Title: Angel Dark

Author: DOKChairman

Time: No particular time frame. Assume everything that has happened up to Counteragent is fair game.

Disclaimer: I do not own Alias. If I did, Dixon would actually appear in an episode this season, Marshall would be in practically every scene (that guy cracks me up so much), Sydney and Vaughn would at the very least admit that they have feelings for each other, and most importantly of all, Sydney would wear even less clothes than she usually does. Unfortunately for my bank account, J.J. Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, and ABC own Alias. I own nothing so don't sue me.

Pairing: This will be a Sydney/Vaughn piece. As if there's anything else.

Author's Note: I know that I said it would be awhile before I updated again, and honestly, I tried to space this apart, but for some reason right now I can't not write. The creative juices won't stop flowing and this story is all I can think about. But I'm trying. THIS will be the last update for awhile. As I mentioned earlier, I do have other stories that need attention, and I have neglected them in favor of this one. Look forward to a new chapter near Christmas time, no sooner.



Tiffany Greene looked over at the man to her right and asked for the third time that night, "Are you sure we can trust her?"

The man groaned in a self suffering way and responded in a voice laced with frustration. "Yes! I told you already that I trust her with my life."

The woman did not feel sorry for asking her question. "That's great for you Mikey, but as much as I love you, its not your life I'm worried about. The question I need answered is: can you trust her with my life?"

Michael Vaughn sighed and ran his hand stiffly through his hair. "If I thought for one second that your life would be in danger, we would not be sitting here. Just trust me on this Tif. I know Sydney Bristow better than she knows herself."

The woman turned her head back to face the front of the car, and made a quick survey of the street they were parked on. She was trying not to show how paranoid she was, but she wasn't doing a very good job. Which was strange, because to Vaughn, Tiffany Greene was the best actress he had ever seen. Not even Sydney could mask her feelings and immerse herself in a role as well as Tiffany could. It was one of the reasons why she had been such a great agent. That and the fact that she was drop dead gorgeous.

After seeing that the coast was clear, Tiffany turned her head back to face her companion. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about. It's a bit stalkerish don't you think?" She asked wryly. She tried not to smile, but she had never been able to mask herself very well when she was around Michael. He just knew her too well.

Vaughn responded defensively, "Hey! I was her handler. It was my job to know everything about her."

Tiffany laughed at Vaughn's reaction. "Relax Mikey, I'm just giving you a hard time. You know how much I love yankin' your chain."

Vaughn snorted in response. It wasn't much of a come back, he knew, but he had never been one for the witty one liners. He tended to leave that up to Tiffany, who had been the designated jokester of their little family. Besides, he liked to use more subtle, clandestine means in getting his revenge.

A comfortable silence overcame the two, until Tiffany decided to break it. She was never silent for very long. There was a question Tiffany desperately wanted answered. "Why her?"

Vaughn looked at Tiffany with confusion written plainly across his face. "Huh?" He asked.

Tiffany quickly turned and waved her hand in a sweeping motion, including Sydney's house that was half a block away. Again she asked, "Why her? Why Sydney Bristow? What makes her different than all the Alices, Mollys, and Diannes?"

Understanding dawned in Vaughn's mind. He shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know. There is something about her that is just so...amazing. Its hard to describe."

That was not what Tiffany wanted to hear. "Is it because she's beautiful? Because your not such a bad looking guy yourself.. It can't be because she's the only hot girl around."

Vaughn looked at Tiffany disappointedly. "Give me a little more credit Tif. You know I'm not like that."

Tiffany growled out, "Then what is it?"

Vaughn set her question to the side and asked, "Why the hell are you so interested? You've never wanted to know about my love life in the past."

"That's because my life has never depended on knowing who you were in love with in the past. I need to know if your letting your feelings for Sydney cloud your judgement." Tiffany practically shouted at Vaughn.

Vaughn stared at Tiffany in shock. He had forgotten how fast the two of them could go from peaceable conversation to no holds barred shouting matches. Crying indignantly, he said, "When have I ever let my feelings for somebody affect the way I handle a mission." Vaugnh cringed after his retort. What he had said was definitely not the truth. He had let his feelings for Sydney affect his judgment on multiple occasions; Tiffany just didn't need to know that.

Tiffany let out a chuckle and said, "Do I even have to bring up that Italian girl in Rome?"

Vaughn felt heat flood his face and he blushed a deep shade of red. That was something he had hoped would never be brought up again. "You promised me that you would never ever mention her again!"

Tiffany shrugged her shoulders in amusement and smiled at Vaughn. "What can I say? I guess I lied."

Vaughn was still embarrassed. "That was a one-time deal only, and I've never let it happen again. I learned my lesson the first time. Now let's move on and never speak of it again."

Tiffany chuckled liltingly. "Seriously Vaughn, I want to know."

Vaughn sighed. "I don't know what to tell you. She's Sydney." Vaughn said Sydney's name like it was an all encompassing description.

Tiffany replied sarcastically, "Oh she's Sydney. Well that explains that." She then blatantly rolled her eyes.

Vaughn groaned in frustration. He did not want to have this conversation. He couldn't even explain to himself why he felt the way he did about Sydney, let alone to someone who was a complete outsider to the situation.

For some reason though, a part of him wanted to tell Tiffany how he felt about his agent. For once, he could talk to someone who would not judge him on his feelings, or condemn him for violating protocol. He had been bottling up how he felt for so long, that it was really starting to make him miserable. Besides, describing his feelings might help him understand them as well. While he knew he certainly had very strong feelings for Sydney, he wasn't completely convinced yet that he was in love with her.

Hoping to give the impression of having his reasons forced out of him, instead of conveying the therapeutic feelings that it was really creating, Vaughn frowned and said harshly, "Fine! I'll tell you. But you have to promise me that what I say will never leave this car. I mean it this time Tif. No repeat of the Rome thing."

Tiffany gave a tiny nod and said, "I promise Mikey. Cross my heart and hope to die."

Satisfied with her response, Vaughn settled into his chair to elucidate on his feelings. "I don't know how to really begin. Is it because she's beautiful? I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that that's not a part of it, but its certainly not everything. She's extremely intelligent, and you know how much I love smart women. She is the most strong willed person I have ever met. And she has this underlying sense of vulnerability that is very endearing, despite the fact that she can incapacitate a man twice her size in less than ten seconds. She is fiercly loyal and protective of her friends, which is something I can definitely relate to." Vaughn gave Tiffany a small grin, and Tiffany returned the gesture.

Vaughn continued on, "In short, she's just more amazing than any other woman that I have ever met."

Tiffany's eyes sparkled. "Wow. You make her sound like she's the second coming or something."

Vaughn blushed. He said sheepishly, "Sorry I got a little carried away, but when it comes to Sydney I tend to lose my head."

Tiffany snorted and said, "I can tell. Which kind of reinforces my earlier fears. That maybe your seeing this whole situation through Sydney colored glasses."

"Look. I know that it may sound like I'm saying that Sydney is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but do you honestly think that I would risk both our lives just so that I could see her again. Hell, I've waited a month already. If I didn't care about the consequences, I would have rushed to see her weeks ago."

Tiffany sighed. "I know Vaughn. I do trust you. Its just that after seeing Krugar get gunned down less than twenty feet from me, I tend to get a little suspicious of just about everyone. I'm half-expecting some whacked out crazies to come gunning for me every time I turn a corner. I mean look at what happened to you."

Vaughn unconsciously moved his left hand up to his right shoulder and lightly rubbed it. His shoulder still hurt after a month of healing. "You don't have to remind me Tif. If it wasn't for you, I'd be nothing more than a star on a marble wall."

Tiffany smiled indulgently at Vaughn and patted him on his head. "Ahhhh. I wasn't about to let my favorite man die, was I?"

Vaughn slapped her hand away and gave her a pained look. Vaughn was about to retort when he noticed Sydney's front door open. Both Tiffany and Vaughn went instantly on alert, and Tiffany poised herself to start the car.

Still keeping her eyes forward, Tiffany said, "We'll wait five minutes to see if anyone is tailing her, and then we'll go."

Vaughn nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't help but feel excited. It had been an excruciatingly long month, and not seeing Sydney had made it more painful than he could ever imagine. He couldn't count the number of times that he had wanted to just pick up a phone and call her. To hear her voice. To tell her that he was in fact alive. But he couldn't. To do so would put his life at risk, and the life of the woman sitting next to him. It was only now, after certain steps had been taken and certain continency plans put in place, could he risk seeing Sydney. Even so, he knew he was taking a big chance.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Sydney, because he did, wholeheartedly, but things had been too hot earlier to do anything. He knew that the people who were after him suspected that he was still alive, but they didn't have any proof. There had always been a chance that Sydney could accidently let slip that he was alive, and that would have been disastrous. Now, it wasn't so much of a problem. Vaughn was more ready to move out in the open now that he was healed.

Vaughn felt the car start, and Tiffany pulled out onto the street. Now that they were underway, Vaughn could focus solely on what he was going to tell Sydney. That and praying that she wouldn't be extremely pissed at him for making her think he was dead.



Sydney wrapped her coat tighter around her body as she shuddered. It was an unusually cold night for Los Angeles, although Sydney attributed it to the supposed weather front that was moving in from the Pacific. All that it really meant was that she would have to start wearing warmer clothes. It was no big inconvenience.

Sydney lifted her arm up to check her watch and when she noticed the time she frowned. Whoever had sent her that package was already ten minutes late. Naturally, of course, she was hoping beyond hope that Vaughn had sent the package, but she had prepared herself for the reality that this whole set up was nothing more than an elaborate hoax. Perpetrated by who, she had no idea. One thing was for sure though, she was going to find out. And when she did, there was going to be hell to pay.

Sydney could take some comfort in the knowledge that the things said in the note and the angel necklace were things only she and Vaughn would really understand. The pier could be explainable, but the necklace was not. She was pretty sure she had only called Vaughn her guardian angel one time in front of other people, and she seriously doubted that the CIA tech guys would be doing this to her.

If Vaughn was alive, she didn't know what she would do. She would be happy to see him of course. She would probably even cry. But after the feelings of relief had passed, she was unsure of how she would react. Would she be angry and hurt that Vaughn had kept from her the fact that he was alive for so long? Would she demand an explanation? Would she cause serious physical pain to the man for making her life a downright living hell for an entire month? The answer to all those questions were more than likely a resounding yes.

But first, she needed to find him. She checked her watch and noticed that another five minutes had passed. It was now 12:15. If the person was Vaughn, she thought, he was acting totally out of character. She had never known Vaughn to be late for anything in his life.

Sydney decided that she would wait fifteen more minutes. If whoever didn't show up by then, she was going home. Sydney looked passed the pier she was standing on and stared at the moonlight reflecting off the ocean's surface.

Another five minutes passed, and Sydney was starting to accept the fact that nobody was coming. That was until she heard the sound of feet running on payment. Looking toward the direction of the approaching footfalls quickly, Sydney futilely tried to reign in her excitement.

Unfortunately, as she had been expecting, the owner of those feet wasn't Vaughn. In fact, the person running toward her was decidedly female. On first glance, Sydney would have passed off the black haired woman walking toward her as nothing more than a runner. She certainly looked the part. From what Sydney could see through the fog and the dark, the woman was wearing a pair of slightly baggy jogging pants, a hooded sweatshirt with the logo of the Kings on the front, and a pair of running shoes.

However, despite her appearance, she did not give off the persona of a woman out for a run. Who runs at 12:20 at night anyway? Sydney wondered. Something about the woman was screaming out to Sydney to pay attention.

As the woman got closer, she slowed down. When she was less than five feet from Sydney, she stopped altogether. Before Sydney could ask what was going on, the woman spoke up. When she did, her voice was even and business like. "Sydney Bristow?"

Surprised that the woman knew her name, Sydney could only nod her head. It seemed like this was the person who had sent her the package.

The woman pulled a small electronic device out of the front pouch of her sweatshirt and asked, "Do you mind?" Sydney instantly recognized the device and gave the woman her assent. The woman efficiently ran the device over Sydney's body, checking for bugs. When the scan came up with nothing, the woman put the device back into her pouch and relaxed.

The woman grinned at Sydney. "Sorry. You can never be to careful."

"I understand." Sydney paused and then added angrily, "Who the hell are you?"

The woman just grinned and stuck out her hand. "Name's Tiffany Greene."

Sydney looked warily at the proffered hand, and after awhile of staring at it, she hesitantly shook it. That was when the woman's name registered. "Wait. Did you say your name was Tiffany Greene?"

"Yep. So you've heard of me huh? I wonder why Mikey never said anything about that."

"Yes. I overheard a conversation that involved you... and did you just say that you know Michael Vaughn?" Sydney asked excitedly.

Tiffany snorted in amusement. "Do I know Michael Vaughn? Vaughn and I are like family."

Sydney was growing even more excited by the second. Tiffany was talking in the present tense, which meant that Vaughn had to be alive. Either that or the woman in front of her was crazy or lying. Sydney desperately wanted to believe that her first thought was true.

"Is he alive?" Sydney asked hopefully.

Tiffany hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Yes."

One word was all it took to make Sydney grab hold of the railing next to her. It was all that was keeping her standing. Tears started to build in her eyes, and she got all choked up. "Where is he?"

A voice from behind her answered her question softly. "I'm right here Syd."

Sydney spun around so fast that her hair went whipping in the air. When she saw Michael Vaughn in front of her, she gasped audibly and felt her control over her tears slipping. Vaughn saw the state she was in, and feeling unable to stop himself, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

Sydney clung onto Vaughn like he was a lifeline to her sanity, which in fact he was. Knowing that he was alive, instantly made her feel better and made her think that things in the world were now in their proper place.

Vaughn, for his part, wrapped his arms tighter around Sydney and murmured incomprehensible words into her ear. His tone was soothing and soon Sydney had calmed down enough to look up at Vaughn. To both their surprise, a few tears could be seen in Vaughn's eyes as well. He hadn't even been aware he was crying.

Laughing embarrassingly, Vaughn quickly dried his eyes and tried to take a step backwards, but Sydney wouldn't let him. She was still holding on to him with an iron grip.

Kindly, Vaughn said. "Sydney, I know that this is an emotional moment right now, but now is not the time."

It hurt Vaughn to see the heartbroken look on Sydney's face, but he had to stay focused. His purpose was to tell Sydney everything that had happened, not ball his eyes out. Talk about unprofessional behavior.

"What's wrong Vaughn? Why are you alive? Why did you wait so long to tell me?" All sorts of questions started rapidly exploding out of Sydney's mouth.

"Those are all good questions Syd, and I hope to tell you all the answers." Vaughn was suddenly hit with a case of apprehension and nervousness. For the first time, he was questioning whether or not to tell Sydney what was going on. A great time to have second thoughts you moron, Vaughn berated himself. Telling Sydney would only put her in danger and add even more complications to her overly complicated life. However, one look at the determined look on Sydney's face washed away any reluctance he might have had. He knew that look. It was a look that said either you tell me or I'll find out on my own and when I do, you'll pay for not telling me sooner.

"Well Vaughn, what are they?" Sydney was getting impatient waiting for Vaughn to say something.

Vaugnh laughed at her attitude. Apparently that was the wrong thing to do, because Sydney got even more angry and impatient. Warningly, she said, "Vaughn." Vaughn instantly heard the implied threat in her saying of his name.

"I did what I had to do Syd. There are people who are looking to kill me, and making them think that I was dead was the only way to get them off my back for a little while. Unfortunately, that meant I had to let everyone think that I was dead. Including you." Vaughn finally started explaining.

Sydney said painfully, "But why a month? Do you have any idea of the hell you've put me through?"

"Yes. Yes I do Syd. The same hell I've been going through too." Vaughn said seriously.

Sydney looked at Vaughn's green eyes and saw the pain and desperation she was feeling reflected in his haunted gaze. Sydney instantly felt guilty. Here she was thinking of only herself, when Vaughn had obviously been fighting for his life. A sudden urge to hug Vaughn again came over her, but this time she restrained herself.

"Why are people trying to kill you Vaughn? What the hell is going on?"

Vaughn sighed. "Its complicated Sydney. I want to tell you, and don't worry I will, but you have to give me time. It involves a part of my past that I don't like to think about."

Sydney allowed herself to be placated by his words. She could certainly understand his reluctance to reflect on his past. She certainly hated to think about hers. She preferred to think of the future, where she and Vaughn wouldn't have to meet on a secluded pier at midnight in order to have a simple conversation.

"Alright, Vaughn, I can accept that you need your time. What I don't understand is if people are trying to kill you, then why don't you go to the CIA? Surely they should be able to protect you."

Vaughn sighed again and then said ominously, "Unfortunately Syd, its not that easy. The reason I can't go to the CIA is because the CIA are the ones who are trying to kill me."

To be continued.....................



P.S. Thanks to the reviews, my shakes have stopped and I have become blissfully unaware of the rest of the world. Ooooo, look at all the pretty colors. Anyway, I have some not so serious topics to bring up with you. A) What do you think of Tiffany Greene? I have major plans for her, as she is to become a main character. Well maybe. And for all of you out there worrying, no she is not a Mary Sue. I have plans for her that you will probably never think of in a million years. Well maybe not a million, but you get the idea. B) I would be more than happy to hear any story ideas/thoughts/opinions. I like to think of myself as an interactive author, as my other stories will showcase, and I tend to take reader suggestions seriously. C) This may seem off the wall, but I'm curious to know how many of my readers are female? Don't ask why I want to know, I have my reasons. If you don't feel like answering, that's fine, I don't care. I'm just trying to conduct a little sociological survey.