The Life We Always Wanted
Set during Syd's missing years. This fic follows the show's timeline up until Syd goes to see Kendall after escaping from the Covenant. She goes to see Vaughn, and things go differently… (so, no waking up in Hong Kong finding Vaughn married, just to clarify)
Disclaimer: I don't own Alias or any of the characters.
Chapter 5 – Real Life
An hour into the plane ride, the effects of the gas started to wear off and some of the Covenant operatives were waking up. Time to give the most convincing performance of my life. In order for me to have my life back, without the Covenant trying to kill me for knowing too much, I had to pretend not to remember anything about the past two years.
"Where am I?" I sat up, looking confused.
There were seven other people chained to benches in this holding cell, as well as two guards I hadn't seen before.
"You're on a plane headed to America. In the custody of the US government." One of the guards told me.
"There must be some mistake – I work for the government. My name is Sydney Bristow, I'm a CIA agent."
"Get Agent Bristow in here now" one of the guards told the other "he wanted to be notified the minute she woke up."
The guard left, and returned almost immediately with my father.
"Dad, what's going on? Why am I chained up?"
"Sydney… you're OK. I'm so glad you're back."
"Back? Where have I been? Dad, tell me what's going on!"
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"I…I was fighting with Francie in our apartment. Dad – she's the second double."
"I know sweetheart. Since that night – it's been more than two years."
"What!?!?"
"You were kidnapped by the Covenant. They faked your death and brainwashed you. You've been working for them ever since." He paused "We thought you were dead. When we found out you were alive, we set up an operation to get you out. Apparently, the gas that knocked you out somehow reversed your brainwashing."
"Where's Vaughn? How's Will? What happened to the double?"
"Vaughn's in the other room; he rescued you. Will's fine, no permanent damage. And Francie's double is dead. You shot her when you fought." Then my dad turned to one of the guards "Agent Roberts, please release my daughter."
The guard came into the cell, undid my chains, and let me out. I immediately ran to my father and gave him a hug.
"I missed you Sydney" he said
"I missed you too daddy" I whispered.
Then we walked into the comfortable area of the plane.
"Jones, Rodriguez, Rowinski" The three agents looked up when they heard Jack Bristow calling them "I need you in the back, the prisoners are waking up." They immediately walked out, leaving only Vaughn, Dixon, Weiss, and Marshall in the room with us.
"They all know" Vaughn said to me, and I immediately relaxed. I don't think I've ever been so happy to be on a CIA plane. I looked at their smiling faces: Dixon, my partner at SD-6, who finally came to work for the CIA; Marshall, the op-tech guy who made my extraction box, along with many other gadgets; Weiss, a fellow agent and friend; my father, who would do anything for me; and Vaughn, the love of my life and father of my child. What amazing people I have in my life!
"It's so good to see all of you" I said "thanks for getting me out." I hugged each of them, remembering that until a couple weeks ago, most of them thought I was dead. When I came to Vaughn, of course I kissed him.
"And here we thought Mike was moving on" Weiss said with a smile.
"He's that good of an actor, huh?" I questioned
"Well, it helped that we thought you were dead." Weiss replied
We spent the rest of the plane ride catching up, and just enjoying each other's company. I sat next to Vaughn; I think his arm was around my shoulder the entire flight. It felt amazing to be myself again. To have real friends and not worry about my double life. Yes, I knew I still had to debrief with Kendall when we got back, and I have to pretend I don't remember the hardest two years of my life. But at least my closest friends know the truth. And somehow, we'd leak to the Covenant that I didn't remember anything about Julia so they wouldn't have to "eliminate" me as a security risk. I could finally have my life back.
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Relief washed over me as we walked into Vaughn's apartment the next evening. We never really discussed it, but we both assumed I'd stay at his place, at least until we worked out something more permanent.
They had kept me at JTF for hours. First, it was debrief. Then, they had to run every test imaginable on me, just to prove I was really me. Vaughn was there waiting for me when I finished. Aside from a quick trip to drop off his stuff at his apartment, he had been there the whole time. Isn't that sweet? Somewhere in the time I was at JTF, Lauren had learned of my reappearance and memory loss. After she reported that to her superior, the CIA brought her in on charges of treason. So she was out of the picture for good.
"It feels so good to be here" I told Vaughn "and not in some hotel room in a foreign country."
"Now that you're here, I don't think I'll ever let you go."
"mmmmmm… I like that sound of that" I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. We sat on the couch – there was no need to hurry tonight, we wouldn't be separated in a few days.
"So what do you want to do with your first free evening in almost two years?" Vaughn asked me.
"Spend it with you – here. Even though I was hardly ever at your apartment when we were first dating, this feels like home. And I haven't spent a quiet evening at home in years."
"I like the sound of that" he said with a smile
"Though I do have some plans for tomorrow"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I want to see my ob/gyn about the baby. I haven't seen a doctor yet… Do you want to come?"
"Of course"
"And I told my dad I'd have lunch with him. After all, I haven't seen him in a couple years."
"Excellent idea. I know he missed you a lot."
"And since I finally get to be Sydney Bristow again, I want to go to the salon and get my hair back to it's real color."
"Definitely"
"What, you don't like blonds?"
"I love you – no matter what color your hair is."
"Well, maybe I should make it purple and spikey." I smiled "you did ask me out on our first date while I was wearing that crazy wig."
"Men in love will do stupid things – like date the girl with the crazy hair. But Syd, I just want you to be you – and to be happy." With that, he leaned over and kissed me tenderly. "Just don't make any plans for dinner. I want to cook for you."
"Like a date?"
"Yeah, we haven't had one of those in a while. In fact, I think you need to stay out all afternoon. Here," he got his wallet out of his pocket "take my credit card and buy yourself a stunningly beautiful outfit."
"Now that sounds like fun." I said, taking the card from his hand. After a moment I added "do you think it would be weird if I went shopping with Will? I would have gone with Francie… and I haven't seen Will in two years" I learned from people at the agency that Will was still working as an analyst for the CIA.
"He probably doesn't even know you're alive. I'm his contact, and I haven't said anything."
"Really! This will be fun. Can you set up a meet? I'll surprise him and then haul him shopping. The fact that I'm alive should be enough to make him not hate the shopping part. You don't think his new girlfriend will mind, do you?"
"She won't mind. She seems pretty understanding. Besides, it's not like you're trying to steal her boyfriend."
"No, I've already got one of those." I said, pulling Vaughn in for a kiss. "I love you"
"I love you too."
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The next day
"So, Vaughn and I went to see the doctor this morning."
"How's the baby?"
"Just fine. No ill effects from that gas."
"Marshall will be glad to know that."
Why are conversations with my dad always slightly awkward? I haven't seen him in almost two years, but all we can discuss is work. Here we are eating lunch at our favorite deli, trying to get reacquainted.
"How far along are you?"
"Almost seven weeks. As long as I get plenty of rest I can continue working, at least for now."
"Have you thought about what you'll do after they baby's born?"
"I can't keep going on ops all the time. I don't want to be-" I stop myself. Oops
"the kind of parent I was when you were young." He finished
"I didn't mean it like that. I just want to be around my child. I might go out in the field occasionally, to keep my skills sharp. But I was thinking of working with the new recruits. I know a lot of tricks that someone might find helpful."
"I think you'd be good at that."
"I have to discuss it with Vaughn first though."
Silence. Come on dad, I'm having his baby!
"Dad, he's the one who kept me sane this past year. I don't know if I could have done it without him. I love him so much. And I'm so excited to be having a baby with him. I wish you could accept that."
"It's a hard thing to accept. When he started seeing Ms. Reed, I hated him. He said he loved you, but he was moving on so quickly. It's hard to change those feelings. But I can tell he loves you, so I'm trying." He paused "I'm glad you're finally happy Sydney."
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I made sure to wait until Will was at the meeting place before coming out. At least my hair was brown again and with the extensions my hairstylist gave me, I actually look like myself. We were meeting in the warehouse, the one Vaughn and I used to meet at. Apparently, they set this as their standard spot because it made them feel closer to me.
"Hi Will." I said, stepping out of the shadows.
"Syd?" He looked confused
"Yeah, it's me."
"No, it can't be – you're dead." He pulled out a gun. Seriously, they gave Will a gun? "I know about project Helix – I know who you are." He held the gun steadily, aimed towards me.
"Will, listen to me" maybe this whole surprise thing was a bad idea. "I was kidnapped two years ago – they faked my death, planted the DNA." He looks hesitant "When we thought you were a double, you told me to ask you something only Will would know. Ask me something, ask me something obscure.
"When I had my job interview for the newspaper, something happened to me that day. I told you about it. What was it?" The edge to his voice scared me, plus he still had the gun pointed at me.
"Someone bumped into you on the elevator. They spilled coffee on your knew white shirt. You were freaked but Lytvak said it made you look like a working reporter. She gave you the job." He let down his guard for a second, and I used to opportunity to get the gun.
"You know that if I wanted to hurt you I could. You're my best friend, my oldest friend. I love you"
"Then why are you aiming the gun at me?" I dropped the gun "Oh my gosh" Before I knew it, we were hugging. "You're alive"
I pulled away from him "I spent the past year and a half working undercover with the Covenant, but everyone thinks I don't remember it. The only people who knew I was alive were Kendall and Vaughn."
"The whole time, he knew?"
"Not the first nine months. But we've been working together since then."
"Just working?" Will knows me so well.
"No, not exactly. Actually, we're having a baby."
"Wow, Syd, that's amazing! You look really happy."
"Yeah, I am. Actually, Vaughn's making me dinner tonight. He told me to go buy a dress. Will you come shopping with me?"
"Shopping, you want me to go shopping?"
"Yeah. I know it's a girl thing, but I don't exactly have any girls to go with right now."
"Sure, I'll come. Then you can come get ready at my place. I want to you meet my girlfriend Abby. Then maybe you'll want to go shopping with her the next time"
"Tell me all about her" I said as we walked out of the warehouse together.
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"So, how was your first day back in real life?" Vaughn asked me as we sat down on the couch with our coffee.
"Amazing." I smiled "starting from the moment I woke up in your bed with you next to me. And we got to hear our baby's heartbeat."
"That was amazing. How was lunch with your dad?"
"It was pretty good. A little awkward at times, but I guess that's normal. And you know, I think he might actually be okay with our relationship."
"Really?!"
"Yeah, he said he could tell how happy I am. And I think he knows that you're a huge part of that."
"I'm glad he's okay with it, I know how important that is to you." I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And obviously, the salon and shopping trip were successful. Have I told you how beautiful you are?"
"Yeah, maybe once or twice."
"How did the surprise with Will go?"
"He pulled a gun on me."
"No!"
"Yeah, he thought I was another double."
"I guess I can see how he would think that. Even the CIA tested you"
"But it was really good to see him again. And Abby is really nice. At least, after Will explained why he was bringing some strange woman back to their apartment. She even helped me get ready for our date. We should have dinner with them sometime…"
"Sure, that sounds nice."
"But you know what the best part of my day was?"
"What?"
"Coming home to you – and this wonderful dinner." I smiled, remembering what happened just an hour before
I rang the doorbell as if it was just any old date. Vaughn had opened the door, a bouquet of roses in hand, then stood there speechless.
"What, don't I get to come in?" I asked, grinning. The dress obviously had the intended effect.
"Of course. Sydney, you look beautiful. Stunning. Sexy. Gorgeous… Here these are for you." He said, handing me the roses. Then we shared the most amazing kiss.
"I have a present for you"
"Vaughn, you didn't don't need to give me anything." I said, as he pulled a rectangular box out of the drawer in the coffee table.
"Actually, it's yours – I'm just returning it." Inside the box was the picture frame he had given me for Christmas after we had first met. I must have looked stunned because he added "it's the only thing that survived both the fire and the fight. I know the picture is a little singed, but I couldn't replace it" Inside the frame was a picture of us, taken right after we started dating.
"Thank you Vaughn – this is the best present ever!"
"Syd, that frame survived the fire, just like we've survived so many obstacles. I don't know what the future holds, but I know I want to spend it with you." He paused, reached into the pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a small black box. He opened it, revealing a sparkling princess cut diamond ring.
"Oh my God, Vaughn" I gasped
"I love you so much. Sydney Anne Bristow, will you marry me?"
Without even a moments hesitation I replied "YES!" and gave him a short kiss. Then I added, a little quieter, "Yeah, I want to marry you. I love you Vaughn" With that, he put the ring on my finger and pulled me in for a long, deep kiss.
6/6