Safe
By: Fatema

Author's Note: To Cassi. Merry Christmas! I hope this story fills all your Sarkney needs ;)
E-mail: haquef111@yahoo.com
Website: Dreams of Fate
Rated: PG-13 at best
Status: Complete (1/1)
Characters: Sark, Sydney
Summary: Sark finds an unexpected companion during Christmas Eve.
Spoilers: Post Remnants, The Abduction
Disclaimer: I have absolutely no affiliation with Alias. This is merely for entertainment and no profit is being made from it, other than pleasure, hehe.
Distribution: Ask please.
Additional credits: An excerpt from the "Abduction" episode. Those were direct quotes I used (They are in italics and in quotation marks). Thanks to Surrender for the info :)

-

She had a beautiful voice, one of the most beautiful voices I'd ever heard. She sang of broken hearts and lullabies, things that were common yet uncommon all the same. The soft lull of the piano only made her more enchanting, her beauty adding to the effect. She had pale skin, with a sharp, pointed nose and beautiful full lips that always appeared to be pink. She had long black hair that fell to her waist. She wore simple yet elegant clothes and every now and then she would look up and I'd get the chance to look into her sad eyes.

I'd visited this bar every year since I'd left my mother and joined Irina. I visited during the holiday season, when there really weren't many people in the bar, except for lonely men who didn't really have anywhere else to go. I didn't like to put myself in that category, but I enjoyed coming here. It had become a tradition of some sort in my sordid life.

She looked up again and I stared openly at her, sipping my drink. It burned down my throat and for once she didn't immediately look back down. Instead she held my gaze as her fingers started to move a little faster with the beat. I cocked my head to the side and watched her. She watched me watch her and I had to smirk at the cliché of it all.

She looked away from me then towards the door before looking back down at the keys of the piano. I turned my head around slightly to see Sydney Bristow walk in, alone. She had snow on top of her hair and wore an all black ensemble, easily blending in with the dark surrounding. I turned my head so that she didn't see me and turned back to the musician. She was singing now and almost everyone seemed captivated by her.

I looked to my left and right casually, trying to see if I could spot Sydney, but she wasn't in my line of vision. I wondered what she was doing in Scotland of all places during Christmas. I saw the waitress and picked up my empty glass. She nodded and headed towards me. "A woman just walked in. She's a brunette and she's wearing all black. Where is she sitting?" I asked her, looking up at her.

She looked slightly nervous and then looked around. "Two tables behind you sir, in the far corner."

"Is she alone?"

"It appears to be so," the waitress replies, looking a bit restless.

"Thank you." She left after nodding her head. I looked up to see the singer again. She was looking at me again and this time I offered her a small nod. She looked back down and I stood up, turning around to face Sydney. There was no mistaking me now, if she even had the suspicion. I walked towards her and saw her fear. No. It wasn't fear; it was awareness.

I smiled at her. "Sydney. What a surprise," I said to her, sitting in the sit next to her. She sat up a little straighter.

"Do you think it's smart of you to sit next to me?" she asked, blatantly staring.

"Would you put these innocent people in danger to get to me?" I asked instead. I looked back at the singer on stage, as she continued to play. Sydney followed my gaze.

"To get you, I'd do anything," she hissed.

"Anything, eh?" I smirked towards her.

She moved her gaze away from me and took a sip of her drink. The waitress I had called earlier came by the table to deliver my new drink. She smiled at the two of us, as if I'd taken the chance and we were getting along. Sydney narrowed her eyes. I could tell she had seen me questioning the waitress earlier.

"If I were you Sark, I'd run. Now," she told me.

"You're giving poor old me a chance to escape?" I mocked, my smirk growing wider. "Thank you, but I think I'll remain here. I've got some unfinished business I need to deal with." My gaze went to the singer on stage again. She looked towards my direction and saw the empty table and then looked back down again.

I turned towards Sydney. "I'm surprised to see you here though, especially on Christmas Eve. The boy scout left you all alone?" My smirk grew wider and then I pretended to suddenly realize what I'd already known. "Oh that's right. He's married to Ms. Reed. Why would he not leave you alone?"

She gave me a dirty look. "Shut up Sark."

"Ouch. That hurt. Your comebacks are terrible tonight Sydney. Are you losing your touch?"

She leaned towards me. "And what about you Sark? Alone as always?" I wasn't expecting her response.

"Of course not," I replied with false cheer and smirked. She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not under any false pretenses Sydney. You on the other hand just might be," I looked towards her. She turned her eyes towards me. "No friends. No family. No lover. Must be awfully lonely for you if you're spending Christmas in Scotland at a lonely bar. Trying to escape all the giddiness of the holiday season?"

Her eyes narrowed to a slit before she turned back towards the musician. She downed yet another shot. "At least I had that Sark. You can't even say that much. Did you ever stop to make friends? Or did you always stab them in the back? How about family? Did anyone ever love you?" She turned her eyes towards me to see me wince. She'd hit her mark.

"Yes I did," I replied to her surprise. "Allison loved me." She looked hurt and angry, just as I'd hoped. "But then again you wouldn't like her, since she took your friends life. I guess she's even partially responsible for taking those two years away from you."

"Good thing she's dead," she replied coldly.

"Yes," I replied slowly. She turned confused eyes towards me.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why is it a good thing?"

I stopped for a second, having to think. "I won't be disappointed again," I replied honestly. I turned to see that she hadn't expected that answer either.

"You're surprisingly open," she muttered.

I shrugged. "I didn't exactly expect to find myself sharing drinks with you on Christmas Eve."

"What's next? We are going to be sharing childhood tales?" She asked sarcastically.

I smiled sincerely. "We could have a lot in common." She frowned. "Irina."

One word and her face became serious again. "Did you guys even celebrate Christmas? What with all the terrorizing you had to do?" It seemed like she had forgotten all she had said about not having anything in common with me.

"Sometimes. Irina was big with the holidays. She liked decorating and putting presents under the tree. She liked all the sordid details, which is partially the reason why she hated me spending time here during the holidays." She looked hurt at my answer and then brushed it off, putting on a neutral face.

"If she was so big with the holidays, why'd you always run?"

I had to stop again at the question. I'd never considered it before. "I don't really know," I replied honestly. "Was she like that? with you? before she left?"

She shrugged. "I guess. But back then she had to be the perfect wife."

Her tone was bitter and sad. I couldn't blame her completely. I took a sip of my drink. She stood up suddenly. "This was fun Sark, but I've got to get going." Her tone was sarcastic.

"Right. We'll meet again next week for lunch."

She almost smiled, but then stopped herself. She nodded before heading towards the door. I looked down at the napkin in front of me and quickly wrote down a message. I called over the waitress. "The woman I was sitting with. She just left. Could you please hand this to her?" She looked at me suspiciously before going towards the door. I hoped Sydney got it.

---------

The waitress had to run a little to find the brunette. "Miss!" she called towards Sydney, who turned around and came to a stop. "The man you were sitting with wanted you to have this."

She took the napkin and nodded her thanks. She looked down at the note. "But I don't think she ever forgot you. There is a safe in the Scotland International that's for you. Merry Christmas Sydney."

She stared at the note in confusion. She started to walk again and not to far away Scotland International lay ahead. She looked back towards the bar. She walked inside of the bank and immediately someone came to help her. "I'm Sydney Bristow."

The man seemed to recognize her immediately. "Of course. I'd just need some verification." She gave him her driver's license and passport. He looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Do you know the answer to the security question?"

"Security question?" she asked.

"That's it," he said, handing her a key. "Your safe is down in the fourth floor, safe 11."

"Thank you." He smiled at her and she walked away, rushing towards the elevator to go down to the fourth floor. It seemed awfully suspicious that she only needed to show an ID. The 'security question' wasn't even hard. She reached the floor in no time and the security guard that had been in the elevator followed her till she reached her destination. She used the key to open the first door, but then another door blocked her path. She looked at the hand scanner and took off her glove. The door opened easily as soon as her hand had been scanned. The guard didn't follow her any further. She stepped into the large room and saw numerous boxes, all wrapped. There was a table in the center of the 'safe' and she picked up the card that lay there.

"I never forgot you Sydney. Never," she read out loud. Her mother signed it.

She heard footsteps and turned around to find Sark behind her. "I see you managed to get in here." His hands were in his pockets. Sydney had a look of confusion on her face. "Every Christmas Irina would pretend to have the perfect holiday. She'd have presents under the tree, which I'd end up putting in here that very night. I came to drop this off tonight," he said handing the small box to her.

"You know where my mother is," she stepped towards him, not bothering with the present.

Sark smirked. "I'll let her know you got everything." He headed out of the safe, not bothering to look back. Sydney didn't call him to ask the questions that were racing around in her head. Instead she looked down at the small box in her hand.

-end-