Chapter 2

A/N: omg – I'm so astonished by how many positive responses I've received so far. Thank you thank you, you guys made my day.. now what really would totally put me over the top – is if you hit the review button again! lol.

So many great questions – so little time for answers.. so I'll try to sum it up quick!

Ship: s/v or s/s? haven't decided yet

Where's Vaughn? He's here… no worries

Laura Bristow = Irina Derevko – no, jack doesn't know but he'll find out, soon enough, soon enough.

********

Agents Michael Vaughn and Eric Wiess stood in the small CIA kitchen, waiting for the next pot of coffee to brew. The sounds of the percolator filled the air and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

"So, dude, how was the ol' ball and chain yesterday?"

Eric Weiss strolled in casually in to the coffee room grabbing a cup.

"You know she has a name, Weiss. It's Alice, and no, I didn't spend the evening with her. I went out with my mom, who's in town for dinner." Vaughn replied, pouring milk and sugar into his mug.

"I only call her a ball and chain cause you know she is.  She runs a tight ship when it comes to you, Vaughn."

The coffee machine gave loud angry beep and Weiss quickly cut in front of Vaughn, and grabbed the first cup of coffee.

"Hey!"

Vaughn quickly shoved his friend over and pour himself some of the hot black liquid.

Kendall's secretary popped her head quickly into the kitchen, sighing loudly.

"Miss Catherine, how are you this fine morning?" Weiss said, grinning widely, leaning on the doorframe.

"Better if you two were at your desk, where your supposed to be working," she replied coldly,  turning away from Weiss. "Kendall's called meeting, now, and you're officially late. So get going," she ordered, pointing to the meeting room. "And if I were you, I wouldn't bring your coffee cups into that meeting. He'd skin you alive if he found out you were late because you guys were sitting around in the coffee room."

Vaughn gave Weiss a questioning stare, before heading out towards the meeting room.

~.~

Sydney Bristow lay in awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep.  She pulled back the covers, and made her way down to the kitchen, determine to make herself a cup of hot chocolate.  As she wandered down the dark corridor, she notice a beam of light streaming from her mother's office. She silently crept towards the door, listening to the voices emitting from the office.

"Irina, you must believe me when I tell you something's wrong with Sydney. She's not fully in her game, she seems distracted lately. It doesn't affect our missions, but one day it might. And surely, you've noticed it."

"Sark, I thank you for your concern, but it seems that Sydney is just fine. Perhaps I will talk to her about it."

Sydney's heart sunk to her stomach, worried, but also suddenly infuriated. How dare he! Sark. She grumbled softly under her breath as she continued to the kitchen.

She began rummaging through the cupboards, searching the drawers for the Dutch hot chocolate powder.

"Did you want some?" She asked, without turning her head. She knew that he had entered the kitchen and was watching her.

"You're still up, it's so late. And no, thank you." Sark joined Sydney by her side, reaching for a cup and a tea bag.

"So, I take it you heard what I was talking about with your mother, correct?" Sark asked, as he waited for the water to boil. Sydney's face hardened, as she tried to hide the fact that he had found out she was listening.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sark," Sydney lied, turning her face away from Sark, stirring the hot liquid vigorously in the cup.

"You do Sydney, you do."

"Well, if I did, why would I care?" Sydney retorted, angrily.  "How dare you tell my mother that I've been not on my game? Who are you to decided if my performance on the field isn't at my prime?"

"Sydney, he only worries about your well being, darling."

Irina spoke from the doorway where she had been carefully observing from the last few minutes.

"Him?" Sydney threw her hands up into the air. "Like hell he cares! He does not care for my well being, or for anything that is alive. For him to care, would mean that hell would have to freeze over first."

"Own," Sark murmured, feigning being stabbed in the heart. "I am deeply wounded by your words. I am a human being you know, Sydney, and I do care."

Sydney curled her fingers in tightly, her knuckles turning white. She was holding back every inch of her body, trying not to unleash an attack on Sark.

"All you care about is yourself, Sark. If  was affected on the mission, I would be endangering your life. All you care about is yourself." Sydney grabbed her cup of steaming hot chocolate, and stalked out of the kitchen.

Irina grabbed her wrist as she was walking out, pulling her back into the kitchen. Hot chocolate spilled over the sides of the cup, burning Sydney's hand.

"Sark, leave us," Irina commanded, nodding for Sydney to have a seat at the table.

Sark grabbed a his tea and sauntered out of the kitchen, not before grabbing a tea towel, and tossing it to Sydney.  She caught it with her good hand, and wiped her burnt hand lightly with it.

Irina sat down across from her daughter, taking a good look at her daughter, who was swirling the remainder of her hot chocolate in her mug.

"Sydney, he meant well. Yes, I do agree that he is also concerned for his own well being, but Sydney, he isn't far from the truth. You've been off lately, as if something was bothering you."

Sydney's eyes rose to meet her mother's, shocked at her words.

"I would be lying if I claimed that nothing was wrong, but something is. Sark is right."

Sydney sighed heavily, blowing out a long breath of air.

"What's wrong is my own mother turning on me," Sydney replied tensely.

"Is there anything you wanted to tell me? Anything that is bothering you?"

"I just haven't been sleeping well, mom. That's all. Bad dreams, restless nights, the usual."

"Dreams? Bad dreams?" Irina's curiosity had piqued, and she raised her eyebrows, questioning her daughter's words. "About what?"

"The day we left."

It was now Irina's turn to let out a heavy sigh.

"Sydney, we already discussed why we did what we did. There are no two words about it.  Did you need to make an appointment to see Dr. Rowenstein?"

Dr. Rowenstein was one of the many medical personnel employed by Irina Derevko to serve in her corporation.  Sydney as a young child, upon first arrival in Russia had been sent to talk to the therapist, about the night she left her father, her home, and her country in the middle of the night. That man simply frightened her, but eventually helped her compartmentalize her feelings at such a young age.

Sydney shook her head, wincing at the thought of the cold, impersonal office of Dr. Rowenstein.

"Perhaps you need some time off?" Irina suggested, her brow wrinkled slightly. "Sark can take care of the missions that are coming up, you can take a couple of days off, and just take some time to figure things out?"

"Sure mom, alright."  Sydney stood up abruptly, leaving her mother sitting alone in the kitchen at the table.

'Anything to please her mother' Sydney thought.

~.~

Sydney Bristow's face flashed up on the computer screens in the board room was burned permanently into Michael Vaughn's mind.

He was surprised to be invited to such an important meeting when he noticed the other agents and directors sitting in the same room.

He noticed Jack Bristow, staring grimly at the picture, grinding his teeth together as the meeting got underway.

Wait a minute! Sydney Bristow? It couldn't be Jack's daughter, could it?

Vaughn had remembered Weiss telling him that the soulless bastard actually was capable of having emotions other than hate.  Weiss had spotted a picture in his office, of Jack Bristow and his family, smiling.

Vaughn's intuitions proved to be correct, Jack Bristow had a daughter, who had died in a car accident, when she was six.

It turned out that maybe his deceased daughter wasn't so dead at all, rather alive, her death faked. The fact that she was a spinning image of her mother could confirm it, but Kendall rejected it immediately. He knew the pain and agony Jack dealt with  finding out his daughter and wife were dead.  Signs had pointed that SD-6 had an unconfirmed role in the accident pushed Jack to turn his loyalty to the CIA. The DNA from the body in Sydney's grave proved to be 100% different from Jack Bristow, providing solid evidence that Sydney Bristow's death was faked, and in fact very much alive.

Vaughn still couldn't help admiring her beauty, but was more shocked when he learned that she was part of the organization that constantly beat him to the next precious Rambaldi artifact. He focused again at the paperwork that was spread in front of him on the coffee table.

It was all the information pulled up about SD-6, KGB and the Rambaldi artifacts. Why he was on the case still baffled him, but he decided that he might make the best out of this assignment while he was on it. Perhaps it was a chance for him to shine, and get the long awaited promotion. Plus, Alice was out at her parents tonight for dinner. He was glad that he had all the paperwork to keep him away from Alice's parents.

Vaughn sighed again, and fell asleep on the couch.

~.~

CIA head office

"We have new Intel, gentlemen. SD-6 is hot on Rambaldi's trail, and we need to get on it. Jack's got us information, which takes us to Florence Italy. Vaughn, Weiss - gather up a team, you're going to Italy. And this time, we're getting the damn artifact."

~.~

SD-6, board room

Arvin Sloane paced slowly around the room, allowing for the group to admire the beauty of a glass vase,  the next Rambaldi artifact that recently surfaced. He stopped behind Jack Bristow's chair, leaving the room in silence. He took a deep breath.

"The vase, when it captures the light directly shone through it forms a special pattern, which some how will fit into the grand scheme of things, in Rambaldi's world. It's currently being held in the hands of an art collector, who knows its worth, and has it under tight security."

Sloane turned to face the two agents going on the mission.

"Dixon, Williams don't let me down. We need this artifact and we need it first. Do not come home empty handed. The plane leaves in an hour."

~.~

Russia

Irina Derevko briskly walked into the room, sliding two folders down the length of the oak table.

"Planes leaves in an hour, read up on the flight."

~.~

Vaughn motioned with two fingers at his surrounding team. Moments earlier, he had assigned team positions, where each man would be. He had a team of 20 men going in, making sure that the CIA would hit its target, and pick up the vase.

A vase? Rambaldi must be on some wild trip.

Vaughn shook his head, and took out his pistol.  He nodded his head, and his men spread out.

~.~

Sydney and Sark hoisted themselves over the garden wall, on the south side of the giant estate, where the garden was. It was the only unguarded part of the house.

~.~

Dixon held his breath as he lifted  the glass case which enclosed the precious vase. His partner, Agent Williams pressed down gently on the two buttons, previously held together by the glass, which would trigger the alarm if any of the pressure changed.  Dixon quickly lifted the vase, and placed it in a specially prepared case. He lowered the case, and motioned for them to leave.

Sloane was going to be extremely pleased.

~.~

"Boy Scout, do you read me?" Eric Weiss' voice crackled through the comm-link in Vaughn's ear.

"Yeah, base ops, read you loud and clear. What's up man?" Vaughn replied.

"Two men were taken down, our guys. By the south wall. It was quick dude, but there weren't a lot of people though, apparently."

"Are they okay? Do you think we'll be compromised?"

"No, Kendall still wants the vase. That man cracks a mean whip, man. Get moving, but be careful, boy-scout. You might have some visitors, if you get my drift."

"Thanks man, see you when I get back."

~.~

Sydney lead the way, with Sark watching her back.  The door was slightly ajar, but Sydney dismissed the thought. She opened the door carefully, and poked her head in, Sark rushing in after her, and closing the door.

Sydney was frozen in her spot, shocked to find that the display case was empty.

Sark had wandered closer to the case, examining the scene.

The sound of the hammer of a pistol cocking disrupted the silence.

"Freeze!"

~.~

Vaughn's heart was beating wildly in his chest, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. As he entered the room, he noticed that there were two individuals that had beat them to the vase but also that the display was also empty.

Vaughn cocked the gun and pointed it to the person who has standing in front of him.

"Freeze!"

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