Cold-Blooded Killer

Author: JuliaAtHeart
Timeline: AU, set in season 4 before Echoes. Sark is in CIA custody.
A/N: I hope you guys like it…. Please review… please…
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The Tale: Part One

"Julian Alexander Lazeray, if you do not climb from that tree this instant, I will be forced to confiscate your birthday gifts." Anna stood at the trunk of an old tree glaring into the sky, daring her son to defy her.

"Get Papa, and I will get down." And he was daring to defy her. But instead of marching steadily up the hill and back into the manor, Anna's glare softened and she began to climb the tree.

Even at thirty-two she was still as nimble as she had been in youth and the climb didn't weather her. But what did weather her, was the tears in her sons eyes.

"Julian, you know that if your father could be here he would. But he had to work." She was tired of having to explain Alex's absences to her son, hell; she was tired of having to explain them to herself.

She pulled her son into an embrace and ruffled his blonde hair, "Come on now, let's have a good birthday," she stared into his eyes, which were a mirror image of her own. "No more tears, after all not every seven year old boy gets a horse for his birthday."

At the mention of presents Julian's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Have I ever done anything to make you doubt my word?" He shook his head his young face so very serious.

"So let us get down from this god forsaken tree and enjoy your favorite pancakes in the garden. What do you say, good plan?" He nodded and before she could even shift he had begun to climb down, jumping the last five feet.

"Race you to the house!" And he was off, running up the hill to the manor. Anna smiled and ran a hand through her blonde curls. That boy was destined for great things, if only Alex took the time to see it. At the thought of her much absent husband she repressed a scowl. The pure NERVE of that man, to miss his only child's birthday, bastard!

Oh she would give him an ears full when he came home, she might even throw the note at him, along with the fucking chocolates. She tried to calm down but the memory of that impersonal note drove her up the wall,

" Mr. Lazeray is sorry to inform you that he has been called away on business and would like to convey his best wishes for the birthday of young Mr. Lazeray."

The ass hadn't even has time to write it himself, had one of his half dressed secretaries write it up and send it with a box of candies.

She sighed and began the walk up the hill stopping once to pick a flower. It was late in the season for flowers, but Ireland always found a ways surprise her.

"Mama, come on. Or the pancakes will be cold!" She smiled, and jogged the last few yards, swooping up Julian into her arms. She hated to admit it, even to herself; but no matter how she bitched she wouldn't give this life up for the world. Not even Alex's cold manner, her love for him made no sense to her or anyone else for that matter, especially Irina.

"Come on, I smell pancakes and strawberry jam." Julian grinned and let out a youthful laugh.

"This is the best birthday ever!"

Breakfast was amazing, as was the day that followed. Anna held up her promise and Julian received a horse, whom he immediately dubbed Julius Caesar. Anna smiled at son as he saddled the mustang.

She had known he would love him, and chosen the horse for good temperament and his dark coat. The colt possessed pure perfection, and Julian had always valued perfection, even at a very young age; in that manner he was his fathers son.

They harnessed the horses, she on Jemma, her favored pinto. And Julian saddled a giddy Julius. "Remember, no one likes to be tied down too tight. Let him get used to the feel of the saddle before you continue." Julian nodded, and patted the side of Julius's neck.

The rest of the day was spent riding far into the vast Irish farmlands, pausing for lunch in a small village.

Ireland had a sense of the mythological, and Anna has always loved the feeling of magic. She watched her son, play in the tall grass. If only he could always stay this young and innocent. This world was so full despair; she wished she could protect Julian forever. Breathing in the chill night air, Anna called Julian and they rode again, only stopping to stare at the setting sun from a cliff, before turning homeward.

Julian, who was an expert rider, loved every minute. Laughing with childish glee one minute, and explaining his theory of world domination the next nothing could have upset him then. Anna listened intently and commented every now and then, but let Julian set the atmosphere and even participated in a race.

It was dusk before they reached the manor and as they rode up Anna sensed a change in the air. On the back veranda, dinner had been spread out lavishly and everything seemed in order, but at the entrance to the barn stood Irina Derevko.

Anna felt happy but confused, why would Irina be there? Had she come to wish Julian a happy birthday?

"Irina, it is good to see you." Anna called as she and Julian pulled up to the stables. She slipped off of her pinto and tied the horse to the post, watching Julian do the same.

Irina shifted uncomfortably eyeing Julian who glared with his fathers intensity, he didn't like having his celebration interrupted not even by Irina, to whom he looked for strength and the occasional guidance.

Anna began unsaddling Jemma as Julian called Carl to help him with Julius.

"Anna, we need to talk," she gave a glance to Julian and Carl, "right now."

Anna nodded and led Jemma further into the stable and into her stall, before beginning to groom her sweaty coat.

"What is it?" She asked in low tones.

Irina looked tired and had swelling on her jaw but she didn't hesitate to speak.

"Lazeray intercepted a communication from headquarters in Moscow; Sasha, he knows you and I are KGB. I have conformation that he has met with his partners in the Forum, my information tells me he has already killed Yura. We need to get you and Julian out of here; Lazeray won't spare you or him for that matter. You aren't safe here."

Anna was frozen, the brush hanging loosely at her side, horse forgotten. "But I haven't spoken to Yura since April. I quit, I told them I was through. Irina..." She paused and took a deep breath, "I can't leave my husband."

"Sasha, Alex isn't your husband!" Irina tired to keep the fury out of her voice! "He is your assignment, I know it is hard but we need to move, my people tell me he is headed back here. You need to put Russia first."

Anna or more correctly Aleksandra (Sasha) Constantinavna Bashmakova was shaking unable to stop. Irina grabbed her arms and gave her a squeeze. "We HAVE to go, now."

"NO, Alex will understand. I will stay and explain it to him. He has to understand, I love him," her voice had become quiet and there were unshed tears in her eyes.

There was a loud shriek of static and the portable radio at Irina's side began to speak, "Irina, target is approaching, ETA: 30 minutes. Get out of there."

"Sasha we need to go now!" But Sasha wasn't moving she was staring at the house, a broken woman.

"Sasha, I know you have the strength inside you to do this. I did it. I left Jack and... my daughter." Irina wouldn't say the name of her daughter; it was a wound that would never heal. "I am not asking you to leave Julian, but we need to go."

Sasha brushed a strand of lose curl behind her ear and took a deep breath. "I am going in to talk to him," before Irina could object Sasha continued, "I am set in my way. I love him and unless these last nine years have been false, my HUSBAND loves me. Irina, I am not you. I can't leave him. So I'll go inside and wait for him to come home. I need to get cleaned up anyways, I have been riding all day." She spoke softly, as though in a trance.

"What about Julian?"

"Keep him with you. I will call you tomorrow and send a car for him, OK?" She wasn't being rational, but Irina knew that short of knocking her out and dragging her, there was no way to get her to leave.

"Now let me say goodnight to Julian and the two of you can go. Oh and make sure he has a night-light, he is afraid of the dark."

What neither of the KGB trained women knew, was that a very confused Julian had over-heard everything in the adjacent stall. But when his mother and Irina walked in he hid his tears and pretended not to have heard a thing.

"Julian, I have done a very foolish thing and forgotten that one of your presents needs assembly, so tonight you will go with Irina. I shall work on it and see you in the morning, along with your father. Does this meet your approval?"

Julian longed to say no, to tell his mother to take him with her. But instead he just shook his head. His mother bent down and kissed his cheek and he wrapped his hands around her neck, grasping the gold medallion she always wore. When they parted the chain snapped and Anna looked puzzled and then eyed the broken chain. "Keep it safe for me!"

And with that she walked briskly out of the barn and into the night. Irina had observed all this with cold eyes, she saw the tear stained face and knew he had heard.

She bent down in front of the boy, "Julian I am not to be your friend, or your mother, I am your teacher. Do you understand me?" She was speaking in hushed tones, but he felt her intensity.

The scared little boy nodded and Irina held him by his arms, "Then tonight is your first lesson: Never let a foolish thing, like love, blind your instincts. If your mother had been thinking she would have know going in there was suicide, but she let emotion shroud her judgment."

"But she said I would see her in the morning..." Julian's bottom lip was quivering and tears threatened to fall down his cheeks.

"Your mother is dead, the sooner you accept it the sooner you can forget the past." Irina spared no time; she swung herself onto a fresh bay.

"Pick one, it will be the only thing you get to keep of your old life." Without even thinking Julian climbed onto Julius Caesar, his new Mustang. To Irina's surprise he dismounted and ran into a side stall, returning with saddlebags and three harnesses.

Irina was about to object but then understood his thinking; they would be riding a while, better to have saddles and supplies. He was already impressing her, Sasha had been right; Julian was no ordinary seven year old. Thinking of seven year olds brought Irina to the touchy subject of her own daughter, how old was she now? Ten or eleven? She shook her head and moved to help Julian.

"Carl harness and saddle the mare," he spoke with so much confidence for a young boy. He began re-saddling the mustang and directed Irina to another saddle for the bay. Once all three horses were equipped with saddles, harnesses and saddlebags Julian swung onto the Mustangs back and tied the pinto's lead to Irina's saddle.

"Ride outside to the bottom of the hill and wait for me, I will try on last time to get Sash... your mother." He nodded and rode.

She turned the horse and rode further into the stable stopping at Carl's office. She pulled out her gun, aimed and fired at the un-expecting man, the silencer made no noise. She didn't need Lazeray figuring out who had Julian and how they had gotten away, it was dangerous enough.

Then, Irina galloped to the house, not wanting to go inside but preparing herself anyway. There was no need, because Sasha sat on the veranda dressed in a lovely dress with a shawl on her arms. She sat calmly with a glass of wine in hand, like this was any other dinner, she was just a woman waiting for her husband to get home from a long days work.

"Sasha, come with us. I can hide you and Julian, you still have a choice."

But Sasha said nothing, just starred into the now dark sky. "No, I think I will wait for him, he hates eating alone."

Irina's radio buzzed, "He is pulling up."

"Sasha, do this for Julian, save yourself!"

"Irina, I'll see you tomorrow," she looked down at the table and saw a brightly wrapped box with a bow. Picking it up she tossed it and Irina caught it.

"Give it to Julian, it is from me for his birthday." And then she went back to her wine. Irina tucked the box away and rode hard and fast, to the bottom of the hill where Julian sat waiting for her.

"There was nothing I could do, she wouldn't listen." Irina starred at the little boy, who sat devoid of emotion, looking tired and drained.

"Can we stay to watch?" He asked in a low voice and she knew he was trying hard not to sob.

She was about to say 'no' when Lazeray walked onto the veranda. They didn't have a choice; while he was there they couldn't ride without calling attention to themselves. At the current moment they were hidden in a small clearing of trees, and with no moon they were practically invisible.

He sat, and Julian was mesmerized by the action, his parents were clearly illuminated by the lights from inside the house.

"Don't let your horse move, they can't see us. If we move they know where we are, and for the current moment we need to stay hidden." Julian nodded and held his reins tighter.

The action played out for them.

Lazeray walked to a chair and sat down and took a sip of wine. Sasha moved to say something; she sat straighter and motioned in the air. But he cut her off, and threw the glass into the window. Irina could hear screaming from both Lazeray and Sasha but couldn't make out the words. Then with no preamble Lazeray pulled out a gun and shot Sasha.

Julian gasped, but remained silent. Lazeray stood and poured himself a new glass of wine, then headed inside. This was their only chance, "Ride!"

They rode, over the countryside, up and down hills. Julian didn't complain but Irina knew he must be exhausted. After three hours they reached their destination. It was a small airstrip in the middle of nowhere. There sat a fueled private jet.

Irina said a small prayer to which ever god had protected them this far, and dismounted. A short disheveled man, who looked too old or drunk to be able to stand, met them. After exchanging the proper code phrases he lead them into a small back room, where Dorian sat waiting for her.

"Irina, it is good to see you again. I am happy I could be of service." His speech was strongly accented with Greek, and he looked a great deal older than she remembered.

"I need lodgings somewhere safe, and transport for three horses to my London Estate." She spoke flat out and to the point, Dorian owed her and he knew it, this was no favor.

"Of course, but where would you like to go? I have a place in Spain, Greece, even Brazil and Peru." He was now looking at Julian who was desperately follow this exchange, but having a hard time mainly because it was in Russian, of which he knew little.

"What about Morocco, or Egypt?" He pondered, but then looked at her happily.

"This is perfect I have a house in Alexandria that would suit you. I assume you will be departing right away?" Irina nodded and ran a hand through her knotted hair. She put a hand on Julian's back and led him to the plane.

As they climbed they stairs into the plane she asked, "Are you ready?" He turned and looked back at his horse and perhaps his past life, and hesitated.

Irina bent down and looked him in the eyes, "Lesson Two: Never hesitate, in this world it will get you killed."

"Are you ready?" She asked again.

"Yes!" And Julian didn't hesitate, or look back he walked onto the plane and into a different world.

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I look up and try to catch her eye, but she wouldn't look at me. "And that is how your mother came into possession of me... a twist of fate."

We sit in silence, both in our own worlds. With a loud beep I jump, but it is only her beeper, signaling the end of our time together.

"I want to hear more..."

"Well, I am most certainly not going anywhere."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." And I am alone with my memories.

TBC… soon! PLEASE review!