Well, guys, I got one more chance to update before my vacation. Lucky you. I really like this chapter, actually. Probably my favorite one so far in this story. Emotional. I got kind of weepy just writing it... lol :) Please review, and let me know what you think. And probably no updates now until August 9th at the earliest--sorry. Relaxation calls!!
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Chapter 11
We didn't see each other again for ten days. I had been sent out on several consecutive missions, each coming so quickly that we were forced to hold our countermission briefings over secure cell phone lines as I waited in the airport for my flight to depart.
In the past ten days, I'd been to London.
To Lagos.
To Baghdad.
I was so tired. I could barely move—barely think. In the brief intervals when I had been able to return home, I had managed to snatch only an hour or two of sleep before rushing back to the airport.
I hauled myself in the door of my house, dumping my overstuffed duffel bag on the ground as I slammed the door shut behind me. The one thing—the only thing—on my mind was getting to my bed, before I fell asleep standing up.
Not bothering to take off my shoes, or to remove the light windbreaker I had wrapped around my shoulders, I worked my way to the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed and groaning.
Within minutes I was consumed by sleep, no doubt snoring louder than I ever had before.
* * * * *
I was wakened abruptly by a ringing sound. I struggled to open my eyes, glancing at the clock on my bedside table. I had only been asleep for 14 minutes. My eyes clearing slightly, I searched for the source of the ringing. Still only half awake, I crawled down the bed and grabbed my secure CIA phone. Praying it wasn't Kendall or my father, I switched the phone on.
"'Lo?" I muttered. My voice still slurred by exhaustion, I only managed to get half of the word out of my mouth.
"Hey, Syd. It's me." I smiled slightly, despite the circumstances. Vaughn.
"Hey," I said, my mind still too cloudy to form a coherent sentence.
"I'm glad you're back," Vaughn said. "Tired?" He asked. I shook away some of the fuzziness.
"Just a little," I replied, not exactly sure why I was lying to him.
"Well," he continued, apparently accepting my response at face value. "I've got some bad news.
I sighed. "What?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
"Kendall wants to meet with us in the warehouse in an hour. Sounds like he has a strictly CIA mission for us. No SD-6 involved."
I groaned, positive that I couldn't handle another mission so soon. I could barely keep my eyes open, let alone think straight. I was also just as positive that I had no choice in the matter. "Where to?" I asked, trying to hide my lack of enthusiasm.
"Not sure," Vaughn replied. He paused, and I could sense the hesitancy in his voice. "Is everything okay, Syd?" He asked. "Did something go wrong on the last mission?"
I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing myself for being so obvious, and wondering at the same time why I was so reluctant to tell him the truth. To show my weakness.
"No—" I replied, too quickly. "I was just going to catch a quick nap. No big deal," I said, trying to make my voice sound even, though I was suddenly, inexplicably, close to tears. "I'm fine."
"Okay…" Vaughn paused, and I could tell that he wasn't fully buying my story. "I'll see you in an hour, then," he said reluctantly.
"See you," I said, abruptly hanging up as a single tear trickled down my cheek. I wiped the tear away angrily, taking a deep breath, and giving me head a good shake. It was just the exhaustion making me emotional, and I had to snap out of it. I had to get ahold of myself. I wasn't about to show up at the warehouse and talk to Kendall with my eyes puffy and red.
I took another deep breath, before rising from the bed, grabbing my purse, and popping two Tylenols, which would hopefully dull the inevitable headache I would have in an hour or two.
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Stifling a yawn, I walked into the dim warehouse an hour later, my eyes falling immediately on Kendall and Vaughn. With a final deep breath as an attempt to clear away the sleepiness that wouldn't disappear, I approached them, my heels echoing hollowly on the hard concrete floor.
"Agent Bristow," Kendall greeted me curtly. "Sorry for the late meeting. I've got a mission for you." I nodded, realizing suddenly that I had no idea what time it was. My eyes shifted over to Vaughn. I wasn't surprised to find his eyes on me, but I was surprised by the deep expression of concern on his face. His brow was furrowed, and his lips were narrowed in a thin frown.
I returned my attention back to Kendall, shifting restlessly in the stiletto heels I'd been wearing since the club in Baghdad.
"You and Agent Vaughn will be going to Istanbul…" My heart sank. Istanbul was at least a 13 hour plane trip. "I need you to retrieve a document from the office of this man—" Kendall continued, holding up a grainy black-and-white photograph. "Abdul Hallam. Iraqi arms dealer." Kendall handed the photograph to me, which I took without looking at it.
"Agent Bristow," Kendall said sharply. "You'll be doing the legwork." I visibly slumped at the word, bracing myself on the table behind me. I saw Vaughn take a protective step towards me from the corner of my eye, before catching himself— probably remembering protocol—and stopping in his tracks.
"Agent Vaughn," Kendall continued, oblivious to my sudden change in posture, "will be on coms in a nearby building. He'll guide you to Hallam's office." I nodded slightly in acknowledgement of Kendall's instructions. "Agent Vaughn will fill you in on the details." Kendall nodded curtly at each of us, and as I watched him head to the door, I realized that I hadn't said a single word since I had arrived.
As soon as the door slammed shut behind Kendall, Vaughn was at my side, placing a hand gently on my shoulder, and leaning down so that he could see my eyes.
"Syd," he said, his brow furrowed, and his green eyes sparkling with concern. "What's the matter?"
I frowned at the question, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked. It dawned on me suddenly that my exhaustion may be more obvious than I thought. "I'm fine," I said, hoping to divert his concern. I was surprised at the sudden anger I saw flash, momentarily, in his eyes.
"Don't do this, Sydney. Not with me. You've got circles under your eyes the size of Texas. You didn't say a word the entire time Kendall was here. And I saw you—you almost fell over in the middle of his brief. I want to know what's wrong!"
I stared at him, and suddenly, all the emotions I had been holding back broke free. "You want to know what's wrong?" I snapped. "I'll tell you what's wrong. I've been home for twelve hours in the last ten days. I've spent almost forty hours on airplanes. I've been beaten up by three separate sets of guards in three different countries. I've got bruised ribs, and a four inch cut on my leg that stings like Hell."
My voice cracked, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "And now—now I find out that I'm lucky enough to go to Istanbul—" I chocked back a sob, feeling the first of the tears begin trickling down my cheeks. "I've had less than twenty hours of sleep in ten days. All for a job I hate…" My voice cracked again, and I dissolved into tears, sinking slowly to the floor.
"I'm so tired…" I whispered between sobs. "So tired…"
In the midst of my tears, I felt Vaughn crouch down beside me on the floor, felt him brush stray strands of hair away from my wet cheeks, felt him touch my shoulder, pulling me towards him.
I slammed my body into him, my arms wrapping around his waist, trying desperately to pull him closer to me. He held me, rocking me gently in his arms, whispering soft words in my ear.
That it was okay.
That he was there.
That he loved me.
And eventually, the sobs that had been muffled by his chest lessened to sniffles, and eventually I fell silent, my whole world revolving around the beat of his heart in his chest.
The feel of his arms wrapped around me.
The rhythm of his hand stroking my hair.
The continued murmuring of his voice in my ear.
And amazingly, I felt better. I was still sore. And exhausted.
But he was here.
I finally pulled away, swiping at the remaining dampness under my eyes, and sniffing softly. I offered him a weak, sheepish smile, running my fingers along the tearstains on his soft blue Oxford shirt.
"Sorry—" I started, my voice rough.
"Don't. Apologize." Vaughn said firmly. "There's no place I'd rather be." He placed a feathersoft kiss on my nose, and it was then that I noticed the tracks of tears on his own cheeks.
He had cried for me. With me.
I reached up, tracing the dampness with my thumb. He grabbed my hand with his own, planting another soft kiss on the pad of my thumb.
"Thank you," I whispered, unable to think of anything else to say.
"I love you," he said in return, pulling me again into his embrace.
"I love you, too," I replied, intertwining my fingers with his. "So much. So much…" I murmured. My voice trailed off as I slowly drifted to sleep, wrapped safely in Vaughn's arms.
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So there you are-- I will leave you with one parting thought: Review! Review! REVIEW! :) Thanks for reading!!
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Chapter 11
We didn't see each other again for ten days. I had been sent out on several consecutive missions, each coming so quickly that we were forced to hold our countermission briefings over secure cell phone lines as I waited in the airport for my flight to depart.
In the past ten days, I'd been to London.
To Lagos.
To Baghdad.
I was so tired. I could barely move—barely think. In the brief intervals when I had been able to return home, I had managed to snatch only an hour or two of sleep before rushing back to the airport.
I hauled myself in the door of my house, dumping my overstuffed duffel bag on the ground as I slammed the door shut behind me. The one thing—the only thing—on my mind was getting to my bed, before I fell asleep standing up.
Not bothering to take off my shoes, or to remove the light windbreaker I had wrapped around my shoulders, I worked my way to the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed and groaning.
Within minutes I was consumed by sleep, no doubt snoring louder than I ever had before.
* * * * *
I was wakened abruptly by a ringing sound. I struggled to open my eyes, glancing at the clock on my bedside table. I had only been asleep for 14 minutes. My eyes clearing slightly, I searched for the source of the ringing. Still only half awake, I crawled down the bed and grabbed my secure CIA phone. Praying it wasn't Kendall or my father, I switched the phone on.
"'Lo?" I muttered. My voice still slurred by exhaustion, I only managed to get half of the word out of my mouth.
"Hey, Syd. It's me." I smiled slightly, despite the circumstances. Vaughn.
"Hey," I said, my mind still too cloudy to form a coherent sentence.
"I'm glad you're back," Vaughn said. "Tired?" He asked. I shook away some of the fuzziness.
"Just a little," I replied, not exactly sure why I was lying to him.
"Well," he continued, apparently accepting my response at face value. "I've got some bad news.
I sighed. "What?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
"Kendall wants to meet with us in the warehouse in an hour. Sounds like he has a strictly CIA mission for us. No SD-6 involved."
I groaned, positive that I couldn't handle another mission so soon. I could barely keep my eyes open, let alone think straight. I was also just as positive that I had no choice in the matter. "Where to?" I asked, trying to hide my lack of enthusiasm.
"Not sure," Vaughn replied. He paused, and I could sense the hesitancy in his voice. "Is everything okay, Syd?" He asked. "Did something go wrong on the last mission?"
I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing myself for being so obvious, and wondering at the same time why I was so reluctant to tell him the truth. To show my weakness.
"No—" I replied, too quickly. "I was just going to catch a quick nap. No big deal," I said, trying to make my voice sound even, though I was suddenly, inexplicably, close to tears. "I'm fine."
"Okay…" Vaughn paused, and I could tell that he wasn't fully buying my story. "I'll see you in an hour, then," he said reluctantly.
"See you," I said, abruptly hanging up as a single tear trickled down my cheek. I wiped the tear away angrily, taking a deep breath, and giving me head a good shake. It was just the exhaustion making me emotional, and I had to snap out of it. I had to get ahold of myself. I wasn't about to show up at the warehouse and talk to Kendall with my eyes puffy and red.
I took another deep breath, before rising from the bed, grabbing my purse, and popping two Tylenols, which would hopefully dull the inevitable headache I would have in an hour or two.
* * * * *
Stifling a yawn, I walked into the dim warehouse an hour later, my eyes falling immediately on Kendall and Vaughn. With a final deep breath as an attempt to clear away the sleepiness that wouldn't disappear, I approached them, my heels echoing hollowly on the hard concrete floor.
"Agent Bristow," Kendall greeted me curtly. "Sorry for the late meeting. I've got a mission for you." I nodded, realizing suddenly that I had no idea what time it was. My eyes shifted over to Vaughn. I wasn't surprised to find his eyes on me, but I was surprised by the deep expression of concern on his face. His brow was furrowed, and his lips were narrowed in a thin frown.
I returned my attention back to Kendall, shifting restlessly in the stiletto heels I'd been wearing since the club in Baghdad.
"You and Agent Vaughn will be going to Istanbul…" My heart sank. Istanbul was at least a 13 hour plane trip. "I need you to retrieve a document from the office of this man—" Kendall continued, holding up a grainy black-and-white photograph. "Abdul Hallam. Iraqi arms dealer." Kendall handed the photograph to me, which I took without looking at it.
"Agent Bristow," Kendall said sharply. "You'll be doing the legwork." I visibly slumped at the word, bracing myself on the table behind me. I saw Vaughn take a protective step towards me from the corner of my eye, before catching himself— probably remembering protocol—and stopping in his tracks.
"Agent Vaughn," Kendall continued, oblivious to my sudden change in posture, "will be on coms in a nearby building. He'll guide you to Hallam's office." I nodded slightly in acknowledgement of Kendall's instructions. "Agent Vaughn will fill you in on the details." Kendall nodded curtly at each of us, and as I watched him head to the door, I realized that I hadn't said a single word since I had arrived.
As soon as the door slammed shut behind Kendall, Vaughn was at my side, placing a hand gently on my shoulder, and leaning down so that he could see my eyes.
"Syd," he said, his brow furrowed, and his green eyes sparkling with concern. "What's the matter?"
I frowned at the question, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked. It dawned on me suddenly that my exhaustion may be more obvious than I thought. "I'm fine," I said, hoping to divert his concern. I was surprised at the sudden anger I saw flash, momentarily, in his eyes.
"Don't do this, Sydney. Not with me. You've got circles under your eyes the size of Texas. You didn't say a word the entire time Kendall was here. And I saw you—you almost fell over in the middle of his brief. I want to know what's wrong!"
I stared at him, and suddenly, all the emotions I had been holding back broke free. "You want to know what's wrong?" I snapped. "I'll tell you what's wrong. I've been home for twelve hours in the last ten days. I've spent almost forty hours on airplanes. I've been beaten up by three separate sets of guards in three different countries. I've got bruised ribs, and a four inch cut on my leg that stings like Hell."
My voice cracked, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "And now—now I find out that I'm lucky enough to go to Istanbul—" I chocked back a sob, feeling the first of the tears begin trickling down my cheeks. "I've had less than twenty hours of sleep in ten days. All for a job I hate…" My voice cracked again, and I dissolved into tears, sinking slowly to the floor.
"I'm so tired…" I whispered between sobs. "So tired…"
In the midst of my tears, I felt Vaughn crouch down beside me on the floor, felt him brush stray strands of hair away from my wet cheeks, felt him touch my shoulder, pulling me towards him.
I slammed my body into him, my arms wrapping around his waist, trying desperately to pull him closer to me. He held me, rocking me gently in his arms, whispering soft words in my ear.
That it was okay.
That he was there.
That he loved me.
And eventually, the sobs that had been muffled by his chest lessened to sniffles, and eventually I fell silent, my whole world revolving around the beat of his heart in his chest.
The feel of his arms wrapped around me.
The rhythm of his hand stroking my hair.
The continued murmuring of his voice in my ear.
And amazingly, I felt better. I was still sore. And exhausted.
But he was here.
I finally pulled away, swiping at the remaining dampness under my eyes, and sniffing softly. I offered him a weak, sheepish smile, running my fingers along the tearstains on his soft blue Oxford shirt.
"Sorry—" I started, my voice rough.
"Don't. Apologize." Vaughn said firmly. "There's no place I'd rather be." He placed a feathersoft kiss on my nose, and it was then that I noticed the tracks of tears on his own cheeks.
He had cried for me. With me.
I reached up, tracing the dampness with my thumb. He grabbed my hand with his own, planting another soft kiss on the pad of my thumb.
"Thank you," I whispered, unable to think of anything else to say.
"I love you," he said in return, pulling me again into his embrace.
"I love you, too," I replied, intertwining my fingers with his. "So much. So much…" I murmured. My voice trailed off as I slowly drifted to sleep, wrapped safely in Vaughn's arms.
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So there you are-- I will leave you with one parting thought: Review! Review! REVIEW! :) Thanks for reading!!