THE LOST BRISTOW

Mischa got out of the van and headed into the safehouse, leaving the door open for Jan to follow. "There should be some food in the pantry if you're hungry," she said, sitting down on the couch and trying to hide how much her
body was aching.

Not wanting to be alone, Jan followed her into the safehouse, closing it. Jan sat down on the couch with
her and knew her body was still aching. "Thanks Mischa, but first we should take a look atyour wounds." Jan said to her.

"I'll be fine," she said, slipping to the side a bit, still unsure of what this man's objective was. She couldn't help but wonder if this was a trap, but then again - he had rescued her. - She finlched as she moved, closing her eyes and thinking about her next move.

"Never mind then." Jan said in a way that almost betrayed he was going to sigh. . . but he didn't. He didn't blame Mischa for responding to
him like
that, since he was the one responsible of most of the injuries on her body. He
still couldn't
shake off the image of his father holding her by her hair... the pain it must
have done.

Mischa closed her eyes tightly, stretching a bit, flinching as she
did so, causing her shirt to ride up a bit and reveal deep purple bruises on her
abdomen
where she had been hit in the gut. She sighed a bit, tryign to find a
comfortable position
to sit in while she weighed her options.

"Are you hungry yourself? I could prepare some food for you..."
Jan said as he looked how she tried to find a comfortable sitting position. As
he saw her
shirt ride up a bit, Jan saw a bit of his skin and no to forget deep purple
bruises on her
abdomen. . . While seeing that, Jan just blurted out the next words... "It
pains me to see
you hurt like this, Mischa Vaughn..." Was Jan oblivious to them or did he know
he said
them??

"Yeah, call me crazy, but hearing that from the man who tried to
slit my throat, is not really reassuring," she said, not moving from her
position on the
couch. "I'm not hungry," she said, her tone softening a bit, though she couldn't
explain
why, "I just need to figure out what to do next." She paused, then turned to
look at him.
"Thanks for the offer to help," she said, feeling bad about how she was treating
him- after
all, he had rescued her. She stood slowly, and got down on hte floor, removing
one of the
panels and taking out a communications device. "They should be monitoring me,
let's see
if they're still out there.." she said, her voice trailing off as she paused.
"Does your father
have any devices that could allow him to track us with our signal? We can't let
him know
where we are."

"Hey, I'm here right now... better make myself useful." Jan
said, the last bit a little softer. "I know it's strange... hearing that offer
from me. "I don't
think he has any of those..." Jan said. It was getting harder to turn away, to
just resist
looking at this girl... this woman. He intrigued her.

Mischa began hooking up the connection, but the bruises on her
abdomen were causing he more and more pain. "Maybe I should let you check these
bruises out. I might have internal bleeding," she said, leaving the communicator
for a
moment and moving back to the couch, lying on her back and taking a deep breath.
"If
this is ok with you, I mean.." she added softly.

"I want to try and make things better for you." Jan said as he
got off the couch so he could give Mischa some room. "I know that you can't just
forgive
all the things I did to you that easily... but..." Jan sighed. "If he had just
told me, then I
wouldn't have agreed to work with him straight from the start. Then again, who
is to say I
had still lived?" Jan rhetorically asked. Jan got a bit closer. "Do you know the
first aid kit is
in this safehouse?"

"It should be on the mantle abouve the fireplace," she said,
pointing to the far side of the room. "So he told you that you were working for
the CIA?"
she asked, trying to sort through all of this in her mind as she got settled on
the couch.

As Jan made his way to retrieve the first aid kit from the mantle
above the fireplace, Jan continued to tell Mischa his story. "Yes... he did."
Jan simply said
as he took the first aid kit from its resting place. He got back to Mischa who
had settled on
the couch, kneeled on the ground and opened the first aid kit. "I thought it'd
be nice to be
with my dad on his work, and I liked it until this day... when I found out the
Awful Truth."
Jan said as he took out things that were needed for his attempt at fixing Mischa
Vaughn
up a bit.

"I'm sorry, Jan," she said sympathetically. "My parents were killed
when I was young, but even as a child I would have done anything to please
them." Mischa
took a deep breath and lifted up her shirt a bit so Jan could take a look at her
bruises.
"You have medical training, too?"

Jan listened to what Mischa was saying about herself. "I'm sorry
for your loss. I've never known my mother... he said she left me with him after
I was
born..." Jan said, the second part of the second sentence a little more softly.
Like at any
moment he'd break down and cry. He had heard the deep breath and knew that it
was
quite rare for a total stranger to let her touch her body. Jan couldn't help but
gaze a bit at
her body, blinking away the bruises. Underneath them he saw a great beautiful
body...
"Yeah, during my first couple of years..." Jan said as he began to cover up her
bruises with
plaster tape from the first aid kit.

Mischa flinched as he touched her tender bruises. "And you had
no idea you were really working for- the Covenant?" she asked tentaively, not
sure how he
might react to hearing those words out loud. Mischa swallowed from the pain in
her
wounds as he continued to try and patch her up. "How bad is it?" she asked,
since he had
medical training he would be able to assess her injuries.

"No." Jan answered politely and to the point. Jan saw how his
hands on her body that were trying to take some of the pain away affected her.
"It's not
that bad, just a little bit." Jan said to her as he continued with adding
another plater tape
to a bruise, more carefully than before.

"Thanks," she said softly, cracking a smile for the first time since
they had reached the safehouse. "I;m sorry about your past- you're mother," she
said
softly, as she felt his hands on her stomach, tending to her wounds. "You didn't
tell me
your lest name, Jan....?" she said, watching as he worked carefully.

"Anytime and thank you, Mischa. For the truth." The young
man that had previously kidnapped Mischa Vaughn now said to her. Here she was
again...
ever the persistent one. Should he tell her? Or should he lie to her? *Man,
she's so
beautiful! I can't just lie to someone that beautiful, can I?* Jan thought...
"Natchios." He
said as he finished helping her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jan Natchios," she said with a smile,
moving carefully to sit up and reaching for the communicator. She pushed a few
buttons,
then sent out her signal, "Shooting Star to Base Ops." The sound of Sydney
Bristow's voice
came over the com asking Mischa where she was and what was going on. Mischa
filled her
in, and finished by saying, "I've got one of them with me, apparently he had no
idea who
he was working for. When can we expect an extraction, Pheonix?" Sydney responded
that a
transport would be there in the morning, and with that cut off coms. Mischa
turned to Jan
and smiled. "I guess we're stuck here for the night," she said softly.

"Same here, Mischa Vaughn, even though I would have wished
for better meeting points." Jan said with a smile of his own. He had never ever
heard his
mother speak, or his father show a tape recording of his mother. . . so he had
no clue who
the voice belonged to. Okay, he did know her code-name was Phoenix, like the
mythical
bird that arose from the ashes. "Yeah... anyway you're all patched up now." He
said
smiling.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. She grabbed a blanket and
pulled it up over her, shivering a bit as it had gotten colder in the room since
they had
arrived. "We should probably get some rest," she said, looking into Jan's eyes.
"I think
there's a bedroom upstairs, if you want. I'll stay on the couch, and keep guard-
just in
case."

"Anytime, Miss Mischa Vaughn." The young man said smiling
as he did so. He couldn't help but look into those beautiful eyes... and vaguely
thought
back to the dream he had had before his dad had called this morning... that he
was with
this girl... the perfect embodiment of the girl in the dream! "It's okay.
Believe it or not, I'm
used to sleeping on the couch or ground. Would you mind if I took a shower
before
turning in?" Jan asked.

"Of course not. The bathroom is just to the right of the kitchen,"
she said, pointing to the back of the house. "There should be a change of
clothes for you
in the linen cabinet too, if you like," she added with a smile, looking at this
man and
thinking, under different circumstances, he might be, well he was, very
handsome.

"Thank you. I'd hug you, but you need your rest." Jan said and
smiled at her. How he wanted to kiss her cheek as a way to thank her! But he
didn't do it.
Instead, he reached for her hand and squeezed it softly. "Well, you don't have
to wait or
stay up for me!" Jan said and then turned in the direction of the bathroom.

"Thank you. I'd hug you, but you need your rest." Jan said and
smiled at her. How he wanted to kiss her cheek as a way to thank her! But he
didn't do it.
Instead, he reached for her hand and squeezed it softly. "Well, you don't have
to wait or
stay up for me!" Jan said and then turned in the direction of the bathroom.

Mischa smiled as Jan squeezed her hand, then watched him move
towards the back of the safehouse, and heard the shower turn on. She reached for
her
weapon and tucked it underneath her pillow, ready to attack on the first sound
of an
intruder. Slowly, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep, finally having found a
comfortable
position to lay in on the couch.

**Great one, Jan Bristow! Lying about your last name! What if
the person on that communication device is your mother? What would you say
then, huh?
Mischa'd be shocked if I told her my last name was Bristow! I'm sure she would
have called
me a liar if I said my real last name...** were the thoughts that swirled
through Jan's mind
as he allowed his hot nude body to get touched by the equally hot water. Another
thought
came up... that of letting all of his anger get out and start hitting the wall!
As if his
problems and troubles would be going away anytime soon. . . so he decided not to
do
that. As Jan got out of the shower, he put on some new clothes and left the
bathroom. The
young man that had gotten a bit, or maybe a huge chunk, interested in Mischa
Vaughn
came into the room where Mischa was laying comfortably on the couch. He saw some

blankets and put them over Mischa's sleeping form, while indecent thoughts crept
inside
his mind, swirling around as they had done in the shower. Instead, Jan leaned
the back of
his head against one of the foot of the couch and sunk into the Dream Zone.

Mischa had no idea how long they slept, but the noise outside
the safehouse jarred her awake. She looked down at Jan, sound asleep with his
head on
the foot of the couch, and painfully but silently crept up and outside, her gun
ready for
anything. As Mischa reached the door, she heard Sydney's familiar voice.
"Mischa?" she
called out. Mischa stepped outside the safehouse and smiled. "Agent Bristow, I
didn't know
you were coming personally. It's good to see you, Sydney." Mischa motioned
towrds the
door. "The man that I told you about is inside, still asleep. We should get him
up and get
out of here, before the other one comes back. Sydney, if not for that man, the
other one
would surely have killed me." Her tone softened and her eyes took on a dreamy
look as
she said, "He rescued me- and turned on his own father to do it, Sydney."

Jan was having another dream.. one where he met his mother
and were friendly with each other and plotting to get his father in custody....
but it was
sorta interrupted due to a sound, but he dismissed it, thinking it had come as a
part of the
dream he was having... and Mischa was in there too, as his girlfriend.

Let's go get him then- the sooner we do that, the faster we get
out of here," said Sydney. She noticed Mischa walking carefully, and flinching a
bit.
"Are you alright Mischa?" she asked. Mischa nodded, and said,"
Let's just get out of here." She re-entered the safehouse, followed by Sydney,
and knelt
next to Jan, shaking him gently. "Jan? Jan, wake up- it's time to go."

"Oh... mom.... not now..." Jan said stirring in his sleep, when
his eyes suddenly popped open! *AGH! Who's that woman?!* Jan immediately
thought. "Oh
my, I'm sorry. I'm Jan Natchios. And I'm up!" He said smiling.
And held out a hand for her to shake...

Sydney smiled, this man certainly was cute. She took his hand
and shook it, saying, "Agent Sydney Bristow, nice to meet you Mr. Natchios. We
should
really get going before your father comes back." She turned to Mischa, and
smiled. "I've
arranged to have a medic on the plane, though it looks like Mr. Natchios took
good care of
you- still, I'd like to have you looked at." Mischa nodded as Sydney turned to
Jan. "And I'll
handle your debrief on the flight back to LA, so we can sort all this out." She
motioned for
them to follow. "Come on, you two, there's a car waiting to take us to the
airport and a
plane waiting to take us home."

Jan swallowed after the name that was given to him. He didn't
know how fast he retracted his hand after Sydney had shook it. *THIS is MY
MOTHER??!!*
Jan thought. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Bristow." Jan said and smiled.
"Yeah, let's all
get scarce. Wouldn't want to see him again ever."

Sydney lead the way as they all got into the car, which took them
the short distance to the airport. When they boarded the plane, Sydney pointed
to two
gentlemen in the back of the plane. "Those are the medics, Mischa. Go let them
check you
out thoroughly." Mischa again nodded and turned to Jan. "I'll see you soon," she
said,
flashing him a beautiful smile. Then she turned and headed to the back of the
plane, and
behind a curtain for a full exam of her injuries. Sydney turned to Jan and
smiled. "Well,
have a seat Mr. Natchios, and let''s get started."

Jan Bristow followed Sydney and Mischa into the car, which
drove them to the airport in what seemed to Jan the shortest drive yet! Jan
actually
blushed when hearing Mischa talk about seeing him soon. Could her smile get
anymore
beautiful??? Jan's eyes had been on Mischa until that fateful moment, the
curtains being
pulled forward to hide the thorough examination. "Why thank you, Miss..." Jan
said as he
sat down on a desired seat.

Mischa submitted to the exam, flinching a bit as the medics
tended to her and thinking they were not nearly as gentle as Jan had been.
Meanwhile,
Sydney took out a tape recorder and flipped it on, sitting next to Jan. "So,
Jan, what is
your father's full name and what did he tell you about who you were working
for?" she
asked, looking at Jan.

"My father's name... was Michael Chrisopher Br... Natchios. I was
recruited by him 7 years ago. At that time I hadn't known anything was up, as I
thought I
was CIA because what he has told me." Jan began to recount everything that had
happened
in his life up to the point of yesterday.

Sydney listened carefully as Jan recounted everything he had
been through, which was quite a bit. Still, her instincts told her there was
more to this
man- to this story- than he was telling. She folded her hands in her lap and
looked up at
him. "Jan," she said slowly, "I want to be sure you are telling me everything.
Lying to the US
government is a serious offense."

"I know, Madame Bristow. He had me so convinced that I was
working for them.... I never even knew my mother, you see." Jan said, the last
part softly.
He wasn't even sure WHY he was telling this to the woman who was his mother,
only didn't
know it due to the fact that Jan used a fake name. "She... just left me with him
after she
gave birth to me..."

Sydney thought back to her own son, how Michael had taken her
son from her. Could this be... no, she thought. It isn't possible. Still, he was
the right
age..... "Well, Jan, is that all you have to tel me?" she asked, expecting
something else...
though she wasn't sure what.

Jan looked into Sydney's eyes. *Oh my god, does she know?*
Jan thought as the intensity of staring and getting lost in her eyes increased.
He thought
hard about something else to say. . . but couldn't come up with one. He shook
his head
no.

"Ok, then," said Sydney, turning off the recorder. She smiled at
Jan, and added, "You're going to be ok. We will track down your father."
Meanwhile, one of
the medics came up and started to speak. "She'll be ok, but she needs to lie
still. She has a
wound on her neck and a few cracked ribs, with some internal bleeding. We will
take her
to the hospital as soon as we land in LA. You can go back and see her if you
like, one at a
time." Sydney looked ather things. "I have to review my notes- you go ahead,
Jan, stay with
her a while," she told him.

: Jan couldn't believe his ears. He was 100% certain that he
hadn't been the one who had delivered that blow. Then he remembered... the cut
he had
made with the knife! Jan quickly stood up, a little bit too soon, unnerved by
Mischa's
condition AND just sitting here with his mother, that had left him alone to live
with his
father, who wasn't being honest!! "If that's okay... I'll just do that then."

Sydney watched Jan walk away and couldn't shake her unsettled
feeling. He also seemed somewhat could to her. As soon as he was gone, she
dialed
Marshall's extension andgave him Jan's and his father's full name. "See what you
can find
out for me." Meanwhile, Mischa laid on a makeshift hospital bed in the back of
the plane in
a plain gown, and IV of medicine in her arm.

"Mischa!" Jan said, running to the makeshift hospital bed and
joining her side. "Oh my ...." Jan said. It wasn't really a good idea to ask if
she was alright,
considering from what he was seeing right now.

"Jan," she said weakly, turning to face him and reaching out for his
hand. "I'm ok," she said softly. "It's not as bad as it looks," she lied.

He took her hand, and when they connected, tears streamed
down his face. "I'm so sorry... it's my fault you're laying here... all because
I wanted to
make him proud.... that bastard's going to pay."

"It's ok, Jan," she said softly, holding his hand. "You're on the right
side now- that's what matters." She looked into his eyes and forced a small
smile.

"No... I don't want you to leave me... now after I've found you..." Jan said,
whispering the
last sentence softly

"I won't, I promise," she said softly, smiling. "I'm glad I found you
too," she added, smiling and holding his hand, knowing that his strength would
get her
through this.

Jan was shocked at hearing the words come out of her mouth,
but didn't show it on his face. He got towards her a little bit more and bent
toward her,
giving her a hug.

Mischa hid a flinch as Jan embraced her, and smiled as she looked
into his eyes. "Did you talk to Sydney? She'll find your father- we won't let
him hurt you."

"Yes, I did. She's a nice person....." Jan said. "I never should have
done that to you."

"It's ok, Jan," she said, trying to be understanding of his situation.
"It wasn't you. I see that now. The real you carried me out of htere before your
father could
kill me." she reminded him, with a soft smile.

Jan never once broke the connection the two had allowed to give
to one another by holding the other's hand. A smile clouded up through Jan's
tears.

"Don't cry," said Mischa, reaching up with her other hand to brush
away a tear. "Jan look at it this way- you saved my life."

*Seems to me I only worsened it.* Jan thought as he looked at
her. Jan never felt so sure about anything else... he wanted to, more than
anything, but he
didn't want to scare Mischa off. "I know." Jan said and carefully moved his lips
to hers. . .

Mischa closed her eyes, having noticed he was moving closer, her
free hand reaching up to gently touch his face.

Jan kissed her lips softly, this moment had just been the
moment to make a move on her... even if she was in a life-threatening situation
like this
one. His other hand reached up to touch her face as softly as his lips had done.


Mischa returned his kiss as his lips softly touched her own. Her
hand gently caressed his cheek as they kissed softly.

"Oh, Jan," she whispered, when their lips finally parted.

"Mischa..." Jan whispered, as if they had agreed on whispering
the other's name after a kiss. "Hey, you never told me. How did you sleep at the

safehouse?"

"Surprisingly well," she said with a smile. "Believe it or not, I felt
safe- with you there," she said with a smile. "I knew you'd protect me," she
whispered.
"Jan? Stay with me? I don't want to be alone."

"I'm not going anywhere." Jan said with a shrug. He smiled. "We
both felt safe..." Jan said, trailing off, because he actually wanted to finish
his sentence
with 'with eachother.' "From now on, you'll never be alone, Mischa Vaughn." Jan
said. . .
but couldn't help but wonder what she would think of him after she knew the
truth about
being related to Sydney Bristow. . . "I slept well too. . . even though it was
against the foot
of a couch." Jan said laughing.

Mischa laughed, then flinched. "Ouch," she said, smiling.
"Apparently broken ribs hurt when you laugh." She smiled up at Jan, and squezzed
his
hand. "Thanks," she said. "For saving my life. For everything."

Mischa heard the pilot come over the intercom, "We'll be landing
in a moment, please buckle up." She turned to Jan, and said, "Put your seatbelt
on, young
man."