Irina Derevko sighed as she entered her office tentatively. It had been a trying day. She immediately placed 'The Bible' in a secret safe behind a painting on the west wall of her office. She left the lights off, merely wanting to bask in darkness and solitude for a few moments.
She had seen Sydney Bristow only a half an hour ago. Her beautiful, intelligent daughter had been fighting her associate Alexander Khasinau. His face had appeared relieved when he realized that Irina was there, while fear had grown in her daughter's eyes. Khasinau's face had been priceless when he had seen the wound in his own chest, and had fallen to the ground in a disgusting heap. He was merely a loose end that she had been meaning to tie up for years.
Sydney's eyes had filled with concern, but also with confusion.
"Truth takes time," Irina had told her daughter elusively.
Too long, as far as Irina was concerned.
She was growing tired. She was tired of confusing her daughter, Jack, and just about every government in the known world. She had forgotten what she stood for, what all this running, all this mystery was really for.
As Irina forced her daughter to the ground, forcing Sydney to stay in her position until she could grab 'The Bible' and escape, she had made a decision.
Irina's thoughts were interrupted as she heard a sound coming from her chair. She instinctively brought her hand to rest on the gun that was strapped to her waist, but paused when the chair turned around.
"Anna," she sighed, "You startled me." Irina paused when she noticed tears streaming down the face of her young operative.
"My father is dead," Anna said, averting her eyes from Irina's gaze.
"I can explain..."Irina began, walking to where Anna sat, kneeling before her.
"You don't need to explain. Your precious daughter killed him," Anna spat out, eyeing Irina venomously. Irina nearly opened her mouth to tell the girl the truth, but realized that it would have done nothing to stop the girl from exacting revenge upon the woman she believed responsible for her father's death. Irina merely sighed, putting her hand over Anna's own.
"Anna, it will be alright," Irina said, attempting to comfort her.
"How can you say that?" she spat out, standing abruptly, "My father is dead! Nothing will ever be right again!" she screamed, and in that instant, she shook at the sight of a photo of Sydney Bristow. Across the room, an oak frame held a photo of Sydney from her high school graduation. Anna lifted her gun and shot at the photo, hitting Sydney's face and shattering the glass. As Irina moved to pick up the remnants of the frame, she screamed at the younger woman.
"Anna! Are you crazy? Get a hold of yourself!"
"Irina, I'm going to kill her! She killed my dad!"
"No! No she did..." Irina began.
"Shut up! Don't protect her! You're always protecting her!" the girl yelled, and in a moment of sanity, she looked at Irina pointedly.
"What were you so quiet about when you came in here just now?" Anna asked, crossing her arms. As Irina continued to pick up broken glass, she sighed loudly.
"I'm turning myself in," Irina said quietly, earning a gasp from Anna.
"Are you insane? What, to the CIA?" Anna demanded.
"Yes," Irina said, standing to face Anna.
"You've gone crazy! What is that going to accomplish? Who's going to take care of things here while you're gone?" Irina laughed.
"So that's what this is all about Anna? You don't care about me, you only care about my position," Irina said.
"You know that's not true," Anna said, looking at the floor.
"The only way I can get what I want is to gain Sydney and Jack's trust, along with the assistance of the CIA. I've contacted Sark. He will be here shortly to look after things while I am gone," Irina said.
"That idiot? He's only field-trained. He can't handle the business aspect of your position." Anna said, looking pointedly at Irina.
"Sark is a very intelligent young man. You and I both know he can handle any situation with brilliance. Although, you would know that better than I, would you not?" Anna blushed, looking down to the ground once again.
"If you're referring to the so-called romance that Sark and I once shared, that is over," Anna shook her head, raising her hand to point at Irina, "Our former relationship is besides the point. You know that I'm the best person for this job."
"Perhaps. But I've already made my decision," Irina spoke, walking past Anna into the hallway. Anna followed her closely.
"But..." Anna began.
"Enough Anna. And one other thing," Irina paused, turning to face Anna, her gaze piercing through the young girl, "Do not lay a hand on Sydney. If I discover that you have attempted to hurt her in any way, or used someone to hurt her, you will answer to me," Irina said, turning to walk down the hallway.
Anna remained standing in the hallway for a few moments, considering her next move. She turned to reenter the office, and as she passed under the door, only one thought entered her mind.
If I kill both of you, I will answer to no one.
*****
As Sydney Bristow struggled not to strangle Arvin Sloane as she embraced him, she noticed her father standing in the distance. Sydney couldn't help but pull her black skirt down just a bit, straightening her top as well. After all these years, despite their strained relationship, her father's opinion of her mattered more than that of any other person she would ever know. She walked over the him, looking at him questioningly as he hung up his cell phone.
"Dad?" she asked.
"Devlin just called. The CIA had a walk-in. She just...surrendered. She said she wants to cooperate," Jack stumbled over his words.
"Who?" Sydney asked, her eyes growing with confusion. Jack looked at her, his troubled eyes mirroring her own.
"Your mother," he said, and Sydney's eyes became wet with tears for the second time that day.
*****
Anna sipped her coffee cautiously, lifting her eyes on occasion to glance at Sark, whose eyes remained on the newspaper he was reading as he sipped on his own coffee. She scowled to herself. She was angry at Irina for bringing him here, and at him for breaking her heart in the first place. She hated awkward situations.
"Penny for your thoughts Miss Khasinau?" Sark suddenly asked, never lifting his eyes from the paper he was so engrossed in. Anna nearly laughed.
"What makes you think I would tell you what I'm thinking Mr. Sark?" she spat.
"Simply because you've confided in me many times before," he said, glancing up to meet her eyes. She nearly gasped. They were just as blue as she remembered. She shook the thought, scowling at him.
"That was before," she whispered, taking a sip from her cup .
"Before what, exactly?" he asked, tossing the paper down on the table, sighing loudly.
"Before you betrayed me," she spat, slamming her cup on the table, and standing up to march to the sink. As she proceeded to wash dishes in a futile attempt to ignore him, he moved to stand behind her.
"I never betrayed you," he said.
"Maybe not in actions," she said, scrubbing a plate, "But in your heart, you were never with me," she finished. He moved closer to her, putting his hands on her waist.
"Then who was I with?" he asked, whispering in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She shook her head, grabbing his left arm and twisting it behind his back in one swift motion. As he yelped in pain, she spoke directly into his ear, holding a knife to his neck.
"You can't do this to me anymore Andrew. You can't charm your way out of everything. Don't touch me again, because it will be the last time your hands touch anything. Understood?" she demanded.
"Understood," he screamed, and he gasped after she released him. He rubbed his arm as he looked up at her, his hair more disheveled than usual.
"For a moment I thought you were going to kill me," he said. She didn't dignify his comment with an answer, but as she rounded the corner of the next room she mumbled,
"That's the idea."