Alright y'all, here's chapter six! Sorry for the delay, but my teachers keep on insisting on giving me loads of homework, ug! But thank God for 3 day weekends! I'll see how much I can get done before the week. I think this fic has about two to three chapters left, so I hope y'all enjoy them. Thanks a bunch for reading! Feel free to review, and thank you so much to those of you who do. You have no idea how much I value feedback. Anyways, that's about it. Oh yeah, this chapter sort of deviates from the previous five as it's not from Sydney's or Vaughn's POV, but I think (hope?) y'all like it.  I'll resume alternating S/V POV next chapter I think.

Happy Labor Day! (Btw, what does Labor Day exactly celebrate/commemorate anyway?)

She had stayed in the shadows. Although hidden by darkness, she'd always be watching. She had watched her as she stumbled, and even though Sydney couldn't see it, she had picked her back up. Constantly on the lookout, they played in an elaborate game of hide and seek.

Irina locked her eyes on the screen, her eyes hard, her expression neutral. The slight pursing of her lips was the only inclination of her anxiety. She had watched her daughter's life unfold before her. Irina sighed; this wasn't how it was supposed to be. She had followed Sydney when she had left L.A. She had let her out of her sight once, and she wasn't going to let that happen again.

She had sent one of her workers to watch over her. But she knew she couldn't trust anyone but herself, she had him set up hidden camera in her apartment. And then she sent him to Uruguay. Irina focused on the screen once again. She picked up her cell phone, shifting her gaze out the window. Tides gathered at the cold beach before her, as traces of snow dotted the sand along the shore.

But the sight of the waves sent memories flooding back to her. She remembered that night. The night when Sydney broke, the night when her own life broke. It had been hot, and Sydney had been oblivious to her presence. She had watched from a van, as she left her house, garbed in running clothes and a lost countenance. Irina waited an hour for her return, but soon after she knew something was wrong. She scolded herself for not keeping closer tabs on her, as she knew she couldn't be trusted.

She set out to find her, masked by the darkness of the night as she stole down miles of pavement. Her mind worked ferociously, trying to solve the enigma of her daughter's mind. She was running now, but hardly out of breath. The soft steady sound of her feet hitting the pavement created a song in her head as the beat merged with the whisper of a soft wind. Rows of quiet houses passed by in uniform, as a lone car passed by in the palm of the night. A chill suddenly ran down her body, carrying to the depths of her toes as a realization swept over her. Irina quickly made a right turn as she headed towards the bridge.  Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the small figure of a woman step off the edge.

She had screamed her name, but it was too late. She watched in horror as she heard a splash. Her body reacted as her mind went blank. She found herself scuttling down the steep banks of the river, making her way down the ravine. She made quickly, not caring the scratches that swiped across her face. Irina paused, frantically searching for her daughter in the darkness of the river. A few streetlights on a jogging trail nearby cast a yellow glow over the black water, reflecting into the night. Her keen eyes scanned the area, she climbing on the rocks next to the shore when she caught sight of her.

Without hesitation she dove in. Swirling water filled her sense as her powerful arms fought against the current. She gasped for breath momentarily before diving back beneath the surface. She had somehow managed to find her in the murky waters.

She had dragged her to shore, her mind flipping through scenarios as she made sure Sydney was breathing. She paused a moment, catching her own breath as the reality of the situation dawned on her. This was her baby girl, she was broken, she was hurting, she was bleeding. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes but she refused to let the fall as she cradled her daughter in her arms. Remorse took over her emotions as she tried to think rationally. A plan formulated in her mind as her spy instincts resumed control. She had to leave her.

She left her on the rocky beach, illuminated by a streetlight. Her fragile body was shattered. But Irina had stayed, she hid in the shadows, waiting. Fifteen minutes later two late night joggers came running by, finding her body. Satisfied she'd be safe now, Irina quickly fled the scene.

The shrill jingle of a cell phone mercifully shook Irina out of her memories.

"Yes?" She answered curtly, turning away from the window. "No I don't care." She demanded. A slight pause followed as she turned her attention back to the screen. "Fine, just get it done." She said quickly before hanging up.

Her eyes stayed on the screen. But the images were haunting. She was on the floor, she shook as she cried out his name. Irina cringed at the sight of it. She hated watching. She had watched enough. She pressed a button on her cell phone that was still nestled in hand. She knew it was time.

Vaughn toyed with his keys as he walked out to his car. A slight breeze wafted over him as the sun hung low in the late afternoon sky. Long shadows cast by cars in the parking lot seemed to stain the pavement with darkness. He shifted his briefcase to his right hand as he gripped his car key, sending the others crashing together on the small metal loop, making a course jingling noise. He spotted his car and shifted his gaze down to the pavement, as the sun was too bright for his eyes. He stopped abruptly as he saw a woman, silhouetted by the shadows of the sun. He immediately tensed as his anger flared up, as well as his curiosity as a sense of dread formed in the bottom of his stomach. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" He questioned in a low tone.

"I've come to talk to you." She said, her Russian accent shining through her words.

"What makes you think I'd ever talk to you?" He said vehemently, as he wished he still carried his gun with him.

"It's about Sydney." She said, expecting his behavior. She watched as he immediately perked up at her name. A hard expression grew on his face as he clenched his jaw. He swallowed as he prepared himself for the worst.  He said nothing but waited for her to continue. Irina looked at him with wise eyes that seemed to hold something back. "She's in Chicago. You need to go find her."

His heart jumped in relief, as a myriad of emotion coursed through him. He used to not think of anything but Sydney. He had finally been able to go for an hour without her entering his mind. But now that was history. He was hurt; he had never thought she'd do this. It was understandable, he partly blamed himself but she chose to do this. She chose to die, she chose to run from him.

"I think if she wanted to be found she would have made that clear a long time ago." He said coldly. Suddenly he found her steely brown eyes, piercing his, as if she was silently reprimanding him.  He shifted under her gaze as he unconsciously shied away from her. She remained silent but her seemingly familiar eyes didn't waver. "I could have you in jail right now. I could call the CIA, and you'd be facing countless…" He began, not knowing what else to say.

Irina gave him a stern look as she interrupted him, "Look, I didn't come here to chat." She commanded, she was not about to let him threaten her. "Go to Chicago." She said in a low tone, the sunlight casting a shadow across her features. 

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" He questioned, anger apparent in voice.

"I'll tell you what you need to know. Go to Epitome, it's a nightclub on the south side. You'll find her there." She said, the look on her face one of deep concentration, as if she was going over each detail of information in her head.

"Look I don't know why you think I'm going to…" He started, but she ignored his comment.

"You love her." She spoke simply. He froze at her words, his heart leaping. She continued, her voice finally giving way to anger, "I will not let your stubbornness kill my daughter." Her jaw clenched as she faced off with him.

 He was quiet. She watched him contemplate the situation. She knew he was going to save her. She just didn't know when. She looked at him with stubborn eyes before he looked up at her again. He face was raw as he faced his father's killer. Worry and pain shown through the depths of his eyes as he looked at her. 

"Do not let my daughter break." She threatened in a low voice. She turned away, leaving him to his thoughts as he watched her retreating form. 

But the truth was she was already broken, and he needed to pick up the pieces before it was too late.

TBC….