***Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed-baby le, star, thesheeplover, Jubilee, and especially to Joey Bing- I found your comments very helpful, thanks! Y'all made my day! This story is going to be pretty short, as this story moves a bit quicker than my other fics, I'm pretty sure just a 3-parter so I hope y'all enjoy it. Well that's about it for now so without further ado I present to you chapter two!

**Ooh, P.S (just in case anyone would like to know) I have finally named my muse, drum roll please… Corah. (after Norah Jones and Coldplay-since I always listen to them when I write!)

            She had drove all the way to Phoenix. It was dark and she was tired, so she stopped at a hotel to sleep. Sydney lay alone in her bed, just staring out into the darkness surrounding her, leading her into a vast abyss of blindness. Unwelcome thoughts of Vaughn plagued her mind. She tried to convince herself that she hated him, that she didn't miss him. But the truth was she missed him, desperately. She longed for his arms to be around her waist, to feel his warm breath on her neck as they drifted off to sleep together. To be intoxicated by the faint scent of his lingering aftershave. Her futile attempts to forget him only made her feel even more alone. She rolled over and flipped on the lamp next to her bed. The small light flooded room, illuminating the sparse furniture; a chair, small table and TV stand. At least she wasn't totally alone. She glanced about the room, looking for something to hold her interest.

She opened the drawer next to her bed, looking inside, it was empty except for a bible, placed there by the hotel. She reached out for the thick book and opened it. Sydney had never really been religious. When she was young her mother used to take her to church sometimes, she had always liked getting all dressed up. But that ended when Laura Bristow died. Her father never went to church after that. And neither did Sydney.

She looked down at the book, she had flipped to a random spot and started to read. Jeremiah 22:22, "The wind will sweep away all your shepards, and your lovers will go into captivity; then you will surely be ashamed and humiliated because of all of your wickedness."  She sighed threw the book back down, her mind too full to start contemplating life, or deal with that increasing feeling of guilt that was inching into her heart.

It was ironic, this was the time when she was supposed to feel safe, the world was rid from Sloane. There was no one hunting her down, trying to kill her. No one following after her. Maybe that was the problem…he didn't follow after her. Now she felt more afraid than she ever had in her life.

***Flashback***

            Sydney made her way into the Ops Center, exhausted, frustrated and dreading what she knew was the inevitable. She was immediately approached by her father; she steadied herself for another lecture. The frustration was evident in Jack's eyes as he spoke, "You have to stop doing this." He commanded, not bothering to say hello. She sighed and rolled her eyes, thinking he wouldn't notice.  Jack's jaw set as he scolded her angrily, "Sydney Anne Bristow do not roll your eyes at me young lady." He said harshly.

His words made her feel as if she were eight years old all over again, furthering her aggravation. "There is no possible way I will let you be in the field after pulling another stunt like this. How could you possibly think shooting Feldman would help? Not only did you put another agent in danger, not to mention yourself, you compromised the entire mission. And for what?" He questioned. "I'm downgrading your security access, and revoking your field approval."

She opened her mouth to protest but was cut off.  "Sydney, I will not let you lead you life like this." 

She became enraged at her father's words. "Don't tell me how to live my life. I didn't choose this. You made the decision for me. It was you who put me in Project Christmas. It was you who didn't prevent Sloane from recruiting me. Even more than mom, you betrayed me, and I will never forgive you for that." She finished in a harsh tone, her teeth clenched. Just then the duo was approached by Kendal and Vaughn- Kendal looking less than pleased.

Kendal wasted no words as he got straight to the point. "Agent Bristow I am now having you officially reassigned. You will not partake in any dealings concerning Arvin Sloane or Irina Derevko." He stated flatly.

"Sir, you don't understand…." She began to object.

"No I understand perfectly." Kendal said firmly. "Agent Bristow you used to be a stellar agent-always working for the good of your country. However, recent developments have changed that. Your desire to avenge Arvin Sloane has overridden your patriotism so much that it has destroyed your worth as an agent." He paused under her intense glare. "There is no need for me to validate my decision to you, my reasoning should be quite clear to you already." She looked up at Vaughn with an expectant glare, imploring his support. He simply looked at her with sad eyes, as he silently lowered his head.  'I'm your ally.' His previous words played through her head, spinning as if on a record player. She turned her attention back to what Kendal was saying. "And frankly Agent Bristow, you should be glad you still have a job." He finished.

 Sydney let out a heavy breath, anger still evident on her face. She looked at the three men before her with intense brown eyes. She shook her head slightly before turning on her heels as she strode determinedly out of the room, left with only the deepest sense of betrayal.

***Present***

 Not wanting to deal with her thoughts, Sydney grabbed her purse off the nightstand and downed some sleeping pills. She fell asleep with the light on, the furniture her only company. 

            Sydney awoke late the next morning, groggy from the sleeping pills. She pulled herself out of bed, took a quick shower, and headed out again. She still didn't know where she was going, but it didn't really matter.

She decided, that she was going to start her life over again. She had nothing back in L.A. Francie was gone, Will had moved, she wasn't on speaking terms with her father, and Vaughn…well. So she drove. But the problem with driving was that it gave you too much time to think. She thought about love. Love was for the weak. The ones who were too weak to live, so they grasped to this romanticized notion of emotional attachment to one single person, who in reality was just as insecure and imperfect as yourself.

So 10 miles out of Phoenix, she turned on the radio, and pretended to be content with singing to the mindless songs on the radio. She sang through three states and suddenly found herself in Helena, Montana. She veered off the freeway and onto Main Street that ran straight through town, and on towards the mountains, the landscape scattered with trees and rolling hills, complete with ranches with horses and farms. She liked the mountains. Sydney decided that she would like it here too. So she stayed.

*** 3 Weeks Later **

Sydney had gotten a job as a teacher at the local high school. She taught English to juniors and seniors, she was constantly fascinated by the young minds, how they saw things in such a different perspective, whether it be relating to Shakespeare or the new movies coming out. All of her male students thought she was 'hot', and constantly vied for her attention-one even brought her flowers.

 It was at school where she had met Erin, also a teacher. She was around the same age and they almost instantly hit it off. Sydney liked her life…almost. She kept telling herself that this was what she wanted, but it didn't quite work. Every morning before school she'd go running, she was still in perfect shape. But the whole time she ran, she thought about Vaughn. That was the only time she'd let her mind wander to him. Eventually her designated running/Vaughn time increased everyday as she'd let herself get lost in futile fantasies of them together. Her heart ached for him, even though she has changed her entire world, she couldn't change her heart.

~~~***~~~

Both Sydney and Vaughn knew they were lost with out each other, but both too stubborn to call the other. Weiss tried to cheer up Vaughn at the office. It didn't work. Vaughn had gone into a panic when he found out she had left. He had checked with the CIA, and tracked her credit cards to Helena, Montana. 'Montana?' He questioned in his head. He never told Weiss what really happened, and Weiss knew better than to ask again.

No matter how hard he tried, Vaughn could not figure out Sydney Bristow, but even more difficult than that was his feelings towards Sydney Bristow. He was so torn, he couldn't stand her sometimes, but more he couldn't stand to be with out her. He resented her, for breaking his heart. He resented himself for breaking hers. He loved her (he'd finally admitted that to himself), but it didn't matter anyways. He was sure she hated him.  About a month after she left he'd gotten enough courage to call her cell phone. But he only got the standard company line…..this phone is no longer in service.

***One Year Later***

Sydney opened the door to her house. She was exhausted. She made her way through the entry way, dropped her keys lazily on a small table and made her way to the kitchen with two bags of groceries in her arms. Her house was small, but roomy. The kitchen and dining room were on the right, a large airy living room to her left that showcased a staircase leading up to a small balcony on the second floor, along with two bedrooms.

 She set the bags down on the counter and started to put the food away. Her eyes swept over a calendar that was hanging beside the refrigerator. It had been more than a year. She thought back to how much her life had changed. She directed her thoughts back to the task at hand, as she finished putting the last of the groceries away; a loaf of bread, some apples, baby formula, milk, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Swirl.

***Later that night***

            She was simultaneously watching a rerun of Friends and grading papers on Jane Eyre when the doorbell rang. Sydney got up from her couch to answer the door, thinking that Erin must be early. She swung open the door starting, "Hey I really don't think that…" Sydney stopped abruptly when she realized it wasn't Erin that was standing in front of her. She froze at the sight of him.

            He watched as her face turned to shock. Sydney opened her mouth to talk, but all that escaped was an uneven breath. She felt a chill run down her body as she looked at him, he looked the same, he was wearing his regular suit, he may have acquired a new wrinkle, most likely from her, but he still had those same vivid eyes. She looked into his face, but found it entirely unreadable. After what seemed like an eternity she was finally able to formulate words.

            "Vaughn." She breathed. She wanted so badly to fall into his arms, for him to kiss her and chase all of her fears away. A slight breeze came in from behind him, wafting his scent close to her. She took a breath of the air, and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. It was the same aftershave. "Um, come in." She said barely above a whisper as she stepped back to let him in the entryway. They were standing awkwardly, facing each other, neither knowing what to do next. Sydney nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. At seeing this Vaughn half-smiled.

            "God, Sydney I miss you so much." He said, his voice soft. She bit her bottom lip and stared at her feet for a moment.

"I missed you too." It seemed like the natural response. There was a pause. "How did..?"

            "I work for the CIA Syd." He said, reading her thoughts. " I can get an address."

"Yeah." She replied, angry at her own stupidity. 'Come on Syd, you were a spy.' She thought to herself. She was still shocked a little; she couldn't believe he was actually standing in front of her. She didn't know what she wanted more, to kiss him or to slap him. She didn't know whether to be incredibly anger and incredibly happy.

"So you're a teacher." He said, it wasn't really a question, just a statement. She just nodded in reply, and decided that she should be angry right now.

"Why are you here?" She questioned, it had came out a little more bitter than she meant it to, but at least it gave her a little bit of courage. He looked a little startled at her tone, but stared right into her deep brown eyes, seeming to peer straight into her soul. Sydney hated when he did that. It was like he could see right though her. He shook his head a little, his temper beginning to creep into his consciousness.

"I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you. I can't just up and leave and move on. I'm not perfect." He began, as he started to get the distinct feeling he was getting himself into another one of their infinite fights about nothing. Sydney recognized his tone and immediately went to her fighting zone. She started pacing around in the entry way and into the living room.

"You think my life is perfect? What gives you the right to just drop by here…" She began, willing away the tears that had sprung up in her eyes without permission.

"I didn't come here to fight." He said quickly, stepping closer to her.

"Well then what the hell did you come here for?" She asked, turning to face him. Vaughn's mind started racing, what did he come here for? He was concentrating so hard that he didn't even notice a baby's cry coming from the living room, or that Sydney had gone to go and pick it up. Sydney made her way the short distance around the couch and back to him, absent-mindedly balancing the crying tot on her hip as she started to speak again. "Vaughn, I don't know…"  He looked up at Sydney and his jaw dropped. He held his breath for a minute and just stared at her while quickly doing some math in his head. She had been pregnant?!

TBC…..

Thanks for reading!!!