A/N: Okay, so I've felt really guilty about not adding-on lately, and as the saying goes, I can probably stuff my sorries in a bag for as little good they do me. However, I'd like to think that since graduation is tomorrow and next week I'll be spending a lot of time babysitting my brother, I hope I'll be able to get another add-on soon. I apologize those people who have take the time to review and decide to keep up with this story despite the long intervals between posts. Thank you so much to all of you for your patience! In return I made this chapter eight pages and added some Vaughn humor. Let's just say, Agent Vaughn's getting in touch with his feminine side…Too find out more, you'll just have to read. Thanks again!

Previously on Alias: The bombs within the hospital have been located and disarmed without the Covenant's knowledge. Nadia's a willing prisoner of her mother and Sark has named the terms for a meet to bring Nadia into Covenant custody.

Chapter 27

Jack had made his final rounds around the safe house. The CIA agents who had been within the facility were conscious and doing fine, but none had any clues to the kidnapper. Jack however, did.

There were two separate incidents that made him suspicious. One was what happened on the field. There had certainly been no reason for Vaughn to want to hurt Sydney. After everything Sydney and Vaughn had been through together, the one thing Jack Bristow could rely on was that Agent Vaughn never had the intention of hurting his daughter. This meant that Agent Vaughn's story about a possible third-party was more plausible than Jack had originally given credit, especially now with Nadia's disappearance. The question still remained of who this third-party was.

Part of the answer related to whether or not the intended recipient of the bullet had been Sydney or Lauren. Jack had the feeling as he recalled back to the way Sydney's and Lauren's actions had been played out, that the bullet had been intended for Lauren. Which meant whomever this person was, he or she was, in a manor of speaking, working in support of the CIA.

It was also too early to tell whether or not the person who took Nadia had any idea that she was the Passenger. However, being that the kidnapping looked like a one-man job, Jack believed the CIA had significant evidence to eliminate the Covenant. Therefore, there was only one other person who kept reappearing in Jack's mind as a possible candidate and that was Irina Derevko.

It could only be Irina looking out for the well being of both her daughters that would make enough sense to tie-in the two events. The problem, however, was going to be tracking Irina down. Like any agent, Irina's ability to keep herself hidden was impeccable. She wasn't going to be found unless she wanted to be, but then again, Jack had never wanted to purposely seek her out as much as he did this moment.

Jack had no idea how Irina had figured out where the CIA meet was taking place or the location of the safe house, but he was more set on trying to figure out why Irina had taken this moment to track down her daughter and take her into her custody. Jack Bristow, however, was sure as hell going to try and find out.

27272727

"Are you trying to say that you think your mother took Nadia?" Vaughn asked in disbelief.

"It's the only explanation that makes sense," Sydney reasoned. "Why else would she suddenly disappear? As you said before, the possibility of it being the Covenant is very slim."

Vaughn seemed to be thinking this over. "It does make sense. Especially in coordination with the stadium." Dixon gave Vaughn a stern look. Apparently he still didn't believe that there had been a third party at the stadium. Vaughn's reference to the stadium however, was new news to Sydney.

"What do you mean?"

"The person who initiated the shooting during the trade was an unidentified third party—"

"It was an unconfirmed third party. No one saw anyone else fire but you, Agent Vaughn," Dixon pointed out. "That will not hold as substantial evidence." Sydney watched Vaughn curiously at this news. The events, he could tell, were replaying in her mind, but her eyes never left him.

"I promise you that I didn't fire onto the field," Vaughn answered earnestly, returning Sydney's gaze.

"I believe you," Sydney responded finally. Vaughn gave a slight smile for his thanks in her taking faith in him as she turned to Dixon. "If my mother had some how found out about the trade, she would have seen an opportunity to try and take Lauren out."

"But why?" Dixon demanded. "Sydney, there's still no reasonable explanation of why Irina Derevko would suddenly appear and then take it upon herself to shoot at your captor and then kidnap your sister."

Sydney sighed. When Dixon put it in that perspective, her ideas didn't seem logical, but she believed them. Even after the many times where Sydney had discovered her mother to be a traitor, Sydney still liked to believe that somewhere inside Irina Derevko were remnants of the maternal mother that was Laura Bristow.

"What if Irina knew something about your missing years? Something that involved Lauren?" Vaughn proposed.

Sydney shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. Lauren couldn't have counted on me erasing my memories if she intended to marry you." The answer was meant to be thoughtful, but it was at that moment that she realized she had forgotten to tell Vaughn what she had told her father. Actually, "forgotten" may not have been the appropriate word. She had never had the opportunity to tell him what she had found out.

"What?" Vaughn asked looking at her in disbelief. Dixon's surprise mirrored Vaughn's.

"While I was in Lauren and Sark's custody, I discovered that I was working as a double agent for those two years. My name was Julia Thorne and my job was to investigate Simon Walker and the Covenant's activities and then report what I had found to Director Kendall. According to Sark and Lauren however, they said I erased my own memories, but for what purpose, I don't understand."

"They could be lying," Vaughn said.

"No, I don't think so. Sark couldn't think of why I would have wanted to do it either. The way he said it…I think he was telling the truth," Sydney decided.

"Well, as soon as this matter clears up, we'll be sure to get in touch with Director Kendall. I would like to be informed why no one in the CIA was aware of this," Dixon responded.

"What's going on now?" Sydney demanded, getting the feeling that Dixon had not revealed a big part of what had been happening lately.

Dixon and Vaughn exchanged uneasy looks before Dixon filled in any gaps of Nadia's disappearance as well as the terms to the meet with Sark.

"I'm going to send a team to investigate Nadia's disappearance, but for the time being, we're going to need significant manpower to try and apprehend Sark," Dixon explained.

"Apprehending Sark or Lauren isn't going to do the CIA any good. The problem is Anna."

"Anna Espinosa?" Vaughn questioned.

"Yes, she's the one who has been leading the Covenant on this Rambaldi quest. McKenas Cole, Lauren, and Sark are all her puppets. Apprehending them will do nothing to stop Anna from getting what she wants."

"You don't think that Sark could reveal where Anna is hiding?" Dixon asked.

"I don't think so. Anna is not stupid. She knows that Sark's only concern is for himself. She wouldn't trust him with such information based on his previous alliances. Beside, she's pretty much holding him hostage with his money being forcibly contributed to Covenant affairs."

"Still, I don't think that the CIA should give up on this opportunity," Dixon asserted.

"But how are we going to do it without Nadia?" Vaughn asked. A short pause filled the room.

"I could pretend to be her," Sydney volunteered.

"No way," Vaughn said animatedly. "You're in no condition to face Sark again. Besides, he knows exactly what you look like. It would never work."

"I agree," Dixon said.

Sydney frowned. "If you want someone to pretend to be Nadia, I am the best candidate. I don't see you being able to apprehend Sark unless someone gets in that vehicle."

"Syd, you already have two bullet wounds two deal with. If Sark uncovers its you, you won't be able to fight back," Vaughn argued.

"I know more of what to expect from Sark than anyone. My guess is that Sark isn't even going to be in that car. That would be foolish. If we have a team track the signal and follow it, we will be able to apprehend Sark and maybe Lauren."

"Sark's not stupid. He's going to have someway to identify you as Nadia before that car pulls away from the hotel," Dixon pointed out, trying to find holes in her plan.

"Wait—" Vaughn attempted.

"Could we possibly get a mask to resemble Nadia?" Sydney asked, ignoring Vaughn.

"No, that would take too long."

"Dixon—"

"Then we'd have to rely on make-up."

"Hold on! You're not actually considering this, are you Dixon?" Vaughn asked, his eyes wide in astonishment.

"I learned a long time ago, Agent Vaughn, that it takes a lot more fight to disagree with Sydney than it does to go along with her," Dixon said with a half smile. Sydney smiled back. "She's determined to come with us, and as much as I dislike it. I'm afraid it may be our only option."

"If you want options, I say you consider not meeting Sark an option. Sydney already stated before how little help Sark might be. Why go through all the trouble?"

Sydney seemed to be pondering this. "No, I've changed my mind, I think obtaining Sark is a worthy cause, if not to keep him out of the Covenant's hands, then at least keep him as an inactive spy for a little while."

"Sydney, you have to realize that your body may not be able to handle the situation as much as you'd like to admit. It's far to dangerous," Vaughn insisted.

"You're right," Sydney admitted. Dixon and Vaughn gave each other confused looks.

"I'm right?" Vaughn asked. "You mean you're not going to go?"

"Oh, I'll be on the tactical team, but I'm not going to be Nadia," Sydney said, a mischievous gleam appearing in her eyes.

"Syd?" Vaughn asked, beginning to feel uneasy as her eyes rested steadily on him.

"Dixon, I'm going to need a pair of black slacks, a large light blue blouse, a pair of tweezers, a black wig, a razor, shaving cream, a pair of high heels, and as much make-up as you can find." Vaughn felt his body fill with dread. So this is what I get for keeping secrets.

27272727

Nadia woke up to the smell of pancakes the next morning. The bed creaked as she rolled over from her side to her back and lay looking up towards the ceiling. The smell seemed to get stronger as she became more awake and her senses more alert. Nadia smiled in a moment of blissful happiness. This is what she had imagined a life at home with a mother, a family would be.

She would wake up and smell breakfast being made. She would lie around in bed until the smell became so overbearing that she was forced to get out of bed and come downstairs and eat. There, her mother would have a stack of pancakes, a pitcher of orange juice, and gravy dish and ladle filled with warm syrup. Her father would be sitting at the table reading the paper.

Nadia's mind paused as she thought of her father. Irina had said that Jack was her father. At the time, she remembered the way Irina had said it and how quickly she had changed the topic that made Nadia doubt the reality of her words. But if my father isn't Jack Bristow, than who could it possibly be? Nadia wondered.

She sighed. This is where my idea of a traditional family fails. This childhood vision may never come true, and Nadia had come to accept that a long time ago. Instead, she was left with a mother guilty of numerous crimes against the US government, a father who may or may not be actually be her father, and an estranged sister who she knew so little about. In a matter of speaking, they were all working diligently to save the world. Nadia laughed. That perspective definitely did not fit in with her vision of a traditional family.

Nadia stood up and threw the blankets off at her. She stretched in the black underwear and undershirt she had worn to bed, revealing her lean stomach as she did so. Silently she searched for her pants that she had worn the night before, and ran a hand through her hair when she realized she had no hairbrushes at her disposal. Quietly she opened the door and made her way to the kitchen.

She paused in the doorway, watching her mom work. She had a skillet burning over the stove and a measuring glass filled with batter to her right side. Nadia watched as she routinely removed the finished pancakes from the skillet before picking up the measuring cup to add more batter into the skillet. A blue box resting on the far side of the counter however, pointed out that it was one of those instant pancake brands where all you have to add is water. Still, the normalcy of her actions did much to affect Nadia as she watched.

Finally, when Irina turned around to put the finished pancakes on the table, she caught side of Nadia.

"How long have you been watching me?" Irina asked with a slight smile.

"Just long enough so I wouldn't have to do any of the work," Nadia answered, smiling back.

"Well, you're not getting out of doing dishes," Irina said as Nadia looked over at the pile in the sink.

"That's okay, at least I get help from the dishwasher." Nadia followed her mother's motions and took a seat at the table. She grabbed her fork and placed three pancakes onto her plate before reaching for the butter and syrup. Neither of them said anything while they ate.

Nadia realized as she sat there that despite the peaceful morning traditions that spies never really had a chance to enjoy, there were more trying questions in the back of her head. Now that she and Irina had found each other, what was going to happen? Nadia knew nothing of her mother's current plans. She honestly felt relief that Irina had taken it upon herself to protect her, but Nadia also had concerned about her sister. It also wouldn't take the CIA long to notice her missing, which would initiate more concern than Nadia desired.

Nadia looked up from her plate to find her mother watching her. "You're worried that you can't trust me," Irina stated without any accusations. Nadia put down her fork.

"That's not true. I'm just concerned—"

"About Sydney," Irina finished, "and the CIA. I don't blame you."

"So what is the plan, now? We can't stay out here forever, and you surely cannot take me back to CIA custody," Nadia asked.

"You can't go back either. The Covenant now knows that you're the Passenger. I know the CIA well enough to know that if they can use you as bait for a greater plan, they will. I don't want the CIA underestimating the Covenant. I don't want to put you in harms way." Irina's motherly gaze towards Nadia was filled with love.

"'I understand all that," Nadia said softly. "I do, but I am capable of taking care of myself."

Irina nodded. "I'm aware of that, but none of this will end unless we stop it."

"What are you saying?" Nadia asked, thoroughly confused.

"I need your help to uncover the serum. If we can locate it and destroy it, even the Covenant having you in their possession will do them no good. Only after we've destroyed the serum can we put a stop to Rambaldi's end game."

Nadia looked into her mother's eyes. There seemed to be an underlying cause that was increasing Irina's desire to end the search of Rambaldi. Nadia had no clue as to why Irina was desperate to see the end of the search, but Nadia was compelled to follow. She didn't want to be the Covenant's guinea pig any more than Irina herself wanted Nadia to be.

"Where do we start?"

27272727

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look today, Miss Santos," Weiss commented through the coms. Vaughn hit his hand against his ear, which caused feedback to resound loudly into his own ear, but just as loudly into Weiss's.

"Shut up!" Vaughn yelled back moodily. Dixon looked mildly amused as he sat next to Vaughn in the van that was heading towards the meeting place.

"What, you don't think I did a good job?" Sydney asked with fake hurt. She and Weiss were to be on the tactical team that was going to be following the Covenant's vehicle after it left the hotel.

"The transformation is amazing," Weiss said before Vaughn had a chance to speak. "I'm even thinking of asking you out. Hey, what are you doing Fri—"

"Eric, you've been turned down by every girl at the office. I'm telling you that the male option isn't available to you either. You're screwed, or rather not screwed."

Sydney in fact, had done an incredibly good job. Vaughn's eyebrows still stung from being plucked. After looking in the mirror, he was afraid that he might actually have to start wearing eyeliner to give his eyebrows their unruly manly look back. His make-up had been applied meticulously to make his skin look a tone lighter and smoother. A light reddish-brown lipstick that he vaguely remembered Sydney calling redwood lightly brightened his lip. There was no sign of his typical five o'clock shadow, and because there was concern about how much of his legs would be showing, the hair from his ankle to mid-thigh had been shaved off. Contacts made his eyes a dark brown, and fake eyelashes made his eyes look bigger and darker. A black wig in Nadia's typical hairstyle completed the look. From far away, it would be easy for someone to mistake Vaughn for Nadia, and that's what the CIA was counting on.

"We're here," Dixon said just as Vaughn realized that the car had come to a stop. Vaughn looked out the window. The building resembled a Mexican villa. The parts of the building that were still standing and not covered with overgrowth were decorated with rough off-white colored walls and brown troughs filled with dead flowers or weeds. The distinction, however, of an inner circular are just inside the wall was evident from the walls that still remained standing.

"Copy that. Transmitter signal strong and functioning," Weiss responded with all playfulness gone. Before they had left the hospital, Vaughn had been injected with a transmitter, just in case the one they planned to put on the car became useless.

"You ready?" Dixon asked as he checked over the placement of his bulletproof vest.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Vaughn responded, sighing.

"Higher."

"What?"

"You need to make your voice higher."

Vaughn cleared his voice and tried again. "Like this?" The voice sounded awkward even to his ears. Sydney laughed over the coms.

"Just try not to talk much," Dixon resigned as he stepped out of the car.

"Easier said than done," Vaughn grumbled.

"Don't you complain, Michael Vaughn. If it were up to me, I'd be down there right now, but since you insisted…"

Vaughn closed his eyes, really beginning to regret his decision, but still knowing that there was no way in hell he would have let Sydney take on this mission. If Vaughn had to be a woman, so be it. "How ever you think of me right now, Sydney Bristow, there's no way I'm going to loose you again."

He heard Sydney breathe in deeply. "Vaughn—"

"Come on, we've only got two minutes till nine," Dixon interrupted. Vaughn stepped out of the car, lowering a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he followed Dixon into the courtyard.

The courtyard of the old Mercure hotel was filled with broken and uneven stones that once made the path of a beautifully matriculate four-point star. Each of the four points led to entrance to another part of the hotel. A couple of cement benches, a dried fountain, and some oversized planters took up the rest of the space.

Dixon and Vaughn took the time they entered the courtyard to immediately scan for snipers. On an initial glance, neither Vaughn nor Dixon could detect any activity, but a walkway decorated with sandstone walls on either side made it easy for someone to hide behind. At this point in their plan, part of the tactical team had left the vehicle and was now standing somewhere within the darkness of the exists that weren't intended to be entered in or exited from according to Sark's orders.

Dixon checked his watch again. Nine o'clock. Just as he was lowering his arm, the sound of a car motor could be heard coming out from the entrance across from them.

"We've got a visual on the vehicle," Dixon said out loud for the common.

"Copy that, I'm in position now," Sydney responded. Sydney had the job that required shooting the other magnetic tracker onto the vehicle. Vaughn took a deep breath and then stepped forward. His movements in the high heels were awkward. He now had a much greater respect for Sydney being able to wear them and what's more, run in them.

"Tracker in place. How's the transmission?" Sydney asked Weiss.

"Clear signal. Nice shot, Mountaineer."

"Good luck, Boy Scout," Sydney whispered through the coms just as Vaughn passed under the archway. "Be careful."

"I will," Vaughn whispered back.

After passing the archway, Vaughn got in full view of the vehicle. It was a typical non-distinct black car. All the side windows were tinted, however, which left Vaughn with no way to see in or out. He hesitated for only a moment before reaching out and grabbing the door handle and taking a seat within the leather interior.

In a matter of seconds, all hell broke loose. Dixon heard the tires of the vehicle squeal away just as shots opened fire all around him. Quickly he jumped behind the angel statue with a missing head that had been placed in the fountain as he grabbed for his gun. Unfortunately, the statue only provided him with protection from one side, as the other mercilessly fired on him.

The first bullet that hit his vest, landed just to the right of his heart. The force of the bullet hitting was enough to push him back against the statue and knock the wind out of him. Dixon could hear from where he was standing the rapid firing of the CIA tactical team, the Covenant, however, had the upper ground.

"Dixon, what's happening? Are you alright?" Came Sydney's anxious voice over the com.

"They've opened fire. Stick with the plan and follow Agent Vaughn!" Dixon yelled as he fired up at the top of the walls.

"We've got both trackers on, we can wait—" Weiss responded, backing Sydney up.

"It's under control! Start tracking Agent Vaughn right now!" Dixon suddenly felt another bullet hit his stomach, just above the belly button. This bullet sent him whirling back like the first, but this time his head met with the angel's unrelenting elbow. Dixon's head rammed hard into the statue, and he thought he heard a loud crack before he felt himself fall into the floor of the fountain. He was unconscious before he ever heard Sydney's reply.