Disclaimer: I do not own Alias.

Rating: PG-13, possibly PG-15 for violent scenes.

Genre: Drama/General

Summary: A missing scene from the first episode- Truth Be Told. Just a little insight on why Danny really died.

Title: Where Loyalties Lie

Author's Notes: This is my August Challenge entry. Leave feedback, please. The requirements for this month are as follows: 1) Must contain a missing scene from a Season One episode. 2) Use the title of the episode you are writing about in your fic.
3) An injury of some sort. Please leave a comment after you read it.

Where Loyalties Lie

(Danny and Sydney are outside, in the middle of nowhere. Planes take off in the distance.)

DANNY: A job with the C.I.A.?

SYDNEY: Not exactly. It's a job with a covert branch.

DANNY: This is crazy! Okay, okay, so covert branch. Then what?

SYDNEY: After the first month, I asked if I could test for agent training.

SYDNEY: It was exciting.

DANNY: This isn't real.

SYDNEY: Danny... since my mother died, I always hoped I would find someone to give my life meaning. That person is you. I just met the agency first. I can't quit.

DANNY: Sydney, I love you. But this... I just, I got to figure out what I'm thinking.

SYDNEY: You can't tell anyone about this. About what I do. No one. Danny, I'm not kidding.

DANNY: I got it. I need--I need to walk. I'll call you tonight.

(He turns.)

SYDNEY: I've got my trip.

DANNY: San Diego.

SYDNEY: I'll call you when I get back.

DANNY: Be careful.

(He leaves.)

Miles Away in a Hotel

A man booked two nights at a hotel with vacancy. He took his one small bag with him into and bolted the door. As soon as he was settled he grabbed his cell phone and dialed an eleven-digit number, indicating that it was international. He was greeted with a sequence of musical notes, which he had long ago memorized what they meant. Entering the correct numbers for what he wanted he was greeted by the voice of a young man with a diacritic.

"Hello. I assume you are calling for a reason, and not just for the pleasure of hearing my voice."

"Yes." The reply was only one word.

"May I ask what that reason might be?" The man said, expecting an answer, and likely knowing the answer.

"I've completed my mission. I proposed to her, she accepted, and has recently told me that she works for the CIA."

"Then what are you doing calling me? I specifically told you that she will now need your support, and you will give it to her fully. She will now be expecting you to actually be thinking over what you want to do. You will need to call her from somewhere, sounding distressed and possibly drunk. Make sure she knows that you forgive her, and that you still love her."

"Alright, but her superiors will be alerted when I call her. Truth be told, I'm not too sure that they will accept the fact that I now know what she does. Will you be extracting me?" Questioned the man from the hotel.

"I'll talk to my superiors and see what I can do. We'll make sure that you leave and don't come back until you are cleared to live."

"I understand my further objective."

"Good, then get off this phone and continue your mission. I'll have someone contact you shortly as to how you will be extracted." The young sounding man ordered before he ended the conversation.

Putting his cell phone away for the time being, the man collected his stuff once again and made his way to the lobby of the small hotel.

Upon checking out, the clerk at the desk attempted to strike up a discussion with the man she thought to be very handsome. Having no use for mindless babble he told the young woman that he was in a hurry, and had no time to talk. Infuriated and annoyed at having been insulted, the woman was no longer trying to be friendly.

"You'll have to pay for both nights without the forty-eight hour notice period. Your total bill comes to one hundred seventy nine dollars and thirty-six cents, Mr. Hecht." Laurie Hudson, that was what the nametag of the rude clerk held, with her brown hair pinned up from her dark face. Gasping, her black eyes widening as Danny pulled out five one hundred dollar bills and put them onto the counter, she clumsily opened the register to put the money in and get the change.

Smiling warmly at him once again as he told her to keep the change Laurie told him her thanks and made sure he remembered that if he was staying in the area again to choose the same hotel. As he was leaving he pressed a button on the handle of his suitcase. Just moments after he left the building, two men in black attire calmly walked in, each carrying an identical luggage bag.

(Cut to a bar. Danny is drunk and calling Sydney.)

ANSWERING MACHINE: (Sydney) Hey, this is Sydney! (Danny) And this is Danny. I don't live here. (Sydney giggles) Leave me a message and I'll call you back! (Danny) Thank you. She meant to say "Thank you." (Beep.)

DANNY: You're not there... I know you're not there. Or in San Diego. You could be anywhere, doing anything... Which is the crux of the issue... Can I live like this, not knowing where or why, when? Can I live in the dark? And the answer is... the only answer I came up with, Sydney, was... was yes. Syd, I don't care. The whole world's a nightmare anywhere. It's all dangerous. No matter what we do. I couldn't live with myself, saying goodbye to you because of risk. All the risk. The kids... that's something we have to talk about because I want kids. I love kids. But maybe there is a way out because people aren't spies forever. But sometimes people have to say they used to be spies. I miss you, Syd. Come home.

In a Car, Driving Down a Road

As Danny was driving down the road, coming back from his venture and call to Sydney he heard his cell phone ring. Reaching over to pick it up, he quickly grabbed it and answered with a 'Hello'.

"Mr. Hecht, this is Haladaki. The plans for your extraction have been made. Go straight home and act normally- watch some tv, listen to music, whatever you normally do. Surveillance cameras have been installed in your home by SD-6, and you will cause attention to yourself if you act out of line.

You should be getting a phone call from Jack Bristow soon. He has already heard about Sydney telling you about her job. He will help you for his daughter's sake. You must not arouse suspicion with him because if he finds out what you are up to he will kill you himself. Jack is likely to send you somewhere until he can convince Sloane that Sydney didn't betray him by telling you. The best case scenario here is that you would be able to convince Jack to start you off working for SD-6, and possibly as a double for the CIA, which would make us that much happier."

"Thanks I'll report back to either you or Sark as soon as possible. Sydney will become curious if I leave on such short notice, with her having told me what she has."

"That has already been taken care of. Jack has booked a flight for her also; you will be seated near each other, under aliases. You are to tell her that you are taking her on a pre-marriage honeymoon. Make sure she doesn't think otherwise."

"I understand. Bye." Done with conversing among his contacts Danny Hecht drove the rest of the way back to his apartment without a hitch.

Danny was sitting on the couch in his apartment watching a random show when the news flashed onto the screen. A leading story was being covered, how interesting, he thought sarcastically.

"We are interrupting the regularly planned program with this breaking story. Today at a hotel there has been a murder. The cashier was shot with a 9 mm twenty times, leaving her dead and the register empty. Police have no leads as to why this was done. The security cameras were shut down earlier this morning. If you have any clues or leads on why or who would murder this woman, being shown on the screen, please call the LAPD hotline instantly at (323) 638-8999. Channel nine would like to thank our viewers for helping and now will take you back to your scheduled program."

There on the screen flashed a picture of a woman with brownish hair and black eyes. The name of Laurie Hudson was above the picture, and below the number of the police department was flashing across the screen. In the picture she was smiling and crowded with apparent friends.

Danny couldn't help but to chuckle softly at what had happened to the boorish woman. He stopped smiling when he heard the phone ring and realized the intensity of the situation he was in at the present moment. Casually walking over to his phone sitting on the coffee table, he answered as if he weren't expecting a call.

"Hello, Danny Hecht here."

"Danny this is Jack. Bristow. I am aware of my daughter telling you about who she really works for and as surprising as it seems, I also work for the same people. They are not too happy about you knowing and are planning to kill you before Sydney gets back from her mission. I have arranged a plane flight to take you and Sydney out of the area for a few days. Please be ready to leave in forty-five minutes; I will come out to your apartment personally to pick you up. Sydney gets home later today and I'll get her to meet us at the airport. Bye." Before Danny had a chance to question anything the phone was disconnected.

Danny went to his closet and started to put some clothes into a small travel bag, then stopped. Jack would likely have new identities for Sydney and him and he likely wouldn't be needing clothes. He walked into the kitchen and started on his way to his bedroom.

His mission had been simple: Come and seduce the Bristow girl without anyone knowing the difference. The problem occurred when he fell in love for real with his target. Syd was such a great person, despite her job, that he couldn't help but fall in love with her. He was glad that his superiors had finally agreed with him that if he married her then she would open up to him easier. She had, but now he was under surveillance by SD-6 and was going to flee with her to save his life.

Debating whether or not to tell her whom he really worked for when they were gone from LA he decided against it. She would never be able to forgive him if she found out. Pacing around his apartment he looked at his watch to see that it had been almost thirty minutes since Jack Bristow had called him. He should be here by now.

As if on cue his doorbell rang. He almost ran to the door and flung it open only to see a masked man wearing all black. As shock settled in his mind he closed the door and locked it. He knew it wouldn't take that long for them to break it open.

Figuring this man must be from the security of SD-6, Danny was quickly panicking. In all of his training he had never accounted for being compromised without an escape. He started to run to a window when the door opened and the man on the other side was mad.

After the guy took his gun and pointed it at Danny he was about to shoot when Danny turned to corner and walked into a different room. He barely felt it as he and the gunman ran from room to room trashing anything in their paths. When he heard the voice of Jack Bristow he knew he was done for. He had been compromised. He faintly felt himself being pushed by the butt of the gun towards the bathroom.

"Did you think that I would just let you fool my daughter? How dare you do this to her! Who are you working for? Is it the Alliance? Or are you a freelancer working for money? Doesn't matter know does it, Danny? Is that even your real name? No, it's not is it. Goodbye Danny and thank you for making this so much easier by being a bloody fool."

Danny noticed that Jack had stayed behind the masked man the whole time, out of view from everyone but him. The masked man had earplugs on. He couldn't hear Jack. Danny wondered if he knew that Jack was here. When he looked up again Jack was gone and he was in his bathroom. He started to back up slowly and tripped into his tub when he felt an impact into his chest. Looking down he saw blood spurting out his chest. With his dying thought he wished that Sydney would never have to know who he really was because, truth be told, he did love her.

Walking out of the apartment before the SD-6 operative caught him there, Jack reflected how easy it was for him to recognize Danny as a fake. It was all because of Irin-Laura. He would never let on to Sydney that her mother was really Irina Derevko- terrorist to the CIA. After all, when 'Laura' had died he had become so good at what he did that sometimes he almost felt like thanking her for what she had done. The key word being almost; then he remembered what her 'death' had done to Sydney and his hatred to destroy the woman could be considered a counterfeit obsession. He quickly got into his car and drove off to Credit Dauphine- his break was almost over.

End