Chapter Six: Ghostly Faces

God she was so beautiful. Vaughn had been sitting outside Sydney's house all morning with Sark. The General had approached him two days before and told him to bring Syd back to France within the week and they will allow him to be sacrificed in Sydney's place.

He had been watching her with desperate eyes. He knew they wouldn't hurt her if she was pregnant, so as not to harm the baby. And he would protect her right after she had the baby. But once they sacrificed him, who would protect her?

Sark was getting impatient. It had been two hours since jack and Irinia had left and it was close to midnight.

"Mike, I think she's asleep now, go in grab her and come back out"

"Don't rush me"

"If you don't do it I will and I won't be all that nice to her"

"Fine"

Vaughn slipped out of the car and jogged across the street to her house. Using a lock pick he undid the locks to her house and entered the security code so that the alarm would not sound. Vaughn stood in the middle of her living room a washed in memories. They were happy here, they were in love here. Silently cursing himself for the delay he crept towards her bedroom and slowly opened the door.

She had changed so much since he last saw her. She was round with their child and in his mind he imagined what it would have been like to see the round ball grow, to hold it, to hold her. Indulgencing himself in the sight of her, he lightly traced patterns on her stomach and on her shoulders before pressing a kiss to her temple. He was pleasantly surprised when she murmured his name in her sleep.

Contemplating the best way to get her out go the house he decided the truth was probably the easiest option. He blew lightly in her ear and whispered her name. Gently he shook her until her eyes fluttered open and her mouth changed from a confused frown to a shocked O. She tried to scramble away from him, but he held her near him. "Its ok baby it's really me", he murmured. "No you're dead". The pain that flashed in her eyes nearly killed him.

"Sydney I need you to come with me, I need to take you someplace safe"

"You're not Vaughn"

"Baby I am, ask me something, trust me I'm not a double"

"What did Alice think my name was when we met?"

"Rita"

"What color was my tank top when we first made love?"

"It was a yellow wife beater, baby"

He watched the reaction in Sydney's eyes. She wasn't sure of him, yet she wanted to believe it was him. Finally her heart won and she flung herself into his arm, "I missed you so much Vaughn". "I missed you too Syd" he responded.

Looking her straight in the eye he told her that he was going to tranquilize her so he could move her to the location. He told her that it wouldn't harm the baby; he told her that he would tell her everything when she woke up. Nodding her head she turned around so he could administer the drug, but without one last request, "promise me you'll be there with me when I wake up?" she whispered. Vaughn kissed her soft lips before replying. "I promise"