Disclaimer: I do not own Alias

The Truth Changes Everything

"Let me say that, in advance, I'm sorry to make this such a public display but I felt it was important to do this in front of these people because they already know the truth and because I didn't think that you would believe me otherwise. Those Cyrillic codes you found in those books— yes, they were orders from the KGB and yes, they were orders to kill. An agent received those orders and carried them out, murdering officers of the CIA, including your father, Mr Vaughn. All this is true. But, Sydney, I was not that agent. Your mother was."

Sydney bolted out of the conference room before Vaughn could say anything. Not that he had anything actually to say. How was a person supposed to respond to news such as he had just received?

He had spent over twenty years knowing that his father had been killed, but having no knowledge on who was responsible. But now…

Sydney's mother? How on earth was he going to process this news? How was Sydney going to deal with it? Imagine spending twenty years believing a fairy tale. What would happen when you discovered that your life had been a lie? That you had been created by the lie?

Feeling numb, Vaughn headed towards his office. For some reason, the idea that Jack was behind his father's death was easier to accept. He didn't know why. Both Jack and Irina Derevko were Sydney's parents.

Sydney. Would this change anything? Would he be able to look at her without seeing the resemblance to the woman who had killed his father? To look into the eyes that mirrored those that his father would have seen in his last moments.

He dropped down into his desk chair and stared at the wall opposite him. He didn't want things to change between Sydney and him. Their relationship was special- he knew that. But special enough to survive this?

"Hey Mike." Vaughn looked up at the sound of Eric Weiss's voice and saw him standing in the doorway. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Weiss walked in and sat at the other side of the desk "So?"

"What?" Vaughn rubbed his eyes.

"What happened? Have they taken Jack into custody?"

Vaughn shook his head and wished desperately that he were home on his couch, beer in hand and hockey on the television. He wondered if he left now would anybody notice?

"They didn't? Why not? You and Sydney had all the evidence, why isn't anything being done?"

"Jack was at the meeting, Weiss."

Weiss eyebrows shot up. "Why? Don't tell me he was there to defend himself, or something."

"It wasn't Jack." Vaughn answered quietly as he leant back in his desk chair. "Jack did not kill my father."

"I don't get it. The codes, the missing pages from his file- even Sydney thought that it was him. What the hell happened in there?"

"It was her mother."

"Her mother?"

"Sydney's mother was responsible for the death of my father."

"But wasn't her mother like a literature professor or something?"

"Her mother was a KGB agent." He stared stonily at Weiss. "Sent to the United States to marry a CIA officer."

Weiss's jaw dropped slightly and his mouth opened and shut a few times, making him resemble a fish. "KGB?"

"Yes. And Jack knew. Devlin knew. They all knew and they never felt the need to inform us." Vaughn said, bitterly.

"So what's going to happen now?"

"What can happen? Her mother is dead. You can't put a dead woman on trial, no matter how heinous her crimes are."

"No. I was talking about Sydney. Who's going to replace you as her handler?"

Vaughn stared at Weiss. In all his concerns about this situation, the thought of resigning as Sydney's handler had never crossed his mind. It just wasn't an option for Vaughn. "Where did you get that idea from? Nobody is going to replace me as her handler."

"But how can you even think about continuing to handle Sydney when you know that her mother killed your dad?"

"Weiss, I can't abandon Sydney now. I'm the only person who she can turn to, and she is going to need support more than ever now."

"And what about you?" Weiss demanded. He knew that Vaughn's feelings towards his asset had been growing stronger by the day, but this was ridiculous. "How are you supposed to deal with everything, when you are so concerned with Sydney?"

"Look, I'm not going to pretend that the situation is ideal, and that Sydney and I can just go on working as if nothing has happened. But I can deal with this. Sydney is just as much a victim of this situation as I am. If not, more."

"And how do you come to this conclusion, Vaughn?" Weiss was worried that his friend had finally lost the plot.

"I've lived with my father's death for over twenty years. I have had time to deal with it and accept it. I have not lived a lie. Sydney has." Vaughn paused. "She has just been told that the loving parent she created in her mind is a cold-blooded killer, who lied to her father to steal secrets from the American Government. How would you feel if you were in her position?"

Through his words, Vaughn suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of clarity. They would survive this. Of course things were going to change, but if anything, this would bring them closer together.

"Vaughn, her mother killed your dad."

"Exactly. Her mother, not Sydney."

Weiss was shaking his head. "You're incredible."

"No, I'm not." Vaughn said firmly.

"Well, I think you deserve a beer. In fact I think you deserve an obscene amount of beers." Weiss stood up. "What do you say?"

"I think that it's the most intelligent thing you've said all day."

There's something that happens when you discover the truth about someone. I know a little about this. The truth changes everything.

Sydney couldn't look him in the eyes. While she knew that she had done nothing wrong, that knowledge did nothing to stop the racking guilt seething through her body.

"There's this woman, her personality like a collage I've put together from the photographs, the few memories I have, scraps of stories I've heard, the clothes of hers I've got…her books. And none of it's real. She wasn't that woman at all…she was a horrible person… who killed your father." Sydney looked up at him, her eyes wrought. "Vaughn, I just wanted to say…that I'm so sorry."

Vaughn stepped forward as Sydney was overcome by choking sobs. Almost hesitantly he wrapped his arms around her, gently cradling her head in his hand. What he had said to Weiss was right. They were both victims here, but they were going to get through this.

Together.