A/N There are a lot of people on the PM list who don't reply so I am assuming that they are not reading, so this is just a heads up, but if they don't reply to this chapter or the next, i'm taking them off the PM list, as I assume they are no longer interested in the fic.
Illusion of Sin
Part 15: It all comes back to the beginning.
Zack watched Rory’s video feed. His hands gripped the fabric of his jeans leaving sweaty handprints on his knees. He talked to her, telling her about the hockey game last night. The Kings won 4-3; it was a close game. He wasn’t sure whose nervousness he was trying to ward off more, Rory’s or his own.
In order to get the information on Sark’s whereabouts, Zack had gone outside the agency. He paid a high price to get the information. He used his discretionary fund, but he knew there were bound to be questions and disciplinary action. The contact he used was not one he’d ever notified the CIA of having. They would consider the information unreliable. Somehow, he seemed blind to consequences when Rory was concerned.
Rory was waiting in the next warehouse over for Sark to show up with the associate he was meeting. The plan was for Rory to observe the meeting and gain any information she could on Sark. Once Zack could see the license plate of Sark’s car, he would assign a satellite tracker so they could monitor his position and then make their move. Sark was the key to getting to Irina. Rory was determined to make her pay for having Sydney murdered.
“Black limo coming in.”
A few minutes later Zack alerted Rory to the presence of another car.
“Holy s***,” he whispered seeing Sark’s associate step out of the car. It was Irina Derevko. “Rory, be careful.” The remote microphone, he’d planted at the warehouse only offered limited sound capabilities. Sark and Derevko kept their voices low and it was difficult to hear anything at all.
Zack couldn’t see much of Rory. She was hiding behind a stack of crates but as she stepped forwards, he saw her fall. Her head hit the concrete and the direct video feed went out. The video feed was out and he couldn’t see anything anymore, but the remote mic was still functioning and he heard the scuffle of the guards as Rory was discovered and apprehended.
“Rory, can you hear me?” there was no response. “If you can hear me, stay silent if you’re okay and cough once if you’ve been captured.”
She coughed.
Oh God. Her words replayed in his mind. The ones she’d spoken that morning when they woke up. She made him promise not to interfere if something went wrong. When he’d made that promise, it was one he knew he would break immediately if anything went wrong.
f***. They identified her as CIA.
“Damn it Rory,” he swore aloud as he listened to Rory challenging Sark. “Don’t piss him off.” The next thing he heard shocked the hell out of him.
Sydney Bristow was alive.
“I’m coming.” He wasn’t sure if he even said the words aloud. He tore the headset off dropping it to the floor and severing their connection. He grabbed a second gun. He checked the ammo and took off to help Rory.
He was silent as he entered the warehouse; his arm outstretched. The gun pointed at Sark. Rory was his single focus. She was in danger.
He saw the guard turn in his direction.
Rory screamed.
The guard fired. He fired back.
He went down hard. He tried to keep his eyes open, searching for Rory. He couldn’t. The pain seared in his chest.
Zack heard Rory screaming his name. He tried to tell her he was okay. He tried to find her with his eyes, but he couldn’t force them open.
He felt her beside him. Her hands pressed on his chest, her voice asking questions he couldn’t answer.
“Why weren’t you wearing a vest?” she asked tearfully.
Why wasn’t he? He forgot. He had to get to her. He forgot to put it on. His eyes blinked open. The light hurt. They closed. Rory was pleading with Sark and Derevko; pleading for his life.
He fought to open his eyes.
Tires squealed. Sark was gone. Derevko was gone.
His vision protested against the bright light, but he kept them open. Rory cradled his head in her lap. Her hand pressed against his chest. She kissed his cheek.
“I told you to stay away,” she sobbed. “Why didn’t you listen, you stupid, stupid man?”
His eyelids fluttered. “I had to do something,” he whispered through gurgled breaths. “I couldn’t let them hurt you.”
“God, Zack,” She pressed her lips to his forehead.
“You need to find her, Rory. You need to find your mother.” He closed his eyes. “I’ve got one for you,” he smiled slightly forcing them again. “Victory belongs to those who believe in it the most and believe in it the longest.”
Rory forced a smile. “That’s an easy one, Col. Doolittle, Pearl Harbor, 2001.”
He smiled back, “just keeping you on your toes. That’s you Ror, you’re victory” He began coughing up blood and Rory turned his head to the side so he wouldn’t choke. “There’s something you need to know, if I don’t make it…,” he whispered.
“Don’t talk like that,” Rory shook her head. “You’re going to be fine. Besides if you’re gone, who am I going to watch spy movies with and agonize over their unrealistic plots?”
“I love you,” he whispered seriously through choked breaths.
“Zack you-“
“I love you,” he repeated his dark eyes large as he struggled to continue breathing. “I know what I’m saying Ror, I need you to know that.”
“I understand,” she nodded threading her fingers through his hair. “You’re going to be okay, you have to be okay.” Leaning over she pressed her lips to his and using all the strength he had left Zack kissed her back.
Reluctantly Rory pulled away and kissed his nose. She watched as his eyes closed and he lost consciousness. His breathing slowed.
“Zack, please hang on. Don’t leave me. Not like this Zack please not like this.”
~ ~ ~
She was quite the sight. Barefoot, tangled dark hair, red swollen eyes, a split lip, and two large bruises forming on her cheekbone and forehead were only the beginning. Her shirtsleeve was torn off at the shoulder and her arm was wrapped in thick gauze and plaster. The blood had seeped through her black sweater. When the doctors cut it off, her white t-shirt was stained red. Blood was already beginning to seep through the bandage on her arm, and it remained partially on her face and hands.
Her arm in a sling, she walked quickly down the corridors. Instantly spotting Eric Weiss’ worried face, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. She was the cause for his anguish. She had put his son’s life in danger. She ignored Director Dixon’s questions and walked straight to her father and grandfather who were deep in conversation.
“You lied to me,” she accused them not even taking a second glance at their shocked faces. “Mom’s alive, I have proof, you lied to me, and now I know the truth.” Rory shouted the words not even caring who heard. She wanted so desperately to force as much pain onto them as she was feeling. Tears fell freely down her cheeks and to look at her, she was that of a broken woman. A broken woman so far damaged, one could wonder if there was even a chance for repair. Rory threw the pictures at them. Jack tried to catch them, but he was far too surprised and the photographs, stained with the blood of Zackary Weiss spilled onto tiled floor. Jack bent and picked one up; holding it between his fingertips his eyes met hers.
Rory’s gaze reverted back and forth between her father and grandfather. She watched as her father, numbly took the photograph from Jack’s hand, his mouth open in surprise, and the color drained from his face. That was when it hit her and she realized the truth. “You didn’t know Mom was alive,” she whispered her voice broken off by a sob. She turned to Jack. “But you did.”
Her tearful blue eyes were filled with the hurt and anguish only betrayal could bring and as Jack looked into them, he was reminded of his own daughter 25 years earlier. There was a wild terrified look in those eyes. The blood from her fiancée covered her body, face, and hands. The betrayal, she’d felt when he’d told her the truth about SD-6. Betrayal was such a common theme for their family. “Aurora-“
“Don’t you Aurora me.” She spat the words from the tip of her tongue as if they were distasteful and bitter. “How could you do it, Grandfather? How could you keep that from me? She’s my mother. She’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted in this world and you kept her from me.”
“Sweetheart, it’s going to be okay,” her father finally spoke, his words pulling her away from the anger she felt. “We’ll find her, I promise you.” He spoke numbly. His words seemed hollow and insincere as if he didn’t really believe them himself. He was cut short as a doctor in hospital scrubs exited the operating room. “Stay here,” he ordered her and she obeyed standing next to her grandfather as they watched the doctor speak with Eric. Her father stood beside his friend, a hand on his shoulder offering any emotional support he could give as the fate of Eric’s son was revealed.
“This isn’t as clear cut as you may think,” Jack said softly staring straight ahead. “There are circumstances that you can not even begin to understand-“
“And the cost?” she couldn’t even look at him. “Was it worth it? Was it high enough? How can I believe anything you say to me ever again?”
“She is not the woman you want to know. This was done for your protection.”
“That was my decision to make. Mine. Not yours. Your words are nothing to me.”
It wasn’t the words or even the cold way in which she said them, but the look in her eyes, it was look of disappointment and deep sadness that hurt Jack the most.
Rory stood unmoving as her father turned back to her. He took several steps and then stopped, looking as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“What is it?” she asked fearfully. “Is Zack going to be okay?”
He opened his mouth but no words came out and all he could do was hold open his arms. She flew into them, whispers of questions that went unanswered. Will Tippin, could do nothing, but hold her in his arms and thank God that his daughter safe. She might never be able to trust him again, after what he had to tell her, but she was alive and that was all that mattered. His daughter meant more to him than life itself. He would die for her.
“Daddy?”
Will looked over the top of Rory’s head. Weiss had collapsed into a chair. Vaughn knelt beside him as the doctor continued to talk.
“Daddy? Is Zack going to be okay?”
Will guided her to a chair kneeling down in front of her. “He made it through surgery, but he’s bad Rory. The bullet punctured his lung and the second nicked his heart. The doctors repaired the damage but…”
“But?”
“They’re not holding a lot of hope.”
“No, I can’t lose him.”
Will wiped her cheeks. “He lost a lot of blood Rory. His heart stopped during the surgery and his brain was deprived of oxygen.”
Rory could barely breathe. “What are his chances?”
“Right now, about twenty five percent, more if he makes it through the night.”
“He has to!” Rory struggled to get herself under control. Everything just seemed to be slipping away from her. “Can I see him?”
“Not yet.” Will wiped her cheeks once more. “Not now, maybe later, but you’re not immediate family.”
“I need to see him. I need to tell him I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
“Rory, he’s in a drug induced coma, to give his body time to heal. The doctors don’t know when he’ll wake up, or if he’ll wake up.”
Will didn’t want to hurt his daughter, but she needed the truth. She couldn’t hold on to hope if it didn’t exist.
“God,” her voice trembled. “How did this get so screwed up?” Rory tried to move her arm out of the sling, but she couldn’t, she felt so weak. She looked over at Weiss. “You have to tell him, I can’t… tell him I’m sorry. This is all my fault. We were just going to track Sark, see where he went, and wait until he was alone.”
“Why didn’t you go through proper channels?” Jack’s voice was brusque.
“You wouldn’t have sanctioned the surveillance. We couldn’t even get information on Sark through the CIA.”
“How did you?” Weiss’ voice broke through. It trembled a he struggled to control his emotions.
“I . . . I’m sorry,” she whispered to Weiss.
“How?”
“I don’t know. Zack got the information; he told me not ask where. He wasn’t proud of what he did I know that. He did it for me.” Rory looked at Weiss. She expected to see hatred in his eyes, but she didn’t. “We were just going to track Sark and wait until he was alone. We thought he could lead us to Derevko. I thought she had my mother murdered; I wanted her to pay. We didn’t know Irina would be there. We didn’t know my mom was alive.”
“It’s true?” Vaughn’s question was directed at Jack, having heard Rory’s accusations.
“Yes.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why?” Vaughn could literally feel his heart being ripped apart.
“It was a ruse.” Rory’s voice was flat. “Everyone had to believe she was dead, including us. Derevko said that it was the only way we all could be safe, if everyone thought she was gone.”
“She’s out there somewhere.”
“Yes.” Rory’s voice seemed cold. “Somewhere.”
“Mr. Weiss,” the doctor interrupted them. “Your son is in the ICU now. You can see him.”
Weiss stood without another word and followed the doctor to be with his son.
“Are you sure?” Vaughn asked Rory. She passed him a photograph and he could see she was telling the truth. The photo was dated a year ago. Sydney sat at a table in an outdoor café. Her hair was different; it was long and blond, but her eyes were the same. She was older, time would do that to a person, but still as beautiful as the last day he saw her, the day she said goodbye.
Sydney Bristow was alive. It had taken twenty-one years for them to learn the truth; but for Rory it had taken a lifetime.
“I need to speak to my daughter, alone.”
Rory looked up at her father. He held her hand, his fingers gripping hers.
Will waited until the others had left then knelt before his daughter once again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “It’s just my arm and Zack… Dad, I can’t loose him.”
“It’ll be alright,” he smoothed her hair back from her face. “I’m sure he’ll pull through.”
“He has to; I can’t do this without him.” Her gaze shifted briefly to her grandfather. He stood off to the side being bombarded with question after question from Michael Vaughn. “I won’t forgive him for this, no matter what, not for this. “Dad, he told me my mother was dead, he knew she was alive…”
“You’re strong Rory.” Will thumbed away a tear. “You have the most amazing capacity for forgiveness-“
“I can’t, not this time.” She looked back to Will. “I’m going to find my mother.”
“I don’t doubt that but you can’t do it alone… you’re all I have Rory. I can’t loose you.”
“Rory?” Weiss stood beside them. “You can see him now.”
Rory stood. “Mr. Weiss, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault, Zack was never supposed to even be in the warehouse. I got caught, it’s my fault.”
Weiss shook his head not wanting to hear her apologies. “Go sit with him for a while, he needs you right now.”
She nodded. Numbly her legs took her to the ICU and to the chair beside Zack’s hospital bed.
He didn’t look like the same person. His skin was pale with a yellowish tinge to it. A respiration tube kept him breathing. Machines monitored his heart rate, showing the results in a line graph on the display bar. Two bandages covered the bullet holes that had ripped through his body. Already, blood seeped through them and they needed to be changed.
Rory gazed at his lifeless form, wishing for all that was holy that she could trade places with him. He was the best thing in her life. It was killing her to see him like this.
“You can touch him.”
Rory’s head snapped up. A nurse stood behind her charting his vitals. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
“You won’t.” The nurse touched her shoulder guiding her to a chair at the head of the bed. “Talk to him, it’ll help.”
Rory wiped her eyes furiously determined not to loose control. Her fingers brushed over his several times before taking his hand. A sob caught in her throat and she laid her head on the edge of the bed, her shoulders heaving silently. She didn’t know what to say, more than anything, she just wanted the horrible nightmare to be gone.
“I’d take it back if I could Zack,” she whispered to him. “If it meant you’d be okay, I’d take it all back. I never would have agreed to go to that warehouse.” Her fingers drifted to his hairline, toying with that lock of hair, which always seemed to curl on his forehead.
“You have to fight this. You’re strong and good and it’s too soon. This world isn’t ready to be without you yet; I’m not ready.” Her last words were barely audible, a mere whisper over the methodical beeping of life.
“Miss?” the nurse stood beside her. “He needs his rest. You can come back later.”
Rory wanted to protest. She wanted to stay with him every moment of every day until he woke, but that would be impossible. She stood and pressed her lips to his forehead. “You fight this Zackary Weiss. Don’t you dare give up on me.” She leaned closer briefly kissing his unresponsive lips and whispered, “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you before. I love you too.”
Will was waiting for Rory when she exited the ICU. She sat down on a plastic chair and he knelt at her feet. Will helped Rory slip on the running shoes Carrie had brought and tie the laces, which her broken arm prevented her from doing.
“Are you okay?” he asked helping Rory put her arms through the sleeves of a sweater.
Rory nodded. “He looks really bad, Daddy. His father must—“
“His father does not hate or blame you at all Rory,” Will interrupted, “Zack makes his own decisions. Nobody could have talked him out of going after you.” Will sat on the chair beside her. “Is that all?”
“Sark said something.”
“What?” his breath was caught in his throat.
“He said…” Rory looked down at her hands barely able to say the words. “He said you weren’t my father… he said he was. I know it’s not true,” she added quickly. “You would never keep anything like that from me… I just thought you should know.”
Will swallowed hard. “Rory, I need to tell you…“
“What is it?”
“This isn’t the best place to be doing this, hell… I never even thought it would come to this, or last this long, but…”
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Rory’s voice had a twinge of nervousness to it. Her father gripped the armrests of the chair so tightly, his knuckles were white.
Will took a deep breath and blurted it out quickly. “I’m not your father.”
She wanted to laugh at the ludicrous notion of his statement, but she couldn’t. Too much had happened in the past few hours not to question it. “What?”
“Sark was telling the truth.” Will’s voice wavered. “I’m not your biological father; he is.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth when you first told me you were CIA. I was afraid you knowing the truth would put you in danger, from him, from anyone. I guess I just hoped that ultimately it wouldn’t matter.”
“How could it not matter?” Rory stood. “You’re not my father. How couldn’t that matter? My father is a murderer! God, when will this stop!” Rory took off in the direction of the stairs. She took them two at a time running as fast as she could out of the hospital. Will called after her but she couldn’t look back.
Tears blurred her eyes to the point where she could barely see the road in front of her. Her father’s words echoed in her mind but he wasn’t her father and at that moment, she’d never felt so alone in her entire life.
Replies, rotten tomoatoes, banana peels
Is now a good time to mention that i am on the nurture side of the nature/nurture debate?
Picture credit is Caterina Scorsone as Rory!