Thank you all for your feedback.

A/N: I just want to establish one thing about this story. Vaughn and Alice's relationship is nothing like his and Lauren's, or Jack and Irina's. He is not an assignment of hers, and their relationship was founded on entirely innocent grounds. This is touched on in the story, but I just wanted to make sure that this point was clear, and hope you enjoy the rest of the fic.

Blaming not yourself, said the fault lies somewhere else

But then, like a tonne of bricks falling on top of her, Sydney realized. She had never seen this woman in person before. It had been a photograph. An innocent photograph displayed proudly in a man's office.

A photo of that man and his girlfriend.

"When you first walked into my office with that stupid Bozo hair..."

Vaughn's office...

Vaughn's photograph...

Vaughn's girlfriend...

Sydney struggled through the evaluation, having to force herself to concentrate on the task at hand, instead of the woman sitting in front of her.

Did Vaughn know? No, of course not. He woudn't knowingly be associated with a woman like this. But what about her? Did she know what her boyfriend did for a living? And if she did, did that mean that Vaughn's life could be in danger?

Sydney got out of the conference room as fast as she could after the interview had been completed. She needed to speak to her father.

She hated the fact that she only had him to turn to in this situation. She was still upset about Jack not showing up to dinner the night before. But, pushing those feeling aside, Sydney approached him hesitantly. This was important.

"Dad." She spoke quietly, as not to gain the attention of their fellow agents. "Can we talk?"

"Sydney." Jack's voice was abrupt. "I explained over the phone last night."

"No, this isn't about that." Sydney replied quickly. The last thing she wanted was to get into a conversation about the previous night.

"Then what is it?"

Sydney glanced to her left and then to her right. "Not here." Hearing those simple words and seeing her eyes loaded with meaning Jack understood instantly.

Gesturing with his hand, they moved to the nearest office. When inside Jack pulled out a pen and uncapped it. "We have sixty seconds."

"Dad, what do you know about Alice Williams?"

If Jack was surprised by this question he didn't let on. "She is, I guess you could say she is a protégée of Sloane's. She isn't field rated, but does have a lot of authority within this walls. She has a real knack for reading people."

"Why have I never seen her before?"

"Because Sloane obviously hasn't had a reason for you to meet her." Jack paused. "Wait, you said 'before'. When did you meet her?"

"Just then" Sydney answered. Jack was worried and she knew it. "She's conducting what she calls staff evaluations."

"Sydney," Jack's voice was low. "You need to be very careful. You know as well as I do, these are not just simple evaluations."

"I know." Sydney said. "So this Alice Williams, she knows the truth about SD-6?"

Jack nodded, taking in the expression on Sydney's face. "Why?"

"There's another thing, dad."

"What?"

"Alice Williams is my handler's girlfriend."

Jack didn't get a chance to respond becasue at that point the pen beeped three times. Sydney stared helplessly at Jack for a few seconds before turning to leave.

"Sydney." Jack's voice made her stop. "I know you're upset about me missing dinner and I appeciate that you voiced that to me. Things like that shouldn't be kept to yourself."

Sydney nodded, comprehending exactly what Jack was saying. "Ok dad. I'll keep that in mind."

"Earth to Sydney. Hello? Is anybody there?"

Sydney snapped out of her stupor and turned to Will, who was seated beside her on the park bench.

"What's wrong?"

"You." Will laughed.

"Huh?"

"Sydney, you've been sitting and staring at the grass for about an hour. I thought you said that you wanted to chat?"

"I did?"

"Sydney, you called me." Will said gently. "Now, why don't you tell me what's got you so preoccupied."

Sydney sighed. "I kinda discovered something today...something, not nice."

"Not nice? Like how?"

"Let's just say that you have this friend and you find out that their partner is, well cheating on them. Do you tell them?"

"Is this about Francie and Charlie? Have you found out something? Oh god. Please tell me you haven't. I don't think Fran could deal with that."

"No." Sydney shook her head vehemently. "It's just this guy I know." She looked down at her feet. "I have no idea what I should do. Is it my place to tell him? Is it the right thing to do to just sit on the sidelines and wait for the drama to unfold?"

Will shrugged. "I can't answer that Syd. There are so many factors that have to be considered."

"Like what?"

"Like whether it's a long term relationship, or a relatively new one. It would be a lot easier to break the news if they hadn't been together long. And do you know this guy's girlfriend? If so, I would approach her first, instead of spilling the beans to your friend."

"No, that's not an option."

"Ok then, do you have actual proof of an affair? Are you certain that this is not just speculation?"

"I'm certain Will. I saw it with my own eyes."

Will put an comforting arm around her shoulders. "Syd, you just have to do what you think is right."

Sydney nodded. The problem was she wasn't sure what the right thing was.

"So who is this guy anyway? Do I know him?"

"No, it's just someone from work. You wouldn't know him."

It was the following afternoon when Sydney got the phone call. She had been dreading it, not wanting the moment to arrive. The moment when she would have to make her decision.

Though deep down she knew that her mind was already made up. She knew exactly what she had to do and just how hard it was going to be.

And that's why, when she heard the words 'Joey's Pizza' uttered on the other end of the line, Sydney felt sick.

Not that long ago her world had been turned upside down and now she was about to do the same thing to Vaughn's.

"How did the interview go?" Vaughn asked as soon as Sydney entered the first aidvan on her university's campus.

"I'm not sure." Sydney replied. "But I spoke to my dad and I was right to be concerned. These are not just simple employee evaluations. They're sniffing around for something specific. I just hope it's not me."

Vaughn nodded shortly. "I spoke to Devlin myself. The CIA will be taking even more precautions when planning your counter missions. If you have any problems with what you've been tasked, speak up. We can't risk suspiscions falling on you or your father."

Sydney, however, was staring at her hands. Should she just come out and say it? Or should she ease into it? It was just like the inevitable Band-Aid dilemma. Do you remove it bit by bit or just rip it off?

"Syd." She could hear the concerned tone of Vaughn's voice. "You're going to be fine."

Sydney looked up. "I know." She attempted a smile. "Vaughn."

"Yes."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure?"

"Does your girlfriend know what you do for a living?"

Vaughn couldn't keep the surprised expression off his face. The question seemed to come entirelyfrom left field. "Pardon?"

"I'm sorry." Sydney said quickly. "I don't mean to pry..."

"No, it's ok. You just surprised me a little." Vaughn replied. "And the answer to your question is no. Alice doesn't know."

"She doesn't?"

"No. She knows that I have a government job, but she thinks I work in some small bureaucratic department, slaving away at a desk."

"So she had no idea about your affiliation with the CIA?"

"No, I just said that." Vaughn answered, slightly puzzled. "What is this about?"

Sydney ignored the question. There was something else she needed to know. "And what about her? What does she do for a job...if you don't mind me asking."

"No, that's fine. She's an accountant." He leaned forward. "Can you please tell what all these questions are about?"

"I just...I have to...the thing is..." Sydney stopped and looked him directly in the eyes. "Vaughn, there's something I have to tell you...Oh god, I'm talking like a living cliché."

Vaughn allowed himself a small chuckle before stopping short. The look on Sydney's face. It scared him. "Sydney, what is it?"

"My interview yesterday."

"What about it?"

"It was conducted by a member of SD-6 that I had never met before. A woman, who apparently has a lot of authority in the office." Sydney paused.

"And?" Vaughn prompted.

"And her name is Alice Williams."