Several years had passed and no one had succeeded in finding Sydney Bristow and Alexander Lazarey. It was as if they had never existed.
*****
Michael Vaughn stepped inside his home on Christmas Eve, relieved to have the rest of the week off. He was immediately greeted by his three-year old son Will, and then his very pregnant wife Lauren. Things were going well for the Vaughn family. Vaughn had acquired a higher-level job in the agency, while Lauren was on maternity leave from the NSC. They were happy; they were happy together. Their relationship was no longer in the shadow of Vaughn's former relationship with Sydney. He was now totally and completely in love with his wife.
As he threw his keys on their kitchen counter, he noted a pile of Christmas cards along with bills and other letters. Usually Christmas cards never interested him, but for some reason, today they held his gaze. He picked them up, one by one, opening and reading them carefully. The second to last one made him smile, when he recognized the familiar script.
Vaughn (and Lauren)
We wish you a very Merry Christmas. Michael, thank you for your gift that was given to us nearly four years ago. We are doing very well, and wish you the best! We love you,
S.
Vaughn shook his head, laughing at the message. He was glad to know she was alright, and that she was happy. He laughed again as he opened the last card from Eric Weiss.
Out fell an invitation to fast-approaching affair.
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Eric David Weiss and Adrianna Elizabeth Lazarey. We hope you will share in our joy on this special day.
Vaughn placed the invitation of the counter, and smiled when he felt Lauren's arms around his mid-section.
"So they finally set the date?" Lauren asked, smiling.
"Yes, they finally set a date," Vaughn said, turning around to kiss his wife.
"I love you Lauren," he said. She smiled warmly as he reached down to rub her stomach. "And I love you too baby," he whispered to her stomach.
"We love you too," she said.
*****
Eric Weiss was the happiest man alive when Adrianna Lazarey said 'I do' on their wedding day four months after their invitation had been delivered to family and friends. As they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, the members of the audience applauded loudly.
Dixon sat with his two children, and tears fell from his eyes and he remembered his late wife. Irina Derevko, having been recently pardoned by the United States government, sat hand in hand with her husband Jack Bristow. Michael Vaughn stood beside Weiss as best man, while Lauren sat in the audience with her new daughter in her arms and her son seated quietly beside her.
As Eric and Adrianna Weiss proceeded back down the aisle, and Eric paused when he noticed a red-haired woman dressed in head-to-toe ivory. The dark-haired man beside her wore a gray suit, one he could've sworn he recognized. Adrianna glanced to where her husband was staring, and gasped when she saw the couple before them, hand in hand.
The woman tilted her head forward, enough to pull down her sunglasses, and smiled.
Eric and Adrianna Weiss collectively laughed as Sydney Bristow winked in their direction, and Alexander Lazarey smiled, waving. Just as quickly as they appeared, the pair disappeared again. Eric and Adrianna shared a glance before proceeding to their reception.
*****
After Michael Vaughn's speech, Weiss rushed over to him, pulling his best friend aside. They shared a smile.
"I take it you saw her?" Weiss asked.
"Yes, I did. And for the first time, I really felt it..." Vaughn trailed off. Weiss looked at him questioningly.
"Felt what?" Vaughn smiled.
"We did the right thing Eric," Vaughn said, and they both laughed as they turned their attention back to the party.
*****
Four days later, in their home in Ireland, Alexander and Sydney Lazarey laughed as their daughter Isabella chased after Alexander in their kitchen. Isabella was a beautiful combination of both of her parents, with dark hair mirroring Sydney's own and blue eyes like her father's. Though Sydney's hair was now flowing beautifully down her back, and was red in hue, she was still as beautiful as the day Alexander had first viewed her photo.
His hair was now a dark brown, his eyes still the same beautiful blue they had always been. There had been no reason for name changes, for no one in authority knew Alexander's birth name. In public, Sydney often went by Anna, a variation of her middle name, so her name would not be recognized.
Their life together was full of happiness. Sydney had anticipated being forced to run from the law more often than being settled somewhere, but that was not what had taken place. After their initial departure from the United States, they had flown to Russia, where Alexander had acquired an inheritance from his late father. They had used those funds, along with money Alexander had previously acquired, and went to Ireland, purchasing a place near Sydney's mother's home.
Alexander and Sydney, along with their daughter, saw Jack and Irina Bristow almost every week. Sydney was overjoyed that her parents were giving their marriage another shot, and even more excited that her daughter would have both grandparents. Jack remained in close contact with Agents Vaughn and Weiss, and would give Sydney information about her former partners.
It felt wonderful knowing that everyone was happy. Soon, Sydney realized, it would be safe to tell their friends where they were, and they would be reunited again. Until that day, she would take things one day at a time. Her husband and her daughter brought her hope, and that was something she could honestly say she had not felt since she was a child.
As Sydney watched her husband with her daughter, she remembered something he had said to her years ago.
"Sydney, no one can take this away from us. No one."
He had been right.