I'm so sorry for the delay! These chapters have been more difficult
to write because I'm trying to do one last build-up before ending it!
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The agents assembled again in the living space. The air was thicker than before; with emotions were obviously running higher now. Everything was already laid out, just waiting to be picked up and whisked away. The early morning breeze swept through the worn house. Sydney didn't know for how long they had been asleep but she did see the sun rising early in the pink Greek sky.
Rivers had his thirtieth cup of coffee in the thirty-six hour period cup in his hands. His tone body was sitting relaxed in a nearby chair. The blue green eyes of his youth were beginning to show the age and wisdom that he held. Exhaustion was also beginning to creep in. He hadn't had a moment to rest. He watched the bedroom door slam shut hours ago and Sydney and Vaughn disappeared behind it. From that moment, he was up and running. He called Langley, checking in his orders with his superiors. From there, he had his first phone conversation with one Jack Bristow.
He was sitting in the kitchen at the wooden table. The secure line was pressed onto speaker phone and he was starring at it intently. "Agent Bristow, my name is Agent David Rivers." His voice was more unsteady than he wanted to be. His whole body was shaking and his stomach was definitely uneasy.
"What is it that you want, Agent Rivers?" Jack sighed frustrated.
"I want to keep you up to date about our status." Rivers was starting to stutter. Talking with such a high ranking agent was a rarity for him. It would be an understatement to say that he was a naïve agent. He was green, baby face agent fresh from the Farm. "Would you like me to?"
"I don't have all day, Agent Rivers." Jack barked, scaring the agent out of his mind.
"I-uh-yes, yes sir." There was nothing but silence. "We're uh-going to-uh-uh."
"Are you going to get your act together, Agent Rivers?" Jack barked again but silence only answered him. Completely frustrated, Jack hung up his phone and scoffed at it with absolute disdain. He hated new agents.
Rivers just sat next to the phone and starred. He had never felt more intimidated in his life. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest- so loudly in fact; he thought it was going to jump straight out of his chest and onto the desolate looking table. Clearing his throat slightly, he pushed his way to his feet. His legs were trembling like something fierce beneath him. Jack Bristow had really unnerved him.
Now, he waited to brief Sydney and Vaughn. Sydney sat across from him, watching him in almost eager anticipation. Her eyes were puffy and red, stained from the thousands of tears that she had shed. She crossed her arms firmly across her chest, barely moving or breathing. Vaughn sat on the aged couch, arms resting on either one of his knees. He looked equally as tired but something about him had changed.
Rivers got up and took the dockets in his hands. They had been resting on the table, previously and carefully set there. "I have you aliases right here. If you would like to start reviewing those?" His attitude was considerably different from that of a few hours ago. He was quieter, meeker. Talking with Jack had really unnerved him and that very brisk conversation with Sydney hours earlier was not making his life any easier. Maybe it was the coffee that was making him shake or maybe it was the "looks" he was receiving from the other agents.
Vaughn took the dockets, handing one to Sydney and letting the other rest on his lap. "What is going on with the detainees?" He asked before even opening the black folder. His hands rested on his lap, tightly folded and his eyes were alert and focused on Rivers.
Rivers shifted slightly in his seat, feeling the pressure of the green eyes starring into his soul. "Nothing at the moment, sir." He hastily replied.
"Nothing?" Vaughn repeated incredibly, "My traitor of a wife is sitting in a jail cell with information about what we're about to walk into and we're doing 'nothing?'" He rose to emphasize his point, "That is unacceptable." Sydney reached over from her seat and pulled him back down. She immediately received a meaningful glare.
"Langley asked us to wait."
"Langley doesn't know what's going on. I want Director Dixon or Jack Bristow on a secure line in twenty minutes or else I'm doing it myself. Excuse me." He abruptly got up once and went to walk from the room.
Rivers looked at Sydney and then back at Vaughn. He knew what he had to do. "Agent Vaughn, please reacquire your seat. I'm the point man on this operation and as much as I respect your authority, you are not thinking level headedly." Rivers spoke relatively calmly, considering his stomach was quaking.
Vaughn turned around slowly, gritting his teeth. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Rivers rose, keeping his chin level and his shoulders square, "I am an agent of the Intelligence Community and I have a responsibility to-"
Vaughn stepped towards Rivers and was immediately standing over him, "Do not hand me that guidebook crap. Not of that is relevant in the real world!"
"Protocol states-"
It was with great difficulty that Vaughn didn't raise his hand and punch Rivers. Instead, Vaughn stepped even closer to Rivers, barely breathing. "I'm doing whatever it is I feel necessary to accomplish the task at hand. If that means breaking your precious protocol, then so be it. I will not stand idly by while my wife sits in a cell, withholding important information to release of hostages!"
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The air was smooth and coated her body as she stood, ready to do something-anything. She was clothed in a simple white button down shirt, completed with a white camisole beneath it. She wore black pants and matching spiked heels. Her long black hair was swept into an elegant twist. She was carefully made up, looking as though she was ready to go out for a nice dinner instead of a hostage situation. She gritted her teeth down as she saw the white limo pull up by the back of some warehouse, where they destined their first meet in almost twenty-nine months.
The limo stopped and disregarding proper procedure, Sark emerged without help from the chauffeur. "Agent Perkins." He greeted softly, walking rather quickly towards the unmoving agent. His hands opened towards her, wanting to greet her and whisk her into his arms. Every ounce of feeling that he had once had for her was rushing back. It was rushing back so quickly, in fact, he was becoming light headed.
She had a plan and in order for the plan to work, she would have to go through every ounce of it. "Jules." She replied softly, worming her way into his arms and placing her hands on either side of his face. Without warning, she pressed her forehead against his, feeling his arms wrap around the small of her back. Her heart was racing so loudly in her chest; she wondered whether or not he could hear it. This was slowly killing her. Pushing further, she pressed her lips to his and engaged in the most passionate kiss she had experienced in a long while. The lack of oxygen made her dizzy. They parted and panted for a moment. "G-d how I missed you." She breathed.
He was knocked completely off guard but welcomed it with more than open arms, quite literally. His breath was coming in short and uneven intervals. "Maddie."
Madison grinned at the sound of hearing her name on his lips one more, "I'm here, Jules. I'm right here." She took a slow breath in. "Where's my daughter?"
Sark grinned, "Nothing like cutting to the chase, ay Maddie?" He leaned in again to kiss her but she pulled back a little bit. "What's going on?"
She grinned and wrapped her hands around his neck, "I do what you want if you do what I want. Yes, I'm yours now but I want to see my daughter and Agent Kilmer officially out of your custody and unharmed." She kissed him passionately again, not allowing him time to answer her. "Oh G-d, Jules," she moaned as she pulled back, running her fingers through his hair and around his neck, "It's been so long since I've seen you, Jules. I didn't realize how much I missed you. G-d, I missed you." Internally, she was cringing. Her heart no longer belonged to Sark...she loved Kilmer, as much as she hated him sometimes. The affair was a desperate mistake. It was just a moment that she needed to have. She was getting too close to her job, too close to Kilmer and it scared her so much that she ran into Sark's willing arms. Now, the feeling of his lips against hers just makes her vilely ill.
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"It's not worth it for me to die here. It just isn't worth it. Julian Sark is not a good enough opponent to bring me down. I've fought against too many people for some punk to kill me." The blood continued to pool in his mouth, dripping out of his mouth. His eyes were bruised and swollen shut. The torture had become more intense but he no longer felt pain. Kilmer's only thoughts were on his little girl, who had not seen in what felt like years.
"Mr. Sark is a very formidable opponent, Agent Kilmer." A man with a heavy foreign accent was circling the chair that he was bound to. He had stopped torturing Kilmer for a few moments just to let Kilmer get out a few words.
Kilmer scoffed and looked away. "Not good enough to bring me down."
The agent moved from the back of the chair to standing in front of Kilmer. With one swift movement, punch Kilmer across his face, cutting his skin even further. "If Mr. Sark wants to kill you then you will be killed. Do not doubt Mr. Sark, Agent Kilmer." Pausing to watch Kilmer internalize this and then started to place an assault on Kilmer's already tired and weak form. Unwillingly, Kilmer let out a heartbreaking, blood curdling scream.
"That's enough!" The heavy metal doors came rushing opening and a pair of heels came quickly into the room. Her heels clicked quickly as she strode over to the guide. "That's enough!"
The agent stepped away and looked at her with wide eyes, "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm an associate with Mr. Sark-that's all you need to know. You are to stop-now! Get out of my sight or you will rue the day that you ever defied me!" She placed her hands on her hips and waited for the dark hair agent to obey her. The agent ducked his head and walked out of the room.
As the doors slammed shut again, the woman rushed towards Kilmer and placed her hands on his face, "Oh my G-d, Robbie, what have they done to you?"
He was losing his grip on consciousness and was sure that he was becoming delusional. There was no way that she was standing there. But, he felt her hands on his face and felt her breath on his face. "Ma- Maddie?" His voice was shaky and full of hurt. He no longer remembered how hurt he was that his daughter may not be his or she had an affair with the man that was trying to kill him. All of that was lost in the vast corners of his brain. He only cared about whether or not she was really standing in right there.
She smiled and leaned forward towards him, "It's me, Robbie. It's Madison." She pressed a kiss into his forehead before scanning over his body. "What has he done to you?"
"What are you doing here?" His thoughts were coming a little clearer now. He consciously knew that she was standing in front of him now. Her hands on his face were not going anywhere.
"I-I've given myself to Sark in exchange for yours and Layla's freedom." She removed her hand and thrust it into her pocket, revealing a silver key. She bent over the yellow restraints that held him so tightly and unlocked the thick forms. "He's letting you go, Robbie." She locked the third restraint, bracing over his shins. Her hands made quick work of pulling them off of him and slowly helped him to sit up. He struggled, coughing and wheezing slightly. There was no doubt that he was weak. His body had been pumped with chemicals and other substances that severely crippled him. "C'mon, darling. Let's get you the hell out of this place."
He sat up and firmly put his feet on the ground and looked towards Madison, "Maddie, what the hell is going on? Why are you here?"
Madison put his arm around her neck and started to lift him slowly, "I'm here so you can live to raise Layla."
"Layla needs her mother, though." Kilmer groaned softly as his feet and started to make his way miles across the room. "You shouldn't have done this. I could have han-handled myself with Sark."
Madison rolled her eyes, "Yes and you've been handling yourself well so far." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. She continued to urge him on, taking no more than baby steps.
"I'm just as much of an agent as-"
"I'm not doubting you, Robbie. I have never doubted you and I cannot believe that we're even having this conversation! I am trying to help you here and you're arguing with me! Now, shut up and keep walking!" She started to pull him along. She was so annoyed and infuriated at the fact that he was actually arguing with her about her giving herself for their safety.
Kilmer was like a puppy with its tail between his legs, ashamed and embarrassed at the fact that he was a renowned agent, being pulled out of a situation by his female partner. Now, Kilmer was not sexist or overly proud by any means. However, it wasn't exactly the best for his somewhat large ego. It was never really a problem but he did suffer from the "Superhero Complex." He enjoyed being the one rescuing not the one needing the rescue. He was the man. He was provider. He was the rescuer.
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The agents assembled again in the living space. The air was thicker than before; with emotions were obviously running higher now. Everything was already laid out, just waiting to be picked up and whisked away. The early morning breeze swept through the worn house. Sydney didn't know for how long they had been asleep but she did see the sun rising early in the pink Greek sky.
Rivers had his thirtieth cup of coffee in the thirty-six hour period cup in his hands. His tone body was sitting relaxed in a nearby chair. The blue green eyes of his youth were beginning to show the age and wisdom that he held. Exhaustion was also beginning to creep in. He hadn't had a moment to rest. He watched the bedroom door slam shut hours ago and Sydney and Vaughn disappeared behind it. From that moment, he was up and running. He called Langley, checking in his orders with his superiors. From there, he had his first phone conversation with one Jack Bristow.
He was sitting in the kitchen at the wooden table. The secure line was pressed onto speaker phone and he was starring at it intently. "Agent Bristow, my name is Agent David Rivers." His voice was more unsteady than he wanted to be. His whole body was shaking and his stomach was definitely uneasy.
"What is it that you want, Agent Rivers?" Jack sighed frustrated.
"I want to keep you up to date about our status." Rivers was starting to stutter. Talking with such a high ranking agent was a rarity for him. It would be an understatement to say that he was a naïve agent. He was green, baby face agent fresh from the Farm. "Would you like me to?"
"I don't have all day, Agent Rivers." Jack barked, scaring the agent out of his mind.
"I-uh-yes, yes sir." There was nothing but silence. "We're uh-going to-uh-uh."
"Are you going to get your act together, Agent Rivers?" Jack barked again but silence only answered him. Completely frustrated, Jack hung up his phone and scoffed at it with absolute disdain. He hated new agents.
Rivers just sat next to the phone and starred. He had never felt more intimidated in his life. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest- so loudly in fact; he thought it was going to jump straight out of his chest and onto the desolate looking table. Clearing his throat slightly, he pushed his way to his feet. His legs were trembling like something fierce beneath him. Jack Bristow had really unnerved him.
Now, he waited to brief Sydney and Vaughn. Sydney sat across from him, watching him in almost eager anticipation. Her eyes were puffy and red, stained from the thousands of tears that she had shed. She crossed her arms firmly across her chest, barely moving or breathing. Vaughn sat on the aged couch, arms resting on either one of his knees. He looked equally as tired but something about him had changed.
Rivers got up and took the dockets in his hands. They had been resting on the table, previously and carefully set there. "I have you aliases right here. If you would like to start reviewing those?" His attitude was considerably different from that of a few hours ago. He was quieter, meeker. Talking with Jack had really unnerved him and that very brisk conversation with Sydney hours earlier was not making his life any easier. Maybe it was the coffee that was making him shake or maybe it was the "looks" he was receiving from the other agents.
Vaughn took the dockets, handing one to Sydney and letting the other rest on his lap. "What is going on with the detainees?" He asked before even opening the black folder. His hands rested on his lap, tightly folded and his eyes were alert and focused on Rivers.
Rivers shifted slightly in his seat, feeling the pressure of the green eyes starring into his soul. "Nothing at the moment, sir." He hastily replied.
"Nothing?" Vaughn repeated incredibly, "My traitor of a wife is sitting in a jail cell with information about what we're about to walk into and we're doing 'nothing?'" He rose to emphasize his point, "That is unacceptable." Sydney reached over from her seat and pulled him back down. She immediately received a meaningful glare.
"Langley asked us to wait."
"Langley doesn't know what's going on. I want Director Dixon or Jack Bristow on a secure line in twenty minutes or else I'm doing it myself. Excuse me." He abruptly got up once and went to walk from the room.
Rivers looked at Sydney and then back at Vaughn. He knew what he had to do. "Agent Vaughn, please reacquire your seat. I'm the point man on this operation and as much as I respect your authority, you are not thinking level headedly." Rivers spoke relatively calmly, considering his stomach was quaking.
Vaughn turned around slowly, gritting his teeth. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Rivers rose, keeping his chin level and his shoulders square, "I am an agent of the Intelligence Community and I have a responsibility to-"
Vaughn stepped towards Rivers and was immediately standing over him, "Do not hand me that guidebook crap. Not of that is relevant in the real world!"
"Protocol states-"
It was with great difficulty that Vaughn didn't raise his hand and punch Rivers. Instead, Vaughn stepped even closer to Rivers, barely breathing. "I'm doing whatever it is I feel necessary to accomplish the task at hand. If that means breaking your precious protocol, then so be it. I will not stand idly by while my wife sits in a cell, withholding important information to release of hostages!"
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The air was smooth and coated her body as she stood, ready to do something-anything. She was clothed in a simple white button down shirt, completed with a white camisole beneath it. She wore black pants and matching spiked heels. Her long black hair was swept into an elegant twist. She was carefully made up, looking as though she was ready to go out for a nice dinner instead of a hostage situation. She gritted her teeth down as she saw the white limo pull up by the back of some warehouse, where they destined their first meet in almost twenty-nine months.
The limo stopped and disregarding proper procedure, Sark emerged without help from the chauffeur. "Agent Perkins." He greeted softly, walking rather quickly towards the unmoving agent. His hands opened towards her, wanting to greet her and whisk her into his arms. Every ounce of feeling that he had once had for her was rushing back. It was rushing back so quickly, in fact, he was becoming light headed.
She had a plan and in order for the plan to work, she would have to go through every ounce of it. "Jules." She replied softly, worming her way into his arms and placing her hands on either side of his face. Without warning, she pressed her forehead against his, feeling his arms wrap around the small of her back. Her heart was racing so loudly in her chest; she wondered whether or not he could hear it. This was slowly killing her. Pushing further, she pressed her lips to his and engaged in the most passionate kiss she had experienced in a long while. The lack of oxygen made her dizzy. They parted and panted for a moment. "G-d how I missed you." She breathed.
He was knocked completely off guard but welcomed it with more than open arms, quite literally. His breath was coming in short and uneven intervals. "Maddie."
Madison grinned at the sound of hearing her name on his lips one more, "I'm here, Jules. I'm right here." She took a slow breath in. "Where's my daughter?"
Sark grinned, "Nothing like cutting to the chase, ay Maddie?" He leaned in again to kiss her but she pulled back a little bit. "What's going on?"
She grinned and wrapped her hands around his neck, "I do what you want if you do what I want. Yes, I'm yours now but I want to see my daughter and Agent Kilmer officially out of your custody and unharmed." She kissed him passionately again, not allowing him time to answer her. "Oh G-d, Jules," she moaned as she pulled back, running her fingers through his hair and around his neck, "It's been so long since I've seen you, Jules. I didn't realize how much I missed you. G-d, I missed you." Internally, she was cringing. Her heart no longer belonged to Sark...she loved Kilmer, as much as she hated him sometimes. The affair was a desperate mistake. It was just a moment that she needed to have. She was getting too close to her job, too close to Kilmer and it scared her so much that she ran into Sark's willing arms. Now, the feeling of his lips against hers just makes her vilely ill.
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"It's not worth it for me to die here. It just isn't worth it. Julian Sark is not a good enough opponent to bring me down. I've fought against too many people for some punk to kill me." The blood continued to pool in his mouth, dripping out of his mouth. His eyes were bruised and swollen shut. The torture had become more intense but he no longer felt pain. Kilmer's only thoughts were on his little girl, who had not seen in what felt like years.
"Mr. Sark is a very formidable opponent, Agent Kilmer." A man with a heavy foreign accent was circling the chair that he was bound to. He had stopped torturing Kilmer for a few moments just to let Kilmer get out a few words.
Kilmer scoffed and looked away. "Not good enough to bring me down."
The agent moved from the back of the chair to standing in front of Kilmer. With one swift movement, punch Kilmer across his face, cutting his skin even further. "If Mr. Sark wants to kill you then you will be killed. Do not doubt Mr. Sark, Agent Kilmer." Pausing to watch Kilmer internalize this and then started to place an assault on Kilmer's already tired and weak form. Unwillingly, Kilmer let out a heartbreaking, blood curdling scream.
"That's enough!" The heavy metal doors came rushing opening and a pair of heels came quickly into the room. Her heels clicked quickly as she strode over to the guide. "That's enough!"
The agent stepped away and looked at her with wide eyes, "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm an associate with Mr. Sark-that's all you need to know. You are to stop-now! Get out of my sight or you will rue the day that you ever defied me!" She placed her hands on her hips and waited for the dark hair agent to obey her. The agent ducked his head and walked out of the room.
As the doors slammed shut again, the woman rushed towards Kilmer and placed her hands on his face, "Oh my G-d, Robbie, what have they done to you?"
He was losing his grip on consciousness and was sure that he was becoming delusional. There was no way that she was standing there. But, he felt her hands on his face and felt her breath on his face. "Ma- Maddie?" His voice was shaky and full of hurt. He no longer remembered how hurt he was that his daughter may not be his or she had an affair with the man that was trying to kill him. All of that was lost in the vast corners of his brain. He only cared about whether or not she was really standing in right there.
She smiled and leaned forward towards him, "It's me, Robbie. It's Madison." She pressed a kiss into his forehead before scanning over his body. "What has he done to you?"
"What are you doing here?" His thoughts were coming a little clearer now. He consciously knew that she was standing in front of him now. Her hands on his face were not going anywhere.
"I-I've given myself to Sark in exchange for yours and Layla's freedom." She removed her hand and thrust it into her pocket, revealing a silver key. She bent over the yellow restraints that held him so tightly and unlocked the thick forms. "He's letting you go, Robbie." She locked the third restraint, bracing over his shins. Her hands made quick work of pulling them off of him and slowly helped him to sit up. He struggled, coughing and wheezing slightly. There was no doubt that he was weak. His body had been pumped with chemicals and other substances that severely crippled him. "C'mon, darling. Let's get you the hell out of this place."
He sat up and firmly put his feet on the ground and looked towards Madison, "Maddie, what the hell is going on? Why are you here?"
Madison put his arm around her neck and started to lift him slowly, "I'm here so you can live to raise Layla."
"Layla needs her mother, though." Kilmer groaned softly as his feet and started to make his way miles across the room. "You shouldn't have done this. I could have han-handled myself with Sark."
Madison rolled her eyes, "Yes and you've been handling yourself well so far." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. She continued to urge him on, taking no more than baby steps.
"I'm just as much of an agent as-"
"I'm not doubting you, Robbie. I have never doubted you and I cannot believe that we're even having this conversation! I am trying to help you here and you're arguing with me! Now, shut up and keep walking!" She started to pull him along. She was so annoyed and infuriated at the fact that he was actually arguing with her about her giving herself for their safety.
Kilmer was like a puppy with its tail between his legs, ashamed and embarrassed at the fact that he was a renowned agent, being pulled out of a situation by his female partner. Now, Kilmer was not sexist or overly proud by any means. However, it wasn't exactly the best for his somewhat large ego. It was never really a problem but he did suffer from the "Superhero Complex." He enjoyed being the one rescuing not the one needing the rescue. He was the man. He was provider. He was the rescuer.