Chapter Four: The Meeting

"Sydney" he said. His eyes were wide open, starring at her in disbelief. Julia felt her heart beat faster. The man of her dreams was here, in the flesh, standing in front of her. There was so much she wanted to say but she didn't know where to start.

"You're alive." he said, his words almost a whisper. He ran to her and held her. His embrace felt like home to her. She was overwhelmed with emotions and she started crying. He held her tightly as if he was afraid that she would disappear. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

She picked up her head and looked at him. His eyes were filled with tears as were hers. "Sydney, where have you been?" he asked.

"My name is Julia Thorne." Julia replied. She didn't understand why he called her Sydney. Perhaps he had confused her with someone else.

"What?" he asked. He looked behind her and noticed the professor lying unconscious on the ground. "What happened to him? What were you doing here? Sydney what's going on?"

"I, I, uh, I... I can't." she said and she ran out.

"Sydney! Wait!" he yelled after her. He ran out and tried to catch up to her but was slowed down by the many students heading his way. He watched her turn the corner and then lost her. He sat down on the floor with his back against the wall. Although he was angry at himself for having lost her, he was happy beyond belief. He knew that she was alive, there was no doubt about it now. He had held her in his arms and he had felt complete. The love of his life had returned to him. For six months he had fallen into the deepest depression of his entire life. He had lost the desire to live. He had imagined that she was alive and now it was real, it was no longer some drunken illusion, it was a reality. It was a reality that filled him with hope and the desire to live once again. Even though his depression was over and he had gotten his life in order his desire to live had left him. Seeing her again had given him hope again. He now had a purpose to get up every morning.

'What was she doing here?' he asked himself. 'Whatever it was David had to know.' He stood up and walked back to the classroom. By the time he got there David was conscious again.

"David, what happened?" he asked.

"Michael, that woman attacked me." David answered.

"I don't buy it, she was after something. You have to tell me what it was." he said.

"Michael, she was after nothing." David answered.

"Listen to me David, I have connections in high places. I know people who would be willing to kill you for whatever information you may or may not have on that woman. Tell me what she was after or you will regret it. I promise." he threatened.

Julia sat in her car for over two hours waiting to see where the man she had seen earlier lived. She needed to know who he was and who Sydney was but for that she needed more information than the simple name of Sydney. She looked around the almost empty campus. It was seven and most classes where over. She closed her eyes and remembered being in the man's arms. His touch had sent electricity all through her body.

When she opened her eyes she saw him. He opened the door to his car and drove away. Julia turned on her car and followed him at a safe distance. She blended into the traffic of the LA roads so it was unlikely that he would realize that she was following him. He drove into a residential area where he parked and walked into an apartment.

Michael walked into his apartment feeling exhausted and eternally happy.

"Surprise!" Lauren said.

"Lauren, what are you doing here, how did you get in?" Michael asked. Lauren was the last person he wanted to see right now. He had just found out that the love of his life was alive and he didn't how he should go about this information. He didn't want to endanger Sydney's life by telling anyone. For now he would pretend like nothing was wrong but he knew that he wouldn't be with Lauren for long.

"Michael, it's our two month anniversary. I wanted to surprise you. I asked your landlord to let me in, I told him it was for our anniversary. I'm sorry if I upset you love." Lauren said.

"I was just caught off guard. Happy anniversary." he said forcing a smile.

"Come on love I have the day all planned out for us." Lauren said. She took his arm and they went outside arm in arm. He opened the door for her and she kissed him. He smiled at her, a smile that he had to force. He felt as though he was betraying Sydney. She was alive and well and he was with Lauren. Lauren was a good woman and she had helped him get his life back in track but he didn't love her.

When Julia saw him leave with the blonde, her heart broke. They must be married, she thought or at least they were living together. She knew that she had no reason to be angry with him. She didn't even know him but she couldn't help feeling like she had lost someone. She had secretly dreamt of finding this man and being with him like normal people were together, like he and his blonde were together. She suddenly had no desire to find out he was. It wasn't worth it, any information that she could find wouldn't her, it would only haunt her and that was something she didn't need now. She turned on her car and drove back to the hotel. She had a lot of work to do. She needed to come up with a plan.