Chapter 2

We're leaving here tonight

There's no need to tell anyone

They'd only hold us down

So by the morning light

We'll be half way to anywhere

Where love is more than just your name

~Evanescence, Anywhere

"How did you get in here?" Sark asked quietly.

"It was hardly difficult," she replied in the same tone. Sark didn't lower his gun, nor move at all, simply stood there staring at her.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"How do you think I got in here?" Sark sighed, finally letting his guard down and dropping the gun.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered, a mixture of hurt and anger coloring his tired voice.

"Tell you what?"

"Damn it Sydney, don't play these games with me! Please… just, don't." She finally stood up and crossed the room, stopping in front of him. Sark frowned to himself, sensing something odd about her movements. He brushed the thought aside as she spoke.

"Adam… look at me. I'm here, now, with you. That's the important thing, it's all that really matters. Whatever happened… is it such a big deal?"

"Yes, it is Sydney, but only because I don't feel like you trust me enough to tell me everything."

"That's not it at all, Adam."

"So what is it?" he questioned.

"Can we please just not talk about this right now?" She saw the combination of disappointment and hurt appear in his eyes before he quickly wiped it away. "I will tell you, I promise, but I can't… I mean, I'm not up to it right now. Please, just trust me." Sark frowned guardedly, but nodded his assent.

"Fine."

"Thank you," she whispered. He nodded again, taking a step back to observe her for a moment.

"Sydney… are you all right?" she looked up at him warily.

"Why do you ask?"

"Something seems… different. Off… I don't know."

"You mean aside from the whole 'oops, I'm dead' part?" she asked glibly. He gave her a look, and she shrugged.

"That wasn't funny."

"Who says it was meant to be?"

"Ok, let's make a deal- I won't ask you any questions until you're ready for them, and you'll stop playing these little games, whatever the point is."

"Adam, I'm not playing any games," she said seriously. He glared at her again, but she didn't blink. He sat down abruptly, running a quick hand over his short hair before looking up at her again.

"Sydney, I've spent the past seven days believing the only person I've ever truly loved was dead. It took three days before I could finally force myself to go to your grave and speak to you. Earlier today, I stood there and told you everything I wished I could've said to you before. It ripped me apart, Sydney; it was the most painful thing I have ever had to do, saying goodbye to you." He paused, noticing the tears building in her eyes, as well as those threatening the corners of his own. Ignoring the feeling, he carried on.

"In that moment, I thought about the future- my future, without you. It was empty, Sydney, and there was nothing there for me. I've never experienced anything like this… and then, to have you reappear in my hotel room, acting more like an occasional business associate than the woman I love… I can't handle it." Sark quickly turned his face away from Sydney, feeling vulnerable and exposed after showing more of himself to her than he ever had to anyone.

"I'm sorry," she spoke softly. Sark rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ward off the encroaching headache.

"And what about the other people you care about? Will, Agent Vaughn, Agent Weiss… everyone else? Are they to simply continue thinking that you're dead again? After everything they must have been through last time?" Sydney looked away, not saying anything. There was a long silence before Sark frowned and stood up.

"You're acting very odd, Sydney." She turned and walked to the window, staring out silently for a moment.

"What do you expect me to say, Adam?" she questioned hoarsely; he realized she was struggling to hold back her tears, but repressed the urge to comfort her.

"It's not about what I expect… it's about what needs to be done, and what you need to say, not what I need to hear." Sydney kept her eyes focused on something outside the window, and Sark sighed tiredly. "All right… if you'll not tell me, then allow me to see if I can't piece it all together." At that, Sydney finally turned around, looking at him with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. But still, she said nothing, and Sark's frown deepened. "Now, based upon what I know- which, granted, is not very much- here's the theory I've come up with. We'll start with a certain phone call Mr. Tippin received one week ago…"

"I'm sorry to have to tell you, Mr. Tippin. Sydney Bristow is dead." Sark was dumbstruck, and easily understood why Will had collapsed to the floor.

"What… what do you mean? What happened? Who is this?"

"Agent Pierce, CIA. There was an accident 20 minutes ago, involving Miss Bristow and a hit and run driver. An unidentified female called Agent Weiss, and after he had confirmed it, he instructed us to call you. I was-" whatever else he said was lost as Sark hung up the phone and slowly sat down next to Will, who was staring ahead numbly.

"Not again… damn it, no! Not again…" he whispered, almost to himself. Sark didn't reply, instead shutting his eyes in an effort to block the pain.

By this time, a few small tears had managed to escape and trail down Sydney's face. Sark felt the urge to brush them away, but something stopped him. He instead turned and walked to the opposite side of the room, his back to her.

"After that, I holed myself up in here for a few days… I couldn't bring myself to attend your funeral, though that would have been a bit difficult anyway with all the CIA agents lurking about. But that's not what's important right now." He faced her again, pausing briefly to gather his thoughts. "Now, what I surmise is that the mysterious woman who called Agent Weiss? It must have been your mother. Who else would be able to get through to a specific CIA agent, report that, and remain unidentified? Of course, that doesn't quite explain how the two of you managed to fake your death, nor how you convinced Agent Weiss and the rest of the CIA- not that they're difficult to fool, of course… But still, in spite of those admittedly gaping holes, I'd say it all fits rather nicely. Now, if you'd be so kind as to fill it all in for me… or, if I'm completely off the mark, I'd appreciate knowing that too." Sydney frowned, staring at him with an unreadable look. Eventually, he nodded slightly, taking a few steps closer to her.

"I suppose I could always call Irina…" he said thoughtfully, reaching into his pocket to withdraw his cell phone.

"No… don't," Sydney said quietly. Sark looked at her, surprised.

"Ah… she speaks," he noted dryly.

"Look… just trust me, please? I took your word for it when all you would ever tell me was 'you'll know,' so please have faith in me now." They stared at one another for a long moment before he finally nodded.

"All right. But Sydney, you'll have to trust me eventually."

"I do trust you, and you will know… just not right now."

"Fine. What happens next? The proverbial ball is in your court now, Sydney."

"I think… it's not safe to stay here, in LA. We should probably move on, try to get as far away as we can… maybe even leave the country altogether." Sark indicated his single packed suitcase at the foot of his bed.

"That was my plan as well. I was going to get out of here as soon as I finally managed to go talk to you."

"Good. Shall we?" He looked at her curiously.

"Did you bring any clothing?"

"No. I haven't seen anyone else since…" she trailed off, and he nodded his understanding.

"We can stop somewhere and get you some," he offered.

"Uh… I'd prefer to just get as far away as we possibly can, as fast as we can." He raised any eyebrow, but nodded again.

"Whatever you wish. I've got a few more things to pack, it'll just be a minute."

"I'll go wait for you by your car."

"All right. It's right over there, next to those trees," he called over his shoulder as he went into the bathroom.

"Ok… see you in a few." A short time later, he had checked out and gone down to meet Sydney by his car. He found her already in the passenger seat, keeping a cautious eye on everything around her.

"I didn't even hear you leave the room," Sark noted as he started the car. She gave him a look, and he smirked. "Yes, yes… super spy and all that, I know. Where to?" he questioned as they pulled onto the freeway.

"Anywhere but here…" Sydney said quietly.

"All right then… anywhere it is."


Thanks for all the reviews! :-D Sorry it took so long, had some monster computer problems- think two dying on me within 3 months- but now all is well, so hopefully updates should be much more frequent from now on.