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Chapter Fourteen:
Out Of Focus
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Vaughn felt the earth fall from under his feet. The world around him vanished into a thin mist that veiled his thought. His world had been broken down to consist only of the words that Irina had just spoken. They echoed in his head with painful clarity, he could not begin to process their meaning, could not imagine it to be true. He tried to rewind his life thirty seconds earlier before this new twist had taken its turn. In his mind he could see his father as he had been thirty years ago, an image he had always held onto as the last one he had. The man in his memory was a stranger.
"Vaughn," Sydney's fingers stroked his cheek softly and he blinked, seeing her in front of him suddenly. Her dark eyes watched him with concern and he knew that this was not a dream.
Slowly, the world came back into focus. Sydney was seated before him, her hands on his. She had moved so easily from relief to concern once more. Beyond her, Irina was pacing the room, muttering to herself, ignoring him completely. Jack simply watched the unfolding scene, waiting for the truth to reveal itself. Sydney was staring at him with dark eyes that were filled with confusion and concern. It was all becoming a blur once more, like a camera that slowly shifted in and out of focus. Sydney squeezed his hands softly, but he only felt the touch distantly. It was as if he stood outside himself, watching the scene unfold. When she spoke again, it was almost as if she spoke with no voice. He heard her unnaturally loud in his head, her voice consuming all other sounds.
"Breathe, Vaughn." She seemed to move in front of him with exaggerated movements, like she was swimming slowly underwater. He could see the trail her motions left imprinted on his eyes, the motion blur. Suddenly she was beside him, her hand stroking his back as she murmured gently. He could not hear her voice over the roaring in his head, his eyes were going dim. He felt himself sway slightly into Sydney's arms. Her voice came again through the fog of his thoughts, like a pale light struggling to break through the shadow.
"Vaughn! You need to breathe!" Suddenly her lips were on his, kissing him desperately, pushing air back into his exhausted lungs. He had not even realized that he had ceased to breathe, had only felt the world falling down around him.
When she pulled away, he found himself gasping for air. The world rushed in around him with a sudden force, as if trying to overcompensate for the silence he had lingered in. He lowered his head into his hands and felt Sydney still stroking his back gently, soothing him. He struggled to process everything that had just happened
"What do you mean," Vaughn spoke through clenched teeth as he looked up at Irina. "That you saved my father's life?"
Irina slowed to a stop in front of him and drew in a sharp breath, Vaughn stared at her with anger in his eyes. He could not dare to believe her until he had heard a believable explanation for her words.
Irina sat down in front of Vaughn, he was surprised to see compassion in her eyes, even more surprised by the way she clasped her hands over his lightly. "Vaughn, you must listen to me. Forget for a moment how much you hate me and think about everything you've discovered. Did you not wonder at all of the seeming coincidences that brought you and Sydney here?"
Vaughn gazed at her steadily, probing her expression for any deceit but could find none. Irina could see the understanding begin to dawn in his eyes, she knew he would not like it.
"Are you telling me," his voice was a low hiss, filled with anger and fear. "That every step of our lives have been orchestrated by you?"
"No," Irina shook her head. "Your life is the sum of your own choices, but your choices were predicted by Rambaldi. Your father was sent to find this prophecy and in doing so, he set it into motion. I was sent to kill your father and take the prophecy from him but he had already hidden it when I found him. It's true that I killed those other agents, because I was trying to get to him. I offered him a choice, if he told me where to find the prophecy, I would spare his life. He told me that the prophecy had been destroyed, but that he had seen it and only he could tell me what it said." Irina's eyes clouded over with memory, Sydney and Vaughn stared at her in disbelief.
"I pulled him out of the fire, but before he would tell me what the prophecy said, he made me agree never to harm you or your mother. I told him that I would do so only if he disappeared, if my superiors knew that he was still alive they would have killed us both. We struck an agreement and he told me the prophecy, which I know now was a fabrication on his part." Irina shook her head, "For years, Bill and I have been working together on and off. Together, we have been searching for clues to the Rambaldi puzzle and all that time I was following leads that the false prophecy gave me. All these years, and he knew exactly where it was." Vaughn stared at her as she spoke, his eyes unseeing. He could no longer see her, only the images her words conjured in his mind.
"This prophecy says that you will bring down those that oppose you and clearly your father believed that I was one of those people. If only he had told me..." She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts. "We were working together to find the Rambaldi artifacts but our end games were very different. I wanted to solve the mystery and discover the truth behind the Rambaldi puzzle, I wanted to protect my daughter at the same time. He wanted only to protect you."
"My father is alive," the admission made it real for him at last. He did not realize how hard he was clutching Irina's hands until he felt Sydney gently pry his fingers free. He could not move, could not turn to look at her. It was too much for him, all of it, any normal person would have cracked long ago.
He could feel her fingers touch his face lightly as she turned his head toward him, he looked at her in a daze. Her face was wet with tears, unconsciously he reached a hand up to wipe away the tears. She gripped his hand and when she smiled, he could feel his mind clear.
"I want to see him," his eyes were fixed on Sydney, though his words were meant for Irina. Sydney however nodded in response, she understood how he felt as always.
"You deserve to see him," she whispered. Vaughn smiled in gratitude for her unwavering support. He turned to Irina, his eyes hardening with resolve.
"Do you know where he is?"
Irina shifted uncomfortably, "I have been in contact with your father sporadically for the past thirty years. I can contact him if you wish, only he can fully explain to you his reasons for why he hid this prophecy from you."
Vaughn nodded slowly, his mind whirling with information. Sydney stroked his arm gently and he turned his eyes to her. When he looked at her, everything else melted away and there was nothing but the two of them. There was no pain or suffering or betrayal, only a feeling of deep serenity. She was safe for now, that was all that really mattered in the long run. He smiled at her, reaching up to stroke her hair gently. She looked exhausted, dark circles shadowing her eyes. She had become so thin, he could not even remember the last time they had eaten. She was still beautiful however, she stole his breath every time she looked at him.
"We need to sleep," Vaughn said. Irina nodded but he did not look at her, she could see how all of this had worn Sydney down. There would be time for explanations later, now was the only chance they could have for a moment's rest. They had been running for so long on pure adrenaline that, Vaughn was an empty shell, drained of all strength. Their adversaries could beat them with a single blow if they were found in this state.
"There is a room in the back where you two can sleep," Irina looked them both up and down knowingly. "You two look like you need it."
Vaughn stood, pulling Sydney up with one hand. He nodded at Irina in thanks, "While we are sleeping, I want you to contact my father and arrange a meet."
Irina nodded and Vaughn thought he could see a flicker of fear in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. Shaking his head, he turned and led Sydney into the bedroom.
Jack and Irina were left alone in the room, each filled with silence as they contemplated all that had just occurred. Irina sat heavily in the seat Vaughn had just vacated and studied the prophecy again. She seemed to be searching for something that she could not find. Jack watched her quietly, studying her every movement.
"Why didn't you tell me about William?" His question was spoken softly into the stillness. Irina did not move, merely moved her eyes from the paper to Jack.
"It never came up."
Jack snorted his disbelief, he stood and sat down next to his wife. Gently, he eased the paper from her hands and forced her to look at him.
"Are you protecting him or yourself?" He asked it seriously, unsure of how to proceed. So much had changed between them but a part of him still did not fully trust her.
"Are you talking now about William or Michael?" Irina asked, her dark eyes fixed on his. Those eyes had always been able to see behind his walls, they probed deep into his heart. She had a tendency of turning her answers into questions.
"Does it matter?"
Irina sighed, "I suppose not, but you of all people should know, Jack. I'm protecting Sydney."
"From what?" Jack's eyes hardened as he glanced down at the paper in his hand. "What aren't you telling me?"
Irina bit her lip nervously and pointed to a line of text at the bottom of the page. "There is more here that I couldn't tell them. I didn't want to tell them what this said."
Jack looked at her, searching for an answer in the shadows of her eyes. "What does it say?"
"He will be the blood of my blood," Irina recited the passage without looking down at the prophecy. "A son without a father, a prophet with no voice, seer with no sight. He will betray her in his blood if he cannot pay the dire cost." Her words were emotionless but Jack could read the fear in her eyes.
"What does it mean?" He asked, clasping her hand in his own. Irina shook her head.
"I don't know," there was fear in her voice when she whispered. "But I think there has been more behind William's motives for a long time that I have never suspected. He is the only one who can give us any type of concrete answers."
Jack squeezed her hand briefly, receiving a quick smile flashed in his direction. Her eyes quickly turned back to the prophecy, forehead wrinkling in thought. Jack stood, his hand slipping from her. He crossed the room and picked up the phone, when Irina looked up again she found herself facing Jack. The phone was hovering in front of her face and she swallowed hard, dreading the call she would have to make. She met Jack's eyes and found a silent command issued in them, she was not a woman who followed commands lightly but in this case, she had no choice. She was a prisoner of the text on the page, of the people in this building, but they did not know it yet.
Taking the phone from Jack, she started to dial.
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Sydney hated the darkness. It was an irrational feeling, one she would never have given into before her abduction. She also found herself much more claustrophobic after being locked in a cell for five months. But as she curled together with Vaughn, his warm arms wrapped tightly around her in the small dark room, she knew no fear. There was no world outside when they were together, only the sensation of flesh against flesh and hearts beating as one.
As much as they pushed the outside world away however, the overload of information they had just received lingered in their thoughts. Sydney recalled her reaction her mother's reappearance among the living, but Vaughn had never had to deal with this situation. She knew however, that when he needed her, he would let her know. He needed her now to be his support, his strength and in return, he was the same for her. The ugly truth had reared its twisted head in many forms since they had returned to one another. The truth was written in the twisted smile of Lauren Reed, who was still hunting them tirelessly. It had come in the form of Oleg, and his perverse pleasure at what he had done to her. It had been hidden beneath layers of paint and in her mother's eyes as she watched the two of them carefully. The truth was constantly fluctuating between setting them free and chaining them down.
Sydney shivered and curled closer against Vaughn, one of his hands was stroking her back, the other tangled in her hair. She pressed her ear against his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating, its steady bass soothing her. Moving her head up to his, she pressed her lips against his mouth and found him waiting for her willingly. She could feel the low hum in his throat as her hands pulled away from his chest to tangle in his hair. He pressed closer to her, his body warming her chilled flesh.
She was waiting for him to speak and he knew it, he could feel the words balled up in the back of his throat. When she broke out of the kiss, leaning her forehead against his, he heard them spill forth without conscious thought.
"Are you scared?" He asked, it was a raspy whisper against her flesh and he could almost see her smile. He had just received half a dozen life changing revelations within the span of ten minutes and his first concern was still for her.
Sydney shook her head, "Nothing scares me." She whispered with confidence that she barely felt. Vaughn smiled at her in the darkness, a flash of white illuminating her eyes.
"Not even a prophecy that predicts the fate of your unborn child?"
Sydney went still in his arms, swallowing hard. She had not given it much thought, too wrapped up in everything else that had happened that she had not truly considered what it might mean. In light of all they had learned, however, something occurred to her.
"I suppose this is how your father felt," she whispered. "Though, I wonder which is worse. Learning that your only child is involved in an ancient prophecy that you have unwittingly brought about? Or knowing beforehand, to decide your child's future before he is even born."
Vaughn was quiet for a long moment, stroking her hair gently as he pondered her words. "You're right," he whispered. She tilted her head to look up at him in the darkness. Her eyes, as they adjusted, could slowly discern his distinctive features and the way his eyes were fixed on her though they most likely could not see her.
"I don't know whether to be angry with my father, or grateful. All I know is this lurking fear that all of this is going to go horribly wrong again." He swallowed hard, pressing close to her and nuzzling his face into her neck.
"I'm afraid, Sydney," his words were muffled by her skin but she heard them as much as she felt them vibrate through her flesh. She kissed his neck softly and stroked his hair.
"I love you," she whispered. "Your fear is nothing in the face of what we have. We can stand against anything and anyone, Vaughn. We will make it," her eyes burned with sudden tears as the words left her mouth. "Our child will make it," the last was a broken whisper into the darkness. She was reminded of the way she used to whisper into the oblivion, hoping that he might hear her. Only now could he hear her whispered confessions the way she wanted.
His hand trailed across her body to rest on the swell of her stomach, "Our child," he whispered softly. He kissed her softly, unable to express the emotion that welled up in his heart at the thought. A child born of the two of them, with green eyes and dark hair. He had dreamed about their children for so long, he could barely comprehend that it would finally happen.
Sydney cupped his face with her hand and stroked his cheek tenderly, "We should get some sleep." He did not respond, his face buried in her neck, breathing deeply against her skin. She smiled and poked him gently, "Vaughn?" He was already asleep. With a smile on her face, Sydney closed her eyes to join him.
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Lauren stood alone in the abandoned warehouse, a cigarette clenched tightly between cold fingers. The silence made her uneasy as she waited for Sark to arrive. She watched the smoke drift up between her hands, she hated the taste of the cigarettes but craved it badly when she was nervous. Taking a long drag, she watched the embers flare briefly, illuminating her skin in the dim light.
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the wall with a heavy sigh. She had been tracking Bristow and Vaughn for three days now with barely a moment's rest. She had been kicked in the face, pushed off a boat, stranded in the rain and now she would be forced to defer to a pretentious younger agent who worked for Irina Derevko. She did not like it one bit.
Bringing her head back down, she opened her eyes and jumped slightly in surprise. Julian Sark stood in front of her, a cocky smirk playing across his lips. He had appeared out of the shadows, waiting for her attention to be drawn to him.
"Did I startle you?" Lauren was faintly surprised to hear a touch of sophistication in his voice, a perfectly cultured English accent mixed with some Irish roots. It was an attractive voice for an attractive man, Lauren was surprised to find herself smiling back at him.
"It has been a long day," she told him. Sark nodded in seeming empathy.
"I understand how demanding the pursuit of Sydney Bristow can be," he told her. His eyes glazed with a foreign emotion when he said her name. It was not anger or hatred, something possibly akin to nostalgia? Lauren hid her surprise this time, she had not known that Sark had met Sydney before. She wished that she had been given some time to read up on the man she would be working with. She despised the feeling of being in the dark.
"I need to know where she is," Lauren tried to issue an air of authority into her voice, Sark seemed amused by this.
"And why, exactly, do you want to find her, Ms. Reed?"
Lauren took another drag off the cigarette and then dropped it to the cement floor, crushing it beneath her shoe. Stepping closer to Sark, she stared determinedly into his eyes. "Because I plan on killing her, Mr. Sark."
Sark sighed and shook his head, "I was afraid of that. I cannot allow that to happen."
Lauren's face twisted from the seductive smile to a twisted mask of cruelty and rage, "Why the hell not?" She demanded, grabbing his arm. Sark stepped back with a frown, removing her hand and smoothing his clothes.
"Because she is too important. She's far more important than you, or me. The Covenant is a group of fools, they place too much importance on the prophecies and not enough on the people involved. You kill Sydney and you're destroying everything." Sark stepped closer to her, his pleasant expression vanishing. Lauren saw suddenly that beneath the surface, this man was cold blooded and would not hesitate to kill her where she stood.
"I can take you to her, but I will not let you harm her. She must be kept alive at all costs. You may return to your precious organization with her but she must not be harmed."
Lauren stared at him, hatred burning in her heart. She could not stand the thought of Sydney Bristow alive, but if she made the Covenant's current situation any worse, she would pay dearly for it. Caging Sydney Bristow for the rest of her natural life was the thing that Sydney and Vaughn both feared most. If that was the best Lauren could do, she would do it.
"Fine," she spit her words like venom. "Take me to her, and I will not harm a hair on her precious head."
Sark smiled.
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Vaughn woke suddenly in the darkness, sitting bolt upright. His eyes darted rapidly around the room, he could hear his heavy breathing as he struggled to pinpoint what had woken him. Slowly, the sound of blood rushing in his ears died down to a dull roar and he could hear Sydney moaning softly. She sounded like she was in terrible pain, fear gripped Vaughn's heart with icy fingers. He switched on the bedside lamp beside him and warm golden light spilled across the both of them. Sydney was curled up beside him, her back facing him. The bed sheets were twisted around her shaking body, clenched tightly in her fists. She was still moaning terribly, crying out incoherent words in her sleep. Vaughn thought he heard his name tangled amidst the gibberish that spilled from her lips.
Very gently, he placed one hand on her shoulder and whispered her name softly. "Syd?" She did not respond to the touch of his hand, nor the sound of his voice. She had retreated deep in the dark recesses of her own mind where her most painful memories lingered. Sorrow rose up in him as he realized what she must be reliving in her dreams. He could protect her from everyone that sought to harm her, everyone but herself.
He found himself staring down at her helplessly, stroking her back gently, kissing her hair softly. He murmured words of love to her but she did not react. Finally, he turned her over to face him and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her close to him, he settled his forehead against her own and whispered softly to her. She resisted his hands, pushing back weakly against him as he pulled her closer to him but he knew that she was not fighting him.
"Shh," he whispered softly. "I'm here, baby. No one is going to hurt you now, I'm here. I'll protect you but I can't protect you from your own memories. You have to wake up, Sydney. I'm here..."
Her eyes snapped open suddenly, her entire body tensing against his. She found his eyes staring back at her, bright green clashing with brown. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but beneath the sheen of moisture, she was deathly pale. Vaughn moved one hand to touch her face, but before his hand even landed, she shot out of the bed and away from him. His hand landed heavily on the twisted sheets she had left behind. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around in confusion. Sydney darted into the small bathroom on the other side of the room and slammed the door.
Vaughn frowned, getting out of the bed and crossing the room. Leaning his head against the door, he knocked gently and struggled to listen to what was happening inside. He could hear the sound of running water and what sounded like gagging.
Quietly, he opened the door and slipped inside. The sink was running at full force but Sydney was bent over the toilet, head lowered as she emptied the contents of her stomach into it. Her dark hair fell in a curtain around her face and his confusion transformed suddenly into understanding.
"Syd, baby," he shook his head and knelt beside her. Tenderly, he stroked her hair and gathered the strands into his hand, holding it back from her face. Her eyes flickered to him briefly in gratitude before returning to the toilet as she vomited once more. Vaughn's hand rubbed her back in gentle circles as she heaved. He whispered incoherent words of love into her ear, soothing her as best as he could. He could read fear in every line of her body, she had been badly shaken.
When at last, she was done, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked up at him with wide eyes. She was as white as a sheet, her skin seeming even paler in contrast to the darkness of her hair that billowed around her weary face. Vaughn slid one hand to the back of her head as she gazed up at him and then sighing softly, he drew her close to her. She collapsed against him on the cold linoleum floor, head burrowing into his chest. They were both afraid, but neither could speak the words that would make it real.
At last, Sydney broke the silence, her words muffled by his skin. "Vaughn."
He caressed her hair softly and swallowed hard, hearing the tremor in her voice. "Yeah?"
She pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes darting wildly around the small bathroom before she responded. As if someone was watching her even now and they were not safe.
"Vaughn," she bit her lip and met his eyes at last. "I think I'm pregnant."
For the second time that night, the world fell from beneath their feet with simple words that would change their lives forever.
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