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"Syd, I- your father is no longer with the CIA." Vaughn couldn't meet Sydney's gaze and quickly ducked his head.
"He retired. Did he feel the CIA had let him down as well." The vibe Vaughn was sending made Sydney look for the closest seat. "He isn't dead is he?" The lost little girl had returned, infuriating Sydney. She was not used to feeling so helpless or dependent yet her confidence had been severely shaken.
"No, he isn't dead, or at least not that I know of. Last I heard of your father, he took a seven day leave of absence and did not return. About five months ago there were reports that Jack Bristow had become Arvin Sloane's newest business associate." Vaughn kept his eyes downcast to avoid the hurt he knew he would find in Sydney's.
"That isn't possible. My father would not turn his back on his country, on everything he stood for just because he thought I was gone. He wouldn't do it." Her words were meant to convince her as much as Vaughn.
"I don't know what to tell you Syd. I wish I knew more but the last time I spoke to your father was the day before I left for Connecticut and five days after that he was gone." He had finally raised his head and watched her expression turn from to confusion to disbelief and back again.
"But what if something has happened to my father? What if he sacrificed himself for me? What if Sloane had hurt him or." Sydney trailed off. She refused to believe her father would turn to Sloane and she still had a sinking suspicion that Sloane had a great deal to do with her disappearance.
"I don't have the answers you're searching for Syd, but I will promise to help you find them." Vaughn held her close to him once again, noting their decent into LAX.
Both of them moved to sit side by side for the landing. Despite Sydney's face being partially hidden in Vaughn's neck, he could hear he next question.
"What has happened to my mother in the last two years, if you know anything." Her voice was hopeful that Vaughn would have some information on the older woman.
"For a while after you disappeared there was no action from either your mother or Sloane. The CIA believes they are still working together but it has only been in the past nine months that they have been active in any way." Vaughn informed her.
"About the same time my father supposedly joined them. I don't truly believe he would be able to work on the same side as my mother, let alone Sloane." Sydney sounded breathless, and Vaughn realized she had worked herself up over her father's whereabouts.
"Just relax Syd. I don't really believe that your father is working with them either. He is one of the best agents the CIA has ever seen; he could have vanished without a second thought. The CIA only has speculative evidence to substantiate their theory about your father. Once we figure out what happened to you we'll be sure to find your father and get everything straightened out." Sydney smiled up at Vaughn appreciatively and closed her eyes. She willed herself to relax before they landed.
Vaughn stared pensively out the window as the plane dipped lower in the sky. He did really want to believe that Jack Bristow was not capable of turning to Sloane and Irina, but even he had often contemplated hatching a deal with the devil if it meant getting Sydney back.
Morocco
"-I expect we will have the codes by the week's end." Arvin Sloane said. He looked over the table at his companion who had nodded along with his explanation. "How is the search going Jack? Has anything turned up?" Sloane did not needed to feed a false interest into his tone but found himself working hard to appeal to Jack on an emotional level.
"Nothing has turned up. There have been no leads on Sydney lately and I find myself growing more uneasy about it every day." Jack said evenly.
"Don't give up hope Jack. You will find Sydney eventually and I will do everything in my power to help you. I promised you that Jack." Jack merely nodded at the man, his mind taking in Sloane's sincerity and once again questioning his motives
Jack and Sloane both rose and agreed to meet again in three days to determine the operation specifics to retrieve the codes. Jack made a move to follow Sloane toward the front of the house but Sloane stopped him.
"I'll let myself out Jack. Enjoy your evening." Sloane smiled and left.
Jack turned around and surveyed the yard laid out before him. The patio sat higher than the rest of the grounds and was solid stone. The heat on the 34th parallel was easing as the late afternoon turned to early evening. He felt at home in the beautiful mansion he inhabited along the boarders of Casablanca. A quick drive down the hill the house was built atop and one would arrive at the coast.
Sloane stayed in Morocco during times they were working explicitly together, but otherwise was not a resident. Jack's thoughts turned to his daughter and his continued search for her. Sloane had made him an offer he could not refuse when the CIA had discontinued their search. He chuckled softly at the realization that Sloane had been right, Jack had eventually been willing to work with him.
For a time Jack had been certain that Sloane was responsible for Sydney's disappearance but over time that theory became less likely. Now as months of working together had passed Jack knew that Sloane was unaware of Sydney's location and for his own purposes be willing to do most anything to find her.
Jack's musings were interrupted by two arms snaking around his middle and lips being pressed to the back of his neck.
"You look very thoughtful out here. Would you like to share?" The voice asked him softly.
"Sloane just left." Was his only response but his hands came up and grasped the ones lying against his chest.
"I know. I saw him on my way in. He looked quite pleased with himself. I assume that means we are moving on the codes sometime this week." Jack smiled at the thought that anything that escaped the mouth settled against his shoulder now would seem seductive.
"Yes, we will be meeting in three days to iron out the details of the operation." For a while the two were silent as they enjoyed the solitude of the garden.
"I missed you today." Jack spoke finally, leaning down to kiss on of the hands that remained on his chest.
"I missed you too but I could not put my meeting off any longer without jeopardizing my holdings. Sloane still doesn't suspect anything?" The throaty timber asked hesitantly.
Jack turned around finally and cupped a face that was so precious to him. "Not a thing. He'll meet his end soon enough; we will make sure of it." He smiled brightly and received an equally bright smile in return.
In the waning light Irina's features were accented and served to make her even more beautiful. Jack took the opportunity to lean down and capture her lips with his in a searing kiss.
Please Review (-:
Really, I love reviews. I haven't slept in two days but when I saw the number of reviews I received I had to write a chapter before taking a nap. :D
"Syd, I- your father is no longer with the CIA." Vaughn couldn't meet Sydney's gaze and quickly ducked his head.
"He retired. Did he feel the CIA had let him down as well." The vibe Vaughn was sending made Sydney look for the closest seat. "He isn't dead is he?" The lost little girl had returned, infuriating Sydney. She was not used to feeling so helpless or dependent yet her confidence had been severely shaken.
"No, he isn't dead, or at least not that I know of. Last I heard of your father, he took a seven day leave of absence and did not return. About five months ago there were reports that Jack Bristow had become Arvin Sloane's newest business associate." Vaughn kept his eyes downcast to avoid the hurt he knew he would find in Sydney's.
"That isn't possible. My father would not turn his back on his country, on everything he stood for just because he thought I was gone. He wouldn't do it." Her words were meant to convince her as much as Vaughn.
"I don't know what to tell you Syd. I wish I knew more but the last time I spoke to your father was the day before I left for Connecticut and five days after that he was gone." He had finally raised his head and watched her expression turn from to confusion to disbelief and back again.
"But what if something has happened to my father? What if he sacrificed himself for me? What if Sloane had hurt him or." Sydney trailed off. She refused to believe her father would turn to Sloane and she still had a sinking suspicion that Sloane had a great deal to do with her disappearance.
"I don't have the answers you're searching for Syd, but I will promise to help you find them." Vaughn held her close to him once again, noting their decent into LAX.
Both of them moved to sit side by side for the landing. Despite Sydney's face being partially hidden in Vaughn's neck, he could hear he next question.
"What has happened to my mother in the last two years, if you know anything." Her voice was hopeful that Vaughn would have some information on the older woman.
"For a while after you disappeared there was no action from either your mother or Sloane. The CIA believes they are still working together but it has only been in the past nine months that they have been active in any way." Vaughn informed her.
"About the same time my father supposedly joined them. I don't truly believe he would be able to work on the same side as my mother, let alone Sloane." Sydney sounded breathless, and Vaughn realized she had worked herself up over her father's whereabouts.
"Just relax Syd. I don't really believe that your father is working with them either. He is one of the best agents the CIA has ever seen; he could have vanished without a second thought. The CIA only has speculative evidence to substantiate their theory about your father. Once we figure out what happened to you we'll be sure to find your father and get everything straightened out." Sydney smiled up at Vaughn appreciatively and closed her eyes. She willed herself to relax before they landed.
Vaughn stared pensively out the window as the plane dipped lower in the sky. He did really want to believe that Jack Bristow was not capable of turning to Sloane and Irina, but even he had often contemplated hatching a deal with the devil if it meant getting Sydney back.
Morocco
"-I expect we will have the codes by the week's end." Arvin Sloane said. He looked over the table at his companion who had nodded along with his explanation. "How is the search going Jack? Has anything turned up?" Sloane did not needed to feed a false interest into his tone but found himself working hard to appeal to Jack on an emotional level.
"Nothing has turned up. There have been no leads on Sydney lately and I find myself growing more uneasy about it every day." Jack said evenly.
"Don't give up hope Jack. You will find Sydney eventually and I will do everything in my power to help you. I promised you that Jack." Jack merely nodded at the man, his mind taking in Sloane's sincerity and once again questioning his motives
Jack and Sloane both rose and agreed to meet again in three days to determine the operation specifics to retrieve the codes. Jack made a move to follow Sloane toward the front of the house but Sloane stopped him.
"I'll let myself out Jack. Enjoy your evening." Sloane smiled and left.
Jack turned around and surveyed the yard laid out before him. The patio sat higher than the rest of the grounds and was solid stone. The heat on the 34th parallel was easing as the late afternoon turned to early evening. He felt at home in the beautiful mansion he inhabited along the boarders of Casablanca. A quick drive down the hill the house was built atop and one would arrive at the coast.
Sloane stayed in Morocco during times they were working explicitly together, but otherwise was not a resident. Jack's thoughts turned to his daughter and his continued search for her. Sloane had made him an offer he could not refuse when the CIA had discontinued their search. He chuckled softly at the realization that Sloane had been right, Jack had eventually been willing to work with him.
For a time Jack had been certain that Sloane was responsible for Sydney's disappearance but over time that theory became less likely. Now as months of working together had passed Jack knew that Sloane was unaware of Sydney's location and for his own purposes be willing to do most anything to find her.
Jack's musings were interrupted by two arms snaking around his middle and lips being pressed to the back of his neck.
"You look very thoughtful out here. Would you like to share?" The voice asked him softly.
"Sloane just left." Was his only response but his hands came up and grasped the ones lying against his chest.
"I know. I saw him on my way in. He looked quite pleased with himself. I assume that means we are moving on the codes sometime this week." Jack smiled at the thought that anything that escaped the mouth settled against his shoulder now would seem seductive.
"Yes, we will be meeting in three days to iron out the details of the operation." For a while the two were silent as they enjoyed the solitude of the garden.
"I missed you today." Jack spoke finally, leaning down to kiss on of the hands that remained on his chest.
"I missed you too but I could not put my meeting off any longer without jeopardizing my holdings. Sloane still doesn't suspect anything?" The throaty timber asked hesitantly.
Jack turned around finally and cupped a face that was so precious to him. "Not a thing. He'll meet his end soon enough; we will make sure of it." He smiled brightly and received an equally bright smile in return.
In the waning light Irina's features were accented and served to make her even more beautiful. Jack took the opportunity to lean down and capture her lips with his in a searing kiss.
Please Review (-:
Really, I love reviews. I haven't slept in two days but when I saw the number of reviews I received I had to write a chapter before taking a nap. :D