Happy Families

Rating: PG. Action and some violence (guns are used) in the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own either the show or any characters I've used for this story.

Feedback: Any thoughts about this story will be most gratefully received!

Summary: Irina has yet another secret to reveal to Sydney. And Sydney is sure Vaughn is dead

Author's Note: Set directly after ATY. I know, I'm sorry! Yet another post ATY fan-fic, but I hope it's a bit different. Also the story does cut quickly between characters, but I'm trying to describe what happens to each of the characters in the same time period.

Thanks for reading this!

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Sydney shifted in her chair, but only succeeded in making the plastic tie dig even deeper into her wrists. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief. Irina walked out of the shadows and stood in front of Sydney.

'Is my mother really standing in front of me?' she thought to herself.

"I know so much about your life Sydney. I have been carefully watching from a distance." Her mother sat down in the chair Khasinau had been sitting in.

"How?" was all Sydney managed to think of.

"That isn't important, but I do have something new to share with you. Something only I know about."

~~~

Will held onto Jack as tightly as he could. He was the first friendly face he had seen in hours and after the torture he had endured, he never thought he would actually be standing there. Will only let go of Jack when he heard him say,

"It'll be okay now." Jack looked at Will's bleeding mouth and felt sorry for him, imagining the pain he was in. Jack gently took Will's arm and guided him back to the van, helping him sit in one of the seats. Jack got into the driver's seat and looked at the clock on the dashboard. Sydney was already 20 minutes late. Her task had been pretty straightforward. Even if the guards did get in the way, he was sure she was more than capable of dealing with them, he mused.

"Jack?" Will finally asked.

"Yes."

"Why are we still here?" Will mumbled. He desperately wanted to go home, to return to safety and pretend it was all a horrible nightmare.

"Waiting." Jack replied.

"Waiting for what?"

"For Sydney." He said looking at the clock once again.

~~~

Sark got in his car with the Rambaldi document safely in his possession. He was pleased that the exchange had gone so smoothly. He knew that Sydney Bristow was predictable enough to put her friends before anything else, even her own safety.

'It was almost too easy.' He smugly thought. The driver of his car started the engine to set off. At that moment his cell phone rang. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and he made no reply, listening only to what was said to him.

"Drive faster." He called out to the driver after his phone call ended. He wondered what was so urgent that he was needed immediately.

~~~

Vaughn knew that every second he spent under water was another second that would guarantee his death. 'I need a way out of here.' He thought. He managed to shrug his long leather coat off and swam up to the ceiling. He began to try each ceiling tile, hoping that one would give way or perhaps that the water would force it open.

He quickly worked his way down the long corridor finally able to push one of the ceiling sections away and pulled himself free from the water. He then collapsed gasping for air, but grateful he was alive.

~~~

"What can you possibly tell me about that I don't already know?" Sydney said already angry she was imprisoned and getting even angrier by the second.

"A reunion." Irina replied.

Sydney wasn't in the mood for cryptic answers and so wriggled around in her chair, trying to force her hands out of the binding.

"It's no use Sydney. You won't be able to escape." Her mother said studying her daughter's actions.

"And you're the expert at escaping from seemingly impossible situations aren't you?" Sydney retorted.

"Just wait." Her mother simply said.

~~~

Sark's car stopped outside the club and was greeted by Khasinau.

"I have the document, the instructions are on it." Sark handed the paper to Khasinau.

"We have a problem. The circumference was destroyed, but that is not why I called you. There is another situation you have to deal with first. Come with me."

Sark followed Khasinau to the room where Sydney and Irina were.

"Go inside. Sydney Bristow is being held there."

~~~

Vaughn crawled along the gap above the ceiling. It was only now that he felt a deep excruciating pain all along his right leg and had an awful headache to match. He knew that if he stopped he would probably get caught. He just wanted to escape and he decided he'd deal with the pain later. He continued to slowly move back towards the direction of the club, hampered by his bad leg. The last image he had of Sydney's face kept him moving. He hoped that Sydney had fled and was with Jack at the meeting point.

~~~~

"Vaughn?!" Sydney whispered when she saw the figure of a man dressed in black standing in the doorway. She had to blink back the tears when she realised it was Sark. Sark was surprised not only to see Sydney with blue hair, but another woman sitting opposite her, a woman he had never seen before.

"Sydney Bristow. I finally get to introduce myself properly." He said to Sydney.

"What have you done with Will?" she shouted.

"Don't worry. He's safe, but missing a few teeth. Your father is with him now." Sark answered. "Now the pleasantries are over with, I'm sure we'd both like to know what we're doing here." he added.

Irina stood up and handed the chair to Sark. " Sit down."

"Please untie me." Sydney pleaded. She hoped that she could appeal to Irina's maternal side.

"Very well..." Irina said as she cut Sydney's hands free. Sydney rubbed her wrists and let her hands fall limply in her lap. "now, I can begin to explain."

Sark took the chair and moved it so he was sat next to Sydney. Irina smiled at them both. Sydney shuddered when she remembered the last time her mother had smiled at her like that.

"Do you know who I am?" Irina asked Sark.

"Should I?" Sark replied a little impatiently.

"I am Sydney's mother."

'Ha! 'Mother!' Sydney almost laughed out loud. As far as Sydney was concerned, she had stopped being her mother a long time ago.

"You're Irina Derevko?!" Sark said in astonishment. "Of course." He could now see the facial resemblance between the two women.

"When I was recalled back by the KGB I had to escape before the CIA could catch me. They already guessed the truth about me so that is why the 'accident' was faked."

"Did you think that the CIA wouldn't mind that you killed so many of their agents?" Sydney asked.

Irina ignored her sarcastic comment.

"What hardly anyone knows is that I discovered about a month later that I was pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Sydney repeated incredulously. It was taking time to adjust to hearing the truth from Irina.

"I had a son. Jack Bristow is your father." She said looking at Sark. Without giving him a chance to respond, she continued, "I gave birth while I was still in hiding, so friends of mine in London adopted you while I resumed active duty. I eventually left the KGB and I then had you recruited by Khasinau." Irina waited for the information to sink in. Sark stared at her in shock at her stunning revelation.

However Sydney couldn't care less about the little family reunion her mother had so carefully arranged. The only thing that was holding her attention was the gun partially hidden in Sark's waistband.