littleangel
Cadet
So, this is my entry for the holiday fanfic contest. I hope you like it ^_^
For a Day
“I can’t believe this.” Sydney muttered under her breath while stomping through the deep snow, “This is just great. Really great.”
Sighing, she looked up at the sky, wishing it would at least stop snowing. They had been walking for hours now and she was freezing. And if that wasn’t enough already, it had started snowing half an hour ago.
“There has to be some kind of civilization soon.” Michael tried to assure her, hoping she wouldn’t get any angrier than she already was. Realizing that she wasn’t in a mood to talk, he had let himself fall back a few steps, so that Sydney was now walking in front of him.
“Oh really?” Sydney turned around and glared at him, “If I remember right, you already said that two hours ago.”
“Okay, well I did, but that doesn’t change the fact that some time there should be a village or at least a house.” Michael replied, sighing lightly as Sydney just gave him an annoyed look, turned around, and continued walking.
Half an hour later, he could hear her mumble again, “I can’t believe the CIA can’t rent cars that work.” Then she turned at Michael and gave him a meaningful look.
“It’s not my fault the car stopped working.” Michael tried to defend himself half-heartedly, knowing he wouldn’t win anyway. Not when Sydney was that moody. Though he had an idea as to why Sydney was being so angry.
“Well, you could have checked before hand.” Sydney pointed out. So maybe that was a bit unfair but at the moment Sydney didn’t really care about that. She was more than angry and she planned on staying that way.
Right now they were in the middle of nowhere in North Sweden. The CIA had been on their way to get their hands on a CD with information about KGB agents and allies, and of all the agents, Sydney and Michael had been sent to retrieve it.
Unfortunately their car broke down miles away from the last and the next village and, of course, their cell phones didn’t work either. Having no other choice they started walking and here they were. To make the situation even worse, it was a day before Christmas and it didn’t look like they would make it home in time. And that meant spending Christmas with Michael and not her dad like she had planned.
“I’m sorry, okay, Sydney?” Michael stated frustrated, though it felt like he was apologizing for something else entirely.
“Whatever.” Sydney shrugged.
“Look, I know, what I said in Korea and then did back at home wasn’t right.” Michael hurried to catch up with her so that he was now next to Sydney.
“Whatever.” Sydney kept her eyes on the road and the sites, looking for any sign. Maybe that way she wouldn’t have to talk because right now she wasn’t really in the mood for that discussion. And she doubted she would ever be. So, he basically told her that he loved her when he thought they were dying only to run back to his wife. Who cared? She didn’t. And some day it would sound convincing.
“I’m sorry, okay.” He sighed, grabbing her arm to make her look at him.
Sydney stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him, “I don’t care, okay? No need to explain.”
“Fine,” Michael grumbled and let go of her, “Let’s find a place to stay.”
“Your best idea so far.” Sydney mumbled and started walking away.
***
“Finally,” Sydney sighed when one single house appeared in her sight.
“We can’t just go in there.” Michael tried to reason with her, though he was very inclined to do just that. It was getting darker and even colder.
Sydney glared at him and asked harshly, “Oh really, what are we going to do instead? Camp outside and freeze to death?”
“Fine, let’s go look if someone is there. If not, we can still break in.” Michael told her.
“Deal.” Sydney said and walked to the door, ringing a few times. When no one opened, she figured no one was home and opened the door her own way.
She didn’t even bother to turn around to tell him to follow her inside and just stepped into the house. Michael sighed and wondered how exactly they would survive the night together without killing each other. “That was quick.” He said once he stopped next to Sydney, who was taking a look around the living room.
“Well, I know what I’m doing and I’m good at it.” Sydney replied and walked away, “There’s not much here, seems like the owners haven’t been here in quite a while.”
She crossed the room and walked towards the fireplace, running a finger over the rim of it. When she reached the edge and pulled it away, it was covered in dust. The furniture was still there and it looked as if it was only used at a certain time of the year.
Curious as to what else there was, she left the room and walked through the house, looking into each and every room.
“Do you think this is right? Going through their personal belongings?” Sydney jumped when she suddenly heard Michael’s voice.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Sydney said threatening and turned around, “We’re spies, we do it all the time.”
“Yeah, but never without a reason.” Michael tried to object.
Sydney rolled her eyes and sighed, “I’m looking for a phone, there you go.”
“Any luck?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, there’s one in the room next door.” Sydney replied and turned away from him again, hoping it would give him the sign to leave her alone. She couldn’t stand having him close to her. Not anymore, not after what had happened.
“I guess I’ll just try to call the CIA.” Michael said and disappeared.
Sydney took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. She knew she had to at least try to be civil but she just couldn’t. It hurt too much seeing him with Lauren again. He had told her that he loved her, for god’s sake. And then he suddenly changed his mind and stayed with Lauren.
How many times had she wished she could spend Christmas together with Michael? Though every time she had dreamt about that, he was divorced and they were happy together. This was as far away from that wish as possible.
When she left the room, she noticed another door she hadn’t opened yet. When she did so, she saw that there were stairs up to the attic behind it. She quickly made her decision; they would be stuck here until at least tomorrow so why not busy herself? Plus, she put more distance between her and Michael. Slowly she walked up and looked around.
A lot of old furniture was placed there, boxes and boxes, containing books and some clothes. On one of the shelves in the back of the attic she found an old dusty locket. It looked pretty. Sydney reached for it and carefully opened it. Inside were black and white pictures, showing two people, a man and a woman.
The first one was from a wedding, both smiling happily. On another one the same pair was on a beach and Sydney figured it probably were their honeymoon. A couple of similar photos followed, each one showing happy faces. The last photo showed the woman, resting her hand on her now swollen belly, grinning into the camera.
Looking at all the pictures, showing exactly what she had wanted for her life, her life with Michael, she had to swallow hard to fight back the tears that she felt forming in her eyes.
“Here you are.” She could hear him breath out in relief.
“What? You thought I left or what?” Sydney quickly wiped her face, making sure that it wasn’t wet and Michael couldn’t see how she was feeling.
“No,” Michael shook his head in response, “I was just worried.”
Sydney’s face hardened even more, “You don’t have to, I’m not your responsibility anymore.”
Michael wanted to reply that, even though he stayed with Lauren, she was still the most important person in his life but he sensed that it probably would be the worst he could say right now. Taking a closer look at her, he noticed her slightly red eyes. “Are you alright?”
“I’m just fine.” She snapped at him, “It’s the dust.” She began putting the photos back into the locket.
“What do you have there?” Michael asked and stepped closer.
“Just some old pictures.” Sydney replied and placed the last one in it. Before she could close it, Michael could take a glance at the last one, showing the pregnant woman. Now Michael knew what had upset Sydney even more.
“We should talk.” Michael said softly after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You made your decision.” Sydney wished her voice hadn’t cracked while saying that because that only showed Michael how much it had hurt her. She felt her eyes water again and attempted to leave before Michael would see them.
But Michael had other plans and grabbed her arm to stop her, pulling her close to him. “I’m sorry,” He mumbled into her hair. “I…”
“Don’t.” Sydney said quietly and tried to push him away. But of course she had no such luck. Michael only tightened his grip.
“I never meant to hurt you.” He whispered into her ear and gently rubbed her back. It was that gesture that made Sydney finally break, tears now streaming down her face. Her sobs became heavier and Michael continued rubbing soothing circles, pulling her to a couch to sit down, letting her cry.
***
The next morning Sydney found herself lying next to Michael on the tiny couch. He had an arm wrapped around her and still seemed to be sleeping. At first Sydney tensed, feeling Michael so close but then she relaxed, enjoying being so close to him again, even if it was just for a few more minutes.
When she felt him move behind her, she turned around and looked at him, “I see you’re awake now.” She offered him a small smile. After yesterday, she could at least be nice to him today.
“Yep,” He yawned, “Merry Christmas, Sydney.” He leaned closer and kissed her softly on the forehead.
“You too,” Sydney smiled at him. Surprised she felt Michael pulling her closer to him, snuggling her to his chest. Willingly, she let it happen. Even if it didn’t change anything, she could still pretend to have what she wanted the most.
Even if it was only until their rescue team arrived.
For a Day
“I can’t believe this.” Sydney muttered under her breath while stomping through the deep snow, “This is just great. Really great.”
Sighing, she looked up at the sky, wishing it would at least stop snowing. They had been walking for hours now and she was freezing. And if that wasn’t enough already, it had started snowing half an hour ago.
“There has to be some kind of civilization soon.” Michael tried to assure her, hoping she wouldn’t get any angrier than she already was. Realizing that she wasn’t in a mood to talk, he had let himself fall back a few steps, so that Sydney was now walking in front of him.
“Oh really?” Sydney turned around and glared at him, “If I remember right, you already said that two hours ago.”
“Okay, well I did, but that doesn’t change the fact that some time there should be a village or at least a house.” Michael replied, sighing lightly as Sydney just gave him an annoyed look, turned around, and continued walking.
Half an hour later, he could hear her mumble again, “I can’t believe the CIA can’t rent cars that work.” Then she turned at Michael and gave him a meaningful look.
“It’s not my fault the car stopped working.” Michael tried to defend himself half-heartedly, knowing he wouldn’t win anyway. Not when Sydney was that moody. Though he had an idea as to why Sydney was being so angry.
“Well, you could have checked before hand.” Sydney pointed out. So maybe that was a bit unfair but at the moment Sydney didn’t really care about that. She was more than angry and she planned on staying that way.
Right now they were in the middle of nowhere in North Sweden. The CIA had been on their way to get their hands on a CD with information about KGB agents and allies, and of all the agents, Sydney and Michael had been sent to retrieve it.
Unfortunately their car broke down miles away from the last and the next village and, of course, their cell phones didn’t work either. Having no other choice they started walking and here they were. To make the situation even worse, it was a day before Christmas and it didn’t look like they would make it home in time. And that meant spending Christmas with Michael and not her dad like she had planned.
“I’m sorry, okay, Sydney?” Michael stated frustrated, though it felt like he was apologizing for something else entirely.
“Whatever.” Sydney shrugged.
“Look, I know, what I said in Korea and then did back at home wasn’t right.” Michael hurried to catch up with her so that he was now next to Sydney.
“Whatever.” Sydney kept her eyes on the road and the sites, looking for any sign. Maybe that way she wouldn’t have to talk because right now she wasn’t really in the mood for that discussion. And she doubted she would ever be. So, he basically told her that he loved her when he thought they were dying only to run back to his wife. Who cared? She didn’t. And some day it would sound convincing.
“I’m sorry, okay.” He sighed, grabbing her arm to make her look at him.
Sydney stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him, “I don’t care, okay? No need to explain.”
“Fine,” Michael grumbled and let go of her, “Let’s find a place to stay.”
“Your best idea so far.” Sydney mumbled and started walking away.
***
“Finally,” Sydney sighed when one single house appeared in her sight.
“We can’t just go in there.” Michael tried to reason with her, though he was very inclined to do just that. It was getting darker and even colder.
Sydney glared at him and asked harshly, “Oh really, what are we going to do instead? Camp outside and freeze to death?”
“Fine, let’s go look if someone is there. If not, we can still break in.” Michael told her.
“Deal.” Sydney said and walked to the door, ringing a few times. When no one opened, she figured no one was home and opened the door her own way.
She didn’t even bother to turn around to tell him to follow her inside and just stepped into the house. Michael sighed and wondered how exactly they would survive the night together without killing each other. “That was quick.” He said once he stopped next to Sydney, who was taking a look around the living room.
“Well, I know what I’m doing and I’m good at it.” Sydney replied and walked away, “There’s not much here, seems like the owners haven’t been here in quite a while.”
She crossed the room and walked towards the fireplace, running a finger over the rim of it. When she reached the edge and pulled it away, it was covered in dust. The furniture was still there and it looked as if it was only used at a certain time of the year.
Curious as to what else there was, she left the room and walked through the house, looking into each and every room.
“Do you think this is right? Going through their personal belongings?” Sydney jumped when she suddenly heard Michael’s voice.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Sydney said threatening and turned around, “We’re spies, we do it all the time.”
“Yeah, but never without a reason.” Michael tried to object.
Sydney rolled her eyes and sighed, “I’m looking for a phone, there you go.”
“Any luck?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, there’s one in the room next door.” Sydney replied and turned away from him again, hoping it would give him the sign to leave her alone. She couldn’t stand having him close to her. Not anymore, not after what had happened.
“I guess I’ll just try to call the CIA.” Michael said and disappeared.
Sydney took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. She knew she had to at least try to be civil but she just couldn’t. It hurt too much seeing him with Lauren again. He had told her that he loved her, for god’s sake. And then he suddenly changed his mind and stayed with Lauren.
How many times had she wished she could spend Christmas together with Michael? Though every time she had dreamt about that, he was divorced and they were happy together. This was as far away from that wish as possible.
When she left the room, she noticed another door she hadn’t opened yet. When she did so, she saw that there were stairs up to the attic behind it. She quickly made her decision; they would be stuck here until at least tomorrow so why not busy herself? Plus, she put more distance between her and Michael. Slowly she walked up and looked around.
A lot of old furniture was placed there, boxes and boxes, containing books and some clothes. On one of the shelves in the back of the attic she found an old dusty locket. It looked pretty. Sydney reached for it and carefully opened it. Inside were black and white pictures, showing two people, a man and a woman.
The first one was from a wedding, both smiling happily. On another one the same pair was on a beach and Sydney figured it probably were their honeymoon. A couple of similar photos followed, each one showing happy faces. The last photo showed the woman, resting her hand on her now swollen belly, grinning into the camera.
Looking at all the pictures, showing exactly what she had wanted for her life, her life with Michael, she had to swallow hard to fight back the tears that she felt forming in her eyes.
“Here you are.” She could hear him breath out in relief.
“What? You thought I left or what?” Sydney quickly wiped her face, making sure that it wasn’t wet and Michael couldn’t see how she was feeling.
“No,” Michael shook his head in response, “I was just worried.”
Sydney’s face hardened even more, “You don’t have to, I’m not your responsibility anymore.”
Michael wanted to reply that, even though he stayed with Lauren, she was still the most important person in his life but he sensed that it probably would be the worst he could say right now. Taking a closer look at her, he noticed her slightly red eyes. “Are you alright?”
“I’m just fine.” She snapped at him, “It’s the dust.” She began putting the photos back into the locket.
“What do you have there?” Michael asked and stepped closer.
“Just some old pictures.” Sydney replied and placed the last one in it. Before she could close it, Michael could take a glance at the last one, showing the pregnant woman. Now Michael knew what had upset Sydney even more.
“We should talk.” Michael said softly after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You made your decision.” Sydney wished her voice hadn’t cracked while saying that because that only showed Michael how much it had hurt her. She felt her eyes water again and attempted to leave before Michael would see them.
But Michael had other plans and grabbed her arm to stop her, pulling her close to him. “I’m sorry,” He mumbled into her hair. “I…”
“Don’t.” Sydney said quietly and tried to push him away. But of course she had no such luck. Michael only tightened his grip.
“I never meant to hurt you.” He whispered into her ear and gently rubbed her back. It was that gesture that made Sydney finally break, tears now streaming down her face. Her sobs became heavier and Michael continued rubbing soothing circles, pulling her to a couch to sit down, letting her cry.
***
The next morning Sydney found herself lying next to Michael on the tiny couch. He had an arm wrapped around her and still seemed to be sleeping. At first Sydney tensed, feeling Michael so close but then she relaxed, enjoying being so close to him again, even if it was just for a few more minutes.
When she felt him move behind her, she turned around and looked at him, “I see you’re awake now.” She offered him a small smile. After yesterday, she could at least be nice to him today.
“Yep,” He yawned, “Merry Christmas, Sydney.” He leaned closer and kissed her softly on the forehead.
“You too,” Sydney smiled at him. Surprised she felt Michael pulling her closer to him, snuggling her to his chest. Willingly, she let it happen. Even if it didn’t change anything, she could still pretend to have what she wanted the most.
Even if it was only until their rescue team arrived.
Nice one parter!