Okay! Chapter 9. Sorry it's a few days late, but Easter got in the way,
along with the fact that these are my last two weeks of college EVER, so
things are a bit crazy. I'm a bit insecure about this story because I'm not
sure if it's too boring and slow. Oh well. I think it might start
progressing faster, but I also thought that a few chapters ago, so who
really knows. Sorry for any errors. It's late and I am tired, but I wanted
to get this up before my crazy day tomorrow.
__________________________________ Sydney smiled as she stepped onto the elevator at the ops center. No jog through a park or lot a half mile away. Just into the parking lot, swipe the card and down the elevator. As it dinged, she stepped into the office and took in the familiar sight of desks and computers and suit-wearing agents scurrying around. She was about to turn and walk to Michael's office when she spotted Dixon.
"Hey," she called out, walking over to give him a hug.
"Sydney! Congratulations," he replied, folding her into a deep hug.
"Who told? I wanted to let you know," she looked around, as if she could spot the culprit.
"Have you ever known Weiss to keep his mouth shut? But Michael's also walking around with a new bounce in his step. I could have guessed from looking at him. Speaking of which, you have a glow about you as well."
Sydney blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. It's great to see you, Dixon. Michael and I would love to have you and the kids over for dinner one of these days."
"That sounds lovely. Just give me a call at home."
"Okay, see you soon," Sydney agreed, giving Dixon another hug before she headed down the hallway. She smiled at the secretary seated outside. "Hi Linda," she greeted the woman who always reminded her of the librarian at the high school.
"Mrs. Vaughn, good to see you. He's expecting you." Linda was all efficiency.
"Thanks," she replied as she knocked on the door with 'Michael C. Vaughn, Senior Strategist' printed on it.
"Come in." Sydney peeked her head around the door.
"Ready to go?" she walked towards him.
"Hi honey! Yeah, just give me a minute." He typed something into his computer and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair, moving around the desk to give Sydney a kiss before taking her hand to head out of the office.
"Bye Linda. I'll be with Sydney for the next few hours. I should be back for my meeting with Kendall this afternoon, but I have my cell in case anything comes up."
"Very good, Mr. Vaughn."
The couple headed to the elevator, hand in hand. The doors opened and Marshal stepped off.
"Oh! Hey, Sydney how are you? Good, right. Cause um, Weiss told be about the baby, and that's really great. Um, great for you too, Vaughn. I mean, it's cool you two got to get married and everything with the SD-6 stuff and now you're having a kid, and it's all happy and, yeah, um, hi."
Sydney smiled at him. "Hi Marshall. Thanks for the congratulations. I wanted to tell everyone, but it seems as though Eric beat me to it."
"Yeah, well, um, I started the mobile thing the other day, you know, just in with a few things, and I wanted to know if you know what colors you want. I mean, I know you don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, but just whenever, let me know."
"Marshall, that's so sweet. The nursery will be green, if that helps."
"Oh. Green. Great, yup, thanks. Good to see you, Syd. You too, Vaughn. I mean, I see you all the time, but it's still good. Um, bye."
"Bye Marshall," Sydney said.
"See you later," Michael added as they stepped onto the elevator, pulling Sydney closer with his arm around her waist. "So, a green room for the baby?"
"Yep, it's gender neutral and it's my favorite color," Sydney said, staring into his eyes.
"Is that so?"
"Definitely." The elevator dinged and they stepped into the sunshine of the parking garage.
"Where'd you park?" Michael's voice had a hint of excitement.
"Just down this row. What are you wound up about?" she smiled up at him.
"I'm playing hooky on a sunny summer day with my beautiful wife. The world is good."
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
He stood on the veranda of his house-a mansion really-and faced the sea as the agent on the cell phone updated him on the status of the operation. He gave a few brief orders and flipped the phone closed, turning to survey the water that stretched on all sides around his ocean front abode. Just a few more months and the real action would begin. All that he had planned and prepared for would be put in motion. For now, Arvin Sloane would enjoy the luxury of his private island.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* "So Sydney, everything looks good. If you just slide your gown up, we'll take a listen to the baby's heartbeat." Dr. Trent turned to prepare the sonogram.
"We can hear the baby?" Michael was surprised. Sydney took his hand as they looked at the machine.
"Yes, Mr. Vaughn. After six weeks, the fetal heartbeat is audible via sonogram." Dr. Trent began to scan over Sydney's still-flat stomach until a faint th-thump began to sound. Michael and Sydney looked in awe at the snowy picture that was their baby. Sydney felt him squeeze her hand tighter and when she turned to look up at him, Michael's eyes were locked on the screen, a tear running down his cheek. She lifted her other hand to gently brush it away and Michael's eyes met hers.
"This is real. I'm going to be a father. We're parents." His eyes went back to the screen.
Dr. Trent finished the sonogram and turned off the machine. "Congratulations. Everything is normal. Just keep up with your rest and exercise, make sure you get enough to eat and let me know if the morning sickness gets any worse."
Sydney sat up and smiled ruefully. "I think it's under control for now."
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn, I'll see you again at twelve weeks. But don't hesitate to call the office if you have any concerns. My nurses or I are always available, and these first pregnancies tend to be more nerve wracking."
Michael gave a nervous laugh. "You're telling me."
"Well, have a nice afternoon." Dr. Trent took Sydney's chart and left.
"I can't believe we heard the heartbeat. That's a real little person growing inside you." Michael sat beside her, still in awe.
"Our miracle." Sydney kissed his cheek. "Pass me my clothes?" she asked, indicating the pile in the chair. Michael handed her the pants and she slipped them on as he untied the back of the hospital gown. As she stuffed it in the hamper in the corner, he held out her shirt so she could slip it on, doing the buttons up while she watched. "You do realize that this may be one of the only times we've been alone in a room with a bed and you helped dress me, instead of trying to get me naked as quickly as possible."
He smiled as he finished the last button. "Not true. We were in a room with beds alone together for hours when they thought we had the Circumference virus. I let you dress then too."
"I put on my shoes. And that was in the CIA facility. We couldn't have done anything."
"Like your doctor's office is such an opportune location? Somehow I don't think this was his only appointment for the afternoon." Michael glanced at his watch with regret, "and I have to get back."
Sydney slipped on her shoes and picked up her purse. "So much for playing hooky, Agent Vaughn. Too bad. I know a really great warehouse," she said, walking out of the exam room and leaving her husband temporarily dazed.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* "Can I help you ladies?" The clerk approached Annie and Sydney where they stood examining paint chips.
"Well, we're looking to paint a nursery. What's your most durable, washable, kid-friendly paint?" Annie asked.
"Oh you'd definitely want the Glidden Evermore." The clerk pointed them towards the rows of chips and Sydney zeroed in on the green chips.
"Green Syd?" Annie asked, looking at the color Sydney was examining.
"It's my favorite. And it's gender neutral." She kept looking, trying to find the perfect shade.
"That would work," Annie conceded. "We could do a simple pattern with fabrics, like gingham, and work in some kind of animal theme. Maybe circus or farm or something. Do you or Michael have any old children's books? We could get so images from there."
"That's a great idea," Sydney replied. "I'll ask Marguerite and Nenet what they have. Oh! This is it." Sydney pulled out a paint chip, pointing to a line of light mossy green, with just a hint of emerald.
"That's gorgeous Syd," Annie said, looking at the color. "What if we do white and a light yellow for the trim and accents?" Annie pulled the chips out to compare.
A short while later the friends took their selections to the counter, along with a container of spackle, painting tape, drop clothes, new rollers and a roller pan. They were laughing as they walked across the parking lot to Sydney's car.
"Oh, Syd. Pottery Barn for Kids!" Annie pointed to the store on the other side of the open air mall. They stowed the paint in the trunk and walked over to the brightly lit store. Sydney had walked by it before, but now she looked at the tiny tables and delicate bedspreads with thoughts of her own child in mind. They walked toward the nursery display in the back and Sydney captivated by the furniture and linens that surrounded her. Annie called to her from the chair she was sitting in.
"Syd, check out this glider. You could sit in it forever." Annie swayed back and forth in the cushioned seat. As Sydney walked towards her friend, a row of stuffed animals caught her eye. Sitting in the center of the shelf was a smaller fuzzy version of Donovan. Vaughn missed the old dog so much, and the little stuffed bulldog held such a striking resemblance, Sydney knew she had to get it. Annie moved beside her, looking at the curtains they had displayed.
"$50? I can make these for $10. Same with the sheets they have packaged for $75 a set. We'll just have to make a trip to the fabric store." Sydney agreed that the prices were high. They looked around to get a few more ideas, then she took the stuffed dog up to the counter to pay, asking the girl to wrap it. A few minutes later they walked back across the parking lot, Sydney carrying a blue wrapped square with a big bow.
"You know what we should do for the baby's bed" Annie said.
"What?" Sydney replied.
"A memory quilt. It would be easy. Once we have a theme, we get your family and friends together and everyone decorates a square. All we'd need is the fabric and paint or pens for people to use. I could stitch it up for you in no time."
"Annie, I can't ask you to do all that." Sydney said, really liking the idea nonetheless.
"What if I taught you? We could do it together. Once your belly really starts to expand, you're going to be begging for activities to do sitting down."
"That sounds more like a deal," Sydney said. She loved the idea of quilting together the squares of all the important people in her baby's life, and it would be fun to learn a new skill. Sometimes Michael teased her that there wasn't a thing she couldn't do, but when it came to the arts and crafts end of things, her skills with the latajang were useless.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Alek watched Sydney and her friend, Anne Elizabeth Simmons according the file he had, as they pulled out of their parking spot. Traffic was light on the summer afternoon and he waited a minute before he felt it was safe to follow. He was about to pull his own car out when he spotted another inconspicuous sedan from a row over slip in behind them. He quickly started after both vehicles. He punched the button on his phone to get his associate on the phone.
"I need you to run a check for me. California plate 555 XWRJ." He hung up and changed lanes, pulling into the sedan's blind spot as the other car continued to tail Sydney. The driver was male, brown hair, light skin. They came to a light and he was able to pull parallel to the other car. He glanced over and took note of the man's profile. There was hardly anything remarkable about him, but the cool demeanor and attempt at ambiguity were tells for an agent that Alek's experienced eye could spot immediately. His phone chirped as traffic began rolling again and he pulled back into the lane behind the other sedan.
"Yes?" His associate gave him expected information. The car had been purchased three days before, paid fully in cash, the name on the registration was Philip Stemson. Just one of the many known aliases of Arvin Sloane. Irritated, he punched his phone again to get Irina on the line.
"Sloane's got a minion here. Any instructions?" he listened to her reply as he turned the corner to continue his pursuit. Sydney turned another corner shortly after that and he realized she must have noticed the tail. Well, he wasn't going to blow his cover, but he certainly didn't want to leave Sloane's agent alone with her. He explained the situation to Irina and hung up after her insistence that he be careful, but do what ever was necessary to assure Sydney's safety. He turned at the corner after the one Sydney had taken and came around the block only to spot her car another street down, headed west. He waited a minute and didn't see Sloane's tail, so he drove down and turned to follow her. He just saw her turn south at the following intersection and he recognized that she was headed towards her house. He kept a greater distance, knowing were she was going, and pulled up a block from her house, watching as her friend got into her own car and Sydney waved to her from the front door, package in hand, before going inside. Alek sighed, pulling out to go around the block so he could park and patch into the surveillance equipment he had set up for the house.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Sydney closed her front door and leaned out it, exhaling a shaky breath. She had tried to hide her reaction to the tail with Annie in the car, not wanting to upset her friend. Instead she had said they were going another way back to avoid lights and Annie had seemed reassured. But the black sedan with a suited man behind the wheel was too similar to thousands of previous experiences in her 'former' life for Sydney to brush it aside. Pushing herself up she walked over to the phone. She didn't want to worry Michael unnecessarily, so she decided to check with her dad first.
"Bristow" he answered after the second ring.
"Hi dad," Sydney said, trying to keep her voice level.
"Sydney? How are you? How did the appointment go?"
"I'm good. Dr. Trent said everything looks normal. And Annie and I just went and got paint for the nursery."
"Did you? What color did you pick on? Your mother and I had quite the debate over whether to paint the room pink or lavender," Jack reminisced.
"Well, I am set on green and we found this light mossy shade that should look beautiful. But Dad, that's not really why I called."
"Oh?" his voice was immediately more gruff and professional.
"Would you know if the agency had anyone tailing me today for some reason?"
"I doubt it. What happened?"
"I was driving home with Annie and I noticed a sedan tailing me from the parking lot all the way to 32nd. I made a couple of turns in the neighborhood and lost him before coming home."
"Sydney, I don't like it. I'll make some calls, but stay in the house until Vaughn gets there." She knew her husband would know within minutes what had happened.
"I'll call him," she offered, hoping to avert the panic attack he would have hearing this from someone else. "Just call if you find something, okay?"
"Of course, sweetie. Take care of yourself. Maybe you and Vaughn should look at getting another dog." Jack's small talk was one of the differences in their relationship.
"A dog would be nice, but I don't know how much help it would be when I'm in a car," Sydney teased lightly.
"True. I'll be in touch soon," Jack indicated the conversation was over and Sydney was anxious for him to find out what he could and to talk to Michael. She was sure her father had already gotten subordinates started researching, so she needed to call her husband fast.
"Bye Dad." She disconnected, then punched Michael's number.
"Vaughn," he answered, just as her father had.
"Hi Michael."
"Hi Honey. Couldn't live without me for the two hours till I get home?" he teased.
"Well, it's true that I feel truly cheated that you wouldn't play hooky with me all day, but I also have information I wanted to tell you myself so you wouldn't worry." She could almost hear his forehead wrinkle.
"What happened?" She didn't try to downplay it now that she was fairly certain the tail wasn't from the CIA.
"Annie and I were followed when we were driving home from the paint store. I lost them a few blocks from the house and I didn't tell her, but I called dad to make sure it wasn't agency sanctioned and he's checking what they can find out."
Michael took a sharp breath. "I'll be home in twenty. Call me if Jack finds any info."
Arguing would be useless. "Okay. See you soon." Sydney hung up the phone and looked around. She wanted to bring in the paint cans from the car and start clearing the study, but Jack had said to stay inside and the windows of that room faced the street. Instead, she walked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge to take to back to the bedroom, which was in the back of the house. She lay down on the bed, intent on resting as she'd been instructed, but her mind was buzzing. Was it her mother? Sloane? Something was going on and her honed instincts for the minutia of the world of espionage and intelligence were still strong after her first year of 'retirement.' What else had been out of place? The electric company van from the previous week came to mind and she filed that away to tell Jack when he called. Maybe it was all nothing or simply coincidence, but her instincts insisted otherwise and the tension she had always felt in situations that threatened her safety was amplified by the tremendous need to protect the tiny life inside of her, the faint heartbeat she had just heard for the first time.
__________________________________ Sydney smiled as she stepped onto the elevator at the ops center. No jog through a park or lot a half mile away. Just into the parking lot, swipe the card and down the elevator. As it dinged, she stepped into the office and took in the familiar sight of desks and computers and suit-wearing agents scurrying around. She was about to turn and walk to Michael's office when she spotted Dixon.
"Hey," she called out, walking over to give him a hug.
"Sydney! Congratulations," he replied, folding her into a deep hug.
"Who told? I wanted to let you know," she looked around, as if she could spot the culprit.
"Have you ever known Weiss to keep his mouth shut? But Michael's also walking around with a new bounce in his step. I could have guessed from looking at him. Speaking of which, you have a glow about you as well."
Sydney blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. It's great to see you, Dixon. Michael and I would love to have you and the kids over for dinner one of these days."
"That sounds lovely. Just give me a call at home."
"Okay, see you soon," Sydney agreed, giving Dixon another hug before she headed down the hallway. She smiled at the secretary seated outside. "Hi Linda," she greeted the woman who always reminded her of the librarian at the high school.
"Mrs. Vaughn, good to see you. He's expecting you." Linda was all efficiency.
"Thanks," she replied as she knocked on the door with 'Michael C. Vaughn, Senior Strategist' printed on it.
"Come in." Sydney peeked her head around the door.
"Ready to go?" she walked towards him.
"Hi honey! Yeah, just give me a minute." He typed something into his computer and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair, moving around the desk to give Sydney a kiss before taking her hand to head out of the office.
"Bye Linda. I'll be with Sydney for the next few hours. I should be back for my meeting with Kendall this afternoon, but I have my cell in case anything comes up."
"Very good, Mr. Vaughn."
The couple headed to the elevator, hand in hand. The doors opened and Marshal stepped off.
"Oh! Hey, Sydney how are you? Good, right. Cause um, Weiss told be about the baby, and that's really great. Um, great for you too, Vaughn. I mean, it's cool you two got to get married and everything with the SD-6 stuff and now you're having a kid, and it's all happy and, yeah, um, hi."
Sydney smiled at him. "Hi Marshall. Thanks for the congratulations. I wanted to tell everyone, but it seems as though Eric beat me to it."
"Yeah, well, um, I started the mobile thing the other day, you know, just in with a few things, and I wanted to know if you know what colors you want. I mean, I know you don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, but just whenever, let me know."
"Marshall, that's so sweet. The nursery will be green, if that helps."
"Oh. Green. Great, yup, thanks. Good to see you, Syd. You too, Vaughn. I mean, I see you all the time, but it's still good. Um, bye."
"Bye Marshall," Sydney said.
"See you later," Michael added as they stepped onto the elevator, pulling Sydney closer with his arm around her waist. "So, a green room for the baby?"
"Yep, it's gender neutral and it's my favorite color," Sydney said, staring into his eyes.
"Is that so?"
"Definitely." The elevator dinged and they stepped into the sunshine of the parking garage.
"Where'd you park?" Michael's voice had a hint of excitement.
"Just down this row. What are you wound up about?" she smiled up at him.
"I'm playing hooky on a sunny summer day with my beautiful wife. The world is good."
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
He stood on the veranda of his house-a mansion really-and faced the sea as the agent on the cell phone updated him on the status of the operation. He gave a few brief orders and flipped the phone closed, turning to survey the water that stretched on all sides around his ocean front abode. Just a few more months and the real action would begin. All that he had planned and prepared for would be put in motion. For now, Arvin Sloane would enjoy the luxury of his private island.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* "So Sydney, everything looks good. If you just slide your gown up, we'll take a listen to the baby's heartbeat." Dr. Trent turned to prepare the sonogram.
"We can hear the baby?" Michael was surprised. Sydney took his hand as they looked at the machine.
"Yes, Mr. Vaughn. After six weeks, the fetal heartbeat is audible via sonogram." Dr. Trent began to scan over Sydney's still-flat stomach until a faint th-thump began to sound. Michael and Sydney looked in awe at the snowy picture that was their baby. Sydney felt him squeeze her hand tighter and when she turned to look up at him, Michael's eyes were locked on the screen, a tear running down his cheek. She lifted her other hand to gently brush it away and Michael's eyes met hers.
"This is real. I'm going to be a father. We're parents." His eyes went back to the screen.
Dr. Trent finished the sonogram and turned off the machine. "Congratulations. Everything is normal. Just keep up with your rest and exercise, make sure you get enough to eat and let me know if the morning sickness gets any worse."
Sydney sat up and smiled ruefully. "I think it's under control for now."
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn, I'll see you again at twelve weeks. But don't hesitate to call the office if you have any concerns. My nurses or I are always available, and these first pregnancies tend to be more nerve wracking."
Michael gave a nervous laugh. "You're telling me."
"Well, have a nice afternoon." Dr. Trent took Sydney's chart and left.
"I can't believe we heard the heartbeat. That's a real little person growing inside you." Michael sat beside her, still in awe.
"Our miracle." Sydney kissed his cheek. "Pass me my clothes?" she asked, indicating the pile in the chair. Michael handed her the pants and she slipped them on as he untied the back of the hospital gown. As she stuffed it in the hamper in the corner, he held out her shirt so she could slip it on, doing the buttons up while she watched. "You do realize that this may be one of the only times we've been alone in a room with a bed and you helped dress me, instead of trying to get me naked as quickly as possible."
He smiled as he finished the last button. "Not true. We were in a room with beds alone together for hours when they thought we had the Circumference virus. I let you dress then too."
"I put on my shoes. And that was in the CIA facility. We couldn't have done anything."
"Like your doctor's office is such an opportune location? Somehow I don't think this was his only appointment for the afternoon." Michael glanced at his watch with regret, "and I have to get back."
Sydney slipped on her shoes and picked up her purse. "So much for playing hooky, Agent Vaughn. Too bad. I know a really great warehouse," she said, walking out of the exam room and leaving her husband temporarily dazed.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* "Can I help you ladies?" The clerk approached Annie and Sydney where they stood examining paint chips.
"Well, we're looking to paint a nursery. What's your most durable, washable, kid-friendly paint?" Annie asked.
"Oh you'd definitely want the Glidden Evermore." The clerk pointed them towards the rows of chips and Sydney zeroed in on the green chips.
"Green Syd?" Annie asked, looking at the color Sydney was examining.
"It's my favorite. And it's gender neutral." She kept looking, trying to find the perfect shade.
"That would work," Annie conceded. "We could do a simple pattern with fabrics, like gingham, and work in some kind of animal theme. Maybe circus or farm or something. Do you or Michael have any old children's books? We could get so images from there."
"That's a great idea," Sydney replied. "I'll ask Marguerite and Nenet what they have. Oh! This is it." Sydney pulled out a paint chip, pointing to a line of light mossy green, with just a hint of emerald.
"That's gorgeous Syd," Annie said, looking at the color. "What if we do white and a light yellow for the trim and accents?" Annie pulled the chips out to compare.
A short while later the friends took their selections to the counter, along with a container of spackle, painting tape, drop clothes, new rollers and a roller pan. They were laughing as they walked across the parking lot to Sydney's car.
"Oh, Syd. Pottery Barn for Kids!" Annie pointed to the store on the other side of the open air mall. They stowed the paint in the trunk and walked over to the brightly lit store. Sydney had walked by it before, but now she looked at the tiny tables and delicate bedspreads with thoughts of her own child in mind. They walked toward the nursery display in the back and Sydney captivated by the furniture and linens that surrounded her. Annie called to her from the chair she was sitting in.
"Syd, check out this glider. You could sit in it forever." Annie swayed back and forth in the cushioned seat. As Sydney walked towards her friend, a row of stuffed animals caught her eye. Sitting in the center of the shelf was a smaller fuzzy version of Donovan. Vaughn missed the old dog so much, and the little stuffed bulldog held such a striking resemblance, Sydney knew she had to get it. Annie moved beside her, looking at the curtains they had displayed.
"$50? I can make these for $10. Same with the sheets they have packaged for $75 a set. We'll just have to make a trip to the fabric store." Sydney agreed that the prices were high. They looked around to get a few more ideas, then she took the stuffed dog up to the counter to pay, asking the girl to wrap it. A few minutes later they walked back across the parking lot, Sydney carrying a blue wrapped square with a big bow.
"You know what we should do for the baby's bed" Annie said.
"What?" Sydney replied.
"A memory quilt. It would be easy. Once we have a theme, we get your family and friends together and everyone decorates a square. All we'd need is the fabric and paint or pens for people to use. I could stitch it up for you in no time."
"Annie, I can't ask you to do all that." Sydney said, really liking the idea nonetheless.
"What if I taught you? We could do it together. Once your belly really starts to expand, you're going to be begging for activities to do sitting down."
"That sounds more like a deal," Sydney said. She loved the idea of quilting together the squares of all the important people in her baby's life, and it would be fun to learn a new skill. Sometimes Michael teased her that there wasn't a thing she couldn't do, but when it came to the arts and crafts end of things, her skills with the latajang were useless.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Alek watched Sydney and her friend, Anne Elizabeth Simmons according the file he had, as they pulled out of their parking spot. Traffic was light on the summer afternoon and he waited a minute before he felt it was safe to follow. He was about to pull his own car out when he spotted another inconspicuous sedan from a row over slip in behind them. He quickly started after both vehicles. He punched the button on his phone to get his associate on the phone.
"I need you to run a check for me. California plate 555 XWRJ." He hung up and changed lanes, pulling into the sedan's blind spot as the other car continued to tail Sydney. The driver was male, brown hair, light skin. They came to a light and he was able to pull parallel to the other car. He glanced over and took note of the man's profile. There was hardly anything remarkable about him, but the cool demeanor and attempt at ambiguity were tells for an agent that Alek's experienced eye could spot immediately. His phone chirped as traffic began rolling again and he pulled back into the lane behind the other sedan.
"Yes?" His associate gave him expected information. The car had been purchased three days before, paid fully in cash, the name on the registration was Philip Stemson. Just one of the many known aliases of Arvin Sloane. Irritated, he punched his phone again to get Irina on the line.
"Sloane's got a minion here. Any instructions?" he listened to her reply as he turned the corner to continue his pursuit. Sydney turned another corner shortly after that and he realized she must have noticed the tail. Well, he wasn't going to blow his cover, but he certainly didn't want to leave Sloane's agent alone with her. He explained the situation to Irina and hung up after her insistence that he be careful, but do what ever was necessary to assure Sydney's safety. He turned at the corner after the one Sydney had taken and came around the block only to spot her car another street down, headed west. He waited a minute and didn't see Sloane's tail, so he drove down and turned to follow her. He just saw her turn south at the following intersection and he recognized that she was headed towards her house. He kept a greater distance, knowing were she was going, and pulled up a block from her house, watching as her friend got into her own car and Sydney waved to her from the front door, package in hand, before going inside. Alek sighed, pulling out to go around the block so he could park and patch into the surveillance equipment he had set up for the house.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~* Sydney closed her front door and leaned out it, exhaling a shaky breath. She had tried to hide her reaction to the tail with Annie in the car, not wanting to upset her friend. Instead she had said they were going another way back to avoid lights and Annie had seemed reassured. But the black sedan with a suited man behind the wheel was too similar to thousands of previous experiences in her 'former' life for Sydney to brush it aside. Pushing herself up she walked over to the phone. She didn't want to worry Michael unnecessarily, so she decided to check with her dad first.
"Bristow" he answered after the second ring.
"Hi dad," Sydney said, trying to keep her voice level.
"Sydney? How are you? How did the appointment go?"
"I'm good. Dr. Trent said everything looks normal. And Annie and I just went and got paint for the nursery."
"Did you? What color did you pick on? Your mother and I had quite the debate over whether to paint the room pink or lavender," Jack reminisced.
"Well, I am set on green and we found this light mossy shade that should look beautiful. But Dad, that's not really why I called."
"Oh?" his voice was immediately more gruff and professional.
"Would you know if the agency had anyone tailing me today for some reason?"
"I doubt it. What happened?"
"I was driving home with Annie and I noticed a sedan tailing me from the parking lot all the way to 32nd. I made a couple of turns in the neighborhood and lost him before coming home."
"Sydney, I don't like it. I'll make some calls, but stay in the house until Vaughn gets there." She knew her husband would know within minutes what had happened.
"I'll call him," she offered, hoping to avert the panic attack he would have hearing this from someone else. "Just call if you find something, okay?"
"Of course, sweetie. Take care of yourself. Maybe you and Vaughn should look at getting another dog." Jack's small talk was one of the differences in their relationship.
"A dog would be nice, but I don't know how much help it would be when I'm in a car," Sydney teased lightly.
"True. I'll be in touch soon," Jack indicated the conversation was over and Sydney was anxious for him to find out what he could and to talk to Michael. She was sure her father had already gotten subordinates started researching, so she needed to call her husband fast.
"Bye Dad." She disconnected, then punched Michael's number.
"Vaughn," he answered, just as her father had.
"Hi Michael."
"Hi Honey. Couldn't live without me for the two hours till I get home?" he teased.
"Well, it's true that I feel truly cheated that you wouldn't play hooky with me all day, but I also have information I wanted to tell you myself so you wouldn't worry." She could almost hear his forehead wrinkle.
"What happened?" She didn't try to downplay it now that she was fairly certain the tail wasn't from the CIA.
"Annie and I were followed when we were driving home from the paint store. I lost them a few blocks from the house and I didn't tell her, but I called dad to make sure it wasn't agency sanctioned and he's checking what they can find out."
Michael took a sharp breath. "I'll be home in twenty. Call me if Jack finds any info."
Arguing would be useless. "Okay. See you soon." Sydney hung up the phone and looked around. She wanted to bring in the paint cans from the car and start clearing the study, but Jack had said to stay inside and the windows of that room faced the street. Instead, she walked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge to take to back to the bedroom, which was in the back of the house. She lay down on the bed, intent on resting as she'd been instructed, but her mind was buzzing. Was it her mother? Sloane? Something was going on and her honed instincts for the minutia of the world of espionage and intelligence were still strong after her first year of 'retirement.' What else had been out of place? The electric company van from the previous week came to mind and she filed that away to tell Jack when he called. Maybe it was all nothing or simply coincidence, but her instincts insisted otherwise and the tension she had always felt in situations that threatened her safety was amplified by the tremendous need to protect the tiny life inside of her, the faint heartbeat she had just heard for the first time.