They sat in the parking lot, waiting for Melina and her hostages to arrive. Taryn glanced over her shoulder, searching for any signs of their approach. Sydney's hand was caught in Eric's own, and she kept glancing to him for reassurance. He nodded to her, but it did not ease his own mind; he had a bad feeling that something bad was going to go down today.
All their thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of an unmarked black van, driven by an unrecognized man, while Melina sat in the passenger seat. When they pulled to a stop, more henchman emerged from the side door, and the Weiss family collectively gasped at the sight of a disheveled looking Anna Weiss, along with an exhausted Alexander Sark. Though the two were unbound, they were pushed to a place where Melina held them at gunpoint.
"Anna," Sydney screamed, and Eric held her back from advancing.
"Mom, I'm okay," Anna screamed back. They engaged in a short conversation, which Eric missed, seeing that he was accessing how far away Anna was at the moment. He speculated that they were about twenty feet away, which was just too far to plan any sort of attack. He glanced at Sydney, and from the look in her eyes, he realized she had discovered the same thing.
Melina glared at the two parents, but her eyes became gentle when she beheld her daughter Taryn. Taryn looked at her venomously, to which Melina smiled. She motioned to her guards, and they pointed to guns to Anna and Sark, leaving Melina free to step toward to her daugther.
"Taryn Weiss," she spoke, "I have waited for this moment for twenty years."
"How nice for you," Taryn answered.
"Well I can see that being raised by Mr. Sarcasm here has rubbed off on you nicely," Melina answered, her eyes dancing with laughter. Taryn was simmering. She turned around for a moment, and Sydney and Eric thought for a moment that she was crying. Instead she nodded, to no one in particular it seemed. Then, suddenly, she turned around quickly, a gun trained on Melina. Melina's face faltered for a moment. Sydney and Eric on the other hand, were too shocked to be fearful.
"Taryn..." Sydney began.
"No offense mom, but shut up," Taryn spoke, and turned to Melina,
"Listen, Mother," she spat out, "Don't ever insult my father again or I will gladly shoot you in head, you got that?" she finished, waving the gun in Melina's face.
Melina's familiar stoic countenance returned. She smiled, much to the chagrin of her daughter.
"If you shoot me, dear girl, your sister and her father will both die. In front of you. It's your choice sweetie," Melina said. She laughed to herself, realizing that she had defeated her daughter's so-called attack.
"Oh you've just thought of everything haven't you Melina?" Taryn asked, almost too smugly for Sydney and Eric's liking. They shared a glance once again. What was their daughter up to? At their collective thought, Taryn nodded once again.
The nod was followed by gunshots, and when Melina and the Weiss family turned to look at the hostages, the guards were lying on the ground, obviously dead. Melina quickly turned back to her daughter, lifting her gun to her daughter's temple.
"Who else is here Taryn?" she demanded, screaming.
"You tell me mother...you thought of everything," Taryn spoke, smiling at Sydney and Eric. They shared yet another glance, and their question was answered by the voice of someone they all knew.
"Hello Melina," Irina Bristow spoke softly.
Melina froze, her arm becoming stiff, and dropped the gun she pointed at her daughter. She turned to where an older, but still incredibly physically fit Bristow stood. She remained silent.
"I've always dreamed that my two daughters could be together..." Irina began, "but not like this Melina, not like this," she said, a tear visible on her left cheek.
"Well mother," Melina began, her voice unsteady, "If you had taken the time to find out the truth about my 'death', you would have known that I was alive. You would have been with me. But you weren't. So ends the fairy tale happy family that you've always wanted. You won't get the satisfaction of seeing me at one of your Thanksgiving dinners." Melina spat out.
Irina looked hurt, but didn't falter. Partially because she had expected this sort of reaction from her youngest girl, but also because, at that moment, Jack Bristow emerged from the shadows, and stood next to his wife, laying an arm around her shoulders.
The sight of the father she had never known caused Melina's resolve to break. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized that his face reflected her own. The pain of not knowing one another ate away at both of them. But her face was unlike his in many other respects; she thirsted for revenge against her mother, whereas Jack has forgiven Irina for her checkered past.
"Dad," she spoke, her voice cracking once again.
"Melina," he stated, and he started walking toward her. He stopped when she lifted the gun up to him.
"Dad," she said, sobbing now, "Don't come any closer." Jack looked at her, confusion clouding his eyes. Melina answered the look she beheld.
"Dad, I've always wanted to know you. Always. But I'm not like Irina Derevko. I'm not someone who can just be forgiven. I've done too many things to deserve absolution. And there will be more sins committed in order to get what I want. I'm sorry," she finished.
"Melina, that's where you're wrong. This can end right here, right now," he said.
"Dad, you and I both know that's a lie. This will never end right here. You'll take me in, I'll be in a cage again. That's not going to happen. Do you know how many years of my childhood I was caged up? The KGB knew that if Irina saw me, that she would never complete what she had started for them. I'm not going to be caged again."
Sydney listened intently as her sister spoke. So that was Melina's fear; being caged. She glanced over to her husband, who was also listening carefully. He looked to his wife, and their eyes locked. She squeezed his hand tightly. It still didn't ease his mind; something was about to happen.
"Melina..." Jack started again, only to be interrupted.
"Dad, just don't. I'm going to leave. You can all have your precious Anna, and Sark. But I'm going to be free. I'm going to build the Rambaldi device, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
"Wrong," Anna Weiss suddenly spoke, and after her voice, a shot rang out. Everyone glanced to where she stood, holding the gun of a down guard. Her target, Melina's shoulder, was now covered with blood, and Melina struggled to stifle her own cries of pain.
"Wrong move, dear," Melina spat out, and advanced toward Anna, too quickly for anyone else to move to stop her. A fight ensued, in which Melina struggled to get Anna's newly acquired weapon. Irina and Taryn both held up their guns, but did not shoot in fear of shooting Anna.
As sudden as Melina's advance had been, so was the shot that rang out next.