Disclaimer: Surprise surprise, I don't own Alias.. or the characters.. or anything else related to the show. And I stole the title from a song by Thursday.. which also happens to be my favorite song, so don't sue meh.
A/N: Oh, man. I am so sorry for taking so long. Not to make excuses, but I was sick most of last week.. and then I had a four hour car ride on Sunday during which I think my muse flew out the window. But I'm not making excuses. I probably could have posted this Thursday, but I still wasn't happy with it.. I didn't want to update just for the sake of an update. You all deserve better. And this chapter is loong.. it could probably pass for two chapters, but oh well :P I want to thank everyone who reviewed, you guys are awesome. And also the people who just read.. just thanks for reading :)
Tomorrow I'll Be You
Vaughn led Sydney into the guestroom where he promptly fell into one of the chairs. Climbing the stairs had proved to be a rather difficult task because of his injury; it had taken more and more out of him with every step he'd climbed, and he'd been sure that Sydney was going to have to drag him up the last couple of steps. He'd made it; however, and remained in the chair to catch his breath. Sydney knelt beside him, a worried expression overtaking her features as she rubbed gentle circles into his back.
"Are you okay," she asked with concern as she smoothed her free hand over his slightly sweaty forehead.
"I'll be fine," he assured with a small smile as he reached up to grab her hand.
Sydney nodded, not entirely convinced, and let it go. It was obvious that he was in pain, and it was killing her to know that there was nothing she could do to make it go away. She held his hand for a few moments before she stood up and moved behind him. Her actions confused Vaughn at first, but he quickly relaxed when he felt a warm pair of hands begin to knead the tension out of his shoulders. She always knew what he needed. As Sydney felt his muscles begin to relax, she gradually moved her hands into his soft, messy hair and began to play with it while she gently massaged his scalp.
He was finding it very difficult to think about his father's actions while in his current state. Sydney's hands were working wonders; it was extremely relaxing and he found himself beginning to doze off. Just as he was about to move past the dozing stage; however, Sydney's voice pulled him back to the land of the living. Her hands continued their soothing ministrations as she quietly said, "We should change your bandage."
He sighed contentedly, "Yeah... that's probably a good idea."
There was no use putting it off, Vaughn decided, and he reluctantly stood up with the intention of retrieving the gauze from the bathroom. Sydney was one step ahead of him; however, and as soon as he stood up, she pulled him back and seated him on the bed.
"You relax. Let me get it," she said in a soft, yet firm voice.
He smiled appreciatively. "There's a first aid kit in the bathroom closet," he told her as he pointed to the bathroom door.
Vaughn's smile faded as he watched her retreating form. She was everything to him; how was he going to tell her about his father? More importantly, how would she take it? He didn't even know what to think about it. Her life was already so complicated; he didn't want to add to the mess. Vaughn knew she would eventually ask about the phone call, but would he be able to tell her the whole truth?
It didn't take long for Sydney to return with the first aid kit and she took a seat behind Vaughn as she carefully helped him to remove his shirt. Sydney cringed when she noticed that the wound had bled through the bandage and she let out a soft, sad sigh as she began to peel away the sodden gauze.
She was taken aback by how red and irritated the area was; it must have been ten times worse than it had been when she'd checked it on the plane, and she prayed that it wasn't infected. It pained her to think that anyone would hurt Vaughn, her Vaughn. He'd been through so much lately and all she wanted to do was take it away; he didn't deserve what had happened to him. Sydney stifled her tears as she cleaned the wound as gently as she could. She then added some anti-inflammatory cream to help with the pain before she covered it with a new patch of gauze. When she was finished, she could no longer hold back her tears as she delicately wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him from behind.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you," she whispered tearfully.
Vaughn felt a sharp pang in his chest when he heard Sydney's tears; he'd always hated when she cried. It made him feel so helpless. 'How can she be worried about me at a time like this,' he asked himself, 'I should be the one comforting her.' He carefully maneuvered out of Sydney's grip and turned around so that he could hold her instead. She relaxed into his embrace, her arms resuming their position around his torso and her head laying in the crook of his neck as she desperately tried to hold back the rest of her tears.
"None of this is your fault, Sydney," he whispered softly as he ran the his hand through her hair, "You know that, right?"
He was alarmed when he didn't receive an answer right away, but just as he was about to continue with his speech, he felt her nod into his shoulder with a quiet sniffle.
They sat in silence for a few moments, simply enjoying the fact that they could do so. Despite the troubling thoughts that lingered in both of their minds, neither Sydney nor Vaughn had felt such peace in a long time. He'd missed her; he'd missed her touch, her voice, and just her presence. He pulled her closer as he remembered just how close he had come to losing her in Palermo. Vaughn was forever grateful to whatever divinity that had decided that he was worthy of Sydney's presence, but also for the simple fact that she had let him in after what she'd discovered in Wittenberg.
Sydney was lost in thought as well; she had pushed her feelings about her father aside and reflected on previous day. Meeting Vaughn's mother was unnerving, yet exciting, and she was glad that she had gotten the chance to do so. Amélie was an amazing person, and even more so as a mother. She and Vaughn had the kind of relationship that Sydney had longed for throughout her entire life.
"Your mom's really nice, Vaughn," she said, breaking the silence.
He smiled; he knew that she and his mother would get along famously once they had gotten to know each other. "Yeah... she's been looking forward to meeting you for a long time, Syd."
There was a short lull in the conversation before Vaughn decided to ask the question that had been burning in a hole the back of his mind since he had left Sydney alone with his mother. "So, if she didn't pull out the baby pictures, what did you two talk about," he asked nonchalantly.
Sydney shrugged and then nestled further into his arms. "You used to talk about me a lot," she said softly after a few moments.
He groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have left the room," he chuckled as a blush rose into his cheeks.
"No, I think it's sweet," she said seriously as she traced the outline of his collarbone with her finger. Her voice lost its serious tone as she teased, "It was really sweet of you to just leave me all alone with her, too."
Vaughn smiled, "If I hadn't left, she would have thrown me out, anyway."
Sydney laughed. "Excuses, excuses," she teased before acceding, "It's okay, though. I think it worked out well."
They were silent for a few moments before Sydney asked, "So who was on the phone?"
Jack walked out of Dixon's office with a new resolve. He was determined to right his wrongs, namely the Covenant, and win back his daughter's trust; that is, whatever trust he had from her to begin with. Despite what Sydney thought, everything he'd ever done was in her best interest. If she had read the letter that he'd left, and he hoped that she had, she would know that; and she would know that he'd always loved her.
But perhaps a letter wasn't enough; maybe he should have told her that he loved her. Maybe he should have tried to be more of a dad instead of a father. Should have... If he had been more attentive when she was a child, would she have accepted Sloane's offer in the first place? If he had shown her how much he'd loved her from the beginning, would she be leading the life she's leading now? What if...
However now was not the time for regrets, and as he made his way to the transport van he went over the last minute details of what was about to take place. Details that would ultimately make or break his 'relationship' with Sydney.
As much as he regretted what he was about to do, it was the only way he could see that would ultimately fulfill his goal. Sark knew where Irina was; Jack was sure of that. He thought that it would be better if Irina explained the Covenant to Sydney; after all, the project was originally her idea. Irina's betrayal had scarred over in Sydney's mind; the wound was no longer fresh. Therefore, in Jack's mind, if Sydney were to believe either of them, it would probably be Irina. Of course, Irina would also be a great help in destroying the Covenant, and there was the matter of a certain affair that he was anxious to discuss with her.
Jack found his way outside and approached the van where he abruptly stopped in front of the single security guard. "Has the prisoner been checked," he asked the guard.
The guard glanced into the back of the van where Sark was sitting and answered, "Yes, sir. We're ready to leave."
Jack nodded and was about to climb into the van when a loud crash sounded from behind him. He quickly turned around and found a large, previously stacked set of crates scattered about the pavement and a dazed-looking Randall Sherman standing in the middle of the mess.
"Sorry, sir. I, uh, seemed to have run into, uh..." he trailed off and pointed to the crates. "You know, someone should put up some sort of sign or something, or maybe some of that yellow tape stuff... that's uh, it's dangerous," he bravely continued, still pointing to the crates.
Jack was amused, yet confused. What was an Op-Tech specialist doing near the transport van? He impatiently inquired, "Mr. Sherman, may I ask what you are doing out here?"
"Yeah, uh, Director Dixon was looking for you earlier. I saw you come out here and, uh, I just wanted to let you know," he lied.
"Yes, I'm aware of that," was Jack's terse reply as he and the guard turned and climbed into the van, leaving Randall to clean up the mess. "Perhaps you can do something about that sign," Jack offered as an afterthought before he closed the van door.
Jack took a seat on the left side of the van, while the guard sat facing him on the opposite side. Sark sat chained to the bench between them. There were no words exchanged between the three men as the van started towards its destination.
While Jack continued to contemplate the possible consequences and outcomes of his decision, Sark was lost in his thoughts as well. In the forefront his mind was Lauren; had Sydney succeeded in killing her? While he didn't love Lauren, he certainly enjoyed her company, and it pained him to think that Sydney may have taken away yet another one of his life's simple pleasures. Was Rambaldi really worth all of his suffering? Was the Covenant? He remembered the director mentioning that Katya was in Palermo, and he briefly wondered whether or not she had found what they were all searching for.
Sark also reflected on Jack's behavior towards him; it was confusing, it was... civil. He knew that Jack was after Irina, but for what reason he had no idea; there were so many possibilities. He knew; however, that there was no way that Jack was ever going to get to Irina without his help, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Jack knew that, too.
He turned his head to look at the elder Bristow, whom looked deep in thought, and then shifted his gaze to look out the tiny window. He was curious as to where they were taking him, and he prayed that it wasn't Camp Harris. He had spent a lot of time there after Sydney's 'death.' In fact, that is where he first learned of her disappearance; almost every question they had asked him was in relation to 'Agent Bristow's murder.' He was shocked to hear about it, and rightfully so, because he had thought Sydney Bristow invincible.
Maybe she was; she had, after all, returned from the dead.
His thoughts stayed with Sydney; he was always confused when it came to her. She had taken so much away from him and he longed to hate her for it, but he didn't; he couldn't. She was a worthy adversary and he respected her; however, that didn't change the fact that she had caused him so much pain. He could only hope that someone would come for him; he couldn't wait to share his pain with her, or perhaps with Agent Vaughn. Maybe even with the both of them.
After about twenty minutes of silence, their thoughts were disturbed. The first shot rang out and, as much as he had wished for it to happen, Sark had never expected the source. He watched in confusion as Jack Bristow shot a single tranquilizer dart into the accompanying guard.
Vaughn sighed; he knew it was coming, he just wasn't prepared. "Weiss," he vaguely answered.
"Okay..." she drawled, "And?" She knew that something was going on; the sullen expression he wore when he reentered the den coupled with the fact that he was obviously trying to avoid the discussion was enough to give him away.
"It's complicated, Syd," he breathed as he ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her; he just didn't know how. Of course, his answer had just made it harder for him.
"I see," she said coolly as she stood up and smoothed the imaginary wrinkles out of her pants. She was slightly miffed, here she had told him all about her father's betrayal, which wasn't exactly easy given everything that had happened between them, and yet he wouldn't even tell her about a conversation he had with Weiss? Since when was the debate between Cheese Nips and Cheez-Its so complicated?
"Syd, don't get mad," he pleaded, "I just need to process..."
Sydney snorted incredulously. "Don't get mad," she asked exasperatedly. She folded her arms across she chest as she walked over to the window. After a few moments of tense silence she started again, her voice much calmer, but distant.
"Vaughn," she sighed, "you of all people should know that I hate being kept in the dark. I told you about my father thinking that it might be easier if I had someone to talk to..."
She was right, he had to admit. Sydney would understand what he was feeling better than anyone else would, but that didn't make it any easier to tell her.
"Syd..." he sighed, looking for a way to start, "Your father wasn't the only founder of the Covenant. There were three."
She turned around, shocked and confused. "What do you mean," she asked hesitantly.
He didn't answer right away, and turned his gaze to the floor. He was hoping that she would pick up on his insinuation so he wouldn't have to voice it, and it didn't take Sydney long to realize what he was trying to say, but she couldn't believe it.
"You mean..." she said softly and he nodded. "Your father..." she confirmed and he nodded again.
He had said there were three. "Who was the third?"
"Take a guess..."
She looked at him for a few moments before her eyes grew wide with realization, "Sloane?"
Vaughn nodded.
She was quiet for a moment, and then her brow furrowed, "How does Weiss know all of this?"
"The papers your father left," Vaughn answered quietly and then looked up at Sydney, "I don't think the files you found in Wittenberg were complete."
"Obviously," she muttered, and then she realized why he'd been so upset. She mentally chastised herself for not realizing it sooner.
"Oh, Vaughn," she said softly as she made her way back to him, "I'm so sorry."
She sat down beside him and pulled him into a comforting embrace, which he gladly accepted. "I didn't even know him, Sydney," he whispered sadly as he burrowed his head into her neck.
She really didn't know what to say to make him feel better. She knew that there wasn't anything she could say. The best thing she could do was to let him get it all out, just as he had done for her. Twice.
"I'm sorry that he was a part of what happened to you," he said quietly as he played with an errant strand of her hair.
Sydney was on the verge of tears, even though he was hurting, he was still worried about how this was affecting her. "Don't apologize for him, Vaughn. None of it was your fault," she soothed while gently running her hands through his hair.
Vaughn sighed, "It shouldn't be this way."
"It will get easier," she said softly.
Vaughn only nodded. Of course he believed her, but his respect for her soared as he realized that this was what she went through. Twice.
They were both silent for a few moments, each ruminating over what they had learned before Vaughn broke the silence.
"When Brill told me that my father was a Follower of Rambaldi, I didn't believe him."
Sydney was slightly confused as to who 'Brill' was. She assumed that he was a family friend so she didn't press the matter, but she did ask, dumbfoundedly, "He was a Follower of Rambaldi?"
Vaughn pulled back and nodded wearily, resting his head in his hands, "He was protecting the Passenger when he died."
Sydney was shocked. Not only had his father been a Follower, but he had been protecting her sister as well. It was just all so unbelievable. Her thoughts drifted to Nadia, and, consequently, Nadia's letter. She had forgotten all about it. She abruptly stood, startling Vaughn, and walked over to the chair where she had left her coat.
"What are you doing," Vaughn asked, partly confused and partly curious.
Sydney retrieved the letter from the coat pocket and walked back over to where she had been sitting. "Weiss said that Nadia left this for me when she escaped the safehouse," she explained as she reclaimed her seat and handed the letter to Vaughn.
"A letter," Vaughn asked fingering the edges.
"Yeah," she replied looking at the single piece of paper, "I haven't read it yet... I kind of forgot about it."
"Don't you want to read it," he asked understandingly as he handed it back to her.
Sydney shrugged as she played with the edges, much like Vaughn had. "Yeah," she answered, "I'm just... I don't know."
"Nervous," Vaughn said knowingly.
Sydney smiled at his observance, although she probably wasn't hiding it very well in the first place. She looked at him once more for reassurance and, at his nod, she slowly unfolded the wrinkled, yellow paper.
Please forgive me for leaving.
There are some things you should know.
Credit Suisse, Zürich
SDB 1147
It will only open for you, you will see why...
The heart of a lover has the most watchful eyes.
Vaughn looked to Sydney, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "Can she be trusted," he asked dubiously.
"I don't know..." she answered, "but if I don't go, I know I'll regret it."
"Syd," he said gently, "I don't think this is a good idea."
She understood his skepticism, but this was something she had to do; if she didn't go, she would be plagued with the constant, 'What if?' She sent him a glare to prove her determinism before he relented; "I'm going with you."
She smiled and cupped his chek as she placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you," she said tiredly, "We should sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
Vaughn agreed and they wordlessly got ready for bed; Sydney borrowing clothes because she had left her bag in the car. They shared shy smiles before they both climbed under the covers, snuggling together as though it weren't the first time in two years. Sydney fell asleep with a satisfied smile shortly after her head hit the pillow, and Vaughn watched her for a little while. Of course he was hesitant to believe Nadia's letter; she was prophesized to kill Sydney, but he knew better than to dispute Sydney on the subject. He figured that if he couldn't keep her from going, he could at least go with her. He held her tighter, silently praying that there would be many more nights they could share together as he, too, fell asleep with a sated smile.
Only a few moments after Jack had shot the guard, more shots rang out, only this time they had come from outside the van. The van itself had come to a sudden stop, and if Sark had not been chained down, he would have joined Jack on the floor. Sark was still trying to process all that was happening when Jack picked himself up and started to undo the chains.
"We don't have much time," Jack informed him, "and don't even think about going anywhere because the chain around your neck is linked to the detonator on my watch. One wrong move and you'll be cremated and scattered over several inviting acres."
"Am I to guess that this your way of asking for my help," Sark asked amusedly.
"No," Jack replied unaffectedly as he finished with the chains, "This is my way of making you help."
Sark didn't really care either way, as long as he was free; he could always find a way to get rid of Jack later. For the time being; however, he decided it would be best to stick with the agent for awhile, perhaps he knew where Sydney was... or maybe Agent Vaughn. He didn't care which, because if he had one, the other would no doubt come to the rescue.
He was pulled from his thoughts when the van's door opened and a hooded man quickly stepped inside. The man stopped in his tracks when he noticed Jack holding the gun to his head. "Easy, Jack," he drawled as he removed the mask, "Security's pretty much taken care of. The plane will wait for fifteen minutes."
Jack dropped the gun as he recognized the man as his contact and nodded his understanding. The man then shifted his gaze to Sark, and then back to Jack. "I hope you know what you're doing," he added.
"I assure you it's under control," Jack replied irritably. He was getting tired of everyone constantly second-guessing his decisions; even himself.
The mysterious man disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared and Jack motioned for Sark to get up. The shooting had noticeably lessened, but they had to move fast. Jack grabbed Sark and, after making sure the coast was clear, ran for the jeep that had been left for them. Unfortunately, they were spotted by Agent Brooks, whom upon realizing what was going on, started shooting in their direction, grazing Sark's shoulder. Jack peeled out of the clearing as quickly as he could, unaware that the CIA was not going to let them go that easily.
The ride was quiet; both men had resumed their thoughts previous to the escape. Sark was about to question where they were going, but one glance at Jack changed his mind. Despite what he would like to think, Sark knew that Jack Bristow was a formidable opponent, and the invitation to be scattered about the landscape was not so inviting. Luckily, Sark didn't have to voice his question because Jack answered it for him.
"You're going to take me to Irina," he said firmly, "and then you are going to tell me everything you know about the Covenant. There will be no deals, there will be no compromises, and there will be no deviations from this plan. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," Sark smirked, inspecting his wound, "But there is one problem."
"Oh," Jack asked sarcastically.
Sark ignored the remark and went on, "In order to gain access to the facility wherein Irina is being held, I will need to visit a contact."
That is when Jack Bristow snorted. He knew that Sark was cocky, but he couldn't believe his audacity. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Sark. My contact has provided us with anything we may need," he informed him.
"I doubt that," Sark persisted, and then switched gears, "Perhaps you know her... she is like family."
Irina had left the godforsaken compound as fast as she could with only one destination in mind. Unfortunately, it was about 200 miles away and she had no means of transportation. She let out an aggravated sigh as she began her walk to the nearest town. She didn't really mind though, it gave her time to think. She'd been out of the loop for nearly two years and, for once in her life, she had no idea what was going on.
She knew that Sydney had been taken; Katya had told her as much. Irina knew that it would have happened eventually no matter how hard she may have tried to stop it. She prayed that Sydney would realize that she had nothing to do with her disappearance and, more importantly, that she knew her mother loved her. Irina had done many horrible things, but all she had ever wanted was for Sydney to be safe and happy. Obviously she hadn't done a great job.
When Katya had first told her of her plans, Irina had thought she was crazy. She never thought her sister was capable of experimenting on her own niece. Irina had done everything she could to prevent it from happening, but her efforts were fruitless. The night she had last seen Sydney on the rooftop was burned in her memory; as soon as she had left the building she had returned home, only to find that Katya was waiting for her with a small army and a dagger to slice into Irina's back.
Her mind drifted to Jack; did he know what happened to her? Had he figured out Katya's little game? She was curious as to whether or not he knew the truth about what happened to the Covenant and how he was handling it; although, she doubted that he knew the truth, the DSR would never admit to such a mistake.
Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a large, brick house; she hadn't even realized she had reached her destination. It was just as she remembered it; however, she couldn't be so sure about the person inside. She took a deep breath as she headed up the walkway and knocked on the door. Irina only had to wait a few minutes before the door opened and she couldn't help but smile at the sight before her.
"Hello, Yelena."
A/N: So, what do you think? I had the hardest time with the S/V parts, so let me know if I did okay. And for those waiting for Sloane and Nadia, one of them will be appearing either next chapter or chapter ten. Please tell me what you like/dislike so I can improve; esp. regarding the escape thing cause I don't like writing that stuff :P Constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated :)
Ren201: Yay! I'm glad you like this, it's good to know that people enjoy what I write. Thanks for reviewing!
jenny: Hey we kind of have the same name (mine's Jen) :P I'm glad you thought it was just as good.. I'm always criticizing my own work.. that can be a good thing or a bad thing :P Anyway, thanks for reviewing :)
Olivia: -ducks- I'm glad you still love it. And I love his mom, too :P Thanks for reviewing!
daisyduke947: Yeah, it did.. but it will hit him harder in a few chapters... ;) Thanks for your review :)
Grouchy: Thanks for reading, I'm glad you like it. I was nervous about the Covenant thing, you know.. how people might react, but I think it turned out alright. Thanks for reviewing!
mbellsdiva: I'm glad you're liking it. Yeah, she is.. but now we know where Vaughn gets it :P And the tracking device is going to save Dixon's skin imo :P Thanks for reviewing!
Tine: Yay, you still like it! I hope I didn't disappoint with the S/V talk.. it was the hardest part to write so far. Let me know what you liked and disliked because there will be another one in a few chapters. Thanks for reviewing :)
StrawDog: Thanks for reading. Spectacular is an awesome word, especially to describe my story :P Thanks for reviewing :)
Fair Cate: I'm so glad that you liked it. The Covenant thing started out as a speculation.. but I was like, 'I should write a fic...' I hope I didn't disappoint with the S/V talk, it came out much differently than I had planned, but I think it turned out okay. And yeah, while S/V are fun to write, I need to remember the plot, lol :P Thanks for reviewing!
Rach5: I'm glad you like this story. And he had to tell her :P Dixon and Kendall won't be for a few chapters, but there will be some words.. :P Thanks for your review :)
luv24Alias: I noticed the plus sign doesn't show up for your name :( Anyway, thanks for reading. Of course there'll be more of that kind of interaction with S/V :) Thanks for your review!
xanya-forever: Yay, you reviewed, lol. I thought you might not, but it's totally alright, and yes, I would love it if you reviewed all of my chapters! I'm glad you like the S/V interactions; I was tired of S3 angst as well :P And I'm so glad you liked the Covenant thing, I was nervous about it.. now let's just hope I don't screw it up :P Thanks so much for your review!
jjismyhero: I'm at a loss for words. Wow.. just thanks for your kind words and thanks for reading and thanks for your review. Lots of thanks :P