FAMILY MATTERS

Eyghon

Author's notes: I have to thank Lenafan who's helping out a lot with everything related to the show and to US. She knows all the chronology and the history of the Mueller Device throughout all four seasons. I don't know what I'd do without her!

Chapter 3: The Executive Suite

Ten days later, Sydney opened her door to a UPS deliveryman. She signed for her parcel and, like a good spy that she was, scanned it for explosives before opening it.

Under the brown paper was a book, but not just any book. It was 'Alice in Wonderland', a first edition. Her heart stopped. It was from her mother. It had to be. Maybe she had made some progress and wanted to get Sydney up to date. Now she just needed to find out where and how Irina hid the information in the book. It couldn't be in the wrapping, it was UPS standard issue.

She didn't want to damage the book. After all, it was a genuine first edition of her favourite book and a perfect copy of the one she lost in the fire at her house. Eric's third edition was a sweet gift by which she had been touched and was still grateful for, but it was not the real deal. Her mother's 'gift' would look perfect in her bookcase, next to Eric's copy. She flipped through the pages and saw the small slip of paper stuck between chapter 7 and chapter 8.

Squinting, she read a date, a time, and a name. 'The Executive Suite'. The date was today's, at 23h00. A club, judging by the name. How very surprising. She smiled wryly. It would be the first time she went to a club in a non-work related business since she came back. She wasn't going there for APO, or for the CIA, but for herself. She had partied since her return, but it consisted of getting drunk between friends, generally with only Eric, at her own apartment. It was fun but not as much as clubbing with Francie and Will had been. Ah, the good old days…

She picked up the phone and dialed Weiss's number. No way was she leaving Nadia alone, even for a couple hours.

"Sure, I'm always happy to spend time with Nadia," he cheerfully agreed to her request.

"She'll probably be asleep."

"That's fine by me. Now, I must say I'm pretty curious as to why my very hot female friend needs a 'babysitter' at such a late hour?"

Sydney smiled. He had the gift to make her smile whenever he opened his mouth. It was one of the things that made him so special. "Well, if you must know, I'm going out and having some fun on my own."

"And you're not taking me with you? I'm hurt!" He mockingly replied.

"That's the idea of 'on my own', to go without you, sorry pal."

"Now I'm jealous. Will you at least pass my number around if you happen to meet any hot girls in need of a real male?"

"Of course. Thank you Eric, you're so sweet."

"Don't sweat it. I'll be over by 22h00, is that okay?"

"Perfect." Count on Irina to pick a club near enough to her apartment so Sydney wouldn't have to drive all night to get there. Sometimes it had its advantages to have a sneaky mother.

She should have checked the club's name on the Internet before leaving. A young guy in a red jacket opened her door for her and took her place in the driver seat. She had no problem getting in, considering the amount of leather she was wearing. Leather was the key to any club in the world, Sydney had learned that the hard way during her time at SD-6. It was either mini skirt bordering on non-existent and low cut top or tight, simple leather. She preferred the latter; it offered more coverage, which made her feel more comfortable, more like herself, though Sydney Bristow rarely wore leather, if not ever, even when going out.

Tonight she was wearing tight leather pants, black, of course, boots, also black, and a purple blouse with a black leather jacket, because it was chilly outside.

She had caught up on the nature of the club the minute she had pulled up in front of 'The Executive Suite' and had spotted the line. Women. Dozens of women and not a man in sight except for the valet boys.

She couldn't believe it. Her mother had arranged for them to meet at a lesbian club, of all places. She wondered why Irina had made that choice. For a second, she considered it a matter of taste, but quickly dismissed the idea. That was just so wrong even to think about her mother in this way...no, it must be some sort of strategy that Sydney didn't get yet. She would make sure to demand an explanation from Irina.

The last thing she wanted was to mix with the dancers and be hit on so she made her way to the bar but did catch a few appreciative glances on her way there.

She was down to her second vodka when someone slid on the stool beside her. She didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Aren't you driving?" Asked Irina, motioning for the bartender to give her what Sydney was having and to get her daughter a refill as well.

"I am, but I could still get myself home with twice that amount plus a couple of beers. And if the cops try to stop me for a Breathalyzer, I am confident I will easily lose them."

"I have no doubt about that."

"Or you could drive me home yourself. That would be fun. Seriously, of all places, you wanted to meet me here? What's wrong with you?"

"Makes it easier to spot tails."

"The CIA does employ women in case you haven't noticed."

"They do but they are still a minority. Tell me, how many women, field rated, of course, have you seen in your office? None. They are all doing paperwork or analysis. And all your 'bodyguards' are male anyway."

Sydney rolled her eyes, forced to recognise her mother had a point. Nonetheless, she couldn't let herself be defeated so easily. "I cannot divulge any information pertaining to my co-workers."

Irina took it as it was, a joke, and smiled pleasantly. "Shall we go elsewhere to talk?"

"We shall," agreed Sydney, downing her third shot of Vodka. She realised she had just drank with her mother, as two friends would do. She felt incredibly good about it and though it didn't seem like a big deal, it was to her. She let the older woman pay for their drinks and stood up when Irina offered her hand with a playful smile on her face. She smiled back with a devilish grin of her own and let herself be led through the maze of people.

Irina wanted to play and Sydney was game.

She was surprised to spot several women of Irina's age and was downright outraged when Irina received smiles creepily similar to those she herself earned as she made her way through the crowd. Were women as dense as men were or was Irina being overly encouraging while she had her back to Sydney?

Irina led her to the back of the club in an area reserved for more 'official' couples, those anxious to take their relationship to a further level. The sound of the music was muted back here and you could talk without yelling. Irina had seemingly booked them the VIP suite in advance.

The place was actually quite good looking and comfortably furnished with a king sized bed, sofa, mini bar and even a Jacuzzi. It was a nice, but probably an expensive alternative for the women who couldn't wait to reach a hotel or even their car, and who didn't want to have sex on the dance floor or in a booth.

"Like it?"

"Frankly Mom, you're starting to creep me out, but I'll admit its way much better than the sleazy back room of your nightclub in Taipei."

Irina had a very unpleasant flashback to the aforementioned back room in which she had sequestered her daughter before shooting her. She mentally shook her head and replied, on a teasing tone. "Don't worry, I only have the purest of intentions." Then, on the 'teacher tone' she hadn't used in decades, she added, finally answering one of Sydney's question, "the point is that no one would look for us here."

"True. Even I didn't expect to find myself in such a setting. I mean, of all the places to meet. You could have chosen an abandoned warehouse, a parking garage, the docks…but no, you picked a lesbian club. Sorry, not 'a' club but 'your' club with accommodations for couples to spend the night."

Irina laughed, startling Sydney, in a good way. The only time she had heard her mother's deep, throaty laugh, was in the train when she had shared a joke with Jack. She smiled, transfixed.

"Would you have preferred a strip tease club? An S&M club maybe?"

"No! God knows I spend enough of my time in those as it is!"

Irina turned serious, feeling it was time to ask the question she had dreaded to ask ever since she had found out Sydney was not the sweet university student she appeared to be. "Sydney, what do you do when you are on mission in that kind of place?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Sydney, confused at the sudden shift in conversation.

"What I'm trying to ask is…how far did you ever go, while impersonating an alias?"

Sydney stared, mouth half open. She was good at hiding her emotions, but the implications of the question totally threw her off. More so because it was coming from her mother, of all people. "Are you asking me if I had sex with a man with the purpose of achieving my mission?"

"Yes," Irina replied curtly, trying to contain her impatience. Sydney knew exactly what she was asking, why didn't she just say 'no' directly?

After a bewildered moment, Sydney sighed dramatically. "I did sleep with a man during a mission, once," said Sydney, earning a horrified glance from Irina.

"Sydney! How could you?"

"Mom, I'm just messing with you, let me finish." She went on with her story, but with such a sad tone that it made Irina want to hold her. "Our aliases were those of a Russian couple, trying to impersonate the perfect American couple. We went to a place called 'Liberty Village', it was a replica of an American suburb. We had to perform for the leader. We bought a car and played hosts to the neighbouring families, who where also in training like we were. We were under constant observation, and were supposed to act like a couple at all times." She paused, smirking. "The leader made a reflection on us. He said we were too cold to pass for a couple, and that we had intimacy issues…"

"Sydney…" Irina wondered where Sydney was going with her story.

"It was Vaughn, Mom. Right after he killed Lauren, we decided to get back together and take things slow. And then, next thing we knew, we were trapped in that compound, where we would have been killed for not being a good couple." She smiled. "Ironic, isn't it? We jumped in the shower and it just happened, out of the sight of the cameras, obviously."

Irina smiled despite herself. She briefly wondered if children usually shared their sexual experiences with their parents.

Sydney went on. "Wait, I'm not nearly done. Here's the kicker. They asked how he had popped the question, how he had asked me to marry him." She sighed, near tears. "And he answered."

"I don't understand…"

"If I hadn't gone missing, we would have gone to Santa Barbara. He would have asked me to marry him on the beach. He had it all planned out, he wanted to take me to the zoo, and had reserved the Biltmore's Presidential Suite…all that never happened because the Covenant took me, and now it will never happen because he lied to me all along and I hate him!"

"Sweetheart…"

"I never told anyone about this…I just needed to say it…and your question made me think about that night in the shower…what he said the next day…and now I can't stop thinking about him…about what could have been but never will be."

Irina hugged her, neither saying a word for a few minutes. Then, Sydney seemed to regain her composure and wiped her tears. "To really answer your question, no, I never slept with a man for the sake of my job. The farthest I went was reciprocated kissing and some fondling. One guy licked my face one. I compensated by breaking his noise and depriving him of the ability to have children. I pretty much kicked every guy's ass I had to kiss or pretend to remotely be interested in."

"I'm proud of you sweetheart." Irina nodded and smiled broadly, clearly relieved.

"Now what about this place? Because I wonder, are you trying to tell me something? Your explanation only half convinced me," she added playfully.

Irina understood the aforementioned issue was closed and respected her daughter's choice. She played along, happy to return to a safe topic. "Are you worried I might have switched sides?" Asked Irina, and Sydney couldn't tell if she was messing with her or if she was serious.

"No! Well…I must admit I considered it for a quarter of second, maybe more, but…seriously, you? No. It just doesn't fit."

"Why not? I know a few women in our business that play for the home team."

Sydney froze, mouth mildly open. "Did I just hear you say 'home team'?"

"Yes, you did. Why? What's the matter?" Irina was inwardly reveling in her daughter's startled expression. From her point of view, it was healthy, in a mother/daughter relationship, to mess with your child's head.

"You're my mother! You can't say things like that!" Now she was horrified.

Irina smiled. It was a cruel game she was playing, and she herself could not bear to imagine her daughter having sexual intercourse, but it was so much fun to torment Sydney, she just had to give it one last shot. "Anyway, you don't have to worry, I only go for sticks."

"Jesus Christ!"

"I chose this particular club because I happen to own it."

"What? You're serious. This place is barely thirty minutes away from where I live!"

"I know. And yes, I do own this club, though I merely pay the bills and get the money once a month. Someone else takes care of it."

"Then why bring us to this room; can't we borrow the manager's office?"

"I could, but in our business, you can't trust places as an office or a conference room. No matter how safe you make them, someone always finds a way to breach even the best security."

"You have a point," nodded Sydney, used to breaking into places supposedly spy and thief-proof.

"Who would think to place a listening device in such a place?" She asked, motioning to their surroundings.

"A pervert," replied Sydney matter-of-factly.

"But not the CIA."

"I know a few guys at the office that fit both profiles. Should we worry?"

Irina chuckled. Her daughter was much more relaxed after consuming alcohol. She would have to remember that for future meetings. "I'm sorry to have dragged you here, I just didn't feel it wise to invite myself over to your apartment. Did you find someone to watch over Nadia?"

"Yeah, Eric is with her now. She was asleep when I left. She sleeps a lot."

Irina nodded. "What I have to tell you is too sensitive to take any chances of someone listening," she explained, getting down to business.

Sydney nodded and Irina admired her ability to go from joking around to being fully serious.

TBC