OK, this is my first ever fic and I'm really not very confident about it so
please, please review!! Also, I'm a UK viewer and this is set 4 years in
the future, from Cipher which is the last ep I saw.
Sydney Vaughn rolled over in bed and stretched lazily. She had only just woken up and already she was having a good day. It was the first day of the summer holidays and it felt good to be able to lie in bed instead of getting up at her usual early hour. She loved teaching the seven to eight- year-olds she was in charge of but it was also nice to have some time to herself. Sunlight streamed in through a gap in the curtains and bounced off the photo frames on the bookshelf, making light dance on the ceiling above Sydney's head. She glanced at the clock on the table next to her bed. 11:05. Was it really that late? "I must have been really tired," she thought. It would make sense. The previous night, she and her husband Michael had gone out to a restaurant with their friend Eric Weiss. It had been a great evening and after the meal Weiss had come back to Sydney and Vaughn's house and the three of them had stayed up talking and laughing until the early hours of the morning. By the time Weiss had left, Sydney and Vaughn were so tired that they had been unable to keep their eyes open for a minute longer. "Those two are gonna be so tired at work today," she thought, smiling to herself as she got out of bed and went to take a shower.
After her shower, Sydney made herself some toast and sat down in front of the TV. She casually flicked through the channels: a boring-looking documentary, a cooking show, an old black and white movie, another cooking show. It suddenly occurred to her how quiet the house was. She and Vaughn were both usually at work during the day, and she was rarely at home when he was not. She decided to make the most of it; only a few years ago she would have been so thankful to get just one day like this. When she had been a double agent for the CIA any free time she got was spent with Will and Francie, to make up for all the times when she had to cancel arrangements and walk out on them. She never had to feel that guilt anymore, the principal of the little school at which she taught never called her and told her she was flying off around the world in less than three hours. There was also the fact that Principal Croft was not a merciless killer. She shuddered at the memory of Arvin Sloane and all the misery he had caused her. Since the destruction of SD-6 and the Alliance three years ago, Sloane had been held in CIA custody, where Irina Derevko was also still being held. Four years had passed since Irina had handed herself over to the CIA, but Sydney still felt that she was not to be trusted and, although she no longer had a say in CIA-related matters, Jack Bristow knew that his daughter did not want her to be released. Jack himself did not want to see Irina released anymore than his daughter and her husband did and as a result of many heated arguments with Kendall, Irina was kept a prisoner. She was viewed with much less contempt than she had, at first, been treated with and her vast knowledge of people she had dealt with in the past was proving to be very useful.
Sydney picked up a book and spent the next two hours lost in another world. Reading made her forget everything and concentrate on the people in the book and their problems. It always had done, and it had lifted her momentarily from depression many times during her life at SD-6. But now she was happy. She had the life she had dreamed of for years but, if she was completely honest with herself, she was bored. She had imagined that being married to Vaughn and teaching children would be perfect and, in a way, it was. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe everything was too perfect. Briefly, she wondered what life would be like if she had carried on working for the CIA after they had taken down SD-6. They had wanted her to. Then she shook her head and realised how stupid she was being. If she had stayed at the CIA she would never have been free to be with Vaughn. A few months before they had destroyed SD-6, Sydney and Vaughn had finally admitted that they loved each other. They had kept their relationship a secret, and not being allowed to kiss or hold hands or even talk in public had been very hard on both of them. Although she wouldn't give up Vaughn for anything in the world, she thought it would make a change if something actually happened in her life. She laughed out loud as soon as she thought that. She couldn't believe the thought that she had an uneventful life had even crossed her mind. She had been living in a state of blissful happiness for the past three years and she wasn't about to let a bit of boredom make her think otherwise.
She reached for the phone and dialled Francie's number at the restaurant.
"Hello?" said Francie's voice on the other end. "Hi, it's me," said Sydney "Oh, hey Syd," Francie said absently. "Hang on a minute" "Okay." Sydney heard Francie talking to someone in the background. "Just do it yourself, I'm on the phone!" Sydney laughed. "You sound like you have a bit of trouble there" she said. "Yeah," Francie sighed. "We're having a few problems.one of the ovens kinda blew up and now the kitchen's filled with smoke." Sydney couldn't help laughing but managed to stop when Francie protested. "Hey, it's not funny! How would you like to have a restaurant full of angry customers?" Francie sounded surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. "You're right.I'm sorry.it's just the way you said it." Sydney broke down into laughter again at the thought of her friend standing in a smoke- filled kitchen trying to re-assure customers that they would get a meal sometime that day. "I'm sure you'll see the funny side of it later," she said, once she had managed to control her laughter. "Probably. I think I'm needed now. I'll see you later, okay?" "Okay," Sydney said and then added "good luck" as an afterthought. She put down the phone and sat back on the couch.
Bored now that Francie had returned to consoling her restaurant full of angry customers, Sydney picked up her book and began to read again. After reading a few lines, she put it down again and switched the TV on. It was evidently time for the daily dose of cheaply made sit-coms so Sydney soon grew bored of flicking through the channels. Just as she was beginning to give up on trying to find things to do, she heard Vaughn's car pull up outside. She looked up at the clock in surprise; she had no idea how she'd managed to pass the day so quickly. Soon she heard the key in the door and jumped to give her surprised husband an enthusiastic hug before he was halfway through the door. "Hey, it's great to see you too!" he joked. Sydney smiled half apologetically. "I've just had a really boring day," she said, kicking the door shut before kissing him gently. After a while she pulled away from him and grinned. "Wanna make it better?" "Not now, Syd," he said gently pushing her away from him. "There's something I need to talk to you about." Sydney was worried by the seriousness in his voice. "What is it?" she asked, concerned. "It's the CIA.well, Kendall really." Vaughn trailed off, unsure of how to say what he had been more or less ordered to. He looked down at the ground and then back up at Sydney. She looked scared. He decided to get it over with. "They.they want you to come back."
To be continued...
Sydney Vaughn rolled over in bed and stretched lazily. She had only just woken up and already she was having a good day. It was the first day of the summer holidays and it felt good to be able to lie in bed instead of getting up at her usual early hour. She loved teaching the seven to eight- year-olds she was in charge of but it was also nice to have some time to herself. Sunlight streamed in through a gap in the curtains and bounced off the photo frames on the bookshelf, making light dance on the ceiling above Sydney's head. She glanced at the clock on the table next to her bed. 11:05. Was it really that late? "I must have been really tired," she thought. It would make sense. The previous night, she and her husband Michael had gone out to a restaurant with their friend Eric Weiss. It had been a great evening and after the meal Weiss had come back to Sydney and Vaughn's house and the three of them had stayed up talking and laughing until the early hours of the morning. By the time Weiss had left, Sydney and Vaughn were so tired that they had been unable to keep their eyes open for a minute longer. "Those two are gonna be so tired at work today," she thought, smiling to herself as she got out of bed and went to take a shower.
After her shower, Sydney made herself some toast and sat down in front of the TV. She casually flicked through the channels: a boring-looking documentary, a cooking show, an old black and white movie, another cooking show. It suddenly occurred to her how quiet the house was. She and Vaughn were both usually at work during the day, and she was rarely at home when he was not. She decided to make the most of it; only a few years ago she would have been so thankful to get just one day like this. When she had been a double agent for the CIA any free time she got was spent with Will and Francie, to make up for all the times when she had to cancel arrangements and walk out on them. She never had to feel that guilt anymore, the principal of the little school at which she taught never called her and told her she was flying off around the world in less than three hours. There was also the fact that Principal Croft was not a merciless killer. She shuddered at the memory of Arvin Sloane and all the misery he had caused her. Since the destruction of SD-6 and the Alliance three years ago, Sloane had been held in CIA custody, where Irina Derevko was also still being held. Four years had passed since Irina had handed herself over to the CIA, but Sydney still felt that she was not to be trusted and, although she no longer had a say in CIA-related matters, Jack Bristow knew that his daughter did not want her to be released. Jack himself did not want to see Irina released anymore than his daughter and her husband did and as a result of many heated arguments with Kendall, Irina was kept a prisoner. She was viewed with much less contempt than she had, at first, been treated with and her vast knowledge of people she had dealt with in the past was proving to be very useful.
Sydney picked up a book and spent the next two hours lost in another world. Reading made her forget everything and concentrate on the people in the book and their problems. It always had done, and it had lifted her momentarily from depression many times during her life at SD-6. But now she was happy. She had the life she had dreamed of for years but, if she was completely honest with herself, she was bored. She had imagined that being married to Vaughn and teaching children would be perfect and, in a way, it was. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe everything was too perfect. Briefly, she wondered what life would be like if she had carried on working for the CIA after they had taken down SD-6. They had wanted her to. Then she shook her head and realised how stupid she was being. If she had stayed at the CIA she would never have been free to be with Vaughn. A few months before they had destroyed SD-6, Sydney and Vaughn had finally admitted that they loved each other. They had kept their relationship a secret, and not being allowed to kiss or hold hands or even talk in public had been very hard on both of them. Although she wouldn't give up Vaughn for anything in the world, she thought it would make a change if something actually happened in her life. She laughed out loud as soon as she thought that. She couldn't believe the thought that she had an uneventful life had even crossed her mind. She had been living in a state of blissful happiness for the past three years and she wasn't about to let a bit of boredom make her think otherwise.
She reached for the phone and dialled Francie's number at the restaurant.
"Hello?" said Francie's voice on the other end. "Hi, it's me," said Sydney "Oh, hey Syd," Francie said absently. "Hang on a minute" "Okay." Sydney heard Francie talking to someone in the background. "Just do it yourself, I'm on the phone!" Sydney laughed. "You sound like you have a bit of trouble there" she said. "Yeah," Francie sighed. "We're having a few problems.one of the ovens kinda blew up and now the kitchen's filled with smoke." Sydney couldn't help laughing but managed to stop when Francie protested. "Hey, it's not funny! How would you like to have a restaurant full of angry customers?" Francie sounded surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. "You're right.I'm sorry.it's just the way you said it." Sydney broke down into laughter again at the thought of her friend standing in a smoke- filled kitchen trying to re-assure customers that they would get a meal sometime that day. "I'm sure you'll see the funny side of it later," she said, once she had managed to control her laughter. "Probably. I think I'm needed now. I'll see you later, okay?" "Okay," Sydney said and then added "good luck" as an afterthought. She put down the phone and sat back on the couch.
Bored now that Francie had returned to consoling her restaurant full of angry customers, Sydney picked up her book and began to read again. After reading a few lines, she put it down again and switched the TV on. It was evidently time for the daily dose of cheaply made sit-coms so Sydney soon grew bored of flicking through the channels. Just as she was beginning to give up on trying to find things to do, she heard Vaughn's car pull up outside. She looked up at the clock in surprise; she had no idea how she'd managed to pass the day so quickly. Soon she heard the key in the door and jumped to give her surprised husband an enthusiastic hug before he was halfway through the door. "Hey, it's great to see you too!" he joked. Sydney smiled half apologetically. "I've just had a really boring day," she said, kicking the door shut before kissing him gently. After a while she pulled away from him and grinned. "Wanna make it better?" "Not now, Syd," he said gently pushing her away from him. "There's something I need to talk to you about." Sydney was worried by the seriousness in his voice. "What is it?" she asked, concerned. "It's the CIA.well, Kendall really." Vaughn trailed off, unsure of how to say what he had been more or less ordered to. He looked down at the ground and then back up at Sydney. She looked scared. He decided to get it over with. "They.they want you to come back."
To be continued...