Hey guys. Here's another update.
The last and final update (which is a 2-part epilogue) will be up on Wednesday or Thursday morning before I leave for my cottage. I wanted to wrap these up before I leave for a week or so.
Enjoy.
Chapter 14
"This is boyscout, base do you copy?"
"Copy that boyscout, what's your position?"
"I'm in front of the west entrance to the building, do you detect any hostiles near this position?"
"No hostiles, repeat no hostiles. The only human energy reading is in the third room to the right."
"How many do you detect, base?"
"We read 4 possible hostiles, repeat 4."
"Copy that base, boyscout prepared to enter the building."
Michael made sure his gun was loaded and turned to guide the rest of his team into the building. They walked silently through the abandoned halls and stopped outside the third door on the right side of the building. Inside, men’s voices could be heard. One of them was Mr. Sark’s voice. Michael inwardly groaned and signaled to his men to break down the door.
There was such massive commotion in the room. Chaos broke out. Three men were down within seconds, but Sark ran out through a secret doorway. Vaughn was the only one who noticed, and followed him through. He then found out where the door led to; outside.
Sark and Vaughn stood in the middle of a field outside the warehouse. “Agent Vaughn, how wonderful to meet you finally. Sydney spoke so highly of you the last time we met,” he said with a smirk. “Tell me, how is she these days?”
“You son of a bitch!” Vaughn screamed out at him. “Don’t you frackin talk about her that way!”
Sark took out a gun and aimed it at Vaughn’s chest, “Do I detect some feelings Agent Vaughn?” Vaughn’s jaw clenched and Sark smirked and sighed, “Well, I see she has captured another heart. She is perfectly beautiful, isn’t she?”
Michael grunted as Sark hit him in the shoulder with his gun. Vaughn retaliated with a quick kick to the gut, causing Sark to collapse to the ground. Vaughn got out his gun and fired at him, missing by mere centimeters as Sark jumped out of the way. “You’re aim is off,” Sark laughed, “You’re a horrible shot, you know?”
“You were never good enough to breathe the same air as her,” Vaughn grunted, “You betrayed her.”
“I didn’t betray her, I simply didn’t tell her the truth, from the beginning. She had no idea who I was.”
Vaughn kicked Sark on the side of his head and Sark collapsed again. Vaughn jumped on top of him and punched the other side of his head, causing it to snap back. He broke his nose and then pinned him below him with his arm.
“Don’t you wonder?” Julian asked as he was pinned below Vaughn’s arm, “Do you ever think about it? What she’s really like” Michael fired a shot, hitting Julian in the chest. He collapsed on the ground with blood pouring out of him, “She wasn’t any good,” were his last words.
Vaughn collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. It was over. Sydney was safe again. Sark could never come after her again.
* * * * * *
“Vaughn!” Sydney screamed when she saw him two days later. “You’re ok! Oh god,” she sighed and began to cry, “Dad told me that you were in the hospital and I thought… I thought…” she began to sob. Vaughn got up and pulled her into his arms.
“I’m ok Syd, I’m just exhausted. And I broke my clavicle, that’s why I’m in here.”
“What about… you know.”
“Him?” Sydney nodded, “You don’t have to worry about him, ever again.”
“What do you mean? He’s in prison? Because he can just get out of prison. He can escape, and then I know he’ll come because he would blame me for everything, right? I mean, I’ll never be safe from him, not as long as he’s alive,” she said quickly, not letting Michael get a word in.
“Syd, when I said you don’t have to worry, I meant it. He’s… he’s gone.”
Sydney frowned, “Did he do this to you?” she wondered with tears in her eyes. Michael frowned and nodded, “Is it bad, that I’m happy he’s gone?”
Michael shook his head, “No, it’s not bad. He was a horrible person, and I couldn’t stand to hear him talk the way he did about you.”
“He talked to you about me?”
“Syd,” Michael sighed, “I’m not going to talk about him. You can, but I won’t. It has nothing to do with my recovery, and if I talk about him, it’ll probably set things back for you.”
Sydney sighed, knowing what he was saying was right, “Fine, we won’t talk about him.”
“Let’s find something else. How have you been?”
“I’ve been doing well. My therapist said that I’m improving quickly, and I haven’t been lying about my feelings with her, so that’s a plus.”
“Yeah,” Michael said with a smile, “That’s really great, Syd. You’re getting better, it just takes time.”
“I guess. It’s just frustrating.”
“I know,” he said before reaching out for her hand.
“I think that time away from you was good, though…”
“Seriously?” Michael said a bit hurt, “I didn’t know you felt that way. Maybe I should just… I don’t know, see you less?”
“What?” Sydney gasped, “No! I didn’t mean it that way, I just meant that maybe one day a week we shouldn’t see each other for now, I think my mom misses me or something… that’s all I was trying to say. When you were away I went to a movie with her and we went shopping and we went for walks to get ice cream and stuff, it was nice to spend time with her.”
“Oh, I get it. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. I just… I really love spending time with you.”
“I know,” she sighed, “And I love spending time with you, too. I just need to spend a bit more time with mom. She misses me.”
“You know what?” Michael asked, “You should go for a holiday with her, maybe go with your dad too. That could be pretty nice.”
Sydney nodded, “You know what, that sounds like a great idea! I’ll talk to my parents tonight.”
“Okay.”
Sydney sighed and grabbed onto Michael’s hand, “I’m happy you’re ok.”
“I’m happy I’m ok, too. I’m sorry for scaring you like that.”
“It’s your job that scares me. I know that you’ll do everything you can to come back safely.”
“I do. I really don’t want you to worry about me.”
“It comes with the territory.”
“You should speak with my parents about that.”
“They worry, too?” she asked.
“Of course. They know what it’s like. My dad used to work with the CIA, too.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. He left when he almost died on a mission. He told me that it was the ‘rude awakening’ that he had needed.”
“Maybe that should show you something,” Sydney hinted.
“Syd,” Michael sighed, “I’m not quitting my job just because I broke my collar bone.”
“I know,” Sydney groaned, “I guess I’ll have to settle with worrying about you forever.”
“Forever?” Michael said with a smile.
“As long as you’ll want,” Sydney smiled.
“Forever sounds good to me,” he laughed.
“Well,” Sydney sighed, “I’d better go see my parents; they’re waiting for me in the hospital cafeteria.”
“Save them from their impending doom. Don’t eat the chicken!” he laughed as she walked towards the door.
Before leaving, she stopped and smiled back at him, “Be safe, feel better.”
“I’ll get better, just you wait and see.”
“Good.”
Michael sighed when she left the room, “Oh, I’m in
so deep.”
Chapter 15
Over the next month, Sydney and her mother planned a trip for the two of them to go on alone. There was a theatre festival in a nearby town, and both were very interested in going, so they bought tickets and booked a hotel room.
Sydney fell in love with the small town. It made her feel safer than the big city that she lived in, and she vowed to move there someday, or some place like it.
There was a small house that she had fallen in love with the moment she saw it. She actually stopped and stared at it for fifteen minutes. It was perfect. In her mind she saw herself watering the plants, wrangling up children playing in the front yard, and a car driving into the driveway with Michael Vaughn getting out and kissing her after a long day at work. It shocked her, because that was the first time she had thought of a future with him, in that way.
When her mother dragged her off to see the play, she kept thinking about him; about the daydream that she had had. Maybe there was a future for them.
* * * * * *
4 months later
“Syd,” Michael started one morning in December, “There’s something I want to ask you.”
“Yeah?” Sydney wondered what he could be wanting to ask her. It was unusual for him to be nervous about something, now. They had been hanging out for a long time now, and had become great and dear friends.
“I don’t know if it’s too soon, but my parents are having a Christmas party next week, and I was wondering if you’d like to be my date.”
“Okay!” Sydney said quickly.
Michael laughed, “You don’t need time to think about it?” he asked.
“No,” she sighed, “I’ve kind of been thinking about it a lot recently, and I think I’m ready.”
“You really are?”
Sydney nodded, “I am.”
“Well, um… that’s perfect. I’ve told my parents about you, and they’re really wanting to meet you.”
“I’ve been wanting to meet them, too. When is the party?” she asked.
“Saturday, so… 5 days.”
“5 days?!” Sydney screeched, “I have to go shopping! I don’t have anything to wear!”
Michael laughed, “Syd…”
“Don’t laugh Vaughn! I don’t have anything nice, I still don’t have anywhere near the amount of clothes I should have for a real life.”
“Well, it’s a formal party, so you can go shopping for something nice.”
“What are you wearing?” Sydney asked.
“I’m being forced by my mother to wear a tux.”
“Oh, god. My first black tie event. I’m nervous, but excited.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
Michael pulled Sydney into his arms and started brushing her hair between his fingers; something very intimate for her, and it was the first time she had done this with him. “Michael?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you, for everything.”
“It was nothing Syd. I’d do anything for you.”
“Even… buy me a pony?” she joked.
“No, not a pony… well maybe I’d get you to ride a pony at the petting zoo or something.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
“Good to know.”
* * * * * *
Saturday Night
“Michael, it’s nice to see you again,” Jack Bristow said as he invited Michael to come into the house. He was right on time. He was
always right on time.
“It’s nice to see you too,” Michael replied.
“I don’t think I need to give you the threatening speech about hurting Sydney, now do I?” Jack asked.
“No sir, I think we both know that I would never hurt Sydney, and I would do anything in my power to protect her.”
“I know that, and I trust you.”
“Thank you sir,” Michael began to say something else, but halted when he saw Sydney walking down the stairs with her mother trailing behind.
She was glowing in a long black gown with a v-neck. There was fabric wrapping around her waist, and the skirt was long and flowing. She smiled at him and at the bottom of the stairs, she twirled around in a circle, and her skirt spun out around her. “I can’t believe it. You look so beautiful,” Michael sighed.
Sydney blushed and looked down, “I’ve been practicing all week in the heels,” she said with a laugh.
“Well, I couldn’t tell. You look flawless.”
Sydney reached out for his hand, and they just looked into each other’s eyes, getting lost for a moment, before Jack coughed, breaking them out of their gaze.
“Well, I guess we should be going,” Michael blushed.
“Be back by 3:00 AM please, Michael.” Laura sighed.
“Have a good time, you two.” Jack said before they left out the front door.
Once Sydney and Michael had left, Jack and Laura sat down on the sofa together, “She’s going to marry him,” Laura sighed.
Jack laughed, “How can you tell?”
“You didn’t notice?” she laughed, “They were just like us, when we were first dating.”
“It couldn’t have been that, you must have been imagining things.”
“Jack, stop it. You’re just in denial that our baby is grown up.”
“She is, isn’t she?” he sighed.
“Yeah, she is.”
* * * * * *
“So, Sydney, remember, you can ignore anyone here… just please try and accept my parents, they’re a little insane.”
Sydney laughed, “You’ve met my parents, right?”
“Point taken,” Michael laughed. Sydney grasped his hand as the door opened.
“Michael!” an older woman greeted happily.
“Hi maman,” Michael said in return. Michael’s mother guided them into the house, which was one of the biggest Sydney had ever seen the inside of.
“You look wonderful tonight, sweetheart,” then she looked over at Sydney and smiled, “And who is this beautiful young woman?” she asked.
Sydney blushed, “Maman, this is Sydney Bristow.”
“So, this is the Sydney that you have been talking about non-stop.”
“Maman,” Michael groaned.
“Michael!” they heard from across the room. A man came towards them who must have been Michael’s father, because the resemblance was obvious. “Good to see you son; you look healthy.”
“Yes, dad. I am perfectly healthy. Sydney sees to it that I am well taken care of.”
“So, I take it that this is Sydney,” he started, “She’s even more beautiful than you had told us, my boy.”
Sydney blushed again, “Thank you for inviting me tonight, it really is my pleasure.”
“Well, let’s see that you get a drink,” Michael’s mother suggested.
“Oh, I don’t drink Mrs. Vaughn,” Sydney said.
“Well, I’m sure we can find something non-alcoholic somewhere here. And please, call me Amelia.”
“And me William,” Michael’s father suggested.
* * * * * *
“Dance with me,” Michael said as he pulled her onto the dance floor.
“I have no choice,” Sydney said with a laugh. “You know, I’ve never actually seen a ballroom inside someone’s home before.”
“Yeah, this place is pretty big.”
“It’s beautiful though,” Sydney stated.
“Not as beautiful as you,” Michael breathed before kissing her softly.
She
May be the face I can't forget
A trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
She may be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day.
She
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
A smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell
She
Who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
She may be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I'll remember till the day I die
She
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I'm alive
The one I'll care for through the rough and ready years
Me I'll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is
She, she, she
* * * * * *
Sydney’s dress
Sydney’s shoes:
(OH GOD I WANT THEM)
Lyrics: Elvis Costello (MY IDOL OF THE DAY!) – She
So sad to see this going. But I'm one of those people who just has to finish things and then move on.
See you again soon!
~Anja
