CHAPTER 3

The minute that Sark had returned home he walked into the bathroom and found the pregnancy test exactly where he had left it on the counter.

He found himself afraid to touch it and for the next hour and a half he walked back and forth into the bedroom and then back into the bathroom never laying a hand on the test.

There were so many possibilities that needed to be answered just because of the little thing of plastic. Was the test positive? Was Sydney pregnant with their child? Or was it negative and he had nothing to worry about?

He was anxious and for the first time in a long time he felt frightened. His thoughts were agitated and running wild with things that he didn't think he would ever have to deal with in life. The house was quiet around him and he liked it that way. As Sark walked back and forth he tried to imagine a child crying in the back round or a child's laughter or toys scattered across the floor, he tried to imagine baby food in the fridge and diapers in the closet, a stroller and car seat in his convertible and he just couldn't see it. He had never thought of himself has a father, had never even imagined it before.

The day was coming to a close and Sark had gotten no further to bringing himself to what might be happening then he was earlier in the day. He was sitting on the porch drinking a glass of wine when he decided that he needed to talk to Sydney about it. He had to find out the truth. He needed to know if he was a father or not. The only problem was how he would face her after what he told her. He had lied to her and made her leave. Why would she want anything to do with him, and knowing her she would not want to abort the baby and would most certainly not want to raise it like she was raised or much less like he was raised?

Sark lifted his fingers to his temples rubbing them in a circular motion trying to relieve the oncoming headache sighing into the silence and he found himself missing her again. He walked into their bedroom, taking off his shoes he sat down on the bed and collapsed

Into a restless nightmarish sleep.

Sydney was packing her books into a box when she heard her father's voice.

"Sydney?"

"Back here dad" she yelled wiping a thin layer of sweat off her forehead.

"Ok so I got Chinese food and Mexican I didn't know which one you wanted"

Jack said as he entered her bedroom carrying two bags full of takeout.

Sydney stood for a full minute staring the bag and she got a whiff of the Mexican food and ran for the bathroom leaving jack with a worried look on his face. "Oh god Sydney I'm sorry I completely forgot that you can't eat Mexican food anymore. I'll go throw it out right now" jack said leaving her bedroom.

"Throw it out outside dad I can't take the smell" Sydney said weakly as another round of nausea came over her.

Fifteen minutes later Sydney was sitting on the kitchen counter hungrily eating the Chinese takeout. "Its amazing how this baby is so picky to what it likes to eat, I can't believe it doesn't like Mexican food. I love Mexican food." Sydney said as she gulfed down another spoonful of egg drop soup.

Jack smiled as he ate the orange chicken "well I prefer Chinese food so maybe the little guy takes after me."

"What makes you so sure it's a boy?"

"Nothing really just wishful thinking I guess." jack said wiping some orange sauce off his chin. "It would be nice to have a little guy running around here don't you think?"

Sydney smiled wistfully "yeah it would be nice, but I am not sure I want to know the sex of the baby, it would be kind of nice to be surprised with it." She said rubbing her stomach thoughtfully.

Jack leaned back into the chair and said quietly" your mother didn't want to know either.

She said it was more exciting if you kept it a secret until the baby was born." Jack smiled thoughtfully "she said that we should pick out a name that would go well with a boy or a girl. But in the end she picked out Sydney for you and Marek for a boy. I always liked the name Marek for a boy something about it that just rings with... well I don't know just something about that name that I like." Jack said has he got up and began to throw away the empty takeout containers in the trash and take it outside to join the Mexican food.

Sydney watched him to do this and a memory of Sark and her popped into her head.

Sark was picking up their empty plates and bringing them to the sink to where Sydney was doing the dishes from their dinner. Gathering up their trash he tied the bag and was going to take it outside when he heard Sydney's laughter from behind him. Turning around to face her he asked "what?"

Sydney laughed even more. The sight of Sark getting ready to take out the trash was not something anyone probably imagined

"Its just, well look at you, the big spy Mr. Sark is taking out his own trash, and to do so you take your gun with you, that's not the least bit funny to you?" she said her laughter still evident in her eyes as she looked at him.

Sark smirked and put the bag on the ground and as Sydney began to laugh again his smirk turned into a smile as he came towards her and pulled her into a kiss. Sydney vaguely remembered that the trash was never taken out that night or the next night either.

Two days before Sydney was to leave Los Angeles she went back to the office to say goodbye to Dixon and Marshall. Vaughn was no where to be seen and it didn't bother her in the least. As she gave everyone a last hug goodbye she started to feel a little queasy and she didn't think it was because of the baby, this was a different type of nausea quickly she walked towards the double doors leading outside, and for the first time in a while Sydney felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders which had been carrying too much for too long.

Looking up Sydney noticed the sky and the colors of the clouds they were a Brilliant white and it was then that she decided that she was going to be fine. She and this baby would be happy and they would live normal lives. Walking away from that building, that life was the easiest thing Sydney had ever done.

Sark had been watching the house for a week now and he watched boxes being loaded onto a truck, he watched Jack Bristow carry bags of what looked like takeout food into the house every day at 12:15 on the dot .Being a punctual CIA agent seeps into every aspect of life Sark realized. He didn't see Sydney at all; she never left the house not even for her usual morning run. She had obviously been released of charges from the CIA for her absence for the past ten months. Sark ran his hands thru his hair. Jack surely had something to do with that.

Fiddling with the radio and not finding anything good Sark turned it off. It was hard to believe that they were together for ten months Sark shook his head to himself no not ten months, nine months, they had only been together for nine months. Sark smirked beneath his hand which was keeping his chin up it had only taken a month to win her over, though it had taken over 5 for her to admit she loved him and even then Sark shook his head , she only would show how much she cared about him in her sleep. Sark remembered the first time he noticed it...

She woke up in a cold sweat his name coming off her lips in a violent scream. He sat watching her, knowing that it would happen just like he had known that she would instantly reach over to the opposite side of the bed. The strikingly familiar scene making him realize all to well that he was in deep now and turning away from her was not an option. She had become accustomed to him being around and now when he was slowly pulling away she was revealing the affect that he had on her. 'Funny' he thought how she would only admit how much he meant to her in her sleep. He was beginning to like this stubborn side of her.