Teaser:A lot can happen in five years – but some things never change.

Genre: LWord/Alias .
Series: Nothing to Write Home About, Story XXX
Crossover: Alias/The L Word
Characters: Think clowns in a circus car.

--

In Sydney Bristow's opinion, the Venice canals never looked so beautiful.

The sunset cast a hue of reds and oranges, sparking over the water, bathing the inhabitants of the water with a soft, mellow coloring.

It was unusual, this time of year, and she savored it, digging her gloved hands further into her coat, shivering slightly in the chill.

She was alone, but she preferred it. Sydney had never realized how quickly time passed, until moments like these, where she managed to hit pause for just a brief second, slow the world around her to a freeze, contemplate on just how quickly things changed for her.

In Sydney's life, there were few constants, few things she could depend on, and everyday, she lived in terrified fear that they would be taken away from her, as they were one night five years ago, when she had woken from a traumatic sleep and realized that everything she had come to depend and rely on had been ripped from her fingertips.

Time had given her a chance to rebuild her life, repopulate it with friends, complicating her love life, and severely testing her relationships with not only her family, but her friends, and lovers.

Five years later, she had reached what she hoped was a plateau – a precarious balance where she could define what everyone was and where they mattered, what they meant.

She had known that it would only be a matter of time before it would have imploded upon itself.

And still, even with her morbid forewarning, she was unprepared for it, clinging to this bridge, watching the canal, hoping for some sense of control before everything changed once again.

She heard steps, heels striking against the wooden planks of the bridge, but she didn't look, ignored the quick jolt of her heart. Instead, she kept her gaze on the water, even as the figure joined her, five feet away.

Neither looked at each other. They never looked.

"You're late," she said, low and easy, slight frustration hitching her tone up slightly.

"Of course I'm late," Marina clipped, her answer an easy conversational Italian. "Have I ever been on time?"

Sydney fought her smirk, shaking her head. "I don't understand how one of the most renowned thieves in Europe could ever afford to be flexible with their time table."

"I'm only flexible with you." Marina's tone was teasing, intentionally light, and Sydney's eyes closed, heart constricting slightly. Marina's life was a chaotic whirlwind of secrets and careful maneuvers, and Sydney had long ago resigned herself to the fact that she would never know her cousin's every move. They both knew it was better that way. It would only be a matter of time before Sydney would be hunting her. "How are you, Sydney?"

"Okay... all things considered," she responded in English, and snuck a glance, discovering in a quick second, her cousin in a black trench coat, long black hair pinned behind her like a European socialite. "You?"

"Nervous." She smiled. "It's good to see you-" her choice of words somehow amused her, and Marina cut herself off, chuckling to herself as she kept her eyes on the canal. "Or not see you. You know what I mean."

Sydney grinned, tapping her gloves along the wooden rail, before she sighed, allowing a pregnant pause. "Here." With a quirk of her finger, she rolled the small plastic containing a black chip in a perfect arc, along the railing into Marina's waiting palm.

In a flash, it had disappeared into the folds of Marina's coat. "Thank you."

She swallowed hard. "I'm taking a lot on faith, Marina. If you use this and –"

"I won't."

"This isn't a sure thing."

"With me it always is. I don't screw up." Marina nodded, giving her an even gaze.

The deed was done, and Sydney knew the smart thing to do would be to just walk away now, before the CIA and Marina's seedier compatriots spotted them together, made the connection and ruined them both.

She kept her feet on the bridge, wrapped her palms hard around the wood. "You know – in five years, you've never once asked about Jenny."

Marina had gotten good. Her only reaction was her non reaction, a barely there hardening of her features that was gone just as quickly. "I didn't think I had any right to ask."

Sydney let out an uneasy breath. "Considering what we're trying to accomplish, don't you think you should?"

"I saw all I needed to see on E!," Marina said, shaking her head slightly. "Jenny's love life is hardly private."

"I mean what happened after you left," Sydney answered tightly. "It might answer some questions." Marina wouldn't ask. In her quest to be unlike her mother, Marina had long ago closed herself off. Sydney had expected it, and she watched it with a heavy heart, because to survive in Marina's world, a callous soul was crucial. Sydney had known for some time that Jenny was locked away in an untouchable part of her cousin's heart, hidden in a deep cavern that no one, including Marina, could get into. She understood her friend's anxiety. Their parting had hardly gone well, and Jenny's adventures in the more racy side of Hollywood had been news ever since her very public break up with Collin Farrell. But still... it needed to be said. "After you left," she began crisply, "She stayed in her toolshed for two days. She didn't come out for anything. When she finally did, she had changed."

Marina sighed audibly.

"She's fine now," Sydney said slowly, "But she's never been involved in a serious relationship – she's notorious for breaking things off with boys and girls-"

"Sydney, I know." Marina's interruption was angry. "I told you, I caught the E! True Hollywood Story. She's moved on and I'm not doing this for her."

Liar. Sydney closed her eyes, hung her head. "I'm just making a point-"

"I know the point you're making."

Marina's curt reply didn't bother her, not how it should have. Instead, Sydney's eyes moistened, and she turned, regarding her, heedless of any spies. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Marina didn't respond, but the look in her eyes was confirmation enough. Sydney swallowed, glancing away, gathering herself, before she looked back. "Whatever happens," she said finally. "I'll take care of you."

Marina reached out, and for the first time in months, Sydney felt the brief, firm pressure of her cousin's hand, tight against hers.

It lasted only a second, and then Marina wrenched her hand away, turning from her to walk down the bridge, disappearing down a shadowed street.

--

The Planet, Kit always said, had jive.

That was the reason it had consistently turned a profit, why it kept clients coming and paying even when she began to charge a cover and other shops and cafés rose and fell beside them.

Kit loved to reinvent herself, and she took that part of her and invested that into her café. Every night had a different theme, and Alice bet, that whoever said that Kit was a screw up had obviously never seen this side of her. Whether she really took an active role in the Planet for her own interests or if she just started doing it as an unspoken promise to Marina no longer mattered.

Alice knew, every morning, that The Planet would be there waiting for her, and she loved it.

It was a constant, and one of the few things Alice couldn't live without.

"Alice, will you stop throwing my fucking rackets in the back of the fucking car?" Alice just rolled her eyes, ignoring Dana's glare as she swiveled in the passenger seat, sticking her quite gorgeous ass in the air as she fumbled for her equipment.

"Okay, where the hell else am I supposed to put them?" Alice snapped, shifting into park, jerking the keys from the ignition.

"You put them on the seats, they sit in the sun," Dana explained with a narrowed glare. "They sit in the sun, the strings get all fucked up and I LOSE. We LOSE, and then we have no Suburu cars!"

"Then tell your fucking sponsors to get us a car that has a built in racket compartment," Alice said, pushing on the door, letting herself out. "Or learn to put the fucking things away."

Dana glared, eyes narrowed as she slammed her side of the car door, making the journey quickly to her side. "Why does everything have to be an argument with you?"

To be honest, Alice still lived to rile up Dana, despite the fact that Dana was now out and proud and quite possibly one of the most respected figures in the gay community, dorky demeanor not withstanding. Only Alice and a few close friends got to see this side of her, and she made damned sure she saw it everyday. This was the real Dana, buried in those stylish highlights and thousand dollar watches, the one who still had absolutely no gaydar, the one who slipped on the curb and nearly fractured her tailbone, or assbone, as Shane teased.

"Because I'm always right," Alice said, jerking Dana's precious racket out of grasp, grinning. "And you know it."

"You are such a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Yeah, and so do you," Alice said, keeping the racket out of Dana's reach, holding it behind her.

"GIVE IT."

"NO!"

It was ridiculously childish, to be struggling against the Suburu, until Dana, athletic and stronger, had her pinned, hips keeping hers against the shiny yellow metal.

"Ass."

"Prick."

Alice lived by impulses, and when she felt the surge of affection overwhelm her, she went with it. As Dana's mouth opened to retort, Alice took advantage and kissed her, cutting her off. She never got tired of kissing Dana, and that was a good thing, considering sometimes the only way to end an argument was to stick her tongue down her throat.

Dana tasted like their toothpaste, and Alice smiled, squeezing her waist when Dana suddenly laughed, biting her lightly on her lower lip.

Tugging at a brown bang, Alice grinned. "You are really fucking cute when you're angry, you know that?"

Dana quirked an eyebrow, jutting out her lower lip in an interesting pout. "And that's why you piss me off all the time?"

"Maybe I just like being pinned by a really hot sports star, you ever think of that?"

Dana rolled her eyes, still humble enough to blush, releasing Alice and latching onto her hand. "Come on."

Inside, Kit was already hard at work, tongue sticking out as she worked the cappuccino machine.

Alice caught her attention with a smart wave, and Kit grinned, tilting her chin up with a wink. "Hey, darlin' Be right with you!"

"Sure!" Moving quickly, Alice located an empty table, sliding into it, pulling out a chair for Dana with her other hand.

"Ladies!" Kit grinned, putting a cup of steaming coffee in front of Alice. "Tonight's Disco night! Are you coming?"

Disco Night? Dana arched a pained eyebrow at Alice, mouthing the words to her. Fighting her smirk, Alice shook her head. "Sorry, babe. Tonight's our monthly dinner at Dana's parents'."

"Yeah," Dana grimaced. "Where Mom goes around introducing Alice as my 'roommate' and tries once again to hook us both up with eligible young men."

"Obviously, it's a lot more fun for me than it is for Dana," Alice said solemnly. Kit grinned, but an unamused Dana poked her sharply in her ribs. "Oww! And of course, I tell them I'm married," she added hastily, pointing out the ring on her left hand, third finger and patting Dana warily on the shoulder.

"Fuck you, Alice."

Kit had long ago given up trying to understand them. "And you wonder why I've never gotten married," she teased, winking slightly before turning back to the counter.

"-just saying that you should think about it."

Tina's voice carried over the general chatter of the café, and Alice raised her head from her coffee, taking in the sight of Tina holding open the door for a curiously depressed Jenny.

"Fine," Jenny snapped, adjusting her Coach bag against her shoulder, waving a tired hello to Alice as they wove their way around the tables.

"Hey, guys," Tina said, slumping down with a sigh, tossing her blazer over the empty chair beside Dana.

"Wow," Alice remarked, a low whistle coming from her lips as she took in the pin-striped suit tailored nicely on her friend. "Don't you two look spiffy."

"Meeting with the network," Jenny said, dropping her purse on the table before peering over to the counter.

"You don't seem so happy about it," Dana commented, grimacing over her coffee.

Jenny gave Tina a long look, and Tina managed a small smile before she answered, "Focus groups seemed to have revealed a slight... problem with the character Sara Schuster."

"Oh yeah?" Alice asked, eyebrows quirking quizzically. "What problem?"

"They hate me!" Jenny moaned, a wail at the tail end of the word that suddenly transformed her into the confused girl she was when she first came to Los Angeles, dropping her head on the table, letting her dark brown hair pile around her.

"Oh, that's nuts," Dana said, eyes going wide as she crossed glances with Alice. "I'm sure they don't HATE you-"

"They hate me," Jenny said again, wiping back her hair and combing it back into place with her fingers. Blue eyes flashed in annoyance, and she stood, heading for the counter.

"It can't be that bad," Alice said, as soon as she was out of earshot. "I mean, yeah, Jenny was a lot to take at first but we grew into her!"

"No, they really hate her," Tina said, in the middle of checking her cellphone for messages. "But that's not the only reason she's a little miffed."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Guess who tested off the charts?" Alice blinked, and Tina pursed her lips, nodding knowingly.

"Who?" Dana asked, shifting eyes from friend to lover.

"Dana," Alice snapped, motioning meaningfully at Jenny.

Dana's eyes widened. "Oh..."

"Yeap," Tina said, nodding sagely. "They can't get enough of the European immoral bitch."

"Oh, that must kill her!" Alice said, whisper low.

"Did you guys all hate me when you first met me?" Jenny interrupted, setting down a coffee for herself and one for Tina.

Alice blinked, found herself stammering as Dana immediately shook her head in a completely insincere 'no'. "Of course not! It's just- we didn't KNOW you-"

"Uh-huh," she muttered. "Fuck you, Alice."

"Love you too, babe."

"Well, the bright side of it is," Tina said methodically, absently fingering the ring on her left hand, third finger. "The network still loves the show, and they're definitely giving it a good spot, providing we can smooth out some rough spots."

Jenny nodded. "It's a good thing 'Identitiy' is doing so well right now, it gives us a little bit of clout."

"That is pretty sweet," Alice agreed. "A spy show getting a lesbian drama on the air? Who'da thunk it?"

Tina smiled, shaking her head. "You know, there was an article today in the Variety talking about it and how it's not 'true to life'," she said, using her air quotes, wide smirk now on her face.

Jenny grinned. "Right? Because who on earth would ever come up with the whole 'Nostradamus' plot line?"

"Speaking of," Dana said, nodding toward the door. "There's your little muse now."

"Guys," Shane said, pulling off sunglasses, gliding toward the table like if she was walking on air.

Taking in the former hairdresser, Alice shook her head, wonder clouding her voice. "You know, I don't care how long it's been, I will NEVER get used to seeing you in a suit."

Shane glanced down, smoothing at the black pants and shrugging carelessly. "Got a briefing today-" Squeezing Tina's shoulder, she moved to the counter.

"I can't believe it," Tina said admiringly. "Our little girl, all grown up."

"Large and in charge!" Dana commented, prompting a stare from Jenny and a slight glare from Alice. She sunk down slightly in her chair.

Tina took another sip from her coffee, and couldn't fight the slight wince. "Coffee maker out today?"

"Yeah," Alice said, mutual misery on her face. "You know, Kit's a fabulous host, but I really do long for the olden days, when Marina was around to actually work the machi-" A pinch, painful and short, cut off her words, and suddenly Alice remembered who was at the table.

Jenny blushed, glancing down, and saying nothing.

"Sorry, I-"

"It's fine," she said stiffly, forcing a hollow laugh. "Come on, you guys. It's been five years. You CAN say her name around me. I mean, it's not like we don't see her cousin pretty damn frequently."

Shane returned, plopping down a shot of espresso in front of Alice, holding another large Styrofoam cup in front of her. "One for the road?" Tina asked.

Shane glanced at it. "For Sydney," she said dismissively. Knocking back the shot, she nearly choked, missing the shared glances as a result. "I gotta go, or I'll be late. Be out of town for a few days."

"Where are you going now?" Tina asked.

Shane shrugged, mysterious, distracted grin on her features. "Well, I'd tell ya, but I'd have to kill ya."

"Silvia know you're going?" Alice asked pointedly.

Shane paused, shooting her a strange look. "Who the hell are you, my girlfriend's keeper?" When Alice just stared, she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I told her. She thinks the bank's sending me out again. I gotta go." Slipping on her glasses, Shane gave a short wave before she kissed Tina dutifully on the cheek, heading out.

"Shane, don't die!" Alice called after her. Shane just raised an arm, never looking back as she left the cafe.

"She's getting her coffee now?" Dana said the minute the café door closed behind her.

"We're going to have to talk to her," Alice added. "It's not healthy."

"Come on, guys," Tina said, eyes rolling.

"No, come on! It's been five years! She's whipped! And Sydney's straight! We've had this whole 'confused straight girl' talk! No offense, Jenny," she added, as in afterthought.

Jenny flipped her off.

"You guys, you can't ask for much more than she's been doing. She's dating! She's dating Silvia fucking Martin!" Tina defended.

Alice gave her a smart glare. "You know as well I do that if Sydney so much as pointed a finger in her direction, Shane would dump Silvia and put a ring on Syd's finger faster than you can say 'Government conspiracy'. I mean, she's taken HOW many bullets for her?"

"Yeah, but Sydney was tortured for her," Dana pointed out.

"Sydney's still with Vaughn," Alice reminded her. "And it doesn't look like she's going to be breaking up with him anytime soon."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Tina said. "They do have an energy."

"That's a great reason to wait around for five years," Alice snapped. "Energy."

Once again, she got a pinch and a kick from Tina on top of it.

Jenny, now the center of attention, seemed supremely fascinated by the tabletop, and when she looked up, her blue eyes were clouded, her smile slightly too wide. "I think it's nice," she reasoned. "To love someone so much it doesn’t matter if they love you back." Tina pursed her lips, and said nothing, but Dana offered her no smile at all. "I better go. I have a writer's brainstorm. We're coming up with new storylines for the next season of 'Identity'."

"Should I meet up with you there?" Tina asked, before she winced and said, "I can't. I told Oscar I'd pick up the kids-".

"It's fine. I can handle it," Jenny said, patting her once before waving over to Kit behind the counter. "See you guys later?"

"Bye, Jenny," Dana offered.

"See ya," Alice said, almost meek. "Okay, first off?" she began as soon as Jenny was out of earshot, "OWW," she snapped, smacking at Dana's arm. "And secondly - we can't keep not mentioning Marina just because it upsets Jenny. She needs to get over this."

"You can't dictate how long it takes to get over someone, Alice," Tina said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "You two should know that more than anyone."

Dana blushed slightly, and Alice sighed. "Look, I would agree, but it's like she's not even trying!"

"She lost the love of her life before they even had a chance to be together," Dana said flatly.

"And you can't say she hasn't tried," Tina snapped. "She's had more play than any of us."

"Sex is sex. We're talking about love. She's been walking around for five years with an invisible ring on her finger," Alice said firmly. "Look, the romantic in me loves this as much as you do. But the fact is, we don't know if Marina's ever coming back. I just don't think it's healthy to be waiting around for a ghost."

Tina sighed, eyes closing for a second before she stood and moved to the counter.

Dana shook her head slightly. "You should know better than to talk about lost love to Tina," she murmured to her lover, voice low. "You know the crap she's going through with Oscar and Bette."

"God," Alice said, clucking her tongue. "It's like all of our friends are in these twisted non-relationships."

"Yeah," Dana agreed. "God, how WEIRD is it that you and I are the only ones in a normal, stable, loving relationship?"

"Oh, I know," Alice said, reaching for a forgotten newspaper and flapping it open. "It's fucking insane."

--

People who said that the CIA was all excitement were full of the shit.

Truthfully, the fast-paced runs and the gunfights, and the narrow misses, happened maybe three times a month, more if they were on a Rambaldi run, and that was only because it was them.

Jack Bristow's team, the Crack Team, were always handed the heaviest, most dangerous short term assignments, and in that, Shane had discovered a frightfully small world.

She still wasn’t big on the Rambaldi obsession, but she did her job, she ran her computers, watched her team's back, and if they needed another gun or a lesbian to seduce some hot girl, went in there with the wigs and the accents, but five years into the job, she wasn't a rookie anymore, and she figured she knew the real secret of the CIA.

Shit was fucking boring sometimes.

As beautiful as everyone kept saying Manila was, Shane had yet to see any of it. Instead, she was sprawled out against the corner of a remarkably dirty coral, enduring the antagonistic stares of her co-inhabitants, a palomino mare, and Oscar, the pot-bellied pig.

She was sweaty, and the mosquitoes were biting.

"Glamorous my ass," she mumbled, pushing off the floor and moving toward the makeshift opps desk she had put together. "Crack team, this is Joan Jett," she barked into her radio, tapping on the monitor to catch a grainy image of Michael Vaughn, sitting on the curb outside the US Embassy, looking mildly gross, covered in dirty rags. "Status report."

"Boyscout here, nothing yet."

"Chubby redneck," came a pained voice, and Shane grinned in spite of herself. "Nothing. And I'm so very glad that name stuck, by the way."

"Come on," she chirped. "It's good on ya."

"I like it," Vaughn replied, obviously hiding a grin, judging by the amusement in his voice.

"Fuck you. And fuck you, too," Weiss clipped.

"If you're all done? Mountaineer here, nothing yet."

With a click of a button, Shane shifted the camera, until she managed to find a fruit stand, a young woman manning it with just a little too much dignified grace. Shane lingered, taking in a small breath, zooming in on Sydney for a brief, indulgent moment. Her friend was shifting in the hot sun, and took a second to scratch lightly under her wig.

Sydney had grown her hair long, too long, by CIA standards. Shane knew it bothered her, to bunch up the cascading brown curls, spend hours trying desperately to put her wigs together atop the mass of sweaty tendrils.

It would only be a matter of time before she cut it to a reasonable length, not halfway down her back like she wore it now, and to be honest, Shane dreaded the day she would walk into ops and see a shorn Sydney.

Sydney had never looked so beautiful.

"Boyscout here, I see her."

Shaken out of her daze, Shane closed her eyes, took in a haggard sigh and swiveled the camera, moving fast through the crowd until she spotted a familiar face, moving fast.

"Any minute now," she breathed.

And it came, the ring of the alarm that filled her ears with piercing bells, an indication that security for the US Embassy had been breached.

On cue, Toni Cummings began to move faster through the crowd, easy, calm and utterly professional.

"Okay guys," she said. "I've got her. Keep on her."

--

"I see her."

Handing a cup of cucumbers soaked in lemon to a customer, Sydney jerked the strings of her apron, careful as she turned away, letting Toni walk past her, at least twenty feet, until she fell into place behind her.

The security expert looked absurdly calm, ignoring the sirens and shouts of the policemen, as they gathered at the black iron gates. Toni just walked past them, with a smile and a satisfied expression, and Sydney couldn't help but shake her head at the woman's cocky demeanor.

"She never changes, does she?"

"Cocky amoral bitch seems to go with that line of work," Shane answered, a chirp in her ear.

"Hey." Sydney winced, fighting a smirk at the suddenly aggravated tone of Weiss' voice.

"Sorry, dude – you always hurt the ones you love."

"Plus some things never change," Vaughn quipped.

"You all suck."

Toni paused, and Sydney faltered with her, stepping behind another cart as the beautiful woman narrowed her eyes, staring behind her.

A quick pause, a quickening of her breath, and Sydney waited.

"It's clear Syd, she's moving again."

"Thanks," she whispered to Shane, inching along the cart, until she was sure that Toni was moving again. It was a crowded marketplace, but she was able to keep her in her sights, until Toni stopped, accosted by another woman with long black hair, a slender build.

Sydney swallowed, eyes closing at the sight.

"Shane..."

"Yeah, I see it," came the somber tone of her friend, "It's her."

She sucked in a haggard breath, shaking away her hesitation. "Weiss, Vaughn?"

"Already stationed, we're ready when you are."

"Okay." She reached into her shirt, carefully unclipped the gun, eyes trained on the exchange between the two women. "When we see it."

She waited, watched, as Marina took a glance around, missed her again, and took out the chip Sydney had given her, deposited into Toni's waiting palm.

"That's it," Vaughn clipped, "Let's go. MOVE!"

And they did. Sydney pushed aside a customer, moving fast through the crowd, until she caught Marina by surprise, pistol firmly pressed against her back.

"Fancy meeting you guys here," she bit.

Toni Cumming arched an eyebrow, regarded Sydney, then Marina, and finally, twisted her neck, and discovered Weiss. "Well, fuck."

Marina didn't turn to look at her, but her body was rigid, despite her rather calm tone. "Sydney."

"Marina." she breathed. "Let's go."

--

"Will you get these fucking these off?"

Shane glanced up at the sound of Toni's loud complaint, closing the laptop with a snap, arching an eyebrow as Vaughn wrinkled his nose at the smell of the barn, rolling his eyes as Toni rubbed at her wrists.

"We had to make it look real," Sydney said, leading in Marina, who by the looks of it, was still strapped herself.

"I didn't do them that tight, did I?" Weiss looked genuinely worried, kicking the door shut behind them, carefully inspecting the metal wrapped around Toni's wrists.

Marina came forward, tossing Shane a smile, waiting patiently while Sydney unlocked the cuffs, attention on Toni.

The security expert's smile was positively wicked, and before Weiss could insert the keys into the cuffs, she wrapped her bound arms around his neck, forcing his neck down, to catch his mouth heatedly with her own.

Shane sighed, shaking her head in mock impatience as the pair kissed their hearty hello.

"Get a fucking room, guys," she muttered, plopping a hard plastic case up on the tabletop.

"Oh, give them a break," Sydney said, flashing a smile at them both as she pulled off her wig, giving her sweaty mane a vigorous shake. "They're in love."

"In lust is more like it," Marina muttered, already free of the handcuffs, tossing them on the table and kissing Shane on both cheeks, a pure European hello.

"Do you have it?" Sydney breathed.

Shane glanced at Marina, a tightening in her chest suddenly alleviated by Marina's easy smile. "Of course we have it. Toni?"

"Mmm." Toni Cummings still had her arm around her husband's waist, but she tossed Marina the microchip, and just as quickly, another disc. "This is doing shit for my reputation, ya know?"

"You're a good guy at heart, Toni," Weiss said, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Good guy my ass."

Marina grinned, depositing both the chip and the disc into Sydney's waiting palm. "I told you not to worry about it."

"God, I tell you," Shane said, carefully removing a microphone wire from Vaughn, smacking at his shoulder when he refused to stay still. "This sure as hell is easier than having fucking Sydney go in there and do it all herself."

"HEY!" Michael looked positively offended. "You know, I help occasionally."

Shane snorted, and even Sydney grinned, squeezing his bicep. "Of course you do."

Marina took pity on him, scruffing at his hair. "I think he does his part. More, now that Weiss and Toni spend more time having sex than they do helping us."

"Would you two give us a fucking break?" Weiss growled. "I never say SHIT to any of you when you're all gallivanting in your little sordid love twists."

And that completely killed the humor. Shane's mouth suddenly went dry, and she turned away, feigning business first by snapping shut another computer case, heaving it on top of the first.

Vaughn coughed beside her, the soft pressure of his palm against her back fleeting. "Right," he said, flushing oddly. "Well, we worked it out."

That was the weirdest thing he could have said, because the truth was, they hadn't worked it out. There had been nothing to work out. Whatever she and Sydney might have had had never been discussed with Vaughn, and now, it was as good as dead. Sydney was Sydney, Shane was Shane, and Sydney and Vaughn were, as always, Sydney and Vaughn.

The glance he shot Shane was bewildering, and she quirked her eyebrow, suddenly unsure what he meant by that.

Even Marina seemed confused, when Sydney's mouth clipped tight and Weiss looked like he had stuck his foot in his mouth, earning a glare from Toni and a wide-eyed stare from Sydney.

All in all, it made for a sudden awkward pause, and Shane felt herself in the middle of some twisted inside joke she wasn't a part of.

In the end, it was Marina who broke the silence, turning to Sydney with a serious glare.

"I have to talk to you."

Shane blinked, turning from Marina to her cousin, who only nodded, never returning Shane's questioning glance as she followed Marina through the barn, out into another room.

Toni and Weiss just as quickly excused themselves, and even Vaughn just smiled tightly, turning away.

Shane was left with her original cellmates, the mare, and Oscar the pot-bellied pig.

"What the hell was that?" she snapped, and only Oscar answered, with a loud, grunty snort.

--

"She doesn't know."

Truthfully, Sydney had expected this conversation eventually. Just because Marina wasn't there nearly as much didn't mean she felt any less obligated to corner Sydney when it came to Shane.

The minute this issue had become apparent, the minute she told Marina, she knew that this would come up.

It didn't make her any more ready to do this.

"No," she said, suddenly tired. "She doesn’t know."

Marina's mouth was set into a firm, thin line, her eyes narrowed, arms at her side, glaring at Sydney with a disappointed air. "And I assume Weiss knows?"

"I think that was pretty obvious just now," she sighed. "God."

"So... Weiss knows. I know. Toni knows-"

"Toni knows?!"

"She's married to Weiss, of course she knows."

"SHIT."

The exclamation took Marina by surprise, but her cousin recovered, shoulders dropping, regarding her with a small shake of her head. "Why haven't you told her that you and Vaughn have broken up?"

With Marina it was always direct, to-the-point, and maybe that was why Sydney wasn't ready to do this. She was much better at dodging around things. "I don't know."

Marina looked visibly upset. "Sydney," she began, gentle, firm, "You have to tell her."

That was the logical course of action. There was no reason WHY Shane didn't need to know. Shane was essentially her best friend. She knew everything. Shane should have known the moment it happened, because really, she had been, among others, one of the reasons for it.

But she had tried. She had tried more than once, and each time... "I can't."

She could feel Marina's gaze on her, glittery dark eyes, as Sydney crossed the dark room, settled down onto a bale of hay, eyes on the floor.

"She's your partner, Sydney. If she doesn’t find out from you, she'll feel betrayed."

"I'm not ready for Shane to know," she managed, glancing up sharply. "If I do, then Shane will ask for a reason, and I'm sorry, but I can't just tell her that after five years, I've only just now realized I'm in love with her just because she's clearly moved on to someone else."

The truth of it was, Sydney had always had horrible timing. For so long, she had ignored her attraction to Shane, had used her relationship with Vaughn and her job to instead keep Shane in her life as her friend – until she saw Shane every day. Until she depended on her, needed her, until she trusted Shane with her very life.

It was the stupidest thing she could have done, but how could she have known then? Sydney was a master of deception, and she succeeded even in fooling herself, believing that her deepening relationship was normal, that it was just friendship, that it was alright to wrestle with the odd feeling she had never felt for another woman, because it was Shane and it just came with the territory.

"That's not how it happened."

It was Vaughn who finally pointed it out to her, four years into their relationship – her intense worry, her overprotectiveness of Shane. They had gotten into fights over it, until it seemed like they were fighting more than they were not, and in the end – they had 'taken a break'.

Only then, had Sydney seen another opportunity, another way of how she could live her life – but by then, it was too late. Shane was happy, Shane had moved on, and that was that.

"That's how it looks, all right?" Sydney sighed, bittersweet as she swept her hair to one side, fanning it, letting the stale air of the barn do it's work on her flushed skin. "It's the ultimate cliché, and I'm not going to put Shane through that." Sydney laughed, a bitter, bewildered laugh that broke her own heart. "God... I can't believe I'm this crazy over a woman. A woman!"

"Do yourself a favor," Marina said firmly. "Just forget that Shane is a woman. That's what most likely scared you off and the reason why you're where you are now. Forget about the fact that Shane is a woman, or your problems aren't over."

She didn't look at Marina, but she heard her cousin pacing. Soft, deliberate steps that shuffled the hay, like beats of her heart.

"Exactly what is so exciting about this girl that Shane is currently seeing?"

"It's not about her," Sydney whispered. "She's just this actress. This really hot actress who Shane met when Jenny brought her to a party. She's nice, Marina."

"And you hate her."

"I think time has proven that I've never exactly been good with competition," she said, managing a resigned grin.

Marina's mouth twitched, before her expression softened, and she sank down on the bale of hay with her, staring straight ahead into some unknown place, that seemed to hold every answer.

"Sydney... I've had five years, to watch Jenny move on. From male to female, to male to female – sometimes both at the same time, if the magazines are to be believed." Sydney closed her eyes, and didn't give an answer either way. In one instance, that had been true. "The truth, Sydney?"

Sydney glanced at her, found her cousin absolutely sincere, the thief's face somehow reminiscent of a woman she had known years ago, broken for the first time, because of love. Heart full, she nodded.

"I know what it feels like, Sydney. And if I had the chance – I would not have let her go. I would not have let her move on." Marina's eyes were dry, but Sydney had never been more sure of her conviction. "Tell Shane, before it is too late."

"Tell me what?"

Time froze for one, horrible second, when Shane stepped forward, one hand on the wooden doorway, peering at them both suspiciously.

Her friend wore her hair in a longer crop. It still had an untamed flair, but time had smoothed out Shane's rough edges, a true diamond cut from a rather beautiful lump of coal.

Sydney took in a haggard breath, a frightened smile pasted on her features, but her cousin saved her, one hand massaging gently on her shoulders.

"Forgive us, Shane – we were discussing something rather sensitive."

"Oh." Always the gentleman, Shane immediately nodded, ready to bow out. "Sure, dude – I'm sorry-"

"Actually..." Marina stood, gave her a welcome smile. "Perhaps it's time to fill you in."

"What?" Sydney blurted, panic giving her tone a nice screechy quality, as she jerked her head back to Marina. Marina just nodded simply.

Shane looked unsure, hovering in and out of the doorway. "What's going on?"

--

"Marina's planning on defecting to the United States."

Shane had expected that her revelation would cause somewhat of a stir amongst the group she had gathered in the back room of The Planet. She had discovered, however, that it was always better to give this sort of information in some sort of group setting, instead of letting it filter out, piece by piece, until it had gone through half of West Hollywood, and her friends were all gone crazed with worry. She had done it when she first gotten shot, the second time she had gone missing in action, and when she had been told that one time that Sydney had been declared dead.

As a result, not one of her friends really looked forward to these little shindigs. Alice said that it was like going to a car race – you were only there to see the crash.

Still, it was clear that whatever they came in expecting to hear, this was definitely not it.

"She's been in Europe for some time, building a reputation as a cat burglar – she works with this group of undergrounds, and they've gotten really good at stealing some really important shit. She's decided to use that clout for immunity in the US. Trade her services for citizenship."

Shane stood, hands on her hips, looking for any reaction from her group of friends – her family. She got nothing. All of them, from Bette to Dana, all had the same, stupefied look: blank shock.

"Um... guys?"

"Wait..." Alice began, blinking rapidly. "Wait... you said –"

"Marina? Our Marina- The Planet Marina? Marina Ferrer?"

"She goes by her given name now, Marina Derevko," Shane corrected, adjusting her glasses.

"She's WHAT?!"

"She's defecting – to the US. It's something she and Syd have been working on for a while."

Tina blinked, shifting her toddler on one hip, a blue-eyed, olive skinned little boy who giggled in reaction. "I'm still trying... you've been in contact with Marina this whole time?"

"Off and on." Shane took in a breath, managed a smile. "She and Syd, mostly. Marina helps us out on some missions that require a little finesse."

"By doing what, serving coffee?"

Casting Bette a glare, Shane shook her head. "I can't say."

"Shane, you've known how Marina was this whole time," Dana snapped. "You've known, and you didn't tell anyone?!"

Casting Dana a long look, Shane had no choice but to once again shake her head. "It was classified information, guys."

"Fuck classified-"

"Is there anything ELSE we don't know?" Dana asked, cutting off Alice. "Any big events we missed out? Any great adventures you and Marina had behind our backs?"

Shane rolled her eyes, before a memory cut her short, and she grinned. "Actually, there was this one time? Marina and Toni Cummings were working together on this job, and we were sent there to intercept them – and Toni decided that if she married Weiss, then he couldn't testify against her – so we basically had this crazy ass shot gun wedding in Hong Kong –"

"-OH MY GOD."

"I really can't believe that you've known how she was this whole time, and every time brought her up you said absolute shit to us, Shane."

"I'm a fucking SPY," she snapped, cutting off Alice. "You guys never seem to get it into your heads. I'm in the fucking CIA – if they knew I was even telling you this much, I'd get my ass thrown in jail."

"Then why tell us?" Bette asked easily. "Why now? I'm sure everyone here cares about Marina, but why the group announcement?"

She stood, the youngest of this group of friends, who had somehow managed to stay together through years of anger, resentment, marriages and divorces. She needed them now, she realized, like she always had.

"I don't know how Jenny's going to handle it," she finally admitted, carefully observing how Tina glanced away, how Dana reached for Alice's hand, tangling her fingers in her grip. "If it was up to Marina and Syd, she wouldn't be making any contact at all – but I know her. I know she misses us. I know she misses Jenny."

"You think that's why she's doing this? Coming back – because she's still got a torch for Jenny?" Alice asked. "Shane, are you sure?"

"It is a little unbelievable," Tina said softly. "It's been five years."

"Then maybe it's time we put it to rest." Suddenly tired, Shane rubbed at her temple. "I know what you guys are saying – what you guys think when it comes to Jenny. If Jenny's truly over Marina, then she deserves to know. Then maybe, they can both move on."

What she said made sense, and she knew it had gotten to them, when not one of her friends had anything to say in response, only heated glances, and meaningful silence.

Finally, Kit came forward, looking nervous and almost scared. "When is this going to happen?"

Shane shrugged. "A lot of it's up in the air. It's... it's really fucking dangerous – Marina would be working as a double agent – keeping her contacts – but... soon."

The jiggle of a door snapped Shane's mouth shut, as it shook a little in it's frame, and then the knob twisted, and an elven young woman with crystal eyes peered inside, eyes widening as she took in the inhabitants of the room, who at the moment, were doing a rather good imitation of a gaping school of fish.

"What's going on?" Jenny asked suspiciously.

Shane would have come up with something subtle, interesting, and non-threatening, but Dana completely ruined any shot for credibility when she turned, and said too loudly, "What DO YOU MEAN?!"

Even Alice rolled her eyes, sighing as Jenny stared, mouth quirking into an odd sort of smile.

"What do you think I mean? What are you guys doing in there?"

"Yeah, it looks kind of weird, doesn't it?" Shane said, laughing easily.

Shane and Jenny had been roommates for a short while, before their reputations got the better of them, and they both decided it would be better to split up, the second one girl came home with an expectation of a threesome – something that would have been absurdly uncomfortable, and just a little incestuous.

Still, Shane liked to think that she knew Jenny a little better than most.

"Just a little," Jenny said sarcastically, going from almost amused to a little annoyed, at finding all of her friends, obviously in a secret club meeting without her.

"Look, Jen..." Shane stepped forward, weaving around her friends. "I want to tell you what we're doing here, all right? But I can't."

"That's right we can't," Alice blurted.

"Okay... why is that exactly?"

"Because it's a surprise," Shane said simply.

"A surprise?" Jenny's eyes narrowed, studying Shane, before the other girl looked away, as if caught in a mildly embarrassing situation, and her eyes widened, palm coming to her mouth. "Oh my GOD! Are you guys planning a surprise party for me?!"

Tina blinked, but Shane caught her glare and nodded, smiling sheepishly. "God, Jen – you caught us."

"Oh my GOD!" Suddenly grinning like an idiot, Jenny just shook her head. "I'm so sorry, you guys! I'll just – no one's ever planned a party for me before!"

"That's right!" Alice nodded, ignoring Dana's befuddled look. "It's gonna be a doozy!"

"It will be, if you let us plan it," Shane corrected gently.

"Right! Right!" Nodding like a duck, Jenny bowed out, moving toward the door, opening it. "I can't believe you guys! You guys are the best friends ever! Oh, God! Look, I'll totally be surprised, I promise!"

She shut the door.

"You know – the way you lie so easily? Scares the shit out of me."

Shane smiled, moving back to the front of the room, ignoring Bette's incredulous glance. "Well, I guess we're planning a surprise party for Jenny," she muttered, leaning up against Kit's desk.

"Oh, it's going to be a surprise party alright," Alice said, elbow on the back of her chair, rolling her eyes. "Hey, Jenny! Your ex-lover who broke your heart a gazillion times and abandoned you is coming back suddenly into your life! Surprise!"

Tina shot her a warning glance. "You know that's not how it happened, Alice."

"Yeah," Alice pfffed. "Tell that to Jenny."

Dana raised her arm tentatively. "When the hell is Jenny's birthday?! I didn't even know it was coming up!" She swiveled her gaze to Alice. "What are you getting her?"

--

"This is completely unacceptable."

Dixon was tired, and it showed. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes, debating whether or not to even bother with a fresh cup of coffee this late at night. "John, I know that it's unorthodox-"

"Unorthodox?!" John Devlin glared, first at him, then at Jack Bristow, who sat calmly in a folding chair, looking almost bored in the midst of this tantrum. "From day ONE, Jack Bristow's team has been unorthodox! They've been damned illegal, Dixon! You let them do whatever they want-"

"My team works within the boundaries they were given," Jack interrupted smoothly. "It was understood when it was formed that the Crack Team was allowed to take certain measures to achieve their goals."

"It's your personal vigilante group, Jack," John snapped. "Dixon- The Crack Team has too much freedom as it is. They're over the line. This request is preposterous!"

Dixon sighed, tone as soothing as possible. "John, if it wasn't for Jack's work with the Derevkos, they wouldn't have been willing to help us much as they have. It's because of them that we have come as far as we have in our attempts to curb Arvin Sloane's attempts at-"

"You and I both know that the Derevkos have their share in that." John squared his shoulders. "I don't care what personal connection he has with the Derevko Devil Women. They can be his fucking harem for all I care-"

"Watch yourself, John," Dixon warned, shifting his gaze to Jack, whose brows furrowed dangerously.

"What? Everyone knows Jack's fucked at least two of them," John snapped. "How do we know that this isn't a new conquest-"

"Because she's my niece." Jack never lost control, but his voice cut through the conversation like a knife through butter, stopping the sputtering John with a cold look and a firm frown. "And if you take that tone or that stance with me again, John, you will regret it."

Dixon fought his smile, shaking his head as the older man nearly reared at Jack's implied threat. Jack had many enemies, but they all knew better than to attempt a direct confrontation with the man.

Clearing his throat, he drew the attention toward him. "If we are indeed getting closer to Rambaldi's endgame," he said softly, "Then we should consider ourselves lucky that a few of them have decided to take our side."

It was a done deal, and John ruffled like a wounded peacock, exceedingly angry. "You'll regret this decision – those women are vipers."

"If you insult my agents one more time," Dixon said coolly, "You'll have more to deal with than Jack."

"I'll stop this," John warned, already retreating for the door. "I'll take this to the President if I have to."

"Give him my regards," Jack piped up. "And tell him that I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it for dinner last Thursday, but I am free for the golfing outing he suggested."

The door slammed so hard it shook in it's frame, and Dixon failed miserably at trying to curb his smirk, eyeing Jack Bristow in the silence that followed.

"The man has a point," he said methodically. "I trust Sydney with my life, Jack – but there hasn't been one Derevko I've been in contact with that hasn't betrayed us."

"You haven't met Marina," Jack answered. "Trust me. If not, trust her loyalty to Sydney – she no longer has ties with her mother."

"And Irina?" Dixon's dark eyes bore into Jack.

"I don't trust her either," Jack said simply. "But I trust her loyalty to her daughter, to Marina."

"Nadia is her daughter as well."

"All that does," Jack answered, "Is make it interesting."

--

Her old house smelled of mothballs and ocean.

Marina pushed into the door, gaze on the bare walls, almost cement gray – cold and sterile.

"You okay?" Shane asked, dropping two of her bags on the floor of the hallway, stepping over them.

Marina sighed, placing her own back down with a little more grace. "I just... never realized how cold this seemed. The color."

"You can always change them," Sydney suggested, kicking the door shut, bringing in another box. "Maybe paint it a brighter color?"

"Like what," Marina asked, smiling pulling at her lips. "Hot pink?"

Shane winced, recoiling in horror at the mere thought. "Dude, don't even play like that."

Marina winked, sighing as she looked toward the dusty counter of her kitchen, dreary with dirt.

A small hand snuck around her waist, and Marina smiled, leaning into Sydney's embrace, carefully curling an arm around her cousin.

"What's up?" she asked, gentle in her concern.

Shane stepped on the other side of her, beautiful brown eyes dark with concern.

"Nothing," Marina answered, heart full, on a precipice of anticipation and dread. "It's just been a very long time for me."

"Five years..." Shane mused. "Yeah... it went by quick though, didn't it?"

"Everything is different now," Marina breathed.

Sydney glanced at them both, and her voice was oddly colored as she answered, "That's not true. Some things never change."

It was a quiet moment, a glance shared between her cousin and her unknowing love, and Marina had to agree, stepping forward, removing herself from between them, until the two shared a deep, intense stare.

"I should go," Shane said, after a moment, glancing first at Marina, then back at Sydney. "I gotta meet my girlfriend-"

Whether Shane purposely missed the look on Sydney's face, or she simply did not see it, Marina didn't know, but she kept her mouth shut, nodded.

"Thank you, Shane."

"Listen..." Hesitant, the younger spy stepped forward, palms slapped together in an awkward sense of motion. "This Saturday? We're having this surprise birthday party for Jenny."

Jenny. It was almost pathetic, the way the mere mention of her name sent a jolt through her, a painful stitch that had never quite healed.

"Shane, I don't really think-"

"I do." Shane's voice was authoritative, final. "Look – we might as well get this over with, all right? I know you want to see her."

"She hates me, Shane," Marina said softly, voice cracking slightly. "The last thing I would want to do is ruin her night-"

"She doesn't hate you." Both Shane and Sydney glanced at each other in surprise, their voices melding together.

"Can I think about it?" Marina asked.

"No," Shane grinned. "Just be there. Come with Syd."

Her friend, despite her designer suit and smarter, sexier haircut, was still Shane, who gave them both a casual thumbs up and a breathtaking smile, nodding, giving them a little wave, before making her exit.

Marina's heart warmed with affection, and she smiled indulgently at Sydney, who looked torn, affected in a much different way, Marina reasoned, than herself, at Shane's charismatic aura.

"She's very beautiful," Marina said gently.

Sydney blushed, shaking her head before she let out a heavy sigh, stepping around Marina, into the living room, watching the view of the Venice canal from the huge glass window.

"How does it feel?" she asked softly. "Being home, after all these years?"

Marina came forward, until both cousins were side by side, watching the sun as it set on Los Angeles.

"It feels as if I never left."

Sydney turned, eyes suddenly bright with tears, palms reaching for Marina's elbows, holding on tight.

"Welcome home, Marina."

It was when Sydney held her, crushed her in an affectionate embrace of deep, consuming love, that Marina finally understood the words, finally knew what it meant to truly be home.

It had taken five years of running to discover it.

She knew now, she would never leave again.

FIN