The other side of the storyTotal Vaughn Lover

A/n: so I'm back to continue with my "season 2" (my regular readers know what I'm talking about!!) So sorry I took so long but I was having writer's block. I am going to however finish this fic. Hopefully it'll give you something entertaining to read till Alias airs season 4 early next year!!!!

Season 2 Part VI( part II)

"Sydney!" Leighton gasped when he met her at the door to her hotel suite.

"Oh hey, Leighton. Did you want something?" she asked sweetly. "But it has to be something other than about the mission because I'm off to have a good time and I don't want to think about poor David Lansing," Sydney ranted on before Leighton could get a word in. She pulled her coat on, not noticing the bags of take out Agent Cowell was carrying in his hands.

"Are you going somewhere?" Leighton demanded with narrowed eyes as he set the bags of food down at her doorway and put his arm between the doorjamb.

"Aactuallyyeah, I am. And I've got to go now or I'm going to be late. I know how much I hate it," Sydney replied with a nervous chuckle as she shimmied into her leather boots. "Did you need something?"

"Nothingprofessional," he replied, staring at the ground. It was easy to tel he was tense. Sydney stood there, not getting it. The only thing she got was that she needed to get somewhere and her annoying handler was keeping her from getting there.

"Rightwell I know you want to protect me but I'm sorry, if I have to spend another musty night in here, I'm going to go insane!"

Leighton took a breath and counted to ten to keep his rage in check. "I'm sorry, I was under the assumption that we were having dinner together."

Sydney gave him a glance then slapped her forehead. Now it was coming together, the reason Cowell had shown up on her door step in casual sweats, the reason he had carried in Chinese Take out to fill two people.

"I see the wheels are turning in your head," Cowell said with a half-hearted smirk.

"Yes, they are," she lamented, her face wincing from guilt. How had she forgotten free Chinese take out? Was Camden that important to her that he'd made her completely forget that she already had dinner plans? But then again, it was her husbands' lost brother. For some reason that seemed more important. "And CowellI feel really bad but we're going to have to break our plans."

Leighton's jaw dropped even lower. "What! I don't get it. You promised me last night that we would spend some time getting to know each other. What happened?"

"II can't say, it's not my plans," Sydney apologized, coming on pretty strong for an apology. "The person with the problem is the one I'm meeting."

Leighton folded his arms and stared again at the ground, his lip twitching as a result of his mounting irritation. "Well, what do you expect me to do? I can't eat all this by myself, and I certainly am not going to spend tonight eating it alone in my hotel room."

Sydney couldn't believe how difficult Leighton was being about this. IT wasn't like they were seeing each other. In fact, Cowell did know they only man she had eyes for was her "husband," Michael Vaughn

"Agent Cowell, I'm sorry that this is such an inconvenience for you but something really important came up," Sydney stated stubbornly, folding her arms as she narrowed her eyes, staring at him as though he were an immature little kid. "Why don't you call up one of your fellow agents," she suggested with a sigh. "That blond one had her eye on you since you returned. I'm sure she's sitting at home, waiting for you to call by her phone."

"If you're referring to Agent Loren, she's working or out with Hill. Or trying to get Camden to notice her. Not waiting for me to be her to share an egg roll with me."

Sydney couldn't understand why he was acting so sadistic. "Leighton, this is nothing against you but I really have to get going."

Leighton opened his mouth as though he were about to argue then sighed instead, knowing he had no control over what she did with her life. "Ffine, just tell me you're not going out to see Camden."

Sydney pulled her key out of her bag and kept her gaze downcast. "I am. And really, what's it to you if I want to get to know my co-workers better?"

"What's it to me? Gawd Syd, didn't you listen to anything I've been saying since we got here? Camden is bad news, believe me, I know what I'm talking about," Leighton stated firmly, fighting to keep his tone from becoming condescending.

"And he says the same about you. But he knows you're my handler and so he's being discreet about it," Sydney huffed, scrutinizing him with her bright eyes. "Why can't you give him the same courtesy?'

"SsydI know I'm the last person you want to spend time with, and you probably wouldn't trust me with your life as you would with Vaughn," Leighton admitted, squeezing his eyes shut to keep from completely blowing his top and shake her vigorously until she drank his words. "But I really am looking out for you."

A million sarcastic replied flew into his mind but she decided not to use any of them. Maybe she was being too comfortable. Maybe there was something dangerous about Camden that she could find out about from Leighton.

She bit her lip as she gazed over at the neon numbers displayed on the clock on her bed side table. If she stayed another minute, she would be late. That would be wrong since she'd been the one who had calling him out in the first place.

But then that was the same situation with Leighton. She'd promised him a night of fast food and action flicks, and if she left now, she would be breaking her words to him, which didn't make her any better or give any justification to her actions. And really, who was she to decide which appointment was more important?"

"Okay, tell me, what do you know about Camden?" she inquired, dropping her purse onto the bed then took a seat reluctantly and crossed her legs at the ankle.

She only hoped Ethan would give her a minute and not leave when he didn't see her there.

"Okay," Leighton breathed to compose himself then took a seat on the fluffy bed and squeezed the comforter between his fingers. "You know Camden, he seems like a nice guy, don't' he? Not to mention the similarities in his physical appearance to your husband is uncanny. And he's even a doctor. He saves live. No wonder he gets respect!"

Sydney detected loathing in his voice, but it was pretty subtle she could have easily imagined it hadn't been there. She needed to make sure Leighton knew she'd acknowledged him at the same time, wondering exactly where he was trying to go with this conversation.

"He's a federal agent, but there is so much more to his story than you would think," Leighton continued and Sydney had to admit, his take tone had gotten her attention right where he wanted it, on him.

"I'm listening."

Leighton turned towards her, glancing at her with care-filled eyes. "I'm not too proud to say this because once upon a time we were almost friends but II can't, I mean, I wont' let him do what he doeswhat he's done."

Sydney leaned back on her elbows as she toyed with the hem of her sweater. "And exactly what has he done that's so terrible?" she inquired, trying not to start laughing. Leighton looked so dead serious she felt she needed to laugh to let go of the tension.

"You're probably not going to believe me but that Agent who you think is so wonderful was a professional hitman, a terrorist. Ever heard of "The Rapture?"

Sydney nodded to his surprise and remained clam which concerned him slightly. "Yes, they were the terrorist group my hubby put out of business for his first assignment. I know."

Leighton found himself sweating. This wasn't how this was supposed to go down. He was supposed to have scared Sydney out of her shoes, and maybe get her to assist him in getting Camden put away. But she'd just answered him as calmly as though she were just saying that she had heard the Backstreet Boys were coming out with a new cd.

But then again, maybe it was hard to break into a tough-wired chick. Or maybe she hadn't really heard him. He decided to reiterate.

"Sydney, did you hear me? I just told you the man killed people. Why can you be so calm?"

"Maybe because I already knew. He told me all about it himself, how he was part of the Rapture but then he'd broken apart from them and became an informant for the CIA. If anything, that's similar to what I with SD-6 and the CIA. Became a double agent. And he told me Vaughn was in charge of making sure that he didn't betray either side. Which he obviously didn't as he's been accepted into the world's best intelligence agency," Sydney revealed, playing with the ends of her hair as though she were searching for split ends. "Thanks for caring but I think I can take care of myself. Heck, I lived and came back to the world where everybody thought I was dead."

Sydney patted him on the shoulder then gave him a smooch of appreciation of his cheek as she picked up her little golden purse and her light but warm coat, strong enough to beat the chilly winds of London's night air.

"Hold it. You knew all this the whole time and you're still going to go out with him?" he cried out in the male version of a shriek. "Are you crazy?"

"No, I don't think so," she sang, bending down to pick up the hotel key that had fallen from her hand.

"You are if you're still planning to go out with the man Vaughn tried to put away," Leighton boomed glaring at her with his stern green eyes. "What do you think Michael Vaughn will say if he knew what you were doing?"

That comment stung Sydney enough to keep her position stationary long enough to tell him exactly what she thought of him. "For your information, there's more to the "Jason Gorzo," story than you're aware of," she scowled, her pretty face replaced by bitterness, her knuckles turned white because she was squeezing the coat so tightly. "And what my handler Michael Vaughn thinks or feels is none of your concern and you mistakenly seem to believe you're allowed to tell me what is wrong and right, what I should and shouldn't do in my life. Butyou don't. and that stops right here. The reason I'm meeting Ethan Camden is for investigative purposes and so if you were thinking of blackmailing me by holding that over my head, you'll be making a very big mistake. And I promise you, you will be punished severely to do anything in my life other than just be a mere presence."

She pulled her coat on then pulled her hair out and began buttoning the buttons, at the same time she slipped into a nice pair of black pumps. She did all this while keeping her back to him. She finally was ready to go out. She'd opened the door about halfway when Leighton opened his big English mouth.

"He told you he was Vaughn's brother, didn't he?" he snared as he retreated over tot he only table in the room. The chair made a big squeak as he pulled it from under the table. "That's why you're so adamant on going, because you love Michael so much you want to reunite him with his brother. I knowbut has it crossed your mind that he might actually want revenge on the man who took from him the only sense of family he's ever had? He's been talking non-stop about Vaughn since you reappeared. Haven't you considered that you could actually be putting the one you love in danger?"

Sydney hated to admit it but she realized she didn't have enough information to honestly say no. Not that she was going to give the smart ass British boy that satisfaction. Which meant she still had to go.

"Agent Bristow?"

"No." She stood with her legs about shoulder width apart, her confident stance. "In fact, I think I've thought you were more dangerous a few more times than I would ever think Camden is," Sydney stated which sent Leighton reeling.

Jealousy, anger, pain, it was all clearly depicted on his handsome face and in his deep set eyes.

I expect you to either have a better disposition when I get back, or you can go mope and pout in your own room," she concluded with an emotionless face. "I'll probably be back around an hour or two from now. Have a nice evening."

She went out of the room and slammed the hotel door so hard that Leighton actually winced from the sound as though it was nails on a chalkboard. He even jumped a good two inches off his wooden seat before he concentrated on calming himself down.

Damn! Not Sydney hated his guts! Why couldn't his plans work for once the way they were supposed to play out? He reached for a bottle of whisky and poured the only alcoholic beverage into a shot glass and downed it, filled it up again then took another shot of whiskey and this time he actually enjoyed the aroma of the liquid as it sank down his throat. Camden was getting in the way and Sydney was putting up much more of a resistance than he'd expected.

He really wondered if Sydney was crazy. There just didn't seem to be a liable explanation for her actions of going out with the enemy and lashed out at he who was innocently trying to protect her from harms' way.

Okay, so he wasn't completely innocent, his newest assignment from his mysterious boss was to find someone else to take the fall for her plan and he'd thought who would be better than his rival Ethan Camden, and he had the history to back it up.

Leighton leaned back in his seat when his stomach growled. Of course, he hadn't had anything eat except a breakfast-wich from Mickey' D's earlier in the morning. His eyes immediately fell on the two bags of fried rice carting and kung pao chicken. He had really lost his appetite after Sydney had informed him he would have to eat alone but now he had to have something and the spicy tangy aroma of the hot chicken became more enticing by the minute. He carried a carton of both the fried rice and the chicken and set them on the counter so he could whip out a fork from the drawer near the sink.

Inconveniently covered with plastic.

Leighton cursed as he struggled with the plastic material that was flat out refusing to come off. And to make things worse, the cell phone in his back pocket began vibrating Leighton's heart plummeted. As a federal agent, he had a habit of carrying more than one cell phone. And the one that was ringing was from his boss.

He contemplated whether or not to answer the call as he fished it out of his pocket. He let it ring a few more times until he pushed the answer button, fed up with listening to the ring tone.

His face paled slightly as he brought the phone to his face, "this is Cowell."

"Agent Cowell," the voice smirked, but it was so full of static it sounded camouflaged. "I trust that things haven't changed."

"If you're asking if Sydney knows anything, she doesn't," he assured her as he massaged his pounding head. "But I fear it is only a matter of time before she will figure it out. According to an agent that was present during her visit with Lansing, he claimed she could see things only she could."

"So our best bet is that he remains a vegetable. But no worry, if the intel you gave me was correct, she is to away with him after the surgery."

"That is correct ma'am."

"Well, as soon as you find someone to take the responsibility of our actions then we really won't have to worry about anything, except to place our clues conveniently as to trap him."

"I'm working on that but it might be a bit difficult. Seems Sydney has taken a liking to him and if anything, I believe she probably favors him over me," Cowell lamented as he finally untangled a price of silverware from the sanitary wrapping.

"Well you certainly better fix that," the female voice commanded him with distaste. "As of now, things seem to be the same. The only status I don't have is of Agent Vaughn. Is there a way you can get me an update on where he stands in proximity to Sydney Bristow?"

"Yeah, right," Leighton groaned inside but to his boss replied, "of course, I'll get on that and send you an update via e-mail."

"Wonderful," the person on the line purred. "I expect to hear about that soon and when I check in next, I trust that we'll be able to congratulate ourselves for ridding ourselves of this two year headache."

Leighton found himself hesitating before he answered. Ever since Sydney had shown him some of that angel-like quality, he found it hard not to feel terrible that he had been part of the plan that had made Sydney's life a living hell. "Of course ma'am."

"Excellent, well, you have a wonderful evening, we'll keep in touch." She clicked off the conversation before Leighton had a chance to close the call. It was obvious his answers hadn't met her standards. He shrugged it off and pushed those thoughts as far back as his mind would let him then threw the cell phone against the flowery couch. He then sat down and stabbed his fork into a piece of chicken and thought fondly of Camden being in his place as he chewed.

Yes, Camden was going to go down, he would make sure of it.

"And where to tonight, miss?" the cab driver inquired as Sydney pulled herself into the vehicle.

"Actually, it's only about five blocks down the street. It's a little French restaurant , do you know what I'm talking about?" she replied as she fiddled with her purse.

"Of course since there's only on French restaurant on this boulevard," he chuckled as he pulled the car into the traffic.

"Great and um...not to put any pressure on you but I...I'm already running a little late, so if you can...excuse my American slang...step on it?"

The cab driver nodded to her reflection in his rearview mirror and began driving at a medium pace. Sydney stared outside her window at the authentic-looking apartments, houses and shops as they breezed past them, only her thoughts were elsewhere.

She wondered, could going out with Camden really be considered, cheating? He was her brother-in-law after all.

Or so he'd told her and she had somehow put down her guard and just taken in everything, for some reason, wanting so much to believe him.

She hated Cowell, he'd done thing he didn't have the right to do. Like taking Vaughn off his position as her partner in the agency and then assigned himself as her new "partner in crime." So why would she want to believe his words now?

Then again, she would never forgive herself if her going out to dinner and becoming close to Camden gave him the means to do away with Michael Vaughn.

She pulled her wallet out of her purse and then sifted through her cards until she found what she was looking for. A carefully laminated picture of and Vaughn. They'd actually gotten some professional pictures done their first free moment after they'd successfully taken down SD-6. She ran a finger over Vaughn's face and smiled.

It was simple. She would just have to make sure that she didn't let anything happen to Vaughn. She would just have to treat this meeting as any other missions, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for any suspicious behavior. And then if things went well and she felt it safe to let herself trust him, we'll she'd think about that when the time came.

"Here we are miss," the driver announced as he pulled onto the curb. He pushed a button on his end and the door to her right opened with a huge click.

She thanked him then handed him a generous amount of cash as she stepped out of the car. She pushed the door shut with her hip then turned around after the vehicle left. She looked toward the little restaurant that reminded her of a cute French café in Marseilles, France, the one Vaughn used to show her pictures of.

She caught sight of a familiar brun coming down the steps, wearing a black turtleneck that reminded her strongly of cashmere and a pair of gray slacks. It was Camden, looking very laid back...and disappointed.

"Ethan!" she called out. Ethan raised his head at the mention of his name. The moment his eyes feel on Sydney, the frown melted into a smile. He immediately came jogging down to meet her.

"Hi Sydney. I was just about to leave. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," he lamented when he was standing a foot away from Sydney.

"I know and I'm sorry. Cowell found out and, you know him, he likes giving grief."

Camden rolled his eyes to show he was in agreement. Then he let out a contented sigh as he gazed at the beautiful Sydney with a smile. "Well, yyou look beautiful."

Sydney gave her monotone and simple outfit a self-conscious stare "Um...thank you. You look pretty good yourself."

"A little bit more snazzy than at work?" he chuckled, slapping his thighs. "Well, I thank you."

Sydney gave a small shrug and laughed dismissively as stand-byers looked on. He offered her his arm. She took it tentatively, telling herself the only reason she was doing so was so he wouldn't feel rejected and they ascended back up the stairs. He then guided her over to a table where his belongings were already placed.

She pulled out her coat and placed it on the back of her chair then gracefully took a seat and pulled the napkin sitting before her onto her lap. She then reached for her glass of water with trembling hands and brought it to her lips, took a nice long gulp then set it back down.

She blushed, embarrassed when she realized that Camden hadn't taken his eyes of her since they'd sat down.

"You look nervous, are you all right? Am I making you uncomfortable?" he inquired as he leaned forward on his arms.

"Oh no, it's just being here, away from everything I trust that's getting to me," she chittered, keeping her gaze low.

There was a pause as Ethan took a swig from his glass. Then he took hold of one of her hands and gave it a squeeze. "Well, it seems it's taken a lot of you to come out tonight. I'm really glad you're here."

Sydney pulled her gaze away from their locked hands and gave him the most honest looking smile she could muster.

"Me too."

There you go! But since I love you guys so much, I decided to put up the next part. Hope you'll enjoy it, I'm looking forward to hearing from ya'll.

Enjoy the next chapter –k-?

Kris (Total Vaughn Lover)