A/N: All I can say is reviews make me smile! :) Thank you all so much.
Thanks Neptunestar for having me on your favorite story's story list and I'm sorry for making you cry, but I'm also happy you're reading!
Thanks to all the people below for submitting reviews.
Mallory (x3), Piscean, Maggie (x2), SunnE1, Immortally****Alias (x3), serendipity112233 (x8), jennycraig10 (x4), Jinet (x5), Kiki (x2), Stephi (x4), speed, Total Vaughn Lover, donnatellaMarks (x2), midnightqueen6 (x4), Mary Kate 113 (x2), anonymous (x2), star16 (x6), spinach, Agent Katy, Brynne, Delordra (x2), Star Mage1, Alicia, Kristal, sallene (x3), Elora-18, leo's l'il sista, Haley, Agent Elektra (x3), neptunestar (x2), I heart ALIAS, supergirl14, SlonessIZtheWAYtoGO*89, Chaosti, American Rhapsody, J.Dy, Ms.MV (x2), Terin, Coffee Crazy, liz, knX3571, and Collen.
"I've been doing this a long time, Sydney. There's rarely an end to the story." ~Jack Bristow.
Chapter 9
"Start driving!" Jack Bristow yelled at Vaughn as he hung up the phone after his conversation with Sydney.
"Where am I going?" Jack ignored the young man's request as he dialed frantically.
"Marshall, I need you to track the location of the last call made to this phone."
"Umm…who is this?" Marshall asked timidly.
"Marshall…" Jack warned.
"Oh, hi Mr. Bristow. Just a second." There was the sound of typing and then he came back on. "Do you want the phone number or the street number or—"
"The street, Marshall," Jack growled.
"Uh, sorry. It came from a pay phone on le rue de fois. Hey Mr. Bristow, are you in Paris?" Jack hung up without answering the question.
"Le rue de fois, do you know how to get there?" Jack asked Vaughn.
"Yes, but—"
"Get there as fast as you can." Vaughn increased the pressure on the gas pedal and watched at the speedometer rose to sixty.
"Will you tell me what's going on?"
"Sydney's call was interrupted, most likely by the arrival of the NSC." Vaughn nodded finally understanding as he increased his speed even more. He slowed down as he approached le rue de fois as both he and Jack looked around on either side of the road for some sign of Sydney.
"There!" Jack shouted as Vaughn slammed on the brakes. From where they were standing they could Sydney, her back was turned to them. Between her and the car were three other NSC agents whose guns were raised. Jack undid his seatbelt and pulled out his gun.
"What are you doing?" Vaughn asked in surprised.
"Give me your gun." Vaughn hesitantly reached into his pocket and pulled out his own gun and gingerly handed it over to Jack. Jack rolled down the window slightly and began to fire. Everyone in the alley way hit the ground as NSC agents ran behind a designated vehicle.
From her position on the ground, Sydney turned around and glanced up at the shooter. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was her father. Sydney got to her feet and stayed low to the ground as she attempted to make her way to the vehicle. The three NSC men however, were not willing to see that happen. As Sydney attempted to walk by, one of them threw their leg out and knocked her to the ground, where they attempted to pin her.
Sydney heard the clinging of handcuffs and instantly threw her head back and rammed it into the skull of the guy behind her. He reeled back while loosing his grip and Sydney jumped out his range. She delivered a swift uppercut and knocked him out cold. Meanwhile, the other two were reaching for their guns, but Sydney quickly kicked the guns out of their hands.
She delivered a few punches to the taller man and performed a precise roundhouse kick that rammed him against the wall. The other shorter man came up behind her, again attempting to handcuff her hands but she jammed her elbow harshly into his stomach and then punched him square in the jaw. As soon as she assured herself that all three men were out of action she took off towards the car and practically jumped into the back seat.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Sydney asked as Vaughn stepped on the gas.
"Keeping you out of NSC custody," Jack answered evenly.
"Are you crazy? Both of you?" She said glancing at Vaughn. "Lindsay will have both your jobs," Sydney exasperated.
"That is not our concern at this time. Right now, we need to figure out how to get you out of France."
"No, I am not running away from this my whole life!"
"And what exactly is your plan of action? If the NSC catches you, your life is over," Jack asked as he turned around in his seat to face his daughter. "We need to figure out what to do next and until that happens, we're not going to do anything."
Sydney sat in silence. She kept her eyes on the passing houses that had increasing green dividers as they drove farther and farther away from the city. Vaughn was quiet as he drove, blindly following Jack's directions. The driving led to nightfall and during that time Sydney couldn't help but close her eyes. Vaughn watched her in the rearview mirror, as she slept peacefully. It reminded him of all those mornings he had woken up before her and would just lay there watching her sleep.
"She still doesn't know," Jack informed him after watching the younger man briefly through the corner of his eye.
Vaughn gripped the wheel a little harder than necessary. "What do you mean?"
"I don't want Sydney to hurt anymore than she already is, but she's going to find out sooner or later. So I suggest sometime in the near future you inform her of your deception," Jack said ignoring Vaughn's question.
"I did not 'deceive' Sydney," Vaughn protested. "I told you my reasons for telling Lauren. Besides, I wouldn't be here if I didn't intend to fix what turned out to be a big mistake."
"Agent Vaughn, when this over," Jack said staying optimistic, "I want you to stay as far away from my daughter as possible. I request this because asking you to keep your relationship with my daughter strictly professional has proved useless in the past."
"You can't do that! Yes I am married, but that doesn't change how I feel about Sydney. She's still a friend—"
"A friend that she doesn't need in her life at this moment. I am not asking this of you, Agent Vaughn, I am ordering it." Jack looked up at the road. "Take the next left."
The gravel road became bumpier from disuse, but the road trip seemed to be coming to an end. Vaughn pulled into the driveway with a jolt that ungracefully awoke Sydney as her head banged against the window.
"What is the place?" She asked as she analyzed what appeared to be a small shack in the middle of nowhere.
"An old CIA safe-house. It hasn't been used in the last twenty years, but it should do." Sydney gingerly stepped out of the car as her hand graced her stomach gently, but not noticeably. Jack led the way to the door and removed what appeared to be a skeleton key from his pocket. He inserted it into the door and they walked inside. Sydney reached for the light switch, but apparently the power company had switched off the electricity years ago. Sydney pulled a tiny penlight out of her pocket and looked around.
Spider webs occupied every corner and crevice and the furniture was covered in more layers of dust than Sydney cared to know. The refrigerator in the kitchen was unplugged but there was running water and numerous cans of food, beer, and soda in the pantry. Two bedrooms were located on the bottom and only floor with double beds and two baths. A door connected the two with a lock, apparently for security reasons.
After locating some candles, Vaughn searched the pantry for food. "Anyone hungry?" Sydney shook her head while Jack took a seat at the kitchen table. Vaughn pulled out a couple cans of Chef Boyardee raviolis for himself and then began looking for a can opener.
"We need to talk about strategy," Jack said. Vaughn found the opener and after locating a spoon he took his opened cans to the table and sat down. "Sydney, tell me what happened with your mission."
"It was a set up. Apparently we received false intel about an informant from Switzerland arriving with information about the Covenant," Sydney explained. "We were ambushed by three men at the café we were supposed to meet at."
"Do they know where the intel came from?" Vaughn asked.
"If they did, they didn't tell me."
"I'll have Marshall run a trace on it, see if he can figure out anything," Jack said.
"There's more," Sydney said taking a deep breath. "At a bar the night I left your mother," Sydney looked at Vaughn, "I ran into Sark. He told me that the contact with the informant had been faked and that the mission had actually been to kidnap me."
Vaughn looked alarmed. "How did Sark fake that intel without drawing attention to the Covenant?"
"That's what we'll have Marshall find out. We'll have him track any reports of useful intel that have entered CIA buildings within the last week."
"And the NSC?" Sydney asked as she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"We'll stay here for a few days until we figure out what exactly the Covenant wants with you. Now, I suggest that we get some sleep," Jack looked wearily at Vaughn. "I'll take the couch. Goodnight."
The three of them rose from the table, but as she did so, her injured side gently bumped into the table and she gasped slightly at the pain. Jack stopped his journey into the living room and turned around. "Are you hurt?"
Sydney shook her head slightly but couldn't keep the expression of pain off her face. "It's not that bad."
If Vaughn wasn't so concerned about Sydney's well being he would have rolled his eyes at that statement. She was too stubborn for her own good to admit when she needed help.
Jack stepped forward and motioned Sydney to remove her protective hand that was stationed over the area of pain. He gently lifted her shirt enough to see the blue and purple bruise that covered the swollen area of her right rib cage.
"Agent Vaughn, see if you can locate some medical supplies." Vaughn nodded as he rushed off, ignoring the fact that Jack had neglected to say "please."
"How did this happen?" Jack demanded.
"When I jumped out of Sark's limo." Sydney winced as Jack's hand gently grazed the tender area. Vaughn appeared with a medical kit in hand. He opened it and riffled through the various drugs, syringes, band-aids, and gauze. He pulled out a roll of gauze wrap and tossed it to Jack. Vaughn set aside a bottle of aspirin as he began looking for medical tape.
"This isn't much," Jack said as he began to wrap the gauze around her stomach, "but it'll have to due for the time being." Jack worked in silence. When he was finished Sydney slowly pulled down her shirt over her now semi-bulky stomach.
"We all need sleep. We'll talk more in the morning." Jack picked up the unused supplies and left them in their box in the doorway.
Sydney said goodnight to Vaughn and walked past where her father was settling in on the dusty couch. She walked into the windowless room and plopped gently on the bed. She was hardly tired. Her nap in the truck had counted for her normal hours she sustained while in the line of duty. She pulled the covers back off the bed, but made no move to get in them.
On the other side of the wall, Vaughn stood facing the door debating whether to knock. He knew he needed to tell her the truth. He knew she had the right to know, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. He knew his motives were selfish because he didn't want her to hate him, but for the time being, he decided he just wasn't going to say anything.
Suddenly the door was yanked open and Vaughn found himself face to face with Sydney's brown eyes.
"How long have you been staring at the door?" Sydney asked, her eyes twinkling.
"How did you know—?"
Sydney shrugged. "I could feel your eyes burning a hole threw the wood." Vaughn shook his head. This woman knew him way too well.
"You should sleep," Vaughn said breaking their moment of silence.
"I would if I were tired." Vaughn just nodded distantly, finding it hard to meet her eyes. He was afraid she'd see his secret hidden within them. His cautious actions didn't go unnoticed by Sydney as the two of them fell into an awkward silence. Sydney finally turned her back to him with a sigh and began to head into her room.
"Syd?" Vaughn called to her. She stopped momentarily to look at him expectantly. He wanted to say something, something important and meaningful, but his simple words left the room raw and unfinished as Sydney gave him one last look before disappearing in her room and closing the door. "Good night."
Sydney didn't know when she had fallen asleep or when she had woken up, but she could definitely tell it was raining. The tiny droplets hit hard on the tiled roof, as the whole house seemed to sway in the movement of the wind. Sydney rose out of her sheets and crept into the living room. It was still early. The sky was still dark, but because of the rain clouds, it was hard to place the exact time.
She took a glance at the couch. A blanket sat neatly folded on the couch and a light seemed to be flickering incessantly in the kitchen. Sydney warily walked inside to find her father sitting at the table. A cell phone rested on the table and the candle's wax had been lowered down significantly since when she had gone to bed. She assumed that he had been up for awhile.
"It's early," Sydney stated softly.
"I know," Jack admitted. "I presume my body is still on Los Angeles time."
Sydney walked into the pantry and searched the contents till she finally pulled out a can of pears. After opening it she took a seat at the table. Jack cleared his throat and filled the silence.
"I just finished making contact with Marshall. He hasn't found information about new intel sent to any CIA facility, but he's still searching."
Sydney paused with a spoon full of juicy pears en route to her mouth. "So what does that mean?" Even though she had her own suspicions about what it meant.
Jack met her eyes with an unflinching gaze. "Either this intel was sent by the Covenant as Sark claims and they took every conceivable method to cover their tracks or—"
"Or there's a mole," Sydney finished.