Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Alias or anything/anyone associated with it.
Just this story.
-Chapter 5-
Sydney watched as the nurse told Alice it was time to leave. The blonde wiped a tear away and reached for her purse. After leaning over and placing a kiss on Vaughn's lips, she slowly walked out the door and down the long hall. Checking in both directions, Sydney slipped out of hiding and into his room. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight if him in the hospital bed, hooked up to machines and paler than she had ever seen anyone. His eyes were closed, but a look of pain had etched itself across his handsome features. Her hand found his and she felt how cold and clammy it was, making it hard to remember his warm touch. "Hey." She whispered, softly as if afraid to disturb him. As if having a mind of their own, her eyes found the bullet wound. "Since when do you go on field missions by yourself?" Sydney pulled the chair to Vaughn's bedside and sat down. "It's dangerous. Trust me, I know." The only sound in the room besides his breathing was the beeping machines that monitored his heart rate and his breathing. "You can't leave just yet. Too many people care about you. Like Alice." She said the other woman's name quietly. "And besides," Her voice grew stronger as she continued. "There was a lot of things between us left unsaid. Some stuff we definitely need to talk about. I hate the way you look at me now, although I don't blame you." She smiled softly at his still form. "Please wake up. I missed you while I was gone." Standing, she leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead as a lone tear slid down her cheek. She placed her hand on his cheek and then headed for the door.
"Syd?" A voice called to her from a few feet down the hall. She turned and instantly recognized the other man.
A grin formed on her face as she rushed to him. "Will!" She exclaimed and threw her arms around him.
"Syd, I missed you so much! Why did it take you so long to come back?" He asked releasing her.
Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "How did you know I was."
"Alive?" He finished for her. At her nod, he answered. "Vaughn told me." For a short moment he stared at the man through the window. "How is he?"
Sydney shook her head, tears burned beneath her eyelids, but she fought them back. "Not good."
"How are you?" He asked, looking at her closely.
For a moment Sydney didn't answer. "Not good." She finally managed. Her resolve broke and the tears began to fall. Will's arms came around her waist again and he pulled her close.
"Shhh. It's going to be ok."
Sydney sniffled, but squeezed him back tightly. "You know, this is the second time I've seen him in the hospital. He was sick because of a mission he went on with me. It wasn't any easier to see him lying there then than it is now."
"Vaughn's a fighter." Will told her. "He'll make it through this."
Slowly, Sydney moved out of his arms. "He hates me, doesn't he?" Her voice was scared, but she had to ask despite the fact that she was dreading the answer.
"What would make you think that?"
"The way he looks at me. How we left things a year ago."
Will sighed and remembered brief conversations with Vaughn about Sydney. "He doesn't hate you."
"How do you know?"
"Just trust me on this one, alright?" Just then a nurse came up to them.
"You have to leave." Her voice was stern and slightly cold. "Visiting hours have been over for quite some time and these patients need their rest. Not the two of you yammering away in the hallway."
"We're sorry." Sydney smiled at the nurse. "We were just leaving."
"I know that, because I just kicked you out. Now go!" She glared at them until they headed away in the other direction.
"He's awake." The words her father spoke just hours ago echoed through her mind. Like she had the night before, she waited until Alice had left and snuck into Vaughn's room. This time, however, his eyes were opened and they were looking at her.
"Hi." She said, sitting in the chair Alice had vacated.
Vaughn looked at her for a moment before responding. "What are you doing here?" His voice was soft and pained, like he had trouble talking and his breathing became heavy after only a few words.
"My dad said you had woken up, so I wanted to see how you were feeling."
"Since when have you cared about that?"
Sydney flinched inwardly at his harsh words. "Since always." Her eyes left his face and focused on her hands in her lap.
If Vaughn noticed her flinch or how uncomfortable she was, he didn't care. "You have a funny way of showing it."
"We shouldn't talk about any of this right now. You're not strong enough." She said.
"You shouldn't be here." He told her. Taking a few deep breaths he spoke again. "Go back to you new boyfriend."
Kevin entered her mind for the first time since she had left him that afternoon. It had been hard explaining why she always had to be gone and could never spend any time with him. "I'm sorry you had to find out about him like that."
"Don't worry about it. I have Alice, I've always had Alice."
A new feeling of pain took her heart and held it like a vice. "His name is Kevin and I should get back to him." She stood and forced her feet to move. Before she took two whole steps the nurse from the night before entered.
"You again? I thought I told you to stay out of here after visiting hours are over. But here you are yet again. Am I going to have to call security and have you removed from the building?"
"No ma'am." Sydney went to move past her, but she stopped her again.
"What's your name?"
Her new identity slipped easily out of her mouth. "Mia."
"Mia what?"
She looked at Vaughn, who was simply watching the scene in front of him. Turning her attention back to the nurse, she replied. "Michaels. Mia Michaels."
Vaughn made no reaction to the name and she brushed past the night nurse.
"Kevin, this is my father, Jack. Dad, this is Kevin." Sydney introduced the two men in her life with a smile.
"Her boyfriend." Kevin added with a smile and reached out to shake his hand. "I was glad to hear you were released from the hospital."
"I was as well." Jack replied. They sat at a corner table in the hotel restaurant. The waiter came and went. "What do you for a living Kevin?"
"I own my own business. An Insurance company."
"Successful?" Jack asked.
"Dad!" Sydney exclaimed, but Kevin shrugged.
"It's ok, Mia. Yes, Mr. Michaels, I'm successful. I'll be able to give Mia a good life."
"I only want the best for my daughter."
Before Kevin could reply his cell phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he told them, "I have to take this." And left.
"I don't like him." Jack spoke up.
"Yes?" Kevin spoke into the phone softly. "Here with me now." He listened carefully to the person on the other end of the line. "I understand. There's no need to worry." Smiling he hung up the phone and headed back to the table.
-Chapter 5-
Sydney watched as the nurse told Alice it was time to leave. The blonde wiped a tear away and reached for her purse. After leaning over and placing a kiss on Vaughn's lips, she slowly walked out the door and down the long hall. Checking in both directions, Sydney slipped out of hiding and into his room. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight if him in the hospital bed, hooked up to machines and paler than she had ever seen anyone. His eyes were closed, but a look of pain had etched itself across his handsome features. Her hand found his and she felt how cold and clammy it was, making it hard to remember his warm touch. "Hey." She whispered, softly as if afraid to disturb him. As if having a mind of their own, her eyes found the bullet wound. "Since when do you go on field missions by yourself?" Sydney pulled the chair to Vaughn's bedside and sat down. "It's dangerous. Trust me, I know." The only sound in the room besides his breathing was the beeping machines that monitored his heart rate and his breathing. "You can't leave just yet. Too many people care about you. Like Alice." She said the other woman's name quietly. "And besides," Her voice grew stronger as she continued. "There was a lot of things between us left unsaid. Some stuff we definitely need to talk about. I hate the way you look at me now, although I don't blame you." She smiled softly at his still form. "Please wake up. I missed you while I was gone." Standing, she leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead as a lone tear slid down her cheek. She placed her hand on his cheek and then headed for the door.
"Syd?" A voice called to her from a few feet down the hall. She turned and instantly recognized the other man.
A grin formed on her face as she rushed to him. "Will!" She exclaimed and threw her arms around him.
"Syd, I missed you so much! Why did it take you so long to come back?" He asked releasing her.
Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "How did you know I was."
"Alive?" He finished for her. At her nod, he answered. "Vaughn told me." For a short moment he stared at the man through the window. "How is he?"
Sydney shook her head, tears burned beneath her eyelids, but she fought them back. "Not good."
"How are you?" He asked, looking at her closely.
For a moment Sydney didn't answer. "Not good." She finally managed. Her resolve broke and the tears began to fall. Will's arms came around her waist again and he pulled her close.
"Shhh. It's going to be ok."
Sydney sniffled, but squeezed him back tightly. "You know, this is the second time I've seen him in the hospital. He was sick because of a mission he went on with me. It wasn't any easier to see him lying there then than it is now."
"Vaughn's a fighter." Will told her. "He'll make it through this."
Slowly, Sydney moved out of his arms. "He hates me, doesn't he?" Her voice was scared, but she had to ask despite the fact that she was dreading the answer.
"What would make you think that?"
"The way he looks at me. How we left things a year ago."
Will sighed and remembered brief conversations with Vaughn about Sydney. "He doesn't hate you."
"How do you know?"
"Just trust me on this one, alright?" Just then a nurse came up to them.
"You have to leave." Her voice was stern and slightly cold. "Visiting hours have been over for quite some time and these patients need their rest. Not the two of you yammering away in the hallway."
"We're sorry." Sydney smiled at the nurse. "We were just leaving."
"I know that, because I just kicked you out. Now go!" She glared at them until they headed away in the other direction.
"He's awake." The words her father spoke just hours ago echoed through her mind. Like she had the night before, she waited until Alice had left and snuck into Vaughn's room. This time, however, his eyes were opened and they were looking at her.
"Hi." She said, sitting in the chair Alice had vacated.
Vaughn looked at her for a moment before responding. "What are you doing here?" His voice was soft and pained, like he had trouble talking and his breathing became heavy after only a few words.
"My dad said you had woken up, so I wanted to see how you were feeling."
"Since when have you cared about that?"
Sydney flinched inwardly at his harsh words. "Since always." Her eyes left his face and focused on her hands in her lap.
If Vaughn noticed her flinch or how uncomfortable she was, he didn't care. "You have a funny way of showing it."
"We shouldn't talk about any of this right now. You're not strong enough." She said.
"You shouldn't be here." He told her. Taking a few deep breaths he spoke again. "Go back to you new boyfriend."
Kevin entered her mind for the first time since she had left him that afternoon. It had been hard explaining why she always had to be gone and could never spend any time with him. "I'm sorry you had to find out about him like that."
"Don't worry about it. I have Alice, I've always had Alice."
A new feeling of pain took her heart and held it like a vice. "His name is Kevin and I should get back to him." She stood and forced her feet to move. Before she took two whole steps the nurse from the night before entered.
"You again? I thought I told you to stay out of here after visiting hours are over. But here you are yet again. Am I going to have to call security and have you removed from the building?"
"No ma'am." Sydney went to move past her, but she stopped her again.
"What's your name?"
Her new identity slipped easily out of her mouth. "Mia."
"Mia what?"
She looked at Vaughn, who was simply watching the scene in front of him. Turning her attention back to the nurse, she replied. "Michaels. Mia Michaels."
Vaughn made no reaction to the name and she brushed past the night nurse.
"Kevin, this is my father, Jack. Dad, this is Kevin." Sydney introduced the two men in her life with a smile.
"Her boyfriend." Kevin added with a smile and reached out to shake his hand. "I was glad to hear you were released from the hospital."
"I was as well." Jack replied. They sat at a corner table in the hotel restaurant. The waiter came and went. "What do you for a living Kevin?"
"I own my own business. An Insurance company."
"Successful?" Jack asked.
"Dad!" Sydney exclaimed, but Kevin shrugged.
"It's ok, Mia. Yes, Mr. Michaels, I'm successful. I'll be able to give Mia a good life."
"I only want the best for my daughter."
Before Kevin could reply his cell phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he told them, "I have to take this." And left.
"I don't like him." Jack spoke up.
"Yes?" Kevin spoke into the phone softly. "Here with me now." He listened carefully to the person on the other end of the line. "I understand. There's no need to worry." Smiling he hung up the phone and headed back to the table.