Sorry it has taken me so long to update this. School has kinda gotten in my way. Pesky school. Oh well, I got this up. Tell me what you think.
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Travis looked up as the bell to his shop door rang. "May I help you?" He asked his sole customer. He rarely ever had more than three customers at a time, but he wasn't doing poorly. After three years of business, his little shop had become famous, and people would spend hours there, browsing the isles of books. They would always buy a fair number, which kept him in business.
"No, I'm just browsing. My friend told me about this place, so I decided to check it out." She said. Travis didn't get a good look at who this customer was, but he knew one thing. Her brown hair, which fell to her mid back, reminded him so much of Sydney's long brown hair. But he knew it couldn't be Sydney. Her face was much too round to be Sydney's. Her nose was much to flat. There was no way she could be Sydney, but still, her hair reminded him of Sydney's hair.
"If there is anything I can help you with, let me know." She gave a polite nod, and then picked up a book.
Only a little light from the front of the store shone through, the narrow shop. And the back was lit by a few solitary lamps. Sometimes, people would complain, but many loved it. Travis felt that it gave the store a different feel, a more intimate feel than that of many other stores. And the fact that he had several regular customers who would come in, and sit in one of the five overstuffed arm chairs, and read their books before buying them, let Travis get to know who people were. Travis picked up the 'crossword' he was doing. It wasn't really a crossword, it was something for the CIA, but he still had to do it. As he got ready to continue his assignment, his customer came up, and quietly stood by the counter. Travis looked at her expectedly. "I'm looking for a first edition of a book." The lady said.
Travis put his pencil, and 'crossword' down, and put his fingers to the keyboard of his computer. "What book?"
"I don't know, my friend was talking about this science fiction novel she liked, and I thought it would be cool to get a first edition she liked."
"And you don't know the title."
"No."
"Would you know it if you saw it?"
"I might." Travis got off his stool, and lead his customer to where the science fiction books were kept.
"Most of these are first editions. If you still don't see just what you're looking for, I got a shipment of some more books in the back from a warehouse this morning. I could look for you." Travis flashed her a smile. Even though he felt hideous with his blue eyes, and red hair, women still thought he was attractive.
"Oh, don't bother." Said she. "If I don't find the specific book here, I'm sure I will find something else."
"Ok, if you need anymore help, I will be more than happy to assist you." Travis looked the woman in the eyes. Her eyes were the same color as Sydney's. He could remember the last time he looked into her eyes, her beautiful eyes.
***Flashback***
Vaughn had gotten to the warehouse early. She had called him to the warehouse, but she seemed upset. Nervously, he waited on top of a desk for Sydney to come. His stern face smiled as he heard her car park in the distance. As he heard the clicking of her high heals against the concrete floor, he looked up towards the fence. One look at her tear stained face, and his smile fell. She was in pain, and he had to do something about it. Vaughn jumped off the desk, and went over to Sydney, and pulled her into a warm and caring embrace. He wanted to see her smile. "What is wrong Syd?" He asked. Knowing that she couldn't stand up for long, he led her over to the desk. Like high schoolers, he took her hand.
He waited for her to answer. "They caught us." She finally whispered. Vaughn looked into her eyes, and felt entranced. If she wasn't so vulnerable, if they weren't in so much trouble, he would have kissed her. Instead he settled to kiss her head.
"What do you mean?" He knew what she meant. She meant that SD-6 had learned about Sydney's status. They knew about him.
"They figured me out." She said again.
He didn't know what to say. She let herself cry freely, resting her head on his shoulder. It was a good thing that they both knew that words were not needed. Vaughn's worst fears had come true. Because of love, she was in danger, and there was nothing they could do about it. In the distance, he heard a car park. He cocked his head to see who it was, but Sydney didn't move. She quietly said, as the car door opened. "It's my dad. He's bringing a new identity for me."
A new identity. The words echoed in his head."You're entering the program?"
He rocked her as she began to cry harder. "Yes."
"Who, where?" He wanted to know. No, he didn't want to know who she was to become, or where she was going. He needed to know.
"I don't know." She got off the desk. He looked into her eyes, as she looked into his own. The whole world was in her eyes. He could feel it. But the world was crying. Through her tears, her soft lips touched his. "I love you Vaughn." She whispered, before running to her father's car.
Vaughn went running after her, but Jack stopped him. "Even you can't know where she's going." He simply said.
"Where is she going? Who is she going to be?"
"Agent Vaughn, I have been ordered not to tell anyone."
"And I'm someone."
"In Sydney's life, you are."
"I need to know." He was getting desperate. Sydney wouldn't even look at him from the car. He just watched her pain from behind the fence.
"You getting involved in her life, destroyed her cover. She was too, too, too, I don't know what was on her mind, but she was driving to a meeting with you, not about SD-6 I might add, and was followed. Do you realize what your little dinner that night brought you?" Jack lectured. Vaughn stood there in shock. Without any other words, Jack jumped into his car leaving an envelope on the desk beside him, and drove off, with Sydney in his car.
Vaughn understood. He looked at the manila envelope that Jack had handed him, informing Vaughn of everything, except who Sydney was to become and where she was going. The car sped off, and Vaughn only had the license plate number of the car that was once Sydney's. He knew what he had to do. Very gently, he went through her things and picked up a photo of her and her friends, and the only one of the two of them and stuck them into his pocket. He drove the car to the pier, and then pushed it into the water. Crying he walked back to his own car, and put his head into his hands.
"I love you too Sydney." He said, before driving away to his empty apartment.
Vaughn took the contents of his pocket out before going to bed that night. The now slightly crumpled pictures made him pause for a second. Tears silently rolled down his cheek, as he realized that Sydney Bristow was dead. He picked up a book off of his shelf, and stuck the two pictures gently inside the front cover.
***End Flashback***
"Your total comes to $46.34." Travis said, ringing up the three books.
"Wow, I come in here for a book, I leave with three."
"That is the way things work around here."
"My friend was right, this place is addictive."
"Tell your other friends about this place."
"Oh, I will." She said, she quickly, and as discretely as she could, checked Travis out. Travis noticed. Sydney would have found a more cleaver way. I wouldn't have known. He thought to himself. She smiled and picked her bag off the counter. "Thank you, have a nice day." Travis picked up his 'crossword' again, and did some more work, until he noticed someone coming in.
"Lilly! How are you today?" Travis said, getting off his stool to help the elderly woman into the store.
"I do not need your assistance young man."
"I am sorry Lilly. I have your book still behind the counter."
"Thank you Travis. Would you be a doll and bring it to the back corner chair for me today?"
"Of course."
"That chair is always the best. That's were you keep the good books you know."
"I know, you told me that yesterday."
"Did I? My goodness, after 76 years, my memory isn't as good as it used to be."
"That's true, but your beauty hasn't faded since the day you were twenty five."
"Cute Travis. Could you just bring me my god damn book?" Travis, who was still looking for Lilly's book from behind the counter, could hear her shout from the chair.
"I will."
"I might actually buy it today, if you ever bring it to me."
Travis found the book and began to make his way towards where Lilly was sitting. "I'm on my way."
"Such a nice young man. Now leave me." Travis smiled. He wondered if there were other seventy six year olds like Lilly. Every day she would come in, and go to the same chair in the back, and read her saucy romance novels. He smiled. Lilly would be there until closing. She would show up at 3:15 every day, and leave at closing two hours later. And she never needed assistance. Oh no, she needed, but refused the help. Once again, Travis picked up his 'crossword' and finished it before it was time for him to close.