A/N: I must admit that years ago I read a fic that had Sydney enter Sarks dreams, though I couldn't find it, I'd decided to write my own version with a similiar concept. Hopefully it will entertain, while I'm trying to recapture my muse for my other Sarkney story called 'Tango'
Setting: Season 5, Nadia is in a coma, Vaughn is nowhere near to be seen or heard from and Sydney is in need for a change.
Confession: I still have no idea where I'm going to go with this.
Disclaimer: Sark is still not mine, neither is the rest of Alias
I'll see you in my dreams
I just can't believe it! How did he manage to evade us this time?"
" He knew of an exit we didn't" Remarked Marshall apologetic.
Sydney slammed her fist on the table. "Dammit! We need that artefact! You know what happens if we don't!"
"We know Sydney." Sloane spoke reassuringly. "It is just as important to you as it is to me. Because I thought such an occasion like this would occur I had Marshall design a special device for Sark, only to be used at the appropriate time." Marshall interrupted. "But Sir, we don't really know how and if it will work. And if Sydney..."
"I'm well aware of that Marshall, but considering the circumstances I just as Sydney am willing do whatever it takes to get that artefact. It's far too dangerous if you used for evil, but for Nadia I will happily make that sacrifice."
Sydney found that hardly reassuring, when Sloane was confronted with Rambaldi the man was nowhere near trustworthy.
"What kind of device?" She asked suspiciously.
Sloane gave Marshall a nod, giving him permission to explain.
"Well we planted another device in his brain besides the explosive you know when Anna...Anyway this one was meant to influence Mr. Sark if we ever really needed to."
"Influence how?" "Well it's untraceable, but we put several electrodes in his temporal cortex combined with an uplink to a device we have here at APO. We can monitor his brainwaves. We can speak to him directly and he'll hear us in his head. The idea was to let someone enter his dreams and talk to him then, persuading him to our desires while letting him think it were his own ideas."
"You got to be kidding me, can we hear what he's thinking too?" Sydney was beginning to think this was all a horrible joke.
"No, not yet. I'm still working on that. But you know all this is just a theory, we would have to hook someone up to the machine here to see if it actually works. I can't know for sure, there could be side-effects, because it means to synchronize the subject's brainwaves to Sark's."
"Let's do this."
Sydney was hooked up to the machine, clearly uncomfortable being a lab rat. Constantly reminding herself she was doing it for her sister.
"So in theory you'll enter Sark's dreams, but we have no idea what you'll find there. If it's a nightmare, just realize that none of it is real and also dreams can last longer than actual sleeping time. So what could seem like hours in his dreams could be minutes in real time. Just don't freak out and remember to persuade Sark in any way to hand us the artefact back."
"I'll be fine." She was telling herself more than anyone. He nodded. "Okay, so Sark is entering Rem sleep now, so good luck."
He switched on the machine and she saw a small flash before darkness swallowed her.
She stood in a dark alley, Sark was standing with his back to her. Kissing him was Lauren, her blond and long gone nemesis, she felt disgusted at the sight of seeing them. Then she saw Lauren slowly snap open a knife, ready to stab him. "Sark watch out!" She yelled at the Brit. Sark reacted immediately, fending off Laurens attack by diverting her blow and throwing her on the cement floor. Lauren landed on the knife, blood came pooling from underneath her as he knelt beside her. "I thought you loved me." Lauren coughed. "You fool, of course not."
Sark stood up, seemingly looking broken and defeated, she'd never quiet seen him like this before. He turned his attention to her. "Sydney." He stated, sounding a bit surprised. "Why did you warn me?" Sydney who up until now had no idea how to play this had an epiphany. If Sark wanted someone to love him she could arrange for that.
She blushed. "Without you, my missions would be boring. It wouldn't be any fun without my favourite nemesis." He stared at her, his amazement clear on his face. "You'd miss me?" She walked over and hugged him. "Of course I would." She whispered, letting go of her breath, relaxing in his arms. She could do this, seduce Sark in his dreams.
He held her awkwardly at first, but then shifted her so he faced her at a small distance. "I thought you hated me?" She shook her head, letting her hands rest on his chest. "No, I just hate that you're the enemy and not working with me, you'd be one hell of a partner. It would finally give me a chance to get to know you better, you always had me wondering about what's really behind that icy mask of yours and that veil of mystery around you."
"You have?" He really looked cheerful, sweet and almost innocent, like a puppy eager to be loved. He took her hand. "Let me take you to dinner first." She suppressed rolling her eyes, but before she knew what was happening she was standing in a restaurant with high ceilings and the probably one of the most luxurious interior she'd ever seen. When she looked down she found herself wearing a dark blue velvet gown. Sark was still holding her hand, but looked very different than before.
His suit looked impeccable and the love seeking puppy seemed to be gone, and the icy cold assassin seemed she was all too familiar with was back. His lips portrayed his trademark smirk, while his cocky eyes roamed all over her body.
"I must say you look ravishing tonight, I know you even manage to look beautiful in tactical gear, but I'd rather prefer this dress above all. We'll maybe lingerie would top that, but maybe we'll get to that later."
Sark lusted after her?! Okay, well she wasn't that surprised, still she wasn't really sure she was fine with giving him what he wanted, even it was just a dream. She just needed to do whatever was necessary any moral objections would be dealt with later.
"We just might." She flashed him a seductive smile.
"First dinner love, then you may put on a show. Though I've always thought we had some sort of attraction, why come to me now?"
Sydney refrained from raising her eyebrows. Attraction, huh? That asked for more information.
"Attraction, is that what you call it? How did it make you feel every time we met?"
"You were exhilarating and I felt such admiration for your skills and of course the sexual tension when we fought was astonishingly good. I did wonder, if I just imagined it, but sometimes it seemed like you wanted to kiss me instead of hit me and wanted to turn the fight into something else entirely." He bit his lower lip, and suddenly it seemed very hot in the room. Her mind frantically went over every instance they'd met and realized to her own annoyance that there was more truth in his words than she liked. Her realization seemed to make the current tension rise above anything she'd ever experienced. Seeing him smirk again made her blush.
"So it is true, it wasn't just my imagination."His words made her blush even more.
"You're cute when you do that."
"Do what?"
"Turning all red, by something I said. You look absolutely adorable."
She realized that she was straying from her mission and tried to correct.
"Sark, do you want to stay on the run forever?"
"That's a rather interesting question, seeing as I believe myself to be a free man."
"I know you're in this for yourself, but wouldn't you just like to join APO? You'd finally get your chance to work with me and you wouldn't have to hide anymore. At least in The States."
"Sydney, why would you ask me that?" His eyes searched her expression for an answer.
"It's just..." She shook her head. "Never mind, forget I ever asked."
He was still studying her when he suddenly asked; "I know I'm ruining dinner with this, but I really want to show you something. If you don't mind of course."
"What, afraid I won't like the food here?" She asked teasingly.
"You would have loved it, because you would have probably wanted to order a salad, while I would have stopped you and ordered the pasta pesto pollo, you're favourite."
Taken slightly aback, she shifted uncomfortable in her chair.
His eyes never left hers as he continued.
"Then we would have head out and gotten ice cream for dessert. Coffee, marzipan and amaretto, with cream of course. "
He stood up and held out his hand for her to take, the moment she reached it they were standing in the hallway of a hotel and Sark dragged her along. She stopped and freed her hand.
"This is what you wanted to show me? Your hotel room, really?"
He slid a key card through the reader.
"I assure you that what I meant is something else entirely than what you're assuming."
She hesitated to enter, closing the door behind her and rested her back against it and eyed Sark suspiciously as he slipped of his jacket. His keys and watch were put on his nightstand. He unbuttoned his shirt and left it on top of his jacket.
"Sark."
"Sydney."
She wanted to know exactly what he had planned and opened her mouth to protest to him undressing when she became aware that her clothing had changed. The blue dress was gone, a pair of black yoga pants and a spaghetti top covered her body.
"Fight me."
That amused her, finally a part of her mission she had no moral objections to. She was going to enjoy this.
"Fine."
She speeded towards him, planning to fake a punch and meanwhile sweep his legs, it failed as Sark anticipated her moves and brought her out of balance by a well-placed tap on the inside of her knee, it send her flying to the floor.
She grunted as she brought herself up.
"This was your plan Sark? You of all people should know better than to piss me off!"
"Is that what I'm doing?"
He just stood there with a very serious look on his face. She didn't know which one she hated more, this one or his usual smirk.
Having learned from her previous embarrassment she approached a little more careful, standing close enough to land a punch, but held a defensive pose.
"Why don't you take the first…"
He'd stepped in and rolled her over his shoulder, she landed on her back.
"Gladly."
She felt him take her wrist and took the moment to kick his legs from underneath him, she was on top of him the moment he'd hit the floor. Pinning his arms to the floor with her hands, keeping his legs down with hers.
"What do you want from me, Sark?"
"This."
"Me kicking your ass."
"My playmate, so basically; yes."
Her momentarily confusion gave him the upper hand and reversed their roles with an ease that made her wonder if he couldn't have done that any moment he'd wanted to. Had he made himself stronger in his dream?
"We both lost a lot to this life, Sydney, maybe we deserve better? You held so much fire, and now you feel like you're dead inside. You don't know how to do anything else with your life, thinking that making a difference will fill the hole in your heart. I can tell you for a fact that it won't. "
"And joining you on the dark side will?" She spat at him.
"No, but running away with me will."
She immediately fell silent, no instant reply ready for such a confession.
"Because that is what you really want, isn't it?"
He released her arms, moved off of her and helped her sit up straight.
"I've been thinking a lot these days." He sighed.
"We lead these exciting lives, but how many of us actually become old in our business. Enjoy life, see more of the world beside the warehouses our deals are made and the hotels we stay in. I want to leave all of this behind, live somewhere quiet, and never look back. But I need someone to share that dream with. Maybe go see all the cities I've been, but never really enjoyed. And all I could think of was you."
"Why me?"
"Because I like to think that we're quit alike and we would be great together in every way. Or maybe I just need somebody to love me and you're the most loving person I've ever met."
That asked for a very sarcastic reply, but she held her tongue. He was opening up to her and she needed him. Even if this was all a dream, it pleased her that someone like Sark would have even considered leaving everything behind and wanted to do that with her. Would he ever do that in real life?
"If you would turn yourself in and strike a deal with Sloane for a full pardon you'd be free, at least from one country, maybe then we could be together."
She took his hand and squeezed it.
His piercing eyes searched her face. "What could I ever give them that would grant me my freedom?"
The surroundings seemed to fade and it became darker by the second.
"The Rambaldi cure." She still managed to say.
She woke up in the surgical chair, Marshall and Sloane were staring at her.
"And?" Sloane asked impatiently.
She rubbed her eyes, not very willing to face him directly. "I think he'll make contact very soon. He'll probably want a pardon in exchange for the cure, and hopefully he'll retire."
"Done." Sloane made his way out of the room, leaving Sydney with an excited Marshall. He moved to get all the wires removed.
"Euh Syd, can I ask you something?"
"Sure." She sighed absently, rubbing her temples where the electrodes had been.
"Besides that I'm, you know thrilled that it seems to work and want to know all about it, I noticed…euh…well that the part of your brain that regulates attraction, your know sexual arousal was activated several times."
Her jaw dropped a little in shock and she had the urge to run away from the room. He seemed to notice her instincts and held a hand up as to stop her.
"But also, euhm the part that is usually involved in long term relationships. "
She decided to help him remove more electrodes, in the hope of getting out of there sooner.
"Of course if you guys fought or sparred or anything, the adrenaline could be misinterpreted by the brain as arousal, but the long term relationship part wouldn't, I mean couldn't have come from…"
"Just forget it, Marshall. I did what I had to do and hopefully it will get us the results we need, okay?"
He simply nodded, looking very uneasy with the situation.
As soon as the electrodes were all gone, she left the room in a hurry, feeling like getting a cold shower.
A/N: So how was that ? Due to not having a bèta, it may have some grammer issues, please forgive all the mistakes are mine.