Chapter 3: Mommy's Life

Disclaimer: I only own Laura and Brandon. They are MINE and I double dog dare anyone to mess with them!

A/N: Hmm, for once I have nothing to say…

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Brandon soon falls asleep, but Vaughn knows Laura is still awake.

"Laurie? I want to explain some stuff before we get back," he says quietly.

"Hmm?" she mumbles sleepily.

"I'm not the only secret agent in your family."

"What do you mean?" Suddenly, she's wide awake.

"Your mother. Your grandfather. Your grandmother."

"Huh?"

"It's a long story, but it all ties together."

"This is unreal!" Laura whispers in an unnaturally high-pitched voice.

"Yeah, I know. Your mother was only 19 when it started. She was approached at college by a man claiming to be a CIA recruiter. He told her he wanted to recruit her for work at SD-6, a top-secret branch of the CIA. She joined and soon became one of their top agents. But there was one condition. She could never tell anyone what she really did. She felt she couldn't continue to lie to her fiancé, so she told him the truth. The top man at SD-6, Arvin Sloane, had him killed when he found out. Sydney realized then that SD-6 was not part of the CIA. When she approached the real CIA with what she knew, I became her handler. Her assignment was to be a double agent and get information for the CIA. She soon found out that her father was also a double agent, and had been working for the CIA since before Sydney was born. Not long after that, they began to suspect that Sydney's mother didn't really die in the car crash that supposedly killed her when Syd drove her car off a dock." He takes a deep breath and forces himself to continue. "It turns out that Sydney's mother, Laura Bristow, was really a Russian spy who was assigned to get close to an American CIA officer and obtain information about a top secret government project." He decides she doesn't need to know anything else about Project Christmas. "Laura Bristow's real name was, and is, Irina Derevko."

"But mom didn't tell me that! She said she died! She never even *suggested* that she was still alive!" Laura cries, forgetting her brother is asleep.

"I'm sure she didn't know she was going to disappear, or she's have wanted you to know everything," Vaughn says gently.

Laura sits in complete silence for several minutes.

"Why don't we have any pictures of me as a baby?" Laura asks suddenly, voicing the question that's been bothering her since she'd found the old albums while packing the week before.

Vaughn winces slightly.

"I'm not the one to ask about that," he says evasively. "Try your grandmother."

"Irina Derevko," Laura mumbles before she falls into a deep sleep.

"Weiss, keep an eye on them. They're out like lights and I don't want to wake them. They need to sleep while they can. Kendall will probably have them in debrief soon," Vaughn mutters.

Weiss settles down into the front seat of Vaughn's car, thinking it will be easy since the kids are asleep. He doesn't know Brandon.

Brandon wakes up beside his sister with that weird guy in the front seat. He starts screaming instantly.

"Laurie! Help! Wake up! Laurie!…"

"Ugh, Brandon, SHUT UP!" Laura screams. "He's *not* going to hurt you! He's a good guy!"

"Like the turtles?" Brandon asks quietly.

"Yes, like the turtles." She turns to Weiss. "Where's my dad?"

"How much do you know, kid?" he asks.

"My name is Laura, not 'kid'. And I know pretty much everything."

"Okay. He went to talk to the Director. The guy's an ass."

Laura looks pointedly at Brandon, just as he pipes up and says, "That's a bad word. You're gonna be in trouble."

"Uh, sorry," Weiss mutters. Note to self:, he thinks, Don't watch Vaughn's kids.

Laura shrugs and decides it doesn't matter if Brandon hears her question.

"Is this the CIA?" she asks, pointing at the building they're parked in front of.

"Yeah. Part of it," Weiss answers.

"And my mom worked here when she was in college?" she says, more to herself than Weiss.

"Yeah. We worked together some."

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I'm quiet for a long time. Finally I can't stand it any more.

"Where's my mom?" I ask. I feel the tears pool in my eyes, but I *will not* cry.

Weiss turns to look at me. He doesn't answer. I glare at him, but my eyes tear up again and my chin quivers, and I know the look is not very effective.

"I don't know," Weiss says. He's trying to be kind, but it's not working. "But we'll find her. Vaughn won't stop until he does." Somehow, I know he's telling me the truth.

Brandon starts to cry.

"Laurie, where's Mommy? Why are we here? I wanna go home! I WANT MOMMY!"

"Brandon, there's lots of people looking for Mommy right now. Right?" I prompt Weiss.

"Uh, right, lots of people are looking for her. They'll find her. Nobody's going to hurt her."

Brandon screams louder at the suggestion of someone hurting Mom.

"I WANT MOMMY!"

I shoot Weiss a look that clearly says, "Thanks a lot". His expression is a cross between a grimace and an apologetic grin. He shrugs.

"Shh, Brandon. Mommy's okay. She wouldn't want you to be bad, she'd want you to be good for the nice agents. They're going to help us." I consider looking to Weiss for backup, but he'd just make it worse.

"Look! There's your dad!" Weiss says in a desperate attempt to shut Brandon up before Daddy hears him.

Brandon looks at him funny, but he's quiet.

"Laurie, do we have a daddy?" he asks me.

"Yes, he's our Daddy," I tell him, pointing out the window at Daddy.

Weiss jumps out of the car and grins when he tell Daddy, "The boy's just like you."

Daddy says, "I take it that's *not* a compliment."

"Come on," he says to me. "Some men want to see you."

"The director?"

He looks surprised for a split second.

"Oh, you've been talking to Weiss," he says, sounding like he's not so sure that's a good thing. "What did he tell you?"

I can't help it. I have to lighten the mood somehow, and besides, this will shock them.

"That he's an ass," I say clearly, adopting a nonchalant attitude.

Daddy stares at Weiss with a look that clearly says, "You *told* her that?"

Weiss stares at me with his mouth hanging open.

"You'll catch flies like that," I mutter, finally breaking into a grin.

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Vaughn realizes she wanted to see how they would react.

She's Sydney's child all right, he thinks.

"Come on," he mutters finally, unable to keep from giving her his lopsided grin.

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Ohhh…How will Vaughn take her joke? Okay it kind of already says that…

That was funny, though, wasn't it? It's something like what I might do to some poor, unsuspecting fool…