Name the Stakes
- Thread starter hotpot
- Start date
kidblink83
Cadet
Let's just start with... Yay! Almost smut is almost as good as smut! How's that for a brain twister? 
Now on to the quoting:
Damn... good mental picture. And by the way, I'm a total sucker for discarded ties and especially holsters... A good holster can go a long way.
Why do I find it cute and fitting that Sark has migraines? Must be 'cause I understand the large amounts of stress I know he has to deal with.
Dig, dig. Jab, jab. It's always amusing to poke subtle fun at the S/V ship... I know I'm guilty of it.
Good to know that Syd's still got it!!!! I would kill to be able to render Sark speechless.
Finally the girl admits the thing we all have known forever!
I enjoy how he had so many roles in her life now. That was probably a very sudden and welcome change.
I can answer that. It's a little thing we like to call animal magnetism, and you and Syd have it, Sarkie poo.
As much as I hate to admit it, Sark may be right. We're shooting for a the long-haul marathon type of thing here, not a quick sprint!
Will is so my second favorite guy character... (though I admittingly love Season 1 Vaughn... Probably 'cause there was little to no Sark at the time). So I'm happy to hear he's coming into the story. Now are you going with the Will that's in Witness Protection or the normal Will who lives with Sydney? I can never remember the timelines of all the different stories I read...
I was really glad to see this update when I woke up this morning. My computer's still being held hostage at our computer help desk so I was on my roommate's computer. I wanted to give the fic my full attention so I saved it for later (aka late at night when I'm in the library computer lab... though I'm starting to doubt that decision as the story gets smuttier)... what I'm trying to say is I looked forward to it all day and that means something!!! Keep it up, please!
Now on to the quoting:
Damn... good mental picture. And by the way, I'm a total sucker for discarded ties and especially holsters... A good holster can go a long way.
Why do I find it cute and fitting that Sark has migraines? Must be 'cause I understand the large amounts of stress I know he has to deal with.
Dig, dig. Jab, jab. It's always amusing to poke subtle fun at the S/V ship...
I know I'm guilty of it.Good to know that Syd's still got it!!!! I would kill to be able to render Sark speechless.
Finally the girl admits the thing we all have known forever!
I enjoy how he had so many roles in her life now. That was probably a very sudden and welcome change.
I can answer that. It's a little thing we like to call animal magnetism, and you and Syd have it, Sarkie poo.
As much as I hate to admit it, Sark may be right. We're shooting for a the long-haul marathon type of thing here, not a quick sprint!
Will is so my second favorite guy character... (though I admittingly love Season 1 Vaughn...
Probably 'cause there was little to no Sark at the time). So I'm happy to hear he's coming into the story. Now are you going with the Will that's in Witness Protection or the normal Will who lives with Sydney? I can never remember the timelines of all the different stories I read... I was really glad to see this update when I woke up this morning. My computer's still being held hostage at our computer help desk so I was on my roommate's computer. I wanted to give the fic my full attention so I saved it for later (aka late at night when I'm in the library computer lab... though I'm starting to doubt that decision as the story gets smuttier)... what I'm trying to say is I looked forward to it all day and that means something!!!
Keep it up, please!
YoungStarsOwner
Cadet
Wow!!!!!
That was awesome I just read all the chapters and am so excited for the sequel.
The trigger intrigues me. i wonder if it is somehow a trigger for sarks memories as well or something.
Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the pms'
E
That was awesome I just read all the chapters and am so excited for the sequel.
The trigger intrigues me. i wonder if it is somehow a trigger for sarks memories as well or something.
Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the pms'
E
i won't be mad as long as they end up together soon. im trusting you that you have a reason for breaking them apart again so soon... great chapter otherwise...i love the emotions between these two, you can never really anticipate what is going to happen next. thanks for the PM and please don't leave us hanging for too long!
Quiet Disaster
I heart Chris Carrabba
"Allow me." Why did Sydney have to say that?? <_< And what was his dream about.. a premonition? Foreshadowing? Sydney can't betray him! Nooo!
Hmm... Will??onder: Interesting...
Awesome update, Suzi!
:lol: They're banter always has me laughing!! I love it!
Hmm... Will??
onder: Interesting...Awesome update, Suzi!
Alias_Fan0202
Cadet
i love your story! i just read break the silence and then i came here and it's so good!!
please add me to your PM list!!!!!!!
please add me to your PM list!!!!!!!
Alright everyone - I am not sure when my next update after this one will be. I'm moving out of my apartment, graduating on Saturday and moving back home (where no one has the internet except the library :angry: ) so if I am not able to get anything up - it might be a little while before I update again. I started the next chapter, but not quite sure what's going to go on it... so I hope you enjoy this one! I hope you can all patiently await the next installment ^_^ Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Big thanks to Eva for monetary, medical, and automotive guidance in this chapter!! What would I do without my partner in crime and class skipping? As well as to Jems for some helpful info on all things Greece - my globetrottin' twin, you rule!
And I don't have to worry, only worry is him - She do anything necessary for him - And I do anything necessary for her - so don't let the necessary occur ~ Jay Z and Beyonce
A week had gone by and Sark still had not heard anything back from Colin on Tippen’s whereabouts. He wished there had been a way to hang on to the file longer, but he felt he had done well just in keeping it out of Sydney’s hands. Sark had a few hunches as to why Will and Michael Vaughn’s name had been in that file, but he wanted conformation of his whereabouts first. He looked across the cabin over to Sydney sitting in the plush chair flipping through a magazine.
It was incredible how much disbelief Sloane was willing to suspend when it came to her. He had never questioned why Sark had been the one to hand him the file and then went ahead and welcomed Sydney back to her rightful place – beside him. Now being let in on Sydney’s secret, Sark had to hold in his amusement as Sloane had hugged Sydney and offered her a room in his chateau until she found a flat of her own. She was good when she wanted to be - Sark would give her that.
It had been quiet between them since Paris and the events (or lack thereof) that had transpired. The silence between them was more resigned acceptance than before and Sark felt better about stopping things. For once in what had felt like months, he was able to act without Sydney in mind. It was liberating to be himself again. It would be interesting to see how the latest mission they were being sent on would unfold.
Standing up from his seat, he walked over beside Sydney peering over her shoulder at the article she was reading. “Tell me, how does “Thirty-one Sex and Love Thrills No Woman Should Miss” pertain to our task at hand?”
She looked up from her reading. “It doesn’t. Just seeing what I’m missing out on, seems like the only thrills I get anymore are from stealing s*** for an evil old man and possibly what’s described in number twenty-eight…”
“What may I ask is number twenty-eight?” Sark leaned down to try and see what she was referring to.
“Seducing a seemingly unattainable man,” Sydney said looking up at him with a serious look on her face.
Sark smirked in appreciation at her small joke. “Well, I guess you are living a life more thrilling than you thought.”
“Guess so.” Sydney closed the magazine resting it in her lap. “You still haven’t told me who we’re going to Mykonos to meet with. As your partner, aren’t you supposed to tell me those things?” Sark noted her accusing tone and disregarded it. He had been trying to keep this from her long enough.
“Sydney, we’re going to be working with Allison Doreen on this assignment.”
Sydney’s jaw suddenly tightened at the mention of Francie’s killer. “What?”
Sark moved over to his chair across from her and sat back down. “Alison had been doing some freelance work for Sloane and the man we are going to meet is a close friend of hers. She will be the one getting us in.”
“But it was confirmed that Will killed her in the hotel in Warsaw.”
“No, he wounded her severely. However, like you, she was the recipient of the Rambaldi derived solution that allows her to heal faster than a normal person. It will take a lot to kill that woman.”
“How about a bullet between the eyes?” Sark sat back in his seat. He looked over at Sydney to see her still staring at him. “How do you expect me to work with someone who murdered one of my best friends?”
“Please, don’t start this again. You cannot keep acting like morally righteous Sydney Bristow – you came here telling Sloane you were Julia Thorne personified. Act like it.” Sydney turned away from him silently fuming as the captain came on telling them they would be landing soon.
~~~
As per usual, it had been a quiet ride between he and Sydney to the club they were meeting Alison at. Just when he had thought he had found a workable way to be with Sydney, now this was happening. He wondered how she had been able to be so competent in her life as a double with SD-6 because she was making life hell for him with all of her complaints now. It then dawned on him that while she was at SD-6; a good majority of her missions had failed after she learned the truth about whom she was actually working for. It was nice for her that she was able to get Sloane to believe it was merely bad luck every time she had came back empty handed, but Sark was not in the possession of a pair of big brown eyes he could bat at Sloane whenever an assignment had gone awry.
He looked over at her in the passenger seat sitting with one hand in her lap and the other propped up by the window with her head tilted resting on it as she looked out at the sights that passed them by. Sark had always appreciated her clubbing disguises and now that he was the one going in with her, this would be no exception. Her black leather pants clung to her like a looser fitting second skin while the sequined red camisole draped seductively low revealing just enough cleavage to once again be tormenting the hell out of him. Sark’s mind started to wander to where she was able to hide her firearm with an outfit like that before she broke the silence between them.
“So let me get this straight – Alison is f***ing the guy we’re meeting with and because we are close personal friends of hers, he’s going to hand over a copy of this all important disk like it means nothing? This sounds like a set up.”
Sark pulled to a stop at the red light and reached forward to turn down the sounds of Jay Z and Beyonce’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ coming from the radio. “We are going to give him about a million reasons to give us the disk. And I assure you, Alison would never double cross me or Sloane for that matter.”
“And why is that?”
Sark pressed his foot back on the accelerator before glancing quickly over to Sydney, a soft smirk on his face. “Let’s just say I know her pretty well.”
Sydney shook her head before turning to look back out the window. “This keeps getting better and better,” she muttered.
A few moments later, Sark pulled the Audi RS 6 up to the valet at the back of the club. Getting out of the car, he looked at the young valet reaching for the keys. “If she’s not exactly like I left her when I get back, you’ll never be able to operate a car again.” The valet’s eyes widened as Sark continued to stare coldly at him before handing him the keys. He sometimes felt it compulsory to uphold his threatening and intimidating persona, but punk valets handling his ninety thousand dollar car made it even more appealing.
Walking around to meet Sydney, he once again stole a moment to admire her beauty and stature in the stiletto heels she wore. What a pair they made, he mused. They walked together into the club surveying the place as best they could in between the flashes of lights from overhead and the glow coming from the florescent lights adorning the bar. Suddenly, a tall man came up to Sark. “Miss Doreen is expecting you. Follow me.” Sark nodded to Sydney and they followed the man through the crowd over to a flight of stairs guarded by another man. “She’s right up there. You can both go on up.”
Sark stepped in front of Sydney leading the way up the long flight of stairs. It had been months since he had seen Alison and he wanted her to lay eyes on him before setting them on Sydney. The thumping of the club resonated through the walls as Sark came to the top of the stairs seeing Alison leaning back on a black leather sofa talking to another man. Seeing Sark, she moved to put out her cigarette before coming over to him and kissing him on the cheek. “Hello Julian, longtime no see.”
“Yes, it’s been awhile. You appear to be doing well.”
Alison smiled at him causing Sark to momentarily feel as if she were undressing him with her eyes. “I can say the same for you too.”
He heard the unmistakable sound of Sydney clearing her throat behind them. Quickly, he moved to the side revealing her to Alison. Alison raised her head slightly at the sight of Sydney before her. “Well, the rumors are true.”
Sydney stared at Alison seeing her dressed in a deep plum colored mini-dress with dark makeup accenting her eyes; it was like what Francie would have worn if she were going dressed as a prostitute for Halloween. “Hello Alison. Nice outfit.”
“So I guess if you got your memories back, you remember working together in Beijing then?” Sark glanced over to Sydney at Alison’s admission. She had never mentioned working with Sydney while she was living as Julia Thorne.
“How could I forget how you almost got us both killed when you tripped that false wire?”
Alison smirked at Sydney. “That was just a minor glitch. Nothing I knew you couldn’t handle.”
“What have you got to drink here?” Sydney asked no longer wanting to go down memory lane with Sark standing there.
Alison glanced back at the man she had been sitting by. Snapping her fingers, she called him over to her. “Alex, go get two oozo’s for Mr. Sark and Ms. Bristow.”
Turning to look back at Sydney and Sark, Alison raised an eyebrow. “How’s that?”
“Excellent. Now when is Mr. Leromenos going to arrive?”
Alison moved over to the lounge chairs motioning for them to follow her. “Oh Ari, won’t be here until after 2:00.” She glanced at the clock seeing it was 12:30. “So we have plenty of time to catch up…”
Sydney went to sit in the small chair across from Alison while Sark remained standing. Alison looked up at him. “Why don’t you sit by me Julian? I won’t bite, but if remember correctly – you never minded that…”
Sark cast a quick glance over to Sydney realizing they had both kept secrets from one another when it came to Alison. He had felt like his might be much worse, but the fact she hardly reacted to her statement led him to believe maybe he had been wrong about Sydney not knowing about his and Alison’s sordid past. “I prefer to stand Alison, you know that.”
Alison started to pout but was interrupted by Alex returning with the drinks as well as someone else following behind him. Alison quickly stood up walking over to the tall sharply dressed middle-aged man. Running a hand over his lapel, she brought her lips to his giving him a small tongue lashing while Sydney and Sark looked on. Alison turned as the man presumably Leromenos wrapped his arm around her waist. “Ari, allow me to introduce my friends Julian Sark and Sydney Bristow. Julian, Sydney – this is Ari.”
Ari moved over to shake Sark’s hand as Sydney stood up to greet him. Sark caught Leromenos giving Sydney an eyeful before looking back at Alison to see her staring over at him. He was beginning to realize Alison was more than a close friend of this man. An uncomfortable feeling came over Sark as he remembered Alison saying Leromenos only came closer to closing time, what was he doing here already then?
“Mr. Leromenos, I must say Alison has been telling us many wonderful things about you,” Sydney purred. Good girl Sydney, butter the man up, Sark thought.
Leromenos glanced back at Alison at Sydney’s statement. “Is that a fact? She’s mentioned you as well Ms. Bristow.”
Sydney raised her eyebrow. “Really? Only good things I hope.”
“No, quite the contrary,” he chuckled. “She told me you were a murderous b**** who she would enjoy killing if she ever again got the opportunity.” Sark felt his jaw clench as he looked back over to Alison standing there amused at the sight before her.
“Alison’s always been one to hold a grudge.” Sydney smiled over at Alison as if they were still the best of friends.
He stared at her a moment before turning back to look at Sark. “Tell me, is it for stealing this one away from her?’
Sydney looked over at Sark noting he was trying to figure out what was going on as well as she was. Damn, I’m getting good at reading him, Sydney thought. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He continued to look at Alison and Sark. An air of awkward silence went through the room as Ari alternately glanced back and forth between Alison and Sark. Finally, Alison stepped forward coming towards him. “Ari, stop it. You promised.”
He ran a hand softly over Alison’s cheek smiling lightly at her. “You’ve always known I’m a jealous man.”
Alison brought her hand up to his lowering it from her face. “With no reason to be.”
“Then, tell me it means nothing to you to see your former lover with someone new.” Sydney shot a worried look over to Sark. She didn’t know what kind of lover’s quarrel they walked into, but they either needed to get to business or get the hell out of there.
Alison looked confused. “What? They’re not lovers.”
“Oh my dear Alison, you are just as blind over him as I was over you.”
As Alison turned away from Ari to look at Sark, he brought his hand underneath his coat pocket to retrieve his weapon. Even though they expected this meeting to be on friendly terms, a good spy is always prepared and they were never an exception. Sark and Sydney anticipated his move as Sydney moved forward kicking the gun from Leromenos’ hand while Sark moved towards him withdrawing his own weapon. As Sark moved over towards Sydney now sparring with Leromenos, the gun kicked from his grasp clattered to the floor directly in front of Alison.
Leromenos delivered a sharp punch to Sydney’s abdomen causing her to move back as Sark yelled his name raising the gun to his face. “I suggest you think very carefully about your next move Mr. Leromenos.”
The man grimaced lightly at Sark before seeing something over his should that brought a look of surprise to his face. “Alison?”
Sark glanced quickly over his shoulder to see Alison standing behind him now aiming Leromenos’ own gun directly at him. “I’ve got something for you Ari baby.” Suddenly Alison pulled the trigger shooting him directly in the chest. Ari cried out sputtering slightly before dropping down to his knees and falling forward at Sark’s feet.
Before Sark had a chance to react, Alison whirled towards Sydney. “And you, b**** - should have died in Beijing!” Sark looked desperately over at Sydney as Alison fired piercing Sydney in the shoulder forcing her back into the chair.
Alison looked back at Sark as Sydney lie now near unconscious on the chair blood seeping through the sheer fabric of her shirt. “This will just take a second,” she said as she began to walk over to Sydney raising her gun up.
“Alison?” Sark called her name as if they were lovers and he was trying to softly coax her back into bed. No inclination of anything that was about to happen.
She turned starting to smile back at him before the realization of his gun being aimed directly at her head hit her. Nothing was spoken between them as Sark pulled the trigger back, a single shot escaping and piercing Alison between her eyes just as Sydney would have wanted it.
Alison fell in a heap on the floor as Sark moved quickly over to Sydney. The red shirt she wore was now darkened from the blood soaking through it as he looked at the wound to her right shoulder. Quickly, he lifted her into his arms throwing her over his shoulder and started towards the exit. He heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and turned raising his gun up to greet them upon their arrival. Their guns drawn as they entered the room, they never had a chance. Sark easily picked them off still with Sydney over his shoulder. Nothing would get in his way of getting her out of there now.
Now back on the main level, the sound of the gunshots amplifying throughout the club was causing people to scream and push their way out while Sark tried his best to get through the mad crowd. As he made his way to the back exit, he heard Sydney lightly moan.
“I’m getting you out of here, you’re going to be alright Sydney. I promise you, you are.” This spoken promise was for both Sydney and himself as he struggled through the crowd finally breaking through.
He was surprised to see no one knew about the back entrance as he kicked the door open. Spotting his car as the first in line of the valet parked cars, he hurriedly ran over to the passenger seat pulling the spare keys from his pocket. Pressing the remote lock button, he then opened the door and began to gently lay Sydney in the seat as he heard someone shouting behind him.
He whirled around to see two men coming towards him. “Look! He’s over there!” Still standing behind the open door of the car, Sark crouched behind the door of the Audi using it as a shield. After a pause in shots, he quickly jumped up raising his gun and firing it at the two men. They both fell to the ground dead.
Now in the car, Sark peeled out of the back alley hearing Sydney moaning softly as he tried his best to apply pressure to her wound and still drive. He had to get back to their villa. Now.
Hope you enjoyed! I shall work on getting PM's out now
Next update
Big thanks to Eva for monetary, medical, and automotive guidance in this chapter!! What would I do without my partner in crime and class skipping?
As well as to Jems for some helpful info on all things Greece - my globetrottin' twin, you rule! And I don't have to worry, only worry is him - She do anything necessary for him - And I do anything necessary for her - so don't let the necessary occur ~ Jay Z and Beyonce
A week had gone by and Sark still had not heard anything back from Colin on Tippen’s whereabouts. He wished there had been a way to hang on to the file longer, but he felt he had done well just in keeping it out of Sydney’s hands. Sark had a few hunches as to why Will and Michael Vaughn’s name had been in that file, but he wanted conformation of his whereabouts first. He looked across the cabin over to Sydney sitting in the plush chair flipping through a magazine.
It was incredible how much disbelief Sloane was willing to suspend when it came to her. He had never questioned why Sark had been the one to hand him the file and then went ahead and welcomed Sydney back to her rightful place – beside him. Now being let in on Sydney’s secret, Sark had to hold in his amusement as Sloane had hugged Sydney and offered her a room in his chateau until she found a flat of her own. She was good when she wanted to be - Sark would give her that.
It had been quiet between them since Paris and the events (or lack thereof) that had transpired. The silence between them was more resigned acceptance than before and Sark felt better about stopping things. For once in what had felt like months, he was able to act without Sydney in mind. It was liberating to be himself again. It would be interesting to see how the latest mission they were being sent on would unfold.
Standing up from his seat, he walked over beside Sydney peering over her shoulder at the article she was reading. “Tell me, how does “Thirty-one Sex and Love Thrills No Woman Should Miss” pertain to our task at hand?”
She looked up from her reading. “It doesn’t. Just seeing what I’m missing out on, seems like the only thrills I get anymore are from stealing s*** for an evil old man and possibly what’s described in number twenty-eight…”
“What may I ask is number twenty-eight?” Sark leaned down to try and see what she was referring to.
“Seducing a seemingly unattainable man,” Sydney said looking up at him with a serious look on her face.
Sark smirked in appreciation at her small joke. “Well, I guess you are living a life more thrilling than you thought.”
“Guess so.” Sydney closed the magazine resting it in her lap. “You still haven’t told me who we’re going to Mykonos to meet with. As your partner, aren’t you supposed to tell me those things?” Sark noted her accusing tone and disregarded it. He had been trying to keep this from her long enough.
“Sydney, we’re going to be working with Allison Doreen on this assignment.”
Sydney’s jaw suddenly tightened at the mention of Francie’s killer. “What?”
Sark moved over to his chair across from her and sat back down. “Alison had been doing some freelance work for Sloane and the man we are going to meet is a close friend of hers. She will be the one getting us in.”
“But it was confirmed that Will killed her in the hotel in Warsaw.”
“No, he wounded her severely. However, like you, she was the recipient of the Rambaldi derived solution that allows her to heal faster than a normal person. It will take a lot to kill that woman.”
“How about a bullet between the eyes?” Sark sat back in his seat. He looked over at Sydney to see her still staring at him. “How do you expect me to work with someone who murdered one of my best friends?”
“Please, don’t start this again. You cannot keep acting like morally righteous Sydney Bristow – you came here telling Sloane you were Julia Thorne personified. Act like it.” Sydney turned away from him silently fuming as the captain came on telling them they would be landing soon.
~~~
As per usual, it had been a quiet ride between he and Sydney to the club they were meeting Alison at. Just when he had thought he had found a workable way to be with Sydney, now this was happening. He wondered how she had been able to be so competent in her life as a double with SD-6 because she was making life hell for him with all of her complaints now. It then dawned on him that while she was at SD-6; a good majority of her missions had failed after she learned the truth about whom she was actually working for. It was nice for her that she was able to get Sloane to believe it was merely bad luck every time she had came back empty handed, but Sark was not in the possession of a pair of big brown eyes he could bat at Sloane whenever an assignment had gone awry.
He looked over at her in the passenger seat sitting with one hand in her lap and the other propped up by the window with her head tilted resting on it as she looked out at the sights that passed them by. Sark had always appreciated her clubbing disguises and now that he was the one going in with her, this would be no exception. Her black leather pants clung to her like a looser fitting second skin while the sequined red camisole draped seductively low revealing just enough cleavage to once again be tormenting the hell out of him. Sark’s mind started to wander to where she was able to hide her firearm with an outfit like that before she broke the silence between them.
“So let me get this straight – Alison is f***ing the guy we’re meeting with and because we are close personal friends of hers, he’s going to hand over a copy of this all important disk like it means nothing? This sounds like a set up.”
Sark pulled to a stop at the red light and reached forward to turn down the sounds of Jay Z and Beyonce’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ coming from the radio. “We are going to give him about a million reasons to give us the disk. And I assure you, Alison would never double cross me or Sloane for that matter.”
“And why is that?”
Sark pressed his foot back on the accelerator before glancing quickly over to Sydney, a soft smirk on his face. “Let’s just say I know her pretty well.”
Sydney shook her head before turning to look back out the window. “This keeps getting better and better,” she muttered.
A few moments later, Sark pulled the Audi RS 6 up to the valet at the back of the club. Getting out of the car, he looked at the young valet reaching for the keys. “If she’s not exactly like I left her when I get back, you’ll never be able to operate a car again.” The valet’s eyes widened as Sark continued to stare coldly at him before handing him the keys. He sometimes felt it compulsory to uphold his threatening and intimidating persona, but punk valets handling his ninety thousand dollar car made it even more appealing.
Walking around to meet Sydney, he once again stole a moment to admire her beauty and stature in the stiletto heels she wore. What a pair they made, he mused. They walked together into the club surveying the place as best they could in between the flashes of lights from overhead and the glow coming from the florescent lights adorning the bar. Suddenly, a tall man came up to Sark. “Miss Doreen is expecting you. Follow me.” Sark nodded to Sydney and they followed the man through the crowd over to a flight of stairs guarded by another man. “She’s right up there. You can both go on up.”
Sark stepped in front of Sydney leading the way up the long flight of stairs. It had been months since he had seen Alison and he wanted her to lay eyes on him before setting them on Sydney. The thumping of the club resonated through the walls as Sark came to the top of the stairs seeing Alison leaning back on a black leather sofa talking to another man. Seeing Sark, she moved to put out her cigarette before coming over to him and kissing him on the cheek. “Hello Julian, longtime no see.”
“Yes, it’s been awhile. You appear to be doing well.”
Alison smiled at him causing Sark to momentarily feel as if she were undressing him with her eyes. “I can say the same for you too.”
He heard the unmistakable sound of Sydney clearing her throat behind them. Quickly, he moved to the side revealing her to Alison. Alison raised her head slightly at the sight of Sydney before her. “Well, the rumors are true.”
Sydney stared at Alison seeing her dressed in a deep plum colored mini-dress with dark makeup accenting her eyes; it was like what Francie would have worn if she were going dressed as a prostitute for Halloween. “Hello Alison. Nice outfit.”
“So I guess if you got your memories back, you remember working together in Beijing then?” Sark glanced over to Sydney at Alison’s admission. She had never mentioned working with Sydney while she was living as Julia Thorne.
“How could I forget how you almost got us both killed when you tripped that false wire?”
Alison smirked at Sydney. “That was just a minor glitch. Nothing I knew you couldn’t handle.”
“What have you got to drink here?” Sydney asked no longer wanting to go down memory lane with Sark standing there.
Alison glanced back at the man she had been sitting by. Snapping her fingers, she called him over to her. “Alex, go get two oozo’s for Mr. Sark and Ms. Bristow.”
Turning to look back at Sydney and Sark, Alison raised an eyebrow. “How’s that?”
“Excellent. Now when is Mr. Leromenos going to arrive?”
Alison moved over to the lounge chairs motioning for them to follow her. “Oh Ari, won’t be here until after 2:00.” She glanced at the clock seeing it was 12:30. “So we have plenty of time to catch up…”
Sydney went to sit in the small chair across from Alison while Sark remained standing. Alison looked up at him. “Why don’t you sit by me Julian? I won’t bite, but if remember correctly – you never minded that…”
Sark cast a quick glance over to Sydney realizing they had both kept secrets from one another when it came to Alison. He had felt like his might be much worse, but the fact she hardly reacted to her statement led him to believe maybe he had been wrong about Sydney not knowing about his and Alison’s sordid past. “I prefer to stand Alison, you know that.”
Alison started to pout but was interrupted by Alex returning with the drinks as well as someone else following behind him. Alison quickly stood up walking over to the tall sharply dressed middle-aged man. Running a hand over his lapel, she brought her lips to his giving him a small tongue lashing while Sydney and Sark looked on. Alison turned as the man presumably Leromenos wrapped his arm around her waist. “Ari, allow me to introduce my friends Julian Sark and Sydney Bristow. Julian, Sydney – this is Ari.”
Ari moved over to shake Sark’s hand as Sydney stood up to greet him. Sark caught Leromenos giving Sydney an eyeful before looking back at Alison to see her staring over at him. He was beginning to realize Alison was more than a close friend of this man. An uncomfortable feeling came over Sark as he remembered Alison saying Leromenos only came closer to closing time, what was he doing here already then?
“Mr. Leromenos, I must say Alison has been telling us many wonderful things about you,” Sydney purred. Good girl Sydney, butter the man up, Sark thought.
Leromenos glanced back at Alison at Sydney’s statement. “Is that a fact? She’s mentioned you as well Ms. Bristow.”
Sydney raised her eyebrow. “Really? Only good things I hope.”
“No, quite the contrary,” he chuckled. “She told me you were a murderous b**** who she would enjoy killing if she ever again got the opportunity.” Sark felt his jaw clench as he looked back over to Alison standing there amused at the sight before her.
“Alison’s always been one to hold a grudge.” Sydney smiled over at Alison as if they were still the best of friends.
He stared at her a moment before turning back to look at Sark. “Tell me, is it for stealing this one away from her?’
Sydney looked over at Sark noting he was trying to figure out what was going on as well as she was. Damn, I’m getting good at reading him, Sydney thought. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He continued to look at Alison and Sark. An air of awkward silence went through the room as Ari alternately glanced back and forth between Alison and Sark. Finally, Alison stepped forward coming towards him. “Ari, stop it. You promised.”
He ran a hand softly over Alison’s cheek smiling lightly at her. “You’ve always known I’m a jealous man.”
Alison brought her hand up to his lowering it from her face. “With no reason to be.”
“Then, tell me it means nothing to you to see your former lover with someone new.” Sydney shot a worried look over to Sark. She didn’t know what kind of lover’s quarrel they walked into, but they either needed to get to business or get the hell out of there.
Alison looked confused. “What? They’re not lovers.”
“Oh my dear Alison, you are just as blind over him as I was over you.”
As Alison turned away from Ari to look at Sark, he brought his hand underneath his coat pocket to retrieve his weapon. Even though they expected this meeting to be on friendly terms, a good spy is always prepared and they were never an exception. Sark and Sydney anticipated his move as Sydney moved forward kicking the gun from Leromenos’ hand while Sark moved towards him withdrawing his own weapon. As Sark moved over towards Sydney now sparring with Leromenos, the gun kicked from his grasp clattered to the floor directly in front of Alison.
Leromenos delivered a sharp punch to Sydney’s abdomen causing her to move back as Sark yelled his name raising the gun to his face. “I suggest you think very carefully about your next move Mr. Leromenos.”
The man grimaced lightly at Sark before seeing something over his should that brought a look of surprise to his face. “Alison?”
Sark glanced quickly over his shoulder to see Alison standing behind him now aiming Leromenos’ own gun directly at him. “I’ve got something for you Ari baby.” Suddenly Alison pulled the trigger shooting him directly in the chest. Ari cried out sputtering slightly before dropping down to his knees and falling forward at Sark’s feet.
Before Sark had a chance to react, Alison whirled towards Sydney. “And you, b**** - should have died in Beijing!” Sark looked desperately over at Sydney as Alison fired piercing Sydney in the shoulder forcing her back into the chair.
Alison looked back at Sark as Sydney lie now near unconscious on the chair blood seeping through the sheer fabric of her shirt. “This will just take a second,” she said as she began to walk over to Sydney raising her gun up.
“Alison?” Sark called her name as if they were lovers and he was trying to softly coax her back into bed. No inclination of anything that was about to happen.
She turned starting to smile back at him before the realization of his gun being aimed directly at her head hit her. Nothing was spoken between them as Sark pulled the trigger back, a single shot escaping and piercing Alison between her eyes just as Sydney would have wanted it.
Alison fell in a heap on the floor as Sark moved quickly over to Sydney. The red shirt she wore was now darkened from the blood soaking through it as he looked at the wound to her right shoulder. Quickly, he lifted her into his arms throwing her over his shoulder and started towards the exit. He heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and turned raising his gun up to greet them upon their arrival. Their guns drawn as they entered the room, they never had a chance. Sark easily picked them off still with Sydney over his shoulder. Nothing would get in his way of getting her out of there now.
Now back on the main level, the sound of the gunshots amplifying throughout the club was causing people to scream and push their way out while Sark tried his best to get through the mad crowd. As he made his way to the back exit, he heard Sydney lightly moan.
“I’m getting you out of here, you’re going to be alright Sydney. I promise you, you are.” This spoken promise was for both Sydney and himself as he struggled through the crowd finally breaking through.
He was surprised to see no one knew about the back entrance as he kicked the door open. Spotting his car as the first in line of the valet parked cars, he hurriedly ran over to the passenger seat pulling the spare keys from his pocket. Pressing the remote lock button, he then opened the door and began to gently lay Sydney in the seat as he heard someone shouting behind him.
He whirled around to see two men coming towards him. “Look! He’s over there!” Still standing behind the open door of the car, Sark crouched behind the door of the Audi using it as a shield. After a pause in shots, he quickly jumped up raising his gun and firing it at the two men. They both fell to the ground dead.
Now in the car, Sark peeled out of the back alley hearing Sydney moaning softly as he tried his best to apply pressure to her wound and still drive. He had to get back to their villa. Now.
Hope you enjoyed! I shall work on getting PM's out now
Next update
first to reply -HA - havent readit YET - but will edit!!
love ya suz!!
OK - ETA:
Sark smirked in appreciation at her small joke. “Well, I guess you are living a life more thrilling than you thought.”
i love this line - but i think i already told you this!!!
silently fuming
Sark had always appreciated her clubbing disguises and now that he was the one going in with her, this would be no exception. Her black leather pants clung to her like a looser fitting second skin while the sequined red camisole draped seductively low revealing just enough cleavage to once again be tormenting the hell out of him. Sark’s mind started to wander to where she was able to hide her firearm with an outfit like that before she broke the silence between them.
this is genius suzi!!!! me too loving her club outfits - and totally great that you figured so would all the guys!!! the line about the gun is priceless!! :lol:
a soft smirk on his face. “Let’s just say I know her pretty well.” :lol: :lol: :lol:
Audi RS 6
so you went with the audi!!! gorgeous car. glad you had eva helping u - i was way off in my own little world that night. sorry.
it was like what Francie would have worn if she were going dressed as a prostitute for Halloween. :lol: :lol: :lol:
HOLY felgercarb - three bodies in the club!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh man - i hope Sark is gonna give lovely cuddles to syd and kiss her all better suzi!!!
seriously excellent work - the words just flow so well from you now my twin - its totally awesome!!! just be sure to get that internet connection up soon aat home so you can carry on feeding us this wonderful fic!!!
love ya suz!!
OK - ETA:
Sark smirked in appreciation at her small joke. “Well, I guess you are living a life more thrilling than you thought.”
i love this line - but i think i already told you this!!!
silently fuming
Sark had always appreciated her clubbing disguises and now that he was the one going in with her, this would be no exception. Her black leather pants clung to her like a looser fitting second skin while the sequined red camisole draped seductively low revealing just enough cleavage to once again be tormenting the hell out of him. Sark’s mind started to wander to where she was able to hide her firearm with an outfit like that before she broke the silence between them.
this is genius suzi!!!!
me too loving her club outfits - and totally great that you figured so would all the guys!!! the line about the gun is priceless!! :lol: a soft smirk on his face. “Let’s just say I know her pretty well.” :lol: :lol: :lol:
Audi RS 6
so you went with the audi!!!
gorgeous car. glad you had eva helping u - i was way off in my own little world that night. sorry.it was like what Francie would have worn if she were going dressed as a prostitute for Halloween. :lol: :lol: :lol:
HOLY felgercarb - three bodies in the club!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh man - i hope Sark is gonna give lovely cuddles to syd and kiss her all better suzi!!!
seriously excellent work - the words just flow so well from you now my twin - its totally awesome!!! just be sure to get that internet connection up soon aat home so you can carry on feeding us this wonderful fic!!!
kidblink83
Cadet
Yay for an update! And Quotes as I read:
And oh how we love Sark when he's just being his bad-ass self...
That's just great! Poor Sydney has her work cut out for her.
I hope the ex-girlfriendness plays a part in this somehow. I want to see Jealous!Syd come out and play...
That's something that I always wondered, too. I mean, where does she put the gun?
Oooo... the beginnings of jealous!Syd. Yes!
That was so funny! And the ironic thing about it was most of Syd's work getups could be classified as the same thing!
I always thought Sark liked it rough...
You know this is should be the official slogan of this ship. "Everyone is blind for not seeing it."
Sark picking Sydney up into his arms... it gets me every time
Ooooo... I hope Sydney's all right. And I sincerely hope that Sark gets his priorities in gear and nurses her back to health.
And oh how we love Sark when he's just being his bad-ass self...
That's just great! Poor Sydney has her work cut out for her.
I hope the ex-girlfriendness plays a part in this somehow. I want to see Jealous!Syd come out and play...
That's something that I always wondered, too. I mean, where does she put the gun?
Oooo... the beginnings of jealous!Syd. Yes!
That was so funny! And the ironic thing about it was most of Syd's work getups could be classified as the same thing!
I always thought Sark liked it rough...
You know this is should be the official slogan of this ship. "Everyone is blind for not seeing it."
Sark picking Sydney up into his arms... it gets me every time
Ooooo... I hope Sydney's all right. And I sincerely hope that Sark gets his priorities in gear and nurses her back to health.
A Dark Turn
I Was Made to Love You
Yay!! An update. And what a fab one it was. Freplica, Sexual tension between Sark, Syd, and Alison... And Syd being wounded and you're not updating for a little while??
Much congrats on the graduation and hope you have a safe trip home; enjoy your grad ceremony!!
Freplica, Sexual tension between Sark, Syd, and Alison... And Syd being wounded and you're not updating for a little while?? :rotflmao: So cute. Love the sex-ay banter; it really makes them believable as a couple...you do this so well!!
Snarky sark at his best. Love it.
Ohhh... Harshness. Like the 'morally righteous' part. Sark would definitely say something *just* like that.
Ha, ha. :lol: This is great. It's so hilarious that Sark would choose to bust out the Mr. Evil routine with the valet attendant. And a ninety thousand dollar car... It somehow makes Sark seem just that much sexier, doesn't it??
Evil, ending like that. But I love it and can't wait for more.
Much congrats on the graduation and hope you have a safe trip home; enjoy your grad ceremony!!
Fabulous chapter! Loved the Sark/Allison/Sydney interaction. It's nice to see that Syd can still surprise Sark and that she isn't a totally open book to him. And it's nice to see that she's getting better at reading Sark.
Loved the banter between Sark and Sydney at the beginning of the chapter, especially concerning the magazine article. Cute!
And you actually had me convinced for a second there that Allison was sane...that was until she went beserk and shot the place up. So glad Sark put her out of her misery! Is she gonna stay dead or resurrect again?
Poor Sark, just when he's managing to get through the day without completely thinking about Syd, she has to get injured and he's all worried again. So much for keeping up the indifference - eh? Hee hee.
Loved the banter between Sark and Sydney at the beginning of the chapter, especially concerning the magazine article. Cute!
And you actually had me convinced for a second there that Allison was sane...that was until she went beserk and shot the place up. So glad Sark put her out of her misery! Is she gonna stay dead or resurrect again?
Poor Sark, just when he's managing to get through the day without completely thinking about Syd, she has to get injured and he's all worried again. So much for keeping up the indifference - eh? Hee hee.
Quiet Disaster
I heart Chris Carrabba
:lol: Priceless.
Talk about tension in the club! I can't believe Allison shot Sydney... GRRR. :hmm: But Sark killed her for it! Woohoo!!! And I hope she's REALLY dead this time! :lol:
Hopefully Sark gives Sydney a lot of TLC while she's healing...
Great update.
And I will wait patiently for the next.....Good luck with finals, graduation, and moving! All I can say is I understand - I'm going through the same thing myself! It's a crazy process!!
And now, on to my review!!
I hope Sydney's okay!! And that Sark takes good care of her!
Great update...I'll be patiently waiting for the next one!!
And now, on to my review!!
:lol: Great job writing this scene! I am loving the banter between the two of them!
I love that Sydney still has the ability to surprise Sark, he thinks he can read her so well and keep things from her...well she can do the same! Love it!
I love that he shot her the way that Sydney had suggested! It was a great ending for Allison - unless of course she survives again...with the freakish healing stuff. I love how you made her all crazy - very fun!
I hope Sydney's okay!! And that Sark takes good care of her!
Great update...I'll be patiently waiting for the next one!!
Yay! I was anxious to get this part down and I did it with plenty of time to write more - so who knows, maybe I will get something else up before I leave school. I hope you all enjoy this chapter ... it's pretty dear to me and I hope it fits. I'll leave a further comment at the end so I don't spoil it, but you should all be pretty happy with it! *hopes*
Honey - It's been a long time coming - And I can't stop now - Such a long time running - Do you hear my heart beating - Can you hear that sound - 'Cause I can't help thinking - Yeah, don't look down - And then I looked up at the sun - And I could see - Oh, the way that gravity turns for you and me ~ Coldplay
A light breeze blew into the room, as Sydney caught the scent of salt water in the air and the sound of gulls calling nearby. Her eyelids fluttered open adjusting to the light spilling into the room and she saw Sark sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed talking quietly on his cell phone. The conversation was indistinct but as soon as Sark saw she was starting to wake up, he spoke quickly into the phone before snapping it shut.
“Where are we,” she asked as Sark walked over to her sitting lightly beside her in the bed. Trying to move, she grimaced as sudden pain shot through her right side.
A look of concern came across his face while she struggled to move. “We are still in Greece Sydney. Do you remember what happened?”
“Yeah, that b**** actually caught me off guard. How long have I been here? Why am I not in the hospital?”
Sark moved his hand up to brush some stray hair from across her face. “You’ve been asleep for two days. Most likely, from the strong painkillers I gave you and you were not taken to the hospital.”
“You did this?”
“Initially, yes. A doctor came by to set your shoulder and deliver your necessary antibiotics and painkillers.”
“Where you able to get the disk from Alison?”
Sark sighed quietly before looking her in the eyes as he spoke. “No, Alison is dead.”
“Hmm, I’ve heard that before.”
“Remember your earlier comment about a bullet between the eyes? It appears to have worked.” Sydney’s eyes widened at his admission understanding fully what had happened. He had shot Alison before she had a chance to finish her off. Sark once again had saved her life.
“Thank you.” The stiffness from the brace settled against her as she shifted to make herself more comfortable. Bad idea. The movement caused her to grit her teeth from the immense rush of pain that shot through her.
“You don’t have to thank me, just get well soon.” He looked at her a moment wanting to say more, but instead just chose to talk to her about her condition. “The bullet pierced your clavicle, the doctor set it in a brace so it can heal properly.”
Sydney nodded drowsily her eyelids now feeling heavy. “Sark, do you mind if I sleep some more?”
Sark smiled softly at her. “Not at all Sydney, you need your rest. I’ll be back later to check on you.”
As he stood up looking down at her, he realized she was already asleep. Something inside of him had stirred when Alison had shot Sydney, the realization of what would have happened to her if he had not been able to stop Alison had been plaguing him ever since he had sped back to the villa that night. This life had taken so much from him and it would have taken Sydney with him never owning up to the way he felt about her. Still watching her dozing quietly, he leaned down to brush a small kiss on her forehead before turning to walk towards the balcony never seeing the small smile rising in the corner of Sydney’s lips.
The sun was high and the smell of salt invaded his senses as he reached back into his pants pocket to pull out his cell phone. He had been talking to Colin before Sydney had woken up about Will’s location in Witness Protection. All Colin was able to report to him was that Tippen had been missing for about five months and was suspected to have gone AWOL from the program. Not likely, he mused. Somehow he had to find Will and figure out what he had to do with Michael Vaughn, but right now he had other things to worry about.
Jack Bristow was back from assignment wondering where in the hell his daughter was and now Sark had the arduous task of notifying him Sydney had been shot. Bloody excellent, he thought as he punched in the numbers to Jack’s cell phone. As Sydney knew the truth about him, her father did not. He needed to continue to work that angle on Jack. It always was an indicator of Sark’s brilliance that he successfully was able to fool everyone of his true loyalties including Jack. It rang twice before he answered.
“Who is this?” Jack Bristow, always the man to get right down to the point.
“Mr. Bristow, I am calling you about your daughter.”
“Where is she Sark? What have you done with her?”
“Now, Mr. Bristow, this is merely a courtesy call. Your daughter came to us of her own free will and the sooner you accept that…”
Jack cut him off. “Don’t tell me what to believe about my own daughter. Your arrogance is sorely misplaced on me Sark.”
“Do you want to know about your daughter or not Jack? It doesn’t hurt me the least to end this conversation before telling you her condition.” Sark heard the other line go silent for a moment.
“What do you mean her condition? Is she alright?”
“Yes, she is. She suffered a gunshot wound to her right clavicle resulting in a clean fracture. Sydney’s in considerable pain, but she should recover quickly.”
“I swear, if I find out you are in any way responsible for this. Sark, when I find Sydney – I will see to it that you pay for everything you have ever done to her.”
“Well, Jack, been lovely chatting with you, but I fear this conversation has gone on almost long enough to be traced. So, good day.”
Snapping the phone shut, he let out a huge sigh. Sloane had told him not inform Sydney that her father was back from assignment, but as soon as he got the chance he would. Hopefully, she would return to Los Angeles leaving her original plans to bring down Sloane behind. He turned his back to the balcony looking back into her room. As the breeze caught the sheer curtain pushing it into the room then causing it to swirl in the wind, he saw Sydney lying in the bed staring out at him. There they were, he with his arms outstretched on the railing with the sun and ocean at his back peering at the woman he loved as she looked out at him from her bed with a light smile on her face. He smiled at her as he walked back into the room.
“That was your father on the line. It’s apparent from the threats he made on my life, he is rather worried about you.”
She chuckled softly. “Where is he?”
Sark paused. “He is in Los Angeles Sydney. The assignment he was on is completed.”
She swung her eyes away from him then. “Oh.”
Moving closer to her, he sat gently beside her on the bed. “I am hoping that means when are you are all recovered, you will be going back home.”
She turned her eyes to study him. “Is that what you want?”
“It’s not about what I want, it is about what is best for you.”
“Is that your way of saying you might want me to stay?”
He tried to avoid the question. “You have something to go back to now Sydney.”
“But don’t I have something to stay here for?”
He bit his lower lip. Damn, his one tell, he cursed. Here it was, she had set him up nicely. The least he could was finally own up to it. He couldn’t deny it. Even if he could, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. “Yes, you do.”
“Then, why are you asking me to leave?”
“Your father needs you.”
“And you don’t?”
He sat quietly for a moment looking at her. The look on her face told him she was not going to let him get away with not answering that. Damn her and her leading questions. He swore to himself he would tell her everything when he was ready. When that might be, he was unsure of but now was when Sydney wanted to hear it. This woman will challenge you until the day you die, he mused. “I do need you Sydney.” He paused taking a small breath. Emotions be damned.
“Sark, just say it. Whatever you are thinking, just say it.” He saw her eyes pleading with him and at that moment, he knew what he had been doing to her this whole time. No longer would he torment her by hiding his feelings.
“I realized something Sydney and it wasn’t when I thought I almost lost you. It was right before I left you in Peru, but could do nothing about it. That was my choice, something I could have lived with but losing you, the way I almost did…made me realize that I would rather feel the way I do for you and accept it then ignore and deny it with you never knowing. I can’t think clearly whether you are with me or not, so I’m just going to have out with it.” He paused taking a small breath. “I love you Sydney, and if it kills me to tell you that, so be it. It can no longer be unspoken between us with the uncertainties of this life we live. It is the one certainty in my life, and that is the way I feel for you.”
“Sark?” He moved his eyes back to hers. He worried he said too much, wondered if she had just wanted to hear how he always wanted her not all his convictions of his love for her. “Kiss me.”
He smiled at her as he rose from the bed bending down to bring his lips to hers. Lovingly bringing his hand across her face, he felt free from the weight of everything he had been holding back. The kiss was sweet and accepting, a culminating expression of all his feelings for her finally being revealed.
As he pulled away to look into her eyes, she smiled reaching up with her left arm to stroke his own cheek. “You do realize, you can’t tell me those things or kiss me like that and still expect me to go home.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” He paused realizing there was no sense fighting Bristow determination. “There is a small task you could accompany me on when you are feeling up to it, but for now you just need to rest.” He stood back up from the bed. “Are you hungry?”
A sly smile came to her face as looked him up and down. “How did you know?”
He shook his head chuckling softly. “It’s a gift Sydney,” he said quoting a phrase she had spoken to him earlier in their time together. “Now, I am going to go the kitchen to try and find something for us to eat.”
As he walked over to the door and opened it, he cast one look back her realizing she had been watching him leave. “Hurry back.” He smirked lightly before pulling the door shut behind him. Pausing outside of her room in the hallway, Sark felt his smile grow as he thought of how he had finally been able to tell her how he felt. It hadn’t killed him after all.
Spent a long time persuading myself - That I don't no one, nobody else - That I felt all there was to feel - Know if I should live 100 years - I'd never see another face like hers - On stranger sea and brighter shore - Cause I know - That my love is real ~ David Gray
Alright, I'm not going to deny it - I am not a big lover of the fluff and I worried I made Sark's admission pretty fluffy, but then it kinda made me think - How do you tell someone that you meaningfully love them without it being fluffy? If anyone has an answer to that question or this wasn't as fluffy as I fear, please let me know! Thank you all for your incredible feedback - I knew you all have been so good to me, I had to put this up before I left!!
Oh, and I'm going to do a shameless plug. All you Sarkney/JuSi writers should check out the new Romance Fic Challenge I'm hosting here at AA It's a requirement that it has to have Sark or Simon which means little to no Vaughn More Sarkney or JuSi never hurt anyone, so check it out if you're interested ^_^
Next Update
Honey - It's been a long time coming - And I can't stop now - Such a long time running - Do you hear my heart beating - Can you hear that sound - 'Cause I can't help thinking - Yeah, don't look down - And then I looked up at the sun - And I could see - Oh, the way that gravity turns for you and me ~ Coldplay
A light breeze blew into the room, as Sydney caught the scent of salt water in the air and the sound of gulls calling nearby. Her eyelids fluttered open adjusting to the light spilling into the room and she saw Sark sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed talking quietly on his cell phone. The conversation was indistinct but as soon as Sark saw she was starting to wake up, he spoke quickly into the phone before snapping it shut.
“Where are we,” she asked as Sark walked over to her sitting lightly beside her in the bed. Trying to move, she grimaced as sudden pain shot through her right side.
A look of concern came across his face while she struggled to move. “We are still in Greece Sydney. Do you remember what happened?”
“Yeah, that b**** actually caught me off guard. How long have I been here? Why am I not in the hospital?”
Sark moved his hand up to brush some stray hair from across her face. “You’ve been asleep for two days. Most likely, from the strong painkillers I gave you and you were not taken to the hospital.”
“You did this?”
“Initially, yes. A doctor came by to set your shoulder and deliver your necessary antibiotics and painkillers.”
“Where you able to get the disk from Alison?”
Sark sighed quietly before looking her in the eyes as he spoke. “No, Alison is dead.”
“Hmm, I’ve heard that before.”
“Remember your earlier comment about a bullet between the eyes? It appears to have worked.” Sydney’s eyes widened at his admission understanding fully what had happened. He had shot Alison before she had a chance to finish her off. Sark once again had saved her life.
“Thank you.” The stiffness from the brace settled against her as she shifted to make herself more comfortable. Bad idea. The movement caused her to grit her teeth from the immense rush of pain that shot through her.
“You don’t have to thank me, just get well soon.” He looked at her a moment wanting to say more, but instead just chose to talk to her about her condition. “The bullet pierced your clavicle, the doctor set it in a brace so it can heal properly.”
Sydney nodded drowsily her eyelids now feeling heavy. “Sark, do you mind if I sleep some more?”
Sark smiled softly at her. “Not at all Sydney, you need your rest. I’ll be back later to check on you.”
As he stood up looking down at her, he realized she was already asleep. Something inside of him had stirred when Alison had shot Sydney, the realization of what would have happened to her if he had not been able to stop Alison had been plaguing him ever since he had sped back to the villa that night. This life had taken so much from him and it would have taken Sydney with him never owning up to the way he felt about her. Still watching her dozing quietly, he leaned down to brush a small kiss on her forehead before turning to walk towards the balcony never seeing the small smile rising in the corner of Sydney’s lips.
The sun was high and the smell of salt invaded his senses as he reached back into his pants pocket to pull out his cell phone. He had been talking to Colin before Sydney had woken up about Will’s location in Witness Protection. All Colin was able to report to him was that Tippen had been missing for about five months and was suspected to have gone AWOL from the program. Not likely, he mused. Somehow he had to find Will and figure out what he had to do with Michael Vaughn, but right now he had other things to worry about.
Jack Bristow was back from assignment wondering where in the hell his daughter was and now Sark had the arduous task of notifying him Sydney had been shot. Bloody excellent, he thought as he punched in the numbers to Jack’s cell phone. As Sydney knew the truth about him, her father did not. He needed to continue to work that angle on Jack. It always was an indicator of Sark’s brilliance that he successfully was able to fool everyone of his true loyalties including Jack. It rang twice before he answered.
“Who is this?” Jack Bristow, always the man to get right down to the point.
“Mr. Bristow, I am calling you about your daughter.”
“Where is she Sark? What have you done with her?”
“Now, Mr. Bristow, this is merely a courtesy call. Your daughter came to us of her own free will and the sooner you accept that…”
Jack cut him off. “Don’t tell me what to believe about my own daughter. Your arrogance is sorely misplaced on me Sark.”
“Do you want to know about your daughter or not Jack? It doesn’t hurt me the least to end this conversation before telling you her condition.” Sark heard the other line go silent for a moment.
“What do you mean her condition? Is she alright?”
“Yes, she is. She suffered a gunshot wound to her right clavicle resulting in a clean fracture. Sydney’s in considerable pain, but she should recover quickly.”
“I swear, if I find out you are in any way responsible for this. Sark, when I find Sydney – I will see to it that you pay for everything you have ever done to her.”
“Well, Jack, been lovely chatting with you, but I fear this conversation has gone on almost long enough to be traced. So, good day.”
Snapping the phone shut, he let out a huge sigh. Sloane had told him not inform Sydney that her father was back from assignment, but as soon as he got the chance he would. Hopefully, she would return to Los Angeles leaving her original plans to bring down Sloane behind. He turned his back to the balcony looking back into her room. As the breeze caught the sheer curtain pushing it into the room then causing it to swirl in the wind, he saw Sydney lying in the bed staring out at him. There they were, he with his arms outstretched on the railing with the sun and ocean at his back peering at the woman he loved as she looked out at him from her bed with a light smile on her face. He smiled at her as he walked back into the room.
“That was your father on the line. It’s apparent from the threats he made on my life, he is rather worried about you.”
She chuckled softly. “Where is he?”
Sark paused. “He is in Los Angeles Sydney. The assignment he was on is completed.”
She swung her eyes away from him then. “Oh.”
Moving closer to her, he sat gently beside her on the bed. “I am hoping that means when are you are all recovered, you will be going back home.”
She turned her eyes to study him. “Is that what you want?”
“It’s not about what I want, it is about what is best for you.”
“Is that your way of saying you might want me to stay?”
He tried to avoid the question. “You have something to go back to now Sydney.”
“But don’t I have something to stay here for?”
He bit his lower lip. Damn, his one tell, he cursed. Here it was, she had set him up nicely. The least he could was finally own up to it. He couldn’t deny it. Even if he could, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. “Yes, you do.”
“Then, why are you asking me to leave?”
“Your father needs you.”
“And you don’t?”
He sat quietly for a moment looking at her. The look on her face told him she was not going to let him get away with not answering that. Damn her and her leading questions. He swore to himself he would tell her everything when he was ready. When that might be, he was unsure of but now was when Sydney wanted to hear it. This woman will challenge you until the day you die, he mused. “I do need you Sydney.” He paused taking a small breath. Emotions be damned.
“Sark, just say it. Whatever you are thinking, just say it.” He saw her eyes pleading with him and at that moment, he knew what he had been doing to her this whole time. No longer would he torment her by hiding his feelings.
“I realized something Sydney and it wasn’t when I thought I almost lost you. It was right before I left you in Peru, but could do nothing about it. That was my choice, something I could have lived with but losing you, the way I almost did…made me realize that I would rather feel the way I do for you and accept it then ignore and deny it with you never knowing. I can’t think clearly whether you are with me or not, so I’m just going to have out with it.” He paused taking a small breath. “I love you Sydney, and if it kills me to tell you that, so be it. It can no longer be unspoken between us with the uncertainties of this life we live. It is the one certainty in my life, and that is the way I feel for you.”
“Sark?” He moved his eyes back to hers. He worried he said too much, wondered if she had just wanted to hear how he always wanted her not all his convictions of his love for her. “Kiss me.”
He smiled at her as he rose from the bed bending down to bring his lips to hers. Lovingly bringing his hand across her face, he felt free from the weight of everything he had been holding back. The kiss was sweet and accepting, a culminating expression of all his feelings for her finally being revealed.
As he pulled away to look into her eyes, she smiled reaching up with her left arm to stroke his own cheek. “You do realize, you can’t tell me those things or kiss me like that and still expect me to go home.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” He paused realizing there was no sense fighting Bristow determination. “There is a small task you could accompany me on when you are feeling up to it, but for now you just need to rest.” He stood back up from the bed. “Are you hungry?”
A sly smile came to her face as looked him up and down. “How did you know?”
He shook his head chuckling softly. “It’s a gift Sydney,” he said quoting a phrase she had spoken to him earlier in their time together. “Now, I am going to go the kitchen to try and find something for us to eat.”
As he walked over to the door and opened it, he cast one look back her realizing she had been watching him leave. “Hurry back.” He smirked lightly before pulling the door shut behind him. Pausing outside of her room in the hallway, Sark felt his smile grow as he thought of how he had finally been able to tell her how he felt. It hadn’t killed him after all.
Spent a long time persuading myself - That I don't no one, nobody else - That I felt all there was to feel - Know if I should live 100 years - I'd never see another face like hers - On stranger sea and brighter shore - Cause I know - That my love is real ~ David Gray
Alright, I'm not going to deny it - I am not a big lover of the fluff and I worried I made Sark's admission pretty fluffy, but then it kinda made me think - How do you tell someone that you meaningfully love them without it being fluffy? If anyone has an answer to that question or this wasn't as fluffy as I fear, please let me know!
Thank you all for your incredible feedback - I knew you all have been so good to me, I had to put this up before I left!! Oh, and I'm going to do a shameless plug. All you Sarkney/JuSi writers should check out the new Romance Fic Challenge I'm hosting here at AA
It's a requirement that it has to have Sark or Simon which means little to no Vaughn More Sarkney or JuSi never hurt anyone, so check it out if you're interested ^_^Next Update