There is no way to gracefully walk out of a room after you have just made
love to the person staying behind in the room. Sydney was struggling to re-
tie her bikini top and extract herself from Vaughn's embrace, unable to
catch her breath in the sweltering heat of the sauna.
"It's getting hot in here," Vaughn mock-rapped.
Sydney burst into laughter, "Oh my, Mr. Vaughn, I think it is safe to say that you should definitely stick to your day job."
"Sorry, it seems like being around you makes me loose my mind," Vaughn laughed at himself, "Seriously though, I need to get out of here, I can hardly breathe."
"That's exactly what I was trying to do." Sydney was cut off mid-sentence by the sound of the pool house door slamming, her eyes widening with the sound. "Shit."
Taking a look through the window, Vaughn chuckled, "It's just Louis, don't worry, just follow my lead."
Vaughn moved to the bench, pulling Sydney along with him. They had just sat down at opposite ends of the small room when the door swung open, bringing with it a welcome rush of cold air.
"Ms. Bristow, Mr. Mitchell, I see you are enjoying the sauna, I trust everything has met your standards," Louis smiled, standing in the doorway wearing only a Speedo, "Mind if I join you in here - I like to end my evenings with a sauna and a dip in the pool. My, it's hot in here tonight."
Sydney cast a sideways smile at Vaughn, "It is a little warm in here. I was just about to go jump in the pool. If you'll excuse me."
"I think that is a great idea, I'm starting to turn into a prune in here." Vaughn rose to follow Sydney out the door, "Enjoy the sauna - it is quite memorable."
Louis simply nodded, giving no indication that he thought the two of them alone in the sauna was a sign that anything was amiss, "Enjoy the rest of your evening."
"You too, Louis," Sydney called over her shoulder as she skipped off towards the pool, diving into the deep end.
Vaughn couldn't help but admire the view, watching Sydney's body slide underneath the water, breaking the smooth surface in one swift motion. She would be the death of him - one way or another.
* * *
Vaughn had opted not to join Sydney in the pool, knowing full well he wouldn't have been able to keep his hands off of her, despite their company in the sauna. Grabbing a towel from the stack by the door, he walked outside. The night air wrapped around his body and immediately cooled him down.
The image of Louis in the Speedo had him laughing as he entered Mount Mercy, walking across the lobby to the elevators. The doors opened before him almost before he touched the call button, even the elevators were efficient. Vaughn walked inside, turned around and practically jumped out of skin when he saw Sydney standing before him.
"How did you do that?"
"I have my ways," Sydney's eyes crinkled in amusement, "We're on the same floor, right Donnie?"
Vaughn pushed the button for their floor, his arm brushing Sydney as he reached in front of her. "That's correct, Sydney. Did you enjoy your swim?"
"Yes, the water was the perfect temperature, the sauna was a little hot though," Sydney turned towards him as the doors closed in front of them, her face glowing.
Vaughn threw caution to the wind for the second time that night and pressed Sydney back against the sidewall of the car, kissing her firmly. Sydney responded quickly, tongue darting out to meet his, drinking in all she could before the doors opened and they became almost-strangers again.
"Syd, you are too much," Vaughn stepped backwards, "It's a good thing we have a little outing planned for tonight, I don't think I could sleep to save my life."
"I think you took the words right out of my mouth," Sydney smiled impishly, "Let me have them back."
Sydney reached out and used the towel around Vaughn's waist to pull him back to her, crushing her mouth against his. Vaughn's ran his hands up her sides and into her hair, pulling it away from her face.
It was Sydney's turn to pull away, but not before she ran her hand under the lower part of his abdomen that was covered by the towel, smiling as his muscles quivering at her touch. "No regrets." It was a statement as much as it was a question.
"No regrets," Vaughn tilted his forehead to touch Sydney's.
The ding of the elevator reaching their floor sent Vaughn flying to the opposite side of the elevator. Sydney stifled a giggle as the doors opened to reveal Murphy, their veritable hall monitor.
"Good evening, Ms. Bristow, Mr. Mitchell, I see you have been down to our pool house, I hope everything was perfect."
"Absolutely," Vaughn nodded, "A man could get spoiled staying at this place."
Sydney simply shook her head in agreement, walking away from the two men as they exchanged pleasantries, hearing Murphy tell Vaughn that the weather report called for a clear night with a slight breeze, reminding her she needed to set a time with Vaughn to meet later
"Good night, Donnie, please give my best to Julia," Sydney called back to them as she reached her door, "I hope we'll see you in the morning, tell Julia I should be ready for shopping around 2:30."
Vaughn acknowledged Sydney's signal for a rendezvous time with a small nod, "I'll be sure to tell her. Sleep well, see you in the morning."
Vaughn could not have spoken truer words as 2:30 a.m. was technically morning and at 4 ½ hours away it would be just long enough time for a nap before she had to get up and prepare for their exploration into the woods.
The door before her swung open, flooding light into the darkened room. The TV was muted; Sydney recognized the movie as "Reality Bites," one of her favorite movies from high school. Will was sacked out on the bed, his head unnaturally resting on his chest. Closing the door behind her, Sydney used the light from the television to find her way around the room, a task she could have executed in the dark - another joy of her near-photographic memory. Quiet snores rose from the bed, seeming infinitely loud in the silent room.
Sydney smiled remembering the time she and Francie had both been awakened in the middle of the night by Will's snoring, amplified by the three bottles of wine they had split earlier that night. Will had basically passed out on their couch and was oblivious as they tickled his nose with fringe from a throw pillow, cascading into fits of silent laughter as he scrunched up his face and snored even louder than before each time they ran the pillow over his face. She was still in training at SD-6 at that time, she hadn't even gone out on a field assignment. Poor Will, he was still an innocent when it came to all this, caught up in drama of her life.
Sydney grabbed a pair of pajamas from her things and went into the bathroom to change. Looking at herself in the mirror, Sydney couldn't help but smile, thoughts of Will and Francie suddenly a million miles away. Her back was still bright red from being pressed against the heat-soaked wood of the sauna bench and she literally ached to have Vaughn inside her again. After tonight she had another thing to add to the list of reasons she was fighting to take down SD-6: More nights with Vaughn, nights that didn't have to end when the doors opened.
* * *
2:30 a.m. came all too soon for Sydney - she had barely closed her eyes when she felt her alarm vibrating against her arm. Marshall had created the alarm for her, a small band that fit snuggly around her wrist, battery-free so she never had to worry about it not working and best of all: minus the horrible beeping noise she hated being woken by. She liked the token so much she had had it checked out by the CIA and they deemed it bug- and tracker-free so she was able to take it on missions for the government as well.
Will was still out on the bed next to her, though in a much more comfortable position since she had tugged his body down the bed making it so his head wasn't propped against the headboard any longer. He had rolled onto his stomach, flopping one arm over Sydney's abdomen shortly after midnight, a gesture Sydney had let pass - what he didn't know didn't hurt him. Sliding out from under his arm and onto the floor, Sydney walked into the bathroom, the carpet soft on her bare feet. She was careful to shut the door before turning on the blinding light.
Turning on the cold water, she leaned down to splash water over her face, her trusted remedy for waking up, she couldn't afford to be tired tonight. She dressed quickly, black turtleneck, black pants and a black down vest, she was the picture of the perfect double agent on a mission. The pin and earpiece Vaughn had given her at the warehouse completed the look.
"Good morning, Agent Bristow," Vaughn's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"How did you know I was up?"
"I heard the water running and thought I would take a chance it was you and not Will getting ready for our outing," Sydney could hear Vaughn smile, "Are you ready to go?"
"I just have to get my flashlight and shoes," Sydney took a last look in the mirror and pulled a black knit cap over her ponytailed hair, "I'll meet you outside in five."
"Sounds good, I'll patch us into central command so they can start monitoring our comm pieces
A few minutes later Sydney was standing on Vaughn's balcony, waiting for him to come out. The slider came open revealing a figure dressed identically to her.
"Now this is embarrassing," Sydney whispered, causing Vaughn to jump.
"Shit, you scared me, how did you get over here? And what's embarrassing," Vaughn asked, turning around, "Oh, I see, nice outfit, we must shop at the same place."
"Who knew Gap had a line of clothing for spies," Sydney smiled, "I climbed over, I figured it was probably a better idea to only have one rope coming down from a balcony."
Vaughn looked a the twelve foot gap between their balconies, connected by a narrow ledge and shook his head, "Next time we risk having two ropes, it's easier to explain than having a guest, dressed in black, lying on the ground with a broken leg underneath her room."
Sydney rolled her eyes as she grabbed the rope from Vaughn, securing it to the cement railing. They each put on their harnesses and climbed over to the outside of the rail.
"Ladies first," Vaughn motioned, earning himself another eye roll "I insist."
Sydney hooked her harness to the rope and lowered herself soundlessly to the ground. Vaughn was right behind her.
"Boy scout and Freelancer clear," Vaughn whispered, indicating to his other partner that it was all right to pull up the rope.
"How would she have gotten my rope up," Sydney inquired.
"She probably would have called Will, I don't know, she's resourceful."
Sydney and Vaughn ran along the edge of the building to the line of trees that ran out to the edge of the property, creating a natural barrier from the front lawn to the back, it was also perfect cover for them to get into the woods and to their waiting vehicle, stowed earlier by an agent from the local office.
Vaughn unlocked the truck, revealing quite the arsenal of equipment. He grabbed two guns and handed them to Sydney, adding a pair of night vision goggles and a night vision camera - their first trip out was to see what the fuss was all about and then determine their action plan. Taking the same supplies for himself as well as a satellite phone in case they were discovered and couldn't communicate with Amanda back at Mount Mercy, Vaughn shut the trunk and started around to the driver's side of the car. Sydney raised her eyebrow at him and held her hand out for the keys; Vaughn paused, considering his options. Then he tossed the keys in her direction, to hell with his bruised ego, she was the better field agent and she probably had the route out to the scene memorized.
Sydney had, in fact, committed the entire map of the area to memory and was able to maneuver the car near where the first agent had lost whomever it was that he was trailing. Parking the car in spot hidden from the road, Sydney grabbed Vaughn's hand and squeezed it, careful to say nothing, aware of the squad of agents monitoring their mission. Vaughn smiled at Sydney, keeping his emotions in check; they may have been lovers hours before but at this moment they were doing something that couldn't be hindered by passion or feelings, even love.
"Boy Scout and Freelancer are at point, ready to go in," Sydney spoke softly into the air.
Vaughn and Sydney both heard the go-ahead; agents had been monitoring any movements in the area, aware of anything out of the ordinary. The two agents ran along the side of the road a mile and a half, ready to dive into the brush at the first sign of company. The road split, a dirt road going off to the right leading away from the paved section, at the end of it, their destination. Sydney signaled for Vaughn to cross around go on the other side of the road from her, each of them traveling a few yards into the woods, away from the road between them.
Ten minutes later they approached a clearing, three buildings created a triangle in the center with a fourth standing off to the right, near the edge of the woods. Now they would wait. They didn't know what they would find, but if there were guards patrolling or any other activity they would be there to document it so they would be prepared for the following night.
"Boy Scout, Freelancer," Jack's voice rang in their ear, "One of the same planes that has been spotted in the harbor has landed again in Bar Harbor, it looks like you will have company in an hour or so."
"Freelancer and Boy Scout on target," Sydney motioned for Vaughn to move around to the back of the clearing, out of the sight of any incoming activity, "Standing by."
As if on cue, an outdoor light over of the buildings flickered on, filling the clearing with a pale yellow light and sending Vaughn and Sydney to the ground, out of sight. A breeze whistled through the trees overhead, causing the leaves to twitter, welcome cover noise for the two hidden agents.
It wasn't long before movement could be heard from within two of the houses, they were certainly getting ready for company since it was unlikely the occupants were getting up before dawn for their health. Sydney took advantage of Mother Nature's sound cover and darted around through the woods taking pictures of the buildings and the surrounding area, noting nothing out of the ordinary, aside from a notable lack of vehicles - it looked like a small camp tucked away in the New England forest, easily overlooked, seemingly innocent.
It wasn't long before Sydney could hear the rumble of a car turning onto the dirt road.
"We've got company," Vaughn's voice came through her earpiece.
A SVU came into view and pulled up to the front nearest building, the engine cut off abruptly. Before the occupants exited their auto, Sydney heard the door to the building she was slightly behind open and footsteps crunched on the gravel.
"Glad you could make it," the familiar British accent floated through the night air, muted slightly by the wind, "I trust your travels went well."
Sydney shifted, ready to snap a photo when Sark came into view. The driver's side door opened and a woman got out, her face obscured by a baseball cap, dark brown hair swinging out from underneath it. She was unfamiliar to Sydney, and unexpected - there wasn't any information about Sark working with or for a woman, only "The Man."
"Have the others unload the car while we go inside and discuss our plans," the woman said, taking Sark's outstretched hand, "There's much to be done."
Sydney took pictures as two men came out from the building with the light on and unloaded a large boxe from the back of the vehicle. They carried it to the building that was outside of the formation and closest to the trees. Vaughn had positioned himself near the structure and Sydney had her gun trained on the head of the larger of the two men.
---- Thanks so much for reading, you'll have to wait and see what happens. Sorry it has taken so long in getting back into the story. So much has happened this year (on the show and in my life) but I am glad to come back to it. It is different from what has happened on TV, but I am glad to take a stab at a different story line.
"It's getting hot in here," Vaughn mock-rapped.
Sydney burst into laughter, "Oh my, Mr. Vaughn, I think it is safe to say that you should definitely stick to your day job."
"Sorry, it seems like being around you makes me loose my mind," Vaughn laughed at himself, "Seriously though, I need to get out of here, I can hardly breathe."
"That's exactly what I was trying to do." Sydney was cut off mid-sentence by the sound of the pool house door slamming, her eyes widening with the sound. "Shit."
Taking a look through the window, Vaughn chuckled, "It's just Louis, don't worry, just follow my lead."
Vaughn moved to the bench, pulling Sydney along with him. They had just sat down at opposite ends of the small room when the door swung open, bringing with it a welcome rush of cold air.
"Ms. Bristow, Mr. Mitchell, I see you are enjoying the sauna, I trust everything has met your standards," Louis smiled, standing in the doorway wearing only a Speedo, "Mind if I join you in here - I like to end my evenings with a sauna and a dip in the pool. My, it's hot in here tonight."
Sydney cast a sideways smile at Vaughn, "It is a little warm in here. I was just about to go jump in the pool. If you'll excuse me."
"I think that is a great idea, I'm starting to turn into a prune in here." Vaughn rose to follow Sydney out the door, "Enjoy the sauna - it is quite memorable."
Louis simply nodded, giving no indication that he thought the two of them alone in the sauna was a sign that anything was amiss, "Enjoy the rest of your evening."
"You too, Louis," Sydney called over her shoulder as she skipped off towards the pool, diving into the deep end.
Vaughn couldn't help but admire the view, watching Sydney's body slide underneath the water, breaking the smooth surface in one swift motion. She would be the death of him - one way or another.
* * *
Vaughn had opted not to join Sydney in the pool, knowing full well he wouldn't have been able to keep his hands off of her, despite their company in the sauna. Grabbing a towel from the stack by the door, he walked outside. The night air wrapped around his body and immediately cooled him down.
The image of Louis in the Speedo had him laughing as he entered Mount Mercy, walking across the lobby to the elevators. The doors opened before him almost before he touched the call button, even the elevators were efficient. Vaughn walked inside, turned around and practically jumped out of skin when he saw Sydney standing before him.
"How did you do that?"
"I have my ways," Sydney's eyes crinkled in amusement, "We're on the same floor, right Donnie?"
Vaughn pushed the button for their floor, his arm brushing Sydney as he reached in front of her. "That's correct, Sydney. Did you enjoy your swim?"
"Yes, the water was the perfect temperature, the sauna was a little hot though," Sydney turned towards him as the doors closed in front of them, her face glowing.
Vaughn threw caution to the wind for the second time that night and pressed Sydney back against the sidewall of the car, kissing her firmly. Sydney responded quickly, tongue darting out to meet his, drinking in all she could before the doors opened and they became almost-strangers again.
"Syd, you are too much," Vaughn stepped backwards, "It's a good thing we have a little outing planned for tonight, I don't think I could sleep to save my life."
"I think you took the words right out of my mouth," Sydney smiled impishly, "Let me have them back."
Sydney reached out and used the towel around Vaughn's waist to pull him back to her, crushing her mouth against his. Vaughn's ran his hands up her sides and into her hair, pulling it away from her face.
It was Sydney's turn to pull away, but not before she ran her hand under the lower part of his abdomen that was covered by the towel, smiling as his muscles quivering at her touch. "No regrets." It was a statement as much as it was a question.
"No regrets," Vaughn tilted his forehead to touch Sydney's.
The ding of the elevator reaching their floor sent Vaughn flying to the opposite side of the elevator. Sydney stifled a giggle as the doors opened to reveal Murphy, their veritable hall monitor.
"Good evening, Ms. Bristow, Mr. Mitchell, I see you have been down to our pool house, I hope everything was perfect."
"Absolutely," Vaughn nodded, "A man could get spoiled staying at this place."
Sydney simply shook her head in agreement, walking away from the two men as they exchanged pleasantries, hearing Murphy tell Vaughn that the weather report called for a clear night with a slight breeze, reminding her she needed to set a time with Vaughn to meet later
"Good night, Donnie, please give my best to Julia," Sydney called back to them as she reached her door, "I hope we'll see you in the morning, tell Julia I should be ready for shopping around 2:30."
Vaughn acknowledged Sydney's signal for a rendezvous time with a small nod, "I'll be sure to tell her. Sleep well, see you in the morning."
Vaughn could not have spoken truer words as 2:30 a.m. was technically morning and at 4 ½ hours away it would be just long enough time for a nap before she had to get up and prepare for their exploration into the woods.
The door before her swung open, flooding light into the darkened room. The TV was muted; Sydney recognized the movie as "Reality Bites," one of her favorite movies from high school. Will was sacked out on the bed, his head unnaturally resting on his chest. Closing the door behind her, Sydney used the light from the television to find her way around the room, a task she could have executed in the dark - another joy of her near-photographic memory. Quiet snores rose from the bed, seeming infinitely loud in the silent room.
Sydney smiled remembering the time she and Francie had both been awakened in the middle of the night by Will's snoring, amplified by the three bottles of wine they had split earlier that night. Will had basically passed out on their couch and was oblivious as they tickled his nose with fringe from a throw pillow, cascading into fits of silent laughter as he scrunched up his face and snored even louder than before each time they ran the pillow over his face. She was still in training at SD-6 at that time, she hadn't even gone out on a field assignment. Poor Will, he was still an innocent when it came to all this, caught up in drama of her life.
Sydney grabbed a pair of pajamas from her things and went into the bathroom to change. Looking at herself in the mirror, Sydney couldn't help but smile, thoughts of Will and Francie suddenly a million miles away. Her back was still bright red from being pressed against the heat-soaked wood of the sauna bench and she literally ached to have Vaughn inside her again. After tonight she had another thing to add to the list of reasons she was fighting to take down SD-6: More nights with Vaughn, nights that didn't have to end when the doors opened.
* * *
2:30 a.m. came all too soon for Sydney - she had barely closed her eyes when she felt her alarm vibrating against her arm. Marshall had created the alarm for her, a small band that fit snuggly around her wrist, battery-free so she never had to worry about it not working and best of all: minus the horrible beeping noise she hated being woken by. She liked the token so much she had had it checked out by the CIA and they deemed it bug- and tracker-free so she was able to take it on missions for the government as well.
Will was still out on the bed next to her, though in a much more comfortable position since she had tugged his body down the bed making it so his head wasn't propped against the headboard any longer. He had rolled onto his stomach, flopping one arm over Sydney's abdomen shortly after midnight, a gesture Sydney had let pass - what he didn't know didn't hurt him. Sliding out from under his arm and onto the floor, Sydney walked into the bathroom, the carpet soft on her bare feet. She was careful to shut the door before turning on the blinding light.
Turning on the cold water, she leaned down to splash water over her face, her trusted remedy for waking up, she couldn't afford to be tired tonight. She dressed quickly, black turtleneck, black pants and a black down vest, she was the picture of the perfect double agent on a mission. The pin and earpiece Vaughn had given her at the warehouse completed the look.
"Good morning, Agent Bristow," Vaughn's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"How did you know I was up?"
"I heard the water running and thought I would take a chance it was you and not Will getting ready for our outing," Sydney could hear Vaughn smile, "Are you ready to go?"
"I just have to get my flashlight and shoes," Sydney took a last look in the mirror and pulled a black knit cap over her ponytailed hair, "I'll meet you outside in five."
"Sounds good, I'll patch us into central command so they can start monitoring our comm pieces
A few minutes later Sydney was standing on Vaughn's balcony, waiting for him to come out. The slider came open revealing a figure dressed identically to her.
"Now this is embarrassing," Sydney whispered, causing Vaughn to jump.
"Shit, you scared me, how did you get over here? And what's embarrassing," Vaughn asked, turning around, "Oh, I see, nice outfit, we must shop at the same place."
"Who knew Gap had a line of clothing for spies," Sydney smiled, "I climbed over, I figured it was probably a better idea to only have one rope coming down from a balcony."
Vaughn looked a the twelve foot gap between their balconies, connected by a narrow ledge and shook his head, "Next time we risk having two ropes, it's easier to explain than having a guest, dressed in black, lying on the ground with a broken leg underneath her room."
Sydney rolled her eyes as she grabbed the rope from Vaughn, securing it to the cement railing. They each put on their harnesses and climbed over to the outside of the rail.
"Ladies first," Vaughn motioned, earning himself another eye roll "I insist."
Sydney hooked her harness to the rope and lowered herself soundlessly to the ground. Vaughn was right behind her.
"Boy scout and Freelancer clear," Vaughn whispered, indicating to his other partner that it was all right to pull up the rope.
"How would she have gotten my rope up," Sydney inquired.
"She probably would have called Will, I don't know, she's resourceful."
Sydney and Vaughn ran along the edge of the building to the line of trees that ran out to the edge of the property, creating a natural barrier from the front lawn to the back, it was also perfect cover for them to get into the woods and to their waiting vehicle, stowed earlier by an agent from the local office.
Vaughn unlocked the truck, revealing quite the arsenal of equipment. He grabbed two guns and handed them to Sydney, adding a pair of night vision goggles and a night vision camera - their first trip out was to see what the fuss was all about and then determine their action plan. Taking the same supplies for himself as well as a satellite phone in case they were discovered and couldn't communicate with Amanda back at Mount Mercy, Vaughn shut the trunk and started around to the driver's side of the car. Sydney raised her eyebrow at him and held her hand out for the keys; Vaughn paused, considering his options. Then he tossed the keys in her direction, to hell with his bruised ego, she was the better field agent and she probably had the route out to the scene memorized.
Sydney had, in fact, committed the entire map of the area to memory and was able to maneuver the car near where the first agent had lost whomever it was that he was trailing. Parking the car in spot hidden from the road, Sydney grabbed Vaughn's hand and squeezed it, careful to say nothing, aware of the squad of agents monitoring their mission. Vaughn smiled at Sydney, keeping his emotions in check; they may have been lovers hours before but at this moment they were doing something that couldn't be hindered by passion or feelings, even love.
"Boy Scout and Freelancer are at point, ready to go in," Sydney spoke softly into the air.
Vaughn and Sydney both heard the go-ahead; agents had been monitoring any movements in the area, aware of anything out of the ordinary. The two agents ran along the side of the road a mile and a half, ready to dive into the brush at the first sign of company. The road split, a dirt road going off to the right leading away from the paved section, at the end of it, their destination. Sydney signaled for Vaughn to cross around go on the other side of the road from her, each of them traveling a few yards into the woods, away from the road between them.
Ten minutes later they approached a clearing, three buildings created a triangle in the center with a fourth standing off to the right, near the edge of the woods. Now they would wait. They didn't know what they would find, but if there were guards patrolling or any other activity they would be there to document it so they would be prepared for the following night.
"Boy Scout, Freelancer," Jack's voice rang in their ear, "One of the same planes that has been spotted in the harbor has landed again in Bar Harbor, it looks like you will have company in an hour or so."
"Freelancer and Boy Scout on target," Sydney motioned for Vaughn to move around to the back of the clearing, out of the sight of any incoming activity, "Standing by."
As if on cue, an outdoor light over of the buildings flickered on, filling the clearing with a pale yellow light and sending Vaughn and Sydney to the ground, out of sight. A breeze whistled through the trees overhead, causing the leaves to twitter, welcome cover noise for the two hidden agents.
It wasn't long before movement could be heard from within two of the houses, they were certainly getting ready for company since it was unlikely the occupants were getting up before dawn for their health. Sydney took advantage of Mother Nature's sound cover and darted around through the woods taking pictures of the buildings and the surrounding area, noting nothing out of the ordinary, aside from a notable lack of vehicles - it looked like a small camp tucked away in the New England forest, easily overlooked, seemingly innocent.
It wasn't long before Sydney could hear the rumble of a car turning onto the dirt road.
"We've got company," Vaughn's voice came through her earpiece.
A SVU came into view and pulled up to the front nearest building, the engine cut off abruptly. Before the occupants exited their auto, Sydney heard the door to the building she was slightly behind open and footsteps crunched on the gravel.
"Glad you could make it," the familiar British accent floated through the night air, muted slightly by the wind, "I trust your travels went well."
Sydney shifted, ready to snap a photo when Sark came into view. The driver's side door opened and a woman got out, her face obscured by a baseball cap, dark brown hair swinging out from underneath it. She was unfamiliar to Sydney, and unexpected - there wasn't any information about Sark working with or for a woman, only "The Man."
"Have the others unload the car while we go inside and discuss our plans," the woman said, taking Sark's outstretched hand, "There's much to be done."
Sydney took pictures as two men came out from the building with the light on and unloaded a large boxe from the back of the vehicle. They carried it to the building that was outside of the formation and closest to the trees. Vaughn had positioned himself near the structure and Sydney had her gun trained on the head of the larger of the two men.
---- Thanks so much for reading, you'll have to wait and see what happens. Sorry it has taken so long in getting back into the story. So much has happened this year (on the show and in my life) but I am glad to come back to it. It is different from what has happened on TV, but I am glad to take a stab at a different story line.
