I forgot my thank-you's in the previous chapter…so! I wanted to thank s+V 4 eva PaRis, Margaret, Sydney-Rose, Gear's Girl, Jesse, serendipity112233, pigeonofdoom, Ella, Meighan, Jessie, mysteriouscharmdiveprincess, hudson304, Claire, soccerfreeek324, Aliasdoll, aliasfanatic, Grouchy, cabrygurl05, Ashley Lynn, and Sam for your wonderful and very helpful reviews. I do apologize if I left out any names. I didn't expect such a reaction to Vaughn's smoking! I got the idea from the season 2 episode "A Dark Turn" Also, Jake Santos isn't related to Nadia…I needed a last name and that one just sounded right…This is an in-between chapter, just to forewarn. The following chapter is already finished…I'm really interested to hear your insights about what's going on/what you think might happen next….enjoy!

Will continued to stroke Sydney's hair absently. She had faded once again into a light sleep. He looked down at her and could barely believe his own eyes. There was his best friend, one of the people that was closet to him in the world, curled up in his lap after being brutally tortured. He still couldn't believe it and didn't know if he ever wanted to. His eyes scanned the purple and yellow bruise still standing around her eye. He wanted to trace the cut she brandished on her lip and erase them with his fingertips. He just wanted to make this go away for her. There was no way he could ever imagine how much pain, physical and emotional that she was going through. Maybe that's why she kept slipping in and out of consciousness. It was to avoid everything that she was feeling. Why, he asked no one in particular, did this happen to her? She wasn't a horrible person. Sure, she lied to her friends everyday but that was for their safety. She did have her irritable tendencies. And there was that one time that she went shopping at the CVS on the corner and the buzzer went off and she didn't go back inside. But all of that surely did not make her a bad person.

He thanked G-d everyday that she was brought into his life. She was an amazing woman and not a day went by that he didn't realize that. She was incredible. There was not a doubt in his mind that she was strongest person he had ever met. He had gone over things a thousand times in his head. He had come to these realizations a half a dozen times over the past…how many hours? He shook his head slightly and glanced at the clock. It was nearly eleven thirty in the morning. This quite possibly had to be the longest day in the history of the world.

He was having a relaxing day. He had gone up to Santa Barbara to relax and de-stress. Amy had her apartment up their and he had decided to take her up on her numerous offers to stay at her place. So, he packed and overnight bag and slept on her couch. Feeling lazy for the past two days, he woke up late, sitting in her kitchen drinking strong coffee. He did nothing work related, sitting on the beach with Amy, whose hair was now a vibrant shade of purple. They went out at night, finding refuge in a high class lounge and returned at late hours. The deep purple bags that had taken up resident beneath his eyes had disappeared. He had been in for only three or four hours when he had received the phone call from Vaughn. Those bags were quickly on their way back. Amazing how much of a difference a few hours could make.

"How's she holding up?" Vaughn asked as he turned the car down past small houses. There were almost home. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest, he could barely hear Will's response.

"She's the same." Will shifted his gaze from her chestnut hair to the passing houses, complete with white picket fences. It was the perfect suburban setting. Actually, it was really the perfect place to remain anonymous. He inhaled deeply. "Is this really going to work?"

Vaughn's eyes darted up to the rearview mirror and studied Will and Sydney for a brief moment, "I don't know. I hope so. We don't have much of a choice here."

Will wasn't exactly thrilled with that answer, "No choices." He said in disbelief, "She's always the one that loses in the end. The lies…the destruction…her life. How could she choose this?"

Vaughn circled the block, "If it's any consolation, she didn't choose this. There was no way of knowing that this would end up with her lying to everyone. She didn't know. No one ever realizes how much deception is involved with the CIA…they leave it out of the manual. They tell you that you can't tell anymore. And you accept that and continue. But once you're out of training, they don't tell how hard it is to tell everyone that you're just working for the State Department. That you have to lie about every late night or every unexplained disappearance. Sydney does have it the hardest. She's an agent-she has to lie about every bump and bruise. Me, I just have to lie about paper cuts. I'm a glorified paper pusher and she's James Bond." He sighed heavily and shook his head. Again, he turned the corner, care to make sure that no one was following him. There was no such thing as being 100 sure that he wasn't being followed but he had to be as sure as he could be.

"She had no idea?"

"No idea whatsoever. She was looking for purpose. She wanted to serve her country and she was approached. You don't walk away from an offer like she got."

"How do you know all of this?"

"She was thoroughly debriefed. I was told everything that happened to her." Vaughn pulled into a small paved driveway. They had only circled the block five or six times. And he was absolutely sure, as sure as he humanly could be, that they weren't followed. Now, his heart was pounding so loudly in his chest. His asset was going to see the unthinkable. She was going to see the inside of his house. "We're here." It was a cute little house, there was no denying that. It was old, constructed of brick and brown shingles. There were beautiful, manicured bushes and rows of flowers. A small herb garden accented a corner, arching up beneath the first story window. The windows were opened, their white sheer curtains flapping gently against the wood frames. Vaughn cocked his head to the side. Alice rarely left the windows open and it was absolutely out of the ordinary that she left them open with her out of the house. He opened his car door and prepared for what was probably one of the hardest missions of his life.

BETRAYALISNOTWHATALWAYSWHATITSEEMS

"Hey Olivia." Alice opened her arms and welcomed the shy little girl into her arms. "Hey baby. Hey." She cooed softly as she kissed the girl's long blonde girls. She bounced her in her arms, rocking back and forth. Her heart was pounding and in overdrive from love. She couldn't believe she forgot how much she loved this little girl. Her maternal instincts were in overdrive and all she wanted to do was protect her. She wanted to keep her arms around her and never let her go. This is was love really felt like. "Oh Mommy's missed you so much. Did you know that? So much."

"I know, Mommy." She replied, squirming slightly in her mother's arms. "Daddy says we hafta-"

"I know what Daddy says, chickadee." Alice sat on the ground, still clutching her daughter to her chest. The ground was cold against the back of her legs and she could feel the dirt beneath her. But somehow, she managed not to care. She just didn't want to let go. She wanted to trace every ounce of her, know every freckle, every bump, every bruise, every scar. "How was school this week?"

The little girl, with the sparkling blue eyes and wide baby tooth smile, instantly came alive, "We went to the zoo! And I saw the geo-raff with the crooked neck! And the pen-gu-wins! Mommy, it was so much fun! I got a blue balloon!"

Alice started to laugh, "I'm glad you had so much fun, chickadee!" She kissed her over and over again.

"Why do you always call me dat?"

"Well, " Alice looked up at Jake, who she had thoroughly ignored, "Your Daddy used to call me his little chicky. So, when you were born, you were my little chicky too." She studied the man she had once loved for a moment. There were so many things she had forgotten. Maybe she had made the wrong decision by leaving. He was so handsome and their baby girl was so beautiful.

This seemed to satisfy the little girl for a moment. "Can I go play on the slides?"

Jake looked out the playground for a moment, "Yeah, baby. We can watch you from here. Just to the slides though, okay?"

And with that, the little girl took off towards the slide. Alice got up to her feet and formally greeted Jake. They watched the little girl take off, not quite disappearing among the three other children playing on the orange and blue jungle gym. "How are you doing?"

He smiled and it was the smile that made her knees go weak. He stepped closer and she felt like her heart was going to burst from so much happiness. She couldn't remember the last time that she felt like this. It flowed through her veins and dripped from her mouth. It hummed in her ears and made her body feel alive. "Much better now." He stepped closer to her, searching for her blue eyes for some of the flame that had once existed between them. Without much rhyme or reason, he slipped one hand around her waist and another through her hair. She never protested. She forgot all about Michael. The only thing she could remember was how wonderful Jake Santos' lips felt pressed against hers.