Title: Consequences

Summary: Vaughn, Sydney and Lauren deal with the consequences of Senator Reed's death in different ways.

Disclaimer: Sadly I own neither Alias nor any of the characters.

Spoilers: Set after 3.17 'The Frame', but AU after that.

Rating: PG-13

A/N: This story contains non-graphic F/F and M/F.

Chapter Three

As Sydney sat in the back of a plain black van with Weiss she absently stared at nothing. "Everything okay Syd?" Weiss asked in his usual friendly manner. Sydney just nodded her reply and Weiss knew something was up.

"Is everything okay Syd? I mean at work, what with the...um...awkward situation." Sydney involuntarily laughed at his statement.

"If you're talking about Lauren then she is more than an awkward situation."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Sydney sighed. She doubted that Vaughn's best man would believe Lauren was coming on to her.

"Whatever it is Sydney, I'm here for you okay?" She nodded and placed her blonde wig on before leaving the van and heading towards the main entrance of the nightclub Sark had arranged to meet his client in.

The noise and the darkness mixed with all the dancing bodies made her feel worse than she already did. She made her way trough the crowd, a smile on her face as she danced with the occasional man. Then she saw Sark. He and a man were walking towards the entrance to the VIP area upstairs.

Sydney followed after managing to charm her way past the bodyguards and crept down the corridor a safe distance behind Sark. She watched as they entered a private office and tried to listen at the door. Being preoccupied with listening to the conversation Sydney didn't hear a guard sneak up behind her until she felt a handgun being pressed into her neck. She stood up slowly and held her hands above her head. "Walk." Some sort of electronic device disguised the voice and Sydney was forced to walk down the corridor to an empty room. Once she and the guard were inside she was pushed down onto the floor with the gun still aimed at her.

"You really don't suit being blonde." Her captor laughed as confusion appeared on Sydney's defiant expression.

"Who are you?" She asked and was rewarded with a kick to the stomach.

"That doesn't concern you." Her captor knelt down and stroked Sydney's cheek as she tried to catch her breath back. Sydney took a chance on dived on her captor, knocking the gun from their hand. Sydney went fleeing after the gun while her captor went fleeing after her. It ended with Sydney pinned down and the gun in her mouth.

"Sweet dreams." The butt of the gun connected with Sydney's temple and the world around her grew dark as her heavy eyelids began to close.

Vaughn sat at home while Lauren was away on NSC business and toyed with the phone in his hand. If Lauren's father hadn't died than maybe they would have been together at that very moment. Him congratulating her on a good mission and her refusing to allow them to talk about work. He knew he needed to stand by Lauren, but he couldn't love her anymore. Not with Sydney back in his life. He needed the woman he had merged his soul with and that wasn't Sydney.

He dialled her number and got her answering machine. He checked his watch; they'd left hours ago and should have been finished with the debriefing long ago. He phoned Weiss' cell phone and he picked up on the second ring.

"Hey Weiss, do you know where Syd is? I tried calling her house she isn't there..."

He stopped as he realized how silent Weiss was. "Weiss, what's wrong?"

"Syd's missing Vaughn." He sighed. "I lost track of her when she went up to the VIP room after Sark. I managed to get the list from Sark, but I found no sign of Sydney. We've got people searching..." Vaughn hung up and dashed to the front door, grabbing his gun and keys. He wouldn't lose Sydney twice.