A/N: Thank you all who reviewed! I'm glad that even some of those people who are sick of "The Telling" are enjoying this. I was hoping I'd get positive feedback. I just felt so bad that all the angst and attempt for Vaughn to find Sydney had to be summed up in a few seconds. I wanted to prove that Vaughn didn't give up on Sydney easily. I hope you all will continue to read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 2

            Somehow logic was able to enter Vaughn's anxious and confused mind and he reached for his phone. He dialed the number almost mechanically.

            "Get me Director Kendall please," Vaughn requested, his voice devoid of all emotion.

            "Director Kendall is in a meeting-" The young woman started.

            "Get him out of it. This is an emergency," Vaughn said adding urgency to his voice so she'd understand what he was trying to say. He heard her hesitate before she requested he wait a moment. About a minute later Kendall came on the phone.

            "Who is this?" Kendall asked.

            "It's Agent Vaughn. Something's happened at Sydney Bristow's house and we'll need a CIA team here," Vaughn said.

            "I see. I take it you'll explain when we get there?" Kendall assumed.

            "Yes," Vaughn stated. "And Sir?"

            "Yes?"

            "You'll want to bring the forensics team," he said shakily.

            Vaughn heard the click of the phone as he continued to sit in front of the mirror, staring at his broken reflection. The only thing he could think of was "why?" Why had it been Sydney? Of all the people in the world, why Sydney? Of course he was vague on the details. For all he knew she may of left to find help after the fight, but something inside him told him that wasn't the case. He had a feeling that something had happened to her, but every part of his heart prayed that wasn't the truth.

            Vaughn's vision finally focused on the cell phone he was still holding in his hand and an idea formed. He dialed the number he had committed to memory and waited. Seconds later a ring came from a spot about three feet from where he was currently sitting. His spirits fell slightly when he realized that Sydney's phone wasn't with her, but not before realizing that Sydney's phone could still be of help.

            He hung up his phone and reached down for Sydney's. It had been lying face down on the floor less than a foot away from the nightstand. Apparently during the fight it had been knocked to the floor. Vaughn picked it up with shaky hands. He looked through the message box and saw that there were three saved messages. He listened to all three, but the most alarming was the one from Will, warning Sydney about the idea that Francie was the double.

            Vaughn turned slowly to face "Francie." Apparently Will had been right, and "Francie" had figured out that Sydney knew too. Vaughn shuddered. All of this was too real. The reality that Francie was the double and had been the double for a long time seemed to be screaming at him in the face for obvious recognition. Why hadn't he seen it before? Because of his blindness Sydney was gone. Because of his meeting and Donovan, Sydney was gone. Because of Francie, Sydney was gone.

            Vaughn dropped Sydney's phone onto the bed. The CIA team would find it and understand what happened. Vaughn decided the best thing he could do right now was tend to Will. He hadn't moved at all from his position in the tub. His breathing was still shallow and his pulse was still deadly slow. It was sitting here that Will's previous words floated back into his head.

            "Francie…why Francie…Sydney…" Apparently it had been Francie who had stabbed him and the cry of Sydney's name was apparently hope that she'd found his message. Will had done everything in his power to save Sydney, but Vaughn felt worthless. He hadn't done anything at all for Sydney, and that sunk Vaughn into an even deeper depression.

            Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Vaughn managed to submerse enough energy to stand up and answer it. Kendall was the first person he saw. Kendall stepped into the room and looked at it in surprise.

            "What happened here, Agent Vaughn?"

            "Sydney's friend Francie turned out to be the real double," Vaughn said sadly. "And from what I understand of the message on Sydney's phone, Tippin found out and Francie stabbed him. He's in the bathroom in need of medical attention. Apparently Francie figured out that Sydney knew she wasn't the real Francie and the house before you is the location of the fight."

            Kendall raised an eyebrow. "And Sydney and the double?"

            "The double is dead, and Sydney…" Vaughn stopped. "Sydney's missing."

            "I see," Kendall said. "If you would Agent Vaughn, I'd appreciate it if you could stick around for awhile." Vaughn nodded. Vaughn looked around the house that he had just begun getting familiar with. Now it's beauty was unrecognizable and its owner missing. Vaughn sighed; he couldn't stay in here any longer.

            Vaughn stepped out of the front door and sat on the porch still unsure of what was happening but very much aware that things had changed. Whatever had happened tonight had changed all of their lives. Vaughn hoped that Sydney would show up tomorrow and explain what had happened and they could get on with their lives, but even if she did, things would be different. Francie both the double and most likely the real one were dead. Will was fighting for survival at that very moment and Sydney's house was in tatters. At this point he didn't know what the next day would bring.

            Vaughn moved his head so his eyes could graze the remains of the yard. In some places the grass sparkled from the evening dew, but nothing really showed the pain that had occurred that night in an initial glance. It all looked peaceful and normal, but Vaughn knew that those two words are exactly what his life would never be.

            He stopped at the sight of something gleaming. This object was apparently gold and brighter than the rest of the grass when its side caught the streetlight just right. Vaughn stood up and moved to the front yard. He picked up the object off the ground and held it in his hand. The ring was indeed gold and resembled that of a wedding ring. It was large and most likely not belonging to the finger of a woman.

            Vaughn placed it on his right index finger just above the joint when he felt something in the inside of the ring. He removed it from his finger and held it under the streetlamp to get a better look at it. Written in the inside it in engraved cursive were these words:

Love binds us together always ~ Sydney

            Vaughn didn't know what to make of the ring. He looked at it carefully. It looked pretty new and unaffected by weather. The ring must have been dropped here recently, he concluded. But who was it for? Was Sydney planning on giving this ring to him? Or was there someone else? Vaughn shook his head. There wasn't anyone else. Sydney was an honest person and he would always believe that, but the ring left only questions.

            Vaughn looked up startled at the sound of voices coming outside. A group of paramedics were bringing Will out in a stretcher. An airbag pump covered his nose and mouth and was being tended on by a medic. Vaughn slipped the ring onto his finger and ran over to inquire about Will's condition.

            "How is he?" Vaughn asked them.

            "Not good," came the voice of one of the paramedics. "But he's lucky he was found when he was or he wouldn't have stood a chance." Vaughn nodded and stepped back so they could load him into the ambulance. Vaughn watched them drive away in sorrow. He hoped that Will made it. After the decreasing threat of Will's competition for Sydney, Vaughn had thought of him as good guy, not to mention that he was an incredible asset to the CIA in the research department.

            Vaughn turned to head back into the house but he found himself face to face with Kendall. Vaughn waited in a silence filled with a sort of dreadful anticipation for Kendall to fill him in on what they had found.

            "Nothing's conclusive at this point, Agent Vaughn," Kendall said staring at Sydney's house. "The blood samples will have to be analyzed and at this point any fingerprints are useless. The only possible prints we may find would be from the medication that Mr. Tippin found in the bathroom, but even then it won't prove anything." Vaughn just nodded. He knew what this meant. The CIA had absolutely no leads at this point. No clue to what happened and no leads on where Sydney was.

            "I suggest that you go home, Agent Vaughn. There's no point in staying," Kendall said somewhat compassionately.

            "What about Jack? He'll want to know," Vaughn asked.

            Kendall nodded. "He'll be informed when he returns from his mission. Go home, Agent Vaughn. I don't expect to see you at work tomorrow." Kendall left with that, feeling that saying "good night" would be inappropriate.

            Vaughn slowly dragged himself to his car but it took a few minutes before he was able to start the car. Slowly he drove. He intended to drive home and even thought he was driving home, but he found that his car stopped at the pier. He reached over and opened the glove box. There, sitting neatly and expectantly inside where two tickets to Santa Barbara. Vaughn pulled them out and exited the car.

            He glanced over the water, holding the tickets just above the railing. He looked at them sadly. In his hand was their vacation. It was supposed to be a weekend of fun, excitement, and time together with just the two of them. No work, no nothing. Instead, it became the worst night of his life. He held the tickets for a second more before he let them drop. They hit the water just seconds after being disturbed by the presence of a single tear before they sunk and drowned in blackness.