No Matter What

Author: Janet (SkyGirl5)

Genre: S/V, AU

Summary: Sydney Bristow, President of the United States of America, has never really been concerned with finding a husband; she was much too consumed with her political career. Michael Vaughn, former pro hockey player and current owner of a sporting goods store, has always had trouble finding a love that lasts. A chance meeting between the two might just spark the love neither of them knew they needed.

Disclaimer: Sydney, Vaughn, etc are properties of JJ Abrams and ABC.

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Chapters 1-10 // Chapters 11 - 20 // Chapters 21-30 // Chapters 31 - 32 + Epilogue

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Chapter 31

Immediately after they returned from Camp David, Sydney and Michael set up a meeting with all her important advisors and the Vice President to inform them about her pregnancy and to formulate a plan of attack. Though she was concerned, she was convinced the whole thing would work out. “Well, I guess there is no use dragging this out. I’m pregnant,” Sydney said at the start of the meeting. It appeared as though none of the people in the room knew how to react properly to this. They simply whispered among themselves or stared at her for a few minutes.

“This is unacceptable!” Andrews shouted angrily as he stood from his seat. “The President cannot be pregnant. You’ll have to have an abortion; we’ll keep it under wraps and no one will know,” he said matter-of-factly.

Michael had to physically restrain himself from lunging across the table and pummeling them man who had suggested murdering his child. He gritted his teeth and waited for Sydney’s inevitable attack. After all, she was probably one of the most anti-abortion people in the country. He looked at her and saw that she wasn’t about to yell, but she was about to cry. She shot her hands to her face and sobbed violently into her hands while all the men in the room looked entirely bewildered as per what to do next. Andrews turned rather pale and sank back into his seat.

Michael slid forward on his seat and pulled Sydney into his arms, trying to comfort her, but it was no use. She sobbed for ten minutes before, all of a sudden, it stopped and she wiped her eyes with a tissue as if nothing had ever happened. Michael would have been hopelessly confused had he not seen Eric’s sister do the exact same thing when she was pregnant and visiting Eric (who hadn’t adapted to the situation well at all).

“I’m sorry,” Sydney said quickly as she crumpled the tissue she had been using and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. “It... it must have been the baby.” A few men, who Michael presumed may have had children and had seen similar things with their own wives, nodded their heads in understanding. “I will be keeping my baby Andrews and any other suggestions like that from you again will result in immediate dismissal, is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Andrews mumbled sheepishly.

“We can make this work, it will just take some creative planning. I have full confidence this will have no affect whatsoever on my ability to do this job. I do not know when this baby is due, but I will find out in a few days after my doctor’s appointment, so we’ll hold off plans until then. I just thought it would be best if you were all informed,” Sydney told the men in her office before dismissing them.

Once they were gone, Michael walked over to her and rubbed her back softly. “You ok?” he asked softly.

“Yeah... that was really weird,” she said with a slight tone of confusion. “I mean... one minute I was ready to yell and the next... I was just crying.”

“I noticed,” he smiled. Sydney laughed softly, buried her head in his chest and hugged him tightly.

“I’m going to be a mental case, aren’t I?”

“Nah,” he assured her. “You’re going to be adorable with your round little belly.”

“Ugh fat,” she whined.

“Beautiful,” he corrected. She grumbled. “You will be.”

“Until I turn into a cow.”

“You would never,” he laughed softly.

“Fine... you coming to my doctor’s appointment next week?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

~*~

At the doctor’s appointment, Sydney and Michael found out that she was roughly five weeks along, so their baby would (ironically) be due around the middle of September, two years after they met and one year after they were married. They decided that they would be waiting until Sydney was at least in her second trimester before announcing the baby to the world because they wanted to keep it a secret among family (and Sydney’s staff of course) for as long as possible.

In the next few weeks, Sydney had never been more thankful for anything than she was of the fact that she had absolutely no morning sickness from her pregnancy. So, like she promised, she was able to carry on her job as if she wasn’t even pregnant at all, except for the vitamins she was taking every morning and the fact that subconsciously she was walking differently and always putting her hand across her lower belly.

Unfortunately, during the time that the Prince of England and his wife were visiting, Sydney had her first bout of morning sickness in the form of an all day sickness. To explain her constantly running out of the room behavior, Michael and Sydney had to explain to them that she was pregnant, which, as it turned out, the Prince’s wife was very amused by since they had recently found out that she was pregnant. One the brighter side of things, it made their visit more tolerable; on the down side, they had to announce Sydney’s pregnancy to the country (and the world).

Sadly, but not unexpectedly, they were met with much political backlash mostly in the ‘she’ll never be able to maintain her position as President’ manner. Michael assured Sydney that it would be alright, and for a while, it was, until the middle of March, just when Sydney’s bump was barely beginning to show. Sydney was laying down after lunch taking a much needed nap and Michael was laying beside her, half dozing off when they were rudely jolted by grave news.

It was Eric who burst into their room, his eyes covered in typical Eric-fashion as he panted, having run there. “Guys get up!” he shouted. Abby lifted her head and looked at him as her two owners slowly pulled themselves from sleep.

“Eric wh- oh, open your eyes!” Michael grumbled as he sat up, pulling a blanket off him.

“Wsgoinon?” Sydney mumbled sleepily.

“Come on get up, you gotta go. Come ‘ere Abby,” Eric called the dog. She got up and trotted towards him and he put the leash on her. Michael helped his sleepy wife from the bed and slowly followed Eric, much to his displeasure. “Come on, come on!!” he said impatiently.

“Hey, pregnant woman here,” Sydney whined. “What’s going on anyway?”

“There’s been an attack,” Eric told them solemnly.

“What?” Sydney and Michael gasped together. Eric yanked them both in the elevator, thrust Abby’s leash into Michael’s hand and whispered that they were both secure into his comm link before turning back to them. “What happened?” Sydney demanded.

“There were three simultaneous attacks, all on the West Coast. Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.”



Chapter 32

Once secure in the basement, Sydney and Michael watched in horror along with the rest of the nation, at the scenes unfolding before them. In Seattle, the infamous Space Needle had collapsed upon the street below, trapping and crushing hundreds of people commuting during the morning rush hour. In San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge had collapsed into the bay below, killing most (if not all) of the people traveling on it at the time. In LA, all the freeways were shut down due to many bridge outages because of car bombs. All in all it was an utter disaster, with scenes of panic, mayhem and befuddled reporters broadcasting across all stations.

Michael put his arm around Sydney and held her close as they watched the horror unfold; no one knew what to do. Reports were coming in by the minute, each one more grave than the last. The entire country had practically shut down their transportation systems. Planes were grounded; trains stopped; many bridges closed. There was pandemonium at the White House, trying to stop any more attacks before they came. But it appeared that whoever was responsible, had done what they set out to do; attempting to cripple one of the most powerful countries in the world.

That evening, Sydney addressed the nation at 8 pm. She dressed in a black pantsuit, with the blazer buttoned over her slightly expanded belly as she gravely spoke to the American people. “Today’s attacks have been devastating. We have lost the lives of over one thousand citizens and I’m here to tell you that the people responsible for these horrific acts will be brought to justice. We will not accept terrorism in this country. No one in this world should have to. While it is still unclear who is responsible for these attacks, we will find them and we will stop them. Right now my hopes and prayers are with the victims and the families of those injured or killed in today’s attacks. The National Guard has been deployed to help Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles and the government will be doing everything in it's power to assist these great cities on their road to recovery,” she spoke into the camera. After concluding her speech, she left and fell willingly back into Michael’s arms. All she wanted to do was cuddle up with him and sleep. Sadly, there was no rest for her yet.

By midnight, Sydney finally made it up to bed and curled up beside Michael, who was already asleep. When she tried to snuggle up to him, he woke. “Sorry,” she whispered.

“’sokay... I was just resting my eyes,” he told her as he wrapped his arms around her, his hands settling on her belly.

“Will you come with me when I go out there in a few days?” Sydney asked quietly.

“Of course,” he sighed.

~*~

Nothing could have prepared Sydney or Michael for the sights they faced when visiting the three terror-ridden cities. LA fared the best of the three, having less than 100 people killed and the majority of the damage done to only two bridges, which needed to be rebuilt. San Francisco was the next best. Though the bridge was completely destroyed, the destruction was contained there. Still; many perished in the cold waters of the bay. Seattle was, by far, the worst. Sydney was completely unable to keep her emotions in check when she saw the destruction the fallen Space Needle had caused. Even Michael shed a few dears at the devastation. When the over 600 foot structure fell, it took numerous buildings and other structures with it, leaving an unimaginable wake of destruction. All three cities needed to work on rebuilding, not only physically, but the lives that were destroyed in the horrible attacks.

Once back in DC, Sydney continued to work herself to the bone, working against the terrorist and working to ensure the safety of the American people. Unfortunately, things weren’t getting any easier. Credible threats against the country were received almost daily, though thankfully, no more of them had been put into action. Sadly, all the threats from the terrorist were stemmed, once again, from the fact that she was a woman and the fact that she was pregnant only seemed to be making it worse. It became quite obvious that not only was the country in danger, but she was as well.

Because of her extremely stressful, constantly on the go schedule, Sydney burned out quickly. She even fainted one day while addressing the press. Naturally, Michael was frantic and insisted she be checked out by an Obstetrician immediately. The doctor said that while both mother and baby were both fine for the moment, her stress level and thus increased blood pressure could prove very dangerous for both of them in the future. Sydney assured everyone she was fine, but Michael was practically beside himself at the thought that his wife and child could be in danger.

“Michael... we need to talk about something,” Sydney said to him when she climbed in bed about a week after her fainting episode, her tone very serious. In that time, things hadn’t improved.

“Are you ok? Is it the baby?” he asked frantically.

“No, we’re fine,” she said with her hand over her belly. She looked down at her hands in her lap for a moment before speaking. “I think I should resign.”

“What?” Michael gasped in surprise, not expecting this.

“It’s just... everything is a mess... and with the baby, I don’t think I can devote as much time as I need to the country without endangering me or the baby. Plus... all this is happening because I’m a woman-”

“Syd it’s not-” Michael began to protest her statement but she cut him off.

“It is and you know it is. I think... I think it would be better for everyone if I just stepped down,” she sighed with her eyes downcast.

Michael leaned over and kissed her forehead and she hugged him tightly. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“No,” she laughed softly as she wiped away a tear. “I want to finish this... but I know it’s better not to.”

“Okay,” he sighed. “But what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” she laughed. “Can we talk about it tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” he smiled at her. She kissed him softly as she fell back on the bed, with her partly on top of him. They had only been kissing for a moment before they both felt a strange movement in Sydney’s bump. Michael stopped kissing and looked down towards her belly, then back up at her. “Was that...”

“I think so,” Sydney laughed. They both moved their hands down to the space on her belly where the movement had emanated. A moment later, it happened again. Sydney laughed. “He-she is kicking.”

“That’s so cool!” Michael exclaimed. “Does it feel weird?”

“Yeah totally,” Sydney said. “But good.”

“Really good,” he smiled at her.

~*~

Two weeks later, it was all set. When Sydney told her staff she would be resigning, they weren’t surprised. Her Vice President agreed that it was best and he was willing to take over her duties. Michael and Sydney decided that moving to Maryland, close to the border of West Virginia, equal distance from both their parent’s homes, was best for them. When Sydney’s resignation was announced, most of the nation was shocked and confused, which is why Sydney insisted on giving a final speech right before the Vice President was sworn in as the next President of the United States.

“You ready?” Michael asked Sydney quietly as they were walking towards the Rose Garden, where the final press conference was being held. Sydney said nothing but gave him a soft, nervous smile. Michael kissed her cheek. “I’ll be waiting,” he smiled as he grabbed hold of Abby’s leash tighter.

Sydney walked out the French doors, Michael behind her and Abby at her heels. Immediately, reporters began shouting questions and snapping pictures of the couple.

“Thank you all for coming,” Sydney said as she stepped up to the podium. “It is with a heavy heart today that I finalize my resignation from this Presidency. Before any more speculation continues, I need the American people to understand that this is not a selfish act. It would be selfish and unfair of me to remain your President. Not only would continuing endanger the life of my child, but it would endanger those of the America people.

“Two and a half years ago, the American people voted and overwhelming decided that they were ready for their very first female president, for which I am forever grateful. Unfortunately, it seems that the world was not ready. The recent terrorist attacks and attacks in the past have been a result of the fact that I am a woman, I am sorry to say. Some people in this world are unable to accept my leadership and because of that, I am endangering the lives of the people, which is something I would never want to do.

“The world isn’t ready for a woman as president... maybe they never will be, but I don’t feel that my time was wasted. I feel blessed for this privilege and I know that Mr. Adams will continue to lead this great nation in a way that it appears I couldn’t. Thank you all and God Bless,” she concluded. Michael walked over to her, put his arm all the way around her back and rested it on her expanding bump. Sydney held onto his hand with one of her own and then put her other arm around his back as they waved and walked off towards the helicopter that would take them away from the White House.

“You gonna miss it?” Michael asked her quietly as they took off.

She shrugged. “I guess... I’ll kinda miss the transportation.”

“Yeah, but at least we don’t have to leave Eric,” Michael laughed as he gestured towards their friend, who was sitting across from them looking rather tearful.

“Don’t laugh at me! I’m emotional!” he insisted.

“Um, what’s with him?” Sydney whispered.

“He thinks he’s having a sympathy pregnancy... don’t ask.” Michael rolled his eyes.

Sydney laughed. “I love you.”

Michael smiled and kissed her softly. “I love you, too.”



Epilogue

“Where are you Christine?” Sydney asked playfully as she searched for her four year old among the piles of furniture at her grandparent’s antique store. Since Michael’s parents were growing older, Sydney and Michael had taken over the store the prior year and converted it into an antiques slash sports memorabilia store (the only combination Michael would stand for since the antiques alone made him suicidal, but Sydney found interesting). Sydney heard a soft giggle and caught a glimpse of her daughter’s curly ponytail ducking underneath a table.

“Oh no, I can’t find her! Now Mommy’s sad,” Sydney fake pouted.

“Mommy!! I’m here!” Christine called with a smile.

Sydney gasped dramatically and her face lit up. “There you are!”

Christine giggled, ran over to her mother and jumped up into her arms. “When are Daddy and Ewic coming back?”

“Soon,” Sydney told them. Christine was far too young to understand why Eric, who was one of their two designated Secret Service men, followed her family everywhere. She did however see Eric as a constant playmate, which he was since, at heart, he wasn’t much older than Christine.

“Sydney, are you here?” Amelia called from the doorway.

“Grammie!! Grammie!! Let me down Mommy!” Christine squirmed in her mother’s arms. Sydney let her daughter slide to the floor before she scampered off to see her grandmother. “Hi Grammie.”

“Hello Angel.” Amelia smiled down at her. “How are you?”

“I good.” Christine smiled.

“That’s good sweetheart.... oh Sydney there you are, did Michael get back yet?” Amelia asked her.

“No, they haven’t gotten back yet, but they should be here soon.” Sydney smiled.

“I want Daddy,” Christine pouted.

“Come here and let me fix your ponytail. Daddy will be almost here by the time I’m done,” Sydney told her as she knelt down on the floor. She was only half way through gathering up her daughter’s curly locks when Michael came through the door and Christine went running.

“DADDY!”

“Hey Princess,” Michael smiled as he picked up his daughter and kissed her cheek with a loud smack.

“Hi,” she smiled.

“Hello,” Sydney greeted her husband.

“You’re not going to like me...,” Michael laughed nervously.

“What did you buy?” Sydney glared at him.

“Well...,” he hesitated.

“Michael! You were supposed to pick up the table and that’s it!”

“It’s totally Eric’s fault!” Michael insisted.

“What’s my fault?” Eric asked as he walked in carrying a brown ball of fluff in his arms.

“PUPPY!” Christine shouted.

“Michael...,” Sydney groaned. Their beloved dog Abby had gotten sick the previous year and passed away. Since then, Sydney had been hesitant about adding another pet to their family despite Christine’s and Michael’s pestering.

“But they had them for sale and they were soooo cute,” Eric said as he put the puppy down on the floor so Christine could pet him.

“Who’s this puppy for, us or him?” Sydney laughed quietly to Michael.

“Well... he is like having another kid.... even though he’s older than both of us.” Michael laughed.

“True,” Sydney shrugged.

“Pweese Mommy,” Christine grinned.

“Yeah please,” Eric added.

“Fine,” Sydney groaned.

“YEAH!” Eric and Christine said as they high-fived each other.

“See, we have a son and a daughter,” Michael grinned as he put his arm around Sydney. Sydney rolled her eyes and laughed as she hugged him. Christine stood up from petting the puppy, ran over to them and hugged them both around the knees. Sydney smiled as Michael picked up their daughter and kissed her, thinking about how life worked in mysterious ways. Eight years earlier, when she was beginning her campaign for President, a husband and child were the furthest thing from her mind, now she couldn’t imagine her life without them in it.



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