over. That you two were involved, that he knew Emily was alive."

"You knew he could remember."

Jack shrugged. "Yes. But it would take regression therapy to do so. And you trusted him, so you wouldn't have done it. Until recently, correct? Until, what 3 days ago? When he told you something important, something critical he'd held back almost two years, the fact that I was a double, and you started to wonder what else was trapped in that little brain of his. And then--"

"You were willing to take that risk? That I wouldn't have him undergo regression?"

"Of course, I was willing. It was a small risk. You were so willing to be deceived by him, so distracted by him and what he could do for you, that it didn't occur to you not to trust him. It gave me all the time I needed to acquire everything else I need. That and opportunity."

"And as you say, the time to improvise, which has always been one of your greatest strengths, thinking on your feet." Sloane stopped himself and then mused, "I always said that Jack Bristow was the greatest friend and the greatest enemy a man could have. But what I didn't realize was that you were both. When did you become my enemy? I'm curious."

"When you chose the wrong path and I woke up and realized that I was heading that way as well. And if I could have ever forgotten -- when I looked into my daughter's face when she found out she was working for evil instead of good, all those times you would have sacrificed her. Watching her life take the same horrible path mine had - losing friends and family until all you have left is the game, the game without end."

"And that, really, was my fatal mistake, wasn't it? Your family. I made a mistake when I threatened Mr. Tippin that first time, that second time. You love him, he's your family too. But of course, the greatest mistake was Sydney. I should have known, from watching you after Irina betrayed you, from the depths of your anguish, that your family is the one non-negotiable in your life. A person's basic character never changes, does it? You fooled me, though, all those years, when I thought you had no weaknesses when it came to love."

"You think that it's my weakness. I'm curious, when did you think you had me? Was it when you heard via the bug in Will's apartment that he was moving in? Was it when you heard, via the bug in Francie's tote, that I'd given Will a ring?"

"How did you know about that, anyway?"

"Internal Security is run by idiots, Arvin. They are just too obvious. But that's enough of personnel matters. So, you thought Will was my weakness."

"Yes. Your love for him is a liability. I can't believe, even still, that you haven't learned that lesson after Irina."

"That, finally, is a lesson I have relearned."

"Thanks to your Mr. Tippin, I believe."

"Believe what you wish. Now, Arvin, it's time to stop reminiscing about the past and move on to the future. Let's be honest, if you can. The game is over. You are in check."

Sloane sat there silently, while the com unit in his ear squawked with outrage. Finally Jack said patiently, "Would you please tell Sark to shut that cesspool he calls a mouth? I'd SO hate to see anything else happen to it." With quiet menace he continued, "I don't know how much plastic surgery could accomplish next time." Sloane stared at him and said, "So, Sark made a mistake too, didn't he? Was it Will or Sydney?" and then muttered, "Shut up, Sark."

Jack said with finality, "Once again, let me spell it out for you. What you care about, personally, is that the information I have doesn't go to the Alliance. My question to you and your little friend in the van over there is what you are prepared to offer me to make sure it doesn't. That the Alliance doesn't find out how you plan on using that $100 million dollars and the intel Sark so carefully acquired to take over the entire organization." The listeners heard only silence. They assumed, correctly, that Sloane was in shock.

Jack said calmly, "I'll give you an hour, Arvin, for old time's sake, to turn yourself in or to turn over the $100 million to me. I don't really care which one. Either way, I'm free. And let me make clear, that any attempt to harm me and mine, Syd or Will or anyone else Sark may have targetted? I've already set up a plan to deliver the information to the Alliance in such a situation. After all, I've had three long days to improvise a plan. More than enough time thanks to the fact that you've been so distracted you didn't attack immediately. As I knew you would be, so shocked weren't you, that Sark had withheld critical intel - that you're second in command, your best friend was a double all these years. Such duplicity all around you, simply shocking, isn't it?"

Sloane sat there staring, Jack could practically see the wheels turning. He had given him just enough to totally confuse him. After thirty years, he knew Sloane couldn't improvise quickly enough to figure this out. He was so predictable, he'd fall back on his time-tested strategies. Well, it was time to put those in motion. "And we're done for now, Arvin. Call me when you're ready to deal. And tell Sark hello for me. Why don't you run along now and figure out the 100 million reasons why you should never have tried to blackmail me?"

"I'd rather you leave first."

"Too bad. Never turn your back on the devil." Sloane got up and walked out slowly, while Jack calmly sipped his drink.

Great finale, if he did say so himself. He loved a great exit. It made the game so much more dramatic. He punched a number into his cell phone. "Tippin, be careful as of right now. Remember the signal. Remember, 1,2,3 and everything it means." Speaking aloud to the Op Center, listening in via the wire taped to his chest he said, "Agent Flaherty - move into position. Mountaineer and Boy Scout teams - move in. Devlin, I assume everyone else is in position. Wasn't that fun? I enjoyed it. Waiter? Check, please."

Chapter 40: "Keep your eye on the ball and your head in the game."

Back at the warehouse, Syd and Vaughn were staring at each other with their mouths hanging open. Syd's mind was working frantically. Vaughn sputtered, "How can Jack be so.calm over Will, he thinks he's going to be picked up, doesn't he! I could never be that calm about you! Were Jack and Will not really involved, was the whole thing was just an elaborate hoax?"

"Is that what you think - their relationship was just a ploy?"

"What do YOU think?"

"My father would never betray Will's safety for the sake of taking down Sloane. He, as you said earlier, must have carefully calculated the risks."

Down the hall came two sets of four agents. To Syd and Vaughn's shock, they were the Mountaineer and Boy Scout teams to which Jack had just referred. The leader told them that Jack had been assigned to cover them for the last three days. "On pain of death," one agent added, "nothing was to be allowed to happen to either of you." "Not just pain of death," another agent added, "A Jack Bristow kind of death. Kind of gave us all a lot of incentive." The two teams laughed.

"WHAAT?" Vaughn exploded. "We've been under surveillance for three days?"

"Actually, heavy protection," the leader corrected.

"Syd, did you know-" Vaughn demanded.

"NO!" she protested and turned back to the teams. "Wow, you guys are a lot better than Internal Security at SD6, I never knew you were there. My dad must have trained you," Syd laughed while Vaughn stared at her in disbelief. "I just don't get you," he began.

His words were interrupted by the ring of Syd's cell phone. "Francie" she stated, looking at caller id.

Chapter 41: "It doesn't work if the bad guys kill his mother's uncle's friend's neighbor's pet dog. You've got to make the stakes high." (Steven Seagal)

"Syd, is Will with you?"

"No, he should be at your place right now waiting for me to get there so we can -- Why? What's wrong, you sound terrible!"

"I think I just made a huge mistake," Francie sobbed into the phone. "Calm down, what's the matter?" Sydney looked at Vaughn with huge eyes. "Is your dad there?"

"No. I'm at work. Remember? What's wrong? Why do you need my dad?" Vaughn looked at her quizzically. Somehow the look on Syd's face told him that Francie didn't need Jack to come and fix a leaky faucet. He whispered, "Put her on speaker" and when she didn't move fast enough, he reached out and pushed the button himself and heard Francie saying, "This guy called and said he was a coworker of your dad's. He sounded really nice. He was talking about the blackmail, that it was heinous and he was appalled by it. He said he wanted to help. He said he knew Will, actually knew Will better than Jack. That he wanted to talk to Will personally and offer his help. And did I know where Will was, because he wasn't at his old apartment."

"Oh no, Francie, no," Syd moaned, unable to help herself now that the threat was made clear. "Francie, what accent did he have, what did he say his name was?"

"He had a British accent and he said his name was Mr. Sark."

"No!" Sydney whispered, "He was right." Vaughn's face showed total shock. Sark had Will again just as Jack had predicted.

Francie continued, "Sydney. I got scared at the way he ended the call. When I told him Will was on his way to our house and did he want to leave a number, he said, 'Don't worry , I'll find him. I always did before'. Just the way he said it, I got scared and I thought of how you all looked about that blackmail. This is more than money, isn't it? This is about life and death, all over a power play at some stupid aerospace company," she cried.

"Francie, stay put. Don't open the door for anyone except a man named Flaherty. I think that's who my dad is sending you. He has carrot red hair. He is a friend. He will keep you safe. Sit in the living room, keep the phone dialed to 911 and your finger on the send button."

"What's going on?" she cried. "Wait a minute, there's the door."

"Ask for id!" Syd yelled. They heard her ask for id and the reply, "It's Agent Flaherty, ma'am. Here's my id. Jack Bristow sent me over. He said to tell you that you need to work on your timing in the song, 'Surrey with the Fringe on Top.'"

Chapter 42: "The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non- obvious." (Oswald Spengler)

Weiss beeped Vaughn, "So the plan is for you two to sit tight. Will has been picked up, near Syd and Francie's. Jack thinks that Sloane and Sark will be bringing Will over there, probably even use the same cage you two always do."

"WHAAAT?" Vaughn and Syd said simultaneously.

"Yeah, he told us that Sark made you two. Three days ago, I think. That's why you two have been under protection. You heard all that, didn't you? Hey - I guess neither of you even noticed! I bet that really frosts your buns, doesn't it?"

"Weiss," Vaughn growled, "So Jack is SURE that ."

"That Sark'll think it's poetic to bring Will over there for Jack since that's where you and Syd always met."

"They knew we met here?" "Yeah, Sark apparently knew what he was doing when it came to following Sydney."

"Boy, is my dad going to kill me over that sloppiness," Syd muttered.

She asked, "Are we tailing them?"

"Yes, but we don't really need to. Your father put a tracking device and low range com unit on Will, months ago, I guess, just in case."

Vaughn asked sharply, "Tracking device? Low range com unit? What could he possibly have planted on him for 24/7 protection?"

"Who knows," Weiss said absently. "Hey, looks like Jack was right. They are headed your way. We are on our way. ETA is five minutes for them, we'll be there in two. Sit tight."

The minutes seemed like hours. Syd sat quietly thinking, while Vaughn fidgeted, his anger palpable. Syd finally blurted out, "It was the ring." "The ring?"

"Yeah, months ago, Dad brought back this amazing ring for Will from India. Will said it was just a souvenir. Even then I thought it was odd, because he wore it on his left ring finger, like a wedding ring. Then later, I thought I was so stupid for not understanding what that ring meant for the two of them. Now---."

"So what you're saying is that Will and Jack used the ring to make people think it was just a relationship ring, when in fact it was an electronic tracking device for Will's safety? And the low range com unit was in case Will got taken unexpectedly? Man, that's cold. Syd-so are Will and Jack involved or not?" "I-"

Weiss entered, saying the rest of the team was right behind him. Sydney continued musing about her father's tactics. "That ring and everything else? Why would Sloane fall for that? Why would he, who knows Jack Bristow better than anyone on the planet, think that my father would ever be so - besotted - for lack of a better word, that he would not take proper precautions and protect the relationship and Will?"

Vaughn picked up her thread of thought, "Why would Jack know that Sloane would fall for that?"

Syd asked, "What did we miss? What does my dad know?"

"Know?"

"Know about Sloane."

Vaughn wrinkled his brow, "What do you mean?"

Syd said quickly, time was running out, "For some reason, using the relationship as a cover would serve some purpose - a catalyst? He must have known that Sloane would find his lack of caution believable for some reason - some reason relating to Sloane himself. Some reason great enough to distract Sloane."

Still wrinkling, Vaughn asked, "What could it be?"

"I have no idea, but I wonder.."

"Really? Or are you holding something back again?"

Syd snapped, "No, I'm not. I have no idea. It's my father who's the master of game theory, not me. And what's this about Emily? I can't wait to ask him," she stated and then stared at the look of distrust on Vaughn's face, "Don't you trust him?"

Weiss, "Well, I do. I trust this is going to be quite the show. I'm ready to sit back and enjoy it."

Chapter 43: "I wouldn't ever set out to hurt anyone deliberately unless it was, you know, important -like a league game or something." (Dick Butkus)

Finally, the team entered, with Jack at the rear arguing with Kendall quietly. Jack noted that he had just received a phone call from Sloane telling him that they had Will. Everyone else was quiet, waiting for a phone call or Sloane and/or Sark to arrive with Will. They all took positions. Within just moments, they heard three men enter the facility and as Jack had predicted, make it over to Syd and Vaughn's usual cage. They heard Sloane and Sark push Will into a chair and tie him up. Will protested and Sloane told Sark to hit him. They heard the sound of a sharp slap across a face. A few moments, later Jack's cell phone beeped silently.

"Hello, Sark or Sloane? Which is it?" Jack growled as he hit the speaker button.

"Are you on your way? Are you alone?" Sloane asked, providing them with proof that he did not know anyone else was in the building. Good.

"Of course," Jack responded, "Those were the terms you set a few minutes ago."

"I have your word?"

"Of course," Jack said as he rolled his eyes at the team.

"I'm surprised, Jack. I would have thought you'd have teams flooding into the building by now to up the ante. I'm assuming you are having us tailed, although we didn't see any. Good job, on that, by the way."

"Well, if it were Syd I would have teams surrounding you already." Everyone smiled, looking at the teams and firepower around them. "She can take care of herself. But I can't take the chance. Will - " Here he paused and let concern overtake his voice, "Will cannot take care of himself. He's.just a civilian. You bastard. He has no part in this game. I warned you."

Suddenly it was Sark's voice on the line. "Why, good afternoon, Mr. Bristow. We have your little friend here. You do remember him. I remember him well. I have to say."

"Cut to the chase. What do you want?" Jack snarled.

"We want you, of course."

"For what? So you don't have to hand in the money or yourselves, I assume."

"No. For a power play, what else? We need to demonstrate to the Alliance that we can deliver a highly-placed double agent. And if we had your daughter, that would just be the icing on the cake as you Americans say." Syd heard Vaughn's breathing grow harsh.

"You can kiss that idea goodbye. Syd is already in protective custody," Jack said dismissively and then continued, "How did you find out that we were double agents?" Jack said to keep him talking as the team moved cautiously closer.

"Well, as for you, Irina, of course." Syd bit her lip. "You were just living on borrowed time, although I didn't tell Sloane until three days ago, when I made Sydney. Your lovely daughter, I began to put two and two together while in the hospital with nothing to do but think. When Arvin came to see me, I asked him about some of those missions on which I'd met her - missions that were not authorized by SD6, as it transpires. I didn't mention my suspicions, just acted like I admired her work. Which, actually, I do. And then when Sloane brought me back to LA, he assigned me to grunt work, internal security at first. He thought I needed to work my way back up. And I asked that I be assigned to Sydney. She's always been of.interest to me, after all. And lo and behold, she kept meeting this man in this warehouse. And when I got a good look at him, I realized that he was the same man that was with her in Madagascar. At first we thought she was meeting him for romantic assignations. But even someone as tough as your daughter would tire of endless meetings in a storage warehouse. Don't we all want some ambiance, after all?"

Jack interjected in a bored voice. "You do like to talk about yourself, don't you? But you're full of shit, Sark. You don't want to turn us over to prove anything. All turning me over would prove is that Sloane was a total incompetent who had a traitor as his second in command for more than two decades. Turning Syd over would just prove that one of the most successful agents in the history of SD6 had actually spent most of her time providing intel to the CIA." He so enjoyed turning the knife in Sloane. He smiled as he continued, "Let's move along, I'm getting bored. You want my documentation of the scheme the two of you hatched up to take over the Alliance with that $100 million Sloane stole from them to pay off Emily's supposed kidnapper. You finally figured it out when I told Arvin in that jazz club. I thought I was going to have to take out an ad on a billboard."

They heard Will laugh and someone hit him again. Jack barked into the phone, "Let me guess, that was Sark doing the dirty work for you, Sloane wasn't it? You never liked to get your hands messy did you? I bet it wasn't you who cut off Emily's finger and sent it to yourself in the mail was it?" Weiss reflected that the com units were really getting quite good - they could all hear Sloane's intake of breath at Jack's combined insult and stab at Sloane's vulnerability - his wife. "So, what's the deal to be?" Jack asked calmly in that tone of voice he knew both Sark and Sloane would find intensely irritating.

Sark snarled, "It's simple."

"I'll do the talking," Sloane said briskly. "We give you Will and in exchange you give us your documentation."

"And then? Because we all know that's not the end. Before you got the idea to nab Will to get the documentation, just what was that blackmail attempt really about? I'm ever so interested in the answer."

"I'll tell you. You were right, you and Syd are too valuable. The two of you will become triple agents, working for us, gathering more and more intel on the Alliance to facilitate the transfer of power. Jack, you have been my second in command forever. You'll still have that position, you're named in my position papers with the Alliance. Sydney is named as the number three officer. And best of all, if you two are very good, we'll let you live, and Will, and Syd's latest man, what's his name?"

"Vaughn, Michael Vaughn," Sark interjected and then said smoothly, "I am thinking that Sydney will do a lot to save her Mr. Vaughn. After all, she doesn't want to come home and find him bloodying up the bathtub, does she?" Jack shot his hand out and covered Sydney's mouth before she could say anything. "And too, she made a tactical error when she agreed to try and kill Sloane for me to get him that antidote to Irina's poison. She would have been smarter to just let Agent Vaughn meet his bloody end. Very interesting when I discovered who had a serious, but unnamed, blood disease at the same time Syd was being scrubbed clean of my little chemical shower." Syd sent a venomous glance toward Kendall who had promised them all of Vaughn's records had been destroyed, while Sark continued. "Sloane was very interested in that information. Plus I had not only something to hold over her head, not only a way to effectively kill the misplaced affection Sloane had for her, but I also found a way to have another hostage dependent upon her good behavior."

"Really? Is that how you think this little scenario is going to go? You kill Tippin and I still have the intel."

"But it would kill YOU if Mr. Tippin were gone, wouldn't it? You forget, I know your weakness, I've heard the tapes. So, you may like to rethink that last flippant statement. But, first, perhaps, you'd like to talk to your little friend. You know - Mr. Tippin - one of Sydney's friends who has already made my personal acquaintance before? He's finding the ambiance somewhat lacking."

"Fine, put him on." Jack smiled, although his voice was cold. The game was almost too easy.

Jack could tell that Sark had switched to speaker mode. Good. Perfect. "Will, are you okay? Tell me you're okay?" Everyone stopped and stared. The concern in Jack's voice sounded real, but his face was calm. What WAS real, here?

"Hi. I'm okay. Sorry I got taken, I know you're going to be mad later, aren't you?" Will said like an idiot.

Jack laughed and asked, "How are you doing?"

Will laughed as well, although his voice was slightly slurred. "You ask me that? Seriously, ask me again in a few minutes."

"You still have the ring on?" Jack asked, his tone gentle and filled with great concern, while looking at his watch. Syd looked up sharply. That watch looked familiar. Watching her, Vaughn's forehead creased.

Sark's head flew up. He was scenting a weakness. "That's right. The ring," he stated with glee as he grabbed Will's bound hands and began pulling it off.

Will cursed and said, "No, you bastard, leave me the ring."

"This is an interesting ring. Very heavy karat weight. Custom work. Indian, isn't that what Syd said, Jack? Pick it up on an SD6 mission or CIA mission, I wonder? Love those 'W's on the signet area. How.sweet. And there's an inscription too. Even sweeter. It's difficult to read, however. What does it say, Mr. Tippin?"

"I'm not going to repeat it for you, you sick bastard," Will said sullenly.

Sark chortled, "Such hostility. Clearly you've been spending too much time with your.what shall we call him?"

"Jack is his name, or perhaps Mr. Bristow to you? I understand he never gave you permission to call him by his first name, did he?"

"Ah, yes, that flight to Paris."

"Ill-fated flight for you, Sark."

"Aren't you brave now? Mr. Bristow's influence again? Is that what sleeping with Jack Bristow does for a person - increases his courage? Or does it take courage to sleep with Jack Bristow?" Unconsciously everyone glanced over at Jack, only to see him rolling his eyes. Will was apparently just as amused for Sark said, "You find that funny, Mr. Tippin?"

Sloane finally interrupted, "Sark. I can think of a million more important topics of conversation than Jack Bristow's sex life. Let's get back to-"

Jack interjected, "I am thinking of a 100 million more interesting topics."

Sark responded smoothly, "Ah, but it's these little games that make life worthwhile, so I'll return first to this ring. This ever-so-important ring. And its personal inscription. So you're not going to tell me what it says, Mr. Tippin? It's not like I can't read it regardless." They heard footsteps and then Sark resumed talking, "Arvin, can you adjust the light over here a little better? It seems that reading this inscription aloud might be more torture for Mr. Tippin and Mr. Bristow than what I did last time. If that's possible."

"Asshole," said Will and Jack simultaneously. Everyone's head jerked up at the synchronization, to say nothing of the venom in each of their voices. All as they continued to creep forward.

There was a pause and then Will added, "Jack, I'm thinking that now's the time to finally tell me you love me." Everyone's eyes now nearly bugged out of their heads at the plaintive note in his voice. Will continued, "No more coding like in the -"

"Ah, is that what this odd inscription means, Mr Tippin? Are those ovals? They almost look like fingerprints, how very bizarre. No. Circles, perhaps? 'Will, dot, dot ,dot, Jack' means, let's see, how sappy can we be? 'Will, I love you, Jack'? How touching. And how very sad that Jack couldn't say the words. We never did hear him say those words on the tapes, did we Arvin?"

Sloane's voice receded slightly as he said, "Get on with it already. I want to ask Jack--"

Will inserted, "Actually, Sark, it's 'Will, 1,2,3, Jack.'"

Sark purred, "Whatever, Mr. Tippin. I think I'll just keep it as a souvenir. A souvenir of Jack's most egregious failure of personal courage."

"Sark. Seriously? I'd watch my mouth."

Jack interjected, "Will, remember. You are mine."

"I know."

Syd watched her father press a button on his watch and heard both Jack and Will say"1,2,3" simultaneously as a small blast erupted from the cage.

"Oh my God," the team mouthed silently, being well trained enough to know that silence even now was crucial. "Dad!" Sydney gasped almost silently. "Will?"

"Will is fine. I know he followed the plan. He better have," Jack said quietly. "Let's move in." The team made their way to the cage. There was significant rubble lying in their path.

Chapter 44: "Sometimes it's useful to know how large your zero is." (Anon.)

Where the table had once stood, there was a pile. What remained of Sark's body was no doubt lying underneath it. To the left was more rubble and debris, among which Sloane was lying. Several agents went toward him cautiously.

Jack and Syd were more interested in Will. Scanning the area, they saw the chair underneath a portion of the fence. "Will!" Syd yelled.

"I'm right here, Syd, you don't have to scream," Will said. The chair was lying on its side, with its back toward the blast.

"Good job, Tippin, glad to see you followed the plan," Jack said as he reached down to upright the chair. Syd noted with a start that her father's hands were trembling almost imperceptibly and looking at Will, saw him noting the fact as well. Jack pulled out a knife to cut through the ties on Will's hands as Will winked at Sydney. "Yeah, one small problem with all those rehearsals, Jack," he said sarcastically. "You shouldn't have used a mat on the floor. I should have practiced falling on concrete so I would have known better than to lead with my HEAD!"

"I told you a million times about that," Jack snarked back, "But at least you remembered to use the turtle position and used the chair to protect yourself. You don't look too banged up."

"I know you told me a million times, call me a slow learner. I think I have a bump the size of Gibralter on my head." Sydney smiled inside; Will did know how to distract her father. "Let me see," Jack started.

"Wait a minute, you two," Vaughn interrupted. "You had Tippin practice falling while tied to a chair? How did you know-"

"How did I know they'd tie him to a chair like this when they got him here? Simple, Sark and Sloane almost always use the same m.o. when in the field - tie the person to a chair with hands behind the back and tie the legs, at the ankles to the legs of the chair. Predictability - it can really be one's downfall in this business," Jack finished dryly as he began walking over in Sloane's direction. He remembered suddenly that Will's legs were still tied and with a nod toward the man, tossed the knife in Will's direction. To everyone's surprise, Tippin caught it nimbly.

Looking up after cutting through the ties on his legs, Will said, "What? What's everyone looking at?"

"Tippin, the way Jack threw and you caught that knife?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, in addition to hours spent falling on my head, we spent hours throwing knives in the basement and shooting guns. Really cut into my time watching football, let me tell you." Will said sarcastically.

Weiss asked Jack, "But how did you know he wouldn't really get hurt?"

"Simple calculations of the power of the explosives given the height of the ring, when Sark was holding it at a certain distance. I packed just enough in the ring to kill whoever was holding it and do some local damage, but not enough to harm any one more than 15 feet away. Well, at least not seriously harm. And it was Tippin's job to tell me when to ignite the fuse in the ring."

"So-those were code words, "seriously" and "1,2,3" and "you are mine" were to tell each other when-" Weiss began, when Sloane began speaking.

"The ring. I have to say, Jack, that was a stroke of brilliance. I assume it had a tracking device. And was it C4?" Jack picked his way over to Sloane. He was lying amidst the rubble, heavily wounded. His breathing was rapid and shallow and blood was trickling out his mouth. But his voice was steady.

"Yes, that's my jewelry explosive of choice." Syd snorted as she joined her father. Will, Vaughn, Weiss and Kendall right behind the Bristows.

"Was it meant to take me out, too?"

"No, not necessarily. If possible, I wanted to talk to you one last time."

"And you knew Sark would be the one to pounce on that ring as a weakness, to taunt you and Tippin with it, while I could care less?"

"Of course. That's how Sark operates - petty little mind games to torment the victim, rather than just a quick and clean cut. I knew you wouldn't have the stomach to stay too close to him while he did his type of work. It was a rather unattractive aspect of his personality, something you didn't want to see or acknowledge."

"How did you know it was Sark all along? I mean, after you saw him in France? We told everyone was told that he was incapacitated, out of the game."

"Tippin recognized his hands in a surveillance photo from Alliance headquarters. It was interesting that the plastic surgery to repair Sark's face was much more extensive than required. Why would that be? He hadn't done anything that would necessitate changing his appearance to that extent, after all. All he'd done was follow orders, right? Irina's and yours. So, why change his appearance? That kind of work is expensive, very expensive. Who has that kind of money?"

"Wait a minute. Will Tippin was the one who discovered Sark's whereabouts?" Sloane inhaled sharply as pain crossed his face.

"Yes. Is that such a surprise?" Jack smiled proudly.

"You're joking. Tippin? How did he see a photo? Wait - that travel magazine is just a front, isn't it? Tippin.I would never have guessed..But that's the point, isn't it, Jack?"

"Hmm. He told his superiors, but they wouldn't listen to his findings, so -"

"So he got smart and told you."

"Yes. Given what I knew from Sark during our little debriefing sessions, that he had plans to use you to take over the Alliance, I knew he needed to be watched if he appeared again. As it was, just getting that intel from Sark was enough, originally, to seal your fate with the Alliance. But when Tippin saw Sark at Alliance headquarters, I wondered how he got placed there. So, I called in some favors. It pays to chat up the staff when you visit the London headquarters, doesn't it? And lo and behold, the new analyst/gopher, named Mr. Kras, at the Alliance had a recommendation from none other than Arvin Sloane. Kras? Really, Arvin, so sloppy. And falling for Sark's line, both personally and professionally?"

"Pathetic, isn't that what you said, Jack? Before..." Sloane whispered.

"Yes. Did Sark ever tell you about the advice I gave him on that flight to Paris? To think with the head above the neck? Always a good idea."

"You make your point, Jack, go on."

"This new employee, Mr. Kras, whom everyone considered quite brilliant by the way, was given a very high security clearance and had access to documentation from all of the cells of the Alliance. How very convenient. But how very sloppy of you not to cover your tracks, how very sloppy of you to be in such a hurry. And keeping the same email address? Getting a new address takes just seconds. Haste makes waste, you know. Patience is essential in this game. You two left tracks that were, really, all too easy to follow, at least if one knew where to look."

"Which you did."

"Then, suddenly, seventh months ago he was transferred back to SD6, but into Internal Security, the most inept department in the whole section. You were starting to get nervous, weren't you, Arvin? This was a huge scam, after all, must have been nerve-wracking. You got paranoid. You also wanted Sark close to you. And then, you decided that you and I had SO much in common, based on the slim fact that Tippin and I were best friends and spent lots of time together. You obsessed about us, about my personal life, when you should have been paying attention to my professional life. You projected your own fears and inadequacies onto me. Did it make you feel better to think we were living parallel lives? So, you had him and his Keystone Kops following Syd and I around. Really. It was, almost, amusing to play little games with him and his incompetent crew. Although Sark, of course, had the instincts of a shark. He knew there was something suspicious about Syd and me, but it took him how many months to make Syd? But all in all, you could have made much better use of Sark in London. Very sloppy placement of Sark's talents. Why waste his talents here? And just what are his talents, Arvin?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, I think you do. You wanted to keep Sark close to you, didn't you? I already knew from our little debriefing session of your involvement with each other. He spent his initial time at SD6 quite successfully worming his way into your, how shall I say, good graces? You wanted to keep him close to you for personal reasons. He has a certain slimey charm, if one isn't too picky, if one's judgment about people is not fatally flawed. Which yours is, Arvin, because you never truly looked into other people, you never truly looked into yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, you never knew I was your enemy for all those years, you never truly suspected me, although Ariana Kane knew very quickly that I was more than I appeared. You just don't have good people skills." Jack shook his head in mock dismay. "And the aspect of this I find possibly most repulsive of all? That you not only could not stay faithful to Emily, but that you'd be unfaithful with that piece of scum Sark."

"You're right about that, Jack. Every time I'd see Emily, I knew what I was doing with Sark was so wrong. I just couldn't help myself, I had no choice."

"Of course you had a choice. You've made bad choices for so long, so many times. You started when you chose evil, so long ago. At one time, I thought, hoped, your love for Emily would keep you from that path.just as my love for Sydney kept me on the right path."

"That's YOUR world view, Jack. I see it as choosing power."

"Power to what end, Arvin, to what end?"

Silence. "This is the end, isn't it, old friend? Point non plus?" Sloane asked quietly.

"Yes, it is the end. It's checkmate. Do you have anything you want to say?"

"Are you asking me if I want to make peace?" Sloane laughed derisively, then coughed. When he had his breath back, he continued, "All I can say is... ah, I am forgetting. Sydney, perhaps you remember? What is it Voltaire said on his deathbed in response to a priest asking that he renounce Satan?" Sydney looked at her father helplessly and then Vaughn spoke up, "Now, now, my good man, this is no time for making enemies." Sloane chuckled, "Thank you, Mr. Vaughn. Glad to know Syd found herself a man who knows literature."

Then he continued, facing Jack, "Can you do me two last favors?"

"What are they?" Sloane let out a laugh, and then began coughing again, "Always cautious, always. How stupid of me. You never take a risk unless the benefits are greater than the cost. I can't believe I was fooled by your charade with Tippin. Initially, I believed you when you told me there was nothing between you. But then, you seemed different, happier. And Sark was sure, positive, there was something between you. I didn't believe it until I saw the photos, heard the tapes. But---"

"But, yes, they were all plants. You saw, heard, knew what I wanted you to know."

"I was a fool. You are too precise. You would never have been that sloppy, would you?"

"Never, not with the people I love."

"I projected my own inadequacies on you because I thought we were so much alike."

"Your favors, Arvin?"

"Just a minute, one question. Why did you have Tippin move into your house? Wouldn't it have been better to continue to allow us to make tapes? I assume now, from what you said earlier, that you knew we were taping."

"Of course. The dummy bugkiller they used was gray instead of black, so I didn't even have to run a scan if I didn't want to."

"Which you did, anyway, of course."

"Of course, Arvin. And my home-"

"That impregnable fortress you call a home, as Tippin said once?"

"Just how many times did Internal Security try and fail on my home, just out of curiosity?"

"At least once a week. But you had that placed locked up so tightly."

"Of course. A person has to be able to sleep at night. That's why Tippin was in my house, so I didn't have to worry about him. He's new to the game, after all."

Sloane shook his head slowly, "And I should have known from those tapes, shouldn't I? It was all a charade, designed to fool me into thinking that we were alike, you and I. That we had the same weaknesses, fell prey to the same failures. I should have known," Sloane gave a wry smile, "No man our age could have sex that often."

Jack raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "Speak for yourself."

Sloane gave out a hacking laugh. "Oh, I will miss that dry wit of yours, Jack. It kept me sane over countless meetings these many years."

Weiss called out. "Wait a minute! Tippin was a complete red herring!" Sloane and Jack both rolled their eyes.

"Yes, Arvin, one might think that Weiss is a member of Internal Security at SD6, he's that slow sometimes. Loyal, though."

"Thanks a bunch," Weiss muttered, "I'm on the same level as a dog." Will whispered to him, "It could be worse, he called me a baby once so that Sloane and Sark would think I was no threat. Baby!" "Well, at least a baby is human!" Weiss cracked.

Sloane looked up at Jack, "Can you tell them to shut up? How you put up with Tippin all these months, I'll never know."

"Oh, he's amusing, I told you that a long time ago," Jack said with a smile.

"But he was a red herring, you used him to distract me, didn't you, from what you were really doing. And it worked, because you knew about Sark and me, you knew I'd allowed Sark to distract me. All the while I was distracted by Sark and our plans to take over the Alliance, by you, you were consolidating your own power, gathering your intel."

"Yes."

"Let me guess, if this little scenario hadn't gone down today, if we hadn't stupidly, foolishly, idiotically fallen into your trap, when WAS Alliance Security moving in?"

"Tonight at midnight. Either way, I will end up heading SD6 or at least directing it from behind the scenes. But this way-"

"Yes, why Jack, why this way, when you could have just let the Alliance take me?"

"Because this is all personal. You made it personal."

"How? It was just business."

"Oh no, it was personal. When you recruited Sydney to hold me hostage. To hold me hostage to SD6 and our supposed friendship. When you hurt her and her friends, when you continued, endlessly, to threaten her, to threaten Tippin here. It had to stop. And I wanted to see your face when you knew the game was over." Sloane and Jack stared at each other, while everyone else waited.

"The favors, Arvin. Ask and I'll see."

"Careful to the end."

"It's wise to use a long spoon when one sups with the devil."

"Ah, yes, you've been rereading those books from your days in solitary."

"And some new ones. They've been illuminating now that I was ready to hear what they had to say."

"What are they about, if I may ask?"

"Life, death, good, evil, God, the journey, the destination. You know, the-- "

"The big questions. You always had the big questions, the big plan, the big strategy. While I always preferred the small questions, the not knowing, the edges of darkness. You always wanted to KNOW."

"Not always, sometimes the lie is easier, better to believe. Sometimes it's easier to get lost in the details than see the big picture. But finally, I learned that when you are honest with yourself, when you see the big picture, you will see the destination clearly and you won't be alone while you are getting there. I need to know where I'm going and who I am with, even in the darkness."

"Speaking of darkness. Emily?"

"Yes, I'll take care of her, Arvin, and make sure she's safe."

"Of course, of course, I know you would. And one last favor for you, Jack. Those tapes - they are in my safe in my office at home. You know where it is."

"Thank you," Jack said quietly.

Sloane looked at him carefully, "Were my first instincts were correct? Are you that lucky?"

"You'll never know, Arvin. And one's luck has more to do with making the right choices than in the hand one is dealt." Jack corrected.

Sloane nodded, "In your mind. And so the game ends. I am in checkmate. I always thought we were playing the game with and not against each other, Jack."

"No, we are always playing the game against the best and worst parts of ourselves," Jack said quietly. Sloane rolled his eyes and then grimaced in pain.

"This" he said gesturing toward his midsection, "This is taking too long, isn't it? You don't want to do what you should do. I know, I realize now that all that dirty work, you called it, must have killed you inside. So, as one last favor, I'll take care of this myself, to prove I can." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small revolver. Instantly, before the nozzle cleared his jacket lapels, several firearms were pointing at him. But the one that held his attention was the one in Tippin's hand. He chuckled, but without amusement, "We never even frisked him for a firearm." He noted gladly that everyone but Jack looked equally astonished to see Tippin holding the gun so confidently. He hadn't been the only one fooled, after all.

"We figured you wouldn't check," Jack said dryly with a sideways glance at Will.

"You did a good job of convincing us that he was harmless," Sloane nodded. Then continued, "Harmless! What a fool. I thought he and Syd were your greatest weakness. What a blind fool I was." He shook his head, staring at the gun and then raised his eyes to Jack.

Arvin nodded, "It's time, Jack," and Jack lowered his gun while everyone else looked on in puzzlement.

Sloane continued, "But finally, my last request? Look in my eyes at the end, so that I can see the face of my oldest friend. My greatest enemy and my greatest." The last words were cut off by the muffled sound of a gun. Sloane had done his oldest friend one last favor and ended his life himself.

Chapter 45: "Not a bad day's work on the whole. Not a bad's day's work." (Baroness Emmuska Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel)

Outside, Devlin was waiting, along with an unmarked ambulance and hearse. Devlin walked over to Jack and the rest of the team who had come outside, while the medics and recovery team were cleaning up within.

Devlin shook Jack's hand and began speaking rapidly, while shaking his head. "Jack, that was the most amazing example of gamesmanship I have ever had the privilege to witness. Playing them, like that right to the end. I'm glad you're on our side." Everyone laughed in relief. Devlin continued, "You will be getting a major commendation. I have to say that self- discipline was amazing with this project, a year in the making. Setting up Sloane, netting Sark, by simply pretending to have a relationship with Tippin while gathering the intel. Brilliant, just brilliant. Flawless execution. Improvising three days ago when you and Syd and Vaughn were made? Great job. High risk to be sure, but the results speak for themselves." He began to list, " Sark and Sloane eliminated, as needed. It's unfortunate that Sark accidentally discharged the explosives in that ring, but his usefulness to us was at an end anyway. And Sloane, a suicide? Who would have ever expected?" he said archly with a hard glance around the circle of agents. "But, all's well that ends well. You in charge at SD6...the end is in sight." Devlin clasped Jack's hand again and then smiled at him.

Devlin added, "When you have time, I want you to write a report for the junior officers on the game theory you employed here. You said before that when this is all over, you want to retire from active status and become a mentor or teacher of junior agents, that you enjoyed working with Tippin, Vaughn and Weiss. So you can start your 'professorial status'" he laughed, shaking his head at the notion of Jack out of the field, "with that report." Jack nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but Devlin cut him off.

"Sorry, Jack, I'm in a hurry. Big dinner tonight. And you, Mr. Tippin, naturally you will get a commendation as well. You have made sacrifices for your country, put your life in danger, pretended to a lifestyle that long- time field agents would have had trouble maintaining. I guess you are now, de facto, field rated, and by no one less than Jack Bristow. So, if you want to become an agent, officially, you can."

"Seriously? Are you kidding? No way. This little mission was quite enough to last me a lifetime. And besides, we weren't---"

"Okay, Mr. Tippin. I understand." Devlin said firmly, nailing Will with a warning stare. "We all can't have ice water in our veins like Jack here. But, good job. I have to go now. Call me later, Jack, with a timeline." Devlin shook hands with everyone and left.

"Gee," Will said, "Is that guy always in that much of a hurry?" Everyone laughed and began talking, excitement on all faces.

Chapter 46: "If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes and the quitting time." (Chinese proverb)

Vaughn took Syd by the arm and walked over to Jack and Will. Vaughn erupted, "Jack, I have to ask. Was it really worth the risk? I mean, I know you said that you would do anything to defeat evil. But this, this astounds me. That you would take a mere analyst, a desk analyst, one of your daughter's friends, a friend who was almost killed previously and who certainly had his life ruined, set him up as your lover thereby putting his life in danger? Again? Just to set a trap? Devlin was right, you do have ice water in your veins!"

"Vaughn, listen to me---" Jack began, when Vaughn cut him off. "You know I stood there listening at the end to Sloane and you and I began to wonder just how far you would have gone to defeat him. Just how much alike were you two? Did enemies become more alike as time went on, did the circle close? Would you have sacrificed Will? Were you able to fool Sloane all these years because you are so much alike?"

"How can you say that?" Syd asked incredulously, staring at him in shock. "That's exactly the kind of thing Sloane would do! Sacrifice someone!"

"And your point is, what, exactly?" Vaughn asked coldly.

"Hoo, boy, back up," Weiss muttered as he watched raw fury pass over Sydney's face. With a lightning-fast movement, her arm swung up and she slapped Vaughn across the face, so hard he inadvertently stepped back a pace. Weiss steadied him with one hand and then let go and stepped aside. No way did he want to be in the middle of this meltdown.

"How dare you? How dare you equate what my father does with what Sloane does? There is NO comparison," Sydney said with quiet fury.

With almost equal anger, Vaughn snarled back, "Isn't there? They both have killed, lied, cheated, stolen, paid any price, all in the name of their endgame."

"And so have I, Vaughn, so have I. Oh that's right, I forgot, in your world, in your rule book, there are good persons and bad persons. Somehow, when you kill on a mission, you can still be good, because it happens in the heat of the moment, always in obvious self defense. But my father and I - because our entire lives are a long-term mission - it's easy to think we are bad, isn't it? And the price? The price is acceptable when it's your life at risk, but--"

"Your father has chosen to do things, take certain actions when -"

Syd cut him off with a motion and said, "Chosen? You make it sound so easy. Do you have any idea of the impossible choices he's had to make? Impossible. Sometimes, there's no good choice. Sometimes all you can do is keep the long-term goal in mind. Sometimes the right now is so horrible, the choices are so terrible right this minute..."

"I know, but -"

Sydney shook her head emphatically. "No, again, you DON'T know. You don't know what it's like to be.," she said growing quiet as she thought, struggled for the right words. "How do I describe this? I told Will once about waking on a plane and not knowing where you were, if you were a good guy or a bad guy, not knowing who you were. I told him about how panicked I was sometimes when I'd wake up and my dad wasn't there, like a kid waking up from a nightmare with no one to comfort them." She noted Jack's stare of incredulity and realized she should have told him long before how she felt. Giving him a smile, she continued, "But, the journey isn't as smooth as on a plane ride. It's more like a footrace on this dark, bumpy road with no maps, no light, no signs and all you have is what's inside you. Your own stamina, your own commitment, your own sense of direction, your own guideposts. And have they been damaged by the traveling you've had to do? You don't know the condition of your." she faltered, searching..

"Your self, your soul?" asked Weiss quietly.

"Yes," Syd nodded at him. "Yes, that self, that soul is so...scattered by all of the, by everything you've had to do, to pretend to be along the way. Who will you be when you stop the race? What did you leave behind? Are you lost? Did you lose your self along the way? Do you know the destination anymore? Will you recognize it when you see it? I did tonight. I recognized it. I saw it. The end, the goal. Didn't you?"

Everyone stared at her. Jack's face, which had begun like a thundercloud, had slowly changed to reflect happiness and pride in her words. "Syd," he began quietly, "Honey. Thank you. Thank you for articulating what I could not and for seeing through my eyes." He touched her arm and then turned back toward Vaughn, his eyes darkening.

Before Jack could defend himself, Tippin exploded, "My turn! That's quite enough, Vaughn. Nothing was done without my full knowledge and consent. Yes, it was Jack's plan to use a supposed relationship between us to set up a blind for Sloane and Sark."

"But my God, Tippin, the risk," Vaughn protested.

Will overrode him, "I am not a child. SD6 was always going to suspect me because I know too much, even though," he smiled, "I had to act like an idiot at times to convince them I was harmless. Luckily, as Jack said once, that wasn't too difficult." Everyone but Vaughn chuckled. Will went on, harshly this time, "Get real. My life was always in some level of danger from the first moment I got involved in the story on Danny so long ago. And Arvin Sloane was always going to look for a way to use me to hold Syd or Jack hostage. And if you don't think that Jack spent way more than sufficient time protecting me, then you don't know -- Jack." Will smiled, while Syd and Jack groaned.

"Always with the jokes, Tippin?" Jack asked.

"Just trying to lighten the mood a little. Anyway, Vaughn, you must not know Jack at all if you think he'd do anything to deliberately jeopardize the lives of the people Sydney cares about. What did do first thing tonight? Call Flaherty in to protect Francie and your teams in to protect the two of you, right?" "Right," Vaughn said slowly.

"So, yeah, I pretended for a whole year. So, yeah, I took risks---"

"You were pretending?" Syd gasped, thinking she could not believe it. That photograph of them almost kissing, that was no pretense. No one was that good at pretending, no one could manufacture that kind of intimacy unless they were Oscar contenders. And her dad was probably of that caliber, but Will? He always wore his heart on his sleeve, he was too open. And that little gesture in her bedroom after she'd found out about them, the touches on the arm and hand? No, that was real. And she thought of all the changes in her father, changes that had to be the result of love given and received. Only love could have healed him, she knew now, because it was love that had broken him originally. Whom was Will trying to protect? Jack. She spoke up, "Will, I don't believe you. Let my dad make his own decisions here."

"Tippin, Sydney's right. Stop it," Jack protested.

Will ignored them both, as he continued, "So, yeah, I took risks the last year. Life-changing risks. But I finally understood how Syd and especially Jack live. When your life is always in jeopardy, high risks become less risky. It's not that you have less to lose, but that you need to just live your life the way you feel you should because this is it, the only chance. Have you learned that lesson yet, Agent Vaughn?"

Jack spoke up. "That's ENOUGH, Will. If anyone is going to lecture Vaughn, it's me. I am the one he insulted. And I'm not going to allow you to say--- "

"No, Jack, I can see which way the wind blows. This should be the beginning of your moment of triumph after almost two decades of a nightmare, I don't intend that anything diminish that. Nothing." Will spoke with an intensity that drew all eyes to him.

With equal intensity, Jack replied. "Let me tell you what will diminish that - continuing to pretend. I have spent decades pretending, no more. Absolutely not. Not here. SD6 is another story. Maybe. We'll see. But, I'll get to that in a moment. I need to give these junior agents a little lecture about holding yourself together while working double for as long as I have and address what Agent Vaughn has accused me of - that I would do anything. Yes, I said that to you, Michael, at one time. But of course, I was wrong. What I learned when I blew up that cottage in Madagascar is that there are limits to anything. When trying to defeat evil, you have to always keep in mind that evil is about hate. The way to keep hate and therefore evil out of you, when you shake hands with it daily, is to keep love in your life." He paused and looked at his daughter.

"Syd talked about that path. You know what keeps you on the path? Love of family, friends, your nation, God, whatever works for you. You have to keep the goal, the destination, in mind: good triumphing over evil. As I said in the hearing when I turned myself in, I said that Sydney was my one chance of salvation. But then," he said taking a deep breath, "but then by playing house rules with the right house, by remembering that it wasn't evil who dealt the hands, I got lucky. I was given a second chance and I chose to take it. And that chance and my choice was Will," Jack said with unassailable dignity. He continued, "Devlin wanted to know the game theory I used? Here it is - stay as close to the truth as possible. There was no pretense about our relationship, just the fine points to confuse the enemy. Will was just trying to protect ME. Which is a switch, someone protecting me. But it's not necessary. Take it or leave it, I am who I am."

That touch of hauteur that Jack could instantly summon stood him well. That and the fact that everyone was frightened of him, anyway, Syd thought with a smile. Will didn't know the awe everyone felt for Jack Bristow, awe combined with raw fear. Devlin may not like it, but as always Jack could care less. Jack didn't have anything to worry about, but she loved Will for trying to protect him. She leaned over and whispered that into Will's ear. He gave her a hug.

Weiss suddenly exclaimed, "So Tippin wasn't a red herring? Or was he?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "He was in the sense of keeping Arvin distracted right up to the end."

"So, he went to his death thinking he was wrong? You intended that?" Weiss asked, trying to clarify what had gone on in the cage, or what remained of the cage.

"Of course." "Why?" "To torment him."

"Damn, that's cold," Weiss shook his head.

"You know what they say about revenge, Weiss? It's a dish best served up cold. And it tasted damn good," Jack said calmly.

"Now, that the impromptu lesson and completely unnecessary exploration of my personal life is over, NEVER to be repeated, let's get back to business," Jack demanded. He assigned agents to various clean up duties, reminding them that he needed Sloane's body to set up a funeral. It would be his job to arrange a funeral and deliver the official SD6 eulogy. Here he grimaced and asked Will if the eulogy was done yet. "Almost. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to write." "Just pretend you're writing fiction and you should be able to come up with something decent to say about him. Syd, you need to go to SD6 and pull in Dixon. Bring him over to Sloane's house. Will, Vaughn, Weiss and I will be there. We need to do some clean up."

"Why Will?" Vaughn asked, for the first time opening his mouth since the lecturing had begun what seemed like hours before. When would he learn to keep his mouth shut around Jack?

"Because there are some tapes I think he wants to recover," Jack whispered, but with a smile and a sideways glance at Will. "I could care less, but Tippin here..."

"Oooh, yeah. Those tapes," Will whispered with a blush. Syd started to laugh, but also spoke in a hush. "Will, you are the one with no inhibitions."

"Honestly, Syd, who wants - I mean, it was bad enough knowing they were taping, but, let's just say I've discovered I really don't want all of the CIA and then the internet having access to those tapes."

"Okay, let's go," Jack said loudly.

"Wait a minute," Kendall spoke up for the first time. "Jack, I just want to say that this whole game, this whole night in particular, took raw courage."

"Kendall, are you giving me a compliment?" Jack asked, as everyone stared at the bald man in shock.

"Yes, it will never happen again, so pay attention. This is why Jack Bristow is the best in the business, boys and girls. Raw courage, cold calculation, improvisation, endless research, and total unpredictability. That's what's needed to play this game. I hope you all learned something tonight. Jack, I do think you will make a wonderful teacher. And that way I'll never have to work with you again. I had hair before I met all of the Bristows." He paused to let the laughter subside, "And Jack's right, let's get moving." Everyone dispersed.

Chapter 47: "Don't you think ...don't you feel like we make each other happy? And don't you think that's the important thing, the most important thing?" (Will Tippin)

As Will and Jack walked away, Syd and Vaughn saw Jack look around. "Always cautious," Syd said to Vaughn. "I get your point. I was a fool," Vaughn answered.

Seeing that only those two were near, Jack laughingly asked Will, "Are you sure, Tippin, about not wanting to be an agent?"

"Ha. Ha. How many times did I say in the last year that I was no spy? Give me a desk job any day. It was bad enough wearing that ring full of explosives for four months. Never again."

"I told you a million times that it was perfectly safe to wear that ring as long as I did not push the ignite button on the watch."

"Yeah, that watch of death. That watch that you NEVER took off. 'Sure, Jack. Let's go to that restaurant with bizarre food. Sure, Jack, let's see that esoteric foreign movie with subtitles. Sure, Jack, let's listen to some opera, not Gilbert and Sullivan, but the real stuff? Sure, Jack, I'll wear my glasses instead of contacts every once in a while so you can take them off. Sure, Jack, let's throw out my corduroys and redo my wardrobe.' Sound familiar?" Will asked laughing.

Jack said sardonically, "'Sure, Will, let's paint my dining room red instead of the perfectly-fine white it originally was. Sure, Will, let's walk five miles every morning. Sure, Will, I'll let my hair grow a little longer. Sure, Will, let's move your stuff in my study and make a huge mess.' Sound familiar?"

Will broke up laughing, "And I wasn't even wearing the watch of death!"

"No, you weren't. I believe it's called the art of the compromise."

"Compromise? There was no compromise about my corduroys!"

"Those stupid pants, again? Give it up, Tippin, they are not coming back. Didn't I buy tshirts to wear around the house as payment for that?"

"Well, yeah, but."

"Nothing. No one wears corduroy in LA. Seriously."

"And that, Vaughn," Syd said as she walked toward her car, "That is why I called them the Will and Jack show. They are always fun to watch."

Vaughn muttered, "Watch and learn, I think."

Chapter 48: And so it ends.

Much later that night or in reality early the next morning, Sydney and Vaughn followed Jack and Will out to a CIA destruction site. Standing in front of an industrial incinerator, Jack and Will tossed in box after box of cassette tapes. Watching them, Vaughn blurted out, "Did you really know they were taping you in Will's apartment and you just went ahead...?" He knew from a conversation between Will and Jack at Sloane's house that he had accidentally overheard that the tapes did include recordings of the couple's sexual activities. That was.creepy, well, way beyond creepy, to think of Sloane and Sark hearing that..He shuddered.

Will noted Vaughn's involuntary movement and grimaced, "Yeah, we knew. We always had to be conscious of it. Sometimes we were playing to an audience like when we had blocks of conversations scripted out in advance, like the one in which we planned my move to Jack's house or him inviting Sloane to a play. I usually wrote those. Sometimes we were just.ourselves. Sometimes Jack would play opera really loudly so that they couldn't hear and to annoy my neighbors. And me. But you always had to be conscious of it, the taping. That's one reason why I eventually moved in with Jack. It just got to be a bit much for me, Jack didn't really care, he can play the game endlessly. But I couldn't take that...invasion of privacy anymore. And we figured they had enough to hang us already by that time. But Jack was also concerned about safety. It was true what he said about him being able to sleep. But from my point of view the best part was knowing that the only taping was from Francie's tote, which kind of limited the possibilities of embarrassment."

"There are lots of memories in these tapes, Tippin. You're the sentimental one. Sure you want to destroy them all?" Jack teased.

"Stop it," Will laughed, punching Jack's arm, while Sydney and Vaughn looked on in surprise at the interplay between the couple.

Watching the two men, their silhouettes highlighted by the fire of the incinerator, Vaughn thought that the fire behind them was more than appropriate. They had been tested by fire, as individuals and as a unit, and come out ahead. "Their courage humbles me, in all ways," he said quietly to Sydney. He continued, "It makes me wonder if we---"

"Didn't try hard enough?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, me too. Maybe we just needed to take more of a chance, not stupid chances, but be less afraid to risk losing. Be less willing to run away." Will must have heard the conversation because he looked up at them sharply.

"Uh-oh, here comes some obnoxious question or comment, I recognize the look," Sydney warned. "So do I," Vaughn moaned in agreement.

"You know," Will began. "Originally, Jack and I got to know each other out of our concern for you two. And here we stand tonight having been together for more than a year now and where are you two? It's kind of ironic, isn't it?"

"Good point, Tippin. They either have way too much self control or they're just." Jack trailed off. "Stupid?" Will answered.

"Hey!" both Syd and Vaughn yelped.

"Honestly, Vaughn, just kiss the girl," Will said dismissively. Then chuckling, with a sidelong glance at Jack, he added, "That's how I got where I am today, just by being honest and kissing Jack. You never know where persistence will take you." Will stopped because Jack's hand was across his mouth.

Jack's face looked a little redder, even with the glow from the fire. Syd and Vaughn stared at them. Will had made the first move? Well maybe that wasn't a surprise, but Syd said, "I don't want to know any more, Will." Jack agreed as he cleared his throat, "Ahem, they don't need that much detail, Tippin."

Will protested, laughing, "But they do need a kick in the pants!"

"Alright, already, we can't force them to kiss each other. Although maybe I'll have some free time soon and can come up with another plan."

"Enough!" Vaughn scolded and then began laughing. "I can't believe this," he said as he reached for Sydney, "I can't believe that your father is prodding me to kiss you in front of him."

Looking over, Sydney noted, "They're back to tossing tapes so I don't think he's paying any attention to us," as Vaughn's lips finally reached hers.

After a while, noting absently that the clink of tapes hitting the sides of the incinerator had stopped, Sydney pulled back reluctantly. Resting her head against Vaughn's chest, she turned to face her father and Will. "What are they doing?" she asked softly. Vaughn's hands stopped roving her back and stilled. "I think this, these are the real thing," he said quietly.

They watched as Jack handed a small pouch to Will. He pulled a second out of his pocket. Will smiled happily. "So, finally?"

"Finally. What you wanted. With just a simple inscription inside. No codes. A simple ring."

"One for each of us. And no C4 this time," Will quipped.

"No, no explosives this time, just us," Jack said quietly. Watching the two exchange rings in front of the dying fire, Syd and Vaughn realized that they were watching a new start, the kind that comes after the ashes of the past have been cleared away.

Walking away from the facility, Vaughn began, "Jack, I need to apologize. Initially, when Syd started talking about her concerns about Will's safety in a relationship with you-"

Jack glared at Syd, "Sydney Bristow, did you or did you not make me a promise?"

"Dad, I didn't tell him about the blackmail, I didn't!"

Vaughn interjected, "No, she didn't Jack. She was, I think, trying to deflect me from what was going on, by asking me if I knew about you two."

"Did you?" Will asked.

Vaughn chuckled. "Tippin, I have got to tell you that you made a good choice when you said no to being a field agent. You just have the most open face. No duplicity. I knew from about ten minutes into that brunch how you felt about Jack. Jack, you of course, were impossible to read. But as I was saying, when Syd and I first began talking today, I said you would never endanger someone you cared about. And that was a truth I should have remembered. I have to say, that was part of my problem tonight. I didn't know what was real and what wasn't. I should have trusted my initial instincts. "

Vaughn said looking down, "I have learned a lot from you, from all of you here tonight."

"Thank you," Jack said.

Vaughn looked back up and smiled, "But I find it hard to imagine you out of the field. A teacher?"

"Yes. I've been thinking for a while about what I'll do after this is all done and teaching new agents.that's it."

"Really?" Will asked with a grin, "I was thinking musical theater." Everyone laughed.

Jack said, "Honestly, that was the worst part of this whole assignment this year, that karaoke bar. The damage to my dignity."

Sydney linked her arm through her father's as they walked away and said jokingly, "Oh, I don't know, I was thinking we could all go there to celebrate tonight."

Catching Will's eye, Jack said softly, "Not tonight. Tonight Will and I have a bottle of merlot to open. Just us two."

"Seriously?" Will asked, smiling.

"Seriously," they answered together.

I have no road ahead of me where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself.I seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone. Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude.

THE END