Chapter 11 (Varied POVs)

Sydney's POV

I look at his face, the shock quite evident. "Vaughn, I…"

"You're still pregnant, right?"

I nod nervously. "I couldn't go through with it."

Even through the tears that are forming in his eyes, he smiles. "I'm going to be a daddy."

"You're going to be a daddy," I say, a smile forming on my face.

His smile fades. "What is it?"

"You didn't talk to me for two months after the accident."

"So?"

"So…you were pregnant when the the car hit?"

"I didn't know about it, but, yeah."

"Oh, geez," I hear him mumble quietly. "Is he…she…it all right?"

"The doctors are saying that…it's fine."

"You don't know the…"

"Gender? No, I don't." He nods slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"That would have required speaking to you. I didn't want to go through that."

"Not then. I understand that. Why didn't you tell me when we got back together."

I sigh. "It was too perfect. I didn't want to…blemish that."

"Blemish? Syd, this is a blessing."

I sigh and nod slowly. "Does Jack know?"

Jack's POV

She told him. I told her she had to, but still, it's always a shock to hear the woman you love tell you she's pregnant.

"Jack, Sweetheart, could you come in here please?"

My feet were up, and I was comfortable. Arvin and I had just infiltrated the lab in Lima where the terrorists-of-the-month were cooking up some VX poison gas. The fight was short lived. The goons that tried to stop us had been trained in basic fighting techniques; techniques that we had learned to block and use to our advantage on The Farm.

Getting the containers was a bit more difficult. We were forced to break into a safe using just a telephone. (That is also taught early on at The Farm, but still, it was an unneeded detainment.)

I sigh and get up, walking over to where Laura was standing with a smile on her face. "Jack, I got some great news today."

"Really?" I ask, perking up, like only Laura can make me do.

"Jack, I'm pregnant."

Although I had been apprehensive when Laura…excuse me, Irina told me she was pregnant, every time I look over at Sydney, my daughter, the one thing in my life that matters most, even more than my life matters, I'm filled with a sense of pride. The idea that such an incredible woman exists, and that that woman just happens to be my daughter, fills me with an odd optimism for the future.

And now, I'm going to be a grandpa.

Weiss's POV

Sydney clearly told Vaughn something major judging from the look on their faces, and then when I look over at Jack, he seems lost in thought. What the h is going on? I ask myself. I see Sydney smile at Vaughn, and lean in for a kiss before going their separate ways.

"Syd?" I call out, and watch as she walks towards me.

"Yeah, Weiss? What is it?"

"I just wanted to remind you that…" I try to continue, but I can't.

"About Nadia, right?" she asks, and I nod emphatically.

"Don't worry. I'll remember to ask the ambassador."

"Speaking of that, when are they coming?"

Sydney opens her mouth to speak, but is cut off by Director Chase who has just walked in.

I look over at Ms. Chase, and see a familiar bald headed man standing behind her. She makes the general announcement that Kendall will be attending the landing of the ambassador in about a half an hour.

Vaughn's POV

I glance down at my watch as Sydney walks back over to me. "Vaughn," she calls out, and I stop.

"What is it?"

"Seeing your dad, it…it reminded me of a question I was going to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"Two, actually. First, did he tell you that I was alive? He knew."

I sigh and shake my head. "I'd left the CIA and the DSR shortly after you 'died.' When he found out, I didn't have a high enough security clearance, so he was forced to withhold that information."

She nods slowly.

"You said there were two questions?"

"When you were sick from the water from the Mueller device, he was willing to let you die, because when Sark asked me to kill Sloane, he wouldn't authorize it."

She brought that up, I think to myself. "Syd, he was working behind the scenes, trying to buy off an employee at that warehouse. You met Sark's demands before he could get the cure, though."

"Vaughn?"

She looks at me, a look of disbelief in her eyes. "Yes?"

"Tell me the truth."

"Syd," I begin, "After Mom left Dad, we fell apart. We were almost like strangers when we started at the DSR. I was under someone else's command when I was there, but we tried to develop a relationship. We were just starting to…" I stop talking and swallow hard. "We were just starting to get to know each other when I was given the option to infiltrate the CIA. I took it. I think he kind of took that as a betrayal, and when he became the director at JTF, we weren't on the greatest of terms. He was working behind the scenes, but he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere, so he was just hoping that the typical Bristow stubbornness would come through and you'd kill Sloane even though he was required to tell you not to do it.

"He was rooting for you. You just didn't know it."

She looks at me. "If I would have succeeded, what would he have done? He would have been legally obligated to report me."

"He would have written it off as covert DSR work and let you get on with your life."

She's clearly considering what I said when Dad comes over at looks at us.

"We need to get going," he says, nods, and walks away.

Sydney's POV

We arrive at the meet site a few minutes later. A quiet hum starts sounding and we all look up. A small round object is hovering above us. As it descends lower, darkness covers the ground.

The craft lands effortlessly. I stare in awe at the mechanical marvel before us. A hiss sounds in conjunction with a quick release of steam as the ramp lowers. Another shadow appears. As the inhabitant of the ship starts down the ramp, I see the legs. Moments later, I can see the waist, followed by an upper body, and then finally the head appears. I stare at the person's face, not paying attention to how everyone is staring at me.

It's creepy just how similar we look. She's got my face and my body. It's almost like she's my twin. I stand there in shock as she finishes descending the ramp. She takes her first step onto Earth's soil, and quickly grabs her stomach, before falling to the ground, moaning in pain.

…TBC…