Former "Thieves" star Melissa George has been cast as the woman who steals Vaughn's heart on "Alias."

George will join the cast of ABC's spy thriller this fall as Vaughn's (Michael Vartan) wife, National Security Council agent Lauren Reed.

The show has jumped ahead in time for its third season. Last season's finale ended with Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) waking up in Hong Kong to find that two years had passed and she has no recollection of them. Everyone else, meanwhile, assumed Sydney was dead, which explains why her boyfriend is now married.

The recovery of Sydney's memory will be a major theme for the coming season, as her mind may hold information that is valuable to people on all sides of the intelligence community, including bad guy Sloane (Ron Rifkin).

George, a native of Australia, starred in ABC's short-lived "Thieves" in 2001. Her other credits include "Sugar & Spice," "Down with Love" and guest roles on "Friends" and "Monk."