Title: Shaant
Author: Annie
Rating: G
Timeline: Sometimes after "the Coup" but no real knowledge necessary. Just vague references. Anytime in Season One, I suppose.
Summary: "If she wasn't going to fight for love, then what were her grounds for wanting Vaughn in her life?" Sydney realizes some things are for secure, no matter what. S/V
Disclaimer: I seriously own nothing. Like seriously. You wouldn't believe.
Distribution: I'd be more than honored to have this anywhere. Just drop me a note.
Genre: Drama/ Romance It's not angst-y, but it's not fluff, I guess.
Author's Note: Okay, I'm evil and I like this story so much that I keep finding stuff to add. This chapter is actually pretty long so don't kill me. By the end, I think you will want to.
Previously:
"You've lost a lot of people Sydney. Your mother, me, Danny, your mother and me once again, Emily, Vaughn" Sydney's head snapped up. -----Whoa. Did he just say....?----- "and I hope that by the end of the day, you have two of us back," he said, looking her straight in the eye. The tears fell more rapidly, but a slow smile formed, redrawing their path, so thath the tears spilled over the apples of her cheeks, rather than dripping down the angle of her chin. "Know that no matter what, you'll have one of us." Sydney nodded, and slowly, tentatively embraced her father. He kissed her hair almost impercetibly, and pulled away.
"This is it," she said. He nodded, gave a brief, hopeful smile, took her hand and led her into the basement.
**********
She remained calm until 12:30. They had been sitting a few blocks away from SD-6 for about three hours, and the operation had commenced earlier than expected. The raid was approximately an hour away from wrapping up. Sloane had already been transfered to a holding cell, as had other members of SD-6 who had known the truth, awaiting further questioning. Marshall and Dixon, as well as some of her other associates, ahd been taken into protective custody for debriefing. Vaughn had actually directed the whole thing, managing all aspects. She had spend the past few hours listening to his soothing voice, call out commands and execute plans that would ultimately lead to her freedom. Her father sat next to her, listening along. Occasionally he would take her hand and squeeze it briefly. ----- He reminds me more than ever of Vaughn.----- Finally, as Sloane's arrest culminated, he took her hand and they both clung to each other, if only to keep from bursting out of the van. That had been an hour ago, and Jack Bristow still had his hand tightly clutching to his little girl's.
This was how he noticed when she was startled and 12:30. They had been listening into the CIA frequency, when all of a sudden Vaughn had surprised them.
"Base Ops, this is Boy Scout."
"Come in, Boy Scout."
"I'm signing off and handing control to Billy Bob." Sydney recognized Weiss' ridiculuous call sign. ----- Why is Vaughn giving control to Weiss?-----
"Copy that, Boy Scout. But one minute. Why exactly are leaving?" ----- Yeah come on Vaughn. Give me a reason not to freak out that you're not going to be here anymore.-----
"I have some loose ends to wrap up. Plus come on. There's practically nothing left. Even Weiss can't screw this up." Sydney laughed. To her surprise, Jack cracked a smile.
"Hey. You know I can hear this," Weiss voice came on. ----- No one can give it to Weiss like Vaughn can.-----Sydney could hear Vaughn laughing.
"Hey Base Ops, are the Bristows with you?" The officer monitoring the video and audio surveilance-- Agent Jeffries-- grunted a yes. "Can they hear me?"
"Yeah they can," Jeffries replied, sounding slightly wary. He emphasized the "they" for only Vaughn to hear, but both Bristows caught it. Jack shot Sydney a wryly amused look, and Sydney looked away, blushing.
"Congratulations, you two. You more than deserve it," Vaughn's voice said, more sincere than she had ever heard it. His tone was soft, caressing like she'd heard it many times. It was full of a respect that she realized was not only for her father, but her as well. She looked at Jack, who had a thin, content smile on her face and realized that was the first time she had ever seen him look like this. Vaughn's final words caught her by surprise as he switched off his comm. link. "You're free."
And just like that she realized she was.
*****
To her disappointment, Vaughn was nowhere to be found when she was finally allowed to enter the Credit Dauphine building, at about 2 pm. She walked around the ruins, feeling bad for calling them that bit realizing that was indeed what they were. There were bullet holes, that crumbled several walls. Many desks were overturned, and dust and the smell of freshly fired bullets still burnt the air. File cabinets had been emptied and overturned, and she spotted her old desk. She reached into the fourth drawer, pulled out the false bottom and extracted a picture frame. All the other contents of the desk would be awaiting her on her CIA desk. She turned the picture frame and smiled at a 6-year-old Sydney sitting on her father's shoulders. She broke into a grin and reached into her pocket. She extracted her SD-6 phone, dropped it on the ground and stepped on it. She was free.
She stepped out of the building, and taking a deep breath, slid into the car her father was driving. They reached the garage of the CIA Operations center and she stepped, grinning widely at her father. ----Vaughn, you better be here.----- She walked in to be barraged by a number of people shouting congratulations at her and her father, shaking their hands. Weiss even went so far as to pull her up into a huge hug, one she returned gladly especially after he whispered, "Bristow, you're fired. Or I'm fired. Either way works out." Davenport, Devlin, and Kendall, a new guy who had become Deputy Director, congratulated her as well. They pulled her away from the crowd, and her father followed.
"We understand that your thoughts on continuing with the Agency may be conflicting at this point in time," Kendall said. Sydney nodded. "So we would like to offer you a week to consider your options. We cannot stress enough the value of an agent as strong as you are. In addition to that strength, you have good working relationships with your father and Agent Weiss, and obviously share a good comraderie with Agent Vaughn, who I can say will probably get the chance to work with you again." ----- Is Kendall bribing me with Vaughn? This day cannot get any weirder.----- "Plus the added bonus of the fact that you've worked with several former SD-6 agents. Upon their recruitment to the CIA, you would be able to help them settle in. So as you can see, our motives for keeping you here are plentiful. Hopefully, you consider all apsects of this decision carefully over the next week on your vacation," Kendall finished.
"Vacation?" Sydney said, incredulously. ----- They really are going all out.-----
"Yes. A full, week-long, paid vacation. Happy birthday, Agent Bristow," Devlin said. His words were kind, but his tone still remained bland and professional. Sydney suddenly wished Vaughn was giving her the good news, along with one of his universal remedy smiles. Devlin, Kendall and Davenport all turned and walked back into his office.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," her father said. He kissed her quickly on the cheek, and then he disappeared behind the other men. Sydney's eyebrows finally came down from her hairline and she sighed. ----- What a birthday.----- Once the congratulations had stopped, Weiss offered to show her around all the parts of the Operation Center that she'd never seen and she happily agreed. Her motive was two-fold. Along with finally having the time to look at the agency, she'd worked for the past two year, she was also hoping Vaughn would be tucked into one of the corners.
"And this is my cubicle-type office thing. That is Vaughn's... well Vaughn's office. I'm not special enough, apparently," Weiss said, making a face. Sydney laughed. "I get nothing. I don't get promoted, I don't get the girl, hell I don't even get real scars." He pouted. Sydney laughed.
"You don't get fired," she offered. Weiss cracked a smile that droped a milisecond later.
"Yes, because Vaughn's new job is so harsh to him. I would never trade places with a guy who is in all our bosses' good books, despite having broken protocol, and be able to have free time, a raise and a gigantic new apartment," Weiss said. Sydney laughed again.
"Y'know, some people have to give up smoking. But you, you have to give up sarcasm, Weiss. I mean, even on the day of the takedown AND my birthday," she said. Weiss laughed.
"Yeah the big 3-0. How does it feel? No longer a youngin', you get to join us oldies at the after-hours elderly home now," he quipped. Sydney grinned. Weiss suddenly reached into his drawer and pulled something out. "And this is for you. Happy birthday." Sydney took the small package and grinned. She hugged Weiss.
"Thank you. You didn't have to," Sydney replied. ----- How great can a birthday get? And how many great handlers are there, because I certainly got two of them-----
"I know. Open it," Weiss replied, grinning. Sydney unwrapped the package and held the yo-yo in her hand, grinning from ear to ear.
"This is... perfection," Sydney said. Weiss laughed. Sydney grew serious and she fidgeted. "Weiss, where is Vaughn?"
"I knew that was coming," Weiss said. Sydney smiled and blushed. "I don't know. He asked to leave by 12:30 when this op was being planned, and never told anyone where he was going." He saw her face fall, and put a hand on her shoulder. "He's not an idiot, Sydney. Kendall practically told him that it was okay he could see you. It was... odd. Vaughn's not going to miss out on this for no reason. He'll show up." She nodded.
"I'm going to go home. See my friends, celebrate my 30th birthday, and the fact that.. well I'm done with being a double agent," she siad, attempting to lighten the mood.
"You deserve it so much, Syd," Weiss said. They grinned at each other and exchanged a hug, before she went home.
Sydney got home to discover a note lying on the kitchen.
"Syd. Call me when you get this note-- Fran." She did as the note told and called Francie. She looked at the window and was surprised to see nightfall approaching rapidly. She looked at the clock hanging in the kitchen, and saw that it was a little past 6:30 already.
"Hello?"
"Fran, it's me," Sydney replied. She could hear scuttle in the background and wondered what was going on. "Where are you, Francie?"
"I'm at the restaurant! Come here now!" Francie said.
"Fran, I've had the world's longest day. Can't you and Will just come home and we can celebrate my birthday in peace?" Sydney said, wearily.
"Well okay, Syd, I didn't want to tell you this. But we've organized a small... celebration of your birthday at the restaurant. Please come!" Francie begged.
"Fran... you didn't have to do that," she said.
"Please just come Sydney!" Francie pleaded. Sydney relented. ----- God wait until she finds out I have a week off.-----
"Okay. I'll be there in twenty minutes," she said. It was on her way to restaurant while she was driving that the thought of calling Vaughn on his cell phone finally struck her. She didn't have to worry about putting him in danger anymore. But something stopped her. She hadn't talked to him since Hong Kong, and she couldn't forget that Vaughn was well aware of the promises he had made before he'd left. Pride wouldn't let her call him, but something more stopped her. Fear of the fact that now that she was free, she wouldn't be allowed to have what she wanted the most. For nine, long hard months, she'd lived without seeing Michael Vaughn's beautiful face and heartstopping smile. And now, she finally had the chance to, and that face had vanished. ----- SD-6 may be gone, but lonely menopause is still an option.-----
She drummed her nails, and shook herself a bit, resolving to take her mind off Vaughn. It was her birthday, hell it was her day, and nothing----- not even the absense of perhaps the most important person in all of this----- was going to take that away. ----- So what's this little get together Francie suddenly organized?----- She had changed into black jeans and a turtleneck tank top and she regretted not bringing a jacket as she stepped out of the car in the restaurant's car park. It might have been April but a chilly wind still blew. She slammed the door of the car and entered the restaurant as covertly as possible. Either the thirty or so people inside had been watching the door like hawks-- and she suspected that was it-- or her spy skills had flown out the window the minute SD-6 had been brought down, because she was greeted by sixty eyes, thirty smiles and a deafening
"Happy Birthday, Sydney!" before she had even closed the door to the restaurant behind her.
"You guys, this is so great! Thank you so much," she said, grinning.
"Well, it's not every year you turn 30. Thank god," Will said. Everyone laughed, and soon the crowd dispersed into little groups while Syd wen taround thanking everyone for coming. She caught Francie's eye several times but both were too busy. She talked with Will and a few of his reporters friends talked, but Sydney was restless and she looked around at the other guests, wondering how Francie arranged this.
She grinned, making eye contact with some people she knew, but the smile slowly faded as she spied something in the corner.
Not something.
-----Someone.------
Everything flew out of her mind at that point of time. She forgot that about the party. She forgot that she had just taken down SD-6 and the Alliance that afternoon. She forgot it was her birthday. All she could think was that after 9 excruciating months, the moment she had waited for so long had finally come. She was free, and she was looking right at Michael Vaughn in public, for the first time. Her gaze was unwavering, full of unadulterated emotion. She took in the sight of him ----- which has never disappointed me before-----. His hair was sexily tousled, less orderly (if it ever was even a bit orderly) than when she used to see him at work. It was slightly shorter, giving it a spikier look. The rest of him looked, the same, just as good as ever. His lips had curved into a deliciously sexy smile, with no teeth, just a smug upturn into what almost seemed like a smirk. ----- I'll wipe that smirk of him, if it's the last think I have to do.----- He was dressed in a light, thin deep blue sweater and wore deep blue jeans underneath. She finally met his eyes, and she noticed they were shining like she'd never seen them before. Even in the dim light, all the way across the restaurant, she could see the green glint. She broke into a huge smile, and he returned it by flashing that heart-skipping lopsided grin of his. She began to make her way toward him, when she was pulled in the opposite direction. She turned around to see Francie attached to her arm.
"Francie..." she trailed, off wondering how she was going to explain him. ----- How the hell had HE explained him?-----
"If I let you go to him, I'm not going to be able to disturb you two and talk to you the rest of the night. And maybe even tomorrow morning," Francie said. Sydney blushed. ----- Leave it to Francie to get straight to the point.----- "So this is photo-frame guy. Michael Vaughn. Michael." They both turned to look at Vaughn, who upon seeing Sydney being held up with Francie had started a conversation with Amy Tippin and her boyfriend.
"Yeah. That's... Vaughn," she said, before she could catch her mistake.
"That is what you call him? Vaughn? Kind of sexy in a police-ish kind of way," Francie replied. They both exchanged a look and giggled.
"I don't know. It just became Vaughn. Never Michael. Or Mike," she said. ----- I wonder why that is.-----
"But he calls you Syd. Like we do. I mean, it sounds a lot nicer coming from him but..." Francie said. They both giggled again, and Sydney got the pleasant feeling that despite the crimson color of her face, this would be one of the best conversations she and Francie had ever had. It'd be the most truthful conversation they'd had in nine years, which on its own would rank it up there. But the fact that she was talking about Vaughn-- explaining Vaughn-- would just be a dream come true.
"Yeah I don't know. Vaughn works. Bristow really, really doesn't," Sydney said. ----- 'Bristow' never was Vaughn's style.-----
"Honey, from that mouth... anything works. More than anything. Everything works," Francie said. She hadn't taken her eyes off Vaughn while speaking about him and Syd began to wonder if that ravenous look meant competition. She started at Francie, staring at Vaughn, and was absolutely astounded that Vaughn didn't burst into flames. Francie's look was more than just friendly admiration.
"Francie... Fran!" she said. Francie jumped and finally turned to Sydney sheepishly. "Like what you see?" Francie laughed.
"I think it's impossible not to. And I've got to say, he made a pretty amazing first impression," she replied.
"Yeah about that. What exactly... was that impression?" Sydney said, unsurely. She didn't know what kind of cover story Vaughn had conconcted, and she didn't want to have to explain mismatching reasons.
"What do you mean?" Francie asked. ----- Uhh... Think Sydney, think. There's a lot of truth to this situation.-----
"Well I mean, how is he here at the party? How did you know to invite him? I haven't seen him for practically a year, but he's here. How'd you get a hold of him?" Sydney asked, keeping her questions vague enough. Francie looked at her strangely, and then suddenly her smile grew and her expression changed to one of utter joy. She giggled. "What?"
"God, Sydney you do work too hard. To let someone like that... and I mean, he's so open about it," Francie said, mystically.
"Fran, what are you talking about?" she said. Francie glanced over at Vaughn, like she had been doing through their conversation. She smiled knowingly, letting her gaze settle on him before turning and looking Sydney in the eye.
"Okay, let's start at the beginning. We had just finished lunch rush hour, when this gorgeous guy comes in through the door. Instead of waiting to be seated, he comes straight up to the bar where I'm at and says, 'You're Francie Calfo, right?' And I say yes, and look at him strangely. He goes 'I'm Michael Vaughn. I work, well I used to work, with Syd.' And the minute he said that, somehow I just knew. Maybe it was the way he said it, or the way he was smiling or something, but I just knew this guy was totally what you'd been holding out for all these years. Mysterious picture frame guy. I just knew it," Francie said. Sydney shot her a skeptical look and giggled.
"Fran, I told you this morning that 'picture frame guy' used to work with me. That's a pretty big clue right there," Sydney said. Francie shrugged, nonchalantly.
"You know me, Syd. Cute guy and all rational thoughts fly out the window," Francie said, matter-of-factly. Sydney grinned.
"Anyway, so he's introduced himself, and I'm thinking, 'Oh my god, Sydney's hot picture frame guy is standing in front of me. And me being me, instead of saying nice to meet you or even Syd's told me a lot about you, I go 'Sydney told me you guys haven't seen each other for nine months. What are you doing here?" Francie said, shaking her head ruefully. Sydney gasped and laughed.
"You're right about those rational throughts flying out the window," Sydney said. Francie shot her a mock glare before continuing.
"Well anyway, he just laughed and went 'Well yeah I guess I have some explaining to do'," Francie said. Sydney waited for her to continue but she didn't.
"And?" she pressed. Francie looked at her.
"And what?" she replied.
"What did he say?" Sydney said. Francie shrugged.
"Well, he explained." ----- Oh my god, save me now.----
"What did he explain, Francie?"
"What he was doing here, obviously."
"Which was..." Sydney said, getting frustrated. She looked over at Vaughn, who was still talking to Amy and her boyfriend. ----- We've been in the same room for over ten minutes after nine months, and I haven't even gotten within ten feet of him.----- She turned back to Francie to see her smirking. "What was he doing here Francie?" Francie's smirk flew into a grin.
"So he explains that he used to work with you, until about nine months ago. He said you guys hadn't seen each other in about nine months, but that you had kept up with what was going on. Sometime ago, it had been mentioned that I had opened this restaurant and he looked up where it is. He said that there was some sort of take over where you businesses would merge together and you two had made plans to meet up. Which you never told me," Francie said, accusingly.
"I did! This morning! I told you there was a conference and I might get to see him it it went right!" Sydney protested.
"You didn't tell me you made plans!" Francie shot back. Sydney faltered.
"I.. I didn't know how today was going to go at all. And yeah we talked about meeting up if... our divisions ever wound up merging, but that was so long ago..." Sydney said. Francie gave her a wry smile.
"I understand. Well I kind of don't but the important thing is he's here. Which is why I'm going to continue my story. So he talked about how you two were supposed to meet up today, and he said that well he'd had some thing planned out. And then-- this is my favorite part--," she said, and annuciated her next words. "He asks me whether he can reserve the restaurant. The whole restaurant. For tonight. And he takes out this wad of cash saying, 'Don't get the wrong impression about the money. I just know that to close your restaurant for a whole night means you lose a lot of revenue, so some of this is for that. You'll also have to do some of the things I can't, and this is for that.' He then asks me if I can cater, organize a guest list and host a party. Tonight. All expenses paid by him. For your birthday. Sydney, this is all him. He had everything planned to last detail. The location, the guest list, the food, that was me. The thought-- all him." Francie's smile widened and Sydney let her gaze rest on Vaughn. He was talking animatedly to Amy's boyfriend, his hands moving all over the place, face alight with enthusiasm and eyes calm with relaxation. He had never looked better.
"He did all this?" she asked. Francie nodded, enjoying her friend's shock. "I should have known. It's not the first time." Francie's eyebrows shot up.
"It's not?" she asked. Sydney turned around, with a wide eyed stare.
"Um, well, you saw that gift. It was beautiful," Sydney said. Francie nodded. ----- Vaughn deserves credit for more than just the picture frame.----- "And I told you that he and I kept in contact through a mutual friend, and he... I don't know. He always was just so good about it and..." she trailed off and looked at him.
"You know, I've seen that same look on someone else today too," Francie said, slyly. Sydney simply smiled and turned to look at Vaughn again. "Look at you, Sydney. This is a big deal isn't it? This guy's... special. I mean, you keep in contact for nine months, he gives you great presents and he throws you a birthday bash? This guy better be special."
----- Francie, you don't know how special.-----
"He is, Fran. God, he is," she said, sighing contentedly. Francie scrutinized.
"Are you sure you haven't seen him in nine months?"
"Of course! Why would I lie about that?" Sydney asked. She didn't want to mention the various ways Vaughn had come up with to communicate with her.
"You just... I don't know. It's hard to describe. But Sydney, you're practically glowing. At the fact that you get to see this guy. This doesn't happen with anyone. It happens.. like once in your lifetime, Syd. You haven't seen him in nine months and you look like the happiest girl in the world," Francie said. ----- Why does she sound so worried?-----
"Haven't you heard? Distance makes the heart fonder," she quipped. Francie smiled briefly.
"I'm serious. I know you said he's special. And I mean, I'm sure he is. But the way you are tonight... Syd. Do you realize how special he is? The fact that you haven't seen each other for nine months, that you haven't dated anyone in those nine months and even before, and this party... Syd, this isn't just a good guy," Francie pressed on. Sydney tore her gaze away from Vaughn.
"No, this isn't. He's so much more," Sydney said. It was on the tip of her tongue. It'd be so easy to say the words that had been running through her head for the past nine months to Francie. ----- I love him, Fran.-----
"You know that," Francie said, making sure. Sydney looked at her amusedly.
"Yeah, I do. Boy, talk about good first impressions," she quipped. Francie laughed.
"You should have seen me when he walked in. He comes up and asks for me, and I'm just like. my prayers have been answered. I've been sent a sex god. Turns out I was the wrong roommate," Francie said, wryly. Sydney laughed, then grew serious.
"Don't worry. Things... changed today. I know exactly how special he is," she said. Francie grinned.
"Okay, well I think it's about time the guest of honor met the actual host of the party," she said, and gave Sydney a slight push in Vaughn's direction.
Author's Note 2: Okay don't kill me. But as I said, when I wrote the first chapter, there was just something that I liked about the way it was written. And since I've been building upto it, Syd & Vaughn's reunion has gotta be forty times more special. So, I just need to get everything right. Don't kill me for the lack of S/Vness... I mean that last conversation with Syd & Fran was pretty chock full it yeah?... well all I can say is thank you for reading, and stay tuned.
Author: Annie
Rating: G
Timeline: Sometimes after "the Coup" but no real knowledge necessary. Just vague references. Anytime in Season One, I suppose.
Summary: "If she wasn't going to fight for love, then what were her grounds for wanting Vaughn in her life?" Sydney realizes some things are for secure, no matter what. S/V
Disclaimer: I seriously own nothing. Like seriously. You wouldn't believe.
Distribution: I'd be more than honored to have this anywhere. Just drop me a note.
Genre: Drama/ Romance It's not angst-y, but it's not fluff, I guess.
Author's Note: Okay, I'm evil and I like this story so much that I keep finding stuff to add. This chapter is actually pretty long so don't kill me. By the end, I think you will want to.
Previously:
"You've lost a lot of people Sydney. Your mother, me, Danny, your mother and me once again, Emily, Vaughn" Sydney's head snapped up. -----Whoa. Did he just say....?----- "and I hope that by the end of the day, you have two of us back," he said, looking her straight in the eye. The tears fell more rapidly, but a slow smile formed, redrawing their path, so thath the tears spilled over the apples of her cheeks, rather than dripping down the angle of her chin. "Know that no matter what, you'll have one of us." Sydney nodded, and slowly, tentatively embraced her father. He kissed her hair almost impercetibly, and pulled away.
"This is it," she said. He nodded, gave a brief, hopeful smile, took her hand and led her into the basement.
**********
She remained calm until 12:30. They had been sitting a few blocks away from SD-6 for about three hours, and the operation had commenced earlier than expected. The raid was approximately an hour away from wrapping up. Sloane had already been transfered to a holding cell, as had other members of SD-6 who had known the truth, awaiting further questioning. Marshall and Dixon, as well as some of her other associates, ahd been taken into protective custody for debriefing. Vaughn had actually directed the whole thing, managing all aspects. She had spend the past few hours listening to his soothing voice, call out commands and execute plans that would ultimately lead to her freedom. Her father sat next to her, listening along. Occasionally he would take her hand and squeeze it briefly. ----- He reminds me more than ever of Vaughn.----- Finally, as Sloane's arrest culminated, he took her hand and they both clung to each other, if only to keep from bursting out of the van. That had been an hour ago, and Jack Bristow still had his hand tightly clutching to his little girl's.
This was how he noticed when she was startled and 12:30. They had been listening into the CIA frequency, when all of a sudden Vaughn had surprised them.
"Base Ops, this is Boy Scout."
"Come in, Boy Scout."
"I'm signing off and handing control to Billy Bob." Sydney recognized Weiss' ridiculuous call sign. ----- Why is Vaughn giving control to Weiss?-----
"Copy that, Boy Scout. But one minute. Why exactly are leaving?" ----- Yeah come on Vaughn. Give me a reason not to freak out that you're not going to be here anymore.-----
"I have some loose ends to wrap up. Plus come on. There's practically nothing left. Even Weiss can't screw this up." Sydney laughed. To her surprise, Jack cracked a smile.
"Hey. You know I can hear this," Weiss voice came on. ----- No one can give it to Weiss like Vaughn can.-----Sydney could hear Vaughn laughing.
"Hey Base Ops, are the Bristows with you?" The officer monitoring the video and audio surveilance-- Agent Jeffries-- grunted a yes. "Can they hear me?"
"Yeah they can," Jeffries replied, sounding slightly wary. He emphasized the "they" for only Vaughn to hear, but both Bristows caught it. Jack shot Sydney a wryly amused look, and Sydney looked away, blushing.
"Congratulations, you two. You more than deserve it," Vaughn's voice said, more sincere than she had ever heard it. His tone was soft, caressing like she'd heard it many times. It was full of a respect that she realized was not only for her father, but her as well. She looked at Jack, who had a thin, content smile on her face and realized that was the first time she had ever seen him look like this. Vaughn's final words caught her by surprise as he switched off his comm. link. "You're free."
And just like that she realized she was.
*****
To her disappointment, Vaughn was nowhere to be found when she was finally allowed to enter the Credit Dauphine building, at about 2 pm. She walked around the ruins, feeling bad for calling them that bit realizing that was indeed what they were. There were bullet holes, that crumbled several walls. Many desks were overturned, and dust and the smell of freshly fired bullets still burnt the air. File cabinets had been emptied and overturned, and she spotted her old desk. She reached into the fourth drawer, pulled out the false bottom and extracted a picture frame. All the other contents of the desk would be awaiting her on her CIA desk. She turned the picture frame and smiled at a 6-year-old Sydney sitting on her father's shoulders. She broke into a grin and reached into her pocket. She extracted her SD-6 phone, dropped it on the ground and stepped on it. She was free.
She stepped out of the building, and taking a deep breath, slid into the car her father was driving. They reached the garage of the CIA Operations center and she stepped, grinning widely at her father. ----Vaughn, you better be here.----- She walked in to be barraged by a number of people shouting congratulations at her and her father, shaking their hands. Weiss even went so far as to pull her up into a huge hug, one she returned gladly especially after he whispered, "Bristow, you're fired. Or I'm fired. Either way works out." Davenport, Devlin, and Kendall, a new guy who had become Deputy Director, congratulated her as well. They pulled her away from the crowd, and her father followed.
"We understand that your thoughts on continuing with the Agency may be conflicting at this point in time," Kendall said. Sydney nodded. "So we would like to offer you a week to consider your options. We cannot stress enough the value of an agent as strong as you are. In addition to that strength, you have good working relationships with your father and Agent Weiss, and obviously share a good comraderie with Agent Vaughn, who I can say will probably get the chance to work with you again." ----- Is Kendall bribing me with Vaughn? This day cannot get any weirder.----- "Plus the added bonus of the fact that you've worked with several former SD-6 agents. Upon their recruitment to the CIA, you would be able to help them settle in. So as you can see, our motives for keeping you here are plentiful. Hopefully, you consider all apsects of this decision carefully over the next week on your vacation," Kendall finished.
"Vacation?" Sydney said, incredulously. ----- They really are going all out.-----
"Yes. A full, week-long, paid vacation. Happy birthday, Agent Bristow," Devlin said. His words were kind, but his tone still remained bland and professional. Sydney suddenly wished Vaughn was giving her the good news, along with one of his universal remedy smiles. Devlin, Kendall and Davenport all turned and walked back into his office.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," her father said. He kissed her quickly on the cheek, and then he disappeared behind the other men. Sydney's eyebrows finally came down from her hairline and she sighed. ----- What a birthday.----- Once the congratulations had stopped, Weiss offered to show her around all the parts of the Operation Center that she'd never seen and she happily agreed. Her motive was two-fold. Along with finally having the time to look at the agency, she'd worked for the past two year, she was also hoping Vaughn would be tucked into one of the corners.
"And this is my cubicle-type office thing. That is Vaughn's... well Vaughn's office. I'm not special enough, apparently," Weiss said, making a face. Sydney laughed. "I get nothing. I don't get promoted, I don't get the girl, hell I don't even get real scars." He pouted. Sydney laughed.
"You don't get fired," she offered. Weiss cracked a smile that droped a milisecond later.
"Yes, because Vaughn's new job is so harsh to him. I would never trade places with a guy who is in all our bosses' good books, despite having broken protocol, and be able to have free time, a raise and a gigantic new apartment," Weiss said. Sydney laughed again.
"Y'know, some people have to give up smoking. But you, you have to give up sarcasm, Weiss. I mean, even on the day of the takedown AND my birthday," she said. Weiss laughed.
"Yeah the big 3-0. How does it feel? No longer a youngin', you get to join us oldies at the after-hours elderly home now," he quipped. Sydney grinned. Weiss suddenly reached into his drawer and pulled something out. "And this is for you. Happy birthday." Sydney took the small package and grinned. She hugged Weiss.
"Thank you. You didn't have to," Sydney replied. ----- How great can a birthday get? And how many great handlers are there, because I certainly got two of them-----
"I know. Open it," Weiss replied, grinning. Sydney unwrapped the package and held the yo-yo in her hand, grinning from ear to ear.
"This is... perfection," Sydney said. Weiss laughed. Sydney grew serious and she fidgeted. "Weiss, where is Vaughn?"
"I knew that was coming," Weiss said. Sydney smiled and blushed. "I don't know. He asked to leave by 12:30 when this op was being planned, and never told anyone where he was going." He saw her face fall, and put a hand on her shoulder. "He's not an idiot, Sydney. Kendall practically told him that it was okay he could see you. It was... odd. Vaughn's not going to miss out on this for no reason. He'll show up." She nodded.
"I'm going to go home. See my friends, celebrate my 30th birthday, and the fact that.. well I'm done with being a double agent," she siad, attempting to lighten the mood.
"You deserve it so much, Syd," Weiss said. They grinned at each other and exchanged a hug, before she went home.
Sydney got home to discover a note lying on the kitchen.
"Syd. Call me when you get this note-- Fran." She did as the note told and called Francie. She looked at the window and was surprised to see nightfall approaching rapidly. She looked at the clock hanging in the kitchen, and saw that it was a little past 6:30 already.
"Hello?"
"Fran, it's me," Sydney replied. She could hear scuttle in the background and wondered what was going on. "Where are you, Francie?"
"I'm at the restaurant! Come here now!" Francie said.
"Fran, I've had the world's longest day. Can't you and Will just come home and we can celebrate my birthday in peace?" Sydney said, wearily.
"Well okay, Syd, I didn't want to tell you this. But we've organized a small... celebration of your birthday at the restaurant. Please come!" Francie begged.
"Fran... you didn't have to do that," she said.
"Please just come Sydney!" Francie pleaded. Sydney relented. ----- God wait until she finds out I have a week off.-----
"Okay. I'll be there in twenty minutes," she said. It was on her way to restaurant while she was driving that the thought of calling Vaughn on his cell phone finally struck her. She didn't have to worry about putting him in danger anymore. But something stopped her. She hadn't talked to him since Hong Kong, and she couldn't forget that Vaughn was well aware of the promises he had made before he'd left. Pride wouldn't let her call him, but something more stopped her. Fear of the fact that now that she was free, she wouldn't be allowed to have what she wanted the most. For nine, long hard months, she'd lived without seeing Michael Vaughn's beautiful face and heartstopping smile. And now, she finally had the chance to, and that face had vanished. ----- SD-6 may be gone, but lonely menopause is still an option.-----
She drummed her nails, and shook herself a bit, resolving to take her mind off Vaughn. It was her birthday, hell it was her day, and nothing----- not even the absense of perhaps the most important person in all of this----- was going to take that away. ----- So what's this little get together Francie suddenly organized?----- She had changed into black jeans and a turtleneck tank top and she regretted not bringing a jacket as she stepped out of the car in the restaurant's car park. It might have been April but a chilly wind still blew. She slammed the door of the car and entered the restaurant as covertly as possible. Either the thirty or so people inside had been watching the door like hawks-- and she suspected that was it-- or her spy skills had flown out the window the minute SD-6 had been brought down, because she was greeted by sixty eyes, thirty smiles and a deafening
"Happy Birthday, Sydney!" before she had even closed the door to the restaurant behind her.
"You guys, this is so great! Thank you so much," she said, grinning.
"Well, it's not every year you turn 30. Thank god," Will said. Everyone laughed, and soon the crowd dispersed into little groups while Syd wen taround thanking everyone for coming. She caught Francie's eye several times but both were too busy. She talked with Will and a few of his reporters friends talked, but Sydney was restless and she looked around at the other guests, wondering how Francie arranged this.
She grinned, making eye contact with some people she knew, but the smile slowly faded as she spied something in the corner.
Not something.
-----Someone.------
Everything flew out of her mind at that point of time. She forgot that about the party. She forgot that she had just taken down SD-6 and the Alliance that afternoon. She forgot it was her birthday. All she could think was that after 9 excruciating months, the moment she had waited for so long had finally come. She was free, and she was looking right at Michael Vaughn in public, for the first time. Her gaze was unwavering, full of unadulterated emotion. She took in the sight of him ----- which has never disappointed me before-----. His hair was sexily tousled, less orderly (if it ever was even a bit orderly) than when she used to see him at work. It was slightly shorter, giving it a spikier look. The rest of him looked, the same, just as good as ever. His lips had curved into a deliciously sexy smile, with no teeth, just a smug upturn into what almost seemed like a smirk. ----- I'll wipe that smirk of him, if it's the last think I have to do.----- He was dressed in a light, thin deep blue sweater and wore deep blue jeans underneath. She finally met his eyes, and she noticed they were shining like she'd never seen them before. Even in the dim light, all the way across the restaurant, she could see the green glint. She broke into a huge smile, and he returned it by flashing that heart-skipping lopsided grin of his. She began to make her way toward him, when she was pulled in the opposite direction. She turned around to see Francie attached to her arm.
"Francie..." she trailed, off wondering how she was going to explain him. ----- How the hell had HE explained him?-----
"If I let you go to him, I'm not going to be able to disturb you two and talk to you the rest of the night. And maybe even tomorrow morning," Francie said. Sydney blushed. ----- Leave it to Francie to get straight to the point.----- "So this is photo-frame guy. Michael Vaughn. Michael." They both turned to look at Vaughn, who upon seeing Sydney being held up with Francie had started a conversation with Amy Tippin and her boyfriend.
"Yeah. That's... Vaughn," she said, before she could catch her mistake.
"That is what you call him? Vaughn? Kind of sexy in a police-ish kind of way," Francie replied. They both exchanged a look and giggled.
"I don't know. It just became Vaughn. Never Michael. Or Mike," she said. ----- I wonder why that is.-----
"But he calls you Syd. Like we do. I mean, it sounds a lot nicer coming from him but..." Francie said. They both giggled again, and Sydney got the pleasant feeling that despite the crimson color of her face, this would be one of the best conversations she and Francie had ever had. It'd be the most truthful conversation they'd had in nine years, which on its own would rank it up there. But the fact that she was talking about Vaughn-- explaining Vaughn-- would just be a dream come true.
"Yeah I don't know. Vaughn works. Bristow really, really doesn't," Sydney said. ----- 'Bristow' never was Vaughn's style.-----
"Honey, from that mouth... anything works. More than anything. Everything works," Francie said. She hadn't taken her eyes off Vaughn while speaking about him and Syd began to wonder if that ravenous look meant competition. She started at Francie, staring at Vaughn, and was absolutely astounded that Vaughn didn't burst into flames. Francie's look was more than just friendly admiration.
"Francie... Fran!" she said. Francie jumped and finally turned to Sydney sheepishly. "Like what you see?" Francie laughed.
"I think it's impossible not to. And I've got to say, he made a pretty amazing first impression," she replied.
"Yeah about that. What exactly... was that impression?" Sydney said, unsurely. She didn't know what kind of cover story Vaughn had conconcted, and she didn't want to have to explain mismatching reasons.
"What do you mean?" Francie asked. ----- Uhh... Think Sydney, think. There's a lot of truth to this situation.-----
"Well I mean, how is he here at the party? How did you know to invite him? I haven't seen him for practically a year, but he's here. How'd you get a hold of him?" Sydney asked, keeping her questions vague enough. Francie looked at her strangely, and then suddenly her smile grew and her expression changed to one of utter joy. She giggled. "What?"
"God, Sydney you do work too hard. To let someone like that... and I mean, he's so open about it," Francie said, mystically.
"Fran, what are you talking about?" she said. Francie glanced over at Vaughn, like she had been doing through their conversation. She smiled knowingly, letting her gaze settle on him before turning and looking Sydney in the eye.
"Okay, let's start at the beginning. We had just finished lunch rush hour, when this gorgeous guy comes in through the door. Instead of waiting to be seated, he comes straight up to the bar where I'm at and says, 'You're Francie Calfo, right?' And I say yes, and look at him strangely. He goes 'I'm Michael Vaughn. I work, well I used to work, with Syd.' And the minute he said that, somehow I just knew. Maybe it was the way he said it, or the way he was smiling or something, but I just knew this guy was totally what you'd been holding out for all these years. Mysterious picture frame guy. I just knew it," Francie said. Sydney shot her a skeptical look and giggled.
"Fran, I told you this morning that 'picture frame guy' used to work with me. That's a pretty big clue right there," Sydney said. Francie shrugged, nonchalantly.
"You know me, Syd. Cute guy and all rational thoughts fly out the window," Francie said, matter-of-factly. Sydney grinned.
"Anyway, so he's introduced himself, and I'm thinking, 'Oh my god, Sydney's hot picture frame guy is standing in front of me. And me being me, instead of saying nice to meet you or even Syd's told me a lot about you, I go 'Sydney told me you guys haven't seen each other for nine months. What are you doing here?" Francie said, shaking her head ruefully. Sydney gasped and laughed.
"You're right about those rational throughts flying out the window," Sydney said. Francie shot her a mock glare before continuing.
"Well anyway, he just laughed and went 'Well yeah I guess I have some explaining to do'," Francie said. Sydney waited for her to continue but she didn't.
"And?" she pressed. Francie looked at her.
"And what?" she replied.
"What did he say?" Sydney said. Francie shrugged.
"Well, he explained." ----- Oh my god, save me now.----
"What did he explain, Francie?"
"What he was doing here, obviously."
"Which was..." Sydney said, getting frustrated. She looked over at Vaughn, who was still talking to Amy and her boyfriend. ----- We've been in the same room for over ten minutes after nine months, and I haven't even gotten within ten feet of him.----- She turned back to Francie to see her smirking. "What was he doing here Francie?" Francie's smirk flew into a grin.
"So he explains that he used to work with you, until about nine months ago. He said you guys hadn't seen each other in about nine months, but that you had kept up with what was going on. Sometime ago, it had been mentioned that I had opened this restaurant and he looked up where it is. He said that there was some sort of take over where you businesses would merge together and you two had made plans to meet up. Which you never told me," Francie said, accusingly.
"I did! This morning! I told you there was a conference and I might get to see him it it went right!" Sydney protested.
"You didn't tell me you made plans!" Francie shot back. Sydney faltered.
"I.. I didn't know how today was going to go at all. And yeah we talked about meeting up if... our divisions ever wound up merging, but that was so long ago..." Sydney said. Francie gave her a wry smile.
"I understand. Well I kind of don't but the important thing is he's here. Which is why I'm going to continue my story. So he talked about how you two were supposed to meet up today, and he said that well he'd had some thing planned out. And then-- this is my favorite part--," she said, and annuciated her next words. "He asks me whether he can reserve the restaurant. The whole restaurant. For tonight. And he takes out this wad of cash saying, 'Don't get the wrong impression about the money. I just know that to close your restaurant for a whole night means you lose a lot of revenue, so some of this is for that. You'll also have to do some of the things I can't, and this is for that.' He then asks me if I can cater, organize a guest list and host a party. Tonight. All expenses paid by him. For your birthday. Sydney, this is all him. He had everything planned to last detail. The location, the guest list, the food, that was me. The thought-- all him." Francie's smile widened and Sydney let her gaze rest on Vaughn. He was talking animatedly to Amy's boyfriend, his hands moving all over the place, face alight with enthusiasm and eyes calm with relaxation. He had never looked better.
"He did all this?" she asked. Francie nodded, enjoying her friend's shock. "I should have known. It's not the first time." Francie's eyebrows shot up.
"It's not?" she asked. Sydney turned around, with a wide eyed stare.
"Um, well, you saw that gift. It was beautiful," Sydney said. Francie nodded. ----- Vaughn deserves credit for more than just the picture frame.----- "And I told you that he and I kept in contact through a mutual friend, and he... I don't know. He always was just so good about it and..." she trailed off and looked at him.
"You know, I've seen that same look on someone else today too," Francie said, slyly. Sydney simply smiled and turned to look at Vaughn again. "Look at you, Sydney. This is a big deal isn't it? This guy's... special. I mean, you keep in contact for nine months, he gives you great presents and he throws you a birthday bash? This guy better be special."
----- Francie, you don't know how special.-----
"He is, Fran. God, he is," she said, sighing contentedly. Francie scrutinized.
"Are you sure you haven't seen him in nine months?"
"Of course! Why would I lie about that?" Sydney asked. She didn't want to mention the various ways Vaughn had come up with to communicate with her.
"You just... I don't know. It's hard to describe. But Sydney, you're practically glowing. At the fact that you get to see this guy. This doesn't happen with anyone. It happens.. like once in your lifetime, Syd. You haven't seen him in nine months and you look like the happiest girl in the world," Francie said. ----- Why does she sound so worried?-----
"Haven't you heard? Distance makes the heart fonder," she quipped. Francie smiled briefly.
"I'm serious. I know you said he's special. And I mean, I'm sure he is. But the way you are tonight... Syd. Do you realize how special he is? The fact that you haven't seen each other for nine months, that you haven't dated anyone in those nine months and even before, and this party... Syd, this isn't just a good guy," Francie pressed on. Sydney tore her gaze away from Vaughn.
"No, this isn't. He's so much more," Sydney said. It was on the tip of her tongue. It'd be so easy to say the words that had been running through her head for the past nine months to Francie. ----- I love him, Fran.-----
"You know that," Francie said, making sure. Sydney looked at her amusedly.
"Yeah, I do. Boy, talk about good first impressions," she quipped. Francie laughed.
"You should have seen me when he walked in. He comes up and asks for me, and I'm just like. my prayers have been answered. I've been sent a sex god. Turns out I was the wrong roommate," Francie said, wryly. Sydney laughed, then grew serious.
"Don't worry. Things... changed today. I know exactly how special he is," she said. Francie grinned.
"Okay, well I think it's about time the guest of honor met the actual host of the party," she said, and gave Sydney a slight push in Vaughn's direction.
Author's Note 2: Okay don't kill me. But as I said, when I wrote the first chapter, there was just something that I liked about the way it was written. And since I've been building upto it, Syd & Vaughn's reunion has gotta be forty times more special. So, I just need to get everything right. Don't kill me for the lack of S/Vness... I mean that last conversation with Syd & Fran was pretty chock full it yeah?... well all I can say is thank you for reading, and stay tuned.