Chapter 7: A Slip Up and a Run In

ZZZzzzzzzzzz…..

Jingle, jingle…….creeeaaaaakkk…….SLAM!

"Wha…what the…?" Weiss sits up quickly from his slumber on the couch, eyes still half-closed, and grabs his gun off of the side table – aiming it towards the door.

"Intruders don't normally use a key, Eric," Sydney says with a smirk. "Now put that gun away before I have to take you down."

"Syd?" Eric asks groggily. He puts the gun down and rubs his eyes. "Where have you been?"

Sydney drops her keys on the counter and heads to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water. "I went for a run, then I ended up at JTF….I talked to Dixon."

Weiss gets up and walks to the kitchen. He leans against the door frame. "Dixon? What'd you have to talk to him about?"

Sydney gives her sleepy friend a once over then chuckles. "You're not a morning person, are you?" The response she receives closely resembles a death ray aimed in her direction. "Want some coffee?" She pulls a canister out of the cupboard.

"Yes, please, now. You are a goddess." He takes a seat on the kitchen bar stool and watches Sydney as she gets the coffee started. When she's done, she grabs her water and joins Weiss on the stool next to him. He gives her a sideways glance. "Goddess or not, you are attempting to evade the Inquisition. So get with the confessing. What did you have to see Dixon about?"

She takes a swig of her water and gives him a small smile. "I went to ask him to assign me a new partner for ops…well, actually, I told him that I did not want to go on any more operations period with Vaughn."

"You're kidding, right?" She raises her eyebrows and shakes her head. "Are you crazy? There's no way…wait a second, what did Dixon say?"

Sydney's back stiffens somewhat as she replies, "He denied my request."

"Well, of course he did! Honestly, Syd, I can't even fathom why you would make that kind of request. You and Vaughn are like…the Batman & Robin of CIA ops…you're like Captain & Tenille…Rocky & Bullwinkle…Han & Leia…"

Sydney lets a snort escape at that last one. "I get your point, Weiss. But you're forgetting one very important detail. We use to be 'Syd & Vaughn' – but…we're not anymore. You know what happened in North Korea. My life is full of insanity with no definitive end in sight. What happened to me…the aftershocks haven't even begun to spread out, much less dissipate."

"I know what you're saying, Syd, but you and Vaughn still have a connection that is pretty powerful. Take last night for example…"

Sydney interrupts him, "What happened last night is what drove me to see Dixon today. I can't keep depending on Vaughn…when he is not mine to depend on. With us, there is no line between 'personal' and 'professional.' The more dire the situation…the more likely that one of us is going to say or do something inappropriate. When stuff like that happens, my defenses come down and I see a glimmer of hope…I can't allow myself to hope, Eric. Too many of my dreams have been shattered by that four-letter word."

Eric stands up and pulls Sydney up with him. He envelops her in a big bear hug, then whispers in her ear, "Syd…there is always hope. You can't give up on Vaughn yet."

As Sydney considers what he said, something clicks somewhere deep inside her and she pulls her head back quickly – forcing Eric to look her straight in the eyes. She glares at him just long enough for Weiss to feel like she's reading his mind. "What's going on, Weiss?"

Just then, Eric's cell phone rings.

Vaughn recovers himself from his near collision with the stoic statue that is Jack Bristow.

"Agent Vaughn." His voice is already laced with accusation. "I would think that you would be a little bit more aware of your surroundings, being that you are an agent with the CIA. Perhaps a little more caution when you exit an office, rather than an inappropriate 'mad dash' would suit you in the future."

Vaughn straightens himself up and squares his shoulders, bringing his arms in front of him where he places one hand over the other in a tight grip. Even the formidable Jack Bristow isn't going to keep me from this mission. It's too important. "Good morning to you, too, Jack. I apologize for bumping into you, but I have an urgent meeting to get to."

Jack considers the man before him. This is a different Michael Vaughn than the one he has been witness to in the months since Sydney has returned. Something has changed…something probably having to do with Sydney. Well, I'm going to have to take him down a notch before he rips her heart out…again.

"Agent Vaughn, I suggest that you keep in mind the piece of advice that I gave you regarding your interactions with my daughter. I will not stand by and let you..."

"Forget it, Jack. You can't scare me away from Sydney. There is too much history between us. There are some things that you don't understand...can't understand. You are just going to have to do the one thing that will probably be the most difficult for you to accept -- you're going to have to trust Sydney...and trust me."

With that, Vaughn brushes past a stunned Jack and heads to his desk. He grabs his cell phone out of his inside coat pocket, then grabs his briefcase and heads for the elevators. Coming up with a plan of action, he dials Weiss while waiting for the elevator to arrive.

Ring…ring…

"Weiss…"

Weiss backs away from Sydney and grabs his phone from the counter. "Sorry, Syd. This is probably important. You know, CIA agent and all." Whew! Talk about being saved by the bell! "This is Weiss."

"Hey man. You still at Syd's?"

"Uh…yeah, what's up?" Sydney is studying Weiss's face, trying to determine who it is. Finally, she mouths the words, "Who is it?" Weiss shakes her off and holds a finger up, asking her to wait a minute.

"Listen, don't tell Syd that it's me. I need you to come pick me up over at the Archives building. Make up something to tell Syd. I'll explain why when you get here."

"Okay…yes, sir. I'll be right there." Weiss hangs up and gives Sydney a hesitant look. Her stare sends shivers up his spine and he gets a glimpse of the look she usually reserves for the bad guys. He doesn't like it. "Uh, I have to go…into the office for a little bit. I need to clarify part of a report I did for Dixon."

Sydney still eyes him skeptically. "We need to finish our conversations – both this one and the one from last night." She knows that she struck something a few moments ago, and she is not going to let him back out of it. She wants some answers…now.

"Yeah, sure. I shouldn't be gone long. You going to be okay here all by yourself." Sydney gives him a glare that could melt steel. "I'll take that as a 'yes, and I could drop kick you in a heartbeat.' I'll be back soon, then we can…uh…finish talking."