The Hardest Thing
"What?"
"Vaughn, calm down."
"Why is she here?"
Sydney didn't want to have to tell him this. He had always had a problem with loyalty. This would be hard on him even though he had only known Lauren a few weeks.
"Okay Vaughn, I'll tell you."
Vaughn looked into her eyes. He could tell that she didn't want to explain, but he had to know.
"I was sitting in a room and Oleg was trying to get me to believe that I was Julia and a woman walked in. She asked if I was Sydney Bristow and Oleg nodded. She wondered what you had seen in me and Oleg to her to go and find out. She looked surprised. He told her that she was going to be a mole inside the National Security Council, but that wasn't all. She was to find the grieving agent, get close to him, coax him back into the CIA, and get Intel from the NSC and the CIA for the Covenant." Sydney was nearly to tears at this point, but she took a deep breath and continued.
"Sloane had nothing to do with my disappearance. The Covenant faked my death so they could take me away and use me to find out more about Rambaldi. I think that they are even more fanatical over the guy than Sloane, if you can believe that. To keep you from coming after me they sent in a woman to keep you occupied. They figured you were vulnerable and you would be easy to fool. So the mole was sent to the United States. Oleg told me that they would find you and that you would move on. They wanted to reinforce the fact that I had no one, that I was alone, and that I had no choice, but to become Julia Thorne. The woman that was sent in, her name is Lauren Reed. She is our very own Irina Derevko."
Vaughn just stared at Sydney. He felt like he had been hit by a truck. Not only had he given up on Sydney, he lost faith, but he was seeing a traitor. Why was Syd doing this, pushing him back to Lauren? If Sydney was alive, then why was she pushing him away? She's alive, he can be with her not Lauren. Doesn't she know that he only loves her, his heart only beats for her?
"Syd"
"Vaughn, don't say anything. Don't make it harder than it already is."
"But why? If Lauren is Covenant and you're alive, then why are you pushing me to her?"
"Because if you started to pull away now they would know that something was up. I would be the first person they would come after because I've been gone all week."
"Stay with me, we'll disappear without a trace and they'll never find us."
"I can't stay. I can't just vanish. The Covenant would know that you knew and they would not stop until they found us. I can't do that. I can't spend my life on the run, constantly looking over our shoulders. I won't do that to you."
"I don't care. Nothing else matters to me. As long as I'm with you it doesn't matter where we are. I just want you."
"Vaughn, don't do this. I want to be with you more than anything in the world, but I can't do this again. If we were even seen in the same place they wouldn't hesitate to kill us, no questions asked. This isn't the Alliance we are dealing with."
"Sydney, please don't make me do this."
"You have to. If you don't I really will end up dead. Once I take down enough of the monster, I'll come back. But in the meantime you must get close to Lauren, do whatever you have to do to keep her nearby. I've been through so much in the last few months and I know I'll be through much more. Before I come back, I am going to have the time from my capture to then erased. If it doesn't kill me and I come back alive, please, don't tell me anything I've told you."
"But Syd"
"I know it will hurt to see you with Lauren, but I would rather not know why. I know me, I'll get curious if I know the truth and then I'll find out everything else when I just want to forget it all. Vaughn, don't tell anyone what I've told you, not even my father. Kendall knows most of what I said, but he doesn't know my ultimate plan. I have to go; they'll be after me soon."
"Syd, please don't go."
She looked into his eyes; they were begging her to stay. She wanted to, but deep down she knew she couldn't. If she stayed, it would only be a matter of time before he was dead. She could take not being with him if he was alive, but if he was dead. She couldn't bear losing him.
This was the hardest thing she ever had to do. She had to willingly walk away from Vaughn. But she was doing it to save him. It was tearing her up inside. She needed to leave before she broke down again.
"Vaughn be careful, please, do it for me. I'll come back, I promise."
"I love you."
"I love you too . . . . . goodbye."
Vaughn followed her outside. He stood in the doorway and watched her get into her car. He wanted to rush out to her and hold her for one last time, but then it would be even harder for him to let her go. He took one last glimpse of her. She started the car and drove off. Vaughn watched it disappear into the distance.
Sydney felt like her heart was being ripped out of her. It wanted to stay and it was trying to, but she kept on driving. A single tear glistened on her cheek.
Oh we never know where life will take us
I know it's just a ride on the wheel.
And we never know when death will shake us
And we wonder how it will feel.
So goodbye my friend
I know I'll never see you again
But the time together through all the years
Will take away these tears
It's ok now...
Goodbye my friend
I see a lot of things that make me crazy
And I guess I held on to you
I could of run away and left
Well, maybe...
But it wasn't time we both knew
So goodbye my friend
I know I'll never see you again
But the love you gave me through all the years
Will take away these tears
I'm ok now...
Goodbye my friend
Life's so fragile and love's so pure
We can't hold on but we try
We watch how quickly it disappears
And we never know why
"Hi, Lauren. We need to talk."
But I'm ok now
Goodbye my friend.
I can go now
Goodbye my friend
THE END
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an: I am thinking of doing a story about when Syd comes back. Please tell me if you want me too.
The song is Goodbye My Friend by Linda Ronstadt