AN: I made a small error and in the last chapter I said that it was
early in the morning. That chapter and the following are suppose to be set
during twilight with the sun sinking beneath the French country side.
Sorry 'bout that! Thank you so much for all the reviews! They're
wonderful! Keep them coming!
"I honestly cannot believe that you're alive! You're suppose to be dead! Michael told all of us that he thought you were dead! And now you're back?" She inhaled deeply as a new thought entered her mind, "You want Maisie back? Oh my G-d!" Isabelle sat on the couch, with the other members of the house looking on from different areas of the room. She hadn't had time to go through the conversation she wanted to say when she recognized her voice for the first time. Jeanette had been called down to meet with the other agents when their superior had telephoned and wanted to speak directly to her.
Vaughn was propped up in the large corner chair with the IV dripping from his arm. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants with a heavy throw blanket covering him. Sydney was wearing her sweats as well and curled up on the couch with Maisie in her arms. They were playing and reading through some of Maisie's books. She had found some old make-up and after she covered her massive face wounds, she played with Maisie, giving her red lipstick and blue eyes shadow. Jeanette was still wearing her clothes from the club and sitting on the arm of the toile covered couch. Weiss was standing near the fireplace, nursing a steaming cup of coffee. Agent Eaves was bringing Claire down the stairs per the commands of Weiss.
"I know, Isabelle. I know but there are some things that happened that I can't explain without going into a lot of detail but the long and the short of it is-it was all staged. I was in harm's way but there were a lot of things that happened and now, I'm here. I'm here and I'm safe. And I'm so happy to see you again, Isabelle." Jeanette started to pace slightly as she started on her little rampage. Her body was already racing with perspiration, the tiny beads of sweat beading along hairline. She couldn't tell them what had really happened.
5 months into her covert operation in Guyana, she was approached by Stephan Sark. He said how he had been watching her and how beautiful she was. He propositioned her for a date. That's how it all started. She kept up her transmissions and was privied to even more information about the drug cartel that anyone back home could have imagined. She was his new girl and whatever his girl wanted, his girl got. She was doing so much good. It was in her tenth month that things started to go downhill. She had just finished her dead drop with a local CIA affiliate with some new information about an impending raid that was going to happen that night. She detailed the weapons that they were going to use and how dangerous it was going to be but she was going to try to witness as much as possible and report back. That was the last meeting she made. From there, she went to the place where the raid was suppose to take place but as she was starting to leave for her destination, Sark found her. He told her how he knew everything. She was then pulled into a warehouse. He showed her pictures of Vaughn, Maisie, of her parents-everyone. He knew exactly who she was and he was going to expose her to Nyana, the head of the new player on the drug scene, Shemaeita (SMT for short.) He convinced her that she could either join his new organization or he would kill her and everyone that she knew. She consented.
And then the trouble began.
He sent her on terrible operations that basically tuned the field rated agent into a well trained assassin. She killed twelve major operatives in the course of eighteen months. She was a killer. A murder.
And all the while, the only thing that kept her going was that she was a mother to a beautiful little girl, that was a thousand miles away from her new residence in Rome, safe with her dear aunt or now her dear mother.
Isabelle looked at Maisie and then back to Jeanette, "You want Maisie back, don't you?" There was a definite pause as she looked back towards her daughter, "Maisie, go to your room for a moment while Mommy and Tante Jeanette talk, alright?"
The little girl was not happy, "But Maman-"
"It's time for you to get ready for bed. I'll be up in a bit to finish your story. Go!"
Maisie immediately stopped moving and talking. She knew when her mother started to yell in French, things were bad. She gathered her book, planted a kiss on Sydney's cheek and marched out of the room like a very defeated little one. Her blue denim dress swayed in the wake of her stride.
Isabelle watched her daughter ascend the stairs before she stared her attack, "I love that little girl more than anything else in the world. I've given up so much for her. David left me because of her. I would do anything and just because you're back from the dead or wherever you were, you have no right to march in here and demand your daughter back-"
"Now, Isabelle-" Jeanette tried to plead with her, holding out her hands toward her.
"I don't care what has happened in the past. It has no reference anymore. She is my child, legally and unless you want to march back to that G-ddamn CIA and tell them what happened! I am not giving my daughter up. You'll have to send your assassins or whoever it is you have kill people come and drag me away because over my dead body will you ever have that little girl-"
"Isabelle!" Jeanette pleaded again, pressing the emotions down her throat and swallowing hard on them.
"No! Let me finish! Maisie is my daughter. She may be yours and Michael's biologically but by the law-international law she is my daughter. You got pregnant and that in and of itself is yours and Michael's fault-"
"Isabelle!" Vaughn snapped upon hearing his sister say this.
"Shut up! And you got yourself in trouble because neither of you wanted to give her up or abort the pregnancy. To keep her safe, you were going to give her up for adoption. I stepped in because I couldn't bear to see my brother's flesh and blood be given to some stranger where G-d knows what could happen! She became my daughter and for everything in the world, she thinks that she is mine! Now, I will tell her one day that she is adopted but she will have no idea who her parents are and I intend on keeping it that way. I would throw myself in front of a moving train, give myself to terrorists, have my body tortured or anything else you can think of in this crazy world, as long as I could keep my baby safe. And Jeanette, there is no way in hell that your taking my little girl, my baby away from me." She concluded her little speech, the tears brimming over her eyes.
"Isabelle," Jeanette had found her seat again, "I was going to say that I am going back to the states, to Langley, and request another long term undercover assignment. I'm leaving with Sydney and Michael in a few hours. Don't worry, Isabelle, I would never dream of doing that to you or to Maisie. I love her too much to see her taken away from you. You're doing such a wonderful job. There's no way that I could ever do what you did and go through the things that you did and raise such a wonderful girl. She's perfect in everyway and the only thing that I did was carry her and give birth to her. She's your daughter in every other way, shape, and form. G-d, Isabelle, she's perfect." Overcome with emotion, Jeanette rose slowly to walk out the room. She felt her trim body sway slightly as she paused at the door leaning towards the foyer. She stopped resting her hand on the wall and talked into her shoulder. "The plane leaves in a few hours. I'll be outside gathering myself together before we leave." And with that, she was gone.
The room was left in absolute silence. No one knew exactly how to react to anything.
When children have to play inside so they don't disappear
And private eyes solve marriage lies cause we don't talk for years
And futbol teams are kissing Queens and losing sight of having dreams
In a world that what we want is only what we want until it's ours
"Anything else, I think I could have handled but I can't handle that." Isabelle choked out.
Vaughn rubbed his sore chest and looked at Sydney, as she straightened up and started to press the lines out of pants. She sighed heavily and looked back at him. "When does the plane leave?"
"Five in the morning." Weiss replied, taking a sip of his cold coffee.
I need a sign to let me know you're here
All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere
I need to know that things are gonna look up
'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup
When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head
When you feel the world shake from the words that are said
I'm calling all angels
I'm calling all you angels
"That's the last thing I expected her to say." Isabelle said flatly. It was as if she didn't hear a thing that was going on. "I thought she was going to say that she wanted Maisie back. I really, really did."
"But she didn't." Vaughn cut in, starring flatly at her. "She has no inkling of taking Maisie back. She knows that you love her, Izzy and she loves Maisie enough not to keep her and to let her go."
"I didn't think she was going to say that." Isabelle said again.
"Maisie is still yours, Isabelle. She's not going anywhere. You still have your daughter."
"I-I love that little girl more than anything. She's my baby, Michael." Isabelle felt tears well up in her eyes.
"I know, Izzy." Michael smiled back at her.
"We've been through so much. I don't know how we've survived it all." Isabelle said rather profoundly.
Michael nodded and then looked at Sydney. Between the two lovers, there was some unspoken connection that ran through them. Their eyes spoke volumes and both of them knew that everything that had happened was now water under the bridge. Everything from the cancer, the death of his mother, meeting the family, the lying, the deceit, the being captured on an op...everything was forgiven and forgotten. They were back and closer than ever and that's all that really mattered at that moment. They were still in love with each other and everything was working the way it should under the circumstances.
"I honestly cannot believe that you're alive! You're suppose to be dead! Michael told all of us that he thought you were dead! And now you're back?" She inhaled deeply as a new thought entered her mind, "You want Maisie back? Oh my G-d!" Isabelle sat on the couch, with the other members of the house looking on from different areas of the room. She hadn't had time to go through the conversation she wanted to say when she recognized her voice for the first time. Jeanette had been called down to meet with the other agents when their superior had telephoned and wanted to speak directly to her.
Vaughn was propped up in the large corner chair with the IV dripping from his arm. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants with a heavy throw blanket covering him. Sydney was wearing her sweats as well and curled up on the couch with Maisie in her arms. They were playing and reading through some of Maisie's books. She had found some old make-up and after she covered her massive face wounds, she played with Maisie, giving her red lipstick and blue eyes shadow. Jeanette was still wearing her clothes from the club and sitting on the arm of the toile covered couch. Weiss was standing near the fireplace, nursing a steaming cup of coffee. Agent Eaves was bringing Claire down the stairs per the commands of Weiss.
"I know, Isabelle. I know but there are some things that happened that I can't explain without going into a lot of detail but the long and the short of it is-it was all staged. I was in harm's way but there were a lot of things that happened and now, I'm here. I'm here and I'm safe. And I'm so happy to see you again, Isabelle." Jeanette started to pace slightly as she started on her little rampage. Her body was already racing with perspiration, the tiny beads of sweat beading along hairline. She couldn't tell them what had really happened.
5 months into her covert operation in Guyana, she was approached by Stephan Sark. He said how he had been watching her and how beautiful she was. He propositioned her for a date. That's how it all started. She kept up her transmissions and was privied to even more information about the drug cartel that anyone back home could have imagined. She was his new girl and whatever his girl wanted, his girl got. She was doing so much good. It was in her tenth month that things started to go downhill. She had just finished her dead drop with a local CIA affiliate with some new information about an impending raid that was going to happen that night. She detailed the weapons that they were going to use and how dangerous it was going to be but she was going to try to witness as much as possible and report back. That was the last meeting she made. From there, she went to the place where the raid was suppose to take place but as she was starting to leave for her destination, Sark found her. He told her how he knew everything. She was then pulled into a warehouse. He showed her pictures of Vaughn, Maisie, of her parents-everyone. He knew exactly who she was and he was going to expose her to Nyana, the head of the new player on the drug scene, Shemaeita (SMT for short.) He convinced her that she could either join his new organization or he would kill her and everyone that she knew. She consented.
And then the trouble began.
He sent her on terrible operations that basically tuned the field rated agent into a well trained assassin. She killed twelve major operatives in the course of eighteen months. She was a killer. A murder.
And all the while, the only thing that kept her going was that she was a mother to a beautiful little girl, that was a thousand miles away from her new residence in Rome, safe with her dear aunt or now her dear mother.
Isabelle looked at Maisie and then back to Jeanette, "You want Maisie back, don't you?" There was a definite pause as she looked back towards her daughter, "Maisie, go to your room for a moment while Mommy and Tante Jeanette talk, alright?"
The little girl was not happy, "But Maman-"
"It's time for you to get ready for bed. I'll be up in a bit to finish your story. Go!"
Maisie immediately stopped moving and talking. She knew when her mother started to yell in French, things were bad. She gathered her book, planted a kiss on Sydney's cheek and marched out of the room like a very defeated little one. Her blue denim dress swayed in the wake of her stride.
Isabelle watched her daughter ascend the stairs before she stared her attack, "I love that little girl more than anything else in the world. I've given up so much for her. David left me because of her. I would do anything and just because you're back from the dead or wherever you were, you have no right to march in here and demand your daughter back-"
"Now, Isabelle-" Jeanette tried to plead with her, holding out her hands toward her.
"I don't care what has happened in the past. It has no reference anymore. She is my child, legally and unless you want to march back to that G-ddamn CIA and tell them what happened! I am not giving my daughter up. You'll have to send your assassins or whoever it is you have kill people come and drag me away because over my dead body will you ever have that little girl-"
"Isabelle!" Jeanette pleaded again, pressing the emotions down her throat and swallowing hard on them.
"No! Let me finish! Maisie is my daughter. She may be yours and Michael's biologically but by the law-international law she is my daughter. You got pregnant and that in and of itself is yours and Michael's fault-"
"Isabelle!" Vaughn snapped upon hearing his sister say this.
"Shut up! And you got yourself in trouble because neither of you wanted to give her up or abort the pregnancy. To keep her safe, you were going to give her up for adoption. I stepped in because I couldn't bear to see my brother's flesh and blood be given to some stranger where G-d knows what could happen! She became my daughter and for everything in the world, she thinks that she is mine! Now, I will tell her one day that she is adopted but she will have no idea who her parents are and I intend on keeping it that way. I would throw myself in front of a moving train, give myself to terrorists, have my body tortured or anything else you can think of in this crazy world, as long as I could keep my baby safe. And Jeanette, there is no way in hell that your taking my little girl, my baby away from me." She concluded her little speech, the tears brimming over her eyes.
"Isabelle," Jeanette had found her seat again, "I was going to say that I am going back to the states, to Langley, and request another long term undercover assignment. I'm leaving with Sydney and Michael in a few hours. Don't worry, Isabelle, I would never dream of doing that to you or to Maisie. I love her too much to see her taken away from you. You're doing such a wonderful job. There's no way that I could ever do what you did and go through the things that you did and raise such a wonderful girl. She's perfect in everyway and the only thing that I did was carry her and give birth to her. She's your daughter in every other way, shape, and form. G-d, Isabelle, she's perfect." Overcome with emotion, Jeanette rose slowly to walk out the room. She felt her trim body sway slightly as she paused at the door leaning towards the foyer. She stopped resting her hand on the wall and talked into her shoulder. "The plane leaves in a few hours. I'll be outside gathering myself together before we leave." And with that, she was gone.
The room was left in absolute silence. No one knew exactly how to react to anything.
When children have to play inside so they don't disappear
And private eyes solve marriage lies cause we don't talk for years
And futbol teams are kissing Queens and losing sight of having dreams
In a world that what we want is only what we want until it's ours
"Anything else, I think I could have handled but I can't handle that." Isabelle choked out.
Vaughn rubbed his sore chest and looked at Sydney, as she straightened up and started to press the lines out of pants. She sighed heavily and looked back at him. "When does the plane leave?"
"Five in the morning." Weiss replied, taking a sip of his cold coffee.
I need a sign to let me know you're here
All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere
I need to know that things are gonna look up
'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup
When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head
When you feel the world shake from the words that are said
I'm calling all angels
I'm calling all you angels
"That's the last thing I expected her to say." Isabelle said flatly. It was as if she didn't hear a thing that was going on. "I thought she was going to say that she wanted Maisie back. I really, really did."
"But she didn't." Vaughn cut in, starring flatly at her. "She has no inkling of taking Maisie back. She knows that you love her, Izzy and she loves Maisie enough not to keep her and to let her go."
"I didn't think she was going to say that." Isabelle said again.
"Maisie is still yours, Isabelle. She's not going anywhere. You still have your daughter."
"I-I love that little girl more than anything. She's my baby, Michael." Isabelle felt tears well up in her eyes.
"I know, Izzy." Michael smiled back at her.
"We've been through so much. I don't know how we've survived it all." Isabelle said rather profoundly.
Michael nodded and then looked at Sydney. Between the two lovers, there was some unspoken connection that ran through them. Their eyes spoke volumes and both of them knew that everything that had happened was now water under the bridge. Everything from the cancer, the death of his mother, meeting the family, the lying, the deceit, the being captured on an op...everything was forgiven and forgotten. They were back and closer than ever and that's all that really mattered at that moment. They were still in love with each other and everything was working the way it should under the circumstances.