NEW ARRIVAL

"Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so." -Marcus Aurelius

Tom and Nadia's house, San Felipe (Elysium), Christmas Day

5-year old Maria Falk clutches at her parents necks tightly, embraced in the hug that they left off the last chapter in.

Nadia Falk, her neck starting to strain a little bit by her daughter's exuberance, laughs as she says "Ok, you can let go now!" Maria, not letting go the hug, replies "But you hug me tight...that must mean you love me, right?"

Nadia replies "Yeah, but I don't hug you tightly for very long!" Maria releases the hug and, noticing Nadia rubbing her neck a bit, asks "Are you ok? Did I hurt you, mommy?" Nadia gives Maria a comforting smile and says "I'm ok, sweetheart!"

Maria turns to Tom Falk and asks "What about you, daddy?" Tom cracks a smile and says "Nothing can hurt me! I'm bulletproof, remember?" Maria giggles and, feeling reassured, says "I remember, daddy!"

A doorbell goes off. Maria quickly hops off of Tom and exclaims "They're here! They're here!" Maria then runs off to answer the front door. Tom watches his daughter run off and laughs at her exuberance. He shakes his head and says "That kid has some spirit..."

Tom then turns to Nadia and sees she's grimacing in pain a bit as she rubs her neck. Now very concerned, Tom asks "Are you alright, babe?" Nadia nods and says "Yeah, my neck has been bothering me lately. I think it's from the stress over the orphanages."

Tom sighs and says "Nadia, you have to relax...trust the people you have working..." Nadia stands up and, somewhat irritated, says "Look, let's not talk about this now. Your family is here."

Tom stands up as Maria opens the front door and lets out a loud "HI!" Tom and Nadia walk over and see a couple in their 60's, a man in his 40's, and another man in his 30's. His grandparents Edward and Violet Landry, his father Tom Falk Senior, and his brother Eddie Falk have arrived for the Christmas celebration.

Eddie is the first to walk in. The well-built man with brown hair, brown eyes, goatee and a big, confident grin hugs Maria and says "Merry Christmas, little niece!" Maria happily replies "Merry Christmas, Uncle Eddie!"

Tom Senior, who looks a lot like Eddie, walks by Eddie and gives Nadia a hug. "How are you, darling?" Nadia smiles and, looking like she's hiding her stress, replies "I'm good, Tom. Merry Christmas."

Tom Junior walks up to Edward, who stands a couple inches shorter than Tom and has blonde/white balding hair wrapped around like a horseshoe around his head. (Note: Think Wayne Unser from Sons of Anarchy) Tom gives Edward a big hug. "Good to see you, Gramps. Merry Christmas." Edward laughs as he hugs Tom back and says "Merry Christmas, kid! Do you have to hug so damn tightly?" Nadia laughs as she releases her hug with Tom Senior and says "We just talked to Maria about that, Tom!" Tom releases the hug and says "Like father, like daughter, right?"

Violet, with her red hair in a nice perm, hugs Maria and says "Don't listen to them, munchkin, you can hug your great-grammy as tight as you want!" Maria giggles and squeezes Violet tightly around her waist. Violet then asks Maria "You ready to bake cookies with your gramma and great-grammy?" Maria happily replies "Yeah! Wait...where's gramma?"

Tom looks behind Edward as he releases the hug and asks "Yeah, where is Mom?" Eddie looks at Tom Senior with a look that suggests he might be hiding something. Tom Senior keeps his poker face as he looks back at his son and says "She wanted to warm up the casserole back at her place. She said she'd be here soon."

As Tom just nods, appearing to buy that story, Nadia says "Maybe I should go over there and see if she needs help..." Eddie quickly cuts her off. "Oh, she's got it. She should be here any moment."

Edward then changes the subject by asking "Are your Storm Crew friends going to be joining us?" Tom shakes his head and says "Nah, they're with their own families today. Why, did Mom make too much casserole?" Eddie laughs and says "Well yeah, but it wasn't because of your friends! You know she cooks for an army!"

Eddie's smile then disappears as he turns to Nadia and, hiding his nerves, asks "Is your friend Julieta going to be here?" Nadia gives him a wry smile and says "She's having Christmas at the orphanage today, but I could give her a call..." Eddie nervously says "No! I mean...you don't have to..."

As Tom gives Eddie a funny look over his sudden loss of confidence, Nadia coolly replies "I'll tell her you said hello, how about that?" Eddie just nods and says "Ok...yeah, that'd be...great!"

Tom Senior then tells Tom and Eddie "Come on boys, you three can help grill this turkey with me!" Tom bends over and helps his dad pick up an end of a tray that contains a large turkey. Eddie picks up the case of beer that's next to it and walks with his dad and brother to the back patio.

Nadia, Edward and Violet, meanwhile, start cooking, with Maria hanging out with them.

As for their missing guest...

Bunker, MO (Elysium)

Mary Falk pulls her green bean casserole out of the oven and smells it. She's very satisfied at how it's turned out.

She's standing in the kitchen of the home she and Tom Senior share with her parents Edward and Violet. It's a decent sized home with enough room for the four of them. The kitchen is rather spacious, but it's laid out like a very modest country kitchen.

Mary still has her 5'5 slender frame, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks like she's in her early 40's as she stands in the kitchen in her white sundress with red flowers that provide an eye-popping color.

As she sets the casserole on the kitchen counter, a taller man in an off-white robe suddenly appears to her left. Mary quickly looks over in surprise and immediately realizes it's Laurent L'Andre, her ancestor and Rambaldi's apprentice.

Mary exclaims "Laurent! Geez, you always like to teleport right next to me!" Laurent, unflinching at Mary's surprise, replies in his thick French accent "I am sorry. It is never intentional."

Mary takes a deep breath and says "It's alright. But, you must have something important for me to be keeping me from my family today." Laurent deadpans "I do. We need your help."

Mary leans up on the counter and inquisitively asks "What do you need from me?" Laurent hands Mary a piece of paper and says "We need you to track a new arrival that will be arriving soon."

Mary looks at the piece of paper and gasps when she sees something on it. "He's coming to Elysium? What's going to happen to him?" Laurent shakes his head. "I only know that he will die of natural causes, whatever it is. He's going to be arriving at that address in that four hour window."

Mary shakes her head as she looks at the piece of paper in disbelief. "I don't understand...why is Rambaldi so concerned about me tracking him?" Laurent replies "Because you're the best tracker we know. Your agent training has served you well."

Mary rolls her eyes and says "Are you kidding me? How can you say that when you know you're..." Laurent shakes his head and says "I have been tasked to something else during that time period."

Mary asks "Anything I should know about?" Laurent shakes his head again and says "It's a Council matter, Milo would rather not discuss it outside of the chambers."

Mary nods and says "Do you want me to do anything when he arrives?" Laurent, keeping his cold demeanor, replies "We just want you to keep an eye on him."

Mary asks "Is he in danger?" Laurent thinks for a bit, then says "Just keep an eye on him, but stay out of sight. That's all we ask...and that's all you need to know."

Mary lets out a deep sigh. "I really don't like being kept in the dark here." Laurent insistently says "We aren't asking you to do anything more except track him. Might end up being uneventful, but it'd be comforting to know he was being watched over."

Mary looks back at the piece of paper and asks "How long do I have to follow him?" Laurent replies "Until you receive further instruction from us."

Mary studies the piece of paper a little longer. "So, this is why you wanted to keep this person quiet from Tom and Nadia. They'll tell Sydney..." Laurent flatly replies "Your intuition is correct. This must be kept quiet from them until you receive further instruction."

Mary nods as she puts the piece of paper in her purse, which is on the kitchen counter. "I'll keep an eye on him. Is there anything else I should know?" Laurent hangs his head, which Mary picks up as a sign that he's hiding something.

Mary insistently asks "Laurent? What is it?" Laurent looks back up and, with signs of worry breaking through his normally cold demeanor, says "There is something...but...it's being taken care of."

Mary gives Laurent a funny look, realizing something. "This man IS in danger, isn't he?" Laurent sighs and says "Look, this request to have this man tracked comes from me, not Rambaldi."

A confused Mary asks "I guess that explains why I'm talking to you and not him..." Laurent sighs and says "I've heard whispers of some disturbing developments that have taken place...developments that could threaten life on Elysium as we know it."

Mary curiously asks "What developments?" Laurent replies "It's rumored there might be portals to Hell."

Mary's jaw goes agape. "Oh my goodness...you mean, anyone from Hell could just waltz right in to Elysium?" Laurent nods and says "I'm afraid so. But, these are just rumors at this point...but rumors that appear to have some weight behind them."

Mary looks troubled now. "This man you want me to follow certainly has enemies in Hell..." Laurent nods and says "Yes, he does. That's why his protection is important. Just track him for now. If something develops...let me know immediately. In the meantime, just keep going about your business as you normally would."

Mary cracks a small smile and says "I will. You have my word. Merry Christmas, Laurent." Laurent cracks a small smile and says "Merry Christmas, Mary. Farewell."

Laurent then disappears. Mary turns and looks at the casserole with a look of concern on her face. She knows Laurent is a mysterious and calculated man, and knows there's more to this task than meets the eye.

Finally, she just sighs and says "Gee, thanks for the Christmas present, Laurent..."

Mary then picks up the casserole and disappears with it. She reappears in San Felipe, in front of Tom and Nadia's house to join them and the rest of her family for Christmas.

Sydney Bristow's house (Earth), later that night

Sydney Bristow finishes putting away the leftovers from their Christmas dinner.

She's in her new house on the beach. Michael Vaughn and their daughter Isabelle are in the living room, watching a movie together.

Isabelle is now 6 years old. Her hair is long and brown, just like her mother's. Facially, she looks a lot like Vaughn. Her personality is more laid back than Maria's, her half-sister in the afterlife.

Vaughn looks as he always has, only he has a much more laid-back demeanor about him nowadays. He's now a French teacher in school and has much less to worry about nowadays.

Sydney is also very relaxed nowadays as well and looks great for someone that has had two kids. Her son Jack is about a year old and is sleeping peacefully in his nursery room.

Sydney closes the refrigerator door and looks out at the living room. She smiles, seeing Vaughn and Isabelle enjoying a movie together. She finally breaks their concentration by saying "Michael, I have to make a phone call in the bedroom."

Vaughn turns from the couch and gives Sydney a headnod, but doesn't say anything. He knows that what she said is really code that she's about to start her weekly chat with Tom and Nadia from the afterlife. Sydney hasn't told Isabelle that she talks to dead people...for the obvious reasons.

Sydney walks down the hallway and closes the door. She sits on the edge of the bed, takes a deep breath, and says "Ok, I'm here."

Nadia is the first to chime in, her voice coming through as if it were filtered. "Merry Christmas, Sydney!" Sydney smiles wide at the sound of her sister. "Merry Christmas, Nadia! Is Tom there?" Tom quickly responds "Like I'd miss our weekly chat! What kind of brother-in-law do you take me for?"

Sydney laughs. Tom and Nadia's voices come through just fine, but are not directional. They sound like they're in her head.

Still, Sydney seems confident about Tom and Nadia's whereabouts. Even though she can't see them, she looks forward, with her eyes going left and right as if Tom and Nadia were sitting in chairs in front of her.

In reality, they are. But she can't see them.

Nadia asks "How was your Christmas?" Sydney happily replies "Great! Thank you so much for the suggestion to get Isabelle a Leapfrog! She loved it!" Nadia laughs and replies "You're welcome! Maria loves hers, too!"

Sydney shakes her head in astonishment. "It's just so amazing that what exists here exists where you two are. I just wish I could see you two..." Tom says "I know you do. It almost seems unfair that we can still see you, but you can't see us."

Sydney smiles a bit and says "I'm just happy I can still talk to you guys at all. I wonder how Rambaldi made that possible...you two said before that not everyone in Elysium has the ability to communicate with the afterlife." Nadia replies "I always found that curious as well. Milo's interesting...he's so open and friendly, but yet, there's a side of him that's closed off to the world. He won't tell us what he did to our genetics to make us communicate with you." Tom snickers and says "And speaking of strange, there's my ancestor Laurent L'Andre. I can honestly say that man scares me."

Sydney raises her eyebrows. "Who is this guy I'm speaking to? Tom Falk is scared of another man?" Tom laughs and says "Yeah, yeah. But, many years down the road, when you're with us in Elysium, you'll know what I'm talking about when you meet Laurent, and you'll understand why Rambaldi keeps him around as his assistant. I have never met a man as icy as him."

Nadia then decides it's time to change the subject. "How's your father been doing?" Sydney sighs and looks down. "He looked like he was really struggling tonight. I really wish he'd see a doctor, he's not been himself this past week."

Tom asks "What are his symptoms?" Sydney just shrugs. "Like he'd tell me! He just looks like he's got a bad headache all the time. I saw him stumble a bit when he was walking around...even Isabelle noticed. I'm really worried."

Nadia asks "Does he seem stressed out about something?" Sydney shakes her head. "See, that's the thing...he's retired and he doesn't have anything to be stressed out about! I haven't seen him like this since what went down with him and Doctor Liddell before the Sovogda mission."

Nadia then says "I'll check up on him when I get a free moment. Now I'm worried, too." Sydney sighs and says "I'm sorry, I shouldn't lay my problems on you..." Nadia cuts her off quickly. "No, it's ok. You know what I think about Jack. I care about him, too."

Sydney nods, then realizes something...something in Nadia's voice. "How are YOU doing?" Nadia dismissively says "I'm fine, why do you ask?"

Sydney gets a concerned look on her face. "I know from talking to you all these years when something is bothering you. I can tell in your voice." Nadia says nothing, but Tom does after a few seconds of silence. "Elysium business. Nothing you need to be concerned about."

Sydney folds her arms and doesn't but Tom's words. "You're talking about your roles with the consulting and orphanages?" Nadia then says "Sydney, there are SO many kids in Elysium without homes to go to or any direction, and there's so few people willing to help, and it's just...I don't know what to do anymore."

Sydney then says "This was Rambaldi's idea, maybe you should talk to him about what to do. I just find it hard to believe that there's people suffering in the afterlife...I thought it was supposed to be this wonderful place..." Tom then says "Elysium is whatever you want it to be. My counseling program helps grown people who understand that philosophy live to their potential and in peace. But I can't explain or show an infant child what I can an adult, especially a child that was just a fetus or died right after childbirth and has no one to go to. I really wish people here would get the stick out of their asses here and adopt."

Nadia then says "We've thought about adopting ourselves..." Tom then cuts her off. "...but we have enough on our plate with Maria. The people I have a problem with are mainly the people who had no children or who's children are still on Earth. There are no pets in Elysium, and I would think they would appreciate a companion...someone to care for and love. But I guess I'm asking too much."

Sydney then asks "Tom, how's your counseling program going?" Tom confidently replies "Fine. My Storm Crew friends handle their regions very well and report to me. Our method of counsel appears to be working. It helps keep the peace and removes tension from new arrivals who don't know what to do, why they're here, or how to act."

Sydney smiles and says "I have to admit, I never saw you as a great messenger of peace!" Tom laughs and says "What I'm doing is so rewarding...it helps me forget what a rotten bastard I was in the CIA."

Nadia laughs a bit and says "Well, Elysium is where people go to get a second chance to do it right after all..." Tom then says "...and I think we're both doing a good job there." Sydney laughs and says "I can just tell...you two seem to really be at peace."

Before Tom or Nadia can respond, Sydney hears a knock at her bedroom door. "Mommy, come watch the movie with us!" Sydney smiles at the door, then turns back to where Tom and Nadia would be. "I guess I should get going." Tom says "Of course. It's nice to talk to you again, Syd. Merry Christmas." Sydney says "Merry Christmas, Tom."

Nadia then says "I'll see if I can check up on Jack tomorrow. I'll let you know what I see." Sydney rolls her eyes and says "Don't startle me like you always do, sis! Wait until I'm seated...you always make me jump when you talk to me out of nowhere!"

Nadia laughs and says "I'll wait until you're settled, I promise!" Sydney smiles wide and says "Have a good night, it was good talking to you." Tom and Nadia both say "You too."

Sydney then gets up and opens up the bedroom door and sees Isabelle still standing there. Innocently, Isabelle asks "Who was on the phone, mommy?" Sydney just smiles and says "Just some old friends, Isabelle. Now, let's go watch the movie!"

Isabelle holds out her hand and Sydney grabs it. And then, Isabelle leads Sydney back down the hallway towards the living room.

Los Angeles (Elysium)

Mary Falk sits in her car, which is parked on the street in a pretty nice neighborhood that is a perfect replica of the real neighborhood on Earth.

It's about 1 in the morning and Mary is a little tired. Since she chose to live her life in Elysium like a normal person would, she feels fatigue because of a lack of sleep.

Mary takes a look around her. She's in the only car parked on the street. There are other cars parked in driveways down the street. There is no one walking around.

She looks in her rearview mirrors and sees nothing going on as well.

It's quiet and still...just like it should be at this time of night.

Mary leans back in her seat a bit and keeps staring at a house across the street from hers. This is the house that she was told to be at. This would be where the man she was asked to track would appear, and she had to be ready.

She starts thinking about the Christmas get-together at her son and daughter-in-law's house earlier that day. She noted how stressed and unsettled Nadia seemed about the orphanage problems. She feels bad for her. She knows how passionate Nadia feels about the orphans in Elysium, seeing as she was one herself.

And then, there was her conversation with Laurent L'Andre before she showed up with the green bean casserole. She knows when Laurent sees smoke, there's usually fire.

As the thoughts continue to stream in her mind, she doesn't realize that she's slowly...starting...to drift...away...

She slowly closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep.

Little did she know, if she only stayed awake just a few minutes longer, she would have seen that the man she was supposed to track would have appeared...right where Laurent said he would.

Sydney Bristow's home (Earth)

Sydney is startled awake from her bed by her phone ringing.

She quickly turns on the bedside lamp and picks up the phone. As Vaughn stirs awake, he looks over and sees it's 1:10 in the morning.

Sydney puts the phone to her ear and asks "Hello?" Vaughn looks over and wonders who would be calling at this time in the morning.

Suddenly, Sydney gasps and puts her hand to her mouth. Tears start pouring out of her eyes almost immediately and she has a look on her face like her worst nightmare just came true.

With her hand trembling, she reaches over and puts the phone back on it's cradle and starts openly sobbing.

Vaughn, now extremely concerned, puts a hand on Sydney's shoulder and asks "What's wrong? Who was it?"

Sydney sits up and rests her back on the headboard and slowly composes herself enough to talk.

With her face saturated with tears, she looks at Vaughn and says "That was...that was the emergency room doctor at the hospital..." Sydney then starts crying again. Vaughn intently asks "Sydney, what happened?"

Sydney leans her head back and takes a deep breath, then looks back at Vaughn and says "My father's dead!"

END OF CHAPTER