DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, except for the original ones. I just borrowed them and will be returned after we have reviewed for my entrance test in the State University. Thank you and have a nice day…

A/N- Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Jack stood up and just stared at Sydney. He was speechless. He didn't expect her to come to Panama after what he 'did'.

Sydney looked at him and then their surroundings. She saw the playpen by her father's side and a girl who is staring intently at her. Sydney was going to greet them when the girl greeted her first.

"Hi Julia."

CHAPTER TEN

Sydney gaped at the girl. Jack whirled around to face Ana. He was shocked with her greeting.

"What did you just call her?" Jack asked.

"Uh… Julia?" Ana answered, confused with the reaction of both Sydney and Jack. A friend introduced her to Julia Thorne when she was still studying. "Do you two know each other?" Ana asked, clearly denying the obvious.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"What do you mean with why? Are you asking me why I called her Julia? Or why I greeted her? Or why I asked if you two know each other?" Ana asked back. She doesn't like the looks she is getting from them.

"The first two." Jack replied.

"Well, for one thing, I know her. Second, she was introduced to me by a friend, who said her name is Julia." Ana replied, a bit irritated. She took the laptop off her knees and stood up. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and menacingly stared at Jack.

"Now, answer my question. Do you two know each other?" Ana asked. She can't imagine Julia having contact, much less having a conversation, with a CIA agent. Julia was quite distrustful when it came to intelligence agencies.

Neither Jack nor Sydney was able to answer her because Irina interrupted them.

"Jack, Sydney's…" Irina trailed off when she saw her eldest daughter in the living room with a very discernable look of shock in her face. "Sydney's here."

Silence.

"Sydney?" Ana asked, her voice, a bit squeaky. "You're Sydney? You're my oldest sister?" She asked the girl in front of her.

"How did you know Julia Thorne?" Jack asked. Ana didn't answer him. Instead, she looked at her mother then to Sydney. She has this 'cornered-scared-animal' look on her face and Sydney doesn't know why.

"How did you know Julia Thorne?!" Jack asked again. Ana still didn't answer him. In fact, she ignored Jack.

"Fine, since you don't want to tell me how you've come to know Julia Thorne, how about I ask you if you know an Anya Ivanovnich." Jack knows asking Ana is like shooting in the dark, sometimes it hits, but most of the time, it misses.

"Anya Ivanovnich?!" Irina asked. She looked at her youngest daughter, who refused to meet her eye. "Ana, what is this all about?"

"Nothing, mom." Ana replied, clearly, fibbing.

"Arriana, I am asking you the question. How did Anya Ivanovnich became part of this?" Irina asked.

"Mom…" Ana replied, thinking of a creative, but safe, lie.

"Giselle Arriana Derevko, answer me, NOW." Irina said in Russian. Her temper is creeping in. Anya Ivanovnich was Ana's alias when they fled out of the USSR. That was the last time she used that name. 'Well, I think that's the last time Ana used that name.'

"I use that name when I steal, kill or hack." Ana replied hesitantly. Her mother doesn't know that extent of her 'business'.

"Kill…?" Irina said, shocked. She saw Ana bite her lips and look down to her feet. She is also twiddling her fingers. "You kill people?!"

Jack and Sydney were more shocked than Irina when they heard the revelation. A sixteen-year old girl is the 'man' behind the attempted murder of the Macedonian Ambassador and the assassin behind all the killings the CIA patronized?

"YOU'RE ANYA IVANOVNICH?" Jack exclaimed in a booming voice. His tone seemed to startle Jacob because after he asked the question, Jacob started to cry.

Ana glared at him. "Asshole." She muttered, took her laptop and quickly went out of the room. Irina was torn between pacifying her Jacob and admonishing Ana. But she decided that her crying son is easier to placate than Ana's antagonistic debates. She hurriedly went to Jacob's playpen and scooped up the upset infant.

Sydney watched in amazement when she saw the great, ruthless, cold-blooded, Irina Derevko, soothing a baby like a loving, caring mother.

"Honey, I'm sorry..." Irina softly said in Russian, kissing her son and gently stroking the baby's back. "Did we startle you? Hush now, its okay… mommy's here…"

'Was she like that with me, when I was that young?' Sydney thought as she stared, transfixed at the scene. The baby's face is red with the wailing but she can see his resemblance to her father.

Sydney looked at her father. He looks guilty with what he had done, but it seems that he doesn't want to come close to Irina.

Irina looked at Jack and glared at him. A few minutes later, Jacob's crying eventually subsided. Only his hiccups could be heard throughout the room.

"Is he my brother?" Sydney asked, slowly approaching her mother. She is curiously looking at the baby, trying to remember the alternate 'reality' Hector transported her in. The child seems to have thicker hair, but she is definitely sure that's the same child in the 'other universe'

"Yes." Irina said as she watched Sydney gently stroke Jacob's head. A wave of tenderness spread inside her as she looked at the interaction between Jacob and Sydney. Jacob doesn't exactly like being with strangers, but it seems that Sydney and Jack are a special case.

"What's his name?" Sydney answered. Her brother is intently following her every move.

"Jacob." Irina replied then adjusted the baby's position. "Jacob, this is your sister, Sydney. Sydney, this is Jacob." Irina said, holding Jacob's right hand. The baby raised his other hand, as if trying to reach his newfound friend.

"Your daughter just admitted to killing people and then called me an asshole. What other illegal things could she do? Besides, stealing and hacking?" Jack asked in an irritated tone.

Irina looked at Jack. "You should ask Ana about that. I don't really know the extent of that… hobby."

"Hobby?! You think hired killing is a hobby?!" Jack said.

Irina just raised a brow and ignored him.

"Jacob's sucking his thumb." Sydney said after a few minutes. She is obviously want to end the arguments because she can't believe how screwed up her family is. She almost feels sorry for her brother for being born into this family.

Irina glanced at the child and walked towards the playpen. She bent over and took something from the playpen and then walked out of the room.

Sydney and Jack just looked at each other.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you before. You didn't deserve to discover it from another person. I will not justify my actions by blaming your mother. I am at fault with everything that happened to you, and I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want my apology, but I hope that you know the truth." Jack said after a few minutes of staring at her. He knows that Sydney feels that her family is twisted, in a bad kind of way.

"I'm sorry I screamed at you in Wittenberg." Sydney replied. Tears were welling up her eyes. "I know what you did. I don't know if I should be angry or sad, but I don't know what you were going through. I thought I should come here and tell you that in person. But I guess we'll be held up here for a while."

Jack is surprised with the apology. He knows that he doesn't deserve it.

"I don't deserve your apology." Jack said.

"You didn't deserve what I did. I shouted at you and then I refused to listen. It wasn't right." Sydney replied. "Dad, I know why you're angry with Sloane."

Jack didn't say anything. Instead he looked away. He can't tell her that it was his entire fault. If he hadn't met Irina, then this would never have happened. But if he didn't meet Irina, he wouldn't have Sydney.

And Jacob.

And Ana.

A few minutes later, Irina walked in, still holding the baby in her arms. Jacob has a pacifier in his mouth.

"Will you stay for dinner, Sydney?" Irina asked.

"Uh… I don't know. I checked in, in one of the hotels." Sydney replied.

Irina looked at her. "I want you to stay here. Your father's staying here. Don't worry, the villa's well protected." Irina said.

"Uh… okay, mom."

Irina glanced at her daughter and smiled a bit. "Would you like to hold your brother?"

Sydney smiled and nodded her head.

After she handed Jacob to Sydney, Irina turned to Jack. "No, I don't think hired killing is a hobby."

Jack sighed. Irina's looking for an opening for a fight. "I don't want to fight here Irina." He said and sat down on the sofa. He closed his eyes and started to block out the sounds around him.

Irina sighed and turned to Sydney. A smile played on her lips when she saw Jacob tugging her ear. Sydney gave a little laugh and gently tried to pry her brother's grasp from her ear.

"What do you want to eat for dinner, Sydney?" Irina asked after watching them interact for a few minutes.

"Anything will be fine." Sydney replied and smiled at her. 'So this is the reason why she didn't make contact with me. There are two innocent lives at stake if ever she is discovered.' She thought as she saw her mother approach them. "Do you want me to talk to Ana?" Sydney asked.

"I don't think so…" Irina replied. "She can be quite stubborn."

"I think it runs in the family." Sydney said, commenting on the stubborn part. "But, really, I think I can handle it. I don't think she will talk to dad. I mean, she called him… you know. And I don't think she'll talk to you after that whole name thing…" Sydney continued, not repeating what Ana said. There's a baby in the perimeter.

"I don't want to put you in the position where she will get angry at you deception. She knows you as Julia, not Sydney." Irina replied. She let out a deep breath when she saw Sydney pout a bit.

"Please?" Sydney asked. She has a feeling Ana can answer the unanswered questions she has on Julia Thorne.

"Be careful, then. Your sister inherited your mother's acid tongue." Jack interjected.

Irina ignored the caustic remark then said to Sydney, "Ana's in the den."

-x-x-x-

The room is filled with happy music, but the thoughts and feelings of the person inside the room are not the same. Vivaldi's music might be jumping for joy, but Ana's feelings can be likened to a sinking ship wherein all the people are jumping out of it.

She's been sitting inside the den for almost an hour, stuffing her mouth with Oreo's and trying to finish the computer program she's been doing. She finished a whole big pack of Oreo's and she still feels bad. Both physically and emotionally.

'Mom's going to kill me.' She thought. A cartoonish image, wherein her mother is strangling her, popped in her head. Another thought in which her mother is trying to shoot her with a shotgun also came into her mind. The most morbid scenario she can think of is her mother trying to bury her alive.

A knock came on the door. Ana immediately lowered the volume of the radio and turned off her computer.

"Come in." She said and leaned back on the chair.

The door opened and a head popped in. it was Sydney.

"Hi. Can we talk?" She asked. Ana shrugged but gave a small motion that Sydney can come in.

Sydney went inside and looked at her sister. The memories of the alternate reality Hector transported her in are still etched in her mind. She could still recognize Ana even if half of her face is covered in bandages.

"Uh…" Sydney started to say, uncertain on how to start. She certainly can't say, Hi, I'm Sydney Bristow, aka Julia Thorne, your sister. How did you know me?

"You don't remember me, do you?" Ana asked. But it was more of a statement than a question.

"Uh, yes." Sydney replied.

"You said goodbye to me and told me that we'll never see each other again. I guess you didn't know we're related by blood." Ana said looking at Sydney. But she's still uncertain on what to call her. Sydney or Julia?

"You know, when you were Julia, you used to tell me that you regret what you were doing. And that you want to go home. Then, you said goodbye." Ana said. "I didn't tell you this before, but I enjoyed the time I spent with you."

"You knew me as Julia?" Sydney asked.

"Yeah. Julia. Julia Thorne. You used to be blonde." Ana answered, taking note that Sydney is a brunette.

"How… how did you know me?"

"Simon Walker. He was a friend too." Ana answered. "I'm not really a terrorist. I call myself a neutral courier. I also worked for the CIA, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Sydney replied and sat on a chair. "Mom didn't seem to know."

"She didn't know about Anya Ivanovnich. I mean she knows I could kill. She just doesn't know the extent of it. She forbids me to go to killing sprees." Ana replied. The latter part was meant to be a joke, but Sydney didn't seem to find it amusing.

"Going to turn me in?" Ana asked in a challenging tone. Julia used to treat that tone as a dare and they had lots of fun when they try to outdo each other in inane challenges.

"I can't do that." Sydney said after a few minutes. "That's dad's decision." Sydney added, kicking the ball of responsibility to Jack.

They stared at each other for a while. Sydney doesn't know what to do. Ana could probably tell her everything she wants to know about Julia Thorne but she can't bring herself to ask questions.

"Do you want me to write Julia Thorne's biography?" Ana suddenly asked. Sydney looked at her inquiringly. "You look like you want to know more about her."

Sydney stared at her. "Are you a mind reader?" she asked.

Ana gave a little laugh. "No. I'm just a good guesser. I think that will be my last deed before mom kills me." She said and smiled at her.

Sydney, amused at the answer, smiled back. Ana has a morbid sense of humor.

"Will you stay for dinner?" Ana asked.

"Uh, yeah." Sydney replied. This elicited a wider smile from Ana. She's happy that Julia/Sydney's staying. She is the only one Ana considers a friend. Everyone else's an acquaintance.

Sydney felt Ana's happiness. 'Maybe my twisted little family isn't that bad after all.'

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A/N- Hello. I think this chapter ten's a bit anticlimactic to chapter nine (and poorly written since I've been playing solitaire when I was doing this).

But what do you think? I bounce in my seat every time I read your reviews and it makes my day. (Yeah, it does…) So press that tiny purple button that says "go' and tell me what you think! And if I don't like the number of reviews, I'll not update as frequently (I can use the time to study--- right :D.hehe)