*AN: Thanks again for all of the reviews! I appreciate all of the input.
I just wanted to explain that the previous chapter actually happens during
the timeline of this chapter (if that makes sense). In other words, his
escape would happen around 3-4 days into this chapter, when Sydney hears of
it. Sorry if that is confusing.
**********************************************************************
At work the morning after she had met with her mother, Sydney read through her resignation. She signed it. Now or never, she thought. Of all the ways that Sydney had imagined her CIA career to end, this was not one of them. In her dreams, she had always resigned in order to persue a normal life. She left to be a teacher and to start a family. And, in the latter thoughts, she had always pictured Vaughn. But, that was the past. She wondered if she would ever be able to dream of something like that again.
She knocked on Kendall's door. He said gruffly, "Come in." He looked up from his desk with irritation. "Miss Bristow, I do not have time to speak with you now." He looked more aggravated than usual, and for someone like Kendall, that was saying a lot.
"I think you will make time for this." She wanted to cram the paper down his throat. It would be good company for the stick that was already up his ass. "I am resigning. I no longer feel that I'm suited for a position here. I will of course, stay two weeks to finish the cases that I'm working on."
Kendall read through the paperwork that Sydney had handed him. "I see. I can't say that I'm surprised, Miss Bristow. However, you need to remember that we will be keeping an eye on you. Even though you cleared our testing, we, meaning I, still feel that you could be a threat to the agency. And, I have a question for you. What the hell were you doing speaking with Mr. Sark this morning?"
"Let's just say that I had a few words for him before I left. He has caused me many problems. He has tortured one of my friends, been the main cause of death for another, and been the plague of my life, aside from Sloane, for too long. I wanted to assure him that I would do anything in my power to have him transferred to Camp Harris. He deserves to be locked away and to die there." Sydney had become good at lying through the years. The trick was to mix in enough truth to be believable.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you, Miss Bristow. I would have had him transferred long ago, but he was useful at the time. Well, his time has run out. He will be transferred within the week."
"Thank you, sir." It was tough to get the sir out, but she had survived worse. Like working with Sloane.
She was not surprised to hear that the transfer was a failure. Apparently, her mother had people within the CIA. She was not surprised. You would think the CIA would get a little wise. No one even questioned her about it. Good, she thought. I hate answering questions anyway. She couldn't help but wonder where they were now, and when she would hear from them.
She hadn't visited Aidan again. She had her reasons. One was that she didn't want the CIA to wonder why she kept visiting him. They didn't need to be any more suspicious of her than they already were. Another was because of herself. After that early morning visit, she had felt disquieted. It disturbed her to feel that connection with Aidan. It even disturbed her that she was comfortable using his first name. She didn't want to have to deal with being in close proximity with him again yet. Maybe after she had cleared her head more, she would be able to be rational about it.
The next week and a half was filled with wrapping up cases, thoughts about what was going to happen, and good-byes. Even though Sydney was ready to go, she still found it difficult. She knew she had to leave, that the CIA would be no help, but she still had some moral sense that she was committing betrayal. She rationalized this by telling herself that they had betrayed her, and her father.
Her last day was painful. Marshall and Dixon came by first. She had to get through this. Part of her wished she didn't have to.
"We're sorry to see you go, Sydney." Said Dixon. "We've been through a lot together. I'm sorry that things turned out this way for you. You were always one of the best. You deserve something better. I hope this move will bring you some peace."
"Thank you, Dixon. You have always meant a lot to me. I hope you know that. You were a true friend." Sydney realized she was speaking in past tense. Dixon didn't notice. "You've saved my life on numerous occasions. I don't think I can thank you enough for that." She really felt this way. Dixon was always someone that she could trust. She wished it hadn't changed.
"There is no need to thank me, Sydney. You've done the same for me. I think we can call it even." After a quick hug, Dixon walked away, leaving her with Marshall.
"Miss Bri..Sydney" stammered Marshall. "Um, well, er, we'll miss, I mean, I'll miss you. Just ah.rest assured that we'll all be working to fight the bad guys. The real ones, this time."
Marshall always was sweet. "I know, Marshall, and thank you. I will miss all of you." That, at least was true. She did miss them all. She missed what they used to be. What she used to be. Sighing to herself, she went back to work, packing up her few belongings.
Later that day, Weiss stopped by. "Sydney, I need some sugar before you leave". She had to laugh. Weiss was always cracking a joke. "We'll miss you. I um, I'm sorry about everything. You didn't deserve this. And, I'm sorry about Vaughn." Weiss looked uncomfortable after his last statement, but she knew he felt partially responsible for what had happened.
Sydney interrupted him. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Everyone thought I was dead. It's in the past now." She wanted to make sure that he knew she didn't blame him.
"Well, take care of yourself." Said Weiss.
"I will." She would definitely do that.
The most painful goodbye that day was with Will. Things were so different now. She would always love him. He had always been there. But, she had wrecked his life. She was the reason he had lost his job, the reason Francie was dead, and the reason he was in a wheelchair. She didn't know how he could even talk to her after all of that.
"Syd. I don't know what to say," started Will.
"It's ok, Will. You don't have to say anything. You never did. I understand. Just know, that I'm sorry. And, well, I don't know what to say either." She stopped.
"Don't be a stranger, Syd." His voice cracked. "I'll miss you. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you this time."
"Don't say that. You have no reason to be there. You've already been through so much. I'm sorry, but I have to go. I love you Will."
"I love you too, Syd."
As she walked out the doors, she knew that part of her life was over. Now, she had to figure out how to continue with the rest of it. She headed to her hotel room and proceeded to wait. She wasn't very good at it, she hated waiting, but there was nothing else to do.
That night, as she was sitting alone in her room, the phone rang.
"Are you ready, Sydney?"
Just one word. "Yes."
At work the morning after she had met with her mother, Sydney read through her resignation. She signed it. Now or never, she thought. Of all the ways that Sydney had imagined her CIA career to end, this was not one of them. In her dreams, she had always resigned in order to persue a normal life. She left to be a teacher and to start a family. And, in the latter thoughts, she had always pictured Vaughn. But, that was the past. She wondered if she would ever be able to dream of something like that again.
She knocked on Kendall's door. He said gruffly, "Come in." He looked up from his desk with irritation. "Miss Bristow, I do not have time to speak with you now." He looked more aggravated than usual, and for someone like Kendall, that was saying a lot.
"I think you will make time for this." She wanted to cram the paper down his throat. It would be good company for the stick that was already up his ass. "I am resigning. I no longer feel that I'm suited for a position here. I will of course, stay two weeks to finish the cases that I'm working on."
Kendall read through the paperwork that Sydney had handed him. "I see. I can't say that I'm surprised, Miss Bristow. However, you need to remember that we will be keeping an eye on you. Even though you cleared our testing, we, meaning I, still feel that you could be a threat to the agency. And, I have a question for you. What the hell were you doing speaking with Mr. Sark this morning?"
"Let's just say that I had a few words for him before I left. He has caused me many problems. He has tortured one of my friends, been the main cause of death for another, and been the plague of my life, aside from Sloane, for too long. I wanted to assure him that I would do anything in my power to have him transferred to Camp Harris. He deserves to be locked away and to die there." Sydney had become good at lying through the years. The trick was to mix in enough truth to be believable.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you, Miss Bristow. I would have had him transferred long ago, but he was useful at the time. Well, his time has run out. He will be transferred within the week."
"Thank you, sir." It was tough to get the sir out, but she had survived worse. Like working with Sloane.
She was not surprised to hear that the transfer was a failure. Apparently, her mother had people within the CIA. She was not surprised. You would think the CIA would get a little wise. No one even questioned her about it. Good, she thought. I hate answering questions anyway. She couldn't help but wonder where they were now, and when she would hear from them.
She hadn't visited Aidan again. She had her reasons. One was that she didn't want the CIA to wonder why she kept visiting him. They didn't need to be any more suspicious of her than they already were. Another was because of herself. After that early morning visit, she had felt disquieted. It disturbed her to feel that connection with Aidan. It even disturbed her that she was comfortable using his first name. She didn't want to have to deal with being in close proximity with him again yet. Maybe after she had cleared her head more, she would be able to be rational about it.
The next week and a half was filled with wrapping up cases, thoughts about what was going to happen, and good-byes. Even though Sydney was ready to go, she still found it difficult. She knew she had to leave, that the CIA would be no help, but she still had some moral sense that she was committing betrayal. She rationalized this by telling herself that they had betrayed her, and her father.
Her last day was painful. Marshall and Dixon came by first. She had to get through this. Part of her wished she didn't have to.
"We're sorry to see you go, Sydney." Said Dixon. "We've been through a lot together. I'm sorry that things turned out this way for you. You were always one of the best. You deserve something better. I hope this move will bring you some peace."
"Thank you, Dixon. You have always meant a lot to me. I hope you know that. You were a true friend." Sydney realized she was speaking in past tense. Dixon didn't notice. "You've saved my life on numerous occasions. I don't think I can thank you enough for that." She really felt this way. Dixon was always someone that she could trust. She wished it hadn't changed.
"There is no need to thank me, Sydney. You've done the same for me. I think we can call it even." After a quick hug, Dixon walked away, leaving her with Marshall.
"Miss Bri..Sydney" stammered Marshall. "Um, well, er, we'll miss, I mean, I'll miss you. Just ah.rest assured that we'll all be working to fight the bad guys. The real ones, this time."
Marshall always was sweet. "I know, Marshall, and thank you. I will miss all of you." That, at least was true. She did miss them all. She missed what they used to be. What she used to be. Sighing to herself, she went back to work, packing up her few belongings.
Later that day, Weiss stopped by. "Sydney, I need some sugar before you leave". She had to laugh. Weiss was always cracking a joke. "We'll miss you. I um, I'm sorry about everything. You didn't deserve this. And, I'm sorry about Vaughn." Weiss looked uncomfortable after his last statement, but she knew he felt partially responsible for what had happened.
Sydney interrupted him. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Everyone thought I was dead. It's in the past now." She wanted to make sure that he knew she didn't blame him.
"Well, take care of yourself." Said Weiss.
"I will." She would definitely do that.
The most painful goodbye that day was with Will. Things were so different now. She would always love him. He had always been there. But, she had wrecked his life. She was the reason he had lost his job, the reason Francie was dead, and the reason he was in a wheelchair. She didn't know how he could even talk to her after all of that.
"Syd. I don't know what to say," started Will.
"It's ok, Will. You don't have to say anything. You never did. I understand. Just know, that I'm sorry. And, well, I don't know what to say either." She stopped.
"Don't be a stranger, Syd." His voice cracked. "I'll miss you. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you this time."
"Don't say that. You have no reason to be there. You've already been through so much. I'm sorry, but I have to go. I love you Will."
"I love you too, Syd."
As she walked out the doors, she knew that part of her life was over. Now, she had to figure out how to continue with the rest of it. She headed to her hotel room and proceeded to wait. She wasn't very good at it, she hated waiting, but there was nothing else to do.
That night, as she was sitting alone in her room, the phone rang.
"Are you ready, Sydney?"
Just one word. "Yes."