Chapter 5: Girls Enter Nevada

A/n:Thanks a bunch for you reviews! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been bust with softball and I just haven't had a lot of time. Anyway, I'll try to update sometime next week, and… Enjoy!

In town we used to fret away until we made our getaway out here where there's no doubt that men are men– where men are men! We don't care if we don't go west again.

– – – – – – –

Monday night eventually sprung up upon Sydney and she found herself running late as she ran to catch the subway. Luckily, she made it, but had to catch her breath as she gripped the metal pole and firmly planted her feet. She still tottered slightly as its jolts bounced her from left to right, yet she managed to stay upright.

The Scott Theater loomed in front of her as she briskly navigated around other New Yorkers and a few lost tourists. She hurriedly opened the door and hurled herself inside. Inhaling deeply at the welcoming smell of the foyer, she briefly paused as she spied her very own father as a janitor cleaning the windows outside in the ticket booths. Snickering internally, she discovered papers on the walls indicating directions of which to find the cast meeting.

Sydney followed the trail down a few short hallways before coming upon a security guard next to the door, his face buried in his clipboard. He heard her approaching and lowered the board, and she was delighted to find Dixon. His white plastic name tag read "Aaron L" and stood out prominently against the blue of his shirt.

Dixon looked down his nose at her as if he'd never seen her before. "Name?" he asked blandly.

"Sophia Smith," she answered, pretending to be annoyed.

He scanned the list of names, flipping to the second page. "Go on in," he finally replied, stepping aside and casting her a quick smile. Sydney couldn't help but brush against him as she passed.

Upon entering the large room, she initially noticed the two groups of people forming, each on one side of the room. She recognized everyone from the left side of the room from auditions, including Weiss, Vaughn, and Lauren. Weiss sat talking at one of the round tables scattered around the room, and Vaughn and Lauren chatted with others along the table set up with food.

Weiss spotted her by the door. "Hey, Sophia, over here," he shouted, beckoning her to his table.

She smiled and traversed around talking groups to his table. "Hi, Nick," she greeted him, sitting down at the free seat to his right. She turned her attention to the woman and man also seated at the table. "I'm Sophia Smith." She held her hand out for them to shake.

The woman shook her hand first. "Hi, I'm Becca Green," said the woman. She had shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and light freckles sprinkled across her nose.

"I'm Kevin Obbink," the man said next. He looked to be about Dixon's age, his hair beginning to gray. "I'll be Wyatt in the musical, and Becca's Patsy."

"Who are you?" Becca asked with curiosity.

"Oh me? I'm Polly."

"You're Polly?" she exclaimed. "We've all been trying to figure it out for so long! Congratulations."

Sydney tried to blush and she added her thanks before the room went eerily silent. Everyone turned their attention to the front of the room where Director Damien Bruggman stood. "Welcome, welcome everyone!" he began, smiling as he surveyed the people in the room. The people standing scrambled to find a seat. "I decided to call this cast meeting in order to introduce the original cast to the newly added cast."

Sydney looked to the other side of the room: the original cast. She tilted her head to the side as he named off each person and their character. He started with the original minor cowboy and Follies girl parts before the major parts. "Of course, we cannot forget Desmond Tamas as Bela Zangler." The actor stood up, acknowledging his introduction, and immediately Sydney raised her eyebrows. He was rather attractive, with wavy dark brown hair and twinkling blue eyes. He stood tall and casually against the table as Damien Bruggman told a short funny story about him. Desmond grinned as a light blush covered his cheeks.

He sat down as the director announced another. "Kerri Jenison will play Tess." The woman stood up as he spoke more about her. She watched him modestly and occasionally looked to the ground. Kerri had long, straight black hair and sleek skin. Sydney guessed she was a few years younger than herself and at least a few inches shorter.

Damien Bruggman also introduced an older gentleman named James Jones who would play Everett, Polly's father, Patricia Bernard who would play Bobby's mother, and Xavier Wojowski as Eugene Fodor.

Then he got to the new cast. He began with excitement as he named off the new showgirls, including Becca Green as she stood and smiled for the part of Patsy. Weiss and Lauren were introduced early on as Moose and Irene. Finally everyone had been announced except for Sydney and Vaughn. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Vaughn had shot her a darting glance.

"We have a spectacular addition as Polly Baker, and I'm pleased to introduce Miss Sophia Smith to the rest of the cast." Sydney contained a large smiled as she stood and nodded at the group before her. Damien Bruggman explained how he thought she was better than his original choice from the first casting call, a feat she was quite impressed by.

"And last but most certainly not least, we have Christopher Garth as Bobby Child." Vaughn stood and received a mild applause at which he chuckled. Sydney heard whispers arise about his good looks.

The director went on to introduce his assistants and crew, which included Carrie and Marshall. After the long introductions were completed, he encouraged everyone to stay and mingle and eat some of the provided food. "And please don't forget to pick up a rehearsal schedule on the way out. And for those of you who disposed of your scripts after what you thought was a bad audition, Desmond, scripts will be available shortly."

Hearty chortles echoed around the room and someone playfully hit Desmond on his shoulder. He simply smirked and shrugged.

Sydney talked with Weiss, Becca, and Kevin for a while longer, as did most other cast members. Eventually everyone filed out, and Sydney wandered out after about half the cast had dispersed.

Normally she would have headed straight back to her apartment, but now she had a CIA meeting. Following instructions she had received earlier, she walked in the usual direction of the subway station, looped around the block a few times to make sure no one was following her, and swiftly made it back to the alley next to the theater. She pushed through the back door and proceeded down the hall, pondering Damien Bruggman's behavior. He seemed lively and happy, could he possibly have gone psycho and fired half of his cast? Bipolar, indeed. She shook her head to herself and entered the second room on the left.

Inside she found she was the last of the agents to arrive. Dixon started in as soon as she took her seat. He first declared that as a security guard, he took the necessary precautions to make sure their meeting would be kept secret and free of intruders. "And I want to congratulate our agents on their roles," he added with a smile, issuing a small applause. Sydney smiled back and glanced at the Weiss, Lauren, and Vaughn. Vaughn managed to lock eyes with her for a millisecond.

Dixon continued. "During the cast meeting, I was commanded to post signs on the dressing rooms for the new cast. I planted each of your rooms strategically to your individual assignments. Sydney; yours is by the actresses portraying Tess and Patsy. Vaughn, you are around the corner next to Zangler and Everett. Lauren, you are by the Follies girls, and Weiss, you're by the other cowboys.

"All of you are to develop close relationships with those around you. Watch for any suspicious behavior. Eventually, we'll be planting bugs into their rooms, and possibly cameras. But for now, establish the relationships. Marshall and Carrie are in charge of the needed technology, and Jack and I will observe and eavesdrop. Any questions?" No one raised a hand. "Very well. Rehearsals start tomorrow. Good night."

– – – – – – –

Beep beep beep beep...

Sydney groaned as she slapped the snooze button on her alarm clock and rolled over onto her side. The gray light from her window streamed in through the blinds, and she covered her head with her green comforter. How could it be six o'clock already? It was just eleven PM a moment ago. Before she knew it, her alarm sounded again and she reluctantly sat up and leaned against her headboard.

What would today have in store for her? She'd already memorized the script; she'd done so long ago. Acting would be no problem. Dancing... She'd have to pretend to not already know the steps; naturally Sophia was a fast learner and would take to it like a fish in water. Her only worry turned to her voice, a good singing day, she hoped. A good singing season, she bitterly thought.

And the unvoiced worry remained silent in her. She refused to admit it, even inwardly. The worry itched her brain constantly, teasing her until satisfied; the image of a man whose name sprang to her tongue: Vaughn. Her only true fear of the mission. Why was this still a problem? Couldn't she just get the hell over him? Or could he not leave his wife and return...

Fifteen minutes passed. She tightly squeezed her eyes shut and spun her body to the floor, cringing at the icy touch of the wood to her bare feet. She hobbled to the bathroom as her toes crept back into the balls of her feet, and found comfort in the scruffy bathroom rug. She quickly showered and dressed, then poured herself a bowl of cereal.

The monotonous crunch of cereal melded into the grind of metal to metal on the rickety subway. It came to a sharp stop, and she proudly maintained her balance. Hopping out the door, she walked briskly to the Scott Theater while condemning the cold November air. She envied those in Los Angeles basking in the warmth as she watched herself exhale a white cloud.

Gratefully, she heaved herself into the theater foyer and unbuttoned her jacket. She needed a heavier coat; that was the last time she was under dressing in this weather. She absorbed the new warmth and wandered through several halls in search of her dressing room. She found Vaughn's, then turned the next hallway to the right and found hers.

It was about the size of the room in Detroit. No, maybe smaller. A make-up counter took up the majority of the space, followed by a crammed couch and table, and the closet and bathroom doors. A schedule on the side table indicated Sydney had to be around most of the time, though she did have a fair amount of breaks including today.

Tossing her winter gear on the couch, she marched briskly into the hallway and to the meeting room they had previously gathered in a day earlier. She took a seat at an empty table and promptly pulled out her script, pretending to be studying it as she gazed around the room. Weiss was already humoring some of the cowboys, not to mention a handful of follies girl around his table. Sydney returned to her script and buried her nose in Act Two, Scene Three.

Soon feeling a presence beside her, she lowered her booklet expecting to greet a visiting Weiss. Rather surprisingly, she found Desmond Tamas seated there.

"Sophia Smith?" he asked with sincerity. Sydney nodded and offered him a warm smile. "Hi, I'm Desmond. I don't believe we've properly met."

He held out his hand over the script, and Sydney dropped the papers and took his in, shaking it firmly for a moment. His semi-curly brown hair reminded her of Danny, and his deep blue eyes stood out against his face.

"It's nice to meet you," Sydney finally added, wracking her brain for something to say to this man.

He smiled; she noticed its charming tenure. "I think this morning we'll be doing a read thorough of the script, then actual work starts." He raised his eyebrows, showing his lack of thrill for rehearsals.

Sydney opened her mouth to retort playfully when in stormed Damien Bruggman, a steaming styrofoam cup of coffee in his hand. "People, people! Silence! Let's begin. Act One, Scene One... Action!"

Immediately the room went silent, and after a moment, a young voice shouted, "'Shoulders back! Heads High! One last time!'" After a pause, "'Patsy, where's Bobby? He should have been here two hours ago!'"

"'I know!'" exclaimed another voice that was quite squeaky and high pitched. "'I saw him yesterday, and he was all excited about the audition for Mr. Zangler.'"

– – – – – – –

After what seemed like forever, the read-through was complete. Sydney had fun sitting with Desmond and making secret comments with him about other characters. Unfortunately for Desmond, he had rehearsal right after the reading while Sydney had a break. She hurried back hungrily to her dressing room only to realize... She had no food!

She ravaged all through its miniscule entirety before slumping onto the couch in ravenous defeat. How could they not supply her with food? Was there some cafeteria she didn't know about, or did she have to go out and find a restaurant?

Just then someone knocked on her door. She popped up to answer it, and delightedly found a tan girl with pin straight black hair and equally sable eyes of her mid to late twenties standing before her. Sydney recognized her as the actress portraying Tess. "Hi, sorry, do you mind if I use your bathroom? The janitor said mine's broken and it won't be fixed for at least a week."

Her voice familiarized to the opening voice of this morning's reading. Sydney stepped aside. "Go ahead."

She looked at Sydney as if she had performed a miracle. "Thank you!" she said with her eyes wide, scampering around the squished furniture to the bathroom.

Sydney chuckled at the girl plopped back onto the couch. She decided her dressing room needed much decorating, and magazines and such to keep her entertained during breaks. Soon the girl returned with a look of relief on her face. "Thanks so much," she reiterated. "Oh, by the way, I'm Kerri."

"Sophia."

"You're the new Polly, right?" Sydney nodded. "I was so worried I was going to be cut when Mr. Bruggman went crazy last time. I was sure I was a goner with my age and all..."

"Wait, how old are you?"

She bit her lip. "Twenty-one. They almost didn't cast me."

Twenty-one? Wow, Sydney thought, this girl was over ten years younger than her and already in an off-Broadway show in New York City. She must be supremely talented. "So where are you from?"

"New Jersey, but I've been going to college here. How about you?"

"I'm from Seattle."

Sydney had planned to continue with some more about Seattle, but Kerri seemed to have more questions than expected. "So do you have a boyfriend there? Or here?"

"Oh, I…" Sydney stopped herself. Instinctively she would have said yes, and he's the most wonderful man in the world, but her harsh memories reminded her that no, there was no boyfriend. "We… kind of broke up…" she settled on, preparing a story in her head.

Kerri's eyes widened, very involved in this false gossip. "I'm so sorry! What was his name? What happened?"

Sydney refrained from laughing at her new friend (as it seemed she was). "Michael… He lives back in Seattle. We met in college, and then I went to New York for two years to pursue my career. I thought nothing between us had changed, I mean, it felt to me like no time had passed," Sydney lied. She paused briefly. This story had several similarities to real life; how ironic. "I came back home though… He was married."

"No way!"

"Yes. I couldn't stay at home anymore, I had to get back to New York. And well, here I am."

Kerri smirked. "Forget this Michael guy," she contorted with much disrespect for Michael; for Vaughn. "No one in New York stays single for long. And I mean, there is plenty of eye-candy around here, if you know what I mean…"

Sydney leaned in towards her. "I know what you mean." She darted her eyes quickly to the closed door, reassuring it was… closed. "What do you know about Desmond Tamas?" she asked quietly.

Kerri's smirk deepened to a mischievous smile. "What do you know about him?" she replied with a playful air.

"I think he's attractive…" she trailed. Wait, she paused, I do? No, no. I think Vaughn is attractive. I want Vaughn. Not… Desmond? A silent and heart attack occurred in Sydney's body at that moment. How could she possibly have just admitted that? In particular, it wasn't the admitting that shocked her, but that she truly felt what she had said. Sydney Bristow found Desmond Tamas attractive. Sydney noticed the look on Kerri's face, recognizing it as one of Francie's many faces. "No!" Sydney answered right away before Kerri got a chance to speak.

"Oh, come on, you should go for him then."

"No, I can't," Sydney said truthfully, "I'm still hung up on Michael."

"All the more reason to go for Desmond. He can be the hot rebound guy."

She laughed at her youthful naivety. "It just doesn't work that way."

The young actress appeared to ignore her, jumping onto a new subject. "Oh! You know who else is cute is that guy playing Bobby! I think his name is Chris Garth…"

Sydney's cheeks darkened to a pink, though she doubted Kerri noticed. Another mention of Vaughn sent her heart aflutter. "But he's married," she pointed out, more briskly than she intended.

"Right, to that British woman. How's that going to work out? She's Irene."

"At the auditions she spoke in an American accent for it."

"Oh. Well, too bad he's married," she concluded in disappointment, "because he's one fine piece of man around here."

Sydney chuckled. Indeed, Kerri was her friend. She knew there would never be a dull moment with her around.

– – – – – – –

After the first week of rehearsals, Dixon caught up with each of the agents. He pulled them into the usual back meeting room and inquired of any early suspicions. While Weiss and Lauren had been observing the minor characters' behaviors, Sydney and Vaughn watched the more major characters. Weiss and Lauren were able to name several actors and actresses, however Sydney and Vaughn felt no one yet worked for Omega.

Sydney and Vaughn actually had a civil conversation about it, earlier. She recalled how they had found themselves alone prior that week. Vaughn had told her that Marshall planned on making microphones for them to plant into dressing rooms of Desmond, Kerri, Becca, and others, however Carrie forced him to go baby supply shopping and he had to time. Sydney felt awkward as he delivered the news, as trivial as it was. Something about their proximity unnerved her, or perhaps simply because of their solitude.

"I apologize for Marshall not having the microphones ready," Dixon announced, knocking Sydney from her reverie. He concluded the meeting by urging them to get closer to their co-stars, eager for more information.

By the next week, Marshall had the microphones ready to plant, and Sydney and Vaughn covertly did so. Over the next weeks through rehearsals, all four agents could narrow down their suspects. Sydney's growing bond with Kerri, plus input from recorded information led her to believe Kerri was involved in no way. Vaughn had a growing friendship with Desmond as well, and his and Sydney's flirting expanded. Both were suspicious of him, however.

Unbeknownst to Vaughn, Dixon exhorted Sydney to get even closer to Desmond. So she began dating him reluctantly. She hated to admit it, but she did feel something for him. Nothing compared to what she felt for Vaughn, but still, something. But what Sydney noticed was that one thing existed in her every thought while with Desmond; Vaughn. His name wanted to roll off her tongue, his image yearned to be stained into her eyes, his touch, she knew, would send her over the edge. But if she hadn't been so confused with her own feelings, she would have noticed the jealous glint in Vaughn's eyes when he saw Sydney and Desmond together.

A/n: dun Dun DUN! Um. Not really. Hehe. I just felt like saying that. Long chapter, there. I think you all will immensely enjoy the next chapter. But you won't get it until you review (please)!