A Can Of Worms

Disclaimer: I don't own Alias, never will. But if Alias ever comes out with a character named Amanda I'm suing. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

"He seems so *angry* all the time," Amanda tells Sydney. "Anytime he's spoken to me in two days he's been mad. This afternoon he came home practically screaming at me because he thought I talked to Kendall about him seeing Barnett. I would *never* do that," she emphasizes.

"Why not?" Sydney asks. "Some conflict with her?"

"Sort of. On the third mission I was sent on, I was captured. I was held for three days before Kendall sent Michael to extract me. I was so scared. I was only 23. All the way back to the states, I couldn't stop shaking and crying. Looking back, nothing they did was so terrible. They only kicked me around a little; I came out of it with a few mild bruises. But they kept waving this gun around at me. I've been terrified of guns since I was a kid," she admits, "My older brother was shot by mistake by a hunter when I was six. I had to see Barnett for an hour every day when I got back. It was so *hard* for me to tell her anything. I wouldn't put anyone through that." Amanda's hands start to tremble slightly at the memory.

"I know," Sydney agrees. "But sometimes it's necessary."

"He has an appointment with her first thing in the morning."

Sydney's eyes widen angrily. Just minutes before Amanda arrived she talked with Kendall. He had told her to meet with Barnett early tomorrow.

"Kendall! He did this, he knew!" she mutters loudly. "He told me to be there at the same time!" she spits at the startled woman in front of her.

"Michael's not going to like this," is all Amanda can manage to say.

Sydney calms herself and returns to her seat, which she had vacated when she realized what Kendall had done, before she says anything.

"Don't tell him."

"What?" Amanda asks incredulously.

"Don't tell him. Look, he'll never think you knew about this, and if he knows he won't come. This is the only way I'll get to talk to him. I think he's afraid to come near me now. I'm sure the fact that I could kick his ass in a fight doesn't help much either," she adds with a smirk.

To her surprise, Amanda smiles.

"Okay, Sydney, but if he kills me for it you're an accessory to murder," Amanda makes a pitiful attempt at humor.

"That's not funny. But if he gives a reason to *get* murdered, I get first shot," Sydney mutters, her attempt no more successful.

Will stands in the kitchen about to fall over in a dead faint. Amanda and Sydney are actually getting along? Women, he mumbles to himself. He mentally adds that he hopes Vaughn doesn't find out any of the three of them know that his session isn't just *about* Sydney, but *with* her.

He walks quietly into the den. He notices immediately that the women do not wear expressions of friendship; their countenances are more that of two people with common goals.

"Ahem," Will clears his throat loudly, "Could you come in the kitchen Sydney? It'll only take a minute."

"Sure," she says easily. "What?" she asks as the swinging kitchen door closes behind them.

"Um, I was making spaghetti for supper. Do you mind if Amanda stays? I mean, it's getting late, and we're friends, sort of…" He trails off, waiting for Sydney's reply.

"That's fine." Sydney grins mischievously. "You know, I could take her down if I wanted, she's too nervous. But I'm not going to do that, Will, I'll be civilized," she says, deliberately planting that little seed of doubt in his mind.

At the expense of her fun, Will sees right through her teasing.

"Okay, but don't say things like that around people. They might lock you up in a mental facility somewhere," Will grumbles playfully as they walk out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Amanda, want to stay to eat?" He is surprised to see her eyes dart to Sydney, who is standing behind him in the doorway, before she looks back to him.

"It's fine with me," Sydney says, keeping her promise to be civil.

"No, thanks, Michael's waiting for me at home. I have chicken in the oven. I better get going," she says, rising quickly.

"Too bad. Some other time?" Will asks.

She glances at Sydney before answering.

"May be." But not while she's here.

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This is going to be a disaster, Vaughn thinks as he knocks on Barnett's door.

"Come in," Barnett calls.

He opens the door and takes a step inside.

Correction. This is going to be the end of the world, he adds.

Sydney Bristow is seated on one end of the couch across from Barnett. She doesn't seem upset or surprised by his arrival. In fact, she seems to have been expecting it.

It takes everything Sydney has not to grin like an evil little imp from the Wizard of Oz when Vaughn walks through the door. The look on his face is *priceless*.

"Did I come at the wrong time?" he asks hopefully.

"No, you're right on time, Agent Vaughn," Barnett says in her generically content voice. "Please take a seat and we'll begin." she gestures at the couch.

He plops down reluctantly.

"You seem a great deal more surprised at this arrangement that Agent Bristow. Care to elaborate on why this may be?" Barnett directs the question to both of them.

"She knew," Vaughn says simply.

"Sydney?" Barnett raises her eyebrows like question marks.

"How might I have known, *Agent* Vaughn?" she asks in a falsely sweet voice. For some reason, she revels in the glare he shoots her way.

"I don't know. Kendall? Amanda? Or may be the agency saw fit to inform *you* of this little detail?" The sharp edge in his voice hurts him more than it could ever hurt her.

Sydney shakes her head and suppresses a grin. She's getting some twisted pleasure out of toying with him.

"I was no more informed of this than you were," she says vaguely.

"So," Barnett says, interrupting the stalled debate, "Let's get to the reason you're here. I suspect you've both taken steps to avoid the other?"

They both shrug and suddenly find the light beige carpet immensely interesting.

"So, who wants to begin?"

"What do we begin with?" Sydney asks.

"Whatever you want. Where ever you feel your story should begin," Barnett coaxes subtly.

Sydney sighs, realizing she's trapped herself.

"I'll start," she mumbles.

Barnett nods her consent.

"I guess it all started for me the moment I saw the ring on his finger," she says, talking as if Vaughn isn't even in the room. "He was willing to explain things for me, but, the way he explained it just…I just couldn't handle hearing it all that way. But he eventually explained most of it to me, despite how stubborn I was. It was a long flight. Considering my predicament immediately after my return, I could hardly take steps to avoid him if he wanted to see me. But if I could, I probably would have," she admits. The look she sees on Vaughn's face causes a lump of lead to settle in her stomach. She takes a deep breath and continues shakily. "Yesterday Amanda Vaughn came looking for me at Will's apartment. Someone must have told her I was staying there. We were both surprised at how…similar…we look. At first, all I could think of was how I could take her out in an instant. But we talked for a while, and I realized how much of a victim she is in all this. I can only imagine all the doubts she must be having about *everything*." She turns to Vaughn and really looks at him for the first time since she started. "Amanda was worried about how you reacted to this session, and she mentioned it. She didn't realize I'd be here, too, but I did. I didn't think you'd come if you knew," she says, her eyes apologetic.

"You were right," Vaughn admits. "And Mandy came looking for you huh?" He feels a terrible guilt washing over him as he thinks how scrared she must have been to look to *Sydney* for answers.

"Your turn, Agent Vaughn," Barnett says bluntly.

"Do I have to go back over things she already knows?"

"You may tell what you want."

He nods and focuses on a spot on the wall.

"I haven't been sure of anything since she came back," He says, adopting Sydney's tactic. "I've been in a pretty bad mood, I guess. I've snapped at Amanda for no real reason more than once. But she's been great about it. I tried to talk to Sydney a few times while she was still in custody, but she wanted no part of it. Not that I blame her, but I've sort of avoided her since then. When I had the choice," he adds with a slight smirk.

Barnett is silent for a long time, making notes on her clipboard. Finally she breaks the uncomfortable silence by saying, "I want to get both of your views on something." She pauses and they nod. "as you know, it was determined in the investigation following Miss Bristow's disappearence that the two of you were in a relationship at the time. I've talked to the doctors here, and they agree that, form the position of the scar it is entirely *possible* that Miss Bristow *could*," she says slowly, "Have been pregnant and delivered a baby in a c-section. They want to do some tests to look into this, but how would this change everything?"

They both sit in an astounded silence. Slowly they turn toward each other and their eyes lock. Sydney seems shocked at the thought, as though the idea of *forgetting* a child has devastated her. Vaughn's face shows more fear, as though he knows *everything* would change if a child were involved.

Finally Vaughn manages to sputter "What…what is this based on?!? Do they have any reason to believe she *was* pregnant?"

"They have no proof that she *wasn't* pregnant," Barnett stresses. "But there is currently no proof that she was."

"I might have…a…baby?" Sydney finally says in such a small voice that her companions can hardly hear her. She has always wanted to eventually settle down and have a family, as unlike her own dysfunctional family as possible. But she might *have* a child and not kow it…

Barnett quickly realizes she had made a mistake.

"Miss Bristow," She says, trying to soothe the woman now so near her breaking point, "*Nothing* supports this thoery other than the placement of the scar. And it could be from *anything*. Please, calm down, please…"

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Okay, now *that* is a cliffhanger. I think. Anyway, doesn't it leave you wondering what's going on?

Please R&R!