One Day...

awww poor syd
im so glad vaugh was there to comfort her
but only 2 more chaps r u jokin there HAS to be a sequel
rite?
 
dandan said:
but only 2 more chaps r u jokin there HAS to be a sequel
rite?
Click to expand...


MMMMMmmmm.. doubt it. I've been trying to write a sequel to 2 of my previous fics actually and neither have been going well. Well, one of them was going well for a while and then i got a major case (like a few months worth) of writers block. And I'm still struggling with it. I'm pretty sure this is stand on its own. :smiley:

ANYWAYS, on with the next chapter... 1 left after this.

Thanks to Tracey for the French help!

Recap:

“Shhhh. Sydney…you’re not damaged. You are a strong, beautiful woman and I know you’re not going to let this bring you down. As for other children, who cares? You already have a beautiful, intelligent, fun little girl and if she is all you are destined to have, well, that’s okay because you DO have her.” He gently lifted my chin to force me to look into his eyes. “And I want you, Syd. You are my Sydney, and always will be, no matter what happened to you in the past. I love all of you. Everything, from your beautiful smile to any little scars. I love you, I do.”
“I love you too,” I whispered back and finally admitted my deep feelings to him. Hugging him tightly again, I sighed against his chest.


Chapter 13

He grabbed a napkin from the counter and dabbed my eyes. Come on, we need to go help figure out how to stop them.” He went to walk away but I grabbed his hand.
“Are you going to be okay? I mean, with going after Lauren? Is this going to be too personal? Or will you be able to focus on the task at hand? Because I know you’ve been betrayed, and you’re hurting, even though you’ve been trying to act strong. But if you don’t think you can focus on our mission, maybe you should sit this one out.”

“No. This is as personal to you as it is to me and our job is to compartmentalize our feelings. We’ll both get through this, and I give you my word that I’ll be able to focus on the mission as seriously as I should.”
“Okay, I’m going to take your word on that.” He smiled, and I followed him back into the conference room.

~~~

Dixon nodded as we walked back into the room. “Sydney, Vaughn. I’m going to send Vaughn with Weiss to the Novgorod facility to see if we can gather samples of this “fluid” Sloane mentioned while you and Jack deliver the Hourglass to Sloane and help locate the Passenger. After we accomplish those goals, we’ll reassess our plan.”

“What should I do about the DNA?” I asked, hesitant to bring that sensitive subject up again.
“Leave it wherever you have it right now, Sydney,” my dad said quickly. “There is no reason to draw attention to that artifact right now. No one else knows where it is and knowing you, it’s hidden incredibly well. We’ll wait until we need to bait Lauren and Sark before dealing with that.” I nodded.

“Okay, that’s it people. Vaughn, Weiss, wheels up in three hours. Sydney, Jack, you’re going to leave later tonight. Please go take care of what you need to in order to prepare.”
We all got up. “Dad, we have to stop in Geneva before going to Zurich. Vaughn and I decided that we’re bringing Lily back to Jonna for the next few weeks until this is over, instead of keeping her here with the babysitters since we don’t know exactly how long finding my sister and capturing Lauren will take.”
“I think that’s a smart idea. I’ll let Dixon know and we’ll tell the pilot to map our flight pattern.”

~~~

Walking out of the room, I found Vaughn at his desk pulling some files. “Hey.”
He looked up. “Hey. I’m going to do a few things here, then head to Weiss’ to pack and then to your house to say goodbye to Lily. I assume you are going to take her to Geneva when you go with your dad.”
“Yeah. Do you want me to come with you? I need to pack anyway.”
“Whatever you want. You could also just meet me at your place later. I’m leaving in three hours, so Weiss and I are probably heading out in about an hour and then we’ll go straight to the airport after we pack.”

“Okay.” I decided mentally that I’d go home in about an hour and a half and went to tell my father. He said he’d come by my house to get me and Lily when it was time to leave. After speaking with him, I went to prepare the Hourglass for transport and gather any research I needed.

>o<

Vaughn finished packing and put his bag in Weiss’ car. Telling Weiss to meet him next door, he went over to Sydney’s to say goodbye to his little girl.
“Hey, Vaughn,” Agent Dalton greeted him as he answered the door. “Lily is just finishing lunch.”
Vaughn walked toward the kitchen and smiled at his daughter who was messily eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She had traces of grape jelly on her face and hands and pieces of bread were scattered around her spot at the table.

“Daddy!” She cried out upon seeing Vaughn walk in and lifted her arms up. Laughing, and dropping a kiss on the top of her head, Vaughn retrieved a wet cloth and wiped off her face and hands before removing her bib and lifting her out of her booster seat.
“Hey, cutie. Come on, I have to talk to you.”
“Am I in twouble?” She asked with a worried look in her eyes, much like the one her father gets when he knows Sydney is in trouble. He laughed.

“No, you aren’t. I just need to tell you some things.”
“Okay.” Excusing himself from the agents, Vaughn went into Lily’s room and sat down in the rocking chair.
“Cutie, listen to me. Mommy is going to take you to visit Jonna, Keith and Davina later today. You are going to stay with them for a few days while Mommy, Uncle Eric and I go away for a big project for work. Do you understand?”

“I stay with Na-Na and Kee and you do pwojet.”
“Right. And you’re not going to see Mommy and Daddy for a few days, okay?”
“But you come back, wight?”
He smiled and hugged her close. “Yes, baby. We’re coming back. This is just for a little bit. We thought you’d have more fun with Davina than Rance and Dalton without Mommy and Daddy around.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “Can I take my blocks?” She asked, obviously voicing her main concern about leaving her new house.
Vaughn laughed again, loudly. “Of course. Why don’t you help Daddy pack them up right now?” He put her on the floor and grabbed the case for the blocks as Lily crawled around the floor gathering them up. Five minutes later, all the blocks were neatly in place and the case was closed up. “We make a good team, don’t we, Lily?”

“Yup!”
“Give me a high five, cutie.” Vaughn held up his hand. Lily curiously looked at him before he took her little hand and put it against his. “Okay, when you do a good job with something, people do this as a sign of celebration. See, yay, we cleaned up!” As he said the last sentence, he gently slapped her little hand against his. She giggled.
“Gimme high five, Daddy!” She shrieked as she performed the action again.

~~~

I stood in Lily’s doorway, watching my daughter and Vaughn slap each other’s palms. “What are you teaching her?” I asked, smirking.
“Just how to give me five,” Vaughn replied, desperately trying to look innocent. I laughed.
“We packed my blocks, Momma. Gimme five!” Lily exclaimed and held up her hand. It was so adorable, I couldn’t help but smile widely as I knelt down and gently tapped her hand with mine before pulling her into a hug.

“Good girl. Now we have to pack your clothes.” I stood up with her in my arms as Vaughn pulled a duffle bag out of her closet and began to put some pajamas, pants and shirts inside. “Vaughn, I got it. Why don’t you play with her until you and Weiss leave?” He smiled gratefully, took her out of my arms and retreated into the living room while I went about packing some clothes, toys and miscellaneous items for Lily.

The doorbell rang about 20 minutes later and I heard Lily cry out for her Uncle Eric. Leaving the bags I was packing, I greeted him in the living room.
“Be careful guys, okay? Seriously, just watch out for Sark and Lauren.” Weiss put his arm around me.
“We’ll be fine, Syd.”
“All right, cowboy. Just don’t go trying to play hero. I’ll see you when we get back.” I hugged him tightly.

“Where is my little Lily?” Weiss called out, taking her from Vaughn and tickling her stomach. With Lily and Weiss entertained, I turned to Vaughn.
“Please, be careful…don’t go risking anything just to get Lauren. Lily needs her dad.”
“Syd,” he said, cupping my face with his hand, “Lily is going to have her dad. Don’t worry.” He pulled me into a hug. “Good luck with your sister. You be careful too.” Pulling away, he took Lily from his friend and hugged her against him. “Bye, cutie. Be a good girl, okay?” She nodded. “Can I have a kiss?”

Smiling, she gave Vaughn a big, wet kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, cutie.” Kissing her one last time, he handed her to me and I watched the boys walk out the door.

~~~

Dad came to get us about an hour later. I loaded our bags and the Hourglass into the car and strapped Lily into her car seat. Lily was excited about our private jet and was thrilled at the prospect of being able to run around without disturbing anyone. She managed to entertain herself for a while as Dad and I went over the schematics of our plan and finally passed out in my lap. Before I knew it, we had landed in Geneva and were on our way to the Erikkson’s house.

Lily became very excited as we pulled up to the house and she recognized where we were. “Na-Na! Na-Na!” She cried, crying out the name she called Jonna. Dad and I smiled to each other as we watched her bounce in her car seat.
Their door flew open as we pulled up and Jonna rushed out, excited to see us, and particularly her unofficial second daughter. She flung open the back door of the car and pulled Lily out of her car seat.

“Na-Na!”
“Lilybelle! Ma petite!”
“Je t'aime, Na-Na.”
“ Je t’aime, chérie.”
Jonna finally turned to us after her little interaction in French with my daughter. “Welcome back.”

“Thanks Jonna, though I am afraid we’ll be leaving in an hour again to head to Zurich.”
“Of course. You have an important mission. I’m happy you chose to leave her with us while you are away.”
“There’s no one else we trust as much.”
“Come in, please. Freshen up a little.”

“Thanks.” Dad and I went inside and put Lily’s bag in the living room.
“Aun’ Syddie!” I heard Davina cry out as she walked into the room and I swung her up into a hug.
“Hi, sweetheart! Did you miss me?” She nodded. We all sat down in the living room, our little extended family. I looked around and hoped it would always stay this way. I think I was starting to feel a little sentimental as I was about to embark on a journey to meet a sister I never knew I had.

A short while later it was time to go. Jonna cleared the room so Lily, Dad, and I could say goodbye in private. Dad kissed her and said he’d be waiting for me in the car. I pulled Lily into my lap and she looked into my eyes.
“You gonna do pwojet now? Daddy said I stay here because you have pwojet.”

Surprised at her question, I nodded my head, glad Vaughn told her something she could understand as to why we were leaving her.
“Okay, Momma. I see you soon.” She leaned forward and put her small arms around my neck.
“I love you, Lily.”
“Love you, Momma.”

>o<

Zurich

I felt like I was walking into a lion’s den when Dad and I entered Sloane’s office holding the Hourglass. He was anxiously staring at the case that was holding the artifact, practically salivating.
Dad put the case on the table and took out the artifact. The Hourglass didn’t hold sand, instead, a strange bubbling liquid.

“So how is this going to tell us where the Passenger is?” I asked after we all stared at the contraption for a few minutes.
“Only one person has the capability to access her location. Her father. Me. And I do it just like this…” Sloane picked up the Hourglass and smashed it down onto the floor. I gasped as I watched the liquid bubble on the floor. Finally, the liquid spread into a flat gel-like structure and numbers appeared in the goo.

“Coordinates…” I breathed as the numbers disappeared quickly. We all looked at each other. For the rest of the day, we researched the area that was located at the coordinates. We discovered that my sister was in Chechnya. More precisely, she was in a labor camp for female prisoners on the outskirts of Kamerschen. After checking the prison's central database we found her under the alias Talia Kozlov, being held in sector C.

“She’s incarcerated?” Sloane asked, incredulously.
“I think based on this information, we should reevaluate our assumptions that she is an innocent. She could be a dangerous individual.”
“She’s my daughter, Jack. I’m going to find her. I’ll prepare transport.” With that, Sloane stormed off, leaving Dad and I to stare at each other.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be safe. And I don’t expect anything from this woman. I’ll be fine.” He looked at me unsurely before leaving to help speck out the mission with Sloane.
I sat alone after he left, wondering what this Talia woman was like and hoping she really was an innocent victim. I pulled out my cell phone and left a voice mail for Vaughn to let him know I was on my way to Chechnya and that Lily was safely in Geneva. I left the message in a code the two of us developed before the night I had been kidnapped. No one else knew it, and it was rather hard to break. It was our safety net when there was a chance we could be compromised. And with Lauren lurking, the chance of being compromised was high.

>o<

Chechnya
With Dad and Sloane waiting in the transport, I infiltrated the prison from a grate in a stairwell. Walking into the main area, I began mingling with the other prisoners.
“Line up!” I heard a guard yell in Russia. I halted slightly, knowing things wouldn’t go so well for me if we were checked in one by one. Silently, I headed to the back of the line and placed a small explosive on a column that was directly behind me. Second later, it detonated, creating a lot of smoke and panic.

“Everyone inside! Go! Go!” The guard shouted again. We were all herded into the cell area and I saw a sign that pointed to Sector C. Quietly I made my way over to that ward, which turned out to be the infirmary ward, and found a file labelled “Talia Kozlov, #07.” I found the cot and to my surprise, the young woman there was restrained on the gurney. Sadness filled my heart as I looked at the catatonic girl and I knelt down by her side and began undoing the restraints.

“I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm your sister. I know that sounds crazy. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you, but I'm here now, and I'm going to get you out of here. You will be safe now, I promise you. By the way, I almost forgot. My name is Sydney.”
I hauled my sister into a wheelchair and began wheeling her through the prison to our extraction point.
“What are you doing? This facility is in lock-down.” A guard stopped me.
“The woman needs to see a doctor,” I replied, turning towards him.

“Take her back to her cell, we’ll escort…” the guard started to say but out of nowhere, my sister was out of the wheelchair and shoving it at the guard. We fought the two guards for a few minutes before they were both down.
“Who are you?” I shouted at her.
“Later!” She replied as we took off down the hallway. We ran into two more guards and succeeded in getting past them, but not before one of them slammed a fire extinguisher onto my sister’s head. I pulled her off the ground, threw an arm around her and started pulling her down the hall.
“Come on, come on. We've got to go. We've got to get to the tunnel. Come on.”

“Go. I'll catch up.”
“No, I'm not leaving you.”
“I feel faint.” I looked around and saw a small alcove where we could stop for a few minutes without being caught.
“Here, you just, you need to sit down just for a minute.” We slid down to the ground. “Take some deep breaths.” After another minute, I opened my mouth again. “So, who are you?”
“You can call me Talia.”
“I know that’s not your real name. What were you doing back there? Why were you pretending to be catatonic?”

“I can’t tell you.”
I studied her for a minute. “You're an agent.”
She slowly nodded. “Argentine Intelligence.” She paused. “What you said back there…”
“It's true. We're sisters.”
“How did you find me?”

“It wasn't just me. It was your father.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “My, father?”
“Yeah. He's waiting for you.” I pulled her up and we started to walk again. After a minute she looked up at me. “Nadia. My name is Nadia.”

>o<

A little while later, Dad and I were sitting at a table in the safehouse while Sloane watched over Nadia, who was asleep on the couch. I looked over, still not believing that I had a sister.
“When Will used to talk about his sister Amy, he was always so exasperated. He said she was a flake. He told me I was lucky to be an only child, but I knew he was lying. He loved her. I always wondered what they had.” I paused and looked my dad in the eye. “I have a sister.”

He looked angry. “I believe you assured me you weren't going to make the same mistake twice.” I was about to retort but I noticed Nadia wake up and look at Sloane in fear.
“I know who you are.” She glanced at me before looking back to Sloane who had begun to speak.
“Well then, you know about my criminal past. You also know that I've changed. But you need to know why. I never knew I had a daughter. I didn't know until two years ago that you even existed. When I found out... I felt totally complete joy. I just wanted to go out and find you immediately. But then, it struck me. Shame. I was ashamed of the man I was. I know I wasn't worthy of you. I wasn't worthy of your love. I wasn't worthy of your respect. From that moment on, I vowed to change. I didn't want to meet my daughter face to face and have her despise me.”

Suddenly an explosion went off in the entrance to the safe house. Dad and I jumped up to investigate. We heard Sark’s voice and ran back to tell Sloane and Nadia that we had company but to our surprise, they were gone. Without much time, Dad and I hid in the rafters until Sark and his crew left. Once it was safe, we crawled down.

“We’ve been tricked.” Dad nodded, and we began to make plans to head back to LA to sort out this mess and once again, find my sister.

TBC... and coming up in the conclusion.. (in no particular order of what happens when)
Lauren gets a hold of Lily... Sydney hints Vaughn is a bad father...Sydney goes off on her own again...and someone nails Sark where the sun don't shine...

PM List:

Angel
Iheartvaughn
secret_agent_angel
malumader
farliieansds225
vaughn4eva24
tblash423
sydneymicheal
SpygirlAmy
Smcki10
oooRevesDouxooo
MH55995
texasalias2004
phoenix shotgun 47
funkymonkey
sand2604
LittleNicky
xMountineer02300844x
grassyass
Nicky_Bristow
Jadeygirl
mnkdance963
fire*N*ice
sparklingrainbow
Freelancer7315
dandan
6helterskelter6
Carney4ever
 
ok, so i'm late again. damn, girl, if you didn't post every day, i'd have a shot at catching up! not that i'm complaining, mind you :smiley: just makes me look slow, and decrepit, kinda gimpy...

anyhoo, the idea of lauren laying her nasty mitts on lily makes me wanna engage in an involuntary personal protein spill (george carlin)!
can we cut off her hands in an epilogue, and burn them??? nope, not vengeful at all. who, me? i think between our 2 family backgrounds, we hold grudges pretty damn well!!! let's take that bitch down!

ahem.

looking forward to the breathtaking finale... and wishing i could take a nap to stay up and watch the damn us open final. starts at 10.30pm here...

hugs,
t
 
tblash423 said:
ok, so i'm late again. damn, girl, if you didn't post every day, i'd have a shot at catching up! not that i'm complaining, mind you :smiley: just makes me look slow, and decrepit, kinda gimpy...

anyhoo, the idea of lauren laying her nasty mitts on lily makes me wanna engage in an involuntary personal protein spill (george carlin)!
can we cut off her hands in an epilogue, and burn them??? nope, not vengeful at all. who, me? i think between our 2 family backgrounds, we hold grudges pretty damn well!!! let's take that bitch down!

ahem.
Click to expand...


OMG, LMAO. Tracey. Involuntary Personal Protein Spill? NAS-TY. Although, I guess it's better than saying makes you want to hurl.

Besides, I like posting every day. When a story is finished, I like to share. I hate waiting like, WEEEEEKS for people to update and I know people like reading more quickly.
Just because you are OLD (he he he he) and can't keep up, well, that's not my fault. (Ducking, b/c I know you're gonna throw something at me for that comment.)

Poor you, missing the tennis finals.. read about it in the papers! :D
 
OK, so in honor of me starting my new job Monday, I'm posting the final chapter... NOW.

Thanks to everyone who read my story...and thanks even more to those of you who continuously responded and reviewed. I really appreciate it all.

I hope you've enjoyed, cause I enjoyed writing. :smiley:

Recap:

Suddenly an explosion went off in the entrance to the safe house. Dad and I jumped up to investigate. We heard Sark’s voice and ran back to tell Sloane and Nadia that we had company but to our surprise, they were gone. Without much time, Dad and I hid in the rafters until Sark and his crew left. Once it was safe, we crawled down.
“We’ve been tricked.” Dad nodded, and we began to make plans to head back to LA to sort out this mess and once again, find my sister.

Chapter 14

By the time we arrived in LA, Marshall had already analyzed the fluid sample Vaughn and Weiss collected.
“Now, I believe the fluid contains a stored memory, a muscle memory. Now, this fluid that you brought back contains protein strains, and when injected the protein moves into the cerebral cortex.” Marshall began his rant. “Theoretically it could trigger an individual to execute a prerecorded series of non-cognitive actions... touch-typing or playing a musical instrument, or drawing.”
“How dangerous is this process?” I asked.

“Well, the toxicity level of that much protein being forced into the cerebrum would have to have harmful side effects... brain damage, maybe even death.” I gasped and took a step back. Vaughn put his hand on my arm to steady me.
“Don’t worry, Syd. We’ll get to Nadia.”

My dad bustled into the room. “Based on the phone conversation we recorded, we checked airport surveillance in Kyoto first and Sloane was spotted there with Nadia yesterday. There has been no footage yet of Sark and Lauren so either they are on route or just arriving now. Vaughn, Sydney, Weiss, get ready. We’re all going to Japan.”

~~~

On the way to Japan, I briefed everyone on the information I found out about Nadia.
“She uses the surname Santos. Argentina's Intelligence Directorate could only provide us with background. She was recruited six years ago. She was educated in language and trade-craft. The mission to Chechnya was her first real assignment. Before becoming an agent, she was confined to an orphanage in the Santermo district of Buenos Aires. She had no known family until now. According to Sloane, Nadia will be injected with the elixir we collected a sample of. It’s some kind of fluid that will enable her to deliver a message from Rambaldi himself.”

“Here is the plan. Sydney, Vaughn, you are going to secure Nadia. Weiss, Jack and I will be providing back-up outside his building along with Delta force. Use whatever means necessary to capture and take down Sloane, Lauren and Sark,” Dixon stated calmly. We all looked at each other, ready for battle. Each of us had our own personal stake in this mission, especially Vaughn and I.

As everyone began to settle into the flight and fall asleep or go over the mission on their own, Vaughn dragged me over to the seats along the back windows.
“Syd, look, whatever Lauren did to me, I want you to know I take full responsibility for what's happened. I messed up. I didn’t have enough faith. And if you can't get past that, I understand. But will you try?”

I looked deep into his eyes. “Vaughn, haven’t you realized that over the past few months, especially the past few days, when we are together with Lily, all I want is for us to be a family? Yes, I don’t want to jump right back into everything. Those two years did happen and we do need to take it slow. But, I want us. I want us to be a family. I want to be with you. And together we can work past everything.”
He let out a deep breath and smiled. “Okay. Then, I have something for you. It’s just a small gift, a promise, really. A promise from me to you for a better future together.”

“What is it?”
He reached into his pocket and removed a small box. Opening it, I found a ring that was a white gold band with emerald chips embedded in it. “Ancient Indian scriptures say that emeralds bring good luck and well-being, while in ancient Rome, green was the color of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love. Plus, they are the color of Lily’s eyes, so I thought it would remind you of her while you’re separated.” He glanced at my face, which held an expression of surprise. “It’s uh, for your right hand…or I got you a white gold chain and you can wear it around your neck…” he hesitated since I still hadn’t moved or said anything. “Please say you’ll take it, Syd…”

A tear rolled down my cheek and I gently fingered the beautiful ring. “I love it, thank you.” I turned so I could look directly into his eyes. “I love it…” I repeated in a whisper and pulled him into a hug while tears rolled down my face.
“Why are you crying?”

“Because I wish those two years never happened. I wish we never had to be apart. We could have been so happy by now, Vaughn. I love you so much.”
“We will be happy.” He settled back against the seat and pulled me close. We fell asleep like that for a few hours until my dad woke me up.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” I whispered, careful not to wake Vaughn.
“Nothing. I just see that your family is starting to work out…” he said, pointing toward the ring.
“Oh, Dad, this is just…we’re not engaged or anything. We’re going to take it slow, after all that happened. But we want to give it a shot for Lily’s sake.”
He put a hand on mine. “I think that’s a great idea, Sydney. I know it will work out.” I smiled at him.
“Thanks, Daddy. When are we landing?”
“In about an hour and a half.”

“Okay, thanks.” He smiled and went back towards the front of the plane while I settled back into Vaughn’s chest. “Vaughn, wake up,” I prodded him about a half hour later while snuggling warmly in his embrace after my dad woke me up.
“Mmmm, why?” He groaned.
“Because we are landing in an hour.” His arm that was snaked around my waist tightened a bit before he opened his eyes. His gaze drifted down to my hand, which bore the ring he had given me hours ago.
“You’re wearing the ring,” he commented with a smile.

“I am. And my dad saw.” I replied and watched his face drop into an expression of panic. “Don’t worry, Vaughn. He actually approves. He thinks it will be a good thing, us being together, especially for Lily. He always wants the best for her.” He let out a sigh, realizing that Dad wouldn’t kill him for trying to get me back after messing up. “Vaughn?” I asked softly.
“Yeah?”

“You promised me, right, that you won’t let your desire to get revenge on Lauren compromise this mission? And you’ll help me secure Nadia?” He didn’t say anything, just simply nodded, which worried me slightly but I decided not to press the issue further. He took my hand and gently pressed a soft kiss onto the ring, trying to show his love. I stretched and stood up to prepare for our mission and Vaughn soon followed.

~~~

We were surrounding the house-like structure where Sloane was holding Nadia. Through the window, we saw her strapped to a chair and seemed to be drawing something in a trance-like state. Suddenly, Weiss’s voice crackled to life in our ears.
“This is team Bravo. Security systems are down. You are clear to enter the facility.”

Vaughn and I looked at each other and began to inch our way toward one of the doors. Slipping inside without a problem, we hurried to the room where Nadia lay captured. As we got closer, we heard various voices coming from the room.
“Inject her with more fluid if her tolerance is becoming too great. We need to complete the message.”
“Julian, if we inject her with too much, she will die. Her brain will not be able to function properly.”
“We’ve all made sacrifices, Arvin,” Lauren broke in.

Taking deep breaths, we burst into the room, guns drawn. Sark and Lauren took one look at us and began shooting at me and Vaughn, as well as Sloane. In addition, they escaped out the glass door in the room. Vaughn, to my disbelief, chased after Lauren.
“VAUGHN! We have to secure Nadia!”
“I’m going after Lauren!”

Sighing in anger, I cornered Sloane and began to untie my sister. However, one of his guards came after me and I began to fight. It was me against the guard and Sloane. After Sloane knocked me down and escaped, I stood up to find the guard pointing a gun at me. I began to ponder how to get out of this situation. Suddenly, from behind me, a gun went off and the gun went down. I turned to find Nadia coming out of her trance aiming the gun. A second later, she collapsed and I rushed to her side.
“Nadia!” I hugged her and began to help her out of the building and to the spot where the helicopter was picking us up. Halfway there, Vaughn came to help me carry Nadia.

“I thought you were off chasing Lauren,” I said, bitterly.
“She got away after shooting off a rocket launcher at me and Weiss.” I made a rude noise in response and continued to focus on my sister. Minutes later, the three of us were safely in the helicopter.
“You’re safe now,” I said to her. “I promise he will never hurt you again.”

She turned to me with an incredulous look on her face. “He was trying to stop them from hurting me further. He saved me.”

>o<

Dixon called me into his office once we got back to LA. “Your sister is listed in stable condition. The drawings and text you recovered are in analysis. Marshall believes they are the instructions for the Rambaldi DNA and how to carry out his plan, but we’re still analyzing the pages. He should know in a day or two. The only blemish on a job well done is a debrief I received from the tac team leader indicating that an initial failure to secure Nadia provided Sloane an opportunity to escape. Is there anything to that?”

“No, sir.” He nodded and I left and ran into Vaughn. He inquired how the debrief went.
Standing in a position of mild anger, I glared at him. “I will not cover for you like that again. You violated mission protocol and left Nadia behind. Nadia saved my life.”
“It was a judgment call. I would never put your life in jeopardy.”

“You saw a chance to get Lauren and you took it, no matter what. You didn't have my back.”
“We got Nadia. That’s what counts.” I glared at him in disbelief.

“I understand what you're going through, what it feels like to be betrayed. You saw how my hatred of Sloane consumed me. Vaughn…you saved me from that, from letting my anger turn me into a different person. And now it is my turn to do that for you. But you have to let me. You have to listen to me when I tell you the person you are right now is not the person you want to be. I told you I want to be with you. That I still love you and I want to get through this, slowly. But I do know we can't even begin to try until you deal with this, and I don’t think you can be a good father to Lily before you fight your own demons.” I walked away, leaving him with hurt in his eyes, and I went to go see Nadia.

“Hey,” I said, walking into her hospital room. “I came to see how you are.”
“Doing better, thanks.” She looked down. “So…we’re sisters.”
“Yeah, through our mother. I don’t know much, but I promise I’ll tell you anything you want to know about her.”
“Okay.” She studied me for a minute. “Why do you look so sad?”

“I just miss my little girl.” Nadia looked interested, so I pulled out a picture and handed into to her. Something inside told me that I could trust this girl with keeping my daughter a secret. “She’s sort of a secret right now and only a handful of people know about her out of necessity for her safety.”
“Let me guess, people want her for something to do with this Rambaldi felgercarb?” I nodded.
“But we’re close to putting an end to why they would want her. She lives with me, but right now she’s staying with some people who can keep her safe until we end this.”

“Sydney, she’s adorable. I hope I can get to know her one day.” Nadia continued to stare at the picture.
“I’d like that. I want her to know her aunt.”
“Her eyes… they’re Vaughn’s…”
I nodded. “Yes. She is our child.” I saw the confusion drift over her face. “It’s a long story, one I promise to tell. Just…not now.” She simply nodded and handed the picture back to me.
“What’s her name?”
“Lilybelle, but I call her Lily.”
“That’s beautiful.” We smiled at each other and talked for a while longer. I was enjoying getting to know my sister.

~~~

After leaving Nadia, I did some thinking. I had to get that DNA completely destroyed and not just leave it hidden. I had no idea why I didn’t just destroy it completely in the first place. But now it was time.

>o<

“I need to speak to Agent Vaughn,” Nadia was insisting.
“Ms. Santos, you need to rest,” A guard in the hospital room said firmly.
“No! I need to speak to Agent Vaughn!” She was on the verge of getting hysterical. Dixon heard her from the hallway and hurried inside.

“What is going on here?”
“Ms. Santos is insisting on speaking with Agent Vaughn.” Dixon looked questioningly at Nadia.
“It’s very important. It’s about Sydney.” Dixon thought for a moment and pulled out his cell phone.
“Vaughn. Please come to Nadia’s hospital room immediately.” Ten minutes later, Vaughn appeared. Dixon and the guard stepped outside the room to give the two some privacy.

“Vaughn, Sydney’s about to do something stupid. You have to go save her.”
“How do you know?”
“Call it a sisterly feeling. We were talking about your little girl and she said she had to do something before she could get her back. Then she took off and said she’d be back as soon as she could.”
“She’s going after the DNA. She’s going to destroy it. Nadia, did she say where she was going?” Nadia shook her head.

“No. But, she did say, ‘Glaze tear cloths,’ before she left.” Vaughn stood and mentally solved the code Sydney left for him in their special encryption. Five minutes later, he knew.
“I know where she is. Or where she went. I need to go do some research before I can leave.”
“Wait…Vaughn…can I come?” He looked at her hesitantly.
“Look. I feel fine. I don’t want to sit in this hospital. I want to help my family…the only family I have. She saved me, now I want to save her.”

He looked around the room for a minute. “Okay, fine. We just have to figure out how to get you out of here.” As he was saying that, there was a knock on the door and Dixon poked his head in.
“Nadia, your tests are coming back fine. We’re going to move you to a safe house for the time being. Here are some clothes.”

“Oh, I’ll take her over,” Vaughn said. “I’m on my way out anyway.”
“Thanks, Vaughn. Call me if you need anything else.” After Dixon left, Vaughn and Nadia smiled at each other.
“Looks like getting me out is going to be easier than we anticipated. Come on, we’re about an hour behind Sydney.”

~~~

I had made my way to Austria and to Das Hotel Verlustzeit in Graz. Breaking into the hotel’s long-term security vault, I found my cube with the DNA inside. With gloves on my hand, I took it out, held the vial in a pair of tongs and a small blowtorch in the other hand.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Sydney.” I heard an annoying British voice break into my thoughts and I looked up. Lauren was standing there looking smug.

“Watch me.” I lit the blowtorch.
“You’ll stop if you want your daughter back.” I looked up, pale.
“What?” Suddenly I heard screams of “Momma” coming from somewhere down the hallway. Lauren’s lips curled into a smile.

“That’s right. Your daughter for the DNA. Otherwise, we could always keep your daughter and raise her as one of our own.”
“How did you get her? If you laid one hand on that little girl I’ll kill you!”
“Don’t fret, Sydney. Sark is taking excellent care of her. I must admit I am sorely disappointed that you and Michael didn’t care to tell me about her. I would have loved to play stepmother. She really is kind of adorable.”

“Shut up! Listen, I don’t know how you got her, but you are not getting this DNA!” I went to light the torch again but my daughter’s terrified screams were growing louder. I was torn. Do I stay and battle Lauren? Do I hand the DNA over, get my daughter and then get the DNA back? I stood firm, flame to the DNA. I figured Sark wouldn’t hurt her until he knew what was happening over here.

~~~

MEANWHILE…

Vaughn and Nadia had made it to Das Hotel Verlustzeit not far behind Sydney. Once down in the vault, they both heard the screams of a little girl and a ball of fear swelled in Vaughn’s stomach. He had a feeling it was his little girl screaming, and he didn’t know how anyone could have found her.

Creeping down the hall, they peeked around the corner and saw Sark struggling with Lily. He was holding her directly in front of him as she kicked and squirmed fiercely, screaming for her mother. Suddenly, her little foot made direct contact with the part of the body that no male would ever want kicked and Sark doubled over. He managed not to drop the baby as he leaned down to the floor but once her tiny feet were on solid ground, he let go and grabbed himself in pain. She took off running as fast as her little feet could take her toward Vaughn’s direction, never looking back.

Vaughn watched his little girl run closer to him and felt anger surging through his veins. How dare Sark lay a hand on her.
“Go after him, I’ll take care of Lily,” he heard Nadia whisper. Nodding, he started down the hall, bypassing his daughter who didn’t look up as she ran.
He reached Sark, who was still writhing on the floor and cuffed his hands and feet, then kicked him in the side. “That’s for taking my daughter, asswipe! Now tell me, WHERE IS LAUREN?”

As Vaughn was apprehending Sark, Lily had turned the corner of the hallway and ran into Nadia’s open arms. She gasped and went to scream but Nadia quickly let her go and sat down on the floor next to her.
“Hey Lily. Don’t be scared. I’m your mommy’s sister, Nadia. I‘m your aunt. You’re safe now, the bad people aren’t going to hurt you anymore,” she said in a tone as soothing as she could make.
Lily took a deep breath and studied the woman in front of her. Something inside told her it was okay and she inched closer to Nadia. “Aun’ Nadi?”

Nadia smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, sweetie. Your mommy and daddy are here. We’re going to stay right here and wait for them, okay?” She reached out and smoothed the baby’s hair back. Slowly, Lily drew herself closer to Nadia and finally climbed into her lap to hug her. Nadia closed her arms protectively around the little girl and kissed her head. “You’re safe.” The little girl looked up at Nadia.

“I want Mommy.” Nadia peered into Lily’s eyes and saw fear. She nodded and stood up, holding Lily against her. Peeking around the corner, she saw Vaughn was gone and Sark lay still on the floor, presumably tranq’d. She began walking down the hall, pausing only to spit on Sark.

~~~

As Lauren and I stared at each other, Lily’s cries suddenly stopped and I feared the worst. “What did he do to her?” I screamed, dropped the vial of DNA and rushed toward Lauren.
Lauren screeched when she saw the vial falling and we collided, wrestling each other to the ground. My foot smashed the vial and the DNA leaked out, ruined by the dirty concrete. One of us then kicked the blowtorch and the DNA fluid burst up in flames behind us.

After wrestling a few more minutes next to the fire, Lauren maneuvered me so I was poised in front of the flame. “Any last words before I throw you in the fire?”
“STOP!” A voice bellowed out, and we looked up to see Vaughn standing in back of us with a gun trained on Lauren.

“Put the gun down! If you love her, you’ll put the gun down.” I watched him slowly lower his gun and Lauren smiled. “You really are a boy scout, aren’t you?” Before she could register what was happening, he raised the gun and shot her. She let go of me and stumbled forward, into the fire. Leaping to the side, I watched as Vaughn shot her three more times until she was completely still in the flames. It was over.
He walked over to grab my hand and hauled me off the floor. “Lily…” I said, panicking.

“She’s fine, Sydney,” I heard a voice say and we looked up to see Nadia walking over with Lily sitting contentedly in her arms.
“Mommy! Daddy!” Vaughn and I took one glance at each other and rushed over to Nadia, grabbed our daughter and covered her in kisses. Holding her between us, we entered into an embrace and Vaughn slowly lowered his lips to mine and kissed me passionately with Nadia looking on. Breaking away, I walked over to Nadia, looked at her for a minute and pulled her into a fierce hug.

“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Telling Vaughn that I went off on my own. I am so glad you have just as big of a mouth as I do.” Nadia smiled.
“I didn’t want to lose the only family I had.”

“Don’t worry Nadia, you won’t.” Vaughn, who was holding Lily, walked over to us and the four of us shared a hug before we called our superiors to have Sark and Lauren taken care of. It really was over.
“We did it,” Vaughn said, voicing my inner thoughts. “We ALL did it. You should have seen Lily kick Sark in a very sensitive area…” I smiled at him, knowing that at that moment, I didn’t want to take it slow anymore. I was ready for us to be a family. Before I could say anything, though, a small voice filled the air.

“Yeah! We did it Daddy! Gimme five!” Giggles followed as the four of us hugged again before heading out of the building as backup came to deal with Sark and Lauren. It was time to go home and be a family. One day had finally arrived.

The End.

Final PM List:

Angel
Iheartvaughn
secret_agent_angel
malumader
farliieansds225
vaughn4eva24
tblash423
sydneymicheal
SpygirlAmy
Smcki10
oooRevesDouxooo
MH55995
texasalias2004
phoenix shotgun 47
funkymonkey
sand2604
LittleNicky
xMountineer02300844x
grassyass
Nicky_Bristow
Jadeygirl
mnkdance963
fire*N*ice
sparklingrainbow
Freelancer7315
dandan
6helterskelter6
Carney4ever
 
awww theyre one happy family
perfect ending!!!!
loved lily kicking sark!!!
this was def one of my fav fics ever
loved it
so sad its over
thanx for all the pms
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
~One More Day~
2 3
Replies
56
Views
3K
cookiesncreamdream
C
N
You're The One. . .
9 10 11
Replies
215
Views
10K
AliasSydney502
A
littleangel
For A Day
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
jessie tubb
J
Back
Top