Palpable tension
Chapter 3: Separated by Circumstance
Author: Saorla
Disclaimers: as per usual, I own nothing. Suing is unnecessary
To anyone who reviewed, YOU ROCK! Thank you and please review, it helps to inflate my ego.
"What the hell do you think you are doing here?" Sydney managed to bark out through her clenched teeth.
"Sydney..." Jack started, but by the time he had managed to say her name, Sydney had risen from her position by Vaughn's bedside, to stand toe to toe with her father.
"Don't you dare, try to talk to me. After what you did...I can't even look at you right now, never mind allow you to try and apologize. You, ...I can't even believe that you would come here. "
Sydney was seething with anger; the fact that her father had the audacity to show up and try to apologize for everything that he had done was absolutely ridiculous.
"I know you're angry, sweetheart, but if you would allow me to explain, I am sure you would understand why it had to be done."
"You lied to me, to us, for years you have been lying to my face. Did you ever even feel sorry for it? You don't honestly believe that coming down here is just going to absolve you, or make it all go away. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for this, Dad. Never mind Vaughn, the two of you never got along. Now, I doubt you ever will.
How could you have kept this from him? You know how much it devastated him when he found out that mom had killed his father, what is he going to think of my family now?"
While most people would have been trying to justify their actions, or think up excuses, Jack Bristow just stood there. Stoic expression masking the inner turmoil he felt. He knew he had hurt his daughter, but he had done what he thought was right. He was the only person in Sydney's life who had ever really put her first. Or at least, that's what he told himself.
"I need you to leave, get out! GET OUT!"
Jack left the room, Sydney didn't know if he planned on coming back or why he even left without a fight, but she was glad that he was gone. Unfortunately, Sydney did not receive the peace she had been seeking. Following Jack's departure was the appearance of about six agents that Sydney herself was not familiar with.
"Sydney Bristow, we are here from Mr. Foster from counter intelligence. We need for you to come with us."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that gentlemen. I am not leaving this cell until Agent Vaughn wakes up. If you have a problem with that, you need to go an see Director Dixon."
"Agent Bristow, Mr. Foster and the DCI have superceded Dixon's jurisdiction. You'll need to come with us."
Sydney was not going to go quietly. She needed to tell Vaughn what she saw in those documents.
"You don't seem to understand. I AM NOT LEAVING, until Agent Vaughn has woken up. If you would like to wait, that's fine, but I am not leaving."
"Ms. Bristow, if you refuse to come with us quietly, we have authorization to remove you by force. Agent Vaughn is being well taken care of here, if you'll come with us please..."
The agents moved in towards Sydney and handcuffed her. They stood her up and tried to march her out of the room, but not before she was able to lean down and place a gentle kiss on Vaughn's forehead and whisper a hurried "I love you" into his ear.
Taking one last worried glance around the room, Sydney said a quick prayer that she would be back in time to tell Vaughn what she saw, before her father got to him first.
"I'll ask you again Ms. Bristow, what were you doing in Palermo?" Foster questioned Sydney for the third time. Sydney didn't even understand why counter-intelligence would have any interest in her anyway. She went after a Covenant agent, the bad guys.
"I already answered that question, why should I answer it again?" Sydney retorted, she was sick of this. She had to check on Vaughn, who cares why she was in Palermo, all that mattered was that all CIA personnel had returned home, and they had stopped the Covenant from potentially finding the consciousness or whatever of Rambaldi.
"Agent Bristow, do I need to remind you again that you will only be released from our custody once you have answered all of the questions to my satisfaction?"
Foster's question was met only with an icy glare, so he continued on, "A covenant agent was killed, would you mind telling us who that was?"
"Lauren Reed"
"Sydney!"
Michael Vaughn woke with a start, basically leaping out of bed and knocking half the probes and wires off of his body in one swift motion. "Sydney!" he cried out again, his dazed mind not only failing to notice her apparent absence, but also the presence of another figure in the room.
"Agent Vaughn, I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Doctor Nicholas, if you remember, I am just going to check you out, and then I'll let Agent Bristow and Director Devlin in to start the debrief.
How are you feeling? Any nausea, dizziness?" the doctor asked as he checked Vaughn's vitals and reattached all the wires Vaughn had jostled in his hasty escape from slumber.
"No, I'm fine, where is Agent Bristow? Has she gotten back to L.A. yet? Is Agent Weiss around, has he spoken with Sydney?" Vaughn spit out his questions, much in the same way Sydney had hours earlier in reference to his own condition.
"Agent Bristow was here a few hours ago. Maybe she had to leave, I'm sorry I don't really know, Agent Vaughn. Perhaps her father will know where she has gone off to. I'll send him and the director in now. Let me know if you are felling any discomfort, we can up your morphine if you need it."
"Thanks. Can you let Agent Weiss know that I am awake? He might be able to reach Sydney" Vaughn pleaded, not at all pleased with the idea of spending the next few hours handcuffed to a hospital bed with Jack and Devlin, and having no idea where Syd was or if she was okay.
"That's all we need right now, Agent Bristow. Thank you for your cooperation."
Foster finally said after a SIX hour questioning session. Not only was Sydney tired, but most of all she was worried. Worried about Vaughn, and what lies her father could have told him.
Sydney flew out of Foster's office, and practically ran down the hallway. By the time she made it out the door, she had her cell phone practically glued to her ear.
"Weiss! It's me, is Vaughn up yet?"
"Yeah he's up, I haven't seen him though. Your dad and Devlin cornered him in his cell for debrief."
"What the hell? He has a punctured lung, they couldn't leave him alone to recover?!? I'm going down there now."
"Syd I don't think..."
Sydney slammed her phone shut cutting off the end of Weiss' comment as she barreled her way through the rotunda towards medical services.
After practically attacking the guard on duty, Sydney made her way to where Vaughn was being held. She tried to open the door, but instead found it locked, preventing her entrance. What the hell? She thought to herself, she tried the door again, it didn't move. The noise did, however shake Vaughn from his slumber.
A sleepy "Syd?" came from the body in the bed, and Sydney's eyes immediately flew to him.
"Vaughn! Are you okay?!"
"Syd! Thank God you're back. How did the questioning go?"
"Fine. They finally let me out. I had to see you, why can't I get in?"
"Devlin and your father haven't finished with me. I broke a lot of rules when I left the hospital. How did it go in Wittenberg?" Was his hurried reply, who knew how long the guards would allow Sydney to stay and he wanted to know what she had found.
"God Vaughn, I was so worried about you. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Sydney, stop stalling, what did you find?" Was Vaughn's stern reply, it was softened however by his loving smile reaching all the way to his eyes. Seeing Sydney alive was enough to almost allow him to forget about all the drama that surrounded them.
"I found documents, highly classified CIA documents. They detailed a project that my father was in charge of. That project was me, Vaughn. After my mother's disappearance my father planned my whole life. Everything, Vaughn, SD-6, Danny, joining the CIA, my missing time with the covenant, you.
Apparently, my mother had told him about the prophecy, he felt it was his job to ensure that I lived my life according to the prophecy exactly. The Rambaldi manuscript is much longer than the CIA or Project: Black hole think that it is. The manuscript details the lives of the chosen one and another individual, who together will bring forth Rambaldi's ultimate message. My mother, my father, and another person worked together to ensure that the two of us would meet, and ultimately fulfill the prophecy.
The person they worked with was the father of the man in the prophecy, but in order for part of the prophecy to come true, the man had to make his family believe that he was dead." She paused, Sydney didn't want to tell this to Vaughn, it wasn't fair to him. It just wasn't, God, they deserved to be happy after everything that had happened not deal with more Rambaldi crap.
She took a deep breath and looked up at Vaughn, she saw only love and concern in his eyes, she knew that they could get through this together, no matter what happened. Here goes nothing, she thought.
"The man my parents were working with, the man who faked his death, was...your father. Your father is alive, Michael."
Now press that happy little purple button and REVIEW! I don't care if you thought it was terrible, I need to know!
Author: Saorla
Disclaimers: as per usual, I own nothing. Suing is unnecessary
To anyone who reviewed, YOU ROCK! Thank you and please review, it helps to inflate my ego.
"What the hell do you think you are doing here?" Sydney managed to bark out through her clenched teeth.
"Sydney..." Jack started, but by the time he had managed to say her name, Sydney had risen from her position by Vaughn's bedside, to stand toe to toe with her father.
"Don't you dare, try to talk to me. After what you did...I can't even look at you right now, never mind allow you to try and apologize. You, ...I can't even believe that you would come here. "
Sydney was seething with anger; the fact that her father had the audacity to show up and try to apologize for everything that he had done was absolutely ridiculous.
"I know you're angry, sweetheart, but if you would allow me to explain, I am sure you would understand why it had to be done."
"You lied to me, to us, for years you have been lying to my face. Did you ever even feel sorry for it? You don't honestly believe that coming down here is just going to absolve you, or make it all go away. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for this, Dad. Never mind Vaughn, the two of you never got along. Now, I doubt you ever will.
How could you have kept this from him? You know how much it devastated him when he found out that mom had killed his father, what is he going to think of my family now?"
While most people would have been trying to justify their actions, or think up excuses, Jack Bristow just stood there. Stoic expression masking the inner turmoil he felt. He knew he had hurt his daughter, but he had done what he thought was right. He was the only person in Sydney's life who had ever really put her first. Or at least, that's what he told himself.
"I need you to leave, get out! GET OUT!"
Jack left the room, Sydney didn't know if he planned on coming back or why he even left without a fight, but she was glad that he was gone. Unfortunately, Sydney did not receive the peace she had been seeking. Following Jack's departure was the appearance of about six agents that Sydney herself was not familiar with.
"Sydney Bristow, we are here from Mr. Foster from counter intelligence. We need for you to come with us."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that gentlemen. I am not leaving this cell until Agent Vaughn wakes up. If you have a problem with that, you need to go an see Director Dixon."
"Agent Bristow, Mr. Foster and the DCI have superceded Dixon's jurisdiction. You'll need to come with us."
Sydney was not going to go quietly. She needed to tell Vaughn what she saw in those documents.
"You don't seem to understand. I AM NOT LEAVING, until Agent Vaughn has woken up. If you would like to wait, that's fine, but I am not leaving."
"Ms. Bristow, if you refuse to come with us quietly, we have authorization to remove you by force. Agent Vaughn is being well taken care of here, if you'll come with us please..."
The agents moved in towards Sydney and handcuffed her. They stood her up and tried to march her out of the room, but not before she was able to lean down and place a gentle kiss on Vaughn's forehead and whisper a hurried "I love you" into his ear.
Taking one last worried glance around the room, Sydney said a quick prayer that she would be back in time to tell Vaughn what she saw, before her father got to him first.
"I'll ask you again Ms. Bristow, what were you doing in Palermo?" Foster questioned Sydney for the third time. Sydney didn't even understand why counter-intelligence would have any interest in her anyway. She went after a Covenant agent, the bad guys.
"I already answered that question, why should I answer it again?" Sydney retorted, she was sick of this. She had to check on Vaughn, who cares why she was in Palermo, all that mattered was that all CIA personnel had returned home, and they had stopped the Covenant from potentially finding the consciousness or whatever of Rambaldi.
"Agent Bristow, do I need to remind you again that you will only be released from our custody once you have answered all of the questions to my satisfaction?"
Foster's question was met only with an icy glare, so he continued on, "A covenant agent was killed, would you mind telling us who that was?"
"Lauren Reed"
"Sydney!"
Michael Vaughn woke with a start, basically leaping out of bed and knocking half the probes and wires off of his body in one swift motion. "Sydney!" he cried out again, his dazed mind not only failing to notice her apparent absence, but also the presence of another figure in the room.
"Agent Vaughn, I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Doctor Nicholas, if you remember, I am just going to check you out, and then I'll let Agent Bristow and Director Devlin in to start the debrief.
How are you feeling? Any nausea, dizziness?" the doctor asked as he checked Vaughn's vitals and reattached all the wires Vaughn had jostled in his hasty escape from slumber.
"No, I'm fine, where is Agent Bristow? Has she gotten back to L.A. yet? Is Agent Weiss around, has he spoken with Sydney?" Vaughn spit out his questions, much in the same way Sydney had hours earlier in reference to his own condition.
"Agent Bristow was here a few hours ago. Maybe she had to leave, I'm sorry I don't really know, Agent Vaughn. Perhaps her father will know where she has gone off to. I'll send him and the director in now. Let me know if you are felling any discomfort, we can up your morphine if you need it."
"Thanks. Can you let Agent Weiss know that I am awake? He might be able to reach Sydney" Vaughn pleaded, not at all pleased with the idea of spending the next few hours handcuffed to a hospital bed with Jack and Devlin, and having no idea where Syd was or if she was okay.
"That's all we need right now, Agent Bristow. Thank you for your cooperation."
Foster finally said after a SIX hour questioning session. Not only was Sydney tired, but most of all she was worried. Worried about Vaughn, and what lies her father could have told him.
Sydney flew out of Foster's office, and practically ran down the hallway. By the time she made it out the door, she had her cell phone practically glued to her ear.
"Weiss! It's me, is Vaughn up yet?"
"Yeah he's up, I haven't seen him though. Your dad and Devlin cornered him in his cell for debrief."
"What the hell? He has a punctured lung, they couldn't leave him alone to recover?!? I'm going down there now."
"Syd I don't think..."
Sydney slammed her phone shut cutting off the end of Weiss' comment as she barreled her way through the rotunda towards medical services.
After practically attacking the guard on duty, Sydney made her way to where Vaughn was being held. She tried to open the door, but instead found it locked, preventing her entrance. What the hell? She thought to herself, she tried the door again, it didn't move. The noise did, however shake Vaughn from his slumber.
A sleepy "Syd?" came from the body in the bed, and Sydney's eyes immediately flew to him.
"Vaughn! Are you okay?!"
"Syd! Thank God you're back. How did the questioning go?"
"Fine. They finally let me out. I had to see you, why can't I get in?"
"Devlin and your father haven't finished with me. I broke a lot of rules when I left the hospital. How did it go in Wittenberg?" Was his hurried reply, who knew how long the guards would allow Sydney to stay and he wanted to know what she had found.
"God Vaughn, I was so worried about you. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Sydney, stop stalling, what did you find?" Was Vaughn's stern reply, it was softened however by his loving smile reaching all the way to his eyes. Seeing Sydney alive was enough to almost allow him to forget about all the drama that surrounded them.
"I found documents, highly classified CIA documents. They detailed a project that my father was in charge of. That project was me, Vaughn. After my mother's disappearance my father planned my whole life. Everything, Vaughn, SD-6, Danny, joining the CIA, my missing time with the covenant, you.
Apparently, my mother had told him about the prophecy, he felt it was his job to ensure that I lived my life according to the prophecy exactly. The Rambaldi manuscript is much longer than the CIA or Project: Black hole think that it is. The manuscript details the lives of the chosen one and another individual, who together will bring forth Rambaldi's ultimate message. My mother, my father, and another person worked together to ensure that the two of us would meet, and ultimately fulfill the prophecy.
The person they worked with was the father of the man in the prophecy, but in order for part of the prophecy to come true, the man had to make his family believe that he was dead." She paused, Sydney didn't want to tell this to Vaughn, it wasn't fair to him. It just wasn't, God, they deserved to be happy after everything that had happened not deal with more Rambaldi crap.
She took a deep breath and looked up at Vaughn, she saw only love and concern in his eyes, she knew that they could get through this together, no matter what happened. Here goes nothing, she thought.
"The man my parents were working with, the man who faked his death, was...your father. Your father is alive, Michael."
Now press that happy little purple button and REVIEW! I don't care if you thought it was terrible, I need to know!