Title: The Charade

Author: Steph (ILUVNYYANK@aol.com)

Category: Action/Romance/Drama/Comedy 

Pairings: Sydney/Vaughn

Summary: Vaughn worries about Sydney's new mission and suggests that another agent do it instead. When she refuses to step aside, he takes things into his own hands.

Rating: PG

Archive: Sure, just let me know where.

Spoilers: Nope.

Disclaimer: Alias and its characters do not belong tome. I do this out of a love for the show and no infringement is intended.

Note # 1: This is my first attempt at action Alias fanfic. I have no idea if I am any good at it, but I gave it my best shot. So, please excuse anything that seems impossible, illogical or just plain stupid. That's why J.J. Abrams has his job and I don't :) Also, this plot (Sydney/Vaughn working together) has been done before, but I just love the idea, so I couldn't resist!

Note #2: This story will be either two or three chapters long. I am almost done writing the rest of it, but I haven't decided if I want to separate the next part into two smaller parts. It'll probably depend on how long it ends up being. But the next chapter (whether it is the last or second to last) will be posted in the next couple of days.



* * *The Charade: Chapter 1 * * *







Sloane pointed up at the screen, as Sydney and Dixon watched from their seats, "This is Juan Camancha. Three weeks ago, he orchestrated a burglary at the science lab in Geneva. His men stole three vials of a Small Pox strain. In the wake of recent biological warfare concerns, the researchers were using this strain to develop a new vaccine to combat Small Pox. Camancha does not have such benevolent intentions. He plans on selling the strain to the highest bidder. His prospective buyers include some of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. Needless to say, if this strain were to fall into the wrong hands, the results would be devastating."

Sydney's fingers tightened around her pen, as she thought about how the 'wrong hands' were standing mere yards away.

"So I assume you want us to steal it back," she said.

Sloane nodded, "Yes, but it won't be easy. Camancha is an extremely paranoid and distrustful man. Thus, he had a freezer unit installed in his private bedroom on his estate in Madrid. The vials are in there. The unit is protected by a keypad with a code that is changed every day. You can use a descrambler to gain access. That, however, will not be the difficult part. The only people allowed onto that floor are his armed guards, of which there are four. Two are stationed at the entryway to the hall. Two more are stationed at the door to his bedroom. Sydney, you will be a guest at a party he is throwing tomorrow night. Camancha's extreme paranoia does not extend to his notoriously wild and lavish parties. Guests are required to present invitations, but it is not uncommon for his guests to be friends of a friend and unacquainted with him. You will have an invitation and your name will be on the list. You will assume the identity of a woman we know will not be attending and that Camancha is unfamiliar with. That will gain you access to the house and you'll have to figure out how best to incapacitate the guards from there. There are eight surveillance cameras. Two at the entryway to the hall, two in the hallway, two at the door to the bedroom, and two in the bedroom. Dixon, you will tap into the surveillance cameras and loop the tape. In addition, the bedroom is protected by a handprint scanner. It can only be opened by Camancha's handprint."

"His handprint?" Sydney asked.

Sloane nodded and then gestured to his hi-tech gadget guy, "Marshall."

Marshall shuffled to his feet and gave a small wave to the group, "Hello, everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. Did anyone catch that E! True Hollywood Story on The Brady Bunch last night?" Marshall glanced around the room, "No...No...Okay...Because I have it on tape and I could make a copy or, better yet, you could come over and we could make popcorn, order a pizza, drink some Zimas-..."

Sloane's patience had finally worn out, "Marshall!"

Marshall jumped slightly. "Oh, yes, sir. Sorry." Marshall paused and then reached into his open briefcase. He pulled out two long black evening gloves and held them up to them. "Okay, so what do these look like? They look like a normal pair of evening gloves, right?" He smiled, held up his index finger and paused dramatically, "But these aren't your normal pair of evening gloves. No. These have a latex handprint mold built into them. You put your hand in and this really thin, can barely see it, layer of latex will adhere to your hand. Then you pull your hand out and press it to the pad and, poof, the door will open."

Marshall walked over to Sydney and handed her the gloves, "I think you'll find these will look very nice on you, Miss Bristow. They are made of an exquisite silk, very fine, light and airy. You can put your gloves on and be like 'I'm a princess, Cinderella going to the ball, night out on the town.' Very chic, very stylish."

Sydney smiled warmly at Marshall, "Thank you, Marshall, they are lovely."

A slight blush crept into his face and he nodded, "You're welcome, Miss Bristow."

* * * *

Sydney entered the warehouse and smiled at Vaughn, "Hey."

He returned her smile, "Hi, how have you been?"

"Fine. Busy, as usual, but fine," She paused and then asked, "So what's my counter mission?"

Vaughn seemed reluctant to begin. "Well, you will retrieve the vials of the Small Pox strain. But you won't give Sloane the right strain. At the airport in the ladies' bathroom closest to your gate, you will drop the small case with the strain into a wastebasket and pull out the fake."

"Won't Sloane know that I made the switch?"

"Not for a while. The makeup of the strain is only slightly different, but it is different enough to be weakened to the point that it will have nearly negligible effects if ever used. That won't matter though. They'll figure out it's not the right strain before they can use it and they'll assume that Camancha planted a fake as a ruse."

"How can you be sure they won't suspect I had something to do with it?"

"Because this won't be the first time Camancha has pulled something like this."

Sydney nodded, "Okay, but then how can we be sure that the one we steal isn't a fake?"

Vaughn shrugged, "We can't. That's just a chance we have to take."

He paused and then glanced down at his feet for a moment before meeting her eyes, "How do you plan on gaining access to his bedroom?"

"I'll be posing as a guest at his party and I'll create some kind of distraction in order to incapacitate the guards. Dixon's going to loop the tapes and Marshall gave me these gl-..."

She stopped abruptly and looked at him curiously, "Wait, why did you ask me that? You always know what Sloane's plan is, usually before I do."

Vaughn nodded, "I know. But this time Sloane is misinformed. Three days ago, there was an attempted burglary at Camancha's estate. Due to this, he has increased his security. There are now two guards stationed at the stairway to the third floor where his bedroom is located. In addition, he had a keypad installed at the door to his bedroom."

"A keypad plus the handprint scanner?"

"Yes and they must be activated at the same time."

"Well, I have two hands, I can handle that. I'll use the same descrambler that I'm using on the unit to open it."

Vaughn shook his head, "There's more. Both of Camancha's keypads have a new special feature. It is a safeguard against descramblers that renders yours obsolete."

Sydney's eyes widened, "Then how am I supposed to get the codes to unlock the door?"

"I'm sure you are aware that the codes are changed everyday. This is done, believe it or not, by Camancha himself. He has major trust issues. He is the only one who knows the code and he keeps it in a locket he wears around his neck."

"This guy sounds really strange."

Vaughn's jaw tightened. "It gets worse. There are way too many guards before you even get to the first keypad and scanner, Sydney. Too many things could go wrong and too many things have to go right for this to work. A distraction is just not going to cut it."

"So what do you suggest I do?"

Vaughn swallowed hard, "Camancha is paranoid and distrustful, but he's also a notorious ladies' man. It is his weakness. I'm talking a different flavor every day. He's a real scum, but, besides his guards, these women are the only ones allowed on that floor, in that hallway and in that bedroom."

Sydney nodded, "So you're saying that tomorrow night I have to make sure I'm his flavor of the day."

Vaughn averted his eyes. "Actually, I was thinking that maybe you should let someone else handle this one."

Sydney smiled slightly, "Are you saying that you doubt my ability to attract his attention, Agent Vaughn?"

Vaughn slowly raised his eyes, his gaze briefly scanning her nearly perfect figure.

He tried to respond in a voice that didn't sound husky with desire, "I have no doubt that you could attract his attention, Sydney. That's not the problem."

Sydney's lighthearted disposition quickly changed, "Then what is the problem? You don't think I can handle this, Vaughn? This is a cakewalk compared to what I usually have to do."

"I'm simply suggesting that you let another agent gain access to the room and retrieve the strain. Then she'll give it to you at a predetermined location in the house. We can make it so no one knows, Sydney. Not even Dixon."

Sydney's eyes flared, "And what I am supposed to do, Vaughn? Baby- sit her? Mingle with the other guests? Sit in a corner and crochet? Why the hell should I even be there?"

Vaughn sighed and responded harshly, "I think you're overreacting. If you just stopped and thought about this for a moment, you might see that this is what's best. Don't let your ego cloud your logic, Sydney. If the other agent hands off the strain then she won't be suspected by Camancha and neither will you."

"I'd be out of there and on my way home before he'd ever have a chance to suspect me," Sydney replied tersely.

Vaughn groaned and responded roughly, "And how exactly would you do that, Sydney? Are you going to sleep with him and then wait until he falls asleep to get the code and steal the strain?"

"Give me a drug. I'll drug him." She paused and then asked, "Isn't that how the other agent would go about it?"

Vaughn sighed and rubbed at his forehead. He turned his eyes back over to her, "Look, you don't know Camancha. To say he is not a nice man is the understatement of the century. He treats women like dirt, Sydney. Did you know that he has had five allegations of rape and three of assault and battery lodged against him? Do you know what happened to those five women who made those allegations?" Vaughn paused and allowed his gaze to pierce hers. "They ended up dead within a week."

Sydney's face grew pale, as Vaughn continued, "Camancha always gets what he wants and he won't take no for an answer."

Sydney swallowed around the lump in her throat, but responded confidently, "I understand your concern, Vaughn, but I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I don't exactly deal with Mr. Rogers on a daily basis, you know. I'll drug him before he ever gets a chance to lay a hand on me."

Vaughn shook his head sharply, "He doesn't drink, Sydney. He doesn't want it to negatively affect his...uh...performance."

Sydney shrugged, "Then I'll administer it through a syringe."

Vaughn lowered his eyes, "Camancha forces his women to strip down to nothing before he allows them entrance to his bedroom. His distrustful nature can manifest itself in most degrading ways."

Sydney's mouth fell slightly open, stunned by how disgusting this man was.

She looked at Vaughn for a moment and then nodded, "Fine, then we'll figure out another way."

Vaughn sighed loudly, "Look, you're not right for this job. We have agents who are trained for this kind of thing. This is what they do."

"You mean they sleep with the target to get what they need," Sydney said bluntly.

"I know that's not a pleasant thought, but sometimes it's the only way."

Sydney shook her head vigorously at him. "I am doing this, Vaughn. I guess I'll just have to figure out how without you."

With that, she turned on her heel to exit.

"Sydney!" he yelled, but she did not stop.

"Damn it!" he screamed, as he kicked the wire fence and then brought a hand up to his forehead.

* * * *

Vaughn sat at his desk, twirling a gold coin between his fingers, as he so often did when he was worried.

Weiss entered his office, "Hey, do you want to get a late drink at O'Malley's?"

Vaughn shook his head, "No thanks."

Weiss sighed and sat down across from him, "What did Sydney do this time?"

Vaughn raised his brows at him, "Why do you assume it has to do with Sydney?"

Weiss smiled, "Because it always has to do with Sydney, Vaughn. Since you became her handler that coin's seen more action than a Vegas hooker."

That got a chuckle out of Vaughn. He tossed the coin onto the desk and turned his eyes over to his friend. "She's just so damn stubborn."

"I assume she didn't take your suggestion of another agent retrieving the strain very well."

Vaughn scoffed softly, "That doesn't begin to describe it." He paused and added, "She wouldn't even consider it for a second. It didn't matter what I said, she's determined to do this."

"You know what she's like, Vaughn. Did you really expect her to just step aside?"

Vaughn sighed, "No." He lowered his eyes as he continued, "I'm afraid of what she might have to do, Weiss. I'm afraid of how far she'll have to go to get this done and to prove to me that she could do it."

"Sydney wouldn't do anything stupid."

Vaughn shook his head, "I just don't know how she's going to complete this mission without doing something she may regret." Vaughn's voice grew soft, "And you know Camancha. If he decides he wants Sydney, then-..."

"Don't think like that, man. Sydney can take care of herself."

Vaughn closed his eyes, the thought of Sydney being harmed by that pig too much to bear.

* * * *

The guard studied her invitation and then scanned the list. His pen stopped about halfway down the paper, "Miss Gina Hallaway." He looked up at her, smiled and opened the door to allow her entrance, "Enjoy the party."

Sydney offered him a flirty smile before sauntering in.

Her entrance did not go unnoticed by many at the party, especially the men. There were many stunning women present, but Sydney seemed to exude something more.

She was wearing a strawberry blonde wig that was arranged into a twist. She wore a long black skin-tight gown that nearly reached the floor. The neckline was scooped low and left just enough to the imagination. The back, or lack thereof, plunged to the base of her spine. She wore Marshall's gloves on her arms and a diamond lariat necklace around her neck.

Sydney was nervous about this operation. Vaughn hadn't exactly inspired confidence in her and she was not sure that her plan would work. First, she had to remove Camancha's locket without him knowing. Then, she had to get past six guards. Once that was done, she felt confident that she'd be able to get into the room and retrieve the vials. It was just a matter of getting close enough to get that locket before he wanted to head upstairs. Yes, she knew that going with him upstairs would make this much easier by circumventing the guards, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle what might happen after that.

And, to make matters worse, Dixon discovered that while he could loop the tapes for the surveillance, he would not be able to watch her through the cameras. A glitch in Camancha's security system made it so that looping prevented Dixon from also viewing what was actually happening and warning her of any problems. In addition, before she went in, she had discovered that she was getting interference in her earpiece and that she was unable to hear Dixon.

So, she was going in there with virtually no backup. Sydney wondered what else could possibly go wrong at this point.

Sydney walked into the living room and scanned it. Her eyes soon landed on Camancha, who stood by the piano talking to a flock of women. Sydney's lips turned downward as she studied the man. Arrogance practically formed a visible aura around him. He stood there in a white suit and open teal silk shirt with gold chains hanging around his neck, the locket clearly visible. Sydney thought he looked like a pimp.

Camancha turned his head to laugh and found himself staring at Sydney. Her eyes met his and she offered him a smoldering smile.

Camancha quickly excused himself and headed over to Sydney. The women he left turned and stared scornfully at Sydney, but soon headed off in different directions.

Camancha reached Sydney and smiled. He spoke in a heavy Spanish accent. "Well, I don't believe I've ever made your acquaintance before. I feel quite sure that I would remember such a memorable woman."

Sydney fought the urge to roll her eyes at the line and instead forced herself to form a gracious smile. She offered him her hand. "No, I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

Camancha accepted her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He pressed her gloved hand to his mouth and let it linger there much longer than necessary.

Sydney silently thanked Marshall for those gloves. The last thing she wanted was those lips making contact with her skin.

Camancha returned his eyes to her. "Would you do me the honor of- ..."

Camancha's proposal was interrupted by a voice that came from a few feet behind them. "Gina! There you are!"

Both Camancha and Sydney whipped their heads in the direction of the voice. Sydney's mouth dropped open as her eyes met those of Agent Michael Vaughn.

He was by her side in a flash and quickly wrapped his arm around her waist. He smiled at her as he spoke, "Sorry I'm late, sweetie. You know my boss. What a slave driver."

Camancha immediately stiffened when Vaughn came to stand next to Sydney. His jaw tightened, as he turned to her. "Ah, so your Gina Hallaway. And I assume this is your husband?"

Sydney looked at Vaughn, who replied for her. "Boyfriend. But we're very close. We might as well be married."

Sydney rolled her eyes at Vaughn, as she tried her best not to rip his arm off her waist and twist it until he fell to his knees.

'What the hell is he doing?! He just made this a whole lot harder,' she thought.

She smiled at Camancha, "If you'll excuse us, I'm sure my boyfriend here would like to get something to eat. He's very bad about eating three square meals a day."

Vaughn shrugged, "She knows me so well."

Sydney turned to him and forced a smile. She then spoke through clenched teeth, "Come on, honey, let's get you some food."

They both excused themselves and walked away from Camancha, whose stare could have burnt holes into their backs.



*****************************************************************

TBC…

Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought. ~Steph