A/N- FINALLY I got you guys an update. I am so sorry that this took so long, but you would not believe how much homework I had this week, and then I got sick on top of it all. So, I decided to reward you with a longer chapter. :)

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CHAPTER THREE

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The wind whistled through the empty warehouse, reminding the occupants that there was nothing that could be done to make the situation they were in any better. Even the rats seemed to be able to sense the fear that was almost permeating from the very walls of the building. Small pools of water, formed from the leaky roof, were scattered around the concrete floor, reinforcing the desolate look of the building. An old, musty smell was swirling through the air, but the people in the warehouse wouldn't have been able to discern it from the smell of roses. They were too focused on one thing. Both an end, and a new beginning, and their thoughts on which one was better were drastically different.

A pair of menacing eyes met a pair that were filled with fear. Flashing their rage, the pair of eyes gave way to the voice of an evil man, a man that held the object that would determine the course of the lives of the people present. "I told you that if you got in my way, I would end your life. This is only the beginning."

Sydney watched helplessly as Sloane raised a gun to Vaughn's chest and fired. It was almost as if time slowed down. She could see the bullet leave the gun and travel towards her lover. As she struggled to break free from the binds holding her to the wall, she could feel her muscles straining against the metal cuffs on her wrists. The coldness of the floor seemed to seep through her body as she saw the bullet tear through Vaughn's shirt, spilling blood into the air as his chair fell over backwards from the force of the bullet. His haunting eyes bore through her soul, and Sydney knew that she would never be able to forget this moment for the rest of her life. She struggled in vain to free herself but to no avail. As the man who had destroyed every good thing in her life walked away, a scream ripped from her throat, destroying the calmness that had once again enveloped the warehouse after it was broken with the sound of the gunshot. "Vaughn!"

Sydney's eyes opened and the world came crashing down on her. Beeps and ticks flooded her ears and harsh fluorescent lights burned her eyes. Before her senses completely kicked in, she swore that she had passed out from the shock of seeing Vaughn killed, but as she became more aware of her surroundings, she realized that she was laying in a bed, and not on the cold warehouse floor where she expected herself to be. She lifted up an arm to see a saline drip attached to it. She quickly lowered it, both exhaustion and frustration winning out over any stamina that she once had. Closing her eyes, Sydney felt a tear escape and roll down her cheek as she silently mourned the loss of the best person that ever happened to her. "Oh Vaughn." The words were almost silent coming from her mouth.

"I'm right here Syd."

Sydney's eyes flashed open again and she quickly turned her head towards his voice. There he was. "But how..." That's when fire seemed to rip through her body, and she remembered. It wasn't Vaughn that had gotten shot, it was her. And she had survived. "Michael." Sydney reached out for him, needing to feel him in her arms again.

Vaughn couldn't describe the immense feeling of relief that washed over him as Sydney opened her eyes. The doctors had told him that she had lost so much blood that it was highly unlikely that she would ever regain consciousness. That confession in itself had almost killed him, but actually physically seeing the strongest woman he knew so defenseless and weak had really driven it home for him. It had been difficult for him to breathe as he saw her just laying there, and he couldn't even remember the last time he had actually slept, but it was all worth it to be there when she woke up and called for him.

As she reached up for him, he could feel his heart in this throat and he had to physically fight the tears that were threatening to reveal themselves. Reaching down and carefully taking her in his arms, for the first time in days, he felt complete. After a few minutes, and he felt her loosen her grip on him, still holding her hand, Vaughn sat down in the standard hospital chair that had been his home for the last while. "How are you feeling?"

Feeling a warmth spread through her as she felt Vaughn's thumb tracing lazy circles on her hand, Sydney smiled. "Like I've been shot."

Vaughn glanced at the floor and allowed himself a small laugh. Only Sydney could make a joke right after being shot in the stomach. "Nice reaction."

Sydney laughed a bit, but quickly regretted the move. Fire ripped through her body again, and she sucked in a breath to try to quell it.

At Sydney's reaction, Vaughn stood up, quickly scanning her body up and down, his worried eyes looking more worried than ever. "Sydney. Are you ok? Is there anything I can do?"

Smiling at his concern, Sydney shook her head. "I'm fine. Just realizing that I shouldn't laugh for awhile here without feeling it. And you just being here is good enough for me."

Vaughn looked away from her, and seemed to wait an eternity before he could speak the words that had been weighing so heavily on him every since Weiss had called his cell telling him that something that gone wrong with the mission. He knew that she would get angry for him telling her, but he had to do it. His conscience was screaming at him to say the words, and he knew that if he didn't, he'd be kicking himself later, and would probably wind up saying something at a much more inappropriate time. Shaking his head, he resolved any misgivings, and spoke. "I'm so sorry Syd."

Sydney shot her gaze back to Vaughn. Her head flooded with questions from the four simple words that he had just spoken. What the heck can he be sorry about? It wasn't like there was anything he could have done. I mean, I didn't even know that that was going to happen. No one could have predicted that. He looks like hell too. I wonder how long I've been unconscious. It can only be a couple of days, can't it? She knew that the only way she would find out the answers to her questions was to ask the man sitting before her. "For what?" Her words came out with a slight bite to them that she wished she could have prevented, but her entire body felt like lead, and she really didn't want to be having any sort of argument at the moment.

Vaughn was slightly taken aback by her tone, but he was half-expecting it, so he continued on. "I should have been there for you Syd. I should have stopped this from happening."

Sydney narrowed her eyebrows. She was happy for his concern about her, but he was just being stupid about this. "How could you have stopped this Vaughn? Do you even know what happened?"

Vaughn looked up quickly at Sydney, not expecting the defensiveness that he heard in her voice. "Uh, no, I don't, but still..."

Sydney shook her head. "No Vaughn, there was nothing you could have done. There was nothing that anyone could have done. I was careless, and I paid for that." Sydney looked away at that point, attempting to hide her sudden tears from Vaughn. She didn't want to relive the past right now. She needed to be stronger before that happened, and she definitely needed to be off drugs and have her mind functioning at full capacity before she dove into that memory.

Seeing Sydney turn away, Vaughn knew that the conversation was over for the moment. He needed to know what had happened, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Sydney. It seemed to be extremely difficult for her, so something big had happened. He would find out soon enough what it was, and when that time came, he knew that he would do everything in his power to make everything better for her. Giving her hand a squeeze, he leaned over closer to the bed. "You look like you really need some rest. How about I leave you so you can sleep?"

Sydney looked back at Vaughn with something slightly resembling fear filling her eyes. "Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

Vaughn smiled and stood up so that he could brush away a lock of hair from her face and pressed a small kiss to her forehead. "Of course."

Sydney smiled and closed her eyes, knowing that she was once again safe with the man that she loved.

Vaughn watched as Sydney's breathing became more and more relaxed, and when it evened out, he stood up and took one last look at her sleeping form. Worry creased his brow, and he carefully put her hand under the covers, and tucked her in, making sure that she wouldn't feel a chill in the drafty room. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned towards the door. He felt he could leave now that he knew she was ok and was sleeping peacefully.

Vaughn walked out into the bright hallway, and slowly closed the door, making sure that it didn't slam and wake Sydney up.

"How's she doing?"

Vaughn looked up from his gaze on the floor and tried to focus his blurry eyes on the man sitting before him. "Where's Jack?"

"Nice to see you too buddy, you look great too." Weiss put down the paper that he had been reading and got up to talk to Vaughn. "Jack's been bogged down at work. Truth is, I don't think he wants to see Sydney like this, and judging by the way you look right now, she's not looking too good."

Vaughn ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. "It's just tough to see her that way, you know?"

Weiss put his arm around his friend and lead him to a chair so that he could sit down, and sat down beside him. "Yeah, she's a tough girl though. She'll pull through."

Vaughn looked at his friend and smiled. "I know."

As Vaughn looked back at the floor, Weiss contemplated not asking him the question that he needed to. He knew that it would put the final nail in the coffin that has been the day for Vaughn, but it had to be asked. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his friend. "So, I hate to ask this, but did she tell you what happened?"

Vaughn looked exasperatedly at his friend. "She just got shot. Do you really think she wants to relive that all over again so soon?"

Weiss shook his head. "Look, you know I hate being the bad guy, especially when it comes to you and Sydney, but this is important."

"I know."

"You know we need this Vaughn."

"I know."

"The fate of the CIA rests on what exactly happened in Taipei."

Vaughn looked at his friend with even more worry flooding his eyes. "I know."

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And there we go! Let me know how you liked that one, and I'll get right on to writing the next chapter.