Note: I just wanted to thank everyone who's read this so far, especially those of you who have sent reviews. I'm overwhelmed by how nice you guys are. I'm so glad that you're enjoying it. Have a safe and happy holiday season, everyone!
Chapter 5: "Irina's Plan"
Sydney walked through the rotunda of the joint ops center, marveling at how quiet and still the room was. Normally, it was a hotbed of activity, filled with the sounds of conversation, ringing phones, and whirring fax machines. But today, on Christmas Eve, only a few employees sat at their desks monitoring computers and satellite feeds. Although she knew Vaughn wasn't there, Sydney couldn't help but crane her neck to glance at his desk. Just the mere sight of something that reminded her of him caused her to smile as she headed through the doors that led to the detention facility. She showed her identification badge to the guard and waited for the gates to lift before walking up to her mother's cell. Irina was sitting on her cot reading a book, until she looked up and saw her daughter.
"Sydney," she said with a pleased expression as she walked over to the glass that separated them. "I wasn't expecting to see you today."
"I know, but I felt like I should come to visit you. Tomorrow is Christmas," she explained, unsure of whether Irina was aware of the date. After weeks of incarceration, Sydney imagined that the days simply blurred together for her mother.
"I know," Irina smiled. "For the last few days, I've heard several of the guards talking about their children's Christmas presents. It reminds me of when you were five," she said, with a far-away look in her eyes. "All you talked about for weeks leading up to Christmas was this doll you wanted, Suzy something-or-other," she laughed softly. "Your father and I drove all over town trying to find that doll, until we finally gave up and bought you a bicycle instead. That was the last Christmas I spent with you," she said sadly.
Sydney swallowed to fight the lump in her throat, and looked down at the floor. She couldn't remember much about that Christmas. Had she known that it would be her last with her mother, she would have tried to preserve every memory that she could. Ironically, after her hypnotherapy session with Agent Kerr, her memory of the first Christmas after her mother "died" was all too fresh, and for the past two months, "Christmas" had had a very loaded double meaning for her. She couldn't help but wonder how different her childhood would have been if her mother hadn't left. Would her father still have used her as a guinea pig for Project Christmas?
Sydney shook her head. "I don't remember the Suzy doll, but I remember going with you and dad to pick out a Christmas tree. Dad thought he had found this perfect little tree, but you insisted on getting the biggest one there," she smiled as the memory came back to her. "I remember watching the two of you argue about it, but then you kissed him, and he gave in." When she looked at her mother, she could see that she was also remembering the tree incident. "Did you -- " her voice broke slightly, "did you know then that that was going be your last Christmas with me and Dad?"
"No," Irina said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I had no idea. If I had known . . ." her voice trailed off as she cast her eyes downward. "If I had known, I would have done whatever it took to get you that doll."
Sydney could feel the tears welling in her eyes, and she blinked to keep them from falling. When Irina looked back up at her, Sydney realized that she had tears in her eyes, too. "It was just a doll," Sydney shrugged, with a slight smile.
"It seems so much more significant than that now," Irina said solemnly. As she studied her daughter closely, her eyes came to rest on the diamond pendant hanging from her neck. "That's a beautiful necklace, Sydney. I don't think I've ever seen you wear it before."
She watched with rapt attention as Sydney reached down and fingered the necklace with a secretive smile. It looked to her as if her daughter was recalling a special memory, and she couldn't help but be intrigued.
"It's new. It was a gift," Sydney explained. She hadn't taken the necklace off for even a moment since Vaughn had given it to her, even though it had opened her up to all kinds of questioning from Francie and Will. She'd told them that it was her Christmas gift to herself, but she knew that they hadn't believed her. Francie had remembered the flowers that arrived at their apartment after Sydney returned from Lake Tahoe, and was convinced that the necklace had come from the same source.
"A gift from your father?" Irina asked with a raised eyebrow.
A look of surprise flickered across Sydney's face. "No," she answered quickly -- too quickly to escape Irina's notice.
"Oh. It must have been a gift from a friend. Perhaps a friend who's really *more* than a friend?" Irina asked with a knowing smile.
Sydney glanced away from her mother's watchful gaze. It was obvious that her mother was referring to Vaughn. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how her mother had so easily picked up on their feelings for each other. Were she and Vaughn really that obvious, or was her mother just incredibly perceptive?
"Perhaps," she said, deciding not to elaborate any further. Even though the ops center was virtually empty, she was all too aware of the security cameras trained on her mother's cell. She had no idea whether the surveillance footage was recorded over or archived, but the last thing she needed was a taped confession of her feelings for Vaughn. She knew that he had already been forced to explain last year's picture frame to Dr. Barnett. If the CIA found out that he had given her a *diamond necklace* this year, he'd be removed as her handler before he even got back from Pennsylvania.
Yet, in spite all the consequences that could result from doing so, she desperately wished that she could tell her mother about Vaughn. She knew that it would be incredibly foolish to tell her mother something so personal, but at the same time, she felt like a teenaged girl who wanted to tell her mother all about the incredibly cute boy with whom she had fallen in love. She suddenly wanted to make up for all the mother-daughter conversations they had never gotten to have, but more than anything, she simply wanted her mother to reassure her that everything would work out with Vaughn.
"Your friend has impeccable taste in both jewelry and women," Irina smiled before growing serious. "There's nothing more important than being with the person you love, Sydney. ÊWhatever you do, whatever happens, remember that," she said meaningfully. "Don't ever let anyone stand in the way of that."
"I won't," Sydney said, her voice full of resolve. She understood that her mother was telling her to hold on to Vaughn at all costs, and she had every intention of doing just that. She shook her head and smiled. She never would have dreamt two months ago that she'd be accepting romantic advice from her traitorous mother. Then again, two months ago, she also never would have dreamt that she and Vaughn would be together. A lot could happen in two months, apparently. She snapped out of her reverie and prepared to leave.
"I know it may not feel like one, but Merry Christmas, mom."
"You too, Sydney. Merry Christmas," Irina said before she sadly watched Sydney turn and walk away.
*****
"Do you have somewhere important to be, Mike?"
"Huh?" Vaughn's mind had been a million miles away until his cousin Gary's amused voice snapped him back to attention.
"You keep staring at your watch, like you're waiting for an opportunity to make a run for it. Don't worry, we still have a few hours before Aunt Elaine tries to force her fruitcake on us," Gary said with a chuckle.
Vaughn couldn't help but laugh himself. It was 2:45 in the morning, and he and Gary were up late, watching SportsCenter and catching up with each other.
"Got a hot date at three in the morning?" Gary asked with raised eyebrows.
"Not even," Vaughn said as he sank further into the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. "I was just waiting for the right time to go sneak under the tree and find all my presents. Do you remember when we used to do that when we were kids?"
"Yeah, and then we'd argue over who got the biggest presents."
"We used to argue over *everything* - who had the best bike, who was the better hockey player, who had the hotter girlfriend - we were a real couple of jackasses." Vaughn laughed.
"One of us still is," Gary laughed, ducking as Vaughn tossed a sofa pillow at him.
"And yet, Melissa's going to marry you anyway," Vaughn smirked.
"I know. Can you believe it?"
"Actually, no, I can't. You can hardly commit to what to eat for breakfast." Vaughn chuckled.
"Trust me, no one was more shocked than I was when I decided to pop the question. But when it's right, it's right, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," Vaughn nodded, as he thought about himself and Sydney. What they had together was definitely right, even though SD-6 and the CIA would likely beg to differ.
"Yeah, right" Gary scoffed. "Exactly *how* would you know, Mike? You know, Aunt Catherine always said that you'd be the last of us to get married - if you ever did."
"What?" Vaughn asked, shocked to be hearing this for the first time. He couldn't believe that of his 13 cousins, he had been pegged the least likely to settle down.
"Yep. She said you'd work those green eyes and dimples for everything they were worth," Gary laughed.
"I have *not* done that," Vaughn said, indignantly. Since he had graduated from law school and joined the CIA, he'd only had three serious girlfriends and precious little time for casual dating. No one could accuse him of being a swinging bachelor. Moreover, he had barely noticed another woman since the day he met Sydney.
"Oh, calm down, Mikey. We all know you're too much of a workaholic to be Cassanova. It's obvious to all of us that you're *really* married to your job."
Vaughn couldn't really argue that point. He had always been ambitious and focused on his career, but since he met Sydney, it had become even harder to separate his job from his personal life. She completely occupied both of those spheres, he acknowledged as he glanced down once again at the watch Sydney had given him for Christmas. When he saw that it was a couple of minutes before 3:00, he faked a yawn and stood up.
"Hey man, I'm gonna call it a night," he said as he walked past his insomniac cousin and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning."
Vaughn walked upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms. He reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulled out his cellphone, and dialed Sydney's number.
On the fourth ring, she picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Syd, it's me."
"Vaughn!" He could hear the happiness in her voice, and it made his heart swell. "I can't believe you called."
"I just wanted to be the first person to wish you a Merry Christmas *on* Christmas day, which officially, it now is."
"You are so amazing, Vaughn. Merry Christmas to you too. Hasn't it *been* Christmas for three hours where you are, though?" she laughed.
"Yeah, but I'm still on West Coast time."
"After three days?" she asked disbelievingly. "I don't think so. You stayed up late just so you could call me, didn't you?"
"Nothing gets by you, Sydney, does it?" Even thousands of miles away, she could put a grin on his face.
"Nope. How's Pennsylvania?"
"Good, so far. Everyone's gathering at my grandparents' house tomorrow for the big family celebration. It's gonna be a madhouse, but it should be fun. Have you decided what you're doing yet?"
"I'm going over to Francie's parents' house for a while, and then I'm going to spend the rest of the day with my dad."
"Really?" Vaughn asked with surprise.
"Yeah. I didn't want him to spend Christmas alone. It'll be fine," she said reassuringly.
"Good. I know he'll be happy to spend time alone with you. Even though he may have a hard time expressing it, he really loves you, Sydney."
"I know. I love him too. I just wish I could spend Christmas with *both* of the men I love," she said wistfully. "Can't you just imagine sitting next to the Christmas tree drinking egg nog with my dad?"
"Not exactly," Vaughn laughed. "Do you have New Year's plans yet?"
"Does a date with Dick Clark count?" she asked with a laugh. "What are the chances that that I could ring in the New Year with you?"
"Maybe better than you think."
"Really?" she asked hopefully. She had half been expecting a lecture on the impracticality of them sneaking away to be together for New Year's.
"I might have a little plan in mind," he said teasingly. "We'll see what happens."
"I guess we will," she said lightly, trying not to let him know how much she desperately wanted to spend New Year's Eve with him.
"Now we'll both have something to look forward to when I get back," he smiled.
*****
Irina paced back and forth in her cell, as she waited impatiently. It was December 30th, and she had decided it was time to put her plan into motion. She stopped pacing as she heard footsteps approaching her cell.
"You requested to see me, Ms. Derevko?"
Irina turned around to see Agent Kendall standing across from her. He wore his usual smug expression, which was almost enough to make her change her mind about everything. She hated dealing with this arrogant man, but she knew she had no choice.
"Yes, I did ask to speak with you Agent Kendall. I have some information that I thought might be helpful to the SD-6 operation."
Kendall crossed his arms and stared at her challengingly. "And you're just going to *volunteer* this information out of the blue? I find that very hard to believe."
"I'm doing this to help my daughter. She wants to bring down SD-6 and the Alliance, and my former organization has information that could help her do that."
"What kind of information?" Kendall asked suspiciously.
"Information about all of the Alliance partners, as well as information about each section's operations, bank accounts, employees . . ." her voice trailed off. "Information that will be highly useful to Sydney -- and the CIA," she added, as an afterthought.
"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?"
"Because I wasn't ready to put all my cards on the table."
"And now you are?"
"Of course not, Agent Kendall," she said with a knowing smile. "But now that Sark has formed this . . . partnership with Arvin Sloane, I'd prefer that the information be in the CIA's possession."
"Where is this information stored?"
"On 12 CD-ROM discs located in a vault."
"Where's the vault?" Kendall asked impatiently.
Irina looked directly into his eyes. "I'll only tell you if you agree to two conditions."
Kendall laughed condescendingly. "Ms. Derevko, do I need to remind you that you are in United States custody? You don't get to make demands, and you don't get to impose conditions on your cooperation."
"Then *you* don't get any more information from me," she responded simply as she turned her back to him.
Kendall simply stared at her for a few moments. "Ms. Derevko," he barked. She turned around and lifted her eyes expectantly.
"Yes, Agent Kendall?" she asked solicitously.
"I suppose I should at least ask you what these conditions are before I say no to them."
She resisted the urge to smile. This man was so easy to manipulate. "First, I want Sydney to be the agent who retrieves the discs."
"You can't dictate which agent is assigned to carry out a mission."
"There won't *be* a mission to speak of if you don't send my daughter," Irina said firmly. "Agent Kendall, this information could be so important to what Sydney is doing. I don't trust anyone with those discs but her and Agent Vaughn."
"Vaughn? What does he have to do with this?"
"That's my second condition, that Agent Vaughn be sent with Sydney on this mission."
"Why do you care if Agent Vaughn assists Agent Bristow?" Kendall asked with a furrowed brow.
"The vault is located in a warehouse with incredibly tight security, and gaining access to the facility could be very dangerous. I need to know that Sydney will be safe, with someone that she trusts, someone who will protect her. Agent Vaughn is the only person I trust to ensure that she'll be safe." Her pleading tone was simply for Kendall's benefit. She knew that he'd already sent Vaughn on more than one mission with her daughter. However, she also knew that he might be stubborn enough not to send Vaughn just to spite her. She didn't want to overplay her hand, but it was crucial that Sydney and Vaughn go on this mission together.
Kendall clenched his jaw and scrutinized Irina carefully. "Fine. I'll send Agents Vaughn and Bristow to retrieve those discs." He raised his index finger and pointed at her. "But make no mistake, Ms. Derevko. If you're sending them into some kind of trap, there will be hell to pay, I promise you."
Irina sighed. "Agent Kendall, I assure you that this is no trap. Would it be possible to speak with my daughter before she leaves?"
Kendall nodded and pulled out his cell phone. "This is Kendall, please notify Agents Vaughn and Bristow that I want to meet with them in 30 minutes." He took one last look at Irina before he turned to exit the detention facility.
As he walked away, she allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction. So far, her plan was working to perfection.
*****
Sydney strode purposefully through the hallway of the joint ops center, but slowed down as she entered the rotunda and walked to Vaughn's desk. Her eyes scanned the room until she saw him across the way, talking to another agent. She leaned back against his desk, allowing herself to watch him for a few moments. She hadn't seen him since before Christmas, and though she wouldn't have thought it possible, he looked even more gorgeous than she remembered. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of her. His mouth instantly curled into a small smile, and she could actually feel her heart begin to beat faster. She returned his smile as he cut his conversation short and headed in her direction.
"Hey," he said, as he approached her and his smile turned into a sexy, lopsided grin. She quickly glanced around the room, where there was a flurry of activity and chatter all around them. After nine days apart, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and kiss him, but she knew she couldn't do that here or now. "Did Kendall summon you too?" he asked with an amused expression.
She nodded. "What kind of torment do you think he has in store for us?"
Vaughn rolled his eyes. "With him? Who knows." He surreptitiously stepped closer to her, and let his hand softly brush hers. "I missed you," he whispered into her ear.
"Not as much as I missed you," she said softly. She could feel herself getting lost in his eyes as they stood smiling at each other. She knew that anyone reading their body language right now would easily be able to ascertain the true nature of their relationship, but she couldn't force herself to step away from Vaughn. She had just begun to let her fingers stroke his when they were interrupted by Kendall.
"The two of you are going on a mission," he announced, as they quickly moved apart from each other.
"What kind of mission?" Vaughn asked, with a slight frown.
"Irina Derevko has alerted us to the existence of discs containing information about the Alliance."
"What kind of information?" Sydney asked, as excitement started to course through her veins. She wasn't sure if it was caused by the anticipation of going on a mission with Vaughn or the possibility that this new information could assist in the destruction of SD-6.
"Apparently, over the past decade, your mother's organization acquired all sorts of information about the Alliance. She wasn't specific about the content of the discs, but she said that it could be a great help you, and insisted that you and Agent Vaughn be the ones to retrieve the discs. She'd also like to speak to you once we're done here."
Sydney glanced up at Vaughn questioningly. "Do you think she's up to something?"
"I couldn't tell you," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe you should talk to her and judge for yourself."
"Okay," she nodded slightly. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
*****
Irina was already waiting for Sydney as she arrived at her cell.
"Sydney," she smiled. "I'm so glad to see you. I assume that Agent Kendall informed you of your mission."
"He did, but he didn't tell me much about it, just that these discs contain some kind of information about the Alliance."
"Yes," Irina nodded. "I think this information could be invaluable to you and Agent Vaughn."
"Why did you insist that Vaughn and I go together?"
"Would you prefer that someone else went with you, Sydney?" Irina asked, feigning innocence.
Sydney felt a blush rising in her cheeks. "No, of course not," she stammered. "I was just wondering why it matters to you?"
"Because I know that you can depend on him, and that you work well together. I know that you'll be safe with him."
Sydney gave her mother a small smile. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Don't thank me until you return with the discs," Irina said with a smile of her own. "Before you go, you'll need to call a former associate of mine, a man named Yuri Ivankov. Once the CIA has confirmed your travel arrangements, call and tell him that I said to leave everything that you'll need at your hotel. He'll know what that means."
"How do I know that I can trust him?"
"Do you trust *me*, Sydney?" Irina asked, almost afraid to hear her answer. "If you trust me, you can trust him, I promise. He will help you, as a personal favor to me."
"Okay," Sydney said, nodding. "I'll call him while we're en route to -- where are we going, exactly?" she asked, realizing that she had no idea where she and Vaughn were headed.
"Malolo Lailai. It's a small island in Fiji."
*****
Vaughn glanced up from his computer as Sydney returned to his desk. He shot her a questioning look, wondering what Irina had had to say.
"I don't think she's setting us up," Sydney said with a shrug. "She actually gave me the name of one of her contacts who's going to help us. And it turns out that the reason she insisted we go together is because she thinks you'll keep me safe."
"Well, she's right about that," he smiled, as she perched on the edge of his desk. "So much for our New Year's plans, huh? Looks like we'll be working, instead."
"I hadn't even thought of that," Sydney said with a disappointed sigh. "I was so excited to see what you'd planned. Well, at least we'll be together. It won't be all bad."
"No, it won't. Where are we going, by the way?"
She laughed. "Get this -- we're going to Fiji."
"Fiji?" Vaughn asked incredulously. "Who keeps important information in Fiji?"
"My mother, apparently. You have to admit, it's kind of ingenious. I mean, if you were looking for those discs, the last place you'd ever think to look for them would be on an island in the South Pacific. Besides, it could be worse; the discs could've been in Greenland."
"You're right, that would have been *much* worse," he laughed as he stood up. "We should both go home and pack. Oh, and Syd," he leaned in closer to her so only she could hear him, "I know we're going to Fiji, but we're keeping this strictly business. Don't even *think* about bringing some skimpy swimsuit."
She matched his teasing grin with one of her own. "I hadn't even considered that until you mentioned it, but now it's going to be the *first* thing I pack. Thanks for the suggestion, Vaughn. I'll see you in a little while."
All Vaughn could do was shake his head and smile as he watched her walk away.
TBC . . .
Chapter 5: "Irina's Plan"
Sydney walked through the rotunda of the joint ops center, marveling at how quiet and still the room was. Normally, it was a hotbed of activity, filled with the sounds of conversation, ringing phones, and whirring fax machines. But today, on Christmas Eve, only a few employees sat at their desks monitoring computers and satellite feeds. Although she knew Vaughn wasn't there, Sydney couldn't help but crane her neck to glance at his desk. Just the mere sight of something that reminded her of him caused her to smile as she headed through the doors that led to the detention facility. She showed her identification badge to the guard and waited for the gates to lift before walking up to her mother's cell. Irina was sitting on her cot reading a book, until she looked up and saw her daughter.
"Sydney," she said with a pleased expression as she walked over to the glass that separated them. "I wasn't expecting to see you today."
"I know, but I felt like I should come to visit you. Tomorrow is Christmas," she explained, unsure of whether Irina was aware of the date. After weeks of incarceration, Sydney imagined that the days simply blurred together for her mother.
"I know," Irina smiled. "For the last few days, I've heard several of the guards talking about their children's Christmas presents. It reminds me of when you were five," she said, with a far-away look in her eyes. "All you talked about for weeks leading up to Christmas was this doll you wanted, Suzy something-or-other," she laughed softly. "Your father and I drove all over town trying to find that doll, until we finally gave up and bought you a bicycle instead. That was the last Christmas I spent with you," she said sadly.
Sydney swallowed to fight the lump in her throat, and looked down at the floor. She couldn't remember much about that Christmas. Had she known that it would be her last with her mother, she would have tried to preserve every memory that she could. Ironically, after her hypnotherapy session with Agent Kerr, her memory of the first Christmas after her mother "died" was all too fresh, and for the past two months, "Christmas" had had a very loaded double meaning for her. She couldn't help but wonder how different her childhood would have been if her mother hadn't left. Would her father still have used her as a guinea pig for Project Christmas?
Sydney shook her head. "I don't remember the Suzy doll, but I remember going with you and dad to pick out a Christmas tree. Dad thought he had found this perfect little tree, but you insisted on getting the biggest one there," she smiled as the memory came back to her. "I remember watching the two of you argue about it, but then you kissed him, and he gave in." When she looked at her mother, she could see that she was also remembering the tree incident. "Did you -- " her voice broke slightly, "did you know then that that was going be your last Christmas with me and Dad?"
"No," Irina said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I had no idea. If I had known . . ." her voice trailed off as she cast her eyes downward. "If I had known, I would have done whatever it took to get you that doll."
Sydney could feel the tears welling in her eyes, and she blinked to keep them from falling. When Irina looked back up at her, Sydney realized that she had tears in her eyes, too. "It was just a doll," Sydney shrugged, with a slight smile.
"It seems so much more significant than that now," Irina said solemnly. As she studied her daughter closely, her eyes came to rest on the diamond pendant hanging from her neck. "That's a beautiful necklace, Sydney. I don't think I've ever seen you wear it before."
She watched with rapt attention as Sydney reached down and fingered the necklace with a secretive smile. It looked to her as if her daughter was recalling a special memory, and she couldn't help but be intrigued.
"It's new. It was a gift," Sydney explained. She hadn't taken the necklace off for even a moment since Vaughn had given it to her, even though it had opened her up to all kinds of questioning from Francie and Will. She'd told them that it was her Christmas gift to herself, but she knew that they hadn't believed her. Francie had remembered the flowers that arrived at their apartment after Sydney returned from Lake Tahoe, and was convinced that the necklace had come from the same source.
"A gift from your father?" Irina asked with a raised eyebrow.
A look of surprise flickered across Sydney's face. "No," she answered quickly -- too quickly to escape Irina's notice.
"Oh. It must have been a gift from a friend. Perhaps a friend who's really *more* than a friend?" Irina asked with a knowing smile.
Sydney glanced away from her mother's watchful gaze. It was obvious that her mother was referring to Vaughn. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how her mother had so easily picked up on their feelings for each other. Were she and Vaughn really that obvious, or was her mother just incredibly perceptive?
"Perhaps," she said, deciding not to elaborate any further. Even though the ops center was virtually empty, she was all too aware of the security cameras trained on her mother's cell. She had no idea whether the surveillance footage was recorded over or archived, but the last thing she needed was a taped confession of her feelings for Vaughn. She knew that he had already been forced to explain last year's picture frame to Dr. Barnett. If the CIA found out that he had given her a *diamond necklace* this year, he'd be removed as her handler before he even got back from Pennsylvania.
Yet, in spite all the consequences that could result from doing so, she desperately wished that she could tell her mother about Vaughn. She knew that it would be incredibly foolish to tell her mother something so personal, but at the same time, she felt like a teenaged girl who wanted to tell her mother all about the incredibly cute boy with whom she had fallen in love. She suddenly wanted to make up for all the mother-daughter conversations they had never gotten to have, but more than anything, she simply wanted her mother to reassure her that everything would work out with Vaughn.
"Your friend has impeccable taste in both jewelry and women," Irina smiled before growing serious. "There's nothing more important than being with the person you love, Sydney. ÊWhatever you do, whatever happens, remember that," she said meaningfully. "Don't ever let anyone stand in the way of that."
"I won't," Sydney said, her voice full of resolve. She understood that her mother was telling her to hold on to Vaughn at all costs, and she had every intention of doing just that. She shook her head and smiled. She never would have dreamt two months ago that she'd be accepting romantic advice from her traitorous mother. Then again, two months ago, she also never would have dreamt that she and Vaughn would be together. A lot could happen in two months, apparently. She snapped out of her reverie and prepared to leave.
"I know it may not feel like one, but Merry Christmas, mom."
"You too, Sydney. Merry Christmas," Irina said before she sadly watched Sydney turn and walk away.
*****
"Do you have somewhere important to be, Mike?"
"Huh?" Vaughn's mind had been a million miles away until his cousin Gary's amused voice snapped him back to attention.
"You keep staring at your watch, like you're waiting for an opportunity to make a run for it. Don't worry, we still have a few hours before Aunt Elaine tries to force her fruitcake on us," Gary said with a chuckle.
Vaughn couldn't help but laugh himself. It was 2:45 in the morning, and he and Gary were up late, watching SportsCenter and catching up with each other.
"Got a hot date at three in the morning?" Gary asked with raised eyebrows.
"Not even," Vaughn said as he sank further into the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. "I was just waiting for the right time to go sneak under the tree and find all my presents. Do you remember when we used to do that when we were kids?"
"Yeah, and then we'd argue over who got the biggest presents."
"We used to argue over *everything* - who had the best bike, who was the better hockey player, who had the hotter girlfriend - we were a real couple of jackasses." Vaughn laughed.
"One of us still is," Gary laughed, ducking as Vaughn tossed a sofa pillow at him.
"And yet, Melissa's going to marry you anyway," Vaughn smirked.
"I know. Can you believe it?"
"Actually, no, I can't. You can hardly commit to what to eat for breakfast." Vaughn chuckled.
"Trust me, no one was more shocked than I was when I decided to pop the question. But when it's right, it's right, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," Vaughn nodded, as he thought about himself and Sydney. What they had together was definitely right, even though SD-6 and the CIA would likely beg to differ.
"Yeah, right" Gary scoffed. "Exactly *how* would you know, Mike? You know, Aunt Catherine always said that you'd be the last of us to get married - if you ever did."
"What?" Vaughn asked, shocked to be hearing this for the first time. He couldn't believe that of his 13 cousins, he had been pegged the least likely to settle down.
"Yep. She said you'd work those green eyes and dimples for everything they were worth," Gary laughed.
"I have *not* done that," Vaughn said, indignantly. Since he had graduated from law school and joined the CIA, he'd only had three serious girlfriends and precious little time for casual dating. No one could accuse him of being a swinging bachelor. Moreover, he had barely noticed another woman since the day he met Sydney.
"Oh, calm down, Mikey. We all know you're too much of a workaholic to be Cassanova. It's obvious to all of us that you're *really* married to your job."
Vaughn couldn't really argue that point. He had always been ambitious and focused on his career, but since he met Sydney, it had become even harder to separate his job from his personal life. She completely occupied both of those spheres, he acknowledged as he glanced down once again at the watch Sydney had given him for Christmas. When he saw that it was a couple of minutes before 3:00, he faked a yawn and stood up.
"Hey man, I'm gonna call it a night," he said as he walked past his insomniac cousin and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning."
Vaughn walked upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms. He reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulled out his cellphone, and dialed Sydney's number.
On the fourth ring, she picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Syd, it's me."
"Vaughn!" He could hear the happiness in her voice, and it made his heart swell. "I can't believe you called."
"I just wanted to be the first person to wish you a Merry Christmas *on* Christmas day, which officially, it now is."
"You are so amazing, Vaughn. Merry Christmas to you too. Hasn't it *been* Christmas for three hours where you are, though?" she laughed.
"Yeah, but I'm still on West Coast time."
"After three days?" she asked disbelievingly. "I don't think so. You stayed up late just so you could call me, didn't you?"
"Nothing gets by you, Sydney, does it?" Even thousands of miles away, she could put a grin on his face.
"Nope. How's Pennsylvania?"
"Good, so far. Everyone's gathering at my grandparents' house tomorrow for the big family celebration. It's gonna be a madhouse, but it should be fun. Have you decided what you're doing yet?"
"I'm going over to Francie's parents' house for a while, and then I'm going to spend the rest of the day with my dad."
"Really?" Vaughn asked with surprise.
"Yeah. I didn't want him to spend Christmas alone. It'll be fine," she said reassuringly.
"Good. I know he'll be happy to spend time alone with you. Even though he may have a hard time expressing it, he really loves you, Sydney."
"I know. I love him too. I just wish I could spend Christmas with *both* of the men I love," she said wistfully. "Can't you just imagine sitting next to the Christmas tree drinking egg nog with my dad?"
"Not exactly," Vaughn laughed. "Do you have New Year's plans yet?"
"Does a date with Dick Clark count?" she asked with a laugh. "What are the chances that that I could ring in the New Year with you?"
"Maybe better than you think."
"Really?" she asked hopefully. She had half been expecting a lecture on the impracticality of them sneaking away to be together for New Year's.
"I might have a little plan in mind," he said teasingly. "We'll see what happens."
"I guess we will," she said lightly, trying not to let him know how much she desperately wanted to spend New Year's Eve with him.
"Now we'll both have something to look forward to when I get back," he smiled.
*****
Irina paced back and forth in her cell, as she waited impatiently. It was December 30th, and she had decided it was time to put her plan into motion. She stopped pacing as she heard footsteps approaching her cell.
"You requested to see me, Ms. Derevko?"
Irina turned around to see Agent Kendall standing across from her. He wore his usual smug expression, which was almost enough to make her change her mind about everything. She hated dealing with this arrogant man, but she knew she had no choice.
"Yes, I did ask to speak with you Agent Kendall. I have some information that I thought might be helpful to the SD-6 operation."
Kendall crossed his arms and stared at her challengingly. "And you're just going to *volunteer* this information out of the blue? I find that very hard to believe."
"I'm doing this to help my daughter. She wants to bring down SD-6 and the Alliance, and my former organization has information that could help her do that."
"What kind of information?" Kendall asked suspiciously.
"Information about all of the Alliance partners, as well as information about each section's operations, bank accounts, employees . . ." her voice trailed off. "Information that will be highly useful to Sydney -- and the CIA," she added, as an afterthought.
"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?"
"Because I wasn't ready to put all my cards on the table."
"And now you are?"
"Of course not, Agent Kendall," she said with a knowing smile. "But now that Sark has formed this . . . partnership with Arvin Sloane, I'd prefer that the information be in the CIA's possession."
"Where is this information stored?"
"On 12 CD-ROM discs located in a vault."
"Where's the vault?" Kendall asked impatiently.
Irina looked directly into his eyes. "I'll only tell you if you agree to two conditions."
Kendall laughed condescendingly. "Ms. Derevko, do I need to remind you that you are in United States custody? You don't get to make demands, and you don't get to impose conditions on your cooperation."
"Then *you* don't get any more information from me," she responded simply as she turned her back to him.
Kendall simply stared at her for a few moments. "Ms. Derevko," he barked. She turned around and lifted her eyes expectantly.
"Yes, Agent Kendall?" she asked solicitously.
"I suppose I should at least ask you what these conditions are before I say no to them."
She resisted the urge to smile. This man was so easy to manipulate. "First, I want Sydney to be the agent who retrieves the discs."
"You can't dictate which agent is assigned to carry out a mission."
"There won't *be* a mission to speak of if you don't send my daughter," Irina said firmly. "Agent Kendall, this information could be so important to what Sydney is doing. I don't trust anyone with those discs but her and Agent Vaughn."
"Vaughn? What does he have to do with this?"
"That's my second condition, that Agent Vaughn be sent with Sydney on this mission."
"Why do you care if Agent Vaughn assists Agent Bristow?" Kendall asked with a furrowed brow.
"The vault is located in a warehouse with incredibly tight security, and gaining access to the facility could be very dangerous. I need to know that Sydney will be safe, with someone that she trusts, someone who will protect her. Agent Vaughn is the only person I trust to ensure that she'll be safe." Her pleading tone was simply for Kendall's benefit. She knew that he'd already sent Vaughn on more than one mission with her daughter. However, she also knew that he might be stubborn enough not to send Vaughn just to spite her. She didn't want to overplay her hand, but it was crucial that Sydney and Vaughn go on this mission together.
Kendall clenched his jaw and scrutinized Irina carefully. "Fine. I'll send Agents Vaughn and Bristow to retrieve those discs." He raised his index finger and pointed at her. "But make no mistake, Ms. Derevko. If you're sending them into some kind of trap, there will be hell to pay, I promise you."
Irina sighed. "Agent Kendall, I assure you that this is no trap. Would it be possible to speak with my daughter before she leaves?"
Kendall nodded and pulled out his cell phone. "This is Kendall, please notify Agents Vaughn and Bristow that I want to meet with them in 30 minutes." He took one last look at Irina before he turned to exit the detention facility.
As he walked away, she allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction. So far, her plan was working to perfection.
*****
Sydney strode purposefully through the hallway of the joint ops center, but slowed down as she entered the rotunda and walked to Vaughn's desk. Her eyes scanned the room until she saw him across the way, talking to another agent. She leaned back against his desk, allowing herself to watch him for a few moments. She hadn't seen him since before Christmas, and though she wouldn't have thought it possible, he looked even more gorgeous than she remembered. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of her. His mouth instantly curled into a small smile, and she could actually feel her heart begin to beat faster. She returned his smile as he cut his conversation short and headed in her direction.
"Hey," he said, as he approached her and his smile turned into a sexy, lopsided grin. She quickly glanced around the room, where there was a flurry of activity and chatter all around them. After nine days apart, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and kiss him, but she knew she couldn't do that here or now. "Did Kendall summon you too?" he asked with an amused expression.
She nodded. "What kind of torment do you think he has in store for us?"
Vaughn rolled his eyes. "With him? Who knows." He surreptitiously stepped closer to her, and let his hand softly brush hers. "I missed you," he whispered into her ear.
"Not as much as I missed you," she said softly. She could feel herself getting lost in his eyes as they stood smiling at each other. She knew that anyone reading their body language right now would easily be able to ascertain the true nature of their relationship, but she couldn't force herself to step away from Vaughn. She had just begun to let her fingers stroke his when they were interrupted by Kendall.
"The two of you are going on a mission," he announced, as they quickly moved apart from each other.
"What kind of mission?" Vaughn asked, with a slight frown.
"Irina Derevko has alerted us to the existence of discs containing information about the Alliance."
"What kind of information?" Sydney asked, as excitement started to course through her veins. She wasn't sure if it was caused by the anticipation of going on a mission with Vaughn or the possibility that this new information could assist in the destruction of SD-6.
"Apparently, over the past decade, your mother's organization acquired all sorts of information about the Alliance. She wasn't specific about the content of the discs, but she said that it could be a great help you, and insisted that you and Agent Vaughn be the ones to retrieve the discs. She'd also like to speak to you once we're done here."
Sydney glanced up at Vaughn questioningly. "Do you think she's up to something?"
"I couldn't tell you," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe you should talk to her and judge for yourself."
"Okay," she nodded slightly. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
*****
Irina was already waiting for Sydney as she arrived at her cell.
"Sydney," she smiled. "I'm so glad to see you. I assume that Agent Kendall informed you of your mission."
"He did, but he didn't tell me much about it, just that these discs contain some kind of information about the Alliance."
"Yes," Irina nodded. "I think this information could be invaluable to you and Agent Vaughn."
"Why did you insist that Vaughn and I go together?"
"Would you prefer that someone else went with you, Sydney?" Irina asked, feigning innocence.
Sydney felt a blush rising in her cheeks. "No, of course not," she stammered. "I was just wondering why it matters to you?"
"Because I know that you can depend on him, and that you work well together. I know that you'll be safe with him."
Sydney gave her mother a small smile. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Don't thank me until you return with the discs," Irina said with a smile of her own. "Before you go, you'll need to call a former associate of mine, a man named Yuri Ivankov. Once the CIA has confirmed your travel arrangements, call and tell him that I said to leave everything that you'll need at your hotel. He'll know what that means."
"How do I know that I can trust him?"
"Do you trust *me*, Sydney?" Irina asked, almost afraid to hear her answer. "If you trust me, you can trust him, I promise. He will help you, as a personal favor to me."
"Okay," Sydney said, nodding. "I'll call him while we're en route to -- where are we going, exactly?" she asked, realizing that she had no idea where she and Vaughn were headed.
"Malolo Lailai. It's a small island in Fiji."
*****
Vaughn glanced up from his computer as Sydney returned to his desk. He shot her a questioning look, wondering what Irina had had to say.
"I don't think she's setting us up," Sydney said with a shrug. "She actually gave me the name of one of her contacts who's going to help us. And it turns out that the reason she insisted we go together is because she thinks you'll keep me safe."
"Well, she's right about that," he smiled, as she perched on the edge of his desk. "So much for our New Year's plans, huh? Looks like we'll be working, instead."
"I hadn't even thought of that," Sydney said with a disappointed sigh. "I was so excited to see what you'd planned. Well, at least we'll be together. It won't be all bad."
"No, it won't. Where are we going, by the way?"
She laughed. "Get this -- we're going to Fiji."
"Fiji?" Vaughn asked incredulously. "Who keeps important information in Fiji?"
"My mother, apparently. You have to admit, it's kind of ingenious. I mean, if you were looking for those discs, the last place you'd ever think to look for them would be on an island in the South Pacific. Besides, it could be worse; the discs could've been in Greenland."
"You're right, that would have been *much* worse," he laughed as he stood up. "We should both go home and pack. Oh, and Syd," he leaned in closer to her so only she could hear him, "I know we're going to Fiji, but we're keeping this strictly business. Don't even *think* about bringing some skimpy swimsuit."
She matched his teasing grin with one of her own. "I hadn't even considered that until you mentioned it, but now it's going to be the *first* thing I pack. Thanks for the suggestion, Vaughn. I'll see you in a little while."
All Vaughn could do was shake his head and smile as he watched her walk away.
TBC . . .