Author: Kristina AKA: spy41
Disclaimer: I don’t own Alias or the characters expressed in this story. The storyline, however, comes from my own imagination.
Timeline: After Season 2
Setting/Place: Part I – Los Angeles, Part II – Los Angeles, Part III – Rome.
Summary: After returning from a two-year absence, Sydney Bristow vows revenge on those who betrayed her, and those who took her life from her.
A/N: Yes, this is my second attempt at the challenge, i didn't like the way the other one was going, so this is my official entry. Enjoy
Written for the March/April AllAlias.com Romance Fan Fiction Challenge.
~I’ll Be Seeing You~
~Part I of III~
The soft ocean breeze blew into her house; causing the pure white curtains covering the patio door to flutter and dance. For the third time that night she had woken up in a cold sweet, but unpanicked. Her nightmares grew less frightening to her as time had gone by. They almost became a second reality to her, taking her to a place she once was but couldn’t remember. Only in her dreams did she feel like she had a grip on her life, only in her dreams.
It had been nearly three days since her mind had been resurrected. Since she had stopped being Julia Throne for a short time and returned to the life of Sydney Bristow; a life that was no longer hers to live.
Upon returning she found things had changed considerably. Her friends were now replaced by sympathetic bystanders that didn’t know who she was. Her family was torn apart worse than it ever had been. And there were a thousand new enemies that had come out of the woodwork following her absence.
Change was something she was used too, but never had it been more painful, heart-breaking, and soul-shattering. So she thought about doing the only thing she could do – leave. She had it planned out perfectly in her mind; she wouldn’t leave a note, wouldn’t take anything with her. She would leave everything as it was, as if one day she would return.
She’d been pushed entirely too far. They pushed her to utter desolation and beyond, and she vowed revenge on her own life. She didn’t care if it killed her, if it caused her more emotional pain in the long run, she’d make the people that took her away from her life pay. She’d torture them in ways they never thought possible, torment them, blackmail them, ruin them.
Sydney Bristow no longer existed to the outside world, she was just another star on the white marble wall at Langley; a has-been government agent that died in a tragic fire in May of 2003. Julia Throne was born the day after, emerging from the ashes and taking on the role of one of the most notorious assassins in Europe.
This is how criminals were born, through hatred, and neglect. Through the lack of love and the lack of respect. This was one situation she didn’t blame herself for; the only one.
Her morbid thoughts of her former life were interrupted when there was a hard knock at her door. She listened to the knuckles pound into the wood, causing echoing sound waves to move through her nearly unfurnished living space.
She slowly sat up and threw the white covers off of her legs. The knocking continued in patterns of threes as she sat there. She didn’t know who would be bothering her at such a ludicrous time in the morning. She reached under her pillow and grabbed her 9mm pistol and released the safety. She walked through the house and over to the door. Without peaking through the peephole, she started undoing the gold metal chains securing it. A moment later she had the door open and had her gun gripped tightly at her side, she never went anywhere without it, not anymore.
She was surprised to see him standing in front of her, especially since she hadn’t told him where she had been relocated. His eyes moved down from her face to the gun she yielded in her right hand. He watched her thumb lock the safety into place again and she set it on one of the boxes near the door. She stepped off to the side to let him enter.
“Come in.” She told him softly. Once he was far enough inside she closed the door and locked it up again. She flipped on the light near the door and watched him as he looked around.
“How’d you find me?” She asked him. He was silent for a moment, but then turned away from her empty living room and looked at her.
“Eric told me you were just a few houses down.” He said.
She nodded.
“I’m sorry, I woke you up didn’t I?” he asked. She shook her head.
“No, actually you didn’t.” She told him softly. “Why are you out so late though?”
He looked down at the wood floors for a moment. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He told her earnestly. He looked back into her eyes. “I guess the two years away from you have finally made me not want to leave anything else unsaid. I’m tired of waiting for something else to happen.”
“What are you talking about?” She asked as she picked up her gun and walked over to the kitchen. She set it on top of the counter as he followed her a few feet behind.
“I love you.” He said. She froze, unable to move, unwanting too. “I’m pretty sure you already knew that, but I needed to say it.”
She placed her hands on top of the counter and looked down. “You know what I realized when I woke up this morning?” She asked him. He stood there and watched her. “I realized, in all this craziness, you’re the only person who’s changed for the better. You’re the only person who hasn’t moved on without me.” She raised her head again and turned her head towards him.
“And that surprises you?” He asked.
“No,” She said. “I’d never expect anything less.”
He nodded. Not being able to take it anymore, he stepped forward and carefully slipped his arms around her, trying to take away some of the pain he knew she still carried from her disappearance.
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m just afraid it’s not going to be enough to make me want to stay.” She told him. She felt his breathing halt and he pulled away slightly to look at her.
“What?” He asked.
She looked down from his pained eyes and rested her hands on his chest, playing with the tight muscles hidden under his white cottony t-shirt.
“I can’t stay here anymore, Michael. There’s too much, too many memories that I wish to forget. If I stay, the people that did this are never going to be brought to justice.” She said.
“Sydney….”
She looked up at him. “I’m sorry.” She told him. “But I can’t give you anything. I’m not who I was before. And who I was before wasn’t me.”
His arms slipped from around her and fell limply at his sides. “This is what you want?” He asked.
She nodded.
He nodded in return. “When?”
“Tomorrow night.” She told him.
“Where?” He asked.
“Michael…”
“You atleast owe me that.” He said.
She looked down. “Rome.”
He nodded. She looked up at him, unbelieving that he was willing to let her go again.
He started walking toward the door, but halted and turned around.
“You are wrong about one thing though.” He said. “There were times when you were Sydney Bristow, not the spy, not the ‘banker’, just Sydney. Those are the memories that got me through two years of hell.” He told her. “I’ll be seeing you.”
And with that, he turned around and walked out of her home. He left her standing there, completely amazed.
----------Part II of III-----------
The morning after he had confronted Sydney was spent rather lonesome. He skipped his classes for the day and headed downtown to the local star bucks to find some energy in a tall white chocolate mocha that was calling his name.
As he waited in line his eyes settled on the woman behind the desk. She looked as though she didn’t want to be there and was finding it hard to smile as she was bombarded with customers yelling orders at her.
When she was facing her customers she would put on a façade, just for the job, just to look friendly. But once she turned away she would look depressed and saddened, as if she thought she’d never get out of the box, which was her life, that she was confined too.
He had found it easy to analyze her due to one reason. He’d seen Sydney the exact same way when he had met her. She never thought she’d get out of the life she had so dumbly chosen. He knew her fake smiles, they’d be small and wouldn’t show a hint of her impressive dimples. But when they were alone together, there wasn’t a time that he hadn’t seen them, she never hid from him, that’s what made him so proud to say that she was his. She wasn’t afraid.
As he walked up to the counter he caught a glimpse of the fake smile the girl flashed him. She asked him for his order, and he gave it easily. When it came time for him to pay he slipped her a twenty.
“Keep the change.” He told her.
A surprised look appeared on her face as she looked upon him. “Sir, I can’t…”
“One day,” He looked at her nametag. “Melissa. One day, life won’t seem to suck as much as it does right now for you. Trust me. Its gets better. In the end, today, tomorrow, and the next will pay off.” He told her. He grabbed a napkin on the counter and smiled. “You should consider acting.” He walked over to the opposite counter, picked up his coffee, and left through the same door he had come.
He picked a table outside. The sun was just starting to rise between the downtown buildings and it gave everything a warm glow. As he sipped his mocha, he looked over at an older couple next to the shop that were going through a stand full of flowers. He figured that they had to be in their seventies.
The older woman searched through the tulips as the man held the bouquets she had already picked out. He found it funny that at that age he would still be following his wife around, but he thought about it for a moment, and came to the conclusion that they were spending every moment they had left together.
They didn’t take time for granted. They didn’t put off going out and buying flowers saying, ‘We can do it tomorrow’. There were never any guarantees. He felt blessed to know about the lessons of taking things for granted at such and early age. He was 36, and as much as he thought he had experienced, he hadn’t. Yes, he had lost the woman he was in love with two years previous, but yet, he hadn’t experienced the feeling of watching his son or daughter be born, or being married in a small church back in France. He hadn’t experienced enough good and bad to realize that everything balanced out in the end.
For a moment he thought about what his life would be like if he grew old without Sydney. Sure, he may find someone else, he may fall in love again, and he may get married and have his own children. But what would the experience be without her? Would he be able to look into his wife’s eyes and see the same thing he’d see in Sydney’s? Probably not. When they said their vows, would he be able to feel as much joy and happiness promising his life to another woman other than Sydney? Again, probably not. And when they were old and wrinkly, would he go flower shopping on a Sunday morning in the city if it weren’t with Sydney? No.
He finally realized that he had to take his own advice. He had to stop trying to make sure no one made the same mistakes he did, and take a risk.
He watched the older couple walk down the sidewalk, retreating into the sunrise. The man slipping his shaky hand into his wife’s as they walked at a slow pace, people passing them easily in a hurry.
And so, he asked himself one final question.
Was Sydney the only person he ever wanted to hold so long as he lived? Far before his mind could answer the question, his heart made his decision for him.
--------Part III of III---------
It was October 1st and the beautiful European city alive and young. She’d only been there for two days and was just getting settled into the new life she found in Rome.
Her thoughts still lingered on Vaughn, and how exactly she’d found the courage to leave him back in LA. She knew it probably hurt him, to know that even though he was there, she still couldn’t find enough reason to stay. She regretted leaving him like she did, but what was over was over, she couldn’t change the past.
She smiled slightly, realizing that today would mark five years since she had met him. That evening, instead of spending another night alone in her new apartment, she decided to go to the one place he had always promised to take her the next time they were in Rome.
“Welcome to Trattoria De Nardi, follow me please.” The older man at the front podium told her. He led her to the one table that was set up outside on the patio.
“Excuse me,” She said as she looked at the beautiful setting. “As nice as this is, I don’t need such a beautiful table. I’m dining alone tonight.”
The man just smiled and set down the menu on the table in front of her, then another across from her. She was confused.
“Your waiter will be out in a moment.” He said. He smiled softly and started to walk past her when she set her hand on his arm.
“What is the meaning of all of this? Who set this up?” She asked worried. She didn’t know what to expect. Being a spy all your life makes you that more on edge and suspicious than a normal person.
The man looked at her. “I’m not allowed to say. I’m sorry.” He told her. He walked away and a few moments later a waiter came out.
“Good-evening. My name is Angelo, can I get you something to drink? Wine perhaps?” He asked.
She looked up at him. “That’ll be fine.”
“Would you like something eat?”
“No, not at the moment, just wine please.” She told him. She sighed and sat back in her seat. She played with the fine cloth napkin that sat on the table. She crossed her arms as a cool breeze blew by and caused goose bumps to appear on her arms.
Her waiter came back with a bottle of wine and a brown suede jacket. He filled her glass and set the wine in the pale on top of the metal cart next to the table. He then took the jacket that was draped over his arm and held it out to her.
“What’s this?” She asked taking it.
“I was told to tell you to put it on and that the inside pocket holds answers you are seeking.” Angelo left before she could ask any further questions.
Sydney stared at the jacket, it seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She slipped it around her shoulders and put her arms through the sleeves. It was too big for her, but she immediately got warmth from it, and she also noticed that it was still warm from its previous owner.
She stuck her hand inside the jacket and checked the pockets until her fingers brushed across a piece of paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it. Holding it up to the candlelight she started to read the familiar handwriting.
Two years ago you left my life just as quickly as you entered it. I didn’t get to say good-bye, and I wonder if I had, would it have been easier? I’ll never know that answer.
You told me that Sydney Bristow was just another alias for you, just another disguise. I hope you’re wrong, because I fell in love with that girl, and only her.
You’re confused right now, you feel lost, like the world has moved on without you and you’ll never catch up. I’ve never known you to give up, but that’s what you’re doing right now. You’re giving up.
I don’t care if you stay here in Rome, or if you move back to LA. I’ll still see you as the same person I’ve always seen you as. My feelings haven’t changed. And there’s a reason why you were thrown back into my life so suddenly.
Sitting downtown a few days ago, I finally realized that I don’t want to live my life without you in it. As happy as I might be if I ever moved on, I’d never experience such happiness as I do with you, even if it were for one day, one night.
I don’t care if you don’t want me here, because I’m staying. I’ve wasted too much time thinking that love will fix things. It does, but not by itself.
Like I told you almost three years ago at the train station, before we went to Taipei. I’m in, if you need me, or if you don’t. I’m in, and I’m not leaving.
Sydney finished reading the letter and was too fascinated by it to notice he was standing in the doorway. She set the paper down on the table and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the surface. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed softly as the wind chimes hanging from the wooden beams swayed and danced in the wind.
He slowly walked over to her and stood behind her chair. He leaned forward and placed his hands flat on the table’s surface. She immediately felt warmth surround her as he planted a soft kiss on her right ear. He nuzzled his face in-between the junction of her neck and shoulder and sighed.
“I love you, Sydney. So much. That’s why I did this.”
“How did you even know?” She cried. “How did you know I’d be here?”
“It was a guess.” He told her. “I just had faith.”
Upon hearing that word Sydney relaxed considerably and lifted her head up. She turned towards him slightly as he looked at her, still leaning over her form. She looked into his eyes.
“I can’t give you the life you deserve.” She told him.
“I don’t care what you can’t give me Sydney. What no one else can give me is you. All I ever wanted was you. That’s all I need for the rest of my life. I realized that when I lost you.”
“You’re sure? I wouldn’t be mad at you for walking away right now.” She told him. “You can change your mind.”
He pulled a chair over to her and sat down next to her. He leaned forward and took her warm hands in his own.
“I’m never going to change my mind. The only time I’d walk away is if you’re by my side. I’m always going to be at your side, for whatever we go through. There’s nothing we can’t get through that we haven’t already been through. You know that.” He said.
“Then what do we do from here?” She asked him. For the first time in their relationship she was asking him to make the decision, a decision she didn’t even know how to deal with or approach.
“Nothing.” He said. “We live day by day, we stop making plans, and start living by our hearts instead of the calendar. We’ve been through hell Sydney, we were tested and we came through the other side. This is our heaven.” He said looking around. “All of this. It’s our choice how long it lasts. It’s time we stopped living for other people, and start living for ourselves. No more CIA, no more aliases, just us. Two people finding meaning in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”
“We still won’t be normal, we still have our past.” She told him.
“Yes, our past will never be normal, but from today it can be. We can do things we would have never been able to do if we were stuck in our old lives. Get married, have kids, grow old together, watch one final sunset together before we say good-bye to this world that has caused us so much pain. We’ve served our time, Sydney. Three years ago you asked me when it would be over. Well, I’m telling you now, it’s over.” He told her.
“Vaughn…” She stopped. “You have a life in LA, you have friends, and family.”
“They’ll understand.” He told her.
“How do you know that? You can’t just leave people to be with me.”
“It’s my life, my decision. I came here because I want to be happy, and the only way that is ever going to happen for me is if I’m with you. You are my happiness.”
Sydney smiled softly. “Aren’t I the one that’s supposed to come up with the crazy ideas and the crazy excuses on why this is right?” She asked.
He laughed inwardly. “Yeah, well I think we’re way passed crazy.” He told her. She watched him as he poured himself a glass of wine and filled hers slightly higher. He picked up the two glasses and handed one to her. He stared at her for a moment before holding his glass up.
“To a normal life?” He asked.
She held up her glass as tears started to surface in her eyes.
“To a normal life.” She said. “Together.”
Of course, normality never lasts long, does it?
A tall, gray-haired man stood on the rooftop of a building across the way, a cell phone in one hand, and binoculars in the other. He pressed a button and held the small phone up to his ear.
“Phase two complete.”
Disclaimer: I don’t own Alias or the characters expressed in this story. The storyline, however, comes from my own imagination.
Timeline: After Season 2
Setting/Place: Part I – Los Angeles, Part II – Los Angeles, Part III – Rome.
Summary: After returning from a two-year absence, Sydney Bristow vows revenge on those who betrayed her, and those who took her life from her.
A/N: Yes, this is my second attempt at the challenge, i didn't like the way the other one was going, so this is my official entry. Enjoy
Written for the March/April AllAlias.com Romance Fan Fiction Challenge.
~I’ll Be Seeing You~
~Part I of III~
The soft ocean breeze blew into her house; causing the pure white curtains covering the patio door to flutter and dance. For the third time that night she had woken up in a cold sweet, but unpanicked. Her nightmares grew less frightening to her as time had gone by. They almost became a second reality to her, taking her to a place she once was but couldn’t remember. Only in her dreams did she feel like she had a grip on her life, only in her dreams.
It had been nearly three days since her mind had been resurrected. Since she had stopped being Julia Throne for a short time and returned to the life of Sydney Bristow; a life that was no longer hers to live.
Upon returning she found things had changed considerably. Her friends were now replaced by sympathetic bystanders that didn’t know who she was. Her family was torn apart worse than it ever had been. And there were a thousand new enemies that had come out of the woodwork following her absence.
Change was something she was used too, but never had it been more painful, heart-breaking, and soul-shattering. So she thought about doing the only thing she could do – leave. She had it planned out perfectly in her mind; she wouldn’t leave a note, wouldn’t take anything with her. She would leave everything as it was, as if one day she would return.
She’d been pushed entirely too far. They pushed her to utter desolation and beyond, and she vowed revenge on her own life. She didn’t care if it killed her, if it caused her more emotional pain in the long run, she’d make the people that took her away from her life pay. She’d torture them in ways they never thought possible, torment them, blackmail them, ruin them.
Sydney Bristow no longer existed to the outside world, she was just another star on the white marble wall at Langley; a has-been government agent that died in a tragic fire in May of 2003. Julia Throne was born the day after, emerging from the ashes and taking on the role of one of the most notorious assassins in Europe.
This is how criminals were born, through hatred, and neglect. Through the lack of love and the lack of respect. This was one situation she didn’t blame herself for; the only one.
Her morbid thoughts of her former life were interrupted when there was a hard knock at her door. She listened to the knuckles pound into the wood, causing echoing sound waves to move through her nearly unfurnished living space.
She slowly sat up and threw the white covers off of her legs. The knocking continued in patterns of threes as she sat there. She didn’t know who would be bothering her at such a ludicrous time in the morning. She reached under her pillow and grabbed her 9mm pistol and released the safety. She walked through the house and over to the door. Without peaking through the peephole, she started undoing the gold metal chains securing it. A moment later she had the door open and had her gun gripped tightly at her side, she never went anywhere without it, not anymore.
She was surprised to see him standing in front of her, especially since she hadn’t told him where she had been relocated. His eyes moved down from her face to the gun she yielded in her right hand. He watched her thumb lock the safety into place again and she set it on one of the boxes near the door. She stepped off to the side to let him enter.
“Come in.” She told him softly. Once he was far enough inside she closed the door and locked it up again. She flipped on the light near the door and watched him as he looked around.
“How’d you find me?” She asked him. He was silent for a moment, but then turned away from her empty living room and looked at her.
“Eric told me you were just a few houses down.” He said.
She nodded.
“I’m sorry, I woke you up didn’t I?” he asked. She shook her head.
“No, actually you didn’t.” She told him softly. “Why are you out so late though?”
He looked down at the wood floors for a moment. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He told her earnestly. He looked back into her eyes. “I guess the two years away from you have finally made me not want to leave anything else unsaid. I’m tired of waiting for something else to happen.”
“What are you talking about?” She asked as she picked up her gun and walked over to the kitchen. She set it on top of the counter as he followed her a few feet behind.
“I love you.” He said. She froze, unable to move, unwanting too. “I’m pretty sure you already knew that, but I needed to say it.”
She placed her hands on top of the counter and looked down. “You know what I realized when I woke up this morning?” She asked him. He stood there and watched her. “I realized, in all this craziness, you’re the only person who’s changed for the better. You’re the only person who hasn’t moved on without me.” She raised her head again and turned her head towards him.
“And that surprises you?” He asked.
“No,” She said. “I’d never expect anything less.”
He nodded. Not being able to take it anymore, he stepped forward and carefully slipped his arms around her, trying to take away some of the pain he knew she still carried from her disappearance.
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m just afraid it’s not going to be enough to make me want to stay.” She told him. She felt his breathing halt and he pulled away slightly to look at her.
“What?” He asked.
She looked down from his pained eyes and rested her hands on his chest, playing with the tight muscles hidden under his white cottony t-shirt.
“I can’t stay here anymore, Michael. There’s too much, too many memories that I wish to forget. If I stay, the people that did this are never going to be brought to justice.” She said.
“Sydney….”
She looked up at him. “I’m sorry.” She told him. “But I can’t give you anything. I’m not who I was before. And who I was before wasn’t me.”
His arms slipped from around her and fell limply at his sides. “This is what you want?” He asked.
She nodded.
He nodded in return. “When?”
“Tomorrow night.” She told him.
“Where?” He asked.
“Michael…”
“You atleast owe me that.” He said.
She looked down. “Rome.”
He nodded. She looked up at him, unbelieving that he was willing to let her go again.
He started walking toward the door, but halted and turned around.
“You are wrong about one thing though.” He said. “There were times when you were Sydney Bristow, not the spy, not the ‘banker’, just Sydney. Those are the memories that got me through two years of hell.” He told her. “I’ll be seeing you.”
And with that, he turned around and walked out of her home. He left her standing there, completely amazed.
----------Part II of III-----------
The morning after he had confronted Sydney was spent rather lonesome. He skipped his classes for the day and headed downtown to the local star bucks to find some energy in a tall white chocolate mocha that was calling his name.
As he waited in line his eyes settled on the woman behind the desk. She looked as though she didn’t want to be there and was finding it hard to smile as she was bombarded with customers yelling orders at her.
When she was facing her customers she would put on a façade, just for the job, just to look friendly. But once she turned away she would look depressed and saddened, as if she thought she’d never get out of the box, which was her life, that she was confined too.
He had found it easy to analyze her due to one reason. He’d seen Sydney the exact same way when he had met her. She never thought she’d get out of the life she had so dumbly chosen. He knew her fake smiles, they’d be small and wouldn’t show a hint of her impressive dimples. But when they were alone together, there wasn’t a time that he hadn’t seen them, she never hid from him, that’s what made him so proud to say that she was his. She wasn’t afraid.
As he walked up to the counter he caught a glimpse of the fake smile the girl flashed him. She asked him for his order, and he gave it easily. When it came time for him to pay he slipped her a twenty.
“Keep the change.” He told her.
A surprised look appeared on her face as she looked upon him. “Sir, I can’t…”
“One day,” He looked at her nametag. “Melissa. One day, life won’t seem to suck as much as it does right now for you. Trust me. Its gets better. In the end, today, tomorrow, and the next will pay off.” He told her. He grabbed a napkin on the counter and smiled. “You should consider acting.” He walked over to the opposite counter, picked up his coffee, and left through the same door he had come.
He picked a table outside. The sun was just starting to rise between the downtown buildings and it gave everything a warm glow. As he sipped his mocha, he looked over at an older couple next to the shop that were going through a stand full of flowers. He figured that they had to be in their seventies.
The older woman searched through the tulips as the man held the bouquets she had already picked out. He found it funny that at that age he would still be following his wife around, but he thought about it for a moment, and came to the conclusion that they were spending every moment they had left together.
They didn’t take time for granted. They didn’t put off going out and buying flowers saying, ‘We can do it tomorrow’. There were never any guarantees. He felt blessed to know about the lessons of taking things for granted at such and early age. He was 36, and as much as he thought he had experienced, he hadn’t. Yes, he had lost the woman he was in love with two years previous, but yet, he hadn’t experienced the feeling of watching his son or daughter be born, or being married in a small church back in France. He hadn’t experienced enough good and bad to realize that everything balanced out in the end.
For a moment he thought about what his life would be like if he grew old without Sydney. Sure, he may find someone else, he may fall in love again, and he may get married and have his own children. But what would the experience be without her? Would he be able to look into his wife’s eyes and see the same thing he’d see in Sydney’s? Probably not. When they said their vows, would he be able to feel as much joy and happiness promising his life to another woman other than Sydney? Again, probably not. And when they were old and wrinkly, would he go flower shopping on a Sunday morning in the city if it weren’t with Sydney? No.
He finally realized that he had to take his own advice. He had to stop trying to make sure no one made the same mistakes he did, and take a risk.
He watched the older couple walk down the sidewalk, retreating into the sunrise. The man slipping his shaky hand into his wife’s as they walked at a slow pace, people passing them easily in a hurry.
And so, he asked himself one final question.
Was Sydney the only person he ever wanted to hold so long as he lived? Far before his mind could answer the question, his heart made his decision for him.
--------Part III of III---------
It was October 1st and the beautiful European city alive and young. She’d only been there for two days and was just getting settled into the new life she found in Rome.
Her thoughts still lingered on Vaughn, and how exactly she’d found the courage to leave him back in LA. She knew it probably hurt him, to know that even though he was there, she still couldn’t find enough reason to stay. She regretted leaving him like she did, but what was over was over, she couldn’t change the past.
She smiled slightly, realizing that today would mark five years since she had met him. That evening, instead of spending another night alone in her new apartment, she decided to go to the one place he had always promised to take her the next time they were in Rome.
“Welcome to Trattoria De Nardi, follow me please.” The older man at the front podium told her. He led her to the one table that was set up outside on the patio.
“Excuse me,” She said as she looked at the beautiful setting. “As nice as this is, I don’t need such a beautiful table. I’m dining alone tonight.”
The man just smiled and set down the menu on the table in front of her, then another across from her. She was confused.
“Your waiter will be out in a moment.” He said. He smiled softly and started to walk past her when she set her hand on his arm.
“What is the meaning of all of this? Who set this up?” She asked worried. She didn’t know what to expect. Being a spy all your life makes you that more on edge and suspicious than a normal person.
The man looked at her. “I’m not allowed to say. I’m sorry.” He told her. He walked away and a few moments later a waiter came out.
“Good-evening. My name is Angelo, can I get you something to drink? Wine perhaps?” He asked.
She looked up at him. “That’ll be fine.”
“Would you like something eat?”
“No, not at the moment, just wine please.” She told him. She sighed and sat back in her seat. She played with the fine cloth napkin that sat on the table. She crossed her arms as a cool breeze blew by and caused goose bumps to appear on her arms.
Her waiter came back with a bottle of wine and a brown suede jacket. He filled her glass and set the wine in the pale on top of the metal cart next to the table. He then took the jacket that was draped over his arm and held it out to her.
“What’s this?” She asked taking it.
“I was told to tell you to put it on and that the inside pocket holds answers you are seeking.” Angelo left before she could ask any further questions.
Sydney stared at the jacket, it seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She slipped it around her shoulders and put her arms through the sleeves. It was too big for her, but she immediately got warmth from it, and she also noticed that it was still warm from its previous owner.
She stuck her hand inside the jacket and checked the pockets until her fingers brushed across a piece of paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it. Holding it up to the candlelight she started to read the familiar handwriting.
Two years ago you left my life just as quickly as you entered it. I didn’t get to say good-bye, and I wonder if I had, would it have been easier? I’ll never know that answer.
You told me that Sydney Bristow was just another alias for you, just another disguise. I hope you’re wrong, because I fell in love with that girl, and only her.
You’re confused right now, you feel lost, like the world has moved on without you and you’ll never catch up. I’ve never known you to give up, but that’s what you’re doing right now. You’re giving up.
I don’t care if you stay here in Rome, or if you move back to LA. I’ll still see you as the same person I’ve always seen you as. My feelings haven’t changed. And there’s a reason why you were thrown back into my life so suddenly.
Sitting downtown a few days ago, I finally realized that I don’t want to live my life without you in it. As happy as I might be if I ever moved on, I’d never experience such happiness as I do with you, even if it were for one day, one night.
I don’t care if you don’t want me here, because I’m staying. I’ve wasted too much time thinking that love will fix things. It does, but not by itself.
Like I told you almost three years ago at the train station, before we went to Taipei. I’m in, if you need me, or if you don’t. I’m in, and I’m not leaving.
Sydney finished reading the letter and was too fascinated by it to notice he was standing in the doorway. She set the paper down on the table and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the surface. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed softly as the wind chimes hanging from the wooden beams swayed and danced in the wind.
He slowly walked over to her and stood behind her chair. He leaned forward and placed his hands flat on the table’s surface. She immediately felt warmth surround her as he planted a soft kiss on her right ear. He nuzzled his face in-between the junction of her neck and shoulder and sighed.
“I love you, Sydney. So much. That’s why I did this.”
“How did you even know?” She cried. “How did you know I’d be here?”
“It was a guess.” He told her. “I just had faith.”
Upon hearing that word Sydney relaxed considerably and lifted her head up. She turned towards him slightly as he looked at her, still leaning over her form. She looked into his eyes.
“I can’t give you the life you deserve.” She told him.
“I don’t care what you can’t give me Sydney. What no one else can give me is you. All I ever wanted was you. That’s all I need for the rest of my life. I realized that when I lost you.”
“You’re sure? I wouldn’t be mad at you for walking away right now.” She told him. “You can change your mind.”
He pulled a chair over to her and sat down next to her. He leaned forward and took her warm hands in his own.
“I’m never going to change my mind. The only time I’d walk away is if you’re by my side. I’m always going to be at your side, for whatever we go through. There’s nothing we can’t get through that we haven’t already been through. You know that.” He said.
“Then what do we do from here?” She asked him. For the first time in their relationship she was asking him to make the decision, a decision she didn’t even know how to deal with or approach.
“Nothing.” He said. “We live day by day, we stop making plans, and start living by our hearts instead of the calendar. We’ve been through hell Sydney, we were tested and we came through the other side. This is our heaven.” He said looking around. “All of this. It’s our choice how long it lasts. It’s time we stopped living for other people, and start living for ourselves. No more CIA, no more aliases, just us. Two people finding meaning in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”
“We still won’t be normal, we still have our past.” She told him.
“Yes, our past will never be normal, but from today it can be. We can do things we would have never been able to do if we were stuck in our old lives. Get married, have kids, grow old together, watch one final sunset together before we say good-bye to this world that has caused us so much pain. We’ve served our time, Sydney. Three years ago you asked me when it would be over. Well, I’m telling you now, it’s over.” He told her.
“Vaughn…” She stopped. “You have a life in LA, you have friends, and family.”
“They’ll understand.” He told her.
“How do you know that? You can’t just leave people to be with me.”
“It’s my life, my decision. I came here because I want to be happy, and the only way that is ever going to happen for me is if I’m with you. You are my happiness.”
Sydney smiled softly. “Aren’t I the one that’s supposed to come up with the crazy ideas and the crazy excuses on why this is right?” She asked.
He laughed inwardly. “Yeah, well I think we’re way passed crazy.” He told her. She watched him as he poured himself a glass of wine and filled hers slightly higher. He picked up the two glasses and handed one to her. He stared at her for a moment before holding his glass up.
“To a normal life?” He asked.
She held up her glass as tears started to surface in her eyes.
“To a normal life.” She said. “Together.”
Of course, normality never lasts long, does it?
A tall, gray-haired man stood on the rooftop of a building across the way, a cell phone in one hand, and binoculars in the other. He pressed a button and held the small phone up to his ear.
“Phase two complete.”
together!
, 