[6]
It had been two days since Sydney quit her job at the CIA; since she had said goodbye to the only life she knew.
She didn’t have it in her to look for a new job just yet. She had money saved, and Sydney wanted to spend some time to mourn his death properly.
As she wondered around Los Angeles, she couldn’t help but feel emptiness. She visited
their places, but the memories were now like a plague on her mind.
Everywhere she went, something reminded her of him and she had to fight an inner battle not to start sobbing violently.
Sydney knew what she needed. She needed to move. She needed to get away from LA; perhaps permanently. Of course, she would miss her friends and even her parents, but she truly felt a change of scene would help her get the closure that she needed.
So, making a decision, she called her dad and arranged a dinner where she could break the news to him.
Thursday night, at seven, she carefully walked the cobblestone path that led up to her childhood home.
Ringing the doorbell with her free hand and clutching to the bottle of wine in her left, she waited for the door to swing open.
She was shocked when her dad opened the door with a ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron on. Smiling - a rare occurrence as of late - and kissed his cheek as she handed him the bottle of wine.
Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting around the long dining room table, only taking up two of the ten chairs.
They were silent for a few minutes before Jack decided he needed to make a confession.
“What is it, Dad?” Sydney asked confused, as she took a bite of her dad’s specialty - pasta primavera.
Jack took a deep breath. “The day before... the day before Agent Vaughn was killed, Sloane approached me and said that there was a CIA agent that was jeopardizing our operation and he wanted him terminated.”
“Oh God.” Sydney gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she felt tears prick her eyes.
Jack looked down, unable to meet her eyes. “He told me the name - it was Michael Vaughn - and he told me to get rid of him as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Sydney stood up, unable to hear anymore.
“So you just listened to that bastard. You killed an innocent man. You are no better than Sloane.” Sydney shook her head, wiping furiously at the tears running down her cheeks. “I bet you enjoyed it. I bet you got some perverse thrill from killing the man that your daughter loved; the man that you didn’t think was good enough for her.”
Sydney took a deep, calming breath before angrily hissing, “I hope you’re happy. You ruined all my chances of having a happy life.”
“Sydney, I didn't do it.”
“Save it. He's dead isn't he? If you didn't do it, who DID?” Sydney angrily stormed out of the room. "Don't even bother trying to explain, I'm used to you lying to me. I can't believe you would kill him though." Sydney groaned in frustration.
“I guess now is a good time to tell you that I’m moving and I
never want to see you again.” She said, slamming the front door behind her as she ran out of her father’s house.
I deserved that. Jack concluded as he stared at the spot Sydney had just occupied.
Jack sighed, knowing he would have to live with his decision for the rest of his life. He knew that his daughter had taken her former handler’s death really hard. He had even heard her friend Will tell Agent Weiss that she cried herself to sleep every night... still. It had been four months. Jack had hoped that Sydney would have moved on by now.
She obviously hadn’t; there was nothing he could do about it now, though.
Like they say, hindsight is twenty/twenty.
~
Sydney slammed the door of her and Francie’s apartment with an angry hiss as she stomped into her bedroom and threw an assortment of clothes into her rolling suitcase.
She put some jewelry in her box and paused when she say the necklace hanging on a small hook in the box.
It was a gold chain with an angel hanging from it.
It was their second Christmas together, and this year Sydney had gotten him something. She wanted to make up for forgetting the year before and searched endlessly for something that he would like.
When she saw an auction selling LA King’s jerseys and such, she instantly knew she had to check it out.
“I got you something.” She told him with a bright smile. His mirrored hers as he took the bag with a large Santa decorating it.
He pulled out a jersey with ‘Vaughn’ written on the back and the number twenty-seven, the number he had used in high school (He had told her that fact once, while telling her about his peewee team.) “Oh my god, Syd. This is amazing. I love it.”
“There’s something else in there.” She said with a gentle push, eager to see his reaction. He smiled curiously, raising an eyebrow as he dug through the tissue paper. He pulled out a hockey puck with a triumphant grin. Giving it a glance over, he recognized the signatures covering the black disk.
“Syd, wow. This is too much. I don’t know what to say.”
“Thank you is traditional.” She told him with a smirk.
Vaughn grinned. “Thank you. Wow.” He muttered, eyeing his gifts once more as he pulled Sydney into a hug.
“I got you something too, hold on. It’s in my car.” He said, running out of the warehouse and returning a moment later with a small, black velvet box.
Sydney gave him an inquisitive grin as he handed her the small box. She carefully undid the green and red bow, and opened the rectangular box.
She gasped when she saw the contents. It was a gold chained necklace. She lightly fingered the pendant; it was in the shape of an angel.
“Now your guardian angel can always be with you.” He told her.
Tears pricked Sydney’s eyes as she hugged Vaughn, embracing him tightly. “It’s gorgeous. Thank you.”
She kissed his cheek softly, leaving her lips burning as she pulled away. Before either could say anything, her pager went off, signaling that she was needed at Sd-6.
With a sympathetic grin, Sydney quickly said goodbye to her handler and cursed the damned beeper for ruining their moment.
Sydney had worn the cherished gift everyday. She always kept it with her, but four months earlier when she had heard the news, she couldn’t look at it without crying.
She had put it away in the back of her jewelry box, not needing another reminder of him.
Clasping the necklace around her neck and carefully placing the precious picture frame he had given her on top, she zipped the suitcase and said goodbye to the life she had known in LA.
:lol: Hahah..