Sydney sat on the pier and waited for her ride to arrive. She had just emerged from the water and she was freezing cold. Yet another mission gone wrong. She sat thinking about all of the things she had failed to do. Look out for guards? Research for quick exits? Check the codes to see if they were correct? As she sat waiting for someone to come and fetch her she wandered what would become of her if she continued to derail like this and spiral into the world of a civilian.

She thought of all the times her and Dixon had worked together and accomplished an objective or all of the times she and Vaughn had collected artefacts. She missed those times now. They had died because they had given up but she had vowed never to give in to the people who wanted to see her fail. They wanted her to be a failure. They wanted her to sit back and watch others complete what she could never do. Some things had gradually become too hard for her and sometimes she had simply awoken to find that she could no longer do them. The people she loved would always be there for her and the people who loved her would never abandon her.

That was how she knew someone would be coming for her today. The first time it happened she had been surprised when someone came for her but every time since then they had come for her in the place she was, in the place she awaited rescuing. It was getting quite sad as the time went on. a lonely old woman escaping her nursing home just to prove that she still had it. All the others had simply accepted old age but not Sydney Bristow. She would never accept it. She would always get free. No matter what measures the home put in place, she would always get out.

The problem was, she had nowhere to go once she got out. She would go to the pier and take a paddle. She would look for her pager claiming that she had just thrown it in and that Vaughn was waiting for her. The truth was that he had been gone for almost eight years. That was when she first started going senile. The months after his death. She had sat talking to him for hours. She claimed he was answering her but she was talking to his chair or his coat. A few weeks after that, she had started to escape. Go on missions with him. She always ended up freezing cold sitting on the pier.

The young woman got out of her car and approached the older woman. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and knelt down. Her long brown hair contrasted with the grey hair of the woman beside her. Staring into the wary but still solid hazel eyes as they mirrored her own, the young woman smiled.

"Mom?"

"Laura?"

"Yes mom its me... are you ready to go back?"

"Go back where?"

"To the nursing home."

"Will your father be there. He was supposed to wait for me."

Laura wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"No mom he won't."

"Why not? Is he on a mission?"

"Mom you remember dad died eight years ago. We put up this memorial bench in his honour."

Sydney turned and read the plaque.

"Oh" She sighed as the memories flooded back to her.

"Shall we go back?"

"Yes dear." She got up and walked beside her daughter. "I still haven't found it."

"Found what mom?"

"My pager."

She never did.