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.


Finally Woken: Chapter Three

-Cleveland

Weiss and the unknown blonde brought Sydney to an industrial park on the outskirts of Cleveland. They drove into a darkened warehouse and stopped the car. "Get out," the blonde told Sydney.

"So this is it?" Sydney asked Weiss. "You're going to just shoot me here."

"Get out of the car Sydney," Weiss replied. "We're not going to shoot you. There's someone who wants to see you."

"You know these handcuffs won't stop me from kicking your ass if I wanted too," Sydney warned Weiss as she got out of the car.

"You could've done that before you vanished," Weiss said as he unlocked Sydney's handcuffs.

"Wait, what's going on?" Sydney asked.

"I told you, someone wants to talk to you," Weiss pointed at the other end of the warehouse where a figure stood in the shadows.

Sydney walked over to the darkened figure. Her heart leapt into her throat when the man stepped out of the shadows.

"Hello Sydney," her father said, emotion tingeing his normally stoic voice.

Sydney rushed over and hugged her father. Seeing him standing there, looking unchanged from how she remembered, he seemed like a touchstone to her old life. A life that seemed an eternity ago even though it was only a few days in the past from Sydney's perspective. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, I had Weiss and Ms. Reed track you down. Sloane's looking for you Sydney; it's not safe out there. We felt the subterfuge was necessary if you were already being held by his people."

Sydney turned and faced Weiss. "So you're not working for Sloane?"

"Why would I work for an evil creep like that?" Weiss asked rhetorically. "I quit the CIA as soon as he took over. Damn Sydney it's good to see you again." Weiss and Sydney shared a hug. "Oh, right, introductions. Sydney Bristow, Lauren Reed. Lauren Reed, Sydney Bristow."

"Hello Sydney," Lauren said. "I've heard a lot about you from Eric and Michael." She held out her hand to Sydney.

"Only good things I hope," Sydney said as she shook Lauren's hand. She could sense hostility from the other woman, but she had no clue why that might be.

Weiss could see the confusion in Sydney's eyes "Lauren and Vaughn are..." his voice trailed off as he searched for the right word.

"We're married," Lauren said for Weiss.

"Oh," was all Sydney could say. Her mind was unable to process the information.

"Michael didn't mention it?"

Sydney shook her head. "There was no time. Sloane's men found us shortly after he arrived."

"I told him he shouldn't go, but he wouldn't listen," Lauren said, the bitterness in her voice was evident.

"We can talk about this later," Jack said sharply. "Right now we have to leave. There's a chance Sloane knows where we are and we need to get to a more secure location. We can get Sydney caught up on world events and decide what to do about Vaughn then."

"Uh, we might have a problem there," Sydney said. "I was meeting with Buffy Summers and her friends when Weiss 'arrested' me, and since he did such a good acting job they think I've been kidnapped by Sloane. I'm willing to bet they tried to follow us."

"Were you followed?" Jack asked Weiss.

"No, of course not," Weiss replied.

Just then the door to the warehouse crashed open and a very annoyed looking Buffy entered the building. "Alright, you spy-holes, let Sydney go now!"

Sydney held up the small tracking device she had hidden in her pocket. "They didn't have to follow the car, I had this."

Buffy ran over to where Sydney and the others were standing. "Sydney, are you alright?" She asked. Buffy caught sight of Jack. "Hey wait, you're Sydney's father, aren't you? Why would you want to kidnap her?"

"I don't," Jack replied. "We did not kidnap Sydney. Mr. Weiss and Ms. Reed work for me, not the government."

"So Sydney was never really in any danger."

"Not from us."

"Uh, sorry about the door."

"Oh, that's ok, it's not our building anyway. Hi, I'm Eric Weiss, master spy." Weiss said to Buffy. Sydney couldn't help but smile at Weiss's attempt to charm Buffy.

"Buffy Summers, and you're not much of a master spy if little old me was able to track you down?"

"Everyone's entitled to an off day," Weiss offered.

Buffy laughed, "Nice try, but I'm not buying."

"I am good at my job," Weiss grumbled, "Syd, back me up here."

"We were just leaving," Jack said, cutting off the byplay between Buffy and Weiss. "You and Miss Rosenberg, who I assume is just outside, are welcome to accompany us."

"Really?" Buffy asked in amazement. "You aren't going to be all stuffy and say this is no place for a civilian?"

"In the first place we are all civilians here," Jack replied. "And secondly this involves you just as much as it does Sydney. We really do have to hurry though, there is only a small window for our plane to take-off without detection."

Willow poked her head into the empty door jam, "Is it safe to come in?" She called out.

"It's fine Will," Buffy told her friend.

Willow walked into the warehouse, "Hi Mr. Bristow, long time no see."

"Hello Miss Rosenberg, a pleasure to see you again."

"So, uh, what's going on?" Willow asked.

"You and Miss Summers are going to come with us."

"There's evil afoot and you need our help?" Willow asked. "Of course there is, evil's always afoot, you have to wonder though, what if evil ever thought of being aleg, you know, just to liven things up...and I'm talking to a bunch of people I don't even know."

"The plane is right this way," Jack said, unfazed.

"Well alright then."


"Here is what we know," Jack said as the private jet lifted off the ground. He sat in the front of the richly appointed jet. "Two years ago Sloane made an alliance with the being you call the First Evil. The First gave Sloane access to the secrets of Milo Rambaldi and in exchange Sloane became the First's servant on this plane of existence."

"Why am I not surprised that a creep like Sloane would make a deal with the First," Buffy observed.

"It's a regular match made in Hell," Sydney agreed.

"The precise details are still unknown to us," Jack continued, "but it is through this alliance that Sloane obtained his current position as CIA Director, and the considerable influence he holds on the administration."

"The Agency changed after Sloane took over," Weiss added from his seat behind Buffy and Willow. "Everybody else didn't seem to notice, but Vaughn, Dixon, myself and a few others who worked to bring down SD-6 and the Alliance did. We knew what Sloane was really about and we weren't about to hang around and do his bidding so we quit the CIA."

"We're part of an organization known as the Trust," Jack said. "It's a loose federation of former intelligence operatives all working with one goal. The removal of Arvin Sloane."

"So how exactly do a bunch of former government employees afford things like private jets?" Willow asked.

"A good spy knows two things, where to hide bodies and money," Jack said. "And a great spy knows were to find both. In the aftermath of SD-6's destruction a number of bank accounts slipped through the cracks. Those accounts formed the seed money for our organization. There is a certain appeal to using Arvin Sloane's money against him."

"How did you find out about the connection between the First and Sloane?" Sydney asked.

"We had inside help," Jack said. The cockpit door opened and Julian Sark walked into the cabin.

"Hello Sydney," Sark said. "It's good to see you again."

Sydney glared at her father, "Dad, what the hell is he doing here?"

"Mr. Sark came to me a year ago and offered his services," Jack said.

"I had a change of heart you see," Sark said. "Sloane is out of control and needs to be stopped. I figured your father was the person who could best achieve that goal."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Sydney said. "After all that you've done."

"Wait, who's the Brit?" Buffy asked.

"That's Julian Sark," Weiss whispered in Buffy's ear. ''He used to work for Sloane, and before that he was one of Sydney's mother's lieutenants."

"So he's not a nice guy?" Willow asked.

''Not in the slightest," Weiss agreed.

"Too bad, he's kind of cute,'' Buffy observed.

"Cute if you go in for arrogant Brits badly in need of a tan," Weiss replied.

Willow opened her mouth to say something. "Not a word Will," Buffy warned

"Mr. Sark has had several opportunities to betray the Trust and elected not to do so," Jack said. "I don't trust him either, but he is a useful asset."

"Sark only serves one master, himself," Sydney said. "I won't forget that."

"At least I am consistent," Sark said. "Besides, what is the point of taking over the world if there is no world to conquer."

Buffy slumped in her seat, "The First never gets tired of trying to kick-start the Apocalypse. It really needs to find a new hobby."

"Like needlepoint," Willow said. "Except the lack of corporeal form might be a problem there."

"End the world?" Sydney asked. "Are you sure?"

"Oh yes, very. The combination of the death of his wife and what I can only imagine is the corrupting influence of the First Evil has driven Arvin quite mad. He and the First are currently working to bring about the destruction of the world. I don't know how, I was not privy to that information before I left his employ."

"When?" Buffy asked.

"Soon," Jack said, "but we don't know anymore than that. We have assets within the CIA keeping us apprised of the situation."

"What about Vaughn?" Sydney asked.

"We haven't forgotten him, nor are we going to leave him," Jack said. "A plan is already being formulated to stage his rescue."

"I want in," Sydney said.

"I anticipated you would feel that way and already accounted for you in the planning," Jack said. "Your newfound abilities will prove useful."

"I want in as well," Buffy said. "Like you said, this involves me as well as you guys. If Sloane wants a Slayer then he'll get one, right up his ass."

"Slayers are something Sloane has no shortage of," Sark said. "Though none as talented as you Miss Summers."

"What do you mean Sloane has Slayers?" Buffy demanded.

"You don't really think you managed to find all the newly activated Slayers did you? Sloane has had his own people scouring the world for them. He has enough to form a small cadre of operatives. Really you've been quite a boon to covert organizations the world over. Everyone has wanted a Slayer or two on the payroll, and now they can."

Buffy glared at Sark, "You know, I already want to toss you out of the plane. You're not off to what I'd call a good start with a person who can snap you like a twig."

"Miss Summers, you should know that my worth to the Trust makes your threats hollow at best."

"I don't work for the Trust now do I?" Buffy said.

"There's nothing I find more arousing than a domineering blonde," Sark said.

"Trust me, I'm more than you could handle," Buffy said.

"Are you finished?" Jack said, cutting off Sark's reply. "I understand there is the potential for friction here," Sydney glanced over at Lauren, who was sitting quietly in the back of the plane. "but we all have to work together in order to have any hope of defeating Sloane."

Sark nodded and took the seat next to Jack. He kept his gaze fixed on Buffy who pointedly ignored him.

"What got you all riled?" Willow asked Buffy in a quiet voice.

"There's just something about that guy Will, I don't trust him."

"He does seem to be quite a Smarmadon," Willow agreed. "Are you sure you know what you've gotten us into?"

"Honestly? I don't. Then again, when has that stopped us before?"


-Chicago

"Nice digs," Buffy said as Jack lead them into the Trust's headquarters.

"It's an abandoned CIA operations center much like the one in LA," Jack said. "It has the infrastructure we need to run our operations."

"Not to mention who'd look for the rebel spy guys in the heart of downtown Chicago," Willow said.

"Yeah, I thought we were going to some abandoned missile silo in North Dakota," Buffy said. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Do not assume that just because we're well hidden Sloane cannot find us," Jack said. "The members of our organization are already under tremendous scrutiny simply because of who they are. If Sloane were to learn of the existence of the Trust he would stop at nothing to erase it from existence."

"What sort of security do you have in place?" Sydney asked.

"For starters very few of our members are actually based here." Lauren said. "Most maintain cover jobs across the country and communicate with us through dead drops and coded transmissions."

"The only people here are the ones in the 'inner circle' as it were," Weiss added. "Individuals we trust implicitly."

"And who are constantly tested to ensure they remain loyal," Jack said.

"And if they aren't?" Buffy asked.

"We are in a life or death struggle Miss Summers," Jack said. "If I get caught I don't expect Arvin Sloane to show me any mercy so neither should his people."

"You are a very scary man. You know that, right?" Buffy said.

"We simply do what we must, no more, no less."

"This looks familiar," Sydney said.

"It should, this facility was the basis for the design of SD-6 headquarters," Jack said.

"All that work to bring down the Alliance and here I am, back on the outside looking in," Sydney mused.

"Life is full of little ironies," Lauren said.

Sydney glanced over at Lauren. "I suppose you could say that," she said coolly.

"You could also say that the fact I have to rely on you to get my husband back is dreadfully ironic," Lauren paused. "Excuse me, I have another matter to attend to."

"Well that was catty," Buffy said.

"As you might imagine Miss Reed is not pleased with your return given your past history with Mr. Vaughn," Jack said.

"How did that happen?" Sydney asked Weiss. The pair slowed down and let the others go on ahead.

"Vaughn didn't run out and get married if that's what you're wondering," Weiss said. "He moped around for almost a year after we thought you died."

"Where did they meet?"

"At a covert operative survivor's support meeting, Lauren's boyfriend was killed on a mission for the NSA. They comforted each other, and well, you know how the story goes."

"Yeah," Sydney said. "Is he happy?"

"Happiness is a relative term. He's happier than he was that's for sure, but he's never been the same since you left Syd. Lauren's been good for him, she might even have saved his life."

"If you're trying to make this easier for me you're not doing a good job," Sydney replied.

"Which would you rather, Vaughn dead or Vaughn alive and married? He needed to move on with his life."

"But where does that leave me?"

"Alive, which is a hell of a lot better off than what you were," Weiss said.

Sydney smiled, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks Weiss."

"That's what I'm here for. So what do you think, do I have a shot with Buffy? Don't hold back, tell it to me straight."

"Honestly, you don't stand a chance," Sydney said. "But don't let me stop me you," she added.

"I guess I'll have to rely on the patented Weiss charm."

"The Weiss charm?"

"Yeah, I'll just pester her until I get pity-sex. It's never failed in the past."

Sydney laughed, "Don't sell yourself short. You're a good guy Eric, and Buffy could do a lot worse."

"That's not exactly a ringing endorsement," Weiss noted.

"At least you're still breathing," Sydney said.

"How's that?" Weiss asked as he led Sydney towards a conference room.

"I'll tell you later," Sydney replied as Weiss pushed open the door and they entered the room.


-Washington, DC

"My sources have confirmed that Sydney and the Trust have united," Sloane told the First.

"You're playing a risky game Arvin," The First said. "The Bristows have beaten you before."

"They only won when it suited me," Sloane said. "I admit it was a shock to learn that they were the CIA moles, but everything went according to my plan. This is no different, though I did not anticipate Sydney's return, I thought you said you were going to take care of her permanently."

"There are powerful forces on both sides of this game Arvin and it seems that someone, or something, has decided to put Sydney Bristow back into play."

"To what end?"

"Presumably to put the Rambaldi prophecies back on course."

"We can't let that happen," Sloane said.

"Obviously, so what do you suggest?"

Sloane leaned back in his chair, "We continue as planned. We know the Trust will try to rescue Vaughn, and that Sydney will be a part of that rescue attempt."

"You really think your pet Slayer will be able to do the job?"

"No, of course not. Faith has proven quite resistant to anything that remotely hints of assassination. But a sniper's bullet will kill a Slayer as quickly as anyone else. There will be a team in place to attend to both Sydney Bristow and Buffy Summers."

"Summers?" The First asked.

"Oh yes, didn't I mention. My sources tell me that Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg have also joined the Trust. I'm sure they will be involved in the attempt to rescue Vaughn."

"Have you told Faith?"

"No, it would only confuse the matter with her." Sloane held up a hand to forestall the First's inevitable comment. "I know, it's a risk, but if everything goes as planned Faith will be ours and neither Sydney Bristow or Buffy Summers will bother us again."

"And if Faith turns on us?"

Sloane shrugged, "We have other Slayers. Faith has always been a stopgap until Phase Two is ready. If we have to push that timeframe up a little so be it."

The First smiled, "I knew recruiting you was a smart move, you are without a doubt the cleverest minion l have ever had."

Sloane stirred uncomfortably in his chair. "You flatter me."

"Does that make you uncomfortable, calling you my minion?" The First loomed over Sloane forcing him to stare into his dead wife's eyes. "It's the truth Arvin, I own you and never forget that."

Sloane never flinched, "I also won't forget that you need me in order for your plan to come to fruition." Sloane waved his hand through the First to prove his point. "So if you're through posturing I have to brief the President on Iran." Sloane stood up and walked out of his office.

-to be continued-


-end notes: I found this finished on my hard drive and decided to post. I'll see what I can do about finishing up the last three chapters.

-sam, 2/15/2006