A/N: Wow, there's just so many reviews! I am at a loss for words… Actually not really, I can pretty much always find something to say. Anywho, I really appreciate all the wonderful reviews and I hope to continue to see more! Oh, and for the majority of you Lauren haters (which includes myself) you are about to hate her a whole lot more. Read-on and find out why!
Chapter 5
Vaughn sat at his desk, his hand resting at his temple as he debated whether or not to go home. Lauren, Weiss, and Jack had all left hours ago, but he was dreading getting into another argument with Lauren. At the moment, all he wanted to do was go to Sydney's and talk with her about her day, just like they used to. The only problem was that the reason Vaughn had no idea what her day was like was because his wife had transferred Sydney to another county.
Not to mention the fact that keeping the secret about Lasire's murder from Lauren was really starting to get to him. He hated that everything was so complicated now. When he ever got his hands on the person who had stolen two years of Sydney's life, he was going to execute him himself.
Vaughn reached for his phone when it rang hoping it wasn't Lauren asking where he was. "Vaughn."
"Hey Mike, its Weiss," came the voice on the other side.
"Hey, Weiss, what's up?" Vaughn asked.
Weiss hesitated. "I was just wondering whether or not you had heard from Syd."
Vaughn sat a little straighter in his chair. "What do you mean?"
"Well its approaching eight and I haven't heard heads or tails from her. But it's probably nothing," Weiss attempted to reassure.
"I'm coming over," Vaughn said hanging up Weiss's protests.
His desk phone rang again almost instantly after he hung up. Vaughn debated for a moment to pick it up, thinking that it would be Weiss calling him back and telling him not to come, but his worry for Sydney won and Vaughn picked up the phone.
"Vaughn."
There was a moment's pause before someone answered. "Vaughn, it's me." Sydney.
"Syd, where are you? Weiss just called, he was worried. Are you all right?" Vaughn rushed out.
"I'll explain once you get here," she said. "Come to highway eighty-seven."
Vaughn's brow furrowed as he mentally pictured where that road led. "Why were you on eighty-seven?"
"It runs parallel to sixty-five," was her vague answer.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Vaughn said grabbing his keys, knowing that Sydney would give him a more detailed explanation when he picked her up.
"Thanks Vaughn," she whispered as she hung up.
* * *
Sydney didn't know what had possessed her to call Vaughn. When she first opened her phone, her fingers automatically dialed the number she'd always called when she needed help without realizing who in actuality she was calling. She missed him. Even everything that was going on with Lauren and the changes in both their lives, she missed him.
It had taken an hour before the last of her chasers had left, and even then, she wasn't confident that she could arise from her hiding place for at least a half an hour. Figuring that they probably had men waiting by her car when she came to make her escape and replace the tire, she decided to follow the woods to see where they would take her. When she finally heard the zooming of cars and the rushes of toxic gasoline air she realized where she was. That's when she had called Vaughn. She needed a way of escaping without catching the attention of the men who had chased her.
That was the other perplexing question. Who were the men who had chased her? How did they know where she worked? Why were they only using tranquilizers? Apparently they wanted her for a reason, and that reason petrified her. She didn't understand any of the events but she figured they were somehow connected to her lost memories.
A pair of headlights began to slow and make their way over to the shoulder. Sydney reached for her gun briefly before she identified the vehicle as Vaughn's car. She stepped up to the passenger side door and went in. Vaughn took one look at the leaves sticking out of her hair, the scratches on her face, and her torn blouse and demanded to know what happened.
"Take me home, Vaughn, please. I'll explain there," Sydney said. Vaughn didn't look very satisfied but he signaled and pulled back into the line of traffic.
During the whole drive Sydney felt Vaughn's eyes analyzing her, pleading her to speak and reassure him that she was all right, but Sydney kept her silence. She wondered why he had still been at a work so late and why Lauren had asked about her husband's quick departure, but she didn't pose any of her questions aloud.
They pulled into the drive and Sydney got out. Vaughn followed her inside. "I'm going to go change. Make yourself comfortable," she said as she walked into the bedroom. Two years ago she wouldn't have had to say those words. They were a couple and it was implied.
Vaughn looked around the inside again, for it was only the second time he had been in the house. He finally situated himself on the couch and made himself and waited for her to vacate her room. She made her entrance a few minutes later in sweats and her hair in a lose ponytail.
She took a seat on the couch on the opposite side that made his heart ache. He wanted to comfort her like a good friend, not like a psychiatrist listening to the words of his patient.
"Tell me what happened," he said leaning forward. Slowly Sydney recounted her run threw the words ending with her questions.
"Do you think that it could be the Covenant?" Vaughn asked her.
"It's possible. I don't know. I still don't remember what I have to do with the Covenant," Sydney said sounding frustrated.
There was silence between the two, during which, Vaughn took the opportunity to move from his couch to hers. "Sydney," he began. "I don't want you working in another building; for you to have a life completely different from the one you've already established. I don't want to get phone calls from you at night saying that you were attacked and chased through the woods. I want to be with you, support you, protect you," Vaughn said spilling out his emotions.
Her eyes looked back into his with a brief moment of love before they seemed to focus back into horrible reality. "That's not your job anymore," Sydney said, her voice low. "Lauren is the one you should do all those things for now."
"Sydney," Vaughn said, getting upset at the sound of loss and hurt in her voice. "Lauren's my wife, but you're still a part of my past that I can't let go."
"You did it once," Sydney said her eyes focused on him. "That's when Lauren took my place."
"Lauren did not replace you," Vaughn animated. "You're still important to me. You're still my friend. I still care about you."
"Care?" Sydney tried the word on her tongue but found it to be bitter. "Vaughn every last inch of my body cries for you. In the mornings, every morning, I expect to see you watching me, waiting for me to wake up so you can be the first one to greet me when I open my eyes like you used to. And when I'm in the shower. I await the smell of that French vanilla coffee you like so much, but it isn't there. Instead every morning I awake only to get punished with reality in realizing that none of those things are going to happen. That you're laying next to Lauren, awaiting her to awake from her dreams, and making her coffee in the morning. Do you honestly know what's that is like? For you to be within feet of my grasp but too far away to touch?" Sydney asked tears welling up in her eyes.
Vaughn took a deep breath and looked at her closing, reeling that her memories of him were identical to the ones he had of her. "I told you that when you went missing, I started talking to you, as if you were alive. But what I didn't tell you was that I acted out those motions you described. As simplistic as they were, they meant the world to me. So when you disappeared, I continued to pretend things were all right and that we performed the same daily activities every morning. One morning, reality as you said, took a sucker punch. I opened my eyes and saw the wall on either side of me. I called you in for coffee, but you never came. Trust me, Syd, I know how you feel. Please don't shut me out," Vaughn finished.
They sat in silence, looking in each other's eyes seeing emotions that hadn't been present in two years. Feelings of pain, hurt, and anger were swept away and all that remained was love. Sydney suddenly leaned forward and took Vaughn in a hug, who embraced her tightly.
"Thank you," Sydney whispered even though her heart ached to say, "I love you" to him.
"Always, Syd. I'm always here for you," Vaughn whispered back.
Sydney slowly pulled herself out of his arms. "You should get home. Lauren is probably wondering where you are," Sydney said looking away.
Vaughn watched her with longing but nodded. "Yeah, I should probably go." Vaughn placed his weight on the bottoms of his feet and stood, heading for the door. "Take care of yourself, Syd."
"I will," Sydney said watching him go. Vaughn smiled uneasily before pulling open the door and walking down the drive to his car.
Sydney waited for the door to close before whispering, "I love you."
* * *
Vaughn walked into the house and placed his jacket in the closet like he did every evening. Except now it was after ten and he knew that his wife wouldn't be greeting him happily. He heard her soft footsteps almost instantaneously with the closing of the door.
"Michael," she said rushing down the steps in her blue terry cloth robe. "Where have you been? I have been calling your cell phone and work phone all night."
Vaughn searched for his pockets for his cell phone before he realized that he had left it on his desk. "I'm sorry, Lauren. I got a call from Sydney," Vaughn stated truthfully.
Lauren crossed her arms. "Why were you with Sydney?"
"She was in trouble, Lauren. She needed my help," Vaughn insisted as he headed into the kitchen.
"Your help?" Lauren asked following him. "Why you? Why not Jack or Eric?"
"I'm her friend too," Vaughn stated as he removed some bread and deli meat from the refrigerator.
Lauren's eyes narrowed. "You still have feelings for her."
Vaughn stopped. "My girlfriend from two years whom I thought to be dead comes back. You can't expect me not to have feelings for her." Lauren turned to walk out, but Vaughn grabbed her arm. "Lauren, she is my friend. I care what happens to her, but you are my wife. I love you," Vaughn emphasized even though he felt a stab of guilt accompany those words.
"Really?" Lauren asked, her eyes begging for reassurance.
"Really," Vaughn repeated. Vaughn gave her a kiss on the lips and then put away the ingredients. He grabbed his sandwich and followed Lauren upstairs.
Vaughn began to undress as he ate his sandwich while Lauren crawled into bed.
"Are you still mad?" Lauren asked.
"I'm upset that you didn't tell me. And with me seeing this from Sydney's point-of-view it makes her life more complicated," Vaughn stated trying to control his emotions.
"I am sorry that I upset you," Lauren said, "but I am not sorry about the transfer. I did what I believed."
"I understand," Vaughn forced out, but inside he felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart. Neither of them spoke for a moment.
"As long as we are sorting things out," Lauren began. Vaughn finished the last bite of his sandwich and looked up.
"Yes?" Vaughn asked wondering what she was talking about.
"The NSC has asked me to keep the information concerning the investigation of Lasire's murder from the CIA, but I cannot stand keeping secrets from you. I have found an outside source to analyze the pictures and he has narrowed the identities down to five people. All of whom work in the CIA office," Lauren said. "I need your help narrowing down the agents. Will you help me?"
Vaughn took a deep breath. This was the moment he had been dreading for weeks. A moment when he knew he couldn't pretend any longer. He had to tell his wife the truth, but he had to know that nothing would happen to Sydney.
"It-it was Sydney," Vaughn said bluntly.
Lauren looked at him in surprise. "What?"
"Sydney killed Lasire, but she has no memory of it," Vaughn rushed.
"How long have you known this?" Lauren asked with horror.
"Two weeks," Vaughn said sadly. "But I was under orders not to say anything to you."
"How could you keep this from knowing that you hold the key to my investigation?" Lauren asked, tears forming in her eyes.
"Lauren, you don't know how many times I have just wanted to tell you the truth, but I couldn't. You must believe me, I wouldn't have done this if I didn't have to, but you have to promise me something. You can't tell the NSC."
"You don't want me to tell my supervisors the results of my investigation?" Lauren asked, her voice dangerously low.
"No, they will put her through tests that will mentally kill her," Vaughn protested.
"They will not," Lauren said.
"They will see her as an enemy of the country and she won't have any rights to protest the use of the tests," Vaughn insisted. "Promise me, Lauren. Promise me that you won't tell," he pleaded.
Lauren looked conflicted, but she finally turned to him and nodded. "Alright, I will not tell. For you."
Vaughn smiled with relief. "Thank you," he said kissing her passionately. When they broke apart Vaughn headed for the shower and Lauren sat back on the bed. The moment she heard the water turn on, though, she reached for the phone.