Sydney did not think of herself as an impatient woman.
In her life, waiting was a necessary and even welcome event. Our lives are bursts of all-out terror in between long periods of nothing, her SD-6 trainer had said. And he had been right.
But sitting at Vaughn's desk and waiting for him to arrive, it was all she could do not tap her feet. She understood why Weiss had requested she let him rest, but after all they'd been through… all he'd been through after she had been forced to leave him… she needed to see him with her own eyes. To hold him and kiss him and verify, to her own irrational satisfaction, that he was truly home and safe and sound.
It would be a long and physical examination.
A clatter of steps stole her attention and it took everything she had to not release tears of joy when Weiss and Vaughn rounded the corner of the Operations center, followed by a bevy of counter-intelligence operatives.
He saw her at the same time she saw him, his feet moving of their own accord to bring him to her. For a moment they just stood there, oblivious to the stares his entrance was starting to receive, as each ensured the other was real and alive and okay.
"Hi," he said at last, his tone somewhat sheepish.
"Hi," she whispered, swallowing hard at his less-than-impeccable appearance. "Are you-"
"I'm fine," he interrupted.
Enough talking. Not caring about the growing audience, Vaughn pulled Sydney to him in an intense, searing kiss of equal passion and desperation, neither fully believing until then that they were indeed back where they should be and their recent nightmare was over.
For his part, Weiss waited awkwardly with the rest of Vaughn's escort. The suits waiting for them wouldn't mind a few moments delay, but as the two lovebirds went on… and on… and on… and on… and on…
"Mike," Weiss broke in. "I think you might want to consider, uh, finishing this later."
They ignored him.
"Michael!"
No response. Weiss sighed, wondering if a crowbar was nearby.
"Sydney. Agent Vaughn. I would appreciate more of an exercise in discretion in this matter."
They pulled away from each other so fast that Weiss blinked. If his legs hadn't ached from standing and waiting for them, he would have wondered if they had really just been doing what they had been doing for so long.
Hesitantly, they all turned as one towards the new speaker.
Jack Bristow stood there, standard blank mask in place, though Weiss would have bet his life the man was fighting to hide an amused smirk.
"Right," Vaughn stammered, cheeks flaring like an adolescent. It didn't help that Sydney wasn't faring any better, blushing faintly and reflexively tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to hide that.
"I, uh, have to - " he gestured halfheartedly toward the general direction of the debriefing rooms, looking her in the eyes.
"I know," she replied, amused. "I'll be waiting. Even though you weren't doing anything wrong, you've got some explaining to do, mister."
If anything he flushed harder, dropping his head. "Yeah." And then the light dawned. He looked back up at her.
"You never doubted I wasn't disloyal, even when you were arrested because of me?"
Behind them, Weiss winced. Mike must've woken up and listened to his phone call on the jet, despite his best efforts.
"No," she answered simply.
"Why not?" he asked hesitantly. "The evidence - "
She shrugged, flashing him a full-dimpled smile that instantly melted both him and every other human being in the vicinity.
"Because I believe in you," she answered simply, standing on tip toes to kiss him on the nose. Screw protocol, she had just gotten him back and had no intention of wasting any time she had with him ever again. In fact, she could just see the bare top of an extra desk over his shoulder…
She took a deep breath. Focus, Sydney. He was here, and he was alive, and beyond a doubt the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Tell him. Come on, Sydney. Just open your mouth and -
"Vaughn?" she blurted.
He looked at her questioningly.
"Vaughn, I - "
"Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Yeager would like to - " the retrieval leader's temperament, already impatient, was at an all-time high.
"Talk to me. Yeah, I know," he interrupted, wanting nothing more to ignore their audience further and utilize a certain empty desk top he had spotted when he came in. He flashed Sydney a look of disappoint, wondering what was going on in that pretty head of hers. Nothing new there. "They'll probably keep me in debrief for a while."
And just like that, the mood shattered. She sighed and stepped forward, a shiver flying down her spine when he automatically engulfed her in a strong, reassuring hug, savoring the scent of his aftershave. She wouldn't say it here. When she let down the rest of her walls, when she made it clear that his already demonstrated unconditional love was mutual, she wanted it to be a special moment for them, not a hurriedly rushed phrase said just before he was hustled away from her.
"You'll be okay." She hid her frustration carefully. Soon. I'll tell him soon.
He smirked, knowing she was hiding something, but spirits raised regardless by the incredible woman in front of him. "If you never see me again, it was fun."
"Shut up."
"State your full name and rank for the record, please."
"Michael C. Vaughn, Senior Operations Officer."
"Mr. Vaughn, my name is Mitchell Yeager. I'm an analyst for counter-intelligence that is heading up the inquiry into you."
He paused, eyeing the agent over his glasses. Vaughn offered him a cool nod.
"Just to make things clear, Mr. Vaughn, this is a two-pronged inquiry regarding both your recent alleged unauthorized activity and the time you spent as a captive of two wanted terrorists. Due to the confidentiality surrounding the first said topic of discussion, should you choose to have legal counsel, the first purpose will be canceled and we will determine the consequences of your actions based solely on the evidence."
"I understand and will fully cooperate."
"Thank you, Agent Vaughn," Kendall replied, shooting the inspector an annoyed look. "Let's get this started. Explain to us why exactly the program Xenon was on your computer."
"He'll be okay, right?"
"Vaughn will be fine, Sydney. It's just a formality."
Sydney nodded. The euphoria of their reunion had faded away, leaving her sitting on Vaughn's desk with her feet dangling, utterly exhausted.
"They wanted to debrief him about his captivity, too," Jack told his daughter, his tone both soothing and awkward. "It might be awhile. Why don't you go rest? Will and your mother and Elsa Caplan are actually at Vaughn's apartment."
Sydney raised an eyebrow.
"We wanted to avoid any conflict with Francie," Jack explained.
Oh. "Sorry. Guess I am tired. I think I'm gonna go home. Francie's probably worried about me anyway."
"Yes. Excellent idea. I'll… I'll keep you updated, Sydney. I've requested to sit in, so I'll make sure he calls you as soon as it's over."
She smiled at that. "I'd hope he wouldn't need encouragement," she said wryly, turning to leave. Jack inclined his head to her and then headed for the briefing room.
Sydney, meanwhile, strolled tiredly to the exit. She hadn't gone two steps before Weiss intercepted her.
"Is everything all right?"
He shook his head.
"They wanted Agent Bristow to extract Irina Derevko?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I wasn't told why, Mr. Yeager. I assumed it was because they were partners for something."
"What gave you that assumption?"
Vaughn gritted his teeth. "Mr. Yeager, since the answer to that question, and most of your questions, could be answered easily by a first-year FBI analyst, I'm assuming you're trying to get me to say something you're not asking. Why not just ask it?"
"Very well," the other man answered, no reaction evident to his impatience. "Mr. Vaughn, I'm sure a man of your accomplishments, despite your current hiccup, is well aware of certain protocols. When we debriefed Agent Bristow, she told us you had planned the op that had sent her to Operations. Is that true?"
"I've already answered that," he replied wearily. "Yes."
"Now, I confess, being an analyst I'm not that familiar with field procedures. But in the desk-land, we believe in something called confidentiality. That means, if an enemy of the United States came to me and said 'tell me all about the secret ins-and-outs of a CIA facility', I'd laugh in their face and refuse to do so, partly because of the oath I swore when I joined. Is it different for you?"
"I didn't have a choice, Mr. Yeager. They were threatening to execute Mr. Caplan right in front of me." Vaughn leaned forward in his chair, his smile frosty. "I had hoped that by ensuring Ms. Bristow would alert the CIA to her presence, she would be pulled out, and thus, rescued. I must say I never thought you'd arrest her, especially since the charges we're discussing concern me, not her."
A door opened, startling the three of them. Without a word, Jack Bristow entered and sank into a chair facing Vaughn, his eyes boring into him. Nothing new there.
"This is Melanie Lund standing outside 4250 Copeland Street, where witnesses reported hearing at least two gunshots. Police have stated there is one fatality, but are not releasing the name of the victim yet…"
Sydney stood with Weiss in front of a television in the Operations' break room, utterly numb. Francie!
Her phone rang. Knowing who was calling before she even looked at the display, Sydney closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking.
"Will…" she choked into the phone's receiver.
"Oh God, Syd." His voice sounded just as shaken as she felt. "Francie?"
Sloane watched his younger partner in fascination.
From his first appearance, it seemed, his younger partner had built a reputation of possessing a stunning ability to simply turn off his emotions to get the job done. Cold, unfeeling and seemingly apathetic, "Mr. Sark" had become a force to be reckoned with; a man not to be trifled with at all costs. It was a persona many in their line of work had killed to imitate, without success.
A study of mastery in the art of self-control.
But that self-control vanished the instant the young man learned of Allison's murder.
Up next: Sark's walls come down.
I'm so delighted all of y'all enjoyed Vaughn and Aaron! Definitely my fav non-S/V scene. And speaking of Vaughn and kids, the epilogue of Surmising Alliances gives you another taste, if you're interested. ;)
Review Responses
C-n-C: I/J answers are coming soon. Poor Jack. Speaking of Weiss, am I the onlt one that thinks JJ is leaning towards S/W? I'm with Souris. He has 2 episodes to fix his screwup, or I get my Alias fix through DVDs and fanfic.
Ilovemypenguin: :sniffles: me, too. Probably named William.
Erin: Thanks! :D And, yay! Thanks for your *2* reviews! LOL. Favorite delurker ever. ;)
Snowangel4: Hello! Welcome! Hope this chapter lived up to expectations.
Tehe, Teaser: "Our partnership is henceforth terminated."
Kay10197: Poor Allison. We hardly knew ya!
valley-girl2: LOL, no need for an apology! And furthermore, don't be late to class because of me! I couldn't take that on my conscience! ;) My Yo Teaser-Yo was my attempt to make it a little harder to spot to the annoying lurkers. LOL. If I could only tease you awesome reviewers, I would!
Mayleen: Well of course Vaughn is cute. ;) :blushes: You made mine!
Kittyfantastico: Man, I hope this chapter lived up to expectations. If it didn't, with that review, I'm gonna feel guilty! LOL. Good luck on your DVDs! I'll keep my fingers crossed they arrive soon!
Kira: :sniffles: I adore little kids, and Aaron Caplan is no exception.
Ivy3: Weiss is such an amazing friend! And GG ain't a bad actor, either. lol
Raina: And now they have! Dang PG-13 rating. ;)
Nattie700: Cheers!
MvsGirl: And yet you reviewed here, too? Now that's dedication! Thank you!
UKHoneyB: Ditto! Hehe.
valley-girl2: I always felt like Kendall was a misunderstood character. You'll get to get inside his head soon. ;)
Winking Tiger: The imagery of the two of them makes me all teary. Yes, I am that big of a nerd.