A/N: "Truth Takes Time" is kind of like a prequel story of before Brianna meets Sydney. It takes place after the series finale. This is part one of my new ALIAS series: "Secrets Can Kill".
"Truth Takes Time"
Chapter One
The young woman's heels clicked across the linoleum floor as she followed the pastor through the church. Each step cut into her like a knife, for each step brought her closer to the truth. She was here for her mother's funeral, but you wouldn't know it by seeing it. The young woman was the only one present in the church, save for the pastor. Even with her black slacks and black suit jacket over a black camisole, it looked as if a young woman was there just to see the pastor, not to attend the private funeral of her dearly departed mother.
The pastor stopped walking in front of a bookcase. The woman figured he was going to grab a bible or something, but surprised her by entering a code into a keypad hidden behind the shelves. The bookshelf moved forward, and then slid to the left, revealing a hidden passageway.
Without a sound, the two continued to walk. Despite the woman's efforts not to, her thoughts drifted off to the past few days.
The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the large house. The young woman had just gotten inside from a dip in the inground pool out back. She tied a deep purple sarong around her waist even though it did nothing to cover her red bikini that flaunted her tanned athletic body. The woman ran a hand through her wet, shoulder blade-length auburn hair to shake it out of the form the water left it in.
As the doorbell rang a second time, the woman opened the door to reveal a man in his fifties.
"Miss Brianna?" the asked, knowing full well who he was speaking to.
Brianna recognized the man as an associate of her mother. She couldn't remember his name.
"Yes?"
The man held out an envelope for her. "This is from your mother."
Brianna noticed how he refused to meet her gaze. She offered him a small, polite smile as she accepted the envelope. "Thanks. Uh, do you want to come in?" she asked politely.
He didn't. Brianna wasn't disappointed in the slightest. She knew that the people her mother worked with were…stiff, and polite in a chilling way.
The man nodded his head and turned to leave. Brianna shut the door without a word and looked at the envelope. It was off-white and had 'Brianna' scrawled across it in her mother's handwriting.
Brianna smiled, glad to be hearing from her mother after six months. She had been getting really worried. Not because it had been so long since she had seen her last, Brianna was used to her mother disappearing for long periods of times—sometimes years. But she usually wrote to her, little notes like the one she had just received. And Brianna usually received one every month or so.
But now everything was all right. Brianna figured that she'd just been really busy.
Brianna turned to a small table and opened the drawer and took out a small envelope cutter. She turned the letter over and smoothly cut open the letter, expecting to find some encouraging words and an apology about her lateness. Perhaps a silly anecdote about a new waitress at a cheap restaurant or something. And always a quote of wisdom or an ancient proverb.
Brianna took out the letter, which was shorter than she had expected. She read it quietly.
'My dearest Brianna—
I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to write. Someday, maybe you'll understand why. But for now, my daughter, take care.
It hurts me to write this, but if you are reading this letter, than, Brianna, I am dead.'
Brianna's breath caught in her throat. Her breathing shallow and eyes watering, Brianna continued to read the rest of her letter.
'How it has happened, I cannot tell you. As I'm writing this, I don't know.
Be careful, Brianna, and always remain on your guard. Remember all that I've taught you.
I love you. More than you will ever know.
Your loving mother'
Brianna struggled, fighting the tears that were dangerously close to falling. Her eyes drifted towards the bottom of the paper, searching for the words that would help her survive.
'Truth takes time'
Brianna sunk to her knees, no longer able to stay strong. She let the tears fall and cried out, mourning the death of her beloved mother.
"Mom…mom."
Brianna still did not know how long she cried, whether it was for minutes or hours. She didn't know how she had ended up in her bed. She didn't know how her swimsuit and sarong had made it into the wash or how she had ended up in soft flannel pajamas. The shock of the letter left her deadened and her memory fuzzy.
All she knew was that her mother was dead. That was it. She didn't know how she died, or even where she was. She only had questions, no answers. And no one to answer those questions.
And she had pain. The numbing pain that left her hurting. She could no longer cry, was incapable of shedding more tears. Mom wouldn't want me to cry, she told her self over and over again. The mantra gave her strength, and Brianna held her head high as she followed the pastor.
Finally, the two stopped walking. Although the hall was short, the walk had seemed to take forever. They now stood in front of another door. From the look on the pastor's face, Brianna knew what was behind the door. Brianna took a deep breath and the pastor opened the door.
The door led to a mausoleum. It was small, the ceiling only about seven feet. The room was lit by candles and torches on the wall. Marble three-by-three blocks marked the graves of those buried there. Brianna knew that her mother was in one of those graves. She was one of the couple dozen names on the wall.
Brianna glanced at the pastor, who nodded his head. He closed the door, leaving Brianna alone.
Brianna took a deep breath and began to look for her mother's name. As she did so, Brianna couldn't help but remember the last time she had seen her mother. It was obvious that she was tense after getting back from her last trip just two days earlier. Brianna had tried to convince her to take a break before leaving again.
"Mom, you just got back. Why do you have to leave again tomorrow?" Brianna asked. She was standing in the doorway to her mother's office next to the end of the stairway that led to their bedrooms.
Her mother looked up from the documents she'd been reading. "Brianna, you know how it is."
"At least take a couple of weeks off. Come on, we could go to the beach or spend the weekend at a spa." Brianna could tell that her words were enticing to her mother. It'd been nearly two years since she'd taken a break from work.
"Brianna, you know that I wish I could, but I can't."
"Why?" Brianna crossed her arms and pouted like she did when she was six years old. She knew that she was being childish and immature, but she didn't care. It was a rare even, having her mother home. Brianna didn't care how old she was, she loved her mother and missed her terribly.
"Don't pout," her mother replied. "You're a grown woman, not some child."
Brianna tried another tactic. "You're right, Mom, I'm sorry."
Her mother smiled, an image of pure beauty.
"How about I come with you?" Brianna asked, trying to sound sophisticated.
It didn't work.
"No," her mother replied sternly. Then she softened. "We're in France, Brianna! There's much for you to do here."
Brianna groaned. She hated it whenever her mother left her. Why wouldn't she take her with? She's an antiquer for Christ's sake! And who cares if they were in France? This was the fourth time she'd lived in France. The third time she'd lived in this house.
Brianna sighed, knowing that the argument was lost, as always.
"Can't you just take one week off? One week, Mom," Brianna tried again.
Her mother shook her head. "I'm sorry, Brianna. I've got to find this artifact I've lost. It's worth a lot of money and it's one of a kind."
Brianna sighed again and let her head drop. Sensing her melancholy, Brianna's mother stood from her desk and walked over to her. She put a hand on her cheek and lifted her face so that she could look at her. Whenever she did this, Brianna couldn't help but think she was looking into an older version of herself. They had the same tan skin, wavy auburn hair, brown eyes, and thick lashes. There were very few differences in the two's appearances. The mother's face was more rounded than the daughter's, and Brianna's body was freckle-free. Also, Brianna's hair was just a tinge darker than her mother's.
"When I come back, I'll take some time off," she gave her word to her daughter.
"Promise?" Brianna asked.
Her mother smiled. "Promise. Now it's late, I need to get some sleep before my early flight tomorrow."
Brianna nodded and gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room.
She didn't know that would be the last time she ever saw her.
Brianna shook off the memory. Her mother had broken her promise, and she hated her for it, for leaving her like that.
And then she found what she was looking for. Her mother's grave. Etched neatly into the thick, sleek, dark marble was her mother's name: Irina Derevko.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please, please, oh PLEASE write me a review and tell me what you think, whether good or bad! I'll update soon! Fun fact: More reviews leads to quicker updates!