Vaughn stood waiting in the foyer. He could see the tree figures standing
outside the house, through the window. He was glad that Sydney had gone to
take a shower. She had gone through too much in that last few days. Vaughn
stood in silence, not sure if he was ready to deal with whatever was
walking through the door. He had so many questions: 'What was Sark doing
here? Would he and Sydney ever have another moment of peace together?' As
the door slowly opened, Vaughn pushed these thoughts to the back of his
mind and slowly prepared himself.
They entered in silence, all of them, including Sark, seemed somber and withdrawn. Jack glanced at Vaughn before turning to shut the door; his eyes blank and revealing little. Sark's demeanor was so different then any other time Vaughn had seen him. He was nervous, not cocky and in control. He stood behind Irina, as if she were his shield against Vaughn. It was strange.
For a moment there was complete silence until Vaughn decided to break it. "So is anyone going to even try and explain?" He said curtly; trying to remove the indignation from his voice.
"As usual a lot of things need to be explained Michael. When it comes to our family nothing in uncomplicated." Irina said this softly. Vaughn notices her changed demeanor as well. She spoke with reservation, her eyes projected an almost guilt life quality. Vaughn was unsure of how to receive all of this. "Where is Sydney?" Irina questioned after a moment.
"She's in the shower." Vaughn said quickly, not knowing if they should wait until she was through, or go ahead without her. Jack and Irina both nodded, but neither said anything. Vaughn watched slowly as the strange group of three stood in silence. They were all uneasy; shifting their weight back and forth, stealing glances at one another. Finally Vaughn decided to say something. He stuttered at first, not sure how to break the awkward silence. "Anyone.uh, Coffee?" He said uneasily as he moved toward the kitchen.
At this everyone's spirits seemed lifted, as if a simple cup of coffee might prolong whatever they were dreading. As they all moved into the kitchen, Vaughn began to realize how strange it was that Sark was there. It hadn't hit him fully before, but the man had tried to kill him, tried to kill Sydney, he wasn't really their friend at all. But he'd just offered him a cup of coffee, like it was nothing. Maybe it was nothing. Vaughn couldn't discern anything from anything else anymore. Things were just too crazy.
Vaughn handed out cups of ageing coffee while Jack, Irina and Sark found places around the table. No one said anything, which was extremely disconcerting for Vaughn. He was about to try and break the silence again when Irina spoke. "Ryan." She started shakily. "What do you know?"
After a moment of hesitation Sark began to speak. "Really all I know are the names of my parents." He looked to Irina, his eyes full of wonder and questions. "I don't know why, or how, or." He stopped, visible shaken.
"First of all," Irina started. She struggled to keep her game face on; all the while everyone could see that she was on the verge of tears. "You need to know none of this was ever meant to hurt you. I. We never wanted you to find out this way."
"Or to find out at all." Sark interrupted.
"That's not true." Jack said. His words came across sincerely but it was impossible to discern if he was being truthful. "We wanted to tell you, we needed to tell you. But things hardly ever work out the way we want them to." Jack said softly, looking at Irina.
"Well I'm sure you weren't aware of this from the beginning. When did you have the privilege of being let." Sark said, some cynical sarcasm returning to his voice.
"That's completely unfair. This is not your mother's fault. You cannot blame her for this." Jack said, the anger ever increasing in his voice.
"Than who's fault is it?" Sark said, his voice matching Jack's in intensity.
"It IS my fault." Irina said quietly, a tear running down her face. "I never should have left you in Ireland. I never should have done any of it." She paused collecting her thoughts. "It is all my fault."
Seeing Irina's tears Jack slid his hand out over the table and enclosed Irina's. He squeezed it tight and gave her an intense look. "That isn't true, and you know it." Jack said softly.
Vaughn watched from afar. He stood in shock leaning against the counter. He wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly. Sark was Jack and Irina's son? How was that possible?
"How long have you known?" Sark said looking accusatorily toward Jack.
"I have known for a little over eight years." Jack said very matter-of- factly, not taking his eyes away from Irina's. At this Sark smiled and shock his head.
"Eight years. A lot has happened in the last eight years, Dad." At this Jack looked toward his son.
"That is precisely the point Ryan. When your mother told me eight years ago, that you were my son, and that she'd been forced to leave you in Ireland all of those years ago; I wanted to tell you. I wanted to. I don't really know. I wanted to meet you; for god's sake you're my son." Jack said trying to control himself. "But for the sake of your life, and the life of your mother, we kept it a secret. If the timing had been right, we would have told you." Jack said, his voice softening dramatically.
"So you chose Sydney over me." Sark's arrogant smile returned to his face. "No, no. It's alright. You chose to protect Sydney's interests over revealing the truth to me, I understand that. But my question is: why did you pretend for all those long years. After you found out, we had several encounters. And yet, all the time you acted as if we were adversaries."
"We were." Jack said nonchalantly. "And I'm sorry, but at the time protecting Sydney was my top priority, her life was, and still is, in danger. It is not as though your mother and I made a conscious decision to harm you Ryan, we had to make sacrifices."
"Enough." Irina said loudly. "Ryan, what's done is done. I cannot erase the mistakes I've made in my life. I cannot ask you to forgive me. I know I am not worthy of your forgiveness. But you said earlier that you came here because you now have a family. I know we're not much, but we are that family. It has taken almost thirty years for us to find our way back to each other, but here we are. It is up to you. Either we can debate what I've done, we can relive my sins, or we can move on. I won't ask much of you Ryan, just that. that we can move on." The tears seemed never ending as the flowed from her eyes. Jack held her hand as she made a selfless plea to her new found son. She had, for such a long time, wanted to speak with him, truthfully. To tell his that she had always loved him, and that she always would. To tell him that though she'd made the biggest mistake of all when it came to him, he wasn't the mistake. She had so much she needed to tell him, so much she wanted him to understand. But there were so many obstacles in her way. And to her great regret, Sydney was one of them.
They entered in silence, all of them, including Sark, seemed somber and withdrawn. Jack glanced at Vaughn before turning to shut the door; his eyes blank and revealing little. Sark's demeanor was so different then any other time Vaughn had seen him. He was nervous, not cocky and in control. He stood behind Irina, as if she were his shield against Vaughn. It was strange.
For a moment there was complete silence until Vaughn decided to break it. "So is anyone going to even try and explain?" He said curtly; trying to remove the indignation from his voice.
"As usual a lot of things need to be explained Michael. When it comes to our family nothing in uncomplicated." Irina said this softly. Vaughn notices her changed demeanor as well. She spoke with reservation, her eyes projected an almost guilt life quality. Vaughn was unsure of how to receive all of this. "Where is Sydney?" Irina questioned after a moment.
"She's in the shower." Vaughn said quickly, not knowing if they should wait until she was through, or go ahead without her. Jack and Irina both nodded, but neither said anything. Vaughn watched slowly as the strange group of three stood in silence. They were all uneasy; shifting their weight back and forth, stealing glances at one another. Finally Vaughn decided to say something. He stuttered at first, not sure how to break the awkward silence. "Anyone.uh, Coffee?" He said uneasily as he moved toward the kitchen.
At this everyone's spirits seemed lifted, as if a simple cup of coffee might prolong whatever they were dreading. As they all moved into the kitchen, Vaughn began to realize how strange it was that Sark was there. It hadn't hit him fully before, but the man had tried to kill him, tried to kill Sydney, he wasn't really their friend at all. But he'd just offered him a cup of coffee, like it was nothing. Maybe it was nothing. Vaughn couldn't discern anything from anything else anymore. Things were just too crazy.
Vaughn handed out cups of ageing coffee while Jack, Irina and Sark found places around the table. No one said anything, which was extremely disconcerting for Vaughn. He was about to try and break the silence again when Irina spoke. "Ryan." She started shakily. "What do you know?"
After a moment of hesitation Sark began to speak. "Really all I know are the names of my parents." He looked to Irina, his eyes full of wonder and questions. "I don't know why, or how, or." He stopped, visible shaken.
"First of all," Irina started. She struggled to keep her game face on; all the while everyone could see that she was on the verge of tears. "You need to know none of this was ever meant to hurt you. I. We never wanted you to find out this way."
"Or to find out at all." Sark interrupted.
"That's not true." Jack said. His words came across sincerely but it was impossible to discern if he was being truthful. "We wanted to tell you, we needed to tell you. But things hardly ever work out the way we want them to." Jack said softly, looking at Irina.
"Well I'm sure you weren't aware of this from the beginning. When did you have the privilege of being let." Sark said, some cynical sarcasm returning to his voice.
"That's completely unfair. This is not your mother's fault. You cannot blame her for this." Jack said, the anger ever increasing in his voice.
"Than who's fault is it?" Sark said, his voice matching Jack's in intensity.
"It IS my fault." Irina said quietly, a tear running down her face. "I never should have left you in Ireland. I never should have done any of it." She paused collecting her thoughts. "It is all my fault."
Seeing Irina's tears Jack slid his hand out over the table and enclosed Irina's. He squeezed it tight and gave her an intense look. "That isn't true, and you know it." Jack said softly.
Vaughn watched from afar. He stood in shock leaning against the counter. He wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly. Sark was Jack and Irina's son? How was that possible?
"How long have you known?" Sark said looking accusatorily toward Jack.
"I have known for a little over eight years." Jack said very matter-of- factly, not taking his eyes away from Irina's. At this Sark smiled and shock his head.
"Eight years. A lot has happened in the last eight years, Dad." At this Jack looked toward his son.
"That is precisely the point Ryan. When your mother told me eight years ago, that you were my son, and that she'd been forced to leave you in Ireland all of those years ago; I wanted to tell you. I wanted to. I don't really know. I wanted to meet you; for god's sake you're my son." Jack said trying to control himself. "But for the sake of your life, and the life of your mother, we kept it a secret. If the timing had been right, we would have told you." Jack said, his voice softening dramatically.
"So you chose Sydney over me." Sark's arrogant smile returned to his face. "No, no. It's alright. You chose to protect Sydney's interests over revealing the truth to me, I understand that. But my question is: why did you pretend for all those long years. After you found out, we had several encounters. And yet, all the time you acted as if we were adversaries."
"We were." Jack said nonchalantly. "And I'm sorry, but at the time protecting Sydney was my top priority, her life was, and still is, in danger. It is not as though your mother and I made a conscious decision to harm you Ryan, we had to make sacrifices."
"Enough." Irina said loudly. "Ryan, what's done is done. I cannot erase the mistakes I've made in my life. I cannot ask you to forgive me. I know I am not worthy of your forgiveness. But you said earlier that you came here because you now have a family. I know we're not much, but we are that family. It has taken almost thirty years for us to find our way back to each other, but here we are. It is up to you. Either we can debate what I've done, we can relive my sins, or we can move on. I won't ask much of you Ryan, just that. that we can move on." The tears seemed never ending as the flowed from her eyes. Jack held her hand as she made a selfless plea to her new found son. She had, for such a long time, wanted to speak with him, truthfully. To tell his that she had always loved him, and that she always would. To tell him that though she'd made the biggest mistake of all when it came to him, he wasn't the mistake. She had so much she needed to tell him, so much she wanted him to understand. But there were so many obstacles in her way. And to her great regret, Sydney was one of them.