Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews! I've been having a little case of writers block and don't expect to see an update for "Innocence Interrupted" for a few days because of it! Enjoy this chapter, and please feel free to review!

Disclaimer: The characters of Alias are owned by ABC and it's associates, not I.





I get out of my car a few blocks away from the park around 8:50 and start to walk towards the entrance to the park. He didn't specify where to meet, just the park itself. He would find me, I guessed. I couldn't believe that I actually came. I toyed with the idea for two or three hours, but figured he would have already killed me by now if he wanted to.

It's a warm night in LA and the lights are brightening the walk in the park. I slowly walk down the main walkway and observe the little movement in the park. I glance in every direction, hoping to catch him off guard before he catches me. I am walking for a few minutes and glance down at my watch and observe it's 9pm exactly. So where's Sark?

I pause a second, thinking I hear something in the trees, but realize it's only a squirrel that runs across in front of me. I decide to sit down at the bench ahead, and wait for him to show up.

This was starting to resemble one of my CIA meetings with Vaughn. I desperately wanted to know if Sark knew about my double-agent status, but wasn't about to ask him. That'd go over well.

I turned away for one second, but when I looked back, Sark had sat down on the bench next to me.

"AH!" I screamed slightly. "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?" he asks in reply.

"Be sneaky, oh wait, you're always like that," I remark back at him.

"No need to get testy yet, Ms. Bristow, I'm the one who initiated this meeting," he tells me.

"Oh, trust me, I'm well aware. Which makes me want to know why?" I reply.

"Our mission, we are going on tomorrow," he says.

"Really? What about it?" he was actually starting to get me interested, but only a little.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and it caused a chill to run through my body. It seemed as if it had dropped 50 degrees in the matter of a minute.

"I wanted to make sure we were both ready," he starts.

"Is this what you brought me here for, because if it is, your little "you'll want to" over the phone isn't playing out," I forcefully tell him.

He starts to say something, but then seems to stop himself. I get up and start to walk away in a rather angry matter when I hear him get up from the bench and run over to me.

"What?" I say.

"How's your mother?" he asks me. This could not be good.

"I haven't seen my mother in 20 years, so I don't know," I reply to him.

"Let's be serious, Sydney, I know about you," he says. "I know the CIA has Irina and I'm not as stupid as you think I am. So don't try to act as if I am."

I stand there motionless for a second. You know how I just said I wanted to know if Sark knew I was a double, well, there you have it.

"So, what do you want from me?" I ask him.

"How's your mother?"

"Why do you care?" I ask him with a glare.

"It may be hard for you to believe, but she was a great mentor for me, and got me started," he says, acting as if she's like God.

"I don't need your sappy stories, Sark, now tell me, what you want from me?" I say.

"Why would you think I would want something?"

"What? Are you going to wait until I have done something you disliked to inform Sloane of my double status?" I angrily say to him. We were both at this point at an all out war.

"You think I would do that?" he asks me.

"Of course, you're a two-faced, lying, cocky kid I'd rather not have to deal with," I say harshly to his face.

He stops for a second, obviously hit by the words I've said, and takes a second and steps back. I was pretty awful to him.

"I'm sorry," I can only say. "That was very rude of me."

"How about we settle this in a little hand on hand?" he asks me, mischievously.

"I don't know, it's awful dark out," I say to him, trying to get out of it.

"What are you too afraid to fight the lying, cocky kid?" Sark says.

"Seriously, I said, I really didn't mean most of that," I say. Really, in actuality, I probably did.

He takes off his coat and lays it on the bench. I looked over at him in horror, actually thinking I was going to have to do this.

"What if someone walks by?" I ask him.

"Through a park at 9pm at night? I doubt that."

"Fine, but if you hurt me, you're the one without a partner for tomorrow."

He gives a cocky grin and he throws the first punch. We go back and forth for a little while and gently move into a clearing in the forest. It was dark, but the movements from our kicks and punches were invisible to any passing eye.

We continue to fight, and I had to admit, we were both giving each other a fair fight. We continue for a good while, when it ends up that he pins me up against a tree. We are both standing there, and his face his very close to mine. Part of me had the urge to just lean in and kiss him, but all the rest of me was saying it was wrong. He was obviously feeling the same way, and the awkward moment passes as he pulls away from me.

"Good fight," he says and begins to walk away. He is walking back towards the bench, when he obviously trips over a root in the ground and falls to the ground.

I rush over to him and say, "Are you okay?"

"My bloody ankle, that's all," he says. I lean down and take off his shoe to inspect his ankle. It did seem to be sprained or injured in some capacity.

"You know, Ms. Bristow, I can take care of myself," he says to me.

"You've hurt your ankle. At least let me take you to the hospital," I tell him.

"Sydney," he says, actually using my first name, "What would Sloane say if he say you bring me into the hospital?"

"I would make up some lame excuse that he always believes," I inform him.

"Seriously, I'll be fine," he says as he tries to get up, but is partially unsuccessful, so I start to help him up. I take both of his hands, and once we're level, we reach that awkward moment again.

This time, Sark doesn't obviously want to regret passing up the moment, and leans in and starts to kiss me. I don't pull away, probably to his surprise, mostly because it honestly felt right in some manner. After a minute, we both pull away when it's apparent his ankle is hurting.

"Here, at least sit down," I tell him.

"Alright," he finally says, giving in to my request.

"Can I at least take you home? Or call a doctor?" I ask him very gently. I had reason to despise the man, but I couldn't when he was in pain.

"Fine, I suppose."



I took him to my car and got him in the passenger seat comfortably. Neither of us brought up the kiss and I successfully brought him home. I got him out to his apartment, which was very nice, and he was experiencing a lot of pain through the whole ordeal.

I get him situated in a chair and start to ask, "What am I supposed to tell Sloane?"

"I'll deal with him," he says.

"Alright, well, it's getting late, and I have a mission to go on," I start saying as I almost make it to the door.

"Wait, Sydney," he says.

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for everything."





~Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear comments in a review~ Masquerade