Dearest Sydney Bristow, He didn't dare write 'Dear Syd', or 'Syd,' or simply 'Sydney," after yesterday's tears he couldn't face her ever again.

Dearest Sydney Bristow.

XXX

I am extremely sorry for my behaviour yesterday, I didn't mean to upset you but I am afraid that I do love you from the bottom of my heart. I may not show it but I do have some traces of emotion inside me. Your tears yesterday made me feel so sorry and I am now fully aware that you don't feel the same way-

"But I do," she cried. "I really do." She screamed loudly. The note continued:

-so I am now granting your request and you are free to leave. I myself, have left Poland in pursue of the Covenant leaders whom I plan to kill for attempting to murder you. It is my way of saying I'm sorry.

Have a nice life,

Julian Sark

She tore the note up into a thousand pieces and fell onto the bed crying.

I've blown it. But it isn't too late.

She picked up the telephone. Sark had unplugged it during their stay here, now he was gone, it was up and running. She dialled the number she wanted and it was only three rings before she heard a voice she hadn't heard in a long time.

"Vaughn."

XXX

He stepped into the airport and looked around him. Everything seemed incomplete without Sydney beside him. These past few weeks he had been everywhere with Sydney. They had been inseparable, until now. He had been away for a few hours and already he missed her laughter, her smile and her deep brown eyes. Those brown eyes he could get lost in. Somehow he'd manage, but barely.

XXX

Los Angeles, USA

She'd reacted on instinct. She had put aside her hate for Vaughn in order to get Sark back. She'd proposed an offer he couldn't resist.

"I can give you Sark." She whispered down the phone.

A few hours later she was on a private Boeing 747 back to APO head quarters in Los Angeles. She was free from Sark. Yet she felt something was missing. Sark was the last piece of the puzzle and she needed him.

When she landed she saw Vaughn waiting for her. He pulled her into a long hug and kissed her.

"I thought you were dead." He smiled through tears. She brushed them away.

"You don't remember do you?" she whispered. "In Austria, I told you that we always find each other."

He smiled and they shared a long and passionate kiss. He had missed her so much.

XXX

"Sark is currently searching for all the members of the Covenant. We are assuming that the first cell he will infiltrate will be in Vladivostok, Russia. Sydney, your objective is to get in through the ventilation system and find Sark when he arrives." Sloane paused and looked around, then his gaze lingered on Sydney. "and bring him back dead or alive."

Sydney felt a shiver go down her spine.

How the hell do I kill the man I love?

She knew the sole reason she was here was to fool APO into letting her find Sark. As soon as this was over she would be together with him and she too would admit her feelings for him.

XXX

Vladivostok, Russia

She spotted the first motion detector in the eastern vent. With a little help from Marshall's scrambling device she had managed to get past undetected. She continued to search for the little plastic boxes on the sides of the vent as she crawled silently towards the centre.

Soon, after what felt like hours, Sydney was above a small rectangular room. She peered down and saw two men hovering around another. They were dressed in black suits and were pointing a glock at the other man's head. She couldn't see the 3rd man's face, but she knew he was cowering on the floor with his hands up. She decided to disarm the others from her current position. She reached for her gun and aimed at the suits from her vent. Within a few seconds they were dead and beside the lying bodies sat an alarmed Sark.

She kicked the vent open and shouted to the shocked man.

"Sark, give me your hand." She was aware that the gunshot would have alerted some Covenant officials and they had to get out. He got up and looked at her bewildered.

"Sydney?"

"Just give me your hand before we both die." She screamed. He complied and she pulled him up to the vent before she started crawling back to safety. Whilst in the vent Sydney and Sark pulled out their guns before coming out into the open car park as to not be caught unprepared. Sydney peered around her. Vaughn was waiting outside.

"Is he dead?"

Then Sark appeared out of the vent. As his feet touched the ground, Vaughn drew his gun and aimed it at Sark's head.