A/N: A lot of you who commented wanted to know if Goodnight was going to be continued, and major "duh" to me, I should've mentioned that. :-P lol So, yeah, it's continuing, hence the chapter below. And also remember, things aren't always what they seem….
Chapter 2
Sydney felt a sharp pain as she turned in her sleep. She deeply inhaled before sitting up in bed. The pain hit her harder. She gently allowed her head to fall back onto the pillows and her back to rest on the soft mattress.
After taking several deep breaths in hopes of lessening the pain, she observed her surroundings. Sydney soon realized she was in a hospital, and, after following the pain that sprang up her body, found the wound in her stomach. Confusion swept over her as she searched her memory for any recollection of acquiring the wound and found none.
Sydney looked on the other side of the room and a small smile spread across her face. Her father sat in a nearby chair catching up on well-deserved sleep. Not wanting to disturb him, she returned to a comfortable position, closed her eyes, and drifted off to a deep sleep.
~*~*~*~
Sydney cracked the code to the safe in a large room on the third floor of the mansion. After carefully checking for an alarm and not finding one, she reached inside and pulled out a book.
"Page forty seven, right?" she asked through her comm.
"Yeah, the information we need to find the map should be on page forty seven," Vaughn confirmed.
Sydney reached into her handbag and pulled out what appeared to be a mirror. She took pictures of the page, then placed the book back inside the safe.
"I got the pictures. I'll meet you-"
"Syd? Syd, what's going on?" Vaughn, clearly worried inquired.
"Sloane," Sydney whispered. "Vaughn, he's here. This could be my chance."
"Your chance for what?"
"I'm going after him."
"What? Syd, no. You can't- not by yourself. Just meet me at the extraction point and we'll come back with a team."
"Sloane could be gone by then. I am not about to let the man that ruined my life get away. Not this time."
"Syd!"
Sydney turned off her comm. She then proceeded into the hallway. She had seen which room Sloane had entered into. After pulling out her gun, she quickly entered the room and aimed her gun at him.
Sloane was casually staring out the window, his back to her. He knew she was there, and she knew that he was aware of her presence. The eerie silence between them was broken when Sloane turned to face her.
"Hello, Sydney."
~*~*~*~
Sydney sat up straight, her eyes wide open. Pain shot up her body. That same dream had repeated itself several times, but never went any further. The room spun and her stomach burned. Wincing, she laid back down. After blinking several times so she could adjust to the light and keep away tears, she saw her father staring at her from his chair.
"Dad," she softly inquired. "What happened? Did I get hurt on my mission?"
Jack was silent for a minute, then he spoke. "We're not sure what happened on the mission yet, Sydney." After seeing Sydney's puzzled look, he spoke. "I'm not sure you should hear all this so soon. You need to rest, and then later I can-"
"Dad," Sydney interrupted. "I need to know. Just tell me, please."
Jack nodded. "I know you think you're ready, but, Sydney, just get some rest for now. We'll talk later."
He didn't have to finish his sentence. Sydney was already asleep.
~*~*~*~
Sydney woke up to the sound of whispered voices. She recognized both of them. It was her father and Vaughn. As she opened her eyes, their conversation abruptly ceased and they made eye contact with her.
Her eyes then wandered around the room again. When she averted them to a chair, she saw a baby carrier. Amidst several soft, blue blankets, Sydney saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring intently, yet peacefully at her. For several minutes she couldn't look away.
Finally, she forced herself to avert her eyes, and returned her gaze to her father and Vaughn. Her confused look made them believe she didn't recognize the baby, but the inquiry she made shortly afterward confirmed their suspicion.
"Who's baby is he?" she asked, her voice thick with confusion.
"Sydney," Jack slowly began to speak. He then stopped himself, and instead asked. "What was the last thing you remember?"
She answered, sharing her most recent memory. Jack sat in silence, listening intently. Vaughn stood pacing, nodding his head as he too recalled the events. She stopped, then seeing the men's expectant gaze, she said, "And that's all I remember."
Vaughn looked at Jack. Both men's eyes were filled with pain. Sydney's confused look caused Vaughn to cast his eyes to the ground, and Jack to heavily sigh.
"I'm not sure if you're ready to hear this yet, Sweetheart," Jack honestly stated. "I'll tell you when you're feeling-"
"Dad, it's just a gunshot wound. I've had ones before; I've had worse before. Whatever you have to tell me, I need to hear it- right now."
Jack, knowing that Sydney would persistently insist on knowing, nodded. "When you woke up earlier, you asked me about your mission. I told you that we didn't know what had happened. That's because you disappeared after you went after Sloane."
"After you told me you were going after Sloane, I requested backup," Vaughn picked up telling the story. "Then I went inside to find you, but you were no where to be found. It was as if you'd never been there."
"He called me and told me you were missing. He came back to LA, told me the whole story, and I immediately prepared a search team.
"We didn't have any leads for weeks. We just looked around the mansion for clues, any indication of where you could be, and waited to hear from or of Sloane. We found him twice, but he always managed to get away; you were nowhere in sight.
"After searching for some time without results, the team dismantled. However Vaughn and I continued our efforts."
"Wait," Sydney stopped them from continuing. "How long have I been gone? The team wouldn't have stopped searching if I were only gone for a few months."
Vaughn looked at Jack with uncertainty in his eye. Jack then softly told her, "Sydney, you've been gone for about a year and a half."
Sydney stared in shock. She had been gone a year and a half. That time would never come back to her, and she didn't even know how she had used it. Sydney determined that she would find out.
"Sweetheart?" Jack inquired softly. "I don't have to tell you the rest now; it can wait."
"No," Sydney firmly replied. "I want to hear it all."
Jack nodded, and continued. "Last week we received intel stating the whereabouts of Mr. Sark's new home- and that Sloane was going to meet him there. I assembled a tactical team. We were told that if the opportunity arose to take out Sloane and Sark.
"The time came, after everything was planned, for us to go. We were hopeful of finding you there."
Vaughn began to speak again. "We cautiously entered the building. No one was around. Then we heard some voices up on the second floor.
"We went up the stairs and down the hall. Sark came out of a room, and I had a clear view of him. So I shot, and he fell to the ground. We all assumed he was dead.
"And then," he paused and took a deep breath. "And then a woman came out of the room. We told her not to move, but she did, so one of the agents shot her. She still managed to go back into the room she and Sark came from.
"I went into the room to find her. She was sitting up against the wall, rocking a baby. I had already assumed she was Sark's wife, and when I saw a wedding ring on her hand and the baby, I knew she was. When I got closer- that's when I realized… Syd, it was you."
Tears were softly falling from Sydney's eyes and flowed down her cheeks. Both men were looking at her with sad eyes. She turned her glossy eyes to the baby again.
"He's mine, isn't he? That baby's mine..." Jack nodded and looked to the sleeping baby. "Can I- can I hold him?" she inquired softly, her voice wavering as she spoke.
Vaughn walked over to the chair where the baby slept in his carrier. He gently lifted the baby without waking him and placed him in Sydney's arms.
She smiled at the sleeping child, then kissed his head. "Do you know his name? Or how old he is?" Sydney longingly asked her father.
"Luke William," he replied. "Is his name. We aren't sure how old he is. I can find out for you."
Sydney nodded. "What else happened?"
"Your dad carried you to your helicopter. I carried Luke and some of his toys and clothes. There were only five agents there to begin with, and we all left- the others to get things to get Sark's body out of there. Since you were hurt we left shortly afterward. We brought you here and Jack filled the CIA in on what happened."
Sydney looked from her father to Vaughn, and saw the same thing in their eyes: concern. "There's something else, isn't there?"
Vaughn looked to Jack, who spoke. "Sydney, when the agents went back to get Sark's body… it was gone. He disappeared."
Chapter 2
Sydney felt a sharp pain as she turned in her sleep. She deeply inhaled before sitting up in bed. The pain hit her harder. She gently allowed her head to fall back onto the pillows and her back to rest on the soft mattress.
After taking several deep breaths in hopes of lessening the pain, she observed her surroundings. Sydney soon realized she was in a hospital, and, after following the pain that sprang up her body, found the wound in her stomach. Confusion swept over her as she searched her memory for any recollection of acquiring the wound and found none.
Sydney looked on the other side of the room and a small smile spread across her face. Her father sat in a nearby chair catching up on well-deserved sleep. Not wanting to disturb him, she returned to a comfortable position, closed her eyes, and drifted off to a deep sleep.
~*~*~*~
Sydney cracked the code to the safe in a large room on the third floor of the mansion. After carefully checking for an alarm and not finding one, she reached inside and pulled out a book.
"Page forty seven, right?" she asked through her comm.
"Yeah, the information we need to find the map should be on page forty seven," Vaughn confirmed.
Sydney reached into her handbag and pulled out what appeared to be a mirror. She took pictures of the page, then placed the book back inside the safe.
"I got the pictures. I'll meet you-"
"Syd? Syd, what's going on?" Vaughn, clearly worried inquired.
"Sloane," Sydney whispered. "Vaughn, he's here. This could be my chance."
"Your chance for what?"
"I'm going after him."
"What? Syd, no. You can't- not by yourself. Just meet me at the extraction point and we'll come back with a team."
"Sloane could be gone by then. I am not about to let the man that ruined my life get away. Not this time."
"Syd!"
Sydney turned off her comm. She then proceeded into the hallway. She had seen which room Sloane had entered into. After pulling out her gun, she quickly entered the room and aimed her gun at him.
Sloane was casually staring out the window, his back to her. He knew she was there, and she knew that he was aware of her presence. The eerie silence between them was broken when Sloane turned to face her.
"Hello, Sydney."
~*~*~*~
Sydney sat up straight, her eyes wide open. Pain shot up her body. That same dream had repeated itself several times, but never went any further. The room spun and her stomach burned. Wincing, she laid back down. After blinking several times so she could adjust to the light and keep away tears, she saw her father staring at her from his chair.
"Dad," she softly inquired. "What happened? Did I get hurt on my mission?"
Jack was silent for a minute, then he spoke. "We're not sure what happened on the mission yet, Sydney." After seeing Sydney's puzzled look, he spoke. "I'm not sure you should hear all this so soon. You need to rest, and then later I can-"
"Dad," Sydney interrupted. "I need to know. Just tell me, please."
Jack nodded. "I know you think you're ready, but, Sydney, just get some rest for now. We'll talk later."
He didn't have to finish his sentence. Sydney was already asleep.
~*~*~*~
Sydney woke up to the sound of whispered voices. She recognized both of them. It was her father and Vaughn. As she opened her eyes, their conversation abruptly ceased and they made eye contact with her.
Her eyes then wandered around the room again. When she averted them to a chair, she saw a baby carrier. Amidst several soft, blue blankets, Sydney saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring intently, yet peacefully at her. For several minutes she couldn't look away.
Finally, she forced herself to avert her eyes, and returned her gaze to her father and Vaughn. Her confused look made them believe she didn't recognize the baby, but the inquiry she made shortly afterward confirmed their suspicion.
"Who's baby is he?" she asked, her voice thick with confusion.
"Sydney," Jack slowly began to speak. He then stopped himself, and instead asked. "What was the last thing you remember?"
She answered, sharing her most recent memory. Jack sat in silence, listening intently. Vaughn stood pacing, nodding his head as he too recalled the events. She stopped, then seeing the men's expectant gaze, she said, "And that's all I remember."
Vaughn looked at Jack. Both men's eyes were filled with pain. Sydney's confused look caused Vaughn to cast his eyes to the ground, and Jack to heavily sigh.
"I'm not sure if you're ready to hear this yet, Sweetheart," Jack honestly stated. "I'll tell you when you're feeling-"
"Dad, it's just a gunshot wound. I've had ones before; I've had worse before. Whatever you have to tell me, I need to hear it- right now."
Jack, knowing that Sydney would persistently insist on knowing, nodded. "When you woke up earlier, you asked me about your mission. I told you that we didn't know what had happened. That's because you disappeared after you went after Sloane."
"After you told me you were going after Sloane, I requested backup," Vaughn picked up telling the story. "Then I went inside to find you, but you were no where to be found. It was as if you'd never been there."
"He called me and told me you were missing. He came back to LA, told me the whole story, and I immediately prepared a search team.
"We didn't have any leads for weeks. We just looked around the mansion for clues, any indication of where you could be, and waited to hear from or of Sloane. We found him twice, but he always managed to get away; you were nowhere in sight.
"After searching for some time without results, the team dismantled. However Vaughn and I continued our efforts."
"Wait," Sydney stopped them from continuing. "How long have I been gone? The team wouldn't have stopped searching if I were only gone for a few months."
Vaughn looked at Jack with uncertainty in his eye. Jack then softly told her, "Sydney, you've been gone for about a year and a half."
Sydney stared in shock. She had been gone a year and a half. That time would never come back to her, and she didn't even know how she had used it. Sydney determined that she would find out.
"Sweetheart?" Jack inquired softly. "I don't have to tell you the rest now; it can wait."
"No," Sydney firmly replied. "I want to hear it all."
Jack nodded, and continued. "Last week we received intel stating the whereabouts of Mr. Sark's new home- and that Sloane was going to meet him there. I assembled a tactical team. We were told that if the opportunity arose to take out Sloane and Sark.
"The time came, after everything was planned, for us to go. We were hopeful of finding you there."
Vaughn began to speak again. "We cautiously entered the building. No one was around. Then we heard some voices up on the second floor.
"We went up the stairs and down the hall. Sark came out of a room, and I had a clear view of him. So I shot, and he fell to the ground. We all assumed he was dead.
"And then," he paused and took a deep breath. "And then a woman came out of the room. We told her not to move, but she did, so one of the agents shot her. She still managed to go back into the room she and Sark came from.
"I went into the room to find her. She was sitting up against the wall, rocking a baby. I had already assumed she was Sark's wife, and when I saw a wedding ring on her hand and the baby, I knew she was. When I got closer- that's when I realized… Syd, it was you."
Tears were softly falling from Sydney's eyes and flowed down her cheeks. Both men were looking at her with sad eyes. She turned her glossy eyes to the baby again.
"He's mine, isn't he? That baby's mine..." Jack nodded and looked to the sleeping baby. "Can I- can I hold him?" she inquired softly, her voice wavering as she spoke.
Vaughn walked over to the chair where the baby slept in his carrier. He gently lifted the baby without waking him and placed him in Sydney's arms.
She smiled at the sleeping child, then kissed his head. "Do you know his name? Or how old he is?" Sydney longingly asked her father.
"Luke William," he replied. "Is his name. We aren't sure how old he is. I can find out for you."
Sydney nodded. "What else happened?"
"Your dad carried you to your helicopter. I carried Luke and some of his toys and clothes. There were only five agents there to begin with, and we all left- the others to get things to get Sark's body out of there. Since you were hurt we left shortly afterward. We brought you here and Jack filled the CIA in on what happened."
Sydney looked from her father to Vaughn, and saw the same thing in their eyes: concern. "There's something else, isn't there?"
Vaughn looked to Jack, who spoke. "Sydney, when the agents went back to get Sark's body… it was gone. He disappeared."