Same Disclaimer Applies: This story is not going to be as long as my other
one is, but I hope everyone enjoys it just as much. I would like to thank
everyone who sends reviews, even if it is only one line. I truly
appreciate it and please send more. Next chapter will be posted soon.
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TIPPIN RESIDENCE - LOS ANGELES
In the few days that had passed Vaughn caught Sydney up on the specifics of his life during the twenty-two months she was missing. They had re- established a routine of dinners, talks and silences spent in the other's arms.
Memories had continued to assault Sydney but they remained disjointed and confused. She was becoming frustrated with herself and Kendall who was pushing her to remember. But today was different, today Sydney had woken up from a peaceful night's sleep with Vaughn beside her and a better grasp of the scenes playing out in her head.
Sydney knew there were people in the room with her during most of her absence. They rarely touched her but were not far away. She didn't remember any forms of torture, yet she instinctively knew that she was being sedated. At times streams of light cut through the shuttered windows while others the room was immersed in black. Every so often a man would enter the room, Sydney could tell based on the weight on his step, a dark shroud accompanied him.
He would whisper orders to the others in the room, study her quietly, then turn to leave. There was no sign of immediate danger, yet Sydney still became encapsulated in fear each time her mind revealed more of its secrets.
The clock beside the bed read seven-thirty but Sydney was in no hurry to get up and away from the warm body beside her. She and Vaughn had both been given the day off to decide what they were going to do.
Vaughn had been told when he left the CIA that his job would be waiting whenever he wished to return. Sydney had been cleared for security and the CIA was anxious to get her back in the field. The couple had decided they would talk out all their options before making a decision.
"Morning." A sleepy but contented voice spoke from beside her.
"Yes it is. Good observation Vaughn." Sydney chuckled into his stomach.
"You know what I mean. And isn't it a little early for sarcasm?" Vaughn rolled over so he was facing Sydney on his side. "So when are we supposed to begin this discussion?" Vaughn asked as he stoked Sydney's bare arm.
"Vaughn, I don't want you to think that my decision has to be yours. You have another life now and I won't begrudge you returning to it. I'm torn myself on whether I want to stay with the CIA or not. Everyone believes I'm dead; it is the perfect escape from this life." Sydney fell silent and Vaughn looked at her carefully.
"But you don't know if an escape from this life is what you want." He finished for her.
"I still have unfinished business. Sloane has yet to be caught and is out there somewhere doing God knows what." She waved her arm for effect. "I haven't dealt with my mother yet and I would like to get to the bottom of my father's apparent sudden insanity." Sydney relaxed against the pillow behind her when she was done.
"Syd, I loved my work at the CIA. I loved working with you. If you decide to return I will be with you all the way and if you decide not to, then I will probably be with you anyway." He smiled at her.
"I don't think we're done yet Vaughn. There are still things we have to accomplish, one being to find Sloane and the other to find out what kept me from you and everything else I love for almost two years."
Vaughn was silent for a few moments causing Sydney to scrutinize him. "What?" She asked.
"Did you just say that I was someone you loved?" He asked with a cocky smile. Sydney didn't answer, instead she went over her comments from seconds before. She looked startled when she came to the last sentence.
"I- I didn't-" She didn't want to look him in the eye but she was unable to pull her gaze away.
"I love you, you know." Vaughn smiled and raised his eyebrows.
He got an answering smile and a deep kiss. "I do love you Vaughn." They kissed again but were interrupted by both their pagers going off. Both read a 911 page from Kendall.
The couple looked up at each other. "So are we going back or not?" Vaughn held his pager up.
"We'd better hurry. Kendall will not be happy if we're not there quickly." Sydney grabbed the pager from his hand and jumped out of bed.
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - LOS ANGELES
Kendall stood as he began the meeting. "In twelve hours Sloane is expected to go after a marked set of codes. Through information the CIA has received we surmise the codes will be used in correlation with the Rambaldi machine. Agents Bristow and Vaughn have recently informed me they are returning to the task force, I assume you will have no trouble being part of the operation." Kendall looked at the two younger agents and got no response, merely stares.
"There is a guarded facility in Alger, Algeria that has been reported as the whereabouts of the codes. Your mission is simple, get the codes and take whoever Sloane sent to retrieve them into custody. I will be traveling with you and acting as base station from a north western quadrant of Algeria. We depart in one hour." Kendall lost interest in the group, signally their opportunity to leave.
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
Irina watched Jack swim length after length in the pool. It was mid-day and the indoors or water were one's only relief from the heat. She had done a search on Sydney when she had woken up earlier that day and come up with a list of countries. It seemed that whoever it was that the reports were centered on, had made her way from west to east, stopping only in Hong Kong.
Not able to stay seated for much longer, Irina donned a bathing suit and headed for the pool. She was anticipating the strike later that night, despite not wanting Sloane to have the codes. Irina continued to enjoy the thrill of a successful mission no matter what the cause. But right now her mission was to seduce her husband, she smile wickedly.
"Jack, how do you stand it out here? The heat is stifling." She eased her way into the pool at the shallow end's steps.
"You're trying to seduce me." Jack stated blandly from the other side of the pool.
"Why do you say that?" Irina's eyebrows rose with each movement.
"Because if you were coming to the pool to swim laps, you would not have worn two pieces of material, that are barely staying on, as a suit." Jack move toward her.
"How very astute Mr. Bristow, but now tell me why I would have to seduce my own husband?" They were standing directly in front of one another but not touching.
"You enjoy getting what you want when you want it and you know I would never deprive you." They both smiled and sunk lower in the water with their legs tangled together.
"Are you ready for tonight?" Irina inquired.
"Mmmhum. We should be in and out of the facility quickly, so we can get home and sleep like normal people do at two in the morning." He answered.
"We have never been normal Jack." She kissed his neck. "Sleep when we get home?" Her eyes smiled.
"I'm an old man Irina. I need my sleep." He hugged her tightly but kept a straight face.
"Hardly Jack. You are many things but old is not one of them. And I happen to be an expert on Jack Bristow's health and physicality." Jack smiled at his wife, not able to remember another time in the past twenty years he had felt so wonderful. He had confidence they would find Sydney and his world would be even better. But first he and his beautiful wife had a mission to complete.
Please Review ;D ----REALLY PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!
TIPPIN RESIDENCE - LOS ANGELES
In the few days that had passed Vaughn caught Sydney up on the specifics of his life during the twenty-two months she was missing. They had re- established a routine of dinners, talks and silences spent in the other's arms.
Memories had continued to assault Sydney but they remained disjointed and confused. She was becoming frustrated with herself and Kendall who was pushing her to remember. But today was different, today Sydney had woken up from a peaceful night's sleep with Vaughn beside her and a better grasp of the scenes playing out in her head.
Sydney knew there were people in the room with her during most of her absence. They rarely touched her but were not far away. She didn't remember any forms of torture, yet she instinctively knew that she was being sedated. At times streams of light cut through the shuttered windows while others the room was immersed in black. Every so often a man would enter the room, Sydney could tell based on the weight on his step, a dark shroud accompanied him.
He would whisper orders to the others in the room, study her quietly, then turn to leave. There was no sign of immediate danger, yet Sydney still became encapsulated in fear each time her mind revealed more of its secrets.
The clock beside the bed read seven-thirty but Sydney was in no hurry to get up and away from the warm body beside her. She and Vaughn had both been given the day off to decide what they were going to do.
Vaughn had been told when he left the CIA that his job would be waiting whenever he wished to return. Sydney had been cleared for security and the CIA was anxious to get her back in the field. The couple had decided they would talk out all their options before making a decision.
"Morning." A sleepy but contented voice spoke from beside her.
"Yes it is. Good observation Vaughn." Sydney chuckled into his stomach.
"You know what I mean. And isn't it a little early for sarcasm?" Vaughn rolled over so he was facing Sydney on his side. "So when are we supposed to begin this discussion?" Vaughn asked as he stoked Sydney's bare arm.
"Vaughn, I don't want you to think that my decision has to be yours. You have another life now and I won't begrudge you returning to it. I'm torn myself on whether I want to stay with the CIA or not. Everyone believes I'm dead; it is the perfect escape from this life." Sydney fell silent and Vaughn looked at her carefully.
"But you don't know if an escape from this life is what you want." He finished for her.
"I still have unfinished business. Sloane has yet to be caught and is out there somewhere doing God knows what." She waved her arm for effect. "I haven't dealt with my mother yet and I would like to get to the bottom of my father's apparent sudden insanity." Sydney relaxed against the pillow behind her when she was done.
"Syd, I loved my work at the CIA. I loved working with you. If you decide to return I will be with you all the way and if you decide not to, then I will probably be with you anyway." He smiled at her.
"I don't think we're done yet Vaughn. There are still things we have to accomplish, one being to find Sloane and the other to find out what kept me from you and everything else I love for almost two years."
Vaughn was silent for a few moments causing Sydney to scrutinize him. "What?" She asked.
"Did you just say that I was someone you loved?" He asked with a cocky smile. Sydney didn't answer, instead she went over her comments from seconds before. She looked startled when she came to the last sentence.
"I- I didn't-" She didn't want to look him in the eye but she was unable to pull her gaze away.
"I love you, you know." Vaughn smiled and raised his eyebrows.
He got an answering smile and a deep kiss. "I do love you Vaughn." They kissed again but were interrupted by both their pagers going off. Both read a 911 page from Kendall.
The couple looked up at each other. "So are we going back or not?" Vaughn held his pager up.
"We'd better hurry. Kendall will not be happy if we're not there quickly." Sydney grabbed the pager from his hand and jumped out of bed.
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - LOS ANGELES
Kendall stood as he began the meeting. "In twelve hours Sloane is expected to go after a marked set of codes. Through information the CIA has received we surmise the codes will be used in correlation with the Rambaldi machine. Agents Bristow and Vaughn have recently informed me they are returning to the task force, I assume you will have no trouble being part of the operation." Kendall looked at the two younger agents and got no response, merely stares.
"There is a guarded facility in Alger, Algeria that has been reported as the whereabouts of the codes. Your mission is simple, get the codes and take whoever Sloane sent to retrieve them into custody. I will be traveling with you and acting as base station from a north western quadrant of Algeria. We depart in one hour." Kendall lost interest in the group, signally their opportunity to leave.
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
Irina watched Jack swim length after length in the pool. It was mid-day and the indoors or water were one's only relief from the heat. She had done a search on Sydney when she had woken up earlier that day and come up with a list of countries. It seemed that whoever it was that the reports were centered on, had made her way from west to east, stopping only in Hong Kong.
Not able to stay seated for much longer, Irina donned a bathing suit and headed for the pool. She was anticipating the strike later that night, despite not wanting Sloane to have the codes. Irina continued to enjoy the thrill of a successful mission no matter what the cause. But right now her mission was to seduce her husband, she smile wickedly.
"Jack, how do you stand it out here? The heat is stifling." She eased her way into the pool at the shallow end's steps.
"You're trying to seduce me." Jack stated blandly from the other side of the pool.
"Why do you say that?" Irina's eyebrows rose with each movement.
"Because if you were coming to the pool to swim laps, you would not have worn two pieces of material, that are barely staying on, as a suit." Jack move toward her.
"How very astute Mr. Bristow, but now tell me why I would have to seduce my own husband?" They were standing directly in front of one another but not touching.
"You enjoy getting what you want when you want it and you know I would never deprive you." They both smiled and sunk lower in the water with their legs tangled together.
"Are you ready for tonight?" Irina inquired.
"Mmmhum. We should be in and out of the facility quickly, so we can get home and sleep like normal people do at two in the morning." He answered.
"We have never been normal Jack." She kissed his neck. "Sleep when we get home?" Her eyes smiled.
"I'm an old man Irina. I need my sleep." He hugged her tightly but kept a straight face.
"Hardly Jack. You are many things but old is not one of them. And I happen to be an expert on Jack Bristow's health and physicality." Jack smiled at his wife, not able to remember another time in the past twenty years he had felt so wonderful. He had confidence they would find Sydney and his world would be even better. But first he and his beautiful wife had a mission to complete.
Please Review ;D ----REALLY PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!