A/N- Sorry this took so long to update- I could tell you why, but you would be bored to tears, as I often am when thinking about school. ANYWAYS- please read and review, thanks for feedback, give me more!
Trust Me
Chapter Four
Irina looked out the window of her cell, thinking that this would be her last night here in awhile. Suddenly, the door to her cell opened. She turned around with surprise.
Jack stood there, in her cell, looking at her for a long moment.
She was little shocked- he usually didn't just waltz right into her cell with no explanation.
"Is something wrong, Jack? Is it Sydney?" She didn't cross to him, just stayed where she was.
"No, nothing's wrong. I just think we need to talk before you leave your cell."
Irina waited for him to continue.
"I hope you realize the opportunity you're getting here. This could be it, the end of everything with Sloane that's been ruining Sydney and mine's life. You could do that for us. And you're the only person who can."
"I know."
"And that's the only reason I'm giving a single fraction of trust here. Because we don't have any other choice."
"Jack, listen to me. I have nothing to gain by lying here. The CIA will kill me the instant they suspect me. And if I did escape by some impossible means- I would have lost my husband and daughter's trust all over again-"
"You haven't had mine for twenty years." Jack cut her off harshly.
"Well, here's my chance to get it back." She looked at him defiantly.
"Oh, like it's just that easy." Jack said somewhat incredulously.
"Well, what the hell do you want me to do here, Jack? I have done nothing but help you and Sydney ever since I came back! You've done everything possible to distance yourself from our daughter and you've made it easier by blaming it on the monster you've created from me! I have done everything possible to try to make it up to my family, the family I never even wanted to leave! The family I made excuses for to the KGB for years! Everything I said I felt for both of you was real, and no matter how much you don't want to hear that, it's the truth. You can hate me forever, Jack, but you and I both know that's getting no one anywhere. The sooner you start to forgive me, the better this mission will go."
"Why should this mission have anything to do with how I feel about you?" Jack said in a dangerously quiet tone.
Irina didn't exactly have an answer for that; once she had started to talk she couldn't seem to stop herself. She hadn't really thought any of that through, which was very unusual for her. So, she instead went to heart of what this conversation was really about.
"What could I possibly say to make you believe I'm telling the truth?" She stepped closer to him, taking his upper arm in her grip, forcing him not to look away.
"There's nothing you can say," Jack paused for what seemed like an eternity, "But there's one thing you can do." He lowered his face very close to hers, and for one wild moment, Irina thought he was going to kiss her.
But he didn't.
"Prove it to me." He whispered, his mouth so close to hers that she tried very hard not to do anything they would both regret.
With that, he jerked away from her, slamming the door as he left.
~*~
Irina had a very strange dream that night. It wasn't a memory, it was something else entirely. She was walking down a very dark hallway, her footsteps the only sound. She was weak with fatigue and every muscle in her body ached. Suddenly, a dim light flickered on. She saw that she had come to the end of the hallway, and in front of her were three doors.
Next to her on the wall was a mirror. She looked into it, and her reflection was strangely different from her face. Her reflection had a malevolent but somewhat amused expression. It spoke, but Irina's lips were not moving.
"Well, are just going to stand there or are you going to choose?" The reflection asked her.
Irina looked down to see that her hands were soaked in blood. Whose, she did not know.
She opened the first door and Sydney stood behind it, looking very worried.
"You're bleeding, Mom." Sydney looked at her mother's bloody hands.
"How do you know it's mine?" Irina asked.
"You can't kill again. You wouldn't." Sydney said softly, and the door slammed shut.
Irina opened the second door, and saw Sark looking at her with a sad smile.
"Choose your side, Irina." He said.
Irina didn't say anything, just looked at the man who she had molded into what he was today and marveled at how different he was from her actual child.
"I can't choose." She said sadly.
"You have to bloody choose! Ask yourself, Irina, what do you really want?" And with that, Sark's door slammed shut as well.
She opened the last door, and saw not herself, but Laura.
"You know exactly what you want," Laura looked at her for a moment, "But what will have to be lost before you'll admit it?"
Irina opened her mouth to reply, but the door slammed shut, and the dream ended.
~*~
The next morning, Irina was awakened by a knocking on her glass. She sat up immediately, her bleary eyes focusing. Sydney was tapping on the glass, smiling slightly.
"Ready to go, Mom?" She asked.
Irina nodded, smiling back at her daughter.
Sydney motioned to the guards, and the doors to her cell slid open. It was just that simple. She was free.
She stepped out of the cell, feeling a happy little chill shoot through her body as she realized she was about to finally go on a mission again.
"Are you my escort out of my cell?" Irina asked.
"Kendall said if you're going to be a field agent, we might as well start treating you like one. We can't exactly send the armed guards with you to Fiji."
Irina nodded.
"Do you feel all right?" Sydney asked her as they started walking down the hallway.
"Why do you ask?" Irina looked at her curiously.
"Well, it's just I've never seen you sleeping so late before." Sydney said.
"Couldn't fall asleep last night." Irina shrugged.
"All right, well, I hope you're rested, because today's going to busy. You're supposed to meet Dad and Marshall here in a few minutes, they'll debrief you and as far as I understand, you leave tonight."
"Thank you, Sydney."
"For what?"
"For trusting me." Irina looked at her seriously.
Sydney was about to deny it, but then realized that she wasn't really worried about her mother betraying them. She knew this might be giving her far too much credit, but for some reason, she didn't really think so. Sydney had always been one to follow her instinct, and her gut told her that Irina was really in this to help them.
"Don't make me regret it." Sydney replied quietly.
~*~
A/N- Hope everyone liked this, I'll have Part Five up as soon as possible. Next Chapter- The Sloane-Sark-Irina reunion, sorry I didn't quite get to it. The more reviews, the faster it will come! Thanks guys!
Trust Me
Chapter Four
Irina looked out the window of her cell, thinking that this would be her last night here in awhile. Suddenly, the door to her cell opened. She turned around with surprise.
Jack stood there, in her cell, looking at her for a long moment.
She was little shocked- he usually didn't just waltz right into her cell with no explanation.
"Is something wrong, Jack? Is it Sydney?" She didn't cross to him, just stayed where she was.
"No, nothing's wrong. I just think we need to talk before you leave your cell."
Irina waited for him to continue.
"I hope you realize the opportunity you're getting here. This could be it, the end of everything with Sloane that's been ruining Sydney and mine's life. You could do that for us. And you're the only person who can."
"I know."
"And that's the only reason I'm giving a single fraction of trust here. Because we don't have any other choice."
"Jack, listen to me. I have nothing to gain by lying here. The CIA will kill me the instant they suspect me. And if I did escape by some impossible means- I would have lost my husband and daughter's trust all over again-"
"You haven't had mine for twenty years." Jack cut her off harshly.
"Well, here's my chance to get it back." She looked at him defiantly.
"Oh, like it's just that easy." Jack said somewhat incredulously.
"Well, what the hell do you want me to do here, Jack? I have done nothing but help you and Sydney ever since I came back! You've done everything possible to distance yourself from our daughter and you've made it easier by blaming it on the monster you've created from me! I have done everything possible to try to make it up to my family, the family I never even wanted to leave! The family I made excuses for to the KGB for years! Everything I said I felt for both of you was real, and no matter how much you don't want to hear that, it's the truth. You can hate me forever, Jack, but you and I both know that's getting no one anywhere. The sooner you start to forgive me, the better this mission will go."
"Why should this mission have anything to do with how I feel about you?" Jack said in a dangerously quiet tone.
Irina didn't exactly have an answer for that; once she had started to talk she couldn't seem to stop herself. She hadn't really thought any of that through, which was very unusual for her. So, she instead went to heart of what this conversation was really about.
"What could I possibly say to make you believe I'm telling the truth?" She stepped closer to him, taking his upper arm in her grip, forcing him not to look away.
"There's nothing you can say," Jack paused for what seemed like an eternity, "But there's one thing you can do." He lowered his face very close to hers, and for one wild moment, Irina thought he was going to kiss her.
But he didn't.
"Prove it to me." He whispered, his mouth so close to hers that she tried very hard not to do anything they would both regret.
With that, he jerked away from her, slamming the door as he left.
~*~
Irina had a very strange dream that night. It wasn't a memory, it was something else entirely. She was walking down a very dark hallway, her footsteps the only sound. She was weak with fatigue and every muscle in her body ached. Suddenly, a dim light flickered on. She saw that she had come to the end of the hallway, and in front of her were three doors.
Next to her on the wall was a mirror. She looked into it, and her reflection was strangely different from her face. Her reflection had a malevolent but somewhat amused expression. It spoke, but Irina's lips were not moving.
"Well, are just going to stand there or are you going to choose?" The reflection asked her.
Irina looked down to see that her hands were soaked in blood. Whose, she did not know.
She opened the first door and Sydney stood behind it, looking very worried.
"You're bleeding, Mom." Sydney looked at her mother's bloody hands.
"How do you know it's mine?" Irina asked.
"You can't kill again. You wouldn't." Sydney said softly, and the door slammed shut.
Irina opened the second door, and saw Sark looking at her with a sad smile.
"Choose your side, Irina." He said.
Irina didn't say anything, just looked at the man who she had molded into what he was today and marveled at how different he was from her actual child.
"I can't choose." She said sadly.
"You have to bloody choose! Ask yourself, Irina, what do you really want?" And with that, Sark's door slammed shut as well.
She opened the last door, and saw not herself, but Laura.
"You know exactly what you want," Laura looked at her for a moment, "But what will have to be lost before you'll admit it?"
Irina opened her mouth to reply, but the door slammed shut, and the dream ended.
~*~
The next morning, Irina was awakened by a knocking on her glass. She sat up immediately, her bleary eyes focusing. Sydney was tapping on the glass, smiling slightly.
"Ready to go, Mom?" She asked.
Irina nodded, smiling back at her daughter.
Sydney motioned to the guards, and the doors to her cell slid open. It was just that simple. She was free.
She stepped out of the cell, feeling a happy little chill shoot through her body as she realized she was about to finally go on a mission again.
"Are you my escort out of my cell?" Irina asked.
"Kendall said if you're going to be a field agent, we might as well start treating you like one. We can't exactly send the armed guards with you to Fiji."
Irina nodded.
"Do you feel all right?" Sydney asked her as they started walking down the hallway.
"Why do you ask?" Irina looked at her curiously.
"Well, it's just I've never seen you sleeping so late before." Sydney said.
"Couldn't fall asleep last night." Irina shrugged.
"All right, well, I hope you're rested, because today's going to busy. You're supposed to meet Dad and Marshall here in a few minutes, they'll debrief you and as far as I understand, you leave tonight."
"Thank you, Sydney."
"For what?"
"For trusting me." Irina looked at her seriously.
Sydney was about to deny it, but then realized that she wasn't really worried about her mother betraying them. She knew this might be giving her far too much credit, but for some reason, she didn't really think so. Sydney had always been one to follow her instinct, and her gut told her that Irina was really in this to help them.
"Don't make me regret it." Sydney replied quietly.
~*~
A/N- Hope everyone liked this, I'll have Part Five up as soon as possible. Next Chapter- The Sloane-Sark-Irina reunion, sorry I didn't quite get to it. The more reviews, the faster it will come! Thanks guys!