Hopefully I clear up the 'who's watching Syd' question. It seemed clear to
me, but this chapter definitively reveals (some of) Alek's identity. Thanks
for the reviews! Chapter nine is in the works and I'd love to get it up the
weekend.
___________________________________
"Bye Mrs. Vaughn. I'll see next year." The shy boy smiled as he handed in his stack of paper.
Sydney met his eyes with a smile of her own. "Definitely, Steve. Have a great summer." There were still a handful of students hurriedly writing in the last five minutes of the final period. Sydney got up to straighten the chairs and desks that had already been vacated, offering encouraging comments as she went. Looking at the door, she gave a desk a rather loud bump when she saw Michael smiling at her from the other side of the small window. She held up her finger to tell him she needed another minute.
"Okay folks, finish that sentence and hand them in. Time's up." A few groans came at her announcement, but most simply shuffled papers and brought them forward. As the students said their goodbyes and walked out, Michael came in, a bouquet of flowers in hand.
"Congratulations. Your first year teaching is done." He leaned over to kiss her when they heard giggling. Sydney glanced out the door and saw a small crowd of girls watching them.
"Friends of yours?" she asked.
He blushed, "I think they were watching me when I was waiting."
"Ahhh, and what breathing, coherent female wouldn't watch you?" she teased. "Thank you for the flowers." She set them on the desk and drew him into a deep kiss. The giggling got louder.
"Another fantasy taken care of. Kissing the teacher, and at school no less." Michael said with a big grin. "But what about those students?" He glanced over his shoulder at the group in the hall.
"Well, they are at school to learn. That was a lesson in how to treat your amazingly sweet husband when he surprises you with flowers." When Sydney pulled back, she shot the girls a severe glance that sent them down the hall and Michael chuckled.
"Unfortunately, I have to get back. I told Jack I'd only be gone an hour."
"So no sunny-afternoon-of-fun for us, huh?" Sydney said with a suggestive wink.
Michael groaned. "No."
"Well, I have finals to grade anyway." Sydney smiled. "But just make sure you don't work late."
"Five o'clock, I'm out the door. And don't worry about dinner. I have another surprise for you." Michael gave her a hug, "Bye."
"I can't wait." Sydney replied. Michael headed out the door, only to stick his head back in from the hallway.
"Syd. I'm proud of you." His head was back in the hall before she could answer, so she laughed and called thanks after him, turning to sort through the papers on her desk. She was distracted by the flowers and picked up the bouquet to inhale the sweet fragrance.
"Was that your incredibly husband?" Lisa came in "Oh! He brought you flowers!"
"He came to congratulate me on getting through my first year." Sydney beamed, setting the flowers in her bag.
"Wow. If I were only so lucky." Lisa said, perching herself on the side of Sydney's desk.
"Oh, you just wait. There is some one amazing for you" Sydney said reassuringly. "Hey, how did you last set of finals go?"
"Good, but the grading is something I'm really not looking forward to."
"Maybe we can get Annie to go for coffee tomorrow and grade together."
"Or milk for you. Yeah, that would be good. Well, I'll be in tomorrow morning around nine. We could meet up then." Lisa stood up.
"Okay," Sydney rose as well. "I'll talk to Annie. You have a good evening."
"You too." Lisa gave her a hug.
"Well, I think Mike's taking me to a surprise-celebratory dinner, so it should be fun."
"So lucky." Lisa smiled as she walked out.
Sydney smiled after her friend. Tuning back to her desk, she left the papers and finals in a pile for tomorrow. She surveyed her empty classroom with satisfaction before grabbing her bag and purse to head home.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Alek walked around to the living room, watching the readings on the small machine in his hand as he scanned for any electronic devices. He knew time was getting short and that Sydney would be home soon. As he waited for the scan to read the far wall, he tried to imagine how she'd react to finding him in the living room. After she kicked his ass, of course. Somehow he doubted it would be a "Hello Alek, how have you been? And is my mother well?"
She hadn't seen him since the last mission she went on for the CIA, and he doubted she knew what he and Irina had been working on for the past year. The scanner beeped, indicating the room was clear. He tucked it back into the pocket of the electric company vest that served as his crude disguise and glanced quickly around, looking for any signs of his intrusion or the devices he had hidden. Seeing nothing, he walked back through the kitchen and let himself out through the back door. He pulled out his lock pick to shift the deadbolt back in place and walked across the path to the side of the house. The sound of a car in the driveway gave him pause and he waited, listening. He heard the engine stop and car door slam. With a strange surge of adrenaline, Alek walked around the house, watching her as she pulled a bag and bouquet of flowers from the back of the car. She rose to close the car. She would see him. Move. He kept walking, his face away from the car as he headed towards the van that was parked further down the street. He heard her on the walk, moving towards the front door. She must have noticed him because she stopped.
"Hello?" she called, the word a tentative question more than a greeting. He didn't stop, just slowed a step. He couldn't turn. Moving before she was safely in the house, attracting her notice, had been a ridiculous blunder and if he was made this early into the mission, Irina would be livid.
Instead, still walking, he raised his hand over his shoulder in a kind of half wave, pretending to be interested in the machine he carried as he called back, in his best American accent, "Just checking the meters."
"Oh, thanks!" Sydney replied, the jingle of her keys in the lock sounding faint as he moved towards the van. Walking around the van, he got in the back and slammed the door a little more forcefully than necessary.
"Damn." How could he have been so stupid? Why in bloody hell had he risked everything like that? It was entirely infuriating that he could lose his cool like that whenever she showed up. He was a damn professional. He was trained and tried in the worst of situations. But with Sydney, nothing was professional. The emotions and reactions he controlled so adeptly in other situations always emerged with her, from the first time Irina had shown him her picture straight to today. The connection had only grown in the time that he had known her; had observed her. Their brief time together at SD-6, the interactions on missions, and now on his various eagle ops, as Irina termed them, where his whole life became dedicated to watching and protecting her.
It was an insane, rather one-sided relationship, to say the least. But for a man who had been given so little in life, Alek Sark took what he could get.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Sydney glanced again at the clock, sighing when she realized it was only three minutes later than the last time she had looked. Michael still wouldn't be home for at least a half hour, depending on traffic. But she simply couldn't grade finals another minute. Pushing back from the table, Sydney wandered out of the kitchen. The light coming in from the picture window made the couch look warm and inviting. Slipping off her shoes, she stretched out and stared at the sunny afternoon.
A little boy came tottering by on a bicycle, his helmet askew as he peddled furiously, trying to go as fast as his training wheels would take him. A woman Sydney assumed to be his mother followed him down the sidewalk, jogging to keep up with the boy and his bike.
Sydney looked down to where her hand rested on her stomach.
"Hello little one." It was the first time she had spoken directly to the baby, even though it was becoming a habit for Michael to offer greetings and farewells to both Sydney her and her stomach. She thrilled at the emotion that coursed through her. "I'm getting excited waiting for you. There's so much in this world I want to share with you. Your Daddy and I want to teach you about sunshine and flowers, grass and trees, how to tie your shoes and ride a bike. But for now, I'm glad to have to tucked safe inside where I can take care of you so you can grow. I already gave up coffee for you, which a true testament to the love I feel for you already. Just ask Auntie Annie or Auntie Lisa some day, they'll tell you what a crazy coffee person mommy was. And Daddy gave up beer too, since Mommy can't have them now. Not that Daddy drank a lot, but even when Uncle Eric came to watch a Mets game this weekend, Daddy just had iced tea, which meant Uncle Eric had the whole six-pack got a little *enthusiastic* about the game and had to sleep in our guest room. Uncle Eric is a bit crazy, but you'll like him. That's not where your room will be. Mommy and Auntie Annie are going to fix up the study for you. We'll paint it, and get pretty furniture, and new rugs and it will be a wonderful little place for you to grow up. We get to go see Dr. Trent on Tuesday, and then Daddy will get to be there too. He's still a bit upset that I didn't tell him right away that you were coming, but you have to admit that your picture took him completely by surprise. That little fuzzy speck of a picture. You know the ultrasound technician thought I was crazy when I asked for her to print the picture. Sure, you couldn't see much, but it's you. The beginning of your life." Sydney's voice trailed off and her eyes closed, the warm sun relaxing her and the sound of her own voice strangely soothing as she concentrated on the life inside her.
That's how Michael found her when he came home: asleep in the sun. He lowered himself onto the couch beside her and gently kissed her forehead. Sydney's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey."
"Hey sleepy. How are you feeling?"
"Okay. I was talking to this one and I guess I put myself to sleep." Michael covered the hand on her abdomen with his own.
"Hello in there. Did you get to listen to Mommy? Well, regardless of what she might have told you, hockey is the greatest sport ever and you'll be a starter for the Kings."
"Or a great writer of literature."
"Or a lawyer."
"Ugh!" Sydney teased. Michael's days in law school had been long before they met, and she had a hard time imagining him arguing cases in some stuffy courtroom.
"Hey, if it was good enough for me, it's good enough for our child." Michael glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Do you still want your surprise?"
Sydney's eyes lit as she remembered. "Of course."
"Okay. If you wear your blue dress with the straps, I'll find my green shirt. We have reservations in an hour." Michael took her hand to pull her off the couch and they set off down the hall to change.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney watched the waiters scurry around Vincenti and reveled in the romantic atmosphere of the small Italian restaurant that was a favorite date spot for her and Michael. Looking back at her husband, she reveled at the glow of his honey-colored hair in the candlelight. "Thank you."
He met her eyes in confusion. "For what?"
"Tonight, this year, our baby." The radiance in her eyes stirred him.
He replied in kind. "You're welcome, of course, thank you."
"I can't believe how different my life is from a year ago. If you had told me then that I would be married, pregnant, and done with my first year as a high school teacher, I don't know that I would have believed you. I would have loved the idea, but I was still so set on finding Sloane and my mom, leaving the CIA seemed impossible."
"A lot has changed. But you were powerless in the face of my charm, and three months without a lead isn't much to base an investigation on."
"I don't know if it was entirely your charms, irresistible as they are, but I did realize that it was time to move on. The pieces just fell into place, so I know it was right."
"It's perfect. I love that after everything, we're together and beginning our family." Their food came then, and they chatted during the meal about what Sydney had left to do at school, the appointment with Dr. Trent on Tuesday and their plans for the fourth of July. Because they had been so caught up in wedding plans the previous summer, they had just gone to Eric's for a barbeque, but this year Michael wanted to make better use of the four day weekend. By the end of dinner, Sydney' eyes were growing heavy, the fatigue of the end of the school year and the changes in her body conspiring to leave her feeling very sleepy.
"Ready to go Syd?" Michael noted her dwindling energy, signaling the waiter to bring their check.
"I'm just so" she interrupted herself with a yawn. "Tired" Sydney smiled.
"That's understandable. I'll get you to bed soon."
"Sounds fun sweetie," she replied, a humorous lilt to her voice.
"Syd, I didn't mean it like that. You're tired."
"I know, but I didn't get my fun-in-the-afternoon-sun, so you're not getting of the hook that easily. Besides," she said, bringing her foot to stroke Michael's calf, "I had a nap."
"Syd," this time her name was groan. He paid the check quickly, driving a little faster than necessary to get home before Sydney's new found energy faded.
"Hmm, that's funny," Sydney commented as he pulled into the driveway.
"What's that," Michael replied, distracted by his wife as he got out of the car.
"The electric company van that was here this afternoon is still parked over there. I saw the guy checking our meter."
"Maybe they had mechanical problems. I can go check it if you want."
"No. If it's still here in the morning, we can call them. Let's just go inside," Sydney smiled as she toyed with the cuff of his shirt.
Michael smiled back, casting one last glance over his shoulder at the van as he followed her towards the bedroom.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"Damn," Alek thought. He had followed them to the restaurant in his car, returning to the van to listen just in time to here Vaughn suggest he come check the van out. This vehicle would have to be returned for something less conspicuous. Though, dealing with two trained CIA agents, he'd have to rotate vehicles regularly to avoid arousing their suspicion. He got out to return to his car and punched the number of the operative who would come to claim the van and transfer the equipment.
___________________________________
"Bye Mrs. Vaughn. I'll see next year." The shy boy smiled as he handed in his stack of paper.
Sydney met his eyes with a smile of her own. "Definitely, Steve. Have a great summer." There were still a handful of students hurriedly writing in the last five minutes of the final period. Sydney got up to straighten the chairs and desks that had already been vacated, offering encouraging comments as she went. Looking at the door, she gave a desk a rather loud bump when she saw Michael smiling at her from the other side of the small window. She held up her finger to tell him she needed another minute.
"Okay folks, finish that sentence and hand them in. Time's up." A few groans came at her announcement, but most simply shuffled papers and brought them forward. As the students said their goodbyes and walked out, Michael came in, a bouquet of flowers in hand.
"Congratulations. Your first year teaching is done." He leaned over to kiss her when they heard giggling. Sydney glanced out the door and saw a small crowd of girls watching them.
"Friends of yours?" she asked.
He blushed, "I think they were watching me when I was waiting."
"Ahhh, and what breathing, coherent female wouldn't watch you?" she teased. "Thank you for the flowers." She set them on the desk and drew him into a deep kiss. The giggling got louder.
"Another fantasy taken care of. Kissing the teacher, and at school no less." Michael said with a big grin. "But what about those students?" He glanced over his shoulder at the group in the hall.
"Well, they are at school to learn. That was a lesson in how to treat your amazingly sweet husband when he surprises you with flowers." When Sydney pulled back, she shot the girls a severe glance that sent them down the hall and Michael chuckled.
"Unfortunately, I have to get back. I told Jack I'd only be gone an hour."
"So no sunny-afternoon-of-fun for us, huh?" Sydney said with a suggestive wink.
Michael groaned. "No."
"Well, I have finals to grade anyway." Sydney smiled. "But just make sure you don't work late."
"Five o'clock, I'm out the door. And don't worry about dinner. I have another surprise for you." Michael gave her a hug, "Bye."
"I can't wait." Sydney replied. Michael headed out the door, only to stick his head back in from the hallway.
"Syd. I'm proud of you." His head was back in the hall before she could answer, so she laughed and called thanks after him, turning to sort through the papers on her desk. She was distracted by the flowers and picked up the bouquet to inhale the sweet fragrance.
"Was that your incredibly husband?" Lisa came in "Oh! He brought you flowers!"
"He came to congratulate me on getting through my first year." Sydney beamed, setting the flowers in her bag.
"Wow. If I were only so lucky." Lisa said, perching herself on the side of Sydney's desk.
"Oh, you just wait. There is some one amazing for you" Sydney said reassuringly. "Hey, how did you last set of finals go?"
"Good, but the grading is something I'm really not looking forward to."
"Maybe we can get Annie to go for coffee tomorrow and grade together."
"Or milk for you. Yeah, that would be good. Well, I'll be in tomorrow morning around nine. We could meet up then." Lisa stood up.
"Okay," Sydney rose as well. "I'll talk to Annie. You have a good evening."
"You too." Lisa gave her a hug.
"Well, I think Mike's taking me to a surprise-celebratory dinner, so it should be fun."
"So lucky." Lisa smiled as she walked out.
Sydney smiled after her friend. Tuning back to her desk, she left the papers and finals in a pile for tomorrow. She surveyed her empty classroom with satisfaction before grabbing her bag and purse to head home.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Alek walked around to the living room, watching the readings on the small machine in his hand as he scanned for any electronic devices. He knew time was getting short and that Sydney would be home soon. As he waited for the scan to read the far wall, he tried to imagine how she'd react to finding him in the living room. After she kicked his ass, of course. Somehow he doubted it would be a "Hello Alek, how have you been? And is my mother well?"
She hadn't seen him since the last mission she went on for the CIA, and he doubted she knew what he and Irina had been working on for the past year. The scanner beeped, indicating the room was clear. He tucked it back into the pocket of the electric company vest that served as his crude disguise and glanced quickly around, looking for any signs of his intrusion or the devices he had hidden. Seeing nothing, he walked back through the kitchen and let himself out through the back door. He pulled out his lock pick to shift the deadbolt back in place and walked across the path to the side of the house. The sound of a car in the driveway gave him pause and he waited, listening. He heard the engine stop and car door slam. With a strange surge of adrenaline, Alek walked around the house, watching her as she pulled a bag and bouquet of flowers from the back of the car. She rose to close the car. She would see him. Move. He kept walking, his face away from the car as he headed towards the van that was parked further down the street. He heard her on the walk, moving towards the front door. She must have noticed him because she stopped.
"Hello?" she called, the word a tentative question more than a greeting. He didn't stop, just slowed a step. He couldn't turn. Moving before she was safely in the house, attracting her notice, had been a ridiculous blunder and if he was made this early into the mission, Irina would be livid.
Instead, still walking, he raised his hand over his shoulder in a kind of half wave, pretending to be interested in the machine he carried as he called back, in his best American accent, "Just checking the meters."
"Oh, thanks!" Sydney replied, the jingle of her keys in the lock sounding faint as he moved towards the van. Walking around the van, he got in the back and slammed the door a little more forcefully than necessary.
"Damn." How could he have been so stupid? Why in bloody hell had he risked everything like that? It was entirely infuriating that he could lose his cool like that whenever she showed up. He was a damn professional. He was trained and tried in the worst of situations. But with Sydney, nothing was professional. The emotions and reactions he controlled so adeptly in other situations always emerged with her, from the first time Irina had shown him her picture straight to today. The connection had only grown in the time that he had known her; had observed her. Their brief time together at SD-6, the interactions on missions, and now on his various eagle ops, as Irina termed them, where his whole life became dedicated to watching and protecting her.
It was an insane, rather one-sided relationship, to say the least. But for a man who had been given so little in life, Alek Sark took what he could get.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Sydney glanced again at the clock, sighing when she realized it was only three minutes later than the last time she had looked. Michael still wouldn't be home for at least a half hour, depending on traffic. But she simply couldn't grade finals another minute. Pushing back from the table, Sydney wandered out of the kitchen. The light coming in from the picture window made the couch look warm and inviting. Slipping off her shoes, she stretched out and stared at the sunny afternoon.
A little boy came tottering by on a bicycle, his helmet askew as he peddled furiously, trying to go as fast as his training wheels would take him. A woman Sydney assumed to be his mother followed him down the sidewalk, jogging to keep up with the boy and his bike.
Sydney looked down to where her hand rested on her stomach.
"Hello little one." It was the first time she had spoken directly to the baby, even though it was becoming a habit for Michael to offer greetings and farewells to both Sydney her and her stomach. She thrilled at the emotion that coursed through her. "I'm getting excited waiting for you. There's so much in this world I want to share with you. Your Daddy and I want to teach you about sunshine and flowers, grass and trees, how to tie your shoes and ride a bike. But for now, I'm glad to have to tucked safe inside where I can take care of you so you can grow. I already gave up coffee for you, which a true testament to the love I feel for you already. Just ask Auntie Annie or Auntie Lisa some day, they'll tell you what a crazy coffee person mommy was. And Daddy gave up beer too, since Mommy can't have them now. Not that Daddy drank a lot, but even when Uncle Eric came to watch a Mets game this weekend, Daddy just had iced tea, which meant Uncle Eric had the whole six-pack got a little *enthusiastic* about the game and had to sleep in our guest room. Uncle Eric is a bit crazy, but you'll like him. That's not where your room will be. Mommy and Auntie Annie are going to fix up the study for you. We'll paint it, and get pretty furniture, and new rugs and it will be a wonderful little place for you to grow up. We get to go see Dr. Trent on Tuesday, and then Daddy will get to be there too. He's still a bit upset that I didn't tell him right away that you were coming, but you have to admit that your picture took him completely by surprise. That little fuzzy speck of a picture. You know the ultrasound technician thought I was crazy when I asked for her to print the picture. Sure, you couldn't see much, but it's you. The beginning of your life." Sydney's voice trailed off and her eyes closed, the warm sun relaxing her and the sound of her own voice strangely soothing as she concentrated on the life inside her.
That's how Michael found her when he came home: asleep in the sun. He lowered himself onto the couch beside her and gently kissed her forehead. Sydney's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey."
"Hey sleepy. How are you feeling?"
"Okay. I was talking to this one and I guess I put myself to sleep." Michael covered the hand on her abdomen with his own.
"Hello in there. Did you get to listen to Mommy? Well, regardless of what she might have told you, hockey is the greatest sport ever and you'll be a starter for the Kings."
"Or a great writer of literature."
"Or a lawyer."
"Ugh!" Sydney teased. Michael's days in law school had been long before they met, and she had a hard time imagining him arguing cases in some stuffy courtroom.
"Hey, if it was good enough for me, it's good enough for our child." Michael glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Do you still want your surprise?"
Sydney's eyes lit as she remembered. "Of course."
"Okay. If you wear your blue dress with the straps, I'll find my green shirt. We have reservations in an hour." Michael took her hand to pull her off the couch and they set off down the hall to change.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney watched the waiters scurry around Vincenti and reveled in the romantic atmosphere of the small Italian restaurant that was a favorite date spot for her and Michael. Looking back at her husband, she reveled at the glow of his honey-colored hair in the candlelight. "Thank you."
He met her eyes in confusion. "For what?"
"Tonight, this year, our baby." The radiance in her eyes stirred him.
He replied in kind. "You're welcome, of course, thank you."
"I can't believe how different my life is from a year ago. If you had told me then that I would be married, pregnant, and done with my first year as a high school teacher, I don't know that I would have believed you. I would have loved the idea, but I was still so set on finding Sloane and my mom, leaving the CIA seemed impossible."
"A lot has changed. But you were powerless in the face of my charm, and three months without a lead isn't much to base an investigation on."
"I don't know if it was entirely your charms, irresistible as they are, but I did realize that it was time to move on. The pieces just fell into place, so I know it was right."
"It's perfect. I love that after everything, we're together and beginning our family." Their food came then, and they chatted during the meal about what Sydney had left to do at school, the appointment with Dr. Trent on Tuesday and their plans for the fourth of July. Because they had been so caught up in wedding plans the previous summer, they had just gone to Eric's for a barbeque, but this year Michael wanted to make better use of the four day weekend. By the end of dinner, Sydney' eyes were growing heavy, the fatigue of the end of the school year and the changes in her body conspiring to leave her feeling very sleepy.
"Ready to go Syd?" Michael noted her dwindling energy, signaling the waiter to bring their check.
"I'm just so" she interrupted herself with a yawn. "Tired" Sydney smiled.
"That's understandable. I'll get you to bed soon."
"Sounds fun sweetie," she replied, a humorous lilt to her voice.
"Syd, I didn't mean it like that. You're tired."
"I know, but I didn't get my fun-in-the-afternoon-sun, so you're not getting of the hook that easily. Besides," she said, bringing her foot to stroke Michael's calf, "I had a nap."
"Syd," this time her name was groan. He paid the check quickly, driving a little faster than necessary to get home before Sydney's new found energy faded.
"Hmm, that's funny," Sydney commented as he pulled into the driveway.
"What's that," Michael replied, distracted by his wife as he got out of the car.
"The electric company van that was here this afternoon is still parked over there. I saw the guy checking our meter."
"Maybe they had mechanical problems. I can go check it if you want."
"No. If it's still here in the morning, we can call them. Let's just go inside," Sydney smiled as she toyed with the cuff of his shirt.
Michael smiled back, casting one last glance over his shoulder at the van as he followed her towards the bedroom.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"Damn," Alek thought. He had followed them to the restaurant in his car, returning to the van to listen just in time to here Vaughn suggest he come check the van out. This vehicle would have to be returned for something less conspicuous. Though, dealing with two trained CIA agents, he'd have to rotate vehicles regularly to avoid arousing their suspicion. He got out to return to his car and punched the number of the operative who would come to claim the van and transfer the equipment.