Magnificent Lies
Blindsided

"What? Vaughn?" Sydney followed the angle of the telescope. "Is that my parents? What the hell are they doing here?"

"Kissing." Vaughn said, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Here, take a look." He stepped aside so Sydney could see.

"Oh my god."

Irina's mind raced as he kissed her. She definitely had not seen this coming. It was possessive, controlling... and unlike any other kiss she had experienced before. She could make this work for her. Just let Jack keep thinking he was in control, and she'd have him in the palm of her hand. Finally she pulled herself away. She was about to speak when the hotel door burst open without warning. Sydney stood in the doorway, the lock pick and rake still in the old-fashioned lock of the hotel door. Vaughn was behind her. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to get caught up in the Bristow Family Feud, but he wanted to support Syd nonetheless.

"Who sent you here? Why didn't they tell Vaughn and I? Why didn't you tell Vaughn and I? And do my eyes deceive me or were you kissing just now?" Sydney blurted out all the questions that had been furiously pounding away in her head while they rushed over to Jack and Irina's hotel room.

"I think the better question is, why were you two kissing in your hotel room? I thought I had made it clear that I didn't want you to recklessly endanger your life for some boy."

"Were you here to spy on me?"

"It looks like it's a good thing I did. At least someone has your best interests in mind."

"Yeah, and that's me. I don't need you to be looking over my shoulder, making every decision for me. And you still have some explaining to do. Why would..." Sydney's face hardened with realization. "You're trying to hide something from me."

"It's for your own good."

"They have a right to know, Jack." Irina finally spoke up, earning herself a glare from Jack.

"We? What does this have to do with Vaughn?" Sydney asked, confused.

"It has everything to do with Vaughn." Irina replied shortly. She turned to Jack. "And if you don't tell them, I will. Agent Vaughn has the right to know how his father died."

"I do know how my father died." Vaughn said. Irina looked at him with an almost sad look on her face.

"No. You don't." She looked at Jack again. "Jack?"

"I'm thinking." He was weighing the situation. Telling them now would change so many relationships... But it might create turbulence in Sydney and Vaughn's romance. That made up his mind. "Fine. Sit down." They did, and gave him a moment to dredge up the memories he had tried for thirty years to forget.

Sydney reached over for Vaughn's hand. He was tense. Sydney knew how upset hearing about his father's death had made him the first time. They hadn't talked about it yet themselves. She gave it a squeeze and he gave a faint smile.

Irina watched them from her stance behind Jack. Her daughter was happy. Finally. But now came the real test.

"A little over thirty years ago, your mother and I were very close with Vaughn's parents. William and I knew each other from work, and his wife Sophia and Lau- I mean, Irina, often set up playdates between you two. You got along quite well, in fact. We had known each other for years, and became close friends. And then..." Jack's face was strained.

Flashback

Jack set his keys down on the table in the foyer, and looked around. The house was quiet; Sydney was over at the Vaughn's with Sophia and little Michael.

"Laura? I'm home!" No answer. Then he heard a crash from the upstairs. "Laura? Is everything all right?" He started up the staircase. Voices were coming from the master bedroom. He rushed in.

"She's a traitor, Jack. She betrayed our country, she betrayed you..." William Vaughn stood on one side of the room, gun drawn and pointed at a frightened Laura in the other corner. She had her hands up and was against a wall.

"Bill! Bill, what are you doing?"

"I've got to kill her. She's killed others, too... Jack she's KGB!" Bill sounded hysterical.

"Bill, you're not thinking right. She's done nothing wrong. Put down the gun."

"NO! It's for your own good!"

"PUT DOWN THE GUN!"

He didn't drop the gun.

A bullet slid into the chamber of a barrel.

A finger pulled the trigger.

Bang.

End Flashback

"... I killed him. Ikilled my best friend to save the woman who betrayed me.It was shortly thereafter that Irina disappeared, and I learned the truth. He had somehow found out about Irina's true identity. He was trying to protect his wife, his little boy. He was trying to protect Sydney. He was trying to protect me. And I killed him. Irina didn't kill your father, Vaughn. I did."

:)Evil cliffy, I know. But you've finally got some answers. Anyway, sorry about the delay. But you'll all be happy to know I earned myself a 4.0 this quarter! Yay. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter in ASAP. In the meantime, you should review.