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: Only FOUR people reviewed to my last chapter! So, either my writings getting worse and worse, or you guys are being mean! P It's probably option A but please, please, please review!

Thanks to everyone who sent me info about high school in America. She won't be starting yet so if anyone has anything else to add, that'd rock!

LOS ANGELES

"Sorry sweetie, I just have to pop into work for a few minutes."

Mom had promised to take me shopping for some new clothes and I was looking forward to having some time alone with her.

"You can come with me if you like, meet everyone, and then we'll go straight to the mall."

"I've been to your office hundreds of times and I already know everyone you work with," I replied, a little grumpy at the change in plans.

Mom's eyes sparkled. "No. I want to show you where we REALLY work!"

-

Because I was joining her, Mom and I had to enter from the clandestine entrance. Disguised in running clothing, we had to jog through a park, donate a coin to a Vietnam vet, and enter through an abandoned warehouse. It felt weird doing something so secretive, but Mom looked so natural. Adrenaline began pumping through my veins. I felt excited, I was on an adventure.

Inside, I was amazed. After following a maze of corridors and security checkpoints, we were in the middle of the CIA Joint Task Facility. It was a huge room with hundreds of people typing busily at computers and speaking rapidly into telephones in different languages. Looking up, I could see floors and floors of offices and conference rooms.

This definitely was different to where I THOUGHT they worked. On the way, Mom had explained that that building, which I had visited a few times, was just their cover.

"Al!"

I spun around. "Oh, hey Will!" Seeing my godfather made me relax.

"I just have to talk to Dixon about something. Can you take her on a little tour?"

"I don't know how you all do it, Will," I began, as we walked over the CIA logo on the floor in the centre of the room, heading away from all the noise. "Keep this whole life a secret. I've known the truth for about three weeks and it's so hard. I mean, there's no way I'd ever hurt Mom and Dad by telling anyone, but I feel so alone. I used to tell Kaitlyn and James everything and now it seems like they know nothing. They don't know who I really am. They don't know ME."

He pulled me into a corner, sensing my unhappiness. "You're never alone, Alex. Never," he reminded me, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Typical! All touchy-feely in the flirting corner! Just like your parents!" I turned around to see Eric standing in the doorway with a huge smile on his face.

"Eric!"

"Come on, give me some sugar."

I gave him a huge hug and he joined our tour of the CIA headquarters.

"You're lucky, you know. You can talk to your parents, Jack, there's Weiss here, Francie. Of course, I'm free whenever you need a face to talk to or a shoulder to cry on."

I smiled up at him and squeezed his hand.

"Well, here's the most important place - our cafeteria."

Weiss chuckled. "I have to get back to work. I'll see you suckers later."

"You wanna coffee?"

-

"Alex. I need to speak with you for a minute," Dixon spoke ten minutes later, leading me into a nearby corridor.

"Where's Mom?"

He ignored me and continued. "We have a man in custody - Issur Demsky. The man we believe visited your house."

"From 'St America's Medical Research for Children'? The man who pretended to be from 'St America's Medical Research for Children'?"

Dixon nodded.

"It would make my job a lot easier if you could identify him for me. That way we can officially place charges. You'll be behind a glass wall; he won't be able to see you."

As we made our way downstairs, I once again felt the adrenaline. I, Alessandra Anne Vaughn, was aiding the American government by identifying a terrorist.

After passing through some security gates, like the ones in Grandma's jail, we reached a door.

"I have to go back upstairs but when you've finished, ask one of the Agents inside to bring you back upstairs." And Dixon was gone.

I quietly opened the door and sneaked in, not wanting to disturb the men inside. The room was quite dark but one wall was completely made of glass. Through the window was a white cell with a white table in the centre. Sitting silently in the white chair was Issur Demsky and opposite him, with his back to us, a suited Agent was leaning against the table. The man straightened and walked around the table until he was standing next to the criminal. My father.

"I'll ask you one more time. Who do you work for?" I could hear via the speaker in our room.

"Go to hell," the man replied sharply in a Russian accent.

Dad grabbed the back of Demsky's head and slammed it against the table. I heard the sound of his nose break. The man grunted in pain.

"That was for endangering my daughter. Now, you are in American custody. You are never leaving American custody. I am the person who decides whether you will be spending that time in comfort or not. Who do you work?"

Tears are streaming down my face.

The man spat on Dad's shoes. "Leave!"

Dad placed his thumb to the man's nose, pressing the broken bones until the man screamed.

"SARK! It's Sark. I work for Sark."

I let out an uncontrollable sob. That man was not my father. My father was the most peaceful man I had ever met. Not a torturer, not a monster.

The men in front of me turned around in surprise, drawing their guns. "Who are you?" They didn't look at all surprised by what they had just seen.

Pressing myself against the wall, as far away from the guns as possible, I pointed to the man, sitting in silence, blood poring out of his nose and down his shirt, but no sound came from my mouth.

"Agent Vaughn," the first suit spoke into his earpiece. "Can you come in here for a moment?"

With a last angry look at the prisoner, Dad walked towards the door.

"What is it?"

His eyes widened when he looked up to see where the men were aiming. "Lower your guns," he ordered softly, no longer the same man he was just a moment earlier. Dad's eyes met mine and I could see the regret his held. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks. I looked away as he walked towards me.

"Alex?"

I tried to prevent a sob but I couldn't help it.

Dad knelt down on the floor in front of me.

"I was just doing my job sweetie. He's a bad man."

I turned and ran out the door, but I couldn't get past the gates. Dad ran to catch up with me. We walked in silence back to the rotunda.

"I'm so sorry you saw that. You were never meant to see that baby."

Again I ignored him and walked in the opposite direction to find someone to take me home.

How could he do something like that to another human being? My own father. How could he do that?

-

"That wasn't my father! The only time I've ever been grounded was when he found out I had been in a fight at school. He told me that there is never an excuse for violence. I just saw him break someone's nose and he didn't even flinch!"

"Alessandra," the Russian accent replied kindly but firmly, "all adults have something they hate about their job. Your mother and father? Ask them and they'll tell you that they hate the violence, but it's just that - part of their job. There are some really bad people in this world, Alex; you know that better than anyone. If your parents don't do something about it, who will? Michael never would have wanted you to see that but that doesn't mean that they don't have to do things like that. I suggest you talk to them about it."

"That man, Issur Demsky, he isn't the only one. If he targeted our family, there are probably others."

"Yes, you could be in danger."

"I think I should start training."