CHAPTER SIXTEEN – SURPRISES

After shutting the door, Sydney took a quick look around the small bedroom and then collapsed onto the bed.  She curled up on the hard mattress, clutching the instigating book to her chest.

For the first time, she allowed herself to fully grieve for the loss of Vaughn.  She knew that he would come back to her, but there was no way to tell when.  The ache in her gut had become almost more than she could bear, and they had been separated for less than twenty-four hours.  She closed her eyes as the hot tears burned in pools on her face.

Sydney couldn't imagine going through the rigors of the next few days and weeks without him there for support.  She knew that whatever was buried in her memory couldn't be pleasant, and that getting those memories back was going to be near torture.  It was good to know that her father was there, but it was Vaughn who was her rock. 

How was she even going to walk into that building?  To Sydney, the JTF completely represented Vaughn and their relationship.  His desk… the conference room… the hallway where he first confessed his feelings… Too many memories waited for her there, but there was nothing else to be done. 

Sydney rolled onto her back and wiped her tears with a long sleeve.  She held the book up and looked at it.  Dad must think I'm nuts… losing it over a novel.  It just struck a nerve.  She wasn't originally thinking of Vaughn when she pulled it from the shelf, but when she started discussing it with her father, Sydney realized how pointed the plot was to her current situation.

She opened the book towards the back, and quickly found the passage she wanted to see.  "You pierce my soul.  I am half agony, half hope.  Tell me not that I am too late…"  The words sounded harsh, reverberating slightly in the sparsely-furnished bedroom, as Sydney's lips made the pleas her own. 

With the distance of time and space between herself and Vaughn, Sydney's doubts that had been temporarily allayed by his nearness began creeping back into her mind.  Aside from the obvious problem that Vaughn was, in fact, married, there were the hazards of his mission to worry about.  Sydney had only seen En Kai for a moment, but the level of respect and fear exhibited by his inferiors told her that he was not a man to be trifled with. 

Sydney lay curled on the bed, imagination rife with thoughts of Vaughn and what could be happening to him.  Eventually, the rigors of the past few days overcame her anxiety and she fell into a fitful sleep.

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Just as Jie was finishing the last strawberry from the tray her husband had prepared for her, there was a knock from the front door.  Vargas handed Jie a napkin as he stood up from resting his elbows on the kitchen counter.  "That should be your parents," he commented.

A few moments later, Mr. and Mrs. En Kai entered the kitchen, led by the Vargas's housekeeper.  Jie hopped up from her position on the high stool at the counter and ran to greet her father and mother.  After joyfully embracing each one, Jie pulled her mother off to the bedroom to inspect her soon-to-be-replaced wardrobe.

Vargas and En Kai greeted each other civilly, but with few words.  En Kai continued standing, staring out the open window as Vargas cleaned up the dishes from breakfast.  Just as he was placing the last of the leftover fruit into the refrigerator, Vargas heard a giggling from the front room.  After washing and drying his hands, Vargas turned back to the kitchen only to find his father-in-law was gone.

Following the sound of voices, Vargas stopped at the threshold to the front room, listening.  He could hear Jie arguing with her father in rapid Chinese about something.  As he listened closer, it became apparent that En Kai was trying to persuade Jie and her mother to extend their trip to the mainland.  He had booked a hotel for them for a week, but the women didn't want to stay away that long.

Vargas's mind was reeling.  First the changed meeting, then sending my wife away?  What is he planning?  He knew that something had to be wrong.  This behavior - business meetings away from the office, showing up at the house so early in the morning, telling his beloved daughter to stay away – it was all completely unlike what Vargas knew of En Kai. 

Before he could rationalize what was going on, Jie had given in.  Vargas stepped back from the doorway as she pushed through, nearly slamming into him.

"Oh!  Erik, are you alright?" she asked, a concerned look gracing her delicate features.  At his assurance that he was fine, she continued, "Baba wants mother and me to make a holiday of our little trip.  He's booked us into a very nice resort so we can shop and relax for a whole week."

She leaned into him and draped her arms over his shoulders.  "I didn't want to be away from you for so long, but you know how stubborn my father can be… So, I'm off to pack a bag."

Vargas gave his wife a small, sweet kiss.  "I'll miss you," he whispered softly in her ear.  "Hurry home, okay?"

Jie gave her husband a gentle smile, kissed him lightly on the nose, and said, "I promise."

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Jack Bristow had sat staring out the front window of the safehouse for over an hour after Sydney had closed herself into the bedroom.  His thoughts were a jumble of worries and planning.

He knew that breakdowns like the one he just witnessed would be a common occurrence over the next few weeks.  Jack knew that the process of retrieving Sydney's memory would be long and fraught with emotional turmoil, but he had a feeling that this particular episode had little to do with memory loss and more to do with the man she left behind in Hong Kong.

On the flight, Sydney had been doing the questioning.  She hadn't asked about Vaughn, and Jack didn't want to press the issue.  Her actions in Hong Kong indicated that she understood Vaughn's situation – his mission – but Jack had no idea how she felt about it… about him. 

He knew that Sydney had cared deeply for Vaughn, and after she disappeared, Vaughn had made no attempts to hide his love for Sydney.  Now Jack only wondered how the two had left their relationship.  Had they come to an understanding?  Was she angry?  Was she hurting? 

The father in him wanted to rush into her bedroom and demand answers, but Jack knew that was the last thing that Sydney would need or want.  She would tell him when she was ready.

He looked at his watch and noted there was about an hour before he needed to wake Sydney.  Having decided to walk around the neighborhood in order to clear his head, Jack found a pen, scribbled a note for Sydney on a notepad he found in a drawer, and headed for the front door.

Before unbolting the lock, Jack quickly looked out the windows, checking for anything out of the ordinary.  The only person on the block was a young boy rollerblading down the sidewalk.  Assured of the lack of danger, Jack opened the door and stepped outside.

As he walked down the short cement driveway, Jack was surprised when the rollerblading boy stopped straight in front of him.  "Hi," the boy addressed him directly.

"Hello," Jack returned the greeting and glanced harder at the child who appeared to be about twelve years old.  "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"Yeah," the boy grinned sheepishly, "I was sick this morning, but I feel better now."  He moved his hands to his back pocket and pulled out a thick business envelope.  "A lady in the park asked me to bring this to you.  She paid me five bucks," he stated happily.

Jack tentatively took the envelope.  Before he had a chance to ask any questions, the boy had shouted "Bye" and skated away.  The envelope was thick with folded papers.  The only marking on it was "JACK" written in a handwriting he knew all too well.

Thirty years before, Jack Bristow saw that exact handwritten label every day – on the paper sacks that held the lunches made for him by his wife.

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A/N:  Whew!  Finally… Thanks for your patience, everyone!  And your reviews have been making my day… please keep them up.