EXT. A BOAT OFF THE COAST OF PACIFIC PALISADES
Vaughn is standing at the bow spreading Syd's ashes. When he's finished he has tears in his eyes as he looks out at the bluffs that she used to love so much. He shakes his head and starts to speak:
VAUGHN
It's not fair. We had so much left to do. We were supposed to get married, go on our honeymoon, buy a house, maybe even have kids. I could teach them how to speak French and play hockey and you could read your favorite books to them and maybe teach them how to kick a little ass. And then we were supposed to have grandchildren to spoil and decades to be together.
He stops and sighs in frustration. His voice is ragged and angry.
VAUGHN
But we couldn't even get a weekend in Santa Barbara. (beat) Damn it, Syd! You can't just leave me like this. I know there's no such thing as happily ever after but if anyone's earned the right to try it's us. We went through so much just to be together and when it finally happened it felt so right that everything else felt wrong. [I]This[/I] feels wrong. The world shouldn't exist without you in it. I shouldn't be able to exist without you here with me.
He stops and sucks back a sob.
VAUGHN
Somewhere, somehow, you became my world and now that you're gone I don't know what to do. It's as if all I've ever wanted was to be with you, to see you smile, to hear you laugh, to feel your touch, to smell your hair... And it just doesn't seem possible that I'll never get to do any of those things ever again.
He closes his eyes as a gentle breeze blows across the bow of the ship.
VAUGHN
If I had a choice between a second more with you and a lifetime without you I'd choose you. I will always choose you. And I will always miss you. (beat) I love you, Sydney Bristow.
From behind him he hears:
SYDNEY
I love you, too.
He turns around in shock. There she is, dressed in jeans and a sweater with her hair pulled up and a warm smile on her face. He runs to her and sweeps her up into his arms, hugging her tighter than he ever has before. Then he pulls away to look at her, putting his hands on either side of her face.
VAUGHN
Syd... I can't believe it. You're alive. How...
He doesn't care. He pulls her in to kiss her. It's hungry and intense and they finally separate reluctantly. He leans his forehead against hers and smiles.
VAUGHN
I don't know how this is possible. I don't even care. Do you have any idea how much I missed you? How much I love you?
Syd just smiles and then a gunshot rings out and the smile fades.
SYDNEY
Vaughn...
She crumples in his arms and he lays her gingerly on the deck. There's a gaping bullet wound in her leg.
VAUGHN
Oh, no. Please. Not again. I can't do this again. Syd, please, don't leave me.
She's fading fast and she weakly raises a hand to his cheek.
SYDNEY
I'm sorry, Vaughn.
And with that she's gone.
VAUGHN
No!
CUT TO:
INT. A HOSPITAL IN PARIS
Vaughn is in bed. His right shoulder is heavily bandaged and he's got several tubes and monitors hooked up to him. He sits up from his dream with a scream.
VAUGHN
Syd!
He's looking around in a panic and he starts to get out of bed. It's hard cause his shoulder is immobilized and he also has a brace around his left knee. Suddenly a hand reaches out to stop him. It's Jack who's sitting on the right side of the bed.
JACK
Vaughn...
Vaughn freaks at Jack's touch and takes a swing at Jack hitting him in the nose. Jack brings his hand up to cover his face and we can see blood seeping through his fingers.
JACK
Goddamn it, Vaughn!
Vaughn suddenly realizes where he is and what he just did and he stops.
VAUGHN
Jack? Where's Sydney? Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay because...
Jack removes he hand from his nose and it's not broken but it's still bleeding. He wipes the blood away wearily and looks at Vaughn's still panic-stricken face.
JACK
She's alive.
Vaughn is relieved but the vague nature of Jack's answer keeps a concerned look on his face.
VAUGHN
How bad?
JACK
She's in a coma. She survived the surgery but she lost a lot of blood. They had to restart her heart twice and she needed 2 transfusions just to stabilize her enough to operate. Now she's on life support and they don't know when or if she'll wake up.
Vaughn falls back into bed, closing his eyes.
VAUGHN
Oh no...
Jack looks at the younger man sadly.
JACK
Vaughn...
Vaughn looks off into space shaking his head.
VAUGHN
No. She can't...
He looks desperately at Jack.
VAUGHN
I can't lose her again. I just can't.
JACK
I know.
Jack wipes away more blood. Vaughn winces.
VAUGHN
Aw, damn, Jack. I'm sorry.
Jack just shrugs.
JACK
I've done much worse out of my concern for Sydney.
Vaughn looks away and then back at Jack.
VAUGHN
What happened?
JACK
After you left I was grazed in the forehead and I have no memory of the rest.
Vaughn finally notices the gauze wrapped around Jack's head.
JACK
Weiss was actually shot four times but amazingly none hit any critical areas. He stood his ground until the Paris police could come in. The security guards gave up almost immediately. But in the confusion afterward Sark and Allison got away.
VAUGHN
With the plans?
JACK
Yes.
VAUGHN
At least we know where they're going to hit.
Jack shakes his head.
JACK
We believed that we did. Our intelligence was wrong. This morning they hit a different facility. They took an arsenal of next generation small arms and mobile grenade launchers.
VAUGHN
Then it was all for nothing.
JACK
There was no other course of action for us to take.
VAUGHN
Yes, there was. I could've worked faster. If I hadn't been so damn nervous and then so busy trying to impress Sydney we could have been out of there before Sark and Allison arrived.
JACK
They could have arrived hours before we did and simply waited for all of us to show up.
VAUGHN
Still, the operation failed and Sydney could die and it's all my fault. I was on point. It was my responsibility.
JACK
And where was I during all this? I was assigned to oversee the operation. If anyone is responsible for any of this I am.
VAUGHN
Jack, I was the one that left those plans behind. I might as well have let them into the facility myself.
JACK
You did so to save Sydney's life. As ordered by me.
VAUGHN
I still should've grabbed the plans. The mission should come first. Everything else is secondary.
JACK
You don't believe that.
VAUGHN
It doesn't matter what I believe. The mission failed. Sydney is dying. And the French and the CIA are going to be looking for someone to blame. (beat) I want you to let them have me.
Jack looks at Vaughn like he's crazy.
JACK
The operation was precarious at best. We had incomplete and obviously faulty intelligence. And even if we had completed it successfully they would have known it was a setup when our fake documents didn't belong to the right facility. You did your part and you saved Sydney's life. Dixon will not let you be punished for that and neither will I.
VAUGHN
Did I save her life? What if this is it? No phone call from Hong Kong. No second chances. Because this time she won't be coming back.
JACK
I refuse to accept that possibility at this point.
VAUGHN
I don't like it any more than you do. But I can't stop seeing her lying there dying in my arms. Or myself sitting in her burned out apartment. The first time I lost her it nearly killed me. This time I think it might. And the worse part is I have to wonder if I didn't just sacrifice a mission to save her life only to fail.
JACK
You did what you could. You rescued your fellow agent from a life-threatening situation and sought medical treatment for her as soon as possible despite being hampered by your own injuries.
VAUGHN
You make it sound like I deserve a commendation.
JACK
So now you regret saving her life?
VAUGHN
No. If I have to choose I'll always choose Syd. And that's the problem. Because of my choice the Covenant is that much stronger now. How many people did they kill when they raided that facility? How many people will they kill with the weapons they stole? How do you think Syd's going to feel when she wakes up and finds out how many people had to die to keep her alive? (beat) My dad always told me that even the right choice has consequences. I'm just trying to prepare myself to face them.
JACK
You already know this but I worked with your father. He was a fine agent. Highly skilled, loyal, trustworthy, but his one weakness was his tendency toward overanalyzing his own actions. Obviously we all need to review our mistakes as well as our successes so that they can be avoided or repeated in the future but Bill took it too far and he allowed himself to be crippled with doubt. There were several operations where his hesitation nearly killed him.
VAUGHN
He respected you, you know that? He'd write about you in his journal and talk about how he may have disagreed with your actions but he always admired your ability to make the hard choices. To do whatever it took to complete the mission no matter how much it would cost you. I wonder how he would feel about what I did back there. I wonder if he would understand.
JACK
He'd understand that you did the best you could with the information at hand. We all did. And yes, the French and the CIA will be looking for someone to blame but their decision will be based on politics and most likely erroneous assumptions. What they decide has no bearing on what really happened in there. As far as I'm concerned all that matters is Sydney. And she would never hold you responsible for those deaths.
VAUGHN
No. She wouldn't. She'd blame herself. She always does. (beat) That's actually one of the things I've always loved most about her. This job has a way of desensitizing you. We see the worst in people and it's easy to rationalize our actions and become cold and cynical. But not Syd. Over ten years in this business and she still feels everything, just like it was her first case.
JACK
Most operatives feel that that's a weakness.
VAUGHN
Maybe in the field. But it only made me love her more. She never stopped caring, no matter how much it hurt.
Jack's voice becomes low and filled with warning.
JACK
Stop referring to her in the past tense.
VAUGHN
(mumbles) Sorry. Old habits. (louder) You know I thought I had gotten used to it. The idea that she was dead and I'd never get to see her again. But then she came back and I saw that I'd never let go. I couldn't. I can't. And if she dies...
JACK
Don't. She's going to make it.
Vaughn looks at Jack with bitter humor in his eyes.
VAUGHN
I'm surprised. I never figured you for a "Power of Positive Thinking" kind of guy, Jack.
JACK
I'm not. I am fully aware that there is a good chance that I am going to lose my daughter for the second time in my life. But I also know that she is one of the strongest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. That is one of the things that [I]I[/I] love most about her.
VAUGHN
So do I. Hell, right now I wish I were half as strong as she is. But I'm not. I keep asking myself, 'What happens if I lose her again?' And I'm scared that I might have to find out the answer.
He looks at Jack whose expression is one of pity.
VAUGHN
You despise me for that, don't you? You think I'm weak. That I don't deserve her. The sad thing is that you're right. If the situation were reversed she'd be so much stronger than I am right now.
JACK
I've seen this situation in reverse. When you contracted that virus she was just as scared as you were. She would have done anything to save your life at the moment. She almost did.
VAUGHN
And I would do anything to save hers right now. But there's nothing I can do.
JACK
You already did it. You carried my daughter to safety through automatic gunfire with a sprained knee and a bullet in your shoulder.
VAUGHN
You wouldn't have done anything less.
JACK
Why do you think I'm here? Your father would have understood what you did. You would have earned his respect, as you have mine. Don't lose it.
Jack stands. The blood stopped flowing from his nose some time ago and now it's just dried on his upper lip.
JACK
I have a meeting with Dixon. I will return to check on you later. Now, get some rest. She still needs you.
Vaughn nods.
VAUGHN
Thank you, Jack.
Jack merely nods in response and leaves.
CUT TO:
Vaughn is standing at the bow spreading Syd's ashes. When he's finished he has tears in his eyes as he looks out at the bluffs that she used to love so much. He shakes his head and starts to speak:
VAUGHN
It's not fair. We had so much left to do. We were supposed to get married, go on our honeymoon, buy a house, maybe even have kids. I could teach them how to speak French and play hockey and you could read your favorite books to them and maybe teach them how to kick a little ass. And then we were supposed to have grandchildren to spoil and decades to be together.
He stops and sighs in frustration. His voice is ragged and angry.
VAUGHN
But we couldn't even get a weekend in Santa Barbara. (beat) Damn it, Syd! You can't just leave me like this. I know there's no such thing as happily ever after but if anyone's earned the right to try it's us. We went through so much just to be together and when it finally happened it felt so right that everything else felt wrong. [I]This[/I] feels wrong. The world shouldn't exist without you in it. I shouldn't be able to exist without you here with me.
He stops and sucks back a sob.
VAUGHN
Somewhere, somehow, you became my world and now that you're gone I don't know what to do. It's as if all I've ever wanted was to be with you, to see you smile, to hear you laugh, to feel your touch, to smell your hair... And it just doesn't seem possible that I'll never get to do any of those things ever again.
He closes his eyes as a gentle breeze blows across the bow of the ship.
VAUGHN
If I had a choice between a second more with you and a lifetime without you I'd choose you. I will always choose you. And I will always miss you. (beat) I love you, Sydney Bristow.
From behind him he hears:
SYDNEY
I love you, too.
He turns around in shock. There she is, dressed in jeans and a sweater with her hair pulled up and a warm smile on her face. He runs to her and sweeps her up into his arms, hugging her tighter than he ever has before. Then he pulls away to look at her, putting his hands on either side of her face.
VAUGHN
Syd... I can't believe it. You're alive. How...
He doesn't care. He pulls her in to kiss her. It's hungry and intense and they finally separate reluctantly. He leans his forehead against hers and smiles.
VAUGHN
I don't know how this is possible. I don't even care. Do you have any idea how much I missed you? How much I love you?
Syd just smiles and then a gunshot rings out and the smile fades.
SYDNEY
Vaughn...
She crumples in his arms and he lays her gingerly on the deck. There's a gaping bullet wound in her leg.
VAUGHN
Oh, no. Please. Not again. I can't do this again. Syd, please, don't leave me.
She's fading fast and she weakly raises a hand to his cheek.
SYDNEY
I'm sorry, Vaughn.
And with that she's gone.
VAUGHN
No!
CUT TO:
INT. A HOSPITAL IN PARIS
Vaughn is in bed. His right shoulder is heavily bandaged and he's got several tubes and monitors hooked up to him. He sits up from his dream with a scream.
VAUGHN
Syd!
He's looking around in a panic and he starts to get out of bed. It's hard cause his shoulder is immobilized and he also has a brace around his left knee. Suddenly a hand reaches out to stop him. It's Jack who's sitting on the right side of the bed.
JACK
Vaughn...
Vaughn freaks at Jack's touch and takes a swing at Jack hitting him in the nose. Jack brings his hand up to cover his face and we can see blood seeping through his fingers.
JACK
Goddamn it, Vaughn!
Vaughn suddenly realizes where he is and what he just did and he stops.
VAUGHN
Jack? Where's Sydney? Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay because...
Jack removes he hand from his nose and it's not broken but it's still bleeding. He wipes the blood away wearily and looks at Vaughn's still panic-stricken face.
JACK
She's alive.
Vaughn is relieved but the vague nature of Jack's answer keeps a concerned look on his face.
VAUGHN
How bad?
JACK
She's in a coma. She survived the surgery but she lost a lot of blood. They had to restart her heart twice and she needed 2 transfusions just to stabilize her enough to operate. Now she's on life support and they don't know when or if she'll wake up.
Vaughn falls back into bed, closing his eyes.
VAUGHN
Oh no...
Jack looks at the younger man sadly.
JACK
Vaughn...
Vaughn looks off into space shaking his head.
VAUGHN
No. She can't...
He looks desperately at Jack.
VAUGHN
I can't lose her again. I just can't.
JACK
I know.
Jack wipes away more blood. Vaughn winces.
VAUGHN
Aw, damn, Jack. I'm sorry.
Jack just shrugs.
JACK
I've done much worse out of my concern for Sydney.
Vaughn looks away and then back at Jack.
VAUGHN
What happened?
JACK
After you left I was grazed in the forehead and I have no memory of the rest.
Vaughn finally notices the gauze wrapped around Jack's head.
JACK
Weiss was actually shot four times but amazingly none hit any critical areas. He stood his ground until the Paris police could come in. The security guards gave up almost immediately. But in the confusion afterward Sark and Allison got away.
VAUGHN
With the plans?
JACK
Yes.
VAUGHN
At least we know where they're going to hit.
Jack shakes his head.
JACK
We believed that we did. Our intelligence was wrong. This morning they hit a different facility. They took an arsenal of next generation small arms and mobile grenade launchers.
VAUGHN
Then it was all for nothing.
JACK
There was no other course of action for us to take.
VAUGHN
Yes, there was. I could've worked faster. If I hadn't been so damn nervous and then so busy trying to impress Sydney we could have been out of there before Sark and Allison arrived.
JACK
They could have arrived hours before we did and simply waited for all of us to show up.
VAUGHN
Still, the operation failed and Sydney could die and it's all my fault. I was on point. It was my responsibility.
JACK
And where was I during all this? I was assigned to oversee the operation. If anyone is responsible for any of this I am.
VAUGHN
Jack, I was the one that left those plans behind. I might as well have let them into the facility myself.
JACK
You did so to save Sydney's life. As ordered by me.
VAUGHN
I still should've grabbed the plans. The mission should come first. Everything else is secondary.
JACK
You don't believe that.
VAUGHN
It doesn't matter what I believe. The mission failed. Sydney is dying. And the French and the CIA are going to be looking for someone to blame. (beat) I want you to let them have me.
Jack looks at Vaughn like he's crazy.
JACK
The operation was precarious at best. We had incomplete and obviously faulty intelligence. And even if we had completed it successfully they would have known it was a setup when our fake documents didn't belong to the right facility. You did your part and you saved Sydney's life. Dixon will not let you be punished for that and neither will I.
VAUGHN
Did I save her life? What if this is it? No phone call from Hong Kong. No second chances. Because this time she won't be coming back.
JACK
I refuse to accept that possibility at this point.
VAUGHN
I don't like it any more than you do. But I can't stop seeing her lying there dying in my arms. Or myself sitting in her burned out apartment. The first time I lost her it nearly killed me. This time I think it might. And the worse part is I have to wonder if I didn't just sacrifice a mission to save her life only to fail.
JACK
You did what you could. You rescued your fellow agent from a life-threatening situation and sought medical treatment for her as soon as possible despite being hampered by your own injuries.
VAUGHN
You make it sound like I deserve a commendation.
JACK
So now you regret saving her life?
VAUGHN
No. If I have to choose I'll always choose Syd. And that's the problem. Because of my choice the Covenant is that much stronger now. How many people did they kill when they raided that facility? How many people will they kill with the weapons they stole? How do you think Syd's going to feel when she wakes up and finds out how many people had to die to keep her alive? (beat) My dad always told me that even the right choice has consequences. I'm just trying to prepare myself to face them.
JACK
You already know this but I worked with your father. He was a fine agent. Highly skilled, loyal, trustworthy, but his one weakness was his tendency toward overanalyzing his own actions. Obviously we all need to review our mistakes as well as our successes so that they can be avoided or repeated in the future but Bill took it too far and he allowed himself to be crippled with doubt. There were several operations where his hesitation nearly killed him.
VAUGHN
He respected you, you know that? He'd write about you in his journal and talk about how he may have disagreed with your actions but he always admired your ability to make the hard choices. To do whatever it took to complete the mission no matter how much it would cost you. I wonder how he would feel about what I did back there. I wonder if he would understand.
JACK
He'd understand that you did the best you could with the information at hand. We all did. And yes, the French and the CIA will be looking for someone to blame but their decision will be based on politics and most likely erroneous assumptions. What they decide has no bearing on what really happened in there. As far as I'm concerned all that matters is Sydney. And she would never hold you responsible for those deaths.
VAUGHN
No. She wouldn't. She'd blame herself. She always does. (beat) That's actually one of the things I've always loved most about her. This job has a way of desensitizing you. We see the worst in people and it's easy to rationalize our actions and become cold and cynical. But not Syd. Over ten years in this business and she still feels everything, just like it was her first case.
JACK
Most operatives feel that that's a weakness.
VAUGHN
Maybe in the field. But it only made me love her more. She never stopped caring, no matter how much it hurt.
Jack's voice becomes low and filled with warning.
JACK
Stop referring to her in the past tense.
VAUGHN
(mumbles) Sorry. Old habits. (louder) You know I thought I had gotten used to it. The idea that she was dead and I'd never get to see her again. But then she came back and I saw that I'd never let go. I couldn't. I can't. And if she dies...
JACK
Don't. She's going to make it.
Vaughn looks at Jack with bitter humor in his eyes.
VAUGHN
I'm surprised. I never figured you for a "Power of Positive Thinking" kind of guy, Jack.
JACK
I'm not. I am fully aware that there is a good chance that I am going to lose my daughter for the second time in my life. But I also know that she is one of the strongest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. That is one of the things that [I]I[/I] love most about her.
VAUGHN
So do I. Hell, right now I wish I were half as strong as she is. But I'm not. I keep asking myself, 'What happens if I lose her again?' And I'm scared that I might have to find out the answer.
He looks at Jack whose expression is one of pity.
VAUGHN
You despise me for that, don't you? You think I'm weak. That I don't deserve her. The sad thing is that you're right. If the situation were reversed she'd be so much stronger than I am right now.
JACK
I've seen this situation in reverse. When you contracted that virus she was just as scared as you were. She would have done anything to save your life at the moment. She almost did.
VAUGHN
And I would do anything to save hers right now. But there's nothing I can do.
JACK
You already did it. You carried my daughter to safety through automatic gunfire with a sprained knee and a bullet in your shoulder.
VAUGHN
You wouldn't have done anything less.
JACK
Why do you think I'm here? Your father would have understood what you did. You would have earned his respect, as you have mine. Don't lose it.
Jack stands. The blood stopped flowing from his nose some time ago and now it's just dried on his upper lip.
JACK
I have a meeting with Dixon. I will return to check on you later. Now, get some rest. She still needs you.
Vaughn nods.
VAUGHN
Thank you, Jack.
Jack merely nods in response and leaves.
CUT TO:
