A/N: So I re-watched the Alias episode "Q&A" recently and found myself inspired. I ended up renaming all of the chapters so that they're all titled after words in the prophecy now.

It just felt right :-).

Anyway, two lines in this part were taken from the movie Déjà Vu.

There are things that are known and things that are unknown. And in between, there are doors. - William Blake

Part 7: Her Effect

Sydney walked into her favorite coffee place and heard someone exclaim her name. She turned and found herself facing Marshall, who was the one to call her name, his girlfriend Carrie, Dixon and oh god, Vaughn.

She blinked and focused on Marshall as he rose from his chair. "Sydney" he exclaimed again as she headed over. "Let me introduce you!" He gestured. "Everyone, this is Sydney, Jack Bristow's daughter. She's the one that introduced me to the new book series I've been telling you about-"

"Oh my god" Carrie interrupted, as groans erupted around the table. "You're the one who brought that book into our lives? He didn't talk about anything else for an entire week after he read it!"

Sydney smiled and waved. "Yes, that was me, sorry."

"No worries, they loved it" Marshall contradicted even as heads shook around the table in denial. Marshall turned to Carrie and gestured "This is my girlfriend, Carrie-"

"I'm not sure if I'm ok with that labelling yet" Carrie protested, interrupting.

Marshall beamed at Sydney. "She said 'yet'" he announced proudly.

Sydney laughed softly. Marshall was awesome.

"This is Marcus Dixon-"

"Yes, we've met" Dixon announced, smiling at Sydney. "She introduced my stomach to its newest obsession."

Sydney dimpled at him. "Yes, that is my claim to fame. I'm quite proud."

Dixon laughed.

Marshall continued on. "And this is Michael Vaughn."

Sydney attempted to breathe normally as she focused on the one person at the table she'd been trying to avoid paying attention to.

Vaughn rose, hand extended for a handshake. "Hi. Hello. Nice to meet you" he said formally and somewhat nervously.

Sydney nodded and attempted to shake his hand like a normal person. Her memory hadn't done him justice and she really just wanted to stare for a while and bask in getting to see him again. Also, the second his hand closed around hers she found herself not wanting to let him go and had to resist holding on to his hand for too long, shaking her head imperceptibly at herself instead, especially considering that they had an audience. 'Keep it together, Sydney' she counseled silently even as she caught the edges of a smirk on Dixon's face.

Marshall, somehow oblivious to the romantic tension, scooted over and grabbed a chair from a neighboring table. "Join us, Sydney."

There were choruses that echoed around the table and that's how Sydney found herself seated at a table with a cooling cup of coffee, surrounded by people she thought she'd never get to interact with again.

She soon found out that she had apparently gotten a reputation around their office for being the go-to person for recommendations given her track record with Dixon, his daughter and Marshall, so there were a host of people looking forward to meeting and getting her opinion on random things that she was sure she had absolutely no opinion on. She elicited a laugh from the table at large when she muttered, "Remind me to avoid Dad's office in the future."

She blushed as she looked up. "That was out loud, huh?"

"Yep" Dixon said, clapping her on the shoulder heartily. "You're already too popular to avoid it forever though. Everyone wants to meet Jack Bristow's daughter. Not the least of which was Vaughn here" Dixon said, thoroughly embarrassing Vaughn if the way he'd choked on the sip of drink he'd just taken was anything to go by. Marshall patted him on the back helpfully.

"And on that note, Marshall, Carrie, care to get started on that desktop update you were telling me about yesterday?" Dixon asked pointedly, already putting his jacket on and handing Carrie hers.

"What?" Marshall asked, even as Carrie hustled him out of his seat. "We don't need you there for that and the plan was to do it this weekend" he protested.

"Hon, just go along with it" Carrie said soothingly as both Dixon and Carrie grabbed an arm and began moving Marshall towards the door. "Ok. See ya Sydney!" Marshall called out and Dixon and Carrie echoed before the door opened and they were gone.

When she focused back on Vaughn he was awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Could we maybe pretend that didn't just happen?" Vaughn asked with a huff.

"Gladly" Sydney answered as she smiled.

Awhile later found them deep in conversation, oblivious to anything else going on around them.

Vaughn didn't know what it was about Sydney Bristow, but he found himself wanting to know everything about her.

"So . . ." Vaughn said when there was a lull. "How do you feel about hockey?"

Sydney studied his hopeful expression, still rather blindsided by the whole encounter. 'Could it really be this easy?' she wondered.

And then she wondered if she could restart a relationship with him based around lies.

His expression slowly fell the longer she went without responding. But just as he was about to attempt to back out gracefully Sydney asked, "What if you had to tell someone the most impossible thing in the world?"

He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'd try" he responded.

"I'd try."

'Good answer' she thought and smiled.

For the record, it was the (re)start of a beautiful relationship.

oOo

Final chapter up next: Epilogue: Bind them with fury