Alternate Infatuation

Sequel to Alternate Existence. We all know that certain people are simply destined to be together. When Syd finally gets out of the life of espionage she was drawn into at sixteen, how will she find her own destiny?

Chapter 8: Pull Rank

Disclaimer: Author does not own most of these characters. Said author does not wish to be sued. However, Jeffrey is all mine! This is also my original plot, and if anything resembling it ever shows up on Alias, I'm suing!

By a stroke of pure chance, Jack was in the director's office when Vaughn's call came in that Sydney's friend had been taken. The director, being a discreet man by nature, let Jack discover little else, but Jack doubted the director knew what he wanted to know: what did Sydney plan to do about her friend's capture and the people that had broken up her life again?

His daughter had managed quite successfully to avoid him thus far, although it was probably not a result of conscious thought, but rather a lack thereof all around. Jack knew and admitted to himself that he'd made very little effort to seek Sydney out.

Now her childhood friend had been captured by people who were enemies of the state, not to mention on his daughter's personal shit list for screwing up her life again.

Jack had long suspected that Jeffrey Lexington had been the only constant in his daughter's life. He knew very well that if someone didn't find him soon, he'd be dead. Jack wasn't even vaguely aware of his daughter's current frame of mind, but there was no doubt in his mind that she'd snap if she lost Jeffrey. What that would entail, he had no idea, but it wouldn't be good. And it would definitely be dangerous.

As they'd walked into the CIA building, Vaughn had kept a hand on her arm as if restraining her, but at the time Sydney had deemed it pointless to make a scene. He'd marched her straight into this damn interrogation room and locked her in alone before she'd realized his intentions. When he'd some back, it had taken them all of thirty seconds to jump heedlessly into the deep end of a heated argument.

"You will be no where near any op that may or may not be sanctioned! It is completely against protocol!"

"I am not just any civilian off the street! I was an agent until two weeks ago, and my clearance has not been fully revoked! You cannot keep me away from this!"

"Don't pull rank with me! You're what, twenty five? You're practically still a kid! You know what kids are in this field office?!? Rookies!"

"You know damn well that I'm no rookie! The very fact that I'm alive to tell you about it proves it!"

Vaughn began to pace back and forth while Sydney pointedly remained motionless, her stance tense and showing she clearly would like to strangle him. He wanted to help her, because for some reason he was innately attracted to this hot-headed woman. But his eyes couldn't see a highly trained former double agent. He saw an innocent young woman that he couldn't allow any where near SD-6.

The door swung inward suddenly, and Jack appeared in the room. He met Sydney's eyes, then reached out and touched a button on his watch.

"We have two minutes," he announced. "I found the facility where Jeffrey is being held," he said to Sydney. "If we wait for this to be sanctioned, Jeffrey will be dead before we get to him. We have to get him out alone."

Sydney gaped at her father's bluntness, and Vaughn recovered after a moment's shocked pause.

"Are you crazy, Bristow?" he demanded.

Jack turned to Vaughn calmly.

"If we wait on the CIA, Jeffrey will be dead, and you know it, Agent Vaughn. You think you're helping my daughter by keeping her here. You really want to help, you will help her save her friend," Jack said with authority.

For the first time since she'd discovered ten years ago that he was still alive, Sydney appreciated her father's tone that left no room for argument.

Yay, lotsa rogue agents! Vaughn just seems hotter when he's going rogue, doesn't he?