Chapter 2
She finally stopped screaming and paused to look more closely at the scene in front of her. There was an old man-Oleg, she guessed, as well as two women. Lauren, and herself. Lauren and Oleg were laughing at Sydney cruelly.
"What, can't bear to see your lover cry? Don't worry, I'll cheer him up for you." Lauren grabbed the small tazer and touched it quickly to Sydney's stomach.
"You are dead, Sydney Bristow. You are nobody-yet. Come with us." Oleg laughed at Sydney as Lauren zapped her again. As she howled with pain through her gag, everything faded to black before erupting a few seconds later in swirling neon.
This time Sydney saw herself lying on an operating table. Lauren was nowhere to be seen, and she soon realized that her eggs were being extracted. I'm living my memories. From a different perspective, yes, but living them just the same.
"We've got them," the doctor said. Just then, Sydney heard a voice calling her name from far above.
"Sydney? Sydney, can you hear me?"
She mumbled something incomprehensible before opening her eyes. Vaughn was standing over her, looking worried.
"Syd, are you okay?"
"Mmm, yeah. How long have I been out?"
"Almost a week."
"Really? In my dream it only seemed like a few minutes."
"Dreams can betray how long you've really been sleeping. What was it about, anyway? You were thrashing and screaming quite a bit just now."
"I-" Sydney was suddenly aware of the other people in the room. "I'll tell you later," she whispered. "So," she said more loudly. "How did the surgery go?"
Dr. Ramirez stepped forward, smiling broadly. "Well, it was a complete success. Congratulations, Miss Bristow, you're pregnant."
At once the tears began to fall. Vaughn's magnificent jade eyes were brimming as well. He leaned down to Sydney and whispered hoarsely, "Congratulations, beautiful. You're having a baby."
"No. We're having a baby. It needs a father, after all."
Vaughn smiled and kissed Sydney's temple before straightening. "Oh, I almost forgot, you have some...visitors." He nodded toward the door. The RN opened it slowly, and Sydney gasped with surprise.
"Mom! Will! Oh my God! You're not in custody? And, how did you get out of Witness Protection?"
Will grinned and strode toward the bed. "Well, I do have government connections, Syd. Oh, congrats by the way."
"Thank you. Mom? You can come in, you know."
"I know, Sydney. I just can't believe my baby girl is pregnant, even if the child is technically Rambaldi's."
Sydney smiled, but then grew somber. "I wish Francie was here. We always talked about this kind of stuff. How she would be Aunt Francie and I would be Aunt Sydney. And, of course, Uncle Will."
"Aww, Syd." Will leaned down and hugged her. "I miss Fran, too, but at least we didn't lose you."
Vaughn cast Will an appreciative glance before clearing his throat and saying, "Irina, could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Of course, Mr. Vaughn."
"What is it you wanted to talk about?"
"Well, how much do you know about this. . .prophecy?"
Irina smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, not much. I'd say no more than you do."
"Oh. I also wanted to tell you this. I cannot forgive you for what you did to my father, but I'll try my best to be civil. Sydney means as much to me as she does to you, and if we can find common ground there, then I'm sure we'll get along fine."
"I appreciate your sentiment, Mr. Vaughn. And I'm glad that you're here for my daughter."
Just then, Will poked his head out. "You guys gonna come back in? Sydney wants to see everyone."
Vaughn smiled. "Sure, Will. We're right behind you."
They arrived back in the room to see Weiss snapping pictures with a disposable camera. Sydney looked up to see Vaughn and Irina had returned.
"Ooh, goody. Now that you're all here, I think poses are in order? Mom, dad, get over here. I need a family photo." Irina and Jack acquiesced, standing on either side of their daughter.
Everyone else stepped back, except for Weiss, who took a step forward, camera in hand. "Okay, everyone say 'happy spies!'"
Laughing, they echoed, "Happy Spies!" Still laughing, Sydney spoke again. "Will, Weiss, you next." Weiss handed the camera to Vaughn and took the place Irina had just vacated. When they were done, Sydney motioned to Vaughn. "Don't think I've forgotten about you." So, laughing and smiling, old friends and lovers were reunited, causing a trace of everyone's former self to appear. Sydney, Vaughn, and Jack no longer looked like a shadow of two years past. Instead, happiness filled their eyes rather than grief. Relief showed in Weiss' eyes, as well as Will's. Anyone who walked into the room then would not have known the horrors these people have faced just by looking at them. Only pure, true, happiness.
The next day, Sydney left the hospital. Vaughn had stayed with her all night, and the others were returning to see her home. They all filed out of the hospital, Vaughn pushing Sydney's wheelchair. He smiled as he noticed Irina's hand slip into Jack's without protest. He was sure he was the only one who noticed, as Sydney and Will were being entertained by Weiss' yo-yo tricks. Syd turned her attention to Vaughn, and noticed him smiling.
"What?"
He motioned to her parents. "Look."
"Oh my God. I mean-wow!"
"Yeah, I know."
"Um, Vaughn?"
He noticed the change of tone immediately. "What is it? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. I was just thinking, I'm pregnant now, and I live alone, so. . .So I was wondering, I mean, if you want to, do you think you could stay with me?"
Another smile played at the corners of his mouth. "What do you mean, like, live with you? Move in?"
"Uh, yeah. You know, forget it, it was stupid-"
"Okay."
"What?!"
"I think it's a great idea." As she was loaded into the car, Vaughn reached his hand into his pocket and felt the small velvet box. The ring. Sydney had urged him to keep the ring, in case things didn't work out in surgery. He hadn't argued, simply held her until she fell asleep. He was startled out of his reverie by the car door slamming. Half-consciously he climbed into the passenger seat.
(4 weeks later)
"Vaughn?" Sydney stepped out of the shower to hear soft music playing. Slightly confused, she slipped on her light blue robe.
"I'm out here."
She walked into her living room to see the fireplace and candles were all lit. The lights were either off or dimmed, and rose petals covered the couch and floor. The sounds of Coldplay were filling the room. Sydney's breath caught in her chest as she saw Vaughn. He was wearing his best suit, and smiled when he saw Sydney.
"Hey. Go put on something nice. I figured we could have a nice night in."
"Okay, sure. This is-I mean, wow."
Vaughn's grin broadened. "Go get dressed. Dinner will be ready soon."
Sydney nodded and headed back to her room. She wrenched open her closet doors and began her search. After throwing nearly all of her dresses on the bed, she finally found one. It was a knee length, cherry red V-neck. She smiled as she looked in the mirror. After drying and curling her hair, and putting on a little makeup, she headed back toward the dining room. Vaughn was placing a beautiful pot roast on the table. There were also potatoes and carrots, as well as a bottle of vintage French wine.
"That looks so good!"
"Thanks. Please, sit down."
Still smiling like a fool, Sydney sat down. When the meal was finished, Sydney leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Vaughn, that was incredible."
He laughed softly. "It's about to get better. Forgive me if it isn't quite as fancy." He got up and went to the freezer. When her returned, Sydney saw he had two pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream with him. He handed Sydney one and she giggled.
"Ooh, Phish Food! My favorite!"
"I know. I'm more of a Chunky Monkey person myself."
Sydney grinned. "Imagine that."
After laughing and talking for awhile, Vaughn stood up. "Would you like to dance? This is one of my favorites."
"What song is it?"
"It's called 'Everything's Not Lost'." He grabbed Sydney's hand and pulled her to where the coffee table usually stood. She closed her eyes as she let Chris Martin's voice wash over her.
If you ever feel neglected,
If you ever think all is lost,
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah,
Hoping everything's not lost,
Everything's not lost,
When I'm counting up my demons.
There's always one for everyday,
With the good ones on my shoulder,
I drove the other ones away.
If you ever feel neglected,
If you think all is lost,
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah,
Hoping everything's not lost.
When you thought it was over,
You could feel it all around,
Everybody's out to get you,
Don't you let it drag you down.
Cos if you eve feel neglected,
If you think that all is lost,
I'll be counting all the demons, yeah.
Singing out o yeah [x3]
Everything's not lost,
Come on yeah, o yeah, come on yeah,
Everything's not lost,
O yeah, [x3]
Everything's not lost,
Come on yeah, o yeah,
Come on yeah [x2]
O yeah, Come on yeah,
Everything's not lost, Sing out yeah,
Come on yeah [x2]
Everything's not lost,
Come on yeah, o yeah,
Sing out yeah,
Everything's not lost.
The song ended, and Sydney felt Vaughn move away from her. She opened her eyes to see him on one knee before her.
"Oh my God," she breathed. Tears sprang behind her eyes and Vaughn began to speak.
"Syd, we've been through a lot together. SD-6, your mother, Sloane, Allison, Noah, and Lauren." He stopped and sighed. "The only reason I could pull through was because of you. I fell in love with you four years ago. When you disappeared, I was lost. I've been given a second chance at a life with you, and I'm not going to screw it up this time. There is only one person in my life, and that's you. You have kept me going strong. So I am asking you, Sydney Anne Bristow, will you marry me?" He was holding out the ring that she had returned to him before she went into surgery.
"Yes. Yes, Michael, I will." She was weeping openly now, but for the first time since her return, it was out of joy. He slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, almost as if the ring had been made for her. Vaughn stood up and pulled her into his arms, looking her directly in the eyes; jade delving into chocolate. She smiled at him before leaning forward and kissing him passionately.
When they broke apart Vaughn spoke again. "I know this probably isn't exactly how you envisioned our future, but we can and will make this work.
"I know Vaughn," she hesitated, wanting to say more but struggling to find the words.
"Sydney? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's perfect. I was just thinking about-about Danny. My last engagement didn't go so well, as you know, and I don't want the same to happen to you."
"It won't, Syd. The Alliance isn't out there anymore."
"But the Covenant is. I love you, Michael, and that's what I'm afraid of."
"What do you mean?"
"It just seems that anyone I truly care about gets hurt. Danny and Francie were killed, Will is in Witness Protection, and my mom has been in hiding. Not to mention that my dad was in solitary, and. . . "
"And what?"
"You. I disappeared, and you were destroyed. I caused that."
Vaughn's grip on Sydney tightened. "Listen to me. Never, ever blame yourself. I was the one who was self destructing."
"But I caused it! I'm the reason! If I hadn't disappeared, this wouldn't have happened! I'm just-I'm so sorry."
He put a finger to her lips. "No sorrys about this. Ever."
"Never is an awfully long time."
"So is forever. Which I plan to spend with you."
Sydney smiled through her tears, admiration glowing in her brown eyes. He kissed her once more, and they lost themselves in each other's love.
They awoke the next morning lying comfortably in each other's arms. Sydney opened her eyes and blinked them slowly. "Hey."
"Hey. How ya feeling?"
"Considering last night, absolutely perfect," she looked at her ring admiringly. "Have you talked to my dad?"
"Uh, not yet, I figured since your mom is still in town, you guys could hang out for a little bit while I'm with your dad."
She looked surprised for a minute, then smiled. "That would be great."
"Okay. I'll go call your dad, then."
"I love you, Michael."
"I love you, too, Syd."
They locked eyes for a moment before Vaughn got up and strode over to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Jack. It's Vaughn."
"Michael! Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering if you would like to join me for lunch today."
"What about Sydney?"
"I was thinking maybe she could spend the day with Irina."
"I suppose that would work. We'll see you at about 1:00, then?"
"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Jack."
"Of course."
They hung up, and Vaughn turned to see Sydney was gone. He crept slowly toward the bathroom and was relieved to hear the water going. He smiled when her opened the middle drawer, remembering a conversation long ago.
FLASHBACK
Vaughn and Eric were at the Ops Center, having a very important conversation.
"She gave you a drawer, huh? "
"It was a gesture of convenience."
"And, uh, what'd you put in it?"
"Why do you care?"
"What do you mean, why do I care? Do you know how spoiled you are? You
know, a drawer--I wish I had a girlfriend to say "Hey, do you want a drawer?"
"I'll give you a drawer at my place."
"I don't want a drawer at your place."
Then, a few minutes and a phone call later. . .
"Jack is gonna shoot you in the face."
"Just give me a half-hour head start. Tell him that she called on your phone and
you gave it to me. We only have 10 hours to find Caplan."
"If we end up sharing a cell in federal prison, I'm not giving you a drawer."
END FLASHBACK
Vaughn laughed again and grabbed a pair of khakis. He spun around and saw Sydney lounging on the bed, admiring her ring once more. Vaughn's slight chuckle brought her back to reality, and she began to admire the half naked specimen standing in front of her instead.
"Hey, babe. Your parents are going to be here at about 1:00. What shirt should I wear?"
"Let me see." Sydney strode over to the closet and stared at the racks. After deliberating for several minutes she pulled out a white T-shirt and a seafoam green button up shirt. "Try this."
Vaughn took the cloths from her, and was quite pleased with the result. "Perfect, as usual."
"Mmm, everything is perfect on you."
"Ditto, babe, ditto."
She stood up and kissed him softly. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For loving me."
"Always and forever, Sydney. Always and forever."
"Syd, your parents are here!"
"Okay, I'll be there in a second!" Sydney turned the corner into her living room and saw Jack and Vaughn chatting quietly while Irina stood in the corner. "Hey, mom. Hi, dad."
"Hello, sweetheart. Mr. Vaughn and I were just discussing where to go for lunch."
"Jack, please, call me Vaughn or Michael. I think that we've gotten past the 'Mr.' stage."
"Indeed." Jack smiled wryly before asking, "Shall we go?"
"Sure. I'll see you when we get back, Syd." Vaughn smiled and softly added, "Je t'aime."
Sydney blushed and nodded. "Je t'aime, Michel." Irina smiled as she watched the exchange between the young couple. Once the two men had left, Sydney motioned to the couch. "Please, sit down."
Irina smirked slightly and said, "Merci. Sydney, we can all speak French."
"I know, but it just seems like so much more."
"I understand. Your father would speak to me in old English, even simple Russian at times. It was our special thing."
Sydney laughed and reached up with her left hand to tuck back a stray lock of hair. However, Irina grabbed her wrist before the offending hair was touched. Sydney bit her lip slightly as her mother inspected the ring. 'Vaughn proposed?"
"Yeah, last night. That's why he needed to talk to dad."
"That's wonderful. Congratulations, Sydney. I'm so proud of you." Irina reached her hand out and placed it on Sydney's newly round stomach. "I remember when you were born, you were so tiny, and so perfect." Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. "Even though I was sent to seduce your father, your birth was the happiest day of my life. When I had to fake my death and leave you and your father, it was the darkest day. Even though the marriage began as a contrivance, I would've stayed, if I could have. But if I had, all three of us would've been killed, and that was the last thing that I wanted. I just want you and Jack to know that."
For several seconds Sydney sat there, mouth hanging slightly open. Finally her lips managed to form one simple words. "Mommy?"
"I know, sweetie. I'm here now. I'm here."
Vaughn eyed Jack nervously before turning the key in the ignition. "So, uh, where did you say you wanted to go?"
"I didn't I said wherever you want to go is fine with me."
"Oh. Well, how does Chinese sound? I know the owner of the Golden Chopsticks restaurant downtown. He can get us a good table. I would say La Superica, but that's a little out of the way."
"Sounds great. I must say, Vaughn, I'm very glad Sydney has you in her life."
"Thank you." The two men were silent the rest of the ride, the only sounds being the occasional cough or sigh. When they arrived at the restaurant the silence continued to permeate until after the drinks were ordered."
"Forgive me for asking, but why were you so intent on taking me out to lunch?"
Vaughn gulped, and quite noticeably at that. "Well, I-I wanted to ask your permission to marry Sydney."
Jack gave Vaughn a very rare smile. "I thought so. You know, Danny did the same thing, except he did it from a pay phone at the hospital. I'm glad that you did it in person. You have my blessings."
Vaughn gaped for a second before returning Jack's smile. "Thank you. I really appreciate this."
"I know. Welcome to the family."
The lock clicked, and Sydney looked up to see Vaughn's beaming face, followed closely by her father.
"Bonjour, belle."
Sydney smiled. "Did you boys have fun?"
"Yeah. Did you?"
"Yup. Oh, Carrie called, she wants to hang out tomorrow, you know, go shopping for baby stuff."
"Sounds good. Maybe I can hang out with Weiss."
Sydney smiled and nodded before yawning widely.
Irina looked at her daughter and spoke quietly. "I think we should probably got going, don't you, Jack?"
"Of course, Irina. We'll see you later. Goodbye."
"Bye, dad. Bye, mom."
"Goodbye, Sydney. Michael."
The door clicked quietly behind them and Sydney plopped back onto the couch. "God, I'm so tired! I haven't even been carrying the baby that long!"
"Sydney, don't forget, the baby is more developed than it would be if it had started off with you. Technically, you're a couple of months along."
She yawned again. "Yeah, I know. Let's just go to bed."
Vaughn walked over and kissed her temple gently. "Okay."
Weiss' jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Seriously? You asked Jack Bristow-TO HIS FACE-if you could marry his daughter?!"
"Yeah."
"Dude, that's like. . . Welcome back, Balls of Steel!"
Vaughn laughed as he lined up the eight ball for his next shot. "Eight ball, side pocket."
"Yeah, right."
Vaughn rolled his eyes and sunk the ball cleanly. "That's three games in a row, man. Face it, I'm the champion."
"Okay, fine. But I could so beat you with yo-yo."
"Yo-yo, sure. I could waste you in hockey, though."
"Fine, you win, Mr. Perfect." Weiss glanced up and saw the chestnut hair gleaming from the doorway. He elbowed Vaughn and nodded toward Sydney. He grinned and strode over toward his fiancé, nudging a few eager men out of the way.
"Hi."
"Hey, babe." Vaughn leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "What's up?"
"Well, Carrie's in the car, but I was wondering, have you seen my checkbook?"
"Um, kitchen table."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks. See you when I get home."
"Unless you beat me."
"Well in that case, don't stay out too long."
She leaned in and kissed him softly before heading out the door. A large man sitting at the bar suddenly spoke to Vaughn.
"You got a good one, I can tell."
"Um, thanks."
"She's pretty, too."
Vaughn smiled. "Thank you. She never ceases to amaze me."
"How far along is she?"
"Roughly two months."
"Rambaldi's child, isn't it?"
Vaughn's eyes opened in shock. He lowered his voice before asking, "How do you know about Rambaldi?"
"I know a lot of things, Mr. Vaughn. I know her name is Sydney Bristow, and I know she disappeared for two years after a fight with Allison Doren." He laughed at Vaughn's confused stare. "I used to work under Arvin Sloane." Vaughn continued to stare, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly like a fish out of water. "I also know about your wife-Lauren is it?"
"She's not my wife. She's my ex, nothing more," Vaughn said through gritted teeth.
"Ah, of course. Well, I've got to be going. I'll see you soon. By the way, my name is Adam McKenzie. It was nice meeting you." With that, he got off his barstool, turned on his heel, and strode into the gleaming sunlight.
Heading back toward Weiss, Vaughn muttered softly under his breath, "That was bizarre."
"Carrie, I can't believe you have a baby!" Sydney squealed with delight at the sleeping form behind her. "Elena is such a beautiful name."
"Yeah, thanks. Can you believe Marshall wanted to call her Leia or Amidala? I mean, I guess they're pretty, but something from Star Wars? Honestly." The two women giggled quietly as they pulled into the Baby Depot's parking lot. "So, Sydney, have you thought of any names for your baby?"
Sydney grinned sheepishly as she unloaded the stroller. "Well, I was thinking William if it's a boy."
"Why William?"
"It was Vaughn's father's name," Sydney said quietly.
"Ah. I see. And if it's a girl?"
"If it's a girl, I was thinking something along the lines of Shana or Elora."
"Where did you come up with Elora?"
Sydney laughed. "Actually, I was just messing around with different letter sounds."
A look of amusement passed over Carrie's face as they passed through the doors. Immediately upon their arrival a squat little woman with short, curly blonde hair was standing in front of them. "Oh, how precious! She's so little." The woman looked at Carrie. "She must be yours. She has your eyes, and your nose, too." The woman, whose nametag read 'Kathy', was now cooing over Elena. Kathy looked up and saw Sydney standing there silently. "Oh, you're expecting! How far along?"
"About two months, maybe more. The days just seem to blend together." It was nearly impossible to tell if Kathy heard the false perkiness in those words. Sydney was uncomfortable with strangers since her return, and it was shown by the darkness lurking behind her eyes. That, however, was noticed by Kathy. Remarkably she said nothing. Instead she plastered on a false, cheesy smile.
"Well, let me know if you need help."
Carrie smiled and said gratefully, "We will."
Sydney muttered to Carrie softly, "I know I need help, but I doubt she could handle my problems." Carrie laughed loudly, causing Kathy to give her a questioning look.
As Kathy tottered away, a melodious voice with a French accent caught Sydney's ears. "Sydney? Sydney Bristow?"
She turned and saw an aged woman with sparkling green eyes smiling up at her. "May I ask who you are?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, mon la fille. I'm Amelie Vaughn. Michael's mother."
TBC
French/English translations: Je t'aime= I love you; Merci= thank you; Bonjour, belle= Hello, beautiful; mon la fille=my girl