A/N: So I've tweaked and tweaked this part trying to improve it and honestly, each time I've felt like I was getting further away from the goal of making it better, so I'm gonna let it go before I totally destroy it, lol. Better parts have definitely been written…

"There are no endings. Just new beginnings."

Part 4: Familiar Strangers

Sydney was at her favorite lunch place with Will and Francie. They were discussing how things with her and Danny had fizzled out and how Francie had spotted him across campus and he seemed to be doing better.

Sydney volunteered to pick up their orders at the counter just to get away from the conversation since Francie had been intermittently grilling her about Danny and she was really good at doing it when Sydney least expected it.

She was standing a little way away from the counter waiting for the number for their order to be called when she noticed someone heading her way out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to face him, she came face to face with Dixon, her old partner.

"Hi, you're Jack Bristow's daughter, right?" he asked, smiling.

She was so startled she didn't respond for a moment. "Uh, yes, hi. I'm Sydney."

"Right, I'm sorry" he shook his head at himself. "My family would be so ashamed, where are my manners?" Dixon muttered to himself, then reached out a hand to her. "I'm Marcus Dixon. I work with your father and he's so proud of you!" he gushed. "He showed me a picture of you when you graduated from Undergrad and you have his eyes."

Sydney smiled at him fondly.

"You definitely didn't get those dimples from him though" Dixon grinned at her, the paper menu crinkling in his hand as he raised it to her eyeline.

"Your father recommended this place but didn't say what was good here and I'm having a hard time deciding."

"Go with the chicken and bacon ranch melt. I've been told it's amazing."

"Wow, three of my favorite things on a sandwich, how could I go wrong?" Dixon answered, beaming.

Sydney hid a too large smile behind a cough. In her original timeline, that had been Dixon's favorite sandwich, so she knew he'd love it.

"I'm here with my friends, would you care to join us?" She gestured towards the table Francie and Will were sitting at even as they called her number and she went to the counter to pick up the order.

Dixon shook his head and waved at the corner where Sydney now recognized the teen sitting there as his daughter Robin. She was currently engrossed in her phone and paying no attention to the world around her. "I'm here with my daughter so I should get back to her before she and her phone merge into one being."

"Oh" Sydney said, with a flash of memory. "Did she already pick what she wants? Because the 7-pepper chicken salad is great too. I'd highly recommend it for your daughter."

"Well aren't you a godsend?" Dixon marveled, putting down the menu and stepping up to place his order confidently using Sydney's recommendations. All he had to do was add chips and sodas. "Thanks so much and it was great meeting you!" he called as Sydney stepped away with her tray of food.

"You too" she said, smiling.

She headed back to Francie and Will, whose conversation had somehow devolved into an argument about cookware apparently. Something about how deep a pan has to be before it becomes a pot? Sydney was honestly baffled about how they had made it from Danny to that, but she welcomed their distraction since she felt a little shell-shocked after seeing Dixon.

She kept quiet and let Francie and Will's voices roll over her as she ate her lunch, only letting her gaze occasionally wander to the corner where Dixon sat with his daughter. She was pleased to note that they seemed to really enjoy her recommendations.

At some point the chatter at the table stopped and it took her a moment to realize her friends were focused on her. "What?" she asked setting her drink down after only a sip.

Francie just glanced at Will for confirmation. "Do you see? She's so distracted lately. I don't know what's going on, but something is definitely going on."

Before Sydney could respond a shadow fell over the table and she looked up to find Dixon standing with his daughter hovering just behind him.

"Hey, hi, sorry to interrupt" Dixon said, doing a half wave at Francie and Will.

"It's ok" Sydney said, turning to her friends. "This is Marcus and his daughter. He works with my father."

Francie and Will both perked up at the info. They had heard so little about Sydney's father over the years. "Oh really?" Francie purred.

"Down girl" Sydney smirked, turning back to Dixon.

"Yeah, sorry" Dixon smiled. "I just wanted to say excellent recommendations. Best sandwich ever, seriously. And Robin even commented on her salad, which is the equivalent of raving from anyone else. When she's focused on her phone I could put anything in front of her and she'll eat it without paying attention to what it is."

"Dad!" Robin said, embarrassed. Dixon just shook his head and said as an aside to the table "She was thisclose to eating a potpourri chip last month if I hadn't pointed it out and stopped her."

"Dad!" Robin protested again. "You promised you wouldn't tell that story anymore, remember?"

"Right" Dixon said, smothering his grin. "Sorry honey."

Robin just shook her head and then poked her head around her father. "Thanks for recommending the salad" she said quietly to Sydney. "It was really good."

Sydney just smiled fondly at her. "No problem Miss Dixon. Glad you enjoyed."

Robin smiled shyly at her, then pulled her father away.

"Take care" Dixon called over his shoulder as his daughter dragged him from the shop.

Sydney could only smile helplessly and shake her head, amazed that that had really just happened.

Francie cleared her throat pointedly and Sydney sighed, bracing herself for questioning.

The interrogators at SD-6 could definitely have taken a lesson from Francie Calfo. Francie had definitely gone easy on her in that other timeline if this is what she was capable of back then!

tbc…

oOo