Title: Family Secrets

Chapter Twenty One (21/22)

Author: Jaycee

Read and review people!

This is the second to the last chapter and I hope that you'll all review this so I could see if I should continue on writing ALIAS fics. I really appreciate each and every review that you send my way.

Here we go…

Archangel Gabriel Hospital,

Brunei

Michael quickly ran up the stairs of the hospital, and stopped right in front of the receptionist. "Where can I find Samantha Roberts and Sydney Bristow?" He asked nervously.

The woman behind the counter nodded and then checked the computer in front of her. "Both Ms. Roberts and Ms. Bristow are in the fifth floor. Ms. Roberts in Room 1127, while Ms. Bristow is in Room 1133."

Michael nodded and walked quickly to the elevator. He pressed the button impatiently and watched as the numbers started to light up one by one.

"Mike! Why didn't you wait for me?" Eric said breathlessly as he ran up to his friend.

Michael mumbled an apology and pressed the button again. He rubbed his forehead in frustration and turned around.

"Mike! Where are you going?" Eric called out.

"The stairs. The elevator is too slow." Michael called out as he ran up the stairs to the fifth floor.

* * * * * * * *

Sydney nodded slowly and smiled tentatively as Dr. Willis went out of the room. She sat on one of the chairs and stared at Samantha, who was breathing steadily.

Suddenly the door opened. Sydney turned around and saw Michael Vaughn, his breaths coming in shallow gasps.

She stood up and was about to open her mouth when Vaughn quickly walked over her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight.

* * * * * * * * *

Vaughn slowly breathed in as he tightened his arms around Sydney. He knew that it was wrong for him to do that, but he couldn't help himself. Seeing her alive and well just made him so happy that he had to allow himself the small satisfaction of holding her in his arms.

"I am so glad that you're okay." He whispered as he lovingly smoothed down her soft brown hair.

Sydney just sighed in response as she reciprocated the hug, reveling in the fact that Vaughn was holding her in his arms.

After a few more minutes, Vaughn leaned away from her, his dark green eyes boring into her brown ones. "I am so glad that you're okay." He whispered again as he softly grazed her cheek.

Sydney closed her eyes as Vaughn continued to caress her skin. "Thank you for coming." She whispered as she opened her eyes.

Vaughn nodded. "I had to. Two of the most important people in my life are in trouble." He replied solemnly.

"I'm important… to you?" She asked.

Vaughn looked at her. "More than you'll ever know." He said softly.

Sydney looked into his eyes, feeling happier that she's ever been. She closed her eyes as she tried to put a reign over her thoughts. She pulled away from Vaughn and cleared her throat. "Vaughn. Your sister." She said.

Vaughn nodded and turned around. He's been expecting to see Samantha in a not-okay state, but nothing like this.

His legs buckled beneath him and if Sydney wasn't there to lead him to a chair, he would have fallen onto the floor.

"Sam…" He whispered as he stared at his sister. He held her left hand in his and squeezed it as gently as he could.

Sydney placed a gentle hand on Vaughn's shoulder. "I'll be in my room." She said.

Vaughn looked at her and she felt her heart melt as she saw tears in his eyes. "Okay." He replied.

Sydney nodded and slipped out of the room quietly.

* * * * * * * * * 

"Sam…" Michael whispered as he stared imploringly at his sister, hoping against hope that she would wake up.

As if an answer to his prayers, Sam's eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked at him in daze. "Michael…" She moaned, her voice muffled by the oxygen mask. She lifted her right hand and slowly took it off.

"Sam. No. Don't do that. You need you strength." He said as he stood up and tried to put the mask back on.

Sam shook her head. "No. I have to tell you everything Michael. I know… that I don't have much longer…" She whispered.

Michael shook his head adamantly. "No. Don't say that. Everything is going to be fine. Just lie there and save your strength."

Again, Sam shook her head. "I have to tell you everything… and I hope that you would forgive me for everything… everything that I have done…" She said softly, pausing every now and then to take a deep breath.

Michael squeezed her hand encouragingly. "I do. I do forgive you for everything Sam."

A ghost of a smile passed Sam's face as she processed her brother's words. "Thank you." She said simply.

Michael smiled back and was about to say something when the door opened. "Mr. Vaughn?"

Michael turned on his seat and saw a doctor looking at him curiously. "Yes doctor. What is it?" He asked.

"I'm Dr. Andrew Willis. Ms. Bristow informed me that you're here already. I hate to take you away from your sister but you have to come with me so that we could get some of your blood so we could give Ms. Roberts her transfusion." He explained.

Michael nodded and turned back to Samantha. "I'll go with Dr. Willis, okay Sam? So we can save you."

Sam shook her head and tightened her hand around his, refusing to let him go. "No Michael… don't leave me…"

Michael smiled encouragingly at her. "I won't be gone long. I promise."

"Please. I'm dying already. I need to talk to you now… please…"

"You are not going to die. Don't say that. Just hang in there and we'll get through this." He replied as he felt a nervous feeling in his stomach.

"Mr. Vaughn. Just stay here. I'll just have my nurse get your blood here so that you don't have to leave your sister." The doctor said, an understanding look on his face.

Michael smiled gratefully as he sat back down again and Dr. Willis went out. He looked at Sam. "I'll stay here. Now what are you going to tell me?"

* * * * * * * * *

Sam looked at her brother, feeling afraid that he might hate her once she tells him every deceptive thing that she did for the past five years. But she had to tell him – she had to.

"I… I was a bad teenager. I did everything that I could to hurt my mother. She… she just told me that… I was a product of an affair – and that my father has his own family. My mother kept everything from me for fifteen years, and I just can't help but be angry at her – for lying to me, for telling me that my father was perfect, that I was his only child, that he loved only me. So, I joined a gang and did everything that I can to go against her wishes. I did so many things that until now I still can't believe that I did them." She stopped for a while as she felt a sharp pain go through her body. She took a deep breath and shakily exhaled.

"Sam… you don't have to continue if…" Michael started.

"No." She cut him off. "I can do this." She told him. Michael looked at her worriedly and squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"I even tried to kill someone… which was true – I did try to kill someone… but my lawyer was good… he said that we would make it look like I was framed by someone who I know hates me – and it worked, I was pardoned.

My mom was behind me all the way – even though I tried to push her away so many times, she still loved me, she still believed that one day I would change, that one day I would wake up and realize that what I was doing was wrong. And one day, I did just that. I saw what I've become – and I hated that person. I hated how I hurt my mom, how I didn't listen to her when she tried to explain everything about dad…" Sam stopped talking as she started to cough violently.

Michael stood up and smoothed her hair away from her forehead, flinching as she continued to cough. "Sshh…" He whispered as he helped her sit up and aided her in drinking some water from the glass beside her bed.

Sam smiled weakly and leaned against her bed, ignoring the pain that kept on shooting through her entire body.

"Do you want to lie back down?" Michael asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes please."

Michael helped her lie back down, even fluffing the pillow a little as he helped her ease into a comfortable position.

"Thank you." She whispered. Michael smiled. "My pleasure."

Sam looked at him and continued to speak. "My mom then forgave me for everything I have done. That's when she told me all about daddy, about your mom, about you… she even showed me your pictures… I didn't know how she got those pictures… but I found out when your mom told us that she and my mom's been communicating with each other…"

Michael nodded and then he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He saw Dr. Willis and a nurse, ready to make a blood transfusion.

"Mr. Vaughn?" Dr. Willis said. Michael nodded and took off his jacket, folded his shirtsleeve and closed his eyes as the needle was pricked into his skin.

"Michael… don't do that…" Sam whispered.

Michael turned to look back at his sister. "I have to. I don't want you to die."

"But I am going to…"

"Don't. Just continue what you were telling me." He said in a gentle voice.

Sam nodded and then closed her eyes. "Mom then told me what happened – why daddy died. She said he died on duty because he was in the CIA. That made me angry – angrier that I have ever been. Someone took our father away from us and I have to find out who did just that. That's why I decided to join the CIA.

Now. I know that I can't join the CIA because of my record with the police, so I decided to take on the identity of my dead cousin… She… she died of pneumonia – and even though I felt bad doing it… I had someone help me to take on her identity, everything. Even my mom had to change some of her personal information so that our files would coincide with one another… Samantha's mom was also dead, and so is her father – so it was easy to… easy to take over everything… My mom let me do all of that… because she believed that this is what I have to do… I have to get into the CIA and get my revenge…

I am so sorry that I decided that Sydney should be the one to pay for everything that her mom has done… I am so sorry for hurting you… I never meant to hurt you… that's the last thing that I ever want to do… I just... I wasn't thinking…" Samantha started to cry, her tears clogging up her throat, making it harder to speak.

"No. Don't cry Sam… its okay… I know that you didn't mean to hurt me… I know that… We're gonna get through all of this and once I get you out of here we're gonna start all over again – I promise, everything's going to be much better." Michael promised earnestly.

Sam just nodded in reply and then she started to gasp as excruciating pain spread from her head throughout her body.

"Sam? SAM!" Michael called out, standing up, ignoring the nurse's calls to him, and saying that he should sit still.

Dr. Willis walked towards Samantha and turned to the nurse. "We have to give her the blood transfusion now."

The nurse nodded and quickly extracted the needle for Michael's skin and carefully handled the blood bag between her hands and went out of the room.

The next instant, two male nurses appeared in the room and unhooked Sam from the machines around her and started to wheel her out of the room.

Michael followed them and was stopped by the female nurse. "Sir. You have to stay here. You can't go in." She said gently.

Michael shook his head. "I have to go in there, she needs me."

The nurse nodded. "I know sir. But you are not allowed there. Please stay right here and wait." With that, she led him to a chair and walked into the room where they brought Sam in.

Michael sank into a plastic chair, his heart beating wildly in fear that his sister might not make it.

* * * * * * * *

"Mr. Vaughn." Michael looked up and saw Dr. Willis looking at him in regret.

"No… no…" Michael whispered.

"We did everything we could… but… its like her body was rejecting the blood. She wants to see you. She doesn't have much longer." The doctor said remorsefully.

Michael nodded mutely and entered the room. Then, he saw her, the sister that he has grown to love over the few months that they were together. All the tubes were gone from her body, and she looked so fragile under the harsh hospital lights. He walked even closer, feeling as if he's going to burst into tears.

"Michael…" Sam whispered as she held up a small hand.

"I'm here." He whispered as he took her hand in his.

"So, I guess this is it." She said in a small voice.

Michael nodded.

"Please tell my mom that I love her so much… that I am so sorry for everything…" She said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"How could you smile? You're dying." He asked, confused.

"I've accepted it. There's nothing that I could do." She replied.

"Michael. I love you. Please, always remember that. I am so happy that you're my big brother – and I am so proud of you. I hope that you and Sydney would accomplish what you want to accomplish.

And most of all, thank you for accepting me as your sister. Thank you so much. Spending those few months with you were the best times of my life – I am so happy that I got to know you." Sam said in a soft voice.

Michael continued to look at her and felt his stomach drop to the floor when he saw her eyes start to flutter, as if she's fighting to keep them open. "I love you too, Sam." He whispered, clutching her hand tightly.

Sam grinned and squeezed his hand in response. "I love you. Goodbye."

Then, she closed her eyes, and her hand went limp.

Michael stared at his sister, now dead, and then rested his forehead against her arm, as he cried in earnest.