Finally Woken: An Alias/Buffy crossover

by: Sam Lincoln

Rating PG-13

Summary: What if Sydney Bristow's disappearance was due to a more sinister and supernatural force? (Alias Season 3 AU)

Spoilers: Season 2/3 Alias, Post-BtVS

Disclaimer: All characters from Buffy and Angel are property of Mutant Enemy. All characters from Alias are property of Bad Robot and Touchstone Television. All characters are used without permission and no infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: Just a bit of fun that's been percolating in my brain for a year or so. I'm sorry to have to say this, but for a firm grasp of the backstory here I suggeset you read my earlier stories The Ghosts That Haunt Me and God Shuffled His Feet. They setup the how and why of this tale to a large degree. Though I hope the work will stand on its own.

-Cleveland

Sydney drove through the streets of Cleveland in her newly acquired sedan. Lying on the seat next to her was a list of all of the occult shops in town. Her mother mentioned there was a Hellmouth in Cleveland. Sydney reasoned that the allies her mother told to look for would probably have knowledge of, or be involved in, the occult. Although the greasy owner of the last shop promised her a fantastic deal on love potions, so far nothing has panned out.

She found the next store on the list in a converted warehouse far away from the bustle of downtown. The shop, which went by the unassuming name of "Practical Magical Supplies," shared space with a martial arts school that, according to its sign, was geared towards women's self-defense. A stream of young girls leaving the dojo only served to reinforce the point.

Sydney pushed open the shop's door and stepped inside. The interior of the store looked both new and old at the same time. New because Sydney could see signs of recent construction work, and old because there was a musty feel to the air, like an seldom visited library. As far as Sydney could tell she was the only person in the store. She wound her way through shelves full of spell components until she finally found the sales counter. A redheaded woman stood behind the counter with her back to Sydney.

"Uh, excuse me," Sydney said. "I was wondering if you could help me?"

The redhead turned around, "How can I help you...wait, I know you," Willow Rosenberg said.

"Sydney Bristow," Sydney replied. "We met three years ago in Sunnydale, I helped you when Buffy Summers was kidnapped by SD-6."

"And then we helped your father rescue you from the First in Sri Lanka, right, I remember you." Willow added. "What brings you to Cleveland?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Sydney replied. "Last I knew you were living in California."

"What rock have you been hiding under?" Willow asked. "Sunnydale was destroyed two years ago."

"That's sort of why I'm here. Something...happened to me two years ago, and I'm looking for answers."

"What sort of something?" Willow asked carefully.

"Several somethings actually, but it's a long story. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Sure, we've got a room in the back, and oh, I'll get Buffy and Giles, they'll want to hear this too." Willow stepped out from behind the counter and lead Sydney into a small office.

Giles was already in the office staring at expense reports. "Willow," he asked without looking away from his paperwork. "Just how much did we pay for that last batch of nightshade? Because I think that bloody supplier is trying to overcharge us again." He glanced up and saw Sydney standing next to Willow. "Oh hello, who are you?"

"Giles, you remember Sydney Bristow," Willow prompted.

"Yes, of course, the CIA agent," Giles stood up and held out his hand. "How are you Miss Bristow?"

"I won't lie, I've been better," Sydney replied as she shook Giles's hand. The Englishman winced from the strength of Sydney's grip. His eyes narrowed slightly as if he was considering something.

"Willow, would you please get Buffy. I'm sure she will want to talk to Miss Bristow." Willow nodded and walked out of the office. "Please, have a seat." Giles motioned for Sydney to sit in one of the office's tattered chairs.

"To answer your question, yes I am," Sydney told Giles as she sat down. "And no, I don't know how it happened."

"How did you know I was going to ask if you were an activated Slayer?"

"The way you reacted when we shook hands. I'm sorry about that by the way, I'm not used to being a superhero."

"Quite alright, I've dealt with enough Slayers over the years that I've grown accustomed to it. I assume your Slayer abilities are a recent manifestation then?"

"In a manner of speaking," Sydney admitted. "I take it you know how it happened."

"Not you specifically, but yes, basically I know," Giles replied. "Willow unlocked the latent abilities of every potential Slayer in an attempt to prevent the First Evil from unleashing Hell on Earth."

"It never gets tired of that," Sydney observed.

"That's right, you encountered the First."

"Yes in Sri Lanka. If it wasn't for Buffy and Willow I don't think I would have survived the meeting."

The office door opened and Buffy entered the room with Willow close behind. "Sydney hi," Buffy said. "When Willow told me you were here I almost didn't believe it. How's the spy business?" Buffy walked over to Sydney and the two shared a quick hug.

"Not well, that's why I'm here," Sydney replied.

"It seems that Miss Bristow is now a Slayer," Giles informed Buffy.

"What?" Buffy exclaimed. "That's not possible, is it?"

"Apparently it is because I am," Sydney told Buffy. To emphasize her point Sydney grabbed Buffy's arm and flipped her using a Judo move. Buffy flew through the air and landed on the ground with a crash.

"Ow, ok I believe you," Buffy said as she stood up. "Giles, explanation please."

"I'm afraid I have none," Giles replied. "By all accounts someone Miss Bristow's age should not be a potential Slayer. She might have been one at one point, but not now."

"I'm identified in the writings of Milo Rambaldi as 'the Chosen One,' could that have anything to do with it?" Sydney asked Giles.

"My familiarity with Rambaldi is not what it should be," Giles said. "It could, but that is just speculation on my part."

"Why are you coming to us now?" Willow asked. "The potentials were activated two years ago."

"That's the other reason I'm here. I'm missing those two years."

"A temporal slip, fascinating," Giles muttered. He stood up from his desk and began examining a large bookshelf. "Please, continue."

"Ok, before I tell you anything more I have to warn you this might sound a little weird," Sydney caught herself. "On second thought it will probably sound perfectly normal to you. It all started shortly after we dismantled SD-6." Sydney then described the events leading up to her disappearance. She made sure to leave out as little as possible. Her 5 years with the CIA taught her that it was often the little things in a debriefing that really made a difference. She knew she was violating at least a half dozen laws and regulations by doing so, but, in light of everything that has happened, she figured it was a minor detail. "So the next thing I know two years have gone by and everything's different. Vaughn's imprisoned and I'm on the run. I didn't have anywhere else to go so I came here."

"You suspect something supernatural was behind your disappearance?" Giles asked as he looked through a book.

"It would explain my memory loss," Sydney replied.

Giles set his book down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Quite, but proving it will be difficult. We would need a spell that detects the use of magic, or a mystical object that detects spectral energy. Unfortunately, no such spell or object exists."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Finding out who was behind your disappearance would prove more productive."

"I know who, the problem is figuring out how he did it."

"Who?"

"CIA Director Arvin Sloane," Sydney replied.

"Wait," Buffy interjected, "is this the same sleazeball who kidnapped me and then tried to sell me to Wolfram and Hart? How'd he get to be CIA director?"

"He concocted some crazy story about never really being evil and everyone seems to believe it."

"A glamour," Willow said, "Giles, I bet he's using a glamour. That would explain how he conned the rest of the government."

"It would, and there are spells that can move a person through time, but it takes a tremendous amount of dark energy to perform them, not to mention a glamour of this scope. It's more power than anyone human can channel in fact. It would take a being from one of the lower planes...oh dear..." Giles trailed off.

"Giles, what is it?" Buffy asked.

"If Mr. Sloane has somehow managed to harness the power of a hell beast then he will be a very dangerous adversary," Giles replied.

"Well duh, I thought there was something Apocalyptic as well."

"If he were to lose control of his pet demon that might very well be the case," Giles pointed out.

"There's something else," Sydney said.

"There always is," Buffy said fatalistically.

"Sloane is after Slayers, all the major players are. A trained operative with the powers of a Slayer? That's every spymaster's dream."

"Will, book me a flight to DC. I'm going to teach Mr. Sloane a lesson in meddling in my affairs," Buffy growled.

"That would be a really bad idea," Sydney pointed out.

"Miss Bristow's right," Giles added. "You can't charge headlong into CIA headquarters."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Let me see what contacts I still have," Sydney said. "Once we know more about what Sloane's up to we can figure out how to deal with him. In the meantime I'm going to need your help rescuing Vaughn."

"You want us to break into a top secret prison?" Willow asked.

Sydney shook her head, "No, I just need some supplies," She paused. "And a place to train, I need to get acclimated with my new...abilities."

"Oh I'll be more than happy to help you out on that score," Buffy said. "I owe you for that judo throw."

"Aren't you worried they'll kill Vaughn before you get to him?" Willow asked.

Sydney shook her head, "They won't kill Vaughn, if they do that they won't have any bait for their trap."

Before anyone could reply Xander burst into the room. "Hey Giles, there are a couple of suits looking for Sydney Bristow, we haven't seen her in years..." Xander caught sight of Sydney. "Oh, hey Sydney, what's up?"

"They must have tracked the car I was driving," Sydney reasoned.

"Do you need a place to hide?" Buffy asked.

"I'd ask for someone to explain this to me, but I think that would take too long," Xander quipped.

The office door burst open. A man and a woman, both dressed in dark suits, walked into the room. The woman was a short blonde with a haughty expression. The man Sydney recognized as Weiss.

"Sydney Bristow, you're under arrest," the blonde said, her voice had just a trace of a British accent.

"Weiss? How can you do this?" Sydney asked.

"Just come quietly and there won't be any trouble," Weiss said.

Sydney sighed, then nodded. "I'm innocent you know," she told Weiss as she held out her wrists.

"Come on Bristow, I'm not stupid." Weiss grabbed her arm and handcuffed her wrist behind her back.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," the blonde said, "but this woman is a danger to national security."

"And you think that gives you the right to come in her and act all Gestapo?" Willow demanded. "Sydney's an American citizen, she has rights you know."

"Ms. Bristow is a wanted criminal," the blonde replied. "If you want we can arrest you and find out what a known terrorist is doing in your establishment."

"Willow, don't worry, I'll be fine," Sydney assured Willow. "Just look after my stuff, I left it in my car."

The blonde glared at Willow as Weiss escorted Sydney out of the office. "It would be wise if you never mentioned this to anyone," she informed Buffy and the others before following Weiss out of the office.

"So is that it? Are we just going to let them take Sydney like that?"

"Hang on Will, I think Sydney was trying to tell us something," Buffy said. "Let's check out her car."

"And while we're doing that would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?" Xander demanded.

Willow filled Xander in on what he missed while Buffy searched through Sydney's car. "So not only is Sydney a Slayer but she's wanted by the government for crimes she didn't commit. Throw in a one-armed man and you've got the pilot for a great TV show," Xander quipped.

Sydney left the car unlocked and Buffy was searching through the trunk. "Hey Willow, check this out." Buffy showed Willow a small, handheld computer.

Willow took the device from Buffy. "Cool." She pressed a button and the computer flared to life. "Hey, I know what this is." She held the computer up for Buffy to see. "It's a receiver for a tracking device. Sydney must have a bug on her."

"So we can track her?"

"Sure, this thi g uses GPS so it should be a snap. Do you think Sydney meant for us to find it?"

"I know it, doesn't it seem like a suitably spy thing to do?"

"We'd better hurry, there's no telling when those goons will find the tracker," Xander pointed out.

"Then we don't have a moment to spare. Xander, you drive, Willow, handle the navigation. I'll take care of things once we track them down."

"Things had seemed a little too quiet, hadn't they," Xander commented to Willow as the ran to his car.

"Just a little," Willow agreed.

-Washington DC

Sloane stood in front of a bank of monitors in a darkened briefing room. A surveillance photo of Sydney was being displayed on the monitors.

"This is Sydney Bristow," Sloane began. "A former CIA operative, Miss Bristow was a vital asset in my work taking down the Alliance two years ago. What I did not know at the time was that she was working with this man."

Sloane advanced his presentation and a picture of Jack Bristow appeared.

"Her father Jack Bristow, also an undercover CIA operative and one my closest friends. The Bristows were part of a criminal organization run by Irina Derevko, Sydney Bristow's mother and a former KGB operative. "A picture of Irina Derevko flashed onto the screen.

"Derevko used the Bristows to acquire Rambaldi artifacts in an attempt to advance an as yet unknown end game that revolves around the Rambaldi prophecy. We believed Sydney Bristow to be dead, killed in a fire that claimed the life of her roommate two years ago. Yesterday however we intercepted a communication between Miss Bristow and one Michael Vaughn."

"Mr. Vaughn, also a former CIA, was Miss Bristow's handler when she worked for SD-6. Sydney recruited him into Derevko's organization. I should at this time mention that Derevko viciously murdered Vaughn's father. That alone should tell you something of Vaughn's character and Sydney Bristow's powers of persuasion."

"We tasked a team to Hong Kong and they apprehended both Bristow and Vaughn. Unfortunately Derevko freed Bristow while she was in transit to Washington. As of this moment we do not know where Sydney Bristow is, but there is a very strong chance she will attempt to retrieve Mr. Vaughn from our custody. The two were very close."

"There's one other thing," Sloane said as he concluded his briefing. "Observations while she was in custody indicate that Sydney Bristow is an activated Slayer. The combination of Slayer ability and her CIA training make her quite possibly the most dangerous individual on the planet. Your mission will be to neutralize this threat in any fashion you see fit. Technical Section will provide you with your Op-Tech. Do you have any questions?"

"Take down a rogue agent with Slayer powers? No sweat Mr. S," Faith said. She was sitting on the opposite end of the room from Sloane with her feet propped up on the table. Faith stood up and sauntered over to where Sloane was standing. "So you think she's going to go after this guy?" She indicated the picture of Vaughn that was on one of the monitors.

"I know Sydney Bristow as well as anyone. She will try to mount a rescue," Sloane assured Faith.

"Well I can see why, the guy's a hottie," Faith commented. "This feels good, you know," Faith said as she turned to face Sloane. "Stopping the bad guys, protecting the country. It's nice to work for the good guys for a change."

"Yes, it is isn't it," Sloane replied with a smile.

-to be continued-

Authors Notes: Yes, dreadfully late, I just haven't like working on this thing recently. Chapter 3 is coming along sentence by torturous sentence. It will get done, though. Thanks for reading.

-sam 4/3/2005