Odessa wouldn't seem like such a bad place. Sure it was cold and he
heard that the safe house was not the most livable one that the CIA had.
But then again, it was the Ukraine, so how bad could it be? He fingered
the heavy white paper and continued to read, actually reread he
information. As soon as they landed, they would be whisked away to an
ultra exclusive party. She was going to be Ava Davis and he was to be
James Atler, a wealthy couple originally from the UK but were visiting old
friends, another pair of undercover CIA agents, Madison Perkins and Robert
Kilmer.
Her brown eyes looked over the name again, "Robert Kilmer." And instantly, her mind began to race. No, it couldn't be the same one. It just couldn't be. Fate wouldn't be that cruel to her. Feeling somewhat panicked, she started to flip through the pages of her docket, trying to find the picture and background on the familiar name. Meanwhile, her heart was pounding so rapidly she felt as though it was going to splurge from her chest at any moment. "Do you have the file on Kilmer?"
Vaughn looked up from his laptop, resting on the table in front of him. "It's not in your docket?"
"Do you have the file on Kilmer? It's really important." She asked again, feeling the panic starting to rise in her throat. She started to pray that it wasn't the same Robert Kilmer from that mission almost what was it now? Six years ago? She cleared her throat uncomfortably as she watched Vaughn reach into his bag and reveal his black folder. Rather carelessly, he started to leaf through the documents and stopped when he came to a picture with a piece of paper paper-clipped to it. Without much thought, he handed it to Sydney and returned to his computer screen, staring at it intently.
Sydney took the picture eagerly and felt her blood run cold as she saw who it was. It was the Robert Kilmer she was dreading it would be. There were his gray eyes staring back at her, those eyes that could stare into her soul. She had wished she had forgotten about him but alas, she could not. She didn't need to read over the fact sheet about him. She had memorized every part of him a long time ago and at this moment, wished she hadn't. She wished that they had never met and never become what they became. Life in intelligence was complicated enough. Why did they have to go and complicate it even more?
But as the panic began to surge in her, a new wave crashed. What if he remembered her or worse yet, what if he didn't remember her? This entire mission was a conflict of interest and she didn't know if she could stand being in the horrible safe house in Odessa with Vaughn, first of all and then to be with him again? She pursed her lips together tightly as she looked down at the picture.
"Have you ever met Kilmer?" Vaughn asked suddenly, after about a half of a minute of seriously debating it in his head. Something wasn't right when she saw his photo. She normally kept a blank look when looking at photos but this time, she looked as though she had just seen a ghost.
In some respects, she just had. "I thought he went into witness protection a few years ago."
Vaughn just gave her a weak smile and turned back to his work. He was so upset with himself right now that he really didn't want to talk about anything. He just wanted to sulk, basically. There was so much bad luck hanging over his head. Normally, he always kissed Lauren good-bye before a mission but now, he could barely look at her. She made him sick and he hated that because he really did love her. Despite what the world thought of him and his relationship with his wife, he was loved her. He just wasn't sure how much he was in love with her today. She had betrayed him on the most basic level. He hated that feeling and his stomach started to sink every moment.
She just needed to have a conversation to get her mind off of Kilmer and the impending mission. "You all set for the mission?" she asked, not really wanting or caring about the answer she got.
Vaughn barely looked up from his screen. His blood was pounding loudly in his head and he could only hear his only his heartbeat. He didn't hear Sydney calling name. He just kept reading the same e-mails over and over again. He felt something tap him on the shoulder and he jumped sky high.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He replied harsher than he really meant to.
Skeptical on his behavior, she sat down beside and starred at the screen. "Whose computer did you bug?" She noticed immediately the cryptic messages and traditional headings from an e-mail account. Her brown eyes scanned down the page and saw "Love yours, Lauren." She had to keep herself in check or else she would say something she would regret. "Is everything okay, Vaughn?"
Vaughn looked at the screen, rereading the same e-mail he had been reading for a long time. He had lost track of how long they've gone and how far they've climbed. His mind was basically blank and racing at all the same time. With a heavy heart and heavier tongue, he looked at her. He couldn't lie to her-he wouldn't lie to her. They had been through enough. "Nothing." But he did. He lied and hated himself for it anyway. He turned back to his screen and quickly exited out of it. "It's nothing of importance." He swallowed hard as he shut the screen and looked at her, almost waiting for her to call his bluff. "Are you okay? You look a little-"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She relented, leaning back into the chair but her eyes remained on the laptop. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
"Everything's fine, Syd. Nothing to be concerned about. I was just checking my e-mail." He lied, starring at the laptop too. It was like it was about to come alive at any moment and bite them.
They fell into that awkward silence they had grown used to. Neither of them really knew what to say. "I'm gonna get dressed. We're landing in a little bit."
"Okay." Vaughn replied coldly.
Her brown eyes looked over the name again, "Robert Kilmer." And instantly, her mind began to race. No, it couldn't be the same one. It just couldn't be. Fate wouldn't be that cruel to her. Feeling somewhat panicked, she started to flip through the pages of her docket, trying to find the picture and background on the familiar name. Meanwhile, her heart was pounding so rapidly she felt as though it was going to splurge from her chest at any moment. "Do you have the file on Kilmer?"
Vaughn looked up from his laptop, resting on the table in front of him. "It's not in your docket?"
"Do you have the file on Kilmer? It's really important." She asked again, feeling the panic starting to rise in her throat. She started to pray that it wasn't the same Robert Kilmer from that mission almost what was it now? Six years ago? She cleared her throat uncomfortably as she watched Vaughn reach into his bag and reveal his black folder. Rather carelessly, he started to leaf through the documents and stopped when he came to a picture with a piece of paper paper-clipped to it. Without much thought, he handed it to Sydney and returned to his computer screen, staring at it intently.
Sydney took the picture eagerly and felt her blood run cold as she saw who it was. It was the Robert Kilmer she was dreading it would be. There were his gray eyes staring back at her, those eyes that could stare into her soul. She had wished she had forgotten about him but alas, she could not. She didn't need to read over the fact sheet about him. She had memorized every part of him a long time ago and at this moment, wished she hadn't. She wished that they had never met and never become what they became. Life in intelligence was complicated enough. Why did they have to go and complicate it even more?
But as the panic began to surge in her, a new wave crashed. What if he remembered her or worse yet, what if he didn't remember her? This entire mission was a conflict of interest and she didn't know if she could stand being in the horrible safe house in Odessa with Vaughn, first of all and then to be with him again? She pursed her lips together tightly as she looked down at the picture.
"Have you ever met Kilmer?" Vaughn asked suddenly, after about a half of a minute of seriously debating it in his head. Something wasn't right when she saw his photo. She normally kept a blank look when looking at photos but this time, she looked as though she had just seen a ghost.
In some respects, she just had. "I thought he went into witness protection a few years ago."
Vaughn just gave her a weak smile and turned back to his work. He was so upset with himself right now that he really didn't want to talk about anything. He just wanted to sulk, basically. There was so much bad luck hanging over his head. Normally, he always kissed Lauren good-bye before a mission but now, he could barely look at her. She made him sick and he hated that because he really did love her. Despite what the world thought of him and his relationship with his wife, he was loved her. He just wasn't sure how much he was in love with her today. She had betrayed him on the most basic level. He hated that feeling and his stomach started to sink every moment.
She just needed to have a conversation to get her mind off of Kilmer and the impending mission. "You all set for the mission?" she asked, not really wanting or caring about the answer she got.
Vaughn barely looked up from his screen. His blood was pounding loudly in his head and he could only hear his only his heartbeat. He didn't hear Sydney calling name. He just kept reading the same e-mails over and over again. He felt something tap him on the shoulder and he jumped sky high.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He replied harsher than he really meant to.
Skeptical on his behavior, she sat down beside and starred at the screen. "Whose computer did you bug?" She noticed immediately the cryptic messages and traditional headings from an e-mail account. Her brown eyes scanned down the page and saw "Love yours, Lauren." She had to keep herself in check or else she would say something she would regret. "Is everything okay, Vaughn?"
Vaughn looked at the screen, rereading the same e-mail he had been reading for a long time. He had lost track of how long they've gone and how far they've climbed. His mind was basically blank and racing at all the same time. With a heavy heart and heavier tongue, he looked at her. He couldn't lie to her-he wouldn't lie to her. They had been through enough. "Nothing." But he did. He lied and hated himself for it anyway. He turned back to his screen and quickly exited out of it. "It's nothing of importance." He swallowed hard as he shut the screen and looked at her, almost waiting for her to call his bluff. "Are you okay? You look a little-"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She relented, leaning back into the chair but her eyes remained on the laptop. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
"Everything's fine, Syd. Nothing to be concerned about. I was just checking my e-mail." He lied, starring at the laptop too. It was like it was about to come alive at any moment and bite them.
They fell into that awkward silence they had grown used to. Neither of them really knew what to say. "I'm gonna get dressed. We're landing in a little bit."
"Okay." Vaughn replied coldly.