Hey everyone and thanks for the feedback.

Eyghon: I didn't get Irina's code name from the movie The Girl Next Door. I actually took it from the episode A Dark Turn, when Irina goes to a club in Bangkok to speak to some guy. She refers to herself as the girl next door.

Chapter Eleven:
Not Another Good-bye

Finally they reached a door at the rear of the club and the bouncer opened it. Sydney entered and saw him.

The White Man.

Anton Pollack.

Her link to finding her father…and Sloane.

Pollack eyed her suspiciously. "How do you know Irina?"

"We're old friends."

"So why now, after two years of not showing her face, am I hearing from a friend of Irina's?"

"Let's just say she owed me a favour." Sydney smiled. "I need some information."

"On what?" Pollack asked, taking a mouthful of his drink.

"On the whereabouts of Arvin Sloane."

Pollack stared at her silently as he put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "Now, why should I tell you that?"

"Because of Irina."

Pollack nodded. "I'm listening."

"She wants back in the game and won't be able to until Sloane is out of it. I'm sure that you would love to have her back on the scene again."

"Well, I would do anything for Irina…or her daughter."

Sydney's eyes widened with surprise and Pollack chuckled slightly.

"The resemblance is quite uncanny," he said, before inhaling from his cigarette.

Sydney regained her composure. "So do you know where Sloane is?"

"I know exactly where the son of a bitch is."

"And?"

"And I will tell you everything you need to know."

"Unbelievable!" Francie exclaimed as she slammed down the phone. Will, who's head had been looking in the fridge glanced up at her.

"What's the problem?"

"Sydney- well not Syd, but that flippin' job of hers."

"What about her job?"

"I just called to see if she wanted to come over tonight, so we could really catch up. But no, she's been sent out on some trip."

"Trip" Alarm bells were going off in Will's head. He knew all about Sydney being confined to deskwork. There was no way this 'trip' was CIA sanctioned. "What trip?"

"She didn't say." Francie replied, looking disgusted. Will dashed across to the couch where his mobile phone was sitting. He picked it up and quickly scrolled through his list of names. Francie stared at him. "Will, what are you doing?"

Will silenced her with a finger to his lips as the other end of the phone picked up.

"Vaughn speaking."

"It's Will. We've got a problem."

Sydney hurriedly threw some clothes into a bag. Her flight wasn't for hours, but she wanted to get out of the apartment as soon as possible and just disappear. She wasn't going to take any chances.

Her heart sank as she heard a loud knocking on her front door. She stood dead still in her bedroom. If the other person thought nobody was home, they'd soon leave.

"Sydney!" It was Vaughn. "Sydney, open up." She didn't move. Vaughn was already suspicious about her and Sydney didn't think that she could bear to lie to him.

"Sydney." The knocking continued, and a thought suddenly crossed her mind. In her haste to get inside and packed, she didn't know if she had closed the front door properly. If she hadn't, Vaughn could walk straight inside.

"Sydney!" It was a particularly forceful knock and Sydney silently cursed herself when she heard the door open. So she hadn't closed it properly after all. "Sydney," Vaughn called once more as he walked tentatively into the apartment.

Reluctantly, Sydney stepped into the frame of her bedroom door. "What?"

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that. Francie told Will about your trip."

Sydney's face remained passive. "What trip?"

"Sydney, just stop it, ok. I know what you've been up to." Vaughn said, approaching her. "You know where Sloane is, don't you? And your father."

Sydney didn't answer, but Vaughn saw the look in her eyes and his stomach churned.

"Sydney, you can't do this."

"Yes, I can," she retorted, defiantly.

"It's too dangerous." Vaughn pleaded. "Think about the risks."

"There are risks every time I go out on the field, Vaughn. You don't have to lecture me on the risks." Sydney shot back, her voice getting louder.

"But this is different."

"How?"

"Because this is all about you. Other times, the risk of you getting hurt was only a possibility- this time it's a definite." Vaughn's voice was just as loud as Sydney's.

"I'm not going to get hurt, Vaughn! I'm going to bring my father back home."

"Do you really believe that you can take on Sloane by yourself?" Vaughn asked, desperately. "Come and tell Kendall what you know. The CIA can take care of it."

Sydney's eyes flashed. "You don't think I can do it? Well, let me tell you something, I can do this and I will do this."

"No, you can't!" Vaughn exclaimed. "Please just stay here."

"Why are you so eager for me to stay put? Why the hell are you fighting me on this, Vaughn? Do you really have such little faith in my abilities as an agent? Why won't you just let me do my job?"

"Because I don't want to lose you twice!" Vaughn yelled and then stopped short when he realized what he had just said.

Sydney stared back at him in surprise. "What?" she asked, her voice considerably quieter.

Vaughn rubbed his eyes with one hand before looking at Sydney. "I said good-bye to you once and that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, even with the possibility that you could come home. I don't know what I would do if the good-bye was forever."

"Vaughn." Sydney said, gently, placing a hand on his upper arm. "I will be coming home."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." Sydney replied, her voice was a barely audible whisper as she pulled Vaughn down to meet her lips. Screw what she had said the other day, Sydney thought as the kiss grew more heated. Vaughn knew what she was up too, there was no need to distance herself now.

When oxygen became necessary, Sydney pulled back, trailing a line of kisses down Vaughn's neck, as she pulled his suit jacket off.

Vaughn's arms snaked around her body, and pulled her in closer, bringing their lips together once more.

They broke apart once more as Vaughn stepped back slightly to pull off Sydney's shirt. After doing this, he made no move, only stared into her eyes.

"Syd, are you sure?"

With a smile, Sydney grabbed his hand and led him into the bedroom.

Even before Vaughn opened his eyes, he knew. The bed was cold. There was no warmth spreading from the body that was supposed to be enveloped in his embrace.When he did open his eyes, Vaughn listened for any sign of life- a running shower, footsteps padding around or the rustling of a newspaper. But there was nothing. All he could hear was silence and all he could see was a white envelope on the pillow beside him.

Sydney was gone.