A/N: Anyone still out there?

Two Weeks Earlier
Will straightened his tie, took a deep breath, resituated the flowers in his arms and knocked on the door. He had time to clear his throat before the door opened and he gazed into the stoic face of Jack Bristow. Jack looked at him expectantly.

"I told you I'd try to drop by," Will explained. "Is this a bad time?"

Jack glanced back inside the house.

"I won't stay long," Will promised.

"She's in the kitchen," Jack finally replied. He stepped aside.

Will nodded and entered the house. "How's she doing?"

Jack closed the door solidly. "You'll have to see for yourself."

Will sighed. He walked around the corner to the kitchen and paused before entering. Sydney was stirring something at the stove. However her attention was focused on the small boy in a high chair turned to face her. He was eating some cheese cut to into bite-sized pieces.

"Hey, Syd," Will said softly, hoping he didn't startle her.

Sydney turned to look at him. Immediately, a warm smile swept across her face. She remained at the stove stirring the pot. "Is Francie here too?" Sydney asked.

Will resisted the urge to move closer and just hug her. "No, I-I just came by on my way home from work. I thought it might be easier for just me to come at first. She's been so worried about you. We both have."

She turned down the heat on the stove and lowered her eyes. "I'm okay."

Will finally stepped closer. "You sure? Because if there's anything you need--it's just so good to see you. Oh, and these are for you." He held out the flowers in his hand.

Sydney took them carefully. "Thank you." Then, she moved forward and hugged him gently. "Dad told me about you and Francie," Sydney whispered to Will. "Congratulations." She paused, taking a deep breath to keep from crying audibly. "H-how is she?"

"She's good," Will assured her. "Better now. She wants to see you."

He could have held onto her forever, but Sydney pulled away.

Will looked over at the little boy eating. "Your father told me...." He moved forward and knelt beside the high chair.

The boy outstretched his small hand to offer Will a piece of his cheese.

Sydney watched the two of them thoughtfully.

Will took the piece of cheese, although he didn't eat it. "He's beautiful, Sydney." He smiled at her but she didn't smile back. Will stood up straight again.

Sydney was studying him seriously. "What do you want, Will? What did you think would be easier if Francie wasn't here?"

Will sighed. "I just wanted you to know. Whatever happened..." He couldn't help but momentarily focus on her bruised wrists. "Whatever you...went through. You can talk to me about it, if you need."

"I don't need to talk about it," Sydney assured him. "I just need to move on." She moved and cleaned the cheese off the high chair tray.

"Come on, Syd. I heard about what happened with you. You do need to talk to someone."

Sydney frowned at him. "You don't understand--"

"Don't understand what? That the last time you disappeared for three years?"

"That was completely different." She cleaned the boy's hands.

Will moved closer. "You were trying to keep things inside then, just like you are now."

"I was trying to find out what happened to someone I cared about." She put the high tray chair aside and lifted the child into her arms.

"Sydney, you were running away!" Will countered, much louder than he had intended.

She flinched and hugged the baby close to her. She turned her back to him.

Will inwardly kicked himself for even getting into this and tried to soften his tone. "I just--I don't want that to happen again."

Sydney rocked slightly, stroking the child's hair, as if he were the one in need of comforting.

"Whatever you're afraid of, Syd, the CIA will protect you, if you let them."

Sydney glared at him. "Like they protected Vaughn?!" she snapped, in a loud whisper. "Like they protected you?" She turned and headed into the living room.

Will blinked and followed her. "So there is someone out there that you need protection from?"

Sydney turned on him. "I need you to not ask me these questions. That is what I need." Her eyes burned into him, pleadingly.

Will sighed. He noted one of her hands was trembling. "I'm sorry."

She sunk into a seat on the couch, rocking to try and keep him from noticing.

"I think you should go now, Will. You're upsetting him." She nodded towards the baby.

Will looked at the child, who was wide-eyed but seemed fine otherwise. He didn't push it. "All right." He headed for the front door.

Jack was in the hallway. He blocked the path to the door and gave Will a hard stare.

Will sighed apologetically. "I didn't mean to--"

"I know you were trying to be a friend to her." Jack's small brown eyes darted back and forth searchingly. "The things you said were things she needed to hear. But you can't push her about this...not right now."

Will nodded, then eyed Jack suspiciously. "She's told you something, hasn't she?"

Jack stepped aside, leaving Will a free path to the door.

Two Days Earlier
The screams wracked him from sleep. He sat up and looked at the clock. Just past 3am. He got up and pulled his robe off the back of the door. He headed out of his bedroom and down the hall. Sydney was in the living room rocking chair. She had the boy wrapped up in a blanket, laying against her chest. The living room was littered with packaging. The previous week, after establishing that Sydney was definitely going to stay with him, they'd gone out and bought everything necessary.

She glanced up at him. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'll have him calmed down in just a minute." She turned attention back to shushing the child.

Jack turned his eyes towards the boy, crying so hard he couldn't catch his breath. His face was completely red, his eyes scrunched closed. He curled into Sydney, gripping onto her shirt, trembling.

"Another nightmare?"

Sydney stroked the boy's hair. She kept her eyes on the child and nodded. "Apparently."

Jack moved to the couch and watched her. She hugged the child so protectively close. He'd never seen this maternal side of his daughter prior to her disappearance. It was comforting to see it. She rocked and whispered to the baby until he was able to stop crying so hard. Then, she shifted him in her lap, wrapping the blanket. He sucked his thumb as he fell back to sleep.

Sydney then looked at her father. "He'll be okay now. I'm sorry he woke you."

"He didn't wake you?" Jack questioned.

"I-I wasn't asleep anyway," Sydney admitted.

He'd known that. He had heard her at night, more often than not, pacing the house. Or watching television. Sometimes he'd see her just staring out her bedroom window and watching the baby.

"What happened to him?" Jack asked carefully.

Sydney looked at her father. "He just got scared..."

"I don't mean tonight, Sydney."

Sydney stared at him. She rose carefully, so not to wake the child. Without a word she took him back down the hallway to the bedroom. Jack remained on the couch and sighed. She re-emerged only a few minutes later.

She returned to the rocking chair and hugged herself. "He saw some pretty frightening things. That's all."

Jack didn't hesitate before asking, "Frightening things that happened to you?"

Sydney stared at him. "What is it you want to know, Dad?"

"I want to know when you're going to stop pretending that I didn't have you both examined by doctors the moment you arrived. You aren't..." He cut off his thought and looked her in the eye. He sighed.

"I'm not what?"

"You aren't yourself. I suspect you have good reason not to be. And you seem very worried about that child."

"Why wouldn't I be worried about him?" Sydney questioned.

Jack stood up, slowly. "You look haunted when you look at him. I suspect that has something to do with whoever his father is, and how he came into existence."

Sydney debated a moment, then softened. "His father didn't hurt me, if that's what you're asking, Dad. I haven't brought him up, because we aren't on the best of terms right now."

"But he knows you're here?"

Sydney shrugged. "I'm not sure what he knows right now. We haven't spoken in a while."

"And he doesn't have anything to do with this Syndicate?"

Sydney shook her head. "I already told you how I got involved with them." She rose and moved to the window. "I know you think you want to know more about the last three years. That you think it'll help you somehow, or help me." She shivered and looked him in the eye. "It won't. It'll just hurt. Whatever you're thinking must have happened to me, you're probably right. Don't make me describe it to you, so you can picture it. You don't want to picture it." She choked on her last words.

He stood, and started to move towards her. "Sydney. You don't have to hide things to protect me. I can handle whatever you choose to share." He moved to embrace her but she stepped away from the window.

She took a deep breath. "I should try and get some sleep." She didn't wait for him to respond before she went down the hallway to her room.

He didn't follow. He no longer felt he could sleep. He got a glass of water and replayed the conversation they'd just had over and over again in his mind. It was nearly an hour before he headed back towards his bedroom. He stopped at hers first. She was curled up in fetal position in the bed. The baby slept the same way, except with his thumb in his mouth.

He moved away from her doorway quietly and went back to his room. He never did fall back to sleep.

Four Days Earlier
Jack sat up straighter at the first sign of movement from the hospital bed.

His daughter's hand flexed, then her arm bended.

"Sydney?"

Sydney's eyes popped opened and searched wildly about the room, thoroughly assessing her bright, sterile surroundings. She felt the IV that ran into her left hand. She sat up quickly at first, but slowed as a wave of dizziness and nausea overtook her.

"Sydney. Take it easy, you're safe."

Sydney glanced at him cautiously. Her hand went to her lower back where she found clean gauze over a wound.

"Dad?" She swallowed and took a deep breath. "What's going on?" Her voice was slightly hoarse.

"You're in the hospital, sweetheart. The wound in your back had become infected. You've been here the past three days, fighting off a high fever, " he stated. He looked at her with concerned eyes.

Sydney nodded, uncertainly. "But, how did I get here?"

He rose and stepped closer to the bed. "I brought you here. You came to my house. Do you remember? You collapsed." He watched her carefully.

She shivered and rubbed her arms. "Somewhat," she said. She looked down at her lap, then suddenly she turned to him and grabbed one of his arms. "Dad!" She searched his face with fearful, wide eyes. "Where is--"

"The baby's fine," he told her, not wanting her to worry another second. "Weiss is watching him back at my house. He was checked by a doctor as well. They said he was a little dehydrated but otherwise healthy." Her hand remained tense on his arm. "He's all right, Sydney," he repeated once more.

She looked faraway. Her hand relaxed and sunk back into her lap. "He must be so scared."

The baby had indeed seemed quite frightened, especially when he'd first woken up. But he feared what her reaction might be were he to tell her that. Jack swallowed. "You must be hungry."

Sydney looked up at him. This time, her eyes were full of tears. "No, please. I want to see him."

"You will," he said simply. Eventually. He paused, knowing there was no easy way to ask his questions. "Sydney, what happened to you? Where have you been? Where did this... baby come from?"

A haunted look passed over her face. "I need to get out of here," she responded. She pushed the sheet off of her.

"You need to rest. Your fever may be down but your other injuries still need time to heal."

Sydney tugged at the IV in her arm. "I can rest some place else. I can't stay here."

"Sydney, stop," Jack ordered. His hand reached for one attempting to pull out her IV. She paused at his touch. "You were admitted malnourished, dehydrated, with an infected gunshot wound in your back and various other bruises and scars. Your x-rays showed you've had some recent broken bones. You cannot just ignore these injuries."

Sydney's faced contorted in pain and she laid back down in the bed. She shifted in the bed and her hands balled into two small fists. "Just get me out of here." Her chest began to rise and fall rapidly as if she couldn't catch her breath. Her voice became barely a whisper. "We can talk about...everything, when we get back to your house." She obviously hoped promising answers would get her his cooperation faster.

Before he could respond, a nurse peeked into the room. She smiled brightly. "Miss Bristow, it's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" The nurse moved close to the bed to check the monitors. She reached for Sydney's arm.

Sydney pulled her arms to her chest, staring at the woman in complete silence. She rolled onto her side and curled into a ball.

The nurse gave Jack a questioning frown. "Has she been awake for very long? Has she spoken to you?"

He cleared his throat carefully. "Give us a minute."

The nurse nodded and exited the room. But her exit didn't seem to have much of an effect.

Sydney's eyes were blank and glassy. He wasn't sure she was aware of anything except when the rattling sound of a gurney rolling by in the hallway startled her. Tears leaked out of her eyes. "Daddy...please," she began to repeat. A whimper. A plea he couldn't ignore.

It took three hours, two prescriptions and one final exam before Sydney was released. It gave Jack time to bring her some of her own clothes to change into for the ride home. She didn't ask why he still had some of her clothes after all this time.

Jack didn't question her as he drove her back to his house. She didn't offer any information. He offered his arm for support for her to climb out of the car and walk into the house, but she broke away as soon as he pushed open the door.

A wail could be heard coming from the kitchen. She moved briskly through the living room. Weiss was pacing with the blond boy trying to give him a bottle. "Sydney!" the agent exclaimed. "It's good to see you...up and..." The child immediately reached for her.

Sydney took the baby into her arms. "Thanks, I've got him." She turned back and took him over to the couch. She laid him down on his back in her lap, and rubbed his belly. The child quieted, then she handed him the bottle to feed himself.

Weiss watched Sydney. "He hasn't been like this the whole time," the agent tried to assure her. He grabbed a towel to wipe a drool spot from his shirt.

Sydney glanced at him. "Then, how has he been?"

"He's really a sweet little guy when he's not...upset." Weiss grinned. Sydney kept her eyes on the baby, and didn't respond.

Weiss approached Jack. "How is she?" he asked quietly.

Jack was silent a moment. "I've yet to be able to speak with her much." He nodded towards the baby. "Thank you for watching him," the senior agent said, dismissingly.

"No problem. Let me know if I can help again," Weiss responded. He headed out the door.

Jack sat down in a chair. There was silence in the house again, except for the sound of the baby drinking his bottle. "How old is he?" Jack questioned, deciding it best to start with a safe question.

"Thirteen months," Sydney replied.

"And he's yours?"

Sydney flashed a playful grin. "No, Dad. I kidnapped him."

"His father?"

Sydney's grin disappeared. "I don't even know where he is."

"But who is he?"

Sydney kept her eyes on the child. "It's not important right now."

Jack stared at her very intently. "Sydney--"

"I was captured," she said, suddenly, looking up at him. "They called themselves the Syndicate. I was...doing an investigation. Vaughn was dead, and no one knew why and I just couldn't accept that." She looked down guiltily. "I needed to know what had happened."

"The CIA was looking into it. You didn't have to go off on your own."

"I had to do something!" Sydney exclaimed. "He was murdered! In his own apartment. Just like..." She couldn't even finish.

"Who captured you?" her father questioned.

"I barely even know much about them. But I know, they killed Vaughn. And they don't want to have anything to do with Rambaldi or anyone interested in him." The haunted look returned to her eyes. "It didn't stop them from holding us for five months."

"Five months!"

Sydney stroked the boy's hair and sighed. "Some days weren't so bad."

"And you escaped from them?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He paused, hoping she'd add a detail or two. She didn't even look up. He sighed. "Do you think this Syndicate will come after you?"

"They tried once, before I got back into the country." She shuddered as she admitted it. "But now, I doubt they know where to look for me. And even if they did, coming all to the way to L.A. I doubt they'd want to risk exposing themselves here, and to the CIA." She shrugged. "Not just for me."

Jack sighed. "You'll need to talk to the CIA as soon as possible. Tell them everything you know about this new organization. They held you for five months. You were obviously of some interest to them."

Sydney shook her head. "I got in their way. They had to do something with me to keep that from happening again. I was an opportunity. A lab rat. A diversion. But I wasn't important to them. There's no reason for them to want me back, unless they think I'm going to be a problem for them again."

Jack was silent at first, but finally he cleared his throat to speak again. "We missed you. We searched, even with no way to know if you were alive or dead."

"I'm sorry," Sydney whispered.

Jack watched her with a searching look. "If those five months were the only time you were held captive, then why has it been so much longer since I last heard from you?"

Sydney set the finished bottle aside and hugged the baby against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Dad."

"You're back to stay now," he stated, but there was a hopeful look in his eye.

Sydney nodded. "I'm not going anywhere, if I have any say in it." She looked at him. "I'm going to need a place for us to stay."

"You can stay here as long as you need," Jack offered. "Will and Francie stayed in your apartment up until last year. Then, they bought a house."

Sydney nodded, not quite following. 'They bought a house...together?"

"They were married."

Sydney nodded, her eyes nearly tearing. "I can't wait to see them." She forced a sad smile, letting the baby slide off her lap and stand just in front of her.

"I'm sure they'll be glad to hear from you." Jack started to stand. He had a bedroom to prepare.

Sydney nodded. "Dad?"

"What?"

Sydney nodded to the boy. "He's looking at you."

Jack looked down. The bright blue-eyed child was indeed watching him. Jack's expression softened and he looked at his daughter again. "Welcome home, Sydney."

Three Days Earlier
It was nearly midnight. Jack Bristow was doing some late reading in his living room. The windows were cracked open to allow for a cooling cross breeze. So he heard the footsteps, crunching the gravel of his driveway. He wasn't expecting anyone, and wondered why he hadn't heard a car. There was a weak knock at the door.

Jack snapped his book shut and rose to answer it. Through the glass in the door, he was able to see who his late night visitor was. He unlocked the door and flung it open eagerly. "Sydney!"

His daughter was rather haggard in appearance. Her hair was stringy, her face was dirty. Deep circles were beneath her eyes and her forehead was bruised. She held a large gray bundle affectionately against her right shoulder. A beat-up tan bag hung on her opposite shoulder. Her clothes were muddy gray sweats that seemed large on her. She looked up at him with teary eyes. "Dad? I didn't know if--"

"Come in," he ordered. "Are you all right?"

Sydney took careful steps across the doorjamb and into the front hallway. She swallowed hard, looking lost.

"Where have you been? What happened to you?" Jack inquired, urgently. He closed the door.

Sydney breathed heavily, exhausted. She turned down the gray blanket, to reveal a small blond head resting on her shoulder. "Could you please take him?"

Jack's eyes widened. He looked from the child to her, with a questioning look.

Sydney sighed. "I'll answer your questions, Dad. But please, just take him." He leaned forward and she eased the boy into her father's arms. The child whimpered but when Jack held him close, he quieted.

Sydney stared at her father, holding the child securely. "Dad, I don't know exactly where...to begin."

Jack looked up to see Sydney backing away from him. She was perspiring and looked disoriented. "Sydney?"

She took another deep breath trying to compose herself. "Dad?" The word came out of her sounding so young and frightened.

Then, her eyes rolled back and she sunk into a heap on the floor.

"Sydney!" She didn't answer.

Jack moved towards her to check her pulse but found himself hindered by the child in his arms. He laid down the young boy on a nearby chair. Then, he hurried back over to his daughter, checking her vitals. Her pulse was normal, but her breathing was ragged. He felt her cheeks with the back of his hand. She was feverish. He lifted her carefully, moving her to the couch.

The father couldn't help but notice the bruises on his daughter's arms. Ligature markings circled her wrists. Who had done this to her? He ran a hand carefully through her hair. She shivered, and he covered her with an afghan off the back of the couch. She looked so pale and thin. Where had she been the last several years? What had she been doing? Where had the child come from?

He realized he'd better check the baby. The boy was sleeping peacefully. He was calming to watch. His hair was a true platinum blond, completely white. He couldn't have been much more than a year old. He slept on his stomach, curled into a little ball, sucking his thumb.

Jack turned away, barely hesitating before ruffling through the bag she'd brought in search of clues. First, he found diapers, small amount of money, papers for an alias, a ticket stub from a flight from London. He found dirty gauze and tape in a bag at the bottom. He put the bag down and turned back to Sydney curiously.

He uncovered her and began to examine her carefully. There were more minor scrapes and bruises. But when his hand felt her lower back, it came back red and sticky. He grabbed the phone.

Two Hours Earlier
He sighed into the phone, but finally pressed the last few buttons and let it ring. It was answered almost immediately. "It's me."

"Progress report," the voice on the opposite end, immediately ordered.

"The Syndicate attempt to recapture her failed."

There was a pause, and he was unsure whether to think that meant displeasure or not. "She has few options of where to go. She'll head home. To L.A. To her friends, to the CIA. It'll call too much attention for the Syndicate to go after her there. There cannot be another failed attempt."

"Then, they'll just want to kill her." He realized. "Keep her from giving away too much information about them."

"I've already spoken to them. They've agreed to let me handle the situation."

"Then, I'll reacquire her trail. I'll finish this."

"Unnecessary. We will find her, yes. You are aware of our attempt to prepare her for Project Mnemosyne during her time with us?"

"Yes."

"Mironov assures me he succeeded. We can allow her to remain in L.A.. We'll be able to keep track of her, of what she knows, of what she reveals. And yet keep her, and therefore her father and the CIA, completely unaware of our activities."

"So, I find her. And begin?"

"Yes. Give her a little time to settle in. Then, we'll check in on her at regular intervals."

"The way I understand the project, she'll find our checking in quite...unsettling."

"She'll survive."

"What's the trigger?"

"An amethyst necklace Romanov kept visible to her during the sessions. I have it in my possession now."

"Even if this does work, it will still be only a matter of time before the Syndicate finds it necessary to take her back into custody."

"Many opportunities can present themselves in a little time."

"Understood. I'll begin immediately."

___
Please, please review!

Review Replies:
Landi101: Thanks. I can't help but wonder what specifically you like about this story (or even what you don't like) and where you think it's going :)