Disclaimer: I own none of this.

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Agent Michael Vaughn shifted impatiently in his seat. The flight seemed endless. It was made ten times worse by the fact that every moment that passed was one more he spent away from Sydney, one more moment wasted, slipping away from him, just like Sydney.

He had been so optimistic when he had walked into the unexpected briefing that Kendall had abruptly arranged. The moment he heard that they had a possible lead on Sloane, at least they thought it was Sloane, based on the footage they had been shown of Jack and Irina entering an international bank in Sweden. His first reaction other than relief at finally having a lead, was disbelief.

There was no way that he could believe that Jack was voluntarily working with Irina Derevko. He had, after all, been responsible for setting the woman up to be executed in the past, but so far there had been nothing to disprove the photos that they had been given by an anonymous source.

When after an interminably long amount of time had passed and with a certain amount of reluctance, Kendalll finally announced that a team was being sent in to raid the 'bank' and search it for anything that might provide them with another lead, Vaughn had immediately volunteered. He hadn't been surprised to see that Dixon was only a fraction of a second behind him. He understood the loyalty and trust that Sydney and Dixon had developed for one another. They were partners and friends. Dixon wouldn't hesitate to risk his life to save Sydney, just as she hadn't hesitated to save his life nearly a year ago, even at the risk of her own cover.

So now they were on the way to Sweden with a team of operatives. To them Sydney was just another agent in danger, to Vaughn she was everything and he would do anything to ensure her safety. After all he was Sydney Bristow's guardian angel.

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Irina met Sydney's gaze easily. "Of course, I do, Sweetheart, but we've already had this conversation. Do you really find it so hard to believe that I would tell you the truth?"

Sydney looked chagrined and shook her head. "I guess, Mom. It's not that I think you're lying. I remember how happy the two of you always looked. I just find it hard to believe that you could come to love someone that you had probably been taught to hate all of your life."

Irina looked at her daughter for a moment and then said fondly, "You are your father's daughter. You have to have proof and a logical answer for everything." She leaned back in her seat and her eyes fell half shut engulfing her in almost forgotten memories. Memories that she had treasured for years, but had been too painful to drag to the surface.

"You're right to a degree. The first time I met Jack, I hated him. But there was something about Jack that was different, something about it just kept nagging at me. At first I thought it was something related to the mission, a slip I had made and had yet to realize, something he might already be using to find out who I really was. Or maybe information that he had mentioned with a significance I hadn't realized yet. That feeling of missing something stayed with me for months as I played my part. Until one evening, I was out with Jack as usual, when he asked me something." She half-smiled, "I don't even remember what he asked me anymore, but I do remember coming to a realization right there. I realized that the answer I was about to give him wasn't a lie. It was something I might have said even as Irina, not just as Laura."

Her voice gained enthusiasm and remembered happiness showed through the hardened veneer that she showed the world, "You see Sydney, what had been nagging me was my subconscious awareness of the fact that I was no longer playing a part and how dangerous that could be for me and for Jack."

"Mom," Sydney started to say, but was cut off by Irina.

"No, I understand Sydney, as soon as we-"

"Mom," Sydney repeated talking over her, "I'm sorry." She didn't say anything else, instead she looked away out of the plane.

The two women were silent for the rest of the flight, each of them caught up in their own thoughts, and neither even tried to engage the other in conversation as they exited the plane. Irina walked confidently out of the airport without even the slightest of uncertain glances. Sydney followed along in her wake, content with her mother's silence for the moment.

They reached the area where vehicles waited for arriving passengers to leave and Irina strode easily towards one of the nearby limos. Without a word, the driver got out and opened a backdoor to let Irina in. She slid in without hesitation and Sydney followed her after only the briefest of glances at her surroundings.

"Thank you, Dimitri," she heard her mother tell the driver. The old man simply nodded and replied, "Confirmation that your orders were carried out was delivered this morning."

A brief glimpse of triumph could be seen in Irina's eyes, before she said again, "Thank you." She paused and then added, "Sydney and I need to have a private conversation for a moment, but let me know if anything comes up that need my attention."

"Yes, Ms. Derevko," it was his turn to hesitate, then, "Would you like the reports from all of your assets when we arrive?"

"No, Dimitri," she said, "This trip isn't about business, it's personal. The only information I want is what I've already asked for."

Dimitri nodded and raised the privacy barrier between the front and the back. Irina could see that Sydney was almost bursting with questions. She remained silent until she realized that as much as it might pain Sydney's morals, for the moment she wouldn't ask any questions about 'The Man's' Syndicate. Jack came first.

"I had surveillance showing Jack and I in Switzerland leaked to the CIA," she stated calmly.

"What?" That had certainly caught Sydney's attention. Calmer, or at least quieter she asked, "Why did you do that?"

"The CIA had no leads on your disappearance. They won't find much, but it will give them a place to begin. It will also begin to put Arvin under more pressure. When we get," she paused as if carefully choosing her next word, "home there will be a more detailed reports of what's happening with Arvin and Jack."

Syndey looked down and then back up at Irina. "Mom," she said so softly that Irina almost had to strain to hear her. "I meant what I said earlier. I am sorry for what I said. I just have a hard time believing what you say sometimes. Even when I want to, somewhere in the back of my mind I'm always wondering if this is true. It all seems too good to be believable. I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall and for everything to go wrong again."

"Sydney," she said softly, trying to bury the pain she felt at Sydney's comment, "I've only lied about my feelings for Jack once and that was in my first KGB debriefing after I returned to Russia. I will never lie about that again. I can't guarantee that everything will be fine, but I can tell you that my love will never change or disappear."

Irina could see the beginnings of tears forming in Sydney's eyes and hesitantly, not even certain of what she was doing herself, she reached out to Sydney.

To her surprise especially given their recent conversation, Sydney didn't hesitate or stop her, she returned her mother's embrace unconditionally. "I don't want to lose Dad, Mom," Irina could hear the tears in her daughter's voice. "There's so much that I want to tell Dad, so many conversations we never had because he was too busy working or I was too busy being an angry resentful teenager."

Stroking her daughter's silky hair, Irina said quietly, "It's okay, Sweetheart. Jack will be fine. We will find him."

As she held Sydney, she silently marveled that her daughter, who had lived for so long under the strain of a double, if not triple life- counting the façade of a banker that she maintained for her friends, and yet almost crumbled at her father's kidnapping. Not that she, Irina, was holding up that much better herself, but she had many more years of practice at being alone and having to be strong.

"Ms. Derevko," Dimitri's voice hissed over an intercom, "Someone that claims they have information for you is waiting to speak to you after we arrive."

"I assume he has been checked as a legitimate source." Gone was Irina the caring mother and in her place 'The Man' made a sudden appearance.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Have him waiting in my study, when we arrive." She paused, "Oh and Dimitri," she questioned, "Did you bring what I asked for?"

He didn't reply, but raised one hand off of the wheel and gestured towards the back.

Sydney, looking much less fragile than she had moments before, looked at Irina curiously. Irina responded by opening a panel that Sydney hadn't even realized was there. Like a magician pulling rabbits out of hat, Irina began pulling out several varieties of pistols and even a few knives.

"Take whatever you want," Irina said easily. "I didn't want us to be caught unarmed again."

Sydney picked one up and began to examine it with professional competence. A slight smile appeared on Sydney face as she carefully hefted it, "Aren't you afraid I'll shoot you with it?"

Irina matched her grin with a bitter one of her own. "No, that's why we're freeing, Jack, Dear. He's the only member of this happy little family that hasn't shot another family member, yet."

Sydney frowned, suddenly serious, the brief moment of joking gone. "He wouldn't, Mom, he couldn't."

Irina looked at her with disbelief and tried to mask the pain she felt at the thought of Jack wanting to kill her. "He already tried to have me executed once and he almost succeeded. I have no delusions about Jack's feelings towards me." She picked up a gun of her own and slipped ammunition into it, passing another clip to Sydney a moment later.

"No, Dad might hate how you lied to him, left him, and betrayed his trust, but he doesn't want you dead, now. He only tried to have you," she struggled for a more pleasant euphemism for a moment, "removed, because he was trying to protect me. The two of you have too much left to resolve before either of you can die."

Sydney's comment momentarily silenced her and made her start to think. Perhaps Jack's feelings weren't as much of a lost cause as she had feared. Or Sydney could be reading her father totally wrong. After a moment's consideration, Irina decided that regardless she still liked Sydney's original analysis better.

SPOILER ALERT: Wow, I just have to say last night's premiere was awesome! The J/S scenes were brilliant and the scenes with Syd chewing out Vaughn were excellent in my opinion. I had actually considered abandoning this fic once the new season started, but I decided to keep going. Please tell me what you think of this chapter.