A/N: Thank you all for the positive feedback! Ugh, I didn't get to see last Sunday's Alias because of the football game. They showed Alias at two in the morning. Now I love Alias, but even I can't stay up till two on a school night. Anywho, I've been busy so adding on was slow. With it being the Thanksgiving holidays, I don't know when I'll get a chance to add-on, but I'll add-on as soon as I can. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Sallene: Don't feel bad about correcting me! I was hoping someone would help me spell Lazarey's name because I was just guessing. Thank you for the help!

Chapter 6

            "Sydney, good morning," Jay greeted her the next morning with a sunny smile.

            "Morning," Sydney said with a convincing smile that did not match her own overwhelming unhappiness. Her conversation with Vaughn, while it had been in session, had been wonderful, but the moment he left, the emptiness she'd known since her return arose.

            "How was your first day?" Jay asked, making friendly conversation.

            "It was great," Sydney assured.

            "Good, I am happy that you're settling in so well here." Jay glanced at her watch. "Better get some coffee before the morning meeting," Jay said with an appropriate yawn. "See you in a few." Sydney nodded and Jay headed in the direction of the kitchen. Sydney, not having any desire to start her work yet, decided to head to the conference room early.

            The white walls in the conference room were sterile and suffocating. The glass table held a row of blank screens. She sighed. This was her new life. This was what she had to look forward everyday. Though the setup of the room was identical to the setup she'd known for years, it was in every shape and form different. She hated this. She hated her knew life, and she'd only been apart of it for a month.

            Zack was the next person to enter the room, and Sydney was pleased to see her work painted neatly in black and blue around his left eye. Sydney had no idea where he got the assurance to swagger towards her with confidence.

            "You know, it really wasn't necessary to get violent," he greeted.

            "No? From what I've learned, people who didn't get the message the first, second, or third time, need a weekly reminder of their stupidity," Sydney remarked.

            "What can I say? I'm a hard head," Zack said with a smile, "And very persistent."

            Sydney was about to retort when other agents began filing through the door. Jay concluded the stream of agents as she took her seat at the head of the table. Sydney quickly took a seat as far away from Zack as she could manage and waited for Jay to begin.

            "Good morning everyone," Jay welcomed. "Today's meeting will be short and sweet. We've just received some intel from a source in Switzerland about information relating to the Covenant. Our source will be meeting one of our CIA agents at a neutral location in Paris. Sydney, you and Agent Porter will retrieve this intell and bring it back here for analyzing. You'll be leaving in two hours. Do you have any questions?" Jay looked back and forth between a pretty but unnatural red head and Sydney.

            "No? Great, you leave in an hour." Jay gave Sydney a reassuring wink as the meeting was dismissed.

* * *

            Jack Bristow scrolled down a copy of the order for Sydney's transfer trying to find some flaw. Some technicality, anything that would allow the reverse of the transfer, but no matter how closely or for how long he read the same lines, they always came up with the same answer. Sydney was to remain in Swift Field County for a minimum of six months before even being considered for the transfer back to LA. He despised Lauren for her methods of competition. He would never understand the extents women would go for men, but he supposed that his love for Laura had been the same way as was his current love for Sydney.

            Jack's desk phone shook as the table vibrated under the power of the ringer. "Bristow," Jack answered.

            "I'm sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number. I was looking for my friend Jessie," the familiar voice responded before hanging up. Jack hung up his end and tapped his pocket to make sure his cell phone was still there and then removed it. He dialed quickly and only had to wait a few seconds before there was an answer.

            "What's going on?" Jack asked his contact, Tom Jinkens.

            "This time it concerns you, Jack," Tom spoke. "Well actually, not directly. Word going around is that the NSC is looking for your daughter."

            Jack inhaled quickly. "Where'd you hear that?"

            "A source of mine," Tom answered quickly. "But the info's accurate."

            "Thanks T," Jack said careful to say his name before hanging up. He pushed end and then quickly dialed Sydney's cell phone but she didn't answer. Jack left a message and then tried to call her phone at work, but she didn't answer there either. He made one last attempt to her home phone, but was met by a similar dissatisfying result. After shoving his phone back into his pocket, he searched the room for Agent Vaughn. It was time that they had a meeting.

* * *

            Anita Porter turned out to be a very quiet and very closed person, but everything about her seemed to pose that she was very confident and action prepared. She had a muscular physique and eyes that scanned every object and movement when she walked into a room. Her very motions reminded Sydney of a cat.

            "So, what brings you to Swift County?" Anita asked, surprising Sydney by breaking their long-term silence.

            "I'd rather not talk about it," Sydney said looking away. Anita watched her with an emotionless face that almost perfectly mimicked her father's. Anita took the hint however and continued to keep silence for the remainder of the trip. Sydney slowly felt her eyes close as the interior of the plane fell into darkness.

            The darkness didn't stay long as a flashing light was turned on overhead. She could make out the outline of a silhouette above her, but for some reason, his features were blurred. He was asking her questions, but even though Sydney couldn't make them out, she automatically responded no to all of them.

            Suddenly, she felt an abrupt jolt, and although she couldn't actually feel the pain, she knew it was there and she cried out. She heard laughter above her that was definitely the voice of a man and then the words, "You were always my favorite."

            Sydney opened her eyes breathing hard. Anita was examining her features carefully from a distance. When she saw that Sydney was awake, she inquired if she was all right. Sydney nodded yes and neither of them said anymore.

            By this time, the plane had landed and was taxiing towards the gate. Sydney slowed her breathing and heart rate so they were back to normal as she tried to force herself to relax. She understood who the man was now. The same man who she had shot to rescue one of the CIA's agents. The same man who had murmured that she was "his favorite" because she never broke as his last dying words. She shuddered as she was forced to remember the fact that this man had a connection to her missing years in such a foal way when she couldn't even remember ever knowing the man.

            "You ready, Agent Bristow?" Agent Porter asked her. The plane had stopped and the door of the gate was open now awaiting their departure.

            "Let's go."

* * *

            "What is it, Jack?" Dixon inquired after Jack had arranged to have Vaughn meet him in Dixon's office.

            "I was just informed by a reliant source that the NSC is aware of Sydney's role in Lazarey's murder," Jack stated as he looked directly at Vaughn. Meanwhile, Vaughn was clearly displaying a look of surprise.

            Dixon seeing Jack's hostile gaze posed the next question. "Agent Vaughn, did you reveal that information to the NSC or to your wife?"

            "I told Lauren last night," Vaughn stated in a sort of muse.

            Jack looked about ready to kill. "How dare you defy orders and endanger Sydney's life!" Jack raged.

            "Jack—" Dixon said calmly.

            "I couldn't keep lying to my wife!" Vaughn argued. "For two weeks I've held the key to her investigation. Last night she asked me for help. I told her the truth, but she promised she would not tell the NSC and I believe her."

            "It's nice to see you honor your vows at Sydney's dispense," Jack said sarcastically. "I can see that whatever was going on between you and Sydney two years ago is definitely over."

            Vaughn just stared. If it was true and Lauren had turned Sydney in, he knew there was no way Sydney would ever talk to him again. But he had to believe that it wasn't Lauren who had told. That it had been someone else. Lauren had promised.

            "As disappointed as I am that you defied orders, Agent Vaughn," Dixon was saying, "we now need to focus on getting Sydney on awares."

            "I've attempted to call her at all available numbers, but she isn't answering," Jack stated.

            "Call the director and find out where she is," Dixon ordered. "Agent Vaughn," Dixon said directing his attention to the young agent. "I'm sending you home for the rest of the day."

            Vaughn looked horrified. "But sir, I can be of more help here—"

            "You've done enough," Jack said in a tone that echoed with finality. Jack gave a curt towards Dixon, ignoring Vaughn and exited the room. Vaughn followed Jack out but headed in the opposite direction of the door he had been ordered to exit.

* * *

            Sydney straightened her sunglasses as she scanned the café looking for her contact. She had already been waiting for twenty minutes with no word from the person she was supposed to meet.

            "Anything?" Sydney whispered into her com. Anita was surveying the outside keeping a look out for any suspicious people.

            "Nothing," Anita replied.

            "I think this is a fluke," Sydney said as she glanced at her watch only to find that a minute had passed since her last glance.

            "Could be," Anita stated. "We'll give it a few more minutes." Sydney nodded as she leaned back in her chair in utter boredom. Her tilted position however gave her a direct view of a man in a suit who had just risen from his seat. A beam of light caught the shininess of an object in his right hand and Sydney knew it wasn't a ring of keys.

            "I need your help inside," Sydney said as she drew a gun from her own pocket. The man, realizing that he had been discovered, pulled out his gun in plain sight and began firing. Sydney dove under the table and made it fall down in front of her so she had cover from the man's fire. Three others rose from different tables guns poised.

            By this time, the café was in pandemonium. Screams echoed loudly down the block along with tirades of angry and panicked French. Sydney peeked out from the table and fired, hitting one of the guys in the back row. The other three scattered and took cover. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Anita entering the restaurant. Anita fired successfully hitting the first man who had rose from the table.

            The last two shooters exchanged some words in French and the tall man with a mustache took off while the other blond haired man covered him. Sydney called to Anita that she was going to follow him and she took off after him as he dashed down a narrow alleyway that was connected to the outside patio of the café. The man had a head start, but the moment he realized Sydney was following him, he sped up. He fired a few random shots over his shoulder that completely missed her. Sydney fired back at him but he turned around a corner the moment her shots were fired. She followed him down the crowded sidewalk, keeping her gun low so as not to accidentally hit anyone.

            "Sydney?" A voice said into her com.

            "Dad?" Sydney asked breathlessly surprised. "How did you—?"

            "Sydney listen to me, you can't come home. The NSC knows," Jack said vaguely but Sydney understood as if it were nothing but details.

            "How?" Sydney cried as she kept an eye out for the shooter.

            Jack paused for a moment. "Lauren found out," Jack said not having the heart to tell his daughter the truth. Not now, she had enough to deal with. "Sydney do whatever you need to do, but do not come back to California until you hear from me."

            "I understand," Sydney said as she raced down yet another alleyway.

            "Take care, Sydney," Jack said before she heard a click as if someone had just hung up a telephone. Sydney pushed the new information out of her mind temporarily as she continued to follow the man. Suddenly, a black car with tinted windows pulled up at the end of the alley and the man jumped in. The car squealed away seconds before she reached it. Sydney stood there for a moment to catch her breath. Before she headed back into the crowd of pedestrians she threw her headset into a nearby dumpster and joined the congestion of people heading in the opposite direction of the café.

* * *

            Vaughn didn't waste a minute in finding his wife and dragging her into the nearest conference room.

            "Michael, what in the world is going on?" Lauren asked surprised at his urgency.

            "Jack Bristow was just informed that the NSC knows about Sydney's involvement in Lazarey's murder," Vaughn stated as he watched his wife's face for any expression of guilt.

            Lauren matched his gaze evenly. "I told them," she said.

            "What?" Vaughn exclaimed in disbelief. "You promised Lauren, you promised you wouldn't say anything."

            "The best way for us to clear up this matter is to investigate it further. That is all the NSC wants to do," Lauren explained. "It is in Sydney's best interest to—"

            "You've known Sydney for less than a month and you've already determined twice what would be in Sydney's best interest," Vaughn argued angrily. "The NSC will stop at nothing to find out the information in Sydney's head, no matter what happens to her in the process of obtaining it."

            "I will see to it myself that Sydney is taken care of," Lauren promised.

            "Being a Senator's daughter doesn't give you power over the National Security Council," Vaughn said with bitterness. "You impede their investigation and you'll most likely be thrown in jail for tyranny. What were you thinking?"

            Lauren was shocked but outraged by Vaughn's comment. "You are one to talk, Michael Vaughn. You lied to me. You go off almost every night to comfort Sydney. I am your wife, Michael. When are you going to consider me and what I have to say?" Lauren asked angry tears forming.

            Vaughn wanted to feel sympathy for his wife, but her decisions had put his emotions for Sydney in full throttle. "That's where you get off pulling a stunt like that? For attention?"

            "Attention?" Lauren said in sort of angry whisper. "Michael I love you, and ever since Sydney came back, you've forgotten that." Lauren turned away and crossed her arms against her chest before meeting his gaze once again. "I cannot be a relationship like this Michael, I need you to choose. Who will it be? Me or Sydney?"