Last Dance
AN: Wow, we're finally at the original premise of my story- the last week of Irina's life as Laura Bristow. *Sigh* Took me long enough to get to the point, eh? Read and review. You talk, I write, that simple. LOL.
Chapter Three
An alarm buzzed angrily right next to Laura's ear as she reentered the waking realm. "Get up," she muttered, playfully shoving her husband, who lay somewhat on top of her, away.
"Call in and tell them I'm preoccupied," Jack murmured back as he opened his eyes and groaned.
"Do they pay you for taking off days in which you're preoccupied?" Laura inquired innocently as she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck.
"Nope," he sighed, leaning in to nibble Laura's ear, then getting up. "Off to shower," he said over his shoulder.
"I'll wake Sydney up," Laura said, rolling herself out of bed and almost onto the floor.
She padded down the hall silently sneaking up on the doorway of Sydney's room. She wasn't as good at this game as Sydney and Jack were, but she tried to hold her own. She slowly reached the entrance and looked towards the bed when a small figure attacked her knees.
"Got ya!" Sydney shouted gleefully.
Laura feigned surprise as she tickled her daughter's stomach while the girl shrieked. "Pancakes for breakfast?" she inquired when the two tired of the game.
"With blueberries," Sydney agreed.
Laura headed towards the kitchen. "Get dressed and we'll see who will take you to school."
She was almost finished making breakfast when Jack wandered downstairs, filling the downstairs area with a scent of aftershave Irina remembered years later. He grabbed her around the waist.
"Little rascal up yet?" he whispered in her ear.
"Yes, and it's thanks to her you're getting blueberries."
"Wish I were getting much more...like an all-expenses paid vacation for two to an abandoned island.." he trailed off.
"Behave," Laura whispered back. "You're daughter will be downstairs any minute and we don't need another toaster incident. And you know we can't fully blame the alcohol for needing to move out for a week."
He pouted playfully.
"Besides, we're going out together tomorrow night. And while we're not going to a deserted island, dinner will be equally great," she reminded him.
"Just dinner?" he said.
"Maybe a little extra if you're nice."
Sydney bounced downstairs, grabbing the plate Laura prepared for her. "Who's taking me?"
"Well, since mommy got you up, I think I will," he said, placing a kiss on the top of Sydney's head.
"Sounds fine to me," Laura said. "I think I'm going to get some reading done today."
Thirty minutes later, she was chasing her daughter and husband out the door. "Have a good day, Sydney," she said as she kissed her daughter. "And you come home early," she told Jack, kissing him as well as Sydney watched, amused. Laura turned, not to housework, but to Jack's office when their car was out of sight. Flipping through his files, she muttered, "Old, old, old..." and realized Jack hadn't brought home anything on Project Christmas for two weeks now. "Odd," she murmured, thinking of how she should be bothered, but wasn't. They'd left her alone for a good two months, now, and Laura was getting used to it.
At 10:45, a knock sounded on the door, and as Laura opened the door she realized she was looking into a face she thought she would never see again.
"Anya?"
***
Where it all headed downhill, I reminded myself. I realized my time in paradise was ending and the presence of that man meant that I was to return to the world I'd grown up in. Irina Derevko was returning.
***
She told Laura what she expected to hear. That in five day's time, Laura Bristow would tragically perish in a car wreck and Irina Derevko would return to Russia with her findings. Laura took it well, or so it seemed. "Anya, why did they send you?" Laura asked.
Anya sighed. "They knew you would be highly resistant to leaving. That you would want to stay. God, I don't know why I'm actually coming right out and saying this. But they think you'll be more willing to come if I showed up. We were close once, Irina, remember? Remember nights by the fireplace? Remember going to school together? Or did you forget all of that?"
"Of course I didn't!" Laura insisted. "How could I? I'll- I'll come. They mean nothing to me."
"Not even her?" Anya shot back, gesturing to a picture of Sydney. "Not even your daughter?"
Laura hesitated for a moment, not realizing she would be asked this question twice- over twenty years later, in Taipei- and that she would answer it the same way both times. A lie, both times, but her life was a lie. "No. She means nothing to me."
"Good."
It was with a smiling face that Laura shut the door behind her sister. She slid to the floor, and buried her face in her hands and cried for the first of many times that week.
AN: Wow, we're finally at the original premise of my story- the last week of Irina's life as Laura Bristow. *Sigh* Took me long enough to get to the point, eh? Read and review. You talk, I write, that simple. LOL.
Chapter Three
An alarm buzzed angrily right next to Laura's ear as she reentered the waking realm. "Get up," she muttered, playfully shoving her husband, who lay somewhat on top of her, away.
"Call in and tell them I'm preoccupied," Jack murmured back as he opened his eyes and groaned.
"Do they pay you for taking off days in which you're preoccupied?" Laura inquired innocently as she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck.
"Nope," he sighed, leaning in to nibble Laura's ear, then getting up. "Off to shower," he said over his shoulder.
"I'll wake Sydney up," Laura said, rolling herself out of bed and almost onto the floor.
She padded down the hall silently sneaking up on the doorway of Sydney's room. She wasn't as good at this game as Sydney and Jack were, but she tried to hold her own. She slowly reached the entrance and looked towards the bed when a small figure attacked her knees.
"Got ya!" Sydney shouted gleefully.
Laura feigned surprise as she tickled her daughter's stomach while the girl shrieked. "Pancakes for breakfast?" she inquired when the two tired of the game.
"With blueberries," Sydney agreed.
Laura headed towards the kitchen. "Get dressed and we'll see who will take you to school."
She was almost finished making breakfast when Jack wandered downstairs, filling the downstairs area with a scent of aftershave Irina remembered years later. He grabbed her around the waist.
"Little rascal up yet?" he whispered in her ear.
"Yes, and it's thanks to her you're getting blueberries."
"Wish I were getting much more...like an all-expenses paid vacation for two to an abandoned island.." he trailed off.
"Behave," Laura whispered back. "You're daughter will be downstairs any minute and we don't need another toaster incident. And you know we can't fully blame the alcohol for needing to move out for a week."
He pouted playfully.
"Besides, we're going out together tomorrow night. And while we're not going to a deserted island, dinner will be equally great," she reminded him.
"Just dinner?" he said.
"Maybe a little extra if you're nice."
Sydney bounced downstairs, grabbing the plate Laura prepared for her. "Who's taking me?"
"Well, since mommy got you up, I think I will," he said, placing a kiss on the top of Sydney's head.
"Sounds fine to me," Laura said. "I think I'm going to get some reading done today."
Thirty minutes later, she was chasing her daughter and husband out the door. "Have a good day, Sydney," she said as she kissed her daughter. "And you come home early," she told Jack, kissing him as well as Sydney watched, amused. Laura turned, not to housework, but to Jack's office when their car was out of sight. Flipping through his files, she muttered, "Old, old, old..." and realized Jack hadn't brought home anything on Project Christmas for two weeks now. "Odd," she murmured, thinking of how she should be bothered, but wasn't. They'd left her alone for a good two months, now, and Laura was getting used to it.
At 10:45, a knock sounded on the door, and as Laura opened the door she realized she was looking into a face she thought she would never see again.
"Anya?"
***
Where it all headed downhill, I reminded myself. I realized my time in paradise was ending and the presence of that man meant that I was to return to the world I'd grown up in. Irina Derevko was returning.
***
She told Laura what she expected to hear. That in five day's time, Laura Bristow would tragically perish in a car wreck and Irina Derevko would return to Russia with her findings. Laura took it well, or so it seemed. "Anya, why did they send you?" Laura asked.
Anya sighed. "They knew you would be highly resistant to leaving. That you would want to stay. God, I don't know why I'm actually coming right out and saying this. But they think you'll be more willing to come if I showed up. We were close once, Irina, remember? Remember nights by the fireplace? Remember going to school together? Or did you forget all of that?"
"Of course I didn't!" Laura insisted. "How could I? I'll- I'll come. They mean nothing to me."
"Not even her?" Anya shot back, gesturing to a picture of Sydney. "Not even your daughter?"
Laura hesitated for a moment, not realizing she would be asked this question twice- over twenty years later, in Taipei- and that she would answer it the same way both times. A lie, both times, but her life was a lie. "No. She means nothing to me."
"Good."
It was with a smiling face that Laura shut the door behind her sister. She slid to the floor, and buried her face in her hands and cried for the first of many times that week.