Disclaimer:I own ALIAS. I am also a compulsive liar. You decide what to believe.

A/N: For all of you that asked for it, here he is. The one, the only, the man formerly known as Michael Vaughn.

Ch. 16 "The Vaughn Man Cometh"

"I love this job," Dixon said, as he grabbed a piece of cheese off a tray. "Don't you?"

Sydney ignored his question and kept looking around the room. Sloane had sent them to Naples, Italy to find a bracelet. Syd had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with another piece of jewelry he had acquired recently.

"I wish I could go to the party."

Sydney rolled her eyes. Marshall was in the van outside the museum. He had been talking non-stop all night. Syd was just about to take out her earpiece and flush it down the toilet. She had enough on her mind at the moment. Besides the fact that they were about to steal a highly guarded accessory at a highly attended grand opening, she also had a counter-mission to worry about.

"Bianca, you don't look like you're enjoying yourself," Dixon hinted.

Sydney understood his meaning and started to relax. Most people don't look nervous in a museum. Unless, you're about to steal something. Or you're a klutz.

She took a piece of cheese and almost choked on it.

"Are you okay?" Dixon asked her.

Sydney nodded, but she was a hop skip and a mountain away from okay. There was a definite stink in the air and it was coming from the man in the green suit, who was slipping out a door. She made an excuse to Dixon about needing to go to the bathroom and then followed her old "friend". Syd wondered if he still remembered her.

"Now, you pretty little girl, who sent you?"

Sydney looked up at her captor. For a tall man, he was really fat. He also smelled bad. She should have just let Sloane catch and kill her. That would have been preferable to this stench. But no, she just had to join the real CIA and become a double agent. It's not like she didn't have other things she wanted to do during the weekend. But instead of shooting hoops with Will and Francie, she was across the ocean trying to steal a ring that was older than her Home Ec teacher, Mrs. Kane. And all for Sloane, just so he would let her come back to school and the agency. "Maybe I can just drop the school bit," Syd thought hopefully.

Smelly grabbed her hand and started twisting it. Sydney didn't even blink. After being in a vehicle with Matthew behind the wheel, torture was nothing.

"One last time," the ugly, smelly baboon, with really bad teeth, spat. "Who sent you?"

"Gota…"

The baboon smiled, "Gota what?"

Sydney looked him straight in the eye and smiled. He was making this way too easy.

"Gota hell."

As expected, her torturer was rather pissed. He had just raised his hand to strike her, when the door flew open and her father let the evil man have it, with a round of tranquilizers.

After being untied, Sydney smiled at her father. "I think one or two would have been enough," she said, as she pried the ring off the comatose goon.

Jack grinned back. "Better safe than sorry, I always say."

A few moments later, Sydney looked at her father.

"When have you ever said that?" she questioned.

Her father gave her an exasperated look. "It's an expression."

They argued about the matter all 3,800 miles home.

Not surprisingly, Sloane welcomed her back with open arms. Sydney reluctantly hugged him.

"Having to be in the same building with him is hard enough, but if he doesn't let go soon, I'm going to strangle him," Sydney mumbled.

"What Sydney?" Sloane asked, as he released her.

"Nothing," Sydney replied, forcing a smile. "Just glad to be back."

Sloane nodded. "We've all missed you, Sydney."

Sydney kept a smile plastered on her face for the next few minutes, during which Sloane told her that he always knew she would come to her senses and other crap filled statements. As soon as she was able to, Sydney walked quickly out of the room, before bolting for the doors. Besides the minor setback of smacking herself with the door, she was feeling pretty good. Operation Sloaney Baloney was underway.

Sydney followed Smelly into a storage room and watched him go out the back door. She inched toward it and opened the door a sliver. Her shoulders slumped. She had hoped to see him doing something illegal that she could bust him for. Smoking, however disgusting, wasn't illegal.

She made her way back to the party where Dixon was snarfing down more cheese.

Sydney chuckled. If Dixon put as much effort into the mission as he was into the food, they'd be done in no time. "Speaking of time," Sydney thought. It was just about time for the lights to go out on this party. Now Sydney wished she had paid more attention to Marshall when he had been explaining things. Unfortunately, she had been a bit preoccupied that day.

"Welcome, ladies and gents, to Marshall Flinkman's Gadget World. Today, we have not one, not two, but three great bargains for you. Uno: This deluxe blackout…"

Usually, Sydney made an effort to listen to Marshall's talks, considering she would have to use the equipment eventually. But today, she was too distracted by the summersaults her stomach was making. As soon as the meeting was over, she was going to Miss Chase's Dance School to meet with her new handler. She had told everyone that she was taking dancing lessons. Sloane hadn't been too pleased with that.

But her dad had talked/threatened him and in the end, he had made no further objections.

"Sydney?"

"Uh-huh, what?" Sydney snapped back to attention.

"The meeting is over," Dixon replied, looking at her worriedly.

Sydney nodded, gathered her stuff up, and walked towards the door.

"Sydney, would you stay for a moment?" Sloane requested.

Syd came to an abrupt halt. Red sirens started whirling in her head.

"Yes?" she squeaked.

"Here's the details of your mission," he said, as he handed her the papers.

As much as it pained her, she thanked him and once again, headed toward the door.

Twenty minutes later, she was in front of Miss Chase's Dance School. "Too bad I'm not actually taking dance lessons. That walk warmed me up," Sydney thought. Jack had taken Matthew to the dentist, a place he hadn't been for many moons, so neither of them had been able to drive her. Not that Syd minded. This meeting was not something she was looking forward to.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. As she looked around the room, her thoughts wandered again to her new handler. He was probably some old fogey, with thinning or no hair, who would have absolutely no idea how to deal with a teenage girl.

She was still standing by the door when a 20 something African-American woman approached her. "I'm Miss Chase. How may I help you?"

Sydney took a breath and said. "I'm Sydney Bristow. I'm here for…instruction."

Miss Chase nodded. "Follow me."

They walked through the lobby and down a hall. Then they turned and walked down another hall, through a door, which was followed by yet another hall. Sydney was already lost. Miss Chase must have guessed her thoughts because she said airily, "You'll get the hang of it after awhile. We haven't lost anyone yet."

Syd nodded, but continued to be nervous. Two doors and a hallway later, they came to a staircase that Sydney guessed led down to the basement.

Miss Chase motioned for Sydney to descend. "I'll meet you here later," she said, with a wink.

Sydney nodded again, feeling like she was doing a lot of nodding lately.

Forty-seven steps later, Syd came into a small room, that contained two chairs, a table, and a very cute guy. He rose as she approached. "Mary Rose, I presume?" he asked.

"It's Miss Clayborn to you," she replied. The codes the intelligence world came up with were always so corny.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," he said, as he extended his hand.

Sydney shook his hand, but in the back of her mind she remembered that it was proper etiquette for the man to wait for the lady to extend her hand. "But he's cute, so I'll let it pass," Sydney thought.

The cute guy motioned for her to sit down.

"Your papers are very impressive Miss Bristow. I hope I'll be able to keep up with you."

Sydney did a double take. "You're my handler?" she exclaimed. She had figured he was her handler's lackey or something.

The young handler chuckled. "Yes, I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

Thinking that he wouldn't be such a bad person to be stuck to, Sydney realized she didn't even know who he was.

"Um, what did you say your name was?" Sydney asked, even though she knew he didn't say.

Her handler hit his forehead with his palm. "I'm sorry. I'm pretty nervous," he admitted. "You can call me Michael Vaughn," he said a moment later.

The rest of the meeting had the two going over her counter-mission. She was suppose to remove one of the tiny emeralds and replace it with a tracking device that the CIA had given her.

All in all, the meeting had gone quite smoothly. The exact opposite of what was happening in the present.

Sydney had put the night vision glasses on and could see everything. Except, her partner.

Suddenly, she smelt something cheesy. She turned around and bumped into Dixon, who was still holding a piece of cheese.


"So the mission was a complete success?"

Sydney nodded at Mike…Michael…Vaughn…her handler. Yes, that sounded professional.

"Um, I was wondering if I would be able to get in touch with Danny?" Syd asked. Although, Danny was no longer her boyfriend, she felt kind of guilty liking another guy so soon. Especially, when it was her fault Danny had to leave in the first place.

"We aren't allowed to contact people in Witness Protection, unless it's for agency related issues," Vaughn said. "But I'm sure your father already told you that when you asked him."

"Danny's in Witness Protection? Why would my father know about that when I wouldn't?"

Vaughn looked confused. "Well, who do you think got Danny…" When he realized his mistake, he trailed off, but it was too late.

"Are we done?" Sydney asked, as if daring him to make her stay.

"No," Vaughn said in a small voice. As Sydney marched out the door, he hoped he hadn't just gotten himself in trouble with Jack Bristow. He'd heard stories that made Goosebumps look like fairy tales. Hopefully, Jack wouldn't hold this against him for the rest of his career.