CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

(Five days later)

The loud growl of her stomach suddenly pushed her to the realms of consciousness, the sphere of life where she has been absent for the past few days. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a green side table with a handful of scratches on it.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Her eyes roamed around the room, scanning for any clues to where she might be. She could only recall bits and pieces – her father's face, his questions, the sensation of being lifted - and she assume that she could recall only little because those bits and pieces are the only things that she had seen while she was awake.

She could only hope that she's back with the CIA.

There were three needles stuck in her arm. She frowned in disapproval and began to pull them off. There was no clock inside the room and she didn't know what time it was.

She slipped off the bed and stood up. Her knees wobbled slightly, but she managed to stay up on her feet without falling. She began to walk around. She checked the clipboard by the edge of the bed, took a drink from the pitcher of water, discovered a bathroom and washed her face.

After a few minutes, she decided to step out of the room.

She stuck her head outside the door. The hallway was quiet, seemingly deserted. Her stomach grumbling and the continuous droning of… something… are the only things that she could hear. What if she walked around the place to know where she was?

'Sofya, stop it. You don't know who took you.' Her thoughts warned as she looked about. 'Yeah, but you saw him, right?'

Doubt lingered in her mind. What if, she's not really back with the CIA? What if someone did take her, but it wasn't her family?

Bravely, she stepped out. The floor was cold under her feet, but she didn't care.

She ran her fingers through her hair (which seemed to have grown longer…)

'What now?'

-x-x-x-

Dreams don't really visit him. If ever they do, it's normally a cut and paste version of the past, with a nightmarish vision in the mix. Normally, inky darkness surrounds his sleep. It knows no time and yet, it always felt like it quickly ends his slumber. He wakes up on his own, with no alarm clocks to rouse him.

This time, it's different. The loud vibration of his cell phone slashed his sleep to a halt. He groggily reached for it in the side table and irritatingly received the call.

"What?" he greeted with annoyance and took a glance at to his right. Irina is sleeping on her side of the bed, flat on her stomach. She didn't hear the noise his phone made.

"Sir, we have a problem. It's about your daughter…"

The agent's news jolted him awake. The shock of it the information was more effective than a cup of black coffee.

"Where was security when-"

"Security cameras saw her come out of her room. She took off the IV's on her arm and it seems that she hasn't left the building. I think we have the situation under control…"

'Then why did you call me?' he thought with exasperation. Jack sat up, "I'll be there in twenty minutes. Call me if you find her before I arrive." He said. He abruptly ended the call even if the agent in the other line started talking.

He sighed before looking at the digital clock on the table.

2.30 AM.

Jack sighed once again and started to leave the bed.

"Where was security, anyway?"

He flicked on the lamp and turned to look at Irina, "You're awake?" he said with slight suspicion.

She angled her head so that they'll be looking at each other. Half of her face is being covered by her hair and she is hugging the pillow that they use as the boundary of their space. "I've been awake even before your phone started ringing." She answered, "I heard everything."

He didn't doubt that. People with sharp eyes have sharper ears.

"Sofya's missing – again - and you're not worried?"

"The agent in the other line said that they have everything in control. I was going to suggest that they look for her in the break room or wherever there's food, but you suddenly ended the call."

Jack frowned, "What makes you sure she'll be there?"

A small smile formed in her lips, "My knowledge of my daughter's stomach never fails me."

He scrutinized her face for a while before he took his cell phone to call the agent who had disturbed their sleep.

"I want you to check in the break room first." Jack ordered tersely. He waited for an affirmation from the agent and said a curt goodbye before tossing his phone to the side table. He glanced at her again. She's still looking at him.

"I'd better get dressed in case she's not there." He slid away from the bed and started to walk towards the bathroom.

Irina watched him. She's really been awake for almost an hour when the phone rang. It wasn't because she had a horrible dream. She seemed to get less and less of that. It was an unknown force that jolted her awake and it didn't allow her to fall back to sleep.

She heard the shower being turned on. She pursed her lips and rolled on her back. Idly, she stared at the ceiling and hoped that they find Sofya in the break room. They just found her and they're just going to lose her again?

A few minutes later, Jack's phone rang. She looked at it. He had told the agent to call him if they had found Sofya and he's not yet in APO.

"Jack," she called towards the bathroom.

"I can hear it." He answered and after a few seconds, emerged from the shower wearing his boxers.

He hastily picked it up, "Bristow."

"Sir, we found her in the break room, eating bananas. She says she wants to talk to her Mom before she comes with us."

Jack breathed out a sigh of relief, "Give her the phone." He handed Irina the gadget, "Your daughter wants to talk to you."

"Hello?" she greeted as she sat up on the bed.

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie." Irina answered, relieved to hear Sofya's voice.

"What was Nate's favorite movie when we were seven-years-old?"

Irina raised a brow. Her daughter seems to be verifying her identity, "Peter Pan. It was your favorite movie too, you know."

She heard an amused sound from the other line,

"I missed you a lot, Mom."

"I missed you too, sweetheart. I'll see you later."

"Okay."

Irina handed the cell phone back to Jack. She smiled at him teasingly before reclining on the bed again. She closed her eyes and waited for him to finish talking on the phone.

"Are you still going to APO?" she asked when she heard him walking about the room.

"No." the cold shower he took had cleared away the last strands of sleepiness he had. His mind is alert—he will not be able to go back to the land of slumber.

She peered under her lashes, "You'll go back to bed?"

"No, I'll be working in my office." He answered and walked towards the closet to get his clothes. He turned his head to look at her, "Do you want to have breakfast?"

She shook her head, "I'll just stay here. I might be able to fall asleep again." She answered and took the pillow beside her before embracing it. She buried her face into the soft fabric and breathed in Jack's scent.

"Suit yourself." He said and went to the bathroom to change.

After a few minutes, she heard him come out. He took his phone from the table before proceeding towards the door.

"Have fun working." She said, her words muffled by the softness. He didn't respond to her and when she heard door close, she hugged the pillow tighter and wished that she quickly fall back to sleep.

-x-x-x-

"According to some agents and nurses, she had woken up." The mole reported, "I still can't infiltrate the circle of agents Jack Bristow had created to protect them." He glanced at the rearview mirror and made a signal to turn to the right.

"Could you infiltrate the circle?"

He nodded, even if the person he's talking to couldn't see him, "They are just a few agents. It will be hard for them to keep on going to all missions. Sooner or later, the others might be asked to join in." he said and sipped his coffee.

"Don't be too sure of yourself. Always be careful."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied.

"I'll be expecting an update on the weekend."

He took off the earpiece and began to drive at a slow pace since it's still too early to come in the office.

He stopped at a bakery and bought three cinnamon rolls. He also refilled his mug of coffee before he ate his breakfast inside his car. As he munched his bread, he watched the other cars go pass him, its passengers eager to go to their workplaces.

After a while, he looked at his watch. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and started the car.

Its time to go to work.

-x-x-x-

"You've been making breakfast for the past three days." Nadia remarked when she entered the kitchen and found Nathan in front of the stove.

"Its something I enjoy doing. And besides," he turned to his sister, "I'm the one who wakes up the earliest."

She walked towards the counter and smiled at her brother, "You just don't like washing the dishes." She stated and looked at what he was cooking, "Sausages for breakfast. Yum."

"Are you going to work today?"

"Yes, finally." Nadia answered and sniffed the air, "It smells so good, Nate. How did you learn how to cook?" she asked and decided to set the table.

"Its one of the few things we learned during summer. Mama said that it was better for the two of us to pour all our energy into our new hobbies than figure out new ways to hurt each other."

His comment made her look at him. Something flashed in her mind – a memory of some sort – of the time when the family was still whole, complete.

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

Nadia watched as her younger brother tugged the toy in his twin's hands. However, it seems that her little sister's tight hold on the plaything was starting to frustrate him.

He pushed little Sofya's face away and took the toy from her. Sofya responded with a shriek from the top of her lungs.

Nadia covered her ears with her hands, "Mama, Nate and Iya are fighting!"

"I have a question." She said and started to operate the coffee maker. Their brother made it clear from the start that he didn't drink coffee that much and he hated making coffee.

"Shoot." Nathan replied as he turned off the stove.

She let out a deep breath and hoped that her inquiry will not seem out of the blue, "Why do you always have fights with Iya?"

Her brother gave a laugh. He glanced at her. A wide smile, which exposed dimples as deep as Sydney's, was present on his face, "That's a hard question to answer." He said and grabbed one of the plates in the open cupboard, "Its fun?" he answered, shrugging.

"Don't you get tired of it?"

"Sometimes. Occasionally, you'd get tired of the peace and so you'd find ways to instigate a little argument." He placed the sausages on the plate and set it on the table. He went to the refrigerator and took out a pitcher of orange juice. He turned to her again, "Why do you ask?"

Nadia shook her head, "Nothing."

"Are you sure you want to go to work today?" he jested, "You could stay home for another day. Dad wouldn't mind."

She froze when she heard a certain word come out of Nathan's mouth. Did she hear him right? Did he call their father…?

Slowly, she faced him with an expression of shock and giddy delight, "You called him Dad. You called Dad, dad!" she exclaimed. She couldn't describe the look on her brother's face. "I heard you, Nate. Don't try to deny it."

"I'm not going to deny anything." He said and suddenly turned serious, "And what I just said will just be between the two of us." He said in a low tone.

She laughed, "What is so wrong with it?" she asked, "I mean, I don't think he'd mind…"

"That's not it."

"Ooh, you want to preserve your tough guy persona, huh?"

"No…" Nathan answered, "I'm not… I'm not ready to call him Dad… or something."

Nadia pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing out loud again, "Fine." She said in a teasing tone, "I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Not a word to anyone, okay? Especially not to Iya." He said, stressing on his twin's name.

She shook her head, "It's not as if she's going to cry mutiny against you if she finds out what you just said."

"Oh, you don't know what she might call me if she finds out about it. Just shush, okay? I'll tell it myself."

Nadia, though amused with her brother's reactions, just nodded her head, "Okay. I'm not going to tell anyone." She giggled a bit before going to a chair and sitting down.

A few minutes later, Sydney stepped in the kitchen. Nathan and Nadia greeted her a good morning.

She glanced at her sister. There is a slightly mischievous twinkle in her eyes when she smiled at her. She's clearly up to something.

"Okay, is there something I need to know about?"

"No." her two younger siblings answered simultaneously. Brother and sister looked at each other before looking at her again.

Sydney raised a brow, "Obviously, you're conspiring against me."

"Oh, Syd." Nadia sighed dramatically and looked at Nathan, "Its Nate's secret and he made me swear."

"I did not." He answered and frowned at her, "It's nothing serious." He said in a stern manner and continued eating his breakfast.

She looked at Nadia, who winked. Her sister then proceeded to eat the sausage, humming quietly as she eyed their brother.

Sydney decided to give up and went towards the counter to get a cup of coffee, "Oh, by the way, Dad called. Iya woke up a few hours ago."

Nadia smiled even wider, "Oh, we can visit her later." She said brightly and sipped her coffee. Her brother gave her a sharp glance, but she just waved it off with a knowing look.

Nathan quickly finished his breakfast and drank the orange juice to its last drop. He excused himself and left the kitchen, but not before he gave his sister a glare of death.

Nadia laughed out loud as he walked out. She caught Sydney's curious look and mouthed the words, 'tell-you-later' since their brother is still in earshot.

She mentally rolled her eyes with the stubbornness Nathan is exhibiting. She's going to respect his wishes, of course because if she tells everyone, she'd probably earn her brother's wrath and cultivate antagonism between Nathan and their father. She doesn't want that.

She ate the last of the sausages.

She's going to go to work today.