A/N: New chapter! Thanks for all the great reviews. That was an
overwhelming response. I'm glad you all liked it, and I hope this does the
first chapter justice. Bear with me; this is my first multi-chaptered fic
that wasn't already written out. I'm trying.
*~*~*~*
Vaughn awoke some time later. His still blurry vision allowed him to see only the cabin lights over his head. He vaguely remembered he was on a plane.
Lifting his head slightly to look around, he noticed a doctor using what looked like an eyedropper across the room.
Doctor.
And suddenly it all came rushing back.
Sydney. Alive. Pregnant.
Three words he never thought would ever have the opportunity to be related, at least not after that night nearly two years ago.
Vaughn attempted to sit up, but found his head in considerable pain. He groaned softly as light flashed before his eyes.
"Ah, Agent Vaughn, you're awake. I would have started to worry in a few minutes. You hit your head when you passed out. Are you feeling OK?"
Contemplating the various answers that sprung into his mind, he simply nodded. "How's Sydney?"
Vaughn wondered briefly if there was ever a time when he wasn't worried about Sydney.
As the doctor held a light to Vaughn's eyes, he said, "Agent Bristow was asleep as well the last time I checked on her. She seems to be doing fine. Her tests continue to return with positive results. She should be ready for debrief as soon as we return." The doctor completed his short examination, and gave a slight grunt.
Vaughn completely ignored the doctor's acknowledgement of his own condition. Somehow, Vaughn suspected debrief was not what Sydney needed right now. But then, she really hadn't needed to find out he was married either. Another heavy slab of pain and guilt settled itself over his chest.
"Before I passed out, you were saying something about Sydney being pregnant. Are you sure she was pregnant when she disappeared?"
Vaughn's heart began to pound; the possibility that Sydney had been pregnant when she vanished could mean only one thing. She had been carrying their child.
"There are no certainties, but as I said, there is a high probability." The doctor gave him a probing look, trying to ascertain why Vaughn was so interested in the pregnancy issue, and why he referred to the agent by her first name. He watched the younger man digest this information. Guilt and sadness seemed to be the primary emotions.
~Odd~ he thought.
Eventually, he noticed the slight hardening of the agent's jaw, followed quickly by a question.
"Is there any indication as to what happened to the child?" The doctor supposed this could be a logical question, but there seemed to be no official reason behind the inquiry.
"No, none. I'm afraid Agent Bristow is the only person who has the slightest possibility of answering that question."
Vaughn nodded his head. "Thank you doctor." He stood to leave, but the doctor placed his hand on Vaughn's arm.
"Don't tell Agent Bristow. Not yet. This is either something she will have to remember on her own, or it is too painful for her to think of."
Again, Vaughn nodded, confirming his willingness to comply.
* * * *
Vaughn sat staring at Sydney. They were going to be landing in ten minutes. He had to wake her up, allowing her to fasten her belt and prepare.
He just couldn't bring himself to do it. She looked so peaceful, as if the last 11 years of her life had not happened. She always looked like that when she slept. He had been captivated by her before, spending nights beside her simply watching, and now, two years later, it was still the same.
Thoughts of his wife seeped into the tiny crevices of his mind. Of her hair: not Sydney's color. Of her eyes: nowhere near the depth of Sydney's.
What had he done?
These thoughts finally brought him out of Sydney's spell and allowed him to reach out to gently touch her shoulder.
She stirred after a few moments, squinting her eyes at the light surrounding her.
"We're landing."
Sydney gave a clipped nod and sat up.
Vaughn had never seen a more beautiful sight; her hair was sticking out in all directions, her outfit was reminiscent of the eighties, and her eyes were half closed from sleep.
The doctor entered the room silently and took a seat.
Thousands of questions ran through Vaughn's mind. All of them needed to be answered, but he couldn't think where to start. Instead he sat there, staring at the floor. His ears felt odd as they depressurized. He thought it strange they had never adjusted, even after the many flights he had taken.
Across the expanse of blue-gray plane carpeting, Sydney sat thinking the same thing. She waded through the questions on her mind. As irrational as it was, the one she most wanted to ask was who. Who had Vaughn married? Her next question was why. Why hadn't he waited? She supposed there were more important questions, like how she had lost two years of her life, but she didn't care about those at the moment.
All she could see was the plain gold band on his left ring finger, and that hers held nothing.
She finally managed to tear her gaze away to look at Vaughn. He was staring intently at the carpet, while working his jaw. He would open it every few seconds to move it around. It would have been amusing in any situation but this.
The plane gave a slight shudder as they touched down. In an hour, Sydney would be approaching the Joint Task Force center; at least, she assumed that's where she would be taken.
For all she knew, that location could have been abandoned.
* * * *
Stepping through the doors of the Joint Task Force Center brought mixed emotions. It looked exactly the same, the only difference being the faces. She didn't recognize a single one.
Sydney looked around for her father, Marshall, or even Will, remembering Vaughn had said he was OK; hoping to see at least one familiar face.
Kendall appeared in her line of vision. He turned to look at her, and then began to hurry - as much as he ever did - toward her.
She could have been mistaken, but it felt as though Vaughn had reached out to give her hand a light brush, almost in encouragement.
Kendall stopped directly in front of her. "Agent Bristow?"
"Yes sir."
"Where exactly have you been for the past two years?" The question was asked in his usual tone.
Sydney clenched her fists and wanted to roll her eyes at the homecoming, but held herself back.
Just as she was about to answer, Vaughn spoke up.
"Here are the test results the in-flight doctor completed."
Kendall reached out to accept the folder, giving Vaughn a sort of grimace for entering the discussion. He quickly glanced through, nodding in grim seriousness.
"Well, Agent Bristow, seems to me you're healthy. I know you probably want to rest right now, but that's not an option. We need to get your statement immediately. Has Agent Vaughn told you anything that might have influenced your memories?"
"No."
"Great. Let's get you in a room." He made a gesture to a low level analyst who jumped up to go clear an office. It seemed some things never change.
Vaughn watched as Sydney followed Kendall into a conference room.
He made it to his desk before he collapsed into his chair. Resting his head in his hands, he tried to put pressure on the tight spots he was developing. He knew that in an hour or so, the tightness would be a full- blown headache.
He heard a throat being cleared above him. Reluctantly, he looked up, right into the face of Will Tippin.
*~*~*~*
TBC
AN: This may be the last chapter for about a week. Unless I manage to find time to write between now and Monday night, there won't be anything up before next Saturday. I'm going to Washington, D.C. and won't have Internet access. :( I can't wait to go though!
If I really owned Alias and company, would I be applying for a job at Wal- Mart so I can buy a used car? Nope. Not a chance.
*~*~*~*
Vaughn awoke some time later. His still blurry vision allowed him to see only the cabin lights over his head. He vaguely remembered he was on a plane.
Lifting his head slightly to look around, he noticed a doctor using what looked like an eyedropper across the room.
Doctor.
And suddenly it all came rushing back.
Sydney. Alive. Pregnant.
Three words he never thought would ever have the opportunity to be related, at least not after that night nearly two years ago.
Vaughn attempted to sit up, but found his head in considerable pain. He groaned softly as light flashed before his eyes.
"Ah, Agent Vaughn, you're awake. I would have started to worry in a few minutes. You hit your head when you passed out. Are you feeling OK?"
Contemplating the various answers that sprung into his mind, he simply nodded. "How's Sydney?"
Vaughn wondered briefly if there was ever a time when he wasn't worried about Sydney.
As the doctor held a light to Vaughn's eyes, he said, "Agent Bristow was asleep as well the last time I checked on her. She seems to be doing fine. Her tests continue to return with positive results. She should be ready for debrief as soon as we return." The doctor completed his short examination, and gave a slight grunt.
Vaughn completely ignored the doctor's acknowledgement of his own condition. Somehow, Vaughn suspected debrief was not what Sydney needed right now. But then, she really hadn't needed to find out he was married either. Another heavy slab of pain and guilt settled itself over his chest.
"Before I passed out, you were saying something about Sydney being pregnant. Are you sure she was pregnant when she disappeared?"
Vaughn's heart began to pound; the possibility that Sydney had been pregnant when she vanished could mean only one thing. She had been carrying their child.
"There are no certainties, but as I said, there is a high probability." The doctor gave him a probing look, trying to ascertain why Vaughn was so interested in the pregnancy issue, and why he referred to the agent by her first name. He watched the younger man digest this information. Guilt and sadness seemed to be the primary emotions.
~Odd~ he thought.
Eventually, he noticed the slight hardening of the agent's jaw, followed quickly by a question.
"Is there any indication as to what happened to the child?" The doctor supposed this could be a logical question, but there seemed to be no official reason behind the inquiry.
"No, none. I'm afraid Agent Bristow is the only person who has the slightest possibility of answering that question."
Vaughn nodded his head. "Thank you doctor." He stood to leave, but the doctor placed his hand on Vaughn's arm.
"Don't tell Agent Bristow. Not yet. This is either something she will have to remember on her own, or it is too painful for her to think of."
Again, Vaughn nodded, confirming his willingness to comply.
* * * *
Vaughn sat staring at Sydney. They were going to be landing in ten minutes. He had to wake her up, allowing her to fasten her belt and prepare.
He just couldn't bring himself to do it. She looked so peaceful, as if the last 11 years of her life had not happened. She always looked like that when she slept. He had been captivated by her before, spending nights beside her simply watching, and now, two years later, it was still the same.
Thoughts of his wife seeped into the tiny crevices of his mind. Of her hair: not Sydney's color. Of her eyes: nowhere near the depth of Sydney's.
What had he done?
These thoughts finally brought him out of Sydney's spell and allowed him to reach out to gently touch her shoulder.
She stirred after a few moments, squinting her eyes at the light surrounding her.
"We're landing."
Sydney gave a clipped nod and sat up.
Vaughn had never seen a more beautiful sight; her hair was sticking out in all directions, her outfit was reminiscent of the eighties, and her eyes were half closed from sleep.
The doctor entered the room silently and took a seat.
Thousands of questions ran through Vaughn's mind. All of them needed to be answered, but he couldn't think where to start. Instead he sat there, staring at the floor. His ears felt odd as they depressurized. He thought it strange they had never adjusted, even after the many flights he had taken.
Across the expanse of blue-gray plane carpeting, Sydney sat thinking the same thing. She waded through the questions on her mind. As irrational as it was, the one she most wanted to ask was who. Who had Vaughn married? Her next question was why. Why hadn't he waited? She supposed there were more important questions, like how she had lost two years of her life, but she didn't care about those at the moment.
All she could see was the plain gold band on his left ring finger, and that hers held nothing.
She finally managed to tear her gaze away to look at Vaughn. He was staring intently at the carpet, while working his jaw. He would open it every few seconds to move it around. It would have been amusing in any situation but this.
The plane gave a slight shudder as they touched down. In an hour, Sydney would be approaching the Joint Task Force center; at least, she assumed that's where she would be taken.
For all she knew, that location could have been abandoned.
* * * *
Stepping through the doors of the Joint Task Force Center brought mixed emotions. It looked exactly the same, the only difference being the faces. She didn't recognize a single one.
Sydney looked around for her father, Marshall, or even Will, remembering Vaughn had said he was OK; hoping to see at least one familiar face.
Kendall appeared in her line of vision. He turned to look at her, and then began to hurry - as much as he ever did - toward her.
She could have been mistaken, but it felt as though Vaughn had reached out to give her hand a light brush, almost in encouragement.
Kendall stopped directly in front of her. "Agent Bristow?"
"Yes sir."
"Where exactly have you been for the past two years?" The question was asked in his usual tone.
Sydney clenched her fists and wanted to roll her eyes at the homecoming, but held herself back.
Just as she was about to answer, Vaughn spoke up.
"Here are the test results the in-flight doctor completed."
Kendall reached out to accept the folder, giving Vaughn a sort of grimace for entering the discussion. He quickly glanced through, nodding in grim seriousness.
"Well, Agent Bristow, seems to me you're healthy. I know you probably want to rest right now, but that's not an option. We need to get your statement immediately. Has Agent Vaughn told you anything that might have influenced your memories?"
"No."
"Great. Let's get you in a room." He made a gesture to a low level analyst who jumped up to go clear an office. It seemed some things never change.
Vaughn watched as Sydney followed Kendall into a conference room.
He made it to his desk before he collapsed into his chair. Resting his head in his hands, he tried to put pressure on the tight spots he was developing. He knew that in an hour or so, the tightness would be a full- blown headache.
He heard a throat being cleared above him. Reluctantly, he looked up, right into the face of Will Tippin.
*~*~*~*
TBC
AN: This may be the last chapter for about a week. Unless I manage to find time to write between now and Monday night, there won't be anything up before next Saturday. I'm going to Washington, D.C. and won't have Internet access. :( I can't wait to go though!
If I really owned Alias and company, would I be applying for a job at Wal- Mart so I can buy a used car? Nope. Not a chance.