Vengeance (Alias,XO,ADULT,UC) Part 38 6/4/09 [WIP]

[LittleBit]

Vengeance
Author: LittleBit
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything or any of the characters.
Category: Crossover with Alias, UC Liz/Sark
Rating: Mature; but some part will be Adult; Mature Adult
Summary: Set after Departure. Alex died, Liz searched for his killer and Max slept with and knocked up Tess who left for Antar. When tragedy happens and after finding out a mind-boggling piece of information, Liz finds herself thrown into another world full of lies, deceit, and manipulation. Because of that, she finds herself changing and becoming a completely different person that no one in Roswell would recognize.

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

Prologue

Liz Parker felt restless as she lay back in her reclining lawn chair on her balcony. There was no way that she was going to be going to sleep any time soon despite the fact that it had been a long chaotic day and it was almost two in the morning. While her body felt tired, her mind would not shut off; it still raced with what had happened.

In a little over twenty-four hours Liz had made a trip to Las Cruces to locate the woman who ended up being framed for her best friend’s murder, found out that the man she loved and had given up her happiness for had slept with and impregnated the woman who she detested the most, and that he was leaving the planet to save his unborn child then only to learn that Tess had actually been the one to kill Alex and had to scramble to stop the aliens from leaving. While they had made it in time and Tess’s crime had been revealed, she had still escaped. In truth Max had let her go.

Liz had been furious when the dust from the granolith’s departure had cleared and Max revealed that he had allowed Tess to leave. He had claimed he had done it to save his child’s life since the baby couldn’t survive on Earth. She couldn’t believe that it hadn’t even occurred to him that Tess could have been lying about that as easily as she had lied about everything else. After all if it had been her ambition to get them back to Antar like he had said, what better way to do it then to take advantage of Max’s sense of responsibility? And Max’s cluelessness didn’t just stop at Tess; it extended to Liz as well.

Tess and her child had not even cleared the atmosphere before Max was looking at her with that soulful look he always gave her and professing his love once again for her. It took Liz several minutes to let what he said sink in before she pushed him away. She couldn’t believe that he thought that things would just go back to the way they had been before. He thought that Liz would just forgive him and fall back into his arms. She had surprised him by not submitting to his fantasy. Instead she had told him that she would not be with him that he was not the boy who she had fallen in love with. That boy would have believed her when she said that someone had murdered Alex, that that boy wouldn’t have acted the way that he had over the last week, he wouldn’t have acted so cruel to those he loved. And despite all of that he had destroyed the last shred of chance that they had had at a reconciliation when he had slept with Tess.

Liz looked down to her lap where her twofold picture frame sat. In it were the two pictures she cherished the most, one of her, her parents and Grandma Claudia just before she died and one of her, Alex, and Maria taken in the summer before she’d been shot. In both pictures she looked so happy and she wished she was back in those times.

Liz turned her head slightly towards her building when she picked up an unusual odor. It smelled like the combination of smoke and something burning. She climbed off of her lawn chair and made her way to her window to check out what was going on. As she approached the window, the smell grew stronger. Something inside was burning, possibly the apartment itself, she needed to warn her parents.

Before Liz could climb into her window, she felt something sting her back. She glanced around and saw what looked like a small dart protruding from her right shoulder blade. She tried to reach up and pluck it out but didn’t have a chance before she felt lightheaded and blackness took over. The last thing she was aware of was her body falling to the floor of her balcony, the stink of the burning building around her filling her nostrils.

The shooter of the tranquilizer that had knocked Liz out slid off of his perch and onto the balcony below. He needed to hurry if he was going to get her to safety before the building collapsed. He had almost been too late in retrieving her; the fire was already burning strong when he arrived.

Moving quickly, he strolled over to his objective’s fallen form and picked her up. He slung her over his right shoulder and turned to climb down the fire escape ladder. But as he did, something caught his eye. It was a set of picture frames. Something about them made him pick them up and put them in his shoulder bag with the tranq gun. The girl would probably like them when she awoke, and it would help to have something pacify her. He quickly climbed down the ladder with his bundle and quickly made his way down the alley to where he had hidden his car, leaving the blazing Crashdown Café in his wake and the sound of sirens wailing.

tbc

Author's Note: Although I haven't finished this story yet, I decided to start posting it. However I will only be updating once a week on Fridays. I hope you've enjoyed the part so far.

[LittleBit]

Thanks everyone for the welcome back nods. I wanted to let you all know that my pregnancy went well and that we had a healthy baby boy at the end of February. His name is Alex and hopefully he'll let me finish this story before I get to end of what I have already. I have 33 parts completed so we'll see.

I promised you guys some answers, here they are:

PART 1

As Liz came awake, she felt as if her body was a lead weight. She was sure she could move but it was difficult. It made her think of when she had had the flu and had slept a great deal. She remembered the tranquilizer and knew that it must be part of the effects. Thinking about the tranquilizer made her think of the fire she had smelled and she wondered what had happened. Had there really been a fire? And if there was, why had someone knocked her out? Were her parents okay?

Liz opened her eyes and looked around to see that she was in an unfamiliar room. In spite of the fact that her muscles were lethargic, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked around. The blandness of it made her think it was a hotel room of some sort or a rented cabin. What was she doing there? Had her parents brought her there because the fire had damaged their apartment? If so where were they?

When she heard one of the three doors in the room open Liz figured it was her parents. However it did not reveal her mother or father but a complete stranger. It was an older woman although Liz could not guess her age. She was somewhat tall and had a slender build under the dark slacks and blouse she wore. Her hair was long, wavy, and light brown in color that framed a face that was heart shaped with high cheekbones. Her gaze was locked on Liz but she felt somewhat disconcerted by the way the brown eyes stared at her, like she could see straight through her.

Liz cleared her throat and asked. “Who are you? Where am I? Where are my parents?”

“Some of your questions I am able to answer simply, while others are a bit more complicated.” The woman answered in a smooth but confident voice. As she did, Liz heard the trace of an accent but was unable to figure out what kind. “Why don’t you start with the one about my parents? Where are they?”

“They were killed.” The woman stated honestly. “The building that held their business and home were destroyed by a fire and they were unable to escape.”

Liz’s heart felt as if someone had ripped it out at the news of her parents’ death and she felt like she was having trouble breathing. How could her parents be dead? She had just seen them before going into her room. They had both known something was wrong but after Liz had stated that she didn’t want to talk about it, they had left her alone. Instead they had kissed her goodnight, told her they loved her and that they would see her in the morning. She felt her eyes swim with tears as she looked at the woman. “You’re lying. The firemen would have been able to put it out.”

“If you do not believe me, perhaps these will convince you.” The woman said before dropping a folder in Liz’s lap. As it came to rest, several sheets of paper spilled out and Liz saw that they were photographs. There were at least a half a dozen of them, the first few showing a ranging inferno consuming the building that had been her home and the last showing a smoldering husk. As Liz looked over the pictures the woman spoke. “The fire was already too substantial and too out of control for them to be able to gain access to anyone inside. It took all of their power to keep it from spreading.”

Liz thought of the tranquilizer and said, “Someone set the fire on purpose. But why? Who would want to kill my parents or burn down our home? And why did someone sedate me and bring me here to you?”

“Your parents were not the targets, you were.” The woman stated. “I became aware of the fire in time to dispatch an associate of mine to rescue you. He arrived too late to accomplish anything aside from retrieving you. He was unable to do anything about the fire nor recover anyone else. He tranqed you to reduce your reluctance to leave. That was almost twenty hours ago.”

“But why do you care if I was killed and how did you know about the fire?” Liz asked confused. “I don’t even know your name and how you fit into this.”

“The answers to both questions are intertwined.” The woman explained. “My name is Irina Derevko, and as for who I am, I am your mother.”

“You’re insane!” Liz cried out. “You are not my mother. Nancy Parker was my mother.”

“Nancy Parker was the woman who raised you as your mother but I am the one who gave birth to you. You were stolen from me before your second birthday. To keep you hidden from me, you were brought to America and abandoned at an orphanage not far from here. I have copies of your adoption records. ” Irina stated. She paused for a moment to let her youngest daughter absorb what she had just told her. While she did, Irina studied her more directly. She had been watching her since her arrival but not in such close proximity. And with her now being conscious put it into a whole new perception.

Liz’s thoughts felt like a whirlwind. While a part of her wanted to keep arguing, Liz had to admit that Irina’s story answered several questions that had plagued her mind for years. Like why both of her parents had blue eyes while she had brown, why they had fairer skin and hers olive not to mention that the idea of her not living with her parents before the age of two actually fit as well. It explained why there were no baby pictures of her, although her parents had always claimed that they had gotten lost when they had the café renovated. Had she been adopted? She studied the woman closer and thought that she picked up similarities between the two of them. There were differences such as Irina’s hair was lighter and she was taller but there were enough resemblances. “Why would anyone want to take me from you?”

“As an act of retribution by a former colleague of mine.” Irina declared “The same individual who was responsible for the fire.”

“What did you do to them?” Liz asked.

“What I did is of no consequence right now.” Irina said simply

“It is when it deals with wrecking my life.” Liz snapped. Despite the malice in Liz’s voice she noticed that Irina gave no reaction to it. Her face was a mask of indifference, and Liz had no idea what she was thinking. “What kind of woman are you that you made someone hate you so much that they would do all of this? And you said that the person was a colleague of yours, what kind of work are you involved with?”

“Your questions shall be answered. Truth takes time.” Irina stated. It would not favorable to share too much at this point in time, it would come out eventually.

“How am I to believe that you didn’t do this? That you didn’t set the fire and conveniently have me rescued so that my parents would be out of your way and that I would trust you?”

For the first time in years, Irina was surprised by another person’s reaction. Had it been Jack, or Sydney asking, she would not have been caught off guard but that was because they lived a life of espionage and she had betrayed them before. However she had not anticipated her youngest daughter questioning her motives seeing as she did not live a life of suspicion and distrust. It demonstrated to Irina that her daughter had inherited sharp instincts from her parents.

Irina masked her thoughts and said, “There is no definite way for you to know for certain. However at this present time you are limited in your options of who to be dependent on. Your adoptive parents are dead and everyone else you know thinks you are as well.”

“When I show them that I’m not, they will help me.” Liz declared.

“At which time you will announce that the attempt on your life has failed. You will still be in danger as well as those who hide you.” Irina explained. “But if you leave with me, I can supply you with the means to start over.”

“You want me to go with you?” Liz asked although she knew it was a stupid question. If Irina hadn’t meant for her to go with her, then why would she have brought her back to wherever they were instead of just leaving her somewhere once she was clear of the fire. “Where would we go?”

“I cannot tell you that, all I can tell you is that it will be secure and away from here. You need to decide quickly. We are safe for the moment but we cannot risk remaining too long.” Irina explained however she did not mention who they were endangering from. There were a handful of foes that they needed to stay hidden from, the CIA being one.

“When is my parents’ funeral?” Liz asked changing the subject. She would think of what to do next after she honored her parents’ memory.

“There were only a few remains found so there is only to be a memorial service for the three of you, it is planned for tomorrow.” Irina stated recognizing the compartmentalizing that her daughter was doing. It was a survival method.

“I want to go. I know that it isn’t safe and it’s a stupid move but it’s something I need to do.” Liz declared before looking Irina directly in the eye. “And I have a feeling that you can help me with that.”

Irina stared at her for a moment before answering. “I’ll make arrangements. However if I am to guarantee your safety, you will have to follow my instructions.”

Liz nodded. “Can I be alone? I have quite a bit of thinking to do and I need some time to process.”

“I will bring you in clean clothes and something to eat as well.” Irina said before leaving the room. As she did, Liz heard a distinctive click of the lock being engaged. While Liz knew that she was virtually a prisoner, at the moment she didn’t care. All she cared about at the moment was preparing herself for the trip to the cemetery.

Author's Note:
So now you all know that this is crossoved with Alias if you didn't know before. The timeline for this is after S2 but during Sydney's two missing years. I want to put out a warning that this will be a dark fic. As you have read so far, I've already killed off two characters and that will deeply disturb Liz and it's not the last thing that will happen. She's kind of going to go to the 'dark side' if you get my drift.

And btw, I had the idea of giving Sydney a sister long before the show did so I just wanted to say that. if you don't believe me, ask Calinia. I outlined this story to her over a year and a half ago. And I'll tell you right now, Sloane is not Liz's father.

[LittleBit]

This next part is a history lesson, mostly through Irina's POV but our favorite blonde makes his appearance too. Irina's part is a little emotional, but remember this is her internal thoughts and not her outward appearance so it's not so strange.

Also, I want to thank Calinia for both my banner and the Russian in the next part.

Oh, and good news, I was actually able to finish a new part to this story this week. Of course I haven't written anything since and since tomorrow is my oldest son's 7th birthday, I won't have a chance to write for a few days.


PART 2

“She is most assuredly your daughter.” Irina heard the voice of her companion say as she made her way into the room adjacent to the one she had just left. She looked over and caught sight of Sark studying the monitor that was connected to the surveillance camera that they had concealed in her daughter’s room.

Sark took his eyes off of the monitor and faced Irina. “Her statement as to whether she believes you are responsible for the fire or not caught you off guard.”

“Gaining her confidence will be more difficult than I initially anticipated, however I believe in time her and I will come to an amenable trust. But I am confident in what her decision will be. She is aware of the direness of her situation and knows that her options are limited.” Irina stated instead of answering the question. “Her instincts are excellent although she does not always trust them. That has caused them to be undeveloped.”

Sark nodded. “And your intention is to provide her with the proper training to hone them.”

“Possibly. However I will allow it to be her choice, I will not force her into this life. She is still young, younger then Sydney or myself were when we were recruited.” Irina said before glancing back at the monitor.

The range of the monitor only encompassed the sleeping area of the room. It was empty now since her daughter had retreated to the lavatory a moment before. She might be concerned that the girl might chance an escape if she did not already know that the bathroom was secure. There was nowhere for her to go. While her daughter was engaged, Irina would arrange for the food she had mentioned before her departure.

Sark studied his employer/mentor while she called the hotel’s room service. Normally they would not risk dwelling in such an unsecured location but the perilous circumstance in which they had arrived had deemed it necessary. Plus there was nothing to link them to the area so no one would be looking for them there, at least for now. As he studied her, Sark picked up the faint signs of strain from the last few months on Irina’s face.

Sark was in CIA custody for over two months before he was extracted. His and Irina’s plan to have him caught so that he could feed Sloane’s location to them had worked yet the CIA had failed to capture the man. Once she learned that the CIA had failed to capture him, Irina had known it was time to retrieve Sark. After the CIA presumed that they had obtained all the information that they were going to be able to get, they decided to transfer him to Camp Harris.

The previous mishap with Tippin had not taught them to be more careful with their transfer strategies. While they deviated the route, they did not change the set up. And with information from inside the CIA, a team easily intercepted the convoy and freed him. Within a day he was meeting with Irina at her new facility in Cyprus. That was when he found out how much he had missed while in captivity.

It seemed that shortly after his capture, Sydney Bristow discovered the truth about their Los Angeles asset and there was a confrontation between the CIA agent and his lover Allison. From what Irina had been able to uncover, Agent Vaughn had been the first one to arrive and found the apartment in flames. He had rushed inside and seen the apartment was in ruin, and not because of the fire. Among the flames there had been evidence of a struggle.

The CIA agent had rushed inside finding Tippin’s unconscious but alive body in the bathroom. Agent Vaughn had pulled him out then went back in. At that point he’d found Allison’s lifeless body, numerous gunshot wounds being the source of her death but the fire worsened to the point that the agent was unable to go back inside to look for Sydney. Sark felt grief at Allison’s passing but quickly got over it. Their relationship was not one of love but of convenience.

The fire was extinguished and the ruins were searched but there had been no signs of Sydney. The CIA registered her as missing and presumed dead but Irina had not given up. She knew how easy it was to fake a death. She, like the CIA had assumed that Arvin Sloane might have something to do with Sydney’s disappearance but as of yet, the findings were inconclusive. She had used her network to search for clues yet over the several months since, but there was still no sign of what had happened to her.

While Irina continued to hunt for any clue as to the whereabouts of her oldest daughter, she had had to shift her attention to protecting her youngest daughter after receiving Intel that there was a threat to her life. So Irina had left one of the lieutenants to work on the search while she had set off to Roswell, taking only Sark with her.

Sark was one of the few people still alive that knew Irina Derevko had more than one daughter, let alone more than one child. Irina had entrusted him to aid her in her search but only after he had been in her service for a number of years. She had been looking for the babe since her disappearance however the person who had taken her was a talented individual and had circumvented Irina’s detection until recently when she was finally able to locate the child.

However the discovery alerted her daughter’s abductor that Irina had found her and decided to eliminate the girl once and for all. But Irina had dispatched him in time to keep the plot from achieving fruition. He had gone to Irina’s daughter’s residence and found it already burning. So he had quickly tranquilized her, he had been sure that he would encounter a struggle if he had not, collected her and left. He had returned to the hotel where Irina was anxiously waiting and had deposited the unconscious form in the room she now occupied.

Sark watched as Irina reentered the room again after delivering clothes to the other room before asking. “What do you plan to do when she starts asking questions? She has already been extremely curious and she is still in a state of shock from the recent events. She is going to wish to know about certain matters, such as her father.”

Irina nodded in agreement at his statement. “I do not doubt that she will want to quench the curiosity that has already began to cultivate inside her.”

“And when she does? I highly doubt that a simple answer will satisfy her.” Sark stated. “And if she is privy to a full disclosure, I believe that she would be distressed.”

“In time, she will know the truth, including how and why I had to kill her father. However I will only divulge what I think is necessary at the proper time.” Irina answered looking at the screen.

“And only if she agrees to join us in Cyprus.” Sark added.

“She will. She has no other choice.” Irina said. “We will depart tomorrow.”

“Considering the threat that looms over us the longer we stay in this country, I’m intrigued that you are indulging in her request to attend the funeral.” Sark stated.

“It is but a small matter that will help persuade her that I am not her enemy.” Irina rationalized, before turning away from the screen and looking at Sark. “Now leave me, I have things I must attend to as do you. I am leaving the responsibility of our transport to you. Make certain that it will conceal our presence at the funeral.”

Sark nodded. “I’m assuming that we are not intending to disguise ourselves but only to observe the service from a distant vantage point?”

“You are correct in your deduction, the risk is too great for that avenue therefore we will also need the equipment to overhear the service.” Irina said.

“I’ll take care of it.” Sark said before departing.

Once Sark was gone, Irina turned her attention back to the monitor. The subject of her surveillance had returned from the bathroom for the second time, this time changed into one of the sets of clothes that she herself had provided and was helping herself to the food that had been delivered.

Irina could see the misery on her daughter’s face as easily as if it were written on it. She merely picked at the food, showing no real interest in it but forcing a small quantity of it. Irina noticed the red blotches around her eyes and on her face. She was well aware that they were not created from the shower, her daughter had been crying. Her maternal side took over then and she longed to go and comfort her daughter, yet she did not give in to the desire. She knew that she would be rebuffed if she did. Her daughter did not trust her well enough yet.

Her second daughter’s birth had been a spot of light in the darkness her life had become after her mission as Laura Bristow ended. Although her relationship with Jack had started out as a just another assignment, over the years Irina had come to love him as well as their daughter and their life. But then the CIA learned of her true identity, and she had been forced to fake her death and abandon her family.

When she had returned to the KGB and briefed her superiors, Irina had made the mistake of voicing her dislike of how the situation had been handled, which did nothing except lead to her incarceration in Kashmir. It was shortly after her escape that she resolved to create her own organization. She began to gather resources and contacts including her former KGB commanding officer, Alexander Khasinau, who became soon become her lover.

No one was more surprised than Irina herself when she became pregnant a few years later. Being knowledgeable about her body and how it worked was something she had always prided herself on, which included birth control. Yet somehow she had made a mistake. Khasinau had wanted her to terminate the pregnancy but Irina had refused. Instead she had gone into hiding while the pregnancy progressed, Alexander being the only one who knew as to why. Irina had hired a midwife and her assistant to be of help when it was needed.

When the time came, the birth was not an easy one. Emotionally it was less complicated than the birth of Sydney, for it did not have lies surrounding it but physically it was much more strenuous. After twenty hours of labor, the midwife handed her a small bundle with the babe wrapped securely inside, dark hair framing the small innocent little face, her ribjonak dotsch, her baby daughter. She named her Yelizaveta, after her mother and called her Veta.

After the babe’s birth, Khasinau looked at her more as an asset to use as a prototype for the duplicate Project Christmas program than his own flesh and blood. But not Irina, she adored her dotschka, although she still missed Sydney. One could not take the place of the other.

Not a day went by that she didn’t wonder how things would be if she had her two daughters together, if Veta had the chance to be around her sister. She kept tabs on Sydney and Jack through the years, and showed their pictures to Veta. Veta was a smart baby who picked things up quickly and so even at that young of age, she would be able to recognize the little girl in the pictures from previous ones. One of her first words was sestra, Russian for sister.

Despite the secrecy and security measures that Irina put into action, Veta’s existence did become known and to a very dangerous person. And that individual had used the information to enact revenge on Irina for a pass crime. Shortly before Veta’s second birthday, Irina awoke in the middle of the night to find her daughter missing from her crib. A quick search of the house confirmed that the babe was not in the house. Irina quickly sent out requests to her lieutenants and contacts yet no one was able to track down the culprit.

After her daughter’s abduction, Irina became more introverted than she had ever been before. She concentrated on building her organization in the hopes of filling the void inside her. It was an empty aspiration. She found herself exhibiting a maternal regard after Sark came under her care.

When she first met Sark, he was young but Irina immediately recognized his potential. He was extremely intelligent and had exhibited characteristics that had proved to be beneficial in their profession. He was young but a hard early life had toughened him. She had come across him due to his mother who had been a childhood friend of Irina’s. After she died, Irina had found him alone in a boarding school in England. Because of solitary existence he possessed a great capability for self-reliance and independence.

When Irina had approached him and offered her proposal, he was more than willing to go to work for her. And his talents were not the only things that made him valuable but also his ambiguousness. But no matter how much she coveted that relationship, Irina still missed her two daughters.

It wasn’t until fifteen years later that Irina was able to completely track her daughter’s kidnapper’s movements after she had taken her. That knowledge helped her learn the whereabouts of her daughter, shortly after her escape from the CIA. She was able to follow the trail to an orphanage in Santa Fe where her daughter had been abandoned. Irina had to admit that the strategy was ingenious; it was why it had been so difficult to find her.

Once she gained access to the sealed adoption records, Irina learned who had adopted Yelizaveta. It was a young couple, Jeffrey and Nancy Parker, who lived in nearby Roswell. Everything about them was in the file, names, social security numbers, and last known address and through those, she was able to locate where they were currently living. She went to see her and did not see the baby who she had lost but a beautiful young woman with a loving family and friends.

Irina watched from a distance at the young woman she had given birth to and named Yelizaveta but was now called Elizabeth Parker. By all appearances, she appeared to be like any other small town girl. She was an excellent student, was semi-active in other activities and worked hard at her parents’ restaurant. But Irina could see that she was more than that, she had larger ambitions then small town life. And there was also sadness in her eyes, as if she had some inner knowledge that no one knew about. It made Irina curious, wondering if perhaps her daughter somehow knew that she was not where she was supposed to be. That there was another life she was supposed to have led.

With her life in such chaos, as a consequence of her partnership with Sloane and the CIA searching for them, Irina decided not to approach her yet. However her brief visit alerted the abductor that Irina had finally found her daughter and had decided to bring the whole matter to a close. Thankfully Irina’s organization had intercepted the communication to the arsonist and she had quickly departed with Sark to rescue her.

Irina stared at the monitor and speculated what the coming weeks and months may bring. Her search for Sydney was still ongoing while she also had the daily running and rebuilding of her organization and now she would have to take care of incorporating her daughter into her new life. But she looked forward to seeing how Yelizaveta and Elizabeth balanced.

[LittleBit]

BTW ...Who will appear in the story??? I hope Jack, Sydney and Vaughn does (please don't put him with Lauren I hate her) because they are my favorites Alias charaters...

Let's see if I can remember who all will appear:
Sydney
Vaughn
Will
Weiss
Jack
Irina
Sark
Kendall
Dixon
Marshall (I think..)
Lauren
Simon
Sloane

With mentions to:
Allison
Lazarey

[LittleBit]

I'm glad that everyone liked the last part, it isn't easy writing the internal workings of Irina's mind. As for who the identity of Liz's father, I knew that having it not be Jack would disappoint some people but Khasinau fit. He had a lot of coloring like Liz, he was short, and the timing fit right since there is such an age difference between Liz and Sydney.

And since so many people were congratulating me on my son's birth, I thought I'd include this.





PART 3

Liz couldn’t help but think that the day was precisely what it should be for a funeral. The sky was overcast and looked as if it could burst with rain at any time, blanketing the atmosphere with gloominess. Everything looked gray to Liz, as if all of the color had been washed away. She couldn’t help but think that it was the opposite as the day they had buried Alex. And how at the time she had thought it was horrible that on the day she had buried one of her best friends, it had been bright and sunny out. This day was much more suited for her mind-set at the moment.

Liz was starring out the window of her room, being careful to not to let anyone see her face when the door opened and Irina stepped inside. It was not the first time she had seen her that morning, she had came by earlier to let Liz know what time they were leaving. However this visit was the first one Irina had made where she was not alone.

Her companion was a man, at least a half a dozen years older than her if she guessed right. He was tall, no less than six feet and she could see he had a lean form under the stylish clothes he wore and he walked as if he planned every movement. His hair was wavy almost to the point that it looked shaggy although she could tell he had styled it to stand up and a set of blue eyes that were so blue that Liz almost thought they were fake. He was very handsome and although he had a youthful looking face, he gave off the same impression that Irina did, one of intelligence and awareness of what was going on around him.

Liz remembered her manners and stood quickly when they came in, smoothing down the slacks she was wearing as she did. The night before when she had emerged from the bathroom, she had found a bag of clothes and a tray full of food. She was surprised that all of the clothes were in her size as well as the shoes. There was another pair of pajamas, a pair of khakis and a shirt to go with it and there was an outfit that was wearing at the moment, which was far more formal. It consisted of a pair of black slacks and a white silky blouse. If the circumstances were better, Liz would have been impressed by their quality. However at the moment, she could care less. “Is it time to leave?”

“Yes.” Irina said nodding, the movement almost nonexistent. She handed Liz a black silk scarf and a pair of glasses. “These are for you to wear before we depart so no one is able to recognize you, however you will not be attending the service.”

“But…”

“It is too dangerous and I told you that if you were to go, you would have to listen to me. You will be observing from afar in our vehicle. Everything has been arranged to ensure safety while still allowing you to hear the service.” Irina stated before motioning to her companion. “My associate Sark has organized everything.”

Sark nodded to Liz and she smiled back. “Hello.”

“Sark is responsible for recovering you from the fire.” Irina informed her.

“Oh, then I guess I owe you a thank you.” Liz stated but Sark made no comment instead Irina asked. “Have you come to a decision about what your plans are for after the service?”

Liz knew she didn’t have a lot of options if she didn’t want to endanger her friends or the aliens. Not to mention that she really didn’t want to have to go to Max of all people for help. So she had no other choice but to go with her. “I’ve decided to accept your offer and leave with you.”

“We’ll depart for the airport once the service has ended.” Irina said bring her up to date.

Liz nodded as she wrapped the scarf around her head. She started by wrapping it around her hair in back and then positioning it just right around the front, after all she didn’t want it to look like a mask. She thought she got it right and moved to follow Sark and Irina but before she reached the door, Irina stopped her. She reached up and made a few adjustments to the scarf before tucking a stray strand of hair behind Liz’s ear. When she did, Liz thought she saw the faintest hint of a smile on her lips before her expression changed back and there was nothing as Liz followed her birth mother out of the room.

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

The large black Cadillac Escalade allowed them plenty of room as well as complete discretion from the funeral service that was taking place a hundred meters away. Their vehicle blended in with all of the other vehicles of the attendants of the service. Sark was in the driver seat while Irina sat in the back with Liz. She felt detached from the whole scenario, like she was viewing a movie, not something that was real.

Liz watched as her friends and her parents’ friends arrive, she felt tears come to her eyes when she saw Michael leading an almost hysterical Maria out of the Valenti’s SUV followed by the former Sheriff, a teary eyed Ms. Deluca, and a solemn faced Kyle. Liz wanted to rush out of the vehicle and tell Maria that she was alive and that she hadn’t lost both of her best friends but Irina’s ominous warning had stopped her. She didn’t want anyone else killed because of her.

The Evans were just behind them, Mr. and Mrs. Evans appeared to be somber but also to be worried about their children. Although they had never been close, Isabel was teary-eyed and seemed to genuinely grief-stricken. But Liz took her gaze away from the female alien and looked at Max.

Max looked as if he hadn’t slept in days, his face looked drawn and his eyes hollow. Liz thought about the last words they had spoken to each other, and while she didn’t regret expressing her feelings to him, she wished that the last words hadn’t been in anger. She was still mad at him for everything but she also felt bad for him at the moment.

Liz watched as everyone took his or her seats and she looked over the area. Three large portraits sat facing the people and Liz focused on the ones of her parents. Her parents were really dead and they weren't coming back. She was all alone, aside from the woman who sat next to her. She felt herself retreating into herself; it was a part of a defense mechanism. She would cry until she couldn’t cry anymore, which she had done the night before then she would lock away her feelings and become distant from everyone around her.

Irina studied her daughter’s reaction to what was happening. She seemed to be dealing well but appearance were more often than not deceiving. Not to mention the fact that her daughter might be capable of masking her features she had yet to be able to camouflage her eyes. Irina could still see the sadness in them; she hoped that this incident would make her stronger.

Liz saw the reverend begin to speak and was surprised when the voice erupted from a set of speakers. When Irina had told her that she would hear the service, Liz hadn’t thought this was what she meant. “How are we able to pick it up so well?”

“Parabolic microphone.” Sark answered. “It’s has a range of a several hundred meters.”

Liz nodded in response and turned her attention back to the service. She listened as the reverend spoke of her parents’ lives, about their successful business and their service to the community. He was still talking when Liz noticed Max stirring in his seat before rising and heading away from the service. Liz assumed that it had gotten to be too much for him before she saw him pulling out his cellphone and flipping it open.

Liz watched in shock before looking over at Sark. “Is there anyway you can direct the microphone towards the guy who’s off to the side so that I can hear what he’s saying on the phone?”

Sark looked at Irina who nodded before repositioning the microphone and adjusting the settings. In less than a minute, Max’s voice came in clearly and she could hear his end of the conversation. “So Tess arrived there safely…your people have already seen her with Kivar…Larek, how long are you going to be able to retain your hold here…I’ll meet you in ten minutes just stay there.”

Max looked back at the crowd as he closed his phone; he stared for a moment before turning on his heel and heading out of the cemetery. No one had witnessed Max talking on the phone aside from Liz so no one knew the real reason why he had left, just assuming that he couldn’t handle it.

But Liz knew the truth; he had left the memorial service intended for the girl he supposedly loved to go search for a lead to his son. He couldn’t even wait an hour to mourn her before he left for selfish reasons. All the sympathy she had felt for him before vanished and was replaced with anger. How dare he after everything?!

She had lied to her parents and the law, jumped off bridges, risked her life numerous times and even meddled in the future that ultimately led to the death of her best friend and her parents. All of it for him, because she cared and eventually loved him. Well if him sleeping with Tess hadn’t showed her how much that love meant to him, then him leaving her ‘memorial’ service now certainly did. He couldn’t even grant her that much respect.

Liz was so infuriated that she felt like throwing or hitting something, mostly Max. Her fists were bawled up so tight that Liz could feel her fingernails biting into the fleshy palm of her hand. She released her grip and looked down at her hands, each had four bloody crescent marks from her nails. They weren’t bleeding badly, but enough. Irina handed her two pieces of cloth, possibly handkerchiefs for her hands, the action reminding her that she was not alone in the vehicle. “Thank you. Umm…you can move the microphone back.”

Sark reconfigured the microphone back to the funeral, not saying anything about what he and Irina had overheard. He looked over at Irina and saw that she too had witnessed the response her daughter had had to hearing her friend’s conversation. He had scanned over several of the files that Irina had accumulated during her search and knew who the teenage male was and knew that the result of him leaving had angered the young Derevko. He could also tell that her anger pleased Irina, it would make her daughter leaving her old life behind that much easier as well as her plans.

So does everyone hate Max now? I hope so. The next part is Liz saying her goodbyes so have tissue ready next week.

[LittleBit]

Dedicated to: orphyfets, elfangel01, luvfanfic, Elf3748, inquisitive1, Tina N Blair, purpleant, Roswell Slayer, Emma916, and Hotaru. I thank you for your feedback, it is my drug of choice.

For those of you that mentioned hating Max, would anyone want a small sneek preview of what will happen to him?

Occasionally throughout this fic I'm going to mention a song for the story's 'soundtrack'. Basically they are songs that I thought if they were actually filming the scene that I am posting. The one for this next part is Evananience My Immortal.

PART 4

Within an hour, the funeral and its gatherers were over and gone except for the dark SUV that no one had noticed. The SUV rolled closer to the freshly placed tombstones. It was then that Liz chanced exiting the vehicle. The scarf was still in place and she donned the sunglasses before picking up some flowers that she beseeched Irina to get for her on their drive to the cemetery. Irina and Sark exited but only stood guard as Liz went on her own to the markers. As best she could tell, Sark had disengaged the microphone and was glad that she would have some privacy.

Liz saw that one of the tombstones with her own name on a few feet away but she paid no attention to it. Her focus was on the two that had her parents’ names on them.

Jeffrey Michael Parker
Born June 1955
Died May 2001
Loving Husband
Dedicated Father

Nancy Ann Fletcher Parker
Born January 1957
Died May 2001
Adoring Wife
Compassionate Mother

Liz gingerly placed two of the bouquets on the ground and felt the sob come up in her throat. But she pushed it back, her parents’ had taught her to be brave and she was going to do her best to obey their teachings. However that didn’t stop her from making an admission of her feelings. “I know that if you were here that you would tell me that I’m going to be okay but you’d be wrong. You’d be wrong because I’m not okay. I’m not okay because you’re not here. And it’s my fault.”

Liz reached out and traced the lettering on the stones. “You didn’t know what you were getting when you adopted me. You just wanted a child to love. And I was lucky because I got to be that child. I always knew that you guys loved me despite arguments we might have had. You never asked for any of this and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for so much. I’m sorry that I kept secrets from you and made you worry, I’m sorry that I put Max in front of you, but what I’m most sorry for is that you’re not here for me to tell you I’m sorry.”

Liz glanced back at where Irina and Sark stood a few meters away for a second before looking back at her parents’ graves. “I guess you know that I met my birth mother, apparently she’s the reason I survived the fire. I don’t know whether I believe her or not or even if I’m doing the right thing by agreeing to go with her but for now she’s all I have. I don’t want to go to Maria and put her in danger too and I’m definitely not going to go to Max. He doesn’t love me like he said he did, he doesn’t love anyone as much as he loves himself.”

Liz felt her anger rising again but shrugged it off. She wasn’t going to think about Max right now. “And now with you guys gone, I’m alone and everyone thinks I’m dead too. There’s nothing left here for me. So I’m going to go with Irina, I’m not sure where but I’m going. I want you to know that I’m not going to forget you…and I don’t know how but I’m going to make sure that whomever did this to you pays for it.”

Liz had one other grave she wanted to visit so she headed over to Alex’s. The ground around his grave looked very different, it was full of extinguished candles, dead and fresh flowers, and other items left by visitors. Liz added her own contribution as she spoke to her friend.

“Hey Alex. I know that I haven’t visited you since the day of your funeral but I just couldn’t. I knew something about your death was wrong and I had to find out what it was before I could see you. To cut a long story short I did that but I’ve come to see you for another reason.” Liz stated. She reached up to push her hair back but the scarf blocked her movement so she fiddled with her glasses instead. “I’m leaving Roswell and I don’t know if I’ll be back. I just wanted to come over here and say goodbye, at least for now. I love you Alex, you were always there for me even when I didn’t deserve you. Thank you.”

Liz turned to head back to where the SUV was waiting when she heard a familiar but ancient sounding motor behind her and turned around. She spotted the Volkswagen beetle as it crept up the lane and knew it was Sean’s. Irina and Sark spotted him too and Irina motioned for her to move towards them. Liz practically sprinted to the SUV so not to be seen but didn’t get there in time to not be spotted.

Liz heard the creaking of the driver’s side door as it opened and then Sean’s shout. “Liz.”

Liz didn’t know how Sean had recognized her with her coverings but he had. She saw Sark tense as if to do something and shook her head in Irina’s direction. “Let me talk to him.”

Irina looked back at Sean then at her daughter before nodding. She would see how she would deal with the situation first before they would take action. It would be interesting research that she could use later.
Liz made her way over to a very stunned looking Sean. He looked as if someone had suckered punched him and all of the air knocked out of him. She couldn’t blame him, she could only imagine what she would look like if she saw someone she had thought she was dead. She pulled the glasses away from her face as she approached him.

“Oh God it is you…I thought it was my mind was playing tricks on me.” Sean mumbled as he stared at her. “Liz, what is going on? How can people be saying that you died when you’re here?”

“Sean…Sean…Please listen.” Liz declared trying to get Sean’s attention, which she finally did. “I need you to just listen so that I can try to explain.”

“Okay.” Sean said calmly.

“First, how did you know it was me?” Liz asked. “My face and hair is covered, and you thought I was dead so it wasn’t like you’d be looking for me.”

Sean turned his eyes away from a second before looking back. “I saw someone by Alex’s grave when I pulled in, I brought M here a few days ago so I knew where it was. The person I saw was your size and height and I guess it was just kind of wishful thinking. I didn’t think it was actually you.”

“Why are you here now? The funeral’s been over for a little while.” Liz asked.

“I wanted to come pay my respects but I didn’t think if I showed up before that it would be well received so I decided to wait and come later.” Sean said showing her the bouquet of wild flowers that he had brought with him. “Now can you tell me what is going on?”

“Everyone thinks I’m dead because I was supposed to be in the apartment above the Crashdown when it burned down but as you can see I wasn’t. Someone found out about the fire got me out but wasn’t able to put out the fire or be able help my parents.” Liz described as she started to explain. “I can’t tell you too much or you’ll be in more danger than you already are just by knowing that I survived.”

“Liz, what are you talking about?” Sean asked. “Aunt Amy said that the fire had something to do with the grill. They don’t know if it was a broke down or if something wasn’t turned off.”

“They’ll probably never find out because it was organized so that the fire looked like it was an industrial accident. Like our deaths were just a tragedy.” Liz stated.

“Liz, what kind of trouble are you in?” Sean asked.

“Sean, I can’t tell you.” Liz said biting her lip.

“Are you okay?” Sean inquired. “Can I help?”

Liz smiled. “You’re sweet to offer but the only thing you can do for me is to forget that you saw me here today. Just act as if I’m dead, too.”

“So what are you going to do? Leave?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I should go now before anyone else sees me.” Liz answered.

Liz thought of how Sean had been there for her during the last week even when she treated him like crap. To make up for it, she walked forward before pressing an innocent kiss on his lips. It surprised Sean but he reacted quickly enough to respond. Liz pulled back first, gave him a small smile before saying. “Bye Sean.”

“Bye Liz.”

Liz pivoted on her heel and set off to where Irina and Sark were still waiting. Irina seemed certain that Sean was no longer a threat and didn’t stop him when he retreated to his car. Instead she helped Liz into the SUV, before climbing in herself. Sark joined them and soon they were out of the cemetery.

As they drove out of Roswell, Liz pulled the scarf off of her head as she left the town she grew up in, the only home that she could remember. And when she did she felt a part of her died inside.

[LittleBit]

Author's Note:

Here's the preview I promised. I hope it satisfies you for a few days. I'm having surgery on Thursday so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post on Friday or not. If I can't, I promise to get to it by the weekend.

Now this preview is like one you'd see on TV. Various bits of scenes edited together. I put breaks in it to differentiate between the various scenes.

Max was so busy with his thoughts as he unlocked and opened his car door that he didn’t realize that the parking area was not empty and that someone had come up behind him. So he didn’t have anytime to react before something hit him in the back of the head. The blow knocked him unconscious and he slumped forward against the doorframe. His attacker pushed Max’s dead weight forward and into the passenger seat before climbing in after him into the driver’s seat. After retrieving the car’s keys from the ground where Max had dropped them, his attacker started the car and drove out of the parking lot and down Main Street. The whole incident had occurred in less than two minutes and left no witnesses behind.

…..

The first thing that Max felt when he woke was pain in the back of his head. But when he tried to reach back to see if there was a lump, he felt the bite of metal digging into his wrists and knew that he was handcuffed to whatever he was sitting on. His first thought was to use his powers to unlock his chains, but then he realized that he couldn’t feel the faint buzz of energy that normally came from his powers. They were gone.

Panic went through him as Max opened his eyes to try to figure out what was happening. As he did, all he saw was darkness; there was no light wherever he was so all he could do was feel. He moved his body around and was able to discover that he had cuffs around his ankles as well and they were attached to whatever he was sitting on, from what he could tell it was a hard metal chair.

Without warning, an intense light came on directly above him, blinding him from seeing past the halo of its illumination. Max expected someone to show themselves but when no one made an appearance, he spoke. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

When he got no answer, Max felt a sense of déjà vu as he remembered when the Special Unit took him. And like that time, Max decided to try and talk whoever had him into believing that he was a completely normal guy. “I don’t know why you took me but I think there has been a mistake. I’m no one, just a normal guy.”

This time Max got a response in the form of an eerie, coldhearted laugh that gave Max the chills. The laugh was then followed up by an equally callous sounding voice coming from the shadows surrounding him. “Now Max, we both know that you are anything but normal.”

Max felt his blood run cold at the sound of the voice. He knew that voice but it couldn’t be. It was impossible. Yet as he watched, her form melted out of the darkness. “No! It can’t be, you’re dead.”

……

“I never wanted Alex to die, Tess betrayed all of our trust.” Max said in defense.

“Not mine Max, since she never had my trust to begin with. Even when I was pushing you towards her.” Liz reminded him. “But you trusted her didn’t you Max? And what did she do to gain that sudden trust? Because she was simply there? Willing to listen and do whatever you said as a loyal follower should?”

The side of Liz’s lip twitched slightly as she smirked. “I must admit she played you very well. She waited until you were at your weakest, all the while setting it up that she was your only support, then stepped in and you readily took what she had to offer. You should really be more careful with who you share your bed with. I on the other hand, am far more precautious and more realistic about who I sleep with. Isn’t that correct Sark?”

Max watched as another body formed out of the shadows, this time that of a man. He looked to be about the same height as Max himself, with short blonde hair, fair skin and cold blue eyes. Max had only see one other set of eyes like that, Tess’s on the last day they spoke in the granolith. But what really scared him was the small cart that was rolled out with him. Max’s gaze only broke away from it when he saw Liz approach the man and run her hand up his chest. The gesture was an ordinary one but somehow, it appeared to be sexual this time.

“Max, this is Sark. He is a …well he has many titles, associate, partner, lover. He has helped set up this little spell of vengeance against you. He is quite resourceful, and knowledgeable about numerous means of torture, more then my own. Don’t get the wrong impression about what is going to be done; I will still be the main one to torture you however I have a few things to attend to so Sark is going to stay here, with you until I return.” Liz explained. She glanced over at Sark before smiling, “Have fun.”

Liz disappeared into the shadows, leaving the two men alone.

[LittleBit]

I'm glad everyone seemed to like the teaser and yes, there will be some changes to Liz's character before we get to those parts. Those are way down the line.

I was also happy to see that people liked Sean's little scene. I wanted someone to know that Liz was alive and he was the only one that fit the bill basically someone not linked heavily to the podsquads' secret. But for those of you that wanted to see more of him, I'm sad to say he won't be back.

Well I'll stop babbling and get on with the show.

PART 5

Liz had always been a very observant person, for as long as she could remember she loved to take in what was going on around her. She would spy on those around her, sometimes listening to their conversation, sometimes just watching them. When she was little, she would even pretend to still be sleeping and listen in on what her parents or others around were talking about. She got quite good at it, most of the time they had no clue that she had woke and would talk. She even found out what she was getting for Christmas one year that way.

It was because of these observation skills that Liz knew something was out of the ordinary about her birth mother. The first clue was when they arrived at a small airfield outside of Las Cruces. A small but luxurious looking plane waited for them there. They boarded immediately and as they did, Liz heard Irina speak to the pilot in another language, one that Liz was unclear of. However Liz saw that the dialogue surprised no one so Liz showed no hint of surprise. Instead she went inside and Irina showed her around the plane. There was the main cabin, which served as a lounge, the cockpit, and a sleeping cabin with bathroom. Liz took the opportunity to change out of her dark clothes and into the khaki outfit. Once finished she took one of the seats, not speaking as they prepared for liftoff.

They took off shortly after were only in the air for an hour or so before they landed. Liz peered out the window next to her seat and saw that they had landed in Mexico City. The door opened but only Sark exited. Liz continued to watch him out the window as two official looking men joined him on the landing strip. Liz could just barely make out the wording on their badges, they were in Spanish. Luckily she had taken three years of Spanish as part of her curriculum and read that they were Mexican customs officers.

Sark spoke to them for only a handful of minutes before Liz saw Sark pass one of the men something. She couldn’t tell what it was exactly but the man seemed interested in it. Sark spoke a few more words before he headed back to the plane and the men went back the way they came. That was when Liz figured out that Sark must have bribed the men from looking too closely at their plane. Once Sark boarded the plane, Liz saw him give a short nod to Irina before taking his seat. After the ground crew had finished refueling, they were once again in the air.

The next leg of their flight was long and threw the night. Liz switched between napping or continuing to watch out her window, watching as the ground became water and they traveled over what Liz assumed was the Atlantic. During the whole trip, Liz was uncommunicative. She didn’t talk to Sark and only spoke to Irina when spoken to, which wasn’t often. Just long enough to give Liz a vague idea where they were going, that they were leaving North America and going to a safe place in Europe. Her birth mother seemed to understand that Liz needed time for some internal musings. And she did need it. She felt so empty inside, like a part of her heart was gone.

But no matter how deep in thought she was, Liz kept her ears and eyes open to what was going on around her. Most of the time, they spoke quietly in both English and another language but at times the volume grew and she picked up pieces of their conversation. Things that made her very curious, things like CIA, NSC, aliases, forged passports as well as names like Sydney, Jack, and Sloane. The names meant nothing to Liz, however the way that they were spoken did. Irina’s tone seemed to take on an air of disgust when she mentioned the latter while she spoke the former ones with slight affection.

But despite her curiosity about who the people were, Liz was more interested in the words. Why were they talking about fake passports and alias? Were they hiding from the CIA or NSC? Who were they? She catalogued the questions with the many other ones she had and waited.

Finally they landed and Irina announced that they had reached their destination so they all exited the plane. As she walked out of the plane, Liz looked around. She didn’t know exactly where they were but it was beautiful. The sun had risen just an hour before and the sky looked bright and fresh. The airport was small so it didn’t overrun the surrounding area and she was able to see picturesque buildings and landscape. She saw mountains to her left and what looked like beaches behind them. From what she could see, the buildings surrounding the airport looked like something in the Mediterranean. She wasn’t sure if she’d get an answer but she still asked. “Where are we?”

“The Island of Cyprus. I have some property here that is secure.” Irina explained as she led Liz to an awaiting car. Liz climbed in after Irina as they took the back seat while Sark took the passenger seat next to the driver. They pulled away and left the airport.

Liz looked out the window, trying to take in everything they passed. She knew that Cyprus was indeed in the Mediterranean, in the south if she remembered correctly. They took what mostly seemed to be back roads that never traveled through any towns, just passed on their boundaries. Before long, they pulled off the road and onto what appeared to be a private drive and then a gate. The driver pulled the car up until it was alongside a small post with what looked like a junction box. He opened the box and typed in a code before muttering something that Liz could not hear.

The gate opened and the car rolled up but not far because a barrier blocked their progress and a guard appeared to come out of nowhere. Sark rolled down his window and spoke briefly to the guard but again it was not in English and Liz could not understand it, an issue that was starting to bug Liz. The guard let them pass and they continued up the drive. Liz couldn’t hold back her inquisitiveness and asked. “Is that normal? The guard, the codes and the gate?”

“Yes,” Irina answered. “The level of security is necessary. What you saw is only a small element, there are also cameras and sensors.”

Liz didn’t ask anymore, just nodded and looked back out the window. Trees canopied the drive until suddenly opening up and revealed three buildings, two that looked like garages or something like it and the main house. It appeared to have been designed by a Grecian architect because it looked very much like the buildings Liz had seen in book when they had studied Greece in geography at school with it’s wide archways and verandas.

It was larger than any house in Roswell; most of it was two stories but there was what almost looked like a small tower level that would serve as a third floor. The house had to have at least a dozen bedrooms and probably as many or more bathrooms. “How many people live here with you?”

Irina smiled. “I have several staff members on the property but only you, I, and Sark reside in the main building, they live in the outer ones.”

The car reached the front of the house then and stopped. The driver scurried out of the driver seat and opened Irina’s door for her. She slid out with Liz behind her while Sark exited out of his seat. He retrieved some luggage from the trunk of the car before proceeding towards the house and disappearing inside, leaving Liz with Irina. They followed a few minutes later, crossing the main entry.

When Liz stepped through the door, her breath caught. The entryway consisted of a small foyer that opened into a large beautiful courtyard. The house was U shaped, with the courtyard as the central point with a covered hallway looking out from each floor. The section that was exposed merged the garden to a small patio that contained a pool. On the other side of the pool was a gate that lead out to a beach that was several dozen meters away. It was an amazing sight.

“This way.” Irina directed to get her daughter’s attention again. She could not blame her for her admiration of the house, Irina had only owned the Cyprus compound for a short period of time but it had become her favorite quickly.

Liz looked around, trying to memorize everything about the place that seemed to be her new home as Irina showed her around. There were three large sitting rooms, an entertainment theatre, a large kitchen with an informal dining room and a formal dining room as well as a library on the first floor.

As the two of them exited the library, Liz spotted another doorway that they had avoided. “You didn’t show me that room. What is it?”

Irina saw the focus of the conversation and answered, “That is my private office.”

Liz could tell by the tone in her voice that no more was going to be spoken on the subject and that she was not going to get a tour of the office. Liz wondered what was inside and why she wasn’t invited in but didn’t get a chance to dwell on it before Irina led her up a nearby staircase.

“There are four suites, as well as six standard bedrooms on this floor. I have picked out one of the suites on the north side of house for you. It has a balcony that overlooks the water that I thought you might enjoy.” Irina told her..

“Am I the only one on that end of the house?” Liz asked.

“Yes, Sark’s quarters are on the south end and the third floor contains my suite. Two of the suites and all of the bedrooms are empty.” Irina informed her. She opened the door to room but stepped back to let her daughter enter first.

Liz entered the room and had to admit that she liked what she saw. The room was luxurious, something she had come to expect after the trip and seeing the rest of the house. The door opened to a small sitting area, with a desk and small couch and chairs. The sitting room flowed into the bedroom. There was a large entertainment center, dresser, and vanity but the large king size bed was the focal point of the room. The room and furniture were all decorated in beautiful rich red and gold. Her eyes flickered to something on her dresser and saw the picture she had been looking at just before the fire. Sark must have picked it up when he’d grabbed her and then later brought it up during her tour. She wondered why, it seemed a strange action from the enigmatic man.

There were two doors, which she discovered led to a mammoth bathroom and one that led to a closet that was larger than her room back in Roswell. Of course she could have been exaggerating just a bit but it looked huge considering it was almost completely empty, only a robe, a few shirts, a sundress, and a few pairs of pants hung in the large room. Without looking Liz knew they would be in her size, just like the other clothes that she had been given in Roswell.

“In view of the fact that you have only the clothes I gave you, I arranged for a few more items to be waiting for you upon your arrival. The dresser contains undergarments and the like as well as a few swimsuits. The lavatory is also full supplied. You will of course want to purchase additional clothes and other items. We can either arrange for it or travel off the island for a shopping trip.”

“I don’t have any money.” Liz admitted before she could catch herself.

“That is not for you to worry about.” Irina smiled slightly.

Liz nodded as she strolled over to the windowed doors that led to the balcony. She opened them then stepped out, looking out at the ocean. It was much different than her balcony in Roswell but there was a lounger for her to sit in. She stared for a moment before coming back into what was now her room.

“Will this be suitable?” Irina asked her. She had seen her daughter’s reaction to the room and saw that she had been correct in her decision on which room would be best suited for her.

“Yes, it’s fine.” Liz answered. She reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture that Liz saw Irina fix her eyes on. “What is it?”

When she observed her daughter’s motion with her hair, Irina had instantly thought of Sydney as well as herself. She motioned to Liz’s hand. “What you just did with your hair, it is a familiar gesture.”

“Oh.” Liz remarked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “All of this, my parents’ death, finding out I was adopted, and leaving Roswell has been so overwhelming and I feel so in the dark.”

“That is understandable. You have dealt with several life altering events in little more than a few days.” Irina said in consolation.

“I was wondering if I could ask a few questions?”

“You may.” Irina agreed. She knew that this moment was inevitable, and if it were dealt with delicately she would supply her daughter with enough answers to pacify her while not relying too much information.

“What is my name?” Liz asked. “I mean, what name was I born with?”

Irina smiled again, “Your name is Yelizaveta Elena Derevko. Before you were taken I used to call you Veta.”

“Yelizaveta . Wow, that’s…” Liz didn’t know what to say. “It sounds Russian.”

“It is. Your middle name is after one of my sisters and your given name after your grandmother whose family was in Saint Petersburg.” Irina informed her. “As was your grandfather’s. It where they met and where I and my sisters were born.”

“Was I born in Russia too?” Liz asked.

“No, although since you were born to a Russian citizen, and would be considered one. You were born in a house on the shores of Lake Balaton, in Balatonbereny, Hungary, delivered by a midwife. It was a difficult birth, but the end result justified it. You were a beautiful baby.” Irina commented allowing herself to show a small amount of sentiment.

“What about my father? Was he Russian as well? Where is he?” Liz asked.

“Your father’s name was Alexander Khasinau and yes he was Russian as well.” Irina stated.

“Was?” Liz asked.

“He’s been deceased for around a year.” Irina answered but did not offer any more information than that. She would tell her daughter when the time was right. “Now I must leave you, I have matters that require my attention. Much of the day is left; conduct yourself as if this is your house for it is. Just do not go into the private areas.”

Liz nodded although she wasn’t sure if she really felt like just lying around. Especially considering how many more questions she had, many of the answers she sought she had a feeling she would not easily get. There was something out of the ordinary about her birth mother and her life. And she was now determined to find out what it was.

[LittleBit]

Sorry I'm so late in posting but things have been kind of hectic lately. The baby is teething, I'm recovering from my surgery and trying to organize everything for us to leave on a trip home on Sunday while trying not to do much of anything. Kind of hard to do.

Well I will be out of town for two weeks. I am taking a copy of the story on a flashdrive so to update but I don't know if I'll be able to. But I promise to try.

Oh, and for those of you that wanted more Sark, here is some. Although not a lot. I promise soon. As a matter of fact, part of part 9 is from his POV.

PART 6

Despite her determination to find out the truth in regards to her birth mother’s life, Liz found her exploration slightly delayed by her own emotional state. She felt like she was in a haze. It was as if all of the emotions she had been suppressing since the night of the fire decided they would no longer be contained. So much had happened in the last few days that Liz couldn’t bury it anymore. And because of that she felt like a failure. She became somewhat of a emotional wreck, fluctuating between depression, anger, and emptiness.

Because of the frailty of her emotions, Liz developed into a hermit. She didn’t want to see anyone, just thinking about what had happened with her parents, Alex, even Max. She stayed in her room, only venturing as far as her balcony. Irina pandered to her wishes, having her meals sent up to her as well as coming up to visit her a few times a day, even bringing a book for her to read. The subject of the book surprised Liz, it was one on meditation. Irina told her that she thought Liz could benefit from it. Liz read through it and even began to execute some of the exercises. It helped to center herself and she even dared to venture outside of her room, three nights after her arrival in Cyprus.

The hallway as well as the rest of the house that Liz could see was dark as she crept out of her room. It was why she had chosen that time to leave, she knew that the late hour would cut down her chances of running into anybody. She felt cowardly at the thought but proceeded. She went down the nearest staircase, leisurely walking through the garden before passing the pool and ending up at the gate that led to the beach.

The beach was at least ten feet wide and stretched on either side of the house for as far as she could see. The shoreline was beautiful in the moon and starlight, the shimmering light reflecting off the water. The view was one she was becoming accustomed to from the time she spent on her balcony.

As she reached the crossroads where the stone path met the sand, Liz slipped off her sandals. She left them to the side before padding out into the soft sand. It was still warm from the sun’s heat beating down on it all day and felt good against her feet. She stood ankle deep in the sand for a few minutes, enjoying both the sensation and the atmosphere before approaching the edge of the water. The surf was not strong, only gently lapping the sand. She dipped her foot in and after finding the temperature inviting, waded in the waves a bit.

“You should be cautious not to wade too deep, the ocean is a dangerous place at night.” Liz heard a voice say out of the shadows causing her to virtually jump out of her skin. She turned in the direction of the voice and after a moment, saw Sark’s outline not far away.

“That’s something I won’t have to worry about in view of the fact that I’m about to die of heart failure.” Liz retorted as she looked over at where the blond stood. He was dressed as casually as she had seen him to date in a polo shirt and khaki’s. The cuffs were rolled up slightly and the outfit was topped off with bare feet. Not a look she would expect to see on him but it still seemed to suit him.

“I merely spoke to give you a warning, not to startle you.” Sark replied.

“You should have spoken up as soon as you saw me or do you enjoy lurking around in the shadows?” Liz asked.

“I was not lurking in the shadows, you simply did not notice my being here.” Sark stated.

Liz knew he was right, once she was out of the house, she hadn’t expected anyone to be on the beach and had not looked around to see if the beach was deserted or not. “I just assumed that since it was late, no one was out here.”

“Which is why you departed the confines of your room.” Sark declared. He was well aware that since they had arrived, Irina’s daughter had become a recluse. Irina had said that she had been through such a life-altering ordeal that she just needed time to adjust and Sark agreed. However, it looked to him as if she was adapting rather quickly.

“Perhaps.” Liz said as she lowered her eyes guiltily. She stared at the rolling waves for a moment before looking back up at Sark. “By the way, I wanted to thank you for salvaging my pictures when you rescued me in Roswell. After loosing so much, I am grateful to have them.”

“It was nothing. I just happened to have come across them as I was leaving.” Sark shrugged off her gratitude before turning towards the house. “Now I’ll leave you so that you can have your solitude.”

Liz watched him stroll back up the path to the garden and house before he disappeared into the shadows. She walked along the beach for at least an hour before deciding to go back up to her room. As she went back through the courtyard, her eyes wandered over the house and she started to think about Irina’s office. She still wanted to get into it to try and find out some answers. She had not asked anymore questions when her birth mother had visited her, mainly because Irina had directed the conversations other ways. But now maybe she could get into the office and find some out on her own. Irina would not expect her to be out of her room and given the late hour would surely not be in there.

Liz was sure that the main door was locked but wondered about the windows or if there were doors like on her balcony that would lead out to the courtyard. So instead of turning to the left and heading up to her room, she veered right and stayed on the first floor. As she reached the walk, she glanced up to the third floor and breathed a sigh of relief that they were dark. It meant that Irina was asleep. Or at least she hoped so.

It took several looks through various windows before getting her bearings as to know what window belonged to what part of the house. Once she did, she quickly found a large window that looked into the office. She thought it was going to be hard to figure out how to open it, but found it extremely easy; all she had to do was pull and after a moment the resistance gave and the two pieces opened. Irina must not have locked them completely the last time she closed them.

The room was dark as Liz slipped over the windowsill and inside. She used the moonlight for light as she shut the window behind her and made her way over to the desk. The computer was dark but Liz found the power button and it was soon booting up. As it did, Liz starting looking through the drawers. Not much was in them, mostly supplies and papers that weren’t in English. She started to wonder if when she did find something, if she would even be able to read it.

But before Liz could worry too much about it, another hurdle presented itself. When the computer finished booting up, a pop up screen appeared asking for a password. It wouldn’t allow her to access anything without it, but Liz wasn’t a hacker so she wasn’t sure how to bypass it without simply putting the password in. So maybe she could guess it.

Liz sat back in the large leather desk chair and tried to think what the password would be. She remembered the speech that Alex had given her and Maria about using common passwords. He told them that most people used very regular passwords like love, sex, or other easily guessable words. But she didn’t think that Irina would do that, her security was evidence of that.

But Liz thought of something else that Alex had said, that most passwords were something personal. She thought about the few things she knew about her birth mother and started randomly typing them in. She started with Derevko and went from there but was still nowhere twenty minutes later. She even tried the names she’d heard Irina and Sark use on the plane, Sydney, Jack, and Sloane but nothing. She even tried Yelizaveta, but the same screen just popped up again, asking for a password. But then something clicked and she felt like smacking herself for being so stupid. She quickly typed in Veta. The password request faded away, and she was in.

Liz sat there in shock for several minutes before realizing what she had done. But she pushed her exhilaration aside and started looking at the desktop files. She found three very interesting files titled CIA, Sydney, and Yelizaveta. While she wanted to look at the one about herself first, curiosity had her opening the CIA one instead.

Liz didn’t know what she expected to be in the file but what she found was definitely not it. The contents consisted of many things, profiles of some of the agents as well as what looked like progress reports on a search that the CIA was working on. As Liz read it, she was utterly shocked to find out that the subject of the CIA’s search was none other than her mother and consequently Sark. But while it said that they were being hunted for their crimes, she could not find out exactly what they were.

Liz minimized the file before pulling up the other ones. She started with the one that was labeled with her birth name. She found records of her birth as well as pictures of her as a baby and toddler. Most were just of herself but there were a few that included a younger version of Irina. Seeing a younger version of herself was slightly bewildering but it was further proof that she was indeed Irina’s daughter. Liz was hoping to find a mention or picture of her birth father but there was nothing. There were notes as well that lead like a journal entry of sorts. It talked about her progress like when she first crawled and such. She continued to scan the file, reading over various notes that Irina had written on the search for her after her disappearance.

As the years went by, the frequency of reports diminished until a month before, just after the gandarum mess when Irina had came across a man who had told her that he knew where her daughter was. Liz was surprised to see that there were pictures, recent pictures of her. One of her at the Crashdown, one of her at school inside and out and few others at places around Roswell along with her school reports. It seemed that Irina had found her before the night of the fire but waited until that night to approach her.

Liz reread the file twice before flipping over to the one labeled “Sydney”. Inside were what looked like another set of search reports but the file was tiny compared to the other ones although there was a cross-reference with a few names she recognized from the CIA file.

Liz was so caught up with what she was reading that she didn’t realize the door had opened until the lights flicked on. She crooked her neck around to see Irina, a pleased smile on her mother’s face.

[LittleBit]

Author’s Note:

Hey, guys I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that I’m posting a nice long part for you, the bad news is that it is the last one for some time. When my family and I were out of state visiting our family, my husband came back early to return to work and while I was gone, he killed our computer. And of course he didn’t tell me until I got home. This is the second computer he’s killed in less than three years not including when he broke the modem in my laptop. So he is no longer allowed to play with our toys without adult supervision.

And although I am leaving this message now, the computer is still not fixed and probably won’t be until the second week of August because of another vacation and a move for us. But it could be sooner then that if I come back to the library and post like I am currently or get access some other way. I hope that this next part will tie you all over, if not, yell at my husband.

PART 7

Liz knew that she was busted and that there was no way of lying about what she was doing. Irina had caught her red handed in her office in front of her computer. What could she say that could get her out of the dilemma she had found herself in? She stood up from the desk, never taking her eyes off of Irina. “I’m sorry…I know you said that this was your private office but…I thought that maybe I could…”

“Find the answers I had yet to share with you.” Irina finished for her.

Liz saw something in Irina’s eyes that looked like satisfaction. As if she was happy that Liz had done what she did, perhaps she was. “You knew I was going to do this, that I would come in here looking for information.”

“I did not know for certain, I speculated that you might. That is why I arranged for such a lax in security, like the window being unlatched to see to what extremes you would go to get what you desired even after you were told it was forbidden territory.” Irina explained.

“You were testing me?” Liz asked. “Why?”

“Because I wished to see the depth of your strength, to see if you could push past the despair you have encountered and come out stronger on the other side.” Irina explained to her. “As well as see if you had inherited certain qualities from those you were born from.”

“So all of this…” Liz motioned to the computer. “Was just set up as part of the test.”

“Yes,” Irina nodded slightly as she came around the desk beside Liz, glancing at the screen as she did. She wanted a visual confirmation of what she thought her daughter had found. “A test with many difficult levels. You overcame almost every one of them.”

“What were the levels?” Liz asked, curious despite the fact that she was upset at the thought that she had fallen for the trap. Of course it helped to calm her knowing that the trap had been custom-made for her, Irina was a scholar of human nature and had known what would bring her in.

“That is not of importance. What is important is that you showed cleverness and ingenuity to achieve results in your search.” Irina stated.

“Was the information in the computer real?” Liz inquired, not sure if she would get an answer. Her birth mother had an interesting and annoying way of circumventing answering questions.

“Yes, everything you found is accurate, I merely reworked the programming so that you would only have limited admittance, finding what I wished for you to discover.” Irina explained. “The file under your name contains all of the information on my search for you, from your disappearance until the present.”

“So if the personal information about me is true, then I’m assuming that the rest of the files are as well?” Liz questioned and when Irina nodded, she continued with her probe. “Then the stuff about the CIA looking for you is true too. Why? Why are they after you?”

Irina leaned her hip against the desk as she looked at her daughter. She had to approach this matter delicately or risk turning her daughter against her. But she also had to be truthful given that she would learn the truth about who Irina Derevko was once she went out into the field. Deceit could also turn her hostile towards her. “You are aware of the fact that I was born a Russian citizen. At age 18, I was recruited by the KGB to work as an intelligence agent.”

“You were a spy?” Liz asked.

“Yes.”

“At 18.” Liz repeated in amazement. “That’s only a few months older than me, I can’t imagine having the choice to make the decision to become a secret agent.”

“You must understand the prestige the opportunity gave me. I was respected and it gave my family stability.” Irina explained. “The KGB were held in high esteem and when you were performed satisfactorily you were rewarded. Of course when you failed or spoke out against your superiors, you were punished.”

Liz caught the somber timbre in Irina’s voice and knew that her birth mother was speaking from experience. And she also had the feeling that now was not the time to ask. Instead she asked. ”What did they have you do? I mean, what kind of jobs were you sent on?”

“I would be dispatched to acquire various items, information, weapons, even artifacts for them. The missions would require me to master the art of anonymity. To become completely different people. At one point I was ordered to go to America for a long-term undercover assignment and while I was there the CIA learned of my existence. I escaped their capture and returned to Russia.” Irina explained, giving an abbreviated account of one of her life altering missions.

“Are you still a spy?” Liz asked. She couldn’t help but be interested. What she had learned explained a lot of things; such as the things she had heard on the plane, the security around the house and even the house itself. Liz felt a pang of longing for Alex at that time; he would have loved all this spy stuff.

“I am what you might call self-employed.” Irina stated. “Several years ago, before you were born I gained the resources to leave the KGB and began my own organization. Over the years, I’ve developed my organization to cover the globe and several dozen employees. Sark is one of my employees. My director of operations to be specific.”

“So you mean you’re a spy for hire?” Liz asked, “Like freelance.”

“No, it is a little more complex than that.” Irina smiled.

Irina then proceeded to tell her youngest daughter a condensed version of her history. Naturally she excluded certain elements, but did include some of her time with the KGB. About how she met her father Alexander when he was her superior officer and how she was ordered to go to America. She included the information about her mission that had her marrying Jack and producing Sydney. She related what had happened after her return and, the decision to leave the KGB to start her own organization. She left out any information regarding Rambaldi and her pursuit of his works for another time. She ended her narration with her recent incarceration under the care of the CIA that led to the reunion with both Jack and Sydney and the events that lead her to finding her in Roswell.

“So the Sydney that is in the last file, the CIA agent who is missing, is my sister.” Liz asked to clarify. She was suffering a surreal feeling about the whole conversation, as if she was on the outside looking in.

“Yes, a half one who is several years older than you.” Irina stated. “When I took my undercover assignment in America it was not my intention for it to proceed as it did and to have Sydney as a product of that mission.”

“A product? You had a child and you call her a product.” Liz exclaimed. She was appalled by the notion that Irina had had a child because it was part of her orders.

“Do not misconstrue what I said. Sydney was unexpected but that does not meant that I do not love her.” Irina declared firmly. “I’ve always regretted having to leave her when the need arose.”

Liz could tell by the tone and attitude in her mother’s voice to know that she was serious and completely sincere with her statement. Her mother did care in some maternal way about her sister Sydney. Her sister. She had a sister. Just the idea sounded strange let alone know that it was true. And yet out of everything she had been told or seen thus far, her having a sister was the most normal part of it all. “Tell me more about her, about Sydney.”

“She’s quite a number of years older than you, she had just finished up her graduate studies in Literature before she disappeared. She’s taller than average for women but wears it well. She is comfortable with her body and that allowed her to use it best to her advantage.”

“Do we look alike?” Liz asked.

“In some ways you do, in some ways you don’t. You favor your father in bone structure and coloring with the darker hair and skin tone. However your eyes are similar and some of your mannerisms as well.” Irina described before typing something into her computer. When she was done, she motioned for Liz to come up beside her. Liz did and when she came around the desk, she saw several pictures had been brought up.

Despite the fact that she was almost certain she knew who was in the pictures, Liz couldn’t help but say. “That’s her, isn’t it? That’s my sister?”

“Yes, that is her.” Irina answered, an air of pride in her voice.

Liz took a minute to study the pictures. Her sister favored their mother a great deal, everything from the shape of their faces and body structure to the way they smiled. After studying the pictures for several minutes, her attention turned away from the subjects of the pictures to the pictures themselves. They didn’t look like casual poses taken with a regular camera, they looked like surveillance pictures. Her mother had been spying on Sydney after her escape. And things came together for Liz.

Her mother, father, and sister had made a living being undercover secret agents. Everyday they had lived in a cloak-and-dagger like world where nothing and no one was, as they seemed. The people you knew, people who were friends or members of your own family could just as easily be the enemy. “I’m assuming since you’ve set up this test and are telling me this that you are wanting me to follow in the family business.”

“It is a proposal I was going to offer to you.” Irina confessed.

“To become a spy?” Liz questioned. A part of her was livid that her birth mother had manipulated the situation to give her the most benefit. But the other part of her was intrigued.

“You would become an operative for my organization. From everything I have seen, you would be an asset to us once sufficiently trained.” Irina explained.

“Is what he did for a living why my birth father died?” Liz inquired.

“In a matter of speaking.” Irina declared.

“What does that mean?” Liz asked. “Can you give me a straight answer?”

“A year ago during an altercation with the CIA before my surrender, your atjez…” Irina stopped when she realized her slip up that had her reverting to her native language. “I meant your father Alexander, and your sister found themselves in a confrontation. Sydney was intent on capturing him while Alexander was just as intent to escape. He got the advantage over Sydney and was about to kill her when I stepped in and was required to kill him.”

Liz’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. What she said couldn’t be true, could it? “You aren’t serious, are you?”

“Yes, I am.” Irina admitted.

“Why am I surprised by this?” Liz exclaimed. The information she just learned was almost too much for her, too much of a kick in the teeth for her to handle. But a part of her couldn’t help but think, ‘How can you mourn for a man you never knew?’ She had never met her birth father but it was still a shock to learn that your mother killed your father. “After everything I’ve learned tonight, finding out that my mother murdered my father shouldn’t shock me.”

Irina made no demonstration that her daughter’s words had any effect on her, instead further explaining her motives. “He knew that I did not want Sydney harmed and went against my wishes. That made his actions unpredictable and a risk. You have experienced the lengths I will go to protect my children.”

Those words triggered understanding to come over Liz just then. “My kidnapping and the fire at the Crashdown…all of it was because of all of this life you lead. You stole something or pissed the wrong person off and that’s why they wanted revenge against you.”

Irina nodded. “Her name is Natasha Ruzickov. She was a colleague as well as an adversary of mine in the KGB. We attended the academy together and worked together when ordered to. Twenty years ago, after I was extracted from the US, the KGB sent the two of us as well as a man, Natasha’s lover Gayeff, on a complex mission. We ran into difficulties and were forced to withdraw; however we would have had to abandon Gayeff because he had become separated from us.”

“Despite the danger, Natasha refused to leave him while I proceeded to the extraction point. Gayeff did not survive, but Natasha somehow made it out. She blames me for his death, stating that if I had remained that he would still be alive. From that time she has done her best to seek retribution against me. She thought she had until she learned that I had found you. Now of course, she believes that you have perished in the fire and that she has finally accomplished her goal. With that done, she has gone into hiding. She believes that I will want vindication.”

Liz stood up from the desk chair and strolled over to the window she had crawled through earlier. She looked out over the garden but her mind was more on her thoughts then on the view. She now had a name for the person who killed her parents. Natasha Ruzickov, the woman responsible for destroying her life.

Irina watched her daughter linger by the window; the part of her face that she could see showed that she was deep thought and reflection. After several moments, she turned back around and faced her. “I’ll make you a deal. I will come and work for you on the condition that you help me carry out vengeance on Natasha