D: See previous chapter.

An: Here's the next chapter. I know you all are waiting for it, so I'll just get right to it. Enjoy!

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They had underestimated how powerful the clone's reach went. They never knew the connections she held, even away from Sloane. So they weren't expecting such heavy resistance and the mission quickly turned from controlled to chaotic. Sydney's team immediately came under heavy fire, being led by the clone. Sydney relayed their attack only to learn that the Beta team was under just as much fire.

"Mountaineer to Base ops! We have a man down! Kamikaze is down!" Sydney yelled over her com when she came across Agent Hale. He was grimacing and holding his right leg where a bullet went in his shin.

"Received Mountaineer. Proceed forward, you're in command. We'll have medics ready for the all clear call." Jack said over the com. Now she had to relay her new status to the Beta teams leader.

"Boy Scout, this is Mountaineer. Kamikaze is down, I'm taking over command. Do you copy?" she called, getting worried.

Just static.

"Boy Scout this is Mountaineer! Come in Boy Scout!" she called hurriedly. Still no answer. Then Eric got in on it from where he was taking cover but heard the call out.

"Boy Scout this is Jester, do you copy?" Eric tried, receiving nothing. Then they heard one of the other agents from the Beta team.

"Base ops, this is Scorpion, we've got multiple men down! We've also come across what appears to be a bomb! It's set off; we've got less than 5 minutes to evacuate! Pull out men! Pull out!" he hollered all through static. Sydney's heart dropped.

'Multiple men down!? Who? Is it Vaughn?! Please don't let it be him! Not him too!' Sydney panicked, adrenaline pumping through her. Suddenly, she was SO angry she saw red and she went after the clone who was still shooting at them. She didn't care about someone covering her; she was hell bent on revenge. Eric saw her bolt further into the building, her scream echoing all around.

"Sy..Mountaineer! Get back, pull back! We have to evacuate!" Eric yelled.

"Base ops, Mountaineer is out of procedure! I'm pulling rank, getting the team out of here!" Eric yelled into his com, lifting up Agent Hale and dragging him out.

"Jester, we agree. Pull the Alpha team out. Scorpion pull Beta team out. Whoever you can get! Mission aborted..Mountaineer, do you read?! Return to the van!" Jack yelled and edge of worry in his voice.

"Not another one, dad. Not again." He heard Sydney say before fuzz. She'd taken her com out.

"This is for Francie, b*t*h!!" Sydney seethed when she'd gotten to the clone, huddled behind a desk. Sydney had her gun raised, as did the clone.

"Who ARE you?!" Sydney yelled her voice trembling as she stared into the eyes of her best friend.

"I'm Francie, Syd. Don't you know?" the clone sneered, smiling wickedly.

"No you're NOT! I buried my best friend! Who ARE you, so we know the name to put on the death certificate!?" Sydney quipped her voice full of venom.

"Place is gonna blow, so you better hurry or you'll lose your chance." Sydney yelled.

"Blow? Since when did the CIA blow buildings up?" the clone said. Sydney's eyes widened, then she smirked.

"Guess your good ol' boss is tired of you now. We've got about 1 minute left." Sydney said. The clone gawked as she realized the whole CIA team was disappearing.

"That son-on-a-b****!.." she grumbled then she eyed Sydney. She knew she'd never get out of there alive. But if she hoped Sloane to be taken down for his betrayal, she had to let Sydney get out of there. And the only way she'd leave NOW was if the clone wasn't a problem anymore.

"Kill him for me! He betrayed us both!" the clone yelled, then turned the gun on herself and pulled the trigger.

"NOOO!" Sydney screamed, then turned away. She went to the body and found Francie's locket necklace around her neck. She pulled it off.

"This is Francie's." she whispered, then bolted to the exit, praying she'd make it in time. Just before she made it to the doorway she heard the explosions start. She barely made it out the door before the building was in a ball of flames, the concussion knocking her to the ground, out cold.

When she woke up, she found herself in a hospital bed hooked to an IV with oxygen in her nose and her arm hurting like hell. She groggily looked down to see her left upper arm wrapped tightly in gauze and in a sling.

"Mm..what happened?" she mumbled to someone sitting next to her.

'Vaughn?' she thought her vision still blurry.

"Vaughn?" she whispered, trying to blink away her blurred vision.

"Sorry Agent Bristow.I'm Agent McKanlis." The young man said.

"Oh.sorry...my vision...it's a little blurry." She said hoarsely.

"I'll tell the nurse you're awake so she can alert the director." He said, excusing himself. He spoke to the nurse and within 10 minutes, Kendall came in to Sydney's room. The doctor had checked over Sydney in the meantime.

"Glad to see you awake Agent Bristow. We were a little worried about you." Kendall said, smiling slightly at Sydney.

'Why is he being so nice to me? I broke procedure, I endangered the mission, shouldn't he be yelling at me or something? And why is he here?' Sydney thought, a confused expression on her face.

"Sir..no offense, but why are YOU here? Where's my father?.or.Agent Vaughn?" Sydney said, sitting up with a little difficulty. Her vision was cleared up, but she wished it hadn't. Then she wouldn't have to see the look that went across Kendall's face.

"Sir?..Tell me! Where's my father?! And...Vaughn?" she said more strongly.

"Your father is on the..recovery team...searching what is left of the building after the bomb. Only 3 members were able to make it out...before the explosion, two didn't make it out. He's searching for them." Kendall first said.

Sydney's mind swirled.

'Only three? He got out, right? But then, WHY'S my father there searching the ruins...he'd only do that if it were someone VERY important...OH NO!! NO it CAN'T be?!' Sydney thought, her face suddenly dawning what was true, her face crumpled and she covered her mouth with her good arm, looking up at Kendall with tears in her eyes. Her voice came out hitched and hoarse.

"T-the..agents to n-not come out...one's ...n-not..V-Vaughn, is-is it?" she cried. Kendall couldn't help but feel for his prize agent. His face fell and he looked down for a moment before looking back up sadly.

"Yes. I'm sorry Sydney. That's why...your father and Agent Weiss aren't here. They want to be there...to find him." Kendall said as Sydney's eyes grew, full of tears, and not wanting to believe it.

"NO! Th-this isn't happening!!? It's NOT real!!..he can't be gone! Not him! Not my...m-my.guardian angel!?" she whispered, shaking her head fiercely.

"I'm sorry. Please, get some rest." Kendall said hoarsely, having to leave. The agent from before sat back in his seat.

"NO!! I want him back! Get out of here! That's not your seat!" she said louder. The agent stood up, looking towards the director helplessly.

"C'mon Agent McKanlis. I'll send in Dixon or Agent Phillips. She's more comfortable with them." Kendall said, waving the agent out.

A short time later Phillips came in, carrying something in her hand. Sydney now lay there, staring ahead blankly.

"Hey Sydney..thought you'd like some company. I brought you something; here, you can just hold onto it. It's something Agent Vaughn holds close." Phillips said, gently placing the object in Syd's hand. Sydney looked confused over at her, then down to her hands where Phillips had placed a rosary. She looked up to Phillips with a question on her face.

"A while back I had one on my desk; a gift for my Goddaughters First Communion. Well, it had fallen and he kindly picked it up. He said it was very pretty, much like the one his mother had given him on his First Communion. He said he still had it in his nightstand drawer, taking it out every so often when he needed to. I thought you'd like to hold that one of mine..might help you a little." Phillips explained softly, smiling up at Sydney. Sydney smiled slightly back at her as she played with the rosary.

"I think..I think he wanted to teach my all about this. Something that was so important to him." Sydney whispered, some lone tears falling. Phillips just smiled sadly and sat back, letting Sydney be alone in her thoughts.

Silently for an hour or so, Sydney stared at the rosary, tears slowly streaming down her face. Phillips silently sat with her, just being there with her. A short time later, Sydney just started getting up, uncovering herself and eyeing her IV in her hand for a way to detach it.

"Sydney.what're you doing? Get back to bed. I don't want you to faint on me here." Phillips said, trying to get her back to bed.

"I have to go. Go to him. To see for myself. I can't believe it till I do. I won't." Sydney said, voice stern, yet sad. Phillips nodded.

"I understand. But please sit back down. I'll see what I can do." She pleaded with Sydney, ushering her back to her bed.

"I'm going. I won't stay here." Sydney re-stated. Phillips nodded heading out the door. She came back about 20 minutes later with a doctor and a nurse. And her mother.

"I heard you're getting out of Dodge, no questions asked. Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. I saw last time you and Agent Vaughn were in her how close you were. I already had a back up planned for your sudden departure. You must stay on that IV. You also need to stay on a portable heart monitor. It's small, not much bigger than a pager with wires under your clothes. I'll set you up with everything and have you out of here in a half an hour." The doctor said, signing her off. The nurse hooked her up to her portable heart monitor as Sydney just starred, devastated, into her mother's eyes silently.

The nurse made sure her IV was well secure, placing a small flexible board to her wrist and tapping it well. Syd, with the help from her mom, changed into loose exercise pants and a long sleeved T-shirt hoody. Irina had to tie her shoes and went with Sydney out of the infirmary, keeping an arm around Sydney's waist. She was still wobbly, but was determined. Irina passed her off to Phillips when she couldn't follow any farther, kissing her and hugging her a long moment. With her pack holding her IV bag and monitor hung off of her shoulder, she walked into the boardroom where Kendall was discussing the recovery mission.

"I want to go. I have to." Sydney said, setting her jaw. Kendall eyed her, all pale, gash with stitches on her head, arm sling and IV'd hand and smiled sadly.

"Agent Bristow..Sydney, you're in no condition to go anywhere. Especially not there. Your father, Agent Weiss, and Agent Dixon are there now." Kendall said, knowing he'd be better off talking to a wall. The look in her eyes said it all.

"Sir, please. I need to go myself." She whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. Kendall gazed at her another moment, discovering a new respect for her.

"Guess I won't be talking you out of this one. You know, your father's gonna have my head for this. Alright, but the SECOND you seem to be getting worse, that's it Sydney." Kendall warned. She only nodded.

"Thank you sir." She whispered.

"Mr. Tippin is here...he's been waiting for you to wake up to speak to you...he's been busy, with the information on your last mission. Bring him with you please." Kendall commented, wanting someone there for her. She looked a tiny bit hopeful to see her friend. Phillips escorted her to Will's desk where he was busy talking away and on his computer.

"Will?" Sydney called out softly. It stalled his movements and he turned around and wrapped Sydney in his arms.

"Hey...what're you doing here? You should be in the infirmary." He said. She just let the tears fall, as she looked him in the eyes sadly.

"Take me to him. I have to see for myself." She whispered. He just nodded.

"Alright." He said, wrapping his arm around her waist for support.

"So...what's with the sling?" he asked to make conversation a while later on the CIA jet to South America.

"Um...not sure actually." Sydney said, her brow furrowing as she poked at the sling. Phillips was along with Sydney, ordered by Kendall because he believed she'd need a 'female companion', just in case.

"You were shot." Phillips commented.

"I was? Wow, I didn't notice at the time." Sydney mentioned softly.

"I'm not surprised." Will commented, imagining the gun show down she'd had with a double that looked just like her best friend. Sydney stared off in her own thoughts the remainder of the flight. When they landed both Will and Phillips had to help her off as she'd started to grow weaker.

To Sydney the drive to the sited seemed to take forever. When they finally pulled up to the site, Sydney couldn't believe it was the same place she'd been to just a day ago.

"Oh..Gawd." she whispered, not being able to comprehend that Vaughn, HER Vaughn was in there...somewhere.

"My poor angel." She whispered as tears came to her eyes. Will helped her out of the van as Phillips went to speak to one of the recovery agents. She came back with a grim face.

"Sydney? They said they found where he is at." Phillips said softly in a sad voice. Sydney only nodded and gulped.

"Your father and Agent Weiss are there now." Phillips relayed.

"Will...the flowers." Sydney mumbled, motioning to the small bouquet of red, white, and yellow roses. Red for love, yellow for friendship, with white for peace and eternity. Then she let go of Will's arm and refused help as she went to her father. She just followed her heart. The building structure was still standing, but all the windows, doors and small entryways were blown out. Everything was black, some still smoldering. Glass was everywhere. Dixon saw Sydney coming from his place in a hallway and frowned.

"C'mon girl." He motioned turning and leading the way even though she didn't need it. They went down one level to the basement and down a darker hallway.

"Jack? Sydney's here." Dixon spoke into a doorway. Then Sydney stepped up to the pure blackened and charred doorway and peered into the same conditioned room. It wasn't much bigger than an office and two sheets lay over 2 forms on the ground.

Sydney sucked in her breath, tears full in her eyes. She glanced helplessly up to her father who was standing over one of the sheets, next to Weiss.

"Your sure?" she gulped out. Jack nodded sadly and handed her an evidence bag. She grasped it as much as possible and looked at the jewelry inside.

It was his.

It was Vaughn's necklace. A gold chain with a small cross. And his slightly charred pocket watch, the one he used now since his wristwatch stopped.

"Oh Vaughn!" she sobbed out, falling to her knees. Her father immediately went to her side holding her a few moments while she sobbed. After a little while she gently pushed him away. She started reaching over to pull the sheet.

"Syd..you shouldn-" Weiss started to say, but she looked up at him with a look of pure pain.

"Go." She said through tears. He nodded and patted Jack on the back.

"We'll be right outside Sydney." Jack said softly, kissing her hairline.

Everyone exited the room, giving Sydney her space. She took off her sling, tired of it bothering her and once again pulled at the sheet.

What lay underneath wasn't her Vaughn. It was horrendous. Sydney once again gulped in air immediately shutting her eyes and turning her head away. She took some deep breaths and turned back to the scene. The body was barely identifiable. Burned beyond recognition. She could see where her father had removed the jewelry. She silently sobbed as she placed flowers over her guardian angel and giving him one last prayer she got up and blew him a kiss.

"I love you Michael." She whispered before stepping out then completely collapsing against her father's chest. He scooped her up in his arms and took her out of the building.

"Take her home. Be sure they place her back into the medical services infirmary. Make sure she's completely comfortable. And tell Kendall..thanks." Jack instructed once Will was back in the van with Sydney and Agent Phillips.

"Yes sir." Will addressed as they shut the door and drove away.

Sydney was back in the CIA infirmary by late that night. They gave her something to help her sleep as she held Vaughn's necklace, now wrapped around her wrist and hand, sleeping curled up in a fetal position.

Once back in the infirmary was when Kendall finally went in to see Sydney again. She was staring off at the wall, tears slowly falling down her face. Kendall came in and respectfully sat down, a nod to Irina who sat by her daughter's side. Sytory wasn't allowed in, so she stayed with her aunt and cousins.

Kendall smiled sadly at Sydney. She ticked a glance to her boss and saw he wanted to say something. Irina left to give them some time to talk and to get some coffee. Sydney held her gaze with him, showing him he had her attention. Kendall cleared his throat and began to speak in a soft voice Sydney had never hared from the Director before.

"Agent..Sydney, I can't imagine what you're going through right now. As your boss, what went on between you and Agent Vaughn should have angered me for it was against protocol. But what I saw with this..relationship of yours was that you two worked damn well together, and that's what really mattered, what came out in the end on the reports. Not what went on in between the lines. I know you and I never really got along. Quite frankly, we butted heads...I've never held arguments with anyone of my agents or coworkers before like I do with you. The closest I've come was years and years ago..And that person is now my wife. Goes to show what it takes for someone to really push my buttons. Contrary to what it seems, I care about my agents...especially the ones that can get under my skin." Kendall said, smiling at her and raising an eyebrow. Sydney smirked a little, listening intently.

"Agent Vaughn...he was a very valuable agent, a powerful asset to the CIA, a formidable gentleman...who has a soft spot for dimples, unfortunately." Kendall continued, causing another smirk.

"He'll be sorely missed; he'll receive the highest honors for his work and loyal ship to the United States of America. I'm sure wherever he is now, he's looking down at all of us smiling. Keeping an eye out." Kendall finished.

"My guardian angel." Sydney hoarsely whispered. Then her face furrowed as she looked over to Kendall, slight confusion on her face.

"Sir?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes?" he asked in a fatherly manner.

"...why?" Sydney whispered out. Kendall took this in and nodded. He thought awhile then went to the side of her bed where her nightstand was and opened the drawer pulling out a book.

"Now, Ms. Bristow, I'm not sure how religious of a person you are, but I do know this will be of comfort to you. It's one of the verses I tell to people in this situation; I was told it when I was just a teen when my grandfather passed. It seemed to help me understand. Maybe it will for you a little." Kendall stated as he opened the Bible and turned to a page, clearing is throat.

"This is from Wisdom, chapter 3: 1-6..

But the souls of the just are in the hand

of God

and no torment shall touch them.

They seemed, in the view of the foolish,

to be dead;

and their passing away was thought

an affliction

and their going forth from us, utter

destruction.

But they are in peace.

For if before men, indeed, they be

punished,

yet is their hope full of immortality;

Chastised a little, they shall be greatly

blessed,

because God tried them

and found them worthy of himself.

As gold in the furnace, he proved them,

and as sacrificial offerings he took

them to himself.

Kendall read, then closed the Bible, placing it on the tray. Sydney could only nod, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you sir." She whispered as he said his good nights and left her to her thoughts.

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An: There it is!! Hope you liked that; please review and tell me what you all think!! And I'll update as soon as can be. And don't lose hope! Lot's of twists to come! Thanx!