"Here Without You"
Disclaimer: I don't own a darn thing, but of course the characters you don't recognize.
Note: I stole the title from the 3 Doors Down song because, well I like the song and I couldn't think of a title on my own. I'm very original, I know. Oh, this is my first Alias fic. I know there are so many post Telling stories, but I wanted to try my hand at one. If this resembles anyone else's story, it wasn't intended to. Please read and review. Also, if anyone is a fan of Third Watch I also write some stuff for that.
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Irina Derevko made her way up the long staircase. She was going to see him. It broke her heart every time she saw him because he never knew who she truly was. To him she was Laura Bauer, never Bristow because that would be too dangerous. All he knew and thought to be true was that his father had died when he was a baby and she had been married to him at the time. He couldn't know the truth. Unfortunately, times called for the truth to come out.
"He'll find the rest out himself," she said as she knocked on his door.
"Coming," came the gruff voice of Nathan Kellerman. "Laura. Long time no see."
"Yeah, well things have been busy."
"Come in, I suppose." He headed towards the kitchen.
"So, how's my stepson been?"
"I'm not your stepson. My father is dead. Why you still come to see me is a mystery. And for reasons I'll never understand, why did my mother allow it?"
"Mary understood that you were a link to your father. She didn't like it, but she allowed it. After all, she did have an affair with a married man." Irina moved closer. "I'm not here to discuss any of that though. I'm here because of something very important."
"That would be?"
"I have a daughter, your sister. She's been in an accident and has lost her memory."
"A sister? And why are you just now telling me this?" Nate was pacing back and forth.
"Because, I was involved with some unsavory people and to keep you and her safe no was to know you were siblings. That's not what is import. What is is that I have to leave and she needs to stay here with you. Her husband was an abusive man and he tried to keep her from leaving him. He won't stop until he finds her. I need you to keep her safe." Irina handed him a key and a piece of paper. "Her name is Sydney and she's your age. All her papers and such are under the name Kellerman. No one will find her. Go get her."
"Kellerman? How'd you pull that one? That's my mom's name. Not my dad's. Why isn't her name Bauer like you?"
"How much sense would it make if you had a sister with a different name. It'd be hard to explain. Trust me on this."
"She doesn't even know me."
"She doesn't know anyone. Just tell her I left you with only her name and where to find her. Don't say anything else." Laura rushed to the door. "Take care of each other."
Irina then hurried down the stairs before Nate could follow her. She wished she didn't have to leave Syd and Nate. It was necessary though. Sydney was in danger. Everyone in the CIA was looking for her and the only way they could keep her safe would be to keep her under lock and key at headquarters. Sydney was better off with amnesia and with a brother she didn't know.
It took Irina two months to locate where Sloane had taken Syd after the fight with Francie's double. It was only two days ago that she found Sydney with Sloane in Columbia. Syd had looked at her mother with a mixture of contempt and joy. As they took off towards freedom, a guard came behind Syd and cracked her hard upside the head. Once Irina had managed to get Syd somewhere safe she realized that her daughter had amnesia. It was then she knew she had to take her to New York and to her brother where she could be safe.
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"They might as well consider her dead, it's been two months with no leads," a rookie CIA agent commented as he walked past an open door.
"Agent?!" a voice called from the room.
"Yes, sir?" He approached the door only to find an extremely upset man behind the desk.
"Agent Bristow is not dead. I never want to hear that again."
Michael Vaughn stared down the two agents who had just passed his office. After giving them the look of death they were allowed to leave. He closed his eyes and for the millionth time he wished it were all a dream. He wished that Francie was alive and running her restaurant, that Will wasn't in a hospital bed in a deep coma, and most of all he wished he and Sydney had made it to Santa Barbara.
"Mike?"
"Eric," he said opening his eyes. "What do you have?"
"Unfortunately, nothing. There is something that I have to tell you though, that you are not going to like."
"That is?"
"Director Kendall officially gave me Sydney's case. He doesn't want you or Agent Bristow anywhere near it unless necessary." Eric leaned against the doorframe.
"He what?! There is no way I'm staying away from this." Vaughn stood up and practically pounced on Eric. "Why did you agree to this?"
"Because if I didn't take it, someone else would. Someone who would make sure you and Agent Bristow stayed away. Now, come on man. Do you seriously think I would take you off Syd's case? I'm not that stupid."
"Thank you." He backed away from his friend.
"There is one condition. Go home for a couple of days and get your head cleared up. I need you to be 100 percent." Eric pushed himself off the wall. "When you come back we'll start on something new we haven't thought of yet to find Sydney."
"Yeah. Ok." Vaughn grabbed his things and followed Eric out of his office. "I'm just going to stop by and see Will then I'll go home."
Vaughn smiled sadly as he walked by Eric and headed to his car. Eric knew he was going to see Will before he did anything. Vaughn was the only one besides Will's family who still saw him on a regular basis. The doctors weren't sure if he would ever wake up, but Vaughn refused to believe that. He had seen too many miracles. Besides that, Sydney wouldn't want anyone to forget about Will. He meant to much to her, and Sydney meant everything to Vaughn.
After sitting with Will for an hour or so he left the hospital. Eric once asked what it was that he did while he sat with Will. Easy. He talked. He talked about how the search for Sydney was going. He told Will how much he believed he'd wake up and when he did how he, Eric and Will would all go to a Kings game. In some weird strange way Vaughn had forged a one sided friendship with Will. It just didn't seem right that his family were the only ones to see him, because Vaughn knew that if Syd was around she'd be there for Will.
"Home sweet home," Vaughn said bitterly as he opened his apartment door.
He walked straight to the fridge and grabbed a beer. That's how his nights were. Drink a few beers and try to pretend that Syd was just off on some mission and would be home soon. It never worked though. His mind was all too clear of the fact that someone had taken her away after she killed Francie's double. And Vaughn knew deep down it was Sloane. Suddenly, just thinking about Sloane caused Vaughn to flip out. Two months of keeping his emotions bottled finally came out. He flew the beer bottle at the wall and preceded to destroy everything he saw. After a ten minutes or so and nothing left to throw, he collapsed to the floor.
"Oh, god. Syd, I miss you," he whispered as his eyes came across a picture of her. "I'll bring you home."
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Nate entered the motel where he was told his sister was. Sister. Wow. Ever since his mom died when he was 18 he had been alone. Now, he had a family again. But could he trust Laura? She never seemed to be an honest person and to just leave this woman with a stranger seemed wrong.
"Hello?" he called after knocking a few times with no answer. "Sydney? I'm Nate Kellerman. Your mom sent me." When there was no answer he took the key and opened the door. "What are you doing, Nathan?" he asked himself.
He could hear the shower running then turn off and was about to turn and leave when he a woman with long wet brown hair came out of the bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him. He though he saw a flash of anticipation, like she was waiting for something to happen. He wasn't sure. Instead of being on guard though, she moved to the bed and sat down.
"Nathan?"
"Yeah, your Sydney?"
"That's what Laura, I mean my mom called me." She looked down. "She said you're my brother."
"So she says. I don't know. She's gone now. Just left."
"Great. No memory and the only person who knows me is gone."
"Well, now I know you." He sat down next to her. "What happened?"
"If you ask Laura it was an accident. No details. She wouldn't even tell me anything about myself. I know nothing. What did she tell you?"
"Your name, but not your real name." He took a deep breath. "She said your last name is Kellerman. It's not. I know that much."
"I guess now it is though, huh?"
"Yeah." He took a good look at Sydney. "Look, she doesn't want you to know but she says your husband beat you up. Something about the way she said it, makes me think it's not true. I do believe she feels you are in danger."
"She said you'd keep me safe."
"I will. Even if it turns out you aren't my sister, I won't leave you alone in New York City. First, we need to get you looked out by a doctor."
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Sydney sat alone in the exam room. The doctor had just completed his exam. Nate had gotten a DNA swab done. They wanted to know for sure if they were brother and sister. The doctor said it usually took a long time to get the results, but somehow Nate knew him so the doctor put a rush on them. Now, Nate was off looking for some coffee. She prayed they were siblings because then she wouldn't be alone. Her life was a blank. There was nothing. Even the little bit Laura had told them felt like a lie. Soon, the door opened and the doctor and Nate stepped in.
"Ok, well we are still waiting for the DNA test to be done." He sat down on a stool. "Would you like Mr. Kellerman to stay here while we go over what I found?"
"I don't care."
"Ok, then. I think the cause of your amnesia was blunt trauma to your skull. There was a small fracture on the crown of you skull. In most cases like this, the memory loss isn't permanent." He looked at Sydney sadly. "I'm going to assume this next finding will come as a surprise to you. You are pregnant."
"I'm what?" She asked in shock. "How far along?"
"I don't know. I thought we would do an ultrasound while we wait for the DNA results."
Sydney looked at Nate. If he was her brother, then he just got stuck with a pregnant sister. They both watched as the doctor did the ultrasound. She flinched as the door opened and a nurse came in with a folder. The doctor took it and continued with the ultrasound. When he was done he wiped off Syd's belly and then turned to her.
"I'd say between two and three months based on the development. You'll be able to get a better estimate in a month or so." He picked up the folder and began to read. "Apparently, you two were separated at birth."
"Excuse me?" Nate questioned.
"Well, the DNA tests conclude that not only are you siblings, but you are twins."
"Twins?" Nate chocked out. "Are you sure? Because I'm really confused right now."
"I'm sure you are, but I am positive."
"Hmm, twins." Nate looked to Sydney. "Looks like you're stuck with me, sis."
"Yeah. Looks like," she said.
Despite her complete and utter confusion with everything that had happened in the last two days she smiled widely and felt herself feeling happy. Something good finally happened. She not only had a brother, but a twin brother. This was her link to a world that seemed to kick her butt to the curb. Maybe things weren't so terrible after all. Then again, maybe they were. She was pregnant with no knowledge of her life before two days ago. And if her mother was correct, she was in danger. Yet, in that moment she didn't care about that. She wasn't alone anymore.