Thank you to my reviewers... you guys really make my day. As usual, I don't own theses characters or the idea of Alias. I'm just trying to make it 'til next season.

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They had been home for a week and she hadn't seen Eric once. The hospital claimed that he wasn't allowed to have visitors but Sydney had a nagging feeling that Eric was the one dictating if he had visitors or not, namely her. Why didn't he want to see her?

She needed someone to talk to. Joke with. It had torn her up inside to watch Sark and Bridgette reunite, even if it was through the glass partition, and she needed to release some of her emotions to someone. Bridgette loved Sark, even with all his faults, and was there for him. And as much as that affected her, what blew her mind even more was when Antoinette walked in to headquarters.

The sun was bright, reflecting harshly off the office's shiny floor early Wednesday morning. Sydney was leaning over some paperwork she was supposed to be working on when she heard the confident clicking of heels echoing down the hallway. Naturally, her curiosity forced her to look and she was shocked to see who the figure was entering the room. Sydney owed the older woman her life and was going to repay her any way she could but, first, she was going to give her a hug.

She started over to her and the older woman smiled as she recognized her.

"Bonjour, Sydney. How is 'Airic?"

"Managing, I think. Things are kind of weird there."

"Oh. I se--." Antoinette became teary eyed as she watched something behind Sydney. "Jonathan," she breathed out and Sydney knew exactly who Antoinette saw.

The swerves in the car, the apprehension at hearing Antoinette's name. She was the one Jack had loved before Irina and Sydney would venture a guess that Jack still had feelings for Antoinette..

Jack looked up at that moment and all the hard years of spying melted from his face and he genuinely smiled.

"Jonathan!" She rushed over to him and dissolved into his arms.

When Sydney wasn't torn up about Sark's, or her father's, happiness, she was worrying about what she'd tell Vaughn about her new feelings. Fortunately, he had been on a mission since they got home and was still in the dark. Sydney was still in the dark. What did she expect with Eric?

It was a question she had on her mind when she was supposed to be working, running, eating, sleeping. She was thinking about it as she left the office late Friday night, ready to spend another weekend at home alone. Maybe it was for the best. It seemed like those that she held closest to her heart were always getting hurt. At least, that's what she had decided as she entered her dark house, pizza in hand from the corner restaurant due to the tradition she had started with Eric that she just couldn't break. Fumbling around, she turned on the lights, dropping her keys in the process. It was nights like this that she missed Francie. Francie always left a light on for her no matter how mad she was at Sydney. She really missed Will. For, as much as Francie knew about her, Will knew all about her.

"Stop it, Sydney. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You chose this life: the good and the bad."

Compartmentalizing her emotions, she grabbed a slice of pizza and turned on the radio to an eighties station. Distractions only, but it's what helped get her through the day sometimes. She needed to make some friends. Female friends. Considering between the only two friends she had, both men, one wasn't talking to her and one wouldn't be before too long after he found out what was going on.

The doorbell rang pulling her out of her misery spiral. Finally, something to occupy her mind. Scurrying to the door, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and threw the pizza slice back in the box. For some reason, she held her breath as she unlocked and opened the door and discovered who was visiting her.

There he was. His boyish good looks, his scruffy hair, his sleepy expression. Everything that she'd grown to love. But, she realized she wasn't in love with him. That was the problem.

"Hey. I just got home and saw your light was on. I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"About what?"

"Us, I guess."

"Please, don't say anything else. I don't want either of us to get hurt."

He studied her. He followed every contour of her face, every stray strand of hair, every freckle.

"Somehow, I knew I had lost. With everything that's happened, you still love him."

She wasn't shocked. But she was definitely relieved.

"Yeah. I do. I just didn't realize how much until tonight."

He leaned forward and kissed her on her cheek. Hovering by her ear, he whispered, "if he breaks your heart, I'll break his knees. Even if he is my best friend."

"Thanks. You know, you will always be in my heart."

Vaughn smiled his full-hearted half-smile, turned and left the porch.

The doorbell rang again, waking her from her daydream. She dashed to the door, still hazy from her thoughts, but this time she didn't waste a second. Absentmindedly, she opened the door.

"Hey."

Her eyes focused on him and she smiled. "Hey, you're home."

"Good as new." He took the half eaten pizza slice from her and took a bite as he entered her home. "Is it already mushroom and sausage night?"

"No. I skipped veggie night." She caught her breath as he turned and she saw his face fully in the light. He was no where near 'good as new' but it was good to see him. His face was still a little swollen and deep shades of yellow tinted his face. The gash over his eye had been stitched together and he had opted out of wearing a bandage over it. "It just seemed too healthy to have veggie supreme."

"Yeah. Pizza and healthy don't go together." He grabbed the box of pizza and walked over to the couch, depositing the box on the coffee table. Slowly, he sat down; groaning in the process, telling Sydney adrenaline wasn't fighting his pains anymore.

Joining him on the couch, she uncomfortably rubbed her hands on her knees and stared at the opposite wall. "I tried to come see you in the hospital. They wouldn't let me in."

"Yeah," he sighed, dropping his food on top of the box. "I told them not to."

"Why?" she asked, turning to him.

"Because I didn't want to feel worse than what I already did."

"Did you think I'd hurt you?"

He shrugged.

"Why?"

He shrugged again.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not. But I knew you wanted to talk about something."

"And you thought it was something bad?"

"It usually is."

"Well, I wanted to talk about Vaughn."

"See, I knew it."

"Vaughn's a bad subject?"

"Isn't he?"

Sydney rubbed her hands together. "I don't know. Look, we have a friendship that I don't want to lose."

"Right. The whole 'let's just be friends' deal." Eric was frustrated. He was sick of being 'just a friend.'

"Yeah, I guess. Do you think that will be okay? Do you think he'll get upset?"

"At us being friends?"

"What?" Sydney was getting confused

"The whole friends thing."

"I don't know, Eric. That's why I'm asking."

"What?"

"Does it feel like we're dancing in circles?"

"Yes. Definitely," he agreed.

"Why is that?"

"Syd, you're a great spy and you're good about talking around the subject. So what are you talking about?"

"Vaughn and me being friends. Do you think he'll be okay with that?"

"This is about you and Mike? Look, would you shut up about Vaughn? I'm officially sick of this 'dance.' I don't want to talk about him anymore. While I do love him like a brother, I love you so much more. And I'm tired of being the one taking chances for someone who obviously doesn't care for me. I don't care if you and Vaughn are friends now that Lauren in gone. Good for you! I sick of having feelings for you and having to deal with Vaughn's feelings for you too. And I fought back my own emotions when you went missing to be there for Mike. Then, I bit my tongue when he moved on because I knew he was wrong. But I guess I was."

He stood and walked over to the door. "He might have thought he lost you to death. But I lost you to your love for him. I'm tired of being the one always knocking on your door. I'm just... tired." Quietly, he exited the house, the door closing softly behind him.

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Weiss's soapbox moment. Next chapter is the last so enjoy!