Chapter Ten- Crash and Burn

Sydney walked into Marshall Flinkman's office. The tech geek had asked to see her earlier that morning, but she hadn't had a moment to spare until right then.

As usual, the tech office was a complete mess. Everywhere you looked there was some kind of new gadget in the making. There were papers strewn everywhere, covered with sketches and data and illegible notes. Syd looked around, searching for Marshall, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Marshall?" She called.

"Oh, Syd, hey." The graying head of the CIA's main gadget guy popped up from behind a table laden with computer parts and wires. He grinned at her, as giddy as a little school boy as he fiddled with the two wires he held in his hands.

"You wanted to see me." Sydney said, gently prompting Marshall. A blank looked crossed his face for a brief second.

"Oh, yeah." He said, his memory drawing on that morning's hurried conversation. "Over here." He walked over to his desk where his computer sat. Syd followed him, leaning on the desk as he typed in his password and accessed a secure file.

"You said yesterday how you wanted a list of everywhere Sark's been lately," he looked up at Syd and she nodded curtly. "Well, here it is." He pressed another button and the list was quickly printed. Marshall picked up the paper and handed it to Sydney. Her eyes scanned over it.

After Chloe had told her that Sark had gone to her home, Syd had been antsy that he would return. She wanted her daughter to move on with her life, but how could she if Sark continued to pester her? Syd's eyes landed on a familiar address. She searched her brain for what made the address so familiar. Her eyes widened as she remembered. This address was directly across from Paris's school.

"Thanks, Marshall." She said hurriedly as she rushed out of the room. She needed to tell Chloe about this. But first, to confront Sark.

He sat on the hard bed, his eyes focused on the wall in front of him as he listened to Sydney telling him that he could not ever see Paris, or Chloe. They were, as she put it, "strictly off limits." Sark didn't care. He would see them if he wanted to. To hell with what Sydney said. He had a daughter and he was going to see her.

Sydney's vice-like grip wrapped around his arm, pulling him up to face her.

"Do you hear me, Sark?" She asked, her voice low and menacing. It never ceased to amaze Sark how this small woman could be so intimidating and tough.

He met her stare head on, never flinching.

"I hear you." He said.

Chloe looked up from the book she'd been reading when someone knocked on the door. Curious, she got up and answered the door. Her mother stood there, hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans. Chloe moved to close the door, anger running through her veins at the audacity Sydney had to come to her house when Chloe was still pissed.

"Chloe, wait." Sydney put up a hand and stopped the door from closing on her. "Can I please come in?"

"No." Chloe snapped. She didn't have the patience for this.

"Please," there was a pleading in Sydney's voice that Chloe had never heard before, "there's something I have to tell you."

Against her better judgment, Chloe stepped out of the way and allowed Sydney inside.

"What do you mean he's been seeing Paris?" Chloe asked, pacing the floor and chewing nervously on her thumbnail.

"The tracker we implanted on him shows that Sark has visited the park across from Paris's school. There's no way to tell if Paris has talked to him or even if Sark has seen her at all. Nothing's certain right now. We're working off assumptions." Syd replied.

"How long has he been doing this?" Chloe was over her nervousness and onto anger.

"He was there on Friday afternoon, after school let out. He hasn't gone back yet."

Chloe closed her eyes and breathed in a deep, calming breath. She needed to think this through. Had Paris spoken with Sark, had she even known that he was watching her? Chloe could have killed herself. She was the one to tell Sark he had a daughter. She was the one to peek his curiosity about the child whose DNA matched his.

"Thank you for telling me." Chloe said after a long silence. Syd nodded and patted her daughter's shoulder comfortingly. Chloe sighed. She had to fix this. She had to get Sark to leave her and her family alone. And she had to do it soon, before her marriage was hurt further.

Pulling her car up alongside the curb, Chloe glanced across the street at the park. In the shadow of the trees she could just make out the form of a person. She took a few yoga breathes and opened her car door. There was still a good twenty minutes before school let out. Chloe was certain that she could get Sark to leave her family alone within that amount of time. At least she hoped she could. She didn't want to run the risk of Paris seeing her and Sark together. The girl might get the wrong ideas and go tell Derrick what she had seen.

After looking both ways, Chloe hurried across the street and into the park. She approached the figure, straining to see if it really was him. From the way that he held himself, back straight and head high, Chloe was certain that it was Sark.

She stopped in front of him, watching as his eyes widened slightly in surprise. He hadn't expected to see her there, that much was certain.

"Chloe…" his voice sounded so wonderful to her ears. Chloe mentally shook herself. She was here for a reason.

"I want you to leave her alone, Sark." She demanded, not wanting to waste time with small talk.

"What are you talking about?" He sounded innocent, but Chloe could see beyond his façade.

"I want you to leave Paris alone. She doesn't need you in her life. She has me and Derrick and she doesn't need you." Even to her own ears she sounded mean and bitchy, but Chloe was beyond caring at that point. She just wanted this nightmare behind her.

Sark's mouth turned down at the corners and Chloe could see the hurt look in his eyes.

"She's my daughter, Chloe." He said, "I think I have a right to see her."

"That right went out the window the second you were arrested."

"I was arrested because you wanted me to turn myself in." Sark cried, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"I wouldn't have had to ask you to turn yourself in if you hadn't been a terrorist at the time." She screamed. "You know what I wish, Sark? I wish that I had never laid eyes on you. Because if I hadn't then I wouldn't have made the biggest mistake of my life by falling in love with you."

Tears were streaming freely down Chloe's face. Tears of anger and hate, both at Sark and herself. Sark tried to appear unaffected by her words, but Chloe could see how badly she had hurt him. For a second she wanted to take back every single word she'd said. But it was too late. They were out there and there was nothing she could do about it. Sark's jaw tightened and his eyes blazed as he looked down at her.

"If that's how you want it, fine." He said, "I'll never bother you again." He turned around and stalked away, leaving Chloe standing there, crying in her misery and self-hatred.

Sark slammed the door of his rental car and turned the key in the ignition. Gunning the gas, he headed off down the road. He was pissed at Chloe for saying what she said. But more than that her words stung, slicing deep into his heart and leaving behind a wound that would never heal.

His vision distorted by rage and pain, Sark could barely see the road ahead of him. He felt as if his heart was being torn into millions of tiny pieces He knew that as soon as he saw Chloe walking towards him that he should have left. He knew that no good could have come from them talking.

Sark drove down the road as if in a trance. Chloe's words floated around in his head. She wished that she had never seen him, never loved him. The makings of tears burned the back of his eyes. Sark never regretted his time with Chloe. He had loved her the best he knew how and now he was paying for that love.

So lost in his thoughts, Sark did not notice his car going over the yellow line, nor did he notice the car coming around the turn just a few feet ahead, not until it was too late.

I love cliffhangers, they're so much fun. I hope you guys liked this chapter and will review.

Lil Aussie Alias Chick, goldenshadows, freakygirl, and poe-baby: Thank you all for reviewing, it really means a lot to me.