Chapter Thirty-two: Waiting

"Why the hell is he calling you?"

Sydney looked up at Michael's face, more angry than she'd ever seen it, and completely oblivious to the children-- Emily, still sleeping, and Jack, trying to pretend he was.

"He wants us to work with him," Sydney said, as calmly as she could manage.

"Work with him?" Michael exploded. "Why the hell would he think we'd want to do that?"

"For God's sake, Michael, could you at least listen to what he had to say? He's fucking blackmailing us, and I need your help here, not your jealous--"

"Mommy?"

Sydney winced. Great. So now Emily was awake, too. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Can I have a glass of water?" Emily's voice was drowsy, as if she wasn't quite sure why she was awake.

Sydney sighed. "Jack, I know you're awake," she said. "So could you stop pretending you're not and go get your sister a glass of water?"

"Mom--"

"And please stay in the bathroom until your father or I tell you to come out."

"Fine," Jack grumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and taking his little sister by the hand. He paused halfway to the bathroom door. "Sark is blackmailing you?"

"The bathroom, Jack," Michael said tersely, never taking his eyes from Sydney.

"Fine," Jack said again. He paused once more before opening the bathroom door. "But I never liked that guy, Mom, you should--"

"The bathroom," Michael repeated, his voice dangerously quiet.

Jack led his sister into the bathroom without another word.

"And close the door all the way, Jack, you think I can't see that you've left it open a crack?" Sydney called after him.

The bathroom door slammed shut, and Sydney turned her attention to Michael, who stood before her in the clothes he hadn't bothered to remove before laying down to rest, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Michael," Sydney said, struggling to stay calm. "I know you would rather Sark not call me. I would rather he not call me, either. But I need you to keep a clear head and help me out here."

"How did you leave things with him?" Michael asked tersely.

Sydney sighed, running a hand back through her hair. He wanted to know the gory details, fine. "He said if I didn't want to fuck him anymore, that was fine," she said, not letting her gaze waver from Michael's face. "But that I'd better not think of trying to push him out of his place at the Organization."

Michael raised his eyebrows. "And what did you say?"

Sydney rubbed her temples tiredly. "I said, Michael, that I wouldn't dream of taking his power away just because I no longer wanted him as a lover, but that he'd better not threaten me again, or I might just change my mind." She let out a brittle little laugh. "And then he calls me and threatens me the first chance he gets. That son of a bitch, we should go back and take control of that damned Organization and see what the hell he does about it."

"You'd do that?" Michael questioned. "Just for spite?"

Sydney sighed once more. "No," she said. "I don't know."

Michael stared at her. "Because you know that's not possible," he said. "Do you really think your mother would allow that?"

"I could figure out some explanation for why we ran off," Sydney said dismissively. "Besides, Sark's going to take her out."

Amazement shone in Michael's green eyes. "Would you listen to yourself? You're talking about someone killing your mother as casually as if you--"

"Oh, don't get all high and mighty with me, Michael." Sydney was furious that they were even wasting time talking about this when they should have been figuring out a plan. "You've had a vendetta against my mother for years, don't tell me you wouldn't love to see her gone."

Michael didn't say anything, only continued to stare at her as if he didn't know who he was looking at.

"Listen, Michael, we have a choice," she told him. "We can meet with Sark one last time, give him all the intel we have on the Organization, and be rid of him forever. Or we can keep running and take our chances that he won't send my father after us."

Michael looked away. "It's pretty clear what choice you want to make."

"Michael, if Dad gets his hands on us again, we are going to prison." Sydney hated the pain in Michael's eyes. But she had to make him understand. "And I can assure you, there won't be anyone there to bust us out this time."

Michael was silent for a long moment. "When you talk to Sark again, tell him we'll tell him what he wants to know," he said finally. "I'm going for a walk."

He left the room, slamming the door behind him. Sydney waited for a moment, then moved to the bathroom to tell the children to come out before she sat back and waited for Sark's call.