Red Skies at Dawn (COMPLETE)

Leaving him like must have been pretty hard for her. :(

is she going to kill that other guy? :eek:
I hope so. . .
Cant wait to see what happens next! :jump:
thanks for the PM!
 
Who is the other guy...
Glad that Syd called Vaughn and they were together...
Hopefully Syd will make it out alive, if not alive than hopefully the guy wo't survive either.
Thanks for the pm.
 
nooo you can't stop like that.... (n)

i hope syd can make it out alive
and
then she can be with vaughn again and live happily ever after :rolleyes: :lol:

please update soon
 
A/N: OMG, its over! I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed writing this fic, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Its not a very happy ending but it was never intended to be. What started as a contest fic became so much more, so thank you for all of your friendly and encouraging comments and support. Its been fun! Now, enjoy! :woot: :D ;)

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Part XV - Finale



“I know what you did to me, Pyotr,” she said, her deadly gaze never leaving his own, “What you did to Sydney Bristow.”

“Do you, now?” he said, taunting her and blowing more smoke in her direction, “Elaborate.”

“You faked my death. You tortured me. You threatened my friends, and tried to get me to kill the man I love.”

He laughed, grinding his cigar into the crystal ashtray, burning it out. He folded both his hands together, resting his chin on them, “Then you really do have your memory back. Congratulations.”

“What were you expecting?” she prodded, still keeping her anger in check, “What did you hope to achieve through me?”

“Its nothing personal, Julia. Its just… business,” he stood up, walking over to the window and staring outside as life went on, “You’re the best. I need the best.”

“You destroyed me life because you needed the best?”

“That is correct.”

She stood up, slamming her hands down on his desk. He turned to see the cause of such noise, an amused look on his face. This bastard wasn’t the least bit sorry for what he did. No, he had no remorse whatsoever.

“Try to tell yourself that you’re a hero. You were as Sydney, but you’re not Sydney anymore, Julia. Your hands have taken the lives of the innocent, making your blood just as impure as mine.”

“You’re wrong,” she protested, “I am Sydney Bristow and even if I wasn’t, that doesn’t matter… because my blood is purer than yours will ever be.”

He nodded, sitting back down at his desk. There was a pause, an ominous silence lingering in the air. Neither said nothing, waiting to see the others’ reaction.

“So, have you really come all this way just to call me out?” he asked, “That’s so unlike you, Julia.”

“No, I didn’t come all this way to tell you that. I came all this way… to stop you and put an end to your madness.”

“Oh?” he laughed, “And how do you plan on doing that? Kill the leader of the Covenant and the rest of the organization will shrivel up and die? Can the simple thinking, my dear.”

She smirked, “That’s exactly what I was planning, and you’d be surprised by how easily people can take a hint.”

“Maybe so. Or maybe, all of your efforts are in vain. I don’t blame you for coming, though; either way, you were bound to lose, so why not go down with some glory, huh?” he asked, quietly loading his gun.

“You’re wrong, Pyotr,” she said, grabbing her own which was concealed underneath her shirt, “I can win. As long as he lives, I win.”

They both drew at the same time, aiming at each other. They both wore a look of pure determination on their faces; her actions driven by the survival of her soul mate, his driven by the survival of his self.

----------

He awoke alone, to an empty bed and ruffled sheets. Feeling the spot where he had last seen her, it was cold, indicating that she had been gone for some time. He knew what she was up to; Sydney always had one thing on her mind, and that was the safety of her loved ones. His safety. Little did she know, he felt the exact same way, which was why he couldn’t give up on her. On them.


He headed back to the Rotunda to do his research. He was sure he could find something on her if he looked hard enough, and sure enough, he did; an unauthorized jet leaving from an unauthorized airstrip. When the destination read Moscow, he knew it had to be her.

“The Covenant is a Russian group,” he said, “So it makes sense that their Base Ops. would be in Moscow. I can’t believe the CIA didn’t make that connection.”

After this stunt, the CIA would surely imprison him for treason. He didn’t care. No more Covenant, no more CIA; just him and Sydney, the way it was meant to be.

He needed to get to Moscow. Remembering an almost forgotten number, he dialed his cell phone, hoping that the longtime vanished Jack Bristow’s contact would come through for him. He prayed to the Lord that this man was still in the business and still willing to help.

“Operator?

“Yes, I need to be connected to the British Authorities. It seems there’s a bird flying under the radar.”

“Jack?”

He let out a sigh of relief, silently thanking God for his generosity. This was his last chance at saving Sydney.

“No. A friend of Jack’s in need.”

He knew the man would be hesitant. He only associated with Jack, but the contact protocol was close enough that he trusted Vaughn, “What can I do for you.”

“I need a jet to Moscow, undetected and untraceable, prepped and ready to go within the hour,” Vaughn explained.

“Its done. Meet me at Jenning’s Aerospace ASAP.”

He hung up the phone and Vaughn smiled at the irony. Jack would be proud to know that in some way, he was helping to save his daughter’s life. Vaughn had to go the rest of the way, alone.

“Hang on, Sydney. I won’t let you go.”

----------

His bullet grazed her shoulder as she sunk down to evade his attack. He was not so lucky, her bullet making direct contact between his eyes. His head rolled back and his body went limp in his chair. He was finally dead. The nightmare was over.

For the most part.

On queue, guards stormed through the doors. She ran to the large, glass window, jumping out and grabbing her other gun, firing rounds into the window as she descended towards the ground.

She landed hard on her back, the wind being knocked out of her. Having no time for hesitation, she got to her feet and took off running towards the gate. Guards were close on her heels, firing with their automatic guns and missing by mere inches. Once she arrived at the gate, she drew her blade and peeled open the panel, rearranging the wires for the door to open. Her car was waiting on the other side, then she would be home free.

“Vaughn… maybe I will see you again soon, after all.”

As soon as the gates were fully opened, she was met by a dozen gun barrels aiming right at her. Her eyes widened and she turned to run the other way, but was surrounding by the pursuing guards.

“So this is what it feels like, to be staring death in the face?”

Her breathing was labored, adrenaline pumping. She thought she’d be able to do this. She thought she’d be able to throw away her life so carelessly, so long as it meant the expansion of his own. Only now did she realize; she didn’t want to grant him his life. She wanted to give him their’s. It was now when she truly felt fear.

She never heard the sound of the gunfire, but she could see each and every bullet speed towards her in slow motion. There were so many, she tried to dodge them, some grazing her, but once the first one landed directly in her back, the pain ripping through her, she lost her balance and the others followed. She could feel each and every one, tearing through her flesh, something so small sucking away her life. When the fire ceased, she landed in a pool of her own blood, eyes wide in shock.

Was this how her victims felt, right before she murdered them? Was this her fate? It was just like her vision except every bit more terrifying and excruciating.

The guards stood by a while longer, all aiming the guns at her limp form. Her vision started to blur and she closed her eyes, feeling one man’s boot lifting up her chin.

“She’s dead,” she heard him say.

They left. They left her alone; the last thing she wanted. Even if it meant dying with her murderers at her side, at least it was something. She had never known true fear, true suffering, until this instant. Only now did she think of what she truly wanted and what she truly did.

“Please…,” she said, spitting up blood onto the pavement, “Please… just…”

She dragged herself into a sitting position, not knowing where she found the energy, “I just… I need… to see him…”

Her tears were mingled with blood, creating a streaky, crimson mess. Her body felt numb, inside and out.

“Just… one more time…”

She inhaled, feeling the blood seep into her lungs and make a gurgling sound, “Whatever you want… whatever’s left of me… I’ll give it to you. Its… its yours…”

She was sobbing now, without even knowing it, hoping the devil or God-- whoever was closest-- was listening to her plea.

“Take my soul… take… everything. I don’t know… what its worth… but… please. Just… let me see him… one… last… time…”

----------

A feeling in the pit of his stomach told him something was terribly wrong. It was Sydney. He could feel her pain and for a minute, he thought he heard her voice, calling for him. Suddenly, he knew where to go. He couldn’t explain it, but it was almost like a path opened up for him without anything moving, telling him to hurry.

He sped down an empty road, off the course on the map he had. He had to be going the right way, because with every mile he traveled, he could feel his chest painfully tighten.

“Don’t you do this, Sydney,” he thought, “Don’t you leave me alone.”

He reared a corner, his tires screeching and he came upon a large mansion. This had to be it. There was a large gate separating the outside world from the Covenant stronghold, but there wasn’t a single guard in sight.

“Where is everyone, what happened?” he asked, pulling the car over.

He noticed the gate was open and knew that Sydney had already been here, leaving disaster in her wake. Was she still inside? Had she fled? Had he missed her again. As he jumped out of his car and treaded closer to the open gate cautiously, a pool of blood streamed down to meet his shoes. His eyes grew large and he stopped, just staring. He hadn’t even seen the body yet, but somehow, he knew.

“Turn around. Leave. You don’t want to see this.”

That was the most reasonable explanation, the least painful of the few options he had, but this voice in his head couldn’t convince him. He had to see for himself. He had to be there. He slowly moved forward, step-by-step, as if he was walking closer to the edge and preparing to plummet to the end, which he was.

Suddenly, he saw her, in a form reserved only for his nightmares. He didn’t think it was possible for her to ever look like that. He knew in his mind the day would come when she died, whether it be from old age or while out on a mission, but he had always thought as Sydney Bristow as invulnerable. It wasn’t until now that he realized how fragile she really was.

He ran to her side, bringing her in close to his body for a tight embrace, “Sydney! Sydney, no!”

He was crying now, too, and he heard her voice, “Vaughn…?”

“Yeah, its me, Syd,” he said, stroking her hair, “I’m right here!”

There was so much blood, he didn’t know what to do and searched around frantically for help, knowing he’d find none here.

“I want… to see you again…,” she said, a small smile creeping across her face, “But… its not safe… I’m so selfish…”

“No, Syd! Never! You’re the one, humble person in this damn world!”

He rocked her back and forth, trying to bring her some peace, when she spoke up, “They… they’re coming. You need to… leave…”

“No! I’m not leaving you!” he said, turning to see guards watching them from a broken window.

He picked her up in his arms and began to run, leaving a trail of blood behind them. They needed to go someplace where they could hide, but where? He put her in his car, speeding away.

“The beach…” she spit out, her voice faint.

“Syd, we’re in Moscow! Where are we going to find a nearby beach?”

“I want… to go… to the… beach…”

She knew as well as he did that they wouldn’t be going to the beach anytime soon, if at any time at all. Still, if she wanted the beach, he’d give her the beach, in some way, shape or form. If she wanted the world, he would give her the world. Who was he to deny her anything?

“The beach, then.”

----------

The ocean’s gentle breeze blew against her hair, warming her freezing body. They were back in LA, at the beach, like he promised. She didn’t know how she had managed to hold on for so long. Maybe it was to find that last piece of solace; she refused to move on until she could at least have that.

The sun was breaking over the horizon, like it did days ago when she was asked to murder the man who now sat beside her. This is why she wanted to go to the beach; not because of the warm sand between her toes, or the endless ocean extending past her imagination, but because of the sky.

There was something about a rising sun while overlooking the ocean that seemed to answer all of her question and calm her raging, tattered soul. The glowing red hit the water, reflecting the beauty and basking the world in peace. In this moment, even murders like her-- no, like Julia-- could find some shred of sanity and be at ease.

“You know?” she asked, finding the strength to talk, “Dawn brings about the end of night. Its kind of ironic, don’t you think?”

“It also means the beginning of morning,” he smiled, invisible tears glimmering on his cheek.

“That’s true.”

She stared off into the distance, his moving hand catching her attention. She painfully moved her body to see what he was up to and found him holding a knife to his neck, closing his eyes.

“Sydney,” he said, digging in a little deeper, “I’m sorry.”

She brought her hand to his, lowering it, “Don’t be stupid. Its not worth it.”

He clenched both fists, wanting to find the strength to end it all right here with her. However, when she looked at him like that and begged him not to… he couldn’t. Julia was gone. Only Sydney stood before him… or what was left of her.

“Would you just look at the sky?” she asked, “That’s… all I need. Look.”

He opened his eyes to see what she was talking about. He had never quite seen anything like it; so many different scenes all playing out at once, “I love you.”

“Yeah.”

Red.

The color of blood; the color of anger; the color of rage and war and burning flames.

The color of love; the color of passion; the color of courage and beauty and tranquility.

The color of her sky... their sky. Their sky, which heard her cry for salvation and answered, extending over the world and swallowing her whole. Falling into it, into bliss, it was the color of her life, coming to a brutal yet peaceful understanding;

It wasn't perfect, but it was them.
 
Great fic. I loved the way you wrote it and described things. But the ending was so sad. I guess I was hoping for something happier but it was really good.
 
OMG ! Now I'll have to go find some tissue. 🇳🇴 :cry:

Besides the sad ending, this is a very wonderful story. I loved it.

I hope you win in the fanfic chalenge. :winner:
 
Hey, guys! Thanks again for your nice reviews! I was just wondering, since the story's a bit long, I need to cut out a chapter, but I wasn't sure which one to cut out. So, I need your help; if you could pick your least favorite chapter or the chapter you think is the most insignificant in the long haul, you would help me out a ton! I was never very good at these things, anyway ;)
 
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