Summary: AU, post Full Disclosure 3.11. What if the events of that day in Patagonia did not go to plan? Six years later, a chance encounter with a small child throws Sydney's life into a spin.

Disclaimer: I do not own Alias, or any dialogue I borrowed for the purpose of this fic. It belongs to the writers of Alias who are, of course, the creative geniuses I can only aspire to be.

Chapter One:
Constant Shadows

Kendall looked at Sydney an started to explain. "In his prophecy Rambaldi spoke of a second coming."

"Those freaks want to clone him, don't they?" Sydney put in.

"No." Kendall shook his head. "What the Covenant believes is that Rambaldi's work was destined to continue beyond his time. That he was due a second coming by way of a child."

Sydney's eyes widened as realization dawned upon her. Almost subconsciously she began reciting. "This woman here depicted will posses unseen marks, signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works…she will render the greatest power unto utter desolation."

Kendall nodded slightly. "The fanatical point of view believes Rambaldi's DNA can be transformed, used to fertilize the egg of a surrogate mother, someone referred to in his prophecy as the Chosen One."

With a sharp intake of breath Sydneypulled up her shirt, revealing her scar. "That's why they cut me open?"

"Yes."

Struggling not to cry, Sydney managed to speak. "So they could extract my eggs."

Sydney's eyes flew open, her hand unconsciously clawing at the scar on the right hand side of her stomach. A constant reminder of the tangled web mess of a life she had left behind. A life that, even after six years, was still acting as her shadow. Always there, no matter how fast she tried to run.

The body beside her stirred and lazily reached out to touch her. "Are you ok, Syd?" Vaughn asked, sitting up and looking concerned. Her skin. It was cold and clammy, like she had broken out in a cold sweat.

"I'm fine." Sydney's voice was void of all emotion- a tell tale sign that all was not well. "Just a bad dream."

"Same one?"

All Sydney could do was nod slightly. She was sick of this. Six years of the same recurring dream. And what made it all the scarier was that it wasn't just a dream, or a nightmare. It was reality. If you could call a tangled web of a mess reality.

"Come here, Syd." Vaughn's gentle voice broke through her thoughts as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's hard, but you need to put this behind you."

"How can I? How can we?" When somewhere out there—"

"Ssh. I know Syd, I know." Vaughn comforting hand softly rubbed the nape of her neck. "But you don't even know if they were successful. Think of what they were working with- do you really believe it to be plausible?"

Sydney was silent for a few seconds. "I don't know what to think anymore," she whispered. "I really don't."

"Australia?" Jack Bristow's face was a look of pure astonishment. He had heard many bombshells in his time, but what Sydney had just told him was one of the biggest. "You're getting married and moving to Australia?"

Sydney nodded. It broke her heart that she was doing this. Since returning from her missing two years, Jack had become the most stable thing in her life. A rock, who she could rely on and turn to. And now she was, in a certain sense, abandoning him.

"Vaughn and I need to get away. From the CIA…from reminders of Lauren…from anything Rambaldi related…to just get away from everything." Sydney explained. "It's been a year and we've dealt with our issues and demons and are trying to move on. To do that we need a fresh start."

Jack looked unconvinced. "But why Australia? Of all places?"

"It was the furthest away that we could think of. A place where we would never be recognized. A place where nothing Rambaldi-related had ever been identified." Sydney looked earnestly at her father. "We'll be getting married before we leave, and I would love for you to be there."

Jack's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm surprised."

"By what?" Sydney was confused. "That I want you there for mine and Vaughn's wedding?"

"No, I'm surprised because I never thought that you would be one to run away, Sydney."

Sydney was overcome by a sudden surge of anger. "I am not running away, dad. I just want out of this life- for good. Too many things have been taken from me because of this spy trade. And now I have the chance to start anew, with the man that I love, and there is no way I'm passing that up."

"Sydney," Jack's eyes softened slightly. "I understand what has been taken from you, I really do. But—"

"No buts dad. We're going." She looked up at him, biting her bottom lip. "I am going to miss you, though. So much."

Jack stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms. "Me too, sweetheart, me too."

After a small private ceremony on the beach, Sydney and Vaughn flew directly to Melbourne, Australia, to start their so-called 'new' life. After being through so much together, they knew that their relationship had whatever it took to survive any thing.

Yet there had been a point when Sydney thought that things between her and Vaughn would never be the same. The devastation she felt when learning about his marriage. The immeasurable ache that seared though her anytime she saw him. A longing that she had never experienced, along with the desperate want to hate. She wanted to hate Vaughn. While deep down she knew that he had done nothing wrong, she wanted to be able to feel hate towards him. Hating Vaughn would be so much easier.

But she was Sydney Bristow and he was Michael Vaughn. Hating him just wasn't an option.

Things dramatically changed for them that oneday. Everything changed that day. Events that would follow Sydney and Vaughn like a dark shadow for the rest of their lives.

"Dixon, it's me. I'm at the Naval Hospital. There's a sniper. Lazarey's been shot; he's dead. Get me a team out here now."

When Lauren had been captured on that roof and exposed as a double agent, loyal to the Covenant, something inside Vaughn had shut off. His eyes dimmed and he refused to speak with anyone. He rejected the idea of counselling and even just sharing a beer with Weiss. In fact his only was of dealing with Lauren's deception had been to burn down the house that they shared.

But as time went by, his wounds healed. Allowing himself to open up to Sydney, whose own demons from that day were still darkening her, the two of them let their friendship build. Stronger and stronger each day until they were both ready to open up to the possibility of love once again.

The move had been the smartest decision that Sydney and Vaughn had ever made. On the other side of the world they felt almost as if they were, well free. They had accepted jobs completely different to that of agent work- Sydney teaching first grade at a local primary school and Vaughn had started up a small landscaping business that had been growing steadily over the years.

And while they missed the friends and family that they loved so dearly, they were happy. Happy, but anxious.

Because whenever thing were going right in their lives there was always going to be something lurking around the next corner. Something that could change everything once again.

Vaughn had already left for work when Sydney woke up that Monday morning. Looking out the window she smiled at the grey clouds that were creeping across the sky. Unlike most she love the unpredictability of Melbourne's weather. Stinking hot one day, freezing cold the next. It kept life interesting.

Walking into her school, Sydney stopped by the office to check her pigeonhole for notices.

"Good morning Rosalea," she smiled at the school's secretary.

"Morning Sydney." She looked up. "Oh, Darren asked me to remind you that you have that new student starting today."

"Yup, already on top of it." Sydney replied. "See ya."

"Good morning everybody." Sydney greeted the twenty children in front of her. It was still a marvel to her that she gained so much satisfaction from this job. She never thought that the rush of adrenaline she felt after successfully completing a mission could ever be matched. But when she saw one of her student's eyes light up after finally understanding something, well she felt as if she was really doing something good and right for the world.

"Good morning Mrs Vaughn." The class chorused, almost monotone.

"Oh come on guys." Sydney laughed. "You could at least try and sound happy to see me. Once more. Good morning everybody."

"Good morning Mrs Vaughn!" The voices were considerably much louder and brighter this time.

"That's better. Now who wants to tell me about their weekend?"

The morning ran smoothly until, when just before recess, the vice principal knocked on the door, with the new student Sydney was expecting.

Sydney walked over, wanting to introduce herself before bringing the child into a room full of strangers. A daunting task for anybody, of any age.

"Her name is Ana." Darren said.

"Hello Ana," Sydney crouched down. "I'm Mrs Vaughn, your…teacher." As Ana looked up into her face, Sydney's voice trailed off into a barely audible whisper and her stomach jolted in a threatening manner.

After six years and of all the places in the world, Sydney couldn't believe what she was looking at. Who she was looking at.

It was crazy, surreal and totally unfathomable, yet Sydney did not doubt it for a second. It looked as if the tangled web mess of a life had finally caught up with her and Vaughn.