Trust

Sorry for my lack of updates, this chapter was being mean. Like it was pushing me around and I was all, "Dude, back off!" And then chapter 5 was like, "Make me punk!" It was pretty bad.

If I owned Alias then I'd probably have a private masseuse. A big strong sexy British guy, yowza!
Chapter 5

Sydney awoke and found her surroundings very different. She wasn't on the cramped helicopter she remembered, she was on a huge, luxurious plane and lying on a bed. A nice cushy bed. She got off the bed and left the small room, walking quietly and inspecting everything around her. She found her mother sitting on a large leather couch reading a worn novel.

"We are somewhere over the North Atlantic. You slept straight through our switch in Canada and our quick stop in South Carolina. Tired?" Irina looked up for the first time.

"I suppose I was." Sydney sat down next to Irina on the couch, "I haven't been sleeping well lately and I guess my body couldn't take it anymore. I kept thinking about them torturing daddy and Vaughn. And then the idea makes me cry or imagine the ways they cold hurt them. I keep seeing daddy lying on the table in SD-6 with that sick man electrocuting him. The idea of it hurts. Ad then I imagine Michael and my heart hurts. The idea of him being hurt like that is too much to bear." She burst into tears suddenly and Irina wasn't sure how to react.

Tentatively she stroked her hair and eased Sydney's tearful face onto her shoulder, "It'll be alright. I'm sure they won't use electroshock on your father or Vaughn. They don't need information from them, they're captives to get your attention."

The tears eventually subsided and oddly enough Sydney was comforted by her mothers awkward words. It was sick that the sense that logic was the only thing keeping her sane.

~*~

London, England

They finally landed, hours later. Sydney stepped off the plane and her entire body ached. She was used to flying, but this was too much.

Irina had dragged Sydney into a car as soon as they had arrived on the tarmac (I really love that word. It's so much fun!). As soon as Sydney had a chance to breath, she turned to her mother and demanded an explanation.

"Calm down. We're heading to a small estate I have here." Irina glanced at her watch, "We should arrive in about half an hour."

"Wait, why are we staying at one of you estates? Is that the best idea? After all doesn't the CIA know all your hiding places?" Sydney started getting jittery.

"Sydney, you know as well as I do that I'm not stupid enough to give the CIA all my hiding spots. I gave them a little, they gave me a little. Most of my accounts and estates are quite safe." Irina shifted in her chair.

Sydney was silent and felt a little foolish, before she could say anything her phone rang. Irina looked at her questioningly, "I didn't bring it with me." Sydney reached into her pocket and pulled out an unfamiliar phone, she picked it up tentatively, "Hello?"

"Ms. Bristow." The familiar and annoying distorted voice said calmly.

"How did you--"

"Don't bother. I have my ways. When we hang up you will travel to a phone booth on Portobello Road. You need to go into the one that says "out of order" You will find a package there with a bomb. If you don't get it within the next 15 minutes the entire block will explode. Starting now, have fun." The line went dead.

"We need to get to Portobello Road, NOW." Sydney demanded.

The driver looked back to Irina for instructions and she glared, "If she says go, then GO!" And they were off.

Sydney kept checking her watch as she explained what had happened, "We only have 5 minutes, can you go any faster?" She demanded.

"We're almost there madam." The driver stopped in the middle of a crowded street, "Ma'am?"

Sydney practically tore out of the car and ran in one direction. Irina stepped out and walked straight towards the first phone booth. She stepped inside and began deactivating the bomb. Her watch beeped seconds after she finished. She looked up from her spot on the ground and saw Sydney running around the street like a madwoman. Grabbing the manila folder stuck to the wall, she exited the booth and called her daughters name.

Sydney ran over, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the folder in her mother's hand, "How did you find it so quickly?"

"There was a big 'Out of Order' sign on the window. It was a good hint." Irina got into the car and Sydney followed.

~*~

Irina's Estate. . .

Sydney had laid all the material on one of Irina's massive tables and was going over them. Irina walked in with the tea she had gone to make and set it aside.

"So, do you have a plan yet?" Irina poured herself a cup of tea.

"Well there are five pieces of art, a painting, a vase, a figurine, a portrait, and a book. They're scattered in five fun locations. The painting is in the Louvre, the vase the London home of an art collector, the figurine is in a small gallery in Italy, the portrait is at an auction house in Spain and the book belongs in a private collection housed in France." Sydney pulled out a map and made small marks on each of the locations.

"Well, it would be easiest if we did the break-ins in order, the London home, then France, then Italy and finally Spain. That way we wouldn't have to backtrack." Irina observed.

"Well here's the problem with that. Our instructions are very specific. We have to go in a certain order for god knows what reason. The painting, the vase, figurine, the portrait then the book. They must form something when assembled."

"That does form a problem. What else was in the letter?" Irina offered Sydney a cup of tea.

"No, thank you though. It was a timetable. Whoever planned this, planned it well. We have enough time to stake out the house, break-in, and leave then be at the next location in 24 hours. It's absurd. This sort of planning would take weeks, months even!" Sydney threw her body down on one of Irina's many plush chairs. She sunk into it and closed her eyes for a moment. Just a moment of silence to think about what would happen when she got Michael back.

Irina looked over the information and glanced at her watch, "Sydney, we have to leave for Paris in about three hours. We need to make a plan."

Sydney sighed, "Well we have to do the break-in at night. But, this will be impossible. I don't think it will be easy to steal something from one of the largest museums in the world. (I'm not sure but I think that the Louvre is the largest museum in the world, anyone know?) It's going to be impossible to get in and then we have to deal with getting out. But, I think if anyone can pull this off it's got to be us."

Irina smiled wryly and Sydney smiled back, "It's good to know that you have faith in our skills."

"Hey, you've been doing this for a long time and so have I. I think we will make a marvelous team. Besides, if we get caught at least we'll be in a French jail. I don't think that the CIA and FBI are too happy with us right now."

Irina shook her head, "No, I suppose not. Well, we should eat something, shower and maybe get something to wear. How does that sound?"

Sydney nodded in agreement, "Sounds good. I think I'll call Will and let him know that I got here ok."

"There's a secure line in there," Irina pointed to a doorway.

"Thanks." Sydney walked towards the room and stopped, "Where can I go to get changed and shower and whatnot?"

"When you enter the eastern living room there's a staircase next to the bookshelf, go up it and follow the hallways until you reach the first room on the left. Your bags are in there and there should be some clean towels in the bathroom."

Sydney nodded and made her way into what she assumed to be the eastern living room, briefly wondering if there was a western, northern and southern one too. Dialing the area code and the familiar number home, she waited as the phone rang. She glanced at her watch and calculated it was about 6 in the afternoon over there.

"Hello?" Francie answered the phone in the monotone voice she had adopted lately.

"Hey Francie, it's me."

"Hi, Will told me that you had another job for work. How are things going?"

It was Francie, but it just didn't feel like her. Something was off and she couldn't place it. Will had mentioned it a few days ago too, "Things are going. I was wondering if Will was around. I needed to talk to him about something."

"Yeah, let me get him." She heard shuffling in the background and waited until Will picked up the phone.

"Hey."

"I just wanted to let you know that I got here alright and I was wondering if there were any messages for me?" Sydney hoped that Will knew she was asking about CIA visitors or calls.

"Um, someone from work stopped by. They were just curious to know when you would be back. A friend I think."

Ok, good Will Tippin wasn't an idiot, "And you told them you weren't sure?"

"Well yeah, I don't know when you'll be back. Where are you anyway?"

"Oh, look at the time. I gotta go. I'll call you in a few days." She hung up the phone feeling a little bad. But, knowing the CIA they could easily have taped the phones. She stopped to look for the staircase and looked around the room. Simple décor, dark red walls, two bookcases that take up most of the wall space, a dark red leather couch in the center with huge matching chairs surrounding it, the room was so simple, yet elegant. She made her way up the stairs and smiled as she felt the dark cherry wood furnishing, smooth underneath her hand. It was an oddly relaxing feeling. She reached the hallway, and found the room her mother had set up for her easily.

"Wow." Was the only thing she could think of as she walked in. A huge canopy bed with a midnight blue comforter and pale blue sheets stood in the center of the room, a huge bureau and a vanity table stood to the right of the bed against the wall, the walls were deep blue and the windows were draped with a gauzy white fabric. Her suitcase and duffle bag sat on the floor near a walk-in closet. She closed the door and grabbed her duffle bag. She pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a tank top and made her way to the bathroom.

The bathroom was almost as big as the room, a huge bathtub, big enough for two, she noted, a huge shower, a linen closet, another vanity table and a double sink. Sydney walked over to the tub and turned the water on, plugging it and pouring a generous amount of bubbles in she stripped. It had been too long since she'd had time to relax in a bath. The last time was when Vaughn had. . . She shook the thoughts out of her mind as she settled in. He wouldn't want her to be upset. She needed to focus on finding him and feeling sorry for herself and damning whoever kidnapped him and her father was not going to help.

~*~

She finished the bath without thinking and made her way downstairs less then half an hour later. She found the kitchen after a few minutes of searching and saw her mother sitting on a stool in the center of the kitchen by an island. She went to walk in and saw something that made her heart stop. Her mother was crying. Crying. Irina Derevako, KGB assassin, crying. She stood in the doorway watching her, she noted that she was staring at a picture.

"It's the only one I have." Irina said suddenly.

Sydney nearly jumped, she hadn't realized that her mother had known she was there, "Only one what?"

"This is the only picture I have of my family." Irina motioned for Sydney to join her and Sydney sat at the stool next to her, "When Laura 'died', I couldn't take anything with me. It would seem too obvious. So, before I left I had a copy made of the family photo we took that Christmas. I took it with me and it's the only tangible thing I have left of my life. I take it with me everywhere." Irina stopped for a moment and wiped the tears from her face, "I'm a fool."

"No, you're not." Sydney looked at her mother with honesty shining from her eyes, "When you came back I thought that you couldn't feel anything but hate and evil. It was all some plot to get what you wanted. But, now, I don't think that was right. You really did love daddy, didn't you?"

"I still do. More then I ever thought possible. If we don't get him back I don't know what I'll do." Irina said, her words hung in the air.

~*~

I'm not really sure about this chapter and it keeps annoying me that I continue to have Sydney mope about Vaughn and be sort of eh about Jack, but I tried to make it so she was upset about both of them and not really like not to caring about Jack.

Please, let me know what you think! I crave reviews. Like I crave Denny's. Mmmm, Denny's.