Oh, two minutes to spare. I made it!!!
Sydney quietly stepped outside the hotel room and walked a few feet from the door, and by her car. She wrapped herself up into her night robe tightly, feeling the cold air quickly pick up. She closed her eyes as headlights approached her. The approaching car stopped, in front of her and the man behind the wheel shut off the car and stepped out. "Hey...are you alright?" he asked, concerned.
Sydney nodded and smiled as Vaughn approached her. "I just...had a really bad dream, I guess."
"A dream?"
"Yeah...I was, standing in my old house when Nadia walked in and pointed at Isabelle..." Sydney paused and looked at Vaughn painfully. "Who was dead."
Vaughn's throat tightened as the words took effect. "And Vaughn," Sydney continued. "She blamed me. Nadia said that I killed Isabelle."
"Syd..."
Vaughn grabbed Sydney and pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly. "It was just a dream, okay? Isabelle is alive, and she's well."
"I know, but Vaughn...I can't help but get the feeling that something isn't right. That something terrible is going to happen."
Vaughn gently touched Sydney's face and reassured her, "Nothing is wrong, okay?"
Sydney nodded and wiped away the few tears that slid down her cheek. "Do you think things could've been better?"
Vaughn looked at her curiously. "What?"
"That maybe...if Isabelle wasn't taken from us, that we would've made it to the restaurant?"
Vaughn flashed her a smile. "We would've had our date?" Sydney nodded and Vaughn's smile quickly went away. "I don't know."
"How was the wedding?"
"It was good. Nadia and Weiss, you know..." Vaughn trailed off.
They were once like us, Sydney thought. All the emotions between her and Vaughn came flooding back to her all at once, and she actually thought for a second that she would faint. "We used to be like that," Sydney said quietly.
But Vaughn heard her. "Things change Sydney. Just like you said to me, people change."
"Yes, but Vaughn..." she pointed to the hotel room. "We can't keep this up forever."
Vaughn nodded at once. "So...what do you want to do about it?" Sydney shook her head, unsure, then Vaughn cracked a smile. "I could take him out. Randy, you know, then you won't have to make a choice."
Sydney smiled at Vaughn and he laughed half heartily. Without any signs, or warnings, Sydney kissed him, and he let her. Vaughn longed for her, and he needed her strength. Through the kiss, he tried to tell her all of that. She must have understood his pain, because she broke the kiss and backed away from him. "I'm sorry."
Vaughn looked at her confused. "For what?"
"I shouldn't have done that."
"Sydney..."
"I'm with Randy, Vaughn."
Vaughn closed his mouth and nodded slowly. "Yeah..." He walked back towards his car and Sydney called after him. "I'm sorry." Vaughn didn't reply. Hurt and angry, he couldn't. He wanted Sydney back and with the safe return of his daughter, he thought Sydney would want him as well. Randy was the painful reminder that she had moved on.
Too quickly he thought. Starting his engine and pulling away from his true love, from Sydney. Vaughn thought,
This Randy guy is too good to be true, he has a secret, and I will find it.
From the window, Randy watched Vaughn pulling away and saw Sydney staring painfully after him. It was then that he knew in his heart that Sydney stilled loved Michael Vaughn. So either Sydney was conflicted between him and Vaughn or she knew the truth about him and Irina. Either way, he wouldn't go down without a fight.
The next morning, Sydney and Randy dressed, ready to go to APO to learn of any new Intel regarding the Hand. Sydney had told Randy earlier that she needed to speak to their tech support, Marshall Flinkman. Randy thought the man was out of place in APO and the people that he worked with. He had never seen him in action before though so he was curious as to why Sydney had always spoken so highly of the little man. Randy searched through his bag as Sydney walked back into the room from the bathroom. "Have you seen the aspirin?"
Randy looked over his shoulder at her. "No...you still got a headache?"
"Yeah." Sydney continued to search for it to no avail.
"Hey," Randy said. "I got something that'll help." He got up and went to the sick. He poured a cup of water, then went back to his side of the bed and searched in the bag again.
"What," Sydney said. "Your giving me illegal drugs or something?" she joked
Randy smiled. "Something like that. I think I got something in here that's like a tea, knock that headache right outta ya." Sydney grinned at him. "Can you get me a washcloth please?" Randy asked
Sydney walked into the bathroom to get the wash cloth, and Randy looked after her. When she was out of sight, he pulled out a tiny vial with a orange liquid in it. Opening the vial, he poured the liquid into the water, then put the vial back into his bag. The water made a hissing sound, then stopped, turning the water into a tea looking color. Sydney walked back into the room and handed him the washcloth. He smiled, taking it and handed her the water. "Here ya go." Sydney took the water and drank it. When she was finished, Randy took the cup from her. "How ya feelin'?" Sydney paused for a moment then said, " I still have the headache." Randy smiled at her again. "It'll go away, give it a sec." He walked back into the backroom and rinsed the cup. He looked in the mirror and saw Sydney holding her head, as if she was in pain. Randy smiled softly to himself.
The crayons sat, untouched. The book, unopened. Water was heard dripping from the ceiling as the little girl kept her arms folded across her chest. Irina entered and looked at Isabelle as if she were to be worshiped. As if she were the eighth wonder of the world. Isabelle made no notion of Irina however. "Are you not going to color?" Irina asked her. Isabelle's eyes slowly met her grandmothers. "I want my Mom and Dad," she replied. Irina nodded, understanding. "They'll be here soon," she said.
Isabelle didn't move. "I want to leave here, I want my Mom and Dad, now!"
Irina didn't flinch.
Temper, temper. Irina looked at Isabelle, then turned and walked out the door. She walked down the hall and into another room. One, that had bars around it. Irina stood outside and smiled at the person inside the caged room. "Are you being treated well?" she asked. The man in the room only sneered at her. He stepped forward, into the light and looked Irina dead in the eyes. "If you hurt Sydney," he said, "I will kill you with my bare hands." Irina stepped back at smiled at him. "Jack," she said, "I would never hurt our daughter. Not yet, anyways."
Short, I know...but, it does offer a lot, doesn't it?