*Note: I said "at least" 5 more chapters so don't go crazy~

 Please review~ Believe it or not, I actually do take ideas or gain inspiration from them and even if I don't, they make me feel pretty damn good about myself (mostly) and making the author feel good is always a good thing.

Even a one or two word thing will do... Just something to let me know that i'm doing all right or what I need to change.

I know that I shouldn't complain but...yikes, from 37 to 17 is a big drop and I'm a little confused as to what that means... does it mean that my writing is getting worse as well?

Okay, enough whining. I'll try to be mature... 15 is such a crazy age, even I have to admit that I am in a tumultuous and emotional time.

Oh, by the way: To Secret Agent Girl: My birthday is March 13.

To: Andi Horton, miss. pebbles (for a supreme mountain of an idea), Cass (for coming back~), artemis (for nice words), and Mrs. Swearingen (i didn't know I was your favorite/ one of your favorite authors!!!!!)*and to Mrs. Swearingen's stubborn friends who for some reason don't like to review... Do it!*

Thanks you guys~

Okay, so I'm thinking that 740 is a nice number of reviews for me to have to give me strength and inspiration to have the next chapter up by Monday-Wednesday.

35.

She stood with her feet planted firmly to the ground though her hands were slightly clammy from the fine sheen of sweat that covered them. For once, her hair was tied back and out of her face so that her intentions would be shown and not construed as hidden or forced.

She took another step forward until she was right in front of him, her eyes hard and focused on his bewildered face.

"Sydney, what's wrong? What are you doing here?" Danny look at her, a sort of mixed love shining through his eyes.

Sydney held up a needle, it's glistening point right in front of his face, pointing upwards so that one could not help but notice the icy point, so precise in its sharpness that it could almost not be seen.

And then her words, hard as steel and just as cold: "Are you going to do it or am I?"

There was a flurry of the moment's confusion running across his face until his eyes widened slightly in shock. "What? Why are you doing this? Who put you up to do this?"

His voice was strained and showed his shock and hurt.

Betrayal indeed.

Sydney refused to let her hand tremble and with intense mental concentration, forced her hand to stay still despite the tool of death held up so gracefully in her fingers.

"What? I'll tell you what. You were supposed to be dead and I was supposed to avenge you. You were my motive and my strength to live on and MOVE on. And I did and I was happy. But when you came back... Danny I loved you but at this moment you are far better to me and to everyone else dead. Why? Because I can't trust you. No one can trust you.

"Who knows what you might say or blurt out. Even if you don't mean to, you could say it in your sleep. Who knows when you might start having doubts. Suspicions? You shouldn't have died and I know that it was because of me. But your death was what led to the discovery that I was working for the enemy.

"And I'm not going to let your ressurection destroy our fight against SD-6. I've been working against them putting my life on the line and I can't let that go. I can't even allow the possibility of letting that go go through my mind."

Be strong.

Sydney cleared her throat.

"That is why I'm doing this."

Daniel didn't move, didn't speak, didn't blink, and was barely breathing. This was the ultimate form of betrayal and the only thing he couldn't believe was that it was for a good cause. That his life had been the cause of this no matter how unintentional. Good or bad. He didn't move.

She had to stop herself from biting her lip as she took another step towards him; she was now so close that she could see the slight shimmer of sweat appear on his forehead, his eyes still piercing through her as he tried to figure out what she really wanted.

She hid all her feelings and emotions, leaving nothing for him to find. Which was an answer in of itself.

Nodding, he reached out a hand and wrapped his fingers around the long plastic tube full of it's clear liquid, his hand resting on hers for a moment in such cherished tenderness that Sydney had to hold back a sob.

She knew that he could thrust it into her at this very moment. But she knew he wouldn't. After all, after everything, he did still love her.

And as he injected the liquid into his vein, his eyes fell on her bare left hand, sporting only the tiniest glimmer of silver.

He looked at her with pain-filled eyes and a certain understanding and, as if it hurt too much to look at her now, he closed his eyes.

Sydney's eyelids bolted open as the dream ended; she knew it had been a dream and had even told herself to wake up several times though it obviously hadn't worked. The dream had had some special hold upon her.

And now that it was over, she had to admit she wished she could be back there than sitting here in a bed all alone and confused.

Why would I dream that? Sydney shook her head lightly as she pressed a hand to Michael's side of the mattress. It was cold. He hadn't come back after all.

~:~

She looked through the pane of glass, concern almost breaking through her usually stoic and controlled exterior. Her daughter stood outside of the window, shaking ever so slightly, her hair unbrushed and her eyes taking on a glazed look.

"Sydney?"

"Mom, I just need to know one thing. When you left me and Dad, did someone force you to do it or did they give you a choice?"

Irina's eyes lightened, not expecting the question. "They told me to go."

"And why did you do it?"

She didn't know where she was going with this; didn't know why her daughter would choose this strange line of questioning to address the events of 20 some years ago.

"Because it was my job. They told me too; Jack was too close to finding out the truth and I was forming unhealthy attatchments to you and your father."

Sydney's voice was pitched higher and sounded unnatural when she spoke again. "Because you loved us and you had the choice of leaving us or us leaving you."

"Yes."

"So you sacrificed yourself because you loved me."

Irina's words were measured, slightly wary of her daughter's unusual behaviour. "I still love you Sydney."

"But you did."

A pause.

"Yes I did."

"So did Danny." The words were soft, almost as if Sydney hadn't meant to say them and they had merely come out of their own volition.

But Irina heard the words and they rung an alarm in her system. Could her daughter have this kind of sixth sense? "Sydney, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. It was just a dream."

"What kind of a dream?"

"Nothing. It wasn't anything." She walked distractedly back, going towards the metals bars, watching dumbly as they made their way up.

As an afterthought, she turned again for a minute, leaning closer to the glass. "I dreamt that I made Danny choose who his killer would be. I gave him the choice; either I would kill him or he could kill himself. He took the sryinge. I gave him the second choice; he could kill himself or he could kill me. He chose to kill himself. I just wanted to know why you left us. If it was because of love or duty."

The words didn't make sense even to her but she had to say them, had to get them out to at least somebody.

"I'm going on my mission in two days."

"To Istanbul. Yes, I know."

"You know about Charlemot?"

"I knew of its existense and I knew of its capabilities but not enough to discern its location. I haven't kept anything from you Sydney." The words sounded hollow even to Irina's own ears.

But Sydney merely nodded and turned away.

TBC...

Short I know but hopefully good. I didn't realize that my chapters were short... I actually thought that they were a good length but I was looking at Rhonda's The Invitation a couple days ago but whoa... She had about half the chapters and double the words... Now that's dedication.

I'm going to try my hand at action in the next chapter because she will be on her mission~

The more reviews I get, the faster I will type so get to it~ 740+ :)

P.S. I'm going to do some promoting right now: I am writing a new story called "A Lesson in Humility" and I would really love it if all of you read and reviewed it when it is posted. I believe that it is the most-well-written of my works and I just really like it and I hope you do too.

-jenn