"They know what, Sydney?" Sydney just looked at him, her eyes wide. "Sydney! What do they know?!?"

"So Mom never told you," she said quietly.

"Told me what?" She was being so damn cryptic. Just like he used to be.

"If I tell you, will you promise not to be angry with me?"

"No."

"I suppose I deserved that." She picked up the first picture, with the two men. She pointed to the one on her right. He was a tall man, with blond curly hair that was long enough to tuck behind his ears. "This is Alexei." Then she pointed to the other man, also tall, but with darker, shorter hair. "And this is Sergei. They're my brothers."

"They're your what?"

"My mother was married once before she married Daddy. To a man named Andrey Bliscavca. He was a truly horrible man. Hated kids. Mom broke down and slit his throat after he threw a rapier at Sergei." They sat in silence for a moment.

"How old are they?"

"Alexei's six years older than me. Thirty-two. Sergei's twenty-nine. They're good people, Sark. They really are. Mom taught them everything she knows, but they don't use it. They'd be brilliant if they would. I sparred with both of them a few summers ago, and they're as good as you and I. Alexei beat me. Sergei and I fought for two hours with no clear winner. But they don't like this world and Mom never tried to force them. Alexei's a philosophy professor and Sergei is almost done with medical school."

"So who's the little girl? I do hope she's not yours."

"Of course not. She's Alexei's." Sydney picked up the picture of herself, Alexei, and the little girl. "Her name's Ana." (A/N: pronounced ona) The little girl had shoulder length curly blond hair. She was sitting on Sydney's lap reaching up to give her a kiss, as Alexei looked on with affection. "She's four."

"When did you meet them?"

"Well, you know how I take off every summer and spend it with Irina?"

"Of course."

"Three summers ago Mom took me aside and told me everything. The next day Alexei and Sergei came. We've been close ever since. They're the stereotypical overprotective big brothers." She laughed. "You probably have more to fear from them than you do from my father."

"Well, love, that's not exactly encouraging, but they look like people I could like."

"So you're not angry with me?"

"Of course not. When you said what you did about the Covenant knowing something, I thought you had a little girl. Not that you had a little niece. You could say I'm somewhat relieved."

"But you know this does present a problem."

"Why's that?"

"If the Covenant got a hold of these pictures, they know about Sergei, Alexei, and Ana. They know one of the few people I would die to protect is my little niece."

"You're worried about her?"

"Of course. And I can't get word to Alexei to be careful." Her eyes filled with tears. "I can't be the reason my niece is in danger." Sark pulled her into his embrace and Sydney buried her face into his chest.

"Don't worry love. Even if they do bring her here, I'll do everything in my power to protect her." Sydney looked up into his eyes and he saw in them pure love and gratefulness. He glanced over at the clock on the table and saw how late it was. "I suggest we both go to bed, love. We can figure out how these things got here tomorrow." He led her upstairs and they both climbed into bed. "Good night, my love," Sark whispered, but Sydney was already asleep.

Sark awoke to an empty bed. He looked over at the clock and saw it was 2:30 in the morning.

"Sydney?" he called into the bathroom. When he heard no answer, he climbed out of bed and walked across the hall. No Sydney. Then he heard something from downstairs. Music. He walked stealthily down the stairs and followed the music to the door of the library. He stood in the doorway in awe. Sydney was seated at the piano, not even aware of his presence in the room. She was in the middle of a passionate rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. The sound of it was so sad and deep it made Sark want to go to her and protect her from whatever was causing the pain she was releasing into the music. Sydney looked up and jumped as she saw Sark in the doorway.

"Julian, you scared me. I thought you were asleep."

"Well, that is what people normally do at 2:30 in the morning, Syd." She smiled at him.

"You should know by now that I'm anything but normal, Julian."

"I didn't know you played."

"My parents signed me up for lessons when I was Ana's age. They were appalled because I wanted to play soccer. They thought they needed to add more culture into my life. Can you imagine that? Culture in the life of a four year old," she chuckled.

"It sounds just like Irina, I don't know about Jack."

"It worked. I love the piano." Sark sat down beside her on the wide bench. She looked at him. "This piano was mine to. The last time I saw it was when I moved out of the house in New Orleans. Where I grew up. Daddy gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. It was one of the few birthdays he was home for."

"I thought the customary birthday gift for sixteen-year-olds was a car here." She grinned at him bashfully. "He bought me one of those to. A 1996 BMW."

"My, my weren't we the spoiled child."

"I'll admit it, I was."

"Will you play something else for me?" Sydney thought for a moment, then began to play. A moment later she started to sing.

Per te, per te vivro

L'amore vincera

Con te, con te avro

Mille giorni di felicita

Mille nottie di serenita

Faro quello che mi chiederai

Andro sempre dovunque tu andrai

Daro tutto l'amore che ho

per te

"Sydney darling, if you want me to make love to you right now in this very room, you just keep singing that French love song. If you don't you just better quit."

"But Julian, that's exactly what I want," she answered him with a smirk. She kissed him quickly, before he could change his mind. He got up from the bench, pulling her with him and together they stumbled across the room to the chaise lounge. They laid down together, Sark pulling Sydney's shirt over her head.

"You'll tell me if I hurt you won't you," he asked.

"You won't hurt me."

"So what happened to doctor's orders?" Sydney asked teasingly as they lay together afterwards.

"Screw the doctor. I do beleive that was exactly what we both needed."

A/N: Thanks to Ralphe, Vaughn Sydney, Inquisitive1, and Cruzstar for reviewing. I'm glad you like it. I really appreciate the feedback. I was getting worried that nobody liked it : S. (As for how Syd and Sark got so close, I'm thinking I'm gonna finish this fic and then go back and write a prequel)