Phantasmagoria
Chapter 4
A/n: Thank you so much for the reviews! And in case you didn't catch my earlier note, Francie is not cloned and evil, it's just Francie. Okay, I think you guys will like this chapter. Enjoy!
Sydney and Vaughn stood outside the door of the conference room where Jack Bristow and Director Kendall were undoubtedly arguing over the future of a prized agent. She felt Vaughn's strong grip around her hand, and glanced up at him briefly. They needed to alert them of the new situation as soon as possible, but was she ready? Vaughn's reassuring look convinced her. She was. She had to be.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and entered briskly with Vaughn at her side. The voices of the two high ranking officers rose, but Sydney did not bother to listen to them. "Dad," she interrupted, "there's been a change of plans." Jack sighed, turning away from Kendall and addressing Sydney. He raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Vaughn tightened his grip on Sydney's hand before he spoke. "I want to go with Sydney, wherever you're sending her."
Jack's expression failed to falter, though he lowered his eyebrows. "Absolutely not."
"Agent Bristow–"
"Agent Vaughn," Jack cut him off sharply, "may I remind you that your obligations to Sydney as her handler ended yesterday with the downfall of SD-6. I do not even know why your presence was called for this meeting."
Kendall licked his lips. "Now wait a minute, they might have a point." Jack pursed his lips, turning his head slowly in Kendall's direction. "Sloane would be on the hunt for one person, not two. And it doesn't hurt that Agent Vaughn is also a strong field agent."
Jack exhaled his breaths heavily, thoughts compiling in his head about how to counterpoint him. Sydney let go of Vaughn's hand and she approached her father. "Dad, please. I need this." She stared openly at him, letting her emotions show, letting him know of her fear and uncertainty of the future.
She watched as his eyes wandered behind her, to Vaughn. "You understand everything you'd be leaving behind? What you're risking if you do this?"
Sydney turned around as he nodded solemnly. "Yes. Just make sure someone takes care of my dog for me."
Vaughn cracked a smile to Sydney as Jack turned back to Kendall. "Director, please make the arrangements for Agent Vaughn to accompany my daughter." Sydney smiled back at Vaughn, walking back to him and hugging him, not caring about her surroundings any longer.
Sydney does not sleep well that night in Jack's apartment. A prominent absence beside her on the bed leaves her cold in solicitude, and she is reminded each time her child writhes inside her. The baby is just as restless as her mother. Her mind lapses back to previously that afternoon, recalling an awkward lunch with her father. Neither knew quite what to say to the other; all the stories held deep in storage in Sydney's brain remained under lock, unable to find their way to her tongue. Very little was said.
She rises from bed reluctantly the next morning, long after Jack has left. She is mentally exhausted with little sleep and too much to think about. She settles in the living room with a small breakfast, mainly consisting of peanut butter. Downing it quickly, she sighs before easing back onto her feet and edging to the bathroom. There she draws a steamy bath, and lowers herself into it gingerly. She is grateful of the calming effect the warm water has on her baby, and at last she slips her eyes shut.
A comforting hand finds itself against her cheek, and she grins into its familiar warmth. Her eyes open expecting to meet his green gaze, but there is no one. The telephone is ringing off in the distance, and Sydney pulls herself from the lingering heat with slight agitation. She answers the phone with a towel wrapped around her shoulders, unable to cover her stomach. "Hello?"
"Sydney, it's me." Jack Bristow's voice echoes in a monotone. "I called to let you know that I will be held late at work tonight. I won't be home for dinner. My deepest apologies."
"It's okay."
"Feel free to eat anything you like."
After bidding their farewells, Sydney hangs up the phone and slinks back into the depths of the bed comforter. Her wet hair sticks to the pillow, and she can still feel water trickle down her ankles, but she is indifferent. She remains in this state for several minutes, her fingers wandering up and down the hill of her belly.
Finally, something in her causes her to stand, dry herself, and dress. She opts to braid her wet hair, not wanting to disturb the quiet with the noise of her hair dryer. Then she grabs the spare key given to her the previous day by her father and heads out the door into the balmy afternoon air. She finds it difficult to comprehend that it is April; back home the ground is littered with the last layer of snow, but Los Angeles is sunny and warm. She already misses a distinct change in the seasons, with memories of orange and yellow trees, waking up to freshly fallen snow, and those occasional perfect spring days flooding her mind.
As she wanders the neighborhood she becomes aware that this area is relatively new, and does not immediately recognize where she is. However, her deeper meandering reveals sights that stick out like mountains down memory lane. Before she knows it a salty breeze kisses her lips and an endless sky comes into view, shrouded only by the glittering lights of the Ferris wheel. It has cooled noticeably, and Sydney folds her arms atop her stomach in response. The wind blows her stray hairs about, whipping the wisps across her face as she seats herself at a wooden bench by the pier railing.
The sound of the undulating ocean is music to her ears and a lullaby to her baby girl. She wonders briefly about dinner, admitting secretly that she wishes for her father's presence despite their differences. She simply does not want to be alone.
Her eyes wander off the ocean, scanning her surroundings. At the time of day, Sydney is surprised there are not many people wandering around. This pleases her, however; fewer strangers to confront, to notice a partially distraught pregnant woman. Yet at the same time she yearns that people surround her, barricading her from lonely thoughts.
She hears the gentle creak of wooden planks behind her, alerting her that someone is approaching. Curiously, the noise stops close to her bench. "I thought I might find you here." The man's voice is sweetly trained to Sydney's ear, and she inwardly smiles as she turns around. "You always liked the pier."
"I thought you weren't coming for a couple of days," she whispers as her husband joins her on the bench and takes hold of her hand.
He kisses her fingers. "I took care of the house, then I left the bookstore in Klaus and Ana's hands. I couldn't bear to be there any longer."
The thought of their old friends gives her a good feeling. She looks up into Vaughn's eyes before leaning in to kiss his cheek, followed by his lips. Indeed, it has been far too long. "I missed you so much," she tells him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Tell me you won't go away for so long ever again."
At first, he is silent. She feels his hand against her stomach in search of the thump-thump-thump of their daughter's heartbeat. Once found, he whispers, "I can't guarantee anything."
"You're going back to the CIA, aren't you?" she asks. A chilly ocean breeze strews her wisps across her face and her body shivers. Vaughn ushers her to her feet, mumbling that they should begin walking back to Jack's apartment. But Sydney stares at him under furrowed brow. "Vaughn?"
He keeps his arm around her back in tight support. "I am."
Sydney wants to stop walking, to pull away from him, but she cannot. He need not explain himself, however, she knows why he must return. She knows his feelings of obligation, of patriotism, but she no longer shares it. "I can't go back."
"I know."
"I want to keep teaching. I miss those kids, I… I have to continue that."
They walk further in silence, content to merely be in one another's hold. They quickly reach the suburban neighborhood under a slowly darkening sky. Passing the houses makes Sydney voice a subconscious thought. "I don't want to live with my father any longer. I want us to get a house here. Soon." Vaughn agrees, they do not want to burden Jack. And with the arrival of the baby quickly approaching they will need their own space.
It does not take them long to return to Jack's apartment, and Sydney quickly retires to the couch, elevating her swollen feet with a sigh. She closes her eyes but does not sleep, perfectly satisfied to be resting after a long walk. Vaughn clanks about the kitchen, making sure she gets a bite to eat for dinner.
He accompanies her on the couch, where she graciously accepts the larger of the two plates for her meal. Vaughn smirks at her eating habits but says nothing as he takes his seat beside her. She eats her hefty helping, not to mention some of her husband's, and helps him clean up in the dark kitchen. They leave it just as spotless as they found it.
"He won't be home until late," she alerts Vaughn as he hugs her from behind, as close to her as he can get without the intrusion of her stomach. He nods against her head, kissing her shoulder.
Her body stretches into a yawn as they stand together in the dim light the living room provides. He moves his hands to massage her lower back. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
He leads her to their bedroom for the time being, knowing she is direly in need of a good night's sleep. They strip into sleeping attire and slip into each other's arms under the covers. They whisper to each other awhile longer, until Vaughn's soothing voice lulls her into deep, dreamless slumber. "It's okay now, I'm watching over you."
Sydney and Vaughn didn't wait long before plans of action were revealed to them. After a series of various travel methods, their destination point was Köniz, a village just south of Bern, Switzerland. Their living quarters, yet to be established to them, would be in the village, while they worked in the larger city.
"Won't we be at risk of being recognized there? There are several large banks and hotels, not to mention the government buildings–"
"Yes, we are aware of that," Kendall replied calmly. "Which is why Agent Vaughn's new profession will be of importance." He proceeded to explain how Vaughn's alias had recently purchased a book shop in Old Town. His store received books from several publishing corporations scattered about Europe, one being Livres d'Eiffel, a company front secretly affiliated with the Central Intelligence Agency. If Vaughn's store received books from this company, the CIA was alerting them of possible villainous activity, such as meetings among criminal organizations, in the Bern area. He was to check the listed locations of the publishing sites, using those as areas to escape to for several days.
Sydney hardly had time to skeptically contemplate this method of communication before Kendall informed Sydney of her new job. She would begin working at a primary school as an English tutor. Apparently, education of the English language wasn't normally taught until higher years, but the school wanted to give their students a head start. Sydney sighed, it wasn't English literature, but it would do.
Jack Bristow soon approached the three with two file folders. As he tossed them onto the table, he beckoned Kendall away to a phone call, leaving Sydney and Vaughn alone in the conference room.
Sydney curiously sneaked her fingers under the folder's edge and flipped the cover. Her eyes scanned slowly over the sheets of paper neatly embedded within.
Scarlett and Michael AveryMarried: August 1, 2002
Sydney focused on the word 'married.' Of course, when Vaughn decided to come with her, she assumed that their aliases would be together, possibly married, but seeing the actual term with an actual date… Glancing up, she caught Vaughn's eye, a similar expression cast upon his face. Slowly he flipped open the other folder to discover passports, credit cards, identification cards, and of course, two wedding rings enclosed in a plastic bag.
After staring hard at the folder's shimmering contents a moment longer, Vaughn's fingers fumbled to the plastic bag. Sydney watched as he carefully slid them out into his palm, a sparkle shining Sydney's way as the diamond caught the light. Vaughn slipped the gold band onto his finger and lifted the diamond ring towards Sydney, who in response held out her left hand. She noticed a half smile on his face as he slid the ring into place. But they said nothing; they had no words for each other.
It took Sydney a moment to compose herself again before she continued reading about their aliases. A detailed history of Scarlett revealed that she grew up in Illinois and had a younger sister named Madeline who she was not in close contact with. She attended Northwestern University, majoring in elementary education, and began teaching after graduation. She spent the summer of 2001 traveling Europe, where she met Michael Avery of France. Michael's history included details of his life growing up, and taking family vacations all over the world, including Bern, Switzerland. He had decided to attend college in America, but hadn't been back much since that time. He moved to America to continue his relationship with Scarlett and they decided to marry. Though after several more months in the United States, they wanted a change of pace and opted to move to Bern.
Sydney was still reading the details of their history and further safety instructions when Kendall and Jack returned. "Have you made yourselves familiar with your aliases?" Jack asked, receiving nods from both younger agents.
The remainder of the morning was spent preparing for travel and getting to further know their new identities, while Kendall and Jack arranged for furniture to be delivered to their new residence. But finally, after a change of clothes and a bit of disguising, Jack told them it was time to depart. Sydney stood from her chair and stared deep into her father's eyes. "No one," he began, "outside of this room is to know of your whereabouts." The statement weighed heavily on Sydney, but she listened as he continued to detail their flight plan. They would leave the building by helicopter and head to Las Vegas, followed by two planes, stopping in Toronto and Bern. "And under no circumstances are you to contact us directly. Unless…" He didn't need to finish his sentence, Sydney understood. Unless Sloane found them.
The director then shook Sydney and Vaughn's hands, wishing them good luck, and Jack shook Vaughn's hand. Sydney hesitantly stood in front of her father before embracing him and telling him good-bye. She realized he would be the only person she would say good-bye to of all the people she cared about in her life.
Sydney stared at the floor as she and Vaughn ascended in the elevator to the roof. This was it, they were leaving home. Whether she would return again in a month, a year, or never, she was unsure. She felt Vaughn squeeze her hand, a brief smile coming to her face. Inhaling a deep breath and exhaling a sigh, she and Vaughn made their way to the helicopter together, commencing their long journey to Switzerland.
They arrived at their new home late at night, both very exhausted and drained from the long hours of flight and over-thinking their situation. As soon as the front door was unlocked, they spotted a mattress lying on the floor, and they both collapsed immediately, falling asleep within seconds.
A/n: Please review and let me know what you thought! Constructive criticism is always accepted.