Sark craned his neck to look up at me from his position on the floor. He gave atiny nod before quickly twisting around and shooting both of Manoir's guards. As he did this I drew out my own gun and aimed it at Manoir himself. During the brief trip we had taken to get to 'The Lion's Den' Sark had taken the time to explain that we might encounter this sort of problem. Being previously forewarned against such a possibility we were both very well prepared for the incident. Sark recollected the chip as I dealt with Manoir.
"Against the wall." I ordered. "Put your hands behind your back." I took a pair of handcuffs from my pocket and secured his hands behind his back. I noticed Sark cock his eyebrow at the presence of the handcuffs but he remained silent. I collected the money filled briefcase and gave myself one last look at Manoir before executing a roundhouse kick to his head and effectively knocking him unconscious. The mission had been a success.
I remained relatively silent on the trip back to the hotel. It wasn't for lack of wanting to talk, merely that I was trying very hard to souse out my thoughts. On one hand Sloane would now be in possession of a copy of the 47th parallel chip and the means by which to decode it. On the other hand I would be able to return home safe and sound. Then of course there was the issue with Vaughn and the unavoidable confrontation that awaited me when I got back, and these newly developed feelings for Sark were not to be forgotten. All in all the entire situation just sucked.
"Are you all right Sydney?" Sark asked, having noticed my period of prolonged silence.
"Fine." I replied. It wasn't all too convincing and from the disconcerted look he gave me I don't think he actually believed my answer.
"Vaughn?" He asked quietly. As I looked over at him I noticed the slight twinge of jealousy that had seeped through in his voice.
"Not entirely." I answered truthfully. Neither of us talked again until we got back to the hotel room.
When we did get back to our hotel room the very first thing we did was start to pack. We both realized that our work in France was over and that there would only be a couple of hours left before we returned to Sloane and even less time after that before I returned to my home in California. It wasn't that we would never see each other again, because in our line of work that was far from the case. It was truly the fact that either of us was even thinking along these lines in the first place. After the packing was finished, I was the first to speak.
"…God the tension is killing me. Look I know what I'm thinking, and I'm pretty sure I know what the hell your thinking…So can we please just forget about all the reasons why it's wrong and have something to really remember this trip by?" Despite the fact that I had practically said all of this in one breath, I think that Sark understood pretty much everything I had just said, because he immediately stopped what he was doing to look over at me.He smiled as he slowly sauntered up to me. He didn't stop walking until he was only an inch or two away. He was so close now that I could fell his warm breath on my neck, and my own breath caught in my throat as he carefully ran his fingers through my hair before tucking it behind my ear.
"Of course." He replied huskily, before finally leaning in and encompassing my lips with his own.
For the second time in two days I awoke next to Sark. This time however he was already awake, that and the fact that this time there was only the matter of a few inches of sheet separating our bodies. For once the silence that followed was comfortable. It was simply a peaceful moment in which words were unnecessary to amplify the overall feeling of calm. I was almost sad when I actually needed to break it.
"How much time before we have to go" I asked. He shifted slightly in order to see the clock.
"Not very long. We should probably leave the hotel within the next half hour." I nodded then resettled myself back on the bed and closed my eyes. After a few more moments I felt the mattress shift slightly as Sark removed himself from the bed. I stayed in the bed for a while longer, I was eventually reawakened when Sark gave me a slight shake to tell me it was time to go. I got up and dressed quickly. In no more than 10 minutes we made our final exit from our hotel room at the Hotel de la Cita. By the time we had checked out of the hotel and driven to the airportit was almost midnight and I was beginning to get tired again. So once again most of my flight was spent sleeping, this time however it was for real, and I took the opportunity to use Sark's shoulder as a pillow. Sadly all good things must come to an end, and it wasn't long before I was off the plane and back in the rusty metal warehouse talking with Sloane.
"Good work Sydney." Sloane said smiling as he eyed the small silver case and its contents. "Being as the mission was such a success your free to go…unfortunately however, we wouldn't want you trying to find your way back here, and your return home will have to be made with the proper precautions." And thus for the second time in not so many days I was once again knocked unconscious.
When I finally woke up I found myself oddly enough back on my couch, and had it not been for the absence of alcohol and the different date on the calendar I might have chocked the entire experience up to some sick dream. As it was however I decided to call my dad and tell him that I was all right and back in California. I would also tell my dad about what had happened (leaving out of course just about all of the Sark parts).
"Hey Dad." I said into the phone.
"Sydney?…Oh god what happened? You've been missing for days, and the C.I.A still can't find Sark." He sounded worried but definitely very relieved that I was back. As we continued to talk I told him about being kidnapped by Sloane and being forced into a mission for the backup chip. Apparently the C.I.A had absolutely no idea that a backup disk existed and it wasn't long before he got off the phone to give out the small amount of Intel I had received. I personally decided to take the rest of the day off. I took a coke from the fridge, (having decided to stay away from alcohol for awhile) turned on the television, and sat back down on the couch. At some point I must have nodded off because I was awakened by a rather loud rapping at my front door. I stood up groggily, walked over to the door, and opened it. It was Vaughn.
"Oh my god…Syd…we were all so worried about you." He reached over to hug me but I pushed him away. He was about to say something about it but was stopped as my palm connected with his cheek.
"Bastard." I said. Fresh tears already beginning to form in my eyes. He looked hurt, and utterly clueless as to what was going on. "Your still seeing Alice…and don't you dare to deny it…I saw every single horrible detail." His face dropped at the mentioning of Alice's name.
"How?" He asked. It was all he was able to say.
"With the glories of satellite surveillance." I replied bitterly.
"Look…Sydney…you have to believe me I would never betray you…just like I would never betray this country...you know that." His tone was one of defiance but he made sure not to sound out to harshly.
"I wish I could believe you Vaughn…" I replied. "But I saw the two of you with my own eyes…"
"I know what you think you saw." He said. "...But it wasn't real. Yes I slept with Alice. But not for the reasons you're thinking…3 ½ years Sydney. I have spent the past 3 ½ years tailing this woman. I was assigned on a mission to get information from her at any costs…she's not just some normal girl…She's KGB."
A/N:Chapter five is up! Review Review Review please!By the way thanks to all of the lovely people that have reviewed so far :hugs:. Oh...Andif anyone was expectiing smut, I'm sorry because I just don't write smut.