Here is the epilogue I promised. Its basically just an insight on Isabelle's life so I hope you like it and remember to leave a review.
The Aftermath
Ten years ago she had been kidnapped and learned the truth. Now she understood the secrets and all the lies. She had even told the same amount in the time from them. At 26 she was working for the C.I.A. while both her mother and father were retired. She had lied to them, they didn't want this life for her so she told them something that wouldn't hurt them. She worked as a tech specialist for a computer company, it was the most boring and intricate lie she had ever told.
"Agent Vaughn please step inside my office." Her superior officer told her officially.
In the ten years since her kidnapping her parents had been married and she had dropped the hyphen to her name. Once formally called Isabelle Bristow-Vaughn she was now Isabelle Vaughn.
She had been called earlier that day while she was visiting her mother at their old home. She thought back to the awkward yet familiar conversation that followed the ring of her cell phone.
"Sorry." Isabelle apologized as she answered her phone.
"Agent Vaughn we need you at the office now." The monotonous voice stated.
"It's my day off." Isabelle told the officer her cover already beginning.
"This is very important Miss Vaughn." The voice told her showing a hint of emotion.
"Can't you just get Stevens to fix it?" Isabelle asked rolling her eyes at her mother.
There was no answer on the other line.
"Fine. I'll come in." Isabelle said before she hung up the phone.
"I'm sorry mom, I've got to go." Isabelle apologized giving her mother a quick hug.
"Love you." Sydney said to the figure leaving.
"You too." Isabelle replied as she shut the door behind her.
Back in the present time Isabelle walked into the office awaiting the information she was about to recieve.
"As I'm sure you're aware a young man by the name of Mark Reed died ten years ago." Isabelle flinched as the older agent brought back painful memories.
"Yes I remember." Isabelle told the man before her letting her anger shine through the words.
"Then I'm sure this information will bring some insight onto you." The officer handed Isabelle a manilla folder holding files.
"What's this?" Isabelle asked taking the folder from the man's outstretched hand.
"Read it."
Isabelle opened up the folder and was met with a picture of an man who looked similar to the Mark she remembered, only older. She read the paper that followed the photograph and dropped the folder in shock.
"He's alive?" Isabelle asked feeling hot tears sting her eyes.
"We recently recieved some intel that stated Mark Reed wasn't in his grave and has been in hiding for years now. We excavated his grave and found that there wasn't a body inside, just some sandbags." The superior officer explained as Isabelle picked up the contents of the folder from the ground.
"What was the intel?" Isabelle asked as she picked up the picture and took a fleeting look at it before placing it back into the folder.
"A phone call from Mark to his father. He explained everything in the call, we have it on recording if you should like to hear it. He mentioned you're name on it." The officer handed Isabelle a tape player with the recorded message on it.
Isabelle pressed play and was met with Mark's voice. One she missed for years now.
"Hello." Julian Sark's voice said on the tape.
"Hey dad." Mark's voice said awkwardly.
"Mark? How did you...?" Sark couldn't finish his question.
"I was drugged the night before. When I was shot the drug kicked in and knocked me out. It even stopped my heart. A few hours later somebody I didn't know gave me the antidote and I've been hiding. I'm so sorry for what I put you through." Mark apologized and Isabelle thought she could hear a sob.
"It was the only way Mark."Sark admitted over the phone.
"It was you?" Mark asked sounding amazed.
"Partially. I made a phone call and made sure you would be alright.I wasn't sure whether or not it had worked so every year I still place a flower on you're grave."Sark stated flatly but still emotionally at the same time, it was a weirdtone of voice.
"Thank you. How's Isabelle?" Mark's voice sounded worried when he mentioned Isabelle.
"I don't know Mark. I've only ever seen her once and that was at you're funeral. Usually by the time I show up at you're grave, there's already a rose there from her." Sark stated unsure of how to answer.
Isabelle heard Mark let out a small amount of breath. He sighed and spoke a harsh goodbye before he hung up the phone. Somehow Isabelle could have sworn she heard Sark whisper 'I understand' but it was possible it was just static. She stopped the tape thinking about what she had heard.
"Did you hear anything else from him?" Isabelle asked still gripping the tape tightly.
"No we didn't, we'll keep you posted." Isabelle left the room at his final words and went down the hall to her own office. She shut the door quietly and walked over to her computer. She didn't turn it on but rather just sat in the chair, she let out a sigh and pressed the enter key to bring the computer back to life.
She sighed as she began to type, positioning satellites in new places and searching the globe for one Mark Reed.
For a minute there I thought you worth my time
But now that the introduction's over
There's something on my mind
And now's the perfect time
Lights out, to sleep you go
This poison's like your own
Isabelle gave up on her search after about an hour of nothing. She sat back in her chair and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, a habit she had recieved from her mother.
She turned the chair around in a circle waiting for any sign that Mark would contact her. It was stupid to think that he still cared, he had probably only asked about her to make sure she wasn't looking for him. Isabelle thought over all the negatives that she just couldn't believe.
Will you think about the things you did wrong?
And by the way where'd everybody go?
And I sat it up and you sat it down
And now it won't be long
Isabelle noticed a blinking message screen on her computer. She opened it and found it to be spam mail but soon she realized there wasa hidden message inside. She took out a pen and paper and began to decipher the code. She re-read the message about a dozen times still not believing what she had written.
'Grave Marker...noon.' That was all the note said. Isabelle grabbed her jacket off the chair and was out of the office faster than anyone could even think to notice it was her.
Yeah I'm Drowning
I'm drowning for your love
Yeah I'm drowning
I'm drowning for your love
Yeah I'm Drowning
I'm drowning for your love
Yeah I'm drowning
I'm drowning for your love
Isabelle sat in her car breathing heavily for a few seconds before turning the key in the ignition. She checked the mirror to make sure she wasn't being followed, she wasn't. She drove towards the cemetary, slowly and quietly.
She stopped outside the cemetary not quite ready to get out of the car yet. She let out a huge breath she had been holding and checked herself over in the mirror. Her usually bright green eyes had faded over the past ten years, they weren't dull but they were a lot less brighter at least according to Isabelle they were. Her shoulder length brown hair had grown a few inches and she was taller than before but she was still the same Isabelle as always.
Was this a mistake?
Oh my God, was this a mistake?
Would I do it all again?
Would I do it all again?
I was drowning for your love
I was drowning and waiting for your touch
Would I do it all again?
Would I do it all again?
Finally after what seemed like an hour of waiting Isabelle stepped out of the car. She paced herself when walking, not going too fast or too slow. She was still disbelieving at the fact Mark was really alive. She couldn't believe the truth unless she knew it was actually true and she saw him face to face.
Isabelle's thoughts traveled back to two years ago when she was on a mission in Rome. She had passed the same busted up coffee shop and remembered meeting Mark. For a split second she even thought she had seen him pass down the same alleyway as eight years before but she shrugged it off as reminiscing and she returned to the job she was doing.
Will you think about the things you did wrong?
And by the way where'd everybody go?
And I sat it up and you sat it down
And now it won't be long
Isabelle trudged through the cemetary steadily approaching the grave marker that she visited once a year. She felt strange approaching the grave without a flower to lay on the headstone but she got over it.
When she reached the headstone there was no one there. She looked around half expecting Mark to jump out at her but he didn't. She felt stupid and crazy at the same time. There was no way he was alive, it was just a trick. She sighed and leaned against the grave marker, she looked up at the cloudy grey sky and shut her eyes.
Yeah I'm Drowning
I'm drowning for your love
Yeah I'm drowning
I'm drowning for your love
Yeah I'm Drowning
I'm drowning for your love
Yeah I'm drowning
I'm drowning for your love
There was a shuffling of feet somewhere behind Isabelle and she opened her eyes to see the figure standing before her. Her eyes widened at the sight, she allowed her eyes to wander gracefully over the new Mark Reed. A person she hadn't seen in years, her old friend and first love.
Mark smiled when he saw Isabelle standing peacefully looking him over. He was doing the same thing, his grin growing wider when he met her eyes.
The oxygen paints all your fingertips red
Theres the car, by the bridge where nobody goes
Keep on laughing, keep on laughingwith every blow
Is it wrong to be so evil with so much joy?
Keep on laughing, keep on laughingwith every blow
And these screams keep on bringing me out of my sleep
Thats what she said when she hit her final blow
"Mark." Isabelle stated his name and smiled at his nod even though it wasn't a question.
She walked forward and collapsed into his embrace. He was warm and inviting, Mark rubbed his hand on her back as she buried herself more into his shirt.
"I've missed you." Mark told Isabelle hearing a muffled 'me too.'
Isabelle shut her eyes enjoying the peaceful quiet that had become of their relationship. Mark in turn shut his as well also soaking up the reunion.
She lied, she didn't lived at all
A question with no answer
And now it is resolved
She lied, she never lived at all
We'll keep on laughing, keep on laughing, keep on laughing
"I'm so sorry." Mark apologized as Isabelle pulled away from him.
"I understand." Isabelle airily spoke to him.
Mark took Isabelle's hand in his own and she led him back to her car. He sat in the passenger side and continued to hold her hand even as she drove.
I was drowning for your love
I wasstranded and waiting for your touch
Would I do it all again? (Yeah!)
Would I do it all again?
I was drowning for your love
I wasstranded and waiting for your touch
Would I do it all again? (Yeah!)
Would I do it all again?
Forher dead body
Forher dead body
"Where are we going?" Mark asked Isabelle not wanting to break the content silence.
"Home." Was Isabelle's reply as they drove on to her apartment where years of happiness between the two would make up for the ten year absence.
That's just my fluffly little aftermath piece. Anyway thanks for reading this story and I hope you check out any of the other stories I've written and the new story that I'm going to start working on once summer rolls around. Other than that I'm probably just going to do a bunch of one-shots for 'Lost' so you can read those too.
Thanks once again for reading this story!
Poison Like Your Own - Rookie of the Year - The Goodnight Moon