Notes: Wow this took a long time to get done. Sorry about that. I wrote a short fic than added
an extra week to this not being updated. Will try to get the next chapter done faster. The fic
is almost over. 4-5 chapters left at most. Would like to thank Giz and Jen for betaing this for
me. [smile.gif]

~

SD-6 had attempted to track Syd's whereabouts but without reward. They had little to go on
besides the sketchy information Sark gave Sloane and searching for that man was futile. As a
result, it was an unbelievable shock to all when Syd surfaced in the Netherlands calling for
help. She was stranded and needed assistance getting back. With money wired Syd booked a
flight to California as soon as possible.

Sydney claimed no knowledge of her captors. According to her, she was drugged and incoherent
most of the time. Details of her getaway were vague but hopefully more would be learned when
she arrived back at SD-6 offices.

Sark's eyes peered to the clock. She would be here soon. He got up from his desk and waited on
the main floor, trying to look as inconspicuous as those around him. Syd was also oddly silent
on how this all occurred to begin with so Sark was not only anticipating the arrival of Sydney
but the answers that came with her. That anticipation was an uneasy one. He both longed and
dreaded her entrance. Sark cursed the knots of anxiety in his stomach as he waited for her and
grudgingly admitted Sydney got to him. Resentment, concern, aggravation, lust, caring. She was
able to provoke all. She was able to hurt him. Yet he wanted the reassurance of seeing her.

Her arrival began with a bitter-faced Jack storming into the room. Protective as ever, Jack had
an almost violent dispute with Sloane over his treatment of Syd. There were few that would have
the audacity to demand Syd to come straight to the office after what happened but Sloane did.

Sydney trailed closely behind. For someone taken prisoner for a month she looked astonishingly
well. Sark stood firm, arms crossed, while a small crowd formed around the two. Smiles and hugs
being given, he had no intention in being part of such a spectacle and would patiently wait it
out. It was then he saw it. Arms around Marshall, her eyes darkened and focused in on him. It
was a fiery, almost wild, wicked expression, as though the last weeks had given her life. She
pulled away, kissed Marshall's cheek, all the while glaring at him with that expression that
mesmerized him.

She broke from the mass and headed towards him, Jack at her heels. He prepared himself for the
greeting but Sydney walked right past him into Sloane's office. Sark brushed being ignored
aside and followed them in. She must have sensed this because she turned around to face him.

"Welcome back Agent Bristow. I hope the last month was not too hard on you."

"I'll survive." She sounded bored and unimpressed by his statement, so different from when he
first saw her. It felt like she was indifferent to his presence.

"Sydney!" Sloane strode in and grabbed her into an embrace. Sark was taken aback by the sight.
There was not a flinch on her part. Sydney, who loathed this man just as he did, held a vacant
appearance. Sark was unsure of what to make of her behavior.

"Now let's get on with business," Sloane said ending the scene. He had gone from concerned
father figure to cold-hearted businessman in a matter of seconds.

They settled down and Sark listened intently as Syd repeated back to Sloane what he had said
four weeks earlier. Not unpredictably the details of their night together were deleted from her
report. His interest peaked as she arrived at the point where their stories divided.

"I was leaving the vault area when I felt a sting in my back. I later realized I had been shot
with a tranquilizer."

Sloane inquired, "Do you know who they were?"

"No, they never said and I hardly remember a thing. I didn't even know how much time had
passed."

"What did they ask for?"

Syd ignored him and continued on with her escape. "I finally managed to escape and got as far
away I could. When I stopped it turned out I was in the Netherlands."

"Did they give you any idea what they wanted?" Sloane repeated.

"None at all."

Even though Sark felt skeptical about this, surprisingly Sloane consented to his feelings.
This was Sydney Bristow after all. Was it possible she really knew nothing? A tense silence
took over and Sloane gave a patronizing glare at the two men making them shift slightly in
their seats.

"Would you excuse us Jack and Sark?"

Jack fumed at Sloane's request but after a reassuring nod from Sydney hesitatingly retreated.
Sark did not like the idea of leaving Sydney with the volatile man either but had little choice
in the matter.

Sark went back to his office and to his daily routine. All the while, he replayed the events
over and over in his head. Syd's behavior was peculiar though he reasoned that was to be
anticipated. It was just irregular in a different way than he thought it would be. It was two
hours later when he heard a knock at the door. Sydney came into the office, wearing a tired
worried expression. This was unexpected after her treatment of him earlier.

"Alright after everything?"

"Sloane was pretty persistent on getting info from me that I have no way of giving but I'll be
fine."

"That is not what I meant."

"I know." She seemed to want to say more but trailed off. They exchanged a look that to Sark
expressed all that was needed. She was thankfully not resentful about what transpired. Sark
felt the selfish desire to resolve the issues between them but this was not the time. Syd was
in no condition and her well being was more important. She was clearly exhausted and shouldn't
have even been there.

"You should head home and start that vacation."

~

Sark sensed the next two weeks would be interesting. Sloane paranoid over Syd?s conduct made
Sark responsible over the surveillance team monitoring her. Sark knew he would be more hands
on then usual for this task. Sloane insisted extra care be taken in fulfilling the assignment,
and besides, Sark was curious as well. Sydney was just lucky Sloane still cared enough to take
the effort to do this. If it had been another employee they would have already been dragged
into SD-6's 'interrogation room.'

The details of the reports were insignificant at first. Sydney had yet to leave her apartment
and she received a single visit from her father. Even with all the high tech equipment they
picked up little activity. Sark found this strange. Surely Syd would have set up one of those
meetings with her handler and reported back to the CIA by now. Maybe she knew it was far too
dangerous at this time. Smart girl.

In the years of SD-6 watching over Bristow, she had on no account remained inside for even half
the duration she had currently. So on the sixth day, Sark decided to take over a spot on the
two man watch team. It was not long before he realized this was in actuality as dull as the
reports suggested. Watching over the employees at SD-6 had brought more entertainment than
this and his companion Greg Burke was less than engaging. Sark personally hand-picked the man
due to his lack of skills. Sark was more than able to do the job himself and someone of
Burke's intelligence would not get in the way. No reason to cause trouble for Syd at this time.
Whatever knowledge gained was for him and Sloane did not have to know about it.

What he thought would be the highlight of the stakeout took place nearly three hours in. Sydney
had made a phone call to a wrong number. Information jotted down onto an otherwise blank sheet
of paper, Sark settled back down.

The monotony was finally ended over an hour later. Sydney dressed in a white tank top and gray
shorts emerged for the first time in almost a week. She had jogged a block before they began to
follow her in the van. This continued until her run took her to the edge of a quiet wooded park.
Syd stopped to catch her breath and Sark deemed she was not as well as she led people to
believe.Sark was parked some 200 feet away, well hidden by the trees and watched as a man sat
a bench over. Her handler. The woman was lucky he was one on watch today. Any other employee
would have reported this.

"Should we call for help in dealing with the situation, sir?"

He coldly glared over to Burke and almost rolled his eyes at the sight before him. Sark knew
that look well. Elation over what was occurring. Though dim-witted he noticeably lusted power.
With a job well done, promotions, and entitlements followed so ending the situation was a must.
Sark had been before in his days and was not about to let Burke meddle with his intentions.

"Quiet!" Sark snapped.

"We-"

Irritated, he waved Burke to be silent. The man did not know what was good for him. Sark began
intently listening on the headphones as she detailed the events for her handler, who questioned
her hard as Sloane had. No new information was gathered. Sark was just as taken aback by her
honestly to SD-6 as the true absence of knowledge on the last month of her life. It all seemed
to be wrapping up when something neither Sark nor Syd expected happened. A man came out of
the shadows. He evidently knew Sydney and she did not seem pleased to see him.

"This has gone too far!" Sark heard Burke forcefully hiss. "We need to contact Sloane before
anymore damage is done by that traitor."

Looking at Burke from the corner of his eye Sark wordlessly grabbed a black metal case,
cracking the lid open. Lifting the weighty gun out, he smugly screwed the silencer on with
ease. Sark paused a second, gathering himself together. This time would be different but he
assured himself it needed to be done. Sark jerked his chin to the door indicating Burke to
unlock the door and get out. Ready for the kill Burke snatched his own gun and jumped out. With
an expression of horror he glimpsed back just in time to see a grim Sark pulling the trigger on
the gun that would end his life.

-

Sark plopped down in the soft leather chair in his home office. Rubbing his temple, he did his
best to chase away thoughts of his hard day. Just a moment of peace was needed. He had
jeopardized a lot in that one day. Covering up Sydney's activities was one thing, hiding the
death of his assistant was another. He hoped he had been successful in both.

In all the times he had taken a life he had never done it to protect someone he cared for.
Somehow it was more difficult for him to deal with, not less. Emotions had entered into an
activity he had long ago managed to numb himself to. His biggest mistake that he did not know
the motives of Burke. That had been one of the first and most important lessons he learned
long ago under Irina. Desire was a strong force and he underestimated the pull it had on man.
Had Sark known he had been so anxious to rise in the ranks of SD-6, he never would have chosen
Burke.

There was still evidence to destroy. Switching what was recorded with old surveillance tapes
had been easy enough. After a quick viewing he would eliminate them once and for all. His guilt
was evident on them as was hers.

Slipping the tape in, he began watching the scene he missed earlier. Sydney's old handler
Vaughn replacing the new, who made his excuses and left. The expression of disbelief over her
face showed she had not anticipated his presence.

"Sydney," Vaughn said with a tight hug that made Sark bite his lip with jealousy. "I can't
believe your father even gave me the note."

"He knew if he didn't I would have found another way. It was not meant for this though."

"I've missed you Syd."

"You know what you are doing is dangerous."

"I know but we need to talk. I'm glad you have reached an understanding."

Sydney shrugged away and looked him in the eyes. "It was a sorry and a goodbye, nothing more.
With everything that happened I needed closure from everything in my old life."

"If you need to talk about it-"

"Just like old times?" Syd shook her head and sighed. "It can't be. Old times are what I am
trying to let go of. I made a mistake. It was so much like what happened between us and now I
can see how it can happen. I'm sorry for acting the way I did. It was childish."

Many assumptions were made from her comments and Sark felt aggravated over each possibility.
She was talking about him. He was her mistake. Vaughn must have run out on her after they were
together, just like she had done to him. Sark watched the screen as Vaughn tried to process
what Syd was saying.

Sark's own thoughts were suddenly broken. The sensitive equipment had picked it up. The sounds
of the muffled gun blast, Burke's sharp intake of breath and him then hitting the ground with a
hard thud. Sark lowered his eyes for a second, unhappy with himself over what he did, but
lifted them just in time to notice. Was it his imagination? Quickly rewinding the tape he
watched again. The last thing he wanted had happened. Syd had gazed over, straight to where the
van was.

"Syd?" Vaughn was trying to get her attention back. "Who?" He was jealous the way Sark had been
before his resentment and dread of Syd knowing took over.

"Someone." Syd was disturbed over something and spoke rapidly. "I care for him but I just
handled it wrong. It does not matter. I need to go."

Sydney broke away and started jogging out of the park. Was it fear over being caught or did she
know?

End of Chapter 11

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