Title: Takeoffs and Landings
Author: Princess Box
Rating: G
Genre: General
Timeline: AU - about 14 years after 'The Telling'. No EvilFrancie, no Lauren, Will is still Will, Diane is still alive.
Summary: Alex thinks she knows her parents but Syd and Vaughn are hiding something.
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Alias'! Anyone you don't recognise is mine and anyone you do isn't.
Author's Note: You'd think, being on holiday, I'd have more time to write than I did when I was supposed to be studying for my exams. Instead, my friends expect me to socialise! Can you believe it? Me? Have a life outside of my computer? Preposterous!
mrs. michael vartan – I've always wanted a dog named 'Milo' (I dunno why, just thought it'd be a kewl name!) and then I was like – hey! Rambaldi! So it's kinda after him and kinda not! So……yeah!
Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed! I love you guys!
LOS ANGELES
"What do you want for you birthday this year, Al?"
I was curled on the couch in front of the TV, daydreaming rather than watching the cartoons in front of me. I jumped. Dad, who I hadn't noticed enter the room, was leaning against the doorframe watching me.
"Oh, hey!" I greeted, snapping out of the daze. "What'd you say?"
Grinning, he sat down next to me, lifting my legs so I'm lying with them across his lap. "Your birthday. You want a present this year?"
"A present?" I repeated, confused. "I thought Paris was my present."
"Nah, the CIA paid for that. Normally we use aliases when we travel but because you guys were with us, we had to use our real identities. So, to avoid suspicion, we claimed on our documents that we were on a family vacation, rather than a business trip. Being our cover, the CIA paid for everything. Obviously we couldn't tell you at the time……and we couldn't let you think we would just pay for anything for you, could we. Wouldn't want you to get any more spoilt than you already are!"
I gave him a light shove before tuning my thoughts to gifts.
Hmmm……a TV? They can't refuse to get me my own TV can they? They probably have one on their watches.
A car. Yeah a car……
"I want to meet my grandmother," I blurted out of nowhere.
"I know you probably hate her for what she did to your family," I quickly mumbled, seeing the shocked expression on his face, "but she's my family and I want to meet her."
Just then the door opened. Mom kicked of her heels, threw her keys on the kitchen bench and wandered into the living room, removing her suit jacket as she walked. She'd been in a meeting with Dixon for the last few hours. I hadn't realised 'til now how great it felt to actually know where my parents were, even though I'd always assumed I did.
"You're right. She did destroy my family. But she also bought them back together again, and for that I'm grateful."
Mom raised her eyebrows as she sat down next to Dad.
"There's something else your mother and I didn't tell you the other night."
This came as a surprise and I didn't know what to think, to feel. Everything I'd already learnt was so surreal, how could there be more? The only reason they wouldn't have told me everything was if they were forbidden from sharing the information, in which case they wouldn't be telling me now, or it was just worse. But what could be worse?
"After we had been dating for about six months, your mother was killed. I went to pick her up one night, we were going away for the weekend, and her house was alight. Forensics confirmed that she had been inside and was in fact dead. I was devastated. I was in love with her and thought we'd spend the rest of our lives together. I became really depressed - I could not face the fact that she was gone. After leaving the country and aimlessly travelling for six months, I returned to LA and tried to get my life back on track. I began sorting through my problems with a CIA psychologist and I started working again. Two years after she went missing, I was contacted by Irina. She had information on the whereabouts of Syd and she was risking her life to save that of her daughter.
Arvin Sloane, the former head of SD-6, was a religious follower of an Italian inventor, Rambaldi, who many believed was a prophet. He lived 500 years ago and a lot of our time then was devoted to his work – mostly preventing people like Sloane getting their hands on his inventions.
Sloane discovered a manuscript which claimed that 'the Chosen One' would have a baby to would complete Rambaldi's work who would be born after 'the Follower' was betrayed. Basically, Sloane believed that Syd was 'the Chosen One' and after Irina betrayed him, he assumed she was pregnant.
In truth, she was pregnant but didn't even know herself. Sloane kidnapped her, burning down her house to make the CIA believe she was dead."
"I-I was-I was born in prison?" slowly spilled from my lips.
Nodding, Mom continued from where Dad left off. "As soon as you were born, you were taken away from me. Sloane had all sorts of tests done, to identify you as 'the Heir'."
"Thankfully, probably because he still saw himself as Sydney's father figure, Sloane didn't hurt you. What he did do was similar to the training Jack put Syd through when she was six. The younger we are, the quicker we learn new things and the more things we can learn. Because you were so young, he began when you were only a few days old, you were able to retain a record amount of knowledge."
"Obviously, because of your age, you couldn't even hold your head up, they couldn't actually teach you anything. Sloane, following Rambaldi's instructions, somehow programmed the information into your brain."
I was so confused I didn't know where to start. "So...... I was programmed like a computer?"
Tears were running down my face and Mom had begun to cry as well. "We love you Alex. You know that."
"If I'm so intelligent, if I have so many amazing abilities, why am I so normal? I am no smarter than anyone else in my class, no better at sport, nothing."
"You may not have noticed that you're different to other people your age, but you are special. I know this must be difficult for you, strange and unreal, but you need to know what you are capable of."
"You have an extraordinary memory and think extremely quickly, even under difficult circumstances - you've always been a good liar."
I smiled sadly. "I guess. I've always taken it for granted that I don't need to study in order to pass at school……"
"And those things will only improve over time."
"No one is sure of the extent of your abilities, but I didn't notice mine until I began my training at SD-6. Everyone just said I was a natural – I still had to learn everything but I did so extremely quickly."
"So, if I trained……"
"I never wanted you to be part of this life, Alex, never."
Suddenly I was overcome with fury. "YOU NEVER WANTED ME TO BE PART OF THIS LIFE? YOU KEEP SAYING THAT, BUT IF IT'S TRUE, WHY AM I PART OF THIS LIFE? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? I TRUSTED YOU, BOTH OF YOU, AND NOW I KNOW I CAN'T BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD YOU'VE EVER SAID. YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT LIE TO ME MY ENTIRE LIFE."
My voice was growing louder and louder as more and more of my thoughts wanted to be heard. "WERE YOU EVER GOING TO TELL ME? OR HAD YOU PLANNED ON WAITING UNTIL I WONDERED WHY I HAD SUPERPOWERS?"
"ALEX!" Dad roared, taking me by surprise.
I suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed in a heap in the middle of the floor, sobbing hysterically.
Dad, who had moved next to me on the carpet, pulled me onto his lap, hugging me like a baby. I wrapped my arms around his neck, buried my face in his shoulder and cried.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Shhhhh," Dad replied into my hair, stroking my back.
"What happened to us? What happened to Mom and me?" I asked quietly when I had finally calmed down.
"When Irina learnt of where you were being held, she contacted the CIA. She not only saved you and your mother, but helped us arrest Sloane."
"I think she regretted everything she had done, felt guilty about what had happened to you, and to me. She handed herself over to the CIA with the agreement that she would not get the death penalty and that, if I wanted, she would be allowed to see me."
"Irina cooperated from then on. Apparently, the reason she handed herself to CIA custody two years earlier, was because she had made an agreement with Sloane. He thought she wanted to learn Rambaldi's end game, when in reality, she wanted to bring him down as much as the CIA."
"Sloane got what he deserved. He was given the lethal injection."
"You were about fifteen months old when I first met you," Dad said quietly, "and I had only known of your existence for just over a week. It was the happiest day of my life." I hugged him again.
"It took a long time but, eventually, life returned to normal."
"That's when Francie learnt the truth. After believing I was dead for two years, I couldn't just come back and pretend everything was normal." She paused.
"Do you forgive us?" Tears were building up in her eyes again.
I smiled at her from ear to ear, joining her in our hug. Looking at them both again, I took a deep breath.
"Parents are supposed to protect their children... You have done more than just protect me. How many times have you saved my life? You've lived in danger most of your lives, but you managed to keep me safe from that, give me a normal life. While it's really difficult to learn and accept this truth, I wouldn't have been able to handle it any sooner. It'll take a while, but I'll get used to it. I feel proud to be the daughter of two such wonderful, brave and selfless people. I love you both so much!"
Even Dad had tears in his eyes. Suddenly I realised how difficult this must have been for them. They must've been dreading this day my whole life – knowing that I must learn the truth but not knowing how I would react to it.
"Technically she's off limits to civilians, but I'll to talk to Dixon. Under the circumstances, I think he'll agree for you to see her."
"Hellooo…" James picked up the phone, still half asleep.
"Hey!"
"Lex!" He rolled over to look at the clock. 11.30am.
"Are you still in bed?"
He grunted in reply. "Why don't you come over and make me get out of bed…"
I just giggled. "My parents said I can have a party on Saturday night!"
"For your birthday? That rocks!"
"Yeah, I managed to convince them to go away for the weekend, so we'll have the house to ourselves!"
"The CIA just received some important Intel and Dixon wants us to go on a recon mission this weekend. We don't have to go, considering it's your birthday Friday, but we thought you might like a party……"
"……without us."
"Sweet!"
"Can you come over tomorrow arvo so we can organise it?"
I walked slowly between Mom and Dad as we followed a maze of corridors which spread below LA. After making our way past the final security checkpoint and underneath the last security gate, I was finally standing in front of her cell.
Looking through the large piece of glass, I was surprised at how comfortable the room appeared. There was a bed in one corner, a TV, a desk with books and paper, a chair, and a small table.
There, sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the room, was a lady. She had dark olive skin and long hair, which although was grey, was shiny and in perfect condition for someone in prison. She looked elegant, glamorous – even in the uniform navy trackpants and singlet.
She was gorgeous for someone in their late 60's.
My grandmother.