Chapter 17: Finish That Later

Disclaimer: Alias isn't mine. Most of the stuff in this fic isn't mine. But a gal can dream! The plot is ALL mine though!

Dixon paced his office like a caged lion. He wished for company, but he'd sent all of the agents who'd been working around the clock for the past few days home with definite orders not to come back until morning. He himself had stayed only to receive the file that would be arriving from Agent Fernando in Geneva, then he would go home.

A noise in the hall caught his attention. Voices, a good distance away. Who the hell? If it was any of his agents, he'd lock them up, damn it.

He stepped in the hall, fully prepared to threaten to fire some people when Sydney and Vaughn stepped around the corner.

Dixon frowned. Of all the people, these were the two he'd least expected to see before noon the next day. Hell, half the reason he'd even bothered to send them home, too, was because he'd known about Vaughn's planned proposal, and he'd thought they might want a little time to themselves.

Sydney just smiled.

"You said twelve hours," she reminded. "That file should be here any minute."

"I told you to go home," Dixon growled.

Sydney looked to Vaughn.

"Depending on what's in that file, we may have a report on the Calling's source of information," Vaughn said carefully.

Dixon sighed resolutely.

"Fine," he said. "I can see you two aren't going to explain yourselves. You might as well come in here and wait." He walked back into his office.

The clandestine messenger brought the file not five minutes after Sydney and Vaughn showed up. The three of them tore into the contents. Sydney sifted through the pages, as she had more of an idea of what she was looking for than either of the men.

"Oh my God," she murmured.

Vaughn looked over her shoulder at the paper that not only showed his DNA sequence, but a lot more. The doctor had known everything about him. But there was a note at the bottom of the page stating that Sark believed himself to be the father.

Sydney looked at Vaughn.

"He assumed it was true, because Sark believed it was true," she said.

Vaughn just nodded. Dixon looked annoyed.

"Dixon, the man that fed Sark information, that, for some twisted reason, believed Sark was supposed to father Kelly, was my father," Sydney said after a moment.

Dixon now adopted a stunned expression.

"What the hell…"

"There was some prophecy, something, before I was even born. That led to SAB47. My father controlled my life based on some prophecy, using the government. He believes Sark is somehow part of the prophecy as Kelly's father." Sydney handed the sheet over to Dixon. "Obviously, that's not the case, but Sark believes it is, too."

"What do we do with this?" Dixon asked.

Sydney shook her head.

"I don't care. Do what you see fit. For once in my life, I trust my mother more than I do my father." Then she explained what her mother had told her. "It wasn't the Calling that rendered my father unconscious, it was my mother. After all she did, I believe Kelly is safe with her."

Vaughn backed her up.

"Kelly is safe for now. But we have to neutralize the threat to her. I believe the only way to do that is to convince Sark of the truth. Kelly is not the powerful Rambaldi child he believes her to be, and she doesn't even possess the elements he believes necessary to create that child."

Dixon looked thoughtful, then he nodded.

"You'll both leave as soon as we locate Sark."

Irina smiled at the sight of Kelly sprawled on the hotel bed with a teddy bear, watching TV. It was as if telling her she had a mother and a father had transformed her into a normal child. She looked happy and almost carefree.

Almost. Kelly was still worried that Sark might try to get her. Anyone could see it the fear was in her eyes, all the time. Irina knew she'd played a part in putting that fear there. That she'd known, and she'd let Sark torture her. But another part of her kept saying she'd had no choice; she'd had to wait until it was safe.

Sark had almost caught up with them that morning. Irina had moved fast, once she'd recognized the threat, but she'd known a few minutes of fear like she'd never known before. It had been way too close. She'd seen Sark's team through the window from the car she'd secured. The only thing that kept her from careening out of the parking lot was the knowledge that, two floors up and through the tinted windows of the car, none of them could see her or Kelly.

They were safe now, though, for a few hours. After that, they'd go to another hotel, to give them a trail to follow. Then may be she'd take Kelly to a safe house for the night. She had a contact in the area who ran a good safe house, and, for the right price, he was very reliable. He wouldn't say he'd ever seen her before, should Sark track him down. It shouldn't be long before Sydney would be ready to take Kelly. Yes, the safe house might be just the place to go.

Sark was easy to find, as Sydney had known he would be. Dixon, and even Vaughn, was surprised to find out he himself was still in LA. That, at least, reassured Vaughn that his daughter was still in LA. He was, by all accounts, holed up in a hotel on the north side of town, due to an injury that made him unfit to be doing active searching. Vaughn thought grimly that at least Sark should be easy to catch.

Sydney and Vaughn, sans any disguise, approached the hotel in broad daylight. Thinking himself invincible, he had only a couple of guards outside his suit. They hit the floor before they knew anyone else was even there. With the master key that had conveniently gone missing from the front desk, they entered to face Sark.

Sark was sitting on a couch in the elegant room, across from a coffee table, and talking on a cell phone. Assuming only his guards had a key, he didn't even turn around.

"Find he, damn it!" he said in a hushed voice. "I will not allow Derevko to take off with that child! And I still want to know how fifty other operatives didn't notice her leaving the group, damn it!"

"Lose something?" Sydney asked, standing right behind him now. When he turned his head, the flat of her hand connected solidly with his jaw.

Before Sark had recovered from that, Vaughn appeared in front of him and shoved him face-first in to the coffee table and held him there. Sydney stepped into his line of sight with her gun trained on him.

"Don't move," she warned.

Vaughn pressed Sark's face a little harder into the wooden table.

"Your Informant," Vaughn said. "Is a joke. Everything he's told you has been a lie, organized to help him fulfill his own agenda."

"Oh, really?" Sark said indifferently. "You have him in custody, then? I'm quite curious to as to his identity, myself."

Vaughn put a little more pressure on Sark's head.

"Kelly isn't your child, you know. She's mine. Ask your doctor friend. He knows. He's missing his file now, though."

Sydney moved a little closer, for effect.

"Where's my daughter, Sark?" she asked dangerously. After all, Sark didn't need to know Irina Derevko was in contact with her.

"I don't have her," Sark snapped through clenched teeth.

"I didn't ask if you had her. I asked where she is."

"I don't know! Your mother has her!"

Sydney didn't flinch.

"And where is she?"

Sark remained silent. Sydney cracked him on the head with the butt of her gun, and Vaughn winced as she just missed him.

"Answer me."

"I traced her to a hotel this morning," he growled. "My men lost her."

Sydney nodded, and Sark saw stars. Vaughn rose to his feet and let him slump to the floor, his head hitting the thin carpet with a dull thud.

"What was all that about?" Vaughn asked cautiously.

Sydney shrugged as they moved toward the door.

"I haven't been in touch with my mother yet. I had to make sure she was staying out of harm's way."

Vaughn nodded thoughtfully.

"Good idea. You do know how to contact her, right?" he asked.

"Of course I do." They stepped into the hallway, and Sydney lowered her voice. "The way to contact her has been the same for five years."

"You weren't here for two of those," he reminded.

"My point is that I know how to contact her, but, as I'm sure she proved with my father, with the right software, each contact is an increased risk. If Sark managed to intercept the signal, he might be able to locate her."

Vaughn just smiled.

"What?" Sydney snapped.

"Oh…nothing."

"No, what?"

"I just…your eyes flash when you're mad."

Sydney huffed out a frustrated breath.

"This isn't the time," she said haughtily, but a smile tugged at her mouth, belying her speech.

"Of course."

They walked out of the hotel and got into their dark CIA supplied car. Sydney got into the driver's seat, keys in hand, but before she could start the engine, Vaughn reached over and betted the keys out of her unsuspecting hand.

"Hey…"

"Not time for this my ass," Vaughn teased as he pulled her across the seat and into a soul-searing kiss. As abruptly as he'd begun the kiss, he released her, and for a few seconds al you could hear was heavy breathing. Then Sydney laughed.

"Is that a promise?"

"Huh?"

"You're gonna finish that later, buddy," she said, her voice a little husky as she leaned down to pick up the keys.

Hehe! Okay, ya gotta love that, right? A little Sark bashing, a little making out, come on, it's S/V! Okay, yeah, it's getting a little fluffy, but all fluff isn't bad! Review, please, only one more chapter to go!