It was a long time before either of them dared to speak, to move. Irina
hated herself for showing such weakness to Jack. Jack was simply and
utterly confused by the whole situation. Irina sighed, Jack already knew
her weaknesses, hell he was one of them. She didn't need to hide, not with
him, not anymore.
She turned shoulders and lifter her head. Looking into his eyes, she sighed. She moved to speak, but she could not find the words, and words to say.
"I know." Jack said softly as he reached up to wipe the left over tears from her face.
"How Jack? How do you know what I am feeling? How do you know that what I have done in my life, has left me dead inside? How is it that you know this?" Her whispered accusations, were actually filled with more wonderment than skepticism. She already knew that he understood. After all she had put him through, he somehow felt what she was feeling. She had no way to understand that.
Jack drew a long deep breath, composing himself. "Irina, our lives have been casualties of circumstance. We have always shared that." His tone was gentle, but his words echoed pain.
"Mine was a choice, Jack." Irina breathed.
"After all that we have shared, do you really think that that choice was something we didn't share in?" Jack replied quickly.
"Jack." Irina whispered, closing her eyes to keep the tears from revealing themselves again.
Jack ran his hand through her hair. "Not tonight." He whispered before placing a soft kiss on her lips.
Irina softly cried his name countless more times as he kissed her neck. He removed her black top, and kissed her shoulders. As he looked up to kiss her mouth again, he noticed the tears running down her cheeks. He didn't say a word but carefully kissed away every tear, causing Irina to smile, and laugh a little. Jack smiled too, reveling in her beauty.
"Jack." She sighed, still smiling. She shook her head slightly not sure what to say.
"Yes." He laughed kissing her lips.
"Today is our anniversary." She smiled, this time with more caution.
"I know" he said the smile slowly fading from his face. He slowly lifted the covers of the bed and pulled her under with him.
"Do you remember our first meeting?" She said softly. He craned his neck to look down at where she lay next to him, her head resting on his chest. "Like it was yesterday." He breathed.
Irina giggled softly, innocently. "I remember thinking that you were much too handsome, for me too pull this all off." She whispered, truth echoing in her naivety.
"I remember thinking that I could lose myself forever in your eyes." Jack sighed.
"That was never a lie Jack." She whispered almost inaudibly.
"And it still isn't." He smiled kissing the top of her head.
The morning came quickly, bringing with it a magnificent sunrise. Jack watched the purple brilliance streak across the sky, while pink and orange swirls danced with the rising sun. Irina slept peacefully in his arms. Her soft breathing echoing his own. He was so content to just lie there with her. His eyes scanned the length of her body, gracefully intertwined with his own. Her hand gently resting on his chest, one leg protectively thrown over, one of his own.
It had been a long time since they'd slept like this, through the night. On most occasions they were awake before dawn hurrying to work, or hiding their covert rendezvous. Jack still had very little idea of why Irina was sleeping in his arms. She had been too shaken the night before to question her about intent. Why had she come to him? What had shaken her so intensely? He was curious to know, but not worried; she would have told him if something was of great importance.
Content to lie there forever, Jack begrudgingly maneuvered himself out of the bed, working not to disturb his sleeping beauty. He quickly showered and made a small breakfast for the two of them. He arranged a tray of coffee, eggs and toast; a small flower for decoration, and one packet of sugar for Irina. He was almost through with his mission when at knock came at the door. Puzzled at who would be calling so early, he set down the tray in the living room, and retrieved his gun.
Stowing the pistol carefully in the back of his pants, Jack went to the door and checked the peep hole. Relaxing immediately Jack opened the door and let Sydney in.
"Good morning sweat heart." He smiled.
"Hi dad." She said wrapping him in a hug.
"To what do I own this pleasure, so early in the morning." Jack smiled closing the door behind her.
"I wanted to talk to you about mom." She said softly sitting down on the living room couch. "I was thinking about her last night, and wanted to catch you before work." She said uneasily.
"What were you thinking?" Jack said taking a seat opposite her on the easy chair.
"I remembered the last time I saw her, jumping off the building in Mexico City." She took a deep breath, and Jack glanced quickly at the corridor which led to his room, wondering if Sydney's mother still slept. "And I was thinking about how I have been back now for four months, and I haven't heard anything from her. I know that four months isn't a long amount of time. But I really would like to talk to her."
Jack paused a moment before speaking. "Sydney, your mother and I worked together extensively in the first year of your disappearance. She was, in fact, the reason that I was placed in solitary confinement, as a traitor to the US." Jack paused watching Sydney's eyes fall upon the tray on the coffee table, containing breakfast for two. "As you know your mother works in very mysterious ways."
"Yeah but Dad, why hasn't she contacted me? Is she working with The Covenant, did she know what they had planned for me?" Sydney was visibly trying to hold back tears. "Was she a part of all this?"
"Sydney, it took me a long time to accept this. But your mother would never to anything to hurt you." Jack had more to say but stopped when Sydney seemed to put together what the breakfast tray really meant.
"Is someone else here?" She said suddenly.
"Sydney.." Jack started but was interrupted again as Sydney stood suddenly.
"I didn't realize. I'm sorry, I'll go." She said picking up her coat and striding toward the door.
"Sydney, it's not." Jack said starting after her.
"No Dad, I shouldn't have come here. You should have told me, we can talk about this later." She pulled the door open. "I'll see you at work." She said, about to step through.
"Sydney." Irina's voice rang out through the air. Sydney stopped in her tracks and turned.
She turned shoulders and lifter her head. Looking into his eyes, she sighed. She moved to speak, but she could not find the words, and words to say.
"I know." Jack said softly as he reached up to wipe the left over tears from her face.
"How Jack? How do you know what I am feeling? How do you know that what I have done in my life, has left me dead inside? How is it that you know this?" Her whispered accusations, were actually filled with more wonderment than skepticism. She already knew that he understood. After all she had put him through, he somehow felt what she was feeling. She had no way to understand that.
Jack drew a long deep breath, composing himself. "Irina, our lives have been casualties of circumstance. We have always shared that." His tone was gentle, but his words echoed pain.
"Mine was a choice, Jack." Irina breathed.
"After all that we have shared, do you really think that that choice was something we didn't share in?" Jack replied quickly.
"Jack." Irina whispered, closing her eyes to keep the tears from revealing themselves again.
Jack ran his hand through her hair. "Not tonight." He whispered before placing a soft kiss on her lips.
Irina softly cried his name countless more times as he kissed her neck. He removed her black top, and kissed her shoulders. As he looked up to kiss her mouth again, he noticed the tears running down her cheeks. He didn't say a word but carefully kissed away every tear, causing Irina to smile, and laugh a little. Jack smiled too, reveling in her beauty.
"Jack." She sighed, still smiling. She shook her head slightly not sure what to say.
"Yes." He laughed kissing her lips.
"Today is our anniversary." She smiled, this time with more caution.
"I know" he said the smile slowly fading from his face. He slowly lifted the covers of the bed and pulled her under with him.
"Do you remember our first meeting?" She said softly. He craned his neck to look down at where she lay next to him, her head resting on his chest. "Like it was yesterday." He breathed.
Irina giggled softly, innocently. "I remember thinking that you were much too handsome, for me too pull this all off." She whispered, truth echoing in her naivety.
"I remember thinking that I could lose myself forever in your eyes." Jack sighed.
"That was never a lie Jack." She whispered almost inaudibly.
"And it still isn't." He smiled kissing the top of her head.
The morning came quickly, bringing with it a magnificent sunrise. Jack watched the purple brilliance streak across the sky, while pink and orange swirls danced with the rising sun. Irina slept peacefully in his arms. Her soft breathing echoing his own. He was so content to just lie there with her. His eyes scanned the length of her body, gracefully intertwined with his own. Her hand gently resting on his chest, one leg protectively thrown over, one of his own.
It had been a long time since they'd slept like this, through the night. On most occasions they were awake before dawn hurrying to work, or hiding their covert rendezvous. Jack still had very little idea of why Irina was sleeping in his arms. She had been too shaken the night before to question her about intent. Why had she come to him? What had shaken her so intensely? He was curious to know, but not worried; she would have told him if something was of great importance.
Content to lie there forever, Jack begrudgingly maneuvered himself out of the bed, working not to disturb his sleeping beauty. He quickly showered and made a small breakfast for the two of them. He arranged a tray of coffee, eggs and toast; a small flower for decoration, and one packet of sugar for Irina. He was almost through with his mission when at knock came at the door. Puzzled at who would be calling so early, he set down the tray in the living room, and retrieved his gun.
Stowing the pistol carefully in the back of his pants, Jack went to the door and checked the peep hole. Relaxing immediately Jack opened the door and let Sydney in.
"Good morning sweat heart." He smiled.
"Hi dad." She said wrapping him in a hug.
"To what do I own this pleasure, so early in the morning." Jack smiled closing the door behind her.
"I wanted to talk to you about mom." She said softly sitting down on the living room couch. "I was thinking about her last night, and wanted to catch you before work." She said uneasily.
"What were you thinking?" Jack said taking a seat opposite her on the easy chair.
"I remembered the last time I saw her, jumping off the building in Mexico City." She took a deep breath, and Jack glanced quickly at the corridor which led to his room, wondering if Sydney's mother still slept. "And I was thinking about how I have been back now for four months, and I haven't heard anything from her. I know that four months isn't a long amount of time. But I really would like to talk to her."
Jack paused a moment before speaking. "Sydney, your mother and I worked together extensively in the first year of your disappearance. She was, in fact, the reason that I was placed in solitary confinement, as a traitor to the US." Jack paused watching Sydney's eyes fall upon the tray on the coffee table, containing breakfast for two. "As you know your mother works in very mysterious ways."
"Yeah but Dad, why hasn't she contacted me? Is she working with The Covenant, did she know what they had planned for me?" Sydney was visibly trying to hold back tears. "Was she a part of all this?"
"Sydney, it took me a long time to accept this. But your mother would never to anything to hurt you." Jack had more to say but stopped when Sydney seemed to put together what the breakfast tray really meant.
"Is someone else here?" She said suddenly.
"Sydney.." Jack started but was interrupted again as Sydney stood suddenly.
"I didn't realize. I'm sorry, I'll go." She said picking up her coat and striding toward the door.
"Sydney, it's not." Jack said starting after her.
"No Dad, I shouldn't have come here. You should have told me, we can talk about this later." She pulled the door open. "I'll see you at work." She said, about to step through.
"Sydney." Irina's voice rang out through the air. Sydney stopped in her tracks and turned.