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Disclaimer: The title of this chapter comes from the song 'Hella Good' by No Doubt

The Waves Keep On Crashing On Me For Some Reason

Sydney nodded as so he stopped and let her down on her feet. Then, with him supporting her, the two of them continued on their way.

"Hey," Sydney looked said looking up at Vaughn. "Thank you."

Vaughn smiled. "You're welcome."

Sydney's expression turned wry. "I guess I was a little rusty, hey?"

Vaughn chuckled. "Maybe a little."

She suddenly sobered. "I should have got that hard drive," she muttered. "We've got nothing."

"Hang on a sec, Syd. It's still early days. Don't go all defeatist on me just yet."

But Sydney was feeling anything but defeated. If anything she was even more determined to be the one who found her mother and Sloane. There was no way she would stop until they were in the CIA clucthes. None.

Vaughn couldn't hide his surprise when he walked into the Operations centre and saw Sydney sitting at her desk. They'd only returned from their mission the previous night. After what she had been through, she should have been resting, not sitting in front of a computer.

"Hey Syd," he said, coming up beside her.

"Hmm?" she barely even looked up.

"How's the head?"

She looked up at him and her raised eyebrows, the dark bruise on her temple the only answer he needed.

"Oh," he chuckled sympathetically. "You should be at home."

"If I'm at home I'm not working and if I'm not working we are not going to get any closer to finding my mother."

"Syd, I don't think one day's rest is going to make much difference," he started carefully."

"It makes a difference to me, Vaughn," Sydney replied, her voice taking on a slightly sharper edge.

"Ok then," Vaughn didn't say it but it was the exact same tone that Jack took on when he was getting less than impressed with the conversation. "Just take it easy, ok?"

Sydney opened her mouth to reply, but clamped it shut when Vaughn's mobile started to ring. Mouthing 'sorry', he flipped it open.

"Hello…" Sydney watched as Vaughn's brow furrowed with slight confusion. She couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked with that serious— whoa. Her mind came to a screaming halt. Where the hell had that come from? She had paying too much attention to Francie. Vaughn was just a friend…wasn't he?

"Ok then…thanks." Vaughn snapped his phone shut, still looking a little puzzled.

"Who was that?" Sydney asked.

"One of the guys in security. Apparently they picked up somebody running a background check on me the other day."

"What? Why? Who?"

Vaughn grinned. "You forgot where and how."

Sydney rolled her eyes. "That was…pathetic."

"Yeah," Vaughn said, ruefully. "I know."

"So," Sydney prompted him. "Who was it?"

Vaughn shrugged. "Some random guy. They've got no idea why he would want anything on me. A Marty Childers, I think they said."

Something clicked inside Sydney's head. She remembered having a conversation with Will. A conversation about the means he would go to get the dirt for his stories.

"There's this guy, Marty. If I want to know something about somebody, he'll find it out."

"There's nothing to worry about. Security made sure…" Vaughn stopped, registering the change in Sydney's expression. "Syd?"

"Excuse me," Sydney reached down and grabbed her bag. "I have to go. I just remembered…never mind. I'll be about half an hour. Can you cover for me?"

"Uh, sure." Vaughn's reply sounded a little bewildered. "Or maybe I should go with you?"

"No, I'll be fine." She gave him a quick smile. "I'll see you when I get back."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Will muttered as the incessant knocking on his door grew louder and louder. "What the— Syd?" He took a step back after flinging the door open.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sydney demanded, stepping into the apartment and slamming the door behind her.

Will blinked. "What?" He had never seen Sydney this furious before. He wasn't quite sure what he had done, but obviously it was bad.

"Running a background check on Vaughn." Sydney shot back. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Will very nearly choked on the spot. She had found out about the background check. He was dead. He may as well plan the funeral now. What song would best sum up his life? Perhaps…hang on. Sydney had found out about the background check?

"Well?" Sydney voice broke through his thoughts. "I am waiting."

"I, uh, didn't, I mean…how did you find out?"

"It doesn't matter how I found out. I just did. Stop trying to avoid the issue, Will. You have been sprung and now you have some explaining to do."

Will ran a hand through his hair, frantically trying to think of an answer that would satisfy Sydney. He failed. "I, uh…um, I was worried about you," he replied lamely.

"And what does that have to do with snooping around on Vaughn?"

"I just wanted to make sure that he was an ok guy."

"Will!" Sydney sounded more exasperated that angry. "Do you really think that I would befriend the guy if were anything but 'ok'?"

"Well…no, but…"

"But what?"

"This guys just seemed to enter you life out of nowhere, and I don't know about you, but it seemed to me that he was hiding something."

Sydney was shaking her head. "Will, you barely know Vaughn- you have met him like once! Of course he is not going to give you his life history." She took a breath. "Is this what you do with every new person you meet?"

"Uh, no," Will replied sheepishly. "Syd, I am so sorry for doing this…and for the record, there's nothing dodgy about Vaughn."

Sydney's eyes narrowed. "I could have told you that," she said, her voice steady and refrained. "Look, I understand why you did this, but that doesn't make it acceptable. Do me a favour. Next time you are worried speak to me, instead of going behind me and my friend's backs."

Will nodded, relieved that he appeared to be off the hook. "Ok, deal."

"Thank you," Sydney replied. "Now that this is over, I need to get back to work."

As the days passed, Sydney threw herself into work more and more. The first to arrive and the last to leave, she was letting herself get consumed by the desire to find her mother. The urge to find Sloane was there as well, but it was nothing compared to the need to face her mother.

Both Francie and Will had noticed that Sydney was spending a lot of time at work, but they just assumed she was trying to make a good impression at her new job.

However, those within the walls of the Operations centre who were associated with Sydney knew exactly what was going on. And those closest to Sydney- Vaughn, Dixon, and Marshall- were growing more concerned by the day. The way Sydney was working, it was an obsession.

And somebody needed to talk to her about it.

"Vaughn, no." Sydney said stubbornly. "I'm working on something."

"And it will still be there when we get back." Vaughn said. "Come on, you need to eat. We are having lunch."

This time Vaughn was the more determined of the two and so, about twenty minutes later, they were seated in a small café, coffees in front of them.

"You know, people will be talking about this for days." Vaughn commented as Sydney idly stirred her coffee.

"What? That we are having lunch together?"

"No, the fact that I managed to get you out of the Ops centre."

Sydney brought her mug to her lips. "Oh."

"So…how have you been?"

Sydney looked at him, unsure of where exactly he was heading with the question. "Um, my head is fine," she replied, bringing a hand up to her temple, the bruise had completely faded and the cut was healing well.

Vaughn shook his head. "That wasn't what I was talking about."

"Then what?" Sydney asked her brow furrowed.

"Well, I'm just going to be completely honest. I'm worried about you, Syd." He said bluntly.

"Not you as well," Sydney couldn't help but mutter. Vaughn shot her a questioning look and she just waved her hand. "Never mind. Why are you worried? There's nothing to be worried about."

"Yes, there is Syd, the way you've been throwing yourself into work lately, it's…well, it's almost fanatical. You are going to burn yourself out if you keep going this way."

Sydney had visibly stiffened while Vaughn was talking. "I am not being fanatical, I am doing what I can to locate my mother."

Vaughn hesitated, wondering if he should vocalize his thoughts. He couldn't imagine Sydney really appreciating it, but then again, maybe it was exactly what she needed to hear.

"Sydney," he started tentatively, "this case, you mother and Sloane, have you ever considered that, perhaps, you are a little too emotionally involved?"

Sydney's expression hardened. "Excuse me?" she asked, trying hard to control herself.

"I'm not judging you or telling you what to do, but this need of yours, the need to get some answers from your mother, it's dominating you. Taking over your life. Maybe you just need to take a step back and try and get some perspective?"

"Perspective?" Sydney let out a sardonic laugh. "Tell me, Vaughn, am I the only one who is a 'little too emotionally involved' in this case?"

"Syd, I'm not sure—"

"Because I remember you telling me that you saw my mother's death as her punishment. Now that she is alive, what does that mean for you? Are you telling me that you don't want to see Irina Derevko behind bars as much as I do?"

An undistinguishable look crossed Vaughn's face. "We are not talking about me."

"Well, maybe we should, instead of putting all this emotional crap on me," Sydney shot back. "Just how do you feel about the case?"

"How I feel is irrelevant. I am not the one allowing myself to become consumed by it."

"Just because you are not reacting in the same manner as me does not mean that you don't feel the same way."

Vaughn ran a hand through his hair. "I want to see justice served, but that is not what we are talking about."

"Right, it's me. Because I am the one with the problem, right? Poor old, Sydney. An estranged father, criminal mother, separated after a year of marriage. It's no wonder she doesn't know how to control her life."

"That is not what I am saying, Sydney." Vaughn protested. "I just—"

"You know what?" Sydney stood up, cutting him off. "I'm not that hungry and I don't really want to sit here listening to this. I am going back to work."

"Syd—"

"Good bye, Vaughn."

With that she turned on her heel and walked out the door.