Three

P

Phoenix 47

Cadet
Alright, this is a fic about Sydney's grown children. I've posted a few other fics, one of which is still unfinished (a prolonged writers block...i hope to jump past it soon). I'd say it's PG-13. And I don't own any of the characters, except for a few which I did make up. You'll be able to figure out which ones those are. Please read and comment!

The underground bunker was deep and dark. As I reached the bottom, a wall of rocks met me. I kicked through them and found myself in an underground room. My grandfather met me there.

"No CIA?" he asked, leaning against a wall.

"Can't we meet somewhere a little less, you know, depressing next time?" I asked.

"You didn't answer my question," he replied, with a smile.

"You didn't answer mine," I retorted.

"Answer mine first," he said.

"Alright," I said, caving, "No. I don't want to work for the CIA."

"Why?" Jack asked.

I simply pointed at him and shrugged.

"Point taken," he said, "At least one of my grandchildren is avoiding that life."

"Yeah," I said, sitting down on a nearby rock, until I heard a groan underneath.

"Shut up, Arvin," Jack said to the man underneath the rubble, "You did it to yourself."

"Anyway," I said, "Jack and Izzie are doing good, but I'm sure you know that."

"Yeah," he said, "I try to keep them from getting killed out in the field."

"You've done a good job so far," I said.

We stood for another minute. I'd had no connections to my grandfather. Izzie had at least been around him when she was a baby, and Jack was named after him. But me? All I had were these dreams.

"It's almost morning," he said, "You have class."

"I do," I said, "It's good seeing you. Love you."

"You too," he said, walking to me and giving me a kiss.

He blurred away along with the bunker. I was now in that state between dreaming and waking. I started having the dreams when I was 6. When I turned 12, I began thinking that I was crazy, carrying on conversations with my dead grandfather. But soon I let it go, because this was the only way I'd be connected with him.

Because I definitely was not, absolutely NOT, getting into the espionage business.

**************************************************************************************
“Cameron!” Isabelle yelled from downstairs, just as Cameron was waking up to reality, “We’re out of coffee!”

Cameron pulled herself out of the bed with a groan. She’d been up late studying for an exam. She had gone to bed at 2 am. It was 4:30 am now. That would be 2 and half hours of sleep total.

She really hated when Jack and Izzie had to be at work way early in the morning. Somehow, she always ended up being woken up by them no matter what time her class was.

Cameron slowly made her way to the kitchen, still groggy. Izzie was impatiently holding a coffee mug, and Jack was searching the place for his ID card. It was a typical Wednesday morning.

Cameron reached into the cabinet, moved a few things, and handed the coffee can to her sister.

“Thanks Cameron,” Izzie said, as she immediately moved to the coffee maker.

“No problem,” she yawned, as she walked to the couch and fell down on it.

“Cameron?” Jack asked, right when she was about to fall back to sleep, “Have you seen my ID card?”

“Front hall table drawer,” Cameron replied, without even opening her eyes.

“Thanks,” he said, and she heard his footsteps pound away.

As Izzie and Jack continued to make noise, Cameron realized that this was another morning she wasn’t going to get back to sleep.
She got off the couch and fixed herself some coffee.

“So why are you guys going in this early again?” she asked, sitting down at the bar.

“Super top secret CIA stuff,” Jack grinned. Cameron and Izzie both gave him a look that shut him up.

“Paper work,” Izzie said, “Briefings. That good stuff. You’d be a part of it if you’d just accept the job offer.”

“No,” Cameron said, “did you think my half awake self would agree to that?”

“Yeah,” Izzie said.

“Well, the answer is still no.”

“Fine,” Izzie said, and proceeded with Jack back to their respective bedrooms.

Cameron flopped back down on the couch. As soon as she did, the doorbell rang. With an annoyed groan, she went to answer it.

“Hey sweetie,” Sydney Bristow said, entering and giving Cameron a kiss on the forehead.

“Hey mom,” Cameron said, “Izzie and Jack will be ready in a minute. Coffee?”

“Coffee would be great, Cameron,” Sydney replied. Cameron grabbed a mug and began fixing her mom’s coffee: two sugars, a lot of
cream.

“How’s the music?” Sydney asked as Cameron stirred the coffee.

“It’s good,” Cameron said, holding the mug towards her mom.

Sydney took the coffee mug from Cameron.

“You should come play at the office,” Sydney said, “All the agents dancing around would be amusing. And it’s very boring these days,
now that there‘s no crazy prophecies floating around.”

“I’ll pass,” Cameron grinned as Sydney glanced at her watch, noticing how late they were running.

“Izzie! Jack!” she yelled, “Time to go!”

Muffled sounds came from the direction of the bedrooms.

“What do you have planned for the day?” Sydney asked Cameron.

“French exam,” Cameron said, “Then my normal bio and chem classes. Music lesson in the afternoon.”

“Still need lessons?” Sydney asked, eyebrow raised.

“More like practice now,” Cameron said, “Plus my singing isn’t quite up to par.”

They stood in silence for a moment while Sydney drank her coffee.

“Izzie’s still pushing for me to take a job at the CIA,” Cameron said quietly.

Sydney almost choked on her coffee. She hadn’t been able to keep Jack and Izzie out of the CIA, but Cameron had no interest, which made Syd ecstatic. Syd would have been content without any of her children being in the CIA. And she had no intention of letting her only child who refused to follow that life be bullied in to doing it.

“You said no, right?” Sydney asked.

Cameron nodded her head vigorously.

Izzie and Jack came running into the living room.

“We’re ready,” Izzie said.

“Where’s my keycard?” Jack asked, fumbling through his pockets.

Cameron walked to the ktichen counter and handed him the keycard.

“thanks,” he said, “See you Cameron!”

The rest of them said their goodbyes to each other, and finally left. Cameron was left in the house alone.

“Finally,” she said, as she locked the door and went back to bed to try and get one more hour of sleep before she had to get ready for class.
 
Here's the next chap!

Cameron walked into the student lounge and bar after her exam. The exam was insanely difficult, and she knew that she failed. She was exhausted and needed something to drown her depression.

“John,” she said walking up to the counter, “Give me a pint.”

“Little early in the day for that, isn’t it?” John, the owner said.

“John,” she groaned, “I need it.”

With a sigh, John handed her a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and a spoon.

“thanks,” she said, opening it and putting a spoonful of succulent chocolate and marshmallow in her mouth. It helped immediately.

“Can you take tonight’s shift?” John asked her as he wiped down the bar.

“Amy can’t do it?” Cameron mumbled through her mouthful of ice cream.

“She has a family emergency,” John said, “And she has to leave tonight.”

“Okay,” Cameron said, “I’ll be back tonight.”

John then left to tend to a customer, leaving Cameron to eat her ice cream in peace. That is, until Jack came bounding in and sat down next to her.

“Jack!” Cameron exclaimed, “What are you doing here?”

“Izzie won’t be home tonight,” he said, “She’s going on a trip.”

“It was her turn to make dinner,” Cameron mumbled through the ice cream.

“I know,” Jack said, “Can you do it tonight?”

“No,” Cameron said, “I have to work tonight. Why don’t you pick something up?”

“Yeah,” Jack said, wringing his hands, “But I won’t have any company.”

“What about that girl you work with?” Cameron asked, “Um…what’s her name?”

“Bridget,” Jack whispered, “And, no one is supposed to know that.”

“Jack,” Cameron said, setting down her spoon, “You like a girl. It’s okay to like someone.”

“I’ve liked plenty of girls,” Jack said.

“Then what’s the problem?” Cameron asked, getting annoyed.

“It’s just that,” Jack began, nervously, “All the girls I’ve liked have never liked me back.”

“Well,” Cameron said, “this is what you do. Go up to her. Ask her if she wants to get coffee or dinner or something. If she likes you back, then she’ll say yes.”

“What if she doesn’t like me outside of work?” Jack asked.

“Are you different at work than you are in the real world?”

“Yeah. I’m more serious at work. I’m like…I’m ‘together Jack’, you know? Calm and collected.”

“Jack,” Cameron said, “You have to be yourself. If she doesn’t like you for who you are, then she’s not the one for you.”

They sat for another minute while Cameron finished her ice cream and Jack thought deeply.

“so you think I should ask her out,” he finally said.

“Why not?” Cameron shrugged, “Life’s short. Especially in your job.”

“Alright,” Jack said, “Well, I’ll see you tonight.”

“Maybe,” Cameron winked.

“Shut up,” Jack said, and went back out the door.
***************************************************************************
Later that night, Cameron was back at the bar, but this time serving drinks. Actually, there was a limited number of mixed drinks, but plenty of beer flowing around.

There was a guy at the back booth. Cameron had been keeping an eye on him all night. He hadn’t ordered many drinks, only two beers, but he hadn’t moved for the three hours he’d been there and he seemed depressed. Like, to the point of suicidal.

“Ten minutes till closing,” John told her as he walked by with a bowl of bar nuts.

“what’s with the guy in the corner?” Cameron asked, wiping down the bar.

“I ordered him a cab,” John said, “Will you let him know? I have to go clean up the kitchen. Oh and by the
way, do you think you could play tomorrow night?”

“Sure,” Cameron said as he turned towards the kitchen, “See ya tomorrow John.”

Cameron walked over to the booth, picking up empty bottles and glasses as she went.

“Hey,” she said, stopping beside the guy’s booth, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, hoarsely, staring at his empty glass of beer.

“We ordered you a cab,” she said, “Just in case you needed one.”

“My car is out back,” he said, not looking at her.

“It’d be safer for you to take the cab.”

“I don’t want to leave my car here all night.”

“You can’t drive,” Cameron insisted, “I know you’ve only had two beers, but it’s safer not to.”

He finally looked up at her. He had clear gray eyes. Beautiful eyes that took you over. He had dark wavy hair, long but not too long, and a little bit of stubble. He looked muscular under his dress shirt.

“why do you care if I get myself killed in a car accident?” he snapped.

“You obviously don’t,” she said and then walked away. She didn’t say it with malice or contempt. She said it with pity.

It scared him. Her caring scared him. The feeling he just had experienced scared him. The same feeling he’d had two years ago, before he‘d turned into what he was now. He wanted to run, to leave. But something held him in that booth.

Cameron set the empty glasses down on the bar and went into the back. John wasn’t there, but she scribbled him a note telling him she had to leave without cleaning up completely. Then she grabbed her bag and, just in case, a large kitchen knife that fit into her bag. Luckily she had walked to the bar instead of taking her car, so she didn’t have to worry about that.

She returned to the booth. He was still there, surprisingly, looking almost terrified when she came back.

“Come on,” she said, “And give me your keys. I’m driving you home.”

He obeyed, handing her his keys and grabbing his blazer. He left money on the table and followed her out the door.

After Cameron spent about ten minutes trying to figure out how to maneuver the Mercedes, they were on their way.

“Where do you live?” she asked him.

He didn’t answer, he just reached over and clicked the navigation system.

“So,” she said as she followed the navigator, “Why did you spend three hours at the bar?”

“Do I not scare the hell out of you?” he asked her forcefully.

“No,” Cameron replied, indignant, “Why would you scare the hell out of me?”

He stared at her, his mouth opening like he wanted to say something, and a smile flickering across his face, but he closed it and leaned back in the seat, his face returning to stone.

“Okay,” she said, “And now we will remain silent.”

She glanced over at him. His eyes were closed, the moonlight lighting up his face. He was handsome, she’d give him that.

After a few minutes and a few more turns, they arrived at his house. It was a white two story house with a large yard.

“wow,” she said, pulling the car in the driveway and opening her door.

His eyes opened and he unbuckled his seatbelt.

“thanks,” he said, climbing out of the car.

He came to her side of the car. She put her hand on the knife in her bag, but he merely opened the door for her. She smiled at him.

He went to his front door and she went to the driveway so she could start her walk home. Except, she didn’t know where she was.

“Hey,” she said, turning around and running to him, “Can I use your phone? I need a cab.”

He opened his cell phone and dialed a number. After a few words with someone, he shut it.

“It’ll be here in about five minutes,” he said quietly, averting his eyes from her.

“Thanks,” she said, “Your house is amazing.”

“I’m selling it,” he said, immediately.

“Oh,” she said, “Why?”

He closed his eyes again and wouldn’t answer.

“Sorry,” she said, not sure what she was apologizing for.

The cab was there a few minutes later. She told him good night. Without replying, he handed her a wad of cash, enough to pay the driver. She thanked him and climbed in. It was as the cab drove her out of the neighborhood that she realized she never even found out his name.

She also realized that her heart had been racing for the entire night and the wind had been knocked from her.
**************************************************************************
For the rest of the night, Cameron couldn’t sleep. And it wasn’t just Jack and his new girlfriend in the room next door keeping her awake.

It was the guy from the bar.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him. His eyes, his hair. He looked professional, like he had a job. But what was so wrong that he’d look so down?

Annoyed by the banging and the questions, Cameron jumped up and stormed down the hall to Jack’s room, and pounded on the door.

A minute or two later, a flustered Jack threw the door open.

“what?” he demanded angrily.

“Shut…up…” Cameron growled, equally as annoyed, “People in this house are trying to sleep.”

“You’re not seriously standing in front of me right now,” Jack seethed, “Telling me to shut up.”

“Yeah,” Cameron snapped, “I am. Because I need sleep.”

“Why do you need sleep?” Jack asked loudly, “All you do is go to class and then come home and mess
around on your guitar! I actually have a job!”

“So what?” Cameron yelled back, “You’re judging me now? You’re judging me for not having a job with the
C…”

“Jack,” a groggy voice said from inside the room, “Why are you yelling? Who are you yelling at?”

“My sister!” he yelled, and slammed the door on Cameron.

“Oh yeah Jack!” she screamed through the wood, “Slamming the door on me? Real mature!”

She stormed back to her bedroom. She didn’t bother to lay back down, because she knew that she wouldn’t sleep. It was already 3 AM. Instead, she grabbed her guitar and sat on the bed. She needed to practice before playing that night at the bar. She picked up a little bit of extra money for playing at the bar.

Her guitar was her most beloved possession. She had gotten it when she was 12. She’d begged her dad for one of her own ever since he took her to her first lesson when she was 10. And finally on the morning of her birthday, the guitar appeared on the kitchen table at breakfast. Vaughn had bought it in London for her on one of his “business trips” a few days before her birthday. Cameron later learned that Vaughn had taken the major risk of blowing his cover to get it for her. He pretty much risked death to get her guitar in time for her birthday.

Which is why it was the one thing she would never be able to bear to lose, besides her family.

She warmed up for a few minutes. Then she played “Stairway to Heaven”. Generally, when she played in public, she covered songs that people would know. Sometimes she would throw in some of her own work, but she didn’t like to, because she was afraid that her songs weren’t that good. So she mainly stuck to other people’s work.
At about 7 AM, she heard the front door open and close. Jack came wandering into her room, and she put down her guitar.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Me too,” she said back.
He sat down next to her on the bed.
“Can you play for me?” he asked, looking depressed.
“Something happen?” she asked him.
“Play ‘Such Great Heights’ for me,” he said with a sigh.
Cameron picked her guitar up and started.
I am thinking it’s a sign,
That the freckles in our eyes are mirror images,
And when we kiss their perfectly aligned.
And I have to speculate,
That God himself did make us into corresponding shapes,
Like puzzle pieces from the clay.
And true, it may seem like a stretch,
But it’s thoughts like this that catch my troubled head when you’re away,
When I am missing you today.
When, you’re out there on the road,
For several weeks of shows,
And when you scan the radio,
I hope this song will guide you home.
They will see us waving from such great heights,
Come down now, They’ll say.
But everything looks perfect from far away,
Come down now,
But we’ll stay.

“Cameron,” Jack said, looking at her confused, “Why the hell are you crying?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, her voice cracking.

That was a lie. She did know why. She had been thinking about that guy from the bar, while she was singing. And when she hit the “I hope this song will guide you home” she pretty much lost it.

Cameron was quite emotional when it came to people.

“Well,” Jack said, “Thanks. That really helped me feel better. Didn’t do much for you though.”

“I’m good,” she sat, standing up and setting down the guitar, “You gonna tell me what happened?”

“Well,” Jack said, “I thought we had a great time and all last night. And then this morning, when she woke up, she left as quick as possible. And she looked…embarrassed. Like she was embarrassed to wake up with me.”

“Jack,” Cameron said, “You have to talk to her about it. Ask her why.”

“Are you playing at the bar tonight?” he asked.

“That was random,” she said, “But yeah. I am. Why?”

“Nothing,” Jack said, but Cameron could see his mind working behind his eyes.

“Any requests?” she asked.

“You playing KT Tunstall tonight?” he asked.

“Probably,” Cameron replied.

“Play ‘Universe & U’ tonight,” he said.

“Alright,” she said, “Are you going to tell me why?”

“No,” Jack scoffed, and then he left the room to make coffee.

Truth be told, Cameron did know why. Which was the only reason she consented to play the song.
 
great update.
i can't believe cameron drove the guy home!
wonder who he is...
wow, vaughn risked his life to get her a guitar for her birthday....
update again soon!

~Kay ^_^
 
:D Just found your story. I really enjoy it. Cannot wait for update. Could you please pm me when you update.
 
Sorry it's been a while since I've updated...School has been killing me.

Jack left for work at about 8 am. Due to the fact that she didn’t have classes on Fridays, Cameron was left at home alone to chill and also to pick Izzie up from the airport at noon. She waited at the terminal and at about 12:15 Izzie walked over to her.

“Oh my god,” Cameron breathed when she saw her.

“yeah,” Izzie sighed, touching the gash on her forehead, “I tried to cover it up.”

“What the hell happened?” Cameron asked. She always hated seeing her brother and sister come home with injuries.

“Nothing,” Izzie said too quickly, “I’m really hungry though. Let’s get some lunch.”

“You wanna see if Mom, Dad, and Jack would like to come?”

“No,” Izzie said quickly, “I need to talk to you.”

They grabbed Izzie’s luggage and drove to the Chinese restaurant of her choice. Izzie was warmly greeted by the manager as Cameron stood behind her. After all, this restaurant seemed relatively nice and Izzie was dressed in a business suit, while Cameron was dressed in a Doors shirt and jeans.

“This is my sister,” Izzie said.

“Pleasure,” the manager said, shaking Cameron’s hand, looking her up and down with disdain.

“Hi,” she said, with a winsome smile. Of course it didn't work...the manager continued to look at the printed image of Jim Morrison's face on her shirt with disgust.

“I need The Room,” Izzie said.

“Of course,” the manager replied, “Here’s the key.”

Cameron followed Izzie to a red door at the back of the restaurant. Izzie opened it and the two of them entered into a private dining room. Food and tea were laid out on the table for them.

“You know how to shoot a gun?” Izzie asked immediately after she locked the door.

“What?” Cameron asked, thrown by the urgency in Izzie’s voice.

“Do you know how to shoot a gun?” Izzie repeated, growing impatient.

“Yes,” Cameron said, “Mom and Dad made sure I knew.”

“Good,” Izzie said, “Good.”

“Why?” Cameron asked.

“Here’s the deal,” Izzie said, “When Jack and I go on missions and you are left alone, go to Mom and Dad’s house. If all of us are gone, go to APO and stay there with Dixon.”

“Okay,” Cameron said, “But tell me why.”

“I can’t,” Izzie said, “I want to, but I can’t. It’s classified.”

“Alright,” Cameron said. She always hated when her family couldn’t tell her things because they were deemed “classified.”

They ate their food in silence. Izzie kept bringing her hand to her wound and gingerly touching it.

“Izzie,” Cameron said, “Tell me what happened before you drive yourself insane.”

“I was captured,” she sighed, “My partner was killed. I managed to escape, but not with the intel I needed.”

“Wait,” Cameron interrupted, “Aidan was killed?”

Izzie nodded, tears welling in her eyes.

“He was a good partner,” she said, “and a good friend.”

Izzie lost it then. She started sobbing into her Kung Pao chicken. Cameron went to the other side of the table and put her arms around her.

“Can we talk about something else?” Izzie begged, “Please?”

“Yeah,” Cameron said, “Anything you want.”

“How’s the music going?” she asked Cameron, wiping her eyes.

“Good,” Cameron said, “I’m playing tonight. Do you want to come?”

“No,” Izzie said, “I’m not sure I can handle it.”

“You loved him, didn’t you?” Cameron asked, realizing the depth of Izzie’s pain.

“Yes,” Izzie said, “I don’t know. We had some moments.”

Cameron couldn’t help but smile, until she remembered that Aidan was dead and Izzie would never get to go on a date with him.

***********************
Later that night, Cameron was at the bar setting up her equipment. As she was tuning Orion, her guitar, she saw Izzie sit down in the back of the bar by herself, looking horrible. Her hair and face remained unwashed, leaving the dried blood on the gash on her face. Her eyes were full of tears. Cameron knew what she had to do. So she began to play the piano and sang…

I walked across, an empty land,
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand.
I felt the earth, beneath my feet.
Sat by the river and it made me complete.
Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I’m getting older and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when
You’re gonna let me in.
I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
And if you have a minute why don’t we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know
This could be the end of everything
So why don’t we go somewhere only we know.

Izzie put her head down, sobbing. Cameron knew it was exactly what Izzie needed to hear. She finished the song and stepped away from the piano so she could get her guitar. She still had to play Jack’s request, but he still wasn’t here. So she played “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” by KT Tunstall.

As she was playing, a man walked up to her guitar case with some money to throw in it. But when she glanced down, there was also a piece of paper. She looked at the guy and saw it was the same man from the bar last night. He looked better though. Not so depressed and introverted. He was actually smiling. He turned and walked back to a table.

Jack came when she finished KT Tunstall, but he wasn’t alone. His date from last night, Bridget, was with him, but she looked reluctant and embarrassed. They sat down at a table, and Cameron caught Jack’s eye. He smiled at her and nodded. She began KT’s “Universe & U”

And just like stars burning bright,
Making holes in the night,
We are building bridges.

She looked at the table. Bridget was smiling at Jack, and she held his hand. Jack grinned at her, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Cameron knew she had worked her magic on her. She had found her love for Jack that was buried deep inside.

Okay, well maybe not love, but at least she liked him a whole lot now.

Cameron ended the performance on that note. As John cleaned up, Cameron packed her stuff. She had earned a hundred bucks from tips.

“Hey,” Jack said as soon as she turned around, “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Cameron said, hugging Jack. She noticed Bridget standing behind him.

“Bridget,” Jack said, putting his hand on the small of Bridget’s back and nudging her forward, “this is my sister.”

“Hi,” Bridget, who had very pretty red hair and green eyes, said, “It’s great to meet you. You were really good.”

“Thanks,” Cameron replied, immediately liking her.

After Jack and Bridget left the bar (together, she might add…but she hoped they weren’t going back to the house again. She was pretty tired.), Cameron knelt down and picked up the piece of paper from her case. She unfolded the paper and read it.

Thank you for taking care of me the other night. I apologize for an inconvenience it might have caused.
267-5489


Cameron folded the paper, smiling. He’d left her his number. She packed up her guitar, and left the bar, pondering if she’d take advantage of the phone number.

“so what happened with Izzie?” I asked Jack down in the cave.

“Cameron!” a voice yelled. It belonged to Arvin Sloane, crushed under the rocks.

“Ignore that,” Jack sighed.

“Okay,” I replied.

“Well, you know Izzie was in love with Aidan,” Jack said.

“Not quite to that extent, but yeah, I knew she liked him,” I said.

“A terrorist that our family is well acquainted with captured them and killed Aidan.”

“What terrorist?” Cameron asked

“they forced Izzie to kill Aidan,” Jack said, “They left them locked in a room and injected Aidan with a deadly and highly contagious virus. They also left a knife. Izzie had to kill him in order to save her own life. The reason she told you to go to APO was because this person is highly dangerous, and poses an exceptional threat to you.”

“You never said who this person was,” Cameron said.

“It’s not my right to tell you the truth right now,” Jack sighed, “I sound like your grandmother.”

“Why can’t I ever see her?” Cameron asked, changing the subject, “Or Nadia?”

“It’s complicated,” Jack grumbled.

“Cameron!” Sloane yelled, “Please! You need to help me! One day you’ll need my help!”

Cameron and Jack stood in silence for a minute, Cameron looking at Jack and Jack glaring daggers at Sloane.

“Alrighty,” Cameron said, interrupting the silence, “I’m gonna leave. I’ll see you later. Love you.”


Cameron woke up the next morning, feeling incredibly refreshed. Wondering why she’d be so awake since she went to bed at 4 AM, she looked at her clock and realized it was 10 AM. She’d overslept and missed her first class.

“Oh well,” she said to herself, and got up. She glanced in Jack’s room as she went into the kitchen and saw
it was empty. Then she continued by Izzie’s room, and found her asleep, dead to the world.

Cameron decided not to bother her sister, and fixed some coffee. As she was fixing it, she saw the piece of paper sticking out of her purse. She picked it up, and read it one more time. Taking a swig of coffee to wake her up, she mustered up enough courage to pick up the phone and dialed about four numbers before she freaked and hung up.

After exams, she told herself, Then I'll call him. It's just a week.


read and review...
Next up: Christmas with the Bristows!
 
Hey, I just found this story. And I like it very much. :coolthumb:

Can I get a PM when you update next ?

Thanks.

Re :cool:
 
I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow. and I promise that there'll be more of that Alias action as the story moves along...you know, like missions and such.
 
Personally, this is my favorite chapter. Well, one of them. So I hope you guys enjoy it

And this takes place one week after the last chapter...

Cameron came out of her room, rubbing her eyes. She had slept way too much the past three days. Maybe it was because before the past three days she had gone a straight four days without sleep studying for exams.

Of course, in her groggy state of mind, she couldn’t understand exactly why she had been sleeping so much until she wandered her way into the living room and she was blinded by colorful lights.

Oh yeah. It’s Christmas.

Izzie always went a little crazy with the decorations. But as Cameron became accustomed to the light and the new day, she realized Izzie had gone absolutely insane with the decorations.

“Yeah,” Jack whispered, coming up behind her, “Izzie bought out all the Christmas stores last night. I’m afraid there’s no tinsel left for anyone else in the world.”

“Jack,” Cameron said hoarsely, “Remember what we said…”

“Yes,” Jack nodded, “That we would be supportive of whatever Izzie does to get over Aidan. But seriously. Look at it.”

“Hey guys!” Izzie chirped cheerfully, “How do you like it?”

She came behind them with three mugs of hot cocoa, complete with marshmallows shaped as Christmas trees.

“It’s great,” Cameron and Jack said in unison, taking their mugs.

“I think I might need to buy some more ornaments,” Izzie pondered out loud.

“I think it looks amazing,” Cameron said, elbowing Jack in the stomach just as he was about to say no.

“I love Christmas,” Izzie said, flopping on the couch admiring her handiwork.

“Me too,” Cameron said, “It’s pretty much the only time of year that me, you guys, and Mom and Dad are all home to be together.”

“Yeah,” Jack said, eyeing his mug of hot chocolate, “It’s pretty amazing.”

Jack took a gulp, but didn't realize it was still scalding hot, and ended up moaning as the liquid burned his mouth and ran to the sink. Cameron and Izzie watched him as he scrambled for water, and then promptly turned away, satisfied that he could handle himself.

“And it’s finally Cameron’s turn to make the meal,” Izzie continued, “I’m excited about that.”

“If I burn the house down,” Cameron said, sitting on the couch beside Izzie, “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Whatever,” Izzie said, “It’s gonna be good.”

Just then, Izzie and Jack’s pagers started beeping.

“felgercarb,” Izzie said, standing up, “We have to go in, Cameron.”

“You’ll be home for tonight, right?” Cameron asked, “I mean, you can’t go somewhere on Christmas Eve.”

“God,” Jack croaked, obviously in pain from where he burned his mouth, “I hope we don’t have to miss Christmas again.”

“We’ll let you know,” Izzie said as she grabbed her bag and walked out of the house. Jack followed, shooting
Cameron a look of apology as he closed the door.

“D*mn,” Cameron said, sitting down and staring at the Christmas tree.
*****

At about 5 in the evening, Cameron was still alone in the house. She was bored to death and was just about to start fixing some dinner when the phone rang.

Please don’t let them have to go.

“Cam?” Izzie said over the phone, “Me, Mom, Dad, and Jack are all on our way to the airport. We’re so sorry…wait, Mom wants to talk to you.”

“Cameron,” Sydney said over the phone, “You have to go stay at APO for tonight and maybe tomorrow. It’s not safe for you to be at home alone. Okay?”

“Yeah,” Cameron said quietly, trying to hide her tears, “Okay. I’m on my way.”

“I’m sorry sweetie,” Sydney said, and then hung the phone up.

Cameron grabbed her keys and purse, tears threatening to come down her face. She had been hoping for a Christmas with the whole family, but no. For the third year in a row, she was forced to spend it alone.

Except this time, she had to spend it in the APO offices.

“This sucks,” she muttered while she was riding the subway with her knees to her chest.. She had yanked on a big olive military jacket over her brown t-shirt and jeans. She had her iPod on, drowning out every other noise except for the sound of Incubus' "Pendulous Threads".

She pulled her headphones off for one moment, so she could text a code to Dixon, so that he’d open the doors to APO. After that, she pulled her headphones back on and slumped towards the door.
She waited for a few minutes, and then Dixon came out. She pulled off her headphones.

“Sorry about all this Cameron,” Dixon said, leading her inside, “But it’s just for your safety.”

It’s a load of felgercarb, she thought to herself, but nodded to Dixon. He lead her through the office. She was completely out of place with her jeans and jacket and tennis shoes. People even glanced at her up and down, until they realized whose daughter she was. Everyone else was dressed in slacks and skirts and such. Seriously, if no one had known who she was, she’d probably be shot as a terrorist. Dixon arrived at an empty office where there was a small bed, a lamp, and a desk.

“Is this okay?” Dixon asked.

“Yeah,” Cameron mumbled, looking at how small it really was.

“It’s for agents who are here all night and need a nap,” Dixon explained, “Have a good night.”

Then he turned and started to go towards the door. Cameron stepped out of the room.

“Where are you going?” she called down the hall.

“Home,” Dixon said, “Spend Christmas Eve with my kids.”

“Seriously? Seriously.” Cameron muttered to herself. She stood in the doorway, staring out at the sparsely populated office, contemplating absolutely nothing, when she saw the guy from the bar who gave her his number walking through the hallway.

“Hey,” Cameron called to him. He turned and looked at her.

“Hi,” he said, walking to the doorway, “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” she said, “My family is on a mission, and apparently it wasn’t safe for me to be at home, so I’m spending Christmas here. So…you work here.”

“Yeah,” he said, “I didn’t know who you were, which is why I didn’t tell you before.”

“My name is Cameron,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Ben,” he replied, taking her hand and shaking it, “Oh, and thanks for calling.”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “I actually did call, but I hung up after the first ring every time.”

He gave a weak smile, and she smiled back. They stood silently.

“God, I wish I could go home,” she muttered, “this place is depressing.”

“Why don’t you come home with me?” he asked, “I was just getting ready to leave. First I was going to stop by that bar and get something to drink. But then I was going home. That way you wouldn’t have to spend the night here.”

“Umm,” Cameron hesitated, trying to figure out how awkward it would be, “Sure.”

She grabbed her bag and they walked out in silence.

This is gonna be one long night, she thought as the awkward silence persisted, but better than being at the offices.

“Don’t you have anyone to celebrate with?” she asked as they climbed the stairs out of the subway.

“No,” he said, “Just me.”

They climbed in his car and started driving. They stopped by John’s bar, where they each got a mug of buttered rum. The conversation was still sparse. Cameron realized Ben was going to be unwilling to share too much. Very introverted.

After two mugs of buttered rum each, they returned to his house. He opened the door for her and lead her inside.

She almost fainted when she saw it.

No decorations. Not even a tree. Not even a red bow. Absolutely nothing.

“Don’t you celebrate Christmas?” she asked, shocked.

“I used to,” he said quietly, “Not so much anymore.”

“Why not?” she asked, but he shook his head.

“Sorry,” he said, “Would you like some dinner? We can order out.”

Cameron contemplated for a moment. This was complete felgercarb.

“Why don’t you come to my house?” she asked, “And I’ll make you dinner.”

“Oh no,” he said, “I wouldn’t want to…”

“I was supposed to be making dinner for my family,” she explained, “And I have food at home. Just come with me.”

When he continued to stand there, she walked to him, grabbed his hand and his keys, and led him out to the car. He climbed into the car willingly and drove to her house.

They walked in. Her house was in complete contradiction of his, what with Izzie’s mad decorating skills.
After they ate the dinner meant for her family, he insisted on cleaning up. As he did that, Cameron laid under the tree, staring at the lights. The lights were single at first…as she stared, they slowly merged into one.

“What are you doing?” Ben asked, after Cameron had laid under the tree for a few minutes.

“I’m just laying here,” she murmured, not breaking her gaze.

She felt Ben lay down beside her.

“That’s a lot of lights,” he said.

“Yeah,” she said.

“I had a fiancée,” he said, out of nowhere, “She was killed. That’s why I don’t celebrate Christmas.”

“I’m sorry,” Cameron said. She tore her eyes away from the lights to look at him. Tears were in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said simply.

Suddenly the weight of the day fell on Cameron. She fought the urge to close her eyes, knowing she would go to sleep if she did. She didn't even know this guy. And despite the face that she felt she could trust him, her family had taught her to trust no one. But the grogginess won the battle, and Cameron let her eyes close. She fell asleep under the tree, the lights still shining through the darkness of her closed eyes.
*************
The door slammed close. Random talking filled the background. Cameron managed to lift her eyes for a moment, before falling back into a half-asleep state. She could feel someone’s arms closed tightly around her, pulling her against his chest.

“Cam?” a female voice asked, “What are you doing?”

“Watching the lights,” she muttered.

“Um, who is that beside you?” another voice, this time male, asked.

Cameron immediately sat up, getting her head in the Christmas tree. She pulled herself out from beneath the tree. She looked beside her and saw Ben shifting himself out as well. Apparently, he had stayed with her. And he hadn't murdered her during the night. This reinforced Cameron's trust in him.

“Merry Christmas,” Izzie said, smiling at her. Jack looked disgusted.

“Merry Christmas,” Cameron said to her, “Did the mission get finished early?”

“Yeah,” Izzie said, “We got in this morning. First we went to the office to pick you up, but they said you’d left. So we figured you’d come back home. We didn’t know you’d have someone with you.”

“Oh,” Cameron said, “This is Ben…”

Unfortunately, Cameron didn’t know Ben’s name. Fortunately, Jack did.

“Jameson,” Jack sneered, “The traito…”

“Ok,” Izzie interrupted perkily, “We picked up some breakfast. I’m sure we have some extra…”
Ben who had been silent until this point, interrupted her.

“Oh no,” he said, getting up, “I wouldn’t want to intrude on Christmas with your family…”

Cameron, sitting cross legged on the floor, grabbed his ankle as he stood up.

“Sit back down,” she said, “You’re staying for Christmas.”

He looked at her, looked at the door, and then sat back down.

“You have to let go,” she whispered to him, as Izzie and Jack went to the kitchen to unpack the food.

He looked at her. Her brown eyes bored into him. Her brown hair was standing at odd positions from laying down (not to mention random bits of tinsel from the tree stuck into it). She grinned at him. It was a beautiful grin, big and white. The wind was knocked from him.

“Okay,” he whispered back.

She smiled and jumped up to go help Izzie unpack. Ben pulled his legs into his chest, still sitting on the floor. He inhaled deeply and exhaled.

He was alive.
***********************
At around 5 pm, Sydney and Vaughn arrived at their childrens’ house to celebrate Christmas. Izzie answered the door. Sydney carried a cake, and Vaughn’s arms were weighed down with gifts.

“Hey,” she said, giving her mom and dad a kiss and making sure to stand right in the middle of the doorway, “Merry Christmas.”

They started to walk inside. She stopped them before they could get in the house.

“Izzie,” Sydney sighed, “Can we go inside the house?”

“I need to let you know something,” she said, “before you get inside.”

“What is it sweetheart?” Vaughn asked.

“Ben is here,” she said quietly.

“Ben?” Sydney asked.

“Ben Jameson,” Izzie said, “The freelance agent.”

“The rogue agent?” Vaughn asked, in shock.

“Umm,” Izzie hesitated, “Yeah.”

“Why is he here?” Sydney asked.

“Cameron brought him home,” Izzie told them. She conveniently left out the part about how Ben had spent the night.

“Why?” Vaughn repeated.

Izzie recounted the conversation she’d had with Cameron earlier in the day. Izzie had gotten Cameron alone for about 2 minutes to talk about it. Not that it was exactly safe for them to leave Ben and Jack alone (Jack was about ready to kill him), but Jack had gone out to get some alcohol, so it was okay.

“Okay,” Izzie said as soon as they got into her bedroom, “What is going on?”

“I met Ben at the bar,” Cameron said, “A few weeks ago. I was depressed last night cause I was about to spend Christmas in the office, and then I saw him there. We went out for drinks, and then we went to his house, but it was too sad and undecorated, so we came back here and I cooked for him.”

“Cameron,” Izzie sighed, “He’s not a good person to get involved with.”

“Why?” Cameron asked.

“He used to be an assassin,” she explained, “And a thief.”

Cameron stared at her for a minute, and then fell down on the bed.

“Great,” Cameron sighed, rubbing her head with her hands, “Man, can I pick the right guys or what?”

“At least he has a job, unlike some of the others you’ve brought home,” Izzie joked, sitting down on the bed next to Cameron.

“Wait a minute,” Cameron sat up quickly, “If he’s such a bad guy, why is he working with APO?”

“Because APO and him have a deal. If Ben reformed and worked with them, then APO wouldn’t send him to prison.”

“Well, maybe he has reformed. For real. He doesn’t seem like he could be a coldhearted killer.”

“Oh really?” Izzie said.

“Well, not last night anyway. He just seems…broken. Dead.”

“Hmm,” Izzie pondered, “then maybe he has changed. But you are going to have to do some major explaining to Mom and Dad. They know all about him. He’s one of those guys they’ll probably be angry about.”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“In fact, you might want to see about him leaving. Mom and Dad will be here in like an hour.”

“Seriously?” Cameron almost yelled, panic filling her voice.

“Seriously,” Izzie said.

“I can’t just kick him out,” Cameron said, “That’s really rude. But I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind.”

At that moment, Jack opened the bedroom door and walked in.

“Izzie has already talked to me,” Jack sighed, “I’m alright. I won’t do anything stupid. I also bought alcohol. I figure we’ll need it tonight after everyone leaves.”

“How about we break into it now,” Cameron groaned.

“You really want Mom and Dad to see the three of us drunk?” Izzie asked.

“No,” Jack and Cameron replied.

Izzie told her parents everything, except about the alcohol. And Cameron having him spend the night.

“Why would she do that?” Vaughn asked.

“She doesn’t know any better,” Izzie said, “I mean, it’s not like she knew who he was.”

“Well,” Sydney said, “I’m glad she brought him home. Maybe it will help him.”

Vaughn looked at her like she was nuts.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, “You want our daughter getting involved with an assassin and thief?”

“A former assassin and thief,” Sydney reminded him, “And it’s Christmas. So we’re all going to be nice, because it’s all in the spirit of Christmas. And if I hear any complaint out of you, I’ll bring up ‘you know what’ at dinner for a week.”

Vaughn grimaced and nodded his head. The “You Know What” Sydney was referring to was Lauren Reed. And there was no way he was going to be reminded of that fiasco.

Izzie let out a sigh of relief, and let her parents inside.

“Merry Christmas!” Sydney said to Jack and Cameron when they got in.

“Merry Christmas Mom,” Cameron said, hugging her mother.

“Sorry,” she whispered as she hugged her, “I didn’t know.”

“don’t worry about it,” Sydney whispered back, “And your father is fine. He won’t do anything embarrassing.”

Cameron glanced at her father as Sydney let her go to greet Jack. Vaughn was looking at Ben, who was sitting on the couch, with hostility.

“Hey Daddy,” Cameron said, hugging him, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he said, but not with reassurance like Sydney.

“I think it’s time to eat dinner,” Izzie said, and everyone went to the table. Ben sat in between Cameron and Sydney, and Izzie sat between Jack and Vaughn. Everyone sat in awkward silence for a moment.

“Let’s eat,” Izzie said, breaking the ice.

After everyone got food and settled in, Christmas went on as normal in whatever way normal applies to the Bristow family. Vaughn and Sydney got into another debate on Rambaldi (you’d think they’d let that go, but no…it was still a major discussion). Izzie and Jack fought over the last roll, each trying to win the roll by naming as many terrorists as they could in a minute, and Cameron resumed her role as a peacemaker.

Ben watched the family interact. He felt safe and even loved, unlike his own family had made him feel. His family had consisted of his mom and his dad, until his mother committed suicide because his father had abused her and him. Suicide was a very touchy subject to him; his fiancee’s murder had been made to look like a suicide, and he had even thought about attempting it once. After that, he betrayed the CIA and became an assassin, in order to end his pain.

But being enveloped by the Bristows, he finally let a smile creep out. His cold exterior melted away, and he let his true, good hearted self show. Cameron noticed this when he started engaging in the conversations, and she took his hand under the table and squeezed it. Even Vaughn began to warm up to him.

After dinner, presents were opened, and then at about 10:00, Sydney and Vaughn left so they could head back home. As they were saying goodbyes, Vaughn took Ben to the side, away from the rest.

“Ben Jameson,” he said, “When I came here tonight and found out you were here with my daughter, I was angry. You’ve done some dishonorable things in your lifetime. But you make my daughter happy, and I can see you’re making an honest effort to reform.”

Vaughn pulled Ben closer to him. In this moment, he was feeling very much like Jack Bristow.

“I’ve read your file,” he said quietly, so that no one could even possibly hear them, “And I understand. It doesn’t erase what you’ve done, but it does provide understanding. That’s why you’re still here, and not at home alone. You may see my daughter, and welcome to the family.”

“thank you sir,” Ben said gratefully, “I appreciate it very much.”

“What are you two doing?” Cameron asked, walking over to them.

“Just having a talk,” Vaughn said, smiling, “Well, your mother looks ready to go. Merry Christmas sweetheart.”

“Merry Christmas Daddy,” Cameron said, hugging him, “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

A few minutes later, they got in the car and left. Ben, Cameron, Izzie, and Jack were all left standing on the front porch.

“Well,” Izzie finally said, “That went better than I thought.”

“Yeah it did,” Jack affirmed.

“How about we get into the booze Jack bought us?” Izzie suggested.

“sounds good to me,” Cameron said, as Jack and Ben nodded in agreement.

“What did my dad say to you?” Cameron asked, turning to Ben as Izzie and Jack went inside.

“Nothing,” Ben said, with a smile, and followed Izzie and Jack. Cameron watched him, a smile crossing her
mouth. She could never know exactly what her dad told Ben, but she could guess. And it was good…very
good. She went inside, closing the door behind her, to indulge with her siblings and her boyfriend on Christmas.
 
Vaughn IS Jack Bristow the SPYDADDY. 😆 :sideroll: :rotflmao:

I love how you write about Christmas :santasmile: with the Bristows (not the Vaughns ? :Ponder: )

Great update and please more soon 👍

Thanks for the PM
 
I just noticed how I made them the Bristows and not the Vaughns :D . I guess I can't get out of the habit of always referring to the Bristows, with Jack, Syd and Irina.
Oh well, we'll say that Sydney kept her last name, and the children took it as well. ;)

Glad you liked it!
 
hahaha, omg i loved that chapter. 😆

After everyone got food and settled in, Christmas went on as normal in whatever way normal applies to the Bristow family. Vaughn and Sydney got into another debate on Rambaldi (you’d think they’d let that go, but no…it was still a major discussion). Izzie and Jack fought over the last roll, each trying to win the roll by naming as many terrorists as they could in a minute, and Cameron resumed her role as a peacemaker.
Click to expand...
omg i loved this 😆 :sideroll: :rotflmao: :lol:

In this moment, he was feeling very much like Jack Bristow.
Click to expand...
hahaha, i loved that too!

can't wait for more!!

~Kay ^_^
 
Yeah, I know. I take forever to post chapters. But, I was reading back over the fic, decided I didn't like how I furthered the story after this last chap, and I'm working on rewriting it. As soon as I get the new, revised, and much better part written, I'll post it.
 
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