Hey, and thank you all so much for your feedback...and apologies for leaving you all hanging at the end of the last chapter. I guess I should thank you all for your patience as well :D
Chapter Thirteen:
The Whole Truth
"What is it?" Jack asked, after he had arrived and when the three of them had settled down in the lounge.
Sydney smiled, taking a quick look at Vaughn before answering. "We have some news."
"What kind of news?" Jack inquired, his eyebrows piqued with interest.
"I'm pregnant, dad." Sydney announced, taking Vaughn's hand in her own.
"Oh." For a second Jack looked shocked, before composing himself. "You're pregnant…is it Vaughn's?"
"No dad, it's Sark's." Sydney didn't even attempt to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "What were you thinking? How could you even ask me that question?"
"I know…I'm sorry…it's just that…"
"What?" Sydney asked warily.
"Sydney, Vaughn, there is something that you need to know."
Sydney stood abruptly, seeing the look in her father's eyes. "No," she said bluntly. "Don't. Please don't."
"Sydney, Kendall did not—"
"No." She shook her head hard.
"You and Vaughn were not given—"
"No!" Sydney yelled so loudly that both Vaughn and Jack jumped slightly. "Don't. You can't. Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it."
"Sydney, you and Vaughn need to be informed." Jack said, patiently.
"Not if this has something to do with what I think it does, ok? I do not want to have this experience ruined."
"Sydney, you have to know that I want nothing more for you to continue life without this information. To lead a somewhat normal life. But that would mean that you would be living a life of ignorance, and to me that is a far worse thing. With knowledge comes the power to change."
"Well you know what? I've had just about enough of this knowledge stuff. A life of ignorance sounds pretty good to me."
"Even if it means risking the life of your future child?"
Sydney froze. "What?"
Vaughn's staggered expression was mirroring hers. "What are you talking about Jack?"
Jack cleared his throat. "Sydney, perhaps you should sit down."
"I'm fine standing, thank you," she said, obstinately.
"Sydney, just sit down. You can be stubborn later." Jack shot back.
Sydney blinked, a little taken aback by the forcefulness of Jack's tone, and then surprisingly sat down without another word. Vaughn hid a smile to himself. It would always be a battle of the wills between those two.
"Ok, I'm sitting."
Jack sighed. "Thank you."
Now that the little father- daughter moment had passed, Vaughn spoke up. "So what is it this time, Jack?"
"It has to do with the Rambaldi pages the CIA discovered. The ones that Kendall told you about."
"Weiss!"
Dixon's voice snapped Weiss's attention away from the computer screen. The director was rapidly approaching his desk, appearing considerably more relaxed that he'd been since Sydney and Vaughn's return.
"What is it?"
"The team leader in Prague just made contact. They infiltrated the facility and have what they believe to be the whereabouts of Ana."
Weiss's eyebrows shot up. "No way?" He stood up. "Where?"
"Tuscany. A team has already been sanctioned in-country and are close to their destination."
"Unbelievable." Weiss muttered, more to himself. So Vaughn speaking to that witch had really paid off.
"I just thought I'd let you know. I'll let you get back to your work…or that urgent phone call that you need to make." Dixon gave Weiss a sly little smile and walked off.
With a small chuckle, Weiss picked up his phone and began dialling.
Sydney could hear her mobile ringing but she ignored it. The thought that it may be Weiss didn't even cross her mind. Her thoughts were already consumed by that one dreaded word- Rambaldi, and the sinking feeling that her and Vaughn's lives were about to be thrown upside down once again.
"What about the pages?" she asked, her voice void of emotion.
"Kendall was selective in what he told you about."
"There's more?" Vaughn asked, bewildered. "How the hell can there be more? What else could Rambaldi possibly have to say about the two of us?"
"Technically, it is not about the Chosen One or the Descendant. The focus was on their offspring." Jack paused. "On Ana and the unborn child you are carrying now."
Sydney's hand instinctively went to her abdomen as an ice cold fear chilled her to the bone.
"Now, you remember what the Prophecy said? About you rendering the greatest power unto utter desolation?" Jack directed towards Sydney.
She nodded. Of course she remembered. Those words had been haunting her for years.
"So we know that Ana is that power. What we didn't know was that the destruction would be stopped by the presence of her closest sibling."
"What?" Sydney asked, perturbed.
"Rambaldi wrote that is these two children grew up separated from each other, then destruction and despair would ensue. That apart they would only bring darkness to the world. But," Jack added quickly, seeing the looks of horror on Sydney and Vaughn's faces, "if they grew up together, then they would have the power to change the world for the better."
Sydney relaxed slightly. The CIA was going to find Ana, she knew it. And when that happened, then there would be nothing to worry about. She looked at Vaughn and could tell that he was thinking the same thing.
"So is that all?" she asked, Jack.
Jack looked at the two of them for a second, his expression almost sad.
"Dad?" Sydney whispered, almost sagging against Vaughn.
"Jack?" Vaughn asked.
"Rambaldi wrote of a battle between the siblings. That despite the peace that would result in their connection, one day the death of one would be committed by the hand of the other."
"Weiss! Weiss! Weiss!" Marshall came barrelling through the Operations centre, stooping himself just before he slammed into Weiss's desk. "Have you heard?" he asked breathlessly.
"Heard what?" Weiss asked, distractedly as he placed his phone back in the receiver. He'd been trying Sydney and Vaughn's phones alternatively, but neither were answering.
"Dixon just heard from Tuscany." Marshall leaned in covertly. "They have made a visual on Ana and are prepping to move in as we speak."
Weiss looked up at him. "They found her?"
Marshall grinned. "Yup. They found her."
Jack stood up. "Perhaps I should go."
Sydney looked up at him. "Are you sure that you don't have anything else to tell us?" she asked, bitterly.
"Sydney, you have to understand how hard it was for me to tell you. Don't you remember me saying that I did not want to be the one who told you? But that being said, you and Vaughn needed to be informed."
"Informed?" Sydney was struggling to fight back tears. "Informed? You call this being informed?"
"Yes, I do." Jack replied, firmly. "Just remember what I said about having the power to change." He looked at her for a second. "I'm sorry," he said before walking out.
Sydney turned to Vaughn, her face distressed. Silently he took her into his arms, holding her tight and rocking them back and forth gently.
Sydney and Vaughn lost track of the time as they continued to sit, wrapped in each other arms, both of them experiencing an array of emotions. Disbelief, devastation and a fury that the fact the elation they had been previously feeling had been robbed of them in such a severe manner.
They stayed on the couch, until the sound of the front door flying open snapped them out of their stupor.
"What the hell is up? Are you guys attempting to start a new trend of not answering your phones? Meet the new yuppie…" Weiss trailed off as his eyes fell on the lounge. Vaughn seemed to have aged about ten years and Sydney looked as if she had been crying. "What is going on?"
Vaughn shook his head. "Nothing."
"Yeah right." Weiss scoffed. "Tell me."
"Seriously, it's nothing." Sydney said, forcing a smile. "What were saying? About our phones?"
Weiss looked as if he didn't believe them for a second, but seemed to let it go. "I have been calling you for hours."
Sydney sat up straight. "Ana?"
Weiss nodded. "They found her, Syd. The team extracted her successfully and they are currently en route back to Los Angeles."
A/N: Four more chaps to go...