A/N: Thank you to all of you who are still reviewing despite my delays. But aren't you proud? I updated about a week after the last chapter! Thank you Spring Break. I don't know if I'll have time to get the next chapter up, but I'll do my best. Keep reviewing! Love you all!

Notes about Chapter: FYI, the hotel I used in this chapter is a real place, as well as the city it's in, however I've never been to either place so I have no idea what they look like. Also, the hotel in my story is actually abandoned while in real life it's very much in tact, so if anyone has been there, forgive me if I portray it inaccurately.

eagle219406: Thank you for the notice. I wasn't able to remember the year, so I made it up.

Previously on Alias: The CIA has located and disarmed are the bombs in the hospital in Germany. Irina Derevko has taken Nadia out of CIA's custody out of a warning from Sloane. Irina proceeds to tell Nadia about her birth and their separation.

Chapter 26

"132 bombs have been located, disarmed, and destroyed," Vaughn reported to Dixon four hours later.

"Good work," Dixon said placing a hand on Agent Vaughn's shoulder. He couldn't help but sympathizing, the boy looked exhausted. "We're going to have a short meeting and then I want you to take a rest for a little while."

"I'm fine—" Vaughn tried to insist, but Dixon held up his hand. "Have a seat." Dixon had been given the use of one of the hospital's conference rooms in order to finalize their plans. In the room with Vaughn were Weiss and about four other agents he didn't recognize. Vaughn was actually a little surprised not to see Jack there.

"I'm going to make this short so that we can all take a well-deserved break before we proceed with the next part of our plan," Dixon began. "Marshall's been monitoring the frequencies in order to fool the transmitters, so as far as Sark knows, our stance at the hospital hasn't changed. For the trade, we have no intention of giving the Covenant Nadia. Instead, we're going to take this opportunity to try and apprehend Sark and bring an end to this mess." Dixon glanced at his watch. "It is now six o'clock. I want everyone to report back here in nine hours and we'll finalize the rest of the mission. That's it."

The room became a clatter of squeaking chairs and movement as agents began to move towards the door. Vaughn made brief eye contact with Weiss from across the table and made his way over to Dixon. "Where's Jack?"

Dixon sighed tiredly. "We haven't been able to get in contact with the safe house."

Vaughn's eyebrows rose in alarm as Weiss appeared by his side, but he went unnoticed by Vaughn. "What does this mean?"

Dixon shook his head. "I don't know Agent Vaughn. That's why Jack is checking it out. I'm hoping that I am not planning all this only to find that Nadia is already in the Covenant's hands."

"The bombs are a pretty elaborate ruse just to raid the safe house," Vaughn thought in confusion.

"I thought so too, but with the Covenant, we can't be too sure. I'm hoping that Jack will return with good news." Vaughn nodded distractedly as he and Weiss left the room.

"Damn, this has been one hell of a night," Weiss commented as they walked. Vaughn didn't say a word. In fact, as Weiss headed towards the door to leave the hospital, he realized that Vaughn was no longer walking next to him and had actually stopped a few feet back.

"Mike, what are you doing? The hotel's that way," Weiss said gesturing towards the exit as he walked back towards his friend. The CIA had taken the liberty of renting out a few rooms in the hotel across the street for the agents to relax before the meet with Sark.

"I think I'm going to stay here," Vaughn said thoughtfully.

Weiss shook his head. "Oh no, you don't want to do what I think you're going to do."

"What?"

"You can't tell Sydney what's going on."

"Why not?"

"Why not! You know Sydney, if she hears that something may have gone wrong at the safe house and Nadia may be in danger, she'll want out, bullet or no bullet."

"She has the right to know," Vaughn pointed our.

"Yeah and I have the right to eat two dozen double-chocolate glazed donuts but doesn't mean I should." Vaughn raised an eyebrow at the analogy. "Look, don't pretend that you'll be able to get her to stay in bed if you think that telling her what's going on will make her happy. At least wait until we have something conclusive."

"Alright," Vaughn relented. "But if she gets mad for not telling her sooner, I'm blaming you."

"Fine," Weiss said with a shrug as he made his way for the door once again. "But you don't see me getting mad over a lack of sweets, maybe a little irritable, but not mad."

26262626

There was little talk made between the two following Irina's story. They were back sitting across from each other at the table, now each with a cup of steaming green tea in front of them. Irina had done much to answer her questions, but there was still one question that she was dying to ask that Irina seemed careful to be avoiding. At this moment, the mystery surrounding her father haunted her thoughts. From Irina's story, the only person that could be her father was Jack Bristow, but it would have been easy for her to leave out particular events for Nadia's benefit.

Nadia put her cup down and looked at her mother. Irina met her eyes and waited, as if expecting what Nadia was going to say next, but whether or not Irina actually new what Nadia was going to ask was definitely not seen in her face.

"Is Jack Bristow my father?" Nadia asked quietly. Irina's gaze didn't waver. Slowly she nodded, and tears began to appear in Nadia's eyes. Her mind drifted back to the earlier conversation she had had with Jack before the trade in the stadium. She had told him that she wished he was her father, and now, suddenly, she was finding out that it was all true. Of course Jack wouldn't have known that Nadia could be his daughter since she had been born in captivity and Irina had left only a few months pregnant.

"Have you ever thought of telling him?" Nadia asked, a little upset that her mother hadn't told him. After all, telling Jack would have allowed Irina access to CIA intel about Nadia's whereabouts.

"Of course," Irina answered steadily. However, all the words Irina uttered involving Nadia's questioning of her father seemed to be so carefully articulated. Nadia couldn't help wondering if Irina wasn't telling everything there was to tell. "We should get some rest." Irina's expression showed little desire to continue the conversation, and as much as this worried her, it also made sense. The American government wanted Irina, and she had betrayed Jack. What assurances could Jack give her that if they were to work together, or stay in contact, that Jack wouldn't betray her too.

"Goodnight, sweetie," Irina said kissing the top of Nadia's head after having placed her cup in the sink.

"Goodnight, mom," Nadia replied. Irina smiled and Nadia smiled back. There were still many unsettled things between them, but despite that, Nadia finally had a mother, and she wouldn't give that up for anything.

26262626

"She's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"There was an attack on the safe house. Gas was brought in through the chimney and knocked out everyone in side. Nadia is no where to be found."

"Do you think it was the Covenant?"

"It's possible, but it doesn't fit. The Covenant has the people and the weaponry to do an all out raid. In this case, not a single gunshot was fired. I think it was a one man job."

"Contact home and start alerting our people to monitor the networks."

"And the trade?"

"We'll think of something."

26262526

After Jack had updated Dixon on Nadia's status, Dixon sought out Vaughn, knowing that he was still at the hospital. He also hoped that Agent Vaughn could put some insight into this mess. As little as Dixon knew Michael Vaughn, he did know that he made for a good agent. The only black mark he had was his emotional attachment to Sydney Bristow, but Dixon sure as hell didn't blame him for that. Sydney was an incredible women; Dixon had to admit that Vaughn had good taste.

Dixon arrived at Sydney's room and after showing her guard his ID was allowed in the room. The room was almost a pure blue color as the period of early morning just began to arise and give light to night's shadowy depths. Sydney was lying flat on her back, with her eyes closed, and her head tilted to one side. Following her unopened gaze, Dixon saw Agent Vaughn sleeping peacefully in the chair, his arms were crossed about his chest and his figure was slouched deep into the seat so that his head could rest somewhat comfortably on the top of the chair. Looking back at Sydney, the tilt in her head made Dixon believe that she and Vaughn had been talking only moments before she had nodded off.

Moving quietly, Dixon headed for Agent Vaughn, not happy that he was going to wake the boy after some much needed sleep, but their conversation would be brief. Dixon tapped Vaughn on the shoulder, and Vaughn's eyes snapped open with relative alertness and focused on Dixon. He relaxed a little after seeing it was Dixon and was about to speak, but Dixon silenced him with a finger to his own lips as he turned his gaze to Sydney. Vaughn followed his gaze, and Dixon noticed how his face seemed to soften. It reminded him of Diane. He remembered one time while she had been sleeping he had been watching her and with little warning to him, her eyes opened and he found himself looking into them.

"What's that look for?" she had asked, somewhat sleepily as she snuggled a little closer to him.

"I'm just thinking about how much I love you," Dixon replied somewhat huskily.

"Oh, Marcus," she said stroking his stomach lightly before reaching her lips up to find his. "I love you, too." She lay back down in bed and would continue to stroke his chest until her motions slowed and sleep finally consumed her again. All the while, Dixon just watched in one of the most blissful and truthful moments of their marriage.

Dixon was sure that the same look Vaughn had on his face was the same look Diane had noticed on his own.

Vaughn finally broke away and he and Dixon headed into the hallway. After closing the door with the utmost care, Dixon began speaking.

"I apologize for waking you, but I finally got a call back from Jack. Nadia's missing."

Vaughn's eyebrows shot up. "What happened?" Dixon explained everything that Jack had told him to Vaughn.

"I'm leaning more to Jack's suspicions. The Covenant is notorious for leaving dead in their wake. If the Covenant had located the safe house, it would have been all too easy for them to organize a team and raid it. The gas allowed for minimal use of force, which suggests that it was most likely a one man job," Dixon concluded.

Vaughn's trademark worry lines tinted his naturally smooth skin. "If it wasn't the Covenant, then who was it?"

"We don't know, but that's only part of the problem. Sark is scheduled to call us within the next few hours to update us on the trade. If Sark requests that Nadia be there alone, or that she is within Sark's sights before we are able to locate him, we'll be in deep trouble."

Vaughn opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the door behind him opening. Sydney stood tall if not a little unsteadily but indifferent in her nightgown before the two men.

"Syd—" Vaughn began, but Sydney shushed him with a determined look.

"I've got an idea."

26262626

"Dixon."

"Good morning. I must say it's nice talking to you directly. After speaking with Jack, it's always hard to know whether or not the whole message was delivered."

"Name your terms, Sark."

"Very well then. There's a courtyard in the old Mercure Parkhotel in Bad Neuenahr. The meet will take place there. Nadia is to be escorted by you to that courtyard. A car will pull up to the west entrance at nine o'clock. Nadia will walk to the car and you will remain in the courtyard. If anyone tries to stop the car from leaving, you will be shot. You will remain in the courtyard for ten minutes. If you try and leave in that time, you will be shot. If for some reason we are not able to leave with Nadia safely after the ten minutes has expired or we discover that we have been tricked in some way, we will blow up the hospital. Do you have any questions?"

"Call all of this off now, and it may save you in the future."

"I do believe you're forgetting that you're the one who is mere seconds away from death."

"That's where you're wrong, Sark. Every moment you live are mere seconds away from death. Death does not have the exclusive pleasure of being confined to me."

"For now, it does."