NadiaSantosFan
Cadet
Aww yeah!
I love the way he made her remember :sigh:
thanks for the pm!
Zoe
I love the way he made her remember :sigh:
thanks for the pm!
Zoe
Red Skies at Dawn (COMPLETE)
- Thread starter Alias=Life
- Start date
SpygirlAmy
Cadet
oo that was so good! i loved it!
cant wait for more
thanks for the pm update soon
cant wait for more
thanks for the pm update soon
Alias=Life
Cadet
A/N: There are still some more parts until the end, so don't think I'd be so cruel to leave you hanging like this. Enjoy! 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part VII
Seeing her world fall apart nearly killed what was left of him, as if the revelation of her life hadn’t. He wanted to hold her, to embrace her, and tell her everything was going to be okay.
But he couldn’t.
But it wasn’t.
“Syd,” he said, his voice hoarse, “Syd, let me go.”
She looked up at him, that face which had melted his heart the first time they met; that face of pain and betrayal. She looked like a child, sad and pathetic and even worse than him, if that was possible. She was in such a state of shock, she couldn’t even hear him.
“Syd, you have to let me go. Things will get better,” he lied.
Nodding slowly, she found the strength to stand, reaching above his head to undue the chain. Her hands were shaky and fumbled with it the first few times, but once she finally got the hang of it, he found himself free and his arms immediately around her.
“I’m so sorry…,” he whispered, resting a cheek against her head, “I didn’t know you were alive.”
The sobbing had ceased and as much as it tore him apart to hear it, he would have rather have let it rip out his insides than to see her the way she was. Sydney Bristow had never looked so defeated.
“I wasn’t.”
He knew he should have been thinking about what to do next, but all he wanted to focus on was the feel of her in his arms. He just couldn’t grasp his mind around the fact that she was here, alive and with him. He feared that if he loosened his grip, she’d slip through his arms and through his heart, like sand. She would, eventually, but not now. Now was all that mattered.
“Syd… please tell me what’s going on. I have to know.”
She was obviously here to kill him. But why? What would happen now? Would he lose her again?
No.
He couldn’t.
He wouldn’t.
No matter what, he wouldn’t let her leave him again. Neither of them could survive it.
-----------
“Has Julia Thorne made contact yet?” he asked, cradling the phone between his head and shoulder.
“No, sir. We haven’t heard from her since yesterday.”
“Oh? How about Michael Vaughn? Is he dead yet?” he asked, blowing smoke from is mouth and inhaling it back through his nostrils.
“Local authorities found his car in pieces. It blew up, but they haven’t been able to identify a body. It could have been incinerated in the blast,” the man on the other line explained.
He began to lightly laugh, “How… ironic. But I highly doubt she’d let him off that easily. You know our Julia; always making things more difficult than they really are.”
“We haven’t spotted her on any commercial air flights and we’re sure she hasn’t left the country. She must still be in LA.”
He grew more serious, “That’s all,” and he hung up the phone.
What could be taking Julia so long? She never missed a deadline. It must have been this particular case.
“I knew it was a stupid idea to send her in for this job.”
It was the final test to prove her loyalty. Apparently, she had failed, but he would wait for confirmation before he came to a conclusion. Picking up the phone again, he dialed another number.
“Contact our assets in LA. Tell them to be on the lookout for Thorne.”
----------
He took her to the train station, where fond memories started to flood her mind again. She knew they were hers, but what killed her was the fact that she knew they were so important, yet she didn’t remember any of them. It was like watching a movie of yourself during infancy; you know it happened, you can see it, yet you don’t remember any bit of it, but you still know it happened.
She had explained everything that she knew to him, and while it took her a while to finally force it out, he was able to make sense of most of what she said. She was Julia Thorne, an assassin for the Covenant sent here to kill him, because he knew far too much about their organization.
“Do you remember this place?” he asked.
He was being gentle, she could tell. He didn’t want to prod, hoping she would slowly regain her memories. Even though Julia wasn’t the one who knew him, she knew this.
“I do.”
She didn’t have the strength or willpower to compose longer sentences or invoke deeper thought. They gradually returned to her, like the consistently inconsistent tide, slowly coming closer before pulling back, then engulfing her whole, only to spit her out when the water was just beginning to flood her senses.
The way he looked at her, with such longing… it made her heart ache even more. Once again, he was a familiar stranger to her and she knew that look. It was the, “I want to, but I can’t,” look. She didn’t know what was causing it, but she had many ideas of her own; his wife, his agency, his… fear. And, of course, there was the Covenant, who would kill them both if they didn’t find at least one body.
“Syd--”
“Julia.”
There was silence between them, once again. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be Sydney Bristow. It was that she didn’t know how. She didn’t even know who she was or what she did, outside of the basic facts. There was no way she’d spend her past time pretending to be someone else. She did enough of that.
“For now,” she added, “Let me be me.”
A pained look crossed his face. She knew he wanted his precious Sydney back, but even if she regained all of her memories, she would never be the same. Things would never go back to the way they were, no matter how badly either of them wanted it. All she could do was try. If she was Sydney Bristow, then it would come naturally to her… right?
Walking outside of the train station, the sky lit up in the same brilliant red as it did the morning before. For the first time in forever, she smiled. This was her deadline, and as bad things seemed, her bloodstained sky was starting to give way to tranquility.
She wrapped herself around his arm, burying her face in it. Suddenly, the Covenant and her purpose didn’t seem so important. She wanted to stay here, with him. Even though she knew that would never happen, she wanted it.
“What do we do now?” she asked, her voice still very shaky.
He didn’t answer her. He didn’t know what they would do. If she stayed here, the CIA would be all over her if the Covenant didn’t get to her fist. If she went back… he’d never see her again. He couldn’t survive the loss of her one more time. One of them would end up dead.
“Stay with me,” he whispered.
She looked up at him, knowing that wasn’t possible, “Your wife--”
“Not at my house,” he interjected, “I can find you someplace safe to stay. Promise me you’ll stay there.”
She smiled and nodded. There was no place safe on this planet from her enemies, he had to have known that. Whatever illusion he was trying to build, it simply couldn’t last that long, before it would cave into reality. But it couldn’t hurt to dream a little longer, could it?
“I will.”
Just a little longer…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part VII
Seeing her world fall apart nearly killed what was left of him, as if the revelation of her life hadn’t. He wanted to hold her, to embrace her, and tell her everything was going to be okay.
But he couldn’t.
But it wasn’t.
“Syd,” he said, his voice hoarse, “Syd, let me go.”
She looked up at him, that face which had melted his heart the first time they met; that face of pain and betrayal. She looked like a child, sad and pathetic and even worse than him, if that was possible. She was in such a state of shock, she couldn’t even hear him.
“Syd, you have to let me go. Things will get better,” he lied.
Nodding slowly, she found the strength to stand, reaching above his head to undue the chain. Her hands were shaky and fumbled with it the first few times, but once she finally got the hang of it, he found himself free and his arms immediately around her.
“I’m so sorry…,” he whispered, resting a cheek against her head, “I didn’t know you were alive.”
The sobbing had ceased and as much as it tore him apart to hear it, he would have rather have let it rip out his insides than to see her the way she was. Sydney Bristow had never looked so defeated.
“I wasn’t.”
He knew he should have been thinking about what to do next, but all he wanted to focus on was the feel of her in his arms. He just couldn’t grasp his mind around the fact that she was here, alive and with him. He feared that if he loosened his grip, she’d slip through his arms and through his heart, like sand. She would, eventually, but not now. Now was all that mattered.
“Syd… please tell me what’s going on. I have to know.”
She was obviously here to kill him. But why? What would happen now? Would he lose her again?
No.
He couldn’t.
He wouldn’t.
No matter what, he wouldn’t let her leave him again. Neither of them could survive it.
-----------
“Has Julia Thorne made contact yet?” he asked, cradling the phone between his head and shoulder.
“No, sir. We haven’t heard from her since yesterday.”
“Oh? How about Michael Vaughn? Is he dead yet?” he asked, blowing smoke from is mouth and inhaling it back through his nostrils.
“Local authorities found his car in pieces. It blew up, but they haven’t been able to identify a body. It could have been incinerated in the blast,” the man on the other line explained.
He began to lightly laugh, “How… ironic. But I highly doubt she’d let him off that easily. You know our Julia; always making things more difficult than they really are.”
“We haven’t spotted her on any commercial air flights and we’re sure she hasn’t left the country. She must still be in LA.”
He grew more serious, “That’s all,” and he hung up the phone.
What could be taking Julia so long? She never missed a deadline. It must have been this particular case.
“I knew it was a stupid idea to send her in for this job.”
It was the final test to prove her loyalty. Apparently, she had failed, but he would wait for confirmation before he came to a conclusion. Picking up the phone again, he dialed another number.
“Contact our assets in LA. Tell them to be on the lookout for Thorne.”
----------
He took her to the train station, where fond memories started to flood her mind again. She knew they were hers, but what killed her was the fact that she knew they were so important, yet she didn’t remember any of them. It was like watching a movie of yourself during infancy; you know it happened, you can see it, yet you don’t remember any bit of it, but you still know it happened.
She had explained everything that she knew to him, and while it took her a while to finally force it out, he was able to make sense of most of what she said. She was Julia Thorne, an assassin for the Covenant sent here to kill him, because he knew far too much about their organization.
“Do you remember this place?” he asked.
He was being gentle, she could tell. He didn’t want to prod, hoping she would slowly regain her memories. Even though Julia wasn’t the one who knew him, she knew this.
“I do.”
She didn’t have the strength or willpower to compose longer sentences or invoke deeper thought. They gradually returned to her, like the consistently inconsistent tide, slowly coming closer before pulling back, then engulfing her whole, only to spit her out when the water was just beginning to flood her senses.
The way he looked at her, with such longing… it made her heart ache even more. Once again, he was a familiar stranger to her and she knew that look. It was the, “I want to, but I can’t,” look. She didn’t know what was causing it, but she had many ideas of her own; his wife, his agency, his… fear. And, of course, there was the Covenant, who would kill them both if they didn’t find at least one body.
“Syd--”
“Julia.”
There was silence between them, once again. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be Sydney Bristow. It was that she didn’t know how. She didn’t even know who she was or what she did, outside of the basic facts. There was no way she’d spend her past time pretending to be someone else. She did enough of that.
“For now,” she added, “Let me be me.”
A pained look crossed his face. She knew he wanted his precious Sydney back, but even if she regained all of her memories, she would never be the same. Things would never go back to the way they were, no matter how badly either of them wanted it. All she could do was try. If she was Sydney Bristow, then it would come naturally to her… right?
Walking outside of the train station, the sky lit up in the same brilliant red as it did the morning before. For the first time in forever, she smiled. This was her deadline, and as bad things seemed, her bloodstained sky was starting to give way to tranquility.
She wrapped herself around his arm, burying her face in it. Suddenly, the Covenant and her purpose didn’t seem so important. She wanted to stay here, with him. Even though she knew that would never happen, she wanted it.
“What do we do now?” she asked, her voice still very shaky.
He didn’t answer her. He didn’t know what they would do. If she stayed here, the CIA would be all over her if the Covenant didn’t get to her fist. If she went back… he’d never see her again. He couldn’t survive the loss of her one more time. One of them would end up dead.
“Stay with me,” he whispered.
She looked up at him, knowing that wasn’t possible, “Your wife--”
“Not at my house,” he interjected, “I can find you someplace safe to stay. Promise me you’ll stay there.”
She smiled and nodded. There was no place safe on this planet from her enemies, he had to have known that. Whatever illusion he was trying to build, it simply couldn’t last that long, before it would cave into reality. But it couldn’t hurt to dream a little longer, could it?
“I will.”
Just a little longer…
gtwallichs
Cadet
That was soooo good!
Tiiulicious
Cadet
I loved this so much. Great work, I enjoyed the update immensely.
Thanks for the pm
SpygirlAmy
Cadet
aww that was great! i hope that it wont have to be a dream for much longer!
cant wait for more
thanks for the PM, update soon
cant wait for more
thanks for the PM, update soon
sydneymicheal
Cadet
WOW...
Who is Vaughn's wife...did I miss that...
So she remembers, but has no feelings attached to the memories...
Syd and Vaughn getting through this is gonna be interesting to say the least...
Thanks for the pm.
Who is Vaughn's wife...did I miss that...
So she remembers, but has no feelings attached to the memories...
Syd and Vaughn getting through this is gonna be interesting to say the least...
Thanks for the pm.
Alias=Life
Cadet
Vaughn's wife is Lauren, who is mentioned in the earlier chapters. She isn't Covenant, though, she's just a teacher.
NadiaSantosFan
Cadet
Aww. . . I just love that he took her to the train station.
loved it!
Thanks for the pm
loved it!
Thanks for the pm
Alias=Life
Cadet
A/N: Okay, I gotta peace, so this next part is pretty short. It'll have to hold you off until tomorrow, though, so enjoy!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part VIII
“Where the hell are you?” Director Peterson asked, “We thought you were killed!”
“Its… complicated,” Vaughn replied.
It was early in the morning and he stood inside a phone both, calling from a payphone in one of the most sleaziest parts of LA. The sky, which was flaming red moments ago, was now grey and crying, reflecting both their moods.
They had devised a plan that would hopefully work, until they could think of something better.
“What about Thorne?” he asked.
“She’s dead. She was holding me captive and I escaped. I shot her in the head,” he lied.
“All right. Where’s the body?”
“I’m not sure. Probably floating somewhere in the Pacific.”
He could hear his superior sigh on the other end of the phone, knowing that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, “That’s fine. Just get in here as soon as possible and we’ll straighten up this mess.”
Vaughn agreed, hanging the phone up and turning to see Sydney-- Julia-- standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He had given her his leather jacket which she had draped across her shoulders, her hair and body soaking wet. They needed to get out of the street.
“That was my superior,” he explained, “So far, he believes me.”
“You know they’ll come looking. Soon, they’ll retrace your steps, figure out who I really am and come. They’re not just going to take your word for it,” she replied.
“I don’t know. I might be able to convince Peterson. He usually listens to me,” he said, trying to cheer her up, “But until then, lets get out of this rain.”
They took a bus until they were back into the part of the city which he knew and didn’t look like a dump. They walked in the rain for a little longer, hand-in-hand, until they reached a hotel. Walking to the front desk and booking a room under an alias, he walked her up to her room.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized once again, as they walked through the door, “But this is our best chance.”
“I… understand,” she replied.
She really didn’t. She didn’t understand why he’d put his neck on the line, even if she was once his lover. She didn’t understand why he thought this would work, in the world they knew. She didn’t understand why he was acting so nice, when he really should want her dead.
She sat on the bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling. All these feelings were so foreign to her. She wanted to embrace them, but it was so hard not to turn away and shield herself, like she normally would.
Suddenly, she saw his face appear in her line of vision and he was looking down at her, “What’s up?”
She was quiet and very serious, sitting up, “This Sydney,” she said, “Who was she to you?”
“Huh?” he asked, not completely understanding her question.
“I know you two-- we-- were close. But… what was she to you? What did she mean?” she repeated.
It was strange for him, talking to her about this while she was standing right in front of him. Still, she needed to hear it and he thought it best. Maybe if she did, he could help her remember her life before.
“Sydney was… a friend. Loyal and compassionate, always there when you needed her. If she said she was going to do something, she did it. She never broke a promise to her friends and all who knew her adored her. Even more than a friend, she was a hero. She never wore a cape or was well-known across the world, but she kinda just watched over everybody, you know? Those of us who were lucky to see her and her amazing abilities knew how much she loved and cherished everything, especially the little things that most people took for granted. But, most people didn’t see her. Most people just saw the peace, never bothering to think of where it came from. But it was her. They’ll never know that, she never wanted them to know that, but it was her.”
Every word he said seemed to stir something deep inside of her. She knew what he was saying was true; a woman, who dedicated her entire life to protecting those around her. A woman everybody loved and enemies despised. A woman so perfect, most thought she was nothing but a myth or a reassuring figment of their imagination. But such a woman did exist, and apparently, it was her.
“But above all else,” he said, pulling her from her thoughts, “She was my… everything. We did such amazing things when we were together. Well, not really me, I was more of her sidekick. When I was with her, it just felt like everything was going to be okay… and it always was. She had this way of making you feel like the only person in the room, and when I was with her, I’d never been so happy. I loved her more than anything and she loved me. That much, I’m sure of.”
Silent tears streaked her already wet face, thanks to the rain, unlike the large and piercing ones before. This cry was a lot more gentler and less painful then the ones he’d heard previously. She wasn’t crying because this was a life-altering revelation, but because she was finally starting to understand something she thought she never would. She could finally understand why he was doing this and why he was fighting so fiercely, even when he knew it was futile.
“Its pointless, trying to escape the hands of fate. We can run all we want, but we’ll still succumb to it.”
But this wasn’t about meeting their fate. It was about them, running side-by-side, even when everything couldn’t be any darker. This was about them holding hands and enjoying what little time they had left. This was about them, going down together, just like Sydney and Vaughn always knew they would.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part VIII
“Where the hell are you?” Director Peterson asked, “We thought you were killed!”
“Its… complicated,” Vaughn replied.
It was early in the morning and he stood inside a phone both, calling from a payphone in one of the most sleaziest parts of LA. The sky, which was flaming red moments ago, was now grey and crying, reflecting both their moods.
They had devised a plan that would hopefully work, until they could think of something better.
“What about Thorne?” he asked.
“She’s dead. She was holding me captive and I escaped. I shot her in the head,” he lied.
“All right. Where’s the body?”
“I’m not sure. Probably floating somewhere in the Pacific.”
He could hear his superior sigh on the other end of the phone, knowing that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, “That’s fine. Just get in here as soon as possible and we’ll straighten up this mess.”
Vaughn agreed, hanging the phone up and turning to see Sydney-- Julia-- standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He had given her his leather jacket which she had draped across her shoulders, her hair and body soaking wet. They needed to get out of the street.
“That was my superior,” he explained, “So far, he believes me.”
“You know they’ll come looking. Soon, they’ll retrace your steps, figure out who I really am and come. They’re not just going to take your word for it,” she replied.
“I don’t know. I might be able to convince Peterson. He usually listens to me,” he said, trying to cheer her up, “But until then, lets get out of this rain.”
They took a bus until they were back into the part of the city which he knew and didn’t look like a dump. They walked in the rain for a little longer, hand-in-hand, until they reached a hotel. Walking to the front desk and booking a room under an alias, he walked her up to her room.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized once again, as they walked through the door, “But this is our best chance.”
“I… understand,” she replied.
She really didn’t. She didn’t understand why he’d put his neck on the line, even if she was once his lover. She didn’t understand why he thought this would work, in the world they knew. She didn’t understand why he was acting so nice, when he really should want her dead.
She sat on the bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling. All these feelings were so foreign to her. She wanted to embrace them, but it was so hard not to turn away and shield herself, like she normally would.
Suddenly, she saw his face appear in her line of vision and he was looking down at her, “What’s up?”
She was quiet and very serious, sitting up, “This Sydney,” she said, “Who was she to you?”
“Huh?” he asked, not completely understanding her question.
“I know you two-- we-- were close. But… what was she to you? What did she mean?” she repeated.
It was strange for him, talking to her about this while she was standing right in front of him. Still, she needed to hear it and he thought it best. Maybe if she did, he could help her remember her life before.
“Sydney was… a friend. Loyal and compassionate, always there when you needed her. If she said she was going to do something, she did it. She never broke a promise to her friends and all who knew her adored her. Even more than a friend, she was a hero. She never wore a cape or was well-known across the world, but she kinda just watched over everybody, you know? Those of us who were lucky to see her and her amazing abilities knew how much she loved and cherished everything, especially the little things that most people took for granted. But, most people didn’t see her. Most people just saw the peace, never bothering to think of where it came from. But it was her. They’ll never know that, she never wanted them to know that, but it was her.”
Every word he said seemed to stir something deep inside of her. She knew what he was saying was true; a woman, who dedicated her entire life to protecting those around her. A woman everybody loved and enemies despised. A woman so perfect, most thought she was nothing but a myth or a reassuring figment of their imagination. But such a woman did exist, and apparently, it was her.
“But above all else,” he said, pulling her from her thoughts, “She was my… everything. We did such amazing things when we were together. Well, not really me, I was more of her sidekick. When I was with her, it just felt like everything was going to be okay… and it always was. She had this way of making you feel like the only person in the room, and when I was with her, I’d never been so happy. I loved her more than anything and she loved me. That much, I’m sure of.”
Silent tears streaked her already wet face, thanks to the rain, unlike the large and piercing ones before. This cry was a lot more gentler and less painful then the ones he’d heard previously. She wasn’t crying because this was a life-altering revelation, but because she was finally starting to understand something she thought she never would. She could finally understand why he was doing this and why he was fighting so fiercely, even when he knew it was futile.
“Its pointless, trying to escape the hands of fate. We can run all we want, but we’ll still succumb to it.”
But this wasn’t about meeting their fate. It was about them, running side-by-side, even when everything couldn’t be any darker. This was about them holding hands and enjoying what little time they had left. This was about them, going down together, just like Sydney and Vaughn always knew they would.
SpygirlAmy
Cadet
loved it!
thanks was great!
thanks for the PM
cant wait for more
thanks was great!
thanks for the PM
cant wait for more
gtwallichs
Cadet
That was soooo good!
Loved it!
Loved it!
sydneymicheal
Cadet
The way Vaughn talked about Sydney was just beautiful and so loving...
Thanks for the pm.
Thanks for the pm.
farliieansds225
Cadet
awww so sweet
awesome update
loved it
thanx for the pm
cant wait for more
awesome update
loved it
thanx for the pm
cant wait for more
