Title: 21st century Juliet - Can true love be strong enough to conquer hate?
Author: Shanice
Pairing: Jack/Irina
Disclaimer: Jack, Irina, Kendall and all the other characters belong to JJ, abc and the wonderful crew.
Spoiler: Somewhere after Irina escaped... probably not compatible with the actual story-line, but had to write this down since it seemed like the perfect idea to me.
Summary: When Jack and Irina meet again after she has escaped, there is nothing but hate and desire between them. It's a struggle of who is more powerful... but as time goes by both of them have to admit that the feelings they have go far beyond desire.
How hard is it to overcome hate, how impossible to forgive betrayal and how much does love cost, when there are two enemy countries standing between lovers?
Thanks to A for betareading this story, for encouraging me and doing this incredible work.
Edit: Unfortunately A had no more time to betaread the story, so from chapter 8 (Cold War), I thank cmste for correcting my mistakes! Thanks to both of you for the much time you invested in this story.
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Part 1 - Game of Power (Rating PG-13)
"I told you to take care of him, so he won't interrupt us! I did not tell you to bring him here!"
Irina Derevko was furious. In fact her reaction was far behind fury. Sark stepped back to bring a little distance between them.
"I didn't know what to do! I thought..."
"Next time don't think!" her eyes pierced him. "Just carry out my orders! No interpretation of yours, understood?"
"Yes..." He watched her turning around. "Do you have any idea what I shall do with him now? Shall I kill him?"
Again she focused him. "Kill him? Sometimes I wonder why I hired you!" She slammed her fist to the table. Her head started to hurt and she tried to calm down by rubbing her temples lightly. "You won't touch him! I will take care of him..." she decided.
"But... Irina, maybe..."
"Do I talk Chinese, or why don't you listen to what I order you to do?" she asked and Sark knew that this was the best time to get out of her room if he wanted to prevent another attack of fury.
"Okay, I'll take him... to the empty chamber in the cellar!"
Irina watched him leave the room and sank back to her chair. If she wanted something done it was best if she did it herself. She was tired of Sark's interpretations of her orders. He made too many mistakes... mistakes that could cost their lives someday. Sure, he was a good assassin, but he was far too stubborn and childish. He acted out of his emotion and that could cause problems... just like now. What the hell had he been thinking bringing Jack Bristow to her hiding? He should know better than anyone that Jack was not the easiest guy to deal with.
She would have to search for a new place after they got rid off him. And she had to contact and warn him not to show up here.
+~+~+~
Jack Bristow woke up when he heard someone enter the room. He moaned and wanted to hold his head but found his hands cuffed to the bed. He opened his eyes and tried to recognize the person who was coming directly towards him now. Irina Derevko. His fury overwhelmed him immediately and gave him all his consciousness back.
"You!" he hissed and Irina looked at him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't plan to kidnap you... unfortunately my asset likes to interpret my orders the way he likes to... here, drink that!"
He turned his head away when she held the glass to his mouth.
"I'm not trying to kill you! This will help you!"
"Did you drug me?" Jack snapped at her and she nodded.
"Yes... another one of those misinterpretations."
She smiled at him and finally he drank the bitter liquid in the glass. She seemed right. He started to feel better almost immediately.
"You've betrayed the CIA... me! Again!" he dryly said and Irina lowered her eyes.
"Yes... I couldn't tell you, Jack!"
"You used me the whole time!"
"That's not true! Not really... I just didn't give you all the information about my plan." She looked at him.
"And what was your... plan?" The way he pronounced the word made clear, that he wasn't willing to believe her.
"Rambaldi!" Irina turned the glass in her hand. "It was always about him. I turned myself in, in order to get the Rambaldi pieces of the CIA... and to access Echelon!"
Jack sank back and moaned. "So, Kendall was right! The whole time you had your own plans. You played a game with us, Irina! What was with the last night we shared? How was that part of your plan?" he threw the words bitterly at her and locked his eyes with hers.
"It wasn't!" she avoided his eyes. "I hadn't planned this. Actually a lot happened that I hadn't planned..."
He laughed ironically. "So, why did you kidnap me?"
"It was an accident!" she explained.
"So then... let me go!"
"I can't... not right now. I just need everything prepared for my leave. I can't just let you go now, Jack! You'd betray me and within an hour I'd be arrested in my cell again!"
"That's where you belong!"
She smiled at him. "You've always thought about the CIA at first. You've never questioned their actions or methods!"
"That is not true!" he replied and shifted uncomfortably. His handcuffs didn't leave him much freedom to move.
"Promise me to behave, Jack?" she asked and pulled out the keys of the handcuffs. He growled a "Yes" and she smiled.
"Good decision!" With these words she opened the cuffs and gave the key to him so he could get the of his hands. "Jack, I am really sorry about this... if you want, you can join me upstairs."
"What about your asset... Sark? I'm sure he won't be so thrilled to see me! There is a slight danger that I might kill him!"
She laughed. "Sark is not here. I sent him away... you can trust me Jack, I'm not setting you up!"
She got up and turned her back to him in order to go to the door. The next moment he grabbed her weapon and pulled her back. She cried out furiously and with a few moves she had freed herself out of his grip. She kicked the weapon out of his hand and slammed her fist into his stomach. Believing that he had enough she didn't prepare for defense and so she was surprised when his fist hit her back. She stumbled back, her head spinning until she felt the cold stone wall behind her. Before she could move, he pressed her into the wall and she heard the clicking of the handcuffs. He had cuffed her to the old metal pipe in the corner of the room. Breathing heavily he stepped back and sank down onto the bed. His stomach hurt... no doubt, she was really strong. Damn her!
"You promised... to behave!" Irina gasped and tried to get free... without success.
"A promise made to you is worthless..." he answered coldly.
It was more an instinct that made him look at her. He saw her pulling a second, smaller gun out of her jeans with her free hand. He pounced on her and slammed her hand with the weapon against the wall. She cried out in pain and dropped the gun. It fell to the ground and he kicked it away, still pinning her hand to the wall.
"Bitch!" he uttered and she looked at him, her head leaning against the wall. "It was a mistake of you to tell me that you men are all gone!"
She tried to free herself and cried out in frustration. He leaned his forehead next to her face against the wall, still breathing heavily.
"You have a strong beat..." he managed to say. She had calmed down by now and leaned against the wall.
"So what now? Are you going to kill me?"
"I should... yes, I really should!" he answered looking at her. "But I want to see you spent the rest of your lifetime in prison!"
"Let's discuss it... reasonable!"
When he heard her words, he almost started to laugh.
"Discuss? We've got nothing to discuss!"
She tried to free her hand and his grip tightened.
"Don't even think about it..." he warned.
"So, what do you plan to do now? Pin me to this wall until the CIA finds us by fortune?"
The slight amusement in her voice caused fury to build up within him. He felt for his cell-phone. Of course, it was gone. She was not a fool, even if his kidnapping had been an accident.
"Well, fine by me! By the way, my guards will soon come and look for me if I don't show up again!"
"Shut up!" he growled and thought.
She was right, he had to let her go... there was no way to get out of here without her. She shifted a little, her body lightly touching his - he flinched at the warmth of her body and cursed himself for doing so at the same moment. Of course she had noticed. She laid her head back against the wall. Her hair softly framed her face although it looked still a little tousled from their little fight. Damned, she looked irresistible to him, and obviously she knew that she did.
He had to bring distance between them... which was hard concerning the fact that he still held her against the wall.
Suddenly she lowered her face to his, their lips so close that they were almost touching.
"What are you thinking of?" she whispered against his lips.
Bitch, he thought. As if she didn't knew what was going on in his mind. Well, two could play this game and thanks to her, he had a lot of practice in her little games.
"I was thinking..." he whispered back and paused a little. "...how stupid I was to ever believe, that you had some kind of dignity."
He was satisfied when his words totally put her off. Her confusion was reflected in her eyes only a little moment, then she gained control over her feelings again.
"Oh... really." Okay, so he wanted to play - fine by her. "So you think I don't have dignity?"
Her eyes locked with his and he wondered whether they had always had that beautiful chocolate color.
"Obviously you don't, just look at what you're trying right now..." he forced himself to think rationally and focus.
"Really... well... I'm not the one pinning a weaker opponent to a wall!"
He had almost let go of her hand when he heard her words. Be careful, he reminded himself, she is very good at manipulating.
"Mmm... let me see. Weaker, huh? I remember that you kidnapped me, you threatened me with a weapon and I believe, that you do still have a knife or something and are just waiting for me to let you go in order to kill me then. So considering my protection I think it would be foolish of me to let you go!"
She laughed. "Well, you might be right... why don't you have a closer look at me and take the weapon away?"
Damn it, two to one for her. He hadn't see that one coming... although he should have considering whom he was talking to. She was trying to break down his properly built walls of rationalism.
"I could as well just take your gun and shoot you!" he reminded her but she shook her head smiling.
"I don't think you'd do that!"
"Don't you?"
"No... since you want to see me spend the rest of my life in prison!"
"Things can change within seconds!"
Why did the feeling come to him, that she was winning this game? She behaved as if she predicted every single word he said even before he knew he'd say it. Okay then, he thought, let's give Ms Derevko a little surprise.
"That's so true!" he answered and before she come up with another provocation, he silenced her with his mouth. His touch was not gentle, on the contrary. It was a mean to make clear that he was the one in power. Relentlessly he demanded entrance with his tongue.
She was totally overwhelmed and... yes, she had to admit it, shocked. Instinctively she tried to free her hand, but his grip tightened again.
Mental note: Never underestimate Jack Bristow again, she thought to herself and tried to force back the feeling of slight panic that started to come up deep within. She had meant to break down his walls, instead he had broken hers by catching her totally by surprise. She made a little sound trying to turn her head away from him and when he realized that she was only inches away from seriously panicing, he softened his kiss. Her panic made him see himself as winner of this game.
His loosened his grip on her hand a little and started to tenderly caress her palm with his thumb.
This sudden change put her off again. Panic, well... she had been trained to deal with it and it would have taken her only seconds to regain control. But now her panic changed into something else, much more powerful and intense which she knew she would not be able to fight long. Well, it was kind of her own fault. She had played with fire and should have been aware of the possibility to get burned.
She suddenly pulled her hand out of his in a last attempt to get free, but he seemed to have expected her to do so. Before she had even realized that her hand was free he hand caught it again and entwined his fingers with hers.
Her resistance melted like ice in the sun and she moaned lightly into his mouth. He deepened the kiss and softly pressed her body to his with his free hand.
Red alert... the alarms in his head started to ring almost deafening. He was just before loosing his control. That had not been the plan. He had wanted her to loose control, not himself.
Abruptly he broke the kiss. She moaned at the sudden loss of his warmth, breathing heavily and her head leaning against the wall. He didn't even think about holding her hand anymore, but let her go and stepped back to get a few meters distance between them
"Just for the record... I defeated you!" he noticed and hoped that his voice didn't tremble... as his whole body did.
God, this was Irina Derevko, a terrorist and murderer. He shouldn't be thinking about kissing her, but how to take her back into the next federal prison!
She looked at him and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess you did and I accept it! Could you open the cuffs now... please?"
"I'm not a fool!"
"No, obviously you're not!" she growled, anger starting to build up inside of her that he had managed to make her loose all her ability to think reasonably. "But as I've already told you, my men will soon be looking for me and if they find me cuffed to this wall, they will shoot you without asking for further details!"
She had a point, provided that she was telling the truth.
"Okay, I will free you if you promise to neither kill nor threaten me!"
"Fine!"
He took the keys and opened the cuffs around her hand. Only one second later he regretted having done so. Before he had even realized what was happening she had closed the cuff around his hand and taken the key out of his hand. Then she stepped back, rubbing her palm and smiling triumphantly.
"Well, you better be nice from now on or you'll spend the night cuffed to this tube!" she dryly noticed and wanted to turn around.
"You promised!" he hissed, his voice showing his fury and she smiled.
"Yes, I guess I did, but you've broken your promise before too." She went to him and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. "Let's just call it even, dear!"
Before he could say another word she left, slamming the door loudly close behind her.
~*~*~*~
"You okay?"
Irina didn't even look at the man who was coming towards her as she came up from the cellar room. "I'm fine, thanks!"
"Any problems down there?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle!" she snapped and almost ran the last steps up. She
crossed the small corridor and slammed the door to her private room behind her. Damn him, she thought and sank to the ground, her back leaning against the cool wood of the door. She was still trembling all over from this incredible kiss. She clenched a fist and slammed it against the door behind her.
He hated her, but he knew obviously what effects he could have on her, and he used those shamelessly. Okay, this time it had been her own fault, but next time she'd be more careful. This was her game and damn it, she would not loose it.
Well, then you better stay away from him since you still love him, she noted and shook her head at the same moment. No, she did not love that bastard. Well, maybe she had a little crush on him, but she was quite capable of handling her feelings... she had always been.
Exhausted, she sank onto her bed. For a moment she just stared at the blank white wall, then she curled up and hugged her knees. She was strong! She had always been and she would not let him defeat her!
*** One day when I was seven years old, I went out of my parents house, strolling along the streets of the little village we lived in. I remember, that it was a warm and sunny summer day. I passed by the shop in our village where they always had those delicious candies. All the girls in my class always had some and traded them... but I never got one. My parents didn't allow me or my sister to eat candies. They said "Once you try one you want to eat more and more. You can't want what you don't know!" They were strict.
When I was looking through the window at those gorgeous candies that day, all I wanted to have was one. So I entered the shop and looked around a bit, but always focused at the candies.
And then I just took one. I stole it. It was the first time I've ever stolen and I had a hell of a bad conscience, but I finally had a candy to try. It wasn't even as good as I had imagined, but at least I had tried one.
We lived in a small village and of course the owner of the shop knew me. When I came home that evening, my father had already waited for me. Without saying a single word, he grabbed me at my hair and pulled me out of the house, straight towards the barn.
I remember my mother running after us, crying and pleading him to not beat me, but he didn't listen to her. And after he had shut the door behind us, he started to beat me.
I thought I'd be dying... I really did. I don't know how long he continued slapping, punching and kicking me. He just yelled "You will never steal again or I'll beat the living daylights out of you!" over and over and over again. And then finally he went away, just leaving me out there in the barn. I could taste my own blood and thought I was going to die.. in fact I wished for it. But I didn't. Sometime in the night I finally found the strength to get up. I couldn't really walk and I think I had some broken bones, but somehow I made it back to the house and when I entered it, I saw papa sitting at the table, laughing with a friend and drinking wodka as if nothing had happened. I have never questioned my love for my parents before, but suddenly at that moment I knew, that I hated him. That I would never ever allow anyone again to have more power than I have, because having more power than I do, means that this person is capable of hurting me.
My father just looked at me and so did his friend who knew, what had happened. Obviously they had been joking about it.
"Hey, stupid little girl... wanna have some wodka? It will help the pain!"
Of course they were making fun of me... they expected me to break down in tears, but I didn't. I just went to them and took the full cup they offered me. I downed it in once and it took me all remaining strength to not spit it out again. I don't know how, but I managed to keep an absolutely unemotional face. I knew that I had only two possibilities. Be weak and depend on my fathers or any other stronger people's powers, or be strong and make my own rules, never letting anyone behave like they did again. I knew the only way for me and so I just pierced my father with my eyes. Then I slammed the cup back on the table and left the room.
"She's tough! Not like any other girl I know!" I heard my fathers friend say, and I think I heard a little pride in my fathers voice when he answered something like "That's my girl!". I didn't care. I didn't want anyone to be proud of me anymore... except for myself. I promised to myself at that evening, that I would never again allow a man to be stronger, or more powerful than I was... or make me feel weak the same way as my father had done that evening. So I trained my strength, mental as well as physical and I found myself getting cold towards people. There were so many times when I felt alone and I can not count how many afternoons I spent lying in the forest near our house crying. But I am a survivor. I knew that I'd either get through with it, or sooner or later be broken down by someone who was stronger than me.
When I was nineteen I was observed by a man of our village. I didn't even notice him, but he must have been watching me for about two hours doing my training. Finally he came to me and started chitchatting about all and nothing. It was a test. I knew from the moment I looked into his eyes that he knew exactly about what I was capable of.
And then out of a sudden he attacked me with a knife. It was not hard for me to overwhelm him and finally he was lying on the ground right under me.
Then he revealed to me that he was undercover agent for the KGB, looking for new assets. He had in fact been observing me for several weeks and he wanted to recruit me.
I answered no.
"I have been training that hard to never ever have anyone being more powerful than I am, again!" I explained to him and he just smiled.
"Just think about it, Irina. Of course you would have to take orders, but wouldn't it be a great possibility for you to perfect your martial skills? Just look at it as training... your final training which will finally give you the strength you've been looking for!"
Of course he had just wanted to convince me to sign the contract, since once I was member of the KGB, they would never let me out again. But I loved the idea and so I signed a contract with the KGB to train myself. It was a hard training, sometimes I had moments in which I thought that I would never be able to get through with it.
I still don't know how I survived all the lessons. The ones where I had to learn to suffer pain were the worst. I guess it was my strong will that kept me from breaking.
I remember a lesson when we were playing a scenario: I was caught by enemy agents and I was tortured for a certain information, a word - mine was 'moon'. The rules were quite simple. We were not to say our special word, under no circumstances, although this word would end our torture immediately.
You know, the torture itself is not the hard thing. The worst thing is the thoughts before, the time when you see them taking out their instruments and explaining what they are going to do to you. That is a time, when seconds become days... and minutes turn into years. This special day we were training in bearing torture with fire. And when I saw them approaching me with the fire, a thought suddenly came to my mind: I was in hell. My parents had brought me up very religious and now I suddenly started to believe what they had told me. There was a hell... and I was right in it. There had to be angels who would come to rescue the people who really regretted, and for the first time in my live I actually prayed for an angel to come and waking me up from my horrible nightmare. No angel ever came to rescue me. I was all alone in the world, my only chance to survive was not to break down.
I was the only one who passed that lesson. All other recruits broke down and were finally willing to give the requested information, their special word, away... but I did not break. When they interrupted the torture to ask me for the information, I spitted into their faces.
I overcame my own fear of torture and pain and that was how my dream of power came true. Nobody can ever have power over you if you are not afraid of anything. It's the fear that causes us to break and I finally erased that fear in my mind.
But I have never ever thought of the opportunity that my own heart could betray me and cause me to be vulnerable. You can fight and win against every man, no matter how much larger or stronger he is than you... but how do you win a battle against your own heart? ***
Irina hadn't even been aware of falling asleep. A knock on the door startled her and within a second she was wide awake.
"Who's there?"
She noticed the tears in her eyes, caused by the sudden remembrance of her past and wiped them away with the back of her hand.
"It's me!"
Sark... of course! Who else had the guts to disturb her in her private room? She went to the minibar in the corner of her room and filled a glass with wodka.
"What's up?"
"I just wanted to remind you that it's time to get ready! The operation starts in about one hour!"
"I will be on time, thank you!" she replied coldly through the closed door and heard Sark walking away. She took the glass to her lips and finished it in one sip. Then she sank down onto a chair.
She wouldn't cry! The last time she had cried had been the day of the torture lesson and she had made a vow to herself never to cry again. There was no use in crying. It couldn't make things better, on the contrary. Crying would make her weaker and through the years she had learned, that nobody would come to help her. She had to rescue herself if she wanted to be safe.
Stop crying like a four year old, Derevko, she finally ordered herself and slammed the glass onto the table. It broke into pieces in her hand, the sharp glass cutting into her skin. Irina watched her blood running over her hand.
The pain brought her back to reality. She let go of the sharp pieces and went into her little bathroom, where she held her hand under the icy water and watched her blood be washed away. Then she wrapped a clean bandage around her palm and clenched a fist. It hurt, but it was definitely endurable.
Within fifteen minutes Irina had changed for her mission. She and Sark would go into the embassy where a reception would take place tonight. It was hold for a French politician who carried a disk with several files they needed in order to blackmail some of the highest French diplomats. It was a pretty easy operation and shouldn't be a problem.
Irina looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a white dress which lay tightly around her waist like a second skin. On one side a long slit went up from the bottom almost to her thigh, which offered a nice look at her perfect leg when she walked. Her hair were pinned up and after she had pulled on her white high heels with the small straps around her ankle she looked very elegant and at the same time breathtakingly sexy.
She lifted her left food to a chair and fixed her gun to her thigh, just in case. She hated to not have any chance to defend herself on a mission.
Then she looked at herself in the mirror again. A thought crossed her mind. It was probably not a good idea, but she had to proof to herself, that she was strong enough to not let him touch her heart again.
Determined, she left her room to set off for the room where Jack Bristow was held.
~*~*~*~
His eyes reflected anger and surprise when he saw her entering the room.
"I hope you're in a better mood now!" she said dryly and sat down on the bed, observing his reactions carefully. There was no way she was within his reach, but she opted on the side of caution.
"You're a damned..." he started, but she interrupted him before he could finish the sentence.
"It was a fair game, Jack! You lost, and you should accept it!"
"Define fair!" he growled, which caused her to laugh lightly. "Are you here to free me from that damned tube?"
"Why would I do that?" she asked amused and he shrugged his face neutral.
"Because you're a gracious winner!"
"I am not and we both know that!" she replied, enjoying the game he was starting again.
"So then, why are you here in that... outfit!"
So, Jack, why the hesitation before saying outfit? she asked herself.
"Do you like it?"
"Does that matter?"
"Maybe..." She sighed. She was on a schedule and didn't have an unlimited amount of time.
"I'm here to tell you, that I'm going off to the mission now."
"The disk!" he growled and she nodded.
"Yes, the disk. It won't be a difficult mission, but it's a little dangerous. So... in case I don't return..." She got up and laid his lips to his, gently preventing his hand from grabbing her hair. "Don't do that! It took me about twenty minutes to do my hair and I'd hate to break your arm for ruining my work!" she whispered playfully against his lips.
He knew that she was absolutely serious and considering his 'being-cuffed-to-a-tube' state he though it best not to try how far she'd go in realizing her threat. She backed away from him and lowered her eyes.
"Just so you know, I ordered my guards to let you go if..." she hesitated. "...if something happens to me."
"I guess you expect me to thank you now."
"No..." she smiled at him. "Actually I expected you to lecture me about what is going to happen to me when I'm back in CIA custody!"
She made him laugh against his will. No doubt, she could be really charming if she wanted to be. Stop it, Bristow, she's a terrorist, No. 7 on CIA's most wanted list, he reminded himself and the smile faded from his face.
She noticed the sudden change of his mood and a shadow covered her eyes. There was no way they could ever be at least friends. Maybe, if things were different... if she hadn't been KGB and he wasn't CIA - well, maybe in another lifetime.
"I have to go now. I've got a timetable to follow! See you later!"
"I hope not!"
His words hurt her deep and she hated herself for that feeling. Her eyes locked with his, then suddenly she punched her fist into his stomach. Turning around she sarcastically said "I hope you have a good night, Jack!", then she left the room, ignoring the curses he threw after her. Damned bastard! She would not allow him to gain control over her feelings. She was independent and invulnerable, and he would not defeat her.
"You ready?" Sark asked when she entered the living room. He noticed the dark look on her face.
"Yeah, let's go!" Without further explanations, they left the house.
~*~*~
TBC
Author: Shanice
Pairing: Jack/Irina
Disclaimer: Jack, Irina, Kendall and all the other characters belong to JJ, abc and the wonderful crew.
Spoiler: Somewhere after Irina escaped... probably not compatible with the actual story-line, but had to write this down since it seemed like the perfect idea to me.
Summary: When Jack and Irina meet again after she has escaped, there is nothing but hate and desire between them. It's a struggle of who is more powerful... but as time goes by both of them have to admit that the feelings they have go far beyond desire.
How hard is it to overcome hate, how impossible to forgive betrayal and how much does love cost, when there are two enemy countries standing between lovers?
Thanks to A for betareading this story, for encouraging me and doing this incredible work.
Edit: Unfortunately A had no more time to betaread the story, so from chapter 8 (Cold War), I thank cmste for correcting my mistakes! Thanks to both of you for the much time you invested in this story.
***********************************************
Part 1 - Game of Power (Rating PG-13)
"I told you to take care of him, so he won't interrupt us! I did not tell you to bring him here!"
Irina Derevko was furious. In fact her reaction was far behind fury. Sark stepped back to bring a little distance between them.
"I didn't know what to do! I thought..."
"Next time don't think!" her eyes pierced him. "Just carry out my orders! No interpretation of yours, understood?"
"Yes..." He watched her turning around. "Do you have any idea what I shall do with him now? Shall I kill him?"
Again she focused him. "Kill him? Sometimes I wonder why I hired you!" She slammed her fist to the table. Her head started to hurt and she tried to calm down by rubbing her temples lightly. "You won't touch him! I will take care of him..." she decided.
"But... Irina, maybe..."
"Do I talk Chinese, or why don't you listen to what I order you to do?" she asked and Sark knew that this was the best time to get out of her room if he wanted to prevent another attack of fury.
"Okay, I'll take him... to the empty chamber in the cellar!"
Irina watched him leave the room and sank back to her chair. If she wanted something done it was best if she did it herself. She was tired of Sark's interpretations of her orders. He made too many mistakes... mistakes that could cost their lives someday. Sure, he was a good assassin, but he was far too stubborn and childish. He acted out of his emotion and that could cause problems... just like now. What the hell had he been thinking bringing Jack Bristow to her hiding? He should know better than anyone that Jack was not the easiest guy to deal with.
She would have to search for a new place after they got rid off him. And she had to contact and warn him not to show up here.
+~+~+~
Jack Bristow woke up when he heard someone enter the room. He moaned and wanted to hold his head but found his hands cuffed to the bed. He opened his eyes and tried to recognize the person who was coming directly towards him now. Irina Derevko. His fury overwhelmed him immediately and gave him all his consciousness back.
"You!" he hissed and Irina looked at him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't plan to kidnap you... unfortunately my asset likes to interpret my orders the way he likes to... here, drink that!"
He turned his head away when she held the glass to his mouth.
"I'm not trying to kill you! This will help you!"
"Did you drug me?" Jack snapped at her and she nodded.
"Yes... another one of those misinterpretations."
She smiled at him and finally he drank the bitter liquid in the glass. She seemed right. He started to feel better almost immediately.
"You've betrayed the CIA... me! Again!" he dryly said and Irina lowered her eyes.
"Yes... I couldn't tell you, Jack!"
"You used me the whole time!"
"That's not true! Not really... I just didn't give you all the information about my plan." She looked at him.
"And what was your... plan?" The way he pronounced the word made clear, that he wasn't willing to believe her.
"Rambaldi!" Irina turned the glass in her hand. "It was always about him. I turned myself in, in order to get the Rambaldi pieces of the CIA... and to access Echelon!"
Jack sank back and moaned. "So, Kendall was right! The whole time you had your own plans. You played a game with us, Irina! What was with the last night we shared? How was that part of your plan?" he threw the words bitterly at her and locked his eyes with hers.
"It wasn't!" she avoided his eyes. "I hadn't planned this. Actually a lot happened that I hadn't planned..."
He laughed ironically. "So, why did you kidnap me?"
"It was an accident!" she explained.
"So then... let me go!"
"I can't... not right now. I just need everything prepared for my leave. I can't just let you go now, Jack! You'd betray me and within an hour I'd be arrested in my cell again!"
"That's where you belong!"
She smiled at him. "You've always thought about the CIA at first. You've never questioned their actions or methods!"
"That is not true!" he replied and shifted uncomfortably. His handcuffs didn't leave him much freedom to move.
"Promise me to behave, Jack?" she asked and pulled out the keys of the handcuffs. He growled a "Yes" and she smiled.
"Good decision!" With these words she opened the cuffs and gave the key to him so he could get the of his hands. "Jack, I am really sorry about this... if you want, you can join me upstairs."
"What about your asset... Sark? I'm sure he won't be so thrilled to see me! There is a slight danger that I might kill him!"
She laughed. "Sark is not here. I sent him away... you can trust me Jack, I'm not setting you up!"
She got up and turned her back to him in order to go to the door. The next moment he grabbed her weapon and pulled her back. She cried out furiously and with a few moves she had freed herself out of his grip. She kicked the weapon out of his hand and slammed her fist into his stomach. Believing that he had enough she didn't prepare for defense and so she was surprised when his fist hit her back. She stumbled back, her head spinning until she felt the cold stone wall behind her. Before she could move, he pressed her into the wall and she heard the clicking of the handcuffs. He had cuffed her to the old metal pipe in the corner of the room. Breathing heavily he stepped back and sank down onto the bed. His stomach hurt... no doubt, she was really strong. Damn her!
"You promised... to behave!" Irina gasped and tried to get free... without success.
"A promise made to you is worthless..." he answered coldly.
It was more an instinct that made him look at her. He saw her pulling a second, smaller gun out of her jeans with her free hand. He pounced on her and slammed her hand with the weapon against the wall. She cried out in pain and dropped the gun. It fell to the ground and he kicked it away, still pinning her hand to the wall.
"Bitch!" he uttered and she looked at him, her head leaning against the wall. "It was a mistake of you to tell me that you men are all gone!"
She tried to free herself and cried out in frustration. He leaned his forehead next to her face against the wall, still breathing heavily.
"You have a strong beat..." he managed to say. She had calmed down by now and leaned against the wall.
"So what now? Are you going to kill me?"
"I should... yes, I really should!" he answered looking at her. "But I want to see you spent the rest of your lifetime in prison!"
"Let's discuss it... reasonable!"
When he heard her words, he almost started to laugh.
"Discuss? We've got nothing to discuss!"
She tried to free her hand and his grip tightened.
"Don't even think about it..." he warned.
"So, what do you plan to do now? Pin me to this wall until the CIA finds us by fortune?"
The slight amusement in her voice caused fury to build up within him. He felt for his cell-phone. Of course, it was gone. She was not a fool, even if his kidnapping had been an accident.
"Well, fine by me! By the way, my guards will soon come and look for me if I don't show up again!"
"Shut up!" he growled and thought.
She was right, he had to let her go... there was no way to get out of here without her. She shifted a little, her body lightly touching his - he flinched at the warmth of her body and cursed himself for doing so at the same moment. Of course she had noticed. She laid her head back against the wall. Her hair softly framed her face although it looked still a little tousled from their little fight. Damned, she looked irresistible to him, and obviously she knew that she did.
He had to bring distance between them... which was hard concerning the fact that he still held her against the wall.
Suddenly she lowered her face to his, their lips so close that they were almost touching.
"What are you thinking of?" she whispered against his lips.
Bitch, he thought. As if she didn't knew what was going on in his mind. Well, two could play this game and thanks to her, he had a lot of practice in her little games.
"I was thinking..." he whispered back and paused a little. "...how stupid I was to ever believe, that you had some kind of dignity."
He was satisfied when his words totally put her off. Her confusion was reflected in her eyes only a little moment, then she gained control over her feelings again.
"Oh... really." Okay, so he wanted to play - fine by her. "So you think I don't have dignity?"
Her eyes locked with his and he wondered whether they had always had that beautiful chocolate color.
"Obviously you don't, just look at what you're trying right now..." he forced himself to think rationally and focus.
"Really... well... I'm not the one pinning a weaker opponent to a wall!"
He had almost let go of her hand when he heard her words. Be careful, he reminded himself, she is very good at manipulating.
"Mmm... let me see. Weaker, huh? I remember that you kidnapped me, you threatened me with a weapon and I believe, that you do still have a knife or something and are just waiting for me to let you go in order to kill me then. So considering my protection I think it would be foolish of me to let you go!"
She laughed. "Well, you might be right... why don't you have a closer look at me and take the weapon away?"
Damn it, two to one for her. He hadn't see that one coming... although he should have considering whom he was talking to. She was trying to break down his properly built walls of rationalism.
"I could as well just take your gun and shoot you!" he reminded her but she shook her head smiling.
"I don't think you'd do that!"
"Don't you?"
"No... since you want to see me spend the rest of my life in prison!"
"Things can change within seconds!"
Why did the feeling come to him, that she was winning this game? She behaved as if she predicted every single word he said even before he knew he'd say it. Okay then, he thought, let's give Ms Derevko a little surprise.
"That's so true!" he answered and before she come up with another provocation, he silenced her with his mouth. His touch was not gentle, on the contrary. It was a mean to make clear that he was the one in power. Relentlessly he demanded entrance with his tongue.
She was totally overwhelmed and... yes, she had to admit it, shocked. Instinctively she tried to free her hand, but his grip tightened again.
Mental note: Never underestimate Jack Bristow again, she thought to herself and tried to force back the feeling of slight panic that started to come up deep within. She had meant to break down his walls, instead he had broken hers by catching her totally by surprise. She made a little sound trying to turn her head away from him and when he realized that she was only inches away from seriously panicing, he softened his kiss. Her panic made him see himself as winner of this game.
His loosened his grip on her hand a little and started to tenderly caress her palm with his thumb.
This sudden change put her off again. Panic, well... she had been trained to deal with it and it would have taken her only seconds to regain control. But now her panic changed into something else, much more powerful and intense which she knew she would not be able to fight long. Well, it was kind of her own fault. She had played with fire and should have been aware of the possibility to get burned.
She suddenly pulled her hand out of his in a last attempt to get free, but he seemed to have expected her to do so. Before she had even realized that her hand was free he hand caught it again and entwined his fingers with hers.
Her resistance melted like ice in the sun and she moaned lightly into his mouth. He deepened the kiss and softly pressed her body to his with his free hand.
Red alert... the alarms in his head started to ring almost deafening. He was just before loosing his control. That had not been the plan. He had wanted her to loose control, not himself.
Abruptly he broke the kiss. She moaned at the sudden loss of his warmth, breathing heavily and her head leaning against the wall. He didn't even think about holding her hand anymore, but let her go and stepped back to get a few meters distance between them
"Just for the record... I defeated you!" he noticed and hoped that his voice didn't tremble... as his whole body did.
God, this was Irina Derevko, a terrorist and murderer. He shouldn't be thinking about kissing her, but how to take her back into the next federal prison!
She looked at him and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess you did and I accept it! Could you open the cuffs now... please?"
"I'm not a fool!"
"No, obviously you're not!" she growled, anger starting to build up inside of her that he had managed to make her loose all her ability to think reasonably. "But as I've already told you, my men will soon be looking for me and if they find me cuffed to this wall, they will shoot you without asking for further details!"
She had a point, provided that she was telling the truth.
"Okay, I will free you if you promise to neither kill nor threaten me!"
"Fine!"
He took the keys and opened the cuffs around her hand. Only one second later he regretted having done so. Before he had even realized what was happening she had closed the cuff around his hand and taken the key out of his hand. Then she stepped back, rubbing her palm and smiling triumphantly.
"Well, you better be nice from now on or you'll spend the night cuffed to this tube!" she dryly noticed and wanted to turn around.
"You promised!" he hissed, his voice showing his fury and she smiled.
"Yes, I guess I did, but you've broken your promise before too." She went to him and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. "Let's just call it even, dear!"
Before he could say another word she left, slamming the door loudly close behind her.
~*~*~*~
"You okay?"
Irina didn't even look at the man who was coming towards her as she came up from the cellar room. "I'm fine, thanks!"
"Any problems down there?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle!" she snapped and almost ran the last steps up. She
crossed the small corridor and slammed the door to her private room behind her. Damn him, she thought and sank to the ground, her back leaning against the cool wood of the door. She was still trembling all over from this incredible kiss. She clenched a fist and slammed it against the door behind her.
He hated her, but he knew obviously what effects he could have on her, and he used those shamelessly. Okay, this time it had been her own fault, but next time she'd be more careful. This was her game and damn it, she would not loose it.
Well, then you better stay away from him since you still love him, she noted and shook her head at the same moment. No, she did not love that bastard. Well, maybe she had a little crush on him, but she was quite capable of handling her feelings... she had always been.
Exhausted, she sank onto her bed. For a moment she just stared at the blank white wall, then she curled up and hugged her knees. She was strong! She had always been and she would not let him defeat her!
*** One day when I was seven years old, I went out of my parents house, strolling along the streets of the little village we lived in. I remember, that it was a warm and sunny summer day. I passed by the shop in our village where they always had those delicious candies. All the girls in my class always had some and traded them... but I never got one. My parents didn't allow me or my sister to eat candies. They said "Once you try one you want to eat more and more. You can't want what you don't know!" They were strict.
When I was looking through the window at those gorgeous candies that day, all I wanted to have was one. So I entered the shop and looked around a bit, but always focused at the candies.
And then I just took one. I stole it. It was the first time I've ever stolen and I had a hell of a bad conscience, but I finally had a candy to try. It wasn't even as good as I had imagined, but at least I had tried one.
We lived in a small village and of course the owner of the shop knew me. When I came home that evening, my father had already waited for me. Without saying a single word, he grabbed me at my hair and pulled me out of the house, straight towards the barn.
I remember my mother running after us, crying and pleading him to not beat me, but he didn't listen to her. And after he had shut the door behind us, he started to beat me.
I thought I'd be dying... I really did. I don't know how long he continued slapping, punching and kicking me. He just yelled "You will never steal again or I'll beat the living daylights out of you!" over and over and over again. And then finally he went away, just leaving me out there in the barn. I could taste my own blood and thought I was going to die.. in fact I wished for it. But I didn't. Sometime in the night I finally found the strength to get up. I couldn't really walk and I think I had some broken bones, but somehow I made it back to the house and when I entered it, I saw papa sitting at the table, laughing with a friend and drinking wodka as if nothing had happened. I have never questioned my love for my parents before, but suddenly at that moment I knew, that I hated him. That I would never ever allow anyone again to have more power than I have, because having more power than I do, means that this person is capable of hurting me.
My father just looked at me and so did his friend who knew, what had happened. Obviously they had been joking about it.
"Hey, stupid little girl... wanna have some wodka? It will help the pain!"
Of course they were making fun of me... they expected me to break down in tears, but I didn't. I just went to them and took the full cup they offered me. I downed it in once and it took me all remaining strength to not spit it out again. I don't know how, but I managed to keep an absolutely unemotional face. I knew that I had only two possibilities. Be weak and depend on my fathers or any other stronger people's powers, or be strong and make my own rules, never letting anyone behave like they did again. I knew the only way for me and so I just pierced my father with my eyes. Then I slammed the cup back on the table and left the room.
"She's tough! Not like any other girl I know!" I heard my fathers friend say, and I think I heard a little pride in my fathers voice when he answered something like "That's my girl!". I didn't care. I didn't want anyone to be proud of me anymore... except for myself. I promised to myself at that evening, that I would never again allow a man to be stronger, or more powerful than I was... or make me feel weak the same way as my father had done that evening. So I trained my strength, mental as well as physical and I found myself getting cold towards people. There were so many times when I felt alone and I can not count how many afternoons I spent lying in the forest near our house crying. But I am a survivor. I knew that I'd either get through with it, or sooner or later be broken down by someone who was stronger than me.
When I was nineteen I was observed by a man of our village. I didn't even notice him, but he must have been watching me for about two hours doing my training. Finally he came to me and started chitchatting about all and nothing. It was a test. I knew from the moment I looked into his eyes that he knew exactly about what I was capable of.
And then out of a sudden he attacked me with a knife. It was not hard for me to overwhelm him and finally he was lying on the ground right under me.
Then he revealed to me that he was undercover agent for the KGB, looking for new assets. He had in fact been observing me for several weeks and he wanted to recruit me.
I answered no.
"I have been training that hard to never ever have anyone being more powerful than I am, again!" I explained to him and he just smiled.
"Just think about it, Irina. Of course you would have to take orders, but wouldn't it be a great possibility for you to perfect your martial skills? Just look at it as training... your final training which will finally give you the strength you've been looking for!"
Of course he had just wanted to convince me to sign the contract, since once I was member of the KGB, they would never let me out again. But I loved the idea and so I signed a contract with the KGB to train myself. It was a hard training, sometimes I had moments in which I thought that I would never be able to get through with it.
I still don't know how I survived all the lessons. The ones where I had to learn to suffer pain were the worst. I guess it was my strong will that kept me from breaking.
I remember a lesson when we were playing a scenario: I was caught by enemy agents and I was tortured for a certain information, a word - mine was 'moon'. The rules were quite simple. We were not to say our special word, under no circumstances, although this word would end our torture immediately.
You know, the torture itself is not the hard thing. The worst thing is the thoughts before, the time when you see them taking out their instruments and explaining what they are going to do to you. That is a time, when seconds become days... and minutes turn into years. This special day we were training in bearing torture with fire. And when I saw them approaching me with the fire, a thought suddenly came to my mind: I was in hell. My parents had brought me up very religious and now I suddenly started to believe what they had told me. There was a hell... and I was right in it. There had to be angels who would come to rescue the people who really regretted, and for the first time in my live I actually prayed for an angel to come and waking me up from my horrible nightmare. No angel ever came to rescue me. I was all alone in the world, my only chance to survive was not to break down.
I was the only one who passed that lesson. All other recruits broke down and were finally willing to give the requested information, their special word, away... but I did not break. When they interrupted the torture to ask me for the information, I spitted into their faces.
I overcame my own fear of torture and pain and that was how my dream of power came true. Nobody can ever have power over you if you are not afraid of anything. It's the fear that causes us to break and I finally erased that fear in my mind.
But I have never ever thought of the opportunity that my own heart could betray me and cause me to be vulnerable. You can fight and win against every man, no matter how much larger or stronger he is than you... but how do you win a battle against your own heart? ***
Irina hadn't even been aware of falling asleep. A knock on the door startled her and within a second she was wide awake.
"Who's there?"
She noticed the tears in her eyes, caused by the sudden remembrance of her past and wiped them away with the back of her hand.
"It's me!"
Sark... of course! Who else had the guts to disturb her in her private room? She went to the minibar in the corner of her room and filled a glass with wodka.
"What's up?"
"I just wanted to remind you that it's time to get ready! The operation starts in about one hour!"
"I will be on time, thank you!" she replied coldly through the closed door and heard Sark walking away. She took the glass to her lips and finished it in one sip. Then she sank down onto a chair.
She wouldn't cry! The last time she had cried had been the day of the torture lesson and she had made a vow to herself never to cry again. There was no use in crying. It couldn't make things better, on the contrary. Crying would make her weaker and through the years she had learned, that nobody would come to help her. She had to rescue herself if she wanted to be safe.
Stop crying like a four year old, Derevko, she finally ordered herself and slammed the glass onto the table. It broke into pieces in her hand, the sharp glass cutting into her skin. Irina watched her blood running over her hand.
The pain brought her back to reality. She let go of the sharp pieces and went into her little bathroom, where she held her hand under the icy water and watched her blood be washed away. Then she wrapped a clean bandage around her palm and clenched a fist. It hurt, but it was definitely endurable.
Within fifteen minutes Irina had changed for her mission. She and Sark would go into the embassy where a reception would take place tonight. It was hold for a French politician who carried a disk with several files they needed in order to blackmail some of the highest French diplomats. It was a pretty easy operation and shouldn't be a problem.
Irina looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a white dress which lay tightly around her waist like a second skin. On one side a long slit went up from the bottom almost to her thigh, which offered a nice look at her perfect leg when she walked. Her hair were pinned up and after she had pulled on her white high heels with the small straps around her ankle she looked very elegant and at the same time breathtakingly sexy.
She lifted her left food to a chair and fixed her gun to her thigh, just in case. She hated to not have any chance to defend herself on a mission.
Then she looked at herself in the mirror again. A thought crossed her mind. It was probably not a good idea, but she had to proof to herself, that she was strong enough to not let him touch her heart again.
Determined, she left her room to set off for the room where Jack Bristow was held.
~*~*~*~
His eyes reflected anger and surprise when he saw her entering the room.
"I hope you're in a better mood now!" she said dryly and sat down on the bed, observing his reactions carefully. There was no way she was within his reach, but she opted on the side of caution.
"You're a damned..." he started, but she interrupted him before he could finish the sentence.
"It was a fair game, Jack! You lost, and you should accept it!"
"Define fair!" he growled, which caused her to laugh lightly. "Are you here to free me from that damned tube?"
"Why would I do that?" she asked amused and he shrugged his face neutral.
"Because you're a gracious winner!"
"I am not and we both know that!" she replied, enjoying the game he was starting again.
"So then, why are you here in that... outfit!"
So, Jack, why the hesitation before saying outfit? she asked herself.
"Do you like it?"
"Does that matter?"
"Maybe..." She sighed. She was on a schedule and didn't have an unlimited amount of time.
"I'm here to tell you, that I'm going off to the mission now."
"The disk!" he growled and she nodded.
"Yes, the disk. It won't be a difficult mission, but it's a little dangerous. So... in case I don't return..." She got up and laid his lips to his, gently preventing his hand from grabbing her hair. "Don't do that! It took me about twenty minutes to do my hair and I'd hate to break your arm for ruining my work!" she whispered playfully against his lips.
He knew that she was absolutely serious and considering his 'being-cuffed-to-a-tube' state he though it best not to try how far she'd go in realizing her threat. She backed away from him and lowered her eyes.
"Just so you know, I ordered my guards to let you go if..." she hesitated. "...if something happens to me."
"I guess you expect me to thank you now."
"No..." she smiled at him. "Actually I expected you to lecture me about what is going to happen to me when I'm back in CIA custody!"
She made him laugh against his will. No doubt, she could be really charming if she wanted to be. Stop it, Bristow, she's a terrorist, No. 7 on CIA's most wanted list, he reminded himself and the smile faded from his face.
She noticed the sudden change of his mood and a shadow covered her eyes. There was no way they could ever be at least friends. Maybe, if things were different... if she hadn't been KGB and he wasn't CIA - well, maybe in another lifetime.
"I have to go now. I've got a timetable to follow! See you later!"
"I hope not!"
His words hurt her deep and she hated herself for that feeling. Her eyes locked with his, then suddenly she punched her fist into his stomach. Turning around she sarcastically said "I hope you have a good night, Jack!", then she left the room, ignoring the curses he threw after her. Damned bastard! She would not allow him to gain control over her feelings. She was independent and invulnerable, and he would not defeat her.
"You ready?" Sark asked when she entered the living room. He noticed the dark look on her face.
"Yeah, let's go!" Without further explanations, they left the house.
~*~*~
TBC