Disclaimer: I don't own Alias. Just borrowing them for my own diabolical purposes. I do, however, own Cecily, Nathan, Matthew and Angelo (who will make his appearance later in the story).

Spoilers: This is before the whole Lauren mess. There is only one mention of the woman in this entire thing. I know, I kinda insinuated Nathan where he doesn't belong, but that's okay, because I own him. And it's a beautiful thing like "Artistic Flexibility and License".

Chapter 1

My name is Cecily, Cecily Ann Peters Connolly. Nathaniel Connolly, Nathan for short, was my husband. I had met Nathan when I was a mere child of 16 and he was already 25. He was on assignment from the CIA and technically he was not supposed to do anything more than get the information he needed and head back to Langley in Washington D.C., but we ran into each other, literally. It was love at first sight. We started a relationship, but rarely saw each other. For the whole of my junior year, the only time I saw my boyfriend was because of his "abduction" of me. The only time I saw him during my senior year was when he showed up for graduation and the birth of our son, Matthew. We can't be seen in public together or else there could be problems where he works.

The reason for the difficulty? I was the daughter of the director of a CIA unit in Boston, Massachusetts. And Nathan was undercover trying to infiltrate a huge crime syndicate in the South Pacific. If anyone found out that he was CIA, he would be dead before I could even blink. This made life difficult, of course, but he made up for it by sending me out of the country every few weeks and meeting me in a CIA sanctioned place where we could be relatively alone for a weekend. It wasn't much but for me it was enough.

I had been born in Oregon and had moved to wherever my dad's work had taken him. He had been field rated and I can still remember my mother freaking out every time he had to go out of town on a business trip. It wasn't until later, that I learned my mother knew where my dad worked and worried because he was in danger. However, things finally started to go my mother's way when he was injured and no longer able to apply for field agent status. So he took a desk job, working his way up through the bureaucracy and finally becoming the CIA director in Boston.

Nathan, however, had been born and raised in Madrid, Spain, to an American CIA agent and a Spanish waitress. He had a younger twin brother named Angelo. The two were as thick as thieves. When their father went MIA on a mission, their mother had kept them in Spain, hoping that they would never be able to do what their father had done. But both of the Connolly boys had always been extremely intelligent individuals. They were inventive, creative, and extremely talented in spatial relations problems, plus Nathan's linguistic skills had always been way above par. So the CIA kept track of them, recruiting them into the same business that had taken their father.

I had actually met Nathan once before the meeting we counted as the first. His father had been a dear friend of my father's and we had showed up at his memorial service. I was only 6 at the time, making Nathan and Angelo easily impressionable at 15. Nathan had looked on me as a friend, despite our differences in age, but then they had gone back to Spain and I was quickly forgotten.

Our son, Matthew, 3, was currently living with his grandmother on an estate in the country of Spain, about 50 miles outside of Madrid. I was often on a plane, claiming to my friends that I was going on business trips, moving across Europe to see my son and then to the South Pacific to see my husband.

There are occupational risks however to my husband's job. Nathan had been captured once before, not long after we had met, and he was tortured for several days. They had been trying to get him to confess who he had been working for, but he wouldn't talk. The CIA located him and he was extracted nearly two weeks after his initial disappearance. He told me after he was rescued, that he could handle any kind of torture. But he couldn't stand to have anything happen to me. I was sixteen and a half at the time of this confession.

So it was decided that I would be completely secretive about my relationship with Nathaniel Connolly. It seemed like after Nathan claimed me as his own, everyone had wanted to date me. I went to an elite private school and had one of the highest GPAs in my school. I would turn them all down, knowing that Michael, the only one of my current detail there at the time, would take care of me if anyone got violent. It quickly started going around the school that I thought I was better than everyone else. I spent many nights crying on Michael's shoulder, while Nathan kept a close eye on me through the camera placed in the corner of my room.

There were four men in all on the security detail that the CIA and Nathan had sanctioned for my protection: Andrew Dixon; Michael Vaughn, the head of the detail and the one with me the longest; Derek Alms and last but not least my funny man, Eric Weiss. Michael was the only one that I ever called by his first name, either that or Mike. They wore suits, but I knew that under those suits were invisible shoulder holsters carrying lethal Berettas. Each was very adept with their guns and I always felt safe with them. They were all CIA friends of Nathan's who he had hired off the books to look after me. Nathan, Eric and Michael had gone to college together and they were all the best friends that most people only wished that they had. I had become great friends with them all, especially an emotionally hurting Michael.

I was sitting there in church one day, minding my own business when my whole world went to hell. I was there with my mother and sister, and when chapel session ended I went to YSA, or Young Single Adults, like usual. But this wasn't a usual day. I got up from where I was sitting in the chapel with my mother and those four men moved to follow me. I wasn't scared. I knew they were only there as a precaution. No one knew about my involvement with Nathan, so there was really no reason to worry. But, my husband still insisted on them. According to him, in his line of work, there was always a chance that something could go wrong.

Now I know I mentioned that I said I was attending a Young Single Adult meeting, but that's all part of my cover. Except for my parents, Nathan's mother, Mercedes Connolly, and Angelo, not to mention the four men that follow me everywhere, no one knows that I'm married. Even my two dearest friends in the whole world didn't know. I hated lying to them, but it was the only way to keep me and my husband, as well as our son safe. And I would do anything so long as the two men in my life stay safe. I had just turned 19. I wasn't willing to loose any of them when all I wanted was to be with them always.

Now I know I mentioned that Matthew was 3 and I had met Nathan when I was 16. What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. I've been married to Nathan for nearly a year. I mentioned my abduction at Nathan's hands. That night, Matthew was conceived. I don't regret it, and I know that Nathan doesn't either. But it's still hard to have a normal teenage life when you're trying to hide the fact you're pregnant with the son of an undercover CIA agent from everyone you know and love. They sent me to Spain so that I could have my son and live with him for at least two years without anyone knowing. I had just recently returned from a secured high school in Spain where I was constantly under surveillance. Unfortunately.

I knew something was wrong right away. Michael was fidgeting and I had known Michael since the beginning of my relationship with Nathan. Michael didn't fidget unless there was something very wrong. "What?" I asked, taking my seat next to the window, Dixon and Weiss standing on each side of me.

Michael looked at the rest of my detail. "I've just received a package from Mrs. Peters. And I just received orders from Connolly."

I looked up at my husband's name. "Nathan?" I asked, fearful that he was injured, or worse, captured.

"What orders, Vaughn?" Dixon asked, looking at my security chief fearfully.

"I've been given orders that Querida is to be evacuated immediately."

Weiss and Dixon needed no other prompting. They reached into their suit coats, pulling out two pairs of twin Berettas. Alms took up a position behind me as Michael took my arm to lead me out of the room. I looked up at Michael, frightened by this turn of events. Michael looked so serious and while Michael was always serious, Michael was never this serious unless something had gone terribly wrong. "Mike, what happened? What did Nathan say?" I asked, begging for a reason for my sudden departure.

"He sent an explanation, but you'll have to wait to see it until we're far enough away that you'll be safe."

I nodded, following him to the black, government issued limousine that I was getting sick of. He opened the door, looking around as I slipped into the backseat. Alms slid into the driver's seat, Dixon sitting in the passenger seat with him. Michael climbed in behind me, and Weiss stepped into the car, standing with his head out the skylight to watch for any kind of threat. As soon as the doors were shut and we started to move away, I looked at Michael. "What is going on, Mike? Where's the explanation you said Nathan sent?"

He held out a palm pilot, looking at me sadly. I reached out with shaking hands, taking the palm in my fingers, holding it close to my heart for a moment. Then I looked down at it, turning it on. Nathan's picture was paused on the screen. I took the pencil and pressed the play button on the toolbar off to the side. Nathan's face immediately started to move. "Hello, my love."

My face lit up at his gentle endearment. "I am sorry that I couldn't come to extract you myself, but circumstances arose that I cannot avoid. I've been compromised. And what's worse, so have you. They have discovered that I am married and just as I said once before, the worst torture would be having something happen to you. So I have sent Vaughn instructions to extract you with all speed. I love you and I will see you and our son at the safe house as soon as I can ascertain that it is safe for us. I love you."

My face fell again as I realized that my son and I were in danger. Nathan's marriage to me had been compromised and we were all in danger. They knew he was married, but it was hard to know if they knew he had a son. If they didn't yet, they would soon. This meant that my baby boy would be in danger. I could hardly bear the thought. I gave an involuntary cry, dropping the Palm Pilot to the floor of the limo. Michael knew that I needed comforting and he wrapped his arms around me tightly. "It's okay, Cecily. Everything is going to be okay. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you or Matthew, all right? You have my word."

I looked up at him, the only real friend I had. I mean, Renee and Tony were my best friends, but I was always lying to them. I couldn't be totally honest with them. I was obligated to lie about not going on blind dates or why I had to stay at home from some club or why I couldn't ever leave Michael at home. Everyone thought that Michael was my older brother and the other three were just good friends. I hated lying to everyone, but I didn't have to lie to Mike. He was always there for me and he knew what I was going through. He told me once that he had not been allowed to see the woman he loved in public either, but in the end they were together before she disappeared or died, no one really knew. I buried my face in his shoulder, grateful for his comfort, but all the while wishing that he was Nathan.

I don't know when or how, but I woke up on an airplane, sprawled across a couch. I rubbed my eyes like a grouchy child, sitting up to look around. "Mike?" I asked through a yawn.

Michael reached over with a foot and tapped my thigh. "I'm right here, Ceci."

I nodded, laying back down, watching him for a minute. "Where are we?"

"Do you remember the plane that always picks us up to go to one of the safe houses in the South Pacific?"

"Yes, am I on it again?"

"Yep. We're on our way to Spain to pick up Mattie. Then the pilot has instructions to take us somewhere. He won't tell anyone, not even me. Connolly gave him explicit orders not to tell anyone until we were out of Spanish airspace. So, here we sit."

I smiled at him. Sometimes I wondered who the woman was that Michael had lost. She must have been a special woman to be able to pull him out of his moods. And to send him so far into despair on her disappearance that he had contemplated suicide at one point before Nathan had asked that Michael look after me as a personal favor. All Nathan would ever tell me was that she, a Sydney Bristow, was a remarkable person and that I would have liked her. And anything else I wanted to know, I was to ask Mike about.

"Tell me about her, Mike."

"Her?" Michael asked, although I could tell by the immediate sadness in his eyes that he knew just who "she" was.

"Tell me about Sydney. Nathan said to talk to you about her if I wanted to know about her."

Michael turned to the window, looking out to the clouds with painful silence. I got up and sat down next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. "Please, Mike. You know all about my relationship with Nathan. But I know nothing of this woman that you loved so much her disappearance nearly killed you."

Michael ducked his head, pulling my body close to him. It was times like these, that I thought I wasn't just a charge, but also a friend. For a moment, however, I thought he wasn't going to tell me, but then I could hear him start to talk. "Her name was Sydney Bristow. She was in the CIA with me in LA. I'm sure that Nathan has told you about SD-6, right?"

"Yep. Why?"

"When I met her, SD-6 had just murdered her fiancé, Danny Hecht, and she was furious. She agreed to be a double agent, along with her father, Jack Bristow, who had actually been doubling for quite sometime. I was made her handler. After awhile, both of us began to have unprofessional feelings for each other. When we finally took down SD-6, we both acted on those feelings. I was thrilled. We could finally be seen in public together, we could actually date each other. It was a miracle to us both. We were together for six months and then she just disappeared. We all thought she was dead. As far as any of us know, she is dead.

"Her best friend during this time was a woman by the name of Francie Calfo, but a woman had killed Francie and had been doubled to look like her. This woman, an Alison Doren, took Francie's place and when Sydney found out, they fought. We were intending on going to Santa Barbara later that night. I never did find her, and I never went to Santa Barbara. Instead, I left for France, drinking my way around Europe. Nathan and Eric found me nearly 6 months later at a bar and I realized that I wasn't honoring Syd's memory in anyway by attempting to drink myself to death. So when Nathan gave me the charge to protect you, I took it. I would protect you where I couldn't protect Sydney. And the rest as you know is history."

"It's been 2 years, Michael. Have you moved on yet?"

"No, I can't. I don't know how. Sydney is the only woman that I will ever love." He paused, reaching down and rubbing the band around his left ring finger. "And until I can put this ring on her hand, I will not marry anyone."

"Not even that god awful Lauren Reed?"

Michael looked down at me with a cocked eyebrow. "How do you know about Lauren?"

"Nathan told me. Nathan tells me everything, Mike, don't look so shocked." I said, with a flippant wave of my hand. "Don't even look at her again, Mike, I don't trust her."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't trust her. I can't trust her. There's just something about her that doesn't make any sense. She always seems to be in my face."

"Why is she in your face?"

"She always comes to my apartment to check up on me and see if Nathan has contacted me in awhile. She once tried to set me up with her brother after she told me that Nathan didn't want me anymore. Mike, she's not even supposed to know that Nathan is my husband."

Michael shook his head, kissing my forehead with affection. "Really, Ceci, you worry too much. Take a chill pill. There's no reason not to trust her. And it's possible that someone slipped and they told her on accident."

"Mike, this is the CIA. No one ever slips in the CIA."

Michael looked at me for a second, the typical furrows creasing his forehead again. "You've got a point. I was informed recently that there was a mole inside the CIA. No one in the CIA knows that Connolly is married, so why would Lauren know Connolly is married to you?"

"I don't know. I just know I don't trust her."

If it was possible, the furrows in Michael's forehead got deeper. "I'm going to call Langley really quick."

I nodded, looking up at Michael in concern as he left the room. Stopping at the door, he conversed quickly and quietly with Weiss. Weiss stepped into the room, sitting across from me. "Hey, what's up, Wise-man." I teased, altering his last name for my own personal purposes.

"Nothing much, Cecily. How are you?"

"Nathan told me you knew Sydney. Is that true?"

Weiss ducked his head, looking toward the door. "Yeah, that's true."

"What else can you tell me about her?"

Weiss thought for a moment and then smiled. "Besides Mike and your husband, she was the best agent in the field."

I leaned forward. "Really? How did she meet Michael?"

"He was her handler and she was his asset. They fell in love while they were trying to bring down SD-6. After SD-6 was dead, they were together."

"Was she pretty?" I asked innocently, looking up with all my curiosity in my eyes.

"Very pretty. Mike believed that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. And in Syd's eyes, her Vaughn was the only one who mattered."

I nodded, looking out the window. "That sounds like Nathan and me. I'm the most beautiful woman in the world to Nathan, but Nathan is the only opinion that matters."

Weiss nodded, smiling at me as he realized that I understood why Michael was hurting so badly. I looked toward the door, making Weiss fall silent in appreciation of my friendship with Michael. Weiss stayed silent for awhile, before speaking again. "How long has Michael been with you?"

"He's been my bodyguard for almost 2 years. Right after you and Nathan found him, Nathan asked him as a personal favor to look after me and make sure that nothing happened to me."

"I think you've become his best friend since Syd died."

I looked up at him curiously. "Really? You think so?"

"Yeah, I think so. He'll tell you anything he's feeling. But I used to go to college with him and he won't tell me anything anymore."

I nodded. "He won't talk to Nathan either. And I always thought that they were the best of friends."

"They still are. But Mike doesn't talk about the things that bother him with Nathan. He talks about them with you."

I nodded, turning to look out the window. Weiss sat silently, watching me think until he noticed that I was asleep once again. He stood, tucking the blanket around my tiny body and then sitting back in his chair again. Michael came in, muttering under his breath. Weiss looked up, hissing at him. "Dude, be quiet. Your charge is sleeping."

Michael stopped, going over to me and tucking me in again and stroking my hair away from my face. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Jack's gonna meet us in Spain." Michael said as he sat down under my head, playing with my hair between his fingers.

"Why is Jack going to meet us in Spain? Cecily isn't the CIA's business."

"No, but his daughter is."

"Sydney? What about Sydney?"

"They've seen her. She's alive."