hey guys...
yeah, i know. it has been ages... but i have an update!
Chapter 3
Joshua scrubbed his hands relentlessly at his bathroom sink. He had just convinced himself that all the red was gone. All the guilty stains. He wondered how much of the blood was his own. He had stopped feeling the pain a few hours ago- when the physical and the mental had become a blurred mess. He could no longer tell one from the other.
As he reached for a towel, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He stared into his piercing eyes, which he knew made him attractive, but were currently bloodshot. He didn't recognize himself anymore. He didn't let things get to him like this. He wasn’t supposed care about life like this! I'm scared.
He dropped the towel onto the tiles and walked over to the study, not bothering to turn on any lights. He had to figure this out.
* * *
'It's always hard. Losing our fellow agents. Our… our friends. We lose far too many people in this line of work. There are far too many stars on this wall. But that’s just what we do – our job and our duty. Today we have to add two more.’
Lauren Reed Vaughn sat in the corner of the room, hunched up, looking down at her shoes. Tears streamed down her face as she sat lost in thought, not really listening to Dixon's speech. Lauren hadn't wanted to come to work today, but there was no way she could have stayed at home. Not in that empty house where each room was filled with a different memory. Memories. Were they even real? Did they really mean that much? Who was she kidding? Each one bit into her soul like a thorn in the flesh. Each made her feel sadder than the last.
Ironic, she pondered bitterly, that after everything she had done to make sure he got over her, made sure that he had stayed in her own pocket and not run after a forgotten past - Michael had died with her. Sydney Bristow. He had spent his last moments with that *h**e.
'For those of you who knew Agent Sydney Bristow and Agent Michael Vaughn know that they were two of the best agents in the agency. They were both loyal; they would never betray a friend or a colleague. Never falter to risk their lives for a fellow human being. And I know I respected them for that. I know you did. Besides this, they were two of the kindest people I had ever met, ever worked with. Their deaths are not only great losses to the country, but to all of us as well.'
Jack Bristow sat at the head of the room next to Marcus Dixon. Listening silently to his daughter’s obituary. He didn't cry. He didn't allow himself to. Not here. Not in public. Poker faced Jack could never cry, or so they thought. But last night, while alone at home, he had cried. For once he had been unable to control himself and rivers of salty tears had cascaded down his cheeks. Yes, he had cried. And drank. A lot. But now he was here, in the CIA offices with colleagues all around. Here he kept his game face on. No emotions. No showing that on the inside he was completely heartbroken over the death of his only daughter. The only person that mattered in his life. He had already lost her once. It had torn him then. He hadn't known it possible for him to be hurt so much. It had hurt a hell of a lot more than when Laura, well Irina, had supposedly died in that accident. He hadn't known pain worse than that had existed. But it had. Now, it hurt more. It hurt so much more to have had Sydney back for such a short time. To have built up such high hopes for his daughter's future and his time with her and then to have all his hopes dashed.
Jack took a deep breath and lifted his head, looking around the room. All around him people were crying, mourning. A small smile crept onto his usually serious features. His daughter and her ex-boyfriend had certainly made many friends here. Marshall Flinkman and his NSA girlfriend Carrie sat not so far away, both quietly sobbing for the loss of their close friends. And there was Eric Weiss, Kendall. Even Devlin had showed up for the short memory of two of his best agents.
His eyes left them and slowly came to a rest on Lauren, Mr. Vaughn's widow. As much as he tried, he could not feel any pity for this woman. She had made the last few months of Sydney's life absolutely miserable. She had lost a husband, but Jack had lost a daughter. His own flesh and blood. No nine months or whatever it was she’d known Vaughn for could compare to that.
Weiss's POV
I wiped my eyes. They were burning from the tears. I had been crying since early that morning and wasn't showing any signs of stopping. No-one could blame me, though. I just lost my two best friends. The two people I could confide in, and depend upon, were gone. Mike and I had been best friends for the last decade- since high school! We did everything together. Of course, that changed since he married Lauren. We hadn't done too much stuff together for a while, but even that couldn’t alter my brotherly love for him.
Recently Sydney and I had also become very close. She had told me things she was unable to tell anyone else. After all, she had no one else to tell. Francie was dead. Will was in the witness protection programme and Vaughn, well, she couldn’t exactly talk to him about her deepest secrets. She couldn't tell Jack. He was her father and no matter how close you are, there are just some things you do not tell your father.
Her star would go back onto that wall in a minute. This time it was unlikely it would come back down.
Vaughn’s would join his father’s.
Sark had taken them both out of my life. He had killed them. Now, no matter how much I tried, I had no jokes to crack, no smiles, no laughter. For the first time, there were only tears.
~
The room is quiet now. No more of Dixon's speeches. He has sat down next to Jack, his head in his hands. Silence. It’s pressing in so much, I feel overwhelmed. Or maybe it’s the grief. What’s this? A whisper and a sudden sob. Can’t they let a guy mourn in peace! A turn of the handle. My eyes wonder to the door and…no…no!. I can’t be seeing this! It’s….they're here! They're alive!
Lauren's POV
I had to get my mind off Michael. I had to do something to distract myself. I had some paperwork on my desk. Perhaps I should get started on that.
Then Eric's voice rang through the hall. 'Mike?! Syd?! You're alive! How? How? Thank god!'
I looked up. There he was. Michael, my husband, standing by the door, enveloped in Eric’s warm embrace. He was covered in cuts and bruises and his arm was in a sling, but he was here. And he was alive. I choked back a sob of joy. He was alive. He was alive! He caught my eye and grinned back. He looked tired, but happy. Of course he should be happy. He was alive. But then of course that was when I noticed it.
The smile immediately slipped off my face. There was now nothing else I could see. There was nothing else to see. Just that. How could I miss it? How could anyone miss it? I didn't understand how everyone could just carry on smiling and laughing. Didn’t they notice? Because when I looked at my husband, my husband, all I saw was his hand. His hand clasped in hers. In Sydney's hand.
Sydney's POV
I looked at everyone's faces. They all looked so relieved, so happy. Vaughn looked over at me and smiled. He squeezed my hand and I couldn't help but return it . Then a face in the corner caught my eye. It was the only face in the room not wearing a smile. Lauren. She only just stared. At Vaughn's hand on top of mine. Then she looked up. Our eyes met. She stared though me coldly, her eyes full of loathing. I flushed and dropped Vaughn's hand.
Dad came over. He was wearing a smile like I'd never seen with before. I don't think I've ever seen him so overjoyed. He had tears in his eyes. He grabbed me and pulled me into a tight embrace. I winced at the sharp pain on my shoulder. He let go, his eyes full of concern.
'Sydney, are you okay? Where are you hurt? Maybe we should get you to a hospital!'
'Dad, it's okay. I'm fine. Just a little bruised.'
'Still we should get you checked. Come on. Let's take you to a chair at least. So you can sit down, get some rest.'
I let him lead me to his chair at the head of the table. As we walked I felt eyes on me. I looked up to find Lauren still staring daggers at me. This time, however, the look in her eyes was pure vengeance.
* * *
'Michael!' Lauren gushed as she pushed her way through a crowd of agents and wrapped her arms around her husband.
'You look excited to see me,' he teased, looking somewhat amused at her relief to see him alive.
She pulled back and gave him a stern look before looking carefully at his right arm.
'Is it broken?'
'Yeah. Let's just say I landed in a very bad position when I fell to the ground,' he smiled.
'Don't you dare scare me like that again. Never, ever again! I can't bear the thought of losing you.' She began to scold him.
Vaughn looked up at Weiss, who'd just arrived by his side and rolled his eyes, 'Women!'
Weiss smiled. 'Hey man. You're not dead. How'd you manage that?'
'You thought we were? Why? I know you didn't find our bodies.' Vaughn looked almost confused.
'We thought Sark had your bodies. You know, extracted them for some evil scheme.' Weiss explained.
'Oh.'
'So how'd you do it?' Weiss repeated.
'Well, I couldn't have done it without Sydney. Without her I wouldn’t be here. I owe her my life.’ He cast a meaningful glance in her direction before continuing with the account. ‘We woke up the next morning and I thought I was going to die. I had two bullets in my shoulder and a broken arm. Sydney had been badly injured by the force of the explosion. We needed to get to one of the safe houses, but I just couldn't remember the location of any safe house in Taipei. Sydney wasn't sure either but she thought she did. We walked to miles through the uninhabited countryside to get there. We didn't have anything. I couldn't have made it without her help. I was losing a lot of blood and was so weak. She helped me get there, even though she was also injured and was suffering blood loss too. She was right about the safe house though. It had been empty for a few years, but there was still some basic first aid stuff there when we arrived. So, alone, she took the bullets out of my shoulder and put my arm in the sling. She did all this with a fractured rib and so many injuries. After that we rested for the next two days. We couldn’t make contact because as the safe house was not in check, there was no secure line to get through to you on. Anyway, we were too weak to repeat the journey back to the city, on foot. So we waited. I got a little better. Then we hiked back and booked a flight for LA. Now we're here. I owe it all to Syd. I would have died without her.'
Lauren's POV
I listened to his story of how they survived. I couldn't help but notice how much he praised Sydney Bristow. Blimey, did we ask for an Oscar’s speech? But I tried to just put that at the back of my mind and concentrate on the fact that my husband was still alive.
‘Honey you made it! You’re here, alive!' I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him.
'Thank Sydney!' he replied, motioning across the room to where Sydney sat with her father and Director Dixon. He smiled at her and I watched as she smiled back.
I gritted my teeth. What have I gotten myself into?
amisha
xxx
Oh. My. Gosh. hehe - fake shock and horror. I already knew what will happen!
