Chapter 8

Jack's POV

He walks in this morning with my daughter. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. After what he kept from her, I'm surprised that she's forgiven him. I guess I should be glad, though, because if Sydney couldn't find it in her heart to forgive him, then I know I wouldn't have been given as many chances as she has given me.

I intend to have a long discussion with him later today, but first I must head up the meeting. My phone rings and my hand goes down to my waist where I unclip my phone and, flipping it open, bring it to my ear. "Bristow," I say gruffly, and I hear an authoritative female voice on the other end. "Agent Bristow, it's Director Chase."

"Good morning. How's Dixon?"

I may have hit a nerve, because I hear her sigh, and then she answers. "He's getting better."

"Good."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence passes. "Agent Bristow?"

"I'm here."

"We've been ordered by the DSR to allow an agent to join APO for the meeting with the ambassador."

"If I may ask, ma'am, who's the agent?"

"Agent Kendall. I believe you two know each other?"

My memories drift back to last night. "Yeah, I know him."

"Who is it?" his voice calls out as I stand on his front porch.

"Jack Bristow."

I hear locks coming undone, and Kendall steps out in full view, dressed in dark blue pajamas.

"What's going on?"

I pull out my gun. "You have five minutes to tell me everything you know about Agent Vaughn, and don't lie to me. I'm not in the mood to be played."

He sighs. "Come on in."

I walk in the front door. "Tea? Coffee? Water?"

"Nothing, thanks."

He heads for the kitchen. "You don't need your gun. I'm perfectly willing to talk. What I'm about to tell you only has historical significance, anyway."

I click the safety on, and Kendall returns with a mug of hot tea. "Tell me what you know, and I'll fill in from there."

"Sydney and Vaughn were in Santa Barbara, celebrating their engagement." Kendall nodded, apparently fully aware of the circumstances. "Sydney told me that they were confessing their love for each other when Vaughn said he needed to tell her something. She said he could handle it, as long as he wasn't a bad guy, to which he didn't respond. Why didn't he say anything?"

Kendall took a long sip. "Vaughn was DSR."

"Was?"

"He quit when Sydney died."

I nod, remembering that period of time.

"Before they met, Vaughn was rising rapidly at the DSR."

"How's that make him a bad guy?"

"It really doesn't, but the DSR isn't looked upon fondly by those who know about it. That's probably what he was getting at. It's nothing really, it just depends on who you ask."

"So his association with the DSR is what made him a 'bad' guy."

"That was probably his reasoning."

"He said it went back to before they met, and that it was the reason they met."

"We inserted him into the CIA to become her handler. We knew Sydney played a role in Rambaldi's endgame, but we were unclear as to what it was. We needed to find out."

I nod in concentration. "What about his name? What is it?"

Kendall nods slowly. "Dean Kendall, Jr. He's my son."

"But he doesn't look like you."

"He's not biologically my son, but me and my wife, we raised him."

"Who's son is he really, then?"

"Bill Vaughn. Jessica couldn't…We were having troubles…" he stopped there and I got his point. "If you tell anyone, you'll wish you hadn't."

"It's no one else's business."

"But, since we were having problems, Jessica suggested going to a sperm bank, so we did. We didn't want just anyone to be our babies father, so we asked some people from work, including Bill Vaughn."

"But I thought he was CIA?"

"He was," Kendall nods, "later in life. When we knew him, he was DSR."

I nod slowly in understanding. "We asked several friends, and eventually, Jessica got pregnant. When Vaughn was born, we had him tested to see just whose sperm fertilized the egg. It ended up being Bill Vaughn."

"Oh, that explains the appearance aspect."

"When Vaughn was growing up, we didn't feel it was right to lie to him. He knew I wasn't his biological father, and he and Bill did a lot together. He basically grew up with two dads, his biological father, and the father who raised him.

"Then Irina killed Bill, and he was heartbroken. Jessica and I were…having difficulties, but this time it wasn't…you know…sexual. This time it was problems with our marriage. I came home from work one day and…she was gone."

I start to notice Kendall's eyes fogging over, and I realize that it still hurt him to remember that time in his life.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

He looks down, takes a deep breath, and looks up again. "I can keep going.

"I saw her again at the custody hearing. They decided that with my job, and the amount of time I spend away, that I wouldn't be a fitting father. They awarded her sole custody. It hurt. It really did."

"I remember times like that with Sydney. I was gone a lot. Even on some big occasions. Can I tell you a secret?"

Kendall looks over at me. "What?"

"Promise you won't tell?"

"Of course."

"Cat's in the Cradle makes me cry."

Kendall looks at me, eyes wide. "I know. It fits so well."

"Well in my case, Sydney actually did learn to walk while I was on a mission. I missed her first word. 'Bunny,'" I say, and bite my lip to keep from showing any telltale signs of emotion. "She said, 'Bunny,' and I wasn't there to hear her say it."

"Vaughn's first word was 'Da-da.'"

"Did you hear him say it?"

Kendall shook his head. "I was in Cairo."

"Paris for me."

We both nod knowingly.

"You want to see some pictures?"

"Sure." Kendall got up, and as he walked away, I speak quietly.

"I'll take some tea, too."

"You two used to work together at JTF, right?" Chase asks, bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah, JTF, right."

"Is everything all right, Jack?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." I hang up, and head for the meeting room. Clearly Weiss is making fun of Vaughn for something, but I don't know what.

I clear my throat and everyone looks up at me.

…TBC…