Little Child Lost

Chapter Nineteen

Return to the Former

            Sark pulled into a hotel after they passed the German/Swiss border.  Rogan had fallen asleep in Sydney's arms, only making occasional gurgling noises.  Sydney stayed quiet also, content to watch her son.  He had a fluff of brown hair and milky white baby skin and the most fascinating face.  His mouth was small and pink and formed a perfect O as he slept.  His cheeks were flushed and the rosy color met with a perfect button nose.  His eyelashes curled across his cheeks, hiding haunting chocolate colored eyes as he slept peacefully.  Sydney was amazed at how beautiful her son truly was.  She hefted him onto her hip as Sark checked them into a hotel room, then carted him up to the room.  Sark knew they were the picture of a perfect family; an adorable couple with an adorable child.  Sark almost wished it was true.  Sydney placed Rogan into a crib of pillows since the hotel offered nothing for him to sleep in.  She curled up on the bed, but not to sleep.  She stared at Sark for a moment.

"I'm going home tomorrow."

"No.  You aren't."  His denial was simple and direct and if it were anybody but Sydney, it would have offered no room for argument.

"Since when do I have to do what you say?  I'm tired of running.  I just want to go home."

"It would be both idiotic and fatal.  You're going to have to get over your homesickness, Sydney."

"Why do you think it's going to be fatal?"

"You take Rogan to Los Angeles and Sloane will be waiting for you. He's going to expect you to return."

"I thought you shot Sloane."

"I did.  In the leg and the hand."

"You didn't kill him?"

Sydney sprang to her feet, careful not to wake Rogan, but clearly showing her outrage.

"No, I-"

"Whose side are you on, exactly?  Why didn't you kill him?"  Sydney exploded.

"He knows a lot more about The Prophecy, more than the rest of us.  If I'd killed him, we would have lost all our answers with him."

"Or maybe you're part of The Covenant.  Maybe your job was to seduce me and force me to trust you.  Maybe you were only trying to put The Prophecy into action.  You didn't tell me about The Passenger being a part of The Prophecy."

Sark's eyes flashed like lightening.  He'd risked everything to help Sydney and this was what he was getting in return.

"Oh, now that's a bloody brilliant plan.  I've known about Rogan all along.  Of course.  The Covenant obviously knew my charms would overcome your severe hate of me.  See how well it worked."

Sark narrowed his eyes, a deadly look playing on his features.  He'd allowed himself to open up a degree to Sydney and she twisted everything around on him.  He'd become attached to Sydney and now he was paying for it.

"You want to get yourself and your son killed, go ahead.  You're on your own now, Sydney.  That's what you wanted, isn't it?  Get out of this room.  You can take the car, but just get the hell out of this room before I decide to kill you myself."

Sydney took a step back.  She hadn't expected Sark to react this way.  She knew she had pushed him, but she had though he would deny her accusations.  Maybe she had been right.  The old Sark was back now, so it didn't matter either way.

"If you come back to the United States, Sark, I'll have you arrested.  And I'll see you executed."

Sark turned his back on her, folding his arms across his chest.  Sydney took the keys on the desk and lifted Rogan gently from the bed.  She stalked out of the room and slammed the door.  Sark didn't even watch her leave.

            Sark sank into the armchair, cursing himself for allowing Sydney to worm her way into his heart.  He didn't care about people.  That feeling had been burned out of him at a young age.  Irina had made sure of that.  He'd had no problems, no sudden crisis of conscience.  He did what he did and had no problems with it, unless it was completely unchallenging.  Still, vulnerable and beautiful Sydney fascinated him; so obsessive about being good, yet she bordered on the line between good and evil.  In a sense, he intended to corrupt her and in a sense, he intended to raise himself above thoughtless evil.  Somehow, everything was mixed up and they were enemies again.  Sark leaned his head back and closed his eyes.  Well, he didn't care anymore.  He would return to being his former self and he wouldn't give Sydney a second thought.  Things were back to normal; at least normal for him.  If Sydney wanted to be stubborn and get herself killed, that was her problem.

            Sydney broke into her house.  Sadly, she no longer had a key to her own home.  The house was easy to get into which both relieved her and disconcerted her.  She was an agent.  It should be harder to get into her house that a couple of good lock picks.  She pushed the baby carrier she'd bought with her credit card in through the window then climbed in herself.  She'd stopped on the way home and had resisted the urge to use the money Sark had set up for her to use.  She wouldn't use the money, that would make him think she needed him.  That was the last thing she wanted him to think.  It'd only inflate his ego.  Sydney surveyed the room.  The house looked exactly the same, like she hadn't left it for a couple of months.  It was almost extraordinary that every room looked the same.  She flipped on a light, the glow flooding the room she stood in.  The light woke Rogan and he cried a helpless cry.  She picked him up and began to rock him, but her own tears of relief and distress mingled with his.  She wasn't doing a great job of comforting him; she only upset him more.  She began to walk with him.  She froze when she heard a gun cock behind her.  All she could think was that Sark had been right.

"Turn around slowly."

Sydney did so, shielding Rogan as she did. 

"Sydney?"

Weiss dropped his gun immediately and rushed forward.  He threw his arms around her but found that something was impeding a good hug.  He saw the child in her arms, but didn't ask about it yet.

"I heard a noise over here, so I wanted to make sure no one had broken in."

"Well, I did, technically.  I lost my keys while I was gone.  It's good to see you, Weiss."

"I looked for you with your father and Irina after you snuck out in Kosovo."

"Yeah.  Sorry about that.  Sark and I needed to work together, without you guys."

Weiss nodded, not in understanding, but in acceptance.  He wouldn't pretend like everything Sydney did made sense, but he would stick by her in the end.  He smiled boyishly.

"Okay, so maybe I'm bringing up the obvious, but you have a little boy with you."

"Yeah.  I had a child a year and four months ago.  His name is Rogan."

"Who is the father?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Milo Rambaldi."

"Forget I asked."

"Forget I answered."

They both laughed and Rogan stopped his crying.  In fact, he added in his own childish giggle that won Weiss over.  No matter how this child was conceived, he was adorable. 

"Can I hold him?"

"Sure."  Sydney passed him over to Weiss, who began to bounce him. 

"Hello, Rogan. My name is Eric.  You can call me that.  Or Uncle Eric.  Your mommy is my friend and I hope I can be yours, too."

Rogan buried his head in Weiss' shoulder, showing his answer.  Weiss grinned. 

"He's wonderful, Sydney."

"I know."  Her smile was that of pure mother's pride, something she was allowed.  The air became serious again as Sydney stopped smiling.
"You can't tell the others at the CIA about Rogan.  They're going to want to study him.  And I won't let that happen.  So please don't, not yet.  I have to come up with a good story for Rogan's background before I show him off."

"All right.  I won't say a word."

Weiss paused for a beat.  "Did you find what you were looking for, Sydney?"

"Yes.  I think I did."

She ruffled Rogan's hair and headed over to the couch.

"You wanna stay here tonight, Weiss?"

"Sure."