Chapter Twenty Six
The house itself was just as she had left it, everything relatively clean, no furniture upturned nothing on fire or hacked up with bullets. Ironically Sydney noticed the two cups of coffee sitting forgotten on the coffee table before turning her attention elsewhere. Taking everything in she did in the blink of an eye, literally because once she had her eyes shut they stayed that way. In total two socks and a shoe had made it over the bench, the remaining shoes and socks were in the kitchen side of the bench. Unluckily, on slamming Irina's back onto the bench, Jack had sent cream flying everywhere, the majority onto the carpet. Strawberries, mostly half eaten ones, also littered the ground but it was not the carpet stains that worried their unfortunate daughter.
Jack's shirt was, somehow, still clinging to his shoulders, buttons either undone or popped off and now hiding beneath the couch. Irina had not been quite so lucky and her shirt was laid out beneath her on the bench, her arms having wriggled free sliding around her husband's waist. Despite both's attempts to remain in a respectable position it had taken a few stray drops of cream to have Jack attacking with more zest than should have been legal and that was what he would blame on his very handy state. His arms had wrapped around waist as he threw Irina back, his lips crashing into hers and not leaving once as every though left their minds.
His hands had not, of course, remained in a dormant state but had, by the time Sydney had thrown the door open and walked inside, crept up to skim across Irina's body, ranging up from her bare abdomen to her shoulders and then back down working their way over every inch of exposed skin and teasing at anything still covered. His lips had quickly moved down her neck, forcing her, though willingly, to throw her head back, letting it hang loose over the edge of the bench as Jack let his lips wander to her collar bone, nipping and biting, wanting to leave his mark.
Whether it was worse for Sydney that her eyes capture her mothers as she stalked in can't be known for sure but it was a brief look of horror that raced over both faces and seconds' later Sydney was voicing her thoughts, albeit in a jumbled manner, "Dad!" was the first word to leave her mouth, "Mom!" the second somewhat louder as if for some inane reason she had expected this of Jack but not of Irina. "I did not just see that." She raised a hand to her already tightly shut eyes and turned leaning up against the door as though trying to escape.
Jack removed himself hastily, a flush of red rushing to his face as he turned to do the three remaining buttons of his shirt up and cross his arms on finding that three buttons would not do the job of eight. Irina sat up on the bench grabbing her shirt and quickly shrugging into it as she too did the buttons up, eyes locked with Jack's, not so much worried about their daughter but more on whether of not Jack was going to deny it and get angry again. On seeing the quick smile the graced his lips, she grinned meekly back, fully confident in the stability of their newly formed relationship before turned to their daughter who was, for what felt like the millionth time that day regretting letting her mother out of prison, still leaning, back to the both of them, on the front door.
"Honey you really should have knocked," Jack tried.
But she whirled around, happy to see a lot less skin than she had on entry, "Knocked?" she exclaimed, "It's my house."
"Yes," Irina put in, "But still, you really shouldn't storm in like that."
"I thought you might have been trying to kill each other." Sydney responded, still not moving an inch while she noticed that somehow her mother had stepped back to stand beside her father just over the bench inside the kitchen. "I mean what you did you do?" she asked motioning to the cream and strawberries. At the two very teenage like glances she quickly intervened in what could have been a very ugly description, in her eyes, "Don't answer that."
"Sydney," Jack paused, "You didn't deserve to see that...twice. I'm sorry." He conceded.
"Me too," Irina added, accent wound around her words, "But I think that once your father and I have a nice little chat," she glanced at the man behind her, "You might have to get used to it."
The waver in her voice, the first time there had ever been a waver in her voice had Jack wanting to wrap an arm around her but he refrained and on seeing the look crossing Sydney's face rephrased Irina's statement not realizing that he was agreeing with it at the same time, "We mean not watching but you should get used to the idea."
Irina turned, unable to help herself as a look of wonder crossed her face and she rose a hand to Jack's face, caressing his cheek tenderly, "I don't understand..." she said, having expected him to at the very least have gone back to his cold self.
"Later," Jack explained, motioning her back to Sydney who stood, stock still watching with the classic mix of fascination and repulsion. "We need to make arrangements." He grinned outright at the confused look that overtook both his girls' faces. "Sit," he motioned them both to the two couches that faced each other and began to make his way, shocking everyone when he grasped Irina's hand to lead her over and lower her down next to him. An acceptable amount of air between them despite their hands still being joined, Irina's thumb running over the back of Jacks' hand.
"Now," Jack began only to be cut off by Sydney.
"You realize that she's supposed to back in her cell in forty minutes."
"What?" Irina cut in, the idea of solace no longer welcoming at all.
Jack glanced at his watch, "Then this will have to be quick." Glimpsing the edge of fear in Irina's eyes he was quick to quell it, "Honey, don't worry."
For a second Irina hesitated, not sure presenting herself as vulnerable would be too smart but eventually resorted to the truth, for once, "I don't want to go back there."
"I realize that," Jack responded but she overrode him, wonderment again present on her face.
"Did you just call me honey?" she asked, sitting up a little.
A smug grin overtook his face as he realized he had but before being able to comment, Sydney stopped him, "I really don't want to know. Now what arrangements were you referring to?"
The house itself was just as she had left it, everything relatively clean, no furniture upturned nothing on fire or hacked up with bullets. Ironically Sydney noticed the two cups of coffee sitting forgotten on the coffee table before turning her attention elsewhere. Taking everything in she did in the blink of an eye, literally because once she had her eyes shut they stayed that way. In total two socks and a shoe had made it over the bench, the remaining shoes and socks were in the kitchen side of the bench. Unluckily, on slamming Irina's back onto the bench, Jack had sent cream flying everywhere, the majority onto the carpet. Strawberries, mostly half eaten ones, also littered the ground but it was not the carpet stains that worried their unfortunate daughter.
Jack's shirt was, somehow, still clinging to his shoulders, buttons either undone or popped off and now hiding beneath the couch. Irina had not been quite so lucky and her shirt was laid out beneath her on the bench, her arms having wriggled free sliding around her husband's waist. Despite both's attempts to remain in a respectable position it had taken a few stray drops of cream to have Jack attacking with more zest than should have been legal and that was what he would blame on his very handy state. His arms had wrapped around waist as he threw Irina back, his lips crashing into hers and not leaving once as every though left their minds.
His hands had not, of course, remained in a dormant state but had, by the time Sydney had thrown the door open and walked inside, crept up to skim across Irina's body, ranging up from her bare abdomen to her shoulders and then back down working their way over every inch of exposed skin and teasing at anything still covered. His lips had quickly moved down her neck, forcing her, though willingly, to throw her head back, letting it hang loose over the edge of the bench as Jack let his lips wander to her collar bone, nipping and biting, wanting to leave his mark.
Whether it was worse for Sydney that her eyes capture her mothers as she stalked in can't be known for sure but it was a brief look of horror that raced over both faces and seconds' later Sydney was voicing her thoughts, albeit in a jumbled manner, "Dad!" was the first word to leave her mouth, "Mom!" the second somewhat louder as if for some inane reason she had expected this of Jack but not of Irina. "I did not just see that." She raised a hand to her already tightly shut eyes and turned leaning up against the door as though trying to escape.
Jack removed himself hastily, a flush of red rushing to his face as he turned to do the three remaining buttons of his shirt up and cross his arms on finding that three buttons would not do the job of eight. Irina sat up on the bench grabbing her shirt and quickly shrugging into it as she too did the buttons up, eyes locked with Jack's, not so much worried about their daughter but more on whether of not Jack was going to deny it and get angry again. On seeing the quick smile the graced his lips, she grinned meekly back, fully confident in the stability of their newly formed relationship before turned to their daughter who was, for what felt like the millionth time that day regretting letting her mother out of prison, still leaning, back to the both of them, on the front door.
"Honey you really should have knocked," Jack tried.
But she whirled around, happy to see a lot less skin than she had on entry, "Knocked?" she exclaimed, "It's my house."
"Yes," Irina put in, "But still, you really shouldn't storm in like that."
"I thought you might have been trying to kill each other." Sydney responded, still not moving an inch while she noticed that somehow her mother had stepped back to stand beside her father just over the bench inside the kitchen. "I mean what you did you do?" she asked motioning to the cream and strawberries. At the two very teenage like glances she quickly intervened in what could have been a very ugly description, in her eyes, "Don't answer that."
"Sydney," Jack paused, "You didn't deserve to see that...twice. I'm sorry." He conceded.
"Me too," Irina added, accent wound around her words, "But I think that once your father and I have a nice little chat," she glanced at the man behind her, "You might have to get used to it."
The waver in her voice, the first time there had ever been a waver in her voice had Jack wanting to wrap an arm around her but he refrained and on seeing the look crossing Sydney's face rephrased Irina's statement not realizing that he was agreeing with it at the same time, "We mean not watching but you should get used to the idea."
Irina turned, unable to help herself as a look of wonder crossed her face and she rose a hand to Jack's face, caressing his cheek tenderly, "I don't understand..." she said, having expected him to at the very least have gone back to his cold self.
"Later," Jack explained, motioning her back to Sydney who stood, stock still watching with the classic mix of fascination and repulsion. "We need to make arrangements." He grinned outright at the confused look that overtook both his girls' faces. "Sit," he motioned them both to the two couches that faced each other and began to make his way, shocking everyone when he grasped Irina's hand to lead her over and lower her down next to him. An acceptable amount of air between them despite their hands still being joined, Irina's thumb running over the back of Jacks' hand.
"Now," Jack began only to be cut off by Sydney.
"You realize that she's supposed to back in her cell in forty minutes."
"What?" Irina cut in, the idea of solace no longer welcoming at all.
Jack glanced at his watch, "Then this will have to be quick." Glimpsing the edge of fear in Irina's eyes he was quick to quell it, "Honey, don't worry."
For a second Irina hesitated, not sure presenting herself as vulnerable would be too smart but eventually resorted to the truth, for once, "I don't want to go back there."
"I realize that," Jack responded but she overrode him, wonderment again present on her face.
"Did you just call me honey?" she asked, sitting up a little.
A smug grin overtook his face as he realized he had but before being able to comment, Sydney stopped him, "I really don't want to know. Now what arrangements were you referring to?"