Expect The Unexpected
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone here except Amanda and the anonymous baby (who will eventually get a name, just not yet!). _____________________________________________________________________________________
"You'd name a kid after your *mother*?" Vaughn cries.
"No! You don't understand!" Sydney tries to explain.
"What's to understand? Are you crazy?" he yells.
"Vaughn! Just listen to me! Please, just listen!"
He sighs and becomes silent.
"Not after my mother as we know her now. After the mother I lost when I was six years old," she tells him. "When I was little, she seemed like the perfect mother. I *did* lose my mother, Vaughn. She's not my mother now, she an international terrorist."
"You're referring to Laura Bristow, not Irina Derevko," he says, shifting his eyes guiltily.
"Right. I loved my mother. Irina Derevko is still biologically my mother, but it's not the same."
Vaughn thinks of something and studies her for a few moments.
"This isn't going to stop you," he says.
Sydney shakes her head.
"No. It's not."
******************************************************************************************
Amanda sits at her desk looking over reports and wondering why Michael ran out so fast the night before. He still hasn't told her.
She picks up a folder with the name Sydney Bristow on it and for a moment just stares. Then she opens it and quickly skims over the contents.
Her mother contacted her? That must be why Michael left! He must have talked to her!
She is so caught up in the report that she doesn't hear the woman approach her desk.
"Amanda?"
She looks up quickly.
"Sydney! Um, I was just…what is it?" She puts the folder aside.
"I wondered if you'd found the report yet. It'll have to be updated soon, Kendall sent a team to Moscow to look for Derevko. They won't find her though," Sydney says uncomfortably.
"Yeah, I just found it." She wonders why Sydney is standing in front of her desk making small talk.
"I want to talk to you," she says as if reading Amanda's mind. "Could you join me for lunch?"
Amanda glances at her watch and realizes it's 11:30.
"Um, yeah, I could do that."
"Noon at that little place that just opened down the street okay?"
"Yeah. Sure."
"Thanks." Sydney abruptly turns and walks away.
She seems nervous, Amanda notes for a change.
Amanda arrives at the restaurant ten minutes early to find Sydney already there. Her back is to the door, and Amanda notices again how nervous she seems. But she also has a definite purpose in mind, she adds to her analysis.
Sydney looks up from a cup of black coffee as Amanda sits down across from her at the table and both women smile nervously.
"Let's order, then we'll talk," Sydney suggests.
They both order light, small meals.
"Okay," Amanda says, oddly enjoying having the upper hand for once, "What's going on?"
Sydney takes a deep breath and begins.
"You read the report? About my mother's call and how she told me the baby was a girl and she's okay? Well, I want to find her. So does Vaughn. But the CIA will never go for it. It's personal interest, the intell has no value to them. We're going to have to do this on our own. And I want you to help."
Amanda stops with a bite of salad halfway to her mouth and stares at Sydney.
"I know this is awkward," Sydney says quickly. "And Vaughn doesn't even know I'm talking to you."
"This is more than awkward," Amanda mutters.
"I know. Look, believe it or not, I'm not doing this to rub the fact that this is Vaughn's child in your face. I just think you deserve to know what's going on, and I should be the one to tell you. I feel like I should at least offer you the chance to be a part of all this, even if you don't want to be. Between the three of us, we can find her, I'm sure of it! I want to find her, and I'm asking you for help." Sydney's voice shakes badly. "You can say no if you want. I'll understand. This is hard for all of us."
"Whoa. I…I want to help, if I can," Amanda says slowly. She smiles slightly. "How are we going to tell Michael we went over his head on this?"
Sydney manages a small smile.
"I'll tell him. I'm sure he'll agree you deserve to know what's going on," she says.
"Any ideas where to start?" Amanda asks, changing the subject slightly.
"Adoption agencies," Sydney says quickly. She's been considering this for a while. "I want to start with US agencies, but I don't really know where to look. If I knew where I've been, I'd have some idea where to start, may be."
"When's your next session? You can ask Barnett specifically to take you through some of that."
"I have a session this afternoon, actually. Regression."
Amanda nods and pretends to check her watch.
"I better get going. I've got a lot of stuff to do."
Sydney plays along.
"I better get back too. I'll talk to Vaughn as soon as I see him," she says.
Sydney slightly regrets telling Vaughn he could come to her session as she is hooked up to the monitors. She has asked Barnett to take her through the time right after she disappeared to find out who took her. She's told Barnett that she keeps having a nightmare that she can't ever remember when she wakes up. This is partially true. She has trouble sleeping and she often wakes up in a cold sweat or breathing hard. But she has no indication of actually having a nightmare.
Barnett takes her under and begins asking questions.
"Sydney, where are you?"
"A building. A basement, or a warehouse," Sydney says tonelessly.
"Is there anyone there with you?"
"Sloane." There is venom in her voice.
"Anyone else?"
"Sark was here, but he's gone."
"Are you bound in any way?"
"There is a single chair in the empty room. I'm tied to it, and my wrists are tied behind me."
"Have they hurt you?"
"Not yet. No! No!" Sydney screams suddenly.
"Sydney, you are safe. They can't hurt you anymore. What is happening?"
"He's injected me with something. He says something." Sydney pauses. "He says, 'I can't have you remembering any of this.' "
"Any of what?"
"I…I can't remember. I blacked out."
"What's the next thing you remember?"
Tears stream down her face.
"My mother. She's standing over me. I can feel that I'm not bound to the chair anymore, but my wrists are still tied behind my back."
"Does she say anything?"
"She asks how I feel. She doesn't say why. I won't answer."
"Where are you now?"
"I don't know. It's different. I'm lying on a couch."
"Does she say anything else?"
"She says I'll have to stay for a while. She unties me and lets me eat something. I'm hungry, I don't know how long it's been since I've eaten." A pained expression shoots across her face.
"How long have you been there?"
"I don't know. She keeps giving me some kind of sedative. I'm always too tired to fight."
"What else do you remember?"
"The next thing is her telling me I'm going to see a doctor. She says it's time. They give me more sedatives. I'm not fully unconscious, but neither of them think I'm be able to tell what's going on."
"What is going on?"
Vaughn is gnawing on his fingernails.
"It's a baby," she says, tears running down her cheeks. "It's a c-section. I haven't realized the weight I've gained until now. I can't look at the baby for long, they'll know I'm alert and then I don't know what they'll do to me."
"Where do they take the baby?"
Sydney sobs harder.
"I don't know!"
"I'm going to bring her out of it now," Barnett mumbles to Vaughn.
As soon as Sydney comes to Vaughn rushes into the room with her. She is still crying uncontrollably, fully remembering everything she said.
"Vaughn, she took her!" Sydney cries. "She took her!" Vaughn puts his arms around her and lets her cry, while it takes all of his control not to cry along with her.
"I know. I know. We'll find her, Syd," he mumbles. "It'll be okay."
Amanda watches the scene from a one-way window at the end of the room. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Wow, what a cliffhanger! .
Okay, first off, I know ya'll all want to hate Amanda, but I can't help it! It makes the story much more interesting if you can't help but like her!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone here except Amanda and the anonymous baby (who will eventually get a name, just not yet!). _____________________________________________________________________________________
"You'd name a kid after your *mother*?" Vaughn cries.
"No! You don't understand!" Sydney tries to explain.
"What's to understand? Are you crazy?" he yells.
"Vaughn! Just listen to me! Please, just listen!"
He sighs and becomes silent.
"Not after my mother as we know her now. After the mother I lost when I was six years old," she tells him. "When I was little, she seemed like the perfect mother. I *did* lose my mother, Vaughn. She's not my mother now, she an international terrorist."
"You're referring to Laura Bristow, not Irina Derevko," he says, shifting his eyes guiltily.
"Right. I loved my mother. Irina Derevko is still biologically my mother, but it's not the same."
Vaughn thinks of something and studies her for a few moments.
"This isn't going to stop you," he says.
Sydney shakes her head.
"No. It's not."
******************************************************************************************
Amanda sits at her desk looking over reports and wondering why Michael ran out so fast the night before. He still hasn't told her.
She picks up a folder with the name Sydney Bristow on it and for a moment just stares. Then she opens it and quickly skims over the contents.
Her mother contacted her? That must be why Michael left! He must have talked to her!
She is so caught up in the report that she doesn't hear the woman approach her desk.
"Amanda?"
She looks up quickly.
"Sydney! Um, I was just…what is it?" She puts the folder aside.
"I wondered if you'd found the report yet. It'll have to be updated soon, Kendall sent a team to Moscow to look for Derevko. They won't find her though," Sydney says uncomfortably.
"Yeah, I just found it." She wonders why Sydney is standing in front of her desk making small talk.
"I want to talk to you," she says as if reading Amanda's mind. "Could you join me for lunch?"
Amanda glances at her watch and realizes it's 11:30.
"Um, yeah, I could do that."
"Noon at that little place that just opened down the street okay?"
"Yeah. Sure."
"Thanks." Sydney abruptly turns and walks away.
She seems nervous, Amanda notes for a change.
Amanda arrives at the restaurant ten minutes early to find Sydney already there. Her back is to the door, and Amanda notices again how nervous she seems. But she also has a definite purpose in mind, she adds to her analysis.
Sydney looks up from a cup of black coffee as Amanda sits down across from her at the table and both women smile nervously.
"Let's order, then we'll talk," Sydney suggests.
They both order light, small meals.
"Okay," Amanda says, oddly enjoying having the upper hand for once, "What's going on?"
Sydney takes a deep breath and begins.
"You read the report? About my mother's call and how she told me the baby was a girl and she's okay? Well, I want to find her. So does Vaughn. But the CIA will never go for it. It's personal interest, the intell has no value to them. We're going to have to do this on our own. And I want you to help."
Amanda stops with a bite of salad halfway to her mouth and stares at Sydney.
"I know this is awkward," Sydney says quickly. "And Vaughn doesn't even know I'm talking to you."
"This is more than awkward," Amanda mutters.
"I know. Look, believe it or not, I'm not doing this to rub the fact that this is Vaughn's child in your face. I just think you deserve to know what's going on, and I should be the one to tell you. I feel like I should at least offer you the chance to be a part of all this, even if you don't want to be. Between the three of us, we can find her, I'm sure of it! I want to find her, and I'm asking you for help." Sydney's voice shakes badly. "You can say no if you want. I'll understand. This is hard for all of us."
"Whoa. I…I want to help, if I can," Amanda says slowly. She smiles slightly. "How are we going to tell Michael we went over his head on this?"
Sydney manages a small smile.
"I'll tell him. I'm sure he'll agree you deserve to know what's going on," she says.
"Any ideas where to start?" Amanda asks, changing the subject slightly.
"Adoption agencies," Sydney says quickly. She's been considering this for a while. "I want to start with US agencies, but I don't really know where to look. If I knew where I've been, I'd have some idea where to start, may be."
"When's your next session? You can ask Barnett specifically to take you through some of that."
"I have a session this afternoon, actually. Regression."
Amanda nods and pretends to check her watch.
"I better get going. I've got a lot of stuff to do."
Sydney plays along.
"I better get back too. I'll talk to Vaughn as soon as I see him," she says.
Sydney slightly regrets telling Vaughn he could come to her session as she is hooked up to the monitors. She has asked Barnett to take her through the time right after she disappeared to find out who took her. She's told Barnett that she keeps having a nightmare that she can't ever remember when she wakes up. This is partially true. She has trouble sleeping and she often wakes up in a cold sweat or breathing hard. But she has no indication of actually having a nightmare.
Barnett takes her under and begins asking questions.
"Sydney, where are you?"
"A building. A basement, or a warehouse," Sydney says tonelessly.
"Is there anyone there with you?"
"Sloane." There is venom in her voice.
"Anyone else?"
"Sark was here, but he's gone."
"Are you bound in any way?"
"There is a single chair in the empty room. I'm tied to it, and my wrists are tied behind me."
"Have they hurt you?"
"Not yet. No! No!" Sydney screams suddenly.
"Sydney, you are safe. They can't hurt you anymore. What is happening?"
"He's injected me with something. He says something." Sydney pauses. "He says, 'I can't have you remembering any of this.' "
"Any of what?"
"I…I can't remember. I blacked out."
"What's the next thing you remember?"
Tears stream down her face.
"My mother. She's standing over me. I can feel that I'm not bound to the chair anymore, but my wrists are still tied behind my back."
"Does she say anything?"
"She asks how I feel. She doesn't say why. I won't answer."
"Where are you now?"
"I don't know. It's different. I'm lying on a couch."
"Does she say anything else?"
"She says I'll have to stay for a while. She unties me and lets me eat something. I'm hungry, I don't know how long it's been since I've eaten." A pained expression shoots across her face.
"How long have you been there?"
"I don't know. She keeps giving me some kind of sedative. I'm always too tired to fight."
"What else do you remember?"
"The next thing is her telling me I'm going to see a doctor. She says it's time. They give me more sedatives. I'm not fully unconscious, but neither of them think I'm be able to tell what's going on."
"What is going on?"
Vaughn is gnawing on his fingernails.
"It's a baby," she says, tears running down her cheeks. "It's a c-section. I haven't realized the weight I've gained until now. I can't look at the baby for long, they'll know I'm alert and then I don't know what they'll do to me."
"Where do they take the baby?"
Sydney sobs harder.
"I don't know!"
"I'm going to bring her out of it now," Barnett mumbles to Vaughn.
As soon as Sydney comes to Vaughn rushes into the room with her. She is still crying uncontrollably, fully remembering everything she said.
"Vaughn, she took her!" Sydney cries. "She took her!" Vaughn puts his arms around her and lets her cry, while it takes all of his control not to cry along with her.
"I know. I know. We'll find her, Syd," he mumbles. "It'll be okay."
Amanda watches the scene from a one-way window at the end of the room. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Wow, what a cliffhanger! .
Okay, first off, I know ya'll all want to hate Amanda, but I can't help it! It makes the story much more interesting if you can't help but like her!
