I'm proud of the woman Sydney became. I constantly wondered how our lived would have been different if I hadn't been pulled out, how it would have been to spend one year, one month, or even one more day with the husband I grew to love and the daughter I adored.
I had never even imagined that a mission I was assigned to would turn into something I would never want to give up. It was the most difficult thing in my life to leave Jack and Sydney behind. I had a duty to my country, just like Jack to his.
Jack… Jack was such a good father to our daughter. He always did the best he could. Jack was never an over-caring man, never let his emotions rise to the surface, but I knew in my heart he cared deeply for Sydney. More than my father ever did for me.
My Poppy put the Motherland above everything else, above my mother, above my brothers, above me. There was one moment that I'll always remember. Before he left on one of his missions he took me up in his arms and called me his bright shining jewel. Poppy was never fond of endearing terms, so for him to call me that meant more than the sun, moon, and stars put together for me.
It was the last time I saw him until I became an operative myself. We had communicated with letters and such, but the first time he saw me as a young woman instead of the little girl he had left behind so long before, I saw tears in his eyes. He pulled me into an embrace and wept. He missed his family, just like Jack missed Sydney and, I hope, missed me as well.
The two years that Sydney was missing nearly brought Jack to the breaking point. I was surprised that he asked me for my help in finding our daughter, but I was also glad that he did. He refused to believe that she was dead, and so we took up the fight to bring her back home. I was a task I was more than willing to do, because I loved Sydney. I also love Jack.
It's the duty of parents to look out for their children.
To Jack it was more than a duty.
It was a calling.
He succeeded admirably.