Work Text:
Destined
by Steph
Sydney entered the warehouse, her steps quick and deliberate. She rounded the corner, expecting her eyes to fall upon Vaughn. Her brow creased in confusion when she saw her father standing in his place.
"Where's Vaughn?"
Jack didn't miss a beat. "He was unavailable, so I came in his place. Devlin wants you on a plane to Japan in an hour."
"Why?"
"To retrieve the antidote for the virus. He wants the C.I.A. to get to it before Sloane learns about it."
Sydney eyed her father, sensing he was holding something back. "Why was Vaughn unavailable?"
Jack swallowed hard, but maintained eye contact. "Devlin has him working on another case."
Sydney's eyes narrowed. Her father was an expert liar; she knew that better than anyone. But, apparently, he hadn't been prepared for her questioning Vaughn's absence because he hadn't bothered to come up with a fully formed reason to explain it.
"Dad, what's going on?"
Jack shut his eyes and shook his head. "Look, Sydney, all you need to know right now is that it's very important that you retrieve that antidote within the next 48 hours."
Sydney studied her father's face for a moment, her mouth dropping open as it hit her. She could barely form her words.
Her voice cracked, "He's sick, isn't he? Vaughn's not all right, like they thought. He's sick."
Jack took a deep breath. "Yes, that is correct, which is why you have to be on that plane in one hour."
Sydney could feel the tears stinging her eyes. "You weren't going to tell me?"
Jack could barely stand to look into his daughter's eyes. How many times could he deceive her and hope to remain a part of her life? No matter how well-intentioned his actions were, he knew one day he'd lose her for good.
"You have enough things on your mind, Sydney. You didn't need to add this to your list of worries."
Sydney's face twisted in anger. "He is my handler!...My friend! I care about him, Dad. You had no right to try to keep that from me!"
"Devlin and I agreed that in order for you to perform the duties necessary to save Agent Vaughn's life, that it was best for you to believe this to be just another mission. I knew it would be hard for you to leave him in his current condition, Sydney."
Sydney's jaw tightened. "And what if he had died while I was gone? I wouldn't have gotten a chance to say good-bye." She paused, a tear spilling down her cheek. She roughly wiped it away with the back of her hand and continued in a softer voice, "I never got to say good-bye to Danny. I wasn't given that chance. How could..."
Sydney's voice faded, as she looked away. She realized what the comparison revealed about her feelings for Vaughn and she was suddenly feeling very vulnerable.
She swallowed hard and cleared her throat, as she tried to compose herself. She then spoke sharply to her father. "When are you going to stop trying to control my life? After everything you've done, everything we've been through, I thought you'd understand that I don't welcome your misguided attempts at protecting me. Don't you see that every time you try to protect me, you end up hurting me?"
Jack's stoic face cracked a bit. "You know it has never been my intention to hurt you, Sydney."
Sydney nodded and then smiled bitterly. "You never intend to hurt me, Dad, you just do. To some degree, I think that's worse than deliberately hurting me, because I keep holding onto this shred of hope that one day you'll change. I keep believing that one day we'll have a relationship based on trust. But every single time I find out about another deception, I lose a little bit of that hope. It's only a matter of time before there's none left."
With that, Sydney turned on her heel. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut when he realized that his words would fall on deaf ears.
* * * *
Sydney hurried down the hospital corridor. She had convinced Devlin to delay the plane by an hour, so that she could have a chance to see Vaughn. She couldn't leave without seeing him.
She stopped abruptly when she came to the window of his hospital room and saw him lying inside, surrounded by plastic. He looked so helpless, so weak...So unlike the man she knew.
Sydney walked to the door and slowly turned the doorknob. She walked over to where he lay and simply studied him. A flood of emotions washed over her all at once.
Guilt overwhelmed her. He was lying there because of her. The only reason he was anywhere near Taipei was because she had asked him to help her. This was her fault.
The emotion that stood out above all others though was love. As she watched him lay there, his life slowly slipping away, she realized for the first time that she was in love with him. It was something she had been denying for months. Their relationship was so complicated and so many things prevented them from being together, that she hadn't allowed herself to come to that realization before. But, now, as she stared at him and feared that she might lose him, she knew how she felt. There was no denying it.
Sydney sat down and placed a hand up to the plastic. She marveled at how the enclosure represented their relationship perfectly. So many walls separated them, so many things stood in their way.
He was sleeping, but he must have sensed her presence because his eyes slowly fluttered open. He managed a weak smile.
"Hey."
"Hey," she replied, with what she hoped was a comforting smile.
They were silent for a few moments, until he broke it. His voice was hoarse, "You know any jokes? 'Cause I could use one."
Sydney smiled at the familiar request. "A man walks into a bar with a sandwich on his shoulder. The bartender turns, looks at him and says-..."
''Sorry, sir, we don't serve food here,'' Vaughn finished in a low voice.
Sydney laughed, "So I guess you've heard that one before."
He nodded. "I've pretty much heard every bar joke known to man. Weiss has a joke-a-day calendar and likes to share."
They lapsed into silence again, until Sydney broke it. "I am so sorry-..."
"Don't, Syd," he interjected, as he met her gaze. "I don't blame you for this. I made a choice to go with you to Taipei and I accepted whatever risks came with it. I don't regret that."
Sydney removed her eyes, his understanding too much to stand. "I'm going to Japan to get the antidote. I'm getting on a plane after I leave here."
"How dangerous is it?" he asked softly, causing Sydney to meets his eyes once again.
She shook her head in amazement. "How is it possible that you are still worried about me in your condition?"
Vaughn's lips gave way to a gentle smile and he responded quietly, "It just comes naturally now. It's not something I can help."
Their gaze held for a moment, before Sydney lowered her head. Her voice emerged softly, but with a heaviness she couldn't hide. "There are still so many things I want to know about you. I...I thought we'd have some time..."
Her voice trailed off, as she squeezed her eyes shut to stop any tears.
Vaughn swallowed hard. "I'm going to be fine, Syd. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other better. You've saved my life before. I have no doubts you'll do it again."
Sydney nodded and managed a semblance of a smile. Her face then fell as she caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. "I have to go."
Vaughn nodded. "Okay."
Sydney's eyes scanned his face, her brow creasing in worry. She lifted her hand up and placed her palm flat against the plastic. She watched as Vaughn slowly lifted his hand up and placed it up to hers.
"I'll see you soon," she whispered, before standing up and leaving.
* * * *
Sydney returned the next day with the antidote. The doctor immediately administered it to Vaughn. Within hours, he was already showing signs of improvement.
By the time Sydney was able to visit, the plastic had been removed and he was sitting up.
She was just about to enter his room, when she heard an unfamiliar voice come from behind her.
"Are you a friend of Michael's?"
Sydney spun around, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. For a moment, she had to think about who 'Michael' was. She was so used to calling him Vaughn.
Sydney quickly studied the woman. She was about 5' 5" with short blonde hair and a slight build. Sydney recognized her, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen her.
She searched for her words. "Um, yes, we work together."
The woman's face seemed to tighten at the mention of the word 'work'. "Oh, well, then I wouldn't know you. Michael has always been very private about his work life. The only coworker I've ever met is Eric and that's only because he's Michael's best friend."
Sydney finally realized where she knew this woman from. This was the woman from the picture in Vaughn's office...The one he had turned away from her during their first meeting. This was Alice, his ex-girlfriend.
Alice shook her head and extended her hand. "How rude of me. I'm sorry, I'm Alice...Michael's girlfriend."
Sydney had to literally force her mouth not to drop open. Girlfriend? She distinctly said girlfriend, minus the ex.
She automatically extended her hand and shook Alice's. "Nice to meet you. I'm, um, Rita."
"Nice to meet you, too." Alice paused and glanced inside the room. "It's amazing how quickly he's recovered. I still don't understand where he got this virus from. He was fine the last time I saw him. I was actually at his apartment when I was notified."
Sydney's eyes widened. She was at his apartment?
Sydney forced a smile. "Well, all that matters is that he's going to be fine. Um, if you don't mind, I'm just going to go say hi and then I'll be on my way."
Alice nodded, but eyed her suspiciously. "Of course."
* * * *
Sydney smiled brightly at Vaughn when she walked in and he returned the gesture.
"You seem to be feeling a lot better."
"Thanks to you," he replied, as she sat down beside him.
Sydney placed her hands over his and met his eyes. "I'm really glad you're going to be okay."
The look they shared conveyed more than words ever could. They were glad to be given a second chance to be with each other, even if it couldn't be any time soon.
They fell silent until Sydney spoke. "I, um, just met Alice outside."
Vaughn's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, uh, you did."
Sydney nodded. "Yes, she seems very nice." She paused and then couldn't help herself. "She actually introduced herself as your girlfriend. It threw me for a second because I thought you broke up last year."
Vaughn removed his eyes from hers. "Yeah, well, she-..."
Sydney suddenly regretted mentioning it. Vaughn wasn't hers. Yes, there was this unspoken thing between them, but they weren't together. He had a right to be with whomever he wanted.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It's really none of my business. You don't owe me an explanation. I-..."
He shook his head. "No, don't apologize. You saved my life. I owe you a lot more than an explanation."
Sydney pursed her lips and focused her eyes on him, waiting for him to continue.
He wouldn't meet her eyes. "A few days ago, Alice called me up. She was upset because her father had just suffered a heart attack and they weren't sure if he was going to make it. I invited her over to talk. While she was there, she said that she missed me. She said that she wanted to give us another try. I didn't really know what to say, so I just told her I'd think about it. That's how I left it and then this happened. She still has a key and I guess she came looking for me, that's why she was at my apartment."
Sydney felt some relief at his answer. From what it seemed, Alice had decided on her own to start referring to herself as his girlfriend again. Still, there was another woman in the picture and that left her with an uneasy feeling.
Sydney chose her words carefully. "Well, she seems very relieved that you're going to be fine."
She decided not to comment on the status of their relationship. She wasn't sure she could keep the jealousy out of her response.
Vaughn stared at her a moment and then said, "Yeah, I'm sure she is."
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence before Sydney broke it. "I better be going. You need your rest and I know Alice is anxious to see you."
Sydney began to get up and remove her hands from his, but he squeezed them and halted her movement.
He met her gaze and said softly, "Thank you."
A broad smile was her only reply before she turned to leave.
Sydney walked out of the room and Alice walked right in. She stood at the window for a moment, watching her with him.
Vaughn was alive and well now...So why did she still feel like she was losing him?
* * * *
"How's your father?" Vaughn asked Alice.
"All right. The doctor says he still needs to get stronger before they can perform the triple bypass."
Vaughn nodded, "Good, give him my best."
"I will." Alice paused, before abruptly asking, "So, that was her, wasn't it?"
Vaughn's brow furrowed. "Who?"
Alice's words were clipped. "That woman who was just in here. That was her."
He shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Alice's jaw tightened. "You don't remember one of the main reasons we broke up a year ago? It was because of a woman from work. That was her, wasn't it?"
Vaughn sighed. "Not this again. Alice, I told you back then that I was not having an affair with anyone. I told you as much as I was allowed to tell you, given my job. I was handling a new agent and my workload had increased, which is why I was spending less time with you. I know that was
hard on our relationship, but it's something I couldn't help."
"You don't remember that night, do you?"
"What night?"
Alice's voice softened. "Our anniversary. We were at dinner when she called. You didn't hesitate. You said you had to go and you did. It was her."
Vaughn remembered the night well. It was the night at the pier.
"I'm her handler. She needed to speak with me. There was nothing going on."
Alice nodded. "I know. You're a good, loyal man, Michael. And I knew in my heart that you would never cheat on me. It goes against your nature. But you couldn't do anything about how you felt. When that phone rang and you heard her voice on the other end, your eyes lit up like they never have for me. That was the same look I saw when she entered your room a few minutes ago. I knew I'd lost you to her that night, whether or not you knew it yourself."
Vaughn didn't know what to say. He cared about Alice and he'd never meant to hurt her, but he just couldn't help his feelings for Sydney.
"I'm sorry, Alice," he said quietly.
She smiled sadly. "So am I. It's not easy knowing that the best man you've ever met will never be yours again. I hope she knows how lucky she is."
With that, Alice placed a soft kiss on his forehead and then left.
Vaughn sat there for a moment, before coming to a realization: He was the lucky one.
He was in love with an amazing woman and he was alive. Someday, they'd be together. After all, there must be some reason that he'd cheated death twice.
Destiny was on their side.
THE END
I know, I know! How could I end it like that?! With Syd thinking that she's losing Vaughn to Alice? How could I?! LOL...Just felt like it. I know you're going to ask about a sequel, but I don't have one planned. I just wanted it to end like that.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought! :)