Friend or Foe (Seq,Alias,XO,UC,ADULT) {Complete} 10/15

[LittleBit]

Friend or Foe?
Author: LittleBit
Category: UC Crossover
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, but I’ll take Sark if he’s willing.
Summary: Two years after the end of ATL. What happened after Sark and Liz left?

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PART 1

After the last mission she had been on, Liz appreciated the simplicity of the one she was currently on at the moment. If one could call hanging thirty floors off the ground with a rappelling rope fixed to her waist, boot clad feet planted against the sleek modern building placed strategically so to keep the weight off her upper body simplistic. Her dark hair was braided tightly back so not to get into her face and was dressed entirely in black so to be invisible against the metal and glass structure.

When she found the intended floor, Liz triggered her hand brake before speaking into her comm. “I’ve reached the correct floor. About to proceed with entry, confirm that all systems are secure?”

“Security surveillance cameras have been looped.” Liz heard the voice of her lover report from his position. While Liz had accessed the roof, Sark had hacked into the building’s <a href="security%20system" onmouseover="window.status='security system'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">security system</a> from an empty office on the first floor. Prior to that their tech person had immobilized the security for the entire floor from his location at their base of operations. He would have handled Sark’s job as well but the cameras could only be rigged on sight.

Reaching into the pocket of her vest, Liz withdrew a pen sized object and a small suction cup. She adhered the cup onto the window before placing the tip of the pen against the glass. She used her thumb to push against the side and engage the small laser cutter. It sliced through the glass like a hot knife through butter. She cut a hole large enough for her to slide through before pushing forward and dropping the glass to the carpeted floor. Liz followed it and once her feet were secure on the frame, she pulled the rope up to give her some slack and climbed inside. “I’m in.”

“Copy that.” Sark’s voice said clearly through the comm. “What’s your condition?”

“I’m okay. Arm’s a little tender but it didn’t get in the way.” Liz said smiling to herself for his concern. “Making my way to the safe.”

Liz crept over to the wall where the safe was hidden behind a painting. So clichéd. She replaced the cutter and the suction cup in her vest then produced an electronic scanner and placed it on the artwork’s frame. The gadget quickly read and scrambled the alarm to make it think that the first component of the <a href="alarm%20system" onmouseover="window.status='<a href="alarm%20system" onmouseover="window.status='<a href="alarm%20system" onmouseover="window.status='alarm system'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">alarm system</a>'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">alarm system</a>'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">alarm system</a> had been deactivated. She carefully lifted the painting off the wall, waiting to see if the device had worked. When no alarm went off, Liz placed it off to the side. No need to damage works of art to gain access to what it hid.

Next Liz withdrew her next set of tools, a flashlight, a small knife and a small computer the size of a PDA. It was a prototype and had never been used in the field. According to its creator it would be able to download the pass code that was stored in the memory of the keypad. After placing the flashlight between her teeth, Liz pried the cover off of the keypad with her knife. Next she plugged the small computer into the keypad and got to work. The mini screen flickered to life and began scrolling though dozens of possible code combinations. “It’s working, I’ve almost got the code.”

“Lizzie, you wound me. Like I would leave you there without the proper toys.” The third member of their team huffed into the comm.

Liz was about to make a smart retort when Sark’s voice interrupted. “Two guards heading straight towards you.”

“Have I been compromised?” Liz asked as she quickly punched in the numbers.

“Negative. They don’t appear to know you are there, merely conducting a sweep of the floor.” Sark acknowledged.

“How long do I have?”

“Unsure, their checks appear to be random.” Sark stated. “I advise you to withdrawal.”

“Not yet, I’m almost there.” Liz said. Five seconds later, a four-digit code appeared. “I’ve got it.”

“I’m on my way.” Sark stated.

“No, stay there. We’ve only got the one rope and it’ll slow us down if we both have to go down it. Leave the building and I’ll meet you at the extraction point.” Liz said as she yanked open the safe and saw the purpose of the entire mission sitting squarely in the middle of safe, right on top of at least a dozen bundles of money. She snatched everything out and stuffed it into the satchel strapped around her waist. She had no sooner zipped it then she heard the telltale sound of a gun cocking before a rough voice demanded in Spanish. "Turn around, slowly, keeping your hands in the air.”

Liz turned around and saw two men, not overly huge but not small either. She watched as their eyes swept the room, taking in the damaged window, the moved painting and the opened safe. There was no way to cover up what she was doing. “It appears we have a cat burglar.”

“More like a kitten.” The other man joked.

The first man, the one with the gun aimed at her chuckled at his companion’s joke before moving forward to restrain her. When he did, he made a critical error. Assuming that their greater size and number intimated her, he tucked the gun into his waistband before reaching for her. It would buy her precious seconds.

Liz waited until he was close, setting out to take hold of her before she made her move. As his hand reached out, Liz grabbed his arm, twisting it and kneeing him in the stomach. He doubled over at the force of the blow allowing Liz to elbow him in the face. His partner took the opening to charge her and knocking her back into the wall. Liz felt the wind being knocked out of her but managed to deliver a double roundhouse kick to his face with her left leg, followed by a backhanded punch by her right hand, a kick to his knee which shattered his bone, making him cry out in pain and the final blow, a open handed punch to his face which broke his nose. He fell to the ground, face bloodied.

Liz didn’t wait for either of them to regain their balance. She ran straight for the window and jumped out of the hole she had cut to gain entry. She grabbed the rope that was still attached to her waist and released the hand brake. She had only managed to drop a handful of floors when gunfire broke out.

Liz could hear Sark yelling through her comm but she was too busy to pay attention. She couldn’t just stay on the rope, she was too open and soon they would have men on the ground. She pulled her gun out of her vest and fired a few rounds in the air above her. The return fire caused the shooters to retreat a little or risk being shot. Liz took the opportunity to make her escape. As hard as possible, she kicked away from the building. As soon as she swung away, she aimed her gun at the window and fired as fast as she could. She got four rounds off before her momentum swung her back to the building, as she did, she closed her eyes and braced herself for impact. She crashed through the window and soared into the office on the other side. She grunted as she landed on the hard floor in a bed of glass. But she didn’t dwell on it, instead she quickly released the belt that was attached to the rope and stood up. As she did, she talked into her comm. “I’m in the building, fifth or sixth floor.”

“Your position has been reported and they are sending in guards to intercept you.” Sark reported.

“All main electrical, security and elevators as well as emergency systems have been disabled.” Their computer tech person said at the same time. “They’re working in the dark and assuming you are too. They are coming at you down the main stairwell. You’ll find a fire stairway fifteen meters to the north of you. Take it down to ground level, it exits straight out to the parking lot.”

“There’ll be guards…” Liz started to say but Sark cut her off. “I have taken care of it, you have three minutes.”

Liz knew what that meant. Sark had rigged explosives to cause a distraction so that in the aftermath she could slip away. And she only had three minutes until it detonated. Liz changed the clip in her gun then opened the office door that led into the hallway. She took only a second to make sure that she wouldn’t be shot the moment she stepped out before she ran towards the stairwell that she had been told about. It was easy to find with the emergency sign posted over it.

Liz raced down the stairwell as quick as she could, her internal clock counting down to when the detonator would go off. She was still a flight away when she felt the blast. But she didn’t stop and a moment later she was outside. She saw a few guards noticing her but she was ready for them. She fired quickly, only shooting to disable them before a black SUV pulled up in front of her. She jumped in quickly and Sark sped away.

When the building was a small burning reflection in the rearview mirror, Liz opened her bag and pulled out the portable <a href="hard%20drive" onmouseover="window.status='<a href="hard%20drive" onmouseover="window.status='<a href="hard%20drive" onmouseover="window.status='hard drive'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">hard drive</a>'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">hard drive</a>'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">hard drive</a> she had taken from the safe and smiled at Sark. “Thanks for the distraction.”

“They scarcely noticed.” Sark commented just before Liz talked into her comm again. “We are clear from the building and coming home, Alex.”

She listened as Alex Whitman let out a deep breath of relief. “See you a few hours.”

[LittleBit]

Well I'm glad that everyone seems happy that I started posting this and that I decided to include Alex in with Liz and Sark. I wanted to have Liz have a close friend with them and I figured with Alex's skills, he was the best one for the job. Plus, Alex always seemed like the one who would go beyond anything to help his friends.

I hope you enjoy this next part, it's a flashback.

And I wanted to say thank you for Calinia for yet another beautiful banner.

PART 2

LOS ANGELES-TWO YEARS PRIOR

Liz watched the ground speed past them as the helicopter gained speed and flew over the California terrain. She couldn’t believe what she was doing. She was running away from everything she knew in her life, giving up her career, her friends, and family to become a criminal. Love made you do funny things.

Sark gazed over at Elizabeth again and saw that she was still silently staring out the helicopter window. He knew that she was trying to accept what was going on but he needed her to be alert and ready for action. He reached over and touched her gently on her arm. “Elizabeth, Elizabeth.”

When she didn’t respond, he called out. “Liz!”

That got her attention; after all, Liz had never heard him refer to her by her nickname. “What?”

“Are you positive about this?” Sark asked. Liz didn’t verbally answer, only nodded so he began to explain what was next. “Then this is the plan. We have to leave the Los Angeles area, California as well as the country as soon as possible. The longer we wait the harder it will be.”

“It’s not as if we can just waltz into the airport. They’ll have our photos distributed in less than an hour.” Liz stated, Sark noticed that she seemed to have come out of her shock and was back to normal.

“I’ve already taken care of that. The helicopter is going to drop us at a small airport where a private plane will fly us to a safer destination.” Sark informed her. He could tell that she understood why he did not mention their destination. It wasn’t safe for the pilot to overhear, while he was dependable at the moment, he could be bought off later to give information. It was good to see the energy back in her eyes and know that she was thinking clearly.

“I’m going to need clothes.” Liz said motioning to the battle gear she was wearing.

Sark nodded and pulled out a duffel from behind his seat. He had packed a spare set of clothes and some other necessary items and given them to the helicopter pilot. He unzipped it and pulled out a plain white T-shirt before handing it to her. As she unzipped her tactile vest and shrugged out of it, he said. “I have people in LA who can recover possessions you’ll want from your apartment. But they will have to move quickly before the CIA seizes it.”

Liz nods, mentally inventorying her possessions as she slipped out of her shirt and pulled the T-shirt over her head. It smelled like him. “Most of it can be replaced but there are some things I’ll want.”

Sark did the same as Liz; taking off the CIA issued gear and replacing it with civilian clothes. He had packed only one pair of pants so Liz would have to keep on her fatigues but they looked more casual with the T-shirt. It would do until they could buy something else. They had just finished when the helicopter started to descend. They were at an airport located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego.

As soon as the helicopter bumped to the ground, the two of them jumped out. Clutching her hand, Sark led her away from the helipad and pulled out a cellphone out of the bag. Liz didn’t recognize it and knew that it was a different one than he had used previously. He talked quickly and she heard him giving orders to the men he’d hired to go to her apartment before handing it over to her. Within five minutes, she had relayed the mental list and locations of what she wanted from her apartment. Nothing of real monetary value but important to her, pictures, Grandma Claudia’s book, and stuff like that. When she was done, she hung up the phone and handed it over to Sark as they boarded a small Cessna.

They didn’t talk much on the flight; mostly Sark conversed in various languages on his cellphone setting up arrangements. They landed a few hours later, and the only way that Liz knew where they were was because of the welcome sign on the side of the airport. Cozumel, Mexico. Cozumel was a tourist seaside town, complete with cruise ships docked at its harbor. It made it easy for them to blend in; they looked like any other tourists. From the airport, they caught a taxi that took them to a nearby hotel. It was nice, one for well off tourists. Even when he was on the run, Sark traveled in style.

Once they were inside and everything was secure, Liz spoke. “You’ve always had this contingency plan haven’t you? You never planned to take the CIA’s deal and leave LA in a hurry.”

“You are correct.” Sark answered straightforwardly. “It was a forgone conclusion that I would need an quick exit so I arranged for an extraction plan. Once I knew that the CIA would not agree to my terms, I put the plan in motion.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, trust me?”

“I couldn’t put you in danger. If you would have known I planned to run, it would have distracted you. That could have gotten you killed.” Sark said.

Despite the fact that she was still pissed at him, she knew he was right. She would have been sidetracked and it could have gotten her killed if they had been met with hostility at SD6 or later with Sloane. “Was it part of the plan to ask me to come or was that just something you did on impulse?”

“I had thought to ask though you surprised me by accepting.” Sark admitted. He had always had the extraction plan since he had first agreed to Irina’s plan for him to work with Sloane. But it was not a plan that could not be altered to include Elizabeth now. It just took a few extra plans.

“So what’s the next step?” Liz asked.

“We rest, eat and buy whatever supplies we need here, which includes securing a few aliases for you. Then we fly out tomorrow.”

“To where?”

“Europe, Italy to be precise.” Sark stated. “I have a house there that cannot be traced to me and no one knows about it, not even my mother. We can take cover there until we figure out what our next step is.”

“I don’t have any money.” Liz said.

“Not to worry, I have a sizeable nest egg that is at our disposal. And we can see about commandeering your funds.” Sark announced. “And there are always ways to acquire more.”

Liz looked at his knowing expression. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking are you? You’re not actually suggesting that I work as a freelancer. Maybe for whatever is left of the Alliance or Irina’s outfit?”

Sark shrugged. “I think it is foolish to waste two proficient operatives such as ourselves.”

“From CIA agent, well purported CIA agent to mercenary.” Liz said running her hands over her face. “I don’t think I can do that. I’ve worked too long for the enemy unknowingly to do it intentionally now.”

“It is merely a suggestion.” Sark said. “And we would not necessarily have to be under someone else’s employ. I still have numerous connections and associates that could prove useful if we chose to go into business for ourselves.”

An idea sprung into Liz’s head then. “We could do it but on our own terms.”

Sark saw a peculiar quality in Elizabeth’s eyes and felt slightly uncomfortable. “What are you proposing?”

“Exactly what you said, we go into business for ourselves. We both have contacts that can get us supplies, Intel and weaponry, and you said you have connections from when you worked for Irina.”

“Yes, I do. What are you envisioning, Elizabeth?” Sark asked, he didn’t like being in the dark.

So Liz laid out her idea. It was brilliant in its simplicity but it would also require a complex design. When she finished she said. “It can work, but the question is, can you work like that?”

Sark thought over her suggestion. It could be very profitable and would satisfy his desire for a stimulating, active life. “It is something to consider.”

“We don’t have to decide anything tonight. Like you said, we can enjoy the sites of Italy while we finalize what we want to do.” Liz stood up from the bed and started to pulling off her clothes. “But right now, I want a shower. Then I want some food and to go shopping.”

Sark watched her naked form slip into the bathroom. He waited a few moments before pulling out his cell phone to finish the details of their upcoming trip.

[LittleBit]

I'm glad that everyone seems to like this story. As for Irina, she will make appearances, but as for her opinion on Liz, you'll have to wait for a while.

PART 3

To the outside observer, one would be intimidated by Alex’s workstation. With the four monitors, three keyboards, several communication ports, headset, and other various equipment it looked like the control center for a large company, or even an airport control tower rather than the terminal for one person. It was the best money could buy and had even then been enhanced by its operator. But from that workstation Alex could access desired information, run communications to the teams when required, or hack into any computer database he needed to. It was Alex’s baby.

The music was so loud inside the room that Alex didn’t hear the entrance of another until she was right up on him. He jumped several inches up off his chair when he felt her hand on his arm. He turned to look at her with wide eyes. “Katrin! You scared the crap out of me.”

Katrin offered a smirk as she leaned over and turned down the volume on the alternative music from the deafening roar to a volume that would allow her to be heard. “Any news?”

“Yeah, they ran into a little trouble getting out but thanks to one of those little thingamabobs from your emergency kit. The blast let them slip out without getting caught.” Alex asked as he reached into the mini fridge under his desk to grab a drink. He had found that it saved time to have a fridge and a cabinet full of snacks so that when it was needed, he didn’t have to go all the way down to the kitchen to find what he was looking for. He grabbed a Live Wire Mountain Dew before offering Katrin free range of his snacks. She grabbed a handful of Oreos before responding. “That’s why I made it. Do you know what they used?”

“No, it had a detonator though. Sark mentioned setting it.” Alex stated.

“Is most of the building still there?” Katrin asked as if she was asking if her favorite restaurant was still in business. When Alex nodded, she said. “Then he didn’t use the C4 devices, mostly likely he used one of the homemade ones. They’re noisy, and causes quite a bit of cosmetic destruction but no structural. Great for a distraction if you need it.”

Alex just shook his head in wonder. If he were to meet Katrin on the street, he would just see an average blonde woman probably a grad student from one of the universities with a German accent. Not a young woman that knew a great deal about explosives and made her living with that knowledge. But one thing that Alex had learned was that looks were deceiving. Hell, he didn’t even know Katrin’s last name, there was no point, it along with her first name would change depending on what ID she used. Alex himself had half a dozen false passports and Ids, Liz had insisted even if he wasn’t in the field. She didn’t want him to get in a jam if something was to happen. It was her way of keeping him safe.

The arrival of his best friend and mentor of his new life, Liz, pulled Alex out of his contemplation. Surprisingly she was alone but Alex knew that Sark would be around close. She smiled at him in greeting before facing Katrin. She reached into her bag, pulled out a small bundle of money and handed it to her. “There you go. Three thousand, just as promised.”

Katrin flipped through the money idly. “What’s next?”

“Nothing for a little while. Take a holiday, do some freelancing. We’ll be in contact when we need you.” Liz instructed. Although her tone was all business, she had a friendly rapport with Katrin.

Sark had contacted her originally, Katrin had had minor dealings with Irina’s organization when it had been operational and he knew of her work. However since Sark was no longer doing his mother’s work he found that hiring Katrin was a problem. Katrin did not work with men as her employer. So Liz stepped in and handled the transactions and soon set up an agreement that suited both parties. When they needed her, she would step in but if not, she was free to pursue other avenues of employment.

It was the same arrangement they had with several other outside parties when they needed more people. They paid well so it maintained the secrecy that was required. The only person that Liz and Sark retained continuously was Alex, and that was only because Liz trusted him completely.

“I’ll hear from you when I hear from you, you’ve got my numbers.” Katrin said before popping one last Oreo into her mouth and strolling out.

When she was gone, Liz reached into the bag again and pulled out another bundle of money and the removable hard drive that she had taken from the safe. “Here you go.”

Alex put the money to the side, he would deposit it later, and looked at the new puzzle he was going to sort out. He began hooking up the necessary wiring so that he could hook it up to his server. He began the analysis program before looking at Liz. “I’m guessing the same old drill.”

“Yep, scavenge what we can use then copy everything else and send it out.” Liz ordered.

Liz plopped down in the chair that Katrin had just vacated and ran a hand through her hair. When she did, Alex caught sight of a red gash across her forehead that had already been bandaged. Eight months ago, Alex would have reacted to the blood queasily even for such a small amount. But that was before. Compared to what he had seen half a year ago, the cut was nothing. He nodded to it and said, “That’s new.”

Liz’s hand reflexively went to the bandage. “Just a scratch from when I went through the window. Just something to add to the collection. I took care of it on the trip back here.”

“How about the rest of you?” Alex asked as he looked her over. Besides the scratch he saw a fresh bruise on her arm but other than that she was no worse for wear. But it wasn’t new injuries that he was worried about.

“A little sore but I’m all right.” Liz said.

“Maybe you pushed too early.” Alex commented.

“Alex, I’m fine.” Liz assured him. “Besides I was going nuts not being able to do much of anything besides security interference. I’ve spent too many years active to just sit back and watch.”

“I’ll have you know that I do more than just watch.” Alex stood up and moved around to the back of her chair. He positioned his hands on her shoulders and began to knead the sore muscles.

“I know you do Alex. I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Liz said as her head lulled to the side under Alex’s ministrations. Her eyes looking at the Matrix code screensaver scroll across the screen on one of Alex’s monitors. It was true, Alex was important to her and not because of his computer skill. He was her friend and while she felt guilty for bringing him into the life they led, she loved having him with them.

Their base of operations was in a building not far from Sark’s house in Milan. Milan was the hub of Italy’s business community and they found that it was a perfect place to have their base without raising any eyebrows. Especially when they had bought and restored their building. It was a small warehouse with a few rooms refurbished into small apartments, one that Alex lived in. There was another one for Sark and Liz if they chose not to go back to the house and for any other reason they might need it. Some of the other rooms were offices or storage rooms, not to mention they had a full kitchen.

Liz knew that to the CIA, Interpol, MI6, or any other government agency looking at them that they would be considered a mercenary group but she chose not to see it that way. She might have run off with Sark, leaving behind a deal to work for the CIA but that did not mean that she worked on the bad side. It was more complicated than that. She liked to think of their, hers and Sark’s, organization as a kind of modern day Robin Hood band with a twist.

As Sark entered the room, his eyes sought out Elizabeth and saw her sitting next to Alex’s computers with Alex massaging her shoulders. If it had been any other man, Sark would not sit idly by while another man laid his hands on her. But he knew that Alex was the closest thing to a brother Liz had. Because of that, Sark had pushed any distrust he might have held in regards to their relationship aside and accepted Alex in Liz’s life. Which was a good thing considering they worked together. They weren’t close but they were sociable. Sark would even admit that he valued Alex’s abilities with the computer. Liz had made an excellent call when it came to picking him. They were both above average hackers but nothing compared to Alex.

He saw Liz turn her head and focus on him, a seductive smile on her face even though she looked half asleep. It had been a long night between the op and the return home and she was worn out. Despite the fact that she was restored to health, Liz was still in mending and needed rest. He strolled forward and Liz stood to meet him. “You need sleep.”

“I know. I just wanted to come by to pay Katrin, and deliver the hard drive to Alex.” Liz stated. “And now that I’ve done that, take me to bed.”

“Ug, you two get out of here. I don’t want to hear about your sex life.” Alex teased.

“You should get some sleep yourself.” Liz added. “Sleep in your own bed instead of at the desk. The drive can wait, the bad guys will be there tomorrow.”

“I’ve been mainlining caffeine all day. I’m good for a few more hours. I promise, when I feel like I’m going to crash, I’ll go.” Alex conceded.

Liz nodded before saying goodnight. When the room was clear again, Alex cranked the knob on his stereo and got to work.

The next two parts are going to be flashbacks on how Alex came to work for Liz and Sark.

[LittleBit]

Here's the first part that explains how Alex got involved with Sark and Liz. I hope you like it, it's from Alex's POV.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. I plan to because today's my birthday.

PART 4
TWENTY-THREE MONTHS BEFORE

As Alex Whitman stepped off the small plane, he looked around and wondered for the hundredth time what he was doing. A week ago, an overnight courier had appeared at his apartment with an envelope for him. When he had opened it, all he found inside was a plane ticket, a confirmation sheet for a hotel reservation, and a note from a travel agency that stated the trip was paid in full.

At first, Alex didn’t see anything that indicated who had sent the package until he looked closer at the letter. It wasn’t computer generated, but handwritten. He knew that handwriting. It belonged to his best friend, the best friend who had been missing for over a month and had people asking about her. So because of that he had just flown across the country to Grand Cayman in the hopes of figuring what the hell was going on with Liz.

Before he left, he had called Maria, and without telling her about the package had hinted around to see if she too had gotten a package. But she gave no indication that she had. As a matter of fact she had mentioned something about going shopping with her mom the day after he was supposed to fly out so he was sure that she hadn’t heard anything from Liz.

After gathering his bags, he walked outside and caught a cab to the hotel that he supposedly had the reservation for. When the cab pulled up, Alex double-checked the name to the one on his slip, the cab had have gone to the wrong one. The hotel they had just pulled up to was beautiful and obviously expensive. But the names matched up so Alex got out and went inside to the front desk and checked in.

“Welcome Mr. Whitman.” The desk clerk smiled at him. “I have your room key here. And I also have listed that the lunch reservation you requested at Smuggler’s Cove, is set for tomorrow at one o’clock.”

“Uh..Okay. Thanks.” Alex said although he had no clue what she was talking about. He hadn’t made any request for reservations, but he played along, hoping that maybe by going to the restaurant at the appointed time he might get a few answers.

So for the rest of the day and the next morning, Alex enjoyed the hotel and what it had to offer. With his job, he didn’t get out much and he hadn’t had a vacation since Liz had moved back to the States and he had taken a few days to show her around San Francisco so he enjoyed the time away.

When it was time for him to leave to go to the restaurant, Alex found himself feeling anxious. He didn’t know what was going to happen and that freaked him out. He could hardly touch the food that he ordered however somehow he managed to swallow half of it. When nothing had happened by the time the check came, Alex felt foolish for thinking that something was going to happen just because he hadn’t made the reservation. But then as he reached for the check, he saw a note attached to it. Go to the beach just outside the restaurant.

Alex quickly tore the note off of the check and stuffed into his pocket while pulling out the money for the bill. He left the restaurant and strolled down to the beach like he was supposed to. When he got there, he slipped his sandals off and walked along the beach. He’d been there for five minutes when he saw her. She wore a wide brimmed straw hat, a white sundress and dark shades but he knew it was Liz. When she was sure that he had spotted her, she came running towards him.

Alex caught her in a big hug and swung her around, both of them laughing. “Alex, it is so good to see you.”

Alex hugged her tight for a minute longer before setting her down. As happy as he was to see her, he was bursting with questions. “Liz, what’s going on? You’ve got everyone freaking out. Why all the secrecy? Why did you just disappear without telling anyone? Why have people been asking if I’d seen you?”

“Alex, Alex, one question at a time.” Liz exclaimed trying to calm her friend down. She looped her hand through his arm and tugged enough to get him to walk. He complied and they strolled down the beach. “First off I’m sorry about all the cloak and dagger, we had to be sure that you weren’t followed.”

“We?” Alex asked.

“I’ll tell you about that in a minute.” Liz stated. “Now who has been asking about me?”

“They said that they were a team of FBI and CIA and that there was something going on at the bank you worked at and that you disappeared during it. That you were last seen with a very dangerous man, who they claimed was a terrorist.” Alex stated.

“Well they had a good cover story.” Liz chuckled.

“Cover story?” Alex exclaimed then eyed her suspiciously. “Why am I not liking the sound of this? You haven’t like discovered more ‘illegal aliens’ have you?”

“No, I haven’t. And I’m sorry. I brought you here to talk to you and I guess I’m not doing a good job explaining.” Liz said. “But before I do, Alex you have to promise me that regardless of what you I tell you and what you decide about it, you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. Please Alex, you have to trust me.”

“You know I do.” Alex stated.

“Okay.” Liz said. “I guess the first thing I should tell is that I never actually worked for Credit Dauphine. The people I worked for used the bank as a front.”

“What people?”

“At the time, I thought they were the CIA.” Liz said.

“The CIA?!” Alex exclaimed.

“Yes. But you see they weren’t really the CIA, I just didn’t know that at the time.” Liz said. “Remember when I took Psych in college and I took all those tests? Well the results ended up with a group called the Alliance, a group that specialized in espionage. They recruit people like me who fit a certain profile and lies to them. They would tell the people that they were a black ops division of the CIA, a super secret department that fought against the terrorists around the world. They were very convincing in their lie and I fell for it.”

“What do you mean you fell for it?”

“They convinced me that I was going to be serving my country so I took the job they offered me and became one of their agents. I had all kinds of training, linguistics, computers, hand-to-hand combat, weapons…”

“You were a spy?!” Alex asked unable to believe what he was hearing. There was no possible way that Liz could have worked for years as some undercover agent and he not know, was there?

“Yes.” Liz answered. “I worked out of the New York office, then transferred to the Paris one, then to Los Angeles, except it wasn’t for the bank, it was for the group I told you about. When I moved to LA was when I found out the truth. At the branch there, SD6, I was assigned a partner, Sydney Bristow. She was an agent like me except that she knew the truth, that SD6 was not part of the CIA. She was a double agent with the real CIA and was working with them to take down the Alliance. I became suspicious of her after a mission and followed her. I confronted her when I saw her talking to a man that did not work for SD6 about the mission we had just been on. I confronted them and they were forced to tell me the truth. After, I promised to help them with bringing down the Alliance. We were successful and the Alliance was taken down.”

Alex took a minute to process what she was telling him before he said, “If the Alliance or whatever you called it is gone, why did you disappear?”

“Well that’s where it becomes a little more complicated.” Liz said. “While I was working with SD6, I met a man. Kind of what you might call a freelance spy. He too had plans to bring down the Alliance but had gone about it a different way. He allied himself with the director of SD6 and planned to bring him down from the inside.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you had to go into hiding, from what it sounds like you guys should be working with the real CIA now.” Alex stated.

“Well actually they offered me a job but Sark…that’s the man I was talking about, Sark was a different case. He’s the man that they said I was with.” Liz stated. She explained some of what she knew about the things Sark had done through out his career before saying, “The CIA considers him a felon because of his crimes during his career. The CIA had planned to send him to prison for his crimes but he would be granted leniency for aiding in bring down the Alliance. But Sark decided not to take the deal and fled the country and I went with him.”

“Why?” Alex asked questioningly unable to figure out why she had done it. “If he was such a bad guy that the CIA were after him then why did you go with him?”

“I love him.” Liz declared.

“You what?!” Alex asked.

“I love him.” Liz repeated. “I know you think I’m nuts but it’s true. I love him. I’m not going to sugarcoat what he’s done, they’ve been pretty horrible. I knew about them going in but I just couldn’t fight the pull that I felt towards him. I don’t know if I can explain it in a way that you’ll understand.”

Alex shook his head. “Of all the guys in the world, you find the most peculiar ones and home in on them.”

“You can’t help the ones you love.” Liz said.

“I know.” Alex said. “Does he love you?”

“Yes.”

“Are you happy?”

“Yes. Our lives aren’t easy ones Alex, neither Sark’s nor mine have been for many years. I’ve had to lie to everyone I know practically. That’s a lonely existence. We can relate to each other, we can just be us. We still each have secrets but we don’t push the other one to confess them.” Liz said. “We just enjoy the here and now and not live in the past.”

The two of them walked a little farther, Alex’s eyes were focused on the sand in front of him and he watched the tide wash up to their feet. “So why are you telling me all of this? Why after so many years are you finally telling me? And why just me? Why not Maria too?”

“There are a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to see you and let you know I’m okay. As for the second reason, I have a proposal for you.”

[LittleBit]

Well here's a new part. Sorry it's so late but do not worry, because of everyone's votes, I'm going to post everyday. Well until next week when I go on vacation.

PART 5
Continue from previous part-Flashback

“One, I wanted to see you and let you know I’m okay. As for the second reason, I have a proposal for you.” Liz said.

“A proposal?” Alex asked intrigued. “What are you talking about?”

“I…we want you to come and work with us.” Liz stated. She felt incredibly guilty about asking Alex to become apart of such a dangerous life but he was the only she would be able to trust to not sell them out. And in the end, it was ultimately Alex’s choice. “Sark and I have decided to create our own business.”

“After what you just told me, I have a feeling that this isn’t going be something as simple as opening a corner store.” Alex said hesitantly.

“No, it’s not.” Liz said with a small smile, Alex always had a funny way of stating the obvious. “We’d basically be self-employed spies. We would gain access to different weapons dealers, intelligence dealers, and other terrorists. Then we would gather as much information as possible from them and get out.”

“But what will you do with the information you guys get?” Alex asked. “Sell it?”

“No.”

“Then what are you going to do with it? And how are you going to come with the funds to do it?” Alex asked.

“There are many ways to obtain capital if you know how.” Liz said. “Remember we are going to be gaining knowledge of every aspect of these outfits, which includes bank accounts. We can siphon out of the accounts or filch other high-priced items we come across.”

“Are you serious?” Alex exclaimed. “You’re talking about stealing from people.”

“I’m talking stealing from people who make their lives off the death of other people. Alex, I’ve dealt with people like this for years, we’d be doing the general populace a favor by dealing with them.” Liz said.

“You didn’t answer when I asked what you were going to do with the information except that you weren’t going to sell it.” Alex stated.

“It’ll be put to good use.”

Comprehension dawned in Alex’s mind and he felt pride in his best friend. “You plan on turning over the information don’t you? To the authorities?”

Liz nodded. “Our plan is to send it to Sydney and through her give it to the CIA. Then they can raid the organizations and bring them to an end.”

“So you and Sark will break in and do your spy thing, why do you need me?” Alex asked.

“Because you are one of the best computer and tech guys out there and the only one I trust completely. And we could really use you.” Liz acknowledged. She halted their walk and looked him in the eyes. “Alex, I won’t lie to you. Our lives are not easy. We are in hiding. Most of the time the name on my passport is not my own, my appearance is altered, and I watch over my shoulder. I can’t go see my mom or Maria because I could be arrested. I live with the knowledge that me or Sark could be killed when we go out on an assignment.”

“That’s not exactly selling me on the idea Liz.” Alex commented.

“Sark and I and whoever we need will do all the work in the field. I don’t want to put you in danger. You would run things out of our headquarters. Don’t ask where it is, I can’t tell you yet.” Liz explained.

“Such as?” Alex asked.

“Hacking into databases, decrypting files, writing new software to interface with security systems, creating technical gear that we will need in the field, stuff like that.” Liz clarified before switching to the compensation part of the offer. “ You can build your mainframe from the ground up. Everything will be top of the line, finest equipment, deluxe Internet connection, just tell us what you’ll need. You have total control over it. We’ll set you up with aliases and a Swiss bank account to deposit your earnings.”

“How much money are talking about?” Alex asked before he could catch himself. His brain was still stuck on the fact that Liz had said he could build his own system and money was no object. “What am I saying?”

Liz smiled. “Twenty percent of the spoils. I don’t have the numbers with me, I can get them for you. But Alex, I really want you to think about it and think hard. Things won’t be as difficult for you, we’ll hide your identity as much as possible. You’ll be able to go home if you want until you’re linked to us.”

“Do you need an answer right away?” Alex asked.

“No, you have until the end of your vacation. So five more days, we’re staying here on the island to take care of some other business as well.” Liz declared but did not enlighten as to what they were doing. It was nothing big anyway, just making some withdrawals from the Cayman’s many banks. “But there is one more thing…”

Alex watched as she pulled out a cell phone and pushed a button. She spoke quietly, low enough that Alex could not hear her before hanging up. She slipped the phone back into a hidden pocket of her dress before capturing his hand again. She directed him back the way they had come. After a few minutes, Alex saw a man approaching them and he knew what was going on. Liz was introducing him to her lover, Sark.

Alex couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the man walking up. The little bit of knowledge that Alex knew of Sark, he was not a man to toy with. He was shorter than Alex by a few inches and had a slightly wider build. He had wild wavy blonde hair but with the sunglasses perched on his nose, Alex couldn’t see his eye color. Sark looked so casual in his light color linen pants, a white T-shirt, yet he gave off an aura that was anything except casual.

Liz stepped forward and smiled at Sark then looked back at Alex. “Alex, this is Sark. Sark, this is one of my oldest friends, Alex Whitman.”

“Elizabeth has told me a great deal about you.” Sark said as he offered his hand to Alex. As he took the proffered hand and shook it, Sark sized him up. There was nothing overly daunting about the man or extraordinary about him, but if Elizabeth was correct, the appearance was deceiving.

“I don’t know whether that is a good thing or not.” Alex stated causing Liz to smack him playfully.

“Believe me, if you are as gifted and talented with computers as Elizabeth says, you’ll find it to be a good thing.” Sark informed him.

“No pressure there.” Alex muttered. “But I brought my laptop with me if you want some proof.”

Sark had to admit that his opinion of Alex multiplied at his statement. To him that showed two things about Alex, one was that the man had courage despite the fact that Alex was aware of what kind of man he was and two, he had as much faith in Elizabeth as she did in him. “In due time. I imagine that if I agreed to a demonstration at the present time Elizabeth would not be very happy with me.”

“Damn right.” Liz said with a smile. “Now we are on this beautiful island for the next several days let’s enjoy it.”

Over the next several days, the three enjoyed the benefits that the island provided. At the end, Alex decided to take Liz and Sark up on his offer. A month later, he was on a plane bound for Italy.

[LittleBit]

Well here's a new part. It's NC-17 so prepare yourselves. And it gives you a little bit more of a hint to what happened to Liz.

PART 6

As the warm summer sun streamed through the doors from the verandah off of their bedroom, Sark gazed at the woman who had shared his bed for more than two years as she slept beside him. Never before had anyone captured his attention as she had and still did. In some ways he knew everything about her, while in others she was still a mystery. One that was almost taken from him before he was able to disentangle it.

Her face had an appearance of calmness that wasn’t often seen otherwise. When she was awake, her eyes showed the hardness that she had experienced in her young life. But instead of weighing down her beauty and making her look older than she should, they showed that she was a strong woman who was capable of surviving overwhelming exploits. And at times they could also show so much warmth, when they were making love, when Alex cracked a joke, or other private moments.

Her hair fanned out on the Egyptian cotton pillowcase, its darkness a stark contrast to the pale linen underneath and haloing her face. He brought his hand up her face and lightly stroked her cheek, his touch so familiar that it did not alert her to awaken. Her olive skin was bronzed by a new summer tan that extended from her beautiful face all the way down to the tips of her toes with no visible tan lines marring the canvas. The private pool in the garden had guaranteed the privacy needed for it.

His villa had become their stronghold in their avoidance of those they didn’t want to find them. He knew that the CIA was ‘displeased’ to say the least that they had lost the Rambaldi artifacts that Sloane possessed. It was another small detail that Sark had neglected to mention when they had been agreeing to terms of their arrangement. They were currently being stored in a safe facility in Poland. He had not told Elizabeth about his acquiring the Rambaldi objects for several months after they had departed Los Angeles. She had been furious that he had kept the information from her, and she did not understand exactly why he had done it but had accepted it.

The CIA had attempted many times to capture them, both to imprison them and reacquire the artifacts. But so far, there had only been close calls. The ownership of the villa, the warehouse that house their base of operation and all their facilities were legally listed to belonging to one of his aliases so the CIA had been unable to track it to him, and he had purchased it without Irina’s knowledge so it was the safest place for them to reside.

The security, a state of the art alarm system and perimeter walls, as well as the furnishings were the finest, he would not settle for less. When they weren’t conducting ‘business’, they enjoyed the amenities that the house and area offered. They would enjoy the garden, explore the nearby city, or just stayed in bed all day. They played just as hard as they worked. Especially in recent times, it was essential to their mental health.

Sark moved his hand from her face along her shoulder and down her naked back, resting briefly on the pink scar that rested on her right side along her ribs. As it had healed, it had shrunken in magnitude but was still sizable. He had seen the scar more times than he could count but he still stared at. It was a symbol. A symbol of the dangerous life they led that they had chosen and also a symbol of what could happen when something went wrong. It wasn’t the only of such symbols to mare her body but it was the one that caught his attention at the moment.

Liz kept her body completely still so not to give away the fact that she was awake, and slowly opened her eyes. They instantly focused on Sark next to her. He always looked so cute first thing in the morning, with the light blonde stubble along his chin and the overall ruffled appearance that came with sleep. It was about the only time that he wasn’t in pristine form.

The last two years had done nothing if not improved his handsome face. She knew that it couldn’t be possible but she was positive that he got more handsome every day. It was still the youthful looking angelic face that she had first seen across the table at SD6 but different. Like her, his skin had been tanned by exposure to the summer sun causing his blue eyes stand out even more. He still made her heart pound faster and her body heat up every time she looked at him.

Her eyes traveled down the expanse of his body. The workouts in their gym and regular physical exercise, both in their bedroom and out, had kept his muscled body in perfect form, and as she looked over his bare chest Liz had to bite her tongue to keep from licking her lips.

To keep her hands to herself, Liz raised her eyes back up to his face. His blonde curly locks that Liz always loved to run her fingers through were now gone. He wore it shorter now, cut close to his scalp in a style just as sexy as the longer one, sometimes more so. The shorter style made the color of his hair appear lighter, almost platinum.

He had been displeased at cutting it when they had first discussed it a year ago, but knew that he should do something to alter his appearance. Liz had made it up to him by having the appointment at a luxurious salon along with relaxation treatments, she had joined him and it had been a wonderful holiday before all hell had broken loose.

Liz couldn’t fight the urge to touch him any longer so she gave up her ruse of being asleep and reached out to run her hand through the short blonde hair. He didn’t jump or show surprise that she was awake but she knew she had startled him. “Julian, how long have you been awake?”

Sark’s shoulders shrugged slightly. “I am not sure, an hour maybe more.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Liz asked.

“You were sleeping too deeply for me to bother you.” Sark stated.

Liz lifted her arms above her head and stretched. The move reminded Sark very much of a cat, graceful and nimble that was definitely Elizabeth. His eyes raked down her body again pausing at the scar again.

Liz saw where his gaze was fixed and said, “You know, you really should stop looking at that thing. You’re going to make me self conscious.”

Sark knew she was trying to make light of it and the smirk grew bigger. “And you say I am the one with the inflated ego. I do believe you are just as vain, thinking that I have nothing better to do then to stare at you.”

Liz smiled, “My mistake then.”

Sark leaned forward and brushed his lips teasingly against hers. She raised her hands to his head, striving to push him into a deeper kiss. He complied, pressing her further back into the pillow as his hand moved up to cup her face. Liz tilted her head to give him better access, enjoying the taste of him that she never got enough of. When oxygen became necessary, Sark pulled back only to trace the edges of her lips with the tip of her tongue.

Moving away from her mouth, his lips left the lightest of kisses against her left temple, the outline of her ear, her jaw, then repeated it on the other side of her face. He found the sensitive spot behind her right ear, teasing the area until her breath grew ragged. Moving on, he skimmed down the column of her throat to the curve of her neck to the hollows of her collarbone. Liz was already wriggling beneath him, highly aware of how many nerve endings filled each inch of skin that he was touching. She wanted him, now, but she never wanted him to stop his attentions either.

Sark made his way down the upper swells of her chest, loving the warm, sweet taste of her skin. Liz gasped and arched towards his mouth, but he mischievously retracted his mouth until she reclined back. Then little by little, using only his lips, he took gentle nipping bites of the soft flesh, over and over, occasionally tasting her with his teeth.

Every time his breath blew over her nipples Liz shivered. Until finally, Sark capture one of her nipples pulling it fully into the warmth of his mouth. He teased the tight bud with the flat of his tongue while he suckled before he switched to the other breast. Using his bottom teeth, he scraped up from her ribs and over the nipple then licked the same path before allowing his lips to close over her. He alternated between breasts, pulling at one with his mouth while rolling the taut nipple of the other between his fingers.

Liz thrashed against his mouth, loving the feel of him but needing more. In the odd way that he seemed to read her mind, he placed a last lick on each nipple before he began tracing a line of wet fire down her ribcage, taking a moment to run his tongue down the fading scar, as if he could erase it.

Liz was beyond rational thought as Sark’s warm hands parted her legs, and his thumb traced the inner crease of her thigh. The digit moved higher, barely brushing her curls, as he kissed along and around her knees. She wove her hands into his short hair, trying to urge him on, but he wouldn’t be rushed. He caressed her with his tongue, moving just over the outer lips, causing her to quiver with each stroke.

Eventually Sark lowered his mouth, parting the lips and tasted her wetness. He repeated the maneuver over and over, his tongue pressing into her a little each time before brushing over the swollen bud. Liz begged silently as her thighs started to tremble and she couldn’t wait any longer. As the first tremors washed over her, he pushed her harder, suckling and stroking until she screamed, not stopping until the last shivers ended and she lay limp against the mattress.

As soon as she could move Liz rolled over to face Sark. She leaned forward, running the tip of her tongue across his face before her lips sought his once more. They kissed leisurely, deeply as their hands wandered over each other. She used her fingertips to trace the lines of muscle in his shoulders, his arms, and his chest the followed the same path with her lips and tongue. She kissed his abs, loving the way his muscles tensed beneath her lips.

Bliss was felt through out his nerves as Liz explored his body; her hair tickling his flesh and her hands and mouth igniting his arousal even more. Her lips brushed over the tip of his erection and he shuddered. He wanted to touch her and tried to pull her up to him but she stayed just out of his reach as she took him fully into her mouth. When she did, Sark stopped fighting her. It felt wonderful but he wanted to take back control and was too close to orgasming to allow her to continue. He weaved his hands into her hair and tugged lightly on it to get her attention.

At Sark’s tugging, Liz decided to stop teasing him and crawled back up his body. She was only just above his body when he flipped them over. Her back had barely hit the bed when he entered her, feeling every slick bit of her beneath him as her body accepted his. Neither moved as they took pleasure in being joined.

Liz curled her hands loosely around Sark’s shoulders and his arms moved beneath their hips before he directed his gaze into her eyes as he slowly began to move. Sark slid in and out and Liz rose to meet him, back and forth as flesh rubbed against flesh. They shared the need to drag this out for as long as possible.

Again and again the lovers moved together, their rhythm gentle, but their breathing became labored and whispered endearments were replaced with moans. Gradually the pace began to accelerate, movements becoming more vigorous, as passion flared. Eyes still locked, physical instinct finally seized them and their bodies moved faster, rougher, commanding the end outcome.

Liz felt as if she was going to shatter, as with each stroke the tension grew higher. Her eyes closed of their own unity, her face glowing as his chest rubbed against hers, his body pressing against as well as into her. She arched, her whimpers rising in pitch, until he drove into her one more time and she finally did shatter, shuddering, the waves of pleasure radiating up through her body.

Sark held back, wanting to see her face as release overwhelmed her. She was so passionate and wild, his body was screaming for release, but as she tightened around him he kept thrusting, drawing out her pleasure for as long as he could. He finally gave in and let go, jerking as he poured himself into her, the pleasure just as intense if not more so than before. They both kept moving as small aftershocks ran through them, gasping breaths washing over each other. After their bodies calmed down, neither moved out of the others embrace instead taking pleasure of having a leisurely day off.

[LittleBit]

I'm glad you guys liked the last part however in the next one, I switch POVs completely and give you an idea of what is going on with the 'good' guys.

PART 7

The first thing Sydney Bristow noticed when she returned from her morning run was the messenger notice on the door of her mail slot along with the envelope that had been delivered with it. As soon as she saw it, she knew what it was. She picked up the envelope, ripped it open, and turned it on to dump its contents. Like always there was no letter or anything to say who it was from. Only a slim plastic case dropped into her hand and she saw the customary gold toned CD through the clear cover.

Sydney pulled the door open and made her way inside the apartment. It was not the one that she had previously shared with Francie, when her and Michael had decided to move in together fourteen months ago, they made the choice to find a new one. Francie still lived in the old one and currently shared it with Will. Her restaurant was doing a killing in business, enough that she had expanded. She still had no idea that Sydney and Vaughn were field agents and Will was a senior analyst with the CIA.

Sydney found Vaughn in their kitchen, freshly showered and dressed, making coffee. She leaned in and kissed him good morning. “Morning.”

“Morning.” Vaughn replied.

“Another disk arrived.”

“When?” Vaughn asked surprised.

“Sometime after I left for my run. You must have been in the shower when the messenger came.” Sydney showed him the disk she had received, one that he too recognized. She had been receiving them off and on for the last two years, first at her previous apartment and then their current one. “Ever since we received the Intel about the explosion in Barcelona, I had anticipated getting one.”

“I know there’s no point in asking if there was a return address?” Vaughn asked. It was ludicrous to think that there had been any kind of note with the disk, there never was. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t know whom it had come from.

Two years ago on the day they took down Sloane, after she awoke from the effects of the tranquilizer Sydney had found the same type of disk in the pocket of her vest. Once the disk was studied, they found that while Sark had run, he had not reneged on the deal to give over information. While the disk was full of Intel, it did not quite make up for what they had lost when the Rambaldi artifacts were taken. They did however use them to the best of their ability.

“No. Only the recipient’s name and address.” Sydney said as she took inserted the disk into her laptop. She liked to get a look at the disk before they turned it over to the agency. As she studied the bits and pieces of information, Vaughn came up behind her and read over her shoulder. “It’s all here.”

Sydney nodded. “The group’s suppliers, clients, transactions, everything we would need to make a move. It would have taken us months to gather enough security Intel to get this.”

“Except the CIA would have done it by more subtle means.” Vaughn stated alluding to the fact that the building had been considerably damaged.

“I’m going to take a shower and then go into the office and deliver this to Kendall. Then we can get it to analysis and go from there.” Sydney said before going into the master bathroom to get ready for work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As soon as Sydney entered the JTF Rotunda, she found both Kendall and her father and handed over the disk. Like Vaughn, they both recognized the disk and knew where it had come from. Kendall wasn’t happy about the circumstances in which the disk came by but took the information begrudgingly. He turned the case over in his hand before glancing at Sydney. “I’m assuming you’ve already glanced at what’s on it.”

“Yes. Vaughn and I both have.” Sydney answered. “It contains all the records for the Ramirez crime syndicate from the headquarters in Barcelona. I’m speculating that the building was breeched and the safe that we were told of that houses the portable hard drive plundered. There are files containing their suppliers, customers, employees, and contacts. There are also files that lists their warehouses and information on their accounts.”

“Which I’m sure we will find empty.” Kendall said with obvious abhorrence in his voice. “Parker and Sark will have already depleted the group’s capital.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less accurate or that we should just dismiss it.” Sydney contended. “We can use the information and take out the rest of their operation.”

“I think you’re letting your personal connection to this situation cloud your judgment.” Kendal stated in a tone that sounded as if he was telling her something she wasn’t already aware of.

“It’s my ‘personal connection’ that is getting us this information.” Sydney reasoned.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that your brother and your former partner are still considered enemies of this country.” Kendal declared.

“And those enemies as you call them have been providing us Intel for two years that has led us to bring down at least a dozen different groups, as well as capture several terrorists. You had no problems using similar information when it came from my mother.” Sydney reminded him.

“The information we obtained from Irina Derevko was voluntarily given on the terms of her agreement for leniency on her sentencing for crimes against this country, not obtained by outside means.” Kendal pointed out.

“The CIA had planned a mission with the same objective but had yet to gain enough Intel to risk going in. They simply beat us to the punch. With the information that we have we can now take down the key organizers and that will be one less group dealing in stolen military hardware.” Sydney argued. She had known this argument was coming since before she had received the disk, she had known it was coming since they had heard that the building holding the Ramirez syndicate had been raided and part of the building blasted. It hadn’t been public news but had come from a reliable source.

“Agent Bristow…” Kendall started to reply but her father interrupted him. “The information will be analyzed and it’s value determined.”

“I want to be informed on the progress.” Sydney stated before Kendall stormed off. Even after several years working together, they still butted heads on many subjects, her father did as well. She looked at her father and smiled thankfully for his interruption. “Thanks for that.”

“As you know Kendall tends to let his judgment on the provider taint the value of the Intel.” Jack said.

“Kendall’s not the only one Dad.” Sydney said.

“True, but on such incidents I’ve been proven wrong and accepted it.” Jack stated as he motioned that they needed to find a place with more privacy. “Was there anything unusual about this delivery than any others?”

Sydney shook her head as the two walked into one of the deserted offices so that they could talk in private. “No, same as before. No hint to where it came from. I called the courier but there was no listing of the senders’ address. I think it’s safe to assume that they are nowhere in the area of the Barcelona. Have you made any progress in tracking them down?”

“No, as you well know they are both skilled at covering their tracks and your mother still insists that she does not know either. She said that Sark could have several properties that she does not know about. She gave him quite a bit of freedom, not monitoring his every move or bank accounts.” Jack stated. They had questioned everyone who knew Liz; her mother, former associates, even childhood friends, but had found nothing. Reports of sightings of the two had come from all over the world and a few run ins had occurred but as of yet; they had been unable to capture or even pin them down to one generalized area.

“Giving him perfect opportunity to set up a plan to go into hiding if needed. Good to know that we all trust each other so much.” Sydney stated referencing her families’ unique relationship. “And between contacts that he would have from Mom, his own and the ones that Liz has, no wonder we haven’t been able to find them after two years.”

“However I have possibly found a lead to someone they work with.” Jack said as he pulled a document out of his inner suit pocket.

As Sydney looked at it, she saw that it was a picture of Sark, Liz and another man sitting in a small restaurant in what looked like Sweden. They seemed to be caught in the middle of a casual meal. The photographer had caught Liz in mid laugh looking at Sark who had a small smirk on his face. She looked over at the other man and it took her only a minute to recognize the face of the third person. “I know this man. He’s an old friend of Liz’s, his name is Alex. I met him once at Francie’s restaurant when he was visiting her.”

Jack nodded. “His name is Alexander Charles Whitman. From what I’ve found he is not only an old acquaintance of Liz’s but also an expert computer technician. He was employed at a San Franciscan computer firm until two years ago when he resigned. My guess is that at some point shortly after leaving the States, Liz contacted him to offer him a job in their new business venture.”

“Dad, did you find out this information or did the CIA?” Sydney asked knowing that her father was conducting his own private investigation. He wanted to make sure that the CIA didn’t get too close. Sark might have been a terrorist, but he was still her father’s son. And Jack Bristow protected his family. The only other people that knew that Jack and Sydney were searching for Sark and Liz on their own was her mother and Vaughn.

“The CIA has not seen this, they have no idea that I’m in possession of it.” Jack explained. “This particular photograph came from a informant of mine in Stockholm, it was taken a few months back. He had been running surveillance on another target. He did not notice Sark and Liz until later; they were on the periphery until he blew up the photograph. He thought I might be interested in the photograph so to help me track their movements.”

“Have you put out any feelers in Stockholm and the surrounding country to find out where they stayed at or what names they were using?” Sydney asked.

“Yes. But I found nothing but dead ends.”

“Then they probably used the aliases only for that one spot. That way it couldn’t be linked to them later and therefore leave a trail.” Sydney said as she continued to study the picture and the casualness of the scene. “It doesn’t appear that they were conducting a meeting of any kind, it looks as if they were simply on vacation.”

“That was my estimation as well.” Jack supported her statement. “It seems that they are keeping their projects restricted mostly to Europe and parts of Asia, only varying from time to time. From that I have to deduce that their headquarters would be in Europe as well.”

“So what’s our next step? Scour Europe and see if they pop up somewhere?” Sydney asked.

“No, we keep doing what we’ve been doing.” Jack stated.

“Do you mind if I keep this?” Sydney said motioning to the photograph.

Jack shook his head. “Go ahead, but I don’t have to tell you how important it is that no one sees it.”

“I know. I better get back to work before I’m missed.” Sydney stated. Their covert meeting broke up and the father and daughter got back to their work.

[LittleBit]

PART 8

Complete Darkness
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Pain
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Sudden Light
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Pain
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Extreme Cold
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Pain
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Hard Wooden Chair
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Pain
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Metal Biting Into Flesh
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Pain
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Yelling
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Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain
~~~~

Liz snapped awake so abruptly that she could still feel the terror that she had felt in her nightmare. Her eyes roamed the room to confirm that she was indeed in her and Sark’s bedroom and not still in her dream. She looked over and saw Sark sleeping quietly next to her. She said a silent prayer of thanks that she had not awakened him, she did not want to bother him again because of a fitful night’s sleep. She had done that enough. She slipped out of bed, noticing as she did the light sheen of sweat that coated her naked body, another memento of her nightmare. She retreated to the bathroom to clean up.

Once she entered the bathroom, Liz studied her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes looked slightly bloodshot and her hair disheveled from the tossing she must have done but other than that, no other ill effects of the dream. Still not wanting to wake up her lover, Liz filled the sink full of water and used it to wash the sweat off of her before fixing her hair.

When she was done, Liz exited the bathroom, retrieved a robe and her laptop before retreating to the terrace. She would have gone to another room but Sark would want to know where she was when he woke and Liz loved sitting out there. She knew that she would not go back to sleep for a while if at all and figured she might as well work on some research.

It had been almost a week since they had hit Barcelona and they needed to move on to the next mission. Liz knew that they didn’t need the money; they could live off of their nest eggs that they had planted in banks through out the world for the rest of their lives if they wanted to but she didn’t want to, not yet anyways. It made her feel good for many reasons.

One reason, one that she didn’t like to admit to was that she liked the adrenaline rush that they got when in their line of work, and another reason was that Liz felt like she needed to do some good. She didn’t regret being with Sark, but she couldn’t take on his outlook about self-interested mercenary work.

As Liz stared out at the garden, she thought about her mother and Maria. She had left behind practically everyone she’d known yet Maria and her mother were the ones she missed the most. She had been gone for two years and as far as Liz knew, they did not know why she had left. Alex still had the opportunity to visit Roswell and he had told her that everyone was baffled at Liz’s disappearance.

According to Alex, when the CIA had investigated her disappearance they had made it appear as if she was wanted for questioning for something that happened at Credit Dauphine but had not given much information. As time had went on, the CIA had let a few details, such as Sark’s role in it all. They had tried to guilt them into giving them information on Liz’s location by telling them how dangerous a man Sark was. It had made her furious that they had tried to intimidate them that way.

Liz had wanted to contact them but didn’t want to risk it. While with her mother it might have just brought the CIA to bother her, with Maria it could have caused major problems for the aliens. And those problems wouldn’t just be for the aliens but for Maria too since her and Michael had gotten married. An event she wished she hadn’t missed. So she kept from contacting them, but she did however keep an eye on them.

Liz turned her attention back to her computer and pulled up the necessary files before activating the wireless modem. Alex wasn’t the only one with the state of the art computer. She looked over her notes and tried to figure out what the best place to start. The group that she was studying specialized in stealing medical and scientific research then selling it to the highest bidder. It was a field that was right up Liz’s alley, a way for her to use what she had studied in college to her advantage. She was so into her work that she didn’t hear him come up until she felt his hands on her shoulders.

Liz glanced up from her laptop and up into remarkable blue eyes. “Hey…”

“I was disappointed when I awoke and found myself in an empty bed.” Sark said, removing his hands from her shoulders as he bent down to kiss an expanse of skin that had become exposed when her robe had slipped down. When he pulled his lips away from her soft skin, he raised them to her lips. He kissed her in a gentle greeting before slipping around in front of her and sitting into the remaining empty chair.

“I’m sorry. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I didn’t want to wake you so I came out here.” Liz explained. “I guess that was useless.”

Sark studied her for a minute. “Another nightmare?”

Liz shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

“You’re lying.” Sark said, an air of annoyance in his voice.

“No, I’m not.” Liz argued. “I had a bad dream but I can’t really remember it. It’s all a jumble of images and feelings.”

“Perhaps it is too soon.”

“Sark, don’t patronize me.” Liz stated.

“I am not patronizing you.” Sark stated.

“Yes, you are.” Liz contended. “My dream has nothing to do with going out the other night. I’m fine, except for everyone treating me like I’m china and that I’m going to break, damn it.”

Sark could see the frustration blanketing her features and her body tense up, she was most definitely upset. He reached forward and took her hand in his before kissing her knuckles. “Forgive me. I should trust your judgment.”

Liz opened her mouth to say something when the ringing of the phone in the bedroom disturbed the moment. Liz got up to answer it. “Hello?”

“Liz, it’s Alex. I think you should come over here, there’s something I need to show you.”

“Alex, I’m in the middle of something.” Liz said. She could hear Alex sigh miserably over the line. “Lizzie, something’s happened. Something in Roswell.”

[LittleBit]

Here's a new part that will explain what is going on in Roswell. As for what Liz was dreaming about, that will come in a later part. But it will come.

PART 9

“Lizzie, something’s happened. Something in Roswell.”

A thousand different scenarios flickered through Liz’s mind at hearing Alex’s words, all most all of them having to do with the aliens and the possibility of their existence becoming known or more evil aliens attacking. She thought of Maria and wondered if she was safe and okay. But she would only find out after she talked to Alex. “What is it Alex?”

“I don’t want to say over the phone. Like I said, I think you should come here. After I tell you, you’re going to want to see what I found.” Alex explained.

“Alright, give me a few minutes to get dressed and I’ll be over.” Liz said before hanging up. As she did, she noticed Sark’s inquisitive gaze and explained. “Something’s going on in Roswell that Alex wanted to let me know about.”

“A problem?” Sark inquired.

“I don’t know, Alex wouldn’t say. I’m going to go over now and find out.” Liz explained vaguely as she stood up and went back into their bedroom.

Despite their years together, Liz had never told Sark the story of the aliens. There were several things neither of them had discussed about their pasts. They lived in the here and now and did not dwell on what had happened before. There were of course exceptions such as her mother and his parents and sister and Liz knew there were times when Sark still conducted what she would term as less than ‘orthodox’ business but he kept her out of it. She knew that some might think it was odd but it was just how they lived.

“I’ll accompany you.” Sark said before moving in the direction of the closet to retrieve some clothes.

Liz knew there was no arguing with him, so she simply pulled on a pair of Capri’s and a shirt before sliding her feet into a pair of sandals. Sark dressed just as quickly as her and they left the bedroom. When they reached their sizable garage, Liz picked one of her cars to drive, a midnight blue Mini Cooper. It wasn’t as luxurious as Sark’s cars but she liked it, it reminded her of Maria’s Jetta. After a short drive, they arrived back at their warehouse and headed up to Alex’s office. Once they got there, Liz saw Alex perched at his workstation but he turned to face her. When he did she asked, “What’s going on Alex?”

Liz noticed the almost imperceptible glance at Sark as Alex executed a silent question of how he should proceed. Liz nodded just as slightly to tell him to go ahead and he began. “You remember the scanning program I created shortly after coming here that was based on the Echelon program you told me about?”

“Yes.” Liz answered knowing exactly what he was talking about. It was a computer program that had the ability to eavesdrop on a number of communicational systems for specified words. If any of those words were uttered or recorded in places like the Sheriff’s Department or over the emergency frequencies, Alex would be alerted.

“Well I had a part of it set to monitor activity in Roswell, so to check on our friends there. I had a list of at least a dozen words for it to listen for. Evans, Guerin, Deluca, Parker, Whitman, Harding, Valenti, the name of your mom’s store Crashdown Gifts…”

“We get the picture Alex.” Liz interrupted. She knew that Alex would not only have all of the groups names in the mix but words like alien, or abbreviations like FBI as well.

“Right, well tonight I received a message that several of the specified words were mentioned.” Alex said unhappily.

Liz noticed his anguish and felt her heart starting to beat faster. “What words Alex?”

“Parker, Crashdown Gifts, and Valenti.” Alex answered.

“What happened? Did Mom’s shop get robbed? Is she okay?” Liz asked with worry in her voice.

“No, the shop wasn’t robbed.” Alex stated, looking at his best friend with sad eyes. “But she’s not okay. Liz, I’m sorry but she’s…she died.”

Liz felt as if someone had sucker punched her, knocking the wind out of her body. She stood there in shock, for minutes or hours, she wasn’t sure. But after a while, she regained the power of speech and asked, “How?”

“A stroke.” Alex answered. “According to the police report your aunt found her. She was dead on arrival at Roswell Memorial. They said that her body just couldn’t take the shock of the stroke.”

Liz nodded distractedly; she was trying to absorb it all. Her mother was dead, and all Liz could think of was how horrible of a daughter she had been. After her father had been killed, the two of them had drifted apart and had never repaired the rift. Hell, she hadn’t even spoken to her in two years, she could only image what that had done to her. “It’s my fault.”

“What is?” Sark asked, speaking for the first time since they had entered Alex’s office.

“My mother’s death.” Liz answered.

“Elizabeth, you’re letting your sorrow overrule your judgment. Your mother’s death is not your fault.” Sark rationalized. He stepped forward and attempted to comfort her but she pulled away. The action stunned him momentarily; it had been a long time since she had rejected his touch.

“If I hadn’t caused her so much grief by disappearing, she’d still be alive.” Liz argued. “Not everyone handles stress as effectively as you or I.”

“True, but you did what you thought was best with the circumstances. You cut off contact with her to protect her from the CIA.” Sark stated.

Liz had to admit that Sark was right. She thought she had made the right decision in regards to keeping her mother out of the chaos that was their lives however that did not alleviate her guilt. She stepped forward; into the arms she had just before shunned and squeezed him tight, trying to make herself feel better. “I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to push you away.”

“It is understandable.” Sark acknowledged. He himself could not truly understand how Elizabeth was feeling; he had never lost a parent. Although if Irina or Jack were to die, he did not think that his reaction would be comparable. He had never had the type of relationship with either of them that his lover had had with her parents. His childhood had been spent surviving in a lonely KGB facility while Elizabeth had been under the caring eyes of her parents. Such circumstances produced different results.

“I want to go back, I have to go back.” Liz mumbled low although the words came out loud enough for both Sark and Alex to overhear.

While he knew that doing that would be extremely dangerous given the fact that the CIA would most likely assume that Elizabeth would want to attend her mother’s funeral, Sark nodded in agreement. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Just get us to the Mexico/Texas border. Alex and I will handle the rest.” Liz stated, her emotions in check as she began to plan how they would sneak back to Roswell. She looked at her best friend and said. “I need you to rig me an email account to send Maria an untraceable message.”

Alex nodded in understanding of what Liz was getting at even as his fingers began to do their work, minutes later his job was finished and he pushed away from the desk to allow Liz to type what she wanted. Liz looked at the blank message window and smiled at the email address Alex had created before she began to type.

To Spacegirl@yahoo.com
From Petunia@hotmail.com

Maria, I know about my mom and I need to see you. Just you and Michael meet me tomorrow at the place that we went when Michael kidnapped you.

Just as she clicked the mouse button to send the message, Liz felt Sark over her shoulder, reading the message. She looked back and saw the faint confusion on his face. “Interesting code.”

“And unless it’s Maria or a few other individuals reading this, impossible to decode.” Liz stated. “Even if the CIA is shadowing her account, they won’t know what it means. And Maria and Michael will know that if I’m wanting to meet them in such a secret place that they need be careful to make sure that they aren’t followed.”

“I presume that you are not going to enlighten me as to the kidnapping you are referring to?” Sark asked.

“It’s just one of the more unwise things I took part in when I was younger.” Liz explained. “Now we should start preparing to leave, we only have a short time frame to work in.”

Sark held his tongue as he watched Elizabeth speak quietly to Alex, fully aware that while she had given him an answer, it had not explained anything. But he did not press, if she did not want to share he would not force her. He was sure that he would find out soon enough.

[LittleBit]

I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is that I'm leaving for Vegas for a few days and won't be able to post again until Friday. The good news is that I will be posting today. I hope you guys enjoy.

PART 10

Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn walked hurriedly into the Joint Task Forces Operation center. They had both been contacted and ordered by Kendall to come in as soon as possible for a mission briefing. They went straight to one of the large conference room where Jack Bristow, Eric Weiss and Marshall Flinkman were waiting. They took their seats just as Assistant Director Kendall entered the room.

“Thank you all for coming in so quickly.” Kendall stated as he used a remote to bring up pictures of an older woman along side one of Liz Parker. “Early this evening, the agency received news that Nancy Parker, mother of Elizabeth Parker, was found unconscious in her place of business in Roswell, New Mexico. She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. The cause given was a massive stroke.”

“Not to sound heartless but what does this information have to do with our operation?” Weiss asked.

“Because the agency has determined that it is very likely that Liz Parker will return to her home town to attend her mother’s funeral. The necessary measures have been taken to watch the airports for their arrival but there is a chance that they will slip my and into Roswell. If that happens, our operatives will zoom in and take her into custody as well as Sark if he accompanies her.” Kendall explained.

“So you want us to take advantage of a daughter’s love for her mother to capture her?” Sydney asked making sure she was hearing her director correctly.

“It is the best lead we have gotten on the whereabouts on two known terrorists in months. They have evaded us for almost two years, in Sark’s case, longer than that. And after letting him slip away on the night Arvin Sloane was captured, he is due in a cell. ” Kendall argued.

“But to do it this way…” Sydney continued to argue.

“Your disapproval is noted Agent Bristow.” Kendall acknowledged. “I’m assigning you, Vaughn and Weiss to this operation, a team of local agents out of the Las Cruces office. You will travel to Roswell under the guise of tourist and keep an eye out for Parker and Sark. The town is small and if they are there you should have no problem locating them. Marshall has your comms and other Optec you may need. You will be leaving in four hours.”

The meeting broke up but only Kendall and Marshall exited the conference room, leaving Jack, Vaughn and Weiss with Sydney. As soon as she knew they would not be overheard, Sydney spoke to her father. “Dad, this is insane. To use her mother’s death against Liz is just wrong.”

“I’ve got to go with Sydney on this.” Weiss agreed. “I mean as much as I’d love to see Sark in a cell, this isn’t the best way to go about it.”

“I am in agreement with you both however Devlin is behind Kendall with this so the mission is to go as planned.” Jack acknowledged. “Of course there is always the possibility that Liz will not even appear in Roswell, Liz and Sark will both know the risk if they do.”

“Both Sark and Liz will know that the CIA is aware of Nancy Parker’s death.” Vaughn declared, “And take extra precautions if they go to Roswell.”

“However neither of them will use deadly force unless they feel vulnerable.” Jack declared. He knew for a fact that neither of them would endanger Sydney if they could help it and the consideration would be extended to whoever was with her. They had proved that point during their escape when Sydney and Vaughn had only been tranqed rather than shot. Sark could easily have killed them to get them out of the way but hadn’t.

“I agree.” Sydney spoke up. She looked at her watch and took note of the time. “We should get going if we are going to make our plane in four hours.”

Weiss nodded to Vaughn and Sydney. “See you at LAX, guys.”

Weiss left the room then and once the door was shut, Jack looked at his daughter. “You plan to go visit your mother before you leave, don’t you?”

Sydney nodded. “I haven’t been out to see her in several weeks. And I want to let her know what I can of what is going on, she’ll want to know about Sark.”

While Vaughn didn’t see eye to eye with Sydney on the relationship with her mother, he didn’t try to stop her from pursuing one either. So he simply reached over and kissed Sydney on the temple. “I’ll grab your stuff and bring it to you when we meet at the airport.”

“Thanks,” Sydney said with a smile. “I won’t be late.”

When Sydney left the conference room, Jack and Vaughn watched her go. Jack had the feeling that it was inevitable for her to encounter her brother and her friend on this mission; they had had encounters over the years. However this time, Jack wasn’t sure what she would do when she did.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maria Deluca Guerin rubbed the fatigue out of her eyes as she made her way into her house. It had been a long night. She had been with her mom ever since they had found out that Nancy Parker had died from a stroke the afternoon before. It had hit both of the women hard, Amy and Nancy were close friends and Maria had always thought of her as a second mother. When they were growing up, Liz and Maria had been in and out of each other’s houses so much that they both thought of her mom’s house and the apartment above the Crashdown as home.

Maria blew a piece of hair out of her face and went to check on her husband. Michael had had to work the late shift at Metachem as shift supervisor and hadn’t gotten home until a few hours ago. He had wanted to call in but Maria said it was okay to go on into work; her and her mom would take care of each other.

As she headed back to their bedroom, Maria’s gaze fell on an old picture taken at the Crashdown and her mind drifted to that of her absent friend. She was very angry with Liz for vanishing into thin air and not talking to anybody, consequently missing her wedding to Michael among other things.

Maria wondered if Liz knew, wherever she was, that her mother had died that day. She couldn’t imagine what was going on with her friend that she would just disappear two years ago and not contact anyone since. The last she had talked to her, things had been fine although Maria had gotten the feeling that Liz had been hiding something from her. And although she hadn’t talked to her recently, she hadn’t given up on her friend.

When Maria entered the bedroom she shared with Michael, she was instantly met by the sound of his snoring and saw him sound asleep. As usual when she wasn’t next to him, he had sprawled out and taken over the entire bed. She brushed his hair out of his face and pulled the sheet up to cover him. She would have to shove him over to his side when she decided to get some sleep of her own.

As she went to her closet to change her clothes, Maria noticed that the email icon on their computer screen was blinking. Curious to see if it might be a message from Alex, who she still had yet to talk to about Mrs. Parker’s death, Maria sat down and clicked on her Inbox.

To Spacegirl@yahoo.com
From Petunia@hotmail.com
Subject: Urgent!

Maria, I know about my mom and I need to see you. Just you and Michael meet me tomorrow at the place that we went when Michael kidnapped you.

Maria stared at the message with wide eyes, there was only one person who would send her a message using the name petunia and would know about Michael kidnapping her. Liz. She couldn’t believe it. After all of this time, Liz was making contact with her and wanted to see her.

Maria jumped up, knocking her chair over and went to shake her husband. “Michael! Michael wake up! We’re going on a road trip.”