That day played back perfectly in her mind. She was only 6 years old, when her granddad told her that her parents wouldn't be coming home anymore. She remembered being taken to the morgue in one of the CIA buildings with her granddad. Inside, the room was a dark shade of white, and as she came closer to the table where her parents lay, she gripped her granddad's hand even tighter. She remembered her grandmother standing between two men in black uniforms, and her grandmother's black clothing made her stand out. Irina's face was soaked with tears, and on the other side, Mirabelle saw her other grandmother. She wanted more than anything than to look straight ahead, because if she did, then she'd have to face a reality that NO 6 year old should ever face. She looked at her grandparents one more time, all of them trying to wipe their eyes from crying in front of her. Finally, she avoided everyone's gazes and looked ahead. Tears formed in her eyes, and she began crying. Her granddad and grandmothers all surrounded her with hugs. But, it was no use. She broke away from them all, and ran straight towards the table where her parents lay. She grabbed a chair, and stepped up on it, and threw her arms around them. Her tears were uncontrollable now. Everyone tried to pry her away from the table. But, it was no use. She wanted to hold on to them for as long as she could. Because she knew that that would be the last time she'd ever get to hug them again. Since she was so light, Jack and Irina were able to get her down, and Jack carried her out of the room. Albeit, kicking, screaming, and crying. But, she had the right to. Even at the age of 6, Mirabelle knew that that day would be embedded into her mind forever.
"Jack, you know you're going to have to tell her the truth about her parents. Especially if she's going to tell the ending of her story with accuracy," Irina told him softly. Irina watched her granddaughter play with the dog that Sydney had given her when she was released, she smiled at the old saying, "ignorance is bliss". Jack's eyes darted at his ex-wife.
"You know I'm right," she continued. Still no reply from him. Irina Derevko was released three years after she had surrendered to the CIA. But, of course, she was still under 24/7 surveillance. She was in a CIA safehouse, down by the beach. One of her favorite settings. Sitting on the balcony, she wondered if he would have a reply. Or, if he was even listening.
"And tell her that she also lost a sibling?" he asked a little harshly. "She is only 9 years old. How much do you want to put her through in one lifetime?"
"In case you haven't noticed, JACK," Irina shot. "Mirabelle is a 9 year old who matured pretty fast, pretty early."
"Do you even remember the day she went to the morgue?" he asked her. Irina hated that day. She never thought she'd live long enough to bury her own child. Irina's mind flashed back to that day at the morgue. She remembered Mirabelle running over to her parents' bodies covered in a white sheet, and throwing her arms over them and crying incessantly. She also remembered having to be restrained by the U.S. Marshalls, because her emotions ran wild that day, too. After all the murders she had committed, not once did she cry over any of them. But once she saw her dead daughter covered in that sheet, she lost it. But, by the time Jack had arrived with Mirabelle, she calmed down and tried to be strong for her granddaughter.
"Of all people, OF COURSE I REMEMBER THAT DAY. It was the day I realized what this business has done to this family. Don't you see? If you don't tell Mirabelle the truth about her parents, she may live the exact same life her mother lived."
Jack let Irina's words sink into his head. And, yes, he knew she WAS RIGHT about everything.
"How long do you think Mirabelle will go on believing that her parents died in a plane crash? She knows what they did for a living. No one dies that innocently. It wasn't the typical "struck down by the hand of fate", it was MURDER. Arvin Sloane MURDERED Mirabelle's parents, and our daughter and son-in-law." Jack wasn't sure, but he could tell that Irina was choking on built up anger towards Sloane. He kept silent, and let Irina continue.
"And do you know what hurts me even more?" He looked at her, understanding her anger, hurt, and pain that she kept bottled up inside for so long.
"Is that I didn't even get to go to their funeral. I haven't even been to their gravesite, yet." Irina began to look teary-eyed. Jack saw a tear fall, and tried to wipe it away. But, Irina wiped it away before his hand got close enough.
"My last warning to you, tell her. Before the cycle begins again."
"Grandma!!" yelled Mirabelle as she came running back, with the dog behind her. Irina dabbed her eyes on her sleeve, and put a smile on her face.
"Look at what me and DJ found!!" she climbed the stairs to the balcony.
"Oh, what is that?"
"A seashell." Irina examined the seashell.
"Wow, this is pretty. Did you find anymore?"
"Nah, DJ began to get tired. So, we headed back."
"Haha, that's okay. This dog is getting older like me anyways." she joked as she stroked the dogs back.
"I think we should go inside now," Jack said getting up.
"Okay, granddad." Mirabelle replied. Jack opened the door, Mirabelle and DJ ran into the house, and Irina followed. She gave him a quick glance, and went in.
"C`mon, boy!" she dangled a toy ball in front of him.
"Catch!" she threw the ball. The ball went into one of the rooms, and landed in a box and fell over. Mirabelle turned a light on she began to pick up the pieces of paper that were on the floor. Then, something caught her eye. It was a newspaper clipping that read, "Explosion At Powerplant Leaves 3 Dead". She read a few sentences into the article. As she read on, she saw 3 familiar names mentioned in the clipping.
"Sydney Bristow, husband Michael Vaughn and family friend, Arvin Sloane were found dead at the scene. The causes of the explosion have yet to be determined..."
She couldn't believe it. It couldn't be!!
"Mirabelle!!" she heard her granddad yell. She scrambled to her feet, and threw the rest of the papers back into the box, and put the box back onto the shelf. She hid the paper in her pocket, and left the room.
"Yes, granddad?" she asked when she made her way back into the living room.
"C`mon, we have to go now. You've got school tomorrow." he said taking her jacket off the coat rack.
"Alright." she said taking her jacket.
"Bye, DJ. Bye grandma."
"Hmm...bye, Mirabelle. You behave for your granddad, okay?"
"I will!! Bye!!" she went outside, with DJ following her.
"Jack," Irina started.
"Irina," he responded.
"Have a safe trip home."
"Take care of yourself." and with that, he headed outside.
"Jack, you know you're going to have to tell her the truth about her parents. Especially if she's going to tell the ending of her story with accuracy," Irina told him softly. Irina watched her granddaughter play with the dog that Sydney had given her when she was released, she smiled at the old saying, "ignorance is bliss". Jack's eyes darted at his ex-wife.
"You know I'm right," she continued. Still no reply from him. Irina Derevko was released three years after she had surrendered to the CIA. But, of course, she was still under 24/7 surveillance. She was in a CIA safehouse, down by the beach. One of her favorite settings. Sitting on the balcony, she wondered if he would have a reply. Or, if he was even listening.
"And tell her that she also lost a sibling?" he asked a little harshly. "She is only 9 years old. How much do you want to put her through in one lifetime?"
"In case you haven't noticed, JACK," Irina shot. "Mirabelle is a 9 year old who matured pretty fast, pretty early."
"Do you even remember the day she went to the morgue?" he asked her. Irina hated that day. She never thought she'd live long enough to bury her own child. Irina's mind flashed back to that day at the morgue. She remembered Mirabelle running over to her parents' bodies covered in a white sheet, and throwing her arms over them and crying incessantly. She also remembered having to be restrained by the U.S. Marshalls, because her emotions ran wild that day, too. After all the murders she had committed, not once did she cry over any of them. But once she saw her dead daughter covered in that sheet, she lost it. But, by the time Jack had arrived with Mirabelle, she calmed down and tried to be strong for her granddaughter.
"Of all people, OF COURSE I REMEMBER THAT DAY. It was the day I realized what this business has done to this family. Don't you see? If you don't tell Mirabelle the truth about her parents, she may live the exact same life her mother lived."
Jack let Irina's words sink into his head. And, yes, he knew she WAS RIGHT about everything.
"How long do you think Mirabelle will go on believing that her parents died in a plane crash? She knows what they did for a living. No one dies that innocently. It wasn't the typical "struck down by the hand of fate", it was MURDER. Arvin Sloane MURDERED Mirabelle's parents, and our daughter and son-in-law." Jack wasn't sure, but he could tell that Irina was choking on built up anger towards Sloane. He kept silent, and let Irina continue.
"And do you know what hurts me even more?" He looked at her, understanding her anger, hurt, and pain that she kept bottled up inside for so long.
"Is that I didn't even get to go to their funeral. I haven't even been to their gravesite, yet." Irina began to look teary-eyed. Jack saw a tear fall, and tried to wipe it away. But, Irina wiped it away before his hand got close enough.
"My last warning to you, tell her. Before the cycle begins again."
"Grandma!!" yelled Mirabelle as she came running back, with the dog behind her. Irina dabbed her eyes on her sleeve, and put a smile on her face.
"Look at what me and DJ found!!" she climbed the stairs to the balcony.
"Oh, what is that?"
"A seashell." Irina examined the seashell.
"Wow, this is pretty. Did you find anymore?"
"Nah, DJ began to get tired. So, we headed back."
"Haha, that's okay. This dog is getting older like me anyways." she joked as she stroked the dogs back.
"I think we should go inside now," Jack said getting up.
"Okay, granddad." Mirabelle replied. Jack opened the door, Mirabelle and DJ ran into the house, and Irina followed. She gave him a quick glance, and went in.
"C`mon, boy!" she dangled a toy ball in front of him.
"Catch!" she threw the ball. The ball went into one of the rooms, and landed in a box and fell over. Mirabelle turned a light on she began to pick up the pieces of paper that were on the floor. Then, something caught her eye. It was a newspaper clipping that read, "Explosion At Powerplant Leaves 3 Dead". She read a few sentences into the article. As she read on, she saw 3 familiar names mentioned in the clipping.
"Sydney Bristow, husband Michael Vaughn and family friend, Arvin Sloane were found dead at the scene. The causes of the explosion have yet to be determined..."
She couldn't believe it. It couldn't be!!
"Mirabelle!!" she heard her granddad yell. She scrambled to her feet, and threw the rest of the papers back into the box, and put the box back onto the shelf. She hid the paper in her pocket, and left the room.
"Yes, granddad?" she asked when she made her way back into the living room.
"C`mon, we have to go now. You've got school tomorrow." he said taking her jacket off the coat rack.
"Alright." she said taking her jacket.
"Bye, DJ. Bye grandma."
"Hmm...bye, Mirabelle. You behave for your granddad, okay?"
"I will!! Bye!!" she went outside, with DJ following her.
"Jack," Irina started.
"Irina," he responded.
"Have a safe trip home."
"Take care of yourself." and with that, he headed outside.