8A/N: Hi everyone. This is a fanfic about how Sydney and Vaughn may have met in a different but still within the realm of the CIA/SD-6 and the spy world. There isn't a specific timeline since I will probably be using details from all over the place. But it does take place after the Alliance was dismantled. Sydney and Vaughn are both semi-retired from the CIA and neither of them know that the other person is also in the CIA. Francie is dead in this story but there is a small mention of her in this chapter. Sorry for any confusion. Please let me know if you need any clarification.
PS: You're not going to see it in this chapter but Sydney is going to refer to Vaughn as 'Vaughn' and not 'Michael'. This is just a pet peeve of mine since we all know him as Vaughn and in the show she calls him Vaughn. Anyways I hope you enjoy.
When Sydney found out that she was pregnant after Danny's death, it nearly put her over the edge. In this world – her world – she could handle foreign assassins and ticking bombs, but a baby? No way. How was she supposed to take care of a child without the child's father? How could she be a single parent while juggling the career of being a spy and trying to become a teacher? Well she couldn't have, at least not without the help of Will, Francie, and of course her father.
She became a double-agent for the CIA along with her father, bringing down the Alliance, and most of all Sloane. He got away at the last minute, which triggered a global-wide man hunt for him that is still active today. They spent months looking for him, before realizing that he would most likely stay underground for awhile.
After nine months, out came into the world Isabelle Daniela Bristow. Will said that she had Danny's eyes, but the rest was all Syd. She'd agree but every time she saw Isabelle, all she could see was her resemblance to her father. Jack even agreed with Will through his grim smile and deadpan humor. Despite his stone-cold demeanor, he became this doting and caring grandfather who enjoyed spending time with his granddaughter.
She got out of the spy world as quickly as she could, not wanting her daughter to be exposed to same thing she had experienced. On occasion, the CIA would call her in for an analysis report or something any junior officer could do. It was a way to keep her in the loop, courtesy of my father. But mainly, she focused on being a good mom and being a good teacher. Sydney taught at UCLA as an English Literature professor. The pay was good and the hours were flexible, allowing her to pick up Isabelle from daycare at reasonable times.
Without opening her eyes, Sydney could feel the sun's glowing rays casting on her face. She could also hear the giggles coming from below the bed. She turned her head over to see Isabelle, playing with her slippers at the feet of her bed.
"Isabelle, what are you doing, you silly girl?" Sydney said, lifting her onto her bed. The toddler continued to laugh and smile as the sun continued to rise. She looked over at her phone to see that it was only 7 AM. She still had plenty of time before she had to get ready for work.
"Mama, play!" her three year old daughter cried out. She took Sydney's hair and twirled it around her finger. "Hair?"
"Yes, Isabelle. That's my hair." Sydney yawned and stretched her body as far as she could. "Let's go eat, okay baby?"
She sat up from her bed and turned around to put Isabelle on her hips. They walked downstairs into the kitchen that was also connected into the living room. She put Isabelle down and allowed her to roam about. Normally the young child would just plant herself on the mat in the living room and play with her toys while Sydney would make them breakfast. She decided to make herself an omelet with the usual toppings of cheese, tomatoes, spinach and her daughter would have a plain mini omelet. She cut up Isabelle's into little mini pieces so she could eat it by hand.
Afterwards, Sydney and Isabelle got ready to leave, with Isabelle putting on her shoes by herself and Sydney putting on the final touches of her makeup.
"Ready to go, sweetheart?" she asked.
"Ready!" Isabelle shouted out, full of enthusiasm.
Michael Vaughn was a company man who took his work very seriously. That being said, he was also a full-time parent to James William Vaughn. James was three years old, who always knew how to cheer his father up whenever he was feeling down. He looked every bit like Vaughn; there was no doubt about it. His green eyes were both his and his dad's main feature, with the little boy showing that innocent, earnest look he would give to his dad whenever he wanted something.
"James! Buddy, we've gotta hurry up or we're gonna be late," Vaughn shouted out from his room. He finished tying his tie and putting on his navy-blue blazer. He walked down the hall to find his son playing with his Legos instead of changing out of his pajamas. "James, what did I say about getting ready?"
The boy stared at him with his puppy-dog eyes and innocently smiling at him until Vaughn eventually sighed. "Okay, come on." Vaughn proceeded to change the boy quickly, continuously checking his watch for how much time he had left. He then carried James downstairs, grabbed their bags, and headed straight for the door.
Sydney had forgotten to take traffic into account after dropping Isabelle off at daycare. She managed to get to campus five minutes before her class started. She was shuffling her papers in her bag while walking along the pathway, not paying attention to her surroundings. By the time she had looked up, she crashed into a man who had his phone in one hand and his briefcase in the other.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going-" Sydney said as she bent down to pick up her papers that were now scattered on the ground.
"No, it was my bad," The man apologized while bending down to help her as well. She met his eye level and took notice of his wide smile as he introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Michael."
Sydney was never one for fairytales, but there was something about him that captivated her. Here he was, his golden-blond hair and fair complexion, not to mention his alluring green eyes. Sydney realized that she had not yet said a word to introduce herself. She gave a slight smile to get past the awkward silence. "I'm Sydney." He handed her back some of the papers. "Thank you. Again, I'm so sorry."
They continued to stare at each other, both trying to memorize each other's features. Sydney then realized that she was going to be late for class. She nodded her head and quickly walked past him before he could say another word.
Vaughn sighed before he walked off to his office. While Vaughn thought that was one of the weirdest encounters he ever had, Sydney was also the first woman in a long time that had made a small part of him feel younger again. Having a son didn't leave him much time to have a social life, especially having just moved to LA from Langley. His semi-retirement from the spy life kept him on edge sometimes so he couldn't very well just go out and party like he used to. But there was something about Sydney's smile that seemed so genuine and caring that it made his heart ache for that type of relationship again.
A/N: I hoped you guys enjoyed this! Please give me feedback! Also let me know if there's any confusion.