Sydney tried in vain to prioritize the information she'd just received.
Vaughn, Morgan, Barnett. She reached for the phone, and dialed the number
she knew by heart. As it began to ring she wondered if it was the right
number, hoping that he hadn't changed it.
"Hello."
"Vaughn, it's me. I'm sorry I didn't call back sooner, I was at operations with Kendall."
"That's fine. I guess you aren't up for a hot dog then."
"Well actually I'm quite hungry."
"Great, do you want me to pick you up?"
"No.well actually yeah, would you?"
"Sure, it's no problem. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"Great I'll see you then."
"Great."
Sydney sighed as she hung up the phone. It was so strange to think about arranging to meet Vaughn. Since she had woken up in Hong Kong her view of him had changed so much. First it was the same as she remembered. Vaughn her boyfriend, handler, partner, ally. Then, Vaughn the bringer of bad news, and then worse news. Then Vaughn the man who betrayed her, and hurt her. And then Vaughn the man who still loves her, and wants to give up his life to be with her. It was a whirlwind of emotions, and it was only within a span of a few days.
Sydney suddenly realized that she had an appointment scheduled when she was supposed to be ..on a "mission" with her ."family". She quickly called Dr. Morgan.
He sounded very anxious on the phone. "Sydney, oh I'm so glad you called. I need to see you right away.. "You can't tomorrow, what about the following day...alright that sounds good..okay I'll see you then.."She hung up the phone. She was shaken by his urgency, he sounded worried. But she couldn't focus on that right now. She dialed the number Dr. Barnett had given her. Barnett was reluctant but rescheduled their appointment for Thursday as well, along with a hypno-therapy session. Sydney wasn't very happy about Barnett's insistence that she see Dr. James again, but she'd agreed.
After her flurry of phone calls, Sydney went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She then went into the living room and told Wally about her plans.
"Umm.Agent Bristow, I was just informed by Kendall that if you aren't in need of our service. than we can leave you.alone. But he said it was up to you, if you still feel you need a security detail that's totally fine.."
"No, thank you, I'll be fine. Did he mean that I could stay here?"
"Yes, ma'am he said you were supposed to stay here as long as you needed to. Oh, and he said to leave you one of the company cars." Wally reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He reached out to hand them to her. He looked so cute as he tried to explain Kendall's instructions. He was a Security Agent, he obviously wasn't very good with people.
"Thank you Wally, but I have a car, and I will no longer be in need of a security detail. Thank you." She tried to sound as polite as possible. She felt like she was firing the three guys.
"Alright ma'am, we'll be packed up and out of here in no time." He smiled at her and then went to tell his fellow agents. Just then Sydney heard a car door close, and saw Vaughn walking up to the front door. It was late- after noon, and though it wasn't dark out, the coloring in the sky behind Vaughn was changing into different shades of purple, and blue.
"Hey," He let himself in.
"Hi." She said walking toward him.
"You ready."
She nodded.
"What about the security detail?" He asked as he held the door open for her.
"Kendall called them off." As Vaughn opened the door to his car, Wally came running out of the house.
"Ma'am..um.you'll be needing these." He was holding up a set of keys. He handed them to her and then explained where she could find out the alarm system code. She thanked him and then got in the car.
"Kendall's letting you stay in the safe-house." Vaughn said as he started the car.
"Yeah, he told me to take some time off, before returning to train again."
He drove a few blocks before speaking again. "I may be way off base, but is that what you really want? I mean before.well you weren't sure you wanted to stay with the CIA."
"I'm not really sure. I guess Kendall just assumed I want to resume my place at the CIA, but I still feel the same way I did. before." There was a long silence. "Hey, I though you had Caleb." She looked over at him.
"Yeah well I dropped him off at my mom's. I figured it would be easier to talk that way." He glanced over at her. She smiled and then looked out the window.
"Where are we going?" She said as she looked in the side mirror.
"It's a surprise." He said as he took the exit ramp off the freeway. Sydney watched in the mirror as they drove. She noticed the black car following them they stopped at the light at the end of the exit ramp. "Is everything alright?" Vaughn asked, noticing as she intently starred into the side mirror.
"We're being followed." She said nonchalantly.
"What? By who?" He looked in the rear view mirror, and then checked his side mirror.
"Slone's men, my father said they were watching me."
"Wait a minute, you talked to your father. When?"
"Today. It's a long story, but I met with my father and my mother."
"Okay.so do you want to try and lose these guys or what?" He as clearly confused.
"Nope, just keep going where you were going. I don't want them to know that I know that their following me."
"Alright." Vaughn said as he stopped at stop light. "So explain to me about meeting with your parents." He looked over at her.
"Well Sark led me to them. They were trying to be secretive because of Slone's men. They've known that Slone was watching me, ever since Hong Kong." She wasn't sure weather or not to tell him everything.
"What do they want to do about them?"
"Well," She said deciding to let him in, "tomorrow we're going set a little mouse trap, and question the surveillance team about Slone."
"How?" He started driving again.
"It's a long story, and it doesn't matter."
"Well Sydney it does matter that you have a team of Slone's men watching you, and you've just let Kendall get rid of your security detail. How do you know Slone's not just waiting for the right moment, while you're alone, to nab you again." He was very shaken by the thought of Sydney disappearing again, and Sydney could tell.
"I'll be fine, if Slone wanted to take me again than he would have done it already. Really Vaughn I'll be alright."
He didn't answer, but pulled into the parking lot of a very nice French restaurant. He parked and then led the way into the restaurant.
"Hello."
"Vaughn, it's me. I'm sorry I didn't call back sooner, I was at operations with Kendall."
"That's fine. I guess you aren't up for a hot dog then."
"Well actually I'm quite hungry."
"Great, do you want me to pick you up?"
"No.well actually yeah, would you?"
"Sure, it's no problem. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"Great I'll see you then."
"Great."
Sydney sighed as she hung up the phone. It was so strange to think about arranging to meet Vaughn. Since she had woken up in Hong Kong her view of him had changed so much. First it was the same as she remembered. Vaughn her boyfriend, handler, partner, ally. Then, Vaughn the bringer of bad news, and then worse news. Then Vaughn the man who betrayed her, and hurt her. And then Vaughn the man who still loves her, and wants to give up his life to be with her. It was a whirlwind of emotions, and it was only within a span of a few days.
Sydney suddenly realized that she had an appointment scheduled when she was supposed to be ..on a "mission" with her ."family". She quickly called Dr. Morgan.
He sounded very anxious on the phone. "Sydney, oh I'm so glad you called. I need to see you right away.. "You can't tomorrow, what about the following day...alright that sounds good..okay I'll see you then.."She hung up the phone. She was shaken by his urgency, he sounded worried. But she couldn't focus on that right now. She dialed the number Dr. Barnett had given her. Barnett was reluctant but rescheduled their appointment for Thursday as well, along with a hypno-therapy session. Sydney wasn't very happy about Barnett's insistence that she see Dr. James again, but she'd agreed.
After her flurry of phone calls, Sydney went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She then went into the living room and told Wally about her plans.
"Umm.Agent Bristow, I was just informed by Kendall that if you aren't in need of our service. than we can leave you.alone. But he said it was up to you, if you still feel you need a security detail that's totally fine.."
"No, thank you, I'll be fine. Did he mean that I could stay here?"
"Yes, ma'am he said you were supposed to stay here as long as you needed to. Oh, and he said to leave you one of the company cars." Wally reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He reached out to hand them to her. He looked so cute as he tried to explain Kendall's instructions. He was a Security Agent, he obviously wasn't very good with people.
"Thank you Wally, but I have a car, and I will no longer be in need of a security detail. Thank you." She tried to sound as polite as possible. She felt like she was firing the three guys.
"Alright ma'am, we'll be packed up and out of here in no time." He smiled at her and then went to tell his fellow agents. Just then Sydney heard a car door close, and saw Vaughn walking up to the front door. It was late- after noon, and though it wasn't dark out, the coloring in the sky behind Vaughn was changing into different shades of purple, and blue.
"Hey," He let himself in.
"Hi." She said walking toward him.
"You ready."
She nodded.
"What about the security detail?" He asked as he held the door open for her.
"Kendall called them off." As Vaughn opened the door to his car, Wally came running out of the house.
"Ma'am..um.you'll be needing these." He was holding up a set of keys. He handed them to her and then explained where she could find out the alarm system code. She thanked him and then got in the car.
"Kendall's letting you stay in the safe-house." Vaughn said as he started the car.
"Yeah, he told me to take some time off, before returning to train again."
He drove a few blocks before speaking again. "I may be way off base, but is that what you really want? I mean before.well you weren't sure you wanted to stay with the CIA."
"I'm not really sure. I guess Kendall just assumed I want to resume my place at the CIA, but I still feel the same way I did. before." There was a long silence. "Hey, I though you had Caleb." She looked over at him.
"Yeah well I dropped him off at my mom's. I figured it would be easier to talk that way." He glanced over at her. She smiled and then looked out the window.
"Where are we going?" She said as she looked in the side mirror.
"It's a surprise." He said as he took the exit ramp off the freeway. Sydney watched in the mirror as they drove. She noticed the black car following them they stopped at the light at the end of the exit ramp. "Is everything alright?" Vaughn asked, noticing as she intently starred into the side mirror.
"We're being followed." She said nonchalantly.
"What? By who?" He looked in the rear view mirror, and then checked his side mirror.
"Slone's men, my father said they were watching me."
"Wait a minute, you talked to your father. When?"
"Today. It's a long story, but I met with my father and my mother."
"Okay.so do you want to try and lose these guys or what?" He as clearly confused.
"Nope, just keep going where you were going. I don't want them to know that I know that their following me."
"Alright." Vaughn said as he stopped at stop light. "So explain to me about meeting with your parents." He looked over at her.
"Well Sark led me to them. They were trying to be secretive because of Slone's men. They've known that Slone was watching me, ever since Hong Kong." She wasn't sure weather or not to tell him everything.
"What do they want to do about them?"
"Well," She said deciding to let him in, "tomorrow we're going set a little mouse trap, and question the surveillance team about Slone."
"How?" He started driving again.
"It's a long story, and it doesn't matter."
"Well Sydney it does matter that you have a team of Slone's men watching you, and you've just let Kendall get rid of your security detail. How do you know Slone's not just waiting for the right moment, while you're alone, to nab you again." He was very shaken by the thought of Sydney disappearing again, and Sydney could tell.
"I'll be fine, if Slone wanted to take me again than he would have done it already. Really Vaughn I'll be alright."
He didn't answer, but pulled into the parking lot of a very nice French restaurant. He parked and then led the way into the restaurant.
