Title: Uninvited Distractions.
Author: Ren201
Spoilers: Set during season 3, references to the 'Frame'.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Alias! I only own the people you don't recognise, which is Amelia.
Author's note: This story was something that came to me when I was listening to early morning radio, so if you don't like it, blame it on that! Lol. Please R&R, I love all feedback, with the obvious preference to the positive of course!
A/N: I guess that this is my way of letting Sydney get out all of her feelings, but I will tell you that she doesn't really know who she's talking to! But I'm sure that everyone else will figure out who it is as they read the story; the clues are there! Sorry for any gramma/spelling mistakes, I really want to get this posted before I change my mind! Tell me what you think ...
PART 1/1.
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The small coffee shop was far from void of conversation. In fact, despite it's secluded location, in a hidden stretch of LA, the confined space was filled with clumsy customers; all trying to acquire their daily caffeine fix before rushing back to their normal lives. The thought alone made Sydney Bristow want to cry. Watching the normal people in their painfully normal lives, she knew that it was something that she could never obtain. Today was one of those 'days' and for Sydney Bristow, those days were never good.
All things considered, Sydney Bristow, never though of herself as a depressed person, rather, she thought that she was fairly normal. Yet, everything around her had changed; none of the old rules seemed to apply and neither did her previous alliances. Sydney Bristow had never considered herself to be a depressed person; that was until now. She had lost so much and had been left with so little, and it had all happened in such a small space of time. For perhaps the first time in her life, Sydney Bristow was truly alone in the world.
Sydney sat for a moment longer, lost in her thoughts, when something told her to look up. Upon doing so, she immediately saw a woman in her mid sixties, with greying blonde hair, staring intently back at her, through a pair of intense green eyes. The raw emotion in the woman's eyes alone forced Sydney to break their contact, returning her gaze to her cold coffee.
As the minutes slowly began to pass, Sydney allowed herself to effortlessly retreat back into her unrelenting subconscious. Moments later, an abrupt ringing brought Sydney reluctantly back into reality. Slowly pulling out her cell phone from her pocket, she merely stared at the caller ID before rejecting the call and placing her phone on the table. Vaughn. It was always about Vaughn. Sydney paused for a moment, pondering his reasons for calling her before discarding any thoughts she was currently harbouring for him. She had learnt that pining over a married man wasn't going to help her in the long run, so way bother? Because she loved him, that was way, maybe too much. She had given him too much control over her and now she could barely function without him. She thought that perhaps after he had told her of his separation from Lauren that they had a chance, but as usual, she was wrong and in the process of this discovery, she found that, once again, she had been left behind. Once again, she was alone; second best to Lauren Reed.
Sydney took a deep breath, she wasn't due in work for another hour and she was planning on making the most of her free time, even if it meant nursing a cold coffee and being plagued by feelings of self-pity. Whatever excuse Vaughn had come up with could wait until she was at work, at least that way, she could find a way of avoiding him. She found it slightly ironic how she would find a way of escaping Vaughn, if only for a few hours, only to discover that it couldn't be done.
A sudden silhouette towering over her once again interrupted Sydney's train of thought. Lifting her head slightly, she was surprised to see the woman that she had made brief contact with standing over her. They exchanged no words, once Sydney had acknowledged her; she merely took the vacant next to Sydney.
Sydney sat for a moment, finding it strange how quickly she felt at ease in the woman's company. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in along time.
"I only came in for a quick coffee, and yet I've had four and have been sat here in here for the last 50 minutes." The woman replied gently in a slight French accent, breaking the strangely comfortable silence.
Unsure how to reply, Sydney lifted her head and studied the woman before her. She seemed vaguely familiar, and yet Sydney knew that they had never met. She would have remembered a woman with such a beautifully kind, loving face, it was a rare commodity in her life. And yet, there was still some vague recognition.
"It was because of you." The woman almost whispered, as if reassuring Sydney that she posed no threat.
"What was?" Sydney asked, matching her tone inquisitively, as a state of confusion spread through her mind.
"The extra three coffees and 40 minutes I spent watching you." The woman replied kindly, almost humorously, in such a manner that immediately made Sydney feel safe, as if talking to an old friend.
"Why?" Sydney responded, unable to leave the woman's waving gaze.
"I see the pain in your eyes and I know how it feels to be alone." The woman replied evenly, placing her hand over Sydney's. Sydney merely sat dazed by the woman's heart felt confession, unable to respond; willing herself not to cry.
"My name's Amelia." Amelia stated suddenly, feeling the need to introduce herself, offering her hand as she did so, hoping that in some way, the gesture would encourage young woman to open up to her.
Sydney smiled slightly at the gesture as she followed Amelia's suit, still unsure on how to react to the uninvited distraction. "Sydney."
"Well, now that we know each other, I think that it's safe to order another coffee." Amelia replied, feeling more comfortable in her position than she had done earlier. She had taken a risk, but knew that the outcome, if successful, would be worth the awkwardness that she may have faced.
Sydney smiled slightly, unsure on what other reaction she should have felt. She watched as the woman that she now knew as Amelia ordered their coffees. Taking the time to once again study her features, she felt as though there was something she was missing. She was in no danger, that she was sure of, 11 years of being a spy had taught her something. Yet, the feeling was disconcerting at best.
"Have we met?" Sydney asked rather abruptly, scrutinising the woman before her, surprised to see that the woman seemed to welcome her curiosity.
"I would certainly remember such a beauty. Although I do have a feeling that I know you from somewhere." Amelia replied thoughtfully, as Sydney blushed at her complement.
"Maybe in another lifetime perhaps." Amelia replied thoughtfully as the waitress returned with their coffees, causing Sydney to smile at the simplicity of the statement; if only things were that simple.
Amelia turned her head softly and looked Sydney directly in the eye. "The pain will pass. I know it seems like it won't but, I promise you that it will."
The statement caught Sydney off guard, causing a tear to slowly fall down her face. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to control her emotions before she replied.
"I don't know if I want it pass. We've been though so much together that I don't think that it's worth going on without him." Sydney replied quietly, hoping that her voice didn't tremble as much as she thought it had, hating how vulnerable she sounded.
"I guess that I didn't mean as much to him as he did to me." Sydney added, giving Amelia a weak smile, unable to react in any other way.
"He left you?" Amelia asked softly, feeling suddenly intrigued by the young woman's story, only then did she realise her choice of words, which was followed by immediate regret. Sydney didn't seem to notice the regret that filled the older woman's face, either that or she misunderstood the reasoning behind the reaction.
"I woke up one morning and he was married. He's my soul mate. How did you get over that?" Sydney asked in part to herself, she felt herself fall back into her tormented memories of the past, a past with him.
Amelia watched as the sadness fill Sydney's eyes as she spoke. She knew that look; she had lived that look. This was something that she knew that the woman before her would never recover from; it would always be there in her heart. They had only known each other for a short time, but in that time, Amelia could feel her pain, it was something she could relate too.
Amelia paused, not wanting to sound patronising.
"This may be hard to believe, but I do know how you feel. I can help you if you'll let me. This is something that you shouldn't have to deal with on your own." Amelia replied, as she once again gripped Sydney's hand. Amelia hesitated before she continued,
"It took me a long time to accept that the man I loved wasn't coming back. I've never been able to get over it, but in time, I found that live goes on, whether you want it to or not. Losing your soul mate is something you can never move on from, but it is something that you learn from." Amelia paused, looking Sydney in the eye, as she continued,
"I won't lie to you, it's difficult and it hurts like nothing you've ever felt before. Nothing I can say will make this easier for you, but it will pass, in time the pain will lessen, it will never fully leave you, but it will lessen. It's what keeps you alive." By the time Amelia had finished talking, her voice with thick with emotion and her eyes were glassy.
Sydney felt the tears falling freely down her face.
"Thank you" Sydney said feeling genuinely comforted for perhaps the first time since she had 'returned' back into her life as Sydney Bristow. Before any more words could be exchanged, a shrill ringing brought their attention to the cell phone on the table. Quickly wiping away her tears, Sydney automatically picked up the phone, and stared for a moment at the caller ID, unsure whether she was ready to talk to him yet. Making a snap decision, Sydney quickly ended the call, her fingers lingering a moment longer than they needed to.
"That was him wasn't it?" Amelia asked thoughtfully, motioning to the cell phone in Sydney's hand.
"It's always about him. He has a wife and it only took him nine months to find her. It took him less than nine months to move on, to me, nine months was nothing. I thought that it would be the same for him. I guess I was wrong." Sydney stated bitterly, letting a out a small laugh before she continued,
"It's always been about him. It's always been Vaughn." Sydney said as she began to stare into space, wishing that she could be with him again. Sydney didn't notice the look of shock that passed over Amelia's face at the mention of 'Vaughn'. She didn't see the recognition and pain in her eyes at the mention of the name, and so she carried on talking.
Sydney suddenly smiled before she continued, "He had this watch, it was his fathers, he told me he could set his heart by that watch. It stopped October 1st, the day we met." Her smile quickly turned into a frown as she continued,
"I feel like I'm dying without him. He's hurt me so much, but I still love him." Sydney mused downheartedly as she brought her attention back to Amelia.
"Sometimes I think I'm going crazy, I don't belong here any more. There's nothing left for me. I'm just so alone."
"Have you spoken to him?" Amelia asked cautiously, feeling herself to be in uncharted territory.
"He told me that he didn't regret moving on. He actually told me that and then he came to see me asking how I was. I knew why he was there; he wanted closure. He wanted closure from me so he could be happy with his wife while I ... while I ... wasn't. I had no one and yet he wanted closure. I thought I knew him." Sydney said solemnly, as if she was talking to herself.
"I don't know what to do anymore. I just miss him so much." Sydney said quietly, unable to prevent the tears any longer.
Amelia sat, unable to react to what the woman before her was confessing to, it broke her heart to see someone else go through what she had. She had only minutes ago realised why she had seemed so familiar, and now that she knew, it only broke her heart that little bit more. Before she had time to recover from her initial shock and disbelief, her attention was brought towards the man standing in front Sydney. He hadn't noticed her yet and she decided to play that to her advantage.
"We need to talk." Vaughn stated, with noticeable concern in his voice, as he bent down to Sydney's height.
"I think that your actions told me everything I needed to know. You went back to her." Sydney said, trying to hid the sadness in her voice.
"You gave up on us and you lost faith in what we had, I should have accepted that a long time ago." Sydney whispered as she stood up, turning to Amelia.
"It was nice meeting you, and thank you. You helped me more than you'll know." Sydney said quickly, touching the Amelia's hand briefly; not wanting to stay around Vaughn longer than she had to.
"Mum?" Vaughn suddenly stated, as he began to frown, completely confused by his mother's presence. A million questions ran through his mind, but before he could ask any of them, Sydney interrupted.
"Michael Vaughn is your son. Of course, nothing is ever simple is it? Of course Vaughn would have to be your son. You should probably forget everything I've said, I didn't know who you were, I guess that I should have really known, I mean you looked so familiar." Sydney said, her incessant words beginning to border on rambling. Suddenly Sydney stopped and turned towards them both, tears filling her eyes.
"I have to go to work." She stated simply before she quickly stumbled out of the coffee shop and out of sight.
The minutes passed before Vaughn slowly brought his attention back to his mother.
"I can explain. It isn't what it seems to be." Vaughn said resignedly, hoping desperately that his mother would understand.
"I have never had a reason to be ashamed of you Michael; until now. What you have done to that girl is disgraceful. You will fix what you have done and you will mend that girl's heart, I don't care what it takes, you will do it. I am leaving you no option here Michael." Amelia stated, her tone becoming less harsh as she ended her statement,
"Fix what you have broken." Her last words were kind as she turned to leave. Briefly she touched his cheek, knowing that he understood what he had to do. Sydney Bristow's sadness would end soon, all she had to do now was wait...
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A/N: I don't know if anyone actually got this far? I hope that you all did! If you did, review! Please tell me what you think, ... too long? R&R!!
Author: Ren201
Spoilers: Set during season 3, references to the 'Frame'.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Alias! I only own the people you don't recognise, which is Amelia.
Author's note: This story was something that came to me when I was listening to early morning radio, so if you don't like it, blame it on that! Lol. Please R&R, I love all feedback, with the obvious preference to the positive of course!
A/N: I guess that this is my way of letting Sydney get out all of her feelings, but I will tell you that she doesn't really know who she's talking to! But I'm sure that everyone else will figure out who it is as they read the story; the clues are there! Sorry for any gramma/spelling mistakes, I really want to get this posted before I change my mind! Tell me what you think ...
PART 1/1.
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.
.
.
.
The small coffee shop was far from void of conversation. In fact, despite it's secluded location, in a hidden stretch of LA, the confined space was filled with clumsy customers; all trying to acquire their daily caffeine fix before rushing back to their normal lives. The thought alone made Sydney Bristow want to cry. Watching the normal people in their painfully normal lives, she knew that it was something that she could never obtain. Today was one of those 'days' and for Sydney Bristow, those days were never good.
All things considered, Sydney Bristow, never though of herself as a depressed person, rather, she thought that she was fairly normal. Yet, everything around her had changed; none of the old rules seemed to apply and neither did her previous alliances. Sydney Bristow had never considered herself to be a depressed person; that was until now. She had lost so much and had been left with so little, and it had all happened in such a small space of time. For perhaps the first time in her life, Sydney Bristow was truly alone in the world.
Sydney sat for a moment longer, lost in her thoughts, when something told her to look up. Upon doing so, she immediately saw a woman in her mid sixties, with greying blonde hair, staring intently back at her, through a pair of intense green eyes. The raw emotion in the woman's eyes alone forced Sydney to break their contact, returning her gaze to her cold coffee.
As the minutes slowly began to pass, Sydney allowed herself to effortlessly retreat back into her unrelenting subconscious. Moments later, an abrupt ringing brought Sydney reluctantly back into reality. Slowly pulling out her cell phone from her pocket, she merely stared at the caller ID before rejecting the call and placing her phone on the table. Vaughn. It was always about Vaughn. Sydney paused for a moment, pondering his reasons for calling her before discarding any thoughts she was currently harbouring for him. She had learnt that pining over a married man wasn't going to help her in the long run, so way bother? Because she loved him, that was way, maybe too much. She had given him too much control over her and now she could barely function without him. She thought that perhaps after he had told her of his separation from Lauren that they had a chance, but as usual, she was wrong and in the process of this discovery, she found that, once again, she had been left behind. Once again, she was alone; second best to Lauren Reed.
Sydney took a deep breath, she wasn't due in work for another hour and she was planning on making the most of her free time, even if it meant nursing a cold coffee and being plagued by feelings of self-pity. Whatever excuse Vaughn had come up with could wait until she was at work, at least that way, she could find a way of avoiding him. She found it slightly ironic how she would find a way of escaping Vaughn, if only for a few hours, only to discover that it couldn't be done.
A sudden silhouette towering over her once again interrupted Sydney's train of thought. Lifting her head slightly, she was surprised to see the woman that she had made brief contact with standing over her. They exchanged no words, once Sydney had acknowledged her; she merely took the vacant next to Sydney.
Sydney sat for a moment, finding it strange how quickly she felt at ease in the woman's company. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in along time.
"I only came in for a quick coffee, and yet I've had four and have been sat here in here for the last 50 minutes." The woman replied gently in a slight French accent, breaking the strangely comfortable silence.
Unsure how to reply, Sydney lifted her head and studied the woman before her. She seemed vaguely familiar, and yet Sydney knew that they had never met. She would have remembered a woman with such a beautifully kind, loving face, it was a rare commodity in her life. And yet, there was still some vague recognition.
"It was because of you." The woman almost whispered, as if reassuring Sydney that she posed no threat.
"What was?" Sydney asked, matching her tone inquisitively, as a state of confusion spread through her mind.
"The extra three coffees and 40 minutes I spent watching you." The woman replied kindly, almost humorously, in such a manner that immediately made Sydney feel safe, as if talking to an old friend.
"Why?" Sydney responded, unable to leave the woman's waving gaze.
"I see the pain in your eyes and I know how it feels to be alone." The woman replied evenly, placing her hand over Sydney's. Sydney merely sat dazed by the woman's heart felt confession, unable to respond; willing herself not to cry.
"My name's Amelia." Amelia stated suddenly, feeling the need to introduce herself, offering her hand as she did so, hoping that in some way, the gesture would encourage young woman to open up to her.
Sydney smiled slightly at the gesture as she followed Amelia's suit, still unsure on how to react to the uninvited distraction. "Sydney."
"Well, now that we know each other, I think that it's safe to order another coffee." Amelia replied, feeling more comfortable in her position than she had done earlier. She had taken a risk, but knew that the outcome, if successful, would be worth the awkwardness that she may have faced.
Sydney smiled slightly, unsure on what other reaction she should have felt. She watched as the woman that she now knew as Amelia ordered their coffees. Taking the time to once again study her features, she felt as though there was something she was missing. She was in no danger, that she was sure of, 11 years of being a spy had taught her something. Yet, the feeling was disconcerting at best.
"Have we met?" Sydney asked rather abruptly, scrutinising the woman before her, surprised to see that the woman seemed to welcome her curiosity.
"I would certainly remember such a beauty. Although I do have a feeling that I know you from somewhere." Amelia replied thoughtfully, as Sydney blushed at her complement.
"Maybe in another lifetime perhaps." Amelia replied thoughtfully as the waitress returned with their coffees, causing Sydney to smile at the simplicity of the statement; if only things were that simple.
Amelia turned her head softly and looked Sydney directly in the eye. "The pain will pass. I know it seems like it won't but, I promise you that it will."
The statement caught Sydney off guard, causing a tear to slowly fall down her face. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to control her emotions before she replied.
"I don't know if I want it pass. We've been though so much together that I don't think that it's worth going on without him." Sydney replied quietly, hoping that her voice didn't tremble as much as she thought it had, hating how vulnerable she sounded.
"I guess that I didn't mean as much to him as he did to me." Sydney added, giving Amelia a weak smile, unable to react in any other way.
"He left you?" Amelia asked softly, feeling suddenly intrigued by the young woman's story, only then did she realise her choice of words, which was followed by immediate regret. Sydney didn't seem to notice the regret that filled the older woman's face, either that or she misunderstood the reasoning behind the reaction.
"I woke up one morning and he was married. He's my soul mate. How did you get over that?" Sydney asked in part to herself, she felt herself fall back into her tormented memories of the past, a past with him.
Amelia watched as the sadness fill Sydney's eyes as she spoke. She knew that look; she had lived that look. This was something that she knew that the woman before her would never recover from; it would always be there in her heart. They had only known each other for a short time, but in that time, Amelia could feel her pain, it was something she could relate too.
Amelia paused, not wanting to sound patronising.
"This may be hard to believe, but I do know how you feel. I can help you if you'll let me. This is something that you shouldn't have to deal with on your own." Amelia replied, as she once again gripped Sydney's hand. Amelia hesitated before she continued,
"It took me a long time to accept that the man I loved wasn't coming back. I've never been able to get over it, but in time, I found that live goes on, whether you want it to or not. Losing your soul mate is something you can never move on from, but it is something that you learn from." Amelia paused, looking Sydney in the eye, as she continued,
"I won't lie to you, it's difficult and it hurts like nothing you've ever felt before. Nothing I can say will make this easier for you, but it will pass, in time the pain will lessen, it will never fully leave you, but it will lessen. It's what keeps you alive." By the time Amelia had finished talking, her voice with thick with emotion and her eyes were glassy.
Sydney felt the tears falling freely down her face.
"Thank you" Sydney said feeling genuinely comforted for perhaps the first time since she had 'returned' back into her life as Sydney Bristow. Before any more words could be exchanged, a shrill ringing brought their attention to the cell phone on the table. Quickly wiping away her tears, Sydney automatically picked up the phone, and stared for a moment at the caller ID, unsure whether she was ready to talk to him yet. Making a snap decision, Sydney quickly ended the call, her fingers lingering a moment longer than they needed to.
"That was him wasn't it?" Amelia asked thoughtfully, motioning to the cell phone in Sydney's hand.
"It's always about him. He has a wife and it only took him nine months to find her. It took him less than nine months to move on, to me, nine months was nothing. I thought that it would be the same for him. I guess I was wrong." Sydney stated bitterly, letting a out a small laugh before she continued,
"It's always been about him. It's always been Vaughn." Sydney said as she began to stare into space, wishing that she could be with him again. Sydney didn't notice the look of shock that passed over Amelia's face at the mention of 'Vaughn'. She didn't see the recognition and pain in her eyes at the mention of the name, and so she carried on talking.
Sydney suddenly smiled before she continued, "He had this watch, it was his fathers, he told me he could set his heart by that watch. It stopped October 1st, the day we met." Her smile quickly turned into a frown as she continued,
"I feel like I'm dying without him. He's hurt me so much, but I still love him." Sydney mused downheartedly as she brought her attention back to Amelia.
"Sometimes I think I'm going crazy, I don't belong here any more. There's nothing left for me. I'm just so alone."
"Have you spoken to him?" Amelia asked cautiously, feeling herself to be in uncharted territory.
"He told me that he didn't regret moving on. He actually told me that and then he came to see me asking how I was. I knew why he was there; he wanted closure. He wanted closure from me so he could be happy with his wife while I ... while I ... wasn't. I had no one and yet he wanted closure. I thought I knew him." Sydney said solemnly, as if she was talking to herself.
"I don't know what to do anymore. I just miss him so much." Sydney said quietly, unable to prevent the tears any longer.
Amelia sat, unable to react to what the woman before her was confessing to, it broke her heart to see someone else go through what she had. She had only minutes ago realised why she had seemed so familiar, and now that she knew, it only broke her heart that little bit more. Before she had time to recover from her initial shock and disbelief, her attention was brought towards the man standing in front Sydney. He hadn't noticed her yet and she decided to play that to her advantage.
"We need to talk." Vaughn stated, with noticeable concern in his voice, as he bent down to Sydney's height.
"I think that your actions told me everything I needed to know. You went back to her." Sydney said, trying to hid the sadness in her voice.
"You gave up on us and you lost faith in what we had, I should have accepted that a long time ago." Sydney whispered as she stood up, turning to Amelia.
"It was nice meeting you, and thank you. You helped me more than you'll know." Sydney said quickly, touching the Amelia's hand briefly; not wanting to stay around Vaughn longer than she had to.
"Mum?" Vaughn suddenly stated, as he began to frown, completely confused by his mother's presence. A million questions ran through his mind, but before he could ask any of them, Sydney interrupted.
"Michael Vaughn is your son. Of course, nothing is ever simple is it? Of course Vaughn would have to be your son. You should probably forget everything I've said, I didn't know who you were, I guess that I should have really known, I mean you looked so familiar." Sydney said, her incessant words beginning to border on rambling. Suddenly Sydney stopped and turned towards them both, tears filling her eyes.
"I have to go to work." She stated simply before she quickly stumbled out of the coffee shop and out of sight.
The minutes passed before Vaughn slowly brought his attention back to his mother.
"I can explain. It isn't what it seems to be." Vaughn said resignedly, hoping desperately that his mother would understand.
"I have never had a reason to be ashamed of you Michael; until now. What you have done to that girl is disgraceful. You will fix what you have done and you will mend that girl's heart, I don't care what it takes, you will do it. I am leaving you no option here Michael." Amelia stated, her tone becoming less harsh as she ended her statement,
"Fix what you have broken." Her last words were kind as she turned to leave. Briefly she touched his cheek, knowing that he understood what he had to do. Sydney Bristow's sadness would end soon, all she had to do now was wait...
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A/N: I don't know if anyone actually got this far? I hope that you all did! If you did, review! Please tell me what you think, ... too long? R&R!!