Like Normal People Do
Author: Chshalogrl aka Ellie
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone. Alias and its characters are the property of JJ Abrams, the lucky people at ABC, and Bad Robot Productions.
Rating: PG-13…and that's a harsh rating.
Summary: The ups and downs of SpyLove following the infamous Phase One kiss. Anything after that kiss is fair game and will probably be AU. This fic is fluffy like a bowl full of marshmallows with a pinch of angst for flavor. I tend to save a lot of angst for my sad little journal, so if you don't like fluff, you're in the wrong thread. :)
A/N: I've been writing this for awhile, just adding a paragraph here and there since Phase One first aired. I never intended to actually post it anywhere…it was originally just a creative outlet I used to get a break from schoolwork. Anyway, when I realized I had more than forty pages, I decided to post it. There's some backstory to this fic and I filled in a lot of the gaps of the history of the show. I apologize if anything is really off, when I was writing originally…I didn't expect to be posting it so I wasn't too worried about historical accuracies, but I did my best to go back and try to correlate dates, ages, etc. So bear with me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Happy Reading!
Prologue-The Best Laid Plans
Sometimes things just aren't as they seem…
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Early 1976
To say that the tension was thick would be an understatement. Brown eyes burned into green ones and the steely glares were unrelenting. Each wearing a scowl, Agents Bristow and Vaughn each surveyed the other. Both were worthy, and had more than proven themselves, but the task at hand was a tedious one. Sloane was a very skilled player and he was not used to being beaten. It would only be through cooperation between the two agents that they would outwit him. Bristow nodded decisively, making a split-second judgment before making a move. Nervously, Vaughn watched the attack take place, and felt a bead of sweat form at his hairline. He thought that their team had been well-placed, but one by one they were being taken out, and if he didn't come up with a back-up plan within the next several seconds…the mission would be finished. Glancing around to assess his options, Vaughn decided…
"DAD!" Seven year old Michael Vaughn came tearing into the dining room looking extremely agitated. Startled, William Vaughn and Jack Bristow were pulled away from their cutthroat game of Battleship with Arvin Sloane. Glancing apologetically toward Jack and Arvin, William proceeded to address whatever it was that had sent Michael flying into the room like a bat out of hell.
Patiently, William motioned for Michael to come closer. "What's wrong, son?" Rolling his eyes exaggeratedly, Michael jerked his thumb toward the hallway from where he had just burst. "That's what's wrong." And sure enough, pitter-pattering down the hallway, a dark-haired toddler in lavender "footie" pajamas waddled into the room. Jack smiled as he watched the baby look around the room before squealing excitedly and trotting towards the young blond boy.
Michael rolled his eyes once again as the little girl began tugging at his leg in an attempt to get him to play. "See Dad? She won't leave me alone!" I've been trying to play with some really important toys and all she wants to do is play with blocks or look at books. I'm a GUY, Dad. I'm almost eight. I have a repetation to protect." William tried to hide his smile as he corrected his son. "Reputation, son. Reputation."
Arvin smiled at the young boy. "Now Michael. I would imagine there are worse things in the world than to be bothered like a pretty little lady like this one." Lifting the one-year old up into his lap, he winked at Jack. "Someday, Michael, I have a feeling you'll enjoy being chased by dimpled brunettes."
Disgusted by the thought, Michael shook his head furiously. "No way. Never!"
William smiled at the stubbornness evident in his son's green eyes. "We'll see. Go ahead and go play. We'll take over from here."
"Thanks for keeping an eye on Sydney for me, Michael." Jack broke in. "She has really taken a liking to you."
"Sure, Mr. Bristow. No problem." Michael mumbled as he headed back to his bedroom.
"Listen, I'd better go anyway, William. Laura is going to be back from the University soon and I need to get my little girl into bed." Jack smiled tenderly as he eyed his sleepy daughter as she rested in Arvin's arms.
"Alright Jack. We'll pick up this game sometime soon. I'll see you at work." William smiled as Arvin passed Sydney to her father. "And I'll see you later, Sydney. She really is beautiful, Jack. She's the spitting image of Laura. I think you just may have a heartbreaker on your hands."
Jack gave him a wry smile. "Ha! Not if I have anything to do with it. She won't date until she's forty. And even then, her boyfriends are going to have to undergo some extensive background checks. This little girl is going to be smart and beautiful just like her mommy. And she is going to get an education and have all the best things in life."
Arvin smiled sadly at Jack's hopes for his daughter's future. "There's nothing like the love a man can have for his child, is there? I can only hope that Emily and I will be blessed with children of our own someday."
"I hope so too, Arvin." William smiled fondly toward his young son's room. "I can't wait to watch Mikey grow up. I just know he is going to do something special with his life."
Jack nodded. "I know exactly what you mean, my friend. But I really should be going. Have Annette or Emily give Laura a call. Maybe we can all get together for dinner sometime soon. I'll see you soon, William. You too, Arvin."
"You too, Jack. Good night."
25 years later
Sydney Anne Bristow. The name had sparked something in his subconscious the first time he read it on her file. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but something nonetheless. He knew why the name Bristow struck him. That name sparked something in every single employee of the CIA…and that something was mind-numbing fear. But still. "Sydney Anne Bristow." Michael Vaughn tested it slowly on his lips. Yep. It was familiar all right. But how? He had never met a Sydney Bristow as far as he could recall. He couldn't ask his mom about her. Every shred of information about their doubles was completely confidential. And he sure as hell wasn't going to ask Jack. Did he know her through Jack? No. He knew that Jack and his father must have worked together at some point. But he couldn't remember the angry face of Jack Bristow from his early childhood. And he was sure he would have remembered such a sour expression.
As he entered the small room with some coffee and donuts, he chuckled at himself. There was no way he knew this eccentric young woman with the Day-Glo red hair and chipmunk cheeks. She was downright certifiable. Nope, he'd never met Sydney Bristow. He would have remembered dimples like those.
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…And those are the things that have the power to irreversibly alter worlds within a matter of seconds.