A/N: Hey guys. I'm so sorry for the delay, I forgot to post this up on FF.N and only just realised. Sorry, hope you enjoy (FYI, I wrote this 4 months ago, it's really crap!)
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Her eyes opened lazily at first They blinked a few times before she raised her head slowly and looked at the person in front of her. She smiled bitterly.
"Sydney…" she croaked before clearing her throat and licking her dry lips. "Long time no see," she groaned as she sat up straight and checked her restraints. Her neck ached where Sydney had tranquilized her.
"You are chained to the chair. There are no weapons in this room and if you even try to get out, the six guys with machine guns will get you first," Sydney told her. Amy looked around the bare room and knew Sydney wasn't bluffing.
"Sloane's going to have a cow when he hears about this."
"He won't. And if he does, it won't be because we have you; it'll be because he's worried about his secrets. Arvin Sloane doesn't care about you, he doesn't care about anybody." Sydney's comment was met with a cynical laugh from Amy.
"Sloane warned me about this. You still believe you work for the real CIA?" she looked at Sydney, before leaning in as far as she could and lowering her voice. Her eyes narrowed. "I know this is all a game; posing as the CIA and turning people against SD-6. You're betraying your country. You could be executed for this,"
"Amy…please listen to me. You've been fed a pack of lies. SD-6 is posing as CIA. They're part of the Alliance and Sloane knows that. He's lied to every single SD-6 agent into thinking they're working for the USA, but you're all working against it!" Amy stared at Sydney, forcing herself not to believe one word that came out of her ex-friend's mouth.
"How come you worked with them for so long? What about your father? He's been there from the beginning, surely he knows whether SD-6 are telling the truth." Sydney nodded.
"I'm probably not supposed to tell you this, but my father joined SD-6 as an undercover CIA agent. I, however, am like you. We were both lied to from the very beginning. I only learnt of it after Danny died. All that time, they convinced me they were the real CIA; would the real CIA kill an innocent civilian?"
"SD-6 didn't kill Danny. You did! You broke the rules so Sloane had him killed. To save SD-6!"
"Yes, I shouldn't have told Danny the truth. I'd give anything to have Danny back but a lot of good has come out of it. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have learnt the truth. It's bittersweet but it's the hard truth and I've had to accept that,"
"And Will? Why did you have to tell him about SD-6? What did you have to learn from that?" Amy asked, wondering what Sydney's motive of her brother's death was.
"I did not tell Will about SD-6. He found out on his own investigating Danny's death. I don't know how he found out SD-6 was involved as my father told me he got Will off the story and covered up SD-6's tracks. I don't think Will knew my involvement with SD-6 or the CIA." Sydney explained. There was a pause before Amy spoke up.
"I had been with SD-6 for a year. I never knew you worked there when I was recruited. It was only a few months after Danny's death when he told me. Sloane wanted me to tag you. Ask questions about your trips, go through your stuff, follow you. He said you were working against SD-6," Amy said quietly.
"I was," Sydney interrupted, "But not against the CIA. Not against the American government."
"So SD-6 aren't CIA. Yet everybody in Credit Dauphine believe they are?" Amy asked for confirmation.
"Only a handful of people know. Would you have joined SD-6 if they told you they were working against the government?" Amy didn't reply. She only looked downcast at the floor. "I'm telling you the truth, Amy. You have to-"
"He told me you were a threat," Amy cut Sydney off. "He convinced me of that. Sloane made me believe that Will had to be taken care of." There was a pause and Amy's features softened and tears welled up in her eyes. "He…he…he made me kill my own brother!" she chocked out, raising her eyes to look at Sydney before howling out in despair. Because her hand were tied, it was impossible for her to cover her face or wipe the tears that fell. Sydney felt compelled to comfort her friend, but there was also the small possibility that it was a trick.
'She's an SD-6 agent' Sydney thought to herself, 'She's taught to use dirty tricks'. Sydney's own eyes welled up with tears and she slowly backed away from Amy.
"I'm so sorry, Amy," she said gently as she turned and left the weeping woman alone.
~*~*~*Barnett's Office – 30 minutes later*~*~*~
"Ms Bristow, it's nice to see you again," Judy Barnett greeted as Sydney entered her office.
"You too," Sydney said shaking the woman's hand and sitting opposite on the white couch.
"How has your first day back been?" Barnett asked. Sydney shrugged.
"My dad's house got blown up, my friend went missing and almost got killed by the person whose just found out she killed her own brother. What's more, there is the fact that there are currently CIA operatives going through my luggage and I have to stay in a safe house," Sydney said, reciting everything that had happened the last six or so hours she'd been there. Barnett's eyes widened as she jotted own some notes. "I'm also starting to regret coming back,"
"Oh? And why do you think that is?" Sydney raised an eyebrow at Barnett's remark.
"You tell me," she said. "You're the shrink. Are you going to tell me it's because I've got to face the consequences? Maybe I've introduced a civilian to the CIA world and put her at risk. Or maybe it's something to do with certain relationships that have to be fixed?" Sydney said almost callously. Barnett didn't reply, just looked at Sydney, who sighed and mumbled an apology.
"Why don't you tell me what you think?" Sydney sighed again.
"It's probably all those reasons. Liz met Francie and it made me remember the world I'd left behind. I can't see Francie because she thinks I am dead but there is so much I want to tell her. I want to see her smile. I want to tell her about my day. I want to just laze around watching cartoons with her on a Saturday morning. I always wanted to tell her about SD-6 and the CIA. I thought that once everything was all over, she and Will would be the first to know. That we'd talk it out, cry a little and look forward to a life without me looking over my shoulder. I feel so guilty about leaving her so soon after Will died. I didn't really think of her or anyone else at the time," Sydney said.
"Interesting," Barnett commented.
"What is?"
"A lot of the things you just said. You say that you wanted to tell Francie about your double agent life; however, it seems to me that you filled that void by informing Liz of it. You needed someone that you confide in so you chose Liz. Your relationship with her is exactly like your relationship with Francie"
"But I'm not lying to Liz,"
"Yes you are. You told her about your spy status, but I doubt you told her why you left. I doubt you even know why you left. But I do," Sydney looked at Barnett.
"Ok, fine. Tell me why I left," Sydney crossed her arms as Barnett shuffled in her seat.
"I will. But before we get to that, there is something I want to clear first. You repeatedly say you 'left', but we both know you didn't. You ran. And the reason you ran is because you were scared. I'm not sure what you were scared of; there are a variety of reasons. Maybe it's because Amy was an SD-6 agent and Sloane knew about you," Barnett cocked her head to the side as she studied Sydney's face. "Or maybe it was because you were scared of getting closer to a particular agent,"
"I was wondering when you were going to bring him up," Sydney said looking at a Picasso picture on the wall; deliberately avoiding looking at Barnett.
"One of us had to. He's been here a lot, Sydney," Barnett told her. She looked down at a nearby lamp, blushing slightly.
"So I've heard. What did he tell you?" Sydney said clearing her throat.
"I can't say. Patient/doctor confidentiality. But he told me some things that needed to be talked about. The events in the safehouse, for instance."
"There were so many things that happened that night. I doubt he told you everything," Sydney rebuked.
"Well, why don't you fill in the gaps? What did he miss?" Barnett asked. Sydney peered out the window. Yup, this was going to be a long hour
~*~*~*Vaughn's Office*~*~*~
"So…" Weiss said taking a seat opposite Vaughn. "I hear Sydney's in with Barnett,"
"Yes. She is." Vaughn said, his voice doing it's best to remain neutral.
"And? You aren't wondering what she's talking about?" Vaughn shook his head.
"What Sydney and Barnett talk about is none of my business." Vaughn told his friend.
"You're not just a little bit curious?"
"NO!" Vaughn snapped, looking up from his work.
"Even if it's about you?" Vaughn sighed, glaring at Weiss to tell him to shut up.
"Can we please change the subject?" Vaughn pleaded.
"You're right. I'm sorry. It must be awkward for you with her back. And your sister. Speaking of… do you know if Liz is seeing anyone?" Weiss asked shyly.
~*~*~*Barnett's Office – 25 minutes later*~*~*~
"How did you feel when you saw Amy in the warehouse?" Barnett asked tentatively. She knew it was a touchy subject with Sydney – for obvious reasons.
"How would you feel if you saw you friend pointing a gun at you? She was a different person. I've never seen someone with so much hate in their eyes. She wanted to kill me; and she would have," Sydney took a deep breath. "I felt as if it was some horrible dream. I even had a similar dream to it the night before. But when I realised it was real, it scared me. If it had been a stranger, I wouldn't have had any trouble facing him. But if it's someone you know, someone you've fought so hard to protect – you tend to wonder if it is all worth it,"
"You say you had a dream of this encounter. What happened in the dream?"
"It was basically the mission to Mongolia, although I didn't know it at the time. I was walking on my own through the corridors; no guards, no cameras, no Dixon, which is what it was like on the actual mission. When I went into the room in my dream, there were just voices and walls that bled. The voices were taunting me about Danny and Will… which is exactly what Amy did." Sydney finished off. Barnett nodded and wrote a few things down.
"What about Agent Vaughn?" Barnett decided to approach the subject with caution. It had taken a while for Vaughn to tell her about his feelings for Sydney. It pained Barnett to see the longing in his eyes for his lost agent.
"What do you want me to say? I think about him everyday, even before I left. We'd made such a big step in our relationship that night and I ended up running away. For the last two years all I have thought about is what we could have had, what we could have been and the fact I threw it all away," Sydney felt more tears sting at her eyes, "He's been with me through everything. He was the one guy I could trust and I repaid him like that. I wasn't fair on him. I wasn't fair on anyone. All I did was think of myself, that's all I have ever done,"
"That's not true," Barnett admonished, surprising Sydney. "Agent Bristow, I have read your file, I've listened to you talk and I know the work you do here. For almost a decade, you have risked your life for this country and even when SD-6 killed your fiancé, you kept on fighting. Not because you had to. You could have backed out any second. You did it because you wanted to protect those you loved. And while you did act selfishly by running away, you came back when we needed help. Everyone has moments of selfishness and you are one of the least selfish people I know. Sydney, you have been through almost every possible scenario and you've kept your chin up. You're entitled to your happiness, all you've got to do is learn to accept some." Barnett said. Sydney stared at her, as she took in what the doctor had said.
"Ok," she said simply, still a little dazed. Barnett smiled.
"It's good to have you back. I know there are a lot of people pleased to see you again."
"Thank you," Sydney said rising from her seat.
"Now you go out there and you start working on what we discussed. It's the only way you can get what you want. I'm always here if you want to talk," Barnett reassured. Sydney nodded as she moved towards the door. "Sydney," Barnett called after Sydney, who turned back, "Good luck." Sydney offered a small smile and left the room.
~*~*~*Vaughn's Office*~*~*~
Sydney knocked on Vaughn's door. He looked up from his computer, his frown disappearing and a small smile appearing on his face.
"Did I disturb you?" Sydney asked. Vaughn shook his head.
"No. I was just writing up a report. Sit down," he said motioning to the seat opposite him. Sydney sat down and the two suddenly found other parts of the room interesting.
"Did you see Dr Barnett?" Vaughn asked, knowing full well that she had, but wanted to break the ice that was forming.
"Yeah, I did. It helped," she said nodding her head. "She seems less…" Sydney searched for the words.
"Annoying?" he offered. Sydney smiled and nodded again. "That usually happens when you go and see her of your own accord rather than being ordered to," he explained.
Another silence came over them.
"Have you seen Liz?" Sydney asked. Vaughn thought for a moment.
"I think she was with Jack. I don't know where she is now though. I know Weiss went looking for her,"
"Weiss?"
"Yeah, he kept asking whether Liz was single. I told him I wouldn't know," Vaughn said. "Is she?" he questioned, wondering if there was currently a man in his sister's life.
"Not at the moment. She had a fling with the Phys Ed. teacher three months back. Didn't work out," Sydney told him.
"Why not?"
"He turned out to be gay. Before that, she went out with the art teacher – who was fired for being found in a closet with the biology teacher,"
"Why were they in a closet?" Vaughn asked. Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Oh!" he realised, then he turned a shade of red. "Sorry I asked,"
"Don't be. The school I'm at is crazy. You think the teachers are bad? You should try listening to some of the gossip that seems to spread around so quickly," Sydney grinned.
"What kind of gossip?" Vaughn leaned back in his chair.
"Where shall I start? There have been about four rumoured pregnancies in the time I've been there and you don't want to know how many fights there have been. Especially between the year 10 and 11s. They seem to hate each other and even got into a fight over someone's sandwich!"
"Really? What happened?" Vaughn asked fascinated. Sydney grinned as she leant in closer and told him the rest of the story.
~*~*~*Meanwhile*~*~*~
Weiss looked up from his Solitaire game as he saw Jack enter the Ops Centre from the corner of his eye. He immediately noticed the lack of Vaughn's kid sister and scrambled to get to Jack to ask about her whereabouts.
"Mr Bristow!" Weiss said as he hurtled towards Sydney's father. Jack looked at the younger agent and frowned slightly at Weiss.
"Yes? Is everything okay?" he asked, his thoughts immediately turning to his daughter, "Is Syd-"
"Oh, Sydney's fine. I just noticed that, uh, Li- Michael's sister wasn't here… and last time, she was with you… and I was wondering…" Intimidated by the older man, Weiss was reduced to babbles, much to Jack's amusement.
"Liz is fine. She's picking up her and Sydney's luggage and moving to the safehouse. She's tired." Jack explained. Weiss nodded, disappointed that Liz was already being put out-of-bounds. "You understand it's important to keep her and Sydney safe. We can't have her loitering around while agents are trying to work." Jack said sensing Weiss' disappointment.
"Yes, sir. I understand," Weiss turned away from Jack and began to walk away.
"How would you like to be put on first watch?" Jack asked. Weiss spun around.
"Excuse me?"
"How would you like to keep an eye on things in the safehouse? Liz is all alone at the moment and no one has gone through procedures as of yet. You don't seem to be doing much. Do you want to do it?" Jack asked, a small smile forming on his lips as he saw Weiss' eyes light up.
"Oh, of course! Yeah!" Weiss couldn't contain his excitement as he almost broke into a dance right there and then.
"Good. You can go when Sydney goes. It's nearby and the details are here," Jack passed Weiss an envelope and a set of keys. "I trust you have a gun. There is also another agent there in case something happens," he explained. Weiss nodded.
"Thank you, sir," Weiss said. Jack smiled
"No problem. Sydney should be ready, it depends on how long she's with Dr Barnett for and can be released." Jack said. "Have you seen her? Or is she still in session?" Weiss shrugged.
"Well, I saw Barnett getting some coffee about five minutes ago in the cafeteria. I guess Sydney's finished." He glanced at Vaughn's office. "And I can guess where she is now," He motioned Jack in the direction of his friend's office.
They watched Vaughn and Sydney engrossed in their muted conversation. Their body language speaking volumes as Sydney leant across some of the desk, explaining things with big arm actions and expressions and Vaughn listening intently and laughing. Although they weren't as close as two years earlier, they both looked reasonable comfortable and seemed to be enjoying each other's company.
"When they're done, tell Sydney and Vaughn the details. I'll be at Vaughn's apartment and getting some new I.D," Jack said leaving Weiss, who nodded. The grey haired agent started to leave, before he turned around and looked at Weiss. "When they're done," he clarified. Weiss acknowledged Jack's instructions and he returned to his desk.
~*~*~*SD-6*~*~*~
"Mr Sloane?"
"Speaking,"
"We have news about Agent Tippin,"
"Yes?"
"She's been compromised. We suspect it was Jack and Sydney Bristow,"
"Do you know where she's being held?"
"We're working on it, sir."
"Work harder. If she talks, all could be lost. The Bristows are experts in twisting the truth,"
"Yes, sir." There was a pause. "What do you propose we do when we find them?"
"Kill them,"
"And Tippin?"
"She doesn't get out alive"
"Yes sir,"
Sloane hung up the phone and sighed. He wanted the Bristows out of his life and quickly… even at the expense of his best agent.
~*~*~*~*~
Sorry again for the delay!
Tejal xXx
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Her eyes opened lazily at first They blinked a few times before she raised her head slowly and looked at the person in front of her. She smiled bitterly.
"Sydney…" she croaked before clearing her throat and licking her dry lips. "Long time no see," she groaned as she sat up straight and checked her restraints. Her neck ached where Sydney had tranquilized her.
"You are chained to the chair. There are no weapons in this room and if you even try to get out, the six guys with machine guns will get you first," Sydney told her. Amy looked around the bare room and knew Sydney wasn't bluffing.
"Sloane's going to have a cow when he hears about this."
"He won't. And if he does, it won't be because we have you; it'll be because he's worried about his secrets. Arvin Sloane doesn't care about you, he doesn't care about anybody." Sydney's comment was met with a cynical laugh from Amy.
"Sloane warned me about this. You still believe you work for the real CIA?" she looked at Sydney, before leaning in as far as she could and lowering her voice. Her eyes narrowed. "I know this is all a game; posing as the CIA and turning people against SD-6. You're betraying your country. You could be executed for this,"
"Amy…please listen to me. You've been fed a pack of lies. SD-6 is posing as CIA. They're part of the Alliance and Sloane knows that. He's lied to every single SD-6 agent into thinking they're working for the USA, but you're all working against it!" Amy stared at Sydney, forcing herself not to believe one word that came out of her ex-friend's mouth.
"How come you worked with them for so long? What about your father? He's been there from the beginning, surely he knows whether SD-6 are telling the truth." Sydney nodded.
"I'm probably not supposed to tell you this, but my father joined SD-6 as an undercover CIA agent. I, however, am like you. We were both lied to from the very beginning. I only learnt of it after Danny died. All that time, they convinced me they were the real CIA; would the real CIA kill an innocent civilian?"
"SD-6 didn't kill Danny. You did! You broke the rules so Sloane had him killed. To save SD-6!"
"Yes, I shouldn't have told Danny the truth. I'd give anything to have Danny back but a lot of good has come out of it. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have learnt the truth. It's bittersweet but it's the hard truth and I've had to accept that,"
"And Will? Why did you have to tell him about SD-6? What did you have to learn from that?" Amy asked, wondering what Sydney's motive of her brother's death was.
"I did not tell Will about SD-6. He found out on his own investigating Danny's death. I don't know how he found out SD-6 was involved as my father told me he got Will off the story and covered up SD-6's tracks. I don't think Will knew my involvement with SD-6 or the CIA." Sydney explained. There was a pause before Amy spoke up.
"I had been with SD-6 for a year. I never knew you worked there when I was recruited. It was only a few months after Danny's death when he told me. Sloane wanted me to tag you. Ask questions about your trips, go through your stuff, follow you. He said you were working against SD-6," Amy said quietly.
"I was," Sydney interrupted, "But not against the CIA. Not against the American government."
"So SD-6 aren't CIA. Yet everybody in Credit Dauphine believe they are?" Amy asked for confirmation.
"Only a handful of people know. Would you have joined SD-6 if they told you they were working against the government?" Amy didn't reply. She only looked downcast at the floor. "I'm telling you the truth, Amy. You have to-"
"He told me you were a threat," Amy cut Sydney off. "He convinced me of that. Sloane made me believe that Will had to be taken care of." There was a pause and Amy's features softened and tears welled up in her eyes. "He…he…he made me kill my own brother!" she chocked out, raising her eyes to look at Sydney before howling out in despair. Because her hand were tied, it was impossible for her to cover her face or wipe the tears that fell. Sydney felt compelled to comfort her friend, but there was also the small possibility that it was a trick.
'She's an SD-6 agent' Sydney thought to herself, 'She's taught to use dirty tricks'. Sydney's own eyes welled up with tears and she slowly backed away from Amy.
"I'm so sorry, Amy," she said gently as she turned and left the weeping woman alone.
~*~*~*Barnett's Office – 30 minutes later*~*~*~
"Ms Bristow, it's nice to see you again," Judy Barnett greeted as Sydney entered her office.
"You too," Sydney said shaking the woman's hand and sitting opposite on the white couch.
"How has your first day back been?" Barnett asked. Sydney shrugged.
"My dad's house got blown up, my friend went missing and almost got killed by the person whose just found out she killed her own brother. What's more, there is the fact that there are currently CIA operatives going through my luggage and I have to stay in a safe house," Sydney said, reciting everything that had happened the last six or so hours she'd been there. Barnett's eyes widened as she jotted own some notes. "I'm also starting to regret coming back,"
"Oh? And why do you think that is?" Sydney raised an eyebrow at Barnett's remark.
"You tell me," she said. "You're the shrink. Are you going to tell me it's because I've got to face the consequences? Maybe I've introduced a civilian to the CIA world and put her at risk. Or maybe it's something to do with certain relationships that have to be fixed?" Sydney said almost callously. Barnett didn't reply, just looked at Sydney, who sighed and mumbled an apology.
"Why don't you tell me what you think?" Sydney sighed again.
"It's probably all those reasons. Liz met Francie and it made me remember the world I'd left behind. I can't see Francie because she thinks I am dead but there is so much I want to tell her. I want to see her smile. I want to tell her about my day. I want to just laze around watching cartoons with her on a Saturday morning. I always wanted to tell her about SD-6 and the CIA. I thought that once everything was all over, she and Will would be the first to know. That we'd talk it out, cry a little and look forward to a life without me looking over my shoulder. I feel so guilty about leaving her so soon after Will died. I didn't really think of her or anyone else at the time," Sydney said.
"Interesting," Barnett commented.
"What is?"
"A lot of the things you just said. You say that you wanted to tell Francie about your double agent life; however, it seems to me that you filled that void by informing Liz of it. You needed someone that you confide in so you chose Liz. Your relationship with her is exactly like your relationship with Francie"
"But I'm not lying to Liz,"
"Yes you are. You told her about your spy status, but I doubt you told her why you left. I doubt you even know why you left. But I do," Sydney looked at Barnett.
"Ok, fine. Tell me why I left," Sydney crossed her arms as Barnett shuffled in her seat.
"I will. But before we get to that, there is something I want to clear first. You repeatedly say you 'left', but we both know you didn't. You ran. And the reason you ran is because you were scared. I'm not sure what you were scared of; there are a variety of reasons. Maybe it's because Amy was an SD-6 agent and Sloane knew about you," Barnett cocked her head to the side as she studied Sydney's face. "Or maybe it was because you were scared of getting closer to a particular agent,"
"I was wondering when you were going to bring him up," Sydney said looking at a Picasso picture on the wall; deliberately avoiding looking at Barnett.
"One of us had to. He's been here a lot, Sydney," Barnett told her. She looked down at a nearby lamp, blushing slightly.
"So I've heard. What did he tell you?" Sydney said clearing her throat.
"I can't say. Patient/doctor confidentiality. But he told me some things that needed to be talked about. The events in the safehouse, for instance."
"There were so many things that happened that night. I doubt he told you everything," Sydney rebuked.
"Well, why don't you fill in the gaps? What did he miss?" Barnett asked. Sydney peered out the window. Yup, this was going to be a long hour
~*~*~*Vaughn's Office*~*~*~
"So…" Weiss said taking a seat opposite Vaughn. "I hear Sydney's in with Barnett,"
"Yes. She is." Vaughn said, his voice doing it's best to remain neutral.
"And? You aren't wondering what she's talking about?" Vaughn shook his head.
"What Sydney and Barnett talk about is none of my business." Vaughn told his friend.
"You're not just a little bit curious?"
"NO!" Vaughn snapped, looking up from his work.
"Even if it's about you?" Vaughn sighed, glaring at Weiss to tell him to shut up.
"Can we please change the subject?" Vaughn pleaded.
"You're right. I'm sorry. It must be awkward for you with her back. And your sister. Speaking of… do you know if Liz is seeing anyone?" Weiss asked shyly.
~*~*~*Barnett's Office – 25 minutes later*~*~*~
"How did you feel when you saw Amy in the warehouse?" Barnett asked tentatively. She knew it was a touchy subject with Sydney – for obvious reasons.
"How would you feel if you saw you friend pointing a gun at you? She was a different person. I've never seen someone with so much hate in their eyes. She wanted to kill me; and she would have," Sydney took a deep breath. "I felt as if it was some horrible dream. I even had a similar dream to it the night before. But when I realised it was real, it scared me. If it had been a stranger, I wouldn't have had any trouble facing him. But if it's someone you know, someone you've fought so hard to protect – you tend to wonder if it is all worth it,"
"You say you had a dream of this encounter. What happened in the dream?"
"It was basically the mission to Mongolia, although I didn't know it at the time. I was walking on my own through the corridors; no guards, no cameras, no Dixon, which is what it was like on the actual mission. When I went into the room in my dream, there were just voices and walls that bled. The voices were taunting me about Danny and Will… which is exactly what Amy did." Sydney finished off. Barnett nodded and wrote a few things down.
"What about Agent Vaughn?" Barnett decided to approach the subject with caution. It had taken a while for Vaughn to tell her about his feelings for Sydney. It pained Barnett to see the longing in his eyes for his lost agent.
"What do you want me to say? I think about him everyday, even before I left. We'd made such a big step in our relationship that night and I ended up running away. For the last two years all I have thought about is what we could have had, what we could have been and the fact I threw it all away," Sydney felt more tears sting at her eyes, "He's been with me through everything. He was the one guy I could trust and I repaid him like that. I wasn't fair on him. I wasn't fair on anyone. All I did was think of myself, that's all I have ever done,"
"That's not true," Barnett admonished, surprising Sydney. "Agent Bristow, I have read your file, I've listened to you talk and I know the work you do here. For almost a decade, you have risked your life for this country and even when SD-6 killed your fiancé, you kept on fighting. Not because you had to. You could have backed out any second. You did it because you wanted to protect those you loved. And while you did act selfishly by running away, you came back when we needed help. Everyone has moments of selfishness and you are one of the least selfish people I know. Sydney, you have been through almost every possible scenario and you've kept your chin up. You're entitled to your happiness, all you've got to do is learn to accept some." Barnett said. Sydney stared at her, as she took in what the doctor had said.
"Ok," she said simply, still a little dazed. Barnett smiled.
"It's good to have you back. I know there are a lot of people pleased to see you again."
"Thank you," Sydney said rising from her seat.
"Now you go out there and you start working on what we discussed. It's the only way you can get what you want. I'm always here if you want to talk," Barnett reassured. Sydney nodded as she moved towards the door. "Sydney," Barnett called after Sydney, who turned back, "Good luck." Sydney offered a small smile and left the room.
~*~*~*Vaughn's Office*~*~*~
Sydney knocked on Vaughn's door. He looked up from his computer, his frown disappearing and a small smile appearing on his face.
"Did I disturb you?" Sydney asked. Vaughn shook his head.
"No. I was just writing up a report. Sit down," he said motioning to the seat opposite him. Sydney sat down and the two suddenly found other parts of the room interesting.
"Did you see Dr Barnett?" Vaughn asked, knowing full well that she had, but wanted to break the ice that was forming.
"Yeah, I did. It helped," she said nodding her head. "She seems less…" Sydney searched for the words.
"Annoying?" he offered. Sydney smiled and nodded again. "That usually happens when you go and see her of your own accord rather than being ordered to," he explained.
Another silence came over them.
"Have you seen Liz?" Sydney asked. Vaughn thought for a moment.
"I think she was with Jack. I don't know where she is now though. I know Weiss went looking for her,"
"Weiss?"
"Yeah, he kept asking whether Liz was single. I told him I wouldn't know," Vaughn said. "Is she?" he questioned, wondering if there was currently a man in his sister's life.
"Not at the moment. She had a fling with the Phys Ed. teacher three months back. Didn't work out," Sydney told him.
"Why not?"
"He turned out to be gay. Before that, she went out with the art teacher – who was fired for being found in a closet with the biology teacher,"
"Why were they in a closet?" Vaughn asked. Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Oh!" he realised, then he turned a shade of red. "Sorry I asked,"
"Don't be. The school I'm at is crazy. You think the teachers are bad? You should try listening to some of the gossip that seems to spread around so quickly," Sydney grinned.
"What kind of gossip?" Vaughn leaned back in his chair.
"Where shall I start? There have been about four rumoured pregnancies in the time I've been there and you don't want to know how many fights there have been. Especially between the year 10 and 11s. They seem to hate each other and even got into a fight over someone's sandwich!"
"Really? What happened?" Vaughn asked fascinated. Sydney grinned as she leant in closer and told him the rest of the story.
~*~*~*Meanwhile*~*~*~
Weiss looked up from his Solitaire game as he saw Jack enter the Ops Centre from the corner of his eye. He immediately noticed the lack of Vaughn's kid sister and scrambled to get to Jack to ask about her whereabouts.
"Mr Bristow!" Weiss said as he hurtled towards Sydney's father. Jack looked at the younger agent and frowned slightly at Weiss.
"Yes? Is everything okay?" he asked, his thoughts immediately turning to his daughter, "Is Syd-"
"Oh, Sydney's fine. I just noticed that, uh, Li- Michael's sister wasn't here… and last time, she was with you… and I was wondering…" Intimidated by the older man, Weiss was reduced to babbles, much to Jack's amusement.
"Liz is fine. She's picking up her and Sydney's luggage and moving to the safehouse. She's tired." Jack explained. Weiss nodded, disappointed that Liz was already being put out-of-bounds. "You understand it's important to keep her and Sydney safe. We can't have her loitering around while agents are trying to work." Jack said sensing Weiss' disappointment.
"Yes, sir. I understand," Weiss turned away from Jack and began to walk away.
"How would you like to be put on first watch?" Jack asked. Weiss spun around.
"Excuse me?"
"How would you like to keep an eye on things in the safehouse? Liz is all alone at the moment and no one has gone through procedures as of yet. You don't seem to be doing much. Do you want to do it?" Jack asked, a small smile forming on his lips as he saw Weiss' eyes light up.
"Oh, of course! Yeah!" Weiss couldn't contain his excitement as he almost broke into a dance right there and then.
"Good. You can go when Sydney goes. It's nearby and the details are here," Jack passed Weiss an envelope and a set of keys. "I trust you have a gun. There is also another agent there in case something happens," he explained. Weiss nodded.
"Thank you, sir," Weiss said. Jack smiled
"No problem. Sydney should be ready, it depends on how long she's with Dr Barnett for and can be released." Jack said. "Have you seen her? Or is she still in session?" Weiss shrugged.
"Well, I saw Barnett getting some coffee about five minutes ago in the cafeteria. I guess Sydney's finished." He glanced at Vaughn's office. "And I can guess where she is now," He motioned Jack in the direction of his friend's office.
They watched Vaughn and Sydney engrossed in their muted conversation. Their body language speaking volumes as Sydney leant across some of the desk, explaining things with big arm actions and expressions and Vaughn listening intently and laughing. Although they weren't as close as two years earlier, they both looked reasonable comfortable and seemed to be enjoying each other's company.
"When they're done, tell Sydney and Vaughn the details. I'll be at Vaughn's apartment and getting some new I.D," Jack said leaving Weiss, who nodded. The grey haired agent started to leave, before he turned around and looked at Weiss. "When they're done," he clarified. Weiss acknowledged Jack's instructions and he returned to his desk.
~*~*~*SD-6*~*~*~
"Mr Sloane?"
"Speaking,"
"We have news about Agent Tippin,"
"Yes?"
"She's been compromised. We suspect it was Jack and Sydney Bristow,"
"Do you know where she's being held?"
"We're working on it, sir."
"Work harder. If she talks, all could be lost. The Bristows are experts in twisting the truth,"
"Yes, sir." There was a pause. "What do you propose we do when we find them?"
"Kill them,"
"And Tippin?"
"She doesn't get out alive"
"Yes sir,"
Sloane hung up the phone and sighed. He wanted the Bristows out of his life and quickly… even at the expense of his best agent.
~*~*~*~*~
Sorry again for the delay!
Tejal xXx