My betas are better than yours! Thanks to Gabs, Brittany, and Serenity Sea.

--Part the Sixth--

Despite all expectation, Sydney fell asleep easily. She awoke to Sark's voice.

That's just what I always wanted, she grumbled internally.

"Sydney! Wake up, someone is coming. Woman, what does it take to wake you."

She shook her hair away from her face as best she could and wished she could rub her eyes. Sark looked equal parts concerned and annoyed.

He also looked as if he hadn't slept.

Seconds later, the door opened and a guard, a different one, moved inside the cell and began to unlock Sydney while another stood with his gun trained on her.

She eyed them both carefully.

The one with the rifle responded to her silent scrutiny, "Espinosa wants to see you."

Sark took a breath, signaling that he would speak but the guard with the gun punched him first. "You get to stay here. And you'll be quiet, or I'll stay here with you."

Sydney refused to look at Sark while they led her away, the cold muzzle at her back the whole time.

But she could feel him watching her; she always did.

***

The guards took her to a different room and this time Ana was waiting for her.

"Long time, no see," Sydney said. "How'd your meet go?"

Ana didn't answer. She only smiled and gestured towards a large projector set in the wall.

Sydney was forced into a metal chair with leather cuffs built-in to secure her wrists; it sat directly before the screen. "What? You're gonna force me to watch lame Power Point slideshows?"

"You gave me the idea when you mentioned the security cameras. I'm going to prove that you lied to me."

"Of course, I've lied to you."

Ana arched a brow, "About Sark and your.love."

"You've got to be kidding me. You wasted time on this? No matter K- Directorate is going to crap," Sydney rolled her eyes. "Okay, look, I didn't lie to you about that. Let's set the record straight. There is nothing going on there except for some serious homicidal urgency. So, if you don't mind, let's skip the slideshow and you could just try and hit me or something."

Ana moved between Sydney and the screen, a mouse in one hand and laser pointer in the other. "Now be silent, or I'll shoot you in the kneecaps."

The presentation began.

"Exhibit One." Twenty seconds of grainy satellite imagery. Sark and Sydney driving alongside each other, and then meeting off the road. Ana's commentary was given in a conversational tone. "Intimate setting. The matching outfits are a nice touch."

"Exhibit Two." Sark and Sydney in an SD-6 briefing. Sydney was paying attention, Sark was watching her. Then their eyes met, held, and she looked away. "Unresolved sexual tension? It's almost palpable. How is it that no one notices?"

"Exhibit Three." Sark picking up roadworker Sydney in his gendarme car. "The couple that works together, stays together."

"Exhibit Four." The conference room again, but this time alone. Sydney remembered it was the time Sloane told her to debrief Sark. "But SD-6 has rules about fraternization, doesn't it? There's a table between you and you're exchanging longing looks. How sad."

"Exhibit Five." Sydney was dressed as a geisha, Sark getting out of a car to meet her. "But then your relationship began before you were colleagues, didn't it?"

"Exhibit Six." Sark in a nightclub while Sydney played the chanteuse. Her hand skated along the curve of his face while she sang. A tender look graced Sark's face even after she had moved on. "How did your song go? Since I fell for you."

Sydney remained quiet, though she was fuming.

Ana glared at her, "I could continue."

"It wouldn't matter. Those were taken completely out of context." Sydney paused to smile falsely, "You know what would have really convinced me? A soundtrack. How could you not have a soundtrack, Ana? I'm so disappointed in you. I mean there are so many songs! "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who, -- , or even --. Those are Western Pop songs though, I'm not familiar with the Eastern European Terrorist Top 40 but there must something appropriate."

Ana didn't indulge her humor. Instead she raised her pistol to Sydney's nose. Sydney noticed the safety had been disengaged.

"I'm an empiricist, Sydney. The evidence is there, the conclusion foregone." Ana put her gun back down, moved to the door, and whispered orders to the guard. She looked at Sydney again, "Can you prove you aren't with him?"

"Only with the burning hatred of my soul." Sydney narrowed her eyes; it was an impossible situation and she knew it. What's more, it was a moronic situation.

"The court doesn't accept spiritual evidence," Ana smiled tightly. "And can you explain why, if not for love, you're still here?"

"Could it possibly be because you imprisoned me."

The guards must have reported our visitor, Sydney thought. She'd expected as much.

"I know Chered had a proposal. He's predictable like that, always trying to undermine my actions when he doesn't understand them."

Sydney was amazed. She acts like someone exists who does understand her actions; I don't think anyone could. If she thinks her actions make sense to the world, Ana really is delusional.

The other woman continued unaware of Sydney's growing opinion on the state of her mental health.

"I also know that Chered would not have offered to aid Sark. Chered hates Sark; that man sows discord wherever he goes."

Sydney had to agree with the crazy lady on that part. But Ana's tirade had also given Sydney information. Ana thought Chered only acted politically; she didn't hear our exchange so the cell isn't bugged. Good to know.

"Ana, just between us girls, why do you care so much?" Sydney smiled so sweetly. "I mean Sark burned you. Doesn't your utter humiliation make you just want to kill him? Oh, guess not because the first thing you did when you saw Sark was jump the man and forcefeed him your tonsils. Call me psychologically stable but I don't get it."

"You act as if he was unwilling. Are you ready to admit greater insight into Sark's body language than my own? Mine's based on sex, but you claim not to have slept with the man so how can I believe you.," Ana trailed off suggestively. "Or are you just jealous?"

"Hardly," Sydney set her mouth in an affronted line. "And while Sark wasn't pushing you away, he wasn't participating either. And you did have a gun. Sexual harassment isn't just limited to men, you know."

"You were paying attention to detail. Kinky. He is a rather beautiful man. And you're not bad yourself."

"Ruthless assassin sandwich, yeah, that's what I want." Sydney nearly gagged. "Seriously. Why are you so interested in Sark and me? I assure you there's nothing to satisfy a prurient interest."

Ana gave her a disbelieving look but there was a knock on the door and the guard returned, pushing Sark before him.

"Hello ladies." Sark didn't act as if he'd just been shoved forward rudely.

"Sark," Ana drew the word out and her hand moved along his neck at the same pace, mocking Sydney's movement from the Paris cabaret. Ana moved behind him, her arm light on his waist and her head leaned on his shoulder. She looked at Sydney. "Sark, can you prove you aren't romantically involved with Sydney Bristow."

"Now why would I do that?"

Sydney bristled at Sark's tone.

Ana laughed. No, Ana giggled. Sydney was going to throw up.

"Let me out of this chair," Sydney beseeched them. "I can't watch this."

Sark maneuvered to face Ana, but adjusted their position so that they both faced Sydney. His expression was innocent, "Don't be jealous, my love. She's my past; you know you're the only one for me."

"I can change your mind," Ana flirted.

"You can try," Sark returned, a roguish grin on his face. His own arm was draped around her waist.

"I really can't watch this. Unless you want to clean up my vomit, let me out of this room. You two can go at it all you want, but wait until I leave."

Ana pursed her lips thoughtfully before whispering in Sark's ear.

When she finished, punctuating her sentence with a playful nip on his lobe, Sark nodded.

She shifted away from Sark and toward Sydney. "Do you really want to prove what you say?"

Sydney glared at them suspiciously before answering decisively. "Yes."

Ana stepped out of the way. Sark moved quickly, kneeling before Sydney in the chair. He pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were dry and rough at first but he used his tongue to lick her lips and his hands were smooth against the nape of her neck. He was warm and smelled.good. His long fingers slid through her hair and they guided her body towards the heat of him with a gentle press; he sucked on her lower lip until she opened her mouth. His tongue slid in, velvet and searching deep in and out again, soft, in and out-

Ana coughed and Sark drew himself up, his eyes on Sydney the whole time. Sydney tore her eyes away and realized she was leaning as far forward as her restraints allowed. His scent lingered.

Slowly, she shifted her body to meet the back of the chair.

Before the horror could fully set in, there was another knock at the door.

***

TBC