Alias Fic: Time after Time
Title: Time after Time
Fandom: Alias
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairings: S/V
Genre: Romance
Timeline: AU after 2x12-The Getaway
BETAs: auntof3 and biba79 (Still, after all these years!)
Disclaimer: I certainly wouldn’t claim anything that belonged to J.J. The man’s a genius and knows how to make TV I like. I just had my own ideas from the beginning of Alias as to where I thought it should end, so I’m exploring that road.
Summary: An alternate ending for the series, Alias. A jjverse challenge.
A/N: I think my disclaimer says it all. The joy of fanfic: writing out what you wanted to happen after being at the mercy of TPTB. And this is just a drop in the bucket of what I would have loved to have seen on screen.
Enjoy! :D
- - - - - - -
First Anniversary: October 1, 2002
Sydney pulled into her driveway, shut the engine off, and gripped the steering wheel, taking a deep breath, preparing to go inside and face her best friend, all the while pretending that everything was business as usual. In truth, Vaughn was still missing, and Sydney was being forced to sit on her hands and wait while the CIA conducted the search of Taipei. She rationally knew they were fully competent, but that wasn’t enough to still her restless spirit, when she really wanted to be out there looking for him too. He was there so often when she needed him, and now that the tables were turned, she was being forced to stand down. It was frustrating beyond measure.
He’ll be back soon, she told herself, and everything will be back to normal. Or, as normal as a double-agent’s life can be, anyway. How long could something like this last?
Second Anniversary: October 1, 2003
The heels of Sydney’s shoes clicked on the hard concrete floor as she quickly made her way through the warehouse to the chain-linked section where she always met Vaughn; worry slightly making her eyebrows draw across her forehead. He stepped out from behind some crates into the middle of the fence opening, his hands clasped behind him, with flickering light surrounding his frame. But his relaxed demeanor didn’t register within her, and she quickly asked, “What’s going on? What’s the big emergency?”
Vaughn smirked and shrugged as she stopped in front of him, gesturing with his head, “Our dinner’s getting cold.”
“Dinner?” she repeated, puzzled. Then her gaze slipped from his to the candlelit card table behind him, complete with two glass plates of food. She shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t…”
Whatever she had planned to say left her throat when his hands came from behind him and he handed her two, long-stemmed red roses. “Happy anniversary. It’s been two years since we met.”
“Vaughn,” he heart could only utter, just a moment before his lips met hers. Until that kiss, the relationship that had developed since their date in Paris had been rather uncertain. Sure, there had been times when they’d found themselves alone enough to relax in each other’s company and declare their love, but those incidents had been few and far between. She was still a double agent and he was still her handler, and no matter how much in love they were, they couldn’t afford the risk of being together in public. But here in the warehouse… That was another story.
Sydney’s gaze lifted from the roses to Vaughn’s and again, she found she was shaking her head in amazement. “How did you manage this? What about the guard at the door?”
“He’s a friend of mine from CST. He won’t say anything, and he’ll keep everyone else out all night.”
“All night, huh?” she quipped, one eyebrow lifting in a tease. Then she glanced all around them while taking a step closer, holding on to his tie. “And just what are we supposed to do all night?”
“Whatever you’d like.”
They’d confessed their love too long ago, and never had the opportunity to really be together for more than a few minutes at a time, and Sydney was honestly desperate to be with him. “It’s too bad you didn’t bring a bed in here, then,” she admitted openly.
Just when she was thinking she’d been too forward, Vaughn reached into his pocket and held a remote control over his shoulder, pushing a button, making a metal door just beyond the table creak and groan as it lifted. Inside, the room was set up like a bedroom, complete with a full-framed bed with bedcovering, pillows, a nightstand, and a lamp. Sydney’s mouth was agape in surprise, and when she looked back at Vaughn, he was looking sheepish. “I didn’t want to be too presumptuous. I would’ve kept it closed all night if you weren’t interested…”
Sydney reached up and held onto the back of his neck as she leaned up to kiss him again. “You’re a genius,” she whispered as she continued to hold him close. Then she met his eyes to proposition, “Let’s skip dinner.”
Third Anniversary: October 1, 2004
I need a vacation, Sydney had told Sloane one day in the middle of September, completely prepared to argue how many hours she’d put in over the years without a break in case he put up a fight. But surprisingly, he’d agreed. She demanded that he not put a tail on her or try to keep tabs on her in any way, and although she knew he’d go back on his word, she let him think she believed him when he promised he wouldn’t. Just as soon as it appeared she was on the way to the island resort she’d planned and bought tickets for, Sydney changed her appearance and switched identities and made her way to another plane with a different ticket and destination in mind.
Having lost the tail in flight, Sydney completely relaxed as she flew to Fiji and gathered her belongings, making her way to the secluded ocean cottage that was hers for the week. She was unpacked, showered and changed, relaxing in the hammock in the trees just outside the front door when a shadow fell over her stomach, belonging to a man wearing a ridiculously bright, Hawaiian-style shirt, equally bold and mismatched board shorts, and cheap flip-flops. “Hi,” the man said, making her open her eyes. “How are you?”
“I’m doing great now,” she replied, unable to keep the relaxed smile from gracing her lips. “You?”
“Fabulous,” he grinned, his smile infectious. “Is there enough room on that thing for two?”
“Even if there wasn’t, you know I’d figure out some way of making us both fit.”
His smile waned a bit as his eyes turned serious. “Oh, Syd, I missed you.”
Sydney sat up just enough to grab a handful of his shirt and pull his lips down to hers. “That’s why we’re here, Vaughn,” she said when she released him from her kiss; “to make up for all the time we can’t be together. I’m sure by the end of the week, you’ll be sick of me.”
Resting his body atop hers, Vaughn got comfortable and brushed the hair the ocean breeze had blown into her face and tucked it behind her ears. “That’s impossible,” he vowed, his eyes filled with love, just for her. “If we could stay here forever, it wouldn’t be long enough to make me sick of spending time with you.”
Fourth Anniversary: October 1, 2005
Sydney stood on the back porch, hugging herself as she looked out over the vineyard that seemed to stretch for miles. It wasn’t her mother’s but it might as well have been, with all the care and attention she gave it and her servants. No, an old friend had left it to her when she died, and Irina had found it to be a perfect place to hide out from the authorities who were looking for her. Sydney had found her all on her own - something she hadn’t shared with the CIA, since she’d been in need at the time - and had spent the last few months there with no desire to go home again.
Her relationship with Vaughn had fizzled once the CIA had gotten wind of it, he’d been transferred, and another handler was assigned to her. Sarah was great and a good friend, but their partnership wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been with Vaughn. To top it off, Sarah was in a steady relationship with someone in her personal life, and even the most casual mentions of Charlie seemed to turn the knife in Sydney’s heart. Sarah had figured that out early on and kept his name out of conversation most of the time, but just the knowledge that another agent was capable of a having a healthy relationship was too much.
To top it off, Sydney had been in the middle of an SD-6 mission when she and Dixon crossed paths with Vaughn. It killed her to have to pretend not to know him when all she wanted to do was throw her arms around him after so long apart. She’d managed to keep her cool, but Dixon did notice something was off during the flight home. As soon as they landed, Sydney called and met with her dad, hoping that he might have some insight for her situation and keep her grounded. During that conversation, Jack revealed that Vaughn had moved on from her…with a new girlfriend he’d met outside of the Agency. He assured her that the information was only to help her move past it, and she knew he did have good intentions.
Still, it didn’t help. Two days later, she was back to where she was the week after Vaughn had been transferred, unable to sleep, so depressed she could barely function and probably wouldn’t if she hadn’t been taught compartmentalization. She simply couldn’t keep going on like that…so she left.
Irina had been a challenge to find since she’d escaped from the custody of the CIA, but Sydney had fantastic resources. She’d had no idea how her mother would accept her, but hadn’t thought it would be anything like coming home. Irina hadn’t once asked Sydney to join her organization or work even the simplest of missions, merely allowing her time to heal.
Over the months she spent in her mother’s care in the small one-bedroom cabin in the center of that vineyard, Sydney had gotten to know her well. She understood now that Irina knew so much more than she’d ever revealed about Rambaldi and his prophecies, and her ultimate goal for all of the things the CIA had considered wrong was in the name of Sydney’s protection. Rambaldi had some rather strange plans for her life, and Irina had done everything she could to keep her from fulfilling them.
“Isn’t the weather beautiful this evening?” Irina asked from behind her, pulling Sydney from her thoughts.
Sydney smiled as she watched her mother walk to stand beside her, agreeing, “The sunset over the vines is like something out of a dream.”
Nodding with her spoken thought, Irina asked pointedly, “You were thinking of him, aren’t you?”
The younger woman wanted to laugh at how intuitive her mother was. “I barely think of him these days… How can you always tell when I am?”
“I’m your mother,” she shrugged in reply. Then she sighed, looking out at the view again. “And I know a thing or two about being separated from the man you love. I know it doesn’t seem like much now, but…it really will get easier with time.”
Sydney took her words to heart, knowing that she was right; after all, Sydney’s wounds over Danny’s death had healed long ago. She wouldn’t allow her mind to recall that it had been the developing love of another man that had helped her broken heart, but just grasped on to her mother’s comfort with all that she had. But she did wonder… “Mom, if you could go back, would you fight to make Dad understand why you made the choices you made? Would you try to start over with him again?”
Irina tucked Sydney’s hair behind her ear the way Vaughn had done on that hammock a year earlier, and quietly told her, “I think it may be too late for that. We had our chance.”
Sydney’s eyes blinked with moisture, thinking for sure that it was true for her as well.
Fifth Anniversary: October 1, 2006
Five years, Sydney thought as she waited for the white room to flash red and gain her entrance into the inner chamber of SD-6. Five years and it’s finally coming to an end. She went over the plan again in her mind: get in as if it were just another day, and log onto her computer in the mainframe to confirm the code for Server 47. After that, she would just have to walk back out and join the real CIA team to completely dismantle the Alliance cells around the world, once they’d acquired all of the information. In just a few short hours, the Alliance would be gone, and it would be a long-awaited victory.
In the five years since she’d learned the truth about her job in the phony black ops organization that was supposed to be affiliated with the CIA, her life had been stretched through every unbelievable situation imaginable and then some. Friends and partners had come and gone, and a few had been killed. Marshall had been one of the ones they’d lost, and she’d taken his death the hardest, since she felt it had been her responsibility to keep him safe on that particular mission. Everyone had assured her that that wasn’t the case, and for the most part, she’d released the guilt…but there were days that it continued to weigh heavy on her heart.
Dixon had retired earlier that year; the stress of his job once he became a double-agent, taking a toll on his marriage. He’d told Diane the truth and their little family had joined the Witness Protection Program. Sydney hadn’t heard from them since, but had satisfaction in the knowledge that they were safe and, wherever they were, they were most likely happy.
Sydney had come back from her mother’s after six months away and had to once again prove her worth to Sloane to gain his trust. But within one mission, she was back to her double-agent status. She had another new handler, but this time it was a friendly face in the form of Agent Eric Weiss. Sydney spent the first few weeks purposefully not mentioning Vaughn, and Weiss respected her enough not to bring him up either. When she did slip and her walls broke down enough to ask how he was doing, Weiss made sure to announce that Vaughn was again single. But it hadn’t helped much, since there was still the issue of the Alliance between them.
Once the Alliance’s information had been downloaded and gone through, two full units, covered head to toe in tactical gear, infiltrated the locked parking garage of the Credit Dauphine building and headed inside. Wires were cut, systems were scrambled and positions were taken as they waited for the signal to go, and Sydney was in the thick of it, taking one of the primary positions.
In a blur of activity, the takedown of all the Alliance cells took place. Those who were clueless about their organization’s true motives were tranquilized or wounded, if need be, but only the higher officers were taken down with kill shots, just as they were ordered. Sloane had been one of the casualties, with Sydney the one who’d had the honor of ending his life.
Once it was over and the SD-6 office was a mess of splintered wood, broken and dangling overhead lights, and tipped over chairs and desks, with a massive array of papers scattered everywhere, Sydney took off her helmet and mask and allowed herself a deep breath of accomplishment. She wandered over to what used to be her desk, leaned down to the floor, and picked up the framed photo of her family when she was a happy four-year-old, completely oblivious to the deception of the world around her. It was the only thing she wanted from this office; the only thing she was sure she needed.
She hugged the photo to her chest, and then tucked it inside her vest, taking another look around. She noticed several others, who hadn’t dragged off SD-6 agents as prisoners, had also taken off their helmets and masks, when her eyes landed on a familiar face. She’d had no idea that Vaughn was even in the country, let alone on this operation, but to see him here… His eyes met hers across the room and without hesitation, he took a step toward her and then another and each step was a little quicker than the last. Sydney stood frozen, waiting and unable to anticipate what he was going to say or do once he reached her.
Without uttering a word, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. Sydney’s mind didn’t catch on as quickly as she would’ve expected in any other situation, and when she finally did comprehend what was happening, her hand came up between them just enough for her to push him away. “Vaughn, what…what are you doing here?”
He didn’t answer her question directly; instead reading between the lines to what she really wanted to know. “I have never stopped loving you, Syd.”
Her eyes instantly filled with tears and her throat was suddenly tight. “W-What?”
He went on, “When I heard what was happening today, I had to be here for you; I had to see you.”
Sydney’s mind was still a bit foggy. “But…why? What about your girlfriend?”
Vaughn quickly shook his head. “We only went out a couple of times. It didn’t work out because I wasn’t over you. I’ve spent every minute of the last year missing you.”
Relief flooded through her and she stepped closer and hugged him as tightly as she could considering their bulky gear. Then she pulled away enough to kiss him again, this time putting her whole heart into it. Once they were through getting reacquainted, they held each other’s faces close as she wondered out loud, “What happens now?”
He let out a chuckle of excitement he’d harbored for far too long. “The Alliance is gone. We don’t have to hide anymore.”
Her eyes met his as she realized how big their world had grown in just one day. “We can be together,” she stated but it was so uncertain that it almost sounded like a question.
“We can,” Vaughn nodded with his smile wide.
She hugged and kissed him again for a long moment until it had completely sunk in. “It’s been five years today,” she then announced, finally smiling with her whole heart for the first time in months. “And I can’t think of a better anniversary present.”
Sixth Anniversary: October 1, 2007
The small, secluded beach was bustling with friends and family gathered around, all chatting and reminiscing and catching up, some after years apart. When Sydney crested the hill and could see down on the beach, her eyes perused over the many faces she knew. Included with her father and closest friends, Will and Francie, her mother had even come out of hiding for the occasion. Sydney had spent some time pleading her mother’s case so that she would not be hunted down, and although she would be arrested if she was seen in public, the CIA’s warrant wasn’t very harshly imposed on its officers. With the fall of the Alliance, Dixon and his family had been able to leave the Protection Program and were also present on this special day.
“You ready?” Vaughn asked from beside her, and Sydney turned and smiled.
“Oh yeah,” she proclaimed, hefting her skirt with one hand as she took Vaughn’s arm with the other.
As soon as they started down the wooden steps, every face in the crowd began to watch them. They fanned out for a better view, everyone smiling in anticipation. Once the couple was within the circle of the group and had spoken and hugged their initial greetings, Sydney turned to her father. “We’re ready whenever you are.”
The crowd shifted a bit, allowing Sydney and Vaughn to stand facing her father, while the rest acted as a crowd. Then Jack began, “We’re happily gathered here today to join this man and this woman…”
The ceremony was short, but so full of love. And as soon as it was over, another round of hugs ensued. The couple spent several minutes answering questions about where they were going to live and what she was going to do now that she had retired from the CIA. Since Sydney had finished grad school and had gotten her diploma, she planned to go on and be an English professor, just as she’d planned when she’d started out. Vaughn had removed himself from field duty and was now a desk agent, active in training new recruits. And they had no plans to stay in L.A.
Once the guests had dispersed for home, Sydney and Vaughn took a walk along the beach, never revealing to their guests that the little cottage they’d vacationed in three years earlier was that close, and that they’d rented it again. There wasn’t a place on Earth that they’d loved more. They soon reached the house, and walked up to it, still hand-in-hand, but Sydney stopped before they moved inside and turned to face her new husband. “Did you ever think six years ago today when we met that we would someday be married?”
“Honestly? Yes.”
Sydney’s eyebrows shot up, sure that he was making it up.
“Okay,” he confessed with a chuckle, “maybe I didn’t think that we would one day be married, but I definitely knew that you would change my life.”
His answer satisfied her enough. “Six years…” she muttered, her mind perusing over them as they had often in the last year.
Vaughn’s arms slipped around her waist, holding her close. “Would you change anything that we’ve been through?”
“Surprisingly, no,” she replied without much thought. “I mean, if the Alliance hadn’t been around, we could’ve been together a long time ago, but…” She paused. “If it wasn’t for them, I may not have met you in the first place.”
Vaughn nodded, knowing exactly what she meant since he’d thought the same thing more than once over the years. He leaned down and lightly kissed her. “We have nothing but the future ahead of us. No Alliance, no Rambaldi...just a regular, normal life.”
Her face scrunched in thought. “It sounds kind of boring. What could we do to make it more exciting?”
She’d meant for the question to be a rhetorical one, but Vaughn saw an opportunity as he dreamt about the family they would finally have a chance to have. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll think of something,” he mildly joked as he pressed his lips against hers again.
~The End
Fandom: Alias
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairings: S/V
Genre: Romance
Timeline: AU after 2x12-The Getaway
BETAs: auntof3 and biba79 (Still, after all these years!)
Disclaimer: I certainly wouldn’t claim anything that belonged to J.J. The man’s a genius and knows how to make TV I like. I just had my own ideas from the beginning of Alias as to where I thought it should end, so I’m exploring that road.
Summary: An alternate ending for the series, Alias. A jjverse challenge.
A/N: I think my disclaimer says it all. The joy of fanfic: writing out what you wanted to happen after being at the mercy of TPTB. And this is just a drop in the bucket of what I would have loved to have seen on screen.
Enjoy! :D
- - - - - - -
First Anniversary: October 1, 2002
Sydney pulled into her driveway, shut the engine off, and gripped the steering wheel, taking a deep breath, preparing to go inside and face her best friend, all the while pretending that everything was business as usual. In truth, Vaughn was still missing, and Sydney was being forced to sit on her hands and wait while the CIA conducted the search of Taipei. She rationally knew they were fully competent, but that wasn’t enough to still her restless spirit, when she really wanted to be out there looking for him too. He was there so often when she needed him, and now that the tables were turned, she was being forced to stand down. It was frustrating beyond measure.
He’ll be back soon, she told herself, and everything will be back to normal. Or, as normal as a double-agent’s life can be, anyway. How long could something like this last?
Second Anniversary: October 1, 2003
The heels of Sydney’s shoes clicked on the hard concrete floor as she quickly made her way through the warehouse to the chain-linked section where she always met Vaughn; worry slightly making her eyebrows draw across her forehead. He stepped out from behind some crates into the middle of the fence opening, his hands clasped behind him, with flickering light surrounding his frame. But his relaxed demeanor didn’t register within her, and she quickly asked, “What’s going on? What’s the big emergency?”
Vaughn smirked and shrugged as she stopped in front of him, gesturing with his head, “Our dinner’s getting cold.”
“Dinner?” she repeated, puzzled. Then her gaze slipped from his to the candlelit card table behind him, complete with two glass plates of food. She shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t…”
Whatever she had planned to say left her throat when his hands came from behind him and he handed her two, long-stemmed red roses. “Happy anniversary. It’s been two years since we met.”
“Vaughn,” he heart could only utter, just a moment before his lips met hers. Until that kiss, the relationship that had developed since their date in Paris had been rather uncertain. Sure, there had been times when they’d found themselves alone enough to relax in each other’s company and declare their love, but those incidents had been few and far between. She was still a double agent and he was still her handler, and no matter how much in love they were, they couldn’t afford the risk of being together in public. But here in the warehouse… That was another story.
Sydney’s gaze lifted from the roses to Vaughn’s and again, she found she was shaking her head in amazement. “How did you manage this? What about the guard at the door?”
“He’s a friend of mine from CST. He won’t say anything, and he’ll keep everyone else out all night.”
“All night, huh?” she quipped, one eyebrow lifting in a tease. Then she glanced all around them while taking a step closer, holding on to his tie. “And just what are we supposed to do all night?”
“Whatever you’d like.”
They’d confessed their love too long ago, and never had the opportunity to really be together for more than a few minutes at a time, and Sydney was honestly desperate to be with him. “It’s too bad you didn’t bring a bed in here, then,” she admitted openly.
Just when she was thinking she’d been too forward, Vaughn reached into his pocket and held a remote control over his shoulder, pushing a button, making a metal door just beyond the table creak and groan as it lifted. Inside, the room was set up like a bedroom, complete with a full-framed bed with bedcovering, pillows, a nightstand, and a lamp. Sydney’s mouth was agape in surprise, and when she looked back at Vaughn, he was looking sheepish. “I didn’t want to be too presumptuous. I would’ve kept it closed all night if you weren’t interested…”
Sydney reached up and held onto the back of his neck as she leaned up to kiss him again. “You’re a genius,” she whispered as she continued to hold him close. Then she met his eyes to proposition, “Let’s skip dinner.”
Third Anniversary: October 1, 2004
I need a vacation, Sydney had told Sloane one day in the middle of September, completely prepared to argue how many hours she’d put in over the years without a break in case he put up a fight. But surprisingly, he’d agreed. She demanded that he not put a tail on her or try to keep tabs on her in any way, and although she knew he’d go back on his word, she let him think she believed him when he promised he wouldn’t. Just as soon as it appeared she was on the way to the island resort she’d planned and bought tickets for, Sydney changed her appearance and switched identities and made her way to another plane with a different ticket and destination in mind.
Having lost the tail in flight, Sydney completely relaxed as she flew to Fiji and gathered her belongings, making her way to the secluded ocean cottage that was hers for the week. She was unpacked, showered and changed, relaxing in the hammock in the trees just outside the front door when a shadow fell over her stomach, belonging to a man wearing a ridiculously bright, Hawaiian-style shirt, equally bold and mismatched board shorts, and cheap flip-flops. “Hi,” the man said, making her open her eyes. “How are you?”
“I’m doing great now,” she replied, unable to keep the relaxed smile from gracing her lips. “You?”
“Fabulous,” he grinned, his smile infectious. “Is there enough room on that thing for two?”
“Even if there wasn’t, you know I’d figure out some way of making us both fit.”
His smile waned a bit as his eyes turned serious. “Oh, Syd, I missed you.”
Sydney sat up just enough to grab a handful of his shirt and pull his lips down to hers. “That’s why we’re here, Vaughn,” she said when she released him from her kiss; “to make up for all the time we can’t be together. I’m sure by the end of the week, you’ll be sick of me.”
Resting his body atop hers, Vaughn got comfortable and brushed the hair the ocean breeze had blown into her face and tucked it behind her ears. “That’s impossible,” he vowed, his eyes filled with love, just for her. “If we could stay here forever, it wouldn’t be long enough to make me sick of spending time with you.”
Fourth Anniversary: October 1, 2005
Sydney stood on the back porch, hugging herself as she looked out over the vineyard that seemed to stretch for miles. It wasn’t her mother’s but it might as well have been, with all the care and attention she gave it and her servants. No, an old friend had left it to her when she died, and Irina had found it to be a perfect place to hide out from the authorities who were looking for her. Sydney had found her all on her own - something she hadn’t shared with the CIA, since she’d been in need at the time - and had spent the last few months there with no desire to go home again.
Her relationship with Vaughn had fizzled once the CIA had gotten wind of it, he’d been transferred, and another handler was assigned to her. Sarah was great and a good friend, but their partnership wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been with Vaughn. To top it off, Sarah was in a steady relationship with someone in her personal life, and even the most casual mentions of Charlie seemed to turn the knife in Sydney’s heart. Sarah had figured that out early on and kept his name out of conversation most of the time, but just the knowledge that another agent was capable of a having a healthy relationship was too much.
To top it off, Sydney had been in the middle of an SD-6 mission when she and Dixon crossed paths with Vaughn. It killed her to have to pretend not to know him when all she wanted to do was throw her arms around him after so long apart. She’d managed to keep her cool, but Dixon did notice something was off during the flight home. As soon as they landed, Sydney called and met with her dad, hoping that he might have some insight for her situation and keep her grounded. During that conversation, Jack revealed that Vaughn had moved on from her…with a new girlfriend he’d met outside of the Agency. He assured her that the information was only to help her move past it, and she knew he did have good intentions.
Still, it didn’t help. Two days later, she was back to where she was the week after Vaughn had been transferred, unable to sleep, so depressed she could barely function and probably wouldn’t if she hadn’t been taught compartmentalization. She simply couldn’t keep going on like that…so she left.
Irina had been a challenge to find since she’d escaped from the custody of the CIA, but Sydney had fantastic resources. She’d had no idea how her mother would accept her, but hadn’t thought it would be anything like coming home. Irina hadn’t once asked Sydney to join her organization or work even the simplest of missions, merely allowing her time to heal.
Over the months she spent in her mother’s care in the small one-bedroom cabin in the center of that vineyard, Sydney had gotten to know her well. She understood now that Irina knew so much more than she’d ever revealed about Rambaldi and his prophecies, and her ultimate goal for all of the things the CIA had considered wrong was in the name of Sydney’s protection. Rambaldi had some rather strange plans for her life, and Irina had done everything she could to keep her from fulfilling them.
“Isn’t the weather beautiful this evening?” Irina asked from behind her, pulling Sydney from her thoughts.
Sydney smiled as she watched her mother walk to stand beside her, agreeing, “The sunset over the vines is like something out of a dream.”
Nodding with her spoken thought, Irina asked pointedly, “You were thinking of him, aren’t you?”
The younger woman wanted to laugh at how intuitive her mother was. “I barely think of him these days… How can you always tell when I am?”
“I’m your mother,” she shrugged in reply. Then she sighed, looking out at the view again. “And I know a thing or two about being separated from the man you love. I know it doesn’t seem like much now, but…it really will get easier with time.”
Sydney took her words to heart, knowing that she was right; after all, Sydney’s wounds over Danny’s death had healed long ago. She wouldn’t allow her mind to recall that it had been the developing love of another man that had helped her broken heart, but just grasped on to her mother’s comfort with all that she had. But she did wonder… “Mom, if you could go back, would you fight to make Dad understand why you made the choices you made? Would you try to start over with him again?”
Irina tucked Sydney’s hair behind her ear the way Vaughn had done on that hammock a year earlier, and quietly told her, “I think it may be too late for that. We had our chance.”
Sydney’s eyes blinked with moisture, thinking for sure that it was true for her as well.
Fifth Anniversary: October 1, 2006
Five years, Sydney thought as she waited for the white room to flash red and gain her entrance into the inner chamber of SD-6. Five years and it’s finally coming to an end. She went over the plan again in her mind: get in as if it were just another day, and log onto her computer in the mainframe to confirm the code for Server 47. After that, she would just have to walk back out and join the real CIA team to completely dismantle the Alliance cells around the world, once they’d acquired all of the information. In just a few short hours, the Alliance would be gone, and it would be a long-awaited victory.
In the five years since she’d learned the truth about her job in the phony black ops organization that was supposed to be affiliated with the CIA, her life had been stretched through every unbelievable situation imaginable and then some. Friends and partners had come and gone, and a few had been killed. Marshall had been one of the ones they’d lost, and she’d taken his death the hardest, since she felt it had been her responsibility to keep him safe on that particular mission. Everyone had assured her that that wasn’t the case, and for the most part, she’d released the guilt…but there were days that it continued to weigh heavy on her heart.
Dixon had retired earlier that year; the stress of his job once he became a double-agent, taking a toll on his marriage. He’d told Diane the truth and their little family had joined the Witness Protection Program. Sydney hadn’t heard from them since, but had satisfaction in the knowledge that they were safe and, wherever they were, they were most likely happy.
Sydney had come back from her mother’s after six months away and had to once again prove her worth to Sloane to gain his trust. But within one mission, she was back to her double-agent status. She had another new handler, but this time it was a friendly face in the form of Agent Eric Weiss. Sydney spent the first few weeks purposefully not mentioning Vaughn, and Weiss respected her enough not to bring him up either. When she did slip and her walls broke down enough to ask how he was doing, Weiss made sure to announce that Vaughn was again single. But it hadn’t helped much, since there was still the issue of the Alliance between them.
Once the Alliance’s information had been downloaded and gone through, two full units, covered head to toe in tactical gear, infiltrated the locked parking garage of the Credit Dauphine building and headed inside. Wires were cut, systems were scrambled and positions were taken as they waited for the signal to go, and Sydney was in the thick of it, taking one of the primary positions.
In a blur of activity, the takedown of all the Alliance cells took place. Those who were clueless about their organization’s true motives were tranquilized or wounded, if need be, but only the higher officers were taken down with kill shots, just as they were ordered. Sloane had been one of the casualties, with Sydney the one who’d had the honor of ending his life.
Once it was over and the SD-6 office was a mess of splintered wood, broken and dangling overhead lights, and tipped over chairs and desks, with a massive array of papers scattered everywhere, Sydney took off her helmet and mask and allowed herself a deep breath of accomplishment. She wandered over to what used to be her desk, leaned down to the floor, and picked up the framed photo of her family when she was a happy four-year-old, completely oblivious to the deception of the world around her. It was the only thing she wanted from this office; the only thing she was sure she needed.
She hugged the photo to her chest, and then tucked it inside her vest, taking another look around. She noticed several others, who hadn’t dragged off SD-6 agents as prisoners, had also taken off their helmets and masks, when her eyes landed on a familiar face. She’d had no idea that Vaughn was even in the country, let alone on this operation, but to see him here… His eyes met hers across the room and without hesitation, he took a step toward her and then another and each step was a little quicker than the last. Sydney stood frozen, waiting and unable to anticipate what he was going to say or do once he reached her.
Without uttering a word, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. Sydney’s mind didn’t catch on as quickly as she would’ve expected in any other situation, and when she finally did comprehend what was happening, her hand came up between them just enough for her to push him away. “Vaughn, what…what are you doing here?”
He didn’t answer her question directly; instead reading between the lines to what she really wanted to know. “I have never stopped loving you, Syd.”
Her eyes instantly filled with tears and her throat was suddenly tight. “W-What?”
He went on, “When I heard what was happening today, I had to be here for you; I had to see you.”
Sydney’s mind was still a bit foggy. “But…why? What about your girlfriend?”
Vaughn quickly shook his head. “We only went out a couple of times. It didn’t work out because I wasn’t over you. I’ve spent every minute of the last year missing you.”
Relief flooded through her and she stepped closer and hugged him as tightly as she could considering their bulky gear. Then she pulled away enough to kiss him again, this time putting her whole heart into it. Once they were through getting reacquainted, they held each other’s faces close as she wondered out loud, “What happens now?”
He let out a chuckle of excitement he’d harbored for far too long. “The Alliance is gone. We don’t have to hide anymore.”
Her eyes met his as she realized how big their world had grown in just one day. “We can be together,” she stated but it was so uncertain that it almost sounded like a question.
“We can,” Vaughn nodded with his smile wide.
She hugged and kissed him again for a long moment until it had completely sunk in. “It’s been five years today,” she then announced, finally smiling with her whole heart for the first time in months. “And I can’t think of a better anniversary present.”
Sixth Anniversary: October 1, 2007
The small, secluded beach was bustling with friends and family gathered around, all chatting and reminiscing and catching up, some after years apart. When Sydney crested the hill and could see down on the beach, her eyes perused over the many faces she knew. Included with her father and closest friends, Will and Francie, her mother had even come out of hiding for the occasion. Sydney had spent some time pleading her mother’s case so that she would not be hunted down, and although she would be arrested if she was seen in public, the CIA’s warrant wasn’t very harshly imposed on its officers. With the fall of the Alliance, Dixon and his family had been able to leave the Protection Program and were also present on this special day.
“You ready?” Vaughn asked from beside her, and Sydney turned and smiled.
“Oh yeah,” she proclaimed, hefting her skirt with one hand as she took Vaughn’s arm with the other.
As soon as they started down the wooden steps, every face in the crowd began to watch them. They fanned out for a better view, everyone smiling in anticipation. Once the couple was within the circle of the group and had spoken and hugged their initial greetings, Sydney turned to her father. “We’re ready whenever you are.”
The crowd shifted a bit, allowing Sydney and Vaughn to stand facing her father, while the rest acted as a crowd. Then Jack began, “We’re happily gathered here today to join this man and this woman…”
The ceremony was short, but so full of love. And as soon as it was over, another round of hugs ensued. The couple spent several minutes answering questions about where they were going to live and what she was going to do now that she had retired from the CIA. Since Sydney had finished grad school and had gotten her diploma, she planned to go on and be an English professor, just as she’d planned when she’d started out. Vaughn had removed himself from field duty and was now a desk agent, active in training new recruits. And they had no plans to stay in L.A.
Once the guests had dispersed for home, Sydney and Vaughn took a walk along the beach, never revealing to their guests that the little cottage they’d vacationed in three years earlier was that close, and that they’d rented it again. There wasn’t a place on Earth that they’d loved more. They soon reached the house, and walked up to it, still hand-in-hand, but Sydney stopped before they moved inside and turned to face her new husband. “Did you ever think six years ago today when we met that we would someday be married?”
“Honestly? Yes.”
Sydney’s eyebrows shot up, sure that he was making it up.
“Okay,” he confessed with a chuckle, “maybe I didn’t think that we would one day be married, but I definitely knew that you would change my life.”
His answer satisfied her enough. “Six years…” she muttered, her mind perusing over them as they had often in the last year.
Vaughn’s arms slipped around her waist, holding her close. “Would you change anything that we’ve been through?”
“Surprisingly, no,” she replied without much thought. “I mean, if the Alliance hadn’t been around, we could’ve been together a long time ago, but…” She paused. “If it wasn’t for them, I may not have met you in the first place.”
Vaughn nodded, knowing exactly what she meant since he’d thought the same thing more than once over the years. He leaned down and lightly kissed her. “We have nothing but the future ahead of us. No Alliance, no Rambaldi...just a regular, normal life.”
Her face scrunched in thought. “It sounds kind of boring. What could we do to make it more exciting?”
She’d meant for the question to be a rhetorical one, but Vaughn saw an opportunity as he dreamt about the family they would finally have a chance to have. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll think of something,” he mildly joked as he pressed his lips against hers again.
~The End