Shadows of the Past
Disclaimer: Sad to say, I do not own ALIAS or its characters. If I did we wouldn't be getting hit over the head repeatedly by a gigantic Trianvil.
Spoilers: None, really. Just general Season 2 knowledge. It's AU, of course!
Rating: PG, just because G seems to nice.
Summary: Vaughn gets a special delivery at JTF. Lauren is in no way in a relationship with Vaughn. Hint, hint: The delivery is a child. All the cool kids are doing this type of story, and the idea just wouldn't go away.
Almost Twenty Years
The phone was ringing for the third time in the past five minutes. Finally Vaughn gave up and answered. Dixon's gruff voice came through the receiver. "We need you at JTF." Vaughn merely grunted in response. He barely heard Dixon whisper sadly, "I'm very well aware of what day it is," before the line went dead. It was true, Sydney had disappeared exactly one year ago. He gazed longingly at his only picture of her a minute longer before getting up. After shaving and showering he got into his car and headed toward whatever nightmare awaited him.
(30 min. Later)
The moment Vaughn stepped into the rotunda Weiss approached him. "Have you seen Dixon yet?"
"No." Vaughn was cold and distant, and it took awhile for things to register in his friend's mind.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry. Look, here comes Dixon. With any luck you can get out of here by tomorrow."
Vaughn attempted a feeble smile before Dixon approached them. "Dixon, what is this about? Is it Sydney?"
Dixon sighed. "We're not sure. Come with me." Vaughn followed the older man without question to the Medical Services wing. "I might as well cut to the chase, and tell you this now. Approximately one hour ago a baby was dropped off in the parking garage with this note." He handed Vaughn a piece of paper, which he read aloud. The handwriting was strikingly familiar, but Vaughn put that aside.
"'This child is Michael Vaughn's. Do a test, you'll see.' Dixon, who brought the child?"
"We don't know, they had their face covered on our surveillance footage. In the meantime, a paternity test is now mandatory. We'll do a database search to ID the mother."
Vaughn nodded and pushed the door open. He heard someone call his name and turned to see a tall man with graying hair holding a sleeping infant. The baby's face was hidden for the moment, but the chestnut hue of its hair caused Vaughn's stomach to lurch.
"Agent Vaughn, I'm doctor Kramer. If you'll just come this way."
"Of course." Vaughn followed the doctor into a small white exam room. He sat in the chair and stared at the blank walls all through the test, and even until the results came back. Not once did he look at the tiny little girl that was also in the room.
"Well, Agent Vaughn, she is in fact yours."
He looked up at the doctor and asked the question to which he already knew the answer. "Who is the mother?"
The doctor gulped. "Sydney Bristow. The baby is approximately four months old."
"But that would mean-"
"She was pregnant when she disappeared."
Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose. "Does she have a name?"
"Not that we know of. That's up to you."
For the first time, Vaughn looked at the little girl. She looked so much like Sydney; her hair, her nose, her lips. She was her mother's spitting image, save for the emerald green eyes that she had inherited from Vaughn. "Leah. Her name is Leah."
At that moment, Dixon walked in. "I just got the news. Congratulations. Now, Vaughn, as much as I hate to say it, this is no guarantee that Sydney is still alive."
"She's alive," he said, eyes glistening. "I know she is."
(15 years later)
"Yes, dad, happy birthday! Forty-two, yippee. Now come on, I'm going to be late for gymnastics!"
"Leah, kindly remind me why you haven't taken Driver's ed yet."
Leah rolled her eyes. "I'm waiting for Mitchell so he can be my driving buddy." At the smirk on her father's face she cried exasperatedly, "Ew! For the thousandth time, we're just friends!"
"Yeah, I know. Come on, lets get you to practice. Today is tryouts, right?"
She nodded as she grabbed her sports bad. "Uh, dad?"
Vaughn climbed into the driver's seat of his truck. "What?"
She buckled her seatbelt and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I'd love for you to watch me, but..." she paused and laughed. "All the other girls are constantly drooling over how hot they think you are! Even coach Reed says you're hot."
He laughed softly as he pulled out of the driveway. "At least they have good taste. You know, you sound just like your mother used to."
They both grew somber. "I wish I could've known her. You really miss her, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do." They sat in silence for a moment until Vaughn spoke again. "Uh, Leah?"
"Yeah?"
He smiled. "Would you be totally disturbed if I told you I'm going to be the sub in French class while Mrs. Norman is on maternity leave?"
He watched as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear nervously. "Uh, YEAH!" She paused a moment. "Whatever," she muttered. They were silent until they reached Leah's high school.
"Good luck, sweetheart."
"Dad, come in the back door in five minutes." She grinned as she hopped out of the truck. Vaughn watched her go through the door, a goofy grin plastered on his face. He followed his daughter's instructions, pulling around back and waiting five minutes.
When he got into the gym the bleachers were packed. He saw Mitchell sitting alone up front, so he went and sat by Marshall's only son. He nodded and smiled at the young man before scanning the mass of black leotards. He found Leah easily. She was generally considered too tall for a gymnast, standing 5'7", at least a head taller than the other girls. She was very talented though, which greatly pleased coaches. Vaughn smiled ruefully. She was like Sydney in so many ways.
"I take it you've found her?"
"Yeah. So, how are things in the Flinkman household, Mitch?"
"Great, considering both of my parents are still working for the government. How about you? Oh, happy birthday by the way."
"Thanks. Well, Leah is keeping me busy with gymnastics, her saxophone stuff, kickboxing, and just school in general."
They laughed, but silenced themselves quickly as Leah got ready for the vault. Out of habit, Vaughn scanned the gym. That's when he saw her. Standing in a corner, he saw the captivating brown eyes that haunted his dreams looking back at him. She was in the shadows, but he noticed the blonde hair and swollen lip nonetheless. A small smile spread across her face as she turned to watch Leah. He would know that profile anywhere. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and he blinked. When his eyes opened again, she was gone. In her place was a scrap of paper wedged between the fire extinguisher and the wall.
"Mr. Vaughn! She's going!"
Vaughn turned his head to see Leah do a breathtaking series of flips and spins before sticking a beautiful landing. He stood up and cheered with the rest of the crowd before excusing himself. Leah would be doing the uneven bars in about fifteen minutes, so he knew he had time. He went over to the corner and discovered a birthday card, not a scrap of paper. The inside was blank, save for one word. 'Soon.'
"Do you think I did good, dad?" Leah was now in comfy jeans and a T-shirt with a penguin, stating 'I wish I could fly' on it.
"You were amazing."
"Thanks. Come on, Coach wants to talk to us."
Vaughn sighed resignedly as he walked over toward the large group of giggling teenage girls.
When coach Reed felt that enough people were present, she whistled loudly. "Alright, ladies and parents! I would like to congratulate everyone on a job well done. Tomorrow a list will be up in the office window stating if you are on the Freshman, JV, or Varsity team. Also, anyone and everyone who is up for some dinner is welcome to join us at Joey's Pizza!"
A loud chorus of cheers erupted from the girls and Leah whispered into Vaughn's ear, "Ready for a carpool?" He nodded, just as Leah's friends Katie, Heather, June, and Lily surrounded him.
"I suppose you ladies want a ride?"
"And me!" They all turned their heads to see Mitchell walking toward them, grinning.
"No problem, Mitch. I'm warning all of you, it's gonna be tight."
Leah's friends all shared a glance before saying in unison, "That's okay!"
"UNCLE MIKE!!!" Vaughn spun around in his seat to see two little six year old girls running at him.
"Aimee! Amber! Hey girls!" He got up out of his chair and caught the two little girls. They had jet-black hair and round faces, much like their father. He picked them up and spun them in circles for a minute before setting them back down. "Where's your daddy?"
"I'm right here. Happy Birthday, old man."
"Old man?!" Vaughn smiled. "Hey, Eric." He turned back to the girls. "Go sit with Leah for a bit. She's right over there." He gave them each a nudge before walking over to Weiss.
"Let me just tell you, six year old twin girls are scary. So, how did Leah do?"
"Great. It was amazing to watch. So, how are things are the Agency?"
"Mike-" he began.
"Weiss, I still have clearance."
"Well, we're more or less finishing up Sydney's case, if you must know."
Vaughn nodded. "She's alive, Eric."
"Mike, come on. I hate to say it, but she is gone. I know you loved-"
"Love. There is no past tense."
Weiss started again. "I know you love her, but you need to move on."
"Eric-"
"Why don't you ask the coach out? She's cute."
"Eric! I saw Sydney today. She left this." Vaughn handed over the birthday card. "She was watching Leah. I saw her. She had blonde hair, but it was her!"
Weiss shook his head and opened the card. "Dude, this doesn't prove anything. I know what it suggests, but she's been gone for sixteen years. Sixteen! And you haven't so much as had a date with another woman since!"
Slightly put-out, Vaughn sighed. "Could you PLEASE just get Marshall to do an analysis?"
Weiss nodded. "I gotta go. The twins have a hair appointment." He turned to where his daughters were sitting and called, "Girls! Time to go!"
Aimee immediately went to her father, while Amber crossed her arms stubbornly. "I don't wanna go. Leah's having a party, and I wanna go, too!"
"Well, I think it's gonna be a big kid party. There might be boys there."
"Eww!" she shrieked as she ran toward her father.
When the Weiss family had left, Leah looked up at her father with glowing jade eyes. "Dad, can I have the girls over for a sleepover? And can you take all of us to the mall?"
He smiled. "Sure, what time do you want me to pick you up?"
"Ooh, Leah, have you gotten your dad anything for his birthday? I have."
"Heather, you scare me sometimes, you know that? All of you! He's forty-two! And no, I haven't gotten him anything yet."
"Mr. Vaughn has got it going on," Katie sang, much to the amusement of everyone else.
"Ha ha-NOT," Leah said. At that moment, a tall blonde ran into Leah.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she kept on walking.
"Hey, Leah, there's something in your purse," June chirped.
"Huh? Whoa, that's weird."
"She looked kinda like you, except blonde," Mitchell said quietly. Him and Leah shared a brief glance.
"Anyone up for a bathroom break?"
Leah sat down on the toilet seat and opened her purse. She hadn't really needed to go to the bathroom ,she had needed a small amount of privacy. In her purse was a small blue envelope. Naturally, she opened. A photo and a note fell out, along with $20. Leah picked up the note and read it to herself, puzzled.
'I know your father doesn't have many pictures of me, so here's one that I've been keeping. Leah, I'm so proud of you. Great job in gymnastics. Use the money I gave you to buy a frame or something. This picture was taken after a hockey date with your father. In case you didn't know, we're at the Santa Monica pier. I'm sorry I haven't been able to be with you. Give your father the picture, and tell him to read the back. He'll understand.
Love, mom
P.S. Don't start looking for me. It will only bring pain.'
Leah was crying when she finished reading the letter. She looked at the photo and gasped. It was nighttime in the picture, the carnival lights shining bright. Both of her parents were wearing Kings jerseys, and both had huge smiles on their faces. It was the first time she had seen her father looking truly happy. Leah had only seen a few pictures of her mother, but this was by far the best. Her dad's arms were wrapped around Sydney's waist from behind, and his head was resting on her shoulder. Leah flipped over the photo and read the note that said, 'We'll find each other. We always find each other. I love you, my guardian angel. Truth Takes Time.'
Leah wiped her eyes and tucked the photo, the money, and the letter back into her purse. When she came out of the bathroom, Lily immediately rushed over.
"What's wrong? Are you okay? Leah, you look like you've been crying!"
"I have. I was just thinking about how dad is so lonely, and then I started thinking about my mom. You see this picture?" She pulled it out. "I forgot I even had it. I think I'll get it framed."
Lily took the picture and everyone else gathered around. "You're mom was so pretty. What did she do again?"
"She worked for a bank," Leah lied. She took the picture back and headed toward the frame store. She ended up picking out an antique silver frame. When she got to the checkout counter, the cashier gave her an odd look.
"Are you sure you want to buy this one?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you see how it's blackened around the edges? That happened when the house it was in burned down. They say that fire killed three people."
"When was that?"
"About sixteen years ago."
Leah sighed. "Oh. Well, I still want to buy it. It's part of a gift for my dad."
The cashier smiled. He looked to be about in his early forties, with messy blondish hair. He looked at Leah carefully before asking, "May I see the picture?"
"Sure. Those are my parents. My mom died when I was a baby, though." She handed it over and watched as he put the picture into the frame. She didn't notice his breath hitch as he looked at the picture, or hear him whisper, 'Sydney.' The picture fit perfectly, and Leah was ecstatic when the cashier sold her the frame for $15 instead of the tagged $30. "Thank you so much!"
"No," he said. "Thank YOU."
The next day Leah decided to give her father his present. "I would've given it to you yesterday, but it's kinda personal." She handed him the framed picture, which was wrapped in shiny red paper. She watched as he nearly dropped the heavy frame, and as tears welled up behind his eyes.
"Leah, where-"
"She told me to tell you to read the back of the picture. She gave me this, too." Leah handed him the letter. When he finished reading it, he took a deep breath.
"Leah, I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you."
"What do you mean?"
"Leah, let's go sit down."
"Okay," she said slowly. They walked out to the living room and sat down on the couch.
"You know that you're mom worked for the CIA, as did I. I told you that in the beginning. But I still lied. You're mom didn't die giving birth to you. She disappeared eight months before you were born. They burned her house down, feeding us evidence saying she was dead. The biggest problem is we're not completely sure who 'they' are. I gave her this frame as a Christmas present the first year we knew each other."
"Oh my God." Leah's eyes were excessively glassy.
"Leah, you were four months old when I first saw you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." He paused. "I have to go in!"
"No, dad. You can't. She told us not to look for her. She'll come when she's ready, we have to believe that.
He nodded. They were silent for awhile, but Vaughn was again the first to speak. "So, how did you do in gymnastics?"
She grinned. "I made varsity! I'm the only freshman, but I'm like, six inches taller than everyone else!"
"Congratulations, sweetie."
She shifted in her chair and adopted a different look and voice. "Daddy?"
"Oh, geez. What do you want?"
"Well, it's my birthday next week, and I was wondering..."
"What were you wondering?"
She took a deep breath. "Can I get a tattoo?"
"What?! Don't you have some gymnastics rule?"
"Nope. It'll be small, and besides, you have one!"
"Fine. But there's a catch. Or two..."
"What are they?"
"One: you're paying. Two: nothing obscene. Three: no place that I deem obscene."
"Great! When can I get it done?"
"Oh, heck, why not tomorrow?"
"Dad, I'm scared. Does it hurt?"
Vaughn glanced at his shoulder. "I can't remember. Besides it being a long time ago, I was drunk."
Soon Leah was seated in a small chair. "So, little lady," the tattoo artist said. "Whaddya want?"
"Uh, just a little infinity sign that says 'infinity' below it on the small of my back."
"Okay, sounds good. I suggest you roll over."
(One week later)
"Oh my gosh! You actually got one! That is so cool!" The JV and Varsity teams were in the locker room preparing for their first gymnastics meet. Leah was talking to an ecstatic Heather, who had two tattoos already.
Leah smiled as she pulled on her cobalt blue and silver leotard. "Hey, Heather, what music did you pick for the floor dance?"
"It's called 'Going Under'. It's pretty cool, I like it. What about you?"
"I'm doing 'Hella Good'. It was that or 'Just A Girl', both are be No Doubt, but I figured I can always do that one next time. Can you believe that Katie is doing 'Bohemian Rhapsody'? That song is ancient!"
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Leah Vaughn," the announcer's voice boomed. Vaughn stood up and began cheering loudly at his daughter's name, but stopped when he heard his cell phone ring.
"Vaughn."
"Mike, be at Dover in half an hour. Leave Leah in L.A. You're going to Hong Kong."
"Why?"
"Because Sydney's there." With that, Weiss hung up, leaving a very confused Vaughn listening to the dial tone. He finished watching Leah's performance, and immediately went down to her.
"Dad!"
"You were incredible, great job. Listen, Leah, I have to go to China. Like, now. I can't tell you why, or when I'll be back, but I'd like it a lot better if you stayed with Heather or June or someone, okay? I'm really sorry."
"It's okay. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Vaughn slowly pushed open the door, unsure of what he would find. What he saw was a broken woman sitting on the bed. "Syd," he croaked.
She spun around. "Vaughn? Where's my daughter? Where's Leah?"
"They told me you wouldn't know about her!"
"I know, Vaughn. I know everything. That was all a lie."
TBC