Tangled Lies
by Tayce Skye
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Rating: PG, just to be safe. There's nothing really bad.
Spoilers: All of Season 1 and maybe the first episode or two of Season 2 (based on info from spoiler sites).
Summary: Post ATY. Will be AU after Season 2 starts. My version of what might happen in (and after) Taipei. Last time on "Tangled Lies"... Sydney finds out that Emily is dead. Jack threatens Vaughn. Will is on probation. The next operation is in NYC. SD-6 is after a woman known as 'The Cat'.
Pairings: None whatsoever in this chapter.
Distribution: Sure, but don't forget to email me first at teague1350@hotmail.com. I'd also appreciate a link.
Disclaimer: I own this story along with Katrina Hunt, Lillian Li, and Matthieu Delorme. Alias is not mine. It belongs to JJ Abrams, Bad Robot, ABC, etc. None of the classical films mentioned belong to me either. I can't take credit for the book 'To Kill a Mockingbird' either. No copyright infringement was intended.
* * * * *
"I don't know, Jack."
"If she is acquainted with Vaughn, he should at least meet her."
"After what happened in Taipei, I'm against involving him with anybody. The man is clearly unstable. Besides, this girl may be part of some crime organization."
"Then she can also help us, but first we have to give her what she wants," Jack reasoned. After a bit more persuasion, Devlin agreed.
* * *
When Michael was called into Devlin's office, he wasn't sure what to expect. Did the Agency know about "The Kiss"? Had Jack revealed the secret? Would he be forced to resign as Sydney's handler?
Clearing his throat, Devlin interrupted Michael's thoughts. "Agent Vaughn, we have a young woman in the interrogation room who claims to know you. She somehow bypassed security and showed up in my office. Would you like to meet her?"
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Sure."
A few minutes later, Michael sat across from a petite teenage girl with vaguely Asian features. She seemed familiar.
"Do I know you? You look like..." He trailed off. The teen smiled and leaned into the table.
"Like your Uncle Matt?" she asked.
That's when it hit him. The color of her eyes... exactly like his uncle's.
* * *
Michael:
After Dad died, my mom needed help raising me. Enter her little brother, Matthieu. He flew in from France and I latched onto him immediately.
Uncle Matt was my surrogate father but acted more like a best friend. He never tried to take Dad's place but managed to fill some of the void. My mother and I would have never survived if he hadn't come to us.
During my first year of high school, Uncle Matt went back to Europe to visit his parents. We haven't seen him since.
It was like losing my dad all over again. Don't get me wrong, Mom was fantastic as a single parent, but our lives just weren't the same.
Now, sitting in front of me, is the key to my uncle's disappearance. His daughter.
* * *
She claimed to be Katrina Hunt, daughter of Matthieu Delorme. Apparently, he became involved with a woman named Lillian Li during his stay in the States. After returning from France, Matthieu visited his fiancée in San Francisco.
He never got a chance to tell anyone about his wife-to-be. They were both killed in an auto accident soon after Katrina was born. She spent her childhood in various foster homes before finally tracking down the elusive Agent Vaughn.
Michael waited impatiently as they took her in for tests, both medical and psychological, that would prove her story. When Katrina returned, his decision was announced.
He wanted to be her legal guardian, insisting that that's what Matt would have wanted.
Devlin and Jack discussed this recent turn of events. In the eyes of the law, there was nothing the Agency could do to stop him.
"She passed the polygraph and the blood test. This girl shouldn't pose a threat to the CIA."
"Jack, we both know better than to underestimate our enemies."
"Exactly. Why not take this opportunity to carefully observe Miss Hunt? We may be able to find out who her employer is. This is much more useful to us than taking her into custody," he argued.
"Yes, you're right. The Hunt situation could be a great opportunity. I'm putting you in charge of this. Don't botch it," Devlin warned.
* * *
They sit quietly in his car. She watches as a man in an orange jumpsuit picking up garbage on the side of the road.
An angsty singer is screaming at them through the radio. Michael turns it off.
Katrina's clear, melodious laugh suddenly breaks the silence. He's confused at first but eventually joins in. The unlikely duo arrives mirthfully at their destination.
* * *
Will sneezes as a black automobile zooms past him. He wipes the sweat off his brow and squints in the sun. There's a gas station nearby. Maybe he could get some water there. Then Will notices a familiar vehicle.
Francie gets out of her car. She appears to be in an animated argument with a white-haired stranger. This sparks Will's curiosity and he tries to get closer.
BEEEEEP!
A red pickup narrowly misses him and he jumps back. This causes him to fall flat on his butt.
"Ow!"
By the time Will got back on his feet, both Francie and the mysterious man with white hair had disappeared.
* * *
Michael:
Devlin gave me the day off so I could get to know my cousin.
First item on the agenda: shopping. The only things in my refrigerator are beer, leftovers from three days ago, and a half-gallon of milk.
In the supermarket, I glower menacingly at any boy who comes within five feet of Katrina.
Next, we ate pizza and exchanged jokes. A supreme for her, meat lover's for me. She has a great sense of humor and eats more than I do.
The scowl radius has been changed to seven feet.
After lunch, I brought her to the video rental store. We pick out some classic movies even though we've both already seen them.
My glare is reserved for the checkout boy who tries to flirt with her.
In the afternoon, Katrina and I viewed our selections. She tears up during 'Casablanca', giggles at 'The Philadelphia Story', and we both agree that the book 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was better, though the film is good too.
Dinner is at a French restaurant. Katrina's pronunciation is perfect and she knows how to use the forks properly. Our waiter keeps giving her smarmy looks so I don't leave a tip. Take that, Pierre.
When we get home, it's late. Katrina washes up and goes to bed. I give her a kiss on the forehead before she drifts off. Her hair smells of peppermint, shampoo, and cigarettes. This reminds me that I have to give her one of those drug, alcohol, and tobacco lectures the ads are always talking about.
I looked in on her as she slept. Her face looks so peaceful and that's when I know--when I really know--that I made the right choice.
This feels... right. It's the closest I'll ever get to having a little sister, though I never really wanted one while I was growing up. And they say raising a teenager is so hard.
* * *
Katrina:
Everything is going according to plan and it almost makes me sick. I have to lie to my own flesh and blood. I am betraying him to his enemy.
Today was amazing. I got a chance to be... normal. Michael is a good man. Of course, that just makes this assignment even harder.
I'm not usually into this touchy-feely crap. But as I pretended sleep and he watched me from the doorway, it felt... not at all creepy. Like this is how our lives are supposed to be.
I sound like a Hallmark card. Maybe that's what happens when you have a real family.
* * *
"Okay Dixon, I'm in," Sydney said, making her way through a crowd of Manhattan's elite. SD-6 managed to squeeze her into another skin-tight outfit.
She was supposed to keep an eye on the Rambaldi sketch and get 'The Cat' on tape. Then she had to call a team of agents that would take both 'The Cat' and the sketch into custody.
For her counter-mission, Sydney was to take photos of 'The Cat' using a high tech lipstick-camera. Instead of alerting the SD-6 team, two groups of CIA officers (including a certain Agent Vaughn) would signaled.
Tugging idly at her short skirt, she was feeling restless. Maybe Khasinau changed his mind and decided to steal from some other art gallery.
A well-dressed woman began walking towards the display. For the second time in less than three weeks, Sydney could only utter one word.
"Mom?"
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Author's Note: In the next chapter, Syd faces off with Irina (again). Katrina makes a friend and Sark's timing could not be worse.
Questions, comments, suggestions, speculation, constructive criticism... I'll take what I can get. I really appreciate all the feedback!
I am forever indebted to my fast-working beta reader, Shelly. About that dental plan...