Chapter 47
That evening, Sydney and Vaughn drove to Tijuana separately. Once there, they met at a CIA safehouse Vaughn knew about. Of course, the CIA still knew nothing about this little ‘escapade’.
Vaughn handed Sydney a comm. link and she put it on. That was how they would communicate once inside the building. One last time, they reviewed the details of the operation.
“We’ll meet outside the building afterwards and come here together to get our stuff,” Vaughn concluded.
The address Khasinau had given Sydney was that of a large storage facility, not unlike the one she and Vaughn met in. They hadn’t spoken much on the way there, each being focused on their own thoughts about what might happen. But it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. When they arrived and were about to separate, Vaughn suddenly spoke:
“Syd?” he whispered loudly and then waited for her eyes to meet his. “Good luck.”
“You too,” she said with a small smile.
***
Once alone, Vaughn made his way to a backdoor and successfully disabled the alarm. Carefully, he entered. He would be inside the building to help Sydney if anything went wrong but there wasn’t much more he could do and that was killing him. At least he was still in contact with the help of the comm. link.
He could hear Sydney arriving at the main entrance of the building and being greeted by a man who addressed her in Russian.
“Your boss is waiting for me,” Sydney said coldly.
“I know,” Vaughn heard the man reply, right before a muffled sound resonated in his ear.
A surprised gasp escaped from Sydey’s lips and Vaughn felt his pulse speeding. He then heard the guard telling another man to help him carry her.
Doing his best to stay calm, hoping Sydney would be okay, Vaughn went after her.
***
Sydney had no idea how long she had been out when she woke up, handcuffed to a chair and staring at a tall, dark-haired man.
“You’re Alexander Khasinau.”
Silently, Khasinau nodded and prepared to leave. But Sydney wasn’t going to let him go that easily.
“Wait! I have questions for you.”
“You can ask my boss,” he simply replied.
Sydney was astounded.
“Your boss? I thought "The Man" was the boss.”
“Yes. Yes, but I am not "The Man."”
This time, Sydney was too surprised to say anything and Khasinau left the room. But the door remained opened and a woman entered.
Sydney’s couldn’t believe her eyes. The slender frame, the long brown hair, the chocolate eyes that looked so much like her own… No, it couldn’t be…
“I’ve waited many years for this,” the woman suddenly said.
Hearing that voice made Sydney’s last doubts disappear.
“Mom???” she could only manage to say.
Her eyes shining and her face resolute, Irina Derevko took a step towards her daughter.
“You must have known this day would come.”
Sydney felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her mother was standing right there! She pretty much looked the same way she had looked 20 years prior and that was enough to make Sydney feel dizzy. She did her best to use her compartmentalizing skills, to see the woman as a criminal rather than as her mother.
“That doesn’t mean I was looking forward to it, “Sydney was able to reply coldly as she took notice of the gun Irina was holding in her right hand. “Why did you lure me here?”
“You’re my daughter, Sydney. I wanted to see you. To help you.”
Sydney was assailed by many contradictory feelings. On one hand, it just felt surreal to hear her mother’s voice after so many years. It brought back a multitude of memories… A part of her really wanted to believe her mother’s affirmations, to believe that she really loved her.
But her rational side knew that the woman in front of her wasn’t Laura Bristow. It was a woman controlling an illicit organisation, a woman who right now was keeping her daughter captive and who was holding a semi-automatic weapon.
“Oh, sure. That’s why I’m now handcuffed to a chair. Nice reunion… Mom,” she added sarcastically.
Irina didn’t appear to be either surprised or hurt by Sydney’s words. Speaking calmly, her intense gaze never wavering from her, she went on:
“Sydney, I know you’re a double agent. I know it’s making your life hell. I want to help you be free again.”
Although she was taken aback by the fact that her mother knew about her double agent status, Sydney didn’t let it show.
“And how are you going to do that?” she asked sardonically.
“You could come and work with me.”
“You’re a criminal.”
“I’m only taking the necessary means to achieve my goal.”
“Which is..?”
“To save the world, Sydney.”
Sydney almost burst out laughing. Great. Her mother was as crazy as Sloane…
“This organisation is about to disappear. It doesn’t fit my needs anymore,” Irina continued. “In a few minutes this building will explode. I could make it seem as though you died here.”
“No way!”
“Would you say ‘yes’ if I were to do the same for Agent Vaughn?” Irina asked with a little smile playing on her lips.
Sydney was shocked once again. Her blood instantly froze as she struggled to imagine how Irina could know about Vaughn.
“What??? How do you know about him?”
“After I saw that security footage from the Vatican and then his concern when he found you lying on the floor in Barcelona, I did a little research…”
“You were still there? But they searched the whole perimeter…”
“I hadn’t seen you in years. I stayed a few moments but was gone before the other agents arrived. Besides, I knew you were being taken care of,” Irina said with a knowing grin.
Sydney said nothing.
“Do you love him, Sydney?” Irina then asked more seriously.
Sydney’s jaw was clenched when she replied:
“None of your business.”
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. So, what do you think about my offer?”
“I told you before: you’re a criminal! I’ve had enough of working for those to last a lifetime. And I’ve got to destroy the Alliance in order to save Dad. Your once grieving husband, remember him?”
“I expected that your loyalty would go to him,” Irina said lightly, but unable to hide the sadness in her eyes. Pointing her gun at Sydney, she removed the handcuff and handed her a portable hard drive.
“Here, take this.”
Sydney looked distrustful but nonetheless took the drive.
“What is it?”
“Everything you need to make the Alliance history. I had a source at SD-6. That’s how I knew you were going to be in Nepal, amongst other things.”
“Why would you give me this?” Sydney asked suspiciously.
“Well, it can’t be bad for my own business,” her mother said with a smile. “But the main reason is that I want you to be free and happy.”
Somehow Sydney had a hard time believing this. But she didn’t have time to think about it much since at this moment Khasinau entered the room.
“We found her partner,” he said.
Irina let show a hint of surprise.
“We didn’t see him coming in… What did you do with him?”
“We just locked him up in the East room. I figured the explosion would take care of him anyway.”
“Good. Is the place now empty?”
“Yes. But you still have time. There are about 15 minutes left,” he indicated.
“Thank you,” Irina replied.
But before Khasinau could do so much as blink, Irina raised her gun and shot him in the middle of the forehead. He slumped to the floor, dead.
Sydney was horrified. Irina glanced at her and explained:
“He knew who you were. He also wanted me dead. There aren’t 15 minutes left on the countdown. I checked. In four minutes this building is going to explode. We don’t want the CIA to find anything about us. Sydney, you have to go now.”
“Not without him.”
“I’ll find him. Trust me.”
“That’s a ridiculous thing to be asked by you.”
Irina ignored her daughter’s distrust.
“You and Vaughn have worked too hard to lose now. Go, I’ll get him,” she said again.
Sydney shook her head as she got up.
“No, I’ll come with you.”
But her mother’s voice turned sharp.
“No, you have to put this to safety, first. Follow that corridor,” Derevko said in an imperative tone.
They were wasting time and Sydney knew it. If only she had known where Vaughn was exactly! She could have gotten to him on her own. But she understood her mother’s reasons: she didn’t want to be caught alone with those two CIA agents, thus compromising her own escape. Sydney had no choice but to trust her mother.
“Tell Vaughn I’ll see him at the safehouse,” she said, heading outside the room.
“Sydney?” Irina said softly.
Sydney looked at her mother silently.
“I love you.”
The clouds in her eyes seemed to indicate that she was telling the truth, but Sydney only turned around and began to run down the corridor, hoping that trusting that woman wouldn’t turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life.
***
Meanwhile, Vaughn was desperately trying to free himself from his ties. He had to get to Sydney. That was all he could think about. The bump on the back of his head hurt, but he didn’t care.
Earlier, as he had been trying to find her, a guard had knocked him down from behind. When he had regained consciousness, he had found himself here in this room. Since he had lost his comm. link, there was no way for him to know what had happened to Sydney.
He was getting restless when suddenly he heard footsteps. Expecting to see a guard or maybe Khasinau enter the room, he was stunned to recognise the woman standing in front of him.
“Irina Derevko,” he stated, knowing her from the old KGB pictures he had seen.
“Agent Vaughn, how nice to finally meet you. I knew your father, did you know that?”
Vaughn was shocked but he tried not to let it show and didn’t answer her question.
“What do you want? Where’s Sydney?”
“She’s waiting for you at the safehouse,” Irina explained as she quickly untied him, her gun firmly pointed at his head. “We have to hurry, the building is going to explode in a minute.”
“So now you’re helping the CIA?” Vaughn said as he got up. Irina was still aiming her gun at him.
“Not the CIA, Mr. Vaughn. My only concern is my daughter. She has suffered enough because of me. I’m not going to be responsible for the death of the man she loves.”
Vaughn stopped all movement at her words and stared at Irina. Sydney really loved him? And how did Irina know? Had Sydney really asked her mother to save him?
Irina studied Vaughn’s reaction for an instant, the look of wonder on his face at the possibility of her daughter being in love with him pleased Irina. She felt sure Sydney would be safe and happy with this man.
“Come on, there is no time to waste,” she said, pushing him towards the exit.
Unsure if Derevko was telling the truth, he hesitated to leave Sydney behind. He briefly gazed at Irina and unexplainably, his instinct was to trust her. For now.
He nodded and they hurried outside the building. Once out, they continued to run, going far enough to make sure they wouldn’t get hurt. When they finally stopped, Irina spoke again.
“Take care of my daughter, Mr. Vaughn.”
He nodded almost imperceptibly and asked:
“What about you?”
“Don’t be concerned for me.”
Just as she finished her sentence, the building exploded in a loud series of bangs. As Vaughn turned to watch, Irina knocked him down with the butt of her gun. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Quickly, knowing the firefighters and the police would probably be there shortly, she hid Vaughn in the bushes and escaped.
***
Sydney had arrived at the safehouse a few minutes ago. She was sitting in the dark, worried sick about Vaughn. About a hundred times, she had calculated how much time he would need to get here. Anyway she looked at this, he should have arrived by now.
What a fool she had been to trust her mother! The woman she had met with wasn’t Laura Bristow, the loving mother she had known, but Irina Derevko, the mastermind behind a criminal organisation. How could she have left Vaughn’s fate in her hands??? How could she have been that stupid???
Right at that moment, Sydney heard noises on the porch. Quickly, she grabbed her gun and hid in the shadows. Her heart was beating rapidly. Was it Vaughn, or someone sent to kill her?
The handle turned and the door slowly opened.
“Hands up!” she yelled as soon as the man came in. It was so dark she couldn’t see his face.
“Syd!” he exclaimed, relief lacing his voice.
“Vaughn!” she could only say as she almost threw her gun away and ran towards him. He took a step, too, and in the moonlight coming from the window she finally saw him.
They were on a collision course and fell in each other’s arms. They hugged tightly as Sydney felt tears sting her eyes.
“Vaughn, I thought you were…” but she was unable to finish as emotion overwhelmed her. She had been so afraid of losing him!
“I know, I know, shhhh…” he uttered as he smoothed her hair with his hands, extremely relieved to find her unharmed.
They stayed that way for a few minutes, drowning in the wonderful feeling of being together, before pulling back from the tight embrace without actually letting each other go. Vaughn was aware of Sydney’s glistening eyes watching him a moment as he trailed his eyes over her barely lit form. Her hand moved effortlessly across his chest to rest upon his heart and she found it had a strong, fast beat. It seemed to get faster, stronger and she felt as though she were holding his very heart in her hand. She met his eyes and with one hand remaining over his heart she took his hand and guided it, knowing he would find her heartbeat just as fast, just as strong. Sydney saw the upturned corners of Vaughn’s smile as the moon illuminated them softly. She smiled back at him; a smile full of such emotion, of such happiness she had never experienced, she’d never known existed. Right at this moment, Sydney knew without a doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Vaughn. Suddenly it was as simple and as clear as that.
As he leaned in to meet her mouth with his own, she knew she trusted him and she knew she couldn’t resist him in this moment. She needed him so much and that was all she needed to know for now.
She responded instantly to his deep kiss and no more was required for him to totally lose himself into her. In the faint moonlight, she looked just like an angel, his angel. Even if she was now in his arms, their bodies moulded into one form again as they held each other closely, he still couldn’t help thinking that he could have lost her tonight. That thought was just unbearable, as life without her was inconceivable. He was so overwhelmed by the love he felt for her that he wasn’t even thinking about what his hands were doing; he just trusted his senses.
Vaughn was first to draw his lips away, but only so he could plant soft kisses along her jaw line. Like it was the most natural thing in the world, his hands sneaked beneath her sweater. Sydney couldn’t repress a moan of pleasure and it encouraged him further. Drunk from the sensation of her warm body against his, all he wanted right now was for her to know just how much he loved her, to know just how incomplete he was without her in his arms. Never leaving her delicate skin, Vaughn’s hands went from behind her back to her sides.
He settled his hands on her hips, which she couldn’t help but grind into him. Even if he had tried, he wouldn’t have been able to repress the aroused moan her gesture drew from him.
Through her relieved tears, Sydney smiled blissfully and she felt herself push forward slowly again as her body took over. In conveying her own desire to him, Sydney didn’t miss the physical evidence of his. She was aware that the point of no return was nearing as her need for him grew rapidly. But the intoxicating combination of excitement and security she was experiencing, meant that there was no possibility of her wanting to stop this. She lowered her hands to his own hips to steady him as he too was becoming overwhelmed.
But before this went too far, there was something Vaughn had to say. Using every scrap of willpower left within him, Vaughn stopped her movements. His green eyes searched for hers and when they found them he said:
“Syd, if you had… If you hadn’t made it…”
His voice broke but he went on:
“I would have regretted it all my life if I hadn’t told you… I’m falling-”
He briefly interrupted himself as he shook his head.
“No, I’m not falling. I’ve fallen a long time ago… I’ve fallen in love with you really hard.”
While she already knew that he cared for her, hearing him say the words made her knees feel weak. Tenderly, she cupped his face and, her voice shaking with emotion, she replied:
“Vaughn… Before today… I knew you were a big part of my life… But now I know that you ARE my life.”
If it was even possible, he hugged her tighter and they kissed so tenderly, so lovingly that there was no possible doubt about their feelings for each other.
When the need for air became impossible to ignore, she looked at him and they both smiled, both knowing that they wanted the same thing, that they needed it more than anything. Forgetting all about the words SD-6, Alliance and protocol, he turned back to lock the door behind him before taking her hand and leading them further in the darkened house.
***
i really hope SD-6 gets taken down soon!
*jumps up and down* Sure it's mission-ish related and all that... But DUDE! TOGETHER!
