Disclaimer: See all of the previous chapters
Part VI
Bristow Home, Early Christmas Morning
Irina Derevko shifted slightly, curling her arm around her legs as she pulled them closer to her chest. From her seat in the comfortable armchair, she watched Jack who lay still asleep in the bed that she had left less than an hour ago. Despite her injuries and how good it had felt to be back in Jack's arms after their yearlong separation, she hadn't been able to sleep for long. When she had gotten up, it had originally been with the intention of wandering the house, their house. She hadn't seen it or been there in a very long time.
It was amazing how much this place had stayed the same, while so much, including the people that it had housed, had changed so much. Their bedroom was different now, of course. Jack had purchased new furniture, but she could still see Laura's hand in little things around the room. The built in bookcases- now empty- that Jack had, had installed especially for her. A lamp that she had purchased in their first year of marriage and Jack had immediately swore that he hated, but still remained there. It was amazing to see that he hadn't erased all traces of her presence and, at the same time, more than a little disconcerting.
She really hadn't lied to Jack, all of those times that she told him that she loved him. Laura, however, was radically different from Irina. Both were strong, capable and confident women, but they were also mirror images of one another- two sides of the same coin.
Laura could always afford to be compassionate. Irina was ruthless without hesitation. Laura could never have shot her own daughter and they would both have died for it. Laura had weaknesses. Irina was always strong. Laura reveled in peace and stability. Irina lived on danger and struggled for power in a world of insanity. Nothing could stop her. Laura had everything. Irina had destroyed it all.
She snorted softly. Most people would call her clinically insane or at best mentally disturbed, if they had heard her thinking of herself as two different people. She dismissed her thoughts, for the moment at least, as her eyes came back up to rest on Jack's sleeping form.
He had shifted slightly when she rose, earlier, but hadn't woken up. Now, once again, he was sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling steadily as he slept. He had changed so much since the last time she had been in their home. They were both older and, debatably, wiser. Still one thing was the same-Jack's love. It hadn't remained a constant for all of the years that they were separated, but she could accept that. In those years, she couldn't have accepted the fact that he loved her- not that he had back then-now matter how much she had she had longed for it. Once again, after Sydney's apparent death, she had wanted to hear those words again. She had needed to hear it again. It was the one place where Laura and Irina shared the most similarities and differed the most.
A noise, nothing more than a slight whisper of sound really, caught Irina's ears, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced over at Jack to see if he had heard it as well, but she wasn't surprised to see him still asleep. Jack was an excellent agent and his senses were trained by decades of field work and an incredibly strong will to survive. She, however, had the added advantage of years of paranoia to sharpen her senses. People who headed organizations like the Man's could never afford to be careless or let their guard down.
Without hesitating, Irina eased the blanket she had been wrapped in off of her and quietly eased her badly damaged pants on, over her wounds. She didn't bother to change out of the shirt that she had borrowed out of Jack's closet earlier. There was no need and her own shirt was a lost cause.
She moved quietly down the hallway, praying that Jack hadn't added any new massive pieces of furniture to the hallway and carefully avoiding all of the loose, creaky boards as she headed towards the stairs. She had memorized a safe path in their first month of living in the house, after all it wouldn't have done for Jack to catch her because of a creaky stair.
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked around carefully, checking the living room for intruders. Seeing no one, Irina moved quickly towards the couch and scooped up the gun that she vaguely remembered Jack leaving there the night before. Hearing another noise, louder this time, coming from her right where the kitchen used to be. She quietly eased towards the doorway and then stuck her head around it carefully, prepared for a hail of bullets to come flying back at her.
Irina slowly lowered her gun and a warm happy smile gradually replaced the fierce, dangerous look that had been on her face only moment before. She watched, unobserved and in silence as Sydney carefully set a ham down in a large pan and with a look of fierce concentration started adding the trimmings.
Irina's smile turned slightly bittersweet as she watched Sydney glance back and forth between two pieces of paper. One was old and the paper looked battered, but even from that distance Irina could recognized her own handwriting. It was obviously her old recipe for the annual Christmas ham. The second piece of paper next to it was crisp, clean, and obviously much newer than the first. Irina wondered where the second recipe had come from and if the someone else that Sydney had cared about had given it to her.
Sydney finally added the finishing touches to the ham and stepped back to put it in the stove. Irina remained where she was. She saw the exact moment that Sydney caught site of her as she leaned over to put the ham in the oven. Sydney froze slightly, but then pushed the ham the rest of the way in and stood up. Keeping her eyes locked on Irina, she closed the door slowly. Her eyes took in the pistol in Irina's hand, but she didn't react. Instead Sydney slowly walked towards Irina and hugged her tightly.
She pulled away from Irina and then took a step back. She looked at her mother, taking in the lacerations, the few stitches that had been added where necessary and her father's shirt. Sydney quickly looked up to meet Irina's eyes, a jumble of emotions flashing through them.
Irina saw both worry and angry defiance in her eyes, mixed with a little bit of hurt, that Jack and Irina hadn't told her that they were back together. Sydney folded her arms over her chest and backed up to lean against the counter. Irina mentally steeled herself for a fight with Sydney. She didn't seem to have Jack or Irina's temper, but still even as a child, the tantrums Sydney had thrown had been impressive.
Irina was expecting the first thing out of Sydney's mouth to be a challenge, so she was surprised when Sydney's expression softened and she asked coolly, but with a half-smile, "Are you planning on shooting someone with that?"
Irina shook her head, "Not right now." Checking the safety, Irina put the pistol down on the counter top and waited. She was certain that Sydney had at least one or two questions that she wanted to ask her.
Before Sydney could say anything, though, Irina saw Sydney's eyes widen slightly and the felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind. "Irina," she heard Jack say sleepily, "It's still early, Love, came back to- "
Sydney coughed so loudly that Irina was certain that they could have heard her a mile away. Sydney's face was a shade of red that Irina hadn't know that it could turn, as Jack's head jerked up, all of the grogginess of sleep gone instantly as he realized that their daughter was standing right in front of them. Jack started to step back from her quickly, snatching his arm back as if he had just found out she was a leper.
Irina, however, was faster, despite her injuries, and grabbed his hand in hers, forcing him to keep it where it was, wrapped around her waist. She didn't care how embarrassed Jack or Sydney were at the moment, they were going to have this conversation. She loved both Sydney and Jack and she wanted each of them to know that. She started to say something, but stopped before she even started as Sydney quickly raised a hand. Irina wasn't sure if it was a gesture for silence or one of denial.
Sydney looked back and forth between her parents. Irina saw a glimmer of a tear start to form in Sydney's eye. She focused on Jack first and when she spoke her voice was tight and choked.
"Dad-are you happy?" Expecting something else, an accusation maybe or an angry out burst, they were both surprised at her question.
Jack didn't reply immediately, instead he looked down at Irina. It was almost a foreign question to him, but as he looked at his wife and saw all of the heartache and deception, he also saw the beauty and the love that they shared. He looked back up at Sydney and said quietly, simply, "Yes, for the first time, in a very long time." Jack tightened his hold on Irina, pulling her closer to him.
Sydney didn't comment, instead she focused on Irina. "You love him." It was a desperate, but firm statement of belief, not a question.
Irina answered anyway. "Yes, I do."
Without hesitation, Sydney stepped forward, and for the first time in several decades, Jack and Irina wrapped their daughter into a comforting embrace.
Part VI
Bristow Home, Early Christmas Morning
Irina Derevko shifted slightly, curling her arm around her legs as she pulled them closer to her chest. From her seat in the comfortable armchair, she watched Jack who lay still asleep in the bed that she had left less than an hour ago. Despite her injuries and how good it had felt to be back in Jack's arms after their yearlong separation, she hadn't been able to sleep for long. When she had gotten up, it had originally been with the intention of wandering the house, their house. She hadn't seen it or been there in a very long time.
It was amazing how much this place had stayed the same, while so much, including the people that it had housed, had changed so much. Their bedroom was different now, of course. Jack had purchased new furniture, but she could still see Laura's hand in little things around the room. The built in bookcases- now empty- that Jack had, had installed especially for her. A lamp that she had purchased in their first year of marriage and Jack had immediately swore that he hated, but still remained there. It was amazing to see that he hadn't erased all traces of her presence and, at the same time, more than a little disconcerting.
She really hadn't lied to Jack, all of those times that she told him that she loved him. Laura, however, was radically different from Irina. Both were strong, capable and confident women, but they were also mirror images of one another- two sides of the same coin.
Laura could always afford to be compassionate. Irina was ruthless without hesitation. Laura could never have shot her own daughter and they would both have died for it. Laura had weaknesses. Irina was always strong. Laura reveled in peace and stability. Irina lived on danger and struggled for power in a world of insanity. Nothing could stop her. Laura had everything. Irina had destroyed it all.
She snorted softly. Most people would call her clinically insane or at best mentally disturbed, if they had heard her thinking of herself as two different people. She dismissed her thoughts, for the moment at least, as her eyes came back up to rest on Jack's sleeping form.
He had shifted slightly when she rose, earlier, but hadn't woken up. Now, once again, he was sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling steadily as he slept. He had changed so much since the last time she had been in their home. They were both older and, debatably, wiser. Still one thing was the same-Jack's love. It hadn't remained a constant for all of the years that they were separated, but she could accept that. In those years, she couldn't have accepted the fact that he loved her- not that he had back then-now matter how much she had she had longed for it. Once again, after Sydney's apparent death, she had wanted to hear those words again. She had needed to hear it again. It was the one place where Laura and Irina shared the most similarities and differed the most.
A noise, nothing more than a slight whisper of sound really, caught Irina's ears, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced over at Jack to see if he had heard it as well, but she wasn't surprised to see him still asleep. Jack was an excellent agent and his senses were trained by decades of field work and an incredibly strong will to survive. She, however, had the added advantage of years of paranoia to sharpen her senses. People who headed organizations like the Man's could never afford to be careless or let their guard down.
Without hesitating, Irina eased the blanket she had been wrapped in off of her and quietly eased her badly damaged pants on, over her wounds. She didn't bother to change out of the shirt that she had borrowed out of Jack's closet earlier. There was no need and her own shirt was a lost cause.
She moved quietly down the hallway, praying that Jack hadn't added any new massive pieces of furniture to the hallway and carefully avoiding all of the loose, creaky boards as she headed towards the stairs. She had memorized a safe path in their first month of living in the house, after all it wouldn't have done for Jack to catch her because of a creaky stair.
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked around carefully, checking the living room for intruders. Seeing no one, Irina moved quickly towards the couch and scooped up the gun that she vaguely remembered Jack leaving there the night before. Hearing another noise, louder this time, coming from her right where the kitchen used to be. She quietly eased towards the doorway and then stuck her head around it carefully, prepared for a hail of bullets to come flying back at her.
Irina slowly lowered her gun and a warm happy smile gradually replaced the fierce, dangerous look that had been on her face only moment before. She watched, unobserved and in silence as Sydney carefully set a ham down in a large pan and with a look of fierce concentration started adding the trimmings.
Irina's smile turned slightly bittersweet as she watched Sydney glance back and forth between two pieces of paper. One was old and the paper looked battered, but even from that distance Irina could recognized her own handwriting. It was obviously her old recipe for the annual Christmas ham. The second piece of paper next to it was crisp, clean, and obviously much newer than the first. Irina wondered where the second recipe had come from and if the someone else that Sydney had cared about had given it to her.
Sydney finally added the finishing touches to the ham and stepped back to put it in the stove. Irina remained where she was. She saw the exact moment that Sydney caught site of her as she leaned over to put the ham in the oven. Sydney froze slightly, but then pushed the ham the rest of the way in and stood up. Keeping her eyes locked on Irina, she closed the door slowly. Her eyes took in the pistol in Irina's hand, but she didn't react. Instead Sydney slowly walked towards Irina and hugged her tightly.
She pulled away from Irina and then took a step back. She looked at her mother, taking in the lacerations, the few stitches that had been added where necessary and her father's shirt. Sydney quickly looked up to meet Irina's eyes, a jumble of emotions flashing through them.
Irina saw both worry and angry defiance in her eyes, mixed with a little bit of hurt, that Jack and Irina hadn't told her that they were back together. Sydney folded her arms over her chest and backed up to lean against the counter. Irina mentally steeled herself for a fight with Sydney. She didn't seem to have Jack or Irina's temper, but still even as a child, the tantrums Sydney had thrown had been impressive.
Irina was expecting the first thing out of Sydney's mouth to be a challenge, so she was surprised when Sydney's expression softened and she asked coolly, but with a half-smile, "Are you planning on shooting someone with that?"
Irina shook her head, "Not right now." Checking the safety, Irina put the pistol down on the counter top and waited. She was certain that Sydney had at least one or two questions that she wanted to ask her.
Before Sydney could say anything, though, Irina saw Sydney's eyes widen slightly and the felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind. "Irina," she heard Jack say sleepily, "It's still early, Love, came back to- "
Sydney coughed so loudly that Irina was certain that they could have heard her a mile away. Sydney's face was a shade of red that Irina hadn't know that it could turn, as Jack's head jerked up, all of the grogginess of sleep gone instantly as he realized that their daughter was standing right in front of them. Jack started to step back from her quickly, snatching his arm back as if he had just found out she was a leper.
Irina, however, was faster, despite her injuries, and grabbed his hand in hers, forcing him to keep it where it was, wrapped around her waist. She didn't care how embarrassed Jack or Sydney were at the moment, they were going to have this conversation. She loved both Sydney and Jack and she wanted each of them to know that. She started to say something, but stopped before she even started as Sydney quickly raised a hand. Irina wasn't sure if it was a gesture for silence or one of denial.
Sydney looked back and forth between her parents. Irina saw a glimmer of a tear start to form in Sydney's eye. She focused on Jack first and when she spoke her voice was tight and choked.
"Dad-are you happy?" Expecting something else, an accusation maybe or an angry out burst, they were both surprised at her question.
Jack didn't reply immediately, instead he looked down at Irina. It was almost a foreign question to him, but as he looked at his wife and saw all of the heartache and deception, he also saw the beauty and the love that they shared. He looked back up at Sydney and said quietly, simply, "Yes, for the first time, in a very long time." Jack tightened his hold on Irina, pulling her closer to him.
Sydney didn't comment, instead she focused on Irina. "You love him." It was a desperate, but firm statement of belief, not a question.
Irina answered anyway. "Yes, I do."
Without hesitation, Sydney stepped forward, and for the first time in several decades, Jack and Irina wrapped their daughter into a comforting embrace.