Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, or anything else related to
Alias and I'm certainly not making any money off of the whatsoever.
Author's note: This is for the Sd-1.com monthly fic challenge. The challenge elements will be posted at the end of the last update.
Part II
Budapest 10:57 AM, 2 Days before Christmas
"I thought you were working with Dad."
"I am, Sydney," Irina said. It was hard to be angry with her daughter at the moment, no matter how stubborn Sydney was being. She was finally clean, warm and dry. Sydney had been understandably upset when she found Irina there, but she hadn't made the connection between the disk and why Irina was there, at least not yet. In fact, Sydney seemed to have forgotten about why she was there, for the moment.
"Your father was worried about you going on this mission. He asked me to keep an eye on you and I agreed." Irina softened her tone of voice slightly. Sydney wasn't likely to believe what she was about to say, but it wasn't all a lie. Nothing of what she was saying was completely a lie. She knew that Jack always worried when their daughter was one a mission. He had confided that to her late one night almost two years ago, now. It had been one of the first times that they had lowered their guard with one another long enough to have a civil conversation. In the end their conversations had become much more than civil. But Sydney didn't need to know about that for the moment. Irina had a feeling that Jack had mentioned none of that to Sydney.
"I missed you, Sweetheart and I wanted to see you. The only reason I hesitated to agree to do this for Jack was the fact that I didn't think you would want me involved in your life. I know it's been hard for you since you've come back."
To Irina's surprise, Sydney seemed to deflate, and then took a seat on the bed of the luxury suite that Irina had checked into to get cleaned up. "Did you hear about Vaughn?"
The total lack of any kind of hope or any of her daughter's usual joy for life struck Irina worse than any punch ever had. The only thing that shocked her more was the fact that Sydney actually seemed to want to have a conversation with her. "I did," Irina said cautiously. "I was shocked when I found out. It was always so obvious how much he loved you. I was furious." Irina shook her head. "It's probably a good thing your father was in solitary. As it was it took all of my self control not to do something to show Agent Vaughn his stupidity."
"Dad said 'he was never good enough,'" Sydney offered up quietly, "but it doesn't matter, Mom, I still love him."
"I know, Sydney," Irina said quietly, focusing on her daughter and not the unreal moment that they were trapped in. Without hesitation, she sat down beside her daughter and wrapped her arms around, like she used to do when Sydney was little. Sydney didn't even flinch, she just relaxed into her mother's arms. "It will be okay. He will come to his senses one day." Sooner rather than later, Irina thought, if she and Jack had anything to do with it.
When Sydney woke up several hours later, she was alone in the room. She stood up warily, looking around carefully. She couldn't believe that she had confided in Irina like that or that she had actually fallen asleep like that. It had felt nice though, to have her Mom comfort her like that.
Concluding that she had left nothing in the room, she headed towards the door. Her mind was already pushing the surreal time with her mother to the back of her mind and refocusing on the reason that she was in Budapest. She would have to contact her father and tell him that she failed to make contact with the courier and- Sydney stopped in the middle of a train of thought, a note on the door catching her attention as she started to leave.
Sydney, I'm sorry I had to leave before you woke up, but I had some business here that I had to finish. I hope I'll see you again soon, Sweetheart. I love you and I missed you. I already talked to Jack about the reason you were here. He said to tell you to go back to LA and that he managed to get the information from another source. Your ticket is waiting at the airport. If you ever need to contact me, just ask your father.
Oh, and I arranged to have a surprise waiting for you back in LA. It's not your Agent Vaughn, but hopefully it will cheer you up.
Irina
Budapest 3 hours before Sydney wakes up
Irina watched her daughter carefully. Sydney was sleeping in her arms. It was an amazing sight to Irina, mainly because of what she knew that it meant. For a spy, falling asleep in unfamiliar territory or around an untrustworthy person could be their last mistake. A person was always most vulnerable in their sleep. Seeing Sydney fall asleep with her there was an incontrovertible sign that she trusted Irina, at least enough to feel safe that she wouldn't wake up to an unpleasant death or as a hostage to one of her numerous enemies.
Without really thinking about it, Irina reached down to brush a strand of hair away from her daughter's face. She froze as she revealed Sydney's peaceful face, seeing for a moment her baby girl who wanted nothing more than to be Daddy's little Princess, rather than the strong confident woman and sometime ruthless double agent that she knew Sydney could sometimes be.
She had missed so much.
The first time she abandoned Sydney it had been by her own choice. It was no choice to condemn her daughter and the man she had come to love to a lifetime of always looking over their shoulders, constant moves and the ever present threat of violence. And that was the best case scenario.
As much as she had wished to protest her extraction, she hadn't. It was years before she had gained everything she needed see her family again. But once again, that had been her choice and her decision to reveal who she was. Their next long term separation was not her choice. Sydney was ripped from her with no explanation or warning. It had been agony.
A small flicker of motion caught her eye, the hands of the clock on the dresser drifting inexorably forward. The clock was a reminder that Irina did not want. It was dangerous for both of them for Irina to spend to much time with Sydney. Jack's yearlong stay in solitary had proven that. Focusing one last look at Sydney, Irina tried to memorize every detail of her daughter's face. Irina was hopeful, but not delusional. She knew that anything could happen to either of them at any time in their line of work.
Gently Irina eased away from Sydney, settling her daughter softly down on the bed. Soundlessly, Irina pressed a feather light kiss to Sydney's temple. "Sleep well, Sweetheart."
Irina waited until she was out in the hall, once again all business, before she pulled out her cell phone. She punched in the number she was so familiar with and then waited as it rang. She wasn't disappointed. The phone was answered after only one ring.
"Bristow." His voice was harsh and cold.
"I have the disk, Jack." Her reply was almost toneless. Her encounter with Sydney had revitalized her, but Jack's moods could be as unpredictable as her own, at least where she was concerned.
His response was sharp, "You should have contacted me over an hour ago."
He didn't demand to know where she had been, though. That at least was one advantage of having worked with Jack for a year. He had begun to learn to trust her again, if only to a point. That and the hint of worry in Jack's voice, softened the harsh retort on the tip of Irina's tongue. "I was with Sydney."
Silence stretched for a moment. "Does that mean that she knows that you have the disk?"
"No, I made it sound as if you just asked me to tail her because you were worried about her safety. She seemed to accept that and I told her in the note that I left for her that you ha managed to get the disk from another source."
"You left her a note," Jack's voice was curious but not accusing.
"She was sleeping peacefully when I left," Irina explained quietly, as she threaded her way through the crowded streets.
"Good," Jack sounded genuinely relieved, "She hasn't told me much, but I know that she's been having frequent nightmares, recently."
Irina froze in mid-step, her momentum the only thing that carried her forward as she was confronted by her own nightmares. The only difference was that her nightmares, her greatest fears, had turned into a reality. First Jack had found out who she truly was and hated her for it and then two decades later, when she had only recently been reunited with her family, Sydney had died.
"Hopefully I can see what's on that disk before she does," Jack continued, unaware of Irina's brief flash of horror. "Sydney tortured herself watching the tape of Lazarey's murder."
Irina nodded, even though she knew Jack couldn't see her. "I'll have the disk on it's way to you in a few hours."
"Why don't you make the delivery personally, Irina?"
She smiled involuntarily, pushing the darker thoughts that occasionally haunted her to the back of her mind, savoring her momentary anonymity and the way that it freed her from the need to mask what she was really feeling. Irina wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her. She had missed him so much. The past year had been hell, unable to free Jack, for fear that it would be used against him -not even sure if he wanted her to free him anymore- and desperately searching for Sydney on her own.
"I have things to take care of, Jack," she said firmly, "and you are under constant surveillance by several different organizations."
"That's never stopped you before, Irina."
"True, but you did end up in NSC custody last time." She could almost see his pained grimace. They had been at their best then, for once working together rather than against one another. They were each others greatest strength. They had also proved to be the other's greatest distraction and greatest weakness.
"Very well, I'll share the results with you when I get it decrypted." She could hear him start to hang up.
"What do you think you're doing, Jonathon Bristow? Surely you haven't forgotten about the bet that you proposed."
"Of course not." She almost believe that he hadn't intentionally not mentioned it. "After all, I believe you lost, Irina."
She laughed sharply, "Not likely, Jack. According to the terms you set, I won and fortunately, at least for me, I already have an idea about how you can pay up."
Tbc.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this fic.
Author's note: This is for the Sd-1.com monthly fic challenge. The challenge elements will be posted at the end of the last update.
Part II
Budapest 10:57 AM, 2 Days before Christmas
"I thought you were working with Dad."
"I am, Sydney," Irina said. It was hard to be angry with her daughter at the moment, no matter how stubborn Sydney was being. She was finally clean, warm and dry. Sydney had been understandably upset when she found Irina there, but she hadn't made the connection between the disk and why Irina was there, at least not yet. In fact, Sydney seemed to have forgotten about why she was there, for the moment.
"Your father was worried about you going on this mission. He asked me to keep an eye on you and I agreed." Irina softened her tone of voice slightly. Sydney wasn't likely to believe what she was about to say, but it wasn't all a lie. Nothing of what she was saying was completely a lie. She knew that Jack always worried when their daughter was one a mission. He had confided that to her late one night almost two years ago, now. It had been one of the first times that they had lowered their guard with one another long enough to have a civil conversation. In the end their conversations had become much more than civil. But Sydney didn't need to know about that for the moment. Irina had a feeling that Jack had mentioned none of that to Sydney.
"I missed you, Sweetheart and I wanted to see you. The only reason I hesitated to agree to do this for Jack was the fact that I didn't think you would want me involved in your life. I know it's been hard for you since you've come back."
To Irina's surprise, Sydney seemed to deflate, and then took a seat on the bed of the luxury suite that Irina had checked into to get cleaned up. "Did you hear about Vaughn?"
The total lack of any kind of hope or any of her daughter's usual joy for life struck Irina worse than any punch ever had. The only thing that shocked her more was the fact that Sydney actually seemed to want to have a conversation with her. "I did," Irina said cautiously. "I was shocked when I found out. It was always so obvious how much he loved you. I was furious." Irina shook her head. "It's probably a good thing your father was in solitary. As it was it took all of my self control not to do something to show Agent Vaughn his stupidity."
"Dad said 'he was never good enough,'" Sydney offered up quietly, "but it doesn't matter, Mom, I still love him."
"I know, Sydney," Irina said quietly, focusing on her daughter and not the unreal moment that they were trapped in. Without hesitation, she sat down beside her daughter and wrapped her arms around, like she used to do when Sydney was little. Sydney didn't even flinch, she just relaxed into her mother's arms. "It will be okay. He will come to his senses one day." Sooner rather than later, Irina thought, if she and Jack had anything to do with it.
When Sydney woke up several hours later, she was alone in the room. She stood up warily, looking around carefully. She couldn't believe that she had confided in Irina like that or that she had actually fallen asleep like that. It had felt nice though, to have her Mom comfort her like that.
Concluding that she had left nothing in the room, she headed towards the door. Her mind was already pushing the surreal time with her mother to the back of her mind and refocusing on the reason that she was in Budapest. She would have to contact her father and tell him that she failed to make contact with the courier and- Sydney stopped in the middle of a train of thought, a note on the door catching her attention as she started to leave.
Sydney, I'm sorry I had to leave before you woke up, but I had some business here that I had to finish. I hope I'll see you again soon, Sweetheart. I love you and I missed you. I already talked to Jack about the reason you were here. He said to tell you to go back to LA and that he managed to get the information from another source. Your ticket is waiting at the airport. If you ever need to contact me, just ask your father.
Oh, and I arranged to have a surprise waiting for you back in LA. It's not your Agent Vaughn, but hopefully it will cheer you up.
Irina
Budapest 3 hours before Sydney wakes up
Irina watched her daughter carefully. Sydney was sleeping in her arms. It was an amazing sight to Irina, mainly because of what she knew that it meant. For a spy, falling asleep in unfamiliar territory or around an untrustworthy person could be their last mistake. A person was always most vulnerable in their sleep. Seeing Sydney fall asleep with her there was an incontrovertible sign that she trusted Irina, at least enough to feel safe that she wouldn't wake up to an unpleasant death or as a hostage to one of her numerous enemies.
Without really thinking about it, Irina reached down to brush a strand of hair away from her daughter's face. She froze as she revealed Sydney's peaceful face, seeing for a moment her baby girl who wanted nothing more than to be Daddy's little Princess, rather than the strong confident woman and sometime ruthless double agent that she knew Sydney could sometimes be.
She had missed so much.
The first time she abandoned Sydney it had been by her own choice. It was no choice to condemn her daughter and the man she had come to love to a lifetime of always looking over their shoulders, constant moves and the ever present threat of violence. And that was the best case scenario.
As much as she had wished to protest her extraction, she hadn't. It was years before she had gained everything she needed see her family again. But once again, that had been her choice and her decision to reveal who she was. Their next long term separation was not her choice. Sydney was ripped from her with no explanation or warning. It had been agony.
A small flicker of motion caught her eye, the hands of the clock on the dresser drifting inexorably forward. The clock was a reminder that Irina did not want. It was dangerous for both of them for Irina to spend to much time with Sydney. Jack's yearlong stay in solitary had proven that. Focusing one last look at Sydney, Irina tried to memorize every detail of her daughter's face. Irina was hopeful, but not delusional. She knew that anything could happen to either of them at any time in their line of work.
Gently Irina eased away from Sydney, settling her daughter softly down on the bed. Soundlessly, Irina pressed a feather light kiss to Sydney's temple. "Sleep well, Sweetheart."
Irina waited until she was out in the hall, once again all business, before she pulled out her cell phone. She punched in the number she was so familiar with and then waited as it rang. She wasn't disappointed. The phone was answered after only one ring.
"Bristow." His voice was harsh and cold.
"I have the disk, Jack." Her reply was almost toneless. Her encounter with Sydney had revitalized her, but Jack's moods could be as unpredictable as her own, at least where she was concerned.
His response was sharp, "You should have contacted me over an hour ago."
He didn't demand to know where she had been, though. That at least was one advantage of having worked with Jack for a year. He had begun to learn to trust her again, if only to a point. That and the hint of worry in Jack's voice, softened the harsh retort on the tip of Irina's tongue. "I was with Sydney."
Silence stretched for a moment. "Does that mean that she knows that you have the disk?"
"No, I made it sound as if you just asked me to tail her because you were worried about her safety. She seemed to accept that and I told her in the note that I left for her that you ha managed to get the disk from another source."
"You left her a note," Jack's voice was curious but not accusing.
"She was sleeping peacefully when I left," Irina explained quietly, as she threaded her way through the crowded streets.
"Good," Jack sounded genuinely relieved, "She hasn't told me much, but I know that she's been having frequent nightmares, recently."
Irina froze in mid-step, her momentum the only thing that carried her forward as she was confronted by her own nightmares. The only difference was that her nightmares, her greatest fears, had turned into a reality. First Jack had found out who she truly was and hated her for it and then two decades later, when she had only recently been reunited with her family, Sydney had died.
"Hopefully I can see what's on that disk before she does," Jack continued, unaware of Irina's brief flash of horror. "Sydney tortured herself watching the tape of Lazarey's murder."
Irina nodded, even though she knew Jack couldn't see her. "I'll have the disk on it's way to you in a few hours."
"Why don't you make the delivery personally, Irina?"
She smiled involuntarily, pushing the darker thoughts that occasionally haunted her to the back of her mind, savoring her momentary anonymity and the way that it freed her from the need to mask what she was really feeling. Irina wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her. She had missed him so much. The past year had been hell, unable to free Jack, for fear that it would be used against him -not even sure if he wanted her to free him anymore- and desperately searching for Sydney on her own.
"I have things to take care of, Jack," she said firmly, "and you are under constant surveillance by several different organizations."
"That's never stopped you before, Irina."
"True, but you did end up in NSC custody last time." She could almost see his pained grimace. They had been at their best then, for once working together rather than against one another. They were each others greatest strength. They had also proved to be the other's greatest distraction and greatest weakness.
"Very well, I'll share the results with you when I get it decrypted." She could hear him start to hang up.
"What do you think you're doing, Jonathon Bristow? Surely you haven't forgotten about the bet that you proposed."
"Of course not." She almost believe that he hadn't intentionally not mentioned it. "After all, I believe you lost, Irina."
She laughed sharply, "Not likely, Jack. According to the terms you set, I won and fortunately, at least for me, I already have an idea about how you can pay up."
Tbc.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this fic.