Michael Vaughn quotes from Alias

Sydney

He is my friend. He is, like, one of my best friends.

Vaughn

I understand that.

Sydney

No, you don't. You get to tell your friends that you work for the CIA while I go home and look desperately for a tiny moment that I can be honest with anyone about anything. Now that Will knows the truth - he's never going to trust me again. You should have seen his face in Paris. It was like he was looking at a stranger.

Vaughn

But he wasn't. He was looking at you. Maybe for the first time. He was looking at you.

Sydney

Hi. How did you find me?

Vaughn

You told me a couple of months ago that when you feel the need to disappear, you go to the observatory. But the observatory was closed. And then I remembered you said the pier calms you down. But you weren't there. And you weren't at the bluffs and the palisades, either.

Sydney

You didn't really go to all those places.

Vaughn

Yeah, I did. And then I remembered you liked the train station, too. Normal people going to their normal jobs.

Sydney

I can't believe you remember that.

Kendall

Just so we're clear, Mr. Vaughn, I know all about your participation in busting Agent Bristow out of federal custody. Convince her to talk to her mother, or face charges of obstructing justice and harboring a fugitive.

Vaughn

Guess it's two-for-one day on blackmail.

Sydney

You want me to talk to her again.

Kendall

Mr. Sark has assumed control of your mother's operation...

Sydney

Please stop referring to her as my mother.

Kendall

Therefore, Ms. Derevko must know what he's looking for and she's made it clear she will only speak with you.

Sydney

Look, I talked to her before because I had to. I have no intention of making this into a habit.

Kendall

I assume you have an opinion on this, Agent Vaughn.

Vaughn

Uh, I don't have an easy answer to that.

Kendall

I'll take a complicated one.

Vaughn

I can't pretend to hide my bias here. Irina Derevko betrayed this country and killed my father in the process. On the other hand, she is a certifiable Rambaldi expert and probably knows more about the inner workings of global organized crime than any other person in U.S. custody. Having said that, I believe Agent Bristow and I were effectively countering SD-6 before Derevko turned herself in and I stand behind whatever she decides.

Irina

How do you say "thank you" to the woman who killed your father?

Vaughn

[pause] You don't.

Vaughn

Okay. I'll confer with your father about your countermission.

Sydney

My father?

Vaughn

He didn't tell you? Based on your father's instincts in the Madagascar incident, Devlin gave him operational approval.

Vaughn

I saw de Souza. He told me that you hired him to rig those explosives.

Jack

Irina Derevko would eagerly destroy all of our lives.

Vaughn

I'm not a big fan, either. It still doesn't justify what you did.

Jack

You do good work, Agent Vaughn. But your consistent shortcoming - you should know this - is your naive sense of morality. Evil must be eliminated by whatever means necessary.

Vaughn

Look, I know this will drive you insane, but we can't employ you because you have a criminal record.

Will

I have a criminal record because of a drug habit I never had.

Vaughn

I'm trying to live a normal life, which was always hard given what I do. But it's gotten harder since I met your daughter. It's not that knowing her hasn't made my life better. It has. But it's also made it that much worse. I think I've said enough.

Irina

The problem, Mr. Vaughn, is that to the one person who matters, you haven't said anything.

Vaughn

Listen, this may not mean anything to you. This may not be something you can understand or appreciate, but we have rules. Very clear and important rules that govern the relationship between a handler and his asset.

Irina

And between a man and a woman?

Vaughn

I got your psych report back. You did well.

Will

I'm not a sociopath?

Vaughn

Well, I didn't say that. [laughs]

Weiss

I share my fights with you!

Vaughn

No you don't.

Weiss

Yeah, you remember when, er, remember when Alan pissed in the living room?

Vaughn

That was your dog.

Weiss

Yeah, but I was angry about it and I let you know how upset I was.

Vaughn

Involving you had no upside.

Sydney

There's no upside to keeping me informed? You didn't tell me about Monolo or that you had discussions with my mother! You didn't even tell me that you were seeing Alice again!

Vaughn

Wait. What is this about?

Sydney

This is about me being too old to be coddled!

Weiss

There's no way that guy smells as good as you.

Vaughn

It's aftershave. I got a new aftershave.

Weiss

Yeah, well, I'd lighten up on it.

Vaughn

Yeah?

Weiss

Oh, yeah. To the point of, er, non-use.

Sydney

I need you to tell me.

Vaughn

You need me to tell you what? That when you're on operations, I can't sleep at night? That when we're in debrief I have to force myself to remember what the hell we're supposed to be reviewing when all I wanna do is kiss you?

Sydney

About last night ...

Vaughn

Is this going to be about Alice?

Sydney

I know it's complicated ...

Vaughn

We're not together anymore.

Sydney

Since when?

Vaughn

Since this morning. The truth is, we've been over for a long time.