A/N: Surprise, surprise. This update is a little earlier than usual, but I got on a roll. :-) A new chapter will be posted on Sunday too, although the version that appears here may be a *substantially* toned down version. For those of you who dig the smut, I'll include a link when I post the chapter. As for this chapter, I just want to say that a few of Sydney's comments to Francie are totally unrelated to the finale. I don't know why I feel the need to point that out, but I do, anyway, LOL! Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 26: "Anticipation"
"Sydney, may I speak with you for a few minutes in my office?"
Sydney looked up from her desk just in time to see Sloane walking past her, heading to his office. Dixon turned and gave her a quizzical look, to which she shrugged in response. She couldn't imagine what Sloane wanted from her and was every bit as confused as Dixon was. She nevertheless got up and followed Sloane into his office. She could already feel her palms beginning to sweat as the glass door closed automatically behind her and he sat down in his chair.
"Sydney, please, have a seat."
She sank into one of the chairs and struggled not to let him see her nervous apprehension. "Is everything okay, sir?"
"Of course, everything is just fine" he said warmly. "I just wanted to talk to you, make sure that everything is okay with you. You didn't seem quite like yourself a few months ago."
Her mind flashed back to how depressed she'd been for the first few weeks after Vaughn left for Langley and the way that she played on Sloane's concern for her just before she went to Virginia.
"Yes, I know," she said, looking down at her lap and biting. "I was going through a rough period for a while, but I'm fine now." She looked back up at him with a bright smile. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Oh, but I do. You're very important to me, Sydney; you always have been." He looked closely at her for a long moment before speaking again. "Sydney, if anything important was happening in your life, you would feel comfortable telling me about it, wouldn't you?"
She struggled mightily not to let him see how dumbstruck she was by his words. Was he serious? After deceiving her for years and killing her fiance, did he really expect her to feel comfortable around him? Did he actually believe that she would tell him *anything* about her life? Because, if so, she had greatly overestimated his intelligence.
It took every bit of her spy training and acting ability to keep her voice even and her expression neutral when she answered him.
"Of course, I would tell you, but what makes you think that there's anything going on in my life?"
"Well, ever since you returned from your week off in March, you've seemed to be in high spirits, especially in the past month or so. I simply assumed that something good must have happened to you while you were gone."
"No, nothing that I can think of." she lied.
Sloane studied her carefully and she kept her eyes locked on his as he did so. She was forcing herself to remain calm, but she nearly fell out of her chair when he spoke again.
"Sydney, are you seeing anyone? Romantically, I mean?"
"Am I -- what would make you think that?" she asked uneasily. It was taking all the effort she could muster not to panic as alarm bells started to go off in her head and her heart began to pound.
"Well, when a woman looks as happy as you have for the past few weeks, it usually means that there's someone special in her life." He looked down at his desk for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I know that it was difficult for you, losing Danny, but I always hoped that you would fall in love again. Have a second chance, so to speak."
Sydney's blood ran cold as she looked at the falsely sympathetic look on Sloane's face. She had never in her entire life wanted to throttle anyone more, and she had to clench her hands together to keep them from shaking. She couldn't believe the audacity of this man, both in glossing over the role he'd played in Danny's death and telling her that he hoped she would fall in love again. She was sure that the *only* reason for his interest in her love life was so it could be used as a weapon against her, so he could keep her in line by threatening to take away what was most important to her.
Her thoughts turned to Vaughn and how destroyed she would be if anything ever happened to him, and she vowed right then that there was no way in hell that Sloane would ever find out anything about Vaughn -- not even once he was behind bars. She would sooner kill him than allow him to take away another man that she loved.
She breathed in deeply, trying to contain her anger and compose herself before she spoke again.
"I'm not seeing anyone right now. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I don't think I could risk opening myself up to love someone and losing them again," she said pointedly.
"I understand," Sloane nodded sympathetically. "Ever since Emily passed away . . ." his voice trailed off as he appeared to lose himself in his thoughts. "Starting over isn't always an option."
Sydney felt a momentary twinge of sympathy as she thought about Emily, but she quickly berated herself for having sympathy for the devil. As devastating as Emily's death had been, Sloane deserved every bit of pain he was feeling -- and a lot more, as far as she was concerned. It really wouldn't be possible for him to suffer too much, she thought bitterly.
"But you're not like me, Sydney," he continued. "You're young and you still have your entire life ahead of you. Someday you'll find someone that you want to spend it with, at least, I hope you will. Your happiness means a great deal to me, Sydney."
"I know that, sir, and I'll keep everything that you've said in mind. If I meet someone special, you'll be one of the first to know."
"Good," he said with a warm smile. "Listen, why don't you take the rest of the day off. Go have a nice lunch with your friends or your father. You've been working too hard lately."
For the first time in their conversation, Sydney didn't bother to hide her surprise. "Oh, honestly, that's not necessary, I'm -- "
"Sydney, I insist. Whatever you're working on right now will still be here tomorrow, but life is short. So go. Enjoy yourself."
"Okay, if you insist. I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"See you tomorrow," he smiled before she turned to leave his office. The smile quickly dissolved into a frown as he watched her walk away.
*****
"Knock knock." The sing-song tone of a female voice startled Vaughn and made him look up from the large box over which he stood.
"Oh, Melissa. Hi," he smiled.
"Hi," she said uncertainly as she walked into his office. She took a long look at the box as he placed another file into it, then looked back up at him. "What is this? What are you doing?"
"Packing," he grinned. "I'm out of here tomorrow."
"So soon?" she frowned. I thought you were going to be here until June."
"Originally, I was supposed to be, but things went ahead of schedule, so my reward is that I get to go back to L.A. sooner than expected."
"Well, great. You know, you could at least have the decency not to look so thrilled about it."
"Sorry," he shrugged, making her laugh in response.
"So, I can't believe that no one told me that you were leaving tomorrow. Aren't we at least going to take you out for drinks, or something? We can't have you going back to La-la-land and telling everyone that the Langley agents are cheapskates."
"Actually, Tommy wanted to round everyone up, but I talked him out of it. I mean, I'm leaving, but I'm going to be back in just a couple of weeks. Besides, my flight tomorrow leaves before happy hour," he smiled.
"Damn. You're in a real hurry to get out of here, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am," he admitted. "It's nothing personal. I just miss my life in L.A., that's all."
"No, you miss your girlfriend," Melissa smiled. "It's okay, Mike, you can say that in front of me."
He smiled back and nodded. "Yes, I've miss her a lot. I can't wait to see her again."
"Well, I'm sure that she's missed you just as much. You're going to miss all of us around here just a little bit, though, right?"
He walked around his desk and gave her a warm hug. "Of course I will, Mel. I'm sorry that we didn't get to spend more time together while I was here."
"Don't be, it's not your fault. I know that you've been working really hard -- that's probably why you get to go back early," she smiled. "Besides, I was back and forth between here and London the whole time, and whatever," she waved her hand dismissively. "It's not a big deal, but promise me that when you come back, you'll at least stop by my office to say hello. It may be the last time I get to see you before I leave for Paris next month."
"Really? So you decided to take the assignment?"
"Yeah, I did. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and I could stand to brush up on my French, anyway. Besides, if the guys there look anything like you, it'll be the best decision of my life," she grinned as he began to blush.
"Flatterer. Hey, actually, I might be in Paris sometime within the next year. Maybe we could get together and have dinner one night. You could meet my girlfriend," he offered. He wasn't sure whether, in the interest of disclosure, he should mention that his girlfriend would be his wife by that point.
"Really? She's going to be there with you?"
"Yeah. We're, uh, we're going on a vacation-type thing."
"Oh." She noticed his suddenly uncomfortable body language, but she shrugged it off. "Well, of course, I'd like that. I'd love to meet the woman who stole Mikey Vaughn's heart."
"Oh, god, not 'Mikey Vaughn' again," he groaned. "I'm leaving just in time."
"Yeah, you are," Melissa smiled as she handed him another file from his desk.
*****
Later that evening, Sydney and Francie were sitting on the couch in the living room, laughing with one another as they talked and looked through fashion magazines.
"Today's been so much fun," Sydney smiled.
"Yeah, it has been. I can't even remember the last time that you and I got to hang out, without you having to work or me being at the restaurant."
When Sloane told her to take the rest of the day off, Sydney had immediately gone to the restaurant and had lunch with Francie. They'd had such a good time laughing and talking over lunch that it had been easy to forget about her unsettling encounter with Sloane and convince Francie to take the rest of the afternoon off to go shopping with her. She hadn't even realized how much she'd missed their "girl" time until they began catching up on each other's lives.
"I know. We're gonna have to do this more often," Sydney smiled, realizing that she'd soon have a lot more free time once her career as a double agent came to an end. Of course, she'd probably be spending most of that extra time with Vaughn, but she vowed to spend more time with Francie and Will, too.
As if she had been reading Sydney's mind, Francie looked up at her with a knowing grin. "Yeah, we'll definitely spend more time together, assuming you can tear yourself away from your secret boyfriend."
"What?" Sydney asked innocently. "You think that I would sacrifice my time with you so I could spend it with him instead?"
"I know I would," Francie laughed. "Seriously, I love you, Syd, but if I had a boyfriend, we would see even less of each other than we already do."
"I'm gonna remember you said that," Sydney laughed, tossing a throw pillow at her friend. "I'm so offended now."
"Whatever," Francie sang. "You know that you'd do the same thing too. In fact, I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't."
Sydney smiled and thanked her lucky stars that she had such an understanding friend. Just then, the doorbell rang and she hopped up. "I'll get it. It's probably the delivery guy."
"Hey, make sure there's duck sauce in the bag!" Francie called out as Sydney entered the hallway.
She opened the door and was shocked to see a huge bouquet of flowers being held in front of her.
"Wow, what is this?"
"Delivery for, uh, Sydney Bristow," said a voice from behind the flowers. She took them from the delivery man and set them down on the table inside the door, before signing for them.
"Thank you so much. If you wait right here, I'll -- "
"Don't worry, miss, the tip's already been taken care of," he smiled.
"Oh, okay." She closed the door and smiled as the delivery man walked back down the path from her apartment. She could only think of two people who would send her flowers, and only one of them would have the forethought to tip the driver in advance.
"Man, thank god the food is here, I'm star -- oh my god!" Francie gasped when she saw Sydney carrying the flowers into the living room. "Those are gorgeous."
"I know," Sydney murmured, admiring at the bouquet of three dozen red roses.
"And they smell so good," Francie sighed, bending down for a closer inspection. "I guess I don't need to ask who they're from," she grinned at Sydney, who instantly began to blush.
"Actually, I don't know, because I haven't read the card yet," she said weakly. She knew that she didn't need to read the card to find out who the flowers were from, but she wanted to be alone when she read it. Luckily, the doorbell rang again.
"Okay, that *has* to be the food this time. I'll go get it so you can read the card and giggle and swoon in peace."
"Thanks, Fran," Sydney grinned. She walked into her room and set the flowers down on her dresser, then reached into remove the card. She was careful not to prick herself with the thorns until she looked at the stems and realized that they'd been removed. "Figures," she smirked as she opened the card. A rose with no thorns was the perfect metaphor for Vaughn.
"Syd, I know that red roses are boring and predictable, but the florist said that they symbolize passion, love, excitement, and anticipation, all of which I feel when I think about seeing you tomorrow. Can't wait. I love you," she read aloud.
She stuck the card back in its envelope and walked over to her closet, reaching up to the top shelf to pull down the hat box in which she kept all of her most important mementoes. She opened the box and quickly dropped the card inside before pulling out the envelope of pictures that Elise had given her a couple of months ago. She removed a small velvet bag that was tucked in with the pictures and opened it, removing her engagement ring. She tried to suppress the giddy smile that always broke out whenever she put the ring on, but it was no use.
She could hardly believe that after all the time they'd spent apart, Vaughn was finally, *finally* coming home tomorrow. Ever since she'd left work earlier that day, their imminent reunion had been the only thing she could think about, which had led her to make a few special purchases during her shopping expedition with Francie.
As she put the box back up on the shelf thought about seeing him again, she was so excited that she felt as if she might burst if she didn't talk to someone. She knew that she could talk to her father, Weiss, or Will, but after spending the day with Francie, she realized that what she really needed was to talk to her best friend. So even though she knew that what she was about to do was potentially crazy, she couldn't help herself as she walked back out to the kitchen.
"Hey, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you'd forgotten all about dinner."
"I just had to get something from my room." She took a deep breath and decided to press forward. "Francie, there's something important that I have to tell you."
Francie looked up from a carton of lo mein and smiled. "What is it?"
"Okay, this is going to sound crazy and a lot of it might not make sense, but I have to tell someone or I'm just going to explode. You have to *promise* me, though, that you won't say anything to anyone about it. I mean, you have to swear on everything that is holy. You can't mention it to Will, or my father, or your hairdresser, or *anyone.*"
"God, Syd, what is it? Wait, you're not pregnant, are you?"
"What? Pregnant?" Sydney blinked. "What made you think that I was -- "
"Well, you're so adamant that I can't tell anyone that I thought that maybe -- "
"No! No, I'm not pregnant," she laughed.
"Oh, then what's going on?"
"I have to tell you about Michael."
"Michael? Who's Michael?"
"The guy that I told you about, the one that I've been -- "
"Your boyfriend?"
"Yeah, except he's not my boyfriend anymore."
"Oh no, did the two of you break up? Is that why he sent the flowers, to apologize?" Francie asked, sympathetically.
"What?. No, we didn't break up."
"Oh. Well, then what were you saying about him not being your boyfriend anymore?"
"I'm getting to that," Sydney smiled. "So, he's been gone for a while, working on a project at one of the bank's East Coast offices, and while you were visiting your parents, he flew out to L.A. for my birthday."
"Wait a minute, he flew all the way across the country just to see you on your birthday?" Francie asked, wide-eyed. "That's amazing."
"Yeah, it was," Sydney smiled softly. "Anyway, he flew out here and surprised me with a hotel room, and a cake and champagne, and something else."
"What?"
"This." Sydney held out her hand and Francie's mouth dropped when she saw the diamond ring.
"Ohmigod, is this -- ?"
Sydney nodded happily. "He asked me to marry him, and I said yes. And nobody knows because it's a secret, and I shouldn't even be telling *you* right now, but I couldn't help myself and I know that I can trust you not to say anything," she said, her words rushing together in excitement.
"Oh wow. You're engaged," Francie said, raising a hand to cover her mouth.
"Yeah, I'm engaged. I know it sounds crazy because you've never even met Michael, and you've never seen us together and it hasn't even been two years since Danny died," she said in a softer voice. "But I really love him Francie. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I just want to be with him all the time. And I know this is all a lot to digest right now," she said apologetically. "I hope you're not pissed that I didn't tell you sooner."
Francie rushed around to the other side of the counter and wrapped Sydney in a tight hug. "Oh sweetie, shut up -- this is the best news ever. You look so excited and happy." She stepped back and smiled at her best friend.
"After Danny died, I didn't think that I would ever see you be truly happy again, but I used to pray that you would meet someone who would make you fall in love again. I didn't think that it would happen this soon, but it's wonderful. I just have one question -- when did you have time to fall in love with this guy? You're always gone," she laughed.
"Well, a few of my trips were with him, actually. Nothing romantic ever happened back then, but I guess just spending so much time with him was what made me fall in love with him." She looked down at the floor and smiled. "You know all of those Joey's Pizza calls?"
Francie nodded.
"That was, um . . . that was kind of our signal for me to meet him."
"Oh, get out!" she laughed. "Do you know how many times I've wanted to have out number changed?"
"I know. I'm pretty sure that when you meet Michael, the first thing he's going to do is apologize for all of those calls. Anyway, there's so much more that I want to tell you about him, but it has to wait for a while. I know it seems crazy that this is all so secretive, but I promise that a month from now, I'll tell you everything you want to know. We just have to -- "
"Syd, I don't want to rain on your parade, but he's not married is he?" Francie asked cautiously. She placed a sympathetic hand on Sydney's arm when she saw the stunned expression on her face. "You know that I would never judge you, sweetie; I just don't want to see you get hurt."
Sydney shook her head. "Fran, he's not married. Seriously, you don't think that I would -- he's not married," she repeated. "Trust me, the only reason for all the secrecy is our jobs, because we could both get fired -- or worse -- if anyone found out about us."
"*Or worse*? Syd, what's worse than getting fired?" Francie laughed. "Anyway, I'm just glad that he's not married, but I was starting to wonder. I thought that maybe his divorce wasn't going to be final for another month, or something."
Sydney couldn't help but laugh. "Oh god, I just realized that I totally would have thought the same thing if I had been in your shoes. I'm sorry about that. Believe me, Michael is very, very unmarried. And sweet," she sighed. "And thoughtful, and smart, and gorgeous. He's amazing."
"He sounds like it. Not to mention that he sends you flowers out of the blue for no apparent reason."
"Well, actually, there is a reason for that. He's finally coming home tomorrow after being in Washington for four months."
"Ohhh. Is *that* why you've been grinning like a fool for the past few days?"
"Yeah," Sydney smiled as she leaned over the counter to grab the carton of chicken with broccoli. "I think you're gonna have to get used to all of the grinning. It might be a permanent condition."
*****
"Sir?"
Sloane looked up from his computer and waved Agent Sean Bridges in.
"Yes. Do you have something for me?"
"Yes sir. Shortly after Agent Bristow returned home this evening, a delivery was made to her apartment. Flowers, sir."
"What kind?" Sloane pensively asked as Agent Bridges looked helplessly at him.
"Uh, they appeared to be roses, but I'm not sure, sir. I don't really know a lot about flowers and I was at a distance," he shrugged apologetically. "Whatever kind they were, she liked them. She appeared to be very happy."
"I'm sure she was," Sloane said absently. After a few moments, he seemed to remember the agent standing before him. "I want you to keep monitoring Agent Bristow. I want to know every man that she comes into contact with -- and every woman too," he said as an afterthought. "You can never be too sure these days."
"Yes sir," Agent Bridges said with a slight smile. He turned to leave but halted when Sloane spoke again.
"Oh, and Agent Bridges? Don't forget that you report only to me. Security Section is to know nothing of your surveillance of Agent Bristow."
"Of course, sir. Have a good evening."
Sloane tightly clenched his jaw as the door closed behind Agent Bridges. This was one of the few times that he took no pleasure in being correct about one of his hunches. Sydney was an excellent spy, one of the best he'd ever seen, and he felt a strong sense of pride and accomplishment in her abilities. As skilled as she was, however, she was no match for someone with his experience in this business. He had so perfected the art of duplicity that it was an easy trait for him to recognize in others.
He leaned back in his chair and stared off into the distance. Ever since the week after her birthday, he had been carefully observing Sydney, noticing how quick she was with a smile for her colleagues, how vivacious she was when she spoke with them, how she had acquired a noticeable bounce in her step. It was obvious to him that something significant was happening in her personal life, and as he told her earlier that day, he believed that she was manifesting all the signs of a woman in love.
Strangely enough, he was happy for her if she was in love, assuming, of course that the man in question was suitable for her. He wanted her to be with someone who would treat her well and adore her -- she was indeed a woman worthy of adoration. More importantly, however, it was essential that she be with someone who wouldn't interfere in his plans for her, plans that were first set in motion the day that Jack and Irina introduced him to her. He knew from that moment on that she would play an important role in his future, and he wouldn't allow anyone threaten that. In fact, it was the very reason that her life had been spared when Daniel Hecht was eliminated. As soon as he'd heard Danny's answering machine message, with his talk of children and ex-spies, Sloane knew that he was a threat that had to be eliminated at all costs . Sloane simply couldn't take the chance that Danny might somehow influence Sydney to quit SD-6, and if he couldn't take the chance back then, he certainly couldn't take it now that his plans had progressed even further.
That was why he had felt that it was imperative to question Sydney about her personal life. He hadn't expected her to be forthcoming, of course, but he nevertheless had hoped that she would surprise him and make the conversation easier for both of them. Of course, she hadn't, and he was almost proud of her for that, proud that she wouldn't break, not even for him. But it also made things more difficult, as he would now have to seek out answers on his own. If Sydney was involved with a man, Sloane needed to know everything about him in order to decide whether he could remain a part of her life or needed to be eliminated.
One way or another, he vowed, he was going to get those answers.
*****
"Did you get Donovan all squared away?" Elise asked anxiously as Vaughn walked back up to her.
"Yeah, he's all set. All the desk agents were cooing about how cute he is," he laughed. "Too bad he was knocked out and couldn't bask in all the attention."
"Yes, he would have loved that," she agreed distractedly as she looked at all the people bustling around them. "Well, you should probably head over to the gate."
"I've still got a few minutes," he said, checking his watch.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Are you trying to get rid of me?"
She quickly laughed and shook her head. "No, of course not, darling. I just don't want you to miss your flight, that's all."
"Okay, I don't know whether to be glad that you're concerned about me missing my flight or insulted that you don't want me to stick around longer," he smiled.
"Frankly, Michael, if you stayed any longer, you would drive me crazy. For the past week, you've been practically bouncing off the walls, looking forward to going home. You've worn me out, and now you need to go back to L.A. so I can recover."
He laughed and gathered his mother into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, sweetheart, and I'm sure that after a few days, I'll actually start to miss you."
"Please," he rolled his eyes. "You're going to miss me the second I'm on the other side of the security checkpoint."
"You're right," she sighed. "I did love having you here. It was nice to feel like a mom again, and actually get to *see* my child."
"Was that a guilt trip, Mom? Because if you'd stop flying off to France at a moment's notice, you could come see your child in L.A."
She gave him a look and shook her head. "Well, I see that you inherited my guilt trip gene."
"Damned genetics," he laughed. "Seriously, once this operation is over, you have to come out for a visit. Sydney would love that, not to mention Eric."
"I would love that, too. Be sure to give them both my love when you get back."
"I will, and right after that, I'm going to buy you a ticket to fly out to California, so you won't have a good excuse not to."
"Michael, my goodness. If I say I'm going to come, I'll come. You don't need to send the federal marshals to escort me."
"I know," he laughed. "I just want to be sure. Sydney and I are going on vacation the first week of July, but when we get back, you'll come, okay?"
"Okay. You know, you're just like your father when you get a big idea in your head. You get so carried away," she laughed. "Listen, don't worry, I will definitely come to L.A. in July, and I'll buy my own ticket, thank you very much."
Vaughn smiled. Some time in July, his mother would finally understand why he was so eager for her to visit, and then she'd probably berate him for not inviting her sooner. In the meantime, though, she was every bit as stubborn and independent as another gorgeous woman he knew, a woman that he couldn't wait to get home to. He took one last glance at his watch and pulled Elise into another hug.
"Alright, I actually do have to go now. I'm going to miss you."
"Me too. Have a safe trip, and call me to let me know that you made it safely."
"I will. Au revoir, Mom."
She waved and smiled to herself as he walked away. As sad as she was to see him go, she was happy knowing that he was going home to someone who loved him just as much as she did.
*****
Shortly after the plane reached cruising altitude, Vaughn leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He wanted to try and get some rest so he wouldn't be exhausted once the plane landed, but he knew that sleep was going to be hard to come by. He didn't sleep well on planes in general, but he knew that it would be especially difficult today, just as it had been when he flew out to surprise Sydney for her birthday. At the moment, all he could think about was how good it would feel to hold her again, and how much better it would feel to kiss her and make love to her again. He could already feel his entire body humming with anticipation, and he knew that it wouldn't be too much longer before he had a chance to put all of that energy to good use.
TBC . . .
Chapter 26: "Anticipation"
"Sydney, may I speak with you for a few minutes in my office?"
Sydney looked up from her desk just in time to see Sloane walking past her, heading to his office. Dixon turned and gave her a quizzical look, to which she shrugged in response. She couldn't imagine what Sloane wanted from her and was every bit as confused as Dixon was. She nevertheless got up and followed Sloane into his office. She could already feel her palms beginning to sweat as the glass door closed automatically behind her and he sat down in his chair.
"Sydney, please, have a seat."
She sank into one of the chairs and struggled not to let him see her nervous apprehension. "Is everything okay, sir?"
"Of course, everything is just fine" he said warmly. "I just wanted to talk to you, make sure that everything is okay with you. You didn't seem quite like yourself a few months ago."
Her mind flashed back to how depressed she'd been for the first few weeks after Vaughn left for Langley and the way that she played on Sloane's concern for her just before she went to Virginia.
"Yes, I know," she said, looking down at her lap and biting. "I was going through a rough period for a while, but I'm fine now." She looked back up at him with a bright smile. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Oh, but I do. You're very important to me, Sydney; you always have been." He looked closely at her for a long moment before speaking again. "Sydney, if anything important was happening in your life, you would feel comfortable telling me about it, wouldn't you?"
She struggled mightily not to let him see how dumbstruck she was by his words. Was he serious? After deceiving her for years and killing her fiance, did he really expect her to feel comfortable around him? Did he actually believe that she would tell him *anything* about her life? Because, if so, she had greatly overestimated his intelligence.
It took every bit of her spy training and acting ability to keep her voice even and her expression neutral when she answered him.
"Of course, I would tell you, but what makes you think that there's anything going on in my life?"
"Well, ever since you returned from your week off in March, you've seemed to be in high spirits, especially in the past month or so. I simply assumed that something good must have happened to you while you were gone."
"No, nothing that I can think of." she lied.
Sloane studied her carefully and she kept her eyes locked on his as he did so. She was forcing herself to remain calm, but she nearly fell out of her chair when he spoke again.
"Sydney, are you seeing anyone? Romantically, I mean?"
"Am I -- what would make you think that?" she asked uneasily. It was taking all the effort she could muster not to panic as alarm bells started to go off in her head and her heart began to pound.
"Well, when a woman looks as happy as you have for the past few weeks, it usually means that there's someone special in her life." He looked down at his desk for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I know that it was difficult for you, losing Danny, but I always hoped that you would fall in love again. Have a second chance, so to speak."
Sydney's blood ran cold as she looked at the falsely sympathetic look on Sloane's face. She had never in her entire life wanted to throttle anyone more, and she had to clench her hands together to keep them from shaking. She couldn't believe the audacity of this man, both in glossing over the role he'd played in Danny's death and telling her that he hoped she would fall in love again. She was sure that the *only* reason for his interest in her love life was so it could be used as a weapon against her, so he could keep her in line by threatening to take away what was most important to her.
Her thoughts turned to Vaughn and how destroyed she would be if anything ever happened to him, and she vowed right then that there was no way in hell that Sloane would ever find out anything about Vaughn -- not even once he was behind bars. She would sooner kill him than allow him to take away another man that she loved.
She breathed in deeply, trying to contain her anger and compose herself before she spoke again.
"I'm not seeing anyone right now. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I don't think I could risk opening myself up to love someone and losing them again," she said pointedly.
"I understand," Sloane nodded sympathetically. "Ever since Emily passed away . . ." his voice trailed off as he appeared to lose himself in his thoughts. "Starting over isn't always an option."
Sydney felt a momentary twinge of sympathy as she thought about Emily, but she quickly berated herself for having sympathy for the devil. As devastating as Emily's death had been, Sloane deserved every bit of pain he was feeling -- and a lot more, as far as she was concerned. It really wouldn't be possible for him to suffer too much, she thought bitterly.
"But you're not like me, Sydney," he continued. "You're young and you still have your entire life ahead of you. Someday you'll find someone that you want to spend it with, at least, I hope you will. Your happiness means a great deal to me, Sydney."
"I know that, sir, and I'll keep everything that you've said in mind. If I meet someone special, you'll be one of the first to know."
"Good," he said with a warm smile. "Listen, why don't you take the rest of the day off. Go have a nice lunch with your friends or your father. You've been working too hard lately."
For the first time in their conversation, Sydney didn't bother to hide her surprise. "Oh, honestly, that's not necessary, I'm -- "
"Sydney, I insist. Whatever you're working on right now will still be here tomorrow, but life is short. So go. Enjoy yourself."
"Okay, if you insist. I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"See you tomorrow," he smiled before she turned to leave his office. The smile quickly dissolved into a frown as he watched her walk away.
*****
"Knock knock." The sing-song tone of a female voice startled Vaughn and made him look up from the large box over which he stood.
"Oh, Melissa. Hi," he smiled.
"Hi," she said uncertainly as she walked into his office. She took a long look at the box as he placed another file into it, then looked back up at him. "What is this? What are you doing?"
"Packing," he grinned. "I'm out of here tomorrow."
"So soon?" she frowned. I thought you were going to be here until June."
"Originally, I was supposed to be, but things went ahead of schedule, so my reward is that I get to go back to L.A. sooner than expected."
"Well, great. You know, you could at least have the decency not to look so thrilled about it."
"Sorry," he shrugged, making her laugh in response.
"So, I can't believe that no one told me that you were leaving tomorrow. Aren't we at least going to take you out for drinks, or something? We can't have you going back to La-la-land and telling everyone that the Langley agents are cheapskates."
"Actually, Tommy wanted to round everyone up, but I talked him out of it. I mean, I'm leaving, but I'm going to be back in just a couple of weeks. Besides, my flight tomorrow leaves before happy hour," he smiled.
"Damn. You're in a real hurry to get out of here, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am," he admitted. "It's nothing personal. I just miss my life in L.A., that's all."
"No, you miss your girlfriend," Melissa smiled. "It's okay, Mike, you can say that in front of me."
He smiled back and nodded. "Yes, I've miss her a lot. I can't wait to see her again."
"Well, I'm sure that she's missed you just as much. You're going to miss all of us around here just a little bit, though, right?"
He walked around his desk and gave her a warm hug. "Of course I will, Mel. I'm sorry that we didn't get to spend more time together while I was here."
"Don't be, it's not your fault. I know that you've been working really hard -- that's probably why you get to go back early," she smiled. "Besides, I was back and forth between here and London the whole time, and whatever," she waved her hand dismissively. "It's not a big deal, but promise me that when you come back, you'll at least stop by my office to say hello. It may be the last time I get to see you before I leave for Paris next month."
"Really? So you decided to take the assignment?"
"Yeah, I did. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and I could stand to brush up on my French, anyway. Besides, if the guys there look anything like you, it'll be the best decision of my life," she grinned as he began to blush.
"Flatterer. Hey, actually, I might be in Paris sometime within the next year. Maybe we could get together and have dinner one night. You could meet my girlfriend," he offered. He wasn't sure whether, in the interest of disclosure, he should mention that his girlfriend would be his wife by that point.
"Really? She's going to be there with you?"
"Yeah. We're, uh, we're going on a vacation-type thing."
"Oh." She noticed his suddenly uncomfortable body language, but she shrugged it off. "Well, of course, I'd like that. I'd love to meet the woman who stole Mikey Vaughn's heart."
"Oh, god, not 'Mikey Vaughn' again," he groaned. "I'm leaving just in time."
"Yeah, you are," Melissa smiled as she handed him another file from his desk.
*****
Later that evening, Sydney and Francie were sitting on the couch in the living room, laughing with one another as they talked and looked through fashion magazines.
"Today's been so much fun," Sydney smiled.
"Yeah, it has been. I can't even remember the last time that you and I got to hang out, without you having to work or me being at the restaurant."
When Sloane told her to take the rest of the day off, Sydney had immediately gone to the restaurant and had lunch with Francie. They'd had such a good time laughing and talking over lunch that it had been easy to forget about her unsettling encounter with Sloane and convince Francie to take the rest of the afternoon off to go shopping with her. She hadn't even realized how much she'd missed their "girl" time until they began catching up on each other's lives.
"I know. We're gonna have to do this more often," Sydney smiled, realizing that she'd soon have a lot more free time once her career as a double agent came to an end. Of course, she'd probably be spending most of that extra time with Vaughn, but she vowed to spend more time with Francie and Will, too.
As if she had been reading Sydney's mind, Francie looked up at her with a knowing grin. "Yeah, we'll definitely spend more time together, assuming you can tear yourself away from your secret boyfriend."
"What?" Sydney asked innocently. "You think that I would sacrifice my time with you so I could spend it with him instead?"
"I know I would," Francie laughed. "Seriously, I love you, Syd, but if I had a boyfriend, we would see even less of each other than we already do."
"I'm gonna remember you said that," Sydney laughed, tossing a throw pillow at her friend. "I'm so offended now."
"Whatever," Francie sang. "You know that you'd do the same thing too. In fact, I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't."
Sydney smiled and thanked her lucky stars that she had such an understanding friend. Just then, the doorbell rang and she hopped up. "I'll get it. It's probably the delivery guy."
"Hey, make sure there's duck sauce in the bag!" Francie called out as Sydney entered the hallway.
She opened the door and was shocked to see a huge bouquet of flowers being held in front of her.
"Wow, what is this?"
"Delivery for, uh, Sydney Bristow," said a voice from behind the flowers. She took them from the delivery man and set them down on the table inside the door, before signing for them.
"Thank you so much. If you wait right here, I'll -- "
"Don't worry, miss, the tip's already been taken care of," he smiled.
"Oh, okay." She closed the door and smiled as the delivery man walked back down the path from her apartment. She could only think of two people who would send her flowers, and only one of them would have the forethought to tip the driver in advance.
"Man, thank god the food is here, I'm star -- oh my god!" Francie gasped when she saw Sydney carrying the flowers into the living room. "Those are gorgeous."
"I know," Sydney murmured, admiring at the bouquet of three dozen red roses.
"And they smell so good," Francie sighed, bending down for a closer inspection. "I guess I don't need to ask who they're from," she grinned at Sydney, who instantly began to blush.
"Actually, I don't know, because I haven't read the card yet," she said weakly. She knew that she didn't need to read the card to find out who the flowers were from, but she wanted to be alone when she read it. Luckily, the doorbell rang again.
"Okay, that *has* to be the food this time. I'll go get it so you can read the card and giggle and swoon in peace."
"Thanks, Fran," Sydney grinned. She walked into her room and set the flowers down on her dresser, then reached into remove the card. She was careful not to prick herself with the thorns until she looked at the stems and realized that they'd been removed. "Figures," she smirked as she opened the card. A rose with no thorns was the perfect metaphor for Vaughn.
"Syd, I know that red roses are boring and predictable, but the florist said that they symbolize passion, love, excitement, and anticipation, all of which I feel when I think about seeing you tomorrow. Can't wait. I love you," she read aloud.
She stuck the card back in its envelope and walked over to her closet, reaching up to the top shelf to pull down the hat box in which she kept all of her most important mementoes. She opened the box and quickly dropped the card inside before pulling out the envelope of pictures that Elise had given her a couple of months ago. She removed a small velvet bag that was tucked in with the pictures and opened it, removing her engagement ring. She tried to suppress the giddy smile that always broke out whenever she put the ring on, but it was no use.
She could hardly believe that after all the time they'd spent apart, Vaughn was finally, *finally* coming home tomorrow. Ever since she'd left work earlier that day, their imminent reunion had been the only thing she could think about, which had led her to make a few special purchases during her shopping expedition with Francie.
As she put the box back up on the shelf thought about seeing him again, she was so excited that she felt as if she might burst if she didn't talk to someone. She knew that she could talk to her father, Weiss, or Will, but after spending the day with Francie, she realized that what she really needed was to talk to her best friend. So even though she knew that what she was about to do was potentially crazy, she couldn't help herself as she walked back out to the kitchen.
"Hey, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you'd forgotten all about dinner."
"I just had to get something from my room." She took a deep breath and decided to press forward. "Francie, there's something important that I have to tell you."
Francie looked up from a carton of lo mein and smiled. "What is it?"
"Okay, this is going to sound crazy and a lot of it might not make sense, but I have to tell someone or I'm just going to explode. You have to *promise* me, though, that you won't say anything to anyone about it. I mean, you have to swear on everything that is holy. You can't mention it to Will, or my father, or your hairdresser, or *anyone.*"
"God, Syd, what is it? Wait, you're not pregnant, are you?"
"What? Pregnant?" Sydney blinked. "What made you think that I was -- "
"Well, you're so adamant that I can't tell anyone that I thought that maybe -- "
"No! No, I'm not pregnant," she laughed.
"Oh, then what's going on?"
"I have to tell you about Michael."
"Michael? Who's Michael?"
"The guy that I told you about, the one that I've been -- "
"Your boyfriend?"
"Yeah, except he's not my boyfriend anymore."
"Oh no, did the two of you break up? Is that why he sent the flowers, to apologize?" Francie asked, sympathetically.
"What?. No, we didn't break up."
"Oh. Well, then what were you saying about him not being your boyfriend anymore?"
"I'm getting to that," Sydney smiled. "So, he's been gone for a while, working on a project at one of the bank's East Coast offices, and while you were visiting your parents, he flew out to L.A. for my birthday."
"Wait a minute, he flew all the way across the country just to see you on your birthday?" Francie asked, wide-eyed. "That's amazing."
"Yeah, it was," Sydney smiled softly. "Anyway, he flew out here and surprised me with a hotel room, and a cake and champagne, and something else."
"What?"
"This." Sydney held out her hand and Francie's mouth dropped when she saw the diamond ring.
"Ohmigod, is this -- ?"
Sydney nodded happily. "He asked me to marry him, and I said yes. And nobody knows because it's a secret, and I shouldn't even be telling *you* right now, but I couldn't help myself and I know that I can trust you not to say anything," she said, her words rushing together in excitement.
"Oh wow. You're engaged," Francie said, raising a hand to cover her mouth.
"Yeah, I'm engaged. I know it sounds crazy because you've never even met Michael, and you've never seen us together and it hasn't even been two years since Danny died," she said in a softer voice. "But I really love him Francie. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I just want to be with him all the time. And I know this is all a lot to digest right now," she said apologetically. "I hope you're not pissed that I didn't tell you sooner."
Francie rushed around to the other side of the counter and wrapped Sydney in a tight hug. "Oh sweetie, shut up -- this is the best news ever. You look so excited and happy." She stepped back and smiled at her best friend.
"After Danny died, I didn't think that I would ever see you be truly happy again, but I used to pray that you would meet someone who would make you fall in love again. I didn't think that it would happen this soon, but it's wonderful. I just have one question -- when did you have time to fall in love with this guy? You're always gone," she laughed.
"Well, a few of my trips were with him, actually. Nothing romantic ever happened back then, but I guess just spending so much time with him was what made me fall in love with him." She looked down at the floor and smiled. "You know all of those Joey's Pizza calls?"
Francie nodded.
"That was, um . . . that was kind of our signal for me to meet him."
"Oh, get out!" she laughed. "Do you know how many times I've wanted to have out number changed?"
"I know. I'm pretty sure that when you meet Michael, the first thing he's going to do is apologize for all of those calls. Anyway, there's so much more that I want to tell you about him, but it has to wait for a while. I know it seems crazy that this is all so secretive, but I promise that a month from now, I'll tell you everything you want to know. We just have to -- "
"Syd, I don't want to rain on your parade, but he's not married is he?" Francie asked cautiously. She placed a sympathetic hand on Sydney's arm when she saw the stunned expression on her face. "You know that I would never judge you, sweetie; I just don't want to see you get hurt."
Sydney shook her head. "Fran, he's not married. Seriously, you don't think that I would -- he's not married," she repeated. "Trust me, the only reason for all the secrecy is our jobs, because we could both get fired -- or worse -- if anyone found out about us."
"*Or worse*? Syd, what's worse than getting fired?" Francie laughed. "Anyway, I'm just glad that he's not married, but I was starting to wonder. I thought that maybe his divorce wasn't going to be final for another month, or something."
Sydney couldn't help but laugh. "Oh god, I just realized that I totally would have thought the same thing if I had been in your shoes. I'm sorry about that. Believe me, Michael is very, very unmarried. And sweet," she sighed. "And thoughtful, and smart, and gorgeous. He's amazing."
"He sounds like it. Not to mention that he sends you flowers out of the blue for no apparent reason."
"Well, actually, there is a reason for that. He's finally coming home tomorrow after being in Washington for four months."
"Ohhh. Is *that* why you've been grinning like a fool for the past few days?"
"Yeah," Sydney smiled as she leaned over the counter to grab the carton of chicken with broccoli. "I think you're gonna have to get used to all of the grinning. It might be a permanent condition."
*****
"Sir?"
Sloane looked up from his computer and waved Agent Sean Bridges in.
"Yes. Do you have something for me?"
"Yes sir. Shortly after Agent Bristow returned home this evening, a delivery was made to her apartment. Flowers, sir."
"What kind?" Sloane pensively asked as Agent Bridges looked helplessly at him.
"Uh, they appeared to be roses, but I'm not sure, sir. I don't really know a lot about flowers and I was at a distance," he shrugged apologetically. "Whatever kind they were, she liked them. She appeared to be very happy."
"I'm sure she was," Sloane said absently. After a few moments, he seemed to remember the agent standing before him. "I want you to keep monitoring Agent Bristow. I want to know every man that she comes into contact with -- and every woman too," he said as an afterthought. "You can never be too sure these days."
"Yes sir," Agent Bridges said with a slight smile. He turned to leave but halted when Sloane spoke again.
"Oh, and Agent Bridges? Don't forget that you report only to me. Security Section is to know nothing of your surveillance of Agent Bristow."
"Of course, sir. Have a good evening."
Sloane tightly clenched his jaw as the door closed behind Agent Bridges. This was one of the few times that he took no pleasure in being correct about one of his hunches. Sydney was an excellent spy, one of the best he'd ever seen, and he felt a strong sense of pride and accomplishment in her abilities. As skilled as she was, however, she was no match for someone with his experience in this business. He had so perfected the art of duplicity that it was an easy trait for him to recognize in others.
He leaned back in his chair and stared off into the distance. Ever since the week after her birthday, he had been carefully observing Sydney, noticing how quick she was with a smile for her colleagues, how vivacious she was when she spoke with them, how she had acquired a noticeable bounce in her step. It was obvious to him that something significant was happening in her personal life, and as he told her earlier that day, he believed that she was manifesting all the signs of a woman in love.
Strangely enough, he was happy for her if she was in love, assuming, of course that the man in question was suitable for her. He wanted her to be with someone who would treat her well and adore her -- she was indeed a woman worthy of adoration. More importantly, however, it was essential that she be with someone who wouldn't interfere in his plans for her, plans that were first set in motion the day that Jack and Irina introduced him to her. He knew from that moment on that she would play an important role in his future, and he wouldn't allow anyone threaten that. In fact, it was the very reason that her life had been spared when Daniel Hecht was eliminated. As soon as he'd heard Danny's answering machine message, with his talk of children and ex-spies, Sloane knew that he was a threat that had to be eliminated at all costs . Sloane simply couldn't take the chance that Danny might somehow influence Sydney to quit SD-6, and if he couldn't take the chance back then, he certainly couldn't take it now that his plans had progressed even further.
That was why he had felt that it was imperative to question Sydney about her personal life. He hadn't expected her to be forthcoming, of course, but he nevertheless had hoped that she would surprise him and make the conversation easier for both of them. Of course, she hadn't, and he was almost proud of her for that, proud that she wouldn't break, not even for him. But it also made things more difficult, as he would now have to seek out answers on his own. If Sydney was involved with a man, Sloane needed to know everything about him in order to decide whether he could remain a part of her life or needed to be eliminated.
One way or another, he vowed, he was going to get those answers.
*****
"Did you get Donovan all squared away?" Elise asked anxiously as Vaughn walked back up to her.
"Yeah, he's all set. All the desk agents were cooing about how cute he is," he laughed. "Too bad he was knocked out and couldn't bask in all the attention."
"Yes, he would have loved that," she agreed distractedly as she looked at all the people bustling around them. "Well, you should probably head over to the gate."
"I've still got a few minutes," he said, checking his watch.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Are you trying to get rid of me?"
She quickly laughed and shook her head. "No, of course not, darling. I just don't want you to miss your flight, that's all."
"Okay, I don't know whether to be glad that you're concerned about me missing my flight or insulted that you don't want me to stick around longer," he smiled.
"Frankly, Michael, if you stayed any longer, you would drive me crazy. For the past week, you've been practically bouncing off the walls, looking forward to going home. You've worn me out, and now you need to go back to L.A. so I can recover."
He laughed and gathered his mother into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, sweetheart, and I'm sure that after a few days, I'll actually start to miss you."
"Please," he rolled his eyes. "You're going to miss me the second I'm on the other side of the security checkpoint."
"You're right," she sighed. "I did love having you here. It was nice to feel like a mom again, and actually get to *see* my child."
"Was that a guilt trip, Mom? Because if you'd stop flying off to France at a moment's notice, you could come see your child in L.A."
She gave him a look and shook her head. "Well, I see that you inherited my guilt trip gene."
"Damned genetics," he laughed. "Seriously, once this operation is over, you have to come out for a visit. Sydney would love that, not to mention Eric."
"I would love that, too. Be sure to give them both my love when you get back."
"I will, and right after that, I'm going to buy you a ticket to fly out to California, so you won't have a good excuse not to."
"Michael, my goodness. If I say I'm going to come, I'll come. You don't need to send the federal marshals to escort me."
"I know," he laughed. "I just want to be sure. Sydney and I are going on vacation the first week of July, but when we get back, you'll come, okay?"
"Okay. You know, you're just like your father when you get a big idea in your head. You get so carried away," she laughed. "Listen, don't worry, I will definitely come to L.A. in July, and I'll buy my own ticket, thank you very much."
Vaughn smiled. Some time in July, his mother would finally understand why he was so eager for her to visit, and then she'd probably berate him for not inviting her sooner. In the meantime, though, she was every bit as stubborn and independent as another gorgeous woman he knew, a woman that he couldn't wait to get home to. He took one last glance at his watch and pulled Elise into another hug.
"Alright, I actually do have to go now. I'm going to miss you."
"Me too. Have a safe trip, and call me to let me know that you made it safely."
"I will. Au revoir, Mom."
She waved and smiled to herself as he walked away. As sad as she was to see him go, she was happy knowing that he was going home to someone who loved him just as much as she did.
*****
Shortly after the plane reached cruising altitude, Vaughn leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He wanted to try and get some rest so he wouldn't be exhausted once the plane landed, but he knew that sleep was going to be hard to come by. He didn't sleep well on planes in general, but he knew that it would be especially difficult today, just as it had been when he flew out to surprise Sydney for her birthday. At the moment, all he could think about was how good it would feel to hold her again, and how much better it would feel to kiss her and make love to her again. He could already feel his entire body humming with anticipation, and he knew that it wouldn't be too much longer before he had a chance to put all of that energy to good use.
TBC . . .