The Recruits

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Criminal Minds, NCIS or Alias. They belong to CBS and ABC.

Summary: AU fic. How did Emily become such a bad ass when she faced off with Ian Doyle? The answer is in her childhood. Emily, Sydney Bristow and Ziva David where in a training program "Project Christmas".

A/N: "Project Christmas" belongs to Alias and Jack Bristow administered this to Sydney to train her to be a future spy. I aged Ziva a little.


"We are apt to forget that children watch examples better than they listen to preaching." Roy L. Smith


Emily sat in her Paris apartment, closing her eyes and concentrating on the images that flashed in her mind.

Three hours earlier when she answered her phone a male voice on the other end, she knew she knew the voice, but couldn't place it said "the light" and hanged up.

Flashes came to Emily of a summer she couldn't remember but that she knew.


The summer of 1982, three small girls, all with brown hair and brown eyes sat on a deck by the lake.

Ziva David was the youngest of the three girls she was 7 years old, sitting between 9 year old Sydney Bristow and 11 year old Emily.

Emily saw her younger self playing with the two girls.

They were all alike but so different, each was strong willed and brave. And stubborn.

"Girls" Jack Bristow said causing the three young brunette girls to turn around.

"Time for your tests." said Eli David.

"Do we have to?" Emily asked.

"Yes" said Jack.

"Aba," Ziva said "When can we go home?"

"Not for awhile" Eli told his daughter.

"Children" Elizabeth Prentiss said "Come along now. We have much to do."

The three girls sighed, got up and followed their parents into the building.


Adult Emily opened her eyes at the sound of a Parisian ambulance driving down her block.

Emily sighed again and closed her eyes, "Breathe deeply and concentrate."

"Breathe deeply, concentrate Emily." said Jack "Close your eyes."

The young girl did as she was told.

"You won't be able to see me, but concentrate on the sound of my voice." Jack said.

Emily nodded her head and took a deep breath.

"Listen and focus on my steps." Jack said walking around the young girl.

Emily listened as she heard Jack's footsteps walk around in a circle.

"I want you to try and fight me when you sense my presence." Jack said "Understand?"

"Yes" said Emily as Jack put a blindfold on the young girl.

Jack walked around her seeing if she could use her sense of hearing without sight.

Jack walked to the young girl quietly and was about to shove her when she grabbed his arm and threw him across the room.

Jack said "Very good. Now I'm going to hand you a fighting sword and you're going to need to try and fight me."

Jack handed the young girl the fighting stick and said, "Now, start."

Jack was impressed with the young girl's professionalism and graceful movements.


Each girl had their strengths, Sydney excelled at hand to hand combat, as did Ziva and Emily.

Ziva's best strength was weapons followed by Emily than Sydney.

All three girl's were equally skilled at linguistics, each learning multiple languages.

Eli taught the girl's swords, knives, grenades and smoke flares.

Elizabeth taught them languages.

Jack had taught the three how to dismantle than re-mantle loaded guns. The girls were taught to dismantle bombs.

Eli came to take the girls on an overnight in the woods dropping them in the middle of the woods for their survival instincts to kick in.


While the girls' were in the woods the three adults waiting out on the porch for them talked about the girl's future.

"I'll have Emily go through the FBI, I already know her hatred for politics." Elizabeth said.

"Ziva will train with the Mossad after going through the Israeli army. What about Sydney?" Eli asked Jack.

"Well, I'll definitely keep her away from Irina or any of those damn Derevkos'. So I'll have her go through CIA." Jack said.

"Keep her away from Arvin Sloane." Elizabeth said "The man is walking poison."

"He's still trying to start up that SD-6?" Eli said "He'll destroy Sydney if he's near her."

The three adults talked for a couple more hours when they saw their three daughters showed up.


Adult Emily opened up her eyes, shocked by what she was taught at such a young age.

Let alone what her mother had allowed her to experience the summer of her 11th year.

Ziva David and Sydney Bristow, those are two well known names she's heard of.

Respected agents in NCIS and CIA.

Emily met these women several times over the years, had become friends with them.

But why hadn't she remembered this until now? Project Christmas.

Emily heard of this several time throughout the years.

The instant Emily met Jack Bristow, she liked and respected him.

He treated her with absolute genuine warmth and kindness, admiration and respect.

Emily was sadden when heard of his death.

Looking at these new memories Emily could see that Jack treated Emily and Ziva as though they were his own daughters.


Emily closed her eyes and heard the young voices of Ziva, Sydney and herself. Laughing, playing and having fun.

Young Emily was outside training alongside Ziva and Sydney.

They all turn their heads when they see Elizabeth, Jack and Eli.

The three girls' walk over to them and into the classroom where they were administered their tests.

They hear the voice of a man none of the girls ever saw who said "The Light".

Adult Emily opens her eyes and remembers every single thing from that summer and said "The light."


Sydney Bristow sat on her front porch and heard Vaughn walk up and said "Director Kendall's on the phone."

"Hello?" Sydney said.

"The light" Director Kendall said and hanged up.

Sydney had a flash of her 9 year old summer, of her two friends Ziva and Emily. Of her dad, Elizabeth and Eli.

"Oh god dad." Sydney whispered "Project Christmas rears it's ugly head again."

Sydney knew of Project Christmas, it's what saved her from being brainwashed by The Covenant.

"Syd?" Vaughn said "What's wrong?"

"I need to find Emily and Ziva." Sydney said handing him their daughter Isabelle.

"Ziva? Ziva David?" Vaughn said confused "Emily Prentiss?"

"Dad and their parents were involved in Project Christmas." Sydney said. "I can't believe I didn't remember knowing Ziva and Emily. I need to talk to Ziva and find Emily."

"Syd, Emily's dead. We went to her funeral." Vaughn said.

"No, she isn't. After the flashback of this lost memory, I know her." Sydney said.

Sydney left Vaughn on the porch with their daughter to find the two she needed to talk to.


Ziva David sat at her NCIS desk looking through a case when her office phone rang.

"David" Ziva said still looking at a file.

"The light" Director Kendall said and hanged up.

Ziva put her phone down and looked lost in a memory from 1982 while Tony DiNozzo and Leroy Jethro Gibbs looked at her lost in a memory.

"Oh my god" Ziva said in Hebrew.

Ziva remembered the two brunettes Emily and Sydney who were her best friends and best competitors in hand to hand combat.

Ziva grabbed her cellphone and told Gibbs she needed to go on a coffee break leaving the NCIS bullpen in a rush and Gibbs and Tony wondering what was wrong with their friend.

Ziva made it to her car in the parking garage dialing all the way to Israel to her father.

"Hello, Ziva" Eli greeted his daughter "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Where can I find Emily Prentiss?" Ziva demanded of her father.

"Emily's dead. Her death was all over the news." Eli said.

"No Eli. I remember all the training we had. I know Emily's alive." Ziva said.

"Find Sydney, and you both find your answers." Eli said hanging up.

Ziva hanged up her cellphone and slammed her hand on the steering wheel, she knew Emily was alive.

A small part of her never believed in Emily's death, even standing there next to Sydney she knew it.


Ziva's cellphone rang and she answered it, "David."

"Ziva, it's Sydney" Sydney said "Did you get the call?"

"I remember," Ziva said "All of our parents. Project Christmas."

"So you know, this means Emily's alive." Sydney said "Zee, I remember that test that our dad's and Director Kendall did."

"I know." Ziva said "I just got off the phone with Eli, he said to contact you and we'd get our answers."

"The one person who has the power to make this happen," Sydney said "to cover up a death has to be that girl who left her BAU team... JJ."

"Jareau." Ziva said "Works for Pentagon."

"Contact her, we'll find her." Sydney said.

"Wait!" Ziva said "She must of hid her because of that Irish arms dealer... Doyle."

"We'll find him and eliminate him. Vaughn'll help." Sydney said.


To Be Continued...