Sydney nodded her head in understanding, "We're assuming Covenant?" She crossed her arms over her chest and snapped into business form. Her brown eyes glowed with the adrenaline of getting a job done and getting it right. When it mattered, she was one of the best agents in the field.
Vaughn sighed and nodded, "There could be other threats but it just seems more logical. We can't discount Lauren and Jonathan Just because they're-" There was a flash and suddenly, more dread filled Vaughn than ever before. There had to be a tie in between Lauren and Jonathan being captured and the kidnapping. Was there another mole at the CIA who knew about the capture? Nothing was making sense. "When did Madison say that she last heard from Kilmer?" He prayed that he wasn't right.
Sydney shot him a worried look and answered briskly, "Right when we were checking in. Why? What are you thinking?"
"That son of a bitch." Vaughn hissed beneath his breath. He looked at Sydney, who he hoped would understand without him detailing it further.
She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Vaughn?" Sydney pressed her lips together and waited for a reply.
"We're going to get in touch with base ops, ask for their authorization, and then go ahead. We're going to screw over Lauren as much as she did me." He clenched his jaw down and furrowed his brow. The revenge started to take over his body. All he could think of was getting Lauren out of the picture, permanently. He would kill her if he had to. Lord knows that he wanted to.
Something in her stomach wanted to slap Vaughn clear across the face. He was getting his emotions up into a tailspin and this could only end in tragedy. "But until the kidnappers make their demands, we can't make any accusations. It may not be Covenant." She fought to keep eye contact with him. She finally caught the green spheres and followed his gaze to meet hers. "Vaughn, we can't make an accusations."
"I heard you the first time." Vaughn snapped and he moved to brush past her.
Sydney acted out of instinct and grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards her, "Listen to me, Vaughn. You can't act like this. I need you to pull it together. I know it hurts-" Her tone was strangled and harsh.
His jaw remained clenched and he remained abrasive. "Don't tell me what this is like. You don't know what it's like to be betrayed." He pulled his wrist away from her, only to find that she grabbed him again.
They stood there in silence for a moment. He starred at her hand, gripping his forearms tightly. He moved to walk away again, pulling himself out of her grasp but was stopped once more. Sydney grabbed his shoulder. Their motions stopped again. She pulled herself closer to him and found her forehead pressed against his. Her hands flew up to the back of his neck and his arms were wrapped around the small of her neck. Their eyes were locked on the ground and neither was really breathing. "Don't make this harder than it has to be for Madison. This is the most difficult thing that she's ever going to go through. Don't make this harder for her."
Vaughn nodded against her forehead and started to breathe more regularly. He didn't realize how natural it felt to have his arms around her frame. It had been such a long time since he pushed the thoughts of her touch out of his head. He had forced himself to. There was no way that he could indulge in the memories of them dancing at the wedding, which felt like forever ago. He had to forget the feelings that rushed through him and how he never wanted to part from her. There was an electricity that flowed through both of them whenever they touched.
Her eyes were trained down to the floor. Their hands slowly dropped down from their positions and joined each other at their sides, becoming clasped there. Sydney squeezed his hands tightly and drew in a slow breath. "Let's start at the beginning of this, alright? We're not going to get anywhere making wild claims.
He released one hand and ran it along her jaw. "Okay."
"Okay." Her breath hitched slightly in her throat as she looked up and stepped back slightly. "Why would they want Kilmer and Layla?"
Vaughn cleared his throat softly, "Madison, you said that it was because of the project. What was it?" Vaughn brushed past Sydney, his mind thinking faster than his mouth.
Madison craned her neck and rested her chin against the couch, "Project Dying Rose."
"What was it?" Vaughn pressed further.
Madison sighed and turned back around so not to face them. She stifled the sob mercilessly, "Robbie is a special agent within Project Dying Rose. He's been undercover for twelve years and one of his assignments was working with high class intel. That's how he got recruited to the CIA from SD-6. Arvin Sloane had tasked him to research Irinia Derevko and her whereabouts." She cleared her throat and continued, "After he was pulled from SD-6, he did the same research from the CIA." She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, "I was sent by the CIA to work with him, seduce him, and discover if he was leaking any information. There was a while that they thought he was."
Sydney shot a concerned look towards Vaughn but pushed the thoughts of finding her mother out of her head. It had been a subject she had been thinking about a lot. She missed her mother more than she would admit to anyone but she had. She wanted to see her mother again. Pulling her hands away slowly, she made her way back to the living room. Her long skit still swished and swayed in her wake. "Was he?"
"No. I found nothing." Madison took in a slow breath and pushed to her feet, turning around to face Vaughn and Sydney, who both exchanged equally concerned looks, "I-"
The phone began to ring and it was the most deafening sound in the world. Madison lunged towards it and fell to her knees in front of the phone, "Hello?"
"I was hoping you would answer the phone, Agent Perkins." A sharp tone answered back.
The blood started to run cold in her body. She started running all the situations through her head again and was filled with utmost terror and dread. "What have you done to my daughter? Where is my husband?" Madison snapped back angrily.
And Sydney felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Yes, Kilmer belonged with Madison.
Sark scoffed audibly, "Oh, Madison. Stay calm. I would never hurt the little-"
"Listen to me, you son of a bitch, what do you want from me? What the hell do you want from me?" Madison lost her temper and started to scream into the phone, her body completely shaking.
"I want the files and you seem to have lost my associates. I want them back. I get all of that and you get your precious boy toy and the little girl back." And with that, Sark hung up.
Madison took a moment and starred down at the black, secure line phone. It was a moment before she returned it to the holder and took a breath. "It's Covenant that has them. It-that was-Sark. He has Layla and Robbie. He's going to kill them. Oh G-d and Sark knows that-oh G-d. Oh G-d!" Madison plummeted down the ground, hugging her chest so tightly, she could swear that her chest was going to collapse.
Vaughn rushed forward and felt her crash into his arms. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. C'mon, Madison, talk to us."
Madison just continued to wail uncontrollably, "He knows! He's going to tell Robbie and I don't know what I'm going to do-what am I going to do? My whole life-"
"Madison, please. Take a breath. Just take a breath." Sydney hushed softly, as she nestled down by the coffee table. "Take your time. Just please-tell us what happened?"
Madison sat up and starred at both of them with wide eyes, "If Robbie finds out, he'll kill me. Oh G-d, he'll kill me." She moaned and leaned forward, clutching her chest.
"Madison…Madison, please." Vaughn pleaded softly.
"Layla-" She swallowed back the tears and tried to talk again, "Layla's not Robbie's daughter."
Sydney's eyes grew wide as she thought of the information, "What does that have to do with Layla and Kilmer being kidnapped?" She couldn't ask the usual questions or have a normal reaction. It just wasn't tangible. She had to think like an agent.
"They were taken by Layla's biological father or who I think is her biological father."
"And who's that?" Vaughn pushed softly, waiting to hear but not knowing what to expect.
"Julian Sark."
"What? Madison?" Sydney asked softly, slightly horrified.
Madison took in a slow, sickened breath. "Before I joined the agency, I was together with Julian Sark. We were together for almost two years. We were both in our teens…we had no idea of the reality of our actions. He never knew what I was planning on doing with my life and I didn't ask questions about his long weekends." She let out a slow sigh, "Then about two and a half, three years ago, we met up again. Robbie was out of town on business and I don't know what happened. It was a total blur and the next thing that I can clearly remember is going into the affiliated lab for some blood work…I hadn't been feeling too well and I was nervous. Turns out, I was pregnant with Layla. I did the math and crunched the numbers…the baby had to be Julian's." The emotions started to block her vocal cords, "Robbie never knew that Julian and I were together and he most certainly never knew that I had an affair…he thinks that Layla's his. He can never know." She started to sob. "I love Robbie so much…he'll surely leave me and take Layla with him if he finds out. He can't leave me. I love him. I love him."
Okay…quick cheat sheet….Madison had an affair with Julian Sark (or Jules as she called him in the last chapter) when she was younger. She's a good agent and works just for the CIA. She's was not a mole nor is she one now. The CIA sent her to seduce or befriend, depending on how you want to spin it, Kilmer to see if he was leaking secrets to any other agencies. Think of it as the CIA checking up on its own. Kilmer wasn't but Madison truly fell in love with him and didn't want to be assigned back to LA. Kilmer never knew why he was suddenly partnered with Madison but never questioned it. Does that clear it up? I know my writing can get confusing sometimes unless there are detailed charts and diagrams.
Concerning Lauren, Jonathan, and Cole (I had to had to had throw him in there for good measure)…they were taken into custody…Sydney and Vaughn DID wait until the authorities did arrive before splitting…I don't know if anyone really caught that but I felt funny about it when I was rereading some of my chapters.
Is there anything I'm leaving out? Feel free to ask me many questions!! Also, if you feel that my writing is lacking in certain areas, please let me know…these last couple of chapters have been difficult to write…I've had SUCH a severe case of writer's block…they start getting better now….
New Update coming within the week!