Summary: Sequel to Prophesised. Sixteen years has passed since the birth of William and life appears to be running smoothly for Sydney, Vaughn and their family. But will things be able to continue this way when there is somebody out there determined to see the words of Rambaldi become a reality?
A/N: I really loved writing 'Prophesised' and I felt that I needed to write this sequel, as there was still of lot of story to be told. Again, I hope that you enjoy what I have created, because I have certainly enjoyed creating it.
Disclosure: I do not own Alias. I do not own the poem 'The Second Coming' by W.B. Yeats.
Chapter One:
Sixteen Years On
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming!
"What are you reading?"
Ana Vaughn looked up as her father sat opposite her at the kitchen table. "Just a Keats poem," she replied.
"For uni?" Vaughn inquired, as he spread the newspaper open in front of him. Ana had definitely inherited her mother's love for literature, and was now studying the same degree that Sydney had completed all those years before.
"No, I just felt like reading it," Ana said, reaching across and grabbing the entertainment section.
Vaughn gave her a slight smile. "So, in other words your lecturer will be springing this poem in the class today?"
"Dad, don't." Ana shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Sorry," Vaughn said. Ana did not like attention to be brought to anything that was different about her. As she had grown over these past sixteen years, she had developed an uncannily spot on intuition. You couldn't call it psychic, because even Ana did not know when it was at work. But when it did happen, it was obvious that Ana was more in tune than anybody else.
Sydney and Vaughn were not sure if it was just a quirk of their daughter's or something more. Since Ana and William had been old enough, Sydney and Vaughn had made the decision to tell them everything. Sydney knew first hand how much secrets between parents and children could rip them apart and she wanted nothing of the sort to happen to her family. And if her children were going to live safely for their entirety of theirnatural lives, they had to be aware of everything. No matter how fantastical it was.
"Did you want a lift to uni today?" Vaughn asked.
"Uh, no thanks," Ana smiled. "I can take myself."
"Too cool to be seen with your old dad?"
"No, more to do with the fact that your car park is on the other side of the campus to my class," Ana replied. "I'm just too lazy to walk."
Vaughn chuckled. "Right, got it."
When William had been a year old, Vaughn had landed a position at the local university as head hockey coach. He had never looked back, and proved to be just as successful at that line of work as he was at the CIA.
The sound of the back door slamming caused both Vaughn and Ana to look up. Seconds later, William appeared, followed by two Labradors, one golden and the other a chocolate brown. Sixteen years old and already a Casanova- that was William.While he had inherited Sydney's dark hair and eyes, it was Vaughn he resembled. From his lean, yet muscular frame to his devilish smile to the look of intense concern that crossed his face whenever things got serious.
"Billy," Vaughn spoke up. "Richie and Fonzie, outside. Now."
"But dad," he protested. "They are a part of the family."
"A part of the family who reside in the backyard."
"Fine," Billy grumbled. "Come on boys," he whistled. "Dad's being a tyrant again," he said as he led them to the back door.
Ana looked at Vaughn. "So, you're a tyrant today."
"And I'm sure that I have been called a lot worse."
"They're out," Billy announced as he reappeared. "Happy?"
"Yes, thank you." Vaughn replied.
"Where's mum?" Billy asked as he sat down.
"Still upstairs," Ana answered. "I think that—"
She stopped short as Sydney's enraged voice came thundering down the stairs "ALEXIS!"
The three at the table all glanced at each other.
"You hear that?" Billy asked. "She called her Alexis."
Ana nodded. "Lexi's in trouble," she said in singsong voice.
"I am so checking this out." Billy made to stand but was stopped by Vaughn.
"Stay. If anybody is checking this out, it's me."
He made his way up the stairs, Sydney's voice still travelling down the hallway.
"What on Earth? What would make you want to do this, Lexi?"
Vaughn tried hard not to smile. Alexis, or Lexi, as everybody called her, was the youngest of his and Sydney's children. At fourteen years of age she possessed a somewhat wild streak and a certain disregard of authority. Combined with a wicked sense of humour, it resulted in her being in trouble quite often. She'd clocked up more detentions than both Ana and Billy combined…and then doubled. Vaughn blamed it on the fact that she was best friends with Weiss's daughters.
Sydney turned, having heard Vaughn's step. "You are not going to believe this."
"Believe what?"
"Just have a look at what your daughter has done."
Oh, oh. His daughter. This was going to be good. Looking into Lexi's bedroom, he finally saw what had gotten Sydney so riled up. Lexi's normally fair hair was no longer so. Instead it was now a bright, fire engine red that contrasted with her startling green eyes.
As Vaughn stared at his daughter, he couldn't help but think back. The colour that Lexi had chosen was extremely familiar…
"Why?" Sydney demanded.
Lexi let out a frustrated sigh. "Mum, it is no big deal. Everybody on the team is doing it. Unity, you know?"
"No, actually I don't," Sydney replied bluntly. "I would have appreciated a warning, Lexi. I don't like that you have gone behind our backs."
"If I had given you a warning, you wouldn't have let me do it."
Sydney went to retort, but instead caught a glance at her watch. "I don't have time for this. I need to get to work." She looked at Lexi. "We will be talking about this tonight."
"Whatever," Lexi sighed as Sydney walked off, Vaughn by her side.
"Can you believe that?" Sydney asked. Vaughn just grinned at her. "What are you smiling about?"
"Her hair. That bozo colour reminds me of somebody I know."
Sydney let out a small laugh. "The only difference is that I dyed my hair to survive, not for a high school basketball team."
Before Vaughn could reply, Ana appeared at the foot of the stairs. "Uncle Eric is on the phone," she said, sounding incredibly amused. "He's going on about red hair and the twins and how this is all mum's influence."
"Oh god," Sydney groaned. "Zoë and Dana have done it too."
"And he wants to speak with you." Ana said to Sydney.
"Tell him I'll speak to him at work I'm already running late." Sydney closed her eyes briefly. "And the day has only just began," she muttered.
"Yup," Vaughn said, pressing his lips into her forehead.
Sydney looked up at him. "Thanks," she said wryly. "I'll see you tonight…if I decide to come back."
"So," Weiss barged into Sydney's office. "What are you going to do about this hair debacle?"
Sydney laughed, dropping her pen. "I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I am as surprised as you."
"Yeah right," Weiss snorted. "They just happened to choose the exact same colour—"
"Weiss," Sydney cut in calmly. "Their basketball uniform is blue and red. There is no way that I am taking the blame for this."
Weiss just shook his head. "Why did we ever have kids? Everybody says that it is the best job in the world. I'd rather be taking on terrorists any day over fourteen year old twins."
Sydney grinned. "How did Sarah react?"
"She's still having palpitations," he glanced at his watch. "I've got to go. There's a mission debrief in five minutes."
"Ok," Sydney picked up her pen. "Lunch?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I'll let Marshall and Dixon know."
As he walked off Sydney looked back to her paperwork. When Billy had started school she had returned to the CIA, but in an entirely different position to her original status. She was there as a counsellor, specifically for the double agents that were within the agency. She loved it and her experience at SD-6 had proven to be invaluable. And by being within the walls of the CIA, she was able to keep her ears and eyes open to what was going on. If anything remotely related to Ana and Billy was raised, she wanted to be informed.
And so far, she hadn't needed to be informed on anything...fingers crossed.
Ana's face broke into a smile when she saw Misha approaching. She had fist seen him two months ago in her Modern Literature class. He was drop-dead gorgeous, with his black hair and blue eyes. And to her surprise he had singled her out and sat next to her. They had only gotten closer since.
"Hello," Misha sat beside her on the bench, giving her a quick kiss. "How was your morning?"
"Not bad," Ana tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
Misha smiled. "You do that all the time, you realize. It's like your thing?"
Ana blinked. "What?"
"That hair thing."
"Oh." Half the time Ana never even realized what she was doing. "Apparently I get it from my mum."
"You get hair tucking from your mum?" Misha let out a soft laugh.
Ana grinned. "I know. Weird, hey?"
"It's just that most people seem to inherit eyes or athletic ability or being able to curl your tongue or…"
"Hey, I got that too. Same hair as mum, same eyes as…" Ana trailed off. That was opening a can of worms.
"I know who you get your eyes from," Misha said. "A friend plays on the hockey team. I have met your dad a few times."
Ana looked at him. She didn't want to lie to him. Maybe if she told him only a small portion. "Well, actually my dad isn't my biological father."
Misha's eyebrows rose. "Really?"
"Yeah. My biological dad, he…uh, he died before I was born." Ana explained. There, that was the truth.
"Oh ok." Misha looked at her. "You're certainly full of surprises."
Ana just nodded. He seriously had no idea.
"Guess what I saw today?" Vaughn asked Sydney as he sat beside her on the couch. It was late and Ana, Billy and Lexi were all in bed.
"What?" Sydney asked, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea.
"Ana getting cosy with some guy in campus," Vaughn replied.
Sydney looked at him. "I hope you left them alone."
"Of course I did…why wouldn't I?"
Sydney laughed. "Vaughn, you've been playing the protective daddy role ever since Ana came into our lives."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come off it! Are you telling me that it wasn't a conscious decision to, whenever Ana brought a boy home, drop into the first five minutes of the conversation that you used to work for the CIA?"
Vaughn blinked. "I never did that."
"Oh, yes you did. And Ana will back me up on this one. Along with anybody else who witnessed it."
Vaughn's face broke into a sheepish grin. "Really?"
"Yes, really." Sydney smiled. "And nothing would scare a guy more than to find out his girlfriend's dad is an expert with a firearm."
Vaughn paused. "Well, I can see your point there."
Sydney went to reply but stopped when the phone started to ring. "What?" she glanced at her watch. "Who would be calling at this hour?"
"Probably Weiss, wanting to vent about Zoë and Dana's hair," Vaughn grinned as he reached across and picked up the receiver. "Hello." His brow suddenly creased. "Excuse me?" Looking up he removed the phone from his ear and held it out to Sydney. "It's for you."
Sydney frowned slightly as she took it from his hand. "Who is it?"
"It's your mother."