my_strappyshoes: ([Emote] Cropped: Box Look Down)
[personal profile] my_strappyshoes
The first time Sydney's call goes through to her voicemail it's with good reason. It had only been a few days since she'd flown from the hospital in Umbertide to the one in Norwich. Her phone was safely tucked into the overnight bag her father had put together haphazardly and she wouldn't actually turn it on to get the message until she was released later that afternoon. Rachel would call Vaughn, just to let him know that she was okay and to ask him to go to her condo and empty out the fridge. He'd use the passcode to her garage and then lock up behind himself. A week later her father would arrive at the condo and pack up more of her clothing and a few of the smaller items as well.

Sydney's calls weren't exactly daily, but they were pushing to that extent for the first few weeks of July. She had gone through her debriefing with Weiss and really no one else needed to talk to her once she had found out that the man responsible for what had happened to her had been killed. Part of her didn't need the case file on that one, because the other part of her knew who had done it.

Now it had been over a month since she had been rescued, and she still had no actual plans to go back to work for APO. Her phone vibrated by the nightstand, threatening to spill over onto the floor, but it stopped after the fourth ring and another voicemail was left for her. Reaching over Rachel grabbed it and dialed into her voicemail to listen to the message.

"Rach, it's Sydney. I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right, now and I know that you've spoken to Vaughn. He tells me you're fine and I'm glad for that, but you're a part of this team. Please don't use what happened to you as an excuse to let yourself think that this will happen again. I can't promise you that, and you know it, but I know that you love this job, and you know that you're important to us. Just don't give up on this. We're making a difference Rach. Please call me so we can talk." - END OF MESSAGE - PRESS SEVEN TO DELETE THIS MESSAGE - PRESS NINE TO SAVE IT

Rachel held the phone in her hand for a moment trying to let it sink in, trying to get past the initial frustration of being told that she's making excuses. Rather than even decide what to do with the message she just hangs up the phone and crosses the bedroom floor and moves to the front room. Slouching into a chair she pulls her feet up against the cushion, curving her spine into the back of the chair a bit more.

The truth was she was using it for an excuse, just not for the reasons Sydney thought she was. Not going back to Los Angeles, not going back to work meant that she didn't have to watch everything she did. She could head to the farmers market on the weekend and drag Julian along without wondering if someone was going to associate her with her job, or him with his. If she wanted to go with him for a weekend in St. Martin she didn't have to schedule anything weeks in advance she could just pack a bag and go. All the time she spent working for the freedom of people in her life she had never felt more freedom than she did when she finally stopped fighting.

Even if it was really just an excuse to stay with the man she loved, she figured it was as good a reason as any.

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December 2009

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