Chapter 34: Sleeping Beauty Wakes
The slight movement on the bed jerked Sark awake. It took him a moment to realize that he had laid his head down on Sydney's bed and fallen asleep. His eyes wandered to Sydney's face looked into a pair of eyes that were very much open. He was further surprised when she gave him a tentative smile and said, "Hello."
"You're awake!" Sark said stating the obvious. He looked down realizing that he was holding her hand. Releasing her hand quickly he wondered why she had permitted such an intimacy. She must have just woken up.
Sark tried to stand but was stopped by Sydney, who grabbed his hand, forcing him to stay in place.
"Please, don't go!" Sydney pleaded. There was panicked confusion in her eyes.
It was the please that alerted Sark that something was seriously wrong. 'Please' was not included in her vocabulary when it came to him. It also wasn't like Sydney to allow her emotions to show openly, she'd always been so guarded around him.
"Please, just sit with me for a while." Sydney requested pulling him closer to her. She winced at the pain that shot through her head and body at her exertion of force.
"Don't move, the pain will recede in a few minutes. Sydney, do you remember what happened?" Sark asked accidentally allowing her real name to slip out.
"Sy.dney, Sydney." Sydney repeated testing out the name as if for the first time in her life.
"What do you remember?" Sark asked firmly. He realized that he only had a few minutes alone with her before Dr. Hawthorne would be notified that Sydney was awake. If Sydney had lost parts of her memory then there were going to be a lot of problems. He pressed a little device in his pocket to block out the cameras and any listening devices within the room.
Sydney looked like she was about to cry. Fear and panic became more prominent in her face. "I..it..I don't remember.it's blank, I can't remember anything!" She held onto his hand tightly as if afraid that he would disappear if she let go.
Sark realized that the situation was worse then he'd predicted. This was the last thing he needed right now. "You hit your head; it's natural that you won't remember everything." He said distractedly, quickly planning what he was going to do.
Sydney was confused at Sark's coldness but she dismissed it as something came into focus. "Bristow! Sydney Bristow, that's my name!" She cried out excitedly. When she saw the lack of expression on his face she faltered. "Isn't it?
"Sarah Radcliff." Sark said clearing his throat. "Your name is Sarah Radcliff." Said Sark deciding that maintaining their cover was more important then getting Sydney's memories back, at least for the moment.
"Sarah, the why did you call me Sydney?" Sydney asked confused.
"Sydney is my nickname for you." Sark explained. He knew that it was going to be very difficult getting Sydney to remember the truth when everyone would be feeding her information based on her alias of Sarah Radcliff. He was going to bank on the fact that the amnesia was temporary and her memories would return without prompting. There were cameras everywhere including the room they were currently occupying. He was going to have to walk a fine line in providing enough information to Sydney but not giving enough to blow their cover.
"Oh!" She breathed happily. She quirked her head to the side and gave him a breathtaking smile. "Are we close?" She asked inquisitively, she felt a connection to him and he had been holding her hand when she had woken up.
"Close?" Sark repeated not knowing what to say. She was flirting with him! Sydney Bristow, the agent that would profess her hatred of him one moment, then pretend to be his friend the next, and then ignore his existence until it suited her needs, was coming on to him. Sark immediately raised his guard, the last time this had happened, he had been injected with a mind altering virus.
"You were holding my hand when I woke up, are we you know." Sydney said blushing. She was as easy to read as a billboard, the hopeful yearning look on her face was clear and unfeigned.
"I'm your lawyer." Sark said thrown off balance at the question and her evident trust in him. He realized that he could use it to his advantage.
"Oh!" Sydney exclaimed disappointment showing clearly on her face.
"But we're close friends." Sark said quickly stressing the word close. If he was going to make this work, he had to make sure that Sydney trusted him and only him.
Sydney smiled. Then the smile faded as she realized that she didn't know his name.
"Aiden, Aiden King." Sark said reading her expression.
"And you're British?"
"When it suites me." Sark answered teasing her.
"Do I like you?" She retorted in response to the teasing.
"Depends on what day you ask." He replied half truthfully.
"And do I have a nickname for you?" Sydney flirted.
"Sark, your nickname for me is Sark." He flirted back ignoring the internal warning bells that were ringing madly. He knew that he would pay for it once Sydney's memories returned. He rationalized it as his ploy to get her to trust him implicitly.
"Sark. I like it. It suits you." She complimented.
"I am glad that you approve." Sark said sarcastically as his mouth curved into his usual smirk.
Sydney's eyes widened as images of Sark smirking flashed through her consciousness. Then as quickly as they came, they disappeared. She groaned frustrated and rubbed her temples. "I remember seeing you before but the images came so fast. I feel like my head is going to explode!"
She closed her eyes and the lines formed above her nose alerted Sark that she was in intense pain. She looked so vulnerable and helpless that he had to look away. He backed away quietly and his instincts told him to leave the room. He was halfway to the door when she called out his name.
"Sark!"
"Yes, Sydney." He didn't turn around.
"Stay with me, I feel safe with you're here." The request was simple, direct, and devoid of all artifice.
It made a direct hit to Sark's conscience. For the first time in years Sark was going to do something he didn't want to do. He was going to force Sydney to remember all the pain and complexities of her current life. She was going to have to relive every atrocity that had happened to her as her memories returned. He was going to teach her to hide her emotions until even he wouldn't be able to see them.
Sark turned to look at her before delivering his first lesson. "You shouldn't feel safe with me, you're not safe anywhere. Don't trust anyone Sydney, not even me!" Sark left before she would reply.
The slight movement on the bed jerked Sark awake. It took him a moment to realize that he had laid his head down on Sydney's bed and fallen asleep. His eyes wandered to Sydney's face looked into a pair of eyes that were very much open. He was further surprised when she gave him a tentative smile and said, "Hello."
"You're awake!" Sark said stating the obvious. He looked down realizing that he was holding her hand. Releasing her hand quickly he wondered why she had permitted such an intimacy. She must have just woken up.
Sark tried to stand but was stopped by Sydney, who grabbed his hand, forcing him to stay in place.
"Please, don't go!" Sydney pleaded. There was panicked confusion in her eyes.
It was the please that alerted Sark that something was seriously wrong. 'Please' was not included in her vocabulary when it came to him. It also wasn't like Sydney to allow her emotions to show openly, she'd always been so guarded around him.
"Please, just sit with me for a while." Sydney requested pulling him closer to her. She winced at the pain that shot through her head and body at her exertion of force.
"Don't move, the pain will recede in a few minutes. Sydney, do you remember what happened?" Sark asked accidentally allowing her real name to slip out.
"Sy.dney, Sydney." Sydney repeated testing out the name as if for the first time in her life.
"What do you remember?" Sark asked firmly. He realized that he only had a few minutes alone with her before Dr. Hawthorne would be notified that Sydney was awake. If Sydney had lost parts of her memory then there were going to be a lot of problems. He pressed a little device in his pocket to block out the cameras and any listening devices within the room.
Sydney looked like she was about to cry. Fear and panic became more prominent in her face. "I..it..I don't remember.it's blank, I can't remember anything!" She held onto his hand tightly as if afraid that he would disappear if she let go.
Sark realized that the situation was worse then he'd predicted. This was the last thing he needed right now. "You hit your head; it's natural that you won't remember everything." He said distractedly, quickly planning what he was going to do.
Sydney was confused at Sark's coldness but she dismissed it as something came into focus. "Bristow! Sydney Bristow, that's my name!" She cried out excitedly. When she saw the lack of expression on his face she faltered. "Isn't it?
"Sarah Radcliff." Sark said clearing his throat. "Your name is Sarah Radcliff." Said Sark deciding that maintaining their cover was more important then getting Sydney's memories back, at least for the moment.
"Sarah, the why did you call me Sydney?" Sydney asked confused.
"Sydney is my nickname for you." Sark explained. He knew that it was going to be very difficult getting Sydney to remember the truth when everyone would be feeding her information based on her alias of Sarah Radcliff. He was going to bank on the fact that the amnesia was temporary and her memories would return without prompting. There were cameras everywhere including the room they were currently occupying. He was going to have to walk a fine line in providing enough information to Sydney but not giving enough to blow their cover.
"Oh!" She breathed happily. She quirked her head to the side and gave him a breathtaking smile. "Are we close?" She asked inquisitively, she felt a connection to him and he had been holding her hand when she had woken up.
"Close?" Sark repeated not knowing what to say. She was flirting with him! Sydney Bristow, the agent that would profess her hatred of him one moment, then pretend to be his friend the next, and then ignore his existence until it suited her needs, was coming on to him. Sark immediately raised his guard, the last time this had happened, he had been injected with a mind altering virus.
"You were holding my hand when I woke up, are we you know." Sydney said blushing. She was as easy to read as a billboard, the hopeful yearning look on her face was clear and unfeigned.
"I'm your lawyer." Sark said thrown off balance at the question and her evident trust in him. He realized that he could use it to his advantage.
"Oh!" Sydney exclaimed disappointment showing clearly on her face.
"But we're close friends." Sark said quickly stressing the word close. If he was going to make this work, he had to make sure that Sydney trusted him and only him.
Sydney smiled. Then the smile faded as she realized that she didn't know his name.
"Aiden, Aiden King." Sark said reading her expression.
"And you're British?"
"When it suites me." Sark answered teasing her.
"Do I like you?" She retorted in response to the teasing.
"Depends on what day you ask." He replied half truthfully.
"And do I have a nickname for you?" Sydney flirted.
"Sark, your nickname for me is Sark." He flirted back ignoring the internal warning bells that were ringing madly. He knew that he would pay for it once Sydney's memories returned. He rationalized it as his ploy to get her to trust him implicitly.
"Sark. I like it. It suits you." She complimented.
"I am glad that you approve." Sark said sarcastically as his mouth curved into his usual smirk.
Sydney's eyes widened as images of Sark smirking flashed through her consciousness. Then as quickly as they came, they disappeared. She groaned frustrated and rubbed her temples. "I remember seeing you before but the images came so fast. I feel like my head is going to explode!"
She closed her eyes and the lines formed above her nose alerted Sark that she was in intense pain. She looked so vulnerable and helpless that he had to look away. He backed away quietly and his instincts told him to leave the room. He was halfway to the door when she called out his name.
"Sark!"
"Yes, Sydney." He didn't turn around.
"Stay with me, I feel safe with you're here." The request was simple, direct, and devoid of all artifice.
It made a direct hit to Sark's conscience. For the first time in years Sark was going to do something he didn't want to do. He was going to force Sydney to remember all the pain and complexities of her current life. She was going to have to relive every atrocity that had happened to her as her memories returned. He was going to teach her to hide her emotions until even he wouldn't be able to see them.
Sark turned to look at her before delivering his first lesson. "You shouldn't feel safe with me, you're not safe anywhere. Don't trust anyone Sydney, not even me!" Sark left before she would reply.
