He turned off the car and reached for the handle to open the door. His
actions were interrupted by the sound of the passenger door opening. Jack
turned to face the young man sliding into the seat next to him.
"Before you say anything hear me out." Sark said confidently looking Jack Bristow in the eye with his best poker face.
Jack considered this for a short moment before inclining his head.
"As you are well aware the Covenant has held your daughter for the last year. What they did to Sydney was unspeakable, and I hope that someday she will be able to fully recover. In the mean time, she's in danger. The Covenant believes that she has left the country, as per her orders. It will not be long before they discover the truth."
"Mr. Sark, you're telling me what I already know. Surely there is some point to this little rendezvous." Jack said arching an eyebrow.
"Certainly. We are both enemies of the Covenant. I, however, have much more to lose to them than yourself. I need some information from Sydney." Sark said slyly, his resolve slightly shaken by Jack's intense glare.
"And in return?" Jack questioned immediately.
"I can help Sydney remain under the Covenant's radar, while also furthering her cause to bring them down." Sark smiled.
"This sounds as if it would be an equitable trade Mr. Sark. There is just one thing that is left unclear. Why, after they extracted you from CIA custody, are you double crossing the Covenant?" Jack said, his eyes dark and inquisitive.
"The Covenant had me extracted as a means to gain certain assets of mine. In other words, they crossed me first." Sark's smile faded quickly.
"I don't trust you." Jack said frankly. "But I believe that it is best for Sydney to maintain her cover with the Covenant. You can only be beneficial to that end." Jack said with a slight smile. "I will contact you when Sydney is ready."
"Time is of the essence." Sark replied.
+++++++++++++
The harsh tone of a cell phone ringing caused the three tearfully dazed souls to stir. Irina reached for her coat and took out the small cell, she walked toward the back of the room, leaving Sydney and Vaughn tangled on the floor. Sydney's hand slid behind Vaughn's neck, feeling the place where she'd struck him.
"I'm sorry about that." She said softly.
"I've had worse." He said with a small smile. He watched her eyes as they searched his face, rememorizing his features. After a moment she looked down, her head falling near his shoulder.
"I was there." She breathed almost inaudibly.
"Where?" Vaughn replied equally as quiet.
"On the beach." She said softly, raising her eyes to meet his.
He looked at her strangely, unsure of what she meant. Could she possibly know all the times he'd spent on the beach in Santa Barbra, crying and calling her name. He shook his head, it was impossible. He was still searching for clarity when she spoke again.
"Spreading my ashes at sea," she began before a swell of tears overcame her.
"The funeral." Vaughn breathed, realizing what she was saying. He closed his eyes for a moment remembering that retched day. "You were there." He exclaimed, part question part revelation.
"They wanted me to witness my life being destroyed." She said after a long moment of pulling herself together. "They wanted me to know that I was truly dead to you, to all of you."
Vaughn sighed heavily, pulling her a little closer to him.
"I barely remember that day." Vaughn said after a long while. Sydney just listened resting her head on his shoulder. "Your father," He said before losing himself in tears.
"I can't blame you for moving on." Sydney forced the words from her mouth in a hurry, not sure she could really mean them, much less say them.
"Sydney," Vaughn whispered. "I can only blame myself for thinking of moving on, or hoping I ever could. I'm pretty sure I was deluding myself to think that I could ever open my heart to anyone ever again. I've been holding my breath for so long Sydney. I've been afraid to live any sort of life, because I know that anything without you will be nothing. I've been so scared that if I begin living again, if I start breathing, it won't work. My life only exists when you're in it. And here I am holding you in my arms, still holding my breath. I can't even allow myself to hope that you're really here, because if I was wrong.... If I was wrong..." He stopped overcome.
"Vaughn," Sydney said taking his face in her hands. "You are the only thing that kept me alive. When I thought I'd lost you, when I'd seen that you'd moved on, I realized that Sydney Bristow is no one without Michael Vaughn. I saw that girl with you, and it was suddenly so easy for me to become Julia, so incredibly comfortable to be someone else." She sighed heavily, desperately trying to hold herself together to explain as much as possible. "There is no way to describe it, when you suddenly can't stand the person you are, when you are taken and overwhelmed by the life you're trying to hold together, but not even living." She paused, noticing her mother walking back toward them. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "I understand what it's like to live, holding your breath."
"We have to go." Irina said softly, standing near the door and gazing at her daughter and the man who loved her tangled in each other's arms on the floor. They had need time together, she'd given them all that she could, but it was time to move.
"Where are we going?" Sydney said as she struggled to stand.
"Somewhere safe." Irina said unlocking the deadbolt on the door and holding out her hand.
Sydney took her mother's hand in her own and they walked out the door, followed by Vaughn, and into Jack's awaiting car.
Vaughn opened the door and Sydney slid into the back seat next to her mother. He looked around carefully as he rounded the car and stepped into the passenger seat.
Sydney watched her father though the rear view mirror. Not once did he look at her as they drove. He looked older. He looked scared.
+++++++++++++++
"Before you say anything hear me out." Sark said confidently looking Jack Bristow in the eye with his best poker face.
Jack considered this for a short moment before inclining his head.
"As you are well aware the Covenant has held your daughter for the last year. What they did to Sydney was unspeakable, and I hope that someday she will be able to fully recover. In the mean time, she's in danger. The Covenant believes that she has left the country, as per her orders. It will not be long before they discover the truth."
"Mr. Sark, you're telling me what I already know. Surely there is some point to this little rendezvous." Jack said arching an eyebrow.
"Certainly. We are both enemies of the Covenant. I, however, have much more to lose to them than yourself. I need some information from Sydney." Sark said slyly, his resolve slightly shaken by Jack's intense glare.
"And in return?" Jack questioned immediately.
"I can help Sydney remain under the Covenant's radar, while also furthering her cause to bring them down." Sark smiled.
"This sounds as if it would be an equitable trade Mr. Sark. There is just one thing that is left unclear. Why, after they extracted you from CIA custody, are you double crossing the Covenant?" Jack said, his eyes dark and inquisitive.
"The Covenant had me extracted as a means to gain certain assets of mine. In other words, they crossed me first." Sark's smile faded quickly.
"I don't trust you." Jack said frankly. "But I believe that it is best for Sydney to maintain her cover with the Covenant. You can only be beneficial to that end." Jack said with a slight smile. "I will contact you when Sydney is ready."
"Time is of the essence." Sark replied.
+++++++++++++
The harsh tone of a cell phone ringing caused the three tearfully dazed souls to stir. Irina reached for her coat and took out the small cell, she walked toward the back of the room, leaving Sydney and Vaughn tangled on the floor. Sydney's hand slid behind Vaughn's neck, feeling the place where she'd struck him.
"I'm sorry about that." She said softly.
"I've had worse." He said with a small smile. He watched her eyes as they searched his face, rememorizing his features. After a moment she looked down, her head falling near his shoulder.
"I was there." She breathed almost inaudibly.
"Where?" Vaughn replied equally as quiet.
"On the beach." She said softly, raising her eyes to meet his.
He looked at her strangely, unsure of what she meant. Could she possibly know all the times he'd spent on the beach in Santa Barbra, crying and calling her name. He shook his head, it was impossible. He was still searching for clarity when she spoke again.
"Spreading my ashes at sea," she began before a swell of tears overcame her.
"The funeral." Vaughn breathed, realizing what she was saying. He closed his eyes for a moment remembering that retched day. "You were there." He exclaimed, part question part revelation.
"They wanted me to witness my life being destroyed." She said after a long moment of pulling herself together. "They wanted me to know that I was truly dead to you, to all of you."
Vaughn sighed heavily, pulling her a little closer to him.
"I barely remember that day." Vaughn said after a long while. Sydney just listened resting her head on his shoulder. "Your father," He said before losing himself in tears.
"I can't blame you for moving on." Sydney forced the words from her mouth in a hurry, not sure she could really mean them, much less say them.
"Sydney," Vaughn whispered. "I can only blame myself for thinking of moving on, or hoping I ever could. I'm pretty sure I was deluding myself to think that I could ever open my heart to anyone ever again. I've been holding my breath for so long Sydney. I've been afraid to live any sort of life, because I know that anything without you will be nothing. I've been so scared that if I begin living again, if I start breathing, it won't work. My life only exists when you're in it. And here I am holding you in my arms, still holding my breath. I can't even allow myself to hope that you're really here, because if I was wrong.... If I was wrong..." He stopped overcome.
"Vaughn," Sydney said taking his face in her hands. "You are the only thing that kept me alive. When I thought I'd lost you, when I'd seen that you'd moved on, I realized that Sydney Bristow is no one without Michael Vaughn. I saw that girl with you, and it was suddenly so easy for me to become Julia, so incredibly comfortable to be someone else." She sighed heavily, desperately trying to hold herself together to explain as much as possible. "There is no way to describe it, when you suddenly can't stand the person you are, when you are taken and overwhelmed by the life you're trying to hold together, but not even living." She paused, noticing her mother walking back toward them. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "I understand what it's like to live, holding your breath."
"We have to go." Irina said softly, standing near the door and gazing at her daughter and the man who loved her tangled in each other's arms on the floor. They had need time together, she'd given them all that she could, but it was time to move.
"Where are we going?" Sydney said as she struggled to stand.
"Somewhere safe." Irina said unlocking the deadbolt on the door and holding out her hand.
Sydney took her mother's hand in her own and they walked out the door, followed by Vaughn, and into Jack's awaiting car.
Vaughn opened the door and Sydney slid into the back seat next to her mother. He looked around carefully as he rounded the car and stepped into the passenger seat.
Sydney watched her father though the rear view mirror. Not once did he look at her as they drove. He looked older. He looked scared.
+++++++++++++++