Chapter Six
Vaughn hated seeing his boss and friend with tears running down his face. Jack Bristow was someone you did not want to be on the bad side of. So he knew that for Jack to go home tonight was not a good idea. Laura Bristow did not deserve to pay for what Irina Derevko did.
Giving Jack some privacy Vaughn walked into his hallway heading to his line closet getting a clean pillowcase along with an extra blanket before grabbing a pillow from his bed. He changed the case on it then walked back to his living room with the pillow and blanket in his hands.
"You can sleep on my sofa tonight if you want" Vaughn offered as he set down the bedding.
Jack looked up at the younger man just nodding his head in agreement, thankful he didn't have to drive anywhere tonight not sure if that would have been safe with the shape he was in at the moment. How did he get pass this? How could Jack live his life as if he didn't know his Wife had been a KGB spy? Just because Laura didn't know it, didn't make it not true.
Jack did not want to hurt his children, but he wasn't sure if he could live with Laura with what he now knew. Was that fair? The Laura Bristow he was married to now, wasn't the same woman he married over thirty years ago. But right now all Jack could feel was a deep hurt that he knew would never leave him when he thought of Laura in the early days of their meeting and marriage.
Seeing the glass Vaughn had refilled for him Jack grabbed it drinking it slowly letting it cool his inside. Vaughn took his own glass and slipped it as well. Neither man talked just set in silence nursing their drinks both knowing the file on Irina Derevko had changed so much in such a short time.
"I meant what I said early about what was in the file not having to leave this room" Vaughn finally broke the silence with. "We both know that Laura has no memory of being Derevko she is not a harm to anyone"
Jack's mouth dropped open in learning about his Wife's true identy he had forgotten that Vaughn had offered him earlier to not tell anyone what was in Derevko's file. It stunned Jack because Derevko had played a part in Vaughn's Father's death, yet he was willing to let Laura go free.
"Why would you do that?" Jack ask not knowing if he could do that same if someone had played a part in his Father's murder.
"Because I think Derevko is getting her just deserts. Laura Bristow was just an alias to her, but to the woman who is living that life right now it isn't." Vaughn stopped letting all this earlier thoughts out "It's not fair to punish Laura for something she had nothing to do with. All Derevko has done for your Wife is cause her pain, because of her Laura had to learn to talk agian and walk again. She's done nothing but stuffer because of things she had nothing to do with"
"Not remembering doesn't make her innocent" Jack rebutted back.
"I disagree mainly because we both know from Laura's medical files that she will never get those memories back. I am all for punishing the guilt but not a innocent woman who's only crime for the last twenty years as been being your loving wife and mother to your children" was Vaughn's answer back to Jack.
"I know that" Jack plead back "but I will not ask you to keep this from the CIA. We can't do that Micheal" At hearing his first name Vaughn knew Jack was serious he was going to turn his Wife into the CIA over things she had no control over. Laura would be arrested taken from her children over things she could never defend herself from because she had no memory of them.
"What if Laura is innocent?" Vaughn asks the idea just coming to him now "What if someone is framing Laura what if she wasn't Irina Derevko? Laura can not defend herself she had no memories of that time of her life she could be their scapegoat"
Jack closed his mouth and looked again at the file he needed to read all of it to make sure he knew all the details before he did something that could destroy his wife's life. Vaughn was a good man and didn't want Laura to be punished for things the younger man did not consider her fault.
"I will read the whole file top to bottom until I can recite it from memory" Jack informed Vaughn "if someone else gave the information about Project Christmas I would know"
"So you were involved with Project Christmas?" Vaughn questioned knowing enough not to ask what Project Christmas was it was above his pay grade.
"I was the head of that project" Jack answered already starting to read Derevko's file again. Jack knew in his bones that Laura had been Irina Derevko, but the current Laura Bristow deserved him giving Vaughn's idea about it being a setup a shot. "I know who had what information, or at least I thought I did"
Vaughn nodded it was getting late knowing he couldn't be of help to Directer Bristow he said "I'm headed to bed if you need anything tonight wake me" Jack had to be the one who knew if the details in that file matched up with Project Christmas along with other things going on at the time. It wasn't something Vaughn could help him with no matter how much he wished he could.
Jack shouldn't have to decide if his Wife was a former KGB spy, it shouldn't have to be him that could decide to put his Wife behind bars for the rest of her life or worse the death penalty. And Vaughn knew Jack would do the right thing here. What the right thing was, was indeed the question here.
As Vaughn forgone getting his sleepwear on and just laying fully clothed on his bed hating himself for not just destroying Derevko's file and putting Jack in the position he was currently in. In the morning Vaughn was going to try to convince Jack to burn Derevko's file there was no reason for Laura Bristow to be punished for what Derevko had done.
Sleep wasn't something anyone in Vaughn's apartment got that night. Vaughn himself was up most of the night thinking of ways to get Jack to agree to destroy Derevko's file. Also trying to think up arguments to help Jack forget what he had learned about his Wife. That part Vaughn had never been able to come up with an answer for.
You can't really make a man forget the only reason his wife married him was because she was ordered too, that she cheated on him, stole CIA sercets from him, their daughter's life was threatened because of who she was. Also, she had a hand in the deaths of CIA agents. Yeah, Vaughn, could not come up with anyway for himself to forget that much less Jack. Knowing someone didn't deserve to be punished for something was one thing, living with the knowledge of all those wrongs was another.
It was easy for Vaughn to not want Laura Bristow to suffer for what Derevko had done, he did not have to live with her day and day out for the rest of his life Jack did. Jack was her victim he fell head line and sinker for all the lies Derevko had fed him. It wasn't going to be easy for Jack even if he convinced him not to turn Laura in. Could Jack live with her? Was the Bristow's marriage over no matter if Laura did not end up in jail?
It was better for your parents to be divorce than one in jail for the rest of their life. Vaughn knew what it was like to not have a parent there growing up. He did not want that for Jack's youngest child. That more than anything was the reason Vaughn hoped to talk Jack out of turning Laura in.
Vaughn got himself cleaned up and headed for his living room going to offer Jack some coffee and whatever he could find in his kitchen for breakfast. Instead of finding Jack though he found an empty sofa the pillow and blanket folded just setting on an end table.
This wasn't good where did Jack go? Did he already turn in Laura, Vaughn grabbed his key leaving his apartment barely remembering to lock the door behind him hoping he could get to Jack before the man turned his wife in.
Walking as fast as one can in a CIA's field office without drawing attention to ones self Vaughn got to Directer Bristow's office only to be told Jack had left for the airport thirty minutes before, headed for Langley. Vaughn had left his apartment so fast this morning he had forgotten his cell phone and didn't even really check his apartment before he left to see if Jack had Derevko's file.
Hoping he could leave before his division boss saw him Vaughn headed with his head down back towards the entrance only to be stopped by Eric Weiss his best friend letting out a breath Vaughn smiled.
"How did that mission you was on go?" Eric asks noticing his friend seemed stressed.
"Fine" Vaughn answered looking around waiting to get out before he was called to attention on a case and couldn't leave undetected. He needed to get his cell phone to try to call Jack before he got to Langley to find out just want Directer Bristow had told his superiors about the file on Irina Derevko"
"You okay man you seem tense" Eric asked his friend hoping that all the jetlag hadn't caught up with Vaughn.
"I just forgot my cell phone" was his replied looking at the door. Eric followed his stare nodded then whisper "I'll cover for you, go get that cell phone"
Smiling Vaughn nodded knowing Eric was a good friend willing to take the heat if necessary it was nice knowing he had someone who he could count on like that. Maybe that's why he was trying so hard to stop Jack from destroying his homelife. He wanted to be that kind of friend for Directier Bristow, the man was someone he thought if his own Father had lived perhaps would have been like him.
Whatever the reason Vaughn just knew for his conscience sake he had to talk to Jack once more before this all played out before the CIA.
"Bristow" Jack answered his cell with as he walked into the waiting car. He already knew who it was from the missed calls he hadn't gotten while in the air.
"Jack please don't do it" Vaughn plead almost as if Laura was his own Mother instead of someone who help cause his Father's death. After getting back to his apartment that morning Vaughn had found his cell phone but the file on Derevko was gone.
"Trust me, Agent Vaughn I know what I am doing" was all that was said then Jack ended the call.
Vaughn hit redial on his cell but all it did was ring finally it went to voicemail which he knew not to leave one on this matter. It was all out of Vaughn's hands now, but he never dreamed that Jack would turn in his own Wife. Really Vaughn had never thought past just telling Jack the consequences of telling Directier Bristow hadn't seemed important as much as letting the other man know what the KGB had done. Now though Vaughn knew he would blame himself for causing a little boy to lose a parent, that wasn't a good feeling.
It made Vaughn feel sick, but he couldn't stop it now. He should have burned that file the moment he seen Laura Bristow picture in it.
