A/N: As I said in the prologue, my previous post is now part of chapter one, so don't think you're having déjà vu or something. Anyway, they stories just beginning, so I hope you'll stick with it. Please, please, read and review! Thank you!

Chapter 1

SAUDIA ARABIA

Sydney Bristow pulled out her gun and aimed it Sark's head. Sark only smirked back.

            "You don't want to take me on, Agent Bristow?" he asked with egomaniac grin. Sydney held back from Sark's gun, and kept her gun level.

            "Disarm yourself!" Sydney cried, knowing that Sark probably carried several weapons with him everywhere he went. Sark reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun. Before he could do anything with it, Sydney fired her weapon and his gun went flying.

            Sark gave her a hard look. "Touchy aren't we?"

            "Tell me who you're working for," Sydney demanded.

            Sark's grin widened. "Why, Sloane, of course." Sydney was take back by his response and Sark took advantage of this. He delivered a high kick to her hands and sent the gun flying. Sydney didn't even bother to see where it landed as she and Sark were immediately fighting each other.

            Sydney and Sark both managed to get in a fair amount of punches but on one of Sark's contacts with the ground, he retrieved his weapon.

            He breathed deeply from their match and pointed the weapon at her. Sydney stopped her attack and waited to see what Sark would do. "I'm afraid we'll have to postpone this match for later." He pointed the gun at the hanging lamp on the ceiling, and fired. Before it could make contact with Sydney's head, Sark said, "I'll see you Monday, Agent Bristow." Sydney's world went black.

CREDIT DAUPHINE

            "How's your head, Syd?" Sydney's partner, Marcus Dixon asked as they waited for the elevator to reach their floor of the Credit Dauphine building.

            Sydney gave him a weak smile. "Fine." Her expression turned sour. "But Sark is going to wish he never met me the next time we meet." The doors opened as the room analyzed them into the office. Dixon waved good-bye as he headed towards his desk, as Sydney slowly walked down the office hall.

            Every time she walked into this room, she felt her heart quicken. Nothing seemed more invigorating then the idea that her job was more rewarding than any other. Her job helped her country, and that made her feel incredibly good.

            Sydney glanced over to her boss's office, Arvin Sloane. He was a great man, a great boss, but there was something in his eyes that scared her, but every leader had something about him that was intimidating. He gave her a quick wave and smile from his office, as he leaned back in his chair, talking on the phone. She can almost consider him a second father, along with his wife, Emily, as a mother.

            Her father wasn't dead, but it was almost like he was. Through her whole childhood, she had been cared for and loved by her nanny, and by chance, only by chance, had Sydney and her father ended up for the same agency. Even though they worked together, the only time they spoke was when Sydney was being debriefed on her next mission. Her father, Jack Bristow, seemed to have no desire to get to know Sydney, and actuality, that was fine with her.

            Her mother was another story. She had never known her mother. Her father had told her she had died when she was really young. Sydney had a few photos of her, but nothing else.

            Sydney stopped dead, spying a familiar blond headed man. He was sitting at a desk, talking on the phone. His dress was a casual suit, and he seemed entirely carefree. It was suddenly at that moment that Sark looked up, right at her. He smiled, said a few more words to whomever he was talking to and hung up. He stood up and walked towards her, grabbing her arm as he passed her and pulling her into the nearest conference room, closing the door behind him.

            "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sydney asked, pulling her arm away from his touch as if it burned her.

            "You thought I was lying, didn't you Agent Bristow?" He asked grinning. "No, I am a man of my word."

            "Great, you can kill a dozen men, but we can always rely on your word," Sydney said sarcastically.

            "That's right," Sark said, his smile widening.

            "This is ridiculous," Sydney said heading for the door.

            "If you're thinking of informing Sloane of what happened in Saudia Arabia, I'd have to recommend you don't. You see, as I am a man of my word, and the newest agent of the Credit Dauphine building, you have no proof to corrupt my reputation in front of Sloane."

            "You're a bastard, Sark. A fucking, bastard," Sydney said as she stormed out of the room. She hated Sark more than anyone in the world. He thought he could get away with anything, and it pissed her off.

            What in the world was Sloane thinking anyway? Bringing Sark in as an ally. He was the enemy. Sydney tried to keep her gaze away from Sark's overly satisfied grin as she proceeded once again to her desk. However, just as she had sat down, her father approached her.

            "Debriefing in five minutes, Sydney," he paused, as if he was going to say more, but he decided against it. He gave her a curt nod a proceeded to the conference room.

            Sydney stood up grudgingly and headed to the debriefing room. What could she say? It was the start of a normal day hectic day.

CIA HEADQUARTERS

            Agent Michael Vaughn looked up from his seat at his desk, as his friend, Agent Eric Weiss walked in the front door of the CIA office building.

            "Was the mission successful?" Vaughn asked, trying to analyze the contents of the white paper bag.

            "Affirmative," Weiss said. "Chocolate éclair." Weiss handed him the bag. "And…" he pulled a steaming hot cup out of one of his pant pockets. "Coffee, black."

            "Bravo, my friend," Vaughn said laughing as he pulled the éclair out from the bag and took a bite.

            "Saved the world again!" Weiss said, as he pulled out his own cup of coffee from his other pocket. "So, Agent Vaughn, have you done it?"

            Vaughn looked at Weiss with faked confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

            "Bull, I've been ragging you all week. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

            Vaughn sighed. "No, I haven't asked her out."

            Weiss gave him a look of utter disappointment. "What are you waiting for?"

            "The world to end so I don't have to deal with you, and the rejection I'm likely to face after I ask her," Vaughn said simply.

            "Alright you just keep waiting, and I'll ask her out," Weiss said.

            Vaughn laughed. "You've already asked her. Three times."

            "Fourth time's a charm."

            "Agent Vaughn!" Vaughn looked up at his boss, Agent Kendall.

            "Yes, Sir?" Vaughn asked.

            "I need to talk to you in my office, now." He glanced at Weiss. "Alone."

            "Alright," Vaughn set his half eaten éclair on his desk next to his coffee, and then followed Kendall to his office. Kendall's office was actually enclosed, compared to the rest of them whose office was a desk in a very large room. "What's going on?" Vaughn asked upon his entry to his office.

            "We just got a call," Kendall said pacing his office. "We lost Aaron Grayson. A women found him in the park, a bullet wound to the head."

            Vaughn looked at Kendall with disbelief. "Dammit." Vaughn said, putting his heads in his hands.

            "Agent Grayson was a loss, but we have another problem on our hands," Kendall said unsympathetically. "For some reason, Grayson was shot. Which is uncharacteristic of Sloane and his form of torture. I have a feeling that Grayson gave Sloane some sort of information. Until we find out what it is that Sloane knows, we're going to be working overtime."

            "Yes, Sir," Vaughn said getting up and leaving.

            "And Vaughn?" Vaughn stopped and turned back. "I'm sorry about Aaron."

            "Thank you, Sir."