Sauntering out of the bathroom Syd tried to regain her composure, regain that confident strut in her walk, and regain that poised look on her face. What ever she looked like she hoped it was normal. She didn't realize that she spent a half an hour in that corner, sitting, crying, and reminiscing. Her new Club Monaco suit was wrinkled, and she looked completely unprofessional. She had no makeup with her and all her mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow were nonexistent. "I can't believe I did that." Syd thought to herself, "Especially before such an important meeting. God, I'm an idiot." Sydney hurried back through the halls trying to flatten her suit coat, and burst into the conference room, sending threatening glares all in her direction.

"Sydney, you're late." Kendall informed Syd, his words cutting like a knife, almost sending her into another spasm of sobs. "I'm sorry, thank you for waiting." Kendall nodded as she sat down next to her father who for once in his life gave her a sympathetic look. Jack knew exactly what happened but tried to keep himself distanced when emotions were involved, and Syd knew he never managed to say the right thing. All around her were ranking military and government officers, usually she felt confident surrounded by these men. Syd knew she was just as, if not more, smart that they were, and she never let their chauvinistic stares get her down. But today she felt like a scared little girl, wanting to run out of the office and cry some more.

Taking a deep breath she smiled and swiveled her head to make sure each one got a flash of her dimples. Smiling drained every ounce of energy she had and once the men got a look at her smile she dropped her head in defeat, but Kendall's sharp voice snapped it up again.

"Sydney, you know why you're here?" A sigh accidentally passed her lips as she nodded, every single word made her want to cry again. She was never this emotional, why did it have to happen now, at work, in front of people whom she respected. Kendall began to talk describing what she herself was going to describe when she had to get up in front of them also. She periodically sighed as Kendall elaborated on what happened, and cringing when his, Vaughn's, name came up in any context. Her father watched her with a wandering eye, flinching when she did. Jack new how she felt, on many levels, yet thought his daughter would handle it better. Sydney tried to keep her mind blank as the bald man continued to talk.

Over and over again, the story he was telling seemed like Chinese torture, worse than suit and glasses had ever subjected her to. Sydney ran her index finger along the rim of her water glass, wishing it was wine, or even good vodka. She wasn't a drinker, yet at that very moment her mouth seemed to be asking, begging, for something with alcohol content, a chilled bottle of Dasani wasn't going to cut it. She chuckled; if Weiss was there he'd pull out a flask from his inside pocket and ask her if she wanted a swig. Where was he when she needed him? Nothing seemed right; usually Sydney could look at the bright side of things, always the optimist, right now she just wanted to jump off the end of the world. "Sydney? Sydney!?" Kendall's loud voice shattered her daydream forcing her to look up sheepishly. "I have explained what happened; now it's your turn to tell the story. If you would." Sydney gulped air as if she was about to go underwater, and stood up, receiving a sympathetic look from Jack as she rose to her shaky feet.