[b]From Chapter 7:[/b][i]
I was shaking my head before she was even done talking. This was one show she wasn't taking away from me. "You bet he does, but you're not going to be the one to tell him. No Syd," I said, holding my hand up to stop her protest, "Teddy's my friend, this is my mess to clean up."
"It's not your fault he used us," she argued as we approached the building.
"Even so, I want to tell him myself," I insisted, barring her entry to the building. "Agreed?" She nodded her head unenthusiastically in response. "Good," I said, pulling the door open and gesturing for her to enter before me. [/i]
[b]Chapter 8: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly[/b]
The first thing I saw when I stepped inside was Eric guarding our good friend Sloane and his pals. "It's about time you got back," he complained good-naturedly.
"Yeah well we were a little busy," I replied casually, glancing over at Sydney in time to see her blush.
"I guess you were!!" Eric chortled. "So why are you guys so wet? Did you take a romantic moonlit swim?" he ribbed.
"Can it wise guy," I told him, darting my eyes back and forth across the room to avoid my partner's knowing gaze. Spying something interesting, I grabbed onto it like a lifeline. "Hey, what's Bristow doing over there with Billy and Harry?" I asked, pointing to the opposite corner of the warehouse.
"Huh?" he replied articulately, following my line of sight. "Oh. I'm not sure, but I think he's yelling at them for something," he offered uninterestedly.
"I think that might be my cue," I murmured to Sydney and began walking toward the three feds.
"So you knew from the start where Sloane's hideout was?" Jack was asking as I stepped within earshot.
"Yes sir." Harry said.
"Then why exactly was it necessary for me to live on the streets this week, trailing Sloane's men so I could find this rat hole?" he interrogated.
"We figured it was the best way to catch the mole," Billy answered unflinchingly. I had to admire his guts, he didn't even blink when he told Jack Bristow he'd been hung out to dry.
Jack clenched his fists, trying to hold onto some of his rapidly disappearing calm. "I see," he said slowly, annunciating every syllable. "So you used me as bait?"
The self assured expressions Billy and Harry had been wearing vanished, leaving pale, nervous faces in their wake. "Uh. yes, yes sir," Harry stammered.
I watched in awe as Jack circled his prey like a shark who smelled blood in the water. "You boys would've stood a better chance if you'd stuck with the brazen confidence," I muttered, shaking my head at the obvious anxiety rolling off the two men.
Once they were literally shaking in their boots, Jack went in for the kill. "And what about Sydney?" he asked. "Whey didn't you step in once she was involved. or was she bait too?"
"She was bait all right," I said, stepping out of the shadows. "She was bait, and I was the fish they wanted on the line."
"What are you saying Mister Vaughn?" he growled.
"I'm saying they used Sydney to get me on the case. See, they couldn't do an internal investigation to find the mole, could you boys?" I asked mockingly. "After all, the person they put on the case might actually be the mole himself. No, they couldn't have that so they needed a sucker, someone on the outside to do the dirty work for them."
"So they told Sydney what was up, knowing she would ask for your help," Jack said with dawning comprehension.
I started to reply, but someone behind me beat me to it. "Exactly. I'm sure you understand Jack. It was the easiest way to take care of the mole."
A wave of cold fury swept through my veins when I heard the gravelly voice. Slowly, I turned to face him, holding myself ramrod straight. "Hello Teddy," I said, striving for a neutral tone of voice.
Jack however wasn't as restrained. "What in seven hells is going on here Ted?" he demanded. "How could you even think of using my daughter that way? And what would have happened if the mole hadn't shown up, where would you be then?"
"Ah but he did, didn't he?" Teddy cut in smoothly. "Who was it by the way?"
"Davis," Jack spat out.
"Really? Your own partner Jack? I would have though you of all people would be impossible to fool. Ah well," he continued on, ignorant to how close his neck was to being strangled between Jack Bristow's hands, "at least we have him now. Where is he Vaughn?"
I smiled ferally, taking a perverse pleasure in the news I had to give. "He's dead Teddy. Shot through the heart. If you want the body, I'm sure it's still lying on the 18th Street pier."
I held in my amusement as I watched him lose control for the first time. "What? I was supposed to question him, find out how much intel he'd leaked. What if there was a second mole? Now we'll never know. Vaughn, do you realize what you've done?" he challenged.
My smile vanished at that. Going nose to nose with him, I replied in a low, furious voice. "I know exactly what I did," I hissed. "I protected an innocent civilian from an international criminal. I did your job," I told him, stabbing him viciously in the chest with my finger before taking a step back.
"Yes well, the Bureau is grateful for your help of course," he said, attempting to smooth things over. "I hope we can count on you if something like this comes up again?"
I shook my head in disbelief. Where had my friend gone and who was this slimy bureaucrat who'd been left in his place? "I don't ever want to hear from you again," I announced coldly. "And just so we're clear, if I ever hear that you've involved Sydney in another one of your crazy schemes, I will personally hang you from the rafters by your toenails."
"Of course, if that's the way you want it," he responded stiffly. "Come on boys," he said, turning to Billy and Harry. "Let's take the riff raff we came for and get out of here." Without sparing Jack and I a second glance, he spun on his heel and swept out of the room.
I was shaking my head before she was even done talking. This was one show she wasn't taking away from me. "You bet he does, but you're not going to be the one to tell him. No Syd," I said, holding my hand up to stop her protest, "Teddy's my friend, this is my mess to clean up."
"It's not your fault he used us," she argued as we approached the building.
"Even so, I want to tell him myself," I insisted, barring her entry to the building. "Agreed?" She nodded her head unenthusiastically in response. "Good," I said, pulling the door open and gesturing for her to enter before me. [/i]
[b]Chapter 8: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly[/b]
The first thing I saw when I stepped inside was Eric guarding our good friend Sloane and his pals. "It's about time you got back," he complained good-naturedly.
"Yeah well we were a little busy," I replied casually, glancing over at Sydney in time to see her blush.
"I guess you were!!" Eric chortled. "So why are you guys so wet? Did you take a romantic moonlit swim?" he ribbed.
"Can it wise guy," I told him, darting my eyes back and forth across the room to avoid my partner's knowing gaze. Spying something interesting, I grabbed onto it like a lifeline. "Hey, what's Bristow doing over there with Billy and Harry?" I asked, pointing to the opposite corner of the warehouse.
"Huh?" he replied articulately, following my line of sight. "Oh. I'm not sure, but I think he's yelling at them for something," he offered uninterestedly.
"I think that might be my cue," I murmured to Sydney and began walking toward the three feds.
"So you knew from the start where Sloane's hideout was?" Jack was asking as I stepped within earshot.
"Yes sir." Harry said.
"Then why exactly was it necessary for me to live on the streets this week, trailing Sloane's men so I could find this rat hole?" he interrogated.
"We figured it was the best way to catch the mole," Billy answered unflinchingly. I had to admire his guts, he didn't even blink when he told Jack Bristow he'd been hung out to dry.
Jack clenched his fists, trying to hold onto some of his rapidly disappearing calm. "I see," he said slowly, annunciating every syllable. "So you used me as bait?"
The self assured expressions Billy and Harry had been wearing vanished, leaving pale, nervous faces in their wake. "Uh. yes, yes sir," Harry stammered.
I watched in awe as Jack circled his prey like a shark who smelled blood in the water. "You boys would've stood a better chance if you'd stuck with the brazen confidence," I muttered, shaking my head at the obvious anxiety rolling off the two men.
Once they were literally shaking in their boots, Jack went in for the kill. "And what about Sydney?" he asked. "Whey didn't you step in once she was involved. or was she bait too?"
"She was bait all right," I said, stepping out of the shadows. "She was bait, and I was the fish they wanted on the line."
"What are you saying Mister Vaughn?" he growled.
"I'm saying they used Sydney to get me on the case. See, they couldn't do an internal investigation to find the mole, could you boys?" I asked mockingly. "After all, the person they put on the case might actually be the mole himself. No, they couldn't have that so they needed a sucker, someone on the outside to do the dirty work for them."
"So they told Sydney what was up, knowing she would ask for your help," Jack said with dawning comprehension.
I started to reply, but someone behind me beat me to it. "Exactly. I'm sure you understand Jack. It was the easiest way to take care of the mole."
A wave of cold fury swept through my veins when I heard the gravelly voice. Slowly, I turned to face him, holding myself ramrod straight. "Hello Teddy," I said, striving for a neutral tone of voice.
Jack however wasn't as restrained. "What in seven hells is going on here Ted?" he demanded. "How could you even think of using my daughter that way? And what would have happened if the mole hadn't shown up, where would you be then?"
"Ah but he did, didn't he?" Teddy cut in smoothly. "Who was it by the way?"
"Davis," Jack spat out.
"Really? Your own partner Jack? I would have though you of all people would be impossible to fool. Ah well," he continued on, ignorant to how close his neck was to being strangled between Jack Bristow's hands, "at least we have him now. Where is he Vaughn?"
I smiled ferally, taking a perverse pleasure in the news I had to give. "He's dead Teddy. Shot through the heart. If you want the body, I'm sure it's still lying on the 18th Street pier."
I held in my amusement as I watched him lose control for the first time. "What? I was supposed to question him, find out how much intel he'd leaked. What if there was a second mole? Now we'll never know. Vaughn, do you realize what you've done?" he challenged.
My smile vanished at that. Going nose to nose with him, I replied in a low, furious voice. "I know exactly what I did," I hissed. "I protected an innocent civilian from an international criminal. I did your job," I told him, stabbing him viciously in the chest with my finger before taking a step back.
"Yes well, the Bureau is grateful for your help of course," he said, attempting to smooth things over. "I hope we can count on you if something like this comes up again?"
I shook my head in disbelief. Where had my friend gone and who was this slimy bureaucrat who'd been left in his place? "I don't ever want to hear from you again," I announced coldly. "And just so we're clear, if I ever hear that you've involved Sydney in another one of your crazy schemes, I will personally hang you from the rafters by your toenails."
"Of course, if that's the way you want it," he responded stiffly. "Come on boys," he said, turning to Billy and Harry. "Let's take the riff raff we came for and get out of here." Without sparing Jack and I a second glance, he spun on his heel and swept out of the room.