Chapter Three
Sark POV
Panama
There she is, right where she said she'd be. Right on time, too, I realized as I checked my watch. I stood behind her, just waiting for her to notice me.
"Where is my mother?" she asked without turning around. Damn, she's good. Right to the point and everything. I guess that's why Sloane refers to her as his "brightest accomplishment" or something like that.
"She's with Mr. Sloane," I said simply. "May I sit down?"
She shrugged her shoulders, which I took to mean a yes, and I sat down across from her.
"Fifty thousand," I said, motioning to the suitcase. I was testing her, baiting her to see what she'd say.
"I don't think that I want to give this up," she said, placing her hand on the envelope.
"Not even for your boyfriend's life?" Smirk, I know I'm getting to her, I know it.
"No," she shrugged. "He's not my boyfriend, anyway."
Wait; forty-eight hours ago, they were all lovey-dovey in the hotel room, she was seeing him off to the plane. Now, she doesn't even care that I could kill him.
What game is she playing anyway?
"Maybe you should think about what you're saying, Miss Bristow. You're basically handing Agent Vaughn to Mr. Sloane."
"It doesn't matter. He never really did care about me anyway."
"I'll give you another twenty-four hours to think on this, Sydney. You're handing your boyfriend to Sloane, a very stupid mistake altogether. Although, it may be too late now, Mr. Sloane may already have him."
Her eyes flash. Not only did I just call her Sydney, her first name, I also scared her, scared her that Agent Vaughn just might not be okay. I am good.I truly am good.
***
Sydney's POV
My cell phone rang. Didn't Kendall realize that I was a little busy? I was on my way to meet Sark.
"Hello?" I answered my phone.
"Miss Bristow, you're on your way to meet Sark, I hope."
"Yeah, why?"
"You have a new assignment. Your mission is to hold the Rambaldi documents as long as possible. You will also be able to find Sloane."
I'll be able to find Sloane? This doesn't sound good.
"Your assignment is to get close to Sark."
"What?" I hoped that I hadn't heard him right, that I hadn't heard him say 'get close to Sark.'
"You will get close to Mr. Sark, and through him, we will find Sloane."
There is no way that I was going to get close to Sark. I hated the man's guts. I hate everything about him.
"What if I say no?"
"Don't go there, Miss Bristow," he hung up on me.
Great, I thought as I parked. I now had to get close to Sark. What would I tell Vaughn? He'll hate this.
I sat down at a small table to wait for Sark. I felt someone behind me and I figured that it was him.
"Where is my mother?" I asked without turning around.
"She's with Mr. Sloane." Great, the one person that I need here is back in hiding. "May I sit down?" he asked.
Nope. You can't. I have no desire to be seated across from the British, cocky, son of a bitch. I just shrugged. I couldn't say what I really want to say. He sat down across from me. Let's just get this over with.
"Fifty thousand," he said, motioning to the suitcase.
"I don't think that I want to give this up," I placed my hand on the envelope that held the Rambaldi document.
"Not even for your boyfriend's life?" he was smirking now, trying to get me to react.
"No," I shrugged. I had to act like I didn't care too much about Vaughn. "He's not my boyfriend anyway."
"Maybe you should think about what you're saying, Miss Bristow. You're basically handing Agent Vaughn to Mr. Sloane."
Maybe I should think about this. I'm handing Vaughn to Sloane and I'm going to go through with the mission. Am I nuts?
"It doesn't matter. He never really cared about me anyway."
"I'll give you another twenty-four hours to think on this, Sydney. You're handing your boyfriend to Sloane, a very stupid mistake altogether. Although, it may be too late now, Mr. Sloane may already have him."
My eyes flashed. Maybe he was bluffing. Was he lying, trying to scare me into something? Maybe I should try moving into my assignment.
"Why are you even working for Sloane?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does. I don't know that much about you."
He eyebrows rose. "If I didn't know any better, Miss Bristow, I'd think that we were on a date."
"Why would you think that? Maybe I just wanted to know more about my rival, so to speak."
"Mr. Sloane promised to show me great things. It's more than you'd see being a free agent and a hired assassin."
"How many people have you killed?"
"What is this, an interrogation? Or an interview?"
Of course. It's the CIA Interview Hour, where we interview wanted criminals.
"I'm just curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat, Miss Bristow."
"Asking innocent questions never hurt anyone."
"Somehow, Miss Bristow, your questions don't exactly seem innocent."
He knows me so well that it scares me. This won't work if he discovers what my real intentions are.
"Oh, really?"
"I'll tell you the answer to your question, if you'll answer two of my questions."
Should I answer them? Why not, what can he ask that would hurt me?
"Sure. Ask away."
"Fine. I have no earthly idea how many people that I've killed. I'm sure though that if I had kept count, the number would amaze you as well as me."
I nodded. Not a straight answer, but then again, I hadn't expected one.
"My turn. Where was Irina Derevko held in Los Angeles?"
I thought. Do I lie? Do I tell the truth?
"A CIA base."
"Where?"
"In LA."
I gave the same closed answer that he usually gives me.
He nodded, accepting my answer. "All right." He stood up. "I'll save my second question for when we meet again."
I raised an eyebrow. "When we meet again?"
"Of course. Will you join me for dinner tomorrow?"
Is this an invitation? Dinner with Sark? I'll commit suicide before I dine with Mr. Sark.
"Sure," I force a smile and say. "But I'm going back to LA tomorrow."
"Then I'll find you in LA, I promise." He ducked into the crowd. If I was going to dinner with my archenemy, and I supposedly didn't want to go, then why was I doing this.and why wasn't I dreading it?
***
I wanted to kill Kendall. Sark was going to find me tonight, and hopefully, he wasn't going to jump me in an alleyway or show up in my house.
I really need to get a new job. Give up my obsession, (if that's what you'd call it,) of finding Sloane and killing him, making him pay for everything he's done, and quit the CIA, especially if it means more work with Sark.
"Hey," I hopped up onto Vaughn's desk and sat next to his computer.
"Hey," he said, looking up from whatever he was working on.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Writing a report for Kendall. He wants me to write up what happened in Panama."
"So what are you going to write? That you sat in the room watching golf while I sunbathed and talked to Weiss? We should frame that report."
He smiled. "Nah, just basically saying that you managed to make contact with Sark and met with him and your mother, alone. Another boring, Kendall- approved paper."
"Yeah, Kendall-approved paper. Listen, Vaughn."
He caught the worry in my voice. "What?"
"Kendall's put me on a mission."
"Yeah? You're a field agent," he smiled and went back to typing. "Field agents go on missions, Syd."
"Yeah, but this is different. Kendall assigned me to.get close to Sark."
He stopped typing. "You can't be serious."
"I am. I'm.I'm meeting him, tonight."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Oh my God, Syd."
"Vaughn.I."
He smiled, and lowered his voice. "I'd kiss you, but Kendall's over there somewhere. Just be careful, all right? You have a reason now to come back from missions, and it's not SD-6 anymore."
I nodded. "I will." I stood up. "I've got a meeting, but I'll find you later. Are you sure that you're all right with this?"
"Of course. I'll see you later."
I smiled, and headed back to my desk.
***
I moved toward the briefing room a few hours later and overheard Vaughn, Dad, and Kendall all talking.
"What were you thinking?" My dad sounded ready to bit Kendall's head off.
"You told her to get close to Sloane's right-hand assassin. She'll be turned over to Sloane and killed. We'll never see Derevko again."
"Agent Vaughn, we probably won't see Derevko again. As for Miss Bristow, I think you need to review protocol again, you know, the rule that clearly states that no handler is to get "emotionally" attached to their agent."
"Kendall," Vaughn was getting defensive. Don't spill, I prayed. "I am in no way, shape, or form attached to Agent Bristow. I care about her as an agent, and as a person. Nothing more."
"Kendall, I am concerned for my daughter's safety, as is Agent Vaughn. She shouldn't be anywhere near Sark and Sloane. We can't afford to lose her as an agent."
"She knows what she's getting into. She's fine with it," said Kendall.
I debated on whether to come around the corner.
"Am I fine with it?" I asked. "What if I said that I'm terrified of how Sark might find me tonight, or that Sloane will find out my mother's true intent and kill her before I get a chance to see her again?"
"Sydney." my dad started. "Your mother."
"Forget it," I said simply. "I'm not abandoning my mission. I will meet Sark tonight, and I will eventually get Sloane. You watch." I headed back the way that I had come and abandoned the idea of going to the meeting. I was going home. Home to think, and maybe talk to Will.
***
I fell onto the couch and fought to stay awake. My eyes closed and I heard the door open.
"Syd?" It was Will. "What are you doing home? How was your trip?"
"It was.eventful."
"Sark?"
"Yeah."
He sat down. "Syd, what happened?"
"Well, I was with Vaughn."
"Who else?" he grinned.
"Yeah," I smiled. "We were chasing after Sloane, Sark, and my mother, and I had gone out to the pool and was talking to Eric Weiss. He's CIA too, he works with me and Vaughn, but anyway, Sark called.anyway, long story short, my assignment is to.is to get close to Sark."
Will was silent, but finally spoke. "How.close?"
"Close enough to get Intel on where Sloane is at any given time, to eventually eliminate him."
"Syd," he enveloped me in a hug and I smiled. Will was great, but naïve. He just didn't know was it was like to be a field agent, or in this case, get close to the man that you hate. He understands more than Francie does though, so at least I have someone to talk to.
"Syd, I know that we should be thinking about your problems, but.have you noticed anything.well, different.about.."
"Hey, Will?" Francie's voice filled the air.
"Hey Fran!" he called, getting up from the couch.
"Syd, what are you doing home so early?"
"I've.got a meeting for the bank tonight. I got off early because of it," I always felt bad about lying to Francie. My cell phone rang. I held up one finger, telling them to wait a minute.
"Hello?"
"Agent Bristow." Sark. He just doesn't give up.
"Where should I meet you tonight?" I asked, walking into my bedroom. "Depends. Where do you want me to pick you up?" Somehow, I find that I don't want Sark at my house.
"Pick a restaurant, Sark. I'll meet you there," I said, dropping my voice.
"Oh, but I'd much rather see where the lovely Agent Bristow lives."
I'll bet you would. Yeah right. He just loves trying to get to me.
"But I'd much rather meet you at a restaurant."
Call waiting beeps in. Vaughn. I can't talk to him right now.
"Hold on, I've got another call."
"Hello?" I ask as I answer the other call. Why did I bother answering anyway? Oh yeah, because it's Vaughn.
"Hey," I heard his voice on the other end. "Listen, about today."
"Vaughn, don't mention it, really. I don't want to think about Sark any more than absolutely necessary."
"Yeah. Do you want to go out." Please not tonight, oh please don't say tonight. ".Tomorrow night?"
I smiled. "Sure, I'd love to. I've got to go though, I've got a call on the other line."
"All right, Syd?"
"Yeah?"
"When I went to Kendall, I was doing it for you."
"I know. I really have to go."
"All right. Love you."
"I know. Bye."
"All right, I'm back."
"Your boyfriend on the other line?"
"No. My boss," I lied.
"Sure."
"I'm serious."
"Whatever. I'll pick you up at eight, at your house." He hung up. Oh great. He was coming to my house. This day couldn't get any worse. Well, it could, but I hoped that this was as bad as it would get.
"Syd?" Will stuck his head in the door.
"Yeah?"
"Who was that?"
"Where's Francie?" I changed the subject.
"Had to go back to the restaurant. She forgot something here, which brings me back to my earlier question. Does Francie seem like she's acting weird to you?"
I thought about it. She seemed all right. She still thought that I should quit my job, and I agree now. I just thought that the reason that we hadn't talked as much was because I had been busy, with both the CIA.and Vaughn.
"Sort of, I mean, she seems kind of distant, but I thought that it was just because I haven't talked to her that much recently, I mean our girl chats. I've just been busy with the takedown.and Sloane."
"She just seems different. Maybe it's just me though."
"Yeah, but Will, when you go from a friendship to a romantic relationship, things change." Who was I to be giving people relationship advice? Every man that I truly loved got killed.
"Yeah, it's probably just me who's acting weird."
"You're always weird, Will," I said, laughing.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he smiled. "Have fun tonight."
"With Sark? Always fun."
He smiled. "See you later." He shut the door and I was left alone.
Somehow I had never thought about it that much, Francie acting different, that is. She had been acting odd. I had tried talking to her about Will, but she just sort of clammed up. I wonder what's wrong.
I dug through my closet, searching for something to wear. I didn't want to get too dressed up, because for all I knew, he was taking me to Burger King. That was a scary thought, Sark coming to my house. Ugh.
I finally decided on black jeans and one of my many tops. I brushed out my hair, gave it a slight curl, and applied a light touch of makeup.
I opened the door and Will looked up from where he was sitting on the couch.
"Wow," he said.
"What?"
"You look great."
"Thanks. It's just jeans."
"I know, but you still look great."
It was almost eight 'o clock. When Francie had said that I was home early, she meant that I was home before eight.
The doorbell rang. Will looked at me. I stood up and answered it. It was Sark, as I had predicted.
"Hi," I said, grabbing my purse from the table next to the door. What was I doing? Sark was hardly worthy of a "hi."
"Will! I'll be back later! Ask Francie if she wants to play a game when I get back!"
"All right, will do!" he called back over the TV. I shut the door and followed Sark to the car. The sun was just beginning to set, and it would have been very romantic, if this had been a date with Vaughn.
"So, where are we off to?" I asked.
"It's a surprise."
Great, a surprise dinner with Sark. How pleasant.
He finally stopped the car in front of a small café and we got out. We were escorted to a small table outside in the back of the restaurant. A waiter took our orders.
"So where's the bug, or the security camera? Or better yet, where's Sloane?" I asked.
"Sloane doesn't know. If Sloane did know, I would have to turn you in to him. He doesn't have to know, and as far as I'm concerned, he doesn't have to know. As far as he knows, I have the week off. He doesn't think that I can negotiate terms on my own."
Sloane can go a week without his lapdog? Oh yeah, he's got my mother instead. Trade Sark for my mother.
I smiled. "Oh really?"
"Yes, Miss Bristow."
I held my breath as I opened my mouth to respond. "You can call me Sydney, you know." I said it as if it was obvious.
"All right, Sydney," he said, testing it out.
We ate, making small conversation and having a good time. Here I was, having a good time with Sark. What was wrong with this picture?
We stood to leave and he asked, "Do you want to go for a walk?"
I nodded. "Sure, why not?"
We stood up to leave and I heard a gun click behind us and a familiar voice. "Freeze. Toss your gun to the ground and get down on your knees." I shifted me eyes and saw who was behind us. It was Vaughn, my dad, and a team of CIA Agents. Could this day get any worse? What were they doing here, and how did they find us? Nope, I thought, probably not.
Authors Notes: I apologize to all of the Syd/Sark fans that were expecting to see a lot of Syd/Sark in this chapter. It will happen, I can almost promise that there will be a lot more Syd/Sark interaction. As for the Syd/Vaughn fans, (including my editor) I apologize for not having enough Syd/Vaughn action. Like I mentioned to Screen Names Are Tacky at the beginning, things are just getting going and I probably have a long way to go until the end. Please review, it only makes me write faster!
Sark POV
Panama
There she is, right where she said she'd be. Right on time, too, I realized as I checked my watch. I stood behind her, just waiting for her to notice me.
"Where is my mother?" she asked without turning around. Damn, she's good. Right to the point and everything. I guess that's why Sloane refers to her as his "brightest accomplishment" or something like that.
"She's with Mr. Sloane," I said simply. "May I sit down?"
She shrugged her shoulders, which I took to mean a yes, and I sat down across from her.
"Fifty thousand," I said, motioning to the suitcase. I was testing her, baiting her to see what she'd say.
"I don't think that I want to give this up," she said, placing her hand on the envelope.
"Not even for your boyfriend's life?" Smirk, I know I'm getting to her, I know it.
"No," she shrugged. "He's not my boyfriend, anyway."
Wait; forty-eight hours ago, they were all lovey-dovey in the hotel room, she was seeing him off to the plane. Now, she doesn't even care that I could kill him.
What game is she playing anyway?
"Maybe you should think about what you're saying, Miss Bristow. You're basically handing Agent Vaughn to Mr. Sloane."
"It doesn't matter. He never really did care about me anyway."
"I'll give you another twenty-four hours to think on this, Sydney. You're handing your boyfriend to Sloane, a very stupid mistake altogether. Although, it may be too late now, Mr. Sloane may already have him."
Her eyes flash. Not only did I just call her Sydney, her first name, I also scared her, scared her that Agent Vaughn just might not be okay. I am good.I truly am good.
***
Sydney's POV
My cell phone rang. Didn't Kendall realize that I was a little busy? I was on my way to meet Sark.
"Hello?" I answered my phone.
"Miss Bristow, you're on your way to meet Sark, I hope."
"Yeah, why?"
"You have a new assignment. Your mission is to hold the Rambaldi documents as long as possible. You will also be able to find Sloane."
I'll be able to find Sloane? This doesn't sound good.
"Your assignment is to get close to Sark."
"What?" I hoped that I hadn't heard him right, that I hadn't heard him say 'get close to Sark.'
"You will get close to Mr. Sark, and through him, we will find Sloane."
There is no way that I was going to get close to Sark. I hated the man's guts. I hate everything about him.
"What if I say no?"
"Don't go there, Miss Bristow," he hung up on me.
Great, I thought as I parked. I now had to get close to Sark. What would I tell Vaughn? He'll hate this.
I sat down at a small table to wait for Sark. I felt someone behind me and I figured that it was him.
"Where is my mother?" I asked without turning around.
"She's with Mr. Sloane." Great, the one person that I need here is back in hiding. "May I sit down?" he asked.
Nope. You can't. I have no desire to be seated across from the British, cocky, son of a bitch. I just shrugged. I couldn't say what I really want to say. He sat down across from me. Let's just get this over with.
"Fifty thousand," he said, motioning to the suitcase.
"I don't think that I want to give this up," I placed my hand on the envelope that held the Rambaldi document.
"Not even for your boyfriend's life?" he was smirking now, trying to get me to react.
"No," I shrugged. I had to act like I didn't care too much about Vaughn. "He's not my boyfriend anyway."
"Maybe you should think about what you're saying, Miss Bristow. You're basically handing Agent Vaughn to Mr. Sloane."
Maybe I should think about this. I'm handing Vaughn to Sloane and I'm going to go through with the mission. Am I nuts?
"It doesn't matter. He never really cared about me anyway."
"I'll give you another twenty-four hours to think on this, Sydney. You're handing your boyfriend to Sloane, a very stupid mistake altogether. Although, it may be too late now, Mr. Sloane may already have him."
My eyes flashed. Maybe he was bluffing. Was he lying, trying to scare me into something? Maybe I should try moving into my assignment.
"Why are you even working for Sloane?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does. I don't know that much about you."
He eyebrows rose. "If I didn't know any better, Miss Bristow, I'd think that we were on a date."
"Why would you think that? Maybe I just wanted to know more about my rival, so to speak."
"Mr. Sloane promised to show me great things. It's more than you'd see being a free agent and a hired assassin."
"How many people have you killed?"
"What is this, an interrogation? Or an interview?"
Of course. It's the CIA Interview Hour, where we interview wanted criminals.
"I'm just curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat, Miss Bristow."
"Asking innocent questions never hurt anyone."
"Somehow, Miss Bristow, your questions don't exactly seem innocent."
He knows me so well that it scares me. This won't work if he discovers what my real intentions are.
"Oh, really?"
"I'll tell you the answer to your question, if you'll answer two of my questions."
Should I answer them? Why not, what can he ask that would hurt me?
"Sure. Ask away."
"Fine. I have no earthly idea how many people that I've killed. I'm sure though that if I had kept count, the number would amaze you as well as me."
I nodded. Not a straight answer, but then again, I hadn't expected one.
"My turn. Where was Irina Derevko held in Los Angeles?"
I thought. Do I lie? Do I tell the truth?
"A CIA base."
"Where?"
"In LA."
I gave the same closed answer that he usually gives me.
He nodded, accepting my answer. "All right." He stood up. "I'll save my second question for when we meet again."
I raised an eyebrow. "When we meet again?"
"Of course. Will you join me for dinner tomorrow?"
Is this an invitation? Dinner with Sark? I'll commit suicide before I dine with Mr. Sark.
"Sure," I force a smile and say. "But I'm going back to LA tomorrow."
"Then I'll find you in LA, I promise." He ducked into the crowd. If I was going to dinner with my archenemy, and I supposedly didn't want to go, then why was I doing this.and why wasn't I dreading it?
***
I wanted to kill Kendall. Sark was going to find me tonight, and hopefully, he wasn't going to jump me in an alleyway or show up in my house.
I really need to get a new job. Give up my obsession, (if that's what you'd call it,) of finding Sloane and killing him, making him pay for everything he's done, and quit the CIA, especially if it means more work with Sark.
"Hey," I hopped up onto Vaughn's desk and sat next to his computer.
"Hey," he said, looking up from whatever he was working on.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Writing a report for Kendall. He wants me to write up what happened in Panama."
"So what are you going to write? That you sat in the room watching golf while I sunbathed and talked to Weiss? We should frame that report."
He smiled. "Nah, just basically saying that you managed to make contact with Sark and met with him and your mother, alone. Another boring, Kendall- approved paper."
"Yeah, Kendall-approved paper. Listen, Vaughn."
He caught the worry in my voice. "What?"
"Kendall's put me on a mission."
"Yeah? You're a field agent," he smiled and went back to typing. "Field agents go on missions, Syd."
"Yeah, but this is different. Kendall assigned me to.get close to Sark."
He stopped typing. "You can't be serious."
"I am. I'm.I'm meeting him, tonight."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Oh my God, Syd."
"Vaughn.I."
He smiled, and lowered his voice. "I'd kiss you, but Kendall's over there somewhere. Just be careful, all right? You have a reason now to come back from missions, and it's not SD-6 anymore."
I nodded. "I will." I stood up. "I've got a meeting, but I'll find you later. Are you sure that you're all right with this?"
"Of course. I'll see you later."
I smiled, and headed back to my desk.
***
I moved toward the briefing room a few hours later and overheard Vaughn, Dad, and Kendall all talking.
"What were you thinking?" My dad sounded ready to bit Kendall's head off.
"You told her to get close to Sloane's right-hand assassin. She'll be turned over to Sloane and killed. We'll never see Derevko again."
"Agent Vaughn, we probably won't see Derevko again. As for Miss Bristow, I think you need to review protocol again, you know, the rule that clearly states that no handler is to get "emotionally" attached to their agent."
"Kendall," Vaughn was getting defensive. Don't spill, I prayed. "I am in no way, shape, or form attached to Agent Bristow. I care about her as an agent, and as a person. Nothing more."
"Kendall, I am concerned for my daughter's safety, as is Agent Vaughn. She shouldn't be anywhere near Sark and Sloane. We can't afford to lose her as an agent."
"She knows what she's getting into. She's fine with it," said Kendall.
I debated on whether to come around the corner.
"Am I fine with it?" I asked. "What if I said that I'm terrified of how Sark might find me tonight, or that Sloane will find out my mother's true intent and kill her before I get a chance to see her again?"
"Sydney." my dad started. "Your mother."
"Forget it," I said simply. "I'm not abandoning my mission. I will meet Sark tonight, and I will eventually get Sloane. You watch." I headed back the way that I had come and abandoned the idea of going to the meeting. I was going home. Home to think, and maybe talk to Will.
***
I fell onto the couch and fought to stay awake. My eyes closed and I heard the door open.
"Syd?" It was Will. "What are you doing home? How was your trip?"
"It was.eventful."
"Sark?"
"Yeah."
He sat down. "Syd, what happened?"
"Well, I was with Vaughn."
"Who else?" he grinned.
"Yeah," I smiled. "We were chasing after Sloane, Sark, and my mother, and I had gone out to the pool and was talking to Eric Weiss. He's CIA too, he works with me and Vaughn, but anyway, Sark called.anyway, long story short, my assignment is to.is to get close to Sark."
Will was silent, but finally spoke. "How.close?"
"Close enough to get Intel on where Sloane is at any given time, to eventually eliminate him."
"Syd," he enveloped me in a hug and I smiled. Will was great, but naïve. He just didn't know was it was like to be a field agent, or in this case, get close to the man that you hate. He understands more than Francie does though, so at least I have someone to talk to.
"Syd, I know that we should be thinking about your problems, but.have you noticed anything.well, different.about.."
"Hey, Will?" Francie's voice filled the air.
"Hey Fran!" he called, getting up from the couch.
"Syd, what are you doing home so early?"
"I've.got a meeting for the bank tonight. I got off early because of it," I always felt bad about lying to Francie. My cell phone rang. I held up one finger, telling them to wait a minute.
"Hello?"
"Agent Bristow." Sark. He just doesn't give up.
"Where should I meet you tonight?" I asked, walking into my bedroom. "Depends. Where do you want me to pick you up?" Somehow, I find that I don't want Sark at my house.
"Pick a restaurant, Sark. I'll meet you there," I said, dropping my voice.
"Oh, but I'd much rather see where the lovely Agent Bristow lives."
I'll bet you would. Yeah right. He just loves trying to get to me.
"But I'd much rather meet you at a restaurant."
Call waiting beeps in. Vaughn. I can't talk to him right now.
"Hold on, I've got another call."
"Hello?" I ask as I answer the other call. Why did I bother answering anyway? Oh yeah, because it's Vaughn.
"Hey," I heard his voice on the other end. "Listen, about today."
"Vaughn, don't mention it, really. I don't want to think about Sark any more than absolutely necessary."
"Yeah. Do you want to go out." Please not tonight, oh please don't say tonight. ".Tomorrow night?"
I smiled. "Sure, I'd love to. I've got to go though, I've got a call on the other line."
"All right, Syd?"
"Yeah?"
"When I went to Kendall, I was doing it for you."
"I know. I really have to go."
"All right. Love you."
"I know. Bye."
"All right, I'm back."
"Your boyfriend on the other line?"
"No. My boss," I lied.
"Sure."
"I'm serious."
"Whatever. I'll pick you up at eight, at your house." He hung up. Oh great. He was coming to my house. This day couldn't get any worse. Well, it could, but I hoped that this was as bad as it would get.
"Syd?" Will stuck his head in the door.
"Yeah?"
"Who was that?"
"Where's Francie?" I changed the subject.
"Had to go back to the restaurant. She forgot something here, which brings me back to my earlier question. Does Francie seem like she's acting weird to you?"
I thought about it. She seemed all right. She still thought that I should quit my job, and I agree now. I just thought that the reason that we hadn't talked as much was because I had been busy, with both the CIA.and Vaughn.
"Sort of, I mean, she seems kind of distant, but I thought that it was just because I haven't talked to her that much recently, I mean our girl chats. I've just been busy with the takedown.and Sloane."
"She just seems different. Maybe it's just me though."
"Yeah, but Will, when you go from a friendship to a romantic relationship, things change." Who was I to be giving people relationship advice? Every man that I truly loved got killed.
"Yeah, it's probably just me who's acting weird."
"You're always weird, Will," I said, laughing.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he smiled. "Have fun tonight."
"With Sark? Always fun."
He smiled. "See you later." He shut the door and I was left alone.
Somehow I had never thought about it that much, Francie acting different, that is. She had been acting odd. I had tried talking to her about Will, but she just sort of clammed up. I wonder what's wrong.
I dug through my closet, searching for something to wear. I didn't want to get too dressed up, because for all I knew, he was taking me to Burger King. That was a scary thought, Sark coming to my house. Ugh.
I finally decided on black jeans and one of my many tops. I brushed out my hair, gave it a slight curl, and applied a light touch of makeup.
I opened the door and Will looked up from where he was sitting on the couch.
"Wow," he said.
"What?"
"You look great."
"Thanks. It's just jeans."
"I know, but you still look great."
It was almost eight 'o clock. When Francie had said that I was home early, she meant that I was home before eight.
The doorbell rang. Will looked at me. I stood up and answered it. It was Sark, as I had predicted.
"Hi," I said, grabbing my purse from the table next to the door. What was I doing? Sark was hardly worthy of a "hi."
"Will! I'll be back later! Ask Francie if she wants to play a game when I get back!"
"All right, will do!" he called back over the TV. I shut the door and followed Sark to the car. The sun was just beginning to set, and it would have been very romantic, if this had been a date with Vaughn.
"So, where are we off to?" I asked.
"It's a surprise."
Great, a surprise dinner with Sark. How pleasant.
He finally stopped the car in front of a small café and we got out. We were escorted to a small table outside in the back of the restaurant. A waiter took our orders.
"So where's the bug, or the security camera? Or better yet, where's Sloane?" I asked.
"Sloane doesn't know. If Sloane did know, I would have to turn you in to him. He doesn't have to know, and as far as I'm concerned, he doesn't have to know. As far as he knows, I have the week off. He doesn't think that I can negotiate terms on my own."
Sloane can go a week without his lapdog? Oh yeah, he's got my mother instead. Trade Sark for my mother.
I smiled. "Oh really?"
"Yes, Miss Bristow."
I held my breath as I opened my mouth to respond. "You can call me Sydney, you know." I said it as if it was obvious.
"All right, Sydney," he said, testing it out.
We ate, making small conversation and having a good time. Here I was, having a good time with Sark. What was wrong with this picture?
We stood to leave and he asked, "Do you want to go for a walk?"
I nodded. "Sure, why not?"
We stood up to leave and I heard a gun click behind us and a familiar voice. "Freeze. Toss your gun to the ground and get down on your knees." I shifted me eyes and saw who was behind us. It was Vaughn, my dad, and a team of CIA Agents. Could this day get any worse? What were they doing here, and how did they find us? Nope, I thought, probably not.
Authors Notes: I apologize to all of the Syd/Sark fans that were expecting to see a lot of Syd/Sark in this chapter. It will happen, I can almost promise that there will be a lot more Syd/Sark interaction. As for the Syd/Vaughn fans, (including my editor) I apologize for not having enough Syd/Vaughn action. Like I mentioned to Screen Names Are Tacky at the beginning, things are just getting going and I probably have a long way to go until the end. Please review, it only makes me write faster!