April 4, 7:13 am

"How are we going to stay awake today?" Sydney laughed the next morning.
"Who cares?" Vaughn responded running his hand along her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" he asked as she stared at him with a far away look in her eye.
She shrugged, "I don't know it's just. It's been a rough year, but I feel like now......I have my life back."
He processed her words and then snaked an arm around her waist to pull her over for a kiss.
"What are doing?" she asked pulling back lightly.
"Making us late for work," he answered simply.

8:15 am

"Glad you finally decided to show up!" Weiss said immediately upon spotting him at the Joint Task Forces center.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm a whole fifteen minuets late," Vaughn said sarcastically as he settled down at his desk.
Weiss rolled his eyes and took a seat next to him, "So.....anything been happening with Sydney?"
"Like what?" Vaughn asked innocently.
Weiss raised an eyebrow then grinned, "Oh, you go buddy! Well done!"
Vaughn rolled his eyes this time, "Weiss."
"Okay, okay, I'll shut up," Weiss said, "On an unrelated note. You got a message, you're supposed to go see Director Sloane at our main headquarters."
"Sloane? Why?"
"I have no idea, I'm just the messenger," Weiss said.
"Okay thanks," Vaughn said.
"You got it," Weiss called after him.
Vaughn headed back out to his car and turned toward the main headquarters wondering why Sloane would want to see him. Sydney used to work for him didn't she? Maybe she knew something about this? No, she'd hardly spoken to him since she was reassigned, and, hearing what had happened with her fiancé, he wasn't surprised.

He parked in front of headquarters and went inside. Showing his badge at the front desk he informed the receptionist that he had an appointment with Director Sloane. He was given directions to Sloane's office, and was shown in immediately upon arriving there.
Sloane himself arrived ten minutes later.
"Michael Vaughn? I'm Arvin Sloane. Thank you for coming by," Sloane shook his hand and then gestured to a chair, "Please have a seat."
Vaughn did so but Sloane remained standing in front of the large glass desk in the middle of the almost bare office.
"What is your relationship with Agent Sydney Bristow?" Sloane asked.
The question threw him for a brief second, "Agent Bristow has been working on the same operation I am assigned to for a year and a half now."
"Yes, Agent Vaughn, I'm the one who had her transferred. I'm well aware of that fact," Sloane said, "I meant what is your personal relationship with Agent Bristow."
"I'm not sure I understand the question,"
Sloane looked at him, "I think you understand very well, Agent Vaughn."
This was getting weird. They couldn't have found out already could they? No, surely not. This was probably just speculation, the same thing had happened last year. He decided to try a different approach, "Sydney and I work together quite a bit. We get along well and I would consider us friends, yes."
Sloane gave an amused chuckle.
"Well I do hope so, because I certainly would never do this with someone I consider my enemy," he said and dropped a picture of him and Sydney kissing in front of him. From the clothes he was wearing in the photo he recognized them to be from the night they went to the Kings game. Shit! Where did those come from?
After a very long pause Vaughn looked back up at Sloane and carefully asked, "Why are you showing me these?"
"I want to know about you and Sydney's relationship," Sloane answered.
"What about it?" Vaughn asked beginning to feel very irritated.
"Are you in love with her?" Sloane threw out.
"I....what does that have to do with anything?" Vaughn demanded.
Sloane sighed, "I think you would be interested to know Mr. Vaughn, that Sydney is a double agent."
"I beg your pardon?"
Sloane handed Vaughn a folder and gave him a look that said 'see for yourself'. Vaughn flipped through the folder finding accounts where Sydney had supposedly leaked information from the CIA, sabotaged operations, even pictures to go along with them.
"These could have easily been fabricated," Vaughn said.
"That was our first thought too. However, investigations into this have been going on for months. They all reached the same conclusion. Sydney is a double agent," Sloane repeated firmly.
Vaughn looked back at the folder. This was impossible. This was Sydney they were taking about. His Sydney. She was the last person they should suspect of being a double agent. She would never betray her country, never.
However the evidence was sitting right there in front of him. He suddenly felt like he wanted to throw up. He tried to get a hold on his thoughts but could not. He cleared his throat and spoke softly, "Why have you told me this?"
"Well of all people I'd say you're someone who should definitely know this information," Sloane said.
Vaughn did not understand his reasoning behind this. If they suspected him of being a double agent also then they would not have given away that he had been discovered, so if they didn't suspect him also then the fact that him and Sydney had started dating should be the least of their concerns.
Sloane seemed to anticipate his question, "Why do you think, now that you know Sydney is a double, that she has become involved with you?"
That was a good question actually. "I don't know," he answered honestly.
"Well from the point of view of a game theorist I would say that there are two possibilities," Sloane said, "You know who Irina Derevko is correct?"
"Sydney's mother,"
"Yes, she was assigned to get close to to Jack because he was a ranking CIA officer. You are a senior officer yourself so it is possible that part of Sydney's assignment is to use you to steal information. If this is her objective then you need to know to prevent it from happening," Sloane said.
"Is that her objective?" Vaughn cut in.
"We don't know," Sloane answered then continued on, "The other possibility is that Sydney does actually have feelings for you.......loves you maybe-"
They way Sloane said 'love' made Vaughn want to punch him.
"If that is the case then it would be very useful to us-"
"Useful how?" Vaughn asked getting the feeling he would not like the answer.
"Well Michael, emotional attachments on the side your working against are weaknesses for double agents," Sloane explained this as if he were telling a three year old that there was no Santa Clause. It was sickening.
"You mean you want me to spy on Sydney?" Vaughn said the anger evident in his voice.
"I have just told you that Sydney is a double agent. I think you should take some time to think about what's more important to you national security or your girlfriend," Sloane said.
Vaughn fixed him with a glare that could freeze molten steel. Sloane ignored it.
"Once you have, we want you to make a copy of Sydney's hard drive so we can see if there is any useful information on it," Sloane handed Vaughn a small device and gave him an almost smug look.
'Bastard,' Vaughn thought to himself.

Vaughn managed to get out of the office without showing much emotion. The last thing he wanted to do was show vulnerability in front of Sloane. Outside he felt as if he could hardly feel his feet as they carried him down the hall. He suddenly became aware that someone was speaking to him.
It was Steven Haladki. A junior agent who had worked with them last year. He was also a first class pain in the ass. For almost the entire year he had run around causing trouble wherever he could.
"Hey, Vaughn. What's up? Don't see you around here much anymore," Haladki said, not bothering to hide the underlying bitterness in his voice. When their operation was moved to the joint task forces center permanently, Haladki was the only agent originally assigned who was moved to another case instead of going along.
"What do you want Haladki?" he snapped.
"Hey, just being friendly! Jeez, lighten up!" Haladki said in his usual whining tone. Vaughn sighed, he was not at all in the mood to deal with him right now.
"Look I'm really in a hurry," Vaughn said hoping Haladki would get the hint.
"Oh yeah of course! I'm sure you have a hockey game or something you have to get to right?" Haladki said.
Vaughn looked at him in shock. Haladki's face formed a self satisfied smirk.
"You son of a bitch!" Vaughn grabbed the weasel by the lapels of his suit and shoved him up against the wall. The smirk was almost instantly gone.
"Hey, hey! I hardly think it's my fault the girl you're boffing is a traitor! Maybe if you'd stayed away from her like you were supposed to you wouldn't be in this situation," Haladki said.
"I think I'm going to kick your ass!" Vaughn shot back.
"Agent Haladki!" Sloane's voice cut in sharply. They both turned to see him standing at the door to his office.
"I need to speak with you in my office right now!" he snapped, his voice just on the verge of yelling. Haladki shoved Vaughn away from him and strutted into Sloane's office. Sloane said nothing to Vaughn, he simply slammed the door firmly behind them once Haladki was inside.
Vaughn sighed and continued to the elevator where the pressed the button for the ground floor.