Sauble Beach, Northern Ontario
The two traipsed downstairs to find Sydney and Vaughn sitting on the sofa in the living room, guns noticeably absent. The men eyed one another speculatively, both trying to read the thoughts of the other.
"Dixon needs to be notified that Irina Derevko is in our custody," Vaughn stated evenly, shooting a look of superiority toward the woman in question.
"We can't do that without exposing you and Sydney and right now the two of you are my priorities." Jack sat in the chair beside one Irina had already claimed.
"The nature of our job is dangerous Jack. If it means bringing in Derevko, I'm in favour of taking the risk." Vaughn ignored Irina this time.
"Michael darling, Derevko is such a mouthful; please call me Irina." She smiled sweetly at the horrified young man in front of her.
"What are you doing here Mom?" Knowing her mother helped search for her during her two year absence made her inclined to listen to an explanation before becoming hostile.
"I told you before; this is my safe house. I needed to disappear for a few days and a vacation at the beach seemed like a nice change. None of my operatives know about this location, so I knew I would be safe here."
"Who's after you?"
"North Korea," Irina said blandly, leaving out the fact that the Covenant was also interested in finding her. "Well, at few disgruntled factions of the North Korean military. It would seem, they weren't pleased when two of their prisoners escaped a firing squad a few months ago."
"Why would they wait so long to come after you?" Sydney asked, feeling slightly responsible for her mother's plight.
"They couldn't find me until two weeks ago. Katya likely alerted them to my location." Leaning back in her chair, she watched as surprise registered on the faces in the room.
"Your sister ratted you out?" Vaughn would have laughed had he not been appalled.
"Katya is who she is. A million dollars secured her contacts and loyalty for the time it took to get you home safely, beyond that I wouldn't trust her if the Pope blessed her himself." Even Jack's astonishment had not abated. "She has her own family to protect and I would not want to be the one responsible for anything happening to them."
"Thank you for helping us in North Korea; we would have died otherwise." Sydney kept her eyes cast down, not wanting to see her mother's reaction.
"The way I see it, we're all in a similar boat; none of us need the attention of government agencies so for the next few days we can call a truce." Irina raised her eyebrows, mirth settling in just beneath the surface of her expression.
"When it's safe enough for us to leave, you're coming with us." Vaughn set his mouth sternly.
"When this armistice is over, I'll go my way and you'll go yours Mister Vaughn."
"You're out numbered," Vaughn protested.
"Actually Vaughn, it's you who's out numbered," Jack nodded in Sydney's direction, noting the apologetic glance she sent toward Vaughn.
"If you'll excuse me; I've spent the last twenty-four hours traveling. Goodnight," Irina called to them as she ascended the stairs.
"Goodnight Sydney, Vaughn." Jack smirked at them as he turned to follow Irina.
"Dad!" Sydney halted him.
"We'll talk more in the morning Sydney." He disappeared up the steep steps.
"If your father is working in league with her, he can't be trusted Sydney." Vaughn stood, pacing the length of the room.
"After this past year I've realized my father is the only one I can trust." She watched as Vaughn flinched at the dig.
"I know what it's like to have someone betray you; someone who is so familiar that it's easier to forget the betrayal than face it. The only difference is I would never make the same mistake twice; I would not be blinded by that familiarity." Angry boiled to the surface of Vaughn's words although their intended target was not in the room.
"I'm sorry you were played Vaughn, but you experienced nothing like what my mother and father experienced. They had ten years together, a child; the comparison between you and them is seriously lacking." Sydney took a steadying breath, "And I haven't forgotten that it was my mother who helped my father search for me when others," her pointed look wasn't lost on Vaughn, "left me for dead."
"Don't throw that back in my face. After all the evidence was laid out and I couldn't deny it any longer, I mourned you."
"You can stop playing the martyr anytime now. Take your chances and leave if you want or stay, I don't really care. I'm going to bed."
Upstairs the sound of a slamming door caused both occupants of the bed to roll their eyes.
"You'd think she would know enough not to slam the door at this time of the night." Jack ran his hand through Irina's hair and looked down at her head pillowed on his chest.
"How do you know it was Sydney?"
"Door slamming is inherent and if I remember correctly it was your signature during an argument."
"A slammed door was merely my way of telling you the couch would be your bed for the evening." Irina smiled. "We don't have that problem tonight."
"Thank God, because we've been interrupted enough for the night." Jack rolled her over, settling himself between her legs.
"The children may be listening," Irina scolded, pulling his head down for a needed kiss.
"We used to be able to do quiet, I'm sure we're still capable." Jack attacked her neck and collarbone, set to ravage her entire body. He tugged at her top, revealing her bra once again to his lusting gaze.
"Jack I've had six months of mental foreplay. I need you to fuck me. Right now," Irina's breathless command urged Jack away from his place at the tops of her breasts, to remove the shorts she wore. She licked her lips, feeling for him within his boxers.
Another door slammed downstairs, barely registering in either of their minds. The sound of angry footsteps moving through the house and finally climbing the stairs sobered them enough to pull away, flush faced and nowhere near satisfied.
"Sydney, what's wrong?" Jack asked, as the first one to compose himself.
In her annoyed state, their daughter seemed to miss the condition of her parents. "Vaughn won't stop knocking on my door. I figured he wouldn't chance coming up here tonight." She walked to the couch in the room, dropping her pillow and blanket then turned to her wide eyed parents, "Is it okay if I sleep up here tonight?"
"No," Jack muttered softly under his breath.
"Of course Sweetheart," Irina forced a smile. Sydney turned back to lay out her blanket and get comfortable.
"At least someone will sleep tonight. It won't be me with the granite currently sitting against my thighs," Jack eyes vacillated between frustration and passion as he looked Irina over, whispering his mild angst
"We've waited six months; we can wait one more night. I wasn't going to send our daughter away Jack."
"I know but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it." He frowned, rearranging the bed sheets around them.
"Go take care of it, if it's so uncomfortable," she continued to whisper, watching as her daughter finally threw the back pillows onto the floor to give herself more room of the sofa.
"No, at least this way you'll feel guilty," Jack smirked despite himself.
"I wouldn't feel guilty either way; frustrated and horny however are definite possibilities." Her hand rested on his chest, still clad in a t-shirt.
"You're both a little flushed; you two weren't fighting were you?" Sydney leaned with her elbows behind her to be able to see over the end of the bed.
"No, we weren't. Now get some rest." He looked at Irina. "She can't truly be that dense."
"We're her parents Jack; I doubt her mind would even consider the alternate possibilities….in spite of what she saw a short while ago."
Jack fell back in the bed wanting nothing more than for the night of torture to end. No sooner had that thought raced through his mind than he felt Irina's scantly clad body press up against his.
"Goodnight Jack," she whispered against his neck.
"This is low Irina, even for you," he said in desperation.
"Isn't it though," she retorted, sleep already claiming her.
Jack lay awake for the better part of the night simultaneously working to keep himself from exposing his daughter to the sex life of her parents and formulating a plan of revenge for the torture his lovely wife had managed to inflict even during her hours of unconsciousness.
3/7
