Title: Raw Precision

Author: UConnFan (Michele)

E-Mail: LoveUConnBasketball@yahoo.com

Story Summary: Post "The Telling"; be warned, it picks up immediately where ep leaves off.

DISCLAIMER: Don't own. Never will. Case closed. Sue at your own risk.

Dedication: To Meg.

A/N: Okay, this is too funny. I asked Meg, "Do you think if I ever had my own television show, I'd still write fanfiction for it?" She stopped for half a moment and looked at me and said, "yeah. Your sad like that." . . . the sad story of my life :)

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"You know this already, but there are some days when I just want to quit my job. When I want to turn in my clearance and everything and just walk away. I thought when I got back that I wouldn't have those days, but the weird thing is, I've felt that way more often since my return," Sydney sighed. She paused to take a sip of her coffee and glanced over at her companion. Even though she'd dragged him out of bed earlier than necessary for a Thursday morning, he was still glancing at her with heavy concern, all of his attention focused on her.

"There are days when I just think about how short life is... How fast it can be taken away," she paused as she remembered Danny and Francie and felt him shift uncomfortably next to her. "I know, it's not my fault, but it can be anything, can't it? Who says that someone dies young just because of this life? It could be a car crash or a fire or something so small..." she trailed off, taking another sip of her coffee. "Then I think of Arvin Sloane. Of all he took from me, and I know that it's worth giving up what I'm sacrificing to know that before I die, he'll be gone."

"You can still bring him down Syd, without sacrificing your entire life," Michael Vaughn assured her. After a moment, he fully turned his body to face her; the observatory's bench still slightly damp from the rain the night before. "Sacrificing what you want from life, isn't that letting him win?" He watched her jaw harden as she shook her head.

"Just thinking about him... I *hate* how the mere thought of him makes me feel. I'm so angry," she spoke in a low voice. "It's so hard not to let it just eat me alive..."

"You can't let it do that Syd. I'm here, and I refuse to let it eat you alive. You're stronger than Sloane can ever imagine being."

"Where does it end? Does it ever end? Am I going to be stuck in this continuous cycle of lies and betrayals for the rest of my life?" she vented and looked over at him.

The pain etched on his face and the anguish that twisted deep in his eyes was just as much for him as it was for her. There was nothing he wouldn't trade to be able to lie to her, to promise her that the hellish merry-go-round was nearly over, to break every code and moral that he'd always believed in. But that wasn't what she needed from him, regardless of her desperation to hear it. What she needed was the one thing she'd always come to expect from him, the one thing she depended on him for, and that was the truth.

"I don't know where it's going to end Syd, or how, but if I have *anything* to do with it, it *will* end one day. This can't last forever. The Alliance came down years before we ever expected it to. You're amazing," he breathed as he looked out at the Los Angeles sky. "The work you did, the speed you worked at, the proficiency at which you managed to take down SD-6..."

Sydney took a deep breath and a sip of her coffee, letting it warm her veins. Eventually she replied, "I didn't do it alone."

"You could have done it the way you did if you'd had a monkey as a handler," he insisted. Then her eyebrow rose as she watched his lips quirk mischievously. "Hell, you would have done if *Lambert* had been your handler."

Unable to help herself, she laughed openly. A second later, she turned serious and answered, "I wouldn't have done it with Lambert. My CIA contact was either going to be you or nobody Vaughn."

Conscious of her gaze, he shook his head. "You didn't mean that Syd. You were upset, and rightly so - Lambert treated you horribly -"

"I did mean it," she insisted. Sydney dropped her gaze to her coffee cup. "Will's acting weird."

Vaughn laughed. "See, I've been under the impression that Will always acts a bit weird."

"No," she chuckled. "Even for him. I think it's the new girl."

"Stephanie?" his eyebrow rose.

"No," she paused to take a sip of her coffee. "Elise. He met her at the restaurant. He just went right up and introduced himself. He was so flustered," she recalled in amusement.

"What about Stephanie?"

"You'd have to ask him."

"I'm glad he's getting out there again," Vaughn commented. He bit his tongue to stop from saying anything more. Will had taken a long time before he'd even looked at another woman. If only he'd been a bit more patient himself, perhaps he could have been sitting there with Sydney as something other than her friend.

"She seems nice. Elise, I mean. I didn't talk to her or anything, but I saw her in the restaurant. She's not who I pictured Will with, but she seems nice. She's a writer too."

"Good." He looked away commenting, "I'm happy for him."

"Me too," she agreed softly. "He deserves to have that. He doesn't say it, but I know he's lonely. For so long he always had Francie and I around, then he was living with us and ended up with Francie, then..." she trailed off. Both of them knew how the story turned out.

"I don't want to go into work today," she groaned softly looking at her watch.

"I should go get ready for work too," he realized. Neither one was dressed appropriately for the work place as the sun slowly continued to creep out from behind the clouds. "Do you need a ride?"

"I've got the car," she reminded him as they stood. "I'll see you there?"

"Right." He smiled and watched her until she was in her car and out of sight.





The workday began all too quickly. Sydney walked confidently through the Joint Task Force Center. Jack had gone in ahead of her, and nodded politely in her direction when she saw him. Nonchalantly, she attempted to look around, searching for Vaughn, and smiled when she saw Weiss and Marshall deep in conversation. They were the unlikeliest of friends, but they seemed to amuse one another to no end. Continuing to look for her former handler, she smiled at Will before Kendall strode over to her, accompanied by an unfamiliar figure.

"Agent Bristow," he spoke. Turning around, she gave him her full attention as she looked at the man who accompanied him. Although he was familiar, she couldn't quite place where she knew him from, and it unnerved her slightly.

"Agent Bristow, this is Christopher Robinson. He's one of our best experts in counterintelligence and analytical work. During your disappearance he provided us with some of our better reports and profiles. He just arrived in from Langley. Agent Robinson, this is Sydney Bristow."

"Yes, I know," his blue eyes twinkled. Unwittingly, she smiled and shook his hand.

"You two know one another?" Kendall inquired.

"Yes," Sydney replied looking over at her boss.

"We grew up together. Well, sort of. Sydney and I were in the same school until we started high school."

"Well then I guess I don't need to give you any more of her background, do I?" the director shot back. "Agent Robinson is on loan to us for awhile, to hopefully help us track down Irina Derevko, Arvin Sloane and Mr. Sark. I suppose that you two will be fine on your own?"

"Of course," she replied, straightening her back as she felt Chris' gaze still on her.

"I'll see you both in debrief," Kendall said and disappeared to his own work.

"Well this is a surprise," Chris smiled. Although she felt her cheeks burn, she hoped he was oblivious to her reaction as she nodded.

"I thought you were going to be a dentist."

"I thought you wanted to be a literature professor."

"Things didn't exactly go as planned," she explained.

"When they had me doing reports, research, profiles... I had no idea that the Sydney Bristow on paper was the same Sydney Bristow... I suppose I should have thought of that sooner, huh?"

"It's fine," she insisted. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Vaughn stepping into the center and silently damned his timing.

"How are you feeling? I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you. Finding out about your mother, getting drawn into the Alliance..."

"That was a long time ago," she explained. "I'm fine now. I'm adjusting well."

"Good," he nodded.

"Hey Syd," Vaughn greeted as he stepped up to her side. Instinctively, she watched Chris step back just slightly at the appearance of her former handler.

"Vaughn," she greeted. "Agent Vaughn, this is Agent Christopher Robinson. He's in from Langley for awhile to help us try to get a decent lead."

"It's the least I could do for Sydney. If I had known it was you, I would have requested a transfer out here to work on your disappearance full time."

"Oh," Vaughn struggled to contain his interest. "You two know each other?"

"We grew up together. We went the same school, same class, from kindergarten until high school," Chris explained.

"That's nice." He forced a smile as he watched Chris easily meet Sydney's eyes.

Slightly shaking her head, she smiled brightly at the two men. "Agent Vaughn was my handler when I was working to take down the Alliance. We were partners before my disappearance."

"I've read your file Sydney, what you managed to do was incredible. Really, it's an honor to be able to work with you."

"Thank you," Sydney smiled as Vaughn cleared his throat.

"I should probably get to work," Chris realized. Imperceptibly, the other man nodded as he looked down at his feet to avoid rolling his eyes. "It was great to see you Sydney, and it was a pleasure to meet you Agent Vaughn."

Skeptically, he looked at the other man's extended hand but shook it anyway. To his chagrin, Vaughn noted the absence of a wedding ring or even a tan line from where he might have worn one. Worse yet, he suspected Sydney had noticed the same thing. "Nice to meet you," he replied, hoping it was at least a semi-convincing lie.

Chris smiled again at Sydney before he disappeared to a desk. Thankfully, it was out of sight, and her former handler was relieved to see it was far away from Sydney's line of sight specifically.

"So, you knew him?" he casually inquired.

"It was a long time ago." She smiled wistfully, her head shaking as she still refused to meet his eyes. While he was unconvinced, he smiled and softly promised to see her at the debrief before he begrudgingly returned to his own desk.

Leads were nearly nonexistent on any of the three fugitives in question. During the debrief Kendall explained that they had sent a forensics team to search through the rubble for some sort of possible lead or better yet, proof that she had been in Rome. While they were all convinced that she'd been held in the villa, forensic evidence was always a good thing to go on file with. Marshall had invented a few creative new devices for the forensic team, and that afternoon in his office, was eager to tell Sydney all about it. He then showed her the recent ultrasound pictures of the baby he and Carrie were expecting, pointing out the tiny hands and fingers and how their baby was already sucking her thumb.





Sydney sat at the bar at the restaurant, feeling slightly out of place as she nursed her wine and waited for Will to arrive. His latest report on a small weapons circuit was being presented to the Director and he had left her a voicemail telling her he'd be slightly late for dinner. Temporarily, she'd contemplated calling her father or even Vaughn to ask if they wanted to have dinner, but ultimately decided against it. Jack was providing strategic counseling to various other cases at the moment, and she had seen his car still in the parking lot when she'd left. After having a unique breakfast with her former handler that morning, she was afraid to take too much for granted. His wife hadn't been gone for long at all, he was still mourning her loss. The last thing she wanted to do was take advantage of him.

"Hey, ready to eat?" Will smiled as he sank onto the stool next to her, turning off his cell phone.

"Am I interrupting a phone call?" she teased.

"No," his eyes sparkled. "I was just talking to Elise."

"Really?" She smiled as he blushed. "How is she?"

"Working. Well, writing. You should hear her talk about her work Syd, it's incredible. I'm sure she must be talented."

"Has she published anything?"

"A few books. Her most recent book cracked the New York Times Bestseller's list. She said she writes under an assumed name, but she won't tell me what. I guess she's nervous I won't like her work or something," he shrugged.

"Give her time," Sydney advised. They moved to a nearby booth and placed their orders with the waitress. Getting comfortable, Will restarted the conversation.

"So, who's this Chris Robinson guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon Syd. I'm not blind. He spent most of the debrief watching you, I don't think he heard a word Kendall said."

"We knew each other." She straightened in her seat. "Remember once, you told me how someone told you their theory that we're all the people we were in sixth grade?" she recalled. Vigorously her friend nodded his head as he waited for her to continue.

"Chris was sort of the boy I was... infatuated with in sixth grade. For most of elementary school actually." She sipped her wine. "We barely spoke. He was very popular; his family was pretty popular in the school. He was athletic, and tall, and... I was very intimidated," she recalled. "One time, I think it was the last dance of eighth grade, right before we graduated, I finally had enough courage to ask him to dance. I can still remember how horrible I felt when he said no."

"So it was the end of a dance Syd, his feet were probably tired."

"A few seconds later he danced with another girl from my class," Sydney added, as he grew silent.

"You can't possibly hold a grudge that old?"

"I don't hold a grudge," she shook her head. "I don't. He always just made me feel very uncomfortable. Today he didn't. It's strange, I knew him for nine years and today was the first time I could stand next to him and talk to him without being intimidated. Without feeling like I was less than he was... His family was perfect Will, he was the perfect student and athlete... I was so awkward. Today I didn't feel that way."

"First love?"

"No," she corrected. "I don't think love, even puppy love, is supposed to make you feel inferior. It's more like he was my first and probably longest crush."

"So what'd you do when he said no? Kick his ass?" Will smiled.

"I was thirteen," she laughed. "No. I asked one of my friends to dance. His name was Mitch and he was a lot like you Will. Very sweet, very understanding, and he was one of my best friends in junior high. Then I went home and sat on the edge of my nanny's bed crying for a few hours."

"He said no to you Syd, he's obviously a jerk."

"Over twenty years ago," Sydney reminded him. "It's not important. I was so awkward back then anyway."

"Maybe it's your second chance."

"You have a very active imagination," she teased.

"Weirder things have happened. How many times in your life do you get a chance with the guy who shot you down at thirteen?"

"I don't think I'm interested." She took a bite of her wine and shook her head as she continued, "Anyway, what type of person turns down an awkward thirteen year old girl? Would it really have made that much of a difference in his life if he had once dance with me?"

"You said it yourself Syd, it was twenty years ago."

"It was nice to see a familiar face, to see where he was in life. All I want from him now is help in finding my mother."

"Okay," Will nodded. "Just... Just don't lock yourself away forever. I'll always be here, no questions asked, but if you want something more in life, I don't know anyone who deserves to find it more."

"The only thing I know for certain right now is I want to find my mother and Sloane. Everything else is second," she replied.

Silently her friend nodded and returned to his food.

Friday didn't arrive soon enough, and Sydney was relieved that it was the last day of the week. In her line of business there was no guarantee of even the weekends off, but at the conclusion of that particular week, she knew she'd be willing to take her chances. Will was already eagerly filling her in on every detail of his plans for his first official date with Elise on Saturday night, and she knew that left a gaping hole in her social calendar. She was relieved to get back to the house. Jack waited for her in the dining room as they ate dinner before retiring to their own rooms. Sydney took the opportunity to enjoy a long soak in the bathtub, locking out all the thoughts that were flying through her mind, as she relaxed for the evening.

The following morning she went jogging with Will, listening to his plans for the upcoming evening with Elise. His eyes sparkled and the excitement was obvious before they joined Marshall and Carrie for breakfast. Carrie was growing progressively bigger as the weeks went by, her February due date approaching quickly. As much joy as she felt for them, Sydney couldn't help but watch with well-hidden envy. That's what she wanted, that's what she had assumed she'd have one day, and now her future seemed to be an infinite question mark.

Will managed to insure that she had plans Saturday night by asking her to oversee the restaurant. Jack had already told her he'd be busy that evening, working on reports and possibly even going into work to talk to Kendall. With no other apparent options, she agreed. Running the restaurant could be a fun experience, and she always got a kick out of seeing how much she could accumulate in tips. Plus, in the back of her mind, she saw the continual running of Francie's restaurant as a living tribute to the best friend she'd lost and still missed.

For a Saturday it was a relatively quiet evening in the restaurant. By the middle of the evening she was sitting comfortably at the bar, nursing her wine and contemplating her dinner. Guests were coming in and out, and people were enjoying themselves and the atmosphere just as she remembered years before. Perhaps Francie was gone, but her goal, her dream, was still alive and well. Sydney was certain that was the least they could have done for her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" a familiar voice requested. Looking over her shoulder, she struggled to keep down the disappointment when the eyes that met hers were the clearest shade of blue.

"Chris. Hi." She smiled as he took a seat on the stool next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Your friend Will told me about it, I thought I'd check it out," he explained. Sydney nodded as he added, "So how about that drink?"

"I'm fine," she picked up her wineglass as he nodded.

"It was good to see you again Sydney. I have to admit that it took me a moment before I recognized you."

"It's been almost twenty years," she reminded him good-naturedly.

"You look good."

"Thank you," she smiled. "You look very nice too."

"So, what happened to being a literature professor?"

Arvin Sloane, she thought bitterly. But she wasn't in the mood for such an in-depth conversation. "A lot of things. When I found out the truth about my mother. I did it, I went to graduate school, got my degree, but I'm not sure I'll ever want to teach now. What about dentistry?"

"I decided that wasn't such a good idea when I began to fail health class in high school," Chris admitted.

"Your parents must not have liked that."

"The first class I had anything under a B+ in after ten years of school. Disappointed would be an understatement."

"Still, you obviously discovered what you wanted to do. Your parents must be proud now."

"They're touch and go," he shrugged. "I suppose they always were though."

"You can only live for yourself," Sydney advised. If only it was advice she took more often, she added internally. "You like what you're doing now though, right?"

"I love it. There are days when I hate it though, days when I envy what you get to do."

She held back a bitter laugh and asked, "Why?"

Chris looked at her, taking another sip of his drink before he answered. "I spend my days analyzing and strategizing, it's not actually going out there and *doing* something. You... You get to go out there and get the bastards."

Sydney smiled at how easily he summarized what she did, how simple he managed to make it sound. "There are times when the rewards are worth all of the battles." She paused as images of the destruction of SD-6 flashed briefly through her subconscious, and the all too fleeting benefits that she had enjoyed. "Still, what I do wouldn't get done if people like you and Will didn't do your jobs as well as you do."

"Realistically, I could never do what you did, but there are times I envy what you're able to get out there and do... I can only imagine the adrenaline rush you must get," he noted. Politely she smiled and nodded, slowly sipping her wine. "Enough work talk," Chris decided as she smiled gratefully. "Where are you staying?"

"With my father at the moment. I'm hoping to move into my own place next week. How long are you out here?"

"Until we capture Derevko, Sark and Sloane, or until Langley needs me back. My mother's hoping that it'll be a permanent relocation though."

"How are they?"

"My father passed away a few months ago." He looked away and added, "My mother's doing fine though. Strong as an ox, always was though."

"I'm so sorry to hear about your father," she sincerely conveyed.

"Thanks," he smiled. Cautiously he continued, "It must have been difficult for you, adjusting to your father's... disability."

"He's no less the man I remember. I think he might be even more intimidating," she chuckled and shook her head. "For my father, it's just another bit of ammunition to fuel his desire to find Sloane. He's no less of the person he was, he's still an incredible agent."

"A brilliant strategist as well. You should hear some of the guys at Langley talk about him. When they're not quivering with fear, they're salivating with envy," Chris joked. Sydney laughed and shook her head slightly, imagining the impression her father's reputation could have on those at the CIA. "You probably don't realize it, but you're no less of a legend."

It took her a moment to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "No," she laughed softly.

"Really!" He gently nudged her shoulder with his. "I know it's not what you saw yourself doing, but you are an incredible agent. Your file reads like a who's who of the CIA's most wanted. I think what's most amazing is that you've managed to avoid a serious injury... Until recently," he hastily added.

"One thing I've learned in this business is that it doesn't hurt you physically, but it forces you to watch those around you suffer," she explained. Softer she added, "That's far worse than any physical injury."

Chris laughed uncomfortably. "Just a few seconds ago I said no work talk, and here we are talking about work."

"It's a hard subject to avoid," she laughed softly.

"Do you like it? Even now, being back, do you still like it?"

"I know I'm doing the right thing," Sydney explained. "I know I'm making the world a safer place... I think I'll like everything a lot more once we get Arvin Sloane."

The man next to her nodded, silently trying to understand. "Are you going to leave? Once you find them, do you plan on leaving the CIA?"

"Once upon a time I did." She smiled, her head shaking. "I actually thought I could leave this behind. Now... I'm not sure I could. All this did was prove that any life I ever tried to have outside of the Alliance and the CIA was an illusion. It never existed. Everything in my life goes back to the CIA now. It probably always did." She paused to sip her wine. "What else is there for me?"

"You can't be a spy forever," he whispered.

Closing her eyes, she remembered Danny saying those very same words to her. At the time, it seemed he'd had a point. Nearly five years later, she wasn't so sure.

"Sorry."

"I'd like to leave the CIA one day, or at least leave the field. It can't be before Sloane's behind bars though. I'd like to leave though, to get married, to have children..."

"The American Dream?" he quirked.

Sydney laughed softly. "Something like that."

"When we were kids, you were always talking about getting married and having babies," he remembered, smiling.

"You remember that?" Her eyes widened as he shrugged. "That seems so long ago... I used to say that having kids was *the* most important thing to me. It's funny how things can change."

"From what I've seen with Lynn, having kids isn't all it's chalked up to be."

Again her eyes grew at the mention of his younger sister, a girl who, in her mind, would forever be eleven. "Lynn has kids?"

"Three. Two boys and a girl. Just like Mom and Dad have," he chuckled. "They're a real handful, but she loves them. They live near San Diego. She's married to an engineer."

"That's nice," she replied.

"It is," he nodded. Hesitantly, he looked down at his watch and back again at her. "I'm sorry Syd, I hate to cut this short but I'm supposed to review one of my reports tomorrow morning with Kendall."

"On a Saturday?"

"What can I say, the man doesn't believe in weekends," he shrugged. "It was great to see you again," Chris smiled, openly gazing at her.

"You too," Sydney agreed. "Hey, I'll see you on Monday!"

"I look forward to it!" he waved, smiling and walking out the door.



The week ahead of them was a short one thanks to Thanksgiving. Sydney planned on spending the holiday with her father, Will, Marshall and Carrie at the Dixons'. Although her former partner had mentioned that Sarah wanted to invite her former beau, she wasn't sure whether or not Vaughn would be in attendance. Deep down, she wasn't sure which possibility she dreaded more. Then the following day she would be moving into her brand new condo.

Despite the upcoming holiday, the pace at the Joint Task Force Center didn't slow down. Monday evening, as she sat watching a Kings game with her father and Will, Kendall called them all in. Within an hour she had been on a plane to a small suburb in Georgia. They'd had a lead that Sark was briefly in the area, meeting up with a contact who was on vacation in Atlanta. By the time they arrived, Sark had disappeared, but in the bathroom of his hotel room he'd left behind a disk. Although Kendall explained that it could take awhile for the computer whizzes to decode the disk, it was a lead they hadn't had before.

Thursday she stepped into the Dixons', carrying a pumpkin pie as her father brought the wine. A mixture of relief and disappointment rushed through her soul when she realized that Vaughn was no where in sight. Sarah prepared a delicious dinner, and the kids were well behaved. Carrie was looking uncomfortable as she helped around the kitchen, but her spirits were just as high as the rest of them. The group ate dinner early before the men went to watch a football game. Sydney helped out around the kitchen, listening to Carrie's baby plans and various stories of married life, all the while trying not to dwell on how that could have just as easily been her.

The following afternoon she had lunch with her father and Will, a meal that consisted mostly of the leftovers Sarah had sent. After lunch Jack accompanied Sydney to the movies before they returned to the house. Early in the evening she showered and changed, having once again agreed to manage the restaurant for Will. With her social calendar wide open, managing the restaurant was the least she could do. The tips could be decent, and they weren't anticipating a large crowd for the day after Turkey Day.

Customers dropped in and out throughout the evening, all leaving respectable tips for Sydney and the two other waitresses on duty. Most of the waitstaff were college kids who'd gone home for the holidays. What surprised her the most was that many of the customers they had were people traveling home after enjoying the day before with their families. Needless to say, no one ordered any of their turkey dishes. Still, it remained busy enough that the evening passed relatively quickly.

By eleven, the customers had all but disappeared. Sydney had already sent the other two waitresses home. If anyone dared to do something foolish to the restaurant late at night, she knew she could handle them herself. Instead, she felt better sending the young women home before it got to be too late. On her own, she busied herself with wiping down the tables and loading the remainder of the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. The bell over the door softly chimed as she finished wiping down the bar counter. Raising her head, she smiled as Chris sheepishly entered.

"Hey. Is it too late?"

"No," she shook her head. "Can I get you anything?"

"Nah," Chris insisted as he slid onto a stool at the bar. "Will mentioned you'd be here tonight."

"Did you want to talk to me about something? Did something come up with my mother or Sloane?"

"No," he quickly protested. "Nothing like that."

"Oh," she replied. "So, what's going on?" she smiled curiously.

"I know this is short notice, but I was wondering if you were busy tomorrow night. I was hoping maybe we could, y'know, go out. Grab a bite to eat, whatever," he shrugged.

Sydney wondered where this offer had been nearly twenty years ago, when a shy adolescent would have flourished on the attention and assurance that she was perfectly fine the way she was. So much had changed since the lanky blonde boy had turned down the shy doe-eyed girl's offer to dance. Perhaps too much had changed. Except his eyes, she internally noted, his blue eyes were just as clear as she remembered them being. Standing in front of him, however, she hardly felt inferior.

"Chris..." She forced a smile and folded the rag in her hands. "It's really nice of you to ask," she started cautiously. "It's only been two months since I've been back... Barely," she sighed. "I'm just starting to get used to things the way they are, to accept that the life I'm used to isn't how things are today... The most difficult change for me hasn't been my father, no matter how difficult that's been to adjust to," Sydney explained. "Before I disappeared, I was seeing someone very seriously... I loved him." She looked down and smiled to herself.

Finally, she looked back at him and added, "I still do. Maybe one day I'll be able to get past it, to see other people or to stop loving him... But right now I can't." She shrugged. "Right now I'm not even sure I want to. If you had asked me when we were kids, I would have jumped at the chance," she laughed. "Not now though. I'm sorry Chris. You're a great guy, but I just can't get past what I left behind..."

Chris nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. "Agent Vaughn's a very lucky man Sydney."

At his casual comment her head whipped up. Although she knew there'd been an investigation, she hadn't believed their relationship was such common knowledge in the CIA. Especially for someone who'd been based in D.C. at the time. "How did you -"

"Your relationship with Agent Vaughn is probably the CIA's worst kept secret," he chuckled. Soberly he continued, "Even if it wasn't, I could tell the moment I saw the two of you together. I don't know what's keeping the two of you apart, and frankly it's none of my business. Still, I hope for your sake you can work it out. You were always sweet Sydney, and you've certainly endured enough in the past few years."

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully. "Thanks for all the work you've done too Chris. I appreciate anything that gets me closer to finding my mother and Sloane."

"Hey, just doing my job," Chris modestly reminded her. "I think I'm going to go, let you close up." He slowly stood. "I'll see you Monday, huh?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "Chris, I'm sorry -"

"No, Sydney, I would have been more surprised if you'd accepted," he chuckled. "Have a nice weekend." He smiled and waved quickly before he walked out the door.