Sydney chose to take the stairs for the last few flights leading up to the penthouse and not the elevator. She didn't know how she had left things with Sark when she ran away from him. Was he furious at her for running? Did he feel ashamed at lying to her? She wanted a few spare moments to clear her head before she saw him.

If he was home at all, that is.

Half of her wanted him to be gone, but the other half was desperately pleading with whoever would listen that he hadn't gotten fed up, packed his things, and left. The way their luck had been going he would probably be on a plane riding back into the open arms of the Covenant.

For the first time since she could remember, she was nervous to be returning home.

She had walked through the park for about five minutes before she realized the stupidity in her debating about whether Will was lying or if it was Sark not telling the truth. She knew that one of them was lying, but she couldn't imagine either one. That, however, was no reason to start alienating the man who had finally admitted that he loved her.

Funny enough, she trusted him. And if he were lying, she'd find a way to get past it.

Her previous relationships had never been liked that. If the man lied to her and put her into danger, she would have kicked him to the curb. But Sark was different. And she didn't know why.

Clicking her key card through the scanner and taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door to the penthouse. After a quick look around, she was happy to see that nothing had been packed up. He hadn't left her completely. But it didn't look like he was here at the moment.

She took a seat on one of the chairs in the front room and put her hands in her head. Dealing with Will was not something she wanted to face alone. But, honestly, how could she really expect Sark to stick around after she told him she didn't know when she would be coming back?

"Syd," she heard a voice hesitantly say from across the room.

She looked up to see Sark standing in the hallway looking at her. She tried to read the expression on her face and was surprised to see that it wasn't anger or shame, just simple concern.

"You came back," he said simply, walking towards her.

"You didn't leave," she said with a genuine smile.

"Did you think I was going to?"

"Honestly, yes. I wonder every day when the day will be that you'll leave me behind."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Won't be happening anytime soon." With a smirk, he leaned down and kissed her with all the will he had. Sitting alone earlier in their penthouse, he thought he might never get the chance to do this again. Now that the chance was here, he wasn't about to waste it. He was done wasting time.

Sydney could feel the familiar spark between them light up again, and her knees went weak. For her own good, she pulled back before she lost all of her senses. "What does this mean?" she whispered.

"There are still things I don't remember," he said looking her in the eyes. "But I want to remember. I want to remember so damn much it hurts."

If she knew nothing else, she would know he was being truthful just by the fact that he was finally able to look her in the eyes. This was the moment she had been waiting for, the moment where she could stop being so strong and finally let herself lean on someone else for support. She finally let the tears she had been holding inside since he left her run down her cheek.

She saw his face change for a half-worried, half-happy look to complete concern. "It's okay," she said waving her hands at him as she sat down. "I can cry now because I know that you're not going to leave me."

He laughed and sat down next to her. "You always did have a twisted sense of logic."

She grinned at him. "So when did you have this stunning realization that you couldn't live your life without me anymore?"

"It was right about the time that I was punching Stephanie Conway in the face." He noticed her confused look. "That's where I went when I left you here with Irina. I recognized the men who were shooting at us. They were Covenant employees. It pissed me off a little to know that Weiss and Conway were playing with my life like it was nothing. No, let me rephrase that. It angered me so much that I cannot even begin to verbalize it."

"So, you hunted them down. Didn't I tell you before that normal people don't do that? You have a really bad impulse to seek revenge that we have to fix."

He shrugged off her comment since it was said in a light-hearted tone. "I stopped by Tippin's apartment first. I wanted to be sure that he was the one who hurt Amy."

"Amy!" Sydney said pulling away from his arms. "I went to the hospital. She's awake. God, I think she might actually be able to get through this. She was cracking jokes the very second she woke up."

"So, you talked with her?"

"I did."

"Did she say that it was her brother that stabbed her?"

"Yes," Sydney said, not looking in his eyes.

"But you still don't believe it."

"No." She continued to look at the ground.

She felt Sark's arms reach out and pull her in again. "It's all right, Sydney. It's not an easy thing to believe. When you realize it's the truth, you'll accept it."

"How can you be understanding?"

"I'm a magnificent actor." He gave her a small wink.

"You'll never guess who was with Amy."

"Noah Hicks," he answered without hesitation.

For a second time, she pulled herself out of his arms. "You knew Noah was alive?"

"I wasn't about to tell you and have you running off into his arms. What do you think I am? A fool?"

She squinted her eyes at him. "Why would you think I would go running off with Noah?"

"You almost left Michael Vaughn for him six years ago."

"I should never tell you anything that isn't absolutely necessary for you to know. So, how long have you known that Noah was alive?"

"A few weeks. Just since the Covenant took me away. They had me doing a little background intelligence on their new asset. That includes following his sister. She was trying to hide her relationship with Hicks, but she didn't really do that great a job."

"So you haven't known for years?" Sydney asked, settling back into his arms.

"No," he said with a smile. "Can I get back to my story about why I'm telling you the truth now?" She nodded and wiggled into the crook of his arm a little more. "Once I realized from the state of his apartment that Will was the one who stabbed his sister, I went to Tokyo to visit our old friends."

"To tell them that you were no longer loyal to them?'

"Not exactly. I mean, I am no longer affiliated with them." He held up his hand. "Loyal boyfriend right here. I just think they got that point without me verbalizing it when I shot Conway. Informing them of my defection was not my main intention, but the point did come across nicely in the end."

"What was your reason for flying all the way to Japan then?"

"I wanted to let them know if they ever hurt you again, there'd be hell to pay." He kissed her lightly on the top of the head.

Sydney couldn't believe it. That was not what she expected him to say. Not this man who made it feel like pulling teeth just to get him to admit he loved her. "You know it's times like these that I realize how strange my life really is. I mean, isn't it odd that I'm touched by the fact my boyfriend flew halfway around the world to say that he won't tolerate anyone trying to hurt me? That he inflicted pain on another in my behalf? I think I need to start seeing Dr. Barnett again."

He chuckled. "Maybe you do. But then again, most everyone in your life needs to see someone in that capacity, what with all the trouble we seem to get into all of the time." He sighed and looked at her seriously. "So, why did you come back here so soon? I thought that you would take at least a few days before being able to face me again after I lied to you. It usually takes people that long to cool down when I've wronged them. And then with the whole shock of Noah Hicks. You usually disappear for days when your life goes crazy like this."

She sighed, knowing that this point was going to come up sometime but wishing it didn't have to be right that moment. "Will called me. He denied everything you told me and wanted to meet with me. I told him no at first, but eventually I agreed to let him meet me here in a few hours."

"What possessed you to do that, Syd?" he asked, still looking concerned.

"Because this is my home. And no one messes with me in my home. Plus, you're here."

"But you didn't know I'd be here still."

"I hoped you would be here. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't."

"Probably the same thing you always do. Accept it, and move on. You're one of the strongest women I know. In fact, you're probably tied for first place with Irina. I bet that's where you get it from."

That comment struck a nerve in her heart. It was so similar to something that he would have said before the Covenant snatched him and took away all his memories of her. "I get my strength from having you around," she whispered, mostly to herself.

His words made her realize that she didn't have an excuse anymore not to tell him that she was carrying his child. She had put it off because she was afraid of scaring him away. But it looked like now he wasn't going to be going anywhere.

"I have something to tell you," she said softly.

"You're just going to have to put a hold on that because someone's coming," Sark said. "I think Will decided he didn't want to wait a few hours to come over."

Sydney watched him walk over to one of the cabinets and pull out the gun he had stashed there. "It's official. You're going to be okay. You remembered where we hide the guns."

"Stop joking, Sydney," Sark said, only being half-serious. He walked over to where a person exiting the elevator would not be able to see him and held his finger up to his lips to keep Sydney from saying anything else to him. It would be best if Will wasn't aware that he was home right away.

The elevator doors slid open, and Will stepped out. "Syd, are you here?"

"I thought I told you to wait two hours," she said, standing up and walking towards him. She hoped that she appeared cool and confident to him, even though she was scared to death inside. "Couldn't get yourself to wait that long to come and try to kill me again?"

Will looked at her in horror. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have never betrayed you. Never. Let's be serious. This is me we're talking about."

"I wish you would stop lying," she screamed, all attempts at being calm-headed thrown out the window. "I wish you would just give it up and admit that you did it. You can't talk yourself out of this one. I won't let you talk yourself out of this."

"I didn't betray you," he said slowly and with feeling. "And I didn't betray my sister. I don't know what lies Sark has been feeding you."

"Julian is not lying to me. He wouldn't do that."

"Just like he wouldn't shift loyalties at the drop of a hat? We both know what kind of a man he is."

"What kind of a man he was," she corrected. "He hasn't been like that for years now. And I do believe him. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you didn't see his face when he was telling me that you were the one who has been trying to hurt me. It was painful for him to admit it."

"Oh, I'm sure it was painful."

"Will, he considered giving me up to the Covenant because of what they did to him. He was going to betray me just like you did. Think about it. Knowing that you were about to sacrifice the one thing that means the most to you in the world is not an easy thing to do. He was man enough to admit that and ask for my forgiveness." She walked over and looked him in the eye. "I love you, Will. Nothing will change that. All you have to do is give me one really good reason as to why this whole thing is a misunderstanding and I'll believe you."

"Fine. I would never, ever hurt my sister, Sydney. No matter what. I wouldn't risk Amy for the world. That should be a good enough reason for you."

She looked into his eyes, trying to ferret out if he was telling the truth. And the answers she was getting back from him weren't adding up to what she wanted to hear.

However, as if he knew how much she was suffering, Sark saved her the pain of having to tell Will she wasn't sure he was being honest. He stepped out of the shadows and walked in between where she and Will were standing. She was happy to realize that he had put away the gun.

"I believe him," Sark said, looking Will in the eye.

"He was here the whole time?" Will said in total disbelief. "You really don't trust me, do you, Syd?"

"I told you I wouldn't be alone, Will. He's my safety net." She glanced at Sark out of the corner of her eye as she eased herself back from where they were all standing. "And right now, you're lucky that my safety net seems to believe you. Could you please explain that, Julian?"

"He's not acting like he always did when we had phone conversations. The man I was in contact with was very confident in what he was doing. He knew what the Covenant was asking of him and wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. He actually reminded me of myself, believe it or not." He pointed at Will. "This man is definitely distraught with the fact that you believe him capable of betraying you, and he is definitely not me. I know for a fact he was the one I was in contact with, but I just don't know how it all fits together, what makes the whole thing make sense."

"Could we please stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Will asked.

"I wouldn't talk right now if I was you, Tippin," Sark warned, "or else I'm liable to change my mind and let Sydney turn you in to the CIA."

"What do you think happened?" Sydney asked.

"I don't know." He started to pace.

"There has to be something we can do," Sydney muttered after a few minutes of silence. "I love you both. And I just don't know what to believe anymore."

Sark paused and looked back and forth at her and Will. "I think I know a way to find out who to believe. It'll be a little bit of a gamble. but what isn't?" He looked over at Will. "And you're going to have to give me your trust."

"No way. Nope. I don't think so." Will backed away with his hands up. "This whole thing is too out of hand. I'm not going to start placing my faith in a cold-blooded killer."

Sydney gave him a cool look. "Right now a cold-blooded killer is the only one defending you. I want to believe you, Will, but in a life like I lead, I have to have proof. That's the way it has to be." She turned back to Sark. "What's the plan?"

"I think I can get our little friends at the Covenant to give away some important information that may help us figure out who's lying in this situation and what's really going on." He turned to smile wickedly at Will. "But first, I need to tie you to a chair."

"And I'm sure that pleases you immensely?"

"You have no idea." Sark smirked at him.

Sydney looked over at the man she had once considered the only person worthy of her trust. "Will, I know I may seem harsh and cold to you, but I honestly don't know how to handle this situation. I want to believe you so much. But I can't let it go that easily, not after what happened to Amy."

"You don't even know what Sark is planning."

"I trust him," she said, hoping Will would see how true she was being. "And if he knows a way that we can resolve this without any more pain, I'm willing to do whatever he wants."

She saw something shift in Will's eyes, and he stepped forward towards her. The pain in his eyes was clear as he held out his wrists to her. "Do whatever you have to."

"Sydney, why don't you go in the other room?" Sark said gently. "I can finish this up."

Nodding, she felt herself walk out of the room as if her whole body was on autopilot. She was shutting down.

When she was gone, Will turned to Sark. "Is it time for you to slip into the protective boyfriend role? Rough me up and let me know that if I am the one who has hurt Sydney I won't make it through the night?"

"Please," Sark said, motioning for him to sit down. "I might be a little callous, but I'm not a barbarian."

Will sat down in the chair as Sark walked over to search through the drawers and, a few minutes later, came up with what he was searching for. "I'm just going to handcuff you to the chair, and then tie you in place. It's just a precautionary measure. If what I believe is right, you'll thank me for doing it."

"I would be a hell of a lot more comfortable if you could just explain what exactly you're about to do."

"Oh, I'm just going to pretend like you tried to escape and shoot you." As soon as he saw Will's eyes widen in horror, he laughed. "Kidding. I told you I was callous."

Sark laughed to himself as he finished tying Will up. "Now I have an evil organization to call. Excuse me."

Will watched hopelessly as Sark left him alone in the room tied to a chair. When he had woken up that morning, he would never have dreamt that he would end up in this position, put there by one of his greatest friends in the whole world. But the world he had chosen to live in was the kind where things like this happened at the blink of an eye. He couldn't deny that.

For the life of him, he couldn't fathom why Sydney would doubt him when he said he had no idea what she was talking about. It was ridiculous to think that he was responsible for Amy being in the hospital. For christ sake, she was his own sister.

Sydney had believed him through the whole second double incident when Allison Doren tried to frame him for the crimes she had committed. She was the only person who gave him the benefit of the doubt and risked everything to prove he was innocent. That was one of the reasons it was so hard to believe that she didn't trust him now. The implications of his betrayal then were a lot worse than they were now.

If he had truly betrayed her, it was only an attempt to hurt Sydney herself. No one else, excluding Amy, had been hurt by the events of the past few weeks. She didn't think he was capable of betraying the trust of hundreds of people so why was he likely to betray her trust specifically?

His introspection was interrupted as Sark returned to the room. "So, what's the verdict?" he asked. "Am I evil?"

"That remains to be seen. I have a definite lead, but I'm not going to do anything until Sydney is more alert. These next few days are going to be hard on her."

Will stopped a moment and let Sark's words sink in. "I would never want to hurt Syd."

"Let's hope that you never did." In a rare display of emotion, he smiled at him weakly before opening the door to the bedroom he shared with Sydney. For Sydney's sake, he hoped that Will was right.